Angel- Deja Vu
A/N: this is set in season 5 of Angel and completely ignores most of what happened. the character of Evie belongs to me but the rest belong to Joss Whedon. (this piece is unfinished)
Prologue
In L.A, Wolfram and Hart to be precise, the souled vampire CEO was trying to keep his eyes open while reading over some paperwork. The words started to become a blur and he decided to give up and try again tomorrow. Slowly he rose and walked to his lift, which he stepped in and the door closed behind him…
Meanwhile, out on the streets Gunn slinked down the alley, his eyes scanning his surroundings, looking for the slightest hint of movement. He heard a noise and spun round, axe raised. Nothing. Not convinced, the demon hunter took a few steps forward, just to be sure. Something in the dark moved. Ready to attack, Gunn lunged forward… only to see a black cat run out from behind a bin. 'Just a cat!' he thought as he turned back round. Two yellow eyes peered back at him, about two centimetres from his nose…
In a small run-down bar in the bad part of town, a man in a long, leather coat was propping up the bar, a shot glass of whisky in his hand. In one swig he downed the drink and winced as the liquid burnt his throat. He replaced the glass on the bar amongst the others he had previously drained. His bright blue eyes, glazed with tiredness, frustration and a little alcohol, stared up at the neon clock falling off the wall. Three a.m. already. 'How time flies when you're having fun' he thought as he stood and left the bar. With great ease he shoved open the steel door and stepped out into the cold night air. Across the alley he noticed a trash can, ran up to it at an unnatural rate and placed one foot on it. He leapt, inhumanly into the air, his coat flapping behind him. He landed on the top of the building about ten feet above the bar. Glancing down at the city, he suddenly felt very alone. Why was he here anyway? His thoughts trailed away and he stood alone on the rooftop, his bleached blonde hair shining in the moonlight.
In a small apartment, not far from Wolfram and Hart, an ex-watcher ran around his room frantically, picking up and tossing papers everywhere. It was hard to believe that he actually had carpet because not one inch could be seen. Files and scrolls, sheets and notes scattered everywhere. The man himself looked in desperate need of a coffee and when he glanced in the mirror as he scurried past, he saw someone he no longer recognized. Eyes bloodshot, hair ruffled, a thin layer of stubble covering the lower part of his face. He hadn't slept in days. The top buttons of his ruffled shirt were undone and his back ached as though he literally had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His apartment was warm and his shirt stuck to his back. When he sat down, his glasses slid off his nose as he lowered his head to read and he shoved them back, knowing that they would just slip down again.
Fred sat at a small, round table staring up at the green demon performing on stage. She'd never listen to 'Lady Marmalade' in the same way again. The lights that flashed around him blinded her, and she blinked in a desperate attempt to actually see some of the show. It was a little over the top for her taste, with all the lights and loud music and now smoke. It was that smelly disco smoke that tickles the back of your throat. She preferred something more elegant. Like the ballet Angel took the gang to see a few years ago. She missed those days. The days when they would just hang out together and have fun- as well as fighting the forces of darkness. Now they were so busy, they barely noticed each other. Angel was always in a mood, Spike was drunk, Gunn was doing his lawyer thing and Wes hadn't been seen for the past three days. 'Probably working on something important at home', thought Fred as she took a sip of her Sea Breeze. Surprisingly enough, the drink was true to its name and was cool and refreshing as it coated her throat. Lorne finished his song and took a bow. As she prepared to leave, Fred yawned quietly. Then familiar music started playing and as Lorne opened his mouth to sing, she sighed. 'Not again' she thought as she waited for those famous words: "At first I was afraid, I was petrified…"
Chapter 1
"BUFFY!" A voice cut into the darkness. Angel realised he was sat up in bed, surrounded by the darkness of his bedroom. It took him a few moments to realise it had been a dream and that he now had his hands outstretched as though searching for something. One tiny slit of light ran across his bed in front of him where it had escaped through the curtain. He leant back and picked up his watch from where it lay on his bedside table. Nine- fifteen. All of a sudden the vampire leapt from his bed and landed half way across the room. Late for the staff meeting. Today wasn't going to be a good day. He could tell.
"I wonder what's taking him," said Wesley as they sat around the large table. He looked at the people around him. Gunn was reading some notes he'd prepared for the meeting; Spike was looking a bit hung over, paying no attention at all and staring out the window. And Fred. Lovely Fred. Always keeping a level head. She seemed to give him the strength he needed to get through the day. She smiled and waved her hand in front of his face as though he was miles away. He snapped out of it and embarrassed, realised he'd been staring at her for the past few minutes. "To be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less about Angel or what he's doing," Spike stated, in his off-hand way. He got a glare from everyone at the table so he shrunk back into his chair and continued to gaze outside. 'Maybe I should consider laying off the Angel insults when I'm sat with his friends and he's not here to defend himself,' thought Spike. A few seconds later, he changed his mind. He grinned to himself as though enjoying a private joke.
Then there he was. The Caped Crusader, the Dark Avenger or whatever you wanted to call him- Spike had a few good ideas. Angel strolled- or more like stumbled- in the room, looking dreadful. His perfect hair was ruffled, his shirt was creased. He looked nearly as bad as Wesley, who Spike could tell, had been drinking heavily the night before. The smell of whisky poured off him like smoke, but only Spike seemed to notice. 'Must be my vamp senses then' he thought,' at least I'm the only one with a hangover!' Angel sat at the head of the table, as he always did, and said, "Right so what's on the agenda today, then?"
"Well," explained Wes, "I've been working on something very interesting…" Spike zoned out. He and his English friend here didn't really think of 'interesting' in the same way. 'I could be lay at home on the sofa, watching TV and getting over my hangover like normal people do' he thought to himself. Sat in a little world of his own, he didn't pay any attention until… "… Help us with Spike," Wesley finished. He sat up with a bolt. 'What was he saying about me?!' he thought, having not heard the beginning of the sentence.
"You might well sit up. I knew you weren't listening!" said Angel.
"How would you know? As a matter of fact I was listening!" Spike threw back. "Then what were we talking about?" asked Gunn.
"You stay out of this Charlie-Boy!" he threatened without really meaning to. "Just tell me what you were saying," said Spike, now calmer.
"We were just discussing how you never seem to feel like you belong here," stated Wes. Spike threw him a dirty look. "That is to say," he said, not wanting to get on Spike's bad side, "I think you'd feel more comfortable if you knew why you were here."
Sarcastically Spike asked, "Didn't you parents ever tell you about the birds and the bees…?"
"I meant here," said Wes, "at Wolfram and Hart."
Unable to thing of a good comeback, he just said, "so what?"
"I think we can find out." offered Wes, "but we'd have to dig deep into your memories…"
He didn't have time to finish because Spike stood up in protest and shouted, "There will be no digging of any kind going on!"
"Spike…" started Fred.
"Look, you lot do your corporate wotsit and I'll leave you in peace," he said, storming out. As the door slammed behind, the group was quiet until Angel said, "Ungrateful twit!"
Chapter 2
A few hours later, in Spike's apartment, he was tapping the buttons on a games controller furiously. Shouts of protest could be heard as the TV screen flashed the message: 'GAME OVER.' Angrily, Spike slammed down his controller and stomped into the kitchen area. He flung open the fridge and looked at its contents. Two six-packs of cheap beer and a tub of pig's blood. It didn't take him long to decide and he grabbed on of the glass bottles. Carefully, Spike placed the head of the bottle in his mouth and pulled. His vamp strength prevailed and the bottle top came off easily. 'I could really do with a bottle opener,' he thought as he threw the top in the bin. Sitting back down on the sofa, he stared at the screen, trying to work out why he'd lost. Maybe he had something on his mind like what the guys had been saying back at W&H. 'Nah!' he thought, 'I don't need to know what brought me back… do I?' With that he drained the beer and grabbed his coat. He flung it on and headed for the door. 'I hate it when they're right…' Spike thought as he left.
"I love it when I'm right!" said Angel as Spike blew into his office. "Screw you," Spike threw back at him. He hadn't come here for Angel to gloat. "Do you want our help or not?" he replied, enjoying the fact that Spike was annoyed.
"Whatever. So where's Percy?"
"Wesley," Angel corrected him, "Is on his way up here. We heard you were coming."
"You were spying on me," Spike said with disgust in his voice.
"Just a little." As he said this, Spike started to move forward. However at that moment Wesley and Fred walked in. "Ahh Spike, I had a feeling you'd return to us," said Wes as he walked over. He looked a bit better than he had earlier. It looked- and smelt- like he'd had a shower and a shave too. Spike growled quietly at him and Wes backed off. "Yes well," he continued, "in order to find out why you're back, we will have to search into your memories. And seeing how long you've lived for, it might take a while."
"What would we need?" asked Angel.
"We?" said Spike in a surprised tone. "Where's the 'we'?"
"You don't think I'm going to let you use the company's employees and resources without me there, do you? " Trying to stop the feuding between Angel and Spike, Wes answered Angel's question. "I brought Fred to explain." The pretty little Texan stepped forward. "Well basically, we'll have to traverse through the…"
"Hey, hey," interrupted Spike, "Can you just tell us this in a more dumbed down way cos err I kinda need to know what you're saying." When he saw that he had upset Fred, he quickly smiled in his charming way and said "sorry love, we're just not quite as clever as you." Knowing that no one could resist Spike when he smiled, she didn't feel guilty when she returned it. Angel rolled his eyes at this. He was sick of Spike's 'charm'. "Right, well, we use a Devian Sphere, which basically will show us Spike's memories, right from the beginning. Then we'll be able to see what happened and who was responsible for his return."
"Sounds okay," he said, sounding a little unsure.
"And it will be," Fred replied in a hopeful voice.
"Lets get this started then," said Wes.
They left; unaware of what would soon happen...
Chapter 3
Gunn, Wesley, Angel and Spike were stood in the training room staring at the sinister looking globe in Fred's hand. She was muttered some inaudible words under her breath and the sphere started to glow and spin. "If I turn into a frog, I'll know who to blame," Spike broke into the silence. Sarcasm and a bad sense of humour normally helped him through when he was worried. "Chance would be a fine thing," added Angel so quietly that only Spike's vampire hearing picked it up.
"So what happens now?" asked Gunn looking confused.
"Well, we should start to see Spike's past and…" She never got to finish. Spike body and essence were being sucked into the sphere and within a few seconds he was completely gone. "What the hell just happened?" asked Angel.
"I dunno. He just kinda… disappeared" was the only answer Fred could give for she had no idea what had happened.
"I take it that wasn't supposed to happen," said Gunn looking around to check that Spike wasn't there.
"I would say not," answered Wes, "not at all." They all stood in a circle staring at where Spike had been stood, all equally and completely baffled. Yet none of them noticed that the Devian Sphere had disappeared as well…
Meanwhile, in Sunnydale High a blonde guy in a long black coated appeared in the middle of the hallway. "Whoa," he said as he spun around, "Déjã vu!" 'This can't be right,' thought Spike, 'this place is a crater. And this is the old Sunnydale High.' The next thing he pictured in his head would have been no surprise to anyone. Buffy. He smiled and trying to make the best of his unfortunate circumstances, started to look around. On the way he saw a beautiful young girl, looking at a poster on a notice board. She was wearing a pale blue, silky dress that showed just enough but not too much. Spike smiled and approached her.
"Can you believe this?" she asked, not even knowing who she was talking to, "they're going to invite everyone to the prom. Even the freaks." Spike looked at her, fascinated. Sometimes people could be so self involved they don't even notice what's going on right under their nose. She went to school above a Hellmouth and she was complaining about a prom. She finally noticed him and turned to look at the handsome stranger. He looked to old to be in school but she preferred the older guy so she decided to turn on the charm. With a smile she said, "I'm Cordelia. Cordelia Chase."
"Good for y… wait. You're Cordelia? Angel's Cordelia?"
"Okay. I don't know anyone called Angel. Who is she?" she asked presuming that Angel was a girl. Spike smiled at the mistake and didn't bother to correct her. "Look, do you know a girl called Buffy Summers? She used to go here."
"Oh yeah I know Buffy... but she still goes here." She said beginning to think that this guy had a few screws loose.
"What?" Spike's head began to spin, "Okay then. Where can I find her?"
"She probably with her weirdo friends in the library," she replied and he began to turn away. "Hey!" she shouted after him, "What's your name?" in an attempt to keep his attention on her.
"Call me Spike!" he shouted back over his shoulder and he swung round the corner, his black coat flapping behind him. Cordelia smiled to herself and hurried off. She had to tell Harmony straight away!
The lone vampire wandered down the corridors, looking in doors and searching for his blonde ex-lover. He hadn't actually thought about what he was going to say when he found her. Then he realised she didn't actually know him yet. 'Hmm' Spike thought to himself, an idea forming in his mind. 'If I've gone far back enough, then she and Angel won't have got together yet and I might be in with a chance. And this time I won't try and kill her when I first meet her!' Suddenly things didn't seem so bad after all. He couldn't wait to see Angel's face when he had Buffy in his arms...
"I knew it!" said Cordelia as she entered the library.
"Why if isn't Cordelia!" said Xander, "What a lovely surprise! It's right up there with having brain surgery without an anaesthetic!"
"Okay before this gets out of hand..." Buffy intervened, and turned to Cordy, "You knew what?"
"Oh I was talking to this guy before who was looking for you," she replied, "I told him you'd be here. You're always here. What do you d...?" She didn't finish. A tall, dark-haired, gorgeous man had walked into the main part of the library from the office. He had dark eyes that were so mysterious that Cordy nearly got lost in them. "What guy?" Buffy brought her back to reality.
"Oh he said he was called Spike or something. Blonde hair, blue eyes, long black coat. That sort of thing," She was still looking at the handsome man in front of her. "And what do I call you?" she asked him.
Before he had chance to answer, Xander stepped forward. "Oh he's Angel. He's our special friend." Everyone except Cordy seemed to pick up the sarcasm in this statement. Suddenly realising something, she said, "Hey you're Angel? I could cope with that!" There were so many puzzled stares around the room that it made her uncomfortable. "Cope with what?" Buffy asked as though she was stupid. Cordy hated it when she did that. "That Spike guy. When I told him my name, he asked if I was "Angel's Cordy."
Angel spoke for the first time. "Spike. Well I can safely say he'll cause plenty of trouble."
"You know him?" the British librarian stepped out from behind him.
"Yeah," Angel replied with some unease in his voice, "we used to... erm... hunt together." He never liked talking about his past "experiences" in front of Buffy. "Hunt?" Cordelia was baffled, "Like with horses and dogs?" Xander couldn't help but smile. Sometimes her innocence amused him. Of course Angel had meant hunting in the bloodsucking way. He could just picture the vampire sat on a horse, blowing a horn. Without meaning to, he let out a little laugh. He got a glare off Buffy and Angel. Breaking the silence, Giles said, "We should try and find out why he's here. He might try to contact Angel."
"Or he might be in league with The Master," Buffy suggested. By this point Cordelia was lost again.
"He won't be here to see me," said Angel, "We weren't exactly on speaking terms last time we met." An English voice came from the door and it didn't belong to Giles. "You can say that again..."
Chapter 4
The whole of W&H were completely baffled by Spike's disappearance and most of it was for the wrong reasons. It was like a rumour mill around the office. Some people seemed to think that Spike and Harmony had run off to get married in Spain, ignoring the fact that Harmony was still in work and others said that Drusilla had returned and cut off his head! Angel just agreed with whatever anyone was saying which didn't help the situation. Fred and Wes were frantically trying to work out what had actually happened to Spike by reading all the files they had on the Devian Sphere. And they had all the files in the world so it would take a while. "Arrgh!" Fred protested, throwing a clump of papers in the air, which quickly reformed themselves into a neat pile in the filing cabinet.
"Problem?" Wes asked.
"It's just..." Fred started, "I should have known. That this would happen to Spike. I... I ruined everything! And God knows where Spike is!"
"Calm down it's not your fault," Wes comforted her as he pulled her close. She sat with his arms around her and felt a little better. "But I don't get it." she continued, "there's nothing in here about..."
"Fred?" Wes said when she went quiet. She got up and grabbed a sheet of paper near to them. "I think I've got it!" she said triumphantly. Wesley leapt to his feet and the pair ran out of the room to see Angel...
Back in Sunnydale...
"Spike!" Angel exclaimed as the bleached blond vampire walked into the library.
"Long time no see mate," replied Spike, "so how've ya been?"
"Fine, thanks," said Angel, stepping back cautiously, and when she noticed, Buffy did the same. "What are you doing here Spike?"
"Free country innit?"
"So what happened to Dru?"
Spike gave him a withering look. "Last I heard she was in Italy."
"Go and chase her then."
"Err, Angel?" Buffy started, "what's going on here?"
"Spike was just leaving," Angel replied, "before I stake him myself."
"Ha," he laughed, "just you try."
"Anyway," Spike continued, "I thought you were all soul-having now."
"Yes..." Angel replied, not knowing where this was going.
Spike smiled, "That makes two of us then." This last statement left everyone speechless. Cordelia because she was totally confused and the others because they knew that Angel was the only vampire who had regained there human soul.
Rumania, 1898
"Mulo," the Gypsy woman murmured. It was Gypsy for a dead person associated with uncleanness. It meant vampire. She wore a shawl and had painted the seal on her forehead. She waved her hand over the Orb of Thesulah and began the incantation:
Nici mort nici al finite,
Te invoc, spirit al trecerii,
Reda trupului ce separa omul de animal,
Cu ajurtorul acestui magic glod de crystal.
Not dead, nor not of the living,
Spirits of the interregnum, I call.
Restore to the corporeal vessel
that which separates us from beast.
Use this orb as your guide!
In the forest a horrible pain ripped through Angelus. He stumbled,
looking over his shoulder, trying to see what had attacked him. There was obviously nothing in front of him.
He fell to his knees, gasping. Never had he felt such terrible agony. He was being ripped apart inside, by an unseen enemy. He ran through the woods, heedless of his direction.
He fell again, and this time he lost awareness for a brief moment.
As he got to his knees, groggy and bewildered, an old Gypsy approached and hovered over him.
"It hurts, yes?" he said in English. "Good. It will hurt more."
Angelus was dazed. "Where am I?"
The man was contemptuous, bitter, filled with rage. "You don't remember. Everything you've done, for a hundred years, in a moment, you will. The face of everyone you killed- our daughter's face- they will haunt you and you will know what true suffering is."
"Killed?" Angelus repeated, confused. He thought to himself, 'Where's Sandy Burns? Where's that charming woman I followed into the alley-'
"I don't-"
In a flash the memories rushed over him- Darla; his change, his rampages, the tortures he had inflicted on his victims. Drusilla. Servants, ladies, men, children, babies.
The Gypsy girl, so sweet and trusting-
He had done it all.
"Oh no, no." His guilt was unbearable "NO!"
As the Gypsy man looked on in satisfaction, Angelus began to
scream...
Angel sat back, relaxing in his chair and enjoying the peace and quiet that came from not finding Spike. He knew it wouldn't be too long before Wes and Fred worked out how to get him back but that didn't mean that he couldn't make the best out of the time that he had left. He closed his eyes and... "I've got it!" Fred's voice startled him so much that he nearly fell off his chair. "Got what?"
"Oh sorry, did we disturb you?" Wes asked as he walked in.
"No... got what?"
"Oh right," said Fred, "Well, we were researching and it turns out that we were sent the wrong sphere."
"The wrong sphere?" Angel was desperately trying to keep up and was failing miserably. "Yes, we needed a Devian Sphere, right?" Fred explained.
"But in fact," Wes continued, "we got a Sphere of Devian. Easy mistake but..."
He shrugged. Everyone in the room knew Wes would never make a mistake like that. "This guy, Devian," Angel asked, "He liked spheres, did he?"
"The Devian," Wes corrected him, "were a group of powerful warlocks."
Suddenly Angel felt very stupid. 'Of course,' he thought, 'what kind of a name is Devian?' "So... err... what happened to them."
"Well, they were very interested in time, even travelling through it." Wesley explained, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. Angel could tell he was exhausted. He worked way too hard these days. But he also knew that that was the way Wes wanted it and he also knew that he wouldn't rest until a problem was sorted. "Anyway, once they tried to travel right back to the beginning of time but they got lost."
"Where?" asked Angel.
"In time."
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked the stranger. He dressed similar to Angel, all dark clothes with a long black coat. He was quite good-looking with blue eyes and that hair... she'd never seen anything like it. She shook herself from her daydream. "What do you think, love?" he replied in an accent that sounded like from somewhere near London.
"You can't have a soul," she said, "Angel's the only one. Right Giles?" She turned to her Watcher. "Err, yes, quite right," he stated, "Angel is the only vampire in history to have regained his human soul."
"Vampire?!" Everyone had forgotten that Cordelia was in the room. Buffy suddenly felt worried. Cordelia shouldn't be hearing this. "Err, Xander?" she said, "didn't you say that Harmony came in and wanted to speak to Cordelia right away?" This was a big lie but she hoped Xander would catch on and Cordy wouldn't notice. Everyone in the room was looking a Xander who didn't even seem to know anyone had been talking to him. Angel nudged him gently in the arm to get his attention. "Oh right! Yeah!" he said quickly, "about... the prom!" Cordelia turned on her heel and trotted out the door. "Thank God for that," said Buffy, "my secret would be all over school by lunchtime!"
"Back to our current problem," Giles said, nodding his head towards Spike who was now lent against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. He took a drag and breathed out a puff of smoke. "There's no smoking allowed on school premises," Giles informed him. With that Spike dropped the cigarette on the floor and stamped in out with one of his black boots. He pushed himself away from the wall and casually strode over to Angel, coat flapping behind him.
Angel took a step back, knowing that Spike was the not most trustworthy person he'd met. Spike glared at him. "What are you doing?"
"You don't expect me to trust you? Do you Spike?"
"Why the hell not?" asked Spike grinning, "After all, we go way back."
"Oh yeah the good old days?" said Buffy taking a step forward. After all, Spike was just a vampire, whereas she was the Slayer. She stood in front of him, arms folded. Spike just smiled and then looked up as though he heard something. He pushed Buffy over into the cage nearby and spun to face the door. It looked like he choked on something but before anyone had chance to think, Angel charged at Spike and held him up by the neck, his feet dangling aimlessly below him. He'd hurt Buffy. Angel couldn't let him just get away with that. He could feel his features changing until his demon face was showing. He stared Spike right in the eyes, holding a wooden stake a few inches in front of his heart. Spike struggled but couldn't break free of Angel's grip.
There was something different about Spike. Angel could see it in his eyes. Without a word he dropped Spike, who landed with a thump on the floor. Angel slowly turned to the others who were now stood around him and his face turned back to normal.
"Angel?" Buffy emerged from the cage and stood by him. "What is it?" Angel turned to look at the younger vampire who was getting up from the floor, rubbing his neck. "He..." Angel tried to get the words out but he still couldn't believe it himself.
"He has a soul."
Chapter 5
Angel's last words echoed through the room and everyone looked on in disbelief. "A soul?" Buffy said, a little uncertain.
"Yeah a soul." He couldn't say anything else. How could he have a soul? "What the bloody hell did I tell you before?" said Spike bitterly, spitting out a little blood. He had a deep red mark right round his neck from where Angel had grabbed him and his throat hurt every time he spoke. Spike raised his hand and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He seemed to be bent double in pain. "If you've got a soul," Giles started, "why did you attack Buffy?" Spike shook his head and looked up at him. "I didn't," he rasped, blood spraying. Slowly and painfully he stood up straight and moved his coat slightly revealing a wound in his chest. It was from a bullet.
Blood dripped down his black shirt onto the floor. Despite all the pain his was in, Spike smiled when he saw the look on Angel's face. "Save someone's life and this is all the thanks I get?" his voice grated from his damaged throat. He placed one hand on his chest wound and looked down to see blood pouring out of him. Buffy didn't know what to do. This guy who Angel said was a killer had just saved her life. Then something dawned on her. "What was it?"
"What was what?" Spike asked.
"The thing that shot you."
"Dunno. Some old guy in a cloak. Looked like someone off Harry Potter."
"Who?"
"Never mind. Shouldn't you go and find him before he does any more damage?"
Buffy looked at Angel but he continued staring at Spike. "Angel," she said, "Go on. You can track him better than any of us." He turned to look at her. He wanted to stay but he knew she meant business. "Okay," he said, sounding a little unsure, "but I'll be back." He turned and swept out the door, his coat billowing after him. "I've gotta go too," Xander piped up, "Willow'll be waiting."
As he walked past Buffy, she said, "Tell her to get well soon, okay?"
"Will do." he replied with a wave and disappeared. Buffy had been
longing to visit Willow and help her out. She'd come down with the flu a couple of days ago and Buffy had been planning to go tonight. It seemed she would have to delay.
"Well", said Giles, "we'd better get you fixed up." He disappeared into his office leaving Buffy to help Spike over to a chair. This was the closest he'd got to her in a long time. He could smell her hair and hear her breathe gently. He missed that. By the time he'd sat down, Giles emerged with a First Aid kit which he opened and placed on the desk nearby. Then the phone rang. It was Miss Calendar, their Computer teacher and Giles' current partner. "Damn!" Buffy looked up as he put down the phone. "Jenny just reminded me we had a date tonight. I must have forgotten." Spike smiled and winced slightly, his neck still tender. "Go," Buffy said, "indulge in the thing we call fun. I'll been fine here."
"If you're sure?"
"Positive. Have a good time. You deserve it."
"Thanks. See you tomorrow at school." Giles left with a wave while trying to put on his jacket.
Buffy looked at Spike, who was getting blood all over the place. She walked over to the First Aid kit and said, "Take your shirt off." Spike smiled and took off his coat, which he lay on the desk. Then he slowly removed his shirt and winced when it brushed over his injury. Buffy got out some bandages and a cloth and turned to Spike. He was slouched on the chair, the red blood stood out against his white chest. She bent down next to him and gently cleaned off the blood with the cloth and she could feel him twitch slightly as she wiped the wound. "Right, turn around."
"I beg your pardon?" said Spike, confused.
"I need to get the bullet out," Buffy explained. Spike looked anything but happy, but he stood up and turned round while Buffy got the tongs. He suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his back as she pulled the bullet out of the hole it had made. "Watch what you're doing there, Slayer."
"Calm down," she replied, "It won't kill you." She had a point, so he kept his mouth shut. "Good as new," said Buffy, when she'd finished patching him up.
"Thanks love," he said as he was getting up, but as he turned round and realized how close he was to her. Spike was almost touching her. In the blink of an eye Buffy realised Spike was nowhere to be seen.
Spike opened his eyes and he was stood on a grassy hill with countryside all around him. It was a full moon and it stood out against the dark sky. In the distance Spike could hear the sound of fiddles playing. He looked around and puzzled said, "I'm in Ireland?"
Chapter 6
Spike stood in the middle of the Irish field, feeling a bit lost. He decided to follow the sound of the music. Music meant people.
Unless they were magical fiddles.
He headed off, using his vampire hearing to find where the music was coming from. Soon he reached a small gathering of people who all seemed to be watching something. There were small candles dotted about to provide some light in the darkness. Spike could just make out a priest in the middle of the group and he was saying what sounded like an Irish prayer. 'It must be a funeral,' he thought sadly, 'why else would they be out here at this time of night?'
He slowly approached the group and managed to see what was going on. It wasn't a funeral. It was a wedding and he soon found out why it was being held at night. He recognised the groom immediately even with his long hair. It was a vampire wedding…
Back at Wolfram and Hart, Wes was in his office, calling round his suppliers trying to find a Devian Sphere to see if they could get Spike back. He could be anywhere. In any part of his timeline. It would take forever to find him, but Wes hadn't told Fred this because he didn't want to shatter her hopes. Secretly he suspected that they might never see Spike again…
Fred was stood in the training room where Spike had disappeared, trying to think of a way to get him back. She knew Angel wasn't particularly bothered about it and Wes wasn't exactly losing sleep over the fact that Spike might be lost in time forever. Someone had to worry about him. That someone was her. Maybe it was partially because Fred felt guilty because it was her who did this to him. It was all her fault and she would have to something about it. She sat down on the floor with her head resting on her knees while she tried to think…
Angel was sat on his bed thinking about Spike. Not that he gave a damn about what had happened to him. It was just that Spike was lost in time so who knew what he was doing. Ruining things by changing the past. Changing what had happened. A thought came into Angel's head. Buffy. Spike loved her and would do anything to get her back. Who's to say he wouldn't risk damaging the present to change his past with Buffy. Angel lay back on his bed and closed his eyes…
Spike stared at the couple stood in front of him. The bride was extremely beautiful. She had long brown hair that curled down by her shoulders and emerald green eyes. She was only small but her dress was so sleek and elegant that she looked exquisite. However Spike was still looking at the groom in disbelief. It took a few seconds before the man noticed him too and when he did, Angel just glared at him…
Angel just stood there, staring at their visitor. He hadn't seen Spike in years but he knew that wherever he was, trouble wasn't far behind. Wanting to keep the peace, Angel asked for a minute to talk to Spike and comforted his future wife. He dragged Spike out of the circle and away from the group so that no one could hear them. "What the hell are you doing here?" Angel demanded.
"Good question," Spike replied, "and by the way: YOU'RE MARRIED?!"
"Not yet I'm not," Angel said, glancing towards his bride. Spike followed his gaze. He couldn't understand how Angel could be married but he also couldn't understand how he could marry some one like her. She was way out of his league. "So who is she?" Spike asked, curious about what was wrong with her. There must have been something if she was marrying this idiot. "She's called Evie," Angel replied as he turned back to Spike, "and she lives here in Dublin."
Spike smiled. "I knew I was in Ireland but Dublin? Haven't been here in years." Angel looked at him, puzzled. "When did you ever come to Dublin?"
"In the 1970's," Spike replied. By this point Angel was lost. "The 1970's? How can you have been here in the 1970's when it's only 1929?" Spike realised he's put his big foot in it. "Err, look," he said, "there's something I should probably something I should explain…" Before he had the time to explain, he disappeared. Just like that. Gone. Angel stood, in a state of shock, staring at the spot where Spike had been stood…
Chapter 7Now he was stood in a strange building, which was old and rotting with age. "Oh bloody hell!" he yelled at the top of his voice. It echoed slightly through the empty corridors. A few seconds later, something leapt on him, pushing him to the floor. He struggled to see his attacker but when he did, he was shocked. A beautiful woman with scarlet hair was sat on to of him, stake raised. The features of a vampire deformed her face, but she returned to normal when she recognised him.
"You! I know you!" She looked down at Spike and he recognised her later even though her hair was different. "You're Evie. Angel's wife!" Spike exclaimed as she stood.
"And you're the guy who turned up to our wedding all those years ago," she replied.
"All those years ago? What year is it now?" She held out and hand to help him up and he took it. Her fingernails were manicured so he guessed that he wasn't too far into the past. "It's 2004. What are you? Someone from the past or something?" she looked confused. For the first time Spike looked at her properly. She wore a strapless, corseted dress in midnight blue, which flowed down to her feet. She looked dressed for a party. She gave him an evil look as he looked her up and down. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"Dunno," he replied, "I think I'm a bit stuck in time." She looked at him sceptically. "What?" he exclaimed when he realized she didn't believe him. "Fine," said Spike, "where are we?" Evie sighed and just said, "some broken down apartment next-door to Wolfram and Hart, you know, the law firm."
"You mean I'm back?" Spike asked.
"Back?"
"At Wolfram & Hart?"
By this point Evie was completely confused. "Who do you know at Wolfram & Hart?" she asked him.
"Same as you," he replied.
"The only guy there I knew, I met a few hours ago. Big mistake. Long story. Should never have gotten involved with the British. No offence."
"He's British?"
"Yeah, Wesley something-or-other."
Spike was a bit shocked by this. "You slept with Wesley?!"
Angel scurried into Wesley's office, looking slightly flustered. "Angel?" Wes said, "you okay?"
"How'ya doing with this Devil's Sphere thing?" Angel asked him.
Wesley didn't see any point in telling Angel that it was a Devian Sphere because it would just confuse him. "Why are you bothered all of a sudden?"
"Well, it's just," Angel was having trouble explaining, "You and I both know that I couldn't care less about what happens to Spike, but I'm just worried about what he's up to. Probably messing up everyone's lives to suit himself." Wes could see he had a point. Spike was known for been more than a little reckless and god knows what havoc he was causing. "I think I'm just about ready. The sphere's on its way to Wolfram and Hart as we speak."
"Good," Angel replied and he found himself saying words that he never thought he'd say, "The sooner we get Spike back, the better…" The phone rang and Wes ran over to answer it. He didn't even say two words to the person on the other end. He turned to Angel. "they've got it." They rushed off to Fred's department where the package had just had arrived. She jumped as they flew into the lab. "You got it?" Angel asked anxiously. Fred smiled and showed him the sphere in her hand. It was identical to the other one. Or so Angel thought. "Right so what do we do now?"
"Well first," Fred explained, "We'll have to find him. He could be anywhere."
"With anyone." Angel added, "let's get going then."
"There's just one problem." Fred's statement stopped Angel in his tracks. "What is it?"
"The Devian Sphere uses a lot of magic that we don't have. We need a witch. Know any?"
A couple of hours later…
A car pulled up outside Wolfram and Hart and a pretty redhead stepped out. She gazed at the large law firm that stood before her and smiled as she noticed Angel hidden in the shadows by the door. She ran over to him and gave him a hug. "Hey, Angel. How've you been?"
"I'm good. You?"
"Yeah, good. Not much to report really."
"Well, you ready for some magic?"
"That's what I'm here for," she replied. Angel lead her into the building, helping her with her bags as they went. She was looking forward to this as she hadn't done a proper spell since her and the Scoobies destroyed Sunnydale, closing the Hellmouth…
Chapter 8
"You know Wes?" Evie and Spike were still stood there, in a derelict apartment, each as confused as the other. "Yeah, I work with him at Wolfram and Hart. With Angel."
"God, you are from the past. Angel's dead. Has been for sometime. But he never worked at Wolfram and Hart," Evie informed him, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"Angel's not dead. Sadly. He's still his normal self. And I'm in the right year," Spike replied, "Wesley came to Wolfram and Hart with Angel. They're best mates." Evie was so flustered that she sat down on the stairs. Spike sat beside her, a little closer than she would have liked. "Angel's not dead?" Spike shook his head. "So he was at the party?"
"What party?"
"The Wolfram and Hart Christmas party that I've just come from."
"Christmas?!" Spike exclaimed, "Dammit! I'm not here yet! But Angel is. You must have missed him." Evie hung her head. "Hey, do you think you could help me? I'm a bit well, buggered actually."
"How can I help you?" she asked.
"You know anything about time travel?"
"A bit. Why?"
"I seem to be flying backwards and forwards through time every bloody second and it's gettin' annoying'!"
"How did it happen?" Spike explained about Fred and the Sphere. "A Devian Sphere wouldn't do that to you. It only shows your past not pushes you through it. It's a Sphere of Devian that's used for time travel." Even Spike had worked out now what had gone wrong. "So can you help?" She smiled. "It just so happens that I'm a witch. So you're in luck. Just close your eyes." Spike reluctantly did as he was told and he could feel her fingers on either side of his head. He felt a cold rush and when he opened his eyes…
Back in the training room where all the trouble started, Angel and Wesley stood watching Willow and Fred. Fred was holding the sphere in her hand while Willow whispered incantations over it. The room started to spin and a picture began to emerge. Willow's eyes glowed as she controlled the sphere's powers. "Where's this?" Angel asked. The picture in front of them was of a bedroom where a young woman stood and she appeared to be talking to someone. "Tara." Willow stared at the image in disbelief. The picture soon changed perspective and they could now see that the woman was talking to a Willow in the picture. Angel had heard about Tara from Buffy. Apparently, she had been Willow's girlfriend and fellow witch but she was shot at Buffy's house and died instantly. "Why is it showing your past?" Angel asked Willow. "I don't…" They soon found out why. A man and a woman appeared behind Tara. The man was Spike and the woman… Angel couldn't believe it, was his wife Evie. She had her hands on his head as though she was doing a spell but they drew away when they realised where they were. There was a loud bang and something hit Spike. He'd been shot…
Pain shot through Spike's body and he bent double. Evie was stood beside him, holding him up and as he looked up he saw Willow and Tara. He was in Buffy's house. Everyone was so shocked, they couldn't say anything. Spike suddenly remembered what he'd been told had happened. Warren, a super geek nemesis of Buffy's had shot Buffy in the garden and one shot flew through an upstairs window, killing Tara. He'd taken the shot. Tara was okay. He spun around to look out of the window and he could see Buffy lay on the floor, covered in blood and Xander was by her side. Spike's insides knotted up. But he knew he'd have to get out of this time warp before he was lost forever. "Try again," he rasped at Evie, "please." Evie looked doubtful. She had no idea where they were or what was going on. Spike turned to Tara. "You," he said, "hold my hand." Tara and Willow stared at him strangely. "This didn't happen," he explained, "you die. So if you want to live. Take my hand and come with me."
Chapter 9
Willow, Fred, Wesley and Angel watched in awe as the Tara in the picture took Spike's hand and Evie started her spell again. Within a few seconds they disappeared leaving the Willow in the picture to replay the scene as it should have been. Tara got shot and fell towards her. "Where are they?" Fred asked.
"Well if everything there's gone back to normal, I should think that they've escaped and are on their way back," Wes replied. He'd barely finished talking when there was a flash and smoke filled the room. Willow lost her concentration and the Devian Sphere shattered in Fred's hands, the picture had gone. When the smoke cleared, Spike stood before them with a look of enormous relief on his face. Evie was holding him up from one side and Tara from the other. When she saw Willow, she forgot about Spike and ran towards her. Willow sobbed quietly as they hugged. Angel and Wesley were just staring at Evie. She was still dressed up, though a little wind swept now.
She didn't know where to look. At her husband or at the guy next to him who was a one night stand from a few hours ago. Well, in her timeline any way. Angel was about to say something when Evie screamed and flew backwards. Now it was Spike's turn to hold her up. He was having a bit of trouble though. She was thrashing everywhere and holding her head. Spike had never seen anything like it. Angel rushed to her side and removed something from his pocket. It looks like a small tool kit but it contained a syringe and some vials of glimmering liquid. He filled the syringe and injected into Evie's bare arm. "What the hell are you doing?!" Spike yelled at him.
"Don't meddle in things you don't understand!" Angel shouted back.
"Angel? Do you know what you're doing? You shouldn't just…" Wesley tried to find out what was going on. Angel growled at him viciously, "Of course I know what the hell I'm doing! She's my wife!" The whole room stood still as Evie recovered in Angel and Spike's arms. Willow, Tara, Wesley and Fred were all staring at Angel. Spike wasn't shocked by the outburst and helped Evie stand. "What's going on?" she asked weakly. Angel turned to her. "Evie," he smiled, "you're back." She returned his smile and they hugged tenderly. "We should find you somewhere to sit down," he said to her and without a word to the others, he lead her out of the room. Willow turned to Spike. "Did you know about this?" she asked.
"Kinda," he replied, "but only just. In my little 'adventure' I happened to stumble into their wedding."
"So it's true?" Tara asked, "They're really married?"
"So it would seem," Fred replied.
"I don't believe Angel didn't tell us," said Wes, "doesn't he trust us enough to tell us something like that?"
"Well, I think they both thought the other was dead," Spike guessed, "and I know how painful it is to lose someone you love. You don't exactly want to shout it from the rooftops." Everyone stood quietly looking at other, not knowing what to say or do. Whatever they did, Willow was happy she had Tara back and squeezed her hand tightly.
Angel helped Evie onto his bed where she slowly sat down, still a bit shaken. "I can't believe you're here," Angel told her. She just smiled at him. She was so amazed. One minute she was searching for a vampire in an abandoned apartment and now she was in a law firm with the husband she thought was dead. She'd missed him so much that she couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her cheek. He held her close and she wrapped her arms around him. "You're alive," she said, "you're really alive."
"Yeah, I guess I am," he replied with a smile. It was all too much for him to take in. He knew that Evie wouldn't be able to just slot back into his life but for now he was just pleased to have her back.
"That reminds me," she sat up and looked at him, "my vision. Don't we need to do something about it?" Angel suddenly stood. "Oh yeah," he replied, "I'd forgotten about that." He ruffled his hair slightly and sighed. He looked her up and down. She was still wearing her dress, and looked a little too formal for demon fighting. "What about you?" he asked, "don't you need to get changed?" She smiled at him and stood up. Some where between getting up and walking towards him, she magically changed into black, leather pants and a lilac blouse. He smiled and put his arm around her. "Come on," he said, "let's get this vision of yours sorted out."
Chapter 10
The group had gathered in Angel's office; the group being Angel, Spike, Fred, Wes and Evie as Willow and Tara had gone to pack. They were planning to return to England to continue theirs studies of witchcraft. Willow had been there when Angel had called her so she decided to take Tara back with her. Angel was stood behind his desk looking at the others as Evie explained to them what she had seen in her vision. Men. In cloaks. Chasing someone.
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