She wasn't there," Buffy said.

"What do you mean, 'wasn't there?'" Xander asked.

"Which word did you not understand?" Buffy snapped. "I stopped by after
patrol last night; she wasn't there. I tried again this morning--no
Willow."

"Maybe she's on her way here," Xander suggested.

"Then she's two and a half hours late," Oz replied.

"Something's wrong," Buffy said. "I can feel it."

"Buffy," Giles looked up from the desk. "Perhaps we should give her some
time. She's been through an awful ordeal. You can't expect her to
rebound in a few days' time."

"I suppose not," the slayer sighed. "I just wish I knew where she was."
***
Angel spent a restless day. Unable to sleep, he paced around the dark
room like a caged lion. The fleeting glimpses he'd had of Willow over
the past week were harrowing. She looked thinner than ever; her eyes
were lifeless. If someone didn't get through to her soon, well...he
refused to consider the consequences.

As the evening crept in, he moved from his bedroom to stand before the
fireplace. The warmth of the flames could not penetrate the chill of his
emotions.

"Angel."

The vampire turned. He hadn't heard Buffy's approach.

"You're here early. What's wrong?" he asked.

"No one's seen Willow since yesterday afternoon. I'm starting to worry."

"She can't have gone far," Angel said. "We'll find her."

A small smile graced Buffy's face, "I was hoping you'd say that. Split
up?"

He nodded, "You search the town. I'll check out the Bronze. Meet me back
here in an hour."
***
Angel sensed her presence before he saw her. He caught up to her as she
turned the corner and headed down the dimly lit street.

"Willow," he spoke softly, so as not to frighten her.

She stopped walking and turned around to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "This is a dangerous place to be at
night."

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"Of course it matters. There are a lot of people who care about you," he
reminded her.

"Oh, right. My abductors, for instance," she placed a hand on her hip.
"Don't waste your energy, Angel, or my time."

"I'm sorry about Spike. Not that he's gone, but that you're hurting," he
told her. "Though I doubt your pain would matter much to him."

"How the hell would you know?" Willow was seething. "You think you're
the only being with fangs to have feelings? When exactly did you corner
the market on emotions?"

"You have to stop this, Willow. You know what Spike was. He would've
killed you, or turned you."

"Would that have been such a bad thing?" she demanded.

"Yes, it would. Believe me," he replied.

"I don't believe you! I don't even want to listen to you. Go back to
your blonde whore and stay out of my life!"

Willow suddenly found herself against Angel's firm chest as he crushed
her in a suffocating embrace.

"Don't shut me out, please," he pleaded. "You mean too much to me--to
all of us."

She pushed him away from her, "Keep your hands off me! What is it going
to take to make you hear what I'm saying? I don't want your pity. I
don't need your help. And I sure as hell don't want you, or Buffy, or
any of the rest of you anywhere near me."

"Willow, don't," Angel said.

She shook her head in exasperation, "You're not going to listen, are
you? Nothing I say is going to make any difference. Fine. You live with
your pathetic delusions, because that's all you're going to have."

Willow turned and ran down the street. Angel watched in frustration as
she disappeared from sight.
***
Spike eyed Willow suspiciously, "Where have you been?"

"What?" Willow asked. "I went for a--"

"Don't lie to me, baby. I can smell him on you," his grip on her arms
was bruising as he lifted her out of her chair. "You've been with that
bastard!"

"No, Spike! It isn't what you think."

"Then just what was it?" he demanded.

Reluctantly, Willow recounted her meeting with Angel. Spike's temper
calmed as he saw the fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, little one," he pulled her close to him. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just scared me, a little bit," she answered.

"You didn't tell him about me?" Spike asked.

"No," she whispered.

"Good. He won't bother you again. I promise."

"Spike, you can't! Not yet. Buffy will know. Everyone will know," Willow
clutched at him desperatly.

"Alright, baby." he agreed. "But you can't seem to put a stop to this,
so I'm going to. You're not going home where they can get at you anytime
they want. You're staying here, parents be damned, and you're not going
out unless I'm with you. Got it?"

"Got it," she replied. "If you're not going after Angel, what are you
going to do?"

"There are more ways than fists and stakes to bring the slayer and her
lap dogs down," he answered cryptically. "You'll see."

"But--"

"Shut up, Willow," Spike ordered.

He laughed softly at her stunned silence and swept her up in his arms,
"You're cute when you're shocked speechless."

Her irritated scowl faded into a smile, "I wish I had the faintest idea
what to do with you."

"You haven't figured that out yet, pet? I've been doing something
wrong," he said as he carried her to the bedroom and threw her on the
bed.

He stood over her, grabbed a handful of sweater, and tore it off her
body.

"Spike!" she shouted.

"I'll get you a new one," he grinned as he pushed her back roughly and
gave her skirt the same treatment. "I'll get you one of those, too."

"It's hardly fair," she complained between breaths. "I can't do that to
you."

"Hmmm...point taken," he nodded as he undressed in front of her.

"Yeah, well, your clothes aren't in tatters," she pointed out.

"Guess you'll have to take your revenge some other way," he suggested.

A grin spread across his lover's face, and she grabbed him around the
waist and pulled him down over her. He snarled and crushed his mouth
against hers, drawing her lip into his mouth and piercing it gently. He
sucked at the droplets of blood, and Willow moaned in desire.

Her hand found his cock, and she stroked it, feeling it harden in her
gentle grasp. A growl issued from Spike's throat, and he moved down her
body, prying her legs apart to flick his tongue across her clit. Willow
gasped and bucked against him. His placed his hands on her hips and held
her body still as he licked and sucked her in turns. Her hands gripped
his shoulders as she felt reality slipping away. He moved one hand and
slipped a finger into her wet pussy.

"Please," she begged in a whisper.

He looked down into her glazed eyes and entered her in a hard thrust
that pushed her small body into the bed.

"Come for me, baby," he urged as he pumped into her, hard and deep.

Her orgasm slammed into her, and she screamed out his name. He continued
to thrust into her shaking body. He brought her to a second climax as he
abandoned himself to his own. He disentangled himself from her and
brought his arm around her waist, turning her over to rest against him.

She kissed his chest, tracing her tongue around his nipple.

"Willow," he spoke. "You up for another ride?"

"No," she answered, still regaining her breath.

"Then you'd better stop that," he warned her.

She removed her mouth from his chest and placed it against his lips. She
kissed him slowly, exploring his cold mouth with her tongue, before
resettling herself against him. Spike's hand slid down to rest on her
firm ass.

"Spike? About Buffy and Angel--what are you--"

"Willow," he whispered in her ear. "You up for another ride?"

"No," she answered.

"Then you'd better stop that, too," he told her.

End.

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