Any Day Now by Jozzy

see disclaimers Part 1-7

Part 10

Buffy never used to sit in the front row at clubs. Sitting in the front made you seem eager, and prom queen that she was, Buffy could never seem eager. Things were different now, in Sunnydale. Now she came to clubs with more purpose than to sit in the shadows and try to look cool for all her friends. Now she came to see Willow.

This was the third show that Buffy had seen. Willow didn't actually perform a lot. When the mood struck her she would schedule a show at the Bronze, and get a couple of her friends together. The band for all three performances had been different. Everything had been different. Instead of Marilyn Manson last time Willow had sang Jeff Buckley's ' Yard of Blond Girls' and Buffy had spent the entire thing red as a tomato.

Tonight she was singing Tori Amos. Last week Buffy had told Willow about her love for Tori Amos. Willow practiced 'Sister Named Desire' every night until she had it down.

The red headed singer was always doing things like that. Sometimes when Buffy would reach into her pocket looking for a stake, she would instead come up with little Hershey® nuggets. The nights before major test Willow would spend extra time patrolling with Buffy, just so they could study some more. It made Buffy feel warm in her heart to have someone care for her like that. None of her old boyfriends had ever been as considerate as Willow. The only day they were nice was Valentines Day, but only because it would get them action later on. Willow was nothing like that, she cared about the small insignificant things. When Buffy spent an hour gripping about the poor fashion options her closet offered in the morning, Willow didn't roll her eyes (even though Buffy knew she wanted to,) she simply smiled and nodded. And the next day brought her the perfect sweater that went the pants that she never got to wear anymore because her old sweater had a horrible blood stain on its sleeve.

It had taken her forever to get dressed that morning. And she had that stupid presentation to make in front of her seventh period. The class that she shared with Willow and Xander...

Buffy looked herself over in the mirror once more, decided it was hopeless and headed for the door. She was actually leaving her room on time this morning, her mother would be ecstatic.

"This never used to happen. Me...Buffy Summers leaving the house without a perfectly matching outfit on, unheard of. Oh God...the worlds ending today...again."

"Buffy!" Joyce looked at her daughter with surprise then glanced at her watch, her brow furrowing. "We still have fifteen minutes before your late...I usually don't see you until five minutes before the bell rings."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I know unfortunately the gods of fashion have condemned my closet so I'm ready to go now."

Joyce chuckled. "You look wonderful Buffy, you always do. Besides you shouldn't be paying attention to that kind of thing. You need to focus on the more important things...like not getting expelled."

I hate when she does that. Reminds me of my past. Doesn't she think that I want to succeed? Does she think that I want to get kicked out of this school too? I made a mistake, and it wasn't even really a mistake. I was saving the world. Its not my fault I had to burn down the gym. Its not my fault I can't tell anyone the real reason. My life is so not fair...

********

"I'm telling you Wills just drop it. She wont go for it."

"Xander just because you don't have the guts to ask Cordelia to the dance doesn't mean I have to be spineless as well."

Xander spluttered. "Cordelia! I don't want her. She's the queen of bitches...the most annoying...self centered..."

Willow raised an eyebrow. "Curvy...delicious..."

Xander zoned out. "Yeah Curvy...and delicious...and with most humongous..."

Buffy cleared her throat at the entry of the library. "Umm...could we steer this conversation away from the hotness of Cordelia Chase? I mean just for this morning."

Willow blushed, moving towards Buffy. "Uhh...Sure I mean she's okay if your into that kind of thing." Smiling a little she continued. "I'm more into blondes."

Buffy smiled. Whenever Buffy caught Xander and Willow checking out girls, the redhead would always rush assure her that she was the most important.

"Whatever Rosenberg." Buffy moved sat down at a table.

Willow moved behind her, resting her hands on the petite blonde's shoulders. "Oh come off it Summers, you know your the only one for me."

A flame of red swept across Buffy's face and raced down her neck. Sometimes Willow knew just what to say. Buffy moved her hands up to Willow's, stopping the gentle massage that the redheaded hacker had begun. Turning her head Buffy's eyes trapped her nongirlfriend's. The verdant eyes sparkling from the broken sun shards streaming through open blinds.

"Could you to stop before I lose my breakfast? God, in case you haven't heard PDA is so very last year. Try to keep it in your pants ladies, geez."

Willow's eyes narrowed, a snarl slapping the smile from her face. "Cordelia."

Cordelia Chase slipped into the room. Her perfume and presence invading the air three feet in front of her. Xander's body tensed and if anyone had been standing closer they would have noticed the sweat beading at his hairline. The cheerleader had always had this effect on him, the gut churning, tongue tying, slap to his brain and hormones.

Everyone stood for a moment, perhaps the first time in weeks that the library had been truly quiet, not really friends but companions trapped with each other on the frontlines. Buffy stood, taking control of the situation as was, at least in her mind, her duty.

"Okay Giles says there's something big coming up, but right now we don't know anything. Xand, Wills, and I are going to come in at lunch and hit the books. There's a research party later tonight."

Cordelia shifted from Prada clad foot to foot. "Tonight's no good, Devon and I are going out. And this time that cheap bastard is taking me somewhere nice. But lunch I can probably do, unless of course Harmony throws a bitch again, then there'll be a mall run."

"You know we spend all day in the library, reading dusty old books, and I'm still failing half my classes." Xander rolled his eyes, the shaky timber lifting Willow's eyebrow.

Cordelia snorted, "Whatever. I've got to go now kids...you know actual life to live." Turning on a stiletto heel the brunette marched back to the trenches.

"Seeing her everyday just makes the world seem brighter doesn't it?" A ragged sigh escaped Willow's teeth.

*******

"God, remember the days when you snuck out of the house to do something important."

Willow rolled her eyes but kept her eyes on the screen before her. "Xander saving the world is kind of important don't you think?"

Buffy shook her head, glad to have a distraction, the words had begun to dance on the pages. " I don't know Will's I'm kind of missing the life having myself."

Willow stood, moving from behind the counter and over to Buffy's side. "So maybe you'd...um want to go to the dance with me?...You know get back with the life having."

Buffy had never seen the stammering, techno geek Willow that slouched before her. The redhead's eyes downcast at the ground, her hands wringing the hem of her t-shirt. It was cute and reassuring to know that Willow wasn't always the aloof loner she portrayed herself to be. Constantly Buffy felt like a child compared to the singer.

Willow rushed forward. "I mean...I thought...I kinda got the impression that you liked me and I know I like you so...It seemed like the perfect plan. But you don't have to go if you don't want...I...uh...probably wouldn't have gone anyway. I'm not really a dance person." Thinking she had misspoken she faltered. "I could be though...I wouldn't be like a bad date or anything...no I would be good...like limo and roses good. If you didn't want you mom to know...I could just meet you there. Xander could come along." Willow rolled her eyes and backed away. "Forget I asked...we can all just go together."

Buffy held up her hand to stop Willow's retreat. " I would love to go to the dance with you. And your picking me up at my house just like all my other dates...

********

Willow always looked so amazing standing up on that stage. The way the lights reflected off the black flecks of her hair. Sometimes she was small and frail, her voice growing dim and a tiny tremor occasionally taking over her body. So pale and fragile, unprotected.

Buffy wanted to wrap her arms around the girl. To keep everything away that could ever hurt her. But her powers only helped her fight the physical demons. Not the demons that hide in human hearts, those that attacked with merciless abandon. Wanting to rend the luminescent soul of a hacker angel.

But there were other times when Willow was strong, never blatant but still powerful. The way she walked, her hips swaying in a swagger that made Buffy forget to breath. The way she moved in the halls of Sunnydale High, with a confidence most her age lacked. Head held high, shoulders straight, and eyes that never looked away first.

The force of the diminutive girl surprised the slayer sometimes. Willow could stare down a million Cordelia's and never bat an eyelash. She constantly fought against the nearly oppressive stares that swirled around the two when they held hands. The way she took the stage some nights, even though the audience was a little rough, even though the waitress had given her that dirty look. Then she would astound them all with her presence, her voice, with her being. And no one could speak because she just was, so amazing and didn't seem to care that you though so.

When Buffy had doubts, Willow had faith. Never had she been ashamed, going out of her way to make sure all knew that the most beautiful girl, straight from L.A., was with her. That they were more than just friends and anyone who had a problem could go to hell. The brashness of her love stunning, and touching her blonde counterpart's heart.