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| Watching From the Side Lines | ||||||||||||
| Disclaimer: Characters and Premise are borrowed from the show "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." | ||||||||||||
| Buffy wanted to growl. After a month the signs were unmistakable, a new song had just come on; Seal's Kiss from a Rose, and Willow could hardly sit still. Her feet tapped against the rungs of her seat, she swayed slightly, in time to the music and she kept shooting looks at Angel, hope and longing clear on her face. It only took Angel a few seconds to notice, then came the part Buffy hated most. Angel had been sitting with his arm around Buffy's shoulders, but now he pulled away. "You don't mind if Willow and I dance? Do you Buffy?" He asked. Buffy pasted a pleasant smile on her face and nodded her consent. What else could she do after claiming that what she'd done a month ago with Xander had been just an innocent dance? No big deal, she'd said, nothing for Angel to throw a fit over. Angel had replied that she shouldn't have a problem with him dancing with Willow, if that were the case. Buffy had said that she didn't. She just hadn't expected him to take that as permission to make a habit of it! Buffy hadn't expected Willow and Angel to enjoy their dances so much. Buffy hadn't enjoyed her dance with Xander. She'd never done it again, not that way, in any case. But Angel and Willow always shared a couple of dances every time they came to the Bronze. They always came back from the dance floor smiling. Angel looking more relaxed than Buffy ever saw him and Willow looking confident and stunningly beautiful. They'd smile at each other and chat about new turns and lifts that they wanted to try, about which songs were the best for which dances and how the Bronze's DJ's needed to broaden their selections. And Buffy would sit there with Xander and fume, while they shared something that she wasn't a part of. Buffy watched as Angel took Willow's hand and lead her to the floor. Already they were smiling. In a moment Buffy's brooding boyfriend and her timid best friend had disappeared to be replaced by a happy couple. The floor was already clearing, giving them room to show-off. No one else danced liked Angel and Willow at the Bronze, it was too out of style, but everyone loved to watch. Around school everyone was always whispering about how they couldn't believe mousy little Willow was the same girl as the one who danced at the Bronze. Then they'd start in on Willow's mysterious partner. They all assumed that Willow and Angel were a couple. They looked so natural together. It made Buffy want to stand up in the middle of the cafeteria and scream that Angel was her's not Willow's. The only thing that held her back was the knowledge that no one would have believed her. Buffy couldn't blame them; at moments like this she doubted her own claim on Angel's heart. Watching them spin gracefully about the floor, Willow's face turned up to stare into Angel's eyes, perfect trust and happiness visible to anyone who wanted to look. Watching as they floated apart for a brief moment so Willow had room to turn under Angel's arm. Buffy tried to ignore the way Angel pulled her back into his embrace, as if it hurt him to be even an arm's length apart from her. Then, as soon as Willow was safely in his arms again Angel led a series of fast spins that moved them across the dance floor, making a complete revolution around each other every six beats. Buffy rolled her eyes as Angel lifted Willow into the air. The red head braced one knee against her partner's hip and struck a dramatic pose: one hand resting on his shoulder, the other raised over her head, her free leg pointed like a ballerina's, while Angel continued spinning as he moved across the floor. It looked incredible, at least until Willow collapsed into a fit of giggles. She lost her balance and hurriedly wrapped both arms around Angel's neck. Vampiric strength prevented Angel from being overbalanced. He easily shifted Willow's weight so that she was cradled against his chest, her face buried against his shoulder still giggling madly, Angel looked like he was about to give in and join Willow in helpless laughter. Buffy felt like a knife had been thrust into her stomach. Angel never laughed with her, the best she could hope for was a half smile. A devastatingly sexy half-smile, but still nothing like the open, happy expression he wore at that moment. Once Willow had gotten the giggles out of her system Angel set her back on her feet. Buffy could see his lips move as he said something that made Willow blush and hide her face against his chest again. Buffy gritted her teeth, why did they have to look so in love when they danced? Buffy turned her back to the floor for the remainder of the song. Just because she had to be a good sport didn't mean she had to watch her best friend stealing her boyfriend. What made it even worst was the Willow and Angel were both completely innocent, they didn't even realize that they were falling in love. If they were doing this to her on purpose, Buffy thought, she could get mad, scream at them both for betraying her, it would have been a release. But as things were she didn't dare, Buffy was afraid that if she said anything at all it would simply make them aware of what they felt. So when they came back, Buffy knew she would smile and nod and pretend to be a part of their conversation. She knew she'd be sitting in Angel's lap after a few songs, reminding both Angel and Willow who he belonged to and hoping Xander would show up to remind Willow of who she was supposed to be with. Buffy needed both Angel and Willow, as her love and her friend; she needed them as her allies against that darkness. And the only way she could imagine keeping them, was if they never consciously looked at each other as anything but friends. | ||||||||||||
