It was the hair that had decided him, a dark, glossy red. Her face was too long and thin, lips coated with blackberry lipstick too narrow, and her flesh was too dark. A heavy coat of mascara and eye-shadow drew attention to her eyes -- wide and seductive, brown flecked with gold. Spike watched the play of light across her hair, softening and lightening it within his mind as he spoke to her. She had told him her name. He hadn't heard her. He didn't care.
 

Her words were dull and flat. She kept her emotions hidden behind a painted mask, unspoken, unheard. Spike bought her several drinks. They passed her lips easily, old, familiar friends. Her fingers were too short, too round, as they crept across the zipper of his jeans beneath the table. Spike's hand wound about her wrist, felt the fragile, mortal bones within his grip. He could press down upon her, breaking and cracking the bones beneath his hand.
 

Spike pulled her up and watched her smile -- too broad, too knowing, knowing nothing. Her shirt was black, tight across breasts that were too large. Pants clung to hips, far too rounded. She moved amongst the crowd, a promise of sex in the sway of her hips and the curve of her lips. Spike followed her noiselessly, watching the hypnotic sway of red hair across her back.
 

The room in which Spike found himself was as anonymous as was his companion. Long fingernails, coated with red polish, curved under the hem of her short top. She pulled her shirt over her head, naked breasts falling free. Her hands ran over them, thumb and forefinger twisting at hardening nipples, a practiced tease. Hot, foreign fingers quested beneath the tight material of his black T-shirt, scraping appreciatively across defined muscles. She spoke, her words meaningless, lustful purr dull and empty against his ears.
 

Spike listened for Willow's disbelieving, heartbroken scream arching across their link /pain /denial /loss /betrayal /love/ and reached out to caress the generous amount of flesh the woman before him had offered to his touch. He didn't move against her lips, his mouth finding the pulsing artery in her neck. Painted claws skimmed against his back.
 

She fell back against the bed, hair fanning out against the pillow. Spike's lips compressed unhappily as he noted the red was even darker against the paleness of the pillow. Her hips arched upwards as he pulled her pants and underwear free, down legs too long, too soft. He found his zipper. Booted feet dug into the foot of the mattress as inhumanly strong hands caught against her thighs, pulling her closer.
 

He closed his eyes against her unfamiliar face and thrust into her without care or style as a wave of pure anguish slammed into him across the link. For a moment, guilt threatened to choke him before anger pulsed to life, looping back towards his mate. He was thrusting into his squirming partner, a low growl tearing past curled lips. The woman's nails raked across him, and Spike's golden eyes snapped open. She was screaming, tears of pain and fear streaming down her cheeks. He hadn't thought, hadn't _cared_ that she was human, devoid of the bond he shared with Willow which allowed her to experience his pleasure as well as her own, lacking the link which would grant her a fraction of his own strength.
 

Spike snarled at her, slamming into her one last time. His head jerked back, Willow's face flashing behind closed eyelids as he came.

***

Angel and Faith hadn't left. Willow had reluctantly agreed to allow them to stay in the mansion, knowing she was the only one with the room to house them and the proper set-up and goods to comfortably entertain a vampire as a guest. For the first time, Willow found herself feeling uncomfortable in her own home. The memories that had pulsed between she and Spike upon first arriving often made Angel's face bleed into Angelus' when she saw him.
 

Her relationship with the vampire, on her side at the very least, had been tense for some days. Willow had nearly been as stunned as was he when she had sprung from the couch, her fist slamming into his face with enough force to make him rock backwards. Angel had muttered that Spike was a fool, and as much as Willow agreed with his assessment, hearing the words from the souled vampire had grated at her. She wasn't sure whether it was a lingering sense of Spike's anger at his sire, or if the reaction had been completely her own.
 

Although Faith stayed out of her way as often as possible, Willow could sense the Slayer's presence. It was subtly different from the instinctive fear and hatred that Spike's demon felt around Buffy. Willow refrained from examining the differences, attempting to the best of her ability to purge the Slayer from her thoughts completely. So far, it hadn't worked. The Slayer haunted her mind almost as much as did her missing mate.
 

"Goddess grant me strength," Willow murmured as she placed the last plate back into its proper cupboard. She turned around, not surprised to see Angel behind her. She had felt his presence the moment he had stepped into the kitchen. Willow wiped her damp hands against her jean clad thighs before absently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Although Angel was standing motionlessly, Willow could almost see his desire to fidget beneath her gaze. Had she had enough energy to spare on the vampire, Willow would have found it amusing that she unnerved Angel. 'Must have been the bah that did it,' Willow thought with dark amusement.
 

"Blood?" Willow questioned him when Angel remained silent.
 

He shook his head. "No. Willow...I realize that you're rather uncomfortable around me. Since you've had a glimpse of Spike's memories...if there's anything you want to ask me--" he offered uncomfortably.
 

Willow drew upon a weak smile. "Nah, I'm fine. I'm kinda too preoccupied with Spike to be worrying over what Angelus did." Her eyes rolled slightly as Willow's knees went weak. Her delicate hands thrashed out blindly, latching onto Angel's upper arms desperately as the vampire moved to catch her. ~No!~ Willow screamed out across the bond as she briefly found herself watching another woman disrobe through Spike's eyes. Her body and mind were caught up with Spike's despite Willow's best attempts to pull free.
 

"Willow!" Angel cried out. He swung her into his arms, moving into the living-room. The vampire sank down onto the couch with Willow in his lap when the red head refused to let go of him. Her eyes were wide and glazed, her mouth pinched with pain. "What is it? Is something wrong with Spike?"
 

She was writhing against him. "Goddess, no, no, no," Willow cried out. "He's...Oh Goddess, Angel -- why is he doing this to me?" she wailed before surging up against him. Blunt fingernails dug into the back of Angel's neck as she pressed her mouth against his. Guilt and anger, and an uncaring kind of lust clawed at Willow's mind. Spike knew that she was there, knew that she could feel what he was doing. He didn't care -- he _wanted_ her there, wanted her to see what he was.
 

"Willow," Angel protested when she pulled away, gasping for breath. His hands rested lightly against her hips as she shifted, straddling him. Her hands moved against his broad shoulders, red hair streaming down her back as her head lolled back. "You don't want this."
 

She laughed bitterly, her hips jerking against him, driven forward by Spike's actions. "No, I don't," she confirmed. Her head lifted and she watched him through slitted, broken eyes. "He's going to fuck her, Angel. He wants me, and he's going to have sex with someone else." ~Stop it, just stop it, you bastard!~ Willow shrieked within her mind. ~You've proven you can leave me -- now _stop it_!~
 

Pleasure bordering on agony washed through her. Willow's head dropped against Angel's shoulder, her thrusting hips mimicking Spike's. Her trembling explanation had been enough for Angel. One hand still rested against her hips, the other cradled her bent head. He didn't move away from her nor attempt to draw her closer. He held her, knowing that the part of her not drowning in Spike was hating him at that moment for seeing her as she was. Willow's body trembled, and she screamed in anguish against his cool skin.

***

'_Angel_.' Throughout the miles stretched out between them, Spike could feel the weight of his sire's hands against his mate. Anger and jealousy coursed through him. Shame burned across the link as Willow's emotions cleared, and without hesitation, Spike reached out to feed the emotion. 'Get away from him,' he thought with a soundless snarl. Angel had no right to touch Willow, nor had she the right to find any sort of comfort within the elder vampire. '_Mine_.'
 

The woman beneath him pushing at Spike's chest desperately. "Get off of me!" she cried out, her voice shrill and stripped of the seductive purr in which she had previously wound her words. She was scrambling off the bed the second Spike shifted off of her. The woman didn't even hesitate long enough to search out her discarded clothing. She inched around the foot of the bed, her wild eyes trained on Spike as if he were a wild animal preparing to strike.
 

The bond hummed with betrayal and Spike scowled. 'Angel,' he spat angrily. He rose from the bed with casual grace. The woman shrieked in protest, hands blindly clawing at the doorknob as Spike crossed the room with unnatural speed. Cool hands wound through her long red hair, viciously pulling her head back. She stiffened against him with a pained squeal, the dying cry of an animal caught beneath a predator's gaze, as Spike's fangs tore into her neck.

***

Willow toppled off of Angel's lap the moment he sensed her stiffen against him, lifting his hands from her body. She collapsed to the flood, scrambling backwards. Her usually vibrant green eyes were red rimmed, still swimming with tears. There was an accusation in her gaze, and Angel was uncertain as to whether it was direction towards him, Spike, or Willow herself. "I'm sorry, Angel...I'm sorry," she said, her voice cracking.
 

She looked so lost and broken that Angel wanted nothing more than to wipe away her pain and wring his childe's neck in that order. Willow looked skittish, so Angel remained on the couch, unwilling to approach her and risk having her run from him. He had to get her to talk, or this incident could potentially strain their relationship permanently, as well as eat Willow alive from the inside. Angel hadn't held very much interest in Willow's life -- his thoughts had been focused almost exclusively on Buffy, even in L.A. However, he had heard little bits of news from Cordelia -- enough to be aware of how devastated Willow had been by Oz's infidelity. Angel shuddered to think how much worse the experience must have been with Spike, actually experiencing everything as he did.
 

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Willow," Angel said soothingly.
 

Willow ignored him, her knees drawing into her chest. Her voice came out as a growl, and Angel could hear Spike echoed in the words. "He's _mine_. How _dare_ think he can do this to me?" Willow bit off her words with a short exclamation, her hands flying to her mouth. The vampire could clearly see the strain on her face, and listened to her gag behind her trembling hands.
 

Angel abandoned the cautious approach, slowly moving towards Willow. He reached her side just as Willow reached out blindly, her tear stained face pressing into his chest. "Why is he trying to hurt me?" Willow wailed. "I love him, oh Goddess, I love him so very much."

***

Faith tore back the dark green shower curtain with one hand, the other holding Willow's squirming body in place. Her free hand fumbled against the taps, twisting the cold water on full blast. Faith shifted her grip against Willow, lowering the wild eyed redhead to her feet in the tub. Not bothering with an attempt to remove Willow's oversized T-shirt style nightgown, Faith roughly slid the shower curtain back into place, cutting off the sight of the witch's shocked green eyes. The Slayer's hand snaked around the curtain, finding the tap that would send water cascading down upon Willow. She didn't hesitate. Willow shrieked and cursed as the cold water fell across her skin, quickly soaking through her thin clothing.
 

The water slowed to a drizzle as Faith finally cut off the flow from the shower head. She pulled back the curtain to survey Willow. The witch was standing as far back from the water as possible. Her arms were crossed beneath her breasts defensively, pulling the wet material of her nightgown even tighter against her body. Goosebumps stood out against pale skin. Willow glared at Faith through wet strands of red hair. "What the hell are you doing, you _bitch_!?" she spat.
 

Faith thrust the thick towel she had gathered up into Willow's hands. "I'm helping you," she informed Willow coolly.
 

Willow's eyebrows curved upwards, a disbelieving sneer curling at her lips. "Helping? I don't need your help, Faith," she ground out.
 

The Slayer snorted. "If I hadn't stepped in, you'd be crying into your pillow at this very moment as Blondie rutted with anyone with an orifice in which he could ram his cock," she stated as Willow winced. "This bond of yours works two ways, doesn't it?" Faith demanded.
 

Willow nodded slightly. She raised the towel before her body, her pale hands twisting against it uneasily.
 

"So then, lover boy just got quite the shock to his system, didn't he?" Faith reached out, catching Willow's arms. She drew the witch out of the tub, lifting the sopping wet gown off of her body before Willow could protest. Faith pulled the towel free from Willow's weak grip, winding it around the other woman's slumped shoulders.
 

"What do you care?" Willow asked, clutching at the edges of the towel wrapped around her body as Faith briskly rubbed her arms through it.
 

The Slayer's hand moved to the small of Willow's back, pressing her towards the mirror hanging above the sink. She stood behind Willow, her body holding Willow's captive before the mirror. Faith reached over Willow's shoulder, gripping the redhead's chin and forcing her face to raise so that she met her own reflection. Willow's face, always pale, had taken on an almost ghostly quality. Dark shadows underlay red rimmed eyes, silent testimony to lack of sleep and hours of bitter tears.
 

"_That_ isn't the Willow I know," Faith said, her voice softening as she watched the emotions spilling out across Willow's reflection. "You may have pissed me off, Red, but gods, you had _passion_! Now, you barely leave your room, you won't talk to your friends..."
 

"I _can't_!" Willow voice rose to a protesting shriek. She futilely tried to pull away from Faith, stilling only when the Slayer's fingers curled into her hips, pressing her firmly against the counter. Willow saw her face begin to collapse and quickly looked away from her reflection, disgusted at her weakness but unable to stem her tears. "They don't understand... and... and, I don't want them to _see_," she wailed.
 

"I don't give a damn whether or not you talk to B and the rest, Red," Faith snapped irritably. "But stop fucking whining! Do you love the vamp or not?"
 

The sudden question shocked Willow into silence. Watering green eyes met Faith's steady ones in the mirror. Willow's teeth clamped onto her lower lip as she nodded.
 

"Do you want him back?" Faith demanded.
 

"Yes," Willow whispered.
 

Faith twisted Willow around so that they stood face to face. "You gotta act, Red. If he's getting your feelings -- have you thought maybe all this blubbering is just making him run faster?" The stricken look in Willow's face informed Faith that the idea had not occurred to her. Faith leaned forward until her warm breath washed against Willow's damp flesh. "He's a vampire, Red. All they understand is force. He's trying to show you whose in charge. Show him that you're tough enough to fight back. Show him you're worthy."
 

"How?" Willow asked.
 

"_Act_," Faith replied. "Next time he starts thinking with his cock, jump into a cold shower again. Ram your head into a wall until he had a headache so bad he can't even think of getting it up. Force feed him all that purity and soul you've got. Fuck, do _something_!" Her lips twisted into a predatory grin, her lips whispering against Willow's cheek. "Turn the tables on him," she suggested.
 

Willow shivered. "Faith?"
 

"Yeah, Red?"
 

"I don't... hate you," she admitted softly.
 

Faith's forehead lightly rested against Willow's. Her thumbs arched against Willow's collar bones. "Thanks."
 

"Act, right?"
 

"Right," Faith breathed.
 

Willow swallowed. "I think...I think that...Spike could use a bit more cooling down."

***

There was a decidedly blue tinge to Willow's skin when she slowly made her way into the living room. She smiled wanly as Faith wordlessly pushed a steaming cup of hot cocoa into her trembling hands. Willow avoided the larger couch, heading for one of the single seats instead. She took a cautious sip of the drink as she sank into the plump cushions.
 

"Feeling better?" Faith asked quietly, her eyes intent as she looked over the redhead. The witch looked far from her normal, bubbly self, but some of the tension had faded from her body. The sheen of tears that had become a constant fixture in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by what Faith considered to be a healthy spark of anger.
 

Willow nodded. "Yeah, I think I really am," she answered, sounding surprised by the realization. "Cold as anything, but better. It felt... _good_, doing something again." Her lips slashed into an angry smile. "It felt even better knowing that Spike's not up to screwing with anything at the moment."
 

"There's my girl," she grinned widely. Willow jumped, flushing slightly as she met the Slayer's eyes briefly. Faith rose from her own seat gracefully, taking the few, short steps necessary to reach Willow. Crouching down in front of the redhead, Faith grasped her cool hands. "Willow..."
 

"Don't," Willow pleaded. "It's okay, Faith."
 

The Slayer cocked her head, regarding Willow through narrowed eyes. "It isn't, Red. There's things we have to talk about... Or at least, _I_ have to talk about. I'm sorry, Willow. Not so much for _what_ I did as for _how_ I did it. I'd wanted to touch you, so damned badly for so very long -- but it shouldn't have happened like that. And I sure as hell shouldn't have said what I did. I wanted to hurt you then, I wanted to mark a piece of you off as mine..." Her fingers lightly skimmed against the fang marks at Willow's throat. Faith smiled crookedly. "I figure maybe I understand Blondie more than I want to," she murmured.
 

"Faith?" Willow croaked uncertainly.
 

"Don't worry, Red, I'm not about to jump you. Even though I'm sure that would throw Blondie into a--" Her words halted as Willow lightly pressed her lips against Faith's.
 

She was blushing slightly when she pulled back. "New beginnings, Faith. Friends?"
 

The Slayer nodded. Her voice was thick with emotions when she spoke. "Damned right," she affirmed fervently.

***

Willow hadn't been back to school since Spike had left. She'd been keeping up at home with the aid of Buffy's scrawled notes and the pile of textbooks on the floor next to her bed. As long as she handed in her work on time and showed up for the exams, none of the professors cared whether or not she was in class. However, Spike was still missing and out to prove his independence by the time the final examination period rolled around.
 

It had been three weeks since Faith had dumped Willow, kicking and screaming, into the shower. Since then, the redhead had done her best to counter every one of Spike's ill conceived plans with a burst of something sure to deter, or at the least, annoy her missing lover. Willow spent as much time as possible with Xander and Buffy, broadcasting the useless chatter they engaged in while a crisis wasn't brewing. At home, Willow had forced aside her unease and a lingering sense of embarrassment and spent long hours with Angel. She had even bought several 'Barney' and 'Teletubbies' cassettes and spent several hours in front of the flickering screen watching them before heading to bed.
 

Spike's retaliation were decidedly more physical. Most days, Willow woke with a shared hangover or sporting the dull ache of bruises that had already faded as she slept. She also found herself standing beneath a spray of cold water more often than she cared to count. Fighting back against Spike's sexual escapades hadn't made bearing them any easier. The sensations still courses through their link, sending Willow fleeing to her bedroom where she would scream out Spike's release and her own anguish into her tear soaked pillows.
 

The redhead was beginning to seriously contemplate the benefits of castrating the vampire once she got her hands on him. Faith had nearly choked on her lunch when Willow had casually mentioned that particular possibility. When she had calmed down, still riding the after effects of her laughter, the Slayer had commented that doing so would be quite the shame. 'Just chain him to your bed and make sure you're the only one who gets any,' Faith had grinned toothily. Willow had reluctantly agreed that at some later date, she might miss said portion of his anatomy. At the moment, however, it seemed to be doing most of his thinking for him. And the thoughts he was having were most assuredly not the kind which Willow ever wanted him to be having again... at least not with anyone but _her_.
 

It was with a great deal of unease that Willow left the privacy of the mansion for school. Had she not been forced to become adept at curtailing Spike's... adventures, the witch wouldn't have dreamed of leaving her home, even when faced with the certainty of academic failure. The thought of providing her fellow students with the kind of show Angel had received was enough to make Willow's stomach heave. But the bond had been remarkably calm on Spike's end, and Willow didn't cherish the thought of failing any of her classes without an incredibly good reason.

***

Her name was Bambi -- ironic, really, considering that she looked capable of tearing a deer's flesh from it's body with her bare hands. 'Bambi,' when applied to humans conjured images of empty headed women with immense breasts. Which really didn't apply, considering that the woman sitting at Spike's side was anything but human. She was flat chested, all straight lines and sharp angles. Her flesh was a dull orange, made up overlapping scales. Her face was flat, her features mushed, and her eyes crossed and twirled, independent of each other. Even the alcohol Spike had consumed hadn't served to blunt the utter undesirability that Bambi projected. The fact that the woman's species had incredible tongues and flexibility enough to put a contortionist to shame made up for her physical defects.
 

Spike smiled slightly around the beer bottle held to his lips as he sent his thoughts arching out in search of Willow. He had sensed her anticipation days ago, and knew that she was planning on taking her exams that day. The demon in him had been reluctantly impressed by Willow's sheer determination not to crack beneath the pain his actions were obviously causing her. It had been equally impressed by the witch's attempts to put him back into place. Being force fed a steady stream of sugary sweet, mind numbing children's television programs had been infuriating. The sheer rage that had pumped beneath the images had also been enough to make Spike's demon salivate.
 

It was becoming increasingly more difficult to recall why he had run from Willow to begin with.
 

He was going home. But first, to impress upon his mate one last time that he was returning of his own volition, and not because of any of her countermeasures.

***

Willow jumped in her seat with a sharp gasp at the phantom touch of a tongue swiping roughly across her nipples. She shifted her arm before her breasts in embarrassment, as if the others in the room, studiously bent over their own exams, could see what she felt. 'The bastard!' Willow seethed.
 

The questions blurred into a winding black line before her watering eyes. Willow closed her eyes against the exam booklet, sucking in deep breaths of air. Her mouth clamped into a grim line as Willow struggled to find a way to cut off Spike's broadcast before she ending up having an unwilling orgasm in the middle of the exam room. The immense potential for humiliation in that occurrence rapidly led Willow to latch onto a particularly brutal counter-attack.
 

She had walked in on Angel in the shower, once, and had gotten a good, long look of the vampire naked. Willow drew upon the details scorched into her memory as the constructed the scene in her mind. The redhead knew that Spike was irrational about his sire, especially her own proximity to Angel. Willow pulled upon the memory of Angel, wet and dripping in the steamy room. This time, she didn't jump and stammer an apology as Angel ducked back behind the shower curtain. Spike's enraged growl was reverberating down their bond before Dream-Willow had even crossed the length of the bathroom to stand before Angel.
 

~Want to play rough, do you?~ Willow snarled at Spike. ~Not bad enough that you're off screwing anything in sight... that you humiliated me in front of my friends... but now you want to make my humiliation school-wide? Well fuck you, mister!~ Her mental voice built to a scream as Willow slammed her constructed image at the vampire.
 

Her pen snapped in white knuckled hands, blue ink bleeding out across her flesh.

***

Bambi grunted sourly as Spike toppled backwards, gracelessly landing on his back on the thin carpeting covering his motel room floor. His eyes had rolled back in his head, his lips frozen in a snarl. A thin trickle of blood ran from his nose. Bambi cocked her head, frizzed black hair bouncing around her face. Her eyes narrowed as she regarded the vampire's erection. That, at least, still seemed to be paying attention.
 

"Bloody hell," Spike groaned.
 

"Fuck now?" Bambi asked politely.
 

"Get out of here, you bloody daft cow," Spike growled. He pushed himself up on his elbows. His snarl had twisted into a grin somewhere on the trip up. "I don't have time for this. There's something at home I really have to take care of."
 

Bambi shrugged easily. She'd always known that vampires were strange.

***

Willow had locked the door to the women's washroom behind her. She had managed to complete the rest of her exam, fine tremors wracking her body and making her writing waver and wind across the pages. She wasn't in any mood to face any of her classmates or other students--let them squirm in the hallways and pound at the door for all she cared. Willow squirted more pink liquid soap into her hands, scrubbing vigorously in an attempt to wash away the ink which had spilled out across her hand when she cracked her pen apart. Messy and violent and ugly--and that incident summed up the entirety of her relationship with Spike.
 

She had told Angel that she loved Spike--and it had hurt when he left, knowing that he was having sex with any woman ready to open her legs for him. By all reason, she shouldn't have ever fallen for him. Even before they had been force fed the bond which even now hummed and sparked between them, Willow had been attracted to him. Better for all of them that it had remained at that. Sharing Spike's thoughts and emotions had allowed her to understand him to a degree she would never have believed possible. Although she was nowhere near a complete understanding of the vampire--his demon and all that came with it made that nearly impossible--she had a deeper and more personal connection with him that she had ever had with anyone else.
 

Willow twisted the tap viciously, cutting off the hard spray of cold water. Blue ink was still a pale stain against her hand. Willow stalked towards the dryer, slamming her open palm against the button which send it spluttering to life. She turned her head, catching sight of herself reflected in the mirror. Willow no longer recognized herself. Her face had shrunk in upon itself during the period when she had not been eating. Her face was tight with emotions--anger and sorrow most prevalent. Her eyes were huge and rimmed with dark shadows. She even held her body differently--tight and hunched, ready for whatever surge of emotions would come spiraling towards her.
 

~Bastard,~ Willow flung the word along the bond, clamping down tight on the tail of the thought in an attempt to keep Spike's response from reaching her. She was in no mood to deal with the vampire's petty actions and his ridiculous attempts to prove himself master of his own mind, body and emotions. She could understand his desire for self-determination-after being led about by Angelus and Drusilla, Spike wasn't eager to be under the command of anyone else. Willow hadn't been delighted with the idea that what was happening between them was inevitable considering their bond, but she figured that it was possible to work through both of their issues. She had no desire to bend Spike to her will, to twist him into something that he was not. Right now, all she wanted was a bit of peace. 'Stay gone for all I care,' Willow thought bitterly. 'Just leave me the fuck alone.'
 

She roughly slid the bolt to the door back, pulling it open. She snarled into the faces of the women she had kept locked outside. The Willow she had been would have cared that she had kept anyone waiting, that she had discomforted anyone in any way. That Willow had been set upon the path of her destruction the moment that despised demon had sent an energy bolt sizzling in her direction, bonding her with Spike. She lived now with Spike's demon at the edges of her consciousness--it made her edgy around Buffy, had in fact nearly led her to kill the Slayer. It made her hunger for the taste of blood, directed her eyes in the direction of the pulse in people's necks. The new Willow figured she was being good so long as she wasn't seriously contemplating murder.
 

"How rude," a woman Willow hazily recalled as being in her History class muttered. The girl was pretty, with long glossy brown hair, long legs and full breasts beneath her designer blouse. She reminded Willow of Cordelia. The redhead sneered and rammed her elbow into the other woman's side as she left.
 

Faith had offered to pick Willow up once her exams were completed. Willow didn't so much as glance in the direction of the pay-phones as she stalked past them. She wasn't in the mood for an easy ride back to the mansion, Willow needed to pound her helpless fury out on pavement. Thoughts of the Slayer made Willow's scowl lessen. Her lips momentarily curled, the expression turning brittle as Willow considered flinging her relationship with Faith onto her bond with Spike. She almost immediately discarded the notion--Spike would come back eventually, and letting him know about that particular incident wouldn't make things any easier.
 

Willow stepped outside, pausing on the stairs leading to the building's main door. She turned her face up to the sky, breathing deeply. It took a conscious decision to set aside her anger, and even then, dark tendrils leaked into her thoughts. Xander had been the first one to comment on Willow's increasingly nasty moods, and he had not been the last. Giles, Faith and Angel all had experience in loosing control of oneself to darker emotions, and each had approached her in their own way offering advice or a listening ear. The only bit of advice she had truly taken to heart was Giles', who had cautioned her not to attempt any magic while her emotions were still in such turmoil. He had been solemn, but it was the sorrow in his voice which had truly impacted with Willow.
 

Willow slid her arm through the second strap of her schoolbag. She slid her thumbs beneath the padded straps, adjusting the weight of the bag against her back. She lightened her steps, easy and graceful as she made her way down the cement steps where students were sitting. Willow drifted down the streets, making her way towards the mansion by a roundabout route. She needed the time to think--away from her friends' concerns and their anger towards Spike. She needed, Willow decided, to remember who _she_ was without Spike.
 

A soft sound caught Willow's attention, shaking her out of her thoughts. She realized belatedly that the sound had been steady behind her for several seconds before she had realized it. Such preoccupation tended to get people killed in Sunnydale. Straightening her back, hands curling at her sides, Willow turned. Her mind spun backwards to a night outside Giles' home, pieces of pavement exploding before her as blue light cracked. Tall and thin, covered with silver scales, the creature which had been following her was nearly identical to that which had formed the bond between she and Spike. Willow gaped, taking an unconscious step backwards. "What--what do you want?"
 

"Thief," the creature stated, and although the word was blurred by the shape of the creature's mouth and its heavy accent, Willow could understand what it said. Long fingers lashed outwards, cool fingertips landing against Willow's temples. "_Thief_."
 

Willow blinked, fighting back a sudden surge of panic. "I don't know what you're talking about." Green eyes rolled as Willow sought out anyone around her who might serve to scare off the creature before her. No one was there--no one ever was.
 

Oblong glossy blue eyes narrowed. "Stolen is the mating gift--mind and mind, call to mate ours."
 

"I'm sorry," Willow stuttered. "We didn't mean--didn't know--" She couldn't tear her eyes away from the inhuman ones before her. 'At least I'll be able to tell Giles that I know what the bond is, now,' Willow thought wildly. The creature didn't seem impressed with her apology.
 

"Ours," the slitted mouth parted, word delivered like a death sentence. Willow could feel it's fingertips heating up, the distant crackling that she could recall hearing as the first such creature they had encountered flung about blue lightning.
 

Willow's eyes widened. "Now wait just a minute!" Her protest ended on a scream as blue light burst to life between the creature's hands, searing through Willow's mind. The redhead's mouth dropped open, her body stiffening until her back arched. Her body jerked and trembled, and she remained upright only due to the hands at her head. The world had gone blue beyond Willow's impossibly wide eyes. ~_Spike!_~ She could feel her mind being split apart, layers falling aside as the blue energy sought out the root of the bond forged between Willow and Spike.
 

/fear /pain /terror / ~Will--~
 

Glowing connection was caught, torn up by the roots.
 

Willow fell. Her legs lay trapped under her body. Her head collided with the sidewalk, her eyes wide and glassy, unmoving. Darkness spilled into her mind through the hole left by the destroyed bond. She was drowning, too caught in pain and loss to even think of attempting to swim. Breath trickled past her parted lips, body twitching.
 

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