Touch of Evil

Part 10

Four Months Later

	There was something about techno music, with it's pounding incessant
beats, that freed a person's souls, driving away whatever anchored it.  It
contained a wild, primitive purity that managed to siphon those dancing to
it off from reality.  You couldn't help but give yourself over to the
fierce beauty of the music.  It was a secret Willow was only just learning,
and it thrilled her, making her heart pound erratically to the beat of the
music.

	Another secret was that you could dance as spastically as you wanted and
nobody cared.  Even the worst dancers were decent when gyrating to the
synthetic rhythm of techno.  As Willow danced within the sea of the
nameless, faceless crowd, she felt absolutely unselfconscious.  That
usually didn't happen while Willow was dancing.

	Panting slightly from the exertion of her nonstop dancing, Willow looked
around for Adrian.  It was hard to focus her eyes on any one object for
long since the dizzying changes of the strobe light kept her eyes in
constant dilation, but she eventually caught sight of him not far from
where she was dancing.  He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over
his chest, his mouth turned downwards in an angry pout.  He'd been in
pretty much the same position since they'd arrived.  It had been Willow's
idea to come here, and Adrian had been far less than enthusiastic.  He
didn't want to come here- not to a bustling underground club in the center
of Venice, where they would be around strangers all night.  

"That's exactly the kind of element we should avoid.  It's the kind of
place vampires like to frequent- and any vampire could be a tie to Angelus.
 Do you want Angelus to find you just because you had to go dancing one
night?"  Willow had already known every excuse Adrian gave.  He was right-
going dancing was precisely what she should not be doing if she wanted to
remain undiscovered by Angelus, but that still hadn't stopped her.  They'd
been in Italy for 4 months and they'd spent all of it hidden away in their
small cabin in the countryside, their only company, aside from each other,
being the small village 4 miles east of their house.  It wasn't that Willow
didn't enjoy spending all that time alone with Adrian.  She just needed a
night out, without worrying about vampires and demons out to make you their
immortal brides.  Besides, Willow just couldn't bear being so close to
Venice, a city she had often dreamed about visiting when she was stuck in
Sunnydale, and not spending some time enjoying it.

When Willow had insisted on coming, her resolve face firmly in place,
Adrian had been left with no choice but to accompany her.  "But I won't
enjoy it.  And I definitely won't be dancing."  Adrian, having laid down
those conditions, was making sure he firmly abided by them.  

Annoyed and distracted by Adrian's refusal to loosen up, Willow danced her
way over to where he was standing.  She had to maneuver her way around a
group of young Italian beauties who, she couldn't help but notice, were all
checking out Adrian, throwing admiring glances his way which he steadfastly
ignored.  Willow took great pleasure in slithering up to Adrian, sliding
her arms up and around his neck and drawing his lips to hers for a
passionate kiss.  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the pack of girls
glaring at her, openly jealous.  Willow couldn't help the pleasure it gave
her.  

When they pulled apart, Adrian's expression had softened a bit, but not
much.  Willow had learned there were few people as good at being stubborn
as Adrian.  Of course, Willow was pretty good at it herself, which led to
some pretty interesting arguments between the couple.  

	"So, does this mean you've gotten this yearning to let loose out of your
system and you're ready to go?"

	Willow smiled seductively, shaking her head so strands of her hair whipped
back and forth.  Grabbing hold of his hand, Willow pulled Adrian into the
crowd.  "Dance with me."  It was a command, not a request, and before
Adrian could open his mouth to protest, Willow had spirited him into the
center of the dance floor and had her body pressed intimately against his.
It wasn't exactly the right kind of music for full body contact, but Willow
didn't care.  She was tired of Adrian's temper tantrum, and she was gonna
do whatever it took to cheer him up.  Besides, Willow never shied away from
an excuse to be close to Adrian.

	He resisted at first, remaining stiff and unmoving, but he wasn't able to
resist for long.  What, with Willow backside brushing up against Adrian's
crotch and her hands running up and down the side of his legs.  In no time,
Willow was able to feel the effects of her dancing, as his arousal pressed
into her back.  Knowing he was beat, Adrian wrapped his arms around
Willow's waist and began to move with her body.  He buried his face in her
neck and she heard the barely audible groan escape his lips as she pressed
her body even closer to his.  

	They danced that way for awhile, each enjoying the feel of the others
body.  Willow had never fully realized the sensual nature of dancing
before.  The friction between their bodies was making Willow ache with
unreleased longing.  The music went from driving, techno beats to the slow,
insinuating rhythms of reggae.  The friction became a pleasurable agony
when, copying the moves of other couples, Willow turned around and
straddled Adrian's leg as they continued to move against each other.  Each
thrust of his thigh against her crotch sent pulses of heat through her sex
and up towards her abdomen.  Though their movements were slow and
deliberate, the effects were leaving Willow panting for breathe, her body
moistening from sweaty desire.

	The rest of the room died away, leaving only Adrian and Willow.  Not
caring who was watching, Willow's lips met Adrian's, her delicate hands
grasping the back of his head, pressing his lips hard against hers.

	Becoming more and more aroused by the feel of Adrian's body against hers,
Willow felt her need growing stronger than ever before.  For four months
Willow had been holding steadfast in her moral resolve to wait for her
wedding night.  Not that she had been playing the vestal virgin all this
time.  Many a night they had fallen asleep, naked and spent from intensely
passionate couplings.  However, Willow never allowed things to go too far.
What she was waiting for, though, she couldn't exactly say. 

	As always, a powerful cloud of lust began to overshadow Willow's
reservations.  She felt her body being carried on a wave of intense sexual
desire.  Before they got too out of control, Adrian disentangled himself
from Willow and led her silently out of the club.

	As they made their way out of the club headed for the privacy of their
car, neither noticed the dark haired figure standing within the corner
shadows of the club, watching their hurried retreat.  Silently she followed
them, an invisible shadow seen by no one.

	Inside the plush interior of the Mercedes, Adrian and Willow fell into
each other's arms.  The dark corner of the parking lot gave them shelter
from the curious eyes of passerbys, though they were barely thinking of
such matters.  Driven by an animalistic lust, Willow barely noticed the
various pieces of clothing she was quickly losing as their embrace became
more and more heated.  

	Adrian nibbled on Willow's earlobe, causing her to shiver in delight.
"You're so beautiful, Willow."  Adrian's whisper held an intensity of
emotion that penetrated straight to Willow's heart.  "I thank the Gods
everyday that you came into my life.  Without you I'm nothing."  

	He moved his lips down to caress the soft skin of her jawline, his words
carried on the warm kisses he placed there.  "I know I don't tell you this
enough.  You deserve to hear it every moment of everyday.  I don't know
what I'd do without you.  I couldn't go on.  If you were gone then I would
be gone."  He moved his face upwards so it was level with Willow's own, his
forehead resting against hers, their mouths mere centimeters apart.  "I'm
not saying this well, I know.  I just can't find the words to make you
realize how important you are to me."

	Willow silenced Adrian with a kiss, a mere brushing of her lips against
his.  "I know, Adrian.  You don't have to explain it to me because my heart
knows deep down, even if my mind doesn't always.  I know because I can feel
the counterpart of everything you're saying inside myself.  I feel you in
my heart because it's where you've always belonged.  You were in my heart
before we ever met.  It's always been you, and it always will be."

	Eyes radiating love towards each other, they didn't even kiss.  It was
enough just to hold each other, and Willow knew why they weren't rushing to
have sex.  The emotion was so strong it sustained and filled every desire.

	They stayed, kissing and embracing in the backseat of the car until the
club closed its doors and the street surrounding the club was near empty.
Reluctantly, they moved back to the front seat to prepare for the long
drive back to the villa.


	Merging with the shadows that lurked around the edges of the parking lot,
Angelus stalked his prey with a cunning and stealth that was all part of
his nature.  He watched as the couple got in their car, the woman's red
hair igniting the vampire's passion like a flare.  His expression darkened
as the couple quickly melted into an embrace, their bodies melding to form
one, lascivious entity.  Enraged by the sight, Angelus reached for the
nearest object to him and found himself crushing a discarded liquor bottle
in his bare hand.  Starring with detached interest, he watched the blood
dripping in thin rivulets from the wounds on his palm.  Halfheartedly, he
licked the blood away enjoying the fiery path it burned down his throat.  

His rage combined with the blood lust, and before he had even decided on
his course, he was across the lot, ripping the car door open.  Grabbing the
redhead by her hair, he sank his fangs into her throat, tearing the skin
open with an animal abandon.  Effortlessly, he knocked her lover aside.
When he had drunk his full, he discarded her lifeless body to the dirty
street and reached for the unconscious man.  Blood poured from a wound on
his head, a product of the steering wheel Angelus had flung him against.
In moments, Angelus had drained the couple, the empty husks of their bodies
that had been full of life only minutes before now lay side by side on the
hard concrete beside their car.  

Kicking the girl's body so she lay on her back, Angelus stared at the pale
beauty of her face.  Death's mask colored her lifeless skin an opaque
white, paler even than she had been in life.  Even the red of her hair was
becoming lackluster, the color drained away with her life's blood.  Only
the green of her eyes retained any brilliance.

Sneering, Angelus licked his lips, enjoying the remaining blood lingering
on his fangs.  The ringing of his cell phone broke into his triumph over
his conquests.  Reaching into his jacket pocket he pulled out the tiny
electronic device he was regretting having purchased.  "What," he barked
into the phone.

"Sorry lover, did I catch you at a bad time?"  The voice on the other end
rippled with suppressed laughter, which only served to enrage Angelus
further.  If it had been anyone but Elena, he might have killed them for
that laughter.  Of course, he might still do it to Elena, even though she
had always been one his favored fledgings.

"As a matter of fact Elena, I was just reveling over my latest kill.  It
was one of my favorites, a red haired beauty if I've ever seen one.  Now
that I can't enjoy her death, you'd better tell me what you want.  I told
you never to call me on this wretched device unless it was an emergency.
Now, I hope whatever this is will be worth your punishment when we get home
tonight."

Elena laughed, knowing full well how much it rattled her sire.  She always
had enjoyed his anger, especially since it always led to her nude body
being chained to his bed.  "Well, I figured you'd like to know that you're
favorite red head just left La Traviatta with her Watcher consort.  They're
parked outside the club right now, steaming up the windows of their car
pretty heavily.  Hmm, if my vampiric sight isn't failing, I dare say she
has presently lost her blouse."

Angelus clamped the phone closer to his ear, an all too human reflex
reflecting his disbelief in what he was hearing.  "I swear Elena, if you're
lying to me right now I am going to make the bone splinters fly when I find
you.  Is Willow really there, right now?"

Elena giggled, enjoying the rage and excitement her news was producing in
the all powerful Angelus.  She wasn't quite sure what hold this girl had
over Angelus, but it was certainly a first.  Elena had often seen her sire
become obsessively attached to young mortal women.  She herself had been
one of these women.  But it was different with this one.  The red headed
witch was causing the impeccably cool Angelus to lose his control, and that
was something Elena had never thought she'd live to see.  Nope, never had
Angelus been this obsessed.  In fact, wasn't he right this second near the
remains of another redheaded victim who had done nothing wrong but resemble
this young Witch.  Countless girls had fallen victim to similar fates in
the past four months.  Their body's lay all over Europe.

Angelus growled a warning as Elena continued to giggle.  "Yes, I'm serious.
 While you were enjoying you're carbon copy across town, Willow has been
dancing the night away with her lover, and now they're about to partake in
an older form of dancing, though I can assure you the club is no longer
playing music of any kind.  Now, are you going to spend the rest of the
night yelling at me over the phone or are you going to claim the prize
you've been searching all over Europe for.  If you'd like my advice, I'd
suggest getting over here before she drives out of your life… again."

Angelus growled a final time before slipping the phone back in his pocket.
The newly acquired blood burned in his veins as he hurried over to his car.
 He slammed the door, barely missing his leg.  He didn't even care.  He was
furious with himself.  While Willow was all the way across town he had been
wasting his time at this club, reveling in the blood of a girl that looked
like her but wasn't her.  If he missed capturing the little witch because
of this preoccupation he'd end up killing Elena, just for having seen her
when Angelus hadn't.

Part 11

	Angelus arrived at the club just in time to witness Adrian and Willow's
tryst.  Though it enraged him to see another man with his hands all over
Willow, he managed to restrain himself from taking any action before the
time was right.  If he allowed his rage to take over he would end up
killing the two of them and then the fun would be over before it had even
started.  Plus, he wouldn't end up with his prize, and nothing- not even
his own rage- was going to keep him from having Willow.  

	Angelus followed the two lovebirds back to their home in the Italian
countryside, making sure he kept his distance so they wouldn't notice they
were being tailed.  He parked a discreet distance away and watched as they
parked the car in the driveway, her Watcher lover clutching her to his
chest as he carried her into the house.  He spent some time looking over
the property, casing it like a common burglar, before retiring to a secure
location where he could wile away the daylight hours and work out his plans
for the imminent reunion. 


	Willow promptly fell asleep on the drive home, barely stirring to
consciousness as Adrian carried her from the car to the house and upstairs
to the bedroom.  Once Adrian had them both settled in bed, Willow
instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist and sank into a deeper sleep.

	The dream began like all the others.  Willow was late arriving home.
Every light in the house was off, but that alone didn't alarm her.  She
often found herself coming home to an empty house, her parents either
working late at their respective offices or out of town on business.  No,
an empty house wasn't strange to Willow at all- but a seemingly empty house
when both her parents' cars were in the garage, well, that wasn't right.

	Her heart skipping a beat, Willow dropped her bag and began to walk
through the house, calling out for her parents.  No answer.  Willow turned
towards the stairs as an object caught her eye.  One of her mother's high
heels lay carelessly discarded on the fifth step.  Willow froze.  That
wasn't right.  Her mother would never leave her shoe on the stairs.  One of
her biggest pet peeves was clutter.  A Place for everything and everything
in it's place- the mantra was practically burned into Willow's brain from
birth.  

Taking the stairs two at a time, Willow raced up to the second floor.  Once
she reached the peak of the staircase, Willow stopped.  Despite the lack of
any conceivable source, the hallway glowed with an eerie red light.  Willow
felt the bile rise up in her throat as she realized that the walls and
ceilings were covered in blood.  The walls were gushing blood almost as if
bleeding from the inside, and the glow coming off it was luminescent.
Every half second the blood would fade to the dull coppery color Willow
normally associated with blood before brightening with unnatural
luminescence.  It didn't take Willow long to realize that the metronomic
beat it followed was that of a beating heart.  As the glow came faster and
faster, Willow realized it was attuned to her own rapidly increasing
heartbeat.  

	Running down the hall that now seemed endless, Willow tried to reach her
parent's bedroom.  Midway, blood began to drip from the ceiling like
raindrops.  Soon, Willow was covered in the sticky liquid, her hair matted
down and plastered to her cheeks.  Stifling a scream of utter horror and
revulsion, Willow ran faster, trying hard not to slip on the red pool
beginning to form on the carpet.

	With a violent lurch, Willow pushed the bedroom door open and stumbled
into the room.  Moments later, Willow bent over and vomited on the once
cream, now scarlet carpeting.  Squeezing her lids shut in an attempt to
block out the nightmarish image before her, it wasn't long before her eyes
were stinging from repressed tears.

	Taking deep, even breaths to keep herself from hyperventilating, Willow
slowly pried her eyes open.  Choking on her sobs, Willow pulled herself off
the floor and staggered towards the bed.  The pain she felt left her mind
numb and unable to process the images before her.  The scene played out in
her mind like a tableau.

	Their bodies had been grotesquely arranged in positions Willow had only
previously seen in old black and white prints in some of Giles' more
gruesome books.  And the blood- there was so much, all over everything.
Much more than could possibly have come from two bodies.  Willow's eyes
roamed over the room and took in with growing horror the various body parts
strewn about as haphazardly as discarded articles of clothing.  Her eyes
settled on the dresser top and, before she knew it, she was bent over
again, vomiting once more at the sight of the blood drenched human heart
resting on top.

	Willow began to scream and once she had started she found she couldn't
stop.  Her screams were being wrenched from her throat even as she threw
up, causing her to almost choke on her own vomit.  The screams kept coming
until a hand covered her mouth and an arm as strong as a steel vice wrapped
itself around her waist, lifting her off the ground and pulling her against
a hard, solid male body.

	When she was done screaming, he removed the hand covering her mouth and
she gasped for air in between sobs.  With his now free hand, he gently
swept his palm over her hair, petting the wet strands with covetous joy.
His lips placed soft butterfly kisses on the side of her neck, his tongue a
gentle caress as he licked at the blood staining her skin.  As he adjusted
his hold on her, gripping her body closer to his, Willow felt his erection
pressing into her lower back.  She stopped struggling and allowed herself
to slump dejectedly against her captor's body as a sense of doom settled
into her heart.  Deep down, Willow had known that he would one day
recapture her.  Her foreboding, combined with the horror of her parent's
mutilated bodies before her, had sucked all will to fight out of the young
witch.

	He chuckled as he felt her body relax against his.  He moved his lips so
that they hovered besides her left earlobe, his whispered words raising the
hairs on the back of her neck.  "I told you I'd have you again.  I've
claimed you, and I take very seriously that which belongs to me.  When
something of mine is missing, I do everything in my power to get it back.
You're mine Willow, and nothing you do, nothing you say and nowhere you go
is ever going to change that."

	Willow looked back at the bodies of her parents and felt the rage
returning.  Practically snarling, she retorted, "I hate you.  I'll always
hate you.  The day you killed my parents is the day any attraction I felt
for you died.  No matter what you say or what you do, Angelus, I will never
be yours and I will never be foolish enough to fall for your seductions."

	She felt his body shaking with laughter.  Suddenly, she felt his hand slip
beneath the waistband of her pants and two cold digits stroke the warmth
underneath.  Horrified, Willow realized that her body had betrayed her.
When he withdrew his fingers they glistened with the evidence of her
arousal.  Ashamed, Willow shut her eyes against the sight.  She heard
rather than saw Angelus bring his fingers up to his mouth and lick her
juices off with a lascivious smack of his lips.

	"Your body says otherwise, Willow.  But to make you feel better we can
play this game."  Turning her around so that she was facing him, his
fingers went to the buttons of her blouse.  With quick, nimble fingers he
undressed her.  "You can deny it now all you want, but in the end I'll have
you screaming my name as you cum."

	When he entered her in one hard thrust a scream born from her soul escaped
from her lips.

	Willow was still screaming as she was shaken awake by Adrian.  It took
twenty minutes for him to calm her down, holding her tight against his
chest as he tried to whisper soothing words in her ear.

	Hiccuping over her sobs, Willow pounded her tiny fists against Adrian's
bare chest.  'Why?!  Why?!  Why me, why did he do this to me?  Oh God, When
is it going to end?  I just want the dreams to stop.  Please, Adrian, make
them stop."  Breaking down again, Willow buried her face in his chest and
cried.

	Adrian's heart broke to see her like this.  Before long he was crying
along with her.  "I would if I could, Willow.  I'll do anything to protect
you from him.  As God is my witness, I won't let him get to you."

	Adrian's words managed to calm Willow down a bit, though she continued to
cry silent tears until she fell back asleep.  Adrian remained awake, a rage
burning deep inside his chest.  The fact that he couldn't save her from
this pain made his heart ache and his throat close around his own fury.  He
couldn't stand the idea that it was his demon, his body inflicting this
torment on her.  Everything that had happened to her was his fault.  What
right did he have to comfort her when he was the cause of her suffering?

	"Oh my Willow," he whispered, stroking her hair lovingly.  "Willow, aroon,
I wish I could tell you everything.  I'm just so afraid you won't forgive
me, especially since I can't forgive myself.  I just hope that when I do
tell you the truth, when you realize who I really am, you'll know that I
did it all because I love you.  I love you so much that I'll destroy my own
body, and with it the demon, to protect you."

	He listened to Willow's uneven breathing, her sobs still plaguing her in
sleep, and remained safe in the knowledge that she hadn't heard him.
Vowing to one day provide Willow with the ability to have a peaceful,
dreamless nights sleep, Angel allowed both his soul and the body it now
inhabited to relax and drift off to sleep.

Part 12

**To each other we'll be facing
 By love we'll beat back the pain
 we've found
 You know
 I mean to tell you all the things I've been
 thinking deep inside
 My friend
 With each moment the more I love you
 Crush me
 Come on
 Lady**

Crush by The Dave Matthews Band

	Diffused, late afternoon sun spilled into the room from the huge picture
window that made up the right hand wall of the villa's study.  Willow found
Adrian there when she finally woke.  He sat in an armchair he had moved to
face the window, his eyes closed as a peaceful smile played on his lips.
Willow stood in the doorway, her heart expanding with tender emotion as she
observed the familiar scene.  The sunlight cast Adrian in a golden haze,
making him look more angelic than usual.  Willow always hesitated in
disturbing Adrian during these moments.  She felt like she was intruding on
something intensely personal, something that came directly from his soul.
He seemed to draw strength from the light, as if sitting there he was
engaged in some kind of mystical transference with the sun.  The joy he
received from this simple act was akin to an infant's exuberant suckling at
a mother's breast.

	Deciding not to disturb him, Willow turned to leave, taking with her a
portion of the peace infusing Adrian.  Strong arms wrapped themselves
around her waist, halting her retreat.

	Adrian rested his chin on top of Willow's head as she leaned back into
him.  "Morning… or should I say afternoon."

	Willow sighed, reveling in the comfort of being held in Adrian's arms.
"What time is it?"

	"It's 4PM.  But don't worry, I sent Lucinda to run the errands you wanted
done, and she's already finished them all.  That means there's nothing
either of us needs to do for the rest of the day.  So how does a quiet
evening at home, just the two of us, sound?"

	Willow snorted playfully.  "You're just trying to stop me from dragging
you to another club.  And here I thought I'd converted you into a veritable
raver."

	Adrian's hands slipped under the satin pajama top covering Willow,
stroking the skin of her stomach with the pads of his fingers.  "Well, now,
I didn't say I didn't like it.  I'd be lying if I said last night didn't
have its moments."

	Willow grinned at the memory, though her cheeks did gain a bit of color.
Last night had been a huge departure from her former self, and though
Willow hadn't been the shy, reserved innocent of past for awhile, she
couldn't help but pause every so often in wonderment at just how much she
had changed in such a short amount of time.  "If everyone back in Sunnydale
could see me now they'd… well, they'd probably get a stake or try to
depossess me."

	Adrian couldn't help but join her in her light laughter.  "I always knew…"
 He stopped mid sentence, mentally berating himself for almost making a
foolish slip.

	Willow tilted her head so she could look into Adrian's eyes, wondering why
the rest of that sentence had died on his lips and why his body was
suddenly so tense against hers.  Before she could ask, Adrian seemed to
snap out of it, his body relaxing against hers once again.

	"I always knew the woman I fell in love with would be just like you.  It
doesn't matter to me if you're home and in bed by 10 or dancing all night
at after hour's clubs.  Whichever Willow you are, I'll still love you."

	Willow melted at his words, allowing him to lead her back into the study
and over to the couch.  Once he was settled, Adrian pulled Willow down so
she was laying on top of him.

	They laid like that, cuddling and kissing, for close to an hour.  These
were the times Willow loved best.  Laying with Adrian, wrapped in his arms,
which were both strong and gentle at the same time.  That was one of the
things that made Adrian so special and made Willow feel incredibly grateful
he was in her life.  He had exactly the right mix of brute masculinity and
gentle sensitivity.  He was macho but it didn't stop him from expressing
his emotions to her.  Nobody had ever held her as gently as he, making her
feel like some cherished possession while conveying both strength and
protectiveness.  If there was one thing in the world that Willow didn't
doubt, one thing that remained stable, it was Adrian's love for her.

	The kisses ranged in intensity, from quick, wet passionate open mouth
kisses to slower, tenderer though equally passionate ones.  Some opened
like slow blooming flowers while others exploded upon impact, though each
and every one raked Willow's body with pleasurable shivers of delight.
Throughout it all they whispered endearments to each other, trying to
convey with both words and physical contact all they were feeling.

	During one of their lapses into contented cuddling, Willow began to feel
playful.  "Adrian?"

	"Hmmm?"  Unable to form words while in this blissful state, Adrian
resorted to mumbling.  Her next question caught him completely off guard.

	"When did you first know you were in love with me?"  Though her tone was
capricious, Adrian could sense the serious undertone to her questioning.
He knew women well enough to know that the question's answer would be a
double edged sword.  She was obviously looking for a very specific answer
and the wrong one could bring undesired consequences.

	Internally, Angel cursed.  The question was all the more difficult to
answer considering his present dual consciousness.  As Adrian, Angel had
only first met Willow 10 months ago.  However, as Angel he had known her
much longer and if he was going to be honest, which he had sworn to Willow
he would always be (a hard promise to make considering their whole
relationship was founded on one major secret), then that would entail
telling her the whole truth.

	For a moment, Angel considered it.  He wanted to tell her from the very
beginning, but something had held him back.  He thought it would be easier
to protect her if she hadn't known the truth.  Plus, never in his wildest
dreams had he ever imagined Willow would return the love he felt for her.
Perhaps if he'd known how far their relationship would progress, how deeply
their bond would grow, he would have told her from the start.  Now, Angel
was too scared to tell her- afraid of the prospect of losing her.

	Willow was still waiting for an answer, her body tensing as a result of
his continued silence.  Angel also knew her well enough not to continue
keeping her in suspense, for fear she might begin to doubt things she had
no reason to.  Resting his palms on her cheeks, Angel lifted her face to
his and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, deciding to be honest without
revealing too much.  "I knew I loved you the first time I saw you Willow,
and even before that.  I've been in love with you my whole life- it was
only when I first saw you that I realized it was you."

	Now it was Willow who couldn't find the words to express her feelings.
Instead of trying she reached to pull Adrian's lips down to hers,
reigniting the passion between them. 

It took the couple close to five minutes to pull apart long enough to
realize someone was knocking at the door.  Growling from unfulfilled
desire, Adrian lifted Willow off him and stalked out of the room towards
the front door.  Though Willow was just as disappointed at being
interrupted as Adrian, she knew she was better at controlling her emotions.
 Therefore, she followed him to the front door in order to protect whoever
was there, most probably Lucinda, from his wrath.

Willow found Adrian standing in front of the open door, his body frozen as
if in shock.  Curious, Willow stepped from behind Adrian and took in the
petit girl standing before her.  Caught off guard, Willow couldn't stop
herself from shrieking.  "Buffy!  What are you doing here?"

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