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 8

Adrian ended up taking Willow to an outdoor café that specialized in American food. That meant that just about everything there was fried and the majority of the customers were tourists. Willow had learned the hard way that the English weren’t quite as oblivious to their health as Americans were.

They sat outdoors and ordered a basket of fried chicken, French Fries, mozzarella sticks, and large cokes and watched the people passing by on the sidewalk besides them. Just south of their seats Willow had an amazing view of The Tower of London.

They lingered long after they had finished the last fry, milking their cokes as the conversation flowed as easily as water. Willow had never talked to Adrian for this long or this easily before. She supposed it was a combination of her having avoided any long lasting conversations with Adrian in the past, and her unfair judgement that anyone as good looking and self assured as him must not have all that much going on in the sensitivity and intelligence departments. Today, Willow was finding out she couldn’t have been more wrong.

They covered every topic imaginable, excluding the Angelus incident, as Willow had begun to refer to it. Willow told Adrian all about growing up in Sunnydale with her absentee parents and two of the greatest friends she’d ever known, Jesse and Xander. He told her about growing up in both Paris and New York, then moving first to Venice where his father was the official Watcher of Buffy’s predecessor, then to London where the Council enfolded them into their ranks at the young age of 17. He had always been meant to join them, but it became official earlier than planned due to the tragic death of his father, Dante, and the slayer, Gabrielle, in battle.

Willow told him about how empowered and special she had felt being part of the Scooby Gang; how meeting Buffy had helped Willow to discard the shell she had lived in for years as a product of her mother’s repeated rejection; how, as a part of the Gang, Willow had stopped feeling lonely and began to live life to the fullest. Carpe Diem.

Adrian spoke about his father, the bravest, most honorable man he knew. He spoke about his dedication and loyalty to the Council, which his father instilled in him at an early age. He spoke of remembered battles, of his father swinging a sword or some other ancient weapon as he led the slayer into combat, always right besides her on the front line.

Finally, the spoke about lost loves.

Willow told him about both Oz and Xander: Xander, her first love as a young girl; Oz, her first love as an older, somewhat wiser young woman. But no matter what the circumstances, they had been her firsts and in the memory of her mind they stood like bright twin beacons of light- standards in bravery, honesty and decency.

In turn, Adrian told Willow about Gabrielle. A hushed awe would color his voice as he described her: tall and slim as a tree, with haunting hazel eyes and a delicate manner of holding herself despite her tall stature. On first meeting her, Adrian hadn’t believed her strong enough to defend herself, let alone the world. Gabrielle had quickly proved him wrong, and though she would often indulge in quiet tears late in the night while he cradled her in his arms, she never wavered while in combat.

When Adrian had lost the two people he loved most, his world had collapsed. It was the Council, and his responsibility to honor the memory of his father and Gabrielle, that saved him. And now, almost three years later, Adrian was still trying to heal old wounds.

Since they first left for lunch late in the afternoon, dusk began to fall before they knew it. Willow was so enraptured in their conversation she barely even noticed until Adrian pointed out the orange and pinks of the horizon as the sun set. When Adrian suggested he drive her home, Willow was reluctant to end their afternoon together. The comfort and ease with which she was able to talk to Adrian felt like magic, and she was afraid to break the spell.

A relatively quiet drive back to Lydia’s brought Willow’s fears to fruition. As Adrian steered the black Lexus through the city streets, and then the countryside, Willow began to reflect and, as a result, withdraw. It was as if the quiet stillness of the passing countryside was creeping into Willow’s soul, blanketing her thoughts in a cold fear.

Willow was smart enough to recognize the feelings inside her that had begun to take root. The seeds had been planted six months earlier, when she first met Adrian, but only now were they nudging outwards, reaching tentacles towards Willow’s heart. She knew she had to stop them before they succeeded in capturing it. At that point, there would be no turning back, and Willow couldn’t let things get that out of hand, because no matter where she was, what she was doing, or who she was with, Willow couldn’t escape her own personal demon.

Angelus.

He was coming to retrieve her. Sometime soon- he had revealed that much to her. As far as Angelus was concerned, Willow belonged to him, and anyone that tried to come between them would meet the furious hand of his anger. If Willow allowed her relationship with Adrian to become anything more than friendship, that someone would become him. Therefore, Willow was going to do what she had to stop her feelings for Adrian from growing anymore out of control.

But there were other reasons, besides her concern for Adrian’s safety. Though she was loathe to admit it, part of Willow believed Angelus’ whispered words to her. It was the same part of Willow that had stopped telling Lydia about her nightly dreams, afraid to admit the strong feelings Angelus invoked within her. Maybe she was meant to be Angelus’ life mate, as he claimed. Some malignant twist of fate had crossed her path with his, and part of her burned with desire to follow the twists in that path. She was like the Bride of Frankenstein, or the bride of the Devil, to be more exact; meant to be by the side of a demon for all time- that is, if Angelus had his way. Maybe Angelus was right when he said he was the only one meant for her; the only one who could satisfy her and fulfill those deeply hidden needs and desires she admitted to no one. If all of it was true, then Adrian would only end up getting hurt by her, and Willow, the part of her Angelus didn’t control, wouldn’t allow that.

By the time Adrian pulled into the circular driveway of Lydia’s home, Willow’s course of action was resolved. She would politely, but firmly, make it clear to Adrian that all she could offer him was her friendship. She would do her best to squash any feelings she may have for him and to not notice how cute he looked with a few silky strands of his hair falling around the curve of his ear, not to mention the curve of his behind. <No, bad Willow. Think clean thoughts. >

Adrian held the passenger side door open for Willow, and his eyes couldn’t help but glance appreciatively at her legs as she swung them out the door. Adrian made a move to take hold of Willow’s hand as they walked up the stone staircase to the front entrance but Willow managed to evade Adrian’s grasp. Hurrying ahead, Willow searched her bag for her keys, hoping to escape into the house as quickly as possible.

Luck wasn’t on her side when, in the midst of her fumbling to open the door’s locks, Adrian caught up with Willow and placed his hand lightly on the small of her back. Willow immediately tensed.

"Willow?" She turned to face him as he spoke, her heart constricting at the confused, sorrowful expression marring the perfect features of his face. Willow stared at the ground, hoping it would make things easier. "What’s wrong? Things were so great at lunch, but then I could feel you withdrawing in the car. I don’t understand what went wrong. Was it something I did, something I said?"

Willow shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"Then what is it?" When Willow began to shake her head once again, Adrian cupped Willow’s chin with the side of his hand, and tilted her head so he could stare into her eyes. "I really like you Willow. I’ve never told anyone most of the things I told you today. I did it because I really like you- because I think I could very easily fall in love with you."

Willow melted at his words and the soft touch of his hand on her skin. When he lowered his mouth to hers, she didn’t resist. The kiss opened like a slow blooming flower, and for a moment, Willow lost herself in the pure emotion of the experience.

The panic set in when Adrian cupped Willow’s face in his hands and moved in closer in an effort to deepen the kiss. Willow broke away from his grasp, stepping as far back as she could, until her back was pressed against the front door. Her emotions a conflicted mess, Willow felt more confused than ever. Without meaning to, Willow found herself remembering another kiss. Angelus, his body pressed intimately close to hers, closer than any man had ever been, his fangs dripping bloody tears onto her face. When he kissed her, Willow tasted the tangy sweetness of her own life’s blood on his lips and in his mouth. The sensation had pushed her over the edge, propelling her into her third orgasm of the night. When she’d awoken the next morning, she had still been able to taste her own blood in her mouth. When Willow had realized it was only another dream, disappointment had weighed heavy on her body, followed by shame and self-disgust at her own arousal. Willow didn’t want to compare the two kisses but she couldn’t help it. Adrian definitely evoked deep feelings inside of Willow. However, she was still, against all reason, dangerously attracted to Angelus.

"Adrian, I can’t do this. I’m sorry, but I’ll only end up hurting you. Let’s just end it here before anything bad happens. Please don’t say anything or ask me to explain. Let’s just drop it." Then, before Adrian could respond, Willow turned and went into the house.