Part 12

Mystique pinpointed Keith's life-energy, and went to meet her life-mate. They'd been separated for how long now? Twenty-five years?
More? Mist smiled. <He must be real anxious to see me again.>

She stopped in a small meadow away from prying eyes, and carefully lured Keith to her, without him knowing it was her. This had
always been one of her favorite games. He sometimes clued in, too, which made it doubly fun. However, today he seemed really out
of it, and was simply letting his feet go where they would take him. Or in this case, where Mist wanted them to go.

"Hello, tiger. Miss me?" Keith whirled around, startled, when Mist spoke from behind him.

"Mystique!" he grabbed her around the waist with a killer grip, and whirled her around. "You're alright!"

Mist chuckled. "Yes, I am. And although I don't *need* to breathe, I do enjoy it. So..." Keith blushed a little and loosened his grip.
"How are you doing, Keith? I hear Uncle Angel has been in a real bad mood lately."

Keith sighed inwardly. <There she goes again, denying there was anything between us. But one day... One day she'll see what there
is... I just hope that day is soon. I don't know if I can take much more of this...> He turned his thoughts back to Mist's question, and
decided to humor her.

"I'm fine. Very bored being Angel fetching boy, but it's better than being his punching bag." Keith noticed the look on her face. "No, he
hasn’t threatened that. You know what I mean. As for Angel's wellbeing..." he sighed. "He's been in a real stinker of a mood, but
Willow's been calming him down quite a bit." Keith noticed the tightening in her face at Willow's name. "You've met her. And you don't
like her? She hasn't... hurt you in any way, has she?"

"She can't. But she is Iztanzey. I can't help disliking her, even if she can't do anything to be. But Angel... she seems to be of the
better members of her race, however, so..." Mist shrugged, then quickly changed the topic. "So, what have you been doing with
yourself?"

"Catch up time?" Keith chuckled. "Although I'd much prefer we catch up in a bedroom..." he gave her an inviting smile.

"Men," Mist muttered as she rolled her eyes up at the sky. "They never change." She glanced at the sun. "I want to be at Angel's
again just after sundown. But that's not for several hours yet." She gave a smile and pulled him down to the soft grass of the meadow.
"I'll make sure we aren't disturbed."

Keith moaned as she licked at his neck. "I'm sure you will," he managed to get out. Neither spoke again until almost sunset.

*****

Willow slowly woke to wonderful sensations. She sleepily opened one eye to watch Angel playfully chew on her neck and shoulders,
occasionally giving small nips to taste her. She smiled and put her hands on his head, gently pulling his head away from her. When
he looked at her with disappointment and a little something more sinister in his eyes, she shushed him quietly before he could speak.

"You promised we'd talk, remember?" Angel made that weird sighing noise that wasn't a sigh, and nodded reluctantly. But that didn't
stop his hands from roaming. And that made it Willow's turn to sigh.

"You wanted to tell me something last night..." she prompted.

Angel nodded against her skin as his mouth had returned to its position at her neck. Willow moaned as he licked a sensitive spot.

"Angel..." she moaned, half in protest, half in longing.

"We're leaving Sunnydale." He mumbled this against her skin, but Willow heard well enough. She was completely awake in a second
and sat up, throwing off the surprised Angel. He growled at her softly for interrupting his fun.

"We're leaving?" He gave a short nod, and dragged her back over to him. "Why?" Angel didn't seem to want to talk about it. "Please,
Angel. Talk to me?" He glowered at her, his eyes threatening.

"We just are. I don't need to give you reasons, Willow. You're mine." He said it quietly, but Willow could not doubt the possession in
his voice. She closed her eyes, and sighed.

He pulled her down on the bed, and started to kiss her again. Although Willow was quite angry with him, but she couldn't refuse him.
Especially since he was being so gentle.

A few hours later, Willow awoke from her little cat-nap alone, with a sharp pain in her abdomen. <That's strange... I'm in the middle of
my cycle...> When the pain intensified and radiated through her limbs, she couldn't keep the cry of pain from erupting from her.

"Willow?" came Angel's voice from the outer room. "Is something wrong?" When he didn't get an answer, he entered the bedroom,
coffee cup full of blood in hand. When he noticed Willow curled up into a ball on the bed, he put the mug down and pulled her into his
arms, making her moan in pain.

"Willow? What's wrong? Talk to me!" Worry made his voice harsh.

"Hurts... so much..." Tears spilled from her eyes as pain lashed through her system, making her hurt in places she didn't know she
had.

"Where do you hurt? Should I get a doctor?" Angel carefully cradled her in his arms, trying to make her more comfortable. Willow
quickly shook her head at the suggestion, making her pain worse.

"No, no doctors. No hospitals. No..." her voice trailed off as she moaned in pain again.

Angel didn't know what to do. She seemed to be in incredible pain, and yet refused medical care. And if he did take her to the
hospital, he couldn't stay with her, as her parents had no doubt put a missing child report out on her.

"Uncle Angel? We're here. Where are you?" Mist's voice came through the door. Angel had been so caught up in his predicament
with Willow her hadn't heard the bunker door open. Mist stuck her head through the bedroom door. "You decent..." her voice trailed off
when she saw Willow's trembling body cradled in Angel's arms. "Is she okay...?"

"I don't know what's wrong with her!" Mist heard the helpless tone in his voice, and marveled at it. He'd completely fallen in love with
her. The kind of no holds barred love that she had rarely seen, even in her long life. A slightly mad light was growing in Angel's eyes.
"Can you help her?"

"Oh...." Mist automatically shook her head at his suggestion. Although she was a very good healer, heal an Iztanzey? She couldn't...

"Please, Mist. I can't lose her. She means everything to me."

Wracked with pain, Willow couldn't believe what she was hearing. <I mean everything to him? What's that supposed to mean...?>

"If I heal her, you'll just be under her thumb again. She'll hurt you, like Paul..." she cut herself off, not even wanting to think about Paul
at the moment.

"I know Paul hurt you, Mist, but Willow's not like him. She'd never hurt me. She loves me."

"An Iztanzey love a demon? Not likely." Angel could hear the scorn in Mist's voice, but knew that she was in pain.

"I know you loved Paul, and that the fact he didn't love you hurt you more than you could bear, but Willow does love me. I know it."

"How do you know," she snapped. "You don't know. Iztanzeys can't love. They aren't capable of it. Paul," she flinched as she said his
name for the first time in decades. "Paul was the perfect Iztanzey, and like all of them, he couldn't love. Just like your little tormentor
can't love."

"I do know, Mist. Just like you and Keith love each other without ever saying the words." Mist looked at Keith, indecision in her eyes.
Keith wrapped his arms around her wife.

"Willow deserves to live, Mist." They all knew that if Willow wasn't healed soon by Mist, she would die. "She's never hurt him. I know,
I've seen them together. She does love him." He gave her a pleading look. "Heal her, Mist. And heal yourself in the process."

Mist gave a deep sigh, nodded, and turned to Willow, looking her deep in the eye for several minutes. None of them were sure just
what she was doing, but as long as she was willing to help Willow... Mist put one hand on Willow's forehead, and the other on her
breast over her barely beating heart. She closed her eyes, and whistled three high pitched notes, aligning herself with her power. Her
hands glowed green as the damage in Willow's body was repaired, and Willow stopped trembling. The process took an agonizing
fifteen minutes for Angel, as he strove to keep himself together.

"Thank you," Willow whispered several minutes later, once she'd recovered a little of her strength.

"You're welcome, young Iztanzey. Just beware. You *ever* hurt him, and I'll hunt you down and kill you in a way that would make the
pain you just experienced seem like a gust of wind was blowing across your flesh." Her threat clear, she strode from the room,
shaking with emotion. Keith gave them a small smile, then followed his distraught wife, hoping to calm her down.

"Are you alright, love?" Now that it was in the open, Angel didn't hesitate to address her as such.

"I'm fine, Angel. At least, I am now. Although..." she yawned. "I feel like I could sleep for a week..." Her voice was faint, and unable to
keep her eyes open any longer, Willow fell into an exhausted sleep, determined to figure all these confused emotions inside her later.

"Sleep well," he whispered, as he laid her out of his bed. <Now, the hard part... Deciding what to do next.>

End Part 12

*****

Part 13

Mist practically ran down the street to get away from the bunker. Keith had to literally run several blocks to catch up with her. "Myst.
Myst!" he called after her. She finally came to a stop, and turned to look back at him. Keith gaped at her, then shut his mouth. She'd
been crying. The only time he could remember that she had cried was when Paul had died. And even those were bitter tears, of a love
that hadn't been returned. These were tears of anguish.

"Mist? What's wrong, love? Why are you crying?"

Mist almost began to hyperventilate, despite the fact that she didn't need to breathe. "Oh, Keith..." She turned her back to him, not
wanting him to see her in such a weak position any longer. "I..." she stuttered.

"Come on, Mist. You can tell me anything, you know that." He went around her, and brushed the tears from her eyes. "Tell me what's
wrong."

Mist's head dropped, but she nodded. "Not here." She grasped the crystal around her neck, muttered a few words, and they were in
the grassy meadow they had been in earlier that evening. <She's full of surprises tonight... She rarely uses transportation spells...
Much too taxing on her powers...>

"Mist?" he asked gently.

"That's how it's supposed to be! How it supposed to be, but rarely is..."

"What do you mean, Mist?"

"Most demons... they don't have human emotions. Affection, hope, friendship, love." Her voice broke on the last word. "Some don't
even feel at all. Those that do tend to feel anger and hate, with occasional touches of lust." Mist's head drooped as she continued.
"But for those rare demons that *do* feel... Iztanzey magic made exceptions for them. They carefully paired with Iztanzey that they
could love. Would love. And then... they have the fourth step. The step that Paul failed." Mist sat down in despair, while Keith
wrapped his arms around his despondent wife. Mist couldn't take it anymore, and buried her head into Keith's chest, sobbing.

"Why did he fail it?" Keith asked softly when Mist stopped crying.

"Because he couldn't love me. He'd become... too corrupt. He'd become as unfeeling as the demons he tamed. So, the Iztanzey
magic killed him."

"How do you know this?" Keith was extremely puzzled. They'd gone over the whole 'Paul crisis' as he'd dubbed it, a million times
before. Why would she know all this now?

"I needed to know, so I could judge if Willow deserved to live. The Iztanzey is always able to love their human-like demon, if they are
still able to love. Paul wasn't... but Willow was. She was still... pure. Untainted. And I'm so glad she was... I wouldn't want Uncle
Angel to go through what I did." She took a deep breath. "They'll be together forever now. Or, at least as long as Angel's alive. I envy
them..."

"Willow's a mortal," Keith reminded her.

"She's an Iztanzey, and bonded through fourth-step to a vampire. She'll live as long as he does. I know this." Mist pulled Keith's face
towards hers. "I love you, Keith. I know I don't say it, and that I give you a hard time, but I don't know what I'd do without you.
Willow's... shown me what I was missing." She gave a self-depreciating smile. "I'll stop cheating and putting you down. After all...
we're forever." She kissed him with passion and heartache. Keith drowned in the sensations he had despaired ever receiving from his
emotionally-stripped wife. <She loves me!> He was dancing with joy inside himself. When the two finally parted, their eyes met, and
Keith knew that things were going to be quite different, and definitely not for the worse.

"Willow taught you?" he finally said, trying to clear up the last little bits he was confused about.

"You really don't think I just took your words for it? I had to check for myself if she really loved him. So..."

"You read her mind!"

"Cover to cover." She gave an unrepentant grin. "She loves him. And Angel is still as kinky as ever." Keith choked on laughter, as
they laid on the grass cradled in each other arms. <Well, at least I know some things will *never* change...>

*****

When Angel stopped his introspective brooding, he realized that Willow's eyes were open, and that she was staring at him. He
brushed her hair away from her face, and sighed.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked quietly. "Are you going to let me go?"

"Yes," he said with quiet anguish. "If that's what you want."

"You don't sound very happy about it. Besides, it would be a little awkward to restart your relationship with Buffy if I'm still missing."

Angel stared at Willow with incredulity. "I don't want a relationship with Buffy anymore, Willow. I don't love her anymore. I know I did
once, but... nothing's the same. I love you now, Willow. More than I thought I ever could. I feel like my heart might almost beat with
the love you make me feel."

"You... really love me? Not Buffy?"

"Willow, stop comparing yourself to Buffy like she's the start-all end-all of everything a man could want in a woman. You are in your
own way as special as she is. And it's *you* I love, not her. Clear?"

"Clear!" Happy tears filled her eyes. <I'm not going to lose him... I'm really not!> "But what do we do now?"

"We'll leave Sunnydale. Maybe head for the East Coast. I own quite a bit of property in Maine, and it is lovely this time of year."

"We'll stop by the library and my house first though, right? To say goodbye?"

Angel sighed. "Willow... Alright. If you really want..."

"I do want."

"Fine. We'll leave tomorrow. But for now..." He pinned her to the bed with a fiendish smile. "I have more pleasurable pursuits in mind."

Willow giggled, as he trailed kisses down her neck. <Now... everything's okay... I do have to leave Sunnydale to be with Buffy, but it's
for the best... Oooh... that's it, Angel... Right there... and I might never see my parents again... But I'll be with Angel... Forever...>
Willow squealed as he found *THE* spot, and she ceased thinking for quite a while.

*****

"So what do you think happened to her? She just up and left? It doesn't add up."

"You shouldn't lower your guard, of course, but perhaps that is exactly what she did. One never knows with Eternals. They are
*extremely* unpredictable..." Giles' voice trailed off as Willow entered the library, alive and well. He and Buffy had combed the town
last night in search of her, and now, here she was.

"Willow!" Buffy was up and out of her chair in a second, and enfolded Willow in a bear hug. "I was so worried about you. You aren't
hurt, are you?" She quickly took Willow in from head to toe, and noticed the rather prominent hickey from Angel's numerous feedings
on her throat and wrists. "Willow..." she said weakly.

"I'm fine, Buffy. I just wanted... to stop in to say goodbye." Buffy's eyes widened in denial, as Giles simply sat, as if expecting this
news. Just then, Xander came in. He took one look at his best friend, and grabbed her in a jubilant hug.

"Willow! You're okay!" He spun her around in a circle.

"Enough, Xander," Willow said sternly, trying not to laugh.

"Why are you leaving, Willow?"

"Leaving?" Xander almost dropped Willow in surprise. "You can't leave, Willow. You just got back. Leaving for where?"

"I have to, guys. I have to be with Angel. We're... bonded now. One of us can't survive without the other."

"Soul bond," Giles said quietly. When the others all turned to stare at him, he continued. "On the rare occasions that the fourth step
is completed, a bonding called a soul bond is formed. Basically, it makes it so that the Iztanzey and the demon can't be more than
fifty miles apart at any time, or terrible pains start. One hundred miles, and the Iztanzey dies. Without the Iztanzey to control what
remains of the demon inside them, the demon goes crazy, and commits suicide. The two remain in close contact to prevent such
separations from occurring."

"Angel's leaving, and I have to go with him. I *want* to go with him. We're leaving after we stop by my house. I want to say goodbye to
my parents, first."

"We can make you stay," Xander said.

"No, you can't, Xander. I'm going. Please don't make it harder than it already is..."

"We'll miss you, Willow. And if Angel *ever* mistreats you, just give me a call and I'll kick his ass for you..." Looking into her best
friends eyes, Willow knew Buffy wasn't dealing with this as well as she was trying to show, but Willow really appreciated the effort.
She was leaving behind all that was familiar, and it hurt, no matter how much she wanted to be with Angel.

"I'll miss you, too. I will." She turned to look at her best friend from almost birth, and gave him a tight hug. "Stay out of trouble,
Xander. I'll miss you." Tears welled in Willow's eyes. "I'll miss you all..." Turning, she slowly left the library, the others looking after
her, none of them dried eyed.

"Well," Buffy attempted to say cheerfully. "At least we don't have to worry about her dying anymore..." That said, Buffy burst into
tears, and buried her head into her Watcher's comforting embrace, as Xander still looked at the library doors that Willow had left
through moments before.

*****

Willow returned to the bunker and Angel with heaviness in her heart. The meeting with Buffy, Xander and Giles had gone fairly well,
considering, but with her parents... They had been jubilant to see her... And stunned when she told them she was leaving again, this
time for good. They had forbidden her to leave, and they had gotten into a huge fight. Willow had ended up running up to her room,
packing up the few things she wanted, and slipped out the window, tears streaming down her face the entire time. <I had hoped...
that they would accept that I was leaving. But of course, no luck there...>

Willow went through the open bunker door, noticed Angel was still packing, and curled up in their armchair. Angel immediately
noticed her distress, and crouched in front of the chair.

"What's wrong, Willow? Did things not go well?" Inside himself, Angel cursed. He knew that they wouldn't let Willow go easily, that
she was setting herself up for pain, but he hadn't been able to deny her heartfelt request. He was beating himself up for that now.

"My parents are going to feel so guilty that are last words were in anger..."

"You'll speak to them again... On the phone, and we'll come by and visit some time, alright?"

Willow nodded, and sniffled a little. "Are we almost ready to go?"

Angel smiled. "Just the last bit of packing to finish, and then we can head off." He pulled her into him arms from the chair. "You'll love
Maine, I promise."

*****

Willow sighed as she looked at the spectacular sunset. This had been one of the things she'd missed during her stay in the bunker,
and as a result, she now rarely missed a sunset. Angel would soon be joining her on the porch, as they simply relaxed and enjoyed
being together.

Angel stepped out onto the porch as soon as the last rays of the sun had vanished below the horizon, with a mug in his hands. He
put the mug down onto the table between the chairs, then shuffled Willow around until she was sitting on his lap. Willow smiled and
snuggled into him. <Some things never change...>

"Are you happy here, Willow?"

"I'm very happy, Angel." Willow smiled, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "We're together, and nothing is ever going to tear us
apart." She frowned briefly. "I'm going to miss the others, but we can visit them sometimes. And as soon as we're ready..." she
smiled brightly, "we can start making a difference in this world again."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Willow." Angel looked down at her with concern. "You aren't immortal like I am. You won't bounce
back..."

Willow shushed him with a finger to his lips. "I have to make a difference somehow, Angel. And if I never going to tame another
demon, then I need to do it by fighting them. Unless you want me to tame demon..." Willow smiled knowingly when Angel snarled at
her and pulled her close.

"You're *never* going to tame another, Willow. You're mine..." He calmed himself, and pursed his lips. "Very well, Willow. We'll fight.
But we'll fight together."

Holding her in his arms, Angel looked out at the forest that lay behind their cabin, and finally started to feel at peace with himself.

Mist smiled from her hidden location in the forest, and snuggled back into Keith. She'd been watching the two of them ever since they
left Sunnydale, to ensure the bonding was complete. What she had seen had nearly brought tears to her eyes, as she had *never*
seen a love as strong as what the two of them felt for each other. It gave her true hope that her Uncle, after two hundred and some
odd years, would finally be truly happy. And that, in turn, gave her hope for herself and Keith.

"I think it's time for us to go. Personally, I have no desire to be a Peeping Tom," he said, as he motioned his head at the two who
were now entangled in a loving embrace that would obviously progress to them soon loosing their clothing.

"You're right," was all Mist said, as the two left the cabin behind them, the sounds of Angel and Willow's eternal love ringing in their
ears.

The End
 
 

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