Stand by me (Willow and Jamie)

Jamie rubbed absently at his right arm, where his tattoo burned like an old ache beneath his muggle suit jacket and shirt. Deciding to instead adjust his black tie, he sighed a little as the valet gave him an odd look. In his nervous state Jamie was a lot less socially acceptable and so gave the other man the finger before going back to worrying. After all, he'd left Willow's house in a great deal of pain, his arm literally burning everything it touched, and to make it worse he'd ended up having to tell her about what it was that he actually did. He closed his eyes and lent against the wall, rubbing tiredly at his face. Well he'd see soon enough if she was planning on ever speaking to him again.

Willow groaned and looked at her sorry state in the mirror, she hadn't had time to de-frizz her hair this afternoon and it was in it's normal curls but Willow had managed to get herself looking semi presentable in a White flowing dress with White lace for straps and little Rose flower buttons on the bodice. The finishing touch to her outfit was the White Rose she tucked behind her ear.

Grabbing her bag Willow apparated right outside the restaurant and walked up to Jamie with a smile on her face, she went to hug him but caught herself she didn't want to make his arm hurt again. Instead she placed a small kiss on his lips.

"Hey there, sorry I'm late."

He saw her problem when she went to hug him but stopped. She thought that his arm was still burning. Smiling at her concern he leant down and kissed her back, resting his forhead againsts hers for a moment,

"You're right on time." he told her softly as he took her left hand in his right, deliberately showing her that his arm was mostly back to normal. Giving the valet a pointed stare, which caused the other man to cower a little and look away, he opened the door and held it for Willow, "Why don't you pick our table Willow? I have an agreement with the owner of this establishment."

Willow grinned and noticed that he took her hand in his right the one that had been hurting last night, that meant that he was back to normal right? She caught the glance between the valet and Jamie and flicked between the two with confused eyes.

"Are you sure? I mean...they must have other customers."

Peering into the restaurant Willow spotted a table over looking the sky outside with a tea candle flickering on it, pointing to it shyly Willow looked up at Jamie for approval.

"How about there?"

Willow asked with a large grin leading him over to the table all nervousness forgotten as she got into the swing of the mood, she was there to have gun and be herself after all.

Jamie chuckled a little bit,

"Don't you worry about that." he shrugged a little, "And besides, I meant any free table anyway. Unless there are no free tables. In which case you pick any of them and he'll make it free."

He chuckled as he was dragged along for the ride,

"Doesn't look like I have a choice." he observed with a laugh as he pulled her chair out for her, "But a good pick none the less."

Willow blushed and made a mental note not to be too forward, she grinned as Jamie pulled out her chair for her, she sat down gracefully swooping the dress over the seat as she did so.

"Sorry, I should have waited for a response before coming over here..."

Wiggling her tongue out playfully Willow took a look around the restaurant it was lovely in here even though she had never been before. Taking a menu that was handed to her by a smiling male waiter she looked over the choices biting her lip in thought.

"What are you having?"

Jamie chuckled a little as he shook his head a little,

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad to see that you're going to enjoy your time here with me."

He smiled politely at the male waiter as he gave him the menu. Without looking down at it he nodded to the waiter, who pulled out another, smaller, menu. Taking the leather booklet, he flicked through it a couple of times before deciding,

"Yes I believe I shall sample the Sauvignon Blanc tonight." he decided and waited only a few seconds as the waiting conjured the requested wine bottle and a glass. He tasted the white wine a little before nodding a little, holding the glass out to Willow, "First we select our wine for the night darling. If you like this bottle then I suggest we make it our choice for this evening."

Willow blushed wildly and dropped the other menu like it was burning her and gazed at the table tucking a rebelling stand of hair behind her ear to try and lessen the burning red blush on her face.

"Now I seem like a retard...um thanks."

She smiled through her blush and took the glass sipping the wine a little, feeling a nice burning feeling at the back of her throat Willow nodded, it tasted lovely.

"I like it, very nice but I'm not much of a wine coinessour."

Willow blushed again and decided to wait until Jamie ordered his meal before she did maybe there was something else she needed to try before hand. Willow saw an owl being delivered and smiled at the bird she loved them so much.

It was when the waitress brought it over to the table that she began to wonder about the letter what could it be? It looked official. Something from the Ministry perhaps? The waitress looked nervous as she handed it to her with a sad look before walking away, it bore the St Mungos seal.

"Oh, I wonder what this is for probably asking for permission to give him new medicine."

Willow smiled cheerfully, he might get better with this one. She opened the letter and scanned the writing her smile fading slowly and by the end of the letter all she could do was sit there White faced and shaking. Willow kept seeing the words jump off the page:

'Deceased'
'Slit throat'
'Murder'
'Funeral.'

Willows heart sped up and unaware of what she was doing soft tears fell down her face.

Jamie shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips,

"Don't worry about it Willow." he shrugged, "I'm surprised I remembered this part of pureblood training. I never passed the dinner exam my aunt set me."

He chuckled a little,

"We'll take it." he told the waiter while grinning back at Willow, "I'm not either. I think if I ever tried to drink a muggle-made drink my friends would kill me."

Jamie smile slowly began to fall away as he noticed the letter. It felt... bad. And as if that wasn't enough of a warning to him, he felt his arm ache slightly less. The Boss was pleased by something relating to Willow and that was not a good thing in Jamie's book.

The sight of Willow in tears was all that he needed to confirm his fears.

His Boss couldn't leave an innocent person alone. That in itself would have been fine with Jamie, it had been for years, but that fact that it was Willow made him less than enthused with the idea. Getting up from his seat he moved to the other side of the table, helping Willow up to her feet. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders he led her towards the doors,

"I'm taking you outside for some privacy Willow. The whole world doesn't need to hear your bad news."

Willow felt Jamies arm around her and she followed him in a daze out of the restaurant she bit her lip to hold in the tears until they got outside. Deep shuddering breaths wracked through her body and she tried to calm herself down but failed.

Unable to speak she just read the letter over and over again. Those same words popping out at her, Willow threw the letter to the floor and placed her head in her hands.

It was all her fault.

It was all her fault.

It was all her fault.

That's all that ran through her head, Willow pulled at her hair and leant against the wall of the restaurant not wanting to move any further but eventually Willow shuffled over to a nearby bench sitting down and letting silent tears run down her face.

Jamie reached down and picked the letter up with numb fingers. Watching carefully, to make sure that Willow made it to the bench without falling over or something in her pain, he sat down beside her and looked down at the letter. Only a few lines in his face turned pale and he let the letter drop to the ground.

For a few moments he was completely silent before, looking up at the sky, he realised something,

"It's my fault." he frowned in thought, "I said I would ward his bed but... but I didn't. With my arm I... I forgot."

Willow watched as the letter blew away in the wind and she couldn't help it anymore she could only see her fathers smiling face in her mind and she bent over and hugged her knees and began to sob loudly with gasps that wracked her whole body.

Unable to stop herself from crying Willow continued letting all her pain out, her frustration, her anger at herself she screamed into her arms and pulled wildly at her hair hurting herself in the process.

"It's my fault! Its my fault Jamie! Why couldnt I just have let him beat me up this wouldn't have happened?!"

Willow sobbed again into her knees her whole body shaking.

Jamie scowled, stood up, and grabbed Willow by the shoulders. He shook her roughly for several seconds,

"You listen to me Willow Hartman!" he demanded, his voice taking on a deeper and more commanding tone, "Taking a beating from that pitiful excuse for a man would have served no purpose."

He let go of her and turned away, growling low in anger,

"I should have killed him when I had the chance..."

Willow gasped and her head wobbled backwards and forwards as she was shaken roughly by Jamie, she bit her lip and when he stopped she grabbed the parts where she was grabbed by Jamie. This was becoming usual for her now.

"That hurt."

She said simply.

"I'm going to the hospital."

Willows voice was devoid of it's normal happy tone and her eyes were dead. She knew what this meant. It meant Poulet, it meant her Grandmother, great. Willow wiped her eyes and looked at Jamie confused and a little hurt.

Jamie rubbed at his tired eyes for a moment before reaching out and gently taking one of Willow's hands in his own. Rubbing the back of her hand idly with his thumb ne nodded a little,

"I'll take you to the hospital if you want me to." he looked around the road with a certain amount of tenseness in his body, "I don't want you to be left alone right now."

He slowly wrapped his arms around Willow, hugging her lightly,

"I'm sorry Willow... I'm so sorry."

Willow groaned and placed her head on Jamies shoulder, she thought briefly about how easy it would be if everything just stopped if she ended everything, her life included. In silent contemplation Willow bit her lip and banished the thought away.

"Please...stay with me."

She whispered in a soft voice.

"I can't go on my own."

Willow wrapped her arms softly around Jamies neck and cradled her head there.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

He looked back at her and hugged her tightly to him,

"I will always be there, until the day you send me away." he promised her firmly. While still hugging her he rubbed her back gently, "I'll go with you Willow."

Jamie sighed a little and shook his head,

"I should have put the protections up..."

Willow smiled softly into Jamies shoulder and nuzzles her head into the crook of his neck, there was only one thing that would make her feel better, well maybe two, she moved her head to look into Jamies eyes and grinned sheepishly.

"Could I, maybe, go for a fly before we go...?"

She bit her lip softly and Willow tilted her head to kiss Jamie sweetly.

"Hold my hand."

Closing her eyes Willow grimaced as she felt pain rise up from her shoulder blades, squeezing his hand as it hurt more and more, crying out when they finally broke through and Willow stood up to unfurl them. Their White feathers matted with blood from coming out, but then shaking them off Willow stretched her wings flapping them lightly.

"Nothing beats a good fly."

Jamie smiled faintly and nodded,

"Of course you can fly." he chuckled weakly, "It's a good way to cope with things."

Obliging her, he took her hand in his. He was worried when she started to moan in pain but when white wings unfurled he laughed a little hysterically,

"Bloody hell..." he shook his head a little and kissed her softly on the lips, "As if I needed more confirmation that you were a beautiful angel."

Willow grinned and ruffled her hair, biting her lip softly she extended her wings to their full size, trying to shake the blood off them. Wrapping her arms back around Jamie she rested her head on his chest and gazed intently into his eyes.

"I'm not an angel just obsessed with flying."

She giggled pressing her lips to Jamies abdxrunning her fingers through his hair, seemingly of their own accord her wings wrapped themselves around his body, the feathers brushing up against his soft skin.

"Come with me...?"

Willow gestured up to the sky.

He chuckled a little and nuzzled her cheek,

"That may be true but you're an angel to me." he whispered into her ear as he kissed her neck softly, "And I'm your devil."

Jamie looked up at the sky, at the wings surrounding him and then back at Willow,

"Now with an invitation like that..." he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other, "How's a guy suppose to say no?"

Willow grinned and kissed down Jamies neck, biting softly on the skin an sucking on it gently, moving her lips to his own Willow kissed him lightly and her wings opened up moving from his body and flapping a little.

"Let me warm them up first alright?"

Smiling Willow jumped into the air and flapped her wings furiously until she was up in the air, once she was steady she flew up into the air straigt before pausing in front of the moon twirling in the cold air. Diving down to the ground Willow didn't flap her wings until she was a foot from the floor and she Rose into the air.

Grabbing Jamie gently Willow pulled him up into the air and flew with him up to the moon to look deeply into his eyes.

"Stronger than I look arent I?"

Jamie chuckled a little and kissed her on the lips, firmly,

"Oh yes." he told her with a grin, "But you're still delicate in my book."

He looked around a little before laughing,

"Oh this is much more socially acceptable way to fly." he shook his head, "If I fly I use the same trick the Death Eaters would use from time to time."

Willow groaned a little, the feeling of Jamies lips on her own combined with the feel of wind whipping against her skin Willow sighed happily and kissed Jamie once more.

"Well now you can fly with me. I'll cart you around."

She flapped her wings hard for her to stay upright and keep Jamie from glazing from her grasp, Willow twirled herself around in the air, beginning to waltz slowly with Jamie.

"This is the only thing that I like about me, they're so pretty."

He chuckled a little as he looked around before settling his gaze on Willow's eyes,

"Cart is such an ugly word..." he shook his head a little, with a smirk, "I prefer the term, ferry. Much nicer."

Jamie reached between them to stroke Willow cheek softly,

"Well I think they are lovely..." he paused with a small smile, "But I believe the most beautiful part of you is your soul."

Breathing in deeply, his eyes half-closed,

"I can see it Willow..." he shook his head with a smile, "And it is so pure. It's beautiful."