Part 23

Angel had waited until the early morning hours before telling Spike and Willow that their plan had succeeded. When he had returned home he saw Spike and Willow curled into each other on the bed still fully clothed. From their positions it looked like they were trying to protect the other from something. Angel hadn't wanted to disturb them.

Willow was nervous. Tonight everything would fall into place and that meant that she was closer to the time that she would return. She had included Ethan in the plan because there was no way in hell she would leave him to his own devices here in the past. She wanted him with her when she went back.

The plan rested on her shoulders now. Well, her's and Spike's. She was supposed to be so impressed with Malcolm's present of Ethan that she would drop Spike from the union and pick him. They had decided on Spike because none of them thought Malcolm would believe she would drop such a powerful ally as Angelus.

Willow remembered the time that Spike had kidnapped her to do a love spell to get Dru back. She had edited that story heavily for Spike and Angel. She just told them a vampire but didn't know the name. Spike thought he could act all grieving and nuts when Willow dropped him.

Spike and Willow thought it would be a nice poetic justice if the "baby vamp" was the one to kill Malcolm. The one that was too young and inexperienced to hold the interest of Willow.

Willow smiled as she felt cool arms encircle her waist. "Ready for tonight?"

"Getting there. Ready to act all crazy cause I dumped you for the big bad new vamp?"

Spike turned Willow in his embrace so they were facing. "Won't be much of acting but I am looking forward to killing him."

Willow smiled. "You can take the soul out of the vamp, but you can't take the vamp out of the soul, huh?"

"Does that bother you? Even though you returned my soul I still crave the blood, hunt and kill."

She reached up and caressed his features that had vamped with his emotions. "Nothing about you bothers me. Does it bother you to know that I could send the world to hell and almost did once? That I have to fight every day not to succumb to the easy temptation of eliminating people that annoy me."

Spike smiled and rocked his hips into hers, "Nope, frankly it turns me on."

Willow laughed and pulled him closer, "Everything turns you on."

Spike began unbuttoning Willow's dress, "No, just everything about you."

He leaned in to nuzzle her neck and his fangs lightly scraped the skin. Willow shivered at the sensation. Who would have guessed that the light scraping of fangs against her neck could be so erotic?

Spike loved to hear the sounds that Willow made as he kissed and caressed the skin he exposed as he undressed her. He was trying to memorize each sound, feel and taste fearing this would be the last for quite a long time.

Willow loved the feel of his lips and hands on her skin but she was getting impatient. Spike was still dressed. Well, she could change that quickly enough. She gently stepped out of his embrace and began to unbutton his shirt. As each button opened, she gently placed a kiss on the revealed skin. She pulled the shirt out of his pants and gently removed it. With shaking fingers she caressed his chest, arms and stomach with her lips following the trail of her fingers. She wanted to commit everything to memory in case this was the last time she would have this opportunity. Who knew what would happen later? For her it would only be a day before she saw him again. For him it would be over a hundred years and with a soul he could meet someone and forget all about her. Stubbornly putting negative thoughts out of her mind she went back to the task at hand.

Her fingers reached for the buttons on his pants but she was in such a hurry that she kept fumbling.

Spike stepped back, "Let me." With his eyes never leaving Willow's he slowly unbuttoned his pants and carefully removed them.

Willow just looked at him with love and lust. He was so beautiful and she marveled that he would want her. She reached out and touched him.

Spike eyes turned yellow and he grabbed Willow in a powerful kiss. He put his hands on her hips and raised her up. As he raised her, Willow wrapped her legs around his waist. Never breaking contact he gently lowered her to the bed.

"Spike?"

"Right here, love", and to emphasize that point he nudged his hips so he barely entered her.

She moaned, "Quit teasing."

He looked into her eyes, "I want to make it last."

"Next time. But right now, if I don't feel you inside me I'll explode."

Spike closed his eyes on her words and promised himself next time he'd go slower. He watched her eyes turn darker as he entered her. Not knowing what the future would bring he made up his mind to lightly mark her to show others she belonged to him. He wouldn't claim her . . .yet. He felt his fangs lengthen and he pierced her skin.

Oh my god, Willow had never felt anything as erotic as Spike's fangs in her as they made love. With each thrust he suckled her neck. It was pleasure and pain rolled into one and Willow was sure she could become addicted to it.

"Willow!" "Spike!" They each yelled their release.

~~~~

Ethan's heart began to beat faster as Malcolm approached with the keys to the chains. He roughly jerked Ethan to stand up while he unlocked them. Malcolm knew his pet would stay put and not leave. He had been taught his lesson and Malcolm had confidence that Ethan wouldn't soon forget it.

Malcolm jerked his pet behind him, "You had better not destroy my chance with the witch."

Ethan thought about Willow and how different she must have been from the girl he knew before. There had been rumors about her past and her power but Ethan had put that down to gossip. Now he wasn't so sure. If she had formed a triumvirate with Angelus and was dark enough to entice Malcolm, he had sorely misjudged her. He was regretting using her to come back here. Nothing had gone according to plan. His torture by both Malcolm and Angelus had definitely not been in the plan, neither was the fact that little Willow Rosenberg had managed to capture the obsession of both Malcolm and Angelus. If the rumors about Willow had been correct and she does form a union with Malcolm he couldn't begin to fathom what the new timeline would be like. He just hoped he survived it.

Malcolm and Ethan slowly approached the town house that Angel had indicated. As they were getting ready to knock a young brown haired vamp threw open the door.

"Fine. Just bloody fine. I come home after a nice late night snack and to what. You and that stupid, git."

An exasperated sigh could be heard from inside. A pale feminine hand appeared and began to stroke the vamp's chest and move lower. He closed his eyes and gave a small growl.

Ethan was shocked to see that Willow was attached to the hand that was stroking the vampire. She definitely wasn't the girl he remembered.

"Come back inside, lover. We'll make it up to you." She purred.

Angel walked up behind Willow and Spike and he lightly caressed them both. "Mmm, I'm afraid we can't right now. Looks like we have company."

Spike and Willow turned their heads like they noticed their audience for the first time. Willow's eyes narrowed at Ethan, "You, what are you doing here?"

Malcolm spoke for the first time, "He's with me. A little welcome to the community gift." He was more determined than ever to have Willow. He could see that Angelus was right. She was losing interest in the younger vampire already.

Willow turned more fully to Malcolm and swallowed her revulsion. Now or never. With a seductive smile and letting her power roll over them all she said, "Oh, I just love presents."