Author: Karen U
E-mail: ksu2@juno.com
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: All BtVS and Angel characters belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and
Fox
Distribution: Charity, Angel of Mine, Witch Fan Fic, Fever of Fate, Willow's
Angel, anyone else who carries my fic and wants this (otherwise, please ask
first)
Summary: An attack leads to danger from more than one source (I stink at
summaries, so please just read it)
Spoilers: through Doomed and Somnombulist only
Feedback: Please
For Steph, who was kind enough to look over this for me

Part One

Willow made her way across the street, careful to look both ways. In all
honesty, she didn’t really see how that helped; people drove so erratically
in LA she was unlikely to spot any danger of the vehicular variety until it
was too late. Willow shuddered as she forced the picture of herself being
flattened by some teenager joyriding in his daddy’s brand new car out of her
head. She groaned at her own mental conjurings. She had certainly become
morbid lately. Of course, finding that body at the frat party hadn’t
exactly helped her disposition, either.

The redheaded witch smiled as she turned the corner and saw her goal. It
was the reason she had come to LA. The storefront was dull and not very
appealing, but that wasn’t why she had come. She had come for what was
inside. The store was a magic shop, and one of the contacts she’d made
because of Jenny Calendar had told her about it. Jenny’s friend had never
led her in the wrong direction before, so Willow had no doubt that what the
woman had told her was true. She claimed it was one of the best stores in
the world, that it had almost every spell imaginable, and some that weren’t.

Including a simple de-ratting spell.

Yes, Willow was still trying to turn poor Amy Madison back into a human
being. She had shyly asked Melodie if she thought the shop would have a
spell that was simple enough for her to do without screwing it up, and
Jenny’s friend had answered with a confident yes. So here she was, in LA,
searching for a spell.

What fun.

She hadn’t told Buffy where she was going. She hadn’t told any of her
friends except for Giles. She had thought it would be a good idea to at
least tell someone, but had known Buffy would be a pain about it. Willow
loved her best friend, she really did, but the Slayer had a tendency to be a
bit... irrational when it came to anything involving Angel. And, to Buffy,
LA definitely involved Angel. And now that Buffy had started to move on
with Riley, Willow had no intention of doing or saying anything that would
remind her friend of the vampire who had broken her heart. Of course, he’d
also broken his own heart in the process.

Stupid men.

With a sharp shake of her head and a small sigh, Willow shoved the thought
of the stupidity of men out of her mind. It would inevitably lead to Oz,
and she didn’t feel like dealing with that. Nope, no more brooding for her,
she thought with determination as she opened the door to the magic store.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

He grinned from his spot in the anonymity of the alley as she passed. He
could sense her power, her life, her fire... her innocence. Oh, yes. She
was the one. This time he was sure of it.

She would be his.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Willow smiled as she browsed through the shop. Melodie had put the book
that contained the spell she needed on hold for her, but she wanted to look
around before she went to the front counter to get it. She ran her fingers
over the edge of one of the shelves; it had to be ancient. She glanced
around her, her smile growing as she saw the yuppies and the new age
fanatics... so many people who couldn’t sense the power that was in this
place, the power in the books it contained. They were looking for love
spells, get rich quick spells, spells to enhance their sex lives... If they
only knew what they were getting themselves into.

Laughing quietly as she shook her head in amusement, Willow went back to her
browsing, occasionally picking up things to purchase, then stopping when a
row glass balls caught her eye. The Orb of Thessulah. The most important
component for the Ritual of the Undead. She picked one up and smiled as she
thought about what that little ball of glass had allowed her to do. She
wondered if Spike would like having a soul...

“Lovely paperweight, isn’t it?”

Willow turned to see one of the yuppie types beside her; the woman held
canary feathers and several other ingredients used in love spells. “It
certainly is... if you want to call it that,” she replied, carefully putting
the Orb back where it belonged, then walking away. She headed for the
counter at the front of the store and smiled at the shopkeeper; the woman
returned her grin.

“Blessed be. And what can I do for you?”

“I believe there is a book on hold for me. Willow Rosenberg. The book was
put on hold by Melodie Thackery.”

The woman knelt down to look at the stock that was stored there, waiting for
the people who wanted it to come in. She selected the book that had been
put on hold for the redhead and handed it to her. “Is this what you
wanted?”

Willow looked through it quickly, smiling when she saw the necessary spell.
“Yes, this is it,” she replied, handing it back to the woman and putting her
other selections on the counter so that they could be rung up and paid for.

Just minutes later, Willow left the magic shop, whistling to herself. The
day seemed much brighter now that she had the spell in her hands. She
glanced in her bag, grinning once again as she saw the small leather-bound
book.

And then it happened.

One minute she was grinning at the thought of freeing her friend from life
as a rat, the next she was being pulled into an alley and slammed against
the wall. She felt her cheek scrape against the hard cement wall and tried
to raise her hand to her injured face, dropping her bag of supplies in the
process.

The small redhead was then jerked back around, and she opened her mouth to
scream, only to find a fist in her face. Her cheek exploded in pain, and
she tasted blood where she had bit the inside of her cheek.

“Don’t even think about screaming, bitch.” A cold male voice broke through
the haze of pain, and Willow yelped when he threw her to the ground. Her
hands and elbows caught the brunt of the fall, and tears sprang to her eyes
at the pain. She felt his fist press into the back of her neck, holding her
down effectively and painfully. “You’re going to come with me, then we’re
going to have some fun,” he told her as he pressed awkwardly against her.
Willow whimpered as she felt the evidence of his arousal, and she bucked up,
trying to force him off of her. He responded by jerking her up slightly,
then slamming her back down. The struggle had caused Willow’s shirt, which
was slightly too large, to slip off of her shoulder and slide lower on her
chest, and she could feel the dirt and rough concrete beneath her scraping
the tender skin that was exposed.

Gasping for breath and terrified, Willow blindly reached an arm out behind
her. She found his leg - the one that wasn’t shoved into the small of her
back - easily, and she yanked on it with all her might, sending him off her
and onto his ass on the cement.

With tears streaming down her face, Willow scooted away from him, screaming
for all she was worth. Enraged by her attempt to escape and embarrassed by
her ability to free herself - if only momentarily - he lunged at her, his
fist catching her on the collarbone. The second punch was better and hit
her in the throat, effectively stopping her scream.

He shoved her onto her back, causing her to see stars as her head connected
roughly with the ground. Willow blinked rapidly, trying to maintain
consciousness. Her attacker straddled her, smiling when she bucked up in an
attempt to get him off of her. Instead, she only succeeded in arousing him
more. He grinned as he held her down, putting pressure on her throat. He
leaned down close to her, sniffing at her. God, she smelled good. He
rubbed against her as she struggled, and she immediately stilled. “Eager
little thing, aren’t you? Well, we can do it here,” he said
conversationally as he reached for his zipper. “Then we can go back to my
place for the second round.”

“Get off of her.”

The voice was strong and collected and female, and Willow struggled to see
her potential rescuer with eyes that were blurred with tears and pain. She
saw the glint of what had to be a gun, and she prayed silently that she was
right and that she would be rescued.

“This is none of your business,” the guy on top of her snarled, his dark
eyes snapping with violence as he ran his hands down the front of Willow’s
body, causing her to whimper. “We were just having some fun.” The man
returned to Willow, completely ignoring the gun as he leaned in closer...

Suddenly, he was ripped away from his prize and tossed onto the ground, his
arms jerked behind his back and his hands cuffed. He screamed obscenities
at the woman that had the gall to separate him from his prize, but the woman
ignored him.

Willow saw a cloud of blonde hair as her rescuer cuffed the man, then closed
her eyes and allowed herself the bliss of unconsciousness, knowing she had
been saved.
 

Part Two

Detective Kate Lockley absently fiddled with the cellular phone she was
holding, her eyes searching for someone, anyone, that appeared to be looking
for the redhead that was lying in a hospital bed just two doors down. The
cell phone didn’t belong to the detective; it actually belonged to one
Willow Rosenberg. Kate had found the phone while searching the girl’s purse
for identification - which she had discovered via Willow’s student ID - and
had then proceeded to check the phone’s memory for a possible relative (or
even an adult friend) that she could call to come stay with the redhead.
Not exactly police procedure to call around like that (in fact, she could
have gotten in some real trouble for it), but Kate didn’t particularly care.
She wanted someone to be there for the young woman.

The first two numbers programmed into the phone - which were listed simply
as ‘Buffy’ and ‘Xander’ - had seemed to pointless to even attempt to call.
The people were probably friends or roommates, but they didn’t have names
that exactly screamed ‘responsible adult.’ The third number, listed as
‘Mrs. Summers’ had yielded only an answering machine. The fourth number,
which was programmed as ‘Rupert Giles,’ had given Kate what she wanted,
although she did have to admit that she had been a bit surprised to hear a
distinctly British voice on the other end of the line. Despite her
misgivings, Kate had decided to tell the man why she had called, and she
felt that she had made the right choice. The man, who had informed her that
he lived in Sunnydale, had obviously known that Willow had gone to Los
Angeles, and he had become quite concerned when Kate told him that the
redhead had been hospitalized. He’d told the detective that someone would
be at the hospital to stay with Willow within the hour. That was twenty
minutes ago.

Kate was not a patient woman.

She looked at the phone in her hand, contemplating calling someone else.
After reaching Rupert Giles, she hadn’t ventured beyond the fourth number
programmed into the phone’s memory, instead choosing to hope that the man
was true to his word and would have someone at the hospital shortly. She
knew it wouldn’t be the man himself; Sunnydale was too far away for it to be
him, considering the time frame he had given her. Kate sighed softly.
Maybe she should try to call someone else... No. Mr. Giles had told her
someone would be there, and she had to believe him.

Of course, if she’d gone farther - say to the sixth number Willow had
programmed into her phone - she wouldn’t have been so surprised about what
happened next.

Angel burst through the doors at the end of the hall, his jacket billowing
out behind him and Cordelia at his heels. The tall brunette’s high heels
click-clacked loudly on the tile floor as she hurried to keep up with Angel.
He looked, Kate thought, decidedly dangerous... and more than a bit
worried.

Angel made a beeline for the nurses’ station, completely oblivious to the
way the younger nurses stood up just a looked straighter and alternated
between sending flirtatious glances Angel’s way and glares in Cordelia’s
direction.

“I need to know where Willow Rosenberg’s room is,” the vampire stated just
loudly enough for Kate to hear from her spot fifteen feet away, and the
detective’s mouth dropped open. This was who Rupert Giles had sent? What
was that man thinking?

“And your relationship to the patient?” one of the nurses asked, more out of
curiosity than anything else. Lord, she hoped he was the woman’s brother...

“I’m her fiancé,” Angel lied without qualm, willing to say or do anything
that would get him in to see Willow. He had promised Giles that he would
take care of the girl, and there was no way he was going to let either the
former Watcher or the redhead down.

The nurse’s nose wrinkled up slightly as she took in the news that this
delicious-looking man was taken, but her curious expression remained as she
turned her eyes towards Cordelia. If he was engaged to the redhead, then
what was he doing with this woman?

Cordelia’s eyes darkened dangerously as she saw the implications in the
other woman’s gaze. “I’m Willow’s best friend,” she informed the woman
coolly. “I’m also his sister,” she continued nodding in Angel’s direction.
She knew that their dark hair and eyes made the statement believable
enough... even if Angel was a little pale. “Now, will you kindly tell us
where we can find Willow?”

“Room 212,” the nurse replied sullenly as she pointed them in the proper
direction. Cordelia and Angel immediately headed in the direction
indicated, only to have Kate step in front of them.

“I could tell them you’re lying, you know,” she said quietly but sternly,
careful not to be overheard.

“Yes, but can you prove it?” Cordelia replied calmly Turning to look at
Angel, she nodded her head down the hall, indicating that she could handle
Detective Lockley, and that the vampire should go find Willow. Without
argument, Angel did so, taking brisk strides to Willow’s room. Sighing,
Cordy returned her attention back to Kate, her eyes glancing over the things
sitting in the chair behind the blonde. Her eyes narrowed as they fell upon
a familiar item. “That’s Willow’s purse,” she said dumbly, her eyes rising
once again to meet Kate’s. “You’re the one who called Giles, aren’t you?”

Kate nodded slowly, somehow unnerved and at the same time reassured by
Cordelia’s words. It was quite obvious to her that Rupert Giles really had
called the young woman, and the fact that Cordy also recognized Willow’s
purse spoke volumes. Cordelia obviously really did know the petite redhead.
Of course, that still didn’t explain Angel.

“How is she?” Cordelia asked before Kate could speak, her voice small and
somehow young-sounding. “What happened to her?”

“She was attacked-”

“Did you catch him?”

“Yes, I did. My partner brought him in while I came to the hospital with
Miss Rosenberg.”

“What were the charges?” Cordelia asked, closing her eyes. She was afraid
of the answer, but she needed to know. All Giles had been able to tell them
was that Willow had been injured.

“Assault and battery,” Kate replied with a sigh. “And attempted rape.”

The brunette took a sharp intake of breath, then opened her now wet eyes.
“Attempted?”

“Yes. We got there in time to stop him. I... I heard her screaming.”

“Thank God,” Cordelia murmured before reaching out to give the detective a
hug. She could actually feel the woman’s surprise, but, after a moment,
Kate carefully hugged her back.

“Thank you,” Cordelia said quietly. “Thank you for saving my friend.”

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Angel slowly entered Willow’s room, his eyes glued to the redhead that lay
in the hospital bed. She looked so small and fragile... No, Angel thought
ruefully, she was so small and fragile.

Carefully, the vampire sat on the bed, completely ignoring the uncomfortable
visitors’ chairs nearby. Cautiously, he reached out his hand, then gently
ran his fingertips over her face before stroking her hair. Her cheek was
scraped and bruised, and he could see another bruise forming on her throat.
He was sure there were other injuries, but they were hidden by the
bedclothes and the redhead’s hospital gown.

“Willow? Willow, sweetie, please wake up,” he said softly as he leaned in
closer to her.

“Angel?” the whisper was soft, but he could still hear the hoarseness in her
voice as Willow spoke, her eyes fluttering open. Her eyes focused quickly,
though she looked a little confused. “Is it really you?”

“Yeah, Willow, it’s me,” he told her.

“How did you find me?”

“Kate called Giles, and Giles called me.” He paused as a thought occurred
to him. “Do you know who Kate is?”
 

“She’s the detective, right?” Willow responded. Angel nodded, and she
continued. “She’s the one who took my statement.”

Willow’s words reminded Angel of the fact that the girl had been attacked in
a way completely lacking of the supernatural - in broad daylight, no less.
It was a sobering thought. In the years he had known Willow and the others,
almost all of their injuries had come from fighting some kind of
supernatural evil. None of them had ever been attacked in this way. Not
once had any of them actually filed a police report because of their
injuries.

“How are you?” Angel asked quietly, worried about more than just her
physical well-being.

The soft words of concern had Willow blinking back tears, and, when she
answered, her voice was small and fragile. “I hurt,” she admitted, sounding
very much like a little girl. “And... and he touched me. He... he was
going to... rape me,” Willow continued, her voice becoming nothing more than
a whisper as the dam broke and her tears began to fall.

Angel cursed silently. He had suspected as much, but it still ripped at him
to hear his suspicions confirmed. Carefully, he drew her bruised and
battered body into his arms, pressing her face to his shoulder. The redhead
clutched at him, her tears wetting his shirt. He rocked her back and forth,
trying to contain his anger over what had been done to her.

“It’s going to be okay,” he told her. He didn’t tell her that it was okay,
because he knew it wasn’t, at least not yet. But he would make sure that
got fixed. “I’m going to take care of you. I won’t let him hurt you
again.”

A few minutes later, a nurse walked in, followed by Kate and Cordelia, to
find Willow and Angel in much the same position. Kate watched in stunned
silence as the vampire comforted the small redhead. Cordelia had told her
that Willow knew exactly what Angel was, and it was quite a shock to know
that and see the way the redhead clung to him. She obviously didn’t care
what Angel was... And Angel was so gentle with the girl. It certainly gave
Kate something to think about.

“And how is our patient?” the nurse asked perkily, her eyes trained on the
couple on the bed.

Angel lifted his head, but didn’t release Willow. “When can I take her
home?” he asked grimly, knowing that it would be easier to protect her - and
probably make for a more comfortable recuperation - if he took her back to
his place.

“Well, she does have a concussion...”

“When can I take her home?”
 

Part Three

After being held for observation over night, Willow was released from the
hospital the next morning.  Because there was no way that Angel could be
there to take her home and avoid the sun at the same time (and there was
also no way the vampire would allow Cordelia to drive his car), Wesley had
been the one to pick up the slender redhead.  That had been okay with Willow
- she completely understood why the vampire couldn’t be there, as well as
his feelings about Cordelia’s driving skills - and she had endured the
pitying glances the nurses had sent her, knowing they thought it was just
awful that her ‘fiancé’ - she couldn’t believe Angel had actually told them
that! - hadn’t been the one to come get her.  Being the polite person that
she was, she had refrained from reminding them that it had been her ‘fiancé’
who they had caught in her room more than two hours after visiting hours had
ended the night before.  Angel had left then, albeit reluctantly, and Willow
knew the vampire’s reluctance was because he was afraid to leave her alone.
He was afraid she would get hurt again, despite reassurances from Kate that
the perpetrator was behind bars.

Kate.

Now there was an interesting person.  It was quite obvious that the blonde
police detective knew Angel, but how well she knew him... Well, Willow was
at a loss there.  She acted so formal and cautious around him... It was
almost as if she didn’t trust him, which confused Willow.

Willow yawned as she forced her thoughts away from the detective and once
more concentrated on what had happened that morning.  Because Angel had
neglected to tell her exactly who was going to be picking her up, she had
been surprised to see Wesley walk into her hospital room at nine o’clock
that morning, but Willow had to admit that it was nice - well, sort of - to
see the former Watcher once again.  He seemed less uptight than before, and
he had made pleasant conversation while he drove the short distance from the
hospital to Angel’s apartment.  Of course, that still hadn’t stopped her
from falling asleep.

She had woken up to discover that Wesley was carrying her through the
offices of Angel Investigations, and, to her embarrassment, that Angel
actually had a client there.  She had immediately shut her eyes again and
feigned sleep, but she didn’t know if anybody had bought the act.  It didn’t
really matter anyway, though.  It wasn’t like she was ever going to see the
client, who happened to be an old woman looking for a granddaughter who had
run away, again.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

“Where do I need to go to get your things?”

Willow jumped at the quiet voice from the doorway, and her eyes flew in that
direction to land on Angel’s face.

“I’m sorry,” the vampire said as he entered the room.  “I startled you.  I
didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay,” Willow assured him, sending him a sweet smile as she leaned
back against the mass of pillows that surrounded her.  She was ensconced in
Angel’s bed, with pillows behind her and to both sides, as she sat up and
pretended to watch television.  She’d had the same channel on since
mid-morning, and it was now mid-afternoon, and Jerry Springer was currently
interviewing transvestites who were in love with their mothers-in-law.  It
was quite the interesting topic, although it certainly hadn’t held Willow’s
attention.  “What was the question again?”

“Your stuff?  Where do I need to go to get?  What hotel are you staying at?”

“I’m not,” Willow confessed softly.  “This was only supposed to be a day
trip.  I was supposed to take the bus back to Sunnydale last night.  So...
no stuff for you to go get.”

“Why... why did you come to LA?” Angel asked as he sat down at the edge of
the bed, careful to keep his distance.  He didn’t want to startle her more
than he already had.

“To get a spell to...” Willow trailed off as her eyes grew wide.  “Oh, my
God!  My bag!  I completely forgot about my bag!” she cried as she made a
move towards the edge of the bed.

Angel was there in an instant, stepping in front of her and gently clasping
her wrists in an effort to keep her from moving off of the bed.  “I think
Kate found your things.  Your purse and a bag with some things you bought,”
he told her as he moved his hands to her shoulders and gently eased her into
the semi-reclining position she had been in until just seconds ago.  “I’m
pretty sure she gave them to Cordelia.  I’ll go see.  Stay.”

“Oh, that’s nice.  ‘Stay.’  Command me like I’m your new puppy dog.  Next
you’ll be doing the whole ‘Sit, Boo Boo, sit.  Good dog’ thing,” Willow
retorted, scrunching up her nose in distaste, but allowing the vampire to
get her resettled against the mountain of pillows behind her.  He smiled
slightly as he eased his hands down her arms and back to her wrists.

“I imagine a new puppy would be more obedient than you are,” he told her
wryly.

“Very funny.  Why can’t I go up?” Willow asked a bit petulantly.

“Because I want you to rest as much as possible,” he said, his hands still
encircling her wrists, albeit very loosely.  He knew she had to be a bundle
of bruises underneath her clothes and his comforter, and he certainly didn’t
want to add to her injury total.  “Plus, you’re not exactly dressed for it,”
he added as he finally noticed what she was wearing.  When he’d been down
there earlier, she had still been wearing what she had come home from the
hospital in.

Although the redhead had worn her own clothes home from the hospital, they
had been too torn and dirty to be comfortable, so she’d had to change before
going to bed.  Because of her lack of clothing, the redhead was wearing one
of Angel’s silk shirts - black, of course - and the material engulfed her
tiny frame.  The sleeves were far too long, and, although he couldn’t see
it, Angel imagined the shirt probably reached her knees.  It was also cut
incredibly low on her.  The top button was between her breasts, which would
have shown entirely too much cleavage for Willow’s comfort.  She had
remedied the problem by borrowing a tank top from the cache of clothes that
Cordy kept at Angel’s in case the brunette needed to change while at work.
In fact, Willow could have borrowed an entire outfit from the former
cheerleader, but she had chosen not to in the end.  The shirt, much like the
sheets, smelled like Angel, and as much as she hated to admit it, she found
that to be comforting.  It was kind of nice to be surrounded by Angel’s
scent; it reminded her of how safe she had felt the evening before when she
had cried her eyes out in his arms.  Of course, she wasn’t about to tell him
that.

“What’s so important about your stuff anyway?” the vampire asked.

“I came here for a spell de-ratting spell.  For Amy.”

The vampire looked confused for a moment, then nodded.  He vaguely
remembered a moment long ago when Buffy had told him about a friend of hers
turning herself into a rat.  It appeared that Willow had as yet been
unsuccessful in reversing the spell.

“I take it that you managed to get a hold of a spell then?” Angel asked,
knowing that Willow wouldn’t be so frantic to find her things otherwise.

“Yeah, I did,” she confirmed with an emphatic nod.

Angel released Willow and stepped away.  “I’ll go ask Cordy where she took
your things.  Now don’t you get out of that bed.  I’ll be back in a few
minutes, and I expect to find you here,” he told her as he headed out of the
room and to the elevator, smiling to himself.  It was nice to see that
Willow seemed to be doing okay even after what had happened to her the day
before.

“Well, somebody looks happy,” Cordelia commented as Angel stepped into the
office.  “I take it that means Willow is doing okay?”

“Yes, actually she is...”

“Good.  That means you have time to talk to Wesley,” Cordy stated before
Angel could ask about the whereabouts of Willow’s things.  “He’s convinced
that it isn’t safe for me to live alone.  He thinks he needs to come stay
with me or something, which is just a bad idea.  And speaking of bad ideas,
why is Willow staying with you instead of me?”

“Why is Willow staying with me a bad idea?” Angel asked, offended.

“Hello?  You, man.  Me, woman.  Willow was attacked... She could have been
raped.  You could never understand something like that.”

“And you could?”

“Yes!  Well, okay, not totally, because I’ve never actually been attacked
like that, but I’ve probably got a better idea of how she feels than you
do.”

“Because you’re female?”

“Well, duh!  Plus, there’s the whole sleeping arrangements thing.  I’ve got
a guest bed.  You don’t.”

“I can sleep on the couch.  I have before,” Angel reminded her.

“Yes, but you’ll practically have to fold yourself in half in order to do
that,” the brunette told him, unknowingly echoing Willow’s earlier protest
when he had told her to take his bed.  Of course, her idea had been to sleep
on his couch, not at Cordelia’s.

“Why are you so adamant about this?” Angel questioned his secretary.

“No reason.”

“No reason, huh?  You just want your guest bed occupied so Wesley will stop
insisting that he stay with you, don’t you?”

“And if I do?” Cordelia said huffily, then shrugged.  “Look, Angel, I really
would like Willow’s company...”

“I’d feel better if she was here with me.”

“So you can protect her?  She doesn’t need protected.  Not really.  I mean,
she’d be perfectly safe at my place.  Plus, the guy who attacked her is
behind bars...”

“No, he isn’t,” Kate’s voice informed them from the doorway, causing both of
them to whirl around in surprise.

“What do you mean?” Angel asked tightly, a hint of violence adding an edge
to his voice.

Kate looked at them, her eyes filled with a silent apology.  “He isn’t
behind bars anymore.  He made bail about an hour ago.”
 

Part Four

It was amazing how a large bed piled high with bedclothes and pillows could  make a small person seem absolutely
tiny.  Fragile.  Breakable.

Kate bit her lip as she studied the tiny girl in Angel’s huge bed.  She was  incredibly pale - almost as pale as the vampire beside her -
and Kate knew  her pallor wasn’t completely natural.  Willow was scared.

And she had every right to be.

Kate let her gaze travel to the vampire that sat on the bed next to the  girl.  He was sitting very close to her, and he held her tiny hands in
his,  looking very much like the doting fiancé he had pretended to be at the  hospital.  Though Kate knew the engagement he had told
the nurses about was  a farce, it was still touching to see just how gentle and caring Angel was  towards the redhead.  The detective
could sense the fierce protectiveness  the vampire felt for the young woman, as well as the intense anger he felt  over the fact that
Willow’s attacker was currently free.  Kate was pretty  sure he wanted to go out and tear the guy into dozens of
unrecognizable  pieces.  Even so, Angel had reigned in those angry urges and was instead  concentrating his energies on comforting the
frightened girl.  It was an  oddly touching scene to witness.

Cordelia, on the other hand, seemed to be concentrating her energies on  wearing a hole in the floor from her pacing.  “How could this
have happened?
How could you just let him go after what he did to Willow?  This is just wrong!” the brunette complained, pausing just long enough to
shoot a glare
in Kate’s direction.

“It’s not her fault,” Willow admonished, her voice soft and fragile.  All  eyes went to the redhead, and Angel squeezed her hands gently.

Cordelia’s eyes softened as she looked at her friend, then she turned back  to Kate.  “I know it’s not your fault,” she began.

“But it’s still wrong,” Kate agreed as she ran her hand through her hair.   “I realize that you feel that way, and you have every right to.  I
feel that  way myself.”

“Am I interrupting something?” Wesley’s voice came from the doorway, and  Willow jumped at the unexpected sound, a spark of fear
coming into her eyes  before she realized who it was.  Angel released Willow’s hands and wrapped  his arms around the redhead,
pulling her closer to him in an effort to make  her feel safe and protected.  There was no way he was letting her go to  Cordelia’s now,
not after this.  He didn’t want to let Willow out of his  apartment until the creep that had hurt her was behind bars for good.

“The guy who attacked Willow is loose,” Cordelia announced indignantly,  effectively bringing Wesley up-to-date with the conversation
thus far.

“What?  Why?  Did he escape?” the former Watcher sputtered as he sat down in  the lone chair in Angel’s bedroom.

“He made bail,” Kate told him softly.

“Bail?  You allow creatures such as the man who harmed Miss Rosenberg bail?   Why?”

“Yeah!” Cordelia added.  “He beat her up, and he tried to rape her!”

“Sexual assault of any kind is hard to prosecute... even rape itself is  simply one person’s word against the other’s, and the perpetrator
often  beats the rap.  But attempted rape, or anything like that, is even harder to  prove.  There isn’t any actual physical evidence like
there is with rape.   DAs don’t like to prosecute those types of cases; they’re too hard to win.”

“Which means?” Angel asked dangerously, his eyes flashing.

“The DA dropped the sexual assault charges.”

“But he was going to rape her!” Cordelia cried out.

“But he didn’t.  And we don’t have any concrete evidence that he intended  to.”

“He beat her up!” the brunette shot back, gesturing to Willow.  Kate glanced  at the young woman, who had grown even paler during
the exchange.  She was  practically burrowing into Angel’s embrace, her cheek pressed against his  chest.  However, her wounded
cheek was still visible, and the scrape and  angry bruise that marred her face stood out in vast contrast to her  chalk-white skin.

“The assault charge still stands,” the detective began, only to be  interrupted by Wesley.

“Then why was he allowed to make bail?”

“Because bail is usually only denied in murder cases,” Kate told him a bit  tiredly.  “This wasn’t even aggravated assault.  There was no
weapon  involved.  It’s still a felony, but it’s only third-degree.”

“Meaning?” Cordelia asked.

“He could get from two to ten years if convicted, and odds are that he will  end up serving jail time, although I’m not sure just how
much.  His record  was clean,” she informed the others.  “Nothing more than a few parking  tickets in his past, so the jury will probably
go easy on him, even with  testimony from Willow and myself, as well as the pictures we’ve got of  Willow’s injuries as evidence.  And
that’s if this case even goes to trial.”

“Wait a minute.  Back up a few words.  If this goes to trial?” Cordelia  asked, glancing over at Willow and Angel.  The redhead’s
silence was  beginning to worry her, as was the violence in the vampire’s eyes.  He  looked ready to go out and take down Willow’s
attacker himself.

Kate nodded, her eyes downcast.  “He could cut a deal,” she said softly.   “He could plead guilty to a lesser charge and end up with just
a few months  in prison... maybe even just probation.  His lack of a prior record will  probably help his case, whether he cuts a deal or
lets it go to trial.”

“Oh, so just because he never did anything wrong before, he gets to go out  and beat up the woman of his choice?” Cordelia virtually
snarled, her eyes  flashing almost as dangerously as Angel’s.

“I know it’s wrong,” Kate said with a resigned sigh as she lifted her eyes  to meet Cordelia’s angry gaze.  “It’s not fair, but it’s the way
the system  works.  Sometimes we get to do something that really helps people, and  sometimes the people we’re supposed to help end
up getting screwed.  It’s  terrible, and I hate it, but it happens.”  Sighing, Kate looked over at  Willow, waiting until the young woman
met her eyes before speaking again.   “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news,” she told her.  “I wish there was a  way I could make
things different, but there isn’t.”

“I know,” Willow said softly, offering the detective a weak attempt at a  smile.  She knew that what was happening was not Kate’s fault,
and she  didn’t want the detective to think she blamed her.  “Thanks for letting us  know what’s going on.”

“It was the least I could do.  However, I really need to get back to the  precinct.  I’m still on duty, but I didn’t want to tell you this over
the  phone.”

“I’ll see you out,” Wesley said as he stood up, obviously feeling a bit bad  about the way he had snapped at the detective.  It was quite
clear to him  that she hated this turn of events as much as he did.

“I’ll go, too,” Cordelia announced after taking a sideways glance at the  pair that was still on the bed.  Admittedly, she wasn’t the best
at  comforting someone, and she was pretty sure that Willow needed some  comforting.  It was probably best to leave Willow in
Angel’s hands; he  seemed to be doing pretty well with the redhead so far.  Besides that,  Cordelia was so angry with the system at the
moment that she wanted to  scream.  She figured it would be a good idea to head on up to the roof  before doing so.  She didn’t want
to upset Willow any further.

Angel watched as Cordelia and Wesley accompanied Kate to the elevator.   After he was certain they were gone, he gently eased
Willow away from him  and looked into her frightened eyes.

“He’s going to be punished for what he did to you, Willow.  I promise you  that.”

The redhead smiled sadly as she sat up fully, still maintaining eye contact  with the vampire.  “You can’t promise me that, Angel.  No
one can.  It’s up  to the DA whether or not the case even goes to trial, then it’s up to the  jury.”

“I could bribe them,” Angel offered half-seriously.

“I never pictured you as the type to go for jury tampering.”

“I meant I could bribe them to give me twenty minutes alone with the guy,”  Angel replied with a slight smirk that quickly disappeared as
he once again  returned his thoughts to reality.  “I won’t let him get to you, Willow,” he  vowed softly as he cupped her uninjured cheek
in his hand.  “He will not  hurt you.  Not ever again.  I will do anything in my power - and I do mean  anything - in order to keep you
protected.”

“I know you will,” Willow replied, reaching up to touch his hand as it fell  away from her cheek.  He turned his hand as he dropped it to
the bedcovers,  grasping her fingers in his.  Willow looked down at their joined hands, then  back at the vampire’s face.  “I know you’re
going to take care of me, and  all I can say to that is thank you.  You have no idea how safe that makes me  feel.”

“Angel!  Your next appointment is here!” Cordelia’s voice came down the  elevator shaft, causing both occupants of the room to jump.

“I...”

“Need to go,” Willow finished for him, a slight smile touching her features. “It’s okay.  What Kate said... it’s a lot to take in.  I need some time to adjust.  You go take care of what you need to do.  I’ll be all right,” the redhead told him gently.

Angel nodded as he stood, then looked back down at their still-joined hands. He was reluctant to let her go.  He didn’t want to leave her.

“I’ll be okay.  I promise.  Now go,” Willow urged.  “You’ll only be  upstairs, you know.”

Nodding, Angel released her.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised.

“I’ll be here,” Willow replied as she watched his retreating back.
 

Part Five

“Where’s Willow?”

“Um, Buffy, I hate to break it to you, but, as her roommate, you’re expected
to have a better grasp of that than I am,” Xander replied, his mouth full of
some unidentifiable confection.

“Very cute.  I just meant... I haven’t seen her at all today.  I know she
was supposed to be in San Diego yesterday - at least that’s what she told me
- and that she was probably going to get back really late and stay at her
parents’ house... but I haven’t seen her at all today.  I’m getting
worried.”

“Willow went to San Diego?  Why didn’t I know that?”

“You did,” Spike answered in an annoyed voice from his spot in the recliner.
  He hated staying with the moron, but he had no place else to go, so he had
resigned himself to spending his days in the company of Xander.  He was
still considering staking himself.

“No, I didn’t,” Xander returned, shifting so that he could glare at the
vampire.

“Yes, you did,” the vampire insisted as he put down the magazine he had been
pretending to read.  “I was sitting right here, and she said ‘Xander, I’m
going to San Diego for the day.’  And you said ‘Oh, that’s nice.  Could you
hand me the Ho-Ho’s?’  Then you proceeded to scarf two of those disgusting
things at once.”

“It’s just really sad that you remember that... and so precisely, too,”
Buffy said in a slightly stunned voice before turning her attention away
from the blonde vampire.  “So you haven’t heard from her?” she asked Xander,
concern in her voice.

“Not as of yet.  Sorry,” Xander muttered as he continued to eat.  “Maybe she
just went to class, and you missed her.”

“We have a class together today.  Psychology.  She missed it.”

Xander stopped chewing and turned off the television as he came to a sitting
position.  “Did you try her house?”

“Yeah.  No answer.”

“What about where she hangs?”

“Did that.  No sign of her.”

“Maybe... maybe you just missed her.  You could have just missed her.  Have
you talked to Giles?”

“That was my next stop.”

“Okay.  Um, why don’t you go there, and I’ll check out some of her haunts,
see if maybe she’s shown up since you asked?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Cool,” Xander replied as he reached for his shoes.  He tied them quickly,
then stood.  “I’ll meet you at Giles’s in a couple hours.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Xander nodded, then headed for the door, stopping only momentarily in order
to speak to Spike.  “If you decide to stake yourself, don’t mess up any of
my stuff while you’re at it,” he told the vampire, then walked out.

Spike made a face at Xander’s retreating back, then settled back in his
chair, a concerned look marring his features.

Where the hell was Willow?

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

“Buffy!  Wait up!”

The Slayer paused as the familiar voice reached her ears, and Buffy silently
cursed the way her heart seemed to skip a beat at the sound.  She had no
reason to react to him this way; he was just a boy.  Or, more accurately, a
man, she amended as she turned to greet the person headed her way.

“Riley, hi.”

“Hi,” Riley Finn replied as he slowed to a stop in front of the blonde girl,
suddenly at a loss for words.  She always seemed to have that effect on him.

“Hi.”

“You already said that,” Riley told her with a grin, then fell into step
beside her as she resumed walking.  He studied her as they walked; her eyes
were looking straight ahead, and her steps were purposeful.  She seemed as
if she was totally focused on something, and it wasn’t him.  “So, what’s
up?” he asked, curious.  “Is it Slayer stuff?”

“Shhh!” Buffy hissed as she turned to look at him.  She quickly glanced
around, trying to discern whether or not anyone had heard Riley’s question.
No one seemed to be paying any attention to them.  “That isn’t exactly
something you talk about publicly, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.  Sorry,” Riley apologized, more than a bit subdued.

“It’s all right.  Don’t worry about it,” Buffy muttered, pushing her hair
back from her face.  “I’m kind of grouchy girl today, anyway.  I’ve snarled
at more people than just you in the past few hours.  But, no, it’s not
really Slayer stuff.  At least, I don’t think it is.  I’m looking for
Willow.”

“I noticed she wasn’t in class today.”

“Or at the dorm this morning.  Or anywhere else I could think to look.”

“She’s missing?” Riley asked, concern evident on his face.

“I don’t know.  She went out of town yesterday.  I’m hoping maybe she just
stayed an extra day or something.  I’m heading over to Giles’s apartment to
see if she called him or anything.”

“Can I come with you?”

“That’d be nice,” Buffy replied, smiling slightly when Riley reached out and
took her hand.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Forrest Gates stood for a moment, his brow furrowed thoughtfully.  He
flinched slightly as the frisbee Graham Miller threw his way grazed his
shoulder and landed a few feet away in the middle of the path that Buffy and
Riley had walked down just a few moments before.  He had clearly heard
Riley’s question to Buffy - ‘Is it Slayer stuff?’ - and the question brought
back a conversation he and Riley had had just a few weeks before... when
Riley had asked about the existence of the Slayer.

Just what the hell was going on?

“Hey!  Forrest, you okay man?” Graham called as he jogged over.

“Yeah.  Yeah, I’m fine,” Forrest replied as he snapped back to attention.
“I just remembered something that I have to do,” he told his friend as he
walked over and grabbed the frisbee.  He handed it to Graham, then looked at
his friend.  “You don’t mind if I bail, do you?”

“No.  I’ll see you back at the house.  Later, man,” Graham said in his usual
easygoing manner before handing off to find another frat buddy to goof off
with.

“Later,” Forrest answered softly before turning and heading in the direction
Buffy and Riley had gone.

Something was up with this Summers chick, and he was determined to find out
what it was.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

“She was attacked,” Giles stated bluntly.  It had taken a few minutes for
Buffy to convince Giles that he could speak freely in front of Riley, but
now that he was convinced, the former Watcher decided that the best way to
explain the situation was by doing so in as straightforward a manner as
possible.  The stricken look on his Slayer’s face made him question that
choice.

“What?  When?” Buffy cried, her eyes wide with shock.  “And why wasn’t I
told?  Someone should be there with her.”

“Someone... oh, dear Lord,” Giles murmured.  “You don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?” the Slayer asked, slightly suspicious.

“She didn’t go to San Diego; she went to Los Angeles, for a spell to de-rat
Amy.  She didn’t want to tell you...”

“Oh,” Buffy said in a small voice, knowing her friend had lied about where
she was going in order to keep from reminding her of Angel.  “Is someone
with Willow?  I don’t want her to be alone up there.”

“She’s not alone, Buffy.  I promise you that.”

“Is... is she with Angel?”

“Actually, yes, she is.  He had brought her to his apartment this morning,
and he said she can stay there until she’s ready to come home.  He assures
me that she is perfectly safe.”

“Was it a vampire attack?  I mean... what even happened to her?”

“Her attacker was human.  She was attacked in broad daylight, and a police
officer stopped it.  The officer was actually the one to call me and inform
me of what had happened, and I in turn called Angel.  He went to her
immediately.”

“That’s good.  I’m... I’m glad he was there for her.  I’m glad she wasn’t
alone,” the small blonde said softly before looking back up at her former
Watcher.  “This happened during the day, though.  What if this guy comes
back for her?  What if he takes her outside or something at four in the
afternoon?  Angel wouldn’t exactly be able to follow them.  I mean, what
with the sun and all...”

“Wesley and Cordelia can, and they will, if the need arises.  But it won’t.
Angel will protect her, Buffy.  He won’t let anything happen to Willow; we
both know that.  She’s staying in his apartment, which is directly below his
office.  No one can get to his home without passing through the office
first.  She’ll be safe.”

“I know,” Buffy admitted.  “It’s just... I wish that I could have been there
to protect her, you know?”

“I know,” Giles told her quietly.  He wished the same thing.

“I almost wish that the guy had been a demon.  Then I could go and slay
him,” the Slayer mused softly before turning to her boyfriend, who had a
confused look on his face.  He didn’t appear to even be listening anymore.
“What is it?  What’s wrong?”

“What did you mean when you said that Angel couldn’t follow if the guy came
during the day?” Riley asked.  “Why couldn’t he?  Isn’t Angel human?”

Buffy and Giles exchanged a nervous glance, and Buffy swallowed hard.  After
a moment, though, the Slayer opened her mouth and began to explain.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Forrest stood at the window, his pulse racing.  He’d gotten there in time to
hear it all, including Buffy’s quick rundown informing Giles about the
Initiative.  Finn had obviously blown his cover, but it appeared that little
Miss Summers had a secret as well.  She was the Slayer.  That little
revelation alone was exhilarating enough.  And now, as he listened to her
disjointed explanation about who Angel was, Forrest grew even more excited.
A vampire with a soul living somewhere in LA.  Wouldn’t Walsh have a field
day with that little bit of information?

Smiling broadly, Forrest left his spot by Giles’s window, going in search of
his boss.
 

Part Six

Willow made her way to the bathroom cautiously, wincing at the various aches
and pains that ran through her tired and abused body.  Angel had gone up to
the office a little over an hour before, and Willow figured that she still
had more than enough time for a bath.  She had been craving one for awhile
now, knowing that the warm water would soothe her muscles, which were aching
from a combination of being attacked and her subsequent time cooped up in
bed.

Groaning softly at the strain, Willow reached into the cabinet and grabbed
Cordelia’s shampoo and body wash, thankful that the brunette had told her
where to find it.  She didn’t think she had the energy to go hunting for
bath products.  Willow rolled her shoulders slightly, trying to work the
kinks out of them before grabbing a towel - black, of course - from the
linen closet and going to sit on the edge of the tub.

The tub was massive, clearly an indulgence for the vampire.  The bathroom
also housed a rather large glassed-in shower, but Willow wasn’t really in
the mood to stand while bathing.  Besides that, after what she had been
through, she figured that she deserved a long soak in this luxurious tub.

Smiling slightly, Willow reached over and turned the water on, working for a
few moments to get it to her preferred temperature before putting the
stopper in the drain.  While waiting for the tub to fill, the redhead took
off her borrowed clothes, then went ahead and climbed into the steaming
water.  It wasn’t until her entire body was submerged that she realized that
she hadn’t grabbed anything else to wear, but she simply shrugged at that
small oversight.  She could borrow some clothes from Cordy’s stash after she
was done.  She had plenty of time.  Right now, she decided as she settled
in, she was going to enjoy her bath.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Angel ran his hands through his dark, spiky hair as he sat at his desk,
going over a file.  He had been up in the office for close to an hour and a
half, and he had hated every minute of it.  He hated leaving Willow alone in
his apartment, even though he knew she was completely safe there.

“Angel?”

The vampire’s head came up from the file as Cordelia’s voice pulled him from
his thoughts, and he tried to smile at the pretty brunette.  It wasn’t her
fault he was in a bad mood.  No, that honor belonged to the guy who had
attacked Willow.  “What is it?” he asked Cordelia, trying to sound patient.

“Well, it’s just... your next appointment’s here.  You know, the guy whose
prize Chihuahua was stolen?”

“Those are those little dogs that look like overgrown rats, right?”

“Yeah, the Taco Bell dogs.”

“Why would anyone steal one of those things?” the vampire asked.

“Beats me,” Cordy replied with a shrug.  “Look, since this is the last
appointment, can I go ahead and leave?  Wesley already has.”

“Sure.  That’s fine with me.  Go ahead.  Just send the Chihuahua guy in
first,” Angel answered suddenly feeling just a bit better.  This was his
last appointment of the day.  All he had to do was get through this, then he
could go check on Willow.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Willow hummed quietly as she washed her hair.  The water had soothed away
the worst of her aches and pains, and she was feeling much better from her
extended time in Angel’s bathtub.  Willow sighed contentedly as she rinsed
the suds from her hair, enjoying the feel of the water and feeling far more
relaxed than she had in quite awhile.  After a few more minutes of
relaxation, however, Willow knew it was time to get out.  The water was
beginning to lose its warmth, and she still had to find something to wear
before Angel came back downstairs.  With a small grumble, the slender
redhead stood up and got out of the bathtub, reaching for her towel.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Angel made his way down to his apartment, trying to be as quiet as possible.
  It had occurred to him on his way down that Willow might be sleeping - she
had, after all, had a rough couple of days - and the last thing he wanted to
do was disturb her.  Of course, he was still going to check on her... just
peak in, make sure she was comfortable.  Then he’d leave her alone.  Maybe
he’d make her dinner or something while she slept.  He was good at eggs.

Did Willow like eggs?

The vampire entered his room as that thought entered his head, and he
immediately stopped short as his gaze fell on the empty bed.  She wasn’t
there.  Willow wasn’t there.  Oh, man, where was she?  Had she found the
underground entrance and left?  No, that was foolish.  Why would Willow
leave?  She wouldn’t, not without telling him first.

Not unless she was forced to.

Oh, no.  What if her attacker come back for her and taken her?  No.  He
wouldn’t know where to look... But what if someone else had come, and they
had found her, and taken her, and...

“Oh!”

The soft exclamation had Angel spinning around in surprise, and his
nonexistent breath caught at the sight before him.

Willow.

The tiny redhead was standing just a few feet away from him, wearing nothing
but a bath sheet.  Of course, the large towel was more than big enough to
adequately cover the young woman, but there was still the small fact that
she was wearing only a towel.  She had absolutely nothing on underneath, and
they both knew it.

Angel gulped at that thought, and mentally berated himself for entertaining
it, even momentarily.  This was Willow.  Sweet, innocent Willow.  Sure, she
was wet and sweet-smelling from her recent bath, and her damp red hair
gleamed in the low light, but she was still Willow.  She was just a
nearly-naked Willow now.

Bad Angel, the vampire mentally berated himself, trying to think of
something else besides what was under that towel.  He had never really
thought about Willow that way before - okay, maybe that one time he’d gone
to her bedroom and she’d been wearing her nightgown, but that was it.  He
tried to force his thoughts to something else, and he received help when
something caught his eye.

“Angel?” Willow said softly, slightly concerned by the vampire’s silence.
She could have sworn she had seen the beginnings of desire in his eyes, but
now she wasn’t so sure.  His eyes were suddenly dark and angry, and she
wasn’t sure why.  “Is everything okay?”

Angel stepped closer to the young woman, stopping only when he was mere
inches away.  Carefully, his eyes going from angry to sad, he reached out
and ran his finger over the bruise on her collarbone that had caught his
attention.  “You’re hurt,” he whispered sadly as he touched the bruise
again, this time lingeringly.

“It’s... it’s nothing,” Willow managed in a small voice as she looked up at
the vampire.  She shivered slightly as his hand made another gentle pass,
this time sweeping up to touch the bruise on her throat before going back to
her collarbone.  Angel’s eyes remained trained on the injuries, and Willow
couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.

The bruise was dark and angry, a nasty splash of color on her otherwise pale
skin.  He could feel the fragile bone that rested just underneath the
bruised skin, and it almost hurt him to look at it.  It was such a fragile,
helpless spot, really, just as Willow was such a fragile - though not
entirely helpless - person.

He could smell that sweet fragrance of the lavender body wash she had used,
as well as the citrus scent of the shampoo she had used, and the combination
was slightly intoxicating.  Perhaps that is the reason Angel did what he did
next.  Or maybe it was the sight of that angry mark on Willow’s pale skin.
Or maybe it was just the fact that he had been so worried about the young
woman the past twenty-four hours that he was no longer thinking straight.
Whatever the reason was, he would never be able to explain his actions.

Angel continued to tenderly run his fingers over Willow’s injuries, once
more touching the bruise on Willow’s neck as he leaned down slowly,
cautiously, as if trying not to frighten her.  The redhead released a soft
sound of surprise as the vampire gently pressed a kiss to the bruise on her
collarbone, just a mere brush of his lips, as if he could kiss the hurt
away.  His hand ran up and down the length of her throat before traveling up
to her cheek and moving to her damp hair, playing with the bright red
strands as he repeated the gentle kiss to her collarbone, this time
lingering slightly.  He stroked her hair soothingly, causing Willow to lean
into his touch as he continued his ministrations, kissing his way up and
down the bruise.  Willow gasped as she felt his cool tongue run along the
length of the mark, leaving a wet trail that sent shivers down her spine.

Willow’s gasp jerked Angel back to reality, and he stepped away quickly,
keeping his eyes closed as they had been for the duration of what had just
happened.  What the hell was he thinking?  Willow had just been attacked the
day before, for God’s sake, and here he was... What was it exactly that he
was doing, anyway?  Good Lord, he had probably terrified the poor girl.
Angel gently untangled his hand from Willow’s hair, and he reluctantly
opened his eyes to look down at her, dreading what he would see.

The tiny redhead stood before him, her hand clutching her towel, which was
still wrapped securely around her thin frame, to her chest.  Her eyes were
wide and wet with tears, but he could see that the tears were of confusion,
not of pain or fear.  The sight made him sigh with relief.  He couldn’t
stand it if his actions had caused hurt her and made her afraid of him, but
he could deal with confusion.  He was pretty damn confused himself.

“Angel?” Willow said questioningly, her voice small and fragile.

“I’m sorry, Willow,” the vampire told her earnestly as he reached up to tuck
her hair behind her ears.  Even damp and uncombed, it felt like silk.  “I
don’t know why I did that.  I... I don’t know what came over me.  I’m... I’m
sorry,” he whispered, cursing himself as he realized his hand had somehow
found its way back to the expanse of skin above her towel, and he was once
again stroking her soft skin in the general vicinity of her collarbone.  He
quickly jerked his hand away and dropped it at his side, determined to keep
it there.

Willow nodded slowly, not sure of what to say.  Angel noticed her reticence
and forced himself to continue on, determined to find a way out of this
decidedly uncomfortable situation.  “I just came down to check on you... to
make sure you were okay.  And, um, I should leave you now.  Now.  So, um,
you can get dressed.  I think I’ll go make dinner now,” the vampire
concluded as he went to make his escape.

Willow stood in shocked silence, trying to make sense of what had just
happened.  Where had all this sexual tension suddenly come from?  Sure, she
had always thought Angel was gorgeous - what woman wouldn’t? - but it had
always been completely innocent, kind of like he was a celebrity or
something.  He was gorgeous, but he was untouchable.  Therefore, no
uncomfortable moments where the air crackled with sexuality like it had just
moments before.

Sighing quietly, Willow went over to the vampire’s dresser searching for one
of Angel’s shirts.  She so did not need this right now.  What she needed was
to rest, then go back to Sunnydale, then...

“Willow?”

The redhead jumped and spun around at the sound of the vampire’s voice, and
she tried to smile at him as he stuck his head in the room.  “Yes, Angel?”

“Do you like eggs?”
 

Part Seven

Dinner, which had ended up being takeout because Angel burned the eggs -
every single one of them - had been a rather uncomfortable affair for both
of them. The sexual tension that had permeated the room could have been cut
with a knife, and almost every conversation they had attempted had ended up
with one of them stuttering in embarrassment over an unintentional double
entendre. They’d even had trouble looking each other in the eye. Even so,
Willow was having a difficult time regretting what had happened in Angel’s
bedroom. It hadn’t even been all that much, really. But it had been
enough.

He had touched her.

It had been a long time since a man had touched her in a way other than
friendship. And Angel’s mouth on her collarbone, his hand stroking her
throat... that couldn’t be construed as friendship, although she wasn’t
exactly sure what is was, either. All she was sure of was that it had felt
amazing.

As the slender redhead turned over in Angel’s bed - the vampire was sleeping
on the couch in the other room - she tried to force all thoughts of
wandering hands and lips out of her mind. Especially the thought of how
good it had felt when his tongue had swept across her collarbone. Yup, that
thought just had to go. No matter how tingly it made her feel inside.

With a sigh, Willow turned over again, beating the pillow into a more
acceptable shape as she tackled the difficult task of trying to force the
image of Angel out of her head so she could get some sleep. The fact that
she was once more wearing one of Angel’s silk shirts - which, of course, had
that scent that was distinctly Angel - as well as sleeping in his bed was
making it all the more difficult. Mumbling to herself, Willow snuggled
deeper under the covers, yawning as she closed her eyes. She really needed
a good eight hours sleep. All that sexual tension had worn her out.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

{ He was kissing her. His lips were soft and cool, and infinitely gentle as
he molded her body to his. Willow reveled in the contrast of temperatures
between them - her warm to his cool - moaning as his lips made a trail down
her throat. She ran her hands over the silk of his shirt, enjoying the feel
of his muscles underneath the soft material.

She gave a soft sound of disappointment when his lips abandoned her throat,
and he chuckled softly. The sound send a delightful shiver down her spine.
The redhead opened her eyes when she felt his hand touch her chin, gently
requesting that she look at him. What she saw nearly took her breath away.

Angel’s eyes, always so dark and sad, were even darker than usual, almost
black, and the sadness in them was gone, replaced by desire. “Are you sure
about this?” he asked her, his voice lower than normal and filled with need.
It sent shivers down her spine, and filled her with awe as well. She
could hear the need in his voice, feel it as he held her against him, and
still, he was asking her if she was sure.

“I’m sure,” she whispered as she took Angel’s hand, allowing the vampire to
lead her to the bed. His bed. She smiled as he laid her gently on the bed
then joined her, bracing himself on his arms as he leaned in to kiss her
once more. She closed her eyes as his lips met hers, and she moaned softly
as his hands began to run over her silk-covered skin. Willow pulled her
mouth from his, enjoying how his sound of disappointment turned into a growl
of pleasure as her lips found his throat and she worked her hands into his
short, spiky hair. Enjoying herself immensely, Willow returned her lips to
his, opening her mouth to allow Angel’s tongue inside...

Suddenly, the kisses grew more demanding, an edge of violence curling
through the tenderness and desire that had been so prevalent. His hands,
once so soft and gentle became harsh and grasping, eliciting a whimper of
pain from the tiny redhead. And his hair. His hair, which had felt so soft
just moments before, now felt dirty... oily. His body was pressing
painfully into her, his weight holding her down. Trying not to scream,
Willow pressed her hands against his chest, which was no longer as hard and
muscular, the skin no longer covered with silk. Using all the strength she
could muster, she pushed at him, only managing to force a few inches between
them. A gasping sob escaped the redhead as the man on top of her fisted his
hand in her hair and yanked, trying to force her to hold still. In
retaliation, she lashed out with her bare foot, wincing when she came in
contact with a denim-covered leg. Instead of hurting him, she only
succeeded in making him angrier, and the hand that was fisted in her hair
tightened while the second hand, which had been roaming her body, dug into
the tender skin of her throat. Terrified by the harsh hands, she lashed out
one more time, this time using her fingernails as weapons, dragging them
down the bare skin of his arm while simultaneously biting his lip hard
enough to draw blood.

Swearing loudly, the man pulled back, and Willow opened her eyes to look at
him.

His eyes were still dark, though they were now filled with violence and lust
instead of tenderness and desire. But nothing else was the same. The skin
was tanned to a deep bronze, and the dirty hair that hung limply around his
face was blonde.

Willow opened her mouth to scream as she realized she was staring into the
face of her attacker... }

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Angel gave a violent start as the scream jerked him out of the blissfulness
of sleep. Because he had been sleeping right at the edge of the couch, his
sharp movement sent him tumbling to the floor with a rather undignified
crash. As the vampire shook his head, trying to clear out the cobwebs of
sleep, Willow screamed again. Worry and fear coursing through him, Angel
pulled himself to his feet and ran to the bedroom, limping a bit from the
knee he had landed on when he fell.

The sight before him nearly caused him to burst into tears.

Willow was tossing and turning in the bed, the blankets twisted around her
in such a fashion that she was basically trapped by them. Babbling pleas
escaped her lips, and a frightened scream erupted from her as he cautiously
reached for her. Her evident terror ripped through him, and he grabbed for
her, desperate to shake her awake and force her from whatever nightmare her
subconscious had thrust upon her.

Willow awoke immediately when he shook her, her eyes flying open as she
began to struggle against him.

“No, please, no,” she babbled as she shoved at his chest, trying to force
him away from her. “Please let me go. Don’t touch me. Oh, God, don’t
touch me.”

Stunned, Angel released the young woman, not even noticing when her final
shove knocked him on his butt. He watched in silence as she yanked the
blankets off of herself, sending them to the floor in a heap. She struggled
to her feet and headed for the bathroom with a frightened Angel at her
heels. Willow was shaking violently, and she ran her hands over herself as
if she was trying to wipe away a bad memory.

A bad memory.

Realization hit him in a flash, and he swore viciously as he entered the
bathroom behind her. He cringed when he saw she was undressing, her hands
jerkily unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing. He reached for her, careful
to keep his touch light, but she still cringed and whimpered when he touched
her. He dropped his hand, his heart breaking as she shied away from him.
As she continued to pull her borrowed clothing off, he left the room,
leaning up against the wall beside the bathroom door. He listened to the
pounding water as Willow turned on the shower, tears rolling down his face
as berated himself for not knowing how to help her. After a moment,
however, a different sound caught his attention as it filtered out into the
room.

Willow’s sobbing.

Cursing once more, Angel went back into the bathroom, his eyes locked on the
figure behind the glass of the enclosed shower. She was huddled in the
corner, great, wrenching sobs coming from her as she scrubbed at her body.

Without giving himself time to think, Angel jerked open the shower door and
stepped inside, still wearing his boxers. He reached down and pulled her up
and into his arms. Willow immediately huddled against him, trembling and
sobbing, and he held her tighter. The feel of her hot tears against his
bare chest was more than enough to make his body remember that this was
about comfort, not desire, as her naked body pressed even more closely to
his nearly naked one. He stroked her hair soothingly, whispering soft words
to her as she continued to cry as if her heart would break.

“Oh, sweetie,” he whispered softly, not really expecting a response. “What
happened?”

“He was touching me,” the tiny redhead in his arms whimpered. “He wouldn’t
stop touching me... I felt so dirty... I just felt so dirty...” His own
eyes filling with tears once more, Angel pulled her tighter, wanting to
offer her any solace that he could.

They remained that way until the water that beat down on them turned cold.
 

Part Eight

Willow woke up slowly, fighting her way through the heavy cloud of
unconsciousness. She lay quietly for a few minutes, not even bothering to
open her eyes. Her head pounded with a dull ache, and she felt utterly
exhausted, though she couldn’t explain why. Sighing, Willow started to roll
over, only to discover that she couldn’t. Something was blocking her path.
Something... decidedly human.

Willow’s eyes shot open, and she looked down at herself, stunned to see the
muscled arm wrapped firmly around her middle. And, oh God, her legs were
tangled with his, whoever he was; she could feel his firm thighs pressed
against hers. She quickly pulled her legs away from his, jolting the man
behind her awake in the process.

“Willow? You okay?” Angel’s voice came from behind her, his lips close to
her ear. The grip around Willow’s waist loosened, and the redhead flipped
over to face the slightly blurry-eyed vampire.

“What happened? Why are you in here?” Willow asked as she sat up, wanting
to put a bit of distance between herself and Angel. When she’d turned over,
there had been mere inches between their faces, and she wasn’t ready for
that, not with her heart still racing from the realization that she wasn’t
alone in bed. Angel was so large.... and so obviously male that his
presence disconcerted her a bit, even though she knew in her heart that she
was safe with him.

Though he hated it, the vampire allowed the slender redhead to edge away
from him, knowing that she needed the distance, and that she would probably
need it for awhile longer. The thought had him cursing her attacker yet
again. Sighing, Angel sat up himself, careful to stay on his side of the
bed. “You had a nightmare...” he began, uncertain of what to say to her.
She obviously didn’t recall what had occurred in the shower, and he was
pretty sure he didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.

“I had a nightmare?” Willow repeated, then blushed when Angel nodded. “I’m
so sorry for waking you up. I’m so embarrassed, I can’t believe I did
that...”

“Willow,” Angel interrupted, unable to resist putting a comforting hand on
her shoulder. He was thrilled when she didn’t shy away. “It’s okay. It’s
really no big deal...” The vampire trailed off when he saw the confused
look on the redhead’s face. More then a little confused himself, he dropped
his hand from her shoulder.

Willow had followed the path of Angel’s hand with her eyes as it came to
rest on her shoulder, and an expression that could only be described as
stunned crossed her face as she gazed at her own shoulder. Her shoulder
that was no longer covered in the black silk of one of Angel’s shirts, but
in the gray cotton of a lightweight sweater. Her green eyes widening, she
glanced down at herself, as if trying to make sure that what she was seeing
was real.

It was.

“This... this isn’t what I was wearing last night,” she said softly, her
voice barely above a whisper as she lifted her head to meet Angel’s eyes.
“I was wearing one of your shirts... Wasn’t I?”

“Uh, yeah... you were,” Angel replied carefully, as he glanced in the
general direction of his laundry room where Willow’s clothes from the night
before now resided. He could clearly remember getting Willow out of the
shower, drying her off, and dressing her in one of his sweaters the night
before, and he was pretty sure she was on the verge of remembering it, too.
He just wasn’t entirely sure how she would react to it.

“What... Why?” Willow stuttered as a few foggy memories began coming back to
her. She looked down at the bed, staring at the covers as she twisted the
hem of the sweater restlessly. Suddenly, her eyes flew back up to his,
shock evident in their green depths. “You... me... oh, no... I can’t
believe...”

“Willow, sweetie, calm down,” the vampire urged as he reached out to grasp
her slender shoulders. “It’s okay.”

“No, it is not!” the redhead countered as she pushed Angel’s hands off of
her shoulders and scrambled of the bed. “I can’t believe this!” she
muttered as she covered her face with her hands. “Oh, Goddess, I am so
embarrassed.”

Sighing, Angel rose from his bed and went over to Willow, once again resting
his hands on her shoulders. “Willow, there is nothing for you to be
embarrassed about. You’ve had a tough time, and you needed someone. There
is no reason for you to be embarrassed about that.”

“That’s easy for you to say!” Willow protested as her head shot up to look
at him. “You weren’t the one who was naked!” She paused as another thought
came to her. She now remembered how he’d gotten into the shower with her...
“You weren’t naked, were you?”

“No, Willow, I wasn’t,” he told her, grinning when he heard her sigh of
relief. He would have been shocked to learn that part of her relief came
from the fact that she hadn’t somehow managed to miss out on Angel being
naked.

“Well, that’s, um, that’s... good,” she managed. She was looking everywhere
but him as her blush rose to previously unseen shades of red. “But that
doesn’t change the fact that I was naked.”

Angel bit his lip, not sure what to say to her. He knew enough about women
to know that telling her it was no big deal would probably just make it
worse. Besides that, it would be a lie. He had been able to ignore her
nudity while he had comforted her, but once they were out of the close
quarters of his shower, it had been impossible not to notice how incredibly
lovely and desirable she was. Because of that, and because he was terrified
he would do something to frighten her, he had dried her off and dressed her
hurriedly, trying his hardest not to look at her. He’d put her in bed and
covered her even before he had exchanged his drenched boxers for a pair of
pajama pants in hopes that the faster he had her body out of sight, the
faster he could get her out of his mind. Even so, he still had the image of
her naked permanently imprinted on his brain.

Willow continued to look at the floor, taking his silence for derision of
her modesty. After a moment longer, she sighed. “Look, I know it was
probably no big deal to you... I mean, I’m sure you’ve seen hundreds of
women naked, but to me...” She broke off when Angel pressed a finger
against her lips, asking for her silence.

“Don’t say that,” he whispered, waiting for her to look up at him before
continuing. “I guess it’s true that I have seen a lot of people naked in my
day, but it’s not true that it wasn’t a big deal to me. You’re beautiful,
Willow, whether you realize it or not.” He cringed as she moved away for
him and headed over to his bookcase where she stared blindly at the titles.
Sighing, Angel came to stand behind her, careful not to touch her. “I’m
sorry if my saying that makes you uncomfortable... or scares you. The last
thing I want to do is scare you.”

“I’m not scared of you,” Willow said with a sigh as she turned around to
face him. “I could never be scared of you. I mean, I trust you completely,
and... well, thank you for taking care of me last night.”

“It was-”

“And don’t tell me it was nothing, because it wasn't. It means a lot to
know that I have someone to lean on. It means a lot that you’re there for
me.” She sighed and shrugged, her embarrassment still evident. “It was
just a bit of a surprise to suddenly remember... It’s just... well, Oz is
the only other guy who’s seen me naked, so...” she broke off and blushed
again, looking down once more.

Gently, Angel put his hand under Willow’s chin, forcing the slender redhead
to look at him. “You never have to be embarrassed about anything that
happens between us, okay? No matter what happens between us, I will never
look down on you, or think less of you because of it. And you are
beautiful, little one. Never doubt that. Okay?” he asked, grateful to see
that her eyes were staring directly into his.

“Okay,” she whispered, closing her eyes when Angel leaned down to press a
gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Good,” the vampire said as he pulled her close for a quick hug. As he
pulled back, he began to speak again. “Will you be okay by yourself?” he
asked in an abrupt change of subject that Willow had to admit she was
grateful for.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Willow said. “Go do whatever it is that you have to
do...”

“Well, first, I have to get dressed,” the vampire said wryly as he glanced
down at his half-clad body. “Then I’ve got to get to the office.
Cordelia’s supposed to bring breakfast for you, by the way.” He paused.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay till she gets here?”

“I’ll be fine, I promise,” Willow assured him as she gave him a quick hug.
“You go get ready. I’ll just find a boring old book to read,” she told him,
gesturing to his bookcase.

With a nod, Angel turned to do just that, grimacing slightly at the memories
that having Willow’s body pressed against his - however briefly - conjured
up. Memories of long legs and silky hair and pale wet skin...

Oh, yeah, he was definitely taking a cold shower.

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