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Of course, as soon as I said I'd protect her, I jinxed us. A couple of tall angry looking men stepped out of the shadows in front of us. I stepped back, tugging Willow behind me. They could hurt me, but I was going to be damned if they'd hurt my best friend. "What do you want?" I asked.
The taller one laughed. "You," he hissed. I blinked in shock, imaging that his eyes went yellow, then back to the green that they were.
"U. . .Um, yea," I said. "Right. Ok, fun and games are over, we are a couple of kids. We have no money, and nothing really important to speak of, so um, why don't you run along and go. . .pick on something your own size. Yea."
Willow was trembling behind me. She was even more scared that I was, and I was on the verge of running down the street screaming like a woman. But I had to be brave and strong. I had to protect her. It was my idea for us to take this walk, and if something bad happened to us while we were out, well, I'd never forgive myself.
"You will do just fine," the other man hissed, grabbing my collar. He pulled me against him, and then he did the most extraordinary and scariest thing I'd ever seen. His face. . .changed. His eyes went gold, his teeth turned to sharp fangs, and wrinkles appeared between his eyes. He. . .looked like a vampire! But that was silly, because vampires didn't exist. Right?
"Oh, shit," I said, blinking in shock. "Wills. . .um, now would be a good time for you to run." I turned my head, meeting her wide green eyes. "Run, Willow, damn it, RUN!" I yelled, the direness of the situation setting in.
Willow looked at me for a split second, tears in her eyes. She straightened, and put on her resolve face. I knew that I was going to hate whatever she was about to say. "I'm not leaving you," she whispered.
"Wills," I said, "I think these guys are vampires, if they really *do* exist. I don't think I'm going to live very long!" I was quite shocked at the calmness I felt. The vampire holding me still had me by my collar, and the other one was watching us with a smirk. He had since vamped also.
"No," she said, tears falling down her cheeks. She was still trembling, and I wanted to hold her. I pushed against the vampire and tried to get out of his grip, but he only hauled me against his body.
"Struggling turns me on," he hissed.
I immediately stilled my movements. I turned back to Willow. "Wills, you might *die* if you stay here!"
"I don't want to live without you," she whispered.
My heart dropped when she said that. I've always known she cared about me, even loved me. But I never realized it was to the extent that it was. "Oh, god, Willow. . ."
She was sobbing openly now, as the other vampire grabbed her frail body. She was so small, so helpless. And she was going to die, all because she loved me. I opened my mouth to speak.
"Let them go."
I twisted in my captor's grasp and looked back at two *more* men. I frowned. The taller one of the new men had dark hair and dark eyes, while the shorter one had a head full of striking blonde hair, and the most intense blue eyes I'd ever seen. And those blue eyes were focused on me. I gulped, wondering why this man's gaze was so penetrating. Why it affected me in ways I'd never been affected before - not by a man, anyway.
"And who are you?" my captor asked.
Tall and Dark crossed his arms. "You don't recognize me?" he asked.
"Should I?"
"I am Angelus."
I actually felt my captor shudder slightly. He, a vampire, was scared of this Angelus! That had to be a bad thing. That must have meant that Angelus was super bad. Or really good. Oh, god, I prayed he was really good. . .
"Are you an angel?" Willow asked softly, in awe.
A slow grin spread on Angelus' face. "You could say that, Willow."
I blinked in shock. How the *hell* did he know Willow's name?
My captor threw me down on the ground with a thud. I cried out in a mixture of anger and pain when my elbow grazed the pebbly concrete. I could already feel the tiny cuts and knew that I was bleeding. That wasn't good. I was bleeding, in front of two vampires. I stood up, realizing that I had two hands on my sides, helping me. I turned wildly, stepping back. Blue eyes was helping me up. "Who are you?" I asked.
"Spike, luv," he replied.
I shivered, hearing his accent. There was something. . .I couldn't place my finger on it. But there was *something* about this man. Something that rocked me to the core. Something I didn't understand.
"Let her go, she's mine," Angelus said to the vampire holding Willow.
The bastard laughed. "Unlikely, Angelus." I blinked as he started leaning towards Willow's neck, his fangs glistening in the moonlight.
Her eyes caught mine. She was terrified.
Well, I wasn't stupid. If I let Willow die, the only person who had loved me my entire life would be gone. And that wasn't about to happen. With a roar, I launched at the guy, slamming into his side. "NO!" I screamed.
He slid across the pavement, me straddling him. I ignored the pain that radiated from the new cuts on my knees. I started pounding into his chest. "You can't hurt Willow!" I screamed.
He flipped me easily, like I was a rag doll. My anger was replaced by pure, unadulterated fear. Those fangs were coming towards my neck. . .I closed my eyes. I could hear Willow screaming at the vampire, telling him to leave me alone.
I waited, and waited. I was so tense, I didn't realize that the weight was gone, and a fine layer of dust was settling on my body. "Pet?"
I opened my eyes. Spike was standing there grinning at me, a stake in his hand. He held his own out to offer help. I took his hand, jolted by the electricity I felt from his touch. < Nope, wrong, bad, Xander, no dirty thoughts about a man. > "Uh. . .thanks," I said, snatching my hand away from his. I turned to find Willow.
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