Parts: 11 - 14
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Chapter 11
Willow’s breath caught at the love in Buffy’s eyes. She had wanted this for so long but now she wasn’t sure if it was a dream come true or a nightmare. "Goddess, Buffy, I love you so much and this is something I’ve dreamed about." Willow hesitated not wanting to hurt her.
"But you love Angel more," Buffy prompted. She dropped her hands and stared down at her knees; she could feel her heart breaking.
"That wasn’t what I was going to say." Reaching out, Willow cupped Buffy’s face in her hands, bringing her eyes back up to hers. "Yes, I love Angel. As much as I do you, but not more." She placed her finger on Buffy’s mouth, stopping the question she could see forming. "Don’t ask me how I can love two people at the same time. I haven’t figured that one out myself. All I know is that I do."
Kissing Willow’s finger, Buffy reached up and pulled it away. "I wasn’t going to ask that; I already know the answer. You have such a big heart that you have a great deal of love to give."
Willow gave a sad laugh. "Don’t put me on a pedestal. I can be just as dark as anyone." She couldn’t help but remember the spells she’d used on Tara and Buffy, her night out with Amy, and everything else. "Maybe more so."
"Not likely. Shh!" This time it was Buffy who placed her finger over Willow’s mouth. "We’ll talk about this some more later. Right now, I want to finish our current conversation. If I love you and you love me, than what’s the problem? I can live with you loving Angel."
"What’s the problem?! First, what about your feelings for Angel? I though you loved him. And second, you deserve someone who can love you with all of their heart and make you the center of their universe."
"Angel and I tried that. And that turned into more of a dark obsession. I’m not saying we weren’t in love but it was rooted in jealousy and pain."
Closing her eyes, Buffy sank back onto her heels as she replayed memories of her relationship with Angel. Feeling Willow stroking her hair, trying to comfort her, she reopened them and looked up into eyes filled with love. This was what she wanted and it was definitely something worth fighting for.
"You know I once told Angel that when he kissed me I felt like dying. I thought that was what love was all about, that without the pain and angst it wasn’t ‘true love’." Buffy gave a slightly bitter laugh at her melodrama. "But yesterday when we kissed I wanted to live. It was a feeling I liked. All day whenever I thought about our kiss, and I thought about it a lot, it made me happy."
Seeing Willow’s skeptical look, Buffy gave a sheepish shrug. "Okay, I also felt a little confused and scared, but give me a break it’s not everyday a girl kisses her best friend, who happens to also be a girl, who you realize is in love with your ex-boyfriend."
"At least not outside of Jerry Springer," Willow replied dryly, causing both girls to giggle.
"But seriously, Will, that kiss made me stop and think about my life and what I want out of it. And what I want is you and all the good things I feel when I’m with you."
Willow felt a grin spreading across her face as her emotions skyrocketed. Buffy loved her! Buffy wanted her! Before she could do anything rash, like throw her arms around her and kiss her senseless, the realization of her situation crashed down around her.
"Oh, Buffy, I do love you and want us to be so much more than friends but I don’t want to hurt you." Willow stared at the blonde strands of hair tangled around her hand, not wanting Buffy to see her tears. "I can’t," Willow paused, that wasn’t the truth. "I won’t give up on Angel."
Gently removing Willow’s hand from her hair, Buffy got up from the floor and sat back down on the bed, pulling Willow into her arms. "I know. You wouldn’t be the girl I fell in love with if you could." Wanting her to see the truth in her eyes, Buffy lifted her face so their eyes met. "I meant what I said earlier, having even part of your love is worth sharing you with Angel. So I’ll do what I can to help you give him his soul back." She cast a dark glance at the shirt her friend was wearing. "Even, if at the moment I’d prefer to stake him."
"Buffy, I…" Willow stopped her mind not able to form a coherent sentence.
Not giving her a chance to recover, Buffy lowered her mouth down to Willow’s, cutting off any more objections.
Feeling Buffy’s tongue seeking entrance, Willow’s lips parted.
Groaning at the passion sweeping through her, Buffy let her tongue explore the soft warmth of the redhead’s mouth.
Finally, both of them needing to breath, they reluctantly broke the kiss.
Not willing to completely break contact, Buffy began to place soft kisses along her jaw, while her fingers began to unbutton Willow’s shirt. Reaching her ear, she delicately flicked her tongue out at her earlobe.
"Goddess," Willow exhaled wonderingly as her fingers dug into her friend’s shoulder, pulling her closer.
"Let me make love to you," Buffy begged, her warm breath caressing Willow’s ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Yes." Her mind was sending up a cacophony, telling her this was a bad idea but Willow ignored it as she reached for the hem of Buffy’s T-shirt, pulling it over her head.
Once her shirt was off, Buffy quickly finished removing the redhead’s. Her heart pounding, she stared at the view before her. Reverently, she ran a trembling finger over one of the rose-tipped breast. "You are so beautiful."
"No, you are," Willow said. She could feel herself growing wetter as she took in the full breasts and flat, muscled stomach of her friend. She had always thought Buffy was pretty but seeing her like this Willow realized that pretty was far too bland a description for the petite Slayer.
"How about we agree that both of us are beautiful," Buffy countered. She couldn’t stop touching her. Her silky skin drew her like a lodestone and she couldn’t help but wonder what it would taste like. Buffy moaned as her mind was filled with images of tasting her friend.
Unable to resist the lure any longer, Willow reached out and caught one of Buffy’s hardening nipples between her fingers. "That’s a good idea. But I’ve got a better one."
"What?" Buffy moaned out at Willow’s touch. Her mind and body were being consumed by the ache building within her.
"Let’s stop talking," she suggested huskily, her own desire growing.
"Good idea." Buffy’s hands swept up tangling in Willow’s hair as she pushed her back down onto the bed and captured her mouth under hers.
Breaking the kiss, Willow threw her head back, her eyes closed tight as streaks of lust shot through her, drawing in several gasping breaths.
Buffy, taking advantage of Willow’s position decided to satisfy her curiosity and began to kiss her way down her exposed throat, pausing every couple of inches to lick at the offered skin.
Wanting to return the pleasure being given her, Willow forced her eyes to open, about to suggest they get more comfortable. Seeing movement at the window, she turned her head in that direction and gave a startled shriek.
At Willow’s scream Buffy’s head jerked up. Following the redhead’s gaze, she quickly rolled off the bed and grabbed a stake from her nightstand as she too saw the form silhouetted in the window.
Even as she felt the comforting shape of the stake in her hand, the form vanished. Picking up her discarded shirt with her free hand, Buffy clutched it to her chest as she made her way over to the window, aware of Willow following behind her.
Searching the now empty roof and yard, they stood quietly side by side. Neither one needing to guess who had been watching them. There was only one answer and they both knew it: Angelus.
Chapter 12
How dare she?! The anger was rolling off Angelus in waves, sending all the other creatures of the night scurrying out of his path. None of them were willing to risk a confrontation with the enraged vampire.
Angelus snarled as images of what he had just seen flashed through his mind. He was going to kill the Slayer. She had dared to touch *his* witch! Oh, he would punish Tiger for allowing it but the Slayer was dead.
Storming into the warehouse, Angelus was so caught up in planning his revenge that he didn’t notice the slight figure that stepped out of the shadows behind him.
Willow flinched as she heard the noises coming from the abandoned factory. That Angelus didn’t detect her presence was a sign of just how pissed off he was. Well, hopefully, she could direct his anger at her and not Buffy.
Cautiously making her way in and onto the catwalk, Willow grimaced at the Slayer’s name; she had no trouble picturing her reaction to this little reconnoitering mission. It had taken a lot of persuading to convince Buffy that it was safe for her to go home, if she’d any idea that she was planning to spy on Angelus, she would never have let her out of her sight. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing; she could think of several things to do to keep herself occupied.
Biting back a sigh of frustration, Willow firmly locked down her hormones. Now was not the time; there was no telling what Angelus would do to her if he caught her. Just considering all the possibilities she was tempted to turn around and leave.
No, Willow set her resolve face, she was tired of always being a step behind and scrambling to react to the situation. Crouching down low, she slowly and quietly made her way closer to the edge, stopping when she had a clear view of her nemesis.
Angelus kicked at the bloodied vampire at his feet, imaging it was the blonde Slayer. Suddenly, the pleasant picture of a broken Slayer, lying at his feet was replaced by the image of a furious redheaded witch. Snarling, Angelus whirled away from the beaten vampire, picked up a chair and threw it against the wall, watching with satisfaction as it shattered.
He clenched his bloody fists as he forced himself to calm down. He couldn’t kill the Slayer, at least not yet; after he had conquered his little pet and showed her who was the master it would be a different story. Until then he’d have to find something to attract the Slayer’s focus and distract her from his witch.
"Get the demon," Angelus commanded two of the minions cowering by the door.
Willow’s eyebrows went up in consternation. Damn! Angelus hadn’t killed the demon that had started all of this. That was just great! Trust the damn vampire to make things more difficult, she didn’t know how much information this demon had about future events in Sunnydale.
Concentrating on the purple skinned demon being lead into the room, Willow was taken by surprise as she felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around. Seeing the vampire confronting her, she didn’t stop to think just grabbed his arm and flipped him over the railing of the catwalk.
His attention drawn away from the coming interrogation by the body hitting the floor, Angelus looked up into green eyes. "Well, well, what do we have here? Slayer couldn’t satisfy your needs so you came looking for me?" Smirking at the apprehension in her eyes, he motioned to three of the vampires nearest the catwalk. "Bring her down to me."
Knowing the vampires were too close for her to try and outrun them, Willow searched for another solution, finding it in the wreckage of Angelus’ anger. She easily levitated the remains of the wooden chair he had thrown and sent them hurtling towards the approaching minions, dusting them.
Not waiting to see Angelus’ reaction, Willow spun around and raced out of the warehouse.
Angelus gave a feral smile as he watched the redhead begin to run. It looked like his night was picking up. "Hold him here," he ordered, indicating the demon before quickly following the fleeing witch.
Outside he paused, catching a flash of red and hearing the echoing of her footsteps as she ran. Pausing briefly, Angelus drew in the intoxicating scent left in her wake, a combination of fear and excitement. His eyes flashed gold as his human features fell away as he began the chase after his prey.
Willow’s breath grew ragged at the hard pace she was keeping. She couldn’t hear his footsteps following her but she didn’t even think about slowing down; she knew he was behind her.
The buildings and streets were a blur as she focused on getting home. If she passed anybody she didn’t notice. But that was another thing she didn’t worry about; in Sunnydale if anyone noticed someone being pursued they were more likely to ignore it than offer help.
Suddenly, her forward momentum was halted as a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into a dark alley. Before she could regain enough breath to struggle, Willow found herself pressed up against a hard wall by an equally hard body.
"Going somewhere, Tiger?"
"Yeah, somewhere your not!"
Forcing her legs apart, Angelus settled his hips in the area created. "Glad to see you didn’t lose any of that spirit during this little run of yours. I have much better uses in mind for it." He rubbed his erection against her mound, leaving her in no doubt of what he was referring to.
Grabbing two handfuls of his hair, pulling his head back, Willow growled as she met his eyes. "I’m not going to let you seduce me again." She got a good view of his fangs as he grinned in amusement at her show of temper.
"Good because I wasn’t planning on wasting any more time on seduction." Angelus crushed her mouth under his, his tongue prying open her lips and taking what he wanted.
Willow tried to struggle but her mind and body were quickly overwhelmed by her desires for this man. Knowing she couldn’t resist both him and her own traitorous senses, she changed tactics. Using her grip on his hair, she forced his mouth closer as her tongue fought his for dominance.
Desire ripped through him as she met him force for force. So Tiger not only knew how to play but also enjoyed the game. Well, he had far more experience and he refused to let her win. Oh, but he was planning on enjoying her efforts.
Pulling his mouth away from hers, Angelus’ mouth moved down to her throat. He let his fangs scrap against her skin, sensitizing it before beginning to suck and lick at it. Sliding his hands down to her thighs, he shoved her skirt up around her waist.
Angelus hissed in pleasure as his seeking hands encountered soft, bare skin. "No underwear?"
"Someone tore them," she replied tartly as she worked on unbuttoning his shirt. After several fumbled attempts, Willow gave a soft mewl of dissatisfaction and tore it open, sending buttons flying everywhere.
Chuckling at her impatience, Angelus kneaded her buttocks, rocking her against his erection as she wrapped her legs around his hips. "Remind me to do that more often."
Returning her hands to his hair, Willow once again used it to pull his head back. "You talk too much," she told him. Capturing his mouth with hers, she let her tongue teasingly glide over his extended fangs before tangling with his.
For several minutes the only sounds were of cloth scrapping against cloth and their harsh moans, as they were driven closer and closer to the edge.
Feeling her climax approaching, Willow tightened her legs around him as she ground her throbbing sex down onto his erection. Pulling her mouth from his, she threw her head back against the wall, screaming out in release. "Angel!"
Taking advantage of her position, Angelus sank his fangs into her exposed throat as he came.
Gradually regaining her senses, Willow let her legs fall and pushed at his shoulders with trembling arms. "Stop." She tried to make her voice demanding but like her arms it too still trembled in the aftermath of the explosion that had rocked her body.
Angelus slowly lifted his head after giving the puncture wound one more leisurely lick. A smug smirk creased his face at the dazed look in her eyes.
Seeing the egotistical expression on his face, Willow shoved harder at his chest. "Let me go!"
"In a hurry to get home? It is the time when good little girls are snuggled up in bed, having sweet dreams." His smirk never lessening, Angelus stepped back and watched complacently as she tugged at her clothes, trying to straighten them. "But then this encounter has proven you’re not a good little girl."
Ignoring his taunting, Willow stopped fussing with her clothes, nothing short of washing them would make them look presentable again, and brushed past him. She’d only taken a step when he grabbed her arm, bringing her to a halt.
Turning her back towards him, Angelus cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look into his eyes. "You can run home and dream your dreams about the Slayer and Angel but just remember I’m the one you belong to," he told her as he brushed his fingers over the bite mark on her neck.
She forced herself to swallow the angry denial that wanted to spew out of her mouth. All it would do is prolong the encounter and all she wanted to do was get home at the moment. Giving him a glare that should’ve had him writhing on the ground in pain, Willow jerked free of his grasp and swept out of the alley.
Watching her storm away, Angelus laughed. Ah, what fun his little pet was proving. She not only had the fiery temper to match her hair but the intelligence to know when to control it. That was going to provide him with endless hours of enjoyment. There was also the added bonus of her being a real firecracker in bed. A wolfish grin crossed his face at the proof he had received of that fact.
Shaking his head, he pushed aside his current track of thought. There would be time later to relish the pleasure Tiger would bring him. Right now he had a Slayer to get rid of.
Chapter 13
The black whip hissed as it cut through the air, landing with a crack against the demon’s back, making it scream as it tore another strip of skin away. Letting the lash dangle from his hand, Angelus stood still for a moment enjoying his bloody handwork. He casually made his way over to where the demon was chained and leaned against the wall.
"What did they want to stop?"
Voroth turned his face towards the master vampire, his body still trembling with pain. "To stop you from regaining your soul."
Angelus’ eyes flashed ominously as he reached out, grabbing the Tassac demon by the back of his head and grinding its face into the wall. "Don’t lie to me. I’m not a fool." He turned and glared at Spike, who snorted at that statement, before turning his attention back to his guest. "If that was all your greedy law firm wanted they would’ve had you kill the little witch. No, you were sent to prevent me from doing something and I want to know what it is."
When Voroth remained silent, Angelus motioned for one of his minions to approach. Reaching his hand into the bucket the vampire carried, he grabbed a handful of salt. Changing his position so that he could reach the demon’s torn back, he placed the hand with the salt against it, crushing it into the bleeding wounds.
Voroth arched, trying to get away from this additional pain as he once again let out a shrill scream.
Moving back to his prior position against the wall, Angelus looked at the blue blood coating his hand before bringing it up to his mouth, licking at the blood. Grimacing at the bitter taste, he pulled the tattered remains of the Tassac’s shirt off, using it to clean his hand. "Now, you can tell me or not, it doesn’t really matter to me one way or the other. Sure it would make things easier, but I’m having fun with our little game. So it’s up to you to decide whether you want to continue this question-and-answer session or if you would prefer that I find something, or should I say someone, else to play with."
Shuddering at the vampire’s conversational tone of voice, Voroth gave in, preferring to face the wrath of Wolfram and Hart then Angelus’ idea of fun. "Acthala! They wanted to prevent you from opening Acthala."
"Where is it?"
"Some excavation team dug it up but I don’t know which one. Their names were never mentioned."
Angelus eyed the demon thoughtful, wondering if he was lying. After a moments thought, he shrugged. It didn’t matter if he was, there were only a few places in Sunnydale that would house something like the statue; it wouldn’t take him long to find it. "How do I open it?"
"I don’t know," Voroth replied, tiredly. Seeing him move and raise the whip again, he began yelling, "I don’t know! If any of the lawyers did they were careful not to mention it!"
Satisfied with that, Angelus made his way over to the table and began to write down the names of the places Acthala could be. Motioning for several of the other vampires to approach, he handed each of them a slip of paper, keeping one, the most likely prospect, for himself. "Okay, boys, we’re going shopping. If you find the statue bring it back here."
As he finished giving out his instructions, Angelus caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned towards it. He watched in irritation as an entranced Dru approached the chained demon. He really should let the demon drain her if she was stupid enough to be caught by the simple mind tricks it possessed. After thinking about it for a moment, Angelus sighed in exasperation; he might need Dru or the demon before he got rid of the damn Slayer.
Moving quietly over to Voroth, he grabbed him by the back of the head and slammed his head into the wall. He did it again, only releasing him when he felt the demon pass out. "Take him back to his cell."
Grabbing Druscilla by the arm, he dragged her over to where Spike was sitting. Shoving her into his arms, Angelus issued a warning, "If you want her to continue to live I’d suggest keeping her away from the damn demon. I have better things to do."
Angelus unrolled his sleeves, refastening the cuffs before picking up his coat and leaving the factory to go search for Acthala.
********
Willow reached over and slammed her hand down on her alarm clock, silencing it’s persistent buzzing. Why did she set it for this early? She didn’t have classes.
Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar sight of her old bedroom at her parents’ house and groaned. She did have school today! High school! Groaning again, Willow rolled out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom.
Turning the shower on hot, she stepped under the spray and let it wash away the cobwebs from her sleep-fogged mind. Goddess, she was tired. When she got back to her right time, she was going to sleep for twenty-four hours straight. Willow snorted, provided she lived that long. Considering her actions last night, that was in question.
Pouring shampoo into her hands, she began to roughly work it through her hair. What the hell had she been thinking last night? Going to Angelus’ lair by herself had been pure suicide. Normally, she was more intelligent than that but obviously she’d lost her brains somewhere along the line.
Enough! It didn’t really matter why she had gone, it was over and done with. Now all she had to do was find away to use what she’d learned. Rinsing her hair, Willow frowned. What had she learned?
That the demon from the future was still alive and Angelus’ prisoner. Okay, that was a plus. What else had she found out? Turning off the water, she grabbed a towel and started drying off as she gave it some more thought.
Um, that Angelus was hot, she weakly added. Willow gave a sharp laugh as she moved over to the sink and picked up her hairbrush. That wasn’t anything new; she’d always known Angel was sexy. It’s why she became either a babbling idiot or a quiet mouse whenever he was around.
Sighing in exasperation at her track of thought, Willow put her brush down. She couldn’t keep letting her hormones dictate what she did. Grabbing her discarded towel, she wiped off the foggy mirror and stared at her reflection. "Willow, you are here for a reason. One that doesn’t include screwing Angel," she paused and rolled her eyes, "alright Angelus, or Buffy. So stop playing around and get to work." Finishing her mini lecture, she gave a sharp nod, showing she was serious, and went to get dressed.
She had just started to pull on her jeans when the phone rang. Hurriedly, yanking them up and fastening them, Willow rushed for the phone. "Hello," she answered slightly out of breath.
"Did I call at a bad time?" A familiar voice asked.
"Hey, Buffy." Willow sank down onto the edge of her bed as she talked. "No, I’m just in the middle of getting dressed."
There was a pause on the other end. "Need some help?"
Willow’s heart started racing as she imagined the blonde helping her dress or better yet undress. Shaking her head to clear it of the carnal images, she let out a soft chuckle. "No. I have the feeling if I let you help we’d be way late for school."
"Doesn’t sound like a problem to me. Sure you don’t want to reconsider? It’d be much more fun than first period."
She had to laugh at her friend’s coaxing. "I’m sure it would. But I have a feeling Snyder and your mom wouldn’t agree about the class missage. And I don’t know about you but I certainly wouldn’t want to explain to them why we were late."
"No biggie. I’ll just tell them you were tutoring me in anatomy."
"Buffy!" Willow felt her face get red even as she broke out into a smile.
"Oh, please. As if you don’t like the suggestion."
She shook her head. She hadn’t realized her friend had such a wicked streak; it could prove to be very fun. "Is there a reason you called or did you just want to tease me?"
There was silence on the other end. After a few minutes Willow got worried. "Buffy? Are you okay?"
"Hmm, oh, yeah. Just imagining teasing you. We’ll have to try that sometime soon."
Willow swallowed hard as her own mind brought up pictures of Buffy leaning over her and teasing her, until she was begging her to take her. Shifting on the bed, she could feel the growing wetness between her legs. At this rate she’d have to take another shower. "Buffy, why did you call?" She asked, desperate to change the subject.
"Huh? Oh, right." She heard the blonde sigh and knew she would be pouting at being brought back to reality. "I can’t walk with you to school. Snyder called and wants to meet with mom and me before school today. A perfect way to start the day."
She grimaced in sympathy for her friend. Bad enough she had to deal with all of the Slayer stuff without adding Snyder telling her mom what a delinquent she was and threatening her with being expelled if she didn’t change her behavior; like that was even an option. "Yeah, that sucks. But I’ll tell you what, after your *discussion* with Snyder, meet me in the library and I’ll find a way to make it up to you," she offered, trying to cheer her up.
"Deal!" Willow smiled again at the excitement in the Slayer’s voice. "I’ll let you go. The sooner I get this meeting over with the sooner I can see you."
"Alright, I’ll see you in the library." She paused before finishing softly. "I love you."
"I love you, too," came Buffy’s equally soft reply.
Hanging up the phone, Willow lay back on the bed and grinned up at the ceiling. The feelings coursing through her over their last exchange was amazing. It almost made this whole trip back in time worth it.
Sitting up quickly, Willow dropped her head into her hands and groaned. Damn it! Not more than twenty minutes ago, she had vowed to concentrate on returning Angel’s soul and here she was making plans to meet Buffy and neck; she’s wasn’t even going to attempt to lie to herself about what they had both had in mind.
Well, what was she going to do now? Canceling her plans with Buffy wasn’t even an option, she couldn’t hurt her like that, but she had to work on the spell. Looking over at the clock, Willow jumped up and rushed to finish dressing. It was early enough that if she hurried she could get in an hour of research before meeting Buffy. Then she’d get Giles to excuse her from her classes. She paused, thinking for a moment. No, it would be better if Ms. Calendar did it.
Pulling on her shoes, Willow grabbed her backpack as she ran out the door. Hoping to get to the library before anyone else showed up.
Chapter 14
Nothing! Willow slammed the book shut and shoved it over with the other two she’d been through. Bracing her elbows on the table, she rested her head on her hands and massaged her aching forehead.
You’d think since the Gypsies had successful managed to give one of the most vicious vampires in history his soul back there’d be something written about it. But so far she’d found nothing, not even a footnote.
Willow snorted. Not that it would’ve been a lot of help even if it were mentioned. What she really needed was a how-to book.
‘Pesky vampire problems, need a way to make them leave you alone. Well here is the book for you: How to Give Them a Soul in Ten Days or Less. Though this author recommends you skip the clause portion as it can have some deadly side effects.’
Lifting her head, Willow smiled at her whimsy. It wasn’t that bad yet. Between her and Ms. Calendar, they had cobbled together a program that would hopefully translate the spell. As she looked over at the quietly crunching computer, she hoped it would be some time soon.
While the computer translated the spell, she was searching for a way to make Angel’s soul permanent. After everything she’d gone through during her trip into the past, she was bound and determined to make sure Angel had the chance to be happy. Now all she had to do was find the information she needed to make that happen.
Rolling her shoulders to ease the tension in her neck, Willow stood up and grabbed the discarded books. No sense giving into despair yet. The computer still hadn’t finished translating the curse so she had plenty of time for research.
Taking the books up to the stacks, she shelved the ones she had and selected a couple of new ones. Straightening up, she shrieked and dropped the books as a strong arm wrapped around her waist.
"Hello, Tiger."
Pulling away, she whirled around and found herself trapped between the bookcase and Angelus. Seeing the smug grin on his face, Willow’s anger got the upper hand.
"Stop doing that!" Placing her hands on his chest, she tried to shove him back, growling in aggravation when he didn’t budge. "You’re a vampire! You know a creature of the night! So what the hell are you doing out in the morning?"
"My, my you are definitely a firecracker aren’t you? But than you already proved that last night." Catching her hand before it could connect with his face, Angelus laughed at her outraged expression. "As for me I was out shopping and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit my little pet before going to bed. Especially, since the city founders were so thoughtful as to provide so many tunnel accesses."
Willow snorted angrily as she tugged at his hand, trying to free her wrist. "What do you expect with a wanna-be-demon for a Mayor?" She froze as she realized what she had just said.
"My, my, what an interesting tidbit. Care to share any more?"
Not trusting what would come out she clamped her mouth shut and shook her head.
"No?" Angelus ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "That’s okay. I can think of much better uses for your mouth." Applying pressure to her lip, he forced her mouth open before swooping down and capturing it with his.
All of Willow’s thoughts and protest fractured and spun away as the taste of him exploded on her tongue. The only thought left in her mind was that she wanted more. Releasing her grip on his wrist, she slid her hand into the short, spiky strands of his hair and pulled his mouth tighter against hers.
Angelus growled as she flexed her fingers against his scalp much like the tiger he called her. Bending the arm he held behind her back, he pressed her swelling breasts against his chest. His other hand cupped her ass and lifted her into his erection.
Pulling her head back, Willow dragged in much needed oxygen as Angelus began to kiss his way down her exposed neck. She shuddered with desire as he nipped at the vein, hard enough to hurt but not break skin, before laving away the pain with his tongue. Wanting to give him more room, she moved her head back further, bumping it on the bookshelf behind her. Bookshelf. Library. Buffy!
"Stop!" Tightening her hand in his hair, Willow pulled Angelus’ mouth away from her throat.
Grabbing the hand in his hair, Angelus pinned it against the bookshelf. His eyes flashed yellow as he settled more of his weight against her body, causing her to gasp in pain at the sudden pressure on the arm trapped behind her. "You’re forgetting our bargain, little girl. I can have you when and where I want."
"You’re the one forgetting!" Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, Willow glared up at the vampire. "Any of my friends could walk in and discover us and that would lead to explanations I can’t give!"
Snarling softly, Angelus reluctantly moved away from her. "Fine. I’ll leave for now." His hand shot out catching her jaw in a tight grip and forcing her to meet his eyes. "But we will finish this. Tonight, here at midnight. I’ll expect you to be waiting for me." He raked his eyes down the fuzzy sweater and jeans she was wearing. "In something more revealing than the school girl clothing you’re wearing now." With that last command he disappeared into the tunnels.
Running her hand through her hair, Willow took a calming breath, controlling her anger. After another deep breath she decided it was probably a good thing he left before she could reply to his demands, it would’ve only escalated his temper.
Hearing the door to the library open, Willow ran her hands down her clothes, making sure everything was in place.
"Willow?" Buffy called out as she set her books down on the table.
Closing her eyes, the redhead quickly thanked the Goddess she had regained her senses and made Angelus leave. Shaking off the images of what would’ve happened if she hadn’t, Willow opened her eyes and made her way to the stairs.
"Hi!" Willow called out cheerfully as she made her way down to the Slayer.
Buffy looked up a smile lighting her face; a smile that quickly faded as she took in the hacker's faintly mused hair and kiss-reddened lips. "Angelus was here."
The color faded from Willow’s face as she gave the blonde a guilty look. Not able to say anything she gave a faint nod. "He’s gone," she informed her, seeing Buffy’s angry stare directed up at the stacks.
"Are you okay?" Buffy asked as she met the redhead at the bottom of the stairs.
"I’m fine. Whatever game he’s playing he doesn’t want to hurt me." Willow paused as she remembered Angelus’ efforts to bend her to his will. "Not physically, anyway."
Willow bit back a pained gasp at the flash of hurt in her friend’s eyes. "Oh, Goddess! Buffy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you." She closed her eyes briefly before opening them and saying the hardest words she’d ever said. "Maybe we should wait before taking our relationship any further. At least until this situation with Angelus is solved."
"No!" Buffy’s vehement denial stopped the rest of Willow’s words. "One thing being the Slayer has taught me is life is short so don’t be afraid to go after what you want. And what I want is you."
"But I don’t want to keep hurting you," Willow almost whispered.
Reaching out Buffy cupped Willow’s face in her hands. "I can’t deny I have problems with the thought of you and Angel. But they’re complete eclipsed by the happiness and love I feel when I’m with you."
Seeing the doubts still lingering in the redhead’s eyes, Buffy leaned in and gently pressed a kiss against her lips.
Feeling the truth of the blonde’s emotions in the kiss, Willow let the last of her fears be swept aside as she tangled her hands in Buffy’s hair and deepened the kiss.
Before their kiss could turn more passionate the door to the library swung open. Pulling away from each other, they turned towards the door, their eyes widening in shock when they saw who had entered.
"Oz!"