Willow stood outside the door of Xander's apartment. She juggled the movie, pop and pizza into one arm. She reached out and knocked on the door. There was a brief pause before the door gave way to a view of Xander's apartment. It looked different from the last night she was there; she looked at the stony face of her childhood best friend, first love, and most recent lover. "Xander..."
Xander's face was unmoved, "Willow. What do you want?"
Willow held up her bounty, "To bury the hatchet?" If possible, Xander's face became even darker, "Can I come in?"
Xander did react to that, he laughed. He laughed for a long time, but it was an unhappy sound. After his laughter faded, his cold expression returned, "Not a chance in Hell. Why don't you go there?"
Willow sighed; Xander wasn't going to make it easy for her. "Xander please; I brought your favorite movie, Wrath of Khan, a pizza, and Coke. I want to... I came to apologize."
Xander plucked the pizza box from Willow's arms, Willow smiled. He looked at her with his old Xander smile, and for a moment Willow thought the long road ahead could start.
That is, until Xander dropped the pizza box and stomped on it. "Apology not accepted."
"Xander please, I know that I can't expect you to forget all I did."
"You're damned right!"
"But, It's different now."
Xander smirked, "How? How is it different Willow? Is Anya alive again? Cause from where I stand, *inside* my apartment. Anya's still a bloodless corpse six feet under the ground, and *you* are still a Vampire who all but raped me! You can't bring a movie..." He grabbed the tape and threw it against the wall watching the pieces clatter on the ground. "And then have the balls to expect me to forget!"
"I don't want you to forget!"
Xander scoffed, "I'm not going to forgive either! You have a soul now! Big Fucking Deal! You are still the vampire that killed my girlfriend, my parents and tortured Tara so badly that she still has nightmares! There is no forgive, there is no forget, and there is no invitation into my home!"
Willow looked down, her guilt eating at her. "How is Tara?"
"Tara's fine..." Willow's head snapped up at the sound of Tara's voice. "Thanks to Xander. What does *it* want Xander?" Willow cringed at the word Tara used to refer to her, and she felt crushed at the sheer hatred behind the word "it." Tara and Xander both hated her with all their hearts.
"Tara, w-why are you here?"
Xander smiled and wrapped an arm around Tara's waist. Willow felt the need to find a stake to plunge through her chest when she saw Tara lean against Xander and smile up at him. "Xander and I have been living together for six months now. While you spent two years feeling sorry for yourself and what you did, the rest of us had to pick up the lives you shattered. I've never hated anyone as much as I hate you. You will never be invited into our home Willow. Not now, not ever. If I had my way, I'd grab the stake from the door side table, and plunge it into you."
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to try and get you two to understand how much I want to at least get some of what we had back."
Xander looked at Willow, and for the first time that night, Willow could see sadness in his eyes. "You can't, there's too much blood between us for us to be friends. Please Willow, just leave, Tara and I want to be alone. We don't want you in our lives, in any capacity other than the forgotten past." Xander stepped back, and closed the door.
Willow sagged against the door; she looked at the ground and watched as droplets of blood fell from her cheeks. She silently made a promise that if it took the rest of her unlife. She would make things up to Tara and Xander. She turned and walked down the hall, stopping to look back at his. their door. She turned and walked around the corner.