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How to Treat Your
Lover
by Tami
Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Step 2 – Understanding (Part
16)
Sunnydale, California
Tonight was the big showdown. Buffy had timed their attack on Glory around the moment that she would try to open the portal to get back to her home dimension. Buffy and Giles had argued over what would have to be done should Glory succeed. Buffy wouldn’t listen to anything remotely sounding like they were going to have to kill Dawn in order to close the portal. After that, she took Spike back to the house to collect weapons and forced a promise to protect Dawn with his unlife. He grudgingly agreed upon threat of a dusty ending.
The Scoobies tried to storm the structure, but there were too many of Glory’s minions to fight. Willow and Buffy had managed to get close enough to her. Willow used magic to give Tara her mind back. Buffy used the opportunity to pummel Glory while she was disoriented from the reverse brain-suck. While she was busy with that, Willow used magic to telepathically communicate with Spike and direct him to where he could be the most useful. However, he wasn’t in time to stop any harm befalling Dawn. The demon-doctor that Dawn had gone to for a spell to bring her mother back was cutting her up instead. Spike intervened for all of two minutes, but the doctor threw him over the side of the platform.
Buffy was preoccupied with fighting Glory on the unstable structure of the platform. Though, she refused to kill the person whose body the God had inhabited. Giles killed him instead. After writing the God’s mortal vessel off, she raced up the platform to get to Dawn, knocking Glory’s minions off the structure when they got in her way. She didn’t even hesitate when she got to the top and saw the demon doctor there. She just pushed him off the platform.
In the end, it was too late. The portal had opened with Dawn’s blood. After leaving Dawn with a goodbye message to her friends, not including Spike and how he’d tried to help her, Buffy jumped into the ball of energy. Current after current zinged through her, electrocuting her body while she fell through it and plummeted two hundred and fifty feet to her death on the rubble below.
**************************
Pylea
Cordelia tied the strings on her cloak and walked down the throne steps, across the room. She smiled on her trek down the aisle as the newly-established common wealth citizens on both sides bowed down and reverently said, “Your majesty.” The crew fell in behind her as she left the throne room.
“Should people be bowing in a free society?” Wesley inquired.
“These things take time,” Cordelia replied.
However, Cordelia didn’t leave empty-handed. When they located the hidden car, she got in the back seat with Wesley and Lorne with her arms full of jewels and treasure from the castle.
They all looked at her as if she were crazy – including Fred. Cordelia looked back innocently. “What? I wanted to take a few things back with me. You know, as mementos of being a real princess.”
They rolled their eyes and Fred, who was sitting between Angel and Gunn in the front seat, opened the books they took from the castle and recited the words to open the portal back home.
**************************
Los Angeles, Caritas
A slight wind tinkled the glasses in a deserted Caritas. The curtain behind the stage started to move and billow. White spots of light appeared and coalesced to form a portal. Angel’s convertible barreled through it with Angel, Fred, and Gunn in the front and Lorne, Cordy and Wesley in the back, all of them screaming. Angel managed to stop the car as it crashed through the tables in front of the stage and rammed into the bar.
“You know,” Lorne commented as he looked at the destruction from the backseat, “I’ve been thinking about remodeling the bar.” He climbed out of the car and headed for the alcohol. “Who’s up for a nightcap?”
“Hey! Where are my trinkets?!” Cordelia cried as she glanced around in a half-hearted search.
“Maybe it’s like the book, they didn’t come through the portal when you did?” Gunn suggested.
“Well, that just sucks,” Cordelia pouted.
The team got out of the car, save for Fred and Angel. Angel carefully backed the car up and turned it towards the double exit doors on the far side of the club. Gunn and Wesley moved the tables and debris out of the way, giving Angel a clear path to drive through the double doors that they had opened and out to the street. The gang stayed for one round of drinks, and then headed back to the hotel, without Lorne.
**************************
Los Angeles, Hyperion
The group walked through the garden court of the hotel. Cordelia and Fred were huddled together discussing the great things about being back in Los Angeles.
“Are – are you sure about that?” Fred asked hesitantly.
“Trust me,” Cordelia replied. “Tacos are everywhere . . . and soap!”
Behind them, Gunn slapped Wesley on the shoulder. “Yo, that portal jumping is a fun ride. If we sell it to a theme park, we could get paid!”
Angel, who was bringing up the rear of the entourage, pushed to the front to get to the doors leading into the hotel itself with a smile on his face. “Okay. Can I say it? I want to say it!”
“Say what?” Wesley asked.
Angel pushed the double doors open and walked into the lobby, saying, “There’s no place like . . .”
He trailed off when he saw Willow sitting hunched up on one of the chairs in the lobby. His smile vanished as she looked up at him.
“Willow?”
“What’s . . .?” Cordelia started to say as she walked in after Angel with a smile on her face, which quickly disappeared when she looked up to see who was there.
Willow slowly stood up, never taking her eyes off of Angel.
“It’s Buffy,” Angel said quietly. He rushed down the steps and over to Willow, grabbing her shoulders. “What happened?”
“We were fighting the latest Big Bad who happened to be a God and she tried to use Dawn’s blood to open a portal to her home dimension. But, we found out that the only way to close it was if Dawn died,” Willow was explaining.
“That was not my fault,” Fred said quietly, feeling that she would be blamed for unwittingly opening another portal.
Willow glanced over at the petite girl who spoke and back at Angel. “Buffy jumped into the portal to close it and fell to her death.”
Angel stared at her dumbstruck. “Buffy’s dead?”
“I’m sorry, Angel. I know how much she meant to you. I felt that I needed to let you know what happened,” Willow said apologetically.
Angel’s grip on her shoulders tightened. “What about Spike? What happened to Spike? I left him there to watch out for her, help her.”
Willow shook her head in surprise. Angel was worried about Spike? She came here to tell him about the love of his life. To let the love of her best friend’s life know what happened and he was asking about Spike?
Angel took her negative response as the answer that his boy had dusted and he hadn’t felt it because he was in a different dimension. “Oh God. He’s gone! My baby boy is gone? Willow . . . is he dust? Where are his ashes? Why didn’t you bring them to me?”
Willow was still shocked that he would worry about the vampire that had been a collective pain in their ass. She just stared at him as if she didn’t recognize him. “Spike? Why are you worried about Spike?”
“He’s not gone?” Angel asked, sounding hopeful.
“No. He’s been holed up in the mansion since he helped bury Buffy. He occasionally helps us patrol, but generally stays to himself,” Willow told him.
Angel had never been so relieved in all his life. His childe wasn’t dust. He was all right. Then, Angel remembered how he had left abruptly.
“How long has it been Willow? How long have we been gone?” Angel asked anxiously.
“A week maybe,” Willow answered, still confused.
“Oh God,” Angel commented. He let her go as he stepped back. He had left Spike alone for a week with no word. He had left Spike with Darla dying. Fuck! Darla was possibly dead now. And Spike had to . . . He glanced at his team assembled on the stairs leading to the lobby. He gave them an apologetic expression. “I have to go . . . to Sunnydale. He probably thinks the worst. I didn’t mean to leave him for so long. I’m sorry.” With that, Angel ran up the stairs to pack a bag.
Willow looked at the stairs where Angel disappeared. “What was that about?”
“Who’s Spike?” Fred asked.
Cordelia looked up the stairs as well, replying, “His mate.”
“He was mated to Spike?” Willow screeched in disbelief. “But, his big love was Buffy! Why would he mate with a soulless vampire? Spike’s tried to kill him more than once. Spike had tried to kill us all at one time or another. Why would he want to mate with the person who’s tried to kill him and Buffy, for that matter?”
“He’s already mated?” Fred asked sadly. That changed things a bit. She’d never been in a position of unrequited love before. Now that she was, it felt like the breath was knocked out of her.
“Yes. I don’t know the details of their relationship. Just that he had claimed Spike as a way to control him and sent him to help Buffy. I think the mating thing snuck up on them both. They’ve been inseparable, figuratively – and sometimes literally – since it happened. Pylea was the first they’ve been . . . away from each other in two years,” Wesley explained.
Just then, Angel came galloping down the stairs with an overnight bag and a few small weapons. He dropped them at the bottom of the stairs on the final landing and looked at his team.
“I’m sorry that I’m leaving so soon guys. Can you please hold down the fort until I get back?” Angel requested.
“Sure, bro. You’re covered,” Gunn assured him. “If it gets too bad up there, why don’t you bring blondie back here? We can always use the extra help.”
“Thanks Gunn. I’ll see what I can do,” Angel gave him a small smile. He looked down at Fred before he pulled her into a hug. “You’ll be safe here. The guys will look after you.” Fred nodded when he pulled away from her. Then, Angel turned to Willow. “Do you need a ride back?”
“No, I have Xander’s car,” Willow answered, still confused about Angel’s reaction to Buffy’s death.
“Okay,” he said. He picked up his bags and walked out the door, not waiting for Willow to follow him.
**************************
Sunnydale, Peaceful Meadows Cemetery
A big, fat vampire ran through the dark graveyard, deftly evading the headstones. Spike ran after him. A few feet behind Spike, Tara ran after them followed by Giles carrying a throwing axe. By the time they got to the fence surrounding the cemetery, the vampire was gone.
Spike growled in frustration. “I’m never gonna get anything killed with you lot holding me back.”
Tara panted as she caught up with him. “I thought the big ones were supposed to tire more easily.”
“No, that’s over-the-hill shopkeepers,” Spike said, glaring at Giles who had finally caught up with them.
The watcher leaned against a nearby gravestone, panting. “I’m fine. I just need to . . . to die for a minute.”
“It was that powder you blew at him,” Spike said, addressing Tara. “It made him rabbit off.”
“It’s sorbis root,” she said. “It was supposed to confuse him, but . . . it just kind of made him . . . peppy!” Spike rolled his eyes at her statement. Tara’s brows furrowed thoughtfully. “It’s not supposed to mix with anything. Do you think he might be taking prescription medication?”
“Yeah, that must be it,” Spike said sarcastically.
“Good God,” Giles chuckled breathlessly. “I hope he doesn’t try to operate heavy machinery.”
Giles and Spike chuckled until Tara got their attention. “Hey! He’s over there.”
All three ran after the chubby vampire, going past the Van Elton crypt. Giles threw his axe and it whizzed past the vampire’s ear and stuck in a tree trunk. The vampire changed direction and ran the other way, Spike and Tara ran after him with Giles falling back as the sprint winded him. Tara and Giles caught up with the vampire when he had to turn around due to a dead end. They grabbed his arms as Spike ran up and immediately punched him in the face twice.
Spike moved in for another punch but the vampire head-butted Spike and he staggered back. The vampire threw Tara and Giles off of him. Tara tried to punch him, but the vampire blocked the fist, picked her up over his shoulder, and swung her around, her feet kicking Spike in the face. Then, he threw her towards Giles, knocking the Watcher down.
Tara got up and was bent over to help Giles to his feet, narrowly missing being hit when the vampire threw Spike in her direction. He landed against a wall.
“Bloody hell,” Spike groaned and tried to sit up, even though his head swam. “That was fun.”
Giles stood up, pulled the axe from a nearby tree and swung it at the vampire who grabbed it and spun Giles around, and pinned him against the iron fence with the axe handle on his throat. Behind the vampire, Spike staggered to his feet and shook his head to clear it.
“Spike!” Giles choked.
Spike examined the situation until his double vision merged into one object and jumped on the vampire’s back. However, the vampire was so big that he barely noticed. He shrugged Spike off a couple of times. Spike sighed, finally giving up and stepped back.
“Spike!” Giles choked again.
Tara stared at Spike in disbelief as he stood there, seemingly ignoring Giles’ plight. “Help him!”
“I did,” Spike said, lighting a cigarette.
Seconds later, the back of the vampire’s shirt went up in flame. The fire spread up the rest of the fabric. The vampire let go of Giles and staggered back. Spike sidestepped out of the way as the vampire burst into flame and dusted. Giles shielded his face as the dust showered him.
Spike took a drag on his cigarette, sauntered over to Giles and helped him up.
“You might have let me in on your plan while he throttled me,” Giles panted.
“Oh, poor watcher, did your life pass before your eyes? Cuppa tea, cuppa tea, almost got shagged, cuppa tea?” Spike asked mockingly.
Just then, they heard Anya scream. They ran towards the sound. When they got there they found that another vampire had Xander in a headlock.
“Xander!” Anya cried. She lunged with a stake, but the vampire merely stepped aside. She swung a second time, missing the demon completely. The vampire hit her and she fell down. He growled at her as he continued to struggle with Xander.
“I got it!” Spike said.
He kicked the vampire, forcing him to let go of Xander as he went down. Xander landed on the grass beside Anya. The vampire got up, blocked a kick and punched Spike. They exchanged a few more punches and kicks. Spike punched him in the stomach and kicked him. He shoved Spike away and Spike landed beside Xander and Anya. Giles got a lucky kick in, knocking the vampire back on the ground, then staked him as he started to sit up.
Spike, Tara, Xander and Anya helped each other to their feet and, with Giles, walked out of the cemetery.
**************************
Sunnydale, Crawford Street Mansion
“That was the most inept vampire hunt that I’ve ever been on,” Xander argued. “If you had been more aware of us --”
“Whoa-ho!” Spike yelled. “If I had been more aware? I’ve been out there with you almost every night fighting demons! Don’t you dare tell me how I fucked that hunt up!”
“You don’t care about us, Spike. You’re just doing it to gain points with Buffy!” Xander yelled.
“Are you brain dead, whelp? Why the hell would I do that when I can barely stand the lot of you! Angel told me to watch out for Buffy and help her. That was all!” Spike growled.
“You’d think you’d have a bit of decency and extend that to the rest of us lowly mortals,” Xander said angrily. “You’re no better than Angel, just waiting to have us picked off!”
“Sod off, Harris!”
“I don’t think I made you a priority for him,” said a dark, smooth voice. They both turned to see Angel standing in the doorway of the living room. “And since Buffy’s gone, you should be grateful for any help he did offer.”
“Isn’t this great?” Xander asked sarcastically as he gestured towards both vampires. “Deadboy’s finally shown up. A little late to be stopping by to see Buffy isn’t it, being that she’s dead and all? Not that you’d have been any more help than Spike was.”
“Get out,” Spike said in a low, dangerous voice.
“Fine!” Xander sneered. He left the room, only to have Angel growl at him when he walked past on his way out.
Spike and Angel stared at each other from across the room as they heard the door slam shut, signifying Xander’s exit. After a moment, Angel walked into the room and slung his bag onto the couch. Spike stared at the luggage as if it magically appeared.
“I told you to get out,” Spike repeated.
“Why should I? It’s my house,” Angel said simply.
Spike glared at his so-called Sire. The bastard left him here to deal with the aftermath of Darla’s death and Buffy’s death and now he was here throwing his weight around? No bloody way was that going to work with Spike anymore. The ponce could get stuffed for all he cared. Without another word, he walked up to Angel and hit him square in the jaw, rocking his head back.
“That was for Darla.”
Then, he punched Angel on the other jaw.
“That was for Buffy.”
“And this,” he said as he punched Angel in the stomach, causing Angel to wince, “is for leaving me, you soddin’ prick.”
Spike threw another punch at Angel, but it was blocked when the dark vampire wrapped his hand around Spike’s fist. Angel looked at him with an unreadable expression as he quietly said, “I know you’re upset with me. I didn’t want to leave. I had to . . . for Cordy. I wanted to be here for Darla. It was beyond my control, Spike.”
“You can go back to hell, Angel,” Spike growled.
“What do you want from me? I’ve explained why I did what I did,” Angel said.
“I’m bloody fucking tired of getting stuck cleaning up after you, that’s what. First, there was the whole mess with Dru when you left us twice. Then, you left me with Darla and went traipsing off to another dimension! You couldn’t even stand to be in the same bloody hemisphere, let alone planet . . . so you jumped the next portal out of here? I’m sick and tired of being yanked around on your soddin’ leash at the mercy of your beck and call all the time!”
“You think I cooked up some stupid scheme to have Cordy sucked into a demon dimension where humans are slaves just so that I can be rid of you? And, then on top of it, dump Darla on you?” Angel challenged.
“No. I think, it may have started out as rescuing Darla from those fucking lawyers, but in the end, you left Darla with me to clean up your mess when she died so that you wouldn’t have to deal with her anymore. Then, just so you wouldn’t have to deal with Buffy when you came to Darla’s ‘wake’, you jumped into the next available portal. Cordy getting sucked into wherever the hell you were was a bleedin’ godsend to you!” Spike said angrily.
Angel used the hand covering Spike’s fist to grab the wrist instead, yanking his childe closer. He used his other hand on Spike’s neck to force the younger vampire to look at him and growled. “Listen to me. I had to get Cordy back. I didn’t mean to leave you. If I wanted to abandon you, it definitely would not have been to go to Pylea by choice. I never wanted to be free of you. In case you have forgotten the rules, we’re mated until the bitter end. You agreed to that when I completed the claims. So, if you’re mad at me, fine. You want to act the wounded party and hold a grudge for another hundred and twenty-five years, that’s fine too. But, get this through your stubborn head: you will never be free of me. I will dog you wherever you go.”
Spike glared at Angel and then head-butted him. Angel was forced to release him and rubbed the pain away. He shook his head and looked at Spike just in time to see his childe fly at him, knocking them both to the ground. Spike straddled Angel and started to swing wild punches at him.
“You sorry son of a bitch! You left me! Couldn’t stand to be in the same fucking universe . . . left me with two women I can barely stand. You ingrate!” Spike yelled between punches.
Angel grabbed his wrists and rolled them over until Spike was on his back. Then, holding both wrists against Spike’s chest with one hand, he punched the younger vampire with the other. “Stop. Hitting. Me.”
“I hate you!” Spike growled.
“I’m not too fond of you right now, either,” Angel replied.
Spike growled. “After all this time, you went to save Cordelia, in another dimension and that was more important than Darla. Who -- I’ll remind you – you were obsessed with for nearly a year. Did everything you could for her, knew she was dying. But, instead you had to save Cordelia and left it up to me to take care of Darla. Do you even want to know where she’s buried? How about Buffy, hmm? You left me in Sunnyhell to look after her. Bang up job that was, by the way. Do you want to see her grave?” Spike challenged. Then, as an afterthought, said, “Though, she did get a better send off than Darla did, but little do you care!”
Angel glared down at Spike as his childe accused him of neglect, pointing out how uncaring he was. “You attacked me as soon as I arrived! I didn’t have time to ask about them, you insolent little brat.” When Spike only glared daggers at him, he said, “I came here for you as soon as I got back from Pylea. It was you I was worried about.”
Spike scoffed at that. “I highly doubt that. How’d you find out anyway?”
“Willow was in L.A. when we got back,” Angel replied.
“Hmmph, probably just came here when she mentioned Buffy and stopped by to check on me while you were passing through!” Spike said, more to himself than to Angel.
“I’m telling you the truth. Now, are you going to show me where they’re buried?” Angel asked irritably.
“Oh sure, came here ’cause I’m the only one still walking about, I guess. Come on then. I’ll show you where they are. Let me up, you big ape,” Spike said angrily.
Angel got to his feet and helped Spike up. They fell into step with each other as they went out to the car. Angel got in and started the car as Spike slid in to the passenger seat beside him. Spike directed him to Heaven’s Lawn Cemetery and the hedge bush under which he buried Darla. Then, they drove over to Waverly Park where the Scoobies had buried Buffy under a tree.
“It seems a fitting epitaph,” Angel commented when he saw the inscription on the gravestone.
“Yeah,” Spike agreed, taking a drag on his cigarette.
“Will you come back to L.A. with me?” Angel asked, still looking at the tombstone.
“Huh,” Spike scoffed and flicked the ash off his cigarette. “So, the ex is dead and you just want me to forgive you and go to L.A. with you?”
“Yeah,” Angel sighed, knowing that this wouldn’t be an easy sell to make up to his childe for what he’d done. He wasn’t expecting miracles, just a little understanding.
“What will be so different in L.A. than it is here in Sunny-D? I’ll just be used to help fight more battles. ’Cause that’s all I’m good for isn’t that right?” Spike said sardonically.
Angel turned towards Spike, but still kept his sights on the grave. He missed Buffy. He was sorry that she had died so young, but then twenty years old was old for a vampire slayer. Now that she wasn’t alive, Spike was not needed – and if Xander was to be believed, not wanted – in Sunnydale. They could get on with their existence.
“The gang likes you, you have a place with them, with me,” Angel said quietly.
“Yeah, and what place do I have with you?” Spike asked, raising the scarred brow in question.
Angel looked over at his childe and locked eyes with him, saying solemnly, “By my side . . . as my mate!”
Spike gave a bitter chuckle at that answer. He dropped the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his boot. He nodded at the absurdity of Angel’s request. “Now I’m your mate? Now that everyone is gone? Well, isn’t that just bloody convenient? I was left to deal with them dying and now I’m worthy to be called your mate.”
“No!” Angel growled. He took a deep breath to calm himself. Spike had a right to be angry with him. But, his childe was also stubborn when he wanted to be. This was one of those times. He was probably waiting for Angel to grovel.
He walked over to Spike who was leaning against a tree a few feet away. “You will always be my mate, even when everyone else has gone. Whether they are there or not, first and foremost, we have taken these steps to be claimed and mated. We have responsibilities to each other.”
“Responsibilities?” Spike asked in disbelief. “Pouf, try that on someone who doesn’t know you! You’re one to talk about responsibilities? You gave your responsibilities to me, and then you disappear when it suits you!”
“Come back to L.A. with me, let me make it up to you,” Angel proposed. “Meet the gang again. Please.”
“Why not?” Spike shrugged. “Got fuck all else to do in this town, now that she’s gone.”
A smile teased the corner of Angel’s mouth. “I knew you’d be agreeable.” He turned moved closer to Spike, pressing the younger vampire up against the tree.
“Just because I agreed to go back with you, don’t assume that I’ve forgiven you for what you did to me,” Spike clarified.
“Of course,” Angel said as he propped himself against the tree with his forearm above Spike’s head. He leaned in close as if he were going to kiss Spike.
Spike dodged Angel’s advances and pushed him away. “It’s not funny, wanker.”
“Do I look like I’m laughing?” Angel asked seriously. Then, he headed back towards the car. “Come on, we’ll go to the house and pack, then go back home to L.A.”
As they walked back to the convertible, Angel told Spike about rescuing a girl named Fred Burkle in Pylea and how she would be living in the hotel with them.
The gravesite they left behind was adorned with flowers. The epitaph on the headstone read:
BUFFY ANNE SUMMERS
1981 – 2001
BELOVED SISTER
DEVOTED FRIEND
SHE SAVED THE WORLD
A LOT
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