Open Arms

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the God of Television, otherwise known as Joss the Great and Powerful. The song belongs to Journey.

Distribution: The Mystic Muse http://mysticmuse.net

If you want it, please ask me first.

Spoilers: Season four, shortly after Something Blue.

Feedback: Please!

Pairing: Willow/Buffy

Lying beside you
here in the dark
Feeling your heart beat with mine
Softly you whisper
you're so sincere
How could our love be so blind
We sailed on together
We drifted apart
And here you are by my side

Why am I here? Why am I such an idiot? We've been friends for three, almost four years, all of which I've spent madly in love with her. Then, when she finally confronts my feelings for her and hers for me, I run. I run, like a scared little rabbit.

God, sometimes I'm so stupid! I'm supposed to be so smart, got accepted into all those colleges, and then, when faced with the answer to my most fervent prayers of the last few years, I panic. She probably thinks I hate her, the way I bolted out of there.

That guy she's been interested in - she told me he meant nothing to her at all. I was so stunned when she said that. Then she told me she didn't want me to be all griefy any more, because it hurts her to see me hurting. Then she told me she loved me, and she wanted to know if I'd be willing to give her a chance.

"Will, I need to talk to you about something, okay? And I need to say this, so please bear with me, because I practiced and practiced but I'm still going to mess it up. You've been torn up over Oz for a couple of months now, and it's killing me to see you hurt. Willow... Riley doesn't mean anything to me except as kind of a diversionary tactic. I got bored and I thought he was kinda cute. But Will, I don't love him. I... Willow, I've had really strong feelings for you for a long time. And I know that you've never dated girls, but I wanted to know if maybe you'd think about dating me, because I really think we could do well together.

"I guess I sound like an idiot, saying all this stuff, but it's true. I think I'm in love with you, Willow, and I think I could be what you need if you give me a chance. I would do my best never ever to hurt you, and... and... please?"

So now I come to you
with open arms
Nothing to hide
believe what I say
So here I am with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms

And I ran. She poleaxed me so well that I didn't know what to say - especially since what she was saying was how I felt about her for so long. But I couldn't process, and I bolted.

Now here I am, sitting on a bench in Weatherly Park, the town's hottest vampire spot, wondering what the hell to do. And someone is sitting down beside me - it's Spike. He's got two mochas from the Espresso Pump across the street, and he hands me one. "Looks like you could use this," he says simply.

I look at it, look at him, wonder briefly if it's drugged, then shrug and take a swig. It tastes right, so I take another swig. "Thanks."

"So, you and the Slayer on the outs?"

I shake my head. "Not exactly."

"She finally tell you she's in love with you?"

I sigh. "God, does everybody know?"

He pauses as though to think. "Well, I doubt Xander knows; he's rather thick."

I drop my head into my free hand. "God, what do I do now?"

He puts his hand on my shoulder. Oddly enough, his touch is comforting. "Do you love her, Red?"

I nod silently. It's all I can do.

He squeezes my shoulder gently. "Then go to her and tell her. Don't waste a lot of time kicking yourself for reacting badly or worrying about what she's going to say. Just go tell her. Before it's too late."

I look him in the eyes and see nothing but compassion, and I nod briefly. "Thanks," I say, and then, mocha forgotten, I take off running back to where I should be.

Living without you
living alone
This empty house seems so cold
Wanting to hold you
wanting you near
How much I want you home
But now that you've come back
Turned night into day
I need you to stay

She's curled up on her bed when I make it back to the dorm, breathless and terrified that she'll be gone. She hears me come in and mumbles something about leaving so I won't have to feel weird. I walk over to stand by her bed, but she doesn't turn to face me, so I kneel down beside her and whisper my message.

"I'm sorry I ran out on you like that. You just surprised me so much that I didn't know how to react, and I guess my fight-or-flight took over. Forgive me, love?"

She turns then, tear-filled eyes drilling into mine. "Love?"

And I smile. "Oh, Buffy, I do love you. I have since the moment we met. I'm sorry I ran. I won't ever do that again."

She sits up, her hair falling in her face, and clasps my hands tightly. "You mean it? You want to be with me?"

I nod, and smile, and I reach up to kiss her. And after that, we know love together. And everything is right.

So now I come to you
with open arms
Nothing to hide
believe what I say
So here I am with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms

The End

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