This is the sequel to Fading Away. The main character in this story is Willow, but the Charmed Ones are also in it. I hope you enjoy readingit as much as I did writing it.

Title- Willow In the Winds

By- Claire C. Griffon

Summary- This story takes place a fewweeks after Fading Away ends. It talks about what has happened to the characters after the Shanshu, and what Willow is doing now.

Author's Note- When this story takes place, Agent Brody is not intent on killing the Avatars. In fact, for the purpose of this story, they do not exist.

Chapter 1- Just A Call Away

"I'll meet you in a few months over at your house in Italy, okay?" Willow Rosenburg told her long time friend, Buffy Summers, over the phone.

"Just hurry back Will. I need you here for my Maid of Honor," Buffy replied.

Willow laughed. Just a few short weeks ago, she, and all of her friends had been in LA, averting the final Apocolypse together. After that, Spike,a Vampire turned human again, went back to Italy with Buffy, his one time enemy and now time girlfriend, her sister Dawn, and Andrew, a Watcher in Training. He had suprised everyone when he had proposed to her last week. Now, they were both caught up in the wedding plans.

"No problem. You know I wouln't miss it unless I died. And even then, I would find a way to be there for you," Willow told her.

"Alright," Buffy answered. Willow could see her nodding over the telephone. That's how well she knew the Summers. All three of them, Buffy, Dawn and herself, were like sisters. And soon, Spike would be joining their little family. It was a strange though at first, but little by little Willow was getting used to it.

The two disconnected and Willow hung up. Then, she searched through her small phone book for Alexander Harris, or Xander's cell phone number. She and Xander had been friends ever since Kindergarten, when she had broken a yellow crayon. Thethought of crayons still brought back some painful memories for her. About a year ago today, Xander had saved her from herself and destroying the world by discussing, among other things, yellow crayons. Finding his number, she picked up the phone again and dialed. It was picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?" Xander's voice said.

It was nice to hear it again. If the Summers were her sisters, then Xander was without a dooubt her brother. They each held so much blackmail on each other, that they could get the other to do just about anything. "Hey Xander. It's Willow," she said, althought the last part really wasn't nessicary. She was sure that Xander already knew it was her.

"How's it going Will? Got all that demon blood from Faith's wedding out of you dress yet?"

Laughing, Willow replied," Yeah. I magicked it out. Not with real magik though, but it seemed like it." She added in that last part hastily. She knew how Xander reacted towards using magick for things that could be done by hand. So did she, for that matter. Willow really didn't need a reminder of what had happened last time her powers had controlled her. "I went to the dry cleaners," she explained.

"Oh god. I got bad memories of the dry cleaners," Xander groaned.

"Why?"

"Remember Sweet? The whole 'Mustard' broadway tune going on outside the Majik Shop?" Xander reminded her.

"Oh god," Willow echoed.

They both laughed a moment later. Then, Willow asked him, "So, where are you today?"

"Currently, at the airport in Atlanta. I still have to travel to all fifty states. I onlt managed to get to forty-eight of them after our senior year."

"Lemme guess...Alaska and Hawaii?"

"How'd you know?"

"I'm good like that. But why Atlanta?"

"The earliest flight to Hawaii is here," Xander explained.

"I see."

"So, why'd you call? If you need me or something, I can be up in California in a few hours if I switch flights now," Xander said anxiously.

"No, no. I'm fine. I just called to tell you something."

"What?"

"First, I'm not going to be home for a few weeks, maybe a few months. I don't really know. I think I found the Witches I was searching for. I'm going to stay nearby and hope that I can maybe learn something about power control from them. Also, did you hear about Buffy?"

Xander's voice took on a worried tone. "No. What happened? Is she alright?"

Willow laughed slightly. "Don't worry. She's fine, but something major did happen."

"Willow don't tease me like this. What happened?"

"Buffy was proposed to."

"By whom?"

"Spike"

Xander laughed. "I asked you not to tease me, like, ten seconds ago Will. Who was it really? Deadboy?"

"Xander, I'm telling the truth. He proposed about a week ago today. He, Bufffy, Andrew and Dawn were on a picnic. Now, ready for the shocker?"

"Like the whole fact about Buffy getting married wasn't shocking enough?" Xander exclaimed.

"Not compared to this. Spike wants you to be his Best Man," Willow said. Suddenly, she heard a thump as the phone fell to the ground on the other end. Willow gave Xander a few seconds to recover before talking again. "Xander, pick up the phone. I know you're there."

There was the noise of fingers fumbling against the phone as Xander picked it up again and asked, "This was Buffy's idea, wasn't it?"

"No, it wasn't," Willow sighed out. She had thought the conversation would go something like this. It was a good thing that she had been able to ween more information from Buffy so she could try and convince Xander that it was all good. "She wanted Giles to be the Best Man. Spike told her that he would be better as the father figure who would give her away than the Best Man. So, they still obviously needed one. Spike immediatly thought of you. He thinks you'll like being it."

"Why's that?" Xander asked coldly. There was no love lost between her best friend and the former Vampire. His tone of voice pretty much took care of all doubts there.

"Spike was bound and determined to keep it a secret, but Buffy let a MAJOR clue slip. She said something about Vampiric Tradition. So, I did some research to find out what that meant. Basically, Vamps can't get married. They can, however, be, well, bonded I guess for that lack of a better word. In any case, to prove that they're strong enough to be bonded, the Vamp in question must survive a fight against another Vampire, without fighting back."

"So," Xander siad, the whole meaning of this dawning upon him, "I get to beat up Spike, and he can't do a thing to stop me?" At Willow confrimation of his statement, he said, "Awesome! Spike and I might just get along yet!"

Willow smiled over the phone. Although she knew that he couldn't see her, she knew he would hear it in her voice. "Now you see why Spike wanted you to be his Best Man. He hopes that 'Bashing his skull in' as he so very nicely put it, will put you and him on speaking terms."

"Shouldn't be a problem there," Xander said. Then, after a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you okay Will? You seem pretty quiet. Is there something else?"

Thinking fast, she said, "I don't know what Cordelia's phone number is. I need to invite her to the wedding too." She felt bad lieing to her bestest bud, but there were somethings that even he wouldn't understand. Like how she knew, without a doubt, that the three Witches in California would need her help in the end if they were to survive.

"No problem. I've got her number programmed into my phone. I'll call her as soon as we're done."

"Go ahead and call her now then. I've got nothing else that I needed to tell you," Willow responded, sounding like her usual cheery self again.

"Okay Will. Oh! And don't forget, if you need me, I'm just a phone call away."

"Thanks Xander," she told him. Then she hung up.