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How to Treat Your
Lover
by Tami
Chapter 30
Chapter 30-B: Step 2 – Understanding (Part
13)
Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel
Angel had walked around the city for two hours. His blood still felt like ice. It was starting to grate on his nerves. He entered the hotel just as the answering machine turned on.
“Hi, you’ve reached Angel Investigations. We help the hopeless. If that’s you, leave a message and we’ll get right back to you,” Cordelia’s perky voice was like needles to Angel’s agitated nerves.
He ignored it and walked up the stairs, vaguely listening to Kate’s tired voice calling him every name in the book. He shifted gears and went to the reception desk. He listened to one of her ‘woe is me’ speeches and then turned down the volume on the machine. He returned to the stairs and climbed up the flight of steps as if they were Mount Sinai.
Angel entered his room and was brought up short when he saw Spike pacing the floor with his cell phone to his ear.
“Who are you talking to?” he asked in an emotionless voice.
Spike looked over at him and heard Angel’s cell phone vibrating in his coat pocket. He quickly hung up. “I’ve been trying to call you!”
“Is that what that was? Huh, I thought it was just . . .” Angel trailed off.
“Angel, are you okay? You look like you’ve been through hell,” Spike said as he looked at his Sire and saw the bruises from the 15-story drop out of a Wolfram & Hart window.
Angel took the Band of Blacknil off his finger and held it up. He looked at it blankly. Spike stepped up and took it from him.
“What’s this?” Spike asked as he looked at the ring.
“Something I took from the Senior Partner who manifested as Klaynack demon in Wolfram & Hart,” Angel said impassively.
He shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it over the couch. Spike looked between his Sire and the ring. Angel had gone to Wolfram & Hart? Why? No wonder why he looked like hell, he went inside the belly of the beast. Angel was rubbing his arms as if he were cold. Spike put the ring down and moved closer.
“Angel?”
The dark vampire looked at his childe and mate. He shuddered as if a cold chill went through him. He grabbed Spike and hugged the smaller vampire into his body. With the sudden move, Spike found himself crushed against Angel’s chest. Then, his Sire’s lips were passionate and demanding on his mouth.
Angel pulled back for a split second. “I’m so cold, Will. I just want to feel something besides this cold, meaningless . . .”
The dark vampire leaned down and sucked Spike’s bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling on it. The blonde vampire moaned, gripping his Sire’s shoulders. Angel pressed Spike against the double doors to their bedroom and ground his erection against him. When the younger vampire opened his mouth on a gasp, Angel slipped his tongue inside.
Spike slid his hands down Angel’s sides to his waist and opened his Sire’s jeans. Angel groaned and thrust his burgeoning erection into Spike’s hand, growling softly. He reached behind his childe and opened the doors. They both fell through and landed on the floor.
Spike growled when Angel thrust against him. He felt Angel’s hard grip on his hips, holding him down as he worked himself against Spike’s groin. When Angel’s passion became suffocating, the blonde vampire wriggled out from under him and struggled to his knees.
“Where are you going?” Angel panted as he sat up on his knees as well.
“You have to slow down, Angel,” Spike said, breathing heavily.
“Please Spike, don’t you feel the cold. It feels like I have ice in my veins,” Angel said as he stared at the other vampire’s lips.
“Talk to me, pet. What happened at Wolfram & Hart?” Spike asked, his voice sounded like a hollow echo to Angel.
“It doesn’t matter,” Angel said, kissing those lips that were tempting him. “None of it matters anymore. There’s nothing left.” He nibbled on Spike’s lips, dipping his tongue inside. “Nothing but you . . .” He pulled his childe against his body again. “. . . And me.”
“Angel . . .” Spike breathed. He blinked and Angel was already stripping him of his clothes.
“Shh, Spike,” Angel whispered against his lips.
Angel pulled Spike’s shirt over his head and then pulled his own shirt off. He grabbed his boy’s hips and ground against him. He needed to get Spike’s jeans off. Angel felt so cold. Maybe it was warmer inside his childe. With that in mind, he stood up and pulled Spike to his feet. He pulled his boy’s jeans down and pushed him back on the bed. Angel pulled the Doc Martens off and then the jeans, followed by his own clothes before crawling onto the bed with his lover.
When they were eye level, Spike kissed Angel. He wrapped his arms around his Sire and pulled him down as he lay back. The way the older vampire settled into him, Spike thought Angel was trying crawl inside his skin. The dark vampire rubbed against him, thrust against him, pressing him into the bed.
“Spike, I need to be inside you. I want to feel you around me,” Angel’s voice was seductive near his ear.
“Yes, Angel,” Spike hissed.
The minute the words were out of his mouth, Spike felt Angel thrust inside him without preliminary. He growled as the pain ripped through him and thrust up against the big body, taking his Sire deeper into him. Spike had closed his eyes against the invasion. When he opened them, it was to see Angel staring at him with a ghost of a smile. Then his Sire’s mouth was on his again.
Angel attacked Spike’s mouth with a passionate kiss as he thrust hard and deep into the receptive body. When the blonde tried to reach between them to stroke himself, Angel grabbed his hands and held his wrists down on the pillow. He felt his childe wrap his legs around his waist instead, pulling him deeper.
Spike felt like he was suffocating under the onslaught of Angel’s passion. He couldn’t remember his Sire ever being like this. Angel was thrusting into him and kissing him as if he were trying to absorb him into his body. The coldness that the dark vampire had spoken of wasn’t metaphoric after all, he supposed. Angel really felt empty and devoid of anything.
“Not devoid of anything, baby boy. There’s still you,” Angel whispered as he licked along Spike’s jaw to his neck.
“Reading my mind again?” Spike gasped.
“Mmm,” Angel acknowledged. He nipped at his childe’s throat, mouthing and biting the flesh there.
Spike felt Angel nearly maul him as he was fucked quite thoroughly. There wasn’t a part of him that was left untouched by his Sire. When Angel was done with his torso, Spike found himself flipped over on his stomach. Then, he felt the dark vampire mouth kisses over his back and up his spine to his neck, causing him to shudder. When he tried to push up on his hands and knees, Angel held him down.
The dark vampire loomed over his childe and watched with disembodied interest as he slid his hand down the pale, strong back. He caressed his boy’s hip to the groin and over the flat stomach. Angel balanced himself on his knees long enough to enter Spike again and then fell forward into his childe.
“Angel! Fuck!” Spike growled as he felt his Sire thrust into him again, none too gently.
Angel didn’t answer. Instead, he licked an S-trail up Spike’s spine and over his shoulders to nibble a raw lesion on his boy’s neck. Then, he licked the wound until it healed again. Angel grabbed Spike around the waist and held him against his body as he thrust harder and deeper. His tempo increased with Spike’s grunts and growls. God, he loved hearing that. When it sounded like Spike was near orgasm, he grabbed the blonde’s erection and stopped it.
“Bloody hell, Angel, let me come!” Spike growled as he thrust back with his Sire’s actions.
Angel slid out of him, much to Spike’s distress and moved to lie beside him. Then, his Sire pulled him over on top of him. Angel gripped his shoulders and thrust up into him, causing Spike to groan. The blonde vampire felt his Sire place his feet on the bed and use the leverage to pound up into him hard and fast until Spike was bouncing on the thrusts.
“Oh, yeah . . . yeeaaahhh, fuck . . . right there, Angel . . . fuck me!” Spike encouraged as his Sire hit his prostate just right from this angle.
Angel lifted his head up to mouth Spike’s exposed throat. “You like that, baby boy? You like when I fuck you like this? When I take possession of you? I know you do. I can feel it against my stomach. It makes you so fucking hard, doesn’t it?”
“God, yes!” Spike hissed. He’d agree to anything his Sire said as long as he kept hitting that spot.
Angel felt his darker half laugh evilly in his head at the knowledge that he made Spike admit to something. To Angelus that was a sign of weakness, even if was only a small bit. Spike’s nipples were already sore from Angel’s attention. However, that didn’t stop Angel from gaining a small thrill at hearing his childe cry out and whimper when he pinched and tugged on the nubs.
Spike tried to scramble away from the torturous fingers and climb off his Sire. Angel followed and tossed him onto his back across the width of the bed. Once he had Spike where he wanted him, he thrust his cock deeper into the pliant body.
“Bloody hell, Angel!” Spike cursed as he writhed under the body that trapped him.
Angel laid over him, kissing his neck and chest. Spike wrapped his legs around the elder vampire’s waist and gripped his arms, clutching at his Sire’s shoulders. Angel was mumbling something against Spike’s neck that he couldn’t quite make out. When the dark vampire propped up on his forearms, Spike clutched at his Sire’s shoulders. He dug his nails into Angel’s back as the elder vampire continued to move inside him almost desperately.
“Sire!” Spike yelled when he felt Angel coat his insides and sink blunt teeth into the skin of his neck.
Angel sank onto Spike’s body, pressing his childe into the mattress. He raised his head and peppered a sharp cheekbone with small licks. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Spike was shocked at the quiet words. What was Angel thanking him for? He grimaced when he felt his Sire slide out of his sensitized body and lay beside him.
“Ange?” Spike inquired, “Are you . . .?”
“The world’s going to hell and there’s nothing I can do to stop it,” Angel cut in. “Darla’s going to die soon and Buffy’s going to keep fighting. Dru’s going to have to be moved somewhere safe.”
Spike tensed at Angel’s words. He was more worried about his women than he was of good old Spike. The one he’s mated to, the one he just had sex with. Is Angel worried about his welfare? No. He’s worried about everyone else. Spike thought maybe this thing they had meant something more. Maybe it didn’t to Angel. Maybe it was like a business deal. His Sire controlled him with the claims and got him to do his dirty work while Angel got to play the role of Greatest American Hero only Angel was better at it than William Katt.
“Then you. Wolfram & Hart will use anything to get to me, including my own family. I want to protect you, Will, but at the same time . . . . The mate claim needs to be nurtured. I’m not ready to give that up, not after all we’ve been through.”
“So, this is a status thing for you?” Spike asked, angry at Angel for making assumptions and plans about his life. “Hate to break it to you, peaches. But, I don’t need you to take care of me. I’ve done just fine on my own for years, even managed to take care of Dru. I may be mated to you and you are my Sire, but I’m not helpless, weak or a kept boy.”
Angel raised his head and looked confused at Spike for a moment. “I never said you were a kept boy. I thought after all this time we were partners in this, that we were equals after a century of rivalry. And yes, I worry about Buffy, but not in the way you think I do. As for Darla and Dru, they’re family. We’re loyal to blood if nothing else, right?”
Spike stared back for a moment, taking in the words. Angel was never good with words which would explain his fumbling with an apology to placate Spike.
“Besides, you’re my boy even if you aren’t a kept one. I’d be broke within the week if I did that,” Angel commented. When Spike tossed a pillow at him and turned away, Angel chuckled.
“’M not expensive to keep, just have needs,” Spike grumbled.
“Tivo and a game boy are not necessities, Spike,” Angel pointed out.
“Says the person who didn’t have a TV until I started staying here. This is the twenty-first century, come into it,” Spike patronized.
“I prefer reading and helping the helpless to watching Passions ,” Angel made a face at the mention of the soap opera.
“Like me!” Spike said cheekily.
That earned him a smack on the ass. “You’re not helpless, you’re hopeless!”
**************************
A few hours later, the curtains billowed in the wind from the thunderstorm that had suddenly materialized, even if the weatherman didn’t predict one for Los Angeles. There were books, discarded clothes and the bottle of lubricant strewn all over the floor. The vampires were sound asleep. Spike lay on his stomach with his arms under the pillow and the sheet draped over his hips. Angel was on his side on the curled toward the blonde vampire. He was deep in dreamland when the scene changed into something else.
Darla came out of the shadows wearing a white form-fitting dress. There was a golden glow behind her. It was bright enough to make a halo around her figure. Angel had never seen her in such light before. Even the daylight didn’t illuminate her the way she was now.
Angel was afraid to touch her when she came closer. She was mere inches away from him and yet she still retained the golden halo.
“You’re beautiful,” Angel said reverently.
“It’s my destiny,” Darla said with a small smile.
“What is?” Angel asked confused.
“I told you. I can finally die like I was supposed to. I’m come to terms with that. I’m ready to go,” Darla said.
“No! You can’t go yet. I don’t want your final death to be in L.A. It’s too dangerous for you there,” Angel said adamantly, shaking his head.
“Dear boy, I’m not going this second, but it’s getting close to that time when I will have to,” Darla said.
Angel barely felt the tears that slid down his cheeks. He didn’t even realize he was crying until she raised her hand and wiped them away. He held her hand to his cheek.
“Don’t cry for me. Lord knows I’ve done so much in the years I’ve been given. I’ve caused so much destruction. We both have. You should be happy, dear boy. You set out to save me,” Darla was saying when he cut her off.
“No I haven’t. You’re dying. How can that mean that I saved you?” Angel protested.
“But it does. You were there from the beginning. You saved me from loneliness when I made you. You tried to restore my life with the trials and now you’re allowing me to die, saving me from this life. That’s more than I could ever ask,” Darla assured him.
Angel knew it was the soul in her that was saying these things, because the Darla he knew was cold, harsh and unyielding.
As if she were reading his thoughts, Darla smiled at him. “I had to be to survive, Angel. I could never let my guard down. Not when I was human, then or now, and definitely not when I was a vampire. I would have been eaten alive . . . literally.”
Angel just stared at her, clutching her hand to his cheek.
“I’ll be fine, Angel. Once I’m gone you won’t have to worry about me.” She was quiet for a moment before saying, “Spike is the perfect choice. He took care of Drusilla for a century. He can handle himself. He’s yours in every way, so much so that he imitates you whether he wants to acknowledge it or not. I’ll go with him back to Sunnydale. He’ll take care of me. He’ll take care of everything, but himself. You have to do that, Angel. You may be his Sire and his elder, but now you are mated. You wouldn’t have ever done that if you weren’t able to take on the responsibility that a mate requires. He’s not a possession or a loyal animal. If our relationship meant anything, promise me that you’ll keep Dru and Spike safe. They are the last of us, dear boy.”
“I promise. I know I haven’t been the best mate to him. I’ve treated him as a Sire would a childe. He deserves more than that. He deserves more than someone who’s bent on seeking revenge. Yet, I know he’ll follow me to the end,” Angel said.
“But, would you follow him?” Darla asked. “He needs to know you care. Maybe when I’m gone, you’ll have a chance to show him . . . and Drusilla as well. You know what they say, dear boy? Vengeance is best served cold. It isn’t something that will warm your bed at night . . . figuratively speaking.”
“Sire,” Angel whispered reverently.
“Not anymore. You have no need for me anymore. It’s time for me to move on. I’ll see you again, dear boy,” Darla’s voice echoed as she faded away. When the golden light faded to black, Angel was thrust out of the dream.
A loud crack of thunder boomed outside, rattling the windows and Angel suddenly sat up with a gasp. He looked around erratically. There was no one there. He nearly gave himself whiplash when he turned to see Spike sound asleep beside him. He breathed a sigh of relief at that.
Angel tossed the covers aside, put on a pair of pajama pants and went to the adjacent room. He crept inside and stood at the bedroom doorway. Drusilla was curled up alongside Darla with her cheek against Darla’s head as if she were cradling a child. In retrospect, Drusilla probably thought of Darla along those lines.
Angel stood there and listened to the shallow breathing and faint heartbeat. She was dying and he could do nothing to stop it. He remembered the dream. She had told him that she was ready to go. This was her time. Finally, she could be free of this life.
Angel walked over to her side of the bed, leaned down and kissed her feverish forehead. When he straightened again, he saw that Drusilla’s eyes were open.
“I was just checking on her,” Angel explained in a soft voice.
Drusilla nodded.
“You’ll be leaving soon. It’s the only way to protect you right now,” Angel went on.
Drusilla nodded again.
“Darla is going to a better place too. Like the heaven the Church taught you about,” Angel said.
“But, there is no heaven for demons,” Drusilla whispered back.
“Darla is human now, baby girl. She doesn’t have a demon. She has a good chance at heaven. At least as good as any other human,” Angel said, trying to explain.
“I know, but we have a demon. Would we able to join her when we turn to dust?” Drusilla asked in her little girl voice. She looked down at the sleeping woman next to her and wondered aloud, “Or will she be lonely in heaven without her family?”
Angel shook his head and walked around the bed. He sat down when Drusilla made room for him and leaned back against the pillows and headboard, wrapping an arm around Drusilla’s shoulders as she curled into his side.
He was silent for a while considering Drusilla’s question. Would any of his vampire family be allowed in heaven? He was the only one with a soul. Even then, it fought with his demon constantly trying to maintain control. Would Drusilla, Spike or himself ever be admitted to the hallowed ground? He has existed for over two-hundred years and he didn’t have the answers to his own fate, let alone that of his childer or Darla.
Drusilla was caressing his stomach with her fingertips as she waited for Angel to answer her. She often thought about what would become of her after she was long gone. Would her tortured spirit ascend to heaven or would her demon pull it down with him when he descended to hell. The church has very definitive distinctions between the two. If you’re good and do everything you’re told, you go to heaven. But, if you did anything bad, anything that could be construed as evil, you were one step closer to hell and damnation. Then, again maybe there was just a big black hole of nothing and the spirit just ended when its host died.
“I think my demon would like hell more than heaven.” She looked up at Angel with a curious expression. “But you have a soul. What will happen to you?”
Hell if I know. Depends on how well I fared on the karmic scorecard that the Powers That Be keep on me. To Drusilla, he replied, “Don’t worry Dru. Even if we cannot go, heaven is full of love. They will welcome Darla.”
Angel got to his feet and tucked Drusilla back in, leaning over to kiss her soft, cool cheek. Then he quietly left the room and returned to his bedroom. He removed the pajama pants and crawled into bed. He lay on his back, stared at the ceiling and listened to the storm outside.
Never in a million years did he ever think that he would have a discussion on existentialism. With Drusilla of all people! Wasn’t
it ironic that it was Dru? She was the one who saw visions of the future. She spoke a lot about burning fish and cherubs and naming the stars. She told him about things that were happening even before he knew about it. Most of the time, she was accurate. If it were Spike, he would say that Drusilla was right all the time. But then Spike was biased.
“Angel?” Spike inquired sleepily.
“Tomorrow we’re getting Darla and Dru out of here. It’s time,” Angel said.
“Okay,” Spike replied.
Angel looked over at his childe. Spike was snuggled into the pillow and his eyes were closed. He was going to miss his boy. Spike had been with him for a couple of months now. The hotel was going to be empty without him. Angel was so used to sleeping with the blonde vampire next to him. When this was over, he had a lot to make up for with Spike.
“You’re not going to argue with me over it?” Angel asked.
“Not when I should bloody well be sleeping instead of yapping,” Spike answered annoyed.
Angel reached over and ran his fingers through the stiffened ringlets that had come loose in sleep.
“Angel, what are you doing?” Spike asked, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“I know I haven’t treated you as I should. I’ll make it up to you someday.”
Spike opened his eyes, raised his head and glared at his Sire. “Have you been drinking mate?”
“No, I haven’t been drinking. I’ve been talking with Dru,” Angel said.
“Oh, I bet that was insightful and entertaining,” Spike said wryly.
“She has a lot to say when you actually listen to the nonsense,” Angel mused.
“I’ve known that forever,” Spike smirked, rolling his eyes.
His Sire wasn’t telling him something that he didn’t already know. He and Drusilla used to talk for hours about everything when it was just the two of them. She listened to Spike’s half-cocked plans with interest and he listened to her premonitions. Sometimes they talked about the old days when she missed her Daddy. Other times, it was about making plans on where they wanted to travel next. They made love too. Sometimes Drusilla punished
him for something Miss Edith said he did wrong. Other times, it was slow, sweet and loving. That thought led to another concerning a time when Angel would actually slow down and go easy on him during sex. But, he didn’t hold out hope that it would be soon.
“Oh, fuck!” Angel yelled.
“Now what?” Spike inquired, and then wiggled his eyebrows. “Wanna go again?”
“No!” Angel answered all-too-quickly. At Spike’s scowl, he hurried to reply, “There’s something I have to do.” He got out of bed and put on pants and a shirt and searched for his shoes. “Kate, she called when I walked in, but the answering machine caught it.”
Spike climbed out of bed and put his clothes on as Angel found his shoes. “Angel, she barely likes you, why would she call you.”
“To blame me for her life, but it was different. I think she did something stupid,” Angel said. He threw on his duster and glanced at Spike. “The girls are asleep. Do you want to stay here or come with me?”
“Eh, she likes me even less than she likes you,” Spike said.
Angel nodded. He pulled Spike against him by the shirt and kissed him. Angel almost forgot about going to save Kate from herself. Especially, when Spike slipped his tongue into his mouth and pressed against him. He groaned when Spike’s hands grabbed his ass through his jeans and ground against him. Angel could feel their cocks pressed together through the denim material and his childe move against him.
“Mmm, I have to go . . . do that . . . mmm . . .” Angel gave a sexy growl into the kiss, “vampire detective thing. Fuck!”
Spike had worked his hand into the waistband of Angel’s pants and was rubbing the pre-seminal fluid around the head of his cock. There was an unmanly squeak from Spike when his Sire tweaked a nipple through his shirt. The dark vampire finally broke away and pulled Spike’s hand out of his pants.
“Later, much later . . .” Angel said distractedly. “Save the day now, sex later . . .”
**************************
Los Angeles, Kate Lockley’s Apartment
Angel banged on the door to Kate’s apartment. “Kate. Kate! Kate, open the door! Kate!”
Angel kicked in the door and was momentarily surprised when he was able to go through it without a barrier blocking him. He didn’t have time to dwell on that though. He saw Kate lying on the floor, unconscious. There was a steady beeping coming from the phone next to her, beside an empty whisky bottle and scattered pill bottles and pills.
“Kate?” Angel ran across the room and fell to his knees beside her. He pressed his fingers to the side of her neck. When he didn’t feel anything, he waved his hand in front of her nose and mouth.
Still nothing.
This was one of the disadvantages to being dead: along with having no pulse, you also didn’t have breath. As a last resort, Angel picked Kate up and carried her into the shower stall, fully clothed. He set her on her feet and turned the shower on. He stood in the shower holding her up under the spray. After a few moments, Kate came to, coughing as the water got into her mouth.
“All right. Cough,” he encouraged her as he brushed the wet hair off her face. “That’s it. Come on.”
When she was able to stand on her own two feet, Angel turned the shower off and got a towel to dry her off. She excused herself to get into dry clothes and said, “Thanks. Now, get out.”
Angel stood there dumbstruck as she walked past him. He saved her life, the least she could do was – no, he shouldn’t expect anything from her. Why should he? All they’ve ever done was clash horns, and it got worse when she discovered what he was. He looked at her and then quietly left the apartment, gently closing the door behind him.
**************************
Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel
Angel slammed through the door of his hotel and jogged up the stairs. He ground his teeth in aggravation. Damn Kate! That woman would rather die in a burning house than be saved by him. So what if he was five hours late in saving her and had to nearly drown her in the shower to revive her? He was spending quality time with his mate. His life was a mess right now. He knew that just as he knew who was responsible for the current disaster that it was in. Lindsey and Lilah, and even if his little vendetta was over now? That still wouldn’t stop him from hunting those two pains in his ass down and making their lives just as much of a hell as his was. The rest of them didn’t understand that, even that lounge singing demon. Spike at least understood that family had to be avenged.
Angel went to his suite and went straight to the telephone book. He scanned the pages for a number. He heard the sounds of Drusilla’s tinkling voice coming from his bedroom. Being a demon on a mission, he had to ignore them. Spike probably had her in there to keep her occupied and away from Darla. Drusilla was a good mummy – uh, mommy – but she wasn’t to be completely trusted around a human, even if it was her former Grandsire.
Plans formulated in Angel’s head as he flipped through the pages. Deal with one crisis at a time, right? First, he had to get Drusilla safely out of L.A. Then, he’d work on getting Darla out. Then, he’d work on Spike. Angel’s mind went to just exactly how he’d do that: chain his gorgeous childe to the bed and have his wicked way with him. Oh yeah, there was definitely going to be work done there. First, he’ll explore every crevice with his tongue, and then trace it with his fingers. Maybe he could draw Spike. Angel hadn’t drawn in a while. Where was he? Ah, finding some place for Drusilla. He picked up the phone and dialed.
An hour later, Angel hung up and went to his bedroom. He opened the door to find his childer in his bed, half-dressed. They were beautiful to watch when they were together. He didn’t have any time for that, though. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t have any time left. At least, not before Lindsey got his head out of his ass and came after them. Then again, if he thought about it that way . . . he had all the time in the world, didn’t he?
No! If Angel knew Lindsey as well as he thought, the lawyer was predictable. Lindsey would bide his time and then have his goons try to break into the hotel and take Darla, dying body or not.
“Get dressed and come on,” Angel said. The words came out in more of a demand than a request.
Spike and Drusilla looked over at him. “What’s going on?” Spike asked.
“I found place for Drusilla. She’ll be safe from Lindsey and Lilah at least, and definitely safe from those army punks that were in Sunnydale, and all the blood she could ever want,” Angel replied.
“Oh and where would that be, Outer Mongolia?” Spike scoffed.
“No, Wolfram & Hart have a branch there,” Angel replied nonchalantly as he tossed their shirts to them.
“How do you know that?” Spike asked as he shrugged his shirt on.
“’Cause, Spike, I do my homework on the prey I hunt,” Angel replied agitated.
“Well, well, aren’t you just the modern day Sherlock Holmes,” Spike commented.
“That’s the definition of ‘Vampire Detective’. I detect,” Angel said.
Once they were dressed and had a couple of bags packed for Drusilla. There was a tearful goodbye between Drusilla and Spike. Angel felt bad about sending her away, but there was nothing he could do about it. She wasn’t safe here, none of them were. He gave her a hug, crushing her to him and then put her in the cab he had called earlier.
“Do you think she’ll make it out of L.A. without problems, like say an ominous carjacking?” Spike asked.
“Yes, she’ll be fine,” Angel said heading for the door. Just as he was about to go into the Hyperion, the Host was hurriedly walking up the sidewalk, calling his name. He stopped and waited for the green demon.
“Angel! I’m glad I caught you,” the Host said breathless from the sprint.
“What is it this time? Did hell open up and let loose a gaggle of goblins to end the world?” Angel asked in a harassed tone.
“Now, is that any way to treat a friend?” the Host asked.
“We were friends?” Angel countered.
“Well, we could be if you would get rid of the ‘death to everyone’ attitude,” the Host said.
Angel crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the demon. Spike was standing
next to him, curious to know why the lounge singer had tracked his Sire down. When the Host got closer he smiled as he looked between them.
“So, you finally let the dream lover out of the bedroom huh? Well, aren’t you just a hunk of gorgeousness, lamb-chop,” the Host said as he looked Spike over. “My, my, there’s a not a flaw on him. Even that scar on his brow is just --”
Angel stepped in front of his boy blocking the Host’s view and maybe terminating the scrutiny that the green demon was going about lasciviously. “Ahem,” when that got the Host’s attention, Angel prompted, “Why are you here?”
“You’re just full of pleasantries these days aren’t you?” the Host asked. When Angel only stared at him waiting for him to go on, he gave a stressed sigh. “Fine. Those kids you were surrounding yourself with a couple of months ago. You know the ones that helped you fight evil? You do remember them right?”
Angel rolled his eyes at another barb on his attitude of late. “Yes, I remember them. Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on or do I have to --”
“Whoa, Angel, you don’t wanna finish that sentence. You’ll scare the friendly little demon away,” Spike cut in with a placating gesture. He turned to the demon. “You’ll have to forgive peaches here. He’s had a hard day’s night.” Spike closed his eyes and shook his head at the Beatles reference he just made, and then looked at the Host. “Anyway, what do you got for us, mate?”
“Isn’t that just the attitude that got you where you are now?” the Host asked, addressing Angel. “I think I’m speaking for everyone when I say if all you’re going to do is be mean and evil, at least wear the leather pants you have hidden away in your closet.”
“Okay, fine,” Angel said, and then switched to a patronizing tone. “Hello, how may I help you today?”
“Well, if all you’re going to do is --” the Host stared to say.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?” Angel yelled.
“Scream,” the Host finished.
“Either tell me why you’re here and not to discuss any part of my life or go away,” Angel said aggravated.
“Best to say what’s on your mind, mate and don’t tease the feral vampire,” Spike said.
“I got word on what’s been going over at Junior Angel, Inc. and the word isn’t all that good. Or maybe the connection I have isn’t?” the Host said.
“And any day now I’ll know!” Angel growled.
“Their chances on living through the night aren’t good. The word is that there’s a band of Skilosh demons that are after them for killing their hell spawn,” Lorne said.
“Where?” Angel asked.
“Somewhere up in the canyon,” the Host said.
“You just let this stuff trickle out, don’t you?” Spike asked.
**************************
Los Angeles, Wesley’s Apartment
Wesley rolled around his apartment in his wheelchair with a stack of books in his lap. He set them on an end table, oblivious to the Skilosh demon outside his window watching him with the third eye in the back of its head. Wesley picked up some dishes and put them in his lap. He was wheeling towards the kitchen, but stopped when he heard banging on his door and an indistinct, upset voice talking. He shrugged, telling himself it was the neighbors fighting again and continued on towards the kitchen. The banging became more insistent and the voice got louder, though not much clearer.
Wesley quickly rolled his chair back against the wall, ignoring the dishes spilling from his lap in the process. He looked around and saw the saw the Skilosh demon outside his window just ducking away. Wesley rolled over to a walk-in closet and, after having some trouble he opened the closet door and wheeled inside. When he couldn’t quite reach the shelf above his clothes rack, Wesley tried to stand up only to sink back into the wheelchair with a groan.
He grabbed a broom and used its handle to move the shotgun resting on the top shelf. It fell and hit him on the head, but he managed to hold onto it and load it. After he loaded two shells into the double barrel and cocked the weapon, he rolled back out of the closet and stopped with his back to the door that lead out of his apartment.
Wesley aimed the gun at the window, then at the doorways leading to other rooms in turn and back again, looking for the Skilosh demon. Just then, the door behind him crashed open, surprising him and he spun the wheelchair around, gun aimed one-handed to find Angel standing in the hallway.
“Angel!” Wesley said with a mixture of surprise and relief.
Angel stared past Wesley to the Skilosh demon standing outside the window. But, the vampire didn’t come in.
“Invite me in!” Angel insisted. “I’ve never been here before, Wesley, you have to invite me in!”
Wesley took exception to Angel’s tone, lowered his weapon and proceeded to read him the riot act, momentarily forgetting the Skilosh demon trying to break into his apartment. “Well, perhaps if you’d shown a bit of interest . . .”
“Wesley . . .” Angel growled impatiently as he watched his opponent across the room.
Wesley turned to look over his shoulder at what had caught Angel’s attention just as one of the Skilosh demons crashed in through the window. That made him change his tune real quick, nearly tripping over his tongue as he said, “Yes. No. Absolutely, I invite you in. In I invite you!”
The second the words were spoken, Angel rushed past Wesley, spinning his chair around in the process and attacked the demons.
“Do you know what these things are?” Angel choked as he fought them.
“I believe the third eye indicates adult Skilosh, though this is the first time I’ve had occasion to . . .” Wesley started to explain.
Having temporarily subdued the demons by knocking them across the room, Angel leaned down on Wesley’s chair and asked, “How do I kill them?”
“Well, uhm, there are a number of ways . . .” Wesley stammered.
Just then, one of the Skilosh demons tackled Angel away from Wesley and knocked him into the wall.
“Wesley!” Angel yelled in irritation.
“Right, right, yes, uh, ah,” Wesley stammered as another Skilosh grabbed him by the neck. He choked, “Hack it to pieces!”
Angel grabbed an ax mounted on one of the walls, kicked his opponent away and knocked the other demon away from Wesley with the ax. Then, he sliced it to pieces with the ax, splattering the walls with thick yellow gore.
The second Skilosh launched itself at Wesley who held up his shotgun and fired without thinking. More yellow gore splattered his face as the demon was thrown back by the blast. Wesley looked at it lying on the floor. There was a light steam coming from it and plaster was falling from the ceiling from the blast.
“I think I got it,” Wesley said triumphantly. He took his glasses off and squinted thoughtfully at the ceiling. “I can only pray that Mrs. Starns isn’t at home. What are you doing here?”
**************************
Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel
After locating Wesley, Angel and he went to Angel Investigations new offices and searched for clues as to where Cordelia went. That’s where Gunn found them before they went to the Sharps’ residence.
Well, Wesley and Gunn made it to the Sharps’ house. Angel got sidetracked by Lindsey McDonald, lawyer with a vendetta. After being run over and beaten by Lindsey, Angel knocked him out and stole his truck to get to the Sharps’ home. Once Cordelia was out of danger, Angel returned the truck to Lindsey with a note and limped back home.
Angel was currently pacing the lobby at 2 a.m. getting things settled to move Darla. He hadn’t been upstairs yet. Since no one was around to make sure nothing was stolen, he was shutting down and locking up everything. That’s how Gunn found him when he walked into the hotel.
“So, that’s it? You just save people when you’re called?” Gunn asked accusingly. When Angel seemingly ignored him, he went on. “We could have used your help with a case.”
“It looked like you could handle yourselves and I had things to do,” Angel said.
“What happened to the mission? When I met you, you were all ‘a vampire on a mission to save the helpless’. Now, you’re all ‘couldn’t care less about anything, let alone the mission’,” Gunn said.
“I am on a mission to help the helpless,” Angel said agitated.
“You’re helping a former vampire and losing sight of what’s real!” Gunn said critically.
“I’m doing my job! I’m sorry if it’s not some human that’s more downtrodden than Darla, but that’s how it is. She’s family. She and Spike are my priority. I know you three don’t get that, but until I know she’s safe, this is what I’m focusing on,” Angel said angrily.
“What about us? Don’t you even care anymore?” Gunn asked.
“Yes, I care. I cared enough to fire you all. None of you would understand that this is family and whether Cordelia and Wes like it or not, I’m dealing with it as I see fit,” Angel said.
“You’ve turned it into a vendetta!” Gunn stated.
“I didn’t do anything. They were the ones, Wolfram & Hart turned this into a vendetta, not me,” Angel said defensively. He turned to face Gunn. “If you guys still want to work with me, fine. But where my family is concerned, it’s best just to stay out of my way.”
With that, Angel stomped up the stairs to Darla’s room, leaving Gunn in the lobby. His anger dissipated somewhat when he saw Spike sitting beside Darla, holding her hand. He never expected to see that image. Spike and Darla barely tolerated each other at the best of times. Yet, there was Spike comforting her. The two blondes looked over at him when he walked into the bedroom.
“Nothing like law firm revenge and an incurable disease to bring this family closer,” Angel observed gruffly.
He went to a closet, pulled out a duffel bag, threw it on the bed and started to fill it with all of Darla’s belongings. Spike and Darla watched him for a moment, gauging his mood. Something happened downstairs with Gunn. Spike’s sensitive hearing had picked up the argument and he relayed a minimum of detail to Darla. Now, he was watching his Sire angrily stuff Darla’s things into a bag.
“You want to let us in on what you’re doing, mate?” Spike asked.
“Getting you and Darla out of here, she’s getting worse. There’s nothing I can do for her here that won’t alert Lindsey as to her whereabouts,” Angel said.
“It’s not like he doesn’t know where she is already,” Spike pointed out.
Angel looked up from his task, exasperated. “Yeah, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets to her if she stays here. I won’t let that happen. We are getting her to Sunnydale before he can get his hands on her and before she dies.”
“Like he got his hands on you?” Spike asked as he looked at the bruises on Angel’s face. “What did he hit you with anyway?”
“A 1956 Ford Truck in Flame or Fiesta Red . . . or could have been Mandarin Orange,” Angel said casually.
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh and you did what with it?”
“I knocked him out, smashed the truck through a house of Skilosh demons and gave it back to him,” Angel shrugged as he zipped up the bag. “We have to go. Now.”
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