Part Seven

Willow was waiting for him in a small copse of trees behind the
synagogue. She was sitting on a bench in the dappled shade of a
weeping willow tree. Angel burrowed further under his coat, shielding
himself from the morning light until he had reached the safe shade of
the trees. He came up behind her, leaning against the trunk of the
tree and staying in the deepest part of the shade. A slight breeze
rustled the leaves and the sunlight stirred the red-gold highlights of
Willow's hair. "You could have told me, you know, about Casimir
Kalendash."

A faint and sad smile graced her lips for a brief moment. Willow
turned to him and looked at him utterly demoralized. Her eyes were
empty, defeated. He had never seen her look like that, not even when
she had spoken of Buffy and Xander's deaths. It froze him. When she
stood up and approached him, Angel had to resist the urge to reach out
and shake her until she was with him, mind, body, and spirit. Her
hand brushed his cheek and her fingers registered as cold against his
skin. "You shouldn't be here. It's too dangerous for you to be out
when it's daylight." Her words were hollow, a ghost of a spoken
admonishment.

"I'm not in the direct light." Angel curled his hand around hers and
brought it to his lips. "Don't marry him. Whatever he's using against
you, I can stop him. He can't hurt you." Impulsively, Angel leaned
down and transferred his lips from her hand to her mouth. He needed
her to respond to him. He needed to get rid of this wraith woman who
had replaced his vibrant love. Angel kissed her deeply, desperately.
He tried to convey his need for her by devouring her mouth.

Finally, Angel got an affirmation that his Willow was still lingering
inside this shell. Willow's hands threaded through his hair as she
kissed him back just as urgently. Her hands clawed down his neck and
clutched at his shoulders. Angel knew with a cold certainty that, for
Willow, this was a good-bye kiss. She was memorizing the taste of him
in her mouth, the touch of his lips, both hard and soft on hers, and
the feel of his hair in her fingers. He knew this because he was doing
the same thing with her, only he didn't want to say good-bye.

A sharp stinging burn on the flesh of his neck would have gone ignored
by Angel, but Willow pulled away with a painful exhalation. She
started to back away and Angel grabbed at her hand to stop her. His
palm closed around a band of hot metal. He let her hand slip through
his until he grasped only her fingertips. The ring finger of her left
hand was reddened and starting to blister around the gold band that
fit snugly there. The metal was beginning to cool. Faint etchings
were engraved into the ring and Angel brought it closer for a better
look. His eyes flew up to meet Willow's. "Do you know what this is?"
he asked hoarsely.

Tears magnified Willow's eyes, intensifying the green of the iris and
the fathomless black of the pupil. Whether the tears were a result of
simply the physical pain or of extreme emotional turmoil, Angel didn't
know. He squeezed her fingers to prompt an answer. Willow opened her
mouth, but the voice that responded wasn't hers.

"It's a fidelity ring," Casimir Kalendash, Willow's husband, stepped
into their hidden sanctuary. "That was just a warning. If you and my
wife are tempted to take your affair any further, it will kill her."

Angel growled and vamped, turning his yellowed eyes to the intruder.
The fact that Casimir didn't back down or even flinch didn't help
Angel in controlling the impulse to rip his head off. The demon urged
him to believe that it would certainly solve their problem, but Angel
knew better.

"Typical response, vampire. I guess having a soul doesn't make you so
different from the rest of the demonic vermin that plague this earth."

A harsh, distorted laugh issued from Angel's fanged mouth. "Demonic
vermin? You gypsies were always so overwrought. It made your blood
thin, but killing you was so much fun."

"You can't kill me. You recognized the ring, I assume you know the
rules. The only way that ring comes off her finger is if she dies, if
I die from natural causes, or if I break my vows. That won't happen,
by the way." Casimir held out his hand to Willow. "I love my
beautiful wife."

Willow stepped in front of Angel, stalling any response from him, and
turned her back on her husband to face her lover. She reached up and
smoothed his features with her fingers, but when she spoke it was to
the gypsy. "You said I could say good-bye. Go away and let me do
that."

"Willow. Casimir," Sheila Rosenberg called from the synagogue's steps.
"We should leave for the restaurant soon. Ira and I have a plane to
catch this afternoon." With every word, Sheila got closer to them.
Willow quickly pulled Angel's head toward her and he buried his vampire
face into the curve of her neck. Through the red mantle of Willow's
hair that hid his countenance, Angel saw Sheila stop as she noticed
who her daughter was embracing. "Willow!"

>From that moment, Angel let the mayhem fade into the background. He
was vaguely aware of Casimir intercepting Sheila and offering some lame
excuse about suicidal ex-boyfriends that needed to be handled
carefully. The only thing that mattered to Angel was Willow. He
wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tight. "I'm not
saying good-bye," he whispered against her skin.

"Angel, please, I can't do this. I can't fight about it. It's done."

"When? When did you marry him? The invitation I was e-mailed said
eleven." Angel already knew that Willow had not sent him that email.
It had come from her account, but it was Casimir who had sent it. He
had wanted to gloat about his victory to Angel's face.

"Mrs. Rosenberg!" Angel heard Cordelia enter the fray on the outskirts
of his attention. She must have realized that things were not going
as Angel had planned. If they had, then he and Willow would be on
their way to L. A. by now. "How nice to see you. I'm Cordelia Chase,
remember, I went to school with Willow. We weren't friends or anything
and I never met you, but hi all the same. And congratulations on the
mother of the bride thing. Uh, where's Mr. Rosenberg? I'd like to
congratulate him too."

"That's a great idea. Sheila, why don't you take Miss Chase and her
friend and find Ira. I can handle this," Casimir's voice reminded
Angel that he and Willow were no longer alone in their relationship.
It had suddenly become a demented love triangle between a witch, a
vampire, and a gypsy.

"When, Saileach?"

"Eight o'clock this morning. Casimir sent the invitation so you would
be too late."

"I wasn't." With Willow's mother gone, Angel lifted his head to look
at Willow. She was frowning at his cryptic remark.

"You've had more than enough time to say good-bye. Let go of her and
go back to Los Angeles, vampire, you have no place in Willow's life
any more." Casimir held out his hand for Willow once again. "I
believe we have a honeymoon to get to, my dear."

The smug bastard thought he had it all. Angel's face shifted back to
his human face as he smiled. "I don't think so. Willow is mine. She
carries my mark." Angel turned Willow around to face Casimir. The
back of his hand brushed the soft material of her dress that covered
the bite mark. He felt a jolt of energy run across his fingers with
the contact and Willow gasped. "Are you familiar with the concept of
a geis, gypsy?"

"You would never do that to her." Casimir's confidence was finally
rupturing. Angel watched as a frisson of panic cracked the surface of
Casimir's ice blue eyes.

"You've suddenly got a high opinion of demonic vermin." Angel savored
the feeling of having the upper hand. The boy was no match for him.
"A geis is an obligation put upon someone who shares a psychic bond
with another. I initiated one around three o'clock this morning.
She belongs to me and you can't have her any more than I can."

Casimir nodded, as if he finally understood what game they were playing
and the rules that went with it. Soon he would realize that Angel had
no interest in games. "A stalemate then. We wait to see who will end
the fair Willow's suffering first. It won't be me."

During their testosterone rivalry, Angel had paid little attention to
Willow and neither had Casimir. Both were surprised, when they finally
looked to the object of their contention, that Willow was backing
away from them. Angel took a step forward and winced when she flinched
away. He suddenly realized how he had sounded. "Willow, I'm sorry.
I wanted to explain this better. I did it to protect you."

"Protect me," Willow repeated. She shook her head slowly from side to
side. "No, no that's not what you were doing." Willow turned and
darted through the rustle of leaves and out into the sun. Angel
started after her, but jumped back into the shade of light once the
first ray of light touched his skin. He couldn't follow her. He
couldn't properly explain his motives. Damn but he had fucked things
up.

*****

A safe place. That's where Willow was running to. Her tears prevented
her from recognizing the route as she ran through blurred streets and
watery passers by. She ran there instinctively and when she found
herself pounding on Giles' door she wasn't surprised. The part of her
brain that stored the concept of "security" had taken her to the one
man who had never let her down. He had never let any of them down.

"Willow?" Giles opened the door and Willow registered his astonished
Englishman look, as Xander used to call it, before she threw herself
into his arms and let loose a gut-wrenching sob.

She didn't know how Giles did it, she would be forever grateful to
him for it, but somehow Giles managed to get her inside and calmed
enough to talk. She gulped her tears, trying to decide where to start
the story. "I...Angel...." Willow broke off as she began crying again.
It was looking as if she would never stop.

"You stay here and collect yourself, Willow, and I'll go make us some
tea." Giles patted her arm and left for the kitchen. Willow reached
for the tissues he had placed on the coffee table and blew her nose
and wiped at her eyes.

"Hey, G, what's the hold up?" Faith strolled into the apartment like
she lived there. She stopped dead as soon as she saw Willow. For a
long time, they said nothing, just stared at each other. The last
time Willow had seen her, Buffy had been Faith and she had been Buffy.
And the last Willow had heard of Faith was when Buffy had told her that
Angel had somehow gotten Faith to relinquish her evil ways and she had
confessed to her crimes. Faith should be in jail. "Hi, Willow," she
was greeting her instead. She looked uncertain and ashamed, two
emotional states Willow had never before associated with Faith.

"Buffy said you were in jail." Willow welcomed the change in her
thoughts. She was also glad that the hate she had always experienced
around Faith had dulled into tolerant dislike.

"I was, but the Watcher's Council pulled some strings after a while and
I just got out last week for good behavior. I'm on parole and Giles is
kinda my sponsor. I have to check in with him every day and we're
working on getting me back into the slaying gig. I'm really sorry
about Buffy and Xander. I can leave if you want." Faith shifted from
foot to foot as she made her rushed speech and awaited Willow's
response. Her hair still tumbled in riotous waves and it swung forward
as she hung her head.

The tolerant dislike disappeared. Willow's heart felt too heavy to
hold it anymore. Everyone always said she was too quick to forgive,
but it was something that had always been easy for her. She forgave
Faith because it was what they both needed. Faith looked like Willow
felt - alone. "You can stay."

Faith smiled, another expression Willow was unfamiliar with seeing on
her face. She had always smirked or sneered before. "Thanks." She
sat down in a chair, pulling her feet up and swinging her legs over the
arm. "You look nice. What's the occasion?"

The newfound lightness of her heart that forgiving Faith had brought
plummeted as everything was brought back to the surface of her
thoughts. The tears that had stopped swelled in her eyes and Willow
fought a losing battle with keeping them in. Faith jumped off her
chair and rushed to her side. She was holding Willow's weeping form
when Giles returned with the tea.

A perfunctory knock on the door at the same time heralded Cordelia's
entrance. "Willow! Are you okay? Angel sent me to look for you."
Cordelia crossed over to the couch and sat down on the other side of
Willow. Giles set the tea down on the coffee table and then wisely
retreated to a chair in the corner without a word. "What did he do
this time?"

The question needed to be answered. In different ways, Giles, Faith,
and Cordelia had all asked what was happening to upset her and it was
time to pull herself together and tell them. "I got married this
morning."

"To Angel?" Faith and Giles asked at the same time, identical as
possible expressions of astonishment on their faces. Cordelia stayed
silent since she already knew the answer.

"No. I married Casimir Kalendash. He's Jenny's nephew and a member of
the gypsy clan that cursed Angel." Thankfully, they were all silent
while she told the rest of story, including the stuff about Angel's
soul being permanent and excluding the fact that Casimir held Buffy
and Xander's immortal souls at his whim. The only comment Willow
received on her narrative was a snort and a more graphic description
from Cordelia of what had been going on with Angel when she arrived
when Willow explained that she and Angel had grown close the past few
days. "Anyway, Casimir threatened to hurt everyone I love unless I
married him. So, I did. He would have killed all of you just like he
and his family did to Buffy and Xander. I couldn't take that chance."

"Don't worry, Willow, we understand perfectly," Giles assured her, but
his worry was evident in the creases around his eyes.

Willow gave Giles a half-hearted smile, glad that he had accepted her
explanation without question. It would kill him if he knew that
Buffy's soul wasn't at peace and that because she had made a stupid
mistake, it wouldn't ever be. "After the wedding, I waited for Angel.
Casimir told me he had sent him an invitation with the wrong time. He
wanted to gloat. I just wanted to say good-bye, but Angel wasn't
listening and Casimir interrupted and started bragging about owning me
because of this." Willow waved her left hand with the wedding ring.
It was still slightly reddened from her encounter with Angel. "It's
a fidelity ring and it keeps me faithful to Casimir. He was being his
usual arrogant self until Angel told him that he couldn't own me
because Angel did. He said something about placing a geis. He said
it obligated me to him. Do you know anything about it, Giles?"

"It is a form of obligation placed on one person by another. I can
look up the particulars." Giles stood up. He looked relieved he
finally had something to do. "I'll be right back. I have a book on
ancient Celtic rituals upstairs."

Occasional sniffles from Willow and the ticking of the clock were the
only sounds in the room after Giles' departure. Faith shifted
uncomfortably next to her while Cordelia absently rubbed Willow's back.
Willow stared down at the floor a few moments and then reached for
another tissue. Her gaze met the silver tea service Giles used and on
the teapot's surface she could make out their warped reflections. The
images made her smile. Then a giggle escaped her lips as she realized
the incredible lunacy of her situation.

Cordelia's hand came away from her back. "Willow? Did you just snap?
Is this a psychotic break?"

"No," Willow gasped between giggles. She took a minute to contain her
laughter and then finally gestured at the fun house images in the
teapot. "I was just thinking about how you two were the last people I
would have expected to be by my side when I needed friends. No offense
or anything."

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to find you and Angel joined at the face
when I came back to Sunnydale either. By the way, shouldn't you be in
jail?" Cordelia looked across Willow to Faith. The question was more
curious than accusatory.

"Parole," Faith answered absently as she twisted her hair between her
fingers. She didn't look at them as she asked, "After all that I've
done to you guys, do you think that I could really be your friend?"

For the second time, Willow was caught off-guard by Faith's
vulnerability. And, apparently, so was Cordelia. "Sure, why not?"
Cordelia met Willow and Faith's looks of surprise with a roll of her
eyes. "Horrid experiences have helped me grow, okay. But not that
much, so keep your elbows to yourself and leave the bitch part to me.
I pull it off with much more style and class and a lot less psycho."

"I think I can agree to those terms." Faith smiled in relief and the
three of them lapsed into a semi-comfortable silence until Faith broke
it. "Wow, it is so weird to be sitting here with the two of you and
not want to kill you."

Willow couldn't help it, she started laughing again. Maybe she was
having a psychotic break, but she really didn't care. At least it felt
better than crying over Angel. After a moment, Cordelia and Faith
joined her and Willow could almost pretend that they were three college
friends giggling over lunch about the men in their lives.

Almost, but not quite. Especially when Giles walked back downstairs
with a large book with a Celtic crest embroidered in gold on the black
leather cover. He looked up from his book with a slightly bemused
expression. "It's nice to see you three girls getting along," was his
only comment on the hilarity he had interrupted. "I've found a
reference to the practice of geis. As I've said, it's an ancient
Celtic ritual of obligation. When a one person shares a psychic bond
with another person or thing, a geis can be placed that makes a certain
action taboo. In Irish myth the warrior Cuchulain's death is brought
about because he broke his geissa not to refuse a feast and not to eat
of his totem animal. Three hags offered him a meal of dog, which was
his totem animal, and he could not refuse to eat with them and yet he
could not eat from a dog."

"Giles, I think that comes under the heading of too much information,"
Cordelia protested. "So, does breaking this geis thing always mean
death for the person?"

"Yes. And there's no information on how one could break a geis, except
to say that it's up to the fates. Do you know how Angel was able to
do this to you, Willow?"

"The spell. I performed a spell that strengthened the anchoring of
Angel's soul, that spell was weak because I had performed it
unintentionally. The strengthening spell formed a bond between me and
Angel." Willow couldn't believe that Angel had used their bond against
her. Especially for something as petty as getting the best of Casimir.
Maybe he hated the gypsies more than any of them realized.

"That's putting it mildly. Angel is head over heels in love with you,"
Cordelia interrupted Willow's thoughts. All eyes turned to her at her
declaration. "Wesley and I thought he had gone off and staked himself
after we saw the e-mail wedding invitation on his computer. I guess he
was off doing this geis thingy instead."

"What exactly did Angel obligate Willow to do?" Faith asked curiously.

"To be faithful to him. I can't have sex with Casimir and because of
this damn ring I can't be with Angel either." Willow tried to twist
the ring on her finger to loosen it, move it, anything that would
indicate that her situation wasn't as hopeless as it seemed, but the
ring wouldn't budge. "Did you find out anything about the ring?"

"Yes." Giles hastily turned pages until he was near the end of the
book. "Fidelity rings were fashioned in Arthurian times, after the
betrayal of Guinevere with Lancelot. It keeps a partner faithful and
the price of adultery is death. The exact 'vows' of ring are inscribed
upon it."

This was getting better and better. Willow wanted to laugh again, but
couldn't muster the energy. Besides, she was too angry to laugh.
"Casimir called it a stalemate."

"A very deadly one. The bonds they've placed on you not only require
you stay faithful, but they will also call you to them. Eventually,
you won't be able to resist succumbing to one of them...." Giles
trailed off.

"And then I die," Willow finished for him. She shook her head and
stood up. She was tired of crying over this mess, it was time to get
herself out of it. If that was possible. "What about my magic?
Casimir married me so he could use it, can he?"

Giles shut his book and adjusted his glasses. "Well, um, since the
union will, uh, be unconsummated he won't have free access to your
magic."

"Good. At least Angel accomplished that." Willow couldn't help but
feel angry at Angel. He had taken something special between them and
twisted it into a game of "mine" with Casimir. Of course, at the same
time she forgave him. In her heart she knew it hadn't been Angel's
intention to hurt her, that her words were closer to Angel's intention.
He had been trying to protect her. Unfortunately his solution would
probably bring them more suffering than anything Casimir could have
done to them. "What does this geis do to Angel?"

"It would depend on the words he used. I suspect that he would be
irresistibly drawn to you as well."

"I can help there," Cordelia volunteered. "I'll find out exactly
what he did and said for this spell. Don't worry, Willow, Angel will
tell me everything or else I'll threaten to take my vision-seeing self
to some other do-gooder for the PTB."

"On that note, why don't I cozy up to hubby and find out what he's not
telling you." Faith stood up and smiled her old cocky smile. "I might
as well put my unfriendly reputation with you guys to good use."

This was nice. She had friends she could depend on again. Faith and
Cordelia would never replace Buffy and Xander in her heart, but they
did fill a void in her life. "Thanks, guys, I really appreciate this."
Willow turned to Cordelia. Aside from Faith, her support surprised
Willow the most. "I thought you would hate me for marrying Casimir
and hurting Angel."

The tall brunette shrugged. "I would have if I didn't know you only
did it to protect him. I know that Angel isn't the only one who is in
love here, Willow. I think you should tell him how you feel."

Willow could see the course of action she had to take and it didn't
involve following Cordelia's suggestion. Casimir wouldn't just give up
and he had Buffy and Xander's souls in his possession. She had to get
that piece of paper with the spell back and to do that, she would have
to go back to Casimir. "I can't do that. Cordelia, please, try to
convince Angel to go back to L. A. He can't stay here. I'll have to
hurt him more if he does."

"That won't happen. He's already sent Wesley back to close up shop.
He's not leaving, but I will try." Cordelia stood up and gave Willow a
hug. "Just watch what you say when you reject him for his own good.
He still takes things to an infinite brood level."

"I will." Willow hugged Cordelia back and reluctantly let her go.
"Well, I guess I should get back to my husband."

No one looked happy at that suggestion. Cordelia adjusted her purse
strap over her shoulder, but kept any comments to herself. Faith also
didn't say anything, instead she looked to Giles. "I don't think
that's wise, Willow," Giles vocalized their protests. "The closer you
are in proximity to either of these men, the more you'll feel the pull
toward them. You're playing with fire."

"I know, Giles, I have no choice." Willow hugged Giles. He was so
much like a father to her. She wished she could stay here and be safe
while they sorted everything out, but that would be that Giles wouldn't
be safe. She wanted him to be around for her real wedding, the one
she had when she married the man she loved. For a second, an image of
Angel in a tuxedo, the one he wore to the prom, flashed in Willow's
mind. Unfortunately, that was wishful thinking. She doubted very much
that the love Cordelia professed Angel to have for her would survive
the pain she was about to put him through.
 

Part Eight

It wasn't even noon and Willow felt like she had lived through a life
time in one morning. At least things were a bit brighter with Giles,
Cordelia, and even Faith, on her side. Together they would find some
way to release her from Casimir's shackles. Willow didn't let herself
think about the shackle Angel has placed on her. She walked from
Giles' to the apartment Casimir had rented keeping her mind firmly
away from that particular topic. Instead she thought about her new
home. One she had never seen and refused to move her stuff into.
There had been no way she would have let him move into her house
either. When he had forced her into this marriage, Willow had decided
to make it a difficult one as possible. She pressed the call button on
number thirteen and Casimir buzzed her in without even asking who it
was. She hated him.

"Your parents left," he yelled at her from the kitchen when she walked
into the apartment. "They weren't impressed with you. Your mother
was quite apologetic. She actually tried to explain the vampire to
me. I assured her that I understoon and I had every confidence that
you would let him down easily." Casimir waked into the living as he
talked carrying a sandwich. "I couldn't very well tell her that the
vampire and I are playing a game with her daughter's virtue. When do
you think he'll get tired of watching you suffer and fold? I give him
a week. That soul of his has made him soft. This would be much more
interesting if he were Angelus."

"You love this, don't you?" Willow sat down in her chair and watched
her husband with detached interest. "Do you even realize that because
of what Angel did you don't have access to my magic? The one thing you
wanted most."

The cocky smirk she was expecting didn't appear. Instead Casimir gave
her a long, measuring look. His tone was serious and slightly curious
when he asked her, "Do you ever get tired of underestimating me, my
love?" Casimir sat down across from Willow. He set his sandwich down
on the endtable and then gave her his full attention. His icy blue
eyes stabbed into hers. "I'm a bery determined man and I don't think
you understand my motivations. I want your magic and I want the
vampire to suffer, but not for the reason you think. I don't care that
he murdered some gypsy whore from my family around a century ago. I
want him to suffer because he stole your love from me. You would have
loved me eventually, Willow."

"No."

Casimir gave her a sad smile. "You wouldn't be saying that if it
wasn't for him. You were attracted to me when we first met."

This conversation was making Willow uncomfortable. Casimir was her
enemy and she was starting to feel sorry for him. She had this almost
irresitable urge to reach out and hold his hand. Damn, she was too
forgiving! "I was attracted to lies. That's what you're doing right
now, you're lying to me."

"You believe that now, because of the curse the vampire put on you,
but your heart will tell you different." Casimir stood up. He kissed
the top of Willow's head. "If you let yourself listen." He gave her
hair a last lingering caress and then left Willow alon to contemplate
his words.

*****

"Tell me, Angel, do you ever use your brain to think or is its only
purpose to keep your skull from caving in?" Cordelia slammed the motel
room door shut, encapsulating them in the cool darkness of the shrouded
room.

"Excuse me?" Angel lifted his head from the pillow. He had been
laying on the bed and staring at the ceiling reveiwing, not brooding,
about what he could possibly say to Willow when he saw her again to
make things right. He had to find the right words to explain what he
had done and why he had done it. She had to understand. Now for some
reason, Cordelia was mad at him. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? My problem is that you are an idiot!" Cordelia threw her
purse into a nearby chair and stood with her arms crossed and her foot
tapping the carpet. She looked like she was waiting for an apology.
Angel didn't offer one, so she threw up her hands with a frustrated
sigh. "In case you haven't noticed, things have changed since your
heart stopped beating. Women today don't appreciate being treated like
chattle. While I'm sure one of your olden times lasses would have
found this geis thing romantic and flattering, that is not how Willow
feels. Why didn't you tell me what you had done before you sent me in
there to talk to Willow? I'm supposed to convince you to go back to
L. A. by the way." Cordelia flopped down on the edge of the bed.

While Cordelia had been railing at him, Angel had sat up. He had caught
the gist of why she was mad at him and he wasn't really surprised by
her reaction. He really should have told her what he had done before
he had sent her to talk to Willow, but he had been afraid that Cordelia
would refuse once she had known and then he would have lost his only
ally who could get close to Willow. If Willow chose to shut him out,
Cordelia would be his window back in. Unfortunately, Cordelia seemed
to closing that window. He couldn't have that, he would have to make
amends and make his position very clear. "I'm staying. And I'm sorry
I didn't tell you, I should have."

"Damn right you should have. Well, at least I can tell them that I
tried to convince you to leave. What the hell were you thinking,
Angel?"

Angel ran a hand through his hair. He stood up and paced the small
room. "I didn't intend to obligate Willow to me, well I did....I
just...I wanted to protect her from Kalendash. I thought that if she
couldn't give him what he wanted, then he wouldn't want her. I didn't
expect them to already be married by the time I got back to Sunnydale
and I sure as hell didn't expect him to use a fidelity ring."

"You did the exact same thing he did to her."

"I know." Angel stared at the drawn curtains. He wished he could go
back and find some other way to deal with everything. He wished he
could go back to that night in the cemetary when he had found Willow
offering dead flowers to her dead friends and this time pick her up
and carry her far away from Sunnydale.

The comforting touch of Cordelia's hand on his arm pulled Angel out of
his rueful thoughts. "There is a difference, though," she conceded.
"You love her and she loves you."

"So that makes what I did not as bad."

"No. It does make it easier to forgive. She already has, you know.
She was worried about the effect the geis will have on you. Giles is
going to research it and the fidelity ring."

Willow had turned to Giles for help. That was good. She wasn't
accepting the situation anymore, she was fighting it. And maybe she
would forgive him eventually. He doubted it had happened already, as
Cordelia claimed. Willow's concern for him was just a part of her
nature. But it did give him hope. "And you?"

"I'm part of the team. Right now my job is to find out the exaxt spell
you used for the geis." Cordelia looked at him expectantly. When he
didn't answer right away she looked annoyed. "You have to tell me.
It's bad enough you're going to be hanging around town, I can't go back
empty handed too. If you want me to help willow and do this double
agenting, then I have to be on her side and I have to have that
information. She was already surprized that I didn't hate her for
hurting you."

"This isn't her fault. Kalendash is blackmailing her. At least she's
with Giles now." Cordelia made a noncommital noise that Angel didn't
like and she backed up to pick up her purse. "She is with Giles?"

The thin black leather purse strap twisted into coils under the nervous
manipulation of Cordelia's fingers. "She went back to him," she
informed him quietly, not meeting his gaze.

"She went back to him," Angel repeated. He sat down heavily, the bed
bouncing slightly under his weight. Oh, God, he was wrong. Xander had
been wrong. Willow did love the gypsy. They had finally gotten their
revenge. When they had given him back his soul, they had given him
back the chance to love and lose it. First Buffy and now Willow. At
least losing Buffy had been his choice, he had some manner of control
over it. Despite the geis, he couldn't dictate Willow's feelings for
the gypsy. Angel cradled his head in his hands. It felt heavy and
light at the same time. He wanted to be sick.

"No, no, we're not doing this," Cordelia protested. She knelt down
before Angel and took his face in her hands. She forced him to look at
her. "You are right. He has something on her. She told Giles that
she had no choice but to go back to him. She only married him because
he threatened to kill all of us."

"If she lives with him, she'll be drawn to him."

"That's what Giles said." Cordelia dropped her hands from Angel's face
to cover his trembling hands. "If Willow ever finds out that I told
you this, I hope she understands and forgives me because right now I'm
thinking that the geis was a good idea. You have to fight for her and
not in a noble, gentlemanly way either. You fight dirty. She loves
you, Angel, and no matter what she says or does you have to trust
her. And she has to trust that you love her no matter what you do."

"I trust her." It was about all he could do until sunset. Then would
be able to leave the motel room and take Cordelia's advice. He would
find Willow and make it clear to her that he would fight for her.
Casimir Kalendash would not win, he would make sure of that, even if he
had to hurt Willow in the process.

*****

The vibrant red and orange of the setting sun glanced off the
headstones in the cemetary. As the sky darkened to purple, the pink of
Buffy's headstone deepened into a rich mauve and Xander's warmed to a
charcoal gray. Willow sat between them, idlely plucking blades of
grass. She hadn't been able to stay at the apartment with Casimir.
She had kept dwelling on what he had said and how nice he had been when
he had first come to town. When she had caught herself moving toward
the bedroom, actually wanting to apologise to her best friends' killer
for her treatment of him, Willow had turned and run out. She hadn't
actually believed Giles when he had said she would be attracted to
Casimir. Angel, yeah, but Casimir. At least the feeling faded when
she was away from him.

Her first impulse had been to seek solace back at her home. That
didn't work however because once she was there she had been assaulted
by memories of Angel. He had become such an idelible part of her life
so quickly that it physically hurt for her to remember the few precious
days they had spent together. He hadn't been enough. With her own
house off-limits in the comfort department, this was the only place
she could think of to find peace. Giles would only try to convince her
to stay with him or leave town until they had figured out a way to
break the bond of the fidelity ring. Willow lay down between her best
friends' graves and buried her face in the grass. She breathed in the
cool, earthy scent.

"Wow, the tragedy factor sure had been signifcantly upped since the
last time I visited. I'm impressed."

Willow rolled her head to the side and smiled at Buffy leaning against
her headstone. "I learned from the best. Besides, I didn't want you
to get bored."

"Yeah, we can't leave you alone for a minute. Look what happens - you
become immortal, fall for Deadboy, get blackmailed, cursed, married,
and cursed again. You know, I don't think even Buffy could top this in
the area of angst." Xander's snarky comments made Willow sit up and
face him. He sat on his headstone with his Xander grin and his
laughing Xander eyes. "Don't I get a hello?"

"Hi," was all Willow could manage. Tears blurred her vision and she
hastily blinked them away to clear her view of her oldest best friend.
"I've missed you."

"Missed you too." Xander stood up and took the few steps that brought
him to Willow. He sat down in front of her and passed a hand over her
cheeks. A wafting coolness dried the tears she had allowed to fall.
"We have to figure out a way to get you out of this, Will."

"Well, gee, now the you're dead, I thought you guys would be all
knowing and would knowl the answer already."

"You're right, what's the use of having dead friends, if they're not
all knowing." Buffy joined them on the grass. She gave Willow a
reproachful look along with her joking words. "Of course, it helps if
you take their advice. I told you to tell Angel everything. I don't
remember saying anything about marrying Kalendash."

"Yeah, Will, Angel could have taken care of himself. You didn't have
to marry the gypsy."

Buffy and Xander's earnest and concerned looks gave Willow pause. She
wasn't sure if she should tell them. It would be easy to let them
believe that she had married Casimir solely to save Angel. The fact
was, Willow was surprised that they didn't know that their souls were
in danger. Her crack about all knowing dead people had been half way
serious. That was the deal, once you died, you got to know everything.
And once you found someone you loved you were supposed to live with
them happily ever after. She couldn't not tell them. If something
went wrong, which it would, and Casimir had a chance to use the
bloodied paper, then Buffy and Xander deserved to know what could
happen. Maybe they could find a way to save themselves. "He has the
paper with the spell. It's soaked with your blood and he can use it
to curse your souls."

This new information shocked Buffy and Xander into silence. Willow
looked at their striken faces and felt overwhelming guilt. Thanks to
her they had endured a violent, bloody death and now, also courtesty of
her mistakes, they couldn't even enjoy a peaceful afterlife. Willow
hung her head.

"Great." Xander's voice made Willow look up. He sounded bitter and
the least she could do was face his recriminations. "Now I have to
cross this off my 'Why I hate Angel' list. You know I don't like
doing that. The less I have on the list, the more my animosity toward
the guy looks petty and irrational."

"I'm going to go with a 'no comment' on that one." Buffy rolled her
eyes at Xander. When she turned to Willow her look softened. "I
can't believe you married that jerk to save our souls. That's so
sweet. I love you." Buffy waved her spectral hands in the air. "It's
hard being sappy when you can't hug!"

"It's the thought that counts. And I love you guys too. That's why
I had to marry him and find some way to get that paper back. After
that I hope Giles will find out a way to get this ring off my finger.
I just wish Angel hadn't complicated things."

"Giles will find a way out of your marriage for you. And as for Angel,
I can't believe he cursed you!" Buffy looked annoyed with her ex.

"It's not exactly a curse...."

"It sure seems like one! It could kill you. I don't know what Angel
was thinking. He was sitting around, brooding, so I sent Xander to..."
Buffy trailled off and narrowed her eyes at her companion in death.
"What exactly did you say to Angel, Xander?"

Xander fidgeted under Buffy and Willow's sudden undivided attention.
"Nothing. Well, I might have said something about Willow being in
trouble. A lot of trouble. That if he didn't do something....hey,
I love you guys." He gave them his puppy-Xander look.

"Xander," Buffy started to admonish him, but she stopped when she
noticed a movement in the trees on the edge of the cemetary. Willow
turned to look as well and saw Angel step out into clearing. He and
Buffy stared at each other. Some kind of understanding seemed to pass
between them and they both smiled. Buffy grabbed Xander's hand. "We
have to leave now."

Before Willow could protest, both Buffy and Xander popped out of
existence. She didn't want to be alone with Angel. If she had found
resisting Casimir under the spell of the ring difficult, saying no to
Angel with this geis on them would be virtually impossible. Willow
clutched handfuls of grass and earth as if to anchor herself where she
was seated.

Since Buffy and Xander's disappearance, Angel's smile had changed.
With Buffy it had been friendly and faintly nostalgic, now it was more
cool and smirky. The smile reminded her of how...no, that was
impossible. Angel's soul was permenant. Still, when Angel started
moving toward her with that easy, effortless stride, Willow shivered.
His whole demeanor was Angelus. The look in his eyes, the curl of his
lips, and the gliding quality of his walk. He didn't say a word.
Willow didn't know if that was good thing or a bad thing. He stopped
directly in front of her, not even trying to put her at ease. Willow
refused to look up at him, keeping her gaze locked onto the blades of
green grass protruding from her between her white knuckles.

Angel's hand came into her field of vision as she held it out to her.
"Fe dheireadh thiar thall, a ghra mo chroi."

Of it's own volition, Willow's hand placed itself in his offered palm.
Strong fingers closed over it and with a gentle tug, Angel pulled her
to her feet. Willow still couldn't look at him. She fixed her stare
on the third button from the top of his shirt. Blue velvet, leather
pants, and a long black overcoat. The clothing wasn't reassuring
either. How could Buffy have left her? How could she not have known?

Almost as if he had heard the questions her mind was screaming at her,
Angelus - for this was who Willow was sure it was - caressed her hair.
"Buffy always did focus on the face. Place too much trust in the
smile. She never bothered to assess the whole package. Not a mistake
you've ever made. You knew something was wrong the very first time
we met, just as you do now."

"Angel...is he..."

"Don't worry, your lovely seduction wasn't in vain, Angel is still with
us. It's just that the soul is weak and I am not. We made a deal.
He lets me out to play and I get you out of your marriage."

Willow looked up at him then. This didn't sound right. Angel wasn't
stupid, he knew how dangerous Angelus was and what he was capable of.
Angel would never.... She couldn't say that. A week ago, Willow would
have been certain that Angel would never have sex with her on her
kitchen table. That he would never wait around and make love to her
the next night. Never have told her he loved her. Never have cursed
her. No, Willow was no authority on the things Angel would never do.
It was completely possible that this was Angelus. "What do you want?"
she finally asked.

A step closer brought them a hair's breadth apart. Willow had no
desire to move back. Until that moment, Angel's odd manner had made
her nervous, but now that he was so close, she felt comforted. He
leaned in close, his lips touching the top of her ear. When he spoke,
the comfort his presence within her personal space had brought was
pushed aside by the fear inspired by his words. "I told you. I want
to play." His hands ran up and down her arms in a stroke so light and
quick that Willow wasn't sure if it had happened. The only evidence
she had that it wasn't her imagination was the goosebumps tingling
her flesh. "I want to feel the warm touch of your hands all over my
body. The demanding bruise of your lips...anywhere you want to put
them."

Again Willow had no control over her limbs as she was caught up in a
tide of fear and undeniable desire. Her hands reached up to go around
Angel's neck. He stopped her. Raising his head to look at her, he
entwined their fingers. "And, oh, what I want to do to you, dear
sweet Willow. I didn't realize before how much fun you could be."
Angel's attention turned to their hands and he rubbed the gold band on
her ring finger thoughtfully. "Till death do you part. That is the
vow, isn't it?" But Angel didn't wait for Willow to answer. He
returned his gaze to her, but instead of intense brown, she caught a
glitter of yellow as he bent toward her neck. "You are going to make
one hell of a vampire, my love," he growled into her throat.
 

Gaelic translation - "We meet again, love of my heart."
 

Part Nine

"Angel!" Willow shoved him away from her. Hard. Angel stumbled back. He hadn't expected Willow to push him away with so much force. He didn't have to fake the surprise on his face when he looked at her.

"Willow? Wh...what's going on?"

Willow gave him a look like a small animal that had just successfully dodged one lane of busy traffic only to be confronted with a second, seemingly deserted lane. Her bright green eyes were round with fear and uncertainty. Angel winced internally at the mistrust he saw there, but made sure that his expression only showed confusion.

"What's wrong, Saileach?" At the use of her Gaelic name, some of the fear left Willow. She warily reached out to stroke the ridges of his face.

"Angel?" His hand joined hers, as if unaware of his own contorted features. Angel's face smoothed under her touch and he watched as Willow shuddered with relief. He couldn't do this to her. He would tell her the truth right now. That it had been an act. And then...what? She could go back to her husband, hating him for pretending to be Angelus? That would work just perfect. No, he had no choice. He had to finish this, now that he'd started it. Cordelia had told him to fight dirty - although she thought this plan a bit excessive, the whole concept of Angelus still made her nervous - and he would.

"It's really you," Willow whispered to herself, still stroking his cheek. She seemed reassured by his silence. Since she had reproached him after pushing him away, Angelus hadn't returned to mock her. It was true, if he had truly been Angelus, he would have called his "Angel" bluff the moment she had touched him. Angel took her hand from his face and held it tightly. He looked earnestly into her eyes.

"Please, Willow, tell me what's going on." The story spilled from Willow's lips and to her credit, it came out coherently. While she talked, Willow's free hand wandered over his face. She touched his forehead, his temple, down his cheek and the side of his neck. Finally, it rested on his chest where his heart would have beat.

"Oh, Angel, I was so scared that you were gone," Willow concluded with a sob. He pulled her to him, hugging her against his chest, partly because Angel needed to hold her close and partly because he didn't want to Willow to see his face. She would see the guilt, he couldn't hide it. Angel had known Willow would be concerned about him, it was kind of the foundation of his whole plan, but he hadn't thought it would be her first reaction. Now he would have to compound it.

"It's coming back to me now, I think. God, Willow, I'm so sorry." It was okay if she saw the guilt now, it was what she would expect, so he pushed Willow back slightly so he could look down at her when he delivered his next line. "He lied to you. There's no deal, something else is causing Angelus to gain his freedom. I think it's the geis."

"What? You mean you can't control him...when he appears?" Willow looked nervous and scared, as she well should have been if Angelus was really a threat. She stepped back from him. Angel didn't let her go, he pulled her closer to him instead and the panic in her eyes was instantaneous. So was the pain in his heart.

"I can't control him, but I think you can. When were apart today, I felt strange. The demon was rattling the bars of the cage and my soul was too tired to fight. It was kind of like when this actress I had been protecting had drugged me, I could feel myself slipping away, but it was already too late. But now that I'm with you, my soul is strong and the demon is quiet. I think that as long as I'm with you, Angelus is gone." Damn but he was a first rate bastard. Willow was going to feel responsible, she was going to need to help him, but of course that was the plan. He was just going to have to pile on the guilt until she came up with the idea he wanted to hear. "I can't go back to L. A., Willow. Cordelia tried to convince me and now that I remember, that's when Angelus first started to gain control. I think he scared the hell out of her. Willow, I can't be separated from you, not even for a day. If I am, I'm afraid..he might...."

"Angelus will hurt people." Willow's mind was making all the connections he had been counting on. "The geis has weakened your soul because its bound it even more tightly to mine than my spell did. Angel, we can't be apart until Giles can find out how to break the geis. You have to move in with me." Yes! That's what he wanted to hear. What this whole charade was supposed to accomplish. Willow with him instead of the gypsy. Kalendash couldn't exert his charm through the bond of the fidelity ring if Willow wasn't around. "The apartment's only a one bedroom - too small for the three of us - we'll have to move into my house, I guess." Angel's private elation almost caused him to miss the meaning of Willow's words. Her plan didn't include leaving Kalendash. "You can stay in Buffy's room, it's the darkest, and Casimir can use Oz's. I'll be in my own, of course. I think we can make it work." Willow looked up at him and nodded, her plan set, unfortunately it wasn't the one Angel had in mind.

"What? You expect me to live in the same house as him?"

"I live in the same house as him. He's my husband," Willow answered simply.

"Why?" It was a big question. Angel knew that Willow was aware that he was asking her not only why she was living with Kalendash, but also why she had married him. She had never really answered that question to his satisfaction. Willow did have a self-sacrificial nature, but what could the gypsy possibly have on her that she would doom herself to being with him for the rest of her life? It couldn't be his soul, Willow must know by now that the gypsy's magic was useless and that there was no way they could have cursed her.

"I love him."

The statement sent Angel back down the spiraling yo-yo of emotions and doubts he had had about Willow's feeling since he had returned to Sunnydale, not because of the words, but because of the way she said them. Her voice was sure and steady and her eyes didn't leave his face. Willow couldn't lie that well.

"I love you too." This declaration came out involuntarily as she breathed. Angel wasn't even sure Willow knew she had made it. It was the first time she had said it and it sent him back up with the yo-yo. She loved him! The feelings she thought she had for the gypsy had to be a product of the fidelity ring and as long as he stayed close, he could keep Willow from succumbing to the spell. Hopefully, he wouldn't destroy the love she felt for him while protecting her.

"I'll go get my stuff." Angel held out his hand. Willow dug into her pocket for a set of keys and handed them over to him.

"I'll go tell Casimir we're moving. See you later, Angel." She impulsively reached up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "You'll be okay, right?"

"I'll be fine." Angel brought Willow's hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss in her palm. "I love you, Saileach."

*****

The night was dark by the time Willow headed back to Casimir's apartment, but she wasn't worried about the vampires and demons that lurked in the cemeteries and parks of Sunnydale. She had other things on her mind. The foremost was agonizing over Angel. How could she have told him she loved him? She was supposed to convince him that she loved Casimir so Angel would go back to L. A. and not be completely destroyed by the charade she was forced to play out with her husband for her best friends' souls. Now the Angelus factor had messed that up, there was no way Angel could go back to L. A. She was going to have to break his heart up close and personal by pretending to fall in love with Casimir while living in the same house with Angel. But it wouldn't be fair to play with his feelings and tell him that she loved him. She was going to have to watch that it didn't happen again.

"Come and knock on our door," Willow sang the theme song to Three's Company softly to herself. Three was definitely not going to be company, it was going to be insane. In a rather perverse train of thought, Willow wondered what the sitcom pitch to the network would like: it's about a witch, blackmailed into marrying a gypsy who wants to steal her powers, and both of them live with her vampire lover who has cursed her. "Argh! What the hell am I going to do?" Willow yelled at the heavens. The answer came from another place.

"You might want to try running, lovely, but it won't help." The vampire emerged from the darkness to stand in front of her. He looked around her age, with surfer blond hair and blue eyes, but he wasn't young. From his attitude and level of confidence, and despite the beach bum looks, Willow guessed that he might be nearing a hundred years old. He licked his fangs and winked a now yellow eye at her.

"I don't run," Willow told him calmly. The vampire raised a brow at her, slightly off put by her confidence. "You're new in town, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I don't usually talk to my meals." The vampire advanced, but he only took at step before his head was separated neatly from his neck. His yellow eyes registered surprise as he turned to dust. "He definitely wasn't worthy of making a meal of you, Ducks." Spike walked through the settling dust, brushing it off his leather coat.

"Spike!" Willow hugged him. "You're back! It's so good to see you."

"I can tell." Spike hugged her back. His arms wrapped around her waist in a comforting embrace before he slid his hands back to caress over her hips to rest them on the curve of her ass.

"Spike." Willow pulled away. Spike had been making passes at her ever since he had tried to bite her and they discovered that he couldn't because of the implant. Willow was pretty sure that if she had ever responded he would have run the other way. He just did it because it made her blush, not because he had a serious romantic interest in her.

"Right. Sorry about that." Spike gave her a wicked grin, but he soon lost it. He looked at the ground and shuffled his feet. "Sorry about Slutty and the Xapper too." "Thanks." Willow accepted the condolences without admonishing him about the nicknames. Spike had never developed as close a relationship with Buffy and Xander as he had with her and Giles. Of course, it hadn't helped when he and Anya had taken off together. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah, Anya's pretty busy these days."

"How does she like her new job?"

"She loves it. She says it's a lot more satisfying sticking it to the general populace rather than confining her talents to mere slimy men. Being a Bad Karma Demon really agrees with her."

"That's nice. How did she take the news about Xander?" Spike at least had the decency to look guilty at the mention of Xander. Xander had been unable to accept Anya's return to her demon persona and Spike had been more than happy to encourage their fights. Things had finally blown up and ended with Spike and Anya leaving Sunnydale.

"She's upset. I think some poor bloke really got his tail fried the day she found out. She said she wanted to be alone and I wanted to check on you, so here I am. And right in the nick of time too."

"Yes, your timing is impeccable."

"So, how are you?" Willow laughed. She linked her arm with Spike's and started walking him toward Casimir's apartment.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. So, you have a place to stay while you're in town, Spike?" Willow gave Spike one of her sweet, innocent smiles. Spike would make a good addition to her weird family. If anything, Angel would have to at least think about who he was going to kill, Spike or Casimir, before he did it.

"I was planning on staying with you and now that I've saved your life, you can't refuse."

"I'm not refusing, but you didn't save my life." Willow sent Spike a coy smile. It was nice being with him. Easy. She didn't feel the push and pull she constantly felt in Angel and Casimir's presence. Maybe Spike would help alleviate that as well.

"I beg to differ, love, you may have gotten good at the slaying over the years, but that guy was going to tear open your neck."

"It wouldn't have mattered, unless he ripped my head off, because I seem to have picked up immortality since the last time we talked." The look on Spike's face was priceless. Willow couldn't wait for him to meet his roommates.

*****

The bar was dark and seedy, the perfect atmosphere to brood by. Angel had dropped his limited belongings at Willow's and then had went looking for someplace he could fade into the background. The strong pulse of the music and the gyrating bodies made this place perfect. He couldn't have stayed at Willow's and wait for her to move her husband in. In his current unstable mood, Angel was afraid he would rip the gypsy's throat out if he had witnessed even the tiniest sign of affection between them. Angel smiled down at the bottom of his glass. At least he could blame Angelus for his more violent impulses should he indulge them. It could even turn out to be fun living in the same house as the gypsy, tormenting him, as long as the bastard didn't touch Willow.

"Hey," a husky voice purred into his ear and a soft body pressed against his back. "What's a handsome vampire like you doing in a dive like this?"

Angel glanced over, downing the rest of his Guinness. "Hey, Faith. Cordelia told me you were out of jail."

"Free as a bird." Faith slid onto the bar stool beside him. She ran a fingertip around the rim of his glass and then brushed the gathered moisture onto his bottom lip. "Want to help me celebrate?" Okay, this was not how he had expected his first meeting with Faith since her incarceration to go. A thank you, yes, her hand on his crotch, no. Especially since Cordelia had also told him about Faith's reformed attitude and her offer to get friendly with Kalendash to help Willow. Instead she seemed to have devolved back into her getting-even-with-Buffy behavior.

"What's the game, Faith?"

"Anything you want to play, Angel." Faith gave him a wicked smile and leaned in close. "Red's hubby got a hold of some old info. Stuff about how I tried to move in on you when you were with B, only his source seemed to think I was successful. Caz tracked me down and asked if I would be willing to renew the relationship. Go with it."

"And where exactly is this going to take us?" Angel tipped his empty glass at the bartender. The man came over and replaced it with a full one, giving Faith an appreciative once over. Angel didn't know why Faith had chosen this particular avenue to get into Kalendash's good graces. He knew what the gypsy wanted to accomplish by having Faith try to seduce him, but how was it going to help him and Willow? Faith glared at the bartender until he moved onto another customer and out of earshot.

"Hubby wants to get into my pants, but it seems he can't do that until he has Red's feelings all sewed up. This fidelity ring he gave her is also supposed to make her love him, but it can't do its job while she's in love with you. In order for him to be able to play around, he has to make sure that Red can't, or won't, turn to you."

"And she certainly won't do that if I'm sleeping with you."

"Exactly." Faith stroked his chest. "And, you know, a little dose of jealousy can sometimes make feeling clearer for people."

"Willow knows how she feels about me." Angel lifted a brow as Faith took her hands back and straightened away from him. "Kalendash leave?"

"Yeah, he just stayed to see if I could hook you. Guess he's going back home to Red now." Faith reached for Angel's beer and took a drink. "You know, I always thought that B, or even just the memory of her, would keep you and Red apart."

"What do you mean 'you always thought?"

"Please, to the objective observer, it was obvious that there were vibes between you and Willow. You think it was coincidence that you were always there to save her when she needed it? Hell, I may have focused my rage onto B, but I was just as jealous of Willow. She had everything, friends, smarts, love, and you in the background looking out for her."

"I didn't think that anyone would notice. Do you think anyone noticed?" Angel quickly reviewed all of his past actions when he had lived in Sunnydale concerning Willow. He hadn't thought he had been obvious.

"Just Giles and B."

"Buffy knew? How do you know that?"

"Just looks she would give you when you were looking at Willow. But, don't sweat it, B loved you both and she knew that you loved her. She knew neither of you would hurt her on purpose. Unlike me." Angel and Faith sat in silence. God, he hoped Faith was right and that if Buffy had guessed his feelings for Willow, she hadn't been hurt by them or blamed Willow for them. Since their friendship seemed to have gone undamaged after he left, that was probably the case.

"So," Faith broke the silence brightly. "I guess since we're sleeping together, I should know where you're staying."

"At Willow's with her and her husband."

"Excuse me? Why?"

"When I'm away from Willow for a long time, Angelus emerges," Angel lied. He knew Faith was working with them and he trusted her, but the less people he had telling him what an idiotic place it was, the better. Cordelia was more than enough, although she had told him that she was telling Wesley. "It's a side effect of the geis. My soul is bonded to hers and when she's not around...."

"Angelus is," Faith finished with a shiver. She had never actually met the real Angelus, but apparently Buffy and the others had told her stories. She drank the rest of Angel's beer and grinned at him. "Let's go see if they need help moving."

*****

"I don't bloody believe it!" Spike set his mug of blood on the coffee table with a thunk. Willow smiled at him from the corner of the couch she was curled up in. She had just finished telling Spike the sordid details, well most of them, of her life. Casimir hadn't been at the apartment when they arrived, so she had left him a note telling him she was living here and he could join her if he wanted to. Then Spike had helped her move her clothes back home. He sat at the other end of the couch and shook his head in amazement. "You and the Poof. And in the kitchen, yet. Ah, Ducks, if you wanted to boff a vampire then you knew that I was more than ready, willing, and very able." Willow's eyes widen, not at the familiar come on, but rather at Spike's mention of the locale of her and Angel's first tryst. She hadn't told him that.

"How did you know that Angel and I...you know...in the kitchen?" Spike reached out and stroked the blush on her cheek.

"Sorry, pet, but even though the event is past, the scent still lingers. If your gypsy husband has as good a sniffer as your ex-wolfboy, I suggest you break out the Lysol." His hand wandered from her cheek to her hair. He fingered the silky strands. "I can't believe you shagged the Poof. What the hell does he have that I don't?"

"A head on my shoulders if you don't stop touching her," Angel growled from behind them. "You know better than to touch what's mine, William." The edge in Angel's voice told Willow that he was dangerously close to not being himself. Spike must have noticed it as well because he stood up and stepped away from her without comment or protest. Willow stood up too and turned to calm Angel down, but the words died on her lips. He was with Faith. She was touching him. Sure, it was just a hand on his arm, but she was touching him.

"Your note didn't say anything about company, my love." Casimir walked through the still open front door. He pushed past Angel and Faith and set his suitcase on the floor.

"I'm not company, I live here." Angel was still in growl mode, but now his animosity was no longer directed at Spike. "I'm in Buffy's room, Willow's in her own, and you can take Oz's. Preferably the cage in the basement where he spent his full moon hours."

"I'll pass on that, thanks. I think I'll sleep with my wife instead," Casimir baited Angel, but Willow wasn't paying attention to him. Faith's hand was still on Angel's arm and if she didn't move it soon, she was going to lose it. Or at the very least it would require extensive reconstructive surgery after Willow broke every bone in it. As if totally unaware of the serious medical bills heading her way, Faith rubbed Angel's shoulder soothingly.
"Don't let him get to you, Angel."

"Don't worry, Slayer of the-not-annoying variety, I'll keep a lid on things. I'm staying in Xander's room," Spike announced. He had sat back down on the couch, obviously more comfortable with Angel's anger now that Casimir was the target.

"I asked Spike to stay here while he's in town. I thought it might help...things," Willow jumped in to explain. Having Spike stay was starting to look like a very bad idea. Having Casimir live here was looking like a very bad idea. They were both going to bring out the Angelus in Angel, there was no way Angel could control himself in such antagonistic surroundings. Maybe she should tell Casimir to go back to the apartment and tell Spike to find some place else to stay. Then she could tell Angel about Casimir holding Buffy and Xander's souls hostage and he could help her stop him.....

"Funny, I had the same idea," Angel interrupted Willow's epiphany. "That's why I asked Faith to move in with us."

Part Ten

Willow was not going to tell Angel anything. She couldn't believe he
had actually invited Faith to stay in her home. Touchy-feely Faith
who had slept with Xander and had tried repeatedly to seduce Angel.
"We have to talk." Willow spun around and headed for the kitchen,
assuming Angel would follow her. It had been her intention to just
lead Angel aside, away from the others, but on second thought she
walked straight into the kitchen. If Spike could smell what had
happened between them days before, then so could Angel and he needed
a reminder.

As soon as she reached the kitchen counter, Willow whipped around to
confront Angel. She knew exactly what she was going to say. "You...
how... it's..." she sputtered indignantly. Her lips were not
co-operating with what she needed to say or rather yell.

But Angel seemed to have no trouble making his sentences turn out.
"What the hell is Spike doing here? Why was he touching you? How
come he isn't leaving?"

That brought back her powers of speech. "No! You are not allowed to
do that. Spike is my friend and he was concerned about me and why
wouldn't I ask my friend who was concerned about me to stay in my
home? It's not like I invited him into your home."

"Cordelia said that you and Faith had made peace and I thought she
could ease tensions with the gypsy."

"Is that what she was doing? Easing tensions? Is that why she was
touching you?" Willow got to the heart of her ire. The image of
Faith's hand on Angel's arm still itched in her mind. She tried to
tell herself to get over it, it wasn't like Faith had been groping him
or anything, but it still bugged her. Angel was hers. It was
vaguely disturbing to have such fiercely proprietary feelings for
Angel, but it was also right. Angel belonged to her in a way that
Xander or Oz never had. No one was going to take that away from her.

Before Angel had a chance to formulate a response to her question,
Willow took the two steps covering the distance between them and
kissed him. The ring reacted immediately this time. White hot metal
circled her finger in a ring of fire, reblistering the almost healed
skin. Willow broke away from Angel with a pain filled gasp. "Fuck,"
she cursed. She shook her hand in the air and tried to claw the ring
off. It wouldn't budge.

Tears of pain and frustration streaked down Willow's cheeks. She
cradled her hand close to her chest and whimpered, aware of only the
searing pain. Then Angel's hand reached out and gently took a hold of
her injured one. He turned her to the sink and turned on the faucet,
placing her hand under the cool stream. The water hissed as it
splashed over the red glow of the ring. Angel left her at the sink
and Willow heard the clinking of the ice machine as it dropped its
contents. He came back and set a bowl of ice cubes on the counter
by the sink. Angel took her hand once again and settled it into the
soothing ice.

"Shhh, it's okay." Angel brushed the tears from her cheeks and rubbed
her back. "Is that better?" Willow nodded and pressed her face into
Angel's chest. The ice crackled and popped around them. Angel
continued to make comforting noises and stroke her hair and back. His
chest heaved against her cheek in a sigh. "Oh, Saileach, tell me what
I can do to fix this?" he whispered.

"You could kiss me," Willow suggested. She rubbed her cheek on the
roughness of his dark sweater.

"I wish I could, but it would hurt you again. That ring's
gotten touchier."

Willow looked up at Angel. "My hand's in the ice. It's all numb."

Angel's face edged closer to hers until not even an inch separated
their lips. "You're tempting me." Willow closed the gap between them
even more and finally Angel allowed a brief petal brush of their lips.
"Faith's here to make Kalendash comfortable. He's asked her to seduce
me. He thinks it will lessen our bond and break the geis."

"Would it?" Willow closed her eyes as Angel's lips lingered on her
brow.

"I don't know, but once he's broken our bond, he wants Faith for
himself."

Willow's eyes snapped open and she leaned back to stare at Angel.
"He can't do that. The fidelity ring works both ways. If he's
unfaithful to me then the spell is broken." This wasn't good. Her
whole plan had been to convince Casimir that she had given him the
love he seemed to want from her. Then once she had done that, which
may have required a sacrifice of part of her magic, she had hoped that
Casimir would have trusted her enough to give her back the blood
spattered paper with the spell. But if Casimir wanted Faith, then
gaining and keeping her love was not at the top of his priority list.
Oh, God, she had almost made a horrible mistake. If she had let
Casimir have access to even a small part of her magic, he probably
would have used it to destroy Buffy and Xander's souls. Especially if
he thought she couldn't turn to Angel for help.

While these thoughts ricocheted in her brain, Willow noticed a strange
look cross Angel's face. At first he looked scared, then sad, and
finally angry before he swooped down and kissed her firmly on the
mouth. He nibbled at her bottom lip, but withdrew instead of advancing
when she parted her lips. Angel looked slightly stunned and very
contrite as he took a few steps away from her. "Sorry. I didn't mean
to hurt you."

Willow grabbed Angel's hand before he could retreat any further. "You
didn't," she quickly assured him and sloshed her hand out of the bowl
of disintegrated cubes sitting in a puddle of cold water. "You just
made the ice all melty." She offered him small smile and was relieved
when Angel's lips curved slightly as well.

"Let's fix up that hand of yours and then join the others. Where do
you keep the first aid kit?"

"Top cupboard on your right." Willow gestured at the appropriate place
and settled herself at the kitchen table. Angel returned with the
first aid kit and set about applying the antiseptic, smoothing on the
aloe vera, and bandaging her damaged finger. He was so gentle, his
touch delicate so as to not irritate her skin further. Angel was
totally focused on his task so Willow just sat back and watched him.
This would be the perfect time to tell him about Casimir holding Buffy
and Xander's souls hostage. She could trust Angel with that, he would
help her get the spell back.

As Willow opened her mouth to confess everything, Angel tilted his head
to inspect his work. The yellow of the overhead light briefly shone
in his eyes. She could trust Angel, but she couldn't trust Angelus.
If Angelus got possession of the bloody spell then Buffy and Xander's
souls would still be in danger. She was just going to have to find
some other way to solve this that didn't include giving up her magic
to Casimir or involving Angel.

"Hey, are you still in one piece, Angel?" Faith poked her head through
the kitchen door. "You two have been in here a while and Red looked
testy. Everything five by five?"

"More like two by three, but it's getting better," Willow answered.
She squeezed Angel's hand. "Where's Spike?"

"Overseeing Hubby's unpacking. I think he's making sure he doesn't
try to move into your room."

"Good," Angel grunted.

"Well, I guess we had better get you settled too." Willow untangled
her hand from Angel's and stood up. She was still uneasy about Faith's
intentions. She might say that she was only getting close to Angel to
get Casimir to trust her, but Willow knew that Faith also had feelings
for Angel. Before when she had first come to town, gaining Angel's
affections would have meant that Faith was on par, if not better than,
Buffy. She had been using Angel as a yardstick to measure her skill
and fitness as a Slayer against Buffy. Now after Angel had helped her
redeem herself and gain some self esteem, Willow was sure that Faith's
admiration and attraction to Angel was genuine. Those feelings could
mean that Faith would allow herself to take things farther than she
had first intended. How could Willow trust her not to when her own
self control was nil with in came to Angel?

*****

It was still there. Underneath the sharp scent of the antiseptic he
had just used on Willow's burns and between the stagnant odors of
dinners past, lingered the musk of sex and rich tang of willingly
offered blood. Angel allowed himself a few moments to savor the smells
and the memory they invoked. It was all he had. He had seen Willow's
face when he had told her that the gypsy wanted Faith. If he had ever
doubted that Willow had feelings for Kalendash, he didn't now that he
had seen her reaction to the news that he had wanted someone else.
He couldn't pass it off as a side effect of the ring either, he had to
face it. A part of Willow was in love with her husband. But a part
of her loved him as well.

"Where's my wife?" The gypsy's voice brought an end to Angel's
ruminations and the pleasant memories that persistently lurked in the
back of his mind. Angel kept his eyes closed and didn't answer. He
didn't trust himself to say anything. With Willow, Angelus was just
a facade. A cloak he put on to convince her that he needed her near,
but in the presence of the gypsy Angel had found that Angelus slipped
dangerously to surface and threatened to stay.

Angel opened his eyes. "Kalendash. It's been a while since I killed
one." He leaned back in his chair and slowly looked the gypsy over.
"Of course most of my experience is with your women. Do you scream as
prettily? Your uncle didn't and it was quite a disappointment."

The fear glanced through Kalendash's demeanor for a fleeting second.
If Angel hadn't had the hundreds of years experience with the
emotion that he did, he would have missed it. It was quickly replaced
with a cooly curious gaze. With anyone else, Angel would have been
impressed. "You can't kill me, Angelus, that would kill Willow as
well. Any harm done to me by her lover is revisited upon her tenfold
and you wouldn't want that." Kalendash joined Angel at the kitchen
table. "But I'm sure having you around will make things more
interesting."

The whelp didn't know what he was getting into. The slimy smug
bastard actually thought he could best Angelus. He was the charade
way too easy. "You're assuming I care if the witch lives." Angel
leaned forward conspiratorially. "To tell you the truth, her death would
benefit me. She's attached to the soul that's cursed me and there's
a good chance that when she goes, it'll go with her." Angel leaned in
more, this time invading the much younger man's space. "I will be
free," he whispered.

This time the fear stayed and it was much more palatable. Angel was
too close. The sensation fell over him like comfortable old sweater.
He ran his tongue over his lips in anticipation of the hot, sweet
blood. "You're bluffing. You want Willow as badly as the soulled
part does, if only to taunt and torment her as you did the Slayer."
The gypsy's uncertain protest pulled Angel from the intoxicating well
the fear was drowning him in. When Angel pulled back slightly,
Kalendash's confidence grew. "I know all about you, Angelus. You like
to play with pretty things, especially pretty things who've fallen
for your handsome face."

Angel's hand snaked out and he grabbed the gypsy by his neck. This
time he pulled his head over to his side of the table. "Don't presume
to know me, Gypsy. I will kill you. I will kill Willow. I will
crush this cursed soul once and for all with her death and there will
be no one to stop me."

"You never were really good at the counting, were you, Old Man?" Angel
looked past Kalendash's oddly bent head to Spike, who was leaning
nonchalantly in the doorway. "Let him go."

"Well, well, if it isn't a Dru-less Spike full of swagger and once
again coming in second for a lady's affections. Or you might even be
third, it seems to be a long line." Angel slammed Kalendash's head
into the table and let go of his neck. He stood up and Spike
immediately straightened as well. "Are you sure she's worth dying
for?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Angel saw Kalendash holding his head and
rubbing his neck. He heard him mutter, "Great, you two can kill each
other." Angel took a few lazy steps toward Spike. The younger vampire
stood his ground, but didn't say anything. Kalendash obviously felt
that he had the upper hand now that the vampires were confronting each
other, because he didn't shut up. "You won't kill me. If you were
going to, I would be dead already. Willow means something to you," he
declared.

"You're right, he won't," Spike answered for Angel. "Innocence
corrupted and all that crap is the Old Man's specialty. Willow's too
good to pass up. She'll die eventually, but I'm betting it'll be the
live forever with fangs kind."

Spike's words further bolstered Kalendash's misplaced confidence.
"Willow would never agree to become a vampire. You've lost this game.
You can't kill me..."

"I can," Spike interrupted. "I'm not Willow's lover and have nothing
to gain in a romantic way from your death, so if I kill you, she
should be fine." Spike grinned wolfishly at Angel, his fangs glinting
under the kitchen lights. "What do you say, Pop, may I eviscerate?"

It didn't make Angel proud to admit it, but this was a lot of fun. He
turned so that instead of facing off against Spike he was standing
just in front of him. "I don't know, have you been a good vampire
since I've been gone?"

"I'm not listening to this." Kalendash pushed himself from the table
and stalked past the gleefully evil vampires.

"I don't think he likes you." Spike moved to the fridge. He removed
a couple bags of blood. "Of course, I don't like you. What the hell
are you doing putting on the big and bad, Peaches? Willow's worried
sick and she's got reason to. You were close to sucking the bastard
dry when I walked in." He emptied the blood into two huge latte mugs
and stuck them in the microwave.

"How did you know it was an act?"

"I do have a few brain cells, contrary to popular opinion. This damn
chip in my head has even helped developed them. More time to think
now that I can't mutilate and murder." The microwave beeped and Spike
took a mug of blood out. He taste-tested it, wrinkled his nose and
put it back in again.

"You still have the chip then. You can't kill Kalendash." Angel had
half way been hoping that it could have been the new plan. It would
have been a good plan. Kalendash dead. Willow free from him.

"He's evil. I can kill him if I really want to." Spike glared at
Angel. "And you still haven't told me why you're walking around all
Angelus-like."

"I had to get close to Willow and it was the only way I could think
of to do it. I have to protect her from Kalendash."

Spike made a rude noise with nose. "Yeah, yeah, Red filled me in.
You shagged her, cursed her, and now you've got her convinced that
when she's not around you become Him. I hate Him. So tell me, who's
going to protect Willow from you if you happen to like being Him too
much to stop?"

"I would never hurt her. I love Willow." Angel was hoping that Spike
couldn't see the uncertainty he felt about not hurting Willow. The
lure of Angelus wasn't as weak as he was claiming. He would have to
fight it if he was going to get Kalendash out of Willow's life for
good. Whether she wanted it that way or not. "Are you going to tell
her?" Angel accepted one of the mugs filled with blood from Spike.
He couldn't read where Spike's loyalties were. As an elder in their
vampire family, they should have bee with Angel without question, but
between his soul and Spike's chip, that was no longer the case. Spike
could go to Willow or Kalendash with his information.

"Willow's my friend. The first one ever and I'll do anything for her.
For some stupid reason she's chosen to love you - personally, I've
never seen the attraction - and she does need protecting from the
gypsy."

"You won't tell her." Angel relaxed and took a sip of the blood. It
was too hot for his taste. He had always warned Spike that overcooked
blood lost the subtleness of taste and that body temperature was best,
but the childe had never listened.

"I'll keep your secret for now, as long as I get to help torment the
gypsy." Spike lifted his mug and waited for Angel to answer. Angel
nodded and they saluted each other with the large cups of blood.
Spike smacked his lips after gulping it down. "I'll be watching you
too, Peaches."

*****

"Nice place you got here, Red." Faith lingered in the doorway to
Willow's bedroom. A part of Willow, a really nasty part that she kept
buried deep inside and didn't acknowledge very often, wanted Faith to
feel uncomfortable. She wanted Faith to be so uneasy and unsure of
herself that she wouldn't want to set foot into this house again.
Then, of course, Willow would put Angel under house arrest and he would
never be able to leave. That could be fun. But the rest of her
wasn't going to allow herself the indulgence. She had more important
things to deal with, it was time to put aside her irrational jealousy
of Faith.

"Thanks. There's really no more room so you can stay in here with
me." Willow walked to her closet and hunted for some extra blankets.

With her back turned, Willow couldn't see Faith's expression or read
her body language, but she could hear the old Faith in her voice when
she spoke. "Keeping an eye on me?" She didn't give Willow time to
answer or turn around before she continued in a more contrite tone.
"Sorry, bad joke. I would never try to come between you and Angel.
I don't think I could, you two are tight, man. I had half a chance
busting him and B up, but you guys...that's a forever thing."

Willow turned back to Faith with a wry chuckle. "with the way things
are going it's going to take an eternity before Angel and I are
together." She handed Faith the extra blankets and a feather pillow.
"We can drag the cot out from the hall closet and set it up in here."

"Oh, no, don't go to the trouble. I still have patrol tonight and
I have to check in with G. I'll just crash on the couch when I get
back."

"Okay, if that's what you want." Now she was feeling guilty for the
things her mind had joyfully considering doing to Faith. "Uh, could
you ask Giles if he's made any progress on getting this ring off my
finger? I know he would call if he had, but I want to stay updated.
Giles has this habit of keeping some things to himself to protect me.
Especially when it comes to witch stuff."

"Sure, I'll do that." Faith suddenly reached out and grabbed Willow's
left hand. She looked at the bandage. "That must hurt. And it's all
because you love Angel so much. I've never loved anyone like that.
I don't know if I could." Faith set the blankets and pillow that were
under her other arm on the chair, but she didn't let go of Willow's
hand. "But it's nice to know that it exists, you know, and I would
like to help. I kinda hope it'll make up for everything I've done, if
I help get you and Angel together. Cause, see, I've got this idea."
Faith took a deep breath. "I could tell Caz that Angel and I did the
nasty and to convince him, you and Angel could have a fight. Then
hubby and I could hut the sheets and he'll have broken the fidelity
ring vow and you would be free."

Willow didn't know what to say. She was stunned by Faith's offer. In
essence she was proposing she prostitute herself to help Willow get
out of her marriage. It was a huge sacrifice. "No, you can't do
that."

"Do you love him? Is that why you married him?" Faith dropped
Willow's hand and anger flashed through her stormy dark eyes. "You're
not just playing with Angel, are you?"

"No. I love Angel. I married Casimir because...." Willow made a
decision. She needed help and, although under normal circumstances
Faith - even a newly redeemed Faith - would be the last person she
turned to, she was also the person in the best position to help. And
these were far from normal circumstances even by Hellmouth standards.
"Faith, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise not
to tell anyone else. Not Angel. Not Giles."

Faith frowned, but shrugged. "Okay, I promise."

There was no one in the hall, but Willow shut the door anyway and led
Faith over to the bench under the window. "I married Casimir because
he blackmailed me, but not in the way I told you guys. He has a spell
that was soaked in Buffy and Xander's blood. He can use it to damn
their souls."

"We have to get it back." Determination straightened Faith's spine
and settled the tempest in her eyes. Willow suddenly felt better
about telling her. "Caz has to believe I'm his partner in crime - that
means I have to keep cozying up to Angel, I can't back off - and then
he'll share about the spell. Don't worry, Red, we'll get that spell
back in no time. And I might as well start now." Faith nodded out
the window. Casimir was wandering around the backyard.

"Wow, aren't we Little Miss Helpful. What's with the eager new you?"
Faith and Willow turned from the window as Buffy appeared before them.
She didn't look pleased.

Faith didn't look well. Her eyes rounded and her skin took on a
slightly green cast as her mouth dropped open. "Buffy?"
 

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