Willow POV

I woke up feeling like every muscle in my body wasn't working. I groaned and rolled over. I opened my eyes to find four people staring at me expectantly. Cordy spoke first. "Willow! We thought you were dead!" She gave me a giant hug. I sucked in a breath.

"Oh, sorry" she said. "We think you have some bruised ribs."

I fingered my ribs, and sure enough, they hurt like all get out. Wes started, "Willow, you saved us all." I blushed a little. "You guys look terrible", I said. My eyes ran over their bruised and cut faces. "Now I don't look like such a freak with my bruise" I said. I attempted a smile.

Fred was the only one who laughed. I asked how long I was out. Apparently I had been sleeping for a whole day. Well I did need some sleep.

Angel came up to me, looking broody as usual. Everyone else discreetly left the room. He said painfully, "I'm so sorry, Willow. I should have been there to help you. This whole thing is my fault."

"Don't sweat it", I replied. I smiled at him, but he still looked depressed. "Angel, don't worry about it. I'm just glad that I still had some magick in me. Now next time that we run into a spot of trouble, I'm going to be relying on you."

He looked at me, and then he gave me a bone crushing hug. I took another sharp intake of breath for my poor ribs. Still hugging me, he whispered in my ear, "I'm so sorry, Willow". I knew that he didn't mean that he was sorry for not being able to save me from the demon. He was sorry that he couldn't have saved me from the hurt caused by my demon boyfriend.

I took comfort in his strong hug. It was one of those moments that you dread happening, but when it happens, it's not that bad. I was starting to cry when someone arrived in the lobby. That person was carrying flowers.

Angel asked where the flowers came from, but the man just put down the flowers and left. How peculiar. Angel walked over to the flowers and said warningly "Willow…" I rushed over to the flowers and grabbed the card. I looked down at Spike's untidy scrawl that read "Sorry".

Tears of anger clouded my vision. I roughly snatched the flowers and went around to the dumpster. Angel tried to follow me but it was still daylight. I threw the flowers at the wall above the dumpster and stormed back in the hotel. I ran up to my room.

I was so angry that I decided to take a bath to calm down. As I relaxed in the water, someone knocked on my door. I was too tired to yell to go away. I was in my peaceful place. I looked up right as Angel opened the door. He spluttered that he was sorry and hurriedly closed the door. I chuckled. He was such a gentleman.

He talked to me through the door. "Willow, we have a couple vampires that we need to stake. Do you want to help?" Angel always knew what a girl needed. "Yes!" I replied hastily. He left my room, and I changed quickly. I put on my badass black, fighting pants, and my black tank top. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail, put on my boots, and ran out the door.

Angel told me that we were waiting for Gunn. Fred said, "He's like a girl. He always has to look perfect."

We all laughed. Gunn finally arrived downstairs. As we all walked to Angel's awesome car, I glanced back down the alleyway where the dumpster was. I saw a bunch of flowers piled in there. God bless Angel.

I sat in the front with Fred because as Gunn said, "we have the smallest butts". Fred and I gave him a good slap on the shoulder for that one.

We got out of the car and walked down to this abandoned construction site. It reminded me of Xander. I really missed him.

We jumped into the fray with a gang of vampires. I was fighting this one vampire with crooked teeth. I wonder if they make braces for vampires. I was getting better at fighting. Buffy had taught me a couple of moves, but I was still pretty weak. I punched the vampire in the face. It really hurt and I grabbed my hand in pain. The vampire pushed me against the wall. He was about to bite me when I kneed him in the groin. I know that it's a classic girl move, but it works!

As he doubled over in pain, I kicked his shin, and he fell back. I jumped on him and staked him. Move over Buffy. I'm badass.

I got up to help Fred. I came up from behind the vampire and staked him. Killing vampires was unnaturally fun tonight. I wonder why.

After we dusted all those vampires, we grabbed a bit to eat. Well, Angel didn't. Then we went back to the hotel.

At the Hotel, we danced. We danced to some song that Cordelia loved, and it was so much fun. We sang as well. Angel just sat in the corner laughing at us. Wesley was spinning Cordelia and me around, and I thought that I would die of laughter. Angel yelled, "Look at Wes, getting lucky with the ladies." We all laughed, and Wesley blushed.

I went upstairs to bed. I changed into my pajamas, and then I noticed a letter on my bed. I looked at it for a couple minutes, debating whether or not to open it. I jumped on the bed and decided to read it. It was from Spike. He wrote about how much of an idiot he was, and how he would never ever hit me again. He said he had a little bit of a jealousy problem with Angel that he was trying to work out. He told me he really wanted me to come home, and that he missed me. The last line of the letter he told me that he loved me.

I shoved the letter in the drawer in my bed side table. I fell asleep feeling emotionally exhausted.

I woke up the next morning to a commotion downstairs. I walked downstairs to discover what the problem was. Cordelia was yelling at Gunn. When they both saw me, they simultaneously shut up. Cordelia was looking at me in panic with the phone in her hand. Gunn said quietly, "Spike is on the phone for you."

I snatched the phone away from Cordelia, and slammed it on the hook. Just before I cut the line, I heard his voice say "love?" I rubbed my temples. Cordelia looked at me apprehensively. Finally she said, "Willow, put some clothes on."

For some reason I obeyed her. When I came down the stairs for the second time, Cordelia was talking to Angel. I asked "already up, Angel?" Cordelia turned and smiled at me while Angel replied "couldn't sleep".

Cordelia jingled Angel's keys, and led me out to his car. She wouldn't tell me where we were going. Cordelia parked the car, turned to me, grinned, and said "we're going paintballing." I laughed in disbelief. Cordelia played paintball?

We got our gear on, and entered the playing field. It was so exhilarating. I felt like a different person, jumping, rolling, and shooting at people. I thought I was pretty good until I got hit. On the drive home though, I was smiling. When we entered the hotel, Angel exclaimed "what did you do to poor Willow?" I guess I was more paint covered than I thought.

Cordelia just laughed. Angel reminded us that we were going to the ballet tonight. Cordy and I went up to take a shower. In my bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. My bruise was fading. I also looked different. I looked happier somehow. Maybe I was even glowing. I smiled and jumped in the shower.

When I got out, I took out my dress that I had bought with Cordelia and Fred. It was emerald green and very simple. I slipped it on and did my makeup. You couldn't even tell that someone had hit me. I slipped on some stilettos a little fearfully. I wasn't good at walking in high heals. I put her hair up in a twist and grabbed my purse. The sun was just going down when I reached the bottom of the stairs. Gunn, Wesley, and Angel looked handsome in their tuxedos. Fred looked beautiful in a red dress. Cordelia looked great in her slightly revealing dress. We all complimented each other.

Wesley walked up to Fred and gave her a corsage. Gunn mimicked the movement for Cordelia. Angel walked up to me holding my corsage. I was suddenly nervous. I didn't know that there were going to be corsages. I didn't know Angel was giving me mine. Does that mean Angel was my date? I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. He gave me my corsage and offered his arm. I took it and we all went out to the car. I told Angel that he would be responsible for me not breaking my ankle in my shoes. He laughed and agreed. I expected to relax and have a fun time at the ballet.

I was so wrong.