|
|
Edges of My Mind
by Tami
Chapter 4
Los Angeles
The pain had been so bad that Spike had driven part of the way vamped out to dull the soreness. Luckily by that time, he was already inside the city limits so he didn’t attract too much attention. LA was a strange town and something weird such as a vampire driving down the 405 hadn’t raised any eyebrows. He couldn’t fathom how he had driven safely through the haze of pain. Granted, he did pull over a couple of times until the nausea passed before continuing on.
The minute he parked the Desoto, Spike had literally crawled out of the car, sat up and propped himself against the back wheel of the vehicle. He stared blankly at the building across the street. The Hyperion Hotel looked huge and foreboding from where he sat on the ground. The several feet to the iron entrance gates seemed more like several miles. He wondered if he’d make across the street without being run over. As if in answer, a sports car sped past him.
Spike hadn’t needed his Sire for a century. So why, after all this time, did the image of his Dark Princess direct him here? Angel had no reason to even let him in the bloody door, not after Spike had tortured him over the Gem of Amara. His soulful elder would probably stake him the minute he saw him.
Spike let his head fall back against the wheel well. Wasn’t that something he wanted? To no longer exist like this? He was no longer William the Bloody nor was he Spike, not with this chip in his head. Yes, he had learned to adapt to having it, but it was no way for a Master vampire to live. He could not rely on his natural instincts of hunting and feeding. He could not defend himself against human as was evident earlier.
Buffy had told him once that Dawn said that he having a chip was the same as Angel having the soul. Of course, he had vehemently denied it. It still held true now. Even with his guilt-ridden soul to stop his Sire from feasting on humans, he could at least defend himself against them.
It wasn’t even the fact that he was defenseless against humans that annoyed Spike. It was that he was defenseless against Riley. Captain Cardboard had had a vendetta against him for the last two years. He was surprised the boy had waited this long to collect.
Spike thought back to last year when Riley had left Buffy. The commando had chosen his job over trying to repair the damage he had done to his relationship with the Slayer. Spike had thought for sure Buffy would never forgive the abandonment, since she had never really forgiven Angel for leaving her. Tonight, he was proven wrong. As soon as the Boy Wonder had stepped back into her life, Buffy took his side over Spike’s. Because, God forbid, the soulless demon actually loved her enough to try and do something right to help her. Hell, she had even helped the bastard destroy everything he owned by blowing up his crypt.
There was nothing left of what he was anymore. His past and everything that he held dear had gone up in flames. He was no longer William the Bloody Awful Poet. The Initiative and Buffy had forced him to change. The chip the Initiative had implanted had forced him to change his way of life. What the hell kind of life was this?
But, he let himself be led around by Buffy. The Slayer made him fall in love with her. She made him want to help her and her little merry band of Scoobies. He had tried to help her by giving her an outlet for her frustration and anger. He listened when she couldn’t tell her friends how she had felt about her return to the living.
What did he have to show for his efforts? Bruises and rough sex. She had refused tender lovemaking. Every time he had slowed his thrusts or shifted to bring her the most pleasure, she would claw his back, slam her thighs against his hips with demands that he move harder and faster. It was as if she did not know how to be soft anymore. To her, he was a soulless demon. What did he know about being gentle?
About this time last year, Buffy had been so fresh and bright. He had loved her brilliance. She glowed then. She was almost downright perky compared to how she is now. It was like meeting a brick wall. She was harsh, rough and unyielding. He had enjoyed their sparring when they met. She had so much fire. It had nearly burned him when they would dance. Now, all he met were her fists of anger and resentment. Her normal witty comebacks were passionless. He still tried to get through to her. He thought he had accomplished that to some degree tonight. But, after Riley had shown up and she had sided with her commando, Spike knew he had failed.
He felt his mind was starting to slip. The whole night had taking on a sense of surrealism. For all he knew he was still back in his crypt sleeping and this was a deranged dream. Then again, he could possibly be joining Drusilla in her perpetual state of madness.
With that thought, Spike wanted to crawl into the Hyperion and beg Angel to stake him. Subconsciously, he reflected on the irony that he was here in LA considering letting Angel end his existence, pitiful excuse that it was.
In a small moment of clarity, it seemed right to come here. Spike had spent a hundred years trying to forget the ties that bound him to Angel. The fact was, in hindsight, they were coming full circle. The same demon that made him was going to kill him . . . again. He didn’t feel worthy of having such powerful blood in his veins. He had brought shame to the Aurelian line by allowing Riley to violate him. His Sire would understand that. Angel would be merciful and put down the wretched excuse and a waste of good Aurelian blood, right?
Spike dropped his head back against the wheel well and stared sightlessly at the hotel. Now that he had a plan, he had to act. He just had to get up, walk proudly into the hotel and ask Angel to end it. He didn’t think he could live with the thought of Riley using him. It wasn’t like the things Angelus made him endure a century ago. He was 129 years old and knew the difference.
Spike looked up at the sky and noticed it was starting to turn from pitch black to dark gray. He supposed he could stay here and dust in the sun, but somehow that seemed demeaning. He had to look Angel in eye, repent a century of transgression against his Sire before telling him of his disgrace to their bloodline and then feel the stake as it was plunged into his heart. It would be a proper death for a Master Vampire if he did say so himself.
Spike’s battered body protested when he shifted. He grabbed the door of the car and pulled himself to his feet. He painstakingly crossed the street only to fall into the gate when he finally made it to the other side. He glanced up at the sky to gauge his progress. The dark gray sky was growing lighter with a speed that set his blood racing to find the nearest shelter. His bruised body, however, refused to move that fast.
Spike limped up the stairs of the terrace that led into the lobby. He leaned heavily on the double doors and peeked inside. Angel’s humans seemed to be milling around. He gripped the handle, opened the door and slipped inside. He quietly shut the door and leaned back against it heavily, willing himself to stay on his feet. Angel looked up at the soft sound of the door latching and saw Spike. The blonde locked eyes with his Sire for several seconds before collapsing.
Before Spike completely slid down the door, Angel had sprinted over and caught the blonde just as he fell to the floor. The elder vampire knelt down on the floor with his burden and gave Spike a cursory glance, noting the many bruises on his childe’s body.
His bruised and aching muscles protested when Spike slowly shifted to get a better look at Angel through yellow demon eyes and a haze of pain. He’s beautiful, Spike thought momentarily. He barely recognized his own voice when he said, “Sire, I’m . . . sorry. Please . . . stake . . . me.” Only then did he allow blissful oblivion to wash over him as he passed out against Angel’s chest now that he had followed through with Drusilla’s instruction.
**************************
Angel stared at his childe in disbelief. He had sensed a vampire on the premises but he hadn’t expected to see Spike literally walk in and fall into his arms. Had a century been so long he couldn’t even sense his own blood near him? He was still staring at what looked like his wayward childe. The dark bruising on the body in his arms were starting to heal due to vampire abilities. It puzzled Angel as to why Spike had shown up on his doorstep of all places. What happened to him? Was Buffy in trouble?
“Dear Lord! Is that William the Bloody?” Wes was just as surprised as Angel to see the blonde vampire on the floor.
Angel shook out of a daze and examined Spike more closely. What had happened to make him come here? The younger vampire flinched when he touched his chin and turned his head this way and that to examine the healing injuries.
“What’s wrong with him?” Fred asked curiously from her seat behind the desk. Beside her, Gunn had a weapon at the ready in case the intruder tried anything. Not that he would by the looks of it, but Gunn wasn’t taking any chances.
“I don’t know,” Angel answered. “He looks beat up pretty badly.” He sniffed at the odor emanating from Spike. His eyes turned yellow and he felt Angelus growl inside him when he scented Buffy’s GI Joe boyfriend on his childe.
Angel worked his arms around Spike’s body and lifted the blonde vampire up. Three faces stared in shock at Angel’s gentleness with the Master Vampire. He walked past his stunned co-workers and mounted the stairs. He turned when he heard Fred’s voice.
“Angel, do you need help with him?” she asked.
“No! Fred! He’s a killer! Stay away from him!” Wes and Gunn yelled in unison.
Angel looked up at the former Watcher and Vampire Hunter. His eyes were still in his demon color. “He is my childe. He is my blood. I don’t know why he’s here, but something bad must have happened for him to come here for my help. I know how you feel about vampires. But, right now, I don’t give a damn. If you want to help care for him, great. If not, that’s fine too. But, keep your feelings outside his door. From what I understand from the Sunnydale crew, he’s had a chip implanted so that he can’t hurt humans. From the look and scent of him, he can’t defend himself from them either.” Angel turned his back on them and ascended the stairs to find a room for Spike.
**************************
Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart
“Lilah,” Gavin Park crooned as he entered Lilah Morgan’s office.
Lilah was at her desk typing up reports on the latest ‘case’ to cross her desk. She didn’t even bother to acknowledge Gavin’s entrance. Only when he waved a file folder in her line of vision did she even indicate that she knew he was there by snapping the folder out of his hand.
“What’s that?” Lilah asked in a monotone voice.
“That is what we collected on Angel in the last week,” Gavin answered with a smug smile.
“Last week? What the hell are you doing? Sniffing around his building until he comes out and then stalk him everywhere he goes?” Lilah asked frustrated. She didn’t have time for Gavin Park’s games.
“Yes and no,” Gavin said. “You remember those exterminators I sent over there to fumigate?”
Lilah looked up with a smug smile of her own. “I remember Charles Gunn caught them in the act and kicked them out and then swept the premises removing all your little . . . bugs.”
“Yes, well he forgot the hide-a-key camera in the entryway buried in the shrubbery,” Gavin said, quite please with himself.
“So? What’s so special about that? You still can’t get anything useful,” Lilah said and flicked the file folder across her desk without even bothering to examine it.
“Oh, but I did,” Gavin said. He opened the folder, plucked the top page out and handed it over. “This came in not ten minutes ago.”
Lilah took the page and looked at it. It was a dark image and the colors seemed to blur into each other. There was a streak of white but that was all she could make out. “You can’t see anything Gavin, what is this?”
“We’re not sure yet who that is, we have the computer science department working to digitally enhance the image. We’ll find out soon enough.”
“So, once again, you’ve managed to waste my time with nothing solid at all. Why the hell are you even working here?” Lilah asked with a confused expression.
“Because Linwood thinks I have potential,” Gavin said as he puffed out his chest.
“Linwood seems to be sorely lacking in the brains department,” Lilah said to herself.
“What was that?” Gavin asked with a fake smile.
Lilah returned it with a false one of her own. “Oh, nothing. Shut the door on your way out, would you?”
Gavin gave a slight nod, left the room and closed the door. Lilah sat back and stared at the blurred image. She wondered who Angel’s late night visitor could be. A thought struck. She picked up the phone and punched a speed dial button on the console.
“Get me Captain Ellis . . . South American division . . . I don’t care if he’s hip deep in swamp water hunting for demonic Anacondas. Just do it! Now!” She hung up the phone without saying goodbye and returned to her paperwork.
**************************
Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel
Angel had settled Spike in his room. He had thought of putting him in another room, but he wanted to monitor the younger vampire. The blonde was looking worse for wear. He remembered getting into a lot of scrapes with Spike, but none that had done more than tire him out. He would sleep a few hours and then he would be up jumping into the next brawl.
Angel still was clueless as to what brought his childe to the hotel, but if the scents coming off him were any indication, Buffy’s commando boyfriend, Riley Finn, had something to do with it. Although, he had always known Spike to be a strong fighter no matter what situation he was in. He adapted easily to his environment. So, there was still no definite reason for his childe to come to the Hyperion.
Leaving Spike to sleep, Angel went back down the stairs to get some blood. When he got to the first floor, he did his best to ignore the inquisitive eyes on him. He didn’t know what to tell them, and until he found out why Spike was here, it would stay that way.
“How is he?” Fred asked.
Angel couldn’t even answer that in a good way. “He’s still unconscious. I’m hoping the smell and taste of blood will rouse him. Maybe then I can get some answers.”
At the mention of tasting blood, Fred and Gunn cringed. Their boss may be a vampire, but the discussion of heating and drinking blood still made them a bit squeamish. Angel made up a small tray of heated blood, about four huge mugs in all, plus a cup warmer that he could plug into the outlet by the nightstand in the bedroom. He ignored the surprised looks on his friends’ faces as he ascended the stairs.
At his door, he nudged it open and shut it again with his foot. He carried the tray over to the nightstand and proceeded to set everything up while keeping an eye on Spike. The blonde was still asleep. Looking at him, using the lamp on the table made the bruises seem darker than they really were.
Yes, Angel had heard about the chip, but he also heard that Spike had adapted fine with it. Angelus was growling inside though. Having that chip meant that his boy couldn’t even defend himself against humans. It sickened him to think that Riley Finn or anyone would pummel someone as severely as it looked like Spike had been.
Angel wanted to know what had happened, but at the same time, he was glad Spike was unconscious then he could clean the worst of the blonde’s wounds. After setting a cup on the warmer, he went into the bathroom to retrieve the first-aid kit, cloths and bandages. Returning, he laid the items aside.
Sitting on the bed, Angel set about the task of undressing his childe. His teeth clenched with every inch of bruised flesh that was revealed. How someone could be this brutal . . . even Buffy couldn’t have done this much damage to Spike. She wouldn’t beat a defenseless person or demon; not like this, would she?
Angel made a mental note to burn Spike’s clothes later. There was no way he was going to walk around the stench of Buffy’s boyfriend all over him. He carefully examined his childe’s battered body and silently ticked off the many injuries. So far he’d come up with deep lacerations to the abdomen, which were in various stages of healing, three broken ribs, two others were cracked, his eye blackened, bleeding nose, not to mention bruising on his thighs, balls and . . . oh, fuck! He wouldn’t go that far. He couldn’t have gotten that far. Riley had a soul and he had beaten and used Spike. What the hell was Buffy thinking when she was dating this guy?
Pushing Spike’s legs apart Angel set about carefully cleaning the blood from his childe’s frayed anal tissue. He gritted his teeth every time the blonde’s body protested his ministrations in one way or another. It was best to take care of the worst of Spike’s injuries while he was unconscious.
Once he was finished, Angel pitched the bloodied and soiled rags into the trash. He returned to the bed and lay alongside Spike to watch him sleep. The knowledge that his beautiful boy had suffered such indignities at the hands of a human – and Riley, no less – made Angelus howl his rage. He had not made his William into a vampire for the amusement of humans. William the Bloody was not made to be chipped and degraded by a self-righteous bastard such as Riley Finn. He was made because Angelus wanted him to be his forever. Angelus would take back what rightfully belonged to him.
**************************
Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart
“Why did you want a Svolte demon dropped in a small little town in Southern California, Ms. Morgan?” Captain Ellis asked.
“To test the waters, Captain. Who did you happen to send up there?” Lilah asked absently as she stared at the blurred image again for the hundredth time since Captain Ellis had returned her call 20 minutes ago.
“I sent one of my best extraction teams, Riley and Sam Finn,” Captain Ellis replied.
Lilah opened a folder containing all the information the Records Department had on Buffy Summers. Skimming through the contents, she found where she had associations with Angel, his vampire family and later one Riley Finn. “Does Riley Finn have a connection to Sunnydale, California?”
“Yes, ma’am, he went to college there and dated a girl who thought of herself as somewhat of a superhero.” There was a distinct edge to the Captain’s voice when he mentioned the Slayer.
“Yes, we know about Buffy Summers, Captain. She’s outlasted previous slayers. However, she is not Wolfram and Hart’s main concern. Was Riley Finn ever associated with any of the demons in Sunnydale?” Lilah asked.
“Yes, he used them as snitches, I believe,” the Captain said. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, well, well . . . it seems your boy has delivered a package to LA sooner than I expected. Great work, Ellis. You should commend Mr. Finn for his efficiency,” Lilah said before she hung up the phone abruptly.
Lilah stared at image of the white blur and said to herself, “Hello, Spike. I have plans for you and if I play my cards just right, I’ll have Angel right where Wolfram & Hart wants him.” |
