"Stay there," Willow told him firmly as she nesteld him among the other
  stuffed animals. "I don't want you anywhere near the bed while I'm sleeping,
  got it? You may be polyester fiberfill, but your're STILL a frog and well, my
  bed is a frog-free zone."

  For the hundredth time Willow wondered why she didn't just throw him out.
  She didn't like frogs. In fact, she hated frogs. They scared her to death. But she
  loved Xander, and when he won Mr. Froggy at the fair and casually presented
  him to her with a kiss on the cheek, saying, "Don't say I never give you
  anything nice," she knew Mr. Froggy was coming home with her to stay.

  Willow went back to her now frog-free bed and pulled down the covers. She
  punched her pillow lightly, fluffing it into perfect position.

  "Mrrrrrrr."

  She stopped and stared at her pillow in alarm.

  "Mrrrrowwww."

  "Oh!" She realized this time that it wasn't her pillow at all; the sound was
  coming from outside her window. She felt foolish for a second, then muttered,

  "This is the Hellmouth. It COULD have been the pillow..." as she moved to the

  french doors that lead to the balcony outside her room.

  Pulling the curtains aside, she tried to see through the glass. The near
  moonless night made visibilty almost nil, and she shook her head in
  frustration.

  "Mrrrrrppp."

  That definitely came from outside. Willow unlatched the door and opened it a
  little, being very careful not to move beyond the threshold. <I'm safe as long
  as I'm in my room. Nothing bad can come in uninvited.> She shivered as she
  thought of exactly who the "something bad" was. After Angelus had come
  into her room while she was gone and gutted her fish and left them for her, neatly
  strung, she'd revoked his invitation. Now she felt safe again...as long as she
  stayed within the confines of her room.

  "Meoooow."

  Willow looked across the balcony at the tree which brushed the corner railing
  with its branches. Something white - and fuzzy- was hanging precariously
  from a branch.

  "MEOOOW."

  The kitten squealed as one of its paws came unstuck and it looked down at
  the ground two stories below.

  "Oh, no!" Without even thinking, Willow rushed across the balcony and
  grabbed the little bundle of fur before it could fall, clutching it to her chest. "Oh,
  poor kitty! It's okay, you're safe now! How did you get up there? You could
  have hurt yourself!"

  Before Willow could turn to take the shaking bundle of fur into her room,
  strong arms wrapped around her tightly, yanking her backwards. She
  stumbled and felt herself pulled up against something hard. The back of her thighs
  below her sleepshirt slapped against soft leather.

  "240 years and the kitten thing still works. What is it about women and cute,
  helpless little creatures?" a rich voice asked mockingly in her hear. "Of
  course, I can't really talk...I have a thing for cute and helpless myself."

  <Angelus! No, no, no, not again.> Willow closed her eyes and clutched the
  kitten against her chest hard, eliciting a protesting squeak. Her heart
  pounded in her chest and her breathing became rapid, ruffling the white fur as
  thoughts chased themselves around in her head. <Stupid, stupid, stupid. How
  could I be so stupid? I'm too young to die! I have homework to finish, and e-
  mail to answer, and...>

  A heavy sigh ruffled her hair over her ear, breaking her revery. "Willow!?!
  Wake up already, would you?"

  "I'm awake," she squeaked. "Wide awake. I wish I weren't, 'cause if I were
  asleep, this could be a dream, and if it were a dream, then I could wake up
  and you wouldn't be here, but I'm awake and it's not and you are!"

  She felt the chuckle her words elicited vibrate against her back, too soft to
  really hear. "You do have a way with words. But right now all I want to hear
  is an invitation. Invite me in, Willow."

  "NO!" She stiffened at the thought of Angelus coming in her room again, and
  felt his arms tighten around her.

  "If I wanted to kill you, little girl, I would have done it already. I
  wouldn't need to come in. Do you know how quickly you can break a human
  neck? Two seconds and it's all over. Just ask Jenny Calendar. But you can't can
  you? 'Cause she's dead, and you're not...because I let you live. All I want to do
  is talk, Willow. Invite me in, and you'll live a little longer."

  Willow was confused. What game was Angelus playing now? What could he
  want to
  talk to her about? Why wasn't she dead yet?

  A cold hand wrapped itself around her throat. "I asked nicely, Willow. I won't
  ask again."

  "Come in!" Willow was glad her parents were away. At least they would be
  safe.

  Angelus kicked the door open completely and hauled Willow inside, dropping
  her, and the kitten, on her bed. Her hold on the cat loosened and it shot out
  from under her, huddling under the dresser. By the time Willow rolled over on
  to her back the doors to the balcony were closed and Angelus was standing
  over her.

  <My God, he's big!> Willow's eyes were huge as she stared up at the
  vampire. <And gorgeous. But bad-gorgeous, not good-gorgeous. In this case,
  gorgeous is not good. Not at all!> She skittered away from him towards the headboard,
  pulling her legs up underneath her, trying to make as small a target as she
  could.

  Angelus smiled as he flopped down across the end of the bed on his side, his
  head on his hand. "Comfy?"

  Willow blinked in surprise. <He has such a nice smile. I never noticed before.
  Of course, Angel never smiled, well, except little sad smiles, and those don't
  really count, because you aren't REALLY smiling if you're sad...>

  "I wish I knew what went on in that head of yours. Always thinking, aren't
  you?" Angelus reached over and tapped her foot lightly. "But I didn't come
  over here to watch you think, interesting though that may be. I came to talk,
  Willow."

  "W-w-what do you want to talk about?"

  "You. And me."