Pairings: Willow/Angel/Spike
Rating: overall NC17
Summary: Picks up where Hidden Emotions left off... Willow and Angel are mated, Spike finally has his body back and puts it to good use.
Distribution: My site: http://www.geocities.com/heathervamped
Feedback: Well, yeah.
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. :(
Spoilers: The story takes place during Angel season 5, so maybe a couple for that.
Notes: This is kind of a brief interlude between Hidden Emotions and it's full sequel, which I'm still working on. It's been a few months since I finished posting Hidden Emotions. If you don't remember what happened, you can go back and read it on my site.
Thanks to Jenni for the beta!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Angel reached out to touch the red hair that streamed out behind her on the black pillowcase as she slept. That hair was set alight by the sunrise, just coming in through the windows of protective glass in their bedroom in the penthouse. Her hair was silk under his touch, indistinguishable in texture from the material it lay upon. As his hand moved in the light, the silver band on his finger took on an orange glow.
His mate stirred, feeling the gentle stroke. Green eyes opened to meet his, and she smiled at him watching her wake up. She reached up to take his hand, her own silver ring shining in the light of the new day. It seemed that no matter how early she awoke, he was always up first, waiting for her, looking at her with those soulful brown eyes. She often swore that one of these days she would be awake to see him first open his eyes, but in the 6 weeks that they had been bonded, it hadn’t happened.
Willow chanced a look at the alarm clock and groaned, rolling over and huddling back down under the blankets, convinced that there was nothing that could be done at 7 am, that couldn’t be done at 8 or even 9. Angel grinned at the back of her head and then found himself in perfect agreement. Who was he to argue with the opportunity to hold her just a little while longer? Willow was already drifting off to sleep again. Angel pulled her closer, until her back was flush against him. He curved around her body, fitting them together the way they liked so much.
Angel found that he was not tired at all. If Willow’s hair looked lovely in the morning light, it was nothing compared to her skin. Laying on her side, her long white neck was exposed to him, as was one creamy shoulder, peeking out from beneath the sheet. Under the bedclothes would be a whole body of perfect white flesh to match. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. The hand that had stroked her hair slipped underneath the sheet and ran along her arm, dropping off at the crooked elbow to find her hip, and then her thigh.
He knew she was awake now. She knew that she should have known better than to sleep naked if she’d wanted any peace. The vampire was all but insatiable. It was no secret that he found her desirable, but she had expected at least some of the effect to have worn off by now. His incredible ardor their first night together had been easily attributable to the long wait they’d had between confessing their love and being able to fully express it.
Since then, not much had changed. He wanted her every night, all night. That had been fine, at first. They had four days after their handfasting until they were due back at the office. Each night they had gone to bed and made love until the sun came up. Then Willow would spend most of the day comatose, only to be more than happy to repeat the process again that night. When the alarm clock had buzzed that following Monday, she found that she had to call in sick. Though she was forgiven by her colleagues, who knew perfectly well that she wasn’t sick, she realized they would have to set some limits.
That had been their first serious talk. There had to be one about something eventually, but Willow hadn’t imagined that she’d ever find herself saying that she wanted to have less sex with Angel. Not when she had wanted it so much that she’d bound herself to him for it. Angel was neither surprised nor upset. Instead, he sat down with her, held her hand, and asked what she was comfortable with and what she wanted him to do. At first she asked if they could just make love once at night. Though he had agreed, the look on his face was enough to give away his true thoughts. He asked her to be sure and let him know if she ever thought she could handle more.
That’s how the morning sex had come about. Willow had underestimated her own lust for her mate. On the first night of their new plan, she’d fallen asleep in his arms after they made love, satisfied and content, and trying her damnedest to ignore the erection pressing into her back. On awakening, it was still there and the look of desire in Angel’s eyes was the last straw. She’d pushed him back on the bed and straddled him, not meeting the least resistance from the vampire as she rocked her hips back and forth, using his body to work out the unexpected frustrations of the erotic dreams she’d had all night that tried to continue where she and Angel had left off in real life. When she had been temporarily satiated, and seen her mate to the same conclusion, she lay next to him and admitted perhaps she could handle more than she’d let on.
Since then, if they didn’t have sex twice at night, they had it in the morning. Or sometimes they had it in the morning anyway, if Angel needed it to avoid having to go to work with his shirt untucked. On the rare occasion that Willow could handle more than three times in a day, she found that he was willing. When she couldn’t, it seemed that twice a day was the minimum to keep him from climbing the walls, and she could live with that.
Now, on this particular early morning in mid February, Willow realized that the two sessions the night before were a distant memory to her lover. The good news was that it was Saturday so he could shag her senseless and it wouldn’t matter. He kept stroking her thigh, moving his hand a little further each time until he was stroking the space between her thighs, encouraging them to part for his touch. In spite of the early hour and the slight soreness she still felt from the previous night, she found that, as usual, she could deny him nothing.
She rolled over on her back, looking up into his face as he leaned over her, propped up on one elbow, his other hand still moving in those torturously slow motions up and down her legs. “It’s 7 am,” she said, trying to make it sound like a protest.
He bent down and kissed her, moving his hand in response to the invitation given when her legs spread slightly. Releasing her lips he said, “Good, that means we have all day.” She gave up on words and moaned when his fingers slid inside her. Waking up to him pressed naked against her was always a bit of a turn on. On some mornings she could resist and get up and get ready for whatever the day might bring. This morning though, as soon as she felt the suggestive hand on her thigh, she found herself aroused and ready for him.
“Mmm,” he purred in her ear, feeling her arousal on his fingers. “You were thinking about this too?”
“Not until just now. You know that hand always gives me wicked thoughts.” She glanced down at his midsection. Though covered by the sheet, not much was concealed. “What’s your excuse?”
“You.”
“That’s always your excuse.”
“What can I say? It works every time.”
That was true enough. One of the many afflictions Willow discovered that vampires could NOT suffer from was impotence. She squirmed against his hand, trying to get more friction and reached over to return the favor.
Her hand closed over his erection through the silk sheet. She caressed him, loving the feel of the softness of the fabric over the hardness of her mate. Angel seemed to like it too, if the low growl in his throat and the slits his eyes had become were any indication. She started to move faster, thinking that she might win this one and get him off first. She’d have to change the sheets for the second time in two days, but that would be a small price to pay. He always seemed to be able to make her come first and then he would make her stop what she was doing to him and make love to her so that he could be inside her when it was his turn.
She was so focused on the look on his face and the excitement that she might be getting somewhere that she didn’t see his other hand sneak up her chest. Before she realized what he was doing, he pinched her nipple, hard, just as he gave a vigorous thrust with his fingers. The mix of sensations, both pleasurable in her lust-induced high, caught her off guard and forced her to a shuddering, unexpected release.
When she was through and he withdrew his hands, she looked at him with narrowed eyes and a phony frown. “You cheated.”
His eyes widened, attempting to convey his innocence. “I didn’t cheat! You’re just so easy to please.”
“Oh yeah? Then let’s see you do it again.” She tried to sound convincing, but the echoing yawn she let out didn’t do much to help her case.
“I think you’re too tired. You should get some rest.”
Willow rubbed her hip against his groin. “How am I supposed to sleep with *that* poking at me? We need to do something about it if either one of us is going to get back to sleep.”
“Mmm, well, if you insist.” He pulled her into his arms so that they lay on their sides with her back against him, as if they were going to sleep. He slipped inside her from behind, closing his eyes at the wonderful feeling of her warmth surrounding him. He never got tired of it, no matter how often he felt it. Willow shivered and pressed herself into him, parting her legs just enough to accommodate his entry. Her hands covered his as they reached around to massage her breasts, being much gentler now than a few minutes ago.
His movements were soft and slow, savoring every sensation, not having any reason to feel rushed. He extracted one hand from her grip to brush the hair back from her neck. She liked him to kiss her neck in this position. He had an idea that she’d never totally forgotten her little fantasy of him biting her. He still refused to do it, knowing that she couldn’t understand how much he wanted to, but that he was too afraid of hurting her.
On a few occasions, he had vamped out during a particularly powerful orgasm. The first time, Willow had freaked, fearing that he had indeed lost his soul from their lovemaking. Since then, she was more apt to wear a smug expression when it happened, knowing that she’d done something especially effective to him. The tender, side-by-side love they shared now was unlikely to stir the demon, so he felt safe to let his lips traverse her neck and feel the low murmur of the blood in her veins by tracing them with the tip of his tongue.
Willow sighed, feeling Angel comply with her unspoken wish for him to pay attention to her neck. She tilted her head more, giving him all the access she could. She knew he wouldn’t bite her, even if she asked him to, but his lips felt good all the same. Sometimes, when he wanted to tease her, he would give her little nips with his human teeth that didn’t even come close to breaking the skin, but gave her such a rush of imagined possibilities that it never failed to get a response from her.
Angel bit his lip for a moment, making sure that he didn’t lose control at the sight of the smooth, willingly offered flesh of Willow’s neck. When he was sure he could handle it, he returned to bestowing his kisses, moving up to nibble her earlobe and whisper things that only lovers should hear.
When he felt her grow restless, pushing against him harder as her desire increased, he slid his hand down from her chest, reaching between her legs to give her what she needed. Her faster movements were having their effect on him too and he struggled to keep himself in check long enough for Willow to be satisfied. It only took him a few more minutes to bring her there. She dug her nails into the arm wrapped around her and gasped as her release came. Feeling her start to relax, Angel gave the last few quick movements that he needed for himself. When it was done, he disengaged from her, but did not let her out of his embrace.
“Love you, Angel,” she whispered, snuggling further under the blankets and closing her eyes.
“Love you too,” he replied, and gave her a little squeeze. He didn’t know if she heard him or not, she was already asleep.
~Part: 2~
Someone was shaking her shoulder. Not at all happy about it, Willow opened one eye and to see Angel grinning down at her. As usual, he was awake first. “Are you going to sleep all day?” He asked. “It’s already noon. I thought you might want to eat lunch now so you don’t spoil your appetite for our special dinner.”
Willow’s one open eye shifted to look past him towards the clock, convinced he was having fun with her and it was really only 7:30. To her shock, he spoke the truth. She sat up, throwing off the blankets and shaking her head. “How did I sleep so late? Boy, you really know how to wear me out.” Angel was sitting on the side of the bed, smirking at her obvious disconcertment. She looked at him and frowned. “What special dinner?”
“Mmhmm, I knew you forgot. It’s Valentine’s Day. We have reservations, remember?”
“Oh!” He hands flew to her mouth. When she lowered them, she was grinning. “Nope, I didn’t forget. Well, for a minute there I forgot it was today, but you’ll see just how much I didn’t forget. Later.”
He raised an eyebrow and started to ask just what she had planned, but she shook her head and made a motion of zipping her lips, so he knew he wasn’t getting it out of her. “Ok, have your little secret. Look, I hate to have to say it, but part of the reason I woke you up is that I have to go downstairs to the office for a little while.”
Willow’s shoulders sagged at this news and she made a pouty face. “But it’s Valentine’s Day! And Saturday! Why do you have to go into work?” Her arms crossed over her bare chest to emphasize her displeasure.
Angel suppressed a grin knowing that Willow would not appreciate hearing just how cute she looked when she was trying to act upset with him. “Come on,” he tried to reason with her. “Just a minute ago you didn’t even remember that it was Valentine’s Day, so that means you’re not allowed to get upset about it.” He grabbed her arms and tugged them away from her body, placing them around his neck instead. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “Don’t be mad, it’s just for an hour, maybe less.”
“Hmm, ok, but come right back. I’ll be here.” She laid back down on the bed and stretched out, not bothering to pull a sheet over herself. Angel received the message loud and clear. He stood and left the room, not wanting to succumb to the temptation to crawl right back in bed.
Willow smiled to herself, watching him leave. He had no idea what he was in for. When he was gone, she got out of bed and opened her closet, trying to pick something to wear for their dinner out. Like most couples, the wining and dining phase of their relationship had passed soon after they were handfasted. Now going out to eat was a special event instead of a part of their routine.
Deciding on her black cocktail dress, Willow shut the closet and turned to lay the clothes out on the bed. She had a nasty shock when she looked up and saw the bleached blonde vampire leaning in the doorway of her bedroom wearing a delighted smirk. As it was, that was more than she was wearing and she grabbed the sheet to cover herself as soon as she saw him. “Spike! I thought we agreed that you had to knock, now that you have knuckles!”
Spike chuckled and came into the room towards her. “Aww, come on now, Love. You know I’m grateful for you restoring my delectable flesh. Don’t know why you’re hiding yours. It’s nothing I won’t see later.” He came closer, moving in his patented predatory stalk.
Willow held up a hand to stop him. “That’s close enough.” She backed away from him a little. “You shouldn’t even be in here. If Angel smells you in here when he comes back, what am I supposed to tell him? That you came to borrow a cup of sugar?”
Spike rolled his eyes, but complied with her request, moving back to stand in the doorway. “Fine, fine. So what’s the plan? I don’t know how long that phony artifact I drummed up will keep him occupied down there.”
“Well, you know the basic idea, right?”
“Yeah, you can’t seem to satisfy my oversexed sire? That about cover it?’
She glared at him. “It’s not like that and you know it! I just want to give him a chance to be himself in bed. With me, he’s always holding something back. With you, I think he could let go. I want that for him, even if I can’t give it to him. I know he wouldn’t worry about hurting you.” She couldn’t resist that last little dig.
“You’ve got that right. Makes me wonder why you think he’d go for this in the first place. Aren’t you worried that the whole thing might blow up in your face?”
“Very,” she said. “He’ll either love the idea, or hate it. I’m guessing even if he loves it, he won’t be able to admit it right away. I’m hoping that if we present it right, he’ll realize that it’s ok and be more open to it. I’m just glad you were willing.” She gave him a grateful smile.
Spike sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know how you talk me into these things. A girl gives a guy back his body and it’s like she thinks she owns it.” He shrugged. “You know I’d do anything for you, Red. If watching me go at it with Angel does it for you, that’s what I’ll do. I get a turn with you too though, right?”
Willow blushed and cast her eyes down. Unlike Angel, Spike could still make her blush with the right look or word. “Um, well, we’ll see. I think that should kinda be up to Angel. This whole thing could already make or break our relationship. One thing at a time, okay?” She looked up at him to get his agreement.
“I don’t know.” He tapped one index finger against his lips and looked to be reconsidering the plan. “Might not be worth it otherwise. I was looking forward to our time together. Angel, he’s nothing special. Been there, done him, so to speak.”
“Spiiiike! You promised.” She gave him her best pleading look.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, I’ll be here. But, Red? I know you want this.” He cocked his head to the side and gestured down his perfectly toned body with one hand.
Willow licked her lips and swallowed without realizing she’d done it. Then she looked away from him. “We shouldn’t be talking like this without Angel here,” she said.
“Oh, please. You know all you have to do is tell him you want to have a go with me and he’ll let you. He couldn’t say no to you for anything. Neither of us could.”
“I know, and I’m glad. I want him to have this. I want *us* to have this. You should go now, but come back around 9 tonight. Wait in here and I’ll come in first to, uh, present you.”
“Right, see you then. Should be interesting.” He turned to go and then stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, and Red? It’s not cold in here.” Then he left.
Willow couldn’t imagine what the temperature had to do with anything until she looked down and saw her hardened nipples pointing out of the sheet she held clutched to her chest. She glared at her traitorous body for announcing to Spike that she’d been turned on by the idea of having him in her bed.
She wouldn’t have denied it anyway. That would be lying. Spike was her friend, and in that way, she loved him. She also found him very attractive and he was without a doubt the subject of the occasional naughty thought. They shared a special bond, rooted in the fact that he had saved her life, and she had restored his, and would do most anything for each other.
Still, it wasn’t as though she was in love with him. The only one she was in love with was Angel, and she knew he felt the same way about her. That did not change the reality that they were both attracted to Spike, and he to them.
It wasn’t something they had much control over. Spike and Angel had been able to ignore the inevitable attraction between a sire and a childe when only Angel had a soul. He might as well have been dust, as far as Spike was concerned. With both of them having souls, their relationship should have been similar to when neither of them did.
However, Spike being a ghost and Angel mating himself to a human, who had made it clear she expected monogamy, put a serious damper on any physical expression of the sire-childe bond. Had Willow been a vampire, the three of them sharing a bed would not have been odd at all. Now that they were all flesh and blood, Willow saw no reason not to use that to her advantage. When she thought of fidelity, she wanted Angel to keep his hands off the Eves of the world, and females in general. She also didn’t think she would like Angel having sex with any other human, or anyone at all behind her back. This night with Spike would be none of those things.
She hated to admit it, but it was hard for her to satisfy Angel. The reason he seemed to need so much sex from her was that each time left him wanting a little something that she couldn’t give. So instead, he took what she could give – over and over again. She didn’t care to dwell on the idea that one night with Spike might satiate him more than a week’s worth of sex with her. Yet, they were demons and she wasn’t. It was clear enough to her that demons got something out of having sex with other demons that she couldn’t seem to duplicate, no matter how many times she spread her legs for Angel.
Her plan was not without ulterior motive. She didn’t mind sharing Angel with Spike now and then, but her main objective was to learn enough so that she didn’t have to. She would watch them and see what it was that was different. Oh, but Willow was a smart girl and thought she knew what it was already. This was more of an experiment to see if she was right. It was the blood, she was almost certain. If Angel played along and had sex with Spike, she was willing to bet all she had that there would be biting and blood before the end.
Once she knew for sure, it would just be a matter of convincing Angel that he could bite her. He would resist, but she could do it. Then, if they still wanted to play with Spike sometimes, that would be ok too, if he was still willing. First things first, she had to get Angel in bed with Spike. That would not be easy.
~~
Dinner was a pleasant enough event. Angel managed not to grumble too much about discovering that the artifact that had dragged him away from his mate on Valentine’s Day was a fake. He took her back to the little French restaurant where they had dined on her first night in LA. Willow could hardly believe only 6 months had passed since then.
On the way home in the car, she couldn’t help being fidgety. Spike would be waiting in their bed when they got back. In less than 15 minutes, her whole relationship with Angel could be over. She hoped he would realize that her actions were a testament to how much his happiness meant to her, and not a betrayal. All the same, she wouldn’t be able to blame him if he took it badly. After her reaction to his involuntary activities with Eve, and their subsequent separation, she could see how the whole situation might make her seem hypocritical. Yet, for the possibility of making Angel a little happier, she had to take the chance.
They stopped. Angel opened her door and gave her a hand out of the car. She wondered if he could hear her heart thudding in her chest as the elevator rose to the penthouse. His arm was around her waist and his hand rested on her hip. He was watching the numbers rise, tapping his foot. There was no mistaking the look in his eye, the man was horny. He could hardly wait for the elevator doors to open before dragging Willow out and pulling her into the apartment. As soon as the door was closed she was in his arms and his mouth was devouring hers, his hands roaming over her body, searching for the fastest way to get her dress off.
Then he stopped. “Did you hear something?” He asked, releasing her to have a look around.
Willow took this opportunity to dash off to the bedroom. “Oh, it’s probably just Luna playing. I’m going to go get your gift, you wait out here.”
Angel did as he was told, perching on the couch to await his gift. The kitten in question jumped up beside him and purred until he scratched behind her ears.
Closing the door behind her, Willow breathed a sigh of relief to see Spike lounging on the bed. She smiled at him, he smirked in return. Neither said a word, knowing any conversation would be picked up by Angel’s sensitive ears.
She pulled him up off the bed and tugged at his shirt to indicated that he should get undressed. While he complied, she went to the closet and pulled out two sets of handcuffs. Angel had surprised her with them after a half dozen or so of his ties had met an untimely end trying to serve a purpose they were never intended for. Spike did not look surprised, it was all part of the plan.
Once he was naked, he lay back down on the bed and held up his arms. Willow used the cuffs to chain him to the bed posts. She stepped back to admire the nude blonde, spread eagle on her bed. Returning to the closet, Willow produced a length of red ribbon. Spike frowned and shook his head. Willow grinned and nodded. In no position to argue, Spike settled for scowling at her as she wrapped the ribbon around his hips and tied the bow so that it covered his groin. Now came the hard part.
She hoped that the vulnerable position Spike was in would show Angel that he was in control of the situation. She hoped that feeling of control wouldn’t extend to staking Spike for being there at all. She stuck her head out of the bedroom and beckoned to Angel with one finger. He grinned and hurried over, expecting a sexy treat to await him in the room beyond.
At first, Angel was so focused on Willow that he didn’t even see Spike. He came right towards her and grabbed her arms to pull her into another searing kiss. When he let her go he wiggled his eyebrows at her and said, “So, where’s my present?” Willow cocked her head towards the bed and for the first time, Angel turned in that direction and saw what she wanted him to see.
On the bed, Spike lifted one shackled hand as much as he could and gave a little wave. “Guess that’s me,” he said.
~Part: 3~
Willow studied Angel’s face, seeing his eyes widen, then his jaw drop,
and finally his forehead crinkle into a frown that could have been utter
confusion or terrible anger. At last, Angel turned back to look at
Willow, remaining remarkably calm. He licked his lips as he pondered
what he was going to say. “Please tell me I just stepped through
some kind of portal into a sick, twisted, hell dimension. In my reality,
there is no way that I’d be seeing what I think I’m seeing. You do
see Spike, naked, and in our bed?” He took a step back from her and
crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t wait to hear what you have
to say about this, because I’m getting the impression that you are actually
in on it somehow.”
While this wasn’t the reaction Willow had wanted, it was more or less
the one she expected. She could only hope her well rehearsed explanation
would diffuse the situation. “Spike is your present, from me.
You’re supposed to have sex with him to release your demony urges.
You know, the ones that you won’t let go of when we have sex.”
“You want me to have sex? With SPIKE?” Angel realized he
was shouting and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them,
he continued in a more reasonable tone. “Willow, what would make
you think I would want to have sex with Spike of all people? You
know I don’t want anyone but you? And why Spike?”
“Um, well because he’s your childe, and I thought you were always supposed
to want your childe, even if you don’t admit it and I know you say you
only want me but it’s ok if you want him, too.”
“I do NOT want him,” Angel confirmed.
“Hey now! I’m right here you know!” Spike did his best to
sound indignant.
“Shut up, Spike!” Willow and Angel said at the same time.
Then they looked at each other and Angel gave her a thin smile.
“I’m serious. I want you to have sex with Spike.”
“No.”
“Angel, please. Just listen. I know you need something I
can’t give you. Spike can, and I want you to have it, even if it’s
just this once. For me?” She gave him her best beguiling look,
complete with batted eyelashes.
Angel groaned. “Wil-low! How can you ask me to do this?
I thought you wanted me to be faithful to you? And can we just remember
that this is SPIKE we’re talking about?”
“Still right here,” Spike muttered.
“I do want you to be faithful to me. But I also want you to be
happy. And satisfied, and I just can’t do it myself, so let Spike
help. Please?”
Angel turned back to Spike. “I can’t believe you’re going along
with this.” He smirked a little. “I didn’t know you missed
being in my bed.”
“I don’t miss a damn thing,” he protested. “I’m just doing this
for Willow.”
Angel frowned. “Yeah, then what’s in it for you? I know
you, Spike, you don’t do anything out of the kindness of your heart.”
“Right you are. I get a turn with the witch. That’s what’s
in it for me.”
Angel whirled back to gape at Willow. “You agreed to have sex
with him, too?”
She shrugged and after shooting a glare at Spike, said, “Well, that
was supposed to be up to you, if you wanted to share me.”
“But, you said you would do it? If I said ‘yes’, you would have
sex with Spike? I don’t believe this!” He started pacing back
and forth in front of the bed. “My own childe has seduced my mate!
I should have seen this coming when you recorporealized him. Why
else didn’t he take off after Buffy? Of course, he wanted you!”
He stopped and stared at Spike. “I should kill you.”
Willow ran to his side and yanked his arm back so he would look at her.
“No! It’s not his fault. This was all my idea.” That
was almost true. She had come up with the idea of inviting Spike
to their bed, but she had planned to discuss it with Angel first.
When she mentioned that to Spike he had laughed at her and said that if
she wanted to get his demon’s interest, she had to take action. Talking
would just land her in a no-win argument with the soul.
When Angel turned his attention back to her, she tried to explain.
“It’s nothing like that! Spike is just my friend, you know that somewhere
deep down. I am not in love with him, I don’t want to leave you for
him, I just want him to help us. I don’t have to sleep with him,
but yes, I would if I thought you were ok with it. You can’t deny
that he’s attractive, and I would owe him if he makes our life together
a little better.”
Spike gave her a grateful smile and addressed Angel, “So, what do you
say? Take a ride on the Spike Express?” He gyrated his hips,
shaking his bow at the older vampire.
Angel shook his head, “I can’t even believe I’m having this conversation.”
Willow put her arms around him and leaned her head against his chest.
“Please don’t be mad, Angel. I just want us to be happy.”
He cupped one hand under her chin, making her look him in the eye.
“I though we were happy, Willow. If you weren’t, I wish you would
have talked to me instead of – this.”
Willow stepped away from him, shaking her head. “Aren’t you listening?
It’s not about me, it’s about you! I’m perfectly happy. You
satisfy me in every way imaginable, and some that aren’t. I know
that vampires have a healthy appetite for sex, but you’d be on me 24/7
if I let you. There’s something you’re not getting from me and I’d
bet dollars to donuts you can get it from Spike, and have before.”
She had an idea that if vampires could blush, Angel would be doing just
that. “You’re right,” he admitted. “But I don’t need that,
I only need you.” He closed the distance between them again and tried
to kiss her, but she turned away.
“Angel, you’re being stubborn.”
He threw his arms in the air, “How is it stubborn to say that?
I thought you would want me to refuse this temptation, to be faithful to
you.”
“So, I’m a temptation?” The almost forgotten hostage spoke up
again. “Fancy that.”
This time Willow initiated the kiss and Angel did not resist.
When it ended she said, “If that’s what I wanted, I wouldn’t have done
this. It’s not some sort of test, it’s real. I want this, too.”
“You want him, you mean?” Angel jerked his thumb towards Spike.
Willow nibbled her bottom lip. “No, that’s not what I meant, but
yes. I want him as much as you do. I can’t help being attracted
to him.”
Angel ran a hand through his hair, trying to get a grip on the situation.
His eyes traveled over to the bed and up the prone body of his beautiful
childe. He wanted him, oh yes. Yet so much had happened between
them, so much of it bad. How could they go back to this as if none
of it mattered? Because it didn’t. It was past.
Long ago their demons had called to each other, demanding physical expression
of the bond that tied them. Yet with the coming of the soul, the
bond was tainted, and the still pure demon in Spike repulsed by the corruption
of its maker. Now where it had once seen an abomination, it saw a
fellow sufferer, the only other of its kind, and the demons recognized
each other once again.
Either soul could keep them in denial, could refuse to see the obvious.
Spike had accepted the desires of his demon, leaving it up to Angel to
take the next logical step or not. All three in the room sensed that
he was close to making this critical decision.
Angel fixed his gaze on Spike and stalked towards the bed. He
reached out and tore the ribbon from his childe’s body, unwrapping his
present, accepting his mate’s gift. He looked to Willow who watched
his every move with her hands clasped together in the center of her chest.
“Thank you,” he said.
She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and grinned.
“You’re very welcome,” she said. When he continued to stand there
staring at her she added, “Um, did I forget to mention the part where I
get to watch?” She made a little gesture with her finger to include
all three of them. “This was supposed to be kind of a group activity.”
Angel’s eyes widened as he took in the full meaning of Willow’s intentions.
“What about you? You said you wanted to…” He trailed off but
flicked his eyes towards Spike and back to Willow.
“Oh no! Not without you there. You thought I was going to
go off with him and leave you here?” Willow hurried over and kissed
him. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Not ever. I don’t want
to be in a bed that doesn’t have you in it.” She glanced down at
the bored looking blonde. “No offense.” He shrugged.
She looked back at her mate who seemed to be staring off into space, but
pressing against him for another hug, she could tell that wherever his
mind had wandered off to, it was somewhere good.
Angel closed his eyes, feeling Willow rub against his erection.
He couldn’t believe what was happening. He’d never experienced such
a range of emotions in such a short period of time. After going through
shock, anger, betrayal, and a tentative feeling of hope, now he felt nothing
but love and lust. Once he’d accepted the situation as reality and
not some horrible trick, his mate’s offering to his demon touched him more
than she could realize. That she wanted to share it with him, to
see him fuck his childe for his own pleasure, and that she was willing
to share their bed, aroused him to the point where he thought he might
explode in his pants just thinking about watching Spike and Willow together.
Not that he was going to share that with them. He would agree
to their coupling, but let them think that he was doing it for Willow.
Before that, he had a long lost childe to reacquaint himself with.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Willow into his lap, loving
how she squirmed against him on purpose, just to torment him.
As they kissed, Willow unfastened the buttons on Angel’s shirt, pulling
it out of his pants when she reached the bottom and sliding it down off
of his shoulders. When she started pressing her lips to his skin
in gentle kisses along his neck, he reached up to the other vampire laying
beside him and ran an exploratory hand down his side taking in his first
feel of his childe’s body. Pleased with the way Spike twitched beneath
his touch, he whispered to Willow, “Can I have my present now?”
Willow obliged, hopping off Angel’s lap to let him appreciate her gift.
She unzipped the back of her dress and let it fall to the floor before
going around to sit on the other side of Spike. Both vampires followed
her movements, eyeing her figure in nothing but her special black lace
bra and panties. “Ahem. You’re supposed to be playing with
your new toy,” she reminded Angel.
“Mmm, right.” Angel turned his attention back to Spike who also
tore his eyes away from Willow to see what his sire would do to him.
In the good ol days, if Spike was tied up, first of all it usually wasn’t
on a nice soft bed, it meant that he was going to be beaten and tortured
within an inch of his unlife before being fucked senseless by Angelus.
Somehow he didn’t think that’s what he was in for tonight. Willow
might have surprised him by proposing this night of sin, but he doubted
she would let Angel really hurt him, even if his soul would permit it.
Angel felt a bit uncertain on how to proceed with seducing his childe.
There was a time when he would have just taken what he wanted and been
done with it, but that didn’t feel right anymore. To Spike’s infinite
surprise, Angel scooted down to the end of the bed and pulled his bare
feet into his lap. Willow looked on from her side of the bed, wondering
what Angel had up his sleeve. He hardly ever rubbed her feet!
Spike closed his eyes and exhaled a little sigh as Angel massaged each
of his toes. “It’s been a long time,” Angel said.
Spike opened one eye, “Try never. I’m pretty sure this wasn’t
part of Angelus’s seduction scene.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, suppose I do. A hundred years, give or take. I see
your style’s changed.”
Angel seized his ankles and flipped him over on his stomach, forcing
him to cross his arms over his head to avoid having them ripped from their
sockets. Before Spike could register what had happened Angel pounced
on top of him, lips pressed to his ear. “Is this more your style?
Tell me, ‘cause I’m having a hard time remembering.”
Spike arched his back, trying to throw Angel off. “Can’t say it
is, mate. A few things have changed for me in the last century, too.
I got to be a master myself. More used to being on top these days.”
Angel held on tight. “Not gonna happen, Spike. You’re mine.
You submit to me.”
Willow remained on her corner of the bed, watching the exchange with
growing concern. Not having any previous experience with the dynamics
of how two males were supposed to have sex, she hadn’t anticipated that
who went where made any difference. When she’d had sex with Tara
or Kennedy, they simply took turns doing whatever the other liked best.
Her assumption that Angel and Spike would do the same was being disproved
before her eyes.
“I am not yours! Not anymore. The life you gave me is over.
If I belong to anyone now, it’s her.” He tipped his chin towards
Willow, whose eyes nearly popped out of her head.
Angel raised his head to look at Willow. Under the intense gaze
of two pairs of flashing yellow eyes, Willow used her quick thinking to
offer a compromise. “Ok, I see this isn’t going quite like I hoped.
Since neither one of you wants to, um, submit, I say that whoever gives
in, gets me next.” She nodded her head as if that settled things.
To her relief, it did.
“Fine, have it your way, Angel. Do your worst, then I’ll do your witch.”
~Part: 4~
“You heard the boy. Let him up,” Angel said. He climbed off of Spike while Willow fetched the keys to the handcuffs. As soon as he was free, Spike sat up and caught Willow around the waist, pulling her down to him and surprising her with their first kiss. Her initial shock passed quickly and she raised one hand to touch his cheek before he broke away.
“Just a little appetizer,” he said, and turned back to Angel who was removing his pants, watching them all the while. “Ready?” His eyes traveled down the other vampire’s body and came to rest just below his waist. “Looks like.”
Angel didn’t answer. He came towards Willow and scooped her up in his arms. She squealed and giggled like a schoolgirl but didn’t protest. He set her down in the armchair a few feet from the bed that had been the spot of many a night of brooding in his pre-Willow days. “Stay here,” he said. “Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
Willow nodded and rubbed her hands together. She couldn’t wait to see how Angel’s demon would react to the freedom of bedding another vampire. She didn’t have to wait long.
Angel crawled back up on the bed and sat next to Spike for a long moment. The handcuffs, ribbons, and his mate were all gone from the bed. There was nothing between him and his childe and their desires. There was still a tiny part of him convinced that somehow this would all blow up in his face, but at Spike’s invitation of, “What are you waiting for? Got stage fright or something?” that tiny part was forgotten.
Spike lay back on the bed waiting for Angel to make his move. He still wasn’t convinced that Angel would actually bring himself to do what he so obviously wanted to. He was never happy unless he was making himself suffer. Spike restrained the urge to roll his eyes. It was one thing to seek redemption, he was doing it too. It was a whole other dimension of hell to make yourself miserable on purpose. Spike still marveled that Angel had allowed himself to love Willow. Of course, even that had come close to being permanently botched up.
Frowning, Angel lay down next to Spike on his side, resting one hand on the other’s chest. He never knew Spike to be a lazy lover and wondered at his seeming apathy now that they had agreed to go through with this. Curious to see if the some of the gentler techniques he’d learned from Willow would work, Angel danced his fingers lightly over Spike’s skin, around on his chest, down across his stomach, and over his upper thighs, deliberately avoiding his most sensitive spots. He bore it for a few minutes, remaining impassive, then without warning, grabbed Angel by the shoulders and pushed him back on the bed, climbing on top and kissing him with all the pent up and denied frustrations of the last hundred years.
Angel tried not to smirk into the kiss, settling for returning it with equal passion and fervor. Spike’s weight on his body felt strange after being accustomed to Willow’s delicate form. As the kiss went on his hands roved to places long forgotten but fast remembered, coming to rest on Spike’s ass. Both demons growled low in their throats when Angel’s fingers slid down further, parting Spike’s cheeks and exploring the area within.
Spike pulled away from Angel’s lips and sat up, straddling him with the intention of fulfilling his part of the deal. His eyes darted around the room looking for a vital ingredient. When he caught Willow’s eye, she grinned and threw him a small plastic jar. She might not know too much about what she was seeing, but some things were obvious to anyone with a little common sense.
Angel bit his lip but couldn’t prevent the moan that escaped when he felt Spike’s hands smearing the lubricant over his cock. He was so turned on it was painful. He squeezed his eyes shut, using every ounce of his will to control his body and urge it not to embarrass him. Getting off from Spike’s touch alone would not do wonders for his self image. After a few more agonizing strokes, it was done and the hand that held him was still. He opened his eyes in time to see his childe lower himself inch by inch until their bodies were completely connected. Angel realized he was holding his breath. Not just not breathing, but actually holding a breath trapped in his lungs. He expelled it in a rush and just as quickly sucked in another as Spike moved his hips forward just enough to slide up and down. Angel found himself automatically moving his own hips in a rhythm to match.
The pressure on his engorged shaft was almost too much. He didn’t even have to ask to know that no one else had been inside Spike in the 100 years since Angelus had been there last. His unbeating heart swelled a little at the ridiculous notion that Spike had been saving himself for this. Of course not. Spike wasn’t gay, so who else would he allow this access to his body? He was tighter than Willow had been their first time together. The sensation was different, partly because Spike’s coolness was similar to his own, failing to give him that pleasing warmth that always spread through his body when he was with Willow.
No sooner had he thought of his mate than he sought her out, pleased to see her squirming in the chair, her lust crazed eyes meeting his. There was nothing to suggest that she was upset by the sight before her.
As Angel adjusted to the feeling of Spike’s ass surrounding him, he became aware of the needs of his childe that were going unfulfilled. He reached for the hand Spike had used on him and rubbed their palms together until his was lightly oiled. When Angel’s hand circled around his cock, Spike gasped and vamped out for a moment before shaking it off, preferring to appear human as much as possible in front of Willow.
Angel’s demon delighted in how aroused Spike was for him. The harder he bore down on Angel, the harder Angel squeezed his cock. The two of them developed a frantic pace, and Willow could see a vague resemblance to the games she and Angel often played as it became clear that he and Spike were each trying to make the other come first.
Willow wasn’t at all surprised when Angel won. As the echoes of Spike’s roar died down, Angel sat up and tugged the blonde’s legs out from under him and put them around his waist. Fingers clawed at backs as the pace increased even more. When Angel felt the tidal wave of his lust getting ready to crash down on him, his demon appeared and sank its fangs into Spike’s shoulder. Then it was done. Bodies disentangled and lay side by side, momentarily spent.
Willow left her chair and wiggled her way in between the two vampires. She could see the fang marks on Spike healing over and couldn’t help the bitter lump that rose in her throat. Those two little holes should have been in her skin. Wasn’t she good enough to bite? Still, the night was young and now that she knew she was right about the blood, one look at Angel’s satiated face was all the proof she needed of that, it wasn’t too late for her to get her own set of puncture wounds. To Spike she said, “You’re recovery time better be at least as good as Angel’s because I needed you both, oh, about 5 minutes ago, and I promised you could be first.”
Further prodding proved unnecessary. With her next breath, Willow found herself on her back with her panties missing and a blonde head occupying their recently vacated location between her legs. She gasped and would have smashed into the headboard as she squirmed around on the bed, but Angel held her close and silenced her cries with his lips. Spike caught sight of his sire and paused. “Do you mind, mate?” Angel looked up. “Chair,” Spike added, jerking his head towards the seat. Giving his mate one last deep and probing kiss to ensure that she wouldn’t forget about him in the arms of his childe, Angel left the bed and told himself to relax and enjoy the show.
Willow worked her fingers through Spike’s hair while he pleasured her, making it curl and stick up in sexy little tufts. His attentions were unnecessary if he only wanted to make her ready for him, but it had been a long time since he’d had this kind of access to a woman and he intended to savor every minute of it.
Angel admired Willow’s shifting facial expressions and the way her breasts rose and fell when she gasped for breath - things he didn’t get to see when he was in Spike’s position. He couldn’t help noticing that her responses to Spike were more intense than he was used to seeing. He contented himself thinking that having a steady girlfriend for 100 years must be good for perfecting one’s technique. Granted he was with Darla just as long, but that was half his life ago. Drusilla had left the scene recently by comparison.
When Willow could stand no more, she dragged Spike up her body by his hair. He took a moment to remove her forgotten bra and gave each of her nipples a flick with his tongue. He wanted to spend more time tasting her body and exploring the flesh he waited so long to see, and didn’t know if he would have the opportunity to see again, but Willow was having none of it. Unlike Spike, she hadn’t had any satisfaction that night and she demanded it from him, now.
He leaned over her, giving her a few gentle kisses, holding his weight on his elbows and knees. She maneuvered one hand between their bodies and grasped his cock, stroking it lightly though, like her, he needed no help becoming aroused. With her encouragement he slid inside her, almost falling in, finding her so ready and open for him that no adjustment period was needed. He held still for a moment, relishing her heat and softness, trying not to let it push him over the edge before it was time.
Willow moaned and ground her hips against his, not at all happy with his lack of movement. Unable to refuse her, his hips responded and she sighed as he gave her the friction she craved. She pulled him down to lie on top of her, both because she liked the feel of his chest rubbing against her nipples, and to be able to see Angel over his shoulder.
Angel sat in the chair, nude, his hands gripping the arms and his nails digging into the fabric as he watched his childe make love to his mate. It was just as enticing as he thought it would be and it took every ounce of his willpower not to climb up behind Spike and have him again. It would be worth it to wait because, as inviting as Spike’s ass looked bouncing up and down like that, he wanted most to satisfy his craving for Willow and she was not likely to be as accommodating if he interrupted her fun.
Willow couldn’t get enough of Spike’s body. Her hands were everywhere at once, tracing the muscles in his powerful arms, trailing down his sides, scratching at his back, and squeezing his ass, but being careful to stay away from the spot so recently used by Angel and undoubtedly sore. He felt so different, his shape more compact and his torso not much longer than hers, allowing them to kiss without giving Spike a pinched nerve in his neck.
In her desperation for release, Willow refused to allow Spike to slow his pace, even if it meant he wouldn’t last much longer than her. The feel of her breath on his skin as she gasped and her fingers abusing his body, combined with her heat surrounding him dissolved the last of Spike’s self control. Feeling the end coming for both of them he vamped and she stared into his amber eyes for a moment before throwing her head to the side, baring her neck to him. The demon responded without thought, fangs piercing her shoulder, his feeding bringing them both instant release.
Before even two ounces of Willow’s blood had flowed into Spike, he found himself yanked from the bed and slammed face first into the wall, a livid, and also naked, demon holding him by the back of the neck and his hair. “Give me one very, very good reason not to kill you right now,” Angel said.
Spike tried to look at Willow who was sitting up in a daze, holding one hand to the bleeding, ragged wound torn in her shoulder where Spike’s fangs had been ripped from her, instead of gently retracted as they should have been. “Don’t. Don’t hurt him,” she said, trying to catch her breath.
Angel didn’t turn. “He’s going to hurt or die,” he said. “Which is it?”
“What’s your problem, Angel?” Spike asked.
“My problem?” Angel yanked Spike’s head back and bashed it into the wall again, leaving an indentation in the plaster. “My problem! You fed from my mate you son of a bitch! You should die a thousand horrible deaths for that, but I can only kill you once. If you want to live, you’re gonna pay. So which is it?” He pulled at the handful of hair in his hand, threatening to rip it out by the roots.
“Ow! Ok, ok, hurt! Do whatever you have to do. I was just giving the girl a bit of pleasure. Maybe you could learn something.” That earned him another meeting of the minds with the wall. This time, his nose crunched. A thin trickle of blood ran from his right nostril, leaving a crimson smudge on the light paint.
“I do not need lessons from you, boy. But I see you need one from me.” He spread Spike’s ass with his thumbs and drove his cock inside, the force sending him into the wall again, though he managed to get his hands up in time to protect his face. Angel pounded into him fully aware of how badly he was tearing him up. It was painful for Angel too, but not as much as it was for Spike, and that’s what mattered. When he realized that Spike was using his hands as a shield, he grabbed Spike’s arms and twisted them behind his back so that with each thrust his face connected with the wall, no matter which way he turned his head.
On the bed, Willow had begun to cry. Even her worst fears in planning this night weren’t as bad as the reality of what it had become. She had no idea what to do. For the first time, she was afraid of Angel. She thought he might actually hurt her if she tried to stop what he was doing to Spike. She thought that when he was done, he might hurt her anyway for what she had let Spike do.
By the time Spike had a split lip, a black eye, and a bump on his forehead to go with his broken nose, Angel decided to add a new element to his punishment. “You’re gonna give me back every drop of blood you took from her and then some,” he said. Reopening and enlarging the wounds he had made earlier in Spike’s shoulder, Angel fed as he spilled himself, but didn’t stop even after withdrawing from Spike’s ass.
Seeing Spike sink to his knees with Angel’s fangs embedded in him spurred Willow to action. No longer concerned for her own safety, she sprang off the bed and tore Angel away from Spike, yelling for him to stop before he killed him. She didn’t even know if that was possible, but she wasn’t willing to find out this way.
The terror in his mate’s voice and her hands on his arms, got Angel’s attention. Soul and demon released Spike and turned to comfort her. His human features returned and he finally realized that she was hurt as well as scared. Leaving Spike unconscious on the floor, he lifted her up and carried her back to the bed, making soothing sounds and apologizing for scaring her. As soon as she was comfortable, he left to get a washcloth and bandages.
He slipped into the bed next to her and wiped away the dried blood from her hand and shoulder. The wound reopened from his gentle rubbing and blood welled to the surface. Willow took the washcloth away from him when he tried to press it to her skin. She grasped the back of his head with one hand and urged his face down towards the drops of blood growing on her shoulder. “You clean it,” she whispered, tilting her head to the side.
The blood called to him, teasing him, taunting that his childe knew what it tasted like and he didn’t. Locking the demon away in its cage and ignoring its victorious singing and dancing, Angel allowed her to guide his head down and swiped the gash with his tongue. He knew his last taste of human blood had been quite some time ago, but he was sure it hadn’t been that good. His demon relaxed instantly, reveling in the taste of its mate, so long denied. There was an undertone of his childe in the flavor as well, which should have angered him, but he wouldn’t let it. He had done enough damage for one night.
Willow shuddered against him, pushing more blood to the surface and earning her another lick. Angel took care only to press his tongue to the wound and not allow himself to suck on it. It was starting to clot and he didn’t want it to bleed any more than it already had. He tried not to let her see that drinking those few drops of her blood had aroused him. However, with him acting like the Angel she knew, her fear and confusion were past and she was just as perceptive as ever.
She maneuvered into his lap, facing him, and pulled him in for an intimate kiss. Her brow wrinkled at the taste of her blood and Spike’s blood (not that she could tell the difference) mixed with the usual flavor of Angel. It wasn’t unpleasant, just curious. They parted and she said, “He didn’t hurt me, you know?”
“That’s not the point.”
“It should be. Is he going to be ok? He’s still just laying there.” She hopped off of Angel’s lap to check on the blonde. He appeared to be asleep. She arranged him in a more comfortable looking position and tossed a blanket over him. Satisfied, she returned to Angel.
“He’ll be fine, I’m more worried about you.”
Willow craned her neck to see her shoulder. “It’s not that bad. Just a graze.”
“I guess I got carried away. I saw him bite you and I was just so furious! I mean, no one should do that unless…” He stopped, snapping his mouth closed and tearing his eyes away from her bites.
“He’s not afraid to take what he wants, and he’s right, you could learn something from that.”
“I think I have.” He lifted her hips and brought her down on his erection, sinking into her warmth. He found that he wasn’t the only one to be turned on by his gentle nibbles. She pressed him back onto the bed, urging him to relax and let her have her way with him. He rested his hands on her hips as she rocked against him, moving slowly, relieved to still be able to make love to a willing Angel after all that had happened that night.
Her fingers moved over his body, exploring it much as she had explored Spike’s earlier. Her hands moved across broad shoulders and reached back behind her to stroke muscular thighs. There was no question in her mind which body she preferred to have under her, or over her. As if he read her thoughts, Angel drew her down to lay on top of him and then rolled them over. After all the excitement, Willow didn’t object to the chance to rest.
Looking in each other’s eyes, Willow and Angel renewed the connection that bound them, that could never be broken by anything as trivial as the night’s events. Yet each longed to make that connection deeper, to express the bond to the fullest, and Willow could only hope that out of the ruins of her plan would emerge the result she craved. When their pace quickened with the impending end of their passions, Willow took the chance and bared her neck to the demon above her.
The gesture was not lost on Angel, who made a fast decision. He let loose his demon and bit deeply into her neck, on the opposite side of Spike’s bite. His initial instinct was to use his childe’s mark, to cover it with his own. Instead, he made his own mark on her neck where it would be seen, not on her shoulder where it would be hidden by her clothes. Spike’s bite would heal and be gone, his would scar and be with her forever.
He did not take much blood, just enough to bring them release. When he removed his fangs, he gave the bite a few licks, but located the washcloth again and held it firmly to the wound. No amount of licking was going to stop the bleeding this time, the punctures were too deep. She would need a bandage. He’d never bite her that deeply again, but he didn’t need to. The mark was made and he could use it again any time by drawing the tiniest amount of blood.
He cleaned her up and dressed the wound, then went to check on Spike. He was gone. He must have slipped out while they were otherwise occupied. Angel shrugged and got back into bed. He felt that they were even and only hoped Spike would feel the same. Willow snuggled against him and traced her bandage with her fingers. “Did it work?” She asked.
“What’s that, Willow?”
“Did it, uh, satisfy you? To bite me?”
Angel took a moment to savor the very recent memory of the explosive orgasm he’d had with his fangs in Willow’s flesh. “Yeaaaah, I think it did.”
“Will you do it again?”
“Do you want me to?” He asked, while his inner voice chanted, ‘Please say yes, please say yes.’
“Yes, if you want to.”
“I’m glad you said that. I don’t think I could imagine going to rest of my existence without tasting you again.”
“When?”
“When what?” He was honestly puzzled.
“When will you do it again?”
“Oh! Well, not for a few days, until you’re all healed. From both bites.” He frowned a little. “But I won’t bite you like that again. I hope it didn’t hurt.”
“No, it didn’t, but why? I mean, why not like that. It wasn’t so bad.”
“Well, I think one mark is enough. Now I only have to bite hard enough for you to bleed, which isn’t very hard at all.”
Willow’s hand touched the bandage again. “So, this one is permanent?”
“Yeah. It seemed to be what you wanted, and I couldn’t say no to you any more.”
“It was. I’m glad you did it. It’s the best present you gave me.”
He chuckled and took her hand, turning her ring between his fingers. “Even better than this?”
She smiled. “Ok, well maybe it’s a tie. What’s the best thing I gave you?”
“Your heart. In every way, your heart.”
Willow sighed. “That’s so romantic. Or taken literally, kinda gross.”
“Yeah, well, if you want poetry, I guess you better ask Spike.”
“Oh my god!” She sat bolt upright in bed. “I forgot all about Spike!”
“Relax.” He pulled her back down and held her tight. “He left a while ago. I’m not sure how I didn’t hear him, but I guess that’s the kind of effect you have on me.”
She sank into his embrace, giggling. “I like having that effect on you. But your present got away, that’s no fun! Oh well, at least I still have mine.”
Angel gave her a funny look. “Dinner?”
“No, silly! This.” She touched her mark.
“Ah. Well, happy Valentine’s Day, then.”
“Was it?”
“Mostly.”
“What are you going to do to Spike?”
“Nothing. Well, nothing else. I imagine he’ll be sore at me for awhile.” She frowned at him. “You know what I mean, he’ll be mad, and yeah, maybe sore too.”
“You don’t have to gloat.”
“I’m not gloating!” He protested, even as he felt the demon snickering.
“Uh huh. Just be nice to him, he did help us after all.”
“Yeah, I guess so. I still don’t like it that he bit you first.”
“But if he didn’t you probably never would have!”
“Point taken.”
“Alright then, we agree?”
“We usually do,” he said.
“I love you, Angel.”
“I love you too. Willow?”
“Yeah?”
“Next year? I like candles.”
“Point taken,” she said.
The End