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How to Treat Your
Lover
by Tami
Chapter 16
Step 1: Infatuation (Part 16)
Crawford Street Mansion
The minute Spike got into the house, he grabbed the cell phone Angel had given him a while back and dialed Buffy’s dorm room. He hoped the witch was in. He needed a favor. The phone rang . . ., and rang . . . and rang. Finally, someone picked up.
“Hello?” said a breathy voice over the line.
“Slayer, bloody hell!” Spike growled.
“Spike, why are you calling me?” Buffy asked sounding confused.
“I wasn’t calling you. Where’s the witch?” Spike asked.
“She’s not here,” Buffy said.
“Well then, where is she?” Spike was aggravated.
“Like I’d tell you! Some of us who are of the living have lives to live and . . . well live!” Buffy said angrily.
“Slayer, so help me, I’ll come over there and get it out of you even if I have to go over there with a crane and rip out that cute little tongue of yours!” Spike threatened. He waited for Angel to intervene but nothing happened. Huh? His Sire must be busy.
“I thought harming me wasn’t in your job description, Spikey?” Buffy taunted.
“Angel told me I couldn’t bite you, he didn’t say I couldn’t take his errant ex-girlfriend over my knee,” Spike sneered.
“Oh, I’d like to see you try, bleached wonder!” Buffy replied.
“Slayer! Goddamn it, where’s Red?” Spike asked through clenched teeth. His eyes were flecked in gold, not that she could see them.
“I told you she’s not here. She’s been hanging around another girl. Tara I think her name is,” Buffy said off-handedly.
“Thank you,” Spike crooned and cut the connection.
Well, there goes another trip to break into the college administration office to find a girl named Tara. Oh, the joys Angel missed by leaving so soon. Spike pocketed the cell and shrugged on his duster. As he left the house through the atrium, he walked through the door where glass used to be, and made a mental note to replace the doors. They hadn’t been fixed since Buffy and that other psychotic Slayer Faith dived through them. Bloody ungrateful humans.
Spike walked through Sunnydale toward the college. For a night on the Hellmouth, it seemed quiet, no demons on the street creating havoc. Over the last few years, you couldn’t throw a stick two paces without hitting a demon. Spike found it odd that things were so quiet.
Once he arrived at the college, he broke into the administrator’s office and booted up the computer. The breaking and entering of this particular building was starting to become a recurring theme. He had done this to find Buffy’s dorm a while back and now he was doing again to locate the redheaded witch.
Spike pilfered the office while waiting for the computer to boot up. Once it was running, he scanned the lists of dorm assignments: Mara Lemsky, Rhea Jordan, Sara Jameson, aha, Tara MacLay. He noted the dorm number, shut the computer down and disappeared the way he came in.
**************************
USC Sunnydale, Tara’s Dorm
Willow was sitting on the bed playing with a small black and white kitten in her lap. Tara was sitting beside her on a large chest at the foot of the bed looking through a college-course selection booklet.
“Oh,” Willow cooed when the cat did something cute. “I keep thinking ‘okay, that’s the cutest thing ever,’ and then she does something cuter and completely resets the whole scale.”
“Did you see her yawn earlier?” Tara asked, smiling.
“Yes! I thought I was going to die,” Willow gushed. She picked up the kitten and looked into its eyes. “Oh, I love you, Miss Kitty Fantastico!” she cooed in a babying-voice.
“We have to get her a real name,” Tara said.
Willow smiled in acknowledgement. “It’s so cool that she’s ours.” She paused and caught herself. “Uh, yours. That’s she’s yours is . . . is cool.”
“She can be ours if you want?” Tara suggested.
Willow smiled at that. Just then, there was a knock on the door. As Tara got up to answer it, she said, “You still need an elective.” She opened the door and was brought up short by the tall blonde vampire standing in the doorway.
“Bloody hell, I hope you’re Tara MacLay. I’ve been all over this soddin' dormitory looking for you. Have you seen Red? I need to borrow something from her,” Spike said without even a greeting.
“Uh, uh, who are you?” Tara asked her brow furrowed in confusion.
“’M Spike! Where’s Red?” he asked again.
Willow hurriedly put the kitten down, got up and peeked around the door. She had an equally confused expression on her face. “Spike? Why are you here?”
“Hey Red, I need to borrow your laptop,” Spike said.
“M-my laptop? What for? Do you even know how to work a computer?” Willow asked.
“Yeah, I know how to work a bloody computer. I’m not stuck in the dark ages like Peaches! I need it to do some shopping. I’m living in that vast, barren mausoleum my Sire calls a mansion and it needs something more . . . me if I’m going to live there,” Spike said annoyed.
Willow looked skeptically at Spike. Evil, soulless Spike was asking her for the use of her computer for online shopping. Did someone put a happy pill in his blood today or something? What did Angel do to him to get him to not only play nice but ask for things as well?
“You want to use my laptop to shop online? I don’t know Spike, how are you going to pay for it? Last I knew you couldn’t even rub two pennies together,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that. I got it all figured out,” Spike replied determinedly.
“Come on in, then,” Willow said.
“Why not just give it to me? I’ll have it back to you by tomorrow night,” he said solemnly.
Willow scoffed at that. “Like I would believe the word of an evil, ruthless vampire, even if you are on a tight leash.”
“Hey what’s with the leash reference? I’m not a dog! I’m the Big Bad!” Spike said angrily.
Willow rolled her eyes and walked over to turn her laptop on. Spike was still stuck in the doorway, stopped from entering by the mystical barrier. He leaned on the invisible wall and whistled an old show tune.
“Uh, Willow,” Tara said to get her girlfriend’s attention.
Willow turned around to look at Tara and then looked at the doorway when she realized Spike hadn’t followed her. He was leaning his shoulder against the doorway inspecting the black nail polish on his nails. Willow’s brow furrowed for a moment before she realized the problem.
“Oh! I don’t live here. Only the person living here can invite him in.” Willow gestured toward Spike saying, “Go on and invite him in.”
“You just said he was an evil, ruthless vampire!” Tara squeaked. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
Willow waved her off. “Oh that, don’t worry, Angel has him under wraps. It’s a whole mystical, telepathic leash thing. Vampire stuff. He’s fine.”
Tara looked at Willow as if she’d lost her mind. The redhead just said he was a vampire and that he was on some sort of cosmic connection with someone else that made him safe. She was really confused. Sunnydale is a on a Hellmouth. Demons live here. She vaguely knew of Angel, that he had a soul, was fighting the good fight in L.A. and that he dated Buffy for a time. Now, somehow he was tied to the blonde vampire standing in her doorway? Tara shook her head. The things that happen when you live on a Hellmouth. She walked up to her door and gripped the handle for support.
“Do y-y-you p-p-promise not to bite anyone?” she stuttered nervously.
“I’m not going to bite you, Glenda. Even if I wanted to, Angel wouldn’t let me, the selfish sod. He thinks he put caps on my fangs with that--” Spike stopped when he realized who he was with when he started ranting.
Tara nodded nervously. “You can c-c-come in.”
She stepped out of the way as Spike stepped over the threshold tentatively. He gave the blonde girl one of his patented killer smiles as he walked past her, reveling in the sound of her heart beating faster. He glimpsed a blush creep into her cheeks and continued on to the desk where Willow stood booting up her computer.
“Here,” Willow said, pulling out a chair. “Never heard of a century-old vampire being technologically efficient or computer-savvy and I don’t know how you can pay for what you’re doing, but have at it. Just don’t break anything, don’t mess anything up . . ., and don’t surf for porn. It’s for school not entertainment.”
As he sat down in front of the laptop, Spike gave her a look of distaste when she mentioned what she thought he was going to do with it. “I’m a vampire, Red, not a 17-year-old schoolboy. Don’t need to surf for porn. I’ve had enough of it in my day to last me another century of dreams and nightmares.”
“Yeah, uh, sorry,” Willow quickly looked away and left him to do his online shopping.
Three hours later, after much mouse clicking and hearing Spike mutter to himself about Angel’s style, or lack thereof, Willow and Tara hovered behind him to see what he was buying. They had even left him for an hour to go to class and were fearful of finding Tara’s room ransacked by the temperamental vampire; but when they returned he was still clicking away. They had decided to see what he was up to just about the time he was inputting a credit card number.
Willow scanned the checkout page and her eyes became saucers when she saw how much he had spent. “I didn’t know you had that much money, or a credit card for that matter.”
“I don’t, but the old man is loaded. He’s got money hidden away, I’m just using it,” Spike said.
“Spike! That’s fraud! You can’t just use his credit card to pay for all that!” Tara chastised.
“Why not? I figure after this many years of dealing with the ponce, I feel the need for compensation,” Spike said petulantly.
“Well, it’s your dust when Angel gets the bill for all that,” Willow said in mock sadness.
Spike surprised both girls when he shut the computer down and closed the laptop correctly. He even cleaned up around himself before standing up. When he noticed their look of astonishment, he snorted.
“I may be evil and all, but I’m still careful when I need to be. Jeez!” Spike said. “Thanks for the use of the computer, Red. Appreciate it. I’ll be on my way.”
Spike nodded at the two girls who were still staring at him with opened mouths and walked out the door, closing it behind him.
**************************
Los Angeles, Angel’s Office, Three Days Later
Cordelia walked into the main office as she sorted through the mail. Angel was still downstairs in bed. What other kind of work was there that allowed you more personal time to shop for shoes and clothes than working for a vampire that didn’t see the sun before . . . well ever, but work-wise before 10 A.M.? Which only brings to mind the question of why he insisted that if she worked for him, that she had better show up at 8 A.M.?
“Bills, bills, and hey, more bills!” Cordelia dropped the mail on the edge of her desk and flopped down in the chair. “I thought life was supposed to get easier after high school. I’m an actress! I should be out there auditioning for at least a bit part on Melrose Place or some feature film with Johnny Depp in it. Now look at me! I’m working for a vampire in a badly decorated office with no light. I don’t see how this could possibly help my complexion.”
“Who are you talking to?” Angel asked from his position leaning against the doorway to his office.
Cordelia jumped in her chair at hearing his voice. Stupid, stealthy vampires. She pasted a smile on her face and looked up. “No one, boss!” She reached over, grabbed the mail and held it out for him. “Here’s the mail. I figured you would want to give it a once over to see what bills we can’t pay this month.”
Angel rolled his eyes. “You know how I feel about charging people to save them. It feels wrong,” he said as he sifted through the mail. He stood still when he saw a thick envelope from MasterCard. I never used my MasterCard this month.
“Well, get over it, mister! We can’t keep this place up with the poverty game we’ve got going. I know you don’t need to eat, but rent, food and Pradas cost money and it’s not exactly growing on the trees out there, you know?” Cordelia ranted as she pointed toward the window.
When she didn’t get an answer, Cordelia looked up to see Angel looking through a thick sheaf of print-outs. She got up and went over to look around his shoulder. Her eyes became as huge as saucers when she saw the monetary figures that filled the sheet. Then, she became angry and turned on him.
“Hey! You’ve been holding out on me!” She said, hitting him in the arm.
Angel ignored Cordelia, still silently stewing over how much debt he owed on his credit card. He turned around and went back into his office. Leaning against his desk, he picked up the phone and dialed Spike’s number as Cordelia watched him from the doorway.
“’Ello, William the Bloody at your service!” Spike chimed over the receiver.
“Yeah, you’ll be William-lying-on-the-Bloody-Ground-in-a-Pile-of-Ashes when I’m through with you, you thieving, peroxide-bleached brain!”
“Hey, peaches! What’s got your knickers in a twist?” Spike asked cheerily.
“I’ll tell you what! I just got my credit card bill, you wayward little punk. What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Why is my MasterCard debt up to $42,764.62, childe ?”
Cordelia was silent up until Angel read off that number. “WHAT?!” she shrieked before storming into the room and snatching the bill from Angel’s hand.
“Oh, I see you got the bill,” Spike said nonchalantly.
“Yeah, I got the bill, you little miscreant,” Angel said looking over Cordelia’s shoulder at the bill. “What on earth possessed you to buy imported rugs for $1,577.00, an Indonesian rupiah demon mist?”
“But, Sire, I can only get those rugs imported from Southeast Asia,” Spike said petulantly.
“Why couldn’t you get the rugs from some place closer to home?” Angel growled.
“They don’t have them in the States?” Spike said impishly.
“Why didn’t you just buy knock-offs that were much cheaper?” Angel continued to growl.
“What do you mean knock-offs? Why would I want knock-offs in my home?” Spike asked indignantly.
“Oh, maybe because it’s my money and my house!” Angel started yelling.
“Oh!” Spike growled. “I can call it my home if I want to! I live here, you bleedin’ ponce! You’ll get your say in what furnishes this house when you move in!”
“Spike, when I get my hands on you, you’ll pay dearly for every penny you spent! You better have bought something that was worth the punishment you’re going to get the next time I see you!”
“Is that a promise?” Spike asked, hopeful.
Angel growled and hung up. While he glowered and brooded over his credit card bill, Cordelia was livid.
“Why didn’t you ever use that money to get a better residence or give me a raise?” Cordelia asked angrily.
Still scowling over his bill, Angel said, “Because it was money and assets I stole from my victims when I was Angelus and I felt guilty about using it, that’s why!”
“Well, get over it! We’re broke if you haven’t noticed. How are we supposed to pay for my necessities and the upkeep on this building if you don’t part with some of your wealth? Okay, so it was ill-gotten gains, but you could put it to good use now!” Cordelia said.
Angel scanned his bill, a look of utter disbelief on his face at havoc Spike wrought on his credit card. “$1,200.00 Hibachi Table, $1,150.00 displays cabinet, $1,600.00 for a wicker TV console, $6,500.00 for a Miyamoto Entertainment Center, $7,146.10 for a Maxx Rainforest corner Jacuzzi shower, $4,620.00 for an Aquatic Century Series oval whirlpool tub?”
Cordelia perked up at the figures and cheerily said, “You know, if Spike wasn’t living in Sunnydale, I’d be so totally moving in with him for the whirlpool tub!”
Angel looked up at her from inwardly crying over his credit card bill. “But, you just told me not two months ago that he was a soulless serial killer --”
“With a whirlpool tub,” Cordelia cut in.
“He drives a jalopy . . .” Angel said petulantly.
“I can look past that. Not everyone can have a great car,” Cordelia commented.
“He has fangs and no soul,” Angel reminded her.
“So do you!” Cordelia shot back.
“CORDELIA!” Angel said, exasperated.
“You know what I mean!” Cordelia said with a dismissive wave.
“Fine, what about the ’80s-rejected hair you said he had?” Angel asked.
“Oh, Angel . . . you know there are so many hair care products out there that will help that disaster,” Cordelia smiled.
“He’ll want sex,” Angel stated. “You don’t fuck the undead.”
Cordelia’s face fell. With a cringe, “That could be a problem . . .”
Angel went back to frowning at his credit card bill. Oh, was Spike going to get it the next time he saw his errant childe. Apparently, he had gone too easy on him in the last few months. Maybe a good whipping would rein in his childe’s behavior. Again, Angel glanced at the total: $42,764.62. He cringed. How could he spend so much in so little time?
The phone rang. When it looked like Angel was still brooding over his childe’s fun-loving excursion, Cordelia answered the phone. “Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless.”
“H-hello? My name is David Nabbitt. I have a bit of a situation that I think you could help me with.”
**************************
Cordelia, Wesley and Angel walked into a big Hollywood party in progress. There were all types of Hollywood stars and executives milling around the spacious room. Cordelia went gaga literally over the whole thing. It was like Angel and Wesley didn’t recognize her anymore. Her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when she saw David Nabbitt’s pad.
“Oh, I miss that smell!” Cordelia cooed.
Wesley sniffed the air. “Camembert, I believe.”
Jarred out of her little world, Cordelia turned to Wesley. “What? No. Money! I like the smell of a little money once in a while.”
Angel knew it was dig at him for how he reacted earlier to the damage Spike did to his credit card. Nevertheless, he brushed it off for now. He edged toward Wesley and whispered, “She’s not just saying that. Hide some in the office sometime and watch her, it’s uncanny.”
Cordelia wasn’t paying attention to them; instead she was eying all the celebrities in the room. She had never seen so many famous people in one place before. Here she thought Angel had ruined her one chance at fame by terrorizing Rebecca Lowell, and now, she was in a room filled with so many illustrious people. She was also scanning the crowd for their client.
“Oh, there he is,” she commented to her colleagues when she spotted David Nabbitt in a plaid shirt, sitting by himself. “Mr. Nabbitt, hi!”
David stood when he looked up and saw a dark-haired girl come closer with two guys following her. “Hi.”
Cordelia thrust her hand out and shook his. “Hi.”
“Glad you could come,” David said graciously.
“Thanks.”
“Thanks for having us,” Angel spoke up from behind Cordelia.
“It’s a pleasure. When he couldn’t remember who the trio was, he asked, “Who are you?”
“Oh! I’m Cordelia Chase? We spoke on the phone?” she reminded him.
David Nabbitt held out his hand to shake again. “Oh! Right!” He said shaking Cordelia’s hand. “So – so you – you must be – Angel.”
Angel shook his hand and said, “Yes. Pleased to meet you. And this is Wesley, my associate.”
“Lovely party,” Wesley commented.
“Isn’t it nice?” David said as he surveyed the festivities.
Cordelia took stock of the room and then her eyes became huge. “Oh. My. God, is that Welling Harding?”
David shrugged. “I – I – I have no idea. I don’t know most of – these people. I – I don’t even talk to them. They come to the party. I – I think they have fun.” He picked up an appetizer platter and offered it.
Angel’s brooding expression turned to a pained look. “If this is a bad time we . . .”
“Oh, um, Miss Chase said that you could only meet at night,” David said.
“Yeah, it’s more convenient . . .” Angel commented as he looked around uncomfortably. He hated crowds like this. He could hear the blood pumping in everyone around him and did his best to ignore it.
“And – and that we’d be less conspicuous during the party.”
Angel glared at Cordelia. She gave him one of her toothpaste commercial smiles and a shrug before turning away. He should have known this was her doing. Cordelia Chase wasn’t one to resist a chance at a brush with high-society living. He really thought for a moment that when her parents lost everything and she had to make it on her own that she was humbled in some way.
David Nabbitt noticed the silent exchange and rushed on to say, “I mean, I think it’s good! We probably won’t be interrupted. Well, I-I’ve always said that I would make a billion dollars in the software market and . . . uh . . . learn to talk to girls. I’m still working on step two.”
Angel cleared his throat audibly. “So, why don’t you tell us about your case?”
“Oh.” David motioned for them to sit. Cordelia took a seat right next to David while Angel sat on the arm of the couch and Wesley chose to stand.
“Ah, my case. It . . . uh . . . somewhat has to do with black . . . mail,” David choked out.
Angel raised his brows. “Go on.”
“Are you familiar with Dungeons and Dragons?” David asked.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a few,” Angel replied.
“You mean the . . . ah . . . role playing game,” Wesley clarified.
Angel glanced up at Wesley and then turned back to his client. “Oh, the game. Right.”
“Well, I used to play a lot in high school. You know, it was pretty cool. You get to be someone else for a while: a wizard, a warrior, you know, the whole world is magic, fighting Troglodytes and romancing exotic demon princesses. It’s a rush,” David explained.
Cordelia’s brows furrowed. “Did someone find out you’re a big nerd?”
David chuckled. “No that’s . . . ah . . . that’s actually public record. But, some of us got really into it, especially the demon romance part. Then, we heard about this place, where, the real . . . The guys were joking about getting some tail.”
“You went to Madame Dorion’s,” Wesley said matter-of-factly.
David cringed. “Just once.”
Angel looked up at Wesley for clarification.
“It’s a demon brothel,” Wesley supplied.
“Or twice,” David amended.
“It’s in Bel Air I believe,” Wesley said thoughtfully. “The Watcher’s Council is ripe with stories about it.”
Angel nodded that he understood and looked at David. “How many . . .”
“Twelve . . . times,” David said cutting in.
“. . . people knew you were going?” Angel finished.
“Oh . . . ah, just my friends, but,” David reached into his pocket for a picture and handed it to Angel. “My security guys already identified the guy with the pictures. That’s Lenny Edwards, but I just can’t find him.”
Angel looked at the image: a bald man smoking a cigarette. He put the picture in his jacket and stood up. “Well, we’ll see if we can do better.”
“If – if my stockholders see these pictures . . .” David started to say.
“They won’t,” Angel stated.
Cordelia was still eying the potential prospects in the room for her ticket to stardom and fame. She turned to David and said cheerily, “Don’t worry. We are incredibly discreet. We’ll . . . ah mingle here for a few hours, so no one suspects.”
“Hey, David,” a female passerby greeted the young entrepreneur.
David perked up. “Oh! Hey. Nice seeing you again. Yeah.” He shrugged to the AI team. “I have no idea. When I moved to L.A., I thought it was all glamour and valet parking. But, there is a whole world here that no one ever sees.”
“More than one,” Angel commented tiredly before he disappeared into the crowd.
**************************
Sunnydale, Initiative Caves
Buffy couldn’t believe her friends and Watcher would turn against her. The argument at Giles’ seemed surreal at best. Now she was investigating Adam’s caves on her own. It was better this way. If Xander and Willow were here with her, they would just be in the way and she would end up saving them from something they’d gotten themselves into. As she rounded a corner, she almost ran right smack into . . . Spike?
Spike raised his hands. “Easy, sheriff, watch where you point that thing.”
“What are you doing here?” Buffy asked annoyed.
“I could ask you the same thing. Need I remind you that I’m a vampire and as such, I prowl around at all hours of the . . . day?” Spike snapped back. He turned and walked past Buffy.
“Adam’s been using these caves,” Buffy announced.
Spike stopped and turned around. “What? Adam who?”
“He’s a cyborg created from parts of humans and demons. Professor Walsh created him. Now he’s trying to pull off a New World Order type of thing. I found his lair,” Buffy said.
“Huh. And you’re here investigating on your own because, why, you’re immune to his killing ways?” Spike asked.
“Well, he’s cleared out of here. Whatever he’s planning is about to go down soon,” Buffy replied. Why did Spike and Angel always think she was helpless? She was the Slayer for God’s sake.
Spike looked at her with an amused expression. “Well, well, look at little Nancy Drew. Where’s your chums?”
“We had a disagreement. They’re back at Giles’ place,” Buffy said sadly.
“So, you’re out here looking for a demonic cyborg that could kill you with one blow all by your lonesome?” Spike asked, and then yelped, “Are you insane?!”
“I so don’t need this from you right now, Spike. I need to find Adam,” Buffy was annoyed again. She ground her teeth. How dare he assume that she was incapable of doing her job? She’s been protecting the Hellmouth for 4 years now. She did not need to be told she was inept at her calling.
“Fine! Do what you want. When Angel asks I’ll just tell him you considered yourself to be Wonder Slayer and thought you could take on evil with a single throw of your trusty stake,” Spike sneered. He turned to leave. “No worry of mine now, is it?” he threw over his shoulder as he walked out.
**************************
Los Angeles
Lenny Edwards was about to get into his car when Angel stepped up behind him. Lenny startled a little and turned around to face the broad-shouldered man behind him.
“What do you want?” Lenny asked smugly. He was used to being the heavy in this part of the neighborhood, but the guy in front him didn’t look the least bit fazed.
“Big question: what do I want?” Angel mused and appeared to think about it. “Love, family, a place on this planet I can call my own, but you know what?”
“What?” Lenny asked shaking a little.
“I’m never going to have any of those things,” Angel said with a smirk and then his face fell into a hard-edged expression. “And, unless these next few minutes go exactly the way I want them to, neither are you. Where are the pictures of David Nabbitt?”
Lenny turned smug. “Never heard of him.”
Angel gave a dry laugh at that. “Oh-ho, you only get one lie. I probably should have mentioned that first.”
Lenny reached over and patted Angel on the shoulder. He was the cock of this neighborhood. He didn’t know who this guy thought he was, but he wasn’t going to be intimidated by some muscled GQ model.
“Look, pal, you’re obviously not from around here. But, trust me, you do not want to see my bad side,” Lenny warned.
Charles Gunn and his gang walked closer to the gate on the other side of the alley and watched the last part of the conversation.
Nonchalantly, Angel stepped closer to the little worm. “You show me yours.” His face shifted to his demon. “I’ll show you mine.” He grabbed Lenny by the collar and pushed him up against the car. “Okay,” he growled. “So now I’m from around here. In fact, I’m moving in and taking over. Do you understand me? I will dog you every night for the rest of your very short life until you bring me what I want. Are we clear?” When Lenny nodded frantically, Angel mimicked him. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
Angel shoved Lenny away from him. He couldn’t turn around unlock his door fast enough. When he looked back, Angel was gone. Mustering his bravado again, he put on the tough-guy act like nothing happened, got into the car and drove off.
Across the alley at the gate, Charles and his gang were still watching the scene. They had seen Angel vamp out and Lenny stumble to open his car door and speed out of the alley with screeching tires.
“Vampire’s moving in, huh?” Chain mused.
Gunn nodded. “Yeah, well, he is not going to stay too long.”
**************************
Sunnydale, UC Sunnydale Campus
Buffy walked up and met her (former) friends at the center crosswalk. It was just the four of them as Anya and Tara elected not to show up.
Buffy turned to Xander. “Where’s Anya?”
“Oddly, Anya decided not to join us, despite all the fun we had at our last meeting,” Xander replied.
“And, I don’t think Tara felt welcome,” Willow added.
“Why?” Buffy turned to Willow, “Because of the things that we said?”
Willow nodded.
Buffy nodded in understanding. “I just went to Adam’s lair and he was gone. But, Spike just happened to be there. He gave me the fourth degree on hunting Adam by myself and then took off. How about you guys?”
“Oh, I decrypted the disks,” Willow announced. When Buffy gave her a surprised look, she grumbled, “Well, they decrypted themselves, but I almost had it.”
“What did they say?” Giles inquired.
Willow shrugged. “A bunch of stuff we already knew about 314. But, it also said that there’s some final phase where Adam manufactures a bunch of creepy cyber-demonoids like him. There’s a special lab in the Initiative, but it didn’t say where.”
“Adam let us find those disks. He wanted me to know about his evil-guy assembly line.” She turned to Willow and asked, “This lab, it’s in the Initiative?”
Willow nodded, “Hidden somewhere.”
Buffy looked thoughtful. “We’ll give the demon his due. He thought this one out.”
“What do you mean?” Willow was curious.
“You know how overcrowded the containment cells have been at the Initiative?” When Willow nodded, Buffy continued. “Those demons were just too easy to catch. It was like they wanted in that place.”
“The Trojan horse,” Giles commented as he put his glasses on.
“Adam’s going to make sure the demons attack the Initiative from the inside,” Buffy said.
“Demons versus soldiers, massacre, massacre.” Xander assessed.
“And Adam has a neat pile of body parts to start assembling his army,” Willow concluded. “Diabolical, yet . . .” She scrunched her nose up in disgust. “Gross.”
Xander raised his hand and asked, “Does anyone else miss the Mayor's ‘I just want to be a big snake’?
“I’ve got to shut him down, Giles,” Buffy said anxiously. “His final phase is about to start.”
“Well, we need to warn the Initiative,” Giles said.
“They’re not going to listen to me,” Buffy said derisively.
“How about Riley?” Willow inquired.
“He’s a deserter. He got some bad news anyway and kind of took off,” Buffy said sadly, remembering how she had to tell him about Forrest’s death.
Xander raised his hand. “Okay, I’m confused again. Adam has this evil plan. Why is he so anxious for you to know about it?”
“He wants me there. Probably figures I’ll even the kill ratio,” Buffy replied.
“He’s not worried you might kill,” Xander shrugged, “oh, say him?”
“No, he’s really not.”
**************************
Los Angeles
Lenny sat on the hood of his car holding a brown manila envelope in his hands. While he was looking around elsewhere, Angel silently appeared beside him.
“You’re a sneaky son of a bitch, aren’t you?” Lenny sneered.
Angel ignored the question and asked. “You brought the photographs?"”
Lenny held up the envelope as evidence. "Of course I brought them . . . and a little something extra."
A gray-skinned demon appeared next to Angel and hit him hard enough to send him flying a few feet backward through the air.
“Love that,” Lenny commented as he grinned at the scene.
Angel’s survival instincts kicked in and he turned to fight the demon. He vaguely heard Lenny ask, “Whatever he’s paying you isn’t enough, is it?” That was when Angel crashed into Lenny and caused him to drop the envelope. Angel picked it up and pocketed it quickly. Then, he swung around a lamppost to fight the demon. He managed to break the demon’s neck.
While Angel caught himself on the way down with the dead body, he coughed and tried to recover. He didn’t see Lenny turn tail and run. Though, he felt the burn of a stake as it impaled his left shoulder. He grabbed hold of it and looked back to see Gunn’s gang with their pick up truck and a modified stake-gun. He stood up, pulled out the stake and ran with the truck in close pursuit.
“Get him!” Gunn ordered.
Angel kept up a zigzag trail, tossing trashcans and other rubbish in front of the truck to waylay it and effectively causing the gunner to realign his target as he ran down the street. Seeing an escape, he rolled underneath a partial open warehouse door and stood up to lean against it, panting. He groaned when he felt Spike brush against his mind.
Are you okay? Spike sounded concerned.
For the moment. I can’t talk right now. Angel replied.
If you’re sure— Spike started to say.
Just then, the wooden rams that were mounted on the hood of Gunn’s truck burst through the door and narrowly missed him. Angel knew Spike was tied to him through the bonds and as such could feel what he felt, which included being staked in the shoulder. He had to survive to protect Spike. Who the hell were these kids and what did they think they were doing?
Spike, can we have this inner discussion later? I’m kind of busy right now! Angel said frantically. He shut the link down and ran deeper into the warehouse. He tripped over something in the dark and stumbled against a stack of boxes. Trying to gain his footing, he stepped on a plate and triggered a pallet to drop from the ceiling with stakes mounted to the bottom. He rolled to avoid being impaled.
Angel rounded a corner and a guy with a stake in hand jumped him from behind. Angel grabbed his hands and after a short struggle, he tossed the guy over his head and onto the floor in front of him. The attacker saw the stake coming toward his own heart and froze in fear. Angel took a second to assess that the kid was human, dropped the stake and ran on. The guy stared after him in surprise.
Angel ran through a trip wire and triggered a set of crossbows as he ran down a hallway. He managed to dodge the quarrels. The gang closed in on him from all sides and after he tossed a few around, Angel grabbed hold of Alonna, using her as a shield.
“Alonna!” Gunn screeched when he saw his baby sister was in the line of fire. “Don’t shoot!” he ordered.
Angel watched the group with angry eyes and panted a bit from exertion. “What are you people playing at?”
“We’re not playing!” Gunn told him.
“You’re going to get yourselves killed,” Angel warned.
“We’re going to get you killed first!” Gunn shot back petulantly.
“Let’s dust him,” Chain said as he cocked his weapon.
Angel looked at them for a moment, and then tossed Alonna aside. Gunn tracked the movement with his crossbow and set a quarrel in motion. At the last second, Angel reached out and intercepted the arrow, which headed for Alonna with the palm of his hand. Everyone stared at him in shock.
"Ow!” Angel yelled as he flexed his fingers unconsciously. “You know, for some reason I'm getting the impression you don't like me too much!” he growled out and then pulled the arrow out of his hand. “Maybe I'm just overreacting."
“What? Are you going to pretend that you’re different from the rest of them?” Gunn asked derisively.
“Yeah,” Angel said with a barely controlled voice. “And then, I’ll pretend that I just saved her life.” He looked around the warehouse, taking his surroundings and the creative booby traps these kids had set up. “You put a lot of work into this, some clever stuff, really. I'm impressed, but I have a few suggestions.”
Gunn cocked his weapon again. “I don't think we're interested.”
“Yeah? You should be,” Angel gritted out as he pulled the quiver from his hand and tossed it at Gunn’s feet. “Who do you think that would have killed? We are fighting on the same side.”
“The same side of what?” Chain asked.
“I didn't come here to kill you,” Angel stated.
Gunn lowered his crossbow and stepped closer. “It don't matter why you're here, or what you are. If you ever show your face down here again, don't count on any long goodbyes.”
The gang left and Angel sank down on top of a barrel, wincing from the pain in his side.
Spike?
I’m here. You shut the link down on me.
I had to. I had to keep you safe. A bunch of vigilante kids had me trapped in a warehouse full of fun gadgets to duck and dodge. I’m sorry about the pain in your shoulder.
It’s fine, Angel. Are you okay?
Yeah. Just a couple of holes in my body, nothing fatal. However, childe, this sense of concern you’re having over my welfare is not in any way distracting me from the damage you committed to my MasterCard. I’m still going to punish you . . . after I rest and let myself heal.
I’m shocked and appalled, hurt even, that would think I only slipped in as a way to get you to forget those measly charges on your credit card. Spike said in mock surprise.
Forty-two grand is not measly. You put me in a difficult situation! I had to explain why I would never use the money in that account. She’s still after me for a raise. Not that she ever does actual work. And because of that, you will be punished the next time we meet and it’s not over world-in-peril situations.
Yes, Sire. I’ll take my punishment like a good boy. But, you should see what I bought!
I did see it . . . on my credit card bill.
Nah, that’s not the same as seeing the things in person. Spike scoffed.
Angel checked to make sure the envelope with the pictures of David Nabbitt were till in one piece and then got up and staggered back to the apartment. He and Spike talked on the way home.
Your girl’s looking to do some damage of her own up here.
Why? What’s going on?
You remember that Demon Research Initiative that’s up here. It seems they built this cyborg thing from parts of demon and human alike. Anyway, it’s been creating trouble for the Slayer. I saw her today when I was scoping things out. From what I got out of her, she’s planning to take this thing on . . . with the rest of her troupe. That is if they can get past some rift in their friendship. I don’t know what’s going on there. But, she’s determined . . .
Spike, you have to watch her back. It’s why you’re there. But, it’s more than that. If she dies in this thing with the cyborg – especially with Faith in prison now – there’ll be no one to protect the Hellmouth. I got to go, Spike. Watch out for her. Please?
Yeah.
Just as he was about to dim the link, he said, Spike?
Sire?
Take care of yourself.
Always do.
Angel was more worried about Spike and the cyborg thing in Sunnydale than he was about the kids who had just trapped him. He hoped his childe would be safe. He’d be able to feel him through the link, but that didn’t stop the worry. Walking into his building, Angel went straight for a first aid kit and some blood. Cordelia and Wesley jumped to attention at his arrival.
“Did you get the pictures?” Cordelia asked.
“Were there any problems?” Wesley cut in.
“Hm. All I want right now is to heal. I got the pictures with some difficulty,” Angel said.
Angel pulled the envelope out of coat pocket, handed it to Wesley and gingerly took the coat off. He pushed the first aid kit into Cordelia’s hands, sat on the desk and took his shirt off to reveal his wounds from the encounter with Gunn’s crew. As Cordelia set to work, Wesley pulled the pictures out and flipped through them.
“That's very nice work. I'm sure Mr. Nabbitt will be greatly relieved to get these back,” Wesley said as he sat down next to angel on the edge of the desk. One picture caught his eye and he tried to examine it more closely. “Oh my.”
Angel looked over his shoulder to see and said, “It's upside down.”
Wesley turned the picture around and they both looked at it while Cordelia put the last piece of tape in place.
“Certainly not something one would want framed,” Wesley said his throat suddenly dry.
“How does it feel?” Cordelia asked Angel.
“I can't possibly imagine it's pleasant,” Wesley answered still looking at the picture.
“Ew,” Angel commented when he saw the image.
Cordelia sighed. “I'm talking to Angel.”
Angel and Wesley turned as one and looked at her.
“Oh, right. Sorry,” Wesley said when he realized what she meant.
Angel stood up and tried to work the kinks out. “It feels,” he winced as he pulled on his shirt, “it feels better.”
Cordelia gave him a concerned look. “Maybe you should rest. You look like . . .”
Angel looked squarely at her while buttoning the shirt. “Like I’ve been beaten and stabbed?”
Cordelia shrugged and girlishly asked, “Want to see the check again?”
Angel’s mouth became a grim line. “I want to find those kids. I don’t think any of them have homes. They’re probably living together somewhere.”
“How many are there?” Wesley asked.
“I’m not sure. Six, seven, maybe more? A couple of them couldn’t have been more than 16,” Angel replied.
Cordelia’s inner rich girl mentality kicked in when she observed, “God. Twenty minutes ride from billionaires and crab puffs – kids are going to war.”
“This isn't something they just started doing. I mean, they were ready. They've been pushed to this,” Angel tried to move his shoulder a little at a time.
“In which case I can certainly understand their stake first and ask questions later state of mind. It's how they survive,” Wesley philosophized.
“And the idea of a vampire in a white hat probably seems a little ‘give me a break-y’?” Cordelia pondered.
Angel shook his head at the notion of it all. “They're in over their heads. They're going to get themselves killed. If they're hunting vampires, there has to be a nest in the area. Wesley, I want you to find out where those kids live.”
Wesley nodded. “Consider it done.”
“I'm going to find that nest before they do. It'll have to be close. Probably in a 10 block area.” Angel winced as he pulled his coat on. “And it'll have to be a building with sewer access.” Angel stepped into the elevator; the pain of his wounds still hurt him considerably. He turned back with a grimace on his face and asked Cordelia, “Can I just see that check again?”
**************************
Gunn and his crew had locked him in a meat locker. Angel had tried to offer his help to them. But they refused to even trust him a little and they shoved him into this contraption. He supposed he had been worst places in his life. Like the time Darla left him in that burning barn to face Daniel Holtz alone.
Angel started banging against the door of the meat locker. It refused to budge
under his strength. Damn industrial meat lockers. He then switched to feeling the wall and found a hollow panel. After beating against it for a while, Angel managed to punch a hole in it. He sagged against the wall a bit.
Spike?
Yessss.
How’s your progress?
Just about to break into this Initiative complex. It’s strange, you know. I’m a demon. So why am I breaking into a facility that essentially is trying to end my species?
Think of it as an assignment if that’ll help.
You and your bloody do-gooder mentality. Everything is about saving a life with you. Well, I’m sorry Sire, but I can’t feel even the tiniest bit of remorse for these prats who want to experiment on us.
It’s not about saving a life, Spike. It’s about saving a soul.
That’s all well and good mate, but it’s not like I have one of those.
Angel let his forehead fall against the wall. Why oh why . . .? He thought to himself. He guessed he should be lucky that Spike had come this far. His childe had been going against his nature up to now. He hadn’t attacked the Scoobies. He was watching after Buffy, helping her when he was needed. Spike was currently breaking into a compound that housed an American version of the Demon Research Initiative. The same group which Angel had saved him from during the War.
Angel clenched his teeth in frustration. He should be there helping Spike, helping Wesley and Cordelia on another case; anything. Instead, he was stuck in this meat locker. He punched through the wall again, knocking a bigger hole in it. Sticking his hand through the hole, he tried to reach for the door handle but couldn’t. A hand reached past his bruised and bleeding knuckles and opened the door.
Cordelia leaned against the open door and asked, “Trying to open that?” When Angel peeked out, leaning against the doorjamb to look at her and Wesley, she assumed, “They locked you in, huh?”
Angel rolled his eyes. “No. I just love old meat lockers.”
Wesley’s lips thinned in a disapproving line. “You should've tried to call us on your cell phone.” When Angel gave him a sheepish expression, he went on, “You probably forgot you had it.”
Angel fished into his pocket, pulled out his cell phone out and looked at it. Spike was better with modern technology than he was. “These things hardly ever work. Besides it was a lot easier and quicker to just,” he said as he proceeded to mime the way he punched the hole through the wall. He shook the pain out of his hand. This was getting him nowhere and he had a job to do. Frustrated, he said, “Look, I'm the boss here, I say when we use the cell phones, people are going to die, and . . . I have to go.” With that, he turned and left.
“You’re welcome!” Cordelia yelled after him.
**************************
Sunnydale, the Initiative
After the spell to bring forth the First Slayer’s essence wore off, everyone dropped to the floor. Fighting could be heard outside the room designated at 314. There were demons and humans fighting each other within the facility. Spike was one of those demons, but he was fighting both species.
Spike? What’s going on? Angel’s voice sounded in his head.
This must have been what his Sire felt like while he was dealing with the obstacle course those kids put up and Spike had reached through the link. Spike punched the demon he was currently fighting in the face and watched him drop. When Angel’s voice slipped into his mind was about the time he turned to face his next opponent and the human hit him, knocking him on his ass.
Spike shook his head to clear it. Can’t talk right now, Peaches. I’m kind of in a life and death situation here.
Spike got to his feet in one smooth catlike move and twirled in a whirlwind of leather to elbow the human in the nose. He heard the satisfying crunch of the cartilage breaking and then kicked the human’s feet out from under him.
Just as long as you’re all right. I have vamps down here trying to claim my town as their territory. Angel growled.
Spike took note of the possessiveness reflected in Angel’s voice. His Sire didn’t realize he was staking claim to everything: L.A. as his town, Spike as his boy and his mate. Spike felt a tendril of excitement in the pit of his stomach, but didn’t care to analyze it just yet. He still couldn’t separate the true feelings from those brought on by the claims.
So, did you take care of them? Spike asked, keeping an eye out for anyone else.
I’m on my way to do just that. I wanted to check in with you though. I’ll talk to you soon, watch out for yourself.
Spike made an affirmative sound and went back to the task at hand. Just then, a demon started beating down the door to room 314. Spike ran toward it and jumped on its back. The demon shrugged him off, knocking him to the floor, and succeeded in breaking the door down. As soon as it cleared the doorway, Spike ran inside, jumped on it’s back again and this time, broke its neck. Spike caught himself as the demon fell to the floor.
Spike looked down at the dead demon. “Nasty sort of fellow. Lucky for you blighters I was here, eh?”
“Yes, thank you,” Giles pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“You probably just saved us so we wouldn’t stake you right here,” Xander sneered.
“Did it work?” Spike smirked. When they all ignored him as they stood up, he went on, “well then, everything’s all right. And, we all get to be not staked through the heart. Good work team.”
Buffy and Riley opened the hidden panel. While Giles and the others greeted her and chattered about the spell, Riley stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Spike. Storming across the room, Riley didn’t stop until they were inches from each other.
“Why are you here, Spike?” Riley asked angrily.
“Doing my job,” Spike said nonchalantly.
“If we didn’t need all the help we could get right now with this war going on, I swear I could kill you right now,” Riley clenched his teeth.
“Yeah, well, not before I would have killed you. You know, vampires do bite their victims. But you? I wouldn’t even bother to bite you. That thick neck
of yours has to taste like old leather. No, I wouldn’t bite you, but I would snap your head clean off your body. Remember crewcut, I’m the demon and you don’t scare me. However, I can smell the fear pouring off you.” Spike move closer and sniffed the air around Riley. “And, it smells delicious.”
Buffy stepped up between them. “Just what we need in the middle of this: more testosterone. Spike, shut up.”
Spike turned his glare on her.
Riley refocused on his surroundings. “We still got men out there.”
Buffy looked at Giles, Xander and Willow. “You guys get to the exits and get them open.”
Spike returned his glare at Riley and silently dared him to make a move when Buffy turned her attention to her boyfriend.
“Riley, organize the soldiers, pull ‘em back. I’ll take point,” Buffy commanded.
She started to walk out when Spike grabbed her arm. “I’m going with you. You need someone to watch your back and with brain-trust here rallying the soldiers, you’re only one girl, Slayer-strength notwithstanding.”
Buffy nodded and walked out of the room, knocking a demon down on the way out.
**************************
Washington, D.C.
“It was an experiment. The Initiative represented the Government's interests in not only controlling the otherworldly menace, but also harnessing its power for our own military purposes. The considered opinion of this counsel is that this experiment has failed. Once the prototype took control of the complex, our soldiers suffered a 40 percent casualty rate. It was only through the actions of the deserter and a group of civilian insurrectionists that our losses were not total. I trust the irony of that is not lost on any of us. Maggie Walsh's vision was brilliant, but ultimately unsupportable. The demons cannot be harnessed and cannot be controlled. It is therefore our recommendation that this project be terminated and all records concerning it expunged. Our soldiers will be debriefed, standard confidentiality clause. We will monitor the civilians and usual measures prepared should they try to go public. I don't think they will. The Initiative itself will be filled in with concrete. Burn it down, gentlemen. Burn it down, and salt the Earth.”
**************************
Los Angeles
While Gunn was looking out at the L.A. skyline, he thought about the day’s events and about how he felt about a vampire willing to do good deeds and help others. In his world, it had always been black and white and the bad guys were always able to be seen. Meeting Angel had turned his world upside-down. He was still lost in thought when the vampire in question silent appeared beside him.
“What are you doing here?” Gunn asked.
“Skulking professionally,” Angel replied.
Gunn turned toward him. “Look, I'm glad for what you did, okay? But, I don't need no Guardian Angel, and I don't need no talking to. It's not going to change the way things are down here, man. They're going to keep coming, and we're going to keep fighting.”
“I know,” Angel said simply.
Gunn was surprised at the quick answer. “That's it? You aren't going to talk at me, be all daddy-figure?”
Angel looked out at the night sky and asked, “What am I going to tell you that you haven't already learned?”
“I killed her,” Gunn commented.
“You didn't.”
“Near enough. She was the reason, man. How come you do it? How come you're out here?” Gunn inquired. Why would a vampire be out here fighting against his own kind?
“What else are we going do?” Angel answered. “I'll be around.”
Gunn scoffed. “I don't need any help.”
“I might.”
After a moment, Gunn looked over at Angel, but the vampire had left as silently as he arrived. |
