-----Original Message-----
From: Pat Kelly [SMTP:bandits@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 10:28 PM
To: buffyloveswillow@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [buffyloveswillow] FIC: Chatting
Disclaimer: They're not mine.
Hope you like.
CHATTING
Willow was doing something really bad. Here she was, sitting in her dorm
room, and she was supposed to be researching for a paper. Was she? No.
Instead she was just watching text roll down on the screen. She was in a
chat room. The teen chat room to be more specific.
And if that wasn't bad enough, she wasn't even chatting. Just watching. It
was a guilty pleasure that she hoped no one would ever find out about. She
knew most of the people were faking everything they said, and some were
even psychos.
But they were funny psychos. Funny was good.
Her name was RedH@ck. Not the cleverest name in the world, but it suited
her. It was honest. Besides, nobody talked to her anyway.
***
Buffy had been walking back to the dorm when she passed the computer lab.
Normally she wouldn't go near the place, but she had to search the
Internet for comparisons on classic American novels for her English class.
And since the lab was closer than the dorm, she went in.
Picking a computer in the corner, she sat down. Entering her name and
password into the network, she logged on. She opened the web browser,
which automatically went to ChatNet.
'What the hell is ChatNet?'
On top of that, she didn't know how she got there. She remembered Willow
saying that people could set a browser to open to a certain page or
something like that. Well, Buffy was easily distracted. Even more so
because she wanted to avoid doing anything class-related.
She clicked 'LOG ON AS GUEST' and then it asked her for a temporary name.
'LargeMarge? Nah. Oh, I got it...'
She entered 'StakER' into the box, and entered the chat complex. She
picked the teen room.
***
Willow was on the verge of boredom. She was about ready to close out, and
get down to business. She was supposed to be the diligent one, after all.
That's when the room announced that a new person had arrived. 'StakER' was
the name.
She had to grin. 'Reminds me of Buffy. Maybe...no. She wouldn't go near a
computer.' Nevertheless, she decided to check out the new arrival's
profile. Clicking the mouse, she saw the person was listed as a guest,
which meant no profile.
'Oh well...'
***
Buffy wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do. She skimmed the
right side of the screen, looking at the names of the members in the room.
She stopped when she something caught her eye. 'RedH@ck.'
"Why does that sound...?" She said quietly.
She clicked on the name, and she was surprised when a small menu popped
up.
'Send PM to RedH@ck
Check User Profile...'
Curious, Buffy did just that. A second screen appeared, listing the
person's information.
'Name: Willow R.
'Age: 18
Sex: F
Email...'
'Willow?'
Buffy clicked on the name again, and clicked 'Send PM...'. A box popped
up, and she assumed she was supposed to type a message or something. And
she started to.
'Hey Will...it's -' 'No, I don't wanna let her know.' Buffy grinned as she
started to change what she typed. She had a feeling this was going to be
interesting.
***
'ACCEPT PM FROM USER StakER?'
This was a first. Somebody was requesting a chat with her?
'Why not?'
She clicked 'Yes' and a box appeared on her screen. The person wrote, 'hey
wanna chat?'
She typed her response.
***
RedH@ck: Sure. A/S/L?
StakER: Huh?
RedH@ack: Age/Sex/LocatIon. Not a bIg chatter?
StakER: I'm that obvIous?
RedH@ack: KInda. I'm 18/f/CA
StakER: Really? Me too.
RedH@ck: Cool. Where do you go to college? Do you go?
'Think of a college, quick!' Buffy thought.
StakER: Yeah. UCLA. You?
RedH@ck: UC Sunnydale. Probably haven't heard of It. KInda off the map.
StakER: No. I haven't. So what do you lIke to do?
StakER: FrIends? RelatIves? Pets?
RedH@ck: I'm a computer geek.
StakER: I'm sure you're not.
RedH@ack: Oh I so am. It's all I do. Anyway, I've got 2 really good
frIends. You?
StakER: I've got close frIends too. Don't know what I'd do wIthout them.
One especIally.
RedH@cker: That's great. I have someone lIke that too.
StakER: Unfortunately, she's goIng through a tough tIme rIght now.
RedH@ck: Oh :-( Why?
StakER: Her boyfrIend left.
Willow was starting to get a little suspicious.
'Back off! Back off!' Buffy yelled at herself.
StakER: She's gettIng better though.
RedH@ck: I hope so. I have some experIence In that area myself.
StakER: Yeah? How are you dealIng?
RedH@ck: Well, my frIend Is beIng really supportIve and sweet. She keeps
me together.
StakER: Have you told her that?
RedH@ck: Not In those words, but I thInk she knows. I hope she does.
StakER: I kn-I'm sure she does.
Willow thought she should learn to trust her instincts. She was pretty
sure it was Buffy now.
RedH@ack: What does she look lIke?
'Go ahead. Be honest. She doesn't know it's you.'
StakER: She's really beautIful. Short red haIr, green eyes. And she
doesn't even know It.
'Yep, it's her. Wait...Buffy thinks I'm beautiful?' She couldn't help a
tear that rolled down her cheek.
StakER: I even told her I loved her. Don't thInk she understood what I
meant though.
RedH@ck: What dId you mean?
StakER: That I honestly and truly loved her. I've known It for awhIle, you
know? But she had her boyfrIend, I had other well, Issues, and I never
realIzed It untIl now.
Even though Buffy knew it was Willow and not a stranger, she couldn't
believe she was saying all this personal stuff. It was like the keyboard
allowed her to say things she was too scared to say aloud. Freedom.
RedH@ck: I feel the same way about my frIend. She's beautIful too. I get
lost In her eyes. SometImes I can't form words. She breaks all the
stereotypes too.
StakER: Of what?
RedH@acker: Blondes.
'She knows! Play it cool.'
RedH@cker: A guy at our campus asked me to help hIm get to know her, and I
helped hIm cause It's who I am, but I dIdn't want to.
StakER: You dIdn't?
RedH@ck: Nope. We're fInally not *wIth* anyone, and I dIdn't wanna blow my
chance.
StakER: What chance?
'Please say it...or...type it.'
RedH@ck: To tell her I love her. A lot. And that I heard her when she told
me when she loved me. I've been waItIng to her say that for awhIle.
'Okay, enough games.'
'Buffy...come on...'
StakER: WIllow?
RedH@ck: Yeah, Buffy?
StakER: Don't go anywhere. I'm comIng.
***
At both ends of campus, two computers shut down simultaneously, and anyone
who was out walking, would've seen a blonde girl rushing toward Stevenson
Hall.
Anybody who happened to peak into Room 214, would have seen a smiling
redheaded girl sitting by a computer.
Little did anybody know, that those two people's lives had just changed
forever.
"When I held that gun, I felt an incredible surge of power. Like God must
feel when he's holding a gun.." (Homer J. Simpson)
"You've been fighting evil here for three years, and I've helped some, and
now we're supposed to decide what we want to do with our lives. And I just
realized that that's what I want to do. Fight evil, help people. I mean, I
think it's worth doing. And I don't think you do it because you have to.
It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
"I kind of love you."
(Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers, BTVS)
"Don't.."
"What? Don't love you? I didn't know I got a choice in that."
(Angel, Buffy Summers, BTVS)