Chapter 9

Willow took a good two hours of solitary before she actually came back out of
the room. Angel wasn't in the seat she thought he would be. She opened the
door and was surprised to see his seat barren.

She came out the door, standing in the doorway she leaned her head on the
doorway and stared at the couch. Flashes of the dream came to her and she
almost had to hold back her smile. She definitely was having different
feelings for Angel then she thought she would *ever* have.

Her thoughts drifted and soon she was in a daze of thoughts. Which she was
brought back from by Angel walking within inches of her. He walked right past
her, brushing her shoulder and in front of her. That pulled her from the daze
and she straitened up watching him move to the kitchen. She followed him into
the room and once again up against the door frame.

"Feeling better?" Angel asked her, looking over from the fridge to her.

"Yeah, Much. Just a little tired."

"Hungry?"

"Yeah, actually." She walked over to the fridge.

"I had Cordelia pick up some stuff for you while you were asleep. Feel
free..." He drifted off and gestured towards the fringe.

"Thanks." She moved past him and pulled out a melon and Coke. She leaned and
set the bottle on the table where Angle had sat and set the melon on the
counter and turned to Angel. "Hungry?" He looked up from his seat confused.

"I don't -- "

"Eat. I know. I meant blood."

"Won't that make you -- "

"Sick?" she finished again. "No. I'm used to it now. The group usually had me
doing the Spike feeding so I got used to heat-n-serve." She smiled. "So,
hungry?"

"Yeah." He sat back and relaxed. Pulling out a blood bag, Willow emptied it
into a mug and set it in the microwave. Setting the timer, she looked through
the cabinets, grabbing a bowl, grabbed a knife and set them down just as the
buzzer sounded. She pulled out the mug and took it to the table. Taking a
sip, he looked up at her. "I haven't had warm blood in a long time." Angel
ventured. Willow tossed a smile over her shoulder while cutting the fruit and
tossed the skin into the trash before moving to the table. taking a seat next
to Angel.

"I think Spike misses it. The warm blood I mean." She tossed a piece into her
mouth when Angel looked up. "I mean, I know you can take the bite out of a
vamp, but you can't take the lust for it. What about you?" She leaned over
the table. "Do you miss it?" He went to protest but she corrected herself,
sitting back up. "I mean, do you ever feel your demon craving bloodlust?
Fighting for just something?"

"Everyday." He looked down. "Every minute. It's like a conscience. Every day
he tries to talk me into something. Everything I do he comments on. It could
drive a person insane. And the only think that keeps me from submitting is
remembering. Because that's all it is. A memory.

"I see the children. Laughing and playing. Then I see them ripped to pieces.
I see the women I stalked and killed they're families just for the rush of
knowledge that I was making them insane. I see the women and sometimes young
girls your age if not younger, pinned under me as I rape and torture them,
taking them to the point where they want to die and then actually killing
them. And then there's the sight of me taking someone so innocent and turning
them into something so evil ... it's unfair to them, that I did this to them,
and I understand that."

"But what about last year. Yeah, I know that was forced by the demons but,
you almost ended it. You tried to kill yourself because of the guilt. What
makes you stop from walking into the sun, taking a holy bath or plunging the
stake into your heart?"

"The memories." Willow looked at him confused. "The only reason I keep going
is not only for redemption. I know I don't deserve that. I killed too many to
ever deserve that. I stay going in hopes that the memories that plague me
will somehow help. Keeping them alive in someway. Because they don't deserve
to be forgotten. If I don't remember them, who will?" Willow let that thought
go through her mind for a couple minutes, not realizing she was still staring
at Angel.

"I'm sorry." She said sheepishly, looking away with a shy smile.

"It's okay." He got up and put the mug in the sink, rinsing it while Willow
took a sip of her Coke and stood, taking the bowl with her. She set it on the
counter and turned to Angel who turned to her. His hand was supporting him on
the counter and she took a piece of fruit from the bowl and placed it in her
mouth, staring at him as she did so. He broke eye contact for a moment and
looked to the counter then back over. He took a piece and placed it at her
lips and she opened her mouth, excepting it slowly into her mouth. She sucked
on his finger as it left her mouth and felt a shot of desire shoot through
her.

She broke eye contact again and did the same as he had, looking to the
counter quickly then back before picking up another piece and placing it
slowly at his lips, repeating in reverse what had happened just moments
before.

Angel stepped in a little closer. Willow's fingers danced over his lips for a
moment before she he raised his hand to hers and lightly and slowly pulled it
away. He leaned in closer to her and as they were 6 inches from each other a
noise from upstairs broke them both out of their haze.
________________

Chapter 10
 

Angel stopped and listened. They heard the noise again and Angel looked into
Willow's eyes telling her what to do.

A sound of a chair being thrown sounded through the quiet apartment and Angel
moved past Willow, protectively guarding her, an arm in front of her. He
grabbed a his battle ax and looked back at Willow who was behind him and
placed his finger to his lips then mouthed "stay here" to her before turning
to leave.

Angel moved slowly and quietly up the stairs, ax protectively in hand. As he
reached the doorway, he turned the knob and swung open the door, looking
around. He moved to the main office door and went to look out.

"Angel! Look out!" He turned and saw Willow in the doorway from the apartment
and saw her fling her arm out. He caught glimpse of something move out of the
corner of his eye and turned to see a large demon hit the wall. Green, scaly
and slimy, it hit the wall hard. He readied the ax and did a spiral in the
air with it and brought the ax around, missing the demon as it ducked in just
the right second. It charged into him and knocked him to the ground.

Willow ran to aid Angel and as she got close, the demon's arm swung back in
an animalistic manner and hit the side of her face, knocking her to the
ground. Angel went to break it's neck but it got a steady hold on his hands
and pulled them back. Angel rolled, getting the upper hand and head-butted
the demon.

Getting up, Angel got the ax from the wall and wailed over again, this time
bringing the ax down on it's target. He let go of the handle and struggled
over the demon's body over to Willow's unconscious form. He took her into his
arms and looked over her face.

A large bruise was already forming on her cheek. Brushing her hair from her
face, he caressed her unharmed cheek and she started to come back to
consciousness.

"You okay?"

"Headache." She confirmed then groaned. "Maybe cheek ache too." She sat up a
bit. "You?"

"I'm fine." He smiled, making her half smile.

Out of view from then both, a blurry form of Marc flickered and watched from
a dark corner, watching Angel's protective touch on Willow, the witch he was
going to kill.

His essence flickered once more before it disappeared all together, leaving
nothing but a dark corner.

____________

Chapter 11

Willow had gone out for the night. Angel had told her to go out and have some
fun, she deserved it. Stuck in the apartment every minute of every day, she
must miss fresh air and living people.

She, of coarse, came back with Welsey and Cordy were living. Which, he
answered with a pointed stare that just made her laugh. So, out to a night
club she had gone. She was weary about going alone at first, Angel had told
her about a good place to check out with people her age and she thought it
would be a cool place.

She'd danced all night. She thought she'd get there and be at a table all
night. Bronze remake. Instead a really sweet and handsome guy had asked her
to dance and she had excepted.

Now her feet hurt, she was tired and ready to go back to Angels and crawl
into bed. Maybe sleep a day or two away.

She walked down the stairs and threw her purse on the couch. She turned
towards the door to the bedroom and jumped, making a slight squealing noise.

"Angel. Goddess, you scared me." He didn't say anything, just leaned up
against the door frame, staring at her. "Angel? What's the matter?" She
walked slowly over to him and he stood up strait, giving her a cocky grin.

"Come on Little Red, I have something to show you." He walked into the
bedroom and she saw him turn away from the door. Fear and curiosity hit
Willow in waves at the same time and she didn't even realize she was walking.
It didn't even feel like it. It was as if she was being pulled there and her
feet were just gliding from on the floor.

She got to the doorway and turned. She saw Angel on the other end of the room
and she again moved towards him. As she moved their eyes locked and she could
tell something was wrong.

"Angel?" She heard herself whisper. As she reached him he turned her around
and covered her eyes. She shuttered as she heard him whisper into her ear.

"I have something for you." She felt him move her back to the other side of
the room and stop. She moved confused in his arms until they stopped. He
removed his hands from her eyes and she was weary about opening them. When
she did, in front of her was the sight of Marc, hanging bloodily in front of
her.

She gasped and stepped back into Angel. His arms wrapped around her and she
tried to move out of them.

"Angel?"

He whispered back into her ear, "Aren't you gonna welcome me back Willow?"

Willow about screamed as she jumped in the bed. Her breath was sharp and she
thought she was having a heart attack. She clutched the covers to her,
telling herself it all was just a dream.

Laying down, Willow tried to pass the *dream* from her thoughts.
 

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