Buffy yawned, flipping a page in her book. She blinked at it, squinting, then turned another page. She sighed.
Willow knew how she felt; this was difficult research for her, and she liked this kind of thing. And she didn't have Buffy's emotional ties to Angel worrying her as they searched for a reason why he had come back from Hell and for any clue as to what might be tormenting him. "You doin' okay, there?"
"Just tired. And … these words are really small. Are they even words, or just little tiny demons?"
"Words. I think." Willow frowned, remembering her former 'boyfriend', Moloch. "With Giles's books, you never can tell."
"No." Buffy smiled at her. "But things are looking up, right?"
"Looking very up." Willow couldn't help smiling, too. "He's gonna come over on Christmas eve, 'cause my parents are out of town. We're gonna watch videos."
"That's good, right?" Buffy asked. "You guys are back."
Willow nodded. "It's good. It's perfect … in an awkward, uncomfortable sort of way." She'd been trying so hard to see only the positive in this change, but … it wasn't a hundred percent, or even close to it. "I just … don't know how to make Oz trust me."
"Xander has a piece of you that Oz just can't touch. I guess now it's just about showing Oz that he comes first."
Willow thought about that for a moment. It was true; they all knew it. She and Xander were she and Xander, and they always would be. After a lifetime together, it was impossible to think about life without him. But Buffy was right—if she wanted Oz to know how important he was in her life, in his own special way, she had to show him that. "I guess," she said softly. "Thanks."
In all of this, she was so glad that she had Buffy. She didn't know what she would have done without her best friend to talk to. Willow turned back to the books, glad she could help Buffy in return.