See disclaimer in part 1

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Part Four

As they approached her home, Willow made for the front door instead of her balcony, pulling the vampire with her. "Come on in Angel. They're away again." She told him as she dug into her jean pockets for her door keys, "Business trip."

"Again!" The dark-haired vampire repeated as she opened the door and followed her in. He was continuously amazed by just how little the Rosenberg's appeared to care for the petite redhead's safety and the way they were never for her. "I didn't even know they'd come back."

Willow reached out a hand to turn on the living room lights, dropping her backpack on the floor, speaking as she did so. "Briefly yesterday morning, I must have been at Amy's. I came back to find a credit card on the breakfast counter with a note saying 'For whatever new clothes and schoolbooks you might need. Also for your meals and whatever bills that may arise. We should be home in three weeks but may be delayed.' Loving note to leave your only child."

"I can not believe your parents." He growled, furious and sick at heart for how forlorn she looked. "They don't deserve to have a daughter like you, the way they treat you."

She sank down onto the nearest couch, closing her eyes in mental exhaustion. "Don't worry about it Angel. I'm used to it, especially these last two years."

He sat beside her, pushing a lock of hair away from her eyes before resting his hand on her pale cheek. "Are you really, Willow. Be honest with me now, álainn. Remember I know what you're really feeling."

"Oh Goddess why, Angel, why do they keep doing this to me, why?" She turned to him and buried her head against his chest, shaking with violent sobs long suppressed. He responded automatically by wrapping his arms around her, rubbing her back in comforting strokes as he murmured nonsensical words in her hair, trying to soothe her.

"My poor ionúin," He thought to himself.

Gradually he felt her sobbing slowing down as her breathing pattern changed as well. Smiling he realised that she was literally falling asleep in his arms and he ran a hand down her arm. "Willow, ionúin, you can't fall asleep here, baby, upstairs sleepyhead."

"Noo, Angel!" She groaned settling her head more comfortably against him, a hand resting on his chest, "Too comfortable, nice Angel-pillow."

"Little one, you'll find it easier to sleep in your own bed." He bent down to murmur in her ear in complete amusement. "So unless you want me to carry you upstairs and undress you, álainn it's time to get moving."

Seconds later as her brain realised exactly what he had said, her eyes sprang open and she jumped to her feet, blushing madly as she moved away backwards,. "No, no wake now, on my feet, going upstairs by myself. Yes, all by my little self."

With that she scattered towards the stairs, taking her jacket off and dropping it over the curve of his arm. He followed her, turning for the front door intending to leave. "Get a good night's sleep, Willow. I'll see you tomorrow in the library."

"Angel, please don't go… stay."

There was something in her voice that made him stop. He turned round to find the petite girl standing on the stairs, a pleading look in her beautiful green eyes. A look he couldn't resist as he realised that the e-mail from earlier in the evening had disturbed her more than she had previously revealed. He found himself almost overwhelmed by a sense of sheer pride in the petite young redhead on the stairs before him.

He quickly made his decision.

"All right, Willow, if that's what you want, I will. Now go. I'll check on your doors."

"Angel protecto-vamp!" She grinned down at him mischievously, and then dashed up the remainder of the stairs laughing as he took a mock-threatening step towards her.

"You won't escape. Will. I'll get you back eventually."

She bent over the banister and looked down at him grinning. "I'm sure you will Angel." She stuck her tongue out at him and disappeared laughing.

A rare smile lingered in the handsome vampire's dark eyes as he watched her go, almost frozen in place. He had started to move away when a sound stopped him and he looked up at the stairs. "Willow…"

Seconds later, her terrified scream had the vampire moving at his highest speed to the second level. In less than ten seconds, he had reached the shaking redhead and had surrounded her in his protective hold, her face buried against his chest. A swift glance through her open bedroom door told him all he needed to know and his eyes flashed amber.

Willow's room had been completely, even maliciously ripped apart. Even her toy frog, a gag gift from Xander to help her get over her phobia with frogs was in several pieces on the floor. Her computer lay ruined on the desk and the floor. The whole room was covered in paint the colour of blood, almost as the person who had vandalised the room hadn't been satisfied with merely destroying it.

Sweeping her up into his arms, he carried her downstairs and placed her into the corner of the sofa. Gently removing the leather jacket she was clutching tightly to her, he covered her with it, and then ran a soothing hand through her hair. "It will be alright, ionúin. I promise you."

He then sat down beside her and picked up the phone. As he dialled Giles' number, Willow wriggled round on the sofa next to him until she was buried against his side, beginning to shake slightly as shock settled into her small frame.

Angel moved allowing her to curl up even closer, his arm around her small body.

"Rupert Giles."

"Giles its Angel, there's no other way of putting this, so I'm going to be blunt. Someone has broken into the Rosenberg house and has completely destroyed Willow's room. From what I can sense it's the only room that has been touched. Everything has been utterly ruined."

"Dear God, is Willow alright?"

"Will's in shock, Giles. She can't stop shaking." A whimper of pain escaped the redhead's lips and Angel drew her even closer, tightening his protective hold. She wrapped her arms about his waist, shaking even more than before as she almost tried to burrow herself into him. "I was going to take her back to my place

"No, bring her here, Angel." Giles said firmly. "I'll prepare my guest room for her and you, so that we can both keep watch over her tonight. I'll expect you in about fifteen minutes."

"We'll be there." The vampire put the phone down and ran his hand through her hair, silently cursing the person who had done this to her.

"Come on, ionúin, we have someone waiting for us." He stood up, drawing her with him. "Let's get you out of this place."

Once on her feet, the hacker drew the jacket around herself, almost as if she was seeking comfort in it. "Angel…" Her low voice trembled as she looked up at him. "Why… why… me? Who… would do this to me?"

"That's what I'm going to find out." Angel promised her as he placed his hand under her chin, drawing her troubled gaze to his own. As he moved his hand to cup her cheek, she couldn't help but notice, even in her shock that his face was at half-grr as she herself called it in the early years. "Believe me Willow I will find out."

She raised her trembling hand to cover his. "I know you will, Angel." She murmured in reply. "I trust you."

With that he drew her close to his side and gently led her out of her home, picking her backpack on the way pass. He slammed the front door shut in silent disgust, and then led the redhead away with out even a backward glance.

As they moved away, neither of them noticed the tall figure in the long duster watching them from the shadows of the trees, a cigarette in his fingers, "Well, well, well, so Peaches is back and glued to Red's side."

He frowned. "Now do I tell them or not…"

He leant back against a tree in silent contemplation, smoke wafting into the air.

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They walked slowly to Giles' home, the petite redhead tucked close against the handsome vampire's side. Her head rested against him as his hand moved constantly over her shoulder in silent reassurance while he kept glancing down at her worried by her continued silence.

Arriving at his house, they found the anxious Watcher pacing up and down his veranda waiting for them. Willow took one look at the man who had been more of a father to her in the past two and a half years than her own in the last seventeen and a sob escaped her lips.

Swallowing, she freed herself from the vampire's protective hold and ran to him. He immediately wrapped the girl he thought of as a daughter in his arms, holding her close as she finally began to cry. Her shoulders shook violently with the force of her sobs and she clutched his jumper with almost a desperate manner.

"You're safe now, Willow. We won't let anyone hurt you." He murmured in her hair as he ran his hand over her back. "Angel and I will look after you, you know that."

Angel swallowed her slowly up the path, his eyes even more concerned. Giles looked over the petite hacker's head at him. "Come in, Angel."

For the first time since his return from Hell, the ensouled vampire really felt as if the Watcher had completely accepted him back. 'Something else I can thank Willow for.' He thought to himself, 'Even under these circumstances.'

He followed as the Watcher led the sobbing girl into his house, murmuring soft nonsensical phrases to her. Once inside the vampire dropped her backpack on the ground and closed the door behind him, locking it firmly.

Hearing the door shut behind her, Willow immediately turned, looking for him, her eyes frantic. Seconds later, she was back in his strong arms again, clinging to him. Rubbing a hand up and down her back, Angel and Giles shared a concerned look over her head.

"Bring her this way, Angel." Giles said quietly as he led his way to his guestroom. "The best thing for her now is sleep."

Murmuring in a low voice, Angel gently guided her after him down the corridor, following him into the bedroom. He couldn't help but notice that the Watcher had made the room safe for him as well. He gently freed himself from the shaking girl's hold, caressing her cheek. "Try and get some sleep, ionúin. I have to go back to my apartment and get some things."

Visibly pulling herself together, the little redhead drew upon the inner strength they were only just discovering she had. She turned her green eyes to the vampire's chocolate brown eyes, resting her small hand on his chest for a moment and pushing him slightly. "Go Angel. I'll be all right. I know Giles is here. I'll be fine."

"I know you will ionúin." He ran gentle fingers down the side of her face, tucking a lock of red hair behind her ear. He raised her small hand to his lips and kissed it, then withdrew to the door. "But I want you to know that we're here for you, none the less. Now go, sleep."

He drew the door shut behind him and turned to face the waiting Watcher. "I don't like this, Giles. I really don't like this at all. To quote your charges, it's fairly wiggin' me out. First this email, then her room. It's just too much to be a coincidence. Someone has targeted Willow."

"Yes, I must admit I was beginning to think along the same lines." Giles folded his arms and sighed deeply. "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm of the opinion Willow needs to sleep more than anything else, I'd be calling the others."

Angel found him self frowning at the mention of the other Slayerettes. "I think you're right, Giles. After his reaction at just the possible threat, we can definitely do without Xander. I know he…" cough "Means well but he'd drive her mad."

"Your dislike's showing, Angel," Willow's voice came unexpectedly from behind them. They turned to find her standing in the doorway, arms folded. "Weren't you going somewhere?" She continued, looking from him to Giles, a touch of dark amusement barely lightening her troubled gaze. "Like your apartment."

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving." He held up his hands as he backed away from her in mock fear, making her smile. A small smile but a smile none the less. "And I won't be gone too long either."

"I know you won't." The moment he was gone, she started to close the door leaving Giles alone in the quiet corridor, shaking his head.

He looked up at the ceiling. "Tell me please what I did to deserve this particular group of people."

Having heard him, the door opened again and the redhead emerged once more to look at him. "Just like us, you got lucky, Giles, extremely lucky."

"Yes, Willow." He murmured as the door closed more firmly behind her. "I really think I must have done." He turned and walked away.

Giles was in his kitchen when the vampire returned, carrying a bag and frowning. He looked up as Angel looked back the way he had come. "Ah Angel, can I get… is there something wrong?"

"I'm not sure." The vampire replied as he put his bag on the counter. "I had the strangest feeling I was being watched on my way back here."

"Perhaps this situation with Willow has just made you extra sensitive." Giles suggested practically.

"Maybe you're right. I just have this..." He shook his head. "It felt familiar somehow; maybe it will come to me later." Forcing an unneeded sigh from his lungs, he turned to his bags. "Has Willow fallen asleep?"

"Her eyes were closed that's about all I can say." Giles replied picking up the cup he had just made. "There's room in the fridge for your things."

"Thank you." Angel said simply, too stunned to say anything else. He just took out his blood supply and put them in the space the Englishman had prepared. He turned to speak to the Watcher but a sudden terrified scream stopped him and made Giles drop his cup, smashing it.

Moments later, both of them were in the bedroom, Angel sitting on the side of the bed holding Willow in his arms, rocking her, "It's okay ionúin, I'm here now, we're both here. You're safe Willow."

Willow buried her head against his chest, arms tight around his waist as she sought protection from her nightmare in his embrace. For a moment, Giles was visibly reminded of the way that the slender redhead had held the vampire on the night he had returned to them. There was an air around them that spoke of emotions neither was yet ready to recognise, although they were close.

Making up his mind, he drew away knowing with absolute surety the redhead was in the right place. "Angel, I'll leave Willow with you."

Nodding his head in reply, the vampire concentrated his full attention on the petite girl in his arms. When he heard the door shut behind him, he spoke. "Tell me what happened, álainn."

Voice trembling, she spoke so low even his vampire hearing had difficulty in picking it up.

"I, I was in my room, when… when they broke in and started to tear it apart. I was… I was in the corner watching them, too… too frozen to do any thing to stop them. Too... Scared."

"Willow baby, you weren't even there when it happened. There was nothing you could have done to stop it." He said simply, brushing his fingers through her hair. "You might have been hurt if you'd been there."

She leant back in his arms and looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. A single one fell down her cheek and he wiped it away. "Angel, it was my room. The one place in the world that was really mine and they've desecrated it. They've violated me."

He immediately drew her back against him, suddenly realising what she meant. Placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, he gently laid her back against the pillows and ran a cool hand over her eyes, closing them. "Try to sleep, álainn. I'll be here."

She obeyed him immediately. Turning on her side, she snuggled down into the pillows then reached out for his hand, holding it to her. "Stay with me… please."

"Always," As she finally fell into sleep, he moved so that he was lying beside her, pulling the blanket over her as she shivered.

Drawing her into his arms, he gently soothed away her nightmares before they could take hold of her dreams - Holding her close to his unbeating heart all night, surrounding her with his protective thoughts and hold.

It was during that long night that the vampire made her a further promise. "I'll be here for you always, my Willow, just like you are for me."

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Well, here's the next part and the story is beginning to really develop.

Will love to hear what you think and as always looking forward to seeing what you have to say ;op