Part Fourteen
"Buffy!" Willow screamed into the rain, and to her own ears it sounded too rough, too urgent, too loud to be just another warning in a long string of warnings. Look out Buffy, she'd said before, there's one over there. Look out Buffy, she'd said before, it's not quite dead yet.
Look out Buffy, turn around, there's a monster in my head in my dreams at my door and he's there behind you and I can't let him hurt you but he can him hurt me, and he will, I know he will, I'm buying this for you with pain with blood with fear so please, please, *turn around.*
Down in the street, the two heads turned to her at once, both pairs of eyes easily finding Willow's figure silhouetted against the light of her window with her arms raised in warning or supplication. There was distance between them, and rain, but Willow knew when Angelus' eyes turned yellow, and even across the space that separated them she could make out the message that burned there: you will *pay* for this.
Buffy saw only a glimpse of the stricken look on Willow's face, already turning to confront the dark figure close behind her. She backed away quickly, her eyes widening as she recognized the face that was turning towards her. Angel, she thought, and slipped easily into a combative stance. She glanced quickly back towards the balcony, silently urging Willow to go inside where it was safe.
"Buffy," Angelus said, his tone achingly polite.
"Angelus. What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.
A flicker of surprise ran over his features before he snuffed it out, and she saw his eyes move briefly to where Willow stood above them.
When Angelus spoke again his voice had a lighter note to it, and he said, "Why, following you of course. Why else would I be here, lover?"
Buffy eyed him suspiciously. The words were right... but something was different. "Stay away from here," she said. "Stay away from my friends."
Feigning surprise, Angels looked around. "Are we near one of your friends? Oh yes. The little redhead."
"You stay away from Willow!" Buffy said, and a fleeting thought distracted her from the strangeness that she still couldn't identify. Willow had been attacked, and now - "You haven't... done anything to her, have you?"
Elongated teeth gleamed whitely as Angelus smiled. "No. Not a bad idea, though. What would you like me to do to her?"
He'd never pass up the chance to hurt me, Buffy thought. He must not have been the one.
It was then that she pinpointed the thing that had been bothering her - he was standing so far away. Using his body as an implied threat was one of Angelus' trademarks; every time they met he'd move as close to her as he could, taunting her with his likeness to her lover, reminding her that it was the same body she'd -
But not this time. He was standing almost five feet away, and making no effort to get closer.
Buffy took a step towards Angelus, and watched as he stiffened. With puzzled fascination she took another step, and a grimace twisted his even features before he shifted to his demon face.
A faint growl rumbled from his throat as he watched her movements through unnatural eyes. "You didn't answer me, lover. What do you think I should do to Willow?"
Buffy glared at him, her murderous expression lit by one of the periodic flashes of lightning. Her attention quickly shifted to the possible threat to her friend, and she shoved her curiosity about Angelus' strange behaviour to the back of her mind as she moved to stand between him and Willow's house.
"If you touch her, I *will* kill you. Understand?" she said menacingly.
Willow was breathing unevenly, leaning at a dangerous angle over the rail as she strained to hear his reply, her hair soaked to black by the rain and wind-whipped into tangles around her white face.
She closed her eyes and whispered under her breath, "Please don't tell her. Please. *Please*." The faint sound was lost under the screaming of the wind and the ceaseless percussion of the rain, but she knew that he heard her. He had to.
Angelus' posture straightened as the distance from Buffy became tolerable, demonic ridges smoothing once more into pale skin. His smile was lost in the thickening sheets of rain, but his mocking half-bow was still clearly visible.
"Your wish is my command," he said to Buffy, but he was looking at Willow when he straightened up, just a flash of dark cold eyes, but it was enough to make her stomach turn over.
One disaster averted, Willow thought, and so many more to come. The fact that she had just 'betrayed' Angelus came back to her with sickening clarity, and she had to close her eyes to fight off the darkness.
Something wrong with that logic, she thought, and this is shock again, she thought, and even her thoughts were blurring around the edges.
Willow leaned more of her weight on the narrow rail, her hands clutching at the wood as she forced her eyes open and tried to focus on the scene below.
The two figures were still there, standing far apart. She heard Buffy's witty banter only faintly through the rushing of the wind and the blood pounding in her ears.
With a depth of relief that was only a few steps removed from hysteria, she heard Angelus' parting shot as, with a vicious inflection, he purred, "You'll be seeing me soon..." to both of the girls watching him and faded away into the darkness.
I'm sure I will, Willow thought numbly, and she watched him until he was out of sight. His departure allowed Willow's head to clear, at least partially, and after only a few moments of staring blindly into the rain she was able to push her fears to the back of her mind and gather up enough sense to go inside.
She shivered as she stepped onto the carpet, and it was only then, in the warm dry room, that she was fully conscious of the cold clamminess of her clothes as they clung to her skin. Water trickled down her face from her soaked hair, substituting nicely for the tears that she couldn't afford to cry. Not now, not with - Buffy.
Willow ran downstairs and threw open the front door before the first knock came. Buffy stepped inside, just as soaked and almost as miserable looking, and the two of them exchanged speaking glances.
With a wry smile, Buffy took hold of the bottom of her shirt and wrung it out. "How about we get into some dry clothes, and *then* we do the girl-talk thing," she said.
With great relief, Willow nodded and said, "That sounds like a plan." Girl-talk, movies... Probably for the last time, she thought, and felt the world start to bleed away again. She caught herself in time. She couldn't think about that right now, not with Buffy there.
I should send Buffy away, she thought. Send Buffy away and open the balcony door and get it over with. Maybe that would help. Maybe then he'd... what? Let me off with a warning?
She wasn't going to send Buffy away. Not yet. She couldn't stand the thought of being in her room alone - of being anywhere alone. After Buffy was gone she'd try to think of a plan - something to keep her alive.
A possibility arose from the depths of her imagination, rendered suddenly brilliant by fear: Angelus might not choose to kill her... not right away. She could see it behind her eyes, dark blood on her skin and his smile, god, his *smile*, and she shuddered convulsively at the almost-felt pain.
Keeping me... un-bloodied would also be good, Willow thought in a parody of reason, but staying alive is the main priority. I want to live through tonight. Please, please, please. I want to.
Willow turned as if to look out the window, blinking away the insistent tears. With a heroic effort, she smiled tremulously as she turned back to Buffy.
"So..." she said, "What do you want to watch first?"
****************
Two Hours Later
****************
"Aw..." The sound that came from both girls was half-sigh and half-whimper as the final credits rolled and 'The King and I' claimed two more victims with its mixture of love and tragedy.
"But... No!" Willow said, her eyes wet.
"I know..." Buffy said, looking depressed.
"Are they even allowed to end a musical that way?" Willow said indignantly, "I mean, they get us all sucked in with all the songs and the... the pageantry, and then, boom!"
"Let's not dwell on it... let's talk about something else." Buffy said, her tone suddenly determined.
"All right," Willow said, her attention still on the movie. "What should we talk about?"
"You."
Uh oh, Willow thought.
"Me?" she said. "What about me? I'm a boring subject. So, so boring."
"Willow," Buffy said. "I know what's been going on."
"You do?" Willow said.
"Yes. I know you're worried about how to deal with him. "
Worried, that's one word for it, Willow thought. Just a little bit. How did - what... this is not a good development! He'll never believe that I didn't tell her... He can't find out or she'll die! And then Xander will die, and it all goes downhill from there!
"Please stay out of this, Buffy!" she said as firmly as she could manage. "It's between him and me. I started it. And I'll finish it."
Hurt showed in Buffy's eyes and in her voice when she said, "But I'm your best friend! If you can't talk to me about guys, who can you talk to?"
Guys? That's an interesting way to- Willow's thoughts were interrupted as Buffy continued, "And besides, why are you thinking about finishing it with Oz?"
Oz? Oz!
"Oh!" Willow said. "Oh. Yes, you're right. I was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. Of course I can talk to you about guys. All guys. The entire male gender in fact. Not a single member of it that I can't talk to you about, living or..."
Stop while you're ahead, Willow told herself. Right. Stopping.
Buffy leaned back on the bed and said, "Uh-huh. So why are you thinking about breaking up with Oz again?"
"Oh, I'm not- " Willow started, but - she was. In fact, she thought, I pretty much have to break up with him. That, or help him find a good insurance policy. "-I'm not feeling like it's working out."
Buffy rolled her eyes and patted Willow on the shoulder. "That's not a reason. Those are nerves. You're just not used to being in a relationship with a guy."
Hah, Willow thought. I'm in a pretty permanent relationship with a guy, actually, thanks for asking. Granted, it's probably not exactly what you have in mind, but it is pretty much an 'Until death do you part...' kind of relationship. Hopefully his. Probably mine. Probably painful. Probably slow and painful and... Buffy is looking at me.
"What?" Willow said with a tentative smile, hoping that it looked less fake then it felt.
"You looked pretty spaced for a minute there," Buffy said thoughtfully. She grinned. "Trust me, if a guy makes you zoom off into the stratosphere like that, you should *definitely* stay with him."
Slayer strength was put to good use for the next few minutes as Buffy had to bang Willow repeatedly on the back to keep her from choking on her soda.
*****
Any hopes Angelus had had that Buffy would only be a minor disruption to his plans for the night died around the time the sound of the eighth musical number drifted out through the half-open bedroom window.
It was unendurable. There was no barrier between him and Willow, no matter what Buffy thought. He could reach in through the window and *have* her. Have her blood, have her apologies, have her *begging*.
And then, of course, have Buffy know that something was going on. And have all of her little friends up in arms and circling Willow all around, day and night, with bristling fury and well-meant advice. It would make it so much easier for Willow, all of that reassurance and black-and-white comfort, and that was exactly the opposite of what he wanted her to have. She should have doubt, and worry, and fear for the night, and no one else to protect her against all of the things in the dark that would want her now.
But the window was so close. And no barrier. And he could *smell* her, smell them both, and it was going to drive him insane.
He left then, walked fast away, far enough away so that even the Slayer's heightened senses wouldn't be able to hear. And if anyone was watching the sidewalk a few blocks away they would have seen a man on the sidewalk, and a woman and then - blink - and nobody there, and a scream dying on the air.
And in the narrow alleyway between two of the houses Angelus bit deep and tasted blood, ordinary blood, and thought of Willow. He threw the woman away from him with a disgusted noise, turning away even before she hit the wall and slid unconscious to the ground.
How dare she, he thought as he walked away, the words repeated over and over again until they were meaningless, just a constant background hum in his mind and a red shadow behind his eyes.
How dare she, how dare she, how *dare* she warn Buffy. Not smart, Willow. Not smart at all.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Angelus knew that killing Buffy would have broken the spell, but at the moment logic was drowning under a tide of hunger.
He didn't remember leaving the alley, didn't remember the walk back to the house, but suddenly he was there, looking up at the window, almost shaking with anger and want. Buffy was still there. Of course she was.
He swung himself up to the overhanging roof and moved to take up a station by the window again, arriving just in time to hear the Slayer's high pitched voice say, "...I know you're worried about how to deal with him."
Oh *yes*, Angelus thought savagely, has Willow decided that honesty is the best policy? You're just begging for pain tonight. Maybe you even wants it, to be acting like this, and isn't *that* an interesting idea.
"Please stay out of this, Buffy! It's between him and me. I started it. And I'll finish it."
Good girl, he thought. But it'll never be finished, you know that, a smart girl like you. But hope springs eternal, and that was an interesting thought as well.
"But I'm your best friend! If you can't talk to me about guys, who *can* you talk to? And besides, why are you thinking about finishing it with Oz?"
Angelus had to lean his forehead against the wall and close his eyes to keep from laughing. Trust Buffy to get it almost exactly wrong.
"Oh! Oh. Yes, you're right. I was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. Of course I can talk to you about guys. All guys. The entire male gender in fact. Not a single member of it that I can't talk to you about, living or..."
"Uh-huh. So why are you thinking about breaking up with Oz?"
"Oh, I'm not-- I'm not feeling like it's working out."
Angelus' eyes narrowed as he caught the hesitation.
"That's not a reason. Those are just nerves. You're just not used to being in a relationship with a guy."
How perfect, Angelus thought. Willow's having nerves. I can help you with those, little girl. I'll... *show*... you how it should be.
The long silence that followed made him curious, and he crept closer until he could see a slice of Willow's face through the window. Willow was staring off into space while Buffy watched her with worrying intensity.
She suspects something, Angelus thought. She just doesn't know what.
He watched carefully as the weight of Buffy's attention shook Willow out of her thoughts.
"What?" Willow said, and he could hear the cracks in her voice even though she was making a visible effort to appear carefree and was savagely pleased.
"You looked pretty spaced for a minute there," Buffy said, sounding amused, " Trust me, if a guy makes you zoom off into the stratosphere like that, you should definitely stay with him."
Angelus heard choking sounds and knew that he had to leave before he started to laugh.
He made his way easily down to the ground, and looked up at the lighted window, his mood slightly improved by knowing that Buffy was in there doing her level best to persuade Willow to stay with him.
It was a moot point, as Willow would never have the option of leaving him, but a pleasant irony all the same.
Besides, she had just helped to inspire an idea for a rather appealing avenue of instruction, something that would chastise Willow without breaking her. Something that might even bring her running to him.
Angelus smiled to himself as he made his way to the centre of town.
______
Sorry for the long delay there - I became distracted by art and am also an idiot. Sorry again.
Tell me what you think?
"Buffy!" Willow screamed into the rain, and to her own ears it sounded too rough, too urgent, too loud to be just another warning in a long string of warnings. Look out Buffy, she'd said before, there's one over there. Look out Buffy, she'd said before, it's not quite dead yet.
Look out Buffy, turn around, there's a monster in my head in my dreams at my door and he's there behind you and I can't let him hurt you but he can him hurt me, and he will, I know he will, I'm buying this for you with pain with blood with fear so please, please, *turn around.*
Down in the street, the two heads turned to her at once, both pairs of eyes easily finding Willow's figure silhouetted against the light of her window with her arms raised in warning or supplication. There was distance between them, and rain, but Willow knew when Angelus' eyes turned yellow, and even across the space that separated them she could make out the message that burned there: you will *pay* for this.
Buffy saw only a glimpse of the stricken look on Willow's face, already turning to confront the dark figure close behind her. She backed away quickly, her eyes widening as she recognized the face that was turning towards her. Angel, she thought, and slipped easily into a combative stance. She glanced quickly back towards the balcony, silently urging Willow to go inside where it was safe.
"Buffy," Angelus said, his tone achingly polite.
"Angelus. What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.
A flicker of surprise ran over his features before he snuffed it out, and she saw his eyes move briefly to where Willow stood above them.
When Angelus spoke again his voice had a lighter note to it, and he said, "Why, following you of course. Why else would I be here, lover?"
Buffy eyed him suspiciously. The words were right... but something was different. "Stay away from here," she said. "Stay away from my friends."
Feigning surprise, Angels looked around. "Are we near one of your friends? Oh yes. The little redhead."
"You stay away from Willow!" Buffy said, and a fleeting thought distracted her from the strangeness that she still couldn't identify. Willow had been attacked, and now - "You haven't... done anything to her, have you?"
Elongated teeth gleamed whitely as Angelus smiled. "No. Not a bad idea, though. What would you like me to do to her?"
He'd never pass up the chance to hurt me, Buffy thought. He must not have been the one.
It was then that she pinpointed the thing that had been bothering her - he was standing so far away. Using his body as an implied threat was one of Angelus' trademarks; every time they met he'd move as close to her as he could, taunting her with his likeness to her lover, reminding her that it was the same body she'd -
But not this time. He was standing almost five feet away, and making no effort to get closer.
Buffy took a step towards Angelus, and watched as he stiffened. With puzzled fascination she took another step, and a grimace twisted his even features before he shifted to his demon face.
A faint growl rumbled from his throat as he watched her movements through unnatural eyes. "You didn't answer me, lover. What do you think I should do to Willow?"
Buffy glared at him, her murderous expression lit by one of the periodic flashes of lightning. Her attention quickly shifted to the possible threat to her friend, and she shoved her curiosity about Angelus' strange behaviour to the back of her mind as she moved to stand between him and Willow's house.
"If you touch her, I *will* kill you. Understand?" she said menacingly.
Willow was breathing unevenly, leaning at a dangerous angle over the rail as she strained to hear his reply, her hair soaked to black by the rain and wind-whipped into tangles around her white face.
She closed her eyes and whispered under her breath, "Please don't tell her. Please. *Please*." The faint sound was lost under the screaming of the wind and the ceaseless percussion of the rain, but she knew that he heard her. He had to.
Angelus' posture straightened as the distance from Buffy became tolerable, demonic ridges smoothing once more into pale skin. His smile was lost in the thickening sheets of rain, but his mocking half-bow was still clearly visible.
"Your wish is my command," he said to Buffy, but he was looking at Willow when he straightened up, just a flash of dark cold eyes, but it was enough to make her stomach turn over.
One disaster averted, Willow thought, and so many more to come. The fact that she had just 'betrayed' Angelus came back to her with sickening clarity, and she had to close her eyes to fight off the darkness.
Something wrong with that logic, she thought, and this is shock again, she thought, and even her thoughts were blurring around the edges.
Willow leaned more of her weight on the narrow rail, her hands clutching at the wood as she forced her eyes open and tried to focus on the scene below.
The two figures were still there, standing far apart. She heard Buffy's witty banter only faintly through the rushing of the wind and the blood pounding in her ears.
With a depth of relief that was only a few steps removed from hysteria, she heard Angelus' parting shot as, with a vicious inflection, he purred, "You'll be seeing me soon..." to both of the girls watching him and faded away into the darkness.
I'm sure I will, Willow thought numbly, and she watched him until he was out of sight. His departure allowed Willow's head to clear, at least partially, and after only a few moments of staring blindly into the rain she was able to push her fears to the back of her mind and gather up enough sense to go inside.
She shivered as she stepped onto the carpet, and it was only then, in the warm dry room, that she was fully conscious of the cold clamminess of her clothes as they clung to her skin. Water trickled down her face from her soaked hair, substituting nicely for the tears that she couldn't afford to cry. Not now, not with - Buffy.
Willow ran downstairs and threw open the front door before the first knock came. Buffy stepped inside, just as soaked and almost as miserable looking, and the two of them exchanged speaking glances.
With a wry smile, Buffy took hold of the bottom of her shirt and wrung it out. "How about we get into some dry clothes, and *then* we do the girl-talk thing," she said.
With great relief, Willow nodded and said, "That sounds like a plan." Girl-talk, movies... Probably for the last time, she thought, and felt the world start to bleed away again. She caught herself in time. She couldn't think about that right now, not with Buffy there.
I should send Buffy away, she thought. Send Buffy away and open the balcony door and get it over with. Maybe that would help. Maybe then he'd... what? Let me off with a warning?
She wasn't going to send Buffy away. Not yet. She couldn't stand the thought of being in her room alone - of being anywhere alone. After Buffy was gone she'd try to think of a plan - something to keep her alive.
A possibility arose from the depths of her imagination, rendered suddenly brilliant by fear: Angelus might not choose to kill her... not right away. She could see it behind her eyes, dark blood on her skin and his smile, god, his *smile*, and she shuddered convulsively at the almost-felt pain.
Keeping me... un-bloodied would also be good, Willow thought in a parody of reason, but staying alive is the main priority. I want to live through tonight. Please, please, please. I want to.
Willow turned as if to look out the window, blinking away the insistent tears. With a heroic effort, she smiled tremulously as she turned back to Buffy.
"So..." she said, "What do you want to watch first?"
****************
Two Hours Later
****************
"Aw..." The sound that came from both girls was half-sigh and half-whimper as the final credits rolled and 'The King and I' claimed two more victims with its mixture of love and tragedy.
"But... No!" Willow said, her eyes wet.
"I know..." Buffy said, looking depressed.
"Are they even allowed to end a musical that way?" Willow said indignantly, "I mean, they get us all sucked in with all the songs and the... the pageantry, and then, boom!"
"Let's not dwell on it... let's talk about something else." Buffy said, her tone suddenly determined.
"All right," Willow said, her attention still on the movie. "What should we talk about?"
"You."
Uh oh, Willow thought.
"Me?" she said. "What about me? I'm a boring subject. So, so boring."
"Willow," Buffy said. "I know what's been going on."
"You do?" Willow said.
"Yes. I know you're worried about how to deal with him. "
Worried, that's one word for it, Willow thought. Just a little bit. How did - what... this is not a good development! He'll never believe that I didn't tell her... He can't find out or she'll die! And then Xander will die, and it all goes downhill from there!
"Please stay out of this, Buffy!" she said as firmly as she could manage. "It's between him and me. I started it. And I'll finish it."
Hurt showed in Buffy's eyes and in her voice when she said, "But I'm your best friend! If you can't talk to me about guys, who can you talk to?"
Guys? That's an interesting way to- Willow's thoughts were interrupted as Buffy continued, "And besides, why are you thinking about finishing it with Oz?"
Oz? Oz!
"Oh!" Willow said. "Oh. Yes, you're right. I was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. Of course I can talk to you about guys. All guys. The entire male gender in fact. Not a single member of it that I can't talk to you about, living or..."
Stop while you're ahead, Willow told herself. Right. Stopping.
Buffy leaned back on the bed and said, "Uh-huh. So why are you thinking about breaking up with Oz again?"
"Oh, I'm not- " Willow started, but - she was. In fact, she thought, I pretty much have to break up with him. That, or help him find a good insurance policy. "-I'm not feeling like it's working out."
Buffy rolled her eyes and patted Willow on the shoulder. "That's not a reason. Those are nerves. You're just not used to being in a relationship with a guy."
Hah, Willow thought. I'm in a pretty permanent relationship with a guy, actually, thanks for asking. Granted, it's probably not exactly what you have in mind, but it is pretty much an 'Until death do you part...' kind of relationship. Hopefully his. Probably mine. Probably painful. Probably slow and painful and... Buffy is looking at me.
"What?" Willow said with a tentative smile, hoping that it looked less fake then it felt.
"You looked pretty spaced for a minute there," Buffy said thoughtfully. She grinned. "Trust me, if a guy makes you zoom off into the stratosphere like that, you should *definitely* stay with him."
Slayer strength was put to good use for the next few minutes as Buffy had to bang Willow repeatedly on the back to keep her from choking on her soda.
*****
Any hopes Angelus had had that Buffy would only be a minor disruption to his plans for the night died around the time the sound of the eighth musical number drifted out through the half-open bedroom window.
It was unendurable. There was no barrier between him and Willow, no matter what Buffy thought. He could reach in through the window and *have* her. Have her blood, have her apologies, have her *begging*.
And then, of course, have Buffy know that something was going on. And have all of her little friends up in arms and circling Willow all around, day and night, with bristling fury and well-meant advice. It would make it so much easier for Willow, all of that reassurance and black-and-white comfort, and that was exactly the opposite of what he wanted her to have. She should have doubt, and worry, and fear for the night, and no one else to protect her against all of the things in the dark that would want her now.
But the window was so close. And no barrier. And he could *smell* her, smell them both, and it was going to drive him insane.
He left then, walked fast away, far enough away so that even the Slayer's heightened senses wouldn't be able to hear. And if anyone was watching the sidewalk a few blocks away they would have seen a man on the sidewalk, and a woman and then - blink - and nobody there, and a scream dying on the air.
And in the narrow alleyway between two of the houses Angelus bit deep and tasted blood, ordinary blood, and thought of Willow. He threw the woman away from him with a disgusted noise, turning away even before she hit the wall and slid unconscious to the ground.
How dare she, he thought as he walked away, the words repeated over and over again until they were meaningless, just a constant background hum in his mind and a red shadow behind his eyes.
How dare she, how dare she, how *dare* she warn Buffy. Not smart, Willow. Not smart at all.
Somewhere in the back of his mind Angelus knew that killing Buffy would have broken the spell, but at the moment logic was drowning under a tide of hunger.
He didn't remember leaving the alley, didn't remember the walk back to the house, but suddenly he was there, looking up at the window, almost shaking with anger and want. Buffy was still there. Of course she was.
He swung himself up to the overhanging roof and moved to take up a station by the window again, arriving just in time to hear the Slayer's high pitched voice say, "...I know you're worried about how to deal with him."
Oh *yes*, Angelus thought savagely, has Willow decided that honesty is the best policy? You're just begging for pain tonight. Maybe you even wants it, to be acting like this, and isn't *that* an interesting idea.
"Please stay out of this, Buffy! It's between him and me. I started it. And I'll finish it."
Good girl, he thought. But it'll never be finished, you know that, a smart girl like you. But hope springs eternal, and that was an interesting thought as well.
"But I'm your best friend! If you can't talk to me about guys, who *can* you talk to? And besides, why are you thinking about finishing it with Oz?"
Angelus had to lean his forehead against the wall and close his eyes to keep from laughing. Trust Buffy to get it almost exactly wrong.
"Oh! Oh. Yes, you're right. I was wrong. I don't know what I was thinking. Of course I can talk to you about guys. All guys. The entire male gender in fact. Not a single member of it that I can't talk to you about, living or..."
"Uh-huh. So why are you thinking about breaking up with Oz?"
"Oh, I'm not-- I'm not feeling like it's working out."
Angelus' eyes narrowed as he caught the hesitation.
"That's not a reason. Those are just nerves. You're just not used to being in a relationship with a guy."
How perfect, Angelus thought. Willow's having nerves. I can help you with those, little girl. I'll... *show*... you how it should be.
The long silence that followed made him curious, and he crept closer until he could see a slice of Willow's face through the window. Willow was staring off into space while Buffy watched her with worrying intensity.
She suspects something, Angelus thought. She just doesn't know what.
He watched carefully as the weight of Buffy's attention shook Willow out of her thoughts.
"What?" Willow said, and he could hear the cracks in her voice even though she was making a visible effort to appear carefree and was savagely pleased.
"You looked pretty spaced for a minute there," Buffy said, sounding amused, " Trust me, if a guy makes you zoom off into the stratosphere like that, you should definitely stay with him."
Angelus heard choking sounds and knew that he had to leave before he started to laugh.
He made his way easily down to the ground, and looked up at the lighted window, his mood slightly improved by knowing that Buffy was in there doing her level best to persuade Willow to stay with him.
It was a moot point, as Willow would never have the option of leaving him, but a pleasant irony all the same.
Besides, she had just helped to inspire an idea for a rather appealing avenue of instruction, something that would chastise Willow without breaking her. Something that might even bring her running to him.
Angelus smiled to himself as he made his way to the centre of town.
______
Sorry for the long delay there - I became distracted by art and am also an idiot. Sorry again.
Tell me what you think?