~Part: 21~
Friday night
Angel walked towards his mates until he was nearly touching Spike. He could see the blonde's hips grinding into Willow, who had her eyes closed as Spike moved his mouth against her neck. Angel decided he had better do something soon, before things went any further and he needed a hose to separate them.
Slipping a hand around Spike's body, he grabbed the base of the younger vampire's shaft, causing Spike to yelp and jump back, leaving Willow sitting on the car with her legs spread, glistening cunt clearly visible as she moaned at the loss of her partner.
Spike blinked several times, until his brain finally supplied a suitable response. "Piss off," he screamed, trying to move back to Willow. The scent of her arousal and their recent couplings was thick in the air, and it was preventing his brain from functioning properly.
His sire held his form, and slowly Spike registered Angel's seemingly casual stance, and the steely determination underneath the lazy grin.
Angel looked Spike in the eye, released him and said calmly, "Go inside. I want to talk to Willow."
Spike knew very well that Willow was in no state to talk; he could see her flushed face from the corner of his eye, and he hated to leave her with Angel. After all, she was his mate.
But then again if he wanted them all to stay in LA he knew that Willow and Angel needed to sort things out. He couldn't imagine Willow putting up much of an argument in her present state. So he turned on his heel, glaring at Angel and sneering "Got her warmed up for you" before heading inside.
Angel resisted the temptation to stop Spike and take the time to teach him some manners. He had work to do here, so he let Spike stalk off with the last word for once and looked over at Willow, who was watching Spike's departing figure with a confused expression.
The redhead was trying to understand what was going on - why was Spike leaving her like this? She was trying to coax her unco-operative limbs to go after him when her brain suddenly sprang to life, and she realised that Angel was - well, stalking was the word that came to mind - towards her.
She watched as he came to stand between her still spread legs, in the same position that Spike had been in only a few minutes ago. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the musky scent of him, and she immediately forgot all of her earlier anguishing over their relationship. Her mind told her <mate, sex> and she agreed.
She watched with interest as Angel started to speak. She heard the sounds he was making but they made no sense to her. A vivid memory came to her of the night of the ritual, and the taste of his blood.
She remembered the intoxicating flavour of him, and as he continued to talk Willow dropped her head forward so her lips were against his throat, then moved her tongue slowly over his cool skin, enjoying the feel of his flesh, so smooth yet hard.
Without warning Willow bit hard into his neck, her blunt teeth piercing the skin and letting her suck his rich blood into her mouth, which she did with a little moan of pleasure. It was nice, she decided, but not what she really needed.
Willow dropped her hands and quickly undid Angel's trousers, reaching inside to free his cock, which was already hard. She did not pause for even a second before moving her hips forward, engulfing him with her hungry cunt and groaning in pleasure as his shaft filled her.
<Finally> was her last coherent thought as she linked her legs around his hips and moved him inside her until she felt Angel begin a rhythm of his own. Then she simply held on as the dark vampire pounded her into the car as she sucked on his neck, her mind spiraling with pleasure as he gave her the friction she needed and she came, her mind filling with colour before everything went black and she fainted.
~Part: 22~
Friday night cont.
Angel stood in front of Willow and took in her glazed expression. It seemed to him like the perfect opportunity to talk to her, while she was, ah, distracted by other matters and likely to be a lot less stubborn than usual.
"Willow, I think we need to talk about what has happened, and about what it means, us, the three of us I mean, being bonded, and being mates."
Angel looked to see if Willow was going to respond, but her gaze seemed to be fixed on his throat with a hungry gleam.
Clearing his throat, Angel persevered. "Willow, I have thought a lot about it, I mean the three of us, and I really think that while we are all here in LA, together, we should..."
Angel's speech was becoming increasingly incoherent as the scent of Willow's arousal and her obvious preoccupation with other matters began to work their spell on Angel.
When her mouth latched on to his neck, and he felt her warm, moist tongue lick his skin, Angel's voice faltered, and soon his words were replaced by moans. When her teeth broke through his skin, Angel had to exert what little control he had left to stop from coming in his trousers.
His mind froze as he felt Willow's nimble fingers tugging at his trousers, and the next thing he knew he was buried inside her, his balls pushed against her ass as her legs locked behind him to force him even further forward.
Angel let his control slip away and began to move, relishing the sound of their bodies slapping together as he sped towards his release, biting into his mate's neck as he came with a roar.
He was still purring and sucking on Willow's puncture marks when he realised the limp body in his arms was unconscious.
Angel froze in horror before his vampiric hearing detected a slow and steady heartbeat. He picked up the redhead's light form easily, regarding with distaste the puddle of cum on his car <I really hope it rains tonight> before walking inside, moving Willow's skirt so that she was as covered as possible, although no vampire would be fooled given the scent she was giving off, and marked as she was by both her mates.
For once luck was on his side, and the ex-Watchers were too engrossed in their discussion to give Angel and his burden more than a passing "hello". Angel took advantage of their distracted state to say "Willow's tired", then he headed directly to the lift, taking Willow downstairs to a frustrated Spike.
Although he had been inside for less than half an hour, Spike felt like it had been hours, days even. While he might in his more coherent moments accept that Angel and Willow needed to sort things out, he didn't see why he had to wait here, alone.
<At least I could watch> he thought, as he adjusted his trousers and remembered exactly what he should be doing right now - shagging his beautiful redheaded witch on Angel's poofy car, or even better shagging her inside Angel's poofy car.
When he saw Angel exit the lift carrying Willow, for a moment he feared the worst and was ready to attack his sire, until he saw the steady rise and fall of Willow's chest and heard her heart beating.
Spike rushed forward, pulling Willow from Angel's embrace and cradling her in his arms. He noted the fresh bite mark on her neck, and he could smell Angel all over her.
"That must have been quite some talk, Angelus" Spike sneered.
Then the blonde carried the still unconscious Willow to the bathroom, leaving Angel searching for a suitable retort. Angel heard the bath running, and ran his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes and realising that things were not exactly going to plan. He decided that he had at least learnt one lesson about both Willow and himself: sex and conversation didn't mix.
He traced his fingertips over the mark on his neck, enjoying the knowledge that she had marked him. Whether Willow knew it or not, that was a serious action among vampires.
Which Willow was not, Angel reminded himself with a frown. He thought remorsefully of the bite mark he had left on her neck; it was a wonder the poor girl had any blood left in her veins at this rate, he brooded.
He knew her body was getting stronger; already his bite mark from the ritual, which had only been a few days ago, had fully healed. On a normal human that would have taken weeks, not days to heal, and even then the scar would be clearly visible.
But despite the changes Willow was undergoing she was not a vampire. He was as bad as Spike, Angel decided, all suck and shag. With that thought Angel realised that Spike was even now alone in the bathroom with an unconscious and, knowing Spike, naked Willow. Angel hurried to join them - strictly as a chaperon, of course.
To his amazement, he opened the door on a picture of domesticity. Willow was stretched out in the tub, her eyes now open but looking very sleepy. Spike was supporting her head with one hand while the other moved a sponge lazily up and down her body.
Seeing Angel enter, Spike gestured for him to grab some towels, and together they lifted Willow from the bath and wrapped her in an oversize fluffy towel.
Spike quickly patted her dry then threw the damp towel at Angel, picking Willow up and walking without a word into the bedroom. He put Willow in the bed then quickly stripped and slid in next to her. He saw Angel standing in the doorway, looking unsure.
"Brooding again Peaches? Maybe you should take the couch."
Angel raised an eyebrow at his impudent grandchilde, giving attitude while Angel's mark was still fresh from this morning's encounter.
"Maybe you need to find a more productive use for that mouth of yours, boy," drawled Angel as he slowly removed his clothes, conscious of Spike's eyes on his body.
Ignoring the lack of space in the bed Angel slid in on the other side of Willow, and with the redhead sandwiched between the two vampires the trio fell into a peaceful sleep.
~Part: 23~
Friday, Sunnydale
Buffy had managed to do more studying in one day than she had done in the past month, but her mood was edgy by the time dusk arrived.
She hated waiting. She had tried to call Riley but he had been out; < hopefully capturing that bleached moron and putting him back where he belonged, in a cage at the Initiative> the Slayer told herself. She had left a message but Riley hadn't called, so he must still be on duty.
Buffy had been half expecting to get a call from Giles, but his failure to try to mend their argument had hardened her heart, and she felt no qualms about what she had done.
After all, once this bond thing was broken, Giles would no doubt thank her for freeing him. It was not as if he would actually choose to be with Spike of all people.
And as for Willow ... Buffy hadn't made up her mind yet. She half thought that she should refuse to forgive Willow after everything was back to normal, but on the other hand Buffy had to admit Willow had been a good friend before.
It would probably be better to be generous and accept the witch's apology, Buffy decided, so that Willow would realise what a forgiving person Buffy was.
Buffy let her mind wander in this fashion until brought from her musings by a knock at the door. "Finally," she muttered, opening the door to see what the Council had managed to dig up.
<They must clone them> she decided, looking at the tweed clad man in front of her, who seemed about the same age as Wesley and had an identical pompous expression.
"Come in, come in" said Buffy, waiting impatiently for the man to come inside.
"Ah, I am David Forsythe," he offered, hesitating just inside the door. "I presume that you are Miss Summers?"
"Yep, that's me, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Chosen One, and so on," said Buffy as she dragged her weapons bag out from under her bed and started sorting through it.
The Council's man looked on in concern as Buffy suddenly hurled the bag across the room. He had been warned that the Slayer was unstable, and he realised that "unstable" might be the best case scenario.
"Anything wrong?" he asked in a calm voice as he backed slowly to the door.
"The book! The book is gone. Damn it! Willow must have come and got it while I was in the shower. What are we going to do now?"
Forsythe decided the quicker he could get out of there and talk to Mr Giles the better. "If the book is not here, I will go and talk to Mr Giles. I may be able to get some useful information from him. And the human girl you spoke of, where is she?"
"Willow? You can try her house although I doubt you'll find her there," said Buffy with a smirk. She gave the Englishman Willow's address, and he promised to call if he had any news, then he left.
<That was a bit of an anti-climax> Buffy decided as she picked up her weapons bag. <Might as well patrol,> she reasoned, knowing that she would feel better after dusting a few vamps.
Forsythe stayed in the bushes outside Buffy's dormitory until he saw her exit. He followed at a safe distance, and continued to trail the Slayer until he saw her head into a cemetery. Satisfied that she would be occupied with her duties for the next few hours, he then headed back to his car and drove to the address he had for Giles.
Receiving no answer to his knock, Forsythe slipped a ring of keys from his pocket and managed to open the door on his fourth attempt. He searched the apartment from top to bottom, finding nothing out of the ordinary - for a Watcher's apartment, anyway. He noticed a light blinking on the answering machine, and pressed "Play".
"Giles, hello, it's Richard. Look, I may have something for you on the Servants of Gaia. I have found a reference to a manuscript, apparently written by a Servant. I am trying to track it down, and I have a few promising leads. Call me, and I'll tell you the whole story. Cheers then," and the machine beeped to indicate the message had finished.
Forsythe played the message again, a thoughtful crease appearing on his forehead. So Mr Giles had been making inquiries about the Servants of Gaia? It seemed as though there may be something more here than simply the Slayer playing dangerous games.
Pondering the ramifications of this new development, Forsythe drove to the address Buffy had given him for Willow. He walked to the front door, and looked at the broken lock which appeared to have been smashed in with a blunt instrument. Hesitantly pushing the door open, he stepped inside and fumbled for the light switch.
His eyes scanned the interior, which was deserted. There was no obvious damage, and he slowly made his way upstairs. Several of the doors here had been kicked in, yet there were no other signs of a struggle - no blood, no broken furniture. It appeared that whoever had been here had left empty-handed.
So, there was another piece to the puzzle. The girl Willow, who was according to the Slayer linked with Giles, was missing, and it appeared he was not the only person looking for her.
Forsythe walked slowly through the upstairs bedrooms, noticing that one appeared to have been slept in recently, judging from the rumpled appearance of the covers.
He looked through the cupboards, noticing a lack of clothes. Someone might have been staying here but they clearly didn't live here. His search turned up one other interesting thing, tucked into the bottom of the wardrobe: a laptop computer.
~Part: 24~
Saturday morning
Willow woke around 11am, feeling refreshed and strangely cool. The later was soon explained by her realisation that she was lying between her two mates, both of whom had entangled their limbs with hers, making it unlikely that she would be able to get up without moving one or both of them.
Considering her options, Willow decided that she was too sore from last night's antics to lie there and risk a repeat performance - well, straight away anyway.
Instead she wiggled under the bed covers, trying not to make too many sudden movements, eventually emerging at the foot of the bed and rolling onto the floor.
She looked up carefully and saw that the two vampires had simply rolled closer together, and they were still sound asleep - well, probably, it was a bit hard to tell since they didn't breath, but their eyes were definitely closed.
Willow padded on bare feet to the bathroom, vaguely remembering a bath last night but deciding a quick shower would help her wake up.
<I really need to find a way to mesh human and vampire hours> she decided, as she turned on the shower and got in.
Her body was twinging in all the now usual places, and Willow wondered if she would ever get used to having two energetic lovers. She felt her neck: the bites from last night were no longer sore, and when she got out of the shower and looked in the mirror she saw that they already looked half healed. The angry red of a fresh bite mark had faded, and the puncture marks were closed over.
Willow knew that these bites had healed faster than the previous ones. <I guess I'm getting closer to It,> she thought, wondering how she should spend her day until the others woke up.
Getting dressed in another set of new clothes from yesterday's shopping expedition, the redhead realised that, despite her protests to Cordelia, she needed to make some rational decisions about her clothing.
Either she had to pick up her clothes from the dorm or she had to bite the bullet and get new ones. And at the rate her clothes were being stained and shredded, she was going to need a lot of clothes.
<Well,> she decided, <there is no way I am calling Buffy, and no way that I can send anyone to get my stuff without Buffy maybe finding out and following them back here.> So - shopping.
Willow knew that the Buffy Problem, as she now thought of it, would need some action. Buffy had tried to hurt Spike - well, OK, to kill him actually - and she had also told the Initiative where to find him. Willow wasn't sure exactly what to do about Buffy, but she knew she was not going to let Spike get hurt.
Sighing, Willow refused to worry about it. They were safe for now, and she could ask Angel later what he thought they should do. In the meantime she decided to sneak out and do her shopping before Cordelia arrived.
She wrote a brief note and left it in the office, then grabbed her purse and decided she would find out what the limit on her parents credit card was. <It's the least they can do,> she mused, <to help launch their daughter into her new life as a superhero.>
*****
Willow's absentee parents were at that very moment at a hotel in Europe, having scheduled an after hours meeting to allow them to discuss the disturbing message which had been left on Sheila Rosenberg's pager. After a few moments, they both agreed it was a bizarre prank, and made a note to talk to Willow on their return about choosing more mature friends.
*****
Forsythe had limited computer skills, and after a night of frustration he had run out of ideas to try for the password on the machine. He had few contacts in California, and he knew better than to ask the Council for help. It would take a week to get an answer, and it was likely to be: "send the computer to London".
So, considering himself to be a resourceful man, he decided to use the tools he had to hand, and he picked up his cell phone.
Dialing, he waited for a response then said "Wesley? It's David. Listen, the situation here in Sunnydale seems a little complicated. Mr Giles has vanished, and I have a computer that I need someone to, ah, hack into for me. Do you know someone I can trust?"
"Actually," said Wesley thoughtfully, "I do. You'll need to bring it to LA. Have you got a pen? I'll give you the address." And so Forsythe dutifully copied down the address of Angel Investigations, and promised to come immediately.
He considered calling the Slayer to tell her that Willow had vanished, but remembering the look on her face when she gave him the address he rather thought Buffy might already know more than he about what had happened at the house.
Hoping that he would have better luck in LA, Forsythe started his car and headed for the freeway.
*****
Buffy woke up late and groaned, her aching body wishing it had been allowed a few more hours to recover. Buffy flinched as she remembered last night; she had been lucky to escape with her life.
She had been moving through Sunnydale's numerous cemeteries on her standard patrol route when she had seen three demons standing in front of a mausoleum. She couldn't recall ever seeing this type before, but they didn't look that dangerous, kind of small and blobby.
So the blonde went to slay them, as was her usual practice, when the three had turned and blasted at her with some kind of light beam. She had been thrown about 10 metres, slamming into a headstone and falling unconscious on the ground.
She had regained consciousness to find herself alone, lying next to a broken headstone - no blobby demons in sight - with her clothes looking singed and her head feeling like it was about to split in two. She had made it back to the dorm just before dawn and fallen into bed.
Now she was feeling slightly better, and she tried to decide what to do. Normally she would go to Giles and do the research thing, but that didn't seem like much of an option at the moment. So she fell back onto Plan B, and called Riley.
To her relief she got him rather than the machine. "Riley! Did you get my message?"
"Yes, I did. Is everything alright?" Buffy didn't notice Riley's cooler than normal tone, and rushed to answer his question.
"Actually, no. I mean, I met up with some weirdo demons last night, I thought maybe we could join forces tonight and see if we can catch one for you."
"Sounds OK. Let me check with my CO and let you know, alright?"
"Great," Buffy replied, getting into a comfortable position and ready to discuss her woes at length with Riley, who was in her opinion, a first-class listener despite his other flaws.
"Well, I'll call later, I have to go now, bye," said Riley, barely waiting for Buffy's surprised "good-bye" before hanging up.
*****
Riley had been on the team sent to re-capture Hostile 17 yesterday, and he knew very well whose house that was, and who Forrest's mysterious caller had been.
He accepted that Buffy felt hard done by, but when he was faced with the enormity of what she had done he realised that he really didn't know her at all. The Buffy he thought he knew would never have done that to a friend, no matter what argument they had or how angry she was.
But he still had a job to do, so he headed to the Initiative to get the go-ahead for a joint patrol tonight with the Slayer.
~Part: 25~
Saturday midday
Willow noted with some pride that it had taken her a little under three hours to purchase a new wardrobe and max out her parents' credit card. While the taxi waited outside she hauled shopping bags into Angel's office, then enlisted the help of Giles and Wesley to collect the rest.
Finally she was seated on Angel's lumpy sofa, surrounded by her purchases. "Hi," she said belatedly, noticing the look of awe on Giles' face at the magnitude of her purchases.
"Good lord Willow," he muttered, trying to find a place to sit down.
"Well, I could hardly ask Buffy to send my things, could I?" Willow pointed out a little defensively, realising at the same time that she was going to have a serious storage problem. <Oh well, one thing at a time> she decided, and she began to shift the bags into the lift.
"Have Angel and Spike woken up yet?" she asked as she carried an oversize carrier bag and dropped it on top of the growing pile.
"No," replied Giles, "But we do have a development."
Willow looked over with interest as Giles continued. "Apparently the man sent by the Council has reached Sunnydale. He called Wesley this morning asking for help in accessing a computer he had found. Wesley has asked him to come here, and we expect him to arrive shortly."
"My laptop!" said Willow gleefully. <And being hand-delivered by the Council!> Still, the mention of Sunnydale reminded Willow of their larger problems, and she looked at Giles with a frown.
"When he gets here, after we've spoken to him, I think we all need to talk about what to do next. I mean, we can't hide forever, and I don't like the feeling of being run out of town."
Giles nodded his agreement, and Willow headed downstairs to wake her mates, so they would have all hands on deck when the Council man arrived.
Willow slowly moved all her bags from the lift into Angel's study, deciding that at least that way the clutter was more hidden. Then she went to the bedroom, opening the door to see the two vampires formerly known as the Scourge of Europe lying cuddled together peacefully in each other's arms.
Willow rolled her eyes, and almost decided to let them sleep a little longer while she made some lunch. But she just couldn't resist. She crept up next to Spike, eased her hand under the covers and softly stroked his stomach, an evil grin on her face as Spike moaned and pressed closer to Angel.
Willow slid her hand lower, delicately tracing the veins on his engorged shaft with her fingertips, pausing as the sleeping vampire begin to thrust into her hand. Then Willow slowly removed her hand as Spike continued his movements, leaving him rubbing his cock on Angel's thigh.
Then Willow moved her hand over the blonde's ass, gently tracing the crack between his cheeks, then working one finger into the tight space and circling his puckered hole. She could feel Spike twitching, and realising that he would soon wake up she quickly slid her finger into his channel. Spike jerked awake with a growl which quickly turned to a strangled yelp as he opened his eyes and saw Angel gazing back at him.
Spike pulled backwards, not realising how close he was to the edge of the bed, and ended up sprawled at Willow's feet. He snarled at her laughing face, eyes gleaming yellow, but Willow was not daunted by his bad temper.
"Wakey wakey Spike" she sang, finally taking pity on his petulant expression and kneeling down to kiss him. She let their tongues dance until she felt his fangs start to descend, then she pulled back.
"None of that" she said in her best school teacher voice. "We have a visitor arriving soon and I need you both upstairs." Willow stood up and pulled Spike to his feet, admiring his nude form and his unselfconscious grace as he slowly stretched.
She looked over to see that Angel was also enjoying the floor show. Willow felt much more relaxed with Angel when Spike was present; she knew the blonde wouldn't let anything happen if she didn't want it to.
Filled with bravado, she moved over to the bed, giving Spike a good view of her backside encase in tight jeans as she leant over to gaze into Angel's aroused eyes.
"Would you like a good morning kiss too?" she purred, to get her answer loud and clear when Angel snaked out one long arm and pulled her onto the bed. He half covered her body with his, his hand moving down to squeeze her ass hard as his tongue plunged into her mouth, finally pulling back to gaze with satisfaction at Willow's flushed face.
He could smell her arousal, and he could see that Spike had too from the predatory gleam in his grand childe's eyes. However his desire to take full advantage of the moment was outvoted by his common sense, which had unfortunately been paying attention to Willow's earlier comments.
"What visitor?" Angel asked huskily, his hand still running up and down over Willow's rear, much to her pleasure.
"Uh, mmm, visitor? Visitor! Oh yes, that Council guy who was in Sunnydale is coming here, and he has my laptop."
This news convinced even Spike to get dressed, and Willow left the two grumbling vampires to go and heat some blood for them, and lunch for her.
Appetites temporarily satisfies - for food, anyway - the trio then headed upstairs, where Cordelia was trying without much success to pump Wesley for information about the Watcher.
Willow wrinkled her nose and gave Cordelia a look. "A Watcher? Haven't you already been down that road?" Both Wesley and Cordelia glared at her, but before either of them could speak there was a knock at the door. <My timing is getting really good> Willow noted smugly as she went to open the door.
~Part: 26~
Saturday midday
David Forsyth was not sure exactly what to expect when the door opened, but it was certainly not a beautiful redhead, who looked at the laptop in his arms the way a starving teenager would look at a hamburger.
"You brought it!" she declared joyfully, pulling him inside as she flashed him a radiant smile; without doubt the most delightful smile it had ever been his pleasure to see.
Forsyth returned Willow's smile and reached out to shake her free hand; her other hand was clutching at the laptop. He introduced himself, holding on to her hand a little too long but dropping it suddenly when he heard what sounded like - a growl?
Spike eyed the watcher suspiciously, not liking the way he was practically drooling over Spike's mate. He gave a warning growl when the pillock seemed determined to hang onto Willow's hand all day, then moved forward to stand next to her, their bodies almost touching, glaring at the tweed-clad prick and wishing for the millionth time that the chip would let him have some fun.
Willow felt Spike move next to her side, as Angel did the same. She mentally huffed. <Honestly! Vampires and their territorial instincts! Don't they understand this man had my laptop?>
Wesley saw the way Angel and Spike were hovering over Willow and decided he had better take some steps to ease the tension. He moved forward, shaking hands with his friend and introducing him to Giles.
"Mr Giles!" exclaimed Forsyth, wondering what exactly he had walked into. "Ah, well, I presume that Wesley has told you about the Council sending me to, ah, assist you?" Forsyth shot a dark look at Wesley as he spoke, wondering belatedly if this were some kind of trap.
"Please forgive Wesley for not telling you more, but I'm sure you will understand better in a moment." Everyone sat down, Cordelia went to make coffee, and Giles proceeded to fill Forsyth in on what was happening, omitting only minor details - like Angel and Spike being vampires, and the three being mates.
"So, Willow is really a Servant of Gaia? They actually exist?" Forsyth asked in awed tones.
"Apparently so, although to be honest we have found the "Legend of the Servants" book to be somewhat vague . It may be that you can help us in locating some more helpful texts."
Eager to assist in researching such a momentous discovery, Forsyth quickly told Giles about the message he had heard on the ex-Watcher's answering machine. Giles immediately excused himself as he rushed to the phone to contact his friend.
Willow lent forward and asked Forsyth, "Did you speak to Buffy?" Forsyth grimaced and recounted his meeting with the Slayer.
Willow sighed, tapping her fingers against her thigh as she considered this further evidence, if any more was needed, that her relationship with Buffy was damaged beyond repair.
"Does the Council have some kind of proposal about how to deal with her?" Willow asked hesitantly.
"If they do, they haven't shared it with me," said Forsyth regretfully, leaning forward to pat the redhead sympathetically on the knee.
Angel moved from his seat to stand in front of Willow, his icy gaze causing Forsyth to quickly remove his hand. Taking in the size of the man standing in front of him, and his aggressive stance, Forsyth shrugged slightly and gave a hesitant smile, as if to say, "OK, OK, sorry!"
He realized that apparently the bond linking the three was not simply a matter of convenience or ritual. It was clear that the two men also considered themselves bodyguards, which he supposed would make sense.
After all, they were there to assist the Servant.
<What a wonderful opportunity to study a Servant bond at close quarters,> he thought enviously, hoping that Wesley and Giles would at least let him know of their findings.
He was distracted by the appearance of Cordelia, who handed him a cup of something he expected to be coffee. After taking a sip he struggled to keep the foul tasting liquid down, and it occurred to him that when Cordelia had offered to make coffee he had been the only one to accept.
Giles returned to the room, his face flushed with excitement. "Well, yes, excellent news. Apparently the manuscript, written by a Servant, does exist, and its location is known. We should have it, or a copy of it, here within a week or so."
Giles noticed that only Forsyth and Wesley seemed to understand the importance of this news. Cordelia was filing her nails and gazing under her eyelashes at Forsyth, Spike and Angel were glaring at the Watcher, and Willow was absorbed with her wretched computer.
Sighing with frustration at this display - <honestly, they must learn to focus!> Giles thought crossly - he turned to Forsyth and asked him his plans.
"Well, I think I should head back to Sunnydale and keep an eye on the Slayer. That way I can let you know what's happening, and we can keep in touch regarding the completion of the bond. Ah, I will of course have to tell the Council what is happening."
The Watcher's voice was momentarily lost as the others made their feeling about the Council's involvement known in loud voices.
"I have to tell them, in the past the Servants were allies of the Council and helped them on several important occasions. But," he stressed the word, "I will not tell them anything about the actual identity of Willow and her, ah, bond partners until after the bond is complete."
Forsyth smiled at Willow. "If the records the Council has are correct, once you have your full power you will have nothing to fear from the Council. The Servants always commanded the Council, not vice versa."
Willow returned his smile, grateful that she would have at least some breathing space before facing that particular problem.
Spike and Angel were not pleased at the idea of the Council getting involved, but it didn't seem like they had many options, and at last this way they had someone who could keep an eye on the Slayer. The vampire were united in their belief that Buffy was a much more serious threat than Willow seemed prepared to acknowledge.
Angel had moved past having any qualms he had about moving against his former lover. He had his priorities straight: Willow and Spike were his mates, and he would do whatever he had to in order to keep them safe. If that meant playing nice with the Council's lapdog. so they could keep track of Buffy and her tricks, then he would do it - provided that wanker kept his hands off of Willow, Angel added to himself with a mental snarl.
~Part: 27~
Saturday evening
Forsyth had left LA quickly, determined to reach Sunnydale and meet with the Slayer before she left on patrol. As dusk fell and he approached her dormitory he hoped that she would be in a more ... balanced ... frame of mind.
He knocked briskly, his eyebrows rising involuntarily as the Slayer opened the door and he saw her clothes - what little of them there were, anyway. It appeared the Chosen One was on her way to a party.
"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt Ms Summers, I thought you might be patrolling this evening."
"Yep, I am, just on my way now. I'm patrolling with some soldiers from the Initiative." A thought occurred to Buffy and she paused. "You do know about the Initiative?"
"Yes, the Council is aware of their activities" Forsyth said neutrally. In his personal opinion the Initiative were a bunch of fools, meddling with things they did not understand. He decided it would be interesting to see them in action, and knew that the Council would be pleased to get a first-hand report.
So he headed off with the Slayer, following her along the same route she had taken last night.
"Do you have a rendezvous point?" Forsyth asked curiously.
"Yeah. I met some new demons last night, so we are going back to where I saw them, hopefully they'll turn up again and we can catch one for the Initiative. They're always interested in new stuff," said Buffy casually as she saw Riley and his team approaching.
"Demons? What kind?" the Watcher inquired, his professional interest aroused.
"Don't know" was the reply as he saw the Slayer wave at a group of men dressed in fatigues.
For a moment he thought he must have misheard. "You don't know? But surely you must research the demon before facing it again? How do you know its powers, or its purpose, or how to kill it?"
Buffy grew irritated at Forsyth's tone. He sounded exactly like Giles, moaning about research. She was called the Slayer for a reason - she slew, not researched.
"Look," she snapped, "why don't you stay here and watch, Watcher." Smiling at her own joke, Buffy left the Englishman standing there as she went to greet Riley.
Seeing the still figure waiting where Buffy had left him, Riley asked who he was.
"Oh, just some Council observer. Don't worry about him, he'll keep out of the way." Riley was in no mood to argue with her, so he simply shrugged and asked Buffy to brief the team.
"OK, well I was patrolling last night and I came across three demons near that mausoleum," and she pointed to a crypt about 50 metres away. "They were small, about 4 foot high, and kind of round and blobby. They blasted me with some kind of laser or energy beam."
Buffy didn't mention the part where she was knocked unconscious, deciding that might be bad for team morale.
Buffy and Riley then moved forward, followed closely by the other four members of the team. Buffy recognised Forrest and Graham, but the other two men were strangers to her. They did a circuit of the mausoleum without seeing anything unusual, and the soldiers' thermal scanners detected nothing inside.
Approaching the door to the mausoleum, Buffy and Riley entered first, immediately seeing the demons from last night huddled in one corner of the dark room. Riley quickly advised the rest of the team to enter, until all six were in a semi-circle around the unmoving demons.
Buffy eyed the still forms, wondering if they were asleep. <They'll soon get a nasty wake-up call> she thought maliciously as she heard Riley give the order to blast all three with taser beams. Once they were knocked unconscious they would be taken back to the lab and studied Maybe she'd even let Forsyth have a look before they took them, he'd probably be in Watcher-heaven at the idea of getting a look at an unusual demon.
She squinted her eyes against the flare of light as the soldiers fired, watching as the energy beams reached the demons and seemed to wrap around them like a blanket before fading.
Instead of collapsing to the floor, the demons slowly turned to face the soldiers. It seemed the taser blasts had finally caught their attention. There was a low murmur, like chanting, and Buffy felt the air around her start to spark with static electricity.
"Everyone get out" she screamed as she ran for the door. Forrest was right behind her when she heard a crackling sound and she was thrown forward, landing with a thud as something heavy fell on her. "Not again" she moaned, sitting up and pushing free of the thing on top of her.
Opening her eyes and blinking slowly, several things occurred almost simultaneously to the shaken Slayer. The mausoleum was gone; in its place was a smoking pile of rubble and three small, blobby looking demons.
Secondly, the thing on top of her was Forrest - or what was left of him, anyway. The back of his body was completely charred, as though he had been struck by lightning.
Next, Buffy realised that Riley and the rest of his team were now part of the smoking ruins of the crypt, and she had only been saved by Forrest acting as a human shield.
The final thought that Buffy had was that the demons were moving towards her, and they were chanting again.
Panic filled her. She knew she had to get away, but she couldn't think. Then she saw the Watcher, Forsyth, standing near the trees at the edge of the cemetery where she had left him.
<He'll know what to do> her mind screamed, so she stumbled to her feet and ran as fast as she could to the Watcher, with the three demons following closely behind her.
As Buffy reached the horror-stricken Watcher she felt the air begin to crackle again. "Help me" she sobbed, and Forsyth, not knowing what else to do, moved his body between the trembling girl and the approaching demons.
"Oh dear" was his last thought, as the air filled with light and both he and the Slayer fell to the ground.
~Part: 28~
Saturday afternoon, LA
Cordelia was bored. Willow, Angel and Spike had gone downstairs as soon as Forsyth had left, leaving her with the two ex-Watchers. Seeing her unhappy expression, Wesley had asked her what was wrong.
"What's the point in having another girl in the office if she's always hidden away downstairs," Cordelia moaned, pouting her lips to make her displeasure clear.
"Now Cordelia, this is a delicate time for Willow," said Wesley in what he hoped was a diplomatic tone. "Her bond with Angel and Spike is very new, and the three of them need time to, ah, well, to become comfortable with their new relationship. And of course Willow must be concerned about the imminent arrival of her powers."
"Sure, but we could still spend time together, like during the day. when normal vampires would be sleeping. We could go shopping," said Cordelia, not willing to concede defeat.
"I think Willow has got more important things on her mind right now than shopping" Wesley replied, his expression indicating his disappointment in Cordelia and her warped view of the world.
****(meanwhile, downstairs)****
"Bloody Hell, Red, how much stuff did you buy?" Spike asked, somewhere between amazement and fear. <Let's hope she never wants to drag me on one of her shopping sprees,> he thought with horror. <That can be one of Soul Boy's jobs.>
Willow looked around the study. <It certainly does look a little, mmm, excessive,> she decided, <but no need to admit that to them.>
"Now Spike, you know all of my stuff is at the dorm, and I can hardly ask Buffy to send it, now can I? Plus at the rate I seem to be going through clothes, especially underwear," and Willow glared at Spike, who grinned with obvious pride, "anyway I need clothes." Willow finished quickly, not trusting the look on Spike's face.
Angel had watched the exchange between the two with amusement. He knew from personal experience that Spike was rough on clothing, tending to destroy anything that came between him and his partner when he was in the mood for, in the blonde's words, "a good shag".
"Peaches is going to have to get a second job if you keep this up," Spike mocked, casually emptying one of the bags and looking through the contents.
"No need for that," the redhead replied as she tried unsuccessfully to rescue her clothes from Spike's grasp. "I've still got my parents' credit card."
Angel frowned. "Willow, despite what Spike said you should know that I have more than enough money to look after us, all three of us. And if I have to let Spike spend money on his awful CDs, at least you can let me pay for your clothes and things."
Mentally bracing herself, Willow decided this was as good a time as any to set some limits.
"Look Angel, I appreciate you offer, I really do, but I want us all to be clear on what's going on. I mean, just because Spike and I are staying here while the whole psycho-Slayer thing is going on, doesn't mean we are staying here forever. At the beginning we agreed that you would stay in LA and Spike and I would stay in Sunnydale, and that hasn't changed, so there is certainly no question of you supporting us. I mean, I can get a job if it comes to that, and I will take care of Spike and myself."
Willow gave Angel her best girl-power glare, while noting that Spike seemed quite comfortable with the idea of being a kept man. Angel however did not look very pleased, Willow saw with a gulp, as the vampire strode towards her, paying no attention to the crushed shopping bags which marked his path.
"Now Willow," said Angel in a very Angelus-y purr, "why exactly are you so keen to go back to Sunnydale? What have you got there? Don't you think you'd have a lot more fun here in LA, the three of us just one big happy family?"
As he spoke Angel moved even closer to Willow, until their bodies were brushing together, and he bent his head towards her ear, so that each word he spoke whispered against her skin and sent a shiver down her spine.
Willow tried to back up, to put some distance between them, but found herself instead pressed against Spike, who had moved up behind her.
"Why so shy?" Angel murmured, his lips brushing against her earlobe. He caught one of her hands and brought it to his neck, running her fingertips over the bite mark on his neck.
"You have marked me, I am yours," he said. He bent his head down to her neck, licking at the fading mark which was evidence of the wound he had left last night. "And I have marked you as mine."
His voice was growing huskier by the minute, and Willow felt her body's resistance crumble as the two strong bodies pressed ever more firmly against her.
So she let Angel prove his point, but to her mind nothing had been resolved.
~Part: 29~
Saturday night, LA
Spike was less than pleased to be woken by the telephone. He was blissfully relaxed, Angel's arm slung around his waist and Willow's warm body curled against his side. He was sore in all the right places, and he needed at least another hour's sleep. He nudged Angel, but the bastard didn't even twitch.
Accepting the inevitable, Spike grabbed the phone before Willow woke up - after all, he decided, she needed her rest if she was going to keep up with two vampires.
"What?" Spike bit out, struggling to hold the phone cord so that it didn't fall on Willow's face.
"Spike? It's Giles. Wesley and I are on our way back to the office with Cordelia. She has had a vision. We need to go immediately to Sunnydale. We'll be there in 20 minutes. Get ready." And with that the phone went dead.
"Bloody Hell," cursed Spike. He really didn't want to go back there, and he didn't want Willow to have too much of a chance to try and get back into her old life. The more time Spike spent with Angel and Willow in LA, the more it felt right to him, and he was ready to help Angel persuade Willow to stay ... especially as he enjoyed the persuading part so much.
<Oh well, better get moving all we'll have two Watchers getting an eyeful> Spike realised, and he started tickling Willow's nose. She batted at his hand a few times before finally waking up, rubbing her body against his as she nuzzled at the offending hand. Willow reached out a lazy arm to stroke Spike's stomach, but as she dipped her hand lower she found it pushed away as Spike scolded her.
"Red! Only got one thing on your mind, eh?"
Willow raised her eyebrows. "So you're complaining then?"
Spike grinned and kissed her. "Not likely pet. But the Watchers are on their way with the prom queen, some kind of emergency, and you know no-one's going to get anything done if you don't put some clothes on."
"What kind of emergency?" Willow asked somberly as she got out of bed. She really didn't need any more bad news.
"The Sunnydale kind." Willow looked at Spike and saw he was serious, and headed to the study to find something clean to wear.
Spike watched her depart, enjoying the excellent view he had of her cute little ass, before turning to Angel, who was lying motionless beside him. "I know you're awake you pillock," Spike said crossly. "Now we're all off to Sunnydale, next thing you know Willow and Bitchy will be bestest buddies again and we'll be seeing her for an hour on weekends with the Slayer as chaperon. Sod that."
<Always thinking with his dick> Angel mused, wondering how Spike had managed to brainwash Willow into finding him attractive. "Don't worry boy," drawled the older vampire, "by the time we fix this emergency Willow will know exactly who she belongs to ... and so will you."
And with that Spike found himself thrown onto the bed as Angel sank his fangs into the blonde's exposed throat, both groaning in pleasure as the bond between them was affirmed yet again. Spike reached his hand between their bodies to grab Angel's cock, and soon felt a large hand start to stroke his shaft.
The dual sensation of Angel sucking at his neck while his cool hand worked at Spike's cock were too much for the vampire, and Spike came with a growl.
Angel kept his lips against Spike's neck. He could taste Spike's orgasm in the spicy blood that trickled into his mouth, and he soon felt his own release join the sticky fluid already coating both their stomachs. Angel lifted his cum-covered fingers to Spike's mouth and watched in pleasure as his childe delicately licked them clean.
Then with a reluctant sigh he headed for the shower. Angel was getting tired of all these interruptions. When all this drama was over he was going to lock his childe and their witch in a room, and no- one was going to leave until he was well and truly satisfied - which he fully expected to take quite some time.
Spike waited for Angel to finish his shower so he could get cleaned up. He saw the gleam in Angel's eyes as he left the shower stall and felt his balls tighten. <What the hell is that poof up to now?> he thought uneasily. Then he realised he had more pressing problems and quickly ducked under the spray, rinsing himself clean and hopping out to find Willow waiting for him with a towel and his clothes.
"Don't you ever get sick of wearing the same thing?" she asked casually as she rubbed his back dry.
"Pet, it took decades to find the perfect outfit. You don't mess with success."
Willow snorted and watched him dress, noting the marks on his back and neck from their little "bonding" exercise earlier, as well as a very fresh bite mark on his neck.
"Spike, do you want us to stay in LA with Angel?" Willow asked, gazing with apparent absorption at the towel she held in her hands.
Spike looked at her, his mind racing. In his years with Drusilla he had heard enough of these questions to know there was never a right answer. It was like walking through a sodding minefield.
"Pet, I want to be wherever you want to be." Spike felt his nervousness increase as he saw from the look on Willow's face that he was not going to get off the hook that easily.
"Well what if I said it was up to you?" asked Willow, looking him in the eyes.
"I'd say we should stay here, with Angel," Spike said with more certainty than he felt, trying without success to read Willow's expression.
"We'd better head upstairs," she said, taking his hand. "They'll be here soon." And with that she led a confused Spike to the lift.
~Part: 30~
Saturday night, LA
Cordelia finally felt the headache tablets start to take affect as Giles parked his car outside Angel's office. She adjusted her sunglasses despite the lack of daylight and, breathing a heavy sigh, allowed Wesley to assist her from the car and escort her inside.
She settled herself on the sofa next to Willow, who was close enough to Spike to more or less be on his lap. She felt sorry for Willow; they may not be friends exactly but it seemed to her that the redhead had enough on her plate without adding in this latest development. But there was not much any of them could do about it.
Angel entered the office, having come upstairs as soon as he heard the others arrive. He looked at Cordelia, and asked gently, "Cordelia? What did you see?"
Cordelia took a deep breath, running the vision through her mind again to make sure she didn't miss any details she could pick out of the jumbled images.
"Well, I saw Buffy with some soldiers in Sunnydale. I recognised the cemetery, it was St Andrews. There were three demons, sort of small and round, and bluish. Then there was an explosion of some kind, and all the soldiers were burnt, as in nothing left but ashes. Then I saw Buffy with the Watcher, with David. They were hurt too, I couldn't tell how badly, they were lying on the ground. And then I saw the same demons, and Willow was there with someone else - I couldn't see who though. And that's it."
Giles cleared his throat before breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. "I called Sunnydale Memorial, and a woman matching Buffy's description was admitted a few hours ago. She has serious burns and other injuries, and has not yet regained consciousness. They said her condition was critical. I have called Buffy's mother, and she is on her way to the hospital."
Angel knew he had to ask the next question, even though he suspected he already knew the answer. "And Forsyth?"
"Dead," came the quiet reply, confirming Angel's fears. What kind of demons were these, that could bring down a Slayer? And how was Willow meant to fight them when she still didn't have her powers?
Willow knew exactly what Angel was thinking - and Spike too, judging by the death grip he had on her hand. But Cordelia's vision meant that whatever her own fears may be - <I mean> she thought, <even if my powers arrive how am I supposed to know what to do with them? I doubt I'll get an instruction booklet.> - she knew that she would be heading to Sunnydale.
"OK," she said briskly, "we have to get moving. I think we should go first to the hospital, in case Buffy wakes up and we can get some information from her. And then we need to do some serious research, which means Giles' place and his library."
Giles polished his glasses nervously. "Do you think that's safe? The Council may not be an immediate threat anymore, but the Initiative is still looking for Spike, and they could make the connection to me and my apartment."
It was Angel who answered. "First, Cordelia's vision showed that they lost some of their soldiers to the demons, so I imagine that right now that is their priority. Also, Spike may not be able to fight humans but I can, and so can Willow."
Willow felt his words reassure her, and looked over at Spike to see that he didn't seem concerned by the prospect of running into the Initiative.
The decision made, Giles, Wesley and Cordelia headed off in Cordelia's borrowed car, closely followed by the others in Angel's car.
Spike was seated in the passenger seat with Willow by herself in he back. She watched as Angel and Spike quietly chatted, observing how Angel managed to unconsciously calm the younger vampire's mood, and how Spike's frequent irreverent comments managed to bring several smiles to Angel's normally serious expression.
<They make a good team,> Willow thought, then rolling the idea around in her mind, she mentally amended it to <we make a good team.>
She wished that she and Buffy were still friends, she really needed to talk to someone, to try and sort out what she was feeling. But, she decided philosophically, even if Buffy hadn't reacted so badly to the idea of her and Spike being together she doubted that the blonde would be overly thrilled at the idea of Spike and Willow with Angel, her one true love.
Willow tried to run through her other options. She imagined telling Giles the intricacies of her love life - that was just too disturbing, she decided, shuddering at the mental image.
Cordelia? Well, she had a certain bluntness that sometimes passed as refreshing honesty, but Willow couldn't really imagine revealing too many of her innermost thoughts to her former nemesis.
Spike? Well, at least he already knew the gory details, but it was a bit hard to get a straight answer out of him, especially about Angel.
And Angel? Willow smiled at the idea, which to her seemed just crazy enough - and obvious enough - to make sense.
She leaned forward in her seat so that her body was wedged between the two front bucket seats, and casually put a hand on each man's thigh, enjoying the feel of muscles clenching under her touch. <Oh yeah, I'm bad!> Willow decided with pride.
Spike put his hand over hers and tugged it higher, while Angel squirmed slightly and threw a quick glance at her face, which was obscured in the darkness of the car.
"Willow ?" he asked huskily, trying to keep his gaze on the road.
She let Spike move her hand over the bulge in his trousers then pinched him hard, drawing a yelp from the blonde as she quickly withdrew her hand to avoid retaliation. Then she turned her attention to Angel, slowly stroking his thigh.
"Angel, if Spike and I decide to stay in Sunnydale, what will you do?"
Her quiet voice carried no emotion, but Angel knew this was no casual question. Casting aside his pride, he slowly answered. "I would try to convince you to come to LA, and if I couldn't I would move back to Sunnydale."
Willow could hear the honesty in his voice, and she kept up her slow massage of his leg.
"If you could break the bond, without anyone being hurt, would you?"
"No," was his immediate reply. Angel took one of his hands off the wheel and placed it over Willow's hand. "The bond, being together with you both ... it feels like a new chance to me, to finally find a way to be at peace with myself and of having a family again. To be with people I love, and who love me. To no longer be alone, or lonely."
Willow let silence fall as she considered his words. "Yesterday, when you and Spike were at the apartment while Cordelia drove me to LA, I felt you, you know, through the bond." Willow looked at Angel's face but could only see his profile. "What were you doing?"
Angel turned briefly to face her so that she could see the half smile on his face. "Do you remember earlier that morning, that you sent your emotions through the bond?"
Willow thought back, then smiled. "Did it work? Really?" She was practically squeaking with excitement.
A snort came from Spike's seat. "Did it work? Knocked us both unconscious is more like it."
"Oh, umm, sorry," she said sheepishly. Willow looked at Angel curiously. "What did it feel like?"
"Like drowning in a sea of love," came his soft reply, and Willow felt her heart stop at the emotion in his voice. Sighing, she finally stopped fighting, putting her memories behind her and letting her heart and her mind unite.
Speaking into the darkness , she said quietly, "I wanted you to know how much you mean to me, how much I love you, both of you."
Spike felt his demon squirm at the sentimentality even while acknowledging his pleasure at Willow's declaration. Angel on the other hand had no hesitation. His soul and his demon both welcomed the redhead's words, her sincerity helping to wipe away many of his fears about the future.
Angel squeezed Willow's hand before returning both his hands to the steering wheel.
"I was trying to return your message," he said, trying for a conversational tone despite the emotion still flooding his mind from Willow's declaration. "Did you get my reply?"
Willow grinned. "Well, if your reply was the one that included S&M instructions and a bondage how-to catalogue, then yep, I got it."
Angel was horror-struck, his emotions not helped when his demon joined in Spike's gleeful laughter.
"Oh Peaches, you didn't?"
Angel was spared from replying by a gasp of pain from the back seat. He turned to see Willow slumped unconscious on the seat, and quickly pulled off the freeway. He and Spike struggled to undo their belts and assist their mate, but seconds later their limp bodies also lay in the car, as their minds slipped into blackness.