Chapter 11

Third Week in February - Week 10

"Fighting Oria?" Willow asks when she enters the kitchen, she'd gotten call on her cell phone on the way home from work from Oria's principal to tell her that Oria had been the instigator of a fight with another girl. And Willow had been prepared to yell, but when the words are out of her mouth she suddenly feels like Joyce before she found out about Buffy being the slayer. "The principal called and said you punched someone in gym class. Was she a demon?"

Oria sighs, "no."

"Possessed."

"No."

"Using witchcraft to try and take over the cheerleading squad?"

"No."

"Was it anything having to do with the forces of evil."

"No," Oria pauses and Willow finds herself feeling hopeful that it is does, "unless being a bitch qualifies as a force of evil that I can slay because..."

"No." Willow stares at Oria, "well are you going to explain to me what the fight was about?"

"No." Oria responds, her eyes carefully trained on her bowl of cereal.

"Oria..."

"What?" Oria questions, "the girl was a bitch, she should have been punched a long time ago."

"Oria, you're a slayer, you can't just go around punching regular, non-evil, humans, you could seriously hurt someone."

"Whatever," Oria stands up and moves to the sink, "I've got homework. I'll be in my room."

Willow is making dinner when Xander breezes into the kitchen two and a half hours later, "you're late," she comments her tone annoyed.

Xander kisses Willow's cheek in greeting, not picking up on her mood, "yeah, sorry I had to stop by the jewelry store and pick up something for Hayley." He reaches into his pocked and produces a jewelry box holding a delicate rose on an equally delicate chain. "What do you think? Her middle name is Rose so I thought it'd be...what? What's that look for?"

"You've been dating Hayley, what, three weeks?"

"Yeah," Xander nods, "I know it's really quick, but I really like her."

Willow turns around to face her pot of soup and rolls her eyes, "well wash up and call Oria down it's time to eat."

"I've got my make-up Valentines dinner with Hayley tonight, didn't I tell you?"

"No, it must have skipped your mind," Willow snaps.

"I'm sorry," Xander apologizes, he's now picked up on her tone. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing, call Oria down for dinner, tell her I'm eating in five minutes and if she's not down here I'll assume she's not hungry."

"Is she giving you a hard time about something?" Xander asks, "did something happen?"

"She got into a fight at school," Willow responds as she pulls two bowls out of the cupboard.

"Do you want me to talk to her before I leave?" Xander asks carefully.

"Whatever," Willow waves her free hand while her other sets the bowls on the counter.

"Something tells me this goes beyond Oria fighting and I can't help but think you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry at anyone, Xander. I'm pregnant and I'm exhausted, I'm eating dinner, grading some essays and then going to bed."

"Will..."

"What?" Willow demands slamming down the ladle she'd just pulled out of a drawer, "what do you want? Do you want me to be angry with you because you're getting damn close."

'Fine, but you know if you need to talk..."

"Xander..." Willow snaps.

"Fine," Xander snaps right back at her this time before walking out of the kitchen.

The front door closing wakes Willow up from her sleep on the couch in the living room with a start, piles of essay's sit around her but a leather bound book sits open on her lap. She's yawning and stretching when Xander walks into the room, "I thought you were going to bed? It's 12:30."

"I fell asleep," Willow responds.

"Okay, well, g'night." Xander gives a slight wave and Willow knows she hurt him earlier.

"Xander," she calls after him, "wait."

"Yeah?" Xander half turns to face her.

"I'm sorry about snapping at you today," Willow apologizes setting aside all of her papers as an invitation for Xander to take the seat next to her.

He takes the bait, "what was with you tonight?"

Willow shrugs and sighs, "hormones I guess."

"I've seen your pregnancy hormones in action, Will, that wasn't pregnancy hormones."

"I guess it was a long day to come home have to deal with Oria getting into a fight and then you going out with Hayley."

"Do you not like her?" Xander asks, his expression concerned.

"It's not that," Willow shakes her head and then switches gears. "Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you did one thing differently?"

"Of course," Xander nods, "I spent the better part of two years wondering what life would have been like if I hadn't left Anya at the alter." Xander sighs, "but what about you? I mean you've obviously been giving it some thought."

"I found this when I was looking for an extra pen," Willow lifts up the book she'd closed minutes ago.

"Ah the diary that I wanted nothing more then to read through most of high school," Xander comments.

"It was this time six years ago that I started dating Oz," Willow muses.

"This is about Oz?" Xander looks shocked, out of all the things he'd been expecting Oz had not been the topic he'd assumed they'd be talking about. Tara or Kennedy, yes. Oz, a world of no.

"I guess," Willow shrugs. "He was the first person I liked who wasn't you, I guess I'm just thinking about what life would have been like if I'd chosen him and not Tara."

"But you loved Tara," Xander states.

Willow nods, "I did, I'm not saying I didn't. But if I'd chosen Oz then Tara wouldn't have been in my bedroom that day that she died."

"You don't know that," Xander states, "anything could have happened in the two years between Oz coming back and the day Tara died."

"My head knows that," Willow nods, "but my heart it can't help but wonder what could have been." Willow shrugs again, "I dunno, I guess I'm just lonely is all. Lonely and tired." She kisses Xander on the cheek, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," Xander responds.

"Aren't you going to come up?" Willow asks.

Xander shakes his head, "I've got to work on some paperwork, we're wrapping up the Morton project tomorrow."

"Okay, well I have a dentist appointment first thing in the morning, so do you mind taking Oria to school? She has in school suspension for the fight and if she misses it they're going to expel her."

"Sure thing Will, night." Xander moves over to the desk as if to start on the papers but once he can hear Willow's footsteps in her bedroom over the living room he picks up the phone and dials Robin's number.

"I have to be at the school by 6:30 tomorrow to meet with the gardeners and that's only five and a half hours from now. This better be good." Robin's were are bitter and tired.

"I know it is," Xander responds, "I have a favor to ask." Xander speaks quietly and quickly until he's explained his entire idea to Robin.

Robin yawns before responding, "I'll do what I can, but no promises. What you're asking, it's not easy."

"I know, thanks." Xander states before replacing the phone in the cradle.

"So, are you going to tell me what the fight in school was about?" Xander asks as he drives Oria toward the high school. It had been a fight to get her in the car but eventually she'd given in and followed Xander out of the house.

"Why would I tell you and not Willow?" Oria asks not bothering to even look at Xander.

"Because Willow gets all serious and maternal and I'm me," Xander responds with a goofy grin. "Besides you know you're going to have to tell someone."

"Why so I can get in touch with my inner feelings or some stupid crap like that?" Oria asks.

"No," Xander shakes his head, "because Willow is going to force it out of you at some point, so you might as well practice on me so I can soften the blow for you."

"Willow can't make me doing anything."

"Hello, have you met Willow?" Xander asks.

Oria sighs, "fine. They found out about you and Willow, she was saying stupid stuff about you guys so I punched her."

"You got in a fight because of us?" Xander pulls up to a red light and stares at Oria.

"It was stupid," Oria responds, "but she had it coming, she picks on everyone in the class. I'm like a hero in gym now."

"I'm sorry she picked on you because of us," Xander states as the light changes and he pushes on the gas.

"It's not a big deal," Oria responds easily, "like I said the girl had it coming to her."

"Just don't make it a habit of punching people who have it coming to them," Xander urges. "It's going to raise eyebrows when people start to ask questions about how a girl who's barely five feet tall took out the varsity quarterback."

"Okay I promise, no punching any members of the football team."

"Or..."

"Or anyone else in my high school," Oria sighs.