E-Mail: ksu2@juno.com
Rating: PG-13 (just to be safe for later parts)
Disclaimer: Angel, Willow, et. al belong to Joss Whedon, the
WB, and 20th Century Fox
Summary: Angel returns to Sunnydale for Buffy's wedding and
runs into Willow
Spoilers: Up to Living Conditions on Buffy and Lonely Hearts
on Angel Feedback: I'm begging. :)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
May, 2004-
Five years. Angel sighed, a habit he had become accustomed to in his years with a soul. Had it really been five years since he had seen any of them? He thought back, trying to remember. Willow. He’d seen her at Christmas in 1999, when she’d shown up with the spell to make his soul permanent. That was the last time he had seen any of Sunnydale’s residents. Except Cordelia, of course. But he didn’t really consider the brunette to be a member of the group from Sunnydale anymore. Like him, she hadn’t stayed. She’d ended up in LA with him and Doyle for a couple years, then she had gone off to New York to try her hand at theater, and Doyle had followed her a year later. Angel realized with a slight shock that, while they had done a good job keeping in touch - Doyle via e-mail, Cordelia by letter (she’d never really gotten the hang of computers) - neither one had been back to LA in two years. Time sure flew when you were brooding. He’d always intended to go to visit them, and he’d always meant to keep in touch with the Scooby Gang...he just never got around to it. And then he got the letter, and he knew he had to go back. With a look of resignation evident on his face, Angel took the turn that led to Sunnydale. To Buffy’s wedding.
It was odd; Angel had expected to feel more hurt when he heard that Buffy was getting married. Instead, he’d been happy for her. It had caught him by surprise to discover that, somewhere along the way, he had fallen out of love with the Slayer. He wondered when it had happened, but he was glad it had.
He parked his car and got out to survey the town. He could still feel the power that radiated from the Hellmouth, but it had dulled somewhat over the years. Willow’s doing, probably. Cordelia’s letters had hinted that Willow had turned out to be a more powerful witch than any of them had expected.
Angel walked slowly, taking in the changes of the town. A new movie theater, better lit sidewalks. He smiled slightly, knowing that the street lamps had probably been the idea of Mayor Joyce Summers. Vampires preferred to kill their victims in a dark alley rather than a brightly lit street. Stores lined both sides of the streets, a welcome change from the days when half of the storefronts had advertised that they were for lease. The town had grown; the death rate had as well. Angel cringed slightly as the thought crossed his mind. He wondered if he could have helped. It was too late for that now. Besides, he knew that he was needed in LA; he knew he was helping people.
Angel slowed down even more, then stopped, as a store caught his eye. It wasn’t just any store, either. It was a magick shop. When he had lived in Sunnydale, there had been over a dozen magick shops. Now, as he considered things, he realized this was the only one he had seen. It was large and rather brightly lit. He glanced up at the sign above the door. The Book of Shadows. Interesting name. He stepped closer to the window, considered going in. He took a look at his watch. It was almost ten; the store was about to close. He frowned slightly as he watched a worker wait on one of the customers that had yet to leave. She looked awfully familiar. Blonde hair... she worked in the store, so she probably had a knowledge of witchcraft... Amy Madison. Was that her name? Hadn’t she been a rat when he had left town? Of course, if Willow had grown in power since he’d left, it was entirely possible that Amy had been turned back to her human form. Angel started to turn to go.
And that was when he saw her.
The young woman that had just left the store’s office was dressed entirely in black: long black skirt, black heeled boots, black turtleneck. Her jewelry was silver: large, funky rings, a simple chain around her neck. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but it was so long that it still reached her waist. Her back was turned to him, but he instinctively knew that she was someone he should recognize. He looked at her hair, taking in the flaming red of it.
“No. It can’t be her.”
The young woman turned then, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She wore black eyeliner, and her lipstick was maroon, but there was no doubt about who she was.
“I’ll be damned.”
It was Willow.
End Part 1
It had been a long day, and Willow was tired. She mumbled a vow never to wear boots with heels ever again, then nearly laughed out loud. She’d made that same vow almost every day for more than two years, and she almost always forgot about it the next day. Besides, she knew that a lot of people had a specific, if incorrect, view of what a witch looked like, and sneakers and fuzzy sweaters just wasn’t it. Unfortunately, if she wanted the store to continue its success, she had to give the people what they wanted. And she wanted the store to be a success. It had to be. There was no way that she was going to allow her parents to say ‘I told you so.’ She knew they were dying to. She sighed, mad at herself for thinking about her parents. She knew that Sheila and Ira Rosenberg still had dreams that their only daughter would someday become a computer magnate. Or maybe a surgeon. They didn’t really care, as long as the phrase “world famous,” or perhaps “world renowned,” ended up in her job description. She didn’t really think “world renowned Wiccan” would cut it.
Willow glanced around the store as she entered the main room, grateful to see that few customers remained. It was spring, which for many people meant that love was in the air. Or, if it wasn’t, it should be. She had no idea how many people had come in requesting the ingredients for love spells or asking for a love potion. All she knew was that she’d had to reorder the damn stuff at least three times and was about to have to do so again.
“Excuse me, miss, but where can I find canary feathers?”
Turning to the customer, Willow pasted a smile on her face even though she felt like screaming. Canary feathers. Another stupid love spell. At this rate, all of Sunnydale would be engaged in one big orgy by the end of the week.
“Right this way, ma’am.” Willow showed the woman where the feathers were, then directed her over to where Amy was manning the cash register. She started to reach up her hand to run it through her hair, but managed to remember that’d she put it in a ponytail that morning. Her mood would have definitely worsened if she’d accidentally pulled her hair down.
With a sigh, Willow began to straighten the supplies on the shelves, occasionally writing down something they were short on. This part of the job could be boring, but it had to be done. Besides, it beat trying to warn people of the possible dangers of love spells; they never listened anyway. Willow could still remember how embarrassing her actions had been when Xander had blackmailed Amy into casting a love spell. It was hard to believe that she’d actually been waiting for Xander in his bed that night... thank the Goddess that Xander hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. Oh, well. What was past was past. Willow shrugged her shoulders, trying to work the kinks out of them. She’d been on her feet most of the day, and it was taking its toll in the form of several aches and pains in various parts of her body. She supposed that the vampire attack she had thwarted the night before had a bit to do with her soreness as well. It was a good thing Spike had been there; she didn’t think she would have been able to handle it if she had been alone. As it was, she had several bruises on her arms, as well as a rather nasty scratch on her back. It was not an incident she cared to repeat.
She paused in her work as the feeling that something was just a bit...off came to her. She glanced around the store. Everything seemed okay: the customers were finishing up their browsing; Amy was ringing up a purchase. But something didn’t feel right. Willow waited a moment, hoping the feeling would go away. When it didn’t, she sighed, concentrated on the feeling, and tried to discern what it was. The feeling of...being watched? Slowly, holding her breath, she turned, directing her gaze to the front window. And she saw him.
“Oh, my Goddess, it’s Angel.”
End Part 2
She had spotted him. Damn it, she had spotted him while he was standing there virtually ogling her. Quickly, he turned to go.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Angel turned around slowly, not really wanting to have to explain himself. He didn’t have to. Before he could even say hello, Willow threw herself into his arms.
“Oh, Goddess, Angel, it is so good to see you! I knew you were coming down...Cordelia told me, but I didn’t know when. Oh, you look wonderful...which shouldn’t be surprising, because you’re a vampire, and vampires don’t age, and I’m rambling, aren’t I? I thought I was over that.”
Angel smiled, pulling Willow closer for a moment, breathing in her clean scent, then let her go. He looked into her shining face, grateful to see that, while the clothes had changed, the woman in them hadn’t.
“It’s okay. I like it when you ramble. Always have. You look... wow. The hair, and... the, um... just wow.” He grinned at the tiny redhead standing in front of him. “That wasn’t overly coherent, was it?”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’m not all that coherent myself. Why don’t you come inside?”
Angel felt Willow take his hand, and he allowed her to lead him though the store and into the office.
“I take it this is yours?”
“Yeah. Well, mine and Amy’s anyway. We bought it four years ago, right after our first year of college.”
“I knew you owned a store; I just didn’t know what kind. Cordelia’s letters sometimes lack detail.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it. She once told me a story about Doyle, and neglected to inform me he was half demon. I had no clue why his sneezing in public was such a bad thing. I had to call her and ask.”
Angel smiled, amazed at how easy it was to talk to Willow, even after all these years. He hadn’t felt so comfortable with anyone in a long time.
Willow glanced at her watch, relieved to see it was time to close. She was dying to talk to Angel. It had been almost five years, and she was sure that there was a lot to talk about.
“I’m going to go and help Amy with the last of the customers, then finish closing up. I want you to stay here. No leaving. After I’m done, we can go get some coffee or something and talk.” Willow paused, suddenly uncertain. “Unless, of course, you have somewhere you need to be...”
“No, nowhere,” Angel hurriedly reassured her. “I just need to find a place to stay-”
“Stay with me. We can keep the curtains in the guest room closed. Besides, it would probably be best if we headed back to my place for the coffee and the talk. This is still the Hellmouth, you know. Out and about is not the safest place to be late at night.” Willow turned to head back out and help Amy, then quickly turned back to look at Angel. “Stay put. This shouldn’t take long.” And with that, she left the room.
Angel sat in the office and smiled to himself. The evening was turning out much better than he’d imagined.
He hoped it wouldn’t end anytime soon.
End Part 3
Willow had a lovely home. It was a one-story, but it was more than large enough for its single occupant. Well, its single human occupant, anyway. Angel stepped back, a bit surprised, as a large white cat nearly ran into him on its way to Willow.
“Spike, watch out!” Willow looked at Angel apologetically. “Sorry about that. He can be a bit of a nuisance.”
Angel stared in shock. “Did you just call him Spike?”
“Yeah, after the person who gave him to me. He’s my familiar.”
“Spike gave you a cat? Why the hell would Spike give you a cat?”
Willow sighed; this was going to a be a rather...interesting night. “I take it Cordy’s letters didn’t mention Spike.” At the shake of Angel’s head, she continued. “Look, why don’t you get settled, then I’ll tell you everything you want to know. I could really use a shower, and I’m dying to get out of these clothes. We’ll meet up in the living room in a half hour, okay? Your room’s down the hall, the first door on the left.” She waited until she was sure Angel was headed in the right direction, then picked up Spike. “Leave it to Cordy to forget the important stuff,” she sighed, then headed for her bedroom. She wondered what else Cordelia had conveniently forgotten to tell the dark-haired vampire.
In his room, Angel was wondering the exact same thing. He stowed his suitcase in the closet, then took a good look around the room. It felt like the Willow he had known. The bedspread was a bright patchwork quilt, and the walls were adorned with pictures of friends. He grinned as he picked up the stuffed bear that sat on the bed. Definitely the same Willow. The room was very nice and had a cozy feel to it. He was thankful to see that Willow had stuck to the same bold colors that she had been so fond of before he left. He’d been a bit worried when he had first seen her through the store window. He wasn’t used to the thought of Willow in black, and, even though he had been stunned by her beauty, he had been uncomfortably reminded of the vampire version of the tiny redhead. With a sigh, he closed the heavy curtains that adorned the window, surprised to see that they would be very effective in blocking out the sun in the morning. He vaguely wondered if the room had been set up that way for Spike, then filed the question away for later. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer to that one.
After surveying the room one last time, Angel headed to the living room to wait for Willow.
End Part 4
Willow entered the room about twenty minutes later, and Angel was stunned by the change in her appearance. She had taken her hair down, and it now fell like a silk curtain to her hips. She wore light blue pajama pants and a white T-shirt, and her face was completely devoid of make-up. This was definitely the Willow he remembered. And she was beautiful. Angel shook that thought out of his mind - this was Willow, after all - and accepted the cup of coffee she offered.
“So,” Willow said as she settled herself beside him on the couch, “what do you want to know first?”
Angel opened his mouth to ask about Spike, but a bruise on Willow’s forearm caught his attention. “How did you get that?” he asked, gently running his finger across it.
“Vampires.”
“You were attacked?”
“No, someone else was. I saw it happening and went to help. Spike showed up, and he finished the vamps off. It’s no big deal, really. I’ve had worse.”
“Speaking of Spike...”
“You want to know just what the hell he’s doing helping us?”
Angel smiled slightly. “Yeah, something like that.”
“He’s been on our side now for three or four years. I guess Cordy forgot to mention it. I think he was blackmailed into it at first - I don’t know who did it - but I think he likes us now. Or, at least he likes me and Amy.”
“What about the others?”
“Does Spike like them? Not particularly. It doesn’t really matter, though. Xander married Anya and moved to San Diego; he got offered a job at the San Diego Zoo that he just couldn’t pass up. I think it involves working with the hyenas. Anya teachs at one of the high schools. Oz took off to tour with the Dingoes, and Giles went back to England when his mother got sick. She’s better now, but he decided to stay. I guess he missed England more than he ever let on. After Buffy and Connor get married and move away, Amy, Spike, and I will be the only ones left. Well, except for Mrs. Summers. She helps when she can.” Willow turned to Angel and grinned. “At least we don’t have to worry about the mayor trying to become a demon.”
Angel grinned in response; it was difficult to picture Joyce Summers even being tempted by evil. No, the mayor of Sunnydale was definitely not a potential threat. However, Joyce’s position as one of the good guys was not the most important thing in Willow’s statement. “Buffy’s leaving?”
“Yeah, right after she and Connor get back from their honeymoon. Didn’t you know?”
“I guess it was another of Cordelia’s oversights. What about the Hellmouth?”
“That’s what Amy, Spike, and I are for. Buffy and Connor are moving to Detroit. He got offered a job at some prestigious law firm. Apparently it was too good to refuse.”
Angel snorted. “Detroit, huh? Not much demon activity there.”
Willow nodded; demons, especially vampires, had a tendency to gravitate towards warmer climates. According to Giles, it had something to do with the lack of body heat many creatures of the night suffered from, but Willow hadn’t been concerned about why they showed up where they did. She was just concerned about the fact that they did. She sighed.
“I guess Buffy figured she deserved a break.”
“A break I can understand; a permanent relocation is completely different.” Angel paused, let his hand run up and down Willow’s arm. “What about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you deserve a break? You’re not the Slayer; it’s not your duty.”
“If I don’t do it, who will? The Watcher’s council won’t send the other Slayer here; they say she’s needed elsewhere. So I stay.”
“Are you happy here?”
Willow sighed and tried to find a way to answer Angel. She’d resigned herself to staying in Sunnydale long ago, and she had tried to make a life in the town. She had a successful business, good friends, and a really obnoxious cat. All in all, it wasn’t a bad life. It just wasn’t what she’d always expected for herself.
“Well, Willow? Are you happy? Or is your silence the real answer?”
End Part 5
Willow shook herself from her reverie. “I’m happy... for the most part.”
“What does that mean?”
“I love witchcraft, so my job’s perfect for me. I love owning my own business, even if it is frustrating at times. And Spike and Amy are wonderful friends...”
“Has Spike ever stayed here?”
“What?” Willow asked, surprised by the vampire’s sudden change in subject. Then she realized what would make Angel ask a question like that. “Oh, you wondered why the curtains in the guest room are so heavy. Yeah, Spike’s stayed here. A couple years ago Drusilla came back to town and decided that a good way to get him back would be to burn down his house. He had to stay with me for a while.”
“You really trust him, don’t you?” Angel asked, eyeing Willow’s white cat as it walked in the room.
“We’ve saved each other a few times; that kind of lends itself towards trusting each other. He’s really not so bad, Angel. He does a good job fighting evil, and he’s my friend.”
“Just a friend?” Angel inquired, trying to squelch the surge of jealousy that accompanied the thought of Spike and Willow together.
“Yes, just a friend. Probably my best, next to Amy. Believe it or not, that’s who he’s dating.” Willow sighed contentedly as she leaned back into the cushions of the couch. “Anything else you want to know?”
“Is there anything I need to know?”
Willow wrinkled up her nose in thought, a gesture Angel found absolutely adorable. “No, not that I can think of. If anything comes to mind, I’ll let you know. So, what have you been up to?”
“Helping people.”
“Gosh, Angel, don’t say so much at one time. I just can’t keep up.” Angel smiled at Willow’s gentle sarcasm. He’d forgotten what it felt like to talk, really talk, to someone. Usually he just saved the person, then went on his way. No fuss, no muss. Complete solitude, except for the occasional e-mail from Doyle or letter from Cordy. Angel decided that he’d keep in touch with Willow from now on. There was no way he was going to give up her friendship again.
“You okay?”
Angel jerked to attention as Willow’s soft voice invaded his thoughts. He looked over at her, not the least bit surprised to see the look of concern on her face. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her until the concern was completely gone, replaced by passion. <Whoa, Angel. Where the hell did that come from?> He quickly tossed the thought, as well as the pesky picture that his mind had conjured, from his head and answered the redhead.
“I’m fine. I was just... thinking.”
“Yeah, right. Brooding is more like it.” She looked at the clock on her VCR and sighed. “It’s getting late. I really should go to bed. I have to be at the store early tomorrow; both of our employees are sick, so Amy and I have to run the place by ourselves. You know, you should come tomorrow. I didn’t really get a chance to show you the place tonight.”
“Um, Willow? Sunlight bad, remember?”
“Oh, that’s no problem. The windows in the back rooms are covered, and there’s an underground entrance.”
“For what? Your vampire customers?”
“It’s for Spike. We have it set up so that no other vampires can enter the store unless invited. That’s why I invited you in earlier. There would have been a barrier otherwise.” She grinned at the vampire. “Being a witch does have its perks.”
End Part 6
The next morning, Angel traipsed through the tunnels with Willow at his side. Even though the tunnels were no longer part of the towns sewer system, and were therefore rather clean, the vampire felt a bit guilty that the redhead had felt obliged to come with him.
“You know, you didn’t have to come with me.”
“It’s been a few years since you’ve been to Sunnydale, Angel. I didn’t want you getting lost in the sewers, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate having Spike for a guide.”
“Good point.”
Willow slowed as they came to a ladder on the wall. She pointed up. “This is our stop.” She climbed the ladder and opened the trapdoor in the ceiling, then went through to the store. Angel followed suit and found himself standing in the back room of the store. Several boxes of supplies littered the room, and all the windows had been boarded over.
Angel turned his head as he heard sounds coming from the office. Willow smiled at the vampire, then took his hand and headed for the office, trying to make plenty of noise. “Hey, guys, look who I brought!”
Spike and Amy pulled apart immediately, a light blush staining the blonde witch’s cheeks. “Oh, Angel, hi,” she stuttered. “It’s good to see you again.”
Angel nodded his head in response to the young woman’s flustered greeting, then turned his attention to his childe. The two vampires stared at each other warily, neither one saying a word.
“Well, gosh,” Willow stated after a moment, “this is exciting. Are you two going to hold a staring contest all day, or are you going to actually speak at some point?”
Instead of the smart remark that Angel expected, Spike just smiled at the redhead. He nodded in his sire’s direction. “It’s good to see you.”
“Are you sure you’re Spike?”
The younger vampire grinned. “Yeah, well, Amy said I have to be nice. If I’m not, she’ll turn me into a rat and use me in one of her potions.”
“Well, at least you’re honest.”
“It’s one of my best qualities.” Spike sighed, then headed for the door. “Come on, Angelus, you can help me unload some of the new deliveries.”
“What’s in it for me?”
“You can ask me all the questions that are running around in that oversized head of yours.”
“Who says I have questions?”
“I spent over a century with you, you idiot. I know how your mind works. Now, come on.”
Angel followed him.
Amy turned to face her redheaded friend. “Well, that went better than expected.”
“Yeah. No one’s dead yet.”
“Uh, Will, haven’t they been dead for, like, two hundred years?”
“Details, details.”
End Part 7
Angel set the box down, then turned to face his childe. The two stood in the covered unloading area in the alley. “So, Spike, what are doing here?”
“Unloading a truck.”
Angel sighed. This was going to be like pulling teeth. Of course, Angel had been rather good at doing just that back in his days of torturing people. “I meant here in Sunnydale, Spike. And helping the Slayer, no less.”
Spike snorted as he carried another box from the truck to the storeroom. “I don’t help the Slayer; I help Amy and Willow. There is a difference, you know.”
“What exactly is the difference?”
“I hate the Slayer. I like the witches. See, big difference.”
“You’re still with the good guys, Spike.”
His childe shrugged. “Yes, I am. I got blackmailed. I want to keep my unlife, I help out the good side.”
“If the blackmail suddenly disappeared, what would you do?”
Spike glanced in the direction of the main room of the shop, where the women were getting ready to open for the day. He smiled slightly as the sound of their laughter floated out. “I’d still help, I guess.”
Angel unloaded the final box, then sat down on a chair that had been left in the storage area. “I never would have thought Amy was your type.”
“Why? Because she’s sane?”
“Actually, I was thinking about the whole ‘she’s a human’ issue, but, yeah, sanity works, too.”
Spike smiled. For some reason, he couldn’t work up the healthy hatred he usually felt toward his sire. Perhaps it was because the younger vampire had come to care for the same people his sire did. Or at least one of them.
“She’s pretty amazing. So’s Willow.”
“Willow’s definitely that. I never realized how much I missed her.”
“You were probably too busy brooding.”
Angel laughed. “Yeah, probably.”
Spike plopped down on the floor, settled himself comfortably, and looked up at the older vampire. “So, what’s your story?”
“Excuse me?”
“You know... what the bloody hell are you doing here and all that?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“I told you mine, now you have to tell me yours. It’s the proper thing to do. So, why are you here in Sunnyhell?”
“Figured I’d come see Buffy’s wedding.”
“Hmmm... closure and all that psychobabble?”
“Something like that. I guess I just wanted to make sure she was happy.” Angel sighed, then looked down at Spike. “What’s this Willow tells me about Buffy moving to Detroit?”
“The chit decided she’d had enough, I guess. The idiot she’s marrying doesn’t even know she’s the damn Slayer. She doesn’t want him to find out, so she’s running away.”
“And leaving you, Willow, and Amy to do her duty.”
“We can handle ourselves. Willow and Amy are tougher than they look. They have to be.” Spike held his sire’s eye. “The Slayer hasn’t been doing her duties for the past six months. The only thing standing between this town and destruction are two witches and a soulless vampire. If those girls weren’t tough, this town would be toast by now.”
“Yeah, well, if something happens to them and I find out about it, Buffy’s going to have to answer to me.”
End Part 8
The women listened carefully, trying to discern what was going on in the other room.
“Well, there hasn’t been any loud crashing noises, so I guess they’re not fighting,” Willow muttered.
“Yeah, but what the hell are they doing?” Amy asked.
“Talking? Ignoring each other completely and totally? Trying to figure out how to kill each other?”
Amy smiled wanly. “I wish it was the first, I’d settle for the second, but it’s probably the third.”
“I wonder what’s going to happen when he sees Buffy?”
Amy looked at her friend, shocked. “You mean he hasn’t seen her yet?”
“Nope. He ran into me maybe ten minutes after he got here, then stayed the whole night at my house. He hasn’t seen anyone besides us. I figure he might be avoiding her.”
Amy studied her friend thoughtfully. She’d seen how Angel had looked at Willow, and she wondered if there was more to it than the redhead believed. However, she knew better than to press her friend on the subject. Willow had a tendency to keep her personal life, well, personal. She never spoke about the guys she dated, so Amy doubted that she’d be up front about her feelings for the vampire. Besides, Amy reasoned, she could always be imagining things.
“So, uh, Wills, when are the others coming in?”
“Cordy and Doyle will be coming in later this morning, so I finally get to meet Doyle face to face instead of just over the phone.” Willow smiled at the thought. Over the past few years, the half demon had answered the phone dozens of times when Willow had called Cordelia, and the two had ended up becoming friends during their conversations. “Giles will be here this afternoon, and I think that’s when Xander and Anya are coming in as well. Oz is coming in either today or tomorrow, I’m really not sure.”
“Do they have any clue that Angel’s going to be here?”
“Well, Cordy and Doyle do, obviously, because that’s who told me. The others... I’m not even sure Buffy knows. I don’t think Cordelia keeps in touch with anyone besides Angel and us, and I sure never told anybody.”
“I guess this should be a fun next few days.”
Willow laughed. “It probably won’t be fun, but I’m sure it will be... interesting, to say the least.”
“Does Connor even know about Angel?”
“He might know that Buffy once dated a guy named Angel; I’m not sure. But the whole ‘we had sex and he turned into a homicidal maniac and I ended up sending him to Hell’ thing? I’m pretty sure that got left out.” Willow gave an unladylike snort of laughter as she thought of something else. “I wonder how Buffy would explain it if Xander referred to Angel as ‘Deadboy’ in front of Connor?”
Amy smiled at her friend. If nothing else, the next few days would be entertaining.
She just hoped they all got through it without any bloodshed.
End Part 9
Cordelia Chase pushed her hair out of her face and virtually snarled at the man at the counter. The three hour layover in Chicago had done nothing for the brunette’s disposition. She’d spent the past three months doing eight shows a week in a Broadway play (she’d finally discovered that people found her singing voice to be reminiscent of fingernails on a blackboard, so she prudently avoided doing musicals), and she was exhausted. The plane ride from hell had done nothing to help. She’d been stuck next to a screaming baby from New York to Chicago, and a lecherous old man had spent the entire flight from Chicago to LA hitting on her. He didn’t even care that Doyle was with her. And she still had to sit in a rental car for the next two hours while Doyle drove them to Sunnydale. Considering the fact that neither she nor Doyle had done much in the way of driving for the past couple of years, Cordelia figured that the ride would be much too... well, terror-inducing to get any sleep, although she did plan to at least attempt to take a nap.
Doyle signed the papers for the rental car, then accepted the keys that the man behind the counter handed him. With any luck, he and Cordelia would be in Sunnydale in a few hours, and the young woman could get some sleep. Then maybe she’d be back to her usual sunny self. Doyle nearly laughed out loud. Who was he kidding? Cordy was never exactly what one would call ‘sunny.’ She was, however, more civil than this. Well, usually.
With a sigh, the half demon put their suitcases in the trunk of the rental while the former cheerleader curled up in the backseat. He hoped she’d be able to get some sleep. He didn’t imagine she’d be able to get much once they made it to Sunnydale. The next few days probably weren’t going to be very restful.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Xander loaded the suitcases into the car, then turned to his wife.
“Why do we have to go?” Anya whined.
“Because Buffy’s getting married. It’s a very big deal. She came to our wedding.”
“So? I didn’t ask her to.”
Xander sighed. Sometimes he wondered why he had married this woman. Then he remembered. The great sex. Plus she had threatened to hurt him if he didn’t. “Look, Anya, Buffy’s one of my best friends, and she asked me to come to her wedding. I would really appreciate it if you would calm down, shut up, and get in the damn car!” By the end of the statement, Xander was nearly yelling.
With a sigh and a rather put-out look on her face, Anya got in the car. Xander got in the driver’s seat, started the car, and headed for Sunnydale.
He just hoped that the next few days would go smoothly.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Rupert Giles hated to fly. He had, however, decided that the wedding of his former Slayer was worth the sacrifice. He grimaced as he reminded himself that the ‘sacrifice’ had taken nearly a day when factoring in layovers. Buffy had better be thrilled that he was there. Of course, Giles admitted to himself, it would be nice to see the others.
As his connecting flight from New York took off, Giles settled himself in, trying to content himself with the thought that once this flight was over, he could have a restful week in the company of old friends.
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
Oz tossed his things into a duffel bag and headed out to his van. The guys had been pissed when he’d told them he had to back out of a few gigs, but he figured Buffy was worth it. Of course, if Oz was truthful with himself, he would have admitted that it was the prospect of seeing Willow again that helped him make the decision to go to the wedding. He found himself wondering if the petite redhead was involved with anyone, but shoved the thought out of his mind. He and Willow had broken up four years ago, and it was over.
Of course, if Willow wanted to rekindle the flame, he wasn’t opposed to it.
End Part 10
“Oh, my Goddess, Cordelia!”
Doyle watched, amused, as the brunette went from grumpy and exhausted to happy and, well, exhausted at the cry of her friend.
“Oh, wow, Willow, you look wonderful! Absolutely amazing.” With a smile, Cordelia hugged the redhead. “It is so good to see you.” She turned and gestured to Doyle. “I think you two have met. Well, over the phone, at least.”
Willow grinned, then hugged the half demon. “We finally meet face to face.” She pulled back and looked at her two friends. “I think there’s someone else here that you two will want to see.” Smiling, Willow took her friends by the hand and led them to the back of the store where Angel and Spike were.
“Angel!” The dark-haired vampire looked up at the exclamation, and a grin slowly spread across his face.
“Cordelia Chase.” He pulled the brunette in for a hug, then let her go. “You look wonderful. I like the hair,” he added as her touched one of the riotous curls surrounding her face. The years had been good to the former cheerleader. Even exhausted, she was beautiful. He turned to Doyle and hugged him as well. “It’s good to see you, too.” He gestured toward the vampire behind him. “This is Spike. I’m sure you’ve heard of him.”
Spike stood and shook Doyle’s hand, and Cordelia gave Spike a tentative hug. The blonde vampire still made her slightly uncomfortable, but he had saved her life the year before when she had visited Willow, so she liked him. After extricating herself from the blonde vampire’s arms, the brunette turned back to Angel.
“So... when did you get into town?”
“Last night. I ran into Willow, and I ended up staying in her guest room.”
“And you’ve been here all day, haven’t you?” Cordelia shot Angel a chastising look as he nodded. “You wimp. It’s been five years, and you’re still avoiding Buffy like the plague.”
Angel snorted. “This from the girl who hasn’t seen nor spoken to Xander Harris in just as long.”
“Yeah, well, unlike you, Mr. Broody Vampire, I’ve actually had other relationships.”
Doyle smiled. “Yeah, with some real pretty boys, too. I think the last one was gay.”
“But he was a fabulous dresser!”
“Which, of course, is the basis of any lasting relationship. The clothes.”
“I hear you.”
“Cordelia, that was a joke,” Doyle gently informed the young woman.
“I knew that. I did. Really.”
In an effort to take the brunette out of the figurative spotlight and ease her embarrassment, Willow took her friend by the arm and spoke.
“I know you two must be exhausted. You’ve been traveling since last night, haven’t you? I’m sure you didn’t get much sleep.”
“Yeah, but we can’t check into our hotel until this evening.”
“Go to my place. Cordy, you can sleep in my room, and Doyle can sleep in the guest room. That way you’ll be fresh for tonight.”
“What happens tonight?”
Willow turned to Doyle and smiled with false sweetness. “Tonight, you get to meet Buffy.”
End Part 11
“Hey, Wills, guess who’s here? It’s your favorite-” Xander stopped short as he caught sight of his old friend. It was always a shock for him to see her in what she considered her work uniform. He always wanted to go up to her and scrub her face until it was clean, then force her out of her sexy black clothes and back into her tights and fuzzy sweaters. Xander sighed. Even when she wasn’t at the shop, Willow didn’t wear fuzzy sweaters anymore.
Willow turned at the sound of her old friend’s voice. It had been almost three months since the young man had visited, and Willow felt a surge of guilt over the fact that she wasn’t particularly glad to see him.
“Hi, Xander. It’s so great to see you,” she said with false brightness as she returned his hug. Xander didn’t seem to notice the hollowness of her greeting. Willow nodded at the woman standing next to him. “It’s good to see you, too, Anya.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Willow felt her smile tighten fractionally at the indifferent, almost scornful tone in the former demon’s voice. Oh, yeah, this was going to be a fun weekend. Buffy was going to end up face to face with her vampire ex-boyfriend for the first time in five years, Xander and Cordelia would be together for the first time since high school graduation, and Xander would probably snipe at both Spike and Angel at every opportunity. Not to mention the fact that Anya was acting like a bitch. As usual. Willow understood that Anya had had a difficult time adjusting to being a human, but it had been five years. Enough was enough. It was time to learn how to relate to people.
“So, have you seen Buffy yet?”
“Nah, we figured she’d be busy, so we stopped to see you first. Don’t you feel special?”
Instead of feeling special, Willow felt angry. Unlike her, Buffy didn’t have a job. The blonde had just graduated from college on the five year plan, and she was probably at home watching soap operas while her mother put all the finishing touches on the wedding. Willow, on the other hand, had been juggling her work and her friends all day. Not that she usually minded that sort of thing. She had, in fact, been the one to invite Angel to come to the store. And seeing Cordelia and Doyle had been fantastic, even if it was only for a few minutes. However, that was the point. Whereas Cordy and Doyle’s appearance had been brief, and Angel had been helping out all morning, Xander and Anya would probably sit on their butts complaining, annoy her, and run off potential customers.
“Um, excuse me...”
Willow turned at the tentative interruption and smiled at the customer standing before her. The teenage girl was one of her favorite customers, and she was thrilled to have a diversion from her dark thoughts.
“Merry meet, Sandy. What can I get for you today?”
“I need some jasmine for a spell I’m trying.”
“Nothing dangerous, is it?” Willow asked as she reached behind her to get what the girl needed.
“No, no, nothing, uh, dangerous. I’m not, uh, ready for anything that could even be considered dangerous.” Willow smiled at Sandy’s stuttered reply. The girl reminded Willow of how she’d been back when she’d first discovered witchcraft. She had been excited and frightened at the same time. Willow sighed. Even after six years of practicing, magick still had that effect on her.
Willow handed the package to the girl. “That’s good to hear. Anything else?”
“No, that’s it,” Sandy replied as she followed the older witch over to the cash register. The girl paid, then left the store.
While Willow had been busy with her customer, Xander had decided to take a look around the store. He didn’t like what he saw.
“What the hell is he doing here?”
End Part 12
Willow rushed to the back of the store, where Xander was glaring at Angel. She sighed. She’d been hoping to avoid this confrontation for as long as possible.
“Well, Xander, I see you remember Angel.”
“Yeah, I remember Deadboy. What’s he doing here?”
Angel flinched at the hatred in the other man’s voice. He’d thought that maybe, just maybe, Xander would have been able to release his hostility over the years. Apparently, he was wrong.
“He came to visit old friends.”
“Oh, he actually has some? I figured he would’ve eaten them all by now.”
“That’s enough, Xander!” Willow was furious. Angel hadn’t even said a word yet, and Xander was already launching a full attack. “Either play nice, or get the hell out of my store!”
“It’s okay, Willow,” Angel said in a voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll leave.”
Willow grabbed the vampire’s arm as he turned to walk away. “No, Angel. Please don’t go. I want you here. This is my store, and I won’t let anyone chase you away from it.” She gazed up at him imploringly, and Angel suddenly knew he could never refuse her anything. If she looked at him in that same way and told him to go out for a walk in the sun, he would. “Please stay.”
Angel nodded and gently removed Willow’s hand from his arm, briefly entwining his fingers with hers before letting her go. “I’ll stay.”
Willow smiled sweetly. “Good.”
“Um, Will? Some help out here would be a good thing.” Willow wrinkled her nose as Amy’s slightly panicked request reached her.
“Coming!” She turned to the two men beside her. “You two behave, okay? And by ‘you two,’ I mean you, Xander. Got it?”
“Got it,” Xander replied sullenly. As soon as Willow was gone, however, he turned to the dark-haired vampire. “Why did you come back?”
“I heard Buffy was getting married.” Angel carefully left out the fact that Cordelia was the one who had told him; he wasn’t sure how Xander would react.
“And what? You decided to come and ruin it for her? Can’t you just let her be happy?”
“I didn’t come to ruin her wedding. I just... wanted to make sure she was happy, I guess. Maybe I just wanted to see everybody again; I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that you’re not here because you want Buffy back?”
Angel gave a rather rude snort. “It’s been five years, Harris. That’s more than long enough to get over Buffy Summers.” Angel glanced toward the front of the store where Willow was, then left the young man alone to stew.
Xander stood there, fuming, as he thought about Angel. What was that old cliché? Actions speak louder than words? Well, Xander had been watching Angel’s actions.
And he sure as hell didn’t like the way the vampire acted towards Willow.
End Part 13
Willow sat on the floor of the office, quietly eating her lunch. Angel, for the sake of keeping her company, was eating as well. Spike was standing on his head in the corner.
“How long has it been?”
Willow glanced at her watch. “Twelve minutes. That’s a new record for you, isn’t it?”
Spike grinned at the redhead, an odd expression considering the fact that he was upside down.
“Does he do this often?” Angel asked as he watched his childe.
Willow grinned. “Only every single day for the past two weeks. Claims it helps his balance. I personally think he’s just destroying the few brain cells he has left.”
Spike mock-growled at the redheaded witch, then lowered his feet to the floor, effectively seating himself beside the others. “That’s not very nice, pet. You should remember that I can kill you,” he said with a laugh.
Willow snorted at the vampire’s empty threat. “And you should remember that I can stake you with a pencil. I’m sure you’d love to have that end up in the Watcher Diaries. Death by number two.”
“Very funny. See how I’m not laughing.” The blonde got to his feet and sent a mock bow in Willow’s direction. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find someone who appreciates me.”
“That’ll take a while. It’s a good thing you’re immortal.” Spike sent a stern glare in his sire’s direction for that particular comment, but ruined the effect by breaking into a grin. Turning, Spike left the room in search of Amy. Willow turned to Angel.
“Well, I guess I can die now. I’ve seen everything.”
“Excuse me?”
“You and Spike getting along. And you actually making a funny. I didn’t think you were capable of doing that.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Angel cringed as soon as the words left his mouth. God, that had sounded absolutely ridiculous.
Willow grinned in obvious delight. “Apparently I do have a lot to learn. I never knew you had a thing for really lame and clichéd lines.”
“Well, you learn something new every day and all that garbage.”
“Very well put.”
“Willow?”
The redhead looked over at the sudden change in Angel’s voice. Just seconds ago, he had been joking with her and Spike. Now, he just seemed sad. Shifting slightly, Willow turned so that she was facing the vampire and reached out to take his hand.
“What is it, Angel? What’s wrong?”
For a moment, Angel simply stared at their joined hands. Hers was so tiny; his was so big. He couldn’t get over how pale she was. She’d always been that way, though. Almost as pale as he was. After taking an unneeded deep breath, Angel began to speak.
“It’s just something that Xander said. It’s...”
“What did he say? Do you want me to turn him into a rat for you?”
Angel smiled slightly. He had the feeling that Willow would actually go through with the offer if he asked her to.
“I don’t think turning Xander into a rat is the answer, although it is a good suggestion.” He sighed, wondering how to tell the woman beside him what he was feeling. “It’s just... I guess I don’t want Buffy to think that I came back to ruin things for her. I just wanted to make sure that she was happy. I wanted to see Doyle and Cordelia; I wanted to see you. I really wanted to avoid Xander, but obviously that didn’t work out. And now... I’m just afraid I made a mistake.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Me being here... it’ll just stir things up. And how the hell would Buffy explain me to her fiancé?”
With a sigh, Willow got up from the floor and looked down at the vampire. She shrugged.
“We can tell him you’re my lover.”
End Part 14