'Okay, you pathetically sentimental excuse for a creature of the night. Stop it. Stop playing with her hair. Stop running your fingers through it. Yeah, okay, it's soft, we've established that.
Have you forgotten that she doesn't think of you in that way? You moron. She thinks you're in love with her best friend, who you may not remember, but is probably a pretty wonderful person, and why won't my hand listen to me? I tell it to stop, it ignores me. So, think about something other than this copper silk in your hands.
Think about Buffy, who you can't remember. Okay. Well, she's a Slayer. I wonder what she looks like. I wonder if she has big muscles. I wonder what color her hair is. Is it red like this? Impossible. No two people on earth can have hair like this. And again, I have managed to return to thinking about Willow's hair.
Stupid disobedient hand.
Soft soft soft...
Talk about ridiculous. For a hundred years, I have managed to fight the urges of a demon that lives inside me begging for blood that smells of fear. Yet, I can't...stop...my...hand...'
Suffice it to say, he couldn't stop.
And Willow was having a _really_ nice dream.
****
Eventually, Angel had to wake Willow up. Not the way he wanted to, though. He wanted to wake her up by trailing soft little kisses down her jaw. Unfortunately, there wasn't any way she would be able to construe it as platonic, so he was forced to simply shake her by the shoulder.
"Willow? We should probably go."
She stirred reluctantly. "I don't wanna go. Can't you keep me here?"
She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I won't tell."
Angel had never had a more tempting offer, nor one that was harder to refuse.
****
"So, you really think Angel is in love with Willow? That would certainly...complicate things." Giles frowned at the thought.
"Why? Seems like an asset if it makes him fight like that." Whistler shrugged.
"You seem to have forgotten the tempestuous drama that is Angel and Buffy. How do you think she will react when she discovers his feelings for her best friend?"
"She'll understand after considering the extenuating circumstances?"
"Oh, yes. The teens that I watch over are so very understanding when it comes to affairs of the heart. My goodness, the amount of jealousy between them boggles the mind. The air is thick with it. Xander and his jealousy of Buffy, Willow's jealousy of Xander, Xander's jealousy of Willow as well. Jealousy is the only poison that can ever make this group fall apart. Maybe it's because they care so much about one another, but the destructive force and protective nature of their love is incredible. Buffy has always feared that Angel might stop loving her.
How can I tell her that it has happened, by no fault of her own, or anyone else? She tends to be rather...emotional. Especially on the topic of Angel. When she was forced to kill him, she ran away for three months. What will she do when she figures out what has happened between him and Willow? What if she becomes violent? I have smelled disaster before, and that is what I smell now."
"It can't be that bad."
"No, it's worse. I'd rather have the hellmouth open yet again than be the one to tell her what happened. I'd rather see the Master rise."
"Hey, you don't have to worry about it immediately. She's still away on that Council thing, right?"
"Yes, but they haven't told me when she's getting back. I am not exactly on speaking terms with the Council. Why did they have to call her away while Angel was in a coma? Why did Willow have to be the first thing he saw when he woke up?"
"Hellmouth breeds bad luck."
"I hate this town. Look, is there any possibility that he isn't in love with her? Maybe it's an agape sort of love, like the love for a sister."
"C'mon, Watcher. Don't you ever look at his eyes?"
"I don't make a habit of it, no-" he broke off at the sound of footsteps out in the library.
"That must be them now." He walked out of his office and proceeded to practically choke on his tongue.
"Buffy. Back so soon?"