main characters: Willow, Angel
disclaimer: I do not own them
distribution: if you have permission for the previous Coffee's, yes. Otherwise ask.
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Willow really shouldn't have been quite so surprised to see Angel moving through the crowds of people at the Bronze. But, for some reason, it did surprise her. Maybe it was because Buffy was currently chatting with the guy that she had introduced as Ford, someone that she'd known in elementary school. Buffy had seemed so normal, so cheerful, that for a few moments, Willow had nearly forgotten that her friend was the Slayer.
"Who's that talking to Buffy?" Angel's voice was right near her, a soft murmur into her ear, nearly drowned by the background noises that filled the club.
Willow gave a small shrug, hoping to convey how much she didn't know. "Some guy that Buffy used to go to school with. She called him Ford... I think she had a crush on him."
She felt more than saw Angel nod. Then he moved towards the laughing Slayer, his back seeming awfully tense. As he stalked closer, Willow wondered if she had just heard him growl, and if Angel had any idea how jealous he seemed to be.
Willow watched as Angel talked with Buffy, his dark eyes so expressive that even from over here she could tell that he was worried that he had a rival for Buffy's affections. She could also see Xander talking to Ford, but she couldn't get a good look at either of their faces. Part of her wanted to know what they were saying, what they were talking about. Except that she was the smart one, she could guess.
Buffy. And what was going on between Buffy and Angel, and Buffy and Ford.
Willow sighed, knowing that any chance of just enjoying a simple, happy evening at the Bronze had been shot to pieces. It might have survived the arrival of one of Buffy's admirers, but not Xander with his crush on Buffy, Ford that Buffy used to have a crush on, AND Angel, who had this... thing with Buffy.
Buffy was so busy smiling at Angel and Ford that she would never notice if Willow left. Xander was glaring at Angel and Ford, so he wouldn't notice if she left. With a sad little sigh, Willow left the Bronze.
She could be at home doing her Geometry instead of here watching Buffy and her admirers. She could go home and watch the History Channel. She could... well, this was the extent of her current social options. Looked like she would be going home. What staggering amounts of fun tonight had turned out to be.
She went home, immersing herself into the simple, easily understood world of geometry, trying to convince herself that she wasn't jealous of Buffy. That it didn't hurt and sting and burn at her insides that all the guys noticed Buffy and wanted her, while she was merely the study buddy, the last resort when failing classes. Buffy was the sought after rose, while she was... well, not even a wallflower, more like a climbing ivy of some sort.
Eventually, her Geometry was finished, and there were no more homework assignments to use as a handy way to minimize thinking about her life. She found herself playing on the internet, checking the scheduled episodes of a few television programs, sending a couple emails to some of her online friends, and essentially just killing time.
By the time eleven rolled around, she had changed into the oversized shirt that served as a nightgown. She had given up on hearing anything from Buffy or Xander, certain that they would be too busy thinking about Ford. Her night would be quiet, uninterrupted. She could just surf the internet in peace...
The forceful rapid tapping at her door made her jump, and there was a high pitched squeak that she had to admit had come from her. A moment of blankness preceded the realization that someone was knocking on her door. Her curiosity surged, and she walked over, opening the door.
Angel was standing on her doorstep.
She blinked, for a moment certain that she as seeing things. Angel was still there. "ummm hi."
"Can I come in?" He sounded tense, and slightly worried.
Willow stepped back, gesturing an invitation. Words were failing her as she wondered what could have him so worried.
There was a hint of sadness with the next words. "I need a little more than that."
A little... then it clicked in her mind. Vampires needed a spoken invitation to enter a swelling. Angel needed her to actually say the words. "I invite you. To come into my house."
He gave a small smile as he walked in, one that said he hadn't quite expected an invitation. "I need your help."
"What do you need? I mean, normally people want help with their homework, but I don't think you would need that, because your too old... I mean smart... I ... umm... what do you need?" She was feeling tongue-tied and embarrassed, and then she noticed a few things that she had left on the bed that she didn't want Angel to see... like her bra. Darting ahead, she grabbed the offending, or embarrassing items, and stuffed them under her pillow.
Angel shifted a bit, as if... could Angel be nervous? "I need you to look something up for me. On the computer."
Relief flooded through Willow. This was something simple, something that she should be able to do. "Oh, I can do that. I am so the net-girl." She had settled back at her computer and opened a new browser window before she realized something. "umm, Angel? What am I supposed to be looking for?"
"That new guy, Ford. What do we know about him? I have a feeling..." His voice trailed off.
She felt a small something, like an unacknowledged hope crumble inside, and a tiny part of her wondered why. "Okay... that shouldn't be too difficult. Buffy said that he was transferring to our school, so if I just start there, they should have all his school records..."
For a few moments, her room held only quiet, the soft whirr of her computer and the gurgling of her fish tank the only noise. BUt something wasn't right, the school didn't have any records on Ford, or Billy Fordham, or William Fordham, or Fordham, W. or anything even similar. Neither did the other school nearby. Why would he say he was transferring in and not have any records with either school? "umm, Angel? If I say something you don't like, promise not to bite me?"
She could feel his eyes on her, even though he didn't reflect in the monitor. "I promise."
"I can't find him anywhere. There's no records on him with the school, and nobody with that last name has recently acquired property in the area." Her voice was trembling a bit, why was her voice shaking? She wasn't afraid of Angel.
"Nothing? Nothing at all? That's suspicious all by itself." Angel's voice sounded unhappy.
"Willow? I hear voices, you don't have someone in there, do you?" Her mother's voice, like a sign of impending doom, echoed slightly in the hallway.
Willow felt definite fear go through her. She wasn't supposed to have boys in her room, and if her mom found her in here with Angel... It wouldn't be a pretty sight. She couldn't let that happen. Looking at Angel, she whispered. "You have to go now! Before she finds you in here. I'll try a few more spots, see if I can find anything... go." Then, facing the door that connected her room to the rest of the house, she called in a louder voice "No mom, everything's just fine. I had the television on."
She looked back over where Angel had been, but he was gone. Vanished into the night.