Angel's Among Us

By Ruby

Title: Angel's Among Us 1/1 (5th in the "Plagued--Why Us?" series)
Author: Ruby
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Joss owns all.
Summary: Angel shows up.
Archive: My usual haunts.
Feedback: Yes, please!
Dedication: For Helen, who made the suggestion, and for all of you who have sent such wonderful feedback.:-)
 

"I have a huge test tomorrow!" Willow protested as Spike dragged her toward his apartment.

"Which you just spent the last fifteen minutes telling me you've studied for all afternoon," he reminded her. "Now, how about studying
_me_?"

"But Spike--"

He stopped walking and spun her around and into his hard chest, pressing her soft body close against him. He kissed her firmly once,
then again, his tongue snaking inside her mouth and taking hers while one hand lowered to cup her ass. Willow moaned, her mouth
instinctively responding to his. After a long moment, he pulled away, leaving her breathless.

"Tell me this isn't a hell of a lot better than studying for a test," he purred close to her ear.

"Smug bastard," she chuckled.

"Yeah, but you love it," he teased.

Neither of them had ever professed those feelings to each other, and a grin curled her lips as his piercing blue eyes stared down into
hers, daring her to say them now. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed herself away.

"Okay, screw the test," she gave in.

"I've never been called a test before," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, and he laughed and took her hand. They crossed the street, and Spike unlocked his apartment door and followed
Willow over the threshold as a dark figure stepped out of the shadow of a tree in the yard. ***
Willow reached out a hand and swatted the alarm clock, silencing it. She stretched and placed her hand over the arm that was flung
across her stomach. Spike mumbled unintelligibly and curled his arm more tightly around her, pulling her body slightly under his as he
slept.

"Spike," she said, struggling to move out from under him. "I have to go."

"No," he grumbled, his eyes still closed.

Willow sighed and placed a kiss on his neck, "I'll be late for class. I have that test today. Spike!"

One sleepy blue eye winked open, and she smiled and kissed his lips, "I _have_ to leave."

He growled and moved off of her, grabbing her arm as she sat up, "Take my key. Come back when you're done."

"I will," she promised.

He yanked her back down and kissed her soundly before releasing her and sliding back into sleep. ***
Willow unlocked the door and stepped through, quickly closing it behind her to shut out the afternoon sun. A pair of strong arms
suddenly encircled her waist, and she squealed as Spike pushed her back against the door and claimed her lips in a bruising kiss. She
wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back, long and hard.

"How'd the test go?" he asked after he finally released her lips.

"I aced it," she said confidently.

"I missed you," he confessed, nuzzling her warm neck.

She sighed happily against him, "I missed you, too."

Spike scooped her up and went to the sofa, placing her on his lap as he sat down.

"I ate lunch with Buffy today after class," she told him. "She was just full of all sorts of questions. She thinks I'm seeing someone."

"Does she?" he grinned. "What did you tell her?"

"I said I'd met someone, but it wasn't serious, and that we needed some time together for awhile. She seemed to understand, but she's
_very_ curious."

"I'll bet, the nosy bit--"

"Spike!" she scolded him, trying hard not to smile. "We're going to have to be more careful now that she's twigged that something's
going on. No more grabbing my hand when we're helping her slay the demon of the month, and _no more_ quick kisses when you think she
isn't looking."

"You have to admit, ducks, she's a hell of a slayer, but she can be damned blind to what's right under her nose when she's in slayer
mode," he chuckled.

"Well, it isn't as if she'd ever dream you and I would be together. You're just lucky she didn't catch you."

"Oh, you mean the other night when I had you up against the cemetery gate with my hand up your--uumph!" he groaned as she smacked
his chest.

"That's _exactly_ what I mean!" she nodded.

"What time is it?" he asked.

Willow stared at him, thrown by his question, and glanced at her watch, "Just after two. Why?"

"Way too early to hunt. Way, way too early for you to leave," he answered, pulling her mouth down to his and running his hand up inside
her sweater to cup her breast.

"Oh," she mumbled.

"Oh," he echoed, lifting her up and talking her to the bedroom. ***
Willow stepped out of the shower, wondering why Spike had never joined her. She dressed quickly and made her way to the living room,
stopping with a gasp at the sight that met her there. Angel, in game face, had been shoved into a chair, and Spike was leaning menacingly
over him.

"Oh, damn," she hissed.

The dark vampire's eyes turned to stare at her, "What the hell is going on here?"

"Angel, what are you doing here?" she responded with a question of her own.

"Spying on us," Spike snarled. "Bloody voyeur. Can't get his own, so he decides to watch us."

Angel's hand reached up and clamped itself around Spike's collar, "If you've hurt her--"

"He hasn't!" Willow promised. "This isn't what you think!"

"Isn't it?" he questioned, eyeing her damp hair. "I saw you two last night, outside. He practically sucked your tongue right out of your
head. I waited until almost dawn, and you never came back out of this apartment."

"You really have been spying on us!" she said, anger beginning to bubble beneath the surface of her emotions. "This is none of your
business, Angel."

"Have you lost your mind? Willow, you know what he's capable of!"

"He hasn't hurt me. He hasn't even tried! Besides, he's been here for months helping us. What are you doing here, anyway? You're
supposed to be in L.A. Have you told Buffy about this?"

"No, I haven't," he answered her last question first. "And L.A. isn't that far away. I may have left Sunnydale, but that doesn't mean I
don't have connections back here. One of my informants told me he'd seen you with Spike. I figured he'd taken you. I figured you were
in trouble. I figured you might need my help. I _didn't_ figure on this!"

"If she had been in trouble, someone would have contacted you," Spike snarled. "And you bloody well know it."

"No one else has any idea, do they? Of course not. Buffy would skin your sorry ass if she knew what you've been doing with Willow."

"This is none of your business, or anyone else's," Willow insisted. "I don't need your help."

"You may need a transfusion when he's done with you," Angel snarled.

Willow sighed angrily and grabbed Spike. She planted a hard kiss on his lips as Angel gaped from his chair.

"Does that look like he's hurting me?" she asked. "Go away, Angel. Go back to L.A., and leave us alone."

"You want me to leave? Fine," he responded and stared up at Spike. "But I want you out of town--tonight."

"I don't give a bloody damn what you want," the blonde vampire snarled back. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Let me make this clear. If you don't leave--and leave Willow alone--I'm going straight to Buffy with this," Angel vowed.

"Now, you listen to me," Willow demanded, poking a finger into his chest. "Spike isn't going anywhere. He's been a big help to Buffy--"

"And getting into your pants in the bargain," Angel interjected.

Willow hissed between clenched teeth, "Shut. Up. If I want to fuck Spike, I'll fuck Spike. Blabbing to Buffy won't change anything.
It'll only create more problems."

"Problems? You've already got problems, just by bedding down with this bastard! Willow, think about what you're doing here!"

Willow sighed and sat down next to him, "Angel, please listen to me. Spike and I have been seeing each other for almost two months now.
If his intention was to hurt me in some way, don't you think he'd have done so by now?"

He glared at her in silence.

"Look at me! I'm all grown up now. I can think for myself, decide what I want for myself. Besides, we need Spike here, now that you're
gone. He really has helped us, more times than I can count."

"I'll made a deal with you," Angel spoke. "We go to Buffy--all three of us--and tell her what's going on. If she can accept it, I'll leave
it alone. I'll go back to L.A., and I won't interfere again, as long as he doesn't try to hurt you."

"But this isn't Buffy's business! She shouldn't be the one who--"

"That's the deal," he insisted.

"And if we refuse?" Spike asked.

"I'll go to her myself," he answered.

Willow and Spike exchanged a long look.

"All right," Willow finally agreed, still looking at her lover. "We'll go to Buffy." ***
The trio walked along the dark, quiet street, Angel doing his best to avoid looking at the arm Spike had placed around Willow's waist.
Except for a few quiet whispers between the redhead and her vampire, none of them had spoken since they'd left Spike's apartment.

The stillness was broken by a low, throaty snarl coming from the shadows ahead of them. Spike tensed and dropped his arm to step in
front of Willow as a fledging stepped out in their path. He felt her hand touching his arm from behind him as three more vampires
appeared behind the first.

"Stay behind me," he hissed as she pressed a stake into his hand.

The fledgling growled and lunged at Spike, who simply held out the stake and allowed the inexperienced vampire to impale himself on it.

"Bloody fool," Spike mumbled as the other three advanced, their eyes glued to him and Angel.

Angel swung at the one nearest him while Spike ducked the oncoming fist of another. His attacker kicked him in the chest, and Spike
fell back against Willow, the stake flying out of his hand. His game face masked his human features as he growled and reached out to
grab the vampire by the throat. Willow scrambled to retrieve the stake and jumped to her feet. She raced over behind the vampire who
was struggling to free himself from Spike's grasp, and she plunged the weapon into his back.

Spike flung Willow away from the second vampire and grabbed him by the hair, snapping his neck with a violent twist of his head.
Meanwhile, the last of the attackers had backed Angel into the wall of a building and was squeezing his throat. He cupped Angel's chin
in his hand and shoved his head to the side and bared his fangs as they descended towards his neck.

"I say we let him drain the great poof," Spike suggested to Willow.

"Oh, Spike," she sighed in feigned exasperation before stepping around him to thrust the stake into the assailant's back.

Angel rubbed the dark bruises around his neck as he looked down at Willow and then behind her, at Spike. He pushed himself away from
the wall and stepped through the pile of ashes to walk away from the couple.

"Where are you going?" Willow called out as she hurried to catch up to him.

He stopped and turned back to her as Spike took her hand, "Back to L.A."

"But what about Buffy? I thought--"

"I don't like this," he told her. "I think you're making a very bad choice. A dangerous choice. But you're right, the decision is yours.
Just yours. There's more going on here than either of you seem to be able admit to yourselves." Spike arched a questioning eyebrow,
but remained silent.

Angel's lips quirked into the slightest of grins as he shook his head and returned Spike's stare, "Love's bitch."

Willow looked up at Spike, and he placed a kiss on her head as he watched Angel walk off into the darkness.
******* 

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