The young girl walked into Angel Investigations. She attempted to
shake the rain from her long blonde hair, but all she managed to do was
splatter water everywhere. She looked to be about 16. She was dressed in
baggy, black pants and a tight gray shirt. Her combat boots made an echoing
noise in the lobby of the hotel. She had a long, black leather duster on
that nearly came to her knees. Cordy looked up from the desk. She skimmed
the girls' appearance and noticed the pentagram hanging from a leather cord
around her neck. She motioned for the others to come out.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn!" the girl exclaimed. She looked around the lobby.
Gunn, Wesley, Fred, and Cordy walked into the lobby from behind the desk.
They looked somewhat confused. "Nice crib ya got here, Gunn." Gunn's
eyebrows rose as he walked over. He smiled.
"Sydney?" He asked, laughing.
"That'd be me." She smiled, flashing perfectly white, strait teeth.
She and Gunn pounded fists, then he pulled her into a hug, not even
noticing how cold she was. "It's nice to see you, too," she laughing as she
returned the hug.
"It's been forever." he smiled. He backed up and took a look at her.
"Jesus, you grew up fast." She blushed. Wesley cleared his voice. "Oh, Wes,
Cordy, Fred, this is Sydney. She was my sisters' best friend. But, she
moved to Sunnydale a little after sis... died." he said the last word
quietly, but smiled at Cordy and Wesley's shocked expressions.
"Sunnydale?" Cordy asked. "Why would anyone want to move there?"
"Damned if I know," Sydney said. Wes took a sip from the coffee cup
in his hand. "My guardian wanted me out of the 'big city' and away from him
but all I did was move to the Hellmouth..." she shook her head. Wesley
choked on his coffee.
"What!?" he asked. "How do you know about that?!"
"Yeah, Sunnydale, big hellmouth. Don't freak out." she laughed. She
nodded to Cordy "Cordy, right? Giles and the Scoobs say hey."
"Really!?" Cordy asked. "How are they?"
"Well, I've only been hangin with Dawn for a lil while, but they're
'aight. Dawn told me about how you 'n Xander were an item for a while? I
have one thought on that: what were you on and where can I get some?" She
laughed.
"Aren't you a bit young to be talking about drugs and stuff?" Cordy
asked.
"Now hold up one god damn minute, you little-" Sydney started.
"Hey, hey, hey now." Gunn said, putting a hand over Sydney's mouth.
"Ladies, let's not get into a little fight here..." He moved his hand and
Sydney silently scowled at Cordy. Gunn whispered to Cordy, "She doesn't
like to be told about her age... She feels a lot older cause she's been
alone, handed off from foster home to foster home ever since her parents
died when she was real little." Cordy nodded, having a new found respect
for the girl. "So, Syd, how long have you been in town?"
"Oh, me? About three months now," she laughed.
"Girl, I ought to kick your ass! You didn't come say hey at all!"
Gunn said, shaking his head.
"Aww, you wouldn't do that to lil ole me..." Sydney smiled
innocently. She held her hands behind her back and looked up at him,
digging her shoe into the tile, looking a lot younger that she should.
"You're right..." Gunn smiled. She saw the leather chair in the lobby
and smiled. She ran over and dove into it.
"Ahh..." Sydney smiled. She folded her arms and laid her head back on
her hands, propping her feet up on the coffee table.
"So, Sydney was it? How can we help you?" Wesley asked, sitting on
the couch next to the chair she was occupying. Sydney quickly lost her
smile. She opened her mouth a few times, but just closed it. She sat
forward, put her hands together forming a steeple, and began to speak.
"I've... Someone has been following me. Everywhere I go, I'm followed
by someone. I-I can't place who it is, but it's getting annoying. I can
feel them watching me... and... it's gettin to where I can't go anywhere
without having their eyes on me... and... I want them gone. I figured that
Gunn and yall could help me out." She said. She looked up and smiled at
Gunn. Her smiled turned to confusion. "Where's that Angel guy you told me
about?"
*~~*~~*~~*
"WHY... WON'T... YOU... DIE?!?!?" Angel yelled, hitting the demon on every word. He'd been fighting it for the past twenty minutes, but it still hadn't stopped. Angel was sitting on its chest, punching it. "You can't stop me, puny vampire." the demon said, flipping Angel off of him and jumping up. Angel got up. "Alright, that's it. You called me puny. I'm pissed now." Angel ran at the demon and the demon evaded him, forcing Angel to fall to the floor. The demon laughed, then screamed. A high-pitched sound, somewhat like nails on chalk boards... times a million. Angel grabbed his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the demon was dead, his neck snapped. Angel got up and looked around. He heard a familiar laugh echo through the sewer. "I'll see you soon, pops." the voice said. Angel's nostrils flared. "Spike." Angel whispered, running off to the hotel.
*~~*~~*~~*
"Angel?" Wesley asked. "Yeah, the big man?" Sydney said. Fred laughed, then quickly became quiet again. Sydney had forgotten that the girl was there. "Um, actually, I run the business now, not Angel." Wesley said. "O-kay." Sydney said. "Anyways, Angel's out fighting some demon." Cordy said. She jumped up onto the counter and began filing her nails. "'Some demon'?" Angel said, walking in. Sydney was stricken. She couldn't move. She hadn't seen someone that attractive ever since she saw that bleached blonde in Sunnydale. He was tall, dark hair and eyes, and his dark clothes added to his appearance. Fred's eyes lit up when Angel walked in. "That wasn't a normal demon. That son of a bitch didn't die easy either!" he said. That's when he noticed the blonde sitting in the leather chair. "Oops... Hi, I'm Angel." he said smiling. {he has the most gorgeous smile...} she thought. She jumped up. "Sup? I'm Sydney." she smiled. "And I need some help." "And you're also a vamp, so why don't you mosey on along before I stake you, okay?" he said, smiling. "I'm not gonna help you." Sydney's eyes filled with tears. "Man, what the hell are you talkin about?!" Gunn said, running over to Sydney and hugging her as she burst into tears. She began to ball onto Gunn's shirt. "Please! You have to help me!" she sobbed. "Hey, it's okay... we will..." Gunn said, stroking her hair. "No, we won't!" Angel said. Sydney looked up, pissed. She backed away from Gunn. "Okay, Mr. I Have A Soul. Let's get some things strait!" Sydney said, holding back more tears. "One: I'm a vamp, but not by choice. I was attacked and a friend named WILLOW gave me my soul back." Angel looked confused. "Two: I know that you're Angelus underneath your soul, and I'm very afraid of you. It took a lot of guts for me to come here. And three? Buffy sent me. She said that you would help me, and that I could trust you." Tears began to fall down her cheeks again. She pulled out an envelope. "Oh, and this is from her, you conceited asshole." She threw it at him. She spun on her heel. "If you guys will excuse me, I've got to go find someplace to crash for the day. I'll see you around Gunn." Sydney stormed out. The door slammed and Angel flinched, as did Cordy. "Okay, I was wrong." Angel said quietly. "Man, where the hell do you come off trippin on her?!" Gunn demanded.
"We don't have time to help her! She is a freaking vampire!" Angel defended. "Oh, don't you play that line again, cause you're a vamp too, Angel!" Gunn said. "I KNOW THAT!" Angel growled. "Excuse me! But, who were you to jump to the conclusion that we couldn't help her? I believe that I am the one that runs this operation..." Wesley said. "All of you shut up!" Cordy said. The room grew silent. "Somebody needs to go find her. And Angel, you need to go downstairs. It'll be morning soon. And Sydney's gonna need somebody to talk to." She looked at Gunn. "I'm on it." He said. He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney ran through the streets. She needed to find an empty warehouse. Now. She could smell dawn. It was only about 15 minutes away. She sensed other vampires around, so she figured all of the warehouses had someone in them. It would be easy enough to go into one and take over the whole group, but why bother? She didn't have the time. She turned a corner and was grabbed and pulled into a warehouse. "Not today, asshole!" Sydney skillfully flipped her attacker over her head, much like the bleached blonde had taught her to. She jumped back into a fighter's stance, fists raised for another attack. She looked down at the guy on the floor, and easily spotted his spiked blonde hair. "Oh no!" She said. The guy groaned. "Bloody 'ell, Syd..." Spike got up. "I taught you well, didn't I?" He asked, smiling a bit. "Spike?! Oh my goddess, you scared me!" She put a hand on her chest. "Sorry, luv, but I had to get your attention. And anyways, what the hell are you doing out this late?" he asked, dusting off his jacket. Sydney looked around the warehouse and saw that it had furniture and everything. She sighed and pulled off her duster, revealing the low cut shirt underneath. She threw the duster over the back of a chair and fell onto the couch. "That prick of a sire of yours yelled at me and turned me out." she said grumpily. She began to pout. He couldn't stand to deny her anything when she pouted. Spike walked over and sat on the coffee table. "Oh, luv, it can't be that bad..." He took her hand in his. {How can she NOT know that I'm crazy for her?!} "What seems to be the problem that you're desperate enough to go to HIM for?" Spike asked. "Well..." she sat up, still holding his hand. She stared at the floor as she spoke. "Someone has been following me... everywhere I go. And Buffy had told me that if I was ever in the area, that I could go to him for help. But he wouldn't help me." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Spike, I'm scared..." she whispered. "Oh, luv, it'll be alright..." he said, pulling her into his arms. She burst into tears and she curled herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
*~~*~~*~~*
Gunn walked around the warehouse district. It was daylight already, and he knew that the warehouses were infested with vampires. He didn't want to tell his crew about it, because they might kill Sydney. So he was alone. {So what are you gonna do, man? Just, knock on a door and politely ask, "hey, you seen a blonde about yea high, real cute?" No, I don't think so...} he looked down. He saw a boot print that looked somewhat feminine. {Hmm... worth a- well, no it isn't... I really don't want to die tonight... I'll just find her later.} Gunn headed back home to get a little sleep.
*~~*~~*~~*
Angel paced around his apartment. {How could I have been so stupid?} he wondered. {I didn't ask any questions, I just jumped to conclusions... But, I had reason to... Didn't I?} he couldn't finish the thought because his phone rang.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney woke up lying in Spike's arms on the couch. He was still asleep, clutching her to him tightly. She smiled a little. This was how she had imagined eternity. When she had become a vampire, and given a soul, she had been lost. She had been torn into a million pieces and never thought she would be whole again. But there he was. Spike. He had been there to show her the path that she was going to have to lead. He had seen her as a student, and she had seen him as a teacher. At first. She had soon fallen in love with him, but she had thought her emotions unwanted. They would flirt continuously, but there would always be that new cute fledgling that he would hook up with, leaving Sydney to herself. After a while, she would get angry and go out and stake the girl, whoever it was, and blame it on someone else. She would be there to comfort him. She frowned. This was possibly the closest she would ever get to him. She looked at her watch. It was only 11:43. "Well girl," she whispered to herself. "Might as well make the best of the time you have with the man you love." She snuggled closer to him, not noticing that his eyes had been open the whole time.
*~~*~~*~~*
Spike's brow creased. The chit loved him. He tightened his hold on her. He was crazy about her. But he didn't have the bottle (*guts*) to do anything about it. Well, damned if he was gonna be a tosser (*wuss*) about it. He decided that he would tell her how he felt, {God, I've got FEELINGS about someone...} and he would ask her to be his for all time. As soon as he slept some more. He was too tired to do anything now. He moved his head a little so that he could smell her hair. It smelled like raspberries. He smiled. He buried his face in her hair and went back to sleep.
*~~*~~*~~*
Angel picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Angel." "Buffy." "Hi." "Um, hey. How are you?" he jumped up onto the counter to sit. "I'm okay. Been better. Was thinkin about comin and seein you guys." She said quietly. "Really?" Angel said enthusiastically. He hadn't had the chance to tell her about the spell that Wesley had preformed. The one that kept his soul intact no matter how much happiness he had. "That would be... great!" "Really? You don't think it would be too weird?" "No! I really want to see you. It would be nice to, ya know, talk..." he said, ideas whipping through his mind. {Things are defiantly looking up...} "Okay, I'll head down tomorrow." she said perkily. "Hey, did Sydney ever show up?" "Oh," {DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER! DANGER!} "Yeah, she showed up... We're on the case." {Just a LITTLE lie...} "Oh good... she's so sweet... it's such a shame about what happened to her. But she's okay now, soul and all." "Yeah." Angel said. "So I'll see you tomorrow then? That is, if you don't want to talk about anything else." "No, just wanted to see what was up." Buffy was smiling... not that Angel could see it. "Okay then." "Yeah." "Hey, Buffy?" "Mm-hmm?" "I love you." Angel said. Buffy's eyes began to water. "I- I love you, too." she said after a long pause. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." "Bye." Buffy hung up the phone with a shaky hand, as did Angel. "Well isn't this going to be a FUN week..." Angel said with little actual enthusiasm. He walked to his room to sleep the rest of the day away.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney woke up again. In her sleep, she had turned over, and was now face to face with a sleeping Spike. Their faces were inches apart. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and her hands were balled up on his chest, clutching his shirt. She smiled to herself. {God, I want to kiss him so much... Maybe he won't notice...} Slowly, she got closer and closer to Spike and kissed him softly. When she opened her eyes, she was looking into Spike's blue ones. Her eyes got wide and she was about to apologize right when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were soft and he was smiling sweetly at her. "Spike... I-" She started. She was cut off by Spike's lips. When he broke the kiss, her eyes were still closed. "Wow..." she whispered. Spike laughed a little. She opened her eyes. {He has the sweetest laugh...} "Sydney, I love you. I have since you came to Sunnydale. And, I-" Spike said. Sydney put her fingers up to his lips. "Spike, I love you, too. You've taught me everything I know, and I learn something new from you everyday. This is how I want things to be. I can't imagine eternity any other way." She smiled. Tears began to form in her eyes. Spike kissed them away. "Ditto." He answered before kissing her again.
*~~*~~*~~*
Buffy drove up to Angel Investigations. She had finally learned to drive and was doing that often. She turned off the ignition and sighed. Xander was asleep next to her in the passengers seat. She smiled at him and decided to let him sleep. She grabbed her jacket from the backseat and covered him up with it. She began to think. What was she suppost to say to Angel? {"Yeah, I'm still in love with you and I can't stop thinking about you... so what's up?"} She shook her head and got out of the car. She decided that she was going to do whatever seemed to be rational. She had missed Angel since he left a year ago, and she was wandering from boyfriend to boyfriend, trying to fill the void inside her heart that Angel had once occupied. None of them fit. So she was done. She was going to beg Angel back into her life. She walked up to the door. She slowly pushed it in and peeked inside. Cordy was sitting at the front desk and Wesley was reading a book on the couch. There was a younger guy that Buffy had never seen before sitting next to Cordelia. She slowly walked in. Cordy looked up when she heard the door close. "BUFFY!" Cordy smiled a huge smile as she ran over and hugged Buffy, catching the Slayer by surprise. Buffy smiled and hugged her back. Buffy looked over at Wesley, who seemed shocked to see her. She walked over to him as he got up and hugged him. Cordy jumped up onto the counter to sit. "It's wonderful to see you, Ms. Summers." He said, wiping a tear from his eye. She smiled at him, her eyes welling with tears. "Same here." She said. The guy she'd never seen before walked out and held out a hand. "I'm Gunn." He smiled. "Lemme guess, Buffy Summers?" he asked. "That's me. Wait, how did you know? Do they talk about me?" she asked. "Every day!" he laughed. Buffy blushed. "Buffy." A familiar voice said from behind her. Buffy spun around and ran into Angel's arms. "Angel, it's so good to see you." She said, her words barely audible because her face was buried in his chest. He smiled and hugged her. "Feelings are mutual." he whispered, kissing the top of her head. They broke apart, but Buffy clutched to his hand. Xander walked in, hair tossled from sleep. He waved weakly. "Hey guys." He smiled. He saw Cordy sitting on the counter and walked over to her. "Hey," he said quietly, making her blush. Buffy knew they still loved each other in some strange way. Buffy and Angel had a short, quiet conversation, as did Cordy and Xander. After a few minutes, Xander jumped up onto the counter and dropped a lazy arm around Cordy, who smiled. "So," Buffy started, wiping tears from her eyes and turning to everyone else. "How's the biz?"
*~~*~~*~~*
About an hour later, Buffy was all caught up with Cordy and visa versa. Cordy went home (taking Xander with her), as did Gunn and Wesley. Buffy and Angel were left alone. There was an awkward silence for about ten minutes. Finally, they both spoke at once. "Angel, I want to-" "Buffy, I need to-" They stopped and looked at each other. They laughed a little. "You go ahead." She said. "No, you," he argued, a smile smile playing on his face. "O-kay." She clasped her hands together and began to play with her fingers. "Angel, I'm here because... because... because I'm still in love with you, and I can't stop thinking about you. And..." She looked up at him. "I-" "Buffy, my soul is permanent." He interrupted. Buffy laughed a little. "Sorry, I think that my mind is playing tricks on me. What did you say?" she asked. "You heard me." He smiled. "My soul won't be going anywhere... ever." Buffy got an ecstatic look on her face. "Really?!" she laughed. She dove into his lap and hugged his neck. "That is so great! I'm so happy for you!" Angel smiled at her. "I was hoping it could be 'happy for us'." He said. Buffy's eyes got wide. "Buffy, I know I left you, and I don't deserve your forgiveness, but... can I have another chance?" Tears streamed down Buffy's face. "Yes. Angel, the answer is yes." She kissed him. "Could this day get any better?" "Well..." Angel smiled.
*~~*~~*~~*
A week later, not much had changed. Sydney had seen Gunn a few times, and had avoided the topic of her and Spike. She didn't know if he would go and tell Angel or what. She and Angel had talked on the phone almost every day (which wasn't making Spike happy) and the two had become friends. She didn't want him to freak out about Spike. She didn't want ANYONE to freak out about Spike. But the worst part was when she found out that Buffy and Xander had come to town. They had showed up and Sydney had seen them once. She was on edge every second of the day, thinking that they would find out about she and Spike and that Buffy would stake one of them. Sydney wouldn't be able to deal. She also wouldn't be able to deal if Xander found out. Xander would die. No, he would kill Spike, THEN he would die. Now, Buffy and Xander decided to stay for ANOTHER week. Things weren't going great...
*~~*~~*~~*
Gunn walked into Angel Investigations with Starbucks for everyone around dusk. Cordy had fallen asleep on the desk, and Wesley was organizing the weapon cabinet. Xander was asleep next to Cordelia, with an arm around her. Buffy was on the phone with Giles. Gunn smiled as he passed Cordy's desk, setting her mocha latte with chocolate sprinkles next to her. {She'll wake up as soon as the smell gets to her...} he smiled. He handed Wesley his Columbian Decaf and left Angel's coffee frothy chocolate la-la thing on the counter as he grabbed his iced cappuccino. Gunn waved to Buffy as she hung up the phone and pointed to her coffee, which was next to Cordy's. Buffy came and got it and went over to Wesley. Gunn walked back over to the weapons cabinet to help Wesley. "Hey man." Gunn said with a yawn. They spoke quietly, as to not wake up Cordy. "Long night?" Wesley asked, handing him a sword. Gunn sat down and began to clean it. "Kinda. Gave up on the search for Sydney. Couldn't find her. She'll show either here or at my place." He shrugged. He'd been saying that for days. "She tends to show up when needed." They began to chitchat, and Angel walked up about ten minutes later. Zombie-like, he walked over and grabbed his coffee, and downed it in two gulps. He fell onto the couch with a groan. "Angel?" Wesley asked. "Feeling alright?" Angel moaned in response. Buffy's brow creased with worry. She walked over and cradled his head in her lap, whispering to him. "I think that's vamp for 'I have a headache, shut up'." Gunn answered and Angel nodded his head. The door swung open, letting in peels of girlish laughter. Angel moaned again, grabbing his head and rolling onto some pillows on the couch as Buffy stroked his back. Sydney walked in, talking on her cell phone. She was wearing pants that were WAY too big for her, and a black shirt that said, in white letters, "Did I ask To Be Judged By You?" Her hair was in twin braids and she had on small, rectangular sunglasses with blue lenses. "Okay, baby, I love you too. Bye." she hung up the phone and dropped it into the pocket of her overly baggy jeans. " 'Baby'?" Gunn asked. "You have a boyfriend?" Angel looked up, recognizing a certain smell. "Yes, I do." She smiled. She passed Cordy's desk. "Ooooo! Mocha latte!" she said, reaching for it. Cordy reached out with lightning speed and grabbed her wrist. "I'll kill you." She threatened. Sydney laughed and wrenched her wrist free. Cordy wrapped her arms around her latte and went back to sleep. Sydney spotted Angel on the couch, staring at her. He remembered the smell. "Maybe I should go..." she said. She started to turn around, but before she could realize what was going on, Angel was holding onto her arm.
"Why do you smell like Spike." It wasn't a question, more of a demand. "What?" Sydney asked. Gunn and Wesley were both looking on in silence. Cordy had looked up when she heard Spike's name. "Why. Do. You. Smell. Like. My. Child." he spat out. He inhaled deeply and quickly let go of her. "He's your mate!" he yelled managing to piss Sydney off. "And why the hell do you care?!" Sydney demanded. "I'm not your daughter! I'm not your sister! I'm nothing to you! Why do you care that I'm in love with Spike?!" "Spike?!" Buffy asked, jumping up. "He's here?!" "Excuse me, but, can't we sit down and talk about this rationally?" Wesley asked. "Not if it's about Spike!" Buffy yelled. Gunn looked furious. "Spike. As in the bleached blonde that tried to kill us all." Gunn glared at Wesley as he nodded. He looked over at Sydney. "Syd?" Sydney backed up slowly, tears running down her face. "I didn't w-want you guys t-to freak out... I..." she ran into the door. She spun around, her face suddenly angry. "I love him, and you can't do anything about it. I'll be with him whether you want me to or not." With that, she ran out the door.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney ran out the door, only to run into Spike. She fell into his arms, blood red tears streaming down her face, sobs wracking her body. Spike felt his undead heart clench as he wrapped his arms around her. "Shh, luv... It's alright..." he said soothingly, lightly stroking her hair. He lifted her face to meet his and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Now, what's all this fuss about?" he asked quietly, wiping her tears away. "A-Angel smelled you o-on me... I-I walked in, a-and he freaked out. H-He yelled at me, a-and everyone l-lo-looked at me like..." a tear ran down her face. "Like I was trash." She burst into fresh tears. Spike was filled with rage and pulled her to him again. "Shh... it's alright, luv..." he kissed the top of her head. He lifted her face again. "Syd, luv, listen to me. You are not trash. You are nothing close to trash. You are a beautiful, intelligent, sweet, caring woman, and if they think you're trash, they don't know as much as they think." A red tear fell down Spike's face. "And without you, I don't know what would bloody become of me. Do you understand?" he asked her. Sydney sniffled a little. She nodded, and smiled. He smiled back. "Now run on home, luv. I've got some errands to run, but I'll be there as soon as I get done." He kissed her forehead. "Okay. I love you." she said. "Love you more, ducks." He said. She smiled and backed out of his arms. As she started to walk away, she turned around and ran into his arms again, kissing him. "Thank you." she smiled as she walked off, disappearing into the night.
*~~*~~*~~*
"Well THAT went well..." Cordy said quietly. "Angel, what is up with you yellin at people?" Xander asked. Angel threw Xander a glare that could burn holes through him. Xander put his hands up in defense and stayed quiet. "I didn't... I mean, it just... IT'S SPIKE! She shouldn't be with him! He'll hurt her!" Angel said, not believeing that Xander thought he was in the wrong. "Angel, we have to believe that Sydney knows what she is doing." Wesley said calmly. "I'm going with Angel. Sydney is going to get herself hurt." Buffy said, sighing. "BUT," she said as Wesley started to interrupt. "I also agree that she is her own person and that she can handle herself." Angel looked at her, baffled. "Once again, may I point out, IT'S SPIKE!!!" "Dead Boy, it's none of our business if they're together. Spike has found somebody, we should be happy for him. And we should be happy that Sydney has somebody. The fact that they've found each other shouldn't matter. Love is love, and its outcomes aren't changeable." Xander said quietly. Cordelia looked at him in dismay. "Alexander LeVille Harris, that is possibly the smartest, and sweetest thing you have ever said." she said, smiling. "Yeah, mate, thanks for the input." a familiar voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned at once. Spike was standing in the doorway of Angel Investigations, hands in the pockets of his duster. He was wearing black jeans and a white silk shirt under the duster. His hair wasn't slicked back as normal, but ruffled and spiked. His eyebrow was pierced, sporting pointy, spikeish studs, as well as his labret (which surprised Angel because Spike had a fear of needles). There was silence. Angel growled low in his throat and Spike smiled at him. "Spike." Angel said. "Sire," Spike said, mock-bowing. He looked up and his smile faded. "I should rip your throat out." He said, fire in his eyes. "Feelings are mutual." Angel said. "Hey," Buffy said, stepping in front of Angel. "If any throats are getting torn out, it'll be done by me." She looked at Spike and smiled. "And I'll gladly take his out." "Slutty, I don't have a problem with you. As of yet. It's him." he looked pointedly at Angel. "He made my Sydney cry. For that, he deserves nothing more than death." "She aint 'your' anything." Gunn said, stepping forward, speaking for the first time since Sydney left. "She's her own person, and she doesn't need you." he said, cold hate creeping into his voice. "And who the bloody hell are you, you wanker?! Her father?! NO! I don't believe so." Spike said. "She has her own mind and feelings, and she chose me to be hers, mate." "Spike, if you hurt her, I'll beat you into unconsciousness, then leave you to kiss the sunrise." Angel said. "Oh, THAT'S outstandingly original." He rolled his eyes. "You're seriously going to regret this relationship, Spike." Buffy threatened. "I regret a lot of things, Slayer, but Sydney loves me and that I will never regret." he said, spinning on his heel and storming out the door. "Okay, who's next to storm out the door in a huff?" Xander asked. His question was answered by silence.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Spike bolted out of Angel Investigations, somewhat angry. He headed to the closest liquor store and picked up a bottle of wine. He headed back to the warehouse that he and Sydney were staying at.
*~~*~~*~~*
"WHY... WON'T... YOU... DIE?!?!?" Angel yelled, hitting the demon on every word. He'd been fighting it for the past twenty minutes, but it still hadn't stopped. Angel was sitting on its chest, punching it. "You can't stop me, puny vampire." the demon said, flipping Angel off of him and jumping up. Angel got up. "Alright, that's it. You called me puny. I'm pissed now." Angel ran at the demon and the demon evaded him, forcing Angel to fall to the floor. The demon laughed, then screamed. A high-pitched sound, somewhat like nails on chalk boards... times a million. Angel grabbed his head and closed his eyes. When he opened them, the demon was dead, his neck snapped. Angel got up and looked around. He heard a familiar laugh echo through the sewer. "I'll see you soon, pops." the voice said. Angel's nostrils flared. "Spike." Angel whispered, running off to the hotel.
*~~*~~*~~*
"Angel?" Wesley asked. "Yeah, the big man?" Sydney said. Fred laughed, then quickly became quiet again. Sydney had forgotten that the girl was there. "Um, actually, I run the business now, not Angel." Wesley said. "O-kay." Sydney said. "Anyways, Angel's out fighting some demon." Cordy said. She jumped up onto the counter and began filing her nails. "'Some demon'?" Angel said, walking in. Sydney was stricken. She couldn't move. She hadn't seen someone that attractive ever since she saw that bleached blonde in Sunnydale. He was tall, dark hair and eyes, and his dark clothes added to his appearance. Fred's eyes lit up when Angel walked in. "That wasn't a normal demon. That son of a bitch didn't die easy either!" he said. That's when he noticed the blonde sitting in the leather chair. "Oops... Hi, I'm Angel." he said smiling. {he has the most gorgeous smile...} she thought. She jumped up. "Sup? I'm Sydney." she smiled. "And I need some help." "And you're also a vamp, so why don't you mosey on along before I stake you, okay?" he said, smiling. "I'm not gonna help you." Sydney's eyes filled with tears. "Man, what the hell are you talkin about?!" Gunn said, running over to Sydney and hugging her as she burst into tears. She began to ball onto Gunn's shirt. "Please! You have to help me!" she sobbed. "Hey, it's okay... we will..." Gunn said, stroking her hair. "No, we won't!" Angel said. Sydney looked up, pissed. She backed away from Gunn. "Okay, Mr. I Have A Soul. Let's get some things strait!" Sydney said, holding back more tears. "One: I'm a vamp, but not by choice. I was attacked and a friend named WILLOW gave me my soul back." Angel looked confused. "Two: I know that you're Angelus underneath your soul, and I'm very afraid of you. It took a lot of guts for me to come here. And three? Buffy sent me. She said that you would help me, and that I could trust you." Tears began to fall down her cheeks again. She pulled out an envelope. "Oh, and this is from her, you conceited asshole." She threw it at him. She spun on her heel. "If you guys will excuse me, I've got to go find someplace to crash for the day. I'll see you around Gunn." Sydney stormed out. The door slammed and Angel flinched, as did Cordy. "Okay, I was wrong." Angel said quietly. "Man, where the hell do you come off trippin on her?!" Gunn demanded.
"We don't have time to help her! She is a freaking vampire!" Angel defended. "Oh, don't you play that line again, cause you're a vamp too, Angel!" Gunn said. "I KNOW THAT!" Angel growled. "Excuse me! But, who were you to jump to the conclusion that we couldn't help her? I believe that I am the one that runs this operation..." Wesley said. "All of you shut up!" Cordy said. The room grew silent. "Somebody needs to go find her. And Angel, you need to go downstairs. It'll be morning soon. And Sydney's gonna need somebody to talk to." She looked at Gunn. "I'm on it." He said. He grabbed his jacket and ran out the door.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney ran through the streets. She needed to find an empty warehouse. Now. She could smell dawn. It was only about 15 minutes away. She sensed other vampires around, so she figured all of the warehouses had someone in them. It would be easy enough to go into one and take over the whole group, but why bother? She didn't have the time. She turned a corner and was grabbed and pulled into a warehouse. "Not today, asshole!" Sydney skillfully flipped her attacker over her head, much like the bleached blonde had taught her to. She jumped back into a fighter's stance, fists raised for another attack. She looked down at the guy on the floor, and easily spotted his spiked blonde hair. "Oh no!" She said. The guy groaned. "Bloody 'ell, Syd..." Spike got up. "I taught you well, didn't I?" He asked, smiling a bit. "Spike?! Oh my goddess, you scared me!" She put a hand on her chest. "Sorry, luv, but I had to get your attention. And anyways, what the hell are you doing out this late?" he asked, dusting off his jacket. Sydney looked around the warehouse and saw that it had furniture and everything. She sighed and pulled off her duster, revealing the low cut shirt underneath. She threw the duster over the back of a chair and fell onto the couch. "That prick of a sire of yours yelled at me and turned me out." she said grumpily. She began to pout. He couldn't stand to deny her anything when she pouted. Spike walked over and sat on the coffee table. "Oh, luv, it can't be that bad..." He took her hand in his. {How can she NOT know that I'm crazy for her?!} "What seems to be the problem that you're desperate enough to go to HIM for?" Spike asked. "Well..." she sat up, still holding his hand. She stared at the floor as she spoke. "Someone has been following me... everywhere I go. And Buffy had told me that if I was ever in the area, that I could go to him for help. But he wouldn't help me." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Spike, I'm scared..." she whispered. "Oh, luv, it'll be alright..." he said, pulling her into his arms. She burst into tears and she curled herself into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.
*~~*~~*~~*
Gunn walked around the warehouse district. It was daylight already, and he knew that the warehouses were infested with vampires. He didn't want to tell his crew about it, because they might kill Sydney. So he was alone. {So what are you gonna do, man? Just, knock on a door and politely ask, "hey, you seen a blonde about yea high, real cute?" No, I don't think so...} he looked down. He saw a boot print that looked somewhat feminine. {Hmm... worth a- well, no it isn't... I really don't want to die tonight... I'll just find her later.} Gunn headed back home to get a little sleep.
*~~*~~*~~*
Angel paced around his apartment. {How could I have been so stupid?} he wondered. {I didn't ask any questions, I just jumped to conclusions... But, I had reason to... Didn't I?} he couldn't finish the thought because his phone rang.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney woke up lying in Spike's arms on the couch. He was still asleep, clutching her to him tightly. She smiled a little. This was how she had imagined eternity. When she had become a vampire, and given a soul, she had been lost. She had been torn into a million pieces and never thought she would be whole again. But there he was. Spike. He had been there to show her the path that she was going to have to lead. He had seen her as a student, and she had seen him as a teacher. At first. She had soon fallen in love with him, but she had thought her emotions unwanted. They would flirt continuously, but there would always be that new cute fledgling that he would hook up with, leaving Sydney to herself. After a while, she would get angry and go out and stake the girl, whoever it was, and blame it on someone else. She would be there to comfort him. She frowned. This was possibly the closest she would ever get to him. She looked at her watch. It was only 11:43. "Well girl," she whispered to herself. "Might as well make the best of the time you have with the man you love." She snuggled closer to him, not noticing that his eyes had been open the whole time.
*~~*~~*~~*
Spike's brow creased. The chit loved him. He tightened his hold on her. He was crazy about her. But he didn't have the bottle (*guts*) to do anything about it. Well, damned if he was gonna be a tosser (*wuss*) about it. He decided that he would tell her how he felt, {God, I've got FEELINGS about someone...} and he would ask her to be his for all time. As soon as he slept some more. He was too tired to do anything now. He moved his head a little so that he could smell her hair. It smelled like raspberries. He smiled. He buried his face in her hair and went back to sleep.
*~~*~~*~~*
Angel picked up the phone. "Hello?" "Angel." "Buffy." "Hi." "Um, hey. How are you?" he jumped up onto the counter to sit. "I'm okay. Been better. Was thinkin about comin and seein you guys." She said quietly. "Really?" Angel said enthusiastically. He hadn't had the chance to tell her about the spell that Wesley had preformed. The one that kept his soul intact no matter how much happiness he had. "That would be... great!" "Really? You don't think it would be too weird?" "No! I really want to see you. It would be nice to, ya know, talk..." he said, ideas whipping through his mind. {Things are defiantly looking up...} "Okay, I'll head down tomorrow." she said perkily. "Hey, did Sydney ever show up?" "Oh," {DANGER WILL ROBINSON! DANGER! DANGER!} "Yeah, she showed up... We're on the case." {Just a LITTLE lie...} "Oh good... she's so sweet... it's such a shame about what happened to her. But she's okay now, soul and all." "Yeah." Angel said. "So I'll see you tomorrow then? That is, if you don't want to talk about anything else." "No, just wanted to see what was up." Buffy was smiling... not that Angel could see it. "Okay then." "Yeah." "Hey, Buffy?" "Mm-hmm?" "I love you." Angel said. Buffy's eyes began to water. "I- I love you, too." she said after a long pause. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." "Bye." Buffy hung up the phone with a shaky hand, as did Angel. "Well isn't this going to be a FUN week..." Angel said with little actual enthusiasm. He walked to his room to sleep the rest of the day away.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney woke up again. In her sleep, she had turned over, and was now face to face with a sleeping Spike. Their faces were inches apart. His arms were wrapped tightly around her and her hands were balled up on his chest, clutching his shirt. She smiled to herself. {God, I want to kiss him so much... Maybe he won't notice...} Slowly, she got closer and closer to Spike and kissed him softly. When she opened her eyes, she was looking into Spike's blue ones. Her eyes got wide and she was about to apologize right when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were soft and he was smiling sweetly at her. "Spike... I-" She started. She was cut off by Spike's lips. When he broke the kiss, her eyes were still closed. "Wow..." she whispered. Spike laughed a little. She opened her eyes. {He has the sweetest laugh...} "Sydney, I love you. I have since you came to Sunnydale. And, I-" Spike said. Sydney put her fingers up to his lips. "Spike, I love you, too. You've taught me everything I know, and I learn something new from you everyday. This is how I want things to be. I can't imagine eternity any other way." She smiled. Tears began to form in her eyes. Spike kissed them away. "Ditto." He answered before kissing her again.
*~~*~~*~~*
Buffy drove up to Angel Investigations. She had finally learned to drive and was doing that often. She turned off the ignition and sighed. Xander was asleep next to her in the passengers seat. She smiled at him and decided to let him sleep. She grabbed her jacket from the backseat and covered him up with it. She began to think. What was she suppost to say to Angel? {"Yeah, I'm still in love with you and I can't stop thinking about you... so what's up?"} She shook her head and got out of the car. She decided that she was going to do whatever seemed to be rational. She had missed Angel since he left a year ago, and she was wandering from boyfriend to boyfriend, trying to fill the void inside her heart that Angel had once occupied. None of them fit. So she was done. She was going to beg Angel back into her life. She walked up to the door. She slowly pushed it in and peeked inside. Cordy was sitting at the front desk and Wesley was reading a book on the couch. There was a younger guy that Buffy had never seen before sitting next to Cordelia. She slowly walked in. Cordy looked up when she heard the door close. "BUFFY!" Cordy smiled a huge smile as she ran over and hugged Buffy, catching the Slayer by surprise. Buffy smiled and hugged her back. Buffy looked over at Wesley, who seemed shocked to see her. She walked over to him as he got up and hugged him. Cordy jumped up onto the counter to sit. "It's wonderful to see you, Ms. Summers." He said, wiping a tear from his eye. She smiled at him, her eyes welling with tears. "Same here." She said. The guy she'd never seen before walked out and held out a hand. "I'm Gunn." He smiled. "Lemme guess, Buffy Summers?" he asked. "That's me. Wait, how did you know? Do they talk about me?" she asked. "Every day!" he laughed. Buffy blushed. "Buffy." A familiar voice said from behind her. Buffy spun around and ran into Angel's arms. "Angel, it's so good to see you." She said, her words barely audible because her face was buried in his chest. He smiled and hugged her. "Feelings are mutual." he whispered, kissing the top of her head. They broke apart, but Buffy clutched to his hand. Xander walked in, hair tossled from sleep. He waved weakly. "Hey guys." He smiled. He saw Cordy sitting on the counter and walked over to her. "Hey," he said quietly, making her blush. Buffy knew they still loved each other in some strange way. Buffy and Angel had a short, quiet conversation, as did Cordy and Xander. After a few minutes, Xander jumped up onto the counter and dropped a lazy arm around Cordy, who smiled. "So," Buffy started, wiping tears from her eyes and turning to everyone else. "How's the biz?"
*~~*~~*~~*
About an hour later, Buffy was all caught up with Cordy and visa versa. Cordy went home (taking Xander with her), as did Gunn and Wesley. Buffy and Angel were left alone. There was an awkward silence for about ten minutes. Finally, they both spoke at once. "Angel, I want to-" "Buffy, I need to-" They stopped and looked at each other. They laughed a little. "You go ahead." She said. "No, you," he argued, a smile smile playing on his face. "O-kay." She clasped her hands together and began to play with her fingers. "Angel, I'm here because... because... because I'm still in love with you, and I can't stop thinking about you. And..." She looked up at him. "I-" "Buffy, my soul is permanent." He interrupted. Buffy laughed a little. "Sorry, I think that my mind is playing tricks on me. What did you say?" she asked. "You heard me." He smiled. "My soul won't be going anywhere... ever." Buffy got an ecstatic look on her face. "Really?!" she laughed. She dove into his lap and hugged his neck. "That is so great! I'm so happy for you!" Angel smiled at her. "I was hoping it could be 'happy for us'." He said. Buffy's eyes got wide. "Buffy, I know I left you, and I don't deserve your forgiveness, but... can I have another chance?" Tears streamed down Buffy's face. "Yes. Angel, the answer is yes." She kissed him. "Could this day get any better?" "Well..." Angel smiled.
*~~*~~*~~*
A week later, not much had changed. Sydney had seen Gunn a few times, and had avoided the topic of her and Spike. She didn't know if he would go and tell Angel or what. She and Angel had talked on the phone almost every day (which wasn't making Spike happy) and the two had become friends. She didn't want him to freak out about Spike. She didn't want ANYONE to freak out about Spike. But the worst part was when she found out that Buffy and Xander had come to town. They had showed up and Sydney had seen them once. She was on edge every second of the day, thinking that they would find out about she and Spike and that Buffy would stake one of them. Sydney wouldn't be able to deal. She also wouldn't be able to deal if Xander found out. Xander would die. No, he would kill Spike, THEN he would die. Now, Buffy and Xander decided to stay for ANOTHER week. Things weren't going great...
*~~*~~*~~*
Gunn walked into Angel Investigations with Starbucks for everyone around dusk. Cordy had fallen asleep on the desk, and Wesley was organizing the weapon cabinet. Xander was asleep next to Cordelia, with an arm around her. Buffy was on the phone with Giles. Gunn smiled as he passed Cordy's desk, setting her mocha latte with chocolate sprinkles next to her. {She'll wake up as soon as the smell gets to her...} he smiled. He handed Wesley his Columbian Decaf and left Angel's coffee frothy chocolate la-la thing on the counter as he grabbed his iced cappuccino. Gunn waved to Buffy as she hung up the phone and pointed to her coffee, which was next to Cordy's. Buffy came and got it and went over to Wesley. Gunn walked back over to the weapons cabinet to help Wesley. "Hey man." Gunn said with a yawn. They spoke quietly, as to not wake up Cordy. "Long night?" Wesley asked, handing him a sword. Gunn sat down and began to clean it. "Kinda. Gave up on the search for Sydney. Couldn't find her. She'll show either here or at my place." He shrugged. He'd been saying that for days. "She tends to show up when needed." They began to chitchat, and Angel walked up about ten minutes later. Zombie-like, he walked over and grabbed his coffee, and downed it in two gulps. He fell onto the couch with a groan. "Angel?" Wesley asked. "Feeling alright?" Angel moaned in response. Buffy's brow creased with worry. She walked over and cradled his head in her lap, whispering to him. "I think that's vamp for 'I have a headache, shut up'." Gunn answered and Angel nodded his head. The door swung open, letting in peels of girlish laughter. Angel moaned again, grabbing his head and rolling onto some pillows on the couch as Buffy stroked his back. Sydney walked in, talking on her cell phone. She was wearing pants that were WAY too big for her, and a black shirt that said, in white letters, "Did I ask To Be Judged By You?" Her hair was in twin braids and she had on small, rectangular sunglasses with blue lenses. "Okay, baby, I love you too. Bye." she hung up the phone and dropped it into the pocket of her overly baggy jeans. " 'Baby'?" Gunn asked. "You have a boyfriend?" Angel looked up, recognizing a certain smell. "Yes, I do." She smiled. She passed Cordy's desk. "Ooooo! Mocha latte!" she said, reaching for it. Cordy reached out with lightning speed and grabbed her wrist. "I'll kill you." She threatened. Sydney laughed and wrenched her wrist free. Cordy wrapped her arms around her latte and went back to sleep. Sydney spotted Angel on the couch, staring at her. He remembered the smell. "Maybe I should go..." she said. She started to turn around, but before she could realize what was going on, Angel was holding onto her arm.
"Why do you smell like Spike." It wasn't a question, more of a demand. "What?" Sydney asked. Gunn and Wesley were both looking on in silence. Cordy had looked up when she heard Spike's name. "Why. Do. You. Smell. Like. My. Child." he spat out. He inhaled deeply and quickly let go of her. "He's your mate!" he yelled managing to piss Sydney off. "And why the hell do you care?!" Sydney demanded. "I'm not your daughter! I'm not your sister! I'm nothing to you! Why do you care that I'm in love with Spike?!" "Spike?!" Buffy asked, jumping up. "He's here?!" "Excuse me, but, can't we sit down and talk about this rationally?" Wesley asked. "Not if it's about Spike!" Buffy yelled. Gunn looked furious. "Spike. As in the bleached blonde that tried to kill us all." Gunn glared at Wesley as he nodded. He looked over at Sydney. "Syd?" Sydney backed up slowly, tears running down her face. "I didn't w-want you guys t-to freak out... I..." she ran into the door. She spun around, her face suddenly angry. "I love him, and you can't do anything about it. I'll be with him whether you want me to or not." With that, she ran out the door.
*~~*~~*~~*
Sydney ran out the door, only to run into Spike. She fell into his arms, blood red tears streaming down her face, sobs wracking her body. Spike felt his undead heart clench as he wrapped his arms around her. "Shh, luv... It's alright..." he said soothingly, lightly stroking her hair. He lifted her face to meet his and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Now, what's all this fuss about?" he asked quietly, wiping her tears away. "A-Angel smelled you o-on me... I-I walked in, a-and he freaked out. H-He yelled at me, a-and everyone l-lo-looked at me like..." a tear ran down her face. "Like I was trash." She burst into fresh tears. Spike was filled with rage and pulled her to him again. "Shh... it's alright, luv..." he kissed the top of her head. He lifted her face again. "Syd, luv, listen to me. You are not trash. You are nothing close to trash. You are a beautiful, intelligent, sweet, caring woman, and if they think you're trash, they don't know as much as they think." A red tear fell down Spike's face. "And without you, I don't know what would bloody become of me. Do you understand?" he asked her. Sydney sniffled a little. She nodded, and smiled. He smiled back. "Now run on home, luv. I've got some errands to run, but I'll be there as soon as I get done." He kissed her forehead. "Okay. I love you." she said. "Love you more, ducks." He said. She smiled and backed out of his arms. As she started to walk away, she turned around and ran into his arms again, kissing him. "Thank you." she smiled as she walked off, disappearing into the night.
*~~*~~*~~*
"Well THAT went well..." Cordy said quietly. "Angel, what is up with you yellin at people?" Xander asked. Angel threw Xander a glare that could burn holes through him. Xander put his hands up in defense and stayed quiet. "I didn't... I mean, it just... IT'S SPIKE! She shouldn't be with him! He'll hurt her!" Angel said, not believeing that Xander thought he was in the wrong. "Angel, we have to believe that Sydney knows what she is doing." Wesley said calmly. "I'm going with Angel. Sydney is going to get herself hurt." Buffy said, sighing. "BUT," she said as Wesley started to interrupt. "I also agree that she is her own person and that she can handle herself." Angel looked at her, baffled. "Once again, may I point out, IT'S SPIKE!!!" "Dead Boy, it's none of our business if they're together. Spike has found somebody, we should be happy for him. And we should be happy that Sydney has somebody. The fact that they've found each other shouldn't matter. Love is love, and its outcomes aren't changeable." Xander said quietly. Cordelia looked at him in dismay. "Alexander LeVille Harris, that is possibly the smartest, and sweetest thing you have ever said." she said, smiling. "Yeah, mate, thanks for the input." a familiar voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned at once. Spike was standing in the doorway of Angel Investigations, hands in the pockets of his duster. He was wearing black jeans and a white silk shirt under the duster. His hair wasn't slicked back as normal, but ruffled and spiked. His eyebrow was pierced, sporting pointy, spikeish studs, as well as his labret (which surprised Angel because Spike had a fear of needles). There was silence. Angel growled low in his throat and Spike smiled at him. "Spike." Angel said. "Sire," Spike said, mock-bowing. He looked up and his smile faded. "I should rip your throat out." He said, fire in his eyes. "Feelings are mutual." Angel said. "Hey," Buffy said, stepping in front of Angel. "If any throats are getting torn out, it'll be done by me." She looked at Spike and smiled. "And I'll gladly take his out." "Slutty, I don't have a problem with you. As of yet. It's him." he looked pointedly at Angel. "He made my Sydney cry. For that, he deserves nothing more than death." "She aint 'your' anything." Gunn said, stepping forward, speaking for the first time since Sydney left. "She's her own person, and she doesn't need you." he said, cold hate creeping into his voice. "And who the bloody hell are you, you wanker?! Her father?! NO! I don't believe so." Spike said. "She has her own mind and feelings, and she chose me to be hers, mate." "Spike, if you hurt her, I'll beat you into unconsciousness, then leave you to kiss the sunrise." Angel said. "Oh, THAT'S outstandingly original." He rolled his eyes. "You're seriously going to regret this relationship, Spike." Buffy threatened. "I regret a lot of things, Slayer, but Sydney loves me and that I will never regret." he said, spinning on his heel and storming out the door. "Okay, who's next to storm out the door in a huff?" Xander asked. His question was answered by silence.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Spike bolted out of Angel Investigations, somewhat angry. He headed to the closest liquor store and picked up a bottle of wine. He headed back to the warehouse that he and Sydney were staying at.