Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Buffyverse. Some of the dialogue has been borrowed from the Season 2 episode "Lie to Me."

The infamous vampire with a soul paced his Sunnydale apartment. It was early morning but he couldn't sleep. He walked to the fridge and took out a glass of pig's blood. He took an absent-minded swig, and placed it on the counter. Moving to the bed, he laid down, but was up on his feet again in seconds. No matter what he did the restlessness wouldn't leave him. He simply couldn't get her off of his mind. He walked to the bookshelf and picked up a volume of Byron determinedly:

Sweet lady! once my heart was warm
With every feeling soft as thine;
But Beauty's self hath ceased to charm
A wretch created to repine.

Yet wilt thou weep when I am low?
Sweet lady! speak those words again:
Yet if they grieve thee, say not so--
I would not give that bosom pain.

Reading the words, he quickly slammed the book shut. That certainly isn't going to help. He thought to himself. He shook his head. Angel, you have to stop this…it can never happen! But she's so beautiful…so graceful…so forbidden. Not only because she's human and I'm a demon…worse than that, she's the best friend of my…my…well Buffy.

Buffy. She too, is beautiful, and strong, and…not Willow.

"Damn it!" The curse sounded unusually loud in the empty apartment.

He had seen her earlier in the night. He had gone to the Bronze and she had been there. Buffy was there too, with some randy teenager, apparently a friend from L.A, following her about. In truth, he was relieved to see Buffy with someone. She was quickly becoming very attached to the idea of a "relationship" and he wasn't even sure she understood what that meant. Willow had been hanging around that Xander as usual, what she saw in a boy like that was a mystery, but she had greeted him cheerfully. And you didn't even respond, he scolded himself. He had been content to watch her for a few minutes. The way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, and the pleased look on her face she thought of something amusing. She had noticed him all too soon however, and when she invited him to play pool, he had panicked and vanished without a word.

"Idiot!" Again, the word echoed loudly throughout the empty apartment.

He had to do something. As he continued pacing he realised there was no way he could leave things in such a state. What would she think of him? You know, she probably doesn't think of you at all…she has more important things to do, he told himself. Still, he could not rest until he came up with a plan. Around midday, he came up with one.

It was evening and Angel was nervously lurking on Willow's balcony. This is the worst idea ever! You're one of the Four Scourges of Europe and this is the best you could come up with? He scolded himself, which he seemed to be doing a lot lately, and tapped lightly on her door. He heard her yelp slightly in fright and then the curtains were drawn back.

"Oh! Angel, what are you doing here?" She opened the door to let him in.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh…well…" She gestured for him to enter. "Well?"

Silently Angel cursed the complications of being a vampire for the umpteenth time. "I can't. Unless you invite me in, I can't come in."

"Oh." He could tell she was nervous. "Okay, well I invite you. To come in."

Angel entered and watched as, with a look of utter mortification, she hurried to hide a bra that was on her bed. He smiled ever so slightly as he wondered about the number of bras he had seen in his two hundred and some years.

"I…if this is a bad time, I…" He trailed off.

"No! I just…I'm not supposed to have boys in my room." She blushed scarlet at embarrassment, and again Angel smiled slightly at her use of the word 'boy.'

"I promise to behave myself."

"Okay. Good." He was blessed with one of her winning smiles.

The silence began to grow and Angel rushed to fill it. "I guess I need your help." Damn, that had not been what he was intending to say.

"Help? You mean like on homework? No, 'cause you're old and you already no stuff."

If he hadn't been already dead, he would have killed himself. This was not at all how he had imagined this meeting going…there had been less awkwardness and much more kissing. He searched frantically for something to say. His eyes fell on her laptop.

"I want you to track someone down. On the Net."

"Oh great! I'm so the 'net girl.'" She smiled again and went to sit at her desk.

"I just want to find out everything I can. Records, affiliates, I'm not even sure what I'm looking for yet." You can say that again. Angel thought to himself as he wracked his brain for a way to keep the conversation going.

"Good. What's the name?"

The name? Who the hell do I want to know more about? No one--except for the girl whose bedroom I'm now standing in--making a complete ass of myself. She was staring at him expectantly.

"Angel?" She asked.

"Billy Fordham." He blurted out. Idiot! He thought, as soon as the name left his mouth. Of all the names in the world, why that one?

"Uh Angel? If I say something that you don't want to hear, do you promise not to bite me?"

When she turned to face him, biting her, though tempting, was only one of many things he wanted to do to her. He shook his head. I guess I have to go along with the ruse.

"Are you going to tell me that I'm jealous?" He hoped his voice sounded annoyed enough.

"Well you do sometimes get that way." She went back to typing.

"You know, I never used to. Things used to be pretty simple. A hundred years, hanging out, feeling guilty…I honed my brooding skills." Willow turned to face him and he continued quickly. "Then she comes along (You came along) yeah I get jealous. But I know people, and my gut tells me that this is a wrong guy."

"Okay. But if there isn't anything weird…hey, that's weird."

"What?"

"I just checked the school records, and he's not in them. I mean, usually they transfer your grades and stuff, but he's not even registered."

"He said he was in school with you guys right?"

"Well let me see if I can…"

What am I doing? It sounds like I really care about this Billy character. I have to tell her why I really came. He mustered up some courage.

"Willow, I…"

"What is it Angel?"

"I…" He was interrupted by a voice from the hallway.

"Willow? Are you still up?"

"Ack! Go! I'm just going to bed now Mom." She practically pushed him onto the balcony.

"Willow, I…"

"Not now! Come by tomorrow at sunset. I'll keep looking."

"But I…"

She slammed the door in his face and shut the curtain.

"…Love you." He whispered

When he returned to his apartment he fell onto his bed.

"Well…that went well." The words sounded loud and ominous in the empty apartment.