Title: Then and Now
Author: Kat, a.k.a. KallieRose
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating: NC-17 
Pairing: Willow/Angelus
Disclaimer: I acknowledge Joss Whedon as god of gods. All the characters in this story are his creation, along with Fox, the rest of the Mutant Enemy Crew, and whomever else wants to lay claim to them. I'm merely killing time by putting them in totally unrealistic situations :-)
Summary: Angelus takes an interest in Willow, in order to tick off Buffy.  But it doesn't quite turn out the way he expects it to.
Spoilers: Spoilers for season 2 Buffy
A/N:  A huge thanks to Gabrielle and Lisa for all their help and support.  Without the help and encouragement of these two wonderful ladies this story would probably just be stuck inside my demented little head./

Then and Now

Part 14


Willow's eyes drooped as she slid between the sheets of her bed. Unlike previous evenings, however, she had carefully checked all dark corners of her room for any sign of a vampire intruder. When she was sure that it was just her in the room, she had finally shed her clothes, chose another of her oversized nightshirts, and climbed wearily into bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyes closed and she was lulled into a deep sleep.

She had known that the oblivion of sleep wouldn't last. And sure enough, after what only felt like minutes, she felt the bed next to her dip slightly, as if under the weight of, say, a large, tall vampire. Her sleepy eyes opened slowly, not at all surprised to find dark brown eyes staring into hers.

"Did you know that you sleep like the dead?" he asked with a lazy grin. 

"Sleep is nice," she mumbled, fighting to keep her eyes open. When she saw his grin widen to a smile, her own lips crooked up as well.

"You can sleep when you're dead," he replied teasingly, watching her eyes pop open as he said the word 'dead'. He had meant the words to be a joke, but they had instead reminded her of who and what he was. It was probably just as well, he decided.

He moved closer to her, his body coming to rest beside hers, under the big fluffy yellow bedspread. It gave them both a small measure of pride that she did not try to move away from him. Having him so close to her had become almost normal. How quickly she was learning to adapt was something that concerned her and impressed him.

His hand reached out to trace figure eights on her stomach through the cotton fabric of her nightshirt. The rough scraping of his nail brought her eyes back to his, and this time there wasn't the slightest trace of sleepiness within them. 

"Angelus," she breathed the word softly, and he wasn't sure what she meant by it.

"Don't tell me you don't want this," he whispered, bringing his head in to kiss her briefly. "You have no secrets from me. I can smell your arousal quite clearly." He punctuated the last two words with feather-light kisses, his lips pressed briefly to hers, then trailed more kisses down her neck, to her pale, white shoulder, and down as far as he could before the nightshirt stopped him.

Willow was confused. Her mind still maintained that this was wrong, but her body seemed to be taking its orders straight from Angelus' oh-so-talented mouth. 

'Relax,' she told herself, 'Enjoy.' He would be Angel again in a couple of days, and as long as she didn't do anything stupid, like piss him off, she should be just fine. So why not enjoy what was happening to her? It was almost like a vacation from reality, she decided. Nothing that happened now would make any difference in three days time, so it wasn't even really real.

The sudden rationalization freed her body, and her hands reached up to imbed themselves in his dark hair, alternately massaging his scalp and teasing the short, spiky locks between her fingers. Angelus stopped for a minute, looking down into her eyes.

"Do you trust me?" he asked quietly, his eyes solemn.

'Does a lamb trust a lion?' she thought nervously, trying to hide a slightly bitter smile. "No," she whispered, "Never."

"Good girl," he replied approvingly, before moving to straddle her body, sitting squarely on her hips. With lightning-quick reflexes, he grabbed first one of her hands, and then the other, and she heard two soft metallic 'clicks' as handcuffs encircled her thin wrists. She was trapped, her arms secured above her head with the cuffs, which had been threaded through a metal rod on her brass headboard. Her body moved anxiously, testing her captivity, but it made no difference. She was caught. 

Angelus watched her as she moved, a delicate butterfly caught in a spider's web. "What to do, what to do?" he murmured teasingly. Making up his mind, he seized upon her nightshirt, slowly ripping it down the center from collar to waist, leaving the two torn halves to flutter uselessly to her sides. Her underwear suffered a similar fate, soon lying in a tattered lump on the floor.

His eyes glittered with lust as they focused on her soft breasts, leaning down to capture one in his cool mouth. He laved the nipple with his rough tongue, enjoying the soft moans and labored breaths of the woman beneath him. He bit down on the hard bud of the nipple, rolling it between his blunt teeth, and was rewarded by a sharp intake of breath and a wordless shriek.

Willow was drowning in sensations. His teeth, his lips, even his cool breath all came into play as he teased and tormented her breast. It felt wonderful, and awful, and amazing, all at the same time. As soon as her brain tried to comprehend one of the feelings, another one crowded in, demanding to be felt. Eventually they all just built into one sensation, something without a name, and she cried out in frustration and in need of more than just this. Other parts of her body ached for the same treatment that he was giving her breasts. The spot between her legs, for example, was a hot, dripping wet cavern, in need of Angelus' attention.

The dark vampire heard her cry and looked down to see the unfulfilled lust in her eyes. He was happily surprised to see that she was giving herself to him so freely. He had expected to see eyes full of suppressed need and self-loathing but instead they simply mirrored his own lust. 

Her easy acceptance made him want to push her harder, just to see how much more she would willingly allow. What else might he be able to do to her? His eyes contemplated her form. Her red hair shimmered with the moon's light; her eyes were hidden dark pools made of malachite; and her skin--her perfect porcelain skin, called to him like a beacon of light. His teeth itching to taste her, to mar the flawless canvas of her skin with little droplets of red. A snack might be fun, he decided, letting his demon face emerge.

Willow saw his demon and horror paralyzed her mind. It's too soon, she thought, her mind dulled and slowed by the terror she was feeling. He couldn't kill her. Not when they were so close to resouling him. Just a couple more days. 

The thoughts ran in circles around her mind, as her body struggled once more against the chains. Her movements were noisy but brought her no relief. Finally, weariness and defeat stilled her movements, and she looked up at Angelus with a plea in her eyes.

"Relax, little flame, you won't be dying tonight. I just want a little nibble," Angelus told her, his voice soft and reassuring. He had enjoyed watching her struggles, the movements bringing his cock to attention as he observed her frenzied attempts to free herself. But mostly he was just itching for a taste of her blood.

"Promise?" she asked uncertainly, wanting to believe him, wanting to think that she was safe for another night.

"Promise."

He felt much of her tension dissipate, and leaned over her again to kiss her mouth, teasing her lips, licking and nipping at them until they opened and he could delve into her sweet mouth. His tongue entered quickly, sweeping away her residual inhibitions, and soon she was kissing him back with a passion that matched his own.

His lips broke away from hers regretfully and began to rain soft kisses down the side of her neck. He stopped at the tender skin between her neck and shoulder, and let his sharp teeth lightly graze her skin there, watching as a small trail of crimson pooled on the surface. His tongue reached out quickly, catching the blood and holding it there, savoring it for a moment before swallowing.

She was delicious, a flavor filled with equal parts desire and fear and, strangely enough, trust. The desire didn't surprise him, nor did the fear. But the trust disturbed him. He was a demon; he was *not* someone to be trusted. His mind quickly went to work, trying to think of as many ways as possible to punish her for that trust, but his demon and his body were interested in obtaining more of the delicious elixir and decided that thoughts of punishment would have to wait.

His head moved from her shoulder to her chest, capturing her entire breast in his cool, wet mouth. He felt her shiver beneath him, and then she tensed, readying herself for the insertion of fangs that she somehow knew was to come. Not wanting to disappoint her, he sunk his teeth into the soft flesh, drawing a mouthful of her blood into his anxious mouth. Delicious.

The procedure was repeated a half dozen times. Sometimes the bites were deep, causing her to writhe beneath him. Sometimes they were little more than a caress, and only a tiny pinprick of blood welled up to the surface of her fair skin. 

Willow made an effort to hold her body still, her mind trying futilely to anticipate where the next attack would occur. The first bite had been surprising in its gentleness, and his tongue had laved the skin around it, tickling her and stirring feelings of passionate pleasure. She had been lulled into a false sense of security and had relaxed under his talented lips and tongue. The second bite, the deep one on her breast, had hurt. A lot. But the stinging of his fangs had quickly faded and soon all she felt was pleasure. Time after time he had attacked her with his teeth: sometimes the bites were gentle, sometimes harsh, but always they brought her pleasure.

Angelus leaned back and admired his work. She was still beneath him, her eyes half-closed but a small smile playing on the corners of her lips. Several pairs of red dots now covered the front of her body, along with swirled designs of red and pink from where he had played with her blood. He smiled in satisfaction, enjoying the picture before him.

But his cock was full of borrowed blood, and the taste of her had driven his demon crazy with lust. He needed to be inside her, no preliminaries, no wasted time. He inched his body back, soon sitting between her legs. His fingers moved to her cunt, smiling as he felt the wetness that had pooled between her legs. She was ready for him, her channel warm and wet around the fingers he thrust between her lips.

"Quit teasing me," she growled through clenched teeth. Her eyes were open now, and for a moment he could have sworn that they were flecked with gold. He blinked and looked again, but all that greeted him was the wide-eyed green that he was accustomed to.

"Be nice, sweet Willow," he admonished, his voice low and seductive. "I could tease you for hours, leaving you on the edge of orgasm until you promised me anything, including your life, just to so that you could have your release."

She shivered at his words, wondering if he was right, or if the words were simply an idle threat. Could she be driven insane by her own lust? Was that possible? It was better not to test the theory she decided, giving him a look of contrition and apology instead.

Satisfied by her penitence, Angelus quickly unzipped his pants, bringing forth his tortured cock. He wasted no time with preliminaries, simply thrusting inside of her and quickly setting up a brutal rhythm. Within less than a minute he was ready to cum, but he held back, thinking of anything he could to prolong his release, to make sure that they came together.

His fingers found her clit, attacking the little bundle of nerves with a vengeance. He twisted, teased, and tweaked, watching her face for clues as to what worked best. Her body began to tense against his, and he knew that she was close as well. 

With a final thrust he came, holding himself deep within her as she crashed over the edge as well. She whispered his name as she came, her channel clasping and releasing around him. 

Their orgasms subsided and reality intruded upon them once again. Angelus pulled his cock out of her, tucking himself carefully back into the leather pants. He reached up and quickly released the cuffs, smiling as he watched the redhead nervously inspect her wrists and rub them gently, restoring the circulation that the cuffs had cut off when she had pulled so hard against them.

She watched him with curious eyes as he got off the bed and moved to the french doors, shivering as the door opened and the cool night air flowed across her naked body.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweet Willow," he promised quietly, as he closed the door behind him and disappeared into the darkness.


End of Chapter 14

Part 15


The next morning was another difficult one for Willow. She hadn't lost *that* much blood the previous night, but the feeling of lassitude she had had the morning after she was bitten the first time had returned, and she promised herself she would purchase some iron supplements on the way home from school. Chances were good that Angelus would be souled in the next couple of days and that the pills wouldn't be needed after that, but it still didn't hurt to be prepared. 

For the second time in less than a week, Willow missed her morning classes. If she needed further proof that Angelus was a bad influence on her, she need look no further than that. But she was secure in the knowledge that everything would be back to normal in a few days, and all she had to do was hold on until then.

The remaining classes crawled by at a snail's pace, and the redhead spent most of the time thinking of Angelus. Oddly enough, her thoughts didn't dwell on their sexual liaison, but instead on how it had felt just to talk with him. He seemed to have an actual interest in her. When they weren't having sex, he still listened to her. The things he said made her think about more than just the next demon to kill or what band was playing at the Bronze. She thought about herself, her life, and what she wanted out of it.

Of course her treacherous subconscious whispered to her that Angelus' interest was probably just a means to an end. Once he had what he wanted from her, once he had exacted his revenge on Buffy, he would leave her. Maybe she'd be dead, or maybe she'd just wish she were. Either way, it would still hurt. 

The doors of the library swung open upon a charming tableau. Willow wasn't all that surprised to see Xander and Cordelia in the middle of a make-out session. It was just a matter of time before she caught them. Not that she was stalking them like some deranged serial peeper or anything. But she didn't think that they had been particularly discreet about their involvement lately. She'd heard lots of rumors around the school during the last day or two. After all, Cordelia *was* a cheerleader. The gossip grapevine moved at turbo speed when someone had dish on a cheerleader. And when that cheerleader was dating someone who was as popularity-deficient as Xander was, well, that went beyond 'dish' and straight to 'major dirt.'

Xander looked up to see Willow standing just inside the doors to the library, her eyes riveted on them. He stood up immediately, a reflexive action, which dumped Cordelia onto the floor, since she had been sitting on his lap. Buffy, who happened to be lounging in the corner filing her nails, let out a tinkling laugh, which earned her a sharp glare from the cheerleader. Cordelia came gracefully to her feet to stand beside Xander, brushing an imaginary speck of dirt off of her short leather mini-skirt.

"I can explain!" Xander proclaimed, saying the words that every man caught in a compromising position will say without even thinking.

Willow sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded the brunette skeptically. She watched him squirm for a moment, his mind tossing out one lame excuse after another, part of her enjoying his discomfort. Finally she just let him off the hook. "It's okay, Xander. I know about you and Cordelia. Hell, *everyone* knows about you and Cordelia."

"You do?" he asked uncertainly.

"They do?" Cordelia echoed, horrified. "Like everybody who? I mean, if it's only the geeks and losers like you guys then I'm okay. But if the cool people know--"

"Jeez, Cordelia, way to squash a guy's ego. You really ought to give classes," Buffy commented, her eyes flickering back and forth between the two lovebirds and Willow.

Xander walked over to Willow, putting a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "I'm sorry, Willow. I know I should have told you sooner, but I was afraid that it would upset you." His tone made it clear that he still felt that he had done the right thing, and a slow-burning anger began to build down deep inside Willow's heart. 

"Jeez, Willow, if you knew about it already, why didn't you say something?" Buffy asked. "I mean, we were all walking around on eggshells, afraid that you'd find out. If we'd known that it wasn't necessary, then--"

"Then you wouldn't have bothered to lie to me?" the redhead interrupted hotly. "Because that's what you did, you know. You, my supposed friends," she said, raking the three of them with her eyes, "Lied to me. Repeatedly." 

The blonde eyed her friend critically. "Wow Willow, overreact much? I mean, this isn't really about you, you know. It's about them, and if they didn't want you to know, then it's kind of their business."

Shock and anger clouded Willow's mind, amazed that Buffy could say something so stupid and just downright cruel. The rage that had been slowly building inside her boiled over and her eyes began to flash in anger. "Xander is my friend, Buffy. Friends share things with each other. Friends DON'T, however, LIE TO EACH OTHER." 

"Well maybe we figured that if you were going to be all angry-puppy, then we'd just not tell you," Cordelia said snidely, and Willow wondered if the girl were actually trying to provoke her. Maybe she thought that if Willow got mad enough, she'd storm out of Xander's life altogether.

Turning to Xander, Willow tried to make this about the two of them and their friendship, and in doing so she ignored the other two parties in the room, both of whom had their own agendas. "Xan," she said quietly, looking into his face and trying to capture his skittish eyes with her own. When the boy finally met her eyes, he seemed extremely uncomfortable. "Xander," she tried again, "They're right. I am angry. I'm angry because you lied to me. I mean, I tried to get you to tell me the truth. Remember a couple of days ago in the library?"

She could tell that he was replaying that scene in his mind, and she knew that he believed her. "I remember, Willow. I'm sorry, I really am," he told her, pulling her into his arms and giving her a hug. "I guess I was too big of a coward to tell you the truth, but I promise I won't do that to you again, okay?"

Willow pulled back away from her friend and gave him a sad smile. "Okay," she agreed finally with a nod of her head. "It's okay. We're okay."

"Well it's about time all this drama is over," Cordelia said, grabbing Xander's hand and pulling him towards the doors. "Let's get out of here before Giles shows up and wants us to do things with books," she hissed.

"The Bronze?" the blonde asked eagerly.

"Yep. Come with?" Xander eyed both girls as he asked, the question obviously meant for both Willow and Buffy.

"Oh yeah," Buffy agreed. "Hey Cordelia, you said that Jake broke up with Wendy, right?"

"Uh huh, and rumor has it that he has a thing for blondes," Cordelia answered, giving Buffy an encouraging look. "Um, Willow? You want to come?" she asked reluctantly.

There were quite a few things Willow wanted to do *to* Cordelia at that moment, but very few she wanted to do *with* her. She made her face into a mask of regret, and murmured, "Tests next week, need to study." 

"Oh c'mon Willow! You can be the good study-girl some other time," Buffy teased. "Now that everything's out in the open, and all is forgiven and stuff, let's go out and have fun like we used to!"

Willow remembered the 'good old days' at the Bronze: watching Angel and Buffy dance, listening to Xander and Cordelia trading barbs with what she now knew was sexual tension. No, studying was beginning to sound better and better. Plus, she was still wasn't happy with Buffy. Telling the rest of the gang about her feelings for Xander had been unexcusably cruel, and although she was getting closer to forgiving them, or at least the Xander-shaped portion of them, the thought of going out and dancing as if there was absolutely no bad blood between them made Willow slightly ill. And a little angry too, actually. So she let them go, laughing and talking as they went. 

Besides, Angelus was coming by tonight. And the thought of spending time with him suddenly seemed much more appealing than spending time with them.

She had waited up for him this time, her nose stuck deep within the pages of a well-worn paperback. Dickens, he noted without much surprise. He had pegged her for a girl who knew her classic literature. What a disparate pair she and Buffy were. The blonde probably wouldn't know the difference between Tolstoy and Dostoevsky; probably thought War and Peace was a video game.

There was a hint of sadness behind Willow's curious green eyes, and he wondered if she had had another distressing go-around with her so-called friends. "What did they do to you?" he asked curiously, smiling when the sound of his voice jolted her from her reading. 

"Oh, Angelus. Sorry, I didn't hear you. Hi." She laid the book down on the floor, before giving him her full attention again. She gestured for him to sit down next to her on the bed, and although slightly surprised, he accepted her invitation.

"I finally told them, about how I knew about Xander and Cordelia. You know, so they wouldn't have to go to the trouble of lying to me anymore." 

"And it didn't go well?"

"It--Buffy--well, I don't like her very much right now," Willow finally admitted. "She's not the person she was when I first met her."

"Maybe," Angelus said thoughtfully. "Or maybe you're not the same person. Maybe you've grown a bit, become more confident, and she's not comfortable with that."

Willow thought about that for a minute, turning the idea over in her mind. "Maybe you're right. Or maybe not. I don't know anymore. And right now, I don't really care either. I just want to forget them all for a while," she finished, her voice a soft whisper.

"I have just the cure for that, sweet Willow."





End of Chapter 15

Part 16


They made love all through the night. Sometimes it was wild and reckless, sometimes soft and strangely tender. In between, they talked. Angelus told her about living in England at the turn of the century, and she told him about growing up on the hellmouth.

"Biker gangs on PCP," he laughed, his face transformed from its usual somber countenance into a humorous smile. "I never get tired of hearing that one," he admitted. "I mean, have you *ever* seen a biker in this town? Much less the cops making a bust for PCP."

Willow shrugged, admitting that he had a point. The cops of Sunnydale were amazingly oblivious to all that went on in the town. Sometimes she wondered about that. Nobody could be *that* clueless, could they?

"Angel tried PCP once."

The redhead stared at him, caught by surprise at his admission. "Oh, not on purpose. God knows our somber souled half would never try anything like that on purpose. No, he was taking a little snack off of a prostitute he found somewhere. Serves him right; she was higher than a kite, and soon he was too. He lost control completely that night and I got to come out to play. The memories of that evening kept me warm and comfortable for months. The mayhem, the sex, the blood." 

"Angel went to a prostitute?" Willow asked, confusion furrowing her brow. She was trying hard to ignore the rest of what he had said, concentrating on that one surprising fact. "But I thought that perfect happiness..."

"Believe me, Willow," Angelus smirked, "Anonymous sex with a street hooker is not capable of producing 'perfect happiness.' I mean, yeah, she wasn't too bad, as far as those types go, and she sure was a delicious treat afterwards, but if an orgasm was enough to bring out the beast, then I would have been back almost immediately."

Willow looked surprised, and Angelus laughed again. "Oh c'mon, you don't think he lived like a monk all those years, do you? Hell, he sure does a number on the girls with that 'oh, woe is me' act. Trust me, he may have a soul, but brood boy still has *needs*."

She blushed at his suggestive tone, as she took a moment to think about his words. In a way she felt rather sorry for Angel. To have lived all those decades, indulging in sex only with nameless strangers, never allowing himself to experience any true intimacy or happiness. It must have been incredibly lonely. No wonder he got so happy when he was finally able to consummate his relationship with Buffy.

"Poor Angel," she thought, not realizing she had said the words aloud until she saw Angelus' face darken slightly. "It's just, it must have been really lonely, all those years without anyone. To live that long, and never know love," she said sadly.

Angelus shrugged, looking away from her. "It was his choice," was all that he would say.

"So why is it that people find it easier to believe in invisible bikers on drugs than in vampires, I wonder," she pondered, bringing the subject back to something safe and familiar.

"It's a matter of control, of course. If they believe it's just bikers, well, they can always lock their doors tight, put little bars on their windows, keep a gun, and maybe stay away from that odd-looking neighbor who owns a bike. They know they can make themselves safe. But with vampires....no matter how strong you are, no matter how many bullets you have in your gun," he paused, "I can still get you." 

She shivered at the softly spoken words, knowing that he had worded his sentence the way he did to make a point.

"Does that thought scare you?" he asked silkily, reaching up to run a hand through her fiery hair. They were lying naked, on their sides, facing each other as they talked. 

"Wasn't it meant to?" she asked with a smile, answering his question with one of her own.

He chuckled, a deep, sensual sound, watching her face as the sound had the desired effect and her cheeks flushed slightly. "It was supposed to make you a little hot, too." He sniffed the air somewhat discreetly and smiled back at her. "I guess it did."

Moving into the space between them, Angelus took her in his arms and kissed her passionately, his teeth and lips attacking hers as she yielded to him. She rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her, as his lips left hers and worked a trail of cool fire down her body. He smiled at her delighted gasp as he teased her nipple, worrying the hard nub with human teeth. His hand grasped her other nipple, plucking and twisting it cruelly as his teeth treated the other nipple with unusual tenderness.

The sensations were driving Willow crazy. The pain meshed with the pleasure and she no longer knew which was which. All she knew was that the sensations had her body writhing and thrusting in abandon, and she knew she wouldn't last long. 

Angelus sensed her need and nudged her knees wide, before ramming himself deep inside her. Her wordless cries spurred him on, as he set up a brutal pace, his mouth moving up to capture hers again.

Again and again he forced himself deep inside her, reveling in the friction of her tight, wet passage as it warmed his cold member. She was so warm, so very hot as she clutched him inside her. Her arms pulled his body closer to hers as she tried to devour him, set him afire with her passion. Her hips thrust up to meet his and her mouth attacked his lips. 

The silence of their coupling was disturbed by a low growl, and for a moment he wasn't sure which of them had made the noise. His demon emerged, and he pulled back a little, looking for the traces of fear that he knew he would find in her eyes. And there it was, shining brightly. "Don't worry little flame, I'll only take a nibble," he said, his lips and tongue dancing on the flesh of her neck. His hands came down on her shoulders, holding her still, as his teeth broke the smooth skin. She moaned beneath him, the sensation pushing her into her orgasm, as her body shook and clenched beneath him.

As the taste of the delicious elixir hit his tongue, his own climax broke over him and he shot his seed deep inside her as he cried out her name. Her blood was amazing, spiced with passion, release, submission and just a bit of fear. Only a bit, he had promised, so he regretfully withdrew, his tongue laving the marks and cleaning her skin. 

Her eyes were beginning to droop, her sated body at last seeking the solace of slumber, and he realized that dawn was only an hour away. Should he stay and spend the day with her? Or should he leave now and head back to the mansion? 

The thought of spending the day in a drafty old mansion just didn't sound that appealing when he held her warm body in his arms. He would see his childer soon enough, and there was nothing else that drew him to that place, so perhaps he would stay here and spend the morning wrapped around the cozy redhead. 

His decision made, he got up and grabbed the spare blanket draped casually across the foot of her bed and hung it over the curtain-rod of her window. The glass insert of her french door was another problem, and a quick search of the bathroom turned up a spare towel that he used to cover that potential hot spot.

All necessary precautions taken, he returned to the bed, gathering the already-sleeping redhead into his arms. His eyes drifted shut as he allowed the sound of her heartbeat to lull him to sleep like a lullaby. 




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