tamingthemuse | 464 - Coltish - Obsession - Dragon's Phoenix

Title: Obsession (scene from second chapter)

Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 464 - coltish
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1058
Edited: Corrected prompt number to 464 and provided a master link to Obsession.

Willow hadn't meant to arrive at Angel's mansion after dark. She'd been tutoring Xander in math after school. She'd left for the butcher's in plenty of time but she'd felt sort of awkward about the actual buying of the blood. What were you supposed to do, just walk up to the counter and say, “Oh, I'd like some blood please.”? It turned out that was how you did it because the guy at the counter hadn't even blinked, and now she had the blood and she was about to deliver the blood to Angel in the mansion even though it was after dark and the mansion didn't look all abandoned or trap-like at all even though there were hardly any lights on except for the one room just outside of the door that she had to knock on to be let in, and it was definitely Angel in there and not Angelus even if he had looked sort of Angelus-like with the vamp face when he'd killed Peter but that had been a good killing, well maybe not good-good but as in not evil because Peter would have killed her if Angel hadn't done him first and so that proved he was Angel now, the same Angel who would never kill her fish or leave a drawing of Joyce on her bed and, ugh, even though he was Angel she was sort of glad she'd done that spell revoking his access to her room. Willow's deep breath didn't do anything to help her feel better. It was night and Angel could follow her out into the night, but it's not like she'd be safe during the day because she had to go inside to give him the blood – it'd be rude to leave it on the doorstep – and once she was inside he was faster and so she wouldn't be able to escape anyway although if she did during the day she'd be safe but it was night now so she wouldn't. Right, one more deep breath and she'd go up and knock on the door. And who knew breaths could go by so quickly?

She knocked, hoping maybe he'd gone out or something and then she could leave the blood in the fridge but maybe he wouldn't know it was there so she'd have to leave a note and Angel could read, right? Because if he couldn't she'd have to wait to tell him there was blood in the fridge but of course he could read. People read over two-hundred years back. Lots of people had read …

There was a thump from inside the mansion. What if it was a demon, some other demon that is and it was attacking Angel, but what could she do, not being all Slayer powerful? Or what if he had fallen and was hoping somebody would come by to help him up? Coming back from a hell dimension, that had to be exhausting, right? She pushed open the door. “Angel?”

He was standing at the far side of the room. Between them, on the floor next to the couch, a lamp had fallen over or maybe he'd knocked it over. Willow stood in the doorway. How come she never knew what to do? Buffy would have known what to do.

“I thought you were Buffy.”

He'd thought she was Buffy and so he'd fled across the room? Oh, Buffy had said he was afraid but she hadn't realized how afraid Buffy had meant. “She sent me or she asked me to come, really, because you didn't seem comfortable with her which, you know, isn't upsetting her or anything.” Willow stepped into the room and held up the bag. “I brought your blood or not your blood as in it came out of you but blood that's for you to drink or maybe you call it eating?” Did vampires eat? Could they even digest, say, a donut?

“Feeding,” he said. “We call it feeding.”

“Oh.” As she stood there with the blood, not sure what to do next, Willow could see Angel relax. It was like the fear was draining out of him, which was good but then he fell against the wall. “Are you okay?” The bag sort of slipped out of her fingers and she had to grab it fast before it hit the table and spilled all over the floor. Could she be any more of a stupid, coltish, and awkward idiot? Buffy would never drop the blood.

When she looked up he was standing on his own again, but he didn't look so good. “I'm …” He ran a hand over his face. “Tired. I've been feeling drained ever since …”

Oh, yeah, hell dimension, definitely exhausting. She put the blood onto the table. “Well, here's your, um, food. I think it's cow actually. I hope that's okay.” Was there something else she should say or do for him? What would an exhausted vampire need anyway? More sleep? Maybe the blood would make him better? Was animal blood even good enough? Vampires fed on humans. Maybe he needed human blood to heal. “Well, I should get going.”

He didn't move or say anything. He was sort of acting like she wasn't even there. Well, why should he? She'd just risked life and limb, well, maybe more life than limb, to bring blood to a hungry vampire. She turned to the door and it was sort of scary having the vampire at her back because it reminded her of that time in the hallway when he'd had her and there'd been nothing she could do but that was all about Buffy because who'd want to bite mousy little Willow if she wasn't the Slayer's friend? So maybe it was sort of safe because even if he was Angelus there were all kinds of more exciting victims out there although it was less safe since she was already here and nearby.

“Willow?”

She found herself facing him again. When had she turned around? “Yeah?”

“Thank you, for bringing the blood. I appreciate it.”

Oh. Nobody ever bothered to say thank you. “You're, uh, welcome.” Xander hadn't bothered to thank her for helping him with the math. As she walked through the night, Angel's words felt like a fragile bird she was holding gently against her heart. “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”

464 - Coltish - Obsession - Dragon's Phoenix - BtVS

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