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 14

**My life closed twice before it’s close, It yet remains to see

If immortality unveil

A third event to me

So huge, so hopeless to conceive

As these that twice befell.

Parting is all we know of heaven

And all we need of hell**

Unknown Source

Buffy took a deep breath, collecting herself before answering. "Angelus knows where you are, Willow. He’s coming for you, if he isn’t already here." Buffy watched the news sink in like a stone descending to the depths of a calm sea. Willow began to slump even farther, if possible, her body almost caving into itself. Adrian cursed under his breath, his free hand curling into a fist.

Buffy waited for them to fully process the information before continuing. The reason I know is because I’ve been Angelus’s prisoner for the past week. These bruises," Buffy brushed her fingers across the various bruises covering her face and arms, her hands stopping at the bare skin of her upper chest, "are from my sessions with either Angelus or Spike. They tried to get information from me on where Willow was. I didn’t tell though. I swear. I’d rather die than serve you up on a silver platter to that bastard."

Willow made no move to speak. She was staring at some distant point past Buffy’s head. She looked younger than her years at that moment, resembling the timid 15 year old girl she had been when he’d first met her. Angel filled the silence by asking the question nagging at the edges of his mind. "Who told him where we were? Nobody knows besides a few select Council members, aside from you and Giles."

"I know. That’s why I didn’t contact the Council when I escaped last night. I didn’t even tell Giles I had escaped and where I was going." Angel nodded sympathetically. The Watcher was like a surrogate father to the slayer. He knew how hard it must be for her to keep him in the dark, especially when he was probably worried sick over her whereabouts. Buffy’s tone turned adamant as she continued. "I think somebody on the Council gave up your location. Whether they did it willingly or it was forced out of them, I don’t know. That’s why we can’t call the Council and let them know where we’re going. We don’t know who we can trust right now."

Willow roused herself out of her depression then. :No, I want to at least call Giles, or Lydia. I want them to know where we’re going."

Buffy looked over at her friend, seemingly fighting for patience. "No, Will, we can’t. The more people who know where you go, the more we compromise your safety. We need to keep this between the three of us."

Willow sputtered, "But it’s Giles. He would never betray us. Never." She couldn’t understand her friend’s sudden distrust of the man who had done nothing but try to protect them as long as they’d known him.

Buffy reached across the wooden table to grasp the hand not held by Adrian. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she tried to explain her reasoning to Willow. "I know he wouldn’t. But I made myself a promise when Angelus was torturing me. I swore that when I escaped I’d make sure he never got his hands on you again. I swore that I’d keep you safe, that he’d never get to do the things he told me he had planned." Silent tears fell down Buffy’s cheek as her voice began to break. "God, Will, you can’t imagine the things he taunted me with- the things he said he had planned for you, and the things he said to me…"

Willow was immediately sympathetic, dropping her defenses and giving in. "I’m so sorry, you’re right. We shouldn’t call them. And I am so sorry for what happened to you. It’s all my fault."

"Stop that, you know that’s not true. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine for not being able to stop Angelus sooner. Or for even being able to control myself with Angel. If we hadn’t… I mean, I knew it was wrong, you know. Slayer and a vampire- it was never meant to be, but I just couldn’t help myself. If I hadn’t loved him so much we wouldn’t be here today."

"Buffy, you know that’s not true." Willow chastised. "You can’t help who you fall in love with. Besides, you didn’t know. If it’s anyone’s fault it’s Darla’s or those damn gypsies. But it could never be yours or Angel’s fault. You guys were just innocent victims who got punished for following your hearts."

Buffy appeared to be moved by Willow’s words but couldn’t help adding. "You’re right. You can’t help who you fall in love with. But you can help the actions you take afterwards- that’s what counts."

Willow’s temper flared up as she snapped. ‘Do you regret it?"

Surprised, Buffy asked, "Regret what?"

"Do you regret it? Not just that night, but all the nights. Do you regret having loved him? Do you regret the time you two had together, and the happiness you were able to give to each other, no matter how brief?"

Buffy leaned back in her chair, reeling from the barrage of questions Willow had fired at her like bullets from a machine gun. Her emotions were clearly evident on her face as she considered her answer. Shock, confusion, insecurity, longing. Buffy went through many stages until answering, and though she spoke softly her words and tone held conviction. ‘No, I don’t regret it. I could never regret it."

Angel let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Willow smiled. ‘Good, because your love was a gift. No matter what happened or happens, you should never regret it. Angel loved you- always remember that."

The smile that brightened the slayer’s face was blinding in it’s brilliance. It transformed her entire demeanor, harkening back to the old happy, carefree Buffy. As the two friend embraced, Angel discreetly wiped his eyes of the wetness seeping from beneath his closed lids.

When they had pulled apart, both girls looked more like their old selves- pretty amazing considering the circumstances of their being together again. "So," Willow began. "Where should we go?" She glanced at both Adrian and Buffy as she spoke, putting the weight of the decision on them.

Buffy spoke before Adrian could suggest anything. "Don’t worry, I have the perfect place. Angelus and his minions will never be able to find you there. Just trust me."

Willow nodded. She didn’t need to question Buffy, giving her complete trust as she had so often in the past. "Alright. Just give me and Adrian a few minutes to pack and we’ll be ready to leave." Adrian nodded in agreement, moving to stand by Willow’s side.

Buffy paused. "Just don’t take too long. We really don’t have too much time. When I escaped Angelus had already been gone a day. He left me in Spike’s care as he headed over here. I escaped when Spike went to comfort Dru during one of her fits. Seems she thought that bleach blonde bimbo of hers was going to turn me and make me his new consort. Can you believe it?"

Willow arched an eyebrow in disbelief. "I have to admit, I can’t really picture you and Spike together. Besides the fact that the whole vampire thing would do nothing for your complexion." The girls laughed together, taking comfort during hard times wherever they could. Angel understood their need to distract themselves from the very real danger before them, and if laughter helped then he wouldn’t stop them. Placing a hand on the small of Willow’s back, Angel gently led Willow out of the room and up the stairs.

Twenty minutes later, they descended the stairs with their bags in hand. Adrian quickly jotted off a note to Lucinda letting her know they were leaving for a few months and she was to keep up the place in their absence, her paychecks to be provided by his lawyers. While Adrian went to leave the note where Lucinda would be sure to find it, Willow took one last look around the villa that had been her home for the past 4 months. She hated being forced to leave it so soon, especially since so many of her possessions were being left behind, again. This was the third time in less than a year that Willow was being forced to leave her home in the middle of the night, sneaking out like a refuge. She sighed, supposing she had better get used to this kind of lifestyle. She wasn’t sure if she ever would.

Buffy placed a reassuring hand on Willow’s shoulder. As if she sensed Willow’s thoughts, she said, "Don’t worry Willow. One way or another, this will all be over soon. I promise."

Willow nodded, sniffling slightly. Adrian reentered the room. Giving the place a once over to make sure he hadn’t forgotten something important, he said, "Well, I guess we’re all set. Let’s not waste anymore time."

The three friends made their way to the car Buffy had rented at the airport. They figured it was more conspicuous than Adrian’s car, which they left in the driveway for Lucinda’s personal use till some future date when they were able to return home. Willow took shotgun, while Buffy went behind the wheel and Adrian lounged out in the backseat. Willow braced herself for some speeding but was pleasantly surprised to find Buffy’s driving had improved since the last time Willow had been in a car with her.

They drove for a couple of hours through the Italian countryside, heading in the direction of Padova, stopping only once while Buffy went to buy the three of them coffee from a café they passed. Willow took the opportunity to change seats with Adrian so she could spread out in the backseat, sipping her coffee and resting her eyes. Adrian finished his coffee in a few gulps then moved on to Buffy’s after she said she didn’t want it. To Willow’s immense surprise, the coffee was having the opposite effect on her than usual. Considering how coffee usually had the same effect on her as cocaine or uppers to others, and that Italian coffee was ten times stronger than American versions, it was unusual for Willow to be feeling as sleepy as she did. The quiet sounds of the country accompanied by the steady rhythm of the car was lulling Willow into a deep sleep. She could barely keep her eyes open and before long she was fast asleep.

When Willow woke, she was disoriented. Her cognitive processes didn’t appear to be working since she had no idea where she was. As she slowly came to consciousness, her senses awakening, Willow took in her surroundings, momentarily confused. She was lying on a queen sized bed in what appeared to be a small, dark room with bare wooden walls and very little by way of furnishings. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the car as Buffy drove them to a safe place, away from Angelus. Wondering if perhaps they’d stopped somewhere so they could sleep, Willow tried to sit up. With a sharp jerk her body was yanked backwards. With a panicked tug, Willow realized that her arms were firmly bound over her head with tight ropes chaffing her wrists. The pain that spread down her arms as she struggled against the bonds shook away the last vestiges of sleep. Fear snaked through Willow as she tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Before she could get her mind to work properly and come up with any conceivable conclusions, a shaft of light penetrated the darkness. Willow turned her head and found the source to coming from an open door. Two figures stood silhouetted in the doorframe, light pouring in around them.

Squinting, Willow tried to make out their features. She couldn’t focus on any detail through the darkness. She thought one of the figures might be that of a woman, considering how petit one of the shadowy figures was, but she couldn’t be sure.

The light became flooded with light as someone threw the light switch. The quick change blinded Willow momentarily, and she was forced to close her eyes against the brightness. When she opened her eyes, dark spots colored her vision, making it impossible to focus on anything. Willow’s ears were assaulted by the deep, throaty chuckle that was immediately familiar. It was the same sound that had haunted so many of her dreams. A sense of foreboding went over Willow, and she feared she knew exactly what was going on.

Still, Willow was unprepared for the sight that greeted her when her vision cleared. Standing before her, each smiling wide, feral grins was the man that had dominated her nightmares for the past 10 months and the girl she had once called her friend, both their faces distorted with the sharp ridges of their kind. Tears wet her cheeks as she moaned, "No, Buffy, not you, oh God, not you."

The slayer threw her head back, her laughter containing a cold, sadistic tone it had never contained before. "Surprise, Willow."