DISCLAIMER: Willow, Angel, Amy Madison, Buffy, Xander, Giles and everyone else don't belong to me, they belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. No, really, they do...
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title of this story comes from lyrics from the Elton John song, "The One"

When Stars Collide
By: Serendipity

Part 15

"So yes, in a word, Canada was awesome."

"That's so great."

"Although I have to admit that there were a few close calls with my aunt and uncle. There was this one time, just after we crossed the border, that I swore one of them would zap the other into oblivion they were fighting so much. I was hoping that it would be my uncle and not my aunt since she was driving and all. It really amazes me that they've lived together for so long. Oh, and did you see those signs they put up all over town?"

"No, I haven't really left the house these past few days."

"Well that's healthy."

"You're not helping."

"Sorry. Anyway, there's some 'theme night' deal at the Bronze."

Willow groaned, "Okay, let's hear it."

"This Saturday it's 'swing'."

"Oh, well that's not too bad."

"That's what I said. In fact, I think we should go. It'd be cool. I could just conjure us up some authentic looking clothes, not to mention a few guides on exactly how to swing dance..."

"That sounds great...hey, you know what? That reminds me, Amy, we actually have another commitment that night."

"Really?"

"Yeah..." Willow crossed her fingers nervously, "We've been invited to...umm..a private party."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"You don't sound to excited," the blonde paused suspiciously, "Why do you not sound excited?"

"It's not really a big deal...it's just that...well..."

"Spit it out."

"It's at Cordelia's house." She instantly held the telephone receiver arms length away from her ear in preparation for the inevitable screaming. Much to her surprise, she didn't happen.

Amy was too busy laughing hysterically.

Cautiously, Willow returned the phone to its original position, "A-Amy?"

The other girl erupted into a fit of giggles, "Cordelia's house?? Cordelia-I'm-such-a-skank-I-can-barely-believe-it-myself Chase invited us to a party? That's a good one Will," she gasped shouting into the receiver, "Yeah, and I'll bet she even invited us to sleep over." With that, she started giggling all over again.

The hacker was somewhat less than amused, "Actually, she did."

Almost as abruptly as the laughter had begun, it stopped.

"What?"

"Cordelia called. She invited me to sleep over, I said yes. She called back later and I mentioned that you might want to come too."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I dunno, I just thought it would be a nice way for us to all get together and to get to know one another."

"Are you on crack?"

"No, I'm serious, Am-,"

"WILLOW. I-I can't believe you. Are you insane? Have you forgotten all of the hell that girl put us through? I might be the witch in name, but Cordelia Chase is more of one in spirit than I'll ever be."

"Amy..."

"How about that time in third grade when she cheated off of you during a spelling test and then framed you for it? Or in seventh grade when she tripped you down that flight of stairs and you broke your arm? Are you totally forgetting the 'We Hate Cordelia Club' of which you were the founder AND president? Jesse was the vice president, I was the secretary and Xander was the treasurer. Granted, we disbanded when we found out that Xander had been embezzling funds to buy ice cream, but let me tell you, that organization had promise!"

"AMY!"

"What about the bitchy 'Hey Willow, I see you've found the softer side of Sears' comments she made all through ninth and tenth grade? How can you forgive her so easily? H-How can you just agree to go into her house? It's like official enemy territory for pete's sakes."

"Amy, now you're just overreacting. Look, this was NOT a simple decision. You weren't in the library that night when Angel showed up and Giles went nuts and there was all that fighting. She actually stood up for me. I mean, she's been trying to be nicer lately and, well, I just think we should give her the benefit of the doubt."

"Good grief."

"I'm serious."

There was a brief period of silence as both girls were lost in thought.

"Amy?" Willow finally ventured cautiously.

"Fine."

"What?"

"Fine, I'll go."

"Thank you," she beamed.

"You know that I'm only doing this for you, right?"

"Yes, I do, and I appreciate it immensely."

"Only because you're my friend."

"And you're mine."

"I hope you realize that am giving up a perfectly good Saturday night to enter the BOWELS OF HELL all because you're my friend."

"Amy?"

"Yeah?"

"You can stop now."

Willow stifled a giggle and Amy just frowned.

"All I'm saying is that if she so much as mentions the word "makeover" I'm turning her into a rat."

"It's a deal."

Part 16


"And you have absolutely no idea who attacked you?"

"None whatsoever. Just some anonymous chic vamp, who, might I add, did some serious damage," the slayer paused to point at the bandage on her neck, "My mom is not gonna buy ANY story I come up with to explain this one. Oh, there's one thing that I do remember, the male vampire she was with mentioned something about you 'betraying the clan'."

Angel frowned.

"That means something to you?"

"It might," He took a deep breath, "Over the past 3 weeks, our group, or 'clan' as we refer to ourselves, were in preparation of a rather large takeover. This plan was halted and rescheduled once I regained my soul, at least according to what I've been told by certain sources, however, I'm still privy to some very delicate information on terms of where certain people and things are located. Much of these things can't be moved very quickly or easily."

Buffy nodded slowly, "So you kinda know where their secret base is?"

"In a way."

"Then let's go nuke em. How come you didn't mention all this before?"

"No, Buffy, we can't do anything to them right now. I think that what they did to you was just a warning. They are, however, very capable of doing much much more. Let's just say that Spike wasn't very pleased when he found out I'd switched sides."

"I can handle them."

"But can Willow? O-or Xander for that matter? What about Giles? Cordelia? Buffy, they aren't at all above attacking your friends to get to you. They know where you live, what you do, and what your weaknesses are. They know who you're friends are, when they're alone and when they're unprotected. It's a skill they learned from me, I'm afraid," he sat down next to her and put his head in his hands.

"Angel, don't blame yourself for this," the slayer sighed softly and inched closer to him, "You weren't in control then. You've risked your own life so many times just to save ours. You would never endanger anyone, I know that and so does everyone else. Trust me, we'll figure something out."

He nodded slowly and turned his head to give her a grateful smile.

Big mistake.

She smiled back and leaned closer, a mildly seductive gleam in her eyes, "You know Angel," she said softly, "I've been thinking a lot about us, in general."

He felt his heartbeat pick up almost automatically, the way it always did whenever she was close, "And?"

"And I think that we should maybe talk about things more," she leaned even closer and he could feel her breath on his cheek, "consider our options."

He gently touched the side of her face, brushing her blond locks away from her eyes, "Options?"

She smiled again and brushed her lips against his, "I think it should be fine as long as we take things slowly."

The kiss that followed, was, well, amazing. Angel felt his body respond in the same way it always did when he was with Buffy.

And yet, something was very wrong.

Certainly, his heart was beating triple time and his skin was heating up rapidly wherever she came in contact, nevertheless, there was something deep in his mind and in his soul which was literally screaming in protest.

Reluctantly, he broke away from her and stood up, "You're right, I think we should take this slowly."

She looked a bit surprised, "Angel, is something wrong?"

"No, not at all," unable to return her gaze he turned around and picked up his jacket.

"W-where are you going?"

"I'm going to take a walk. Maybe do some checking up on who attacked you and what's going on."

"Now?" she asked, shocked.

"Well, yes. It'd be a good idea if you stayed here until I got back."

"Yeah. Great."

He couldn't miss the intense sound of disappointment in her voice and it broke his heart. Turning slightly, he glanced over at her as he opened the door, "I'll be back soon," he said, throwing her a lopsided grin.

She nodded, "Be careful."

"I will."

"Angel, I lo-,"

He closed the door behind him.

"-ve you," Buffy finished softly.

There was no response.



Part 17


She had long since changed out of her clothes and was now sitting, barefoot, in a thin white nightgown. Thoughtfully, she stared at the rows of black and white keys before hitting one. The note ran out so clear and loudly that it brought tears to her eyes.

Life was, as Willow had come to realize, very strange.

She sighed softly and stared at the shiny black surface of the piano. It had been almost two hours since she'd hung up the phone after talking to Amy and the house was dead silent.

Not that this was really anything new. She was used to being by herself. For instance, this entire past week her parents had been out of town.

But in that time, Willow had never really felt lonely. Not like she did now.

Thinking about things was a rather nasty habit she'd picked up during her childhood. Unfortunately, her seemingly endless loneliness gave her a lot of time to do just that. And while she'd been busy thinking, a few somewhat frightening thoughts had entered her head. Thoughts which refused to go away and which couldn't be dismissed. Thoughts about Angel.

In frustration, the redhead slammed her fist into the keys, producing an oddly comforting discordant sound.

She missed him.

Using both of her hands this time, she pounded out a sad and painful chord.

It was more than that, though. Even she wasn't so naïve and stupid.

In pure irritation and a desperate need to escape her own mind, she turned her full attention to the piano.

All her life, things like this seemed to happen to her. Nothing could ever be simple.

Starting off shakily, she started to play. The song she chose was sad and wistful but had an undercurrent of strength.

It made her almost sick to admit it, but it was true. In all the time she'd known him, she never thought anything like this could happen. She'd never been in a position for anything like this to happen. Mentally, she'd kicked herself for being so easy, for being so vulnerable. Past experience alone should have made her more cautious.

Her playing rose to an almost frenzied pitch as she reached the chorus of the song. She actually began sweating from the exertion as the tears sprang to her eyes, blinding her ability to see the keys.

Maybe she could pull back, pull away from the situation. Maybe she could just close herself off and it would go away.

Crying openly now, she forced herself to close her eyes and to play the song completely by feel. In her heart, she remembered how and when her fingers were supposed to strike the keys. The music was so loud that it could be heard clearly across the street through the open window.

She knew though, that she couldn't. She wasn't Buffy or Cordelia. She was Willow. Poor, stupid, pathetic little Willow Rosenberg. And once she grew emotionally involved or attached to someone, she could never get away. Besides, it was too late.

She had already fallen in love with him.


He stood under the street lamp, staring at her through the open window. He was almost mesmerized by her playing. It took him a few moments to figure out the song, but eventually he placed it. "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John, if he was correct.

He leaned against the lamppost, a concerned look flashing through his dark eyes. < Is she unhappy? Did something happen? I should have visited or called her sooner. > He silently berated himself over and over again.

Somehow, his 'walk' had taken him past the Rosenberg residence, as it had several times in the past. Feeling only somewhat guilty that he wasn't currently researching who had attacked Buffy and why, Angel gradually began to relax.

< Maybe I'm reading too much into this. >

The rest of the street was dark. Most lights were off since the neighbors were either asleep or had left town for vacation. He wondered absently why Willow had opted to stay during these two weeks as opposed to going to Boston with her parents. Maybe she had somethng more imporant to take care of in town. Schoolwork or that sort of thing.

Shrugging, he pushed off of the post and prepared to go on his way. He didn't want to disturb her, after all.

Once he was out of the glare of the overhead light, however, he got a better look at her. < She's playing with her eyes closed. > Smiling internally, he hummed along with her playing while starting to cross the street. < Talented girl. > That's when he saw something else. < Wait-is she crying? > The smile vanished altogether and his entire face darkened. < What's going on? > Standing stock still now, he stared across at her openly. The entire scene had shifted in a matter of seconds. She was obviously in serious distress over something, but what? He growled under his breath, < If that idiot Xander said or did something... > Yet again, Angel was reminded of the moronic, hormonally challenged teenager who couldn't see what was right under his nose even if it hit him in the head. < It's his own loss that he can't see what a treasure she his, but I wish that she wasn't so affected by his blindness. > Ironically, it was then that she opened her eyes. The song was ending and he hadn't even noticed. In a sudden fit of panic, Angel realized that he was essentially out in the wide open, smack in the middle of the street, staring like a fool through the window of a seventeen-year-old. < She'll probably think I'm stalking her or something... >

All fears vanished, however, when her green eyes turned their gaze, almost casually, out the window. She sent him a small smile as she hit the final note of the song. Slowly, she stood, pushed the bench away from the piano, and left the room.

Angel watched her leave, his heartbeat quickening inexplicably.

Fully expecting the vampire to have left by the time she got there, Willow opened her front door anyway. Much to her surprise, she found him standing on the porch.

She grinned at him shyly and he grinned back. < She looks like a fairy dressed all in white...or an angel. > There was almost an warmth, an aura of some sort that follwed the hacker wherever she went. It had a tendency to put Angel at ease and to make him want to share things with her. It made him want her to be comfortable.

They stared at eachother for a few seconds before she started fidgeting self-consciously. Suddenly, she remembered what she was wearing and how she must look. In an attempt to explain her unkempt appearance, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth, only to find that he'd done the exactly same thing.

Blushing slightly she shook her head and silently urged him to speak first.

< I've never seen such expressive eyes > he thought. "I...ahh...I used to come here a lot,"he began cautiously, "Even before I lost my soul. I'd just come walking..kind of late at night. I'd stop by that lamp post across the street."

She nodded.

"Ever since last year. After I came into your room for the first time when I needed your help. You remember, when I wanted to ask you about Buffy's ex-boyfriend. I mean, then I knew where you lived. I'd come by after that just to listen to you play. You're very talented."

She shook her head and stared at the floor, "How are things with you and Buffy?" she whispered softly.

Somewhat surprised by the change of subject, Angel frowned, "We're okay, she came by tonight. Actually, she's still at my apartment."

"Really?" Willow was careful to keep every hint of emotion out of her voice.

"Yes. We've been talking a lot lately." < Why won't she look at me? > "Willow, is something wrong?"

Almost instantly, she glanced up at him, "N-no, I'm fine." It was strange for someone to be so perceptive to her feelings and thoughts. Normally, it was the other way around. She was the one listening to everyone else's problems. She'd have to learn to be more careful around him. "I've just been thinking a lot lately."

"About?" he prodded gently.

She sighed, "Nothing important."

"Willow, anything you think about is important."

His conviction surprised her a bit and even embarrassed her to a certain extent. She dropped her gaze yet again.

Feeling a bit more willing to venture out first in building up a sense of trust between them, he decided to offer up a confession of his own, "Buffy actually kissed me tonight."

There were additional moments of silence and the hacker almost seemed to have trouble breathing. Angel furrowed his brows and waited for her to respond.

"Oooh, that's...that's just....great," she pretty much choked out.

< She still refuses to look at me. > Angel sighed.

Leaning against the edge of the doorway, near her head, he let out a soft laugh, "Not really."

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain...I-I just didn't react very well to it." He gently touched the side of her face and bent closer to get a better look at it.

She glanced up at him again, their noses just inches apart, "Why?"

"Something was wrong. I can't verbalize it too well. Something just didn't...fit anymore. I think I wasn't really comfortable. It was a weird situation to be in. I've always felt so open with Buffy in the past. I guess there are just some things that take longer to fix than others. It's a good thing I have you to talk to."

Something in her green eyes lit up just a bit and he smiled, it felt nice to make her happy. He was glad she was beginning to trust him and that she could tell he trusted her. " It's a shame, though. That was one hell of a kiss," he joked.

The light died almost instantly and she pulled away from him. His own smile faded. < What did I say? >

"Th-that's...nice. Listen, Angel, I hate to do this to you, but it's pretty late. I should be going to bed. I have some research to do tomorrow for Giles and all."

"Oh," he straightened up as well, "Alright, no problem."

"Goodnight," She quickly backed into the house and started to close the door.

"Wait-Willow, would you like to do something with me tomorrow, though?"

She paused. The door was almost completely shut and all he could see were her eyes. Those two, beautiful, dark green eyes. They were full of tears.

"I..umm..I don't think that's a good idea Angel. I have a lot to do tomorrow. Maybe some other night."

He nodded, openly disappointed. She was shutting him out, both physically as well as emotionally. Something was happening and she was obviously holding it back from him. There was so much pain and loneliness in those green eyes.

The door softly clicked shut and he sighed.

The same kind of loneliness reflected in his soul.

End Part 17