Under My Thumb

Willow rolled in her bed, the covers winding about her thighs. This had probably been the worst day of her life. First of all, she had been betrayed by the one she trusted the most. In her mind's eye she kept seeing her best friend and first love, Xander, kissing her most hated enemy, Cordelia. They were kissing in the stacks of Giles library while she had been researching just a few feet away. It hurt so much. Knowing that Xander probably only found Cordelia attractive, wanted to sleep with her. While she, Willow, had been under his nose for years but he had never once looked her way.

Then, the most terrible thing had happened. Right after she had confronted Xander and told him what she thought about him kissing Cordelia, Angel appeared. He had gathered her up in his deadly embrace and proclaimed to Buffy that her helplessness 'was a real turn-on.' Buffy had been powerless to stop him. If Xander hadn't interfered. . .

She rolled over, she couldn't think about that now. She'd worry about it tomorrow. Yes, everything would look better in the morning. Her eyes pressed closed tightly, Willow willed herself to sleep. She imagined a peaceful place in her mind's eye. She thought about sitting on a sun-dappled bench in her grandmother's rose garden. She was just about to drift off when she heard the soft 'snick' the French doors in her room made when they shut. She felt a cool breeze waft across her cheek.

Fearfully, she opened one eye but saw only blackness in her room. It was shrouded in shadows so deep that she could barely make out the familiar shape of her desk. "Good evening, Willow." A smooth voice said.

"Who's there?" Willow's were wide open now. A light snapped on and Angel came into view.

"Don't worry, it's only me."Angel drawled. His legs were stretched out, leaning back in her chair and his arms crossed behind her head.

"W-w-what do you want?" Willow asked fearfully.

The scent of her fear was dizzying. "Why do you think I want something?" He stood up and approached her bed with leonine grace.

"You–"

"I came to. . .talk."

"C-c-can't we talk tomorrow?" She clutched the covers up to her neck in both fists.

"No," he smirked. "Not really."

"Don't you have a telephone? I could give you my number." She watched his approach with wary eyes, mentally searching her room for something to whack him with.

"If you don't want to talk," He sat down on her bed and brushed her face with the back of his knuckles, "I can think of other things to do."

Willow scooted away from her towards her clip-on reading lamp. "Uh, sure. We could play chess . . .or I could look up something on the Internet for you! You should try Yahoo groups!"

"Willow-" He leaned forward, she scooted back.

"Or we could thumb-wrestle." She shot him a hopeful look as she reached around behind her.

"Thumb-wrestle?" Angelus had to laugh. She wanted to thumb-wrestle with the demon inhabiting her best-friend's boyfriend's body. Then his demonly pride took over. "I would win."

"Oh no you wouldn't. I'm the undefeated champion. Ask Xander–he even cheats!" She grasped the lamp and pulled it off the headboard, talking over the small sound.

"I have longer thumbs than you do." He reasoned. She was sort of amusing. He would probably have to take his time and make sure he didn't laugh and choke himself while draining her.

"It's not the size that matters. It's how you use it." He rose one eyebrow at her. She shifted the small lamp into striking stance. "Try me."

He vamped out. "If you insist." He lunged for her.

She brought the lamp over her head and hit him seven times with it, edging toward the other side of the bed. She punctuated each hit with a comment. "I would to have beat you. I'm great at this. Why. Does. Everybody. Underestimate. Me." Unfortunately, the place he decided to lay prostrate with pain in was blocking her escape route. There was no way out but over top of him. Finally he wrested the lamp away from her and flung it across the room. He pushed her back down on the mattress and held her there with one hand on her abdomen.

He glared at her, rubbing his head with his other hand. She shrank back, waiting for the torture to begin. "Ow. That hurt." Gingerly he stroked his gelled hair back. "And you messed up my hair." He glowered at her, still in vamp face. "Hand check. C'mon. You don't have a stapler or anything do you? Good. Keep 'em visible."

He grinned to himself. The girl had spunk. And she was smart. She had formed a plan and then kept it to herself. That was positively evil. Most people can't resist bragging about how brilliant they were. Or how they were about to kick your ass. Really took the surprise out of the relationship. "Does this mean you don't want to thumb-wrestle? And if your way of winning is bashing your opponent over the head, I think you cheat, too. It also explains why you're undefeated. And why Xander has flat hair. And why he's so stupid. You can only take so many head wounds before it begins to take a toll."

Willow couldn't help it. A small giggle escaped her. She gasped and clamped both hands over her mouth. Then she glared at him. He wagged a finger at her. "That's not proper victim behavior. You should be screaming, crying. Maybe begging for your life. What's the most popular phrase? Don't. Please. Please, don't? It doesn't vary much."

"I read about you." She whispered. It was like speaking with the real bogey man. She couldn't help but be intrigued.

"Really? What did you read?" He settled himself more comfortably on the bed, brushing a hand against her thigh as he did so. Angelus loved hearing about himself.

"That you were the so-called Scourge of Europe. That you took out whole villages. That vampire slayers and hunters all over the world hunted you. That you killed a vampire hunter's children because you thought it was funny. That you love to gamble and hate to lose." Willow stiffened her resolve. "And with that, I have a proposition for you."

"I think that's my line." He stroked her stomach once, his thumb straying below the line of her pajama bottom to rub the warm flesh. Then, he reapplied pressure to her abdomen.

"If I win, you let me go and leave here." That was fine with him. She didn't say he couldn't come back tomorrow.

"Why do I get if I win? I'm already going to have you for dinner."

"I'll tell you how to get the Watcher's Diaries. Especially the ones that mention you." She offered. Willow knew that wasn't a big loss. She had spent her summer putting them into an interactive Watcher database that all the council members could access. It was supposed to be a birthday present for Giles.

"Alright. It's a deal." Though, he'd been hoping for a different sort of prize altogether. Angelus cocked his head to the side. "What's the game?"

"Thumb-wrestling."

********

Later that night, Angelus walked back to the mansion, mumbling to himself in disgust. "I had longer thumbs. I should have won that. She must have cheated." He reached for a smoke. "I was still in pain from being bashed over the head with a lamp." He expelled a long stream of smoke from his throat, a small smile wreathing his face. Willow's grit was unexpected. After unliving so many years it was hard to hold his interest but she did.

**********

Willow typed at her computer as she sat in the library. She was looking for references to a Gypsy curse. After they'd found out what Ms. Calender had done, Giles had designated her the new technopagan.

Every once in a while, her eyes strayed to the Watcher's Diaries which were kept in a locked shelf in Giles' office. She couldn't help the small smirk that graced her lips. Well, these babies will stay right where they are.

Buffy came in the library on shaky legs. She plopped down next to Willow, taking a drink from her Coke. "He came to my room last night."

"Who?" Willow said, distracted.

"Angel." Willow stopped typing and was about to say 'Me too' when Buffy confided. "He drew a picture of me sleeping."

"Oh my God. He was in your room while you slept." And he drew a picture?

"Yes." Buffy's eyes were far away. The Slayer was falling apart.

"Did you tell Giles?"

"Yes. He's looking for an uninvite spell." She clutched Willow's hand. "Be careful, Wills. He's been to your house once."

Actually, that's twice. "I will." But I don't think he'll be back thanks to my clever proposition. "But I think he's more focused on you. It's in his profile, Buffy."

"I know." Buffy dug into her jeans pocket and pulled out a wooden cross on a simple chain. "Here, put this on." Willow did so obediently. A little protection never hurt anybody. The blond sighed a little, tears starting to fall. "I don't want anything to happen to you. Or any of us."

"It'll be okay. I promise, Buffy, we'll find a way to fix it." She'd save the demon thumb wrestling story for later.

Buffy pressed Willow into a grateful hug. "See you later. I should be heading out to patrol soon. Have to motor home and get some dinner first."

"See you later, Buffy."

**********

"Asleep already? It's only 10 p.m." A velvety voice drawled. Willow could feel a chill that swept in through the open door, ignoring the voice in her sleep fogged mind. She burrowed deeper into the blankets. "Will-lllow. Wake Uuuupp!" He said in a sing- song voice. "Wakey, wakey!"

Willow's eyes fluttered open. She scowled when she saw who it was. "Hey! We had a deal."

"Yes, we did. And I quote. . .'If I win, you let me go and leave here.' You never said 'don't come back.'"

Willow 's scowl deepened. "What. . .are you a lawyer? Looking for the loopholes?" She moved herself up, so her legs were splayed out but she was sitting.

"Ugh. No, I don't even eat lawyers. Now, how about a rematch?"

Willow's mouth fell open. "You came here to thumb wrestle?" She looked at him carefully. He wore black leather pants and a red silk shirt. "No, I guess you don't have any watercolors stashed somewhere."

"What?" She had the most fascinating mind.

She sighed. "Buffy said you drew her picture."

He grinned, traipsing blithely across her room like he owned the place and then sat down on her bed again. "Yeah. I did." His smile said 'congratulate me.'

"Why?"

He pursed his lips. "To throw her off. I'll draw her another one tonight." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Did you know that she drools in her sleep?" He looked at Willow. "You don't drool, do you?"

Willow brought her hands to her face, checking. Curious, despite herself."Guess not."

"Good. Now, let's have a rematch."

"Are you really that anxious? I won last time. Easily. You weren't even much of a challenge."

He'd wipe that self-satisfied look off her face. Angelus leaned over the lower portion of her body. "We could really wrestle, I suppose." He bore a fraction of his weight down on upon her. "Course that is a full body contact sport."

"Nope. Let's thumb wrestle."

Angelus held out his thumb. "Bring it on."

Willow applied gentle pressure to his forearm, pushing him back. "Can you get off of me? You're heavy."

He smirked. "Knew you couldn't handle it. That's a game I would win."

Willow held out her small white thumb and then pulled it back. "Wait a minute. Let's make another deal."

Angelus grinned. "What do you want this time?"

"If I win, you never come back to my room again. Ever." She was about to add Buffy's room to that but knew he wouldn't go for it.

"Fine. Now, we can talk about what I want." His large hand squeezed her shoulder but not hard enough to cause pain.

"W-w-what are you doing?"

"Thinking about what I want."

"And what's that?" Willow said, reigning in her fear. She must never forget that this was a demon. Never get lured in by his offbeat charm.

"I get to come here anytime I feel like it." His hand brushed down to the modest neck line of her gown and slipped inside. He cupped her breast in the cool palm of his hand. "And do whatever I like when I get here."

"E-e-even kill me?" Willow squeaked out.

His smile broadened. "No, I promise that when I kill you it won't be on one of my nightly visits." His thumb stroked her nipple and it hardened at his touch. "Ready?" She nodded.

Reluctantly, he pulled his hand from her breast and grasped her hand instead. She noticed that his normally chilly hand was made warm from the heat of her body. "One, two, three, four. I declare a thumb war."

*********

"I guess you're not undefeated after all."

"Guess not." Willow pulled her knees to her chest. She hadn't been able to summon up the concentration it took after he had touched her so intimately. The covers were tightly clutched to her chin.

Angelus lazily regarded his reluctant prize. He caught the assorted sheets and blankets in one hand and tugged. "Let go, Willow. You knew this was going to happen when you agreed."

Willow looked at him mutinously. She had to do something. He parents were right down the hall, home for once. Maybe if she. . .

"Don't even think about it, little girl. I'd snap both their necks."

Was he a mind reader? "How did you know that I–"

He chuckled at her bewildered look. "Your face is very expressive."

"Don't do this." She bent her head, trying to evade his all -knowing gaze. "I'm a virgin."

"A virgin?" Angelus' smile grew wider. A fierce hunger swept through him and he tempered it. He tugged the covers off. She still kept her feet to her chest. Angelus shook his head as he simply fastened his hands on her ankles and pulled, her legs unbent and now she lay on the bed. He leaned over her, resting his body on top of her. She could smell the spicy sent of his aftershave and the musky odor of leather.

"You shouldn't–"

He placed a fingertip to her lips. "No talking. Just feel." Angelus brought his mouth to hers. His lips nibbled at hers. His tongue teased the seam of her tightly closed mouth. She'd only been kissed by Xander in elementary school. A chaste peck on the mouth.

It was nothing like this. This melding of mouths. This complete surrender to another being. Making love couldn't be much more intimate. His tongue was inside her mouth, exploring her. He stroked her tongue, urging it to caress his in turn. She refused at first but he was insistent.

When he pulled his mouth from her, he leaned back to gaze down on her flushed face. Angelus moved himself against her, pushing his knee between her thighs. She tried to hold him at bay but she was no match for his strength. "That's it. Give in." He seated himself firmly between her splayed thighs and rotated his hips against her. "Feel me."

Willow choked back a moan. What was wrong with her? Responding to him like this? "I'll never give in to you. You m-might take my body, but it's not m-me."

Angelus chuckled. 'Oh, but it will be, my sweet. I don't do rape." His hand played with strand of dark red hair. "When I take you, you'll want me as much as I want you."

"So, you aren't going to–"

"Not tonight." Angelus leered at her. "Disappointed?" She glared at him. "We need to make a rule though. You aren't to tell anyone."

"Or else?"

"Let's just say that in order to draw Buffy again, I'd have to visit several locations to see her."

Willow shuddered. "Anything else?"

"Nothing comes to mind just now." Angelus looked at the clock beside the bed. "Look at the time. I've got be going, my sweet. Almost time for Buffy's portrait." Willow breathed a sigh of relief. Neither her nor Buffy would die tonight. He bent down and seized her mouth in a fierce, possessive kiss. "See you tomorrow."

Angelus up from the bed and strolled to the French doors. He looked over his shoulder at her as he pressed one open. "Just remember one thing Willow." She looked at him, still reeling. "I've got you under my thumb." Then he disappeared into the murky blackness of the night.