SERIES: Passing Time (#13)

AUTHOR: Tisienne Blue

E-MAIL: tisatko@msn.com

DISCLAIMER: I am neither Joss nor David Greenwalt; hence I own no-one you recognize from TV.

RATING: R-ish, I think...

PAIRING: A/W/Liam

DISTRIBUTION: Charity, Jen:), anyone else I've said yes to... otherwise, ask.

FEEDBACK: is pretty much the point.

DEDICATIONS: to Di for the challenge... also to:Eva, Nutmeg, Vampie, Caroline, and SusiSnail... for the feedback!!!

NOTES: if you don't know what's happening, then it's too late for you, anyway...*giggle* Oh, and * *= emphasis.

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Her eyes flew wide, and she almost laughed aloud in sheer joy when she saw the two men in bed with her. It was only a dream, she realized wonderingly, and yet... it had felt so *real*! She thought about what she remembered for a moment, finally shrugging slightly, and she released a contented moan when she felt her lovers' arms tightening around her waist. They seemed to be deeply asleep, but... considering what the three of them had been up to, that was hardly surprising. No, the thing that *was* surprising to her was that *she* was awake! She didn't know just why that was so, but... maybe it was her mind's way of ensuring that she really thought about what she'd dreamed? Because it hadn't been pleasant... she'd been *alone*, but for her *son*. And that was another thing that had her confused, because... she'd never thought to have children, what with Angel being dead and all, and even with Liam thrown in to their little mix, well... He was Eternal, after all, and sterile, judging from what he'd said. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she pulled against their arms just a bit while she pondered, and it wasn't until she heard the discontented growl coming from Angel, and the unhappy mutter from Liam, that she realized that they were awake, themselves. "Hey..." she murmured, a small smile on her lips, as she relaxed back into their tightening embrace.

He'd been having a terrible dream; almost a nightmare, really. Willow had left him and gone away with his human-self, and... he was alone, but forever this time, and... he'd never been so happy as he was when he woke up, one arm across her taut, pale belly, and opened his eyes to see both of the people he loved... his *Mates*! He could see that his Willow was thinking hard about something, and he was more or less content to let her. Until she started to pull away from him, and he couldn't help it, what with the dream still fresh in his mind... he growled, and pulled her tightly against him. "Hey, yourself," he finally said, gazing at her from his gold-tinged eyes, "Sleep well?"

Liam still wasn't sure of how to explain his Eternal-ness-- or lack thereof-- to his Mates, but... he woke, fully aware of exactly what had happened, and when his redhead tried to separate herself from him, he instinctively didn't let her. A low, incoherent mumble emerged from his lips, and he tightened his arm around her, firmly settling her between himself and his vampire-self. He chuckled slightly at Angel's question, and before Willow could respond, he answered for her. "No. She *didn't* sleep well... not any more than *you* did, or *me*, either." He sat up then, his arm still resting on his Willow's waist. "We had *dreams*," he stated knowingly, "And each of our dreams contained our deepest fears..." His eyes fastened on his vampire-double's for a long moment. "Angel, you dreamt that Willow and I left you." He turned his gaze to the woman between them then, "And Willow... your dream was that Angel and I were... *perfect* together." He watched as their faces paled, even Angel's, and he smiled softly.

Willow's mind was almost whirling, because... how could he know what she'd dreamt??? And, okay, he was, after all, one of her *Mates*, but... She lay flat on her back, and stared into his face, wishing that he'd be able to explain.

Angel was almost floored by the realization that Liam knew exactly what had been running through his mind. He *had* thought-- at various points during their time together-- that Liam and Willow would be much better off without him, but... that was only until the three of them had actually *been* together, and now...? Well, now that they'd woken up together, in one pleasantly tangled mass... he couldn't accept a future that didn't contain them all, as a unit. "What...?" he managed to ask, wondering if he'd heard right, "Will... you thought that I'd..." He shook his head sadly, wondering if maybe he'd been... but, No! he told himself, they were *his*, just as he was *theirs*! He rolled his large frame over his woman's, glad that Liam didn't try to interfere. "*You* are a *part* of me, Willow Rosenberg," he said intently, while staring deep into her eyes, "More than *Liam* is!" He stretched one hand out to his human-self in a plea for understanding, and sighed silently in relief when he felt the warm, strong fingers wrapping around his own. "I have known you for *much* longer, and... honestly? *You're* the reason I've kept on for as long as I have." He smirked just a bit when he heard her breath coming faster, and smelled the beginnings of her arousal in the air, and he pressed his lips hard against hers for just a moment. "You're everything I never knew I needed, Will," he told her quietly as he pulled back, "Never doubt that, all right?"

The redhead stared at her vampire lover in amazement before shifting her gaze slowly to the human version of him. "And... and you're *okay* with that?" she demanded, hope and fear warring within her.

Liam grinned broadly, and pressed his lips to the back of Angel's hand before rising up on his elbow and sweeping between his two lovers to swiftly-- but thoroughly-- kiss the girl. "I'm *fine* with that," he said a bit breathlessly, his senses reeling slightly not only from feeling her lips against his, but also from the sensation of Angel's on the back of his neck. "It's *good*, Will," he continued, settling back down on the mattress beside them. "You *should* be more important to him... well, not more important," he said hastily, when Angel turned his head to glare at him, "But more... I don't know, but..." He sighed softly. "I guess I'm saying that you should be the one he..." He sighed again, deeply this time. "I don't know exactly how to explain it, but..." He shook his head.

Willow found that he eyes were flashing back and forth between her two men, looking for signs of what was going on, and when she finally figured it out, less than a minute later, she laughed. "You two!" she giggled, struggling for a moment to push Angel off of her. She was well aware, when she was sitting up, that it was only because her vampire had *let* her, but... that was okay. After all, he'd only been trying to hold her so she'd believe him, and once he knew that she did, well... she figured he knew it was safe to let her go. She sat up on the bed, cross-legged, the sheet bunched around her waist, and smiled widely at each of her men in turn. "It was a *dream*, guys! I'm not gonna take off *running* because of a *dream*!" She giggled again as they sat up, too, one on each side of her, and her arms snaked around their waists. "I *know* that you two would never leave me. I know it because I *trust* you! You're strong, and smart, and you know what you want and *don't* want, and..." She pulled them closer to her, reveling in the sensation of two thick arms wrapped around her torso, one warm, one cool. "If this wasn't right for you *both*," she said, in a much softer voice, "Then we wouldn't *be* here-- the *three* of us, I mean... and last night never would've happened... right?"

Angel locked gazes with his other-self... his other *Mate*... for just a moment, over their girl's head, and smiled almost wickedly. "No," he said quietly, when he got an answering grin from Liam, "It *wouldn't* have..." He lowered his lips then, to the point of her shoulder, and chuckled softly against her skin when she moaned. He could almost *taste* the pleasure the three of them were about to create for each other...

Liam sighed deeply, not wanting to call any sort of a halt to the... celebration, but... "Uh, guys?" he said hesitantly, "We need to... *talk*." He rolled his eyes at Angel's displeased growl. "Look... don't you wonder how I knew about what you each dreamed?" He waited for a moment, until he knew he had their full attention. "I know, because... it wasn't exactly a *dream*. It was a *test*. And it was because of... *me*."

Willow's eyes were wide as he went on, and she didn't even care, because... the dream she'd had would have ended up being *real*? If she hadn't fought... tried to keep the world safe for others without her skills and abilities... She would have *really* ended up being... alone... and scared most of the time... and with a *child*?! She could barely even begin to fathom it! And that child...! Her *son*...! He'd looked *just* like her *Mates*! Her mind spun in wicked circles as she tried to figure out just how that could be.

It was because of Liam? Angel thought to himself... No. It was because of *him*! It was because... *he'd* chosen to love them *both*... chosen to let his heart and his body do his thinking for him! It was because he'd forgotten, for just a moment, what he was supposed to be doing. He'd allowed himself to think only of his own pleasure, and that of his Mates. He hadn't even considered that there were things going on out in the city that he might have been able to prevent, during the time he'd been... busy. Liam's fault? He almost laughed. No... *he* was the one who'd brought a *test* upon them. Hell, he'd practically *demanded* it, by his very *actions*... or lack thereof. His eyes closed in sorrow and pain at the thought of what would have happened to his loves had they not proven themselves the way they had... It was *his* fault... it was *all* his fault.

He waited with bated breath for either one of them to say something... *anything*! He didn't care if it was a blessing or a curse, he just couldn't stand this... *silence*. He wondered if they were regretting ever finding him... if Willow was sorry now for stopping Angel from killing him... and if Angel was sorry for listening to the girl, because... If he'd never interfered with their lives... if he'd never discovered this Willow whom he loved so dearly...? He never would have come to know his other-self... never would have come to love *him*, as well... never would have created a situation that required 'testing' in the *first* place! Yet, they were silent, and... he almost began to despair of hearing their voices again, until quite suddenly the crystal quiet was shattered.

"Why did I have a son who looked like you?" Willow demanded suddenly, her eyes flitting back and forth between her Mates. "How could that even be *possible*?"

Liam sighed silently then. Trust Willow to break open a whole *new* can of worms while they were still dealing with the wrigglies from the first. "Long story, Will," he said softly, "And I'll *tell* you, but first... Angel?" He almost shivered at the cold look in the vampire's eyes when they finally opened again, and based upon his own predilection towards burden-carrying, he was fairly certain of what was going on, and... looking at the girl he loved, he realized that she recognized the signs, too. He raised one brow at her sharply, nodding when she dipped her head slightly. Her question was not forgotten, he knew, but... the answer was on hold until they pulled their Mate from his self-induced funk. Fortunately, he reminded himself as he and Willow flung themselves at their vampire, both he *and* his counterpart were incredibly ticklish... just not in the *usual* places!

He *tried* to stay morose and despairing, but what with his two Mates holding him down, and Liam directing Willow in the best, most effective ways of tickling him almost to death, it was virtually impossible. Liam had one big hand wrapped around his wrists, the fingers of his other hand scraping lightly at the thin skin of his inner elbows, and Willow? Well, Willow was sitting on his ankles while she did the same to the backs of his knees, and... He tried to resist the impulse, but after just a few moments, he couldn't help himself, and he burst out laughing, loud and long. "All right," he finally gasped breathlessly, "All right! Enough!" He was still chuckling, although it was partly in relief, when his two humans finally released him and lay back down beside him.

"It's *not* your fault, Angel," Liam said solemnly, "If it's *anyone's* fault, it's mi..."

"Oh, shut *up*!" Willow finally exploded. "I *swear*, you two are just... gluttons for punishment, or at least for the kind you can heap upon yourselves!" She sat back up then, and glared at them both. "It's *nobody's* fault! Neither one of you intended for anything to happen, and... if you think about it, it's really not that big of a deal! I mean, we had some *dreams*!" She crossed her arms over her naked breasts and stared at them both until Liam reddened slightly, and Angel looked away. "And I don't *care* if the dreams *could* *have* become *real*, because they *didn't*! We passed the Oracles' test, we woke *up*, and..." She lowered her voice slightly, extending one hand to each of her men. "We're together, guys, the *three* of us. And nothing's gonna *change* that, not even the *Powers*! So *now*," she continued softly, "I just want to know. How is it even possible that I could have a child that looked like the two of you?"

Liam sighed softly, almost afraid to answer her and maybe break up their group, but... it was time, and he sat up himself, releasing her hand. "I... I found something out," he said quietly, afraid to meet her eyes just yet. "When I was talking to Mathry, he said... I mean..." He shook his head slightly before sighing again and forcing the words out bluntly. "I'm not Eternal in this world! I'm *human*, and..."

Angel had almost been expecting it, but that didn't mean he wasn't thrown by hearing the words. He forced himself to stay silent, though, and waited patiently for Willow to react. After all, this was information that could change *her* life much more than it ever could *his*.

Liam forced himself to look at both his Mates then, worried by their ongoing silence, and he almost passed out from the look of horror on Willow's face. "You're not pregnant, Will," he said almost desperately, "Mathry told me so, but... he *also* said that you *would* be soon, if we didn't stop doing..." He shrugged slightly, "Well, you know." His heart was beating loudly in his own ears, and when she relaxed a bit, he smiled around the sick sensation in his gut. She didn't *want* his child, he realized, and while that certainly made things easier, it made him feel kind of... *bad*.

The redhead barely held in a huge sigh of relief. She didn't particularly want to force either of her lovers into the role of 'Daddy', especially when it was so clear that neither of them wanted it, and... she'd never allowed herself to think terribly seriously about being a Mother, either. After all, until Liam had shown up, it just hadn't been possible, and even then, well, they'd thought he was Eternal, and... But she saw the sudden pain in his eyes, and after a moment, figured out its source. "No..." she moaned quietly, "That's not *why*, Liam!" She pulled him close to her, drawing Angel into a group embrace, and tried to explain. "I've never thought about it," she muttered. "Never given it much consideration at all." She pulled away from them, and turned, leaning back against Angel's cool chest, one hand lightly cupping Liam's cheek as she spoke into his eyes. "I... I don't know that a child would be a good *idea* for us, is all. It has nothing to do with not wanting *yours*. I mean, think about it!" She sighed, seeing that he still didn't understand. "The lives we lead here, Liam. The things we *do*! I don't... I don't know that it would be safe-- or responsible, even-- to have a child, when the very nature of our business makes it unlikely that we'd all be around to *raise* it! And what about Angel? I mean, he's *immortal*! It was going to be bad enough that he'd have to watch *me* growing older, and dying one day... but now you're not Eternal, and that's just one *more* heartache, and for us to have a *child*..." She shook her head slowly. "I can't do that to him. I'm sorry, but... And maybe some day I'll change my mind, but... I don't think so."

Angel had been fighting to stay silent throughout his witch's little speech, but finally he'd heard enough. His arms tightened around her waist, and he growled slightly as he pulled her even more tightly against his chest. "Don't *make* this about *me*, Willow," he hissed, hating even the *thought* of her dying. "Because it's *not*. It's about *you*, and what's going to make you *happy*! Liam can give you things that I *never* can, *especially* now that he's mortal!" His eyes closed for a moment as he ignored the sputtered protests coming from *both* his Mates. "Maybe... maybe it would be *best*," he continued, his heart hurting at what he was about to say, "If we found a way to... dissolve our bond." He was prepared for Liam to make some small objection, but he *wasn't* expecting the violence his words were met with, and he *definitely* wasn't expecting it from Willow.

She didn't think she'd ever been so angry in her life! He wanted to un-claim her? Her eyes narrowed, and she gave in to the fiery heat coursing through her body. Her head dipped forward, then reversed quickly, slamming into the point of his chin, and she turned in his arms as they loosened, pressing him back against the bed as she straddled him, her small hands clenched into fists. "You *asshole*!" she yelled, pummeling his broad chest, "You didn't *think* about it before, *did* you! And now? *Now* you just don't want to face the fact that I'm gonna get old on you! Well, *fuck* *you*, Angel! I *love* you, you undead bastard, and if you think I'll *ever* cooperate in being *free* of you, then you're a fucking *moron*!" She was sobbing now, her vision blurred by her own angry tears. "*Never*!" she yelled, though not as loudly, her blows slowing in both strength and speed, "Never!"

Liam watched her, a slight hardness in his eyes for his vampire-self, and when she finally collapsed upon the cool, long shape beneath her, he gently pushed her from him and moved closer, staring down into Angel's shocked eyes. "We're your *Mates*," he hissed, just as angry as Willow was, "And you're *stuck* with us. It's not your decision, Angel, not any more! It's *ours*, and we choose *you*, so you'd better learn to just... *deal* with it!" He leaned over the stunned vampire, and gathered their girl in his arms. "Come on, Will," he said softly, "Let's get you something to eat, hmm? We'll let our idiot-mate stay here and brood for a while, just until he sees how... stupid he's being." He stood then, still holding her tightly, and grabbed her robe from the back of her door. "Oh, and Angel," he said to the already thoughtful vamp, "The Powers in *this* world have offered to make me Eternal again. And I'm gonna take them up on it. Think about *that*, too, why don't you?"

He really *was* a moron, he realized, as he listened to his Mates moving down the hall. Who was *he*, after all, to make decisions for them? They were both adults, Liam having just as many years as *he* did, and... just because *he* would have given almost anything for a 'normal' life, well... that didn't mean that *they* would! Hell, he groaned, he'd said it himself, days earlier! If Willow had wanted sunlight, and children, and a white picket fence, she would have *found* those things by now! None of which, he reminded himself, made him any less of an idiot. He re-played his words in his mind, almost growling at his own high-handed-ness. 'Find a way to dissolve our bond', he'd said... 'It's about *you*', he'd said. He really *was* an idiot! He'd bound them together, the three of them, and... it could *never* be about any one of them, it would *always* be about them *all*! He sighed deeply at his own stupidity and rose from the bed. The pants he picked up from the floor weren't his own, but he really didn't care, and he pulled them on anyway before leaving the room and going after the two humans who owned him-- heart, body, soul, and demon. He was theirs, even more than they were his, and it was time he started *acting* like it! He moved quickly along the hall, and down the stairs, following the well-loved sounds of their hearts beating in time. He had a good bit of groveling to do, but... he could *do* that, and things would be all right. Once he'd made his apologies, though, he was *still* going to take them to the Oracles, because... If they could make *Liam* Eternal, then... maybe there was something they could do for *Willow*? He paused for a moment outside the kitchen door, a small smile crossing his lips. Forever. With his human and his witch. Now, *that* was something worth *fighting* for!

The smile remained as he pushed through the swinging door, and he just stood there for a moment, looking at them while they ate. His eyes were drawn to the full mug of warm blood sitting on the table across from them, and his smile grew wider as he crossed the floor and sat down. "I'm a moron," he announced, his eyes flicking back and forth between them, "And I'm not going to let you go. *Either* of you."

The two humans smiled at each other before turning their eyes back to him. "Good," Liam said, "Now drink your blood, and apologize to our Willow."

And that's what Angel did.

End.
 

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