Title: "In Shadow"
Author: Jinn
Rating: Pg-13? (I guess thats a little optamistic)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot
Feedback: I guess so, tell me what I did wrong-or right for that matter.  :)
Spoilers: I'm gonna say all of 'em, 'cuz I don't quite know all of
          what I'm gonna use yet. This part is set before the show
           started though.
Notes: This it the first story I've written in the B:tVS Universe
       and the second story I've ever written-don't excuse any mistakes,
       tell me about them. And if anyone knows the date Angelus was
        cursed could ya let me know?
________________________________________________________________________________

      Prologue

    He was a man with no name-or at least not one he wanted to remember.
    He traveled.  Running still to escape the guilt that plagued his soul.
    He traveled from Prague to England, finding solace nowhere. He finally
boarded a ship in England, stowing away.  Wearing rags of another time,
he survived on rats.  Not daring to be seen by others-by anyone, not even
those of his own kind.
   When he disembarked from the ship he discovered himself to be in
the Americas-New York to be exact.  Surrounded by the masses of people he
lost himself, and drifted.  He did his best to remember nothing-especially
nothis name.  The name that struck fear into people's hearts-Angelus: the
Angel of Death, Scourge of Europe.
________________________________________________________________________________

Part 1      60 Years After Curse- San Francisco

      It was night, of course.  It was always night.  He was sitting on
the ground at the end of an alley.  His head was in his hands, and
hunger gnawed at his body.  He was whisper thin.  He felt nothing of his
guilt-only the burning hunger that was raging at him to kill.  To soothe
its fire.
      A muffled scream, only a squeak to a normal man, sounded as
loud as a shot to him.  The part of him that hungered forced him to
investigate.
      What he saw made his soul scream in protest.  For there, against
the alley wall, was one of his own kind-sucking the life's blood from
an attractive redhead.
      "Stop! Let her go! Now!" he cried out.
      Unheeded, Angelus ran at the vampire with all the force he
could muster, intending to knock him away.  But the other, without even
looking, slapped him away such force that he threw him against the
opposite wall.  Undaunted, Angelus tried again-with the same results.
This time he was forced to watch helplessly as the vampire drained his
victim.
      Finally finished, the vampire looked up, his demon showing.
      "Let me give you some advise," he growled.  "Don't try that
anymore, on me or anyone else you encounter in this city.  Word will get
around-you'll be killed for 'interference'.  As a matter of fact, I think
you should run.  Run far away."
      Angelus stared-shocked.  If anyone had dared to speak to him in
that manner they would have been killed-in the old days.  At this
thought Angelus winced.  <The old days.>  He ran.
*****
Part 2: 1986

      Angelus had run as far as he could from that
place that he wanted to get away from.  If he went
any further he'd be going toward it again.  And so, he
had to stop.
In Califonia.  Sunnydale.
*************
      She sat on the living room floor, quietly playing
with her "ABC" blocks.  Her nanny was snoring gently,
having fallen asleep watching TV.  A crack of thunder
suddenly sounded.  Startled, Willow looked up at the window.
*************
      Angelus walked down the street of  an upper-middle-
class street.  Lost in his thoughts of regret, he had no
warning of  the attack.
      They were very young-the vampires that attacked him.
But there were three of them, and as weak as he was, he was
in no condition for a long knock-out fight.So he did the best
he could.  The first one to touch him died as Angelus snapped
his neck, the second he threw into the other-knocking one
unconcious, and the other to the ground.
       Without checking to see if he was followed, Angelus ran
down the street, around the corner and into someone's backyard.
He saw a tree and sat down under it to rest.  The sound of
thunder made him look up .  He sighed.   It looked like it was
going to rain.
      Angelus looked down and saw that a light was on in one
of the houses' windows.  Curious as to who would be up so late,
he walked over and looked inside.
      What he saw made him catch his breath.There sitting on
the floor was a beautifully innocent little
girl- a redhead.  Entranced, he stared.
      The thunder crashed again as the rain suddenly poured
down.  He saw that the sound had made the child look up, and
ducked back-not wanting to scare her.
********************
      Willow was very smart-everyone said so.  She had heard
it said so many times that she knew it to be true.  She knew
that she'd seen someone outside.  She knew it.
      (It's going to rain.  Nobody should be out side.  Why is
someone outside?)
      Carefully she got up, and without looking at the window,
Willow put up her blocks.  She turned the TV off. And went out the
room.
**************

            Part 3

      Once out of the room, Willow walked to the front of her
house.  She grabbed her coat from the rack and put it on.  Then
she quietly opened the door and went outside.
      She crept around the house to the back.  As silently as
she knew how, Willow walked up to the man standing in her yard.
      (He looks so sad.  And wet.  He's gonna catch a cold.)
**************
      Angelus was sorry when the child went to bed.  He stood
a few minutes hoping she would come back, but when she didn't he
turned to go-although where he would go, he didn't know.
      He was surprised, to say the least, to see the girl-child
standing before him.
            "You're gonna catch a cold," she warned.
      "What?" Angelus said, a bit incredulously.
            "Nanna says that if you stay out in the rain
you catch a cold," she stated patiently.
      "Oh, but I can't get a cold," he told her.
            "Well, you're still outside, and it's dark.
Somebody might hurt you." she declared.
      "You're very right." he agreed, "Why don't you go back
inside, and I'll go on home."  He started to leave.

      Willow panicked a little.  She didn't want him to go home.
She might never see him again, and she was lonely.
      "No!" she cried.  "You can't go!" she demanded.  It was then
that the strangest thing happened.  This little girl-this innocent,
redheaded little girl-commanded him!....And he didn't leave.
*****

            Part 4

      "Why?", he asked.  "Why can't I go?"
            "Because I don't want you to!", she replied.
      Quietly Angelus watched her.  Suddenly she shivered.
            "Come on," she said,"follow me."
      Thinking she meant to invite him into her house,
Angelus protested.
      "I can't go in there."
            "Where?" she asked him. "Oh, the house?
I know that-I'm not supposed to bring strangers inside.  Now,
Come ON!  I'm cold!"
      Again that strangest of things happened-she commanded-and
he obeyed.
*****************
      Curious now, as to where she wanted to bring him, Angelus
followed her.
      Willow was surprised that the man had even thought she was
going to bring him inside.  Nanna had said to never bring a stranger
into the house.  She had a completely different solution.
Her treehouse.
            Willow wasn't supposed to play in her treehouse until
she was bigger-but she was almost six!  And this was for a good
reason...really it was.  Her father'd had it made it for her, on one
of his infrequent visits home, when she'd asked for it after seeing one
on TV.  Willow thought hers was much nicer than the one on the movie
"Swiss Family Robinson."  Hers had almost  everything.  It even had
electricity and water-just not a bathroom.
*****************
      Angelus was very surprised when the girl led him up to the
tree.  He was even more surprised when she went around to other
side and began climbing it. He traced her progress with his eyes
and saw where she was headed.
<A treehouse?!>
****

            Part 5

      Willow was almost all the way  up when
she glanced down to see how the stranger was
doing.  She knew that some grown-ups had trouble
climbing trees.  She sighed with exasperation.
The man was just standing there!

      "You gonna come up here or not, mister?"

      Resigned, Angelus started up after her
without replying.  Entering the treehouse he stared
around in wonder.  It was like a one-room house.  It
had a TV, a sofa, a bed, carpeting, a bookself-granted
all the books looked to be by Dr. Seuss, But hey!  It
appeared to be quite comfortable.  He had seen real
houses that were worse.

      The child had turned the lights on.  She
stood watching him nervously as he looked around.

     "Do you like it?" she inquired.
     "Yes," he answered her softly, "It's very...nice."

      Willow gave him a quick smile and walked over to a
chest.  She opened it and removed two blankets.  Willow
held one out to him.

     "Here. You can use this to dry off." she offered.

      He took her suggestion and they dried off in silence.
When finished he hung the blankets over a chair.  At last,
Angelus looked back to the girl and found her gazing intently
at him wearing a frown.  Eventually she spoke.

     "You're very...pretty." she announced.  "Are you an angel?"

     "No." he replied. <far, far from it, little girl>

     "Are you a witch?" he demanded.

      Willow regarded him in bewilderment.  (A witch?  Does he
mean like on TV?)

            "I don't think so."  she responded.
***
      They silently surveyed each other for awhile, listening to
the rain that was still drumming on the roof.  Finally Willow dared
to break to quiet to ask his name.

      Angelus tried to think of what to tell her.  It had been a
long time since he had needed- or even wanted one.  He came up with
nothing.  He didnt want to give her his birth-name.  The name under
which he had committed such horrific crimes.  He also didn't want to
lie.

      "I don't have a name." he told her, regret in his voice.
"I haven't had a name for a long time now."

            "Oh." Willow sighed. (no wonder he lookes so sad.)
"Didn't your Mother give you  one?"

      Angelus did not answer-he just looked at her.

      "My name's Willow, and you could be my friend." she said
tentatively.  "Do you want to be my friend?  I'll call you Angel.
You really do look like one, you know.  I went inside a church once
and saw a picture that kinda looked like you.  The angel
had brown hair and everyth..."  Willow trailed off, out of breath.

      Angelus was looking at her in amazement.  He hadn't known
that a girl so small could have that much breath in her.  Then he
focused on what she'd said.  <A friend...would I be her friend>  He
remembered suddenly, that night years ago when he had failed to save
that red-haired women.  He looked back to the innocent child standing
before him.  <I will protect her.  I won't fail again>

      Willow looked at him questioningly.

      "Yes," he said at last. "I will be yours."
******

            Part 6

     "Really?!"  Willow said happily.  Then turning
serious asked,"You won't leave me?"

     "No," Angelus replied, "I won't leave."

     Walking up to where he was sitting, Willow looked
into his eyes.  "Do you promise?"

     "On my honor.  I swear I won't leave."

     "Oh, good,"  she sighed-ecstatic.  Finally she had
a friend.  Someone who wouldn't go away and never come back.
Someone besides that weird boy that lived down the street.

     Willow leaned back and looked him over.  "Angel...your
Mother really ought to dress you better.  Doesn't she take
care of you?  Do you have a Nanna too?"

     Angel gave her a little smile.  "No, I don't have a 'Nanna'."

     Willow looked at him sadly.  (No Nanna.  Nobody to take
care of him.  Well, he has _me_  now!  I'm gonna look after him.
But first things first, sleep-then some new clothes.  Definitely
need some new clothes!)

     "Angel, you go to sleep now.  I'll come wake you tomorrow, and
we'll go get you some new clothes."  When Angel looked like he was
going to protest, Willow said determined, "Yours are falling apart,
you need new ones."

      Angel sighed, and she knew that he'd given in.
"I'm gonna go inside and go to sleep too.  You'll be fine
in here."  She gave him a quick hug and ran to the door, where
she looked back.  Angel stood watching her go.

      " 'Night Angel"
      "Good night, Willow."  <my friend>
*****

            Part 7

      When Willow left, Angel looked around.  Seeing the
windows open, he watched her go back inside, then pulled the
shutters closed and hung the damp blankets over them.  Tired
and hungry, Angel decided to take to girl's advise and go to
sleep.  He looked at the bed.  <I am never going to fit in that.>
**************
      Late the next morning, Willow woke.  She ran downstairs
intending to make sure her friend was okay,  only to run into the
problem that was her Nanna.
      First, she had to eat breakfast. Then she had to clean
her room. After that, she had to help dry the dishes. Her whole day
went like that.  She would finish one thing, only to have Nanna want
her to do something else.
      By late afternoon, she was so anxious that she told Nanna
that she had a stomachache, and could she be excused for bed?
      The nanny, knowing that her charge didn't usually lie, was
little worried.  After checking for a fever, and not finding one, she
sent Willow off the bed.
      Once out of sight, Willow ran to her room.  She put her
pillows under the covers, got most of her allowance money, and went
outside to her balcony.  A bit scared at what she was going to do,
Willow climbed down her trellis for the first time.  Vastly relieved
to reach the ground, she stood still for amoment to calm herself.
Then, ran to her treehouse.
*************
     Upon entering, she saw Angel sleeping-on the floor.  She
looked at her bed, then her sofa, them back to him.  (Gosh!  I
didn't realize he was that _long_!)  She watched him a few minutes
trying to decide if she should wake him-he looked tired.  Then woke
him.  She was bored.
    "Angel?...Angel..." she whispered.  He didn't even open his eyes.Worried,

Willow spoke a little louder.  Still no response.
     "Angel!", when she yelled Angel grabbed her, and tickled
her unmercifully.

     "Stop! Stop!" *gasp* "Angel _please_!  I can't *gasp* breathe!"
When Angel finally stopped, she hit him.  "Why did you do that?", she
asked when she had caught her breath.

     "You made me worry.  I thought you said that you'd be here sooner."

     "I'm sorry but I tried too!", she protested, "Nanna wouldn't
leave me alone!"

      "It's all right Willow.", Angel tried to calm her.  "What did you
want to do?"

      "New clothes!," she replied excited, "You need new clothes!
Come on Angel, let's go to the mall before it closes!"

      <Oh Lord Above! What have I gotten myself into?>
******

                  Part 8

      (Shopping, shopping! We're going shopping!)  Willow
sang inside as she and Angel walked down the street-well Angel
walked, she skipped.  They were almost there.  She loved to go
shopping.  She'd loved it ever since her Mother had taken her
on her last birthday.  She wanted the get Angel something pretty
to wear.  And some ice-cream to make him feel better.  She
really hadn't _meant_ to make him worry.
***********
      When they reached the mall, people looked at them
strangely-the little girl in a red jumper walking-
now sedately-with the glaring man in rags.  But not one of
the people said anything.  Strange things were always
happening here.  No good ever came of talking about it.
Even if the man didn't have a reflection.  This was Sunnydale.
***********
      Willow dragged Angel all over the mall looking for
the most prettiest outfit ever. She wanted _her_ Angel to be
the prettiest looking man anyone ever saw.  They went through
Sears, Dillards, Macy's-and a dozen other stores.  Willow
wouldn't even consider anything.  She didn't quite know what
she was searching for-but she'd know it when she found it!

      Then about an hour to closing, Willow spotted an out
of the way store called "The Leather Den".  In a daze, Angel
was pulled after her. <I never knew there were so many stores
in one place!  And the people!  And how it the world can one
little girl have so much energy?!  She reminded him of....>
Angel didn't complete the thought.

      Once inside the store, Willow looked around curiously.
This place sure had some 'interesting' things.  ( Why hadn't
Mother or Nanna ever let me come in here?)  Then she saw it.
She walked over to get a closer look-still dragging Angel behind
her.

      It was perfect.  The shirt was the most darkest blue she
had ever seen!  It was almost black-almost.  She reached out a
hand to touch.  It was so _soft_!  (This one-I have to get
him _THIS_ one!)  She looked up at Angel and saw that his
attention was elsewhere-on a pair of black leather pants.

      "Angel? What do you think of this shirt?", she asked.

      "Its nice.", he told her.  He still wasn't _looking_, but
that was good enough for her.  She took it off the rack, then
followed his gaze to the pants again.  (He must really like them.)

      Angel couldn't seem to take his eyes off those pants.
He had owned pairs of leather pants before. He remembered them to
be very comfortable.  But they'd never been such a glorious
color-_black_!

      Willow pulled Angel over to the pants-seeing that he didn't
look like he was ever going to move.  She took them off the rack and
held them up to him.

      "Do you think they'll fit you?"

      "No," Angel put them back and took out the pair behind
them. "But _these will_!"  He sounded elated.
Willow silently laughed at him-not wanting to hurt his feelings.
But she sure did grin.  "Come on, Angel-let's go buy the clothes!"
Angel, happy to comply, followed her.

      They quickly checked out and headed for the ice cream parlor.
*****
  Part 9

      Willow was humming quietly, while walking, on what Angel
thought was the way home.  It was the way home-Willow was just
planning to make a stop.  She could see the park coming up ahead,
and the ice-cream parlor was right across the street.
 
      "Angel, do you like ice-cream?" Willow asked innocently.

      "I don't know-I've never had any." he replied

      Willow stopped short.  (Angel's never had _ice-cream_? Angel
has _never_ had ice-cream!)  Willow was completely shocked.  Everyone
had at least tried it!

      Willow looked up at Angel.  "We have to make a stop before we
go home.", she told him, as they started walking again.  She was
getting excited, because if he had never had ice-cream before that
meant that it could be a surprise.
 
      "Where?"

      "It's just up ahead, across from the park."

      "Okay, I hope it won't take long though-it's starting to get
little late."  Angel wasn't worried much.  It was still a little too
early for most of Sunnydale's nighttime residents to be out yet.

      Coming to the parlor Willow told him to wait outside.  "It's
gonna be surprise."  She smiled.

      "Willow, I don't want any ice-cream."  Angel wanted to take
back his words as her face fell.  He tried to make it up to her.  "Why
don't you get some and eat it for me?  We'll eat it out here on the
bench."

      "Okay."  She said, still a little disappointed.

      But being a well-mannered child, Willow did as he suggested.
She bought a large vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles, hoping to
entice him to take a bite.  (I just love vanilla-you can put almost
anything on top.)

      Willow rejoined Angel outside, slowly savoring her ice cream.
 
      "Angel, why don't we go across the street?  I can eat my ice
cream on the picnic tables."

      Not wanting to disappoint her again, Angel agreed.
**************
      They were sitting down, Willow still trying to get him to
taste her desert, when four fledglings came up behind Willow.

      He couldn't run.  He wouldn't risk the child.  Having no other
option, Angel shifted his face.  Angry that he had to lose his friend,
he despaired.  She would run in fear.

      Angel underestimated Willow.  She watch wide-eyed as her
Angel's face changed.  His brown eyes, which had watched her with
such gentleness, had turn gold and now blazed with fury.  His face
was now all wrinkly.   And he had _fangs_-like a cat!

      Willow saw all this.  She didn't run though.  Angel had
forgotten something.  She was his friend-but he was also _hers_!
Once Willow loved someone, or something, she didn't let go willingly.
******
   Part 10

      Willow watched wide-eyed, as Angel attecked the
four men that were walking towards them.  She didn't know
quite what to do.  Angel didn't look _crazy_, he just
looked _different_.
 
She knew that she couldn't run-Angel might get hurt.  Willow
also knew she couldn't exactly help him either-she was too
little.  Trying to figure out what to do, Willow watched in
shock as Angel was held down by three of the men-men whose
faces, she now realized, looked something like Angel's.
 
Willow watches in silence as the fourth man hit Angel.
_Her_ Angel.   She watched as he struggled againt the
strange men.
 
As she watched, a multitude of feelings welled up inside of her.
Anger, fear, despair, helplessness, and more-none of which she liked.
Suddenly everything seemed to slow down.  Her emotions took her over.
 
She looked intently at the strange, bad men.  The men that _dared_ to
hurt her Angel.  She screamed.  She screamed only one word, putting
all of those hated emotions into it.  She didn't scream very loud,
but the word seemed to hang in the air-echoing.

                    "_STOP_!"

      And the bad men did.  They were frozen in place.
****************************

      But Angel didn't.  He didn't realize that the fledgelings
had stopped fighting against him.  At that moment, he only knew
two things:  that he was free, and to kill that which theatened Willow.

      Three were turned to dust in quick sucsession.  The first
when Angel decapitated him in one blow, the second when Angel tore
his heart from his body.  The third was the worst.
       Angel made a meal of him.

******