Part Four:
He started slightly at the sound of someone...er..two persons entering his home without his permission. Considering it was day and later then Willow realized those persons would be human and judging from the wiggins his demon was having they would be the slayer and her cronies. Oh gods did I just think that? He tried not to think badly of Buffy but after the past day or so he'd seen just how little of her trust he'd had. She went alternately from loving to hating him. It wasn't exactly sensible in its actions, but apparently it didn't have to be.
He heard the startled gasp from the doorway and looked up, Buffy was standing there. Shock clear on her face. The sight of Willow and he curled among his rumpled burgundy sheets had to be a shock. He opened his mouth to speak, but her own scathing words cut him off.
"Oh, I see you can't sleep with me because I might give you a happy, but you can get your rocks off with my best friend. Or was it just the thrill of being first."
"Buffy." Willow gasped.
"And you I thought you where my friend. The moment I turn my back you jump in the sack with Angel, no wonder Oz dropped you like hot potato." Angel saw Willow pretty face crumple.
Buffy's eyes fell on the small wounds that still were visible on Willow's neck. She scanned the visible portion of hackers body eyes falling on the bandage over her wrist."What the hell is this?" Buffy screeched stomping forward. Giles suddenly burst into the room stopping short at the sight of the two in the bed. He looked over at the two with a clinical eye, knowing what Buffy thought, and knowing she was wrong.
"Buffy calm down." Giles instructed. He stepped closer to Willow, taking in her rumpled hair and the clear bite marks on her neck. He reached forward and touched and tilted her chin to the side to get a better look at the marks. They weren't given in anger. Giles noted they looked careful and tender. He smiled softly pleased not so much that Angel had fed off Willow but that he had done so with care.
"Apparently Willow was bitten it doesn't mean that Angel was the one that did it. If he had bitten her do you really think that she would have been resting next to him?" Giles demanded. Buffy looked back at the two on the bed.
"He didn't bite you?"
"No," Willow hastened to get them from this conversation. "We met the double they fought Angel got hurt. I was attacked while trying to get help I wasn't thinking forgot that if I waited he'd wake on his own. You know I can deal with my own blood people I care about bleed and I have issues with it.." Willow smiled.
"Who bit you?" Buffy asked, Willow could tell by the look in her eyes that the slayer wanted to go hunting.
"I dusted him. " Angel piped up. Buffy shook her head slowly allowing for the trust of that statement to seep into her.
Buffy apparently believed their threadbare story. She turned and left the room, not wanting to see the soft tender way Angel was treating Willow. She wasn't sure what was happening or what Willow was doing to make Angel treat her with such care. She was just the hacker Buffy was the chosen one.
"So what do you intend to do now?" Giles asked as soon as the Slayer had left the room. Giles watched them seeing the slight flush that crossed the hacker's face and he realized that they didn't know, or hadn't figured it out yet.
"We wait till it comes after one of them again, and then I kill it."Buffy said. Buffy watched the way Angel's fingers seemed to wrap around the hackers at the unpleasant thought. She wasn't sure what had happened while she was busy distrusting Angel; Willow had given her trust without reneging it even when things had looked bad. It didn't mean however that he needed to be touching her.
Willow had at least slipped out of the bed at some point while Buffy was in the other room. Though Angel continued to hold one hand captive as though he feared she might leave him. Clearly he wanted her to stay and that in and off itself angered Buffy.
"Come on," Buffy said, "Willow I'll take you home and we can meet Xander and Cordelia back at the library."
"If they haven't retired to the secluded darkness of the broom closet."Willow offered.
"She's staying here." Angel said suddenly shocking Willow, Buffy and the Watcher. Willow glanced at him wondering what he was thinking only to be met with the same fathomless look he always wore. Not the open one she had come to know tonight.
"Angel be reasonable," Giles said being the first one to come out of the stunned silence.
"I am. She'll be safe here, and the doppelganger is after her, at least here we can defend ourselves." Angel said.
"I want to stay here, Giles I would feel safer, if you could see that Xander brings me my laptop which I left at my house. I am sure that I will be able to find its weakness."
"Well, come on Giles. She apparently has it all figured out." Buffy captured Giles' arm and started to lead him out when she looked back at the two occupants of the room, and added, "I'll be sure to tell Xander that you feel safer here. I am sure he'd be happy to bring the laptop to you."
Willow stiffened as she watched Buffy and Giles leave shocked by the venom in the Slayer's voice. She hadn't done anything really. The almost kiss had been a fluke nothing to worry about she was certain. So why do you feel like you've done something wrong?
Angel pulled gently back on her hand, causing her to turn and look at him. He wore a tender smile. He slowly reached forward taking the other hand in his own."She's gonna hate me when this is over." Willow stated matter-of-factly. "It won't matter that we didn't do. That we aren't....grr. You know what I mean."
"Yeah, but we haven't done anything wrong and you shouldn't be brooding that's my forte. So smiles and not to worry. We'll figure something out." Angel insisted.
"Then why do I feel like I've done something wrong and unforgivable?"Willow asked settling in front of him on the burgundy sheets. She glanced up at him from beneath lowered lashes.
She felt guilty Angel could see it in every move she made. He knew that it was partly due to what was happening between them. What is happening between you? He really wasn't sure and he knew he really didn't have the right to pursue it. It would mean admitting to Buffy the truth of a number of things. For instance the real reason why Whistler had returned only a few months ago. He's lied saying that it had been in a follow upto the first evil. It had only been a part lie, and he was beginning to think that if he ever shared the truth with anyone it would be the woman before him.
"It's just...just that I think that maybe its Buffy that should be here." Willow blurted out suddenly. Angel looked at her uncertainly as though he wasn't sure that he understood what she was saying.
"Wait, you think Buffy should be here." he said motion with his hand to the room and the rumpled sheets.
She looked at him and shook her head slowly, "Don't you?" The moment the words where out of her mouth Willow wished she could take them back. It wasn't any of her business and of course he wanted her. She was Buffy,all the guys want Buffy.
Angel studied her suddenly bright eyes and blushing cheeks for a long moment before answering. "NO!" He reached forward and gently pushed a few strands of her red hair behind her right ear. "I really think that I like the present company better." He pulled in an unneeded breath and composed himself. While searching for a way to say this without making Willow uncomfortable. He wasn't dealing with Buffy who needed to have the hard edges of reality cut into her more often then they did. Willow wasn't the slayer and there for lived in a much realer world.
"You've never tried to change me. I've always been Angel, the vampire.You know what I am but it’s not who I am. Not many people would have curled in my arms and slept knowing that I lived off the blood in their veins. Buffy is all for the forbidden love and its thrill and I can't say that I wasn't as well." He laughed in a self-deprecating way. "After being around for over two hundred years you'd think I had groan upsome." Angel chuckled this time the sound was less angry more humorous.
"I read somewhere. That none of us can chose where we would love. It's true and you can't blame your self for loving her. Your male and from what I can see basically the entire soul having male population of Sunnydale wants her. Sometimes I think that they are all caught by the webbing she wears." She said smiling a little sadly. "I mean if I had webbing like that you'd love me too." She giggled.
"Webbing?" He asked softly. Looking at the hacker rather oddly.
"Yeah like spider webs." Willow said smiling at the stupefied look on the vampire's face.
"It's how she knows vampires are around, it's what makes her seem so incurable to men. I mean sure she's beautiful but it's more then that."Willow said.
"Okay wanna explain it to me." Asked Angel.
"Sure you do it too. I mean it's the other thing about you besides the fact that you are just beautiful there is the whole vampiric aura thing that you have. It makes you even more attractive. I've noticed it. It's something only older vampires seem to have like Spike." Angel's eyes widened slightly. "You think Spike is beautiful."
"Sure only in a I'm-a-demon-who's-gonna-kill-you-sort a way." Willow said softly. "Only yours was more so when you where Angelus. He wore it alot. I mean if he hadn't been so well...insane...he would have been seriously hot." She giggled at the look he gave her. "Not that you're not seriously hot but it's just that you are always so melancholy. He wasn't broody just obsessive."
"Hey I am the smart one it doesn't mean I don't notice. I mean come on Angel." She said smiling at him.
"You think I am attractive?" Angel asked looking at Willow who was now blushing a pretty shade of strawberry.
"Oh, yeah." she giggled. "But hey it's just a thing. Right...." she leaned playfully against him, "and now that I've successfully made a fool of myself I am gonna be quite now." Willow said though the smile on her lips hadn't dimmed.
"Willow?" Called a voice form in the front room. Both Hacker and vampire pulled away from each other. She stood and started out from the room and headed into the living room.
Xander looked up as she entered a relieved smile on his lips. He held out to her the laptop she had requested. She took it from him set it on the coffee table and waited. She was aware of Angel coming out of the bedroom. She saw Xander's eyes widen slightly, and turned to see that Angel was standing lounging against the doorframe.
"Willow are you okay?" Xander asked reaching out to tentatively touch her shoulder. She smiled at him gently.
"Yeah Xander I am fine." She said and set on the couch and motioned for him to do the same. She glanced at Angel and almost invited him to sit,only to change her mind. She looked at Xander again. Waiting for him to speak only the boy seemed in capable of doing so.
"Xander, what's wrong?" She asked her voice soft. She wanted him to talk only he wasn't budging he just continued to star at her.
"He...he bite you." Xander whispered in shocked awe.
"It's okay Xander, Angel didn't hurt me. I promise Angel didn't hurt me." Willow assured him capturing his hand and squeezing it.
He looked down at their hands twined. He drew her hand up and squeezed it tightly, "I am just worried about you. You know I do I just want toknow that your safe." Xander whispered. His touch was warm and worried and he reached up and tucked that same wayward strand behind her ear.
"Willow I have to go before it gets too late. Buffy's waiting for me."Xander managed after a moment.
Angel watched Willow from the doorway for a long moment before walking out into his living room. He stepped up behind her silently. He reached up and placed his hands gently on each shoulder blade. He squeezed gently slowly beginning to massage the muscles that had tensed almost imperceptibly beneath his fingers.
She pressed back into his touch making a small sound of pleasure as he continued to rubbed her sore muscles. "More?" he asked gently.
"Hmm," she murmured shaking her head in affirmative. Angel's hands slid lower down her back to the waist of her gauzy skirt. She shivered slightly as he started to pull the shirt from the skirt. He slips his fingers beneath the fabric of her shirt.
"Cold," she gasped.
"Sorry," he whispered starting to pull away.
"No I like," she said quickly, flushing slightly as Angel's fingers slid back onto her warm flesh. He rubbed pressing only hard enough to loosen the tight muscles. She whimpered softly pressing back against his hands.
"You like?" he asked surprised at the husky quality of his own voice. He knew he shouldn't be but he liked touching her. Liked the feel of warm flesh beneath his fingers. He slid his hands upward slipping them beneath the silky strap of her bra and rubbing the flesh beneath. Angel was only slightly aware of the fact that Willow had moved pressing her hands on the wall in front of her to support her suddenly boneless frame.
Moving his hands from beneath the strap he started on her shoulders pulling more soft moans from the woman in front of him. He rubbed and rolled the soft flesh until muscles were smooth and devoid of knots. He smiled as she allowed her head to hang down between her shoulders as she drew in slow even breaths.
"Thank you so much." She whispered softly before turning to face him and throwing her arms warmly around him. She drew back after a moment almost as though she realized what she was doing.
Angel chuckled silently at her embarrassment in the wake of what he'd just done. His hands on her bare flesh and she's embarrassed because she hugged me. He wanted her in his arms again liked the feeling perhaps a bit too much.
He pulled her over to sit on the couch and waited till she'd settled herself into the cushions when something occurred to him.
"Willow are you hungry?" he asked suddenly. If he wasn't mistaken the hacker hadn't eaten all day, she would need to. He wondered what she'd like. Hmm. What's open at this hour he wondered looking over at the clock."A little." She admitted and her stomach took that moment to agree with her rather loudly making both vampire and hacker laugh aloud.
"So what do you feel like. Not that at this hour we have a lot of choices but we can look." Willow thought about it for a moment.
"Well there is that all night café that delivers we could order something like subs, salads or something...Angel do you eat?" She asked suddenly. "I mean I know that you drink blood which has of late strangely not been so few. But do you have to eat?"
Angel listened to her quickly but quietly asked question a small smile crossing his lips. "I don't have to but I sometimes still do. It's not the same I mean I don't crave food so much, but I admit to liking a dish of forbidden chocolate or even chocolate sin." Angel said looking at the way Willow's face changed.
"Hmm, Ice cream now that sounds yummy not high on the healthy part of things. But can we get some Angel come one please...." Willow pleaded pushing her voice into a cute whine.
He broke out in to a surprised chuckle, "Sure the question now is do you want me to go get it and leave you here or do you want to come with me or do you want to try and order?" He asked throwing the options down at her.
"Well we could walk but we would just have to be on guard."
"Then walk it is." He said only slightly reluctant to go back out into the night with her after what had happened earlier. He had a feeling however that the double had most likely gone and hunted and was licking his wounds planing something awful. Angel's hand tightened on the hackers.