******
The Sunnydale street fair was in full swing around Willow as she stood at
the pill table. The scents of french fries, green peppers, and cotton candy
hung in the air, but Willow didn't notice. She was too focused on the game
in front of her. She watched the small
rubber ball bounce off the far wall of the table, then roll toward the
numbered board in front of her. It wobbled for a moment before finally
settling in the depression numbered "15." Willow let out a cry of victory,
thrusting into the air the small round bead she held.
"And Willow wins again! You're hot tonight, Red!" The game announcer gave
her a quick smile as he gathered the pills the losing patrons had tossed
back to the table. Willow grabbed the heap of dollar bills thrust toward
her, quickly pulling out two for the
next round. The rest she shoved into her already stuffed jeans pocket to be
sorted later. She accepted the next pill the announcer rolled to her, then
stood quietly, listening as the man tried to sell off the last remaining
pill.
"One left, folks. Who wants it? C'mon, someone to beat Red this time!"
"I'll take it." A voice spoke over her left shoulder, and a pale hand
passed money to the announcer. Willow stiffened, then glanced back to
visually confirm what her ears had already told her.
Noting her change in posture, Angel gave her a slightly wicked grin, and
leaned over to speak softly into her ear. "Who knows, I may get lucky." He
let his gaze travel over her form, amazed by how sexy she could make a plain
white tank top and a pair of blue jeans look.
Willow, meanwhile, was trying unsuccessfully to focus on the game instead of
the handsome vampire at her shoulder. The memory of Angel's kiss the night
before was still confusing to her. She hadn't really had time to analyze
the what had happened between them, having spent the rest of the night and
the greater part of the day with Buffy.
"Ace!" Willows thoughts were broken by the announcer's shout, as the ball
settled into the depression marked "1."
"Right here." Angel's hand brushed against Willow's arm as he reached to
collect his winnings. She tried to step aside to give him some room, but
the crowd gathered around the table allowed her little movement. Angel used
that advantage to press himself more firmly against Willow, resting one hand
on her shoulder. He continued to go through the motions of playing the
game, but his mind was far more focused on the girl standing in front of
him. He knew he was making her nervous, and the darker side of him enjoyed
it. The sound of her increased heartbeat was almost hypnotic, as was the
sight of the lights from various games and rides reflecting off her hair
every time she moved her head to watch the progress of the small rolling
ball.
Several rounds later, Willow's nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
The feel of Angel's cool hand on her warm skin was giving her goose bumps,
and the way he kept gently rubbing his thumb across the spot where her
shoulder met her neck was driving her crazy. Thankfully, her sudden run of
bad luck gave her the excuse she was looking for to leave the table. "So
much for my winning steak," she said ruefully to the game announcer as she
gathered what was left of her winnings and prepared to leave the table.
"Well, you know what they say..." The announcer smiled and glanced knowingly
between the hacker and the vampire. "Unlucky at pills, lucky at love!"
Willow felt her face warm as a flush spread over her features. "Um, I think
that's only with cards," she mumbled, sneaking a quick glance at Angel. He
was grinning openly at the man's words, his gaze focused on the blushing
red-head. Feeling even more embarrassed, she shrugged his hand off and
began walking away, threading her way as
quickly as possible through the slow moving crowd.
Angel caught up with her just as she reached the outskirts of the fair.
"Willow, wait. Where are you going?" When she continued to move away, he
grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. "Willow?" The scent of tears hit
him strongly, and though she kept her head bowed, he knew she was crying.
Concern rose in him, and he gently reached down to cup her delicate face in
his large, strong hands. "Baby, what is it?"
When she replied, it was only his enhanced vampire senses that allowed him
to hear her words. "You were laughing at me."
"What!" Angel was completely baffled by the statement.
"You and the game announcer. You both were laughing at me. At the idea
that a man like you would want a girl like me." When he started to protest,
she shook her head, cutting him off in a voice thick with tears. "It's
okay. I mean, I sort of understand. I know how the world works. I know
that the Angels of the world go for the Buffy and the Cordelia types. You
know, the ones who are really special, or really pretty, or both. The
plain, boring Willows of the world never even register. I mean, sometimes
they're okay for a little diversion, like last night, but they can never be
anything more than that. I've understood it for a long time. It's just hard
to actually accept sometimes." She shrugged sadly, refusing to meet his
gaze.
As she explained, Angel's expression became more and more incredulous. "You
really believe this?" He shook his head in disbelief. "First off, you are
neither plain, nor boring. You are so incredibly beautiful. I wish I could
make you believe that." He smiled wistfully as he tucked a strand of copper
hair behind her ear, ignoring the way she disbelievingly rolled her eyes.
"And you're so smart, sometimes it frightens me." He paused for a moment,
then chuckled softly. "Well, except for your theory on the kind of women
that men like me fall for. That's completely off the mark." He grew more
serious as he explained. "Usually, the "Buffys" and the "Cordelias" are the
distractions. They are too self-absorbed to be in a real relationship. On
the surface, things may look fine, but
that's all that exists. A false surface." At her slight look of confusion,
he elaborated. "Take my relationship with Buffy. She was in love with the
"souled Angel." The man who had no trace of "Angelus" in him. But that's
not who I am. You said so yourself, last
night. I have a very dark side to me. I try to suppress it, but there are
times I can't. Buffy couldn't accept that. She wouldn't even admit it
existed. She even went so far as to ignore my being a vampire to an extent.
I can't tell you the number of times she carelessly opened curtains or a
door during the day. I got singed quite a few times. But you, on the other
hand, have always accepted what I am. It was never a big deal to you. And
you didn't feel the need to go out of your way to prove that my vampirism
didn't bother you. You just took me for what I am, no more, no less. I
never told you how much that means to me." He smiled softly at her, gently
tracing her cheekbone with the flat of his thumb.
Willow stood quietly for a moment, allowing herself to enjoy his soft touch.
Then she pulled back slightly, finally raising her eyes to meet his.
There was still one thing she didn't understand. "What were you laughing
at, then?"
The same grin he wore at the pill table graced Angel's face once again.
"Well, Tiger, I was laughing because you're just so damn cute when you blush
like that!" At his words, Willow’s face again flushed, and Angel's smile
became even wider. "Yeah, that's exactly what I was talking about." Unable
to resist, be bent his head to brush her lips with his.
Willow jerked back immediately. "Angel! Public place, where Buffy, and
Xander, and goddess knows who could be watching!"
He rolled his eyes at her violent reaction. “Willow, you know as well as I
do that vampires see all public after-dark gatherings as an all-you-can-eat
buffet. Buffy’s would be too busy patrolling to even notice us if she did
pass by. And knowing Xander, he’s probably completely enthralled with the
cake stand right now.” He leaned down and gave her a very slow, very
deliberate kiss, then whispered softly, ”As for everyone else, well, let
them watch.” He paused to study her for a moment, his lips turning up in a
playful smile. "Although, you could be right. Maybe we should continue
this somewhere more private." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Willow groaned. "Two hundred and forty years old, and you're still such a
guy sometimes. Come on, you can walk me home. But you are only going to
see me to the door, like the gentleman you are." They began walking away
from the bright lights of the street fair, toward Willow's quiet
neighborhood. After a few moments of silence, Willow
hesitantly began to speak. "Angel, I don't want to seem like I'm trying to
rush things, or anything, but... What is going on here? Between you and
me, I mean?"
Angel took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "I don't really know,
Will. All I know is that I feel really comfortable with you-- comfortable
enough to be completely myself. And I would hope you feel the same way
around me. After all, we've already established the fact that I have a good
idea of what the real you is like, my little Tiger," he said referring to
the conversation they'd shared under the stars. "So I guess we just ride it
out, see where it takes us. Is that all right with you?"
Willow thought about it for a minute before replying. "Yes, for now it is.
It seems like I spend so much time planning out my life, it feels good to
just let things go where fate takes them." She contentedly leaned her head
against his broad shoulder as they continued walking to her home. There
were still a lot of emotions she had to sort out over this relationship.
But that could wait until the next day. Until then, she just wanted to
enjoy the peaceful moment for as long as it would last.
END.