Title: Winning
Fandom: BtVS
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Willow, Buffy.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 300
Spoilers: Homecoming.
Summary: Buffy may have lost out on being voted Homecoming Queen, but she won something more important.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 399: Amnesty 66, using Challenge 17: Win or Lose.
Disclaimer: I don’t own BtVS, or the characters.



“Are you okay, Buffy?” Willow sounded a little tentative. Maybe a little residual guilt lingering.

“I’m fine.” Buffy was pretty sure she didn’t look so fine, not the way she had earlier in the evening when her make-up and hair had been perfect and her dress free of mud stains, but sometimes appearances didn’t tell the whole story. “What’s a few demons to the Slayer? Having them hunting me was a bit different, I’ll grant you, but in the end, it was just business as usual.”

“No, I meant, Homecoming Queen. You didn’t win, and I know you really wanted to.”

“Oh, that.” Buffy smiled. “Winning would’ve been nice, but I gotta say, campaigning was a whole lot harder than I remembered. Anyway, I came out on top in the Slayer Fest. In the end, winning that was more important; there was a whole lot more at stake. Losing the Homecoming Queen vote…” She shrugged. “It’s not such a big deal. Besides, Cordy didn’t win either, so she can’t rub my nose in her victory.”

Willow brightened. “That’s true. I’m sorry about not doing more to help you campaign, though.”

“Forget it, Will, it’s not important. The only reason I wanted to win was… I wanted to be able to look back someday and know I’d mattered. That people had seen me, knew my name, that I was part of something, even if just for one night, a real girl and not just the Slayer. So much of the time, I feel like I’m on the outside looking in at everyone else living their lives, not really belonging. But tonight, I realised being popular is overrated. I don’t need that. I have friends, and I have a purpose. I keep the monsters at bay so the world can keep turning.”


The End