Willow woke up screaming.

She lay in her bed, shaking in terror for a good hour before she could even begin to calm down. His words kept going through her head, "After everyone is gone, I'm going to kill you last, bitch. I'm gonna stand over your broken, bloody, cum covered body and drive a stake so deep into your heart, you'll wish you were a vampire so you could explode on contact. I'm going to make you hurt, little Willow. Why? Because of everything you did for me."

Tears spilled down her cheeks. Where had that nightmare come from? She knew he didn't feel that way, that she had done good....that she had pleased The Powers That Be by releasing their warrior from hell after giving him his soul back. She had done good.

So why was Angelus terrorizing her in her dreams?

*-*-*-*

Spike was worried. He usually didn't worry about the humans he reluctantly worked with, but Willow was different. She was special. He had grown to have a certain affection for the witch.

She sat at the research party lifelessly. She flipped through the pages of the book, her tear filled green eyes scanning the pages, only Spike knew she wasn't reading the book. Fear rolled off her in waves. It was almost intoxicating, the smell of her fear mixing with the unique vanilla smell he associated with Willow.

He had no idea what could terrify the woman so much, but it angered him. He wanted to lash out, kill whatever it was that scared her. While he was at it, he wanted to rip the head off every single member of the Scooby Gang. Not one of them noticed Willow's demeanor.

Granted, they didn't have his capacity to smell her fear. But they should have been able to look at her bloodshot eyes framed in dark circles, her limp red hair, and her collapsed posture on the couch and know something was wrong. Her movements were jerky and tense, like an animal being stalked by a predator.

Giles, of course, was caught up in his research. He missed a lot while in research mode. Xander and Anya had, as usual, been kissing pretty much all night and didn't know anything else in the world. The Slayer had been complaining about her Soldier Boy Toy being gone.

And Willow, Willow was terrified of something.

Spike went to the tiny red head and touched her arm. "Red? Are you ok?"

She spun to him, her heart rate tripling, and her fear mounting to a height that made it difficult for Spike to reign in the demon. "Don't. Touch. Me! You are one of them!" she cried.

He frowned, pulling his hand away. "One of them what, pet?"

"*Vampires*. You are evil. You want nothing but to torture us all. You want to make me hurt, along side *him*," she said, spitting out the last word with anger and fear.

"Him who?"

"Don't ask as if you don't know. I saw you beside him. You laughed as he hurt me." Her bottom lip started to quiver. "You laughed. You taunted me, you taunted their dead bodies," she waved her hand to include the other people in the room who were now paying attention to Willow. "You eagerly drank after he ripped into their bodies. All but the Slayer. He saved the Slayer for himself, enjoying hearing the thud of her dead body at his feet. And you laughed, overjoyed she was dead.

"And then me. You helped him break me, you drove the spikes into my body. You both bit me all over, and laid my bloody body on the ground."

A sob escaped and tears fell onto her cheeks. Her voice was became quieter, "You both jerked off, shooting all you were worth all over me, and I couldn't do a damn thing! I just lay there and took it."

"Red, what the fuck are you talking about?" Spike scowled. He didn't like the way she was talking, suggesting he and his mystery companion would ever hurt her. And in such a way he hadn't hurt someone in over a century.

"Don't pretend, William. I know what you are planning. I know the two of you are lurking in the shadows, watching... waiting. You've been coming to me in my dreams every night for a week now, and I know that you two will hurt me. I know he's here." She looked around wildly. "YOU HEAR ME, YOU BASTARD!!! I KNOW YOU ARE HERE!" she screamed. Her gaze turned back to Spike. "I hear him whisper to me, tell me all the wonderful things he and his beloved have planned for me."

Spike's body went numb. <Oh, shit. It can't be.>

Her voice dropped to a hiss. "You won't break me, no matter how hard you try. I won't let you, William. And I certainly won't let him."

She stood up. She looked around the room. "Don't trust anyone," she said to her friends, who were all but dead in her sleep deprived mind. Her gaze fell on Buffy. "The ones you love are the ones who will destroy you." She walked out.

"What the hell was that?" a stunned Xander asked.

"Is...Willow ok?" Anya asked.

"What is she talking about, Giles?" Buffy asked, turning to her former Watcher.

"I...uh....I don't know."

"I know," Spike said softly. "I mean, I can't explain it, by a long shot, but I know what's happening. I know who is terrorizing her."

"Who?" Buffy asked. "I'm going to kill him. Right now."

"Not that simple, pet. It's Angelus."