SEPTEMBER, 1998

"Who's there?" Willow called out, backing away from
the dark mouth of the alley; she kept moving until her
back touched the cold metal of the streetlight.

"Relax," a male voice soothed. "I'm not gonna bite."
Willow rolled her eyes, silently moving her hand up to
the small of her back and the stake Giles had forced
her to hide there. "You don't believe me?" the man
asked, and she shook her head. She heard him sigh, and
suddenly her knees went weak as he stepped out of the
alley. His dark eyes held intense amusement as he
witnessed her reaction. Willow felt rage boil up
inside of her as she straightened her posture and
glared at him.

"Who are you?"

"A friend," he replied, smiling slightly.

"Sorry, got enough friends," she shrugged, turning
away from him.

"How long's the Master been out?" he asked suddenly.
Her head whipped around to meet his eyes.

"You know about the Master?" A brief flash of fear
danced in her eyes, but was quickly replaced by the
familiar icy look.

"You've lost friends, haven't you?" the man asked,
avoiding her question. "A lover, perhaps? A mentor?"

"Who the hell are you?" Willow hissed. The man opened
his mouth, but before he could reply, he suddenly
found himself lying on his back with a combat boot
pressed against his throat. "Nice shot, Xand," Willow
greeted.

"Who he?" Xander asked, gesturing to the man on the
ground beneath him. The redhead shrugged.

"He says he's a friend," she replied.

"Human?"

"He didn't try to bite."

"You human?" Xander asked the man; the stranger didn't
reply. Well, rather, he couldn't reply seeing how
Xander's boot was still pressing against his throat.
"You think G-man would care if we brought a stray
home?"

"He knows about vampires," she shrugged; Xander raised
an eyebrow and removed his foot from the man's throat
The stranger coughed loudly, rubbing his throat.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked.

"Looked like you were attacking my Will," Xander
replied, slinging an arm over Willow's shoulders. "I
didn't like that. So, you of the fanged species?"

"I don't bite," the man replied.

"Good enough for me. How 'bout you?" Xander asked,
looking over at Willow.

"If he tries anything, we can take him."

"Agreed." With that the two friends led the stranger
through the streets of Sunnydale; the two teens kept
watchful eyes on the sides of the street, looking out
for any possible dangers. They neared the high school
in silence with Willow stealing glances at the man
neither he nor Xander were looking.

"Why are we going to the high school?" the man asked
as they mounted the steps and headed around to the
back of the building.

"Headquarters," Xander replied quickly, pulling a key
out of his back pocket and inserting it into the first
door they came to. The teen pushed the fire door open
and ushered the other two inside the vault.

"What's this place?"

"The vault. Where the old books go to die," Willow
replied, pulling open the other door that was situated
across from the first. Soft light from the library
stacks slid in the door as the girl and her friend
walked out. The man stood there in silence, seeming to
contemplate his next move. "You coming?" Willow asked,
popping her head back in the door; he sighed and
followed her out.

"Hey, G-man! We come bearing gifts!" Xander shouted as
they stepped into the center of the library.

"Xander, how many times have I asked you not to call
me that?" Giles replied, not looking up from his book.

"Five times, and that's just today," the boy replied,
pulling stakes, crosses, and vials of holy water out
of the pockets of his cargo pants and setting them
down on the table. Giles looked up to glare at the
teen, but his attention was drawn to the dark haired
stranger.

"Hello," Giles greeted cautiously.

"Hey," the man nodded, placing his hands in the
pockets of his jacket.

"And you are?" Giles prodded, his hand drifting down
to the crossbow he stored under the table.

"Angel," he replied; Giles raised an eyebrow. Angel
sighed. "I've come to help you against the Master."

"And how can you do that?" Giles asked, his hand
gripping the crossbow tighter. Angel sighed and rolled
his eyes up to the ceiling. When he returned his face
to the humans of the room, the demon was present in
all its glory. "Gods," Giles hissed, bringing the
crossbow up swiftly and aiming it at the vampire's
heart.
 

"I thought you didn't bite," Xander snarled, slipping
into a fighting stance. Only Willow seemed to be
unperturbed.

"I don't," Angel replied. He opened his mouth to
continue, but he was silenced by blinding pain as
something impacted with the base of his skull. He
slumped forward as he slipped into unconsciousness,
and Willow grinned triumphantly at the two men.

"Knew this would come in handy," she smirked, throwing
the heavy crucifix onto the table.
******
SEPTEMBER, 1998

Angel moaned and shook his head slightly as he swam
back into consciousness. The back of his head felt
like it was being pressed onto hot coals, and as he
lifted his hand to find out why he was in such pain,
he realized he was chained down.

"What the...?" he muttered, opening his eyes and
glancing around. He struggled briefly against his
bonds before he was stilled by the sound of a cocking
crossbow. He turned as best he could to find himself
nose-to-bolt point and looked up into the cold eyes of
the redhead.

"Wouldn't move if I were you," the boy called Xander
commented from his position sprawled out on the
library counter. "She's a killer shot."

"You don't have to keep me chained up," Angel
reasoned, never taking his eyes off the redhead,
partly terrified of her ability to shoot and kill him,
and partly fascinated by the petite girl.

"Really?" the girl growled. Angel blinked at such a
ferocious sound coming from her.

"I'm not like other vampires," he stated.

"If it looks like a demon," she replied.

"And moves like a demon," Xander continued.

"It's a demon," Angel finished, slumping back in the
chair he was chained to.

"Willow, please don't kill the creature before we get
a chance to confirm his identity," the librarian
commented, stepping out of his office followed by a
dark-haired woman. The redhead, Willow, smirked at the
vampire but lowered the crossbow. "I can only find one
reference to a vampire named Angel in the Chronicles,"
the librarian told the woman. "It only mentions that
his name means 'The One with the Angelic Face'."

"Wow, the Watcher's finally get something right,"
Willow muttered, and Angel was torn by his reactions,
pride at her acknowledgement of his attractiveness and
fear at the mention of Watchers. After all, wherever
the Watchers were, the Slayer wasn't far behind. Angel
briefly wondered if the blonde girl Whistler showed
him was still alive.

"I'm not sure if this is the Angel your clan cursed,"
the librarian continued, walking over to the table as
Xander hopped off the counter and joined the little
group. The woman shrugged, looking Angel over.

"Our records are sketchy, but they do mention a
tattoo. The leader of the clan marked the Cursed One
on his right shoulder blade," the woman replied.

"You heard the woman," Willow stated. "Strip."

"Sorry, I don't get naked on the first date," Angel
smirked. Suddenly Angel found Willow's crossbow and a
large crucifix carried by Xander shoved in his face.
The redhead cocked an eyebrow. "Alright," he muttered.
"But I can't very well do like this, can I?" he
snapped, indicating the chains.

"Xand," Willow stated, tossing the boy her crossbow.
He lowered it until the bolt was even with Angel's
groin.

"You hurt her, you'll be writhing for centuries," the
boy threatened as Willow pulled the key to his chains
out of her pocket. She unlocked the chains and quickly
moved out of reach as the vampire stood up. Angel
glanced at the four humans before sighing and starting
to unbutton his shirt.

"Cover your eyes, Will," Xander ordered, a teasing
smile dancing on his lips.

"Trying to protect my virtue?" Willow replied.

"Yep," he answered.

"Won't work," she bantered.

"I know," he grinned as Angel finally tossed his shirt
onto the table. He turned around, baring his muscular
back to the group.

"That's the design," the woman commented.

"Good," the librarian commented. "Put your clothes
back on," he ordered the vampire.

"Do I get to be chained up again?" Angel asked with
mock enthusiasm.

"Not unless you enjoy it," Willow replied, smirking.
Angel suppressed a laugh at her double entendre.

"Oh, I do," he replied. "But not right now."

"Pity," Willow replied, sitting down in a chair on the
opposite side of the table from Angel. She propped her
feet up and half-watched Angel and half-watched Giles.

"Ms. Calendar? I-I mean, Janna?" Giles called out as
the woman headed for the library doors. She turned
slightly and smiled at him. Giles stood there and
stuttered for several seconds before Willow rolled her
eyes and leaned forward.

"Giles? Do I have to ask her out for you?" she asked,
causing the librarian to glare at her. She smirked and
shrugged. Janna laughed at the exchange.

"Rupert?" she questioned, getting his attention again.
"How would you feel about a picnic tomorrow?"

"I would like that," he smiled. She waved at the small
group before heading out of the library.

"'Bout time, G," Xander grinned, sitting down next to
Willow.

"Will she be okay?" Angel asked, watching the library
doors swing closed.

"She's a gypsy," Willow shrugged. "But she's also a
pretty powerful technopagan."

"Yeah, Janna's got powers we can't even conceive,"
Xander replied.

"I suppose official introductions should be made,"
Giles commented walking over to the group at the
library table. "The obnoxious teenager is Xander
Harris."

"Nice to meet you, Deadboy," the boy smirked with a
small wave. Angel rolled his eyes at the nickname.

"The redhead is Willow Rosenberg," Giles continued.
Willow raised her eyebrows and grinned at him. "I'm
Rupert
Giles."

"Most people just call him G-man," Xander commented.
Giles sighed heavily, taking his glasses off and
cleaning them with a rag he pulled out of his pocket.

"Once again, Xander--"

"'Please refrain from calling me that,'" Xander
finished.

"Welcome to the White Hats, Angel," Willow stated
before breaking into a fit of giggles at the bickering
that continued between Xander and Giles.
******
SEPTEMBER, 1999

"You're staring at her likes she's dinner," Xander
commented, glaring at the vampire as Angel watched
Willow and Giles do weapons inventory. "Which she
better not be," he warned, his voice low and even.

"She's not," Angel replied, glancing over at the boy.
"I'm just amazed--"

"That we haven't staked you yet?" Xander finished.

"No," Angel responded evenly. "That you three have
managed to survive without help for so long." Xander
shrugged.

"G-man tried to call the Slayer here like she was
supposed to be, but things fell through. Apparently
there's a lot of demonic activity in Cleveland,"
Xander commented. "So we dealt and improvised."

"What happened?" Angel asked. "The Master, I mean. How
did he rise?"

"Oh, the Harvest," the boy stated as if the event in
and of itself meant nothing. "The Vessel fed, the
Master rose, people died." There was a hardness in his
voice that hadn't been there before.

"You lost friends." Angel didn't bother to phrase it
as a question, already knowing the answer. Xander
didn't reply verbally, only nodding his head slightly.
"Her story?" Angel asked, indicating Willow with a
tilt of his chin.

"You got a stiff one for Will?" Xander asked, not
bothering to hide his grin. Angel narrowed his eyes
but didn't comment. "You want her story, ask her
yourself," he replied, leaning back in the chair as
Giles and Willow walked over and joined the pair at
the table.

"Are you two patrolling again?" Giles asked, gathering
the books off the table and heading for the stacks.

"Oh, I don't know," Xander replied, smirking at Angel.
"Maybe Will and the new guy can have a go." He wiggled
his eyebrows at the vampire. Willow smacked him in the
back of the head.

"Mind out of the gutter, Xand," she ordered with a
smile.

"But the gutter's comfie," he pouted. Giles sighed,
rubbing the bridge of his nose slightly.

"Children," he muttered, carrying the books up the
stacks.

"C'mon, Deadboy," Xander ordered, standing up and
pulling his leather jacket off the back of the chair.
"Let's go show you the night-life." The three of them
left the library with a wave to Giles as he exited the
stacks.

"Be careful," the librarian called after the trio.

Xander walked in front of Willow and Angel, scanning
the road in front of them for vampires while Willow
and Angel scanned the sides of the road.

"So, Will," Angel began, but Willow cut him off with a
wave of her hand.

"Only Xander calls me Will," she stated, eyes never
leaving her side of the road.

"Okay, Willow--"

"Only Giles calls me Willow," she replied, casting a
quick grin in his direction.

"Fine, _Red_," he growled.

"'Red?' I like it," she smirked. "Sounds dangerous."
Angel laughed suddenly, causing Willow to turn and
stare at him with eyebrows raised.

"I can't figure you out," he stated once he quieted.
"One second you're ready to kill me, and the next,
you'e my best friend." She shrugged.

"I figure, you've been neutered so no danger," she
smirked, turning and hurrying to catch up with Xander.

"Oh, Red, I'm far from neutered," he grinned, watching
the way her muscles moved as she walked away from him.
Angel shook himself, trying to get those thought out
of his head, and followed the other two. He was within
a yard of them when a vamp jumped out of a small
thicket of trees. It grabbed for Willow, but the
redhead moved deftly out of its way. She spun around
pulling two things out of her pocket, a bottle of holy
water and a stake. She threw the bottle at the vamps
face as it turned to grab her again; with it blinded,
she rammed the stake into its heart. She grinned at
Angel and Xander as the vampire disappeared.

"Good job, Will," Xander praised just as the trees
rustled again and another vampire leapt out at the
pair. Angel moved into action, pulling a stake Willow
had stuffed into his jacket pocket out. He moved
between Willow and the attacking vampire and managed
to stake it, just as a blinding pain hit the small of
his back. Angel glanced over his shoulder and managed
to catch sight of a crossbow bolt sticking out his
back. He glared up at the two teens. Xander grinned
sheepishly and waved his crossbow at the vampire.

"You okay, Angel?" Willow asked, moving up beside the
vampire.

"I will be as soon as someone gets this thing out of
me," he stated, still glaring at the teenage boy.

"Hey, if you hadn't got in my way," Xander shrugged.
Willow rolled her eyes, placing one of her hands on
the shaft of the bolt and the other flat on Angel's
back around the entry wound.

"Count of three," she stated calmly. She glanced up at
the back of Angel's head and yanked the bolt out
without warning. Angel sucked in an unneeded breath.

"You lied," he hissed. Willow shrugged.

"Details," she stated, turning to face Xander. "You
want to call it a night?"

"Sure, since Deadboy's pretty much out of commission,"
Xander answered.

"So that was just an elaborate plot to get to go home
early?" Angel asked, straightening up, his wound
already healing.

"Yep," Xander replied happily as the trio headed
towards the library.
*****
OCTOBER, 1998 (and it is 1998 regardless of what part 3 said)

The two adversaries circled each other warily, each watching the other for
any sign of weakness. One adversary was dark and pale with a coldness of
body that infected the air around him while the other was light and
slightly pale with hot blood pumping through her veins. Fire and ice, they
each played predator and prey until with out a sound or any outward sign of
agreement, the battle was joined.

Ice leapt for Fire, but she out maneuvered him, spinning out of his grasp
even as she brought her leg back to hit the back of his knees bringing him
down to the ground. His arm lashed out, hitting the backs of her knees and
bringing her down to his level. She twisted around, making her way to her
feet before he could attack again; she jumped over his leg as he tried to
sweep her own legs out from under her. He rose to his feet just as she
tried to punch him. He grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her
back until her back was firmly pressed against his chest.

"Yield?" he purred into her ear. She scoffed loudly, her body tensing as
she spun again, her hand grabbing the back of his head. As she twisted her
body, she pulled his head down and kissed him roughly. Caught off-guard by
the kiss, he wasn't prepared for her next move. Her knee shot up painfully
into his groin, and he fell to the ground writhing in pain.

"Yield?" she purred this time, smiling triumphantly down at him. He nodded
weakly, trying to recatch his breath.

"You....don't play....fair," Angel grunted as the pain began to subside.

"I'm gonna have to side with Deadboy on that, Will," Xander commented,
having deep sympathy pains for the vampire. "That was a bit much."

"But it did the job," Willow shrugged, offering a hand to the vampire.
Angel waved her hand away and rolled over onto his back. "Wimp," she laughed.

"Hey, it hurt," Angel argued, pushing himself into a sitting position. He
deftly caught the thermos Willow tossed to him. He took a quick swig
earning a disgusted grimace from Xander.

"How can you drink that stuff, man?" the boy asked. Angel shrugged, rising
completely to his feet. He walked over to one of the benches that lined
Giles' courtyard and sat down, leaning back against the cool stone.

"It keeps me from killing you," Angel stated, watching the boy with
predator's eyes.

"I'd kill you before you could even try," Xander shrugged. "And if you did
kill me, Will'd kick your ass." Angel scoffed loudly, causing Willow to
shoot a glare at him.

"Who just kicked your ass a few seconds ago?" she demanded, placing her
hands on her hips.

"That wasn't my ass," Angel stated, raising his eyebrows. Willow sighed and
rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder who has the dirtier mind, you or Xand," she muttered.

"Oh, it's him, trust me," Angel replied, indicating Xander.

"Please," Xander scoffed, "You're the two hundred year old pervert who can
put me to shame." Before Angel could reply and continue the friendly banter
that was a norm between the two, a creak sounded from the metal gate
blocking the entrance to Giles' courtyard. The trio fell silent, and each
jumped to their feet, falling into tense battle stances just as thump
sounded on the stairs. The silence became thick as the body spilled out
into the main area of the courtyard. The smell of blood nearly overwhelmed
Angel, and he had to clutch the wall as he was nearly floored by the
intensity of it. He didn't even want to think of what it smelled like to
the two humans.

"Oh, God," Willow whispered, edging over to the body. She clutched a hand
over her nose and mouth as if she was trying to block out the smell.

"Where's her head?" Xander whispered. As if in answer to his question,
another thump sounded on the stairs and the girl's head soon joined her
body. Willow paled considerably, and a ferocious snarl escaped from
Xander's lips. The snarl soon turned to a barely repressed sob. "Cordy," he
whispered, walking over to the corpse. That was when the two closest to the
body noticed the note pinned very neatly to Cordelia's jacket. Xander
carefully reached over and unpinned the note, trying desperately not to
giggle hysterically. Angel left his position by the wall and walked closer
to the body.

"'Pretty little Cordy's pretty no more, and only three are left of the
original four. See you soon.'" Xander read in a monotonous voice. He rose
to his feet, staring blankly ahead, and Angel was suddenly afraid the
strange, to him anyway, girl had driven Xander over the edge. His fears
were allayed , however, when Xander suddenly crumpled the note in his fist.
"That bastard," he snarled. Xander glanced over at Willow, and the redhead
returned his cold stare. With  howl of intense rage, Willow leapt over the
body and ran up the stairs with Angel following shortly behind her, fearing
for her safety.

"Red!" he shouted as she ran out to the street. Willow halted her chase and
glanced in each direction of the street. Seeing no one, she suddenly began
to shout.

"WHY?! You want me!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as she
circled around, issuing her demand. "Not my friends! Me! Face me, you
bastard!" Angel reached her and gently took her into his arms. "Face me,"
she sobbed. Angel made comforting noises in his throat as he stroked her
hair, letting her cry into his shirt. When the redhead had calmed, Angel
broke the embrace and the silence.

"Who was she?" he asked quietly.

"Cordelia Chase," she replied, wiping her eyes. "We saved her from the
Harvest, and she was an original member of the White Hats. She disappeared
a week before you showed up. We assumed that--"

"She'd been made a vampire," Angel finished. Willow nodded faintly.

"She could be a real bitch sometimes," Willow laughed bitterly, "But she
didn't deserve that." Angel nodded slightly, agreeing with the redhead,
even has his mind was troubled by the familiarity of the tactics.

"You and Xander know who did this?" he asked as they started down the
stairs. Willow nodded numbly. "Who?"

"You don't need to know," Xander replied as he and Giles tried to maneuver
Cordelia's body into a body bag with the most amount a dignity possible for
the situation.

"We'll handle it," Willow added, walking down the stairs to help her
friends figure out what to do with Cordelia's body.
*****
OCTOBER, 1998

Angel entered his apartment just as the sun was cresting the horizon. He
had stayed with he small group of humans as they waited in silence for the
sun to rise so they could give Cordelia the burial she deserved. He had
offered what comfort he could, but he knew instinctively that they didn't
need comfort. They needed revenge. Angel cursed their stubbornness, knowing
he could find whoever had killed the girl, but he also recognized the need
for personal vengeance that the three of them yearned for. He sighed
heavily, resting his head back against the door, just as a familiar scent
drifted to him.

"Come out," he ordered harshly, his demon instinctively knowing who was in
the shadows.

"Hello, lover," the silky voice purred as the blonde woman walked out of
his bedroom. Her plain skirt swirled slightly around her legs.

"We haven't been lovers for a long time," Angel corrected, staring at the
woman with unabashed hatred.

"Yeah, a lifetime," she smiled. "Or several." She noticed his eyes
surveying her outfit. "You like?" she asked, flaring her skirt. He raised
an eyebrow. "No, the school girl thing was never one of your fetishes," she
answered herself.

"What are you doing here, Darla?" he demanded, walking past her.

"Oh, I was in the neighborhood," she shrugged. "And I want to know why you
insist on helping the white hats. Especially since the Master has risen."

"They're my friends," he replied softly.

"And the little redhead has nothing to do with why, hmmm?" she asked,
walking over to him and placing a hand on the small of his back. "I can
smell her on you," she whispered, her mouth next to his ear. Darla smiled
as his body tensed. "She's afraid of you, isn't she? She doesn't want you
to touch her. The three of them don't consider you a part of their little
group, do they? That's why they wouldn't let you mourn with them." She
pressed her body against his which was when Angel caught a scent clinging
to her.

"How does your consort feel about you being here?" Angel asked suddenly.
Darla laughed and let go of him, walking a few paces away.

"Oh, he doesn't mind," she dismissed. "He's formulating a plan for your
redhead even as we speak." She turned from him and headed for the door.

"Who is it, Darla?" Angel demanded.

"You'll meet him soon enough, Angel," she smirked. Angel returned her smirk.

"It won't work, you know," he stated. "Trying to mold him into something
he's not," Angel clarified at her expression.

"I know," she commented sadly. "He just doesn't have your fire, your
passion, your lust for the chase." She cocked her head at him. "But in the
end the results will be the same."

"I'll die before he hurts Willow," Angel promised.

"Perhaps," Darla replied, "But either way the white hats will lose another
member, and the Master will rest easy." With that, she opened the door and
walked out of the apartment, the door slamming shut with a clang.
*****
OCTOBER, 1998

The second the sun set Angel was out of his apartment and hurrying towards
Giles' place to try and force any information out of the group. He knew
that they had to trust him with this if they hoped to defeat Darla and her
unnamed consort. He reached Giles' place, but before he could knock the
door was pulled open. Angel nodded to Giles in greeting as the Watcher
ushered him inside.

"The children are still asleep," Giles commented. "Would you like some
tea?" Angel shook his head, leaning back against the couch.

"Who is it, Giles?" the vampire asked.

"It isn't my place to tell you," the older man stated, glancing up at the
vampire. "If they want to tell you, they will."

"I can help," Angel argued. "If only to find whomever it is." He looked up
at Giles. "You guys have to trust me."

"We do trust you, Angel. Every night. We trust you with our lives," the man
snapped. "But this is solely the children's decision."

"You don't give up, do you?" Willow asked as she stepped into the living room.

"Red--" Angel began, but she silenced him with a wave of her hand.

"Don't start," she ordered, walking into the kitchen. "We're handling this."

"Not very well," Angel muttered.

"What did you say?" Willow hissed, glaring up at him.

"This...thing has killed your friend, and you don't seem too concerned with
finding it," Angel reasoned.

"You think we don't care?"

"I'm not saying that," he stated.

"Yes, you are," she replied through clenched teeth. "You try it, Angel. You
try dealing with it. You try having your friends and family slaughtered."

"I have," he whispered. "I killed mine."

"And that makes you an empath?" she snapped. "My friend did this, Angel. He
killed my parents, Xander's parents, Cordelia's parents." She laughed
bitterly, turning her head. Angel caught sight of tears glistening on her
cheeks. "He even killed my grandparents. Now he's starting on my friends.
All to drive me insane." Angel looked away from the redhead as memories of
himself following the same tactics on an innocent English girl who saw
visions nearly overwhelmed him.

"You could have told me before," Angel whispered.

"And run the risk of losing you too? My friends seem to have death warrants
on them," she stated.

"They already know," he commented. Willow opened her mouth to reply just as
Xander hoped down the steps and into the living room.

"Morning," Xander greeted.

"It's night," Giles replied; the boy just shrugged.

"What did you mean?" Willow asked, staring at Angel.

"I had a visit this morning. My sire...she has a plan to destroy the white
hats. She's trained her consort to be an almost perfect stalker."

"Do you know where they are located?" Giles asked.

"No," Angel replied honestly.

"Liar," Willow hissed suddenly.

"No, Red, I'm telling--"

"You're one of them. You have to know where he is," she reasoned, walking
into the living room and over to Angel. She stopped a few feet from him.

"I'm an outcast," he replied. "They don't talk to me."

"Your sire seemed willing," she snapped.

"That was different," he stated.

"Really?" Willow smirked, covering the distance between them.

"She was taunting me," Angel replied, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit
of his stomach. Willow's smirk turned into a mirthless grin as she raised
her hand and slapped Angel fully across his face. She prepared to backhand
him just as strong arms wrapped around her waist and carried her to the
door. Xander managed to close the door behind them without letting Willow
out of his grasp.

"She's under a lot of stress," Giles offered, watching as the vampire
touched his cheek lightly where a small red hand print was appearing
against this pale skin.

"I think I deserved it," Angel muttered. "Although I don't know why."

"Before the Harvest, Willow was a wallflower. Shy and innocent. Then all of
this began," Giles explained. "I think she just wants it to end." Angel
nodded in understanding. "She'll find a vampire to take out her anger on
and then all will be fine," the man stated, offering the vampire a smile.

"I hope so," Angel muttered, suddenly worried he'd done something to ruin
the growing friendship between himself and the redhead.
******
OCTOBER, 1998

"I'm worried about them," Angel stated, glancing out the window for the
tenth time in the last fifteen minutes. "They've been gone too long."

"I agree," Giles stated, rising to his feet and joining the vampire by the
window. "Usually Xander forces the patrol to end after an hour."

"Willow wasn't that angry, was she?" Angel asked, trying to inject some
humor into the rapidly blackening mood. Giles didn't respond, and a worried
silence descended on the pair. "We should go find them," Angel declared,
heading out the door.

"I agree," Giles commented, grabbing his coat and following the vampire
into the night. They reached the road and were suddenly stumped as to where
the teens had gone. "Restfield," Giles finally stated. "It's closer." Angel
nodded and followed Giles towards the cemetery. The two covered the
half-mile walk to the cemetery in tense silence, each worried about the
teens. They reached the black iron gates of the cemetery, and each pulled a
stake out of their pockets just to be prepared.

"Damn," a quiet, pain-filled voice muttered from one of the bushes lining
the cemetery path. Giles and Angel exchanged glances before hurrying over
to the bush. Giles knelt down next to Xander's body and placed a hand on
his shoulder. "That better be someone who isn't fanged," the boy growled,
pushing himself up on his hands.

"Are you okay?" Giles asked, helping into a sitting position. Xander
nodded, clutching his forehead.

"Where's Willow?" Angel demanded, searching the surrounding shrubbery for
any sign of the redhead.

"We were attacked. I think she was grabbed," Xander replied. "I don't
really remember." Angel growled low in his throat as he let his demon use
its heightened senses to search the surrounding area for Willow. Faintly
his demon caught the intoxicating scent of fear and the sound of a frantic
heartbeat. Angel's demon leapt for the surface of his mind as he smelled
the scent that had so permeated Darla's clothing.

"He's here," He snarled, his face changing into its demonic visage. Giles
took and involuntary step away from the vampire, and Xander lightly touched
the cross he wore around his neck. "Get him home," Angel ordered,
indicating the boy, just as he rushed forward into the darkness, following
the smell of fear.

Angel ran through the cemetery, leaping over tombstones, trying to make it
to Willow before anything fatal happened. He neared the center of the
cemetery and the small clearing that held the oldest tombstones just as a
taunting laugh rang out.

"You know, Wills, after all you've been through," a male voice commented,
"You'd think you would've learn not to walk alone at night."

"I wasn't alone," Willow's voice hissed in reply.

"Xander? Doesn't count," the other voice dismissed, "He still stuck in the
past playin' Nighthawk like when we were kids." Just then, Angel made his
move, leaping into the clearing.

"Angel," Willow stated, relief in her eyes and voice.

"How many times have I told you, girl," Angel snarled, falling easily into
the role of soul-less vampire. "Do not call me that!" With those words he
strode confidently into the clearing. He reached the darkhaired vampire
that was cradling Willow against his chest and growled at him. Angel
reached out and grabbed a handful of Willow's hair. He pulled the girl out
of the vampire's grasp and into his arms. He released her hair but wrapped
a hand around her neck. "Play along," he hissed in her ear, hoping the
other vampire didn't hear it. Willow relaxed slightly.

"Hey!" the vampire declared at the loss of his prize.

"She's mine, whelp," Angel snarled. The vampire snorted.

"She's not marked," he stated, moving towards Willow and Angel. Angel
snarled, holding up a warning hand.

"Would you mark this flesh?" he murmured, the hand around Willow's neck
softly stroking her flesh.

"You want Willow?" Angel narrowed his eyes at the statement and the
disbelief in the vampire's voice. Angel smirked and grabbed Willow's cheek,
earning him a squeak of fear and surprise from the redhead as he pinched it.

"Oh, yeah," he growled. "So innocent. Makes me hard just thinking about
her." Angel's free arm slid down around her waist. The other vampire
grinned lewdly and turned to Willow.

"Wills, you little slut," he laughed. Angel's arm tightened around her
waist as her body tensed.

"Watch your tongue, boy," Angel scolded.

"Or what? The mysterious, Batman-like vamp, sweeping out of the darkness,
is going to kill me?" the vampire smirked. "Please."

"You're Darla's consort," Angel stated, returning his smirk. "She's trying
to force you into becoming someone you have no urge to be." The other
vampire laughed, suddenly happily distract.

"Yeah. She says he's the most vicious creature ever or some shit," he
dismissed, "But not anymore. She told me not to play that game anymore."

"Did she tell you his name?" Angel questioned, ignoring his last statement.

"Yeah. Angelus," the vampire suddenly stopped laughed, his grin slowly
fading from his face.

"And what, pray tell, is the pet form of Angelus?" Angel smirked. The boy
didn't answer. "Red?" he asked, releasing his grip on Willow's throat.
"Answer the question."

"Angel," she stated, staring coldly at the other vampire. The vampire's
eyes widened.

"And did she tell you stories?" Angel continued. The vampire nodded
silently, real fear in his eyes. "Then you know what I can do," he grinned
evilly.

"The curse--" the vampire began.

"Like most things Gypsy," Angel smirked. "Shoddy craftsmanship." The other
vampire's mouth worked slightly as he thought of something to say, but
Angel waved him away with his free hand. "Go away," he ordered. "I've got a
girl to punish for running away." With that, Angel drug Willow towards the
trees. The exited the clearing, and, after Angel was sure they weren't
being followed, he released his grip on her neck.

"Thank you," she breathed, not looking up at him. He didn't say anything,
just began walking past her.

"C'mon," he ordered, grabbing her hand, dragging her out of the cemetery
and towards his apartment.

"Angel?" Willow asked, noticing they were heading away from Giles's place.
"Where are we going?"

"My apartment," he stated. "We need to talk. Actually," he corrected, "You
need to tell me things." They walked the rest of the way in silence, each
watching the shadows for any sign of the vampire. They reached Angel's
apartment without incident, and he unlocked the door, ushering Willow
inside. The redhead took in the lush surroundings in silence while Angel
watched her with hooded eyes.

"Willow?" he prodded finally. She turned around and looked at him. "Who is
he?" She closed her eyes and turned away from him. "Willow," he urged.
"Tell me," he pleaded, sitting down on the couch. "Let me help."

"You can't," she denied.

"You don't know that," he stated. She turned back around. "Please," he
whispered.

"His name is Jesse McNally. He is -- was -- one of my best friends since
grade school. Me, Xander, and Jesse, we were the Three Musketeers," she
smiled slightly. "Then one night, Cordelia spurned his love one too many
times and Jesse decided to big up this blonde girl."

"Darla," Angel supplied. Willow nodded. Tears were rolling down her face
but she managed to keep her voice strong.

"She turned him that night. Apparently the Master need more vampires to
prepare for the Harvest. He was there, the night of the Harvest. I could
have killed him, but the demon he was wore my friend's face," she stated,
her voice finally cracking as she broke into sobs. Angel was on his feet
and had her in an embrace just as her knees gave out and grief overwhelmed
her. "He came by my house one night, and my parents let him in. He killed
them. He didn't drink from them. He just killed them and played in their
blood." She tightened her arms around Angel. "He had fun," she hissed, hot
anger in her voice. "Then he and Darla killed Xander's parents, then
Cordelia's. He took pleasure in it. More than he should have." Angel nodded
numbly.

"I know," he whispered, pain laced through his own voice. Willow pulled
back to look at him. "I know because I've done it before."
******