Love and Betrayal

Part 2

      "Okay, so are you going to do it or aren’t you?" Willow asked Spike.
      "Pet, what if she says no.  I mean, at least right now I can have my dreams
of maybe her going out with me.  If she shoots me down, than they’ll be gone
too," Spike replied.  They were standing outside of the offices of Angel
Investigations and Willow was trying to convince Spike to go ahead and ask
Cordelia out, just like he had been wanting to for the last month.
      "And if she says yes, which she will, you’ll have the reality instead of
just the dream," Willow countered.  "Which would you prefer."  Spike ran a
hand through his short hair, taking in an unneeded breathe.
      "Fine, I’ll ask her while you go tell Peaches how the love of his life
completely betrayed him.  Happy?"
      "Well, sort of.  I mean, yes happy about you asking Delia out, but no on
the whole Buffy betraying Angel thing," Willow told him.  "But, I’ll be
damned if I let her get away with it.  Angel has the right to be happy and
I’m going to make sure that he knows just how happy he can be."
      "Especially if he decides that it’s you that makes him happy," Spike
pointed out.  Willow stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh. "Come on
and let’s get it over with."  Willow took a deep breathe and opened the door
to the office.  She saw Angel and Cordelia looking bored as some blonde
woman was describing a crime scene to them, not noticing the expressions of
her listeners.  The expressions that changed instantly when they saw who
entered the office.
      "Willow," Angel grinned, going over and hugging the petite red head,
picking her up off the ground.  "What are you doing here?"
      "What, can’t a girl come see her friend whenever she wants too?" Willow
teased.  Angel just held her tighter.
      "Of course you can.  You know you’re always welcome here," Angel assured
the girl.  "Even if you have to bring the bleached moron with you."
      "Funny Peaches," Spike replied, stepping from behind Willow, his eyes
finding Cordelia’s.  He was surprised to see the brunette blush slightly and
look away from him.  ‘Could Red be right.  Maybe I do stand a chance with
her.’  "’Ello, Delia."
      "Spike," Cordelia greeted him shyly.  "How have you been?"
      "Pretty good.  Been keeping busy, what with all the activity around good
ole Sunnyhell lately."
      "That’s good.  I mean, that you are keeping busy, not the whole activity
thing. Because that usually means bad things are happening and why am I
suddenly sounding an awful like Willow?" Cordelia rambled, causing three of
the four other people in the office to laugh.
      "I think we’ve been talking on the phone way too much lately, Delia,"
Willow laughed.  "I’m beginning to rub off on you."  Cordelia stuck her
tongue out at her friend, causing everyone to laugh again.  Willow noticed
the blonde looking at them all, especially Angel, with an expression that
mixed hurt, anger and confusion all in one.  "Angel, I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean to interrupt anything."  Willow pointed at the blonde and Angel turned
in surprise, having completely forgotten the other person that had been in
the room.
      "I’m sorry.  Willow, Spike this is Detective Kate Lockley with the LAPD.
Kate, this is Willow," Angel gave Willow’s side a slight squeeze, his arm
never leaving her side.  "And the blonde over there is Spike."
      "Old friends I take it," Kate said, her attention focused more on the red
head in Angel’s arms than the blonde man standing by Cordelia.
      "Yes," Angel answered.  "I’ve know Willow for over three years and Spike
for considerably longer."
      "Is he a..a…like you," Kate stammered, unable to say the word, vampire.
Spike grinned at the blonde’s discomfort.
      "Yes, he’s a vampire," Angel replied.  Willow and Spike looked at Angel,
surprised that the blonde woman apparently knew about his vampire status.
Kate looked over at the blonde in question, her stance showing her
nervousness at being in the presence of not just one, but two vampires.  She
had been working hard at accepting the fact that Angel was a vampire because
of all the help he had given her and the good that he had done, but she
wasn’t sure that she could handle being in the same room with another
vampire that she didn’t know.  Even if Angel seemed to be comfortable with
him.
      "Angel," Willow said, sensing the tension that was rolling off of the
blonde detective in waves, "I need to talk to you about something.
Privately."  Angel looked at the red head in his arms and motioned for her
towards the elevator.
      "Kate, I’ll let you know what we find out about the demon."  And with that
dismissal, Angel and Willow took the elevator to the apartment below.
      Kate couldn’t believe it.  Here she had been having a conversation with
Angel and his assistant about something that appeared to be something that
might have been of interest to them and he had all but ignored her as soon
as that red headed girl came into the room.  And the way he reacted to her.
His face lit up like a Christmas tree. And Angel never let her go, his arm
had always been around her waist didn’t make her feel any better. Kate had
never felt such intense jealousy before.
      "Spike, what’s up with Willow?"  Kate’s attention was brought back to the
office as Cordelia spoke to the blonde vampire.
      "Long story.  Let’s just say that she is about to make him the happiest he
has been in a long time and possibly the maddest he’s been in a long time,"
Spike answered cryptically, not wanting to tell Cordelia the news of Angel’s
soul being permanent.  At least, not while that blonde detective was there.
      "What’s that supposed to mean?"
      "I’ll tell you later," Spike said, tilting his head towards Kate.  She
understood that meant that whatever the news was, he didn’t want to tell
Cordelia in front of her.  And, now that Angel was gone, Kate didn’t really
want to stay in the office anyway.
      "Well, I guess that means that I can leave now," she said, picking up her
purse.  "Tell Angel that I will let him know if  I find anything else out
about the evil thing that we were talking about."  Kate nodded a goodbye to
Spike and Cordelia and left the office.
      "God, I never thought that woman would leave," Cordelia exclaimed as soon
as the office door shut.  "I mean, the way she goes on and on, it’s
disgusting.  Not to mention her flirting with Angel.  I’m telling you, I
just want to gag sometimes."  Spike laughed at Cordelia’s ranting.
      "Yeah, well, I thought she was going to bore two holes into Red’s brain,
the way she was staring at her," Spike told her.  "If looks could kill, we’d
be burying Willow right about now.  And what was with that whole "evil
thing"?
      "Oh, well, she found out about demons and all, but can’t quite accept
them," Cordelia explained.  "She refuses to even say the word vampire and
demon.  That’s what makes her flirting with Angel even more gag worthy.  She
can’t stand what he is, but yet she is still attracted to him.  Sound like
another blonde we all know and hate?"
      "Yeah, speaking of Slutty, she’s partially the reason that we came here."
Cordelia looked over at Spike, sitting in her chair.  "Apparently, little
miss perfect has been keeping secrets that she had no right keeping."
      "Like what?"
      "Like the fact that Peaches’ soul is permanent and has been since Red did
the spell to restore it to him."
      "What?" Cordelia shouted, then lowered it quickly.  "What do you mean it
permanent?"
      "Exactly that.  No matter how happy he gets, he will always be the big
Poof.  And the slayer knew it the entire time.  Not only that, she had
convinced Red not to say anything."
      "Bitch," Cordelia swore.  "And, now Willow’s going to tell Angel.  Do you
think that means that maybe he’ll finally do the right thing and ask her
out?"  Cordelia knew that her boss had a thing for the hacker, but had never
wanted to explore his feelings because he didn’t want to hurt her.  And he
didn’t think that he could offer her what she needed without him losing his
soul.
      "I don’t know.  I know that if he did, Willow would be more than willing to
say yes," Spike answered.  "Speaking of asking out, what say you and me go
get ourselves a bite to eat."  Cordelia looked at him.  "I meant at a
restaurant, Delia."
      "Do you mean, like a date or just as friends?"
      "Which would you prefer?"
      "Well, a dinner with a friend would be someplace like Ruby Tuesdays, while
a dinner with a date would probably be someplace more expensive."
      "Well, I was thinking of pulling out all the stops and taking you wherever
you wanted to go," Spike told her, taking her arm in his.
      "In that case, I would say this is a date," Cordelia smiled.  Spike
answered hers, with a smile of his own and the two left the office, heading
out for their first date.
      While Spike and Cordelia were talking about dinner plans, Willow was
sitting on the couch in Angel’s living room, nervously twirling the bottom
of her shirt.  As soon as she had been alone with Angel, she had begun to
feel nervous about telling him about what Buffy had done.  Angel looked at
the girl, wondering what exactly was going on with her.  Her silence was
frightening him, because he knew how talkative she usually was.  When if
became apparent that she wasn’t going to say anything, he finally asked why
she was there.
      "Willow, what’s wrong?"
      "Wrong, what makes you think anything’s wrong," Willow replied.
      "Because if you stretch out your shirt anymore, both of us will be able to
fit into it," he told her.  Willow looked at her hands and stopped fidgeting
immediately.  She brought her head up, her eyes catching his.
      "Angel, I have something to tell you.  I mean, it’s something I should have
told you before but I didn’t because she asked me not to and I will
understand if you never want to talk to me again.  I mean, I won’t be happy
about it because you’re my friend and I like you and all, but I will
understand."
      "Willow, you’re babbling," Angel pointed out.  "Just say what you have to
say.  I would never stop talking to you."
      "You might change your mind once you hear my news."  Angel took her hand,
giving Willow the support that she needed.  She took a deep breathe.
"AngelyoursoulispermanentandIwouldhavetoldyouexceptthatBuffysaidshewouldbutaccordingtoSpikeyoudidn'tknowandIamsosorry."
  Angel looked at Willow in confusion at Willow and tried to decipher her
sentence, surprised that she got it out in one breathe.  The only words he
caught were soul, permanent and Buffy.
      "Willow, can you try saying that again, but breathe this time."
      Angel, your soul is permanent and I would have told you before, but Buffy
asked me not too.  She said she would.  But, according to Spike, she didn’t
and that’s why I’m here.  I am so sorry and I’ll understand if you want me
to leave now."  Willow stood up after her explanation and headed towards the
elevator.  Just as she was about to get in, she felt herself being picked up
by a pair of very storing arms.  She squealed as Angel twirled her around
the room, finally setting her down and turning her in his arms.  She looked
up and saw him smiling down at her.
      "You aren’t mad at me?" She asked, her voice small.
      "Why should I be mad at you?  You gave me the best gift anyone could have
given me."
      "But I should have told you last year, when you came back," Willow told
him.  "I didn’t.  I let Buffy convince me that it would be better if she
told you and now to find out she didn’t.."  Willow never got a chance to
finish her sentence.
      "Willow, I don’t want you to ever feel guilty for not telling me," Angel
admonished her, "you didn’t do anything wrong.  You had every reason to
believe that Buffy would tell me about my soul.  If I’m angry and hurt by
anyone, it would be her.  She knew how much it had hurt me, thinking that
the two of us couldn’t be together because of the clause.  It was one of the
reasons that I had felt the need to leave Sunnydale in the first place.  And
to find out that she knew the clause was no longer there, makes me question
whether I ever really knew her at all."  Willow’s heart went out to the
vampire in front of her, who had just found out that the love of his life
had kept the happiest news that he could have received to herself.
      "I am sorry, Angel.  If I had known that she didn’t tell you, I would have
told you long ago."
      "I know, little one," Angel said, kissing Willow’s nose.  "I don’t want you
to beat yourself up over this.  It isn’t your fault.  As soon as you
realized what  happened, you did what came naturally to you.  You fixed it.
For that, I will be eternally grateful."  Willow smiled at Angel, lighting
her whole face up.
      "Well, Mr. I have a permanent soul, what would you like to do?"
      "Celebrate."
 

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