Set sometime after Adam's destruction (the end of season 4), and before Dawn shows up.

Xander's Thoughts

Best Friends are Family

The rain had started falling hours ago, just after he had helped move Buffy and Willow back into their respective bedrooms. The school term had ended, Adam was destroyed, the Initiative was gone, and for the summer at least things would be like normal. Well as normal as anything ever was in Sunnydale anyway.

A knock on the basement door brought Xander out of his trance. Who could that be? My folks are gone all weekend, and Anya never knocks.

Before he could answer however Willow's voice cascaded through the door and down the stairs, "X..Xander can I…"

Is she crying? "Sure Will," Xander hastily stood up and approached the stairs.

Willow opened the door and walked down the stairs, her eyes never leaving the floor. She was dripping wet, shivering, and limping. Xander was beyond worried.

"Will! What happened? What's wrong?" His hand slid under her chin and lifted her face to meet his. What he saw broke him. Her right cheek had a faint bruise as if someone had slapped her, and eyes were red, puffy, and showed so much pain.

"Can…I stay… here?" Her voice was broken, "I tried to…call…Tara."

"Will?" He lead her to the his bed and sat her down, then pulled his blankets around her. "Willow, please tell me what happened."

"I had to tell them. They are my parents…" She paused and brought her hand to her bruised cheek, "I knew they wouldn't, but…"

Realization hit Xander, "you told them about Tara?"

Willow nodded, "I've never seen my father that angry, not even when I got a B+ in junior high, and Mom was like…It was like the time she was going to burn me at the stake."

God. They have always been hard on her. Well, when they weren't ignoring her very existence. We have always had opposite feeling toward our parents. I wish they would leave me alone, and forget I even existed. Willow always wished they would care about HER, not her brain or school work but her. After she got that B+ she told them that. It had been a big deal, cause she ended up on my doorstep then too. That was when they started to completely ignore her, before that the only thing they cared about was her school work. And after that the only thing they cared about was their own lifes. That was when they started leaving on business trips, leaving her alone for weeks at a time.

"Willow, tell me exactly what happened."

"You and Buffy left, and I was putting stuff away. Mom called me down for dinner, and I wasn't planning on telling them. Ever. But…"

"They asked? Or they noticed something?" Xander offered.

"Yeah, both actually. Mom notice my…well Tara's necklace, and then they asked who she was and…I can't lie to them Xander!" Willow's voice, which had been starting to calm, was now sounding upset again.

"Will, just calm down. Alright? You're here and safe."

"I told them, I liked her…and they didn't get it. So I told them I really like her. I could tell my mom was getting it. Her face got all contorted and she looked shocked. Father questioned again…" Her breathing was no longer remotely calm. Short, shallow, straggled, frighten, uncontrolled.

Xander was even more worried now, he was starting to panic. "Come on Willow! Don't do this, deep breaths okay. I don't want you passing out on me alright!" He started rubbing her back slowly , "Will, you need to calm down, your worrying me. Come on please." Her breathing slowed slightly, "Good girl, just calm down, okay. You're safe here, I won't do anything to hurt you. You know that."

She nodded, took one more deep breath, and then continued, "He asked what I meant. And Mom," Willow paused again and brought her eyes up to Xander's, "She said, 'she's saying that she is gay.' She was going to say something else, but…he…" She turned her head from Xander. He had to strain his ears to hear what she said next, "he hit me. Then told me I wasn't his daughter and I needed to leave…"

God…Why Willow. I hate her parents, in honesty I have for years. Not because they ever did anything to me, but because of all the times they made her cry. She is my Willow, my best friend, my little sister.

"Listen Will, it will be fine. Okay? I'll get your stuff tomorrow, and I bet Buffy's mom will let you stay there this summer."

Willow's frantic eyes shot back to him, "No, Joyce will never let me stay if she finds out! I will never be able to talk to Buff…"

But Xander interrupted her, "Willow calm down. Joyce loves you, alright? You know, she is like a mom to both of us. She would never do anything to you, she will understand." Xander could tell he hadn't convinced her, "Buffy, Giles, and I understood. We still love you Willow. It doesn't matter who you love; boys, girls, ex-demons, current demons. That last one has possible problems, but you know what I mean. You'll always be my best friend Will, you are my family." He kissed her forehead then added, "I am going to get you some dry clothes, and then I am going to call Buffy so she knows what's going on. I am going to tell her that you told your parents about Tara and it ended badly, anymore details will come from you, okay? And then I am going to tell her that you are going to stay the night here, and that if she wants to she can come over and hangout, alright?" Xander stood up and walked over the his dresser pulling out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, then walked back over to Willow and handed them to her. "I think I am going to call Giles too, he would want to know." And with that Xander walked up the stairs so that she could change in privacy and he could call the rest of their family.

FIN

AN/ Hope you liked it!