PROLOGUE...The Sum of Things





She could do this. She knew she could. This was the easy part. In the past three years she had watched two lovers die, killed a man, lost her best friend and brought her back, seen her hometown turned into a massive chasm, restored a vampire's soul, and helped fight in two apocalypses that put the first half dozen to shame.



This was the easy part.



So why couldn't she force herself to go in there and say hi. The worst he could do was not remember her. And would that really be so bad? They had barely known each other after all. But that was a lie, wasn't it? Somehow, in one night, he had come to know her better than almost anyone else in her life. Most certainly better than her girlfriend had known her.



She shook her head, willing those thoughts away. That was the past. This was all about the future.



She took a deep breath, put on her resolve face, and entered the restaurant she had been pacing in front of for the last half hour. Not noticing the bustle of the waiters and chatter of the patrons around her, she headed for the back of the room, where he sat, hiding in the darkness.



When she reached his table, he was leaning over something, no doubt some ridiculously important document, muttering to himself. Resisting the temptation to turn and run, she slid into the booth across from him.



"Hey Toby," she said, giving him a little wave.



His head whipped up, his eyes flashing in annoyance. When he saw her sitting in front of him, his expression turned to shock.



"Willow?"





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