~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Um...Angel, is it okay if we stay here?"
"Of course," Cordelia answered, looking at Fred.
"Let's go find you a room," Fred stated, "I'm Fred, by the way, we kinda met before."
"Oh, right...when Buffy died," Willow answered, the slightest hint of contempt in her voice at the name of her former friend. Fred grabbed Alex's bags and led them upstairs.
When she was sure Willow and Alex were out of hearing range, Cordelia turned to Angel. "Buffy said Willow died in a car crash ten years ago," she said.
"I know," Angel replied, just as confused as Cordelia was. "Why would she lie?"
~~~
Fred walked down a dark hallway followed by Alex and Willow, Willow had sighed with relief as soon as they had left the bright flourescent lights of the lobby. Even though, she knew what the darkness held, Willow always felt safer in the dark. Especially now, she was convinced that in the dark, they could tell what she'd done. Fred stopped by a door that was of reddish wood and opened it. Willow stared around the room, it was too bright.
//I see a red door and I want it painted black, No colors anymore, I want them to turn back. I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until my darkness goes.//
Willow gave Fred her best fake smile and the woman left the room that Willow and Alex would be occupying until they had to go. Alex yawned loudly and the redhead gazed at him. "Alex, why don't you get ready for bed," she told him, ruffling his hair.
He nodded and dug into his bag for his Scooby Doo pajamas, Alex scurried to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Willow stared after her son, she had immediately fallen in love with it when they'd been shopping for his school clothes at the end of summer the year before. The first thing she'd ever gotten since she'd been banished from Sunnydale that reminded her of her friends.
//I see a line of cars and they're all painted black, With flowers and my love, both never to come back. I see people turn their heads and quickly look away, Like a newborn baby, it just happens ev'ry day.//
Steven had grinned at her choice. "I loved Scooby Doo when I was younger," he had said.
"I had some friends when I was younger and we went by the Scooby Gang, we went everywhere together," Willow had replied, lost in her memories of the good old days when she, Buffy and Xander, even Giles and Dawn had been so close, they were like family.
"That's the most you've told me about your life before you moved to New York since we've met," Steven had answered.
Willow had frowned. "We had a bad falling out," she had stated vaguely. And that was the last time they'd talked about the Scooby Gang.
//I look inside myself and see my heart is black, I see my red door and I must have it painted black. Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts, It's not easy facin' up when your whole world is black.//
Alex slipped into bed with a yawn and was asleep in an instant. Willow stroked Alex's hair as he snored softly, he was so adorable when he slept. She loved her son so much. She never knew she could feel so deeply for someone, she'd thought she was close with Xander, Oz, Tara and Steven...but the bond with her son was amazing. She would do anything to protect him. As she thought about her feelings toward her son, she felt bitter toward her own parents.
*Parents...* she scoffed. *If you could call them that.* Her parents had been more worried about her getting the wrong idea about King Friday than loving her or spending time with her. The closest thing to parents she'd had had been Mrs. Summers and Giles. She sat up in the bed and wondered about her friends. What had happened...had Anya and Xander gotten married? Had Buffy ever forgiven her? How were Dawn, Tara and Spike? Did anyone even miss her?
She looked toward the phone and pulled the handset off the cradle. She dialed the Summers' residence and listened as a female voice answered the phone. "Hello, Trejo residence," she said. Willow hung up the phone and pulled her legs to her chest.
//No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue, I could not forsee this thing happening to you. If I look hard enough into the settin' sun, My love will laugh with me before the mornin' comes.//
Things had changed so much. She had a son, Cordelia had a son, Buffy and Dawn had moved out. "Things never stay the same even when you want them to," she whispered.
Alex moaned and rolled over in the bed, Willow cocked her head and watched him sleep, she knew that she would be unable to do so. She brushed a kiss across Alex's forehead and left the room, she needed to go for a walk. As she walked, she paused in front of a mirror, she looked like hell and that was a nice way of putting it. Her hair was stringy, her eyes were bloodshot, dark circles were under her eyes and she was much paler than usual.
Her hands skimmed over the bannister as she walked down the stairs. She caught sight of Angel in an office, talking on the phone. He seemed angry and she felt her stomach drop. Did he know?
//I see a red door and I want it painted black, No colors anymore, I want them to turn back. I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes, I have to turn my head until my darkness goes.//
She clenched the bannister, wondering if she should wake Alex up and go somewhere else. Maybe they should leave the country? She shook her head, she had used most of her leftover money to get tickets and she couldn't afford much else.
Willow bit her bottom lip as she cautiously went downstairs to catch Angel's conversation. She slipped behind the countertop, out of sight, listening intently to the conversation. "What is wrong with you, Buffy? Willow's your best friend! How could you do that to her?" he demanded.
The redhead closed her eyes and took a relaxing breath. *Oh, Goddess, thank you,* she thought. She stood up and watched the conversation. Angel paused as Buffy stated her piece. "She made a mistake. You're telling me YOU'VE never made a mistake before. Like after you killed The Master! You almost got Willow, Cordelia, Xander, Rupert and Jenny killed!"
Sorrow flashed over Angel's face as Buffy commented and Willow could guess what Buffy had said. He slammed the receiver down and ran a hand through his spiky hair. "Willow," he said as he spotted her.
"Hi," she said softly. "I couldn't sleep."
Angel nodded. "What happened to you?" he asked.
"Wh-what do you mean?" she stuttered.
"Buffy told me ten years ago that you'd died in a car crash," he stated.
"She did?" Willow asked, closing her eyes. "I became a magick junkie, almost killed Dawnie and Buffy kicked me out of Sunnydale. I went to New York."
Angel nodded toward the wedding ring on her ring finger. "And got married?" he asked. "Where's your husband?"
"H-he died," Willow stammered, slipping the ring off.
"Oh..." Angel said.
~~~
Three-thousand miles away in New York, a man entered the Sullivan residence. There had been a report of shots fired and he had been assigned to investigate it. There were obvious signs of a struggle and he cautiously made his way through the suburban home. At the end of a hallway, in an open door, a man lay, a shot through his chest.
He rolled his eyes. "You moron, Stephanos," he groaned and the man stirred.
"Dominic," Steven Sullivan muttered and Dominic helped the man to his feet. There was a slurping sound as the wound healed.
"You were supposed to kill the bitch and get the child! Not get killed yourself!" Dominic scowled. "You know what this child could do to Thanatos!"
"Yes, Dimitrius, I know," Stephanos muttered.
"She's a looker for a human," Dominic stated. "This child will let us rule the world."
//I wanna see your face painted black, black as night, black as coal. Don't wanna see the sun, flyin' high in the sky. I wanna see it painted, painted, painted, painted black, yeah!//
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