~Part: 11~
Friday morning
Angel and Giles were sharing a pot of tea in the Englishman's kitchen, which was rather gloomy as all the curtains had been closed to protect Angel from the morning sunshine which normally filled the room.
The silence was broken by the ring of the telephone, and Giles picked it up hoping fervently that it was not Buffy. "Hello?"
"Giles?"
"Wesley? Do you need to speak to Angel?"
"No, no. I have received some rather disturbing news, and I wanted to let you know immediately. A friend of mine in Boston, who works from time to time for the Council, is currently on his way to Sunnydale to meet with Miss Summers. She has advised the Council that you have, ah, been involved in a demonic ritual and has asked for their assistance in freeing you. She has also told the Council that she has the book, the "Legend of the Servants", and that she has read it."
"Good lord."
"Quite. My friend called me to warn of these developments, as he knew that I was acquainted with you and feared I may be in some danger."
"When will he reach Sunnydale?"
"Not until this evening. But I do not know if he is the only person who the Council has summoned. I would strongly recommend that all of you leave immediately. If the Council really believes what Buffy has told them, then they will know that there is a Servant of Gaia in Sunnydale - a prize indeed if they can somehow get control of her."
"Yes, yes, quite. However I don't think we can travel until dusk, not with Spike and Angel at any rate. But we will do what we can, and we will see you this evening at the latest."
"I will wait here, at the office. Please call if you need anything."
"Yes, yes, we will, thank you Wesley." It occurred to Giles as he hung up that Wesley seemed a little less irritating than normal, but it was a passing thought only as the full weight of the other man's words brought a worried look to Giles' face.
Angel had been increasingly alarmed by the telephone call; he had heard everything that Wesley had said. It seemed that Giles was right about Buffy, she was beyond caring what damage she caused to those around her.
"Did you hear all that?" Giles asked. Angel nodded slowly, saying "If Buffy would call the Council in, she may well have stirred up some other trouble as well. We need to alert Spike and Willow, and get them out of Willow's house. And we need to find a safe place for the four of us until dusk, when we can head to LA."
Giles thought of the possibilities, then asked Angel, "Do you still have your old apartment?"
"Yes, but Buffy knows where it is."
"Ah, but she doesn't know you are involved. And while she may expect Spike to go to the Crawford Street mansion, she wouldn't expect him to go to your old apartment."
"Good idea. You call Willow and Spike, and make it quick. We will drive over now to get them then go straight to the apartment."
While Giles made the call Angel dug out some blankets from a cupboard. Giles hung up and went to bring Angel's car as close to the house as possible, so Angel could dash out with the blanket for cover. Angel moved onto the back seat keeping the blanket over his head, although the tinted windows offered some protection.
They soon reached Willow's house, and Willow and Spike were waiting just inside the door. Willow ran out next to Spike, helping him to keep the blanket over his body as he joined Angel on the back seat. Willow hopped into the passenger seat next to Giles, then looked around to make sure both vampires were properly covered.
"Come on," she said impatiently to Giles, once satisfied that her mates were safe. He seemed to catch her urgency, and they made the trip to Angel's old apartment in record time. Trooping upstairs, Spike asked conversationally, "So why is the great poof here exactly?"
"Giles asked me to come," Angel said calmly, noting the fresh bite marks on both his mates' necks, and the way they kept close together.
"And we appreciate it," said Willow, glaring at Spike's back. "Giles, what exactly is going on? What was the emergency that we had to leave the house so quickly?"
So Giles repeated the information he had received from Wesley, and also explained that there was no way of knowing how many people the Council had sent to Sunnydale. "They would certainly send more than one if they believed what Buffy told them, that a new Servant is being created, well, you can imagine what a prize it would be if they could find some way to control her, or him."
"But how could they hope to control a Servant? I thought in the past the Watchers were very much in the control of the Servants, not the other way around," asked a worried Willow.
"There is a significant difference between dealing with an established group of powerful, immortal magicians and with an individual teenager, who has no understanding of their own powers. Many indeed have suggested that it is for this reason Slayers are usually chosen when girls rather than adults, and then separated from their friends and family, because they are then more, ah, amenable to the control of their Watcher. And, as you know, Slayers usually die before reaching a sufficient maturity to want independence from the Council."
"So the Council wants me to become some sort of brain-washed Super Slayer?" asked an upset Willow.
Spike cursed the Watcher for bringing this up - as if Willow didn't already have enough on her mind. He was trying to think of something to distract her when Angel's calm voice intervened.
"Willow is not alone, as a Slayer is. She has Spike and I to help and protect her. No-one is forcing her, or us, to do anything."
Spike saw Willow visibly relax, and was surprised to feel no resentment at Angel's intervention. <Sometimes that sodding poof actually has his uses> Spike thought grudgingly.
He tentatively listened to the sounds in his head that he now thought of as Willow and Angel. Willow was still upset but feeling safe; Angel was radiating protectiveness and, underneath and so faint that Spike nearly missed it, the strongly repressed rage of his demon that someone was daring to threaten its mates.
<Mates?> thought Spike to himself, but when he tried to find the emotion again it was gone. Shaking his head his hands searched his pockets instinctively, only for him to realise with horror that he didn't have any cigarettes on him - <Bloody Hell!>
"Does this place have a telly?" growled Spike, wondering how he was going to survive a day without nicotine.
"Sorry," said Angel unconvincingly, as he looked around at the spartan interior. He hadn't been inside here for more than a year - not since Willow had restored his soul and Buffy had sent him to Hell. Everything was covered in dust, but the lights still worked and there was running water.
"Well we can't stay here all day like this," said Willow briskly. "There's no food for us humans and no blood or cigarettes for the vamps."
Willow paused for a moment, then came to a decision. "Giles and I will go to the supermarket and to Willy's, to get provisions."
As both Angel and Spike started to protest she raised her hand. "It is daylight, so neither of you can go. If the Council is looking for a vehicle, it will be Giles' car. And Buffy doesn't know what Angel's car looks like so that won't be a problem. The council is looking for Giles so logically I should go alone BUT," and she raised her voice as the objections started again, "Giles and I shall go together instead.
We won't be long, and at least we will have some food. It's a long time until dusk, and I for one haven't eaten since last night."
And ignoring Angel and Spike's identical expressions of displeasure, Willow checked that she had her wallet, then headed to the door with Giles trailing behind her.
Before she closed the door she turned to her mates, showing her resolve face and said sternly, "Behave!"
~Part: 12~
Friday morning
Angel and Spike watched the door close and each felt the silence become louder and louder. Angel tried to remember his feelings of last night, when he'd been confident that he could make things right.
Looking at Spike's set expression, Angel thought even his patience might run out before he could get Spike to accept him as his mate.
"How's Willow taking it? The whole, ah, Buffy thing?"
"How do you think, Peaches? Her best friend has gone psycho and now she's on the run with two demons and a has-been Watcher. Oh yeah, and she's about to play Magic Roulette with a good chance of biting the big one."
Angel let Spike rant on, and when it seemed he had finally run out of steam he heard his demon murmur, <let's play,> and Angel felt a smile of agreement spread over his face.
Spike saw the smile and the hairs on the back of his neck leapt to attention, but before his mind could process this new threat he was thrown to the floor and as he tried to utter a protest a tongue plunged into his mouth while busy hands unfastened his jeans.
Spike squirmed to get free, but stopped when he heard Angel's groans become louder. <The bugger's enjoying it!> Spike realised furiously.
His anger changed abruptly to panic as Angel flipped him so that he was lying face down on the hard floor with an even harder vampire pressing against his back.
Spike gritted his teeth as he felt Angel's fangs tease the nape of his neck before savagely piercing the skin, causing the blonde to growl in mingled pain and lust as his hips jerked uncontrollably.
He could feel Angel smile as he continued to suck against Spike's skin, and Spike moaned as one of Angel's hands reached under him to find Spike already hard - and he soon became harder as Angel stroked him with a firm hand, the familiar feel of his sire's hand bringing back hundreds of memories of nights they had spent together. Angel's hand abruptly removed itself as the precum started to leak from the tip of Spike's swollen member.
Angel collected the fluid on his fingertips and moved his hand to rub it roughly into Spike's hole, enjoying the feel of the tight ring of muscles clenching instinctively at the intrusion. Angel knew it had been a long time since Spike had been taken this way, so he tried to slow himself down, massaging with his fingers until he felt the smaller man begin to relax.
Angel then wasted no time, pulling Spike onto his knees and pushing his head down with one hand while the other hand held his own cock in position at Spike's entrance, resting the tip against the clenched rosebud for a moment before thrusting slowly into Spike's tight hole.
Spike groaned at the invasion - damn, but he always forgot just how big Angel was. Angel hadn't fucked him during the ritual - not his ass, anyway. They hadn't done this since before Angelus was souled, and he was reminded again of those early years when Angelus had been his god, and Spike a mere fledgling trying to impress his grandsire.
As Angel started to thrust harder Spike felt his inner walls tear slightly, unable to stretch far enough to deal with Angel's width. He heard Angel's voice, deep and dark, growl "You're mine Spike. Bound to me by blood and magic. Don't ever forget who you belong to."
Angel's word and the scent of his blood excited them both, and Angel's movements became more frenzied, until both men were growling, in game face, as Angel pounded into Spike's willing form. Angel felt his orgasm approaching with an unstoppable force, and he grabbed Spike's head and turned it, allowing Angel to bite deeply into the side of the vampire's neck, sending both of them spiraling into their release, and reducing both to purrs once the growling had died down.
<After all> reasoned Angel, <actions speak louder than words>.
It took Spike a while to get his brain started again. At first he thought <Now I remember why I put up with Angelus for all those years.> Then <Who'd've thought the poof had it in him?> Then <Hey, what the hell just happened?> Too late he realised he had spoken the last thought out loud.
Angel smiled, and pulled Spike more firmly against him. He licked the still bleeding bite mark on the younger vampire's neck, admiring the raw look of it. "Boy, your memory must be going. Don't worry though, I'd be happy to give you a reminder if you need one."
Spike felt Angel's cock rub against his thigh, growing harder by the minute. He was tempted, but they needed to get cleaned up before Willow and Giles got back, plus he wanted to make sure that Angel knew that just because he might be a good shag didn't mean - well, Spike wasn't sure exactly what it did or didn't mean, he just knew that he belonged to Willow - and he belonged to Angel.
"Sod off" he grumbled, pushing Angel away and climbing to his feet. He groaned as his body totaled its various aches and pains; those two were wearing him out, vampire stamina or not.
"Willow'll be back soon, and the Watcher. Although, I don't know, the git'd probably enjoy the view." And Spike headed to the bathroom, narrowly avoiding Angel's hand as it reached out to swat at him.
When they had both cleaned up, they silently decided to avoid the dusty sofa and sat on the floor, Spike longing for a smoke.
Angel, unable to read Spike's expression, instead looked in his mind to see what the bond showed. He felt the echoes of their recent encounter, pleasure and acceptance, but also uncertainty. He focused on the uncertainty, and saw that it was because of Willow.
Frowning slightly, Angel turned to his mate and asked, "Have you and Willow spoken abut the bond? I mean, since the ritual?"
"No, not really," answered Spike, wondering what exactly Angel was trying to get at and wishing he would get to the point already.
"So you haven't discussed the future, where you are going to live, what you are going to do?"
Spike's nicotine craving was fraying his already worn nerves, now that the lust-induced fog was lifting from his mind. "Look, we're going to do whatever Willow wants. I don't give a toss where we live as long as Willow is there, and I don't care what we do as long as a large part of the day is set aside for shagging. So if you've got a point, just sodding get on with it."
Angel ignored Spike's bad temper with the ease of long practice, and asked him, "And me? Am I going to be there too?"
Spike raised an eyebrow. His life was getting to be more dramatic than a soap. "Peaches, you're my sire and my mate, and I'd as soon shag the both of you as just Willow, plus it'd be nice to have another bloke about. But it's up to Willow. If she doesn't want you there you won't be."
Angel supposed that was as close as he was going to get to a declaration of - well, maybe not love but affection - from Spike. So he moved onto what seemed to be the key to the whole problem. "And what do you think that Willow wants?"
Spike's face made it obvious that he had something to say, but when he spoke Angel's hopes that just for once things would be straightforward were dashed.
"Why don't you fucking ask Willow what she wants? Bloody Hell, what am I, advice for the lovelorn? Sod that." And Spike sat in silence, refusing to look at Angel and deciding that there was nothing he wouldn't do for a packet of Marlboros.
Then he became aware of a feeling in his head, that he took a moment to recognise as Willow. She was very, very scared. Spike looked at Angel in alarm, to see that he had also felt it.
Angel pulled Spike into his comforting embrace as the two sat on the floor, knowing that they could do nothing to help her, forced to simply sit and wait for their mate to return safely.
~Part: 13~
Friday morning
Willow and Giles headed down the stairs from the apartment, both feeling nervous about being separated from the vampires. Giles didn't even want to consider the possibilities of Willow being somehow injured because he couldn't protect her.
Willow could see the worry on his face, and she nudged him gently. "I'm sure we are over-reacting. Even if the Council has sent more people, they will all be heading over to see Buffy. There's no reason to think they will be combing Sunnydale for you, or me, so soon."
Giles knew that logically she was right, but he still found himself nervously scanning their surroundings as they got into Angel's car and headed to the nearest supermarket. They made their selections in record time and stacked the grocery bags in the trunk, both feeling slightly more secure now that they had done half of their job without any trouble.
The next stop was Willy's. Willow had already placed an order when she picked up the blood for Spike yesterday, so they soon found they had finished all their food purchases in less than their designated hour.
Willow looked at Giles appraisingly.
"Giles," she said sweetly, causing him to look at her in alarm. He knew from the wheedling tone in her voice that she was going to make him do something that he really, really didn't want to do.
"Yes?" he said faintly.
"If we're going to go to LA tonight, and well, who knows when we'll be back, I need to take some things with me."
"Willow, I think that Angel has sufficient funds for you to purchase whatever clothing you need when you reach LA."
Willow raised her eyebrows incredulously at the suggestion that she would be worried about clothing at a time like this.
"I need my laptop," she said sternly. "I left it at my parents' house the night I went to see you, before I went to LA. I was in too much of a rush this morning to think of it, but Giles, I need that computer. It's more or less on our way. I will be in and out in two minutes."
Giles was not swayed by her arguments. "No, I think we should just head straight back to the apartment. If it's so important you can go tonight, when we are all together."
"But by then there is a much greater chance of Council people being in Sunnydale, so it will be much more dangerous. Come on Giles, it will only take a minute. If we see anything suspicious, anything at all, we'll just keep driving."
Giles opened his mouth to protest, then decided it would be quicker to just let her get the wretched computer. Muttering under his breath, Giles drove towards Willow's parents' house.
As they approached her block, they saw the street was closed to traffic, with a soldier manning the barricade. Giles and Willow looked at each other, then Giles slowed down next to the soldier.
Willow leaned out of the window, giving her best "I'm so innocent" smile. "Hello, what's going on here? Can we drive through?"
"Do you live here, miss?"
"No, just taking a shortcut home."
"The road will be open soon. Best go another way this time. Please move along now."
"Sure," said Willow with a cheerful smile as Giles drove off. A few blocks later Giles pulled over to the side of the road.
"There is no way that was a co-incidence," said Willow flatly.
"And it clearly wasn't the Council," Giles added.
"So Buffy has called in the Initiative. But they obviously weren't looking for either of us. So that means they're after - Spike."
Willow went cold at the thought of the Initiative re-capturing the blonde vampire. She couldn't believe that Buffy could be so vindictive. She must know that Spike would be tortured and probably killed.
Willow felt panic grip her. Angel's apartment was not safe enough. Buffy knew where it was, and it wouldn't be that hard for her to call LA and find out that Angel was in Sunnydale; even Buffy would be able to work out what he must be doing.
Giles could see Willow's face slowly growing whiter, and he had no doubt what was troubling her. "Buffy would not get too deeply involved with the Initiative. I expect she made an anonymous phone call with your address. There is no way she would expect Spike to be at Angel's old apartment. Besides, if anything happened you would know, wouldn't you? Can you, ah, sense them?"
Acknowledging that Giles' logical approach was more practical than blind panic, Willow made a conscious effort to calm herself, breathing deeply until she felt her heart rate begin to slow.
Then she closed her eyes and looked in her mind for the presence of her mates, instantly reassured when she sensed them, and saw that they were both worried - about her.
Willow felt guilty for upsetting them over nothing, but still, it was nice to know they were worried about her. So far, Willow thought, the whole bond thing was mostly good; she had her own built-in support group.
Willow focused on all her positive feelings for her mates, and tried to visualise sending those emotions through the bond. <Psychic e-mail> she chuckled to herself, before opening her eyes and letting a relieved grin cross her face.
"They're fine," she told Giles. "But they're worried, so we should get back to the apartment."
They made it in record time, grabbing the bags of groceries and heading up the stairs. Willow didn't bother knocking, just opened the door and headed in, only to stop in surprise at the sight of her two mates lying entwined on the floor, apparently asleep.
~Part: 14~
Friday mid morning
Angel and Spike were waiting for Willow to return when they simultaneously felt their heads explode with a burst of emotion. It was as though their minds were stripped of everything, every feeling, every memory, and the only thing they could feel or remember was love - and lust. Then suddenly, the sensation receded and they found themselves in Willow's dreamscape.
"Bloody Hell, not again!" moaned Spike. Then he noticed that just he and Angel were there, which for some reason made him a bit worried. After all, it was Willow's dream; it stood to reason that she should be in it.
Angel put his hand on Spike's shoulder, gently nudging him to draw the younger vampire's attention to the approaching figure of Ms Calendar.
"Greetings," she said calmly.
Spike opened his mouth to reply, but was convinced by the sudden tightening of Angel's hand to stay silent.
Angel waited for a moment, until he was sure Spike was going to co- operate. Then he said, "What just happened?"
"The bond between you is growing stronger. Your mate was experimenting with it."
"Experimenting in what way?" asked Angel, remembering the intensity of emotion that had consumed him.
"She was consciously projecting her emotions through the bond."
Spike's eyes widened as he realised what that meant, and he felt Angel's body stiffen.
"Why is the bond growing stronger?" asked Angel calmly.
"The bond is a reflection of the emotional ties between you. Three strangers can be bond partners, but the bond is weak as is their connection to each other. Do not think that chance brought you together. You were chosen by the First, whether she knows it or not. She is the centre."
"Then why are we here without her?"
"Because you each have a role independent of the First. You are both bound to her, and to each other, and you must think carefully on what that means. There are many troubles ahead, and the three must be as one."
"But you said once that it didn't matter if we were physically together," Angel reminded her, confused at what seemed to be a change in the rules.
"The bond changes, and the stronger the bond is the better for all. Soon your First will reach maturity; the three must be one."
And with that Angel and Spike found themselves lying on the floor in Angel's apartment, looking at Giles' feet.
Angel slowly sat up as Spike scrambled to put some distance between them. "Where's Willow?" they both asked, as Giles reached down a hand to help Angel to his feet.
Spike snickered at the sight. "Need a hand eh, old man?" he asked, only to receive a growl from Willow as she walked in from the kitchen.
"I thought I told you to behave?" she said with mock ferocity, before enveloping Spike in a bear hug. Spike was glad he didn't have to breath; for a little thing she was surprisingly strong.
After a few minutes he felt her relax her grip, and he moved back far enough to look at her face. "Missed me, eh pet?".
Willow grinned at him, and closed the distance between them to claim his lips in a searing kiss. Her hands drifted to squueze his ass before Giles' low cough reminded her of their surroundings.
Unable to control the bright red colour that covered her face, Willow moved away from Spike and ignored his big grin - and the even bigger bulge in his trousers. Willow said a muted "hello" to Angel, then exclaimed nervously, "Blood! I have some blood, cold I'm afraid, but still," and with that she made her escape to the kitchen.
Spike enjoyed the look of resignation on the ex-Watcher's face. "One thing that you've got to admit about Willow, she's got excellent taste in men," he said to Giles, smirking at the look of distaste on Giles' face as he hastily excused himself to help Willow.
Spike turned to Angel, a wise remark on his lips when he noticed Angel's set expression. He remembered Willow's brief "hello", and decided Angel might need a bit of reassurance.
After all, he was starting to think it might be good to have another bloke around to help him with Willow. <I mean,> he thought, <women are hard enough to deal with, with Angel there he can do all the talking and I can do all the shagging. Perfect.>
But first Willow and Angel had to sort out their problems, and he had a feeling it might take a bit more than a rough fuck. So Spike did his best to get Angel motivated.
"Come on mate, chin up. Remember the whole projection thing. Red's crazy about us."
"She's crazy about you," said Angel morosely.
"No, no, well, yeah, obviously, but she likes you too. Come on, don't make me talk like a poof. You know what I mean."
Angel smiled slightly, touched that Spike would make the effort to try and cheer him up. He felt as though he had re-established his connection with his grand-childe, and it had been much easier than he had imagined. But then, Spike had always been too forgiving for his own good when there was a shag involved, thought Angel slyly.
He wondered what Willow would think of he and Spike becoming closer, and whether she would worry that it would effect her relationship with Spike. After all, for all her dealings with vampires Willow was human - well, more or less - and did not have the same lack of sexual restraint as a vampire. It would be only natural for her to feel jealous, Angel decided with a frown.
Spike groaned. "Sodding poof, don't tell me you're going to start brooding."
Angel smacked Spike across the back of the head, relieving both of their tension, and they were chatting aimlessly when Willow entered with two cups of blood and, to Spike's inexpressible delight, a packet of Marlboros.
Spike downed his blood in record time, ripping the packet of cigarettes open and wasting no time in lighting one up, his face a study in pleasure as the smoke filled his long-dead lungs.
While Angel and Spike enjoyed their meal, Willow used the blankets that had previously sheltered the vampires to cover the dusty sofa, giving them at least somewhere to sit. Spike threw himself down on one end, and dragged Willow onto his lap.
Angel motioned for Giles to sit down, and he took the empty mugs into the kitchen. It was not quite noon, which meant they still had several hours to spend here before they could leave. Angel rubbed one hand over his face, dreading the thought of spending such a long period cooped up, with no way of speaking privately to Spike or Willow.
Trying to put his worries about such personal matters from his mind, Angel returned to the others to find out what had happened earlier to upset Willow. When he heard that Buffy had apparently called in the Initiative, he exchanged an alarmed look with Spike.
"Giles, are you sure? I mean surely Buffy knows what would happen to Spike if they captured him."
"And what would happen to Willow," Giles said gravely.
Three pairs of eyes stared at him. "What do you mean?" growled Spike.
"Well," reasoned Giles, "if they found Spike with a human, ah, consort, who carried marks suggesting he was capable of feeding off a human despite his chip, I imagine they would want to study them both."
Spike wrapped his arms tighter around Willow, growling softly as he licked the bite mark on her neck; his mark. As with most vampires the basic urges were the strongest in times of stress, and the urge to mark Willow again was humming through him.
<Mine> was his only thought, as he tried to think of some way to kill those bastards without setting off his chip. And as he considered his options, he notices Angel's clenched jaw and wondered how much more provoking it would take from Bitchy before Angel decided to take the fight to her. And Angel did not have a chip.
Willow was determined not to dwell on what was happening. Her only priority was to get them all safely to LA as soon as possible. Then Buffy would find out that she had made a poor choice in forcing Willow to become her enemy.
Suddenly something occurred to Willow; Giles had seen her bite marks.
She was half embarrassed and half proud - after all, those marks were the vampire equivalent of a wedding ring, and they showed her as Spike's mate.
Still, since Giles had mentioned it ... "Giles," she asked hesitantly, "do you think that Spike can bite me without the chip going off because, well, because I'm not human anymore?" Willow noted with some pride that she had managed to keep her voice even, despite the nauseous feeling that filled her at the idea of not being human.
"Well," said Giles, sensing that this was probably a sensitive topic, "Spike was unable to attack Buffy in self defence, so we can assume that the chip is still functioning overall. As to your particular case, it may be as you say that the, ah, the ritual has started your change into a Servant, so that the chip no longer recognises you as human."
Seeing the glassy look in Willow's eyes, Giles hurried on. "However that's only one possibility. It may also be that the circumstances in which you were bitten, I mean that you were a willing participant, well, that may be the reason the chip was not activated, because there was no violent intent on Spike's part."
Willow thought this over. Looking over her shoulder at Spike, she asked, "When you had sex with, you know, other humans, did you bite them?"
Spike knew what she was getting at. "Sorry luv, tried but the chip wouldn't let me."
Willow didn't know which was more disturbing, the idea that Spike had wanted to bite Buffy when they had sex, or that Buffy had apparently been willing to let him, or the confirmation that as far as Spike's chip was concerned she was now no longer human - not something that would be a bonus if the Initiative ever did manage to capture her.
But even the frission of fear that ran down her spine at the thought of being subjected to the Initiative's brand of scientific study was not enough to keep her mind clear of the horrible images of Buffy and Spike together - in a naked way.
Willow knew it was ridiculous, <I mean> she thought, <it was my spell that made him do it,> but still she felt jealousy clawing at her. What was it about Buffy anyhow, always taking the men that Willow wanted?
Disturbed at her thoughts, Willow climbed off Spike's lap and said to Giles, "I think I'll make a sandwich, do you want one?" And at Giles nod she headed to the kitchen, hoping some privacy would help her to marshal her thoughts.
~Part: 15~
Friday morning, LA
Wesley and Cordelia had spent most of the morning discussing recent developments. Cordelia was outraged to learn of Buffy's antics. <She just can't stand not being the centre of attention> fumed the former cheerleader.
She also managed to discover from Wesley's ramblings that the loss of the book was serious. She didn't exactly understand why, and it seemed from his vagueness that Wesley didn't either, but she decided this was her chance to do something for Angel.
After all, Angel had saved her, and the world, plenty of times, and in Cordelia's personal opinion he deserved some happiness. Plus with Willow around, she would finally have some female companionship (and she knew there would be plenty of shopping required, because she had seen Willow's idea of fashion and she would make it her personal project to improve the hacker's look to the fullest extent possible with Angel's impressive credit limit). Plus there was the whole eye- candy factor that Spike brought, a definite plus given the limited appeal of most of their demonic clientele.
The end result of her deliberations was that Cordelia soon found herself heading down the highway in a borrowed car, leaving Wesley's protests far behind as she headed for Sunnydale.
Just over an hour and one speeding ticket later, Cordelia pulled up outside Xander's house. It was 11am, and she had no doubt that she would find Xander at home, still sleeping.
Knocking briskly at the door, she gave Xander's mother her best businesslike look and was soon directed to the basement, where as expected she could hear snoring coming from a lump on the bed.
Shaking her head at the unappealing surroundings, Cordelia put her head close to the place on the lump where the snores seemed loudest and yelled "Alexander Lavelle Harris!" She smiled as the lump jerked then tried to rise, instead ending in a sprawled heap on the floor.
Xander finally managed to free himself from his blankets, only to stare in amazement at Cordelia's elegant form towering over him. >From the look on his face he would have been only slightly more surprised to see an extraterrestrial, thought Cordelia impatiently as she nudged him with her foot.
"Come on Xander, get moving, Willow's in trouble, Buffy's gone psycho, time to be a hero, MOVE."
Xander staggered to his feet. Cordelia took a good look and decided it was just as well she was one step ahead. Opening the paper bag she had brought with her, she removed the lid from the plastic cup inside and let the smell of coffee work its magic.
After Xander had pulled some clothes on and drained the cup of coffee, he felt a bit closer to normal, but he was still having trouble understanding exactly why Cordelia Chase was sitting in his basement.
Luckily for all concerned, Cordelia knew Xander well enough to put things in a Xander-friendly way.
"OK, here's the situation. Willow has found out that she is a real witch, like in a chosen kind of way, and Spike and Angel have been picked as her mates. Willow is happy, Spike is happy, Angel is happy. Buffy is pissed off. She has called in the Council and told them Willow has brainwashed Giles, so now all of them are hiding out somewhere until dusk so they can go to LA. But Buffy has stolen a book from Giles, something important that Willow needs. And we need to get it back."
Xander absorbed all of this. He could definitely imagine Willow and Angel together. Despite all his anti-Angel propaganda, he thought Angel was quite an OK guy for a vampire. And the same for Spike, although he was a bit more irritating. Anyway, if Willow was happy then who was he, boyfriend of a former vengeance demon, to raise objections. Xander marveled at his easy acceptance of his best friend having acquired two vampire lovers - <too many years on the Hellmouth> - before moving onto the rest of Cordelia's story.
He knew that Cordelia wouldn't lie to him, and he could easily imagine Buffy going, well OK, going psycho, but he wasn't sure why Cordelia would be so concerned about helping Willow.
"And you're worried about Willow because?"
"I care about Angel. If Willow is Angel's mate then that makes her my problem as well. And plus I can't believe Buffy would treat Willow like that. I mean, it's not like Willow ever stole one of Buffy's boyfriends. Well, except Angel, but he wasn't Buffy's at the time so that doesn't count. Oh come on," she said, dragging Xander to the stairs, "we need to move, just trust me."
And Xander, to his surprise, found that he did.
"OK, what's the plan?" he asked. Hopefully Cordelia had one, and it would be easy to follow.
"All we need to do is find Buffy. She's bound to have the book with her, we just need to get it off her."
Xander looked at Cordelia doubtfully; that didn't sound like much of a plan to him. Seeing his look, Cordelia sighed impatiently. "Oh please, come on, this is Buffy we're talking about."
Cordelia pushed Xander into her car, and drove them both to the university campus. They got out of the car, and Cordelia had Xander direct them to Buffy's dorm building.
"OK, now you call her and tell her that Willow has called you, that she was very upset, and she is coming around to your house and you want Buffy to come too."
Xander hesitated. ""Buffy is going to be really pissed off with me."
"Best friends forever, always stuck by you, blah blah, come on Xander, Willow needs that book."
So Xander found himself dialing Buffy's number, and to his horror he soon heard Buffy answer. <Why can't you ever get the machine when you want to?> he thought, then he launched into his speech.
Buffy told him in cheerful tones that she'd be there as soon as she could, and Xander hung up, turning to Cordelia. "Now what?"
"Where's her room?" And off they went, until they were outside Buffy's door. To Xander's horror, Cordelia marched straight in without knocking. By the time Xander had worked up the courage to enter, he saw that the room was Buffy-free and Cordelia was conducting a brisk but neat search, soon pulling a silver book from Buffy's weapons bag with glee.
And while Xander was still gaping at her sheer effrontery, Cordelia grabbed his hand and pulled him from the room, closing the door behind them and heading downstairs.
"But how did you know she wouldn't be there?"
"Are you serious? Do you have any idea how long it takes her to apply all that make-up? To get her hair like that? She would have headed straight for the bathroom. She won't be at your house for at least an hour."
Cordelia dropped Xander back at his house, after first making him call Buffy back (this time, to his relief, he got the machine) and leave a message saying Willow had called and wasn't coming, so there was no need for Buffy to come.
Cordelia thought briefly about where the others were likely to be hiding. "Xander, where was Angel's old apartment?" After getting the address, Cordelia said her good-byes and to his credit, Xander told her to let him know if he could be of any further help, and to get Willow to call him.
Then Cordelia headed over to the apartment, hoping that she had guessed right. Spotting Angel's car parked outside, she marveled over her own cleverness. <Brains and beauty> she thought as she knocked on the door. When there was no response she tried the handle; it was unlocked.
Rolling her eyes at the elaborate security, Cordelia strolled in saying, "It's only me, where is everyone?"
At the sound of her voice Angel and Spike seemed to materialise out of the shadows. "Oh hi Angel, I've got a present for you" said Cordelia cheekily, and she handed a dumb struck Angel the re-stolen book.
~Part: 16~
Friday mid morning
Buffy headed back to her room after finishing her shower, nearly dancing with joy that her plans were already bearing fruit. She had no doubt that the Initiative had got to Spike, and now Willow was wishing she hadn't treated her friends so badly.
Buffy figured she would now have the perfect opportunity to remind Willow of how much she needed Buffy as her friend. No doubt losing her demon boyfriend would make her a bit more like the old Willow, Buffy's faithful sidekick, the Slayer decided happily.
She saw the message light blinking and listened to Xander's message. She tried to decide what it meant as she dried her hair. Maybe Willow had decided to come here and apologise? Or, more likely, she was going to see Giles instead. Putting down the hairdryer, Buffy called Giles, only to get the machine. She hung up without leaving a message, tapping her fingers slowly on the desk.
So Giles and Willow were both unaccounted for? Buffy decided not to worry about it; they would eventually come to her, and anyway the Council guy would be here tonight and he could track Giles down for her.
Buffy realised she would have to wait around the dorm until the council's helper turned up, so with a groan she pulled out some text books. <Might as well get something done> she thought morosely, and she started to read.
Her mood would have worsened considerably if she had known that the Council had not taken her phone call seriously - at least not in the way she intended. After much discussion it was decided that clearly the Slayer was trying to lure the Council to Sunnydale for her own reasons. But it was equally clear that her story was untrue.
The Council had convened to discuss the call, and had concluded that someone had told the Slayer enough of the truth - such as the name of the book and the triangular nature of the Servant bond (if such creatures even existed, which most of the Council doubted) to make her story sound credible. But unfortunately for the conspirators there were a few pertinent facts that they did not know.
Firstly the book in question was leather-bound, not metallic; no doubt the Slayer and her allies had hoped that as the book in question had been missing for many years the Council would be fooled, but they had reckoned without the Council's extensive records, which clearly stated the size and appearance of the book.
Secondly, while little was known about the nature of the Servants, all existing references were clear on the point that no demon would ever be countenanced as a partner to a Servant. Such a suggestion was preposterous.
So the Council was left with the puzzle of why the Slayer would be trying to draw them to Sunnydale. If her motives were friendly, for example that she had realised her mistake in breaking from the Council and wanted to rejoin them, then she would surly have simply asked them to come without concocting such an elaborate story.
Which left them facing the conclusion that not only was this Slayer operating without the supervision of the Council, but she was now assisting some person - or thing - who was trying to harm the Council.
They still monitored the activities of the Slayer, and had been alarmed by her increasing involvement with the military operation in the area. However until the rogue Slayer Faith either regained consciousness or died, they had little choice but to accept Buffy as the best available option.
But now ... it was one thing to allow Buffy to operate independently while she continued to perform her sacred duty, even if the Council might not entirely approve of the way she carried out those duties. But for the Sayer to actively turn against the Council could not be countenanced.
And so an operative had been sent to meet with the Slayer, and try to discover exactly what she was trying to accomplish, and who she was working with - or for. The Council ended its meeting somberly, saddened that it now seemed they had not one but two rogue Slayers on their hands.
~Part: 17~
Friday cont.
Cordelia surveyed the scene in front of her; enough weirdness there to keep any therapist busy for years, she decided.
Giles was clutching the book in his hands, looking more pleased than a mother with her firstborn child. Spike had his arms around Willow, who looked like she wasn't far from tears. And Angel was watching the pair with an even grimmer version of his usual brooding expression.
<Well> thought Cordelia, <I've got my work cut out for me here.> "Angel, I need to talk to you privately" she stated haughtily, dragging him with her to the kitchen. She looked him up and down, noticing that he wouldn't meet her eyes.
"Come on, tell me everything."
At Angel's blank look, Cordelia injected a note of steel into her voice. "Have you spoken to Willow?"
Angel shook his head, and seeing his obvious depression at the mere mention of Willow, Cordelia decided not to pursue that line of questioning.
"OK, what about Spike?" Cordelia was relieved to see a half smile break through the gloom of Angel's expression.
"We've, ah, sorted some things out. Spike is happy to come to LA and stay with me - if Willow wants to."
<Go girl!> thought Cordelia to herself. It looked like the shy redhead had finally got her groove on. Cordelia was almost envious: <I mean, those are two delicious specimens of undead perfection.>
But she didn't envy Willow having to put up with Angel's broodiness and Spike's manic nature. <Oh well, maybe they'll balance each other out> Cordelia mused before deciding that she needed to solve the Willow Problem before worrying about the next issue, ensuring that her workplace remained as angst free as possible.
Turning to Angel, who for once had noticed Cordelia retreating into her thoughts, she patted his arm reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said, "one down and one to go."
Then she moved back into the main room with Angel trailing curiously behind. Looking at the others, Cordelia could see that they were already going stir crazy, and there were still several hours to go before dusk.
"Well, the vamps are grounded until sunset, but I'm going to head off now. I can give Wesley an update. Giles, why don't you stay here with the undead, and I can take Willow and the book to LA now. You can all come later."
Giles and Spike began to argue with her: Giles wanted to keep the book, and Spike wasn't keen on letting Willow out of his sight with so many potential enemies around.
"Hey, you know the book and Willow will both be safer in LA. I'd take you too Giles, but it's only a two-seater" Cordelia lied smoothly. "Look, keep my cell phone," she said magnanimously, handing it to Angel. "I'll call as soon as we reach the office, OK?"
And without waiting for any more arguments, Cordelia pulled a grateful but bewildered Willow towards the door as she seized the slender silver book from Giles with her free hand.
"Bye" said Willow softly with a little wave as Cordelia pushed the door shut behind them, and the pair headed downstairs to the car. Willow raised an eyebrow as she slid into the passenger seat.
"For a two-seater this car seems to have a pretty generous back seat," Willow noted dryly, curious as to why Cordelia didn't want Giles to come with them.
Cordelia smiled, then looked at the nervous girl next to her. "I thought it would be better without Giles, you know, give us a chance to talk about ... things."
Willow swallowed audibly. She and Cordelia had never exactly been friends, especially after the whole Xander thing. She wasn't really sure if she'd feel very comfortable about talking to Cordelia, but then again she didn't seem to have a lot of options at the moment. Even Willow recognised that despite his many strengths, relationship advice wasn't really one of Spike's talents.
Shifting in her seat, Willow looked over at Cordelia and repeated faintly, "Things?"
"Look," said Cordelia briskly, "we were never friends at school, but I'm not the same person I was then and I'm sure you're not either. And Angel is a friend of mine, so I want him to be happy. Plus, if you all end up staying in LA we'll be working together so I am aiming at a great big happy family thing rather than a lots of brooding and tension thing, which seems to be what you have now."
Willow couldn't help but agree that she too would be happier with lower levels of tension.
"So," Cordelia continued, "this is your chance. I mean, tell me everything and I'll tell you what I think. You three make a good - well, couple in a three of you kind of way, you know what I mean. And I for one think you could do way worse than Angel. I mean, OK, the wardrobe needs work and he can be kind of sullen, but you know a lot of women like that whole strong silent type thing."
Cordelia looked over at Willow, and seeing that she was starting to relax a little decided to move a bit closer to the point.
"So you and Spike then, what's he like?"
Willow couldn't hold back the grin that sprang to her lips. "Spike is, well you know, he never says anything sweet exactly, but he's so, so, uh, non-demony. I mean he's a really, really good lover, plus he's affectionate in a hugging and touching all the time way. And he's very protective ... I don't know why, but I just like that, it makes me feel safe to know he's looking out for me."
Cordelia rolled her eyes at Willow's sappy expression - that girl really had it bad. "So it doesn't bother you that he's a soulless evil killer?" Cordelia asked conversationally.
Willow smiled. "Nope. Does that make me a bad person? Anyway, he's not actually killing people at the moment. I guess I'll just cross my fingers that the chip stays in. Although it's not all good. I mean, because of the chip he can't protect himself from Buffy and the Initiative."
Seeing that Willow's mood was about to head back to borderline miserable, Cordelia asked, "So what were you upset about before?"
Willow paused before answering. "Well, Spike bit me without the cihp going off, and Giles thinks its because the chip doesn't recognise me as human anymore."
Cordelia waited for the rest. "And? That's it? I mean, if you were human you would be mortal, and Spike would hardly be much of a boyfriend then. Anyway, aren't you glad he can bite you?"
Willow blushed before nodding.
"Well then. So what else was wrong?"
Cordelia seemed to be pretty good at his whole advice thing, so Willow kept going.
"Hmm, well, OK, Spike told me that he had sex with a girl, you know, a human girl, recently, and he tried to bite her, and, well, I was just, you know..."
"Jealous?"
"Uh, yeah."
Cordelia made a face. "You are not going to tell me that Spike strikes you as the celibate type, are you?"
Willow snorted.
"Exactly. I mean, you two weren't together then, so what does it matter?"
Willow chewed her lip before blurting out one of her fears about her new relationship. "Well, you know that vampires don't have any, you know, inhibitions. I mean how do I know what Spike thinks is normal?
Maybe he expects to still be able to, ah, shag anyone he wants."
Cordelia thought about that. "Well, have you talked to Spike about it?" Catching Willow's shamefaced look, Cordelia groaned.
"Willow! Honestly, you're worse than Angel. Look, Spike is obviously crazy about you, and he seems like the possessive type. I'm sure he wants you all to himself, and that he will be spending too much time with you to look at anyone else."
"He had sex with Angel this morning, and I was only gone an hour. Plus we spent all last night, you know, together. So it doesn't seem to me like he's expecting a one-on-one kind of relationship."
"Wow, did Angel and Spike really have sex this morning?"
Willow was drawn from her thoughts by the amused look on Cordelia's face
"And that's funny why?" Willow asked peevishly.
"Okay, since you're telling all, you should know that Angel and I had a heart-to-heart the other day, and I told him to work things out with Spike. I guess I just expected it to involve more talking."
Cordelia shook her head. "I can't believe that Angel. He told me at the apartment that he and Spike "sorted some things out". Hah! I swear, even undead men do all their thinking below the waist."
Still shaking her head at her boss' idea of building trust, Cordelia suddenly asked, "Did Spike tell you they had sex?"
"No," said Willow sadly. "But I could tell because of the bond and plus Spike has a huge bite mark on his neck."
"Not exactly masters of discretion then?" mocked Cordelia, drawing a giggle from Willow.
"Okay," said Cordelia, her serious tone reminding Willow of what they had been talking about, "but Angel isn't exactly anyone, is he? I mean, do you mind Angel and Spike being together when you're not there?"
Willow thought about it, and said slowly, "Honestly, I do and I don't. I mean, I totally don't mind about Angel and Spike having sex, because there is the bond between them plus the vampire sire/childe thing, so I can understand them wanting to be together. But, I don't know, I just wonder if Angel takes Spike back, if there will still be a place for me. I mean, they have such a history together, I don't know. I don't want to lose Spike," Willow concluded forlornly.
Cordelia decided she needed to use all her concentration to sort this out, so she pulled off the freeway at the next rest stop.
Looking Willow in the eyes, Cordelia said to her, "Let's change topic for a moment. If I said to you that there was a way that Angel could be released from the bond and replaced with someone else, would you do it? Is there someone apart from Angel that you would want to be bound to?"
"No," sighed Willow.
"And if I told you that the bond could be changed, so just you and Spike were affected, and Angel was free, would you do it? Would you rather be just with Spike?"
Willow looked confused. "I don't know!" she moaned.
"How about this," said Cordelia, working her way to the centre of the problem. "Do you think you can love more than one person at a time? Do you think that just because Spike can love Angel, it means he loves you less?"
Seeing that Willow was listening intently, Cordelia plowed on. "The problem you've got is you and Angel."
At Willow's startled look, Cordelia patiently explained. "Look, you and Spike love each other, Angel and Spike love, or the demon equivalent, each other. But until you and Angel sort out your feelings, the triangle is all lop-sided. I mean if you believed that Angel loved you as much as he did Spike, would you still mind about them being together?"
Running her fingers through her hair, Willow felt like screaming. "I don't know, I don't know!"
Cordelia could tell the redhead was getting close to breaking, and if she started crying Cordelia would lose her chance to work out the rest of the puzzle - plus Angel would be upset if he found out. So Cordelia backed off - a little.
Starting the car again, she said to Willow, "Why don't you tell me all about you and Angel." And then she drove as she listened to Willow tell her the same story as Angel about their past, but with a very different emphasis.
As Cordelia parked the car Willow was nearly finished her tale, which had suffered somewhat from Willow's tendency to ramble when upset. Cordelia ushered her into Angel's office as Willow mumbled the end of her history.
Relieved to see that Wesley was not there, Cordelia whisked Willow downstairs.
"OK, look, I'm going to say my piece, then I'll leave you to get some rest before the vamps arrive. To tell you the truth, you look like you could use some sleep. Anyway, here is my question: when Angel bit you, during the whole great friends period, you knew it was Angelus, right?"
"Yes."
"But you weren't scared because?"
"Well, I knew that Angel wouldn't let me get hurt."
"Right. So really, that was the both of them, wasn't it? I mean, the Angelus excitement, Angel safety double act. It was the combination that you liked, right?"
"Yeees," said Willow, seeing where Cordelia was going.
"Well, duh! I mean, why can't you like them both? Just because Bitchy drooled over the soul and hated the demon, I mean, how healthy is that? You don't need to feel like you have to choose. I mean, if you can want Angel and Spike, then why not Angel and Angelus? Besides, Angel told me that both of them - or both of him, I guess - well, you know what I mean. Anyway I asked him who was it at the whole sex ritual thing, and he couldn't answer, because it was both."
Deciding she had given Willow enough to think about, Cordelia promised to wait upstairs until Willow felt like company, and headed for the lift.
<I am getting so good at this> Cordelia decided, hoping that Willow would come upstairs soon; there was still plenty of time before the malls closed. Then Cordelia sat down and concentrated on the next problem: Willow's new look.
~Part: 18~
Friday cont.
Spike watched Cordelia drag Willow out of the apartment with a frown on his face. As soon as the door was closed, Spike turned to Angel and said: "What the hell was that all about?"
To his surprise it was Giles who answered. "Girl talk," said the ex- Watcher succinctly, having become used to the mysteries of female interaction after his years with Buffy and the Scooby Gang.
Personally he rather thought it would do Willow the world of good to have a sympathetic female to talk to - although he found it a little difficult to cast Cordelia Chase in the role of the Gentle Listener.
Giles was also not overly pleased with the idea of spending the rest of the day cooped up in a small, dirty apartment with two vampires. He could always go back to his place and get his Citroen ... but Giles knew it was an unnecessary risk, so he tried to concentrate on ways to make it until dusk.
"I don't suppose either of you has a pack of cards?" he asked hopefully.
Several hours later it was hard to tell which of the trio was more pleased when the sun finally set and they were able to head towards LA. Cordelia had called as promised and assured Angel that she and Willow had arrived safely, but apart from that the hours had passed slowly.
Angel had tried to spend the time productively by testing out how the bond worked. At first he had focused on Spike, trying to send emotions or memories to the blonde through the link, until Spike had crossed the room and grabbed his throat, growling "Sod off!"
Which, Angel supposed, was a result, although not exactly the one he had been looking for.
So instead he had turned to Willow, picturing her in his mind as he located her echo in his head. He sensed - arousal. Angel repressed his groan, remembering that he was not alone. He also fought down the suspicious anger of his demon, who was demanding to know why its mate was aroused without him, or Spike, being the cause of it.
Angel vividly remembered the wave of emotion that Willow had sent at he and Spike that morning; the lingering effects of that rush of love and desire were still floating in his mind, stopping him from worrying too much about Willow 's present activities.
He imagined for a moment that Willow had been directing those emotions at him, not Spike, then felt guilty for wishing that Willow had chosen him instead of Spike. He knew Spike, and while the vampire would probably never admit it, maybe even to himself, he was at least as besotted with Willow as she was with him, and Angel could sense Spike's happiness at being chosen first for once, instead of always being second best.
However much he might regret his own relationship with Willow, he was honestly happy that his grand-childe had finally found someone who cared for him the way he deserved.
Shaking his head to clear his melancholy thoughts, Angel tried to focus on Willow, and send her snapshots of his feelings: his happiness and acceptance of her relationship with Spike, his own love of Spike, and lastly his own feelings for her, and the desire that both he and his demon felt for her.
Angel tried to keep his thoughts fairly tame, but soon felt his traitorous demon flood his mind with memories of the ritual, of the sharing of blood and the delicious taste of Willow, of the three of them declaring themselves as bond mates and sealing their pact with a union of their bodies that even now made Angel shift uncomfortably as his trousers tightened.
Angel sensed that Willow had felt his contact, but as he tried to draw closer to her in his mind he suddenly felt cut off, as though a door had slammed in his face.
That had been hours ago, and as Angel sped as fast as legally possible towards LA he swore that Willow would find it a lot more difficult to cut him off when he was face to face with her.
It was time he had a talk to the little redhead. There was no way he was letting her - or Spike - leave him, so Angel had decided it was time to play his trump card and turn on the charm. <She won't know what hit her> Angel gloated, pleased to see the lights of LA appear on the horizon.
~Part: 19~
Friday cont.
Willow watched Cordelia leave, and walked aimlessly around Angel's apartment, unable to shake the feeling that she was an intruder. She stood in the main room and remembered the last time she had been here, with her mates. Her cheeks flushed red as she hastily left, heading to Angel's bedroom.
She liked this room. It was kind of welcoming - not as dark as the other rooms, plus it had actual signs that someone lived here. Willow looked at Angel's bed, then furtively glanced around as if checking she was really alone. Satisfied, she slipped off her clothes and got under the covers, enjoying the lingering scent of Angel on the pillow.
She tried to imagine all three of them here in this bed, but she decided that if they all ended up as, well, real mates, they would definitely need a new bed. A much, much bigger bed.
Willow lay on her back staring at the ceiling, wondering how many times Angel had lain here doing the same. She slowly brought her thoughts to Cordelia, and their recent conversation.
It seemed odd to her, but most of what Cordelia had said actually made a lot of sense. She felt bad admitting it, even to herself, because, well, Angelus was a psycho-killer, but he was also very sexy, and Willow had developed a kind of crush on him during his brief visit - although she had to admit that in her fantasies Angelus had been more of a fluffy puppy than a snarling Doberman.
In fact, she realised, he had been a lot like Angel. But a more uninhibited, demony Angel. Which, from what Cordelia had hinted, was what the bond was doing to Angel, bringing him a little closer to his demon half.
Remembering the time the three of them had spent together, Willow felt her mind drift from the jumble of her many problems to a more pleasant slow motion replay of their bonding.
Willow let her hands move slowly over her body, reliving the caresses of that night. Even now she could still feel twinges of pain, physical reminders of the endurance and imagination of her mates.
She focused her thoughts on Angel, the way he had been that night, and realised that he had indeed been wild, more Angelus than Angel, especially in the way he had dealt with Spike. Willow shivered as she remembered Spike's ecstasy at the rough treatment he had received from his sire.
Thinking about Angel and Spike together now, Willow discovered she felt no jealousy, just ... arousal. She wished she could have seen them together this morning, or even better joined in. Willow caught her breath at the images filling her mind as she rubbed her thighs together, sending a frisson of lust through her body.
She still had some reservations about Angel though, which she realised came mainly from her subconscious labeling of Angel as belonging to Buffy and therefore being "off limits".
The redhead decided that whatever may happen in the future, clearly Angel did not belong to Buffy. <So> she mused, <if I decide to say, oh, for example, have sex with Angel, there is no reason why I shouldn't. Hmm. >
She knew that Spike had enjoyed the three of them being together, and anyway his antics this morning had proved that he enjoyed Angel's, ah, attentions. Whether he wanted to make it a permanent thing, well, only time would tell.
Having rid herself of any lingering feelings of guilt, Willow snuggled down into the warm bedclothes and imagined herself seducing Angel. A smile curved her lips as one hand slipped between her thighs, and a finger traced her wet slit as she visualised herself sitting astride Angel and biting his nipples as he squirmed under her.
Her finger worked its way inside her achingly hot channel as fantasy Willow worked her way down Angel's body, licking his hard shaft and tracing the weeping tip with her tongue while Angel groaned and tried unsuccessfully to hold her head still so that he could increase the pressure.
Willow could hear herself moaning as she sped up her fingers, when her movements suddenly ceased as she became aware of a strange sensation, as though she were being watched. Jerking up, she looked around the room with wide eyes, relaxing slightly as she realised that the door was still closed and she was alone.
Concentrating on the odd feeling, she felt her temper rise as she finally found its source - someone was playing with the bond. <Can't I have one minute's peace?> Willow thought crossly as she closed her eyes and tuned in to her mind's images of her mates.
Spike was the same as ever: somewhere between aroused and irritated. But she could she that Angel's presence in her mind was getting stronger; to her it seemed as though the colours were getting sharper and brighter.
She wondered briefly how he was doing it, but when she moved her mind's eye closer her thoughts were interrupted as they were deluged by a virtual pornographic movie: she saw her and Spike and Angel repeating their antics from the other night, plus a lot of new positions with one recurrent theme - Angel dominating her and Spike.
She saw herself looking very Vamp Willow, clad in a leather bustier and thigh high boots, kneeling in front of Angel as he fucked her face. She could see her face turning red as she struggled to breath around the huge cock that was plunging into her mouth. She saw Angel come, and lean down to whisper, "Don't spill a drop, or I'll have to punish you," and he moved her head to show her the riding crop in his hand. She looked down to see Spike lying at Angel's feet, his body covered in red welts, with blood staining his thighs.
This was a bit more explicit than Willow was comfortable with ... < whose mind is it anyway?> she wondered, caught between horror and arousal. Willow's sub-conscious reacted immediately, effectively throwing a blanket over the images so Willow was free of their disturbing presence.
<Hey,> she thought defensively, <I might dream of seducing Angel, but there were no chains. Or whips!>
Having well and truly lost the mood for her earlier games, Willow slid off the bed, accidentally knocking the pillow to the floor. As she moved to put it back in place she noticed a scrap of coloured material on the bed, which had obviously been under the pillow.
Slowly picking it up, Willow realised she had finally found her lost panties.
~Part: 20~
Friday night
Willow and Cordelia got back to the office at dusk. Willow figured that would give her time to get freshened up before the others arrived, plus rest her aching feet.
The girls had spent most of the afternoon cruising Cordelia's favourite shopping haunts. To Cordelia's dismay she had been unable to tempt Willow into a shopping spree. The redhead had instead made minor purchases only - just a couple of changes of clothing, enough to keep her going for a few days. Even that had resulted in enough shopping bags to make her arms ache.
Cordelia's protests that Willow might as well start the replacement of her lost wardrobe had brought forth the famous resolve face.
"My clothes are not lost. I know where they are, and if I do not end up moving back to the dorm I will be collecting my things as soon as the Buffy, well, the Buffy situation is fixed!"
Cordelia merely raised her eyebrows, wondering if Willow really thought Angel and Spike had any intention of agreeing to her moving back into the dorm.
Still, Cordelia decided that if Willow wanted to spend the next few weeks fighting unwinnable battles with two gorgeous vampires, well, far be it from her to suggest that there may be better ways of spending her time.
As they entered the office they found Wesley poring over "The Legend of the Servants", barely registering their presence until his eyes moved over Willow, causing him to suddenly spring to life.
"Willow! Miss Rosenberg! I have a number of questions I wanted to ask you, regarding the exact nature of the bond as you have experienced it to date. Now, regarding your physical proximity, have you-"
Wesley looked shocked as Willow's weary voice cut him off.
"Wesley, have you ever been shopping with Cordelia?"
"Well, ah, no actually, I can't say that I have."
"I am tired. I am hungry. I am hot and sweaty and my feet ache. I am going to have a shower and eat. If Spike or Angel arrive before I have finished, please feel free to question them."
And with that Willow headed for the lift, laden down with her shopping bags and wondering if Angel had managed to re-stock his fridge.
Wesley turned to Cordelia, saying "Willow seems a little, well, fraught."
"Geez Wes, lighten up. She's just found out she's not human, and she's stuck for eternity with Angel and Spike. Plus we skipped lunch." And with that Cordelia grabbed the phone and dialed for pizza.
By the time it arrived Willow was feeling human once more. She ran that thought through her mind again, <human once more?> And found herself giggling at the absurdity of it all.
<At least I've kept my sense of humour,> she thought almost cheerfully, strolling into the office to find herself greeted by the most welcome of sights, a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese lying invitingly on the desk, with Cordelia and Wesley already making heavy inroads.
Willow crossed the room at high speed to grab two pieces, then she moved to sit down next to Cordelia, biting into the pizza and nearly groaning with delight.
The next few minutes were silent, except for the munching of pizza, until Willow had filled part of the hole in her stomach and decided to take a short break before continuing. Besides, Cordelia and Wesley seemed to have finished eating so she didn't have to worry about the rest of the pizza disappearing.
Willow was licking the sauce off her fingers when she felt the vampires arrive. She was eager to see Spike again, but the whole bondage fantasy experience had made her a little nervous about seeing Angel, and she was definitely re-thinking the whole seduction plan.
She heard the front door open and looked longingly at the pizza. <Ah well,> she decided, <the sacrifices we make for love,> and she left the pizza behind to launch herself at Spike, delighted to feel his immediate response as he wrapped his arms around her and playfully nuzzled her neck.
Cordelia realised that her talk this morning with Willow might not have been quite as effective as she had hoped, but when she snuck a quick look at Angel's face she was surprised to see him looking very calm and relaxed as he ushered Giles inside and shut the office door, seemingly undisturbed by the embrace of his mates.
Willow finally took a step back from Spike to say a non-specific "hello" to Giles and Angel, then ask, "No trouble then?"
"No, everything went smoothly" responded Giles, moving over to where Wesley was sitting with several books open in front of him.
Cordelia decided she did not want to get caught up in an impromptu research party, and said her good-byes, promising to return first thing the next morning. Angel also said he would go downstairs to get cleaned up, leaving Willow and Spike regarding the two ex-Watchers.
"Spike and I are going for a walk," Willow said breezily, and she pulled Spike outside into the cool night air.
"Missed me, eh pet?" Spike asked as Willow backed him up against Angel's car. Willow felt her frustrations from this morning's interrupted session rise to the surface, and she pressed herself against Spike, rubbing against his deliciously hard body as she licked and bit at his neck, paying particular attention to the bite mark Angel had left, until Spike started to growl and grabbed her ass.
Spike didn't know what had got into Willow, but whatever it was he definitely approved. He could feel her licking hard at Angel's mark, and felt his eyes roll back in his head as she bit hard into the wound, sucking at the fresh blood that dripped from his neck.
Uncaring that they were in the middle of a public street, Spike picked Willow up, and as her legs wrapped around him he moved her so she was sitting on the edge of the hood. He slipped his hand under her skirt.
<What the hell was she wearing panties for?> he asked himself in annoyance as he lifted her slightly with one hand and used his free hand to rip the offending garment off and toss it in the gutter.
The blonde then reached down to unfasten his trousers, and as Willow continued to tease his neck with her blunt teeth he pulled her hips forward, placing his thick cock against her curls then pushing until he felt his tip penetrate her dripping entrance.
The gentle pressure cleared some of the fog of lust that had settled over Willow's brain. Sliding one hand between their bodies, Willow grabbed his shaft and held Spike steady as she slowly rocked her hips, sending his cock sliding just inside her before she pulled back, leaving his tip glistening with her juices.
Willow repeated this several times, enjoying the sensation of fullness as the large head of his cock filled her, stretching her walls, then slipped free sending a shiver of pleasure through her.
Spike let her play for a few minutes, then grabbed her hips and thrust hard, both of them groaning as his full length forced itself into her, stretching her tight cunt and sending Spike into a frenzy of movement as he slammed in and out of her, biting into her neck and letting her spicy blood fill his mouth and dominate his mind.
He tried to resist ending their union, but Willow came with a guttural moan and the sudden clenching of her inner muscles was too much, pushing him over the edge, and Willow soon felt a cool flood as his seed filled her trembling womb.
Willow leaned her head forward onto Spike's shoulder, trying to catch her breath as her mate growled softly and licked the puncture marks on her neck, which had already started to close. His hands stroked firmly up and down her back, and Willow struggled to marshal her thoughts.
It gradually dawned on her that she was siting, without panties, on the hood of Angel's car in a well-lit public street, in front of Angel's office, and in a growing puddle of vampire cum.
<I am really losing it> Willow decided, torn between horror and pride. She pushed Spike away slightly, wriggling a little at the ticklish feeling of Spike's softening cock as it slid from her reddened pussy, and at the flood of fluids that followed. She saw her torn panties lying in the gutter and sighed, wishing she had something to clean herself up with.
She saw Spike lean towards her, still in his demon visage, as he tried to reattach himself to her neck. Willow, however, had other plans. She grabbed his head and pulled it forcefully down towards her thighs, thanking whoever decided such things that demonic appetites were not overly specific.
Spike lapped at her sopping curls with vigour, running his tongue along her upper thighs and wet slit and enjoying the taste of them, of her juices mixed with his cum. When he had cleaned her thoroughly, he pushed his tongue into her pussy, working it in and out until he had sucked his own juices from her, and the only taste left on his tongue was pure Willow.
He moved his mouth slightly, sucking on her clit as he brought up one hand to plunge three fingers into her, bringing a renewed flood of juices for his hungry tongue. The combined stimulation of his rough fingers and teasing mouth soon led Willow to a second orgasm, reducing her to a quivering heap of relaxed muscles and blown mental circuits.
Spike moved his head up to Willow's, linking their mouths together and letting her taste herself on his lips, trying to decide if it was worth pissing off Angel by breaking into his car so at least they could get a bit more horizontal for the next round. He was just about ready to smash a window when he heard the door of Angel's office building open, and he felt his grandsire approaching.
"Not now, you wanker," he muttered, causing Willow to open an eye and register Angel's figure walking towards them. Her brain was unable to process the meaning of this, or what she should do.
Her only thoughts were of Spike, and of how she could get him completely naked, and back inside of her. She moved a hand between their bodies, pinching one of his nipples as she bit into his lip, filling their mouths with his blood.
Willow tasted the thick fluid on her tongue and became even more aroused. <I am really spending too much time with vampires,> she decided lazily, as her free hand drifted down to lightly cup Spike's balls. She slowly squeezed, enjoying the immediate response as Spike growled and ground his rapidly stiffening cock into her, rubbing against her wet slit and bringing a moan to Willow's lips.
Angel regarded the two with a lazy smile. He had no trouble believing that Spike would be shamelessly fucking on the hood of a car, but Willow? His childe was really having an influence on the formerly reserved redhead. An influence that Angel decided he might as well make the most of.