Willow rolled over in bed, she couldn't seem to sleep. Every time she was about to drift off she kept on seeing his face, hearing his voice. She was still wearing Angelus' shirt, he had put it on her when she grew too cold last night. It was too large and hung down way past her arms but it felt perfect. She put her wrist to her nose, smelling him on the shirt. It all didn't seem real.
Angelus had brought her home the night before shortly before dawn. They had spent the rest of the night just talking, looking up at the stars. She had wanted to make love again, but he insisted that they shouldn't. He knew that he had hurt her and didn't want her to be sore. Then Angelus had smiled wickedly and told her that she'd be even more anxious to see him the next night if they didn't.
Willow reluctantly climbed out of bed and slipped on a light purple robe with a silver moon on the back. In a daze, she went about her morning rituals. She started the coffee pot, brushed her teeth, took a hot shower, and got dressed. Willow kept drifting off in the middle of these activities. She'd hear his throaty laughter or feel his fingertips trace her spine. She kept replaying the night in her mind over and over again -- taking mini mental vacations.
Willow walked over and sat down in front of her computer. She flipped it on and while it booted up went and got herself a cup of coffee. When she returned and went online, she had twenty messages. One was from Ms. Calender. With a sick feeling in her stomach, she opened it. It was a two line message, requesting that she come to the school library this evening. She stared at the screen, speculating on what the technopagan had to tell her, knowing it must have to do with the soul restoration spell. As Giles would say, Oh, bloody hell!
********
"What are you so soddin' happy about?" Spike snarled. Angelus is smiling. . .smiling! Wanker doesn't do that unless he's maiming someone. . . or he's up to something. The disgruntled vampire was still wheelchair bound, but his strength was returning. Soon, he'd be able to wipe a smile off his smug sire's face. He took another mouthful from the mug of warmed blood that Dru had given him earlier. "Did you just get back from drawing the Slayer another family portrait or something?" That always seemed to put him in good mood. Maybe that was it. " Maybe you scared her and her friends by doing a scary watercolor of 'em." He hoped his sire didn't miss the sarcasm in his voice.
Angelus snatched the cup from him."Is that any of your business, meals on wheels?" He drained it and then threw it to the ground, his smile widened as Spike flinched at the noise. Then his grandchilde clenched his jaw and glared. He'd been doing a lot of that lately. Clenching. Glaring. It only fueled his good mood. "And I don't do watercolors. I sketch. " He said, defending his artistic sensibility.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Like I give a bloody damn." Angelus though he heard a mumbled 'poof' after the statement.
"Maybe I should draw some illustrations for your 'bloody awful' poems, William."
He wasn't going to rise to the bait. "Come on, tell me what you did last night." Spike decided to push him further. "Did Dru go with you?"
"She's my childe, she does as I say." He hadn't gone anywhere with his crazed childe, hadn't thought about her at all in quite a while. But it wasn't Spike's place to question him. "You could learn a lot from her."
"You think I'm blind, don't you?" Spike bit out. "You want her for yourself."
Angelus laughed, his childe had it bad alright. He was in love with Drusilla and so jealous he couldn't think straight. Angelus knew the feeling. "I could take her if I wanted her. Never forget that." He relaxed a little. "Just so happens, I have other things on my mind."
Spike tilted his head to the side, a crafty look in his eyes. "It's the redhead, isn't it?"
All of a sudden, Angelus was in his face. He had braced his powerful forearms on Spike's chair and he looked decidedly unhappy. "What do you know about her?"
"Hey! No need to get so close, mate. I was only making small talk."
"Never mention her again, Spike." The wounded vampire gulped and nodded. Angelus straightened. "You have yourself a nice day, roller derby." He sauntered off to his bedroom.
Spike clenched his jaw. . .and glared. "Wanker." ******
Willow lingered over her coffee. She didn't want the day to progress, didn't want night to fall. She racked her brain but was unable come up with any viable solutions. She couldn't tell Angelus, God only knows what kind of action he'd take against Miss. Calender. . Obviously, she couldn't tell the Scoobies. She could never forget that Angelus was a demon.
"Uh, Willow?"
She turned to see Oz standing in the middle of the kitchen. "I knocked but there was no answer."
"Oz, I'm sorry! I forgot you were going to pick me up for school."
He smiled at that and gestured to her clothing. "I can see that."
"Oh, uh." She pulled her robe tighter around her and pulled her red hair over her neck to hide the bite marks. "I don't feel up to going today."
"Are you sick?" He looked concerned.
"Yes. . .sick. I'm under the weather alright. " Willow gave him what she hoped was a convincing 'sick' face.
"I thought the only event that would make you miss school was being kidnapped."
"Well, the flu can be very convincing."
Oz nodded as if he were experienced in fighting the flu virus. "Should I do something?" His brow wrinkled. "Chicken soup or kleenex or something?'
"No, no that won't be necessary. Actually, you should probably leave." She smiled briefly then looked serious. "I don't want you to get sick too." She walked down the hall to the front door and opened it. He followed her very closely. "I'll see you later, Oz."
Before he knew what was happening he was on the stoop looking at the shut door. "Strange girl." It was said with affection. Oz sniffed again, there was another scent in the house, he could smell a faint trace of it outside. Another man? Maybe he had a rival for her affections. But. . .who was it?
Inside, Willow reached for the phone. "Giles? Hello, this is Willow. I don't feel good, could you call me off school?"
*********
"Daddy!" A voice shrieked, bringing Angelus out of a sound sleep. He bolted upright in bed to see his dark haired childe standing at the foot of it. She fell on the bed, placing a hand to her temple. "Trying to break up our happy home. No. Can't let her."
He scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to wake up. "What is it, Dru?"
"That bad teacher! Seeking help. An old enemy." She held her head. "Ooh! The pixies in my head are screaming."
"A teacher. . . Giles?" He asked drowsily. The Watcher wasn't a serious threat.
"No. Beady black eyes, hair like a raven's wing. A gypsy, she is. Miss Edith told me about her over tea and cakes." She pulled her legs up to her chin, trembling. "Wants to hurt my daddy and bring back the Angel beast."
"A gypsy? Black eyes. . .Jenny Calender."
"Buzzing machines." Dru mumbled. "Full of energy and curses." She nodded.
"She's using the computer to find the spell they cursed me with." Angelus had gotten used to decrypting 'Dru speak' for years. "When?"
"She'll have it tonight, daddy, by the light of the moon."
"Don't worry, Dru, I'll take care of it." She clung to him like the scared childe she was and he patted her back as he thought of a solution.
*********
That evening, Jenny Calender beamed in triumph as the Latin words translated themselves to English. The missing text also filled itself in. She did it! She took a deep breath. Maybe Giles could find it in his heart to forgive her if she could restore Angel's soul and cure him.
She saved the spell on a disk and slipped it into her desk drawer. Then, she printed out a copy for her own use. After that was done, Jenny busied herself by checking the spell's ingredients which were in her knapsack. She had just come from the magick shop in town. The reliable shopkeeper helped her acquire them. She would be ready when the time came to use them.
"What do we have here?" A silky voice drawled.
Jenny shuddered. "Angel?"
"Actually its Angelus, but I thought you knew that." He walked further into the room, he had used the outside door on her classroom to gain entrance.
