Willow snarled at her balcony doors as the knocking came again; she glanced at her bedside clock and growled louder. It was three o'clock in the morning, she was tired, she had a test first hour, and she was not happy. She pulled to balcony door open with a snarl and came face to face with empty air.
"What the--" Her sentence was cut off by the sensation of the bottom of her nightshirt being tugged. She glanced down to find Angel sitting with his legs crossed, studying his bare feet. "Angel?" she asked, trying not to betray the anger that still coursed through her body.
"'Lo, Red," he slurred, casting a lazy grin up at her. The wind changed, and Willow caught a whiff of the stench of alcohol coming off his body in waves.
"You're drunk," she stated, rolling her eyes. He bobbed his head in agreement.
"That I am," he grinned, returning his eyes to the study of his foot.
"Angel, get in here before someone sees you," she ordered, stepping aside; the vampire crawled across the threshold and collapsed in the center of the room. He looked up at her, or at least what he thought was her. He poked a finger into the teddy bears chest as he started to speak.
"Don't look at me like that, Red," he ordered. "And wipe that grin off ya face." He knocked the bear out of the chair, and Angel's face crumbled as the stuffed animal lay on its side on the floor. "I'm sorry," he whispered, crawling over to bear and propping it's head in his lap. "Geez, your head's bigger that I thought." Willow buried her head in her hands as she watched Angel comfort her bear.
"Angel?" she finally asked, and the vampire looked up at her in confusion. He glanced back down at the bear then pushed it out of his lap. He rose to his shaky legs and stood there as the room spun around him.
"The room's movin'," he observed; Willow rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. She stared at Angel until his clouded eyes met hers.
"Why are you drunk?" she asked.
"'Cause I can be," he grinned, stumbling over to her.
"That's not a reason," she chastised, crossing her arms under her breasts. Angel growled suddenly and leapt at her. She tried to duck but Angel's arm caught her across the stomach, causing both of them to fall to the floor.
"You need to be tackled," Angel slurred with a smirk before burying his head in the carpet.
"You are such a...a...vampire!" she exclaimed, trying to escape Angel's arm but he continued to keep her pinned to the floor. He cocked his head, then kissed her cheek.
"I ever tell you how much I love you?" he asked, sounding suddenly sober. Willow's eyes widened.
"What did you say?" she asked, turning her head to face him, but Angel
had already passed out.