Title: Sweet Hereafter
Author: Eve
Email: alfa_fighter_3@hotmail.com
Pairing: W/A/S
Rating: NC-17 overall
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all characters from BtVS and A:tS, the rest are mine.
Author's Notes: In my world, there was no Tara, no Glory, and Angel has been in love with Willow since she brought him back from Hell
Feedback: Writers need feedback like mere mortals need air. :-P
Summary: Fifteen years after the opening of the Hellmouth, Willow, Spike, and Angel meet again

Chapter 9


Penelope nearly broke down the door in her attempt to get into the apartment that Mac and Sean shared.

"Guys! We've got trouble. Mac? Sean?"

There was a note on the kitchen table saying that if she was looking for them, they were over at Seth's. He'd flipped out again. Ugh. She couldn't run in these boots anymore. She pulled them off and made her way out of the building. People stared as she ran barefoot down the sidewalk. They really needed to get cell phones. She made a note to mention it to Angel, and then concentrated on her mission. Find the others, defeat evil.

Minutes later she was at the halfway house were Seth was staying. She dashed past the receptionist, ignoring her shouts of 'Miss, you can't go back there!' It wasn't hard to locate her partners. She could hear Seth yelling, and the deep rumble of Mac trying to calm him down. The rec room was full of people, all standing around watching the scene in the center of the room.

"Everyone out!" Penelope commanded. The receptionist and a security guard rushed in after her. She noticed another man in uniform standing around, watching with the rest ofthem. "You," she said, pointing at him. "Get these people out of here. Now!" He looked her up and down, the tiny Asian woman in a slinky black dress with no shoes, whose tone brooked no argument. Soon, the room was nearly empty, and Penelope gave the receptionist a glare that meant "That means you too, honey." The woman huffed, but finally left.

Mac was trying to get a grip on Seth, but the twitchy young man kept slipping from his grasp.

"What happened?" she asked.

Sean shrugged, perplexed. "No idea. They called us, saying that he was yelling about a bunch of nonsense and wouldn't calm down. I tried restraining him magically, but that only freaked him out more."

"Well, someone's got to do something. We have a situation."

Mac shook his head. "We've tried everything. Magic, talking to him, brute force--Damn! You'd be impossible in a fight, you little runt," Mac said as Seth evaded him once again.

"What kind of situation?"

Penelope turned back to Sean. "Not sure, but I think it's bad. Angel told me to come and get you guys. What is he babbling about?"

"I have no idea," Sean said. "He's not making any sense."

Penelope stopped to listen for a moment. Seth's words were too fast and panicked to be totally coherent, but it sounded like he was saying anger, death, something about confusion. And a force? Hadn't Angel said something about a force? Perhaps his ramblings weren't nonsense after all.

"We don't have time for this," she said, stalking over to Seth. She grabbed his head between her hands before he could pull away. "Look at me, Seth. It's Pen. Look at me. "His wild eyes slowly focused on her. "You've got to calm down." He whimpered slightly and tried to pull away but she held fast. "Calm down. We have to help Angel."

His lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. She grabbed his upper arms and shook him a little. "Snap out of it. You want to freak out you do it on your own time.We're on the clock now," she snapped.

His eyes cleared somewhat, and she let go when she felt some of the tension drain from his body. He wouldn't stop twitching, though. "It's bad," he said. "Bad, bad. It's bad." He repeated it over and over like a mantra, and went to sit down, fingers tugging at his messyhair.

"He should be okay now," she said, turning to the others. They were staring at her with a mixture of wonder and wariness. "Mac, get the car. We have to get going."

Willow was lying in bed. The sheets beneath her were soaked with sweat, but it was too much of an effort to roll over. Her limbs felt like lead--the arm that she'd manage to fling over her eyes to block out the light just might crush her head.

A strangled "Uhhhhgrfff," issued from the back of her throat. She knew she should do something. Get up, have a shower, stop Spike from trying to kill Angel, never perform another spell again. Oh, and the dishes needed to be done. Can't forget the important stuff. She willed her foot to move an inch and miraculously, it obeyed. Now she was that much closer to getting out of bed. And she thought she might be a little delirious.

This was all Spike's fault. If he had just thought before acting this one time, she wouldn't be lying here desperately trying to block out the surge of emotions that was overwhelming her through the bond. A slight tingling had started at her bite marks shortly after Spike left. The tingling had turned painful as it spread outwards over her breast. Now her whole side was throbbing. He was absolutely livid, and it was making her head hurt.

Maybe she could blame it on Angel. For what, though? For kissing her, for being in New York, for being Spike's Sire, for walking the earth as a hunk of chocolatey goodness. Had she just referred to Angel as chocolatey goodness? Goddess.

In reality, she knew it was her own fault. She should have known better than to think that covering up the smell of her arousal, and the sound of her shallow breathing and racing heart would fool Angel. She didn't have a glamour spell to hide the lust in her eyes. And now Spike thought she was a vampire and had run off to kill Angel instead of staying to take care of her. Stupid vampire. Maybe she could blame it on Spike a little. Then his words came back to her. "I don't think I could bloody well go on without you. I don't think I'd want to."

She had to get up. She had to stop him from killing Angel. She had to stop him from getting himself killed. Because when it all came down to it, she didn't think she could go on without Spike either, bond or no bond.

Angel was close.

Spike could feel the powerful thrum in the air indicating his Sire's presence.

Angel was close, and he was waiting for him.

Waiting to die, once and for all.

Spike felt his eyeteeth itching. All the better to eat you with, you bloody bastard.




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