Spike pulled the DeSoto up to the curb and turned off the engine. He smiled down down at the redhead sleeping against his shoulder and kissed her softly. She moaned at the contact of his cold lips and curled her hand around his neck to deepen the kiss before pulling away to look around them.

"Spike, this isn't the airport," she said uneasily.

"I know," he nodded.

"Where are we?"

"Come on," he opened the door and pulled her out onto the sidewalk.

"I don't understand," she said as they walked to the building across from the car. "I thought we were flying out to--"

"Change of plans. The slayer phoned my bloody poof of a sire after she and her git left my place. Then, Angel called _me_ and demanded we meet with him tonight."

"Oh, damn," she whispered.

"Exactly," he agreed as he pounded on the door.

The door swung open, and Angel looked out at them for a moment before motioning them inside. Wordlessly, he turned and led them down a short flight of stairs. Spike and his sire glared at each other until Willow sighed angrily.

"Well? Why are we here?" she asked.

"Because you're with him," Angel answered. "Buffy told me all about what the two of you--"

"So I've been told. Since when is it any of your business?" she snapped.

"Since he's my childe," he growled, stabbing a finger at Spike. "Since you're a friend."

"Do you drag all of your friends to L.A. to stick your nose into--"

"Willow," Spike cut her off. "Don't, baby. It won't make a difference."

"You're damned right it won't," Angel nodded. "Sit down."

Spike lowered his lean frame into a chair beside a small wooden table, and Willow shot Angel a cold look before sitting down on Spike's lap. The blonde vampire smirked cruelly at his sire and curled an arm around her waist. Angel shook his head and sat down across from them.

"You aren't taking Willow to Europe," he informed Spike.

Willow stared over at him with stunned amazement.

"He has connections back in Sunnyhell," Spike answered her unspoken question. "It makes him feel important, and he can keep tabs on who's been screwing his slayer. Did you know she's already bedded down with that git--"

"Shut up," his sire snarled and instantly chided himself as Spike grinned in smug satisfaction.

"You can't tell us what to do," Willow said.

"Actually, I can," he told her. "Spike is my childe. He'll do as I say."

Spike tensed angrily, and Willow curled her hand around his.

"So, the two of you are going straight back to Sunnydale--tonight," Angel continued. "And you're going to stay away from Willow."

"Like hell," Willow snarled. "He may have to listen to you, but I don't, unless you plan on calling Buffy and telling her to drag me out of his bed!"

"Willow--"

"No one forced you two to stop seeing each other, even after everything you put Giles and the rest of us through."

"I'm not with her now," he replied icily.

"That was your choice, Angel. Yours. I defended the two of you when no one else would. Spike wouldn't even have been in Sunnydale if he hadn't been forced to go back there."

"If I'd have known he was going to go after you--"

Both vampires jumped as she slammed her fist down on the table beside her.

"He did _not_ go after me! I wanted to be with him," she hissed.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Angel stated.

Her eyes narrowed as she rose to her feet, "Thank you for pointing out that I'm too foolish to make my own decisions. Never mind the fact I've been helping Buffy hunt down demons for--"

"Willow, that isn't what I meant."

She brushed the statement aside, "And if he has no choice, then we'll go back to Sunnydale. But you can't stop me from seeing him. He may have to abide by this idiotic arrangement to help Buffy, but I don't. The next time you call her to discuss controlling my life, tell her to get herself another hacker. I'm out of it."

Willow grabbed Spike's hand and yanked him out of the chair and toward the door. She threw it open, flinging it hard into the wall, and the glass panes along the top shattered into shards. Spike turned to cast one more bitter, silent look at Angel before following his redhead out of the building. Angel waited until the door slammed shut before heading for the phone.
 
 
 

Xander watched Buffy as she stared out his apartment window. He knew where her thoughts were, and he knew there was little he could do to relieve those thoughts.

Three weeks had passed since Spike and Willow had been forced to abort their plans to escape to Europe. The redhead had cut herself off from her friends, and
Buffy's tireless attempts to ease her way back into Willow's good graces had been soundly rejected. She had slammed the door in the slayer's face, hung up on
her phone calls, walked away from her on campus. At first, both he and Buffy had hoped her anger would cool, given time, but that hadn't happened. If anything, her anger had grown harder and more focused with the passing of time.

Buffy suddenly turned from the window to find Xander's eyes on her.

"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" she smiled sadly.

"It's all right," he answered. "I can't blame you. I never would have believed Spike would be the one thing that could get between our friendship with Will."

The slayer nodded, "I keep wondering if I'm wrong.
Maybe we don't have the right to--"

"Buffy, don't go there. Spike may be helping us, but it isn't because he wants to, and he's still a soulless killer. Willow would never be safe with him."

"I know," she agreed. "I just hate thinking that we've lost her forever."

"I'd rather have her angry than dead--or turned," he stated. "And Spike _is_ staying away from her."

"Only because we've given him no choice. I'm not kidding myself. He'd start after her again if he thought he could get away with it."

"But he can't, and he knows it," Xander said. "And Willow is safe."

"I just wish she saw it that way," Buffy sighed.
***
Willow lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The clock on a church steeple somewhere in the distance chimed the hour--eleven o'clock. She sighed and rolled
onto her side, tucking her hands under her cheek. In the days since she and Spike had returned to Sunnydale, her life had taken on a regular--and to her mind, meaningless--pattern: get up, go to classes, study, go to bed. She interacted with the other students only when necessary, perferring the lonely isolation of her dorm room.

Within hours of their return from L.A, Buffy had appeared at her door, and Willow knew without a doubt there was nothing she could say that would convince the slayer to stay out of her relationship with the vampire. She and Xander were both unyielding in their determination to keep her away from Spike. And even though she may not be under their collective thumb, she knew Spike was.

Tears prickled behind her eyes, and she blinked them away, refusing to give in to yet another flood of frustrated tears. They were a useless self-indulgence, and they seldom made her feel any better. Spike wanted her. She didn't understand why, but she knew he did. He had been so careful that night at the lake, paying great attention to her needs, making her body ache with desire, soothing that ache with gentle touches from his lips and his hands. He had whispered soft encouragements as their bodies fit so perfectly together. He'd held her, afterwards, telling her how
beautiful she was. In her waking hours, her mind had relived their encounter a thousand times. It permeated her dreams, leaving her wet and trembling with want
when she awoke. To have that stolen away by the people who were supposed to have been her friends left a cold, hard space in her heart.

Willow hadn't realized she'd drifted to sleep with her troubled thoughts until a soft knock on her door jarred her awake. She pushed herself off of the bed and opened the door to find a lean, blonde vampire leaning against the doorjamb. A smile quirked his lips as she stared at him in mute disbelief. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her inside and shoved the door closed with his foot before gathering
her into his arms.

Her small hands clung to his back as though she were afraid he was a dream that would vanish too quickly. The lips that found hers were cold and hungry and very
real, and she opened up to him, seeking his tongue with her own. Spike buried one hand in her hair and tightened his other arm around her waist, pulling her
closer against him. Their tongues slid together, savoring the feeling of warm against cold. He finally broke the kiss to allow her to breath, but continued to hold her fast to him.

"How did you get here?" she murmured against his chest.

"I waited until the lobby was empty and took the stairs," he answered.

"But Buffy--"

"Is with her git. I took a chance. I needed to see you, baby. Three weeks is too damned long."

"I can't believe you're here," she whispered.

Spike moaned softly and nipped at her earlobe. His lips kissed their way along her throat, and she ground her body against his, desperate to feel him near her. His hands traveled along the buttons of her shirt, and piece by piece, their clothes fell to the floor in rapid succession, until Spike lifted Willow's naked body and carried her to the bed. He lowered her onto it and moved down her body, spreading her legs and
gliding his tongue over the soft, thick folds of her sex. She responded instantly, her hips bucking against the exquisite contact, aching for more. Spike placed his hands on her hips, stilling her as he drew her clit between his lips, sucking it gently, then
flicking his tongue over her opening to catch the first drops seeping from her core. Willow whimpered and clutched his head in her hands.

"No," she breathed, and the vampire froze at her unexpected refusal, "Please, Spike. I need you inside me."

He raised himself up to kiss her, and she tasted herself on his lips as his shaft slid inside her. She moaned and gripped his buttocks, driving him deep within her. He buried his face in her neck, nipping at her throat as she met each of his powerful thrusts. Dragging her nails along his back, Willow keened as her walls clamped around him, and she spiraled into an orgasm that shook her small body. Spike growled as he joined her, filling her womb with his seed.

Willow curled her fingers through his hair, holding him to her as his fangs pierced the softly rounded flesh of her breast to drink slowly from her. He ran his tongue over his marks on her skin and rolled over, bringing her with him. He spooned her body around his, and they lay in silence. Spike rested his head against
hers as she placed soft kisses along his throat.
***
She awoke an hour later to find Spike watching her, his arm wrapped tightly around her. She ran her hand through his hair and kissed his lips, his neck, his chest. He moaned as she laved first one nipple, then the other, and he pulled her closer to him.

Rising above him, Willow straddled him, and her hand wrapped around his shaft, stroking it to hardness. Green eyes met blue and remained fixed as she impaled
herself on him, slowly gliding him inside her wet channel. Spike drew her mouth down to his, and they shared a deep kiss as she began to ride him. His hands
cupped her breasts, kneading them, toying with her pebbled nipples as he thrust up into her. He lowered one hand to the soft curls of her sex and rubbed a finger over her sensitive nub. She gasped as he rolled it between his fingers, and she slammed into him, driving herself down until his cock was completely sheathed in her. He reclaimed her lips and swallowed her moan as her body tensed with its oncoming release. Her walls throbbed around him, and he thrust once more, hard and deep, into her. Willow cried out as he moaned her name and flooded her channel with his cold seed. His fingers clamped down on her swollen clit, and she screamed, driving herself onto him until a mixture of pain and pleasure drove her into a
breath-stealing orgasm.

Spike kissed her sweaty brow and pulled her head down to rest on his shoulder. Her breathing slowed, and her body relaxed as his fingers gently stroked her coppery
hair.

"Spike," she murmured, her warm breath tickling his skin.

"I know, luv. I missed you, too," he whispered.

Their hands met, fingers intertwining, as she rested against his silent chest.

***

Spike propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of the sofa and lit up a cigarette. Leaning his head back against the cushions, he forced a thin stream of smoke from his dead lungs. The taste of Willow's blood lingered in his mind, and his cock twitched in response to the memory of her voice as she came underneath him just a few hours ago.

He'd considered skipping town, figuring that if he left the redhead behind, the slayer and his sire might well let him go, if for no other reason than the distance it would put between himself and Willow. He knew, now, that leaving without her was no longer an option. He wanted her, and no force on the Hellmouth--including the slayer--was going to keep him from having her. He'd thought briefly of turning her, but realized Buffy would track him to the far ends of the planet and stake him if he did. Besides, it would be far more entertaining to take a mortal Willow away from her friends. There was a pain from which the slayer would never recover, and he wanted her to hurt
for the rest of her miserable existence.

He had taken a hell of a chance going to Willow's dorm that night. He'd been careful to keep out of sight. But there were a lot of eyes on that campus, and he held his breath, figuratively speaking, and hoped that none of those eyes had seen him. Perhaps he'd been a fool for risking it, but he'd been a fool for a woman before. His need to keep Willow from caving into the slayer's objections had driven him to go to her. Three weeks with no contact was a long time, long enough for the slayer to begin to break through his redhead's defenses. He'd been relieved to find that she was even more resolute in her feelings for him. The only thing Buffy's interference had accomplished had been to drive Willow even further away. Definitely a good thing, as far as the vampire was concerned.

"Now, to find a way to make that distance work for me," he mumbled to himself.

He took another long pull from the cigarette and closed his eyes as his mind sorted through the possibilities.
***
"Hello, Willow."

The redhead blinked in surprise. Angel's voice was the last one she had expected to hear from the other end of the telephone line.

"What do you want?" she asked tonelessly.

"To find out how you are," he answered. "You were so angry when you left here--"

"Gee, I wonder why," she sneered. "Don't worry. Spike is being a good boy; he hasn't been seeing me. And I'm being a good girl. I'm not seeing anybody."

Angel sat back in his chair and dragged his free hand through his hair, "So I've heard."

"I'll bet," she hissed. "Do you get a report daily or just weekly?"

"Willow, come on. You're too smart to choose Spike over your friends. Buffy and Xander care about you. I care about you."

"Don't expend the energy on my account. It's only being wasted. Was there something you wanted, or should I just hang up on you?"

"I want you to be reasonable! Buffy is worried sick about you. She says you won't speak to her. You won't even stay in the same room with her."

"Damn right. I'm sure it must drive you nuts to think she can't control where I go or what I do," Willow said.

"Listen to yourself! This is your best friend you're talking about. She'd do anything for you."

"As long as it conforms to her idea of the way I should live my life," she snapped.

"Damn it, Willow, Spike is wrong for you. He's worse than wrong. He's deadly," Angel argued.

"Angel?"

"Yes."

"Go to hell--again," she snarled and slammed the receiver down.

She stomped to the door and slammed it behind her as the phone started to ring once again. She stabbed the button beside the elevator and descended to the ground
floor. The night air was pleasantly cool, and the stars twinkled brilliantly from a clear sky, but Willow was in no mood to appreciate them as she walked down the sidewalk in no particular direction. She was so absorbed in her white-hot anger, she never heard the footsteps behind her. Neither did she feel the heavy object that crashed down over her shoulders. She only knew the tangled thoughts that swirled through her mind and then, darkness.
***
"Where is she?" Buffy growled, grabbing Spike by the collar and dragging him out of the booth in the dimly-lit bar.

"Where's who?" he asked, slapping her hand away and glaring from the slayer to Xander.

"Willow, you moron!"

"How the bloody hell should I know? You're the one pulling her leash," the vampire spat.

"You expect me to think you don't know where she is?"

"I never expect you to think," he snarled. "If I had her, do you really believe I'd be sitting here drinking cheap whiskey?"

Buffy shot a frantic look over her shoulder at Xander.

"She's probably at the library trying to bury herself in books and keep her mind off of you two," the vampire suggested.

Buffy shook her head, "Today was her first final, and she didn't show up. No one's seen her since yesterday evening. Her dorm room was unlocked, and her bed
hasn't been slept in."

"Well, since I was with you last night, and I've been here since sunset, you can't accuse me of taking her."

"Angel talked to her last night around eight o'clock. She hung up on him and didn't pick up when he called back," Xander told him.

"A phone call from Peaches would send me running for the county line, too," Spike shrugged.

"She didn't leave of her own accord," Buffy insisted. "Nothing is missing from her room. Giles hasn't heard from her. Her parents are still out of town, and their house is dark. Something's wrong; I can feel it."

"Then we'd better find her," Spike suggested. "You two cover the campus, and I'll check the town."

Buffy looked at him hesitantly.

"Do you want my bloody help or not?" he growled.

"Buffy, we can cover more ground if he's helping us," Xander put a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay," she nodded. "Meet us at Xander's in two hours."

Spike nodded and followed them out of the bar.
***
Willow scooted to the far side of the bed as the bolt outside the door shot back and a cloaked figure entered the room. It was the second time he had appeared since she'd regained consciousness early that morning. Now, as before, he walked over and stood silently before her and set a tray of food on the foot of the bed. He picked up the tray, still untouched, that he'd left earlier and returned to the door. He stopped for a brief moment in the light from the hallway, and Willow tried to get a look at him, but the heavy hood pulled over his head created a black void and made him appear faceless. She sighed as the door swung shut between them and the bolt was thrown
back into place.

She moaned softly as she sunk down onto the bed. Whatever her assailant had hit her with, he'd made a good job of it. She was sure no bones were broken, but she knew she must have one hell of a bruise across her back. Passing over the fresh fruit and bread piled on a plate on the tray, she lifted the glass of water and scooped up the aspirin tablets he'd placed beside the plate.

"Why on earth would he clobber me and then bring me these?" she asked herself before washing the pills down with a long swallow from the glass.

She moved the tray to the only chair in the room and returned to the bed, shifting uncomfortably to take the pressure off of her shoulders. The man who had appeared had made no threatening gestures. He hadn't spoken, had barely looked at her, and this place--wherever it was--had been discouragingly silent all day.

Willow had given up on trying to find a way to escape. The room had no windows, and the thick wooden door was the only exit. She berated herself one more time for
stomping off campus in the black of night and wondered how long it would be before anyone realized she was missing.

That question was answered a quarter of an hour later when the door was once again pulled open. Willow sat up on the bed and drew her knees tight against her chest.

"Willow?" Spike asked as he stepped inside.

"Spike!" she squealed and scrambled off the bed.

She gasped as he put his arms around her, and he quickly pulled away.

"Sorry. Hurts," she smiled weakly.

He unbuttoned her shirt and turned her around to slip the garment from her shoulders.

"How did you ever--"

"Bloody hell," Spike's hiss interrupted her question as he examined the dark, nasty bruise across her back.

"It's okay, just sore," she assured him, then squeaked as she felt his cold lips softly kiss her bruised flesh. "How did you ever find me here?"

"I didn't have to find you," he answered.

Pulling her shirt back over her shoulders, she turned to face him, "What do you mean?"

"I had you brought here, although you weren't supposed to get hurt in the process," he admitted.

"You mean that creepy guy who's been skulking around works for you? Is he a vampire?"

"No, he's a demon. We met in South America. He owed me a favor," Spike explained. "Several favors, in fact."

"You must be out of your mind! Do you realize what Buffy will do when she
finds out--"

"She won't. I was with her and the git last night, nowhere near you, when you were taken. I'm supposed to be helping them find you right now."

"Oh," she said softly. "So, you've 'found' me, and now you can help me 'escape,' right? Because I can't stay here--"

"Yes, you can," he told her.

"No! It's dark and spooky here, and I don't like that demon guy. I don't even know where here is! I'm guessing I'm still in Sunnydale?"

"You're some place the slayer will never look," he promised her.

She put her hands on his arms, "I want to go home--back to the dorm, I mean."

"No," he refused. "This is the only way we can be together, and it won't be forever. Just until the slayer gains a new perspective on the two of us."

"You know that won't happen!" she argued.

"Oh, yes it will," he responded confidently. "And sooner than you think."

"Please, Spike, just let me go back to the dorm. We'll find another way to get through to her," Willow begged.

"No," he insisted firmly. "Willow, you're mine. You'll always be mine. They were fools to think they could keep me from you indefinitely. They're about to find that out."

She shook her head, "I don't want to stay here."

"You have no choice, luv. You said you wanted to be with me."

"I do, but not like this!"

"What's the difference, as long as it works?" he asked. "I can't stay here with you now. I have to get back to the bitch, but you'll be safe."

"Please, please don't leave me here!" she pleaded, tightening her grip on his arms.

He smiled and kissed her, holding her still as she tried to wriggle away. His mouth felt so right against hers, and she found herself responding as his tongue flicked against hers. He pulled away and cupped her face in his hands.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised.

"No!" she cried out as he drew away from her.

He took the hands still clutching his arms and drew them to his lips. Willow followed close behind him as he moved to the door, and a whimper of despair escaped
her lips as the cloaked demon appeared in the hallway. She knew she couldn't possibly make it past both of them. Spike kissed her once more and pushed her gently away before stepping through the door and locking it from the outside.
 
 
 

Buffy was just hanging up the phone when Xander let Spike into the apartment.

"You're late," the slayer snapped.

"Ten minutes," he shrugged. "Remind me to get my next watch off a better class of corpse."

"Did you find her?" Xander asked quickly as Buffy visibly bristled as the vampire's sarcasm.

"No. I take it that means you didn't, either."

Buffy shook her head, "I did meet up with a couple at the Bronze. They saw a redhead walking toward the park last night. They said someone crossed the street and followed behind her, but they were going in the opposite direction, so they didn't see what happened."

"What did the guy look like?" Spike asked.

"That's the strange part. They couldn't tell because he was wearing a long coat with a hood--like a cloak, they said. I called Giles. He's afraid it could have been a demon," she told him.

"Why would a demon be after Will?" Xander asked.

"Oh, I don't know," she sighed impatiently. "Maybe because this is a Hellmouth, and Willow is friends with a slayer?"

"Was friends," Spike corrected her.

"Shut up," she barked.

"Hey, it isn't my fault you drove her away. She probably wouldn't have been out walking alone if you hadn't forced her into isolation."

"This isn't my fault!" Buffy shouted, but the pain in her eyes belied her words and proved to the vampire he had punched the right button.

"We don't have time for this," Xander spoke. "If Will
has been taken by some demon--"

"She needs us," Buffy nodded. "Spike, do you know of anyone who might be able to help us find him?"

"No."

"You haven't tried yet!" she snarled.

"And I'm not going to. Willow is strictly off-limits to me, remember?"

"You bastard! I never believed you really cared about her! She was just a means for you to get out of Sunnydale and get back at me! But you _are_ going to help us."

"Oh, I care about Willow. A lot. I'm just wondering how much you do."

"Meaning?" she demanded.

"Meaning, what is my help worth to you?"

"It's worth not driving a stake through your heart," she answered angrily.

"I don't think you want to do that," he warned her. "Dear old Dad is too far away to help out in the demon department. So, since I--demon that I am--may be your
fastest way of finding Willow's abductor--demon that he may be--would you care to make a more attractive offer?"

"Okay, what do you want? Why am I even asking? You want--"

"Willow," he nodded.

"No deal. I'm not taking her out of one demon's hands just to thrust her into another's," Buffy scowled.

"Fine. Track Willow down without my help. I just hope you don't come back with a corpse," he said coldly.

"Would that even matter to you? You say you care, but you won't help us find her without cutting a deal!"

"Or, to put it another way, you'll risk her life before you'll let her be with the person she wants," he countered.

"She doesn't want you. You've just made her think she does. You've poisoned her mind against us."

"I didn't have to. You pretty much turned her against you when you accused the two of us of nearly wiping out Sunnyhell," Spike reminded her.

"Buffy!" Xander shouted. "We're wasting time, here!"

"Right," she nodded and looked back at Spike. "We will find her, and we'll bring her back safely. And then I'll decide whether you're dust or not."

She shoved him aside, and Xander opened the door. Spike followed them outside and chuckled softly as the couple took off in the wrong direction.
***
"They're out looking for you," Spike informed Willow as she sat down next to him on the narrow bed.

"Will they find me? Am I still in town?" she asked.

"They won't find you," he answered, sidestepping her second question.

She took his hand and looked up at him with earnest eyes, "I really want you to let me out of this place. Please? It's cold here, and I don't like being alone with that demon stalking around."

"I promise he won't hurt you. I'll have him bring you some extra blankets," he offered.

"I don't want extra blankets! I want out! Spike, we'll find another way to make them listen--"

"That won't happen," he told her. "I offered to help them find you, and if they'd taken me up on it, I'd have led them straight here, but--"

"They refused," she surmised sadly.

He nodded, "The minute I told the slayer she had to keep her nose out of our relationship. She'd rather see you dead than with me."

"She said that?" Willow asked softly.

Spike pounded the wedge in further, "Willow, she thinks I've twisted your mind. She doesn't believe you can think for yourself. The bitch accused me of poisoning your mind against them."

"This whole thing started with that demon in the cemetery!" Willow objected, growing angry.

"No, baby, that wasn't her fault. You're supposed to forget all the things she said to you that night. It's my fault we ended up on the opposite side from her. It's my fault the things she said hurt you."

"That's ridiculous," she growled, rising from the bed and pacing the floor.

Spike watched in fascination as Willow's hands curled into fists, and she whirled around to stare at him with hard eyes.

"Why am I surprised that's the way she'd think?" the redhead hissed. "I should know by now that she _would_ push the blame onto someone else, and you're the
perfect choice."

"She doesn't see it that way," he said calmly.

"Well, I do! Spike, let me out of here. I'll tell her exactly what I think of her!"

"No," he refused and rose to stand before her. "If I let you go, she'll just set herself squarely between us again. I won't let that happen, Willow."

Her anger wavered under the steely determination of his voice, and she reached for his hands.

"I have to leave, pet. I've been here too long already," he told her.

"Please," she whispered. "I can't stand another night in this place. Don't leave me."

"I have to. If you walk out of here, you'll be walking away from me, whether you mean to or not. I'll try to get back tomorrow night," he promised.

Her eyes filled with tears as he went to the door and turned back to look at her.

"You'll always be mine, whatever it takes to keep it that way."

The demon inside him was secretly pleased by the brief flicker of fear in Willow's eyes, and he bent and kissed her softly before leaving her alone.
***
Buffy had phoned Angel the day after their search to ask him to do what he could from L.A. By the end of the week, she was desperate enough to call him again,
even though she knew if he had learned anything, he would have let her know. The sound of his voice no longer caused the sharp pain it once did, only the dull ache of what would never be, and she waited anxiously as Cordelia called him to the telephone.

"I haven't found out anything about whoever it was that took her," Angel told her after a brief hello. "Unfortunately, L.A. is a little far removed to do much digging around in Sunnydale, though."

"Angel, you don't think Spike is behind this, do you?"

"I wouldn't put it past him, but I haven't found anything that would make me think so. I don't think he'd hurt her. I mean, he's had almost two months to do that if he'd wanted to. Besides, you said he'd offered to help."

"For a price," the slayer added. "Which I wouldn't meet."

"Buffy, you may have to, if you want Willow back. She's been missing for five days, and you have no idea who took her or why. You don't even know whether she's
still--"

"Don't!" she cried out. "I'm having nightmares as it is!"

"I'm sorry. I really am," he replied. "You've had days to find her, with no luck. Spike may have a better chance if it was a demon who took her."

"I can't hand him over to her! You know what he's capable of!' she argued.

"It may not matter if you wait much longer. Look, she needs help, and you haven't been able to give it to her. If Spike can get her back safely, you may have to
make the deal. I can phone him and tell him I'm backing off, if that's what you want."

He waited as she silently struggled with the decision.

"All right," she finally answered. "How about this? You call Spike, and tell him you'll back off. Then, if you can, maybe you could come back here and talk to him, because it's pretty much useless for me to even try. I know it's a huge favor, but--"

"Buffy, you don't have to ask me for favors," he spoke softly. "I'll leave for Sunnydale as soon as I've called Spike. But I have to tell you, if I promise him I'll back off, that's exactly what I'll do. I won't make a deal that I don't intend to keep--not even with
Spike."

"I understand," she replied. "Make the call."

"You're going to have to agree to his terms, too," he reminded her gently.

"I know. Call him."

"All right," he agreed. "I'll be there before morning."
 
 
 

Spike had been having one hell of a week, the best he could remember in a long, long time. Spiriting Willow away had not only brought the slayer to her knees, it
had also brought a long-distance phone call from his sire. Now, he watched with barely-concealed amusement as the slayer fidgeted uncomfortably between Angel and Xander.

"You haven't suddenly sped back to Sunnyhell to tell me you've changed your mind about our deal?" he asked Angel.

"You know I wouldn't do that," Angel answered. "I just want to talk to you."

"I'd rather just force him into helping us," Buffy grumbled.

"Which I'll fight against until Willow no longer needs help, if that's what you prefer," Spike said.

"I hate you," she hissed.

Spike shrugged, "Yeah, I know. Can we get on with this?"

"What exactly are your terms?" she asked.

"You know what they are. If I find Willow, I keep her. Period. Whether we decide to stay here or leave, we're both free and clear of the lot of you," he answered.

"And you expect me to agree to that?" she snapped.

"Bloody hell. Did you drag me over here just to go through all this again? You asked for my terms. You've got them. Make up your mind. Do you want my help or
not?" he growled.

"What I want is for Willow to be safe. She isn't now, and she won't be with you! There aren't any choices here!" she argued.

"Take it easy," Xander said softly and took her hand.

"Buffy," Angel laid a hand on her shoulder, gripping slightly too forcefully to be calming. "You knew what he wanted. What other choice were you expecting?"

"What are you saying? You don't care if he hurts Willow?" she asked angrily. "Why did you come here if--"

"Because you asked me to," he reminded her.

"I know I did," she sighed. "But I thought you could help."

"Maybe I can if you give me a chance. Just let me talk to him for a few minutes."

She looked at him reluctantly.

"Oh, go on, and leave Peaches and me alone," Spike smirked. "It'll give you and the git a chance to feel each other up. You two are good at getting horizontal
when Willow is in trouble."

Spike suddenly found himself flat on his rear end as Angel's fist shot out and connected with his childe's jaw. He scrambled off of the floor and barreled into
Angel, sending him reeling backward. Angel's hands curled around Spike's collar, and he whirled and slammed him against the wall.

"Stop it!" Buffy shouted as Spike's fangs descended. "This isn't helping Willow!"

Angel looked over at her, and she took his arm and pulled him away from Spike. He took a moment to reign in his anger and felt her hand slip into his and squeeze it gently.

He dragged his free hand through his dark hair and addressed Spike, "Just promise her you won't harm Willow if we find her."

"You're not getting this, are you? What happens between Willow and me is none of your business from here on out. I didn't force her to be with me to begin with. This bitch is the one who shoved us together. By the time she finished threatening me and burying Willow under the git's damned mistake, there was no one left for either of us to turn to. Now she's crying over the fact that it actually worked against her and
for us?"

"You really are a charter member of Bastards Anonymous, you know," Buffy seethed. "All we want is your word that--"

"I haven't hurt her up to this point, have I? Hell, you two have made a good job of that all by yourselves. Anyway, you're in no position to be asking for promises. Do we find her or not?"

She hesitated, still reluctant to capitulate. Xander couldn't help notice Buffy's hand gripping Angel's, and he unconsciously took a small step away from the pair before speaking.

"Buffy, Willow need us, and we need him to get to her. Once she's back and safe, she may decide for herself that Fangboy is a prick."

"Like that would matter," she argued, her hard eyes fixed on Spike. "He wouldn't let her go anyway."

"She'll never even get the chance if we don't," Xander said.

"I know," she nodded grimly. "All right, Spike. On your terms. Do you think you can find out who took her?"

"I already have a pretty good idea. I have had for days," he smirked.

"I really, really hate you," she hissed.

"It's mutual," he replied brightly and headed for the door.
 
 
 
 

Willow breathed in the fresh night air as Spike laced his fingers through hers and led her down the sidewalk.

"I can't believe you hid me in the basement of a church," she said, looking over her shoulder at the small, weather-beaten building behind them.

"It hasn't been used for years. In fact, it's been condemned. And the outside stairs to the basement meant I never had to enter the sanctuary. I told you the slayer would never think to look for you there."

"In a church? Not a chance," she nodded. "What happened to that demon?"

"I sent him to find the slayer," he answered.

She gave him a sideways glance, "Why?"

"Because that was the deal. I help her track him down, and they leave us alone. And I need him to keep the bitch busy while I rescue you," he grinned. "No bloody way was I about to give her the satisfaction of being the one to find you. So, while she's threatening the demon into telling her where you are, I'm going to drag you to safety. She ought to love chewing on that."

Willow shook her head as he chuckled happily.

"Do you really think she and Angel will leave us alone?"

Spike nodded, "Angel's a wanker, but he never goes back on a deal. He won't let the slayer slither off the hook, either."

"I hated being locked up in that place," she said softly.

"It was necessary."

"What if they hadn't agreed to your terms?" she asked, looking up at him. "Would you have kept me there indefinitely?"

"Doesn't matter," Spike shrugged. "They agreed."

"It matters to me. Would you?"

I told you I'll never lose you, and I meant it."

"That's kind of scary," she admitted.

"Only if you don't want to be with me," he pointed out. "Which I'd have a hard time believing."

"Of course I do, but what if--someday--I changed my mind?"

He stopped walking and cupped her face in his hands, gently caressing her soft skin with his thumbs, "Willow, understand me. When I say I won't let you go, I mean just that. I'm not Peaches. I won't ever give you a peck on the cheek and move to another city to brood over you for eternity."

"You'd kill me?" she asked before she could stop the words in her mind from spilling out over her lips.

He shook his head, "I'd turn you."

She stared at him, startled into momentary silence, before she found her voice again, "Why? Why do you want me so much?"

He tilted her head and brushed his lips against hers, "Because I love you. Do you know how many women I've said that to in my undead existence? Exactly two. And
the other one made me play with her dolls if I didn't tell her. You don't need me to love you like Dru did. I like that, pet. You don't need me around to untangle your incoherent thoughts--most of the time, anyway."

She grinned and pressed her lips to his, and he drank from the warmth of her mouth for a long moment before tucking her under his arm and guiding her to the cemetery.
***
"Buffy," Xander spoke, touching her elbow as Spike and Willow came towards them.

The cloaked demon who had been backed up against a tree melted into the shadows as the slayer and Angel turned to follow Xander's gaze. Buffy flew to the redhead, grabbing her away from Spike, and hugged her tightly. Xander nudged her aside to embrace Willow even more firmly. Spike snarled softly and pulled her back to his side.

"How the hell did you find her?" Buffy asked Spike. "I couldn't get that bastard to tell me anything!"

"Which bastard?" he asked.

She turned back toward the tree, "The demon that took--he's gone!"

"I didn't figure he'd talk, which is why I went looking for Willow instead of wasting time trying to--"

"Never mind," Buffy snapped.

"So, did he at least tell you why he took Willow in the first place?" Spike asked.

Buffy's anger was instantly replaced by overwhelming guilt. Willow looked at her curiously.

"What is it? What did he tell you?" she asked.

Buffy couldn't bring herself to meet Willow's eyes as she answered, "It was my fault."

Spike's hand moved around to rest against Willow's back, and she looked at him suspiciously before turning back to the slayer.

"What do you mean?"

"He--I--," Buffy faltered, unwilling to explain.

"He said he came after you to get even with Buffy for killing the demon who was threatening Sunnydale a few weeks ago," Angel told Willow.

"The one Spike and I were supposed to research, but we ended up with the wrong--"

"Yes," he nodded.

"That's bloody marvelous," Spike glared at the slayer. "You almost wiped out the town and then hurled the blame at us, and Willow ended up on the receiving end
of a demon looking for revenge."

"I never meant for--"

"You never do," he glowered.

Willow cringed at the look on Buffy's face, and Spike quickly grabbed her hand and looked at Angel.

"I'm taking Willow home. You just remember to keep your end of our deal," he told his sire. "The way I see it, the slayer is a bigger threat to Willow's safety than any demon could ever be."

He pulled Willow out of the cemetery as the others stared after them.

"I can't do this to her," the redhead said as they passed through the gates. "Buffy thinks she's to blame for--"

"Exactly. So, she'll stay off our backs," he stated.

"But this is wrong!"

"Pet, I don't give a damn about wrong. You're with me. The bitch is out of our faces. It's perfect."

"It isn't," she maintained. "It's a lie. You set this whole thing up to make her look guilty."

"I didn't start this, luv. All I wanted was to get out of this town."

"With me," she added.

He smiled and traced her jaw with his a finger, "Not at first. Not until she pushed us together. See? It isn't even my fault I ended up wanting you. Now, come on. Let's get you home and into a nice, hot bath. We can argue until sunrise if you like."

She sighed in resignation and looked back through the gates as he led her away.
***
"I can't stand the idea of a noisy dorm tonight, and Mom's away for the weekend," Buffy said as she unlocked the door of the house.

She turned back to see Xander walking away.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asked.

He stopped and turned to look at her and the vampire at her side.

"I don't think I'm the one you really want here," he answered. "I'm not sure you know what you _do_ want. Everything, maybe. Unfortunately, I'm not everything. I'm just me. That's all right, though. I can deal."

"Xander, wait!" she called out as he turned to leave.

A quick wave was his only reply, and he stepped off the curb and crossed the street.

"I never thought I'd say this," Angel spoke softly beside her. "But I think I agree with him."

"Angel!" she gasped.

"Maybe I should just go."

"No, please! I've just suffered through Spike rescuing Willow before I could get to her. I may have lost my best friend forever, and Xander has just walked away from me. You can't leave me, too," she pleaded.

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her, "Buffy, I think you're an incredible woman. You know how I feel. But this isn't just about you."

"I know that!"

"Do you? You don't act like you do. I came here to help you protect Willow, but I've spent most of my time watching you fight with everyone who comes within three feet of you. You aren't the only one hurting. What about Willow? What about Xander?"

"You think this is all my fault."

"_You_ think this is all your fault," he corrected her. "I doubt that's the case. These things are rarely one-sided. But that's beside the point. You need to find a way to resolve your feelings, and I'm not the answer, and neither is Xander."

"Then who is?" she asked.

"You are! Nobody else can fix this for you. I know Spike better than anyone else, and I can tell you his feelings for Willow run far deeper than you think they do. You're never going to reconcile with Willow by attacking Spike. They both know your actions are driven by guilt. You have to deal with those feelings before you can try to fix things with Willow."

She shrugged his hands off her shoulders and opened the door.

"You seem to have a hell of a lot of advice, for someone who's been out of my life for months," she said angrily.

Angel shook his head and stepped off the porch as the door banged shut behind him.
 
 
 

Willow lay close beside her sleeping lover, caressing the arm wrapped around her as her thoughts kept her awake. Spike had the capacity for a gentleness that left her breathless. Today wasn't the first time he'd shown her that side of him. She also knew he could be brutally cruel, and in spite of the fact she had been angry with Buffy for weeks, the memory of her expression in the cemetery almost twenty-four hours ago tugged at Willow's heart. Sighing softly, she attempted to slide away from him and moaned when his arm curled tighter around her.

"Going somewhere, ducks?" he asked through half-closed eyes.

"I'm hungry," she answered.

"And?"

She looked at him to find his piercing blue eyes staring back at her.

"I want to talk to her, Spike," she admitted.

"Not without me."

"Buffy has to know by now that she isn't going to change my mind about you. You and I are free to leave here or stay, but I have to talk to her before we make any decisions," she told him.

"All right," he conceded. "Just don't let her get to you."

"I won't. I promise."

He raised his hand to her face and brought his mouth to hers to place a soft, slow kiss on her lips.

"I love you, baby," he murmured.

"I love you, too," she smiled.

Spike held her close, nuzzling his cheek against her soft hair.

"Go on," he finally spoke as sleep threatened to overtake him again. "Go talk to the bitch."

She kissed him once more before getting out of the bed.
***
Buffy looked at the redhead sitting across from her at the kitchen table and fought the urge to reach out and slap her. In the same moment, an intense feeling of
remorse gripped her at the realization she could even think of doing such a thing.

Willow watched in bewilderment as the display of emotions chased one another over the slayer's face. She took a sip of the hot, black coffee in front of her and sat back in her chair.

"You still can't accept it, can you?" she asked softly. "I thought if anyone would understand my feelings, you would."

"Will, if you're hoping I'm going to be happy for you, I'm not. I made a deal with Spike because I didn't seem to have any choice. As long as he keeps you here in Sunnydale, I'll try to honor that deal. But if he tries to take you away somewhere, I'll stop him. No matter what it takes," Buffy warned her.

"Even if I wanted to leave? Even if it were my idea?" she asked.

"You'd never make me believe he hadn't coerced you into that decision. So, I suggest you convince him that you two had better stay put."

Willow shook her head and pushed the mug away from her, "I can't make you hear me. There's nothing I can say to you that will make any difference."

"You could tell me you want to be free of him. I'd listen to that."

The redhead shoved her chair back and went to the door, turning back as she opened it and stepped outside.

"You won't hear from me again. If you want to talk, you'll have to make the move."

"Oh, I'll definitely make a move," Buffy mumbled to the closed door.
***
A car swung around the corner and tailed Willow as she walked slowly down the sidewalk. She turned as it pulled up alongside the curb.

"Get in," Angel said.

She looked at him doubtfully.

"Now," he ordered, leaning across the seat to open the door.

The car was in motion before she'd even closed the door and quickly picked up speed.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"After Spike."

"Angel, what's going on?"

"I promised not to interfere with the two of you. I'm breaking that promise."

"What?!?"

"Willow, trust me. I'll explain after we've picked him up."

She clung to the armrest as he wheeled around a corner amidst the squeal of tires. The car lurched to a halt outside Spike's place, and Angel looked at Willow as
he got out of the car.

"Stay here," he barked.

A few minutes later, he returned with Spike right behind him. Willow scooted over as he climbed in beside her, and Angel jumped in behind the wheel.

"This had better be good," his childe snarled, sliding Willow next to his side as Angel hit the gas. "If this ride ends up anywhere near the slayer--"

"That's exactly where I'm making sure you _don't_ end up," Angel told him. "You ought to check out the demons you associate with before you start exacting
favors of them."

"What is he talking about?" Spike asked Willow.

"I have no idea," she answered, squeezing her hand around his leg as Angel maneuvered the car around a corner.

"Where the bloody hell are you taking us?" Spike shouted.

"I know all about the demon who took Willow," Angel said. "It took most of last night to figure out who he was, but Giles managed it in the end."

"You dragged Giles into this?" Willow asked.

"Buffy's behavior last night bothered me--the things she said, the way she was acting. I went to talk to him about her. Turns out that demon gets his kicks out
of owing people 'favors,' which he repays at the recipient's expense. In your case, that means he's influencing Buffy's actions."

"Oh, Goddess," Willow gasped, "She's being controlled by a demon?"

He nodded, "Since the minute you two left the cemetery last night. It's a temporary condition, though. He'll leave her alone after she's staked Spike."

"After she's--stop this damned car!" Spike yelled.

"I'm not taking you to her, you ass!" Angel growled. "I'm getting you out of Sunnydale. Giles can stop the demon's influence, but it'll be a lot easier if you're
too far away for her to get to you."

"After everything you said, you'd do this for us?" Willow asked.

"I'd do it for you," he answered. "And a deal's a deal. Looks like you two are going to get that tour of Europe after all."

Spike draped an arm over her shoulders and grinned broadly at his sire, "Thanks, Dad. Can I take the credit card, too?"

Angel moaned and shook his head, but his lips curled into a smile at Willow's soft giggle.
 
 

"I hope Buffy will be okay," Willow said as she kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the hotel bed.

"Maybe she'll stake my sire's ass," Spike replied. "That should cheer her up--for a second. Until the demon leaves her sad excuse for a brain, and she realizes what she's done. Then she'll hate herself for the rest of her pathetic life. That could be fun."

"How can you talk like that after what Angel did for us?"

"He only helped us because of that deal we made," he said as he tugged off his shirt. "Bloody wanker. With that demon's help, the bitch could have dusted me, but the great poof whisks us out of the country because he's too soft to go back on a promise."

"That isn't soft. It's honorable," she argued, attempting to sound indignant; however, the affect was rather spoiled by the green eyes that raked over Spike's naked chest.

Her lusty stare was not lost on the vampire, and he grinned, "And I, on the other hand, am anything but honorable."

He sat down on the foot of the bed and crawled up to her, lowering his body over hers and taking her warm lips in a hungry kiss. Willow's hands ran up the length of his strong arms and cupped his cheeks as she parted her lips to him.

"Still," she murmured breathlessly when he pulled away from the kiss. "I'd like to know how she is. Maybe I should call her."

"Pet," he responded, trapping her body under his and unbuttoning her shirt. "When Angel tells her what he did, we'll hear her screaming from the other side of the Atlantic. No phone required."

The sharp reply on the tip of her tongue was suddenly swallowed as his mouth found the softly rounded curves of her breasts and lavished them with kisses. Releasing the clasp of her bra, he threw the garment over his shoulder and ran his tongue down the valley of her breasts. He smiled as she arched into the cool sensation of his lips, and he nipped at her hardening nipples as his hands deftly removed her pants and her panties.

Spike left her body long enough to remove the rest of his clothes, then spreading her legs with his knee, he brushed a finger over the length of her slit. He thrust one digit inside and teased her clit with his thumb, coaxing the juices to flow from her core. Willow panted and cupped his buttocks with her hands, wanting to feel him inside her. She dragged his mouth to hers, and he kissed her with a bruising intensity as he slid his erect shaft into her hot, tight channel.

Willow's hips rocked against his, initiating a rhythm he was only too willing to join. He sucked at her lip and bit down on it carefully, letting the thin issue of blood trickle into his mouth as the fingers between her folds continued to worry her clit. Her hands moved up his back, gripping him firmly, as her climax began to build within her body. He thrust into her in hard, deep strokes, and she met him with perfect timing.

Moaning against his mouth, her eyes squeezed shut as sparks of color exploded behind her eyelids, and her body rocketed into orgasm, drawing him with her. He whispered her name and nuzzled her neck before piercing the flesh to drink from her as his cold semen spilled deep within her. He lapped at the blood that dotted her wounds as her hand lazily toyed with the soft hair on the nape of his neck.

Spike moved off of her, pulling her over onto him, and brought her mouth back to his for a slow, tender kiss. Pulling away, Willow rested her head on his chest just under his chin and allowed the exhaustion of their long flight and their heated coupling to lull her to sleep.
***
"I don't give a damn if I was being prodded by a demon!" Buffy yelled. "What were you thinking, helping them get away?"

Angel stared down into the slayer's angry eyes and wondered impertinently whether she was still possessed.

"It's bad enough that you shoved Spike onto a plane," she continued. "But to let Willow go with him--"

"We made a deal, Buffy," he reminded her.

"Some deal!" she huffed. "The whole thing was a set-up! He knew exactly what he was doing, right from the start. And _you_ let him get away with it!"

"If they had stayed here and you had staked Spike, Willow never would have forgiven you."

"Oh, and I suppose having her roaming around Europe with that evil bastard is a better alternative," she snapped. "The next time we see them--IF we ever see them again--they could be sporting matching fangs!"

Angel was losing his grip on his temper, and he took a step away from her, "I made Spike a promise, whatever the circumstances turned out to be, I _did_ make a promise. I told him I'd keep it, no matter what. And I did."

She shook her head and turned away, "How can you stand knowing he got the better of us?"

"Is that what this is really about?"

"Of course not! It's about Willow. She isn't safe with him."

"She's still alive, and he's had months to kill her," Angel said.

"I want her back here--now!" she demanded, turning to face him and fixing him with an icy glare.

"I don't even know where they are."

"Then find out!"

"Buffy," he said angrily and gripped her arms. "Stop this. I'm not going to track them down. Willow made her own choice. You're her friend, not her keeper. Deal with it."

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I don't really blame you. It's Spike and that stupid demon that crawled its way inside my head. I think between the two of them, they've addled my brain. I'm just so worried about Willow."

"I understand that," he nodded, his voice still firm. "But that's all you can do--worry--and it won't do any good. She knows what Spike is as well as you do. It's her decision, not yours."

"But if she knew what he did! If she knew that demon was all part of his scheme!"

"She knows," he told her.

Buffy's mouth dropped open, and she stared at him, "She--"

"Knows," he repeated. "And she went with him, anyway."

"What's wrong with her?" she asked, truly puzzled.

"Buffy, how is it possible that you don't know? She's in love with him."

"No--"

"Yes," he insisted.

"Yes?"

"Yes," he answered softly.

"Oh, hell," she mumbled. "I really screwed things up, didn't I?"

"I think Spike did most of the screwing," he replied, and immediately flinched at his poor choice of words. "Anyway, there's always the chance Willow will have a change of heart."

"But would he let her go, even if she did?"

"I don't know," Angel admitted. "But if she needed our help, all deals would be off."

"Then I guess we hope for a change of heart," she decided.

He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms more tightly around her, "At this point, that's the best we can do."

End 8/8

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