***
Angel was pissed. Seriously pissed. There was no doubt about that as he stormed through the maze of desks that littered the floor, his face nothing more than barely concealed rage. When Willow had called and said where she was, he'd immediately put her on hold and called Kate on the other line. Of course it had to be a mistake, a dreadful misunderstanding, he was sure of that, Willow was the last person who would commit an arrestable offence.
It had taken Kate five minutes to find and relay the information that Willow hadn't been alone and exactly what the offences were. That's when it had started, the pure and absolute rage. Angel had sat there, silent and stewing, his teeth grinding as he listened to Kate. He was certain that Willow had been forced into it, she was Willow for goodness sake, fluffy and intelligent Willow who would never be the sort to voluntarily engage in...in...the thing she had been arrested for. No, she must have been coerced by that little shit who was soon to be nothing more than a pile of ashes. Then he was told that the offence was on the roof of the car in a very public alleyway and the quick staking turned into a long leisurely bath in holy water. When Kate asked what he wanted to do, he'd grunted to get Willow out of the cells and leave the other one, who'd been contained in one of the many interview rooms, securely handcuffed to a solid steel chair, should be left exactly where he was.
Kate's desk came into the glowering vampires line of sight and he stopped dead in his tracks. Angel had to look twice to make sure it was Willow who sat in profile to him, oblivious to his distant observation. He'd only ever seen her in so much leather once before, when she'd dressed as her doppelganger, but that outfit had been tame compared to what she was currently wearing. The various logical, concerned-elder-brother type speeches he'd been working on got swept aside by a new wave of anger.
"Hey," greeted Kate coming up from behind him and Angel didn't take his eyes off the girl seated at the desk. Kate followed his gaze. "Quite a piece, isn't it? Although, she seems more concerned about her boyfriend..."
"Boyfriend?" snarled Angel, his head snapping around to stare at the blonde and Kate drew back slightly under the intensity of the gaze.
"Calls him Spike, which is more than anybody was able to get out of him," she offered, wondering if anyone was home in the glowering man before her. Unable to take the murderous stare, she turned to glance back at the sullen redhead. "Demanding to see him and threatening all sorts of things from legal action through to curses of boils..." Kate's slightly amused chuckle was cut short as she caught a glimpse of Angel's profile, his eyes fixed once more on the leather-clad nymph. "But I thought it best to keep them apart until you got here."
"Boyfriend," growled Angel, the idea that she'd been forced to do anything shattered beyond recognition along with the flimsy restraint on his anger. He had to walk away, turning on his heel to head back towards the hallway. Kate looked at his retreating back to the girl and back to the vast swath of black that disappeared into hallway. Shaking her head in disbelief, she followed.
"Angel?" she asked, watching as he paced a small section of the hall.
"Boyfriend," the word was growled and she wasn't sure if it was a question or statement.
"Okay," Kate took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at his pacing form, she'd never seen the usually stoic guy so agitated. Still, there were two 'non-existents' floating around the station that had to be dealt with and quickly, before they were both charged with some other offence or the station broke out in boils. "Look, you said you wanted to take them...is that the case or should we charge them?"
"Where is he?"
"The boyfriend?" Kate asked, regretting the use of the term when she met with nearly black eyes. "He's down in the interview rooms."
Angel swung, his fingers tapping together as he glanced towards the area that hid the blond. Closing his eyes, he gathered his thoughts and gestured to the area with his hand. "Let him out."
"Sure..." Kate felt she was being dismissed and she was. Angel turned, not giving her a second thought or word of thanks, and headed back to retrieve the redhead. He should have been grateful that Kate thought it best for all concerned if the pair were simply handed over to Angel, a plausible idea considering the bad publicity that could be raked up over the whole incompetent incident, but he wasn't. He was fighting a losing battle with his rage and with every step he took towards the redhead the anger grew.
There was something wrong, he could tell by the way she sat, one leg bent while the other was awkwardly stretched, and the faint smell of blood and dirt mixed with sex and leather. It was his soft growl that startled Willow from her sullen thoughts and she glanced up at him, flashing a smile of pure relief as she stood up, precariously balancing most of her weight on one foot.
"Oh, Angel! Thank you so much for this..." her enthusiasm died off as she realized he wasn't paying any heed to her words. Instead, his eyes were taking in every minute detail of how she was dressed, starting from the boots and working their way up. Self-consciously she pulled at the duster, hiding away, and wrapped her arms tightly about herself. For Angel there was no mistaking the duster, or the stench that covered her...that was part of her, ingrained in her very being from all their time together...Spike.
The nightmare was real. Angel was silent and ominous, his eyes dark as he scrutinized her, scanning every single inch of leather and flesh. Her mouth opened and, as her eyes met with his, she shut it again, dropping her head to break the gaze. It was probably just as well she decided to remain quiet because his fury was blinding and he would have screamed at her, words that wouldn't have been appreciated by the LAPD. Silently, he stood back and held his hand out toward the exit. With a cautious upward glance, Willow took a step and cried out, her knee buckling under her weight.
"Ow, ow, ow," Willow hissed, as Angel's hand wrapped about her arm, supporting her momentarily before guiding her back down into the chair she'd previously vacated. The dark haired vampire bent down, his hands wrapping about her knee, assessing the damage as he scowled at the bloodied and dirtied mess. "I f...fell," she hiccupped, tears of pain and relief spilling down her face. "I didn't have anyone else to call, Angel. I didn't know what to do..."
And suddenly she was purging the whole sordid details to the vampire, babbling and blurting things she really should have kept to herself. With every word she babbled, Angel's fingers pressed harder and his thoughts turned to holy water, crucifixes, castration and stakes. As the cursed name crossed her lips, he'd had enough. Pushing his thoughts aside, he focused on one thing, the need to get Willow out of there, clean her up and then, and only then, sitting down and having a nice long, sensible, brotherly, see it my way or else talk. Pulling her roughly from the chair, he picked her up, silencing her prattle as her injured knee was jarred.
Willow hissed, her arms wrapping about his neck as he started walking. Sniffling, she glanced about as the scenery changed, the desks disappeared and they walked through the long corridor toward the exit.
"Where's Spike?" she waited for an answer, whimpering as Angel tightened his hold on her and jarring her knee slightly. "Angel?"
Angel had no intention of answering her and he didn't have to. As they reached the door leading into the car park Spike exploded into the hallway.
"Willow," the name echoed through the corridor and Angel kicked open the door, ignoring the squirming girl he held in his arms and her demands that he wait for the blond.
By the time Spike roared into the undercover car park the big black convertible's engine was humming and the accelerator was being applied. The car sped towards him and he stood his ground clenching his jaw as the car spun, the tires squealing...or it could have been Willow. The car slid, side on to the blond, until it came to a halt barely an inch from him. There was no invitation for Spike to get in the car as Angel sat directly in front of him, silent and staring straight ahead, while Willow was a million miles away from him in the passenger seat, her green eyes wide and frightened in a pale face. Choices had to be made and Spike vaulted into the back seat, willing, for the time being, to let the brooder at least take them back to the Desoto so they could be on their merry way.
Of course it didn't happen like that. The relatively short and fast trip was silent, until the massive car pulled up at the curb in front of Angel's building and the dark haired vampire got out of the car, scooping up the redhead in his arms before carrying her up the steps.
"Well, as cozy as this is, we'll decline the offer for tea thanks, peaches," Spike smirked casually getting out of the car. When the dark haired vampire didn't stop the smirk died and his eyes darkened. "You can put her down now, mate."
"Angel?" asked Willow as the fuming vampire kicked opened the building's front door, purposely ignoring the blond behind them taking the steps two at a time. "Thanks for all your help, but you can put me...ow."
Her prattle was cut off as Angel tightened his hold on her legs, hurting her damaged knee. Silently, they entered the office and Angel slammed the main door shut with his foot, only to have Spike hurl it open a moment later, his curses accompanying the two into Angel's office and the elevator. Willow was dumped as Angel spun, slamming the metal grates of the elevator shut and pushing the lever to take them down to his apartment. Spike smashed into the metal, demon enraged and ready to fight.
"What the fuck are you doing?" the blond screamed and Angel ignored him as the elevator moved down and Spike punched the heavy metal, denting it. "Angelus!"
Willow was silent, cowering away in the corner, too frightened to even call to Spike. She was certain that asking Angel to bail them out wasn't such a great idea. Before she even had time to contemplate what she was going to do, Angel's fingers were wrapping about her arm and he was pulling her from the elevator, literally dragging her through his apartment towards the bathroom.
"Angel?" she was struggling to keep up with him, her knee causing her no end of agony with every step she took.
"You end this and you end it now...or I will," his eyes flashed amber and there was no mistaking his meaning.
"No," Willow indignantly stated, digging her heels down, trying to pull her arm free of his hold as they entered the bathroom. She failed miserably. "Let me go."
"No," growled Angel, the stench was too much for him, he was going to hold her down and scrub her clean. Tightening his hold, he dragged her to the shower, twisting the taps to turn it on full force. Panicking, Willow struck out at him with her free arm, her balled fist connecting with his jaw. Had she been able to she would have followed Spike's advice and kneed him in the groin. The punch only served to infuriate him more and as she pulled her arm back to hit him again, he grabbed her. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?"
"What?" she asked incredulously, wasn't she the one who was at the mercy of some lunatic dark avenger?
"I thought you had more sense than to get involved with a demon, a vampire like Spike," spat Angel.
"You...you don't understand..." Willow stated, shaking her head and frowning. "Things are different...."
"What, because of the chip? Have you even thought about it, Willow? What if the chip malfunctions?" he yanked her hard, trying to jerk some sense into her, it must have been working because she was growing paler with every word he spoke. "What if he stumbles across some way to get it out? What happens then? How long do you think you'd last?"
For a moment there was silence and Angel was more than confident that he was getting through to her...she was pale, still and silent. Then her eyes flashed with fury and indignation and Angel suddenly felt that maybe the brotherly speech would have been more appropriate than the screaming match that he'd just initiated.
"You want to play 'what ifs'? What if your true moment of happiness isn't just fucking Buffy? What if you lose your soul..." Willow yelled at him, all the time trying work herself free of his painful and unyielding hold. "Do you think that any of us in Sunnydale would live more than a week?"
The words struck him as hard as any physical blow, distracting him briefly and his demon roared at her insolence. Gold flecked his eyes as he struggled to remain in control, his fingers almost crushing her upper arms, causing her to whimper. "This isn't about me, Willow."
"No, it's not," she spat, too angry to see how close he was to reverting to the demon. "It's about me and what I want and that's none of your business."
That was the last thing he wanted to hear and he pulled her into him so her feet barely touched the floor, snarling in her face. "I make it my business when someone I care about is stupid enough to get into a situation..."
"Don't you dare talk to me like that..." she hissed. "Like I'm some child who knows no better."
"Well at the moment I can't help but think you really are nothing more than a kid. For god's sake he's a soulless killer, Willow," Angel shook her, trying to still her struggles and reinforcing the statement. "The only person Spike cares about is himself. If it wasn't for the chip, do you honestly think he'd be with you? It's a convenience, you're a convenience and god only knows what's going to happen when the chip goes. Even if he stays around do you think he's going to overrule his instinct to hurt you..."
Willow swung her uninjured leg half-heartedly aiming for his groin while he held on to her, screaming words that she was refusing to listen to. She missed and glared up at him.
"He hasn't hurt me..."
With those words Angel dropped her and her knees buckled under the sudden increase of weight. To Willow the sound of his hand slapping down around her neck, while the other buried in her hair to pull her head back, eclipsed the splintering of the door at the top of the stairs and she was yanked back up. Her hands clawed against Angel's as she started to cry, struggling to breathe.
"No? What about this?" Angel hissed, his fingers digging into the bite mark. "Lovely scar, Willow, and was he in complete control when he did it? No, he wasn't. That was Spike, that's what he is, an animal that eagerly ripped into your throat. And he did a damn good job didn't he? Have you looked at the scar Willow, or do you just blot it out? Pretend it didn't happen, pretend it wasn't him, that his teeth weren't tearing at your flesh..."
"Leave her alone, Angelus."
The demon roared forth and Angel pushed Willow aside. She caught herself on the vanity, supporting herself on shaky arms as he turned to face the blond standing in the bathroom doorway. "Don't tell me what to do, Spike."
Willow, still too angry to realize what a truly volatile situation she was in, slowly limped away from the furious dark haired vampire.
"God, is it one set of rules for you and a completely different lot for everyone else?" she asked acrimoniously, warily keeping her eyes on the stranger before her as she continued to move away from him.
"Oh yeah," Spike drawled, pulling her attention away from Angel. "You know peaches is special, love."
One arrogant comment set the fuse alight. One stumbled step put Willow in the path of Angel's fist and Spike's face. One brief moment before everything went black.
***
"Come on, love," it was distant, kind of hazy, muffled. "Come back to me."
There was something freezing cold on her face, making it numb. With a groan, she turned her head, trying to escape the cold.
"That's it, Willow," he was closer now, she could feel his lips against her knuckles. "Wake up."
It was too hard to try and open her eyes, they ached, everything ached. Or throbbed. Oh yeah, there was definitely throbbing, generating from her knee, working it's way up her body. No way was she willing to open her eyes and acknowledge the pain. She was going to stay asleep until it stopped.
"You promised you'd watch Passions with me...." Someone wasn't willing to let her sleep, his thumb caressing her palm.
"Liar," she mumbled, once more trying to escape the cold that was pressed against the side of her face and Spike chuckled.
"That's my girl," Spike murmured, bringing her hand to his lips. She struggled, her eyes fluttering open to the darkened room, and finally focused on him, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What happened to you?" Willow stared, the shadows of the room hiding the bruises on his face but not the huge gash along one cheek nor the split lower lip. Tilting his head, Spike reached out and tenderly ran his fingers over her forehead, one finger tracing the contour of her eye and continuing down to her cheek.
"Got in a fight, love," he spoke softly, no humor or conceit tainting his voice, he was just stating the facts.
"Are you alright?" she asked, starting to push herself up, only to be stopped by the blinding agony of her head. "Ow," she hissed, freeing her hand and bringing it up to cradle her head.
"Shhh, lay still for a bit," he urged, pulling her hand away and putting the fallen icepack back on her blackened cheek. "Peaches did quite a number on you."
"Angel..."
"Is doing his brooding act," Spike reassured her through gritted teeth. He wasn't sure where exactly the other vampire was, undoubtedly off somewhere licking his wounds, and he didn't care. The only thing that he was worried about until the sun went down and they could escape was the girl laying on the bed in front of him, her eyes slowly closing. Shifting, he sat her up so he could inch his way in behind her, careful not to jerk her knee that rested on pillows. Settling back down on the bed, he wrapped his arms about her, kissing her exposed temple as she made herself comfortable against his chest. "Come on, love. Stay awake now."
"Why do you call him that?" Willow asked, her mind wandering over the things he'd said. Behind her Spike frowned and rearranged the ice pack on the side of her face.
"What?"
"Peaches."
Spike chuckled, his fingers straying to stroke her hair. "His ass, it's rounded and fuzzy, and it pulls apart just like a nice, ripe peach..."
She was silent for a moment before moaning. "Okay, why do I even ask these things?"
Angel backed away from the bedroom door, Spike's chuckle chasing him away as he wondered the same thing. Still, it was a relief she was awake. Angel could have easily killed her with that wild punch, slightly higher and he would have smashed her temple and death would've been instantaneous, slightly lower and her jaw would've shattered. As it was he was pretty sure he'd broken her cheek and that was enough to keep him lurking in the shadows, watching as Spike lovingly tended to her.
They were talking, low murmurs that Angel could clearly hear, silly questions and loving words. He'd seen the kisses, the caresses and he wondered if Willow knew exactly what she'd gotten herself into. The anger he'd felt earlier had well and truly been worked through with physical violence. Much to Angel's shame, Willow's unconscious form had been abandoned while the two vampires brawled. The living area and kitchen were nearly destroyed, furniture was broken, faces smashed, ribs cracked and all other sorts of injuries incurred as the two fought with words and fists. It had ended as abruptly as it started, with a stake held aloft and thrust down, the words "she'll never forgive you" halted its momentum. Which vampire had held the stake and which had said the words didn't matter. It was enough for both to pull away, retreat into their various corners, and the argument, at loggerheads, petered out. There was nothing left to say, neither willing to back down and Spike had left him without another word, heading back to take care of Willow.
And Angel had let him.
It should have been Angel who picked her up, stripped her of the uncomfortable leather, carefully and lovingly cleaned her, bandaging her knee, fetching ice for her face and slowly talking her back to consciousness. But it wasn't. He hadn't even told Spike where Cordelia kept a clean pair of navy cargo pants and gray tank top, the blond had just fetched them and dressed Willow while Angel brooded and stalked.
Angel was still brooding, pacing and clearing away the debris that his fight with Spike had created. For all of Spike's affection toward the redhead, the dark haired vampire's concern only grew. For the next few hours, until the sunset, he cleaned and lurked. Then, as the sun settled and the lover's discussed their escape, he just lurked and hoped that he'd have a chance to speak privately with Willow before they left. Silently, he cheered when the two agreed that Spike should fetch the car while Willow stayed in the apartment. He moved away from the bedroom, hovering in the kitchen as the two separated.
"I won't be long, love," Spike bent over and placed a kiss on her forehead, pulling back to glance down at her. "You'll be right?"
Willow nodded, squeezing his hand in reassurance. "Just don't be too long."
"Promise," he brought her hand up to his lips briefly before letting go and turning away. Willow watched as he silently disappeared. She waited, counting, not even reaching ten before she heard it.
"Hey," Angel was quiet, standing by the doorway, the epitome of brood. "Can I come in?"
"Your apartment, your bedroom," stated Willow off-handedly with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I...I'm sorry about...." he was cut off by another shrug of her shoulders as she gingerly touched her blackened cheek, her eye nearly swollen shut.
"Guess you became the very thing you were so eager to warn me about," she fiddled with the quilt, still not looking at him.
"Yeah," it was a direct hit and a fact that he'd been dwelling on for hours. Angel could tell the world that he'd been trying to help her, protect her, but he'd ended up hurting her. "I made the perfect example, didn't I?"
Willow nodded silently and swallowed as Angel moved cautiously to perch on the edge of the bed. She continued to fiddle as he sat there, silently watching her. Finally, unable to take the silence anymore, she looked up at him.
"What do you want, Angel?"
"It's not a good relationship, Willow," he could see her mouth opening, ready to argue and he held up his hands, silencing her protests. "Just...just listen to me," she dropped her head down and Angel lowered his hands. "Spike's a vampire and yes, he's chipped, but that could easily change. You don't know what it's like, his actions and emotions, you dress them up and categorize them, make comparison to yours, but it's different for vampires." Angel paused, struggling to find the words. "There are no differing shades or intensities, there is no rationality. Emotions for vampires are pure and unadulterated, blinding in fact."
Willow gave him a half smile. "And that's a bad thing?"
"Yes," Angel couldn't even begin to explain it, but he had to try. "It's the baser instincts and needs that'll destroy..." he watched as she glanced away, swallowing back the lump of fear. "There's a fine line between love and hate, in any of the feelings involved in this type of relationship, and the lines are easily crossed. If you wanted to end it, now and here, he wouldn't let you. He'll never let go, in his eyes you belong to him, completely and utterly...if you try to leave he'll make your life a living hell...or worse. The longer you spend with him, share his bed and his life, the stronger his obsession and possessiveness. Every moment you share with him the harder it will be when you decide you don't want to be in the relationship anymore. But..." he paused, hoping he'd explained it well enough for her to understand. "Finish it tonight and I'll help you..."
"Maybe I want to belong to someone, Angel," Willow whispered and Angel shook his head, there was one more argument he was willing to draw on, one that would make her see the true situation she was in.
"Willow, there's someone out there for you, but you must know that this thing with Spike will never work out. He's a vampire, you're a mortal, do you honestly think that he's going to sit back and watch you age, grow old? You think he's going to let you die? Sooner or later he's going to want to change you, turn you into a vampire...is that what you want?" he could easily read the emotions she was working through. Fear and confusion, though, they were the two he needed to work on. "Say the word and I'll help you, I can protect you from him. But if you leave with him tonight, I can't help you...and I won't."
"Ready, love?"
The quiet question startled both of them, but Willow was the only one to look toward the blond standing in the doorway.
"Yes," Willow said quietly and Angel waited to see what choice she'd make. "I want to go home, Spike."
Angel remained motionless as the blond swaggered over to the bed and easily picked her up. Willow's arms locked about Spike's neck and she rested her head against the leather-covered shoulder, adoringly trusting, and Angel refused to look at them. Only when he heard the heavy side door slam behind the couple did he close his eyes and shake his head.