So, go read it already... *l*

She had finally finished it. She felt triumph, joy, pride and loss. This program had been her refuge, her comfort these past few months. She began after Oz had left. The idea had been around for months, after Buffy had a few rough encounters while slaying.

It had just been a bad week. Oz had left, had his things sent. Buffy was tied up with Riley. And then there was that spell. She ended up hurting the people she needed and wanted the most. She felt so guilty and so had finally sat down to begin.

"It works on a couple levels. I can help Buffy and Giles. And then I don't have to fell so guilty and all, 'cause you know helping them is good and not like the other, well you know, bad stuff. Besides, I can have fun. It's kind of exciting like hacking and stuff and I  can do stuff, stuff that other people can't do, well some people can, but not a lot."

She smiled as she remembered that little motivational inner monologue. It helped her to get started, and to keep going, and now, to finish. She had kept it fairly secret. She didn't want to get their hopes up if she couldn't do it. More importantly she didn't want to hear that it would be too difficult, or useless to try. Some days it had only been that drive, that ambition, that purpose that got her through the day, or another sleepless night.

She thought about that. "It wasn't so bad. It had been better for a while. I met Tara, and I was happy at first. It was nice to have a friend other than Buffy to do girl stuff with  and stuff I couldn't do with her like magick. And then...." She had begun seeking the other girl out, at first not admitting to herself what was really going on. Late night meetings for spells and magick had slowly become clandestine meetings for a different type of magic.

She had truly begun to care for her, maybe even falling in love. She never really had a chance to find out. She learned that the other girl had betrayed her. She believed Tara had really cared about her. She had to believe that, but it could not change the way Tara had hurt her, drawing out her talent and emotions and then tearing her in two. It devastated her, but Tara had underestimated Willow, her inner strength and her love for her friends.

Heartbroken once more, she returned to her task with a vengeance. She worked hard with a new self-knowledge, a new inner strength and a new secret. She told no one, not even Buffy, what she had learned.

Buffy may have suspected. She often gave the beautiful redhead searching glances, curious stares. She was still Willow's best friend, but sometimes wondered if she really knew the shy young girl who had become the enigmatic woman that she now shared her room with. Willow could not tell Buffy that she and Tara had been more than friends. They had been lovers.

She knew Buffy loved her, would always be her friend and stand by her, but she did not want to risk it. It was private and she didn't want Buffy to look at her differently, to be uncomfortable around her. Buffy was pretty open-minded, but to learn just how deeply Willow had been involved with Tara and how it had affected her, just might be enough to give the slayer a major case of the wiggins.

"Giles, I did it," Willow bubbled happily as she walked into his apartment. He raised his eyebrows and look at her enquiringly. Buffy was not so restrained.

"What did you do?" she asked confused.

"I did it, I finished the program. It's so great. It should be so cool and helpful and will cut down on research time. I mean I like being research gal and all but not so booky and I can still research, just, you know, faster." Willow babbled animatedly while Giles and Buffy stared at her.

Finally Giles stopped her kindly, taking his glasses off and gesturing toward her. "Please tell us what you are talking about. From the beginning... and slowly. You mentioned a program and research?"

Willow nodded, still excited but more controlled. " I had this idea that we always have to work so hard finding out what demon is doing what and why and how to stop them and stuff, so why don't I write a program to help. 'Cause I'm good at it and it's faster and not everyone is always around to help. I know you don't like Computers Giles, but you should learn to like them, cause their good and you can still use your books and stuff."

Giles started to interject, "Well..." but Willow continued before he could interrupt.

"I took all of the demons and vampires and evil people, like Ethan, " her face crinkled as she spoke, "and I put them in a database and then I went through your books and collected a bunch of other icky things and put them in too. Then I created a search program based on the VICAP database I hacked a few months back." She said offhandedly letting slip that she had hacked into the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) database.

"Willow," Giles voice rose in shock at this, disapproving, but unable to keep his pride from showing. "That is highly illegal. Do you know what would happen if you got caught? Local computers are one thing, but the national government is another."

" I know Giles," Willow scoffed. "I was careful. Anyway, I'll set this up and show you how it works." She pulled her laptop out of her backpack and booted it up.