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Title: A Few Good things Remain (1/?)
Author: Karen U
E-mail: ksu2@juno.com
Rating: PG-13 (just to be safe for later parts)
Disclaimer: Angel, Willow, et. al belong to Joss Whedon, the WB, and 20th
Century Fox
Distribution: Charity, Fever of Fate, Willow's Angel, Angel of Mine, The
Labyrinth (otherwise ask)
Summary: Angel returns to Sunnydale for Buffy's wedding and runs into Willow
Spoilers: Up to Living Conditions on Buffy and Lonely Hearts on Angel
Feedback: I'm begging. :)
This was beta-read by Laine, who, as always, was wonderful and amazingly
fast.

Part One

May, 2004-

Five years. Angel sighed, a habit he had become accustomed to in his years
with a soul. Had it really been five years since he had seen any of them?
He thought back, trying to remember. Willow. He’d seen her at Christmas in
1999, when she’d shown up with the spell to make his soul permanent. That
was the last time he had seen any of Sunnydale’s residents. Except
Cordelia, of course. But he didn’t really consider the brunette to be a
member of the group from Sunnydale anymore. Like him, she hadn’t stayed.
She’d ended up in LA with him and Doyle for a couple years, then she had
gone off to New York to try her hand at theater, and Doyle had followed her
a year later. Angel realized with a slight shock that, while they had done
a good job keeping in touch - Doyle via e-mail, Cordelia by letter (she’d
never really gotten the hang of computers) - neither one had been back to LA
in two years. Time sure flew when you were brooding. He’d always intended
to go to visit them, and he’d always meant to keep in touch with the Scooby
Gang...he just never got around to it. And then he got the letter, and he
knew he had to go back. With a look of resignation evident on his face,
Angel took the turn that led to Sunnydale. To Buffy’s wedding.

It was odd; Angel had expected to feel more hurt when he heard that Buffy
was getting married. Instead, he’d been happy for her. It had caught him
by surprise to discover that, somewhere along the way, he had fallen out of
love with the Slayer. He wondered when it had happened, but he was glad it
had.

He parked his car and got out to survey the town. He could still feel the
power that radiated from the Hellmouth, but it had dulled somewhat over the
years. Willow’s doing, probably. Cordelia’s letters had hinted that Willow
had turned out to be a more powerful witch than any of them had expected.

Angel walked slowly, taking in the changes of the town. A new movie
theater, better lit sidewalks. He smiled slightly, knowing that the street
lamps had probably been the idea of Mayor Joyce Summers. Vampires preferred
to kill their victims in a dark alley rather than a brightly lit street.
Stores lined both sides of the streets, a
welcome change from the days when half of the storefronts had advertised
that they were for lease. The town had grown; the death rate had as well.
Angel cringed slightly as the thought crossed his mind. He wondered if he
could have helped. It was too late for that now. Besides, he knew that he
was needed in LA; he knew he was helping people.

Angel slowed down even more, then stopped, as a store caught his eye. It
wasn’t just any store, either. It was a magick shop. When he had lived in
Sunnydale, there had been over a dozen magick shops. Now, as he considered
things, he realized this was the only one he had seen. It was large and
rather brightly lit. He glanced up at the sign above the door. The Book of
Shadows. Interesting name. He stepped closer to the window, considered
going in. He took a look at his watch. It was almost ten; the store was
about to close. He frowned slightly as he watched a worker wait on one of
the customers that had yet to leave. She looked awfully familiar. Blonde
hair... she worked in the store, so she probably had a knowledge of
witchcraft... Amy Madison. Was that her name? Hadn’t she been a rat when
he had left town? Of course, if Willow had grown in power since he’d left,
it was entirely possible that Amy had been turned back to her human form.
Angel started to turn to go.

And that was when he saw her.

The young woman that had just left the store’s office was dressed entirely
in black: long black skirt, black heeled boots, black turtleneck. Her
jewelry was silver: large, funky rings, a simple chain around her neck. Her
hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but it was so long that it still
reached her waist. Her back was turned to him, but he instinctively knew
that she was someone he should recognize. He looked at her hair, taking in
the flaming red of it.

"No. It can’t be her."

The young woman turned then, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was
being watched. She wore black eyeliner, and her lipstick was maroon, but
there was no doubt about who she was.

"I’ll be damned."

It was Willow.


Part Two

It had been a long day, and Willow was tired. She mumbled a vow never to
wear boots with heels ever again, then nearly laughed out loud. She’d made
that same vow almost every day for more than two years, and she almost
always forgot about it the next day. Besides, she knew that a lot of people
had a specific, if incorrect, view of what a witch looked like, and sneakers
and fuzzy sweaters just wasn’t it. Unfortunately, if she wanted the store
to continue its success, she had to give the people what they wanted. And
she wanted the store to be a success. It had to be. There was no way that
she was going to allow her parents to say ‘I told you so.’ She knew they
were dying to. She sighed, mad at herself for thinking about her parents.
She knew that Sheila and Ira Rosenberg still had dreams that their only
daughter would someday become a computer magnate. Or maybe a surgeon. They
didn’t really care, as long as the phrase "world famous," or perhaps "world
renowned," ended up in her job description. She didn’t really think "world
renowned Wiccan" would cut it.

Willow glanced around the store as she entered the main room, grateful to
see that few customers remained. It was spring, which for many people meant
that love was in the air. Or, if it wasn’t, it should be. She had no idea
how many people had come in requesting the ingredients for love spells or
asking for a love potion. All she knew was that she’d had to reorder the
damn stuff at least three times and was about to have to do so again.

"Excuse me, miss, but where can I find canary feathers?"

Turning to the customer, Willow pasted a smile on her face even though she
felt like screaming. Canary feathers. Another stupid love spell. At this
rate, all of Sunnydale would be engaged in one big orgy by the end of the
week.

"Right this way, ma’am." Willow showed the woman where the feathers were,
then directed her over to where Amy was manning the cash register. She
started to reach up her hand to run it through her hair, but managed to
remember that’d she put it in a ponytail that morning. Her mood would have
definitely worsened if she’d accidentally pulled her hair down.

With a sigh, Willow began to straighten the supplies on the shelves,
occasionally writing down something they were short on. This part of the
job could be boring, but it had to be done. Besides, it beat trying to warn
people of the possible dangers of love spells; they never listened anyway.
Willow could still remember how embarrassing her actions had been when
Xander had blackmailed Amy into casting a love spell. It was hard to
believe that she’d actually been waiting for Xander in his bed that night...
thank the Goddess that Xander hadn’t taken advantage of the situation. Oh,
well. What was past was past. Willow shrugged her shoulders, trying to
work the kinks out of them. She’d been on her feet most of the day, and it
was taking its toll in the form of several aches and pains in various parts
of her body. She supposed that the vampire attack she had thwarted the
night before had a bit to do with her soreness as well. It was a good thing
Spike had been there; she didn’t think she would have been able to handle it
if she had been alone. As it was, she had several bruises on her arms, as
well as a rather nasty scratch on her back. It was not an incident she
cared to repeat.

She paused in her work as the feeling that something was just a bit...off
came to her. She glanced around the store. Everything seemed okay: the
customers were finishing up their browsing; Amy was ringing up a purchase.
But something didn’t feel right. Willow waited a moment, hoping the feeling
would go away. When it didn’t, she sighed, concentrated on the feeling, and
tried to discern what it was. The feeling of...being watched? Slowly,
holding her breath, she turned, directing her gaze to the front window. And
she saw him.

"Oh, my Goddess, it’s Angel."

Part Three

She had spotted him. Damn it, she had spotted him while he was standing
there virtually ogling her. Quickly, he turned to go.

"Don’t even think about it."

Angel turned around slowly, not really wanting to have to explain himself.
He didn’t have to. Before he could even say hello, Willow threw herself
into his arms.

"Oh, Goddess, Angel, it is so good to see you! I knew you were coming
down...Cordelia told me, but I didn’t know when. Oh, you look
wonderful...which shouldn’t be surprising, because you’re a vampire, and
vampires don’t age, and I’m rambling, aren’t I? I thought I was over that."

Angel smiled, pulling Willow closer for a moment, breathing in her clean
scent, then let her go. He looked into her shining face, grateful to see
that, while the clothes had changed, the woman in them hadn’t.

"It’s okay. I like it when you ramble. Always have. You look... wow. The
hair, and... the, um... just wow." He grinned at the tiny redhead standing
in front of him. "That wasn’t overly coherent, was it?"

"It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’m not all that coherent myself. Why don’t you
come inside?"

Angel felt Willow take his hand, and he allowed her to lead him though the
store and into the office.

"I take it this is yours?"

"Yeah. Well, mine and Amy’s anyway. We bought it four years ago, right
after our first year of college."

"I knew you owned a store; I just didn’t know what kind. Cordelia’s letters
sometimes lack detail."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. She once told me a story about
Doyle, and neglected to inform me he was half demon. I had no clue why his
sneezing in public was such a bad thing. I had to call her and ask."

Angel smiled, amazed at how easy it was to talk to Willow, even after all
these years. He hadn’t felt so comfortable with anyone in a long time.

Willow glanced at her watch, relieved to see it was time to close. She was
dying to talk to Angel. It had been almost five years, and she was sure
that there was a lot to talk about.

"I’m going to go and help Amy with the last of the customers, then finish
closing up. I want you to stay here. No leaving. After I’m done, we can
go get some coffee or something and talk." Willow paused, suddenly
uncertain. "Unless, of course, you have somewhere you need to be..."

"No, nowhere," Angel hurriedly reassured her. "I just need to find a place
to stay-"

"Stay with me. We can keep the curtains in the guest room closed. Besides,
it would probably be best if we headed back to my place for the coffee and
the talk. This is still the Hellmouth, you know. Out and about is not the
safest place to be late at night." Willow turned to head back out and help
Amy, then quickly turned back to look at Angel. "Stay put. This shouldn’t
take long." And with that, she left the room.

Angel sat in the office and smiled to himself. The evening was turning out
much better than he’d imagined.

He hoped it wouldn’t end anytime soon.


Part Four

Willow had a lovely home. It was a one-story, but it was more than large
enough for its single occupant. Well, its single human occupant, anyway.
Angel stepped back, a bit surprised, as a large white cat nearly ran into
him on its way to Willow.

"Spike, watch out!" Willow looked at Angel apologetically. "Sorry about
that. He can be a bit of a nuisance."

Angel stared in shock. "Did you just call him Spike?"

"Yeah, after the person who gave him to me. He’s my familiar."

"Spike gave you a cat? Why the hell would Spike give you a cat?"

Willow sighed; this was going to a be a rather...interesting night. "I take
it Cordy’s letters didn’t mention Spike." At the shake of Angel’s head, she
continued. "Look, why don’t you get settled, then I’ll tell you everything
you want to know. I could really use a shower, and I’m dying to get out of
these clothes. We’ll meet up in the living room in a half hour, okay? Your
room’s down the hall, the first door on the left." She waited until she was
sure Angel was headed in the right direction, then picked up Spike. "Leave
it to Cordy to forget the important stuff," she sighed, then headed for her
bedroom. She wondered what else Cordelia had conveniently forgotten to tell
the dark-haired vampire.

In his room, Angel was wondering the exact same thing. He stowed his
suitcase in the closet, then took a good look around the room. It felt like
the Willow he had known. The bedspread was a bright patchwork quilt, and
the walls were adorned with pictures of friends. He grinned as he picked up
the stuffed bear that sat on the bed. Definitely the same Willow. The room
was very nice and had a cozy feel to it. He was thankful to see that Willow
had stuck to the same bold colors that she had been so fond of before he
left. He’d been a bit worried when he had first seen her through the store
window. He wasn’t used to the thought of Willow in black, and, even though
he had been stunned by her beauty, he had been uncomfortably reminded of the
vampire version of the tiny redhead. With a sigh, he closed the heavy
curtains that adorned the window, surprised to see that they would be very
effective in blocking out the sun in the morning. He vaguely wondered if
the room had been set up that way for Spike, then filed the question away
for later. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer to that one.

After surveying the room one last time, Angel headed to the living room to
wait for Willow.

Part Five

Willow entered the room about twenty minutes later, and Angel was stunned by
the change in her appearance. She had taken her hair down, and it now fell
like a silk curtain to her hips. She wore light blue pajama pants and a
white T-shirt, and her face was completely devoid of make-up. This was
definitely the Willow he remembered. And she was beautiful. Angel shook
that thought out of his mind - this was Willow, after all - and accepted the
cup of coffee she offered.

"So," Willow said as she settled herself beside him on the couch, "what do
you want to know first?"

Angel opened his mouth to ask about Spike, but a bruise on Willow’s forearm
caught his attention. "How did you get that?" he asked, gently running his
finger across it.

"Vampires."

"You were attacked?"

"No, someone else was. I saw it happening and went to help. Spike showed
up, and he finished the vamps off. It’s no big deal, really. I’ve had
worse."

"Speaking of Spike..."

"You want to know just what the hell he’s doing helping us?"

Angel smiled slightly. "Yeah, something like that."

"He’s been on our side now for three or four years. I guess Cordy forgot to
mention it. I think he was blackmailed into it at first - I don’t know who
did it - but I think he likes us now. Or, at least he likes me and Amy."

"What about the others?"

"Does Spike like them? Not particularly. It doesn’t really matter, though.
Xander married Anya and moved to San Diego; he got offered a job at the
San Diego Zoo that he just couldn’t pass up. I think it involves working
with the hyenas. Anya teachs at one of the high schools. Oz took off to
tour with the Dingoes, and Giles went back to England when his mother got
sick. She’s better now, but he decided to stay. I guess he missed England
more than he ever let on. After Buffy and Connor get married and move away,
Amy, Spike, and I will be the only ones left. Well, except for Mrs.
Summers. She helps when she can." Willow turned to Angel and grinned. "At
least we don’t have to worry about the mayor trying to become a demon."

Angel grinned in response; it was difficult to picture Joyce Summers even
being tempted by evil. No, the mayor of Sunnydale was definitely not a
potential threat. However, Joyce’s position as one of the good guys was not
the most important thing in Willow’s statement. "Buffy’s leaving?"

"Yeah, right after she and Connor get back from their honeymoon. Didn’t you
know?"

"I guess it was another of Cordelia’s oversights. What about the
Hellmouth?"

"That’s what Amy, Spike, and I are for. Buffy and Connor are moving to
Detroit. He got offered a job at some prestigious law firm. Apparently it
was too good to refuse."

Angel snorted. "Detroit, huh? Not much demon activity there."

Willow nodded; demons, especially vampires, had a tendency to gravitate
towards warmer climates. According to Giles, it had something to do with
the lack of body heat many creatures of the night suffered from, but Willow
hadn’t been concerned about why they showed up where they did. She was just
concerned about the fact that they did. She sighed.

"I guess Buffy figured she deserved a break."

"A break I can understand; a permanent relocation is completely different."
Angel paused, let his hand run up and down Willow’s arm. "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don’t you deserve a break? You’re not the Slayer; it’s not your duty."

"If I don’t do it, who will? The Watcher’s council won’t send the other
Slayer here; they say she’s needed elsewhere. So I stay."

"Are you happy here?"

Willow sighed and tried to find a way to answer Angel. She’d resigned
herself to staying in Sunnydale long ago, and she had tried to make a life
in the town. She had a successful business, good friends, and a really
obnoxious cat. All in all, it wasn’t a bad life. It just wasn’t what she’d
always expected for herself.

"Well, Willow? Are you happy? Or is your silence the real answer?"


Part Six

Willow shook herself from her reverie. "I’m happy... for the most part."

"What does that mean?"

"I love witchcraft, so my job’s perfect for me. I love owning my own
business, even if it is frustrating at times. And Spike and Amy are
wonderful friends..."

"Has Spike ever stayed here?"

"What?" Willow asked, surprised by the vampire’s sudden change in subject.
Then she realized what would make Angel ask a question like that. "Oh, you
wondered why the curtains in the guest room are so heavy. Yeah, Spike’s
stayed here. A couple years ago Drusilla came back to town and decided that
a good way to get him back would be to burn down his house. He had to stay
with me for a while."

"You really trust him, don’t you?" Angel asked, eyeing Willow’s white cat as
it walked in the room.

"We’ve saved each other a few times; that kind of lends itself towards
trusting each other. He’s really not so bad, Angel. He does a good job
fighting evil, and he’s my friend."

"Just a friend?" Angel inquired, trying to squelch the surge of jealousy
that accompanied the thought of Spike and Willow together.

"Yes, just a friend. Probably my best, next to Amy. Believe it or not,
that’s who he’s dating." Willow sighed contentedly as she leaned back into
the cushions of the couch. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Is there anything I need to know?"

Willow wrinkled up her nose in thought, a gesture Angel found absolutely
adorable. "No, not that I can think of. If anything comes to mind, I’ll
let you know. So, what have you been up to?"

"Helping people."

"Gosh, Angel, don’t say so much at one time. I just can’t keep up." Angel
smiled at Willow’s gentle sarcasm. He’d forgotten what it felt like to
talk, really talk, to someone. Usually he just saved the person, then went
on his way. No fuss, no muss. Complete solitude, except for the occasional
e-mail from Doyle or letter from Cordy.
Angel decided that he’d keep in touch with Willow from now on. There was no
way he was going to give up her friendship again.

"You okay?"

Angel jerked to attention as Willow’s soft voice invaded his thoughts. He
looked over at her, not the least bit surprised to see the look of concern
on her face. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her until the
concern was completely gone, replaced by passion. < Woah Angel. Where the
hell did that come from? > He quickly tossed the thought, as well as the
pesky picture that his mind had conjured, from his head and answered the
redhead.

"I’m fine. I was just... thinking."

"Yeah, right. Brooding is more like it." She looked at the clock on her
VCR and sighed. "It’s getting late. I really should go to bed. I have to
be at the store early tomorrow; both of our employees are sick, so Amy and I
have to run the place by ourselves. You know, you should come tomorrow. I
didn’t really get a chance to show you the place tonight."

"Um, Willow? Sunlight bad, remember?"

"Oh, that’s no problem. The windows in the back rooms are covered, and
there’s an underground entrance."

"For what? Your vampire customers?"

"It’s for Spike. We have it set up so that no other vampires can enter the
store unless invited. That’s why I invited you in earlier. There would
have been a barrier otherwise." She grinned at the vampire. "Being a witch
does have its perks."

Part Seven

The next morning, Angel traipsed through the tunnels with Willow at his
side. Even though the tunnels were no longer part of the towns sewer
system, and were therefore rather clean, the vampire felt a bit guilty that
the redhead had felt obliged to come with him.

"You know, you didn’t have to come with me."

"It’s been a few years since you’ve been to Sunnydale, Angel. I didn’t want
you getting lost in the sewers, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate having
Spike for a guide."

"Good point."

Willow slowed as they came to a ladder on the wall. She pointed up. "This
is our stop." She climbed the ladder and opened the trapdoor in the
ceiling, then went through to the store. Angel followed suit and found
himself standing in the back room of the store. Several boxes of supplies
littered the room, and all the windows had been boarded over.

Angel turned his head as he heard sounds coming from the office. Willow
smiled at the vampire, then took his hand and headed for the office, trying
to make plenty of noise. "Hey, guys, look who I brought!"

Spike and Amy pulled apart immediately, a light blush staining the blonde
witch’s cheeks. "Oh, Angel, hi," she stuttered. "It’s good to see you
again."

Angel nodded his head in response to the young woman’s flustered greeting,
then turned his attention to his childe. The two vampires stared at each
other warily, neither one saying a word.

"Well, gosh," Willow stated after a moment, "this is exciting. Are you two
going to hold a staring contest all day, or are you going to actually speak
at some point?"

Instead of the smart remark that Angel expected, Spike just smiled at the
redhead. He nodded in his sire’s direction. "It’s good to see you."

"Are you sure you’re Spike?"

The younger vampire grinned. "Yeah, well, Amy said I have to be nice. If
I’m not, she’ll turn me into a rat and use me in one of her potions."

"Well, at least you’re honest."

"It’s one of my best qualities." Spike sighed, then headed for the door.
"Come on, Angelus, you can help me unload some of the new deliveries."

"What’s in it for me?"

"You can ask me all the questions that are running around in that oversized
head of yours."

"Who says I have questions?"

"I spent over a century with you, you idiot. I know how your mind works.
Now, come on."

Angel followed him.

Amy turned to face her redheaded friend. "Well, that went better than
expected."

"Yeah. No one’s dead yet."

"Uh, Will, haven’t they been dead for, like, two hundred years?"

"Details, details."

Part Eight

Angel set the box down, then turned to face his childe. The two stood in
the covered unloading area in the alley. "So, Spike, what are doing here?"

"Unloading a truck."

Angel sighed. This was going to be like pulling teeth. Of course, Angel
had been rather good at doing just that back in his days of torturing
people. "I meant here in Sunnydale, Spike. And helping the Slayer, no
less."

Spike snorted as he carried another box from the truck to the storeroom. "I
don’t help the Slayer; I help Amy and Willow. There is a difference, you
know."

"What exactly is the difference?"

"I hate the Slayer. I like the witches. See, big difference."

"You’re still with the good guys, Spike."

His childe shrugged. "Yes, I am. I got blackmailed. I want to keep my
unlife, I help out the good side."

"If the blackmail suddenly disappeared, what would you do?"

Spike glanced in the direction of the main room of the shop, where the women
were getting ready to open for the day. He smiled slightly as the sound of
their laughter floated out. "I’d still help, I guess."

Angel unloaded the final box, then sat down on a chair that had been left in
the storage area. "I never would have thought Amy was your type."

"Why? Because she’s sane?"

"Actually, I was thinking about the whole ‘she’s a human’ issue, but, yeah,
sanity works, too."

Spike smiled. For some reason, he couldn’t work up the healthy hatred he
usually felt toward his sire. Perhaps it was because the younger vampire
had come to care for the same people his sire did. Or at least one of them.

"She’s pretty amazing. So’s Willow."

"Willow’s definitely that. I never realized how much I missed her."

"You were probably too busy brooding."

Angel laughed. "Yeah, probably."

Spike plopped down on the floor, settled himself comfortably, and looked up
at the older vampire. "So, what’s your story?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know... what the bloody hell are you doing here and all that?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I told you mine, now you have to tell me yours. It’s the proper thing to
do. So, why are you here in Sunnyhell?"

"Figured I’d come see Buffy’s wedding."

"Hmmm... closure and all that psychobabble?"

"Something like that. I guess I just wanted to make sure she was happy."
Angel sighed, then looked down at Spike. "What’s this Willow tells me about
Buffy moving to Detroit?"

"The chit decided she’d had enough, I guess. The idiot she’s marrying
doesn’t even know she’s the damn Slayer. She doesn’t want him to find out,
so she’s running away."

"And leaving you, Willow, and Amy to do her duty."

"We can handle ourselves. Willow and Amy are tougher than they look. They
have to be." Spike held his sire’s eye. "The Slayer hasn’t been doing her
duties for the past six months. The only thing standing between this town
and destruction are two witches and a soulless vampire. If those girls
weren’t tough, this town would be toast by now."

"Yeah, well, if something happens to them and I find out about it, Buffy’s
going to have to answer to me."

Part Nine

The women listened carefully, trying to discern what was going on in the
other room.

"Well, there hasn’t been any loud crashing noises, so I guess they’re not
fighting," Willow muttered.

"Yeah, but what the hell are they doing?" Amy asked.

"Talking? Ignoring each other completely and totally? Trying to figure out
how to kill each other?"

Amy smiled wanly. "I wish it was the first, I’d settle for the second, but
it’s probably the third."

"I wonder what’s going to happen when he sees Buffy?"

Amy looked at her friend, shocked. "You mean he hasn’t seen her yet?"

"Nope. He ran into me maybe ten minutes after he got here, then stayed the
whole night at my house. He hasn’t seen anyone besides us. I figure he
might be avoiding her."

Amy studied her friend thoughtfully. She’d seen how Angel had looked at
Willow, and she wondered if there was more to it than the redhead believed.
However, she knew better than to press her friend on the subject. Willow
had a tendency to keep her personal life, well, personal. She never spoke
about the guys she dated, so Amy doubted that she’d be up front about her
feelings for the vampire. Besides, Amy reasoned, she could always be
imagining things.

"So, uh, Wills, when are the others coming in?"

"Cordy and Doyle will be coming in later this morning, so I finally get to
meet Doyle face to face instead of just over the phone." Willow smiled at
the thought. Over the past few years, the half demon had answered the phone
dozens of times when Willow had called Cordelia, and the two had ended up
becoming friends during their conversations. "Giles will be here this
afternoon, and I think that’s when Xander and Anya are coming in as well.
Oz is coming in either today or tomorrow, I’m really not sure."

"Do they have any clue that Angel’s going to be here?"

"Well, Cordy and Doyle do, obviously, because that’s who told me. The
others... I’m not even sure Buffy knows. I don’t think Cordelia keeps in
touch with anyone besides Angel and us, and I sure never told anybody."

"I guess this should be a fun next few days."

Willow laughed. "It probably won’t be fun, but I’m sure it will be...
interesting, to say the least."

"Does Connor even know about Angel?"

"He might know that Buffy once dated a guy named Angel; I’m not sure. But
the whole ‘we had sex and he turned into a homicidal maniac and I ended up
sending him to Hell’ thing? I’m pretty sure that got left out." Willow
gave an unladylike snort of laughter as she thought of something else. "I
wonder how Buffy would explain it if Xander referred to Angel as ‘Deadboy’
in front of Connor?"

Amy smiled at her friend. If nothing else, the next few days would be
entertaining.

She just hoped they all got through it without any bloodshed.

Part Ten

Cordelia Chase pushed her hair out of her face and virtually snarled at the
man at the counter. The three hour layover in Chicago had done nothing for
the brunette’s disposition. She’d spent the past three months doing eight
shows a week in a Broadway play (she’d finally discovered that people found
her singing voice to be reminiscent of fingernails on a blackboard, so she
prudently avoided doing musicals), and she was exhausted. The plane ride
from hell had done nothing to help. She’d been stuck next to a screaming
baby from New York to Chicago, and a lecherous old man had spent the entire
flight from Chicago to LA hitting on her. He didn’t even care that Doyle
was with her. And she still had to sit in a rental car for the next two
hours while Doyle drove them to Sunnydale. Considering the fact that
neither she nor Doyle had done much in the way of driving for the past
couple of years, Cordelia figured that the ride would be much too... well,
terror-inducing to get any sleep, although she did
plan to at least attempt to take a nap.

Doyle signed the papers for the rental car, then accepted the keys that the
man behind the counter handed him. With any luck, he and Cordelia would be
in Sunnydale in a few hours, and the young woman could get some sleep. Then
maybe she’d be back to her usual sunny self. Doyle nearly laughed out loud.
Who was he kidding? Cordy was never exactly what one would call ‘sunny.’
She was, however, more civil than this. Well, usually.

With a sigh, the half demon put their suitcases in the trunk of the rental
while the former cheerleader curled up in the backseat. He hoped she’d be
able to get some sleep. He didn’t imagine she’d be able to get much once
they made it to Sunnydale. The next few days probably weren’t going to be
very restful.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Xander loaded the suitcases into the car, then turned to his wife.

"Why do we have to go?" Anya whined.

"Because Buffy’s getting married. It’s a very big deal. She came to our
wedding."

"So? I didn’t ask her to."

Xander sighed. Sometimes he wondered why he had married this woman. Then
he remembered. The great sex. Plus she had threatened to hurt him if he
didn’t. "Look, Anya, Buffy’s one of my best friends, and she asked me to
come to her wedding. I would really appreciate it if you would calm down,
shut up, and get in the damn car!" By the end of the statement, Xander was
nearly yelling.

With a sigh and a rather put-out look on her face, Anya got in the car.
Xander got in the driver’s seat, started the car, and headed for Sunnydale.

He just hoped that the next few days would go smoothly.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Rupert Giles hated to fly. He had, however, decided that the wedding of his
former Slayer was worth the sacrifice. He grimaced as he reminded himself
that the ‘sacrifice’ had taken nearly a day when factoring in layovers.
Buffy had better be thrilled that he was there. Of course, Giles admitted
to himself, it would be nice to see the others.

As his connecting flight from New York took off, Giles settled himself in,
trying to content himself with the thought that once this flight was over,
he could have a restful week in the company of old friends.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Oz tossed his things into a duffel bag and headed out to his van. The guys
had been pissed when he’d told them he had to back out of a few gigs, but he
figured Buffy was worth it. Of course, if Oz was truthful with himself, he
would have admitted that it was the prospect of seeing Willow again that
helped him make the decision to go to the wedding. He found himself
wondering if the petite redhead was involved with anyone, but shoved the
thought out of his mind. He and Willow had broken up four years ago, and it
was over.

Of course, if Willow wanted to rekindle the flame, he wasn’t opposed to it.

Part Eleven

"Oh, my Goddess, Cordelia!"

Doyle watched, amused, as the brunette went from grumpy and exhausted to
happy and, well, exhausted at the cry of her friend.

"Oh, wow, Willow, you look wonderful! Absolutely amazing." With a smile,
Cordelia hugged the redhead. "It is so good to see you." She turned and
gestured to Doyle. "I think you two have met. Well, over the phone, at
least."

Willow grinned, then hugged the half demon. "We finally meet face to face."
She pulled back and looked at her two friends. "I think there’s someone
else here that you two will want to see." Smiling, Willow took her friends
by the hand and led them to the back of the store where Angel and Spike
were.

"Angel!" The dark-haired vampire looked up at the exclamation, and a grin
slowly spread across his face.

"Cordelia Chase." He pulled the brunette in for a hug, then let her go.
"You look wonderful. I like the hair," he added as her touched one of the
riotous curls surrounding her face. The years had been good to the former
cheerleader. Even exhausted, she was beautiful. He turned to Doyle and
hugged him as well. "It’s good to see you, too." He gestured toward the
vampire behind him. "This is Spike. I’m sure you’ve heard of him."

Spike stood and shook Doyle’s hand, and Cordelia gave Spike a tentative hug.
The blonde vampire still made her slightly uncomfortable, but he had saved
her life the year before when she had visited Willow, so she liked him.
After extricating herself from the blonde vampire’s arms, the brunette
turned back to Angel.

"So... when did you get into town?"

"Last night. I ran into Willow, and I ended up staying in her guest room."

"And you’ve been here all day, haven’t you?" Cordelia shot Angel a
chastising look as he nodded. "You wimp. It’s been five years, and you’re
still avoiding Buffy like the plague."

Angel snorted. "This from the girl who hasn’t seen nor spoken to Xander
Harris in just as long."

"Yeah, well, unlike you, Mr. Broody Vampire, I’ve actually had other
relationships."

Doyle smiled. "Yeah, with some real pretty boys, too. I think the last one
was gay."

"But he was a fabulous dresser!"

"Which, of course, is the basis of any lasting relationship. The clothes."

"I hear you."

"Cordelia, that was a joke," Doyle gently informed the young woman.

"I knew that. I did. Really."

In an effort to take the brunette out of the figurative spotlight and ease
her embarrassment, Willow took her friend by the arm and spoke.

"I know you two must be exhausted. You’ve been traveling since last night,
haven’t you? I’m sure you didn’t get much sleep."

"Yeah, but we can’t check into our hotel until this evening."

"Go to my place. Cordy, you can sleep in my room, and Doyle can sleep in
the guest room. That way you’ll be fresh for tonight."

"What happens tonight?"

Willow turned to Doyle and smiled with false sweetness. "Tonight, you get
to meet Buffy."

Part Twelve

"Hey, Wills, guess who’s here? It’s your favorite-" Xander stopped short
as he caught sight of his old friend. It was always a shock for him to see
her in what she considered her work uniform. He always wanted to go up to
her and scrub her face until it was clean, then force her out of her sexy
black clothes and back into her tights and fuzzy sweaters. Xander sighed.
Even when she wasn’t at the shop, Willow didn’t wear fuzzy sweaters anymore.

Willow turned at the sound of her old friend’s voice. It had been almost
three months since the young man had visited, and Willow felt a surge of
guilt over the fact that she wasn’t particularly glad to see him.

"Hi, Xander. It’s so great to see you," she said with false brightness as
she returned his hug. Xander didn’t seem to notice the hollowness of her
greeting. Willow nodded at the woman standing next to him. "It’s good to
see you, too, Anya."

"Yeah, whatever."

Willow felt her smile tighten fractionally at the indifferent, almost
scornful tone in the former demon’s voice. Oh, yeah, this was going to be a
fun weekend. Buffy was going to end up face to face with her vampire
ex-boyfriend for the first time in five years, Xander and Cordelia would be
together for the first time since high school
graduation, and Xander would probably snipe at both Spike and Angel at every
opportunity. Not to mention the fact that Anya was acting like a bitch. As
usual. Willow understood that Anya had had a difficult time adjusting to
being a human, but it had been five years. Enough was enough. It was time
to learn how to relate to people.

"So, have you seen Buffy yet?"

"Nah, we figured she’d be busy, so we stopped to see you first. Don’t you
feel special?"

Instead of feeling special, Willow felt angry. Unlike her, Buffy didn’t
have a job. The blonde had just graduated from college on the five year
plan, and she was probably at home watching soap operas while her mother put
all the finishing touches on the wedding. Willow, on the other hand, had
been juggling her work and her friends all day. Not that she usually minded
that sort of thing. She had, in fact, been the one to invite Angel to come
to the store. And seeing Cordelia and Doyle had been fantastic, even if it
was only for a few minutes. However, that was the point. Whereas Cordy and
Doyle’s appearance had been brief, and Angel had been helping out all
morning, Xander and Anya would probably sit on their butts complaining,
annoy her, and run off potential customers.

"Um, excuse me..."

Willow turned at the tentative interruption and smiled at the customer
standing before her. The teenage girl was one of her favorite customers,
and she was thrilled to have a diversion from her dark thoughts.

"Merry meet, Sandy. What can I get for you today?"

"I need some jasmine for a spell I’m trying."

"Nothing dangerous, is it?" Willow asked as she reached behind her to get
what the girl needed.

"No, no, nothing, uh, dangerous. I’m not, uh, ready for anything that
could even be considered dangerous." Willow smiled at Sandy’s stuttered
reply. The girl reminded Willow of how she’d been back when she’d first
discovered witchcraft. She had been excited and frightened at the same
time. Willow sighed. Even after six years of practicing, magick still had
that effect on her.

Willow handed the package to the girl. "That’s good to hear. Anything
else?"

"No, that’s it," Sandy replied as she followed the older witch over to the
cash register. The girl paid, then left the store.

While Willow had been busy with her customer, Xander had decided to take a
look around the store. He didn’t like what he saw.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

Part Thirteen

Willow rushed to the back of the store, where Xander was glaring at Angel.
She sighed. She’d been hoping to avoid this confrontation for as long as
possible.

"Well, Xander, I see you remember Angel."

"Yeah, I remember Deadboy. What’s he doing here?"

Angel flinched at the hatred in the other man’s voice. He’d thought that
maybe, just maybe, Xander would have been able to release his hostility over
the years. Apparently, he was wrong.

"He came to visit old friends."

"Oh, he actually has some? I figured he would’ve eaten them all by now."

"That’s enough, Xander!" Willow was furious. Angel hadn’t even said a word
yet, and Xander was already launching a full attack. "Either play nice, or
get the hell out of my store!"

"It’s okay, Willow," Angel said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I’ll
leave."

Willow grabbed the vampire’s arm as he turned to walk away. "No, Angel.
Please don’t go. I want you here. This is my store, and I won’t let anyone
chase you away from it." She gazed up at him imploringly, and Angel
suddenly knew he could never refuse her anything. If she looked at him in
that same way and told him to go out for a walk in the sun, he would.
"Please stay."

Angel nodded and gently removed Willow’s hand from his arm, briefly
entwining his fingers with hers before letting her go. "I’ll stay."

Willow smiled sweetly. "Good."

"Um, Will? Some help out here would be a good thing." Willow wrinkled her
nose as Amy’s slightly panicked request reached her.

"Coming!" She turned to the two men beside her. "You two behave, okay?
And by ‘you two,’ I mean you, Xander. Got it?"

"Got it," Xander replied sullenly. As soon as Willow was gone, however, he
turned to the dark-haired vampire. "Why did you come back?"

"I heard Buffy was getting married." Angel carefully left out the fact that
Cordelia was the one who had told him; he wasn’t sure how Xander would
react.

"And what? You decided to come and ruin it for her? Can’t you just let her
be happy?"

"I didn’t come to ruin her wedding. I just... wanted to make sure she was
happy, I guess. Maybe I just wanted to see everybody again; I don’t know."

"You expect me to believe that you’re not here because you want Buffy back?"

Angel gave a rather rude snort. "It’s been five years, Harris. That’s more
than long enough to get over Buffy Summers." Angel glanced toward the front
of the store where Willow was, then left the young man alone to stew.

Xander stood there, fuming, as he thought about Angel. What was that old
cliché? Actions speak louder than words? Well, Xander had been watching
Angel’s actions.

And he sure as hell didn’t like the way the vampire acted towards Willow.

Part Fourteen

Willow sat on the floor of the office, quietly eating her lunch. Angel, for
the sake of keeping her company, was eating as well. Spike was standing on
his head in the corner.

"How long has it been?"

Willow glanced at her watch. "Twelve minutes. That’s a new record for you,
isn’t it?"

Spike grinned at the redhead, an odd expression considering the fact that he
was upside down.

"Does he do this often?" Angel asked as he watched his childe.

Willow grinned. "Only every single day for the past two weeks. Claims it
helps his balance. I personally think he’s just destroying the few brain
cells he has left."

Spike mock-growled at the redheaded witch, then lowered his feet to the
floor, effectively seating himself beside the others. "That’s not very
nice, pet. You should remember that I can kill you," he said with a laugh.

Willow snorted at the vampire’s empty threat. "And you should remember that
I can stake you with a pencil. I’m sure you’d love to have that end up in
the Watcher Diaries. Death by number two."

"Very funny. See how I’m not laughing." The blonde got to his feet and
sent a mock bow in Willow’s direction. "If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to
go find someone who appreciates me."

"That’ll take a while. It’s a good thing you’re immortal." Spike sent a
stern glare in his sire’s direction for that particular comment, but ruined
the effect by breaking into a grin. Turning, Spike left the room in search
of Amy. Willow turned to Angel.

"Well, I guess I can die now. I’ve seen everything."

"Excuse me?"

"You and Spike getting along. And you actually making a funny. I didn’t
think you were capable of doing that."

"There’s a lot you don’t know about me." Angel cringed as soon as the words
left his mouth. God, that had sounded absolutely ridiculous.

Willow grinned in obvious delight. "Apparently I do have a lot to learn. I
never knew you had a thing for really lame and clichéd lines."

"Well, you learn something new every day and all that garbage."

"Very well put."

"Willow?"

The redhead looked over at the sudden change in Angel’s voice. Just seconds
ago, he had been joking with her and Spike. Now, he just seemed sad.
Shifting slightly, Willow turned so that she was facing the vampire and
reached out to take his hand.

"What is it, Angel? What’s wrong?"

For a moment, Angel simply stared at their joined hands. Hers was so tiny;
his was so big. He couldn’t get over how pale she was. She’d always been
that way, though. Almost as pale as he was. After taking an unneeded deep
breath, Angel began to speak.

"It’s just something that Xander said. It’s..."

"What did he say? Do you want me to turn him into a rat for you?"

Angel smiled slightly. He had the feeling that Willow would actually go
through with the offer if he asked her to.

"I don’t think turning Xander into a rat is the answer, although it is a
good suggestion." He sighed, wondering how to tell the woman beside him
what he was feeling. "It’s just... I guess I don’t want Buffy to think that
I came back to ruin things for her. I just wanted to make sure that she was
happy. I wanted to see Doyle and Cordelia; I wanted to see you. I really
wanted to avoid Xander, but obviously that didn’t work out. And now... I’m
just afraid I made a mistake."

"Why would you say that?"

"Me being here... it’ll just stir things up. And how the hell would Buffy
explain me to her fiancé?"

With a sigh, Willow got up from the floor and looked down at the vampire.
She shrugged.

"We can tell him you’re my lover."

Part Fifteen

Angel scrambled to his feet and stopped Willow before she left the office.
"What did you just say?" He didn’t really need her to repeat it, but he
wanted her to. He wanted to hear those words come from her lips again.

"I said we can tell them you’re my boyfriend."

"No, you didn’t."

"Yes, I did."

"No, Willow, you didn’t. I distinctly heard you use the word lover. You
said we could tell them I’m your lover."

Willow’s blush was approximately the color of her hair. She couldn’t
believe she had actually said that. "Look, I know what I said, okay? And
obviously you do, too. So let’s just move on."

"Do you think Buffy and Xander would go along with it?"

Willow snorted. "It’s not like they could prove otherwise. I’m not exactly
forthcoming when it comes to my social life." She wrinkled her nose. "I
guess that’s because I don’t have much of one, at least not lately."

"Why not?" Angel asked, shocked. Willow was gorgeous, brilliant, and one of
the nicest people in the world. How could she not be involved with someone?
Angel knew she hadn’t mentioned anyone the night before, but he had
thought that was because they’d been so busy talking about everything else.

Willow looked up at the vampire who towered over her. He was less than six
inches away from her. If she just moved a little, she could... no, bad
idea. Willow shook herself out of her stupor and stepped back slightly.

"It’s just hard, you know? Maintaining a relationship and fighting bad guys
and keeping it a secret? I just haven’t found a way to do it yet. Besides,
fighting evil definitely cuts in on dating time. Not to mention the shop,
and spending time with Amy and Spike, and learning new spells. And you
know, not all guys would be overjoyed to discover that they were dating a
witch."

Angel nodded his understanding of Willow’s statement - he knew most people
would not be thrilled at the realization that they were dating someone
‘different’ - then considered her offer to assume the role of his
girlfriend. He had to admit, the thought of pretending to be with Willow
appealed to him. Hell, the thought of actually < being >
with her appealed to him.

"How will we explain it to the others? Us being together, that is."

"I went on a trip to San Francisco a few months ago to get some supplies.
We can say you had a case there, and we met up." Willow sent an
irresistible grin his way. "One thing led to another... and here we are."

Angel reached over and rested his hands on Willow’s hips, then pulled her
towards him. The contact sent a jolt through him, and he tried to hide it.
He smirked slightly.

"Yeah, here we are."

Willow swallowed audibly. Here she was, standing in Angel’s arms, and...
she really wanted to stay right where she was. What in the hell was going
on with her? This was Angel. Buffy’s Ang... ex-boyfriend. As in no longer
hers. As in completely and totally unattached. Which meant it was
completely okay if something happened between them. Did Angel want
something to...

"Willow?"

Willow started as she realized that she had been standing there dumbstruck
in Angel’s embrace for who knows how long.

"What? Did you say something?"

Angel grinned at the confused young woman. "No, you were just spacing out.
Are you sure you’re okay with this whole thing?"

"Yeah, of course I’m okay with it. I’m very okay with it."

Angel gave a sexy grin, and Willow’s heart did that annoying thing that
feels like it’s flip-flopping in your chest. Willow closed her eyes as
Angel started to lean in towards her...

"Willow! Aren’t you done yet? I could really use a break, you know."
Willow and Angel broke apart guiltily as they heard Amy’s yell.

"I should, uh, go. You know, um, work and all that."

"Yeah, you, uh, should," Angel replied, trying to figure out what to do with
his hands. He desperately wanted to touch her again. However, he was
afraid she would bolt if he tried.

"Well, uh, see you later. We can, uh, finish this... uh, TALK about tonight
later. Bye!" Willow virtually flew out of the room, leaving Angel to
contemplate what had just happened.

"Yeah, we’ll definitely finish this later."

Part Sixteen

Willow rushed into the front room, blushing to the roots of her hair. She
stopped short at the sight in front of her, which was obviously the real
reason for Amy’s sudden and completely false desire for a break.

"Giles! You’re here!" Willow gave the older man a hug, then allowed him to
hold her at arms’ length.

"Willow, you look lovely."

"Under all this make-up and black clothing, you mean," Willow replied,
gesturing to her tank top, leather pants, and heeled boots. She had used a
glamour that morning to hide the bruises on her arms that were left over
from the attack she had Spike had thwarted two days earlier.

Giles smiled gently. Willow had been dressing in black while she worked for
so long, he almost didn’t notice it anymore. "No, dear girl, I meant you
look lovely as you are."

Willow smiled back, then hugged Giles again. "It is so good to see you.
I’ve really missed you."

"And I’ve missed you."

"When did you get in?"

"Just a few minutes ago. I thought I’d stop by and say hello before I went
to Buffy’s. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, no, of course not," Willow responded quickly, studiously avoiding Amy’s
gaze. She knew that the blonde realized something had definitely been going
on in the office.

"Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to bother you."

Willow had to smile at the man’s concern. At least he understood that she
might be busy. She wished Xander was that considerate. Like that would
ever happen. "No, Giles, you’re most definitely not bothering me. Why
don’t you come into the office where you can sit down? I’m sure you’ve got
to be exhausted."

"Yes, well, that would be lovely."

Willow and Giles walked into the office, and Willow was relieved to see that
Angel had vacated it. His appearance was something that she wanted to break
gently to Giles. Giles sat down in one of the chairs in the room, and
looked up at his former student.

"How is everyone?"

"Fine, as far as I know." The young witch grinned. "Obviously Amy’s good.
Spike’s kind of nuts, but that’s usual."

"And the others? Has anyone else arrived yet?"

"Xander and Anya are here. They were annoying, but that’s pretty much par
for the course lately. Oh, and Cordy came with Doyle. They’re good;
they’re at my house right now resting. They can’t check into their hotel
until this evening." Willow paused, then looked at the former watcher.
"There is one more thing, though."

"What is it?" Giles asked, slightly alarmed by Willow’s hesitancy.

"It’s Angel. He’s came down from LA."

"Good Lord. Does Buffy know?"

"That’s a big no. In fact, she’s the only one that doesn’t know."

"Xander and Anya know?"

"Yeah. They stopped by the store and accidentally ran into him. It wasn’t
pretty."

"He was here?"

"I still am."

Giles turned his head to face the vampire in the doorway. He waited for the
hatred that usually welled up because of Jenny’s murder, but none came.
Apparently, he’d had enough time to heal. The realization surprised him.

"Hello, Angel. It’s good to see you."

"Giles."

"May I ask why you’re here?"

"To see me," Willow responded before Angel could say a word.

Giles quickly swiveled around to look at the redhead. "Excuse me?"

"I came to see Willow," the vampire confirmed as he walked over to the young
woman. He wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled down at her.

"I, uh, see. Does Buffy know?"

"Not yet," Willow answered.

"And just when do you plan to let her in on this little secret?"

The vampire and the witch exchanged a nervous glance, then both answered at
once.

"Tonight."


Part Seventeen

"Well, that went better than expected."

Angel grinned at the redhead. Giles had just left, and the relief the young
witch felt was evident on her face.

"Yeah. One down, how many to go?"

Willow sent a glare in the vampire’s direction and began to pace. "First of
all, Spike and Amy and Cordy and Doyle will be happy to help us pull this
off. Second, don’t rain on my parade, okay?"

"Whatever you say."

"Look, I know how hard it’s going to be to pull this off. I mean, Xander’s
going to be a complete ass about the whole thing; I’m sure of that. Buffy
probably won’t believe it, but I imagine she’ll help up just to keep Connor
from being suspicious."

"Does Connor know anything about me?"

"He might know that Buffy once dated a guy named Angel; I’m not sure. I
think Buffy was pretty evasive about her past, what with the whole Slayer
thing and all. It’s not a big deal if he recognizes the name, though.
We’re just old friends who ran into each other and ended up getting
together, right?"

"Right." Angel reached out and pulled Willow towards him. "We just saw
each other, completely by chance, and the sparks flew." The smoldering look
Angel sent her nearly turned Willow’s knees to mush.

Willow gulped and pulled. This so could not happen right this second. "I
really have to get out there to help Amy. I’ve kind of been doing nothing
all day, and if I don’t get out there, Amy going to get pissed. It’s not a
good idea to make a witch angry, you know?"

"Yes, I know." Angel smiled as Willow rushed out of the room.

"You have a thing for her, don’t you?"

Angel looked up at the sound of his childe’s voice. "A thing?" The
dark-haired vampire shrugged. "And what if I do? What would you do about
it?"

Spike walked over to stand beside his sire, then leaned against the desk.
"I guess I’d tell you to go for it. The soul’s permanent, right?"

"As far as I know. Willow did the spell."

Spike nodded decisively. "Then it’s permanent. You’re going to be brooding
indefinitely. So go for it."

"Maybe I will," Angel replied after a moment, then headed for the door. He
had a lot to think about. At the sound of his childe’s voice, Angel paused.

"Oh, and Angelus... if you ever even think about hurting her, just remember
how good I used to be at torture. I did learn from the best, you know.
It’s been a few years, but I’m sure I still remember a thing or two."

Oddly pleased by Spike’s threat - it showed that the younger vampire really
did care about Willow - Angel headed to the storage room to contemplate what
he was going to do next.

Part Eighteen

Willow smiled at the customer as she handed the girl her change. "Good luck
with the spell," she called as the teenager left. She turned to Amy, who
was restocking some of the supplies. "Busy day."

"Yeah, and somebody’s been working the front all by herself for most of it."

Willow made a face at her friend. "I know. I’ve been bad. I’m really
sorry, though."

Amy shrugged. "It’s okay, Will. At least I didn’t have to talk to Xander
or Anya. Those two are so obnoxious. Of course, I will have to see them
tonight."

"Speaking of tonight..."

Amy groaned. "What? Please don’t ask me to make Spike be nice to Xander.
It was difficult enough to get him to promise to be nice to Angel. It was
just sheer luck that he actually likes him now."

"Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask Spike to be nice to Xander. I kind of
figured the two of them would be the entertainment for the evening."

"Then what is it?"

"Well, Angel and I -"

"Hey."

Willow broke off in mid-sentence at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Oz. Um, hi."

"Don’t I get a hug?"

Willow quickly obliged the currently blue-haired guitar player, and Amy did
the same.

"It’s good to see you," Willow said.

"You, too." The girls shifted uncomfortably under Oz’s penetrating gaze.
After a moment, the young man spoke again. "What’s this about Angel?"

"He’s, uh, here," Willow began. "In Sunnydale."

Oz’s brow furrowed in an uncharacteristic show of concern. "For Buffy’s
wedding?"

Willow took a deep breath. This was harder than she thought it would be.
Telling Giles had been easy. Of course, she had never been in love Giles.
There had been a time when Oz had been her world. That, however, had been a
long time ago, and they had both moved on. "No. He’s here to see me."

"Why?"

"We’re seeing one another." Willow sent a pleading glance Amy’s way, hoping
that the blonde would back her up.

"The two of you are together? As in dating?" Oz’s fist clenched as a wave
of jealousy hit him. Angel and Willow?

"They sure are," Amy replied with a winning smile. She had no clue what was
up, but was more than willing to play along. "They’re so cute together it
makes me want to heave."

Willow snorted. "God, Amy, you’re really starting to sound like Spike. Did
you know that?"

"Oh, bite me."

"Sorry, Amy, you’re not my type."

Oz just stood there, staring at his former girlfriend as she and Amy
exchanged barbs. Willow was dating a vampire? That was insane, that was
unnatural, that was... not all that different from dating a werewolf. Well,
except for the fact that werewolves weren’t dead. As long as they
instituted the ‘no biting’ rule, Oz figured that Angel and Willow would be
just fine.

"How long have you been dating?"

Both girls started in surprise; in the midst of their banter they had
obviously forgotten that the young man was there. Willow recovered first,
which was a good thing, because Amy didn’t know the story that the false
couple had concocted.

"About three months. He was in San Francisco on a case; I was on a buying
trip of sorts. We ran into each other."

"Are you happy with him?" If she was, he knew he’d have to let it go.
Above all else, he wanted the redhead to be happy.

"Yes, Oz, I am. He’s wonderful."

"Then I’m happy for you," Oz replied, sending the redhead a genuine smile
that sent a wave of relief through Willow. The young man had seen the
honesty in Willow’s eyes; he knew she was telling the truth. She was happy.
"I should get going. I have to see my parents. I’ll see you tonight,
though."

"Looking forward to it."

"Bye, Oz!" The blonde witch waited until Oz had left the store before
turning on her friend. "So, Willow, do you mind telling me just what the
hell that was all about?"


Part Nineteen

"So the two of you are just < pretending > to be together?" Amy asked as she
stared at her own image in the mirror. If she didn’t get the eyeliner just
right, she’d end up looking like a raccoon.

"Yes, that’s right," Willow replied, pulling her hair into a high ponytail.
The two were in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom at Willow’s
house, getting ready for the evening. Spike and Angel had gone to Spike’s
house, and Cordelia and Doyle had headed to their hotel.

Amy put her lipstick on, then turned to face her friend. "Uh-huh. So,
there’s nothing actually going on between you and Angel, right?"

"Right. No, wrong. No... Gods, Amy, I don’t know."

"You don’t know? Well, that sounds promising."

"Don’t be snide."

"I’m not... exactly. It’s just kind of nice to see you a bit confused, or
flustered, or whatever it is that Angel seems to cause you to be. It
reminds me of the way I was when I first got with Spike."

"I’m not with Angel."

"And I believe you," Amy replied in a voice that let Willow know she
believed nothing of the sort. "Even so," the blonde continued, "I can’t
help but wonder what the two of you have been doing during those extended
amounts of time in the office today."

"Nothing happened, I swear." Willow sighed as she took her hair down. It
just didn’t look right up. She threw the hair clip at the wall with sudden
ferocity. "Oh, who am I kidding? We almost kissed. Twice."

"Just almost? No actual kissing? What stopped you?"

"You did. Well, I did, too."

"Excuse me? What do you mean, I stopped you? And why did you stop him from
kissing you? Didn’t you want to kiss him?"

"You yelled for me to come help you at the front. So I did. That happened
the first time, the time I didn’t panic until < after > we’d been
interrupted, by the way; your timing sucks. And as for me... I kind of
freaked out the second time. I mean... it’s Angel. Gorgeous, amazing,
completely untouchable Angel. I’ve always sort of thought of him as
Buffy’s... and now, he seems to want me. It’s a little overwhelming."

"But let’s get back to the real question: did you want to kiss him?"

Willow sighed and closed her eyes. "Oh, Goddess, I did."

Amy smiled at her friend’s emphatic response. "Then go for it. You deserve
to be happy, Willow. And if it turns out that Angel’s the guy who can make
you happy... honey, you’ve got to give it a chance. You owe it to
yourself."

Willow smiled, then began to brush her hair. She’d decided to leave it down
for the evening. "Thanks for the pep talk, Mom."

"Anytime, sweetie."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. "Damn," Willow muttered. "They’re
here."

Amy sighed. "Goddess, I hope we get through this night without any major
fights."

Willow grabbed her purse off the bed, then handed Amy hers. "I just hope I
don’t end up getting staked."

"Um, Will? You’re human; you don’t have to worry about getting staked," the
blond pointed out as she followed her friend to the door.

Willow put her hand on the knob, then turned to Amy. "Yeah, well, Buffy’s
kind of out of practice with this whole Slayer thing. She may think she
gets to stake anyone who pisses her off now."

Part Twenty

If Angel had possessed breath, Willow’s appearance would have taken it away.
He had known she was beautiful; he’d been around Willow for nearly
twenty-four hours straight, and he wasn’t blind. However, seeing her in
work clothes and sleepwear didn’t come close to seeing her dressed up for
the evening. She was gorgeous, absolutely stunning. She’d left her hair
down, and it was slightly wild, as if the wind had been playing with it.
And her dress. The bold sapphire color was a brilliant contrast to her pale
skin, and it looked amazing with the vibrant red of her hair. The strapless
ensemble was cut just low enough to make Angel wonder exactly what she had
on underneath, and the loose skirt just barely brushed her ankles. She wore
sandals on her feet. She looked exotic, incredibly beautiful, and
completely untouchable. God, he hoped he was wrong about that last one; he
was absolutely aching to touch her.

"Hey."

Angel was pulled out of his thoughts by Willow’s softly spoken greeting.
"Hey. You look... good."

Spike snorted. "Oh, yeah, that was eloquent. What he meant to say is ‘you
look stunningly gorgeous and absolutely amazing, and if you don’t mind, I’m
going to commence drooling now.’"

Willow grinned as she linked arms with Angel and began to pull him towards
Spike’s convertible. "Gee, Spike, thanks so much for the translation. And
I am not getting in that damn car until you put the top up."

"Why the bloody hell not?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "The tousled look is okay Spike. The ‘I had my head
stuck out the window like a freaking dog’ look isn’t."

Spike muttered a few rather colorful curses in several different languages,
then proceeded to put the top of the car up.

Angel leaned in close to Willow. "Are they always like this?"

"Oh, no. Sometimes they’re worse. But even then, it’s nothing. I mean,
just wait until we see Buffy. She and Spike aren’t exactly the best of
friends."

"Is the waiting thing an offer? Because, you know, I’ve decided that I
really don’t want to see Buffy."

"And just what would we do instead?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

"So we’d pig out on ice cream and watch old movies and cry a lot?"

Angel couldn’t help but grin. "Yes, of course. That’s exactly what we’d
do. Well, unless you’d rather bake chocolate chip cookies and make crank
calls to all the people you don’t like."

"Are you two done flirting yet, or is it going to be a while?" Angel and
Willow whirled around to discover a rather amused looking Amy and Spike
watching them. Amy was biting her lip in an effort not to laugh at Spike's
comment. Willow blushed, then grabbed Angel’s hand and pulled him to the
car.

"Let’s go."

Angel sighed as he allowed the tiny redhead to pull him into the backseat
with her. "Time to face the firing squad."


Part Twenty-One

Buffy still lived with her mother. The revelation surprised Angel. All of
the others had started their own lives. They had moved out on their own and
gotten jobs; he’d just assumed that Buffy had done the same thing. He’d
obviously been wrong.

Angel got out of the car, then reached down to help Willow out. She sent a
dazzling smile his way, and he could have sworn his heart skipped a bit,
which was ridiculous because he was dead.

"You know," he whispered as they made their way to the front door, "Spike
was right. You really do look amazing tonight."

"Thank you," Willow replied in the same tone. "You look pretty amazing
yourself." The tiny redhead smiled at him again and gave his hand a gentle
squeeze.

Angel couldn’t help it. He had been resisting the urge for an entire day,
and he just couldn’t do it anymore. He stopped on the Summers’ front porch,
pulled Willow into his arms, and kissed her. A rather surprised Willow
returned the kiss, suddenly completely oblivious to Amy and Spike; of
course, it wasn’t like they would have a problem with what was happening
anyway. Willow felt Angel’s tongue sweep across her lips, seeking entrance.
Without thought, she opened her mouth and invited him in.

The moment would have been perfect if the front door hadn’t opened.

"Oh, my God."

The two jumped apart and their expressions took on that ‘deer in the
headlights’ look as they whirled around to face the intruder. Both breathed
a sigh of relief when they saw who the shocked whisper had come from.

"And just when did this happen?" Cordelia Chase demanded with a slight grin
on her face.

Angel shrugged. "I’m going with right this second. Although it almost
happened about ten thousand other times today."

"Well, good for you both. I’m extremely happy for you. However, I don’t
think seeing you with your tongue down Willow’s throat would be the best
thing for Buffy right now. Or for any of the others, either. I mean, you
have been gone for five years. Seeing you will be enough of a shock. But
throw in the picture of you and Willow going at it on the front porch? Bad
idea."

"The others already know. Well, some of them do."

Cordelia’s shocked look turned to Willow. "How could they know if it just
happened right this minute?"

"We were going to pretend to be a couple as a way to explain Angel being
here. We’ve actually already told the story to Oz and Giles..."

"And now it’s not just a story; it’s true," Cordelia finished with a raised
eyebrow.

Angel looked at Willow, a question in his eyes. The redhead nodded. It was
definitely true. "Basically." Angel replied. "Except the story says we’ve
been together for a few months. Just go along with it, okay?"

"Fine," Cordy said with a sigh. "But you two owe me."

"What do we owe you?"

The brunette shot a grin in Willow’s direction.

"I want all the details, of course."

"Of course."


Part Twenty-Two

"Why is he here? Was he supposed to be here tonight?"

At Xander’s angry outburst, Doyle, Anya, and Joyce turned to see who was
following Cordelia into the room. Joyce’s eyes grew huge as she realized
just who it was that Willow was walking arm in arm with, and Doyle couldn’t
hide his smirk. Anya, on the other hand, simply looked indifferent to the
whole situation.

"Well," Angel began uncertainly. "I’m..."

Willow quickly interrupted the vampire, who seemed to be at a loss for
words. "He’s with me. As my date." Willow sighed and tried to look
rueful. "There’s something I should tell you. Really, I should have told
you when you were at the store earlier, but you were already so angry..."

"Just spit it out, Willow," Xander said through gritted teeth.

"Angel and I are together. As in involved."

"Since when?" Xander sputtered.

"February. We ran into to each other while we were in San Francisco."
Willow smiled as she said the last part. The lie was getting easier and
easier to say. She was even starting to believe it herself. Of course,
that kiss on the front porch had probably done a lot to help with that.
Xander opened his mouth to start what was most likely a truly obnoxious
tirade, but a voice from upstairs stopped him.

"Mom? Has someone else arrived? I thought I heard Willow’s voice. Is she
here?"

It was Buffy.

Buffy Summers walked down the stairs slowly, searching the room as she made
her way down. She knew she had heard Willow’s voice, but wasn’t sure if
she’d heard anyone else’s. She thought she had heard another voice, but she
couldn’t identify it. She saw blonde hair and realized that Amy had arrived
as well. Buffy smothered a groan as she saw that the blonde witch had
brought Spike with her. Her mood, however, lightened as she saw Willow.
The young woman had her back to Buffy, and she had brought a date. The
Slayer began to smile at the thought that Willow was seeing someone, but the
smile faded as she realized that the man looked familiar. Tall, dark hair,
dark clothes... if she didn’t know better, she’d swear it was...

And then he turned.

And all the color drained from the Slayer’s face.

It was a bit like slow motion. Angel turned, Buffy saw him and nearly
keeled over. Spike didn’t even attempt to hide his smirk at the spectacle
unveiling itself before him. This was going to be fun.

Buffy stood, just staring, for a moment, then shakily continued down the
steps. She came to a stop directly in front of her former lover.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"He’s with me; he’s my boyfriend."

"Since when?"

"Since..." Willow trailed off as she realized how much she wanted to tell
Buffy the truth: that she had just fallen in love with the vampire that very
day. She and Buffy had been so close once... there had been a time when
Buffy would have been the first to know what was going on in Willow’s love
life. But Willow’s friendships with both Spike and Amy had slowly pulled
the girls apart, as had Buffy’s many boyfriends over the past few years.

"It’s a really new thing, isn’t it?" the Slayer asked, sensing the other
girl’s hesitation.

"Yes, Buffy, it is," Angel answered as he slipped his arm around Willow’s
waist. "It wasn’t something we planned on; it just happened." That much,
at least, was the truth.

Buffy swallowed hard over the growing lump in her throat, and she felt tears
well up in her eyes and threaten to spill over. This was not happening.
Angel and Willow a couple? Never, not even in her worst nightmares, had she
thought that this would ever occur.

"I’ve... I’ve got to go," Buffy managed before the tears overtook her. She
ran out of the room, not even noticing when she stumbled into her fiancé,
who had just entered with Giles and Oz.

"What’s going on here?" Connor asked as he stared at his fiancée’s
retreating back.

"I take it you told her?" Giles asked quietly.

Willow and Angel both nodded slowly while Joyce leapt up from the couch.
"Someone should go after her," the older woman murmured.

Willow started toward the door, but Angel held her back. "This is my doing;
I should be the one to talk to her. Besides, we have a lot to clear up."
Angel bent down and gently kissed Willow on the lips, then lifted his head,
trying to reassure her with his eyes. He was no longer in love with Buffy;
he was Willow’s, completely and totally. However, it still bothered him to
see the blonde Slayer in pain, especially since he was the cause of it. He
had to try to fix things.

Willow smiled her understanding, then gently squeezed the dark haired
vampire’s hand. She knew this was something he had to do. Whether he
admitted it or not, it was what he had returned to Sunnydale for.

"Good luck."

Angel turned to go, certain he’d need all the luck he could get.


Part Twenty-Three

Angel found Buffy at the park, sitting on a swing.

"Hey," he said softly as he sat on the next swing.

"Why Willow?" the blonde asked woodenly, not even looking at him.

"She was your best friend for quite a while; you figure it out. What is it
exactly that bothers you, Buffy? Is it that I’m with someone else? Or is
it that I’m with Willow? Because, whichever one it is, it’s a bit
hypocritical, considering the fact that you’re getting married, don’t you
think?"

"That’s different. I’m not marrying your best friend."

"My best friend’s been dead for a couple hundred years; it would be a bit
difficult for you to do that."

"This is serious, Angel."

"And I’m more than willing to be serious. I just need to know the truth.
What is it that upsets you the most: me, or me and Willow?"

Buffy briefly rested her forehead on her knees, then looked up at the
vampire. Tears were glistening in her eyes. "Why did you have to come
back?"

Angel gave a hollow laugh. "I told myself that I just wanted to make sure
you were happy. Now... I’m not so sure why I’m here. The fact that
Cordelia and Doyle came in from New York was a factor..."

"And Willow?"

Angel sighed. "I never knew just how much I really missed her until I got
here."

"And now you’re in love with her."

"Yeah."

"You expect me to believe that you came here without any hopes of getting me
back?"

Angel put his hand under Buffy’s chin and forced her to look at him. "Yes,
Buffy, I expect you to believe that. It’s the truth. I’m glad you’ve found
someone else." Angel smiled ruefully. "Am I ever going to get to meet
him?"

Buffy shrugged. She’d seen the truth in Angel’s eyes; he really wasn’t here
to mess up her wedding. "I guess so. Oh, God," she continued in a panicky
voice, "I think I ran into him when I stormed out. How am I going to
explain that?"

"You’ll think of something." Angel paused, then continued. "You’re
actually taking this better than I thought you would."

"Well, I’ve changed since you’ve left."

"That’s for sure," Angel muttered.

Buffy stood up from her swing and glared down at the vampire. "Just what is
that supposed to mean?"

Angel stood as well, not liking the sensation of being looked down upon.
"The Buffy I knew was the Vampire Slayer."

"I’m still the Slayer."

"Oh, come off it, Buffy! You’re running away, or haven’t you noticed?
When’s the last time you patrolled?"

"Oh, please! They don’t even need me!"

"It’s < your > duty, Buffy. You’re the Slayer. Do you even plan to patrol
once you get to Detroit? Not that there’s really a need," he added as an
afterthought.

"I’ve been fighting demons since I was sixteen years old. Don’t I deserve a
break?"

"Willow’s been fighting them since she was sixteen, too. What about her?
My God, Buffy, you’re the Slayer. She’s not. And Amy and Spike aren’t,
either."

"So?"

"Spike’s a vampire; he can handle himself. But Willow and Amy? They’re
human. They don’t have the strength, or the skill, or the healing power
that you do."

"They don’t have to do it."

"You’re right; they don’t. But if they don’t do it, who will?"

The Slayer merely shrugged in response.

Angel stared down at Buffy, completely disgusted. "You are not the girl I
fell in love with. You’re nothing like her."

"Things change."

"You’re definitely right there. The Buffy I knew may have been afraid, but
she still fought. She even gave her life trying to keep the Master from
rising when she was only sixteen years old. She didn’t want to die, but she
did it anyway. She would have done anything for her friends. But you?
You’re just throwing them to the wolves, leaving them to fend for
themselves. To fight the fight that you were chosen to lead. The Buffy
Summers I knew was an amazing person. You’re nothing but a shell of a
person that happens to have her face. I’m out of here."

As Angel walked away, the Slayer slumped to the ground, sobbing, as she
realized the truth in his words.


Part Twenty-Four

Spike was on his face. The cat, not the vampire. Angel groaned as he
pushed the ball of white fur off his head and sat up. After showering and
getting dressed, he went to the living room and collapsed on the couch.

"Well, somebody’s not perky this morning." Angel sent Willow a bemused
look, and the redhead smiled sympathetically. Angel had told her about the
conversation with Buffy. Willow had been surprised when Angel had stormed
back into the Summers’ house without the Slayer, but had immediately agreed
when Angel asked if they could leave. That was what had done it. Even
though she could see the pain in his eyes, he had asked; he hadn’t demanded.
Then they had come home, and he had told her everything. Willow sat down
next to the vampire and reached for his hand. "I didn’t think you’d be up
this early."

"Well, usually I’m not, but your cat decided my face would make a good bed,
so I got up."

Willow laughed. "Maybe next time you should shut your door."

Angel grinned in response and pulled the redhead so that she was leaning
against him. "So, what happened last night while I was gone? You never
told me."

Willow snuggled closer, relishing the feel of being in Angel’s arms. She
never wanted to move. "Not much, really," she replied in answer to the
vampire’s question. "Some yelling, mostly by Xander. He knows some pretty
interesting swear words. I think he learned them from Anya."

"Well, she has been around for over a thousand years. She probably knows a
lot of... interesting things."

"Probably," Willow murmured sleepily. "Anyway, Xander yelled until Cordy’d
had enough and got nasty. I haven’t seen her that mad since high school.
It was great. After Cordelia had put the fear of God in Xander, things were
pretty much calm, although Connor had no clue what was going on. We talked
a bit."

"No one else reacted badly?"

"Not really. I mean, everyone else - except for Joyce, that is - already
knew that you were in town and that we were together. They all pretty much
expected Buffy’s reaction. Can we stop talking now?"

Angel pulled Willow even closer, shifted so that his chin was resting on the
top of her head. He loved the feel of her in his arms. There was so much
that they needed to say; everything had happened so quickly. Nothing had
been settled, nothing planned. They’d spent less then forty-eight hours
together, but Angel already knew that he didn’t want to leave, couldn’t
leave. At least not without her. He only hoped that she felt the same way.
He felt Willow pull away slightly, and he looked down to find her staring
at him.

"What?"

"Kiss me."

He was only too happy to oblige. They had kissed twice before, both times
having been the night before. They had never kissed without an audience.
Angel lay down completely on the couch, pulling the tiny redhead on top of
him. Her hands found their way into his hair as their tongues dueled; Angel
wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so close that they almost seemed to
be one. Then, the inevitable
happened.

The doorbell rang.

Willow pushed herself into a sitting position, flushed and breathing
heavily. Angel reached up to pull her back down.

"Don’t answer that."

Willow evaded the vampire’s grasp and rose from the couch. "Have to. If
it’s someone who knows me, they know I spend Sundays at home. If I don’t
answer, they’ll think something happened to me. They may even break down
the door, and I really don’t want that to happen again."

"Again?"

"I had the flu once and felt too lousy to answer, and Spike freaked and
broke my door," Willow replied as she headed to the front of the house. She
looked in the peephole, then turned to Angel, a stunned expression on her
face.

"What?"

"It’s Buffy."


Part Twenty-Five

The Slayer sat perched precariously on the edge of Willow’s couch, her hands
fidgeting nervously. Angel had retreated to the guest room before Willow
had opened the door, and the two women were alone.

"Why are you here?"

The Slayer looked up at Willow’s blunt question. "I needed to talk to you.
To, uh, to apologize."

"Apologize for what?" Willow asked, sitting woodenly in the chair across
from Buffy.

"Well, you’re not going to make this any easier, are you?" Buffy replied
nervously. Unable to sit still, the blonde got up and began to pace around
the room. "This is really hard. It’s even harder then when I came back
from running away, and you know how that was." The young woman paused in
her pacing and gazed at her former best friend. "God, Wills, I’m so sorry.
These past six months... the past few years, really."

"What are you talking about?"

"I’ve been loading my duty onto you. Slowly but surely, I let you and Spike
and Amy take over for me until I wasn’t doing a damn thing. It wasn’t
right, and it wasn’t fair."

"I learned a long time ago that nothing was really fair, Buffy."

"Do you remember when we were seniors in high school? You could have gone
anywhere - Harvard, Oxford, Yale. But you stayed. You stayed here to help
me fight, and now I’m the one who has deserted you."

Willow smiled sadly. "You’re just realizing this now?"

"Sometimes you need someone to shove your face in a mirror before you can
really see yourself. I didn’t mean that literally or anything, by the way.
Angel didn’t actually shove... never mind. You know what I mean. Don’t
you?"

"Yeah, Buffy, I do. But what can you do about it now?"

The Slayer sat down across from Willow, a tense expression on her face. "I
know I can’t fix the past few years, but I can change. The firm Connor’s
going to work for? It’s huge; they’ve got offices all over the country.
They’re opening one in Texas. Do you have any idea how many demons there
are in Austin?"

"Actually, I do. I’m still research girl on occasion."

"Oh, yeah. Right."

"What about Connor?"

"My secret identity’s going to have to become a little less secret. I
should have told him a long time ago. He’s just one more person I haven’t
been fair to."

"So you tell Connor and try to get a transfer to Austin?"

"That’s the plan. Fight evil wherever I end up. It’s my job. Believe it
or not, I’ve actually missed being useful. I missed being the Slayer."

Willow reached out and took Buffy’s hand. It felt good to talk to her old
friend. Things had changed immensely over the years, but somehow the
sincerity in the Slayer’s eyes made it seem that things were back on track.
"I believe you, Buffy. You loved being the Slayer. It wasn’t a job to you;
it was what you were. You lost that for a while, but I’ll help you find it
again. If you want me to."

Tears began to course down Buffy’s cheeks as she recognized the redhead’s
offer of friendship. "Oh, God, Wills, I missed you so much." The blonde
pulled the redhead into a hug, and the young woman allowed herself to cry
out all her fears. "I’m so scared, Willow. What if Connor doesn’t want me
anymore? Everyone must hate me... Giles, Oz..."

"They came here to see you. They love you, Buffy."

"Angel must think I’m so awful..."

"I don’t think that."

Both women turned to see the dark haired vampire in the doorway. Buffy
sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"I didn’t know you were here. You heard everything, didn’t you?"

"I heard that the Slayer is back. I’m proud of you, Buffy."

"You have no idea how much that means to me. The two of you... I’ve loved
you both so much for so long. Even now... what you think is so important to
me." Buffy turned back to Willow. "And last night... I acted badly. I’m
sorry about that, too. I was just so surprised; I’d never thought that the
two of you would end up together."

"It wasn’t exactly the brightest idea to just spring it on you," Willow
replied ruefully. "Originally, it was just a way to explain why Angel was
there-"

"Then it really happened," Buffy finished with a half smile. "I’m happy for
you. Okay, so I was shocked and a bit hurt last night. Seeing Angel and
finding out he was with you was a bit overwhelming. But it’s really a good
thing. You’re both so wonderful... I’m glad you found each other."

Willow wiped her eyes. "That is so sappy I could just barf."

Buffy laughed. "That was a bit melodramatic, wasn’t it? I meant it,
though."

"I know," Willow whispered as she hugged her friend again.

Buffy pulled back and reached down to get her purse. "You know, I really
hate to sob and run, but I have to talk to Connor and tell him everything. I
need to see if he thinks we can swing the transfer thing. And, you know,
once he knows the truth, I really need to find out whether or not we’re
still getting married."

Willow and Angel walked the Slayer to the door, the covered front porch
allowing Angel to see her out as well. Buffy hugged both the witch and the
vampire, then headed for her car. When she reached her car, she turned back
to her friends and lifted her hand in a tentative wave.

"Wish me luck?"

"Good luck, Buff!" Willow called as she waved back.

"Break a leg," Angel added.

Buffy smiled at the old show business line, then got into her car and drove
away. Angel draped his arm around Willow’s shoulders and headed back inside
before finishing his thought.

"And if he doesn’t take it well, I’ll break both of his."


Epilogue

Willow sat curled up on her couch, looking through pictures from Buffy’s
wedding. She’d just gotten them developed, and they were fantastic. The
wedding itself had been so perfect that nobody really cared that it had
occurred a week later than scheduled. Connor had been incredibly shocked to
find out about Buffy’s secret life, but, in the end, had decided that he’d
rather make some adjustments to his life than lose Buffy. Some strings had
been pulled (and a tiny bit of mind control had been used by Amy) to ensure
that the transfer to Austin would happen. Willow smiled. Right now, Buffy
and Connor where in Hawaii, enjoying their honeymoon. They’d be back in a
few days, and Willow had plans to help Buffy pack for the move to Texas.
She was so glad that the two of them had been able to mend fences before it
was too late.

"What are you doing?"

Willow looked up and smiled at Angel. The vampire had stayed for Buffy’s
wedding the week before, then just never left.

"I got my pictures developed," the redhead replied, holding up a photo of
herself with Buffy as evidence. Angel had taken the shot.

Angel smiled as he sat down on the couch and pulled Willow closer to him.
After a moment of silence, Willow looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"We need to talk."

Willow gulped. This was the talk she’d been dreading for the past two
weeks. Everything had been so wonderful with Angel, she was afraid to
discuss the future. Afraid she’d have to say goodbye.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"If I move here permanently, is there a place for me?"

Willow nearly burst into tears. Had he really just asked that? Did he
really intend to stay? "Yes, Angel, of course. You have no idea how badly
I want you to stay. But what about Los Angeles?" She hated to bring it up,
but she knew it had to be said.

"I know you said they wouldn’t send the other Slayer here, but do you know
where she is?"

"What?" Willow asked. That reply didn’t make any sense at all.

"She’s in LA. I’ve fought her."

"You’ve... you’ve fought her? As in against her, not with her? Why?"

"It was either that or let her kill me. I don’t particularly want to die.
I’ve seen her in action several times, Willow, and she’s a very strong
Slayer. She can handle LA without me. In fact, it’s probably better for
her if I leave. To her, I’m just another vampire to slay. I can’t exactly
approach her and make a deal with her. She’s not like Buffy; she would
never accept a demon as an ally. Not even one that possesses a soul.
There’s nothing to hold me in LA... and there’s a whole hell of a lot that’s
pulling me here."

"There’s not much here anymore. Almost everyone’s left."

Angel pulled Willow closer and rested his forehead against hers.

"You’re here. And that’s more than enough for me."

The End