He started to say Good, I will, and then hesitated as he remembered – his father had had that rule, too. It wasn’t that Martin had cared who was seeing who – illicit meetings in the broom closet had been fine as far as he was concerned – but he’d said it made the team feel like more of a unit if it was always team first, couples second. And when you were in a combat situation, that could be vital.

“Alex, it’s fine – I’ll go into the dorm,” said Willow, rinsing their forks and knives off without looking at him.

He could just imagine what it would be like for her in there, with the other girls hating her. Then he noticed the tension in her movements, and that she still wasn’t meeting his gaze. His eyebrows lowered in concern as a suspicion came to him. “Could you leave us alone for a second?” he asked Kara.

She put the rinsed-off dishes onto a drying rack. “Sure, I’ll just go and find some clothes for you both. Back in ten.”

Alex leaned against the counter by the sink and gently pulled Willow to him, looping his arms around her waist. “You heard what Kara was saying before, didn’t you?”

She gave a reluctant nod. “Just the last part of it, as I was coming down the stairs, but...yeah, enough to get the idea,” she admitted.

“Okay, so you know it’s a complete fantasy, right? You do not cause angel burn. Not to me, or anybody else.”

Glancing down, Willow fingered the crystal pendant he’d given her; it gleamed in the light. “Kara’s right, though, you don’t know that for sure.” Her voice was unsteady. “How can you? No one really knows anything about half-angels. I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever hurt anyone, but you and I are so close, and maybe— ”

“Wil-low. Come on. Babe, please, listen to me—” He lifted her chin with his hand; her eyes were bright with tears. “Of course you’re not hurting me,” he said. “Do I look unhealthy to you? I’m fine.”

“But just because someone looks healthy doesn’t always mean they are. And what about that headache you got in Chihuahua? The night before, we almost—” She stopped, flushing slightly. “I mean...we came so close, remember?”

With a sudden grin, he said, “Oh, hey, yeah. Now that you mention it, I do seem to recall that.” He bent his head down and kissed her; felt her start to respond and then pull away.

“Alex, I’m serious! What if that had something to do with—”