Disclaimer: See chapter 1.
PART 2
Spike set Willow down on the ground none too gently, and lightly slapped her face. "Wake up, Witch. Come on, Red, wake the bloody hell up." She stirred, but didn't wake up.
Spike glared down at her, hoping against hope that what he suspected, wasn't happening. He could not be bonded to her. Bloody hell. Why did she have to follow him when he went after the blasted demon? Why couldn't Buffy have... no. No use thinking about that. What's done was done, and nothing was going to change that. Besides, it wasn't like it would change anything between them.
~Wake the hell up, Witch!~
He smiled in satisfaction when she jerked awake, her eyes finding his. The yellow glow thing was gone, had faded when she went to sleep, so she couldn't see him, but he could still see her.
~It's about time you woke up, Witch.~
"Hmm?" Her eyes slid closed.
He shook her a bit, and she opened her eyes again, trying to look around. She groaned loudly. "Are we still here?" she asked, looking like she wanted to throw a temper tantrum. "No offense, Spike, I mean, yeah, I was happy to see you the first time, but now, I'd much rather see an exit." She stood up, looking stronger than earlier.
Spike watched her carefully. She didn't seem to realize he could hear her thoughts. Or that she could hear his. Right now the link was pretty weak, but he knew it was getting stronger by the second.
They had to get out of there. Now. Maybe Giles could figure out a way to stop it.
In the meantime though, they were stuck in this... place. So he decided to screw with her a bit, and test the strength of the bond. He thought about old times with Dru, his first slayer during the Boxer Rebellion. That had been fun. Especially afterwards.
"Come on then," he tossed over his shoulder, heading back the way he'd been carrying her.
When he heard her angry thoughts, he chuckled.
"Oh, but I am the boss of you right now, so hurry up."
She gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. "You read my mind." She looked shocked. Then angry. "Stop it, you... thought thief!" She glared at him accusingly. "How are you doing that?"
Spike laughed even more when a look of extreme concentration crossed her face as she tried to read his thoughts. She couldn't seem to focus well enough though. "Must be this place, pet." No use telling her they were-- oops, better not to think about it.
Anger and embarrassment were pouring off of her, filling him like a sponge, and he had to close his eyes against the assault. He'd had some practice at shielding his thoughts when he was with Drusilla. She could sometimes sense things out of the blue, and it had made for some pretty big fights between them, so he'd learned to control them. He'd either erect a mental wall around the thoughts he wanted to keep private, or bring up old memories like he was doing now.
Willow stalked past, trying to ignore him. Her heartbeat was faster than before, and her breathing a little shallower, and he knew he was getting to her.
~One plus one is two, two plus two is four, four plus four is eight, eight plus eight is sixteen...~ she went on and on like that, trying to block out the images.
He snickered at her.
~Here, an exit, there, an exit...~ he thought.
~Everywhere an exit, exit,~ Willow finished.
And suddenly there one was. Right in front of them. Light poured through the opening and Willow grabbed his hand, pulling him toward it.
"Wait! That might be--"
"It's the way out," she told him, "I--"
"Sunlight."
"Know it."
Spike and Willow both sat up, ignoring Giles' confused face as he watched them.
"How could you possibly know it wasn't sunlight?" Spike asked from the floor, his tone thunderous.
She didn't shrink from him as he'd expected her to do. She actually sat straighter, and glared at him. "I just knew. I felt it."
"Yeah? Well feel this." He grabbed her hand and sent her pictures of some of the worst things he'd done, as well as some of Angelus' victims too. Horror and nausea seeped out of her and into him. After a moment, he stopped, and joined her on the couch.
Her hand shot out, and she slapped him. Hard.
"You little bitch," he hissed, wanting nothing more at that moment than to drain her dry.
"Aw," she smirked, "but you can't. 'Cause you're Neutered Guy."
Giles cleared his throat, earning scowls from the two of them. "Would either of you mind telling me what's going on? Other than the fact that you're bound, of course. I already know that part."
Willow's eyes widened at the Watcher. "Bonded? With Spike? I'm bonded with-- oh, God."
~And the witch gets it. Bravo.~ Spike thought snidely.
"How?" Willow asked Giles. "I mean... how? It-- it's not permanent is it? Please tell me it's not permanent."
"The demon you ran into in the cemetery was a Litchock demon. They're generally benign creatures, and aren't known to use magic, but from what Buffy and the others described, this one did." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "After they brought you here, you began to convulse, until your hand touched Spike. Physical contact after the bond starts is a necessity." He looked pointedly at their clasped hands.
Both Willow and Spike looked at their hands, resting on the couch between them. She gasped and tried to yank her hand away from his, but Spike held on.
"You don't want to do that," he warned her.
"Why not?" she asked, pulling harder.
"Willow, don't--" Giles began, jumping to his feet.
"Fine," Spike spat, letting go of her hand. She fell back on the couch, her eyes sliding closed, and her body convulsing. Giles jumped forward, clasping their hands together again, and glaring at Spike. "Okay, she gets it."
Willow sat up, recovering quickly. She was close to tears. "Is it permanent?"
"No," Giles answered, offering her the only comfort he could. "Physical contact need only be kept up until the bonding wears off, anywhere from one to twenty four hours. After that, things will go back to normal. It's just a temporary bond, meant to keep you occupied and away from it. Apparently the demon saw you two as its biggest threat."
"Twenty four hours?" Spike asked dubiously.
Giles nodded. "That's just a guesstimate. It all depends on the demon, the circumstances, the magicks used... numerous factors having to do with the individuals as well. It's not an exact science. But I've never heard of an instance lasting longer than that."
Willow nodded, pushing the panic threatening to choke her to the back of her mind. Now was not the time to freak out. There would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, she needed to concentrate on what Giles was saying, and ignore Spike's thoughts.
And then Buffy walked in. Curious, and knowing that this was her chance to solve the question of whether or not Spike really was in love with Buffy, she watched him, but he wasn't giving anything away.
Damn.
~Well here we go, I'm sure she's gonna find some way to blame me for this.~
Hearing the angry thought, and knowing he was right, Willow let go of his hand, and pressed her leg against his. He raised an eyebrow at her in question, and she shrugged, not even sure why she was helping him.
"Willow! You're okay." Buffy rushed over and pulled Willow up, hugging her. Willow made sure her leg was pressed against Spike's. "I was so worried about you. Don't ever do that to me again."
"Yep, we're fine. Nothing whatsoever wrong with us. Healthy as horses, right, Giles? Just a little beauty sleep." Willow stared at the Watcher, hoping he'd catch on.
"Oh, yes. Healthy as... yes. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all," he mumbled, going back to the book he'd been perusing when they'd woken up.
"Great to hear," Buffy said, relief evident in her voice. "Even you, Spike."
Willow felt Spike's happiness at Buffy's words, but there was also contempt for himself. Desire burned in the background... normal stuff you'd expect to feel from someone in love. What she didn't expect to feel was the anger, hatred, and need to kill that same object of affection. Thoughts and images of violence and murder mingled with thoughts and images of love and sex.
Willow's eyebrows couldn't have risen any further had they been pushed up. She looked to Spike, who stared back, unashamed.
"... went home?" Buffy was saying.
Willow and Spike both tuned in to the conversation between Watcher and Slayer.
"Yes, about two hours ago. There was no point in making them stay just to watch Spike and Willow sleep. How's Dawn?"
"Asleep, finally. I caught her staying up to watch TV after I left."
Spike snickered in her mind. ~I've been staying up with the brat watching the telly while Buffy patrols.~
Willow giggled in surprise. ~Me too.~
Spike snorted with laughter, and Willow joined in. Buffy turned to them curiously, and they quieted to snickers again. They looked like children caught stealing cookies before dinner. Buffy shook her head.
"What's wrong with you two?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," they said in unison.
Willow watched as her hand reached out to take Buffy's. It was interesting in that... she hadn't been the one moving her hand. Spike had.
How far does this bond thing go? she wondered.
~All the way,~ Spike answered.
~Ew, don't even think about it, buster. I'm not about to start petting my best friend.~
Buffy stared down at their joined hands, then up at Willow. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Willow? Miss me or something?"
Willow dropped Buffy's hand and nodded emphatically. "Yes. Totally. I was scared. We were-- not we, just me. I was alone in my thoughts." She could hear Spike laughing at her in her mind, and frowned back at him. ~Shut up, or... I'll start thinking about cute fluffy bunnies.~ "See, 'cause I was stuck in them. That's what the magick did to us-- to me. Him too," she hooked her thumb at Spike, "only, in his own thoughts. Not in mine. That would have been... scary."
~Bloody hell, Witch, you're giving me a headache. Do you have to think and talk at the same time?~
"Oh, yeah," Buffy said, shuddering slightly. "Been there, done that. So not fun. Well, I'm going to go out and make another sweep, maybe find this thing and kill it." She looked at the two of them. "You're sure you're okay?"
Willow sat down with a smile. "Uh-huh. Tired though, so, I'm going to go home." Her smile grew a little strained when Buffy didn't leave first. Uh-oh. How were they supposed to get out of there without Buffy noticing them touching? She looked desperately at Giles, who didn't seem to notice. She was on her own. And now Buffy was watching her funny, and Willow was freaking out, and Spike was laughing at her, and she hated him so much sometimes.
~Only sometimes?~ he taunted her.
~I'm doing this for you, you idiot. So, help me!~
Spike finally sighed, and stood up, pulling Willow with him. "Come on, Witch, I'll walk you home, make sure nothing nasty gets you."
He sounded so disgusted with her that she knew he wasn't faking it. She tamped down on the hurt and anger, not wanting him to know that he could make her feel an inch tall with his taunts. Spike didn't need to know everything about her, especially her insecurities. They were none of his business.
"Whatever," she said, pushing him out the door with a hand to his back. Looked completely normal, she thought.
"Ha!" Spike tossed back.
"Shut up." Willow grabbed his hand and started home.
A few blocks away from Giles' apartment, Spike veered off, trying to pull her across the street. Willow dug in her heels and pulled him to a dead stop. They stood there for a second, holding hands, each pulling in different directions, before Spike finally just yanked her toward him.
Pain shot through her head, and she fell to the sidewalk, clutching her head. She landed hard on her knees, and bit back a yell. She could hear Spike cursing her in her mind, blaming her for the pain she was in, for making him cause that pain, and for delaying them because of the pain. "Screw you, Spike," she bit out, climbing to her feet.
Spike was watching her curiously. "Hold on... you got the pain, not me. Don't suppose you'd want to go hunting with me? I kill and feed, you feel the pain? Come on, it'll be fun," he cajoled.
Willow stared at him. Was he serious? Did he actually think she would even consider-- hearing his laughter, she rolled her eyes. "I really don't like you, Spike."
Spike chuckled at her. "Liar. Come on, I need to grab some things from my place."
"Do you have to? I'm tired. I want to go to bed." She knew she was whining, especially when Spike told her with his thoughts, but she couldn't help it. This night didn't seem to want to end. It was just one long endless suckfest. "Shut up, Spike," she said before he could comment on her last thought.
"Fine. Seeing as how you're extremely anxious to get me into bed, let's hurry up and swing by my place, then to yours where you can put your pathetic ass to bed. And yes, I do need to go home, unless you'd like to be dinner." He turned to her suddenly. "Which, actually, could happen, what with you getting the pain from the chip and all. I could kill you without a thought."
"Now who's lying?" Willow asked smugly. "Touch me, Buffy'll stake you."
Spike grabbed her by the throat, not hurting her, but not being gentle either. He pushed her back against the brick wall store front. "Let's get something straight, Witch. I am not your personal punching bag, I'm not here for you to throw taunts at and make fun of, got it?"
Willow nodded as best she could with his hand wrapped around her throat.
"I don't appreciate the jokes at my expense, and I don't like being laughed at. I don't make fun of you for loving the blonde witch, do I?"
Willow shook her head, which was again, rather difficult. "No." ~Let go, Spike, I can't breathe.~ Spike's hand loosened a bit, but he didn't let go. "I don't make fun of you, Spike." She closed her eyes, showing him times that she'd been made fun of, and how she'd felt. Cordelia and Harmony laughing at her clothes, making fun of her lack of friends... and then him, taunting her and Xander about being Buffy's lackeys.
He jerked his hand back, as if burned, and grabbed her wrist. "All right, all right," he said irritably, dragging her across the street. "Keep your bloody pain to yourself."
"Ditto," Willow agreed with a sigh. This bonding thing was hard on the nerves. And her head was killing her.
PART 2
Spike set Willow down on the ground none too gently, and lightly slapped her face. "Wake up, Witch. Come on, Red, wake the bloody hell up." She stirred, but didn't wake up.
Spike glared down at her, hoping against hope that what he suspected, wasn't happening. He could not be bonded to her. Bloody hell. Why did she have to follow him when he went after the blasted demon? Why couldn't Buffy have... no. No use thinking about that. What's done was done, and nothing was going to change that. Besides, it wasn't like it would change anything between them.
~Wake the hell up, Witch!~
He smiled in satisfaction when she jerked awake, her eyes finding his. The yellow glow thing was gone, had faded when she went to sleep, so she couldn't see him, but he could still see her.
~It's about time you woke up, Witch.~
"Hmm?" Her eyes slid closed.
He shook her a bit, and she opened her eyes again, trying to look around. She groaned loudly. "Are we still here?" she asked, looking like she wanted to throw a temper tantrum. "No offense, Spike, I mean, yeah, I was happy to see you the first time, but now, I'd much rather see an exit." She stood up, looking stronger than earlier.
Spike watched her carefully. She didn't seem to realize he could hear her thoughts. Or that she could hear his. Right now the link was pretty weak, but he knew it was getting stronger by the second.
They had to get out of there. Now. Maybe Giles could figure out a way to stop it.
In the meantime though, they were stuck in this... place. So he decided to screw with her a bit, and test the strength of the bond. He thought about old times with Dru, his first slayer during the Boxer Rebellion. That had been fun. Especially afterwards.
"Come on then," he tossed over his shoulder, heading back the way he'd been carrying her.
When he heard her angry thoughts, he chuckled.
"Oh, but I am the boss of you right now, so hurry up."
She gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. "You read my mind." She looked shocked. Then angry. "Stop it, you... thought thief!" She glared at him accusingly. "How are you doing that?"
Spike laughed even more when a look of extreme concentration crossed her face as she tried to read his thoughts. She couldn't seem to focus well enough though. "Must be this place, pet." No use telling her they were-- oops, better not to think about it.
Anger and embarrassment were pouring off of her, filling him like a sponge, and he had to close his eyes against the assault. He'd had some practice at shielding his thoughts when he was with Drusilla. She could sometimes sense things out of the blue, and it had made for some pretty big fights between them, so he'd learned to control them. He'd either erect a mental wall around the thoughts he wanted to keep private, or bring up old memories like he was doing now.
Willow stalked past, trying to ignore him. Her heartbeat was faster than before, and her breathing a little shallower, and he knew he was getting to her.
~One plus one is two, two plus two is four, four plus four is eight, eight plus eight is sixteen...~ she went on and on like that, trying to block out the images.
He snickered at her.
~Here, an exit, there, an exit...~ he thought.
~Everywhere an exit, exit,~ Willow finished.
And suddenly there one was. Right in front of them. Light poured through the opening and Willow grabbed his hand, pulling him toward it.
"Wait! That might be--"
"It's the way out," she told him, "I--"
"Sunlight."
"Know it."
Spike and Willow both sat up, ignoring Giles' confused face as he watched them.
"How could you possibly know it wasn't sunlight?" Spike asked from the floor, his tone thunderous.
She didn't shrink from him as he'd expected her to do. She actually sat straighter, and glared at him. "I just knew. I felt it."
"Yeah? Well feel this." He grabbed her hand and sent her pictures of some of the worst things he'd done, as well as some of Angelus' victims too. Horror and nausea seeped out of her and into him. After a moment, he stopped, and joined her on the couch.
Her hand shot out, and she slapped him. Hard.
"You little bitch," he hissed, wanting nothing more at that moment than to drain her dry.
"Aw," she smirked, "but you can't. 'Cause you're Neutered Guy."
Giles cleared his throat, earning scowls from the two of them. "Would either of you mind telling me what's going on? Other than the fact that you're bound, of course. I already know that part."
Willow's eyes widened at the Watcher. "Bonded? With Spike? I'm bonded with-- oh, God."
~And the witch gets it. Bravo.~ Spike thought snidely.
"How?" Willow asked Giles. "I mean... how? It-- it's not permanent is it? Please tell me it's not permanent."
"The demon you ran into in the cemetery was a Litchock demon. They're generally benign creatures, and aren't known to use magic, but from what Buffy and the others described, this one did." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "After they brought you here, you began to convulse, until your hand touched Spike. Physical contact after the bond starts is a necessity." He looked pointedly at their clasped hands.
Both Willow and Spike looked at their hands, resting on the couch between them. She gasped and tried to yank her hand away from his, but Spike held on.
"You don't want to do that," he warned her.
"Why not?" she asked, pulling harder.
"Willow, don't--" Giles began, jumping to his feet.
"Fine," Spike spat, letting go of her hand. She fell back on the couch, her eyes sliding closed, and her body convulsing. Giles jumped forward, clasping their hands together again, and glaring at Spike. "Okay, she gets it."
Willow sat up, recovering quickly. She was close to tears. "Is it permanent?"
"No," Giles answered, offering her the only comfort he could. "Physical contact need only be kept up until the bonding wears off, anywhere from one to twenty four hours. After that, things will go back to normal. It's just a temporary bond, meant to keep you occupied and away from it. Apparently the demon saw you two as its biggest threat."
"Twenty four hours?" Spike asked dubiously.
Giles nodded. "That's just a guesstimate. It all depends on the demon, the circumstances, the magicks used... numerous factors having to do with the individuals as well. It's not an exact science. But I've never heard of an instance lasting longer than that."
Willow nodded, pushing the panic threatening to choke her to the back of her mind. Now was not the time to freak out. There would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, she needed to concentrate on what Giles was saying, and ignore Spike's thoughts.
And then Buffy walked in. Curious, and knowing that this was her chance to solve the question of whether or not Spike really was in love with Buffy, she watched him, but he wasn't giving anything away.
Damn.
~Well here we go, I'm sure she's gonna find some way to blame me for this.~
Hearing the angry thought, and knowing he was right, Willow let go of his hand, and pressed her leg against his. He raised an eyebrow at her in question, and she shrugged, not even sure why she was helping him.
"Willow! You're okay." Buffy rushed over and pulled Willow up, hugging her. Willow made sure her leg was pressed against Spike's. "I was so worried about you. Don't ever do that to me again."
"Yep, we're fine. Nothing whatsoever wrong with us. Healthy as horses, right, Giles? Just a little beauty sleep." Willow stared at the Watcher, hoping he'd catch on.
"Oh, yes. Healthy as... yes. Nothing to worry about. Nothing at all," he mumbled, going back to the book he'd been perusing when they'd woken up.
"Great to hear," Buffy said, relief evident in her voice. "Even you, Spike."
Willow felt Spike's happiness at Buffy's words, but there was also contempt for himself. Desire burned in the background... normal stuff you'd expect to feel from someone in love. What she didn't expect to feel was the anger, hatred, and need to kill that same object of affection. Thoughts and images of violence and murder mingled with thoughts and images of love and sex.
Willow's eyebrows couldn't have risen any further had they been pushed up. She looked to Spike, who stared back, unashamed.
"... went home?" Buffy was saying.
Willow and Spike both tuned in to the conversation between Watcher and Slayer.
"Yes, about two hours ago. There was no point in making them stay just to watch Spike and Willow sleep. How's Dawn?"
"Asleep, finally. I caught her staying up to watch TV after I left."
Spike snickered in her mind. ~I've been staying up with the brat watching the telly while Buffy patrols.~
Willow giggled in surprise. ~Me too.~
Spike snorted with laughter, and Willow joined in. Buffy turned to them curiously, and they quieted to snickers again. They looked like children caught stealing cookies before dinner. Buffy shook her head.
"What's wrong with you two?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing," they said in unison.
Willow watched as her hand reached out to take Buffy's. It was interesting in that... she hadn't been the one moving her hand. Spike had.
How far does this bond thing go? she wondered.
~All the way,~ Spike answered.
~Ew, don't even think about it, buster. I'm not about to start petting my best friend.~
Buffy stared down at their joined hands, then up at Willow. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Willow? Miss me or something?"
Willow dropped Buffy's hand and nodded emphatically. "Yes. Totally. I was scared. We were-- not we, just me. I was alone in my thoughts." She could hear Spike laughing at her in her mind, and frowned back at him. ~Shut up, or... I'll start thinking about cute fluffy bunnies.~ "See, 'cause I was stuck in them. That's what the magick did to us-- to me. Him too," she hooked her thumb at Spike, "only, in his own thoughts. Not in mine. That would have been... scary."
~Bloody hell, Witch, you're giving me a headache. Do you have to think and talk at the same time?~
"Oh, yeah," Buffy said, shuddering slightly. "Been there, done that. So not fun. Well, I'm going to go out and make another sweep, maybe find this thing and kill it." She looked at the two of them. "You're sure you're okay?"
Willow sat down with a smile. "Uh-huh. Tired though, so, I'm going to go home." Her smile grew a little strained when Buffy didn't leave first. Uh-oh. How were they supposed to get out of there without Buffy noticing them touching? She looked desperately at Giles, who didn't seem to notice. She was on her own. And now Buffy was watching her funny, and Willow was freaking out, and Spike was laughing at her, and she hated him so much sometimes.
~Only sometimes?~ he taunted her.
~I'm doing this for you, you idiot. So, help me!~
Spike finally sighed, and stood up, pulling Willow with him. "Come on, Witch, I'll walk you home, make sure nothing nasty gets you."
He sounded so disgusted with her that she knew he wasn't faking it. She tamped down on the hurt and anger, not wanting him to know that he could make her feel an inch tall with his taunts. Spike didn't need to know everything about her, especially her insecurities. They were none of his business.
"Whatever," she said, pushing him out the door with a hand to his back. Looked completely normal, she thought.
"Ha!" Spike tossed back.
"Shut up." Willow grabbed his hand and started home.
A few blocks away from Giles' apartment, Spike veered off, trying to pull her across the street. Willow dug in her heels and pulled him to a dead stop. They stood there for a second, holding hands, each pulling in different directions, before Spike finally just yanked her toward him.
Pain shot through her head, and she fell to the sidewalk, clutching her head. She landed hard on her knees, and bit back a yell. She could hear Spike cursing her in her mind, blaming her for the pain she was in, for making him cause that pain, and for delaying them because of the pain. "Screw you, Spike," she bit out, climbing to her feet.
Spike was watching her curiously. "Hold on... you got the pain, not me. Don't suppose you'd want to go hunting with me? I kill and feed, you feel the pain? Come on, it'll be fun," he cajoled.
Willow stared at him. Was he serious? Did he actually think she would even consider-- hearing his laughter, she rolled her eyes. "I really don't like you, Spike."
Spike chuckled at her. "Liar. Come on, I need to grab some things from my place."
"Do you have to? I'm tired. I want to go to bed." She knew she was whining, especially when Spike told her with his thoughts, but she couldn't help it. This night didn't seem to want to end. It was just one long endless suckfest. "Shut up, Spike," she said before he could comment on her last thought.
"Fine. Seeing as how you're extremely anxious to get me into bed, let's hurry up and swing by my place, then to yours where you can put your pathetic ass to bed. And yes, I do need to go home, unless you'd like to be dinner." He turned to her suddenly. "Which, actually, could happen, what with you getting the pain from the chip and all. I could kill you without a thought."
"Now who's lying?" Willow asked smugly. "Touch me, Buffy'll stake you."
Spike grabbed her by the throat, not hurting her, but not being gentle either. He pushed her back against the brick wall store front. "Let's get something straight, Witch. I am not your personal punching bag, I'm not here for you to throw taunts at and make fun of, got it?"
Willow nodded as best she could with his hand wrapped around her throat.
"I don't appreciate the jokes at my expense, and I don't like being laughed at. I don't make fun of you for loving the blonde witch, do I?"
Willow shook her head, which was again, rather difficult. "No." ~Let go, Spike, I can't breathe.~ Spike's hand loosened a bit, but he didn't let go. "I don't make fun of you, Spike." She closed her eyes, showing him times that she'd been made fun of, and how she'd felt. Cordelia and Harmony laughing at her clothes, making fun of her lack of friends... and then him, taunting her and Xander about being Buffy's lackeys.
He jerked his hand back, as if burned, and grabbed her wrist. "All right, all right," he said irritably, dragging her across the street. "Keep your bloody pain to yourself."
"Ditto," Willow agreed with a sigh. This bonding thing was hard on the nerves. And her head was killing her.