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Edges of My Mind
by Tami
Chapter 6
After Angel replaced the receiver on its base, he looked around the room. Well, that went well. It was never easy talking to Buffy. It was always angst-driven. Shaking the tense feelings away, he looked around for the telephone book. He couldn’t think about her now. Spike needed him. Locating the book, he flipped through the pages until he came to the medical listings. He skimmed through them only to find human doctors. There had to be a demon doctor somewhere in this city that could do the operation. Then a thought struck him . . . Lorne! The empath demon had connections everywhere.
That decision made, Angel closed the book and tossed it on the table. He went back to the bedroom where Spike was finishing his third mug of blood with a fourth one warming. Seeing that his childe was doing well enough on his own, he let out a small sigh of relief.
“Spike?” When he got the blonde’s attention, he said, “I’m going to get in touch with a friend of mine, are you going to be okay by yourself?”
“Yeah, Angel. I’m a vampire in pain, not one of Dru’s China dolls. I won’t break. Just goin’ to lay here and let my bones heal,” Spike answered in agitation.
Angel nodded and let Spike be. He left the room shutting the door behind him and went downstairs. He passed his co-workers who were all still stunned by his rapport with Spike. They watched him curiously as he walked into his office and closed the door. Grabbing the phone, he dialed the number to Caritas.
“Yeah, Lorne? This is Angel. I need you to do me a favor . . .” Angel said.
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Pacific Coast Highway
Buffy had a lead foot on the accelerator. Once she got on the highway, she took her chances with driving without a license by pushing the speed limit. She had to get to L.A. to stop Angel from doing something drastic. She couldn’t let him unleash Spike. And, what was that about Riley raping the blonde menace? Riley had left town after they had said their goodbyes at the Magic Box. Spike had to be lying to manipulate Angel. What was he going to Angel for? They hated each other.
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Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel
Angel hung up the phone after asking Lorne to find a doctor who could perform the surgery to remove Spike’s chip. Lorne had asked to give him some time to make contact and set up an appointment. Angel had to make preparations for the next step in harnessing Spike. He knew that once his childe was free he had to have a way to rein him in. Stepping out of his office, he leaned against the reception desk, reached over and grabbed a pen and paper.
“Gunn, I need you and Wes to go to Sunnydale and pick up something from Spike’s crypt. He’s been living in Restfield Cemetery. Here are the directions to his crypt from the cemetery entrance,” Angel said as he jotted down a few things.
“What are we going there for?” Gunn asked.
“Drusilla’s bed. It was the only thing that wasn’t destroyed when his crypt was bombed,” Angel said.
“About Spike, Angel … don’t you feel that we need to take care of him? We can’t have an unchecked vampire residing in the hotel. What if he attacks Fred?” Wesley was concerned.
“Well, right now he can’t hurt a human. He has that chip in his head. He’ll be fine. He’s upstairs in my room. He won’t bother anyone,” Angel said.
“We are talking about William the Bloody? Angel, you can’t leave him here unattended. Of course, he’ll be a bother. He’s bothering me right now. Fred will be unprotected!” Wesley said.
“Wes! He’s upstairs. He came to me for help and he’s wounded. He can’t harm a human not even to defend himself. He was beaten up and abused by humans. So, unless a human goes up there and poses a threat to him, he won’t be bothering anyone.” Angel’s voice had a hard edge to it.
“What if he comes downstairs on his own?” Fred inquired nervously.
“Then offer him some blood. It would be the only reason he’d come downstairs right now, if he could move without shifting broken bones that is,” Angel said offhandedly. He turned to Gunn. “Be careful dismantling and hauling the bed back here.”
“Yeah, okay,” Gunn said. He didn’t know the full story on Spike, and was even wary of the vampire in their midst, but the blonde demon hadn’t shown any inclination that he could hurt anyone at the moment. If teaming up with Angel had taught him anything, it was that the world wasn’t always black and white. So, until Spike made a move against one of the group he would hold back . . . for now. “So, why are we getting a bed? This is a hotel, there are plenty of beds.”
“Buffy and that soldier boyfriend of hers destroyed his crypt. It’s the only thing he has left, discounting what he had when he showed up here. Just do it, Gunn,” Angel explained tiredly.
Once Wesley and Gunn were gone, Angel went into his office to research what he could do about Spike. Some stories were lore and some were myth. Granted he never had much of a handle on his childe as a fledgling. He had heard of a practice to impose a Sire’s will on a childe, something that wasn’t quite a thrall but close to it. There would have to be a stronger blood-link between them. Grabbing a book from a shelf Angel sat down to read.
In the lobby, Fred went about her business researching ancient symbols on the computer for a translation on a scroll that Wesley found. She was conscious of another vampire in the building, but she also trusted Angel’s judgment. She was curious about him though. Pushing that thought aside, she went to Wesley’s office to retrieve a book.
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Outside the Hyperion
Buffy parked the Jeep outside the entrance gates to the Hyperion. So, this is where Angel had moved to. Willow had mentioned it to her some time ago after one of her phone calls from Cordelia. She got out of the car, locked the door and walked to the front entrance.
When Buffy got inside the building, there was no one in the lobby. She scanned the perimeter and saw a mousy woman with brown hair in an office window. It being daylight, she assumed Angel was upstairs in bed. She quietly went up the stairs.
On the third floor landing, she opened her Slayer senses to feel out where Angel was. There was a strong pull down the hallway to the right. She turned and carefully made her way down the hall.
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Angel’s Bedroom
Spike had finished the last mug of blood and set the cup aside. He had heard Angel arguing with Buffy over the phone earlier. It had surprised him that Angel was defending him and had given Buffy the third degree about her actions towards him. He had thought his Sire didn’t care for him anymore, which was why he had scoffed when dream-Drusilla had told him to go to Angel.
Spike shifted his body down to lay against the pillows. He needed to rest and let the blood work its magic. It wasn’t much for a complete recovery but it would work to slowly heal the wounds on his body. Feeling the pull of daylight on his vampiric senses, he closed his eyes.
Buffy opened the door to the room, stepped inside and closed it again. It was a spacious suite consisting of a sitting room and a bedroom. Angel’s scent was strong in this room, but it also carried the scent of another vampire she knew.
She carefully walked to the bedroom and saw Spike nestled in the full-size bed. Seeing the blonde vampire laying there brought to mind all the nights that she had sought him out and let him have sex with her. She thought it was degrading when she first started it, but now that she was standing in Angel’s room, it was even more so. All the wicked, delicious things she let this thing do to her body crept up to haunt her mind.
Buffy moved closer to the bed until she was standing over a sleeping Spike. She pulled a stake out from under her jacket, raised the weapon and brought it down only to be stopped by a huge hand. Spike’s wide blue eyes stared up at her.
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Angel’s Office
Angel had spent the last couple of hours reading over a ritual that he could safely use on Spike when the daylight hours got the better of him. He marked his place in the book and closed it. He wiped a hand over his tired eyes and stood up. Taking the book with him, he said goodnight to Fred and asked her to wake him when Gunn and Wesley arrived with Drusilla’s bed before he went upstairs.
As he made his way to the third floor, Angel figured that he would check on Spike before crashing on the couch in his suite. Reaching the second floor landing, he picked up a vanilla scent. He knew that scent. It was Buffy’s. What is she doing here?
Angel opened the door to his suite, stepped inside and closed it again. He looked around the sitting room and saw no sign of the blonde Slayer. He walked towards his bedroom and stopped dead when he saw his ex-girlfriend pull a stake out of her jacket. After that, time appeared to slow down for Angel.
The dark vampire tried to move as quickly as possible, though to him, he didn’t seem to move fast enough. Angel grabbed her wrist just as the stake was mere millimeters from Spike’s heart. He stared at his boy in startled relief and blinked several times to make sure he was actually there and not dust. Spike stared up at him and the Slayer with wide eyes. It was the only response the blonde vampire gave to his near death.
Buffy turned to face the person that had blocked her attack and met the dark hardened eyes of her former boyfriend. It was as if she was staring into Angelus’ cold eyes yet it was Angel standing beside her, and he had stopped her from killing Spike.
Buffy still had a firm grip on the stake that was barely skimming Spike’s chest above his heart. Angel squeezed her wrist enough to loosen her grip and took the stake from her hand.
“Hello, Buffy. To what do I owe the pleasure of your unannounced presence in my home?” Angel asked in a quiet and calm voice.
“Angel,” Buffy said in her usual breathy way.
Spike visibly relaxed when the fear of being staked in the next second was gone. His eyes darted back and forth between the former lovers. His inner smugness rejoiced at the thought of seeing his Sire and the Slayer argue and maybe fight it out. Outwardly, he was completely silent, still shocked at waking to see Buffy just about to stake him.
Angel still held the stake, but he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the petite girl to answer his question. “Why are you here?”
“I came to stop you from doing something stupid,” Buffy replied.
“By staking Spike?” Angel asked.
“You said you were going to take his chip out. He will kill again,” Buffy insisted. “I was going to take care of him.”
“You’ve had numerous chances to dust Spike in the past and never taken them. Why is today any different?” Angel wondered.
“He doesn’t have a soul, Angel. What’s to stop him from killing?” Buffy countered.
“Me,” Angel stated.
“You? You did so well with Darla and Drusilla. Yes, I know all about allowing your family to kill those people in the cellar,” Buffy pointed out.
“Those lawyers brought that massacre on themselves. I didn’t start it. I may have helped Darla and Dru a little, but they stopped on their own,” Angel said and then added with a smirk, “They both disappeared once they had no further use for Lindsey.”
“Is he alive?” Buffy raised an eyebrow.
“Unfortunately, yes. Though he took some sage advice and got the hell out of L.A.,” Angel replied.
Buffy turned pleading eyes towards her former boyfriend. “Angel, please, you can’t take the chip out. You can’t go after Riley, I won’t allow it.”
“Well, this isn’t about what you want. This is about justice. This has nothing to do with you. Spike tried to help you and you used him to make you feel better. Now that he’s here with me he shouldn’t even register on your radar. I failed in trying to save Darla. I refuse to fail with Spike. Your perfect boyfriend that you told me about a couple of years ago went after him tonight and assaulted him. As far as I’m concerned, Riley Finn’s no better than any other soulless demon.”
“Spike is a killer. He’ll turn on you the second you take that chip out of his head,” Buffy whined.
“So am I. We’re vampires, Buffy,” Angel said.
“Yeah, but you have a soul, he doesn’t,” Buffy gestured toward the blonde who was shifting his sight between them as the banter went on.
“So, you came here to kill him.” It was more of a statement. Angel looked at her as if he didn’t recognize the girl in front of him anymore.
“It’s my duty. I have to kill him if he becomes a threat and he will become one if you remove that chip,” Buffy said.
“The hell you will. I won’t let you stake Spike. He’s not in Sunnydale, and this isn’t the Hellmouth. He’s mine to deal with now. He’s not your concern anymore. As long as he’s in L.A., he’s under my protection. You lost the chance to dust him the second he crossed into the city limits. Go home,” Angel stated.
“But Angel--” Buffy started to say.
“No more, Buffy. You can’t keep showing up here every time it involves someone you don’t like. Go home! Live your life finally instead of languishing in the past. You have another chance at life . . . again . . . use it,” Angel advised.
Buffy looked as if she were on the verge of tears. This conversation was so similar to one they had over Faith a few years ago. Why did Angel always take the other person’s side over hers? Where was she in the wrong here? First, he tried to save Faith now he’s saving Spike? Spike was evil. He didn’t have a soul to save. She looked at Angel’s stony face and then at Spike’s beaten and bruised face. Some of those bruises were put there by her but others were new. God, why did Riley have to pay Spike a visit before he left town? She and Angel wouldn’t be at odds now if he hadn’t assaulted Spike.
“Is there no way I can get you to change your mind about Spike or Riley?” Buffy pleaded.
“You’ve done enough damage to Spike. My plans and Spike don’t concern you,” Angel said gruffly.
“Angel, you can’t--” Buffy started.
“Go!” Angel ordered.
Buffy turned around and Angel watched her walk away with a hard glint in his eyes. Once the door clicked shut he turned to his childe and his eyes softened. Spike hadn’t spoken during the whole discussion. Angel found that odd considering the blonde vampire loved to get his two cents in on any conversation going on around or about him.
“How are you?” Angel asked concerned.
“I’m okay. The bint gave me a scare when I opened my eyes to the sight of her with a stake to my chest,” Spike said. “She hated me, but she came to me all the same I guess as a way to punish herself. She thought that when she was ripped from heaven by the Scoobies her life is hell now. She took that out on me,” Spike explained.
Angel sat down on the edge of the bed and glanced at Spike before he started to undress for bed. “I wondered why you seemed quiet. It’s not like you to not say something during a conversation. She’s going to have to learn live again. She was wrong to use you the way she did. You always had a lot more patience than I did.”
“So, what was that argument about removing the chip?” Spike asked out of curiosity but also as a way to change the subject.
“You need to be able to defend yourself at least and you can’t do that if the chip is in place,” Angel said.
“Too right!” Spike agreed wholeheartedly.
“So, I was researching ways in which I could do that and have a semblance of control over you. I can’t let you kill in my city,” Angel said.
“I have to feed, Angel,” Spike said.
“You’ll have to continue to bag it. If you want my help, you can’t hunt in L.A.,” Angel said.
“So, I have to live off third-rate animal blood?” Spike asked.
“Spike, more than pig and cow blood comes in a bag. There’s a blood bank I have a deal with when it becomes necessary,” Angel replied.
“Fine, so what’s this ritual you’re going to use on me?” Spike asked with a sigh.
“It’s to renew the Sire-Claim on you. Basically, it’s used to curb your tendencies,” Angel explained.
“Yeah, cause you trying to control me has worked so well in the past,” Spike snarked.
“Spike, I’m too tired to argue about this. Between the Sire-Claim, what little humanity you managed to retain after you were turned, your control and skills for self-preservation, it should work. Otherwise, I’ll stake you myself and be done with it,” Angel let the open threat hang in the air.
Angel put on a pair of silk pajama pants. Spike watched his Sire closely as he moved around the bed and grabbed a pillow and the extra blanket on the end of the bed. Angel wasn’t going to sleep in the bed with him? Spike’s brow furrowed in confusion when that thought came to mind. Why should he want Angel to be near him? They hadn’t been that close in a century. Spike shook his head to clear it and closed his eyes to try and sleep.
In the sitting room, Angel was trying to do the same. Tonight’s events kept rolling in his head from the time Spike showed up to just a second ago. It’s been a strange night. He lay there with his eyes closed. He thought about what Buffy and Riley had done to Spike and his discussion with her while he waited for sleep to come.
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Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart
Linwood Morrow was entering Lilah Morgan’s office just as Gavin Park was leaving. The two acknowledged each other before Linwood shut the door and turned towards Lilah. She was sitting at her desk examining a photograph.
“Lilah. What is your status on Angel?” Linwood inquired.
“It’s going as planned, Sir. All the pieces are falling into place. The subject is inside the hotel with Angel. Now, we just let him get used to being there long enough to let his guard down and then we’ll make our offer,” Lilah said confidently.
“Very good. It’s nice to see things are going right for a change,” Linwood said before leaving her again.
Lilah returned to examining the photos Gavin had given her moments before. It was an obscured image of a blonde female. At least it resembled a female. She had entered the building at 8:45 a.m. The second photo was of her leaving at 9:15 a.m. As far as she knew, there were no blondes working for Angel. So, who was this person? Lilah shrugged and tossed the photos on the desk. She had more pressing matters than to indulge Gavin’s “Who’s Waldo?” game.
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