************************************************************

Angelus smiled as he lay on the hotel bed.  This was the
unlife.  The Four Season.   Clean white sheets, fluffy
towels, room service, and a mini bar.  Just
outside the city limits of Sunnydale too.  He unwrapped the
chocolate mint the maid had left on his pillow and popped
it in his mouth.  "Mmmm." He moaned softly.  "No
wonder Soulboy liked this stuff so much."
He glanced at the clock and cursed.  Great.  Almost time
to meet the slayer.  Angelus sauntered nude over to the
closet and selected some of Soulboy's dreary clothes to
wear.  No slayer fluids were going to disfigure his new
threads.  Besides, everyone knew about Angelus' penchant
for leather.  It would cause suspicion.   His stomach
growled. He knew he'd better feed before he saw her or
things could get ugly. Angelus picked up the phone.
"Hello, room service?"
                             *******
"Why?" Willow asked, her voice wavered.
The other witch ducked her head to avoid seeing the  pain
in Willow's green eyes. "It just isn't working between us
right now.  It hasn't for a while."

     "I know.  But you're just g-going to give up on us?"
On me?
"N-no. We're just going to take a break from each other."
Tara said softly.
"Is it someone else?"
"No." Tara said. "It's not like that all.  I would never-"
" I just had to ask.   Oz . . ."  She trailed off. " Your
saying that it's just a break,
not a break-up."
"Willow,  I don't want to hurt you, but I think we need
some space right now.  I
need some space right now."
Willow sucked a deep breath in shakily.  "Alright.  I can
do that for you.  I want you to be h-happy." She was
composed until Tara closed the door of her dorm room.
Willow wrapped her arms around herself as a sob broke free.
 She needed to talk to someone, couldn't be alone right
now.  She decided to see Buffy, they could comfort
each other.
                                                 *******
"You must be hungry, Angel."  Buffy said as she pressed a
mug of warm blood into his hand.  He sniffed it.  Pig's
blood.  What was he supposed to do with it?  He
certainly wasn't going to eat this slop when there were
perfectly fresh humans roaming the streets. Like that young
woman who'd brought up his 'dinner.'  Her blood had been
incredibly sweet.
Angelus waited until the slayer's back was turned and
poured it down the sink. He put the mug back to his lips,
careful to not actually touch any of the inferior blood and
gave her a smile.  "Thanks, Buffy."  His grip tightened on
the mug, he felt like smacking her in the head with it.
"I'm so glad.  I made some coffee cake. . . oh, you don't
eat food."  She had a distant look in her eyes.  Buffy sat
down at the kitchen table and Angelus followed her, keeping
a safe distance.
Buffy wasn't herself, she was moody and irrational. The
watcher seemed to think she was trying to assume the role
of mother for Dawn's sake.  Giles had pulled him
aside and proceeded to tell him every single thing the
slayer had done during the day.  Something about cooking
and fussing over her kid sister. Angelus had been trying
very hard not to pay attention.
"She's really gone." Buffy's face crumpled again.  Tears
began to stream down her face, Angelus shoved a box of
tissues across the table to her.  Ha!  No more tear
stained shirts!
"Yes.  She's gone." Angelus' made his face look somber.
Without warning Buffy stood up and sat down again on his
lap. He had a sense of impending doom.
"Angel." She said softly.  "Kiss me.  Make it all go away
for a while." She tilted her head to the side, unwittingly
baring her neck to him.  Angelus could feel his teeth begin
to elongate. Oh, yes he would make it all go away. Make her
go away. Permanently.
"Buffy?"
Angelus would know that voice anywhere.  He pushed the
slayer off his lap, but she managed to land on her feet
instead of the cold kitchen floor.  Angelus was
disappointed.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry.  I didn't know you had company.  I'll
go."  Willow said, almost in a whisper.  She began to turn,
ready to walk out of the kitchen.
"NO! Please stay!" Angelus shouted, then recovered himself
as he noted the bewildered looks on both the young women's
faces.  He cleared his throat. "Buffy needs
you too, Willow."
"B-b-buffy?"
"What?"
"I'm sorry to bother you with this now.  I had to tell you
because you're my best
friend. And I-I just didn't want to be alone."
"Tell me what?"  Buffy said, a little sharply.
"Tara and I broke up.  Well, no. . .we're on a break.
That's what she said, a
break.  Not broken up.  But, Buffy. . .I feel like we broke
up.  That's me. . .broken."
"Willow!" Buffy said with exasperation. "My mother died
and you're upset
because your girlfriend might have broken up with you?"
Angelus was still reeling from this bit of news.  Too
distracted to notice Buffy's tone.  His Willow had a
girlfriend.  He hadn't known he had some competition.   And
the little chit had broken up with Willow?  He would kill
this Tara.  Slowly.  Well, he would have killed her anyway
for daring to touch what belonged to him. But he would make
it painful for Willow's sake. The witch belonged to him and
Angelus would be the only one to give her pain.  And joy.
"I'm sorry, Buffy." Willow said, too emotionally drained
to argue with her friend.
"I'll walk you home, Willow." Angelus said.
"No, I need you here." Buffy said.  Her lower lip
quivered.
Angelus didn't let the contempt seep into his voice.  "I'm
going to walk Willow home.  Since you can't slay anything
right now, Sunnydale is getting to be a rougher town.  Do
you want your friend's death on your hands?"
"No." Reminded of her duty, Buffy was suddenly contrite
about the whole episode.  "I'm sorry Wills, I don't know
what came over me, I-"
"It's okay. I understand, Buffy." Willow walked over to
her friend and gave her a hug.  She really did understand.
Buffy was in so much pain right now that she couldn't help
someone else.  Buffy embraced her, pulling her into a tight
hug and Willow
relaxed. They were friends again.
"You'll take her home and come back here, right?" Buffy
asked of Angel.
"Of course." Angelus said slyly.   He had no intention of
following through on that promise.
                             *******
"Thanks for walking me home, Angel.  We've all been taking
Buffy's patrols but we can only do so much.  No slayer
super powers."
"You're more than welcome, Willow." His voice was low and
almost came out like a purr. She was too distraught to
notice.
"Goodnight, then." She said softly, turning her back to
him as she fit the key in the lock of the door.
"Willow, could I use your phone to call Buffy?" He asked.
Angelus knew she was anxious to be away from him.  He also
knew that he had no intention of leaving
anytime soon. She couldn't turn down his request.
"Sure." She bit the inside of her lip as the door swung
open and he came in
behind her.
He picked up the phone as she brushed past him on her way
to the kitchen.  He
pretended to dial Buffy's number and then had an imaginary
conversation with the
slayer.
"Yes, Buffy.  We're at Willow's house, but I'm going stay
with her awhile. "  He
paused a bit for effect. "Alright, Buffy.  Try to get a
good night's rest, you need your
strength." Angelus just knew Soulboy would say something
that inane.
He put down the phone and looked into Willow's eyes. She
was watching him
carefully. "I think you should go back to Buffy, she needs
you."
"She'll be fine.  It's you I'm worried about." Real
concern was in Angelus' voice.
"I'm fine."
"How long did you date her?"
Her lower lip trembled.  "I'm not fine, Angel."
"I know. Come here, little one."  Angelus held out his
arms to her and she went
into them easily. Willow was blindly seeking solace and he
would willingly offer it to
her.  As he stroked her hair and she continued to cry
against his chest, Angelus mused
that he didn't mind Willow's tears or her momentary bout of
weakness.  He pulled her close against his body, shuddering
at the close contact. The feel of her.  His Willow.
                             *******
Spike nearly dropped his bottle of whiskey.  He had been
merely walking by Willow's house when he'd noticed her and
the poof hugging.  It wasn't  like he'd
deliberately been looking for her or anything.  Sometimes,
a vampire just had the urge to
visit. . .Raimer Ave. Bloody nice architecture on the
homes. Spike continued to observe them.
 The older vampire was tightly clutching Willow to him.
Spike, after knowing Angel
for quite a few years,  new exactly what that clutch meant.
 Peaches should be ashamed of
himself! And with her best friend, no less!
Spike was torn.  He could run to the slayer's house and
show Buffy exactly what
the great poof was doing. . .or at least thinking about
doing to her friend.  Or he could
lie in wait for Angel and pound him into the pavement.
Option number two was
appealing. Very appealing.
Spike knew if he told the slayer she wouldn't respond
well.  She'd probably hate
him more.  The "Riley Incident" proved that. Stupid bint
runnin' after Rambo even though
he'd been paying vampires to suck on him.  She'd probably
stake him if he told her that her
precious Angel wanted Willow.
Spike got closer to the window, leaning against a tree.
Willow was crying.  The
poof made her cry? Spike's expression darkened.  Option
number two it was.

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