Part Three
The more he thought about it, the more Willow Rosenberg's condition
disturbed Wesley. The initial excitement of a new phenomena had passed
and he was quickly being overcome with a quiet dread. Wesley watched
as Angel took Willow through some Tai Chi exercises. He was trying to
use the techniques he had learned to help Willow control the demon that
now dwelled inside of her.
An alive vampire. Wesley doubted that the rest of his friends or
Willow herself had fully contemplated the implications of the existence
of such a being. She could withstand daylight. She didn't need an
invitation. These facts made him uneasy and while he knew that Willow
wasn't a threat - she still possessed her soul after all - there were
people who would use her existence to their advantage. He knew that
Wolfram and Hart would probably sell the souls of their progeny for the
opportunity to exploit Willow. There was still the question of whether
or not she could bear offspring. If she could, what would they be?
Demons with souls? The possession of a soul did not immunize one from
evil - all the atrocities that humankind committed against each other
was proof of that - so it couldn't be sworn that if Willow were to
produce a child that the child would be on the side of good. The
gleaming silver letter opener his mother had given him when he had been
accepted into the Watcher's Council caught his eye. He knew what his
duty as a Watcher was.
"Angel!" Willow's laugh pulled Wesley's gaze from the sharp instrument.
Angel was holding her up, she had obviously stumbled over a move. The
normally morose vampire at her side was grinning at the girl, his face
alight with a rare joy. "That is not what that position is called!"
Willow's face was flushed from more than just the workout.
"It is. I swear." Angel dodged the playful punch Willow threw at his
shoulder.
Wesley was no longer a Watcher. He was a member of the Angel
Investigations team and he couldn't kill Willow. For one thing, he was
pretty sure Angel would rip his head off before he had a chance to
explain that the demon wouldn't let her die and that he was just
trying to make her truly one of the undead. There had to be some way
to get rid of the demon.
"Depossession!" Wesley suddenly yelled, not noticing the dirty look Angel
sent him.
Damn ex-watcher! Didn't he stop thinking for two minutes? Angel was
in the middle of showing Willow the correct way to go through the
movements he had told Willow was called Horny Monkey, but was actually
called Flying Dragon. He was positioning her body, his hand on one of
her hips and his other cradling her wrist as he guided it through the
movements and Wesley's interruption was not appreciated. The upbeat
thump of Willow's heart and the warmth of her skin was wreaking havoc
on his senses. He wanted to keep touching her. Now he had to let her
go, so they could listen to what Wesley had to say.
"Willow's body is still alive so we should be able to exorcize the
demon without harming her." Wesley beamed. He didn't know why he
hadn't thought of it before and he was almost weak in the knees with
relief. He wasn't going to have to bring up concerns that would scare
everyone or solutions that would have Angel glowering at him in
yellow-eyed fury for years to come. "Of course we'll have to find a
reputable exorcism ritual."
"What about the one we used on that devil child?" Cordelia watched
Angel and Willow with interest from her seat at her desk. She had
never seen Angel so relaxed and happy. She also noticed that while he
had let go of Willow's wrist, his other hand still lingered at her
waist. "How soon we forget saving evil from evil."
"No, no, this would be much more complicated than that. The demon that
possesses the dead is different from one that possesses the living."
"But Willow isn't dead," Cordelia pointed out.
"That's what makes it complicated!" Wesley snapped in exasperation.
"And then there's the spell she used...somehow the soul restoration
figures into this...I just don't know how...."
"Then we should do more research." Angel ignored the slight thrill his
suggestion gave him. He liked having Willow around. He didn't want to
look too deeply at the selfishness behind that feeling. He didn't
want to dwell on how finding a 'cure' for Willow would mean that she
would return to Sunnydale and he would be alone in more ways than one.
Because if he had to look at all that, than he would also have to admit
that he really liked having another vampire with a soul around.
Someone unique and alone in the vampire world. They could be alone
together. It was an extremely selfish line of thought. "And then
attempt an exorcism."
"I can contact some people who can tell me more about the soul
restoration ritual." Willow shot a wary glance at Angel, not sure how
he would react to her news. "I've talked to some of Miss Calendar's
family. They've been willing to help me."
"With what?" Angel frowned. The idea of Willow associating with the
gypsy clan that had cursed him was disturbing. What happened if she
did something they didn't like? They could hurt her.
"I've been...well, I kinda was working on nullifying the clause in your
curse," Willow said the last words in one rushed breath. "I wanted to
make your soul permanent, so you could be happy, Angel." Willow bit her
lip and chanced a glance at her friend. He was still frowning, but the
crease in his forehead was from worry, not anger.
"Do they know that's what they're helping you with?"
"Well..."
The front door banged open, forestalling any answer Willow would have
given Angel. Gunn and two other guys stood in the doorway. Their
clothing was torn and the bloody trails of multiple scratch marks
marred their dark skin. A hideous stench, like burnt hair and flesh,
hung in the air. "We've got trouble," Gunn announced unnecessarily
as he strode toward the weapons cabinet.
"Blikar demons." Wesley grimaced as he held his arm up to cover his
nose. "Horrible little things."
"These ones ain't so little," Gunn's Hispanic friend, Ricky, corrected
Wesley. "Great Danes don't have anything on these suckers. They're
all teeth and drool."
"And a damn nasty smell," Gunn's other friend, Leon, added. He caught
the sword Gunn tossed at him.
Wesley was shaking his head. "But Blikar demons are only the size of
a rat. They travel in packs and attack together."
"They're still doing that." Ricky shivered and tapped the club Gunn
had given him against his thigh nervously. "They just had a growth
spurt."
"Blikar demons are usually conjured by a practitioner of the black arts
to go after a particular enemy," Willow offered. "Maybe whoever
conjured them made them bigger for some reason." She moved to join the
others gathering at the door, but Angel pulled her back.
"No, Willow, you can't go with us."
"Why not? Angel, I'm not a child anymore. We had to defend Sunnydale
by ourselves when Buffy was...gone. And I'm a witch, I still have my
powers, and you're going to need me when you track down whoever
conjured the Blikars."
"I know, but that won't be tonight. Tonight we're just going to kill
the demons, we'll worry about who conjured them tomorrow." Angel held
up a hand to stop Willow's next protest. "You can't come with us,
Willow. You have control over the demon now, but you haven't been in a
violent situation yet. The demon would automatically take control and
I don't know if you've learned enough to take it back after the fight
is over."
"I have to be able to put the demon back in the cage after I let it
out." The thought scared Willow. She didn't want to ever let the demon
out. She wanted to keep it locked and chained tightly in her
subconscious. But she also knew that it was inevitable that it would
emerge. Willow knew what it was like to lose control. Sometimes it
happened when she was performing a new spell, but she always knew that
she would get it back. That after the spell was over, she would regain
control of her body automatically. "I'll stay here and research the
restoration ritual. I...should probably make a phone call anyway."
"Gonna finally call Sunnydale and fess up to your new vampy status?"
Cordelia grimaced in sympathy. Angel had called to let them know that
Willow was safe and staying with him for a while until she had sorted
out a few things, but he hadn't given them details. She knew the
Scooby gang would be going crazy with questions and was actually
surprised that Xander, Buffy, and Giles hadn't already shown up on
their doorstep.
"Yeah." Willow sighed. She gave Angel a small smile to let him know
she was fine as they left. She followed them to the door. "Good luck
killing demons. And, oh, if you can bring back the front paws and the
nose of the alpha demon, I can use it to trace the conjurer," she
called from the doorway as her friends piled into Angel's convertible
and drove off.
Willow went back inside and shut the door. The phone rested innocently
on the front desk. This was not a conversation she was looking forward
to. She was just glad she didn't have to see their faces when she
told her friends she was a vampire. Giles' sadness and disappointment.
Buffy's anger. Xander's disgust. Anya's indifference. Tara's
heartache and finally rejection. It was going to be bad enough hearing
it in their voices.
*****
They could smell them long before they could see them. The stench
worsened as Gunn, Wesley, Ricky, and Leon walked cautiously down the
dark alley. Cordelia trailed along behind them, a cell phone in her
hand. She looked nervously behind her and then above her. The
comforting silhouette of Angel was only visible when he moved along the
roof of the building.
From his vantage point high above, he could see dark forms shuffling
around a dead end. The Blikars must have lost their prey. Angel took
a cell phone from the pocket of his duster and pressed the speed dial.
He watched as Cordelia put her phone to her ear. He had made sure that
the phone had been on vibrate before they had left the car. The last
thing they would have needed was for a ringing phone to alert the
Blikars to their presence.
"Cordy, they're at the end of the alley. There's a dead end and
there's five of them. I want Wes and Gunn to rush them. I'm going to
drop down on the other side of the Blikars. You, Leon, and Ricky
stay back and pick off any stragglers that make a break for it." Angel
pocketed the phone and waited while Cordelia related the information to
the others. Once Gunn and Wesley started down the alley, Angel moved.
With blinding speed, Angel crossed the distance of the roof and
leapt down into the alley. The Blikars turned to him in unison. As
Ricky had said, they were the size of Great Danes, their features also
dog-like with long snouts and pointed ears. Unlike dogs though, these
demons stood on two feet, not four, and their mouths were filled with
hundreds of razor sharp teeth. There was no tongue to take up space
from the deadly choppers. A thick viscous, foul-smelling drool dripped
from their gaping maws. Angel struck out at the largest, the alpha,
with his double-edged axe making a nice clean slash to the demon's
right shoulder. The thing went for Angel's jugular, snarling and
slathering drool all over. Angel snarled back in vampire face and
clipped it in the jaw with his fist. The beast spun in the air and hit
the wall.
Before the alpha's comrades could join it in attacking Angel, Wesley
and Gunn arrived. Gunn tore out the throat of one demon with a
dagger. Wesley crushed the head of another with a large cudgel. All
three worked together, hacking, slashing, smashing, and crushing the
demons. A sharp yelp marked the retreat of one and it headed toward
Cordelia, Ricky, and Leon. Ricky dealt it a glancing blow to its side
while Leon stabbed at it with his sword. The Blikar whipped around and
took a chunk out of Ricky's calf and held on. Leon tried to pry the
demon's jaws open with his sword and release his friend from its grasp.
With precision aim, an arrow pierced through the beast's temple.
Cordelia lowered her crossbow. Her nose wrinkled. "I don't own enough
perfume and shampoo to get rid of this smell." Cordelia went over to
Ricky and Leon. "We have to get you to a hospital."
"Where did you learn to shoot like that? You saved me." Ricky gasped.
He gave her a look of adoration that Cordelia hadn't seen since
highschool.
"Thanks." Cordelia blushed. She didn't get a lot of compliments on her
battle skills and it was a boost to her ego to see that look again.
Angel, Wesley, and Gunn tended to take them for granted and any other
guy she crossed paths with only saw her as another pretty face,
wanna-be actress.
"Cordy, guys, you okay?" Gunn trotted toward them. Wesley and Angel
followed behind him. He grabbed Cordelia into a quick hug.
"We're cool, your girl here saved the day. I'll take Ricky to a
hospital, tell them we ran into a stray dog." Leon helped his friend
up and supported him as they walked down the alley.
"Thanks for the pointers with the crossbow," Cordelia whispered. She
gave Gunn a shy smile. She remembered those afternoons with Gunn
standing behind her, his arms wrapped over hers as he showed her how
to aim and shoot. At the time, it had been just an excuse to spend
time with him - Angel had taught her how to use a crossbow ages ago -
but Gunn's tips had actually come in handy.
"You're a natural, Cordy." Gunn shuffled his feet. No girl had ever
made him feel like Cordelia Chase did. He wanted to protect her, yet
he respected her ability to protect herself. He cared about her as
a friend and maybe more, yet she infuriated him to no end when she
stuck her nose in his business. She was his guardian angel and
intoxicating temptress. Every instinct he had told him that Cordelia
was not the one for him, but he didn't care. It would be very easy to
fall in love with her.
"Well, that went smoothly. Unfortunately, we have no idea who conjured
the demons or why and I'm sure that more will take their place."
Wesley unintentionally interrupted Gunn and Cordelia's moment.
"That reminds me, I have to bring something back for Willow." Angel
turned back and walked over to the alpha demon. He sliced off its nose
and front paws and pocketed them.
"You are the master of romance, Angel. I don't know how they used to
do it back in your day, but I think Tiger would prefer flowers and
candy." Gunn smirked as the vampire rejoined them.
"You don't know Willow very well." Angel answered quietly. No one
would know Willow as well as he did now that she battled a demon inside
of her.
*****
The hotel was dark and empty when Angel returned. Gunn had taken
Cordelia home and Wesley had went back to his apartment to look up
exorcism spells. Willow must have gotten tired and went to bed. Angel
was disappointed. He kind of liked the idea of her waiting up for him.
Upstairs, Angel was greeted by the same dilemma as that afternoon -
Willow's closed bedroom door. Should he knock? She was probably
sleeping. But he had the paws and the nose of the alpha demon. But
she needed her rest and he could give them to her tomorrow. But he
wanted to see her. A soft moan that ended in a whimper and the
rustling of sheets came from behind the door. Willow was having a
nightmare. She needed him.
The door swung open quietly. Willow twisted on the middle of her bed,
one slim white arm flung out, the other wrapped in the dark sheet and
her legs kicking and flailing. Another tortured whimper issued from
her lips. Angel rushed to her side. Gently, he untangled her from the
sheet and pulled her into his lap. "Shh, Willow. It's okay. I'm
here," he whispered as he stroked her hair. Willow responded to his
soothing by wrapping her arms around his waist and burrowing her face
in his neck. "Willow?" Angel pulled away in surprise when he felt her
tongue run along his jugular.
Bright green eyes enhanced by a yellow glow looked up at him. Willow's
lips bowed in a pout. "Don't I even get a taste for old time's sake,
Puppy?"
To be continued....
The more he thought about it, the more Willow Rosenberg's condition
disturbed Wesley. The initial excitement of a new phenomena had passed
and he was quickly being overcome with a quiet dread. Wesley watched
as Angel took Willow through some Tai Chi exercises. He was trying to
use the techniques he had learned to help Willow control the demon that
now dwelled inside of her.
An alive vampire. Wesley doubted that the rest of his friends or
Willow herself had fully contemplated the implications of the existence
of such a being. She could withstand daylight. She didn't need an
invitation. These facts made him uneasy and while he knew that Willow
wasn't a threat - she still possessed her soul after all - there were
people who would use her existence to their advantage. He knew that
Wolfram and Hart would probably sell the souls of their progeny for the
opportunity to exploit Willow. There was still the question of whether
or not she could bear offspring. If she could, what would they be?
Demons with souls? The possession of a soul did not immunize one from
evil - all the atrocities that humankind committed against each other
was proof of that - so it couldn't be sworn that if Willow were to
produce a child that the child would be on the side of good. The
gleaming silver letter opener his mother had given him when he had been
accepted into the Watcher's Council caught his eye. He knew what his
duty as a Watcher was.
"Angel!" Willow's laugh pulled Wesley's gaze from the sharp instrument.
Angel was holding her up, she had obviously stumbled over a move. The
normally morose vampire at her side was grinning at the girl, his face
alight with a rare joy. "That is not what that position is called!"
Willow's face was flushed from more than just the workout.
"It is. I swear." Angel dodged the playful punch Willow threw at his
shoulder.
Wesley was no longer a Watcher. He was a member of the Angel
Investigations team and he couldn't kill Willow. For one thing, he was
pretty sure Angel would rip his head off before he had a chance to
explain that the demon wouldn't let her die and that he was just
trying to make her truly one of the undead. There had to be some way
to get rid of the demon.
"Depossession!" Wesley suddenly yelled, not noticing the dirty look Angel
sent him.
Damn ex-watcher! Didn't he stop thinking for two minutes? Angel was
in the middle of showing Willow the correct way to go through the
movements he had told Willow was called Horny Monkey, but was actually
called Flying Dragon. He was positioning her body, his hand on one of
her hips and his other cradling her wrist as he guided it through the
movements and Wesley's interruption was not appreciated. The upbeat
thump of Willow's heart and the warmth of her skin was wreaking havoc
on his senses. He wanted to keep touching her. Now he had to let her
go, so they could listen to what Wesley had to say.
"Willow's body is still alive so we should be able to exorcize the
demon without harming her." Wesley beamed. He didn't know why he
hadn't thought of it before and he was almost weak in the knees with
relief. He wasn't going to have to bring up concerns that would scare
everyone or solutions that would have Angel glowering at him in
yellow-eyed fury for years to come. "Of course we'll have to find a
reputable exorcism ritual."
"What about the one we used on that devil child?" Cordelia watched
Angel and Willow with interest from her seat at her desk. She had
never seen Angel so relaxed and happy. She also noticed that while he
had let go of Willow's wrist, his other hand still lingered at her
waist. "How soon we forget saving evil from evil."
"No, no, this would be much more complicated than that. The demon that
possesses the dead is different from one that possesses the living."
"But Willow isn't dead," Cordelia pointed out.
"That's what makes it complicated!" Wesley snapped in exasperation.
"And then there's the spell she used...somehow the soul restoration
figures into this...I just don't know how...."
"Then we should do more research." Angel ignored the slight thrill his
suggestion gave him. He liked having Willow around. He didn't want to
look too deeply at the selfishness behind that feeling. He didn't
want to dwell on how finding a 'cure' for Willow would mean that she
would return to Sunnydale and he would be alone in more ways than one.
Because if he had to look at all that, than he would also have to admit
that he really liked having another vampire with a soul around.
Someone unique and alone in the vampire world. They could be alone
together. It was an extremely selfish line of thought. "And then
attempt an exorcism."
"I can contact some people who can tell me more about the soul
restoration ritual." Willow shot a wary glance at Angel, not sure how
he would react to her news. "I've talked to some of Miss Calendar's
family. They've been willing to help me."
"With what?" Angel frowned. The idea of Willow associating with the
gypsy clan that had cursed him was disturbing. What happened if she
did something they didn't like? They could hurt her.
"I've been...well, I kinda was working on nullifying the clause in your
curse," Willow said the last words in one rushed breath. "I wanted to
make your soul permanent, so you could be happy, Angel." Willow bit her
lip and chanced a glance at her friend. He was still frowning, but the
crease in his forehead was from worry, not anger.
"Do they know that's what they're helping you with?"
"Well..."
The front door banged open, forestalling any answer Willow would have
given Angel. Gunn and two other guys stood in the doorway. Their
clothing was torn and the bloody trails of multiple scratch marks
marred their dark skin. A hideous stench, like burnt hair and flesh,
hung in the air. "We've got trouble," Gunn announced unnecessarily
as he strode toward the weapons cabinet.
"Blikar demons." Wesley grimaced as he held his arm up to cover his
nose. "Horrible little things."
"These ones ain't so little," Gunn's Hispanic friend, Ricky, corrected
Wesley. "Great Danes don't have anything on these suckers. They're
all teeth and drool."
"And a damn nasty smell," Gunn's other friend, Leon, added. He caught
the sword Gunn tossed at him.
Wesley was shaking his head. "But Blikar demons are only the size of
a rat. They travel in packs and attack together."
"They're still doing that." Ricky shivered and tapped the club Gunn
had given him against his thigh nervously. "They just had a growth
spurt."
"Blikar demons are usually conjured by a practitioner of the black arts
to go after a particular enemy," Willow offered. "Maybe whoever
conjured them made them bigger for some reason." She moved to join the
others gathering at the door, but Angel pulled her back.
"No, Willow, you can't go with us."
"Why not? Angel, I'm not a child anymore. We had to defend Sunnydale
by ourselves when Buffy was...gone. And I'm a witch, I still have my
powers, and you're going to need me when you track down whoever
conjured the Blikars."
"I know, but that won't be tonight. Tonight we're just going to kill
the demons, we'll worry about who conjured them tomorrow." Angel held
up a hand to stop Willow's next protest. "You can't come with us,
Willow. You have control over the demon now, but you haven't been in a
violent situation yet. The demon would automatically take control and
I don't know if you've learned enough to take it back after the fight
is over."
"I have to be able to put the demon back in the cage after I let it
out." The thought scared Willow. She didn't want to ever let the demon
out. She wanted to keep it locked and chained tightly in her
subconscious. But she also knew that it was inevitable that it would
emerge. Willow knew what it was like to lose control. Sometimes it
happened when she was performing a new spell, but she always knew that
she would get it back. That after the spell was over, she would regain
control of her body automatically. "I'll stay here and research the
restoration ritual. I...should probably make a phone call anyway."
"Gonna finally call Sunnydale and fess up to your new vampy status?"
Cordelia grimaced in sympathy. Angel had called to let them know that
Willow was safe and staying with him for a while until she had sorted
out a few things, but he hadn't given them details. She knew the
Scooby gang would be going crazy with questions and was actually
surprised that Xander, Buffy, and Giles hadn't already shown up on
their doorstep.
"Yeah." Willow sighed. She gave Angel a small smile to let him know
she was fine as they left. She followed them to the door. "Good luck
killing demons. And, oh, if you can bring back the front paws and the
nose of the alpha demon, I can use it to trace the conjurer," she
called from the doorway as her friends piled into Angel's convertible
and drove off.
Willow went back inside and shut the door. The phone rested innocently
on the front desk. This was not a conversation she was looking forward
to. She was just glad she didn't have to see their faces when she
told her friends she was a vampire. Giles' sadness and disappointment.
Buffy's anger. Xander's disgust. Anya's indifference. Tara's
heartache and finally rejection. It was going to be bad enough hearing
it in their voices.
*****
They could smell them long before they could see them. The stench
worsened as Gunn, Wesley, Ricky, and Leon walked cautiously down the
dark alley. Cordelia trailed along behind them, a cell phone in her
hand. She looked nervously behind her and then above her. The
comforting silhouette of Angel was only visible when he moved along the
roof of the building.
From his vantage point high above, he could see dark forms shuffling
around a dead end. The Blikars must have lost their prey. Angel took
a cell phone from the pocket of his duster and pressed the speed dial.
He watched as Cordelia put her phone to her ear. He had made sure that
the phone had been on vibrate before they had left the car. The last
thing they would have needed was for a ringing phone to alert the
Blikars to their presence.
"Cordy, they're at the end of the alley. There's a dead end and
there's five of them. I want Wes and Gunn to rush them. I'm going to
drop down on the other side of the Blikars. You, Leon, and Ricky
stay back and pick off any stragglers that make a break for it." Angel
pocketed the phone and waited while Cordelia related the information to
the others. Once Gunn and Wesley started down the alley, Angel moved.
With blinding speed, Angel crossed the distance of the roof and
leapt down into the alley. The Blikars turned to him in unison. As
Ricky had said, they were the size of Great Danes, their features also
dog-like with long snouts and pointed ears. Unlike dogs though, these
demons stood on two feet, not four, and their mouths were filled with
hundreds of razor sharp teeth. There was no tongue to take up space
from the deadly choppers. A thick viscous, foul-smelling drool dripped
from their gaping maws. Angel struck out at the largest, the alpha,
with his double-edged axe making a nice clean slash to the demon's
right shoulder. The thing went for Angel's jugular, snarling and
slathering drool all over. Angel snarled back in vampire face and
clipped it in the jaw with his fist. The beast spun in the air and hit
the wall.
Before the alpha's comrades could join it in attacking Angel, Wesley
and Gunn arrived. Gunn tore out the throat of one demon with a
dagger. Wesley crushed the head of another with a large cudgel. All
three worked together, hacking, slashing, smashing, and crushing the
demons. A sharp yelp marked the retreat of one and it headed toward
Cordelia, Ricky, and Leon. Ricky dealt it a glancing blow to its side
while Leon stabbed at it with his sword. The Blikar whipped around and
took a chunk out of Ricky's calf and held on. Leon tried to pry the
demon's jaws open with his sword and release his friend from its grasp.
With precision aim, an arrow pierced through the beast's temple.
Cordelia lowered her crossbow. Her nose wrinkled. "I don't own enough
perfume and shampoo to get rid of this smell." Cordelia went over to
Ricky and Leon. "We have to get you to a hospital."
"Where did you learn to shoot like that? You saved me." Ricky gasped.
He gave her a look of adoration that Cordelia hadn't seen since
highschool.
"Thanks." Cordelia blushed. She didn't get a lot of compliments on her
battle skills and it was a boost to her ego to see that look again.
Angel, Wesley, and Gunn tended to take them for granted and any other
guy she crossed paths with only saw her as another pretty face,
wanna-be actress.
"Cordy, guys, you okay?" Gunn trotted toward them. Wesley and Angel
followed behind him. He grabbed Cordelia into a quick hug.
"We're cool, your girl here saved the day. I'll take Ricky to a
hospital, tell them we ran into a stray dog." Leon helped his friend
up and supported him as they walked down the alley.
"Thanks for the pointers with the crossbow," Cordelia whispered. She
gave Gunn a shy smile. She remembered those afternoons with Gunn
standing behind her, his arms wrapped over hers as he showed her how
to aim and shoot. At the time, it had been just an excuse to spend
time with him - Angel had taught her how to use a crossbow ages ago -
but Gunn's tips had actually come in handy.
"You're a natural, Cordy." Gunn shuffled his feet. No girl had ever
made him feel like Cordelia Chase did. He wanted to protect her, yet
he respected her ability to protect herself. He cared about her as
a friend and maybe more, yet she infuriated him to no end when she
stuck her nose in his business. She was his guardian angel and
intoxicating temptress. Every instinct he had told him that Cordelia
was not the one for him, but he didn't care. It would be very easy to
fall in love with her.
"Well, that went smoothly. Unfortunately, we have no idea who conjured
the demons or why and I'm sure that more will take their place."
Wesley unintentionally interrupted Gunn and Cordelia's moment.
"That reminds me, I have to bring something back for Willow." Angel
turned back and walked over to the alpha demon. He sliced off its nose
and front paws and pocketed them.
"You are the master of romance, Angel. I don't know how they used to
do it back in your day, but I think Tiger would prefer flowers and
candy." Gunn smirked as the vampire rejoined them.
"You don't know Willow very well." Angel answered quietly. No one
would know Willow as well as he did now that she battled a demon inside
of her.
*****
The hotel was dark and empty when Angel returned. Gunn had taken
Cordelia home and Wesley had went back to his apartment to look up
exorcism spells. Willow must have gotten tired and went to bed. Angel
was disappointed. He kind of liked the idea of her waiting up for him.
Upstairs, Angel was greeted by the same dilemma as that afternoon -
Willow's closed bedroom door. Should he knock? She was probably
sleeping. But he had the paws and the nose of the alpha demon. But
she needed her rest and he could give them to her tomorrow. But he
wanted to see her. A soft moan that ended in a whimper and the
rustling of sheets came from behind the door. Willow was having a
nightmare. She needed him.
The door swung open quietly. Willow twisted on the middle of her bed,
one slim white arm flung out, the other wrapped in the dark sheet and
her legs kicking and flailing. Another tortured whimper issued from
her lips. Angel rushed to her side. Gently, he untangled her from the
sheet and pulled her into his lap. "Shh, Willow. It's okay. I'm
here," he whispered as he stroked her hair. Willow responded to his
soothing by wrapping her arms around his waist and burrowing her face
in his neck. "Willow?" Angel pulled away in surprise when he felt her
tongue run along his jugular.
Bright green eyes enhanced by a yellow glow looked up at him. Willow's
lips bowed in a pout. "Don't I even get a taste for old time's sake,
Puppy?"
To be continued....