Willow

Buffy was her friend. Buffy was just her friend. Her best friend. Her friend who she did girly things with. Her friends who she had a bit of a crush on. It was only a crush thankfully, like when girls at her school had mooned over Leo after Titanic came out. But it was there and occasionally awkward.

It wasn't until Tara that Willow had realized what her feelings towards Buffy were. It wasn't love, she knew that, for she was in love with Tara and happy in her relationship. It was just friendship and admiration, which she had always known to be present, mixed in with a little lust. She was attracted to women and Buffy was a beautiful woman.

A woman who was straight and usually being screwed over by a straight man. Willow had never been very happy with any of Buffy's boyfriends. She had liked Angel at first and thought the two perfect for each other but the ordeal with Angelus had changed her mind. She still liked Angel, just not with Buffy. She had never been able to look at the two of them together and not see that occasional flash of Angelus' possessive, obsessive, maddened and hungry gaze from behind Angel's eyes. Parker was an asshole who had hurt her friend and unlike Angel, hadn't cared. Riley had been wrong for Buffy, though it was Willow's fault that they had gotten together in the first place. And Willow had always loathed and feared Spike. The twisted relationship that he and Buffy had briefly shared only reinforced her opinion.

Part of Willow resented Buffy. She was so pretty and small and kissable and utterly unaware of her affect on everyone around her. She had never even considered Willow as anything more than a friend, even though finding out your best friend was gay was something that would have given most women pause. Buffy had never even considered that Willow might be attracted to her. Willow felt guilty about her resentment as well because she had a sneaking suspicion that it had contributed to her agreement to kick Buffy out of her own home when the First was attacking.

Buffy had never trusted her after that.

She was living with a post-shanshued Angel now, and they hadn't bothered to keep in touch with her much aside from the occasional post card. The last one she had received was two months ago when they were in Paris. The sounded very much in love and it sounded like Angel was pushing to start having a family soon.

Willow let go of the past and wished them the best. It was all she could do.