ANYWHERE BUT HERE

I'm sitting alone on the beach, the soft summer breeze blowing through my red hair. I'm staring out at the waves crashing on the shore, the sky is the brightest blue and the sun is warm as it shines down on me. I hear a voice above me and look up to see Buffy, standing their grinning and dripping wet in a small red bikini. She laughs, and sits down behind me on the hot sand, reaching up to run her hands through my hair as I lean my head back in her lap. She looks down and smiles and plants a soft kiss on my forehead and she says 'I loved you from day one Will' and she runs her hands down my bare arms..." Willow was interrupted by a red faced Xander.

"Not that I don't love to hear about your little Buffy fantasies, but you usually play this game with Buff and put someone else's name in there so you can pretend there all about some hunky famous guy when each and every single one is about her. What's up?" he asked sincerely, sitting cross legged on his messy bed with a big Xander smile plastered across his face. Willow sighed, taking a seat in his deck chair and lying back with a low groan.

"Things have been a little weird, ever since the Bronze. I mean honestly, what was that about? Dancing with me like that... god she has no idea what she does to me. She drives me insane! She... " the red head covered her face with her hands, groaning woefully again as she thought about it "and it never meant anything to her. We're just friends like we've always been. I'm just the love sick puppy following her around hopelessly. And things are never going to change!" she exclaimed with a sorrowful pout that pulled at Xander's heart strings. He hated seeing her like this. He loved Buffy but the girl left his little Willow in such a wreck sometimes. He sighed, opening his arms and beckoning her towards him. The red head almost smiled as she pulled herself slowly to her feet and crawled across the bed to bury her head in his cheesesy smelling, multi colored pizza place shirt.

"Don't worry about it Will, I'll talk to Buff, see what's going on with her at the moment because something's definitely up with her and... I hate to see you like this" he mumbled, squeezing her tightly and stroking her hair "your like my adorable little sister, and big brother is going to look after you. Now, who wants some cheesy, greasy, left over pizza?" he grinned. Willow giggled, nodding her head as he stood up to grab the large, flat cardboard box from the top of the washing machine.

"Mmmm..." she muttered sarcastically as he opened the box, yet still taking a slice anyway.

X.x.X.x.X

"Are you serious? I honestly don't know why you haven't just told her!" Giles muttered, peering over the top of his foggy glasses at the book spines in an attempt to find the right one. Buffy sat down on his couch with her eye brows raised, shaking her head as she watched him scanning the shelves slowly.

"It's been a while since you dated, hasn't it!" she retorted a little harshly as she looked over the articles strewn across his coffee table "I can't just tell her because.. what if she doesn't feel the same way? I can't ruin our friendship. It's too important too me" she mumbled sadly, playing with the bottom of her shirt. Giles sighed, pulling the book he'd been searching for out and turning around to face her again. He wasn't the most sympathetic person, particularly seeing as he thought she should be focusing more on slaying then on romance. He'd thought she was joking when she first told him at the beginning off the summer before college started, then he almost fainted when he realized she was being completely serious. Once it sunk in however he stated that he should have realized sooner, now that he thought about it, it had been kind of obvious from long before Buffy had realized herself.

"Well she danced with you didn't she? Buffy... love is a risk. If your not ready to take that risk, your not ready to love yet" he told her, though his poetry was quite lost on her "You just have to tell her. I'm quite certain everything will be fine" he added calmly as he walked back over to his desk. The blonde sighed, sitting back up and peering over the back of his old green couch, batting her eye lids sweetly.

"But still... will you play 'Anywhere But Here' with me? Just one round! I have nothing better to do and... this will make me feel better" she insisted, looking up at him with big, pale green eyes and biting her lip innocently. The ex-watcher shook his head, removing his glasses to wipe them clean and sighing heavily. She was after all like the daughter he never had, his only family. And now she was like the small child begging her father for the shiny toy in the shopping mall. He couldn't say no.

"Okay fine! But I honestly don't think I'll be any good at this, how about you start.." he gave in and she grinned like the little child as the father walked into the store, pulling out his wallet as he went. She paused for a second, about to begin when he quickly added "and umm... make it, decent...". The blonde giggled at his comment, nodding in compliance as she delved into the depths of her mind, finding something delicious but oh so cliché. She smiled, taking a deep breath before beginning.

"I'm in this gorgeous French restaurant, in France. And from my small table by the window I can see out past the quaint little French streets to the sea, where the French waves are crashing softly. I'm sipping this divine French coffee, as I stare out at the beautiful city and it's gorgeous sunny shores when I hear a soft, nervous voice from behind me. I look up and the most adorable red head is standing there, holding my croissant on a plate and smiling shyly at me. And she's wearing her little waitress uniform, this white, button up blouse with puffy sleeves and a mid thigh length red and white chequered, pleated skirt topped with a black beret upon her fiery hair. Her outfit is almost adorable as she is. I peer up and read her little name tag 'bonjour mon nom est Willow' (yes I actually remembered something I learned in high school). She places my order down on the glass top of the table in front of me and I reach out a hand, as if to shake hers. She blushes and takes my hand in hers politely and I bring it up to my mouth to kiss the back of her hand lightly saying 'c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer'.." Giles cut her off with a loud cough as he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"While am impressed by how much French you have remembered, honestly Buffy, just tell the girl" he muttered tiredly, rubbing his temple as he told her. The blonde groaned, starting to object when he shook his head sternly "now! Right now, go! And umm... don't forget to patrol tonight. I don't think Harmony's much of a threat but still, best to keep waery just in case" he commanded her. Buffy sighed huffily and stood up, storming out of his flat and shutting the door with a loud bang behind her.

"Ahh, finally... silence" Giles mumbled under his breath before looking back down to the book he had been trying to read.