Part Five
Willow lifted her hand and, with determined force, knocked.
A short while
later the door opened revealing a welcoming smile on a handsome
face.
"Willow, come in," Angel said as he stepped aside to let the girl enter.
"Thanks, Angel," Willow answered walking in and depositing her bags
on the
floor. At his quizzical look she said," I've left home.
Mind if I stay with
you for awhile?"
"Uh, sure," Angel said. He looked at Willow for a moment before
he walked
over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong,
Willow? What
happened?" he whispered.
"Not much really," Willow replied pulling away slightly. She
reached out,
took his hand and pulled him to the couch. They sat down
side by side and
Angel placed his arm around Willow's shoulders. "I can't
take it anymore,
Angel. Nothing that used to matter to me seems important
anymore. I can't
concentrate in school, even when I don't fall asleep in class I
have no
interest in paying attention. For the last couple of weeks,
I’ve avoided
Buffy and Xander like they were the plague but they’ve never even
noticed.
I've been avoiding Giles and Ms. Calendar for almost as long.
I know they're
worried about me but I don't want to hear their questions, their
concerns.
I'm so tired, Angel; so tired of the strain. I need to relax
and lately the
only time I'm relaxed is when I'm with you."
"I'm glad you feel comfortable with me," Angel said softly, smiling
shyly at
Willow. He had not expected her to tell him that. It
surprised him how much
her trust warmed him. "I hope I never give you reason to
regret feeling
comfortable with me."
"You won't, Angel," Willow answered, her voice equally soft.
She moved to
kneel on the couch facing Angel. She placed her hands on
the sides of his
face and whispered fiercely, "I trust you, Angel! With my
life, with my heart
and with my soul." Willow stared intently into Angel's eyes
as she spoke.
When she finished speaking she leaned forward and placed a gentle
kiss on the
vampires' lips. Almost immediately she started to pull away,
a blush at her
own boldness staining her cheeks. She stopped when Angel
mirrored the
position of her hands by placing his own on the sides of her face.
“And I trust you, Willow, with all that I am, have been, or will
ever be,” he
returned.
Slowly and gently, giving her time and space to draw away, he pulled
Willow’s
face back towards his. Tentatively their lips touched, again
and again.
After weeks spent exclusively in one another’s company--time spent
learning
about one another--they’d fallen in love. They hadn’t looked
for love, hadn’t
expected it, but it had happened. Now they acted on that
love, following
their hearts lead and letting their minds rest.
****
Buffy and Xander quickly finished looking around the Rosenberg neighborhood.
They then expanded their search to include the graveyard, the local
library,
and the Bronze. They stopped at the school library and informed
Giles of
Willow’s disappearance. He then joined them in their search.
As the hours went by and the day turned to night, they still found
no sign of
the young hacker. The search party soon found themselves
entering an area of
Sunnydale that was slightly familiar.
With a grimace Xander reluctantly suggested, “Maybe we should get
him to help
us search. He might know of a faster way to find her.”
Slowly Giles nodded. “You may be right Xander.”
Enthusiastically Buffy said, “Yes!” Despite her happiness
with Xander, Buffy
was still in love with Angel. She had missed his presence
in her life. Buffy
had often wondered where he’d disappeared to after she started
to date Xander.
She had gone to his apartment a number of times but he had been
out.
“Maybe now I’ll find out what he’s been doing for the last couple
of weeks,”
Buffy thought to herself. She then felt guilty because she
had thought about
Angel in the past two weeks but she had not thought about Willow.
With quick steps and anxious hearts, the three friends moved to
the door of
Angel’s apartment. With firm resolve, Buffy knocked and the
three waited for
a response.
End Part Five