TOO MANY MEN (1/?)

Willow put her bag down, her green eyes looking over her room for the next few months. She sat on the bed, bouncing slightly as she smiled. This had been her reward for herself. After they had defeated Glory and saved Dawn, Willow had felt a need for space. It didn't help that she had lost Tara sometime in the last few weeks. While it still hurt, she had moved past it with surprising ease. She almost felt guilty for not hurting anymore than she had. She didn't really understand it. She had loved Tara, still did in her way, but it hadn't been a consuming, obsessive love. It had been comfortable, safe, pleasant. Sort of like loving Oz had been. No risks or dangers, just easy friendship and gentle love. True, there were times that she had felt like she was missing something, but everything else made up for that lack of dizzying passion. Now, she was just confused. She had no idea who she was anymore, of who she was supposed to be. For so long, she had been the shy hacker girlfriend of Oz. Then, she'd been budding witch girlfriend of Tara. She didn't know who exactly Willow, single girl, really was.

That's why she had wanted this little vacation. A bit of time away from Sunnydale, away from her other lives so to speak. She wanted to examine herself to figure out just who she was. She knew that Buffy understood, even if her best friend had given her a guilt inducing hug that had lasted several minutes before leaving her at the airport. She did feel a bit guilty leaving so soon after their big showdown with Glory. But, Dawn was safe. Glory was gone. Things were calming down. Well, as calm as they ever were in Sunnydale. And she'd seen a chance to escape for a few months and jumped at it. She stood up, walking across the floor to stand at the window.

LA was huge. It was smoggy and crowded and people seemed to be everywhere. She almost missed Sunnydale but knew that LA was the perfect place to find
herself. She laughed softly, thinking about that. It wasn't like she was lost. She knew who she was. More so now than she had a few years before. But, she still had questions. The biggest at the moment was concerning her sexuality. Tara had been unexpected. Nice, but unexpected. She had never considered herself anything but straight until last year. Well, she'd had her doubts after running into her double, but nothing ever seemed to indicate that she liked girls. Then, Tara had changed that. Willow knew that she hadn't been attracted to Tara because she was a girl, she had just fallen in love with who Tara really was and her sex had never mattered. Of course, Willow tended to love without limits, so she wasn't very surprised to figure out that she was bisexual. She found men and women attractive, but fell in love with the person regardless of their sex. She knew that that made her a bit unusual. She knew she wasn't a lesbian. She had loved Oz and enjoyed being intimate with him, missed being with a man in some ways. She knew saying she was bi was taking the easy way out, but it was the truth. And, after her feelings for Tara, she knew there was no way she could claim to suddenly be straight. She shook her head slightly, deciding that she was spending way too much time thinking about her life when she could be living it.

"Is the room to your satisfaction?"

Willow jumped as the soft words reached her, turning and laughing softly, "Damn it, Angel. You still sneak up on people!"

He smiled slightly, "Sorry. I assumed you heard me."

"I was thinking," she said with a sheepish smile. "And, to answer your question, this room is great."

"Good," he nodded, looking at her still closed bags, "I wanted to check on your before I retired for the day."

"I'm fine. Just need to get everything unpacked," she said, fighting a yawn. "And maybe take a nap. The past few days have been pretty busy."

"I'll second that," he said, again with the ghost of a smile.

This time, Willow asked, "Are you OK? How are you really doing?"

Angel looked at her, surprised to see genuine concern in her eyes. He thought about her question, giving it serious consideration. He finally said, "I'm good. Getting better."

"Well, good," she said, smiling. "Thank you again for letting me stay here this summer. I needed a break."

"Willow, if you thank me again I may be forced to do something rash," he said with amusement.

"Like what?" she challenged, moving to sit back on her bed, her eyes still watching him. She had never really been close to Angel, him being Buffy's boyfriend and someone she saw at research sessions. Over the past couple of days, though, she liked to think they were starting to build a friendship. He did seem good, better than he had been before moving to LA. He was smiling some, seemed to have a sense of humor, actually seemed to enjoy his life. She had caught him brooding a few times, but figured he couldn't change that much.

"I'll," he said the first thing that popped into his head, "have to bend you over my knee and spank you."

Her smile faltered slightly as she felt the room grow suddenly warm, her mind flashing to naughty images that she had no business thinking about. She laughed softly, her eyes moving away from his face as she realized just handsome he still was. "OK. I promise, no more thank yous."

Angel nodded, his eyes curious as he watched her. Surprisingly, he could smell the faint hint of arousal coming from her. His eyes widened slightly as he realized what had caused it. The idea of him spanking her turned her on? He frowned, having heard from several people while in Sunnydale about her recent break up with a little blonde girl. Deciding he must be reading too much into things and that he was probably a bit too excited about having a guest and constant company for a few months, he started to move from the room, "On that note, I'll leave you to your unpacking. If you need anything, I'm right across the hall."

"Thank...I mean, sure. Got it," Willow said, not wanting to give her suddenly overactive libido a chance for more mental images.

"Sweet dreams, Willow," he said softly before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Willow fell back against her bed, her right hand fanning her face as she asked herself, "What the hell did I get myself into?"
 

TOO MANY MEN (2/?)

Willow sipped her coffee and smiled, her green eyes watching the sun filled street outside the small coffee shop. She had been in LA for less than a week
but it was already beginning to feel like home. She had found a bookstore, a coffee shop, a small grocery store, a video store and an occult store all within walking distance from the hotel. She was sure that she would find more once she had time to explore. She was starting to fit in with Angel and the others too. She had spent her first couple of days staying out of their way, just watching and listening until she learned their routine. Angel hadn't really hadn't let her remain too out of the group though, she thought with a smile. He had always tried to include her, even with the situations that she had no idea about.

Strangely enough, she and the dark haired vampire had begun a friendship. Once they were away from Sunnydale, away from the shyness on her part and the broodiness, close mouthedness on his part, Willow frowned in her thoughts wondering if mouthedness was actually a word and making a mental note to look it up when she thought about it, they had learned that they had a variety of common interests. She and Cordelia had managed to make a truce of sorts
themselves. Willow had learned that it was better to not think about Sunnydale or mention it, to just accept that things and people changed and run with it. She certainly knew that she was not the same Willow that they had known those years before, so why should she have expected them to remain the same? Even Wesley was different while still keeping a few of his familiar traits. And she liked Gunn. He was loud and brash and funny and knew exactly how to get under everyone's skin without them even realizing it was deliberate. He amused her. He and Wesley amused her. She wasn't sure if either of them was even aware of the attraction that seemed to exist between them, but she'd decided it was not her place to mention it. Instead, she sat back and watched the fireworks with a smile.

She took another sip of her drink, wondering what she should do that day. She had the entire day free, not needing to be back at the hotel until dusk. She'd already done a little exploring around the hotel, and thought it might be time to broaden her scouting locations. Gunn had offered to take her to the beach and she was seriously considering that option. And Cordelia had suggested going shopping for some more practical clothing. It seemed the former homecoming queen did not feel that Willow's long, flowing skirts were logical in the private detective business. She was encouraging the redhead to invest in some comfortable shoes and pants with a few shorter skirts that might free up her legs in case of emergency. It struck Willow as funny that Cordelia was actually worried about practical things such as fighting off attacking demons yet still managed to equate such tasks with an entirely new wardrobe. Willow also knew that Wesley had some new books that he had told her she could borrow. Plus, there was Angel. The dark haired vampire rarely left the hotel before dusk, but he was almost always awake and roaming around. He struck Willow as being rather lonely. She could identify with that, finding it rather odd to be single again after nearly three and a half years of almost constant 'girlfriend' hood. True, there was a short span after Oz had left that she was single, but she'd found Tara's friendship not long after.

Willow looked at the paper, catching up on any news she thought important while sipping her coffee. She put her paper down, looking up to see the clock. That was when she saw him watching her. A handsome man, honey blond hair, a little older than her but still in his low twenties. Green eyes from what she could tell. He was simply looking at her while drinking his mocha or latte or whatever foamy concoction he had in the mug in front of him. His eyes held pure masculine approval, something that Willow was not very used to seeing and it knocked her off guard. She could feel a slow blush crossing her cheeks at his obvious interest as he smiled at her, his teeth perfect and white. He looked like something from an Old Navy ad. She looked down at the table, not accustomed to flirting and rather unsure whether she wanted to flirt in the first place. True, he was attractive, but she was getting over Tara. It didn't really seem the time to pick up some random guy in the Mocha Express. She looked back up, just to assure herself that he had been flirting with her and not someone behind her. That would be the ultimate humiliation. Nope, he was still studying her with those rather nice eyes. She smiled shyly before looking back out the window.

She wasn't surprised when, a few minutes later, she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up, seeing that his eyes were indeed green. "Yes?"

He smiled again, a charming smile as he motioned to the chair opposite her, "Is this taken?"

"Not at all," she said, keeping her tone friendly and open but not too attentive. So far, there were no ringing bells for her.

"My name is Mark," he said, shaking her hand as he sat.

"Willow," she replied, liking the friendly smile. They spent nearly half an hour talking over two more cups of coffee. He was a student at USC it turned out, a senior majoring in finance of all things. He was smart, articulate, attractive and he did absolutely nothing for her. He was nice though, and she could see by the sheepish look in his eyes that he was aware that it was merely friendly conversation on her part.

"You said that you had a free day?" Mark said, knowing that the cute little redhead didn't seem interested in more than conversation but deciding that you could never have too many friends.

"Yeah, I'm rather at loose ends," she said, smiling.

"Why don't you let me show you some of LA," he suggested, giving her a boyish smile. "I know this city like the back of my hand. They should give me a job
at the chamber of commerce, I'm that good."

"It sounds so tempting," she said, laughing. He reminded her of Xander in a way, the humor and goofyness.

"What better way to see the city but with a new friend?" he asked, letting her know that he was aware that friendship was all she was offerring. He saw her relieved smile and felt a twinge of regret. She was certainly beautiful.

"You're right," she said. She put money on the table and stood, following his example. It was funny. She'd come in for coffee and left with a new friend.
 

TOO MANY MEN (3/?)

Willow laughed as Mark finished his joke. She shook her head, "You're nuts."

"Nope, just charming and suave," he said, winking.

"Don't forget modest," she said with a serious nod.

"So, you want to go to that club I told you about?" he asked, popping a french fry into his mouth.

"Maybe some other night," she said, looking at the water as she continued, "I've got plans tonight."

"With that guy? Your best friend's ex-boyfriend?" Mark asked, looking at his new friend. He had heard the way she spoke about that guy.

"Angel," she said, smiling slightly. "And no, the plans aren't with him exactly. They're with a few different friends."

"Ah, the former homecoming queen and those other two guys?" he asked, having heard her stories about her friends during their day out on the town. He
liked Willow, but knew he didn't have a chance in hell. She was too smitten with that Angel guy. Oh well, he'd made a friend. That was always cool.

"Yep," she smiled at him, seeing him checking out a girl that skated by. She laughed, "Her breasts aren't real."

"What? Who?" he asked, looking at her and smiling sheepishly. "Caught me."

"Not a problem," Willow said with her own smile. "That brunette over by the hot dog is pretty hot. She's been checking you out for the past twenty minutes."

"Really?" he looked over, looking at the girl she had pointed out. Laughing, he said, "Nope, she's looking at you."

"She is?" Willow smiled and looked at the girl, checking her out. "Not bad. A bit too flashy for me though. My last girlfriend was the opposite. Timid and shy but sweet."

"Whoa," Mark said, looking at her with surprise. "I think there's something you failed to mention during our big tour."

"Is that a problem? That I'm bisexual?" she asked, studying him.

He smiled a purely masculine smile, "Fuck no. Kind of a turn on, you know. If you ever feel the need to share the experience, you've got my number."

She laughed as he leered and wriggled his eyebrows, "Guys! What is it about two women that makes you all slobbering dogs?"

"Forbidden fruit and all that shit," he said, smiling. "Hell, I don't know. I'm majoring in finance not psychology. Why do men do anything that they do? For that matter, why do women? We'd be here forever if we tried answering those questions. Hey, do you want the rest of your fries?"

"No, you can have them," she said, handing him the carton. "She left. Guess she got tired of waiting."

"It's all right baby. You've still got me," Mark said with a smirk before putting six fries in his mouth at once.

"Oh joy," she said rolling her eyes. "Ugh, it looks like the sun is going to set soon. I'd better get back. They'll be worried."

"They got you on a curfew?" he asked, watching her shake her head.

"Nope. I just promised I'd be home by dusk," she explained.

"I'm ready," he said, getting to his feet and offering her his hand. "Your chariot awaits, m'lady."

"Thank you, sir," she said, snickering at him as they started across the sidewalk towards the car lot.
 

TOO MANY MEN (4/?)

"She's late," Angel said, looking at the clock on the wall.

"It's just six thirty," Cordelia said, rolling her eyes. "She said she'd be back by dusk."

"It was dark nearly five minutes ago," Angel said, frowning as he continued pacing.

Wesley covered a smile as he pointed out, "Angel, pacing is not going to bring her home faster."

"Besides that, it's damn annoying," Gunn added, looking at the vampire as if he had lost his mind.

"Cordelia, check the street again," Angel said, not answering either of them with anything except a glare.

"Good grief," Cordelia muttered, getting to her feet. "Would you like to call in the police too, master sir?"

"It's not like Willow to be late. She was always very prompt," Angel said, not wanting to examine the reason for his sudden concern.

"Wow. And suddenly the reason for her lateness is explained," Cordelia said from the doorway. "She's got a man."

"What?" Angel practically growled as he moved to Cordelia's side. He looked out and saw Willow getting out of some sporty convertible. She was smiling
and laughing as she spoke to the too pretty boy driving. "Who the hell is that?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't mind finding out," Cordelia said, her eyes raking over the handsome guy and then taking in his expensive car. "She's in town a week and scores a babe like that. I'm here over a year and can't get a date. What am I? A leper?"

"You know, you really shouldn't ask questions like that, Delia. One day, someone might answer you," Wesley said sweetly as the brunette stuck her tongue out at him.

Outside, Mark glanced up then looked at Willow. "Um, I think we're being watched."

"Really?" she asked, not turning to look. "What do they look like?"

"Some guy with dark hair a very serious scowl. Big guy. Remind me not to cross him, ever. Other one is a looker. Great legs, nice breasts, cute hair," Mark said, asking, "Ring any bells?"

"Angel is the one you don't want to piss off. And the beauty is Cordelia. Point of interest, hers are real," Willow said with chuckled as she saw Mark look back at the girl with interest. The wheels began to turn in her head as she considered setting up her new friend with her old friend. Matchmaking never worked out though. She had learned that lesson. This time, she'd just stay out of it. "Well, Mark, it was nice meeting you. I enjoyed your tour of LA and will get a letter out to the chamber of commerce tomorrow recommending it to everyone."

"Nah, don't do that. They'd try to make me work. Besides, I prefer personal tours with friends," he said, laughing. "It was very nice meeting you too, Willow. Even if you are immune to my charms, I think we can be friends."

"Do you?" she asked, moving to get out of the car. "We'll see."

"Teasing wench," he called out as she moved towards the opening door.

She looked back at him and winked before saying saucily, "You owe me a night on the town, pretty boy."

"Name the time and place, sweetheart," he said in a flirty tone, enjoying being able to flirt with her without worrying about expectations or follow through. "I'm yours."

"Who says that I want you?" she asked, laughing as she blew him a kiss. "You've got my number."

"Etched onto my heart," he replied dramatically as he put his hands over his chest. "Seared into my memory."

"Are you aren't majoring in drama?" she teased, shaking her head. "Good-bye Mark. Thanks for today. It surpassed my expectations."

"I always aim to please," he said, wriggling his eyebrows as he blew her a kiss. "Enjoy your night, darling."

Willow groaned in amusement as he drove away before turning to face her friends. "Hey guys. Is something wrong?"

"I'm not saying a word," Cordelia said, making a motion of zipping her lips. "Broody was worried about you so we were keeping an eye out. Quite a little
show, wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to worry," Willow said, her amusement fading as she looked at Angel seriously. "I wasn't aware that I had mentioned a certain time. I guess we lost track of time at the beach. We were talking and watching the people. I am very sorry."

"It's nothing," he said sharply, angry at himself for making her feel worried and angry at her for flirting so openly with that wealthy pretty boy. "Come on, we've got work to do."

Willow frowned as she looked at Cordelia who was also watching Angel with surprise. The brunette shrugged as she moved to the side for Willow to enter.
When the redhead came close, Cordelia leaned over and whispered, "I want details later, missy."

Willow just laughed, thinking that maybe introducing Mark to Cordelia wouldn't be too much like matchmaking.
 

TOO MANY MEN (5/?)

Willow looked at the skirt that Cordelia was holding and shook her head. "Nope. No way. Jeans I can handle. That scrap of nothing? Not a chance."

"But Willow, it would look great on you."

"Save that coaxing for someone else. Doesn't work on me, Delia," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "Let's take a break. I could use some lunch."

"Fine," Cordelia said. "Let me take those and check out."

Willow handed over the pile of clothes before looking back at the rack of shirts in front of her. She didn't notice Cordelia adding the leather skirt to the pile. When the brunette came back, she smiled and took the shopping bag. "Remind me to thank Angel for letting us borrow his credit card."

"It's the least he can after the way he's been acting," Cordelia said in a snooty tone. "I don't know what's got into him lately."

"I think I must have upset him somehow," Willow said, making a face. "How, I don't know. He's been practically distant the last couple of days."

Cordelia got a thoughtful look on her face as the two girls entered the restaurant. She noticed the stares that they got as they moved to their table, smiling a proud smile that they could catch attention. She sat down, ordering her drink and taking the menu. "So, what sounds good?"

"I don't know. I'm pretty hungry," Willow said, deciding finally on a salad and a chicken dish that sounded tasty. They placed their order and began talking.

Halfway through their meal, Willow was surprised to see a handsome man stop at their table. He smiled at Cordelia then looked at her, "I'm a bit embarrassed to do this, but live for the day is my motto."

"That's a good motto," she said, looking at Cordelia with a confused look before looking back into the man's blue eyes. He was in his late twenties with dark hair and a kind smile. "What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm about to give you my card with the hopes that you'll phone me," he said, smiling rather sheepishly as he handed over a card. "That's my office number.
My name is Mike Adams."

Willow took the card and said, "Willow. Mike, I'm flattered at the offer, but I don't usually phone strangers."

"Don't make up your mind yet. Take my card, give it some thought. I'm not proposing marriage or anything quite that serious. Just a date, maybe coffee,
something informal. And I won't be a stranger if you call and we talk," he added with a smile.

"I'll think about it," she said, looking at Cordelia as he walked away. "OK. Was that not weird?"

"I hate you," Cordelia said simply. "That's the second attractive man that has approached you since you arrived in town. And that's only the ones that I know about!"

"I don't get it. Back home, I can't even get a second glance. It's strange," she said, shaking her head. "Maybe I cast a spell or something and I didn't realize it."

"Honey, you're gorgeous," Cordelia said, looking at Willow with dismay. "It wouldn't take a spell to get guys interested in you. See, the difference is that guys in Sunnydale are scared pathetic little losers while here, they're brave pathetic losers."

"Ouch, that's kind of rough," Willow said wondering when Cordelia had become so cynical. "You really think I'm gorgeous?"

"Willow, if I were the type to be interested in women, I'd fuck you," Cordelia said. "And trust me when I say that my standards are very high."

"Thank you for the compliment," Willow said, smiling at her former enemy. "If you were my type, I'd take you up on that offer."

"Good. That's out of the way. We would fuck each other silly if we either of us were interested," Cordelia said, her lips twitching in amusement.

"So, do I keep the card?" Willow asked, looking at the small white card.

"Why not? He was cute and obviously had money," Cordelia said with an envious smile. "You might get bored and want to go out for a friendly date sometime."

"That's what Mark is for," Willow pointed out.

"Speaking of, when do I get to meet him?" Cordelia asked, feigning disinterest.

"I don't know. When I'm sure that he's good enough to meet you?" Willow suggested, smiling at the happiness that entered Cordelia's eyes.

"That is so sweet!" Cordelia said, smiling. "I'm so glad you got bored with Sunnydale. It's nice becoming friends. Also nice having another woman around.
Those guys can get so annoying."

"I'm glad too," Willow confessed honestly. "Sunnydale was getting to be rather stifling. It's nice for a change of scenery."

"And you have to admit that the men are better," Cordelia said with a smile.

"Enough about the men," Willow said, not bothering to tell the brunette that none of them interested her as much as Angel did or that she was slowly starting to get a crush on the handsome vampire. Slowly? Who was she kidding? She'd had a slight crush years before. After coming to LA and becoming his friend, it had merely resurfaced. "So, where do we go next?"
 

TOO MANY MEN (6/?)

"Where are you going?"

Willow gasped at the quiet voice speaking to her from the shadows, turning as her hand went towards her beating heart, "Damn it, Angel. You scared me."

A light was turned on to reveal Angel sitting in a large armchair, his dark eyes unreadable as they studied her, "Sorry. Where are you going?"

"Out," Willow said with a smile as she sat on the arm of the sofa. "Why were you sitting here in the dark?"

"Didn't realize it was so dark," he muttered, his eyes narrowed. "Out with who?"

"Mark," she answered, "How could you not realize it was dark? Angel, I worry about you. Do you want to come with us? You need to get out, I think. Sitting
around in the dark scaring people isn't very healthy."

"I didn't intend to scare anyone," he said defensively, almost growling. "And I don't want to go anywhere with *him*," he finished, spitting out the last word.

Willow frowned, looking at her friend, "I really think you'd like Mark if you gave him a chance. He's actually a really good guy."

"Oh, I'm sure he is," Angel said, his eyes still unreadable but his frown quite obvious.

"What do you plan to do tonight?" Willow asked, feeling almost guilty for making plans with Mark. Straightening, she scowled, wondering where Angel got
off making her feel guilty.

"I'm working," he said sharply.

"We have a case?" Willow asked, not finding it unusual how easily she had added herself to the gang in LA.

"Something private," he explained, "for a friend. Not official."

"Oh," she replied, a bit disappointed. She liked Mark, but she'd much rather have spent the evening with Angel, helping of course.

"Willow, go out and enjoy yourself," he said, feeling guilty for having been so rude. He didn't understand what was happening to him lately. He saw Willow
draw her bottom lip into her mouth and groaned, knowing that he was lying. He knew exactly what had happened. Willow. She was turning his neat and orderly
life inside out. And he had no idea what to do about it. She, of course, seemed completely oblivious to the desire and confusion he was going feeling. That was another reason he had been so short with her lately. Well, that and her friendship with that Mark guy. And he'd heard Cordelia mention a second that had flirted with the redhead.  Luckily, it appeared that Willow wasn't interested in that one. That only left Mark for him to get rid of. Running a hand over his face, he added, "When do you think you'll be home?"

"I don't know," she said softly, almost wishing he had asked her to stay with him. She was arranging for Cordelia to meet Mark that night, and rather felt like she'd be a third wheel. She knew she'd cut out early, but didn't want Angel to know she was playing matchmaker so she was deliberately vague. "I have no idea where he's taking me, actually."

"You're going who knows where with a practical stranger and you aren't concerned?" Angel asked, eyes flashing with anger.

"Who died and made you my parent?" she asked, annoyed with his obvious anger and his tone of voice.

"Someone needs to look after you, obviously," he remarked, shaking his head.

"I can look after myself, Angel. I've been doing it most of my life," she said, getting to her feet. To think she'd almost wanted to stay there with him. Controlling, brooding, too handsome damn vampire. "I'm leaving now. Enjoy work!"

"Willow, wait," he got to his feet, not wanting her to leave angry. "I worry about you, just like you worry about me."

"Angel," she said his name as she faced him, inhaling sharply as she realized that he had moved closer to her. She found her eyes drawn to his lips as her
heart began to race.

"Willow," he licked his lips, desire flashing in his eyes as he saw her focus on his lips, lust flaring in her green eyes as he wondered if she could possibly be feeling what he was feeling. He looked away, knowing that this wasn't right. This was just Willow. Buffy's best friend. His best friend. He shouldn't be having thoughts of chaining her to his bed to keep her away from Mark and the other interested men in LA. He sighed softly as he said, "You'd better be going. Mark will be waiting."

Willow felt her face redden at his obvious dismissal. He didn't want her around. She turned, picking up her coat and moving towards the door. She opened it and then looked at him, irritation in her green eyes mixed with the confusion and lust. Impulsively, she said, "Don't wait up," before turning and leaving.
 

TOO MANY MEN (7/?)

Willow moved her gaze from Mark then back to Cordelia. They were both seated at the small table with her, casting shy glances at each other while trying
to keep her involved in mindless chit chat so they could have more opportunities to look at each other. She was tempted to lean over and smack them both one good time on the head. They'd been at the club for nearly an hour. It was plain as day that there was an attraction between her two friends. Looking at them, she had to admit that they made a striking couple. Albeit a silent one. How could two people that were so confident and gorgeous seem so silly and shy?

"Hey babe. Want to dance?"

Willow glanced up at the slurred words, her face frowning as the scent of alcohol overwhelmed her. "Sorry, but I don't dance."

"Come on, babe. One dance," he asked again, pulling on her arm.

"Hey, the lady said no," Mark said, looking at the intoxicated man.

"Didn't ask you. Was talking to Red here," the man said, again touching Willow's arm.

"Yo, buster," Cordelia stood and faced the drunk, her arm going around Willow's shoulders. "She's with me, got it? Don't make me break a nail."

"Bitch dykes," the guy slurred before moving away.

Willow looked at Mark then at Cordelia, trying to keep from laughing but failing, "Don't make me break a nail?"

Cordelia shrugged, "Well, he didn't seem threatened by Mark!"

"That was amazing," Mark said, looking at Cordelia with a besotted smile. "The way you stepped in there and told him off. I think I'm in love."

Cordelia smiled shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear in a nervous way as she looked at the handsome college man, "A bit early for love, don't you think?"

"No way," he denied, holding his heart. "Love at first fight, Delia darlin'. Dance with me?"

"Is he always so...." Cordelia struggled for the right word as Mark's shyness left and he held out his hand for a dance.

"Overwhelming?" Willow asked with a smile. "Confident? Charming? Flirtatious?"

"Yeah," Cordelia said agreeing with Willow's descriptions.

Willow stood and whispered in Cordelia's ear, "He's a good guy, but he could hurt you. Of course, you could hurt him more."

Cordelia nodded, smiling, "I think I want to dance."

"And I think I'm going to leave. I could use some air," Willow said, looking between her friends and smiling.

"We'll leave too," Mark said, looking at Willow. "I don't want you trying to catch a cab this late."

"Yeah, we can get that dance some other time," Cordelia said, not wanting to stay without her friend.

"Guys, I'm a big girl. I can make it home on my own. Stay and enjoy the music and each other," Willow said, urging them.

"Sorry, not gonna do it," Mark said after looking at Cordelia and seeing a similar stubborn look in her dark eyes. Loyalty. Another plus in that column.
Damn if Cordelia Chase wasn't turning into his perfect woman.

"Yeah, Wills. You're stuck with two overprotective friends," Cordelia said with a smile. Mark was too good to be true. He had to have something wrong with him, didn't he?

"You guys have to stay and dance and fall in love and end up happy together!" Willow whined, shaking her head. "You can't leave yet."

"Honey, we can't fall in love if we don't have a chance to talk. Can you really see us trying to talk in here?" Mark said, motioning around. "We'll take you home and then maybe just for some coffee. I tend to have good luck with attractive women in coffee houses."

Willow groaned as he wriggled his eyebrows and leered at her, laughing as Cordelia rolled her eyes, a smile on her pretty face. "Is that the best you can do, Mark?"

"Just give me a chance," he said, his flirty tone covering up a nervous edge. Cordelia Chase scared him. She wasn't fooled by his breezy act. She'd called
him on it a couple of times already. He liked that.

"We'll see," she said with a smile as she looked at Willow and winked, letting the redhead know that she liked Mark.

"Come on, let's get out of here before I get propositioned again," Willow said, laughing as they started to leave, headed towards Mark's car and peaceful silence.
 

TOO MANY MEN (8/?)

Willow watched as Mark and Cordelia drove away, a smile on her face. It seemed that Cordelia defending her had broken the ice between the two, neither shutting up the entire drive back to the hotel. She looked at the door in front of her, realizing that she hadn't been gone even two hours. Angel would still be out working, and she'd just be alone. She sighed, turning to walk away from the hotel. She decided to visit Kathy, an older woman that owned a small grocery store not a block away from the hotel. She had stumbled upon Kathy's her third day in LA, loving the small friendly store immediately. She would often stop in and visit with the owner as she bought something for lunch or dinner, depending on the time. The small store had become a regular stopping most afternoons. She knew from the hours etched on the door that the place stayed open until three am, once asking Kathy if she actually worked that late. The response had been that sometimes she did, sometimes she didn't. Tonight, Willow hoped that she was there. It was only ten PM and she could use some friendly conversation.

She was almost to the store when she heard a loud bass coming up behind her. She turned, seeing a very nice black BMW pulling to a stop beside the light.
The car was practically moving from the music playing inside and she smiled as she entered the store.

"Willow, honey. Why are you out this late?" Kathy asked, looking up from her crossword as the redhead came inside.

"It's only ten," Willow said with a smile at the woman. "I got hungry and decided to come get some snacks before settling in to watch a movie."

"Go, buy, then come and talk to me," Kathy said, using her hand to shoo the girl into the aisles.

Willow smiled as she grabbed a basket and moved towards the back of the store. She didn't really have anything at Angel's to eat, usually buying only
enough to eat for each meal. She knew that the only snack food belonged to the others, having snuck some of Gunn's chips the other day. She went to the
fruit, deciding that she could use some apples. Maybe she could cook something. A pie or something. She hadn't baked in years, she realized. She'd probably forgotten how. She picked up several apples, eyeing each one critically before it received her final approval and made it into her plastic bag. She tied the end and started to look at the other produce. She had just picked up a tomato when something caught her eyes. Looking up, she froze, seeing one of the most beautiful men she'd ever seen.

Dark hair that was rather long, brushing against his collar. She couldn't see the color of his eyes but could imagine them a piercing blue or maybe something unusual like gray. He was tan, his skin a golden brown. He was wearing a torn white T-shirt that had paint stains and a pair of faded blue jeans that molded a body that deserved at least a third or fourth glance. She swallowed, touching the cool ice to relieve some of the heat. Good grief, he was handsome. She turned her head before he realized she was staring, knowing that she'd been horrified to be caught ogling a guy in the produce section. She took her basket and moved to the chip aisle, her eyes moving back to study him of their own free will. He moved with a steady grace, a confidence in his step. She watched as his left hand pushed his hair from his face as he tossed a couple of apples into his basket.

She moved to the front counter, putting her basket down as she sat shakily on the chair beside Kathy. She let out a breath, her eyes looking up and finding
the hunk in the mirrors bordering the store.

"I see you've seen Mac," Kathy said with an impish smile.

"Mac?" Willow repeated.

"Good looking, dark hair, blue eyes," Kathy rattled off. Looking up, she wriggled her eyebrows, "I could probably guess his jean size from the time I've spent looking at that tight ass of his."

"Kathy!" Willow said, laughing as the older woman smile. "Yeah, I think I just saw him."

"He's a good guy. A painter. Not houses. Does pictures. Lives around the corner I think. Always comes in here before midnight almost every night. Always comes in smelling of paint and smiling that smile of his. Damn thing should be illegal," Kathy shook her head as she fanned herself.

"He's an artist?" Willow asked, filing that away. She had seen the paint on his shirt but assumed it was just an old shirt.

"Uh, oh," Kathy said with a smirk. "Someone's smitten."

"What?" Willow said, shaking her head. "No way. He's nice to look at, but I've learned that looks can be deceiving. Besides, I've already got too many men in my life, thank you very much."

"You can never have too many men," Kathy said with a horrified look. "Bite your tongue."

"Anyway, I was merely going to say that he is very attractive," Willow said primly.

"And he's coming this way to check out," Kathy said with a nudge of her elbow.

"He is?" Willow said, getting to her feet and moving into the nearest aisle. She ignored him, instead staring at her basket. She felt the blush on her face as if he had heard what she and Kathy had been saying. She listened as Kathy started to talk to him, flirting easily with the handsome painter. She heard him laugh and her stomach tightened, the husky sound sending shivers along her spine. She looked up from beneath her lashes, her eyes moving along the contours of his ass, noticing that it was indeed tight and nicely shaped. His voice was pleasant and he seemed interested in what Kathy was saying. He must be a good guy, to stand around and flirt with a sixty year old woman.

"See you tomorrow, Mac. Same time?" Kathy asked, her eyes moving to look at her new red-haired friend then back into the smiling blue eyes of her other
friend.

Mac shrugged, "About the same, Kat. See ya," he added as he picked up his bag and left the store, leaving two women, one twenty and one sixty, sighing as
they watched him disappear.

Willow looked over at Kathy and started to laugh, "Goddess, we're horrible. Looking at him like that."

"He didn't notice, honey. He's always caught up with whatever is going on in that mind of his to pay attention to things like that," Kathy said with an easy smile. "You getting anything else?"

"No, I think this is enough for tonight," Willow said, not sure if she would be able to stay away knowing that Mac would be in the next night. She was turning into a wanton hussy, she realized. First having delicious thoughts about Angel, not working some complete stranger into them too. She paid for her groceries and left the store, pushing away thoughts of good looking strangers from her mind.
 

TOO MANY MEN (9/?)

Angel hid in the shadows, his dark eyes looking around for any sign of a trap. He glanced at his watch, seeing that it was nearly two. He was early, as usual. He hadn't been lying to Willow earlier, he was working. He had been extremely curious when he had received the phone call earlier than evening, curious and suspicious. He still wasn't sure if he had made the right decision, coming to this meeting alone. He trusted too easily, he decided. Either that or he was stupid. Lately, he'd probably vote for the latter. It had to have been stupidity that had allowed him to let Willow leave the hotel. After she had left, he'd sat for nearly an hour lost in vivid images of ways he could have kept her from meeting that pretty college boy. Images that had excited both him and the demon. He knew that wasn't a good thing.

He was brought from his mind when he heard footsteps. Cursing, he became alert, hearing only one set of footsteps. Maybe it wasn't a trap. He frowned,
almost wishing it had been. He felt like fighting someone, anything to take away from his desire to toss Willow to the ground and fuck away thoughts of any other man from her mind. He groaned, moving a hand over his face as he felt his cock harden. Now was not the time to be horny. He counted to ten, removing his hand to find himself looking into a familiar face. A familiar, smug, pretty boy handsome with just a hint of danger, face. "MacDonald. What did you want?"

"Angel," Lindsey said smoothly, his voice not betraying his fear of the dark haired vampire. "Thank you for meeting me."

"Did I have a choice?" Angel asked, not wanting to play any verbal games. He just wanted to find out what Lindsey wanted then get back to the hotel to see
if Willow was back yet.

"I thought that you always had a choice, Angel," Lindsey said, frowning at the vampire.

"What did you want?" Angel asked again, moving from his position in the shadows. He saw Lindsey move slightly and smiled, a purely masculine smile of
someone that knew the other person was afraid of them. It was nice being feared, he realized, deliberately moving closer to the lawyer.

"Here," Lindsey handed over a plain brown envelope.

"What's this?" Angel asked, not taking the envelope as he reminded the human who had the power.

"Information," Lindsey said tightly, glancing behind him. He knew that no one was following him, but he hated to let his guard down. He looked at Angel and
scowled, seeing the cocky vampire giving him a look as if he was beneath him. >From what he could tell, they had a lot in common, he and Angel. He'd never
admit it, nor did he think Angel would, but it was one of the many reasons that the dark haired vampire annoyed him. "Take it and read it. Up to you if you want to take action."

"Haven't we been down this road before, MacDonald?" Angel asked, taking the envelope, his fingers brushing over the top of Lindsey's hand. "You help me,
I help you, you try to screw me, I fuck you."

"Bastard," Lindsey muttered under his breath, giving the vampire a hard look. "I know that you hate me. I know that you don't trust me. Hell, I don't blame you at all. I thought I'd take a chance and give you that folder. That guy is bad news. If you want to stop him, find. If not, hell, I tried. I can rest easier."

"You'll never rest easy, Lindsey," Angel said softly, his eyes flashing.

"Drop it," Lindsey said, rolling his eyes. "You've tried, Angel. Can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved. Now, run along back to your dark hotel and forget that you saw me."

"Already forgotten," Angel said as he moved back into the shadows, the envelope in his hand.

Lindsey went back to his car, sliding inside and shutting the door. Leaning his head back, he let out the breath that he had taken when he had first left it. He hated going to Angel, his hatred for the sanctimonious bastard having grown after every defeat, but he knew that Angel would help. He didn't question why he was risking his job and his life to destroy a client. He no longer cared. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he realized that it was getting to be a bit too long. He needed to have it cut soon. He turned his car on, pushing in a CD and turning the volume low. Reaching over, he grabbed an apple and took a bite as he started towards the road. He smiled as he looked at the bag of apples, wondering idly who that cute redhead talking to Kathy had been.
 

TOO MANY MEN (10/?)

Angel shut the door of the hotel, moving to his office and tossing the folder that Lindsey had given him onto his desk. He'd look at it tomorrow. As it was, dusk was fast approaching. After leaving the lawyer, he had driven around aimlessly for nearly two hours, just lost in thought. It had been nice with the top down, the cool air clearing his mind. It hadn't really helped, bringing him no closer to any definite answers on how to handle Willow. He had to admit that he was falling for the redhead. It was the only logical explanation. Logical? Nothing in his feelings for her were logical. Even now, he could smell her, knew she was asleep just across the hall from him. It would be so easy to open her door and go inside, wake her up as he entered her, kissing her and teasing her until she decided that she wanted him too.

He couldn't do that, though. He was her friend. She was dating that Mark guy. The annoying pretty boy with the fast car and loud mouth. What did Willow see
in that jerk? What did Mark give her that he couldn't? Well, besides being able to be with her in the sun and give her babies if she wanted those. With a soft growl, Angel went up the stairs two at a time. He didn't want to imagine that moron giving Willow anything at all. He knew that Willow hadn't had sex with Mark. He'd have been able to smell it easily. Things might not be perfect in that relationship after all, he thought with a small hopeful smile. If he could get Mark out of the picture, maybe Willow be more inclined to see that love was right across the hall.

Angel's hand was on his doorknob when he heard a door opening. Looking up, he saw Willow standing in her doorway. He ran his eyes over her, seeing that she was wearing a tank top and a pair of boxers. Her hair was slightly mussed and her eyes were sleepy. He felt himself harden at the images that flashed
through his mind. Pushing them away, he said huskily, "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Willow shook her head, frowning slightly when he looked at the floor rather than at her, "No. I was waiting up for you."

"You were?" he looked up, surprise and pleasure in his dark eyes.

She nodded, "Yeah. I was a bit worried about you. Business at this late hour. And you were alone. I had no idea where you had gone or what you were doing.
I kept thinking that maybe you had been hurt and I wouldn't even know where to find you."

"I'm fine," he said, deciding not to dwell on the pleasure that her words caused.

"I see that," she said, smiling softly. She laughed as she ran a hand through her hair, "Goddess, you must think I'm so silly."

"It's nice," he said quietly, speaking honestly. "I haven't had anyone worry about me in a long time."

"Oh," she said, smiling. "Did everything go well? I don't see any bumps or bruises."

"It was fine," he said, smiling as he leaned against his door. "Rather simple. Just had to get some information. Afterwards, I drove around a bit, did some thinking. I wasn't sure if your date," he spat out the word without realizing it, "would have ended by now. I'm rather surprised to see you home so early."

"Early?" she said, "Angel, it's nearly four-thirty. I was home by midnight."

"The date didn't go well?" he asked, watching her face.

Thinking of Cordelia and Mark's meeting, Willow smiled a pleased smile, "Oh, it went perfectly. Better than I ever imagined."

He scowled, not liking the look that had entered her green eyes, "That's nice."

She looked at him in surprise, "That didn't sound very sincere."

"It's late and I'm rather tired," he said, his hand turning the knob to open his door.

"Oh, sorry I was keeping you awake," she said, her eyes looking at the floor. She felt foolish suddenly. "I'll quit bothering you and let you get some sleep."

"You're never a bother, Willow," Angel said softly before turning and entering his room.
 

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