Headers in part one

August 10, 2001

Willow woke up suddenly. A quick glance at the clock told her it was three in 
the morning, too early to be awake, but she knew something was off.   A 
slight movement from her normal sprawled position in bed, and it was 
instantly apparent that she was alone in the bed.  She had gotten so used to 
feeling close to Xander's body during the night, that now, even after just a 
few days, she felt a sense of loss when he wasn't there. She realized that 
his absence was the reason she had woken up and decided to find him. He was 
probably with Melanie, but she hadn't heard any cries. She pulled a robe 
around her pajamas and tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes as she walked 
down the hallway. 

She stopped in front of Melanie's door and couldn't help but smile at the 
scene in front of her. The lamp was turned on low, casting a golden glow over 
the room, and music was playing softly. Xander was with his daughter in the 
middle of the room, slow dancing and singing along with the music. Willow 
leaned against the doorframe and just watched them, not wanting to interrupt 
their moment.

"Sleep, baby, sleep
While the world passes by.
I'll be the keeper
Of your dreams, tonight.
I'll be your eyes
Until you can see.
I'll be your voice
Until you can speak.

In this land of strangers
I'll be the one
To love and protect you,
Guide and respect you.
In my arms, you will be
In my arms, you will be
Forever Home.

Sleep, baby, sleep
In an ocean of love.
No way of knowing
What you're thinking of.
Close to the heart
That's where you belong.
You're part of my spirit,
Oooh, you're part of my song.

First, last, and always
I'll be the one
To love and protect you,
Guide and respect you
In my arms you will be
In my arms you will be
In my arms you will be 
In my arms you will be
Forever Home.

Have you come to show me
What loves all about?
To lift up my faith
Higher than doubt?

In my arms you will be
In my arms you will be
In my arms you will be 
In my arms you will be
Forever Home.
Forever Home.
Forever Home."

She clapped softly when the song ended and his head jerked up. "That was 
nice, Xand," she smiled at him. "I like that song."

He relaxed and smiled back. "Yeah, it's our song," he said softly, tenderly 
smoothing down Melanie's hair. "I sing it to her a lot."

Her hushed voice matched his. "Did she wake up? I didn't hear her."

"I was just checking on her and she was laying there, staring off into space. 
So I decided to spend some quiet time with her. Did I wake you?"

She shook her head. "No, I just woke up and you weren't there." She shrugged 
and raised her chin almost defiantly. "I missed  you." 

Their eyes locked over Melanie's head, and whatever Xander had been about to 
say flew from his mind as they saw the love in each other's eyes. Everything 
changed in that one instant. It could have been that their defenses were 
lowered because of the lateness of the hour, or maybe they were just tired of 
pretending that they didn't care. Whatever the reason, Xander and Willow 
realized with this one look how much love they felt for the other, and knew 
they both felt the same. 

Willow was the first to break their gaze. With happiness in her eyes, she 
walked over to where Xander stood with his daughter. She dropped a kiss on 
the sleeping baby's head and then gently kissed Xander's cheek. "Goodnight, 
Xander."

Xander's mind was racing, but her kiss calmed him. "Night, Will. I'll be in 
soon." She gave him one last smile as she left the room.

"Wow," Xander whispered, awestruck. He laid the baby in her crib and lightly 
touched his cheek where Willow had kissed him. "I think she could love me 
after all."

~*~


Willow dialed the phone, tapping her fingers impatiently until someone 
answered. 

"Hello?" the voice croaked through the receiver.

"Buffy! It's me. It's Willow. Wake up," she said urgently.

"Will? What's wrong? Is Mel okay?" Buffy asked, instantly awake.

"No, no," she reassured her. "Mellie is fine. Great, even."

"Then why did you get me up at the crack of dawn?" Buffy asked with a sigh.

"It's nine in the morning, Buffy," Willow informed her. "Anyway, listen. 
Something big happened last night. I think Xander loves me."

"Did he tell you?" Buffy asked, excited.

"Not in words," she said. Buffy sighed. "No, listen. I think it's good. 
Middle of the night, our eyes meet and I can see that he loves me. It's, 
like, blindingly obvious."

"Yep, could have told you that," Buffy grinned. 

"Well, anyway, then I kiss him goodnight and go back to bed."

"Back to bed? With him, right?" Buffy said hopefully, but already knowing the 
answer and shaking her head.

"Well, no. I fell asleep," Willow admitted sheepishly. "It was three am, 
okay? I'm not used to being awake then. But when I woke up, I had my arm and 
leg thrown over him, and he was playing with my hair. Does that count?"

"I'll give you some points for that," Buffy acknowledged. "That's pretty 
good."

"Okay, yea. But now what do I do?" Willow asked, suddenly desperate. "I don't 
want to screw things up here. Help!"

"Okay," Buffy said slowly. "I can help. Do you guys have plans for today?"

"Not really, no. Why?" she asked.

"Stay around your house," Buffy instructed. "I'll call you later. It's going 
to be good, just go with your gut. Don't be shy. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I can do that. That's not too hard," she said with increasing 
confidence.

"Okay, good. Stay with that mind set, and I'll talk with you later. Good 
luck."

"Okay, thanks, Buffy. Bye." She hung up the phone and broke into a giddy 
smile. Maybe, just maybe, her dreams were finally going to come true.

~*~
End part seven