Fic: Thanks with Tears, Angel/Willow/Spike, 6/50
Title: Thanks with Tears, Chapter Six
Info and disclaimers found here.
Previous Parts.
Chapter Six
Angel walked into the Hyperion exhausted. He hadn’t slept well and now he was covered in demon goo. Plus his head hurt from having to listen to Cordelia go on and on about how much she hated that demons always seemed to dissolve into some kind of goo. Tired and dejected, the vampire walked over to the weapons case and replaced the broad sword once he made sure it was properly cleaned.
“Is everything alright?” the small voice behind him asked.
Angel turned around to see Willow standing in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in her hands.
“Yeah,” Angel smiled at the girl as he turned and walked toward her. “Cordy just had a vision and we had to go and do a slash and trash.” Willow giggled when she heard the slang term coming from the normally proper vampire. “What?” he asked.
“You used slang,” she said as she pushed another spoonful of the sweet corn puffs into her mouth.
“I guess so,” he replied with a smile. “I suppose I’ve been around Gunn and Cordy too long.” It felt good to be around the young witch. Even after the awkwardness of the incident the night before, Willow still made him feel comfortable. He noticed that she was making short order of the cereal. “I take it you haven’t eaten in a while.”
“What?” Willow asked. Suddenly she realized that she was shoveling the cereal into her mouth like Xander. “Oh, sorry. I was in such a rush to get here that I didn’t stop very often.”
“Well, then you and Spike have something in common I guess.”
“I know,” she whispered and her bright mood suddenly became increasingly darker. “I had a hard time trying to get him to eat on the way here. I knew he was starving just by looking at him, but it was like he was not eating on purpose. Once I even…”
Angel looked at her as she trailed off mid-thought. “What Willow?” he asked quietly.
“Once, I offered him to try and drink a little from me,” she whispered, looking up into Angel’s chocolate eyes. “I thought maybe he was tired of the animal blood, but I just seemed to make things worse. He kept saying he couldn’t hurt the girl and didn’t deserve my taste. I almost forgot about the chip, but I thought it would be like entering a home. You know, it would be ok if he had an invitation. But he wouldn’t even try.”
“Well, it was a nice thought Willow, but it probably is a good thing he didn’t try.” Angel was surprised that the young witch would be willing to offer herself to be bitten by her once enemy just because he needed her help. “He has gone so long without feeding that until I get him well nourished his feeding will probably be pretty crazed. The bloodlust might make him lose control, even with the soul.”
“What is that on your neck?” Willow asked when she seemed to notice that Angel was lightly trailing his fingertips along his neck.
Angel pulled his hand away from his neck when he realized that he was touching the bite mark Spike had made the night before. He sighed as he remembered the feeling of his childe’s lips on his skin and his fangs in his flesh. He opened his eyes and looked at Willow who was staring at him waiting for an answer.
“He fed from you last night, didn’t he?” she asked as she stepped closer to the tall vampire and moved the collar of his shirt away from his neck. She gasped when she saw the ragged bite mark on the pale flesh. She lightly trailed the mark gently with her finger but pulled away quickly when she felt the vampire shiver. “Sorry,” she apologized and quickly found something very interesting in her bowl to look at instead of Angel.
“It’s all right,” he said pulling his collar snuggly up around his neck. “He needed to eat and he wouldn’t take the blood in the mug, besides, Sire’s blood can heal him faster than almost anything. He’s going to need more than I can give him right now.”
“I know,” Willow said daring to look up into his eyes again. “I was so overwhelmed when I first found him. I guess I just kind of went on auto pilot. All I knew was that I couldn’t go back to Sunnydale.”
“Speaking of Sunnydale,” Angel quickly changed the subject. There was something he needed to know. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, anything,” she smiled. “But let’s go into the kitchen so I can put this bowl away.”
Angel followed the redheaded girl into the kitchen and waited until she had rinsed out her bowl and placed it in the sink. Once he was sure he had her full attention, he asked, “What happened in Sunnydale after Spike had the chip implanted?”
Willow looked at him and froze for a moment, panic darting behind her eyes. “What did Spike tell you?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter what Spike told me,” Angel growled slightly. It upset him that the Sunnydale gang had treated his Childe so poorly, but he didn’t like to be played by this girl.
Willow stood for a moment with her mouth hanging open, surprised at the vampire’s response. She closed her mouth and answered him. “He came to us for help and Giles said he could stay as long as he was secured. He was afraid that Spike would try something - which he did! He got us to fight against each other to help Adam.”
“You chained him in a tub!” he yelled, a little louder than he had intended.
Willow fell back in shock. “We didn’t know what else to do. He has tried to kill all of us before, and sometimes he stayed in Xander’s basement instead of the tub.”
“That is not the point, Willow,” Angel said a little gentler as he took a step toward the frightened girl. “You took away all he was as a vampire. He lost his ability to feed, to protect himself and you treated him like an invalid. No wonder he turned to Buffy. The Slayer was the only one who could make him feel like a vampire again.”
Realization washed over Willow’s face a moment before she started to cry.
Angel looked at the redheaded girl as she dropped her head and quietly wept. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He tried to soothe her by lightly rubbing her back. As he did, he had a flashback to the dream he had. She needed to grieve and he wanted to help her, but as she clutched his chest he began to realize how warm she was. He leaned his head down to smell her hair and smiled.
Angel was enjoying the feeling of the girl in his arms, maybe a little too much. He felt himself begin to harden as Willow snuggled into his embrace. He knew he had to stop this now before things got out of hand.
Stepping away slightly and clearing his throat, Angel asked, “Has Spike come down to get something to eat?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Willow replied as she wiped the tears from her face.
“I think I’d better go check on him,” Angel said. Before he turned to head upstairs, he leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on Willow's forehead.
Quickly making his way upstairs, Angel tried to shake the feelings raging through him for the young witch. Willow had always been a good friend, nothing more. But since she had shown up the day before, something seemed different. Was he attracted to her? He would have to think about that later. Right now, he had a Childe to look after.
Tbc...
On to Chapter Seven
Info and disclaimers found here.
Previous Parts.
Chapter Six
Angel walked into the Hyperion exhausted. He hadn’t slept well and now he was covered in demon goo. Plus his head hurt from having to listen to Cordelia go on and on about how much she hated that demons always seemed to dissolve into some kind of goo. Tired and dejected, the vampire walked over to the weapons case and replaced the broad sword once he made sure it was properly cleaned.
“Is everything alright?” the small voice behind him asked.
Angel turned around to see Willow standing in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in her hands.
“Yeah,” Angel smiled at the girl as he turned and walked toward her. “Cordy just had a vision and we had to go and do a slash and trash.” Willow giggled when she heard the slang term coming from the normally proper vampire. “What?” he asked.
“You used slang,” she said as she pushed another spoonful of the sweet corn puffs into her mouth.
“I guess so,” he replied with a smile. “I suppose I’ve been around Gunn and Cordy too long.” It felt good to be around the young witch. Even after the awkwardness of the incident the night before, Willow still made him feel comfortable. He noticed that she was making short order of the cereal. “I take it you haven’t eaten in a while.”
“What?” Willow asked. Suddenly she realized that she was shoveling the cereal into her mouth like Xander. “Oh, sorry. I was in such a rush to get here that I didn’t stop very often.”
“Well, then you and Spike have something in common I guess.”
“I know,” she whispered and her bright mood suddenly became increasingly darker. “I had a hard time trying to get him to eat on the way here. I knew he was starving just by looking at him, but it was like he was not eating on purpose. Once I even…”
Angel looked at her as she trailed off mid-thought. “What Willow?” he asked quietly.
“Once, I offered him to try and drink a little from me,” she whispered, looking up into Angel’s chocolate eyes. “I thought maybe he was tired of the animal blood, but I just seemed to make things worse. He kept saying he couldn’t hurt the girl and didn’t deserve my taste. I almost forgot about the chip, but I thought it would be like entering a home. You know, it would be ok if he had an invitation. But he wouldn’t even try.”
“Well, it was a nice thought Willow, but it probably is a good thing he didn’t try.” Angel was surprised that the young witch would be willing to offer herself to be bitten by her once enemy just because he needed her help. “He has gone so long without feeding that until I get him well nourished his feeding will probably be pretty crazed. The bloodlust might make him lose control, even with the soul.”
“What is that on your neck?” Willow asked when she seemed to notice that Angel was lightly trailing his fingertips along his neck.
Angel pulled his hand away from his neck when he realized that he was touching the bite mark Spike had made the night before. He sighed as he remembered the feeling of his childe’s lips on his skin and his fangs in his flesh. He opened his eyes and looked at Willow who was staring at him waiting for an answer.
“He fed from you last night, didn’t he?” she asked as she stepped closer to the tall vampire and moved the collar of his shirt away from his neck. She gasped when she saw the ragged bite mark on the pale flesh. She lightly trailed the mark gently with her finger but pulled away quickly when she felt the vampire shiver. “Sorry,” she apologized and quickly found something very interesting in her bowl to look at instead of Angel.
“It’s all right,” he said pulling his collar snuggly up around his neck. “He needed to eat and he wouldn’t take the blood in the mug, besides, Sire’s blood can heal him faster than almost anything. He’s going to need more than I can give him right now.”
“I know,” Willow said daring to look up into his eyes again. “I was so overwhelmed when I first found him. I guess I just kind of went on auto pilot. All I knew was that I couldn’t go back to Sunnydale.”
“Speaking of Sunnydale,” Angel quickly changed the subject. There was something he needed to know. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, anything,” she smiled. “But let’s go into the kitchen so I can put this bowl away.”
Angel followed the redheaded girl into the kitchen and waited until she had rinsed out her bowl and placed it in the sink. Once he was sure he had her full attention, he asked, “What happened in Sunnydale after Spike had the chip implanted?”
Willow looked at him and froze for a moment, panic darting behind her eyes. “What did Spike tell you?” she asked.
“It doesn’t matter what Spike told me,” Angel growled slightly. It upset him that the Sunnydale gang had treated his Childe so poorly, but he didn’t like to be played by this girl.
Willow stood for a moment with her mouth hanging open, surprised at the vampire’s response. She closed her mouth and answered him. “He came to us for help and Giles said he could stay as long as he was secured. He was afraid that Spike would try something - which he did! He got us to fight against each other to help Adam.”
“You chained him in a tub!” he yelled, a little louder than he had intended.
Willow fell back in shock. “We didn’t know what else to do. He has tried to kill all of us before, and sometimes he stayed in Xander’s basement instead of the tub.”
“That is not the point, Willow,” Angel said a little gentler as he took a step toward the frightened girl. “You took away all he was as a vampire. He lost his ability to feed, to protect himself and you treated him like an invalid. No wonder he turned to Buffy. The Slayer was the only one who could make him feel like a vampire again.”
Realization washed over Willow’s face a moment before she started to cry.
Angel looked at the redheaded girl as she dropped her head and quietly wept. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He tried to soothe her by lightly rubbing her back. As he did, he had a flashback to the dream he had. She needed to grieve and he wanted to help her, but as she clutched his chest he began to realize how warm she was. He leaned his head down to smell her hair and smiled.
Angel was enjoying the feeling of the girl in his arms, maybe a little too much. He felt himself begin to harden as Willow snuggled into his embrace. He knew he had to stop this now before things got out of hand.
Stepping away slightly and clearing his throat, Angel asked, “Has Spike come down to get something to eat?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Willow replied as she wiped the tears from her face.
“I think I’d better go check on him,” Angel said. Before he turned to head upstairs, he leaned down and placed a delicate kiss on Willow's forehead.
Quickly making his way upstairs, Angel tried to shake the feelings raging through him for the young witch. Willow had always been a good friend, nothing more. But since she had shown up the day before, something seemed different. Was he attracted to her? He would have to think about that later. Right now, he had a Childe to look after.
Tbc...
On to Chapter Seven