Special thanks to my betas Valerie, Red, Canada, Darlene and
Janetria.
Part 4 - An Introduction of Sorts
They were safe.
Willow sighed. She'd really thought they were going to die out there. When she left the cabin earlier that night she knew that there might be danger lurking in the dark, but she'd never seen that many vamps in one place. Well, not since the Anointed One had tried to sacrifice her and her friends in an attempt to raise the Master... or since she'd tried to impersonate her evil alter-ego from a parallel dimension to save everyone at the Bronze... come to think of it, there were a lot of vampire gatherings in Sunnydale. The joys of living on the Hellmouth.
Suddenly, she realized that he was staring at her. She wasn't crazy. The sexy, pointy-eared man was real. And, more to the point, he was standing in the cabin, staring at her. Willow met his gaze. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes, like the color of the ocean near sunset and she couldn't take her eyes off him.
"I thank you, my lady," he began. "If you had not come along, I doubt that I would be alive to see another sunrise."
"I came for you," she confessed, blurting out her true feelings before she'd stopped to think. "I saw you, before, or at least I thought I saw you. I was out in the forest tonight because I had to know if you were real."
He hadn't been mistaken. She truly had seen him earlier. Her magical ability gave her insight into his world most humans lacked. "Most humans are unable to see me," he explained. "They have lost the ability to believe in magic, and magical creatures."
Magical creatures? See! She'd known he wasn't human. "If you're not human, what are you?" Willow asked curiously.
He took a deep breath before speaking words he had not spoken in many years. "Elf."
Her eyes narrowed. An elf? Were they real? "Elves? Like, little people who make toys for Santa?" She peered at him suspiciously. Was he pulling her leg? Elves weren't real, were they? "Shouldn't you be shorter and have pointy shoes?"
Legolas scowled. Trust her to bring up horrible conceptions of modern-day "elves." He mentally cursed whatever foul person had invented Santa's Elves. "I assure you, my lady... I am not short, nor do I have pointy shoes. And I most definitely do not work for Santa Claus. That is merely a horrible misconception invented by authors with severely misguided concepts of what elves truly are."
Wow. A real, live elf. Well, a real, live cranky elf with a chip on his shoulder. "Touched a nerve, huh?"
"You have no idea."
"Sorry," she apologized. "I don't even believe in Santa, anyhow. Being Jewish, then a witch... Though Anya says that Santa is real, but he's this demon who eats children instead of leaving toys for them..." Acutely aware that she was babbling uncontrollably before the pointy-eared man... elf... she stopped. "Sorry. I'm babbling."
Legolas smiled. Her voice was beautiful, her babbling charming. "There is nothing to apologize for, my lady."
"I'm Willow." She smiled. "Willow Rosenberg."
"Legolas Greenleaf, of the Woodland Realm."
"Woodland Realm? Where is that, exactly?"
A look of sadness crossed his face and he turned away, as if her question caused him unbearable pain. "It was in Middle Earth, long ago." He turned back to her and gave a weak smile. "My homeland, the places of my youth, have ceased to exist on these lands. They are long gone, but in the memories of those like me who still walk the roads of this earth."
His speech was like nothing she'd heard. Eloquent and lyrical, with an old-fashioned charm. His smile was enchanting, but she could tell it was rarely used. The look of sadness more commonly seen on his face seemed to be far more comfortable for the elf. His air of weariness belied his youthful appearance.
Willow jumped as the door shook and the windows rattled, thrust into motion by the vampires surrounding the house. She took a step back, farther away from the door. While the vamps couldn't get in, who knows what they would attempt from the outside.
"We were fortunate that you had this cottage in the woods. It appears to be the only safe haven for miles."
"Oh yeah. Really fortunate." Willow nodded nervously. Inside or not, they were still surrounded by a horde of cranky vamps. Not really 'safe' by any stretch of her imagination.
"You are certain that there is no way for the evil ones to come inside?" he asked.
The redhead pointed to a cross nailed on the wall by the door. "Just to be on the safe side, I made the place vampire-proof. Revoked any invitations they might have had in the past and warded all the doors and windows against evil." She shrugged. "Color me paranoid, but I wanted to know that I'd be safe here."
He looked at her, startled. First the crossbow, then the magic in the woods, now this? Who - or what - was she? "How did you come to know so much about vampires?"
Willow grinned at his stunned expression. Nice to know she could flummox an ancient magical being, especially since he was so cute while he was bewildered "It started with Buffy," she explained. "I met her my sophomore year in high school. Actually, it started when she saved me from a vampire our sophomore year of high school. You see, Buffy is the Slayer." Willow stopped, looking up at him. "You have heard of the Slayer, right?"
"One girl in all the world..." He shook his head. "Such responsibility for one so young."
"Yeah," Willow agreed. "Anyway, Buffy saved me from a vampire. That's how I first found out that they existed. Once I knew, I couldn't go back to pretending I didn't. Most people in Sunnydale walk around in a daze, pretending the world's safe when people are dying all around them. But I couldn't -- none of us could. So, we became the Slayerettes." At his look, she explained further. "We help Buffy with stuff. Research, magic, demon-slaying...whatever it takes, we're there."
Legolas was puzzled. While he'd never met one personally, he was familiar with the mythology of the Slayers and their quest. "But the Slayer has always worked alone."
"Maybe that's why they always die young. 'Cause they didn't have friends to help them, to get them through the rough times." She smiled. "Buffy's been the Slayer for 7 years now. It's a record. And, okay, so she's died...twice...but she's still going strong."
Legolas couldn't help but stare. The Slayer had died twice and was still alive? How had she done it? Not even his immortal people could accomplish such a feat. Willow must have some fascinating stories to tell of her adventures.
"What about you?" Willow asked curiously. "Why were you in the woods in the middle of the night nearly becoming a vampire bedtime snack?"
Their conversation was interrupted when the ground began shaking beneath their feet.
"Earthquake?" Willow wondered. This was Southern California, after all. Mother Nature could be responsible, right?
"I fear the cause of this phenomenon is much more sinister." The evil in the woods was growing stronger. He could feel it. He purposefully strode towards the entrance to the cabin. He had to stop it.
Willow jumped in front of Legolas as he was about to open the door. "Where do you think you're going?"
He stared in her eyes, silently pleading with her to understand. He had a mission, one that could not be halted by a beautiful redheaded witch. "Those creatures are out in the woods planning great evil. I cannot simply stand here while they work their machinations."
Willow planted her feet more firmly, trying to get him to see her, instead of through her. "Do you remember what's out there? Vampires. The same vampires that nearly killed us just a little while ago. And, in case it's escaped your attention, we're still outnumbered and out of weapons. If you go out there, they'll kill you." With her last word, she poked him I the chest with one finger.
He smiled despite himself at the touch of her delicate finger against his chest. He could not let her stop him, despite how tempting it would be to stay here in safety with her. "And if I don't, they may kill someone else."
Willow stared him down. She hadn't gone to the trouble of saving his life just to let him throw it away again. He was so stubborn. If only they had more weapons... or some supernatural back-up... "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I know. We'll call for help. Buffy can come, and bring weapons!" She reached into her pocket, pulling out her cell phone. "Demon hunting is better in groups. Less likely to get killed that way."
She flipped open the top and held it up to her ear, but the phone didn't have a dial tone. She looked down, taking in the crack in her cell phone. Useless. The damn thing was broken and useless. She looked up hopefully at Legolas. "You don't happen to have a secret elven cell phone on you, do you?" He shook his head. "Of course not, why would an immortal elven monster slayer have a cell phone." She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. "We're really on our own."
"I have spent most of my life hunting demons alone. It makes no difference to me." He shook his head.
"It does to me. We're a team... me, Buffy, Xander...and Giles, Dawn, Anya... We're the Scooby Gang." Her head dropped dejectedly and she looked away. If she went out there with him, would she ever see the Scoobies again?
Legolas merely stared. 'Scooby Gang'? Was she referring to her friends, the 'Slayerettes' or was the gang another strange mystical society this witch and Slayer-friend belong to?
Willow began to pace, making sure she kept herself between the elf and the door. He wasn't getting out that easily. "I came up here to feel connected. To Gaia, and the energy of life. Now I'm trapped with an elf and we're weaponless and alone and the only ones who know that there's a vampire convention in the woods out to do goddess-knows-what evil things. We're so not prepared." She stopped, struggling to catch her breath. "You're right. If we don't stop them, innocent people could die - but I don't have any idea how to stop them. I can't do this. I'm not ready..."
Sensing her growing panic, Legolas placed one hand on Willow's arm, turning her to face him. "I have no doubt that Iluvatar led you in these woods this day for a purpose. You are meant to be here, now, to stop this evil threat."
She felt herself calm with a simple touch of his hand. Maybe it was the wisdom she saw in his elven eyes, or the way his magic seemed to dance over her skin. Maybe it was more, the growing bond she felt between them. "How do you do it? Make me feel so calm, so peaceful with just a touch?"
"I do not know." He leaned into her as she moved closer. "Perhaps it is the same thing that draws me to you."
Willow closed in her eyes, swaying nearer to his body. She shouldn't want this, shouldn't feel this. He was a man... okay, an elf man, but a man... and she didn't like men anymore, did she? But somehow she couldn't fight what she was feeling. It was if she'd been waiting her whole life for him and she would die if she let him go.
Legolas was similarly held in the sway of their bond. He had walked thousands of years upon this earth and had known many of the race of men, but none had called to his soul as this young woman did. He felt the aura of magic that permeated her, giving her the ability to see him so clearly, but more than a simple magical connection, she felt like the woman he had been waiting for throughout his long, immortal life.
The two moved closer, bodies brushing against each other, lips inches away, unable to resist the siren's song of their attraction.
Boom! At the sound of another explosion from the forest the two sprang apart.
Suddenly, Willow felt in control. She was the same woman who had planned the Scooby activities the summer Buffy died, the same witch who had restored Angelus's soul, the friend who had been willing to give her life to save the ones she loved. She was Willow Rosenberg, and she was strong. She could do this. They could do this, and still live... if they did it right.
She turned to Legolas, pacing in front of him. "Here's the plan. We go. Quietly. Sneak up on them. Find out what they're up to. Kill them if we get an opportunity, but that's not our primary focus. This is reconnaissance, not search and destroy." Willow whirled around, cutting off his protest. Legolas was about to become very familiar with her resolve face. "We can't tell anyone what they're up to if we're dead."
"*We* are not going anywhere." He drew closer. Though she was courageous and determined, he would not let Willow lose her life in this quest.
Okay, now she was confused. She looked up at him, trying to read his emotions in his eyes. All she could see was his resolve. "I thought you wanted to find out what the vampires were doing."
"I do." He nodded, bringing one hand up to rest on her shoulder. "However, I am going out there; you are staying here where you will be safe." He idly ran his hand up and down her arm, needing the connection to her warmth.
She was outraged. Stay here like some meek little girly-girl and let him go off by himself? Never. "And let you get yourself killed? I don't think so." She moved closer to him until they were mere inches apart.
Closing his eyes, Legolas leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "Willow, you are human, mortal. I am not."
"Oh really." Willow moved back until he was looking right into her eyes, unable to avoid her penetrating gaze. "You're immortal? Can you survive exsanguination? Will you still be alive when the vamps hold you down and drain all the blood out of your body?"
Legolas felt the shudder run through her body as she contemplated his death. He knew he could not survive such an attack. In some things, he was as vulnerable as any mortal man. She knew it, and she was calling him on it. This young woman who vehemently arguing about going with him was extraordinary. He couldn't remember when he'd last had someone care so much about his life.
"Not arguing with me? Good. The last thing I want to do is go out there and have my only back-up be an elf with a death wish."
"I do not wish to die, Willow." As he spoke, one hand brushed up against her face, cupping her cheek. "But I have lived a very long life. You, on the other hand, have not..."
How was she supposed to think when his hands were touching her skin? Willow groaned. She had to concentrate. Legolas. Vampires. Death.
"I do not want your death on my conscience if you do not survive," he whispered against her ear.
"You think I want your death on my conscience if you go out there alone and die while I sit here all safe and cozy?" Willow pushed him away, her indignant reply echoing throughout the small room.
He smiled again. No. She would not. She had not been born a Slayer, or elected by the Maiar to defend the universe against the dark forces. She had chosen this life herself, and she would not sit back and let others take risks she did not.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because you've touched my heart." He turned around, moving restlessly, unable to face her after his confession. "Let us leave now, before their evil plans are complete."
"Wait!" Willow swung his body around to face hers. She stepped closer until their bodies touched and raised herself up on her toes.
Legolas stood, frozen in place as her lips came closer. It had been so long since he'd had the smallest bit of affection, but this...this tender caress of such a courageous girl... was too much for him to resist. She was life. She was peace. Holding her felt like coming home after wandering for so long. He swept her into his arms, his mouth melding to hers in a searing kiss.
Willow gasped as his lips covered hers, reveled in the sensation of his firm body pressed to hers. She opened her mouth as his tongue sought entrance, savoring his unique taste. This was what she'd been waiting for her whole life.
One kiss turned into two, then three, both distracted by the power in their intoxicating embrace. His hand slipped underneath her shirt, caressing the warm skin of her back, while her hands pushed his jacket off of his heated body.
She wanted him. Here. Now. Forever. She needed him, and could tell that his need for her was just as great.
Boom! Caught up in each other, they barely noticed the next explosion. The ground shaking beneath their feet seemed like a natural expression of their explosive passion.
Willow pulled back momentarily, desperate for oxygen. Apparently in addition to super-human strength and agility elves also had super-human lung capacity, because he was barely breathing hard. Her body flushed with desire as she thought of putting his super-human stamina to good use.
Boom!
Still gasping for breath, Willow tried to place the noise. The booming was important. Because... "Vampires!"
Legolas looked up as she yelled. Vampires. Right. Defeating evil. They were supposed to be thwarting evil, not giving into their all-consuming passion. "Willow, I..."
"I know." She stopped him, her desire still very evident in her eyes. "This isn't the time. We have work to do. Vampires to stop."
"Right," he agreed. "Let's go." Pulling on his coat, he strode over to the door, Willow following. "Be careful," he whispered.
"You too."
With a quick kiss, they were out the door, ready to face whatever was waiting for them in the night.
Janetria.
Part 4 - An Introduction of Sorts
They were safe.
Willow sighed. She'd really thought they were going to die out there. When she left the cabin earlier that night she knew that there might be danger lurking in the dark, but she'd never seen that many vamps in one place. Well, not since the Anointed One had tried to sacrifice her and her friends in an attempt to raise the Master... or since she'd tried to impersonate her evil alter-ego from a parallel dimension to save everyone at the Bronze... come to think of it, there were a lot of vampire gatherings in Sunnydale. The joys of living on the Hellmouth.
Suddenly, she realized that he was staring at her. She wasn't crazy. The sexy, pointy-eared man was real. And, more to the point, he was standing in the cabin, staring at her. Willow met his gaze. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes, like the color of the ocean near sunset and she couldn't take her eyes off him.
"I thank you, my lady," he began. "If you had not come along, I doubt that I would be alive to see another sunrise."
"I came for you," she confessed, blurting out her true feelings before she'd stopped to think. "I saw you, before, or at least I thought I saw you. I was out in the forest tonight because I had to know if you were real."
He hadn't been mistaken. She truly had seen him earlier. Her magical ability gave her insight into his world most humans lacked. "Most humans are unable to see me," he explained. "They have lost the ability to believe in magic, and magical creatures."
Magical creatures? See! She'd known he wasn't human. "If you're not human, what are you?" Willow asked curiously.
He took a deep breath before speaking words he had not spoken in many years. "Elf."
Her eyes narrowed. An elf? Were they real? "Elves? Like, little people who make toys for Santa?" She peered at him suspiciously. Was he pulling her leg? Elves weren't real, were they? "Shouldn't you be shorter and have pointy shoes?"
Legolas scowled. Trust her to bring up horrible conceptions of modern-day "elves." He mentally cursed whatever foul person had invented Santa's Elves. "I assure you, my lady... I am not short, nor do I have pointy shoes. And I most definitely do not work for Santa Claus. That is merely a horrible misconception invented by authors with severely misguided concepts of what elves truly are."
Wow. A real, live elf. Well, a real, live cranky elf with a chip on his shoulder. "Touched a nerve, huh?"
"You have no idea."
"Sorry," she apologized. "I don't even believe in Santa, anyhow. Being Jewish, then a witch... Though Anya says that Santa is real, but he's this demon who eats children instead of leaving toys for them..." Acutely aware that she was babbling uncontrollably before the pointy-eared man... elf... she stopped. "Sorry. I'm babbling."
Legolas smiled. Her voice was beautiful, her babbling charming. "There is nothing to apologize for, my lady."
"I'm Willow." She smiled. "Willow Rosenberg."
"Legolas Greenleaf, of the Woodland Realm."
"Woodland Realm? Where is that, exactly?"
A look of sadness crossed his face and he turned away, as if her question caused him unbearable pain. "It was in Middle Earth, long ago." He turned back to her and gave a weak smile. "My homeland, the places of my youth, have ceased to exist on these lands. They are long gone, but in the memories of those like me who still walk the roads of this earth."
His speech was like nothing she'd heard. Eloquent and lyrical, with an old-fashioned charm. His smile was enchanting, but she could tell it was rarely used. The look of sadness more commonly seen on his face seemed to be far more comfortable for the elf. His air of weariness belied his youthful appearance.
Willow jumped as the door shook and the windows rattled, thrust into motion by the vampires surrounding the house. She took a step back, farther away from the door. While the vamps couldn't get in, who knows what they would attempt from the outside.
"We were fortunate that you had this cottage in the woods. It appears to be the only safe haven for miles."
"Oh yeah. Really fortunate." Willow nodded nervously. Inside or not, they were still surrounded by a horde of cranky vamps. Not really 'safe' by any stretch of her imagination.
"You are certain that there is no way for the evil ones to come inside?" he asked.
The redhead pointed to a cross nailed on the wall by the door. "Just to be on the safe side, I made the place vampire-proof. Revoked any invitations they might have had in the past and warded all the doors and windows against evil." She shrugged. "Color me paranoid, but I wanted to know that I'd be safe here."
He looked at her, startled. First the crossbow, then the magic in the woods, now this? Who - or what - was she? "How did you come to know so much about vampires?"
Willow grinned at his stunned expression. Nice to know she could flummox an ancient magical being, especially since he was so cute while he was bewildered "It started with Buffy," she explained. "I met her my sophomore year in high school. Actually, it started when she saved me from a vampire our sophomore year of high school. You see, Buffy is the Slayer." Willow stopped, looking up at him. "You have heard of the Slayer, right?"
"One girl in all the world..." He shook his head. "Such responsibility for one so young."
"Yeah," Willow agreed. "Anyway, Buffy saved me from a vampire. That's how I first found out that they existed. Once I knew, I couldn't go back to pretending I didn't. Most people in Sunnydale walk around in a daze, pretending the world's safe when people are dying all around them. But I couldn't -- none of us could. So, we became the Slayerettes." At his look, she explained further. "We help Buffy with stuff. Research, magic, demon-slaying...whatever it takes, we're there."
Legolas was puzzled. While he'd never met one personally, he was familiar with the mythology of the Slayers and their quest. "But the Slayer has always worked alone."
"Maybe that's why they always die young. 'Cause they didn't have friends to help them, to get them through the rough times." She smiled. "Buffy's been the Slayer for 7 years now. It's a record. And, okay, so she's died...twice...but she's still going strong."
Legolas couldn't help but stare. The Slayer had died twice and was still alive? How had she done it? Not even his immortal people could accomplish such a feat. Willow must have some fascinating stories to tell of her adventures.
"What about you?" Willow asked curiously. "Why were you in the woods in the middle of the night nearly becoming a vampire bedtime snack?"
Their conversation was interrupted when the ground began shaking beneath their feet.
"Earthquake?" Willow wondered. This was Southern California, after all. Mother Nature could be responsible, right?
"I fear the cause of this phenomenon is much more sinister." The evil in the woods was growing stronger. He could feel it. He purposefully strode towards the entrance to the cabin. He had to stop it.
Willow jumped in front of Legolas as he was about to open the door. "Where do you think you're going?"
He stared in her eyes, silently pleading with her to understand. He had a mission, one that could not be halted by a beautiful redheaded witch. "Those creatures are out in the woods planning great evil. I cannot simply stand here while they work their machinations."
Willow planted her feet more firmly, trying to get him to see her, instead of through her. "Do you remember what's out there? Vampires. The same vampires that nearly killed us just a little while ago. And, in case it's escaped your attention, we're still outnumbered and out of weapons. If you go out there, they'll kill you." With her last word, she poked him I the chest with one finger.
He smiled despite himself at the touch of her delicate finger against his chest. He could not let her stop him, despite how tempting it would be to stay here in safety with her. "And if I don't, they may kill someone else."
Willow stared him down. She hadn't gone to the trouble of saving his life just to let him throw it away again. He was so stubborn. If only they had more weapons... or some supernatural back-up... "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I know. We'll call for help. Buffy can come, and bring weapons!" She reached into her pocket, pulling out her cell phone. "Demon hunting is better in groups. Less likely to get killed that way."
She flipped open the top and held it up to her ear, but the phone didn't have a dial tone. She looked down, taking in the crack in her cell phone. Useless. The damn thing was broken and useless. She looked up hopefully at Legolas. "You don't happen to have a secret elven cell phone on you, do you?" He shook his head. "Of course not, why would an immortal elven monster slayer have a cell phone." She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. "We're really on our own."
"I have spent most of my life hunting demons alone. It makes no difference to me." He shook his head.
"It does to me. We're a team... me, Buffy, Xander...and Giles, Dawn, Anya... We're the Scooby Gang." Her head dropped dejectedly and she looked away. If she went out there with him, would she ever see the Scoobies again?
Legolas merely stared. 'Scooby Gang'? Was she referring to her friends, the 'Slayerettes' or was the gang another strange mystical society this witch and Slayer-friend belong to?
Willow began to pace, making sure she kept herself between the elf and the door. He wasn't getting out that easily. "I came up here to feel connected. To Gaia, and the energy of life. Now I'm trapped with an elf and we're weaponless and alone and the only ones who know that there's a vampire convention in the woods out to do goddess-knows-what evil things. We're so not prepared." She stopped, struggling to catch her breath. "You're right. If we don't stop them, innocent people could die - but I don't have any idea how to stop them. I can't do this. I'm not ready..."
Sensing her growing panic, Legolas placed one hand on Willow's arm, turning her to face him. "I have no doubt that Iluvatar led you in these woods this day for a purpose. You are meant to be here, now, to stop this evil threat."
She felt herself calm with a simple touch of his hand. Maybe it was the wisdom she saw in his elven eyes, or the way his magic seemed to dance over her skin. Maybe it was more, the growing bond she felt between them. "How do you do it? Make me feel so calm, so peaceful with just a touch?"
"I do not know." He leaned into her as she moved closer. "Perhaps it is the same thing that draws me to you."
Willow closed in her eyes, swaying nearer to his body. She shouldn't want this, shouldn't feel this. He was a man... okay, an elf man, but a man... and she didn't like men anymore, did she? But somehow she couldn't fight what she was feeling. It was if she'd been waiting her whole life for him and she would die if she let him go.
Legolas was similarly held in the sway of their bond. He had walked thousands of years upon this earth and had known many of the race of men, but none had called to his soul as this young woman did. He felt the aura of magic that permeated her, giving her the ability to see him so clearly, but more than a simple magical connection, she felt like the woman he had been waiting for throughout his long, immortal life.
The two moved closer, bodies brushing against each other, lips inches away, unable to resist the siren's song of their attraction.
Boom! At the sound of another explosion from the forest the two sprang apart.
Suddenly, Willow felt in control. She was the same woman who had planned the Scooby activities the summer Buffy died, the same witch who had restored Angelus's soul, the friend who had been willing to give her life to save the ones she loved. She was Willow Rosenberg, and she was strong. She could do this. They could do this, and still live... if they did it right.
She turned to Legolas, pacing in front of him. "Here's the plan. We go. Quietly. Sneak up on them. Find out what they're up to. Kill them if we get an opportunity, but that's not our primary focus. This is reconnaissance, not search and destroy." Willow whirled around, cutting off his protest. Legolas was about to become very familiar with her resolve face. "We can't tell anyone what they're up to if we're dead."
"*We* are not going anywhere." He drew closer. Though she was courageous and determined, he would not let Willow lose her life in this quest.
Okay, now she was confused. She looked up at him, trying to read his emotions in his eyes. All she could see was his resolve. "I thought you wanted to find out what the vampires were doing."
"I do." He nodded, bringing one hand up to rest on her shoulder. "However, I am going out there; you are staying here where you will be safe." He idly ran his hand up and down her arm, needing the connection to her warmth.
She was outraged. Stay here like some meek little girly-girl and let him go off by himself? Never. "And let you get yourself killed? I don't think so." She moved closer to him until they were mere inches apart.
Closing his eyes, Legolas leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "Willow, you are human, mortal. I am not."
"Oh really." Willow moved back until he was looking right into her eyes, unable to avoid her penetrating gaze. "You're immortal? Can you survive exsanguination? Will you still be alive when the vamps hold you down and drain all the blood out of your body?"
Legolas felt the shudder run through her body as she contemplated his death. He knew he could not survive such an attack. In some things, he was as vulnerable as any mortal man. She knew it, and she was calling him on it. This young woman who vehemently arguing about going with him was extraordinary. He couldn't remember when he'd last had someone care so much about his life.
"Not arguing with me? Good. The last thing I want to do is go out there and have my only back-up be an elf with a death wish."
"I do not wish to die, Willow." As he spoke, one hand brushed up against her face, cupping her cheek. "But I have lived a very long life. You, on the other hand, have not..."
How was she supposed to think when his hands were touching her skin? Willow groaned. She had to concentrate. Legolas. Vampires. Death.
"I do not want your death on my conscience if you do not survive," he whispered against her ear.
"You think I want your death on my conscience if you go out there alone and die while I sit here all safe and cozy?" Willow pushed him away, her indignant reply echoing throughout the small room.
He smiled again. No. She would not. She had not been born a Slayer, or elected by the Maiar to defend the universe against the dark forces. She had chosen this life herself, and she would not sit back and let others take risks she did not.
"Why are you smiling?"
"Because you've touched my heart." He turned around, moving restlessly, unable to face her after his confession. "Let us leave now, before their evil plans are complete."
"Wait!" Willow swung his body around to face hers. She stepped closer until their bodies touched and raised herself up on her toes.
Legolas stood, frozen in place as her lips came closer. It had been so long since he'd had the smallest bit of affection, but this...this tender caress of such a courageous girl... was too much for him to resist. She was life. She was peace. Holding her felt like coming home after wandering for so long. He swept her into his arms, his mouth melding to hers in a searing kiss.
Willow gasped as his lips covered hers, reveled in the sensation of his firm body pressed to hers. She opened her mouth as his tongue sought entrance, savoring his unique taste. This was what she'd been waiting for her whole life.
One kiss turned into two, then three, both distracted by the power in their intoxicating embrace. His hand slipped underneath her shirt, caressing the warm skin of her back, while her hands pushed his jacket off of his heated body.
She wanted him. Here. Now. Forever. She needed him, and could tell that his need for her was just as great.
Boom! Caught up in each other, they barely noticed the next explosion. The ground shaking beneath their feet seemed like a natural expression of their explosive passion.
Willow pulled back momentarily, desperate for oxygen. Apparently in addition to super-human strength and agility elves also had super-human lung capacity, because he was barely breathing hard. Her body flushed with desire as she thought of putting his super-human stamina to good use.
Boom!
Still gasping for breath, Willow tried to place the noise. The booming was important. Because... "Vampires!"
Legolas looked up as she yelled. Vampires. Right. Defeating evil. They were supposed to be thwarting evil, not giving into their all-consuming passion. "Willow, I..."
"I know." She stopped him, her desire still very evident in her eyes. "This isn't the time. We have work to do. Vampires to stop."
"Right," he agreed. "Let's go." Pulling on his coat, he strode over to the door, Willow following. "Be careful," he whispered.
"You too."
With a quick kiss, they were out the door, ready to face whatever was waiting for them in the night.