Chapter Seven

Buffy brought little Willow to school with her the next day. She dropped Willow off with Ms. Calendar in the morning and came back for her at lunchtime. Buffy and Xander brought her to a bookstore to get some books and magazines. They then bought her lunch and brought her back to the school. She stayed with Giles in the afternoon. She read until school got out.

After school got out, everyone gathered in the library. Jenny Calendar had been invited to come also. She had been told all that had happened.

"Shouldn't we sent Willow to school, since we can't turn her back right now. I mean it might take a while to find out how to change her back." Buffy said. She knew that even though Willow wasn't in her own time that she still should go to school.

"We shouldn't stop her from learning while she's here. I think Buffy is right. If she is going to stay for a while, she should go to school"

"I want to go to school. I can't believe I just said that. But it's so boring to not go to school. Besides I could make new friends. I don't want to go back home at all. My parents barely pay attention to me, not to mention that they are hardly ever there. I want to stay with you guys. You are so nice to me. I know that the Willow of this time is important to the gang. But can't I stay, I could help. Please don't send me home. I don't have any friends except for Xander and Jesse, and their boys. I want to have more friends, but the kids in Sunnydale are mean. Especially Cordelia, she makes fun of me and I don't want to go back to that. Please can I stay? Pleassssseeeee." Little Willow asked them all. She wanted to stay with all of her heart, but would she be able to. Was it meant to be?

"Why don't we look for a way to turn you back. We can send you to school tomorrow. But no matter what we do need to send you back. We need the older Willow to fight evil. Even though she learned about her magic by ignoring me when I told her not to do spells. And she is an important part of our group. When we send you back, you will grow up to be the older Willow that we need. We care about her a lot. If we lose her forever, some of us won't be able to cope with it. Even if we have you in her place." Giles was worried that they wouldn't be able to get the other Willow back, and she was very important to everybody.

"Willow, honey. Look I wouldn't have been able to get through a lot of the things I did, without the teenage Willow. I need her, to help me with my life. Everyone has problems, but I'm a slayer. I need her to help me through this. My life is so hard, I won't live long if I don't have her to go to. I need her to keep me from becoming crazy. I need my friends to help me keep my feet on the ground, and my head clear. She is my best friend in the whole world. I can't live without her." Buffy started to cry. She ran out of the library and down the hall. Little Willow stared after Buffy, knowing she had to go back. If not for her, than for Buffy. Buffy needed the older Willow to be there.

Willow left the library, telling Giles that she was going to walk home. To Buffy's house. She really went to her own house. She went around to the back of the house, where she climbed a tree to her balcony. She went into her room, her older self's room. She sat on the bed, and looked around the room. She wanted so much to stay here, where these people could love her like her parents never did or would. But she had to go back, so that the older Willow would be here to help Buffy. Buffy was the slayer and was very important to the world. She was the best slayer ever. Willow walked over to the closet and got out older Willow's magic supplies. She picked up the book with the potion in it, the one that had brought her here.

Giles had brought the stuff back just this morning. He had almost given up.

Little Willow set up the potion, making sure she did it exactly as the book said. She somehow knew exactly what plants were what. She was about to throw the last ingredient into the potion, when she wanted to think for a while. About the time she had spent here, and what would happen when she went home.