"Naw, I mean, it's not like we can do anything about it now," Xander said. He grinned. "C'mon, let's get you home."

Willow smiled back.

Buffy and Angel walked briskly down the avenue.

"Which way?" asked Angel, as they came to an intersection.

Buffy pointed. "Then just a few more blocks, and it's home, sweet home." She eyed him with that half-smile of hers. He paused in mid-step, some emotion crossing his face, then continued.

"It can't be this easy," he muttered.

"It's not," answered Buffy. Three large men were coming down the opposite end of the road. They looked unhurried. But, after all, they were closer to Buffy's house than she and Angel were.

"You think Buffy and Angel are having as much fun as us?" Willow asked happily as they walked, hand-in-hand yet again, down the tree-lined lane.

"I don't think it's possible to have as much fun as us," Xander returned. "Except of course, if you happened to be us." He flashed a good-natured grin.

They reached Willow's house.

"Well, I guess I should head over to my place," Xander said.

"Don't you want to stay?" asked Willow plaintively.

Xander froze.

"Around back," Buffy yelled, sprinting for a neighbor's backyard.  Angel broke into a dead run as they leapt over fences and lawn gnomes.

They had almost reached Buffy's house when Angel said, "You go  on. I'll hold them off."

< Stupid love potion! He's going to get himself killed! > Buffy thought. "Are you nuts?! Get inside the house!" He didn't bother to argue with her, following closely behind as she leapt the back story to grab onto her windowsill and haul herself up and into her room.

Outside, the Three gathered like a pack of wild dogs.

"It's a good thing about that no-invitation rule with vampires," Buffy remarked. "You okay?" she asked Angel. < Damn, who is this guy? > she wondered. < He's not winded, not even sweating, after running like five blocks. >

"So, why'd you get all gallant back there?" Buffy asked, playing with him. "Or is that just some male hormone thing?"

Angel appeared to intensely want to be somewhere else.

Smiling, Buffy remembered the love potion. < Man in my bedroom, > she thought.. < People will talk. > She laid a hand upon Angel's shoulder, turning him so that they could look at each other. < Let 'em. >

"Uh, yeah," Xander said, coming in. "We can watch late-night TV and snack," he said.

Willow smirked at him as they entered the living room. "Oh yeah, we could do that," she said. "But is that really what you want?"

He took one look at her and his resolve melted. "Whatever you want, Will," he said, sitting down on the couch.

She sat down in his lap. "Hmm, what do I want?" she asked playfully. "I want to read the next issue of Scientific American, but that's not out yet." She looked him in the eyes. "I want a puppy for my birthday, but that's not going to happen." Languidly, she smiled, still staring at him. "So, Xander, can you think of anything better than a puppy? 'Cause I'd like to celebrate my birthday early, if I could."

Xander made a small whimpering noise. Then he kissed her for all he was worth.

< Oh yeah, > Willow thought. < MUCH better than a puppy. >

Angel pulled away. "Maybe we should just go to bed," he said.

"Sure," chirped Buffy innocently enough. Inwardly, she was smiling more than ever. Strains of music swelled in inaudible melodies in the back of her head.

"I'll take the floor," Angel said.

The music screeched to a halt.

Willow started to unbutton Xander's shirt.

Coming up for air, Xander managed a phrase. "I can't believe this," he said.

"Neither can I," gasped Willow.

"No," Xander said, arresting her progress. "I mean I can't believe I'm going to do what I'm going to do."

"And just what would that be?" Willow asked, barely suppressing a smile. His firm grip on her wrists actually felt rather pleasant to her.

"Stop the most wonderful night of my life from happening," he said.

Willow's mouth dropped open.

"So. Floor," Buffy said, thinking out loud. Inside she wasn't really thinking too much. There was this big, blunt silence in her head that spoke of something very, very wrong. "That would make me...."

"Bed," Angel finished. "All yours." Without another word, he lay down on the floor.

< Damn Xander, > Buffy thought. < I should have known he couldn't make a love potion, even with moldy tomes to guide him. > She looked down at Angel's form wistfully. < And Angel's sooo close! > She sighed, and plopped into bed.

"You mean you're not...?" Willow asked, the implication slowly filtering its way through her love-drunk brain. "We're not...?" She turned her best impression of Xander's puppy-dog face on him.

"Oh man," Xander said, his resolve beginning to melt. "Don't make this harder than it already is."  He let go of her wrists and they put their hands down somewhere safe.

She just kept looking at him.

This time, he looked back. Really looked. "I just do so not want to screw this up," he said, brushing her hair back with one hand. "I mean, I do that with everything and everyone else, but not with you. I won't."

His face was suddenly so sad. "I love you, do you know that? I always will."

"Of course I do!" Willow replied, shocked. "I love you and you love me. I mean, that's how the potion works, right?"

He still looked incredibly sad. "Yeah, right," he said distantly.

"It's -- it's not wearing off, is it?" she asked, suddenly worried.

He snapped back to reality like his chain had been jerked. "No!" he said. "Can't have you getting away from me, after all!" He showed a grin that was obviously forced.

Willow frowned. His