Title: Beyond Expectations (1/?)

Author: AngryCupcake

Pairing: Willow/Zack Morris

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns BTVS and Willow. Same goes for Peter

Angel Owning Zack and Saved By The Bell. I lay no claim. I make no

cash. Don't sue me.

Spoilers: Set in season 2 of BTVS goes AU after the Halloween may

change). Oz? Oz who? SBTB is harder. Lord knows they spent like six

years in high school. I guess it's set in Zack's junior year. No

spoilers.

Summary: I'm bad at summaries, sorry.

A/N: Sequal to 'Beyond Limitations'. Dedicated to all you crazy kids

who asked for a series and asked questions that made me think. Also

my semester is currently drawing to a close meaning I'm pretty much

bogged down with work so don't expect anything else for another 3-4

weeks. Fair warning.

Feedback: Please

Part1

Richard Belding walked about the empty corridors of Bayside High

School. The students were in class and all was silent. The only

sounds audible were the soft click clacking of his shoes echoing off

the walls; it was comforting. He wandered the halls because he'd

rather do that than attempt to put a dent in the mounds of paperwork

awaiting him on his desk. The school principal was restless. Willow

had phoned him a few minutes prior about details concerning her

impending visit and now Richard was practically giddy. It was silly

really considering that Willow had been making regular visitations

for the past three months, but he couldn't help it. With no children

of his own, Willow was the closest thing he and Liz had to it. She

was such a joy to have around he could almost kiss Sheila for

allowing her to visit. Almost.

Up until a few months ago Richard didn't know she had even existed,

thanks to his sweet little sister. The Sheila Belding he knew was a

warm bubbly redhead much like the niece he had now practically

adopted. That all changed when she went to college and met Ira

Rosenberg. After all these years that man's name still brought out a

fury in Richard. Ira Rosenberg took his baby sister away. All of the

sudden the family that had raised her, hell scrimped, saved, and

sacrificed so she could attend Harvard was simply not good enough.

Her rejection nearly killed their parents. He hated her for that, for

the pain she had put them through. But as much as he would love to

blame Ira, he knew his sister had made her choice. A choice that

apparently took its toll.

When Sheila had first appeared on his doorstep after all those years,

he barely recognized her. She looked the same but different. Not the

kind of different that would be attributed to age, it was something

else. Sheila looked.harder. After their reunion, one marked with

anger and resentment on his part, his sister went on to explain the

point of her presence. That was another thing; she was so no-nonsense

and unemotional. Richard couldn't believe that this was once the girl

who launched sneak attack tickle fights on her unsuspecting older

brothers. Putting his own emotions in check, Richard listened to her

well thought out and logical proposal, and agreed to allow his

sister's daughter to visit.

When the official affairs were settled his sister made to leave as

abruptly as she had arrived. Richard stopped her, he had to, things

couldn't be left the way they were.

"Sheila how are you?" he sincerely asked.

Sheila froze a sigh escaping her. "I'm tired, Richard, very tired."

"Can I ask why?"

His sister looked at him with a frown on her face. "Why what?"

"After all this time, why now?"

"Richard my daughter is all I really have left. I'm not the mom she

needs me to be. I stopped being that Sheila a long time ago." She

said, "It's too late."

"Lala it's never too late." He desperately implored her.

Sheila gave a slight smile at the long disused nickname she had hated

with a fiery passion. "It is for me. Not for my daughter though. I

want her to have a few happy memories of family." She said

wistfully. "Goodbye Richie."

****

As Belding neared his office, to tackle the neglected work he put

off, a voice called out stopping him just a few feet from his

office. "Sir can I talk to you for a minute."

He turned around to see Zack Morris walking up to him. "Show me your

hall pass first." The principal demanded.

Zack dutifully pulled out a pink slip.

The older man examined it carefully before handing it back to the

teen. "Hmm it's a real hall pass too, I'm impressed. Alright Zack

what's up?"

"Nothing much," Zack said. "It's just that with Willow coming this

week-end, I want to remind you that I'm you taking her to an

Evanescence concert Saturday night."

"What are you talking about? You never mentioned it before. Willow is

going out of town with Mrs. Belding and me." The principal asserted.

"Mr. Belding I told you about this ever since I got the tickets---

"I'm just messing with you Zack." He interrupted. "I remember and

have her back no later than 1 am. Oh and bring me back some Alka-

Seltzer from the Effervescence concert HA HA HA." Mr. Belding laughed

in a high-pitched tone.

"Your just hysterical sir." The young man said humorlessly. "I'll

have her back by one on the dot."

The strangest thing about Zack's promise was that the principal

believed him. When it came to the redhead Zack was very reliable. He

had to be, Belding had set down strict guidelines: Eight Simple Rules

For Dating His Teenage Niece. To the older man's astonishment Zack

followed each and every single one of them to the exact letter.

Evidently the young man had stronger feelings for Willow than Belding

had initially given him credit for.

Indeed when he first heard the news he nearly killed the boy. After

all he had only `asked' Zack to show her around town not sweep her

off her feet. The young man was her total opposite, not at all the

sort of boy that Willow should be consorting with. As the king of his

castle he tried to forbid it, but that fell flat under the combined

weight of Willow's Resolve Face and Liz's Death Glare. So Richard

Belding resigned himself to closely monitoring the relationship. He

had feared that being with Zack would cause her to change into

something not so Willowy. Surprisingly Zack was the one who was

changing. Not that the schemer had become an angel, but since dating

Willow, his detention attendance had somewhat decreased. If anything

his niece proved be a positive influence on the young man.

As the two men continued to talk, Belding did not notice Zack slowly

angling him away from his office door so Jessie could quietly creep

by to enter the room. So engrossed was he in the conversation that

the principal failed to note the small squeak of locker cautiously

opening behind him. Screech stepped out of it with his tools in hand

and gave Zack a thumbs up sign before he too snuck into the office.

"Well I've got paperwork with my name on them so I'll see you later."

The principal made to move for his door but was surprised at how far

away he was from it. Oh well he must have misjudged its

proximity. "Zack I'll see you at dinner Friday night?" he queried.

"Count on it Mr. Belding." He smiled.

Mr. Belding smiled in return watching the student walk away before

turning to his door. As soon as his hand touched the doorknob a shout

drew his attention to a figure running toward him.

"Mr. Belding! Mr. Belding!"

"What wrong Big Pete?" he asked.

"It's the chemistry lab. Something's gone wrong." The small young man

panted.

"What happened?"

"It's just. I mean. Mr. Belding you just have to see for yourself."

Big Pete exclaimed.

A principal's job was never done. "Alright let's go see what's going

on." He said allowing the young man to take him to the site of the

problem.

***

Zack Morris left his hiding place to watch Big Pete quickly rushed

the man down the hall. He had to admit the geek did good work. The

schemer smirked as he causally strolled into Richard Belding's office

to join his friends already working in progress.