9-Seizing The Moment
Willow made it home in one piece, but she realized that two more school days remained. At least she could find some small comfort that the next two days would be without Virgil Paige simply because he wasn't in any of her classes then. She didn't have History class on Friday, and she was extremely thankful for that!
She was highly disappointed about Buffy Summers. She should have known the new girl was only being nice to her for a reason. Willow shouldn't have been surprised when sixth period came and Buffy didn't show up to study with her. On any other day, Willow would have been glad to stay after school and spend hours in the library, but on this day, what was the point? She had been rejected by the new girl, bullied by Paige, and to top that off, Xander was getting all weird.
Willow had tried to talk to him after school, but he had brushed her off and said he had something important to do.
Well, la-de-da!
Willow went through her closet and found a dress with dots on it. She changed into it, grabbed her favorite red sweater, and told her parents she was going to the library to meet with Xander. They told her, "Uh huh, that's nice, dear," and then they reminded her that they were going away on Friday.
She nodded. "Uh huh, that's nice." She hurried out the door.
Willow had told a little fib. It was something she hated to do, but it was easy when she was really feeling down. She didn't intend to go to the library at all. Instead, she headed for the Bronze.
She really hoped Xander would be there. At least she knew he wouldn't be in the library. She wanted to ask him to help her shop for cool clothes during the weekend simply because she was tired of wearing dorky clothes. Xander was her best friend and if anyone could help her, he could. As Willow walked on toward the Bronze she was unaware of the shadow that trailed behind her.
The shadow had a form which he purposefully kept in the darkness. He was young-looking, but was actually older than he appeared. His name was Thomas. He wore a jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a red shirt with the collar showing. He was unaware that his style of clothing was outdated, but at the present, he wasn't concerned about his appearance.
He wanted a meal and he had his eyes on Willow Rosenberg as the main course. He followed her into the Bronze and watched her make her way to the snack bar. He slowly headed for her with determination until someone bumped into him.
Thomas intended to continue on his way until the "someone" who bumped into him grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"Get your damned hands off me!" Thomas exclaimed as he brushed the arm aside.
Bill Viccors glared at Willow's stalker. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"
The two regarded each other carefully. The vampire noticed the tattoo of the burning sun and Viccors recognized Thomas for what he was.
Thomas looked at Viccors. "You're with the Brotherhood."
Viccors nodded. "That's right. And you're a Fonzie impersonator, right?" He nodded his head toward Willow at the snack bar. "Are you following that girl?"
The "Fonz" hesitated. He narrowed his eyes. "What business is that of yours?"
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"That girl is off limits to your kind. She's not on the menu."
Thomas glared at Viccors. "Are you going to stop me?"
"You wouldn't want my Father to pay a visit to your Master about this, would you?"
Thomas considered his words. He took one last look in Willow's direction, then he shrugged and walked off in the opposite direction.
Viccors smirked as he watched him go. He then looked toward the entrance of the Bronze as he waited for his friends to arrive. That's when she showed up...
_____
...Buffy entered the Bronze for the first time as the band played loudly. Crowds of kids were dancing and moving their hands above their heads with the rhythm of the music. They were there to have a good time and forget about all of their troubles. As Buffy looked around, moving with the music, she decided she liked this place. It was nice. She was hoping to find someone she knew...as long as it wasn't Cordelia Chase.
She wondered if Willow ever came here. She was hoping to run into her so she could apologize for skipping out on her during sixth period.
She saw Bill Viccors across the room. She had met him in one of her classes and thought he would be someone she might want to get to know. He was, after all, a dreamboat.
* He waved at her and smiled.
Buffy smiled and waved back.
Someone behind her, however, waved at Viccors. Buffy realized that Viccors hadn't actually been waving to her at all. She suddenly felt embarrassed. She stopped waving and tried to look inconspicuous.
She headed for the snack bar where she was surprised to find Willow. Willow was getting a soda. Buffy approached her and smiled, but she couldn't help thinking that this girl really needed help with her wardrobe.
"Hey," Buffy said.
Willow looked up in surprise. "Oh, hi." As Buffy sat down next to her, she said again, "Hi."
Buffy hesitated as she regarded Willow. "Oh, you're here with someone?"
Willow shook her head. "No. I'm just here." She smiled at her. "I thought Xander was going to show up."
"Oh, are you guys going out?"
Willow shook her head again and tried to look serious. "No, we're just friends. We used to go out, but we broke up."
Buffy looked at her. "How come?"
"H-he stole my Barbie."
Buffy looked at her strangely.
Willow hesitated. "Oh, we were five."
She nodded her head, not certain how to respond. "Oh."
Willow was convinced she was making herself look like a complete idiot to Buffy. "I-I don't actually date a whole lot...lately." Once again, she tried very hard to look quite serious and even experienced in the matters of dating.
Buffy regarded her. "Why not?"
"Well," Willow began, trying to think of something intelligent to say, "when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool or witty...or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away."
Buffy smiled reassuringly at her. "It's not that bad."
She nodded. "No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk."
Buffy looked at her knowingly. "You really haven't been dating lately," she observed.
Willow decided to drop the charade. "It's probably easy for you."
"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "real easy."
Willow missed the sarcasm. "I mean, you don't seem too shy."
Buffy leaned forward and she thought that maybe all Willow needed was a few tips about dating. "Well, my philosophy..." She brushed a strand of hair from her face and looked at Willow questioningly. "Do you want to hear my philosophy?"
Willow nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I do."
"Life is short."
"Life is short," Willow repeated thoughtfully.
Buffy shrugged. "Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know, why waste time being all shy and worried about some guy and if he's going to laugh at you? Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead."
Willow looked at her and smiled. "Oh, that's nice."
Buffy happened to glance up at that moment and that's when she saw Rupert Giles, the librarian, up on the balcony above the dance floor. She frowned. "Uh, I'll be back in a minute." She got up to leave.
Willow shook her head. "Oh, th-that's okay. You don't have to come back."
Buffy smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll be back in a minute."
Willow watched her go. Then she sat at the counter and tried to gather her courage. "Seize the moment," she repeated to herself. She began to look around. *
Suddenly, there was someone standing there who wasn't there a few seconds ago. Willow was startled and she put her hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming.
The young man looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Willow looked at the boy and her breath caught in her throat. Was he talking to me? she wondered. Then she remembered Buffy's tip. Seize the moment. "Oh, no, uh, I'm-I'm not scared," she said quickly. "I mean, uh, I-I wasn't scared. You don't look scary."
The boy smiled. "Thanks. I do try not to scare away pretty girls. Especially someone as pretty as you are."
"R-really?"
"What's your name?" the boy asked her.
Willow hesitated as she tried desperately to recall her name. "Uh...oh! It-it's Willow."
He smiled. "That's a pretty name for a pretty girl."
She blushed. "Y-you said I'm pretty again." She looked at him shyly. "Uh, not that I-I want you to stop calling me, you know, uhm, pretty..." She realized she didn't know what to call him. "Oh, well, uh, what's your name?"
"You can call me Thomas."
"Thomas..." Willow looked at him and wondered how she was going to seize this moment. Courage, Willow, she thought to herself. What would Buffy do? Well, she would seize the moment, so Willow looked at him with determination and smiled. Here goes...she took a deep breath. "So, uh, Thomas...I-I don't see, well, uh, you know..." Come on, Willow, say it! "I-I don't see anyone here w-with you, or near you...uhm, or at all." She cleared her throat nervously. "Uh, are-are you here by yourself?"
He smiled at her. "Not any more."
"Oh." She looked disappointed as she tried to determine who it was that had just joined him. He was still standing beside her, however, and there was no one else. She looked at him questioningly.
Thomas drew a little closer. "I'm here with you."
"Oh."
He watched her.
Her eyes widened. "Oh! Uh, really?"
He took her hand. "I did come here alone, Willow, but now I'm with a pretty girl with a pretty name." He put his hand under her chin, tilted her head, and looked deeply into her eyes. He smiled.
Willow blushed, but she smiled back. "Oh...wow."
_____
* Buffy leaned against the railing from the balcony above the dance floor. "I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire," she protested. "It's not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them." She shrugged helplessly as Giles stood beside her. "I'm just not going to get extracurricular with it."
Giles turned to look at her. "Will you be ready?" He let out a sigh of impatience. "There-there's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers." He waved his hand over the crowd below. "A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them. Only then do they reveal their-their true demonic visage."
Buffy gave him the look. "You're like a textbook with arms! I know this."
He gave her a look of his own. "The point is, a Slayer should be able to see them anyway. Without looking. With-without thinking." He paused. Then he turned to look at the crowd below. "Well, can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"
She shrugged. "Maybe." She looked below, searching.
"You should know. Even through this mass and this-this din, you should be able to sense them."
Buffy glanced at him.
"Well, try," he prompted her. "Reach out with your mind. You-you have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you 'til you-you feel every particle of--"
She suddenly pointed in triumph, interrupting Giles from his lesson. "There's one!"
He looked down, searching. "Where?"
She pointed. "Right there, talking to that girl."
That girl was standing in shadow, but there was clearly a young boy talking to the girl with a drink in his hand.
Giles frowned. "You don't know--"
"Oh, puhlease!" Buffy exclaimed. "Look at his jacket! He's got the sleeves rolled up. And the shirt? Deal with that outfit for a moment!"
He peered down at the boy, squinting his eyes. Then he looked at Buffy. "It's dated?"
"It's carbon-dated," she corrected him. "Trust me, only someone living underground for ten years would think that was still the look."
Giles pointed below. "But you didn't...hone."
Buffy looked below and she suddenly tensed. The girl in shadow had turned herself so that now her face was in the light. "Oh, no."
Giles looked at her with concern. He turned his head, looked below and saw the girl. "Isn't that--?"
"Willow," Buffy said, confirming his fear.
He was stunned. "What's she doing?"
Buffy let out a sigh and mentally cursed herself. "Seizing the moment!"
She turned and hurried to get below. By the time she got there, however, Willow and the carbon-dated vampire were nowhere to be seen. *
*****************
TO BE CONTINUED--
Willow made it home in one piece, but she realized that two more school days remained. At least she could find some small comfort that the next two days would be without Virgil Paige simply because he wasn't in any of her classes then. She didn't have History class on Friday, and she was extremely thankful for that!
She was highly disappointed about Buffy Summers. She should have known the new girl was only being nice to her for a reason. Willow shouldn't have been surprised when sixth period came and Buffy didn't show up to study with her. On any other day, Willow would have been glad to stay after school and spend hours in the library, but on this day, what was the point? She had been rejected by the new girl, bullied by Paige, and to top that off, Xander was getting all weird.
Willow had tried to talk to him after school, but he had brushed her off and said he had something important to do.
Well, la-de-da!
Willow went through her closet and found a dress with dots on it. She changed into it, grabbed her favorite red sweater, and told her parents she was going to the library to meet with Xander. They told her, "Uh huh, that's nice, dear," and then they reminded her that they were going away on Friday.
She nodded. "Uh huh, that's nice." She hurried out the door.
Willow had told a little fib. It was something she hated to do, but it was easy when she was really feeling down. She didn't intend to go to the library at all. Instead, she headed for the Bronze.
She really hoped Xander would be there. At least she knew he wouldn't be in the library. She wanted to ask him to help her shop for cool clothes during the weekend simply because she was tired of wearing dorky clothes. Xander was her best friend and if anyone could help her, he could. As Willow walked on toward the Bronze she was unaware of the shadow that trailed behind her.
The shadow had a form which he purposefully kept in the darkness. He was young-looking, but was actually older than he appeared. His name was Thomas. He wore a jacket with the sleeves rolled up and a red shirt with the collar showing. He was unaware that his style of clothing was outdated, but at the present, he wasn't concerned about his appearance.
He wanted a meal and he had his eyes on Willow Rosenberg as the main course. He followed her into the Bronze and watched her make her way to the snack bar. He slowly headed for her with determination until someone bumped into him.
Thomas intended to continue on his way until the "someone" who bumped into him grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"Get your damned hands off me!" Thomas exclaimed as he brushed the arm aside.
Bill Viccors glared at Willow's stalker. "Why don't you watch where you're going?"
The two regarded each other carefully. The vampire noticed the tattoo of the burning sun and Viccors recognized Thomas for what he was.
Thomas looked at Viccors. "You're with the Brotherhood."
Viccors nodded. "That's right. And you're a Fonzie impersonator, right?" He nodded his head toward Willow at the snack bar. "Are you following that girl?"
The "Fonz" hesitated. He narrowed his eyes. "What business is that of yours?"
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"That girl is off limits to your kind. She's not on the menu."
Thomas glared at Viccors. "Are you going to stop me?"
"You wouldn't want my Father to pay a visit to your Master about this, would you?"
Thomas considered his words. He took one last look in Willow's direction, then he shrugged and walked off in the opposite direction.
Viccors smirked as he watched him go. He then looked toward the entrance of the Bronze as he waited for his friends to arrive. That's when she showed up...
_____
...Buffy entered the Bronze for the first time as the band played loudly. Crowds of kids were dancing and moving their hands above their heads with the rhythm of the music. They were there to have a good time and forget about all of their troubles. As Buffy looked around, moving with the music, she decided she liked this place. It was nice. She was hoping to find someone she knew...as long as it wasn't Cordelia Chase.
She wondered if Willow ever came here. She was hoping to run into her so she could apologize for skipping out on her during sixth period.
She saw Bill Viccors across the room. She had met him in one of her classes and thought he would be someone she might want to get to know. He was, after all, a dreamboat.
* He waved at her and smiled.
Buffy smiled and waved back.
Someone behind her, however, waved at Viccors. Buffy realized that Viccors hadn't actually been waving to her at all. She suddenly felt embarrassed. She stopped waving and tried to look inconspicuous.
She headed for the snack bar where she was surprised to find Willow. Willow was getting a soda. Buffy approached her and smiled, but she couldn't help thinking that this girl really needed help with her wardrobe.
"Hey," Buffy said.
Willow looked up in surprise. "Oh, hi." As Buffy sat down next to her, she said again, "Hi."
Buffy hesitated as she regarded Willow. "Oh, you're here with someone?"
Willow shook her head. "No. I'm just here." She smiled at her. "I thought Xander was going to show up."
"Oh, are you guys going out?"
Willow shook her head again and tried to look serious. "No, we're just friends. We used to go out, but we broke up."
Buffy looked at her. "How come?"
"H-he stole my Barbie."
Buffy looked at her strangely.
Willow hesitated. "Oh, we were five."
She nodded her head, not certain how to respond. "Oh."
Willow was convinced she was making herself look like a complete idiot to Buffy. "I-I don't actually date a whole lot...lately." Once again, she tried very hard to look quite serious and even experienced in the matters of dating.
Buffy regarded her. "Why not?"
"Well," Willow began, trying to think of something intelligent to say, "when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool or witty...or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away."
Buffy smiled reassuringly at her. "It's not that bad."
She nodded. "No, i-it is. I think boys are more interested in a girl who can talk."
Buffy looked at her knowingly. "You really haven't been dating lately," she observed.
Willow decided to drop the charade. "It's probably easy for you."
"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "real easy."
Willow missed the sarcasm. "I mean, you don't seem too shy."
Buffy leaned forward and she thought that maybe all Willow needed was a few tips about dating. "Well, my philosophy..." She brushed a strand of hair from her face and looked at Willow questioningly. "Do you want to hear my philosophy?"
Willow nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I do."
"Life is short."
"Life is short," Willow repeated thoughtfully.
Buffy shrugged. "Not original, I'll grant you, but it's true. You know, why waste time being all shy and worried about some guy and if he's going to laugh at you? Seize the moment, 'cause tomorrow you might be dead."
Willow looked at her and smiled. "Oh, that's nice."
Buffy happened to glance up at that moment and that's when she saw Rupert Giles, the librarian, up on the balcony above the dance floor. She frowned. "Uh, I'll be back in a minute." She got up to leave.
Willow shook her head. "Oh, th-that's okay. You don't have to come back."
Buffy smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll be back in a minute."
Willow watched her go. Then she sat at the counter and tried to gather her courage. "Seize the moment," she repeated to herself. She began to look around. *
Suddenly, there was someone standing there who wasn't there a few seconds ago. Willow was startled and she put her hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming.
The young man looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Willow looked at the boy and her breath caught in her throat. Was he talking to me? she wondered. Then she remembered Buffy's tip. Seize the moment. "Oh, no, uh, I'm-I'm not scared," she said quickly. "I mean, uh, I-I wasn't scared. You don't look scary."
The boy smiled. "Thanks. I do try not to scare away pretty girls. Especially someone as pretty as you are."
"R-really?"
"What's your name?" the boy asked her.
Willow hesitated as she tried desperately to recall her name. "Uh...oh! It-it's Willow."
He smiled. "That's a pretty name for a pretty girl."
She blushed. "Y-you said I'm pretty again." She looked at him shyly. "Uh, not that I-I want you to stop calling me, you know, uhm, pretty..." She realized she didn't know what to call him. "Oh, well, uh, what's your name?"
"You can call me Thomas."
"Thomas..." Willow looked at him and wondered how she was going to seize this moment. Courage, Willow, she thought to herself. What would Buffy do? Well, she would seize the moment, so Willow looked at him with determination and smiled. Here goes...she took a deep breath. "So, uh, Thomas...I-I don't see, well, uh, you know..." Come on, Willow, say it! "I-I don't see anyone here w-with you, or near you...uhm, or at all." She cleared her throat nervously. "Uh, are-are you here by yourself?"
He smiled at her. "Not any more."
"Oh." She looked disappointed as she tried to determine who it was that had just joined him. He was still standing beside her, however, and there was no one else. She looked at him questioningly.
Thomas drew a little closer. "I'm here with you."
"Oh."
He watched her.
Her eyes widened. "Oh! Uh, really?"
He took her hand. "I did come here alone, Willow, but now I'm with a pretty girl with a pretty name." He put his hand under her chin, tilted her head, and looked deeply into her eyes. He smiled.
Willow blushed, but she smiled back. "Oh...wow."
_____
* Buffy leaned against the railing from the balcony above the dance floor. "I didn't say I'd never slay another vampire," she protested. "It's not like I have all these fluffy bunny feelings for them." She shrugged helplessly as Giles stood beside her. "I'm just not going to get extracurricular with it."
Giles turned to look at her. "Will you be ready?" He let out a sigh of impatience. "There-there's so much you don't know about them, about your own powers." He waved his hand over the crowd below. "A vampire appears to be completely normal until the feed is upon them. Only then do they reveal their-their true demonic visage."
Buffy gave him the look. "You're like a textbook with arms! I know this."
He gave her a look of his own. "The point is, a Slayer should be able to see them anyway. Without looking. With-without thinking." He paused. Then he turned to look at the crowd below. "Well, can you tell me if there's a vampire in this building?"
She shrugged. "Maybe." She looked below, searching.
"You should know. Even through this mass and this-this din, you should be able to sense them."
Buffy glanced at him.
"Well, try," he prompted her. "Reach out with your mind. You-you have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you 'til you-you feel every particle of--"
She suddenly pointed in triumph, interrupting Giles from his lesson. "There's one!"
He looked down, searching. "Where?"
She pointed. "Right there, talking to that girl."
That girl was standing in shadow, but there was clearly a young boy talking to the girl with a drink in his hand.
Giles frowned. "You don't know--"
"Oh, puhlease!" Buffy exclaimed. "Look at his jacket! He's got the sleeves rolled up. And the shirt? Deal with that outfit for a moment!"
He peered down at the boy, squinting his eyes. Then he looked at Buffy. "It's dated?"
"It's carbon-dated," she corrected him. "Trust me, only someone living underground for ten years would think that was still the look."
Giles pointed below. "But you didn't...hone."
Buffy looked below and she suddenly tensed. The girl in shadow had turned herself so that now her face was in the light. "Oh, no."
Giles looked at her with concern. He turned his head, looked below and saw the girl. "Isn't that--?"
"Willow," Buffy said, confirming his fear.
He was stunned. "What's she doing?"
Buffy let out a sigh and mentally cursed herself. "Seizing the moment!"
She turned and hurried to get below. By the time she got there, however, Willow and the carbon-dated vampire were nowhere to be seen. *
*****************
TO BE CONTINUED--