Willow was lost. Completely lost in a sea of emotions. Hers, Angel’s, a combination of the two. She wasn’t sure where she ended and he began. She wasn’t even sure if it mattered.
She could feel his cool lips as left a trail of fire down her body. Every spot he touched felt scorched. She dug her nails into his back as she pressed him closer to her body. She could feel his erection against her skin as he moved down her body, devouring her. She moaned, low in her throat as Angel took one pebbled nipple into his mouth. She arched her body up to meet his. He groaned at the increased contact. She heard him growl softly as she cupped his ass firmly.
Angel sucked her breast into his mouth and swirled his tongue around the nipple as he slipped a finger into her tight core. Her moans were driving him insane with desire. He had never felt a need like this before. Not in all his two and a half centuries on Earth. Nothing had even come close to this.
He bit softly into her breast, drawing tiny amounts blood into his mouth. He savored the taste as he inserted a second finger into her writhing body. She gripped his ass more firmly and scraped her nails sharply across his back, drawing blood.
The scent of his blood mixed with the scent of her arousal and the taste of her in his mouth drover him over the edge. A growl erupted from her as he withdrew his fingers from inside her hot body.
Positioning his hard shaft at her slick entrance caused them both to moan at the contact. He devoured her mouth with a passion filled kiss as he thrust into her. He suckled the soft skin against her neck as he waited for her to adjust to his size. After several moments, the pain gave way to pleasure, and Willow started to thrust up against him.
Angel growled low in his throat as passion overtook him. He could feel her orgasm building as her walls started to clench around him. She pulled him roughly against her body, driving him deeper inside her. She felt his demon face come to the fore against her skin. She pulled violently against his hair, and pushed his fangs into her neck. The moment he bit into the tender flesh, their worlds exploded. The feeling of his fangs inside her skin, drawing out her blood sent her over the edge. They came together violently. Her walls clenched savagely around his shaft, drawing out his orgasm. She screamed his name as he filled her womb with his dead seed.
Angel suckled on the two small puncture wounds as she tried to slow her breathing. He could feel her chest heaving with the effort of breathing as her body quivered around him. He looked deeply into her eyes.
"Are you alright?"
Willow smiled as she brought a hand up to his face, smoothing his ridges until his human face was all that was left. "Perfect."
Angel reluctantly pulled himself out of her warm body and lay back on the bed. Willow rested her head against his cool chest and drifted off to sleep. Angel leaned back against the pillow and ran a hand through her silky hair. He closed his eyes and let the sound of her steady heartbeat lull him to sleep.
*****
Buffy tore through the cemetery violently. She needed to kill something. Or seriously wound, at the very least. Unfortunately there weren’t any vampire out. At least none unfortunate enough to come across the Slayer.
Angry at the apparent lack of something vile to kill, Buffy found herself near Crawford Street. She didn’t know how she had ended up here without realizing it. But now that she was here, she felt a cold rage take her over. It consumed her, completely. When she reached the heavy door, she opened it savagely, half expecting to find him on the other side, snarling and growling. He wasn’t.
The mansion was empty. Completely silent, which somehow proved to enrage her more. It meant that he was with her. Willow. Her former best friend. The girl who had betrayed her, for him. Her former lover, former enemy.
She ran through the mansion, knocking things over as she went. When she reached his bedroom, she started through things around. Breaking the little items he had kept over the years. Turning over the furniture. Tearing apart the last semblance’s of a home. She made her way into the closet and started tearing clothes off of the hangers, ripping and shredding as she went.
When she was finished, nothing remained as it was. No piece of furniture unturned. No piece of clothing unharmed. No keepsakes still in one piece. It was destroyed. All of it.
Buffy sank to the floor and let her tears claim her.
*****
Faith took a quick walk through the park one last time before headed over to Angel’s mansion. She had told Willow she'd pick up some stuff for Angel. As she neared the mansion, a strange feeling came over her. She quickened her pace. When she reached the front entrance, she knew something was wrong. The door was ajar. She entered the room carefully, her eyes roaming over what had once been Angel’s living room.
She stared in shock at the mess. Looking around quickly, for a sign to what had did this; she almost missed the form huddled in the corner. When she saw Buffy, it all seemed to click. It all made some sort of twisted sense. And at the same time, she felt angry. She wasn’t sure why. She didn’t even really know these people, not really. But she liked Willow. She was unlike anybody the brunette slayer had met in her short life. And Fang was an enigma as well. He was a vampire, with a soul, but still a vampire. However he didn’t jive with everything she had heard about him. He didn’t seem to be the brooding, guilty person she had heard about. He seemed to be comfortable in his own skin. He knew what he was, and what he had done, and although he felt guilt, he didn't let him rule who he was. She could be wrong, Faith realized, but she didn’t think so. She was usually a pretty good judge of character. She had spent a good portion of her life watching people, gauging them.
And as much as she liked Red and her vampire, she got a bad vibe off of the other Slayer. It wasn’t that she was evil, but she seemed to be hiding. From her past, the truth, herself. Faith couldn’t be sure, but the girl put her on edge. Now standing here, watching the destruction the blond Slayer had caused, she felt justified.
"What the hell is going on here, B?" Faith asked as she approached the huddled form.
Buffy looked up at the sound of Faith’s voice. She eyed the dark-haired slayer wearily. "What are you doing here?"
Faith looked around the room one more time before she spoke. "Certainly not the same thing you’re doing here." She looked down at Buffy scornfully. "So what was it, B? You’re perfect life get too much for you? Discovered your old boyfriend doesn’t love you anymore? You ask your best friend to make a choice, and she didn’t choose you?"
Buffy’s eyes shot up and her brows creased.
Faith’s eyes narrowed. "That’s it, isn’t it?" She shook her head disgustedly as she pulled Buffy to her feet. She pushed her towards the door. Buffy didn’t resist. Faith tossed her out the door and was about to slam the door when she took another look at her fellow Slayer.
"B, I may be new around here, but from where I’m standing, You’ve crossed the line."
Without another word, she shut the door and turned towards the bedroom. Her irritation only increased with each room that she passed. She didn’t think she had seen this much destruction in a long, long time. When she came to the bedroom, she hesitated before entering. She didn’t know what she’d find on the other side of the door, but she was sure it wouldn’t be pretty. She wasn’t disappointed.
The sheets had been stripped from the bed, and shredded into pieces that couldn’t even qualify for dishrags. The dresser had been over turned, spilling out its contents. Several pairs of T-shirts and sweats were torn apart, pieces covering the floor. A large chest was knocked onto its side, it’s contents strewn all over the carpet. The chest must have been filled with toys that the soulless version of the vampire had taken pleasure in using. She smiled a quirky little grin at the thought of what Red and Fang could be using this room for.
She frowned when she moved across the bedroom and entered the closet. It was in even worse shape, if that had been possible. She couldn’t find a single stitch of clothing that hadn’t been shredded, torn, or obliterated in some fashion. She sighed heavily as she left the bedroom and headed towards the front door. She needed to go tell Willow about what had happened here, before the couple came by and found the disaster that had been left in the wake of Hurricane Buffy.
She slammed the door behind her and ran across town to Willow’s house.
End Part 11
Willow was drifting in and out of slumber. Her warm body was wrapped tightly around Angel’s cold one. She noted absently that it was strange to have her head laying on his cool chest, and listening to the lack of heartbeat. She wondered what had happened. When things had changed. When Buffy had accused her of wanting Angel, she had been appalled that Buffy would suggest such a thing, but yet, here she was, nestled against his chest after having made mad passionate love to him.
She looked up at him. He was asleep. At least she thought he was. It was hard to tell. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe. But he looked at peace, for the first time in… well ever. She had never seen him look so completely peaceful, so comfortable. She realized that she had not given him that one true moment of happiness, not like Buffy had, but she was okay with that. They had shared something wonderful, and he hadn’t turned evil, so that was a plus.
A loud banging on her front door tore Willow out of her thoughts.
"Red! Fang! Open up!" Faith yelled from Willow’s porch.
Willow began to sit up, but Angel’s firm grip around her body tightened. She tried to slip out from under him, but he wasn’t budging. When she looked up at him, she noticed he had a slight smiled quirking at the corners of his mouth.
"Ok, you, let me up." He didn’t move. "She’ll wake the neighbors." Still nothing. She growled under her breath and then sighed. "Angel" She poked him slightly in the ribs. He opened one eye and stared at her. She raised an eyebrow. "I really don’t want my parents coming home and have the neighbors tell them about the crazy girl banging on the door in the middle of the night, or the strange guy their daughter was hiding in her bed."
Angel released his grip and let her climb out of bed. He admired the way she moved across the room, seemingly oblivious to her naked state. When she looked down, she paused slightly, and blushed a delightful shade of pink.
Willow grabbed a T-shirt and a pair of pants and slipped them on as she made her way downstairs. After She left, Angel climbed out of bed and pulled on his own pants and followed her downstairs.
Willow opened the door. "Faith? What’s wrong?" She stepped aside, letting the Slayer into her house, and closing the door behind her.
Faith took one look at Willow’s disheveled hair, and Angel’s shirtless form coming down the stairs and smirked. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked.
Willow face flamed. "No, um, we were, um…"
Faith laughed. "It’s alright, Red, I can guess what you were doing."
"Why are you here?" Willow asked, hoping to change the subject. When Faith arched an eyebrow, she hurried to explain, "I didn’t mean that you weren’t welcome, because you are. Welcome I mean. I just meant why are you here now? Not that now is a bad time…" She trailed off and looked to Angel for some help, and gulped when she saw his was wearing his pants, and nothing else. She fought the strong desire to touch him, to make sure he was real, and not some really good dream she was having.
Angel smiled at her appreciative gaze before turning to Faith. "I think What Willow means is what’s the emergency?"
Faith looked from the vampire to the witch and back again. She had almost forgotten why she had come. When she remembered, her face lost all of its humor. "It’s B. She trashed the mansion."
Angel growled as his eyes turned golden. Willow turned to Faith, trying to decide if the Slayer was kidding or not. At the serious expression, which had outlined Faith’s features, she decided not.
"Why? I don’t understand?" Willow walked over to the couch and sat down. She put her face in her hands, trying to think of a reason Buffy would do such a thing.
"I don’t know. I went by there, to pick up some stuff, like you asked, and when I got there, it looked like a tornado had run through there. More like another natural disaster." Faith snorted. At Willow’s puzzled expression she elaborated, "Hurricane Buffy."
Willow felt a cool hand around her wrist gently removing her hands from her face. She looked up into Angel’s eyes and watched how his golden eyes melted into brown.
"I’m sorry." She whispered. "This is all my fault." She cried into his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.
"This isn’t your fault." Faith spoke from a few feet away. "B did this. She carries the blame."
"She’s right, love." Angel whispered into her hair and then pulled away from her slightly. He tilted her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "I guess we’ll have to go house hunting, won’t we?" She smiled, and Willow laughed slightly.
"I guess we will."
*****
Buffy was huddled on Giles’ couch, sobbing silently when he returned home. He took one look at his distraught Slayer and knew something had happened. He set his keys down on the table and went to sit down on the couch.
"Buffy? What’s wrong? Did something happen?"
Buffy continued to sob. Giles put an arm around her, drawing her into a hug. "What is it?"
Buffy looked up at him, her blue eyes bloodshot with tears. "I really messed up this time, Giles. I…" She paused for a moment, afraid of how he would react. "I went to the Mansion. I made an awful mess. I was so angry. I wanted to kill him. Kill them both." She sniffled.
"Buffy? You didn’t kill him, did you?" Giles asked, fearing the worst. It wasn’t so much that he would have cared whether or not Angel was a pile of dust, except in the way it would effect Willow. He still didn’t know what kind of bond she seemed to have with the vampire, whether or not his permanent death would harm her.
Buffy shook her head. "No, he wasn’t there. He’s…with Willow. At her house."
Giles nodded, relieved, until the possible meaning behind her words sunk in. "What do you mean, with Willow? They’re not…" She shook his head, "No, that’s ridiculous."
Buffy sat up a little straighter. "Of course not! What would he see in her?" She asked and the relaxed back into the couch. "Besides, she wouldn’t do that, would she?" She asked.
"No, I’m certain you’re right." Giles reassured her although he was far from confidant. Unlike his Slayer, he could very well understand what Angel would see in the redheaded hacker.
He pushed those unpleasant thoughts away. He didn’t want to think about what it would mean if Angel and Willow had become involved, or even worse, intimate. He sighed as he realized that he had better figure out what kind of bond the two were sharing, as son as possible.
*****
The female looked at the male. "She is the one? You’re certain? She seems… weak."
The male looked to his sister for a moment and then turned away. "She is the one. Separate they each lack something, a goal, a purpose, clarity." He turned back towards the female. "But together, they have unity. They are one. They will serve our cause."
The female stared back at the view of the trio. "Then we have been successful. The elders shall be pleased."
End Part 12
Willow took another look at the room. It was large. Empty, clean and it had the capacity to become something more than a residence. But, it was large. She realized that it would of course seem less large once it was furnished, but still, she couldn’t imagine what Angel would possible do with all this space. Plus there was an entire room filled with large windows and a skylight. That couldn’t possibly be healthy.
“Well?” He asked after watching her circle around what he hoped would be his living room for close to twenty minutes.
“It’s big.” She nodded. “Are you sure about this?” She asked gesturing towards the window filled room.
“You don’t like it?” He asked.
“No, no, I love it. But… there are windows. Lots of them. Won’t you go… poof?”
Angel chuckled. He couldn’t help it, she just looked so adorable standing there, worried about the large windows. “I can have protective drapes put in.”
Willow smiled as another thought struck her. “Ooh, or those mechanical shielding thingies they put over pools and stuff.”
Angel laughed out right. “So you like it? I can tell the realtor we’ll take it?”
Willow nodded her head before she realized what it was he had said. “We?” She stared at him questioningly.
Angel pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. When she pulled away to suck in some much need air, he tilted her chin up so that’s he was looking in his eyes. “I meant what I said before. I want you with me. Always.” He lifted her up and carried her down a hallway into a small room. It had a sliding glass door, which led to the side of the house, and shelves built into two of the walls.
“I was thinking of making this a computer room.”
Willow looked around the small room. It would be perfect. She took his hand and squeezed it gently, acknowledging her consent of his idea.
*****
Willow returned to school the next day and made it her personal mission in life to avoid Buffy. Thankfully, she was successful. At the end of the day, when she dared to enter the library, she was pleasantly to find Buffy absent. Giles was sitting at the table going through some book while Xander split his time between stuff his face, and grudgingly researching. Cordelia flipped through the pages of an ancient tomb, stopping every once in awhile to roll her eyes at her boyfriend.
“Hey guys.” Willow smiled slightly.
“Willow.” Giles turned and waved her to the table. “I was hoping you’d come by. I have been researching this connection you seem to have with Angel.”
“And?” Willow asked.
“Well, it appears to have been initiated when you restored his soul. A bond was formed.”
“Is it… is it temporary?” She asked, not knowing why the thought that it might be was disappointing.
“Well, um… that depends.”
Willow noticed the nervous way Giles avoided looking at her and couldn’t help but wonder what it depended on.
“On what?” Xander asked, swallowing a Twinkie.
“Well…” Giles hesitated.
“Oh come on, spit it out.” Cordelia groaned.
Giles glared at her and then turned his attention back to Willow. “Well, from what I understand the soul restoration initiates a connection between the soul being restored and the caster. The connection isn’t severed unless the soul is lost or…”
Willow smiled easily at Giles as she sat down at the table. “Or what?”
“The bond will be changed if the relationship between the two parties changed. A different bond will be formed. This one is permanent, as is the soul.”
“What?” Cordelia looked up. “You mean his soul is permanent, as in no happiness clause?”
Giles nodded. Willow looked confused. “How exactly does our relationship have to change?”
Giles blushed profusely and looked away from her.
“Giles?” She asked curiously.
“Well, you’d have to become intimate.” He told her.
“You mean sex? They have to have sex?” Xander asked loudly.
Cordelia hit him on the side of the head, saving Willow the trouble.
“Well, not precisely.” He looked up at Willow, “There has to be a deeper emotion. It can’t just be s…sex.”
“Willow nodded slightly, trying to wrap her mind around what Giles had told her. “So, what you’re telling me, is that if Angel and I… made love… this would change the bond… and anchor his soul… permanently.”
Giles nodded and she turned towards the door. “I…uh… I have to go.” She rushed out of the school before anyone could stop her.
“Why do I have the feeling that their relationship has already changed?” Xander asked his girlfriend after Willow had left.
******
Willow walked home in a daze. She couldn’t believe it. His soul was permanent. Some small part of her had realized that already, considering he hadn’t tried to kill her since their couple. He was still Angel, her Angel. But still, hearing Giles confirm it, sent a rush of happiness through her heart.
She knew that because of her relationship with Angel she had lost Buffy. That hurt, but she also knew that se had gained something infinitely more powerful. She had found Angel and a friend in Faith. Plus, she felt more whole than she ever had. S he didn’t know if it was a result of the feelings she had for the vampire, or if it was directly connected to the bond they hared, but either way, she felt complete.
*****
The couple continued to watch as the events played themselves out. The man turned to his sister. “We will tell them soon? Of their destiny?”
The sister nodded her head and smiled. “Soon, brother, soon.”
End Part 13
Buffy walked up the driveway hesitantly. It had been nearly five weeks since she had broken down in the Mansion. Five weeks since she had seen Angel, or spoken to Willow for longer than five seconds. Willow was avoiding her, that she knew.
Buffy thought it was because Willow realized her error and was too embarrassed to admit her mistake. She knew they hadn’t been together after the night she confronted them. No one had been back to the mansion since she trashed it, and She had come by Willow’s house a couple of times during the day, just to see if Angel was still there. He hadn’t been. Buffy was confident that now that Angel was better, Willow had stopped seeing him. She hadn’t seen him in so long; Buffy was beginning to believe he had left Sunnydale.
She had almost asked Giles and Xander about it, knowing they still had contact with Willow, but then Buffy realized they hated Angel and would most likely be the last people to know if and when he left town.
She took a deep breath as she knocked on Willow’s front door. She didn’t know how she would react to her just showing up like this, but they needed her help. A new watcher had shown up earlier in the day. She claimed that a demon had come to town looking for some fabled glove. They had gotten nowhere in their search so far, and Buffy had decided to be the better person, and ask Willow to help.
So that’s how she found herself on her porch, at seven o’clock at night. Buffy took a step back from the porch and took a look in the windows. The house was dark. <That’s strange> she wondered as she climbed up the trellis that let to Willow’s bedroom.
After determining no one was home, Buffy let herself into the house and took a look around. It didn’t really look any different than when she had been here before, except that it appeared that no one had been here in awhile. The bed was made immaculately, and the desk was covered in dust. She shook her head as she made her way through the rest of her house.
Buffy noticed the answering machine light was blinking and decided to see if she could figure out where Willow was from the messages. She pushed play and listened as the tape rewound itself.
Beep. "Willow, honey. I know you’re not home. I tried the cell, but I think the battery was dead. You really need to remember to recharge it. Anyway, your father and I have been asked to stay on a little longer, so we won’t be back until after the New Year. Have a happy Hanukkah darling." Beep.
Beep. "Will, I lost your new number. Call me." Xander’s voice came through the machine.
Beep. "Will, change of plans. We’ll meet at your place instead of here. Buff said she’d be by after patrol, an well… you know how much fun that will be." Xander again.
Beep. "No more messages."
Buffy stared at the phone. It didn’t sound as if Willow was living there anymore. When had she moved and why didn’t Buffy know about it? Buffy groaned at the direction her thoughts were taking and stormed out of the house. She wanted to know what was going on and how come nobody had told her Willow had moved.
Just because Willow and her had stopped speaking didn’t mean she didn’t care about her anymore. She wanted to become friends again, now that Angel wasn’t an issue anymore. She sighed when she realized that Angel had been the reason for all their problems. If Willow hadn’t found him at the mansion, none of this would have happened. Or better yet, if Angel had never returned, then she wouldn’t have had to deal with it at all.
When she arrived at the library, she was surprised to find it empty. She had thought they would still be researching. Buffy left and ran over to Faith’s hotel, assuming that’s where she’d find the other Slayer.
*****
"So that’s it?" Faith asked as she looked over the glove, keeping her distance. "It’ll be safe here?"
Willow nodded. "Will figure out how destroy it. It safer with Angel than anywhere else."
"K, I’m outta here. I promised the bitch queen I’d do another sweep before going home."
Willow giggled. Faith and her new watcher hadn’t gotten along very well. "Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow night for patrol."
Faith waved as she headed towards the door, leaving Angel and Willow alone. Giles had already left to take Xander and Cordelia home. Willow walked over to her computer, side-stepping the table, which held the claw-like weapon. "Why don’t you go take a shower why I see if I can figure out how to destroy this thing?"
Angel placed his arms around her waist. "But the shower is so lonely without you." He purred in her ear.
Willow snorted. "However will you manage?"
Angel nibbled on her ear for a moment, and then turned her around to face him. "Promise me you won’t go near it?" He asked seriously.
"I promise." Willow mock saluted.
Angel captured her lips in a tender kiss before leaving her to her computer search. After several minutes Willow heard the shower water go on. She smiled. They had lived together for over a month and it had been wonderful.
Surprisingly, Giles and Xander had taken it rather well. She had been worried how they would react, but they were completely supportive. Her parents had been out of town the entire month, so she hadn’t had to explain her absence. Although they new she was staying with a friend, they didn’t know who they friend was, or what kind of relationship she had with him.
Willow had accepted that her friendship with Buffy was over. It hurt, but she knew that Buffy had been wrong about Angel. The fact that she had made her choose just proved how much things had changed. Willow was actually thankful that Buffy hadn’t accepted her relationship with Angel. Although she was sorry to lose a friend, Buffy presence still upset the vampire immensely.
He would become extremely agitated around her, and some of those feelings were transferred to Willow through their bond. S he didn’t know if she would ever be comfortable around the slayer again. Thankfully, those feelings did not extend to Faith. The brunette had become one of Willow’s best friends, along with Cordelia. It was surprising actually. All the years she had hated Cordelia, only to discover she wasn’t anything like what she pretended to be.
They had grown closer during Buffy’s summer away, and they had stayed close even after Buffy returned. Sometimes Willow had wished Buffy had stayed gone. She was glad that she was okay, and she had come back to face her problems, but things had gotten extremely tense in the past month. Willow avoided the library for fear of running into her, opting instead to do her research at home. She took advantage of her ability to leave campus and ate lunch at home, sometimes meeting Faith.
Willow clicked her mouse a few times, scrolling down to read the search results. She smiled. She had found out how to destroy the glove and they had all of the ingredients at the house. As soon as Angel got out of the shower, they complete the small ritual.
A knock at the door, disrupted Willow’s thoughts. She scrunched her nose in confusion. She wasn’t expecting any more company. Willow opened the door, surprised to find Gwendolyn Post on the other side.
"Ms. Post?" She asked, confused.
"Miss Rosenberg, do you have it? May I see it?" Gwendolyn Post asked enthusiastically.
Willow nodded absently. "Yes, we were about to destroy it." Willow stepped aside to allow the watcher to enter.
Gwendolyn Post walked over tot he table in the middle of the room where the glove sat, her eyes lighting up as she saw the item she had been searching for. Willow walked up behind her, curios to her reaction.
The watcher turned around, picking up the fire place poker which had been left on the table, and smiled. She swung her arm out, hitting Willow over the head with the iron poker. Willow was thrown across the room from the blow, losing consciousness from the pain.
Gwendolyn Post turned back and lifted the glove up, anxious to test out its power.
*****
Angel had just climbed out of the shower and pulled on his pants when his head started to swirl with pain. He felt the pain Willow was in, his demon and soul both howling with rage.
When he entered the living room, he found the watcher putting the glove on. He was too late to stop her. His eyes searched the room for Willow, finding her slumped in one corner, and making sure she was alright, Angel decided to sneak up on the woman who had hurt his mate.
Angel picked up and axe he had hanging on one wall. As he neared the woman, whose right arm was beginning to glow with the power of the glove, he aimed his weapon, swinging it over her shoulder. He realized too late that his aim was slightly off. However, she had turned, at just the right moment, causing the axe to sever her arm from her body. The watcher screeched in pain and lost opportunity before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Angel ran over to Willow and gently carried her over to the couch. After making sure she was comfortable, Angel returned his attention to the glove. He carefully carried it over to the table, and looked over the paper Willow had printed out. He noticed she had already assembled the ingredients for the ritual.
Once the flame was lit, Angel paled the glove in the center and spoke the simple chant. The glove disappeared in much the same way the watcher had done. He relaxed slightly and went to sit with Willow.
*****
Willow opened her eyes, her head pounding fiercely. Angel was staring over her, concern in his brown eyes. She could feel the fear that still reverberated through his body.
"Hey." She whispered, caressing his cheek with her hand.
"Hey. I was worried." He kissed her tenderly and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her into their bedroom.
"What happened?" She asked as Angel undressed her for bed.
"Shh. Don’t worry about it." He shushed her, not wanting to worry her, or tell her how afraid he had been, although he knew that was pointless. She could feel his emotions.
"You were frightened." She stated as he climbed into bed and pulled her into his arms. She sighed and leaned into his embrace, drifting off to sleep, knowing that he would always take care of her.
End Part 14
Willow squinted in the bright light. She tried to let her eyes focus, but couldn’t seem to adjust to the brightness. Turning over, in what Willow believed was her bed, she tried to reach out for Angel.
It wasn’t until she met with the vacant air that Willow’s sleep muddled brain realized that not only wasn’t Angel there, but neither was her bed. She blinked, hoping for some clue as to what had happened to her bed, or Angel.
Willow looked up at what she thought was the source of the bright light. It started to dim. She looked around the room quickly, and was surprised to discover that it wasn’t her bed which had moved, but her.
She was in a strange chamber. A room, but not really. It didn’t really have walls to speak of, and the air was covered with a dense fog. She reached out a hand in front of her and started to walk slowly forward. After several long seconds, her hand met up against something sold. And cool. And Masculine. And decidedly familiar. And if the feel of it wasn’t enough to alert her to his presence, the shock she felt from him at the contact was. It was an odd sensation, to feel another’s emotions as though they were your own.
"Angel?" She asked quietly, her voice only slightly uncertain.
His arms reached out and pulled her into his chest as he spoke. "I’m here, love."
Willow forced herself to pull away from his embrace. She turned around in the empty space, hoping to find some clue as to where they were, how they got there, or why they were there.
After several silent moments, Willow felt a cool breeze, which she hoped was indicative on a door somewhere. On the other hand, if there was a door, and she had felt a breeze, that meant someone else had entered the room. She spun around, trying to decide whether she should be hoping that someone else had entered, or afraid.
****
Angel felt Willow’s fear and a growl erupted from his throat. He had no more understanding of where they were than she did, but her presence was a calming influences. However, the moment fear had crept through their link, Angel’s desire to discover what was going on increased. He reached out to her, but she had moved too far away.
"Willow?" Angel called out to her, knowing she was near, even though he couldn’t see her in the dense fog.
"We’re not alone." She whispered from somewhere just to his left.
"I know." Angel moved towards her and found her hand clasping his through he fog.
"Witch, you have much power." A voice spoke in the stillness.
Willow turned towards where she thought the voice had come from. The fog started to lift, allowing them to see who had spoken. There were two people standing before them. Although Willow wasn’t sure if they would actually qualify as people.
A man and a woman. They looked enough alike to qualify as siblings. Twins wouldn’t be a far stretch either. Their hair was a near black shade of brown, which was a contrasted to the almost blinding white of their skin. Their eyes the most pale shade of blue Willow had ever scene. In their depths, she saw wisdom.
The man had a look of sadness in his eyes. Willow found herself wondering what had made him sad. She wanted to ask him, but her mind drifted back over the words that had been spoken earlier. Willow wasn’t certain who had spoken, but she thought it was the woman.
"I’m not a witch." Willow explained when she had found her voice. "I’m a practicing Wicca, and have cast a few spells but…"
"Silence!" The woman’s harsh voice cut Willow off.
Willow closed her mouth and squeezed Angel’s and tightly as she felt the anger come through their connection.
"You, witch, have great power. You lack control, understanding, but the ability is there." The woman continued in the same harsh tone.
"Forgive my sister. It is rare to see one such as yourself with one such as he." The man’s eyes drifted over to Angel.
"Silence, brother." The woman’s hands waved the man away. "You, witch, will one day carry much power. You will fight alongside the warrior to restore that which ahs been lost."
Willow crinkled her nose in confusion. She chose to avoid deny their claims of her power and concentrate on the rest f what she had said. "The Warrior?" She asked, her eyes following the woman’s gaze to her companion. "Angel?"
The male nodded. The Powers tell us he will fight for our cause, as will you."
"The Powers?" Willow asked, feeling slightly stupid to be repeating everything they said.
"The Powers That be" Angel clarified, looking to the couple for acknowledgement. They simply nodded.
"Why?" Willow asked. When the woman seemed to be offended by her question, she explained. "Why me? Why Angel. We’re…"
"He is a warrior, and has much to a tone for." The woman spoke as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Redemption." Angel’s voice took on a note of understanding. "You want me to make up for all of the death I’ve caused by working for redemption."
"And me?" Willow asked, realizing that Angel’s place in this made sense, but hers did not.
"You are the same." She spoke in an irritated voice. "You are life to his death. Understanding to his confusion. Light to his dark. The soul to his demon." She looked at them carefully. "You are the same."
The man stepped forward. "Go now. You’re road will be a hard one. A path that you must follow. It will not be easy." He motioned with his arm to an area behind them.
Willow and Angel turned around and saw a door opening. The couple walked towards it hesitatingly. The man’s voice stopped them just before they reached the threshold.
"Be careful. Once you call a friend will betray you. One you hated will guide you. One you have only recently found will be diverted from their path. You must see past what they were to what they have become, what they will become. Only then will all become clear."
Willow absorbed his words as she walked through the door. She found herself back in the bedroom she shared with Angel.
"Well that was…" Angel trailed off not exactly sure how to describe the encounter.
"A dream?" She ventured, hoping that it was but somehow knowing that it wasn’t.
****
Buffy tapped her foot angrily as she stared at Cordelia.
"What?" Cordelia snapped. The slayer had been glaring at her for nearly ten minutes after she refused to tell her where Willow had moved to.
"Where is she. She’s my friend. I deserve to know." Buffy demanded.
Cordelia snorted. "She’s not your friend. Not anymore. You ended that when you forced her to choose between you and Angel." Cordelia reminded her.
"I was… upset." Buffy refused to admit she might have been wrong. "Besides, it doesn’t matter anymore. Angel’s not an issue."
Cordelia looked at the Slayer strangely for a second before turning around to face the mirror of the girl’s room, where Buffy had cornered her before she could reach the libraries relative safety.
"What makes you say that?" Cordelia asked as she applied her lipstick.
"Well, he’s gone now, so it doesn’t matter anymore." Buffy spoke confidently.
Buffy’s words had shocked the former may queen so much that she ended up applying her lipstick to more than her lips. She hastily took out a Kleenex and started dabbing the smear. She had to fight her desire to tell Buffy how wrong she was; besides it wasn’t her place to tell Buffy where to find Willow.
The doors to the bathroom were thrust open and several girls walked in, nixing anything Buffy was about to say. Cordelia took that as her cue to leave. Buffy followed her out of the restroom and into the hall.
"Cordy, just tell me where she is." Buffy’s voice was strained, indicating how irritating she was getting.
Cordelia stopped and turned to face the Slayer. "Call her." She handed a slip of paper with a telephone number on it to Buffy. "If she wants to see you…" She let the sentence trail off and left Buffy to enter the library door.
"Where’ve you been?" Xander asked from his seat atop one of the tables.
Cordelia rolled her eyes and pointed behind her. "Bitchy is demanding to know where Will is." She sat down in a chair a couple of inches away from her boyfriend. "She claims all is forgiven now that Angel is out of the picture." Cordelia snorted.
Xander gulped, trying to swallow the donut he was eating without choking. "Out of the picture? I don’t understand? Did Will and Deadboy…" he stopped when he say Cordelia shaking her head.
"She’s just delusional." She sighed. "Someone’s going to have to tell her the truth."
"What truth?" Giles asked as he came out of his office.
"‘Bout Willow and Deadboy." Xander spoke around another mouthful of food.
Giles nodded. "When?"
Buffy chose that moment to enter the library. She looked at the three people there in confusion and held up the paper Cordelia had given her. "What’s going on?"
Xander smiled and turned to Giles. "I’d say now."
End Part 15
Buffy stood stock still as Giles explained the situation. He was telling her about some sort of connection between Willow and angel, but truth be told, she had stopped listened after Xander blurted something out about them living together. Everything after that was a haze. She had been so sure that Angel had left town, so hearing that not only hadn’t Angel left, but that Willow, her former best friend, was living with the vampire, filled her with a cold rage. Something she had thought she’d exorcised when she had trashed the mansion.
She had never felt anger that fiercely until, or since then. But now even that was being surpassed. The very idea that Willow and Angel were living together infuriated her. And the knowledge that apparently everyone knew about it, except for her, just fueled her fury.
Xander waved a hand in front of Buffy’s face frantically.
"Buff? You still with us?" Xander asked nervously. Ever since he had made the mistake of blurting out Willow’s new living arrangements, it seemed Buffy had zoned out.
Buffy nodded absently. "Fine. Angel is staying with Willow… still?" She asked, trying to find a logical reason for what she had heard.
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "No, Willow is living with Angel. As in Together… as in a couple."
Buffy’s eyes snapped to the cheerleader. "They are NOT together." She nearly shouted, not wanting to wrap her mind around that single thought.
"Buffy… maybe you should go on to class. We can talk about this later." Giles suggested.
Buffy spun around and ran out of the library. She had every intention of going to class. She really did. But all of that changed when she saw Faith entering the library out of the corner of her eye. Instead, she decided to wait, and see what the other Slayer was doing there.
After about ten minutes, Faith left the library and headed out of the school building. Curious, Buffy followed her. She wasn’t sure why she was following her, or where she thought the other Slayer was going. As far as she knew, Faith had no friends, and lived in a small run-down motel in a bad section of town. This was the first time she had even seen her in the day, but less this earlier in the morning, and at the school.
Buffy followed Faith off of school grounds and down a nearby side street. She recognized the area, having patrolled it before, but otherwise hadn’t spent any length of time there. After about twenty minutes, they ended up in a residential section. The street itself was a fairly small cul-de-sac. As far as she could tell only a handful of houses, but the driveways were long, so she couldn’t be sure how many houses were actually there.
At the end of the street, Faith stopped in front of the steep driveway. The house itself couldn’t be seen from where Buffy was hiding behind a tree several yards away. She ducked further into her hiding space as Faith spun around, checking the early morning behind her. After a second, Faith turned back towards the driveway and continued on her way.
Buffy waited. She knew that wherever the dark-haired Slayer had gone, was just past the large trees that shaded the brick driveway. She had no desire to get caught lurking, although she wasn’t sure exactly why that was. She had nothing to hide. Even still, she preferred to find out what was going on before she was discovered.
When she reached the edge of the driveway, she peered over, surprised to see that even at this distance the house was almost completely obscured by the leafy trees and heavy vines. The driveway was steep and winding. She made her way down it, not bothering to hide herself any longer. Her curiosity was getting the better of her.
What was Faith doing in a place like this? It seemed more like a place she would find Cordelia than Faith. When she got to the bottom, there were two things she noticed right away. The first was the heavy vining which wound itself around the house intricately, almost as if it was designed that way. The second was that underneath the vining, she noticed the windows, although large, and beautifully designed, were covered, from the inside, with heavy drapes. That simple fact sent off warning bells in her mind, but she tried to push them aside.
Buffy decided that maybe knocking wasn’t the best course of action, so she decided to sneak around the side of the house, and maybe get a peak in the house. However, that proved to be more difficult than she thought, due to the fact that every window was covered so fiercely to not allow any light through, much less the wandering eye of a snooping neighbor, or annoyed Slayer.
Eventually, Buffy realized that she wasn’t going to gain any information this way. S he had decided to go ahead and knock when something caught her eye. A ladder. It was small, and mostly obscured by some of the vines, but it was there nonetheless. Buffy followed the rungs with her eyes, smiling when she saw they led all the way to the roof, maybe there was a sky light or a chimney or something she could use to see what was going on inside the house.
Buffy climbed up the ladder and smiled widely when she saw there were indeed skylights. However her smile fell from her face as she realized that the skylights were covered with some sort of retractable metal. Buffy cursed, her anger rolling off of her in waves. She wandered along the roof, hoping that maybe she would find some clue as to who lived here, and why everything was covered. She was just about to give up when she noticed a glint on the other side of the house. It was glass, being reflected by the morning sun. As she got closer, Buffy realized that it was an uncovered Skylight. She almost danced for joy.
As she stood over the window, she realized she must have been looking at the computer room. It was a fairly good-sized room with a computer, and a couch, and a few other things. She was disappointed to find that there was no one in this particular room, and she couldn’t make out anything passed the doorway. Buffy sighed and decided to wait. Maybe the residence would find the need to come into this room, and she could at least discover who lived here.
*****
Faith leaned back against the couch and scowled. She had just come over to tell her friends that Buffy had been told about their living arrangement. She didn’t know the blonde Slayer very well, but if the destruction at Angel’s mansion as any indication; the couple sitting before her would have a rough time.
"She didn’t say anything?" Willow asked incredulously. That didn’t sound like the Buffy she knew.
Faith shrugged. "I wasn’t actually there for the fireworks, but Xan said that she zoned out. I wouldn’t be surprised if she cornered you at school or…"
"She’s not going." Angel interrupted.
Willow turned to him questioningly.
"You’re. Not. Going." He told her a little more forcefully than was necessary. He sounded angry, but Willow could feel more fear coming off of him than Anger.
Willow nodded, knowing that Angel wouldn’t let her out of the house until he could go with her. "Tell Giles, we’ll come buy after sundown."
Faith nodded as she stood up. "Sure. I’ll see you then." Faith headed for the door and then stopped and turned around. "We can patrol later." She opened the door and left before Willow could reply.
Willow leaned back against Angel’s bare chest and sighed. "I guess this is it." She whispered as his arms tightened around her.
"Don’t worry." He spoke into her hair. "If she makes this an issue, we can leave."
Willow froze. "Leave?" She asked, shock creeping into her voice. "Leave Sunnydale? But what about… Giles and Xander… and Cordy? We can’t just leave. They need our help, and… and you need…"
"I have everything I need right here." He told her. "You. That’s it. No more, no less."
Willow sighed and sank back further against his cool skin. She knew he was right, and if that weird dream was more than just a dream, she had a feeling that whatever their ‘path’ was, it would take them out of Sunnydale eventually.
Willow extracted herself from his loving embrace and stood up. "I’m going to go get some work done. I need to study, and I promised Giles I’d research those strange people Willie said were in town." She looked at him carefully. "You haven’t had any more dreams?" It was a question despite the fact that she knew he hadn’t.
Angel shook his head in mild frustration. "No, but the days still early." His eyes sparkled mischievously. "Are you sure you don’t want to climb into bed and keep me company?" He eyed her appreciatively.
Willow rolled her eyes. "No. I need to figure out what’s going on. Just because you haven’t had a dream in two days doesn’t mean they’re gone." She reminded him softly.
Angel stood from the couch and enveloped her in a hug, nuzzling her neck. "I know." He whispered.
Willow pulled away from his slightly to look into his deep chocolate eyes. "I love you." She told him before meeting his lips in a tender kiss. Reluctantly, Willow separated from him and headed out of the room. "Goodnight Angel." She spoke from the hallway.
Angel watched her walk into the computer room and sighed. He wanted to follow her but the covering he had installed for the skylights was malfunctioning in that room, so he had to be content to watch her. After several seconds, he realized she was right. He needed sleep. Perhaps he could stave off the dreams for another night. They were puzzling, and slightly disturbing, and all too real.
Shaking his head from his thoughts, Angel entered their bedroom and slipped between the cool sheets, sinking into slumber.
****
Buffy watched the silent room, quickly getting bored. After awhile she heard saw movement below and took a closer look. She nearly gasped in shock. Willow was moving around the room, turning on the computer and sifting through some book, which she pulled off of a shelf.
Willow? Willow lived here? If that was true than Angel must be here as well. Her early anger came back to her, redoubled, as she watched her friend going about her business as if she had a right to.
Buffy stood up and paced around angrily before making her back to the ladder. She was going down into that house and talking to Willow. Tell her what she thought of her deception and of her relationship with Angel. Then she was going to speak to him, and make him realize that he was only grateful for Willow’s help, but that he didn’t need to repay that gratitude by moving in with her.
She needed him to understand that she was sorry about the way she had acted before, and she was sorry for trashing his house. But on the other hand, he now had another house, so that shouldn’t matter.
In the past several months, Buffy had been thinking over everything that had happened since Angel returned from hell. She realized she had reacted badly. She shouldn’t have attacked him so viscously, and she shouldn’t have destroyed his house. She even admitted that maybe she should have been the one to help him when he came back. But now that he was better all that could change. He didn’t need Willow anymore.
Maybe if they made nice, Angel would see that Sunnydale no longer had a place for him, and things could go back to normal.
Sighing, Buffy made her way to the front door, intending on settling things once and for all.
End Part 16