Distribution: Angel of Mine, TPWFLD, anyone else please ask first.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Angel, Willow and co do not belong to me. They are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB. All characters are used without permission. No copyright infringement intended.
Feedback: Yes please!!!!
Summery: Willow has a rendezvous with her future, not to mention Angel's.
Spoilers/Warnings: Up to Surprise. Angel never lost his soul, he and Buffy never slept together. Oz isn't around.
< > Indicates thoughts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A deserted warehouse just outside of Sunnydale.
"She must be dealt with!"
"The slayer is our priority, we must stay focused with the task at hand."
"The girl is an unstable element to the operation."
"If this is true then she will be dealt with when the need arises"
"We cannot take that risk, she must be dealt with now, once she is out of the way nothing shall stand between us and the slayer."
"Liam..."
"Katelyn, I understand your reluctance but we are at the final stages. We cannot afford to risk something going wrong."
"You really believe that if this girl interferes that she could stop us from our intentions towards slayer?" She asked.
"Yes I do. She must be dealt with." Liam said.
"I will see to it." Katelyn said, and with that she left the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow walked into her room and flopped down onto her bed. She had gone to the Bronze tonight with the others and had been looking forward to a relaxing night out. However, that had not been the case.
She had spent practically the entire evening by herself, sitting alone at the table. Xander and Cordelia had spent most of the night dancing with each other and had then left to spend some time alone. Buffy had been much the same, dancing with guy after guy. Buffy spent most nights at the Bronze like this ever since she and Angel had broken up. She had eventually left to patrol at some point during the night, telling her last dance partner to inform Willow she was gone.
With her friends gone Willow had had to call Giles to ask for a lift home. Knowing all to well the dangers that lurked in the darkness.
Sighing to herself Willow got up and started walking over to her computer planning to check her mail. However half way there she doubled over in pain and fell to the floor slipping into unconsciousness.
The Warehouse
Liam walked into study to find Katelyn standing in a protective circle and in the middle of performing a spell.
"...I call upon the fate's Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. I call up upon thee. Grant me thy power of time and space....Send thy child far from here, send her to the place where it has come to pass!"
All of sudden Katelyn's eyes turned a blinding white and she collapsed onto the floor.
Regaining his senses after being temporarily blinded, Liam walked over to Katelyn and picked her up, carrying her out of the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow awoke slowly and realized that the overwhelming pain that she had been feeling moments earlier was gone. Getting up slowly Willow looked around and realized that she was no longer in her room but an alley, she also noticed it was no longer night but instead the sun was shining brightly down upon her.
Realizing that she had been out for quite some time Willow left the ally and came to a dead stop. Looking around her Willow was puzzled by what she saw. She was still in Sunnydale, that she was sure of due to the fact that Sunnydale high was opposite her. However things were different. Looking at the people around her Willow noticed the clothes styles were different, as were the styles of cars. Willow was getting a very bad feeling about this.
Picking up a discarded newspaper Willow instinctively looked at the date and gasped at what she saw....Friday, May 12th 2006.
End Part 1
Friday, May 12th 2006.
<Friday, May 12th 2006. > Willow lowered the paper as the realization sunk in. <May 12th 2006. Seven years, I'm seven years in the future. >
Pushing down the panic that was starting to build inside of her, Willow put down the paper and started to walk down the street, trying to process what she had just read. Her rational mind was telling her that this was impossible, that time travel was impossible, but no matter how hard Willow tried to tell herself this she just couldn't shake the feeling that she was wrong.
<If only I knew for certain, but who could I ask for help? Where could I go? > Willow wondered.
As she pondered this Willow narrowly missed walking into a group of giggling school children leaving a local shop. As Willow walked past them a fragment of their conversation caused her to stop dead in her tracks.
"…That's right, so I'm going to have stop of at the library first to pick up my books and…."
Smacking her hand against her forehead Willow could not believe she hadn't though of it before.
<The library, of course! Giles will be there and he'll be able to help me! >
With that Willow
turned around and started heading back towards the school in hopes of finding
some answers to the many questions that she had.
30 Minutes Later.
Willow paced back and forth nervously as she once again found herself opposite the school.
< Come on Rosenberg, > Willow thought. < What are you afraid of? >
Sighing to
herself Willow sat down on a nearby bench. She knew exactly what she was
afraid of.
Half an hour ago it had all seemed so simple. She would walk into the library, find Giles there and he would tell her everything was okay. That it was still 1999 and that there was a perfectly good reason for the changes she saw around her. Even if the impossible had happened and she had somehow ended up in the future, she had been sure that Giles would tell her that everything was all right and that there was a very simple way to fix it and send her back.
But now doubts had started to creep into her mind.
< What if he doesn't believe me? What if I tell him and he just laughs at me? > Willow thought worriedly.
Taking a deep breath Willow forced herself to calm down and think rationally.
< This is Giles we're talking about here. > Willow thought, < he'd never laugh at me, and even if he didn't believe me he's been living on the Hellmouth too long to just dismiss the idea. >
Feeling slightly better now, Willow rose from her seat and started to make her way through the crowds towards the school.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow walked
down the now deserted halls of Sunnydale High, the bell signalling the
start of class having rung only moments earlier. As a few stragglers ran
past her, Willow found herself glad for the peace and quiet. It gave her
time to think about how on earth she was going to explain this to Giles
without seeming crazy. It also meant that with everyone in classes she
would be able to tell him alone, without the others there to distract her.
The Library
Willow slowly walked into the library, not surprised to find it empty. Looking around Willow observed that everything seemed almost exactly the same as it had the last time she was there.
< Well at least that's something. > Willow thought. < I mean, if I were in the future things would be different right? >
Realising that there was only one way to find out, Willow moved away from the door and into the centre of the room.
"Giles?" Willow called out. "Giles are you here?"
When she received no answer Willow assumed that he must have been somewhere else in the school. < Snyder has probably cornered him somewhere. > Willow thought with an amused smile on her face. < Well I guess I'll just have to wait till he gets back. >
Realising that
she may be in for a long wait, Willow walked over to a nearby shelf and
started looking for a book to read.
Browsing through the various titles, Willow finally chose a book about myths and legends, figuring that the knowledge may come in useful one day.
Walking over to the table Willow was about to sit down when a voice from behind stopped her.
"Can I help you?"
Turning around expecting to see Giles Willow was surprised to find a man in his late twenty's carrying a stack of papers facing her.
Taking in his appearance Willow guessed him to be a substitute teacher or similar looking for a quiet place to mark his students work.
"Um, I'm looking for Mr. Giles." Willow said.
"Who?"
"Mr. Giles, he's the school librarian."
Putting his papers down on the table that man looked at Willow, confusion clearly written on his face.
"I'm sorry miss but I believe there has been some mistake."
"Wh…why?" Willow said, suddenly feeling worried.
"Because I'm
the school's librarian, and I've been working here for nearly five years
now and have no idea who this Mr. Giles is."
Willow stood motionless at hearing this news, the shock on her face evident. The only indication that she was still alive was the book slowly dropping from her fingers.
End Part 2
Leaning on the table to steady herself, Willow took a deep breath and turned towards the man who had unwittingly shattered any hope she had of finding answers.
Matthew looked at the girl in front of him, his confusion still evident. He wasn't too sure what was going on here. He had assumed her to be a student, but when it became apparent that she had no idea who he was he had guessed her to be a university student or the like. But that was not what was bothering him. He didn't quite understand her reaction when he told her he was the Librarian. She was acting as if she had just been told that someone she knew had died, not just that he didn't know who this Mr Giles was.
Forcing down all the emotions that were currently running through her body, Willow met the eyes of the librarian.
"You're the librarian?"
"Um, yes. I'm Matthew...Matthew Maxwell," He said extending his hand out.
"It's nice to meet you," Willow said as she shook his hand.
<Okay, this is really starting to totally freak me out. First I feel all funny and end up here in what appears to be the future, now this man is saying he's the librarian and he doesn't know Giles. Now would be a good time to start panicking. > Willow thought to herself.
"Um, I was wondering, are you okay? You looked a little pale a moment ago."
"Oh...I'm fine. You just caught me off guard. I was...um...told by someone that Mr Giles was the librarian that's all, I wasn't expecting you," Willow lied nervously as she bent down to retrieve the fallen book and placed it on the table.
Realizing that there wasn't much point staying there, and not wanting to have to do anymore explaining, Willow started to walk towards the doors.
Stopping in front of the librarian Willow looked up at him.
Um, look, I'm sorry to have troubled you. I'll just be going now."
"Oh, okay. Well it was nice to meet you...Um?"
"Willow. Willow Rosenberg."
"Well, it was nice to meet you Willow. Feel free to stop by any time if you need a book." he said with a slight smile.
"Thanks, it was nice to meet you too. Sorry to have been a problem." And with that Willow left the library and headed outside.
"No problem, no problem at all." Matthew said as the doors swung shut behind Willow.
Outside of Sunnydale High School
Willow left the school grounds and started to walk aimlessly down the street. As she walked past shop after shop, Willow's head started to spin.
<What the hell is going on here? > Willow thought.
<Is it possible, have I actually gone forward in time? >
As she pondered this Willow found herself unknowingly heading towards her house.
As Willow approached her house, she looked up and suddenly realized where she was. Her curiosity getting the better of her she walked up the path to her house and looked through the windows gasping at what she found. There in her living room was a family she didn't recognize and everything else different too. The wallpaper, the furniture, everything.
Willow was just about to turn around and leave when the door opened and a woman stepped out.
"Can I help you?"
Composing herself Willow replied, "um, yes actually. I was looking for a Mr and Mrs Rosenberg. I...I was told that they lived here."
Giving Willow a sad smile she said, "Oh, I'm sorry but they haven't lived here for quite a few years. They left a short while after their daughter disappeared."
"Dis...disappeared?"
"Yes, it's so sad. From what I've heard she just vanished without a trace from her room one night. At first the police suspected that she had run away but, after talking to her friends, ruled it out. The terrible thing is that a few weeks later all of her friends went missing too. They never found their bodies though."
"O...oh."
"Look, I'm sorry I couldn't help you."
On no that's okay. At least I know what happened to then. Sorry to disturb you."
"That's alright. Take care."
"You too, thanks again," Willow said as she started to walk down the path letting the information slowly seep into her brain, not noticing as the rain slowly started to fall.
Later that evening...
Willow slowly walked along the street, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, shivering as the rain and cold night air beat down upon her.
Stopping for a moment, Willow was surprised to find herself outside the same ally she had woken up in earlier that day. Walking into it she leaned back against the wall, grateful for the little shelter it provided.
<It's just all so hopeless, > Willow thought to herself.
<What am I going to do? I have no money, no place to stay and everyone I knew is gone. I'm going to be stuck here. >
Part of her wondered how she had given up so easily but, after having visited all of her friends' houses and having the same conversation as at her house, Willow had run out of places to look.
Finally letting the events of the past day come to the surface, Willow slowly slid down the wall until she rested on the ground.
Drawing her legs up to her chest, Willow lowered her head to her knees and started to sob quietly in despair until sleep finally claimed her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows and approached the sleeping form against the wall. Staring at her in disbelief for a moment he walked over to her, carefully picking her up into his arms and headed out of the ally.
End Part 3
Somewhere in Sunnydale, 2006.
Slowly, Willow started to wake up. Stretching out her tired limbs she tried to open her eyes but didn't yet have the energy.
Stifling a yarn, she rolled over in the bed to get more comfortable. After a few moments of fidgeting Willow decided to snuggle deeper under the covers instead.
<Covers?!> Willow thought suddenly opening her eyes as she shot up in the bed, wide-awake.
Taking a moment to calm her heart, Willow looked around to survey her surroundings. It quickly become clear that she was not in the ally she last remembered being in, but a bedroom, although sparsely furnished, as only a dress, chair, nightstand and the bed itself occupied the room.
Looking back down Willow was also puzzled by the bed itself. Although the sheets and pillows appeared to be silk, she also had big fluffy duvet over her. Not normally the choice to go with silk in her mind.
Willow was about to climb out of the bed to try the door when she caught a slight movement out of the corner of her eye.
Looking deeper into the shadows, Willow slowly made out the outline of a person.
< A man judging by the shape of him. > Willow though to herself.
Unconsciously sinking farther back into the bed Willow contemplated trying to run. After all, it was very rare that people helped others in Sunnydale at night, and Willow was all too aware of what lurked in the dark.
Summoning up courage she didn't know she had, Willow decided to try talking to this figure first before she tried to run.
"Wh...who are...y..you?" Willow said, unable to stop her voice from wavering.
Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own.
"How are you feeling?" His voice low, barely audible yet familiar somehow.
"Um...fine. I guess."
"Good, I was worried you might have been ill. You were soaking wet after all when I found you."
"Found me?"
"In the ally remember? You were asleep though so..."
"Oh right, the ally. I remember, I guess I'm still a little groggy."
"Look, are you sure you're okay? It was raining pretty heavily, and you were soaked to the bone when I found you."
"But I don't feel wet..."
Trailing off, Willow looked down at her clothes and for the first time noticed that she was no longer dressed in what she had had on before. Instead she was wearing an oversized white T-shirt.
"My clothes...they..."
"Oh, they were soaked, I had to get you out of them before you did get sick. I'm sorry."
"Um...that's okay then I guess..."
"Right...yeah." The figure said, appearing uncomfortable even through the shadows.
It was at that moment Willow knew why she had vaguely recognized him. Everything about him was familiar. The clothes, the voice, his actions.
"...A...Angel?"
As Willow waited for a reply to her question, she observed the figure in front of her.
Shifting nervously for a moment, he quickly retreated back farther into the shadows.
As it became clear that an answer would not be forthcoming she decided to ask again.
"Angel?"
Finally answering, the figure once again spoke in whispered tones.
"Um, I'm sorry. You're mistaken."
Knowing that no matter what he said she was right, Willow decided to challenge him.
"I don't think so..."
"Look, they'll be plenty of time for questions later on. Right now your still tired. Why don't you try to get some more rest okay?"
Even though Willow was reluctant to agree, espically seeing as he hadn't answer her question, she had to admit that she was exhausted.
Giving a sigh of resignation, and deciding she could try and find out his identity when she fully rested, Willow lay back down on the bed, and closed her eyes.
Waiting till he heard her breathing slow, Angel emerged from the shadows and walked over to the bed. Pulling the covers higher up over her, he smoothed a few stray strands of hair away from her forehead and exited the room.
Before he did though, he was sure her heard Willow mumble goodnight to him...and something about frogs.
End Part 4
When Willow woke again it was morning. Looking around, she found Angel nowhere to be found. Or at least she thought…hoped it was Angel.
Getting out of bed, Willow looked around for her clothes but can up empty handed.
Remembering his words the night before, Willow walked over to the bedroom door, hoping to find them elsewhere drying.
Opening the door, Willow walked down the corridor and stopped at the first door she came across, a bathroom. Finding no signs of her missing garments there, Willow shut the door and continued walking, unconsciously pulling the T-shirt lower to try and cover herself some more.
After checking several rooms, Willow had found a study, an empty room and a closet.
Coming to the end of the corridor, Willow walked out into what appeared to be the living room, although it was hard to tell with the thick drapes that covered the windows blocking out almost all of the light.
Looking around the room, Willow noticed the front door, and filed that information away in her memory just in case she needed to leave in a hurry.
Part of her was wondering why she didn't leave now while she ad the chance, but she had to know weather of not it was Angel who had found her, because If it was, he might be able to send her home.
Walking around the room, Willow noticed a kitchen to her right and another room just to the left of it.
Walking out to it, she slowly turned the knob and opened the door.
Moving into the room, Willow glanced round the room, with what little light slipped past the curtains covering the window.
Her eyes continuing to roam around the room, she came across a bed in the far corner.
Walking up to it, she sucked in a sudden breath at which he saw.
<Angel! >
Noticing him shift on the bed, Willow held her breath for a moment worried that she had woken him. When he stilled his movements however, she took in a shaky breath relived.
It was then that something occurred to her.
<Why is he sleeping in this room? He could have easily put me in here and slept in his own bed. >
Seeing him shift one more, Willow heard a spring twang and the bed creak.
<So that's why. It's not very comfortable. >
Biting her lip, Willow considered waking him and letting him have his own bed back when she changed her mind, realizing that Angel wouldn't let her, that he would insist that she had the comfy bed. She also realized that waking a vampire up might not be the best of ideas, even if he did have a soul.
Turning around, Willow was about to leave when she stopped and walked back over to Angel.
<We're the same now. > Willow thought to herself, <Both alone. Well not anymore. > Willow thought as she gently sat on the bed. <We have each other. >
Slipping between the covers, she briefly wondered what she was doing, and then she realized. < I don't want to be alone again. >
Resting her head on the pillow, Willow didn't protest as Angel unconsciously pulled her to him, resting his head next to hers, his arm lying across her stomach.
Closing her eyes, Willow decided to just enjoy the feeling of Angel next to her and drifted off to sleep.
End Part 5
The next evening…
Angel awoke with the realization that he was no longer alone. Opening his eyes, his suspicions were confirmed as he looked down at Willow, sleeping next to him.
Looking down at them, he realized that his arm was resting across her stomach and that his hand had somehow become intertwined with his own.
Moving his arm, he started to pull his hand away when Willow's hand tightened on his halting his movements.
Taking an unneeded breath he realized that he was stuck for the time being. Gazing down at her, he for the first time since he had found her took the opportunity to look at her.
Absently brushing a few stray hairs away from her face, he was surprise at the fact that she hadn't seemed to age at all since he had last seen her, just a few days before she had vanished over seven years ago.
As he watched her sleep, his mind drifted back to the events that had followed her vanishing.
They had never found out what had happened to her, even after all their searching and research.
The last time anyone had seen her was after they had all gone to the Bronze. Giles had given her a lift home and had made sure she got inside safely.
They had soon gotten worried however when she hadn't turned up for school and wasn't answering their calls. Concerned for her, they had gone over to her house to find it empty.
Checking her room, they found no sign that she had been taken, or that she had left or even ran away, all her clothes being there, as was her laptop.
After weeks of searching however they still had no clue as to what had happened to her. It was not long after that when everything had started to fall apart.
They had become aware of a plan to kill Buffy and had started to prepare for the coming attack. They knew that they would most likely attack the library and so after finding out the night of the attack they had left it and taken refuge at Giles house preparing to take the offensive.
Unfortunately however not everything had gone to plan. Midway through the evening it was noticed that Xander was missing. Leaving Giles house they had begun a search for him.
They had eventually found him in the library, retrieving something he had left there.
He still remembered how Buffy had scolded him for being so foolish when he had shown her what he had came to get. In the palm of his hand had laid a sliver necklace, one that he almost always worn. One that Willow had given him. He said it must have fallen off and that he had to get it.
Nodding in understanding, they had gone to leave when the doors had burst open and all hell had broken lose. A man and a woman had entered, surrounded by fighters and they had attacked.
Launching themselves into battle, they were busy defending thenselves when the man and woman had started to leave.
He remembered how he had gone after them in hopes of capturing them when they had turned around.
He remembered seeing the man raise his hand and a bolt of light fly towards him and throw him against a wall unconscious.
When he has came to he had rushed to the library, to find it deserted but for four piles of ash on the floor. All that remained of Buffy, Xander, Cordelia and Giles.
He had taken their ashes from the library and took then to the park and scattered them, letting them drift off into the breeze. He had broken off contact with what little contacts he had left soon after. Wanting to-
Turning away from her, he pulled himself out of those memories and tried to collect himself, wiping away the blood tear that had slid down his cheek.
It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to think about what had happened, but now that Willow was back it was all resurfacing.
Seeing her move beside him, he noticed her starting to wake up.
End Part 6
Willow slowly awoke with the uncanny feeling that she was being watched.
A feeling of dread sinking into the pit of a stomach, she turned her head around and came face to face with "Angel."
"Hello Willow." he said calmly.
"Um…I can explain. Honest!" Willow said hurriedly. "You see-"
"Willow, it's okay-"
"Angel no, just listen…please. You see I woke up and…wait a minute why am I explaining myself to you?" she said shooting up in bed. "You lied to me!"
"What?" Angel said, trying desperately to follow what was happening.
"You lied to me." She repeated. "You told me that you weren't Angel when I asked you after I first woke up."
"Willow-"
"No, you can't get mad at me for...sleeping with you cos I'm mad at you."
"I'm not mad at you Willow."
"And…what?"
"I'm not mad at you, why would I be?"
"Be…because I slept here with you. I was only lonely but…"
"Oh Willow, why would I be mad at that? You were lonely. You find yourself in a strange time, and everyone you know is gone. I can understand that."
"How did you know about that?" Willow asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What? About everyone being gone? I was there when it happened."
"Oh, right of course you would have been… Angel, would you tell me what you know about it?
"Of course I can but I don't really think that this is the place to talk about it. Come in, lets get up and I'll tell you everything over something to eat."
"You can cook?" Willow said shocked.
Angel just grinned wickedly and got up and headed out of the room.
"Oh, I can do all sorts of things with food." He muttered as he walked through the door, leaving an open mouthed and shocked Willow behind him.
A short while later…
It had come to their attention after searching the cupboards that while Angel may have been able to cook, he didn't have the food to cook with, the fridge containing only a few items.
But now Willow and Angel were sitting around the kitchen table, Willow nibbling on her cheese and tomato sandwich, while Angel drank from his mug, after Willow had finally persuaded him that it's be okay for him to feed in front of her.
And now, here they were, sitting down while Angel finished filling Willow in on what had happened since she has vanished, including the fate of her friends.
Wiping a fallen tear away from her cheek, Willow looked up at Angel.
"That's why I couldn't find any of them when I went looking." Willow said sadly.
"Yes, but it also explains why you're here."
"It does?"
"Yes, think about it for a moment Willow. It must have been the same people who sent you here that killed Buffy and the others, it's too much of a coincident not to be."
"But why would they what me out of the way? Why not just kill me too?"
"Maybe they saw you as a threat Willow, and too dangerous to try to kill you."
"A threat?" Willow asked.
"Yes, I mean you were becoming a pretty powerful witch when I last saw you. Perhaps they thought you may have been able to stop them is you stayed or if they tried to harm you."
"Powerful?" Willow squeaked. "No I'm not."
"Don't underestimate yourself Willow. Not many people could do the things you did. Soul restoration, getting me out of hell."
"How did you know…"
"I can't explain it Willow. I woke up one day and I just knew. But it was too late to thank you, by then you were gone…So thank you Willow. So very, very much."
"Angel, you don't have to than-"
"Yes I do Willow. Yes I do."
Smiling at him, Willow turned back to the task at hand.
"So…now we know what happened, what can we do about it?"
End Part 7
Sunset…
Picking up the leather jacket Angel had leant her off the bed, she put it on and walked over to the one mirror Angel oddly had in the house and examined herself.
Seeing as her clothes were still wet, not to mention dirty and wrinkled, she was now wearing yet another T-shirt Angel had lent her, and a pair of jogging trousers which were far to big for her and being held up only by the draw strings.
Her shoes some how had remained fairly fry and were now okay to wear and Angel's jacket finished the look.
Her long? Hair hung around her face and shoulders slightly wavy rather than it's normal straight appearance, as after she had showered and washed her hair, she found that Angel did not own a hair dryer, which was a little strange considering he amount of time he must spend daily on his hair to get it to look the way it did.
Satisfied by the way she looked, Willow left the bedroom and headed into the lounge to meet Angel.
They had talked until sunset, and now they were going to go and try to figure out what was going on.
Leaving the house they walked in silence to their destination. The school.
According to Angel, after the gangs 'disappearances' the school had found Giles' collection of 'unique' books. They had all be removed and boxed up, and taken to the basement, surrounded by a hi-tech security system, which Angel didn't have the computer skills to get past.
He had never found out why the books were so well protected, only that it was paid for by a mystery man and woman who obliviously didn't want anyone to get in.
But now he had Willow, computer genius, they could most likely get thorough and gain access to the books and began their research.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Setting the last of the books on the floor in Angel's living room, Willow slumped to an exhausted heap on the sofa, about the only surface not stacked up and covered with books.
Closing the front door, Angel walked over to Willow and took a seat next to her.
After several trips, they had finally managed to transfer all of Giles' books from the school to Angel's place without getting caught or running into any trouble.
As Willow had pointed out, it would have been done a lot quicker if Angel had had a car, but it was in the shop.
Turning his head to the side so that he could see Willow, it appeared that she looked like he felt. Exhausted. He would never again take for granted that Giles books were where they did their research, after all, some of his books were bloody heavy.
Butt at least now they had the books, they also had some clothes and food for Willow, after he realized that she did need to eat and have some clothes that fit her.
Sanding up, Angel headed into the kitchen. Come on Willow, why don't we both have something to eat before we get to the researching. I'll even show off my cooking to you."
Standing up and following Angel Willow smiled. "That sounds good, I think that at the moment if I see another book I'll scream. Besides, how could I pass up the opportunity to try your cooking."
"God, you make it sound like I'm about to poison you."
"Well, who knows, I mean vampires aren’t normally known for their cooking skills."
"Okay, well now that you've insulted my cooking before you've even tasted it I think I may just have to kill you." Angel said looking back at Willow.
Noticing the slightly worried look on her face Angel couldn't help but smile.
"You ever heard of death by chocolate?" he said, a sly grin on his face.
End Part 8
Willow stopped dead in her tracks, unable to believe what he had just said.
<Oh my god, did Angel actually make a joke? > She asked herself, then blushed at the other thoughts that had entered her mind at what he had said.
Angel continued to head towards the kitchen, trying to figure out why he had just said that he came to realize that Willow was no longer following him.
Concerned that something was the matter, he turned around to face her.
"Willow, is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.
Shaking her head, Willow gave him a weak smile.
"Um no, I...I just though I saw a spider," She said. "but it's gone now."
"Well, I'll tell you what. Lets get you something to eat and I'll protect you from any spiders you see okay?" he said relived that nothing was wrong.
"Sure," Willow said a smile coming to her lips as she followed him. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."
As he walked into the kitchen, Angel tried his best the hide the grin that was forming on his face.
He had seen the flushed colour of her cheeks when he had turned to see what was wrong. She had been blushing. Most likely at his last comment about chocolate.
Thinking about that sent him an array of images, ones which he hasty pushed to the side, instead focusing on making some tea for them both while Willow rummaged through the cupboards looking for something to eat.
Glancing sideways at her, he saw her find a bottle of chocolate ice cream sauce and blush again, and Angel knew had to get out of there.
Finishing pouring their drinks, he set them on the table and turned to Willow who was now busy cutting up a banana and putting the pieces into a bowl of custard.
"Um, I've got to make a phone call quickly, I'll be back in a second okay."
"Okay, Willow said absently as she rummaged around for a spoon.
Quickly exiting the kitchen, he headed for his room and sat down on the bed, trying to think of anything other than the red head a few rooms away.
<God, what am I doing? > He thought to himself. <I mean Willow's just re-appeared again and has just learned that all her friends are dead and you want to lick chocolate sauce from her body! >
Getting up from the bed, he started pacing around the room, trying to get himself and his emotions under control.
He had thought that all the years that Willow had been missing would have been enough to put his feelings for Willow behind him. But with her vanishing, and his never knowing whether she were dead of alive had left him no sense of closure.
As a result, what had once told himself was nothing more than a passing attraction to Willow had instead of dwindling only intensified.
And now fueled by her sudden re-appearance those feelings were once again at the forefront of is mind. Only now being confronted with her so suddenly again, he had come to quickly realize how much greater his feelings for her were now.
And now he found himself sharing his house with her, with only each other for comfort and companionship until they could fix this mess they were both in.
But to make matters worse they would continue to share a bed, after Willow had insisted that neither of them would sleep on the excuse for a bed in the spare room, and had pointed out that they were both be adult enough to share a bed.
But Angel wasn't so convinced. He wasn't sure if he could be in her constant company and not resist the urge to kiss her, to hold her and make her his.
And to make matters worse, he wasn't sure if he wanted to stop anymore.
End Part 9
Willow was sitting down at the kitchen table finishing off her meal waiting for Angel to return.
Wondering what was taking him so long, she was just about to get up and find out when she saw him re-enter the kitchen and head towards the table.
Watching him take a seat at the table opposite her and begin to drink his now luck warm tea, she realized that he wasn't going to be saying anything any time soon and decided to ask him a question.
"So how'd it go?" she asked.
"Hmm?" Angel asked distracted. "How'd what go?"
"The phone call?"
"Oh, um fine. Thanks for asking." Angel replied absently.
"Angel, are you okay? You're acting a little … well odd."
"I'm fine. Just a little tired still from carrying all those books back and forth." He said, hoping to sound convincing.
Willow looked at Angel across the table from her, her concern growing. Angel wasn't acting like himself, he was…quieter than normal.
Getting up, she walked around the table and leaned against the table beside him.
Taking a closer look at him, she noticed how he seemed almost paler than normal, his eyes firmly fixed on the table.
"Angel, are you sure you're okay and not getting sick or something? I mean you didn't breath in a load of the dust from the basement or something?"
When he didn’t answer right away, she raised her hand to his forehead to check his temperature, growing more concerned by his continued silence.
At feeling her hand come into contact with his skin, Angel sucked in a deep breath. He was sure that is his heart had still been working that it would have stopped the moment she had come over to him.
Standing up suddenly, he removed her hand and went to stand over by the fridge.
Noticing the puzzle look she was giving him he tried to explain.
"I'm a vampire Willow, we don't get fevers. We don't get sick. I'm sure I'm fine." He said reassuringly.
He knew however that he was not fine. That it was her that was making him like this. She was so close to him.
When she had walked over to him he had wanted to pull her down into his lap and never let her go.
Looking up to gauge her reaction, he saw her walking over to him, biting her lower lip in thought.
"Are you sure, you don't need to lie down or anything?"
"Yes Willow, I'm fine really. I think I'm just more tired than I though after carrying all those books. Guess I'm getting week in my old age." He said laughing. "But I do think you're right. I think I do need to get some rest, espically if we want to sort through all of Giles' books in the morning."
Relived that he wasn't coming down with something, Willow nodded her head and moved aside to let him pass.
"Goodnight Willow." Angel said stopping by the door and turning to face her.
"Night Angel." She replied, watching him head for his room.
Leaving the kitchen behind him, he quickly headed for the solitude of his room, hoping to get his mind away from the red headed witch.
Quickly getting changed, he slid in between the cool sheets and tried to sleep, only to have images of Willow fill his dreams.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow opened the cupboard door and placed the last few items from her meal away.
Closing the door, she headed out into the living room and sat down for a moment to gather and sort her thoughts.
She didn't know what was going on with Angel and she wished she knew. She wanted to help him with what ever was bothering him like he had helped her since she had arrived in this time.
He had been acting strangely since their trips to the basement to gather Giles' books, and whatever was troubling him was getting worse. And after what had happen an hour ago in he kitchen had confused her even more.
He had conpleatly freaked out when she had touched him, almost as if she had hurt him in some way, and she felt her heart ache at the idea that she could have caused him pain.
Signing, she got up and headed towards the bedroom, the room they would now be sharing.
Careful as not to wake him, she gathered her things and moved into the bathroom to get changed before silently slipping back into the room.
Walking over to the bed, she pulled the she sheets aside and slipped in between then, hoping she wouldn't wake him from his sleep. Looking over at him, she was relived that she hadn't and she snuggled deeper into the sheets, closing her eyes to let sleep claim her.
She had almost drifted off, stuck in the place where the real world and dream world collided when she felt Angel's hand slip around her waist and pull her to him.
She tried to pull away, but his grip just tightened around her, burying his face in her hair. Instead of fighting more, she allowed herself to relax in his arms, and finally drifted off to sleep never hearing the name that was whispered on his lips as he slept.
Her name.
End Part 10