information and disclaimers in part one =20 Title: Dreams? 11/11 =20 The room was cluttered with boxes and other packing gear. Almost = everything was ready to go. Cassandra and Giles had managed to find a = large, two-storied, and unoccupied house that suited all of Cass's = requirements. It's previous residents, some ten years back, had been = Druids, and the house qualified as holy ground. The house had been = built to be a meeting-house. The kitchen and all of the other regular = rooms were on the second floor, while the first floor was open except = for heavy wooden support pillars. Cass wished the ceiling was a bit = higher, but the resulting room was spacious enough for both magic and = sword practice. It was also close to one of the many graveyards Buffy = had to patrol and to the college, making it convenient for the Scooby = gang to operate out of.=20 =20 <I'm actually going to miss the Mansion! It's gloomy, I know, but it's = special . . . at least to me. > After all, this was the place were some = of the most important events of her life had taken place. She'd brought = Angel back from Hell in this room . . . their growing friendship had = been hidden here. She'd become Immortal here. This last event was what = the slender witch's thoughts centered on. It was a lot to take in. = After the initial shock, Buffy, Giles, and Xander seemed to treat her = the same as they had before. She looked the same and acted the same as = before. Or maybe it was just that they had gotten used to her changing = on them. =20 =20 Willow no longer had the urge to have hysterics, but she couldn't just = ignore dying, however temporary the death was, as insignificant. She = and Angel hadn't talked about it, kissing was considerably more fun, but = the fact the Willow wasn't an ordinary girl, or even an ordinary witch, = anymore was certainly on the vampire's mind. Every time he looked at = the spot where she had died his eyes would darken then nearly go gold. = He hadn't told her how he felt about the Immortality thing. Willow = thought that he liked it, but she couldn't be sure. =20 <I'm going to live forever. Well not forever, but way longer than = normal. > It made Willow's heart ache, but she knew that she wouldn't be = able to stay in Sunnydale for much longer. Cassandra would have left = right away, but both of them knew that Willow's friends would need more = time to get used to her leaving. So the beginning training would be = done here. The only person who openly discussed the change was = Cassandra, in her role as teacher. The dark-haired Immortal had firmly = gone over the rules that came with being Immortal. No fighting on Holy = ground, which was why they were packing to move. Combat is one on one, = and you never interfere with another person's fight. =20 =20 So far, getting used to taking the sword everywhere was the hard part. = Willow still hadn't figured out how Cass made her sword just disappear = into whatever she was wearing. =20 Movement behind her brought her out of her reverie. She realized that = she'd been standing, unmoving, by a stack of boxes - tape still in her = hand - for several minutes. =20 =20 "You all right, little one?" The voice was just the one she wanted to = hear -- Angel. Willow looked up to find his dark eyes watching her. =20 "I'm fine. Just thinking." She smiled, and he returned to happy = expression. He pulled her closer. The kiss was a wonderful as the = others . . . dizzying and completely overwhelming. For that matter the = kiss was a little too good. Willow wanted to talk to Angel, and he was = thoroughly distracting her. <Think Willow. Not melt -- think! > "Um, = Angel, could we talk?" =20 The handsome vampire tensed instantly and nodded reluctantly. Willow = pulled him over to the fireplace, then sat down; she pulled on his arm = until he sat down next to her. Unknown to Willow, Angel was terrified. = He had been for days. Willow returned his kisses enthusiastically, and = the smiles she'd sent his way were glowing. To him it was like standing = in the bright sunlight he was forbidden. But he wasn't sure where he = stood with her -- what their relationship was now that she was Immortal. = He knew without any doubt that Willow considered him a friend, but she = had never said 'I love you'. The dark-haired vampire wanted those words = more than anything else, even though he was sure that he didn't deserve = them. Angel was far from sure that Willow wanted to spend multiple = decades with him . . . the decades were now available, but he wasn't = sure that she wanted him there as any thing more than a friend. Her = tentative tone of voice frightened him. <What do I do if she says she = just wants to be friends? Or even friends and lovers? I love her . . . = but what if she doesn't want that love? How will I survive? > But she = didn't say the words he feared. =20 "Are you okay with this whole Immortal thing? I mean, I was thinking, = maybe you don't want to have me around that long, and you just said what = you said 'cause you were upset, and you don't really want me to love you = - though I do, and you just want me around in a friend kind of way, and = . . ." Willow would have continued babbling but Angel gently laid a = finger on her lips, silencing the blushing redhead. The vampire was = smiling and fighting an urge to dance madly around the room. =20 =20 "I meant it when I told you I love you. I do love you. And if you = think you can stand having me around, oh, for a few centuries . . . I = don't want to leave . . . EVER. Right next to you is where I want to = be." The steady forcefulness of his voice made Willow's face glow and = her heart pound. Angel pulled her onto his lap, cuddling her in his = arms. "You love me?" His voice was just a little plaintive, all the = steadiness gone. He needed the reassurance that his feelings were = returned.=20 =20 Willow smiled. Touching his face gently, "I love you with all my heart, = and I most certainly want you around. For a really long time." She = laced her fingers in his hair and pulled him to her, trying to pour = every bit of love she felt into the embrace. It seemed to work, because = she could feel his love returning to her. <I think this Immortality = thing is going to work just fine. > And with Angel beside her, it = would. =20 THE END =20 Thank you for reading my story. Please tell me what you thought of it. =20 =20