Into Love

Author: Meana

Email: meana@borderline-angel.com

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Nuh uh, not me. 8^(

Notes:

1) I started this on August 11, 1997, (I know a long time ago) and I hoped to be finished it before the year 2000 *smile* but the fates were not smiling upon me. It has been finished for a little while now though.

2) As well, this is an Angel/Willow romance, so be warned.

3) This story is set before the second season; at least that's when I started to write it.

4) I don't have a clue about police procedure so I'm making it up as I go along.

5) Part Six is the part where things start to get a little bit racier.

6) I plan (note the word 'plan') to write a sequel.

Rating: PG, I guess.

Archive: On my sites at ...Mightier Than the Sword and Romantic Intentions. Also at TPWFLD. Anyone else please ask first.

Feedback: Ooh, yes please. Send me all you can and tell me what you thought.

---

Part One

The sound of an owl echoed across the pond's dark waters. The trees surrounding the pond seemed to sigh in answer. The wind that flowed through the leaves danced with the long hair of the girl who sat on the bench at the water's edge. That same wind danced along her lips trying to entice a smile from them. Success was not achieved.

The full moon was reflected in the pond's water. Like an imperfect mirror, the water shone with the pure white light, a beacon to the creatures of fantasy that walked through the world.

~*~*~*~*

Willow sat in silence, her eyes staring with helpless anger at the full moon. The anger that filled her soul was like a lance of fire. It burned red hot and yet it seemed to fill her heart with shards of pain as cold as ice. Her anger was directed inwards, towards her own cowardice.

He was in love! With someone else!

The tears she had held back since he had declared his love for another finally fell. It was her own fault, she realized. If she had had the courage to tell him how she felt, then maybe circumstances would be different. Maybe she would be the one dancing with him now.

Him. She couldn't even bring herself to think his name, let alone say it. It hurt too much.

Suddenly, her anger crashed down under the weight of her pain. Great sobs wracked her body as the pain flooded her heart; a heart no longer buffered by her anger. Willow wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to protect her heart.

The feel of a strong pair of arms wrapping themselves around her momentarily startled her out of her misery. Willow looked up and found she was staring into the eyes of a vampire, the eyes of a friend. Angel. The pain on his face mirrored the pain she knew was visible on her own face.

"Oh, Angel," she murmured, her heart breaking for the lonely, seemingly young man. "You saw her, didn't you?"

Angel didn't have to ask whom Willow referred to. There was only one person who could cause him this much sorrow: Buffy. Angel closed his eyes in pain. The gentle touch of Willow's hand on his face startled him. Very few people had acted gentle with him for, well, over a hundred years, not since his mother. He looked into Willow's eyes and was shocked to see the concern and worry in them.

"I'm so sorry, Angel. I know how much you care for her and want her to be happy," Willow said softly. With a slight laugh she continued, "And you have to admit, she does seem to be happy." She whispered, almost to herself, "They make each other happy, Angel, and that's all that really matters when you watch the one you love fall in love with someone else."

Willow smiled sadly as she realized that her words also applied to her. Her concerns for the man beside her overrode her own feelings of loss. With this concern came clarity and understanding. Xander was in love with someone else and that person made him happy. "Guess I should agree with the validity of my own argument, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know," Angel answered softly, "Nobody ever said love was logical or that it would follow the commands of our heads. Maybe this pain is our hearts' way of telling us we should get up, go to the one we love, and fight for their love," Angel mused, but at the violent shaking of Willow's head he said, "Or maybe not."

Angel shifted on the bench until he and Willow were comfortable. His arm was around her shoulders and her head was leaning against one of his shoulders. Once they were comfortable, Angel started talking; "Maybe if we talk about them it won't hurt so much?" At Willow's hesitant nod he continued, "I remember the first time I saw Buffy..."

End Part One

Part Two

Willow stared at the computer screen in front of her but did not see the information that was displayed on it. Instead, she saw a quiet pond, a young woman, and a man with the face of youth. Her ears did not hear the instructions of the teacher. Instead, she heard the soft murmur of voices, a murmur punctuated not only by tears, but also by laughter.

Laughter. She hadn't thought she'd be able to laugh. Her heart's pain had seemed too great to allow for joy. Angel's suggestion of remembering the joy of being friends with the love of your life had worked. The pain wasn't gone, nor was it any less, but it was a little easier to handle.

"Who would've thought a vampire would know about the pain of the heart," she murmured to herself as her hands idly moved over the keyboard.

Willow smiled gently as she thought of the previous night. She and Angel had spent almost the entire night either talking or just sitting quietly on the park bench. Just before the sun had risen, they made a mad dash for shelter. Angel's shelter: his apartment. He had invited her to come back to his apartment that night so they could talk some more and she had decided to do so.

She was going to spend the night with a vampire! The sound of that statement caused Willow to giggle. "Spend the night! What a suggestive thought." Her giggles escalated to a full-blown laugh.

"Excuse me, Ms. Rosenberg, but would you care to share the joke with the rest of the class?" Ms. Calendar, the computer teacher, asked in her best Giles imitation.

Willow looked at her and thought then simply said, "Nope," and returned to her work.

Nonplussed Ms. Calendar walked back to her desk. She sat down and stared at Willow. The girl's behavior had her confused and worried. Willow was not behaving like herself. Ms. Calendar decided to talk to Giles about Willow's behavior later. The whole group was meeting in the library at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the current vampire situation. If she got there half an hour early she could talk to Giles about Willow without the others eavesdropping. Ms. Calendar nodded her head decisively then got back to her own work.

---

Giles looked up at the sound of the library door opening. As his head moved he spoke, "Good, Willow, you're finally..." His voice trailed off when he saw that his visitor was Jenny Calendar and not the young hacker. "Oh, it's you."

"Yes, Rupert, it's me. Since you brought her name up maybe you could tell me what has got her so distracted?" Ms. Calendar asked looking at the librarian in annoyance.

"Distracted, hmmm. I'm afraid I don't know what's wrong. But something must be wrong. She was supposed to be here a half an hour ago to get some information from that awful machine for me. She has yet to show up." A look of inspiration suddenly lit his eyes and he started to wander away, "Hmmm, I wonder..."

"You wonder... you wonder what, Rupert? Do you know what's wrong with Willow?" Jenny cried.

"Hmmm," Giles looked at Jenny and said, "No, not Willow, something else. Ta," then he walked off into the stacks.

"Ta! Ta! Oh, that insufferable man," she growled as she sat in a chair and waited for everyone to get to the library.

When Xander and Buffy walked in she suddenly realized what was wrong with Willow. Willow was feeling like a fifth wheel. She watched and listened as Buffy and Xander walked into the room together, hand in hand. They were both practically glowing and they wore ridiculous grins. They were talking at the same time but they weren't really listening to one another. The words they spoke were mirrors. What one said the other had already said or was just about to say. They spoke of love, the wonder of being in love, and the perfection of the one they were in love with. They were too sappy for words with their actions of newfound love.

"Poor Willow," Jenny murmured. "She must be devastated. Xander has a girlfriend and it's Buffy. She has no one to turn to for consolation. I'll talk to Willow after the meeting. She needs a friend right now and I can fill the job."

Jenny's plans were ruined though. Willow never showed up for the meeting and only Giles and Ms. Calendar noticed. Buffy and Xander were too busy thinking about other 'things' to notice anything that happened at the meeting. As soon as they all finished talking about the activities of the vampires, Buffy and Xander practically ran out of the library. The two were very eager to spend some time alone together. They never even noticed the absence of Willow.

"Do you think you could talk to Willow, Jenny? I think she needs a friend," Giles asked quietly, his worry evident on his face.

"I'd planned to but she didn't show up so I'll try to catch her after class tomorrow. Bye, Rupert." Jenny left the library; her shoulders weighed down by her worry for a favorite student.

End Part Two

Part Three

Again, the sound of an owl echoed across the pond's surface. This time two sets of ears heard its mournful cry. Willow and Angel sat together on the park bench. Neither spoke. They simply sat together and silently watched as the wind stirred the water in the pond in complex patterns.

They sat until just before dawn in silence. Just before the sun came up they stood and agreed to meet on the bench again that night. They then parted company. He headed for shelter and she wandered home and got ready for school.

---

"Ms. Rosenberg, I hate to have to be the one to tell you this but this is a classroom not your bedroom," Mr. Duncan, a math teacher, said. "Now if you'd care to pay attention I can get on with the class." At Willow's nod he walked to the front of the room and continued to teach but Willow didn't listen.

Instead Willow sat and stared at the front of the classroom, her mind somewhere else. She sat and spent the rest of the class thinking about the events of the past two weeks of her life. It had been two weeks since Xander and Buffy had become a couple, and her whole world had changed.

She and Angel spent every night together, from sundown to sunup. Sometimes at the pond, now and then walking the streets, and sometimes at his place. Sometimes they spent the entire time talking about a variety of subjects, occasionally they spent all their time in companionable silence, but mostly it was a combination of the two.

Willow was aware that her parents were worried about her but right then, it didn't concern her. She knew that they had received a number of phone calls from the school asking questions like: why she wasn't in class, why she hadn't handed in assignments, and why she kept falling asleep in class. Yet, she found herself unfazed by such worries. They no longer seemed to be an important part of her life.

She also knew that Giles and Ms. Calendar were worried about her. Both had tried to talk to her, but she wasn't ready to talk to anyone but Angel. For the past week and a half, she had avoided the library and the computer rooms in order to avoid the questions Giles and Ms. Calendar inevitably asked.

What hurt, though, was that neither Xander nor Buffy had noticed that she was avoiding them. If they went to class, she skipped. If they were absent she went and usually slept. She was no longer interested in doing well in school. She preferred to spend her school time sleeping, thinking about her time with Angel, or thinking about the time she would have with him.

Just as the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, Willow made a decision. Quickly she packed up, left the classroom, and went to her locker, which she just as quickly emptied of its contents. Then with a determined stride she headed for the school doors. The sound of Xander calling her name almost drew her to a stop. Almost, but not quite. With a sudden burst of speed she ran out the doors and raced home. She had things to do. She was going to start a new life and had to start severing ties with the old one.

---

"Hey, Buffy. Have you seen Willow today? She wasn't in English earlier and there's no answer at her place," Xander asked as he and Buffy walked down the hall.

"Uh, no. Why?" was Buffy's reply.

"Oh, my cousin Ian is coming to visit and I thought he and Willow could double date with us tomorrow night." Xander smiled at Buffy and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Willow!" he suddenly cried out as he saw his best friend leave her locker and head for the school doors. A slight hesitation in Willow's step was the only indication that she had heard him. He watched, stunned, as she suddenly sprinted out the door.

"That's odd," Buffy said as she watched her friend race out of the school. "I know she heard you but why didn't she stop?" With the obliviousness of youth and young love, it never occurred to Buffy to wonder about Willow's feelings.

"I don't know. Maybe Giles will," Xander answered.

The two stopped beside Willow's locker. The door stood open and when the two looked in, it was to find the locker empty.

"Come on, let's get to the library. I want to know what's wrong with Willow. I want to find out why she'd empty out her locker in the middle of the school year," Buffy said.

Worry for Willow filling their minds the two teenagers rushed to the library where they found an equally troubled Giles listening to a concerned Ms. Calendar.

"I'm so worried, Rupert. She's been falling asleep in her classes and she hasn't even been showing up for my class. She's skipped a number of her other classes and she hasn't handed any assignments in for the last two weeks. It's just not like Willow to behave like this!"

"I know what you mean," Giles said in a tired voice. "She hasn't been here in the library for over a week and every time I see her in the halls she turns and walks the other way. She's been avoiding us."

"Are you two talking about Willow?" Xander asked, surprising the two adults from their discussion. At their nods he continued, "Now that I think of it, I haven't seen in Willow in a long while either and she just ran away from me." At the questioning looks of the two teachers, he explained about what had happened less than a half-hour earlier.

When he finished Buffy said, "I don't remember talking to Willow for over a week now either." When she saw Giles and Ms. Calendar exchange a strange look, the Slayer practically pounced. "You know what's wrong with Willow, don't you?" The two teachers kept silent.

"If you know what's wrong tell us!" Xander cried. "Maybe we can help her."

Giles and Ms. Calendar exchanged another long look and at Giles' nod Ms. Calendar spoke, "It's you two."

The two teenagers looked confused and simultaneously exclaimed, "Us!?"

"Yes, you!" Jenny cried angrily. "The two of you have been so wrapped up in your own lives and your new relationship that you haven't even noticed Willow. You've excluded her from your lives. She's supposed to be your friend and yet you've been acting as though she doesn't even exist or is some sort of pariah. She's probably been avoiding the two of you as much as she's been avoiding the two of us but you haven't even noticed. The two of you are so self-centered!" With those final words, Jenny Calendar stormed out of the library. Behind her, she left a surprised librarian and two teenagers who suddenly felt very ashamed of themselves.

"Come on, Xander," Buffy said grabbing Xander by the arm, "We have to find Willow and apologize to her." With a willing Xander in tow, she too left the library.

End Part Three

Part Four

As soon as she got home, Willow began to frantically rush around the house.

"Clothes, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, bank book, id, photos, money, jewelry, notebooks…" As she spoke Willow threw each item into a large duffel bag. "Have I forgotten anything?" she murmured to herself as she took a quick look around her room and then the house. "Don't think so but if I did, too bad." Willow wrote a quick note to her parents, put it on the fridge, and left the house for what she hoped would be the last time.

---

"I can't believe how blind we've been," Buffy said as she and Xander practically ran towards the Rosenberg home.

"I know. I feel like such a jerk. Willow's my best bud, but I've acted as though she doesn't exist," Xander responded. The two were then silent as they thought about how they had treated their friend.

Finally, they reached the Rosenberg home. They were surprised, to say the least, to find a police car in the driveway. As they came closer to the house, they saw Mrs. Rosenberg exit the building with a man who exuded an aura of law and order.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Rosenberg but until she's been missing for 24 hours we can't do anything," they heard the man explain.

"Thank you officer, "Mrs. Rosenberg said as she watched the man walk away. She continued to watch, silently, as he drove away. Then she started to go back into the house, but as she turned she caught sight of Xander and Buffy. "Oh, Xander, Buffy, have either of you seen Willow?" she asked, with a look of hopeful expectation.

"We saw her leave school earlier, but she ignored us. We were hoping to talk to her now," Buffy said.

"What happened, Mrs. Rosenberg?" Xander asked. "Where's Willow?" Xander's worry for his friend filled his voice.

Before she answered Willow's mother drew the two teenagers into the house and then into the living room. She pushed them down on top of the couch and sat herself down in a nearby chair. She picked up a piece of paper sitting on the coffee table and stared at it intently. She looked at the paper as though it held all the secrets of the universe.

Slowly Mrs. Rosenberg began to speak; "I came home about a half an hour ago. I didn't expect Willow to be here. She hasn't spent much time at home for the last two weeks. I don't know where she goes but she hasn't spent a single night here at home. She only comes home in the morning to eat and get ready for school and the afternoon, just after school, to eat and drop her school stuff off. I know she hasn't been spending the time with you two. When I asked her during the first week, she 'assured' me that she wasn't spending her time hanging around with you two. She said that the two of you were rather pre-occupied."

At their reluctant nods, she continued explaining. "Usually, Willow has left before I've gotten home so it didn't surprise me to not find her here. What did surprise me was finding this note from her." Mrs. Rosenberg began to cry as she handed the slip of paper to Buffy and Xander.

Silently, side by side, the two began to read the note.



   "Mom and Dad,

       I can't handle things right now; my life has gotten too complicated. I need some time on my own so I'm leaving for now. I don't know how long I'll be gone or even if I'll be coming back. Just know that I love you.

       Don't worry about me, I'll be staying with a close friend and I'll be quite safe.

   Love always,

          Willow"



Buffy and Xander looked at one another. They couldn't believe it. Willow had run away! That just wasn't like the Willow they knew. The Willow they knew always tried to fix the things that weren't working in her life.

Xander looked at the crying form of Mrs. Rosenberg and instinctively went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry, Mrs. Rosenberg," he said, "We'll go out and look for her. Buffy and I should know all the places where she might hide."

After she gave them a hesitant smile and her thanks Buffy and Xander left. By a silent agreement they stayed together and began to search for Willow in the local neighborhood. Unknown to them their quarry was on the other side of town and was about to knock on a very familiar door.

End Part Four

Part Five

Willow lifted her hand and, with determined force, knocked. A short while later the door opened revealing a welcoming smile on a handsome face.

"Willow, come in," Angel said as he stepped aside to let the girl enter.

"Thanks, Angel," Willow answered walking in and depositing her bags on the floor. At his quizzical look she said," I've left home. Mind if I stay with you for awhile?"

"Uh, sure," Angel said. He looked at Willow for a moment before he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "What's wrong, Willow? What happened?" he whispered.

"Not much really," Willow replied pulling away slightly. She reached out, took his hand and pulled him to the couch. They sat down side by side and Angel placed his arm around Willow's shoulders. "I can't take it anymore, Angel. Nothing that used to matter to me seems important anymore. I can't concentrate in school, even when I don't fall asleep in class I have no interest in paying attention. For the last couple of weeks, I've avoided Buffy and Xander like they were the plague but they've never even noticed. I've been avoiding Giles and Ms. Calendar for almost as long. I know they're worried about me but I don't want to hear their questions, their concerns. I'm so tired, Angel; so tired of the strain. I need to relax and lately the only time I'm relaxed is when I'm with you."

"I'm glad you feel comfortable with me," Angel said softly, smiling shyly at Willow. He had not expected her to tell him that. It surprised him how much her trust warmed him. "I hope I never give you reason to regret feeling comfortable with me."

"You won't, Angel," Willow answered, her voice equally soft. She moved to kneel on the couch facing Angel. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and whispered fiercely, "I trust you, Angel! With my life, with my heart and with my soul." Willow stared intently into Angel's eyes as she spoke.

When she finished speaking she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the vampires' lips. Almost immediately she started to pull away, a blush at her own boldness staining her cheeks. She stopped when Angel mirrored the position of her hands by placing his own on the sides of her face.

"And I trust you, Willow, with all that I am, have been, or will ever be," he returned.

Slowly and gently, giving her time and space to draw away, he pulled Willow's face back towards his. Tentatively their lips touched, again and again.

After weeks spent exclusively in one another's company--time spent learning about one another--they'd fallen in love. They hadn't looked for love, hadn't expected it, but it had happened. Now they acted on that love, following their hearts lead and letting their minds rest.

---

Buffy and Xander quickly finished looking around the Rosenberg neighborhood. They then expanded their search to include the graveyard, the local library, and the Bronze. They stopped at the school library and informed Giles of Willow's disappearance. He then joined them in their search.

As the hours went by and the day turned to night, they still found no sign of the young hacker. The search party soon found themselves entering an area of Sunnydale that was slightly familiar.

With a grimace Xander reluctantly suggested, "Maybe we should get him to help us search. He might know of a faster way to find her."

Slowly Giles nodded. "You may be right Xander."

Enthusiastically Buffy said, "Yes!" Despite her happiness with Xander, Buffy was still in love with Angel. She had missed his presence in her life. Buffy had often wondered where he'd disappeared to after she started to date Xander. She had gone to his apartment a number of times but he had been out.

"Maybe now I'll find out what he's been doing for the last couple of weeks," Buffy thought to herself. She then felt guilty because she had thought about Angel in the past two weeks but she had not thought about Willow.

With quick steps and anxious hearts, the three friends moved to the door of Angel's apartment. With firm resolve, Buffy knocked and the three waited for a response.

End Part Five

Part Six

Willow sighed softly at the feel of Angel's lips on hers. In the last two weeks, she had rarely felt this relaxed, this comfortable, or this energized. She moaned as he caught her lower lip between his teeth and began to worry at the tender flesh.

With gentle hands, he lifted her from her kneeling position on the couch to a reclining position in his arms. They continued to kiss but now their hands came into play. Lightly, lovingly, their hands traced the lines of each others faces and played up and down each others backs. Time slipped away unnoticed as they learned the taste and texture of one another.

Willow moaned softly as her head fell back baring the graceful length of her throat. The moan turned to a sigh as Angel accepted the invitation and began to nibble on the soft skin. At the same time he moved one of his hands and cupped one of Willows breasts in his palm. In response, Willow pressed herself into his hand, eager for more physical contact.

With a slight chuckle, Angel complied with Willows silent request. Slowly he unbuttoned her top and spread it open revealing her lace bra. Languidly he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the flesh just above the bra, then he kissed the valley between her breasts. Slowly he moved his hand along her back to the clasp of her bra preparing to undo it.

Sudden, insistent knocking at the door startled them. Reluctantly, with many quick and gentle kisses, Angel lifted Willow off his lap, straightened her clothing, and tenderly placed her on the couch.

"We will continue this, little one," he said then smiled at Willow's soft nod of agreement. With obvious reluctance he walked to the door and opened it. Finding Buffy, Xander, and Giles on the other side shocked him.

"Hi, Angel," Buffy said with a loving smile. "Have you seen Wil…" Buffy stopped speaking when she saw Willow nestled on the couch. "Willow!" she cried rushing forward. "What are you doing here? We've been looking everywhere for you!"

Xander quickly followed Buffy into the apartment. His happiness at finding Willow safe kept him from glaring at Angel as he usually did. He rushed over to Willow and gave her a quick hug as he sat down beside her. He and Buffy, who sat on Willow's other side, gave Willow a thorough look over.

During their inspection Willow had remained silent she hadn't even bothered to answer Buffy's earlier questions and barely even looked at her friends. Her attention was focused on Angel as she looked to see how he felt at Buffy's sudden reappearance in his life. But Angel was focused just as intently on her as she was on him. Both barely noticed Giles as he stood just inside the apartment door and watched as Buffy and Xander tried to find out why Willow was at Angel's.

"Why are you here, Willow?" Xander asked drawing the young woman's eyes away from Angel. "Your note said you would be with a friend, so why are you here at Angels?" Xander never even noticed the anger that started to burn in Willow's eyes.

"Yeah," Buffy said. "No offense or anything, Angel, but your just not the type of person Willow hangs around with." Buffy smiled her most winning smile at the vampire. Angel's only response was the slight lifting of one eyebrow and a slow walk from the door to the couch. Buffy's smile widened to a grin as she watched Angel walk towards the trio. She fully expected Angel to pull her into his arms and kiss her or make some other display of affection. Her surprise knew no bounds when he stopped directly in front of Willow instead and held out his hand to the young hacker.

"Shall we go for a walk, little one?" he asked, his affection for the young woman visible on his face. Willow responded by smiling, taking the vampires hand and letting him draw her to a standing position. Angel pulled her closer to the door, drew a leather jacket from the closet, and handed it to Willow. "Put this on while I move your bags into the bedroom then we can head out." He turned to Buffy and the others and said, "I'm sure the three of you can show yourselves out." He lifted Willow's bags and left the room but was back in less than a minute. He returned to the main room to find Buffy and Xander staring at Willow in confusion.

"Wil?" Xander asked, "What's going on?"

Willow looked at Xander and shook her head. She was surprised to find herself uninterested in anything he had to say. She could barely stand being in the same room with him but it was because she was no longer in love with him. The idea of spending more time than she had to with him was now slightly repugnant to her.

"Angel, let's go," she said linking arms with the vampire.

Angel smiled and opened his apartment door. Together he and Willow ushered the others out then followed. As he locked the door Buffy tried to draw Willow from his side but the hacker obstinately kept her place.

"Buffy, Xander, Giles," Angel said turning from the now locked door. "We'll see you around sometime but right now we have a walk to get to. Goodbye."

With slack jaws, Buffy and Xander watched Willow and Angel walk away. The still silent Watcher merely observed, as a look of dawning understanding appeared on his face and his eyes filled with unanswered questions. Painfully he realized that Buffy and Xander's relationship had put a terrible strain on their friendship with Willow. With nowhere else to turn for understanding, Willow had become friends with Angel and that friendship had evolved into love. The Willow they had all known was gone and in her place stood a new, confident Willow. A Willow who didn't need the library quite so much. Giles now knew that he wouldn't be seeing Willow around the library as much as he used to. Without him noticing, she'd grown up.

The End