A/N: Having realised my plot works just as well in a sequel, (thanks Jen!)
this is gonna be wrapped up pretty shortly. So, you like it, you want a
sequel, tell me.
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Lincoln Capitalist Harris knew one thing only at this point in time. He knew one thing, because that one thing was a huge deal, and although he realised he was being petty, obnoxious, and everything else besides, that one thing concerned him more than anything else could. He knew that he did not want Nathaniel Morgan to be staying in his house, in his town, in Cleveland, where Izzy, his friend, would have ample opportunity to do the Izzy-things she did to get a guy.
A guy, Lin noticed, with increasing annoyance, who seemed to be perfectly willing to be gotten.
"Hey Lin," Izzy called cheerfully, letting the door swing shut behind her. Lin grunted through his bowl of cereal. Izzy rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that's uber-friendly," she drawled. She reached into one of the cupboards, and pulled out a bowl. She grabbed the cereal off the table, and poured some into her bowl.
"Izzy, do you ever eat at home?" Lin gestured with his spoon. She shook her head, and added milk to her cereal. She took a huge mouthful.
"Nope," she said, swallowing quickly. "I figure if I eat here for the rest of my lifetime, then it will equal the stuff you eat in a day at mine."
He rolled his eyes. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, hi Nate," he said conversationally. Izzy almost swallowed her tongue, looking around at the still-asleep walking zombie. How Izzy found the mussed hair, and sweatpants cute first thing in the morning, Lin had no idea.
"Hey," he yawned. He looked at Izzy through bleary eyes. "Goin' back to bed," he mumbled, and wandered out.
"Nice," Lin said sarcastically. "To know personal hygiene is top of the list of his priorities."
"What's biting your butt?" Izzy asked, raising one eyebrow, leaning against the counter to polish off the rest of her cereal.
"Nothing," he shrugged. He was going with the 'Nate will be evil' thought plan. It worked, it was entirely possible, and considering Izzy's past history with guys, it was highly likely.
"Okay," she said, shoving her bowl in the sink. "It's just you have a something face. Something face doesn't generally mean nothing's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," he stated, meeting her eyes. She shrugged.
"Okay." She took a quick swig from the OJ carton, and wiped her mouth. "See ya then."
* ~ * ~ * ~
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lin lay back moodily on his bed, thrashing characters from one of his video games on his TV, the room strewn with junk.
"Hey," Nate acknowledged Lin, with a brief nod. Lin looked up from pulverising a man bristling spikes, and nodded curtly back. Nate dropped onto the couch with a sigh.
"What's up?" he drawled. Lin shrugged tightly.
"Nothing," he answered evasively. "Just playing around." He indicated the screen.
"Surprised Izzy isn't with you," Nate watched Lin kill another opponent, his eyes flickering idly over the room.
Lin shot him an annoyed look. "Oh yeah. What, you like her?" he challenged. Nate shoved dark hair out of his eyes.
"Yeah. She's cute, y'know? Short and light-haired, not normally what I go for, but hey-" Nate gave him a wicked little smile. "Cute. If you two have a-" he shrugged, "Marking your territory? I only asked because she's been here every day."
"We don't," Lin said firmly, regretting what he was saying. "What do you mean she's not what you go for?"
Nate shrugged again, picking up Lin's guitar from beside the bed, and bent over it.
"I mean, I don't normally go for them like that. She's more the girlfriend type, and I don't do 'em," he said simply, picking out a riff on Lin's guitar. "Girlfriends mean you have to make sure of feelings and stuff. If people are gonna get hurt, I stay away."
Lin's eyes narrowed.
"So you're not interested?" he clarified. Nate looked up from the guitar, and grinned.
"Didn't say that."
"Well, she's probably not interested," Lin said dismissively, hoping now that the new Gatekeeper wouldn't ask Izzy out.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Maybe that's not a good idea," Dawn said idly. "He's just eaten his lunch."
"No," Xander said happily. "He loves it, don't you big guy?" He tossed Wills into the air again.
"Will get down now," the toddler said, looking slightly green.
"Uh, I suggest you put him down," Izzy said, wandering in. "The last time he did that, it involved lots, and lots of barf."
Wills gave a small hiccup.
'Xander, please put down the small human, before it vomits over you," Anya insisted. Xander swung Wills down onto the ground.
"I just wanted to ask what you were gonna get Mom," Izzy shrugged. "What with all the other stuff, I'm trying to work on ideas."
"Buffy and I were going to give her a book," Dawn said. "Giles found it, it's the uber-spell book. It's written in another language, so my part of the present is translating it."
"That sounds cool," Izzy nodded. Anya smiled at her.
"Xander and I decided not to spend money on Willow, as the current price rises mean it isn't economically sound to buy meaningless things," she said confidently. "We're making a cake."
"Again, cool," Izzy said thoughtfully. "I don't really know what to get."
"Just get her something from you," Xander put in. "She's Willow. She'll love it." Izzy grinned.
"Guess she will."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Next few chapters will lead up to Willow's birthday, with some fluff. Also, because of awards and stuff, plus, I have a job now which means updates will be less frequent. If you want more of my stuff, check out Little Hero, and Replay on my profile.
REVIEW!!
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lincoln Capitalist Harris knew one thing only at this point in time. He knew one thing, because that one thing was a huge deal, and although he realised he was being petty, obnoxious, and everything else besides, that one thing concerned him more than anything else could. He knew that he did not want Nathaniel Morgan to be staying in his house, in his town, in Cleveland, where Izzy, his friend, would have ample opportunity to do the Izzy-things she did to get a guy.
A guy, Lin noticed, with increasing annoyance, who seemed to be perfectly willing to be gotten.
"Hey Lin," Izzy called cheerfully, letting the door swing shut behind her. Lin grunted through his bowl of cereal. Izzy rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, that's uber-friendly," she drawled. She reached into one of the cupboards, and pulled out a bowl. She grabbed the cereal off the table, and poured some into her bowl.
"Izzy, do you ever eat at home?" Lin gestured with his spoon. She shook her head, and added milk to her cereal. She took a huge mouthful.
"Nope," she said, swallowing quickly. "I figure if I eat here for the rest of my lifetime, then it will equal the stuff you eat in a day at mine."
He rolled his eyes. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, hi Nate," he said conversationally. Izzy almost swallowed her tongue, looking around at the still-asleep walking zombie. How Izzy found the mussed hair, and sweatpants cute first thing in the morning, Lin had no idea.
"Hey," he yawned. He looked at Izzy through bleary eyes. "Goin' back to bed," he mumbled, and wandered out.
"Nice," Lin said sarcastically. "To know personal hygiene is top of the list of his priorities."
"What's biting your butt?" Izzy asked, raising one eyebrow, leaning against the counter to polish off the rest of her cereal.
"Nothing," he shrugged. He was going with the 'Nate will be evil' thought plan. It worked, it was entirely possible, and considering Izzy's past history with guys, it was highly likely.
"Okay," she said, shoving her bowl in the sink. "It's just you have a something face. Something face doesn't generally mean nothing's wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," he stated, meeting her eyes. She shrugged.
"Okay." She took a quick swig from the OJ carton, and wiped her mouth. "See ya then."
* ~ * ~ * ~
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lin lay back moodily on his bed, thrashing characters from one of his video games on his TV, the room strewn with junk.
"Hey," Nate acknowledged Lin, with a brief nod. Lin looked up from pulverising a man bristling spikes, and nodded curtly back. Nate dropped onto the couch with a sigh.
"What's up?" he drawled. Lin shrugged tightly.
"Nothing," he answered evasively. "Just playing around." He indicated the screen.
"Surprised Izzy isn't with you," Nate watched Lin kill another opponent, his eyes flickering idly over the room.
Lin shot him an annoyed look. "Oh yeah. What, you like her?" he challenged. Nate shoved dark hair out of his eyes.
"Yeah. She's cute, y'know? Short and light-haired, not normally what I go for, but hey-" Nate gave him a wicked little smile. "Cute. If you two have a-" he shrugged, "Marking your territory? I only asked because she's been here every day."
"We don't," Lin said firmly, regretting what he was saying. "What do you mean she's not what you go for?"
Nate shrugged again, picking up Lin's guitar from beside the bed, and bent over it.
"I mean, I don't normally go for them like that. She's more the girlfriend type, and I don't do 'em," he said simply, picking out a riff on Lin's guitar. "Girlfriends mean you have to make sure of feelings and stuff. If people are gonna get hurt, I stay away."
Lin's eyes narrowed.
"So you're not interested?" he clarified. Nate looked up from the guitar, and grinned.
"Didn't say that."
"Well, she's probably not interested," Lin said dismissively, hoping now that the new Gatekeeper wouldn't ask Izzy out.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Maybe that's not a good idea," Dawn said idly. "He's just eaten his lunch."
"No," Xander said happily. "He loves it, don't you big guy?" He tossed Wills into the air again.
"Will get down now," the toddler said, looking slightly green.
"Uh, I suggest you put him down," Izzy said, wandering in. "The last time he did that, it involved lots, and lots of barf."
Wills gave a small hiccup.
'Xander, please put down the small human, before it vomits over you," Anya insisted. Xander swung Wills down onto the ground.
"I just wanted to ask what you were gonna get Mom," Izzy shrugged. "What with all the other stuff, I'm trying to work on ideas."
"Buffy and I were going to give her a book," Dawn said. "Giles found it, it's the uber-spell book. It's written in another language, so my part of the present is translating it."
"That sounds cool," Izzy nodded. Anya smiled at her.
"Xander and I decided not to spend money on Willow, as the current price rises mean it isn't economically sound to buy meaningless things," she said confidently. "We're making a cake."
"Again, cool," Izzy said thoughtfully. "I don't really know what to get."
"Just get her something from you," Xander put in. "She's Willow. She'll love it." Izzy grinned.
"Guess she will."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: Next few chapters will lead up to Willow's birthday, with some fluff. Also, because of awards and stuff, plus, I have a job now which means updates will be less frequent. If you want more of my stuff, check out Little Hero, and Replay on my profile.
REVIEW!!