Willow's feet pounded down the path. Paige was a really fast walker when she decided to be. Willow ended up transforming into a mountain goat to keep up with the older girl, hopping from boulder to boulder with surprising agility. Paige didn't seem too impressed, however.

"Chasing after me as a goat isn't exactly attractive," she growled.

Willow finally caught up to her and transformed back into herself. "Yeah, I know, but it's a little unexpected, just like what Miremba did," she started. "I don't know what just happened, but im pretty sure she wasn't into me, Paige."

"Oh really? Well, being the incredibly observant person you are, you totally noticed the way she was looking at you. I didn't miss it."

"What- Paige, I didn't even know!" Willow exclaimed.

"How could you not see it?" Paige mirthlessly chuckled. "You were probably too excited she was talking to you to notice. I was stupid to think I had a chance in the first place."

"Paige, if I didn't notice, how could I possibly fancy her?" Willow pointed out. "I was literally stammering! I don't do that in front of attractive people."

Paige looked at her. "That...literally makes no sense."

"I know! I'm really, really weird! It makes as little sense as me fancying someone after talking to them for five minutes!"

"You would be surprised. It happens all the time."

"Paige- ugh, how do I get my point across without sounding like an idiot? I'm not into Miremba! She's simply curious about London, so I'm helping her learn about it. It's no different than Hermione and I exchanging Muggle and wizarding news."

"So you think. You couldn't even tell that George fancied you for a year when it was literally right under your nose."

"Paige! How many times can I tell you that I don't fancy her before you believe me?"

Paige stared at Willow. "Well, seeing as you've told me over and over and I still don't believe you, you've got a long way to go."

Willow stood directly in front of Paige to stop her. "Look, I don't know why talking to someone else for five minutes is such a big deal. Just because I'm bi doesn't mean I like every human being I see. You of all people know that too well- uh, with girls, at least."

Paige at first appeared as if she was going to explode, then her expression softened. She sighed. "Fine. You're right. But I still don't believe you."

"What is it going to take for you to actually believe me?"

Paige crossed her arms. "The only way I can know for sure- admit that you fancy someone, and tell me who it is, for God's sake!"

"But...Paige, I don't know if I- "

"Save it. I know you're going to try and say you don't know. You do fancy someone, and deep down, you know it. Cut the crap. Just tell me, and I'll get off your back."

Willow's stomach dropped. Her throat went dry. She thought her hammering heart was going to bust through her ribs. "I...fine. But- oh, for Merlin's sake, don't go insane or react crazy." She noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "And Dad, you and everyone else can go on ahead and stop eavesdropping now. I'm sure you'll hear all about it later. Oliver can stay."

Tío Cisco groaned as Carlos begrudgingly put his camera away. "Teenagers and their dumb privacy! What fun is that?"

"Brother, I think we can leave Willow alone for once in her life," Tío Leonel chuckled. He winked at her. "Besides, we'll have plenty of opportunities to make fun of them at their wedding."

Willow rolled her eyes and ushered her family along. Once they were a good distance away (and Oliver just within earshot), she turned back to Paige. "Do you promise not to go crazy?"

"Sure. Just tell me so I can stop being mad at you."

Willow cleared her throat to find her voice again. She was excessively sweating despite the cool breeze. When she opened her mouth to finally speak, her voice was small and raspy, but she knew above all that she was speaking from her heart. "Paige...I think I- I might fancy- you."

Oliver squealed. Willow blushed deeply. Paige crossed her arms and smirked at her. "I thought you'd never admit it. It still feels good to hear it directly from you, though."

Oliver crept a little closer in the background, silently rooting for Willow to "KISS HER ALREADY!" Willow's stomach fluttered. She was standing somewhat close to the older girl. Willow didn't know whether she was ready for that or not. Paige didn't make it awkward, however, and simply shoved her off the mountainside. Willow yelped and transformed into a hawk, clumsily flying back onto the mountain path. Paige was patiently waiting for her, foot tapping, while Oliver stood by in a stunned silence.

"What was that for?" Willow demanded.

"You froze up. I don't like awkwardness, so I fixed it."

"By shoving me off a cliff."

"Yep."

"That's your solution to awkwardness."

"Yep."

"Endangering my life without a second thought."

"Yep. I mean, technically, since you can shape-shift and fly, you're perfectly safe, but yeah, that's my fast-acting solution."

"Are you absolutely certain you can't get married tomorrow?" Abuela called from further down the path, getting hounded by her husband and Carlos for fighting her way closer.

"Don't worry, I've already got a dress picked out," Paige teased back.

Abuela chuckled heartily. "That's my future granddaughter-in-law!"

Willow blushed an even darker hue of scarlet. "Abuela! Go away!"

"Nah, she's fine. She has full permission to give me away- or be my best woman. Either one's fine with me." Paige turned back to Willow. "I'm still mad at you, by the way. You're not fully forgiven."

"What- I literally just admitted something deeply personal, and you of all people know I don't do that easily!"

Paige shrugged. "Get used to it. People demand mushy-gushy crap too much, and we've got to adjust."

Willow sighed. "What on Earth is it going to take for me to make you not mad at me anymore?"

Paige exchanged a grin with Oliver. "Well, since you're leaving that open-ended...Oliver, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He nodded. "Perfect, because this is going to be the greatest revenge story in the history of the world."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"Can I at least adjust the straps?"

"Absolutely not."

Willow tugged on the dress, pulling it up in an attempt to make it cover her chest. "Paige, this isn't a good idea! What if it falls down in the middle of a public square, and everyone takes a picture of me and puts it in the newspapers?"

"That's really far-fetched, but Kampala would get a view at one hell of a body," Paige assured her. She grinned evilly as she stepped back to admire her work. "There. Now everyone is going to stare at you, and you're going to hate it. Ready to show yourself off to your family? I can't wait to see the pictures your dad is going to get from this."

Willow groaned. "This is payback and then some. You owe me for this."

"Oh, it's well worth the price of admission."

Paige slid open the bedroom door. Willow nearly tripped down the hallway at least three times, using the rail to hold herself up. She heard audible gasps from the living room below and winced. Oliver very clearly squealed.

"I present to you the new and improved- if that's even possible- Willow Guerrero!" Paige announced.

Willow opened her eyes to see her family staring slack-jawed at her. Paige had transformed her into a goddess. She had a full face of makeup, including concealer, eyeliner, blush, and a tiny bit of red lipstick. Her hair was glossed and tamed into wavy perfection. Paige had found her the most revealing red dress from the market she could with the blessing of Abuela. There were all sorts of sparkles across its many splits and low seams, all of which detailed Willow's body perfectly, trailing all the way down to her vivid red heels, which added a few inches to her height. Willow could barely walk in them. At least she wasn't the only one in heels. Abuela and Paige had each found a pair from the market, too, and were dressed in fancy gowns that modestly covered their perfect frames. The rest of her family was dressed up in suits tailored to their individual measurements. Willow was dying to show as little skin as they were, but if she wanted to earn Paige's good favor once again, she had to do what she had to do. Paige helped her down the dark-wooded stairs and was met by Oliver at the bottom, who had a little green glitter on his face.

"I found a perfect flower to go in your hair!" he said, pulling it out from behind his back. He put it in Willow's hair. "It's a magical breed that I discovered here! It stays in your hair automatically and makes it retain its shape and texture."

"Oh- thanks! Did Cypress give you that glitter?"

"Maybe? Yes," Oliver admitted, blushing slightly. "And...and the suit, too."

Willow grinned. "You're so cute." She nearly tripped in her heels again. "Oh dear God. I'm going to die."

"No! You'll be okay," Oliver encouraged. "Just take it one step at a time! I'm sure you'll adjust to them eventually."

"Thanks for the support- literally and verbally, I guess."

"Come on, we've got a fancy dinner to go to and a Willow to show off," Tío Cisco said.

The Guerreros walked slowly down a few blocks towards one of the fanciest restaurants in Kampala. Along the way, Willow finally figured out walking in heels enough to look up, but when she did, she wished she hadn't. Her dress was turning heads from all sorts of places- balconies, across the street, street vendors, and even outdoor eateries. Willow's face turned extremely red. At least they weren't whistling, she thought. Immediately after, someone whistled somewhat disrespectfully from across the street. Carlos whispered a spell that made the guy suddenly break out with pimples and chortled to himself as the guy ran for a mirror. Willow felt a little better after that.

The dinner went well, to everyone's surprise. Willow didn't spill anything, cuss, or spout off in Spanish about something wrong with the world. Paige enjoyed making puns about Willow's bold dress. Oliver split his time between joining in the fun and acting normally, every once in a while being scolded by Abuela for not eating enough food. They finished dessert, waddled out of the restaurant stuffed to the brim, and gathered on the back porch of the vacation house to watch the sunset. Willow, Paige and Oliver went to the upstairs balcony instead. Gladly taking off her heels, Willow stood barefoot on the smooth wood, enjoying the fresh scent of sweet earth-grown fruit carried on the wind. The sky was painted with an even more beautiful combination of pinks, yellows, and oranges than she'd ever seen before. Clouds like cotton balls scuttled across the sky, as if making way for the moon and stars. She was definitely going to miss Uganda. She'd never been to a place more in tune with nature while still keeping up with the current world.

"Hey, I got you something," Paige whispered, pulling an item out of her pocket. "I'm finally not mad at you, so you can have it."

Willow was suddenly aware of Paige brushing her arm while she slipped a bracelet onto her wrist. It was a rainbow one, made from seashells that had washed up on shore over the past week. Willow admired the way their colours were arranged, perfectly capturing the light of the sun to make them glow, popping against her darker skin tone.

"I made it for you over the past few days," Paige explained. "You know, a thank-you for letting me tag along."

Willow hugged her, surprising the older girl. "It's beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oliver, do you see this?"

Oliver nodded, though he was so preoccupied trying not to squeal out loud that he barely got to admire the artistry of the bracelet. Willow and Paige both raised their eyebrows as he let out a breath he was trying to hold in.

"I'm sorry, you're just so cute!" he squeaked. "Please, please, please at least hold hands for me? Please?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine, I'll let you have your daily dose of mushy-gushy crap if it will keep you quiet on the plane ride home."

"Yesyesyes! Thank you!"

Oliver watched with pure joy as Paige finally took Willow's hand in hers. Willow's breath caught in her throat. She could have sworn Paige had shocked her with static electricity, the spark was so real. Paige was so gentle, yet strong in her grip. Willow wondered if Paige felt the same way. Was this what it felt like to fancy someone, she wondered? Did it feel like a spark every time her grandparents touched hands, even after to many years of being together? She had so many questions, but she knew they would only be answered by tough lessons throughout her life. There was no telling what the true definition of love was. She would simply have to wait it out to see what her emotions were doing.

The sun had long set, but Willow, Paige, and Oliver still stayed out on the balcony, watching the stars become brighter and brighter in the night sky. It was entrancing, seeing the velvety colour of dark blue envelop the clouds and tickle them purple. Willow didn't even realize her family had come to say goodnight until there was a clicking sound by the sliding glass door. She turned around and glared at her father, who was taking multiple photos of Paige and Willow holding hands (and all three of them, of course). Carlos stopped when Willow saw him and gave her a thumbs up.

"I got my photo shoot. You're good," he said. "It's getting late, so we're going to bed. Goodnight, guys."

"And don't be afraid to sleep in the same room," Abuela hinted.

"Abuela!" Willow exclaimed.

All she got in response was faded chuckling as Abuela walked away within the house. Willow rolled her eyes, then yawned. She realized she was still holding Paige's hand and quickly dropped it.

"I better go to bed, since I'll get up at the crack of dawn, knowing me," she said. "Goodnight."

Paige dramatically waved her hand. "Buenas noches, madam."

"That's...Spanish and French."

"Exactly. Goodnight, Willow."

Willow shook her head. "Night, guys. Don't stay up too late talking about me."

Oliver gasped. "How did you know?"

Willow winked. "Just a hunch. See you in the morning."

After brushing her teeth in the enormous bathroom for the second to last time, Willow put on her tank top and shorts and flopped on her bed, which was decorated with a forest-esk pattern. She wished they could stay in Uganda a little longer. The people there were extremely friendly, the fruit actually tasted like it was supposed to, and the music was unique in a way that she loved much more than the popular music back home. There were always pickup soccer games among refugees and locals alike. She wished there was a way to bring some of the Ugandan culture back home with her.

Without warning, a stone nicked Willow's window. She jumped, lost her balance, and fell onto the floor with a thump. Willow scrambled to her feet and frantically glanced around the window. Plunk! Another pebble hit the glass. Willow peered onto the city street below, still seeing nothing. Tink! Fed up, Willow opened the window and enhanced her senses. She finally caught sight of the outline of a person, and from the look of their size, they were a child. The kid waved to Willow, then held out a soccer ball. They appeared as though they were asking her to play. Willow bit her lip. Her father would be furious, but this was essentially her last chance to play soccer in Uganda. Glancing back into the hallway to make sure her family was asleep, Willow swallowed her fear and let herself go. She silently climbed down the side of the vacation home and landed on the path with minimal noise. The child grinned at her.

"I'm happy to find you! My name's Akiki," the boy said, shaking hands with Willow. "I saw you playing the other day. You're really good. My team can't wait to play with you."

"How- how long have you been waiting under my window?" Willow asked.

Akiki shrugged. "An hour? Maybe longer? I don't know, but you're here now, so let's go play some football!"

Willow followed Akiki to the end of the street, then down a few side alleys, and finally made it to one of the community football fields. A large group of children, ranging from Willow's age to just under eighteen, were gathered there, warming up in the field that was more dirt than grass. Some enormous stadium lights lit up the space on all four corners. The vast majority of the players were barefoot, so Willow took off her shoes as well. Although the goalposts were old and rusting, they were still about the same size, and there were even makeshift nets. Willow realized this was the field the refugees played on. Now that she thought about it, a lot of the players had a similar style of facial features and body build. They were South Sudanese refugees from the war between their country and Sudan. Willow wished she knew a way to help them a little more with their situation, but hopefully playing football with them would help cheer them up.

Akiki gathered up his team, then addressed them as a group. "This is Willow, the girl I was talking about the other day. She's going to play left back for us."

"Wait, that means I can play forward now, right?" one of the girls asked.

Akiki grinned. "Yes, Aarifa, you're center forward now."

"Yes! Thanks Willow!" the girl squealed.

"Alright, is everyone stretched out enough and ready to go? Not throwing up today, Jona?"

A tall boy rolled his eyes. "No, my mother didn't make me eat dinner so late, and my dad finally didn't make me eat his godawful pudding. I'm good. Let's just kick Oregano's butt."

"What- Oregano sounds nothing like Omari! How did you get Oregano out of Omari?"

Jona shrugged. "I'm always thinking about food."

Akiki sighed. "Let's just play. And don't trip over Shaker! I know he's short, but you're not that tall that you can't see him!"

Willow took up her position of left back and analyzed the teams. Akiki had a group of mixed heights, but they shared the same all-around strength. They probably had similar skills, too. Omari's team- her opponent, she guessed- was mainly comprised of boys with a more muscular build. So this will be a physical game, she thought. Willow tensed her muscles. Thank God she'd kept up her training throughout her time at Hogwarts, or she would be done for. A woman dressed in a florescent pink shirt put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. Aarifa darted after the ball, trucked a boy, and the game started.

Willow was quickly thrown into the action. A boy from the opposing team managed to wrestle the ball away from Aarifa and shot off down the flank. Willow was instantly on him, hips low, on the balls of her feet. She read his hip movement, but he was lightning quick, and he managed to take a touch around her. Willow darted after him, beating him to the spot where he was planning to cross the ball and tapping it away. He flew by as Willow took off in the other direction. She made a pass to Akiki in the center of the field and called for her team to push up. The boy she'd beaten breathed heavily like a bull behind her. She'd have to keep an eye on him.

Akiki took a touch to the left, then zigzagged around a midfielder. He shot off towards the goal and ripped it with his right foot, just barely hitting it wide. Aarifa and another forward were there, however, and with a simple one-two, Aarifa had a shot on goal, which she buried in the back of the net. Akiki and the rest of his team cheered, jumping up and down and hugging Aarifa to death. Willow naturally joined in. Aarifa did a short dance with the other forward, laughed, and made her way back to the middle of the field. Willow refocused herself as the female referee whistled again to restart the game. She'd learned that even letting your guard down for a second after scoring was fatal.

Omari's team did some two-touch passing, somehow perfectly on the ground despite the bumpy conditions, then hit it to their right forward once more. Willow tensed her quads and zeroed in on the boy's movements as she closed down on him. He faked one way, then the other, but still did not move Willow. The hips never lied. When he tried to tap to the left, Willow instantly pounced and touched the ball to herself, then whipped around to shield it. The boy frustratedly attempted to clobber her from the right side, then found himself coughing in a storm of dust as Willow turned on a dime and sprinted away, using the boy's planted left leg as a springboard. She'd turned and burned, just like her mother had taught her, all the way back when she was six years old. It was an incredible feeling every time she succeeded. Willow chipped the ball to her left forward and pushed up with the rest of her defenders as Akiki attempted another shot on goal.

Still up one-zero, Akiki and Aarifa put together many plays with Jona, the right back. They even toyed with Omari's team a little bit, their skill more incredible than anything Willow had ever seen. The poor opposing goalkeeper was doing all he could to keep Akiki's team at bay. He made save after save only to be peppered with more shots from short range. Willow noticed how tired he was getting and wondered if he would have a mental lapse soon. She was distracted when the right forward from the other team began his run down her sideline once more and followed him, preparing herself for a cross. The ball came flying across the field, and despite all of Willow's efforts, the boy was taller than she was, and he easily headed the ball over the top of her. He said something in Swahili that she didn't understand, his teammates laughing and pointing at her. Willow didn't really care, however, and the next play, she cleared the ball the entire length of the field before the right forward could have a chance to touch it. He and his teammates stopped laughing after that.

Trouble was on the horizon, though. Willow's breath was coming in ragged gasps after a few more sprints down the sideline. Her exercise-induced asthma was showing itself again, just as it did every summer, and no matter how much mucus she hacked up on the sideline, it kept pooling in the back of her throat. She couldn't move the proper amount of air through her chest to save her life. She was tiring much quicker than the older boys of Omari's team. The entirety of Akiki's team seemed to be following her suit. Omari's team began to hound the defensive line, and inevitably, they broke through to bury the ball in the back of the net. Willow cursed in Spanish. She doubled her efforts to fight through the pain.

When the ref announced that there were only five minutes left, both teams were dying. The goalkeepers and defenders took their time returning the ball into play just to have a ten-second break. It was going to come down to which team could handle more pain. Omari's team seemed to notice Willow was exhausted and refused to pass the ball in any other direction. She ran, and ran, and ran, and ran. The right forward hid it with much more expertise than Willow, but he was quickly losing strength, too. They both gasped for air as the ball seemingly wouldn't stick to their feet anymore, tripping them and rolling the opposite direction they were attempting to touch it. Willow's legs burned. Her feet ached. Her lungs screamed for air. Her stomach convulsed in a massive cramp. Still, she would not let up. The right forward resorted to physicality to overthrow Willow, but she gave it right back to him. They hip-checked and threw elbows and tripped each other to no end. Finally, in the last thirty seconds, Willow had enough. There was a fifty-fifty ball lying directly in between them. Willow pulsed her calves, took off with whatever speed she still had left, lowered her center of gravity, and slammed into the older boy.

The right forward went flying into the ground, rolling over and over, facade crumbling- and the ball landed at Willow's feet. She wasted no time. Willow took off into the center of the field, her arms pumping as fast as they could. She faked out a midfielder, tapped it around another, and completely juked one of the defenders. At last, with seconds to go, Willow did a spin move, tripped over the ball, and accidentally tapped it through the defender's legs. She took one step towards the ball and ripped it with her left foot with all the strength remaining in her legs. Willow watched it soar, as if in slow motion, towards the upper ninety, getting closer, closer, closer...and hitting the crossbar.

Then, from nowhere, Aarifa darted towards it, and with a composed, expertly placed pass, she put the ball in the back of the net.

Devastation suddenly transformed into the utmost glee. Akiki's entire team engulfed Aarifa, raising her up and chanting her name. Omari's team collapsed to the ground, defeat written all over their exhausted frames. Willow quickly hugged Aarifa, then walked over to the right forward, who had fallen to one knee on the ground. She clumsily collapsed next to him, trying not to let black dots envelop her vision. He stared at her defiantly. Willow, however, simply offered him her hand.

"Good game," she said.

The boy stared at her for a second, then shook it. "You too. You're actually decent."

"As are you. I hope you make it far."

"Don't worry, I'm heading there."

Willow smiled at his arrogance, then walked away. Akiki's team suddenly surrounded her, Akiki himself the first one to hug her, cheering her name and thanking her for playing with them, complimenting her and saying that she was amazing. Willow blushed, but she didn't want to be rude by denying it, so she simply thanked them. They all cooled down together, chattering about fun or intense moments during the game. Willow's muscles were absolutely dead. She stretched out really well, a few people who had run a ton during the game joining her in a semi-circle. That's when she noticed Aarifa and two boys pulling out some mats from their bags and setting them on the field.

"Hey, do you know what they're doing?" she asked Jona.

"Oh, yeah! Aarifa and her brothers are Muslims, so they have to pray five times a day," Jona explained. "Once when they wake up, three times throughout the day, and once before they go to bed. It's part of the five pillars of Islam."

"Why are they all facing the same way?" Willow questioned.

"They must always pray facing Mecca, the town where Muhammad first lived when he received divine messages. That's the guy that started the religion. Eventually, she'll have to make a pilgrimage there, but only if she can afford it. We're all rooting for Aarifa and her family to get out of their situation so they can complete their pilgrimage."

"That's...really cool," Willow breathed, watching Aarifa and her brothers pray. "They look so peaceful."

"Yeah, I don't know why so many people stereotype the religion. The majority of Muslims are Sunni, and they're the most peaceful people you'd ever meet. Aarifa avidly opposes violence, and her brothers have even backed down from fights that they surely could have won. If you ask me, that's the bravest thing anyone could do, choose peace in the face of violence. We all make sure to get into peoples' heads that try to mess with their family."

"Well, I sure hope they have a peaceful and prosperous life. I hope the rest of you do, too, especially since you had to...you know...leave your original home."

Jona shrugged. "It's easier on us than our parents. We're young. We can adjust. We also don't see quite everything that goes on around us. Our parents deal with the majority of the opposition and such."

Willow sighed. "Well, if you ever really find yourselves in a pinch, I can always help. My family has helped multiple refugee families escape terrible situations in the past."

"Thanks. I hope we don't need it."

"Me too." Willow yawned. "Oh God, it's halfway through the night. No wonder I'm so tired."

Jona laughed. "I wish you a safe journey home tomorrow, Willow. You're a pretty cool person."

"So are you, Jona. I won't forget you- any of you guys. Have a good evening." She cupped her hands over her mouth to address the whole team. "And thanks for everything, guys!"

"Bye, Willow!" Akiki's team called.

Willow navigated the streets of Kampala, climbed back into bed, and collapsed onto the mattress, her body finished. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, dreaming sweet dreams of Akiki's soccer team. She was definitely going to miss Uganda. The food, the people, the ambiance...what more perfect place to escape to?

The next day, the Guerreros flew back home, and both flights went well. Willow finally convinced her family to stop teasing her for both legs of the journey. When they arrived back at home, she collapsed on the couch, jet lag hitting fast. Paige purposely sat on her back to pin her into the cushions.

"Hey, what the heck?" Willow wheezed.

"You're a comfy seat. I think I might sit here for a while."

Willow managed to shove the heavier girl off. "Nah, I'm skin, bones, and hopefully a lot of muscle. I can't be comfortable."

"Hm, I don't know...sitting close to you does seem to make you uncomfortable."

Willow scoffed. "That is not what I meant. And no one makes me uncomfortable by sitting close. I may not like being close to people, but I have no concept of personal space."

"The meaning of a word is in the mind of the beholder, especially when it comes to English."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that saying goes, but whatever. You still make sense- to me, at least," Willow added, giggling at Oliver's confused expression.

Paige's mouth twitched upward in a smile. "You know, I think you're growing on me, Oliver. You were great before, but I think you're taller now."

Oliver grinned. "That's clever. Hopefully I'm growing in both height and mind! Being stuck at this height forever would be hard, and I don't want to study for school as often as I've had to."

"That's reasonable," Paige nodded. She checked her watch. "Crap, I've got to meet Jewel before she thinks my adoptive parents hired someone to murder me. Thanks for…literally this entire vacation. It was much-needed."

Paige hugged Willow, then turned to leave. She paused at the fireplace, however, and sighed. Paige quickly darted back to Willow, pecked her on the cheek, grabbed herself Floo powder, and vanished in a flash of green. Oliver squealed and jumped up and down. Willow blinked, trying to process what just happened. She touched the spot on her cheek where Paige had kissed her. Her heart fluttered when she did, and Willow suddenly blushed. She touched the rainbow bracelet on her finger.

"Aaah! You two are so cute!" Oliver squeaked, hugging Willow.

"I can't wait until they tie the knot..." Tío Leonel said dreamily as he walked by.

"Guys, stop it!" Willow complained. Her name tag suddenly went off, and she gratefully sifted through her bags to find it. "Fred! George! Oh, thank God! You couldn't have timed that any more perfectly!"

"Why yes, we are masters of surprise," Fred agreed, bowing dramatically.

George elbowed him out of the way. "You should have seen the explosion we set off!" he butted in. "Mum cursed our doors to only open for breakfast and dinner last week!"

"That good, huh?" Willow laughed. "I'm not surprised! How has Ginny been doing? She seemed fine when I saw her at the airport."

"At first, we had to prank Ron every day to make sure she laughed, but now she's okay."

"Oh, poor Ron!" Willow said.

"Poor Ron? He's not our ickle Ronniekins anymore! He got taller again! Much more of this and we're going to have to charm him to stay shorter than us!"

"Well, that does happen. I'm enjoying being taller than him while I can."

"Anyway," Fred continued, shoving his brother into the frame, "George here has something to ask you."

George slapped his twin. "You don't need to act so weird about it! I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go into London and prank random Muggles. We're bored out of our minds."

"Honestly, I'm overdue for stirring up trouble. I'm in."

"Perfect! We'll be at yours in less than ten seconds. And don't leave Oliver behind!"

Willow called out to her dad where she was going, then ran downstairs, grabbed Oliver, and waited by the fireplace. Fred and George expertly landed on their feet emerging from the Floo network.

"That was eleven seconds," Willow said.

"Like you could do better."

Willow scoffed. "Now that's just insulting. You better watch your back today, George."

Fred raised his eyebrows, taking a step back. "That coming from you is a serious threat. Don't rope me into this, George."

"Whatever happens to me happens to you too, Freddy!" George said. He grabbed some Floo powder, handing some to his twin. "Come on, we've got lots of plans to try out. Take Oliver, would you? We don't want him going one grate too far."

Fred wiggled his eyebrows at George, causing his twin to punch him in the arm, then disappeared with Oliver in a flash of emerald green. George linked his arm with Willow's and stepped up to the fireplace. Being sure to speak "London" very clearly, he stepped into the grate with Willow, and they suddenly found themselves flying out of an old fireplace. George pretended to yawn as he caught Willow, as if he'd done it a million times. She rolled her eyes and brushed herself off.

"Alright, where are we going?"

"First stop, random alley so we can set everything up."

Throughout the day, London saw many explosions, confused crowds, and angry wizarding authorities. The twins and Willow terrorized the many parks of London with dungbombs, stink pellets, frog-spawning soap, and new inventions from George's genius, though Fred claimed to have just as much credit with the amount of "work" he'd put into the creative process. Oliver supplied damage control and distractions for some of the more intricate plans. Willow would never admit it, but she was slightly impressed by how detailed some of their plans were. They were becoming masters of their field. Their prowess with Charms was almost terrifying.

For the finale of the day, Willow was involved in a very important position. She was to be the main distraction for a large crowd of people while Oliver stood off to the side, prepared to handle the soon-to-be-panicking crowd. Of course, George had laid out the most ridiculous distraction possible for her, too. She was covered in mud streaks, and leaves and twigs stuck out of her hair. The crowd is going to eat this up, she thought, decorating her shoes with more shrubbery. Willow found a sizable hill to stand on and glanced at Oliver, who gave her a thumbs up. He was grinning so much that she wondered how the Muggles around him didn't notice anything. Receiving the signal from Fred, Willow stepped up onto the hill and pulled out a guitar.

"Hey, what's up, guys!" she said, accenting her voice to sound American. "Thanks for coming to my concert tonight! I hope y'all enjoy it!"

The crowd stared at her as if she were alien. Children laughed hysterically, but their parents didn't seem so amused. She had to up her act. Launching into a funny southern song her mum had taught her, Willow strummed the guitar rapidly and descended into the crowd. They parted to allow her through, but still appeared uncomfortable, put off a little too much. Willow went back up on the hill and began dancing ridiculously while still singing. More people chortled to themselves when she- very realistically- pretended to trip. She rolled down the hill, then popped right back up, continuing her dumb act. The crowd finally began to clap along. Willow increased her volume and projected across the whole area. Children danced in her dumb fashion and sang the even less intelligent lyrics. When she struck the final chord, the crowd half-cheered, half-laughed for her stupid end pose. She didn't have to hold it for long, though.

A series of lightning-quick fireworks exploded in the evening air one right after the other. Instead of bright lights, however, super thick clouds of large confetti rained down on the crowd. There was some nervous laughter, but it quickly turned into screams. A hoard of frogs suddenly appeared in the middle of the crowd. People shrieked and pushed their own children out of the way to get away from them. Willow couldn't contain her laughter, and neither could Oliver as he redirected the crowd, slowly running them straight into another trap. The moment they walked in between a pair of trees, sticky webs shot out of them, enveloping the entire crowd and trapping them together. Fred and George shout out of the bushes and grabbed Willow, snickering.

"Let's go, let's go!" Fred urged, dissolving Willow's costume with a simple spell. "Both the Muggle police and our own are bound to be here any second!"

Gathering up Oliver, the four sprinted away from the scene of the crime, laughing their fool heads off. Willow managed to take a picture as she ran away. That was definitely going in with the highlights of the summer. Their happy mood couldn't last, however. Fred suddenly stopped, holding out his arm to prevent the rest of them from moving.

"Um...new escape plan, George?" he said.

Two sizable wizards stood in front of them with their arms outstretched, wands pointing directly at them. Oliver put his hands up and slowly inched behind Willow. George whispered something to Fred, who nodded. The twins glanced at each other, hiding grins. Willow shot them a look, but they waved it away, slowly putting their hands up.

"Hand over your wands," the woman commanded.

"Um, duh, we don't have them," Fred said. "We're under seventeen."

"Then turn out your pockets, you ungrateful brat," the man snarled.

"Hey, hey, there's no need for name-calling, now, is there?" George said, pulling his joke supplies out of his pockets. He handed the bundle to the woman. "Was it so hard to ask nicely?"

Fred did the same. "Yeah, it's almost like you're bursting with agitation."

At that very moment, Willow suddenly understood. She grabbed Oliver by the hand and sprinted away with him. The twins high-fived as they followed. Both aurors called out for them to come back, but were suddenly enveloped in explosions of all kinds. Every detonating device the twins had on them went off at once. The aurors panicked, dropping the bundles and apparating away. Willow knew they had limited time until they would come back. She gently guided Oliver into George.

"Here, split up!" she shouted. "You guys look the exact same unless they took the time to tell you apart! We have better chances this way!"

"Got it!" George said, immediately taking a right down a different alley, Oliver in tow.

"Down this way!" Fred said, taking a sharp left onto a small street.

Willow followed, elation bubbling in her chest. She honestly didn't care if her dad punished her for pranking this time. There was simply too much fun in watching the way peoples' faces lit up after they realized it was all a joke on them. Pedestrians scrambled out of their way as they sprinted down the crowded, busy street. Every once in a while, Willow sensed the aurors apparating near them, but they never got close enough to see their targets. Fred had also chosen a route into the sun, which meant that the aurors would be half-blind when looking down the street. She needed to give him a little more credit for his quick thinking. He had something within that thick-headed skull of his, at least. Fred turned without warning and darted into a small ivy-covered shop, dragging Willow along with him, barely managing to escape the view of the female auror who happened to apparate only feet away.

"That was close. Way too close," Fred chortled.

"And that's funny...how?"

"A little bit of danger never hurt anyone, especially when that danger doesn't involve physical fighting," Fred said. "They'll remember not to touch suspicious bundles from peoples' pockets now, won't they?"

Willow shrugged. "You've got a point. That technically makes it educational instead of harmful, right?"

"It's a stretch, but I'd call it something along the lines of that." Fred glanced around. "Hey, this is that coffee shop that Paige took us to last summer. Do you remember that?"

"Yeah, I remember you getting all kinds of mad because a kid literally said hi to me," Willow teased.

Fred scoffed. "Blimey, you jump straight into the negatives, don't you? For your information, I did not get all kinds of mad, I was just one single kind of mad, and it for a good reason!"

"Being overprotective?"

Fred rolled his eyes. "You don't need protection. You're terrifying all on your own."

"So why were you mad then, hm?" Willow prompted. "If it was for a good reason, then explain what kind of mad you were, exactly?"

Fred sighed. "Merlin's beard, Willow, if you got any duller, I'd swear you're going beyond human comprehension. My dear brother fancied you back then, and he still does."

"Oh. I forgot about that," Willow said, stomach flipping. "That makes total sense now."

"I'm sure half- well, pretty much the entire- year makes sense now."

Willow gently punched Fred in the arm. "Hey! Not everything has to be about romance and other mushy-gushy crap, right? I'd much rather focus on getting super good grades, starting in quidditch, and pulling the most intricate pranks on people. I'll be in everyone's league if I accomplish that anyway."

"That's...actually genius."

"My grandmother probably still thinks I should get married within the next year, knowing her, since she thinks she could die any minute and really wants to make my wedding cake."

Fred laughed. "If you did have to marry someone right now, who would it be?"

Willow made a face. "No one, duh. I'd marry myself before I marry anyone else right now. It wouldn't be fair to the other person, you know? I'd probably end up hurting them in the end, and I've had enough heartbreak in my life."

"Oh, now you're getting all sentimental," Fred said dramatically. "I'm not sure I have the brain capacity to understand."

"Congrats. Your life is officially ten million times easier."

Fred's face lit up. "Ah, we've got some visitors. Fasten your seat belts, because this is going to be rough."

Willow glanced at the door only to see both aurors striding through. She was ripped away from where she was standing and thrown under the table by Fred, who remained upright. He positively beamed at the aurors when they neared him. From where she was under the table, Willow only heard muffled phrases from their hushed tones, but none of them sounded good. She stifled a giggle when they assumed Fred was seventeen, especially given they already told them they were underage. He prolonged the conversation for several minutes until they looped an arm around each of his and marched him out of the coffee shop. Willow tried to dart out after him, but he motioned for her to stay there, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. She suddenly understood.

The moment they stepped outside, Fred tripped the woman, grabbed a bundle of prank supplies out of his pocket, and lit up several fireworks. Bright flashes exploded one right after the other in the man's face. The multicoloured bursts seemed to be magnetically attracted to his face, constantly curving back towards him if they were aimed the wrong way. He screamed and tried to swipe them away, but to no avail, only increasing the frenzy. Fred set off another round aimed at the woman, then called for Willow. She sprinted towards him without hesitation. Muggles nearby stared in wonder at the scene outside the little coffee shop. Fred and Willow, however, ran away as fast as their legs would carry them. They rounded the nearest corner and collided with George and Oliver.

"Merlin's beard! Warn me next time you're out to bulldoze me!" George cried.

"They're not going to be held off long! Come on, this way!" Fred said, running into an abandoned apartment.

The four skipped up the steps and collapsed in an old, tattered bathroom, locking the door behind them. A single window was their only escape route if necessary. Willow kept her hand on the door, sending out sonar waves, only finding that the aurors were running the opposite direction. She sighed with relief and sank to the floor, her legs burning. Everyone seemed to be in the same boat, panting hard, rubbing their calf muscles, and sitting on the floor.

"I haven't moved that fast in years," George complained.

"I just don't move most times," Oliver said breathlessly.

Willow smiled. "Well, I hope I don't jinx us- ha, pun- but I think we won't have to move like that again. They're gone."

"What, are you 'accidentally' going to blast us off the face of the Earth?" Fred teased.

"More like 'accidentally' blast you into the Burrow."

George's eyes flew wide. "Merlin's beard, don't do that! Mum will never let us see the light of day again! The last time, we didn't even get chased by the authorities, and she wouldn't let us out of the house for a month, not even to play quidditch!"

Willow smirked. "I wouldn't have told me that if I were you."

"You wouldn't- "

Without warning, the wall behind George gave way. A huge BOOM! ricocheted off nearby buildings as the building exploded into a pile of rubble. The four were sent flying into the living room of the house, some chunks of drywall littering the floor around them. Willow groaned as she sat up, wincing when she touched her shoulder, which was slammed into the ground upon impact. Hopefully she didn't dislocate it again. She didn't have time to worry about it, however, as the aurors descended on them immediately.

"Great, you jinxed us," Fred said.

"Surrender your weapons now, or face the consequences during your hearing," the man snarled.

Fred and George begrudgingly emptied their pockets onto the floor, an enormous pile building up quickly. Their father had magically enhanced their capacity without a doubt. The woman seemed slightly put off by it, but regained her composure. Oliver and Willow put their hands up to show they had nothing. The aurors magically sealed Fred's hands together, then cursed when they realized they only had one vial of the purple, glowing substance. They instead used their iron grips to hold George's and Willow's hands behind their backs.

"Let's go for a little walk, you know, to assess the damage, shall we?" the man said very patronizingly.

Oliver whimpered when he was prodded in the back to start moving. They were forcibly marched all across the London, ending up at last at the final park they'd pranked. The Muggle police where doing their best to unstick the Muggles from the portable webs, but were not making much progress, as half of them were getting stuck themselves. Willow couldn't hold in a snicker. The man instantly kneed her in the gut. Pain exploded into her abdomen, blocking out all other senses. She didn't crack a rib, but at the moment, it sure felt like it. George growled at the man.

"I'm sorry, did you think something was funny?" the man asked. Willow didn't respond. He kicked her in the hamstring, sending her into the pavement, hard. "I asked you a question, delinquent."

George fought to get at the man, but the woman held him firmly. A fiery rage boiled up in Willow's system. Before she could even try to react, her powers did the work for her. A tree branch swung at his head. Unfortunately, he saw it coming and ducked, coincidentally freeing Willow. The blood froze in her veins. They could discover her secret! She took a step back and commanded her powers to stop. After a few seconds, the tree finally stopped beating the man. The initial panic built up in her system faded as the tree returned to normal. Her powers begrudgingly obeyed, and she raised her fists instead. The man may have seen the tree branch coming, but he didn't notice Willow, and all he could see seconds later were stars. He shrieked and gripped his groin, falling to the ground in pain. Willow then moved onto the woman, who after a few blows let go of George. Together, they took her on. She swung at George, but he dodged, kicking her in the hip. The woman fell into the bushes, and with a quick flick of her leg, Willow sent her foot flying into the woman's temple, knocking her out cold. George scoffed when she brushed her hands off on her t-shirt.

"I could easily have done that. Being the hero is my thing!" he complained.

Willow shrugged. "It's more my thing, actually, but you can take it up anytime you'd like."

Oliver struggled to hide his chuckling. Fred simply put a hand on his twin's shoulder, saying, "George, I think she got you good this time. You better let her be the hero between you two."

George groaned. "Fine, but this is only the first battle. I'll win the war."

"I'd like to see you try."

George's face went slack. He was speechless for a moment, then was about to say something when he was interrupted by a voice complaining, "God, have you guys never heard of walking?"

Oliver's face lit up. He turned around and jumped straight into the boy's arms. "Cypress!"

Cypress smirked. "Hey, Oliver. Miss me already?"

"What- yes- I mean no- I mean- " Oliver sighed. "You know what I mean."

Cypress raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would have learned by now not to leave anything open-ended for me. That could be taken at least fifty different ways, and I'm low-balling it."

Oliver blushed. "Yeah, but it's interesting to hear your take on it."

Cypress grinned. "A-n-d you're flustered. Goal achieved. So what are you all running away from so fast that you couldn't give me time to catch up? The police?"

"Technically, yeah," Willow said.

Cypress sighed. "I can't say I'm surprised. What did you do this time? Blow something up? Wait, let me guess: you pranked all the Muggles in the park for your own entertainment."

"You're two for two so far," Willow chortled.

"Wow, it's like I've known you for nearly a year!" Cypress said.

"Only a year? It feels like longer," Oliver remarked.

"Of course it would, as much time as he spent with you in the Slytherin common room," Fred muttered, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Cypress bristled.

"I can leave if you want. My ears may not be the best, but they can always pick up people talking rubbish about me."

"No, no, it's fine," Willow reassured him, glaring at Fred and George. "You're a close friend of mine, regardless of your Hogwarts house. I won't let a dumb frame of mind mess up anything."

George and Willow stared at each other, neither one giving in, faces stony. At length, George seemed to come to a realization and instead burned a hole in his shoe with his eyes. Willow smiled patronizingly and turned back to Cypress. "I'm sorry you had to follow us for so long. Do you live around this area?"

"Not really, but my family was sick of me laying around the house and dropped me off to 'have some fun,' as if that's possible when you're walking around London all alone. No one's afraid of me when they're in a crowd."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Again with the world domination. When will you learn that I'm never going to let you do that?"

"When you learn you're not immortal and stop trying to die on us every five seconds by running head-first into certain death."

Oliver chortled as Willow ran her hands down her face. "How many times do I have to tell you there's no filter in my brain? I've tried since birth, but I'm just really, really stupid. I wish I could say stupidly brave, but there's not much brave about running into former Death Eater's hands. It's a straight-up death wish."

"I'm going to have to make a potion or something that forcibly gives you a filter, or you're never going to be controllable."

"Good luck with that."

Fred and George shuffled their feet uncomfortably. "We should...probably head home, you know before...Mum finds out about the incidents, or...the aurors come to."

Willow's face fell. "Oh. Well...safe travels home guys."

Fred and George left, visibly less happy than usual. Willow wished they would get over their stupid quarrel with everything Slytherin and change their minds already. Everyone would be much happier that way, but what did she expect from her own house? Cooperation? That word didn't exist in a Gryffindor's vocabulary. The only thing they understood was being stubborn to the point of pushing their friends away. Willow really wanted to invent a spell or potion that forcibly made her fellow bull-headed Gryffindors more like Hufflepuffs. They could all take a leaf out of Oliver's book.

"So...do you want to go somewhere? See something?" Cypress asked, mainly towards Oliver. "My parents left me with plenty of money. We could pretty much do whatever you want."

Oliver's cheeks descended into a rosy pink. "There was this restaurant...that I've always wanted to go to...but I don't want you to spend your money on me...it's not exactly fast food prices..."

"And this place is...?" Cypress prompted.

"I don't know the name, but I know where it is, if that's okay with you," Oliver said.

Cypress shrugged. "Pretty much nothing is off-limits right now." He turned to Willow. "Is it alright if I steal him for tonight? I promise he'll be returned in one piece, fully intact."

Willow grinned. "Of course! Go, have fun! Eat all the food! Make Abuela proud, and I mean that both ways!"

Oliver blushed slightly. Cypress offered his hand to him, which made his cheeks redden even more. The blonde boy winked at Willow real quick, mouthing, "He'll be perfectly safe with me," then let Oliver take the lead. Willow's heart jumped for joy. The pair were so cute together, walking down the street. Oliver's happiness was so immense that her senses didn't even need to reach out for a wave of second-hand joy to wash over her. She hoped the night would be good to them.

Willow walked along the streets of London, allowing the cool evening air to wash over her face, shoving aside Fred's and George's distaste. She stuck her hands in her pockets and pulled her ponytail out. For some reason, Willow loved the feeling of her hair gently waving in the breeze, brushing her face ever so slightly. Her soul begged for the tiniest bit of freedom it gave her. She desired nothing more than to let go of all the drama building up into a slow-motion train wreck. Sure, she loved her friends to death, but it had been so long since she'd taken a moment to herself. She thrived on multiple hours per day of alone time. Willow missed the sensation of the wind whipping in her face as she sped along the countryside, the twitter of birds in the trees outside her window at the crack of dawn, the voice of someone she hadn't seen in a long time trickling over her ears like sweet honey. Her soul was crying for her past, but her heart was screaming for the future. Willow's mind wanted nothing more than to live in the present.

She took a deep breath as a crisp gust slammed into her. The cooling tingle that spread throughout her lungs enlivened her despite the time of day. Willow finally decided to free herself, if only for a moment. She set herself into a fast-paced run, heading further and further from the heart of the city, the hustle and bustle fading behind her. The scent of country air greeted her senses with a pleasurable fresh taste of pine wood, tree sap, and meadow grass. Willow ran faster. Her legs freed themselves from soreness, from the ache of running from her past, and from the stress of being there for every single person in her life. Willow pushed on. Her lungs burned, but the raging fire that had been burning within her was set free at last, allowed to grow until the sky could no longer push down its glow. She ran even faster. Willow could barely breathe, but every step set her freer than the last, every moment was another gasp of freedom, and every second was screaming for life to free her from the prison she'd locked herself in. Launching herself off one foot, Willow spread her wings and took to the sky.

There was no thinking involved in her transformation. There was no contemplating what animal would be best for the moment. There was no concentrating or analyzing or even asking for help. The world below may have only seen a dragon, but Willow only saw freedom. She was finally above all of her worldly problems. Her soul was flying free, and it shone brighter than the full moon hanging in the sky. No more dealing with her past. No more wishing herself away. No more pain of the losses she'd suffered and the worries held close; only keys to unlock her chains and firewood to burn away her agony. Willow soared higher and higher into the sky, leaving behind the twinkle of London as the night breathed life into the city. She didn't stop at the clouds. She didn't even stop when she was within them. Willow didn't stop climbing until she was far above them, caressing the sky with her wings, Heaven seemingly coming to greet her on the edge of Earth. The dome-like sky no longer felt like a trap, but a glittering doorstep to another world above. Willow didn't wish, for once, to find out what was beyond that threshold. She was truly at peace with herself. All she wanted was to live in this moment, feel the wind passing over her wings, breathe in the air that brushed her face.

At last, the moon was high in the sky. Willow recognized that it was time to return to her real world. Her soul may be trapped for a long time once more, but she had work to do. There were countless lives depending on her return. As much as she wanted to let go and live free forever, she had to willingly trap herself beneath the burden of her life. If she saved even one life in the future, one single burning flame amidst the darkness to come, then the sacrifice of her freedom would be worth it. Willow veered back towards the city, descending beneath the clouds once more. She landed in the field where she last stood on the ground. Willow closed her eyes, kneeling on one knee. There was a long road ahead of her. Yes, she was strong, but she had just proven to herself that she easily cracked, that she was only good at covering up her cracks instead of fixing them. She was regenerated now. There would be a time to take back her freedom, but now was a time to focus. She had to focus on her road ahead of her. There were friends to provide support to, drama to sort sort out, and powers to tend to. She was so lucky to have all of them in her life. There was no room to take them for granted.

Focus, Willow, focus, she scolded herself. Think about Oliver. Oliver, your brother. Oliver.

Like someone dumped a glass of cold water of her face, Willow literally jumped out of her trance. She shivered all over and shook her head. Willow panted, the glow of her body finally fading. The exhaustion of what she had just done with her powers suddenly piled on. Willow weakly fell to the ground, coughing up a bit of blood, her muscles trembling.

What...just happened? Willow asked.

This happens at times. You haven't used your powers enough, so they took matters into their own hands. Before you ask, no, absolutely not, I cannot and would never take over your body, and yes, if you go too far, your powers could kill you, so be careful, you bumbling idiot.

But...what was with the soul thing? And don't you dare lie to me, I can't mistake the feeling of my soul attempting to free itself.

That's something to do with the blood curse. It happens.

Care to explain?

No. Goodnight, Willow. I'm going to exhaust you to the point of death if I don't stop. Go to sleep soon, or you're going to end up dead by morning, you fool. I'm not letting you die from something this dumb.

Before Willow could get in another word, Cebba very obviously shifted within Willow so she couldn't feel the ghostly woman's presence as much as she usually did. Willow frustratedly laid on the ground. There was something more to the trance she'd just went into, and Cebba wouldn't tell her, of course, being the annoyingly secretive spirit she was. That was downright dangerous! What if she'd gone a few minutes more? Would she have never gone home? She would never have fulfilled her purpose in the coming war, whenever that was! No matter how dangerous it was, Willow needed answers, and soon. She was determined to force them out of Cebba whether she liked it or not. For the moment, though, Willow could only think about wanting to get up. She couldn't even move.

"Uh...what now?" she said out loud to herself, as if someone could hear her. Naturally, no one responded. "Well, that sucks. Guess I'm sleeping here tonight."

Just then, the grass rustled. Willow's heart jumped. Thankfully, it was only a doe that poked her head between the tall stalks, curiously staring at Willow. She blinked, cautiously sniffing the air, then sneezed directly into Willow's face.

"Thanks," Willow said sarcastically.

The doe snorted, then surprisingly shuffled behind her. Willow gasped when the doe threw herself into her back, sending her flying to her feet, nearly stumbling into a patch of stagnant water. Her muscles finally kick-started into action and tensed, keeping her upright. Willow's mouth dropped open as she stared at the doe.

"Um, I feel like I should say thanks, but I don't know what to say after that," she said. The doe stomped her foot. "You should just know that this has been the weirdest experience of my life so far." The doe flicked her tail. "Tough crowd? Okay, fine, thanks for...helping me up?"

The doe shook herself, then turned and trotted away. Willow stared after her for a moment, then shrugged, brushing herself off where the grass had stuck to her arms. She then slowly made her way out of the meadow, back towards London. The walk had never felt so long nor rough on her muscles. Willow's entire body was crying for her to rest by the time she found a bench near the place where Cypress had met them. She flopped down, the streetlamp above her buzzing annoyingly, but too tired to move, Willow learned to ignore it. Thankfully, Cypress and Oliver appeared a block away. Willow sat up and grinned at the pair, noticing how eagerly they were talking to each other, Cypress almost uncharacteristically completely engaging in the conversation. Oliver finally noticed her sitting on the bench.

"Oh- Willow! Hi!" he squeaked, his cheeks pink. "I had a really good time! There was so much food, and it was so good, and- oh my God, Cypress paid for all of it, but he insisted it's fine, and- "

"Alright, she gets it, I'm amazing," Cypress summed up, smirking.

Oliver nodded enthusiastically. "You are!"

Willow beamed. "So you had a good time? I'm glad! I just hung out in London, you know, trying not to do dumb things."

"And how did that work out for you?" Cypress asked.

"Really well, actually," Willow said. She tried not to smile, but failed, dissolving into laughter. "Okay, nevermind, I did one big dumb thing, but it wasn't horribly dangerous. I did I relaxing flyover of London. You should let me take you up there sometime. It's unbelievable."

Oliver grinned. "We should!"

Cypress checked his watch, then sighed. "Well, I've got to make it back to whatever that bus station was called in the next half hour. My parents are probably more strict than yours, Willow." He smirked at Oliver. "You know, you get more adorable every time I see you, Ollie..."

Leaving Oliver speechless, Cypress sauntered away, eventually rounding a corner and disappearing into the night. Willow grabbed Oliver's hands, smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh my God, that was literally the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life!" she squealed. "He literally used a pet name for you! My heart- I can't- Merlin's beard- ahh! You're so adorable my heart is going to explode!

Oliver blushed a deep shade of scarlet. "Do you- do you think I've got a chance?"

Willow nodded enthusiastically. "A bigger chance than anyone else in this world, that's for sure! Come on, let's get home so we can watch a movie to celebrate!"

Thirty minutes later, in the backyard of the Guerrero mansion, Willow and Oliver were spread out on a blanket, another Star Wars movie playing. An enormous bowl of popcorn sat between them. Thankfully, only the gentlest of breezes trickled through their backyard, allowing the movie screen to stay still. The temperature was perfect. Eventually, the movie ended, and Willow shut down the projector. Both she and Oliver stared at the night sky, admiring the constellations. They slowly began to drift off.

"Willow?" Oliver whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You're the best sibling in the world," Oliver murmured.

Willow smiled. "And there's no person in the world I'd rather be calling my brother than you."