SERIES: Passing Time (#7)
AUTHOR: Tisienne Blue
E-MAIL: tisatko@msn.com
DISCLAIMER: I am not Joss; hence I own no-one you recognize from TV.
RATING: over all, NC-17, but I think R-ish for this one.
PAIRINGS: okay, I guess it's W/A, W/Liam, and A/W/Liam.
DISTRIBUTION: Charity and Jen:)... anyone else I've said yes to... otherwise, just ask.
FEEDBACK: please. I'd really like it a lot.
DEDICATIONS: Di, for the challenge in the first place... also: Caroline, Susi, Vampie (yay, Vampie!!! ::Tisienne waves happily::), Nutmeg, Tania, and Kim... thanks for the feedback!!!*VBG*
NOTES: Okay, it's 2007, Slutty's dead (big surprise, huh???), and Willow lives in LA at the Hyperion. On an alternate timeline, the evil actually won, and in an attempt to prevent the same thing from happening to another world, the PTB allowed the male Oracle to send their human Eternal Warrior (Liam) through the void, so... he's also in LA, and at the Hyperion... and that's all I'm gonna say. Oh, and * *= emphasis.
MORE NOTES: This part starts a couple days after the end of 'Burning Inside'.
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~~~~ 3 days later ~~~~~~~
Willow watched, the question clear on her face, as Liam cursed softly and hung up the phone. She was glad that he'd started taking an interest in the work they were all trying to do, but... somehow, she didn't think he was really *with* them as yet. Of course, that might have been because he was so *with* her, but... She gave herself a good mental shake, and cocked an eyebrow at the handsome human. "What was that all about?"
The 'Eternal Warrior' shook his head slowly, his eyes showing his complete confusion. "I have no idea, Willow..." he said, perplexed, "It was that same guy again. He talks about fruit and faerie tales, tells me I'm gay, then hangs up! I mean, is it some strange custom in this world or what? 'Cause it's really starting to piss me off!" His eyebrows drew together, and he frowned deeply. "I guess I just don't get it."
The redhead almost laughed out loud. She had a sneaking suspicion that Angel was behind the prank calls that only Liam had been receiving, but... she had no proof, of course. On the other hand, though, why would the vampire do that? It wasn't really his style. No, she finally decided, whoever was jerking Liam around, it probably wasn't her... She sighed silently, not entirely sure of what Angel was to her, now that they'd been sleeping together for three days. "Well," she said eventually, pulling her mind back to the issue at hand, "I'm not sure *I* get it, either." She giggled at the forlorn look in his rich brown eyes. "It's just some stupid kid playing a joke on you, I'm sure... Don't get so bent out of shape about it."
Liam smiled slightly, knowing she was right. "Yeah... okay," he said, staring into her green eyes from just a few feet away. "So..." he glanced at the clock on Cordelia's desk, "It's almost five... D'you want to maybe, um..."
She grinned widely when he stopped, and stood, grabbing her bag from beneath her desk. "Get some dinner?" she teased gently, "Sure!"
His own grin matched hers as he leapt from the Seer's desk and joined her in crossing the lobby. Neither of them noticed, as they passed into the still-bright California sunshine, that there was a very unhappy vampire standing in the shadows of his own office, watching them go.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He didn't quite know how he felt about his girl going to dinner with his human self. On the one hand, it wasn't as though *he* could go out with her, it being daylight and all, but on the other? Well, on the *other* hand, a certain part of him felt that she shouldn't go herself, if he couldn't go with her.
Of course, he still had that stupid agreement he'd made with Liam, and he supposed that it was only fair that the human got her daylight times, but... he didn't *want* to be fair, damn it! He *wanted* to run out into the light after them, and drag the little witch back home by the hair! He *wanted* to make it *very* clear to his human competition that the girl was *his*! And he wanted, almost more than anything, to claim her... mark her as his own. He groaned, collapsing back into his chair, and buried his face in his hands.
Three days. It had only been three days, and yet... Every time he sank deep into her nearly scalding heat, it felt like he'd been with her forever... and for no time at all. He knew that his Seer had her suspicions about what had happened that first day, mostly because she kept looking at him with those wide, wounded eyes, almost as though she was hurt by him not telling her, but... He and Willow had talked about it, and as much as it annoyed him, she didn't think it'd be fair to Liam to let anyone know what had happened... was *still* happening, every night after the other man fell asleep. She refused to give up her intentions to see them both, and while he could almost understand that, he knew the day would come when he'd wake up and smell himself all over her when he hadn't touched her in hours, and he wasn't entirely sure that he'd be able to handle that. To look at her, and know she'd been with *him*. But it hadn't happened... not *yet*. He smiled slightly. Liam might have her days, once she'd finished work, but Angel figured it was only fair that *he* had her nights, and... What they chose to do during their time together was nobody else's business.
Still, it bothered him that his woman was out with his other self, probably having a lovely time... She went to dinner with Liam every night now, and... he could feel the two of them growing closer, and he *hated* it. Of course he'd known that Willow *wanted* the human version of him, because... why wouldn't she? He was tall, and smart, and devilish handsome, if he did say so himself, but... He shook his head, closing his eyes as he let his forehead sink until it was resting against the cool wood of his desk, and groaned as his mind was assaulted by images of his redhead with his other self. He groaned again, deeper, when his demon adjusted the pictures until he was seeing Liam, and Willow, and... himself? Oh, he thought despairingly, thoroughly aroused by the idea, this is *not* *good*! He chose to ignore the voice of his demon, which was telling him that it *could* be.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Willow smiled again, her mind twisting slowly through the pleasant images Liam's latest story had created in her mind. "So you made a picnic on the roof where you two..." Her smile became a bit wistful. "And you spent the night up there, even when it started to rain..." She sighed softly. She never would have thought Angel to be a romantic, but... Liam was so much like him in other ways, that... maybe that part was just... hidden, in the vampire she loved.
Liam's thumb slowly rubbed across the back of her hand, and he smiled slightly in return. "Well, it *was* an anniversary of sorts, so..." He shrugged, his smile becoming just a touch wicked before fading completely. "I'm sure Angel will do something similar in a month or so." His eyes dropped from hers, and he focused on their joined hands against the tablecloth. He ignored her swiftly indrawn breath, and sighed to himself. Finally, when she didn't say anything, he continued. "I... saw him... last night," he explained softly, "When he went to your room, and... stayed." He gathered his courage, and glanced into her eyes once again. "And I heard him... and you..." He smiled a half-smile, and shrugged again. "It's okay, Willow," he said, seeing her concern for him in her eyes, "I understand. You've known him for years, and I'm not him, so..." He sighed again, out loud this time.
Her eyes were wide, and she knew it. They'd thought they were being so careful; so sneaky, but... apparently not! And he *knew*! For a moment there, she just wanted to dig herself a hole, crawl inside, and pull it in after her, but... then she saw the look in his eyes, the expression he was trying so hard to hide. "Liam..." she almost moaned, "I... I don't know how to explain it to you..."
"You don't *have* to," he said, trying to conceal his sorrow, "You're with *him* now... I never stood a chance." He shook his head slowly. "I should have known that."
"No!" Willow said intently, "It's not... well, I mean, it *is*, but not quite... I mean, I don't..." She stopped, and tightened her fingers around his, as she tried to organize her thoughts. "Okay, Liam," she finally said into his confused silence, "It's like this... Angel and I are... friends-- And no, that's not all we are, so you can stop looking at me that way, Mister! I... I love him, and... I think he loves me, and," she rushed on when he looked almost resigned, "And if you'd never come here, things would be so much simpler! I mean, odds are... I'd be Angel's, he'd be mine, and... that's all there'd be *to* it!" She pulled his hand further across the table, wrapping her other hand around it, too. "But you *did* come here, and..." she sighed, hoping he wouldn't laugh at her. "Look, there's just... something about you that... *calls* to me, and... Yes, I love him, and Gods, I *want* him, but... I..." It was her turn to lower her eyes as she turned bright red. "I want you, too. I won't lie and say that I love you, but... there's just... something about you! Whenever I'm with you, I just..."
He found himself having difficulty breathing suddenly, and knew that it was because of what she'd just said. She wanted him? His heart was beating faster, and he just knew that his palm, held between her hands, was clammy and slick from his own nervousness and uncertainty. She wanted him! But, he reminded himself, she *loved* Angel... and he couldn't seem to see too far past that little fact. He understood what she was saying, though, because... he wanted her, too, even though he knew she wasn't the same as the Willow *he* loved. "Melt..." he finished for her, his other hand rising to her face. He tipped her chin up, and met her anxious eyes. "When you're with me, you melt..." He smiled softly when she nodded. "Me, too... with you, I mean," he clarified.
They stared at each other for a moment, frozen. "So... what happens now?" she asked quietly, hoping he'd have some sort of an answer for her, because *she* was almost completely baffled.
Liam laughed. He couldn't help himself, because... just the sight of her sitting there, looking at him as though he had any idea of what to do, was... ridiculous! "I don't know, Will," he finally gasped out, "I mean, what do you want me to say? I'm completely in the dark here!" His laughter died down to mere chuckles as he continued. "Look, this isn't my world. I barely know what to say to that guy on the phone! So how do you expect me to know what to say about *this*?" He shook his head yet again, still smiling.
Willow giggled a bit herself, his amusement proving to be contagious. "Yeah... I guess that wasn't really a fair question... Okay," she said, totally serious now, "Then what would you *like* to have happen now?"
The dark-haired man swallowed hard before smiling a bit more broadly. "Do you really want to know?" he asked silkily, one brow rising when she quickly nodded. "All right, Willow..." he purred, "What I'd *like* is... I'd like to have the same rights as my vampire double. I want to be able to take you to bed, and *keep* you there." His eyes focused inwards as he thought about everything but what he was saying. "I want to be the one on you, and in you, *moving* in you; making you scream. I want to hold you to me, and feel your sweet, tight little body straining against me. I want to hear my name on your lips when your world... explodes, and be the one you beg for more..." His voice softened, his eyes closing. "I want to fall asleep, still cradled within you, and wake up in the best possible way... with you... *in* you, and do it all again..." His deep brown eyes opened again, boring into hers. "I want the chance to do everything *he* does... The chance to make you *feel*."
She knew that her eyes were wider and greener than he'd ever seen them, but at that particular moment, she didn't care, because... her heart was racing, her ears were ringing, and... she didn't really understand why. It wasn't as if she'd never heard those kinds of things before, because she *had*, but... somehow, the fact that it was *Liam* saying them made all the difference in the world... *any* world! And, she reminded herself, she truly *did* love Angel, but... If she didn't give Liam an equal chance, then... how could she choose? How would she know what was right for her if she didn't examine all of her options... exhaustively? She stared deep into his beautiful, dark eyes, and... "All right..." she murmured, "That's only fair..." She wasn't entirely sure of how Angel would react, but... she was going to see this through... she was going to have Liam, and *soon*, if *she* had any say in the matter! She almost laughed when she felt his fingers tense around hers in reaction. "But, Liam!" she said, serious again, "Don't pretend I'm *her*, okay?" She smiled slightly at his surprise. "Because *I* won't pretend you're *him*."
He returned her smile, his doubts set to rest by that one, small comment, and pulled his hand from hers. His fingers slipped up her pale arm, stopping a few inches below the point of her shoulder. "I know you're not her, Willow," he said shakily, loving the feel of her skin, "You don't have her tattoo..."
They sat back in their chairs when their entrees arrived, and spoke of inconsequential nothings whilst they ate. Finally, when the table was cleared and they'd settled the check, they stood, and walked out into the rapidly approaching night. It was a bit of a walk back to the hotel, and Willow, for one, was hoping they might kiss at least once on the way.
Liam, for his part, was wondering just how he could get his vampire self to go out, because... Willow had actually said yes, and... he was going to have her before she changed her mind.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Cordelia Chase was *bored*. That was actually the only reason she could think of for being at the Hyperion at this time on a Sunday night. It wasn't as if she had a life, though. No, for years now, her life had consisted mostly of work... and that was actually fine with her. She had Angel, and Willow, and Wesley, and Gunn, and so what if they comprised pretty much the entire list of friends and family for her? It could have been much, much worse. She *could* have been dead... or raising her brood of seven or eight demon-babies! Of course, she *also* could have been married to some dull, but handsome and *rich* guy who could keep her in blue boxes for the rest of her days, but... She shuddered. No, that would be worse than spawning a big old sack-full-o-demons.
It was only the loneliness that got to her. But why, she wondered, *wouldn't* she be lonely while away from the office that was like a second home to her... or a first home, really, because as much as she loved the apartment she shared with her ghost, it just wasn't quite the home it should be... or it didn't *feel* like it, at least. And, okay, so a part of that was because she lived there pretty much alone, aside from Dennis. She did, in fact, quite like the disembodied spirit, but... he wasn't the same as a real, flesh and blood person. He couldn't hold her tight when she had one of her nightmares, or tell her, out loud, that things would be okay, and he for *damned* sure couldn't make love to her! She shuddered again, remembering what he'd looked like as a human... Ordinary... inoffensive... the kind of guy you'd forget as soon as you looked away from him. No, he wasn't the type she would ever go for... too normal, too... whatever. She was a Sunnydale girl, after all! A guy would have to be pretty special for her to even notice him! But that was all right, because Cordelia Chase was going on a mission, and soon! She was going to find someone to love, even if it killed her!
She was almost envious of Willow, though, and she knew that she'd give almost anything to be in the redhead's shoes... with two different guys, of course. Because while she could appreciate the fact that Angel-- and Liam, seeing as they looked pretty much exactly the same-- was a damned fine looking man, or whatever... he wasn't really her type. No, he was too... *big*, and looming...
She sighed deeply, her fingers flipping through the files on her desk, and sat up straight when she heard the lobby door opening. Her eyes flew wide when she saw the entwined couple enter, and wider still when she realized that while the redhead was, indeed, Willow, the dark-haired man was just that... A *man*... Liam.
Cordelia watched, almost feeling like a peeping-tom, while the newly-arrived couple kissed tenderly, and after a moment, her eyes flew to her boss' closed office door. She sat, still as a statue, while Willow and Liam made their ways slowly up the main staircase, sighing in relief when they passed from view without noticing her. She wasn't sure of exactly how it had happened, but... she had a feeling that the two of them were going to become... better acquainted, and... it would be better for *everyone*, herself included, if Angel wasn't there while they did.
She stood slowly, and walked towards her boss' door, falling against it in a harsh, yet fake, convulsion.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He heard her approaching his door, just as he'd heard his witch and his human counterpart returning, and while he wasn't entirely sure, not having been there, he had a feeling that his redhead and Liam had... *talked*. Their somewhat elevated heart rates as they'd started up the stairs had pretty much clued him to *that*, and... he wasn't happy. He tried to ignore the anger coursing through his body, just as he tried to ignore the demon within, who was screaming at him to *follow* them, *watch* them... *join* them! He wasn't completely clear on why Angelus would be reacting this way to the idea of Willow being with his human self, because honestly, he knew that the demon thought of her the same way *he* did... as *his*... *theirs*. But it didn't matter, he reminded himself, his eyes closing for one brief moment, because he'd promised silently that he would be fair, and let her choose, and... if *this* was how she wanted to go about it? How could he really tell her no? It wasn't like she'd made him any promises, or sworn her fidelity... in fact, she'd made it perfectly clear that she had every intention of... seeing them both, so...
He sighed to himself when he heard Cordelia fall against his door, and forced his expression to assume a worried look as he dashed across his office and caught her once he'd turned the knob. "Cordelia!" he cried, "What is it? What do you see?"
She turned wide eyes on him from her position in his arms. "Badness, Angel," she said shortly, making a show of struggling to stand on her own, "Get your ax, and let's go." She was surprised when he nodded without saying anything about getting Will, but... then again, she reminded herself, he didn't know that the redhead and the human-him were back yet. She shook off his hands, feigning one of her usual vision-headaches, and slowly followed him to the weapons chest in the corner of the room, selecting a small dagger and a stake for herself. She waited silently while he grabbed the ax Gunn had given him so long ago. "Let's go." she said quietly, feeling badly for lying to him, but not as badly as she would have felt if he'd found out about what she was sure was going to happen upstairs in just a matter of moments. Of course, she knew he'd find out eventually, but... it would be easier for him, she told herself, if he didn't have to *hear* it.
And it was with that thought in mind that she followed him across the lobby and out to his car. She didn't know where she was taking him, but... she was fairly sure that they could find something bad to stop, if they just looked hard enough. And maybe, just maybe, she'd find some way to break it to him, that his woman wasn't just *his* any longer.
End.