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 18

Amy couldn't believe it.

She was already a full forty minutes into the "slumber party" and she honestly hadn't had the urge to kill Cordelia.

Even now, as the self-involved brunette happily spread a yogurt and oatmeal based relaxation mask on her face, she was actually enjoying it.

"So, yeah. If you keep this on for about 20 minutes, it'll look great once we wash it off. It'll get rid of all of those stress wrinkles you've been having and the blotchiness in your complexion. Cause, you know, that makes you look really kinda gross."

Well, no one was perfect.

"Cordy, have you seen Willow?"

The dark haired cheerleader finished placing cucumber slices on the other girl's eyes and paused to look around, "Nope. I think she's in the other room watching TV or something. Some old show called Kindred: The Embrace, I think. The lead guy is really hot, that's why I remember," she lowered her voice, "We've really got to do something about her.."

Amy frowned, "Who, Willow?"

"She is getting into this really sulky vibe. Not that I blame her, but still. It's not healthy..have you seen her hair? Come to think of it, we should fix it before we go to the Bronze."

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Willow's been hanging around, pouting, and not eating or sleeping. Have you seen how thin and pale she is? What kind of friend are you?"

"Hang on, Cordelia, what are you saying?

"Well, I mean, hel-lo...it's beyond obvious that she totally wants him."

Amy's blood literally ran cold, "Him?" she asked weakly.

"Well duh. Angel!," she hissed.

Amy looked vaguely ill.

"It's sooo there. I mean, when she talks about him and her face lights up like a little puppy-dog? It's borderline pathetic. I mean, they'd make a cute couple and all, but it's like neither of them are going to make a move. It's impossible."

< What?! >Sitting up, the witch took the cucumbers off of her eyes in one quick gesture, "Wait, are you saying that you think Angel actually likes Willow?"

"Shhh!!" Cordelia sank down next to Amy's chair with a conspiratory smile, "You weren't in the library that night, were you?"

"No, I wasn't."

"You should have SEEN the look on his face when she stood in front of him, like RIGHT in front of the crossbow!" She was in full-fledged gossip mode.

"It was...intense?"

"Like, beyond. I was so surprised, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I was sorta distracted by the fact that Xander was acting like an ass and all, but there was NO WAY you could miss the look on Angel's face."

"Cordelia, I wasn't there. You need to be more explicit."

"He wants her!"

"You mean it?" Amy could barely contain her excitement, "Oh wow. W-we need to tell her."

"Are you dense? We can't tell her."

"Why?"

"Well A. she'd never believe us and 2. she'd get all nervous around him. No, we can't tell her."

"Cordelia, no offense, but that's about the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time. If we clue her in, she'll know and she'll be happier around him. Right now I think she's sending mixed signals in his direction without realizing it. If we tell her, it'll probably work to get them together."

"Look, I hate to bring this up, but do you have a boyfriend?"

"Well, no."

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"What's your point?"

"My point is that I have a lot more experince in this than you do."

Amy paused, "Point taken."

"Great, then we're agreed."

"Agreed to what? What are we supposed to do??"

The conspriatory smile returned and Cordelia's dark eyes sparkled, "Not so fast. First, we need a plan..."


Willow sat staring blankly at the flickering images on the television.

< I can't believe I did that to Angel yesterday night. > For the hundredth time that day, she cringed as she recalled the hurt look in his eyes when she'd shut the door in his face. < That was NOT something that a good friend does. >

Moaning, she slowly leaned sideways and fell onto the couch. < Not to mention the fact that tomorrow is his birthday. >

Although the vampire hadn't told her, she'd managed to "sneak a peek" at some of Giles' diaries while she was helping to research that morning. After picking up this little fact, she'd taken some time to secretly sift through some of Amy's spell books to see if she could conjure up a good gift.

It had taken almost an hour, but Willow knew what she wanted to give him. Granted the spell was a bit complex, but she had faith in her growing capabilites when it came to the black arts.

< Heck, I restored his soul, how bad can it be? >

The excursion to the library itself had been more than just informative. It had also served to help patch up her relationship with the Giles. Although somewhat awkward at first, the visit proved to be very successful. Despite herself, Willow grinned as she recalled how the librarian had gone scurrying around the room, cleaning off her workspace, dusting the computer keyboard, and bringing her cushions to sit on throughout the day. He'd even brought her tea and crumpets before lunch, all the while asking if she wanted anything else. Giles was literally in hyperdrive when it came to making amends.

She appreciated every second of it though. Sometimes it was hard to remember that people actually cared about her. It was nice to receive a reminder every now and then.

"Hey! Ready to go?"

Glancing up at the door, she saw Amy standing in font of her, grinning a little too broadly.

Cordelia's head popped up over her shoulder. She was sporting a matching facial expression.

Glancing warily from one girl to the other, she sighed softly.

< Terrific, now what? >

Part 19


It was almost 10 and Angel felt like a nervous teenager. He hovered silently in the darkest corner of the Bronze, his eyes skillfully skimming the faces before him.

< Where the heck is she? >

He felt terrible about ignoring her these past few days and felt even worse after she'd closed the door on him the night before. < I'm going to make it up to her if it's the last thing I do. >

Tapping his foot absently against the floor, he thrust his hands into his pockets and hummed along to the music.

< As long as she shows up first. >

As if on cue, Cordelia suddenly appeared at the far end of the room. The dark haired cheerleader was clad in a deep red dress which, although decidedly vintage in style, clung around her hips in a very suggestive manner. It was also cut very high. On the left, she was flanked by Amy whose clothing was extremely similar. In fact, the only difference between them was that Cordelia's was maroon and Amy's was a dark blue which matched her eyes.

< But where's Willow? >

After a few tense moments, he got his answer.

Following several feet behind, he spotted the red-head as she cautiously made her way through the crowd.

Keeping his mouth from dropping open on sight became a conscious effort the instant he took in her slender frame.

"Oh....wow," he breathed softly.


Even she had to admit that the outfit was pretty amazing. Willow smiled nervously and shifted her weight to her other foot. Her dark red hair was parted down the middle, rolled back and pinned on either side of her head. It fell in gentle waves down her back and shoulders. The dress she wore was white with dark green flowers which matched her eyes. Although somewhat short for her own tastes, it still came past mid-thigh. The heels on her feet were a bit shorter than the ones Cordelia and Amy had on, but almost the same style.

Squinting through the smokey darkness she tried to see through the bodies which were gyrating to the music. Altogether, the scene was incredible. Tons of people had turned out to dance to the live band. Many of them were good. Very good. She'd had no idea that so many residents of Sunnydale were such accomplished swing dancers.

Her mouth fell open as an especially impressive couple flew by. Thus far, she'd looked on in awe as they jumped, spun, twirled and kicked. This time, the male suddenly flipped his partner over his arm and caught her just before she hit the ground. The woman simply laughed and fell back in step with ease. Willow was rapidly starting to realize that the few basic steps she'd picked up from Cordy earlier in the evening were nothing in comparison.

To her left, Amy and Cordelia were sitting at a corner table, scanning the crowd as well. Xander sat with them, although a little ways off. He gazed darkly at the table in front of him while nursing a coke.

Grabbing the other girl's arm, Amy let out a barely contained squeal, "There he is! There he is!!"

Cordelia snapped around to look, "Oh my ever lovin God..check him out."

"Meeee-ow," Amy nodded her head in agreement, "And she looks just like Heather Graham from Swingers in that dress."

"Uh huh. Dead ringer."

Silently, they high fived eachother while bouncing up and down.

Xander just rolled his eyes.

Totally oblivious to the ongoing conversation going on just out of her earshot, Willow swayed slightly to the music. < Ooh, Is that him near the bar? > Standing on her toes, she leaned forward to get a better view. An especially upbeat song had just started playing and the dancing was escalating to an almost frenzied pace.

That's when she felt an hand on her shoulder, "Can I have this dance?"

Spinning around, she had to suppress the urge to gasp out loud.

There, standing right in front of her, fully decked out in a dark-grey pinstriped suit with a white flower in the lapel, was Angel. His already stunning good looks were only enhanced by the sharp clothing. There was no doubt in her mind that the outfit was completely authentic.

"May I?" he reiterated the question, a slightly roguish grin on his face, "Have this dance?" he extended a hand to her.

Entirely flustered, Willow blushed just about every existing shade of red, "Oh-of course."

Not needing any further invitation than that, his gentlemanly demeanor vanished instantly, only to be replaced by a decidedly devilish gleam in his dark eyes. Grabbing her arm, he snapped her body against his and spun them both out into the middle of the dance floor.

Within a matter of a few seconds, Willow found herself in the very thick of things. Positive that she must have run over at least 12 different people as he unceremoniously yanked her into the mass of bodies, she tripped along behind him, apologizing all the way. Her apologizies died in her throat the instant her turned back. The almost predatory look on his face scared the living daylights out of her. < Has he changed back? Oh my gosh... >

As if sensing her fear, Angel's features softened slightly and he winked at her flirtatiously, "Ready?"

Without waiting for her to reply, he grasped both of her hands and swung them out wards, then inwards, moving to the rhythm of the music. Quickly, she picked up the beat and followed his lead. The first few seconds remained sedate enough until the band suddenly went into an almost insanely fast riff and she felt her feet losing contact with the floor. Shrieking in surprise, she was hauled over his shoulder, and thrown backwards, flipping upside down for a brief instant before landing safely behind him, her back to his. Before she could even turn back around, she felt herself being lifted yet again and spun into the air before being caught easily in his well-muscled arms.

He held her up to his chest so they were almost eye level and chuckled good-naturedly at the shaken expression on her face.

"Put...me...down..." she ground out through clenched teeth.

"Sure, if you say so," he shrugged casually and started to lower her to the floor. Just as her toes brushed the ground, though, he whipped her outwards, careening right into the crowd. A split second before she fell over, he snagged her hand and snapped her to a halt before spinning her back into him.

Now nestled comfortably and safetly in his arms, Willow felt a dark, burning rage build slowly inside her < How DARE he? How dare he just throw me around like I was some sort of rag doll or something, I swear I'm going to... >

Her thoughts were inturrupted by a strange sound.

Angel burst out laughing.

Looking up, horrifically annoyed, the made eye contact.

"I'm sorry, but the look on your face," he shook his head helplessly, "....it's just....priceless."

Normally, this sort of reaction would have made the red-haired hacker even angrier but the rarity of the event itself made her smile. Granted, she'd amused in the past, she'd occasionally even made him chuckle but this was the first time she'd ever heard him laugh out loud. < I've made Angel happy. Honest to goodness happy. >

Before she could get too self-congratulatory though, she felt him shifting his weight.

< Uh oh. >

As he swung her out again, she caught her breath. Luckily, he just grinned kindly and held her to the simple box step.

< Oh thank goodness. > The song was finally winding down and she felt herself relax as her eyes wandered up to his. < Damn, he's a good dancer. Why would anyone this good not want to flaunt it? Why was he flaunting it now? What the heck is going on? > "Angel, what's gotten into you?" she yelled above the din of the crowd.

Not responding, he spun her out gently, causing her skirt to float higher up her thighs.

< Wow. Matching green underwear, huh? > Angel raised an appreciative eyebrow.

Catching his gaze, she narrowed her eyes indignantly as he pulled her back into the box step. He simply chuckled, "Well, a wise woman once said, that dancing was good for the soul," he began.

She started giggling as she recalled their conversation, "Oh really?" she shouted back.

He nodded vigorously, "And you know what?" he asked.

"What?" she shouted back.

Yanking her to the side and gripping her waist wordlessly, he supported her with one hand while flipping her over his extended arm. Grabbing her again once she hit the ground, he spun her around into an embrace and dipped her low all in once fluid motion.

Willow felt her world grind to a complete stop the instant the music ended.

His nose hovered right above her own and he smiled seductively.

"I think that she was right."

Part 20


The next song happened to be somewhat slower. Really slow, actually. Almost automatically, she felt a slight shiver run through her body as she gazed up into his dark eyes.

"Angel, you can let me up now," she giggled, still stuck in their partial embrace and leaning backwards at an odd angle.

"Oops, sorry," he grinned back at her and gently righted them both.

Shooting him her classic awkward Willow-smile, she tucked her hair behind her ear and eased backwards to head over to her table. Much to her surprise, he snagged ahold of her hand and pulled her back.

"Where are you going?" he asked, honestly confused.

"Oh...I didn't think that....well, back to my table...be-because....," she stammered incoherently as he slid his arm around her waist comfortable and took ahold of her hand.

His eyes sparkled slightly and she placed her other hand on his shoulder. It was weird to slow-dance with someone. A lot weirder than fast-dancing. Things weren't as frantic and fly-away. They were a lot more sedate. Which gave one more time to...think. Besides, her palms were getting sweaty.

"Where'd your cut go?" he asked, gently brushing his fingertips just under her eye where the injury from the arrow would have been.

"Oh, it's..gone. Amy healed it for me."

Angel raised his eyebrows, "Getting stronger then, isn't she?"

Willow simply nodded nervously in response.

"I've actually been meaning to talk to you," he hissed softly into her ear as they began to sway comfortably together to the music.

"About?"

"Well, about my behavior these past few weeks."

"YOUR behavior?" she asked, a hint of incredulity entering her voice.

"I'm sorry for...shutting you out. It was pretty wrong of me. I didn't mean to, well, make you feel like I'd abandoned you as a friend. If I did, I'm sorry."

She shook her head in disbelief, "Angel, you have nothing to apologize about, believe me. I mean, I was the one who basically slammed the door in your face." She glanced up at him, "I felt so guilty about that. I really shouldn't have..acted the way I did. I'm sorry for doing that to you. Good friends don't do that to eachother and if anyone should be guilty of abondoning someone, well, it's me."

His eyes met hers and there was a moment of silence before he laughed softly, "We're both so good at self-flagellation, aren't we?"

Nodding, Willow smiled thoughtfully, "Yeah. We do have a tendency to beat ourselves up over a lot of things."

Spinning around gently, they moved farther back on the dance floor. < She's wearing lilac perfume. > he realized. It smelled nice.

"How's Buffy?"

A shadow crossed over his features at the change of subject, "She's...well."

"What's going on with the two of you?"

"I don't know."

"Angel..," she began, a warning tone in her voice. He wasn't going to get away from the question that easily.

"Alright, alright," if he was going to share this with anyone, as is it was probably going to be Willow, "Truthfully, I'm not sure what she's thinking anymore. Sometimes she acts as if she wants to reconcile, and other times she acts as though she doesn't. Like after I returned to my apartment last night, she was really..upset."

"What happened?" the hacker prodded gently.

"Well, first she was really quiet...and then there was a whole lot of yelling and then it got a little violent."

"Violent?"

"She, um, broke one of my paperweights. Then she accused me of not caring about her anymore, and I didn't know what to say and then she just walked out. I ran after her and brought her back to my apartment and we talked for the rest of the night. We both cooled down and apologized to eachother but..."

"But?"

"But then she got that cold look in her eyes again. It's like one instant she wants to forgive and she wants to get back together and the next there's this undefineable guilt that she carries around."

"Because of Jenny," Willow said softly.

Angel nodded his head, " I..ahh..I think that has a lot to do with it," his voice caught for a second.

It was so subtle that most people wouldn't have picked up on it, but she heard it almost instantly. Squeezing his arm in a show of moral support she gave him a comforting smile.

"I mean, being the slayer is hard enough as is without having this as added baggage."

"Do you think she still loves you?"

"I-I used to. I think a part of her still does and that part forces her to try to work things out. But I don't know if we can ever get past everything that's happened. I mean, I don't want to feel that she's forcing herself to reconcile just for me."

"I remember the look on her face when Ms. Calendar died," Willow began quietly, "She just sat there on the floor without saying so much as one word. I cried over it for a few days afterwards, but I never once remember Buffy shedding so much as a tear. I mean, she couldn't. She was the slayer. It was her responsibility to save everyone else. She needed to be strong for the rest of the world." It was a painful subject, but one which needed to be discussed, "I think that in the process, she never really dealt with it. She just kinda pushed it to the back of her head. I know she felt responsible for it though. I mean, loves all of us, but Giles holds a special place in her life. He was so...hurt when Ms. Calendar died. Buffy never quite got over that. She hated herself for not having the power to destroy the demon when she had the chance."

Angel looked away, "She'll never have any idea how sorry I am about that."

"I tried to explain to her that she wasn't responsible..that NO ONE was responsible for what happened," forcefully, Willow put her hand on his face and drew his eyes to her own, "I will never forgive the demon for what it did. I hate it for killing Ms. Calendar, and I hate it for drawing Xander and I apart. I hate it for destroying a part of Giles and I hate it for hurting me."

He stared at her in shock. Gently, he started to pull out of their embrace but she grabbed his arm.

"And most of all, I hate the demon for what it did to you. For how it controlled your body, manipulated your mind and hurt you both physically and emotionally."

"Willow, I am the demon, it's a part of me that can't be sep-,"

"No you're not," she replied, "You can say it all you want but you're not. I know that much."

He just sighed, "Buffy doesn't seem to think so."

"Do you still love her?"

The question startled him. "W-what?"

"Do you still love Buffy?"

"I-I...yes. Of course I do."

Willow smiled almost sadly. It was now or never. In her heart, she knew she had to make a decision...

"You..," she lowered her gaze < I can't. >, "you need to make sure she knows," she glanced back up, "If you love her...you need to tell her."

There was a pause and he concentrated on her face almost as if trying to gauge her emotions.

She held his gaze unwaveringly.

Bending closer, he gently touched the side of her face, "Willow, I-,"

"Mind if I cut in?"

Craning her neck, Willow saw the very subject of their conversation standing behind her.

"Buffy!" forcing a cheerful smile, she pulled away from Angel, "Sure, of course you can."

"Thanks," the slayer grinned back.

Willow stepped aside, giving room for the other girl to take her place. Buffy was wearing one of her classic outfits. A black miniskirt with a pale lavendar halter top. Her blond hair was curled for the evening and fell around her face in careless wisps. Her standard black boots completed the outfit, making her look edgey and somewhat dangerous. Which she was.

< Pure Buffy > Willow thought as she watched the slayer melt easily into Angel's arms. The hacker looked almost frumpy in comparison. Throwing them both a half-hearted wave, she glued her gaze to the floor and made her way to the exit. The table Amy and Cordelia had been sitting at was now empty. Cordy was dancing with Xander and Amy was sitting near the bar, carrying on a very animated discussion with two boys Willow recognized as members of the crew team.

Suddenly she felt very very tired. Drained.

Suddenly unable to deal with anyone anymore, she shrugged and grabbed her purse from the deserted booth. Turning, she brushed a few tears out of her eyes and left the Bronze alone.


Noting the distracted look on her partner's face, Buffy turned her head and followed his gaze, "Angel, what's wrong? What's going on?"

Looking past her, he watched the red-head gather her things, "This...this is not going to be easy to explain."

"What do you mean?"

"I..I don't know... how to," he turned back to give her his full attention, "Buffy, we need to talk."

"About?"

He sighed, "Everything."

The slayer finished watching Willow leave before staring back up at him seriously, "I think you're right."

They gazed at eachother in silence before they realized that the song was no longer playing.

"Look at that. The music's ended," her face broke into a wistful smile.

"Yes," he replied softly, "yes it has."


"Amy, where's Willow?"

"Dancing with Angel, where else?"

"Uhh..unless she dyed her hair blonde and took up wearing high-heeled boots then I'd have to vote no on that one."

The other girl glanced up. Sure enough, Willow was gone and Buffy had taken her place, "W-what?" she shook her head in confusion, "but she was just here a second ago."

"Well she's not here now."

"Bathroom?"

"Maybe."

"We should check."

End Part 20