Author: Aramat
E-Mail: redfire98@aol.com
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel & Co. belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN and the WB Network. No copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Dreams are but the merest seperation of the surreal and reality...
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She never figured out exactly what it was that woke her that night. All she knew was that one minute she was lying in bed, sleeping peacefully for once, not plagued by the nightmares that haunted her. The next, she was fully awake, alerted by some presence. She sat up, looking around her room, searching for something, but not knowing what it was. In the end, she figured she gave up too easily, didn't trust her instincts when they were warning her that something was wrong.
When he finally made his presence known it was too late. She'd already laid back down, already started to drift once again into sleep, when he emerged from the shadows.
"Willow, Willow, Willow," he whispered into her ear, startling her into wakefulness. "You, better than most, should know to trust your instincts." She opened her mouth to scream, but he laughed. "Scream all you want," he invited. "I like screams. Means I'm doing my job right. But I want you know, before you do, no one will hear you. We both know that."
She closed her mouth with a snap, refusing to make this fun for him. That was, unfortunately, the only courage she could summon for now. She was too damned scared.
"W-what do you want?" she asked softly, fear evident in her voice. "Why are you here?"
He smiled, genuinely amused. "Will, you know why I'm here," he said. He laid down beside her on the bed, arms crossed behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. "I figure it's time for Buffy to get her first present. And it's going to be you. Of course, you'll have dead for her to truly appreciate it, but we all have to go sometime."
He turned to her, his eyes twinkling with merriment. "Want to know why I decided to start with you first? You see, with you gone, Buffy will be without her shoulder to cry on. She'll be minus the one person who can really share her pain." He smiled. "But that's not the only reason. Killing you will not make our friend Angel very happy at all. He liked you."
Willow couldn't speak. She'd hoped he'd come by to prove a point to Buffy. Show the Slayer she couldn't always protect her friends. But she knew now that her had more in mind. He was going to kill her and there was nothing he could do to stop him. She sat up, trying to think of a way to escape. If he wanted her dead, he'd have to work for it.
She got out of bed and ran to the closet, throwing it open. She grabbed clothes, tossing them out, hoping to find something, anything to use against him. When her search of the closet yeilded no help she went over to her desk. She pulled open drawer after drawer to no avail. She nothing to stop him with, nothing at all to keep him from killing her. But she was desperate. She wouldn't stop until she exhausted every possiblity. She had to find something.
"Willow, you're not going anywhere," he said, amused. He lifted up to lean on one elbow and watched her search the room. "I've got the place surrounded. You're going to die, whether I do it or someone else."
Willow ran to the window and Angelus sighed. Bored with her attempts to escape, he got up and walked over to her. He grabbed her arms and tossed her onto the bed. "But I want to be the one to kill you," he said leaning over her. "How else will I have my fun?"
She kicked, struggling with all her mite to fight him off. But her attempts just amused him more. She did manage to connect once, her nails raking his face, but her victory was short lived.
Angelus pinned her arms to the bed, holding her still, and straddled her legs to keep her from kicking out. Willow went limp as she realized it was over. She'd fought and lost. Now she was going to die. She didn't want to die.
"Please," she begged tears streaming down her face. "Don't kill me."
He chuckled. "Begging. I like begging." With his free hand he lightly caressed her cheek. "But it's not going to stop me." He brushed his lips across hers and moved to whisper softly in her ear. "Goodnight, Willow."
And those were the last words Willow heard before Angelus sank his fangs into her neck.
She cried out as he teeth pierced her flesh. Tears continued to fall as she instinctively tried to fight him off. But there was nothing she could do to stop him. Slowly, he drained every ounce of blood from her body.
As she laid there dying, her last thoughts were on her friends. Buffy would be devastated and blame herself for her death. Xander would be completly lost without her. And Giles. Giles would also shoulder plenty of guilt. But at least they would have each other. She hoped they would be able to get through this, hoped they could pull together, just like they'd always done. She hoped Buffy would find some way to stop him.
Five minutes later, she thought of nothing at all as she silently slipped away.
Angelus looked down at the lifeless body beneath him and frowned. It had been so much easier than he'd expected and, to tell the truth, he was more than a little disappointed. But he refused to let it get him down. Killing Willow was just a means to an end. And the end was destoying Buffy.
He got off the bed, arranging Willow's body underneath the covers. Taking one last look at her tearstained face he smiled.
"What do ya' know," he said as he turned to walk away. "Willows really do weep."
The End