Title: The Lovers Card

Author: Jesmin

Email: notsil314@juno.com

Rating: PG

Content: This starts as Willow/Tara, but then gets into Willow/Graham.

Summary: After voicing his opinions to Riley on Buffy and Sunnydale ("Out of Mind"), Graham goes to visit another Sunnydale friend - Willow. What he finds is a certain redhead who is having a very bad day. What does the future hold for the two of them as they go off to talk?

Disclaimer: I own none of this, except maybe a small portion of the story line. All the characters and Sunnydale related settings are owned by Joss Whedon, Fox, WB, and Mutant Enemy.

Distribution: I usually say yes. Just ask first though, so I have an idea where my stuff is.

Feedback: Sure! I love feedback! :o)

Author's Notes: This has potential for a sequel, but it all depends on feedback and my time. I have a few Willow/Spike fics calling my name right now! Just thought you might want to know, being this does end a little adruptly in a way.

Author's Notes 2: Oh, by the way. I'm not a very good Tarot reader, but I have a few friends that are. However, I didn't ask for help in this, so if I'm a little off, I am so sorry.

Dedication: This is for Jessica. It may not be as cheery as you wanted, but I hope that the potential for a sequel will cheer you up.

Willow looked over at the blond sitting in the driver’s seat. Striving to act her happy self, she asked, trying to smile, even though only a small frown formed instead, "Are you sure you’re going to be okay doing this? I could go instead. I know how shy you are around people that you don’t know, and since I know them..."

Tara smiled at Willow, trying to reassure her, even though she was scared herself. "Don’t wo-worry. I’m sure they are just as nice as the rest of the...the gang. And you have that project to do this weekend."

Nodding, Willow remarked, "Remember, Angel is just broody. If he seems upset, it has nothing to do with you."

"Yes. You already tol...told me."

Willow took a deep breath. They had been so close lately that it was going to be strange without Tara over the weekend. At least Willow knew that Tara was going to be safe with Angel and his group, helping them with some strange magical demon that Angel was having no luck with. Willow would have gone herself, but she had a large project to get done for class this weekend, and there was no way that was going to get it done if she was around Cordelia.

Leaning in, Willow softly kissed Tara and remarked, "If any of them give you trouble, tell them I will turn them into a rat."

Returning the kiss, Tara softly replied, "Knowing about Amy, I’m sure they w...will be scared." Peering out the window, she reached over and picked up an umbrella, "Here. You might need this."

Nodding, Willow gave her another quick kiss, gathered her stuff and stepped out the dry car into the rain. Balancing her books, she sat a coke on the car and then opened the umbrella. As soon as it was open, now blocking the rain that was picking up, Willow took her drink off the top of the car and stepped away from the car. Tara blew her a kiss and then pulled away, waving as she did so.

Standing in the rain as it started to get harder, Willow watched the car drive into the distance and then started to the Magic Box. That was when disaster struck. A strong gust of wind caught her umbrella, turning it inside out. Not thinking, Willow reached up to turn it back in, forgetting her coke. The coke turned on her, spilling down the front of the dress she had changed into for work. Groaning, Willow picked up the coke and then huffed into the shop, not caring anymore that her umbrella was inside out.

Anya looked up from her register as Willow walked in. Not paying attention, she remarked, "Welcome to the Magic Box," and then went back to counting the money.

Stomping over to the table where Tara read fortunes, Willow sat her stuff down and then looked down at her dress. The front of it was entirely soaked. Growling, she remarked to no one in particular, "I’m going home to change. Tell Giles that I’ll be back to read fortunes later."

Xander, who hadn’t really been paying attention, looked up from where he was fixing a shelf for Giles. "What happened to you?"

"My umbrella turned inside out and..."

Xander shook his head, looking at her with a puzzled look. "But it isn’t raining."

Turning, Willow glanced out the window at a clear sky. Once again she growled, cursing under her breath at the bad day she was having. "Xander, I’m not in the mood."

From the side, a voice asked, "Do you need a ride?"

Willow glanced over to see Graham Miller looking at her from the corner of a bookshelf. For a second, she couldn’t think of what to say, but then her anger started to take over again. "What are you doing here? Spying on the little Scooby Gang for the Initiative? If Buffy was here, she would stake you, human or not."

Graham sighed and put a book up he had been skimming. "Actually, I came by to see you."

Willow was thrown. "What?"

Rolling his eyes, he answered, "I said I came to see you. You are Willow Rosenberg aren’t you?"

Narrowing her gaze, Willow studied him for a second. What game was he playing? He knew exactly who she was. Even though the gang didn’t know it, Willow had already known Graham Miller before the whole Adam thing started. They had met in the library one night, just after Oz had left. For a while, they would make study dates, but when the whole Initiative issue came into play, Willow decided to take what she thought was the safest path. She started to cancel and spent more of her time with Tara. Finally sighing, she stopped trying to read him and then nodded, "I would be grateful for a ride."

Picking up a few of her things, Willow followed him out, hearing Anya call out as she walked out the door, "Have a nice day, and please, visit again." Shaking her head, Willow realized for the millionth time having Anya behind the cash register was just scary.

Graham opened Willow’s door, closed it behind her, and then proceeded to get in on the driver’s side. As he settled down, placing on his seat belt and starting the car, Willow asked, "So what brings you to Sunnydale?"

Grumbling as he pulled away, he answered, "I think you know the answer to that question."

"So you could be a total jerk?"

"It isn’t like that."

Willow tried to get a little more comfortable in her seat but then realized that it was more of the atmosphere than her seat. Turning back to him, she asked, "Then why were you? I can’t believe what you told Riley!"

"Rye told you, huh?"

"No. Riley told Buffy, who then turned and told me." Willow settled down finally and

sighed. "Buffy’s having a hard time. Something is wrong with her mom, and then Riley was ill. It is just getting hard for her to cope, but she tries to be the same Buffy, strong and all. Not only that, but Dawn is running her thin. I think the last thing she needed to hear was what you said to Riley."

Not looking at her, Graham shook his head. "I’m right though. Riley doesn’t belong here. I can’t believe he stayed for a girl."

Willow frowned, "And what about us? If I hadn’t decided on Tara, and stuck with you, would you have left me for the Initiative?"

"That is different," replied Graham as he frowned. That was something he had actually asked himself before, plenty of times. It seemed to even haunt him in his dreams. That was why he was here, seeing her. He wanted to close the book on that part of his life, but looking at her, he was realizing that he still might not be able to.

"Why?"

"Because the Initiative was Riley. He was Walsh’s pet soldier. It was something he was raised for, physically and psychologically. There is no way he is going to be happy here. He needs to be more involved, not Buffy’s second if the occasion is good enough. No. This isn’t the life cut out for Riley."

For a few minutes, they sat in silence. "And what about you? Were you raised for the life of the Initiative?"

"No. Not like Riley was. This is something I just fell into. It is like a new journey for me, different experiences and all. Not only that, but the Initiative was the group that gave me direction. It is my responsibility to give back to them what they gave me."

"Sure. Okay." Willow leaned forward and pointed to her and Tara’s building. "Here."

Graham pulled over, shut the engines off and then went to open her door. "So, what are you up to these days?"

Willow threw her purse over her shoulder. "I’m basically going to school and helping Buffy with research in my free time."

"So you were going to research at the shop?"

"Actually, I was going to fill in for Tara at the shop by reading fortunes."

As they headed into the building, Graham asked, "So, do you think you could read my fortune?"

Shaking her head, Willow answered, "No. After reading Spike’s, I don’t read my friend’s fortunes."

Graham took a deep breath in at hearing her explanation and then let it go quickly. Spike. Hostile-17. When he had first met Willow, she had spoke of Spike. It wasn’t until Adam pulled a Trojan Horse that Graham put the two together. That had really hurt. Willow had special feelings for this friend, and this friend happened to be a thorn in the Initiative’s side, one of the hostiles he was trained to fight. "Did Spike’s reading scare you?"

Unlocking her door, Willow nodded. "At first it was strange, because I tried to read his palms, but all I could come up with was his life before, or at least I think it was. When I asked about it, he got defensive."

"Why? What did they say?"

Willow let him in and sat her keys on the dresser. "It wouldn’t be right for me to tell you."

Sitting down on her bed, he asked, whining, "Please Willow. I promise I won’t laugh. And it isn’t like I speak to him any. We aren’t chums or anything."

Going through her closet, she replied, "Exactly why I shouldn’t tell you. It would give you the excuse to rile him."

Graham groaned, "Willow, when do I see him?"

Turning around, Willow looked at his puppy dog face and answered, "Fine. He has the hands of an innocent, maybe even an artist or something. His life span, which we know, was short. They also show someone who wasn’t very strong, personality wise. He would have been the type that let people run all over him, in love and life."

Graham tried not to laugh, the corners of his mouth twitching a bit. Finally, getting his stoic face back on, he asked, "And that was what your bad ass vampire friend was before he was turned? What about after?"

Sitting beside him, she answered, "I tried a three card layout, and I think that was the future, in a way at least. They spoke of death, a severely broken heart and despair that reaches far into the soul he supposedly doesn’t have. There was such sadness that I don’t want to be in the position to read cards like that to friends again."

Holding out his hand, Graham remarked, "I’m sure your not going to read anything like that in these hands."

Taking his hand in her’s, Willow admired the strongness in them and then peered down.. Smiling, she ran her hand along his life line and then his heart line. "Hmmm. I see something about a goat in the frat house. According to this line," she remarked as she pointed it out, "the goat is your true love and you should follow the feelings you have." When he just stared at her, she added, "Baaa."

Graham shook his head. "Isn’t that the sound of a sheep."

"Well, according to this, I guess you would know, huh?"

"You're sick."

"And that is why you love me," remarked Willow before catching her mistake.

Changing the subject as she blushed, Willow went back to the line she was discussing before. "This says that you will soon be with the one you love, and after that, your love will be strong. It will just be a while." Pointing at other parts of his hands, she listed off a few things, "Plus, you are head strong, you don’t easily sway, and are way too confident of your surroundings."

"You just added some of that."

"Maybe. I’ve never been great at reading palms." Pulling out her tarot cards, she remarked, "Since I’m practically dry anyway, I’ll read your cards in a seven card layout before changing." She shuffled them out and started to lay them out.

Smiling, she sat the first card down and then looked at him, lifting one of her eyebrows. "The fool upside down. You have started a journey, and aren’t actually sure where it is heading. Not only that, but wrong turns and bad decisions will drag it out."

The second card was placed on the bed, and her grin actually grew larger. "The tower. This symbolizes on old way coming to an end or a new way starting, probably unexpectedly."

Moving on, she laid down the next three cards before saying anything. Staring at them for a few seconds, she remarked, "Now this is interesting. The third card is the three of wands. It shows a man waiting, which is what you will be doing."

"What for?" he asked as he eyed the next card, already thinking he knew the answer.

"A girl, and according to this, there is not a goat in sight. This is the Queen of cups, and cups are the cards of love. She is warm, caring, and beautiful. Plus, she is a philosopher in a way. See how she stares at this covered cup, studying it. This shows that she is very introspective." Graham looked down and saw that Willow was right. The woman was sitting on a throne, at the edge of the sea, studying a covered cup, just like she had said. Studying the card, he could almost see Willow’s face on the beautiful woman. It reminded him of when he had first met her in the library. She had stopped studying and was staring off into space, very much in thought. The sun was shining through the windows, and the way it had made her hair shine called to him. It was the most wonderful sight he had ever seen.

Tucking some hair behind her ears in a nervous expression, almost like she could read his thoughts and was embarrassed, she pointed to the fifth card. "Eight of wands. What you have waited for will take flight and land in happiness, just like the eight wands are flying with ease through this card. This shows success. Congratulations."

"On what?"

Willow smiled. Part of this reading made her happy, but another part of it scared her. She knew what the answer was, and for some reason, she felt that he wasn’t the only person being read in these cards. Turning the sixth card over, she spoke before it hit the bed, already knowing what was coming. "The Lovers’ card." Not explaining, being she thought it very self explanatory, she turned over the next card and looked at it with a puzzled expression. There before her were two Lovers’ cards. Had she mixed the deck with some of Tara’s. Curious, she went past seven cards and sat another card down - the Lovers’ card. Shaking her head, she placed card by card on top of each other. One by one the Lovers’ cards fell into place. Looking up at him, her eyes wide, she shook her head.

Scared, Willow picked all the cards up and then spread them all down on the bed, face up. Her hands started to shake as she only counted one Lovers’ card. Looking up at Graham, she tried to speak but couldn’t. This wasn’t what she wanted to deal with. It was very evident now that she wasn’t only reading Graham, and that was something she couldn’t deal with. She was with Tara, and the thought of being elsewhere scared her.

Graham could tell that Willow was upset. Looking down, he remarked, "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked you into that. How about we forget it ever happened? I’ll just call Riley and have him pick you up."

"You’re going to leave?"

Smiling at her, he placed his hand on her cheek and nodded as he brushed new tears away, "I’m Initiative. That is what we do."

"Damn the Initiative."

Graham leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Willow leaned into it a little and closed her eyes as she felt the soft brush of his lips. When they drifted away, he brushed away one more tear and remarked, "I’m sure I’ll return, for a girl probably. It will just be a while." When Willow didn’t look up, he lifted her eyes to him. "Hey. It is in the cards." Smiling, he reached up, brushed another tear away, and kissed her lightly again, on the lips. "Bye Willow." With that, he turned and walked out the room.

Willow stood for a while and listed as he paused by the door. She could hear him dialing his phone and then talking to Riley about picking her up. Forgetting about changing, she laid down on the bed, snuggling into the clean clothes she had picked out. The tears started to fall down her face, landing an the piles of clothes. Oh goddess, if she loved Tara so much, then why did it hurt so whenever Graham leaved. Sniffling, she tried to think of the person she thought of as he other half. Instead, all she could see was the Lovers’ card, over and over. Trying to bury her face into her clothes, she asked through her sobs to no one in particular, "Why do they do this to me?"

Strong arms wrapped around her, and she looked up to see Riley. "Hey, Willow, Graham said I needed to come check on you."

Willow dug her face into Riley’s shoulder. "Shouldn’t you be with Buffy?"

"She’s at the hospital. When I asked her if I should her there, she said no, not till later. Buffy doesn’t need me."

Willow sobbed, not for herself now, but for Riley and what Graham had told her. She knew she would probably loose him too. No one wanted to be with Willow or any of her friends. It probably wouldn’t be long before Tara left too. Looking up at Riley, she remarked, "But you can take care of me for today."

Smiling down at her, he nodded. "That sounds good. Why don’t you change and then we will get ice cream on the way back to the magick shop. They say Chocolate can cure anything."

Willow smiled up at him and then gathered her stuff up. "You got a deal there."

Riley watched her walk out and smiled. Looking down on the bed, a card stared back up at him from with in the pile. The Lovers’ card. Trying to look away, he realized that everyone needed chocolate ice cream every once in a while.

THE END!