Parts: 6 - 10
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Chapter 6
Sitting on the end of the bed, Buffy watched as Willow bustled around getting ready for bed. They’d had enough sleepovers that she recognized the stalling tactic for what it was. She had allowed it because it gave her the chance to sit and observe her friend. She’d never realized just how much she enjoyed doing that. But then there was nothing like almost losing your best friend, not once but twice, to make you sit up and take notice. "Enough, Will. We need to talk."
"Can’t we talk in the morning? Right now, I’d just like to go to sleep."
"You said that earlier. And instead of sleeping I find you fighting with Angelus. So, no, this can’t wait!"
Sighing, Willow stopped messing with the clothes in her closet, like it really mattered what she wore tomorrow, and went over and sat down in the chair by her computer. What should she tell her? Willow debated the issue as she studied her friend.
Seeing the weariness in Buffy’s eyes, Willow decided. The truth. She’d tell her the truth. Now, hopefully she had a better way of telling her than the internal dialogue she’d had earlier.
"I’m from the future. I’ve come back to make sure Angel gets his soul back." Obviously not.
"Um, Will, we’ve been going to school together for over a year. How can you be from the future?" Buffy frowned as she studied the redhead with concern. "Did something happen with Angelus? I mean more than what I saw. Cause if so, you know you can tell me anything, it won’t stop me from being your friend."
"I hope that’s true." Willow took both of Buffy’s hands in hers. "Nothing happened between Angelus and me. Well, other than him trying to kill me and then deciding to play with me." Willow flushed bright red at the double meaning behind her words. "I-I mean…" She broke off as she realized both contexts were right.
Buffy gave Willow’s hands a gentle squeeze. "It’s okay. I know what you mean."
Swallowing hard, Willow dropped her gaze down to their clasped hands. "Right, okay. Well, I’m not hiding anything about Angelus." Pausing, Willow frowned. "Unless you count what I know about what he does in the future. And that really shouldn’t count anyway since its Angel and not Angelus. But even if it does, I can’t tell you because that may affect the future. Plus what I know may not be accurate since events have changed."
"Willow! Breathe!" Buffy was torn between being amused by her friend’s ability to babble and worried over the content.
"Arrgh!" Pulling her hands free, Willow shoved herself to her feet and began to pace at the end of the bed. "Here I am trying to have a serious conversation and I can’t even keep my mind on track. Damn it!" Stopping mid-pace, Willow whirled around to face the blonde. "Buffy, I’m telling you the truth. I’m from the future. Yes, I know I still look the same but I’m not seventeen. I’m twenty-one." She frowned at that and quickly amended, "Okay, maybe not physically but I am mentally."
Buffy swallowed hard as the knowledge that Willow was telling the truth began to sink in. "How?"
Letting out a relieved breath that Buffy believed her, she had expected it to be harder, Willow sat down beside her. "It’s complicated."
"We live on the Hellmouth. When isn’t it complicated?"
Willow couldn’t help but laugh at that. "True. But I bet you simplicity is overrated."
"You’re probably right." Returning the redhead’s smile, Buffy shook her head. "Now, enough procrastinating. Tell me what’s going on."
"You never did like to be out of the loop," Willow teased. At the warning look her friend sent her, Willow stopped playing and began her story. "This demon, named Whistler, showed up telling me Angel needed help and he cast a spell…."
"You let a demon cast a spell on you?!"
"Not any demon! It was Whistler." Seeing the uncomprehending look on Buffy’s face, Willow rubbed her forehead. "Not that that is too reassuring since you haven’t met him yet. He’s," she stopped and shook her head. "When… if you meet him you’ll understand why I trusted him. But for now let’s just leave it at he’s one of the good guys. Now, no more interruptions." Willow gave Buffy her resolve face.
Biting her bottom lip to keep from smiling at the redhead’s look, Buffy nodded. "No more interruptions. I promise." Listening to Willow describing the events of the night, Buffy was bombarded by different emotions. Fear at the risks she had taken, pride in how far she had come from the shy hacker she’d first met, and surprisingly, jealousy at the emotions in her friends voice when she mentioned Angel. But overriding all of those was anger.
Anger directed at herself. It was her fault Willow was in this mess. If she hadn’t given in to temptation and slept with Angel, none of this would’ve happened. The worst part of it was she wasn’t even sure she could claim to have loved him. Oh, she had liked him, he had made her feel special but then so had Willow. And when it had come down to it tonight, she hadn’t even hesitated to choose her over Angel. Not that she regretted the choice. She’d do it again in a heartbeat but it did say a lot about Angel’s place in her affections.
"Buffy?" Willow was concerned. Halfway through her explanation, she had started staring at the floor and gotten really quite. Willow knew her friend well enough to know this wasn’t a good sign.
"It’s my fault. By having sex with Angel I caused all of this to happen."
"No it’s not! Buffy, there is nothing wrong with making love to the man your in love with."
Giving a bitter laugh, Buffy raised her head. "If I was in love with him maybe I would have an excuse. But I’m not sure anymore if I did love him."
Drawing in a sharp breath at the pain in her friend’s eyes, Willow pulled her in to her arms. "I know this whole situation with Angelus has you torn up inside, making you doubt your feelings. But once I find away to bring Angel back everything will be okay."
"I’m glad you’re so sure because I’m not." Pulling away slightly, Buffy met Willow’s eyes.
"Don’t worry, I’ll find away to make everything better." Softly stroking her cheek, Willow pressed a comforting kiss on her lips.
Feeling Willow’s lips against hers, Buffy felt a surge of desire go through her. Wanting more she opened her mouth and deepened the kiss.
Lost in the sensation of kissing Buffy, something she’d only dreamed about, Willow started to pull her closer before the realization of what she was doing stopped her. Quickly releasing her friend, she jumped up from the bed and stared at her bedroom floor, too mortified to face Buffy. "I’m sorry!"
"I’m not." Buffy stared at her friends bowed head as she fought to control her body’s reaction to that brief kiss. She wasn’t sure where they went from here but she definitely wanted to find out.
"You’re not?" Willow was confused. Buffy loved Angel and after he left, Riley. She didn’t feel that way about her. Though Willow had occasional found herself wishing she did.
Standing up, Buffy moved in front of Willow and gently lifted her head. "No. But it’s been a long day and you need to get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow and figure out where we go from here."
"Okay," Willow agreed absently, her mind still whirling with the possibilities inherent in Buffy’s words.
"Good night." Moving closer, Buffy brushed her lips over Willow’s before turning and leaving.
Willow stood where she was until the sound of the front door closing jolted her from her trance. Turning off the light, she crawled into bed. Licking her lips, Willow moaned, as she tasted Buffy. Enough of this! She scolded herself. Thinking about what had just happened was not going to help her sleep.
Closing her eyes, she forced her mind to stop thinking. Just as she was starting to fall asleep, the memories of what had happened with Angelus swept past her barriers. Letting out a quiet shriek of frustration, Willow rolled over and buried her face in her pillow. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 7
Sitting in history class the next day, Willow did something she’d never done before, tuned out what the teacher was saying. Her mind was immersed in the events of the prior night. She was brought back to the present, flinching in pain, as the student next to her answered the question the teacher had asked. Way too loudly in her opinion. But then the girl, Sheila or Shelly, she couldn’t remember but then it didn’t matter, she wasn’t here to make new friends but to save the friends she *did* have.
Great! Even in her own head she couldn’t follow a single line of thought, Willow snorted. She immediately regretted the sound as it echoed through her brain, causing the pounding in her head to beat harder.
She’d had a headache and the shakes since she’d literally rolled out of bed this morning. It wasn’t as bad as the withdrawal she’d gone through when she went cold turkey but it was bad enough. It made everything seem louder and brighter and it certainly wasn’t helping her deal with being stuck back in high school. Willow knew the cause had to be her magic.
‘Riight! It has nothing to do with kissing your best friend. Or letting Angelus grope you on your front lawn. Or how you spent what was left of the night dreaming about the two,’ a snide voice remarked inside her head.
Those were just abnormalities, caused by the spell and her confusion at being in her seventeen year-old body. Willow resolutely pushed aside the fact that she’d been attracted to both Buffy and Angel for a long time. Besides she was sure Buffy regretted her actions; she hadn’t even made an effort to talk to her this morning. As for Angelus, she knew he was just toying with her.
No. The reason for the headache and stuff was because of the magic. Her mind knew the spells and how to cast them but her body wasn’t used to drawing on the power. Willow ignored her inner voice as it pointed out that while there may be some truth in that, it was only partially correct.
Suddenly, the bell rang announcing the end of school and interrupting Willow’s musings. She was unable to hold back her groan as the shrill sound assaulted her ears.
"Hey, Wills, you okay?"
Looking up, Willow saw Xander and Buffy staring at her in concern. "I just have a headache," she reassured them.
"Maybe you should go home and rest." Knowing her friend was hurting, Buffy wanted nothing more than to take her home and pamper her until she was feeling better. She gave a mental eye roll at that. Her motives were nowhere near that pure. What she really wanted was to be alone with Will so they could talk. And afterwards they could kiss again, maybe even do more.
Buffy gave a silent groan as images of what she’d like to do to the redhead flooded her mind. Ever since their kiss last night her mind had been preoccupied with Willow, even while she slept. Which was better than the nightmares she usually had but her thoughts had left her in such a state that she didn’t trust herself to talk to her, at least not while they were at school.
"No. I’ll just grab a couple of aspirin when I drop off my books." Gathering her things, Willow stood up. "I’m fine," she stated firmly, as they both gave her doubtful looks. When neither one moved, she decided the best defense would be a good offense. "Xander, weren’t you suppose to meet Cordelia after class."
Xander looked frantically down at his watch as realized he was going to be almost ten minutes late. "Uh, I have to go. Will, you go take your aspirin and I’ll see you guys in the library." He knew Cordy was going to be pissed about his tardiness. He groaned as he realized he only had one option. He was going to have to grovel.
"Try not to get lost in any closets," Willow called out as Buffy and her watched in amusement as he rushed out of the room.
"She has got him so whipped."
"Yeah. Ain’t it fun." Willow flashed a smile at the blonde.
Buffy couldn’t help but smile in return. She was glad that sometime over the next four years, Willow got over her crush on Xander. Maybe she actually had a chance to become more than a friend. She knew she was rushing things, Willow and her hadn’t even talked about what their kiss had meant yet, but she couldn’t help it. Now that she’d realized her attraction to the redhead her mind wouldn’t let go of it. But did Willow feel the same way? Remembering the sight of her in Angelus’ arms, she wasn’t so sure.
"Buffy? Is something wrong?" Seeing her friend pale, Willow wanted to pull her into her arms and let her know that whatever the problem was they’d take care of it.
"I just realized I was suppose to meet Giles. In the library." Buffy stared at the floor; afraid of what she’d do if she looked at the pretty redhead who was turning her perceptions upside down. "I’d better go. I want to get the lecture over with before the rest of you arrive." She almost ran out of the room, leaving a confused Willow behind.
Making her way through the quickly emptying hallways, Willow tried to figure out what happened. They had been talking and joking like normal, when Buffy had started acting nervous and then bolting. Was it because she didn’t act the same as the Willow from this time? She’d be the first to admit she was no longer as sweet and innocent as she used to be. Thankfully.
Reaching her locker, Willow opened it and started putting up her books when another thought occurred to her, causing her to cringe. It was the kiss. Buffy had never thought of her as anything other than a friend. Now after last night Buffy was probably afraid she was going to try and kiss her again. Great! Just great! Because of her suddenly overactive libido she may have just lost one of her best friends.
"Well, well, look who we have here. It’s the geek extraordinary." Harmony’s catty comment was followed by a wave of laughter from the sheep that followed her.
"Jeez, Harm that was original. How long did it take you to think that up? Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot." Willow gave a dramatic pause, making sure to keep her back to her. She knew that would infuriate the girl. "You don’t think."
"How dare you speak to me like that, you pathetic little loser?" Angry at both the insult and the apparent dismissal from someone she considered below her on the social chain, Harmony grabbed Willow’s arm and pulled her around.
"Let go of me," Willow ordered, her voice cold as her anger got the better of her.
"Or what? That moron, Xander, will come out and rescue you. Wait, I know, you’ll have that psycho blonde you call a friend beat me up. I mean, it’s the only thing she’s good for."
Jerking her arm free, Willow reached behind her and slammed the locker door shut. "I have not only reached the limit but have surpassed it on how much bitchiness I’m going to put up with from you. So I suggest you leave. Now." Letting her magic wash through her, she pinned Harmony and the others with her black gaze. "Or all of you will experience the joys of being a rat first hand."
Swallowing hard, Harmony and the others quickly backed away before they turned and ran away from the redhead that they used to consider an easy target.
"Wow, you really have them on the run," Buffy remarked as she walked towards her friend.
"I thought you were going to the library?" Willow wondered how much of that confrontation Buffy had heard.
"I did. Giles was going to tell Xander and Cordelia about last night when they got there. So I decided to come looking for you."
Willow didn’t blame Buffy for avoiding that conversation. Xander was her best friend but she was all too aware of how vitriolic he could be in regards to Angel. She grimaced as she imagined his reaction to her determination to give Angel his soul back. That was going to be fun. "Let’s take our time getting to the library. Maybe then Xander will be done with the yelling and starting on the glowering."
"That was the plan." Buffy slanted a look at Willow. "Would you of really turned Harmony and the others into rats?"
"Oh! You heard that." Shoot! She’d hoped Buffy had missed that.
"Yeah. The question is would you have really done it?"
"No. I’ve learned not to use my magick that way." Seeing that Buffy was more amused than angry, Willow relaxed. "But it was fun watching them scurry away."
Buffy burst out laughing. "You’re bad, girl."
"It comes from hanging around a corrupting influence." Willow grinned as she gave Buffy a knowing look.
"That didn’t come from me. It has to be Cordy’s influence." Reaching the library, Buffy pushed open the door but came to a stop as Xander’s accusing words washed over her.
"No! Why should we worry about giving that monster his soul back? So Buffy can have her boyfriend back?" Xander was standing by the table glaring at Giles. "If she’d kept her pants on in the first place this wouldn’t be a problem."
Drawing in a sharp breath, Buffy turned and ran out of the room. Xander was right. This mess with Angelus was her fault. She knew that but she’d gotten so caught up in her feelings for Willow that she had forgot. After this whole fiasco with Angel she didn’t deserve someone as good as Willow.
Willow watched as Buffy ran down the hallway. She wanted to follow her but she knew it was best to give her a few minutes to herself. However, there was something she could deal with now. "Alexander Lavelle Harris! How dare you say that?"
Seeing his irate friend stalking towards him, Xander sank down into the chair behind him. "What? Someone had to mention it," he grumbled as he glared at the table.
"Don’t give me that crap! The only reason you said anything is because your jealousy!" Willow slapped her hand down hard against the table making the other four people in the room jump. "You have a girlfriend. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but one that is good for you. And yet you’re still letting your anger over the fact that Buffy chose Angel instead of you override everything else. Well, let me tell you if you want to keep what relationships you have then you have to get over it."
Shocked Xander looked up at Willow. "Are you saying you won’t be my friend?"
"I’ll always be your friend but at this moment I can’t say I like you very much." Willow held Xander’s gaze. "But then the Xander I’m friends with was never so callous as not to care that he just sent one of his best friends out of the room crying."
Ashamed at the truth in her words, Xander looked away from her.
Sighing, Willow shook her head as she pushed her anger down. There wasn’t anything else she could say. The rest would be up to Xander. "I’m going to go find Buffy. The rest of you start looking for a way to give Angel his soul back."
"But…" Giles began before being interrupted by Willow.
"No arguments. There is away to re-curse Angelus and we’re going to find it. Understood?" Willow looked at each of them until they had all agreed. "Good. Ms. Calendar, see about recreating your program. I’ll help you once I’ve talked to Buffy."
The four people left in the library sat in silence for a few minutes after Willow left.
"I-I’ll go and see what books I have t-that maybe of use," Giles stuttered, still in shock by the shy redhead’s actions.
"Right. I’ll get started on the program." Jenny hurried over and turned on the computer.
Cordelia and Xander exchanged glances. "We’ll help Giles," they exclaimed as they jumped up. Both of them were well aware of just how fiery a temper Willow had and neither wanted it brought down on them.
********
She shouldn’t have yelled at Xander. Striding down the hallway, Willow snorted. She should have said it the first time. But then she’d been too caught up in her own problems. Her developing relationship with Oz, jealousy over Xander and Cordelia, add her feelings for Angel and she’d just about been a basket case. Not that getting older made anything easier; she was just better able to handle it now.
Opening the door to the girl’s restroom, Willow was upset when there was no sign of Buffy. Great! That meant Buffy was upset enough that she’d went home to avoid them. Willow was beginning to think that instead of reading Xander the riot act, she should’ve boxed his ears for him.
Shoving aside her irritation at Xander’s thoughtless actions, she headed for the exit. Luckily there was a good hour or so before sunset, which meant she wouldn’t have to tramp through the cemeteries looking for Buffy. Willow smiled at her thoughts. There was one good thing about having lived through this before; this time she had her priorities right; Buffy and Angel.
As she walked by the darkened band room, an arm wrapped around her waist, at the same time a hand clamped down over her mouth cutting off her shriek as she was pulled inside.
Willow shivered as a husky, and very familiar, voice caressed her ear.
"Hello, Tiger. Miss me."
Chapter 8
Angelus! How…? It was still daylight, damn it; she shouldn’t have to deal with him yet.
"It was so thoughtful for the city’s founders to provide tunnel access throughout the town." Angelus pressed his mouth close to her ear as he talked; delighting in the shivers Willow couldn’t control. "They make it so easy for me to visit my little pet; whenever I want."
Willow stiffened as anger washed over her at his words. Before she could make the effort to free herself, Angelus pulled her closer to him.
"I wouldn’t do that. If you try and fight me the noise will bring your friends running to your rescue. Then I’d have to kill them."
Jerking her head back, Willow tried to free her mouth from under his hand.
Knowing what she wanted Angelus slid his hand down to her throat. "Don’t scream, or I’ll…."
"Yeah, yeah. I caught the threat the first time," Willow interrupted, making sure to keep her voice low. "What do you want?"
Angelus tightened his grip on her throat at her disrespectful tone. "Be careful, Tiger. It wouldn’t take me much to snap your neck."
"Right. Then why don’t you do it?" Willow refused to be intimidated by him. She knew the minute she bowed to his tactics he’d use it to break her. After a few tense moments Willow broke the silence. "At the risk of repeating myself, what do you want?"
Ignoring her question, Angelus nuzzled her cheek, enjoying the feel of her soft skin brushing his. His cock surged to life as drawing in her scent, he realized she didn’t fear him. Not that she was as detached as she tried to appear. The anger rolling of her was almost strong enough for him to taste and underlying that was the beginning of her arousal. But out of all he could smell coming from her there was no fear.
She was a worthy opponent. It would take all of his skills and cunning to tame her to his hand. That fact ignited the stolen blood coursing through his veins. "I want you, Tiger," he finally replied as he delicately licked the spot where her jaw and ear met.
Willow tried to fight down the desire caused by his words and actions. But she wasn’t able to stop her nipples from hardening or the wetness that began seeping between her legs. Both of which she knew Angelus was aware of. "We don’t always get what we want." She may not be able to stop her body from reacting but she wasn’t about to give in to it.
"I do." Angelus slid his hand down to her breast and let his thumb brush the nipple thrusting against her shirt. "And we both know I could have you. But that’s not what I’m after; at least not yet." Grabbing a handful of her the purple sweater she was wearing, he tugged at it, pulling the neckline low enough to expose the bite mark on her neck. He lowered his head and licked at his mark. "What I want is another taste of what I had last night."
"If you think I’m going to let you drain me then think again." Once again Willow stiffened as she prepared to fight him.
Feeling her tense, Angelus tightened his hold on her. "You think I’m going to kill you? Oh no, my little pet, I have a great many plans for you but none of them include killing you." He chuckled at the growl that came from her at his words. "You have such an unique taste; a mixture of innocence and darkness spiced by your desire. I found myself craving more." Angelus lost his humor at the truth in his words.
Earlier today he had fed on a frightened, virginal teenage girl, his favorite meal. He might as well have been drinking that pigswill his souled counterpart drank for all the enjoyment he had gotten out of it. Instead he had found himself remembering how good his witch had tasted. "Of course if you don’t want to cooperate I can find other donors. Though it will probably take a couple before my craving is satisfied." He refused to admit even to himself that now that he’d tasted her no one else would truly ever satisfy him.
Did she trust him? Willow smirked at that. That was easy to answer; it was a resounding no. Did she believe him when he said he wouldn’t kill her? That was more difficult. If she got in his way or he grew bored, he’d kill her in a heartbeat. But for now he was enthralled by this new game of his; Willow grimaced not pleased at being selected as a participant. "Fine." Tilting her head to the side, she offered her throat to him.
"It’s not that simple, Tiger. I want to make sure we understand each other." Releasing her sweater, Angelus grabbed her chin and turned her head so that she met his eyes. "You will allow me to drink from you when and where ever I want. In return I will agree to limit my feedings." Seeing the protest she was about to make, he shook his head. "No. I will not go back to feeding from bagged blood; not even for you."
Willow couldn’t believe she was actually considering his deal. But it did offer her a way to control him while looking for the curse. "You won’t kill any of my friends or any of the students or teachers."
Angelus nodded. That wouldn’t be a hardship now that everyone tasted the same to him; no one matched the flavor of his little pet.
Well, that would be helpful. Without him rubbing their noses in how he had changed she could work on reconciling Buffy and the others to Angel’s return. Unless they found out about their bargain. Willow’s eyes widened as she imagined their reactions. "You can’t tell my friends, or let them find out, about our agreement." She swallowed as she remembered his conditions. "I-I’ll meet you where ever you want but I don’t want them to know. I couldn’t explain it without telling them I’m from the future."
"I’ll agree to your conditions." Angelus was careful to hide his triumphant smirk. Her need for secrecy would work to his advantage. It provided the first string to tie her to him. "Do we have a deal?"
What was she doing?! She couldn’t possibly be actually thinking of agreeing! Willow drew in a steadying breath. "Deal." This was the best solution, the only solution at the moment.
Once he had her agreement, Angelus captured her lips in a hungry kiss. As his tongue swept possessively into her mouth, he slid the hand on her chin back down to her sweater and ripped it and her bra off.
Chapter 9
Pulling her mouth away from his, Willow grabbed his hands. "What are you doing?" She cringed at the breathless sound of her voice.
"I would’ve thought that was obvious," Angelus taunted. Easily breaking her restraining grip, he slid the hand on her stomach down and back until he reached the buttons on her skirt.
Gasping as her skirt fell to the floor, Willow quickly caught his hand as he let it glide over her hip. "No! The deal was for you to drink some of my blood."
Angelus sighed in exasperation. "There are two things that changes blood from simple nourishment to a gourmet feast. The first is fear." He nuzzled her jaw, drawing in her scent. "And the second is lust. Since you don’t fear me, I’m going to have to go for the lust."
She couldn’t do this! It would be a betrayal of both Buffy and Angel. But if she didn’t then Angelus would go after someone else; someone she cared for.
Sensing that she was weakening, Angelus moved his mouth to her ear. "Is it such a hard price to pay? To allow me to give you pleasure while making sure your friends and others are safe," he whispered seductively.
It was just her body, Willow rationalized. Any guilt she felt could be dealt with once she was back in her correct time. Swallowing hard, she reluctantly relaxed her grip on his hands.
A surge of triumph went through Angelus at her capitulation, making him throb with the desire to sink into her tempting warmth but he restrained himself. He wanted her begging for him, so enthralled that she could refuse him nothing, so that when he did take her she would belong to him body, mind and soul. Knowing she wasn’t at that point yet, Angelus pushed aside his body’s needs and set out to seduce her.
"You’re so beautiful," he whispered as he swept one hand up to cup her breast. "Your skin is so soft; I could spend all day just touching you, enjoying the feel of your silky skin under my fingers." He began circling her nipple with his forefinger, while the hand on her hip slipped to the inside of her thigh. Sliding his hand up, he stopped just below her wet sex before sliding it back down, feeling her muscles quiver at his tantalizing touch. "And the way you look."
Willow’s breathing grew harsher as she felt him lean over her shoulder, taking in her naked form.
"Such a pretty pale color but with touches of red that reflects the fire beneath. Here," Willow braced her hands against his leather covered thighs as he caught her hardened nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
"And here." Angelus ran his fingers through the red hair between her legs, tugging gently but never directly touching her. "As for your taste," he flicked his tongue out against her shoulder, "pure ambrosia. It makes me wonder if you taste the same all over, your breast, between your thighs."
Whimpering, Willow moved her legs further apart, giving him better access; need overwhelming the hope she’d had of retaining some sort of detachment.
A victorious smirk crossed Angelus’ face at her movements. "What do you want, Tiger?"
"You!" Willow’s head fell back against his shoulder as she trembled with desire. "Touch me. Please, Angel!"
Angelus’ eyes flashed yellow at the name she called him. Releasing her, he watched as she fell to the floor, her knees unable to support her.
Willow gasped as she felt the cold floor beneath her naked back. Not sure what had just happened, she struggled to clear her passion fogged mind. Before she could succeed, Angelus sank down onto her, pinning her to the floor.
"I am not soul-boy," he snarled, his vampire visage in full force. Forcing her legs open, he settled down on top of her as he grabbed two fistfuls of hair, forcing her to meet his yellow gaze. "And I’m not going to let you pretend I am. Who am I?"
"Angelus," she whispered her mind still not functioning fully.
"Remember that because that is the name you’re going to scream out before I will take you."
Her mind might not be working but her instincts still were and they were screaming out to resist. Saying if she gave in he’d win in more ways than one. Unable to shake her head because of his grip on her hair, Willow forced the word past her dry throat. "No."
"That’s a challenge I’m willing to take up." Giving her a feral grin, Angelus bent down and caught her bottom lip between his teeth, biting down hard enough to cause her to gasp in pain. Taking advantage of her open mouth, his tongue swept in, claiming it as his, just as he planned to do with the rest of her.
Getting dizzy, her lungs crying out for oxygen, Willow grabbed a handful of his hair and forced his mouth from hers. Expecting him to attack her again, she was surprised when he sat back on his heels.
Kneeling between her legs, Angelus once again appraisingly surveyed her naked form. This time there was such possessive sensuality in his eyes that she instinctively tried to cover up her exposed skin.
"Some other time I would love to watch you play with yourself but right now I want to play. Move your hands." When she hesitated, he lifted his eyebrow. "Unless you’re reneging on our deal," his wicked tone reminding her of what was at stake.
Slowly removing her hands, Willow tried to prevent herself from blushing but the heat sweeping over her skin told her she was unsuccessful.
Angelus watched as her skin flushed. So there was still some of the shy little hacker left after all. He found the possibilities inherent in that fact deliciously entertaining.
Not giving her any warning, Angelus swooped down and captured her right nipple with his mouth. No longer willing to play the gentle lover, he used his tongue to roughly pin it against the roof of his mouth as he began a harsh sucking motion. He pinched the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Keeping his touch on the borderline of pain and pleasure, he began tugging and rolling it. At the same time he began to rock his hips back and forth, allowing his leather covered erection to grind against her swollen sex.
Willow tried to remain still, not wanting to give in. But Angelus refused to let her be passive, using all of his carnal knowledge he bombarded her senses with passion. Finally, no longer able to resist, Willow’s body arched off the floor, seeking closer contact with his as she moaned in hunger.
At her moan, Angelus sat back up. Starting with her reddened nipples, he slowly moved his gaze down to her hair-covered mound. He made no effort to hide his satisfaction at the condition he had worked her into but he wasn’t done tormenting her just yet.
Shifting his knees further apart, he forced her legs to open wider, giving him an unimpeded view of her glistening sex. "My, my this is interesting. It seems my little witch likes it rough."
Seeing her hands move to cover herself again, Angelus looked up, giving her a warning glance. "Keep your hands down. If you try to hide yourself from me again I’ll have to punish you."
Gritting her teeth, Willow let her hands fall back down to the floor. Her fingers scrabbled against the bare floor, seeking something to hold onto.
"That’s a good little pet." Angelus smirked at the flash of anger his words caused. He’d have to remember to call her that more often. Pushing that thought aside for another time, he went back to the game he had started. Placing one hand on her stomach to hold her still, he thrust two fingers into her.
At the unexpected feel of him entering her, Willow gave a soft shriek.
"Better watch that, Tiger. Scream too loudly and your friends will rush in to save you. Not that I’d mind but it would ruin our little deal we have going," Angelus warned her as he began to slowly work his fingers deeper into her.
Willow tried to glare at him but ended up moaning as he hit a sensitive spot.
Feeling the barrier that proclaimed her untouched, Angelus’ smirk grew wider. "Well, well, it looks like you’re still a virgin; at least now. But the way you’re body responds I’d say that changes sometime in the future. So, tell me, how many lovers have you had? One, four, a half-dozen?"
When she didn’t respond, he added another finger, stretching her. "I can play all night but I’m guessing that you would eventually be missed."
It was almost painful having his large fingers inside her untried body but he knew exactly where and how to touch her to drive her crazy. Suddenly, his fingers stopped moving, causing her to moan in disappointment. Meeting his determined eyes, she knew he would stay the way he was until she answered him. "Two."
"Were they good?" He kept his hand on her stomach, preventing her from arching up and taking what she wanted.
"Yes," Willow bit out, her body shaking with desire, not sure where he was going with this questioning.
"Then I’ll just have to be better." Angelus once again covered her body with his. Still teasing her, he kept his fingers still but made sure that his silk shirt rubbed her sensitive nipples and the leather covering his zipper brushed her throbbing nub. "But right now, I think it’s time for us to fulfill the first part of our bargain." With that, he leaned down and sank his teeth into her neck.
Willow’s arms came up, holding him to her. Her nails dug into his back through his shirt as her teeth clamped down on his shoulder, preventing her scream of pleasure from being heard.
After a few minutes, Angelus forced himself to stop drinking, not wanting to take too much, and rolled to his feet. Assuming his human mask, he stared down at her memorizing the picture she made, delighting in the shivers of unfulfilled desire that racked her body.
Opening her eyes, Willow groaned as a new wave of desire swept through her as he licked at the fingers that had been inside her.
Keeping his eyes locked with hers, Angelus took his time cleaning his fingers, enjoying the way it caused her to squirm with pleasure. "Next time I’m going to taste you."
Willow frowned as one thought made it through her passion-fogged brain. "Next time?"
"I’ve already drank from you, so unless there’s something else you want?" Angelus lifted his eyebrow in a mocking inquiry.
"Yes," she hissed out, getting angry at his continued teasing.
"Then all you have to do is ask me by name."
Opening her mouth to do as he’d requested Willow closed it again without saying anything. It seemed simple enough but everything inside her was screaming, reminding her that if she gave in he’d win.
Scowling when she remained quite, Angelus quickly unbuttoned his shirt. Taking it off, he threw it down to her. "You’ll need it to wear home," he answered her unspoken question.
Sitting up, Willow pulled the shirt on while keeping a wary eye on Angelus. She knew he was upset. Willow would’ve snorted at that understatement if she didn’t think it would just piss him off more. "What now?"
"Now, you go home. I’ll let you know when I want to see you again."
Willow scowled down at her hands, wanting to argue with that statement but knowing it was useless; she’d already agreed to the bargain.
"And Tiger?"
Seeing the hard look in his eyes, she was once again reminded of how dangerous he was.
"If you finish this with anyone else, including yourself, I’ll be very angry." He turned and stalked out of the room, leaving a wide-eyed Willow sitting among her clothes.
Chapter 10
Gathering up her shredded clothes, Willow made her way home on autopilot. Goddess! How had things become so complicated? All she’d had to do was come back and make sure Angel got his soul back, preferably without being sent to hell. Instead she was making deals and having sex with Angelus.
Well, almost having sex with him. Not that she could take credit for them stopping. If Angelus hadn’t been so intent on the game he was playing, they’d probably still be screwing.
Her lips curved up in a self-mocking smile. What did she expect? Everything Angelus did had an ulterior motive. After all he was a demon, one without a soul.
That was her problem. All through high school she’d fantasized about Angel. Not that she’d ever have said anything. Buffy and he had been so much in love and she would never risk her friendship with either. So she buried her feelings and managed to pretend, even with herself, that she didn’t think of him that way. At least most of the time.
That time after her doppelganger had shown up, she’d had very vivid fantasies; fantasies that had figured both Angel and Buffy prominently. It had taken her weeks to suppress them. She had been so afraid that time Buffy had been able to read thoughts that she’d pick up on them that she hadn’t been able to be around her.
Willow grimaced. Just another time she had failed her best friend. Something she was making a habit out of and now certainly wasn’t any different. She flinched as she imaged how much this was going to hurt Buffy. Just last night she had kissed her last night and then today she was rolling around on the floor with her boyfriend. At the rate she was going by the time she managed to restore Angel’s soul neither one of them would be talking to her; she certainly wouldn’t blame them.
Reaching the porch, Willow looked up. Shit! She’d wound up at Buffy’s house. She was so use to this being where she lived now that she’d automatically come here. Doing some more cursing, she quickly made her way down the steps. There was no way she could face Buffy, not now.
"Willow?"
At the sound of the blonde’s voice, Willow froze. Damn it! Why did everything have to go wrong? Could she pretend she didn’t hear her?
"Willow? Are you okay?"
No, she couldn’t worry her like that. Taking a steadying breath, Willow turned around. Seeing the concern on Buffy’s face, she tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Hi, Buffy."
Taking in the redhead’s appearance, Buffy’s heart began to beat painfully. "What happened?" She moved off the porch and closer to her friend.
"Um, nothing?" Willow rolled her eyes. That sounded real convincing!
"Then why are you wearing Angelus’ shirt?"
Casting a quick glance down at the shirt in question, Willow suppressed a groan as she guiltily met Buffy’s eyes. She’d completely forgotten about having it on. "I…" Willow stopped, not sure what to say. She knew no matter what she told her it was going to hurt and she was scared of losing her friend.
Seeing the fear and nervous in the redhead’s eyes, Buffy pulled Willow into her arms. "Will, it’s okay. Whatever happened we’ll deal with it. Just no lies, okay?"
Feeling Buffy’s arms around her, offering support, all of the emotions Willow had been blocking came out and she broke down sobbing.
Stroking her hair and whispering reassurances, Buffy held her while she cried. She knew this was something Willow needed. Buffy was just glad that she was willing to let her guard down around her. Feeling the tears lessening, she pulled away and grabbed Willow’s hand, pulling her towards the house. "Let’s go inside where we can talk."
Wiping the tears away with her free hand, Willow followed her friend inside.
********
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Willow found herself staring at the floor as she finished up her explanation to Buffy. She didn’t want to see the disgust and anger in her eyes at what she had done. It would’ve been easier if she hadn’t told her about the deal she had struck with Angelus, that had original been the plan, but once she’d started she couldn’t find it in her to lie, though she had managed to skip the whole sex thing.
Picking at one of the buttons on the shirt she was wearing, Willow grimaced. She hadn’t told Buffy about the conditions attached to Angelus drinking her blood but she wasn’t stupid. Not that it was that hard to put two and two together and come up with the correct answer since she was wearing his shirt.
"You love him, don’t you?" Buffy was surprised how calm she sounded. Her emotions were going from one extreme to the other because Willow’s actions confirmed her worse fears.
"Angelus?! No way!" Willow shook her head vehemently. He may have her hormones in chaos but she was very clear on this point. "I’m very aware that there is no Angel in Angelus, that he’s pure demon. For some reason, Goddess knows why, he wants to play some kind of game with me but the minute I bore him or he gets tired of the game, he’ll try and kill me."
Buffy gave her a melancholy smile; Willow didn’t realize her choice of words told her just how strong her feelings were for the souled vampire. "Not Angelus, Angel," she clarified softly.
Willow drew in a sharp breath as her face turned a bright, crimson red. It discomforted her to have Buffy bring up something that she’d shied away from admitting to even herself. "I would never, *never* hurt you that way," she tried reassuring her.
"Will, it’s okay. I know you wouldn’t hurt me." Buffy reached over and took one of the hands she was twisting in her lap. "But, I also know you can’t always control who you fall in love with."
She couldn’t lie to Buffy but did she really love Angel? If she did than what about her feelings for the blonde sitting beside her? What exactly were her feelings? Sitting there quietly, Willow forced herself to relax and made herself, for the first time in the past six years, examine just what her feelings were. "I do love him," she said softly, after several minutes.
Buffy closed her eyes, trying to get control of the pain that went through her at that simple statement. She wanted to support her friend, just like Willow had done for her all those times, but, God, she didn’t realize it would hurt this much.
"I also love you."
"What?" Buffy’s head jerked around to stare at the redhead. The words had been so low she wasn’t sure if Willow had actually said them or if she was just imagining what she wanted to hear.
Swallowing, Willow looked at Buffy for the first time since this conversation began. Once again she found herself debating whether to hold her peace or take the risk and follow her heart. She flinched as she imagined, with all the changes she’d made, what her life would be like once she got back; this whole trip back in time had made more of a mess out of her life than it already was.
Well, there was nothing she could do about that now. But, she vowed to herself, from here on out she was going to be honest with Buffy, Angel, once she found away to give him his soul back, and most importantly herself. It was the one gift she could give to both her future and past self. "I love you, Buffy."
"L-like a friend?" Buffy asked hesitantly, almost afraid to believe anything else.
Willow shook her head. "I’ve settled for friendship from you and Angel. But I’ve always wanted more."
"You can have more." For the first time since hearing about the whole
situation with Angelus, Buffy felt her heart lighten. She slid down so
she was kneeling in front of her friend. Taking both of Willow’s hands
in her own, she pressed a kiss to the back of them before giving her a
bright, beautiful smile. "I love you, too. I want to be both your friend
and lover."