Author: Lucinda
rating: pg/pg13
Willow/Angel friendship, mention of B/A
Disclaimer: I own nobody from BtVS.
Distribution: Bite Me, please?, WillAngel, WWW, WLS, NHA, Soulmates others
please ask
Set season 2, moving into AU IMMEDIATELY after Angel lost his soul.



Story # 1 in Dark Coffee series, which is a sequel to Coffee & Thoughts.



Angelus ran his hand through his hair, trying to decide if this was
actually worth it. Was it worth keeping his - keeping Angel's regular
coffee meetings with Willow? Willow was a good friend to Buffy, and the
sooner that he could distance himself from that mistake the better. But she
didn't know that he wasn't that brooding lump, Angel. Could he go through
with it? And why did he want to anyhow?

Because she looked at him as a person, saw both good and bad in him, and
accepted that it was how he was. Because she could make him smile, and had
felt guilty about wanting to hit Xander with a shovel. Because she'd known
that even as Angel, he'd cared about his Childer.

Willow had become Angel's friend. It was the only thing that his souled
self had done that he could even remotely consider being jealous over. A
friendship with a mortal girl.

Glancing down at himself, he wondered if she'd believe that he was Angel.
The deep red velvet shirt, the black jeans... maybe. She's be certain to
suspect something if he wore the leather pants. But he just might be able
to pull it off, except for all the brooding. He might be able to look
suitably miserable if he remembered his soul's obsession with Buffy...

He meandered into the coffee house, ordering two cups of coffee at the
counter. One that had a hint of raspberry, and the other a dark Colombian
brew. Wrapping one hand around each mug, he smiled a bit as he scanned the
room for Willow. The door opened, and she came in, looking slightly
windblown, as if she'd been rushing. Smiling, he raised one cup, in hopes
that she would see him.

Apparently, she did. With a small wave and a grin, she headed towards the
back of the room, for one of the tables in the area that she normally
preferred. They were slightly darker, a bit out of the way, and more
private. Sliding into one chair, she looked up, just as he was arriving.
"Hey Angel. Oh, what coffee do we have tonight?"

"Raspberry, which is one of the flavors of the day. Since you have that
raspberry lotion, I thought you might like it. And a basic dark coffee for
me." He smiled a little as he slid the cup over to her, watching as she
added sugar and cream.

"Thanks." She had a tired look in her eyes, and sighed. "Caffeine is a
blessing from heaven."

"I thought you weren't supposed to have too much? Something about getting
hyper?" He teased her a little, trying to figure out why she looked so worn
down. Had things been that eventful lately?

One hand waved towards the wall. "I doubt I'd make it all the way up to
hyper. I'm trying to use this as a sleep substitute." She sipped at the
coffee, her eyes half closed as she tested the flavor. "Mmmm. I like the
raspberry. What happened with you and Buffy?"

Angelus winced, wondering just what she'd heard. Did she know that
something had changed, that his soul was gone? "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you can't fool me, Angel. You couldn't possibly have not noticed that
the whatever with you and Buffy changed, and seems to have... well, fallen.
Buffy's been all confused and frustrated, and talking to me a lot." Willow
blushed a bit, and looked at her cup. "Something about... umm... she said
things looked really good after the party, and then you were just... not
there."

The tension inside of him eased a little. "Part of that was me trying to
take care of the Judge. I got the parts... Sent away from Sunnydale." He
remembered that argument with Spike and Dru, about the folly of destroying
their meal supply. Spike had been on his side as soon as he'd figured out
that their Sire was back, Dru had pouted and whined until he'd mentioned the
plan to send an arm to the Watcher's Council and the way it had tried to
choke Buffy.

"That's been taken care of? Oh good." Willow smiled a little, resting her
chin on her hand. "We've been trying to figure out how to defeat him. The
whole 'no weapon forged by man' thing sort of complicates things. Cordy
asked if that would include forged by a woman, and Xander had suggested a
rocket launcher."

"A rocket launcher?" He sat a bit straighter, wondering how Xander had
arrived at such an idea. Then he started to wonder if it would work. Had
he underestimated the boy? "That's a disturbing image. But no, the parts
have been separated again."

"What about the more personal stuff?" Willow looked at him, sipping from
her cup.

Buying a bit of time, he took a drink from his own mug, feeling the warmth
flow through him. "Me and Buffy... It wouldn't work. Can't work. I
wanted to think that it could, but..."

"But?" Her voice was soft, and she was looking at him with curiosity.

Angelus sighed, not certain how to explain without mentioning the soul's
deluded obsession. "I'm a vampire, Willow."

"Yes..." She had a small frown now, and looked at him, one eyebrow raised
slightly. "I do know that. But what does that have to do with... I mean,
it didn't seem to be stopping things before, so what... I mean, what changed
things?"

Pausing to look around to see if anyone else was listening, he decided that
he could try to avoid the soul issue if he could embarrass her enough with
the sexual aspects. "When vampires are... when vampires have sex, there's
biting involved. It's too much of a part of who and what we are to ignore.
It doesn't have to be intended to hurt, but... It's part of us. Part of
being a vampire. And Buffy... she wouldn't... couldn't let me be that, be
what I am. She's unwilling to accept all of me, unwilling to even try to
help work out something that will... I wasn't going to hurt her."

Willow's face was almost as red as her hair, and her eyes were incredibly
wide. "Ohhh... Um, she didn't... I mean... that's... a lot more than I was
expecting you to mention. And very personal. So, umm... if there's biting,
does that mean that... does it have to draw blood for it to... umm... be
satisfying? oh, I can't believe that I'm even asking that... just ignore
me while I die of embarrassment over here..."

Part of him was glad that she seemed willing to let the matter of Angel and
Buffy drop. Another part was just fascinated by the fact that she could
even blush that much - all that blood rushing to her face. Her curiosity
was not quite unexpected, but still interesting and amusing. "That all
depends on how things were going before the biting. Sometimes, it's enough
to just nibble, others are a bit... more, and only blood will... actually, I
don't think I should go on. If you blush any more..."

"uuurrmm." She was staring at her mug. "It's a lot... very personal, and
I feel like I'm prying."

"So, what's up with the guy that you were standing with for Buffy's party?"
Angelus decided to change the subject.

"That's Oz." Willow had a bit of a smile as she thought about him. "He's
in a band, and a senior this year. And he asked me to go out with him.
Someone's actually interested in me... for something other than school
work."

Chuckling, he sipped again at his coffee. "Just as long as he isn't too
pushy. I don't want some guy in a band to think that he can just show a
little interest and get... anything and everything from you."

For a moment, Willow just stared at him. "You just... that's a protective
friend thing to say."

He tried to figure out how to respond to that as she sat there, a smile
spreading over her face as he sputtered. Finally, he managed a very weak
sounding response. "Well, you are my friend. Maybe the only one, and I
don't... I don't want you hurt."

"Thanks, Angel." Willow smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

end Dark Coffee 1.





Dark Coffee #2: A Bitter Taste


Willow stared at the pages of her history book, thinking about her coffee meeting with Angel. It wasn't a date, not even a pseudo-date, even if he had broken up with Buffy. They were friends. But still... Something had been different this week.

Angel had been different this week. She couldn't explain it, but there had been a dozen tiny things that just seemed a bit unusual. He'd been more open, discussing things that she'd only heard him hint at before. He'd smiled a couple of times, and had seemed more at ease with himself. It all added up to something being different.

But he was still Angel, still her friend. Right?

Of course he was still Angel. Of course he was still her friend. He'd listened to her ramble hopefully about Oz, and talked for a while with her about the sort of little things that really didn't mean much more than that he was taking the time to listen to her. Only a friend would do that for her.

Maybe it was just that dating Buffy had been bad for him? The part of her that was Buffy's friend felt guilty for thinking that way, wanting to offer comfort to the Slayer who was one of the few friends Willow had ever had. But really, a Slayer and a vampire didn't make much sense. He was handsome, and mysterious, and nice, but... If he and Buffy didn't talk about things, and couldn't compromise, and only focused on this very moment, how could they have something that lasted? They kept getting all jealous and possessive, and then defensive and angry, and it was just... bad.

Angel seemed to be getting over the break-up a lot faster than Buffy though. Or maybe he was just hiding the pain better? Two hundred and forty years could teach you a lot about hiding your feelings.

Shaking her head, Willow gathered her books, managing not to jump when the bell rang, announcing the end of the school day. Opening the door from the library, she glanced out, looking for Oz. Maybe they could have coffee and talk?

But she didn't see Oz. She saw Buffy, talking to a guy that looked vaguely familiar.. Scott something or other, she thought he'd been in one of her classes last year. And wasn't he on the basketball team? He was saying something, and Buffy was doing that smiley glance away, glance back thing. Buffy was flirting with him.

Maybe Buffy wasn't taking things quite as hard as she'd made it sound?

Slowly, Willow slipped out, heading the other way. Let Buffy and Scott have their chance to talk, she was certain that Buffy would tell her all about it later. Wasn't it a bit soon to be moving on though? She'd only broken up with Angel last week... No, she chided herself, Buffy was just talking to him. It wasn't as if she was just hopping into bed with the first cute guy who talked to her.

"You can't possibly think that's a good defense!" That sounded like Xander's voice.

"Right. Because you're such a fashion expert?" Female, annoyed, and definitely familiar. Willow just couldn't quite place the name to the voice at first.

Things sounded too quiet after that.

Nervous, remembering the praying mantis-woman and Ampata, Willow edged closer, peeking around the corner. What horrible nasty had her hooks and sights set on Xander this time? She tried to prepare herself for anything.

Xander was kissing Cordelia.
Oh.

Xander and Cordelia were still kissing.

She pinched her arm, hard, convinced that this was just a nightmare.

No, they were still kissing. Xander, who she'd had a horrible crush on forever, and Cordelia, who they'd hated for years. Kissing.

Buffy and Scott. Xander and Cordelia. Willow shuddered, suddenly not wanting to loiter in the halls any longer.

Unfortunately, the full moon brought her back that night, wolf-sitting Oz. Since they hadn't been able to find a cure, Giles had proposed some means of temporary confinement. After a lot of debate, they'd ended up settling on the book cage in the school library.

Time with her new boyfriend didn't hold quite as much appeal when he was locked in a cage, twice as large, furry, and snapping long sharp teeth at anything that got too close.

"Someone might get the idea that you aren't having a good day." Angel's voice slid through the air. "Do I smell tears, Willow?"

"Maybe." Willow glanced up, and dredged up a shaky smile for the vampire. "It's been a long day."

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm probably a better listener than he is right now." Angel gestured towards Oz, a hint of a smirk playing over his face.

"I guess so." She sighed, and wrapped her arms around one knee. "Buffy... I think she's moving on. I saw her talking to a guy earlier, flirting. Just last night she was going on about how miserable she is because the two of you...the two of you aren't together, if that makes sense. Can you really get over it that fast, or was she exaggerating for the sympathy, or trying to make herself move on by flirting with what's his name?"

"Ouch." Angel shook his head, looking almost like he was hiding a smile. "That was pretty fast. Although... if she's just talking... I wasn't wanting her hung up on me forever. How's Xander taking her moving on?"

"I don't know. He was too busy kissing Cordelia earlier to talk to."

The words hurt, and she could feel the tears threatening again.

"Cordelia?" Angel blinked. "The cheerleader? I know that she's been helping, but..."

"Yeah. Cordelia. We never got along with her, we even had a club about it. Except, now... He was kissing her." Willow closed her eyes, not wanting more tears. "And I had to find out by walking in on them in the hallway. He couldn't even tell me."

In the cage, the werewolf growled, ears flattening as he glared at the vampire.

"Maybe someone's jealous." Angel pointed towards the snarling werewolf. "I never could figure out how much they retain of their mind when they go furry, or what they remember the next day."

"Maybe I can ask him tomorrow." Willow sighed, and let her head fall forward. "So many changes and questions..."

"You look tired. Maybe you should rest for a while?" Oz and I will keep watch over you." Angel offered, his dark eyes looking sympathetic.

"I really shouldn't..." Willow's words cut off with a yawn. His eyes seemed so dark.

"I'll watch over you." He reached out, tilting her chin to look right into her eyes. "I won't let anything eat you tonight, Willow."

Her last thought as she slipped into sleep was that maybe there was some truth to those stories of vampire mind-tricks after all...

Looking at her slumbering form, Angelus smiled. "No, I won't let anything else get you, my friend. You have my word on that."

Carefully, he tried to make her more comfortable, wondering when he'd gone soft. Him, Angelus the Scourge of Europe, protecting a human girl; calling her his friend. But it was true. Willow had become his - or at least, Angel's friend. And he wanted her to be safe.

He was turning into such a sap in his old age.

end Dark Coffee 2: A Bitter Taste.






Dark Coffee 3: Spilt Coffee

Angelus sipped at his coffee, smiling at something Willow had said. It was
Wednesday, time for their weekly coffee and chatting. Or at least, the time
that she had been meeting Angel for coffee and chatting. She still didn't
know that he wasn't the same Angel that he'd been when she'd first met him.
That omission nagged at him far more than he’d thought it would, and he
wasn’t quite certain why.

"So, have you... have you tried to talk to them?" She sounded as if she
wasn't quite certain that she should be asking. Willow glanced away as she
asked, her eyes staring at the ripples on her coffee.

The question startled him, and for a moment, he couldn't quite figure out
who she could mean by 'them'. But then her half guilty expression caught
up, and it clicked - Spike and Dru. With a small smile, he nodded, and told
her just a bit. "A little. Things.... A lot of things have changed, for me
and them. You were definitely right about that."

"Does that mean that you.... umm, that you aren't being all angry and
fighting with each other anymore, like you were when they first got here?"
Willow sipped at her coffee, one hand toying with the pile of sugar
wrappers. Willow didn't want to mention certain things in the middle of the
Espresso Pump, and it made perfect sense why she wouldn't. "You... things
were… not good between all of you then."

"No, no they weren't good at all." He considered that, thinking of how
much better everything was with his children now that he wasn't delusionally
in love with Buffy, or watching as people tried very unsuccessfully to kill
them. "Spike's changed a lot over the years. Dru... really hasn't. But
it’s better now."

"I'm glad things are a bit better there." She offered a little smile,
trying to cheer him up. Her hand tucked her hair back, and she blushed a
bit as the next words slipped out. "You've just seemed... a bit unsettled, I
guess, since you and Buffy... well, since you aren't together anymore."

Angelus winced, not happy that she'd noticed. At least she was blaming it
on the end of things between... ugggh. That had to be one of the definite
improvements of things now - no more dating the Slayer. He'd been noticing
a few other differences as well. "Things... have been different since that
night."

For several long moments, there was quiet at their table, broken only by
the sipping of coffee and the gentle beating of Willow's heart. It was an
oddly peaceful moment, the sort that he might have expected with his family,
years ago, before the whole soul mess. But Willow wasn't family... right?

Willow glanced at her watch and sighed. "I suppose I'm going to have to go
soon."

One eyebrow raised as he realized that, despite her words, she had made no
move to get up from her seat. Raising his cup, he asked, "You have plans?
Maybe something with that guitarist? Or have I lured you away from your
homework?"

Willow blushed again, and glanced at her fingers. "Nothing so nice. Buffy
asked me and Xander to join her on her umm, walk tonight."

"Willow?" He caught her attention, but then he wasn't quite certain what
to say. Let Buffy die? Tempting, but it would definitely not sound like
Angel. After sorting through a few options, he settled for a weak sounding
"Be careful out there."

Willow moved, and gave him a quick hug as she whispered, "I'll try,
thanks."

Angelus sat there for a while after that, feeling oddly warm and baffled.
She'd hugged him. It was... weird, and he sort of liked it. Was this what
it meant to have a friend?

As he slowly finished the coffee, not enjoying it nearly as much with
Willow gone, he realized that he didn't want her patrolling out there with
just Buffy and Xander to watch out for her. Willow was smart, and brave,
but not really a good fighter. And Xander was too fixated on Buffy to watch
out for Willow properly. He'd just have to follow and make certain that she
was safe. He could be stealthy, and Buffy had always been terrible at
sensing him, what could go wrong?

As he followed Willow to the cemetery, he absently wondered if Buffy ever
changed her patrol patterns. It was a bit predictable, and made it very
easy to find them. If he'd wanted to, he could have jumped out, snapped
Xander's neck, grabbed Willow, and be departing before Buffy could notice
that he was following them... But somehow, he didn't think Willow would be
amused. There they were, and he really wasn't surprised. Willow was
trailing in the rear, glancing from side to side. Buffy was talking,
something about a guy in math class, with Xander hanging attentively on her
every word.

Was the Slayer even paying attention for vampires or demons? She looked
like she was just some teenage girl out for an evening stroll, having
stupidly chosen a shortcut through a cemetery. He shook his head, and then
caught sight of a pair of vampires trying to sneak up on Willow, the
straggler of the group.

That wouldn't do at all. Carefully, he crept up behind them. Angelus
shook his head as one minion stepped on a dried bunch of flowers, the stems
crackling a little. The noise was enough to make Willow speed up, moving a
bit closer to Buffy and Xander, and offer a nervous sounding, "Guys? Are
you sure that there's no, you know, nothing out there following us?"

"Relax, Buffy's here, nothing's going to eat us." Xander shrugged, smiling
at the Slayer.

Angelus gritted his teeth, and refrained from saying anything as he grabbed
one minion, his hand over the idiot's mouth so that he couldn't yell. The
stake pierced his heart with a soft popping, and the ashes fell almost
silently to the ground, dusting over his shoes. With a small shake of one
foot and a frown, he grabbed for the second minion. There was no way that
he intended to stand by and watch some minion eat Willow. The second one
might have been a bit smarter, or more cautious, because he tried to
struggle as he was dragged back, and managed to kick over a dry floral
wreath, which rattled against an urn of silk flowers.

"Did you hear that?" Xander jumped closer to Buffy.

"Yeah." Buffy had produced a stake from her jacket, and was looking around
the cemetery.

Crouching on the ground, Angelus staked the minion, smirking at the way his
eyes bulged in fear at the sight of the stake. No ashes got on his shoes
this time. He could see the three between the tombstones, and he watched as
Buffy scanned the area, visibly relaxing within seconds.

"It was probably just a raccoon or something. I'm not getting any vibes."
The stake returned to her jacket, and she looped an arm through Xander and
Willow's, towing them off with her. "So, there's supposed to be a new band
at the Bronze on Friday..."

That was the Slayer. Damn if he'd trust her to watch out for Willow.

Angelus had no idea how Willow managed to keep smiling as Buffy chatted on
about classes, and having heard that there would be a discount on the drinks
on Friday in honor of the band, and listening to Buffy ramble on about Scott
Hope, the guy from math class. It was obvious that Xander was trying to
make Buffy notice him, and just as obvious that Willow didn't like watching
Xander's efforts fail. It wasn't even as if Buffy was shooting Xander's
attempted flirtations down, more as if she didn't even notice them. It was
almost funny, actually.

He felt very relieved when Willow stopped outside the fifth cemetery,
calling out a soft "I'm going to head home - there's that history paper for
Friday..."

Buffy just gave a small wave at Willow’s excuse, barely looking as if it
mattered. “Right, I’ll see you tomorrow at the library.”

He was feeling much better as she made her way back towards her house.
Away from Buffy, who he had no trouble sensing even if she apparently
couldn't find him unless she was staring at his face. Willow pulled her
jacket a bit closer around her body, and started to walk, her steps quick
and light, as if she was afraid that she was being followed.

It turned out that she was closer than she knew. Not just because he was
following her, which Angelus wasn't considering as a threat, but because
about three blocks from the cemetery, someone else started to follow her.
He looked like he should be close to her age, and had a heartbeat, as well
as smelling like beer had been spilled over him. Angelus didn't like this -
he couldn't see how this boy could have any sort of good intentions.
Scowling, he moved closer.

"Stuck up little bitch... she just needs a real man to show her how to
relax and have a little fun. Too much books in her life..." The mutters
were full of anger and anticipation.

This wouldn't do at all. He could connect the dots and figure out the
boy's plan, and it made him furious. This bratling child would not be
touching and hurting Willow. With a low growl, Angelus grabbed the boy, one
hand over his mouth as he pulled him back. No screams to bring unwanted
attention – he couldn’t afford that to happen here. His teeth ripped into
the boy's throat, drinking deeply. Listening to Buffy and Xander had left
him feeling hungry and annoyed anyhow, and blood was always good for
soothing that.

He felt much better as the blood flowed, the flavor spiced with pain, fear,
and alcohol. A tiny part of him noticed something - a small noise, like a
squeak. As he let the body fall, he looked up, and his eyes met Willow’s.

Her jaw had dropped, and her wide eyes made it clear that while it was
dark, she could see enough to know what had happened. To know that he’d
been feeding on the boy, maybe enough to know that the boy was dead.

He felt a cold tension forming in the pit of his stomach. He felt nervous,
worried. And it all came down to how would this change things with Willow?
It was an unwelcome feeling and an awkward question.

“Angel?” Her voice was high and nervous, and she swayed a bit before
collapsing in a cold faint.

This was an unexpected complication.


end Dark Coffee # 3 - Spilt Coffee.