Passion For Fire;
Chapter 3;
New Arrival, New Outcast
Over the 4 hour flight, Willow had had some time to think over the whole Angel and Angelus situation. She almost slapped herself in front of a plane full of people when she realized how long this had been going on. When Angel had regained his senses after being brought back from hell, or wherever he went, his emotions would change completely out of the blue with no warning. Willow had remembered a time Angel had walked past her and his hand had grazed across her stomach. Willow hadn't been able to stop herself from gasping.and Angel had smirked. Willow claimed it was her hormonal teenage imagination, but now it had made sense. It made sense why Angel would always walk her home, brush past her, and ask to be invited it almost every night until she couldn't think up an excuse and said yes. Willow hadn't wanted to be rude to Angel and REALLY didn't want him to be upset with her, but heck Willow would start to sweat mountains when XANDER came over, she couldn't imagine how bad she would screw up with Angel. Willow had used so many excuses until she just plain didn't think, and said yes. Willow didn't miss the look of amusement on his face, but had thought it was because he noticed her nervousness. Willow had been shocked when on his way out he casually suggested that she make some changes to her wardrobe, something 'more like what Faith wore'. Willow snorted, figures, Angelus had always been a dominatrix. Willow decided that maybe it was best to put all these thoughts behind her. Angel clearly stated he wanted her far away. So, that night on the plane, while everyone else was asleep, Willow cautiously got out her magic supplies and cast a spell, placing a mental block on all romantic thoughts her mind might create, and it worked. Willow suddenly found herself thinking of Angel and Angelus in a very celibate, non-romantic way. What a relief! But, with that relief, Willow felt a strangment inside, she felt empty, and very much hollow. Willow's plane finally landed in Salem, France. A small out-of -the- way town about 20 minutes from Paris by foot. Willow had no need to rent an apartment since she would be staying at her new dorm, she hailed a taxi and was soon on her way. When she arrived, Willow was in awe at the size of the university. It was bigger than any mansion she'd ever seen in any of her history books! It was a Victorian style with a gloomy, almost unnerving look to it, Willow smiled to herself as she paid the driver. 'I guess it isn't all stereo-type.' Willow threw the small duffle bag over her shoulder and started trotting up the large collection of stairs. When Willow made it to the top, she found herself almost out of breath. "At least I'll get a good workout every time I come back from lunch." Willow smiled again, glad that she caught herself looking at 'the glass half full'. Willow walked at a quick pace through the door, it smelt like it was about to rain soon. Willow was surprised, there wasn't that much rain in California, in France it would be so much different. As Willow walked through the door, she also walked right into a person, unfortunately knocking them both over. "Oh! I'm SO sorry!" Willow quickly apologized. She looked up to she a very angry-looking brunette with dull gray eyes glaring at her. "You MIGHT try watching where you're going next time!" She shouted brushing her hair out of her face and gathering her papers she dropped. When they both stood up the girl looked her up and down, then smirked. "Then again, I can see why a person like you would want to keep your eyes glued to the floor." Willow was taken aback by her venomous tone, 'Oh great another Cordelia.' Willow thought as the girl walked past her with her small button nose high in the air. Willow mentally slapped herself, "Way to go, Wills." She mumbled. Willow could hear some of the other students who had witnessed the event, snickering behind her back. Willow vaguely noticed the fact that they all seemed toto look a lot alike. After a quick scanning of the school Willow noticed, they weren't just alkie, they were practically identical! The students that passed her, yes they were all the same. Brown or black hair, dull blue or brown eyes, and terribly drab gray and black clothes, it was almost depressing. Willow realized how much she stuck out with her brownish-red hair. It had the slightest tint of red to it, just enough to draw attention, and her eyes, being bright Jade, were obviously also a center for attention seeing how everybody was giving her a dubious look, almost screaming 'OUTSIDER'. Willow cringed; this year was going to be longer than she had hoped. Willow vaguely wondered how Angel was doing, she hoped he could get that soul of his under control.
~Back in LA~
"AARRAAHHGGGH!!!" Angel roared as he threw The Host's table across Carita's dance floor. Lorne backed away slightly, glad the only people here were himself, and whoever was watching from the doorway. His demon spider- sense told him it was another Vampire, they hadn't left for the entire 'soul-reading-gone-bad' session, so Lorne figured they must be connected to the Vampire in front of him. Well whoever they were, they sure knew how to hide. Angel's breath came in bunches, almost as if he were human. Angel calmed down somewhat and gave Lorne a sheepish look. "Sorry." He mumbled. Lorne shrugged, "You can pay for it later." Angel rolled his eyes, but then remembered why he was here. "What's wrong with me?" Angel asked plopping down in a chair next to Lorne. "You mean besides having a soul and starting work for the PTB's?" Angel growled slightly, "Please." Lorne was shocked to say the least. Angel sounded so lost, like a human, worse yet, a human CHILD. Lorne turned to face Angel. "This is how it goes tough-guy." Angel's eyes met Lorne's, the desperation he saw there was frightening him. "The barrier between your soul and your demon is going through it's own personal 'nervous breakdown'." Angel looked up, slightly ruffled. "You're saying my barrier is having emotional problems?" Lorne shrugged again, "We don't choose our issues, they choose us. Anyway, you," He said, gesturing to Angel, "as a whole, are three entirely different people-er, demon, or whatever." Angel shook his head. "I don't understand you." Lorne sighed, this was going to be harder than he thought. "Who were you before you became a Vampire?" Angel shifted uncomfortably. "I'm me, Angel.." Lorne 'tsked' at him. "What a load of Chaos slime!" Lorne leaned in to Angel. "Liam." Angel admitted uncomfortably. Lorne nodded. "BINGO! Exactly! Now here you are, Liam wandering drunk around the outside of a pub in Ireland, when, 'woah, who's that sexy nubile blond walking down the alley by herself?' You think to yourself, 'If I walk her home, I might get laid'" Angel growled but didn't interrupt. "So you introduce yourself, sort of, maybe, but not really, then BOOM! Her forehead gets slightly bumpy and her canines elongate, scared, but still wanting to get laid, you stand there and we come to a crescendo as Liam's life is drained away." Angel looked up confused, "But I came back-" Lorne cut him off. "Eerrt! Wrong answer! Liam died! Was gone, not of this existence, world or dimension. BUT, when Darla gave Liam's body her blood, The Great Scourge of Europe stole his body and his suave smile. Angelus NOT Liam, proceeded to murder Liam's family and friends with a song in his undead heart." Angel shook his head denying what Lorne was saying, "But it was ME, I remember every detail, every feeling-" "Let me finish Soul-boy." Angel reluctantly nodded. "With Liam gone, Angelus went along to have fun in his newly acquired body, spent some years as Darla's lap dog, then one fine evening of bloodshed, chaos and disorder, was finishing off a priest in a confession box, which is bad form, being in a house of god and all if I might add, Stumbles upon the rapid confession of a beautiful brunette who can see the future through visions. After telling her she was spawn from hell, which was a lie, he slowly and tediously began to kill her loved ones driving her insane." Angel cringed at the memory, Lorne lightly hit him on his shoulder, "Don't cringe, I'm not talking about you. Anyway, on the day this poor child is supposed to take her vows Angelus turned her into another Vampire, the Dark Goddess, Drusilla. Drusilla eventually acquired her own Childe, who quickly made a name for himself, the little scamp weaseled himself a Slayer or two, am I right?" Angel nodded grimly. "Stop looking so guilty, I'm not talking about you yet so simmer down. The four of them became one hell-bent family." He shook his head slightly as if remembering, "Dark times bro, dark times." He quickly snapped out of his trance, "So, after a brief argument with his sire, Angelus grabbed a bite to eat. Slim beautiful blond, who happened to be dumb as a post, and HAPPENED to be a cherished member of the ROM." Angel's cheeks colored slightly at his stupidity. Lorne threw his hands up slightly, "You're blushing! Why are you blushing!? You can blush when I talk about your mistakes, I'm talking about Angelus right now." Lorne said exasperatedly. Angel was taken aback at how animatedly Lorne was speaking, if it wasn't him it would've been funny. "Back to our story, they get pissed and curse Angelus with a soul." Angel opened his mouth to speak but Lorne never granted him the chance. "BUT! Key word here is BUT, they didn't just curse him with any ol' soul from the great melting pot o' souls, they gave him LIAM'S soul. Liam was once again in control of his body. Unfortunately, you and I both know Liam isn't the most strong-willed or reliable person in the world, since the human brain gives off emotion Liam felt it was him that had caused this havoc. That's where you come in." "Me?" "You may not realize this yet bro, but the balance between Liam and Angelus, is you."
Over the 4 hour flight, Willow had had some time to think over the whole Angel and Angelus situation. She almost slapped herself in front of a plane full of people when she realized how long this had been going on. When Angel had regained his senses after being brought back from hell, or wherever he went, his emotions would change completely out of the blue with no warning. Willow had remembered a time Angel had walked past her and his hand had grazed across her stomach. Willow hadn't been able to stop herself from gasping.and Angel had smirked. Willow claimed it was her hormonal teenage imagination, but now it had made sense. It made sense why Angel would always walk her home, brush past her, and ask to be invited it almost every night until she couldn't think up an excuse and said yes. Willow hadn't wanted to be rude to Angel and REALLY didn't want him to be upset with her, but heck Willow would start to sweat mountains when XANDER came over, she couldn't imagine how bad she would screw up with Angel. Willow had used so many excuses until she just plain didn't think, and said yes. Willow didn't miss the look of amusement on his face, but had thought it was because he noticed her nervousness. Willow had been shocked when on his way out he casually suggested that she make some changes to her wardrobe, something 'more like what Faith wore'. Willow snorted, figures, Angelus had always been a dominatrix. Willow decided that maybe it was best to put all these thoughts behind her. Angel clearly stated he wanted her far away. So, that night on the plane, while everyone else was asleep, Willow cautiously got out her magic supplies and cast a spell, placing a mental block on all romantic thoughts her mind might create, and it worked. Willow suddenly found herself thinking of Angel and Angelus in a very celibate, non-romantic way. What a relief! But, with that relief, Willow felt a strangment inside, she felt empty, and very much hollow. Willow's plane finally landed in Salem, France. A small out-of -the- way town about 20 minutes from Paris by foot. Willow had no need to rent an apartment since she would be staying at her new dorm, she hailed a taxi and was soon on her way. When she arrived, Willow was in awe at the size of the university. It was bigger than any mansion she'd ever seen in any of her history books! It was a Victorian style with a gloomy, almost unnerving look to it, Willow smiled to herself as she paid the driver. 'I guess it isn't all stereo-type.' Willow threw the small duffle bag over her shoulder and started trotting up the large collection of stairs. When Willow made it to the top, she found herself almost out of breath. "At least I'll get a good workout every time I come back from lunch." Willow smiled again, glad that she caught herself looking at 'the glass half full'. Willow walked at a quick pace through the door, it smelt like it was about to rain soon. Willow was surprised, there wasn't that much rain in California, in France it would be so much different. As Willow walked through the door, she also walked right into a person, unfortunately knocking them both over. "Oh! I'm SO sorry!" Willow quickly apologized. She looked up to she a very angry-looking brunette with dull gray eyes glaring at her. "You MIGHT try watching where you're going next time!" She shouted brushing her hair out of her face and gathering her papers she dropped. When they both stood up the girl looked her up and down, then smirked. "Then again, I can see why a person like you would want to keep your eyes glued to the floor." Willow was taken aback by her venomous tone, 'Oh great another Cordelia.' Willow thought as the girl walked past her with her small button nose high in the air. Willow mentally slapped herself, "Way to go, Wills." She mumbled. Willow could hear some of the other students who had witnessed the event, snickering behind her back. Willow vaguely noticed the fact that they all seemed toto look a lot alike. After a quick scanning of the school Willow noticed, they weren't just alkie, they were practically identical! The students that passed her, yes they were all the same. Brown or black hair, dull blue or brown eyes, and terribly drab gray and black clothes, it was almost depressing. Willow realized how much she stuck out with her brownish-red hair. It had the slightest tint of red to it, just enough to draw attention, and her eyes, being bright Jade, were obviously also a center for attention seeing how everybody was giving her a dubious look, almost screaming 'OUTSIDER'. Willow cringed; this year was going to be longer than she had hoped. Willow vaguely wondered how Angel was doing, she hoped he could get that soul of his under control.
~Back in LA~
"AARRAAHHGGGH!!!" Angel roared as he threw The Host's table across Carita's dance floor. Lorne backed away slightly, glad the only people here were himself, and whoever was watching from the doorway. His demon spider- sense told him it was another Vampire, they hadn't left for the entire 'soul-reading-gone-bad' session, so Lorne figured they must be connected to the Vampire in front of him. Well whoever they were, they sure knew how to hide. Angel's breath came in bunches, almost as if he were human. Angel calmed down somewhat and gave Lorne a sheepish look. "Sorry." He mumbled. Lorne shrugged, "You can pay for it later." Angel rolled his eyes, but then remembered why he was here. "What's wrong with me?" Angel asked plopping down in a chair next to Lorne. "You mean besides having a soul and starting work for the PTB's?" Angel growled slightly, "Please." Lorne was shocked to say the least. Angel sounded so lost, like a human, worse yet, a human CHILD. Lorne turned to face Angel. "This is how it goes tough-guy." Angel's eyes met Lorne's, the desperation he saw there was frightening him. "The barrier between your soul and your demon is going through it's own personal 'nervous breakdown'." Angel looked up, slightly ruffled. "You're saying my barrier is having emotional problems?" Lorne shrugged again, "We don't choose our issues, they choose us. Anyway, you," He said, gesturing to Angel, "as a whole, are three entirely different people-er, demon, or whatever." Angel shook his head. "I don't understand you." Lorne sighed, this was going to be harder than he thought. "Who were you before you became a Vampire?" Angel shifted uncomfortably. "I'm me, Angel.." Lorne 'tsked' at him. "What a load of Chaos slime!" Lorne leaned in to Angel. "Liam." Angel admitted uncomfortably. Lorne nodded. "BINGO! Exactly! Now here you are, Liam wandering drunk around the outside of a pub in Ireland, when, 'woah, who's that sexy nubile blond walking down the alley by herself?' You think to yourself, 'If I walk her home, I might get laid'" Angel growled but didn't interrupt. "So you introduce yourself, sort of, maybe, but not really, then BOOM! Her forehead gets slightly bumpy and her canines elongate, scared, but still wanting to get laid, you stand there and we come to a crescendo as Liam's life is drained away." Angel looked up confused, "But I came back-" Lorne cut him off. "Eerrt! Wrong answer! Liam died! Was gone, not of this existence, world or dimension. BUT, when Darla gave Liam's body her blood, The Great Scourge of Europe stole his body and his suave smile. Angelus NOT Liam, proceeded to murder Liam's family and friends with a song in his undead heart." Angel shook his head denying what Lorne was saying, "But it was ME, I remember every detail, every feeling-" "Let me finish Soul-boy." Angel reluctantly nodded. "With Liam gone, Angelus went along to have fun in his newly acquired body, spent some years as Darla's lap dog, then one fine evening of bloodshed, chaos and disorder, was finishing off a priest in a confession box, which is bad form, being in a house of god and all if I might add, Stumbles upon the rapid confession of a beautiful brunette who can see the future through visions. After telling her she was spawn from hell, which was a lie, he slowly and tediously began to kill her loved ones driving her insane." Angel cringed at the memory, Lorne lightly hit him on his shoulder, "Don't cringe, I'm not talking about you. Anyway, on the day this poor child is supposed to take her vows Angelus turned her into another Vampire, the Dark Goddess, Drusilla. Drusilla eventually acquired her own Childe, who quickly made a name for himself, the little scamp weaseled himself a Slayer or two, am I right?" Angel nodded grimly. "Stop looking so guilty, I'm not talking about you yet so simmer down. The four of them became one hell-bent family." He shook his head slightly as if remembering, "Dark times bro, dark times." He quickly snapped out of his trance, "So, after a brief argument with his sire, Angelus grabbed a bite to eat. Slim beautiful blond, who happened to be dumb as a post, and HAPPENED to be a cherished member of the ROM." Angel's cheeks colored slightly at his stupidity. Lorne threw his hands up slightly, "You're blushing! Why are you blushing!? You can blush when I talk about your mistakes, I'm talking about Angelus right now." Lorne said exasperatedly. Angel was taken aback at how animatedly Lorne was speaking, if it wasn't him it would've been funny. "Back to our story, they get pissed and curse Angelus with a soul." Angel opened his mouth to speak but Lorne never granted him the chance. "BUT! Key word here is BUT, they didn't just curse him with any ol' soul from the great melting pot o' souls, they gave him LIAM'S soul. Liam was once again in control of his body. Unfortunately, you and I both know Liam isn't the most strong-willed or reliable person in the world, since the human brain gives off emotion Liam felt it was him that had caused this havoc. That's where you come in." "Me?" "You may not realize this yet bro, but the balance between Liam and Angelus, is you."