*-*-* Weeping Willow *-*-*

*-* Chapter Fifteen *-*

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

~ Mother Theresa

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A/N: Sorry I didn't mention this before, but Beast isn't furry and blue yet. I might find a way to do it later…we'll see. *wink, wink*

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The sunlight coming through the slats in the blinds made Willow inhale sharply and crinkle her face up. Go away, sun, I don't wanna get up yet, she thought as she brought the covers over her head. After a few minutes of rolling over and trying to go back to sleep, she gave up and opened her eyes. She stayed under the blankets for a little while until it got too stuffy. She sat upright in the bed she was in. This was not her bed, and it was not her room. She could tell that she was in the mansion. The question was where. She tried to get up, but reconsidered when the muscles all over her body began to ache. She winced in pain, but got up anyway. Gravity got the best of her, making her realize how bad she needed to relieve herself. After a productive trip to the bathroom, she ventured out into the hallway. It was strangely deserted and smelled of freshly cut oak and new paint. She wondered for a moment why there would be a new paint smell until she remembered that the mansion was attacked. She remembered the dam and how she had almost died trying to save them all. She wished she could recall what happened after that, but she couldn't.

She ignored her slightly shaky memory and ventured upstairs, despite her legs' obnoxious protesting. She hobbled down the hallway towards her dorm room. She hoped that Jackie, Rogue and Jubilee were there so she could see if they were all right. Willow could hear the voices and laughter of her chatting roommates. She smiled, excited to see what their reactions would be to seeing her awake and more or less healthy. She turned into her room with a smile, but it soon faded into confusion. The whole room had stopped what they were doing and looked over at her. Willow looked at her bed, the one on the very end, and saw that someone else was occupying it. A girl of about sixteen sat there with three suitcases. She was unpacking. Willow's dresser drawers were open and inside were the girl's clothes folded neatly. The chatting and laughter from before was from her roommates talking to Willow's replacement. Willow's heart sank. Jackie, Rogue and Jubilee all jumped up when they saw her.

"Hi, Willow!" Jackie cried brightly, a smile on her face. She gave Willow a giant hug, pressing Willow's arms to her sides. Willow was so disoriented by the scene inside the room that she did not return the hug.

"We didn't think you'd make it!" said Rogue, a happy smile spreading across her face.

"I'm so glad you're not dead!" Jackie cried. After a few seconds of silence, Jackie's brow furrowed. "What's the matter?"

"Who's that?" asked Willow, looking the poor girl straight in the face. She looked uncomfortable and tried to avoid Willow's confused, distant eyes.

"That's Emily...the new girl," Jubilee said.

"Where's my stuff?" asked Willow, looking around the room for anything that might remind her that she belonged there.

"In your room," Rogue said as if Willow was crazy.

"This is my room!" Willow cried in distress. Why had everything changed? She wasn't asleep that long, was she?

"Didn't the Professor tell you? We got a new girl, and this was the only...spot...available...," Jackie trailed off. Willow felt like crying. "But he said you got a room to yourself downstairs! He had Storm take all your stuff down there and everything!"

"But...but...," Willow stammered. "That's my bed," she said quietly, pointing at her bed. All of them were at a loss for words.

"S...sorry," she said lamely. Rogue and Jubilee stayed quiet with uncomfortable expressions. Willow nodded slowly and started back down the hall. I've been out for longer than I thought, she thought.

"Where are you going?" asked Rogue as the three of them spilled out into the hall after her.

"I gotta...I just gotta find something that's the same...," Willow muttered. Jackie, Rogue and Jubilee stopped and stared at each other. Should they follow her? Ask her more questions? Try to make her feel better? Willow continued down the hall and disappeared down the stairs.

"Come on, gahs. We'll check up on her later," Rogue said as she herded the other two back inside the room. "She needs some time to herself."

Willow padded down the hall into the living room, passing Kyle on the couch that sat in front of the TV. He had surprisingly given up his previous past time and had his nose in a particularly thick novel. Is anything the same around here? Willow wondered helplessly.

"Welcome back," Kyle said without looking up.

"Thanks, kiddo," Willow said with a small smile. As she passed, she ruffled his hair. He looked up with a smirk and flattened it with one hand. She entered the kitchen, and found new things there as well. The island in the middle of the kitchen floor was new, and the cabinets had been replaced with new ones. Even the linoleum was new. She longed to see something that was the same. Anything would do. She looked in the refrigerator and smiled as she took out a carton of chocolate milk. No matter what changed in the mansion, chocolate milk would never be a bad thing. She opened the flap and put it to her lips. Right before the liquid reached her mouth, she smelled the rancid, sour scent of congealed milk, but it was too late. The sour milk had already penetrated her mouth. Her hand flew up to her mouth as she set down the carton and rushed over to the sink. She spit out the rotten milk and gagged a few times. She washed her mouth out, but the taste didn't go away. She looked around in the refrigerator for a quick fix. She found some jelly and decided that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich didn't sound half-bad. She dug around in the pantry and found the peanut butter and the bread. She got out a knife and spread the ingredients on the bleached white bread. As soon as the sandwich was together, Willow took a big chomp out of it. She though that she had never tasted anything so good in her entire life. Willow could tell that it was because she had not eaten in a while. As she was finishing up, she could hear the familiar sounds of children's laughter outside.

"At least they haven't changed," Willow mumbled to herself before pouring herself a glass of milk. She looked out the window and was surprised to see five of the younger kids playing with none other than Kurt Wagner. A smile spread slowly across her face as she watched him play tag, five against one. He was teleporting and doing acrobatic flips to dodge their small hands. He was smiling. He was happy. Willow loved to see him smiling and having fun. She couldn't stand sitting there and watching him without talking to him any longer. She abandoned her food and opened the sliding door that led out into the yard. She tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear as she walked across the cool grass with bare feet towards them. The laughter of the children was like music to Willow's ears. She folded her arms over her chest for warmth as a cool early April breeze blew by her. Kurt slowed down on purpose so the kids could catch him. They dove on him, clinging to his arms, waist and legs.

"Oh no!" he cried with a laugh as he toppled over intentionally, being careful to miss any kids that might be under him. He laughed again and Willow smiled more. She stood over the fallen Kurt and grinned.

"Hey," she said softly. He stopped, his mouth slightly ajar. All the kids stared at her too.

"You're avake!" he cried happily. He struggled under the pile of kids that was on top of him, but they made a new game out of pinning him to the ground. "Children," he said, as he was trying to get up. "Children, I must get up...ve'll play later, I just need...," he muttered. He picked them off him with his tail and set them on their feet in the grass. They all looked very disappointed. "I promise to play vis you all later, but I need to talk to Villow. She has been very sick and I haven't been able to talk to her in a long time," he explained to them gently.

"Promise?" asked one of them.

"I promise," Kurt said. They all excepted this and turned to walk away.

"Race ya to the fountain!" cried one of the young boys before he ran off. The four others sprinted away after him. Kurt sighed and smiled, running a hand through his hair. He moved closer to Willow and gave her a gentle hug.

"I missed you," he said.

"Missed you too," Willow said.

"I came to see you every day, you know," said Kurt.

"You did?" asked Willow with a smile. Her cheeks turned a little pink.

"Ja," he said. "I vas so vorried. Ven did you vake up?" he asked.

"Twenty minutes ago, maybe," she said.

"Are you sure zat you can valk around?" asked Kurt.

"I'll be okay," said Willow. In reality she was feeling a little lightheaded. She swayed a little on her feet. She steadied herself and sighed.

"Maybe ve should sit down?" he said slowly, watching her with concern.

"Yeah," said Willow, rubbing her forehead and chuckling. Kurt picked her up in one swift movement and carried her over to the chairs that she had grown so many weeks ago. She leaned back in the chair, closed her eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad I was able to find something that hasn't changed," she said.

"Vat, ze children?" asked Kurt. Willow looked over at him with a 'guess-again' expression. "Ah," he said with a single nod, getting the picture.

"Yeah," Willow said with a little laugh as she looked down into her lap. That was smooth, she thought sarcastically. She sighed. "So many things are different here," she said softly. "I mean, I woke up, and I wasn't in my room, and my whole body hurt...well, it still hurts, actually. I went up to check out my room and see if my friends were all right, and there was someone else on my bed, and someone else's stuff in my dresser...they were all talking to her and laughing. It was like they'd replaced me, or something...I dunno," she said with a shake over head. She felt a little sad and empty. She looked up at him. "So many things have changed...people, places, smells...I don't even know how long I've been asleep."

"Two veeks und two days," Kurt recited automatically. "And it's April ninth." Willow nodded. She watched the kids play across the yard near the fountain. They were pretending to be like Kurt, trying to do handstands and summersaults. She saw Storm smiling vaguely off to the side. She looked sad all of a sudden and looked away from the children. She went inside, and Willow could sense that something was not quiet right.

"So...what's happened? While I was asleep?" asked Willow.

"Vell, um...," Kurt stammered.

"What? What's the matter?" asked Willow.

"Vell, I...I don't know if I should tell you zis, I don't know if I'm ze right person....," Kurt said, looking at her with ashamed puppy eyes.

"Tell me. What's wrong?" asked Willow.

"Villow...Dr. Grey has passed avay," he said slowly and gently.

"What?" Willow whispered, her heart skipping a beat. "How?"

"She vas saving us, and she didn't make it. She sacrificed herself...for us," Kurt said. Willow's heart crumbled in her chest. No...Not Jean...Jean can't be dead, she thought frantically. She ran a shaking hand through her hair.

"God," she whispered. "This is all my fault. If I could have just...held on longer, maybe she'd still be alive." A tear slid down her face, but she quickly brushed it away. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to hold her tears inside.

"No," said Kurt shaking his head. "You did vell. You did your best."

"Well maybe my best wasn't good enough," she said in a hoarse voice. "All my best did was get somebody killed."

"Zat's not true," Kurt said. Willow brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped her bare toes around the edge of the chair. She put her forehead on her knees and cried. Kurt got up and kneeled by Willow. He put a hand below the base of her neck. "I know how hard zis is for you. I did not know Jean very vell, but I know how much she vas loved," he said softly. Willow sniffed loudly. "You know....death is only anozer stage in life. She is happier now, and cannot feel pain or sorrow. It is hard for ze people zat she has left behind, but I sink ve should be happy zat she lived such a good life. I sink ve should appreciate vat she has done for all of us."

"I do...but I'm going to miss her so much," Willow sobbed. She wiped her eyes angrily. "God, I hate crying."

"It's okay to cry," said Kurt. "It's alright to show your feelings."

"All it does is make me feel stupid and headachy," Willow said. Kurt didn't know what to say next.

"I sink ve need to find something to help take your mind off sings for a vile," said Kurt.

"I don't want to take my mind off it. Everything's different and I hate it," said Willow. "I just want things to be normal again."

"Sings change, Villow, and no one can stop zem from changing. You change, I change, ze children change. I know you don't like it, but zer is no vay to escape it," said Kurt, cocking his head to the side as he spoke to her.

"I know," she said.

"How about ze...vat did you call it? Ze Kurt and Villow movie night?" he asked.

"How can I watch movies when one of the most influential people in my life just died?" asked Willow, looking up at him with bloodshot eyes.

"I don't sink zat Dr. Grey vould have vanted us to stop living our lives because of her," Kurt said. "Come vis me. Ze Professor and Dr. McCoy vill vant to know zat you are avake."

"Who's Dr. McCoy?" asked Willow as she stood up. Kurt held her hand and wrapped his tail halfway around her waist in case she was to fall.

"He is ze fellow zat helped you recover," said Kurt. They made their way inside and Kurt helped her to Xavier's office. He looked up upon their entry and smiled when he saw Willow on her feet and awake.

"Welcome back, Willow," he said.

"Thanks, Professor," said Willow.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"A little disoriented and achy, but I guess I'm alright," she said.

"And...you know about Jean?" he asked.

"Yes," said Willow in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"It has been hard for all of us. Especially Scott and Logan," said Xavier. Willow nodded. Professor Xavier decided to change the subject before it got too uncomfortable. "I suppose you know that you now have your own room."

"Yes," said Willow. "But I sort of found out the hard way. I went upstairs to see if everyone was okay and there was someone else on my bed with their clothes in my dresser."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't have told you before. We got a new student the week after we got back. We had no where else to put her, so I thought that it would be best if you had a room to yourself. You are the oldest student here, after all, and you only have about a month more of school to complete. You're growing up rapidly, and I thought that it wouldn't be a bad thing if you had your own room," he said.

"I see," Willow said.

"Is that alright?" asked Xavier with a curious expression.

"It's fine. I'll just have to get used to it," said Willow. The Professor nodded.

"Good," he said. The door opened and Dr. McCoy stepped in. Willow had never seen him before, but was a little taken aback to see how tall he was. He grinned when he saw her.

"My goodness, I didn't think that we would be seeing you for at least two more days, but here you are!" he said cheerfully. Willow couldn't help but smile at him.

"Willow, this is Dr. Hank McCoy," said Xavier.

"Thank you for taking care of me," said Willow.

"No trouble at all! It was my pleasure," he said. "But now that you are awake, I think it would be best if you took it slow until the rest of your strength comes back. No heavy lifting or physically taxing tasks," he said.

"Alright," said Willow.

"Ve ver about to vatch a movie," Kurt said.

"An excellent, calm activity," Hank said with approval.

"But I can, you know...take showers, right?" asked Willow.

"Of course you can!" said Hank. Willow smiled a little.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later," she said.

"Sure thing," he said. Kurt and Willow left Professor Xavier's office and headed towards Willow's room. When they got inside, Willow began digging inside the drawers for some clean clothes.

"I have to take a shower before we do anything," said Willow.

"Do you vant me to vait in my room?" asked Kurt.

"You don't have to...you could stay in here, I don't mind," said Willow. Kurt looked a little sheepish. "It's not like I'm going to come out naked, or anything." Kurt could feel his cheeks burn, and he hoped that there was no visible evidence. "I'll be out in twenty minutes, or so," she said.

"Alright," he said. He watched her go into the bathroom and shut the door before he sat down nervously on the edge of her bed. He twiddled his thumbs while he waited for her to come out, wondering the whole time if it was a sin to be there.

Willow sighed with a heavy heart as she washed her green hair free of shampoo. She wanted to change with her environment, she really did. But it was easier said than done. She decided that if anything was going to be accomplished that she would have to take it one day at a time. Jean's death was also a crippling blow to Willow's emotional health. She tried to forget that she would never see her again. She tried to forget that she could no longer seek out Jean's help with girl stuff like periods and hormones and boys. She noticed that she was crying again. She turned off the water and dried off. She stepped out of the shower and got dressed as quickly as she could. She didn't want to keep Kurt waiting all by himself. She found her brush and hair dryer in the sink cabinet. She dried her hair, but not all the way. She made sure that her eyes were completely dry and white before she left the bathroom. She came out feeling relatively refreshed, but still upset.

"Come on, let's go pick out some movies," said Willow. Kurt joined her as she headed for the door. They made for the living room, the one that Kyle always hung out in. He was strangely absent at the moment, which gave Kurt and Willow a chance to dig through the schools copious amounts of videos. Willow picked out three: Moulin Rouge, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and The Princess Bride. They headed back to Willow's room, since she had a TV/VCR, and Kurt only had a TV in his room. Willow insisted that they time it so that they watched Rocky Horror at midnight. When Kurt asked why, Willow told him that everyone watches Rocky Horror at midnight because 'that's just how it's done.' Willow laid on her stomach while Kurt sat on the edge of the bed. They only had to get up to get something from the kitchen twice.

They watched Moulin Rogue first. Kurt loved it because of the singing, and the costumes reminded him a little of the bright, flashy circus costumes. Willow sang along with many of the songs. Both of them ended up crying in the end when Satine died.

"I feel zis man's pain," he said, drying his eyes.

"How so?" asked Willow.

"I felt just like zat…ven you ver laying zer, motionless in my arms," he said. "I sink I must have made a noise like zat too," he said. He looked a little embarrassed about it.

"I didn't know that you cared about me that much...well, I knew you cared, but I didn't you you'd...you'd freak out if I died," Willow stammered clumsily. You are the queen of smooth today, Willow, she thought to herself.

"Vell, you know...," he trailed off with a small nervous chuckle as he looked down at his folded hands in his lap. Willow thought she could see him blush a little.

"I'm flattered, though," she said with a smile. He smiled a little and looked down at her fondly with his amber eyes. He gently tucked a piece of hair behind her ear with the tip of his tail. She blushed and bit her lip. "I'll put in the next movie," she muttered as she got up. I'm such a girl, Willow thought to herself with a grin.

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After about a week, Willow's strength was completely restored. She went back to classes and worked hard to catch up. She was, as always, constantly scrambling to get her homework done, being the horrible procrastinator she was. Her work habits seemed to be the only thing that was the same around the mansion. Storm had taken all of Jean's classes in addition to her own. She seemed all right for a while, but after a few weeks, Willow could see the bags beneath her eyes clearly. Willow felt as though Storm was not crying or acting unhappy for everyone else. She appreciated Storm wanting to stay strong for everyone, and it did seem to help, but she wished that she would show at least some emotion. She showed even less of her feelings than the Professor did.

Professor Xavier had been quiet for weeks and only talked to people if he was spoken to. It was strange to pass him in the hall and hear no greeting of any kind. Other than that, he did not show much of his despair. Many of the kids said that he wasn't grieving at all, but Willow knew how important Jean was to the Professor. She and Scott were two of his first students.

Scott stayed in his room for the most part. When he did come out, he wandered around, his head hanging and his feet dragging. Willow sometimes saw him staring out of an upstairs window. Sometimes he and Logan, who had come to tolerate each other quite easily, went out and did not come back until early in the morning. Willow was sure that they were drinking, but did not want to ask anyone about it. Scott and Logan seemed to be coping and making some progress, but Jackie was not.

Jackie had become antisocial, and would not talk too much of anyone. Even Willow, who was her best friend. Willow had tried several times to talk to her, but Jackie usually did not respond. She mostly just stared off into space. This made Willow incredibly sad, but she could not think of anything that could help Jackie. Nothing she said to her seemed to make any difference. It was no mystery why she was acting this way. John was gone. He had chosen the bad guys over Jackie, and she was having a hard time excepting it. Whenever she saw Willow and Kurt or Rogue and Bobby, she would always turn around and walk away.

Kurt prayed more often, it seemed, but he always found time to be with Willow. Whenever he thought she looked unhappy or upset, he would always do something to make her feel better. He held her hand, or put his arm around her. There had yet to be any more intimate physical contact than that. They took walks and played games with the kids like hide and seek and the occasional game of tag. He had even gotten Willow to help him with a two person circus routine he used to do to entertain a particularly large throng of children. They loved it.

The children were the ones that seemed to be effected the worst by the events of the past. Willow knew they had nightmares. She herself had nightmares occasionally, but she assumed by the way that some of them woke up screaming that their dreams were far worse than Willow's.

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It was nearly twelve o' clock on a Thursday night in early May, and the light could still be seen on beneath the crack under Willow's door. A few minutes ago, she was working on an essay, but now she was sleeping on it. Her pen was still held loosely in her hand, and her brow was still furrowed in concentration. She was having a good dream that involved Kurt, when a muffled shriek from the floor above scared her back into consciousness. Willow sat bolt upright, wide awake, and listened for more. She dropped the pen she was still holding and ran out of her room and upstairs. Her heart was pounding. It's not every night you are roused by the frightened scream of a small child.

She hurried down the hallway that was directly above her room and listened for another sound. When she got closer to the wing of the house where the younger children lived, she heard the whimpering cry from behind one of the doors. She knocked twice lightly before turning the knob and peeking inside.

"What's the matter?" asked Willow. She heard the distressed sniffles of someone inside the darkness. She flipped on the light and saw a little girl, Heidi, sitting straight up in bed, her face chalk white and glistening with sweat and tears. Her roommates were looking from Heidi to Willow with frightened expressions.

"What happened?" asked Willow.

"Nightmare...," Heidi stammered.

"Aww," Willow said quietly as she went over and sat on the edge of Heide's bed. "What about?" Heidi shook her head in fear. "Sometimes if you talk about it, it can make you less afraid," Willow told her. Heidi bit her lip and looked up at Willow with big brown eyes that were watery with tears.

"They came back," she whispered.

"Who came back?" asked Willow. "Oh! The men who attacked the house?" Heidi nodded slowly. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. We're all safe."

"How do you know?" asked Heidi.

"Because. The Professor is here, and so are all the teachers," said Willow simply.

"But what if...what if they weren't here?" she asked.

"Then...I'd protect you," Willow told her. Heidi looked as if she was thinking about this.

"But...but what if you weren't here either?" she asked. Willow thought about this. The child's distressed eyes seemed to be boring straight into her heart.

"I'll always be here," Willow said softly. "And if anyone lays a finger on any of you guys ever again, I'll kick their butts into next week." This last statement caused some nervous giggles.

"What if I get scared again?" Heidi asked Willow.

"Then...you can come find me, and I'll stay with you until you're not scared anymore," Willow said slowly.

"Really?" asked Heidi.

"Sure," Willow said with a shrug and a warm smile. Heidi smiled weakly.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay?" Willow asked, making sure she was all right. Heidi nodded. "Are you guys gonna be alright up here?" They all nodded. "Alright. You know where my room is, right?" A few hesitated, but then nodded again. "Okay, well...you guys have a good sleep, then...," she said as she got up and headed for the door. The four small girls got back under their covers before Willow gave them one last quick smile. She turned off the light and shut the door gently. She went back downstairs and into her room. She looked at the clock and groaned. It was twelve eleven, and still her essay needed finishing. She sat down, picked up her pen off the rug and scribbled down the conclusion. That done, she threw on her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed. She turned off the lamp and got comfortable under the covers.

Not ten minutes later, Willow was brought out of her sleepy daze by the sound of her door creaking open. She looked up and saw several small silhouettes moving across the room. One of them closed the door just before Willow turned on the light. The four of them grinned nervously at Willow.

"What's the matter?" asked Willow.

"We can't sleep," said Susan, who was maybe a year older than Heidi. She had red hair and pale blue eyes.

"But it's only been twenty minutes," Willow said with a little amusement.

"Can we stay here with you?" asked Lillian, who was very thin and gangling with curly brown hair and hazel eyes augmented by her coke bottle glasses.

"I dunno, guys...," said Willow reluctantly.

"Please?" asked Faye, a little Korean girl with enormous brown eyes. Willow sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. She wanted to get to sleep so that she could stay awake during class the next day, but she finally gave in. I can't really say no..., she thought helplessly.

"Eh, come'er," she said, holding the blanket up for them. They climbed into the queen sized bed (which now felt much smaller) and snuggled against Willow. Willow sighed helplessly, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to sleep a wink while sandwiched between four small, squirmy children. She was glad to know that she could provide some comfort for them, even if she was going to be robbed of her precious beauty sleep. She turned off the light and tried her best to sleep without knocking any of them off the side.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Willow woke up the next morning completely alone. The blankets were askew and the door was left wide open. Maybe they didn't stay the whole night, she thought to herself as she looked at the clock. It was nearly time to go to Art. She jumped out of bed, shut the open door, and threw some clothes on.

"Why do you insist on doing this to yourself, Willow?" she asked herself as she struggled with getting her foot through one of her pant legs. "I mean, come on. Every day?" She brushed her hair and teeth and shoved some sandals on her feet. She collected her school supplies, stuffed them in her backpack, and ran out the door. She entered the art room just as the bell rang. Storm greeted her with a disapproving look.

"Close, Willow," she said in a warning voice.

"I know," Willow panted as she sat down next to Bobby. Storm gave them another free day, the third on in a row that week. Willow could tell that Storm was not doing well despite her collected, strong veneer. Jean's comment about Willow teaching had been rolling over and over in her mind for the past month. She thought of it every time the temperature in the room dramatically fluctuated from the tempest that was raging behind Storm's placid appearance. Willow decided that she would have to talk to Storm about teaching sooner or later. Preferably sooner.

The bell rang an hour later, and the students filed out of the room. Willow stuffed all her art materials in her bag and sighed. Today's the day. Just ask her about it, she thought to herself. Willow approached a particularly flustered looking Ororo Munroe.

"Um...Storm?" asked Willow.

"Yes, Willow?" Storm asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about maybe taking some of your classes for you," said Willow slowly.

"It's a very nice offer, but I'm afraid that-," Storm began.

"I get done with school in a few weeks, so it won't mess with my grades at all, and I want to help out. You seem really stressed and overwhelmed," Willow said. Storm looked reluctant, but sighed and smiled a little.

"I won't lie to you, I have felt a little...overworked," Storm said hesitantly. "That's a horrible thing to say...It's just that it's hard teaching twice the classes. I really wouldn't mind the help..."

"I want to help. I'm the only one who hasn't contributed. I hate feeling like a slacker. I feel like that enough in school," said Willow.

"Alright," sighed Storm. "If you really want to, I won't say no. Just as long as you can be a teacher more than a friend. They are your students, and you are the teacher."

"I think I can do that," Willow said.

"Before you make any definite decisions, however, I do want you to talk to the Professor about it," Storm told her firmly.

"Okay," Willow said seriously with a nod.

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Uh oh…the next chapter is the LAST ONE!!! What will happen? Will Willow be granted a teaching role? Will Jackie snap out of her catatonic stupor? Will the plot finally have some REAL MUSH???? Find out in the Grand Finale of Weeping Willow!