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TITLE: The Lonely Hearts Club (01/?)
AUTHOR: Mary
EMAIL: MSant56428@aol.com
RATING: R but moving into NC-17 later
SPOILERS: Up to the scene in The Bronze from The I In Team them my own universe
CATEGORY: Graham/Willow
FEEDBACK: Always appreciated
DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive...Any list archives can have it...
DISCLAIMER: if I owned it I wouldn’t be writing fan fiction
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is my first Graham/Willow fiction so be kind...And (SPOILERS AHEAD) I am just going to clarify where this is starting from...Buffy & The Initiative guys got beeped out of the Bronze and Willow went to see Giles instead of going to Tara’s...Walsh has not attempted to kill Buffy in my story...
DEDICATION: To Miri, SPRIT & Jason...Because I can
Graham was out taking a walk. Usually after a capture he and Riley would go do something to blow off the excess energy, but Riley had chosen to do something with Buffy, not that Graham could blame him. If he had a girl, especially a girl who knew about the Initiative he’d be with her too. It was still lonely though.
Graham was about to head back to the house when he caught site of a flash of red. Who would be out this late at night? He looked closer and saw the redhead that had been at The Bronze. Buffy’s friend Willow, or at least that’s what Graham thought her name was. He decided to follow her to make sure that she got to where she was going safely.
About two blocks into his surveillance he saw three figures step out of the shadows and block Willow’s path. He took off at a run hoping to get there in time to help her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
‘Damn it,’ Willow thought as she saw the vampires step out of the shadows. ‘Why didn’t I take Spike up on his offer to walk me home.’
She quickly grabbed her stake from her pocket and dusted the closest vampire before they realized what she was doing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
‘She just got one,’ Graham thought in amazement as he closed in. ‘She stabbed him with a stick, like Buffy uses.’
As Graham got closer he watched as the two remaining vampires grabbed Willow. Then Graham saw something that amazed him. The stick Willow was holding floated out of her hand and staked the vampire in front of her.
Graham reached them as the final vampire began to sick his teeth into Willow’s neck. He quickly picked up the stick that Willow had dropped and staked the vampire behind her. He watched as the vampire burst into dust and Willow fell back into his arms. He wasn’t sure how much blood the vampire had gotten, but it was apparently enough for Willow to pass out.
‘What am I supposed to do now?’ Graham asked himself. He knew the Initiative regulations were to bring Willow in to be quarantined, but he knew that Buffy wouldn’t want her friend there. He couldn’t take her back to the house, too many Initiative guys. If he recalled right Buffy and Willow lived in Stevenson so he decided to head there. He quickly swept Willow into his arms and headed towards campus.
Graham had made sure that the bite on her neck was against his shirt as too alieve suspicion from people he passed. Once he hit campus he got several questioning looks and a few questions which he brushed off with innuendos that Willow had too much to drink at a party. A very believable excuse on a college campus.
They finally reached Stevenson without an incident. When he reached the room he thought was Buffy and Willow’s he tried to gently prod Willow into consciousness.
"Willow?" he whispered gently in her ear. "It’s Graham, Riley’s friend. I need the key to your room."
"In my pocket," Willow mumbled sleepily.
Graham gingerly set Willow down and propped her against the door so that he could reach into her pockets and find her key. After a few attempts into her several pockets he finally found her key and let them into her room. He picked Willow back up and carried her inside. He made a quick scan of the room and decided the bed on the left had to be Willow’s. He laid Willow down on the bed and gently shook her to wake her up.
"Willow? I need you to wake up," he murmured gently. As he did this he took the time to look at her in detail for the first time. She was quite pretty with the fiery hair and pale skin. And she had felt so small in his arms, like something that needed to be protected. It was a nice feeling.
Willow slowly opened her eyes at the sound of a very nice voice. Very soothing. As her eyes focused she saw one of Riley’s friends looming over her. She started attempting to sit up, but her head began to pound and she lay back down.
"What happened?" she asked groggily.
"You were attacked," Graham filled in for her.
"Vampires," Willow said nodding. "Did I get them?"
Graham couldn’t help but chuckle at the question.
"You got two of them," he told her. "I got the third."
"I got two?" Willow’s face lit up at this information.
"Yes," Graham laughed. "But the third one got a little of you before I got there. Do you have a first aid kit?"
For the first time Willow noticed the mild throb in her neck.
"I got bit?" she asked weakly.
"Just a little," Graham reassured her.
"I like it better when they just knock me unconscious," Willow grumbled. "The first aid kit is over on Buffy’s desk."
"This stuff happens to you alot?" Graham asked trying to gauge Willow’s knowledge of the supernatural.
"Sure," Willow said brightly. "It happens alot when you’re best friends with the Slayer. I usually just get kidnapped, though."
"So you know about Buffy?"
"Oh yeah," Willow said. "I have since sophomore year of high school and my friend Xander and I have been helping her ever since. But now since she is hanging with you Initiative guys she doesn’t need us as much."
"You know about The Initiative?" Graham asked in shock as he moved back to the bed with the kit. He sat and began bandaging Willow’s neck.
"Yep," Willow responded. "We were suspicious since Halloween and then we started hearing more rumors and then after The Gentleman came and Riley and Buffy sorta ran into each other when they were each on patrol that was pretty much confirmation."
"The Gentleman?" Graham asked.
""Oh," Willow said sheepishly, "that's right. You guys don’t know the whole demon history and stuff. The Gentlemen were the ones that stole all the sound."
"How do you know their names?" Graham asked as he finished bandaging Willow’s neck.
"From Giles’ books," Willow replied with a yawn. "Giles is Buffy’s watcher. He has all sorts of books that list all kinds of demons and such. That’s how we find out how to stop them."
"Wow," Graham said chuckling. "And I had been out walking sorta hoping to meet a girl that knew about demons and such."
Willow blushed at this information and the implications there in.
Graham couldn’t help but notice how cute Willow was when she blushed. Without thinking he reached down and gently brushed the hair out of her face.
"I'm not even sure what your name is," Willow said softly.
"Oh God," Graham said, "I’m sorry. I guess I told you when you were semi-conscious and then forgot about it. I’m Graham."
"Hi Graham," Willow said as she smiled up at him. "I’m..."
"Willow," Graham finished for her.
"You know who I am?" Willow asked in amazement. No one ever knew who she was.
"Sure," Graham said with a laugh. "We actually met earlier tonight at The Bronze. Buffy introduced us."
"Oh," Willow said with a blush. "I’m sorry. I forgot. I just wasn’t myself tonight. I’m so embarrassed."
"Hey," Graham reassured her. "It’s okay. We weren’t there for very long and there were quite a few of us."
"Thank you," Willow said realizing that she hadn’t thanked Graham for saving her.
"You’re more then welcome," Graham said. "I should go and let you get some sleep."
"I guess," Willow said a little sadly.
"I’ll talk to you later," Graham said as he made his way to the door.
"That would be nice," Willow murmured as she felt sleep begin to overtake her.
"It would be more then nice," Graham agreed as he shut off the light and left Willow to sleep.
*******************
Willow woke up the next morning to the sound of a door being opened and closed. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes.
"Sorry Will," Buffy said apologetically as she noticed her best friend still in bed. "I wasn't expecting you here. Don’t you have an 8 am?"
"Oh no," Willow moaned as she sat up. "I forgot to set my alarm clock."
It was once Willow was sitting up that Buffy noticed her neck.
"Oh my God," Buffy gasped as she saw Willow’s bandaged neck. "What happened?"
"Huh?" Willow asked, confused for a moment. When she noticed where Buffy was looking the events of the previous night came back to her. Buffy blowing her off, the vamp attack and Graham. The thought of Graham brought a smile to Willow’s face.
"What happened to you neck?" Buffy asked again, her voice filled with concern.
"Oh that," Willow said offhandedly. "I was sorta attacked last night by three vampires."
"What?" Buffy stammered. "When? What happened? Are you okay?"
"I was walking back from Giles house last night," Willow began knowing Buffy would want the whole story, "and was jumped by three vamps. I managed to dust two of them and then Graham happened along and got the third, but not before he, meaning the vampire, not Graham, had bitten me. I guess I passed out because the next thing I know I am laying on my bed and Graham is getting the first aid kit."
Buffy was relieved that Willow was okay. She had also noticed the way that Willow blushed when she talked about Graham helping her. ‘So Willow has a crush,’ Buffy thought to herself.
"Well, I’m glad your okay," Buffy said with a smile. "So tell me about Graham. This is the same Graham that is Riley’s friend, right?"
"Yes," Willow said with a blush on her cheeks. "He was very nice. He seemed surprised about my knowledge of what goes bump in the night and all. He bandaged up my neck. I’m not sure exactly what happened I was kind of out of it."
"Willow’s got a crush," Buffy said in a sing-song voice.
"I do not!" Willow stammered. "I barely even know him. In fact I don’t know him at all. Okay he’s cute, really cute and he was so nice last night..."
Willow let her voice trail off as she saw the satisfied look on Buffy’s face. She had fallen right into the Slayer’s trap.
"Okay fine," Willow said in a huff. "You win. Maybe a little crush."
"Told ya," Buffy said with a look of triumph. "Let’s get dressed and go get something to eat."
"Okay," Willow agreed and got out of bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Graham made his way down the hall to Riley’s room. He wanted to let Riley know about what happened last night. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
"Come in," Riley’s voice filtered through the door.
"I need to talk to you," Graham said as he made his way into Riley’s room and shut the door behind him.
"Okay, shoot," Riley said as he sat down in his desk chair.
"Something happened last night that I thought I should make you aware of," Graham said slowly.
"What is it?" Riley said seriously. This was obviously business.
"Well," Graham began, "I was out taking a walk last night and came across Buffy’s friend Willow getting attacked by three vampires. She got two of them then the third bit her before I could get there. I got him but not before he had gotten enough blood for Willow to lose consciousness."
"Is she in quarantine?" Riley asked, alarmed. He knew that was procedure, but this wasn’t exactly a civilian they were talking about.
"No," Graham responded. "I thought about it, but I didn't think Buffy would like having her friend in quarantine so I took her back to her dorm room."
"Good," Riley said with an audible sigh of relief.
"When I got back here I started doubting I made the right decision so I decided to run it by you," Graham continued. "I’m guessing I did make the right decision, though."
"Yes you did," Riley affirmed. "I understand procedure and all, but I think Buffy and her friends might be exceptions to the rule. Well, now that that is settled why don’t we go find something to eat."
"Sounds good to me," Graham agreed. He also hoped to run into Willow on campus and check on how she was doing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow and Buffy had just sat down when Buffy spotted Riley and Graham enter the cafeteria.
"Hotties at 3 o’clock," Buffy said with a smirk.
Willow gave Buffy a confused look till she saw where her gaze was.
"Oh my," was all Willow could say as she took in Graham’s appearance. He was wearing khaki dockers and a navy blue v-neck t-shirt. Last night Willow hasn’t been in much of a condition to really look at Graham and now that she was her minds first thoughts were that he was quite obviously out of her league.
Buffy watched the emotions play across Willow’s face and knew exactly where her mind was headed.
"Don’t go there Will," she said sternly.
Willow looked up sharply at Buffy’s words and laughed at how perceptive her friend could be.
Before Willow could say anything Buffy had gotten Riley’s attention and was waving them over to the table.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Riley smiled as he saw Buffy waving at him. He also noticed Willow’s eyes fixed on Graham. He looked at Graham and saw that he hadn’t noticed the girls yet.
"Looks like we have a table," Riley said casually gesturing in the direction of Buffy and Willow.
"Mmhh?" Graham murmured as he looked in the direction that Riley was motioning. He was expecting to see some of the guys from The Initiative, but instead his eyes settled on Buffy and Willow. He noticed Willow laughing at something that Buffy had said and he felt his heart tug at how beautiful she looked when she smiled. His eyes then drifted to her neck to see how the bite was. He smiled when he saw Willow was wearing a high necked shirt to hide the mark.
"Well, let’s go," Riley said picking up his tray and heading for the table.
Graham just nodded and followed Riley to the table.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Good morning ladies," Riley greeted Buffy and Willow as he took the seat next to Buffy.
"Hey," Graham greeted them with a shy smile as he took the seat next to Willow.
"Hey guys," Buffy greeted them happily. "How are you doing?"
"Better now that you’re here," Riley said with a sappy smile.
"I’m okay," Graham said then turned to Willow. "How are you doing this morning? How’s your neck?"
"It’s better," Willow said with a blush at the obvious concern in his voice. "I’ve had worse."
Graham laughed at her offhanded comment.
"So Riley," Buffy said slyly. "I think I left something in your room last night. Come with me to get it?"
"But I haven’t eaten yet," Riley said then noticed the look that Buffy was giving him. "But I guess I can take it with me. See you later guys."
Riley and Buffy left the table and Willow couldn’t help but laugh. Graham looked at her in confusion.
"Sorry," Willow said as she continued to giggle, "but Buffy has never gotten the concept of subtlety."
At that Graham also had to laugh.
"I can tell," Graham agreed.
Willow and Graham had a very pleasant meal just eating and talking. For the first time in a while they both almost felt normal. They didn’t have to hide things with each other, no secrets they had to worry about. It was very nice. When they were done Graham walked Willow back to Stevenson.
"So, um, Willow," Graham began. "I was wondering if you might like to have dinner with me tonight?"
"I’d love to," Willow said with a smile.
"Good," Graham said returning her smile. "I’ll, um, pick you up at seven?"
"Sevens good," Willow agreed. "See you then."
"Yeah," Graham said slowly backing away. "See you then."
Willow watched as Graham turned and headed across the campus. She sighed and headed up to her room. She knew Buffy was either there or on her way to hear what happened after her and Riley’s not so subtle exit from lunch.
***********************
"So where are you taking her?" Riley asked as he stuck his head in Graham’s room. He chuckled as he watched his friend ransack his closet.
"Oh, um, hi Riley," Graham said distractedly. "Have you seen my green plaid shirt?"
"Do I look like a girl?" Riley said with a laugh. "Actually I think I saw Forrest wearing it."
"Where is he?" Graham grumbled. He didn’t mind Forrest borrowing his clothes, but for the first time he had somewhere to go and couldn’t wear what he wanted to.
"I think he left," Riley said.
Graham grumbled to himself as he fished through his closet for something else to wear. He finally decided on a green t-shirt and brown plaid over top.
"You never did answer my question," Riley said. "Where are you going to take Willow?"
"Why?" Graham asked with a laugh. "You and Buffy going to check up on us or something?"
"Not that I am aware," Riley said with a laugh. "I was just curious."
"I thought I’d go simple," Graham replied. "I think we’ll head to that little Italian place on Main Street."
"Good choice," Riley said.
"Okay," Graham said as he passed Riley. "I’ve got to go pick up Willow."
"I’ll walk with you," Riley said following Graham out of the room. "Buffy and I were going to patrol tonight anyways."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow stood pouting at her closet. Nothing looked right. She had gone through everything at least twice and was about to just give up and go naked.
"What’s wrong Will?" Buffy asked with a laugh.
"I can’t find anything to wear," Willow huffed. "Nothing looks right."
"Want to borrow something of mine?" Buffy asked. She had the perfect black shirt that would accentuate all of Willow’s assets, so to speak.
"I don’t know," Willow said as she scrunched up her face again. "I’m a little nervous."
"You’re covering it well," Buffy said with a smirk.
"Keep it up and you’ll join Amy in the cage," Willow playfully threatened.
"Okay, okay," Buffy said waving her arms in defeat. "Let me get you ready."
"I’m not sure," Willow said uncertainly. The last time Buffy had gotten her ready had been that Halloween when everyone became their costume.
"Please," Buffy begged.
"Okay," Willow allowed. "But be good."
"I’m always good. Now put on your green leather pants and I’ll get you a shirt," Buffy said with a smile. It was fun to have date-Willow back.
Willow just sighed and did as Buffy asked. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was, but then again this would be her first date since Oz left. The thought of Oz brought a wistful smile to her face. She had finally dealt with him leaving. It still hurt a little, but she no longer longed for him to come back and even if he did she wouldn’t take him back.
Buffy spent the next half an hour primping Willow.
"Buffy," Willow said with a laugh, "this is the fourth style you have put my hair in. Graham should be here soon."
"I know, I know," Buffy responded. "It’s just been so long since we have done this. Okay, give me one more minute and I’ll be done."
Willow just nodded and let Buffy finish.
"Okay," Buffy said triumphantly. "Done."
Willow smiled at her friend and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that she did look cute, but that was as far as she was willing to admit. The shirt that Buffy had lent her was quite formfitting and cropped slightly so it showed off a sliver of her stomach. Willow wasn’t sure how comfortable she was with that, but there was a knock on the door before she could do anything about it.
"I’ll get it," Buffy said as she bounced to the door.
Willow took a deep breath and turned towards the door. Her face fell slightly as she watched Riley walk in.
"Hi Riley," Willow said as brightly as possible.
Before Riley answered Willow saw more movement from the door and looked to see Graham walk in.
"This isn’t a double date ambush is it?" Willow asked as her eyes went between Graham and Riley. "Not that that would be a bad thing if you guys wanted to do that..."
"No it’s now," Graham cut off her embarrassed ramblings. "Riley and Buffy are going patrolling so we just walked over here together. By the way, you look great."
Buffy smacked her boyfriend as she watched Willow blush.
"How come you never say things like that to me?" she asked.
"I do," Riley defended, holding his arm where Buffy had hit it.
Buffy just huffed as Graham moved closer to Willow and held out his hand.
"Maybe we should go and let them have their lover’s spat," he said with a chuckle.
"Let me just grab my jacket," Willow said as she went to her desk to retrieve her jacket. She then turned back to Graham and took his hand.
"Don’t be out too late," Buffy called after them.
"Yes MOM," Willow laughed as she closed he door behind them.
**********
Willow smiled as she stared across the table at Graham. This evening had been one of the best she had spent in a long time. They had a nice meal, good conversation and were just finishing dessert.
"When did you join The Initiative?" Willow asked. They had spent most of the evening discussing her and she now wanted to know a bit about him.
"Well," Graham began, "I went to college on an ROTC scholarship. My Dad was in the military so I was following in the family footsteps and all. I apparently scored well on some examine they gave us about having a mindset that would be able to handle this. The next thing I know I’m on a plane to Sunnydale and being briefed by Walsh. The first person I met when I got here was Riley and he introduced me to Forrest. They really helped in my minds transition from fantasy to reality. I have to admit when I first was told what my assignment was I thought I was being tested, maybe a hazing thing, but the first time you see a demon you realize how real it is."
"I know what you mean," Willow agreed. "I think I just went into shock at my first vampire encounter. If Buffy hadn’t been there, well, I wouldn’t be here now."
"That’s how you met Buffy?" Graham asked.
"I knew her before she saved me," Willow explained. "But I didn’t know she was the Slayer till then."
"You are like a dream come true," Graham murmured.
Willow blushed and ducked her head at the compliment.
"You don’t know how long i had hoped on meeting a girl who knew," Graham continued. "I was always avoiding getting involved with girls because I didn’t want to have to lie to them or put them in danger. Then Riley met Buffy and I figured that was the only girl on the planet that knew. Then I met you. And not only do you know, but you are smart and funny and beautiful."
"Thank you," Willow said still blushing. "I know what you mean, though. It’s hard to let people close when you can’t tell them things. To be honest I’ve only ever dated one other guy and he was a werewolf."
"You dated a werewolf?" Graham sputtered.
"Well," Willow began to explain. "He wasn’t a werewolf when we started dating, but then his cousin bit him and he became a werewolf and we continued dating. You might have even met or heard of him, Oz. He played guitar for Dingoes Ate My Baby."
"Oh yeah," Graham said as realization dawned on him. "They’ve played at some of our parties. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?"
"It’s okay," Willow smiled sadly. She was over Oz, but it was still a little painful to talk about. "He left me. There was another werewolf enrolled here at school and they met and she wanted to mate with him and he let his animal instincts take over and they did then she tried to kill me and he ended up killing her, but then he left because he was afraid he would just end up hurting me."
"I’m sorry," Graham said as his brain processed the information she had just told them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After Willow had told Graham about Oz they had paid their bill and left. They were now walking hand in hand back to campus.
"This is nice," Willow murmured.
"It is," Graham agreed.
"I’ve never done this before," Willow admitted. "Its usually not safe."
"And I don’t think you should do this with anyone besides me, anyways," Graham said with a grin.
"I won’t," Willow responded. "I promise."
"Good," Graham said as he squeezed her hand affectionately.
By now they had reached Stevenson. Graham moved to open the door for Willow and they walked to her room. Outside the door to her room Willow turned and smiled at Graham.
"I had a really nice time," she said.
"Me too," Graham whispered as he moved closer to Willow.
Willow held her breath as Graham moved closer to her. Things seemed to be moving in slow motion until his lips brushed hers. Graham pulled back and looked at Willow to make sure she was okay. When she returned his stare and smiled he leaned in again pressing his lips more firmly against hers.
Willow sighed as she felt Graham’s arms go around her as she also slipped her arms around his neck. The kiss was both tender and passion filled. Willow felt dizzy as Graham’s tongue slipped into her mouth. Just as the kiss got that much more intense Graham pulled away.
"I should be going," Graham whispered. "I don’t want to, but if I don’t..."
"I know," Willow agreed. It was too soon. "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Just try and stop me," Graham said with a smile as he slowly backed away.
Willow waved and let herself into her room, a blissful smile on her face.
***************
Willow strode across campus with a smile on her face. She had a wonderful dream last night about herself and Graham. Thinking about it now caused a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Thinking of someone special?" Buffy teased as she came up beside Willow. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Willow about her date with Graham, but by the look on Willow’s face now she assumed it had been good.
"Maybe," Willow said, her blush deepening at being caught.
"So I’m guessing last night was good?" Buffy inquired.
"Last night was," Willow began pausing dreamily, "wonderful. We had a quite dinner, nice conversation and a pleasant stroll home."
"And..." Buffy pushed.
"And," Willow said, "none of your business."
"Okay," Buffy huffed. "Be that way. See if I ever give you details about Riley and I."
"I hope not," Willow responded with a giggle.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Graham scanned the campus as he walked with Forrest to their class. Forrest was going on about a demon they had brought in last night, but Graham wasn’t paying attention.
"...and he smelled awful," Forrest concluded as he looked over at Graham. He noticed that Graham hadn’t been paying attention. "And suddenly it turned into a Katie Holmes look alike and wisked me away to have wild sex with her all night. What do you think?"
"Oh, um, sorry I missed it," Graham said disinterestedly.
"Man," Forrest sighed slapping his arm. "Have you heard a word I said?"
"What?" Graham said snapping back into his conversation with Forrest. "Sorry. I’m just a little distracted."
"And that wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain red head," Forrest teased.
"Okay," Graham aquiesed. "Maybe a little. She’s just so sweet and beautiful and everything I have ever wanted in a girl."
"You’ve got it bad, man," Forrest laughed. "You’re starting to sound like the hero in a Meg Ryan movie."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Willow sighed as she sat at a table poking her lunch. It was 1:30 and she still hadn’t seen Graham yet. She couldn’t help but laugh at herself a little. They had only been on one date and she was about five minutes away from naming their children.
"And what’s so funny, young lady?" an authoritative voice sounded from behind Willow.
Willow started and swiveled around to see who was there. Her shocked expression quickly turned into a wide smile when she saw Graham.
"Hi Graham," she said softly, her head bowing slightly in embarrassment.
"So what was so funny?" Graham asked as he sat next to her.
"Nothing," Willow said, "I was just thinking about what a good time I had last night."
"I did too," Graham agreed with a smile. "I didn’t even ask, can I join you?"
"I would like that alot," Willow assured him. "Buffy was supposed to meet me, but she has apparently been distracted."
"Actually, I know," Graham said sheepishly. "Walsh wanted to talk to her about something and she dropped by my room and asked me to meet you here so you wouldn’t feel abandoned."
"Oh," Willow said somewhat sadly. He hadn’t just stumbled across her. "You don’t have to stay. If you have something better to do..."
"There is nothing better then being here with you," Graham cut Willow off. "What I said didn’t come out right. If I had seen Buffy first I would have asked her where she thought you were."
"Oh okay," Willow said as a deep blush colored her cheeks.
"Did you sleep well?" Graham asked.
"Better then I have in a long time," Willow answered honestly. "How about you?"
"Same here," Graham said. "What’s the rest of your day look like?"
"Well," Willow said as she thought about her schedule. "I have a 2 o’clock in Western Lit and then I’m supposed to go and help Giles with some research. What about you?"
"I’m done for the day," Graham said. "I’m supposed to be back for maneuvers just before sunset, but I’m free till then. I was sorta hoping you were also done and we could get together."
"I’d like that," Willow said. "You can come with me to Giless’ if you want."
"I don’t want to intrude," Graham said. Willow had told him alot about the gang she hung out with and he didn’t want to barge in on them.
"You wouldn’t be," Willow insisted. "It’ll just be Giles and I. Well, Xander and Anya might be there, but they aren’t necessarily all that helpful. Besides, you could learn a thing or two from us."
"Oh really?" Graham said with a laugh.
"Sure," Willow said with a giggle. "It’s amazing the amount of books that Giles has on demons and demonology."
"I’ve always been more of a big-ugly-guy-shoot-to-kill type," Graham answered.
"Well, you don’t have to come," Willow said a little disappointedly.
"No, again not what I meant," Graham said with a sigh. "I’m not doing well today. I would love to go with you. When and where?"
"Well," Willow responded brightly, "I could meet you in front of my dorm at 3:15."
"I’ll be there," Graham agreed. "Can I walk you to class?"
"That would be nice," Willow said.
*******
Willow found herself almost running back to her dorm after class. She couldn’t wait to see Graham again. As she rounded the corner she saw him sitting on a bench reading something. As she got closer he looked up and saw her. He stood and walked towards her with a smile on his face.
"Long time no see," he joked as they met.
"Seems like forever," Willow added. In actuality it had been just a little over an hour. After lunch Graham had walked Willow to her class and they had parted with a sweet kiss and promise to meet in front of her dorm.
"Ready to meet the firing squad?" Willow asked with a smile. During lunch Willow had filled Graham in on what he might expect from Xander when they met. Possibly a little over-protective brother schtick, but nothing too bad.
"You bet," Graham said. "I even remembered my bullet-proof vest."
"Xander will appreciate that," Willow responded with a laugh. She hadn’t told Graham about that Halloween her sophomore year of high school yet so he missed her implication.
"Shall we go?" Graham asked as he reached for Willow’s hand.
"Let’s," Willow agreed as they began to head off campus. They walked in comfortable silence for a while before Willow turned to Graham.
Willow had just remembered something. Spike could be at Giles’ house. That could be bad. She needed to tell Graham and she hoped he would understand.
"I, um, need to tell you one more thing," Willow said as they walked.
"Anything," Graham responded with a smile.
"Well, um," Willow stammered as she searched for the right words. "There might be someone else at Giles'. Someone I think you might sorta know."
"Who?" Graham asked curiously. He couldn't think of anyone that he knew that would be there besides, maybe, Riley.
"His name is Spike," Willow said tentatively. "But I think you know him as Hostile 17."
"What?" Graham asked, stopping in his tracks. Had she really said Hostile 17?
"Well, you see," Willow stammered, "after he escaped from you guys he couldn’t feed because of whatever you did to him so he came to us and we sorta took him in and all. He can’t hurt people, but he can hurt demons and so he helps us now."
"You guys have been harboring Hostile 17?" Graham asked in disbelief.
"I wouldn’t use the term harboring, but yes he is with us," Willow said.
"He’s a vicious killer," Graham stated.
"Not anymore," Willow contradicted. "You put a chip in his head and he can’t hurt people."
Graham stood in silence for a minute digesting what she just told him.
"If he is there I should take him back," Graham finally said.
"Then I can’t take you there," Willow said sadly. She had hoped Graham would understand.
"But.." Graham began before Willow cut him off.
"No buts," Willow said firmly as her resolve face slipped into place. "He is there under out protection more or less, not that he would admit it, but I can’t let you take him. I know you don’t understand, that it goes against your orders, but he is our ally now."
"Willow," Graham tried again, "you don’t understand..."
"Yes I do," Willow cut him off again. "You want to take him back so they can perform more experiments on him. I am for the neuter chip as much as the next person, but I don’t believe in experimenting on the helpless. Don’t try and deny that is what you do. Did you even know that not all demons are evil? I don’t think that the Initiative cares."
"How can they not be evil?" Graham asked.
"You only think they are evil by the way they look," Willow responded. "It’s like a prejudice. They look different or have different abilities so they are automatically evil and that’s not true. I’ve known of some very good demons."
"This is too much," Graham muttered.
"I’m sorry," Willow said softly, "but it’s true. Maybe I should just go to Giless’ by myself today. I’ll see you later."
Willow then turned and started to walk away. Part of her hoped that Graham would stop her and tell her that everything was okay, that he understood, but she knew better. He looked at all demons as evil and needed time to digest what she said. She wasn’t sure how it would go in the end, but it had to be a decision that he made.
For his part Graham was in shock. Willow, Buffy and their friends had been hiding Hostile 17. The Initiative had been looking all over Sunnydale for him and he had been with people they knew. He wondered if Riley knew because if he did it meant that Riley was letting them keep Hostile 17. He watched as Willow sadly walked away. He wanted to sweep her up in his arms and tell her everything would be okay, but right now he wasn’t sure. He needed to think about this.
***************
"Hey Will," Buffy called as she caught site of her friend about a block from Giless’ house. "Wait up. I got out of class early and Riley is busy with work stuff so I thought I’d meet you all at Giless’..."
Buffy stopped short when she got beside Willow and saw that she was crying.
"Willow?" Buffy asked, her voice filled with concern. "What happened? What’s wrong? Is someone hurt? Is it Graham?"
"Graham and I had a fight," Willow choked out.
"What happened?" Buffy asked quietly as she put her arm around Willow’s shoulders. "C’mon, let’s sit down for a minute."
Buffy led Willow to a bench and they sat. Buffy then turned and waited for Willow to calm down enough to be able to tell her what happened.
"He was coming over here with me," Willow began. "When we were almost here I remembered that Spike might be here so I decided to tell him so he wouldn’t freak out if he saw him. Well, he freaked out anyways. I-I told him we wouldn’t let The Initiative take Spike back and that if he couldn't handle that he shouldn’t come with me. Then he left."
Willow was crying and again and Buffy hugged her as the sods wracked her body.
"It’ll be okay Willow," Buffy insisted. "Just give him time to deal with it."
"What did Riley do when he found out?" Willow asked between sods.
"Well, um," Buffy hedged. "I’m not sure he knows. He never questioned when he saw Spike that night at the high school. I think he bought the whole Xander’s friend story and I just have never corrected him."
"You mean I didn’t have to tell him?" Willow gasped. "I ruined everything."
"No you didn’t," Buffy stated. "Just because Riley didn’t recognize him doesn’t mean that Graham wouldn't. I don’t think Riley was on the team that captured Spike, Graham might have been."
"I’m sorry," Willow said sadly. "I’m sure that Riley knows by now."
"It’s okay," Buffy assured Willow. "We’ll deal. He had to find out sooner or later. I mean, what’s he gonna do? He’s hung out with Spike, killed demons with Spike."
"I guess," Willow sighed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "We should get into Giless’. Tell them what happened and get this research done."
"Sure," Buffy said with a tentative smile. "We’ll make popcorn and throw it at Xander and Anya everytime they start to make out."
"Sounds good," Willow giggled sadly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Graham stormed into the frat house and up the stairs. He didn’t know what to do or what to think. There were orders he should be following, but he broke the rules before for Willow and Buffy. He needed to talk to Riley. Just as that thought went through his mind Riley emerged from the secret elevator. Graham grabbed his arm and dragged him towards his room.
"I need to talk to you," Graham said through clenched teeth.
"Okay, okay man," Riley said prying Graham’s hand off of his arm. "What’s up?"
Graham walked into Riley’s room and waited for Riley to follow. When Riley was inside Graham shut the door and turned to his friend.
"Did you know they were harboring Hostile 17?" Graham asked.
"What?" Riley responded, stunned. "Who?"
"Willow and Buffy," Graham answered. "They have Hostile 17 at Giless’ house. I was going over there this afternoon with Willow and just before we got there she stopped me and told me they had Hostile 17, I think she called him Spike."
"Spike?" Riley asked in disbelief. "I know Spike, I mean, I’ve met Spike. That’s Hostile 17?"
"You’ve met him?" Graham asked as he sat down and put his head in his hands.
"I didn't know he was Hostile 17," Riley stated. "I was told that he was a friend of Xander’s. He even helped get some demons. We’ve got to go and get him."
Riley began to move towards the door.
"We can’t," Graham said.
"Why not?" Riley asked, confused. "We are under orders to retrieve him."
"I know," Graham agreed, "but when I told Willow that she said that she and her friends, including Buffy, would protect Spike and not let us have him."
"Buffy wouldn’t do that," Riley insisted.
"Why not?" Graham asked with a laugh. "She’s been hiding him this long. She knows he’s Hostile 17 and that we are looking for him. She’s had hundreds of opportunities to give him to us and she hasn’t."
"We need to talk to them," Riley said.
"They might not talk to us," Graham responded. "If they think we are there to take him..."
"Then they won’t think that," Riley cut Graham off. "You and I will go unarmed and try to talk to them about this."
"I don’t know what good it will do," Graham muttered.
"We have to do something," Riley insisted. "I am not going to let Hostile 17 screw anything up for Buffy and I and I don't think that you want it to mess up what you could have with Willow."
"Okay, okay," Graham aquiessed. "Let’s go."
***********
"I have some bad news," Willow began as she looked at the people in front of her. Once she and Buffy had gotten to Giless’ Buffy had gotten everyone’s attention and had them sit down. All she had said was that Willow had something important to say. Giles, Anya and Xander were on the couch and Spike was sitting on the chair. Buffy stood beside the chair just in case Spike freaked out at the information.
"And that would be?" Anya asked impatiently.
"Anya," Xander said sternly.
"Sorry," Anya muttered. "I hate this tact stuff."
"Yes, um, well," Willow stammered. "Graham wanted to come over here today and help us and I said it was okay."
"That’s what this meeting is about, pet?" Spike asked suspiciously.
"Let her finish," Buffy said firmly.
"Well," Willow began again. "It dawned on me on the way over here that Graham might not react well to Spike so I told him that Spike was here. He sorta freaked out and got really upset when I said that we wouldn’t let the Initiative have Spike. He might be telling them that we have Spike now..."
"Bloody hell," Spike snapped as he stood and turned towards the door. "I have to get out of here."
"And go where?" Buffy asked. "If Graham told them they are already on there way, you wouldn’t get far."
Before anyone else could say anything there was a knock on the door.
"Shit," Buffy murmured. "Spike get upstairs. Xander, you and Anya go with him. You will be the last line of defense and all."
"And why do I want to defend him?" Xander asked.
"Because I asked you to," Willow said.
With a sigh Xander headed upstairs followed by Anya and Spike.
"What should we do?" Buffy asked looking at Giles and Willow.
"First I would suggest seeing who is at the door," Giles pointed out. "I think our plan will be different depending on the amount of people out there."
"Um, yeah," Willow said nervously. She moved to the door and opened it slightly. "Who’s there?"
"It’s Riley and Graham," Riley responded.
"Anyone else?" Buffy asked from behind Willow.
"No," Riley responded curtly.
"I don’t see anyone else," Willow said as she peered out the door past Riley and Graham.
"Then let them in," Buffy said as she moved aside to close the door as soon as the two men entered.
"Where is he?" Riley demanded as soon as the door was shut behind them.
"Around," Buffy responded glibly.
"This is not a joke," Riley said sternly. "The Initiative wants him and Graham and I have to take him back into custody."
"That’s not going to happen," Buffy responded. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that we had him, but we aren’t going to let you take him."
"But he’s a vampire," Graham insisted.
"So was my ex-boyfriend," Buffy countered. "Whatever you did to Spike has made him harmless. There is no need for The Initiative to have him back."
"But we have orders," Graham insisted.
"What would they do with him?" Willow asked.
"Continue experiments," Riley stated matter-of-factly.
"And that doesn’t bother you," Willow asked.
"Why should it? They’re cold blooded killers," Graham countered.
"He isn’t anymore," Willow insisted. "The only thing he can hurt is himself and other demons. Taking him back is just cruel and prejudicial."
"Prejudicial?" Riley asked, suppressing a laugh.
"Yes," Willow insisted. "You capture vampires and demons and then perform all kinds of experiments on them. Do you even realize that not all demons are bad? Some are innocent bystanders, but you don’t care. You capture and experiment or just kill without knowing who or what you are dealing with. If you were doing this to some ethnic group you’d be in jail."
"Are you equating what we do to-to racial discrimination," Graham sputtered indignantly.
"If I may step in," Giles said before this conversation got any worse. "I believe what Willow is trying to say is that while The Initiative have good motives and intentions for what you do you lack the fundamental knowledge about the demons and such to discern that they are not all evil and bent on hurting people."
"You have to be joking," Riley laughed. "I mean have you seen some of these things. There huge and ugly and strong and..."
"So are the members of the WWF, but we aren’t going to attack them are we?" Buffy asked mock-sweetly.
"That’s different," Graham insisted. "They’re human."
"So you want to go after all demons because they look or act differently," Willow stated. "Isn’t that sorta the definition of prejudice?"
"Besides Riley," Buffy pointed out. "You’ve hung out with Spike. I could even venture to say that you have enjoyed his company. Suddenly you find out he’s a demon and everything changes. Think about it."
"I know," Riley sighed. "But my orders..."
"Screw your orders," Buffy retorted. "The Initiative doesn’t know we have Spike and there is no reason they should."
"Fine," Riley conceded. "You can keep him, for now."
Graham looked at his friend like he had suddenly grown a second head or something. Without saying anything he turned on his heels and left Giles’ apartment.
"I should," Riley began.
"Let me," Willow cut him off. With that she left Giles’ to try and catch Graham. To her surprise she didn’t have to look far, Graham was sitting by the fountain in Giles’ apartment complexes courtyard. "Hey."
"I don't know what to think," Graham muttered, his head in his hands.
"I know," Willow said as she sat next to Graham.
"All my life I just took orders," Graham continued. "My father was a military man then I joined ROTC in high school and by graduation I was recruited for the Initiative. But suddenly 48 hours with you and I’ve ignored orders twice."
"I’m sorry," Willow said sincerely. "It’s just, well, in life, especially in Sunnydale, isn’t so cut and dry. There is no black and white just a whole bunch of grey."
"I’m getting that," Graham said with a bitter chuckle. "I think I just need some time to think about this. I think I’m just going to go now. Can we get together tomorrow around 3?"
"Sure," Willow said as evenly as possible. She was trying to fight back tears.
"Okay," Graham said with a sad nod. "I’ll come to your room around 3."
Then Graham turned and left. Willow watched him sadly until he was out of sight and then moved to go back into Giles’.
THE END
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