FicWad

Faith walked through the hallways alone. It was getting to be that way more and more. Oz seemed to be with his band all the time. It was almost as if he were avoiding her somehow. But that was just plain silly. Wasn't it?
The leather clad woman shook her head. It was stupid to think like that. Oz was the greatest guy she'd ever met. He was the sweetest. She knew that there was no way that he would ever cheat on her. Especially with that punk girl that she had seen.
Oh man! What was it with her and these damn pangs of jealousy that just would not quit. Her other relationships had not been of the lasting kind. Just more about being together and all of that jazz. But with Oz it felt so different. It felt so real. It felt like something more.
Slowly, she made her way to her locker. Another Friday all alone. And that was getting to be something she hated. And this weekend, she couldn't even go and be at the concert of her favorite ever musician. No, she would have to wait til he came back from Los Angeles.
She put her head on the locker. It was beginning to hurt rather badly at the moment. Life just seemed to be getting her down more and more. She wasn't the same old spunky Faith that she had once been.
An idea hit her. She so needed to be with her one. That was the answer. She somehow had to get him alone with her. And the best way was for her to surprise him. She would just need some help in doing so.
Like a shot, she took off. She knew exactly where to find her accomplice. He would be in the library getting some from his fiancé. And that was still a strange concept. Her big brother was soon to be married.
Sure enough, the two broke a part from a kiss the minute that she burst through those double swinging doors. Wesley started to sputter, but when he realized it was just Faith, he just turned instantly red.
"So, you two are having a good time even in school." Faith smiled evilly as her big brother turned an even brighter shade of red. "Hey, now that I've got you totally embarrassed, would one of you two nice people want to do a girl a favor?"
Wesley shook his head. "After those comments?" Fred gently elbowed him in the chest. "Depends on the favor." Again, he got a gentle shot for his words.
"What is it Faith?" Fred shook her head at her fiancé.
"Nothing big." Faith smiled even larger. "I was just wondering if one of you two nice people would do me the honor of driving me to LA tonight."
"Excuse me?" Wesley broke away from his girl's tight grip. "And why would I want to do such a thing? I had plans you know."
Faith shrugged. "If you've got plans with your honey, I'll figure something else out. I want to surprise Oz. Seems we've been on, not the outs, just more missing then hitting lately. So, I was wondering if you'd drive a poor teenager. If not, I have other ways."
Wesley shook his head. "I don't like the sounds of that. All right, you win. We'll all drive down to LA together. But you owe me big time little sister."
"And you know I always pay back my debts with interest." Faith chuckled. "Coolness. Just let me get things around and we'll be on the road." She ran up and hugged her brother tight. "I've missed you, you big stuffy lug." And with that, she bolted out the door.

"""
Xander sat alone in his room. It was not that unusual to sit there alone. Well, it hadn't been until Anya came into his life. He was sitting there, waiting for her to show up. He had had to go to the dentist, fun thing.
They were supposed to talk. And he knew what it was about already. Willow had needed someone to confide in. Why she was so mad at Tara. And why they were not getting back together like everyone thought that they should.
And he could so understand why she reacted the way that she did. It was huge that both Anya and Tara had left out that part. Maybe not from the rest of the world, but certainly from the people that they were supposedly in love with.
But then Xander had thought about it. He had thought about it from both Tara's and Anya's points of view. And of course he had taken in what Willow had said. Then, he threw in his own mixed up emotions. And it all came down to one thing.
He loved Anya. At one time, he thought he had been in love with Willow. But it was a different kind of love he now realized. Willow was still someone that he would always be there for. And he would always, always love her and want to see her happy. But with Anya, it was different.
With Anya, he would do anything in the world to make her happy. He would put everyone else aside just so that she knew that she was number one in his life. That she was the one that he thought about before he went to sleep, that she was the one that he dreamed of, that she was the one that was in his thoughts every waking moment.
She was the one for him. It was as simple as that. And he had learned from what Willow had told him. That if you loved someone, you had to forgive them. No matter what they did. And he knew about her surprise to make it up to her girl. He wanted to avoid that. He wanted to just be understanding now.
The knock on his door startled him. He hadn't heard the front door open or close. He really must have been in deep thought. And that was unusual for him. "Come in."
Anya walked in. Her head was lowered. She was having trouble making eye contact with him. "I think it's time we had that talk, Alexander. I just hope everything will be all right."
Xander quickly came up and gave her a reassuring hug. "Tell me anything. I love you and will be here for you no matter what it is. I promise."
A weak smile came across the young woman's face. "I hope so." She sighed as Xander directed her toward the bed and they sat side by side. "It's about Tara and me." She swallowed hard. "Look, I almost killed her. Father made me. I didn't want to go through with it. I almost shot my own sister because of that sick bastard. And after you risked your life to save her. I feel so stupid and like such an awful person."
Xander took his girl's face in both his hands so that she had to look him directly in his eyes. What she saw was love and understanding. "You were brainwashed by this evil man. And you were strong enough to break free from that bond. You came through in the end. Should you have told me the whole story from the beginning? Yes. But you are telling me now. That's what counts."
Anya leaned in and kissed him. A very powerful, passionate kiss. "I'm so lucky. I don't know how it is that I deserve you."
"Things are the way they are." Xander wrapped his arms around her ever so tightly. "And we will get through anything as long as we are there for each other. Always."

"""
Giles looked across the table at her. He still wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have the beautiful woman sitting across from him in his life. And to think, her past almost cost them the happiness that they now had.
But that's the way that life was. Everyone had a past that they were not too thrilled with. There was something that they either wished that they could change or just wish that they could somehow forget about it.
People that were able to deal were the lucky ones. Most just pushed all that aside and lived a life of lies. At least, they were basically lies. Not really being truthful with oneself. And he was no different.
That radiant smile of Jenny's shown brightly. And it warmed the librarian's heart just at the sight of it. Just knowing that she was in his life made all the difference in the world to him. As long as they were together, they would be all right.
But there was something from his past. Just like she had confided in him about an abusive childhood, there was something that he regretted. Only it was something that had not happened to him, but that he had done.
And truth be told, it had not happened that long ago. And he prayed every day that he could make up for it. And that's what this dinner was all about. He and his everything were not yet engaged, though he cherished the ring and the knowledge that he someday would be able to slip it on her hand. But could she take what he had done?
There was a letter in his pocket. One he had received just before the holidays. One that he had yet to tell her about. One that would definitely change their lives, that was for sure. One that she might not be able to understand.
So, he reached across the fine looking dinner table and took his everything's hand in his own. He took a deep breath just to calm himself. Her eyes were full of love but also of questions.
"I have something that I need to tell you." Giles cleared his throat before continuing. "We've had discussions about your past. And I now am faced with something from mine. It's of the good, but it could be a bit much for you to take I'm afraid."
Jenny shook her head. "I'm not following you Rupert. What exactly is it that you need to tell me? It's of the good, but it also could break us up. I don't like the sounds of this."
Giles sighed heavily. "I have a past discretion, shall we say. And I found out today that I am now fully responsible. In two weeks time, my son will be joining me to live. I'll be getting a larger place so that there will be space for us all. If you'll still want me in your life."
Jenny stared at him. That was the last thing that she ever thought that her man would say. The responsible man that he was today would not seem to make such a mistake. But he had. And now, she had to decide if she could live with it or if she would rather not and live without the man she loved more then anything in the entire world."""
"""
Willow had planned to set this all up on Saturday instead of today Friday. But having to have to pretend that she was still mad at her everything had become far too much for her. She simply needed to be with her and not to have these stupid little arguments anymore.
So, the redhead had a nice blanket sitting out behind the apartment buildings that they lived in. It was a nice little cove area that was specifically designed for outdoor activities and picnics and such. And that suited her purposes perfectly.
It wouldn't be long and her everything would be showing up. She had had Xander slip her a note to meet her sister out here. What a surprise it would be when it was her girlfriend who was still feeling stupid for holding on to her anger as long as she had and not just forgiving her like she so wanted.
There was a picnic basket full of Tara's favorite foods. Nothing was too good for her girl. But the biggest thing was tucked away in her pocket. It was tiny in size, but it meant everything to her. There were also flowers sitting there. It was just a nice way to say I'm sorry and in a big time way.
There was a sound and Willow looked up. Tara was early. Blue eyes met green. An instant look of surprise was on the blond's face. She quickly turned to go. "Tara! Wait! Please?"
Tara turned around. There was such a pleading in the redhead's voice. It melted her heart instantly. She slowly made her way and sat a little distance away from her girl. "What is all this? I thought Anya wanted to see me."
"Well, I did that." Before Tara could say anything, Willow continued. "I didn't want to deceive you, but I wanted to surprise you. I wanted you to know how stupid I really feel right now. About how long I stayed mad at you. It was just stupidity on my part."
Tara shook her head. "No, you had every right to be mad. And sometimes saying that you are sorry is the hardest thing in the world. I know that. I tried and you rejected me."
Tears formed in the redhead's eyes. "I'm sorry for that. Oh so sorry. I let my pride get in the way. That's why I couldn't just instantly forgive you like I should. And why I let it go on so long. But I realized that. And I'm here to make it up to you."
Blue eyes twinkled a little. "And exactly how are you going to make it up to me, Miss Rosenberg?"
Willow laughed a little. And it felt so good. It was something she had not done in a long time. Just to laugh. Too much anger had been in the way. "Well, there's a lot of your favorite goodies in here. And I have a pressie for you. So what would you like to do first, mi lady."
"I so want to see the present." Tara shrugged. "I'm not all that hungry. But I am so curious about what you got me. I just feel bad that I didn't get you anything."
"You weren't the one that acted like a total jerk in all of this." Willow moved closer to her girl and took her hand in her own. "I'm the one that, not overreacted, but kept a grudge and for far too long. So you have nothing to make up for. I should have trusted you. And I didn't. It's still my fault. But know this. Even when I was so mad, well being stupid, that I loved you. And love you even more now."
Tara smiled, tears forming in her eyes now. "You know that I love you. And never will stop loving you. I just want you in my life always. And I hope that next time we will be able to talk through things instead of shut the door on one another."
"You keep saying we." Willow gave her hand a little squeeze. "Sweetie, it was me and me alone that did this. Well, the grudge thing and keeping it going. And so, I want to make it up, like I've said a few times." Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box. "It isn't much, but it's yours. And it always will be."
Tara ran her fingers along the soft feeling box. She wanted to know, but yet wasn't sure either. But she slowly opened it, causing it to squeak a little. The tears that had been in the corners of her eyes quickly began to fall.
Inside the box was a necklace. It had a heart shaped ruby at the end of it. She gingerly picked up the necklace and turned it over. On the gold covering the back of the ruby were these words 'You stole my heart the minute we met. It's only fair that you get to have it with you always. I carry yours inside mine.'
Willow smiled nervously. "Do you like it?"
Tara leaned in and gave her a kiss. A kiss to end all kisses that was for sure. One that showed how much they loved one another, how much they missed one another, and how they would never be a part for too long again.