My Version of BtVS: This is an alternate universe. Willow is the one who got Angel out of Hell; however, he is the only one who knows this is Angel. Amy knows too but she is still a member of the rodent family in my story. He and Buffy never had a relationship after this -- mostly due to lack of interest on his part after being sent to Hell for a couple of centuries. Oz and Willow never reconciled after the "Lover's Walk" incident, and he left on tour with the Dingoes after the mayor was defeated. Buffy is dating regularly but Willow hasn't been seeing anyone. Xander is dating Anya.

My Version of Highlander: This takes place after the show finale and at approximately the same time as the H: the Raven. I missed a lot of Highlander episodes so I am kind of winging it on all details from the show.

Disclaimer: None of these characters (except one minor character) belong to me. They belong to other people; I'm just borrowing them for a little while (maybe a long while -- I am a slow writer). All rights and properties of Highlander are owned by Rysher entertainment, and all rights and properties of Buffy the Vampire Slayer owned by Joss Whedon, Warner Bros. and Mutant Enemy, etc. (Okay the legal stuff is out of the way.)

** Note to Readers: Thoughts are indicated with < and > markings. **

January 2000_

<It's a good thing the LAPD computer system is ridiculously easy to hack into. > The redheaded witch was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open. Which, given that it was three in the afternoon and she normally could function on a few hours sleep, was not good. Cordelia was beginning to look worried. Her houseguest, who had had the tact to say nothing about Cordelia's new living accommodations, looked like she was about ready to pass out.

Not that the poor lighting in the detective agency was helping, but the witch looked unhealthily pale. She also had purple circles under her usually bright eyes. Cordelia wished that Angel would return early from the case he working on. She hadn't seen him in five days. Willow had just said she was having bad dreams and refused to say more, brushing them off as unimportant. The young women's friendship was too new and tentative for her to press the issue comfortably. But Cordy had learned not long after coming to work for Angel that the witch and the vampire were close friends. They were constantly e-mailing each other. He could get her to confess whatever was bothering her.

<Maybe I should just call it quits for now. > The couch was looking far too good. <Sleeping won't help though; I just wake up more tired. > For the two weeks, beginning around finals, Willow had been having very strange dreams that jumped from time period to time period at random. Last night had been the Bronze Age. All of them were about a strange woman she had never seen before. The woman was tall and regal; she seemed to radiate power. The dreams were vivid, like she had stepped inside a color TV. Every thing was three-dimensional. Willow was just an audience; she could only observe, even when she wanted to help the woman in the dreams. It didn't seem to matter what happened in the dream; even if she was just watching the woman sit there it exhausted Willow. Suddenly she realized she had drifted off right in front of the computer. <Oops! > Cordelia had gone from looking worried to outright alarmed.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Cordy's voice sounded genuinely worried.

"I'm fine; I just need to get something to eat," she smiled weakly and shut down the computer," I got everything you needed anyway."

Cordy had called two days ago to nervously ask Willow if she could came bail her out since Angel had abruptly left town to pursue a nasty child porn case. This left Cordy to deal with a regular client who needed someone discreetly checked out. Her computer skills didn't cut it so she had bitten her lip, pretended to be nonchalant, and called "net-girl".

They turned off the lights and left; Cordelia looked decidedly unconvinced.

Night and the next morning_

She was in a forest this time. It was daylight but heavy tree growth and drizzling rain cut the light down to a soft glow. The air was fresh and sweet smelling. Willow saw and moved towards the cottage she saw off to one side, drifting through obstacles like a ghost. <Maybe I'm a ghost here. Wherever here is. > The woman was not in the cottage although there was food on the table and a small fire on the grate. There were also books, in many languages, which struck Willow as odd, given the setting. Everything looked kind of medieval. There were pieces of parchment, partially covered in strange and foreign writing, scattered beside the food on the table.

< I have to find her. >

She felt the woman come closer and left the cottage to find her. The woman wasn't far. Looking at her confirmed the young witch's thoughts of the medieval. She was wearing a long shirt and a lace-up vest; her hair was permitted to fall loosely down to her shoulders. It was longer than in the last dream. The woman was watching a dark-haired young boy play in the woods, pretending to be a warrior. Willow felt herself begin to fade away. The dream was ending. As the forest blurred out of sight she felt the woman think a single word, a name <Duncan>.

Willow opened her eyes to sunlight. <Morning already? These dreams seem so short. > Cordelia was still asleep so Willow wriggled out her sleeping bag as quietly as she could. In the bathroom she splashed cold water on her face, but it failed to help. She looked at her face and cringed. Her eyes looked bruised and she was vampire pale. Willow wished she could taken a shower and ease muscles stiff from not moving through the entire night, but she didn't want to wake Cordy. <I kept her up most of the night talking. > Cordy had been missing talking to another girl and Willow had been trying to avoid closing her eyes. She grabbed a pen and scribbled a quick note:

Cordy, Went to the agency to use the computer. Promised to e-mail Giles today. Willow

<Getting Giles to learn how to use the email on my computer was an interesting experience. > Willow thought with an amused grin. Fortunately she had done it before finals. The last couple of weeks she had lacked the energy she needed to badger the former librarian into it.

Willow didn't realize that her eyes had closed until her arm had brushed the desk as she began to fall out her chair. That jerked her eyes back open, but the tired feeling was overwhelming. She gave in <I haven't even written the e-mail yet. I guess I'll just have to do it later. > She turned off the computer and stumbled to the couch. As she curled up she thought plaintively <Goddess, please don't let me dream. > She closed her eyes and gave into sleep.

If anything this dream was more vivid than the others were. The woman's hair had been cut and she was wearing jeans. She looked to be as tired as Willow. They were in an alley this time and the woman was drawing a sword. <Wait a minute! A sword! A sword, jeans and very modern looking alley --- it just doesn't make sense! Oh, Goddess, where did that guy come from?!> Her study of the changes in the woman had kept her from noticing the other person in the alley. It was a young man with an arrogant face, cocky, and he too was holding a drawn sword. He seemed to be challenging the woman.

They began to fight. Watching so many of Buffy's practice sessions in the library helped Willow follow the fight. At first the man seemed to be winning; the woman was tired and it showed in her slow reactions. <Please don't get hurt --- I don't want you to get hurt. > Then suddenly the outcome turned as the woman wove her sword in a complex pattern that revealed years of practice and experience with the weapon. The man couldn't follow the move. And then she cut off his head. Willow didn't have much time to feel shock at what she was seeing. Faster than she could think she felt herself being pulled inside the woman's mind. Then all hell broke loose inside Willow's mind.

Angel stood watching the sleeping hacker. He had come in from his apartment to find the lights on inside the office. Angel could think of no reason for her to be there, but he was glad to see her, although she looked pale and ill. <What have you been doing to yourself little one? >

Suddenly Willow began to toss violently, eyes shooting open to stare blankly at the ceiling. She fell from the couch to the floor and flailed around hitting her arms and legs against both Angel and the couch. He fell to his knees and grabbed a hold of her and tried to hold her still. She didn't wake when he shook her.

The vampire felt more fear than he'd felt when he had remembered that he nearly killed Willow when he was Angelus. Suddenly Willow stiffened in his arms and began to scream, and Angel felt himself being thrown across the room to crash into the wall. Blue lightening flashed around her body on the floor; lightening lashed out exploding the light bulbs and cracking windows.

Then as fast as it started it ended. Angel stayed shocked and frozen for a few moments. A soft moan from Willow, curled in a ball in the middle of the room, made him scramble over to her. He gently turned her over and picked her up. She opened her eyes and looked at him, "Angel?" Then she moaned again, her eyes rolling up into her head. Willow passed out.

The door opened behind Angel and Cordelia and Doyle walked in, bickering as usual. They took one look at the darkened room, covered in bits of broken glass and scorch marks and fell silent. Then they moved into the room quickly with the glass crunching under their feet.

"What happened!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"Did someone break in?"

"What's wrong with Willow? Oh god, I should have made her tell me what was bothering her."

"When I came in she was sleeping. . ."

"She must have had another dream!" Cordelia realized.

"Then everything went crazy . . . Willow has been having unusual dreams?!" Angel said with some alarm. Unusual dreams were not good things for a witch who lived on the Hellmouth.

"Yeah, but all I could get her to tell me was that she was having bad dreams. She wouldn't tell me what they were about. They make her really tired though, all wobbly and pale."

"Do you think she's spoken to Giles about them?"

"No I don't think so. He's been out of town for a couple of weeks. From what she did say this hasn't been happening long."

"Um, not to butt in, but shouldn't we be laying her down or calling an ambulance?" interjected Doyle as he reached out to check her pulse, "Though her pulse seems strong enough."

"My apartment is best," said Angel, turning to the elevator. "The lightening storm makes me think that some sort of magic was involved. Giles will be more help."

Cordelia followed Doyle and Angel to the elevator then stopped with a confused look on her face, "Lighting storm?"

It took only a few minutes to get Willow settled; she had already shed her shoes and earrings. Angel picked up the phone and dialed from memory. After a few rings it was picked up.

"Giles . . ."

"No it's Buffy. Is that you Angel? How are y. . ."

Angel cut her off, "I need to talk to Giles. Now." "Fine. Whatever." The slayer voice went from friendly to cool in a split second. She still didn't accept that Angel didn't want to be close anymore. Even if she did have lots of guys wanting to date her. Which is why he and Willow had kept their ever-stronger friendship a secret. Willow hadn't wanted to upset Buffy or Xander. He didn't blame her. Those two could be very vocal in their disapproval, and Willow was still highly sensitive to what others wanted of her.

"Angel?" The watcher sounded confused.

"Giles, has Willow asked you anything about dreams lately?"

"Dreams? No, what's wrong? Is Willow there; I got her note saying she was going to LA overnight, but she didn't email me this morning like she said she would. Is she all right?"

"She's unconscious . . ."

"What!" Angel could hear Buffy in the background asking what was wrong.

"I walked into the agency and found her asleep. Then she started thrashing and there was a short but powerful indoor lightening storm centered on her. She was conscious for a moment then she blacked out."

"It's just noon now. Buffy and I will begin researching dreams, and you drive her back to Sunnydale as soon as it gets dark. Call if she wakes up or says anything"

"I will," Angel hung up the phone. He turned to Cordelia, " You and Doyle need to go get Willow's things and get the car ready. I'll stay here and keep an eye on her." They left to get ready.

She didn't wake once during the long afternoon.

Sunnydale, Midnight_

Angel brushed by Buffy to place the now awake, but groggy, young witch on the sofa. She had insisted that she was perfectly capable of walking but the vampire had completely ignored her protests. He sat next to her and pulled her back until she was leaning against him. Buffy began to look very confused, and rather upset. Willow and Angel looked very comfortable with each other.

"Willow, you must tell us about these dreams; they are endangering you, " Giles stated firmly.

Willow sighed and said, "All right. It began about the middle of finals. They, the dreams, are very vivid and three dimensional." She described the dreams and the woman in the dreams as thoroughly as she could. Willow could remember all the dreams very clearly. "The last one, this morning, was the same as all the others until the end."

"What changed?" Angel asked.

"After she decapitated the man, I - I felt myself being pulled inside her mind. For a moment I was completely linked with her. I felt everything she felt. She was aware of me!" Willow was pale, and she turned wide, frightened eyes to her friends. Angel placed a comforting hand on hers. "She's a real person, Giles! This is so not good" Willow seemed to wilt with exhaustion, her eyes drooping.

"What was the lightening?"

"I saw blue light, but it was like I was seeing several peoples' lives all pressed together on fast-forward. I think it was what she was seeing," Willow's voice was very soft and by the end of her sentence she was asleep.

"Giles, is there somewhere she could sleep?"

"Yes, just put her in the guest room," Giles pointed.

Angel scooped up Willow again and quickly tucked her into bed. He watched her for a moment, and he reached out to touch her face. <She looks so worn out. > Angel turned and returned to the living room. He returned to find Buffy and Xander glaring at him.

"When did you two get so chummy?" Xander barked.

"We've been friends since I got back from Hell." He realized now that sitting with Willow had been a mistake. The fact that they were close friends had been pretty evident. Her friends wanted some answers --- Now. "We talk computers, history, and magic a lot"

"So you can spend time with my best friend but not with me," Buffy sounded decidedly irate.

Angel figured that telling that he had nothing to talk to her about, that the thrill of forbidden love was over, would be a decidedly bad idea. Suicidal even. He wanted to laugh at the amount that Buffy didn't know about Willow, especially Willow's magic. He knew from his observations of the last year and Willow's e-mails that their relationship mostly consisted of Willow doing things for Buffy. This was especially true lately. Angel was saved from making an angry reply by Giles, who was standing to one side getting annoyed at his charge's apparent lack of regard for their friend's health.

"We have other things to think about right now. Willow needs our help," Giles snapped. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Angel, I need you and Xander to go get some magical supplies. Some of them will be at Willow and Buffy's room at the dorms. The rest you should be able to find at the Wiccan store Willow frequents," he quickly wrote a list as he spoke, referring to a text he had grabbed and opened while Willow spoke. "I don't think these are actual dreams. I think she is actually linked to someone; I don't know how. Willow needs rest so we will do a spell to block the link. That will give us time to find out what's going on. While I prepare the spell Buffy will go do a quick patrol."

Everyone moved to obey. Giles firm voice followed them out the door, "Try to be back in no more than two hours."

January 2000_

This certainly wasn't the first time she had been drawn to a pupil, but things were not going as Cassandra had expected them to. She felt almost completely drained. <I've got to find this person or I'll pass out from exhaustion. > The call of this budding immortal was incredibly strong; no effort was required on her part to keep the summons open. Instead she was struggling to keep her head from splitting open , and she couldn't sleep. Almost a thousand years ago, when drawn to her second student, Cassandra had had to constantly work to keep the link open for three days while she found the young man. She'd only had the initial burst of connection between them to locate him by. He hadn't been a very good student.

She slid out of bed, rubbing her temples in a futile attempt to make the ache go away. <Two weeks and I still don't know where I'm going! I don't know anything about who I'm looking for! > The immortal witch walked into her bathroom, wincing at the glare of the hotel's cheap florescent lights. She looked in the mirror. After three thousand years her own powers could still surprise her. When the pull of a pre-immortal began two weeks ago she had expected visions to begin, filling her in on her new student's life, and she had also expected to find her or him within few days. That would have lined up with her two previous experiences. Cassandra hated going into this completely blind and unprepared. Instead of heading right where she was needed she was traveling west at random, hoping to somehow stumble across the right person and get rid of this persistent headache. Today's plane ticket would take her to New York. Europe hadn't held the person she was looking for.

Not so much as a scrap of information had come through the link between them. Something was blocking the draw She corrected herself, <No, it's more like interference. If it was a complete block I would still be at home and wouldn't be living out of a suitcase. > The strength of the pull had not given her much time to pack. She abruptly turned away from the mirror and stepped into the shower, mentally preparing herself for her fifth plane trip of the past two weeks.

The next evening_

Cassandra sighed; her New York hotel room was almost an exact replica of her London hotel room. The only thing different was the color scheme. She was truly getting tired of hotel rooms. In general, she preferred to pick a spot where she could settle in for a couple of decades and then stay settled. She had managed to stay a lot longer than a decade or two in her cottage in Donan Woods. Cassandra had gotten her fill of the nomadic life centuries ago. It seemed, however, that the Goddesses had other ideas of what she should be doing right now.

Unfortunately, the three thousand year old witch had known the minute she stepped off of the plane that New York wasn't far enough west. <Where are they sending me?! Alaska? > She had used the need to do a little basic shopping as an excuse to resist the call for a day or too and stay somewhere other than the airport hotel. A better hotel wasn't helping much; she still was unable to sleep for more then a few minutes without waking full of a strong urge to pack and get the next available flight to the Pacific coast. <That should be far enough west! > At eight in the evening, despite the exhaustion that made her want to do nothing but sleep, Cassandra left her hotel room. < I might as well walk. If nothing else, exercise tones down this stupid headache. > She pulled on clothing at random, grabbed her sword, and stalked out of the room, muttering under her breath in a language that very few people alive would have recognized.

The only thing that kept her from losing the fight in the first two minutes was the fact that Cassandra had accumulated so much practice with a sword that her motions were almost automatic. Going into a fight exhausted was a poor way to come out of it alive. She hadn't even been aware that she was being followed until a young Immortal had stepped out of the alley behind her hotel and challenged her. Fortunately, the shock of that had forced enough adrenaline into her system to be able to fight reasonably well. <I can't believe the call completely drowned out the sound of the buzz.> She was fighting nowhere near her usual standard, sticking to basic defenses and not even trying to get a opening on the man in front of her. Therefore, she wasn't winning but was uninjured. Her opponent was fast, but he was also young and only moderately skilled. In fact his sword-work was downright sloppy, but as tired as she was Cassandra could only defend herself. The fight dragged on in the snow and garbage filled alley for several minutes without any blood drawn.

Cassandra's failure to fight offensively began to make her young opponent overly confident; he increased the ferocity of his attack, using fancier moves that he could perform only clumsily. The cold had slowed his motions. <There!> Without knowing it he gave Cassandra the opening she needed. <Let's see if you've ever seen this move before. > He lost his head a moment later. He looked surprised.

Cassandra braced herself for the Quickening. Then the unexpected happened. As light began to fill the alley she felt her mind being pulled deeper into the link that had been drawing her west. She was almost unaware of the Quickening as bits of the other half of the link's mind flickered through her own. Bits of memory, half seen faces and blurry remembrances of events, flew through her mind. She couldn't separate what was coming from the Quickening and what coming through the link the Goddesses had created. As Cassandra began to pass out she caught a single unclouded thread of identity, which couldn't have belonged to the man she had just beheaded. The thread was a woman, and she was a witch. <Well that explains why they're so determined to have me train her,> she thought, and then she blacked out.

Angel, Giles, Xander, Buffy, Anya, Cordelia, and Doyle stood in a circle around a still sleeping Willow. Giles had firmly insisted they all take part in the spell, making it as strong as possible. Pungent smoke poured from a small bowl in his hands, filling the room. The group chanted softly until a soft green glow came and went. Once the room was dark the circle broke apart.

"Do you think that will be enough?" Buffy asked quietly.

"It should be," Giles replied, "I believe the link was tied to Willow's magical abilities. The binding will block her powers and, therefore, the link."

Angel thought about this for a moment, considering the strength of Willow's powers. Strength that no one in this room knew about besides him. <Maybe I should have told them, but it's too late now anyway.> "Will it hurt her?"

Every eye in the room turned to Giles. He spoke quietly, "No it won't. Although it might make her a bit uncomfortable to not use her abilities. I am hoping that we will find something in our research to tell us where this link is coming from so we can eliminate the link itself."

"Then let's get to work." Giles flinched back a little from the intensity of Angel's dark eyes and the combination of barely withheld anger and worry in his voice. The Watcher hadn't realized, even with the tense exchange earlier, how close Willow and Angel had become over the last year. He only hoped it would not result in an outright battle between Buffy, Xander, and Angel. That was the last thing any of them needed on the Hellmouth.

Cassandra woke up more refreshed and alert than she had been for days. After a couple of moments she also realized that she was still behind a dumpster in the alley, freezing cold. <Oh Goddess, the pull is completely gone.> In shock and puzzling over the meaning of its sudden absence she quickly hid the body of her opponent, still nameless, in the dumpster. Sneaking up an old fire escape and breaking a widow lock she was able to get back to her room without attracting unwanted attention. A hot shower took care of the cold that sleeping in alley in the middle of winter had caused. All through this she puzzled over what would cause the break in the link.

<It might have been the Quickening. Sharing it like that may have been enough of a disruption to sever it. She probably was pretty frightened by it too. > Cassandra realized she had picked up a bit more information during that moment of shared minds besides female and witch. The person she'd touched was young, barely more than a girl. Cassandra knew somehow that the girl had been aware of her during the Quickening. The sharing hadn't been one sided.

Cassandra picked up the phone. She was now going to need outside help, and she knew one person who might be willing to give her the information she needed. <Finding her is going to be a real trick without the link to pull me in the right direction. >

"Hello, Joe's Bar?"

"Joe, it's Cassandra."

"Oh, do you want me to give the phone to Duncan?" Music and voices could be heard in the background.

"No, you're the one I need to talk to. I need your help. What do you know about any really new Immortals in Northern America, or people who are under watch as potentials?"

"Um, why do you need the information. I'm not really supposed to just hand it out." Joe's voice was somewhere between suspicious and confused.

"Well, it's is a very long story. . ."

Giles had been, as it turned out over the following month and half, justifiably worried about the side effects of trapping Willow's powers. She could sleep now. For the past six weeks she had been able to sleep without difficulty. Willow's emotional control and attention span were another matter entirely.

Her abilities, an integral part of who she was, had been tightly bound in the back of her mind as she slept. While it effectively blocked the intense dreams she had been having, she couldn't use magic at all without extreme pain. She had tried once, without thinking. Willow had ended up unconscious on the rug, and she had a migraine for three days. Angel had refused to leave her side for almost a week.

Willow's powers constantly buzzed in the back of her mind, grating on her nerves and distracting her from whatever she was doing; her nerves were completely shredded within a few weeks. She broke into tears for no apparent reason. Her temper was short, and she would yell, then burst into tears. Willow had registered for a full schedule of classes in November, but only a week into the spring term she had been forced to drop all but one history class. With her inability to concentrate she couldn't handle more than that. Her closest friends took turns hovering over her. They tried to keep her busy; activity was the only thing that was keeping her somewhat sane.

As the weeks went by it had quickly become apparent to the rest of them that Angel was a huge part of Willow's mental stability -- her emotional anchor. They knew and understood each other far better than anyone else had suspected. Angel was very open with Willow. Willow knew about parts of his past, ranging from his childhood to the Angelus years, that he had always kept from Buffy. The only time they spent apart was when she was asleep, studying, or in class. Buffy had at first fumed with jealousy over the strong friendship the witch and the vampire shared. <Why is he so attached to her? She not his best friend, she's mine --- and why is he interested in her in the first place?! > She reflected on neither the validity nor the maturity of her thoughts. Only the Slayer's worry over a rapidly weakening Willow had forced her to keep her mouth shut. Xander had been a bit more vocal in his disapproval, but Willow's second bout of uncontrollable sobbing had been enough to convince him to keep his mouth shut as well. Both of them had chosen to simply make sure that whenever possible one of them was with the almost inseparable pair. Buffy and Xander never actually talked about it -- they just did it.

Angel noticed what they were doing, but he did nothing beyond an occasional pointed glare. He knew that a noisy confrontation would happen as soon as the binding spell was lifted and Willow got her strength back. Willow, focused on ignoring the persistent buzzing the back of her head, didn't notice. It somewhat assuaged Angel's irritation at the unwanted company that everyone, except occasionally for the Watcher, was completely excluded from their prolonged conversations. Angel simply ignored the others and firmly told himself that Willow saw him as a friend. < Yes, we're friends. She's the best friend I've had in centuries --- bright, intelligent, interesting, caring, beautiful . . . > Angel cut off his train of thought right there. <She's my friend, and I won't lose her. >

Angel had moved back into the mansion after the migraine incident. Before that it had just been weekends helping Giles research and staying for long talks on anything but magic with Willow. The detective agency was basically shut down, although he still had the property -- Cordelia was staying there and doing bit parts in commercials. Willow spent almost every free moment with Angel. He taught her every card game he had learned over the centuries, and her chessboard always had a game in-progress on it. Mostly, they just talked for hours; he was, in fact, the only one she could hold a prolonged conversation with without repeated emotional breakdowns.

<Goddess! Stupid piece of junk! This is not "guaranteed waterproof" behavior!! > Willow glared at her water-damaged watch and walked faster. She'd dropped it in the sink yesterday, and it had seemed to be unharmed. It had stopped, unnoticed, while she was studying at the Sunnydale U. library. Instead of going home while the sun was still well up in the sky she was trying to speed walk to her temporary lodgings through a cloudy twilight that was turning to night far faster than was comfortable. Giles had insisted that she stay in his guest room, her home for almost six weeks, until the binding spell could be lifted; he wanted to keep an eye on her. When she finally woke from the deep sleep that the strange dream had brought on, she discovered that all of her belongings had already been moved --- even her computer. None of their research had told them anything that would explain what had happened to her.

It was beginning to rain, and Willow gave up on walking and ran the final block to Giles' apartment. The windows were dark, and his car wasn't there. <Oh, that's right. Mansion, research. > She walked to the door and reached inside her pocket for her key, letting her book-bag slide to the ground. Then she froze -- the key wasn't in her pocket. It wasn't in her book-bag either. Willow kicked the front door and fought the strong urge to have hysterics. The pitch of the buzzing in her head seemed to increase a couple of notches as a feeling of panic twisted her stomach. <Oh, this is not good. Definitely not good. More in the extremely, horribly bad and awful category. I won't have hysterics. I won't cry. I won't have hysterics. I won't cry. > Willow grabbed the stake and cross she always carried and took off running through the rainy night towards the mansion. Two blocks away she slipped and fell, spraining her ankle. She gave in and began to cry. In the bushes along the sidewalk -- something moved.

"Out so late?" Willow raised her head. She was cornered by two fledgling vampires. Hungry looking fledgling vampires. <But then they always look hungry don't they. Acckk!! >

The rental car appeared to be in perfectly good condition. However, appearances proved to be deceiving, and about forty-five minutes after leaving the airport Cassandra saw smoke coming out the engine. "Oh, this is just wonderful. Goddess!" She pulled over, swearing in several languages. She'd seen a payphone not too far back. <I should have stayed in Sacramento a couple more days. It was dry there. > Without the Goddess given pull to guide her directly to her student Cassandra had been forced to spend the past six weeks wandering aimlessly around North America. Cassandra only had the hunch that the girl was in the U.S. and that she had to go west. It was better than nothing, but she had been looking without success for weeks. She kept in contact with Joe Damson. He hadn't found anything of interest until a couple of days ago. In passing a recent visitor to Sunnydale, having a drink in Joe's bar at the time, had drunkenly told Joe about a girl who he'd seen fighting in a graveyard. Joe was pretty sure it was nothing, but it gave Cassandra a destination to check out.

As she walked, the rain slowly faded from her perception. Instead the peculiar feel of this ordinary-looking town filled her senses. It was an oddly familiar sensation. Even through she had never been there before, something about this place was familiar.

*** Plague was everywhere you turned in the little village. Few still lived, and those who did stayed huddled in their homes. Cassandra did the best she could to help them, but nothing seemed to work. She left the village, following reports of problems in a neighboring town. Plague was overtaking this larger town as well. However, that was not what kept people huddled behind doors. There were reports of demons, vampires, and other evils running loose. At first she rejected the tales, ascribing it to fear of the plague, but every day she spent in the town made her aware of a sense of evil. Then a vampire killed her. Before she escaped the town she heard one of the vampires say the word "Hellmouth" with greed and awe in his voice. She never forgot the word. ***

Cassandra shook herself, bringing her mind back to the present. That was definitely not one of her favorite memories. Rain was running down her face and dripping off her hair. It took a minute for the sound that had broken into her memories to register; it was a woman screaming. Cassandra drew her sword and turned. Suddenly for a brief moment the connection between Cassandra and the young women the Goddesses had chosen as her student, missing for the past weeks, flared into life. <She's close! Goddess, is she the one screaming?! > The screams abruptly stopped. She ran in the direction of the now silent screams.

Willow didn't think she had ever been quite this frightened before. It fact, she was sure of it. She pushed to her knees, stomach knotting and trembling uncontrollably. She tried to find her stake, < Oh no, I lost it when I tripped! > The larger of the two vampires began to reach for her; panic overwhelmed the already terrified Willow -- she completely forgot the limits placed on her magic. Blindly she gathered the magic bound inside herself and threw it at the advancing vampire. It whipped out perfectly, turning the vampire into a glob of wet ashes. Then the magic Willow had sent out to defend herself flung itself back at her, obeying the binding spell. <Whoops! Maybe that wasn't a goo. . .! > It slammed into her, sending her down into deep unconsciousness. The slender witch pitched forward to land in a heap on the concrete

"Good, more for me," the remaining fledgling grinned. Not a particularly attractive expression on a vampire in full game face. Attention fixed on his now helpless meal, he never saw the glistening sword that came through the rain to slice cleanly through his neck --- he turned to ash.

Cassandra knelt by the crumpled figure she had just saved and gently turned the girl onto her side. <This is a young one. Is she alive? > She reached out and felt for a pulse; it was there, slow but steady. Cassandra touched the girl's head, gently reaching out to her new student's mind. <Blocked? Oh, a binding spell. That's what kept the link closed. I wonder who thought of that. > It wasn't easy, but she managed to delicately brush across Willow's awareness -- calling her back.

<Ewwuooh, the world's sideways. > Willow squeezed her eye's shut again, trying to block out the disorientation and pain. She tried to sit up, discovering in the process that none of her muscles wanted to cooperate. <I must have knocked myself out again, head hurts, I'm still on the sidewalk --- Head really hurts. > A weight pressed softly against her temple, somehow soothing away the screaming pain. For a moment she relaxed into the unfamiliar touch, simply happy the pain was gone.

Then she remembered that second fledgling. Willow tried frantically to stand and face her companion, forgetting her ankle; the offended joint collapsed under her instantly. Cassandra caught her, looping her free arm around the young woman's waist. It was at this point that Willow saw the sword, and her eyes jerked to her rescuer's face. Her green eyes went very wide and her jaw dropped.

"It's y-you! You're real!!" Willow stammered.

<She knows me? Neither of the others I was sent to recognized me! Goddess, we have a lot to talk about. > "Yes, I'm real." Cassandra smiled gently at the wobbly young witch, "Can you walk if help you?"

Willow nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

They stood for a moment studying each other's face. "Where to?" Cassandra prodded, a small grin dancing across her face. Willow blushed, ducking her head, "Um, that way." She pointed in the direction of the mansion. They took off with Willow leaning heavily on Cassandra. The Immortal kept her sword arm free, scanning for trouble as they made their slow way to safety. By the time they made it to the mansion both of them were completely soaked. Willow's ankle was throbbing as if she had broken it.

It took a moment for the door to be answered, and then Angel swung open the door. He looked at the stranger on his doorstep with confusion. Then he saw Willow collapsed against the wall. Cassandra found herself pinned against the doorframe and sword-less, with a very pissed, game-faced, vampire holding her throat. <Interesting friends the child has, > she thought as she tried to breathe.

Willow threw herself to her feet, lurching to grab Angel around the shoulders, holding him back. "Angel, No! Stop! She saved my life --- it's the woman I saw in my dreams!" When he failed to respond she pulled his head around to face he. "Angel let her go!" Willow looked at his game face and changed tactics, "I'm wet and my ankle is hurt." She accompanied this statement with a look that would have done an injured, wet kitten proud. The fact that water was running off her nose didn't hurt. < Nothing wrong with this one's mind at least, > Cassandra thought with amusement as the vampire released her. Angel scooped the redhead off of her feet, concern covering his face, and carried her inside. The door closed behind him. Cassandra stared at the closed door for a moment, torn between anger at being disarmed and left outside and laughter at the child's tactics. She rescued her sword from its resting-place in the bushes, tucked it into its hiding place, and opened the door to follow them in.

Willow told Angel that she was just fine repeatedly as he swept her past a startled Giles and deposited her in a chair in front of the fire. He wrapped her in a blanket and checked her over for major injuries. She looked at his face, <He gets so upset when he's worried, > and said to him, "you're still, um, grrr." Angel looked startled, then embarrassed. Quickly, he took control of his anger over her bedraggled appearance and slipped his human face back on, "Sorry." A look of concern filled his eyes. "Are you ok? What happened?"

"My watch broke. I lost my key. It rained. I sprained my ankle. Got jumped by two fledglings. Knocked myself out using magic. The lady from my dreams," Willow pointed to Cassandra, "took care of the second vamp and helped me get here." She smiled reassuringly at her friends. "I'm okay, the only part of me that's hurt is my ankle."

Giles looked puzzled, "How is it that you are conscious after using magic?"

"I revived her," Cassandra stated. "It didn't seem like a good idea to wait in the rain until she woke up on her own. I take it you placed the binding spell on her?"

"You know about the binding spell?"

"Yes, it cut off the contact between us. Why did you do it?

"The dreams were draining her. And she got caught up in some sort of lightning storm --- indoors. We worried for her safety." Giles wasn't sure whether to trust this woman, but she seemed to already be aware of a number of things -- like magic and vampires. The unusual situation didn't seem to bother the mystery woman at all.

Angel definitely wasn't ready to trust her, "What contact between you?"

Cassandra regarded the vampire calmly. She managed to look quite regal despite the water dripping off of her, which was why Giles had answered her question without thinking about it. "I'm a witch, like her. On two previous occasions I have been drawn to a student." <Let's just let them think those students were witches. > "Both times I had dreams about the person and felt a pull to the area they lived in. This time I only felt the pull. " She turned to Willow, who had fallen into a half doze despite her fascination with the woman standing in front of her, "You recognized me when I found you outside. These dreams he mentioned," Cassandra pointed at Giles, " Were they about me?"

"Yes, they were very vivid. I don't know how I knew you were real but I did." Willow murmured, looking interested.

"The Hellmouth must have scrambled the pull somehow; you got part and I got part." Cassandra looked thoughtful, considering how she was going to train this girl, and how she was going to get past the child's overprotective vampire. <How on earth did the child become friends with a vampire? Only on a Hellmouth; they tend to make events go very strangely. >

Giles jumped on one part of what she had said, " You know about the Hellmouth! How?!"

"I've been at one before; the area felt familiar. "

"You can feel the Hellmouth?" Giles stuttered.

Angel cut in, wanting to get the conversation back to the woman's identity, "First, who are you? Second, Will's dreams were in different time periods, so what are you?" His face said that if she didn't tell the truth, or if she posed a threat to Willow, he would dispose of her quickly.

"My name is Cassandra. As for what I am . . ." here she paused, <Better to just tell them. Strange things happen on Hellmouths so they need to know what to expect around me. Plus, they know what she saw in her dreams. The secret's already been lost. > She continued, not showing the debate running through her head, "I am an Immortal. I'm not the only one, although there aren't that many of us. We don't know why, but after our first death we wake up and never age after that. We are alive. Immortals can die, but we don't stay dead most of the time."

"Most of the time?" Giles queried, "Then what can kill you -- permanently I mean?" The Watcher looked fascinated.

"Just decapitation. That is part of the Game." Cassandra noticed that this wasn't enough of an explanation to satisfy either man. The little redhead had waken up enough to look curious as well, <I'll need to tell her about this at some point anyway. > She spoke before Angel could. "We don't know want the purpose of the Game is; we just know that it is. In the end there can be only one Immortal. When one Immortal kills another the victor takes the power and memories of the slain in a Quickening. It looks like a lightening storm. We shared one through the link." Cassandra nodded towards Willow.

"Do you have to fight?" asked Willow, leaning forward.

"Some of us try to avoid it; I do, but others seek out the power actively. We call them headhunters. If you are challenged you generally have no choice but to fight if you wish to live. Going to holy ground helps; fighting is forbidden for us there, but that is only a temporary respite."

"Is that why you carry a sword?"

"Yes."

Angel moved to stand between Cassandra and Willow. He didn't like how easily Willow trusted this woman. "What do you want with Willow?" His voice was firm.

<So that's her name. > "I just am just here to train her. The Goddesses pulled me to her so I could do so."

Angel opened his mouth to question her further when the door slammed open and Buffy and Xander came barreling into the room, escaping the rain.

"Hey G-man," Xander flung himself on the couch, oblivious to the tension in the room.

Buffy chimed in, "The rain is keeping the vamps at home, and . . . " At this point the Slayer noticed that there was a stranger in the room, " Um, . . . who are you?"

Willow quickly introduced Cassandra to her friends, explaining that she was here to teach her magic. Neither was really willing to extend immediate trust to Cassandra, especially after she gave a quick recap of what she had already told to Willow, Giles and Angel. Willow insisted that she already knew a lot about Cassandra from her dreams and truly believed that the Immortal could be trusted. Cassandra thought, <it may be a good thing that she had the dreams; otherwise, her friends would have driven me out of town. > After several reassurances from Willow, the humans in the room seemed willing to accept Cassandra for the time being.

Angel, on the other hand, wasn't feeling quite so trusting. <If Willow spends any time with this woman --- I'm going to be there too! > He would have interrogated Cassandra further but Willow chose that moment to yawn until her jaw popped. Giles stood and looked out the door.

"The rain has let up. I believe we should all go get some sleep and continue this discussion in the morning." He turned to Cassandra; "Do you have anyplace to stay?"

"Yes, I have hotel reservations. My car broke down, though."

"We can pick up your things and drop you off on our way." At this, the group dispersed. Willow attempted to hobble to the door, but Angel firmly wrapped her back up in the blanket and carried her to the car. When they dropped Cassandra off, Giles promised to come pick her up the next day around nine.

During the quiet trip to her hotel, Cassandra tried to think of a way to separate Willow from her friends (and the Hellmouth) for the child's training. The Immortal didn't want to be constantly interrupted by demons or other assorted nasties throughout training. Worrying about getting challenged by another Immortal, with Willow there and vulnerable, was bad enough.

By the time she got to her hotel room, she had reviewed every detail of the conversation that had taken place at the Mansion -- every expression and gesture. She realized that leaving town simply wouldn't work. It looked like moving into the area for a couple of years was the only choice she had. <Living on a Hellmouth is not my idea of fun! > She knew that any attempt to take Willow to Europe for training was hopeless. If she even suggested the idea, the child's friends and protectors would protest. The dark-haired vampire would probably be violent about his objections. Cassandra had a suspicion that, even if she somehow talked Willow into leaving, Angel would track them down.

Despite her vehement objections to the Hellmouth, she agreed with the Goddess' decision to send her here. The slender girl was lucky to not have already met her first death; she desperately needed to be trained. Cassandra considered various ways to conceal Willow's status as a pre-Immortal from her friends. <She's weak from the dreams and all that time under the binding spell. I'll suggest martial arts training to get her strength back. > With a wicked little grin she decided to make that vampire help train the child. Cassandra was willing to bet that he would hover over Willow to keep her safe. As far as Cassandra was concerned, his constant presence might as well be useful. <And if he does that part of the training, they're less likely to guess I'm not here just to train her in magic. If Willow is going to survive the Game she'll need more than magic. > Cassandra thought about the protective way the vampire looked at Willow. <I wonder if she knows he's in love with her. >

Cassandra dropped her bags on the floor , sat gracefully down in the chair nearest the phone, and then dialed from memory.

"Joe?"

"Cassandra. What do you need?" He asked in a surprised voice. Joe had called her a few times to pass on possible leads, but she hadn't called him since that first unexpected request for help. It was the first time he had ever heard of a link that pulled a mentor to a student who hadn't had their first death yet. Joe was anxious to hear how the story turned out. "How did that last lead turn out? Anything?"

"You led me right to her. She's alive and still pre-Immortal."

"Good, I was afraid she had died, and we'd never find out why you lost contact with her."

Cassandra quickly described Willow, and told Joe about the unusual town the young woman was living in. <I'm not sure, but I think he's going to pass out. I can almost see his jaw hanging open. > She knew that much of what she was telling him was outside of his experience. She even told him about her flashback. If it hadn't been for his knowledge of Cassandra's own witchcraft and for what he'd seen of Duncan's experience with a demon, she wouldn't have expected him to believe most of what she was saying. Finally, she finished speaking and listened to the silence on the other end to the line.

Joe's mind was reeling. As a Watcher, he knew there was more to the world than the average person knew, but this was beyond even his experience. For several moments he tried to think of something to say. The only coherent question he could came up with was, "You told them you're an Immortal?"

"Yes, I didn't have much choice. Her dreams made it necessary for me to explain what I am. Living on the Hellmouth they're accustomed to the unusual, and they won't go blabbing to the tabloids. However, they are used to the unusual being a threat." Cassandra's voice was calm.

Joe asked, more calmly, "Why did you tell me all this? You could have just told me that you found her."

"I'm not going to be able to get her to move away for training. Her friends, especially the vampire, are very protective. They don't trust me yet. I need you to bring some of the things I left in Europe to Sunnydale. I don't want to trust anyone else with some of the items or their location."

Joe agreed quickly, noting down the things she wanted. She told him that a normal moving company would handle the rest of the things she needed. His curiosity was in full gear; the Watcher wanted to meet the unusual people Cassandra had described. He was also rather pleased to have the Immortal's unexpected trust.

Giles arrived promptly at nine the next morning. Cassandra met him in the lobby; she decided to question the man while they drove. She wanted to know more about the other people she'd encountered at the Mansion.

"That was Buffy, the Slayer, and Xander, a long time friend of Willow's" Giles was consumed by his own curiosity, but he felt slightly uncomfortable around Cassandra. Partially it was because he wasn't yet sure if he could trust her, but he also couldn't figure out what to ask her first. So he was rather glad that she was asking questions instead. There was also something very reserved and regal about her, something that made him feel it was inappropriate to question her.

"The Slayer? I've heard that term before, but I've never met someone who was willing to explain it." Cassandra asked with genuine interest. Her student appeared to have been living a very unusual life, with very unusual friends.

Giles quickly explained the role of the chosen one, giving a brief summary of Buffy's adventures as the Slayer. He also gave a succinct description of Angel's life. "He and Willow seem to have become very close friends over the past year. I don't know why; I wasn't aware of how close they were until Willow became ill."

"So Willow has been helping Buffy since the Slayer arrived here? Magically?"

"Mostly in research, actually. Willow isn't a very strong witch, and she knows only rudimentary magic."

Cassandra seriously doubted that Willow was magically weak, remembering what she had picked up during their shared Quickening. <But he's unaware of it. > Discovering that Willow lacked training was no surprise. Discovering what experience Willow actually had would have to wait until they were alone. Just as Giles built up the courage to ask her a question they arrived at his apartment.

Willow watched Giles leave with a happy smile on her face. Despite the fact that she had slept only a short time the night before she felt bouncy and energetic, almost euphoric. She had a sudden urge to skip around the room. Both the dreams and the binding spell, which Giles had removed last night, had been tiring for the young witch, and now she was completely free of them. Furthermore, she now had the teacher she'd been longing for. <No more trying to learn out of a book with incomplete instructions! Yippee! > Willow bounced happily.

She had frequently complained to Angel, during long discussions on magic, that the spells in the books she had gotten a hold of were only partial. Not only that, much magic wasn't done with a spell at all, and had to be taught directly. The only two pieces of major magic she had ever attempted were the restoration of his soul and the traumatic rescue out of Hell. The second had been successful only through raw luck -- just beginners luck and a friend's determination. She'd been horribly weak afterwards and had told everyone she had the flu. Angel had hidden in her basement, undiscovered since her parents were once again out of town. Buffy had wanted to come over but reminders of contagion had kept her away.

The only other magic she could reliably do was float and propel small objects. A few times she had managed to do spirit walks and peek at other realities when meditating. She couldn't always do it. Last night, even through the binding spell, she had been able to see Cassandra's strong aura. The woman seemed to glow. <She's very strong, and I can tell she knows a lot. >

Despite her own excitement and joy, Willow hadn't missed her closest friend's concern. <How can I convince Angel that we can trust her? I know her. She didn't try to lie about being Immortal. > Willow paused to wonder about this new addition to her knowledge of the weird and unusual. This was definitely better than another new kind of demon. <Though those headhunters she talked about don't sound very nice. I wonder how old she is. > Her mind rambled over various topics, from magic, to Angel, back to magic again, and then finally back to Cassandra's past, carried along on the bubbling energy left in the wake of the binding spell.

The idea of long life wasn't new to Willow, even if it was an 'unlife' in Angel's case. They had spoken all night once about the strangeness of seeing society and technology change around you. He described what his time had been like. His perspective on history fascinated Willow. < I wonder what things she has seen change. >

Willow's thoughts strayed away from Cassandra and began to focus on Angel. He had been so - sweet - when he had gotten worried about her last night. A warm feeling settled around the redhead as she thought of Angel. He had been the most wonderful friend the past six weeks. She knew she wouldn't have kept her sanity without his help. That had been one benefit of the binding spell; it had gotten Angel to return from LA. <I missed him so much; email isn't the same. >

Her thoughts drifted away from his mind and she stared thinking about his dark eyes and occasional smiles. <He's gorgeous. What would it be like to kiss him? > The warm feeling suddenly increased to a tingle that sent a shiver down her back. Blushing, Willow suddenly realized how she was thinking about her best friend. <Bad Willow! Angel is your friend. He sees you as a friend. > Willow repeated this to herself while she resolutely tried to shake the warm, wobbly feeling she'd gotten at the idea of kissing Angel. < Dark eyes. Sexy mouth. Stop it, Willow! > Fortunately for the redhead's peace of mind, the sound of Giles' car pulling up distracted her from these thoughts, returning her to happy anticipation.

Willow was nearly incoherent with excitement when Cassandra and Giles came in; finally, she would get beyond fragmented basics in magic. Then, suddenly, she felt shy as she realized the Goddesses had basically dragged Cassandra to Sunnydale. < Maybe she doesn't want to teach me? >

"Is it, do you, I mean do really want to teach me? I mean, I'll understand if you don't want to." Willow blushed, biting her lower lip. She felt like an incredible opportunity was going to disappear forever, and she had volunteered to let it go. Her stomach knotted, the euphoria dissolving. Both she and Giles turned to look at the older witch.

Cassandra smiled at her reassuringly. <Nice girl. Thoughtful. > "If you want to learn, then I want to teach you. If I really didn't want to do this I would have gone home when the pull of our link got cut off."

Willow bounced a little and her face lit up. " Thank you!" She made a visible effort to calm herself down. "Um, when do we start?"

"We'll save actual lessons for after I get a house to live in, but if you want to go for a walk we can get started now." She turned to Giles, "I would prefer it if you would stay here."

Giles frowned and suspicion returned to his face. "Why?" His voice was completely flat.

"Giles!" Willow exclaimed, protesting his overprotective attitude. Angel's worrying was bad enough; she didn't need Giles doing it too.

<Protective, aren't we. > "Because you'll distract her. Willow will need to concentrate." Willow was already putting her coat on Cassandra noted with a bit of amusement. She managed not to smile.

He relaxed at Cassandra's logical explanation. It also helped that Willow, who'd had contact with Cassandra's mind, seemed to trust the woman completely. Her belief that Cassandra meant her no harm seemed to overwhelm his instinct to distrust.

As they headed down the street, Willow asked Cassandra, "Where do you want to go?"

"Someplace with space -- outdoors -- and no other people. If that's possible."

Willow suggested the graveyard. It was daytime, and without vampires the graveyard would be fairly unoccupied.

All the way to the graveyard Willow had to fight to keep from skipping. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off of her mind. To make things even better, she was getting one of her biggest wishes fulfilled. After a brief search the two women found a small clearing, surrounded by large tombs that would prevent observers. It was a little smaller than Cassandra would have liked, but for a single lesson it would do. Neither one of them noticed Xander, who was doing surprisingly good job of tailing them.

Now that the initial danger to Willow seemed to be gone, Buffy's thoughts had immediately centered on rebuilding her relationship with Angel and reclaiming Willow as her best friend. She alternated back and forth as to which was more important. The Slayer was willing to accept Willow's trust of Cassandra, but Xander wasn't willing to accept dreams as the basis of trust. He knew Angel felt the same way and felt a reluctant gratitude that Willow was friends with the vampire. Angel could provide some impressive protection. But it was daytime now, so Xander crept from tombstone to tombstone, getting mud stains on his knees, making sure that his friend was safe.

Willow nearly started to dance when Cassandra told her that they were going to start with glamours and illusions. The only genuine magic text that Angel had been able to dig up had had only confusing and vague directions on making things appear other that they were. In a number of places the ancient book had seemed to assume more knowledge in the reader than either she or Angel could claim.

"The bond is still there between us; it will make this easier. First, I want you to center yourself. " Cassandra waited a few minutes, then touched the younger witch over the link between them. Willow was calmer now, her mind open.

"I'll create an illusion first. You watch my mind; follow how I do it," Cassandra instructed. She worked slowly to let Willow have time to observe. In the middle of the clearing a gray haze formed. For a moment it stayed nebulous and transparent, then formed into the tangled branches of a large hedge. Cassandra gestured to Willow, "Go ahead, examine it."

Willow approached the illusion, aware of Cassandra's mind at the back of her own. The whole thing was incredibly lifelike. Its branches were even moving slightly in the cool morning breeze. She reached out to touch a single small leaf and then jumped when it was solid under her fingertips, smooth and flexible like a real leaf. A couple of leaves fell to the ground as if knocked off by her jump. Behind the mossy tombstone that was his hide out, Xander's jaw was hanging open.

"It's best to copy an image you are familiar with; if someone is going to look at the illusion closely you need to get the detail right. The clearer the image is in your head, the better the illusion will be. I find these kind of magics are good for concealment or distraction."

"It . . .  it's solid," Willow's voice shook, "I thought illusions didn't have substance."

"They don't, I shaped the air under the leaf you touched. Touch my mind again, and I'll show you." The lesson proceeded quickly from there. Willow's quick mind absorbed the patterns she saw in Cassandra's mind without difficulty. Over the next hour she created and discarded several illusions and cast and discarded a few glamours over her appearance. Unfortunately, the redheaded witch grew tired quickly, her excited energy finally running out, or she would have continued experimenting all day.

"That's enough for now; you need to rest." Cassandra smiled at Willow's look of rueful disappointment. Her student clearly wanted to continue but felt too worn out to protest stopping. "Let's head over to the Mansion. It's close to here, isn't it?"

"Sure, it's not far at all. I can't wait to tell Angel about this" Willow bubbled, some energy returning at the thought of telling her friend about her exciting morning..

Xander continued to follow them as soon as his legs, numb from kneeling behind that tombstone, would permit him to. He caught up with them just as Angel let them in. Picking a spot near a window he settled in to continue listening.

Angel was pleased that Willow was here. He had guessed that Giles would remove the debilitating binding spell, which would leave Willow free to begin training with Cassandra. He had brooded and worried about it all though the rainy night. Having Willow show up, a little tired but completely unharmed, made him feel much better. He firmly ignored the effect Willow's happy smile and sparkling eyes were having on him, as they dispelled the chill that always seemed to be with him. He pulled her to sit near him on the couch, across from Cassandra. Without thinking about it, he wrapped Willow's slender hand in his. Cassandra had to fight a grin when she noticed.

"Not that I'm unhappy to see you," Angel grinned openly at the redhead, "but Giles said you wouldn't be here until this evening."

The vampire was torn between renewed worry and delight at Willow's obvious joy as she described her morning's adventures. Angel didn't want to destroy her cheerful mood, but he still didn't trust Cassandra. He turned to look at Immortal with his mixed emotions clearly written on his face.

Cassandra decided to take advantage of his confusion and keep him from shifting fully into his protective and suspicious mode -- the one involving fangs. "I would like you to be involved in Willow's training." Noticing that this had only deepened the confusion on his face, she continued, "Not the magic part of it. I'll handle that. I want you to train her in martial arts; Mr. Giles told me that you are quite skilled."

"Why?" Angel had to admit that he liked this idea. It implied that, whatever else Cassandra intended, she didn't want Willow getting hurt. It also supplied him with the perfect excuse to continue spending almost every waking moment with Willow.

"It's best if Willow is in optimal physical condition for training -- makes it easier to concentrate and maintain a spell." Cassandra turned her compelling gaze on Willow, "You got tired far too fast this morning. It's just a side effect of the binding spell -- exercise will help get your strength and endurance back. I'm also a bit nervous about you living on a Hellmouth -- you need to be able to defend yourself. It takes concentration to defend yourself with magic, and it takes quite a bit of time to achieve that kind of concentration."

Angel liked that Cassandra was worried for Willow's wellbeing. It made him feel much better about this whole training deal. He also remembered that he had been sent help by higher powers before -- it did happen. However, the brooding vampire wasn't willing to let go of all of his suspicion just yet. "What kind of magic are you planning to teach Willow?"

Willow sat quietly during Angel's questioning of Cassandra. While she wasn't happy about his obvious distrust, she knew that it was the only way he would be reassured about the Immortal. Anyway, he was asking the very things she wanted to know herself. That and having his large, cool hand wrapped around hers was incredibly distracting. It was hard to stay annoyed when he was sitting so close to her. <Goddess, he's wonderful. Bad Willow! Think magic. >

"I started with illusions because they are good for building concentration. <If I keep him completely involved in Willow's training, he won't be able to interfere -- well, interfere as much. > "They are also a fairly safe place for a beginner to start." < Ah, you like caution don't you. > "I like to use illusion for self-defense since it's generally non-confrontational." Cassandra noted that Angel's face relaxed just a fraction. <Although that could have more to do with the fact that he's still holding her hand. > "We'll move on to more complex exercises, such as matter control and healing, after I'm sure Willow has mastered illusion and has the concentration necessary."

Her practical, cautious, and sensible approach to training Willow went a long way to easing Angel's worries. The vampire visibly relaxed. Willow quietly breathed a small sigh of relief. <Thank Goddess! > Cassandra once again had to suppress a grin at the intensely protective behavior. Outside the window, Xander was also allowing himself to relax. This Cassandra person sounded all right, and she wasn't trying to take Willow away or separate her from her friends.

Cassandra continued talking. <Best if we get all of the introductory things out of the way now. > "I think it would best if you told me what magic experience you already have, Willow. As your teacher I should know what your experience level is." <That and I want to know what that major magic I picked up off you during that Quickening was. It was more than the soul restoration. >

Willow leaned forward a bit from her perch on the couch. " I can float small objects and move them, and I restored Angel's soul last year." A look of deep pain flashed over Angel's face. He quickly suppressed it, but Cassandra noticed. < A lot of bad memories there; better move on. >

"Yes, Mr. Giles told me about that. Anything else?"

"Um, well, I've been able to do a few small spirit walks, to other dimensions. I can't do it very well. Most of the time I can't do it at all."

"It takes practice. It can also be dangerous. I would rather you don't try to do it again until you are more advanced and we've had a chance to train in that area."

"OK." Willow blushed a little; she didn't have much magic experience at all.

"Willow I want to be honest with you. When I touched your mind through the link, during the Quickening we shared, I picked up the residue of some major magic. Too big to be even the soul restoration. Mr. Giles didn't mention any other major spells. I need to know -- it will give me a better idea of what your capabilities are." Cassandra was interested to note that both of her companions tensed when she asked this question. The young witch's grip on Angel's hand tightened until her knuckles went white. <So there is something the Watcher doesn't know about. I knew it! ---- Why are they so nervous? >

"Um, there was something else," Willow spoke very softly, almost whispering, and looked unwilling to continue.

Cassandra gave her a reassuring smile, "Whatever you tell me doesn't have to go beyond this room if you don't want it to."

Outside Xander strained to hear everything. <Willow, my Will, has another secret! What now! As if being best friends with Deadboy wasn't bad enough. >

Willow looked at Angel, took a deep breath, and then stumbled back into speech. "I um, I was the one, uh . . . Angel didn't get back from Hell on his own. I brought him back."

Cassandra couldn't help it, her jaw dropped. "You went to Hell -- and came back -- and you lived through it!! > Her normally clam voice shook. The Immortal was in shock. This was a bit more than she had expected to hear. "How?!"

"Well, I found part of a spell on the Internet, and I was able to find the rest of it in one Giles' books. It seemed fairly simple, so I tried it. I don't really remember much after the first couple of minutes -- it's a big blur. When I came to here, Angel was back and still unconscious. Everyone was out of town, so I was able to get him to my house. I hid him in the basement and told everyone I had the flu. I tied Angel up until he was sane again." This entire speech was given in a soft, wavering voice. This had clearly been a frightening time for the young woman.

<You shouldn't have tried that alone, child. Why did you? > Cassandra thought.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" The Immortal kept her voice gentle and non-judgmental.

Angel chose to be the one to answer. Cassandra was surprised to see blood tears hovering in his eyes. "Angelus caused a lot of pain when he was free. The others were just as likely to want me dead. Willow risked more than Hell itself when she came after me. Her friends reacted poorly to my return."

Willow dropped Angel's hand and turned to hug him fiercely. His voice had been full of guilt over the trouble he'd caused her. The first couple days after his reappearance was discovered had been brutal. Her friendships with Buffy and Xander had nearly ended, and Angel had nearly been staked several times. Then he had saved Giles from a demon. Things had returned to 'normal' with amazing speed. Except, Angel hadn't responded to Buffy's attempts to renew their love, and Willow had remained the person closest to him.

Cassandra struggled to deal with her shock. <She just had to be living on a Hellmouth. > The situation got more complex every time she blinked. <No wonder these two are so close. >

"How did the others find out he was back?"

"Oh, Angel dusted some vamps who tried to hurt me, and Buffy over heard some other vamps talking about Angel being back from Hell -- with his soul. She followed him to my house." Willow stopped talking, the expression on her face making it clear that she did not want to talk about that period anymore.

Outside, Xander had fainted.

Cassandra noticed that it was getting dark; the magic lesson and ensuing conversation had taken quite a bit of time. Abruptly, she remembered she still needed to find somewhere to live besides the hotel. She needed to have an address to give the moving company. "I need to be going," she looked at Willow, who was beginning to look very tired. "Do you know of a good realtor?"

"Um, yeah. Why?" Willow asked sleepily.

"I need to find a place to live -- preferably suitable for training and convenient."

"Why not live here?" Angel interjected smoothly. <That way I can keep an eye on you and Willow. > "After all you want me to train her too. There's plenty of room for your stuff, and it's convenient but private.

Cassandra knew he had ulterior motives for offering a place to live. However, his given reasons were good ones, and it would save her the bother of buying a place. It would also prevent the vampire from trying to keep her away from Willow.

"Thank you, Angel; that is a generous offer. I accept. I will see you tomorrow. Make sure you get plenty of rest, Willow." Cassandra pulled on her coat and left.

Angel watched the Immortal leave. He didn't move to see her out because Willow was leaning on him, half asleep. He watched her for a moment, reveling in the patterns the firelight made on her red hair. In one smooth movement he scooped her off the couch and walked to his guestroom. Willow had taken naps there before. "I'll call Giles to come pick you up." Willow mumbled a barely audible assent. He tucked her under a blanket -- she was already sound asleep. Before his brain could catch on to what he was doing, Angel leaned forward and softly kissed her forehead. Then he went to call Giles.

Lately the rain, or more precisely patrolling in the rain, had been one of Buffy's favorite topics of conversation. Willow could barely restrain herself, as they were clearing the living room of the mansion for Willow's martial arts lesson, from reminding Buffy that the rain had been keeping the vampire population mostly inside. <She didn't even patrol AT ALL last night. Buffy has spent the last three weeks trying to get involved in my training! > Instead the slayer was getting in the way.

The slender redhead was fully aware that Buffy was pursuing dual goals. The first -- pretending that Willow hadn't changed, that the Slayer hadn't somehow missed something. The second -- trying to rekindle her romance with Angel. <All she does is tell me to be careful, distracting me, or flirt with Angel. >

Cassandra walked into the room, wearing close fitting exercise clothes. She wasn't part of Willow's training in this area. She was going jogging before sword practice. It had become habit -- Cassandra and Angel would sword fight while Willow worked on her computer. Angel was handling the martial arts training completely. Which made him happy, and Buffy clearly unhappy. The Slayer's thoughts currently went two directions. Partly she disliked the training because she didn't like the idea of Willow fighting. <If she's fighting she's in danger. Danger bad." At other times she seemed to be more interested in flirting with Angel and to be worried about the strong friendship between the witch and vampire. <Why are they so close?! Why didn't Willow tell me they were friends? >

"Thank you for helping clear the room. Willow is meeting you to shop this afternoon, isn't she." Cassandra's tone was outwardly polite, but the lack of a questioning tone made it clear that she wasn't interested in talking to Buffy. The Immortal was tired of the Slayer hovering over her student. Buffy completely ignored Cassandra's polite and subtle hints that she was getting in the way. Instead she plopped down by the fireplace to watch Angel and Willow. Cassandra forced herself to not roll her eyes and left.

Practice went much as it had for the past three weeks. By the fifth interruption Willow was ready to strangle her former best friend. Buffy got up off of the fireplace. Angel had moved to hold Willow's shoulders and correct her posture. Fighting off a wave of jealousy, the Slayer had moved to get there first and do it instead of him. Willow hadn't missed the jealous look and bit her tongue, struggling to not loose her temper.

However, Angel's much strained patience finally snapped. "You're in the way." Angel's voice was flat and cold. "If you're' truly worried about Willow's ability to take care of herself LEAVE!"

The blond stared at Angel stunned; he had never spoken to her like that before. At least not when he had his soul. Always, he had been polite to her. She had always been sure that he had just been restraining his emotions because they couldn't be together. Abruptly she was no longer so sure of that. Buffy looked at Willow for support. The slender redhead had carefully avoided her former best friend's eyes. Buffy had left in a huff, seriously put out.

Angel and Willow stood quietly for a moment after the Slayer had stormed out. Then Willow got back into the defensive stance that Angel had been showing her, signaling that she was ready to start.

<I really do still care what happens to Buffy. She is still important to me. We've been through a lot together.> Willow reflected. <But we're just not all that close anymore; we haven't been since graduation. I can't pretend that we are.> The redhead sighed. <Why won't she admit that? All she wants to talk about is Angel anyway -- or the latest nasty she has taken out. >

The Slayer had never wanted to talk about her friend's training and would change the subject when it was brought up. That was a change she wanted to ignore. Willow sighed and turned away from her contemplation of the water running down the window. She winced as she plopped onto the couch, discarding the medical text Cassandra had given her to study and suddenly remembering the bruises she'd gotten in her training session with Angel. He was proving to be a demanding teacher and wanted to make sure she could take care of herself. After a few minutes the muscles bruised during the morning's practice began to loudly protest her curled up position. Stretching, she got up and moved to lean against wall by the window, Willow could see that it was still raining heavily. Willow and Buffy were supposed to have gone shopping again that afternoon, but the Slayer had not shown up. Willow had attempted to study, but hadn't been able to concentrate. So instead, she was figuring out why being ditched by Buffy hadn't hurt.

Lately the only flaw in Willow's current existence was Buffy and Xander's refusal to accept the distance that had develop in their formerly close group. <It's been there for awhile, but they finally caught on that I wasn't a part of the little group anymore. I grew away from them, and they didn't see it. > Xander was actually accepting the changes fairly well and was simply worried about her safety. <Xander just hovers, but Buffy insists on trying to return us to two years ago. > She always wanted Willow to go out with her, especially at the times Willow was supposed to be training with Angel. <We can't go back. I don't want to go back.>

The sound of the phone ringing, in that loud insistent tone phones get when you're busy, pulled Willow away from her review of the morning.

"Hello?"

It was Cassandra. "Willow, can you to come over to the Mansion? A friend of mine, Joe Dawson, arrived this afternoon, and I'd like you to meet him. He brought some old things of mine you'll find interesting."

<How old, precisely? > Willow wondered. "Sure, I'll be there in a little bit." The redhead pulled on her jacket, grabbed her backpack and an umbrella, and headed out the door into the soggy March afternoon nearly humming with curiosity.

The walk was pleasant one -- even with numerous mud puddles. Although wet, the March air was fresh and clean, and Willow spent her time wondering what the old belongings Cassandra had described as interesting were instead of analyzing her relationship to her friends. <I wish Angel could walk with me. > The slender redhead sighed at that wistful thought and bounced up to the door of the Mansion, noting the unfamiliar car parked at the curb as she let her self inside. Angel was, as always, waiting for her inside the door.

"I thought you had plans." His half grin, something the otherwise dour vampire reserved for her, let her know that he was no way upset that she had come to the mansion instead.

"Yeah, I was supposed to go shopping with Buffy again. She wanted to find something for that frat party Friday, but she never showed." Willow grinned to let him know it was okay.

The smile vanished from the dark-haired vampire's face anyway. "Is it because of what I said this morning? Are you okay?" He had been only tolerating Buffy's flirting because she was Willow's friend. <How could I have lost my temper?! The Slayer is Willow's friend. > Angel feared that in doing so he had hurt the person dearest to him.

"I'm fine --- she and I just aren't that close anymore. Buffy was more angry that I didn't support her this morning." Willow gave a slightly exasperated sigh. "She doesn't like that I've changed so she denies that the changes have happened at all."

Angel didn't look quite convinced but opted to let the matter slide. After, all Willow really seemed more annoyed - with Buffy - than upset with him for getting mad. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the main room.

"Willow, you got here quickly." Cassandra smiled as her student walked over. In only three weeks Willow had regained all of the energy she'd lost in February. Her green eyes sparkled and she walked with a distinct bounce. Her enthusiasm for existing translated itself to those around her; around her even the solemn Angel would grin and laugh. <That seems to shock the Slayer even more than the handholding. Which those two don't seem to even notice they're doing. > Cassandra thought with a wry grin.

"Willow, I'd like you to meet Joe Dawson."

The whole room lit up when the witch was in it.  Joe certainly noticed. He had found the vampire interesting and rather serious, just as Cassandra had described him. Cassandra had also described Willow in great detail. The intelligence was obvious. The green eyes were alert and missed nothing. An observer could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. <This one will do well in the Game -- smart and alert. > But Cassandra had been hard pressed to describe the effect the young witch had on the people around her. Joe could now understand why. <She almost glows. No wonder Cassandra said that her friends would go to any length to protect her. > He smiled at the young woman and shook her hand.

Introductions finished, Cassandra began to point out some of the volumes that Joe had brought from the storehouse in Europe where the Immortal had been keeping them. They were all old.

<I saw some of these in the dreams. > Willow thought as she looked at the ornately decorated covers of some of the books, excitement tingling up her spine. <Giles would just love to get his hands on these. > Cassandra had been delighted with Giles' collection of books, finding books that were new to her or that she hadn't seen in a long time. Willow grinned and then was lost in her fascinated study of the treasures spread out on the coffee table. "Oh, look at this one Angel!"

Seeing that her student's attention was completely occupied by the books, and that the vampire's attention was all fixed on her student, Cassandra moved to the kitchen, motioning Joe to follow her.

"Did you have any trouble finding the sword I wanted." She asked quietly. The sword she mentioned was the one she had picked out for her student -- when the time was right. The Immortal hoped that time wouldn't come for a while yet.

"Yeah, no problem. It's in the car. I figured you didn't want her to see it just yet." Joe paused a moment. He had a feeling Cassandra wouldn't like what he had to say next. "I left something else in the car. Another book."

Cassandra looked at him curiously. He looked remarkably uncomfortable.

"Um, there was kind of someone listening into that conversation a few weeks ago."

"Who, Duncan?" Cassandra felt her stomach sink as the Watcher managed to look even more uncomfortable.

"Um no. It was Methos."

"What!" Cassandra yelled. In the next room Angel and Willow looked up from their study of the books (and each other) to realize that the Immortal and her guest had left the room.

"What wrong, Cass?" Willow asked, green eyes full of concern.

"Joe just told me that as old acquaintance of mine - Methos - was eavesdropping when I called to tell him that I'd found Willow." Cassandra watched as Angel vamped out, clearly not liking the idea of anything even remotely resembling a threat to Willow.

"He's not a threat to Willow. He's been staying out of the Game for the last few centuries or so." She reassured him; now that the initial shock was over she began to think about what he would considered important enough to send with Joe. Her student, however, was curious about other things.

"Why don't you like him? You're upset." Concern filled the green eyes.

"He's changed a lot; at least he seems to have changed." Cassandra paused, clearly remembering some unpleasant memories. "He was the one who killed me the first time, so my gut reaction is hate."

"He - he, k-killed you" Willow's jaw dropped. Angel, who had just eased into his human face, vamped back out.

Joe watched the process with a researcher's fascination. "He has had a lot of time to change, Cassandra."

The Immortal glared at him for a moment then relented. "Yes, he has changed," she acknowledged. "But that still does not mean I like him." Her tone was level but clipped.

"How long is a long time?" Angel asked with remarkable calm. Cassandra might claim that Methos wasn't a threat to Willow, but the Immortal also said that he had killed her.

"He's the oldest Immortal. Methos is about five thousand years old."

Willow's jaw continued to hang open, and her eyes became incredibly wide. She tried to speak and failed. Angel, too, had been stunned into silence.

"Joe, would you please get the book out of the car. We might as well find out what it is." He walked out to the car to get the small book that Methos that had insisted he bring. <I think he would have tailed me here if I didn't agree to bring it, > the Watcher consoled himself.

Willow carefully set aside the heavy volume as she finished scanning it into the computer. The ornate book was very old and, therefore, very delicate. Covering it with protective plastic, she set the book aside. Willow popped the disk she'd saved the translation onto and left it where Angel would find it when he and Cass were done with sword practice. Over the past month he had begun reading through the texts her teacher had assigned to her. She stretched as she got out of the desk chair, lifting her red hair off her neck, and reveled in the cool air of the air conditioner. It was broiling outside; August had been extraordinarily hot this year. She leaned against the wall and looked out the clear night sky and reflected once again on how much her life had changed.

The young witch was beginning to realize that her friendship with Buffy had faded; Willow had moved on, well before her training had ever begun. In fact, she hadn't seen Buffy in a month and found, to her own surprise, that it didn't hurt. Xander and Giles had come by the mansion yesterday but that had been for research.

About midsummer she had decided that living at the Mansion would be far more convenient. She was there all the time anyway. Giles had protested, but Willow put on a firm resolve face and stood firm. Her childhood friend had given Willow his usual careful looking over then had relaxed, apparently reassured that she was safe, well, and happy.

Cassandra had wanted to take advantage of her student being enrolled in only one college class, so Willow had found herself studying and practicing constantly. If she wasn't working with Cassandra on magic, then Angel was having her exercise, going through drills that were very similar to things she'd watched Buffy do. Once established, this pattern continued uninterrupted into the summer. Her quick mind and strong determination made Willow master what Cassandra had to teach at a rate far beyond what the Immortal had expected. <I've found a part of me that was missing. Admittedly, I didn't know it was missing, but this feels right. >

Willow had her training and her computer to keep her mind fully occupied. She also had Angel's friendship, and he understood her far better than either of her older friends ever had. Cassandra, too, seemed to understand Willow's need to learn about the magic she had found inside herself. Even the painful workouts had become welcome, making her feel less weak and helpless. To everyone's, except perhaps Cassandra's, surprise, she had absorbed the martial arts training like a sponge. She was now almost as good a fighter as Buffy. Angel had originally been teaching her hand-to-hand techniques. After the fourth week of watching him practice sword fighting, with Cassandra Willow badgered him into including weapons. She had taken to fencing like it had been her calling in a previous life. Cassandra encouraged these lessons, and Willow's new stamina allowed her to attempt spells that required long periods of concentration.

<So many changes, but the changes are welcome ones. I don't have to hide things from the people who were important to me. > This was true; everything in Willow's life was now open. Except one little thing -- a secret she kept deeply buried.

<I'm I love with Angel. >

Willow wasn't sure when it had happened, but she had fallen in love with the vampire. Moving into his home, seeing him all the time, had forced her to examine her feelings. What she had found dismayed her. <This is not good. Bad Willow! > Every time he was around, part of her melted into a warm puddle. Every small grin or spontaneous laugh from her tall, handsome friend made her heart speed up uncontrollably. Willow worried about how Buffy would react. The two young women weren't close but Willow still cared; once she brought a person into her heart they stayed there. Despite her more than occasional annoyance with her friend and the distance now between them, she knew that Buffy still cared about Angel. It wasn't that she thought Angel was still love with Buffy; she knew he wasn't. Willow was more worried that if Angel figured out that she loved him he would start putting distance between them. Willow desperately didn't want to lose the close friendship that had grown over the past year and a half. It was a moot point though; Angel just saw her as a friend. Knowing he was practicing sword fighting just down the hall <And no shirt (grin) . . . Bad Willow! > wasn't helping her get him out of her thoughts, though.

Realizing that she needed to distract herself from her thoughts about Angel, Willow decided to work on translating the book Methos had sent via Joe. It was written in an obscure dialect of language that Cassandra, surprisingly enough, did not know. Two months of searching and computer work had been needed to put together a translation program for it. It was not an impressive looking book, especially in comparison to the heavily jeweled book she had just finished scanning and translating. The well-preserved volume wasn't large and had a plain wood and leather cover. Old enough to have preceded the printing press, it was entirely handwritten. But the tiny lettering lacked even the slightest amount of ornamentation. <Or as Xander put it, there aren't any pictures. >

Curiosity over the volume had driven Willow to find references on the language to build a translation program with. <The other option would be to call Methos and ask him to translate it, but I don't think that idea would go over too well with Cass. > Carefully turning the pages Willow ran the scanner over the words. After ten pages she stopped and fed the newly saved files into the translation program. A small box popped up on the screen next to an animated hourglass. "Five minutes," Willow muttered, "Plenty of time to grab a snack."

A quick foray into the kitchen provided the witch with soda. The cookies were more elusive. <I know I bought you. Double chocolate. > Willow rummaged around the cupboards, ignoring the healthier snacks that Cassandra had purchased. <No rice cakes. I'm definitely in a caffeine and sugar mood. > "There you are!" Willow chortled. Seizing her junk food she went back to her computer. The little hourglass was dribbling to a stop. Grabbing a cookie she munched while waiting for the program to wrap up. A small chime sounded.

Eagerly, Willow skimmed the translation of the mystery book. Half way into second page she swallowed abruptly and began reading every word. By the end of the tenth page she'd completely forgotten the cookies and the soda. She sat back; green eyes still fastened on the screen. Then Willow began scanning the rest of the book into the scanner as quickly as she could, forcing herself to be careful with the delicate pages.

She completely failed to notice when the sword fighting session ended and was, therefore, very startled when Angel came up behind her. He waved his hand in front of her eyes to get her attention, and she shot up out of her chair and yelped, "Angel!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was scanning this book, the one Joe sent, and I lost track of time, it's a really interesting book, and I wanted to get it all scanned to today, it's translating now . . ."Willow rambled with an absorbed look on her face.

"All of it?" Angel eyed the thick volume with an amused grin. It wasn't the first time Willow had lost track of time during when she was really interested in something. "Did you eat?'

Willow pointed to the forgotten cookies and soda. Angel rolled his eyes and left to find something else. The redhead barely noticed his departure as the last section of text finished translating.

Willow jumped again when Angel tapped her shoulder to get her attention, nearly knocking the tray of soup and toast right out of his hands. He sat the tray next to the computer and turned her away form the computer.

"Eat. Now." The look on his face told her that he wouldn't leave until the food was gone. Willow ate quickly.

"Thanks. Goodnight Angel." She turned back to the computer. Angel grinned and watched her from a moment. He knew that when she was this absorbed even her closest friend didn't stand a chance of breaking in.

Cassandra found her student still front of the computer, bleary eyed, at seven the following morning.

"Willow, did you sleep?" Her voice held the slightest of gentle reprimands. The Immortal had discovered early on that Willow would study though the entire night if not stopped. It didn't make concentrating on magic lessons go very well.

Willow jumped. "Um, no," She avoided looking in Cassandra in the eye. Getting to her feet she discovered that she was distinctly wobbly.

<Okay, I would say lessons are a lost cause today. > Cassandra thought wryly as she observed the little lurch Willow made as she stood.

"You have to see this, Cass! It's that book Joe brought. It's about vampires. You have to read it!" Willow was babbling, clearly excited.

"I'll read it --- if you go to sleep. Now." <What could have gotten the child this excited? She's acting as bouncy as the first day of our lessons. I think she would start skipping if she weren't so tired. >

Willow looked like she wanted to protest then turned to head for her room.

The book was indeed about vampires, after the first page or so. The handwritten volume was a carefully kept journal. A skilled sorcerer wrote the journal as a record of his experiences to send to a colleague. The first page spoke calmly of an apparently long running experiment. After that the tone of the journal changed dramatically. The home of the sorcerer's young daughter, newly married, had been attacked. Cassandra read on, now quite curious. Apparently one of the husband's men at arms had been vamped and had gotten entrance. His daughter was now a vampire. Only magic had saved his life when the young woman came after him. He had imprisoned his daughter in a heavily reinforced room.

The rest of the journal was an account of the sorcerer's battle against the powerful master vampire that had moved into the area. The grieving father had created several spells to fight vampires. Although simple and easy to use the spells were still quite powerful.

That was not what had fascinated Willow. What had grabbed Willow's attention was the sorcerer's struggle to help his daughter. He couldn't bear to kill her, so he turned his skills to finding a way to return his child's spirit to her body. He succeeded.

The plain little book, sent by the sorcerer to his friend Methos and from him to Cassandra and Willow, contained a spell for permanently binding the soul of a vampire. As far as Cassandra could tell it should work, as the sorcerer said it had worked for his daughter. Like the other spells in the book it was very simple in its construction. However, it was also highly dangerous. She knew without asking that Willow would attempt the spell. <And get herself killed doing it! > Cassandra sighed. <Bloody hell! I'm just going to have to help her. >

The meeting was carefully timed to coincide with Angel's run to Willie's for food and Buffy's rounds of the graveyard. Cassandra and Willow thought including either of them would be a bad idea. Giles and Xander looked openly curious. They could both see Willow was nearly bouncing and bubbling with excitement.

"You'll never believe what I've found, it's wonderful, It -- this book . . ." Willow was in a full speed ramble.

Xander cut in, "Um, Will, you're babbling, which is very Willowy, but I thought you said we only had a half hour or so."

Willow blushed and grinned. "Cass, could you tell them, I' m kinda excited."

<I never would have noticed. I've never seen someone so hyper. > "Yes. I believe Willow has mentioned the book that Methos sent with Joe a few months ago."

Both the Watcher and Xander nodded. Willow's slight obsession with the mystery book would have been hard to miss.

"Well, two days ago she was successful in translating it on the computer. It proved to be journal recording a medieval sorcerer's encounter with vampires. One of the spells he created was for permanently binding a soul to a vampire." Seeing the open mouthed shock on their faces she paused to give them a little time for the news to sink in.

Giles was the first to speak, "You mean we now have a way to permanently bind Angel's soul." He paused, taking his glasses off and cleaning them. "Why didn't you want Angel or Buffy here?"

Willow, more calmly then before, explained. "We didn't want to get Angel's hopes up. Just in case it didn't work." The slender girl looked down, flushing a little. "And I wasn't sure how Buffy would react. She hasn't tried to speak to either Angel or I for a couple months." She looked up at Xander and Giles appealingly, green eyes vulnerable. "Are you okay with this?"

Xander grabbed her hand, and smiled at his childhood friend. "Willow, I admit I didn't like the idea of you being around Deadboy at first, but I've seen enough to know he's your friend. If this is important to you, then it's fine with me. What do you need me to do?"

Willow threw her arms around Xander's neck, tears hovering in her eyes. "Thank you." After a few minutes she let go of him and sat back. The young witch turned to the Watcher, "Giles?"

Giles smiled, "I agree with Xander. Plus, I think that making sure that Angelus can never return must be considered a benefit." <Although I have no idea how Buffy will receive this news. > The Watcher was well aware of the confrontation that had taken place last spring. For a month following that morning, the young woman had been wavered between anger and tears when speaking about either Willow or Angel. Now, the Slayer simply avoided seeing them or speaking about them whenever possible. She had been rather quiet lately. Giles was more than a little worried about how she was handling the changes in her and her friend's lives.

Willow gave them both a glowing smile, and then she and Cassandra began explaining what would need to be done.

A few days later they met just after dawn in an abandoned warehouse not far from the Mansion. They needed space for what they had planned. Willow looked around the decrepit building. <Goddess, there are a lot of these things around Sunnydale. I wonder if there are vampire realtors -- Abandoned building, already sun-proofed, best offer. > The group had decided that it was best to do this during the day, just in case they failed -- releasing Angelus. As soon as the casting was done they would go to the Mansion and check on Angel. Giles had stocked his car with the provisions needed to re-curse the vampire if necessary.

Willow and Cassandra carefully laid out the diagrams described in the journal and a large protective circle. The Immortal moved to stand inside the circle as Willow, Giles, and Anya moved to stand on the diagram. Xander was standing guard; after some discussion, Cassandra had decided that Anya's years of experience made her the better choice for actually working the spell. Xander's job had been persuading the former demon to do it. It had taken a lot of persuading, but she finally given in.

Cassandra had dressed in a comfortable leather outfit that morning. She had had to avoid Angel to prevent him from seeing her in it. He knew that it was what she wore when she knew she was going into a fight. Leather wasn't her usual clothing choice, but it provided a bit more protection that regular cloth. Willow had added several amulets of protection to the ensemble -- she didn't care if Cass could heal from just about anything. The redhead didn't want her friend and teacher to get hurt in the first place.

They were actually skipping the first third of the spell. There were actually three spells laid out in the journal. The first called the soul back to the body, and Willow had already done that. So they were going straight to part two -- destroying the demon that had tormented Angel for over two hundred years. The last spell would lock Angel's soul to his body. The sorcerer had found no way to do that part without getting rid of the demon first.

Cassandra and Willow had read through the spells in minute detail, determined to miss nothing. Angel would still be a vampire; that was irreversible. But there would be no demon, and his soul would be bound to him until he was dusted. If, of course, it worked.

The trio standing on the diagram began to intone the words they had carefully memorized, and Cassandra drew her sword and held it ready. A shadow began to form inside the circle.

Angel looked up from the computer; distracted from the text he was reading. Something felt strange. <What's happening?! > Inside him the demon squirmed, shrieking. Sudden excruciating pain flowed through him. <Willow? > "Willow!" He'd felt magic, and the touch of it was familiar. He'd felt it before -- when his friend had restored his soul and when she had pulled him out of Hell. <What are you doing to me? > The demon was fighting it. Angel was almost swamped by the wave of intense fear, and he almost gave into that fear and began fighting alongside the demon -- his enemy. Then he let go -- let the spell do it what it would. Blood tears running down his face, Angel fell to the floor in pain. <I trust you, Willow. >

As Willow, Giles, and Anya reached the end of the spell the dark shape in the circle began to gain solidity. It was the demon -- in physical form. Hideous didn't even begin to describe the creature. With incredible speed the demon threw himself at the protective barrier that Willow and Cassandra had set, trying to reach the mortals that had dared to pull him out of Angel. Giles and Anya scrambled back, pulling Willow with them. They watched wide-eyed, unable to help, as the demon turned and attacked Cassandra, the only one within his reach. The Immortal was ready for him; she quickly deflected his claws and ducked under his snapping teeth. The demon shrieked at his prey's evasiveness as he slammed into the barrier again. Cassandra spun and stabbed him through the shoulder. It was a serious but, unfortunately, not fatal wound. The demon was faster and stronger than Cassandra. But while the Immortal was calm, almost detached, the demon was mad with rage at being attacked. He lashed out at his opponent once again. Willow cried out with horror as she watched the demon claw the Immortal's side, gouging deeply. The young woman almost missed seeing Cassandra swing her sword and behead the demon in one smooth motion. Abruptly, the factory was silent. The body fell, turning to ash as it did. Angel's demon hit the concrete floor in an explosion of ash.

Cassandra stood in the flurry of ash, leaning on her sword. She turned to the others, who stood stunned just outside the protective barrier. She gasped. "Finish it."

Quickly the three moved back to the diagram and resumed chanting.

Angel lay on the floor, staring blankly at the dark ceiling of the Mansion. The pain had ending abruptly, allowing the vampire to uncurl out of fetal position. His demon was gone from the cage in his mind, but Angel was too numb and confused to appreciate or even register the fact.

A feeling like a warm, comforting hand settled over him. <More magic. > He thought dazedly. Once again it had a familiar feel. <Willow's hand on my soul. > Angel let his eyes slide closed and gave into unconsciousness.

The factory was again quiet. Cassandra swayed and fell; the demon had badly wounded her. Blood flowed freely down her side. Willow gasped and ran forward, breaking the circle. Anya ran to get Xander.

Willow knelt in the ashes and blood next to her teacher. "Cassandra!?"

"I'll be fine," she said weakly, "It's not even fatal. I'm old --I heal fast. Just give me a few minutes.

Willow and the rest of group watched with fascination as the deep claw marks began to close and shrink with incredible speed. It is one thing to be told it will happen; it is another thing to actually see it happen. None of them moved until Cassandra took a deep breath and got to her feet.

"Let's go make sure this worked," The Immortal stated calmly, walking out of the factory and getting in the car, as if she hadn't just fought a demon to the death. She was only outwardly calm though. <I can't believe I just did that. That thing could have ripped my head off! Goddess! The things I do for my students! > She forced herself to stay calm, the others were reeling from the powerful conjuring -- Cassandra wanted no bouts of hysteria until AFTER they'd made sure that Angel was in one piece.

They made Xander drive. Fortunately, they ran into no traffic cops during the short trip to the Mansion.

Cassandra went in first. There was no telling what frame of mind Angel would be in after what they had just put him through. She at least would heal from most damage. Giles followed her with a tranquilizer gun -- just in case.

"In here!" the Immortal called out. All of them rushed into the Mansion. Cassandra was kneeling next to Angel, who was still unconscious on the floor. Willow joined her, taking hold of his limp hand and wiping away the blood tears that covered his face.

"Giles, we'd better tie him up. The demon is gone, but he could wake up hysterical. And let's move him to the couch," Willow barely acknowledged them as they moved the vampire. She simply followed him, refusing to let go of his hand.

As they started binding his hands, Angel began to surface. His eyes flickered, then closed. A moment later his eyes flew open and he jerked to a sitting position, pulling out of Giles and Cassandra's grasp. "Willooow!" he screamed. Willow threw her arms around him; "It's alright Angel. Everything's okay." Her voice was soothing. He wrapped his arms around the small girl, burying his face in her hair. Angel calmed quickly as he became more alert. However, he showed no intention of letting go of Willow. Cassandra watched with not a small amount of amusement as he leaned against the couch-back, pulling the redhead onto his lap. His arms didn't loosen and his didn't move his face out of her hair.

His curiosity kicked in after a few moments, and the vampire looked over at Cassandra. "What was that. There was magic. The demon -- I can't feel it anymore." His voice was shaky; and his dark eyes were filled with a hope that he was afraid to express.

Cassandra laid her hand on his shoulder, saying gently, "The demon is gone, dead." His eyes were incredulous. "Willow found a way to force the demon out so it could be destroyed without destroying you. You're still a vampire, but there is no longer a demon. We've bound your soul permanently."

Angel sat with his mouth hanging open. He searched inside himself and felt only the slightest bit of bloodlust and not even a hint of the demon. <Yes, that's why he fought so hard. > He turned to look into Willow's eyes, only a few inches from his own. "You took that kind of risk for me? Again?!" His voice went up on the last word.

Willow laid a hand on his cheek. "Of course. You're my friend." She smiled. "If it was me you would have done it."

Angel, still reeling from surprise, grinned at the truth of that statement. He learned into her hand. He was about to speak when the front door opened. Buffy walked in.

She stared for a moment at the group gathered in front of her. She had come over because Giles had been acting funny -- like he was hiding something. It hadn't been hard to realize that it probably something to do with Angel or Willow. Given her behavior lately on anything to do with them she didn't blame Giles for not saying anything. Buffy had begun to realize, over the past couple of weeks, that she'd been rather childish. It was a very difficult admission to make. What she saw in front of her was confirmation of all the changes she'd been trying to deny.

Angel looked like he'd been put through a wringer. His shirt was torn, hair messier than normal, and his face covered tears. Willow, still on his lap, had smeared blood and ash all over her pants. Cassandra, leaning against the back of the couch, was also covered in blood, and her leather shirt had been reduced to tatters. Giles was leaning against the wall, distinctly pale. The Watcher was still holding the tranquilizer gun. Anya, also pale, was leaning on Xander. <They went into danger without me; I'm the Slayer --I could have helped. > But Buffy knew why she had not been asked, and she wanted to kick herself. She opened her mouth but little came out.

"What . . .?" the Slayer stuttered.

Seeing no anger, just confusion (and a little hurt), in her former friend's face, Willow got up and went over to her. She guided Buffy over to a chair. "Um, why don't you sit down. No one is hurt." Willow gently described the events of the morning. Buffy's face rapidly went from confused to stunned.

"You're sure everyone's okay? It worked?" Buffy looked over at Angel. He was looking at Willow. "What about all the blood?!"

"That's mine." Cassandra explained. "There are definitely benefits to being Immortal. Rapid healing being among the most significant." Her tone was dry. In a more reassuring voice she continued. "The casting worked. Angel need never fear the domination of his demon ever again."

"I could feel him leave. I felt the demon die, " Angel added, his usually solemn voice filled with wonder and joy.

Buffy looked at him quietly. As she saw the glowing smiles Willow and Angel turned on each other she felt her confusion fade away. She smiled at them, and said sincerely, "I'm glad." She looked at Giles' and Anya's pale faces again. "Giles, you're way too pale. I'm driving you home. Xander, take Anya home and make sure she rests." Giles and the others relaxed; Buffy was handling the surprise far better than any of them had hoped.

"My car. . ." Giles began to protest, " and we should review the spells."

"The spells worked. I can drive your car. You need to rest. MARCH." Buffy's voice left little room for argument. The Watcher decided it was best to obey and said his good-byes. Buffy moved to follow the others but then stopped to walk back to Willow. She hugged the young witch tightly; after a moment of surprise Willow hugged her back. "I'm glad you're not hurt. Get some rest, you're nearly see-through." The Slayer turned and quickly left, leaving the vampire and the two witches to recover from the morning.

Angel let Cassandra answer the doorbell when someone rang it just before twilight. Cassandra was closer to the door anyway. Willow was at Giles' apartment, helping with research, and the vampire had decided to read the journal that Willow had used to bind his soul to him. He found it fascinating reading. The sorcerer was a good writer, and his anguish over his daughter came through clearly.

Cassandra was a little startled to see Buffy standing outside the door. The Slayer was wearing patrol clothes, her long hair back in single braid. She looked a little uncomfortable -- on edge.

Buffy spoke nervously, fingers tugging the end of braid repeatedly. "Um, are Willow and Angel here? I kind of need to talk to them." She had come straight here from her mother's house. The Slayer had been afraid that she would lose her nerve if she stopped to see Giles first.

"Willow went out, but Angel's here." Cassandra didn't ask what the young wanted to talk about. Buffy didn't seem to intend flirtation, and her actions a few days ago suggested her anger had abated. <Best to keep my nose out of this situation. The Slayer seems calm enough. > The Immortal's student and Angel could handle it.

"Angel, Buffy is here and wants to talk to you. I've got to some errands to run; I'll be back in a few hours." With that Cassandra grabbed the light coat that carrying a sword forced her to wear even in hot weather and walked out to her car. She'd caught a few hints that there was another Immortal in the area and being unprepared was a decidedly bad idea.

The vampire looked up from his reading with a startled look in his dark eyes. He watched Cassandra leave with a slightly accusatory look on his face. Buffy entered the room with an uncharacteristically hesitant bearing. Her normal Slayer confidence seemed to have abandoned her for the time being. Angel didn't move from the couch as the blond moved to stand in front of him, although he did set aside the thick computer printout, marking where he'd been interrupted. She paused for a second, obviously unsure what she should do next. Finally, she pulled Willow's chair away from the computer desk and sat.

Realizing that Angel wasn't going to do anything to make this easier for her, Buffy took a deep breath and launched into speech, words rapidly tumbling out one after another. She kept her eyes focused on the floor. "Um, I just wanted to see you and Willow to tell you that I'm sorry I've been such a jerk. My feelings were hurt, and I acted like a kid whose favorite toy was taken away." She paused, swallowing hard. "I was upset that Willow wasn't the same as in high school. I wanted her to stay the same . . . be predictable. I wanted her to be my best friend, whether or not that was what she wanted. And I ignored that you didn't want to be more than friends because I didn't want to accept that your feelings had changed." The slayer looked up from the floor, facing Angel. "You two were a lot of what got me though adjusting to being the Chosen One. I don't handle change very well, and I didn't want to let go. I'm sorry."

Angel was briefly tempted to push Buffy out the door, make her suffer more than she already had for the stress the young woman had put Willow through. He quickly stifled that uncharitable and immature thought. <It would hurt Willow. I can't even blame that one on Angelus. > "Apology accepted." His voice was sincere, and he even smiled a little. Buffy visibly relaxed.

"Thank you, Angel. I would have understood if you weren't ready to forgive me." She glanced over at the computer. "I was hoping to talk to Willow too . . . I can't expect us to become best buds again, but I want to be friends. Do you think she'll let me get to know the new her? I've been forcibly ignoring that there was a new Willow." She looked at Angel with a slightly plaintive look.

"Willow's a forgiving person." He smiled. "That hasn't changed. She always understood why you were upset anyway." <And was much more tolerant of it than me. >

Buffy's face was covered by a rueful smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Angel wanted to be civil with the Slayer; Willow would prefer it if there wasn't any extra division between herself and her old friends. The other changes in the young witch's life were enough.

"If you don't what to answer, that's fine, but how long have you been in love with Willow?" Her voice was neither angry nor hurt, although it was a tiny bit envious. Buffy had realized, sitting across from the vampire, that she had finally gotten over him. Talking to him and not seeing any love in his eyes no longer hurt. Finally she had let go. Now she was simply curious.

Angel looked at Buffy in shock. After a moment it settled in that she wasn't the least bit angry. Then he realized that his shock wasn't over the fact that Buffy thought he was in love with Willow, or that she had asked about it. He couldn't brush the question off . . . because he WAS in love with Willow . . . his best friend. Memories of their year and a half of friendship flooded his mind. How ardently he had missed her when he'd gone to LA to find redemption and distance from a stubborn Buffy. He clearly remembered his intense fear for her safety when he learned of the dreams. Angel wasn't sure when his affection for the slender redhead had deepened into love. <You idiot vampire! She can't possibly feel that way about you! > He had a sudden urge to ram his head against the wall.

Buffy looked at the shocked and zoned look on Angel's face with some concern. He didn't even seem aware that she was still here. "Uh, Angel, are you okay?"

Angel snapped back to reality, still mentally kicking himself. "I'm not sure when it happened. It was so gradual . . .. I didn't even let myself realize how I felt until you asked me."

Buffy realized he needed some time to himself. Willow probably wouldn't be out much longer, and Angel clearly wanted time to think. "It's almost dark now; I need to go patrol." She got up and strode to the door. She turned before leaving. "I hope every thing works out for you. Please tell Willow I came by and that I'm going to call her. Angel nodded absently in reply, eyes distant. The Slayer let herself out the door and headed for the graveyard.

Angel stayed seated as she walked out; he collapsed against the couch back, letting his head fall back to rest along the top edge and stared at the ceiling. Images of Willow continued to bombard his mind. Angel began to have a strong urge to cry or scream. He loved her, but it would never work. <I'm still a vampire. She's a wonderful girl and deserves far better than me, > he told himself firmly. Finally, his thoughts drove him off the couch and into nervous motion. He stalked to the door, turning out the lights as he went. Angel walked out the door into the night, hoping that a long walk would help him restore some order to his thoughts -- before Willow got home.

Willow scooped the last of her sundae out of the bowl then dropped the dish into Giles' sink. Xander had arrived bearing gifts of food to make the research go faster. Anya and Giles had left just a little while ago to replace some magic supplies that turned out to be necessary, and the two friends had stayed behind to straighten up and finish off the ice cream. Actually, Xander had eaten most of the ice cream while Willow put books away. The young witch was beginning to suspect that Xander had gotten Anya to get Giles out of the house deliberately. The young man obviously wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to say it. He was distinctly jumpy.

"Ok, Xander, we've finished every last drop of sugar, so spill," the redhead demanded. She sat down on the couch and looked at him expectantly. <Something is bothering him, and we're going to get it out into the open. Now. > "Is this about Angel?" It had been a couple of days since they had destroyed Angelus; Willow worried that Xander was having second thoughts about accepting Angel.

Xander flushed and ducked his head. He had been hard on Angel for a long time. No wonder Will thought he wanted to complain some more. "No it's not about Deadb. . .," Xander quickly corrected himself, "Angel. I can see that he is a good friend to you. I'm not happy that you hid the fact that you guys were friends, but I understand why you did." He paused, "I actually wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?" Willow was clearly confused.

A bit embarrassed, Xander quickly continued. "Um, for following you and for eavesdropping that first day you were training with Cassandra."

Surprised, Willow yelled. "You what! How much did you hear?!" She jumped off the couch and glared at him.

"Pretty much everything. Including the little trip to Hell you neglected to mention." He shot her a mildly reproachful look then his face softened. "It explained a lot, like how you and Angel got so close, and how you trusted him so quickly after that whole 'been in Hell for three hundred years' thing."

Willow gaped, speechless. She flopped back onto the seat.

"I just didn't want anymore leftover secrets hanging between us. We've been friends too long for that."

Willow managed to gather her wits. "You aren't mad? Are you going to tell Buffy?" Her voice rose on the second question.

"No on both counts. I've gotten over it, and it's old news so I don't see why Buffy would need to know." <Plus, she's calm now. A calm Slayer is a good Slayer. >

At that point Giles and Anya returned. The former demoness looked at Xander pointedly, clearly wanting to know if he'd gotten the chance to talk to his childhood friend that he had needed. He nodded, and she smiled. Willow didn't notice the exchange. Giles noticed, but he decided it wasn't any of his business.

Noticing that it had been dark for awhile, Willow stood up. "I need to get going; there's some e-mail I need to take care of before it gets too late." She hugged Xander, smiled at the others, and then walked to the door.

"Do you need a ride?" Giles queried. He still regarded her as one of his charges and wanted her to be safe.

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself now." She smiled again to take any bite out of her firm words, then headed out the door.

Willow walked quickly; it was nice out, but she was looking forward to discussing the journal with Angel. He had mentioned spotting some smaller spells of interest to them in the book. Discussing texts with Angel was always fun, and Cassandra frequently joined in. A few minutes clearing up her email then they could talk into the night.

Lost in her cheerful thoughts, the young redhead didn't notice the shadow moving in the trees behind her.

She was surprised to find the mansion dark and empty. <Darn, they must have had to run errands. Oh well. > Disappointed, Willow grabbed a soda and plopped in front of the computer. Quickly she was absorbed into her e-mail. She had called Joe yesterday while Cass was out jogging and had asked for Methos' number. The Watcher had given her an email address where the Immortal could be reached. Willow had sent a short but effusive thank you note. He had responded, clearly pleased that the book had proven so useful.

. . . .I only remembered that it was about vampires. I haven't run across a vampire myself in years. If I run across any other relevant texts I'll send them to you. I am glad that your friend has been helped. That must have been a very tense situation. Could you tell me a bit more about that curse? I've never heard of such a thing before. Good luck to you in all of your studies. Feel free to contact me; you run across a lot of information in 5000 years. I understand if Cassandra doesn't want you to. Cassandra will tell you that I have been an evil man -- a murderer. This is nothing but the truth. But I am no longer that man. Methos

A small sound behind her broke Willow's concentration. She turned. "Angel? Cass? . . .Who's there?" <I didn't hear the car pull up, or the door. > A tremor of fear shot down her spine when no one responded to her question. She heard movement again and dashed to the middle of the room, forgetting Angel's instructions to keep her back to the wall. Willow barely had time to respond when a man appeared out of the shadows beside her, swinging a sword at her neck. <Oh, Goddess! This is bad! > Fortunately, the lessons Angel had drilled into the young witch made her react automatically -- preventing the urge to freeze. Dropping to the floor, she kicked her attacker's feet out from under him. He fell against the side table. The table and a lamp went flying, knocking out half of the light in the room. The sharp sword sliced through the air above Willow's head.

"What the hell do you want!?" She yelled as she rolled away, dodging his grabbing arms and sword. The attacker got to his feet quickly, pursuing the slender woman.

<Damn it, I missed! > "Just your head, Coppertop." Marcus Costior grinned through his fury. The girl had looked to be an easy mark, and she was making him look ridiculous. Not yet Immortal and unaware of the fact that she would be; the bitch shouldn't have known how to fight back. She should have died with the first stroke of his sword.

Willow vaulted over the couch, grabbing the second lamp with her mind and launching it at the nameless attacker. The light in the room died, the only illumination the pale blue light of the computer screen. Marcus chased after her, the lamp only a minor distraction. Attacking again, he sliced into her side, leaving a long gash. The witch was aware of the impact and of dull burning in her side. She refused to think about it. <I have to concentrate. > Quickly she threw a filmy illusion of an attacking demon in front of the man. It was a half-baked effort, falling apart almost as soon as it was finished. But it worked; Marcus recoiled, yelling. "What the hell was THAT!" Willow grabbed the sword that Cass practiced with. It was heavier and longer than the novice was used to, but it was closer to hand. Her attacker's choice of weapon, combined with the fact that he didn't seem to be either a vampire or a demon, let her know what she had to do. Cass had told her about headhunters. <But why is he attacking ME, damn it!!! >

Willow had proven to be a naturally talented fighter, but she lacked experience. For a few minutes she fended off his blows. Then her guard slipped, and his sword rammed through her chest, puncturing a lung. This wound she couldn't ignore. Looking at the man's smug and victorious face, she threw her power at him without conscious thought, briefly stunning Marcus. Willow raised her arm and swung Cassandra's sword --- using her magic to strengthen the blow. His head flew across the room. Willow watched it's gruesome arc numbly. The world was rapidly going dark and blurry. There was no time for her to enjoy her victory. Still impaled on her attacker's sword, Willow fell to the floor. She stared at the wall, unable to move, and blood dribbled from her mouth. <Oh . . . Goddess, this hurts. > Around her blue lightening danced, exploding the computer. Willow was vaguely aware of the power dancing through her. Moments later, she died, drowning in her own blood.

Angel walked slowly back to the Mansion. He was calm now, emotions firmly back under control. It was nearly midnight. <I hope Willow isn't too worried. > The vampire had walked nearly across town in his need to think. Looking up as he walked up to the door, he noticed that Cassandra's car was still gone. <How long did she think Buffy and I were going to talk? > Then he noticed that the lights were out as well. A little worry began to gnaw at him. <Willow is still at Giles? I'd better call and check. > Willow had planned on being home soon after dark. Angel hurried through the front door.

The smell of blood hit him the minute he stepped inside. Panic rushed through him, making his dead heart contract. Eyes searching frantically in the darkness for the source of the overpowering smell, he almost tripped over Marcus's head. He stared at the grisly thing, horror growing; Angel rushed into the room, all caution forgotten. "Willow." His only thought was that she had gotten home on time -- alone. His sharp night vision allowed him to clearly see the shambles the room was in. He could also smell Willow. Then he found her, still next to the rest of the body of her attacker in a pool of both of their blood. Blood covered her from the wound in her side.

His anguished scream echoed through the dark Mansion. Kicking Marcus's body aside, Angel fell to his knees and pulled Willow into his arms. Violently, he pulled the sword out her chest. He threw it across the room, where it hit the wall with a clang. Gently, he pushed the hair out of her starring eyes. <NO-NO-NO-NO!!! > Her body was still warm; he leaned his head against her chest -- no trace of a heartbeat -- not even the faintest murmur for his sensitive hearing to detect. It was too late to turn her, but the lingering warmth in her pale skin let him know it had only been minutes. Angel held her tightly against him, his blood tears mingling with her lifeblood as he sobbed. He sobbed uncontrollably, beyond thought and completely lost in his pain. An animal-like keening filled the room. The grieving vampire sat unmoving with the slender girl in his arms for hours.

He missed the first feeble beat of Willow's heart. Then she took a gasping breath that shook her entire body. Angel bolted upright, starring in shock at Willow's face. She began to cough, choking on the blood that filled her lungs. The vampire turned her over and supported her until the spasms ceased. Willow turned over in his arms; she looked up at Angel with eyes full of confusion, her cheeks flushed.

Angel looked at her in wonder. He touched her side gently, sliding his hand inside her torn shirt to touch the spot where the wound had been. Willow's skin was smooth and unbroken. <Her skin is warm. > Then he slid his hand to her heart, face full of reverence. <Her heart's beating! > He thought joyfully. Angel closed his eyes -- letting his senses focus on her pulse -- its sound and the feel of it under his hand.

Willow was definitely confused. She clearly remembered being run through and dying. The corpse of her attacker was lying right next to her and Angel. <I killed him! > But the shock of being alive <Breathing, breathing is very, very good . . . > was overshadowed by the sensation of Angel holding her tightly and his hands running over her sides. It made her heart beat wildly. Willow could tell he was in shock even through the haze of her own shock. She reached up, after wiggling one arm free of the tight embrace, and gently stroked his cheek. "Angel, are you okay?"

His yellow eyes snapped open. <Am I all right?! She DIES, and the first thing she asks is if I'm all right! > Angel stared, stunned, into her large green eyes, then pulled her to him -- forgetting all his previous injunctions to himself to act just as a friend to her.

With the first touch of his mouth to hers Willow completely forgot death and headless corpses. Her only coherent thought was a brief notice that Angel was vamped out. The kiss was frantic, almost desperate. Angel was reassuring himself the woman he loved was actually alive, breathing in his arms. Then he realized, as he was pushing her back against the side of the couch, that he was kissing his best friend . . . and his fangs and ridges were out. He pulled back. "I'm sorry, Willow. I love you." Angel put his human face back on, feeling ashamed of his impulsive action. "I know you don't feel that way abou. . . " Willow didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence. The young witch realized that Angel didn't know how she felt. <Of course, I have been hiding that. Stupid me. > All that mattered was that he loved her. She shut him up by pulling him back into the kiss. Both were quickly lost in the intense moment . . . completely unaware of the world around them.

So, neither of them heard the car pull up.

Cassandra was in a truly foul mood as she paid the cab driver. <I hate cars. That is third one of those infernal creations to break down on me last six months. Goddess! Horses were far more relia . . .> The immortal cut off her internal tirade as she neared the Mansion. She could feel another Immortal . . . very close, and the front door was standing wide open. Drawing her sword, she walked quickly into the Mansion, already in a defensive stance. Inside the entry the light switch failed to work. Back to the wall, she cast a simple spell designed to light up a room for about a half an hour. The sight that met her eyes made Cassandra almost drop her sword. The room was a mess. There was unfamiliar decapitated head at her feet, the furniture had been thrown around, and both lamps were knocked over. Next the couch was the body, and the blood, to go with the head. Sitting in that blood were Angel and Willow --- kissing like the world was about to end. The Immortal buzz was coming from Willow, and it was quite strong. <Oh, Hell! I leave the house to get some groceries, and look what happens. > Cassandra crossed the room, picking up the lamps and plugging them back it. Surprisingly, both had escaped being broken; she revoked the unneeded light spell.

"Willow?" Cassandra cleared her throat; neither of the kissing pair noticed her. "Willow!" She was still ignored. "WILLOW!" The pair broke apart with a jump, looking at her in embarrassed surprise. Willow moved to get out of Angel's lap, but he refused to let her go, keeping his arms firmly wrapped around her slight frame.

In a much calmer voice, Cassandra continued, "Do think that could wait? We need to talk, and this place is a disaster." She looked pointedly at the blood. Willow and Angel suddenly realized they were still on the blood-covered floor. "Eww!" was Willow's first reaction. Reluctantly, Angel let go of her and stood, helping her to her feet.

Let's go in the kitchen --- less blood." Cassandra walked away, and they followed.

Sitting at the kitchen table, holding Angel's hand, Willow's brain function finally resumed. "Um, Cassandra? I'm Immortal, aren't I? He was a headhunter. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Yes you are. I was hoping that this wouldn't happen for a bit longer."

Angel immediately exploded. He stood up, his chair falling to the floor behind him, and he leaned across the table. The vampire grabbed Cassandra. "You KNEW Willow was Immortal! And you didn't even mention it!" he roared. He vamped back out, reacting to his fury.

<Oh wonderful! Angry vampire! > "We generally don't tell! When someone knows they're Immortal it alters how they deal with life; they take crazy risks!" Cassandra yelled back at him, shoving him back to sit on the upper edge of his fallen chair. He had to grab the edge of the table to keep from toppling backwards. Angel glared at her and moved to stand back up. Cassandra started speaking again, this time turning to Willow. "You tend to do just about anything for your friends, right?"

"Um, well . . . Yes." Willow stammered. She was still rather stunned and had been zoning out as Cass and Angel argued. She didn't have the energy to break up the fight.

"So if you had know that you couldn't be turned into a vampire or killed in most ways you would have taken on dangerous things to protect the others?" Cassandra's tone was supremely reasonable.

Willow nodded slowly. <Oh! > Confusion faded from her face as she started to understand what Cass was trying to point out. Angel, however, was still growling. The redhead reached over to grab his hand again. "Angel, calm down. It's okay." She looked at him pleadingly

The Immortal faced the vampire calmly. "I wanted Willow to live as long as possible. I was hoping that she would make it to her mid-twenties BEFORE she stopped aging. <Well, that was a lost cause. > I knew that Willow would take risks if I told her." Willow blushed as Cassandra directed a wry glance at her student. "So I did my best to prepare her without giving away that she was pre-Immortal."

Angel was starting to think again by the end of this speech. Forcing down his need to defend Willow in some way, he resumed his human face. Willow sighed in relief. He was going to cooperate. For now.

Cass looked the pair over thoughtfully. "Why don't you both go clean up. You are both a disaster. I'll take care of the living room. Somehow I don't think seeing you covered in blood is the best way to break the news to the others."

Willow and Angel were both liberally covered with blood, and Willow's shirt was badly torn. The young witch suddenly became aware of the mess, her daze evaporating. "Ewww!" Willow took off for the shower.

<I was wondering when she would notice. > Cassandra thought with a grin. Angel trailed after her, trying to absorb Cassandra's explanation.

Willow tossed the ruined clothing into the corner of her room, thinking as she did so that she would need to burn the outfit later -- between the blood and the tears it was a complete loss. She turned on the shower as hot as it would go then stepped into the driving spray. Quickly, Willow began scrubbing off the blood. It was everywhere, and the water flowing down the drain in the floor was pink. Willow leaned against the tile wall, watching the water as it swirled away. Finally the rest of her stunned daze began to dissolve.

The small redhead slid to the floor, shaking. It was all just too much. Learning to become a powerful witch had been exciting and much desired. Cassandra's immortality had been a fascinating research topic, and no more. Willow had wanted to know more about what it was like. <But Goddess! This wasn't what I had in mind. > The young witch was perfectly willing to admit that she was terrified, and she couldn't yet absorb what effect this was going to have on her life. For a while, Willow just sat on the floor, water hitting her head as she sat and cried helplessly. About the time the water began to cool, the hysteria began to wear off. She stood back up. <I'd better get up. Angel will be worried if I don't show up soon. > This returned her to more pleasant thoughts . . . reflecting on the intense embrace that they had shared. However, Willow didn't let her thoughts or the warm tingly feeling they gave her distract her. She wasn't ready to have a worried Angel bursting in while she was still in the shower. <Although that could be interesting. Behave, Willow! >

Hair dry and clothes clean, Willow headed back down the stairs to rejoin the others. Cassandra was mopping up the floor when her student walked into the room. Most of the blood was gone, and Angel was wiping up the stray smears that were out of Cass's reach. The couch, still stained, had been set to one side. The rest of the furniture had been restored to order. The lamps looked rather squished. The blood-covered carpet Willow and her attacker had fallen on was gone.

Looking around the redhead found it. It was near the front door. Cass and Angel had rolled up the remains in it -- for disposal. The sword, still bloody <my blood >, was on top of it. Willow could take her eyes off the misshapen bundle. <I killed someone, > she thought in shock. Involuntarily, a shiver shook her.

An arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her tight and giving her the support she needed. Angel leaned down and kissed her forehead. He had abandoned the clean up operation as soon as she had paled and shuddered. Willow leaned into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face against his chest.

Cassandra looked on in concern. "Are you alright, Willow?" Angel glared at her, but relented a little when he saw the genuine concern in the Immortal's face.

Willow straightened up. She had managed to avoid crying again, though her eyes were red. She had just needed some support. "I'm fine, or I will be once my head stops spinning." Angel squeezed her, and she grinned up at him. The smile was open and unstrained. It was also full of the love that the vampire desperately needed to see. He grinned back at her, feeling the knot of worry in his stomach relax and disappear. Cassandra, looking on, also relaxed. It looked as if her student would indeed be all right, despite the shock.

Willow's face turned serious again. She turned to face her teacher, leaning back against Angel. Her moved his arms to her waist, and she placed her smaller hands over his. Her eyes flickered over towards the carpet wrapped bundle. "I didn't have a choice, did I? About killing him I mean," she quietly asked Cassandra.

"No you didn't. He was a headhunter and nasty one. Going after pre-Immortals is seen as being without honor. If you hadn't killed him he would have killed you without a second thought. Just knocking him out or even injuring him severely wouldn't have been enough." Cassandra's voice managed to be both deadly serious and reassuring. "I have gone over the rules of the game with you, haven't I?"

"I think so?" Willow responded her voice unsure.

"We need to go over that. You must know certain things." She moved to the kitchen, Angel and Willow following her. Cassandra dumped the bucket of water, only slightly pink, into the sink and dropped the mop on the counter. She dropped into a chair, tired although it was early in the day. <Lack of sleep will do that to you, > she thought wryly. She continued speaking. "You'll need to start training seriously now. Magic will have to wait for awhile. I want to be sure you can handle yourself in a sword fight without magic first."

They sat down at the table, again, preparing to talk. Cassandra opened her mouth to start when they all heard the front door open. There was a brief pause then they all turned to the door and got back to their feet. From the other room came a chorused yell. "What the Hell!?"

The Mansion was completely silent after the initial yell of surprise. The three new arrivals were standing in a shocked tableau by the front door. Giles and Buffy were staring at the body, while Xander stared at the bloody sword, which he had knocked to the floor. He'd tripped over the body coming in and had nearly been knocked over by the others when they came in. The blow had caused the ruined carpet to partially unroll, revealing the headless corpse. Buffy, eyes still startled, shook herself as Willow and the others came into the room. Noticing her friends' shocked and confused expressions, Willow motioned for Angel and Cass to stay behind. She wanted to handle this herself; it was, after all, her story to tell. The two hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and went back into the kitchen. Buffy completely missed the by-play. She was focused on making sure that Willow was all right. The Slayer rushed across to the redhead, visually checking Willow for injuries as she moved. Fortunately, between Immortal healing and a shower the young witch showed no obvious signs of trouble. However, the Slayer's sixth sense, the one that let her know that there was trouble in the area, was on full alert. Something was wrong.

"Are you all right? What happened?" She hugged Willow, partially reassured that her friend was okay --- at least there was no blood. The Slayer didn't completely relax though. Willow was unharmed but clearly tired and dazed, and the redhead was getting that little line between the eyebrows that she got when she was upset or frightened. Something big had happened . . . but what?

"I'm fine." Buffy looked at her skeptically; Willow smiled and continued. "I'm just a little shaken up. Why don't we go into the kitchen, and I'll explain. It's kind of messy in here." Willow indicated the battered room and the corpse in one sweeping glance. Buffy nodded and followed. Opening the door to the kitchen both young women realized that Giles and Xander weren't behind them. Both men were still at the front door, staring at the unexpected corpse.

<You would think they would be a little more used to finding bodies by now. Especially Giles, > Willow thought with amusement. "Xander? Giles?" Both men jumped, looking up at her. "Everything's okay. Come into the kitchen, and I'll explain." Her steady voice managed to conceal her own inner turmoil. She needed to seem calm and confident for her friends. Having them panic didn't sound like a very good idea. <Deal with the wiggins later --- reassure friends now. >

Willow sat, looking across the table at the others. The young witch was nervous . . . there was no way to tell how the others would react to this new change. She was also still a little dazed and was have trouble pulling her thoughts together. Angel came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. His support and love seemed to flow into her like a tangible thing. Her thoughts cleared, and she calmed. <I can handle this. > Cassandra stood to the side, leaning against the sink. The Immortal's face was expressionless.

Willow decided to be blunt. She was too tired to draw things out, even with Angel supporting her. "Okay. I killed the man out in the living room. "

"WHAT?!"

Willow was fairly sure that people in Oregon and Mexico could hear Buffy's stunned yell. Giles and Xander just sat there with their mouths hanging open. Their Willow had KILLED someone?

She rushed through the rest of the story, not giving them a chance to say anything. "I came home. No one was here. I was checking my email, heard a sound, turned around, and this guy attacked me with a sword. I threw a couple of magics at him. He stabbed me a couple of times. I killed him with Cassandra's practice sword. <Thank Goddess she keeps it sharp, even for practice! > "I died and got his Quickening at about the same time. Then I woke up, no wounds, and Angel was here. Cassandra got home, and we all cleaned up."

She stopped to take a breath. Xander found his tongue while she paused. "You died!? Are you okay?" He looked decidedly stunned.

"I'm fine, Xander. I'm Immortal. I can die and come back . . . well, I can as long as my head isn't cut off. That's what that guy was trying to do. I guess he thought I would be an easy target . . . that's why he followed me."

Buffy was listening to Willow, but she was watching Cassandra. Since she was closely studying the Immortal, she'd noticed something that filled her with rage. There wasn't the slightest bit of surprise on the Immortal's face. Angel was wincing at Willow's dry recitation, but Cassandra wasn't reacting at all. Maybe the guy out the living room had been a surprise, specifically, but Willow's Immortality hadn't been new. Cassandra had known that something like this was going to happen. And she'd neglected to warn or tell anyone. Buffy jumped out of her chair, angrily flinging herself across the table, and pinned Cassandra against the cabinets before the Immortal had a chance to react. "You Bitch!" The Slayer's eyes were filled with almost incoherent fury at the danger her friend had unknowingly been in. Giles quickly joined her, feeling the same rage that his Slayer felt.

Between the two of them Cassandra was quickly being throttled. <This is getting old. Why couldn't I train an orphan with no friends? Just once?! >

"Let her GO!" The yell startled the two enough that they let the Immortal go. Cassandra slumped, gasping for air, and rubbing her throat. She looked at her student gratefully.

With the fading of that initial shock, Willow's reaction time had begun to recover. She stalked around the table, grabbed Buffy's arm and firmly pulled her back to the table. The redhead then did the same to Giles. They stood by the table, still looking rather startled. Willow only rarely brought out the resolve face, and a slight but unmistakable frision of magic was running through the air of the kitchen. "SIT DOWN!" They sat. Quickly.

Willow took a deep breath, then sat down calmly. Cassandra cleared her throat and quickly rushed through the same explanation that she had given Angel. Buffy and Giles clearly wanted to interrupt at a couple of points, but Willow firmly stared them down. Cassandra used the help to good advantage. She threw in a couple examples of earlier Immortals who had taken insane risks when they learned before their first death that they would become Immortal . . . including one idiot who managed to get himself beheaded. With a pointed look at Willow, the Immortal calmly pointed out that they were on the Hellmouth, and taking risks here was even worse than anywhere else. The slender girl grimaced but said nothing.

Xander finally managed to find his tongue. "But why didn't you tell one of us?" Although his eyes were decidedly accusatory, his voice was level.

<Good question. Finally, someone around here is thinking before they strangle me. > Cassandra thought. "Would any of you been able to avoid telling her once you knew?" A small grin crossing her face, Cass looked the group over. "If I hadn't been able to work in weapons training as easily as I did, I probably would have told Giles." This seemed to satisfy them. The group was still stunned but not angry. Except Angel. He was still glaring a little. He had accepted the logic of Cassandra's arguments, but he was still unhappy about being lied to.

Willow looked over at Cassandra and sighed with relief. At least this part of the transition was over. Her teacher looked back at her sympathetically.

<Almost forgot something. > Gesturing for Willow to follow, the older Immortal walked back out to the fireplace. The other's followed, trailing after the redhead. Angel stayed right at her side, arm around her shoulders. Cassandra depressed a small stone on one side of the fireplace and a panel slid away. Angel made a small sound of surprise. In all the time he'd lived here he'd never found that compartment.

Willow looked over Cass's shoulder, curiosity eating her up despite the number of surprises the day had already brought. A long, wrapped bundle was tucked into the compartment, hidden safely away. Her teacher lifted the object out with one hand and gave it to Willow.

"This is yours."

Quickly, Willow untied the cords that held the cloth closed. Then her jaw dropped. It was a sword. This was as unlike the practice swords they been using as possible. Although it wasn't heavily ornamented, it was a work of art. It was smallish for a medieval sword, but the sword was just the right size and balance for the small girl. Cassandra had polished and sharpened it, and it gleamed in the low light of the living room. The grip and the guard of the hilt were polished steel; two gold covered finger guards curved gracefully out of the guard. The round polished steel of the pommel was stamped with a symbol she didn't recognize.

"This sword is a little small for me, but I thought of it when you became my student. Joe bought it out when he brought my other things. This is the sword you will practice with most of the time. I want you to be able to fight with other weapons as well, but this is your primary weapon. Keep it very close to you at all times. Near your hand at home, even when you sleep, and outside of the house you wear it."

Willow looked up, startled at the firmness that had come into Cassandra's voice.

Her teacher's face was very serious. "A challenger won't wait for you to arm yourself, and Immortals don't need an invitation."

Willow looked over at the gruesome bundle near the door. Cassandra noticed the look. "Precisely." <At least she has learned that home isn't safe ground . . . at least not this home. A hard but essential lesson to learn. >

Willow sagged a little, the stress of the morning and the shock of the night before hitting her again. Cassandra watched, then turned and began ushering the others out. "Angel, go tuck Willow in bed. She's exhausted." Willow moved to put the sword down. Cassandra calmly put the sword back in the tired girl's hands. "Even when you sleep, " she repeated firmly. "Go rest. It will be easier to deal with when you're not as tired."

Cassandra stood and watched Willow and Angel walk away. The others took the hint and moved to leave. Then the Immortal turned her attention back to the body. Giles was still near the door. "Giles, help me get rid of this thing. Oh, and would you help me find a new place for Willow, Angel and I to stay. One on holy ground."

The room was cluttered with boxes and other packing gear. Almost everything was ready to go. Cassandra and Giles had managed to find a large, two-storied, and unoccupied house that suited all of Cass's requirements. It's previous residents, some ten years back, had been Druids, and the house qualified as holy ground. The house had been built to be a meeting-house. The kitchen and all of the other regular rooms were on the second floor, while the first floor was open except for heavy wooden support pillars. Cass wished the ceiling was a bit higher, but the resulting room was spacious enough for both magic and sword practice. It was also close to one of the many graveyards Buffy had to patrol and to the college, making it convenient for the Scooby gang to operate out of.

<I'm actually going to miss the Mansion! It's gloomy, I know, but it's special . . . at least to me. > After all, this was the place were some of the most important events of her life had taken place. She'd brought Angel back from Hell in this room . . . their growing friendship had been hidden here. She'd become Immortal here. This last event was what the slender witch's thoughts centered on. It was a lot to take in. After the initial shock, Buffy, Giles, and Xander seemed to treat her the same as they had before. She looked the same and acted the same as before. Or maybe it was just that they had gotten used to her changing on them.

Willow no longer had the urge to have hysterics, but she couldn't just ignore dying, however temporary the death was, as insignificant. She and Angel hadn't talked about it, kissing was considerably more fun, but the fact the Willow wasn't an ordinary girl, or even an ordinary witch, anymore was certainly on the vampire's mind. Every time he looked at the spot where she had died his eyes would darken then nearly go gold. He hadn't told her how he felt about the Immortality thing. Willow thought that he liked it, but she couldn't be sure.

<I'm going to live forever. Well not forever, but way longer than normal. > It made Willow's heart ache, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay in Sunnydale for much longer. Cassandra would have left right away, but both of them knew that Willow's friends would need more time to get used to her leaving. So the beginning training would be done here. The only person who openly discussed the change was Cassandra, in her role as teacher. The dark-haired Immortal had firmly gone over the rules that came with being Immortal. No fighting on Holy ground, which was why they were packing to move. Combat is one on one, and you never interfere with another person's fight.

So far, getting used to taking the sword everywhere was the hard part. Willow still hadn't figured out how Cass made her sword just disappear into whatever she was wearing.

Movement behind her brought her out of her reverie. She realized that she'd been standing, unmoving, by a stack of boxes - tape still in her hand - for several minutes.

"You all right, little one?" The voice was just the one she wanted to hear -- Angel. Willow looked up to find his dark eyes watching her.

"I'm fine. Just thinking." She smiled, and he returned to happy expression. He pulled her closer. The kiss was a wonderful as the others . . . dizzying and completely overwhelming. For that matter the kiss was a little too good. Willow wanted to talk to Angel, and he was thoroughly distracting her. <Think Willow. Not melt -- think! > "Um, Angel, could we talk?"

The handsome vampire tensed instantly and nodded reluctantly. Willow pulled him over to the fireplace, then sat down; she pulled on his arm until he sat down next to her. Unknown to Willow, Angel was terrified. He had been for days. Willow returned his kisses enthusiastically, and the smiles she'd sent his way were glowing. To him it was like standing in the bright sunlight he was forbidden. But he wasn't sure where he stood with her -- what their relationship was now that she was Immortal. He knew without any doubt that Willow considered him a friend, but she had never said 'I love you'. The dark-haired vampire wanted those words more than anything else, even though he was sure that he didn't deserve them. Angel was far from sure that Willow wanted to spend multiple decades with him . . . the decades were now available, but he wasn't sure that she wanted him there as any thing more than a friend. Her tentative tone of voice frightened him. <What do I do if she says she just wants to be friends? Or even friends and lovers? I love her . . . but what if she doesn't want that love? How will I survive? > But she didn't say the words he feared.

"Are you okay with this whole Immortal thing? I mean, I was thinking, maybe you don't want to have me around that long, and you just said what you said 'cause you were upset, and you don't really want me to love you - though I do, and you just want me around in a friend kind of way, and . . ." Willow would have continued babbling but Angel gently laid a finger on her lips, silencing the blushing redhead. The vampire was smiling and fighting an urge to dance madly around the room.

"I meant it when I told you I love you. I do love you. And if you think you can stand having me around, oh, for a few centuries . . . I don't want to leave . . . EVER. Right next to you is where I want to be." The steady forcefulness of his voice made Willow's face glow and her heart pound. Angel pulled her onto his lap, cuddling her in his arms. "You love me?" His voice was just a little plaintive, all the steadiness gone. He needed the reassurance that his feelings were returned.

Willow smiled. Touching his face gently, "I love you with all my heart, and I most certainly want you around. For a really long time." She laced her fingers in his hair and pulled him to her, trying to pour every bit of love she felt into the embrace. It seemed to work, because she could feel his love returning to her. <I think this Immortality thing is going to work just fine. > And with Angel beside her, it would.

THE END
 

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