Giles’ Apartment
Buffy and Giles were back to getting dinner ready. Buffy was checking the settings on the stove as her Watcher peeled vegetables in the sink.
“It’s clear we’re dealing with a spirit of some kind,” he ascertained. “It’s very common for Indian spirits to change to animal form.”
“Well, it was plenty uncommon for me to freeze up during a fight. I mean, I had the guy, I was ready for the takedown and I stopped. And Spike was there. Why was Spike there?” She looked at Giles questioningly.
Giles cleared his throat. “Sorry?”
“And we don’t say ‘Indian’, Giles. It’s Native American,” Buffy went on without missing a beat.
“Oh, right,” Giles agreed. “Yes, Yes. I’m always behind on the terms. Still trying not to refer to you lot as ‘bloody colonials.’”
“And the thing is, I like my evil like I like my men – evil,” Buffy stated, bringing Spike to mind again. “You know, ‘straight up, black hat, ‘Tied to the train tracks, soon my electro-ray will destroy Metropolis’ bad. Not all mixed up with guilt and the destruction of an indigenous culture.”
“The spirit warrior – Hus, you called him?” Giles inquired as he looked back at Buffy. “He’s killed innocent people.”
Buffy looked at Giles’ bowl of peeled vegetables. “Ok, you know what? We need to boil those and put them through the ricer.”
Giles turned and looked at her strangely. “I don’t think I have a ricer.”
Buffy scoffed at that. “You don’t have a ricer? What do you mean? How could someone not have a ricer?”
“Well, do you have one at home?” Giles asked indignantly.
Buffy thought for a moment. “I don’t know. What’s a ricer?”
Giles sighed. “We’ll mash them with forks, much like the Pilgrims must have. Did you catch the part about the innocent victims?”
“Yeah, ok. I do want to stop him, Giles. I’d just like to find a non-slayee way to do it,” she said. I promised Willow.
There was a knock at the door. Buffy walked over and opened to Willow standing with a huge pile of books.
“Hey, Will,” Buffy greeted.
“Hey,” Willow replied.
“Where are the peas?” Buffy asked.
Willow shifted her books so that the box of peas slid into view. “Peas.”
Buffy took the small box of peas and flounced back into the kitchen leaving Willow to struggle with a mound of books. When she finally got a good look at them, she pouted. “These are frozen.”
Giles came out of the kitchen and noticed Willow making her way blindly to the table. “What’s all that?” He moved closer in case she needed help.
“Atrocities. I got the full scoop on the Chumash Indians and our fabulous buried mission,” she told the watcher.
Buffy walked back into the living room holding the box of peas with a wrinkle in her nose. “You said you were going to get fresh ones.”
Willow looked up. “Atrocities?”
Buffy huffed. How could her friend forget the important dinner she was making? “Peas. They come in little pods. You were going to shell them,” she whined.
“I didn’t have time,” Willow said as she lay out the books she got from the library. “I was busy reading about the Chumash War.”
Giles looked surprised. “The Chumash were peaceful.”
Willow scoffed in disgust. “Oh, they were peaceful, all right. They were fluffy indigenous kittens, until we came along.”
“They’re going to be mushy,” Buffy was still complaining about her ruined dinner.
“They won’t be mushy,” Willow assured her friend without bothering to look up.
“I like mushy peas,” Giles announced as he helped Willow.
“You’re the reason we had to have Pilgrims in the first place.” Buffy glanced at Giles before going back into the kitchen. “So what happened with the Chumash?”
That question seemed to open up a dam of loathing. “How about imprisonment, forced labor, and herded like animals into a mission full of bad European diseases?”
“Boy. Cultural Partnership Center really didn’t stress any of that stuff,” Buffy mumbled as she concentrated on her dinner.
“Not even a diorama. It gets better. The few Chumash who tried to rebel were hanged. When a group was accused of stealing cattle, they were killed – men, women, and children. And for proof to bring back to their accusers . . .” Willow started to say.
“They cut off their ears?” Giles supplied, cutting her off.
“So Hus wasn’t kidding about the rightful vengeance routine?” Buffy threw the question out.
“He’s recreating all the wrongs done to his people,” Giles surmised. “And it’s up to us to stop him.”
“Yes,” Buffy agreed, “but after dinner, right?” She wasn’t cooking this dinner for nothing, damn it.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t be helping him?” Willow asked Giles.
Giles brow furrowed. Willow couldn’t be serious. “No, I think perhaps we won’t help the angry spirit with his raping and pillaging and murdering plot.”
“Well, ok, no,” Willow agreed. She didn’t mean to help kill people. What was Giles thinking? “But we should be helping him redress his wrongs. Bring the atrocities to light.”
What was this the late ‘60s with a war protester? “If the history books are full of them, I’d say they already are,” Giles pointed out.
“Giving his land back,” Willow suggested.
“It’s not exactly ours to give,” Giles argued.
“I don’t think you wanna help,” Willow shot back. “I think you just wanna slay the demon, and then go on your merry way!”
Giles was getting angrier by the minute. Didn’t Willow see the real danger here? “And I think your sympathy for his plight has blinded you to certain urgent facts. We have to stop him!”
“Ok, unfeeling guy!” Willow accused. Okay, so it was a bit immature, but Giles was being unreasonable.
Giles pursed his lips. “Willow, that’s not fair.”
Buffy couldn’t take the tension anymore and said loudly, “I have to baste,” before turning to open the stove.
“Willow, I--” Giles looked back to see if Buffy was listening before he lowered his voice. “I have reason to believe Buffy herself may be in particular danger from this menace.”
“You mean . . . Angel?” she whispered back. “I saw him, too. With Spike. What’s up with that?”
Giles looked concerned. “Well, that’s not terribly stealthy of him.”
Willow nodded. “I think he’s lost his edge, but why is he with Spike?”
“He seems to have recruited Spike to watch over Buffy and help her when he’s not here,” Giles said. “Buffy doesn’t know does she?”
“Oh, no, not a peep,” Willow guaranteed him.
“Well, that’s good, but this is why I think we should all keep a level head in this,” Giles replied.
“And I happen to think mine is the level head, and yours is the one things would roll off of,” Willow shot back.
**************************
UC Sunnydale Cultural Partnership Center
Angel had searched the whole building for anything out of the ordinary. Well, he’d found it as he had come upon a broken window in the hallway before entering a room housing the Chumash display. He perused the room with a flashlight. There was a lot of damage to one display case and a reception desk. Walking further into the room to investigate the broken case, he found that all the Chumash weapons were missing. He took note of everything he had seen so far – thank God for a photographic memory – and left the building as silently as he had entered.
As Angel walked through the shadows his mind drifted to the two reasons he was here: Buffy and Spike. Buffy had grown up so much in the past months since he last seen her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. He still thought that he made the right choice for both of them by leaving. Outside of her choice of men lately, what with that kid Spike told him about that she had the one night stand with, and now having seen her talk to the muscle-bound boy, she seemed to be doing just fine for herself. After all he had given her up to find a life with a normal guy. But the guy from earlier tonight, Riley, if he remembered Willow right, something about him was off. He knew Spike had felt the same way.
Spike. His boy. Angel’s body was reacting to having him so near. Spike was fighting his reaction just as he was. The arousal he scented from Spike was near drowning his senses. The demon in him – no, not the demon – the demon was there to feed. It was Angelus. Angelus was the one to take and possess. Angelus was the one who created Spike. Angelus who had laid dormant inside ever since Willow put the soul back in him. When Angel renewed the claim on Spike, Angelus reared up. He wanted his boy back.
After Buffy sent him to Hell with a soul, he came back feral. That wasn’t Angelus on the surface. That was Angel after 100 years of trying to survive with a soul in a place that preyed on such things. He was lucky to have survived as long as he did. All that time Angelus spent laughing at him as Angel took punishments meant for him. When he came back from the Hell dimension, Angelus shut up as if he was pissed off and brooding that his tainted, human-loving version had survived.
Angelus remained silent until Spike showed up in L.A. and Angel restored the Sire-claim. He could feel the stirrings of his former self wanting to reach out to his childe. Everything that had happened lately were all pointing to some subconscious need – coming back to Sunnydale to help Buffy with this Chumash spirit, seeing Spike again, sleeping next to him, working with him, standing so close to him in the shadows as they spied on Buffy and Willow, surrounded with the scent of his child’s reaction to him. Angelus was near howling inside him to completely reclaim his boy even as Spike’s own demon was reaching out to the familial connection.
Angel shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t give into his own desires now, not with Buffy in possible danger. As much as he wanted Spike, or Angelus wanted his boy, he couldn’t succumb to that need right now. He was here for a reason other than Spike. Angelus was just going to have to wait; he was going to have to wait. Spike was going to have to wait. God, that boy was going to be the death of ‘im.
**************************
Giles Apartment
Xander and Anya had shown up for dinner even though he was sick with everything imaginable. The Scoobies looked into all his symptoms while he rested on the couch. Anya was beside him scaring him more than sympathizing with him.
“Uh, you’re going to get vesicles and pustules. They have pictures see?” Anya was perky as she tried to show Xander the book.
Xander glanced at the book and groaned. “I hate this guy.”
“He’s just doing what was done to him,” Willow said petulantly.
“I didn’t give him syphilis,” Xander cried.
“No,” Giles agreed, “but you freed his spirit, and after a century of unrest, he saw you as one of his oppressors.”
“What,” Xander was incensed. Well, as much as Xander could be incensed. “So he rises up and infects the first guy he sees? That’s no fair.”
“Like you’ve never woken up cranky?” Willow asked.
“But why the others? Why them particularly?” Giles asked to stave off the childish argument.
“So we take this guy out?” Xander looked hopefully at Buffy. “Buffy is for to be slaying sometime soon, yeah?”
Buffy looked up from her stirring with a stressed expression. “That’s sort of the question before the court.”
“Question?” Xander squeaked.
“There are two side of it,” Willow whined.
“Slaying him?” Xander looked aghast. “The representative from syphilis votes yea!”
“It’s not that simple,” Willow argued.
“He’s a vengeance demon,” Xander countered. “You don’t talk to vengeance demons. You kill them.”
That got Anya’s attention. She drew back from Xander as if he’d burned her. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“What?” Xander was confused by Anya’s reaction.
“Anyway,” Willow cut in, “he’s a spirit, not a demon.”
“Yes,” Giles agreed. “We’ve never faced this sort of spirit before. We really don’t know what will kill it.”
“Again with the killing!” Willow glared at Giles.
“Figuratively speaking,” Giles amended. “Or bind it or whatever. Yes, Willow, we all appreciate your perspective.”
“Sometimes vengeance is justified, Xander.” Anya was still defending her previous profession.
“You know that I didn’t mean you,” Xander said apologetically.
“I don’t think anyone appreciates the truth of the situation,” Willow was still arguing her side of this whole ‘killing the Indian spirit’.
“Oh, I think we do,” Giles shot back.
“This is no good!” Buffy shouted over the din of arguing. “It needs more condensed milk.” She turned her back on her friends and went about making dinner.
“Buffy, Xander’s in real danger. Are you sure the solution is pie?” Giles was confused by his slayer’s reaction to this situation.
Buffy was adding more condensed milk to her bowl. “Over bickering and confusion, I’ll take pie. We will find a solution. And we will have a nice dinner, ok? Both. End of story. I’m having this Thanksgiving, and it’s going to be perfect.”
“Hus won’t stop,” Giles told her. “Vengeance is never sated, Buffy. Hatred is a cycle. All he will do is kill more people.”
There was another knock at the door and Buffy practically ran to answer it, using it as a way to get her out of this discussion. Her face fell in disappointment when she found Spike standing on the other side, cowering under a blanket with smoke rising as the indirect sun hit him.
“Hello, again, pet,” Spike greeted with a smirk.
Buffy immediately shoved him back and he tumbled back into the sun.
“Oi! Hey! What’s wrong with you, you daft bint?” Spike yelled as he skittered from the sunlight.
“I’m sorry. I saw a vampire at my door it was reflex,” Buffy said sarcastically.
“Bloody hell, woman, I’m parboiling out here!” Spike said angrily.
Buffy took the stake as Giles handed it to her. “Want me to help make it quicker?”
“Invite me in, Giles!” Spike’s eyes narrowed on the watcher.
“Without my safeguard, it’s fairly unlikely,” Giles said nonchalantly. Without Angel there, there was no way he was allowing Spike in his house.
“Oi! Damn it! Look, I’m safe. I won’t bite you. Willow tell ‘em what happened,” Spike begged the witch.
“Well, when I was leaving the coffee shop, a vamp came out of nowhere and tried to make a meal out of me when Spike saved me,” Willow said.
“Will, why didn’t you say anything before?” Buffy asked her friend.
“Well, with all the Chumash Indian spirit thing going on, it didn’t seem important, being that this is Sunnydale,” Willow explained.
“So we should just let the mass murderer in because he saved Willow’s life,” Anya asked to no one in particular.
“Why not? We’ve let an ex-vengeance demon in here,” Willow said sarcastically.
“Hey!” Anya cried.
“Bloody hell!” Spike was exasperated. All the petty bickering was driving him up a wall. “Giles! You know! You know why I came here! Let me in.”
That’s true. Giles knew why he was here. Angel must have sent him back after he was finished with his errand. “Fine, but no eating humans in my house,” the watcher said sternly.
“Giles!” was echoed around the room.
**************************
UC Sunnydale Cultural Center’s New Site, Underground
“First people, who dwell in mishupashup, hear me and descend. Walk with me upon itiashup again. Hear me also, nunashush. Spirits from below . . . creatures of the night . . . take human form and join the battle. Bring me my revenge,” Hus said the prayer as he summoned the spirits of the dead to align with his cause.
A cloud of green smoke rose up from the ground and shifted into a dozen warriors.
**************************
Giles Apartment
Buffy was in the process of tying Spike to a chair while the others ignored him. Spike wondered how much it would take for Angel to owe him on this one. Being tied to a chair when he had come in peace certainly wiped the slate clean of his transgression in the German submarine back in ’43; at least it did in Spike’s book. Angel always saw things differently than the rest of the family. Okay the ropes were actually starting to hurt and not in an ‘Angelus-tying-me-up-for-a-bout-of-sexual-violence’ kind of way.
Spike growled as the bonds became tighter. “Bloody hell, woman! You’re cuttin’ off my circulation.”
“You don’t have any circulation,” Buffy reminded him.
“Well, it pinches,” Spike growled softly. Ooh, Angel had it coming to him after this.
“Get used to it. I have more important things than a vampire trying to kill my friends,” Buffy told him.
“Oi! I came to you in friendship,” Spike said, receiving a disbelieving look from Buffy. “Well, all right, seething hatred, but I’m here to help and I feel I’m being mistreated.”
“So then, tell me everything you know,” Buffy needled.
“I’m too hungry to remember everything,” Spike told her in petulant tone.
“Then you’re stuck here,” Buffy mused as she stood up and walked away from him.
Anya was in the kitchen stirring a pot. “Uh, how much butter goes in with these?”
“About half a stick and a quarter cup of brandy,” Buffy said, then thought about it, turning to Giles, “You do have brandy, don’t you?”
Giles looked up from his research on the Chumash Indians. “What? Oh, yes. On the bookcase.”
Spike had perked up at the mention of liquor. After what he’s gone through since the poof showed up, he could use a strong drink or ten. “I wouldn’t say no to a brandy,” he spoke up.
Giles had a concerned look on his face. “What’s wrong?” Buffy asked.
“Hm. The victims. Apart from Xander, Hus has targeted authority figures: Father Gabriel, the curator of the cultural center. Who else fits this pattern?”
“Just a small brandy,” Spike inquired, still waiting for someone to acknowledge him.
Buffy’s eyes lit up as a thought hit. “The dean. Dean Guerrero. He’s the king of us, and he was at the ceremony.”
Giles nodded. “He’s a likely candidate. We should warn him.”
Buffy turned to Willow. “Will, is there anything in those books about how to stop a Native American spirit guy? Some nice, non-judgmental way to, you know, kill him?”
Willow looked disheartened. Was no one listening to her? “I’m not going to help you kill him. I’m not on board. Very off the board of lining up to kill him!”
“What other choice do we have?” Buffy asked her friend.
“Buffy, this isn’t a western,” Willow said throwing her hands up. “We’re not at Fort . . . Giles with the cavalry a-comin’ to save us. It’s one lonely guy. Oppressed warrior guy who’s just trying to . . .”
“Kill a lot of people?” Buffy supplied.
“Well, I didn’t say he was right,” Willow pouted.
Buffy sighed. “Will, you know how bad I feel about this. It’s eating me up--” Just then, Anya walked past her with the liquor. “One-fourth cup of brandy and let it simmer--” Then turning back to Willow, “But even though it’s hard, we have to end this. Yes, he’s been wronged, and I personally would be ready to apologize--”
“Oi! For crying out loud, someone put a stake in me,” Spike sighed as he rolled his eyes at the conversation.
“You got a lot of volunteers in here,” Xander said tiredly.
Spike shot a look at Xander, who was too weak to move from his place on the couch. “I just can’t take all this mamby-pamby boo-hooing about the bloody Indians.”
“Uh, the preferred term--” Buffy started to correct Spike.
Spike cut her off. “You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That’s what conquering nations do. It’s what Caesar did, and he’s not going around saying, ‘I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it.’ The history of the world isn’t people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.” He looked around the room. “I could use that brandy right about now!”
Buffy shrugged. “Well, I think the Spaniards actually did a lot of— not that I don’t like Spaniards,” she corrected herself after an accusatory look from Willow.
Spike closed his eyes and counted to ten, very slowly. He was going to dust Angel at the end of this. “Listen to you. How are you going to fight anyone with that attitude?”
Willow frowned. “We don’t want to fight anyone.”
“I just want to have Thanksgiving,” Buffy pouted.
Spike chuckled at that. “Yeah? Good luck.”
“If we could talk to him--” Willow started to suggest.
Spike cut her off. “You exterminated his race.” He shook his head and went on. “What could you possibly say that would make him feel better? It’s kill or be killed here. Take your bloody pick.”
Xander lazily raised his hand. “Maybe it’s the syphilis talking, but . . . some of that made sense.”
“I made these points earlier, but fine, no one listens to me,” Giles grumbled as he took a sip of brandy.
Buffy held up her hands in defeat. “Fine, okay? But someone still has to go warn the dean.”
Willow glared at her friends and Giles. “I’ll go. I need the air.”
Buffy gave her a concerned look. “Not alone.”
Anya perked up from the kitchen. “I’ll go.”
Xander examined his situation. Be sick and stuck here with a restrained vampire or be sick and check on the dean away from the restrained vampire. “Me too!”
“Are you sure you’re up to it, Xander?” Buffy asked, concerned for her friend’s condition.
“Oi, stay here Xander. You look ready to drop any minute, and as much as I’d like to drink you, I gave my word,” Spike told the sick boy.
Xander weighed his options again and staggered to his feet. “Yep, I’m up to it.”
“I’ll keep on looking for a solution,” Giles told Willow as she was leaving.
“Guys, the dean’s house is up past the gym. And hurry, dinner’s in an hour!”
Spike’s brows furrowed. “Hey, when do I get fed?”
Buffy glanced at him. “Later,” she said before turning to Giles, “I hope the others are okay.”
Spike raised his scarred eyebrow. “You do know what happens to vampires who don’t get to feed?”
“I always wondered that,” Buffy said noncommittally. “Giles, can you get the plates.”
“Living skeletons mate. Like the famine pictures from those dusty countries, only not half as funny,” Spike told her.
“You can have gravy,” Buffy told him. “There’s blood in it, right?”
Spike cocked his head. “Do you know what else has blood in it? Blood.”
Buffy glared at Spike. “Do I have to gag you? Because I am not going to listen to you whine all the way through my dinner. It’s gonna be a nice, quiet, civilized--”
Suddenly an arrow pierced the decorative scarecrow centerpiece on the table. Hus was in the window with a bow and arrow.
“You!” Buffy cried. “Listen, maybe I wasn’t clear before about how terrible we all feel. ‘Cause we’re trying to help you.”
Spike looked around wondering what the hell the Slayer was going on about. “What’s going on?!”
“It isn’t working,” Giles hissed at Buffy.
“Uh, you can have casinos now,” Buffy told the Indian.
“Good Lord, Buffy, get down!” Giles told his slayer as an arrow went past.
Giles and Buffy crouched behind the table as arrows rained through the window, thus leaving Spike out in the open on his own.
“What about me?” Spike shouted at Giles. “You’re just going to leave me here like this?” At that moment an arrow hit his chest a few inches from his heart. “HEY! Watch the heart!” he yelled at the unseen enemy.
**************************
Outside Dean Guerrero’s House
Willow, Anya and Xander were walking down the drive of the dean’s house.
“Well, that was a waste of time,” Anya announced.
“I think he thought we were crazy,” Xander chipped in.
“Well, maybe if Anya hadn’t opened the conversation with, ‘Everybody got both ears?’” Willow suggested.
Anya seemed resolved by the whole experience. “I liked his wife. She gave me pie,” she said holding up the pie.
“So what do we do now?” Willow asked her companions.
“We could stay here and stand watch, or I just don’t--”
Just then, Angel came out of the shadows. “Willow,” he called.
“Angel?” Xander asked as he stepped closer.
Anya sized the dark vampire up. “So this is Angel? He’s large and glower-y isn’t he?”
Xander’s eyes got bigger at the thought of what Angel would be doing back in Sunnydale. “Oh! He’s evil again!”
Angel looked at Xander in disgust. “I’m not evil again. Why does everyone always think that?”
“Angel’s here to protect Buffy,” Willow said as she smacked Xander in the back of the head.
“I haven’t been evil for a long time,” Angel said moodily.
“She’s not supposed to know he’s here,” Willow said before asking, “Angel, do you have something new?”
“Yeah. All the Chumash weapons are missing from the cultural center. Something’s up,” Angel answered. “Where’s Buffy?”
“She’s still at Giles’ house. She sent us to check on Dean Guerrero,” Willow
replied.
“Why the Dean?” Angel asked a bit confused.
“We think he’s going after someone in charge. A leader?” Willow told him.
Angel thought about it for a moment and shook his head. “He’s a warrior. To a warrior, the leader means the strongest fighter.”
“Buffy!” Willow exclaimed.
“He’s formed a raiding party,” Angel told her.
“We got to get over there,” Willow said anxiously.
“I’ll call over there. You get back fast,” Angel went over to a bicycle rack and crouched down to snap the chain lock on a bicycle.
As he watched them leave, Angel hoped they got back to Giles’ as soon as possible. He was worried about Buffy. He hoped Spike was there to help by now. He prayed that Buffy would accept his help and not stake him. Spike was a good fighter; he could be an asset in this situation. Angel pulled out his cell phone and dialed Giles number.
**************************
Giles Apartment
Giles and Buffy were crawling around the floor dodging arrows when the phone rang. Giles quickly reached up and snagged the receiver. “Hello? Yes . . . Yes . . . w-w-we’re well aware of that . . . Yes! We-we’re under siege now, actually . . . Thank you!” Giles blindly hung the receiver up and started crawling for a safer place.
“Who was that?” Buffy couldn’t believe someone would be calling at a time like this.
“A— Someone. Uh, we need a plan,” Giles told her with a raised brow.
“Yes, let’s talk about it some more,” Buffy said sarcastically. “Where’s your weapons chest?”
Giles took a look at his surroundings before waving over to a chest across the room. “Over there.”
Buffy crawled over to the chest on her stomach after a moment’s pause. Just as she was about to reach for it an arrow pierced her arm. “Ohh!” she cried as she pulled back.
“Buffy!” Giles shouted in concern.
Spike looked over at the pair frantically. His body was riddled with arrows. “Remember that conquering nation thing? Forget it. Apologize.”
“Shut up, Spike,” Buffy said through gritted teeth as she pulled the arrow out of her arm.
“Fine,” Spike scoffed. “I’ll do it myself.” He craned his neck to get a look at their attackers. “Hey, sorry! Sorry about that, chief!”
“Buffy looked around at all the arrows zipping by. “How many?” she asked Giles.
“Uh,” Giles took stock of the situation. “The leader’s upstairs. There are two by the living room windows, and, uh, one through the window by the door.”
Buffy sighed. “Too many. We need help.”
Spike was taking inventory of his wounds and tallying up how much groveling Angel would be doing after this was over. “Okay, one . . . two . . . three . . . Ow!” Another arrow hit him in the upper thigh near his crotch. “Bloody fucking hell!”
Buffy was trying to kill an Indian with little result. “Giles, these guys— they don’t die!”
Giles was wrestling with an Indian who had him by the neck and pounding his head into the wall. “Bit busy over here!”
Spike was pogo-ing the chair out of the way of flying arrows when the chair became unbalanced and fell over taking him with it. “Hey!”
**************************
Outside Giles Apartment
Willow and Anya were beating an Indian with a shovel. “Why *bang* Don’t *pound* You *clunk* Die?! *bang*”
At that moment Angel ran up, grabbing the Indian away from Willow and snapped his neck with a deft twist before letting the body drop. Angel stood there panting with unneeded breath from his race back to Giles’ place and fighting.
Anya looked surprised. “What’s he like when he is evil?”
Angel was grabbed from behind by the neck and was struggling with his attacker when he called to the girls, “Help the others!”
The girls ran for the door. Inside Buffy was fighting with Hus and had sliced his arm with his own knife, thus leaving a bleeding cut. Buffy pulled back in awe.
“Your knife can kill you,” Buffy nearly whispered.
A few seconds later Hus shape shifted into a big black bear.
“A bear!” Buffy cried as she stumbled back.
Spike’s eyes became as huge as saucers as his vision from the ground took in the sight of the huge beast. “You made a bear!”
Buffy flinched. “I didn’t mean to.”
Spike wiggled in his captivity trying to get away from the beast. “Undo it! Undo it!”
“Hey, Gentle Ben, over here,” Xander taunted as he started throwing food at the bear. “That’s for giving me syphilis.”
Buffy took the opportunity to stab the bear in the back as he was distracted by Xander. A second later the bear dissolved into mist.
Spike looked around from his place on the floor. Willow and Anya came over to set his chair up. “What happened? Did we win?”
**************************
Outside Giles Apartment
Angel started to walk away after he saw Buffy but turned his head as Anya and Willow came into his peripheral vision, pulling his childe up from where he was tied to a chair. Why wasn’t he helping? Angel felt a flash of anger and confusion course through his body as he stalked into the house, staying in the shadows as he did.
**************************
Inside Giles Apartment
Everyone was gathered around the table eating, including Spike who was still tied to the chair.
“I feel lousy,” Willow said, disgusted with her part in the fight.
“Well the turkey came out rather splendidly,” Giles commented.
“Oh, it was yummy,” Buffy agreed.
“It’s just . . . Did you see me? Two seconds of conflict with an indigenous person, and I turned into General Custer,” Willow bemoaned.
“Yes, well violence does tend to do that. Instinct takes over,” Giles said in consolation.
“Yeah, that’s the fun of it,” Spike smirked.
Buffy glared at Spike. “Nobody asked you.”
“Oh, lay off,” Spike said angrily. “You all had a fine meal.”
“But me . . .” Willow whined. “An entire siege.”
“You’d think that with all that fighting, one of you would bleed a little. But no, the only people that got hurt during the whole thing was a vampire and a fast-healing slayer,” Spike griped as he looked down at the arrows still protruding from his body.
“Well, still, good work Buffy . . . on both counts,” Giles complimented her.
“Thanks,” Buffy said smiling.
“Well, you know, you should be very pleased,” Giles went on.
“It wasn’t a perfect Thanksgiving,” Buffy pouted.
“I don’t know. It seemed kinda right to me,” Willow commented. “A bunch of anticipation, a big fight, and now we’re all sleepy. And we did all survive.”
“I guess that much is true,” Buffy agreed. “First Thanksgiving on my own, and we all got through it.”
Xander smiled and patted Anya on the shoulder. “And you know what? I think my syphilis is clearing right up.”
Buffy gave a sidelong glance as Xander. “And they say romance is dead . . . or maybe they just wish it.”
“Well, maybe we started a new tradition this year,” Willow said sprightly which earned her a glare from everyone including Spike. “Maybe not. But at least we all worked together. It was like old times.”
“Yeah, especially with Angel being here and everything,” Xander said as he shoveled food into his mouth.
Spike gave Buffy a sidelong glance to delight in her reaction as everyone else stared at Buffy to see the same thing. Buffy looked surprised and opened her mouth to speak when Angel stepped out of the shadows and she shut it again, right quick.
“Hello, Buffy,” Angel said smiling. Angel had thought they moved Spike so didn’t see him right away. Then he saw movement and his eyes moved slightly so he could see the blonde, arrows were still covering his body. Raising an eyebrow, he said, “What’s he doing here?”
“I might ask the same of you, Angel,” Buffy said.
“Oh. Well, about that . . .” Angel started.
“What Angel? You leave me then you suddenly come back and I have to hear it from Xander that you’re here? Who else knew that you were here?” She asked, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger.
Angel bit his lip and said, “Well . . . Willow, Xander, Giles and well . . . Spike.”
Buffy’s eyes flashed again, “Oh, so nearly everyone and you thought not to tell me. What a surprise. Anything else you chose not to tell me, like you were here watching me or something? Or maybe you even sent Spike to watch me and blackmailed Giles into letting him help?”
Angel winced, Buffy looked shocked and Spike, well, Spike laughed in huge guffaws. He thought this was bloody good entertainment. The poof was getting a little payback and the Slayer was being put in her place. He failed to notice the glares he was getting from the ex-lovers and when he did, it was too late. “Uhm…Peaches? Why are you . . .?” He was cut off as Angel’s hand closed over his throat.
“Shut up, childe. We’re leaving. Now,” Angel commanded and Buffy stepped forward.
“I don’t think so. You are going to tell me what’s going on and I mean right now,” she commanded right back at him.
Angel just knew this wasn’t going to be pretty. What could he tell her that wouldn’t get him staked by a wooden spoon? He still had his hand wrapped around Spike’s throat and even though Spike didn’t need to breathe, he swallowed causing his Adam’s apple to move against Angel’s palm. The action was small, but with Angel’s body still in tune with Spike’s from the week old renewal on the claim, he gritted his teeth against the sensations the thought of Spike’s throat was invoking. "I can't tell you everything, but just know that I was trying to help you," Angel hedged through clenched teeth.
"Help me? Help me?! By bringing Spike into this? How?" Buffy asked, incredulous.
“I sent him back here to watch out for you, to help you if he could,” Angel explained.
“Peaches, I warned you that she didn’t want me around, she’d just as soon stake me,” Spike told his Sire in a choked voice.
“Why the hell is Spike tied up and full of arrows?” Angel turned angry eyes between the Slayer and the watcher. In that moment if they didn’t know he’d had his soul they would have all mistaken him for Angelus.
“Well, uhm--” Giles started to explain his part in it.
“It’s Spike, Angel! A soulless vampire who has no qualms about lying or deceiving anyone,” Buffy said angrily.
Angel turned angry eyes at his childe. “What did you tell them, Spike?”
Spike’s hands went up quick in a sign of surrender. “Nothing, Angel. I swear. Red there even vouched for me.”
Angel nodded seeing the truth in Spike’s eyes. He turned back to Giles and gave him a questioning look.
“Angel, all I told him was that wasn’t allowed to eat humans in my house,” Giles defended himself. “Buffy’s the one that tied him up.”
Buffy’s eyes went wide as Giles threw the accusatory eyes her way. Her watcher had just bailed on her. What did it mean when your watcher fed you to the wolves? She took a deep breath and faced her ex-lover. “Angel, how was I supposed to know he was telling the truth, he never said why he was here, just that Giles knew why and Giles wouldn’t tell me. I couldn’t just let an evil vampire run around unchecked,” Buffy explained.
Angel scoffed. “He’s been running around for the past three days unchecked, and, might I add, helping me to protect your ass. I was the one keeping him in check. Did you ever wander why he of all people would come back to a Hellmouth town with no incentive whatsoever? Dru’s not here. So why would he come back since the Gem of Amara was no longer here? He came back because I told him to, for you. I knew he could help you, watch your back if need be. And you have him tied to a chair and full of arrows!” Angel gestured at Spike’s display.
Luckily Spike had kept silent and watched the argument between the Slayer and his Sire intently. “Did you even think to pull the arrows out of his body? No, of course you didn’t, he’s an evil, soulless, demon who doesn’t feel pain.” Angel gripped the arrow in Spike’s thigh and jerked it out as easily as he could muster. When Spike roared in pain, Angel glanced up at him with an apologetic look.
Angel gripped another arrow sheath and braced himself. He looked into Spike’s eyes for confirmation and when he received the nod, pulled out that arrow, receiving a growl for his efforts. It took some time and a lot of growling from Spike before all the arrows were removed from the blonde’s body, after which, Angel untied his childe.
Spike stood up and glared at the Slayer for a moment. When he heard a commanding growl from his Sire he dropped his gaze. He refused to bow his head in submission to his Sire in front of these humans. Fortunately, Angel understood and didn’t demand it of him.
Angel addressed Giles when he said, “I’ll be taking Spike back to his crypt and help him heal up.” Then turned to Buffy and her friends, “And the next time Spike is around,” Angel looked at the blonde, “yes, be cautious, but for right now, remember that he’s here to help you because of me.”
With that he led Spike out of the apartment while everyone stared at them, either with an ashamed or guilty look on their face. All, that is, except for Buffy, who ground her teeth at the audacity that Angel showed up in her town ordering her to accept Spike as a partner in the fight against evil. The blonde menace was evil. And what was that whole bit about Angel calling Spike his childe? Buffy thought Drusilla was Spike’s Sire.
