TITLE: Hidden Underneath
RATING: R TO NC-17
PAIRING: Willow/Angelus
AUTHOR: coconut03
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys!! Here's the next part to my fic, hope you enjoy it!! If you've missed some chapters, they are all posted at my site, which is
Please go to it and SIGN THE GUEST BOOK!!!! Thanx!! It's still pretty basic 'cause I have NO skills whatsoever when it comes to computer stuff.

ANY FEED BACK IS APPRECIATED!!!

CHAPTER 9

Hours later, Angelus and Willow lay entwined within the ring of the pentagram. Both of their hearts were beating to the invariable rhythm being paced by their languorous breathing.

It was Willow, who began to stir first. Her eye lids fluttered and soon her limbs began to shift. The haze of her vision seemed to also blur her memory. She couldn't remember what had happened. Until, she saw the body lying next to her. Angelus. He had done a spell...or...that shaman had done something to her. Suddenly very conscious, she slid her draped arm that was resting on Angelus away from him until her palm instinctively paused over his chest.

She didn't know why she was still touching him. Willow wanted to move, get out, while she still had the chance but instead she found herself eerily lingering close to Angelus' body. Taking a moment to concentrate, she felt something thump against the tender skin of her palm. No...it couldn't be. It thumped again and again.

Willow gasped and sat up until she hovered over his body, her palm pressing into his chest with the unbelievable awareness that it was indeed Angelus' heart that was throbbing just below her. Suddenly, her other hand shot up to his neck and traced a line along his jaw to find a pulse. Sure enough, there was that same steady thumping of life jumping to tease her fingertips.

Angelus had to bite back the smirking he so entirely wanted to show. He could feel Willow pressed up against his body with her palms running around over his chest and it made him want to growl. She had just discovered his heart beat and he could smell the excitement she was feeling. Granted, it wasn't the excitement he wanted. Instead it was filled with hope and a tinge of relief. That was something he could play with.

Dramatically, Angelus shifted his head and moaned before opening his eyes to see Willow's leaning form above his. Gently, he reached his hand upwards and held on to her wrist while gazing up at her in a mock of disorientation, "Willow? Wh...What happened?"

"Angel? Is it you?" she questioned before going on, "Oh thank goddess! It's you...I was so scared! Angelus...he killed so many people! I thought he was going to kill me!" she exclaimed as tears sank down her cheeks.

Angelus could feel her heart racing and it called to him. It excited him. "Willow, it's okay. Everything's okay now!" Angelus tried to reassure in his best Angel voice which always seemed down-trodden.

He then sat up only to have Willow rush to him with a hug that was almost always uncommon. Angelus revelled in the heat of her body and realized that he too was giving off warmth. He could feel blood pumping through his veins, gliding through his body in a scorching heat that caused a hitch in his breathing. God, it was magnificent. It was the exact intense feeling he received after just feeding off a human. Blood...the thick crimson fluid that made him yearn for years in hunger was now pumping through his body in copious amounts now brought him a pleasure that he'd never experienced before.

Suddenly, Willow pulled away from Angelus and looked into his glazed eyes, "Angel? Are you okay? You have a heart beat now...you can feel it can't you. I think it means you're human now. I'm so happy for you...Buffy won't believe this!"

With that said, Angelus roughly shoved Willow away from his body and stood up in anger while Willow remained on the floor cowering away in fear. "You know, I was going to carry on with this little charade but then you have to go and bring up that blonde twit! I was going to be Angel for you...well at least for a little while. Now I guess I'll just have to me." he exclaimed in annoyance. He wanted to see just how long it would take for her to realize that Angel was dead, buried and on his way to being forgotten for all of eternity.

"Angelus." Willow stated aloud in a way that had to make sure she understood who she was dealing with.

"That's right, pumpkin. Not Angel. Never Angel. Don't you ever forget that." he commanded while crouching down to Willow for an instant only to grab her by the arm and haul her to her feet.

Willow was growing angrier by the second. How dare he pretend to be Angel! He must think she's stupid. Willow shuddered in fury at being taken advantage of because of her supposed naiveté, "You're right! How could I forget that you're not Angel! You could NEVER be Angel. You can't even amount to HALF of what Angel was! You go ahead and kill me but just know that you'd only be proving the complete nothing that you are." she exclaimed. Inside she was trembling like leaf but she couldn't show him that. She made a silent vow to never show her fear because she knew that was her true vulnerability...and the fear alone could kill her at the moment.

Angelus' eyes widened in anger and part disbelief at the slip of a girl who had dared to shout in his face. Then it was all gone. His anger vanished behind the wall of a cold gaze...just before he slapped her.

Willow was sent plunging towards the floor. For a moment, she lay panting in incredulity and raised her hand to her now scalding cheek. Tears threatened to fall from behind her eyes.

Angelus stalked over to Willow's curled up body and threatened, "You don't know anything of who I am, little girl. But believe me when I say that you'll find out. Don't curse yourself by being stupid.".

Willow defiantly shot him a look of warning, "Don't you dare underestimate me, Angelus. It wouldn't end well for you." Her voice came out husky and underlined with a hatred that penetrated even Angelus.

The two of them glared at each other for a moment. They were like creatures in the night getting ready for battle against one another.

Angelus wanted nothing more to grab her by the hair and show her exactly what kind of demon she was dealing with. However, now was not the time. He needed to lock her up so he could find out what had happened with the spell. He knew they were bonded but nothing he'd read about had told him that his heart would start pumping and that blood would course through his body as though he was alive. Angelus couldn't be alive. He liked being dead. He liked the immortality and all the power it wielded.

So Angelus caught Willow by the arm and contemplated where to tie her up while he went on his quest for answers. The option of her trembling body chained and strapped to his bed was intriguing but would only intensify the pure hatred she felt for him.

He didn't want that.

He wanted her broken until all that she saw, dreamed and hoped for was him.

She needed to see that there was nothing but him and his power over everything that touched her.

Angelus smirked to himself and yanked on her receding form and took her to the best place that would bring her the most agony.

The basement.

Angelus took a step back after chaining Willow to the same wall that Spike had been attached to. Her head was tilted upwards with her lips slightly parted and her eyes squeezed shut. Tears gently made the where down the sides of her face and dripped languidly towards the cold concrete.

She was beautiful. Like a tragic painting that held so much more emotion than the agony that was clearly displayed. Only Angelus knew of the power and will she possessed.

That he now possessed.

Not wanting to leave her, Angelus forced himself to move away and go in search of that shaman. He needed answers. He knew he wasn't completely human but he also wasn't completely a vampire. It frustrated him.

He swiftly moved through the streets of Los Angeles with a refreshed sense of ability until he found the shaman's dwelling. Angelus walked in with self-assurance only to find that the shaman didn't look surprised to see him at all.

"Finally, you're here. I'd expected you much sooner." he stated while sipping casually on a drink.

"Really? Then why don't you tell me why I'm here." Angelus retorted in the same superior tone he always used.

"You want to know why your blood flows through your once dead body. You want to know your connection to the witch." he stated quite knowingly but only to receive a glare from Angelus.

He continued, "To become immortal is to encompass all that you are and all that you once were. The one thing that connects the past and present is blood. Your blood. You heart beats for the past and the demon inside you hungers for the present. When merged together, you are...more. More of everything that you were separately."

Angelus took a moment to put the shaman's mumbo jumbo together. The bottom line was that he was stronger and would never die. He was truly immortal. And he would be unstoppable.

"And Willow? What about her?" he questioned with interest. He liked the way things were turning out.

"Ah, the witch. You now belong to each other. The connection you shared before the spell, strengthened ten-fold. You two now belong completely and wholly to one another. She is the anchor to your power." the shaman informed.

Angelus heard all that he needed. He would hold on to the power and Willow would hold on to him. She would have no choice.

Willow stood with her body pressed up against the cold wall. She hadn't moved from her position in what seemed like an eternity. The moment that she'd heard Angelus' footsteps getting quieter and farther away she opened her eyes.

God, she wanted to die.

The dampness of the basement was cruel to her but it was nothing compared to the sight that held her. The bodies, they lay everywhere. Often, there were only parts of one being. So many pieces broken and twisted and mangled and Willow just couldn't tell what belonged to whom.

The blood that was once sticky and wet now clung to the concrete as a dry and black as night substance. The reek of death held strong in the air and was beginning to dilute Willow's endurance. Her mind was fluttering in a cross between pure agony and ignorance. She wanted to forget...make all the death disappear until she saw nothing but the happier times only her memory could bring. She wanted to lose herself in those thoughts and dream of a place where all the evil in the world could not touch her.

Angelus treaded down the rickety staircase to find Willow staring at the bodies. However, the closer that he got, he realized her gaze was empty. She wasn't there. He wondered where she was when she drew blank stares. He wanted to be there with her. In the world she had effectually created for herself. He wanted to rule over it.

Gently, Angelus unlocked her wrists and brought her body up to his so he could now lift her tiny frame. He was careful not to break her daze. For all that she'd been through and all that she was about to embark on, Willow would definitely need all the strength she could muster up.

Angelus looked at her in his arms and felt his blood pump faster as though a dam had been broken. Willow looked virginal in her white flowing gown and was as much the beauty as he knew she was. The crimson of her hair matched the colour of her cheeks and the rim of blood that outlined the bottom hem of her dress which had been trailed in blood from the floor.

He took her to the penthouse suite of the hotel which was decorated completely to his liking.

Angelus laid Willow down on his plush mattress. He felt something powerful surge through him as he watched her gently breathe while being surrounded by his black satin sheets. She was the light in the darkness. His darkness.

His fingers itched to finally touch her luminescent skin. They travelled along the dip of her dress and then up to her shoulders. There he slid the straps of her gown down. He hooked his fingers on to the fabric and pulled as gently as he could. Down it went...down her body like the gift wrap being torn off a present that was to be his. Only his.

Slowly, he revealed her body to his sight. Her breasts would rise and fall in synch with her breathing and her pulse. The soft, flat terrain of her abdomen was nothing compared to the tenderness of the swell of her hips. Down...he continued to slip away all that hid her from him. His blood pumped through his body as he watched the fabric run away from her centre, down her supple thighs and calves.

Angelus took a moment to watch her yet again. He couldn't believe his luck. This beautiful creature was his.

He bent down to pick her up and then took her naked body to the bathroom and placed her in the empty tub. He wanted her awake and alive...not in this state where he couldn't touch her, where he couldn't see the passion of whatever she was feeling.

Standing up, he moved to the taps and suddenly, a forceful blast of cold water fell on her body.

Willow's eyes shot open and she sputtered in disorientation. Her hands gripped the side of the massive tub and she tried to move away for the water. Instead, Angelus gripped her arm and pulled her directly under the ice cold water and shouted, "Don't think you can ever disappear from me, Willow. I'll find you and I'll drag you back to me. The only place you can ever run to...is me.".