Beginnings:
I fidgeted as I stood outside the door, I wasn’t sure what I thought I was doing here, you’re here
because you’ve been kicked out of the library she told herself firmly. Yeah but that’s no reason to
be standing on Angel’s door step and arguing with yourself. He did say if you needed anything.
Yeah but that was if you’re in a life or death kind of need anything not I yelled at Buffy and now I
am not allowed in the library kind of anything. She raised her hand and knocked softly, she
jumped slightly when the door pulled open rather savagely and a game faced Angel stood
menacingly in the door way.

“Willow!” he gasped his game face melting away, as he looked down at me, I wanted to disappear
what was I gonna tell him.

“Hi . . . hi Angel.” I managed to hate my stuttering tongue with a passion. He looked down his
eyes looking me over, I wondered what he saw, no doubt my messy hair and red-rimmed eyes,
yeah I cried, I am a big girl that’s faced nasty evil but it was just too much.

“Willow what’s wrong?” he demanded worriedly, he reached forward his hand capturing my arm
gently and pulling me inside. He led me over to the couch and set me down and he kneeled before
me taking my hands gently in his own I found my eyes locked on his.

“Now what’s gotten you so upset.”

I looked down I didn’t want to admit that getting yelled at by Giles and Buffy had chased me from
the library. “I sort of got kicked out of the library.” I whispered, I saw the shock in his face as he
rocked back on his heels.

“Giles’ kicked you out of the library?” he demanded sounding as shocked as I had felt when it
happened.

“Yeah,” I mumbled feeling tears threaten to well again, I knew I shouldn’t be getting this upset
about something so simple, but I couldn’t help it the library was my haven.

“Hey,” he whispered gently wiping away a tear that escaped with his index finger, “none of that, I
can’t stand to see someone so sweet cry.” Angel whispered softly. I stared at him shocked Angel
thought I was sweet? Wow, the thought that he thought of me at all made me all warm and fuzzy
inside. His hand lingered on my cheek for a moment longer before he seemed to realize he was
still touching me and let it fall away. “Tell me what happened?” he requested gently he reached
behind him and grabbing a box of tissues he handed it to me, offering me a warm smile, just in
case he mouthed.

“Oh . . . oh well it’s my fault really,” I stammered, the look on his face clearly relaying that he
didn’t believe me for a moment. He moved then to sit next to me on the couch and I settled back
into the cushions and turned to look at him. “We were researching and I said that I really wished
you where there because it was something you would most likely be able to help us with after all
you’ve had a long time to learn some things.” I trailed off and bit my lips slightly and drawing in a
deep breath, “Buffy said I should get used to you not being there because she’d made it clear you
weren’t welcome any longer, and I sort of got mad at her.” I confessed I looked down and
allowed the fan of my hair to hide my face from Angel.

His hand came up and he gently captured my chin in his hand he tilted upward till my eyes met his,
“What did you say or do?” He asked.

“I told her that she didn’t have to the right to say that you were no longer welcome. Just because
she was finished playing her little games with you didn’t mean that the rest of us. That I didn’t like
having you around to talk to when you would talk. Needless to say she got mad at me and Giles
told me I should leave and well I ended up here.” I finished warily of what he would say. Instead
of being upset or saying anything to embarrass me, he just offered me a warm smile and said.
“Then I guess you can say your mine for the night?” Angel asked, I didn’t think I’d ever really
heard that edge in Angel’s voice before, it was teasing and warm, unlike anything I could
remember from the somber vampire.

“I...I guess.” I said.
“Good so come on.” He said, taking my hand in his cooler one, he pulled me gently from the
couch. I stared at him shocked what on earth was he doing? “Well we can’t very well watch a
movie in the fire place can we?” Angel asked. I stared at him shocked a TV I don’t think I’d ever
really thought about what Angel must do when he’s not hunting the big bad and trapped here
during the day and not sleeping.

He led me down a long hallway and into another well-furnished room, it had dark hues like the
rest of the mansion but there was a sense of there being someone in this room more then the
others. Of course that could have been the pile of movies on the floor, I was surprised to see a
number of unopened films on the floor.

“Why don’t you take a seat,” Angel offered pointing to the large plush couch that ran along in
front of a beautifully polished coffee table. A large book lay on the table of Art Wolf’s photo’s
and I felt my heart clinch slightly that Angel had such a volume. I expected the dusty tomes that
Giles knew he had even the occasional book I caught him reading like Dante’s inferno, but I some
how hadn’t really thought him to be a wolf lover. I reached forward and flipped a few of the
pages. And smiled at the image of two small wolf cubs playing in the dirt.

I jumped slightly when I felt him lean over me, his voice next to my ear. “They’re beautiful, aren’t
they?” I could hear the reverence in his voice, and I had to agree few creatures possessed the
beauty and fierce intelligence of the wolf.

“Yeah, so beautiful and cunning.” I added smiling he set a couple of tapes by me on the couch.
“What do you think?” He asked, as he walked around the couch to set next to me. I looked over
the selection picking an action flick and surprised to see the movie of a midsummer night’s dream.
I held it up for him to see, he only shook his head as though he had expected it.

I wondered then if he really had paid attention to a number of my rants. I remembered telling
Xander that I wanted to see this movie because in spite of Xander’s insistence of other wise I
thought Shakespeare was beautiful. We settled next to each other and I was surprised when a
bowl of pop corn and a cold can of soda ended up in my lap and hand. He settled in the couch
next to me, and smiling pressed the play button on the remote in his hand.

Around the time that all had been resolved on the screen Angel happened to glance at the young
woman sitting next to him, Willow had fallen asleep her head rested on the vampire’s shoulder
and looking down at her he smiled warmly, standing he landed down and Lifted the hacker into
his arms and making a mental note to turn off the TV and VCR he walked out of the room and
headed back toward the main room, he moved into his bed room, and with one arm he moved
back the covers and settled the hacker beneath them. Smiling softly he left the room to turn off
the entertainment system in the other room. When he returned, he was surprised to see that she
had turned on her side and was holding the edge of the silky sheets between her fingers and
breathing deeply. Fast asleep, sighing softly wondering if perhaps this was the beginning of a
lovely habit Angel settled on the other side of the bed on the comforter he toed off his shoes and
took of his shirt he stood and quickly rummaging through his cloths traded his pants for sweats.
He settled back next to her and pulling the blanket the lay across the foot of the bed over himself
he turned toward the hacker allowing sleep to claim him.