Happiness Where You Can Find It

"So who is he?" Oliver asked, trying to be casual about it which was difficult leaning over her shoulder.

Chloe stopped tapping her pen against her note pad, looked up at him innocently, and replied "Who?" She hoped her award winning smile would get her off the hook but the look in his eyes told her he wasn't going to drop this.

"Whoever it is that has you on cloud 9. Whoever it is that has you so distracted you can't hack a simple little website for me." he replies as he leans over her to meet her eyes. He is glad to see her smiling and happy, but it is getting in the way of the mission. Also, anyone new in their world needs to checked out very carefully. There is too much at stake not to.

Trying not to blush but failing, she still tries to deny by twisting the truth a bit "There is no he. I swear." she promises as she crosses her heart. She can't tell him the truth. She is still trying to figure that out for herself.

"Fine but get your head out of the clouds and get back to work. I am not paying you to daydream." he jokingly scolds, while inside he is disappointed she won't confide in him. He thought they were close. He tells her all his secrets.

"Yes, sir" Chloe snarks with a mock salute, before focusing on her computer again. Her new friend might be able to help her. Maybe she could just call for some advice? Knowing that, that road leads elsewhere, she refrains. Still.

Buffy storms into Xander's office all covered in slime. "YOU PROMISED!" she shouts as she leans over his desk.

Laughing and getting slime thrown at him for laughing, he replies "I said our intel did not indicate a Thural demon. I never promised. It will wash off."

Making a noise, Buffy flings more slime at Xander before storming off to take a shower.

Several hours and layers of skin later, she has gotten most of the slime off so she makes her way towards the café to scrounge up some food. With so many slayer appetites under one roof, food was often in short supply even though it was delivered daily by the truck load. Her day is surprisingly routine: train, lecture, eat, train, etc. It is as close to normal as her life gets, and it feels wonderful.

As always, she gathers her things just before dawn as he pretends to sleep. They have been friends long enough to know this is not love or even lust. It is just a release, and a moment of joy in their dark worlds. Still each wishes there was more to say.

Buffy dresses in the hallway before making her way back to her room. Sex always helps her relax enough to sleep. As she is making her way back to her room, she is surprised to hear humming. Investigating the noise, she see Willow making her way down the stairs from the roof humming as she walks. Buffy remembers that humming from when she was with Tara. Willow only does that when she is very happy and relaxed. Curious as to who Willow is seeing, she makes her way to the roof. On the roof she only finds 2 slayers on guard duty. They give her a look before one of them sighs and comes over to Buffy.

"She has been going out every few nights for the last few weeks. We don't ask where she goes but she always comes back happy. We are taking bets on who she met in this quiet little part of nowhere that is Smallville. Personally, I think she is flying to Metropolis as I don't think this town is friendly to those who are different." Amada informs Buffy.

Buffy can hear her anger in her voice and understands. These hicks have been giving all the girls a hard time whenever they go into town. The local boys were at first excited to have so many girls living nearby, but when one got grabby and had his arm broke, they changed their minds. Still, not everyone is mean to them. "Well, I will speak to her. We can't risk everyone's safety by bringing in outsiders until we have checked them out."

"So that is why she is sleeping with Xander? I know she is the boss, but he could do better than her" Buffy overhears one of the girls ask the other as she makes her way back downstairs. She should have known that nothing can be kept secret. She does feel guilty when she thinks she might be keeping Xander from someone else, but since Renee died Xander doesn't seem to be able to feel anything. Even when they are together, it is strictly a physical thing for him. There is no sign of the caring compassionate man from high school. She understands his pain having lived through losing Angel, so she knows he will be fine in time. She just hopes she can let him go when he does meet "her", because right now he is her lifeline. She knows she doesn't love him in that way, nor does he her, but she desperately needs what they do have. It is the only time she doesn't have to be Buffy The Vampire Slayer. This is why she shouldn't get involved with anyone. It is too complicated, in her otherwise already complicated life.

She runs her hand on the smooth marble of the staircase. This mansion is far too ornate for her tastes but it was free thanks to one of their sponsors and the grounds give them plenty of room to train in private. She hoped coming back to America would make her feel more comfortable, as Scotland never felt like home but it didn't. She just doesn't fit in the world the way she used. Just one more bonus prize of being "The Slayer".

Xander finishes his breakfast just in time to catch Willow making her way to teach a lesson. "Hey Will." he calls to her to get her to stop. Buffy had wanted to be the one to have this conversation but he is in charge so it should be him that way Buffy can talk to Willow as her friend. Just one more little way Xander tries to make his friends' lives better.

"Xander." she says with a big smile which only confirms what Buffy told him.

"Look Will, you know I am in charge, so it is in charge guy saying this. I am glad you met someone but we need to meet her and we need to check her out. We can't have any of our assets putting themselves at risk like this. There is protocol for a reason and I expect everyone to follow it." he tells her.

Her smile does falter, but her tone changes "Love doesn't follow protocol." she replies.

"But Willow does." he says firmly.

Willow thinks for a moment. Her new friend is not going to be happy about getting the 5th degree even if Xander does have a point. They have all been fooled before. She is not worried about the whole slayer and demons part as her friend took that news really well. She just doesn't know if her friend is ready to "go public" about their relationship. She flashes momentarily on her arms wrapped tightly around her friend as she took her flying. "God that was fun." To Xander, she replies "This is all new to her. I am her first girlfriend. She is still trying to deal with all that, so I don't want to overwhelm her." raising her hand to stop Xander from interrupting her "but I understand your point as well. Let me talk to her tonight and then maybe just you can meet her?"

"Agreed. And Will the not in charge guy is glad to see you smiling again. She must be some girl." he says as he walks towards the command center.

"Yes, Chloe Sullivan is one amazing young woman." she thinks with a smile on her lips as she enters her classroom.

Oliver is working himself hard as he turns, flips, and jumps through the obstacle course built in his personal skyscraper firing arrows at targets all around the room. So engrossed it takes him a minute to notice Chloe standing nervously in the corner of the room, just behind the safety glass. Interupting his workout, he heads over to her. "Hey Watchtower. What's up?" he asks in a friendly playful tone.

She looks away for a second, the classic indication she has something huge on her mind, before looking back at him. "There is something I would normally talk to Lois about, but with her missing" She refused to say dead. "I was hoping I could talk to you. I don't want to sound harsh but it is girl stuff so I totally understand if you don't want to. Also, I don't want to freak you out. You have to promise not to tell the guys, particularly Bart." she babbles another indication of just how upset she is.

Oliver puts his hands on her shoulders and looks in the eyes as he says "You can tell me anything. I will always be here for you." Inside he wonders if the lucky guy to be dating her is worthy of her. Clearly he has done something. Whoever he is, he will pay if he hurts her, Oliver silently swears. Chloe has suffered enough with losing Jimmy and Lois, and then Clark walking out on them. He struggles to stifle his frustration when he thinks of Clark's cowardice in running away.

Chloe leans into his chest as she mutters "I just don't know what to do and I am scared."

"Is she preganant? Did this guy knock her up and run? Definetly going to paying this guy a visit as Green Arrow." "It will be ok. Why don't you start at the beginning?" he suggests as he guides her into the next room and onto the sofa.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe starts to explain "I met her a few weeks ago one night at the Talon. I had never noticed "noticed"," She makes hand gestures. "a girl before, but something about her just caught my attention. She noticed and grinned at me before I embarrassingly turned away. The brief moment our eyes met was so intense. I mean I loved Clark for years and then there was Jimmy but this was just so different. Totally freaked out, I told myself it was just my reporter instincts kicking up because she is one of the girls that took over the Luthor Mansion. This gave me the perfect excuse to watch her. I tried to hide my spying, but she caught me and seemed to find it amusing. At one point, she got up and head towards me. I was so terrified she was going to sit down. I had not idea what I would say to her. Instead she just walked by my table and out the side door.

It was only because I was watching her that I noticed them. Two ordinarily dressed men got up and followed her outside. Now I was in full Watchtower mode and had to investigate, so I went around the other way so I could spy on the alley without being seen. It helps to be on your old home turf.

When I got around to the side, I saw the two men make a grab for her but before I could shout a warning she spun around with glowing hands. She shocked them or something and they slumped to the ground. She noticed me as I had stepped into the alley as I was moving to help her. Seeing me she smiled which caused her to fail to notice a third goon entering the alley behind her. He fired a dart gun at her and hit her in the arm. She swayed and nearly fell. Without thinking, I pulled and fired my taser at the guy. He fell to the ground with all his muscles spasiming out of control.

I went to help her up but she was already standing. For a second her eyes were black pools but then they returned to normal. She then touched each of the goons on the forehead as she said to me "Thanks for the help."

"It is ok. Look my place is nearby. Why don't come back there with me?" I said figuring getting out of public was probably a good idea.

She raised an eyebrow at me, smiled, and quipped "but you didn't buy me dinner first." Seeing me turn bright red, she laugh and continued "Lead on Princess Charming."

Stumble for a reply, I just guided her back into the Talon and upstairs. I haven't lived in the apartment in awhile but it is still mine for another month. I might keep it anyway as a fallback. Anyway, when I got her settled on the sofa I asked her how long she had her powers.

She looked at me for a second before she explained she didn't gain any real power until after high school. Learning magic took a lot of trial and error and she mentioned she made some big mistakes in the process but now she has a good handle on her power.

"So you're not metor infected?" I asked.

She looked at me oddly then replied. "I don't know what that means but I don't think so. I am a witch."

"Wow, a real witch?" I replied like I was still in high school. I was so mortified.

She just laughed and nodded. "You don't seem freaked out by that so you how long have you been dealing with people with powers?" she asked.

Fairs fairs so I told her all about my life. I left out names and other details so she won't know about any of you guys. We talked for hours. It felt really good talking to her. Kind of like what Clark and I used to have. " Chloe pasuses, seeing the hurt in Oliver's eyes. "or what we have now. When I finished, she told me her story. She fights monsters and demons! Most of the girls up at the Mansion have magical powers which make them stronger and faster than normal humans. She called them "Slayers". Anyway, she helps her friends save the world.

Suddenly, she jumped up as she noticed it was nearly Dawn. "I have to go. My friends will start to worry. I had fun. Can we hang out again?" she asked surprisingly nervous for a moment.

"Sure" I replied. I told myself I need to learn more for a story and then I tried to tell myself I need to know if they were a threat but the truth was I just enjoyed her company.

So we started hanging out a few times a week. She even took my flying which was totally amazing. The wind on my face was just so awesome. Not even super speeding with Clark had I ever felt so free before. Anyway, as we got to know each other she told me about her boyfriends and then about her girlfriends. She told me how scared she was when she realized she liked a girl. She did all this without ever once making a move on me even though we could both feel that there was something between us. She made it clear she liked me but didn't want to rush me. I told her about my relationships with Clark and Jimmy. I told her how comfortable I felt around her and how much I enjoyed being with her but that I had never felt this way about a girl before. It was very confusing but I didn't want to stop seeing her.

Anyway, I am rambling. This week two things happened. One: Her friends want to meet me. She told me because of everything that they deal with, her friends were worried and wanted to meet me. They wanted to check me out to make sure I wasn't a demon in disguise or anything. I guess that has happened to one of her friends once before.

Two: she kissed me. As she was leaving my apartment just before dawn, she gave me a goodbye kiss on the lips. Normally we just hugged. She pulled back immediately and it was clear she hadn't planned on kissing me. It just happened. She started to apologize but I kissed her back before she could get the words out. It was just a quick kiss. Nothing too intense but it felt good. Without saying anything else, she flew home.

Which brings me to my problem: What I am going to do!! I am still not sure about this whole dating a girl thing and now I have to meet her friends. What am I going to do?"

Oliver laughs which earns him a cross look from her so he explains "Chloe, it is pretty clear listening to you that you have a thing for this woman, so just go with it. If she makes you happy what else matters? Although her friends do have a point. We should check her out and I would like to meet her. If she can throw the great Watchtower into a daze she must be a powerful witch indeed." he teases.

"So you're not freak out?" she asks nervously.

"Not in the least but you are right about not telling Bart. He will want pictures." he jokes.

"She agreed to meet you, but she wants to meet on her turf. The local coffee shop at 9 PM tonight" she tells Xander as Buffy sits pouting in the corner. Willow knows she has more apologizing to do to her friend. She really didn't deliberately shut Buffy out. It was just that this was so new. That's a lie she admits to herself. Ever since Buffy was with Satsu, there has been an awkwardness to their relationship. Willow can admit to being a bit hurt that her best friend didn't talk to her about her feelings for Satsu, and also a bit jealous that Buffy didn't like her that way, which is weird since they have been friends forever. It is just somehow there is distance between them that didn't used to be there. She doesn't want to lose her best friend, but can't seem to stop it from happening. The whole thing is a mess neither can solve.

"Hi I am Xander" he says as he offers his hand. He is intrigued by Chloe. She is not like Willow's last girlfriend. Chloe has way more of the girl next door thing going for her. She reminds him a little bit of Tara but with more self confidence.

"Chloe, nice to meet you." she replies. Willow's friend Xander looks like Nick Fury out of the comic books with his military style dress and the eye patch. There is an air of confidence about him which reminds her of Oliver, but without so much ego. Her instincts tell her she can trust him.

They sit in her apartment at the Talon's living room and nervously exchange pleasantries. Xander is friendly enough and she appreciates his geek humor. Still he has not gotten to the meat of his visit. Tired of dancing around it, Chloe pipes up with "I am not a demon, but I did have a metor power for awhile before an alien super computer rewrote my brain and my friend had to save me. Now, I am just plain old human. I have no idea where this thing with Willow is going, but I want to find out. That cover everything?"

Xander laughs and replies "It just about does. The only things I need to add the obligatory "If you hurt my friend I have an army to hunt you down" speech and the feel free to drop by whenever you like. I will get out of your hair now. It is really nice to meet you. It is good to see Will smiling again." He stands and heads out the door leaving before a blushing Chloe or stunned Willow can react.

Willow nearly falls out of her seat. Xander had spent a full day pouring over the research data on Chloe. He made lists of questions to ask. He practiced interrogation tactics! While relieved he gave his stamp of approval, she can't believe it was so easy or quick. "I just need to speak with Xander for a second then I will be right back. Ok?"

Chloe nods her acknowledgement while still processing her conversation with Xander. It didn't happen at all like she thought it would. She had prepared like she would have for an interview but this was way more friendly chat than she expected. She thinks he gave his ok for her to keep seeing Willow and it fills her with a pleasant warm happiness.

Xander is waiting for Willow at the bottom of the Talon stairs. "I like her." he says simply.

Relieved that she didn't have to choose between her friends and Chloe, she is still puzzled. "Are you sure you had all your questions answered? I mean you prepped like you were going into court or something." she just has to ask.

"I am. I saw the way she looks at you and the way you look at her. That is enough for friend Xander. Our research shows she has been dealing with weird and dangerous as long as we have and it shows she has helped however she could, which is enough for commander Xander. So ya we are good.

You still need to talk to Buffy about all this. She actually cried last night you know. I think she believes you are upset of the whole Satsu situation. You know she didn't do that to hurt you. Honestly, I think she is just so lonely she grabs at any connection. You are her best friend Will and she needs you as much as you need her." Xander explains.

"I know. The whole thing is just so messed up. We have so many secrets from each these days. I wish I knew how to fix it but I don't. With my relationship with Chloe and all the stuff we have going on, it has just been easier to put it off. I am sorry for that. I promise I will talk to her soon. Ok." Willow promises.

"Ok, now go have fun." Xander replies while playfully pushing Willow to the stairs. "Oh it might be a good idea if we set up some video surveillance just to make sure." he quips with a smirk and wink of his remaining eye.

"Don't you wish." she playfully replies as she heads back up to Chloe's apartment.

Nervously Chloe sits on the sofa waiting for Willow to walk back in. Now that the interview is over comes the really tough part: What to do about the kiss? "So Sullivan is this what you want?" she wonders. The beautiful happy smile Willow gives her as she comes back into the apartment answers her doubts. Before her courage escapes her, she jumps up and kisses Willow. Willow is surprised, but not upset by Chloe's implusive and daring move.

They just enjoy kissing for awhile but the heat between them is defiantly building. Cautious hands make their way over nervous flesh. Breathing becomes ragged and frantic. Pulses pound with need. Before things cross the point of no return, Willow pauses to ask "Are you sure?"

"Oh yes." Chloe replies before stealing any other doubts with a passionate kiss.

Waking slowly the next morning, Chloe is disappointed to find herself alone in her bed. Last night was a bit terrifying, but it felt so right. She knows they connected in ways her and Jimmy never did during sex. She has never felt so close to anyone before, so waking up alone is almost too painful to bear. "Was this all an elobarte one night stand? No, it was more than that. It must be some emergency that called her away. Oh god what if I wasn't any good? Or maybe she freaked out." Chloe's groggy mind quickly kicks into full panic attack mode.

Luckily, "Morning sleepy head" cuts off her panic. Looking to the door to her bedroom, she sees Willow dressed in her red robe standing siluotted by the morning sunshine there with two cups. She hands Chloe one of them as she sits next to her on the bed.

Taking a sip to give herself a moment to recover from her panic attack, Chloe is pleased to find her coffee just the way she likes it. "Thanks." she murmurs in gratitude for more than just the coffee.

Willow doesn't reply at first just sits sipping her tea watching Chloe drink her coffee. The silent moments between her and Jimmy seemed an eternity of torture but this silence is just, for lack of a truly descriptive word, comfortable.