FanFiction Archive

Understanding

Part 5

Angel stood up and rinsed out the mug. Quickly putting it in the dishwasher, he turned to Willow to find her examining him intently. He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

Willow shook herself. "Nothing," she said slowly, cocking her head. "You're … different." 'What is it? He's not acting like the Angel I knew in Sunnydale. Not even like the Angel I saw in LA.' she wondered.

"Different?" Angel asked. Doing a mental inventory, he frowned to himself. 'I haven't changed the way I dress. Is there something wrong with my hair?' He asked worriedly, quickly ran his fingers through it. 'Nope, it feels okay.'

Willow nodded. "Yup. I don't quite know how though." She wrinkled her brow as she continued to peer at him. `Oh well, it'll probably come to me in a minute.' She told herself.

Angel shrugged and began to fidget under her intense examination. 'Not that it's bad that a beautiful woman's staring at me, but Willow's never been this blatant before. I guess I'm not the only one who's changed in two years,' Angel said to himself.

Willow blushed as she noticed how uncomfortable she was making him. 'Good job, Willow. Make him uncomfortable!' She berated herself. "I'm sorry," she apologized out loud, taking her eyes off the brunette vampire.

She got off the stool and looked at the clock. 'How do I entertain a vampire?' She asked herself. Her eyes widened as she was suddenly deluged with a variety of vivid images detailing exactly what she could do to entertain a vampire.

She fought back a blush. 'Well, it's official. I need help. Either that or I've been spending too much time with Spike. Or both,' she said to herself.

She turned to Angel. "Well, what do you want to do now? We have a
while before Dawnie and Spike get back." Willow's brain raced to come up with an activity to occupy the vampire. 'Hmm, there's Monopoly or something. Do vampires like Monopoly? Spike plays it with Dawn but they're a law unto themselves. I mean, it's not like Angel or Spike can say it takes too long 'cause they've got all the time in the world. Though I do remember Spike protesting about his manly image he had to protect.' Willow recalled silently.

Angel thought for a moment. 'I wonder what's going on in that mind
of hers.' Angel thought absently before bringing himself back to the
present. He sighed. 'Might as well do it now,' he said to himself. "I'd like to see it," he said softly.

Willow straightened and took a deep breath before nodding. "Okay," she answered. She looked at Angel and continued tentatively, "do you want company?"

Angel was silent for a moment. "Sure," he answered.

Willow didn't say a word, simply grabbing her jacket and leading the way to the front door.

* * * *

The walk to Buffy's grave was silent. Willow tried to look at Angel out of the corner of her eye as they stood in front of the headstone. She swallowed. 'His face is so impassive. Like marble. I can't tell what he's thinking,' she thought.

Angel stared at Buffy's grave with pained eyes. 'God, its real now,' he thought to himself. He knelt down to read the inscription, his lips quirking in spite of himself. 'I wonder if it's Xander's work or Willow's,' he thought inconsequentially. He reached out a hand and gently traced Buffy's name. 'I'm sorry I wasn't here, Buffy. I'm sorry I couldn't save you,' he whispered in his mind. He stood up and looked at the grave a final time. Steeling himself against the pain in his heart, he forced himself to let go. 'Goodbye, Buffy.'

He turned around to say something to Willow. 'Where'd she go?' He
asked himself. Hearing a heartbeat only a few feet away, he followed the sound.

* * * *

Willow had quietly left Angel's side when the moonlight had glinted
off another gravestone. Since Angel was so absorbed in his thoughts, she didn't disturb him. She walked to the grave and knelt beside it. Her heart clenched in pain as she read the inscription for the thousandth time.

'Tara McClay, 1980-2001

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
When heaven to gaudy day denies'

Closing her eyes she put her hand on the headstone, letting her tears fall down her cheeks unchecked.

* * * *

Finally spotting the redhead, he saw that she was kneeling by another grave. His heart immediately went out to the woman in front of him as he read the gravestone. He waited for a moment then unable to simply watch her hurting, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Byron isn't it?"

Surprised, Willow shrieked and jumped up, pulling stake from her sleeve. She relaxed when she saw it was Angel. "Oh, Angel, it's you," she said, quickly wiping her tears away.

He winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," he said quietly, looking at the grass that covered Tara's grave. 'I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just waited. Where was my famous silence when it was actually needed?' Angel asked himself, thoroughly annoyed. 'She was kind enough to let you have time alone!'

Willow smiled. "No, it's okay," she answered. She saw his mouth tighten and sighed. "It really is. And yes, it's Byron. Giles picked it out. I was too … I couldn't decide so he helped. Tara always liked Byron," she said softly. She looked at him for a moment, before continuing. "Are you okay?" Angel shrugged. "Been better, but I've also been worse," he answered.

Willow nodded. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Is there anything I can do?"

Angel shook his head. "Are you okay?"

Willow shrugged. "I'll be okay," she answered. When Angel didn't reply, Willow took the hint and began leading the way out of the cemetery.

A shriek reverberated through the air, causing both Willow and Angel
to tense. The two looked at each other for a moment before Angel was off in the direction of the cry. Willow followed close behind him, trying to keep up. She almost bumped into him when he came to sudden stop, staring at something.

Willow stepped around him and saw the sight that made him halt.

Dawn was sitting on a headstone, her legs dangling while she ate what looked like a chocolate ice cream. In her other hand was a second cone which, at intervals, she licked.

"Hey, Nibblet, keep that mouth off of my ice cream!" Spike protested
as he backhanded a fledgling. Keeping his eyes on the fledgling, he
leaned over and took a lick of his cone.

"I'm just making sure it doesn't drip all over my hand," Dawn replied. "If you'd got napkins this wouldn't be a problem."

"I'm a vampire, not a pansy, pet! We don't use napkins," Spike answered giving her a grin as he waited for the fledge to attack again. When it did, he produced a stake, which he promptly shoved into the vampire's heart. With a burst of dust, it was gone. Spike quickly went to reclaim his dessert. "Hey, you ate all the sprinkles!"

"Well, they were going to melt off," Dawn replied, grinning. Suddenly she noticed Angel and Willow. With a huge smile she waved enthusiastically and hopped off the headstone. "Hey guys!"

Angel and Willow hurried to them.

Angel glared at Spike. "What do you think you're doing taking Dawn to a cemetery?" He snapped at his childe. 'I can't believe he put Dawn in danger like that!' Angel fumed to himself.

Spike glared right back. 'Bloody wanker. Thinks he knows what's best does he?' Spike thought to himself in annoyance. "Not your business," he retorted. He turned his attention to Willow, noticing her tear-streaked cheeks. "You okay, Red?"

Willow nodded. "I'm okay," she replied, giving him a wan smile. "How about you?"

"We're fine. Spike was so cool! He just dusted that vamp. See, it attacked us while were walking and Spike was so slick! He handed me
his ice cream and just took him on!" Dawn said enthusiastically,
sneaking glances at the blond vampire. She blushed when he caught
her and turned her attention to her ice cream.

Spike nodded, pretending not to notice Dawn's infatuation with him. "Yup. Exactly how it happened. He attacked us, I was just defending the lil bit," he agreed, keeping his eyes on Angel, almost daring him to say something.

Angel sighed and turned to Willow. "And you think letting him take
her out is a good idea?" He asked the redhead.

Willow sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I do. He's a good influence on her," she stated, fixing her resolve face firmly in place.

Angel looked at her in shock. "Spike? A good influence?" He asked
incredulously.

Spike also protested. "Hey, Red! That's not nice. I'm evil and mean. I'm a horrible influence!" He protested.

Willow raised her eyebrows. "See? I knew you two could agree on something!" She said with a smile. She turned to Dawn. "Come on,
let's go home. And if two certain vampires agree to behave like the
adults they claim to be, they can join us!"

Willow held out her arm to Dawn, who immediately took it and the two
began walking toward the entrance of the cemetery.

Spike and Angel looked at each other warily for a few moments.

Finally, Angel spoke up. "Spike, you've got ice cream dripping onto your hand. Dawn was right, you should have got a napkin," he told the younger vampire before turning and jogging after Willow and Dawn, leaving the blond alone.

Spike scowled. "Bloody poof," he muttered to himself as he looked down at his ice cream-covered hand. "Always has to have the last bleeding word." Dropping the cone to the ground, he hurried after the girls.

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