What's In A Name?
'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'-William Shakespeare, "Romeo And Juliet"
Spike sat in Angel's office, simply waiting for the broody ponce to arrive so he could harass him some more. He had begun to think about the past, as he was wont to do when he was alone. His was a past of blood and violence. Of pain. Centuries of being a terror in the night. Of being the reason young debutantes didn't walk home alone, under any circumstances. Of being known as William the Bloody. He had deserved that title. He cut a bloody path through history, and left only screams and heartache in his wake.
But, he mused, Angel had the same problem, didn't he? So many years of being known as Angelus. Years of being the Angelus. They had spilled their share of blood many times over, and had enjoyed it immensely. But, now, thanks to those nifty souls they had, they had begun to feel that crushing, overwhelming guilt. They felt every family's pain, every little girl's scream, every drop of blood falling to the floor. They both heard their former names, William the Bloody and Angelus, and cringed like a dog expecting to be beaten for any slight. They had learned to hide it behind a carefully constructed façade, but it was still there. Still hovering just beneath the surface, like a venomous snake concealed in the bushes.
Two of a kind, they were. Spike smirked at the cruel cards Fate had dealt them.
He was still smirking when Angel entered the room, carrying several folders. He sighed at the sight of Spike and asked exasperatedly, "Don't you have anything else to do than be here? Anywhere to be but here in my office?"
Spike remained silent, then uttered very quietly, "No…Angelus."
Like Pavlov's dogs, Angel tensed minutely then growled, "It's Angel…William." He put his original Irish brogue to it, cruelly twisting the knife. Spike responded in same by jerking, then smirking coldly.
"A vampire by any other name has a soul just as black." Spike said in that same quiet voice.
Angel, puzzled by this, smiled bitterly and responded, "After all, what's in a name, right?"
A quiet hush fell over the office. They looked at each other and had a moment of perfect understanding born of mutual pain and remorse. They were never going to shake the terrible guilt they felt, but they had to try, if only to not remember thedark memories conjured by those names.
-Fin-