information and disclaimers in part one =20
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Title: Dreams? 9/11
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Willow walked quickly; it was nice out, but she was looking forward to =
discussing the journal with Angel. He had mentioned spotting some =
smaller spells of interest to them in the book. Discussing texts with =
Angel was always fun, and Cassandra frequently joined in. A few =
minutes clearing up her email then they could talk into the night.
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Lost in her cheerful thoughts, the young redhead didn't notice the =
shadow moving in the trees behind her.
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She was surprised to find the mansion dark and empty. <Darn, they must =
have had to run errands. Oh well. > Disappointed, Willow grabbed a soda =
and plopped in front of the computer. Quickly she was absorbed into her =
e-mail. She had called Joe yesterday while Cass was out jogging and had =
asked for Methos' number. The Watcher had given her an email address =
where the Immortal could be reached. Willow had sent a short but =
effusive thank you note. He had responded, clearly pleased that the =
book had proven so useful.
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. . . .I only remembered that it was about vampires. I haven't run =
across a vampire myself in years. If I run across any other relevant =
texts I'll send them to you. I am glad that your friend has been helped. =
That must have been a very tense situation. Could you tell me a bit =
more about that curse? I've never heard of such a thing before. Good =
luck to you in all of your studies. Feel free to contact me; you run =
across a lot of information in 5000 years. I understand if Cassandra =
doesn't want you to. Cassandra will tell you that I have been an evil =
man -- a murderer. This is nothing but the truth. But I am no longer =
that man. =20
Methos=20
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A small sound behind her broke Willow's concentration. She turned. =
"Angel? Cass? . . .Who's there?" <I didn't hear the car pull up, or the =
door. > A tremor of fear shot down her spine when no one responded to =
her question. She heard movement again and dashed to the middle of the =
room, forgetting Angel's instructions to keep her back to the wall. =
Willow barely had time to respond when a man appeared out of the shadows =
beside her, swinging a sword at her neck. <Oh, Goddess! This is bad! > =
Fortunately, the lessons Angel had drilled into the young witch made her =
react automatically -- preventing the urge to freeze. Dropping to the =
floor, she kicked her attacker's feet out from under him. He fell =
against the side table. The table and a lamp went flying, knocking out =
half of the light in the room. The sharp sword sliced through the air =
above Willow's head. =20
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"What the hell do you want!?" She yelled as she rolled away, dodging =
his grabbing arms and sword. The attacker got to his feet quickly, =
pursuing the slender woman.
=20
<Damn it, I missed! > "Just your head, Coppertop." Marcus Costior =
grinned through his fury. The girl had looked to be an easy mark, and =
she was making him look ridiculous. Not yet Immortal and unaware of the =
fact that she would be; the bitch shouldn't have known how to fight =
back. She should have died with the first stroke of his sword.
=20
Willow vaulted over the couch, grabbing the second lamp with her mind =
and launching it at the nameless attacker. The light in the room died, =
the only illumination the pale blue light of the computer screen. =
Marcus chased after her, the lamp only a minor distraction. Attacking =
again, he sliced into her side, leaving a long gash. The witch was =
aware of the impact and of dull burning in her side. She refused to =
think about it. <I have to concentrate. > Quickly she threw a filmy =
illusion of an attacking demon in front of the man. It was a half-baked =
effort, falling apart almost as soon as it was finished. But it worked; =
Marcus recoiled, yelling. "What the hell was THAT!" Willow grabbed the =
sword that Cass practiced with. It was heavier and longer than the =
novice was used to, but it was closer to hand. Her attacker's choice of =
weapon, combined with the fact that he didn't seem to be either a =
vampire or a demon, let her know what she had to do. Cass had told her =
about headhunters. <But why is he attacking ME, damn it!!! >
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Willow had proven to be a naturally talented fighter, but she lacked =
experience. For a few minutes she fended off his blows. Then her =
guard slipped, and his sword rammed through her chest, puncturing a =
lung. This wound she couldn't ignore. Looking at the man's smug and =
victorious face, she threw her power at him without conscious thought, =
briefly stunning Marcus. Willow raised her arm and swung Cassandra's =
sword --- using her magic to strengthen the blow. His head flew across =
the room. Willow watched it's gruesome arc numbly. The world was =
rapidly going dark and blurry. There was no time for her to enjoy her =
victory. Still impaled on her attacker's sword, Willow fell to the =
floor. She stared at the wall, unable to move, and blood dribbled from =
her mouth. <Oh . . . Goddess, this hurts. > Around her blue lightening =
danced, exploding the computer. Willow was vaguely aware of the power =
dancing through her. Moments later, she died, drowning in her own =
blood.
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Angel walked slowly back to the Mansion. He was calm now, emotions =
firmly back under control. It was nearly midnight. <I hope Willow =
isn't too worried. > The vampire had walked nearly across town in his =
need to think. Looking up as he walked up to the door, he noticed that =
Cassandra's car was still gone. <How long did she think Buffy and I =
were going to talk? > Then he noticed that the lights were out as well. =
A little worry began to gnaw at him. <Willow is still at Giles? I'd =
better call and check. > Willow had planned on being home soon after =
dark. Angel hurried through the front door.
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The smell of blood hit him the minute he stepped inside. Panic rushed =
through him, making his dead heart contract. Eyes searching frantically =
in the darkness for the source of the overpowering smell, he almost =
tripped over Marcus's head. He stared at the grisly thing, horror =
growing; Angel rushed into the room, all caution forgotten. "Willow." =
His only thought was that she had gotten home on time -- alone. His =
sharp night vision allowed him to clearly see the shambles the room was =
in. He could also smell Willow. Then he found her, still next to the =
rest of the body of her attacker in a pool of both of their blood. =
Blood covered her from the wound in her side. =20
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His anguished scream echoed through the dark Mansion. Kicking Marcus's =
body aside, Angel fell to his knees and pulled Willow into his arms. =
Violently, he pulled the sword out her chest. He threw it across the =
room, where it hit the wall with a clang. Gently, he pushed the hair out =
of her starring eyes. <NO-NO-NO-NO!!! > Her body was still warm; he =
leaned his head against her chest -- no trace of a heartbeat -- not even =
the faintest murmur for his sensitive hearing to detect. It was too =
late to turn her, but the lingering warmth in her pale skin let him know =
it had only been minutes. Angel held her tightly against him, his blood =
tears mingling with her lifeblood as he sobbed. He sobbed =
uncontrollably, beyond thought and completely lost in his pain. An =
animal-like keening filled the room. The grieving vampire sat unmoving =
with the slender girl in his arms for hours.
=20
He missed the first feeble beat of Willow's heart. Then she took a =
gasping breath that shook her entire body. Angel bolted upright, =
starring in shock at Willow's face. She began to cough, choking on the =
blood that filled her lungs. The vampire turned her over and supported =
her until the spasms ceased. Willow turned over in his arms; she looked =
up at Angel with eyes full of confusion, her cheeks flushed.
=20
Angel looked at her in wonder. He touched her side gently, sliding his =
hand inside her torn shirt to touch the spot where the wound had been. =
Willow's skin was smooth and unbroken. <Her skin is warm. > Then he =
slid his hand to her heart, face full of reverence. <Her heart's =
beating! > He thought joyfully. Angel closed his eyes -- letting his =
senses focus on her pulse -- its sound and the feel of it under his =
hand.
=20
Willow was definitely confused. She clearly remembered being run =
through and dying. The corpse of her attacker was lying right next to =
her and Angel. <I killed him! > But the shock of being alive =
<Breathing, breathing is very, very good . . . > was overshadowed by the =
sensation of Angel holding her tightly and his hands running over her =
sides. It made her heart beat wildly. Willow could tell he was in =
shock even through the haze of her own shock. She reached up, after =
wiggling one arm free of the tight embrace, and gently stroked his =
cheek. "Angel, are you okay?"
=20
His yellow eyes snapped open. <Am I all right?! She DIES, and the =
first thing she asks is if I'm all right! > Angel stared, stunned, into =
her large green eyes, then pulled her to him -- forgetting all his =
previous injunctions to himself to act just as a friend to her.
=20
With the first touch of his mouth to hers Willow completely forgot death =
and headless corpses. Her only coherent thought was a brief notice that =
Angel was vamped out. The kiss was frantic, almost desperate. Angel =
was reassuring himself the woman he loved was actually alive, breathing =
in his arms. Then he realized, as he was pushing her back against the =
side of the couch, that he was kissing his best friend . . . and his =
fangs and ridges were out. He pulled back. "I'm sorry, Willow. I love =
you." Angel put his human face back on, feeling ashamed of his impulsive =
action. "I know you don't feel that way abou. . . " Willow didn't give =
him a chance to finish his sentence. The young witch realized that =
Angel didn't know how she felt. <Of course, I have been hiding that. =
Stupid me. > All that mattered was that he loved her. She shut him up =
by pulling him back into the kiss. Both were quickly lost in the =
intense moment . . . completely unaware of the world around them. =20
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So, neither of them heard the car pull up. =20
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Cassandra was in a truly foul mood as she paid the cab driver. <I hate =
cars. That is third one of those infernal creations to break down on me =
last six months. Goddess! Horses were far more relia . . .> The immortal =
cut off her internal tirade as she neared the Mansion. She could feel =
another Immortal . . . very close, and the front door was standing wide =
open. Drawing her sword, she walked quickly into the Mansion, already =
in a defensive stance. Inside the entry the light switch failed to =
work. Back to the wall, she cast a simple spell designed to light up a =
room for about a half an hour. The sight that met her eyes made =
Cassandra almost drop her sword. The room was a mess. There was =
unfamiliar decapitated head at her feet, the furniture had been thrown =
around, and both lamps were knocked over. Next the couch was the body, =
and the blood, to go with the head. Sitting in that blood were Angel =
and Willow --- kissing like the world was about to end. The Immortal =
buzz was coming from Willow, and it was quite strong. <Oh, Hell! I =
leave the house to get some groceries, and look what happens. > =
Cassandra crossed the room, picking up the lamps and plugging them back =
it. Surprisingly, both had escaped being broken; she revoked the =
unneeded light spell. =20
=20
"Willow?" Cassandra cleared her throat; neither of the kissing pair =
noticed her. "Willow!" She was still ignored. "WILLOW!" The pair broke =
apart with a jump, looking at her in embarrassed surprise. Willow moved =
to get out of Angel's lap, but he refused to let her go, keeping his =
arms firmly wrapped around her slight frame.
=20
In a much calmer voice, Cassandra continued, "Do think that could wait? =
We need to talk, and this place is a disaster." She looked pointedly at =
the blood. Willow and Angel suddenly realized they were still on the =
blood-covered floor. "Eww!" was Willow's first reaction. Reluctantly, =
Angel let go of her and stood, helping her to her feet.
=20
Let's go in the kitchen --- less blood." Cassandra walked away, and =
they followed.
=20
Sitting at the kitchen table, holding Angel's hand, Willow's brain =
function finally resumed. "Um, Cassandra? I'm Immortal, aren't I? He =
was a headhunter. It's the only thing that makes sense."
=20
"Yes you are. I was hoping that this wouldn't happen for a bit longer."=20
=20
Angel immediately exploded. He stood up, his chair falling to the floor =
behind him, and he leaned across the table. The vampire grabbed =
Cassandra. "You KNEW Willow was Immortal! And you didn't even mention =
it!" he roared. He vamped back out, reacting to his fury.=20
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<Oh wonderful! Angry vampire! > "We generally don't tell! When someone =
knows they're Immortal it alters how they deal with life; they take =
crazy risks!" Cassandra yelled back at him, shoving him back to sit on =
the upper edge of his fallen chair. He had to grab the edge of the table =
to keep from toppling backwards. Angel glared at her and moved to stand =
back up. Cassandra started speaking again, this time turning to Willow. =
"You tend to do just about anything for your friends, right?"=20
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"Um, well . . . Yes." Willow stammered. She was still rather stunned =
and had been zoning out as Cass and Angel argued. She didn't have the =
energy to break up the fight.
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"So if you had know that you couldn't be turned into a vampire or killed =
in most ways you would have taken on dangerous things to protect the =
others?" Cassandra's tone was supremely reasonable.
=20
Willow nodded slowly. <Oh! > Confusion faded from her face as she =
started to understand what Cass was trying to point out. Angel, =
however, was still growling. The redhead reached over to grab his hand =
again. "Angel, calm down. It's okay." She looked at him pleadingly
=20
The Immortal faced the vampire calmly. "I wanted Willow to live as long =
as possible. I was hoping that she would make it to her mid-twenties =
BEFORE she stopped aging. <Well, that was a lost cause. > I knew that =
Willow would take risks if I told her." Willow blushed as Cassandra =
directed a wry glance at her student. "So I did my best to prepare her =
without giving away that she was pre-Immortal."
=20
Angel was starting to think again by the end of this speech. Forcing =
down his need to defend Willow in some way, he resumed his human face. =
Willow sighed in relief. He was going to cooperate. For now.
=20
Cass looked the pair over thoughtfully. "Why don't you both go clean up. =
You are both a disaster. I'll take care of the living room. Somehow I =
don't think seeing you covered in blood is the best way to break the =
news to the others."
=20
Willow and Angel were both liberally covered with blood, and Willow's =
shirt was badly torn. The young witch suddenly became aware of the =
mess, her daze evaporating. "Ewww!" Willow took off for the shower.
=20
<I was wondering when she would notice. > Cassandra thought with a grin. =
Angel trailed after her, trying to absorb Cassandra's explanation.
=20
Willow tossed the ruined clothing into the corner of her room, thinking =
as she did so that she would need to burn the outfit later -- between =
the blood and the tears it was a complete loss. She turned on the =
shower as hot as it would go then stepped into the driving spray. =
Quickly, Willow began scrubbing off the blood. It was everywhere, and =
the water flowing down the drain in the floor was pink. Willow leaned =
against the tile wall, watching the water as it swirled away. Finally =
the rest of her stunned daze began to dissolve.
=20
The small redhead slid to the floor, shaking. It was all just too much. =
Learning to become a powerful witch had been exciting and much desired. =
Cassandra's immortality had been a fascinating research topic, and no =
more. Willow had wanted to know more about what it was like. <But =
Goddess! This wasn't what I had in mind. > The young witch was =
perfectly willing to admit that she was terrified, and she couldn't yet =
absorb what effect this was going to have on her life. For a while, =
Willow just sat on the floor, water hitting her head as she sat and =
cried helplessly. About the time the water began to cool, the hysteria =
began to wear off. She stood back up. <I'd better get up. Angel will =
be worried if I don't show up soon. > This returned her to more =
pleasant thoughts . . . reflecting on the intense embrace that they had =
shared. However, Willow didn't let her thoughts or the warm tingly =
feeling they gave her distract her. She wasn't ready to have a worried =
Angel bursting in while she was still in the shower. <Although that =
could be interesting. Behave, Willow! >=20
=20
Hair dry and clothes clean, Willow headed back down the stairs to rejoin =
the others. Cassandra was mopping up the floor when her student walked =
into the room. Most of the blood was gone, and Angel was wiping up the =
stray smears that were out of Cass's reach. The couch, still stained, =
had been set to one side. The rest of the furniture had been restored =
to order. The lamps looked rather squished. The blood-covered carpet =
Willow and her attacker had fallen on was gone.=20
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Looking around the redhead found it. It was near the front door. Cass =
and Angel had rolled up the remains in it -- for disposal. The sword, =
still bloody <my blood >, was on top of it. Willow could take her eyes =
off the misshapen bundle. <I killed someone, > she thought in shock. =
Involuntarily, a shiver shook her. =20
=20
An arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her tight and giving her =
the support she needed. Angel leaned down and kissed her forehead. He =
had abandoned the clean up operation as soon as she had paled and =
shuddered. Willow leaned into his arms, wrapping her arms around his =
waist and burying her face against his chest.
=20
Cassandra looked on in concern. "Are you alright, Willow?" Angel =
glared at her, but relented a little when he saw the genuine concern in =
the Immortal's face. =20
=20
Willow straightened up. She had managed to avoid crying again, though =
her eyes were red. She had just needed some support. "I'm fine, or I =
will be once my head stops spinning." Angel squeezed her, and she =
grinned up at him. The smile was open and unstrained. It was also full =
of the love that the vampire desperately needed to see. He grinned back =
at her, feeling the knot of worry in his stomach relax and disappear. =
Cassandra, looking on, also relaxed. It looked as if her student would =
indeed be all right, despite the shock.
=20
Willow's face turned serious again. She turned to face her teacher, =
leaning back against Angel. Her moved his arms to her waist, and she =
placed her smaller hands over his. Her eyes flickered over towards the =
carpet wrapped bundle. "I didn't have a choice, did I? About killing =
him I mean," she quietly asked Cassandra.
=20
"No you didn't. He was a headhunter and nasty one. Going after =
pre-Immortals is seen as being without honor. If you hadn't killed him =
he would have killed you without a second thought. Just knocking him =
out or even injuring him severely wouldn't have been enough." =
Cassandra's voice managed to be both deadly serious and reassuring. "I =
have gone over the rules of the game with you, haven't I?"
=20
"I think so?" Willow responded her voice unsure.
=20
"We need to go over that. You must know certain things." She moved to =
the kitchen, Angel and Willow following her. Cassandra dumped the =
bucket of water, only slightly pink, into the sink and dropped the mop =
on the counter. She dropped into a chair, tired although it was early =
in the day. <Lack of sleep will do that to you, > she thought wryly. =
She continued speaking. "You'll need to start training seriously now. =
Magic will have to wait for awhile. I want to be sure you can handle =
yourself in a sword fight without magic first."
=20
They sat down at the table, again, preparing to talk. Cassandra opened =
her mouth to start when they all heard the front door open. There was a =
brief pause then they all turned to the door and got back to their feet. =
From the other room came a chorused yell. "What the Hell!?" =20
to be continued . . .
