Willow's L.A. Experience

Rating: Ummm...I don't know, possibly up to NC-17 if I can bring myself to write smut.

Pairing: W/S/A in some combination yet to be determined

Distribution: Anyone can have it, just let me know where it's going, I'm all controlling like that.

Disclaimer: Nothing contained within this fic belongs to me, except the plot, and I'm not sure if I want to claim that or if the plot even exists. It's all owned by people who aren't me who get paid for this stuff...I don't.

Spoilers: Uh, possibly everything, but I despised most of season 5, so I wouldn't guarantee anything from there being in this fic.

Feedback: Please, please, please? This is the first time I've ever tried something like this, so it's pretty much essential if I'm going to continue this. (mistressofthedark@seductive.com ...Just in case it doesn't work up there or something. Paranoia comes in handy sometimes, especially since I don't trust my computer.)

Summary: Willow goes to L.A. (If I told you too much, then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?)

Author's Notes: This is eventually a cross-over with a certain movie, but I can't tell you which one or who/what it involves because then the surprise would just be gone and you're just going to have to wonder about it, until it becomes obvious anyway. Well, not exactly a cross-over, but I kind of borrowed somebody from a movie, so I guess that counts.
 
 

~Part: 1~

Suddenly, hands went around Cordelia's eyes and a feminine voice asked, "Guess who?"

"Willow?!?!" Cordelia shouted and jumped up to hug her former enemy from Sunnydale. "I thought you weren't supposed to be here for another couple of days!"

Will hugged Cordelia back hard and said, "Well, there were two available times to take my psych final, and I was going to take the later one, but I decided to take the earlier one instead so that I could come a littler earlier and surprise you guys. So, you get to spend that much more time with me. Where's Angel? I'd like to try and surprise stealthy brood-boy, even though I don't think I'll be too successful at it."

"Angel's downstairs sleeping or brooding or whatever it is he does down there during the daytime. Go on down, he's in room 214. You can give your best try at surprising him, and then you can come back up here and you can tell me all that's been going on with you since your last e-mail."

"Well, considering that my last e-mail to you was only about 5 hours ago, I think we can get you caught up in about a minute. Give me a few minutes to go say hi to Angel and then I'll come back up and chat," Willow finished her sentence as she went down the stairs to find Angel's room.

The knock at the door woke Angel from where he was napping on the bed. It startled and worried him, because the only time anyone (usually Cordelia) knocked, was if something fairly bad and urgent was about to happen. Otherwise, he was left alone to sleep and oft times brood alone. He went to the door after pulling on a pair of jeans. "Willow," he exclaimed with an expression of surprise and pleasure on his face, "What are you doing here?" He then pulled the little redhead into a tight hug.

"Um, Angel, I kind of need to breathe here," Willow gasped out.

"Sorry," he said apologetically as he loosened his grip on the squished woman's ribs. "I guess I got a little carried away. I haven't seen you in a long time after all. Again, what are you doing here? Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but I'm curious as to why you're here."

"Didn't Cordelia tell you? I've come to stay with you all for the summer. Sunnydale's kind of quiet in a good way for once, instead of the End-of-the-World-Apocalypse-Everyone's-Going-To-Die kind of way, and Cordelia said that you'd been really busy lately, so here I am. I'm yours for the summer. Cordelia said I could stay with her while I'm here. Apparently, Dennis won't mind. Also, I hear you've been complaining about Cordelia's secretarial skills, so I can help with the research and the office stuff and leave Cordy free to just do the vision thing. Besides, this gives me time to shop and explore L.A. Don't get me wrong, Sunnydale is the Hellmouthiest place on earth, but sometimes I just can't find what I'm looking for there." Willow finished her mini-babble with a deep breath and a wry smile.

Angel kept staring at Willow, wondering all the while how she could get all of that out without taking a breath. "Well, I'm glad that you came. This is one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a long time. You look really nice and very different from when I last saw you. I have to say that I like the new look. It's obvious college has been good to you." And it was true. Willow was much changed in outward appearance from when Angel last saw her. Her auburn hair had been cut to shoulder length and while Angel mourned the loss of her long, flame-colored locks, the new style suited her. Also gone were the pink fuzzy sweaters, although that might have more to do with the warm weather rather than any changes in Willow's wardrobe.

"Thank you." There was an awkward pause while Willow tried to think of something else to say to the vampire she'd admired for so long. "Well, I guess I should be going back upstairs to get caught up with Cordelia and see where she wants me to put my stuff. I'll see you later, 'kay Angel?"

Although Angel was reluctant to let the little red-haired witch out of his sight, he knew that he'd have the whole summer to talk with her, flirt with her, and maybe kiss her if he was lucky. Mustn't get *too* happy though, he reminded himself. Damn pesky clause. "All right Willow, go upstairs and I'll see you later."

Willow sighed as she turned, went out of the apartment, and started back up the stairs for the promised chat with Cordy. (I really need to quit having bad thoughts about Angel. He's just a friend, and he'll always be in love with Buffy and belong to her, so it's pointless. He doesn't think of you that way, get it through your head Willow! And even if, under the most bizarre and remarkable of circumstances, he suddenly loved me, it still wouldn't make any difference because we couldn't do anything about it. Stupid curse. I really need to find a way to make Angel's soul permanent while I'm here this summer. Oh, and while I'm at it, I should stop babbling internally. Noted. Well, time to talk to Cordelia some more. Who would've ever thought we'd end up getting along after she tormented me for so many years in high school? I was, after all, a charter member of the "We Hate Cordelia" club, and she seemed to devote special time to making my life as miserable as possible when she was head of the snob squad. Yet after she moved to L.A., she'd changed. She'd become less bitchy, cared less about clothes, relatively speaking at least, and seemed to genuinely care about her fellow fighters of evil. I think moving away from Sunnydale, spending time helping Angel, and the whole vision thing has really helped her to grow as a person. I know I like her a lot better now at least...)

Willow had been slowly ascending the stairs as she carried on her internal dialogue. She had, in fact, ascended the stairs, stopped in front of Cordy, and had been staring off into space mumbling to herself as she argued and babbled internally for the past five minutes. Finally, Cordelia couldn't take it any longer and decided to interrupt Willow's train of thought. "Well? You've seen Angel, now spill girl! Tell me all about everything that's been going on lately."

"Well, other than the usual assorted demons, prophecies, and near- death experiences, not a whole lot. Buffy went to Iowa with Riley for a portion of the summer. She's going to come back to Sunnydale if there's something big requiring her assistance. I really don't think she'll be needed for anything though. I mean honestly, when was the last time that anything bad ever happened in the summer in Sunnydale? It's like all the demons put their plans on hold in order to wait for the school year. Or maybe it has something to do with there being less darkness to do things in. Anya and Xander are working this summer, but they might find time to take a vacation later this summer if they can get the time off. I don't know what Spike's doing, staying in Sunnydale and helping kill the baddies I guess. Tara went home for the summer after she and I talked."

Cordelia didn't like the look on her friend's face. "Talked?" she inquired gently.

"Yeah, we decided to mutually end our relationship. It turns out that we have different things that we need from our partners. We finally sat down and discussed things like that and what we need and want is just too different," she finished her explanation with a small, sad smile and a faraway look on her face.

"Oh Willow, I'm so sorry for you," Cordelia said without a shred of sarcasm. "But, hey, look at it this way, at least you had a normal relationship with a normal person, which ended fairly normally. That's a near-impossibility in Sunnydale. Look at the relationships of your friends for goodness's sake. Xander had mummy-girl, preying mantis woman, and an ex-vengeance demon. I dated Xander that should count as a frightening and abnormal relationship. Buffy had Angel, who turned into a homicidal maniac and tried to destroy the world. And you started out with Oz, who was a werewolf. See? Normal relationships in Sunnydale are impossible. You should be happy you managed to do the impossible and that you had a normal relationship, except for the witchcraft thing, which could be considered a shared interest really, for awhile."

"Um, actually, I didn't," Willow replied rather sheepishly. "It turns out that Tara is half demon and that's why some of her needs couldn't possibly be met by me."

"Oh. Ohh!" was Cordelia's oh-so-verbose reply. "Well, I guess it could've been worse. Much worse. She could've only wanted you to eventually kill you, like a lot of Xander's former infatuations have wanted to. Although really, who could blame them. It *is* Xander after all."

Willow laughed, "True. As much as I love Xander, he can be really annoying sometimes. Well, it's getting kind of late, what do you say we head over to your place so I can unpack and we'll have a girl's night catching up with stuff?"

"Sure, that sounds great," Coredelia replied, "Just let me get my purse and tell Angel I'm taking off early and we'll go. Any excuse to get off work early is a good one, but this is one of the better excuses I've had." Cordelia suited her actions to her words, grabbing her purse and yelling, "Angel! I'm taking Willow home to get settled in so I won't be back tonight."

"Okay," floated Angel's answer from the depths of the hotel. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then, unless you have a vision, then you can just call me. You've got my cell phone number."

The two girls left the hotel, laughing, chatting, and eagerly anticipating a girl's night-in that neither of them had been able to indulge in for quite some time.

~Part: 2~

Willow smiled at her computer screen as she remembered her first night at Cordelia's a week ago.  It had been great fun to finally meet Dennis and to have a night for just girls to talk, well, with the exception of Dennis, but who was he going to tell?  Dennis had turned out to be a very pleasant ghost.  Much better than his mother, according to Cordelia.  He'd been eminently helpful, and had seemed really excited to see her, if the way the lights had been flickering were any indication.  Cordelia had a very nice house, and Willow was pleased to see that she could afford such a nice place while having a little bit of protection in the form of Dennis.  It'd been fun thus far and this week had been interesting.  It had been really neat to see how the L.A. gang worked.  Willow was worried about Cordelia though.  The visions seemed to be taking an ever-increasing toll on the brunette's health, to the point where each vision would leave her incapacitated for several hours.  Willow decided that she would have to find a spell or something to help her too.  But that and finding a way to make Angel's soul permanent would wait until later.  Right now, she had some research to do.  Willow turned her attention back to what was on her computer screen with a determined look on her face.  Good thing research was one of the things she did best.

Meanwhile, back in Sunnydale...

Spike was bored.  Not his usual, I'm-rather-bored-so-I'm-going-to-go- hurt-someone-or-thing bored, but an amazingly unusual I'm-so-bored- I'm-going-to-stake-myself-if-I-don't-find-something-to-do bored.  It was incredibly difficult for a vampire to get so bored that they were seriously considering staking themselves just to alleviate it. Normally boredom was swiftly taken care of by one or all of the three great vampire pastimes:  bloodletting, shagging, or torture. Occasionally they threw in an evil plot or two to keep things interesting, but that was about it.  Spike, however, was out of options.  He went through them as he paced, or stalked, whichever you prefer.  It's daytime so I can't go out and find a demon for a lovely spot of violence.  I couldn't torture someone if I wanted to, courtesy of the sodding chip.  And in the case of that Xander git, I *really* want to...but I can't.  I'd settle for mental torture, but once again the daylight nixes that plan.  I'm just glad the stupid chip doesn't prevent me from doing *that* too.  As for the bloodletting, the chip and the daylight pretty much put a nix on that as well.  And there was no one he wanted to shag in this town, even if anyone was offering, which they weren't.  Well, except for the redhead, who was eminently worth shagging, even if she wasn't offering.  But she wasn't even in town, was she?  Spike scowled.  No, she was off in L.A. with the poof.  Come to think of it, he had slowly been growing more and more bored since she'd left a week ago. With Slutty and her boytoy away, the witch off in L.A. helping Peaches, and no evil things to beat up due to the Hellmouth being quiet for once, there was just nothing fun left to do.

The only people left to be around were Xander and Anya, the most annoying couple he'd seen in more than 100 years, and while he was very fond of causing mental anguish, he wasn't inclined to deliberately subject *himself* to mental anguish.  Especially since the mental anguish was extremely likely to become physical agony as there was no possible way that he could stand to be around the Watcher, the git, and the sex-crazed ex-demon and *not* picture their slow death at his hands, which unfortunately activated the bloody chip.  So all the usual things were out.  What to do, what to do? Well, that's it, Spike decided. I'll just have to go visit Peaches in L.A.  After all, there's nothing to do here, as well as no one I can stand to be around.  Not that I can really stand to be around the poof, but there'll be violence there to be had and the witch will be there as well, so there'll be at least one individual I can be around without the chip being in danger of splitting my head open all the bloody time.  Yes, that's what I'll do.  Spike went to the door of his crypt and started to open it...

"Bloody Hell!" he exclaimed, suddenly catching on fire.  He quickly jumped around, batting at his hands to put out the flames.  "I forgot about the bleeding sunlight!  Oh well, I'll have to wait for sunset then.  There's no bloody way I'm going to try and make it to the Watcher's place in the daylight.  Sodding thing.  I'll have to see about borrowing his car to go visit Peaches.  It's not like he uses it anyway.  Sunnyhell isn't really big enough to need one unless you want to leave it.  Yes, that's what I'll do."  After finishing his monologue, he resumed his pacing, trying to wear a hole through the floor of his crypt while he anxiously waited for the sun to go down so he could leave and finally stop being bored.

Three hours later, Spike was on his way out of town.  He'd successfully managed to convince the Watcher that letting Spike "borrow" his new mid-life crisis-mobile was a good idea.  Not that doing so had been an easy task, but Spike had a plan to relieve his boredom, and a Spike with a plan was a very determined thing indeed.  So it was that a mere hour after showing up at Giles' door, Spike found himself running over the "Now Leaving Sunnydale" sign on his way to L.A.  In just a few short hours he'd be at the poof's doorstep, ready to kick some demon butt and finally cure his boredom.

An hour later Spike reached L.A.'s city limits.  The drive, if it had been taken at normal posted speed limits would have taken twice as long.  The drive had been fairly uneventful thus far.  Well, except for when Spike had turned on the radio and nearly went off the road from a combination of shock and disgust.  Apparently the Watcher liked to listen to country of all things.  And when not listening to that, if the other pre-set station was to be believed, he apparently favored an all-polka, all-the-time station.  Who would've guessed that?  But just for the polka station and the shock Spike had received alone, Spike was ready to move Giles up to the top of the "People to Kill When the Bloody Chip is Gone List."  He figured he should be on Peaches' doorstep in about ten minutes or so.  "Not that I'm looking forward to seeing the poof, but staying in L.A. for awhile is a much better idea than staying in Sunnyhell with nothing to do," Spike muttered.  "At least in L.A. there was violence to be had, the poof to torment, and the witch to try to shag."  Spike wasn't entirely certain when he had decided to try to seduce the witch.  He'd always been rather attracted to her.  Proof of this was found in the threatening to shove a broken bottle in her face incident.  Threats of violence and bloodletting being the demonic version of pulling a girl's pigtails and teasing them.  Also, she was the only person to treat him as if he was still frightening after he got chipped, as well as being the only member of the Scooby gang who didn't tease him for his inability to bite.  However, between Dru, the wolf, and the blond witch, the timing just had never been right. But there was finally no one standing between him and the redhead. Besides, he just *knew* that it would drive Peaches nuts to see them together.  It was a nice perk, being able to torment his Sire and shag the witch at the same time.

Spike was jolted out of his pleasant thoughts by the sound of a siren and the flashing lights behind him.  "Oh bloody hell," he swore out loud.  "Why couldn't they have pulled me over when I wasn't chipped? Then I could have taken care of this with ease.  I would have just killed the wankers.  But no, they have to pull me over when I can't do anything about them.  Bloody hell.  This is going to be a bleeding disaster, I just know it."  With that, Spike pulled over to the side of the road.

The city patrol car came to a stop behind his car with its lights still flashing, but the sound had ceased.  Two police officers got out of the car.  They both were amazingly similar to the commandos of the Initiative in appearance.  Both had the buzz cut common of the military and the typical clean-cut All-American looks common of farmboys in the Midwest.  Their nametags revealed that they had the oh-so-original names of Officers Smith & Brown.  They sauntered up to the red convertible's driver's side window, tapped on it, and Smith asked, "License and registration please."

Oh shit.  Damn humans with their insistence on identification for everything.  "I'm afraid I don't have a license with me Officer, but here's the registration," Spike said semi-apologetically.  Might as well play along for now, he thought.  If I'm extremely lucky, maybe they'll just let me go.

Spike obviously didn't have a very good grasp of the American justice system.  People going twice the posted speed limit without a license are not very likely to be let off with a warning.  In fact, it would probably take an act of God or a really big distraction for them not to end up arrested and in jail.  Unfortunately for Spike, this was not Sunnyhell, where the cops made a point of being extremely distracted a good portion of the time, not entirely of their own volition.  No, this was L.A., and the cops in L.A. were horses of an entirely different color.  While major distractions were not hard to come by in Sunnydale, they were difficult to come by in L.A.  Spike was again out of luck.  That seemed to be happening to him a lot lately.  So it will come as no surprise to discover that the officer's response to this was a standard, "Could you please step out of the car sir?"

Spike did as asked.  Again with the cooperation.  Damn chip.  That's it; these cops are going on the List too.  I'll be just as helpful as the poof if I don't watch it.  Respecting the law and authority of the Happy Meals on legs, helping old ladies across the street. Yuck.  Yes Spikey-boy, you have gone soft.  No one will call you the Big Bad anymore; you've become the Big Boyscout, Poof Jr.  That's it. I just can't do this.  Time to piss off the authority figures. Besides, they just look way too much like the wankers who put in this chip.  "What the hell do you wankers want anyway?" Spike demanded belligerently.  "All I was doing was driving.  Why don't you just go back to your doughnuts and let me go?"

It was then that Spike did something extremely unwise.  He started to take a swing at Officer Brown, forgetting that the chip prevented him from taking off the wanker's head, or even giving him a paper cut. He stopped about 2 inches from Brown's head and grabbed his own instead.  Brown, not taking kindly to someone swinging at him, even if they didn't manage to connect with his head, decided to reply in kind and swung at Spike, connecting solidly and adding to the pain Spike was already experiencing.  Smith, not wishing to be left out, joined Brown in beating the kneeling Spike.  This continued for a good five or ten minutes with Smith & Brown beating Spike while he tried somewhat successfully to defend himself without hurting the officers.  In the end, however, Spike lost.  It was too difficult to win a fight where even the most glancing blow to the other person causes yourself excruciating pain.  The officers subdued Spike, handcuffed him, and kept a close eye on him so that he didn't have the opportunity to break the cuffs and escape while they placed him in the back of the squad car.  They then radioed the station for a tow-truck to pick-up and impound the red convertible.

Spike was summarily taken to the police station and booked for several charges.  Among them were reckless driving, driving without a license, assault, and resisting arrest.  He was thrown into jail within a half hour or so.  In a surprising turn of events that could only be attributed to the PTB, Spike was arraigned, saw a judge, and courtesy of his agile tongue, his bail was swiftly set for a mere $10,000.  He was then allowed a phone call to anyone he wished to call.  Well, calling Peaches and asking for his help certainly isn't how I want to start off this visit.  Can't call the Watcher, he'd never get here in time.  Besides, he'd be mad about his car and might refuse to bail me out.  Guess I'll just have to call the witch. Maybe she'll be happy to save someone for a change instead of letting the others do all the physical stuff.  If it works to get me closer to the witch, so much the better.  Decision made, he picked up the receiver and dialed the number he'd gotten off a piece of paper left behind by Buffy.  It rang several times, before a female voice said, "Hello!" in a very cheerful voice.

"'Ello pet," Spike greeted.  "I don't suppose you'd be willing to save my arse from being fried by the sun in a few hours and bail me out of jail, would you pet?"

"What the...Spike?" came Willow's confused exclamation.  "What on earth did you do to end up in jail?  And why are you calling me, couldn't someone in Sunnydale go do it?  After all, they're a lot closer to the Sunnydale police station than I am."

"Well, that's the problem pet.  I borrowed Giles' car to come to visit you and the poof in L.A. and got caught speeding just inside L.A.'s city limits.  So I'm in the Orange County Jail for reckless driving, driving without a license, assault, and resisting arrest.  I need you to come bail me out.  Bail's already been set, so all you have to do is get your hands on ten thousand dollars before sunrise and come get me."

"TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS?!?!  Spike, just where do you think I'm going to get that kind of money?  It's not like I'm Bill Gates or anything.  Besides, even if I did have $10,000 to bail you out, I couldn't possibly come up with that kind of cash.  It's one in the morning, all the banks are closed."

"Well, I've got the money, if you can get to it.  There's a banking system that caters specifically to demons.  It's open around the clock and only accepts accounts for those of the supernatural persuasion.  It's staffed by a bunch of demons that don't have a problem with the sun.  I've got more than enough money in it after 100-odd years of saving, so all you have to do is go get it.  I would've tried to get the money myself, but they don't take instructions by phone without prior notification."  Spike finished his explanation and waited for Willow's response, which was not slow in coming.

"Alright Spike, what do you want me to do and where do you want me to go to get this done?" was Willow's typically generous offer of aid.

"Okay, there's a branch on 34th and Vine.  You'll have to go there and withdraw the funds from the bank.  They'll ask you for the account name, password, and proof of supernatural identity before you'll be able to take out the money.  You'll be able to prove the supernatural part by floating a pencil or something, just anything to prove you're a witch.  The account is under William the Bloody and the password is Drusilla1883.  After that they'll let you take out the ten grand in cash.  Then you can come down to the police station on 18th and Main and get me."

"Okay Spike, but I'll have to take a cab and you're going to owe me big time," Willow promised.

"Thank you pet, I really can't tell you how much I appreciate being saved from getting turned into ash.  The windows here are big enough, even with the glass and wire mesh that I'd be a crispy vampire fairly soon after sunrise.  See you soon, Red."  Spike hung up without waiting for Willow's reply and breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief.  That'll do it then, he thought.  Soon I'll be out of here and the witch will be just the much closer to being mine.  Spike had considered just breaking out of jail, he was certainly strong enough to do it, but he felt that the witch would be more sympathetic if she had to "save" him.  It was worth the ten grand if it brought her closer to him.  Besides, if it really got close to dawn and Willow hadn't come through, he'd save himself before it really became an issue.

Two hours later, Willow was standing in front of Captain Reynolds waiting for the officers to bring Spike out.  Captain Reynolds had been quite pleasant to her and it had been a relief after the rest of what she'd been through tonight.  The effort she had had to exert just to get Spike out of jail was practically a tale in itself.  He's going to be doing me favors for the rest of my life to pay me back for what I've had to go through tonight.  I don't know why he didn't just escape and save me a lot of trouble and himself ten thousand dollars.   Oh well, at least he's all right and we can just go home now.  Wait, where's he going to stay?  Hmmm...he'll have to stay with Angel, there's no way Cordelia or Dennis would let him stay at their place.  Dennis would probably wait until the sun was up and then open the shades.  Spike would be just a little pile of dust and that would completely defeat the purpose of going to all this trouble to get him out of jail...

"'Ello luv," came Spike's greeting, interrupting Willow's internal meanderings.  "Am I sprung?"

"Yes," Willow replied, "you're a free vam...uh, man."  Her words were hastily and awkwardly changed after a quick look at the many people around them.  It was good to see him.  Wait a minute...  She narrowed her eyes and regarded him carefully.  "Spike, what happened to you? You look like you got hit by a big stick."

"Four fists and a few legs, actually luv," Spike corrected.

"They beat you?!?!" Willow nearly shrieked.  "Spike, that's criminal, that's inhumane, that's, that's..." Willow's list of adjectives ran low and degenerated into incoherent sputters.

Spike was touched by Willow's obvious concern.  I knew this was a good idea, he thought with an internal smirk.  She's already well on her way to being mine.  "I'm alright luv, but what do you say we get out of here before the authorities change there mind or decide to try and teach me another lesson?"

"Yes, let's," Willow agreed, "I've arranged for Giles' car to be released from the impound lot.  They were going to bring it around to the parking lot for me.  I think that under the circumstances I should probably drive."

"Lead the way pet," responded Spike.  They proceeded to the elevator where Willow pressed the button for the underground parking.  When the elevator dinged, they stepped out of the elevator and went over to the garage attendant, who gave Willow some paperwork to fill out and sign.  Paperwork finished with every i dotted and every t crossed, Willow's palm was graced with the keys to the red convertible.

They swiftly found the space where the convertible was parked and left the station in silence.  Willow drove with a confidence and competence that was surprising considering the unfamiliar roads and the fact that to the best of Spike's knowledge, she had never driven anywhere.  They continued on in silence for a few minutes until Spike couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.  "Are we going back to your place for a shag, pet?" he inquired hopefully.

Willow blushed ferociously.  "No," she said repressively, "I'm going to drop you off at Angel's and then I'm going to go to Cordelia's and get some sleep."

Spike grinned.  There was that blush he loved to provoke so much. Now that he'd accomplished what he set out to do...wait, she hadn't just said that he had to say with Peaches, had she?  "Red?  You didn't just say I have to stay with Peaches, did you?"  Spike was almost whining at this point.

"Yes, you have to stay with *Angel,*" she said, emphasizing Angel's name to make sure that Spike understood that she wasn't pleased with his euphemisms.  "You can't possibly stay with me at Cordy's.  Even knowing you're chipped and essentially harmless, I doubt she'll let you into her house.  And then, even if by some miracle she decided to invite you in, Dennis would probably get angry about you being there and open the blinds in the middle of the day, turning you into a gigantic dust bunny.  So to Angel's you go.  You really don't have any other choice, Spike."

"Alright, Red," Spike conceded, with a big mournful sigh.  "I see your point.  I'll stay with the bloody poof if you insist."

"Good.  Glad you see things my way," stated Willow with a big grin. She was alternating between concern for what Spike had been through tonight and annoyance, irritation, and anger at what *she* had been through tonight.  As they reached the front of the Hyperion Hotel, her feelings shifted entirely towards annoyance and irritation. Spike was impossible in a car, worse than a little child.  He fidgeted, he changed the radio station constantly, he asked annoying questions and questions that made her blush.  Basically, he completely destroyed the whole scenario of vampires as still, silent, and deadly creatures.  On the other hand, no one ever accused Spike of being a normal vampire.  Still, that didn't make Willow any less annoyed.  She stopped the car and said, "Well, we're here.  Time for you to go beg Angel for a place to stay."  In a completely un- characteristic gesture, she smiled somewhat nastily.  She opened the door with her powers and said, "Oh, and Spike?  You're going to be doing things for me for a loooong time in recompense for the night you've put me through."  With that, she used her powers again to push him out of the car and shut the door.  She then quickly sped away to Cordelia's and sleep.  Her bed was beckoning.

Spike watched Willow drive away.  Willow in a temper was a beautiful sight to behold indeed.  I knew that fire of hers was in there someplace.  And what a fire it is.  Spike sighed again for the second time tonight, and looked at the sky, which was nearing dawn.  Sighing again...I'm definitely turning into a better-looking version of the poof.  Damn.  Guess it's time to have it out with Peaches.  And with that, he resolutely turned towards the hotel, and hopefully sanctuary.

~Part: 3~

Angel paced restlessly while waiting for the sun to confine him for the day.   He was always restless near dawn.  Dawn meant that he could no longer go out and do things for the people he wanted to help.  It also represented captivity.  All vampires hated the sun. Not only for its destructive power and the danger it represented to their bodies, but also for the way in which the sun confined them. Most vampires are incredibly self-centered and vain creatures.  After awhile, the restrictions that the sun places on a vampire begins to chafe.  They long to be doing something, and the sun limits their options.  These limitations often intensify boredom, which can lead to insanity and/or their demise.  Boredom could very well be the bane of a vampire's existence.  It's difficult to keep finding new things to do for centuries.  Besides, being heavily into self-gratification, boredom is *not* to be tolerated for long.  That was when the three great vampiric pastimes came into play.  They used those pastimes along with sleep to fill the daylight hours whenever possible. Angel, however, could not utilize those particular pastimes. Although the demon craved them, the soul refused to cooperate.  So Angel had to turn to other pursuits to stave off the boredom.  He paced, he brooded, he read, occasionally he trained, and he slept. Those were his great pastimes, and he did them well, often much to the Cordelia's exasperation.

Angel suddenly stopped pacing.  He felt something...something familiar.  Rather, someone familiar.  He felt the tug of the bond. And since every bond between Sire and Childe is unique, he knew who was about to pay him a visit too.  His annoying, aggravating, and favorite, bleached-blond childe, Spike.  He wondered what could have possibly brought Spike to Los Angeles.  He knew from Willow that Spike had been helping the gang in Sunnydale.  Angel assumed that he had been helping for some reason known only to Spike.  His best guess was that Spike either had a thing for one of the female members of the Scooby Gang or that he had some nefarious plan in mind to double- cross and kill them all, or possibly even both.  He wouldn't put it beyond his childe.  Spike was drawing closer Angel could feel it.  He was almost to the entrance if he wasn't mistaken.  Angel felt a rare mischievous mood overtake him.  He'd just have to have a surprise ready for Spike, even though he had little time to prepare one.  With that thought, he moved with vampiric speed towards the door.

Spike hesitated briefly outside of the Hyperion's entrance.  He couldn't stay standing in front of the door for long due to the impending sunrise, but he hesitated all the same.  He was about to see his sire for the first time in more than a year.  Not only that, but he was about to ask him for sanctuary.  This made him just a little bit apprehensive.  But on second thought, this wasn't the psychotic, suicidal bastard of a few years ago.  Nor was it the sire he'd spent four decades with happily before he'd been cursed with a soul.  No, this was the poof.  Peaches was a soft touch, felt guilty about things, and wouldn't demand anything for his aid.  Perfect. With that bolstering thought, Spike opened the door and went inside the hotel, escaping the dawn by mere minutes.

Spike closed the door and started towards the large open area directly in front of him down the steps.  However, he was prevented from doing so by the arm that suddenly came around his throat, halting all forward movement.    He felt himself being hauled against a hard body and reacted instinctively to break free.  He was unsuccessful, though, and found himself flipped over his attacker's shoulder.  He landed face down on the hard marble with his arms being held behind his back and a knee holding him stationary.  While the identity of his attacker had been confirmed as soon as Spike felt the body against his back, it was further confirmed by the seductively purring voice that hinted at violence, which said, "What are you doing here, boy?"

"I seek sanctuary, Sire," was Spike's uncharacteristically submissive response.  He knew that a semblance of submission would make it easier for Angel to say yes, seeing as how Angel's demon got off on it.  Just like with Willow earlier, he figured a show of humility or contrition might prevent Angel from throwing him out into the sun. After all, the last time Angel had seen Spike, Spike had tortured him.  So, he could be a little submissive if it meant he got to stay and put an end to the boredom that had been so prevalent lately.  He didn't really think that Angel would throw him out into the sun, but even as impulsive and reckless as he tended to be, he wasn't stupid. It never hurt to be on the safe side every once in awhile.  It was a good way to avoid becoming a dust bunny.  And after more than a century of un-living, Spike was very proficient in avoiding that particular fate.  He had a keen sense of just how far he could push with his insolence and arrogance before he needed to back down.  He walked a fine line, and sometimes he misjudged and pushed it too far.  That was usually when he ended up in pain, whether from the Slayer kicking his arse or Angelus "punishing" him for his temerity.    Then again, occasionally he deliberately goaded them too far.  What could he say?  He was a demon; the pain was often part of the pleasure.  Besides, irritating Peaches and the Slutty was just plain *fun*.

"Sanctuary?" Angel queried, "Why would you be seeking sanctuary from me, Spike?  And why do you think I'll grant it?"

"Well mate, I'll be happy to tell you as soon as you let me up, so we can discuss this like civilized vamps," Spike replied.  Angel acquiesced and let Spike up.  They went to the foyer of the hotel and found chairs to drop into. Angel carefully selected a chair that would allow him to react quickly if Spike suddenly decided to attack him.  He motioned for Spike to continue, which he did, saying,   "It's like this. Willow dropped me off in front of your building with only a few minutes before sunrise.  So I didn't really have much of a choice of where to go, did I, Peaches?  As for why you're going to grant it, well, just off the top of my head, I'm going to say that you will for two reasons.  If not because you're a great big poof dedicated to doing good deeds, then probably because Red'll be pissed at you if you *don't* let me stay here."

"Willow?  Why would she be mad at me if I throw you out into the sun?"

"That's easy mate, because she's the one who told me I was going to stay here," Spike responded, "Even though I tried to convince her to let me go home with her, she insisted that I should stay here at the hotel with you.  She was concerned for my safety, that's why she wanted me to stay here.  Said something about some bloke named Dennis opening the blinds in the middle of the day."  Spike finished his explanation with a smug smirk on his face.  He just knew that the idea of Red worrying about him would irritate Peaches to no end, and he was proven right by the next words out of Angel's mouth.

Angel growled in annoyance and said, "Concerned for your safety? Don't make me laugh boy.  She just didn't want you anywhere near her, and with good reason.  After all, there's no telling how long she'd stay alive if you were alone with her for any large amount of time. She was concerned about *her* safety, not yours."

Spike looked at Angel in disbelief.  "What the bloody hell are you talking about mate?  I admit I offered to turn her when I broke into her dorm room awhile back.  Hell, I would've too, if the sodding chip those bloody Initiative wankers 'gifted' me with hadn't kicked in every time I tried to bite her...or any human being as far as that goes."

Angel's response was strange, considering how annoying he considered Spike to be, as well as the ill will he had against him.  It was incredibly violent and filled with invectives that really aren't repeatable in polite company.  Highly edited, it comes out as, "What the hell?  You mean Riley the pansy and his gang of torturers captured you and stuck a fucking chip in your head which renders you unable to feed?"  He didn't bother to wait for Spike's reply, although Spike did start to speak, then changed his mind and nodded swiftly.  Instead, he continued right on with his ranting and raving.  "Why the fuck didn't anybody *tell* me that these fucking bastards were doing such sick and twisted things, *especially* to MY childe?  Even Angelus wasn't this sick.  *He* only tortured people for fun and information.  He didn't deprive demons of the only ability they had to feed themselves.  Occasionally he deprived them of their lives or something like food or water, but he *never* did anything to them to make them go against their nature.  That's just wrong!  It's sick and these people need to be stopped immediately!" Angel's rant slowly deteriorated, as fewer and fewer intelligible words came out and more growls and snarls took their place.  Some time during this diatribe, he had risen and started pacing.  Also, his demon face had come to the fore.  It was an amazing display of ire, and what impressed Spike the most was that the emotion was entirely directed at the members of the Initiative, rather than himself.  Here he'd thought that his Sire didn't care...and he said as much.

"Awww, Sire, it sounds like you actually gave a damn there for a minute there, mate.  You don't have to worry about it though, the Scoobies didn't think much of the way the Initiative ran things either, so they destroyed the thing."  Spike felt that it was better not to mention Adam and how he'd tried to double-cross the Scooby gang.  Don't want to shock the wanker with too much information, especially while he's still this pissed off.

Angel slowly came down from the heights of his anger and descended into brood mode, which wasn't much better.  "Look Spike, I know we don't get along too well.  Part of that is because of the way Angelus treated you when he was free last time, and part of it is old business that we don't have to go into right now.  But even if I *could* hate you, I wouldn't.  You were Angelus' favorite childe, and you still are.  Nothing is likely to change that, or the feelings that come along with it.  So, even if I hated you to the depths of my soul and felt that you deserved all that the Initiative had done to you, the demon inside me would still be angry about what happened to you.  However, since I *don't* hate you, don't feel that you got what you deserved, and in fact, am appalled at what those bastards did to you, the demon and the soul inside me are, for once, in perfect accord.  That only makes my anger that much bigger.  It's one thing to voluntarily decide to not feed on human beings, unless it comes in the form of a bag, but it's another thing entirely to be *forced* to do so because of something in your head which causes you excruciating pain if you try to feed."

Spike was practically shocked speechless, something that was particularly difficult to do to him.  Peaches *didn't* hate him?  The poof was appalled over what had happened to him and wished it were different?  The only thing his dazed mind could come up with as a response was, "The Angelus who was free after Slutty made you happy wasn't my Sire."

Angel agreed, "No, no he wasn't.  Normally the demon is balanced to some extent by the person a vampire was in life.  When the demon was released after being confined for so long, it went completely insane.  Angelus was much to full of his own self-importance to want to consign the world to Hell.  He would have only been a small fish in a large pond then, instead of the predator of the dominant life form on this planet.  Also, while he might still have flaunted his relationship with Dru in front of your face, he wouldn't have left you in that wheelchair.  Not his favorite childe."

Spike smiled sadly, "Favourite childe?  Favourite childe?  If I was your favourite childe, then why didn't you come back after you got your soul?  Was it because you regretted making me?"  Spike's human insecurities from the time he had been known as William had come to the fore.  Angelus not returning after leaving for Darla and Romania, where he ended up cursed with a soul and becoming Angel, had hurt William deeply.

"No Will, not that.  Never that," Angel corrected gently, "I was ashamed, ashamed of my soul.  I didn't think you would accept me. Darla had already rejected the souled version of me, and if my own Sire couldn't accept me, I had no reason to believe that my childer would either.  I honestly tried to go see you, but every time I started to walk out the door, I thought about what I would feel like if you and Drusilla rejected me as well.  I couldn't handle it.  So I ran away.  I honestly didn't believe that either of you would want me.  Why would you?  After all, I hated myself.  Not only that, but my own *Sire* hated me, why wouldn't my childer hate me as well?"

For the second occasion in a short span of time, Spike was shocked. Angel hadn't come back because he was *afraid* and because he had wanted his childer's approval and acceptance?  The concept was mind- blowing to Spike.  He had never considered Angelus OR Angel to be afraid of anything, let alone something as seemingly insignificant as being afraid of not being accepted.  It rendered Angel strangely approachable and Spike suddenly saw him in a new light.  He's just as insecure in some of the same ways that I am, he thought in wonderment.  Both of us sought approval constantly from our Sires and were rejected by them.  Both of us yearned for our Sires to accept us for who we are, even though they couldn't.  And both of us were afraid to try to ask again for their approval, even though it meant so much.  That's why I didn't go looking for him after he didn't come back all those years ago.  And also why I clung to Dru so tightly, even though she's off her bloody rocker.  She accepted me as I was then...but she couldn't accept me with this sodding chip in my head. Maybe now Angel and I can get along better, now that I understand him a little bit better and know why he didn't return after he was cursed with his soul.  Of course, this doesn't mean that I'm not going to piss the wanker off every once in awhile, but we should be at least able to tolerate each other.  Besides...and I can't believe I'm going to admit this, even to myself, but I missed the bloody poof.  He's closer to being like my Sire was before he was cursed with a soul, but still light-years away from that psychotic bastard from a couple years ago.  I miss what we once had.  The shagging, the talks, the violence...  Oh, I know it won't be like it once was, but still...

Spike came out of his musings suddenly, realizing that he had been staring off into space while Angel waited expectantly for Spike's response to his impassioned explanation.  He gave it to him saying, "Well Peaches, that changes things.  I'm not saying that it'll be like it once was.  It can't be, even if I wanted it to, because we've changed in the last century.  But still...it definitely changes things."

"For some reason, even as angry as you can make me faster than anyone I know, that makes me feel better.  But for now, why don't we just leave things here and get some sleep?  Sanctuary granted."

"Thank you Sire," Spike responded formally.  "Now where can I get some sleep?  It's been a bloody long night."

"You can take the suite down the hall from mine," Angel offered, "it's one of the few that are fairly clean and it has sheets and a new mattress.  Cordy thought it would be a good idea to have a few rooms fixed up in case there were clients or somebody who needed to stay the night.  This way," and Angel proceeded to lead Spike downstairs.  He indicated where his suite was, and then pointed to a door across the hall and slightly to the left. "Your room is there." With that, he opened the door to his own room and shut himself in to prepare for his delayed daylight rest.

Spike opened the door to Room 217 and took a look at his new home. The decor wasn't much to look at.  It hadn't be modernized, leaving the room looking like a frozen tableau of 1950's interior decorating.    Whoever had originally decorated the hotel had done a good job however.  They had managed to avoid some of the more annoying and forgettable color schemes and patterns from that era, leaving the room with a more timeless, classical feel.  The walls were a pale blue and the carpet was a neutral beige color, leaving the room to seem a little bland, but tolerable.  The furniture was the only thing that really gave away the age of the decor.  It hadn't been changed, so the styles were about 45 years or so out of date. The only new additions to the room were the bed and the set of black satin sheets it was made-up with.  Still, the bed was not so out of place as to jar the tone and feel of the room.  Spike took off his clothes, took a shower, and then came out and sat down on the bed. He'd sleep, but first he had plans to make. He needed to plan the seduction of his witch and he needed to figure out what he was going to do to thank her for getting him out of jail.  Hmmm... he pondered that last bit.  I think she needs a pet.  Witches have familiars after all, and I call her pet often enough.  Yes, that'll do nicely, he decided.  I'll start looking for one as soon as it gets dark.  One plan formed, Spike went to sleep to dream of his red-haired witch.

~Part: 4~

Willow woke up unusually late.  When she opened her eyes, the clock on the nightstand read 2:00 pm.  She had arrived at Cordelia's place shortly after 6 that morning, pulled on her nightgown, and fallen into bed, going to sleep almost the instant that her head had hit the pillow.  She had been asleep for nearly eight hours.  Willow was aghast.  She *never* slept that long!  Eight hours was about twice the amount Willow's body normally required to function properly.  On second thought, however, Willow calculated that her body had probably needed two days worth of rest after what she had been through the previous night.  So when thought of that way, Willow wasn't too worried or surprised by her body needing so much rest.  I should probably go over to Angel's as soon as possible however, she thought.  I need to do some work for Angel, keep Cordelia from touching the filing system, and there's no telling how close Angel and Spike are to killing each other by now, if they haven't tried to already.  That thought worried Willow, so she went through her preparations as quickly as humanly possible.  She quickly brushed her teeth, took a shower, threw on the first set of clothes she could find, put her hair back in a ponytail without bothering to dry it, and rushed out the door a mere twenty minutes after having made the decision to go to work.

Willow arrived at the hotel a scant five minutes later.  She stopped just inside the doors, surprised that the hotel *didn't* resemble a war zone.  She had honestly expected that Angel and Spike resolving their issues would have involved a lot of furniture and other objects breaking.  At the very least, there should have been some signs of the fighting that must have inevitably occurred, but there was none. Of course, she observed silently, they *have* had enough time to have cleaned it up by now.    Maybe that's what they did.  Willow continued through the hotel on her way to the space occupied by the computers, desks, files, and Cordelia's workspace, which had been affectionately renamed 'the Bermuda Triangle.'  This was chiefly due to the amazing ability things had to disappear and not necessarily be found if they ended up anywhere near Cordy's desk.  She reached her own desk, sat down, turned on the computer, greeted Cordy pleasantly, and then asked, "Have you seen Angel around lately?"

"I think he got up a little while ago, but he hasn't shown his face here yet," Cordelia replied, "If you want to talk to him about something though, you could just go knock on his door."

"Uh...no, that's okay," Willow said rather uneasily, a tell-tale flush spreading across her face and neck.  "It's not really that important, I'll just talk to him when he comes up for the day."

Cordelia, having seen Willow's blushing, knew that something was up. She looked at Willow suspiciously and said, "Okay girl, what's going on here?  Spill!"

"What?  Going on?  Nothing's going on," Willow denied, "Nope, nothing going on here, no siree.  No new monsters, no new boyfriends, no apocalypses, no Spike..."

"Wait a minute," Cordy interjected.  "Spike?  Spike's here?  Here like, here in Los Angeles, or here as in, here at Angel's?  And why didn't you *tell* me he was here?"

"I, uh..." Willow started to stammer out some sort of explanation. She was saved however, by a voice which suddenly interrupting her, saying, "See 'ere pet, what'd you do to make Red blush?  Don't you know that I'm the only one who gets to do that?  Or you at least have to wait until I'm here before you make her blush, so that I can enjoy it."

With those words, Willow's blush, which had faded to almost nothing, intensified.  She cursed the fair skin that made it so easy to determine when she was blushing.  She also cursed the blond vampire who was the cause of so many of them.  And she figured that while she was cursing things, she might as well curse the fact that vampires couldn't blush, making it impossible for her to turn things around and do the same thing to Spike that he did to her.  However, retaliation of some sort was definitely called for.  Willow decided to consider her many, many options, though, before retaliating.  She had plenty of time to think it over.  After all, Spike was staying for awhile.  Still, even knowing that she was going to get him back for it, she really didn't appreciate how he deliberately made her blush all the time.  "Stupid blonde vampire," she muttered, softly enough that Spike was the only one who heard.

Cordelia did not react well to Spike's sudden appearance from the depths of the hotel.  Saying that she didn't react well is an understatement akin to saying that Angel losing his soul wasn't a good thing.  What really happened is Cordelia freaked.  Not in a small, 'oh look, the world's going to end... again' kind of a way, but in a gigantic, 'oh my god there was a one-day 75% off all merchandise sale at Neiman-Marcus and I just missed it by five minutes' kind of a way.  "Spike!" Cordelia shrieked, "What are you doing here?  You haven't come to eat us, have you?  'Cause if you have, I'm going to be seriously ticked off.  I'm going shopping with Willow, and I'm finally going to be able to make sure that she doesn't buy a single thing that's fuzzy."

"Oh, well if that's why you want to live, luv," Spike said, "then I guess I'll have to allow you to continue breathing.  As long as you promise that you'll make her get something in leather, that is.  I've been wanting to see that for a very long time."

"Spike!" Willow exclaimed, punching him hard on the shoulder, "You shouldn't tease Cordy like that.  You know you can't kill her!  Even if you weren't chipped, Angel would dust you if you did."

"Aw, come on pet," Spike cajoled, "No one's afraid of me anymore. You have to let me have my fun when I can, it happens so seldom nowadays.  It's been so long since I've smelled that lovely aroma of fear in a mortal."

Willow instantly felt sympathetic towards Spike.  It had to so be hard for him to not be able to do the things that normal vampires did.  Courtesy of the chip, he was subjected to nearly the same restrictions Angel had, but without the addition of a soul. Additionally, Angel had made the choice to help people, and not harm them unless there were special circumstances.  Spike fought evil because he couldn't feed or hurt humans physically and there were few other outlets for him to pacify the demon's need for violence and blood.  All in all, it must be very difficult for him.  "Look Spike," Willow said, softening her original annoyed tone, "I know it must be hard for you with the chip and all, but could you please make an effort to be nice to people and not scare them while you're here? How long *are* you going to be here, anyway?"

"All right pet," Spike conceded, "I'll try to be nice, seeing as 'ow you asked so nicely an' all.  But I refuse to be nice to the Poof.  'E isn't a person, and he needs to be mocked to drag his sorry arse out of brooding mode.  And I'll be here until I decide to leave.  Peaches is letting me stay and I really need to be far, far away from the git and Anya if I don't want to enjoy constant head- splitting pain.  Those two would drive anyone to murder, even if they weren't a vampire to begin with."

Cordelia laughed.  She couldn't help it.  She related well to the sudden migraines, the desire to snap Angel out of being brood-boy, and the urge to kill Xander.  *Especially* to the urge to kill Xander.  Maybe Spike wasn't so bad after all.  He didn't like Xander or Anya, thought the Slayer was a slut (a theory Cordelia also subscribed to), and thought Angel brooded entirely too much.  Yes, she could get to like this vamp.  "I think I like you Spike," Cordelia stated.  "We seem to have a lot in common.  And even though you can't hurt me, I'll still try to convince Willow to get something in leather.  She'd probably look awesome in it, if we steer away from the whole skanky Vamp Willow image, that is."

"Vamp Willow?" Spike inquired, smelling an interesting tale.  "When was Willow ever a vampire?"

"Uh, guys, can we not discuss that?" Willow pleaded, embarrassed, which caused her to blush again.  Just what she needed to be reminded of, the time when her vampire doppelganger from an alternate universe came to visit and the havoc she had wreaked.  "I would really rather forget that that ever happened and that Vamp Me ever existed.  I'll call in the favor Spike owes me for last night, if I have to, just to get you guys off that subject."

Spike decided that he liked this chit.  She had taste, and knew things about the moron, the rest of the Sunnydale crew, and his witch that Spike had never heard of before.  All in all, it was quite fascinating and he had come to the conclusion that he would do well to befriend the chit.  Besides, she had quite a mouth on her, something Spike admired quite a bit.  It was part of the Slayer's charm as well...and Spike couldn't believe that he had just thought something complimentary about Slutty of all people.  Spike leaned towards Cordelia's ear and whispered low enough that Willow couldn't hear, "I'll ask and you can tell me later when she's not around to ruin it."  He then acquiesced to Willow's demand, "Okay luv, I won't discuss that anymore.  But I still have to thank you properly for helping me last night, don't I?"

When those last words had left his mouth, Spike suited action to his words.  He meant to thank the witch *very* properly.  So properly, in fact, that any thoughts she might be harboring about his Sire would be driven straight out of her head, along with all her other thoughts, until the only thing she was thinking about was him.  So he moved with vampiric speed, gathered her into his arms, and kissed her soundly.  Spike didn't have to wait long for Willow to respond fervently to his kiss.  Once she had, he had no intention of letting his mouth move from the witch's until either she needed air, the roof came crashing down on top of them, or someone (probably Peaches, the wanker) forcibly removed him from his Red.  Personally, Spike was hoping to not have to let her go until the first option occurred.  He really wanted to be able to say that he literally made her breathless, but if he did it for too long, she'd pass out, and an unresponsive Willow wasn't his idea of fun.  Bloody hell.  Red's lips were absolutely delicious.  He could kiss her, and them, for hours on end.  He just hoped that she'd let him kiss her more, that she wouldn't get offended and storm off after this incredibly wonderful kiss was over.

Willow's mind was in turmoil.  The miniscule portion of her brain that could think, anyway.  The rest of it was lost in the intensely pleasurable sensation of Spike's kiss.  The kiss was putting her brain on sensory overload.  The overwhelming portion of her mind had very few thoughts.  They were all something along the lines of, 'Mmm...Spike smoochies.  Good.'  The other portion of her mind was in a veritable tizzy.  The thoughts from that section went, 'Oh Goddess, Spike's kissing me.  Me!  I didn't even think he *liked* me.  But I must've been wa-ay wrong on that point.  I can *feel* how much he likes me.  What am I saying?  Since when do I like Spike? Well, he does have those marvelous cheek-bones.  And he's really got that bad-boy Billy Idol thing going for him.  Oh!  But what about Angel?  I like him too.  Oh dear, I like them both.  What's worse, I like them both equally well.  There's no way I can choose between the two.  I don't suppose I could have them both?  Ooooh, naughty Willow!  No, there's no way they'd ever agree to that.  They hate each other too much for that to ever work.  It'd be far too close to what happened with Drusilla for comfort.  Willow, you have just seriously complicated your life.  You're in love, well, serious lust at the very least, with two immortal vampires, one whom you can't have sex with because of the curse on his soul and the other with a chip in his head who hates the other vampire vehemently.  You are so screwed.  There is no way you're going to get to be with both of them.  Yet how can I possibly choose?  They're both so special in different ways.  And you *really* need to breathe now.'

Her internal discussion was put on hold by the more pressing need her lungs were broadcasting for oxygen.  Her mind took the option to wait and see how things progressed, rather than making a decision involving which of the two vampires she should choose.  Willow admitted to herself that it was a cowardly thing to do, but she really just could not possibly choose between the two.  It was too hard of a decision to make.  She didn't want to give either of them up.  She pulled her lips slightly away from Spike's and took in a huge, gasping breath of air to satisfy the demands of her lungs.  "Oh my," she murmured.  Abruptly remembering where she was and the fact that Cordelia had been watching the entire exchange with a mixture of amusement, envy, and amazement on her face, Willow drew out of Spike's embrace and turned a very bright shade of red.  She stammered a bit, trying to jumpstart her brain, "Uh....uh, C-Cordy?  Let's go shopping now."

"Wow, Blondie," Cordelia replied, "That must've been some kiss.  You made Willow *volunteer* to go shopping.  Well, I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.  C'mon Wills, we'll just go downstairs and tell Angel we're leaving, snag his gold card, and be out of here in no time."  With that, she headed downstairs, leaving Willow to follow as quickly as she could in her wake.  Willow had no intention of being alone in a room with Spike anytime soon.  It was bad enough that he had short-circuited her brain with just a kiss and in front of Cordelia no less.

Angel didn't have to answer the door; Cordelia hadn't bothered to knock.  She just opened it, looked around until her eyes lit upon Angel, and then announced, "Willow and I are going shopping for some non-fuzzy clothes.  Hand over the credit card."  She put out her hand expectantly.  Angel, used to Cordelia's demands when it came to shopping, opened his wallet and pulled it out without hesitation.

He handed the card over to Cordelia saying, "Try not to max it out this time, and remember to actually get clothes for Willow to wear, not just things for yourself."

Cordelia grinned, "Oh, I'll be sure to get some stuff for Willow.  I promised Spike she'd get some leather."

Angel fumed.  How *dare* Spike demand that Cordy get clothes for Willow?  He'd stake his impudent childe for such a demand.  He took a minute to think about the image of Willow in leather.  It was an extremely pleasant image.  On second thought, maybe he wouldn't stake Spike, although Angel had to wonder why Spike wanted to see Willow in leather.  Maybe he'd just beat him instead.  Angel took a moment to subtly smell the scents in the air.  He smelled the enticing, delicious aroma of Willow's arousal, as well as...Spike?  He growled inaudibly.  His childe had designs on *his* Willow!  That just wouldn't do.  He reacted to Spike's scent on Willow like it was a challenge, and before he even consciously knew what he was doing, he was kissing Willow.

Willow was in shock.  She was being kissed for a second time by a second vampire in the space of a few minutes.  Again, the majority of her brain seemed to have vacated her head, leaving only the thoughts of 'Mmm...Angel.  Lips.  Kiss.  Yummy,' behind.    This was turning out to be an interesting day.  She couldn't help but notice the differences between the two kisses she had received thus far. Angel's kiss was softer, more hesitant, almost a gentle coaxing. Both kisses were equal in power and in the effect they had on Willow, however.  Angel's lips felt different than Spike's had.  Both were equally scrumptious though.  Again Willow kissed and was kissed until she needed to breathe.  She pulled an inch or so away from Angel's lovely lips and stood staring up at him in shock while she caught her breath.  When she had sufficient air to make words, she tried to stutter out either a question or some sort of apology/explanation, "Uh, um, er, Angel...eep!"  She gave up, whirled around, and ran out of the room as if the hounds of Hell were on her heels.

"Well Angel," Cordelia observed, "That was certainly interesting. Why does Willow get all the hot dead guys?  See you later, I have shopping to do."  She too, turned around and left, but without fleeing.  She walked out.  She didn't have two vampires lusting after her body after all.  Too bad.  Oh well, she had other people of the non-dead kind she could date.  Cordelia smiled in anticipation. Shopping should be a fun experience.  She eagerly headed toward the car where she knew Willow would be waiting.  She was looking forward to driving a couple of vampires crazy with lust with the clothing she was going to buy for Willow to wear.  Life around here was going to get interesting.

Angel didn't know what had come over him.  He had kissed Willow.  Not only had he kissed Willow, but he had done it both because he wanted to and because Spike had already kissed her first.  He'd been incredibly jealous.  Now if only he could figure out exactly which one he had been jealous of.  He sighed unnecessarily.  "Great, just great," he muttered, "You royally screwed up, Angel.  You kissed Willow before she was ready for it and she fled from you.  She probably thinks you're a complete jerk now."  He sighed once more. He was going back to bed.  There wasn't anything he could do about it now, anyway.  He'd have to wait until they came back from shopping to...not apologize, he wasn't really sorry for kissing Willow, in fact, he had enjoyed it immensely, but to explain.  Yes, he'd explain that he regretted pushing her into something she wasn't ready for by kissing her, but that he wanted to continue to build their relationship, even if they had to take it very slowly until she was used to the idea of them having a relationship.  She probably still thought of him as belonging to Buffy.  And while it was true that he would always have a little bit of a soft spot in his heart for Buffy, things had changed.  Buffy had made an effort to move on with her life, and he wasn't going to disrupt that.  In reality, he knew that their relationship would never have worked.  It was impossible for them to be together, not because he could lose his soul, but because the half of him that was a demon would never have accepted a Slayer as its mate.  Willow, on the other hand, was another story altogether.  Both his demon, Angelus, and his soul were accepted unconditionally by Willow and they in turn accepted her as well. Both halves of him could be happy with this one person.  Angel doubted that there was another person in this world which both sides of him could accept without protest.  It was why Willow was so special to him.  But since he couldn't possibly explain anything to Willow now, he was going to go back to bed.  Maybe if he was really lucky he'd dream about her.

Spike was ecstatic.  He had kissed Willow, she had kissed him back passionately, *and* he had kissed her before Peaches had.  He was feeling decidedly smug.  Yes, his seduction was going very well.  Now he just had to go find Willow a pet that reflected how very special she was.  Spike pondered over that one.  Where could he possibly find a pet for Willow that would suit her, and yet show her how special she was to him?  Spike knew that no *ordinary* pet would do.  It was beginning to look as if finding Willow a pet might be a more difficult job than he'd originally thought.  He was sure that he was up to the task.  He couldn't wait to get started, in fact.  Spike looked toward the door, instinctively knowing that the sun was still in the sky.  It was only 3 pm or so, and the early summer meant that the sun wouldn't go down for awhile yet.  Spike decided he'd take the sewers and see what he could find without turning to ash.

Spike wandered through the sewers, searching for a manhole that would allow him access to an alley, so that he could get out into the street without setting himself on fire.  Finally he found one.  "About bloody time too," he muttered.  He really didn't know how the poof stood the smell.  Sometimes enhanced senses were a bloody inconvenient thing to have.  He cautiously lifted the cover, warily looking for stray beams of light.  Finding none, he slid the cover to the side and levered himself out of the hole.  He looked around to get his bearings.  To his surprise, he was in Chinatown, if he was to judge from the architecture and the smells.  He hadn't ventured here much when he had been in Los Angeles previously.  He didn't really like Chinese.  Eating Chinese people was a lot like Chinese food...you were always hungry half an hour later.  So he looked around with interest at his surroundings.  There seemed to be a quaint shop of some sort next to him down a stairwell that didn't seem to ever get any light.  "Might as well try there.  You never know with these Chinese, it could be a pet shop for all you know," Spike said to himself.  "Besides, it's right there, and even if they don't have pets, you might find something Willow would like.  You have nothing better to do with your time anyway."

Spike shrugged and proceeded down the stairs.  There was a door with a light over it at the bottom off to the left.  There was a sign in Chinese above the door.  Spike hadn't the slightest idea what it said, so he went inside.  The interior of the shop was very dim.  It wasn't really a problem for Spike, he had excellent night vision.  It was filled with dark carvings of an Oriental nature and some strange things even Spike had never seen before.  It didn't look like there were any animals here.  Spike was about to turn around and leave the shop when he heard a beautiful noise.  It sounded like someone was singing, but he'd never heard singing like this before.  It was a high, sweet, clear, wordless warbling.  Spike was immediately enchanted.  He knew Willow would be too.  Whatever was making that noise was the perfect pet for Willow.  He looked around for the proprietor.

Spike almost missed the old man; he blended into his merchandise so well.  He approached the man he supposed was the proprietor.  He was almost the stereotypical old, Chinese man.  He was smoking a long, thin pipe.  He had a long white beard, small black eyes, and flowing white hair.  He was dressed in a dark silk thing that had a Chinese characters brushed over it.  Finally, after looking him up and down curiously, Spike asked, "What was that thing that was singing, mate?"

"Mogwi," replied the old man.

"Mo what?" Spike repeated.  "What's that?"

"Mogwi," stated the old man again, "He verry special.  Onwy one." With that, the man produced a cage from somewhere behind him.  He set it on the counter and opened the cage.  Spike watched avidly for something to appear from it.  A small, furry thing with enormous ears, like a bat or one of those little Mexican dogs came out.  It had tiny hands and walked on two rather flat feet.  Its fur was white with brown patches.  It was really a rather amusing little thing.  It was absolutely perfect.  Cute, cuddly, and sang so prettily.  Willow was going to love it.

"Alright, I'll take 'im," Spike said decisively.  "'Ow much?  And does 'e have another name?"

"Mogwi no for sale.  He verry dangerous," the old man said firmly.

"Come on, mate, everything has a price.  'Ow much?"

The old man looked at Spike craftily.  You could almost see him adding figures in his head, trying to determine a price Spike wouldn't possibly pay for a pet.  Finally he reached a price.  "Ten thousand dollar," he stated, knowing no one in their right mind would pay that much for a pet.

"Done," Spike said immediately.

The man almost keeled over from shock.  He couldn't believe anyone was willing to pay that much for the small mogwi.  But he had set the price, and since the man was willing to pay it, he couldn't go back on his word.  "Awright," he finally conceded, "But you must fowwow the rules.  Rule 1:  No bwight light.  Sunlight kills, bright light hurts.  Rule 2:  Never Ever get wet.  No Water!  Rule 3:  Do not feed after midnight.  Fowwow rules and everything fine.  Mogwi name Gizmo."

"Gizmo, huh?" Spike said, "Well, it's a good a name as any I suppose.  Okay, so no bright light or sun, no water, and no food after midnight.  Anything else?"  The old man shook his head.  "Alright then, let's get him paid for mate.  I got a girl who's going to love him."

~Part: 5~

Spike completed his transaction with the old Chinese man as swiftly as possible before gathering up his purchase. He couldn't wait to see the expression on Willow's face when she saw her new pet. He was as excited as a kid in a candy store or a vampire in a mall with lots of patrons and locked doors. He was almost bouncing as he made his way out of the strange store, up the stairs, and back into the alley he had started in. He looked at the sky. He must have been in that store for longer than he'd thought; the sun was already down. It was just one more bonus for Spike though; it meant he didn't have to take the sewer back to Angel's place, something he'd rather avoid. As it was, he could *still* smell the lingering stench that was the sewers on his clothes and body. He was definitely taking a shower, first thing, when he got home if Willow wasn't back yet. Home? Wait a bloody minute...when did I start thinking of the poof's pad as home? The trend of his thoughts were starting to alarm Spike, so he shrugged them off and started in the general direction where he thought Peaches' place was, the cage with Gizmo swinging gently at his side.

Spike was glad that he knew the general direction he needed to go in. It would be really bloody embarrassing for him to have to call the poof up and ask for directions. Besides, asking for directions in general was an affront to his manly pride. It would've been ten times more humiliating if he actually had to call up *Peaches* and ask for help. He quickly left Chinatown behind and found some more familiar surroundings. He knew where he was in Los Angeles now and could find where he needed to go. Maybe he'd see some other store on his way back that would catch his fancy. After having that thought, Spike avidly regarded his surroundings, looking for another store that might be interesting to poke through. Suddenly, Spike's eye was caught by a display in one of the store windows. Spike grinned wickedly. It would do perfectly as a gift for the poof. He could just imagine what *his* reaction to such a gift would be. Spike hurried into the store and made his purchase, grinning all the while at the thought of what Peaches would say when he saw his gift.

Spike continued home, looking eagerly for a second store that would provide a perfect gift for someone, but was disappointed in his endeavor. The rest of his return trip was uneventful and nothing jumped out at him as a good present. Spike was happy with the purchases he had made, however, and wasn't too worried about not being able to find any more interesting presents. He walked into the hotel in a marvelously good mood, with a bounce in his step and a song in his unbeating heart. Okay, so the song *was* "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones, but at least it was a song. He looked around for Willow, impatiently wanting to give her the present he'd picked for her. He didn't see her. Spike assumed that Willow hadn't returned from shopping with Cordelia yet. After all, the cheerleader was a tireless mall shopper. She could have happily spent days in the mall if she had the money and they didn't ever close. So Spike supposed he really shouldn't be surprised that they hadn't come back yet, although that didn't make him any less irritated that his Red wasn't there to be given her present when he wanted to give it. Grumbling, he decided that he might as well give the poof his present, seeing as how Red wasn't around. He headed towards the kitchen, where he could hear the microwave running. He'd nick some of Peaches' blood while the great poof opened his present. The poof had plenty of money after all; he could spare the blood.

"Hi honey, I'm home," Spike half-sang. He smirked, adding, "I always thought that was a bloody trite, annoying, and unimaginative way to announce your presence. Looks like I was right, too. Would've been much more original if I would've tap-danced into the room or something. Warm me up some blood Peaches."

"Get it yourself, Spike," Angel replied with annoyance. "I'm not your personal manservant."

"Hey now! Is that any way to treat someone who got you a present?" Spike said affronted. "Maybe you don't deserve your present if you're going to be that way about it."

"Alright, alright," Angel capitulated with a sigh. "I'll warm you up a cup of blood." He broke open a package, dumped the contents into a coffee mug, place the cup into the microwave, and hit the appropriate buttons. "Now where's my present? Whatever possessed you to get me one in the first place, Spike? It's not as if you actually like me or anything."

Spike grinned, "It was an impulse. I saw it in the store window and it just shouted 'Perfect for Peaches' to me." Spike handed the bag containing his present to Angel, accepting the warmed cup of blood in return. "Now go on and open it," he said with poorly concealed anticipation.

Angel looked at the bag that was now in his hand with not a little amount of curiosity. Spike had gotten him a present. Spike *never* got him presents. Well, not ones that weren't screaming human beings anyway, and it'd been a good century since the last time that had happened. He was torn between being touched at the gesture and wary of some sort of trick. He supposed that the best way to resolve this internal conflict was to just open the bag.

Angel slowly opened the bag and withdrew its contents. In his hands, he held a book. He looked at the title with a combination of irritation and bemusement. "How to Win Friends & Influence People? Is there a reason you've delved into the world of self-help books, Spike?" he queried.

"You need to snap out of the whole brood-boy deal, Angel," was Spike's response. "The way I see it, if you manage to find some friends, you might not run around going 'woe is me' all the bloody time. Obviously the ones you've got now aren't doing the job. You're just as broody and poofy as ever."

A wicked gleam came into Angel's eye. "Constantly brooding with bad friends, am I? Well, it's nice to know that you care so much, Spike. In fact, I'm going to have to thank you for such a thoughtful gesture." That said, his hand came up to the back of Spike's neck, pulled Spike towards his lips and kissed him. Thoroughly, and with a lot of tongue involved.

Spike was in shock. Peaches was kissing him! Angelus kissing him wasn't a terrible shock, it was expected and wanted in fact, but Spike hadn't thought that the souled version found him to be more than an annoyance. It was nice to be kissed by his sire again, yet disturbing at the same time. Spike had thought that he was over the brunette, but this kiss was proving him to be a liar, even to himself. Spike realized that he still wanted and desired Angel. Perhaps more so, now that he wasn't psychotic like he'd been after sleeping with the slayer and losing his soul. He was a lot closer to the original Sire that he remembered from before he was cursed. Still, it was nice, fantastic actually, and Spike pushed all of his thoughts out of his head in order to simply enjoy being kissed.

Angel was enthralled by the subtle textures of Spike's lips. It had been entirely too long since he'd kissed Spike. Angelus hadn't been real big on kissing Spike; he'd been more involved with making the Slayer pay and mentally and physically torturing Spike. Oh, and stalking Willow. He'd been big on that too. He dragged Spike closer to him, deepening the kiss and dueling with Spike's tongue. Angel felt as if he could happily continue doing this forever. There was no need for either of them to breathe, hence no reason why they should ever stop kissing. He fell into the kiss and let all thought stop.

They probably would have kissed until time stopped and the Earth was swallowed by the Sun, except for one tiny thing: the sudden, sharp intake of breath heard by both vampires. Angel and Spike simultaneously pulled out of their kiss and looked towards the disturbance. Willow stood there, pinned by their gazes with a deer in headlights look on her face. "Willow!" they exclaimed together. Then they ran out of things to say. What were they supposed to tell Willow? They both loved the girl and didn't want to hurt her feelings. They didn't even know where this new/old relationship of theirs was going yet. They stayed there, in their frozen tableau, waiting for something to break the silence.

Willow didn't know what to say either. She'd dropped off her purchases in her room at Cordelia's place and then returned to Angel's, intending on getting some work done that she'd neglected after shopping all day, only to walk in on Angel & Spike passionately kissing! She didn't know what to feel. They were so beautiful together, a study in contrasts. However, she felt more than a twinge of jealousy. She'd thought after those kisses that Spike and Angel were interested in *her* not each other! She must have been mistaken, though. 'You little fool,' Willow chastised herself. 'Whoever would they want you when they could have each other?' Suddenly, Willow became aware of the fact that she had just interrupted a moment between the two vampires and that they might like to go back to what they had been doing. "Oh! Umm...I-I-I'll just go back to Cordelia's and leave you two alone," she finally stammered out. She turned around and started walking through the door, intending on giving the two some privacy so they could do...whatever.

"Willow wait!" came the command, which halted her in her tracks. "We need to talk to you." It figured that Angel would be the first one to snap out of it and respond to her words.

"Yeah, pet," Spike concurred, "And I've got a prezzie to give to you too."

"Alright." Willow turned around and found a chair in the kitchen. "Sooo...talk or present first?"

"I think we'd better give you your present first luv and then we'll have a serious chat." Spike looked around at the kitchen thoughtfully and then turned off one of the halogen lamps, making the room a bit darker. He retrieved the cage from the floor where it had been nearly dropped and forgotten in the kiss. "`Ere you go luv, one present. Hope you like it," he added, somewhat shyly.

Willow looked at the metal box-like object with holes curiously, wondering what Spike thought was an appropriate present. She slowly opened the door to the box, wondering what could be inside. To her surprise, she didn't need to reach in to find out what the box contained...it came out to meet her instead! "Ohhh...it's so cute!" she crooned. "What is it and what's its name?"

"The old man at the shop said it was a Mogwi and that his name is Gizmo luv," Spike answered. "Seeing as 'ow you're a witch an all, I figured you could use a pet. There are a few rules that go along with his care though. Bright light hurts him, and, like vampires, sunlight will kill him. Never get him wet, and finally, never ever feed him after midnight, no matter how much he begs or how much he cries."

"Hmm... Those are some strange requirements, but I think I can handle them. He's absolutely adorable!" Willow gushed. "Thank you Spike, I like him *so* much." She leaned over and kissed Spike lightly on the cheek in thanks and then blushed at her own actions. She shouldn't be kissing Spike at all, even on the cheek as a thank-you. He had Angel after all, no need for her to be lusting after either of them.

"And now it's time for that promised talk, Willow," Angel said. "What do you think that kiss you saw between Spike and I means?"

"Umm...well," Willow said hesitantly, her face as red as a radish. "Do I have to talk about this?" she begged, "Can't you just tell me so I don't have to discuss this?" She was foiled by the shake of Angel's head. "I guess it means you like each other in a lusty way and you're sort of a couple?"

"And where do you think you fit into this equation?"

"Uhhh...I don't? I mean if you guys are together, then I'm happy for you both. I don't see how I'd fit into any of it, it's just between the two of you," Willow replied.

"See, pet, now that's where you're wrong," Spike corrected. "You fit very nicely into this equation. The equation being You + Me + Peaches = Utter Bliss. There are a few bumps to be worked out of it before the equation is perfect mind you, but that's the general idea."

"You want all of us to be a...couple?" Willow asked, rather confused. "Angel? Did you and Spike talk about this earlier and agreed to it?"

"No, Spike and I haven't discussed this, but he's right, I'd probably be as close to Heaven as I'll ever come if I had both of you. Of course, before that could ever happen, we'd have to find a way to anchor my soul or nullify the clause, but I'd be willing to wait and take it slow until that happens."

"But what about Buffy?" Willow almost whined. "What about your feelings for her and the whole soul mates forever thing? And oh Goddess, what will she say when she finds out about the three of us? She'll *kill* me and stake you both!"

Both Spike and Angel caught Willow's slight slip, but decided not to draw attention to it. They couldn't help smiling a little and giving each other a glance which spoke volumes, however. Willow had already accepted the three of them as a unit, but only her subconscious knew it so far. They just had to take it slow, do a little more coaxing and reassuring, and she would be theirs. Spike and Angel were a little apprehensive about sharing her, because of how the sharing had ended up last time with Drusilla. However, each man had privately vowed to make it work this time. Willow wasn't anything like Dru, she loved whole-heartedly and wouldn't end up having one person she greatly preferred over the other like Dru had. Drusilla had been so obsessed with Angelus that Spike had generally been an afterthought. Even after he had been cursed with a soul and had left them both, Spike had been constantly subjected to her whining about her 'Daddy'. It had gotten right bloody annoying after 50 years or so. He'd put up with it, but after she'd left him for that nasty chaos demon, he wouldn't listen to any more of her whining if someone had paid him with the blood of the slayer to do it. Well...maybe if they offered that, but only if he was allowed a set of earplugs. And if there was a time limit restricting the amount of time he had to listen to her insane ramblings. Then he'd have to seriously consider it.

"Calm down Willow," Angel soothed the redhead. "Buffy won't be staking or killing any of us. She has Riley now, she can't complain because I found some people to love. Buffy has moved on, and things were never the same between us after she sent me to Hell. I loved Buffy, but there's just too much bad history for us to ever work through in her lifetime. It took Spike nearly a century to get over me leaving him, Buffy doesn't have that much time to forgive and forget. She'll probably always have a tiny piece of my heart, but she's a love that is in the past. You and Spike are my future now, if you'd like to be."

"I'm so confused," Willow said, almost pleading for help with her tone. "I don't know *what* I feel anymore. Everything is so complicated. There are so many people and things to consider..."

"Luv, all you have to consider is how *you* feel about this," Spike interrupted. "Everyone else can just bugger off. They're not what's important here, we are."

"Oh Spike, I just don't *know*," Willow temporized. "I know I have feelings for you both, but how strong those feelings are and their exact nature I just don't fully understand yet. I need some time. Time to think about this, what it means, and other things. You know me, I always have to think about it."

"All right luv," Spike acquiesced. "Take your pet home, do whatever it is you do with pets, and think about it. Whatever you were going to do will still be waiting for you tomorrow and so will we."

"Spike, and I hate to say this, is right," Angel agreed. "Go home and think, we'll see you tomorrow. You can tell us what you've decided then. Don't worry, Spike and I will be fine and we'll take it slow if you decide that you want to be with us. We've got those obstacles to deal with first, remember?" Angel kissed her lightly on the forehead, and then Spike did the same, deliberately placing his lips exactly where his Sire's had been not a moment before. "Now go, before we change our minds and decide to just torture you with pleasure until you give in."

Willow, recognizing a threat, even one that made goose bumps shiver up her spine from desire, when she heard one, retreated swiftly, cage in hand. She paused briefly at the door on her way out and said, "Thank you again for the pet Spike, he really is lovely." She then left the hotel for Cordelia's house with a lot to think about.

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