Giles stepped back from the chair to view his handiwork. Angel was bound by thick rope to one of his dining room chairs. The vampire’s head was slumped forward and a huge knot was visible on his forehead from where he’d been struck with the side of a crossbow. Xander had launched himself at the dazed vampire and knocked him out before anyone could intervene. They had decided, despite Willow’s weary protests, to take him to Giles’ apartment while they ascertained what was really happening.
The rest of the Scoobies were sitting on Giles’ living room furniture in various states of shock, disgust, horror, and confusion. The Watcher joined the rest of the group. “Well, now he isn’t going anywhere.”
“I don’t see why you had tie him up.” Willow grumbled.
“I don’t let homicidal maniacs roam free in my home as a general rule.” Giles said snidely.
“I think you just wanted an excuse to practice tying knots.” Willow mumbled. Giles glowered at the redhead and Buffy wrinkled her nose up and whispered an ‘eww’.
“What?” Xander asked, dumbfounded. “I don’t get it.”
“Enough.” Giles said, standing up and walking over to tower over the still seated girl. “Explanation time, young lady.”
Willow shot to her feet, causing her mentor to back up. Her eyes were fierce. “Why are you taking that tone with me? All parental and disaprovey.” She put her hands on her hips. “My personal life is none of your business.”
“Is Giles like a boy scout leader or something? Is that why he ties knots?” Xander pondered. “Creepy. Still not funny.”
“I beg to differ. You have no idea who you’re really dealing with, child. Whenever you decided to start dating a demon you lost your rights to privacy.”
“Yeah,” Xander chimed in. “I thought you had better taste, Wills. I mean, the evil undead? What’s up with that?”
“YOU are going to lecture ME on dating a demon?” Willow said incredulously. “The only thing that I can say to that is. . .Mummy Girl.”
“Yeah, and look how well that ended.” Buffy said, wrinkling her brow. “Remember? She tried to eat you, Willow.”
Willow ignored her blond friend.“Or I could bring up Praying Mantis Lady.”
“That didn’t end well either.” The Slayer reminded them. “She tried to uh, mate with Xander. Then, she was going to eat him. Are you seeing the pattern here, Wills? Dating a demon leads to badness.”
“Do you know what this. . .” Giles broke off as he gestured to the darkly handsome vampire. “THING. . . has done? He’s a killer. A pillager. A monster. And worse. He just happens to be wrapped in a pretty package.”
“I know.” She refused to look at him, her conscience warring with her burgeoning love for Angelus and Angel. “Believe me, I have no illusions about what he’s done.”
“Then why?” Giles asked, mystified. Out of all the teenagers, she was the most sensible. The most adult.
“I couldn’t help it.” She said in a small voice. She beseeched Buffy. “I never wanted it to happen. You have to believe me.”
“I do. And I get it. Sometimes, we can’t help who we love.” The Slayer answered. “But how could you act on it?” Buffy asked. She wasn’t still in love with Angel but it hurt to know of Willow’s deep connection with the vampire. Was it wrong to want to remain in his heart? At least for a while.
“I guess I’m weak.”
“Don’t forget stupid.” Xander put in. Her lower lip trembled. “Sorry, Will. You’re the smartest girl I know, but this just plain dumb.”
“I know.” She whispered. Willow took all of their comments to heart. Nothing they said could compare with what her conscience had already told her. Still, she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She was like an addict. She couldn’t get enough of him. Or maybe there was some part of her that wanted to be a little bit bad. An evil thread in an otherwise good person.
“Look, we’re getting nowhere with the guilt and shame routine.” Cordy said. She turned to Willow. “So, you got pelvic with the big guy?” Willow pursed her lips but nodded. “Are you under any sort of spell or whatever?” She shook her head. “Are you doing this because of me and Xander?” Willow rolled her eyes. “Okay then.” She clasped her hands together. “My work here is done. Let’s go home.”
“Not so fast.” Giles broke in. “People operating under the influence of powerful magics rarely admit to it.” He looked pointedly at Cordelia. Then, he turned to Willow. “Perhaps, you’re not aware that you’re under a compulsion or maybe a–“
“I’m not under a spell!” Willow cried. She hated that, the way they assumed ‘mousy Willow’ would need the dark forces to do something like this.
“Alright. Calm down.” The librarian said soothingly. He sat down and motioned for Willow to do so as well. “Why don’t you start at the beginning? Tell us how it started. Help us understand.”
Willow sat down and took a deep breath. She doubted they would appreciate her strange love story. “Well, it started like this. . .” *********
“Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man, the muffin man. Do you know the muffin man?” Drusilla sang as she twisted in circles.
Spike put his pillow over his head. “Dark Lord, make her stop.” He called out to her. “Dru? Pet, could you be quiet, please? I need to sleep.”
“But, there’s dancing and songs, Spike.” She said as she poked her head in their room. “And it’s all being led by a purple demon!” She raced over and plopped down on the mattress beside him.
“Dru, are you watching Barney again?”
“Is that the demon’s name?”
“Yes, but he’s not a demon, he’s a purple dinosaur.” Spike said, yawning. “We’ve been over this.”
“But he’s looks like a demon.” She whined.
“Fine, have it your way pet. Bloody Barney’s a bloody awful demon. Especially when he opens his bloody big gob.” He settled back down. “Run along then.”
But she sat still and tilted her head to one side as if someone was whispering in her ear. “Oh, Daddy’s tied up.” She said with a sly grin like a child telling a particularly juicy secret. “The music’s stopped and he’s the only one in a chair.” She laughed and then listened again. “Before there was two and now there is one. Gypsy magic and moon beams combined.” She nodded. “But the red witch doesn’t know.”
“What?” Spike said, peering at her from under his pillow. “Are you talking about Willow and Angelus?”
Dru nodded. “There’s to be a joining! Maybe a wedding.” She clapped her hands and jumped up from the bed, twirling once more. “Goin’ to the chapel and we’re gonna get–“
“Red’s going to be stuck with our ol’ sire, eh?” Spike grinned. He wouldn’t mind having her in the mix. And Angelus would be occupied too!
She stopped for a moment, eyes hopeful. “Do you think they’ll let me be the flower girl? With a basket of roses?” She sighed. “All those nasty, hooky thorns.”
“Sure, pet. You’ll be the belle of the ball.” He sighed. “Now, can you let me get some sleep?”
“Poor, Spike” She blew him a kiss before running out of the room. “I’m going to go see if that demon eats one of the children. They’re so tasty, you know.”
He could hear her turn up the music as they sang the “I love you” song. “Serve those noisy little buggers right.” Spike said, turning over and burying under the covers. ************
The Scoobies had Miss Calender’s belongings spread out on the coffee table. They were paging through her notebooks, reading the volumes of her gypsy lore books, and pouring over other relevant books Giles’ possessed. The crew had finally believed that Willow was acting on her own free will even if she was showing impaired judgement.
Everyone secretly thought it would blow over anyway. Right now, they were more concerned about Angelus having free reign over Angel’s body. Giles had vowed to keep him here under restraints indefinitely until they found a way to put his soul in charge.
“Ohhhh” Angel moaned as he woke up.
“Angel?” Willow asked, walking over to him. “Are you alright?”
The vampire swallowed. “Under the circumstances? Yes.” He could feel the ropes cutting into his skin but they weren’t very painful. Certainly no worse than anything he’d ever experienced as Angelus. He’d had a fondness for being bound, though that was usually a prelude to darker delights.
“How’s your head?” Willow asked brushing his hair off his forehead.
He blinked. “Oh, my forehead. Fine. Vampires heal quickly.”
Giles approached from behind the redhead and he was brandishing a large cross. It made Angel squint and look away. “How can you be sure that is Angel?”
“I just know.” Willow said. “Can’t you tell? He just looks different.”
“I see.” Giles said, leveling a cold stare at the supernatural being. “And what do you have to say for yourself?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing!? You seduce an impressionable young girl and you have nothing to say for yourself?”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone for that matter, Rupert. And I don’t appreciate being treated like an errant child because I’m old enough to be your great grandfather.”
“Then, you have no business touching Willow!” Giles snarled. Willow wondered if all of this anger was really on her behalf. Perhaps, the Watcher was simply unleashing his rage at Jenny’s untimely death.
“Jealous?” Angel drawled. Which earned him a black eye from Giles before Buffy dragged him away and pushed him into the bathroom so he could cool down.
“Alright.” Willow said, trying to breath evenly. “We just need to calm down. Everyone calm down. Let’s go look at the research again. Okay? No yelling or hitting.” The Scoobies went back to their books and Willow held a ziploc bag of ice cubes to Angel’s eye. Giles eventually joined them once more and the gang finally found the answers they were looking for.
Willow scowled at her legal pad. “I’m an idiot.”
“No, you simply failed to take moon phase into account. It’s a common mistake for a neophyte witch.” Giles placated.
She went to Angel, bending down to look him in the eye. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea what would happen if I did this during the full moon.”
