Part 6

Willow screamed as loudly as she could when she felt Angel being ripped from her arms. She felt his fingers brush her forearm, grasping for her, heard his voice shrieking her name. White light enveloped him, while she fell forward into darkness. . .
"Willow! Wake up!"
She was thrust back into conciousness almost painfully.
Angel's arms held her lightly from where he was standing over her. His face was inches from hers. She grasped his sculpted cheeks in between her hands and kissed his lips fiercly.
"Good evening to you to," he muttered.
"You're alright," she said in amazement, throwing her arms around his shoulders.
"Pretty much, yeah."
"But you weren't," she said in an earnest Judy Garland voice.
"I wasn't?"
"No," she said.
"Willow?"
"Yeah?"
"You were dreaming."
"I was?"
"Mm-hmm. Care to share?" he asked, rubbing her shoulders.
"I. . .It. . .You. . ."
"Yes?"
"I don't remember."
He looked at her, worried. "Are you alright?" He placed his hand over her breast. "Willow, you're heart--"
"I'm fine," she said, getting out of bed. "Why wouldn't I be alright? It was just a dream, right? Just a night--"
She'd made it about halfway across the room before the room lurched and her legs went out.
***
Willow was acutely aware that of her surroundings, even through her complete lack of control over her body. She flopped almost comically in Angel's arms.
"Your time is upon us," she whispered, head rolling.
"Willow?" he demanded, almost shaking her. "What's going on? Oh, God, please--"
"The goddess is always with you, Angelus."
"Willow?"
"Soon."
All at once, the convulsions stopped, and she fell into him, kitten weak.
"Willow, baby, what the hell was that?"
"I don't know," she whispered against his chest. "But I'm scared."
***
They dressed for dinner in silence, each bewildered by the earlier events of the day. Willow reached out for Angel's hand as he was pulling his shirt over his head and he pulled her to him sharply.
"It'll be alright," he whispered. "We're meeting Giles tomorrow, and I'm sure he knows what's going on."
Willow nodded, unable to use her voice. Someone knocked at the door and Angel called for them to come in.
A young girl, early teens, entered, almost shyly.
"Angel? Ma told me to call you for dinner."
"Elizabeth?" he asked astounded. "Little Bouncing Bet?"
She grinned. "No one's called me that for years. Five, to be exact."
She hugged him briefly.
"Bet,this is Willow," he said when they pulled apart.
"Nice to meet you," she said as she shook Willow's hand. There was something like disapointment written around her eyes but her smile was friendly. <Someone had a crush. . .>
"Uh, anyway, I've got to go help Trick set the table. See you at dinner," she said, exiting with an almost appologetic smile.
Angel was grinning elatedly again.

Part 7

Willow sat down at the table feeling oddly disconected-- like her body didn't quite fit right. She felt raw and exposed and when Kevin offered her a glass of wine, she didn't refuse.
Long after the dishes had congeled completely and the children sent off to bed, the four of them were still sitting around the table laughing the drunken asses off.
Willow had tears sliding down her cheeks. "He didn't!"
"He did!" Coleen was insisting.
"This story really isn't that funny,"Angel mumbled.
"Yes, it is," Willow said, cackling wildly.
"It's been a very long time since I've had anything to do with babies. Things have changed."
"Not that much!"Willow shrieked, which sent them all off in another fit.
"Alright, fine," he said. "Let's all have a laugh at my expense. Just remember, payback," he nuzzled at Willow's neck a little," is a bitch."
She was suddenly very aware of how close she was sitting to Angel. . .and how good he smelled. She scooted nearer into his arm, which was spread across the back of her chair. She felt a little safer.
Somewhere in the house a baby started crying.
"Oh, there goes Bridget. 11:00, right on time. I'll be right back," Coleen said, standing tiredly but happily. Kevin watched her leave, face full of love. Willow felt a little ache in her womb. Angel would never look at her like that, like the mother of his children. . .
<God, Willow, you're really drunk> she thought, slipping back into the bubbled weightless feeling of intoxication. Not having children was something that had crossed her mind briefly, fleetingly, but was always disregarded. Afterall, she was only eighteen
<you're soul's a lot older than that, kiddo. Otherwise you'd be getting drunk with the two teenagers in the house, not the forty-somethings. . .>
and even if Angel could, she. . .well, immortality had it's strings.
"So what time are you leaving ?" Kevin was asking.
"Uh. . .round three, I think."
"I wish you could stay longer."
Angel nodded. "So do I. We'll stop on our way back, when all this is cleared up. Have a proper visit."
They stood, embraced.
"It was good to see you again, Angel," he said. "Don't stay away so long."
"I won't."
"I won't let him," Willow promised. Kevin grinned at her.
"No, I don't imagine you will."
The phone rang suddenly and they all jumped a little.
"Willow?" Coleen called. "There's a call from a Rupert Giles. Says it's an emergency. "
Willow picked the phone up and was instantly sober in a few moments.
"Change of plans," she said as she hung up. "We're leaving now."
 

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