Willow's POV

I pretended like nothing happened. It was hard at first. To see him and not blush was impossible at first, but I would just replay his words and the blush didn't last. I just had to push him to the back of my mind.

Think of how much I hurt Oz. How much I hurt Cordy. How she hated me now and I couldn't be with Oz again in good conscience after what I did with Angel. But I wasn't sure I would want to be with him again anyway. I thought of Faith and the Mayor and I did my homework and kept the house clean.

For two months, I kept him to the back of my mind. I put a glamour over the bite and hardly ever took it off. Just to check on it sometimes, see if it would heal soon. It scarred.

Two weeks after our encounter, I didn't get my period. A month later, two weeks before the Mayor would ascend, I went and got checked out. After that, I stayed away from Angel as much as possible. I'd continued training before, but made sure Buffy was always there too. But after finding out, I stopped training.

I went to school and came home. I got updates on Mayor plans from Buffy and Xander over the phone everynight and then I would sleep before starting it over the next day.

In the last two weeks I decided what I would do. I'd never be able to get rid of my baby. I'd never been able to understand how anyone could.

So I got busy, sending letters and filing paperwork. Three days before graduation, I got the final papers, making me officially Willow Katherine Casey. Two days later, I received my acceptance letter to the University College of Dublin. I was packed with all my things in my parents' car and had withdrew all my savings from the bank.

Turns out, Angel was leaving too. Didn't matter. I still had to go. I was pregnant, with the baby of a vampire that happened to be my best friend's one true love. How could I possibly stay? I didn't have the right to stay!

So I never even considered changing my plans. With a little hacking to push it along, I bought a plane ticket and stashed everything in the car.

I was leaving. This town. My oblivious friends. My life. Two days after graduation.

Angel's POV

"So...does anyone notice that Willow has been...not...here." Oz started, glancing around everyone. "I mean...I thought we were getting back together. There was definite couply things happening...and then it just stopped."

"Maybe she's heartbroken." Buffy suggested.

Oz shook his head. "No. She just kind of drifted off. But I'm not even really talking about that because it was months ago...but recently-"

"Yeah." Xander spoke up. "For the last few weeks, she's been at home or school constantly. No bronzing. No patrolling. No Scooby meetings." He looked really thoughtful for a minute.

"She quit training with me and Angel too." Buffy added.

"I haven't seen her in the library either." Giles noticed.

Buffy was still staring at a thoughtful Xander. "What is it, Xan?" Buffy asked him.

"Huh?"

"Well...you know Willow better than anyone besides Oz. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I fear that Willow has seemed different." Giles commented.

We all looked to Xander. I'd noticed Willow's evasiveness too. It was troubling and I would've thought it was me, but she'd only been doing it recently. Something else was going on. "If I'm right...Willow's planning something." He looked around all our confused faces. "She's a planner. She comes up with an idea and picks at it to death, makes it perfect. And it isn't to do with the mayor, because no matter what she'd tell us if it was. Unless she was unsure that it would even help. But I feel like this is something more personal."

"Like?"

"I don't know." he admitted. "But..." He sighed exaggeratedly. "I don't know."

"After the mayor is defeated...we'll find out." Buffy decided. I nodded wearily, not so sure if we should wait. But Buffy always knew best.

Willow's POV

"Guys, take a moment to deal with this." Oz said as we looked at the burning remains of our school. I felt a few tears fall down my face. "We survived."

"It was a hell of a battle!" Buffy exclaimed, her voice pretty cheerful to have just lost the love of her life.

"Not the battle." Oz corrected. "High school."

"We're taking a moment-" he paused, "-and we're done." I smiled despite myself. I was going to miss Oz. I was going to miss them all.
Xander gets up, starting off with Cordelia. I sighed and stood from the bench as did Buffy and Oz and we walked to the cars.

Angel's POV

The car that's usually always in Willow's garage was in the driveway, filled with two big suitcases. I snuck to the back of the house, pausing by the kitchen where the lights were on. No one was speaking but the three heartbeats proved that I was right. Her parents were home for a change.

They had been every night for the past week or so I'd been coming by. I still hadn't managed to hear a word from them or even Willow talking to them. Even though they always seemed to be in the same room.

They must be some cold people. But I guess it was good that at least they were home. Them just being there was better than them being gone like they had been before. I just wondered why they weren't at graduation. But of course, Willow probably talked them into staying home.

I nodded to myself, glad that she seemed okay and resolving to let her friends help her with whatever she was hiding. My gut clenched a little as I made my way back to the street, back to the mansion. To pack. To leave.