europeanvacation1

"London, Here We Come!"

~*~*~

"You have your own plane?" Cordelia repeated for the fifth time in ten minutes, looking at the dark haired vampire beside her as if he'd grown a
second head. Even her parents at the height of their success hadn't owned their own *plane*!

Angel smiled tolerantly at the brunette. "Yes, Cor, I have my own plane. It helps when I want to travel." He looked around the almost deserted
airport, wondering where his childe and Willow had gotten off to. Returning his gaze to Cordelia he had to smother a laugh. The ex-cheerleader had
worked hard to overcome her materialistic nature but there were times, like this one, when he could almost see the dollar signs spinning in her eyes.
"Do you know where Willow and Spike are?" He could see no sign of the couple.

"Huh? Oh," Cordelia snapped herself out of her money induced trance. "She mentioned something about going to get a drink so she could take her
pills." The young woman shuddered, remembering the reasons why Willow, and herself, were still being medicated. Damien's kidnapping had left both
mental and physical effects on the women, things that only time could really cure. She let her mind wander back to the present, fixing her large
eyes on Angel. "You have your own plane?"

* * *

"We. Should. Get. Back. To. The. Others." Willow gasped around kisses. With her back to one of the airport walls she didn't have any way to avoid
the teasing kisses he insisted on laying on her lips. She put her hands firmly on Spike's chest, pushing him back enough to escape the onslaught of
affection. She giggled at the dejected look on his face. "Come on before they leave without us!"

"Not bloody likely." He drawled, grabbing her arms and pushing her against the wall again. His tongue licked slowly upon her bottom lip, a sensual
plea for her to open her mouth to him. He was in no rush to get back to the poof and his girl. They were going to be spending months with them,
after all. The red head's lips parted and he smiled softly before slipping his tongue into her mouth, slowly, as if he were tasting her through the kiss.

Willow moaned, allowing herself to be swept up in the emotions she felt for the creature in front of her. This felt so good. So right. For a moment
she could forget everything. Forget about Damien. Forget about Buffy. Forget about their vacation... She pulled back from Spike, banging her head
lightly against the wall. "Ow!" She rubbed at the back of her head. "We're going to go wait with the others, now!" She put her resolve face in place
and hoped he'd recognize it for what it was and not argue.

He recognized it all right. Sighing the blonde grabbed her hand, leading her back to where they had left their traveling companions. He wondered
absently if the cheerleader had gotten over the whole plane thing yet.

* * *

The inside of the plane was exactly what one would expect of Angel, Willow decided. She looked around the interior of the small private jet, her
green eyes taking in the black leather seats and silver trim. A few paintings decorated the walls, their red hues a splash of color on the dark walls.
Definitely what she expected from the brooding vampire. Her gaze wandered to where he was sitting, talking in hushed tones with Cordelia. He was
not very broody these days. Cordy was good for him.

She felt Spike wrap an arm around her shoulders and turned to look at him. He had been pretty quiet all night and she couldnt help but wonder
what was wrong. LIfting the armrest between then she leaned into his embrace, laying her head on his hard chest. "Whats wrong?"

"Hmm..?" Spike murmured. "Nothing, pet." He brushed a kiss across her forehead before returning to his thoughts.

"Oh no you dont." Willow grumbled. "Either somethings wrong or you've taken up your dear sire's brooding hobby."

"I am not brooding, luv." The look in her eyes told him she wasn't about to give up. He sighed and turned to make sure Angel was pre-occupied
before continuing. "The poof and I never spent that much time together after her became all soul-having. Now we're going to be traveling together
for two months. Its overwhelming." He sighed again.

Willow squeezed her lover's hand. "It will be okay." She smiled up into his blue eyes. "If it gets too awful we can always run away together." She
winked at him.

He laughed. "I might hold you to that, pet." He pulled her closer to him, snuggling his face in the warm softness of her hair. Not that he would admit
it to anyone, he was looking forward to reaquaiting himself with his sire. He was no Angelus. But he was still his sire, his creator, the man who was
responsible for him being the demon he was today.

"Enough with the brooding!" Willow admonished, capturing his lips in a less than innocent kiss. He chuckled, pulling his thoughts from his sire to the
amazing woman in his arms.

"This is your captain speaking. If everyone would please fasten their belts..."

* * *

The girls soon discovered that traveling abroad with two vampires was rather time consuming, the flight taking almost twice as long as normal so as
to make sure to reach their destination after sunset. Excitement and a lack of anywhere to stretch out kept the two humans from sleeping much
and they were very much relieved when they finally reached their hotel.

"Wow." Cordelia looked around the foyer of the suite of rooms the four of them would be sharing for their week in London. The floors were done in a
mosaic of gold and rose marble, polished to a bright finish. A cherry table with gold accents sat beaneath a crystal chandelier, a vase of red roses
looking like they had come fresh from a greenhouse sitting in the center. Directly ahead the brunette could see a living room of sorts with a large
picture window giving a look out over the city. She noticed with relief that there were heavy drapes to each side. It would be a shame for the boys
to get dusted on their vacation, after all. There were four doors along the walls of the foyer, leading to what Cordelia could only presume were their
bedrooms.

"I'll second that wow." Willow breathed, unused to the luxury the vampires were throwing her into. She plucked a rose from the vase, breathing in
its heavy perfume as she timidly opened one of the closed doors. "And 'wow' again...." The room was decorated in shades of pale pink and rose.
The large canopied bed was piled high with pillows of all shapes and sizes and the comforter appeared to be made of satin. The bed looked so
inviting and she found herself wavering on her feet, exhaustion finally taking its toll on her body.

"C'mon, pet." Spike said, lifting the tired witch into his arms. "Lets get you to bed."

"Night Angel, night Delia," Willow mumbled sleepily, waving at the couple as the door swung shut.

"Sleep sounds like a good idea." Cordelia yawned. She reached down to grab the suitcase she knew she had packer her nighties in, surprised when
Angel swatted her hand away, picking up the case himself. "Thanks." With a small tired smile she followed him to one of the bedrooms.

Angel placed the case just inside the door and turned back to the brunette. Looking into her sleepy features he longed to do nothing more than
crawl into the bed with her and hold her through the night. But they weren't ready for that, yet. "Night, Cor." He tilted his head down, kissing her
softly before retreating to the safety of the room next door.

* * *

The door to Angel's room was still shut when Cordelia pulled her rested body from bed the next afternoon. She smiled, remembering the kiss he had
given her, brushing her fingertips lightly over her lips. Still in her nightgown she made her way to the living room, surprised to find Willow awake and
dressed. "Hey, Will."

"G'morning...erm...afternoon, Delia." Willow looked up from her laptop and smiled at the brunette. "Come look at this." She pointed to her screen and
the itinerary Angel had given her. A week each in London, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and Greece. Her head spun with the wonder of it all. These
were places she had dreamed of visiting her entire life.

"They are treating us like little princesses." Cordelia laughed.

"No kidding." Willow handed her a handwritten note. "Angel left us orders to go out and buy ourselves something nice and formal to wear to dinner
tonight." She flashed his credit card at the brunette. "I already called down to the front desk. There's a dress shop a few blocks up the street. We
can walk over after you get dressed."

"Gimme fifteen minutes." The brunnette said, hurrying from the room. Shopping with Angel's credit card! How lucky could she get?

* * *

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" Spike grumbled, glaring at the tailor in front of him. He had been sleeping when Angel had pulled him from bed to
get measured for a new suit.

"One word: Willow." Angel smiled when the other vampire nodded. His childe was whipped. "We're taking them out to dinner tonight." The dark
haired vampire had gone to great lengths to secure them reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in the city and was determined to have even
Spike look nice for the occaision.

"The things I do for that chit." The blonde sighed. A few moments later the tailor was finished, leaving the two vampires alone. He watched as his
sire disappeared into his room. {Guess he doesnt feel like talking, as usual.} Spike thought sourly. He barely managed to catch the bag of blood
that was suddenly thrown at him.

"Its room temperature." Angel said quietly. "It will have to do until I can get to a butcher shop." The dark haired vampire watched his childe feed in
a sort of grim fascination. He had made this creature. He had brought him into the night. {And then you abandoned him.} His demon roared. {You
got your soul back and abandoned him.} Angel shut his eyes, sighing. When he opened them again Spike was staring at him.

Spike gazed at his sire, watching the torment pass behind his eyes. {This is just as hard for him as it is for you, you twit.} He chastised himself.
There were a million things he wanted to say to him at that moment. A million comforts he wanted to say and wanted to hear back. But he didn't
speak, just waited. Hoping and longing for his sire to speak his mind.

Angel knew he was going to have to make the first move, There was too much they needed to say to each other. But he knew his childe was
stubborn. If things were ever to be right between them, he would have to be the one to start. "I'm sorry." The words were whispered, almost
inaudible. It wasn't much. But it was something.He hoped it would be enough.

It was."C'mon Peaches, we have alot to talk about."

* * *

Willow followed Cordelia out of the elevator and towards the door to their suite. It was a little after sunset, they had spent the whole afternoon
finding dresses and getting their hair done. Willow glanced down at the rather revealing dress she had finally chosen with Cordelia's help. The green
silk clung to her body like a second skin, a long slit on the side showing off her legs. Small beads were wound through her short hair, matching the
pearl necklace she had purchased to match the dress. The silk felt like nothing on her skin, making her feel almost naked. She hoped Spike would
like it.

Cordelia's dress made her feel tame by comparison, though. The brunette had chosen a backless red velvet dress that stopped at mid-thigh. Her
long hair had been swept up with small rhinestone clips holding it in place. She looked stunning, Willow thought. She was sure Angel would agree.

They entered the suite, and made their way towards the sounds of their lovers' voices in the living room. Willow felt her heart catch in her throat
as she saw Spike. He was dressed in a black suit, a far cry from his normal jeans. Something in her stomach clenched as a wave of desire washed
over her. Damn he was hot.

Cordelia was having similar thoughts as she let her eyes rake over Angel. As usual he looked like he had just stepped off the cover of a men's
fashion magazine. The suit was of an exceptional cut and fit him perfectly. His short hair was spiked just the way she liked it. She felt her mouth
begin to water and knew she'd be drooling soon if she didn't pull her eyes away.

"Ladies..." Angel smiled at the two women. He thought they looked great and he could tell by the rapt expression on Spike's face that his childe felt
the same way. "You look lovely, Cor." Angel took her hand in his, bending low to brush a kiss across the back of it.

"Red." Spike kissed her softly on her lips, his hands resting lightly on her silk covered hips. "You look delicious."

Willow laughed. She supposed that looking delicious was quite a compliment coming from a vampire. "Why thank you, dear." She watched his eyes
roam over her body and felt herself blush. Sure, he had seen it all before, but somehow it was different when she was clothed. She knew he was
picturing what was under the clothes. The fact that he found her desirable was still a source of amazement to her. She blushed again as he caught
her eyes and winked.

"Dinner...and then desert, luv?" He whispered for her ears alone. She giggled, the blush still lighting up her pale cheeks. Then, loud enough for the
others to hear, "Lets go before I decide to just stay in."

* * *

"Hmm..?" Spike murmured. "Nothing, pet." He brushed a kiss across her forehead before returning to his thoughts.

"Oh no you dont." Willow grumbled. "Either somethings wrong or you've taken up your dear sire's brooding hobby."

Willow squeezed her lover's hand. "It will be okay." She smiled up into his blue eyes. "If it gets too awful we can always run away together." She
winked at him.

"Enough with the brooding!" Willow admonished, capturing his lips in a less than innocent kiss. He chuckled, pulling his thoughts from his sire to the
amazing woman in his arms.

"This is your captain speaking. If everyone would please fasten their belts..."

* * *

"C'mon, pet." Spike said, lifting the tired witch into his arms. "Lets get you to bed."

"Night Angel, night Delia," Willow mumbled sleepily, waving at the couple as the door swung shut.

* * *

"They are treating us like little princesses." Cordelia laughed.

"Gimme fifteen minutes." The brunnette said, hurrying from the room. Shopping with Angel's credit card! How lucky could she get?

* * *

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" Spike grumbled, glaring at the tailor in front of him. He had been sleeping when Angel had pulled him from bed to
get measured for a new suit.

It was."C'mon Peaches, we have alot to talk about."

* * *

"Red." Spike kissed her softly on her lips, his hands resting lightly on her silk covered hips. "You look delicious."

* * *

Cordelia knew she was dreaming, knew that the horrible visions dancing through her head weren't real. But that didn't help. She watched as if from
a distance as she was tortured by Elias. Then the scene shifted and she was dying. The same death that her captor had forced into her head a
hundred times during her brief stay with him.

She could feel her skin shrinking, withering, as if she were suddenly being sucked dry of all life. She gasped for air as her lungs began to fail, the
noise sounding like leaves rattling in her dry hollow chest. When her heart began to give way she screamed, the sound coming out as nothing more
than a whisper in her nightmare.

"Delia!" Someone shouted. She felt herself being shook, her bones cracking in her nightmare. "DELIA!" Gasping, Cordelia woke, clutching her chest.
The agony of the dream still haunting her in her waking moments.

"Angel?" Cordelia sobbed, looking into the dark brown eyes of the man holding her. Her throat hurt and she realized she must have been screaming
in her sleep. "No..." The terrified brunette clutched at her head in agony. "Make the dreams stop, Angel. Make them stop."

Willow watched from the doorway as Angel pulled her sobbing friend further into his arms, whispering soft words of reassurance. She had been
talking with Spike when Cordelia's screams had rocked the suite. Her heart ached for the brunette. Willow's own pain had been mostly physical, and
had faded away slowly, Cordelia's was mental and would take longer to heal. The nightmares were nothing new. She knew the girl had been having
them most nights since her torture.

Sighing, the witch closed the door, walking across the hall to her own room. Angel would take care of Cordelia. She could tell by the way he held
her friend that he already cared deeply for her. He wouldnt let her suffer alone.

"The chit ok?" Spike drawled from the bed. He had returned to the room immediately after seeing that there were no intruders in the suite.

Willow looked at the smooth pale chest of her lover, admiring subtle display of his muscles under the skin. "Yeah she's ok. Angel is in there with
her." She waited for Spike to make some sort of smart ass comment about his sire and the girl.

She heard none. "Good." He smiled slightly, patting the bed in invitation. "Shes good for him and he for her." He had spent many hours speaking with
his sire since that first night. Often times discussing nothing more than their mutual past. The good times they had together. The bad ones. They
were still a far cry from the relationshio they had once had, but they were at least making progress.

Willow watched the play of emotions on her lover's face and knew he was thinking of his sire. She crawled into bed next to him, cuddling up against
his chest. It made her happy that the two vampires were trying to talk through their differences. She reached up to trace her fingernails along his
chest, scratching him lightly to get his attention back on her. "You're doing that thing again."

"What thing, luv?" He whispered, kissing the top of her head. He tilted her chin up, meeting her eyes with his own.

"The one where you space out and don't notice me." She pouted slightly, her eyes playful.

"Sorry, Red." He kissed her lips gently. "So...where were we?"

Her eyes glinted with mischief."You were telling me about the last time you were in London with Angelus. Something about a brothel..."

* * *

Angel held the shaken girl in his arms, whispering anything and everything he could think of to take away her fear. He could hear her heart racing,
and knew her mind was replaying her nightmare over and over again. He wished he could kill the bastard who had done this to her - again.

Finally she quieted, her shaking fading away to trembling and then ceasing altogether. He listened to her steady breathing and knew she had fallen
asleep. Moving slowly so as to not wake her he laid her back on the bed, gently prying her fingers from the grip they had on his arm.

"Angel?" She mumbled, her eyes opening sleepily. She grasped his arm tighter. "Dont leave." Her eyes pleaded for him to understand she didnt want
to be alone. As if his presence alone could keep the nightmares at bay.

Angel nodded, crawling under the covers to pull her warm body against his. He willed his body not to respond to the closeness of her soft flesh,
concentrating on making his mind a perfect blank until he finally fell asleep.

* * *

"I can't believe this is our last night in London." Cordelia moaned. She had been having the time of her life, shopping during the afternoon and
roaming the city with the boys after dark. She was looking forward to seeing Ireland, but London was nice too.

"We can come back sometime, Delia." Angel smiled, wrapping one arm around her waist.

"Aw...Can we come back too, luv?" Willow drawled the word, taunting her lover.

The blonde smiled down at her. "Of course, luv." He smirked. "Sounds sexier when I say it."

"That it does." Willow said, swatting him playfully on his butt. "That it does."

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