"Holy--" Xander was cut off as a beam of energy was shot at him. He smoothly rolled to the side and out of the way as the beam flew past him.
The battle had begun.
Angel drew Excalibur and launched himself at Zeromus, who had emerged from the pitfall and come to stand directly in front of them, on solid ground. The monster was enormous.
The Warriors stepped back and away from the pitfall, so that they would have plenty of room to attack and defend. Zeromus inched closer.
Angel's blow landed nicely across the lower portion of the beast, causing a gaping wound. He immediately withdrew his sword and retreated.
Buffy was the next to launch into motion as she jumped high into the air and came down, spear poised and ready, for an attack to the monster's back. Zeromus howled in outrage as Buffy's spear penetrated his flesh, and he flung her off. Buffy landed with on her back with a thud, knocking Xander down as well.
Giles was in the process of casting an Ice spell to freeze one of Zeromus' tentacles, when Zeromus attacked with a spell he called the Black Hole, which affected everyone.
The spell left the Warriors disoriented and unable to summon their Magick for quite a few moments. Zeromus took his advantage and sent one of his tentacles out to attack Buffy, whom he had seen as the most immediate threat.
The tentacle wrapped itself around Buffy's slender form and began to emit a strange current through her, causing her to shake with pain. Xander, who was nearest to Buffy, unsheathed the Masamune and severed the tentacle that was holding Buffy.
Willow made her way around Zeromus and to Buffy, who was lying on the ground in shock. "I've got her!" she yelled to Xander, who was watching in concern, "keep attacking Zeromus!" Xander nodded his head and went to help Angel.
"Buffy?" Willow asked, "can you hear me?"
Buffy nodded her head and groaned, "Remind me to watch out for those tentacles."
Willow laughed and said, "I think you're gonna be alright." She silently casted a Cure spell to heal Buffy, and within moments, Buffy was back on her feet and had re-entered into the battle.
Willow also got up and grabbed hold of her bow, firing another string of arrows at Zeromus' upper body. The arrows hit in a perfect line across his chest, and Angel took the opportunity to cause him further injury by using his sword to push the arrows even further into the monster's body, then bringing the sword up to slice across his chin.
Giles, whose Ice spell had been interrupted, had begun casting a spell to summon Ifrit. The Guardian appeared in a ball of flame and attacked Zeromus, leaving a stench of burnt flesh behind, then disappeared.
Zeromus felt the Hatred build up inside of him and once more casted Black Hole, following immediately with a Flare spell.
Angel, Xander, and Buffy, who were in the immediate line of fire, were struck down, and Willow ran to their aid. Zeromus noticed that four of his enemies were preoccupied, and his tentacles reached out to eliminate them.
But Giles intercepted with a blast of lightening that stopped Zeromus. He turned his attention to Giles.
Meanwhile, Willow was frantically trying to revive her friends. Angel, who had learned a few of the Cure spells from Willow, had already begun to heal himself, so Willow as able to concentrate on Buffy and Xander. She turned her attention first to Xander, who seemed to have received more of the blast that Buffy.
She quickly wove a spell to revive him, then set about to heal his injuries. Angel stood now, healed somewhat, and figured that Willow could handle the healing. He had to help Giles, who was fighting desperately.
Giles was locked in a battle between three of Zeromus' tentacles, and was slowly losing ground. Suddenly Angel appeared and slashed one of the tentacles, but before he could do any more, Zeromus unleashed Nuke on the three Warriors who were huddled together a little away from him.
Willow felt the energy gather and knew the blast was coming even before she saw it. She turned around and did her best to put up a Wall to reflect the Magick back onto her opponent, but she didn't have enough time. The hit came to her in waves upon waves of pure energy, and knocked her back, unconscious. Fortunately, Willow had been able to keep the blow from hitting Xander or Buffy, but Buffy hadn't been attended to yet.
Xander, though he wasn't at full strength yet, staggered to his feet and cast an illusion spell to hide Willow's body from the enraged demon. He turned and noticed a gaping wound in Buffy's head that was bleeding fiercely, and attempted to cast yet another Smoke spell to conceal her, as well, when a blast of energy hit him in the side.
Xander landed with a harsh crack on his arm, and knew immediately that his right arm was broken. He swallowed his pain and grabbed his sword with his left hand, since Ninja's were supposed to be able to fight with both hands, and turned on Zeromus.
Angel and Giles were losing the battle against the monster's tentacles, and as Xander stepped next to them, he noticed the various bruises, cuts, and gashes all over the bodies of his fellow Warriors. Things were not going well.
Suddenly one of the tentacles reached out and grabbed Giles, encircling him much as it had Buffy, and released its odd form of electricity. Giles felt the waves go through him and thought he was going to die. Light flashed in front of his eyes and he felt blood spilling from his nose. Then he was on the ground.
He saw Angel hovering over him, using Excalibur to ward off the blows as best as he could. Xander was next to him, using his left hand. It was evident the young man had broken his right arm. Giles felt the world around him spin, and knew this was a lost cause. There were going to lose. Where were Buffy and Willow? He couldn't see them, and immediately feared the worst.
"Retreat!" he heard Angel yell. Apparently the vampire had taken a good look at his companions and had come to the same conclusion that Giles had: they were all going to die.
Giles tried to get up, but found that his legs were paralyzed. Suddenly he saw Willow approach, a large gash across her chest, pouring blood onto her clothing. She, too, it seemed, had heard Angel's order and was coming to help carry Giles out of the God-forsaken lair.
Giles held on to Willow as she helped him up and practically carried him out of the lair, the others close behind. Angel noticed Buffy's still form lying on the ground, her body covered in blood, and strained to hear a heartbeat. It was faint. If they didn't get out of there now, she would certainly die.
Angel bent down and scooped Buffy up, running out of the lair with her, right behind Willow and Giles. Xander was the last to leave, as he used his one good arm to fend off the tentacles that were constantly reaching towards them. When he finally exited, Willow was in the midst of putting up a Wall to keep Zeromus from escaping. Thankfully, it worked. The wall effectively sealed Zeromus, who roared in outrage, off, but the question was, for how long? It certainly wouldn't hold forever. Perhaps a day, at most.
The Warriors looked around at each other, taking just a moment to survey their injuries, before heading back to their cave. They had failed today.
But they would try again.
End Part 10
Once the Warriors had returned safely to their cave, Angel immediately set Buffy, who had been unconscious for quite a while, onto one of the sleeping bags. She, above anyone else, deserved Willow's attention at the moment.
Willow knelt next to Buffy to examine her pulse and wound. The sight of blood had always sickened her in the past, but in this moment, when her best friend needed her the most, Willow hardly thought twice about it. Instead, she began preparing a spell to try and slow the bleeding.
Angel, Giles and Xander watched on in silence as Willow performed her task, each one too afraid to speak; each one reliving the failure with Zeromus. Despite their current physical conditions, their minds were back at the battle, reflecting over what they did, what they could have done, and what they should have done.
Willow, oblivious to the self-recriminating thoughts of her friends, breathed a sigh of relief as the bleeding finally slowed. It would stop soon as well. Willow then turned her attention to healing the wound, which would be a more difficult task.
Some time later, Willow decided she had done all that she could, and stood up to stretch her sore muscles. Buffy would hopefully wake up soon, and the wound be healed in another few hours. Willow silently thanked the Goddess for her healing Magick. Who knows what would have happened today had she not had it.
The young wizard turned to her other companions and said, "I've done all I can do. Now we just have to wait for Buffy to heal.'
They all nodded their heads, and Willow noticed for the first time the extent of the injuries of both herself and the others. She started first on Xander's broken arm.
***
Night had fallen by the time things were finally in order again. Most of the injuries were on their way to a clean healing, and Buffy had woken up, though still in a lot of pain.
Willow noticed Angel slip quietly out of the cave, and decided to follow him. When he had gotten to the portal that led back to the Crystal Palace, Willow called his attention.
Angel whirled at the sound of his name being called, but relaxed when he saw that it was Willow.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked.
"Funny, I was just gonna ask you the same thing," Willow replied.
Angel made a slight noise of contempt and turned his back to Willow, but continued talking. "We lost, Willow."
"We'll try again," she tried to comfort him.
"What's the point? We're probably going to die anyway."
"Angel, don't say that!" Willow ordered, coming up to stand next to him, "we're going to win."
"How can you be so sure?" Angel asked, turning to look at the young girl next to him. That's all she was, really-a child, with so much of her life still ahead of her. She didn't deserve to die so young; none of them did. "We've never faced anything like this before. Hell, I've been around for over two centuries, and I've never even *heard* of anything like this before. How can you be so sure we'll win? And even if we do, at what price?"
"We'll win because I believe in us," Willow answered his question with ease, "because I believe in you."
Angel smiled wearily at her and sighed, "I wish I could believe as strongly as you." He reached up and gently stroked her cheek, smiling.
Willow smiled back, and reveled in the feel of his touch. She lifted her hand and placed it gently over Angel's. "We're going to win," she told him again, with a renewed certainty in her voice, whose source she couldn't identify.
Angel only smiled wider and pulled Willow closer to him until she was securely wrapped in his arms, her head resting against his chest. "You're right," he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead, "we will."
And Angel knew it was true. Not because they were destined to, but because how else would he be able to spend the rest of eternity with the red-haired goddess in his arms?
Willow looked up at him and felt a new flood of emotions run through her, and when Angel looked at her, she lost herself completely in the darkness of his eyes and the feel of his arms around her.
Angel locked his gaze onto Willow's and thought to himself how easy it would be to just lean down and place a soft kiss on her lips.
And he did.
Startled by the action, Willow jumped slightly only to find herself locked firmly into place by Angel's arm wrapped tightly around her waist. But she wasn't complaining. As Angel's lips met hers, Willow swooned slightly. Never had she imagined that his lips would be so soft, so tender, so loving. Willow parted her lips slightly to deepen the kiss, and eagerly met Angel's tongue as it dueled with hers in a new passion.
Angel's hand moved up and rested itself against the back of Willow's neck, partially to ensure that she wouldn't break away.
But in that moment, the last thought on Willow's mind was breaking this moment of pure heaven. Until, of course, she ran out of air.
When the kiss finally ended, Willow struggled to catch her breath, feeling drowsy from the new sensations coursing through her. "Wow," was the only world she could utter at that moment.
Angel pulled Willow's head to rest slightly on his chest as he rested his cheek on her the top of her head. "I've wanted to kiss you for a long time," he admitted finally.
"Me, too," she whispered in content, "me, too."
***
The following morning, the Warriors prepared once again to face Zeromus. The broken bones and cuts and gashes from their previous encounter had all healed nicely, even though the tiredness and a hint of despair were still present.
"Are we all ready?" Giles asked, feeling the tension in the air almost as if it were a tangible thing that was suffocating him.
They had spent much of the last night going over tactics and strategies to defeat Zeromus, now that they had had a glimpse of how he fought. They were a little better prepared mentally, if not emotionally or physically.
The Warriors approached the entrance to the cave once more, and found that the Wall that Willow had established when they fled yesterday had nearly disappeared.
They had arrived just in time.
As Willow worked to remove the last of the barriers preventing them from entering, Giles called up a Flood to throw Zeromus back in case he was waiting by the Wall.
The moment the last of the Wall was removed, Giles' flood issued forth, sending Zeromus crashing back with another howl of outrage.
"Weaklings!" he shrieked, "you, you who fight for the Light, have fled from the Darkness like cowards! And now you will perish as the feeble Warriors you are!"
And once again, battle ensued.
End Part 11
The Warriors positioned themselves for a full onslaught, surrounding their enemy, and the battle was on. Giles began summoning Bahamut, while the other four went on the defensive, merely deflecting any attacks Zeromus sent out. They knew to be careful this time.
As soon as Giles finished his summons, Bahamut, the Great Dragon, King of the Summoned Monsters, appeared in a flash of light and unleashed his MegaBomb upon Zeromus, effectively weakening him.
Once Bahamut had finished his task and disappeared into the nothingness from which he was called, the others took their opportunity to strike. Angel went first, dashing up to his enemy and plunging his sword up into the base of one of his arms, from which numerous tentacles extended. Angel quickly pulled the sword free and jumped back, as Zeromus turned to him.
His back was now to Buffy, who quickly leapt into the air and brought her lance down once more into the large bulge on the back of Zeromus' neck. Blood issued forth from the new injury, black as night.
Buffy quickly retreated as a tentacle came in search for her, and she effectively hacked it off as it neared.
Xander, who had quietly approached from the side and was now standing face to shin with Zeromus, unleashed a flurry of shurikens onto what Xander assumed was Zeromus' knee-cap. Or at least where a knee-cap should have been.
Zeromus noticed the new threat as soon as the wave of pain hit him, and he tried to stomp on the offending person in a frenzy, the pain almost unbearable.
Willow was in the meanwhile casting Pearl, one of the ultimate attacks used by the Light against the Dark. It had the desired effect as explosions erupted around Zeromus, causing him to hesitate with his attacks.
And so the battle raged, with the Warriors of the Light striking blow after blow.
But after what seemed to be an eternity of fighting, Willow realized that all the damage they were doing wasn't enough. And why wasn't Zeromus using any Magick tactics?
She noticed that Zeromus was busy fending off attacks by Giles, Buffy and Xander, so she retreated for a moment in search of Angel. She found him on the other side, healing a gash across his arm with the basic healing spells she had taught him
"Angel!" she called to him.
Angel turned to see Willow standing by him and he smiled in delight. "We're winning!" he exclaimed.
Willow nodded her head, but Angel could tell something was bothering her. "What is it?" he asked.
Willow was quiet for a moment, then answered, "Why is it that Zeromus isn't using his Magick?"
"Does it really matter? It just makes it all that much easier for us."
"But it doesn't make sense," Willow continued to protest, "he used it so frequently yesterday, and it's what gave him the advantage. Why isn't he using it now?"
Angel thought about the question again and realized Willow was right. Something was off. Before he could open his mouth to say anything, he noticed that Willow had turned suddenly pale.
"What's happened?" he asked, worried.
Willow wasn't quite sure how to answer Angel's question, but she had suddenly felt something. It was only a flash, but she had recognized the Evil energy. Zeromus was building up his strength, preparing for an attack that would finish them in an instant.
Then she felt it. The immediate rush of energy swirling around her, and she knew it was coming. "Get down!!!" she yelled, using every bit of power her tiny lungs contained, hoping the other three had heard. They were too close to Zeromus…if his attack hit them, they would surely be killed.
"Stay back!" she yelled at Angel, who knew better than to argue. Sprinting at a speed she didn't know she was capable of, Willow dashed around to try to attract the attentions of the others. "Get back!" she yelled at them, and this time they heard.
Buffy and Xander knew something was happening, but they were trapped, and fought desperately to get away.
Unfortunately, at that moment of distraction, Giles was caught by one of the tentacles, and unable to flee. Willow ran up and grabbed the dagger that had dropped from Giles' grasp, using all of her strength to slice the tentacle holding Giles. It worked, and Willow and Giles jumped back and away from the monster.
But they, like Xander and Buffy, were too late.
Zeromus had unleashed Meteo.
The very air seemed to still as the heat rose around them. Willow could practically see everything turn red, as balls of flame came crashing down upon them.
The Warriors did the best they could to escape the attack of Evil, but the heat was too strong.
"Giles!" Willow called his attention, "we need to counter!"
"With what?" Giles asked her, as realization dawned on him, "White Meteo…"
Willow nodded her head. White Meteo was a spell that required the directed Wills of both the White and Black Wizards. It was a risky spell for the spellcasters, but they had to, otherwise all of them would surely die.
Giles was still for a moment, then gave her an affirmative sign. They would do the spell. The two wizards stood up with an obvious effort, and began.
As Willow and Giles were ready to unleash the ultimate powers of the Light, a flame ball came headed directly at them. Giles stood frozen to the ground in shock. They were going to die.
"No!" Angel yelled as he saw the Fires of Darkness speed towards Willow and Giles. With his inhuman speed aiding him, he ran and intercepted the Flame before it could hit the wizards.
Willow protested with a loud cry as she saw Angel leap into the way, but it was too late to stop him. White Meteo had been unleashed, and slowly but surely it countered Zeromus' attack.
Within moments, the sheer force of the Power called by the opposing sides caused a tremendous explosion that knocked everyone off their feet.
When the smoke cleared, the remaining Warriors stood and saw that Zeromus lay dead, slipping slowly down into the pitfall and the fires below.
They had won.
But when they looked around, they noticed that Angel was nowhere in sight.
Excalibur lay gleaming, though bloodstained, on the ground by Willow's feet--it had lost none of its magnificence--but its owner was not there to claim it.
He was gone.
Zeromus was dead.
And so was Angel.
End Part 12
The return flight to Sunnydale was filled with a mournful silence. No one dared say a word about Angel's death, for fear that talking about it would make it real.
Jenny welcomed them home with sheer relief and happiness, but that was quickly replaced by fear when she saw the silent and grieving faces of her charges.
"What's happened?" she asked, feeling the fear clutch at her. But she didn't need an answer, for in that instant, Jenny looked up to see Willow tightly clutching Excalibur. Angel's sword.
"Oh my god," Jenny breathed, realizing what must have happened. "Willow--"
"It's OK," Willow said, her voice lacking any and all emotion. She was obviously in shock.
Willow moved to lay Excalibur down on one of the tables in the library, but didn't say anything more.
"We defeated Zeromus," Buffy explained, "but Angel…he didn't make it." Despite all the emotional resilience Buffy had gained in her years as the Slayer, she couldn't bring herself to say the words that Angel was dead.
The silence hung thickly in the library, as no one knew quite how to follow up Buffy's statement. Words were useless at this point. They had won, yes, but the price was almost unbearable: the life of one of their friends.
Willow felt like she was going to explode from grief. Angel was gone. The first man she had ever loved. And she never even got the chance to tell him that she loved him.
The doors to the library swung open suddenly and a voice from what seemed like an eternity ago spoke, "I see you've succeeded."
Everyone turned to see Morgan le Fay standing in the doorway, as elegant as ever. But somehow, her appearance today wasn't enough to break through the sorrow that filled the room.
Morgan immediately sensed the feelings of those in the room, and spoke, "I've come to congratulate you on your victory, and reclaim Excalibur."
Willow looked at Morgan, her face a mask of disbelief. "Angel is dead and you've come to *congratulate us on our victory*?" she practically shrieked.
The actual vocalization of the words, especially from Willow, stunned the occupants of the library into silence. They could only watch as the scene unfolded before them.
"You send us out there on a suicide mission, Angel dies, and now you want to *congratulate* us?" she asked again, feeling the anger build inside of her. Deep down, Willow knew the blame did not lie on Morgan, but the anger over losing Angel needed releasing, and Morgan seemed the ideal target.
"You knew, didn't you?" she snarled, "you knew that Angel had died even before you waltzed in here, didn't you?"
Morgan nodded her head in confirmation. "I was watching the entire battle through my scrying mirror. I saw what the Paladin did to save you."
"And you still have the nerve to come in here, congratulate us, and then demand that we give back Angel's sword?" Willow spoke more quietly, some of the anger seeping out of her now that she knew she had been right.
"Excalibur belongs to no one," Morgan corrected the young witch coolly. But she could not blame Willow for her anger. Hadn't she, too, felt that same fury when she had learned what fate had befallen her beloved Arthur?
But Angel had not met Arthur's fate.
"Whatever," Willow muttered, suddenly ashamed at her outburst. She picked up Excalibur and, expelling her remaining anger, threw the sword and Morgan.
Morgan caught the sword by the hilt easily, and sheathed it in the scabbard she had woven for Arthur so many years ago. "Listen to me, child," she tried to explain.
The Paladin would arrive soon, and it wouldn't do to have him walk into the library to face a group of people who still thought he was dead. Timing was, after all, everything.
"Perhaps you should leave," Giles finally interrupted wearily, "we've all had a rather long past few days, and I think it best that you return to…wherever it was you came from. Avalon, I suppose."
Morgan nodded in agreement, but continued, "Not until I've said what I must. As I told you before, I watched the battle from Avalon, and saw everything that befell you. But as much as I wanted to aid you, I am forbidden from interfering in the lives of mortals, and that includes helping you in battle."
"Why are you telling us this?" Buffy asked.
"Because there is something you should know," Morgan answered, "when I saw that the Paladin would die, I--"
The library doors opened once more, and to the utter disbelief of the people inside, Angel limped through, accompanied by one of Morgan's priestesses.
"I guess I'm early for my cue?" Angel asked, a lopsided grin on his scarred face.
"Angel!" came the unanimous reply.
"But how?" Willow wondered.
"I was getting to that," Morgan answered, "I suppose you don't need to know the specifics, but in short, I interfered."
"But I thought you couldn't?" Jenny asked.
"I was never physically incapable of interfering. And I'll deal with whatever consequences are dealt to me. This isn't the first time I've broken the rules, and I doubt it will be the last," Morgan smiled.
"I am so sorry," Willow apologized in a rush, "I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just that I was upset and--"
"It's alright," Morgan held up her hand to silence Willow, "I understand. And it's time that I leave. My work here is done. You have all done well, and I wish you the best. And remember to always walk in the Light."
As the doors swung shut behind Morgan and her attending priestess, Willow ran up to embrace Angel. Angel gathered her up in his arms and swung her joyfully around the room, not caring about his aching and battered body.
"You're alive!" she mumbled over and over again. And despite the gazes of the others in the room, she kissed him hard on the lips and spoke, "I love you."
Angel released Willow and smiled. "I love you, too, Willow. I love you, too."
End Part 13
Graduation day had finally arrived, and the three graduates were practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation.
"I can't believe it!" Buffy squealed, "we've actually made it out of high school!"
"Hallelujah!" Xander exclaimed, "and we're alive to boot."
"Well, I'm gonna sort of miss this place," Willow said, "after all, this is where we all met."
"Yeah," Buffy agreed, "I guess you're right. We've spent so much time here, it's kind of like a second home."
"Actually, it's sort of like a first home, considering we spend more time here than in our actual homes," Willow added.
"You know, I never thought I'd actually miss this place," Xander spoke in sincerity.
The three friends were roaming the halls in a last attempt to capture the memories of their high school lives.
The graduation ceremony would begin in a few hours, and Giles and Ms. Calendar would be there in the audience, like a couple of proud parents.
Angel, unfortunately, wouldn't be able to make it, since it was in the daylight hours, but Giles promised to videotape the whole thing. Angel had a special interest in watching the tape, too, since Willow was valedictorian.
"So, what are you and Angel gonna do to celebrate?" Buffy asked mischievously.
"I don't know," Willow smiled at the thought of Angel, "he said it was a surprise."
"Really?" Buffy asked, lifting an inquiring eyebrow. But she was glad that Willow and Angel had finally hooked up.
As the trio rounded the corner on the left, they saw that their good luck had just run out--they ran head on into Snyder.
"And just what do you three delinquents think you're doing here?" he automatically tore into them, "the graduation ceremony is out there, not in here. What, have you been going around vandalizing the school?"
Buffy, Willow and Xander all exchanged a look of amusement.
"And you two ladies," Snyder continued, indicating Buffy and Willow, "what do you think you're doing with those tattoos on your foreheads? I will not have my students, especially my valedictorian, go out there with a bunch of painted hoodoo symbols on their faces. Either get rid of them or cover them up."
"You know Snyder," Buffy interrupted his ravings, "we're gonna miss you, too."
With that, the three graduates continued quickly on their way, laughing to themselves at the expression on Snyder's face.
"Well, I never," Snyder exclaimed to himself as he watched the retreating backs of the teens, "missing a bunch of delinquents." He then turned and stalked off in the opposite direction, shaking his head.
***
The graduation ceremony went off without a hitch, much to the relief of the resident demon-fighters. Willow's speech as valedictorian moved as well as inspired the students, and there was nothing that could have crushed the "can-do" spirit of the graduating class that day.
When the ceremonies were over, Willow, Xander, and Buffy met up with Giles and Ms. Calendar, as well as their parents, who, though still oblivious to their childrens' hidden talents, were beaming with pride.
After awhile of mingling with other graduates and saying their goody-byes, they all went their separate ways: Willow to Angel's, Giles and Ms. Calendar to spend the evening together, Xander headed to the party at the Bronze, and Buffy going to rest up for patrols that night, in case any of the seniors decided to stay out late partying, and ran into vamp trouble. It would have been sort of ironic for them to have come so far only to get attacked graduation night.
The five friends agreed to meet the next to day, and headed off.
End Part 14
Willow brought her hand up to knock on Angel's door, announcing her arrival. She heard Angel call out from inside to hold on a minute, and Willow wondered to herself what he was planning. He had told her it was a surprise.
When the door finally opened, Willow found herself gaping at the sight of Angel in a tuxedo, holding a single red rose in his hand. After the initial shock of seeing Angel dressed up wore off, Willow noticed just how sexy he looked in the suit.
"So are you planning on standing out there all night staring?" Angel asked, a huge grin transforming his normally handsome face into one of pure beauty.
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed, realizing she *had* been staring, "right. No. I mean, I'm not gonna stand out here all night. It's just that I've never seen you in a penguin suit before."
"Penguin suit? You're saying I look like a penguin?" Angel asked.
"No! Well…No!. You don't. You look good. Really," Willow stuttered for a moment.
"Well, you look pretty good yourself," Angel told her, admiring her beauty, "have I told you how beautiful you look lately?"
"Yes, but you can always tell me again," Willow stated a bit sheepishly.
Angel only grinned wider and stepped aside to allow her room to pass. "For you," he said, holding out the rose as she stepped into the apartment.
"Thank you," Willow said, taking the rose and entering further into the apartment.
Her breath caught at the sight that greeted her.
The most obvious changes were the vases upon vases of red roses in every corner, elegant white candles situated in every spot, supplying a dim, picturesque glow about the room, and the table set off to the side, covered in a white linen tablecloth and adorned with candles.
"Oh, Angel, it's beautiful," Willow breathed, "when you said you had a surprise, I certainly wasn't expecting this.'
"What, I'm not allowed to romance my love?" Angel asked with mock hurt.
"Romance away!" Willow told him as she turned around to place a soft kiss on his lips. Angel wrapped her in his arms and returned the kiss with full force.
"So," Willow said, pulling away, "what's in store for tonight?"
"You'll see," Angel grinned, pulling her to the couch set off to the side. After situating Willow on his lap, Angel asked, "But first, tell me about the graduation. How was it?"
"Like any other graduation," Willow stated, arms wrapped around Angel's neck, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "speeches, diplomas, celebrations. You'll see Giles' video."
"Nothing happened?" Angel asked, clarifying his earlier question.
"Oh, you mean in the sense of some demon attacking--it was nice and peaceful," Willow informed him.
"Good," Angel said, "and now I have a surprise for you."
"What?"
"You'll see. Stay right there," Angel told her as he got off the couch and retrieved something from a drawer on the opposite end of the room.
"Here," he told her, coming to sit next to her. He was holding a rolled up piece of paper that was tied with a red ribbon, "I know it's kind of silly, but I thought you deserved it."
Willow brow furrowed slightly as she untied the ribbon and unrolled the slightly parched paper. Her eyes quickly scanned over the paper and she burst out laughing. "Oh, Angel!" she managed between bursts in her fit of hysteria, "this is definitely the most original gift I've ever gotten!"
"You think it's stupid, don't you?" Angel asked.
Willow finally managed to calm herself down and answered seriously, "No, Angel, it's sweet. Really. Thank you."
Angel grinned and took the diploma, which announced Willow's successfully completed tasks as protector of the innocent, healer of the wounded, and defender of her friends, from her hands.
"Now then," Angel said, "would you care to dance?"
Willow noticed that music had suddenly begin to play in the background and smiled up at Angel, placing her hand in his extended one and letting him lift her from the couch and whirl her across the room.
As Angel wrapped Willow in his arms, he heard her sigh contentedly, causing him to pull her even closer.
"It feels good being in your arms," she told him honestly.
"It feels good having you in my arms," he answered.
"It's just that when I thought you had died…"
"Hey," Angel cut her off. He took her chin in his hand and tilted her head up so she met his gaze, "We're not going back there. I didn't die--I'm right here. With you."
"I know," Willow said, "I love you so much."
"I love you, too," Angel answered as he leaned down and quickly stole a kiss.
"So do you have dinner planned as well?" Willow asked as Angel began kissing his way down her neck.
"I did," he murmured softly between kisses, "but I'm thinking I'll skip right to dessert."
"Oh? Did you buy a pie or ice cream or--oh! You mean *that* kind of dessert!" Willow exclaimed as Angel began nibbling over her ear.
Willow's comment caused Angel to snicker and he pulled away to look at her flushed face, "Yes," he told her, "*that* kind of dessert."
He leaned in once more and placed a soft kiss on her lips before continuing suggestively, "But if you like, we can have dinner now, and save dessert for tonight."
The crimson blush on Willow's cheeks turned a deeper shade as the meaning of Angel's words sunk in. "Well, I think that…we could…um…that's good," she finally managed.
"OK," Angel smiled, "come on."
And as the couple sat down to the dinner Angel had planned, they were
blissfully unaware of the new trouble brewing beneath the Hellmouth.
The End