Author: Neva

Title: White Lies

Send Feedback To: neva.crandall@csus.edu

Pretty please send me feedback. I have a very low confidence level.

Rating: PG-13

Sequel to "Dreams?" -- series title is "Swords and Secrets" (Not very creative but it's all I could come up with.)

Keywords: X-over Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Romance (Willow/Angel), Action (some)

Character Listing: From Highlander = Cassandra and Methos; From BtVS = Willow, Angel, Giles, Buffy, Xander, and Anya

Summary: The further adventures of Willow as a new Immortal. Surprise, surprise . . . there's a new evil in town, and it's hungry.

My Version of BtVS: This is an alternate universe. Willow is the one who got Angel out of Hell; however, he is the only one who knows this is Angel. Amy knows too but she is still a member of the rodent family in my story. He and Buffy never had a relationship after this -- mostly due to lack of interest on his part after being sent to Hell for a couple of centuries. Oz and Willow never reconciled after the "Lover's Walk" incident, and he left on tour with the Dingoes after the mayor was defeated. Buffy is dating regularly but Willow hasn't been seeing anyone. Xander is dating Anya.

My Version of Highlander: This takes place after the show finale and at approximately the same time as the H: the Raven. I missed a lot of Highlander episodes so I am kind of winging it on all details from the show.

Disclaimer: None of these characters (except one minor character) belong to me. They belong to other people; I'm just borrowing them for a little while (maybe a long while -- I am a slow writer). All rights and properties of Highlander are owned by Rysher entertainment, and all rights and properties of Buffy the Vampire Slayer owned by Joss Whedon, Warner Bros. and Mutant Enemy, etc. (Okay the legal stuff is out of the way.)

** Note to Readers: Thoughts are indicated with < and > markings. **

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Willow found the first victim behind a dumpster.

She had stopped to throw away the soda bottle she'd grabbed at a vending machine earlier. The smell was what alerted her first, making her stomach roll over. With newly acquired reflexes she had pulled her sword out of the duffel back she now carried most of time. Angel had given the bag to her so she wouldn't have to wear a coat in the ninety-degree weather. She tossed the soda bottle and bag to the side, leaving her hands free. The bodies she had seen throughout high school and during this past year didn't prepare the young Immortal at all for what she found. After staring in horror for several long moments she turned quickly and got sick in the overgrown bushes that concealed the dumpster. Willow stuck the point of her blade into the dry earth and leaned on it, using the support to stay upright. Her knees were trembling, and the image of the body she had found was burned into her brain. Willow blindly grabbed the discarded duffel bag and jammed her sword back into it. Weapon concealed she ran to the nearest payphone.

The first police officer found the site by finding her. Willow was calm and more than a little numb. <I'm in shock. Need to sit down. >

The officer was sure that the hysterical call about a dead body was a prank. The young cop was new to both his job and to Sunnydale. He was surprised to find the caller still by the phone booth. It was a student -- a slender, delicate redhead. She was incredibly pale, her mouth pressed into a small white line, hands gripping a large book bag with white knuckles. She didn't look like she was trying to pull off a prank. Actually, she looked like she was going to be ill.

"Miss?" The young woman looked up from the spot on the pavement that she'd been studying. "Are you the individual who called the police?"

"Yes." Her voice was soft, almost inaudible.

"Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down."

"I'm okay . . . it's . . . it's over there . . . behind the dumpster." The officer had to strain to hear her trembling voice. She pointed to the bushes, and then walked away to collapse on a bench.

Willow watched the young policeman walk away. She knew that she probably should give him more warning but the thick cloak of shock surrounding her made it hard to act. Willow was numb, and the world seemed very distant. She felt cold -- the bright sunshine didn't touch her. Willow knew what shock felt like; she'd been in shock after her first death. But this shock was deeper and more profound. Willow's first death had been quick, with surprisingly little pain. She knew that the person behind the dumpster hadn't been given the luxury of a quick death, and her mind and soul recoiled from the unwanted knowledge. After a moment the policeman lurched back out of the bushes, his face green. He stumbled to his patrol car and called for help, a lot of help, and then he got violently sick.

Within a few minutes the campus police arrived in force. Homicide detectives arrived shortly after. Students began to stop and watch the commotion. A crowd began to surround the bushes although a few of the closest grimaced and backed away from the smell, suddenly unsure they wanted to know what was going on. No one noticed the young woman who slipped away in the confusion, slightly pale and unsteady on her feet.

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Angel turned and made another circuit around the open first floor automatically avoiding the thin slivers of sunlight that slated in between the custom made shutters covering all the windows. The vampire had been pacing for fifteen minutes. Willow had called from the library to say that she was on her way home. The library was only a short drive, and it'd been well over a half-hour since her call --- so Angel was pacing.

Cassandra looked up from the computer, "I'm sure she's fine. She probably just forgot that she needed to stop somewhere."

Angel ignored her and continued to pace.

"Cassandra is right," Giles agreed, closing the book he was skimming. "It's broad daylight out, and none of us has heard anything about there being another Immortal in town. Willow's fine." Things had been quiet for a few weeks, except the normal vampires, and Giles was not at his most alert.

Angel glared at the Watcher; "She's late." <She always calls if she gets delayed. > On one level Angel knew that Willow could take care of herself. He should know --- he had been her trainer, but his heart wasn't willing to accept this reassuring information. The knowledge of her competence was buried by the need to keep Willow safe. His heart didn't want her to need to be able to defend herself. What made it really hard for Angel was his inability to be with her in daylight. It left Willow's back unprotected. Angel forced himself to sit down. Willow was happy being able to defend herself; his urge to be overprotective would only tear apart their new relationship. He knew this but couldn't seem to act on it.

They were taking their new relationship slowly. Willow had a lot to deal with, between adjusting to being Immortal and training her magic ability. Angel was still getting used to the absence of the demon, although it was happy adjustment. All in all they had enough to worry about without jumping into a serious relationship. They were friends, and they were in love. Willow and Angel spent a lot of time kissing . . . a lot of time, and for now that was enough. Plus, having Cassandra living with them was a bit like being chaperoned.

The vampire nearly flew out of the chair when a key turned in the lock and the door opened. Then, concerned, he rushed over to Willow. Giles glanced over briefly and mumbled, "Hello, Willow," then returned to his reading. Cass looked up and sketched a half wave before returning her attention the computer monitor. Then her head jerked back up, and she looked at her student more carefully.

Still pale, Willow shivered uncontrollably as she walked over to the chair nearest the door. She sat slowly - carefully. Angel hovered over her with worried look on his face.

"We've got trouble," Willow said softly, her voice only a whisper. Giles looked over at her, alarmed.

"What kind of trouble?" Cassandra asked.

"A new demon. Large claws." Willow took a deep breath. "I found a body behind a dumpster at school. It was in really bad shape . . . I got sick." In a flat voice Willow described what had been done to the person, including the fact that she couldn't tell whether the person had been male or female. Giles and Cassandra both grew rather pale. Angel wrapped his arms around Willow, pulling the shaking young woman close and stroking her hair soothingly. "I think they'll have to use dental records to identify -- whoever it was. I need something to write on." Cassandra grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil off the desk. Willow carefully drew a complex arrangement of circles, her slender hand trembling. "This was burned onto his . . . her . . . forehead and hands, at least on the hand I saw. There were some other random burn marks"

"Burned?" Giles looked baffled.

"Yeah, like it was done with a laser."

Cassandra looked at Angel, "Take her upstairs and sit with her. She's in deep shock. Wrap her in a blanket or something. "

"I'll make her some tea," Giles muttered, concern deeply etched on his face. Even with all the Hellmouth had thrown at the redhead, the Watcher had never seen her in such a strong state of shock.

"No, the tea's a good idea, but I'll get it. You start researching that symbol," Cassandra stated, "and call Buffy. Judging by Willow's reaction, I think she'd better be prepared for what she might run across during patrol. She's used to her corpses being somewhat . . . neater."

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By midnight Willow was doing better and had managed to get her hands to stop shaking. Her brain had also resumed functioning. After sitting and drinking an enormous amount of hot tea, she and Angel had spent an hour in sword practice. The exercise helped her burn off the rest of the shock. Willow had a feeling that she would never forget what she had seen though; you just don't forget things that bad. The entire group pitched into the research effort, but found nothing.

"Nothing here. " Buffy tossed aside the book she'd been reading. "I've got to go patrol some more. It was come-out-and-play night for the vamps earlier." Giles winced as the 200-year-old book she'd been skimming bounced off the couch and dropped to the floor.

"Be careful. If you see this thing, remember that it has very dangerous claws," Giles said.

Do you want me to come with?" Willow queried.

"No thanks; I need you on the computer. I'm working blind with this thing."

"Okay," Willow agreed but threw a pointed and eloquent glance at Angel. He rolled his eyes then volunteered. Since Buffy had tentatively approached Willow, treating her as equal, the two girls had rebuilt a strong friendship. Angel was not particularly interested in spending time with the Slayer but would do so for Willow. Buffy protested, but Willow overruled her with Giles' support. "You need to have back up. You're right that we don't know enough about this demon, and the vamps were heavy when you were out earlier."

But Angel and Buffy saw nothing unusual during the patrol, just vampires. The next body was found three days later behind a grocery store. Police labeled it a wild dog attack. Cassandra just rolled her eyes at the antipathy the Sunnydale police force had for reality. The victim's wallet was found nearby; the family had the body quickly cremated.

Two weeks later they got a lucky break; Buffy found the body first. She managed to not get sick and called Giles and Cassandra.

"It's over here." The Slayer looked distinctly green and her lips were pressed together in a tense line.

"Why don't you and Willow stay over there? I'm the one who needs to look," Cassandra said sympathetically. Cassandra and Angel walked quickly over behind the mossy crypt that Buffy had indicated. Giles followed them, then quickly returned, looking gray-green.

"I think I - I will w-wait here . . . as well," He stated. Buffy and Willow didn't say anything, and both young women gave him small sympathetic smiles.

Seven long minutes later Cass returned from her examination of the body. Her face was gray, rigid as a stone carving. Angel was equally grim. She gestured to the others, and they quickly left the cemetery. The vampire walked next to Willow, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. The witch leaned into the embrace, wanting the comfort. No matter how she tried she couldn't forget the victim that she had seen.

Cassandra began to speak, "The victim was drained of its soul. That's why the demon puts so much effort into torturing them. It's loosening the body's hold on the soul; the symbols must be the final part of the ritual to consume the soul. How they're burnt in I don't know. I think it may also be feeding on the fear and the pain. The area was full of magic afterimages and residue --- that's a lot of what caused that deep shock, Willow -- you picked up on what the victim was feeling. I have no idea what kind of demon this is; I simply have never seen or heard of anything like it. We're just going to have keep researching it." Cassandra's voice was sharp. Examining the body had clearly been very difficult. She was trying to hide it, but the condition of the body had upset her deeply.

They stopped at a payphone on the way to the car. Angel made a brief call to the police, disguising his voice, to alert them to the new victim.

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Eight more deaths and they still hadn't even caught so much as glimpse of the demon. It didn't seem to need to feed as frequently as most of the nasties they had gone up against. Vampires generally fed nightly, but this thing had only killed a total of eleven people, some of whom were still unidentified, over a course of two months. Of course, eleven was more than enough. Willow had known one of the dead slightly, a young male witch who had moved to the area recently and was starting classes at Sunnydale University. Hours of research had turned up nothing, not even the tiniest bit of information. Giles had even gone so far as to attempt contacting the Council, but it had been a totally useless effort. No one there would even talk to him. He'd been understandably pissed. Willow was still trying to find something on the Internet, but like the others she was having no luck.

<We've got to do something . . . anything. Buffy is getting worn out; we all are. > Willow looked at her friend with some concern. Buffy looked tired; between patrolling, studying, and hunting for the elusive demon the slayer was badly overextended. The nightmares finding three mutilated bodies had given her certainly hadn't helped. Her social life was currently nonexistent. Willow and Angel had done their best to help with patrolling and research but it wasn't enough. Cassandra refused to let up on the redhead's magic training, and Willow also had regular college classes. She was beginning to droop, and her grades were suffering -- although she hadn't dropped any classes yet.

Something had to be done, and Willow had an idea. She had discussed the idea with Angel and he thought it made sense. Unfortunately, the plan had one major flaw. Cassandra would hate it. Willow could see her teacher's face go cold and distant in her mind. It was not a pleasant or reassuring image, but the image of the body behind the dumpster was worse. After the eleventh body was found she made up her mind and decided to lie.

The email she sent Methos was lengthy. She described the situation and the victims in great detail. Willow also scanned a drawing of the symbols into the computer and attached the file to the message. Willow watched the mail received message come up on the screen with a sense of deep relief. Even if this didn't work, she wasn't going to be haunted by the feeling that she had left a possible source of information out while people died.

She'd sent email to the oldest Immortal before. The first had been to thank him for the book that had permanently bound Angel's soul. There had been a couple of short notes to discuss points in the book. An ongoing discussion had been started when historical events in the journal became confusing. Cass hadn't been in that part of the world at that time, and Angel hadn't been born yet so neither of them had been much help. Asking Methos had led to a number of long discussions about history. For the past two weeks though Willow had had little time to reply to email. Angel knew about the slowly developing friendship, but Cass didn't. The Immortal refused to even mention Methos. When they discussed the journal, she always called it the book Joe brought. Willow knew that Cass would be angry that she had begun to ask advice of the man. Furious actually. From what she could tell, both from the emails and talking to Joe, the man who now used the name Adam Pierson had only a distant relationship to the man who had ridden as one of the Four Horsemen. Three thousand years or so is a lot of time to change. The fact that he freely admitted that he wasn't perfect and that he tended to lean towards expediency was a point in his favor. Willow preferred honesty. <Which is why I hate lying to Cass, but I don't see what else to do. >

Willow realized she'd been staring into space when her computer beeped insistently at her. < I guess I'm even more tired than I thought. > The "you've got mail" message was blinking on the screen. Methos had already replied.

Willow,

Never heard of demon like that, but I'll see what I can find in my library. I'll get back to you as soon as I can. This sounds like a truly nasty piece of work, no wonder I haven't heard from you lately. How's the magic training going?

Methos

Willow smiled as she read the note; he was going to help, and the odds of finding some information had just gone up. It was several days before she heard from him again --- and he had precisely the information she needed.

. . . I know you have to hide this correspondence from Cassandra so I found a way get the information to the whole group without you revealing where you got it. I've started an occult website at members.tripod.com/demonlogy_resource_guide/main.html

The information will be there. Anytime I find something your group should know I'll post it there. I'm glad I could help. Let me know how things go.

Methos

Since Cassandra was walking past to her own room, Willow had to restrain a shout for joy. Spreading the information around would have to wait until tomorrow. However, she could tell Angel now. Willow quietly slipped out the door and into the next-door room. The celebration quickly turned into a kissing session fully enjoyed by both parties.

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Willow watched as Cass sat down, coffee in hand, to check her email. Walking over to the weight machine in the corner, the young witch decided it was best if her teacher found the information. Then Willow wouldn't have to explain why she hadn't found the site earlier.

"Cass, when you're done with your email there's a new site we need to check out. I found it last night, but I was too tired to look it over. It's bookmarked under demons, at the top of the list." Willow felt her stomach twist at telling the lie. Cass had given her so much; she hated telling her teacher a lie. <I won't cringe. It's a harmless white lie. We need that information. > This situation reminded Willow of those first few days of hiding Angel's return from Hell from the others and of her careful concealment of the friendship that had followed. She didn't want her relationship with Cass to undergo the same sort of strain that those friendships had. Resolutely Willow worked out, shutting out everything but the physical exertion.

Cass looked at the website's introductory page dubiously. It didn't look terribly promising. The contents page was lavishly decorated with cartoon demons and ridiculous looking vampires with capes and greenish slime. All the wording was done up in ornate Halloween fonts -- all drips and cobwebs. However, the artistic sensibilities of the creator weren't of interest here, just the accuracy of the information. Sighing with resignation, and ignoring the animated ghost that followed the mouse, Cassandra clicked on 'types of demons' and began exploring the website.

Things got better quickly. The actual descriptions were unadorned, detailed, and blessedly accurate. However, none of the information was new to her. She clicked back to the main page and scanned the contents. A small note at the top caught her eye "All new stuff is under updates and is not in the types list." <Oh well. Can't hurt to look. > There wasn't much on the updates page, just two additions to the demon types list, but it was enough. The first demon on the page was the one they were looking for. Not a lot was known about what the demon looked like, but its feeding and breeding habits were fully described; and there were instructions on how to lure it out into the open where they could fight it. Cassandra stared at the screen then smiled, filled with relief. "Willow, you found it. We can get this thing."

Willow walked over and leaned read over Cass's shoulder. Normal weapons were sufficient for killing this type of demon. The problem, which they had all noticed, was that the demon was very shy, and it normally fed only once or twice a year, remaining in hiding the rest of the time. It reproduced asexually and had to feed more frequently to do so. It was drawn to magical energy, power of any type, which is what had drawn it to Sunnydale, and to that unfortunate young witch. <The others must have had latent magic abilities. > Willow stood up, stretching out the muscles she'd been exercising, "I'll go call Buffy and Giles and tell them the good news. We can get rid of this thing tonight." The redhead smiled, voice cheerful and tension free for the first time in weeks. <Thank you Methos! >

"Hello, Giles?"

"Yes, Willow. What is it?"

"We found something." Her smile was clear in the tone of her voice. Giles effusively expressed his relief that a solution had been found and agreed to find Buffy and then come over to the new house immediately. The former Watcher sounded like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Much of his assistance to the Slayer consisted of information, and he had been unable to provide any. Now a plan could be made, and a demon eliminated.

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The group spent the rest of the day putting together a plan of action. The final result was fairly direct and uncomplicated. Cassandra and Buffy were going to do the actual killing. The two of them went scouting through the graveyard near the location of the demon's most recent kill. They Immortal and the Slayer managed to find a spot they felt they could defend against an unfamiliar opponent. After all, they still had no idea what the demon was like physically, and it had done a lot of damage to its victims. Control over the fight was essential, especially since the plan called for the near immobilization of everyone else except Angel. Cassandra quickly laid out the tasks for the rest of the Scooby gang.

"Willow, you are going to drop your shields and provide a tempting target for the demon. Giles, Anya, you two are going to help her boost the strength of her magic, make her smell better, so to speak." Angel made a sound of protest, which both Cass and Willow stared down. "Angel, you stand guard, in case the demon somehow gets around the Slayer and I. Willow will be a bit drained -- setting up a magic beacon that the demon can't resist will take a great deal of energy. She'll be a little vulnerable in a fight, so you handle that. As soon as Buffy and I engage the demon, stop the spell, and the rest of you all get out of there. Angel, continue guarding them. Willow, you eat and rest as soon as you get home." Cass gave her a firm look. "No trying to come back and help; you won't be in any shape to do so." Xander, who protested loudly, was staying at the house. "You're not a witch or an Immortal, so you're staying. Plus, we need someone to handle food and have first aid ready."

Cass turned back to Willow. "The spell you'll be using is very simple, little more than a lantern, but the amount of power you'll be feeding into the spell will take effort and energy to control. It will be difficult." Willow nodded quietly in acknowledgment of the warning.

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It was barely after twilight when they all headed purposefully to the cemetery. Cassandra and Buffy moved ahead to double check and prepare the spot where they wanted to confront the demon. Both women were already in battle mode, scanning the surrounding area and poised to fight. Willow hung back a little and watched as her teacher vanished into the tangle of trees and burial plots ahead --- she had other things on her mind besides the upcoming fight. She'd brought her sword along but barely even noticed its presence. The redhead's mind was on the man walking along side of her, holding her hand.

He was being great in some ways, giving her time to adjust to being Immortal before they let their relationship get really serious. Willow's thoughts unerringly turned to the flaw in their relationship -- a flaw that grew more aggravating all the time. <He's getting so overprotective. He doesn't even want me to spar anymore. And he looks at my sword like it's an enemy. > Even training with Buffy was a point of contention. When Angel had begun teaching her self-defense techniques he'd been encouraging and enthusiastic about teaching her. He was glad that she could take care of herself, but that had been before he'd seen her lifeless body. Angel was constantly on the lookout, fearing that another headhunter would appear. It wasn't as though she wasn't afraid of that herself, but she wasn't going to let it control her life --- and she'd wasn't going to let Angel protect her from every paper-cut or sprained ankle for the next century. <Oh Goddess, did I just think century? > Willow turned her mind back to her love life again.

Since the night of her death he had been pressing her to spend more time on magic lessons instead of sparring. Buffy was actually handling it much better than the vampire, asking for help both in patrolling and in practice. <Maybe it's 'cause she didn't see me dead. I mean, I told her it happene; she's seen me heal fast, but she didn't SEE me dead. I'm not sure that she even knows that a lot of that blood was mine, not the dead guy's. Plus, a lot of the blood was already cleaned up when she got there. Angel did see me dead, and he knew how badly wounded I really was. > Angel didn't seem to want her to get within a few feet of her opponent, which simply wasn't reasonable. Cassandra hadn't said anything, but Willow knew she hadn't missed the vampire's extreme change in attitude. <This had better be a phase. >

All the way to the graveyard, Angel hovered at Willow's side. He spent the entire walk scanning for trouble.

"I don't like this," Angel muttered.

"It's the most sensible way to take out the demon. Everything will be fine," Willow replied levelly. <I will not get angry with him. He just cares. It just a phase. He will adjust. > Slowly she took a deep breath, consciously relaxing the muscles in her shoulders.

"It's too dangerous."

"We'll be fine," Her tone was decidedly more strained this time. <Okaay. Maybe a little angry. >

For a few minutes the vampire stayed quiet. "You will be careful." It wasn't a question.

Willow decided to ignore him, partially because she was clenching her jaw.

He didn't take the hint. "Did you have to bring the sword?" Angel asked quietly. Giles overheard the soft question but decided to pretend he hadn't - he slowed so that he was a bit behind them. Willow did not look happy about the question. She stepped ahead of Angel and turned sharply to glare at him. Anya took one look at her friend's stormy face and decided that preparing the battleground with Buffy and Cass was safer than sticking around to listen. The former demoness took off.

Actually, 'not happy' didn't quite cover it. The young witch looked decidedly pissed. "What do you mean 'Did I have to bring the sword?!'" It came out in a yell, and Angel jerked back in surprise. Giles snickered quietly - he had wondered how long Willow would put up with her beloved's hovering.

She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "What should I have brought - a welcome basket? We're going into a fight! I'm an Immortal. I'm not on the front lines - this time - but I am not going to go unprepared!" Her voice had been gradually rising until she was shouting again. Angel started to open his mouth.

"No - do - not - say - anything! You've been training me for months now. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need or want you to protect me!" Angel recoiled as if she had slapped him.

Willow spun around and stomped ahead. <I will not listen to another 'be careful'! I am careful! He can't be my boyfriend and my big brother. Calm down, Will. You have to center yourself. > By the time she caught up with Cass and Buffy she had managed to become outwardly calm, although Cass sent her a questioning look as she and Buffy moved a inconvenient concrete bench out of the way.

Willow sent back a look that clearly said, "I'll tell you later." As Angel strode into the small clearing, brooding, as he hadn't in months, Cass realized that her student had finally lost patience with him. The vampire stood stiffly to one side as they set up the area. The clearing was only open on two sides and was actually an opening between two large crypts. Willow moved to the center and sat; she also drew her sword and laid it near to hand, sending a rather pointed look at Angel. Anya and Giles took up their positions beside her, and they all looked at Cass. She nodded and moved to stand at one end of the clearing while Buffy stood opposite her.

Willow began to pull the magic in, gathering it in slowly from the area around her and from within herself and feeding it into the simple spell. Giles' eyes went wide as he felt the pull and slight drain of Willow's mind. It was only a slight tug, but he could feel the power hovering behind it -- the power that the young woman carried inside her.

Willow sat for a second, rolling the power around in her mind, setting the magic she'd borrowed to the task of shaping and channeling the mass of her own power. The amount of power was overwhelming, far more than she normally needed to pull together at one time. It moved in chaotic ripples and eddies, blurring her sight and dulling her hearing. The magic was oddly seductive, beckoning to the young witch to just release the power and to see what it would do. <Oh, wow. Control -- control is a good thing. > A soft glow began to surround her, setting her red hair afire and leeching the color out of her clothes. Slowly Willow began letting a trickle of the power out, struggling to control it as she expanded the trickle to a slow steady stream as she lit the 'lantern'.

For a few long minutes nothing happened. Then Willow jerked as a presence, unfamiliar and cold, jabbed into her mind, cutting through the swirling bulk of her power. The presence was single-minded and hungry - and it was clearly thinking that it had found a tasty meal. Willow struggled to keep from running away from that icy touch, but her hold on the spell slipped ever so slightly and she forgot the cold touch in her struggle to maintain control. She couldn't keep from paling to a sickly white that was visible even through the glow of her power. Angel jerked forward, reaching to touch her. It was only a brief, abbreviated movement, and he stepped back, afraid to interfere with the spell. His movements made the dry grass crackle in the silence. It almost covered the tiny, nearly inaudible sound of scrabbling on the roof the crypt behind him.

Only a vampire could have heard the sound, and Angel turned quickly, unconsciously taking a fighting stance. But he didn't turn quickly enough. A dark blur flew off the roof, launching itself at the source of the appetizing spell. One long, wickedly clawed arm lashed out and backhanded Angel, sending the vampire over to Cassandra and knocking the Immortal over. Buffy dashed into the fight, swinging the battle-axe she'd deemed appropriate for tonight's task. The Slayer's first blow was true, slicing into one of the demon's legs, but her second blow missed, glancing off one of the demon's many claws as it ducked and rolled away from her. As it rolled, one long leg lashed out, sending the petite blond flying into Cassandra, who had just managed to get out from under the unconscious vampire. The two fighters fell into a heap, and the demon turned to find its prey. Cassandra shoved the Slayer out of the way and leapt between the demon and her student. With the skill developed over centuries the Immortal began blocking the slicing blows of the demon. Giles and Anya took off running, not realizing that Willow wasn't behind them; still caught in the whirlwind of power she had called up, the young witch sat in a daze in the center of the clearing -- not yet able to fight or flee.

The demon had a small, almost delicate looking torso and face. It lacked the horns and sharp teeth of most of the demons seen regularly around Sunnydale, but it made up for it in claws. It had three sets of legs -- or arms -- it used all six long, spindly limbs to shift its balance and attack it opponent, and direction of attack didn't seem to matter. To make matters worse, each arm/leg was tipped by long, razor sharp claws. Judging by the damage being done to her sword and the crypt walls on either side, the claws were covered in acid. All in all, not something you wanted to have to fight.

Cassandra was holding her own but was gaining no ground. Her sword was rapidly losing it's edge and the demon moved too fast for her to progress past anything except defensive moves. Giles and Anya, watching the fight from the relative safety of the crypt door about hundred yards away, looked at each other worriedly. After seeing the Immortal take out Angel's demon they had thought that she would be the victor without difficulty, especially as she would have Buffy's help this time. Instead the Slayer was just starting to regain consciousness off to the side, and Cassandra seemed to be incrementally losing the battle.

The power was overwhelming, threatening to take control of her. But the icy cold touch was gone, dancing around the borders of her mind instead. She needed to know what was going on around her now. Slowly, through sheer will power, she returned the power to where it came from and broke the spell she'd been containing the wild stuff in. Sight and sound returned, overwhelmingly vivid. Willow got to her feet, shaking off the dizzying aftereffects of the spell, sword already in hand. For a moment the ground tilted under feet, then she found her balance and focused on the scene around her, quickly realizing that her teacher was losing ground.

She darted around Cassandra's side, moving to protect Angel from the creature's flailing limbs. She swung hard at one of the three leg/arms the demon was using for balance, left unprotected as Cassandra attacked. The creature howled as it lost it leg. Pungent gray ichor squirted from the wound, sizzling in the grass. The horrid smell worked effectively to jolt Buffy and Angel back to awareness, though neither was completely clearheaded. For a moment Buffy just stared blankly at the fight, then her Slayer instinct kicked in. She darting in behind the demon, narrowly missing a vicious kick from its back leg. The blonde dropped and rolled, and sprang into a fighting position with her retrieved battle-axe in her hands.

The demon circled unsteadily on three of the remaining legs, two clawed arms held defensively. It's delicate head swung back and forth as it tried to the keep an eye on all of the three armed women that surrounded it. Cassandra took advantage of it's confusion and destroyed another leg, being careful to avoid the acidic blood that sprayed the area. The demon released a high pitched shriek. Buffy swung her axe and pulled another leg out from under it. Cassandra moved quickly as the demon fell. It's head flew across the clearing, trailing acid until it hit the crypt wall.

For a minute the three women just stood over the body and attempted to catch their breath. Buffy shook her throbbing head experimentally then decided that none of her injuries were serious and turned her attention to her friend.

"Willow, you okay?"

"I'm good," Willow grinned at her friend reassuringly.

"Cass?"

"Fine -- though it's a good thing I heal quickly"

Buffy moved to help Cass dispose of the demon. "Why don't you head back to the house. Cass and I can handle this. You help Angel get home and get some rest."

"That's an excellent idea. You may not be feeling it yet, but that spell took a lot out of you," Cassandra seconded the Slayer. She looked at the acid marks covering the ground and etched into the walls of the crypts. "This is going to take a while to clean up, and you need the rest."

Angel thought about getting up; his head felt fine. However, he felt a strange and rather unusual urge to hide. After weeks of worrying about her safety, Willow had had to rescue and protect him. It was a touch embarrassing, and also made it painfully clear that she'd had every right to be pissed and annoyed about his hovering. Cassandra had given them an opening to talk, but Angel wasn't sure if his redhead would want to take it. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't. The vampire stayed on the ground, diligently studying the grass.

"I love you -- blockhead." Angel's head jerked up to find Willow's hand right in front of his nose. "No brooding." Her voice was firm.

Willow reached down and pulled the battered vampire to his feet. His eyes were decidedly nervous, upset. He had apparently realized, watching her attack the demon, that she was right about him being overprotective and what it would cost him if he didn't let it go. Angel was also upset at failing to protect her . . . actually, shredded inside came closer. But there was nothing accusatory in her dark green eyes. "Partners, okay. I need you to look out for me sometimes. Sometimes you need me to look out for you. Otherwise we'll drive each other nuts. I don't think there's much we can't take on -- TOGETHER" The redhead's face was a mix of her normal resolve face and a look of passion warm enough to set off two or three volcanoes. Angel felt relief that she was forgiving him for hovering. Willow noticed his relief and had to fight an urge to giggle. She also noticed that he was returning the warm look.

Buffy and Cass ignored the couple; Anya openly laughed as she and Giles rejoined the group.

Willow grabbed Angel's jacket and pulled him closer. She tried to pour all of her feelings into the embrace. She felt his hands come up to hold her arms, and he returned the kiss passionately, his cool lips burning hers. After several breathless moments Willow relaxed her grip enough to tilt her head to rest on his shoulder. Angel let go of her arms, wrapping his arms to hug her close instead.

He murmured in her ear, "Partners." Willow could hear the smile and the agreement in his voice. "Shall we go rest before we have to take on the next thing, together."

"I don't know about resting, but the together part sounds right." Willow looked up through lashes and a veil of tumbled red hair, eyes sparkling naughtily. Angel grinned in surprise and quickly followed Willow as she took off towards home, laughing happily. After a few running steps they slowed to a walk, arm in arm. Behind them, Giles rolled his eyes and Anya smirked.

"Perhaps we ought to go to my apartment instead of the house," Giles muttered, cleaning his glasses and ignoring Anya's glee over the couple's behavior.

"What about Xander?"

"I'm quite sure they will tell him to leave. If he's smart he'll listen."

"Angel wouldn't hurt him, would he?" Anya voice was now a touch concerned.

"No, but Willow might."

Cassandra and Buffy dropped the demon back onto the grass and burst into laughter.

THE END - for the moment