Part 1: The Prophesy

Cordelia wandered around her apartment mumbling grumpily, and tossing clothes into the open suitcase on her bed.  Angel had decided they were taking a nice little vacation back home to Sunnydale, thanks to one of her brain splitting visions.  Something about Buffy and the gang facing something big and slimey.  The last thing she'd seen was Willow, the mousey little redhead struck down by one of the creature's massive fists, as Buffy killed it.  So Angel had decreed it was trip to Sunnydale time.  He'd given Giles a call and asked him to keep an eye on Willow.  So Cordy, as
vision-girl, had to go, in case the PTB sent another vision.  There was a loud horn blare outside the apartment and Cordy jumped, looking out and seeing Angel sitting impatiently in his black car.  She closed her suitcase and bag, and grabbed her purse as she ran out the door.

"'Bout time," Angel complained.

"I had to get my clothes and aspirin, you'll live," she replied, shooting him a light glare.

Angel smiled wryly, but didn't say anything to her about the two big bags she threw into the back of the car.  They drove off quickly into the warm California night.

Willow sat in front of the glowing screen, mindlessly pointing and clicking.  The images flickered softly, drawing her mind into a relaxed daze.  The Hellmouth was quiet, the otherworldly activity consisted of few and random attacks by isolated vampires.  Buffy did the nightly patrol thing, and kept even most of them at bay, so Willow was getting to do the relax thing. Actually she was doing the relax and mope thing.  She had been since Oz left.  Buffy had been trying to keep her sheltered , away from any more pain, and all she'd had to do was play on the internet and work on spells and stuff.  She was actually "missing" the research.  She'd never realized how easily that took up time.  So she switched between fits of listless boredom, during which she stared out the window and wondered what was wrong with her, and melancholy fits, where she lay on her bed in tears, and wondered what was wrong with her.  That was the elusive piece of knowledge she was searching for.  What was wrong with her, that had made Oz, her first love, leave her.  What was it that made men stare in awe at Buffy and run like hell from her.  With a sigh she stood up and put on "happy face" for the others, and headed off to Giles' house with her bag on her shoulder.

Willow had walked about half way to the house when she heard a car pull up next to her.  Her first instinct was to not look up and run away as quickly as possible, but she went against it and looked at the vehicle.  Her eyes collided with Angel's soft, melty, oh-so tortured brown ones.

"Angel!," she yelped, with the most emotion she'd felt in days, "What are you doing in Sunnydale?"

"Actually, checking up on you, Will, want a ride?," he asked, actually executing a smile.

Willow felt her mouth curve up at her friend, as she climbed into the car.

"I heard about you and Oz," he said, "How are you holding up?"

Willow stopped her lip from going all trembly, and took a deep breath.  "We broke up and he left.  There's not a whole lot to deal with, except for this horrible loneliness," she ended on a soft whisper.

"That's what's really bothering me.  I feel like everyone who loves me is not even there, like they have something better to do.  Buffy has the slaying thing, Xander has Anya, and Giles has his books.  Everyone has something except me," she said, one unwanted tear rolled down her cheek.

Angel stared at the little redhead, amazed.  She had just stated his favorite reason for brooding!  "Believe it or not, Red, but I know how you feel.  You just blurted the very thought that floats through my head when I get cryptic face."

Willow sighed and laid her head against his shoulder, "So someone understands me."

Angel looked at the little redhead, and immediately wished he hadn't.  Her eyes were closed, and her position gave him a nice view of her chest, beneath the shirt.  His lower body went wacko, and betrayed him as fast as it could, springing to abrupt attention.  He sighed and pushed the unrequited longing back beneath it's little blanket in the back of his mind, to be dealt with later.  Willow, on the other hand seemed to have drifted off to happy daydream land.  Probably with Oz, Angel thought bitterly.

<Angel smells so good, Willow thought.  Too bad about his no sex thing, and his undying love for Buffy thing.> Willow sighed and drifted off into her little dream world, where she and Angel could be together without so many predestined problems. Willow sat at the little coffee table in Giles'
living room, sipping tea and munching on some cookies.

Angel sat disturbingly close to her, with his muscular thigh brushing hers, not even giving the very cuddly Riley and Buffy dirty looks.  Willow could only imagine the turmoil it was putting poor Angel through.  Without a thought she settled her palm comfortingly on his knee.

Buffy watched as Willow settled her hand on Angel's knee, seemingly oblivious.  By the look on her face, Willow was not noticing the appreciative looks Angel was shooting down her blouse.  Buffy smiled, hoping that Willow could find some happiness, even if it was with her ex-love, and there would be no sex, because Buffy knew neither of them would ever risk setting Angelus on the world again.  She sighed and cuddled with Riley, happy again.

After two hours of Giles' researching for himself he found the reason for Angel's concern.  Angel hadn't wanted Willow to know, she had been fed tea and cookies and told to rest.  Buffy and Riley had left for patrol, and that left just Giles, Angel, Cordelia, and Willow.  Willow was asleep on Angel's lap, how she'd gotten there was still a mystery to him, but who was he to complain.  Cordelia was smiling knowingly in their general direction, and Giles was getting the creepy de-ja-vu feeling again.  He just hoped they could come up with a soul anchoring spell fairly quickly.  He nudged Angel softly to get his attention and handed him the book for him to read over.  He just shook his head when Angel asked if it could be
something else.  The girl of Angel's dreams had to be used as bait to stop yet another apocalypse.  As soon as Buffy walked in she was shown the prophesy and told of it's relevance to her red-haired best friend.  Buffy had, as Angel had, tried to find a way around it.  Willow still appeared to be asleep on the couch, so they spoke a bit more loudly than they should have.  Willow had heard when Buffy came in, and just not wanted to move, due to the tantalizing body beneath her head.  She had heard the whole thing and, for some reason wasn't afraid.  So it was her destiny to be demon bait.  She trusted Buffy and know she'd get through it with both she and Angel on her side.  Besides all that, it made her useful again.  She could be a respectable part of the Scoobies once more, because she was needed for a prophesy.  She snuggled lightly against Angel and actually drifted to sleep again.

Willow woke in her bed, not even thinking about how she got there.  She looked around her room, and curled on the floor beneath a thick blanket and out of the sun was a shirtless Angel.  She stood up quietly and tossed a heavy blanket over the window after drawing the shades.  She settled her palm on Angel's shoulder to shake him awake.  He wrapped his arms around her legs and jerked.  Willow ended up laying flat with her
faced pressed into his chest.  She looked up and noticed the goofy grin on his still sleeping face as his arms positioned her subconsciously.

Willow tried to squirm out of the embrace, but it only tightened and she ended up nose to nose with him.  His face was buried in her hair, and she almost moaned when his lips brushed throat.  With a deep sigh, she relaxed against him, laying on his pillow and floated back to sleep, hoping Angel wasn't thinking of Buffy while he held her.

Angel's eyes opened as he woke up.  His face was buried in silky, soft skin, surrounded by a soft halo of hair that smelled like lavender.  He could feel her deep, even breaths against his hair.  His pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight, as her leg was thrown over his waist, and she was sprawled across his chest.  Her lips were so close, it would take only a hair's breadth to close the distance and kiss her.  With little more than a thought, he laid his lips softly against hers, hoping for something to happen.

Willow's eyes flew open, with the weirdest sense of being watched.  She saw Angel's eyes firmly focused on her lips, startling her.  She opened her mouth to say something as his lips touched hers so softly.  Her hands carefully went into his hair and she closed her eyes kissing him back.  It was everything she'd ever dreamed it would be.  Like dying and going up in flames at the same time.  Kissing Oz had never been like this.  It was incredible.  Finally, in the need for oxygen and blushing room, she pushed away from him and rolled to her side, breathing heavily.  Angel's face went cryptic and Willow blushed brighter.  So much for the most wonderful kiss of her life.  It was followed by the most humiliating moment of her life.  Yikes, after-kiss awkwardness.
 

Part 2: The Big and Slimey

Angel led Willow into Giles' house and stood in the shadows from force of habit.  Willow sat in the chair, nervously twisting her hands together.  She had a look of profound guilt on her face, trying to deal with that kiss from the morning, he figured.  He had explained the prophesy to her, and she had worn "resolve face", so he figured her mind was made up about that one.  One by one the rest of the Gang showed up, and the twisting approached frantic, until Buffy arrived, and she just stopped dead.  Her green eyes wide and glassy, like a deer in the headlights.  Fortunately for her, they thought it was prophesy wiggins instead of, I just smooched my best friend's ex-boyfriend wiggins.  After about three re-readings of the prophesy, they set off for the area designated by the stinky old book as the area where the big slimey evil would come to the fore.

Willow had been sprinkled in the special ingredients to draw the demon, and was now in a state that greatly resembled shock.  She stood still as a rock as they tied her to a certain tall gravestone and ducked behind the surrounding ones.  Willow just closed her eyes and prayed.  It didn't take long for the scent of rotting flesh to float in on the breeze, the footfalls were picked up by the vampire and the slayer, but the rest just fidgeted and Willow closed her eyes and faced the sky.  The scent became overpowering, and the creature rounded the corner, approaching Willow.

Buffy jumped out, shirt over her nose, and distracted the stinky individual while Angel untied Willow.  Once she was out he helped Buffy pummel the slimey thing, covering them both in goo.  Buffy killed the creature in short order, but Angel watched as if in slow motion as Willow was cracked in the mouth and crumpled to the ground.

Cordelia rushed to the girl, and reached her slowly, after wading through the left over goo.  She reached the girl after a few moments and found she wasn't breathing.  She checked her heart, and began CPR.  Willow choked up pale green fluid, from the creature's arm, as a pale blue essence passed down.  She sat up very slowly, only to be grabbed by a jubilant Buffy and Angel squeeze.  Cordelia was shaking her head, it looked like someone forgot to thank the life returner.

The demon was no more than a gooey mass and the slayer, hacker, and vampire didn't look a whole lot better.  Buffy was rambling rapidly,  trying to keep tears from her eyes.  Angel was quiet and trying to comfort.  All together Willow was just doing a lot of nodding, thanking, and wishing for a shower and a toothbrush.  She'd never had a more unpleasant taste in her mouth.  She looked tired and strained.

Angel helped her into the backseat of his car and Buffy immediately pounced in next to her.  Angel dropped Buffy and Cordy off at Buffy's house, and drove Willow home.

"Are you ok?," he asked the concern in his eyes painfully evident in his voice.

"Fine for a near death experience, I suppose," she said with a half hearted smile.

When Willow finally fell, exhausted onto her bed, she was too tired to even move.  Angel wandered upstairs when he heard her door shut and sat down in front of it, like a sentinal, just in case she should need anything.  Willow slept like a baby.
 

Part 3: The Changing of the Guard

Willow awoke, recovered from at least last night's terror and feeling refreshed.  She started when she realized she wasn't alone in her bed, but
relaxed considerably when she realized it was Angel, her knight in shining... trenchcoat?  She giggled a little at her train of thought, but stretched to loosen her muscles, she doubled over as a sharp pain attacked her head.  Colors, shapes, and little details permeated the vision.  She came to with Angel looking at her concernedly.

"What happened?," he asked.

"Um . . . I think i had a vision," Willow said, looking confused.

Angel masked his surprise quickly, "What did you see?"

Willow gave Angel an address, and a detailed account of what the painful sight had shown to her.  He mentally jotted it all down.

"I'll be back at sundown.  We seem to have a lot to talk about.  It seems when Cordy gave you mouth to mouth, she switched the visions over to you.  It would seem you are my new link to the PTB," he said.

"PT huh?," Willow said, confusion and a headache not currently being a good combination.

"Powers That Be.  They tell me where to go and what to do, but I have someone that receives the visions, cause dead flesh can't get it or something," he said with a wry smile.

"Oh," Willow said, trying to absorb it all, "Well I guess this means we're gonna spend a whole lot more time together huh?"

"Yeah, I believe that would be called for," Angel said, trying to judge her feelings on that.

A smile lit her gamine face, "Well, then I suppose I shouldn't do this," she said, launching herself at him and planting her lips to his.

Angel's eyes almost bugged out of his head, of all the things he'd expected this was the last.  He returned her kiss with equal passion.  When the need for oxygen finally broke through the fiery embrace, her face still held the grin.  "What was that for?," he asked trying to catch his unnecessary breath.

"That was for being my big cuddly hero," she said, snuggling into him.

"I've really gotta go," he said, hating himself for ruining the moment.

"I know, I'm going too."

"What!?," he yelped, "No, no you aren't going, it could be dangerous.'

"Exactly," she said, still grinning as she pulled on her sneakers, "and I'm witch girl so I'll protect you."

"No," he stated firmly, this time.

"No?  You really think you can tell me no?  Honey, you have another thing coming!," she said as she bounded down the stairs to his car in the falling gloom.

Angel shook his head, the things he would do for love.  He smiled and headed after her, determined to make her keep smiling for the rest of her days.

The End
 

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