Friendship

Note: Text enclosed in < > represents thoughts or feelings. 
 

Willow woke with a sudden start as the comforter was lifted off of her.  She lay on her stomach upon the couch where she'd been dozing.  Unexpectedly, strong, steady hands began to pull her upright.  "What.?" she mumbled groggily, her eyes fluttering open.  It was disorienting and dizzying being moved while she was still mostly asleep.  Before she knew what had happened, Angel had yanked her bathrobe off with a swift motion, stripping her.  Next, he sat down behind her and gently positioned her arms behind her back, crossed at the wrist.  <!!!> 

"Angel!" she exclaimed, somewhat panic stricken as he began to wrap a piece of wide, solid leather around her crossed wrists, binding them together.  She tugged slightly, trying to free them but he stopped her easily.  His movements were swift and sure, as if he'd bound someone in this manner before.  He sat directly behind her upon the couch, so that she couldn't see his face.  "Angel...?" she tentatively tried again, trailing off with a faint whimper as he tightened the leather strap with a solid tug.  Still, he gave no verbal response.  Willow reached for his mind and ran into a solid mental shield that would have required a ferocious assault to penetrate.  That was not something she wanted to resort to just yet.  <What's going on...?!> 

Willow's confusion, disorientation and frustrating sense of helplessness mounted exponentially as he remained silent.  She was buck naked and bound.  "Angel, what are you doing?"  Willow pleaded, as he cinched the belt securing her wrists.  He checked carefully to be certain the fit was snug, but not too tight, and that it did not interfere with her circulation.  She sucked in a shaky breath, trying to calm her pulse and respiration.  <He's always gentle with me...  There's absolutely nothing to be concerned about...!!> 

His arms came around her from behind.  With possessive fingers, he reached around her to cup and squeeze each of her tender young breasts.  For a moment he fondled and massaged them appreciatively.  Then, he scooted up against her, drawing her back to his chest.  His mouth settled next to her ear, his lips barely grazing her flesh.  "Trust me, Willow?" he whispered directly into her ear.  His voice was dark and sultry, a balmy caress in her ear channel that sent shivers along her spine.  His hands slid down off her breasts, lightly caressing her stomach, and then settled suggestively upon her hips.  His petting touch told her exactly what she needed to know.  He intended to take her like this.  Bound. 

"Y-y-y-es," her voice quavered, as did her body.  Despite the unwavering trust she had in him, he was scaring her silly.  Again.  Angel's chuckle was as dark as his nature.  Affectionately, he nuzzled her neck, while his hands continued to explore her body.  He leisurely stroked up and down the length of her body from thighs to breasts, his hands roaming as they pleased.  The tension and anticipation were torture; her vagina was already hot and wet with anticipation.  "Angel?" she whimpered, as he took what he wanted.  He inhaled deeply, drinking in her sweet, rich aroma.  "Why are you doing this?" she asked, quivering uncontrollably.  <I feel like a rabbit's nose...!> 

"Because I can," he replied with a sexy chuckle.  His hand settled over the juncture of her thighs.   Angel's fingers gently strummed the soft curls of her pubic hair before he probed her sex briefly with a single digit.  Lightly, he traced her inner folds before withdrawing.  His fingertip came away wet.  Willow sucked in a shocked, shuddering breath as he brought the index finger to his lips.  From the corner of her eye, she watched his tongue extend to lick the tip clean.  To her horror, she nearly climaxed as his lips closed around the digit, sucking it appreciatively.  He actually had the nerve to smack his lips.  Willow nearly died. 

"Angel, you're bad!" she hissed with shocked sensibilities.  His warm laugh melted through her being, and her vagina continued to clench, still threatening climax.  Willow's own aching response left no doubts in her own mind about just how aroused she really was.  A devilish grin teased his lips as he drifted closer to her ear.  His hand brushed her long hair aside and his lips touched the sensitive shell, tracing along its delicate curve.  "R-r-really bad!"  He had the audacity to chuckle and bit her ear lobe lightly.  She whimpered, wondering if she should just beg for mercy now and get it over with.  <Not that it would do me any good.!!> 

"I love you," he purred, his deep and throaty voice reaching all of the way into her gut.  He kissed the side of her throat with utter reverence as his hands resumed their leisurely perusal of her naked body.  Gooseflesh rose up along her arms and the back of her neck as tiny shivers wracked her body.  Her nipples hardened into pebble-hard nubs which Angel's fingers found and squeezed lightly.  His callused palms then rubbed over them, aggravating her hyper-sensitive flesh.  Willow suppressed a tormented moan, unable to control the slight involuntary buck of her hips.  Her sex ached, begging and pleading to be filled. 

Willow was speechless by the brazenness of his sexual onslaught.  She shut her mouth, deciding to remain silent instead of making a fool out of herself.  Angel had her helplessly bound; she had little choice but to endure his teasing until she found out exactly what he had in mind.  Luckily, it didn't take long.  He massaged and petted her naked flesh for a while longer, before tiring of the game and moving on to the next.  Angel moved to kneel on the floor, facing the couch and Willow found herself being gently turned towards him by his strong, capable hands.  <Now what...?!> 

As they came face to face, she realized that it was worse than she'd thought.  For the first time, it finally sank through her sleep-drugged consciousness that he was fully clothed and she as nude as a newborn babe.  Angel understood the power inherent in both his position and hers.  Him being clothed made her feel all that much more vulnerable and all that much more exposed.  He knelt before her, taking his own sweet time about surveying his victim.  She sat there, pretty and quite pink.  She looked virginal and helpless with rounded eyes, sleep mussed hair, and hands firmly bound behind her by a leather belt.  She pressed her thighs modestly together, that tiny act her only protection against his knowing gaze.   The longer he remained still, the more she wished he would act.  <He can't just sit there forever, watching me...> 

The strangest sense of disassociation struck Willow, as if she watched Angel and herself from across a great distance.  It was almost like watching a movie of two other people, as she mentally panned out to a god's eye view of the couch.  Raptly, she watched Angel watching her, and was struck again by his dark beauty.  He was among the most handsome men she'd ever known.  Those dark eyes, his sable soft hair, and that wonderful mouth which her eyes currently lusted after with silent longing.  The wonderful mouth smiled and his eyes caressed her pretty young body with an almost excruciating familiarity.  Then he leaned forward and took her mouth with his own, kissing her lightly, then deeply.  He delicately violated her willing mouth with his talented tongue.  Meanwhile his hands ran lightly  up the outsides of her thighs, to settle about her slender waist.  The kiss became a gentle ravishing as he quite thoroughly plundered her depths, taking what he wanted. 

When he finally drew back, her pulse pounded in her ears, beating double-time.  Willow felt reduced to little more than an eager mare in heat, willingly submitting herself before a stallion for mounting.  She was more than ready for him already, having needed no more foreplay than some gentle petting and kissing.  Her body knew him so well that her physical response was almost a conditioned reflex; she came into heat for him at the slightest touch or look.  Willow flushed deeply at her own comparison and tried to draw upon her pride to harden herself before his advances.  She drew her head high and pressed her lips together.  She made it clear with the proud tilt of her chin that she would never willingly submit to this treatment.  <Or, at least, not yet...> 

Angel pressed small, light kisses along her firmly sealed lips, to the corner of her mouth, and along the stubborn line of her jaw.  She stared straight ahead, desperately willing herself not to react to his seduction.  His closed mouth affectionately nuzzled her throat, his lips seeking and finding every sensitive nerve ending.  In one of the most endearing appeals he'd ever made for affection, Angel rubbed his face across her chest like a cat seeking attention.  He lightly bumped and nuzzled, kissing and cooing.  His lips and then his eyelashes brushed over her nipple and Willow's resolve began to melt.  <Nooooo...!!!  Don't give in...!!  He's just being sneaky...!!!> 

Praying for strength, Willow sent her gaze skyward and tested her bonds experimentally.  Her wrists were well secured, there was no extra give at all, and no way to wiggle out of her bonds.  Angel gathered a breast in each hand and squeezed them gently together so that his eager mouth could feed from both almost simultaneously.  The ceiling, she noted with intense interest as his mouth touched her bosom, was not stucco.  As his lips fastened onto her breasts, she fought back the urge to whimper and moan.  As his tongue lavished affection upon her nipples, she closed her eyes and forgot about stucco.  As his hungry mouth savaged and loved both of her breasts, she bit her lower lip punishingly in a continued attempt to remain silent. Then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Angel's mouth abandoned her wet, glistening bosom.  Cold air bathed her unpleasantly, causing her to shiver from the cold.  Her eyes popped open in denial as the sudden deprivation rooted her senses firmly back in reality. 

Angel suddenly scooted her hips forward, towards him.  Willow gasped and glanced down startled, as she lost her balanced and fell slightly backwards until her back connected with the back of the couch.  No longer sitting straight up, she was comfortable, even with her hands tied behind her back.  Then he grasped her clenched thighs and forcibly thrust them apart, parting her legs like the petal of a flower.  Her hips were thrust forward and her legs splayed like an opened oyster.  Angel, kneeling between them, finished positioning her hips upon the very edge of the couch to his satisfaction.  Willow tried to squirm free, and escape.  However, he held her quite firmly in place.  Having gone to the trouble of positioning her exactly as he wanted her, he did not let her move. 

His gaze drifted until he stared directly into the pretty patch of red hair growing between her thighs.  Willow could only watch, fascinated and helpless, as his mouth slowly drifted downwards.  She watched his face descend with excruciating anticipation, her captive gaze glued to his mouth.  Angel smiled deliberately and  glancing briefly up with mischievous fun in his eyes.  She quivered, as he sucked in a breath.  He waited for a moment and then blew softly on her sex, teasing and tempting her sensitive flesh with soft, warm puffs.  Willow gasped and arched upwards, begging for his mouth with her hips, tempting him with her proffered sex.  She gave up all attempts at pretending  to be unaffected.  With surreal slowness, Angel leaned forward.  He opened his mouth slightly, extending his tongue towards her cleft gradually.  The very tip of his tongue touched her clit and suddenly-- 

"Mrrow!"  With a demanding howl, Cat appeared out of nowhere and landed upon the couch.  With the soft patter of little kitty feet on leather, she rushed across the couch to Willow's lap.  "Meow!  Meow!  Meow!" she recited repetitiously, jealously demanding her master's attention.  Willow nearly fainted when Angel smiled and withdrew.  Her hips sagged against the couch in disappointment and her breath expelled with a forlorn sigh.  Meanwhile, Cat walked over Willow, dragging cold paw pads and small, sharp claws over her bare tummy.  Angel chuckled and picked up his pet before she accidentally scratched Willow.  <Or deliberately!!  I'm going to get you declawed, you little beast!>  Needless to say, Willow harbored few charitable thoughts for the feline at this time. 

"Poor pussy," Angel purred, rubbing Cat's head affectionately.  His eyes danced with amusement and his lips curved into an incorrigibly, smug grin.  "Just wants attention, doesn't she.?"  He trailed off with a snicker that made Willow want to slap him.  Willow glared, watching her smug, gray rival receiving the attention that was rightfully hers.  Her resentful gaze shifted to Angel, promising revenge later.  He met and held her eyes, understanding her meaning.  For a moment their eyes clashed in a silent battle of will.  Then he smiled and tossed the cat a fair distance, not watching to see if she landed safely.  "Scat," he muttered, his attention returning to Willow.  If she intended to take revenge, he intended to give her good reason for doing so. 

There was no hesitation, no teasing this time.  With the speed of a striking vampire, he turned his face into the juncture of her thighs and buried his tongue deep in her flesh.  Startled, her hips bucked.  He'd anticipated her break for freedom and caught her hips easily in his large hands, holding them steady.  Angel opened his mouth wide, trying to cover her completely.  His tongue burrowed past her labia, sinking deeper than she'd thought possible.  He thoroughly explored every nuance of her depths with his teeth and tongue, destroying and recreating her world.  Everything ceased beyond his mouth and her sex; he became her reason for existing.  Willow moaned, arching and gasping, scrambling desperately on the edge of orgasm.  Her fingers dug down into the couch, finding the holes Angel had torn in the leather the day before.  <Omigod...!!!> 

A spasm ripped through her vagina and her body undulated in a wave as she began to come.  She closed her eyes, opened her mouth to scream, and received the shock of her life.  Angel bit her.  He turned his face away from her sex and sank razor sharp teeth into the smooth tender flesh of her inner thigh.  She never saw or felt his face change.  The link wasn't open so she was caught completely unaware of any intent.  His fangs sank in, piercing her pale flesh with quick efficiency.  Then his fangs pulled out with a sharp, tearing pain that was almost pleasurable.  The wound was not superficial, or shallow.  It was deep, but did not hit an artery.  Thin streams of blood flowed freely and Angel caught them with his tongue, lapping eagerly. 

<WHAT...?!>   Nearly in a panic, Willow slammed the link open.  She reached out, mentally grabbing for Angel's mind.  He offered no resistance to her invasion and she sagged into a limp heap upon discovering him firmly under control.  He'd bitten on an impulse, not as a result of a premeditated action.  Angel cringed guiltily under her examination, expecting condemnation and a harsh reprimand.  He reminded her of guilty puppy caught in the act of gnawing up a leather shoe.  He continued to clean the wound he'd inflicted, however.  In a typically naughty and somewhat opportunistic fashion, he figured that since he'd bitten, he might as well enjoy.  Willow tried but she didn't have the heart to scold him.  Instead, she tried to relax.  <Between Angel and Cat I'm going to turn into a nervous wreck...!!> 

Fascinated, she absorbed the almost orgasmic pleasure he took from simple act of biting and the small amount of blood he'd taken.  For Angel, it was as satisfying as sex.  Willow relaxed further as her wounds began to heal.  <If I'd known how much pleasure he derives from something so simple, I wouldn't have objected.>   She really didn't mind a little blood letting.  Indeed, sex and blood were becoming irretrievably intertwined within her mind, especially with regards to Angel.  It seemed hardly a lovemaking session passed without one or the other of them drawing blood in some fashion.  <Although, to be fair, it's more often me than him...> 

She let the link snap closed again, enjoying the mystery inherent in their game.  She didn't want to know exactly what he intended to do to her next.  With one last lick, Angel removed the last drops of blood.  He glanced up at her curiously, probably wondering why she hadn't condemned his action.  It didn't take him long to conclude she was too soft to reprimand him properly.  His expression changed from guilty puppy to that of a kid loose in a candy store.  Abruptly, Willow realized that she'd miscalculated.  Badly.  <UH-OH!!  He probably thinks that he can get away with anything now.!!!> 

Still kneeling between her parted thighs, he reached up and slowly began to unbutton his shirt.  Willow swallowed, her tongue absently licking her dry lips.  As each button unfastened, the shirt gradually parted to reveal a little more of his impressive physique.  Finally, Angel shrugged out of the shirt and cast it aside.  Eerie red light emanated from his shoulder, lending his handsome face an almost demonic cast.  Slowly, he stood in front of her and reached for his fly.  Willow's eyes were level with his hips; she had the best seat in the house.  With the arrogance and grace of an exotic dancer he began unbuttoning his fly slowly, stripping for her.  Willow's heart trembled and she swallowed convulsively.  His movements were deliberate and erotic as his pants came off, revealing his proud erection, heavily muscled thighs, and firm narrow calves.  She licked her parted lips again with anticipation that was worse than virginal frustration, because she knew what to expect and that he intended to make her wait.  <Lord, he's so perfect...> 

Intensely curious and yet innately shy, she leaned forward, bringing her face closer to him.  She'd touched him and had him inside of her, but she'd never actually gotten a really good, close look at him.  His erection was full and rigid.  Gravity dragged it downward, so that his manhood sprang out at a full ninety-degree angle from his body.  Angel remained statue-still, making no move to urge her closer, or to discourage her curiosity.  Gathering her courage, Willow reached for him, only to have her hands tug firmly at their bonds.  Her cheeks warmed; she'd forgotten.  <Drat!> 

Angel chuckled softly, not having missed the straining of her arms.  He took even greater amusement in her very obvious frustration.  His chuckle turned into full-fledged laughter as she continued to flounder in embarrassment, struggling uselessly against her bonds.  His erection was inches from Willow's face and she could smell the heavy, male musk of his sex.  Her eyes narrowed with annoyance at the excessive pleasure he dared take in her dilemma.  She felt as riled as an angry coon dog.  <I'll show him!!> 

Angel's laughter made him careless.  Distracted, he missed her sudden lunge.  Willow caught him easily between her teeth, taking his shaft almost half-way into her mouth.  "Willow!"  Angel almost shouted, sounding more than mildly panicked.  He panicked with good cause; she could do some serious damage to him if the mood struck her.  His hands hurriedly caught her shoulders, righting her balance.  Suddenly he seemed very concerned that she might fall because of bound limbs.  "Honey, let go," he urged gently.  His manner was no longer arrogant and dominating, but pliable and cajoling.  "Please?" he pleaded.  Angel was more than ready to beg, if necessary, to appease his disgruntled lover. 

"I'll untie you if you let go...?" he offered hopefully, trying hard to sound optimistic.  Willow snickered, absently shifting him around in her mouth.  She took him in a little deeper, making sure she kept a firm bite hold on him.  Her teeth were clenched firmly, but only hard enough to hurt if he tried to escape.  Despite his pleading, she didn't intend to let him go anytime soon.  She fully intended to teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget.  Plus the novelty of this experience intrigued her.  <'Honey, please.?'  He's not so smug anymore.!!!  Course, I don't want the family jewels damaged any more than he does, but he doesn't need to know that!>  Willow snickered again, her mouth closing around him as she swallowed saliva.  <He is a mouthful.!!> 

He moaned softly as her mouth moved on him.  Willow, being a fast learner, didn't require too long to figure out why he moaned.  Experimentally, she repeated the motion and he groaned again at the exquisite sensation.  His taste, his texture, even the reversed intimacy of their positions were foreign, and hence, intriguing.  Willow found that she enjoyed the power inherent in his vulnerability and his implicit trust that she wouldn't hurt him deliberately.  Curiously, she increased her suction, while exploring his smooth length with her tongue.  His hands tightened desperately on her shoulders and a visible tremor wracked his body.  <Hey!  This isn't nearly as difficult as Cosmo makes it sound!!  And if a cheerleader can manage, then so can a computer nerd...!!> 

Finding his tormented response to her liking, Willow continued.  She proceeded to suckle him like a baby at a mother's teat, gently milking him with her mouth.  He quivered and moaned again.  Then,  with a throaty growl, he gave into the impulse to pulse against her mouth with small measured thrusts.  His movements were not forceful or invasive, but rather a helpless plea for more.  Their game long forgotten, Willow released her threatening "hold" on his shaft.  Cautiously, she began to explore his length and width more thoroughly with her teeth, lips and tongue.  <Poor, poor Angel...  So helpless...> 

Willow knew that this part of a man was supposed to be extremely fragile.  As a consequence, she was extremely gentle and took great care with him.  Perhaps too much care.  The tentative, almost ticklish, touch of her lips and tongue nearly drove Angel wild.  The knowledge that this was her first exploration of this kind also made it worse for him; far worse than the experienced advances of any other woman might have.  Desperately, he struggled for control, reminding himself repeatedly of her inexperience.  Reaching the bushy base of his staff, Willow glanced  upwards curiously.  Angel's eyes were closed and his lips slightly  parted.  His handsome features bore the tortured stillness of a soul  being torn between heaven and hell.  <I wonder if I'm not doing this  right...?> 

Abruptly, his pubic hair tickled her nose.  Willow sneezed and blew the  hair away with annoyance.  Then she moved back down his length to take  him into her mouth again.  Casting caution to the winds, she bit him  lightly with sharp little teeth and was rewarded with his semi-pained,  semi-pleasured, and utterly tormented gasp.  Willow was immensely  pleased with his response; she found it most illuminating. <AH-HA!!  Rougher!!>   Angel's eyes snapped open and he desperately tried to issue a chivalrous warning.  "WILLOW!!  BE CAREFUL OR I MIGHT--" 

Eagerly, she suckled him hard, like a baby determined to draw milk.  She unknowingly turned her mouth into a hot, wet refuge for his member.  She was a teenage boy's wet dream.  Angel forgot about trying to be a gentleman faster than a rubber band snaps.  He thrust forward, trying to come home and Willow took advantage of his vulnerable response.  She  played with him unmercifully, inflicting upon him the same cruel teasing that he had repeatedly inflicted upon her.  <What goes around, comes around...> 

Their movements became rougher and more urgent.  Neither noticed the almost violent undercurrent of their passion as they became caught up in their wordless war, their silent battle.  Finally, Angel lost, coming in her mouth.  Spasms wracked his member, causing him to jerk defenselessly under her lips.  He growled as release tore through him, barely able to remain standing.  He began to go soft in her mouth and his manhood stopped twitching as the last vestiges of orgasm were expended.  For a moment, Willow was caught unprepared with a rather awkward dilemma, one she hadn't been expecting.  <Spit or swallow...  I remember Cordelia talking about this one too...  Oh well...> 

With a fatalistic shrug, Willow swallowed.  She scrunched her nose slightly but didn't really mind.  She'd almost completely shed both her squeamishness and shyness over the last twenty-four hours.  She and Angel had shared levels of intimacy far deeper than anything physical. She spat him out gently and kissed him one last time with a self-assured chuckle.  Slowly, he sank weakly to his knees.  "Huney let go?" she snickered, righting herself on the couch.  "Puhlease...?"  Willow laughed softly, loving the bewildered and bemused expression on his face.  <Poor Angel...!!  Looks like he's been run down by a Mack truck...!!> 

A smile tugged at his lips that bespoke begrudging acknowledgment and admiration of her victory.  Angel leaned forward, resting his forehead between her breasts and his arms against the couch, effectively pinning her.  "You make me weak," he confided to her, rubbing his face affectionately against her breastbone while he recovered his strength. Even vampires required a moment to recharge.  Willow relaxed, enjoying the tender moment of sharing while waiting for the next onslaught.  She knew him far too well to think this over or to believe that she'd won more than a battle.  The war wasn't over yet.  Curiously, his fingers slid around behind her to check her bonds, both for snugness and comfort.  <The belt's not too tight is it?>  His question popped into her head as his fingers lightly caressed her wrists. 

Willow briefly considered lying, knowing that he would free her the moment she suggested discomfort. She found the idea of completing their joining like this to be intimidating.  By remaining bound, she was essentially granting him free reign to do with her as he pleased. Still, she found the prospect to be oddly thrilling, and strangely titillating.  Her wayward thoughts renewed both her hunger and her silent frustration.  Willow still hadn't found release since Angel awakened her.  Feeling adventuresome, she pushed the nagging doubt aside and grinned gamely at him.  "Nope," she replied crisply, offering him her continued trust.  <Not like I wouldn't do anything to make him happy...> 

"Good," he grinned, pleased with her decision. Submissive and compliant Willow seemed to fascinate Angel as much as spirited and defiant Willow.  Suddenly, he leaned forward and took her mouth.  The kiss skipped right over all soft, tentative preliminaries.  He dominated her from the very moment their lips met, asserting his masculinity over her femininity.  The kiss was a battle, involving their wits, wills, and stamina.  As their tongues dueled, Angel wrapped his hands around her hips.  He dragged her off the couch onto his lap.  Their crotches briefly connected, and to her surprise, she discovered that he'd already reloaded.  <That was fast...!!> 

Angel knelt on the floor, leaning backwards. Willow dangled in his grasp, her upper torso resting upon his.  Her knees touched the ground, lending them some stability as his hands maneuvered her lower body skillfully.  Her legs parted eagerly for him and she assisted to the best of her ability, enthusiastically seeking his shaft.  He poked her with several inquiring little thrusts, not finding her entrance right away.  Willow snarled threateningly at him, issuing a warning from deep within her being.  Angel's answering chuckle both tried her patience and mocked her frustration.  She squirmed against him, leaving her juices smeared across his lower body every time they came into contact. <IN!!!> 

Willow felt her hold on sanity slipping.  Angel had begun this game over an hour before and she'd not yet been granted release.  Much more would probably drive her mad.  She even began to consider telepathic coercion as a viable recourse if he continued to travel this path. Determined to use physical force first, she tested her bonds again with all of her strength.  The leather belt held and her fingers wiggled crazily, clenching and unclenching in vain.  Once again, she tugged at her wrists.  Exactly at the very moment he finally chose to impale her; he thrust up hard, splitting her in half.  Willow wailed, throwing back her head and body with an involuntary lunge.  His hands caught her back in time to stop her from falling off and she found herself supported solely upon his body by his hands and his shaft.  Her eyes opened briefly, providing her with dizzying glimpse of the ceiling before they weakly fluttered closed again. 

Angel thrust into her again, hard and powerful.  He used his full strength to drive himself home, to ram himself up into her.  With blinding insight, Willow finally came to understand how much he'd held back in all their  prior lovemaking sessions.  He wasn't holding back anymore.  Assured of her regenerative capacity, of her burgeoning strength and resiliency, Angel took her energetically.  His movement were almost vicious as he mated with her the way vampires coupled.  It was almost an assault and among the most exquisitely torturous experiences of her young life.  Somewhere along the way, he lowered her to the ground and followed, still inside of her.  He never broke rhythm as their positions changed.  Her hands were squished beneath her back unnoticed as he beat down into her. 

Then, suddenly he stilled, almost but not quite withdrawing.  Willow exhaled harshly, flipping accusing eyes open.  He'd stopped just as she'd begun to adjust to the brutal pace and begun to approach climax. She glared, furious with him for daring to deprive her of satisfaction yet again.  Still joined to her, Angel hovered above her and stubbornly refused to move.  Willow's body was slick with perspiration, her pulse racing and her breath heaving.  Angel, of course, experienced none of the three.  He merely watched her expectantly with those dark, unfathomable lover's eyes.  She couldn't understand what he seemed to be expecting. <...???...> 

Not understanding, Willow used her feet to leverage her lower body and thrust her hips towards him.  By raising herself, he slid deeper into her; by lowering herself, he slid back out.  Even though his muscles strained at the exertion of remaining rock still, Angel refused to budge.  He growled, low in the back of his throat and displayed fang in a challenging snarl.  Feeling provoked, Willow bared her own blunt teeth at him and answered with a soft, primal snarl of her own.  Appreciation flashed in his dark eyes, but still he refused to move.  Abruptly, a little light bulb went on and she understood.  <He doesn't intend to move...  He expects me to...  He wants to see if I can manage...  And  for how long he can hold out...> 

Her frustration soared, the feeling growing exponentially at this new game.  First tentatively, by small degrees, she began to move.  Then, by leaps and bounds, she learned how to maneuver herself under him to achieve optimal results.  Her muscles ached and protested the unaccustomed exertion, but the satisfaction she derived was well worth it.  Sweet, innocent Willow, who'd never masturbated even once in her entire life, received a crash course in playing with herself.  She learned to tease herself on him, to hit exactly the right spot at the back of her vagina to elicit wonderful little spasms that racked her entire being.  Angel was the rock of Gibraltar above her.  He remained stubbornly, achingly still even though it hurt him far worse than it hurt her.  The stress of resisting her assault on his manhood pushed him over the edge.  He growled again, his face undergoing the Change as she came.  She barely noticed and certainly didn't care.  <Kinda kinky...> 

Still wanting more, she changed his angle of entry and increased the power of her own thrusts.  She pumped him unmercifully, using his shaft like a sex toy.  Her movements destroyed his self-control.  Angel began to thrust again as she finally came for the last time.  She began to collapse in exhaustion, while he desperately plunged down into her, seeking release.  For the briefest instance, Willow considered denying him final satisfaction by slipping out from under him.  It was a wicked impulse, one she immediately discarded.  <That would be mean...  And it would mean taking the game too far...> 

Instead, she tightly wrapped her legs around her lover's hips and welcomed him home.  Angel orgasmed against her with a triumphant snarl and ceased moving.  He stilled, but never relaxed enough to crush her slight form under his weight.  Willow sighed as he bent his neck, burying his face in her neck and she kissed his forehead lovingly.  They remained together for several long moments. 

After a while, Willow's nose began to itch terribly.  She twitched it with irritation, unable to scratch because of her bonds.  "Angel?" she whispered.  He grunted softly in response.  "Would you please untie me?" she begged, hoping that he wouldn't choose this as an opportunity to retaliate for her earlier mocking.  "Please.?"  Her eyes began to tear and her nose twitched desperately again.  She sniffed pitifully as he raised his head.  "My nose itches."  His eyes were bright with amusement as their gazes met, but he compliantly reached to untie her without hesitation. 

Indeed, both Angel and Willow felt calmer and stronger for their time together.  They'd built a strong relationship, founded in trust and intimacy over the last twenty-four hours.  Both felt healed and rested and Willow almost felt ready to deal with whatever might happen tonight.  But first, she had to get off this couch.  Willow yawned sleepily, trying to gear up the will to move.  <Ok, move...  Up...  I can do it...  One...  Two...  Three...> 

With a supreme act of will she lifted her head off of Angel's chest, throwing herself upwards.  She began to crash heavily down upon him after her brief burst of energy ran out and her muscles failed. Hastily, she slapped her hands up to catch and support her chin.  Her elbows ground down into Angel's chest quite uncomfortably as she stabilized her head.  His handsome features, previously relaxed as if in sleep, twisted into an unhappy grimace.  "Did I do something to offend M'Lady, that she feels it necessary to stake me with an elbow?" he inquired semi-caustically.  His eyes opened, his long lashes parting to reveal fathomless dark eyes. 

Willow grunted, seeing no need to dignify THAT with a reply.  Angel closed his eyes again, his face relaxing again.  She studied him thoughtfully, her mind still drifting.  He looked deceptively sweet and innocent.  <Angelic...>  Willow snorted derisively; she knew better. <Devil is more like...>  She sighed with mild exasperation, seeing that he apparently intended to go back to sleep.  <Well, someone needs to say it...>  "Shower?" she grunted, battling a mighty yawn. 

"Shower," he agreed readily, with a grunt of his own.  She waited expectantly.  He did not, however, move.  "You need to move first," he finally told her.  "You're on top," he pointed out, falling back on cold, ruthless logic which Willow couldn't dispute.  He continued to wait patiently for her to move.   Willow continued to lie on him limply, paralyzed with lazy cat syndrome.  His eyes closed again, as he began to drift off again, finally compelling Willow to move.  <Drat!  He's right!  Well, all right...  Here goes...> 

Through another act of sheer willpower, Willow dragged herself off of the couch and staggered several aimless steps before her balance righted itself.  She glanced back expectantly, only to discover that Angel had not yet moved.  She immediately turned and went to stand over him threateningly, her slight form projecting an ominous threat.  Things did not bode well for Angel's continued health and well-being if he dared remain prone after tricking her into movement.  "Are you moving?" she asked with a silky purr. 

Those lovely dark eyes opened lazily yet again.  He eyeballed her thoughtfully, assessing Willow's menacing form hovering above him. Sensing impending doom, Angel heaved a forlorn sigh and began to sit up.  "I'm moving." 

"Are you sure you don't mind?"  Angel asked, slowing once again so that Willow caught up with him.  He glanced at her curiously, wondering why she was having so much trouble keeping pace with him this evening. Willow, herself, was attired in yet another one of the absurdly frilly, and utterly gorgeous concoctions of lace, silk and ribbon that Sean had provided for her.  She also wore one of Angel's leather jackets, for protection from the cold.  Fortunately, Sean had thought to send more than one dress, or Willow would have run out of things to wear long ago.  <Angel is really rough on clothing...  Mine and his!> 

"Willow?"  Angel asked, trying yet again to get her attention. 

"Hmm?"  she glanced inquisitively over at her lover, and blinked her way out of her inner musings.  He was asking her a question.  She blinked again, frowning, and pursed her lips thoughtfully.  <Do I mind what.?  Oh!  THAT!!>  "Of course not," she assured him, smiling.  "It's the right thing to do."  Willow kept smiling and projecting confidence. She knew that Angel had reservations about leaving her side and she wanted to soothe away his concern.   <He needs to do this...  And I wouldn't dream of denying him an opportunity to say his last good-byes to his best friend...> 

"I won't be gone for very long," he stated firmly.  While his words were obviously intended to reassure her, Willow suspected that Angel really needed to assuage his own sense of guilt over leaving her alone. He intended to leave for a short while, after he'd met her parents, in order to pay his final respects to Father Matthew.  "Buffy will be there," he said, still trying to justify this to himself.  Willow nodded her head supportively.  She knew that this was immensely important to him, especially since he'd missed his friend's memorial service.  He also owed the priests some sort of explanation regarding Matthew's murder.  <I also suspect that he wants to make his final peace with God, even though he won't say it.  Angel's Catholic.  They do that confession thingy, I think.  Weird.  I'll bet he's probably one of the world's only practicing Catholic vampires.> 

"I'm sorry we never found out for certain who murdered Matthew," Willow apologized softly.  She reached out and laid a compassionate hand upon his arm; this lack of certainty still disturbed Angel greatly.  Life, however, was full of uncertainty.  Few things were ever for sure, and Angel knew and accepted this.  He turned warm brown eyes and a soft, loving smile her way. 

"It's ok," Angel said gently.  His hand engulfed hers and he squeezed lightly.  "Revenge was something that I wanted for me," he volunteered hesitantly.  His words were slow and cautious.  Matthew's death was still not something he spoke of easily.  During the last crazy week, the only opportunity he'd had to mourn was the night he'd cried in her arms.  "Revenge is not something that Matthew would have needed," he murmured.  They lapsed into a peaceable silence again, each absorbed in their own thoughts. 

As they approached school property, Willow slowed her pace to a crawl, heeding an internal alarm.  Beside her, Angel slowed also.  He glanced over at her curiously.  "What's wrong?" he inquired, becoming spooked when he saw her expression.  Her face was devoid of color, resembling a garish porcelain mask frozen in a horrified grimace.  "WILLOW?!"  He nearly shouted her name, demanding an explanation as he began to turn in tight, agitated circles.  He instinctively wanted to bash something. He hovered close to her, prepared to attack or defend against the unseen, unnamed threat the moment it manifested itself. 

Unable to locate the source of her terror, he finally whirled and caught her up in his arms.  He forced the link open and barged into her mind, snarling protectively.  Angel's aggressive invasion shocked Willow out of her horrified stupor.  "Evil," she gasped, unable to express verbally the depths of her revulsion.  She sensed evil; pure, malevolent, malicious evil.  Her stomach turned somersaults at the sheer depth and scope of the manifestation.  <Can't you feel it?!> 

Abruptly, Angel understood.  "The Hellmouth," he explained, settling his essence protectively over hers.  The evil emanations did not disturb him at all.  "You're feeling the Hellmouth.  The entrance to the Abyss is directly under the library."  His own awareness of the Hellmouth was marginal compared to hers.  With Angel's help, Willow began to reconstruct her shields.  She'd dropped them in shock when the malignant energy caught her unprepared.  "It's ok," he murmured reassuringly, gathering her close in his arms.  <It can't reach out and hurt you directly...  That's why there are monsters in the dark...> 

"You don't understand!"  Willow gasped, gesturing futility with her hands.  "It's sentient," she hissed at him, as her hands clenched into fists.  She beat her fists against his chest in a gesture of pure frustration and fear.  She was vividly aware of the Hellmouth's mind, of its consciousness.  Unable to absorb anymore, she dumped the assorted impressions into Angel's mind like a heap of unsorted, unprocessed garbage.  She also dumped her feelings of horror, fear, and disgust for good measure.  It really wasn't fair to him, but he was capable of dealing with such things far better than she.  He accepted them without comment or complaint.  Willow sighed with relief, glad to be rid of the ugliness. 

"I do understand," Angel whispered into her hair, seeking to reassure her.  "And yes, the Hellmouth is sentient."   He turned her towards the library and settled a protective arm over her shoulders.  "Come on, your parents are waiting for us," he urged gently.  They resumed their rambling walk, once again heading in the right direction.  <Keep your shields up from now on, Willow.  Don't open yourself up to it or it will drive you mad.> 

Willow industriously went about reestablishing the strongest, most solid shield she could manage while they trudged along in amiable silence.  Without conscious thought, she wove Angel into her shields, combining their respective strengths and protecting their respective vulnerabilities. The Hellmouth retreated to the periphery of her awareness, still there but no longer overwhelming.  <It's a good thing my ability has stabilized again...  At least I can tune it out, for the most part...  But it almost makes me GLAD that Principal Snyder expelled me...  I don't think I could stand going to school here anymore...> 

The walk across campus was short.  Occasionally, a stray thought or impression would cross over the open link from one companion to the other.  However, for the most part, each kept to the quiet of their own mind.  As they rounded the corner of the library, Willow glanced over at Angel cautiously.  "What are we going to--" 

Abruptly, Angel's eyes widened fearfully as he spied something beyond her, coming at them.  "Oh shit," he uttered the soft curse under his breath and Willow felt her eyes round with shock.  <Angel never swears aloud, even when he's really angry...!!!>   Angel yanked his arm off of her shoulders, shoving her out of harm's way. "Buffy, this isn't necessary," he cajoled, backing hastily up with palms raised in an attempt to ward off violence.  Willow spun and saw Buffy swiftly striding towards Angel.  The Slayer resembled a petite, blond Sherman tank.  A Sherman tank who was about to bulldoze Angel. 

"Oh, shit," Willow muttered in agreement.  Deep Panic set in.  <Quick!  Run!!  Hide!!!> 

Despite himself and the circumstance, Angel's gaze lit with admiration and warmth.  Buffy carried herself with the deadly grace of a weapon.  She was utterly magnificent and it was one of the myriad things he loved about her.  Buffy reached Angel and he again tried to explain.  "I can--" 

*WHACK* 

"LIAR!!" Buffy hissed, viciously palm heeling him in the chin.  Angel made no move to defend himself; his head jerked back with a sickening snap.  "YOU LIED TO ME!!"  she repeated, as if unable to believe or accept such a thing.  She swung wildly and Angel swiftly dodged to the side.  Willow floundered helplessly.  She couldn't even seem to muster the presence of mind to interfere telepathically.  <NOT GOOD!!  NOT GOOD!!  OH GOD GUYS, PLEASE STOP...!!!> 

"GYPSY CURSE!!"  Buffy exclaimed, throwing another punch at Angel.  This time her fist successfully connected with the side of his face in a glancing blow.  Again, Angel rolled with the blow and successfully evaded a kick.  "DON'T FEED FROM THE LIVING!!" Outraged, Buffy pounded him again for good measure.  Still, Angel refused to defend himself.  Unable to think, react, or move, Willow could only stand helplessly by and watch.  Finally, the Slayer grabbed Angel by the front of his shirt and slammed him up against the wall.  She leveled a stake at his heart, digging the point into his flesh.  "I'm really mad at you right now, Angel," she informed him with a deadly glare. 

Angel met her eyes evenly.  "I can see that," he observed mildly and offered her an enigmatic smile.