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Everyone soon found, however, that Buffy was exaggerating when she said sunrise was right around the corner; it was still a good three hours away.
While Xander conked right out in the bedroom down the hall, Willow spent the first hour tossing and turning restlessly. Finally, she became aware her stomach was growling. With a moan, she sat up, shortly heading downstairs to the kitchen for a 3:30 AM snack.
Rubbing at her right eye, Willow opened the refrigerator and started looking for something she thought she might like. She had just gotten a loaf of rye bread, Swiss cheese, and a jar of pickle slices when she became aware someone had snuck up behind her.
Startled, Willow straightened up and turned, nearly dropping the pickles. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was just Angel. "You hungry too?" she asked casually, going to the counter to lay the food down.
Angel said yes, grabbing one of the bags Buffy had thrown in there earlier. He watched Willow prepare her sandwich a moment, wistful at the memory of what it was like to be human. Then, Willow caught him staring and asked if he was alright.
"I'm fine," Angel said, going to the nearby table and sitting, laying the bag down (he had no intention of eating in front of her). He waited until Willow came to sit across from him before he spoke next. "Have you ever wanted something you know you can't have?" he started.
Willow took a quick bite of her sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and said, "He's sleeping upstairs."
Angel cracked a smile. "That's right. Buffy told me you have a thing for Xander... How come you never act on your impulses?"
Willow laughed softly. "Oh, I've acted on them," she said. "They just tend not to turn out that well." With that, Willow went on to tell him what had happened between her and Xander in the library. "He's so dense sometimes, it's irritating."
Angel nodded, glad to be holding a civil conversation with her. He and Willow rarely found time to talk, so it was a welcome change. "Well, I hope it all works out for you someday," he told her.
Willow smiled slightly, taking another bite. "I know I didn't say anything earlier, but... Congratulations about the baby! You and Buffy must be so thrilled."
Angel managed a small smile. "I think ecstatic covers it more. Especially when you consider that I never thought I could have children." He met her eyes. "I couldn't have asked for a greater blessing though. I'm already so fiercely protective of this baby, it's almost scary," he admitted.
Willow furrowed her brow. "In that case, what do you want that you can't have? I thought things were going so well between you and Buffy that..."
"To be mortal again," Angel interrupted. "To be able to grow old with the woman I love. After 244 years, you tend to miss that stuff."
"Well, I can't really relate," Willow said quietly, growing somber. It was new for her, knowing that Angel felt this way. She had always assumed it didn't bother him that much.
Willow finished eating in silence while Angel looked outside through the window, then stood and placed her plate in the sink. Pulling her robe tighter around herself, she started back to bed, then stopped and turned.
"I hope it works out for you too," she said as an afterthought. "Miracles do happen, Angel. As long as you keep holding out hope, anything's possible."
Angel smiled, grateful for her vote of confidence. He quickly told her so, watching and listening as she made her way upstairs. Then, he picked up the plastic sack before him, baring his fangs.
When he was finished with his "meal", Angel didn't return to the cellar right away, as he gave what Willow had told him a lot of thought. Finally, he too made his way upstairs, soon standing in the doorway of the room where Xander was sleeping.
There may be little chance of his dream coming true, but the least he could do was speed things up for her. With this in mind, Angel planted a few subtle suggestions in Xander's head that would give him a push in the right direction. Then, he left before the other boy could wake up and start screaming at his appearance...
The next day, Buffy witnessed one of the most interesting events in her life. Xander and Willow were cooking some scrambled eggs to eat, but both were distracted by the fact they were kissing. Buffy gave them half a minute before she cut in. "Eggs are burning," she informed Willow.
Flustered, Willow looked towards her friend. "What?" she asked, then realized what Buffy had said and quickly turned off the stove. "Oh, right," she said, moving to get three plates from the cabinet.
Xander looked just as rattled as he went to sit down, as if he couldn't quite figure out what he had just been doing. Buffy sat across from him, eying him with a silly smile.
Finally, she couldn't resist checking his temperature. "How're you doing, Xander? Feeling okay?" Buffy said.
Xander reached up and removed her hand from his forehead in annoyance. "I'm fine," he said, looking at Willow as she approached. She blushed when she realized he was staring.
At any rate, Willow still managed to serve breakfast, then started to sit next to Xander. But, he surprised her when he pulled her into his lap and started kissing her again.
Since Angel hadn't told her what he had done, Buffy couldn't help but wonder at this sudden change. But, she said nothing, simply digging into her eggs. After a moment, she stood, going to the cabinet for some peanut butter as part of her weird cravings.
At the rate they were going, Xander and Willow looked as if they would never stop. So when Buffy finished with her own eggs, she waited a few moments before stealing their plates. After an hour (Buffy was surprised anyone could kiss that long), she tired of waiting for them to come up for breath and promptly cut in.
"What is with you guys today?" she asked with a brief laugh. "I've never seen you like this."
Xander looked up at Willow. "I don't know," he said. "Something just came over me this morning. All of a sudden, I began to see this little fox in a new light."
Willow was flattered, as she had yet to notice her food was missing. She went to stroking Xander's hair, elated that he felt that way.
After a few more minutes of conversation, Buffy left the two lovebirds alone and went upstairs to change, glad it was finally working out for them, but not truly understanding why.
Oh, well, Buffy thought as she removed her robe and opened the closet. I really shouldn't question a good thing...