Willow cringed, as the lecture ended, counting the seconds
until Buffy reached her and the questions, with the
complicated answers that she wasn't sure of her-self, would
begin. But the questions were inevitable what with her
disappearing act last night and her rather embarrassing, and
late, entrance this morning Buffy was going to get the answers
even if she had to beat them out of her, and Willow was quite
sure that Buffy would do just that, if the guilt and constant
questioning methods didn't break her first, especially after
the look that she had gotten as she had run past. Finally
deciding that it was best to face the coming assault head on
the red head rose from her place and was instantly lifted of
the ground and had the breath squeezed out of her as her
friend came up the last few steps and enveloped her in an over
enthusiastic hug.
"Will, you ever do that me again and I going to kill you myself!" Still held off the floor by the small blond and trying to get a breath into her tightly squeezed chest Willow was unable to answer with more than a repeated tapping on the slayers shoulder to try and get her friend to release the crushing bear hug.
Finally noticing the insistent tapping Buffy looked up and realised that she was crushing Willow with the hug and released her grip on her suffocating friend.
"Sorry Will. I am just so relieved that you're Okay. You are Okay aren't you?" As Willow, still trying to catch her breath for the second time that morning, gave a small nod of affirmation she continued, "I had thought some vamp or demon had gotten you when I saw you weren't here. Which reminds me where were you last night? And what is with the hair? Not that I don't like it or anything but why did you dye it like that."
Willow smiled as Buffy told her about how she had been worried when she couldn't find her, the happiness at her friends' concern overriding the guilt that surfaced due to making her worry about her. Putting up a hand to stop the flow of questions the she gave Buffy a large reassuring smile and started on the story that she had been coming up with since she had sat down. The story that should quiet Buffy's fears and not get the 'magic is dangerous' lecture from Giles. The story that was close to the truth as she dared but glossed right over the whole spell incident.
"First of all Buffy, thank you for being so concerned about my safety but you really didn't have to be. I went over to my parent's house to think things over and get it all straight in my head. Sort this whole Oz thing before I drove you or myself mad with my emotions."
"You weren't ca."
"I was Buffy, if not you. myself. I finally saw myself last night, what I had become since Oz left. I needed some alone time to try and come to terms with it all. Figure out what came next and what I was going to do about it."
From the horrified look that her friend was not giving her Willow saw that she had caught on to just how desperate she had been. Reaching out and taking one of the shocked girls hands in her own she gave her a comforting smile before continuing,
"It's okay I didn't do anything silly like that but I saw that in the future I might unless I got all this resolved. My parents are away and so I went there. I'm sorry you got so worried about me I should have told you but I really wasn't myself these last few weeks."
"But you got it all sorted out didn't you? All bad thoughts gone?"
"Yes, I finally got over it. Willow has seen the light and is now all Oz free and un-mopey. I even dyed my hair as a kinda celebration. What do you think? It's too red isn't it? I look all weird and freaky don't I?" Buffy's smile and appraising look was exactly what Willow was hoping for. The mentioning of the red hair had not only distracted her friend but also helped to distract her from the very real emotions and feelings that she had been, at last, able to express without the clouding of pain that had previously covered them coming to the surface. The lie about the thinking and hair had been necessary to avoid the problems that would occur if Buffy found out about the spell and its' unremembered consequences. Well, it wasn't exactly a whole lie 'cause she had thought things through. It just happened that it was this morning rather than last night. However, with that new hindsight Willow was really scared at how low she had been getting over the past couple of weeks and again thanked the Goddess for her healing magicks.
"You know that that colour really brings out your eyes, Will. They look so much greener than usual and. Will? Will? Willow?"
Buffy's concerned tone finally broke through the red head's rather depressing line of thoughts and brought her back to the present.
"Sorry Buffy, what was that? I'm still a little. you know. After last night."
"That's okay. I know that stuff like that doesn't just go away. It takes time. But in the end it will be better. However," she continued in an effort to pull her friend out of what she thought was a fall back into Oz related depression, " 'till that happens you have me, Xander, and Giles to help you. I won't ask Anya for advice though; she's still working on the whole subtlety thing."
"She'd be right though. I can just hear her saying 'Get over it'."
"It's a bit more complex than that, Wills."
"I know but."
"Anyway we were discussing hair not. other things."
"It's fine Buffy, you can say Oz."
"Are you sure? You aren't. What I mean is. what with."
"I really am okay with it Buffy, but thanks for being all concerned 'bout me."
"Well that's what friends are for." Nodding her head in agreement with her statement Buffy grabbed Willows arm linking it with her own as they continued walking.
"Yep, here to give support and help with hair, that's me."
"Will, you ever do that me again and I going to kill you myself!" Still held off the floor by the small blond and trying to get a breath into her tightly squeezed chest Willow was unable to answer with more than a repeated tapping on the slayers shoulder to try and get her friend to release the crushing bear hug.
Finally noticing the insistent tapping Buffy looked up and realised that she was crushing Willow with the hug and released her grip on her suffocating friend.
"Sorry Will. I am just so relieved that you're Okay. You are Okay aren't you?" As Willow, still trying to catch her breath for the second time that morning, gave a small nod of affirmation she continued, "I had thought some vamp or demon had gotten you when I saw you weren't here. Which reminds me where were you last night? And what is with the hair? Not that I don't like it or anything but why did you dye it like that."
Willow smiled as Buffy told her about how she had been worried when she couldn't find her, the happiness at her friends' concern overriding the guilt that surfaced due to making her worry about her. Putting up a hand to stop the flow of questions the she gave Buffy a large reassuring smile and started on the story that she had been coming up with since she had sat down. The story that should quiet Buffy's fears and not get the 'magic is dangerous' lecture from Giles. The story that was close to the truth as she dared but glossed right over the whole spell incident.
"First of all Buffy, thank you for being so concerned about my safety but you really didn't have to be. I went over to my parent's house to think things over and get it all straight in my head. Sort this whole Oz thing before I drove you or myself mad with my emotions."
"You weren't ca."
"I was Buffy, if not you. myself. I finally saw myself last night, what I had become since Oz left. I needed some alone time to try and come to terms with it all. Figure out what came next and what I was going to do about it."
From the horrified look that her friend was not giving her Willow saw that she had caught on to just how desperate she had been. Reaching out and taking one of the shocked girls hands in her own she gave her a comforting smile before continuing,
"It's okay I didn't do anything silly like that but I saw that in the future I might unless I got all this resolved. My parents are away and so I went there. I'm sorry you got so worried about me I should have told you but I really wasn't myself these last few weeks."
"But you got it all sorted out didn't you? All bad thoughts gone?"
"Yes, I finally got over it. Willow has seen the light and is now all Oz free and un-mopey. I even dyed my hair as a kinda celebration. What do you think? It's too red isn't it? I look all weird and freaky don't I?" Buffy's smile and appraising look was exactly what Willow was hoping for. The mentioning of the red hair had not only distracted her friend but also helped to distract her from the very real emotions and feelings that she had been, at last, able to express without the clouding of pain that had previously covered them coming to the surface. The lie about the thinking and hair had been necessary to avoid the problems that would occur if Buffy found out about the spell and its' unremembered consequences. Well, it wasn't exactly a whole lie 'cause she had thought things through. It just happened that it was this morning rather than last night. However, with that new hindsight Willow was really scared at how low she had been getting over the past couple of weeks and again thanked the Goddess for her healing magicks.
"You know that that colour really brings out your eyes, Will. They look so much greener than usual and. Will? Will? Willow?"
Buffy's concerned tone finally broke through the red head's rather depressing line of thoughts and brought her back to the present.
"Sorry Buffy, what was that? I'm still a little. you know. After last night."
"That's okay. I know that stuff like that doesn't just go away. It takes time. But in the end it will be better. However," she continued in an effort to pull her friend out of what she thought was a fall back into Oz related depression, " 'till that happens you have me, Xander, and Giles to help you. I won't ask Anya for advice though; she's still working on the whole subtlety thing."
"She'd be right though. I can just hear her saying 'Get over it'."
"It's a bit more complex than that, Wills."
"I know but."
"Anyway we were discussing hair not. other things."
"It's fine Buffy, you can say Oz."
"Are you sure? You aren't. What I mean is. what with."
"I really am okay with it Buffy, but thanks for being all concerned 'bout me."
"Well that's what friends are for." Nodding her head in agreement with her statement Buffy grabbed Willows arm linking it with her own as they continued walking.
"Yep, here to give support and help with hair, that's me."