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How to Treat Your
Lover
by Tami
Chapter 12-D
Step 1: Infatuation (Part 12-D)
Angel’s Apartment
Well, he had found Faith, but not before she had terrorized the city, beat up Cordelia and kidnapped and tortured Wesley. He told his co-workers that they didn’t have to show up for work all week maybe more. When Cordelia started to protest, Angel pointed out that he had been surviving on his own for the bulk of his life – well, un-life anyway – and he could very well handle himself for a few weeks while they healed and he dealt with Faith.
It never occurred to him that his idea of doing just that was different from those around him. At this point, Cordelia and Wesley saw what the Sunnydale crew saw when they looked at Faith. She was a murderer that had no chance at redemption.
But then, all Angel saw was a soul that needed saving and maybe in saving hers he could possible try to save his own. He and Spike had discussed what having a soul meant for him in several of their inner conversations. His childe claimed to understand the goal but not the motivation. Spike didn’t think that helping every downtrodden person he came across would ever accomplish anything but ungrateful sentiments. But, then wasn’t that all Spike got from everyone around him from his own peers as a human to the Scooby gang now?
Angel shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t think of Spike now. He had to find a way to help Faith before she succeed in losing herself forever. He had to sideline her before she continued to travel down the road she could never come back from. He knew where she was headed. What was Angelus’ body count, somewhere in the thousands? Just because he was cursed to remember every one of them, didn’t mean he had kept an exact number. Vampires had photographic memories; it didn’t mean they were good with the numerical aspect.
One should not think of these things while in the shower. After holding Faith during her breakdown in the rain, he had brought her back to the apartment. Wesley had objected to that course of action. He told Angel that Faith was like a rabid dog that needed be put down. Angel didn’t argue with him. Wesley had spent hours with her torturing him. Angel could see where he could have that point of view now.
But Faith wasn’t a demon. She was a human being, a scared little girl who committed the act of murder. Maybe they were wrong in how they went about dealing with her in Sunnydale, himself included. Among all of them, Angel should have known the best way to handle the situation. After all, hadn’t he been dealing with his own crimes and trying to atone for them for the last 200 years?
So, he had brought Faith back to the apartment. She told him of sleeping with Buffy’s knew boyfriend. Buffy had someone new? She’d moved on? Angel growled in jealousy. But then, wasn’t that what he wanted for her? To be able to find someone human who could be with her in all the ways he couldn’t?
Faith had apologized immediately after she thought about what she had just told him. She probably assumed that he knew about Buffy and her boyfriend. Angel had cut her off at that point. As much as he wanted to be happy for Buffy, he also didn’t want to hear anymore. Maybe it was a good thing that he had erased the day that never was from her mind. Though, he had gone back to Sunnydale and told Spike. He had felt guilty over cutting their new connection.
Angel had his hands braced on the shower wall. He closed his eyes and let the water run over his muscled back. Squeezing them shut he willed himself to think about Spike. Now that Faith was sitting in his living room watching TV and relatively out of danger, he tried to think of more pleasant things. Like the connection between him and his boy that was growing stronger with each passing day.
Angel’s cock hardened just remembering how he’d completed the claim on Spike. Someday, he’d have Spike with him and when that day came he’d never let him go. He may never be able to have Buffy if only in memory. But, Spike was his. He had claimed the boy a century ago, and reclaimed him a few months ago. He made Spike, shaped him.
Angel came back to the present only to realize he had been strangling and stroking his cock to the images in his mind. The building orgasm felt so divine, he never wanted it to end. He stared sightless at the wall in front of him. He imagined Spike there with his back to him, buried inside the blonde as he worked them both over with deep, demanding thrusts. He imagined the way Spike voiced his pleasure as he spurred Angel on. He imagined reaching around and stroking his boy’s cock in time with his own thrusts as he whispered every deliciously dirty thing he could think of in Spike’s ear until the younger vampire shuddered and came hard against the shower wall.
Angel rested his forehead against the wall as he regained his composure from the explosive orgasm. The last time he had felt like this was after the last erotic dream of Spike back in the day. That was a month ago. He sniffled as he held back the tears that threatened. He had never felt this . . . complete before. He was serious when he told Spike that he didn’t regret completing the claims. He still didn’t regret it; in fact, it was probably one of the best decisions he had made in a while.
Before Angel could think anymore on the subject, he thought he heard a noise from the other room. He turned off the shower, grabbed a towel and walked out to his bedroom.
“Is everything okay in there?” Angel called out.
Faith continued to watch the television as she answered teasingly, “It was touch-and-go for the four minutes you left me alone, but somehow I got through it.”
Angel returned to the bathroom to finish dressing while a shadowy object skittered along the ceiling above Faith. She changed the channel to a police report.
“The LAPD in conjunction with Federal authorities are looking for this woman tonight,” the announcer said as a mug shot of Faith flashed on the screen. “A felony suspect from the California town of Sunnydale.”
Faith reached for her drink with a shaky hand and knocked the glass over as the announcer was saying, “The young woman . . .”
Angel had heard the glass fall as he was putting on a shirt. “Faith?”
“ . . . Has fled to Los Angeles in recent days,” the announcer continued.
When Angel didn’t receive an answer his brow furrowed in concern and he went into the living room to check on her. “Faith? What is it?”
“Eyewitnesses identified her as being involved in several recent assaults. Police want your help in finding her. A press conference was held earlier . . .” the announcer went on.
Angel glanced at the television and saw Faith’s picture flash on the screen again. He crouched down beside her chair. “Faith, it’s okay, all right? We knew about this. Nothing’s changed, all right. Nothing’s . . .”
Angel stopped talking when he heard Kate’s voice from the TV. Oh, great, just what I needed to deal with now. He turned and watched as Kate made an official appearance.
“Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of this suspect should get in touch with law enforcement immediately. Do not approach her. She is considered to be violent and unpredictable. I’ll take a few questions,” Kate said just before Angel grabbed the remote and turned the TV off.
“Listen to me Faith. You’re safe here. Do you hear me? You’re safe,” Angel said.
He spoke too soon. The object that had been skittering around the apartment unnoticed chose that moment to drop down on top of them. It threw Angel off Faith, and then tossed Faith onto the sofa, causing it to overturn.
Angel was about to charge it when Spike appeared out of nowhere and took a running leap at the misshapen demon only to be tossed into Faith who had just regained her feet. Angel was momentarily stunned to see his boy there in the flesh. He didn’t have time to process it though as the thing growled and went after him.
“Spike, get Faith out of here!” Angel yelled.
Spike herded Faith into the kitchen and out of the way of the banshee-type demon. He grabbed an overhead beam and swung both feet into the demon’s face knocking it toward Angel who punched it in the face sending it back toward Spike.
The two vampires took turns switch-hitting the demon much to Spike’s delight of pummeling something after having to baby-sit humans for the last six months. This fighting thing made up for the internal suffering he had to go through by going against his nature to not feed on the Slayer and her pals. It was driving him crazy not to be able to take a chunk out of the brats.
In the kitchen, Faith grabbed the butcher knife she had earlier and hurried back into the fray. Just as she hit the doorway, Angel went sliding past her to the kitchen. Glancing around for Spike, she found him in a heap by the stairs. The demon charged at a slightly dazed Angel as Faith moved up behind it and repeatedly stabbed it with the butcher knife. A few blows later the demon lie dying on the floor.
Spike had already picked himself up off the floor and was headed toward Faith as Angel was doing the same. Faith stared at the bloody knife in her hand. Memories of killing Finch last year were fresh in her mind. She shook her head to try and clear it.
“Faith, luv?” Spike asked quietly. When he touched her arm she shrank away from him. He looked over at Angel to see if it was just him she was reacting to or she was as nutty as Drusilla right now.
Angel shrugged and stepped forward. Faith saw him come up on her peripheral and shrank back even more. “No!” She dropped the knife and stared at the dark blood on her hands, and then she started to gasp for breath. This couldn’t be how her life turned out, could it? How had she gone from one of the Chosen Two to murderer? She was walking backwards away from the two vampires when she tripped over a floorboard. She would have fallen had Spike not been at her side in a second to catch her.
As Spike held her against his chest to keep her from hurting herself should she have the inclination to, Angel stepped in front of her to try and calm her down. When he grabbed her wrists gently as a way to ground her senses, he felt her shaking. He had been waiting for this to happen: the moment when everything that she had done in the past year would catch up with her.
“Hey. Hey. Hey. Come on, let’s sit down,” Angel took her from Spike and led her to the day bed he had set up for her earlier.
Spike went into the kitchen to get a wet rag and a towel. Returning to the living room he handed them to Angel. He sat down in the recliner and watched his Sire. He tried to keep his mind blank, knowing Angel could pick up on any thoughts he had now that the connection was there. He couldn’t be having ideas of killing Faith either. Buffy was Angel’s great love and all that. That was the reason his Sire wouldn’t let him do her in. Well that and she’s the only Slayer residing on the Hellmouth. As for Faith, all Spike could come up with was that Angel was trying to help her, therefore she was off the dinner menu.
How the hell did he get himself into this situation? Looking back on it, was the ring so bloody important that he had to not only come here to get it but also stay for a little chat with his dear ol’ Sire and end up with claims all over his body. Hell, Spike tried to go back to Sunnydale and have sex with Harmony. Boy was that embarrassing. He didn’t even know vampires could get erectile dysfunction. He always thought the energized libido was a demonic perk.
Soddin' poof was ruining his life is what it was. Angel laid his bloody claims and then left him to suffer knowing the claims would strengthen until Spike would crave his Sire again. The erotic dreams, the telepathic mumbo jumbo, the inner conversations were all designed to torture him. He was infatuated with his Sire again. He would lay awake in his crypt and fucking daydream about Angel.
That’s the reason Spike was here, sort of. The pull to be near his Sire again was making him queasy. Well, that and he came to warn Angel that Buffy was on her way. He didn’t expect to come in on an ambush-by-demon. He refocused on the scene in front of him. Angel was sitting on the daybed hugging Faith as he tried to soothe her. She had her arms around his neck while still being careful not to touch him with her bloody hands. Spike would have offered to clean her hands, but the taste of demon’s blood outside of family was bland and did nothing for him.
“Hey. It’s going to be okay. Okay? Shh,” Angel was saying. He glanced over at Spike sitting uncharacteristically quiet when he caught the sound of someone on the stairs. Both vampires turned in that direction and saw Buffy at the top of the second landing with a stunned look on her face.
“Bullocks!” Spike swore. He was going to tell Angel she was coming, honestly he was. But, he got a little sidetracked with the fight and the thoughts afterward.
Angel immediately let go of Faith as if she had singed his fingers. He got to his feet and started buttoning his shirt that was left open. Spike rose to his feet and carefully walked around the chair, out of the line of fire.
“Buffy. I didn’t know you . . .” Angel started to say. He looked at Spike curiously. Why didn’t you tell me she was coming? Did you come here together? What the hell is this Spike?
Spike shook his head. I came by myself ahead of her. That’s the reason I was here to begin with – well, one of the reasons anyway – to tell you that she was coming. She’s out for blood, mate. Right pissed at what Faith did to her I reckon.
Before Angel could question Spike further, Buffy broke the silence. “What . . .”
Buffy looked from Angel to Faith sitting on the daybed staring at her bloody hands to Spike and back to Angel again. Was this all one big giant conspiracy? Why was Spike here? And Faith! Angel was on the bed with Faith! Oh my God.
Buffy looked skeptical and angry as she tried to hold her emotions in. “How . . . What are you doing?”
Spike inched closer to the blonde slayer. “Now, pet. There’s a perfectly good explanation for this. You see --”
“She – we were attacked,” Angel broke in.
Spike’s head dropped. I was handling this, Angel.
I know but I don’t need you to fight my battles with Buffy.
“We? You and . . .” Buffy was still stunned to find her ex-boyfriend in the same room with 2 of her enemies and they weren’t all killing each other.
“Faith,” Angel supplied looking at Buffy to see if anything was registering.
“You and . . . Faith . . . and Spike?” Buffy was confused.
Spike held up his hands in surrender. “I came in on the tail end of the attack, pet.” Okay, so it was a lie, but it was a little one. Besides, it looked like Angel and Faith were too busy now to correct him.
Angel looked at Spike and then down at his state of dress. Everything seemed normal. Then he remembered that Buffy had seen him hug Faith as he calmed her down. “Oh, it’s not what you think.”
Buffy purposefully stomped down the remaining stairs to the ground floor. “You actually think that I can form a thought right now?”
“Now, Slayer, he didn’t mean it that way,” Spike started to say.
“Shut up, Spike!” Buffy threw out but didn’t look at him. “Giles heard that . . . that she tried to kill you.”
“That’s true,” Angel confirmed.
Spike’s nostrils flared in anger that the dark Slayer had tried to take a shot at his Sire and now his Sire was helping her.
“So you decided to punish her with a severe cuddling,” Buffy sneered.
“Oi! Slayer, it wasn’t like that. Faith had a breakdown of a reality check is all,” Spike walked over and stood next to his Sire, but in a manner that blocked Angel from an attack of a scorned blonde.
“Stay out of this, Spike,” Buffy said through clenched teeth.
“Hey now, I was pulled into this when I showed up here in time for a fight with a demon. No, it was before that when that bint decided to use your body to seduce me in the Bronze. So, no, I’m not staying out of this!” Spike was growling at Buffy now.
Angel had put a hand on Spike’s shoulder when he tried to advance on Buffy during his side of the argument. It took him a moment to register what Spike had said. Faith tried to seduce his boy with Buffy’s body? What?
“I’m sure you didn’t even bother trying to stop her either. She was running around in my body, trying to seduce my enemy and fucking my boyfriend,” Buffy glared at Spike.
“Buffy, Faith and I didn’t --” Angel started to correct her.
“Not you. Riley,” Buffy cut in.
Spike’s eyes became huge saucers when this new development happened. Uh-oh. Angel didn’t know about the Slayer’s new boy toy yet. This should be interesting. He turned to see his Sire’s reaction. Angel looked like he’d been punched in the gut. His face glimmered with a crestfallen expression before a hard edge set over his handsome features.
“Well, were you fucking him on a regular basis?” Angel’s voice was dangerously calm. Spike thought he saw a bit of Angelus under the surface.
“Is that any of your business? You left me, Angel. You told me to find someone to be with. Reluctantly, I did just that,” Buffy bit out. “This isn’t about Riley. This is about that girl and how she decided to play with my life – again! I was worried about you!”
Finally, Faith snapped out of her catatonic state. “Buffy. Oh, God.”
Buffy whipped her head around to glare at the bane of her existence. She walked closer to Faith who cowered away from her. “You didn’t think I was going to find you, did you?”
“Buffy, let’s talk about this,” Angel said by way of distraction.
“Oh, I don’t think talk is in order right now,” Buffy gritted out.
“She needs help,” Angel said.
Buffy turned to face her former boyfriend again. “Help? Do you have any idea what she did to me?”
Angel looked over Buffy’s head at Spike. The blonde vampire had told him what happened, although he had left out the part about Buffy having sex with another man. He had a mild thought of punishing Spike for withholding information.
“Yes,” Angel said.
“Do you care?” The question was more of an accusation.
“She wants to change. She has a chance to --” Angel stared to say.
“No. No chance. Jail,” Buffy said flatly.
“You really think that’ll help?” Angel inquired.
Spike went over to Faith to help her when he saw her try to stand up. She was still in a daze and a little shaky on her feet. She stared sightlessly at Buffy arguing with Angel. The blonde slayer was here to get her revenge and what right did Faith have to refuse her after what she did by taking Buffy’s life from her – even if it was only a week. “Buffy . . . I’m sor . . .”
Buffy turned at the sound of her name, glared at Faith and threatened coldly, “Finish that apology and I will beat you to death.”
Faith squared her shoulders, shrugging Spike’s hands off her. “Go ahead.”
Oh, no. This was not going to happen. There will be no Slayer-knockdown in my apartment. Angel stepped in front of Faith blocking Buffy’s path and put a voice to his thought. “This is not going to happen.”
Buffy looked at Angel with angry eyes. He was taking Faith’s side over hers. She didn’t know whether to cry or be insulted. “Are you going to stop me? Because you’re going to have to.”
Faith shook her head at Angel. “Don’t – do this. Don’t get in the way. Don’t rescue me. I-I deserve this.”
Angel stared at Buffy. “Faith, go upstairs . . . now.”
“You think I’m going to let her out of my sight?” Buffy glared from Angel to Faith, daring the other girl to make a move.
“Buffy, just back off. I’m handling her,” Angel tried to be calm, but this whole situation was wearing his patience thin.
“There is no way I’m letting her out of my sight,” Buffy yelled.
“Faith, go! Spike, take her upstairs,” Angel said as he watched Buffy. He refused to take his eyes off her for a millisecond. She was dangerous when she was upset like this.
Spike escorted Faith around the couple that seemed to be at a standoff in the middle of the room. God, he was hungry and the temptation of not one but two sources of Slayer’s blood in such a small space was causing the bloodlust to rise up. He didn’t know how Angel could ignore the pull to drink. He would just see Faith up the stairs and maybe nibble on her neck. He wondered if she’d be as agreeable as she was when she teased him in the Bronze.
Just as that thought passed through his mind, he felt a mental yank on his proverbial leash that caused him to stumble back a few steps. Bloody hell! Angel! I’m hungry damn it.
Don’t you dare touch her blood, Spike. I know you’re hungry. I can feel it and once I’m through dealing with this, I’ll take care of it. Now get Faith upstairs.
Spike growled softly and led Faith up the stairs. Buffy rushed forward to stop them. “Spike! Get back here! Bring her back here! She’s not going anywhere . . . alive anyway.”
When Buffy moved to follow them, Angel caught hold of her arm to stop her. She immediately turned and punched him in the face. She hauled back to hit him again, but Angel blocked her oncoming fist. He returned the punch, hitting her across the face. They both stared at each other in shock. Angel took a step back as Buffy raised a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe her Angel had hit her. He actually hit her, for Faith.
“I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry,” he repeated softly.
Spike opened the door to Angel’s office and led Faith inside. “Stay here pet. You should be fine. I’m going to go down and see what’s going on. As long as you’re in this building, you should be safe.”
After a small nod from Faith, Spike turned around and went back downstairs. Just as Spike had left her alone, Wesley came in from the outer office. Faith was staring sightlessly at the staircase that Spike just descended.
“Faith?” Wesley called to her. She turned to look at him. “Going somewhere?”
Faith turned back towards the stairs and shook her head. “No. Just wanted to be alone.”
Wesley stepped closer to her. He still didn’t trust her and rightfully so after what she did to him. But, there was a more important matter at hand. The Council had sent in a strike team to kill her. While he was on board that she needed help or needed to be put out of her misery. He didn’t agree with them killing Angel in the process. That’s what they planned to do: take out both the rogue slayer and the souled vampire. He’s done a lot of good since joining Angel on his mission of redemption. He didn’t want to see his boss unduly hurt.
“Is Angel downstairs?” He asked.
“Yeah,” Faith answered quietly.
“Right.” Wesley grabbed her arm and trotted her back down the stairs.
**************************
Wolfram and Hart
Lindsey had just gotten off the phone after receiving word that Plan B had failed. He was pacing the office with Lee sitting at the desk with his neck in a brace. The door opened and Lilah walked in.
“Well?” Lee asked hopefully.
“Strike two?” Lilah inquired looking at Lindsey.
“This is getting to be ridiculous,” Lee said, disgusted. “The first assassin kills the second assassin, who was sent to kill the first assassin, who didn’t assassinate anyone until we hired the second assassin to assassinate the first assassin.”
Lindsey smirked. He was impressed that Lee could get all that out without stumbling over his tongue. He sobered up and became serious. “All right. This obviously isn’t working.”
Lilah raised a professionally plucked eyebrow. “You think?”
“We’ve gone about this all wrong,” Lindsey continued.
“Meaning?” Lee turned his whole body to face Lindsey.
“We’re lawyers. It’s a mistake for us to try to work outside the law,” Lindsey said confidently.
Lilah cocked her head at Lee. “He’s being ironic.”
“Not at all,” Lindsey told her. “It’s time we moved the fight to our own turf. I know what to do. I’ll take care of it.”
**************************
Angel’s Apartment
Angel and Buffy were still in a standoff. Well not so much as a standoff as Angel was standing there and Spike was holding Buffy against him with her hands crossed over her chest. She had tried to head-butt the blonde vampire in the nose, but Spike moved too quickly and she didn’t have the leverage she needed.
When Spike had come back downstairs it was to a full out brawl between Angel and Buffy. He flew across the distance and pried a punching and kicking blonde slayer off his Sire; hence their current position.
“Calm down, you bloody bint,” Spike said through clenched teeth.
“Let me go, Spike! She’s going to run! Angel let her run! I swear to God I’ll stake you if you don’t let me go!” Buffy yelled.
“Hey, now there’s an incentive to release you. So you can stake me. No, thanks honey,” Spike said as he held her struggling body tighter.
“I swear when I get out of this,” Buffy was saying.
“Buffy!” Angel said in a tone that was totally Spike’s Sire. “She’s not going to run.”
“Yeah, well, why would she? When she has her brave knight to protect her? She got to you. Did she cry with pouty lips and heaving bosom?” She cringed. “I thought you needed help.”
“You think I wanted this to happen?” Angel asked incredulously.
“You hit me,” Buffy stated flatly.
“Well, not to go all schoolyard on you, but you hit me first. In case you’ve forgotten, you’re a little bit stronger than I am,” Angel reminded her.
“You did it for her,” Buffy was still struggling against Spike’s hold. Once she got any leverage, she swore the blonde vampire would be dust.
“You were about three seconds from making her run, and you know that. She’s at a crucial stage,” Angel said.
“Angel, I can’t hold her any more. If I do, I’ll take a chunk out of her,” Spike growled.
“If Spike lets you go, you aren’t going to stake him. He was only doing this for me,” Angel warned her.
Buffy stared angrily at her ex-boyfriend. Angel nodded and Spike released her, though he wasn’t quick enough to dodge the elbow to the nose.
“Ow! Bloody hell woman!” Spike looked at Angel and then returned the blow with a punch to her face of his own.
“Ow! Spike,” Buffy said nasally as she rubbed her nose.
“You hit me first, Slayer, it seemed only fair,” Spike said.
Angel rolled his eyes. They were like a couple of unruly kids. Buffy turned angry eyes on him again. “She’s playing you. She tried to kill you!”
“That was just . . . that was just a cry for help,” Angel reasoned.
“A cry for help is when you say ‘help’ in a loud voice,” she retorted.
“Spike told me Faith did some bad things to you,” Angel said. However, he neglected to mention the fact that not only had I stopped Spike from going after Faith when she teased him and left but that Faith had fucked a boyfriend I didn’t know Buffy had. When I told her to move on I didn’t think she would move this quick. He gave her neck a cursory glance and saw the mark he left on her neck. His demon simmered under the surface wanting to sink his fangs in and obliterate any boy’s touch she had ever felt, but the soul held tight.
“Well, he seemed to have left out a good portion of oh say, 90% of it,” Buffy said. She turned to Spike, “Just what did you tell him?”
Spike opened his mouth to answer when Angel said, “You can’t possibly know what she’s going through.”
“And of course you do?” Buffy furrowed her brows at she watched both vampires. “I’m sorry; I can’t be in your club. I never murdered anybody!”
“We’re vampires Buffy. Faith’s just a confused --” Spike started to defend himself and Angel when he and his Sire both heard footsteps coming downstairs.
“Faith, I told you --” Angel was cut off when he saw Wesley pushing Faith down the stairs in front of him.
“Slight change in plan,” Wesley said by way of explanation and said to Faith, “Get your coat.”
“What’s going on Wes?” Angel asked.
“In about twenty minutes the Council’s goons are coming in here. They’ll expect to find you gone,” Wesley said as he held up a syringe, “and her drugged.”
“How many?” Angel inquired.
“Three.” Wesley finally registered Buffy’s and Spike’s presence there. “Hello, Buffy. I’m afraid you’ve come at a bad time.”
“I’m feeling that,” Buffy said dryly.
“Dear Lord, William the Bloody! What is he doing here? Two slayers and you here – Angel, why hasn’t he been staked? I thought surely after all the trouble he’s caused he’d be dust by now,” Wesley said.
Angel had moved in between Spike and Wesley when the former Watcher had said something about staking him. He wouldn’t allow anyone to dust his boy if he could help it. Not after the connection had snapped into place. Spike was too much a part of him now to let that happen.
“Spike has a way of getting himself in and out of trouble. He’s here because of me,” Angel explained.
“I can take care of myself you know. I’ve made it to the ripe ol’ age of,” Spike counted his fingers and mentally counted his toes, “126 and it hasn’t been from pure luck. Had Drusilla to take of too in that time and I managed to come through just fine.”
Angel looked over his shoulder in time to see the petulant expression on Spike’s face. He turned toward Wesley. “Why’d you bring them here?”
“I couldn’t shake them. I had to pretend I was helping them,” Wesley explained.
“Why aren’t you?” Spike asked.
“I know these guys. They’re killers,” Buffy broke in.
“Well, they’ve surrounded the building,” Wesley said.
“I’ll check the sewers, if they’re clear we all head out,” Angel said. “Faith?”
“She must have slipped out,” Wesley said when she was nowhere to be seen.
“She’d head for the roof,” Angel said. Buffy turned to go and Angel moved to go after her. “They may have it covered,” he warned.
“We need a plan. Buffy can protect Faith,” Wesley said.
Angel went to the opening of the sewer entrance. “I’m not sure that’s her agenda.” He looked up at Wesley and Spike. Go up there. Do what you have to.
Spike nodded and disappeared up the stairs leading to the roof. Wesley followed Spike not sure what he intended. He was almost to the stairs when Angel called out to him.
“Wesley, Spike’s fine. He’s only doing what I told him.”
“How can you be so sure Angel? He’s a soulless demon. For all you know he could be going up there to kill both girls,” Wesley protested.
“He won’t. We have a more pressing issue than Spike right now,” Angel said.
Wesley retraced his steps back to Angel. “Angel, you can’t be serious in allowing him to roam free. He could kill anyone.”
Angel stopped what he was doing and stood up. “Wes, didn’t Cordelia tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Wesley looked confused.
“In her words, ‘I’ve mind melded with a serial killer’,” Angel said.
“I – I – you what? You can’t be serious? Why would you mate with him?” Wesley stumbled over his tongue trying to get the question out. He couldn’t believe he was hearing of this now. Cordelia should have said something.
Angel frowned, which made his handsome brooding features even broodier. He went through this once with Cordelia he didn’t need a trip down memory lane with Wesley too. At least not at the moment when he had brought the Council’s strike team down on their heads. He bent down and opened the sewer door.
“I didn’t mate with him in the physical sense. I put a Sire-Claim on him, the Mate-Claim was a residual effect,” Angel said defensively. He went back to opening the door to the tunnels.
“Angel, it wasn’t for her,” Wesley changed subject back to Faith and their current situation.
“I know,” Angel said before he dropped down into the sewers.
“It’s because I trust you. Well, more than three gun-toting maniacs at any rate,” Wesley said as he looked down into the blackness of the sewers.
**************************
The Roof of Angel’s Building
Buffy rushed out on the roof to see Faith standing a few feet away. The sounds of a helicopter flying near the building drowned out the sounds of the City below.
“You’re not going to run, Faith,” Buffy said.
“What do you want to do? You want to throw me off the roof . . . again?” Faith asked belligerently.
Buffy stepped to closer to the other slayer. “Any reason why I shouldn’t?”
Faith turned to look at Buffy with wild eyes. “There is nothing I can do for you B. I can’t ever make it right.”
“So you’re just going to take off again. Leave us to clean up yet another one of your messes,” Buffy asked accusingly.
Spike opened the door and stepped out on the roof. He stopped short when he saw both girls facing each other, talking to each other, and weren’t killing each other. He leaned back against the wall next to the door and pulled out a cigarette. He’d just rest here, have a smoke and wait while they had their girly time. He was Spike, he’d take on one Slayer who went after his Sire, but he wasn’t fool enough to get between two slayers.
“It would make things easier for you,” Faith was saying.
“Yeah, ‘Til you got bored with the whole guilt thing and decided to come back to shake things up,” Buffy sneered.
“That’s not going to happen,” Faith vowed.
“You’re right. It’s not,” Buffy agreed.
Faith took a step back. “Angel said there was no way you were going to give me a chance.”
“I gave you every chance!” Buffy yelled angrily. “I tried so hard to help you, and you spat on me. My life was just something for you to play with. Angel, Riley, anything that you could take from me – you took. I’ve lost battles before. But, nobody else has ever made me a victim.” Buffy was near tears at this point she was so frustrated with the girl in front of her.
“And you can’t stand that. You’re all about control. You have no idea what it’s like on the other side! Where nothing’s in control, nothing makes sense! There is just pain and hate and nothing you do means anything. You can’t even--”
“Shut up!” Buffy yelled. She couldn’t take anymore of Faith’s self-pitying.
“Just tell me how to make it better,” Faith pleaded.
The door beside Spike opened up, causing the blonde vampire to straighten his posture. When he saw a rugged man with a machine gun step out of the darkness he grabbed for the gun.
“Slayer! Get to cover now!” Spike shouted in warning. He had a grip on the gun and punched the man but the guy’s trigger-finger pressed in and a hail of bullets sprayed over the roof. Buffy tackled Faith to the safety of a skylight base.
**************************
In the apartment, Angel and Wesley were next to the sewer entrance, ready to jump down when they heard faint gunfire.
“That’s coming from the roof,” Angel said.
At that moment, Weatherby charged in shooting at them with a machine gun. Angel and Wesley dove for cover. Wesley glanced around the corner of the pillar he was hiding behind to see where the Councilman was standing. “I didn’t give you the signal,” he hissed.
“Shut up,” Weatherby spat. He turned and smiled at Angel as he lifted a loaded crossbow. “Vampire.”
Even as he stared at the man Angel thought of Spike. He hoped his boy was in a better situation than he was right now. He opened the link between them enough to tell what was going on. He could feel Spike fighting with someone. He shut the link down so Spike could concentrate on the task at hand.
Remembering that he saw his mark on Buffy, Angel wondered if it had been so long that he couldn’t be able to feel her anymore. When he opened the link between them, he felt groggy as if he were seeing things in a thick fog. It had been a year since he marked her, but it was enough time with no renewal in between for the link to be all but completely severed. He could sense her blood rushing from adrenalin but other than that it was a hopeless venture. He shut the link down to concentrate on his own problem.
**************************
Up on the roof Buffy and Faith were still undercover while Spike wrestled the gun away from him. He had felt Angel open the link to see how he was doing and then close off again. He silently thanked his Sire for the small grace; he didn’t need an inner discussion right now.
“I think we can make it to the other building,” Buffy said.
Faith nodded. “Go.”
“Now,” Buffy said taking off at a dead run.
Before the reach the edge of the building to jump off to the next, a black helicopter rose up over the side of the building to offer in front of them. Smith was in the open door with a machine gun in hand.
Buffy and Faith ran to hide behind a skylight. Spike and Collins were fighting still when the helicopter showed up. The blonde vampire turned to see where Buffy and Faith were. He hit Collins with the gun knocking him off balance and took off after the girls. Collins worked to steady himself before he fell down the steps in the building. He shakily reloaded his weapon as Buffy and Faith ran for the cover of another skylight.
“I have to take this guy out. The guy with the gun in the helicopter will go for me. You stay here,” Buffy said. She didn’t know why she was helping Faith. She wanted to mete out justice to the other slayer not really kill her.
Faith nodded. Buffy lunged over the skylight and gain her feet in time to see Collins load the gun and take aim. Then a black blur was in her path as Spike grabbed her and turned his back to Collins’ gunfire. Several bullets went through his coat into his back. He grunted as he dragged Buffy back to the safety of a skylight.
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” Spike yelled.
“I was going to take him out until you got in the way!” Buffy yelled back.
Spike pulled a 9 mm out of his jacket and cocked it.
“Where did you get that?” Buffy asked her brows furrowed.
“When I was trying to wrestle the machine gun away from him, I punched him in the gut. He had this stuffed in the front of his pants. So, I grabbed it,” Spike explained. “Now, get down!”
Buffy ducked as Spike eased the weapon out past the safety of the skylight. He took aim and fired a series of shots until he heard Collins grunt. When Spike heard the clatter of the machine gun hitting the ground with the thud of the body, he fell back against the side of the skylight with a painful sigh.
********************
Back in the apartment the fight had come to a conversation filled with accusation. Wesley and Angel were still behind pillars for cover. “Weatherby . . .” Wesley tried to reason with the other man.
“Do the sacred oaths you swore as a Watcher mean nothing to you now?” Weatherby asked derisively.
“As a matter of fact they do. I swore to protect the innocent,” Wesley said confidently. He called out to Angel, “Go to the roof. Help them.”
“What?” Angel was surprised at what Wesley was insinuating, that he leave him to deal with this man alone.
“Now!” Wesley demanded in a voice that brooked no argument.
Angel ran for the stairs while Weatherby dropped the crossbow in favor of shooting at Wesley as he ran for the cover of another pillar.
“Bastard!” Weatherby swore.
Wesley removed the cap from the syringe and threw it like a dart, hitting Weatherby in the side of the neck. The hit stunned the other man into dropping his weapon.
“180,” Wesley smiled.
Weatherby pulled the needle out of his neck. He stood there stunned and swayed as the drugs took effect. Wesley walked up to him and hit him with a good right cross that knocked him down. “That’s for calling me a ponce.”
**************************
Angel ran up the stairs to the roof. He saw the helicopter’s spotlight through the milky film in the skylight above the landing at the top of the stairs. Buffy was feeling around for Spike’s wounds and looked over at the sound of broken glass in time to see Angel shoot through the skylight and catching the left rung of the helicopter with his arms. He grabbed tight to the tread. He reached up and pulled Smith out of the door. Smith fell and landed on the roof.
Angel climbed up to stand on the rung and shifted into his demon. He tapped on the glass startling the pilot and yelled, “Down! Take it down.”
Buffy and Spike watched as the helicopter left and then she looked around. “Faith!”
But, the other Slayer had disappeared.
**************************
After the helicopter had landed and was met by LAPD, Angel had been taken into custody for not giving up the whereabouts of Faith to Kate Lockley. When he was brought into the station, he didn’t care what happened to him as long as Faith was safe. Buffy and Wesley had shown up just as he was about to be booked when Faith had stood up a few feet away and turned herself in.
Things didn’t go any better with Buffy before she left either. The whole night went from bad to worse with her. He may have said some things he regretted. After watching her leave him again, he looked over to see Spike’s vivid blue eyes watching his every move.
Oh, God. My boy is still here. He stayed. Angel thought Spike would have left with Buffy. But, he was here, waiting for him. He went over and sat beside the blonde vampire. They didn’t speak for the longest time, although Angel rested his hand on Spike’s thigh.
“Do you want to go after her?” Spike asked. “She is the love of your life and all.”
Angel ignored the question. “She’s not the only love of my life.”
“Well, do you want me to go after her then?” Spike repeated the question.
“No. Buffy can handle herself alone for a few days,” Angel said. He had smelled his childe’s wounds, even felt the pain of being shot earlier and Spike wasn’t going anywhere for a few days, not if Angel had anything to say about it.
“Yeah, but --” Spike started to say.
“Stay. Please,” Angel said quietly.
“What am I a bloody dog?” Spike sounded incredulous.
“No, but with those wounds in your back, you’re not going anywhere but the apartment until I can get those bullets out,” Angel stated.
**************************
Angel’s Apartment
Spike was lying with his head at the end of the bed. His arm was draped over the side holding a bottle of Angel’s good Irish whiskey. It made him chuckle mildly at the knowledge that it took multiple gunshot wounds and a lot of curses in five languages to get Angel to break out his good whiskey.
Spike could still feel the pressure on his back as Angel worked the last of the ten bullets that riddled his back with holes. But, it was dull enough to where he could withstand the twinge. Being a vampire, he had a high tolerance for pain. But, bloody hell did it hurt when Angel started digging for and pulling the bullets out.
“Ah! Got it! This is the last of them, Spike,” Angel told the now-sluggish vampire underneath him. He reached over and dropped the slug with the others in the trash.
“Thank you,” Spike whispered to himself.
Angel patched the last wound and moved off Spike to sit on the bed beside him. He watched as Spike sat up painfully to lie beside him on his stomach. Tonight, his childe had gone beyond what Angel thought he ever would to help someone other than himself. That surprised and pleased him. Spike, the Slayer of Slayers, had taken nearly a dozen bullets in the back to protect two of his enemies. Angel didn’t think there were enough words to express his feelings over that.
“What are you brooding about now, Sire?” Spike asked.
“I’m not brooding. Just thinking of what you did tonight,” Angel told him.
“Didn’t do anything but follow your orders so you wouldn’t stake me,” Spike said.
“It was more than that Spike. I told you to watch after Buffy and you not only did that but protected Faith too. I didn’t expect that of you. You were so gentle with a girl you didn’t even know because you knew I was trying to help her. You’re an anomaly, Spike.”
“Must be the dreaded humanity in me then: William coming out a bit too much, yeah?” Spike said.
“Why’d you come here tonight, Spike?” Angel asked curiously.
“A couple of reasons I suppose,” Spike said offhandedly. “To warn you that Buffy was on her way, but with the demon fighting and all I forgot about it.”
Angel nodded. “What’s the other reason?”
Angel knew the reason. Spike couldn’t resist the pull of the connection between them any longer. He had to come here. His mate was here. But, hearing it from Spike’s lips would be nice, and watching the blonde squirm was a bonus.
“The claims pulled me here. I tried to ignore them, but I could only do that for so long.” Spike needed to be near Angel, but he would bite off his own tongue before he ever voiced that to his Sire.
It seemed he didn’t have to. Angel slid down to lay on the pillow next to Spike. He leaned over and softly kissed his boy’s full lips. The blonde startled and pulled back. He stared at the dark vampire with wide blue eyes.
Then, both vampires reached for each other, pulling the other closer by the back of the neck. They kissed each other as if they were starving after a prolonged fast. Tongues licked lips before delving into mouths, blunt teeth nibbled on lips.
Angel grabbed Spike around the waist and smoothly hauled him over to straddle his body. He reached between them to unbutton and pull the zipper down on Spike’s black jeans, before tugging them down over his boy’s lean hips.
Spike was already starting to rock his hips, rubbing his shaft against Angel’s crotch. The hand on Angel’s neck had moved up to lace fingers through thick dark hair. It had been so long since he had felt like this. The way he felt during the completion of the claims was nothing like this. This feeling, he hadn’t felt this way in a century. It was a starving need for his Sire. He wanted to melt into the big body of his master. Of course, he would never call Angel ‘master’. He never did before and wouldn’t call him that now. But, that’s how he felt.
Angel knew this was wrong. He had just finished taking bullets out of Spike’s back; he had no business initiating this. He wasn’t Angelus. He wouldn’t cause the other vampire pain while he drowned in the pleasure he knew his childe’s body offered.
When that thought passed through Angel’s mind, Angelus happily sent him images of how his body had hardened at the sound of Spike’s skin splitting under a whip. The feeling that he needed to bury himself in the boy at the grunts that emanated from the blonde when he had refused to give Angelus the satisfaction of hearing him scream in agony.
No! Angel yelled at his demon. I won’t hurt him just so you can get off. It’s different between us now.
Angelus smirked. It’s not different. He’s mine again. You made sure of that when you completed the claim. The only difference is that it’s you on the outside, but you still took him using me. It was my passion that was the catalyst that brought on the mating claim.
That’s funny coming from the demon that could barely stand him in Sunnydale, Angel scoffed.
Sunnydale was like a freak storm: it shows up out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly, Angelus explained.
You tried to suck the world into hell! That wasn’t a freak storm, that was a slow moving hurricane, Angel growled.
Oh, like you never made a miscalculation since you’ve been on the outside, bloody ponce, Angelus threw back.
Using Spike’s insults now? Angel asked.
Hey guys, will you quit arguing I’m trying to snog here, Spike’s inner voice appeared suddenly.
There was silence from both Angel and Angelus. Angel opened his eyes and pulled back with a shocked expression. He thought his telepathic abilities with Spike and his inner turmoil with Angelus were in two separate compartments.
“You can hear Him when you slip into my mind?” Angel asked.
“Well, yeah. Here I was thought you were lost in the moment and all. So, I slipped in a bit and what do I find but you arguing with your demon. You should know it’s not flattering for a bloke,” Spike said.
“If it’s any consolation, we were arguing about you. It started out that way anyhow,” Angel assured him.
“Arguing over the best way to shag me, I suppose?” Spike asked as he gingerly moved away to lie beside Angel.
Now see what you did? Angel growled at Angelus.
“Spike, what are you doing?”
“Giving you room to finish the argument. When you’re through I’ll just be over here, hard as a rock with my pants around my legs. Didn’t know any better someone would think I was being treated like a cheap whore,” Spike grumbled.
Angelus broke into a fit of laughter at that. Ha! Ha! Ha! You really did it this time. Treated him no better than Darla! Now that’s funny!
Oh, shut up! Angel growled.
“Did you just growl at me?” Spike turned his head and quirked an eyebrow at Angel.
“No.” Angel closed his eyes. This night was starting out to end better than he hoped and now it was getting worse because Angelus couldn’t keep his mouth shut and his memories to himself.
“You know, just because my back is sore doesn’t mean we can’t get each other off,” Spike suggested.
Well, it was the poof’s fault. He started with the groping and the kissing and the undressing and now Spike was hard and it didn’t seem like it would be going down any time soon. Right now, that was more important than his healing wounds.
Angel turned on his side to face Spike. He reached down and wrapped his thick fingers around Spike’s hardened shaft. Watching his childe’s reactions, he started stroking the length.
Spike moaned when he felt Angel’s big hand wrap around him. He laced his fingers in his Sire’s thick hair and pulled him closer. He reached down and unbuttoned the other vampire’s pants. Reaching inside, he received a surprised gasp when he circled his fingers around the huge cock. Taking advantage of Angel’s surprise, he slipped his tongue inside the cool mouth.
Passion ignited between them once again, starting a slow burn through their bodies as they both rocked their hips, and hardened shafts were thrusting into clenched fists. Both vampires were swept up in a memory of a night like this one when it was just the two of them and they used each other to obtain orgasmic bliss.
Angel kissed along Spike’s sharp cheekbone and then down to nibble on an ear before burying his face against his childe’s neck. He bucked his hips, thrusting his cock faster into Spike’s fist. He felt the burn in the pit of his stomach start to spread to his balls. He wanted to bury himself in Spike’s body so badly, but he didn’t dare with the injuries still healing. Maybe in a couple of days, but right now, he pacified himself with the feel of Spike’s hand squeezing and jerking his cock. He tightened his own hold on the blonde’s shaft and matched his strokes to Spike’s. Angel’s mouth watered at the thought of what Spike might taste like. To keep from ending this blissfully torment to find out, he sank his fangs into his boy’s neck. Not to drink, just to penetrate.
Spike cried out when Angel bit his neck. His body arched up painfully – due to the healing wounds – but that didn’t deter the oncoming orgasm. He tightened his grip in Angel’s hair, holding his Sire closer, then sank his fangs into his Sire’s neck as he surged up one last time before his come shot over both their stomachs.
Angel felt Spike’s fangs and the resulting orgasm residue on his skin. The image of it in his mind was so hot it triggered his own release. When it was over, he lay there half on top of his childe. He licked the mark closed and then lazily trailed his tongue along Spike’s collarbone. He hadn’t felt this good in years. It wasn’t perfect happiness, but it was damn close and he could accept that.
Spike grunted when the feel of Angel’s weight became a burden to his tender back. He shoved at Angel a bit until the big body moved to the side. When Angel lay on his back, he moved closer instinctively. It wasn’t something Spike consciously did, but being around his Sire had him reverting back to old patterns. He was more relaxed than he had been in years and for now that was enough.
Angel lazily caressed his fingers over Spike’s spine. After he moved away, the blonde turned on his side and curled up against him. Angel smiled at the gesture. It was something William used to do, but Spike was too butch for such intimacy. Things were starting to look up for him now that his boy was here. But, Buffy still plagued him.
Angel knew he had said things to her that he really didn’t mean. He shouldn’t have talked to her that way. He had wanted to go after her earlier to apologize, but Spike needed him more. Now that Buffy had this Riley guy as a new boyfriend, Spike had become his priority. But still, the conversation he had with Buffy in the police station troubled him.
“What are you brooding over now, Angel?” Spike’s voice was gruff with sleep.
“Buffy. I shouldn’t have talked to her that way. Everything I said was true, but still . . .” Angel trailed off.
“Do you want to go after her?” Spike repeated his earlier question.
“When you’re healed, I’d like to go back and maybe try to fix it. She’ll simmer down by then, be more forgiving,” Angel said more to himself that Spike.
The blonde rolled his eyes at how poncy his Sire was. A yawn escaped him as the events of the previous night and a great orgasm caught up with him. “Sure, Angel. Whatever you want,” he said tiredly.
Angel smiled and pulled Spike closer. He basked in his childe’s agreeable mood for a few minutes before succumbing to sleep. |
