SPOILERS: This takes place after Angel loses his soul but before Becoming, which never happened in my 'verse. I will keep and discard Buffy lore as I see fit.

Part 12

**To each other we'll be facing

By love we'll beat back the pain

we've found

You know

I mean to tell you all the things I've been

thinking deep inside

My friend

With each moment the more I love you

Crush me

Come on

Lady**

Crush by The Dave Matthews Band

Diffused, late afternoon sun spilled into the room from the huge picture window that made up the right hand wall of the villa’s study. Willow found Adrian there when she finally woke up. He sat in an armchair he had moved to face the window, his eyes closed as a peaceful smile played on his lips. Willow stood in the doorway, her heart expanding with tender emotion as she observed the familiar scene. The sunlight cast Adrian in a golden haze, making him look more angelic than normal. Willow always hesitated in disturbing Adrian during these moments. She felt like she was intruding on something intensely personal, something that came directly from his soul. He seemed to draw strength from the light, as if sitting there he was engaged in some kind of mystical transference with the sun. The joy he received from this simple act was akin to an infant’s exuberant suckling at a mother’s breast.

Deciding not to disturb him, Willow turned to leave, taking with her a portion of the peace infusing Adrian. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, halting her retreat.

Adrian rested his chin on top of Willow’s head as she leaned back into him. "Morning… or should I say afternoon."

Willow sighed, reveling in the comfort of being held in Adrian’s arms. ‘What time is it?"

"It’s 4PM. But don’t worry, I sent Lucinda to run the errands you wanted done, and she’s already finished them all. That means there’s nothing either of us needs to do for the rest of the day. So how does a quiet evening at home, just the two of us, sound?"

Willow snorted playfully. "You’re just trying to stop me from dragging you to another club. And here I thought I’d converted you into a veritable raver."

Adrian’s hands slipped under the satin pajama top covering Willow, stroking her skin with the pads of his fingers. "Well, now, I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I’d be lying if I said last night didn’t have its moments."

Willow grinned at the memory, though her cheeks did gain a bit of color. Last night had been a huge departure from her former self, and though Willow hadn’t been the shy, reserved innocent of past for awhile, she couldn’t help but pause every so often in wonderment at just how much she had changed in such a short amount of time. "If everyone back in Sunnydale could see me now they’d… well, they’d probably get a stake or try to depossess me."

Adrian couldn’t help but join her in her light laughter. ‘I always knew…" He stopped himself, mentally berating himself for almost making a foolish slip.

Willow tilted her head so she could look into Adrian’s eyes, wondering why the rest of that sentence had died on his lips and why his body was suddenly so tense against hers. Before she could ask, Adrian seemed to snap out of it, his body relaxing against hers once again.

‘I always knew the woman I fell in love with would be just like you. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re home and in bed by 10 or dancing all night at after hour’s clubs. Whichever Willow you are, I’ll still love you."

Willow melted at his words, allowing him to lead her back into the study and over to the couch. Once he was settled, Adrian pulled Willow down so she was laying on top of him.

They laid like that, cuddling and kissing, for close to an hour. These were the times Willow loved best. Laying with Adrian, wrapped in his arms, which were both strong and gentle at the same time. That was one of the things that made Adrian so special and made Willow feel incredibly grateful he was in her life. He had exactly the right mix of brute masculinity and gentle sensitivity. He was macho but it didn’t stop him from expressing his emotions to her. Nobody had ever held her as gently as he, making her feel like some cherished possession while conveying both strength and protectiveness. If there was one thing in the world that Willow didn’t doubt, one thing that remained stable, it was Adrian’s love for her.

The kisses ranged in intensity, from quick, wet passionate open mouth kisses to slower, tenderer though equally passionate ones. Some opened like slow blooming flowers while others exploded upon impact, though each and every one rakes Willow’s body with pleasurable shivers of delight. Throughout it all they whispered endearments to each other, trying to convey with both words and physical contact all they were feeling.

During one of their lapses into contented cuddling, Willow began to feel playful. "Adrian?"

"Hmmm?" Unable to form words while in this blissful state, Adrian resorted to mumbling. Her next question caught him completely off guard.

"When did you first know you were in love with me?" Though her tone was capricious, Adrian could sense the serious undertone to her questioning. He knew women well enough to know that the question’s answer would be a double edged sword. She was obviously looking for a very specific answer and the wrong one could bring undesired consequences.

Internally, Angel cursed. The question was all the more difficult to answer considering his present dual consciousness. As Adrian, Angel had only first met Willow 10 months ago. However, as Angel he had known her much longer and if he was going to be honest, which he had sworn to Willow he would always be (a hard promise to male considering their whole relationship was founded on one major secret), then that would entail telling her the whole truth.

For a moment, Angel considered it. He wanted to tell her from the very beginning, but something had held him back. He thought it would be easier to protect her if she hadn’t known the truth. Plus, never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined Willow would return the love he felt for her. Perhaps if he’d known how far their relationship would progress, how deeply their bond would grow, he would have told her from the start. Now, Angel was too scared to tell her- afraid at the prospect of losing her.

Willow was still waiting for an answer, her body tensing as a result of his continued silence. Angel also knew her well enough not to continue keeping her in suspense, for fear she might begin to doubt things she had no reason to. Resting his palms on her cheeks, Angel lifted her face to his and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, deciding to be honest without revealing too much. "I knew I loved you the first time I saw you Willow, and even before that. I’ve been in love with you my whole life- it was only when I first saw you that I realized it was you."

Now it was Willow who couldn’t find the words to express her feelings. Instead of trying she reached to pull Adrian’s lips down to hers, reigniting the passion between them.

It took the couple close to five minutes to pull apart long enough to realize someone was knocking at the door. Growling from unfulfilled desire, Adrian lifted Willow off him and stalked out of the room, towards the front door. Though Willow was just as disappointed at being interrupted as Adrian, she knew she was better at controlling her emotions. Therefore, she followed him to the front door in order to protect whoever was there, most probably Lucinda, from his wrath.

Willow found Adrian standing in front of the open door, his body frozen as if in shock. Curious, Willow stepped from behind Adrian and took in the petit girl standing before her. Caught off guard, Willow couldn’t stop herself from shrieking. "Buffy! What are you doing here?"