Fic: Thanks with Tears, Willow/Angel/Spike, 4/50
Title: Thanks with Tears, Chapter Four
Info and disclaimers found here.
Previous Parts.
Angel turned away from the closed door to Spike’s room and slowly walked towards his suite. So much had happened in the last few hours and he was feeling extremely overwhelmed. How could he help Spike and Willow when he still needed to deal with his own tumultuous emotions?
As he passed the door to Willow’s room, Angel paused. He felt something.
Something wrong.
Tapping lightly on the door, Angel called Willow’s name. He waited a few moments, but didn’t receive a response. He called out louder when he heard a muffled cry come from the room.
Angel decided he couldn’t wait any longer and tried the knob. Finding the door unlocked, he rushed in the room, hoping he wasn’t betraying the girl’s privacy.
The sight stopped Angel dead in his tracks. Willow was floating nearly three feet above the bed, surrounded by crackling lines of electricity. The vampire slowly moved closer to the bed, entranced by the vision before him. As he approached her, he realized that her hair had turned black and under her breath, almost too quietly even for his vampiric hearing, he could hear her weeping.
“I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean it…I’ll stop…please,” she begged over and over. Angel watched the path of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
He was unsure what to do, so he reached over and slowly touched her outstretched hand and quietly called her name.
At the sound of his voice, Willow’s eyes shot toward him. She looked at Angel and practically growled. He took a step back when he saw that her eyes were completely black. She turned to observe the vampire. “Nothing in the ‘verse can stop me,” she whispered before throwing the man across the room.
Angel shook his head, trying to clear the buzzing in his head. She was much more powerful than he remembered. Standing slowly, he rushed to her side. Before she could attack him again, he wrapped his arms around her, trapping her arms tightly to her sides.
“Willow! Willow, you have to stop this, now!”
“I can’t,” she cried. “I can’t just stop.”
As the dark vampire held her even tighter, she began to sob harder. “I don’t know what to do,” she wept. As the tears ran down her face, Angel watched the black bleed from her hair as it returned to her normal red.
Willow fell onto the bed with a thud and clung to the vampire like a lifeline. Angel held her close and stroked her hair, trying to make soothing sounds to comfort her. Slowly, Willow’s weeping slowed, but she seemed to be trying to burrow herself into Angel’s chest.
When she had finally calmed down enough to talk, Angel asked her, “Willow, what was that all about?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, never pulling her head away from his chest. “That’s never happened before. I was having a dream about when I…when I was trying to kill everyone. They next thing I knew, you were holding me. What if I can’t control it, Angel?”
“We will work things out, ok? You can’t just stop doing magic. It’s a part of you. What we have to do is work on your control and get you past this grief. But you can do it.”
“That’s what Giles said,” she replied with a sob. “He said the magic is a part of me and just stopping would be worse for me.”
“See,” Angel said, as he continued to comfort the young witch. “It’s who you are.” He sighed before continuing. “I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Of course,” she replied.
“Not long after I left Sunnydale, Buffy came to see me here in LA, remember?”
“Yeah,” Willow nodded slowly.
“Well, I became infected with the blood of a Mora demon and was made human.”
“You were human!” Willow exclaimed, sitting up abruptly and banging her head on Angel’s chin. “Ouch.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled as he pulled her back to his chest. “Now let me finish. Buffy came and I was made human. It was everything I had ever dreamed of. We made love all afternoon, she introduced me to the wonders of food…”
“Oh! Did she give you chocolate ice cream?” Willow interrupted.
“Yeah, Cookie Dough Fudge Mint Chip. It was wonderful,” he continued. “But then Doyle had a vision and I had to go fight a demon. It kicked my ass. I’ve been a vampire for so long, I didn’t know how to fight as a human. Buffy had to come and save me. I realized that I would never be of any help as a human. I’m a vampire and being human, with all the vulnerabilities of a human, was going to get me killed.”
Angel took a deep breath as he felt the pain of the day he had never shared with anyone. “I went to the Oracles and asked them to change me back.”
“What?” Willow cried as she pulled back to stare at him in shock.
“Yeah,” he whispered as he dropped his head to keep from looking her in the eye. “It wasn’t me. I was no longer a warrior, I was…Xander.”
Willow snickered softly. “So why didn’t Buffy ever tell me about this?”
“She doesn’t know,” he replied as his voice wavered with emotion. “The Oracles turned back the day and I killed the demon before I was infected, so it was like it never happened. But I remember. No one knows except me…and now you.”
Angel paused before he finished the story. Somehow he was surprised that it didn’t hurt more. Maybe he had actually moved on. He lifted his head to look at Willow. “I’m a vampire, Willow. You’re a witch. We have to accept what we are and deal with it. I know it’s hard but you have people here who are willing to help.”
Willow leaned back against Angel’s chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Willow, I’m you’re friend and I care about you. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”
Angel leaned his head down to kiss the redhead on the top of her head that was tucked under his chin. As he did, he took a moment to take in her scent. It was warm and sweet, almost like cinnamon. He smiled into her hair.
Willow tilted her head to look up at him. Before he knew what he was doing, Angel leaned down, lightly brushing his lips against the warm, pouty lips of the witch in his arms.
Slowly, Willow sat up to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted before she lightly licked the seam of the vampire’s lips. Angel growled at the teasing tongue of the young witch.
Suddenly, they both pulled apart and looked at each other. Angel has the first to speak. “Willow, I am so sorry…”
“No, Angel,” she replied. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you.”
Angel chuckled. He couldn't believe that she thought she had taken advantage of him. He leaned over and kissed her softly on her forehead. “I think it’s time for us to get to bed.”
Willow gasped at the accidental implication.
Angel stumbled over his words in embarrassment. “I mean, we should each go to sleep in our own rooms. Separately. Sleeping in our own beds. Across the hallway from each other."
Willow giggled lightly before asking, "So, who's Xander now?"
Angel pretended to scowl at her before he cleared his throat and said, "It’s been a long night and we both need our rest.” He stood to get himself away from the redhead’s tempting lips. “Good night, Willow.”
“Good night, Angel,” she whispered as the vampire walked out of her room and quietly closed the door behind him.
Angel stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to collect himself, while he listened to the witch repeating quietly in her room, “Gay now. Gay now. I'm gay now."
tbc...
Proceed to Chapter Five
Info and disclaimers found here.
Previous Parts.
Angel turned away from the closed door to Spike’s room and slowly walked towards his suite. So much had happened in the last few hours and he was feeling extremely overwhelmed. How could he help Spike and Willow when he still needed to deal with his own tumultuous emotions?
As he passed the door to Willow’s room, Angel paused. He felt something.
Something wrong.
Tapping lightly on the door, Angel called Willow’s name. He waited a few moments, but didn’t receive a response. He called out louder when he heard a muffled cry come from the room.
Angel decided he couldn’t wait any longer and tried the knob. Finding the door unlocked, he rushed in the room, hoping he wasn’t betraying the girl’s privacy.
The sight stopped Angel dead in his tracks. Willow was floating nearly three feet above the bed, surrounded by crackling lines of electricity. The vampire slowly moved closer to the bed, entranced by the vision before him. As he approached her, he realized that her hair had turned black and under her breath, almost too quietly even for his vampiric hearing, he could hear her weeping.
“I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean it…I’ll stop…please,” she begged over and over. Angel watched the path of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
He was unsure what to do, so he reached over and slowly touched her outstretched hand and quietly called her name.
At the sound of his voice, Willow’s eyes shot toward him. She looked at Angel and practically growled. He took a step back when he saw that her eyes were completely black. She turned to observe the vampire. “Nothing in the ‘verse can stop me,” she whispered before throwing the man across the room.
Angel shook his head, trying to clear the buzzing in his head. She was much more powerful than he remembered. Standing slowly, he rushed to her side. Before she could attack him again, he wrapped his arms around her, trapping her arms tightly to her sides.
“Willow! Willow, you have to stop this, now!”
“I can’t,” she cried. “I can’t just stop.”
As the dark vampire held her even tighter, she began to sob harder. “I don’t know what to do,” she wept. As the tears ran down her face, Angel watched the black bleed from her hair as it returned to her normal red.
Willow fell onto the bed with a thud and clung to the vampire like a lifeline. Angel held her close and stroked her hair, trying to make soothing sounds to comfort her. Slowly, Willow’s weeping slowed, but she seemed to be trying to burrow herself into Angel’s chest.
When she had finally calmed down enough to talk, Angel asked her, “Willow, what was that all about?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, never pulling her head away from his chest. “That’s never happened before. I was having a dream about when I…when I was trying to kill everyone. They next thing I knew, you were holding me. What if I can’t control it, Angel?”
“We will work things out, ok? You can’t just stop doing magic. It’s a part of you. What we have to do is work on your control and get you past this grief. But you can do it.”
“That’s what Giles said,” she replied with a sob. “He said the magic is a part of me and just stopping would be worse for me.”
“See,” Angel said, as he continued to comfort the young witch. “It’s who you are.” He sighed before continuing. “I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Of course,” she replied.
“Not long after I left Sunnydale, Buffy came to see me here in LA, remember?”
“Yeah,” Willow nodded slowly.
“Well, I became infected with the blood of a Mora demon and was made human.”
“You were human!” Willow exclaimed, sitting up abruptly and banging her head on Angel’s chin. “Ouch.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled as he pulled her back to his chest. “Now let me finish. Buffy came and I was made human. It was everything I had ever dreamed of. We made love all afternoon, she introduced me to the wonders of food…”
“Oh! Did she give you chocolate ice cream?” Willow interrupted.
“Yeah, Cookie Dough Fudge Mint Chip. It was wonderful,” he continued. “But then Doyle had a vision and I had to go fight a demon. It kicked my ass. I’ve been a vampire for so long, I didn’t know how to fight as a human. Buffy had to come and save me. I realized that I would never be of any help as a human. I’m a vampire and being human, with all the vulnerabilities of a human, was going to get me killed.”
Angel took a deep breath as he felt the pain of the day he had never shared with anyone. “I went to the Oracles and asked them to change me back.”
“What?” Willow cried as she pulled back to stare at him in shock.
“Yeah,” he whispered as he dropped his head to keep from looking her in the eye. “It wasn’t me. I was no longer a warrior, I was…Xander.”
Willow snickered softly. “So why didn’t Buffy ever tell me about this?”
“She doesn’t know,” he replied as his voice wavered with emotion. “The Oracles turned back the day and I killed the demon before I was infected, so it was like it never happened. But I remember. No one knows except me…and now you.”
Angel paused before he finished the story. Somehow he was surprised that it didn’t hurt more. Maybe he had actually moved on. He lifted his head to look at Willow. “I’m a vampire, Willow. You’re a witch. We have to accept what we are and deal with it. I know it’s hard but you have people here who are willing to help.”
Willow leaned back against Angel’s chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Willow, I’m you’re friend and I care about you. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you.”
Angel leaned his head down to kiss the redhead on the top of her head that was tucked under his chin. As he did, he took a moment to take in her scent. It was warm and sweet, almost like cinnamon. He smiled into her hair.
Willow tilted her head to look up at him. Before he knew what he was doing, Angel leaned down, lightly brushing his lips against the warm, pouty lips of the witch in his arms.
Slowly, Willow sat up to deepen the kiss. Her lips parted before she lightly licked the seam of the vampire’s lips. Angel growled at the teasing tongue of the young witch.
Suddenly, they both pulled apart and looked at each other. Angel has the first to speak. “Willow, I am so sorry…”
“No, Angel,” she replied. “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you.”
Angel chuckled. He couldn't believe that she thought she had taken advantage of him. He leaned over and kissed her softly on her forehead. “I think it’s time for us to get to bed.”
Willow gasped at the accidental implication.
Angel stumbled over his words in embarrassment. “I mean, we should each go to sleep in our own rooms. Separately. Sleeping in our own beds. Across the hallway from each other."
Willow giggled lightly before asking, "So, who's Xander now?"
Angel pretended to scowl at her before he cleared his throat and said, "It’s been a long night and we both need our rest.” He stood to get himself away from the redhead’s tempting lips. “Good night, Willow.”
“Good night, Angel,” she whispered as the vampire walked out of her room and quietly closed the door behind him.
Angel stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to collect himself, while he listened to the witch repeating quietly in her room, “Gay now. Gay now. I'm gay now."
tbc...
Proceed to Chapter Five