~Part 10~
Dishes clanked against each other as Willow finished washing those she used in the meal she just ate. The sun was setting, and it would only be a few minutes wait for the redhead and two vampires to set off for the library. Though she had gotten used to sleeping from dawn to sunset and prowling around during the night, Willow had awakened earlier to go out and buy some mortal food for herself.
Heavy footsteps were heard in the next room. Finishing her work, Willow gracefully made her way to the living room where the sounds came from.
"Hey guys, what's wrong?" The redhead asked this question when she saw the unguarded worry in both vampires' faces.
"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Angel successfully hid his relief at finding the young hacker still in the house with a smile he found easy to display in the redhead's presence.
"The bloke and I were just talking about the prophecy," Spike supplied.
"That reminds me of a question I have wanted to ask you. How did Angel find you?"
"Well, I periodically came by Los Angeles in my travels and helped the wanker."
"Helped him?"
"He has been of help to me," this statement was made with a bit of reluctance, Angel unwilling to give his competitor for Willow's affections a compliment that would help Spike in his own endeavors.
"You don't have to help us you know."
"Actually luv, I do. The watcher here said that the prophecy said something about my presence here. Didn't you know that?"
"No. I had only received a small notification of a new prophecy that needed me here."
"Well pet, we might as well start towards the library. They might have some information about this prophecy and you can add what you know of it," though Spike was loath to share her with anybody else, he felt that he needed to display a serious side of himself in Willow's presence.
The three headed towards the library with a single redhead hand-in-hand between two master vampires that had left a bloodbath behind them in Europe. Each cheerfully unaware of the danger they were in. ***
The others were already there, and sifting through ancient books when the three entered the room. A silence seemed to fall in the room as everyone quietly took note of their embraced hands. As Willow noticed the directions of the Scooby Gang's eyes, she quickly slipped out of the vampires' hands and walked towards Giles.
"Can you explain the prophecy a bit more for me?"
"Why, of course. I suppose last night . . ." His voice trailed off as he remembered how she had changed over the few years.
"Yes Giles'?"
"Umm, yes. Well, it's quite simple really. During your years of high school, Buffy had slain a minor demon. So minor, in fact, that it was quite a simple task and one that you wouldn't remember. However, apparently a brother of his has taken into his mind the idea of vengeance. Unfortunately, this monster is a much larger threat and one that required a prophecy to make sure we would all be aware of his presence."
"Doesn't this just suck? I mean, we toil away for years to kill off what the Hellmouth throws at us; then, just because we kill this dude's brother he has to come back for us five year s after the act of death." The whole gang easily ignored Xander's interruption as Cordelia smacked the back of his head.
"I don't understand why this demon would want Spike here though. Since he didn't help us kill his brother, why would he want vengeance against him? I assume that's the reason Spike was mentioned in the prophecy."
"Umm . . . well, the prophecy mentioned Spike indirectly," when he saw Willow open her mouth in a question, the librarian quickly diverted the gang's attention, "The important thing to remember is that though this new demon will be familiar to his sibling, he has quite a lot more experience in . . ."
"Destruction? Death? Total annihilation of everything, as we know it? Hell? Eternities in servitude to a monstrous beast with horrible wrinkles and slime . . ."
"Shut up Xander!" Oz screamed in the interrupter's ear.
However, most ignored the temporarily deaf teenager on the floor as they stared unbelievably at the werewolf. It was times like this that showed how the fighting the group had done together in the past few years took their toll in time. Silence struck the group, each in varying degrees of bafflement. Giles was the one whose voice was finally heard.
"Yes, well," The watcher was secretly glad that someone had finally managed to shut the idiot up. "As I was saying, we'll need a special weapon to use against this demon. The Cataleze. A magical instrument made by a Watcher who had dabbled in magic. It's a rather ancient artifact . . . one that I'm afraid had been stolen a century ago from the Watcher Compound."
"I can get it," Everyone's eyes had turned to Willow's in silent questioning. "I know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody . . . well, you get the point. I'm sure he has the Cataleze."
"That'll be wonderful. Oh, thank goodness we're saved!" An unusual enthusiasm from Giles that Willow could be sure he didn't suddenly develop during her time away.
"Since that unfortunate subject is over with, everyone should go home and rest. Heaven knows we all deserve it. Faith, Buffy, it's about time for patrol; don't you think?"
Groans were heard as the young women went to the weapon cage to retrieve their occupational tools. As they carefully made their way to the door, everyone calmly got up to leave themselves.
Everyone left separately
after the Watcher and his two Slayers. Except for two vampires with a young
redhead stuck quite neatly between them.
~Part 11~
Spike watched from the doorway as Willow, her back turned toward him, reached up to fish a mug from the cupboard. She shoved a long, fiery auburn lock of hair over her shoulder before reaching for the coffee pot. His eyes traveled along her slender back to her trim waist and down to the jeans that curved enticingly around her rear end.
He shifted his gaze as she turned around, mug in hand, to find him staring intently at her. She smiled a warm, easy smile as he crossed the room to stand in front of her.
"Five years, pet," he said softly, running a hand through her soft hair. "It's still hard to believe you're back."
His fingers came to rest along the faint scars on her neck, and her emerald eyes looked up at him in a mixture of reminiscence and understanding. She raised her hand and placed it gently over his.
"Five years isn't so long," she commented.
"Sometimes, it's forever," he replied. "Would you have come back if it hadn't been for the prophecy?"
"Maybe, eventually. I don't know," she admitted. "I'm here now."
"Yes, you are," he whispered, taking the mug from her hand and setting it on the counter behind her.
He cupped her face in his hands and caressed its pale softness with his thumbs as he stepped slightly closer and raised her face to his. He kissed her, softly at first, as Willow remained perfectly still, her heartbeat steady and even. His arms moved to encircle her waist as he deepened the kiss in a silent affirmation of how much he had missed her, how empty this house, his existence, had been without her presence.
Willow placed one arm on his shoulder, the other through his hair, as his tongue explored her mouth slowly, savoring the warmth of her breath and the sweet realization that she was here again. The past five years spiraled into this one single moment, and time stopped. The ache, the worry, the constant wondering, stopped.
He drew his mouth away from hers and slid his hand up to her shoulder and eased her body against his.
"I'm glad you're back," he said, resting his chin on her head. "But I hate this prophecy. You could get hurt."
She smiled against his chest, "We've faced prophecy before, remember? I know you're not crazy about the three of us together, but we did okay the last time."
"I'd put up with all the Angels the Hellmouth could throw at me if it meant having you here," he confessed.
She chuckled and drew away to look up at him.
"Okay, nice impersonation. Now, tell me what you've done with Spike."
The blonde vampire grinned, "It's easier to keep an eye on him when the wanker's nearby."
Willow sighed in feigned relief, "Ah, that's better. You had me worried."
She turned in his arms and took up the coffee mug in one hand and Spike's hand in the other.
"Come sit with me," she asked as she tugged him toward the living room.
Angel scowled as the redhead came into the room clasping Spike's hand. He brightened considerably when she released that hand, placed the mug on the coffee table, and plopped down close to him on the sofa.
"You know, I've been thinking," she said as she linked her arm through his.
"You usually are," he grinned, lacing his fingers through hers.
It was Spike's turn to scowl as he lowered his hard frame into a chair across from them, his eyes riveted on their intertwined fingers.
"Well, anyway, do you realize Giles told us next to nothing about this prophecy? I mean, apart from a demon seeking revenge and needing the Cataleze--"
"What the hell is a Cataleze?" Spike asked her. "And how do you happen to know where it is?"
"I have my sources," she grinned. "I have no idea what it's used for, though. I've never laid eyes on it. And I still don't understand what you have to do with any of this."
"I got the feeling Giles wasn't too eager to discuss it in front of the others," Angel told her. "I don't think any of them are too comfortable about working with Spike."
"Well, I am," she stated confidently, and Spike looked at her and grinned. "And this prophecy requires all of us, so the others had better get over it. I've contacted my source, and the Cataleze will be delivered to the library tomorrow by courier. I'm going to call Giles and tell him to get his ass over here and explain what exactly is going on."
"I already have," Angel told her. ""He'll be here in fifteen minutes."
"You're a mind reader!" Willow beamed and squeezed his hand.
"Your gears have been spinning ever since we left the library, hon," he informed her. "It doesn't take a clairvoyant to figure out when you're itching for answers. I decided if I didn't get him over here, we'd have to listen to you ask unanswerable questions all night."
"Hey! I ask good questions!" she protested.
"Yes, you do," he agreed, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her head.
Spike rolled his eyes and snarled softly as he pulled himself up out of the chair.
"You hungry?" Willow asked innocently.
"Ravenous," he muttered. "I'll be back in ten minutes."
Angel smiled happily as Spike walked out the door.
"Well, now that he's gone, you can tell me. Did you miss me while you were away?"
"Every day," she answered honestly.
"You, too, huh?" he asked, tracing her jawline with his finger.
"But you were busy in L.A., right?"
He nodded, "It was easier that way."
"Temporary distractions, I know," she replied softly. "You and Spike seem to have found some common ground, though."
"I can put up with him if it means being with you," he told her.
She grinned at the sentiment which mirrored that of Spike's earlier comment.
"And Buffy? Have you two made it up?" she asked.
"We've kept our distance," he answered. "It's better that way. I know she was very concerned when you left, though."
"That's my Angel," she said softly, and the phrase sent a wave of delight through the vampire. "Infinitely understanding."
He leaned forward and kissed her softly, his lips lingering tenderly on hers. He pulled away reluctantly as a knock sounded at the door.
"That's Giles," Willow spoke.
Angel nodded and kissed her once more before rising to open the door. *** By the time Willow had handed the watcher a cup of tea, Spike had returned. Giles looked on with interest as Spike sat down, putting Willow between himself and Angel, and casually rested his hand on her leg.
"What exactly are we facing?" she asked Giles abruptly. "I know the prophecy requires that all of us be here, but that's just about all I know."
"The demon is focusing his revenge on Buffy. She was primarily responsible for destroying his brother, and he wants her to suffer a similar loss. He intends to kill each of the people who mean the most to her before killing her. The Cataleze is the only weapon capable of destroying him."
"I've contacted my source, and it's on its way here," Willow informed him. "How does it work?"
"It will destroy the demon by destroying his energy. As I said earlier, it's a magical weapon, and one that's difficult to employ. The watcher who created it was facing a situation much like ours. The Cataleze requires an unbroken circle of friends in order to evoke its power."
"And some of our friendships are already strained," Willow added. "But we can overcome that. We all care about each other."
"Our lives may depend on it," Giles told her.
"So, how did Spike get mixed up in all this? He wasn't here then, and I doubt any of the others would call him a friend."
The watcher shifted uncomfortably and looked at Angel.
"Could you let me talk to Willow and--and Spike, alone for a moment?"
Angel looked at him uncertainly, "Why?"
"This concerns the two of them. It should be up to them to decide how much or how little they want others to know," the watcher insisted.
Angel nodded, though his eyes reflected obvious displeasure, and left the room. Giles hesitated, and the blonde vampire and the redhead beside him waited for him to explain.
"Come on, Giles, just say it. How is Spike involved in this?" Willow asked.
"He's part of the circle," Giles answered. "Because of your feelings for him."
Spike looked from the watcher to Willow.
"Feelings?" he echoed.
"When you agreed to help Spike, all those years ago, it may initially have been out of a sense of duty, but it didn't end that way," the watcher said to Willow. "You didn't leave Sunnydale for five years to escape duty--or even friendship. You can be sure all the demons in hell know what you did and why you did it."
"Why did you do it?" Spike asked, attempting to catch Willow's evasive eyes.
Giles waited for a moment before supplying the answer, "Because she loves you."
"As a friend," Spike added.
"More," Giles insisted, his eyes resting on Willow. "And the bond the three of you share--you, Willow, and Angel--is undoubtedly the strongest and most valuable in destroying this demon."
Spike had stopped listening after the word "more." He was gazing wonderingly at Willow. Giles rose from his chair and went to the door, turning back to them as he opened it.
"I have no intention of discussing this with anyone else. How you choose to handle it should be left up to you," he stated before leaving.
"Willow," Spike said as she moved off the sofa.
"I'm--I'm going to bed," she murmured.
"Oh, no," he refused, scrambling to his feet and taking her arm. "No more running, pet."
"Next time I start asking questions, shut me up--fast," she requested.
"Gladly," he agreed
as he lowered his mouth to hers.
~Part 12~
The coffee stirred in Willow's stomach somewhat wildly, testament to her growing unease. After Giles left and the redhead spoke to Spike, Willow was able to convince the blond vampire to leave her a few moments of peace to think before speaking with his sire, Angel. It was a bit of a frightening idea for her.
As a person that had been left on her own to fend for herself for many years, she was unused to speaking of her emotions verbally. While alone to her thoughts, Willow had been able to rationalize that she was utterly and truly in love with two master vampires that had thrived on leaving blood baths in Europe for centuries together. It was an unnerving realization, but she had accepted it after a while with some heart-felt truth seeking.
Willow didn't know how Angel would react to her confession of love to him. It wasn't everyday that a mortal spoke of undying love to ensouled vampire; though Buffy might have done so. Now that was a bad thought. The Slayer was a real wild card. She could support the redhead's relationship with the two vampires and rebuild their friendship together, or she could condemn Willow without a thought to the future or happiness.
Though Willow had outgrown her need for compliments from her acquaintances, rejection still affected her as it did so long ago. Her few friends had done so years ago when they couldn't understand her easy acceptance of the two vampires. The way she viewed it, Xander, Oz, and Buffy had each rejected her in some way because of their views on her actions. Willow would never understand why they couldn't accept it, as others in their group seemed able to do.
However much they hurt her five years ago, she had outgrown the hurt, anger, and confusion. Simply to be swallowed up in her love of two vampires.
The elder of which was just that moment standing in the doorway of her room.
Looking in his face, she could only see the usual brooding Angel seemed to have perfected during his years with a soul. However, there was a glint of worry in his eyes. As if there were a chance that she might have disappeared if she wasn't in his sight.
Swallowing her unease, Willow gestured with her hands for him to come in. He walked in slowly, sitting on top of her bed lightly. While the redhead waited patiently for him to begin speaking, thoughts ran through her head as to how to broach the subject of her love for him. She was surprised to hear that the worry she sensed in his face was present in his softly spoken voice as well.
"What did you and Spike talk about?"
Willow reddened slightly at the reminder of her conversation, quickly replaced with mortification at the realization that she still blushed so easily. She had thought she had outgrown her childhood innocence. Obviously a miscalculation on her part.
"You might want to sit down for this one, Angel. Oh, wait a minute. You're already sitting. Of course you're sitting. It's not like you should be standing or anything. Um, never mind," great, now she was babbling again. Amazing what returning to the Hellmouth had done to her hard work while away, "well, um . . . you know Giles came by right?" As Angel nodded his head slightly, Willow continued her explanation.
"Well, he he, you see . . . um. Apparently," Willow drew the word out, looking at his face to be able to see his reaction clearly, "a basic object we need to have to beat this monster is stabilization and establishment of our friendships here. Now, the three of us obviously still need work in that department with the rest of the Scooby Gang, but we're connected together in other ways. Angel, I've already told Spike I love him."
The souled vampire hung his head in defeat, anger, and disappointment. He didn't want Willow to see the blood tears glistening in his eyes that were threatening to let loose. As the hacker let out an exasperated breath in frustration, she roughly grabbed his chin in her hands to bring his eyes up to meet hers. Her next words were spoken softly and her voice was full of emotion.
"I've loved you both since before I left Sunnydale."
Her words took awhile to let in and finally digested by the vampire, but once it did so he didn't waste any time before covering Willow's mouth with his own. In between his kisses that conveyed so much of his emotions, he was only able to say:
"I love you."
It was enough for Willow though. After awhile, they were both content to merely hold tight to each other. Trying to show the other how much they meant to each other.
That was the scene Spike walked in on. A showing of the love between a vampire and a mortal similar to the one he experienced earlier in the day. Though both heard his entrance, neither moved from their positions. The blond vampire quietly sat behind his mortal love and held on to her tightly.
The two vampires
looked at the other over Willow's head. Their love for the mortal was in
their eyes. Both agreed to a silent truce, unable to bear being away from
the redhead. At that moment, all three forgot the threats of the day and
simply basked in their love for each other.
~Part 13~
"Are you tired, pet?" Spike asked as Willow stirred in his arms.
"A little," she admitted.
"We should let you get some sleep," Angel said, moving off the bed as he glanced at Spike.
"Don't--" Willow stopped, groaning inwardly as she felt the irritatingly familiar flush that graced her cheeks.
Angel smiled and squeezed her hand, completely charmed that a creature so beautiful could have remained so wonderfully unpretentious. Willow took a breath and reminded herself once again that she was no longer that innocent schoolgirl who had left five years ago. She had traveled to locations and met people that few mortals even knew existed. She returned the dark vampire's smile as the girl she had once been bowed to the woman she had become.
"Stay," she whispered, her gaze holding Angel's for a moment before turning to Spike.
Angel traced the outline of her jaw with a gentle finger before pulling her up to stand before him. Spike moved off the bed to take his place behind her. The vampires exchanged a glance of mutual understanding, and Spike slipped his arms around Willow's waist as Angel bent to capture her lips. His fingers moved down her blouse, opening the buttons and pushing the garment off her shoulders. His mouth moved to the mounds of her satin-covered breasts, and Willow sighed softly as he placed kisses along each one in turn.
The world stopped its frantic spinning and paused in relaxed tranquility as the vampires undressed her with extraordinary tenderness. Willow's mouth sought out Angel's, and he drew her close to him, enraptured by the feeling of her warm body in his arms. Spike took the smallest of steps away from the redhead, and Angel's hand gently clasped his wrist. He shook his head, a silent plea for the blonde vampire to stay. Spike looked from Willow to Angel.
She turned slightly and looked up at Spike.
"Please?" she murmured. "Don't go."
He nodded and stepped aside as Angel drew back the sheets and lowered Willow onto the bed.
"Are you sure, luv?" Spike asked while Angel quietly began to undress and slip into the bed beside her.
"I love you," she answered. "Both of you."
She moaned softly as Angel's mouth traveled down the soft curve of her shoulder. She placed her hand around his neck and drew his mouth to hers, smiling against his lips as she felt the second cold body moving into the bed on the other side and pressing close against her.
Spike's hands moved between Willow's body and Angel's. He gently kneaded her breasts before gliding his hand down the warm flesh of her stomach. Willow gasped sharply, and Angel took her mouth as Spike's experienced fingers parted her soft feminine folds and moved gently against the nub of her clitoris. He felt the warmth of her wetness as her hips thrust against his hand, and she moaned as she felt Angel's hard erection against her thigh.
Instinctively, her legs parted, and Angel lowered his head to suckle one of her perfect, pink nipples as he entered her slowly. His cold mouth on her breasts, his hands moving along her body, his hard shaft stretching her, filling her, mingled with the sensation of Spike's lips as they traveled over her and the gently persistent fingers that coaxed mind-numbing sparks to shoot through her body. She felt the rise of her oncoming orgasm, and Angel thrust into her, hard and deep, pushing her back against Spike's equally hard body. He forced back the wave of ecstasy that begged to claim his senses until he heard the first cry that signaled Willow's release.
Angel gave himself over to the exquisite redhead as her walls convulsed around him, and she keened softly, his name escaping with each breath from her lips. He growled and returned his mouth to hers as he emptied his cold seed deep inside her. Willow sighed, a perfect soft exclamation of complete satisfaction, as he slipped out of her passage, his lips still against hers, his tongue drinking from the sweet warmth of her mouth.
Spike's hands resumed their gentle caressing along her hips and thighs, and her body relaxed under his careful ministrations. She shifted into his arms and kissed him deeply, her tongue moving with his as Angel snuggled against her from behind.
The blonde vampire gazed down into her tired, green eyes, and he smiled.
"Sleep, pet," he whispered.
She raised her hand to caress his cheek and answered softly, "I love you, too. Just as much."
"I know. It's all--"
Willow's soft lips hushed his words, and Spike moaned as her hand moved down to encircle his painfully swollen shaft. She stroked it gently, and Spike growled softly and deepened the kiss, wanting her desperately, but fearful of asking too much.
As if sensing his apprehension, Willow shifted slightly and drew his body down against hers, guiding him into her slick core. The vampire hissed as her warmth enveloped him, and Angel cupped her chin in his hand and brought her mouth to his as his other hand found the same sensitive nub that Spike had so lovingly teased. He continued the tender assault on her lips, and Willow cupped her hands around the firm, rounded flesh of Spike's buttocks, urging him deeper inside her.
Spike snarled as her muscles milked him, driving him over the edge of his climax. He sank his fangs into the wounds he had inflicted so long ago and drank from her rich red nectar, made even sweeter by the passing of time and the longing of anguished loss.
Willow's fingers curled through his blonde hair, and her lips left Angel's as she cried out Spike's name. He lapped at her wounds and placed soothing kisses along her throat as she drifted back to reality. Angel's arms encircled her waist as he curved his body around hers, and she, in turn, drew Spike close against her.
The years of hatred
between the two vampires evaporated under the warmth and love of the tiny
redhead. There was no more raging jealousy, no more cold animosity, only
the intense need to be near this woman who completed them, to keep her
safe and happy. Angel placed a soft kiss on her shoulder as she snuggled
close between them and drifted into contented sleep.
~Part 14~
Willow woke from her deep sleep in a very cozy position. Settled neatly between the two vampires that she loved the most. She had thought it would be uncomfortable: The morning after. It wasn't that way though.
It was really rather . . . warm.
A tingly feeling that let Willow know that she was loved and going to be cared for. Whether she wanted the care or not. At least she knew there would be definite cuddling in the future. Yes, indeedy. Very sweet, warm, and tender cuddling. The kind that starts outs innocently and ends up as love making.
Nope, Willow was not going to mind at all. Indeed, she planned on receiving her care with a sweet smile on her face and arms held out in welcome for her two favorite vampires. Willow!&s mind replayed the events of last night to herself once more.
Unconsciously, the redhead had on a smile that put the sun to shame in reference to radiance.
The young woman would have stayed like that if she weren't uncomfortably reminded of a need to go to the restroom to relieve herself. Willow carefully got up from between Spike and Angel. She was confident in her abilities to slip away unnoticed. After all, she had spent the last five years honing such skills. Indeed, the hacker was already in a sitting position.
Two arms from each side of her quickly stopped her progress as they settled upon her abdomen. The force involved in the action and the surprise in which it was received had Willow's back upon the mattress again with a soft 'whoosh'.
Willow laid still, staring at the ceiling as she tried to process what had just happened. It was, she thought, impossible. She was only trying to get up quietly and had been stopped. The great 'Honorary Watcher', that could quickly and effectively sneak into the highest level of supernatural and non-supernatural security to reach an equally impressionable object, had just been stopped.
Unthinkable.
And yet it had just happened.
The redhead turned her head to the right to be met with slightly golden eyes that were more than a little amused at her predicament. Blinking a few times, she carefully turned the other way. Only to be met with the same case, only with a different set of eyes.
Her hands inched down her body to encounter the two arms still strung across her stomach. Carefully, Willow removed them, still contemplating what had just happened. As it all rushed back to her, the hacker quickly sat up and turned around.
"What the hell just happened?"
Spike answered her cheerfully, with only a hint of a growl in his voice, "You were trying to sneak out of bed!"
"I was not!!"
Two pairs of perfectly arched eyebrows rose in reply. Even through her anger, Willow noted the sexy appearance of the two vampires after lovemaking. However, her anger took precedent. Neither of the two deemed to respond verbally.
"Sneaking," she amended, "I was not sneaking. I had merely wanted to go to the restroom," Willow added a glare to both vampires as she continued, "until I was stopped!!"
"Well, in that case, you can go ahead then," Angel said with nonchalance.
Willow stared at them, unable to believe they could act like that after stopping her. Other vampires and demons would have bragged to their community at having even a glance at her while she had done her job. With good cause too.
The hacker could be heard muttering to herself as she left the room.
"Give me permission, huh? As if I needed it. Crush my pride why don't you? Oh, I'm sorry, you already did. In the past five years, not one, not one single being, living or otherwise, ever stopped me. But nooo, not Mr. we're the two most feared vampires in all of Europe. Uh uh. Can't get past you. Well, we'll see about that . . .!"
The previously mentioned two vampires' grins grew even wider. Both too distracted by the sight of a nude Willow to take much notice of her words.
When the redhead returned after a long shower, it was to see two very nude vampires lounging against the headboard of the bed. Willow stood in shock, still too unused to seeing them without their clothes on.
"Giles called," Angel called out.
Willow shook herself out of her stupor long enough to reply with an "Oh."
"A meeting's scheduled for night after sunset to talk strategy." Angel received a sound that could be taken as agreement. He looked towards Spike for help in getting the hacker to participate in the conversation.
"It's a long while 'til sunset, luv. I can think of lots of ways to pass the time."
Willow only had time to moan at the thought before it came into fruition.
***
The three stood outside the school. Not exactly welcoming the thought of meeting the group inside. Willow least of all.
As Angel and Spike stood contemplating it, Willow turned towards them with a determined look.
"I don't think we should tell them about what happened between us."
"What!?" Two identically outraged voices reached her.
"To defeat this demon, we need to have stability in the group. I seriously doubt this new revelation about our relationship will be welcomed."
"They'll have to deal with it sometime."
"I know, that's why we'll tell them after we defeat this demon. But for now, pretend as if we're just friends. Is that agreed?" Willow added her 'Resolve Face' to show that she was serious. The two nodded gravely.
They entered the library quietly. The only snag in their entrance was when Oz moved as if to meet her. Spike quickly brought his arm around her shoulders and shepherded her to a chair where he and Angel would be able to sit next to her.
Willow began to lecture the blonde vamp in her mind. Glad to know that at least one of the two was behaving as she asked.
And then she felt
Angel's hand on her thigh. It was going to be a long day.
~Part 15~
Faith grinned as she came out of Giles' office to find Spike's arm draped over Willow's shoulders and Angel's hand resting on her thigh. Buffy, in marked contrast to the brunette slayer, was scowling unhappily as she forced her gaze away from the redhead and the vampires who sat on either side of her.
Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably, and all eyes turned to him.
"As I explained to each of you earlier," the watcher began. "The only means of destroying this demon is by the use of the Cataleze, which we now have."
On cue, Faith produced the weapon from where she had been clutching it behind her back. She sat it down on the table in front of them.
"It's a stick," Xander said, obviously unimpressed.
"It's a stick with a blob on it," Oz corrected him.
"It isn't a 'blob,'" Giles commented with a sigh. "It's an orb. I have the incantation which will activate it's power, and I've already performed it."
"So, it's loaded?" Cordelia asked.
"Something like that," he nodded. "However, its power can only be utilized in combat with the demon and only through an unbroken circle of friends."
"Which means everybody has to be present when we destroy the demon," Faith added.
"More than that, some of you have some--issues--to overcome before the orb can be effectively used," Giles said.
"Some of you, meaning me," Buffy spoke. "You know, I don't even know how Spike landed in the middle of all of this. I'd hardly classify him as friend material."
"I would," Willow told her. "It's my fault he got dragged into this."
"Not fault, pet," the vampire disagreed. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."
Buffy rolled her eyes in disgust, "Isn't that sweet? Gee, Will, you seem to be surrounded by black knights."
Willow's eyes flashed angrily, "I can take care of myself. Or is that the bug that's crawled up your ass? I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I've been in situations that would give you nightmares if you could even begin to imagine them. Do you remember, three years ago, when Giles received word that a weapon had been developed that would paralyze a slayer's abilities and speed up her aging process at the same time? Did he tell you if anyone managed to use it on you, your death would come in less than 48 hours? Did you ever wonder how that weapon mysteriously disappeared, only to turn up in the Council's hands?"
Buffy's mouth dropped open, and her eyes darted from Giles to Willow.
"I'd tell you the hell I went through to get my hands on it, but believe me, you don't want to know. I didn't sleep for a month afterwards," the redhead continued.
"Willow, that was you?" Giles asked in astonishment.
"It was after that incident I was named an Honorary Watcher," she nodded. "I didn't have to put my ass on the line for you, Buffy. I knew neither the Council nor you would know who had tracked it down and taken it. For all I knew, you still detested me for what I had done before I left Sunnydale. But none of that mattered. You mattered. Your life mattered. I went after it to keep you safe because I knew I had no other choice."
Buffy's eyes lowered to the object still laying on the table as she whispered, "I didn't know."
"It doesn't matter," she insisted. "I did it because I cared about you. I still do."
"I never detested you," Buffy told her. "I just--couldn't understand. The things that had happened back then, and then the way you suddenly left--it hurt."
"I didn't do those things to cause you pain. I was doing what I had to do. You don't have to be a slayer to have obligations, especially to the people you care most about."
"But you're living with them, again," the slayer pointed out.
"She's safe with us," Angel told her, squeezing Willow's thigh ever so gently. "She's been alone for five years, Buffy. That's long enough--too long."
"But the three of you, in that house, alone. What is that all about?"
"We're having daily orgies," Spike answered with a sarcastic smirk.
Willow fought back the urge to smack the blonde vampire, and she held her breath, waiting for Buffy's reaction.
A grin tugged at the blonde woman's lips, "Right. That sounds so not like Willow. Why can I not picture her crawling into bed with the two of you?"
The redhead's hand snuck under the table and gave Spike's knee a warning squeeze as her other hand landed on top of Angel's and clutched it frantically.
"Actually, that's too gross to even think about," Cordelia decided.
"Oh, I don't know," Faith argued. "I can just see her, lying back, with their heads stuck between her--"
"Faith!" Willow squealed, grateful for once for the scarlet blush that stole across her face.
"Okay," Buffy laughed. "I'm sorry I've been so unfair to you, Willow. You've been my best friend for so long. You deserve better from me."
Angel and Spike reluctantly released her as Willow clambered out of the chair to walk around the table and hug the slayer in a tight embrace.
"Oz?" she asked, looking over her friend's shoulder at the werewolf.
He sighed and took her hand. Although his keen senses told him she was not telling the entire truth, he could give her up--to them--if it meant keeping her alive. The irony of the thought, however, did not escape him.
"I'm in," he said with a nod.
"All right," Giles sighed in relief. "I've done my bit--the incantation. The rest is up to the eight of you."
"Let's go suck the life out of a demon," Faith suggested, grabbing up the Cataleze.
Angel and Spike returned to Willow's side as the three followed the others out of the building.
"So, luv, what do you think the slayer's reaction is going to be when this is all over and she finds out Angel and I really have had our heads--"
"Spike!" Willow hissed.
"Just curious," he chuckled.
"That's easy," Angel
shrugged. "She'll kill us."
~Part 16~
Buffy walked slightly ahead of the others, leading them around the benches in the park and toward the tennis courts ahead of them. The two slayers and the two vampires peered into the darkness around them, their preternatural senses reaching out for any sign of the demon. They had systematically been sweeping the town for the past four hours, and the humans’ nerves were beginning to fray as the time stretched closer to midnight. A soft snarl suddenly parted Spike’s lips at the same moment that Buffy and Faith came to a quick halt.
“Where?” Willow asked quietly, knowing what their actions signified.
“Just beyond that fence, over there,” Angel whispered and pointed toward the chain link fence surrounding the tennis courts.
“Somebody hit the ‘on’ switch on that thing,” Cordelia requested and gestured at the Cataleze in Faith’s hands.
“Do ancient weapons come equipped with an ‘on’ switch?” Xander wondered.
Oz shook his head, “Probably lunar powered.”
Willow laughed softly, and Angel placed a hand on her back and gently urged her forward, between himself and Spike. As they neared the end of the fence, Faith turned around to glance back at them.
“When we reach this bastard, Buffy and I will try to get behind him. The rest of you circle him so that he’s on the inside.”
They nodded their understanding, and the demon moved away from the fence and took a step toward them as the gang approached. His thick, greyish lips twisted into a contorted smile as he eyed the blonde slayer and then the friends she had brought with her. This was going to be sweeter than he had even hoped for. Not only would he avenge his brother’s destruction by killing the slayer’s friends, she would be here to witness their deaths.
The demon remained silent, but his cold eyes followed Faith as she and Buffy began to move around him. He had never seen a weapon such as the one she was carrying, nor did he know how effective it might be. And he had no intention of finding out. As the brunette slayer passed around his right side, he swung around and slammed a club-like fist into her jaw. Faith grunted as she landed, face up, on the ground, and the Cataleze landed in the grass a few feet away from her. Buffy scrambled to move around Faith and get to the weapon, but the demon blocked her and flung her back against the fence.
“You will not destroy me as you destroyed my brother,” he hissed at the blonde slayer. “I know your weaknesses. *I* will be *your* destruction. However, I will grant you the luxury of being the last to die, after you’ve watched your friends precede you.”
“Just what we needed,” Willow smirked from behind him, distracting him momentarily as Faith crawled toward the Cataleze. “A smart-mouthed demon spouting doom and destruction. How original.”
He turned his head toward her and cast a sideways glance at the redhead, “And, of course, you have *intimate* knowledge of demons. You reek with the stench of your two demon lovers.”
“What?” Buffy gasped in a stunned whisper. “Willow? What is he--”
“Buffy, this isn’t the time,” Oz spoke firmly.
Her head snapped to him, “Have you known, too? For how long?”
“Buffy--”
Her gaze darted to the dark vampire standing beside Willow, “How long, Angel? How long has she been sharing your bed? And Spike? Do you take turns, or do the three of you--”
“Stop it!” Faith, who had regained the weapon and was now back on her feet, barked over at Buffy. “Oz is right. This isn’t the time--”
“There doesn’t seem to be one, does there?” she snapped angrily. “You lied to me! Damn it, Willow! You--”
“I didn’t lie,” the redhead contended.
“You just didn’t tell. Not a hell of a lot of difference, is there?” Buffy snarled. “Did you even really come back here to help all of us, or were you just incredibly horny after five years of--”
Her angry tirade ended in a strangled grunt as the demon slammed his arm back into her throat and whirled around to grab hold of Willow. He curled his thick fingers through her red hair and jerked her away from the two vampires flanking her. She hissed as the clawed fingers on his other hand raked over the flesh just below her throat, and Spike growled with rage and threw himself at the demon. The three of them landed in a heap on the ground, and Willow grunted in pain as their weight crashed down on her.
Angel’s human facade slid away as he slipped a dagger tucked into his coat sleeve down into the palm of his hand. He lunged at the demon and stabbed the knife into the demon’s forearm, then watched in grim horror as the deep wound immediately healed itself. Xander pushed Cordelia behind him and quickly moved with Oz toward the demon. Faith shouted for the two human men to stay back as she grabbed Buffy by the shirt collar and dragged her up onto her feet.
“Gods, do you realize how pathetic you are?” she snarled as she slammed the blonde slayer into the fence. “You and Angel gave each other up years ago. Why the hell shouldn’t he have fallen in love with someone else? And who the hell are you to say who that should or shouldn’t be? Are you willing to watch your friends die, one by one, because of some screwed up sense of jealousy?”
“She was my best friend! They had no right to keep that from--”
Faith lashed out at Buffy, landing a solid backhand against her jaw, “They had every right. What the hell business is it of yours? She’s been gone for five years. Who do you think ran her out of Sunnydale? Angel? Spike? Or was it *you*? Was it the pain of realizing what this would do to you? Knowing that you’d react just like this? You’d rather see her dead--you’d rather see all us dead--than to see her happy. Just what the hell is your definition of best friend?”
The demon’s cruel taunt reverberated in the night air, “Ah, the disloyalty of humans. Have I miscalculated, slayer?”
Shoving the two vampires away from him, he laughed coldly and plucked the redhead up off the ground, and squeezed his hand around her throat until she struggled for breath. He flung her aside as though she were weightless, and Cordelia gasped at the sound of snapping bone as Willow’s body collided with the trunk of a nearby tree.
“Or will you find real misery when your ‘friends’ wear their betrayal and weakness as a death shroud? After all, forgiveness is so much easier in death; don’t you agree?”
“Bastard!” Buffy hissed and barreled into the demon, knocking him off of his feet. “I’ll never allow that to happen. I won’t let you kill them.”
“It’s already begun,” he grinned wickedly as he rolled out from under her
Faith brought a booted foot up to his face and kicked him hard, propelling him backward, as Oz raced to Willow and knelt over her crumpled form.
“Oh, gods, no! Willow!” the blonde slayer pleaded desperately.
The redhead groaned in pain, and Oz helped her up onto her feet and braced her against him, and she sucked in a breath and called out, “I’m with you, Buffy. Do it!”
Faith exchanged a quick nod with her blonde counterpart, and Angel gingerly took hold of Willow as Oz drew her over to him. Spike moved close to the redhead’s other side and wrapped an arm around her waist. With a quick glance at the others who had fallen into place, forming a circle aroung the demon, Faith raised the Cataleze, and the clear orb fixed atop of it began to glow softly.
The light rapidly
grew in intensity, radiating an energy that seemed to paralyze the demon.
Cordy squeaked in surprise as the orb suddenly exploded, shattering into
a million tiny shards, and the demon’s roar of defeat was simultaneously
swallowed up in the late night air.
~Part 17~
Angel stepped behind Willow and leaned her back against him. He placed soft kisses along her neck as Spike unbuttoned her blouse and carefully slid it down over the cast around her broken left wrist. The blonde vampire unclasped the hook on her bra and let it fall to the floor. He kissed each of her breasts as he knelt down in front of her to unfastened her jeans and pull them, and her panties, down over her slender legs.
Taking great care not to cause her any pain, Angel turned her in his arms and picked her up to lower her into the tub of warm, bubbly bath water. He reached for the washcloth and lathered it with gel and began to gently massage her shoulders with the soapy cloth, working his way around the front of her neck and down to her breasts, teasing the puckering nipples. She moaned softly, and Spike dropped down beside his sire.
“Are you hurting, luv?” he asked, his eyes dark with concern.
She smiled softly, “Mmm...no, it feels wonderful. It would be even *more* wonderful if you two were in here with me.”
Angel shook his head, “Even if this tub were big enough, you’re in no shape for that, sweetheart.”
She chuckled and placed a quick kiss on his mouth, “Don’t be so sure.”
“None of that, you,” he reprimanded her, though his eyes were bright with laughter. “You’re exhausted. We’re going to get you cleaned up, and then you’re going to curl up in bed.”
“With you curled up beside me?” she looked hopefully at each of them in turn.
“Well, of course, pet,” Spike grinned.
“That’s all right, then.” She lifted a wet, soapy hand to his face and traced the line of his cheekbone, “I love you. Both of you. A lot.”
“We know,” Angel nodded. “Someday, you may even love us as much as we love you.”
She frowned at him, “I already do!”
“I don't know, baby. I'm not sure that's possible,” he argued as he lifted one of her feet and worked the washcloth from the heel, up her calf, to her thigh.
She waggled her eyebrows at him, “A little higher, please.”
Spike laughed out loud and leaned over to give her a firm smack on the lips, then looked at Angel, “Better make a quick job of that, old man, before she wrestles you into the tub. I’m going to go fix you something to eat, pet. I’ll bring it to you when you’re tucked up in bed.” *** “Angel?” Willow spoke as the vampire reached for the blankets on the bed and pulled them up over her.
“Yes, love,” he responded and sat down next to her.
She ran her fingers over the old scars on her neck, made fresh once again from Spike’s feeding the night before, “Does it bother you?”
He looked at her curiously, “No. He’s very careful, Willow. I used to worry--before--that he’d take too much. But I don’t anymore. It’s his way of marking you as his own, now. It’s a way of making you a part of him, so that you belong to each other.”
“But you and I belong to each other, too, don’t we?”
“Of course,” he nodded.
“Then why don’t you ever--”
He smiled and took her small hand in his, “I don’t need to. You carry my scent with you, Willow. Besides, you know how I feel about drinking from humans. That’s a very basic difference between myself and my childe. I can’t do that anymore.”
“But Spike seems to like it--the taste, or whatever it is. Wouldn’t you?”
He leaned over her and took her lips in a long, passionate kiss, “It’s your essence, baby. That’s what Spike craves. And their are *other* places from which to taste that.”
A crimson blush spread from her cheeks to her hairline. Pleased that he had evoked such a reaction from this little redhead who was not nearly as easy to fluster as she had once been, Angel chuckled and kissed her once more. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and ran her fingers through his thick, soft hair.
“But maybe...someday...you’ll change your mind?”
“Maybe,” he shrugged slightly, his eyes drinking in hers. “But it isn’t necessary, Willow. You’re just as much mine as you are Spike’s.”
“And the two of you are mine,” she added.
“Absolutely,” he agreed before her lips found his once again.
Spike stopped in the doorway, a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate with a sandwich in the other, “I thought you were supposed to be resting, luv.”
“My lips aren’t tired,” she informed him as Angel drew away from her.
He snorted and crossed over to the bed, “Eat this, gorgeous.”
“Pushy, isn’t he?” she asked Angel, but she took the sandwich and bit into it.
Angel grinned and moved across her to the other side of the bed, and Willow scooted over a bit to allow Spike room to sit down. The blonde vampire held the coffee mug until she reached for it and took a swallow, then took it back from her and set it on the table beside him.
“How are you feeling?” he asked her.
“Well, I wouldn’t recommend getting slammed into a tree by a demon. I’m okay, though. It’s mostly just the wrist,” she told him. “I’ve been through worse.”
“With no one to take care of you afterwards,” Angel added softly, saddened by the thought of her having been so alone for five years.
“True,” she nodded. “But I managed. Have to admit, I’m liking this a lot more, though.”
Spike chuckled and placed a kiss on her temple, “Us, too, luv. But what about the slayer, now that this is all over?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged with a soft sigh. “This hasn’t been all her fault; I do know that. I should have been straight with her right from the start.”
“She seems to have forgiven that,” Angel pointed out.
“I suppose she must have, or that weapon wouldn’t have worked. Faith even seemed to think she has. It’s the only reason Faith swallowed her own anger to focus on what we all had to do,” the redhead smiled grimly. “Still, we were facing dire consequences. In the harsh light of day--well, I guess we have some decisions to make, don’t we?”
“I guess so,” Angel replied and took the empty plate from her hands and set it on the bedside table. “Not tonight, though.”
“I agree. You really do need to get some sleep,” Spike said.
She turned a disgruntled look from one lover to the other, “What? No dessert?”
The two vampires exchanged a bewildered look, and she grabbed Spike’s shirt collar with her good hand and crooked her injured arm around Angel’s neck, “Get *under* these covers, you idiots!”
Two beaming smiles
flashed from either side of her, and the childe and his sire quickly tugged
off their clothes and scrambled into bed.
~Part 18~
Angel answered the knock on the door, and Buffy looked apprehensively up at the tall vampire. With a tense nod, he waved her inside, and Willow rose from the sofa and walked over to her.
“I was kind of surprised that you wanted to meet here instead of at the library,” the slayer began timorously. “I mean, I just--”
“You just...what?” Spike scowled at her. “You just thought you’d like an audience *again* when you accuse Willow of screwing up your already bloody pathetic excuse for a life?”
“Spike, stop it,” the redhead scolded him firmly, then reached for her friend’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “I thought it would better to have a little more privacy than we would have had at the library.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” she nodded and allowed Willow to guide her over to the armchair. “Maybe I’m just surprised that you want to talk to me at all.”
At the blatant tone of regret in the young woman’s voice, some of the tension drained away from Angel’s body, and he waited until Willow resumed her seat beside Spike on the sofa before dropping down at her other side.
“We both made mistakes,” she said to Buffy. “I thought staying away from Sunnydale for awhile might help to heal those old wounds--for everybody involved. But sometimes, I wonder if it didn’t just make everything worse.”
“I never forgot about you,” Buffy told her. “I thought about you a lot...wondered how you were, if you were okay. I felt responsible for--”
“Chasing her off? Making the rest of us miserable so you could chase after Angel’s tail for five years?” the blonde vampire cut in once again. “The fact, that even with Willow exiled from Sunnyhell, he didn’t want you anywhere *near* his tail--that he actually left just to get as far away from *you* as he possibly could--doesn’t make a damned bit of difference to you, does it?
Willow raised her hand to caress the hard lines of her lover’s face, understanding where his rage was coming from, but also understanding that he wasn’t being entirely fair, “Spike,please don’t. You aren’t helping. And you know that Buffy wasn’t the only reason I left.”
He took her hand in his, curling his fingers around it as he lowered it to his lap, and reluctantly let the argument go. She grinned softly as he shifted slightly closer to her, and Angel, in response, moved closer to her from the other side.
You weren’t responsible, Buffy. Not completely, anyway,” Willow turned her eyes back to the slayer. “I made my own choice when I left Sunnydale, and I left for a lot of reasons. I’m not sure I originally intended to stay away for five years, but I guess the longer I was away, the easier it was to use distance as an excuse to not have to face up to--difficult decisions. But I never, never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t want to hurt you then, and I don’t want to now.”
Buffy smiled softly, “I know that. Some things are just not easy to let go of, you know?”
“Some things,” Angel repeated. “You mean us, even though there hadn’t been an us for--
“I know that, too, Angel,” she nodded at the dark vampire who had placed a supportive hand on the redhead’s thigh, “I’m ashamed to admit that it was easier to blame Willow than it was to accept the fact that you and I couldn’t be together anymore. I know our feelings for one another had changed. We’d talked about it. We’d both agreed that it was better to let each other go. You moved on...everyone else moved on, got on with their lives. I tried to tell myself that I had, too. But in the back of my mind, I knew that I hadn’t. Not really. It took almost getting everyone that I care about killed to make me realize I was jealous over something that had died long ago. I’m sorry for that, Will. You came back here to help, and I just made the situation more difficult for everyone.”
Willow refused to let her friend shoulder all of the blame, “I should have talked it out with you. I should have told you about us instead of acting like there was nothing going on. I knew, in my heart of hearts, that you knew that wasn’t the truth. It was unfair of me not to have been open and honest with you.”
“No. My actions, the way I treated you, pretty much closed that door,” Buffy argued.
Spike snorted and looked past Willow to his sire, “This has got to be the sappiest, longest damned apology I’ve ever heard.”
Willow giggled and rose to embrace the slayer, “I’m sorry, Buffy, for everything.”
“Me, too,” Buffy whispered, returning the hug and looking over at Angel. “I’m sorry, Angel.”
After the briefest of hesitations, he leaned over and reached for her hand, squeezing it tightly before releasing it again. Spike watched the exchange between the three and scowled when Willow returned to the sofa.
“Where the bloody hell is *my* apology?” he snapped at the slayer.
“You don’t get one,” she grinned sweetly. “I don’t regret anything I’ve ever said to you.”
Willow chuckled and snaked an arm around the blonde vampire, “I’ll apologize, if it helps.”
“*You* haven’t done anything to apologize--oh, just forget it,” he grumbled, and she grinned and placed a quick kiss on his lips.
“Giles said the council contacted you,” Buffy said.
“They’ve officially recognized Willow’s service to them,” Angel nodded. “And they offered her a position.”
“Never mind the fact that she’s already been working for them for the past five years and has been named an Honorary Watcher,” Spike added dryly.
“What kind of position?” the slayer asked Willow.
“They’ve asked the three of us go to Los Angeles and work for them there,” the redhead explained. “Well, actually they asked Angel and me, but I told them if Spike isn’t in, neither am I.”
Buffy couldn’t help laughing, “What was their reaction to that?”
“They didn’t like it much,” Willow grinned. “But I didn’t give them a choice in the matter.”
Buffy looked at her in surprise, “And they actually agreed? You’re going to L.A.?”
“We’ve already packed. We leave tomorrow night,” Angel told her.
“But it’s too soon! We only just got you back!”
“It isn’t so very far away. Besides, I think a little distance might be good for all of us, at least for awhile. But we’ll come back to visit--often--I promise,” Willow replied.
“I hope so,” Buffy responded sincerely. “You’ve changed so much, Will. I’d like the chance to get to know you again--to find our friendship again.”
“We haven’t lost that,” the redhead promised. “It just got muddled a bit. But, yes, I’d like that, as well.”
They held each other’s gaze for a long moment before the slayer nodded and rose to leave.
She embraced Angel warmly and spoke softly against his ear, “Take care of each other. I want both of my friends back here someday.”
He nodded and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, and she stepped back and reached for Willow’s hand, “I’ll even include Spike in on that invitation, since you seem to insist on coming as a package deal.”
“I do,” Willow stated, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Someday, if I can ever find the right words, I’ll even try to explain why to you.”
“You don’t need words,” Buffy shook her head, blinking back emotional tears. “I see the explanation every time I look at your face. Just be happy, Will. I love you.”
“I am. I will be,” she smiled and followed the slayer to the front door. “I love you, too.”
They exchanged one last hug before Buffy left the house, and Willow closed the door and turned back to her two vampires.
“Does anyone else feel the overwhelming urge to heave?” Spike muttered.
Willow laughed and wrapped her arms around the blonde vampire’s neck and brought her lips to his in a long, fiery kiss. Releasing him, she turned to Angel and treated him to the same impassioned embrace. The tall vampire groaned and tried to pull her closer to him, but she quickly darted away from his amorous embrace and made tracks for the hallway.
“I have a few more things to throw in my suitcase if we’re going to be ready to leave tomorrow night,” she called back over her shoulder.
Spike’s eyes were riveted to the enticing sway of the little redhead’s hips as she walked away from them, and he cast a quick glance at his sire, “You going to let her get away with that?”
“Hell no,” he grinned and bolted after his lover, with Spike right on his heels.
Seconds later, the sound of the bedroom door being slammed shut, followed by a sharp, feminine squeal of delighted surprise, drifted back down the corridor.
The End