Leaving the school, Willow started her trek home. Lost in thought, Willow
looked up to realize in shock that she had walked to Patrick's apartment. Ever
since Patrick had come into his own, Angel had let Patrick stay in his
pre-Angelus days apartment.
< Oh, well, since I'm here, I might as well make myself useful >
Bringing her hand up, she knocked on the door swiftly. After a few minutes
with no answer she knocked again. It too brought no response. Becoming
concerned, Willow tried the doorknob. It was open. Letting herself in she
scanned the room.
Patrick looked up from his book, startled. Seeing her there all of a
sudden..had she appeared out of nowhere? What did she want? Why wouldn't she
leave him alone? What was she going to do this time? What pain would she
inflict? Why was she doing this to him? Puppy…no…Patrick. Willow smiled, relieved he was having one of his 'good days'. On rare
occasions he would spend the day haunted by nightmares of his previous existence
as a prisoner. "Sorry, I did knock and when no one answered I got scared. What
book are you reading?" "Pandora, it one of the last Anne Rice novels you gave me so I can return
them to you soon." "No, no, take your time. I haven't read them in forever. I think the last
time I read it was before I found out vampires were real." Patrick grinned. "Who'd of thought? What's wrong Willow? I somehow doubt you
came here to ask what book I was reading." "No, I really did come here to talk to you. Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to
know if you needed anything." "No, thank you though. Why are you always so thoughtful when it comes to
me?" Willow dropped her gaze to the ground. "I just don't want you to hate me for
what happened to you before," she whispered. Patrick looked at her in surprise. "I don't hate you Willow. I used to hate
what you reminded me of. You reminded me of a time when all I wanted to do was
die. But the more I see of you now, the less you remind me of my other life. You
are a complete opposite. You're a little sprite. You are the closest thing I've
had to a friend in a long time. In fact, you remind me of my sister,
Alissa." Willow perked up at the mention of his pre-vampire days. "Really? What was
she like?" Patrick sighed and sat down. He began his tale in a voice that was exactly
like Angel's rarely heard 'story voice'. Willow snuggled on the couch. "Alissa was my little sister. She was two years younger than I and she was
always in trouble. She was a spitfire and swore she could do anything a man
could which, as you know, was not acceptable in my time. I was the only one in
my family who accepted her and she loved me. I was her confidant and I told her
everything as well. I always called her 'my little one'. She hated that name
with a passion. She had hair the color of burnished copper and the trademark
Irish green eyes that were always sparkling with laughter or anger. When she was
younger, I used to lead her on grand adventures. We would explore the caves on
the coast, ride across the countryside on horses, pretend we were pirates, and
climb the highest trees. We'd tease each other constantly but I was never closer
to anyone than Alissa." Patrick smiled with the memory. His thoughts were broken by the sound of a soft snore. Looking over, he saw
that Willow was fast asleep. Smiling fondly, he arranged Willow more comfortably
on the couch and covered her with a light blanket. "Sleep well my little one." THE END
