Chapter 26
Disclaimer: I don't own anything everything belongs to the rightful owners
Italics= Spike and Angel conversation through their bound.
AN: Thank you to everyone who has read, review, added to alerts, left kodos, commented, or any combination of the above it means the world to me. The next chapter will be out Monday.
Angel stands pondering Cordelia's words for several minutes realising that she is right. He doesn't want to go to Wesley or call Buffy but he has to choose one because Cordelia is right, he can't lose Spike.
"ANGEL." Cordelia yells and he turns to see Spike once more thrashing in pain on the bed, moaning in pain.
"Where is the blood coming from?" Angel asks concerned running towards the bed.
"Noise. I think another blood vessel has burst." Cordelia tells him.
"It will be okay William." Angel tells him as he rides the last of the shock. "I'll be back, okay." Angel tells Spike "As soon as I can." He adds "Don't leave him and call me if he gets worse." Angel says to Cordelia who nods and Angel exits the room.
"You got through to him." Spike tells Cordelia.
"You heard that?" Cordelia asks.
"Vampire hearing, remember Vision." Spike tells him "I heard everything you lot said. I can feel what this chip is doing to me. I know I don't have long and I need you to promise that you'll look after our Boys and not let Sire blame himself if you all can't find a way to help me." Spike tells Cordelia "I need you to promise me that."
"Of course will." Cordelia tells him "Like you said Angel and Connor are my boys but so are you. We'll find a way to help you Spike. I don't know what it will be but we will find a way." Cordelia tells him. "Now, what happened in Cardiff?" Cordelia asks not being able to help being curious.
"I'll only tell that story when I am positive I am going to die. When there is no hope. Like you said there is still hope." Spike tells her.
"Well guess I am never going to hear that story because as long as we've got Angel fighting for you, we've got hope." Cordelia tells him.
"Trust me, it's not a story you want to here." Spike tells her trying to relax before the next burst of pain hits. "Talk to me. Give me something else to focus on." Spike requests.
"Um." Cordelia says confused trying to think of something "Oh I know. Why did you hope that Drusilla had found Penn? Wouldn't two Vampires as strong as them being together be the last thing you would want?" She asks curious as it has been something she has been curious about since he said it months earlier but she has kept forgetting to ask.
"I hoped that Dru had found Penn because Family is the only thing that control her to some degree." Spike tells her "Darla, Angel, Penn and I are the only ones who have any hope of getting her to listen to us and stopping her before she does anything too insane. Back in Sunnydale the thing with Judge happened because I wasn't in any shape to stop her, and by the time I was it was too late." Spike explains.
"Then I still don't understand why you would hope she found Penn? Wouldn't they have done extreme evil together?" Cordelia asks confused.
"No because Penn has a pattern." Spike explains.
"So I saw." Cordelia says remembering.
"He's doesn't like to break that and he's never been interested in ending the world. Not even Dru would have been able to get him to change that and she would have listened to him." Spike explains.
"Oh makes sense I guess." Cordelia says "There would have been killing together but not the end of the world evil that Drusilla is likely to do on her own."
"Exactly. Which I why her being out there on her own is a concern." Spike adds as another shock hits.
"It will be okay Spike. Angel will be back soon." Cordelia tells her friend trying to re assure him.
After leaving Spike and Cordelia Angel makes his way downstairs where he ignores Lorne's questions of what is going on as he exits the hotel and gets in his car and drives away.
After ten minutes of driving he finds himself outside of Wesley's apartment building. He sits outside pondering whether this is the place he wants to be before the image of what was happening to Spike when he left appears in his head and he realises that he has no other choice.
Exiting his car Angel makes his way up to Wesley's apartment where he knocks and awaits Wesley.
"Lilah, I've told you a hundred times. No I am not working for Wolfram and Hart. Leave me alone." Wesley says as he opens the door, looking a lot different than he did when he worked for Angel Investigations, before he realises who is actually standing at his door "Angel? What are you doing here?" He asks surprised.
"Spike's dying." Angel says simply. "And I need your help to save him."
As Wesley hears Angel's words he's not sure what he is the most shocked about that Spike is apparently dying or that Angel is asking for his help after everything he has done.
After leaving the hotel Fred and Gunn make their way to Fred's friend where they successfully manage to convince him to lend them the equipment they need on the condition that they have it back in exactly two hours.
"How are we going to get this upstairs?" Gunn asks Fred when they arrive back at the hotel as he wheels in the machine.
"By using the elevator we never use." Fred tells him.
"That could work." Gunn responds pushing the machine over to the elevator.
"How do you think Spike's doing?" Fred asks Gunn interested.
"Not good will be my guess." Gunn responds as they wait for the elevator.
"And Angel? How do you think he's handling what happening to Spike?" Fred asks.
"Also not good." Gunn answers.
"Actually Angel's not here." Lorne tells them from his place on the couch where he is reading to Connor.
"He's not?" Fred and Gunn asks surprised "Where is he?" Fred asks.
"Not sure. He ran out of here about fifteen minutes ago." Lorne tells them as the elevator opens.
"I wonder where he went." Fred says surprised that Angel left Spike, as she helps Gunn get the machine into the elevator.
"Who knows." Gunn responds as the elevator closes.
"Um, come in." Wesley says after staring at Angel in shock for several minutes. "What's happening to him?"
"It's the chip, it keeps firing and firing. It's slowly killing him." Angel explains entering the apartment.
"I don't understand. Why do you think I can help?" Wesley asks confused. If it was mystical reason he would understand Angel coming to him but the chip isn't mystical it's scientific.
"I didn't. Fred did." Angel tells him "And you have to help him Wesley. This can't be all that he gets. A human life cut too short. Followed by a hundred years of being treated horribly. For him to finally have some good in his life and fight to get his soul back and then this happens. It can't end like this. Not when he has only just begun to figure out what everything means, he deserves more than this." Angel says clearly distressed about what is happening to the man that he loves. "I lost Darla, but I can't lose William, I just can't Wes, and I won't." Angel tells his former friend who is shocked because he has never seen Angel look so hurt, so vulnerable.
"What do you mean fight to get his soul back?" Wesley asks surprised and confused.
"He went to Africa. Completed trials that according to Lorne only a few beings have survived. He got his soul back and removed the curse from mine so I can now be happy without losing it." Angel explains.
"Wow." Wesley says shocked not really sure what else he can say "Sit down. " Wesley says directing Angel to a chair because he himself feels like he needs to sit down.
"When did this all happen?" Wesley asks interested.
"He got back three weeks ago." Angel explains.
"Is he sane?" Wesley asks not being able to help but ask that question.
"He wasn't for a while but he is now." Angel tells him.
"That's incredible. To be able to deal with a hundred years' worth of evil in a few short weeks. It's unheard of." Wesley says sounding impressed that Spike has managed to deal with it in such a short amount of time.
"Be impressed later. Help him now please Wesley." Angel tells him "I don't think he has much longer."
"Right of course." Wesley says "Why exactly did Fred think I could help?"
"She thought there was a combination of mystical and scientific behind the working of the chip and she thought the key to helping Spike would be a combination of the two." Angel explains "We know nothing about the chip and have no idea why it is misfiring now. Fred was going to go get some medical imaging equipment so she could have a look but she said she needed a mystical expert and even if she didn't suggest you the only expert I would let near Spike is you." Angel tells him.
Angel's words mean a lot to Wesley as he has known his friend long enough to know that he has forgiven him without actually saying it "The chip, it was put in an evil soulless vampire's head to stop him from hurting or thinking about hurting humans." Wesley says getting up to look at his books.
"What are you thinking?" Angel asks.
"Something like that must have had a way to sense what is and what isn't human, but if the subject it is implanted in went and got there human soul returned, like Spike did. Then the chip would have to work harder now because it would have to differentiate between the Spike's Human soul and those that he is attacking or thinking about attacking." Wesley says looking through his book for one specific one "It would make sense that the chip wasn't meant to co exits in a body that had a human's soul." Wesley tells him grabbing a book and looking though it "You said that Fred was getting an image of Spike's brain with the chip inside?"
"Yes." Angel answers.
"Good, that's exactly what I need." Wesley tells him "Do you have all of this at the hotel?" Wesley asks showing Angel the list of things he needs.
"Not all of it." Angel admits.
"Good thing I do then." Wesley says heading into his room and returning a minute later with a bag "Let's go."
"Wesley." Angel says stopping Wesley form exiting the apartment "Thank you."
"Thank me when Spike's okay." Wesley says exiting the apartment Angel right behind him.
After getting the imaging equipment up to Angel and Spike's room they find Spike in the midst of another pain attack.
"They're fading, I think I'm okay." Spike tells Cordelia "I think they're stoping."
"No they're not." Cordelia tells him "There happening further apart but they are getting worse." Cordelia tells him "Where they hell is Angel?"
"No idea. I was hoping you could tell us." Gunn says and he and Fred enter.
"What's that?" Spike asks.
"A way to see where in your brain the chip is." Fred tells Spike. "Cordy, can you give me a hand?" Fred asks her friend.
"Sure." Cordelia says going to Fred's side.
"What are you going to do?" Spike asks.
"Put this around your head." Fred says picking up what looks like a helmet. "Where it will do a scan that I can have a look at and print of the computer so I can see where the chip is." Fred explains.
"Okay. Do it before the pain starts again." Spike tells her.
Cordelia and Gunn put the helmet looking thing over Spike's head while Fred works on the computer.
"Okay. Stand back both of you." Fred tells her friends. "Spike try not to move."
"I'll try Luv, but I can't make any promises." Spike tells her.
For several minutes everyone is quite while Fred works on the computer attached to the imaging equipment. "Okay got it." She finally says and Cordelia and Gunn remove the helmet looking device of off Spike.
"I'll get this back to your friend." Gunn tells Fred "He looked serious about his threat."
"Oh believe me he was." Fred tells her.
"Which is exactly why I will get this back to him." Gunn says.
"What did you see?" Cordelia asks interested.
"I know where the chip is." Fred tells him. "I've just got to figure out what I can do about it now." Fred comments.
"Wesley can help you with that." Angel says walking into the room Wesley right behind him.
"Wesley?" Cordelia, Fred and Spike all ask surprised.
"Let me have a look Fred." Wesley requests and Fred hands over the image.
"How you doing?" Angel asks Spike as he sits on the side of their bed and grabs his hand.
"Fine Sire." Spike tells him.
"No you're not." Cordelia tells him. "The attacks are getting further apart but they are getting more intense." Cordelia tells Angel.
"I really wish you would stop saying that." Spike tells Cordelia.
"I'll try." Cordelia tells him but she realises that it's almost been to long since he has had a misfire and if they continue the way they have been this one is going to be very bad.
"Wesley? Fred? You got something?" Angel asks the pair.
"Give us a few more minutes Angel. We're working on it." Wesley tells him.
"William?" Angel asks concerned as he closes his eyes.
"It's starting." Spike says before he starts to once more thrash in pain.
"Ten more seconds at most." Cordelia tells Angel as she rushes over to Spike and grabs his other hand.
"How do you know?" Angel asks.
"I've been timing them." Cordelia tells him.
"It's not stoping." Angel says when the ten seconds comes and pasts.
"No. it's not." Cordelia says upset and confused.
"Got it." Wesley says. "We've got to remove the chip it's the only way to save him."
"Hear that William? It will be okay." Angel says to Spike "What are you waiting for? Do it." Angel tells Wesley.
"He needs to be still for me to do it." Wesley tells him. "Otherwise I could make things worse."
"I don't think they could get much worse than this." Cordelia tells him.
"I could kill him." Wesley says simply "We wait until this attack stops. Then I do the ritual." Wesley says walking over to the table where he starts to draw something. "Fred I could use your help."
"Of course." Fred tells him as she walks over to him.
"Why isn't it stopping?" Angel asks Cordelia.
"No idea." Cordelia responds and then finally after a few minutes Spike stops thrashing.
"William?" Angel asks concerned.
"Whatever you're thinking about doing, do it now." Spike says struggling with every word "I don't think I can handle another one like that." Spike tells him.
"Wesley?" Angel asks.
"I just need thirty seconds to finish setting up then it's a go." Wesley tells Angel.
"Okay. Cordelia, Angel. I need you both to let go of his hands and take a step back." Wesley says from his position at the table.
As quick as possible Cordelia and Angel let go of Spike's hands and step away from him.
"What are you going to do?" Cordelia ask.
"Have the chip disappear from Spike's brain and appear on the image of it I have created." Wesley explains.
"Do it, and hurry Wesley." Angel requests wanting to get the ritual done before the chip misfires again.
"Nisi forte hoc numina terris appellare.
Tolle quod homo factus est in ea, quod non sit amet.
Tolle de loco suo, et ego creavi imago coram me.
Relicto bello in aeternum. Amplius dolorem" Wesley says and there is a small flash of light and the chip appears in front of Wesley.
"William, how you feeling?" Angel asks concerned racing to Spike's side.
"Okay." Spike says "My brain isn't being zapped so I'm going to have to change that to good." Spike tells Angel.
"We'll leave you alone." Wesley says leading Fred out of the room.
"Watch him for me." Angel says to Cordelia as he goes to catch up with Wesley and Fred.
"Wes." Angel says stopping him before he can head downstairs "See you tomorrow." He says with a smile.
"Yeah, see you then." Wesley responds before making his way down stairs.
"I'll leave you guys alone as well." Cordelia says when Angel walks into the room "I'll go get Connor off Lorne and read him his story and feed him and give him a bath and put him to bed in his room so you don't have to worry." Cordelia tells Angel.
"Thank you." Angel tells her. "He may cry during his bath but just ignore it and keep going. It's his way of trying to get to see Vampire while he's been washed." Angel tells her.
"I'll keep that in mind." Cordelia tells him exiting the room.
"You've really got to stop doing this to me." Angel says walking over and sitting on the bed as he pulls Spike into his arms.
"Doing what?" Spike asks.
"Make me think I'm going to lose you." Angel tells him "I can't keep feeling like this." Angel tells him.
"I'll try, but no promises." Spike tells him.
"Get some sleep. I'll be right here." Angel says and Spike closes his eyes.
The next morning Wesley arrives at the Hotel early when he arrives he finds Cordelia and Fred already there clearly working on something.
"Hi." Wesley says awkwardly not sure how to act.
"Wesley." Fred says happily coming over and giving him a hug "We've missed you around here." Fred tells him as Cordelia says walks over to him.
"You betrayed us and I haven't forgiven you for that yet, you're going to have to earn that." Cordelia tells him "That being said, welcome back." She says also giving him a hug.
"Wesley my man, welcome back." Gunn says entering the hotel through the broken door giving Wesley's hand a shake and pulling him in for a hug.
"What happened to the door?" Wesley asks curious as Cordelia and Fred go back to what they are working on.
"Spike and Angel decided to play hockey inside." Cordelia tells him.
"Ah, say no more." Wesley says then walks over to where Cordelia and Fred are working.
"What are you working on?" he asks curious.
"Our pattern about Connor's development. We're trying to determine whether his muscle developed has completely stoped or has just slowed a lot." Fred explains.
"What do you mean? What is happened with Connor's development?" Wesley asks both confused and interested.
"Some of it is severally accelerated. Some of it is normal and some of it is only slightly faster than what it should be." Cordelia tells him.
"Do you know why?" Wesley asks.
"Sit down and we'll explain everything." Fred tells him feeling that they could use his help with this and as Angel has seemed to forgive him he would be okay with Wesley knowing.
Spike and Angel are both asleep in their bed when they are woken by Connor's cries from the room across the hall.
"Morning." Angel says kissing Spike.
"Moring Sire." Spike tells him.
"How you feeling?" Angel asks Spike.
"I'm good. No pain." Spike reveals. "I'll go get Junior ready. You have a shower." Spike tells Angel.
"You sure?" Angel asks.
"Yeah. I haven't been spending nearly enough time with him since I've gotten back." Spike says getting out of bed.
"Cordy gave him a bath last night so he just needs food and changed." Angel tells Spike. "Unless he spills a lot on himself."
"Yep." Spike says leaving the room and heading into Connors.
"Hey Junior." Spike says walking over to Connor's crib. "I'm just going to get your food ready then I'll get you alright." Spike says to the child.
"Okay so what do you feel like today?" Spike says looking in the fridge "How about some pureed bananas?" Spike asks Connor. "Yeah that sounds nice doesn't it?" Spike asks though to him he it sounds like it will be the furthest thing from it.
"Sire, how long do I heat up Connor's food?" Spike asks Angel removing the dim from the bond.
"What food are you giving him?" Angel asks.
"The pureed bananas." Spike tells him.
"Leave it cold but scoop it into another bowl first." Angel tells him.
"Thanks." Spike responds. "Okay Junior. Let me finds where the bowls are." Spike says looking through the cupboards "Ah huh, here there are." Spike says finding the bowls. "Okay let's get you in your chair then you'll have some food." Spike tells him as he places the food, bowl and spoon on the table attached to Connor's highchair.
"Will." Connor says.
"What did you just say?" Spike asks surprised.
"Will." Connor repeats.
"Sire! Junior said Will!" Spike says excitedly.
"Good Job Junior." Spike says happily as he picks up Connor.
"He said what?" Angel says bursting in the room clearly having just jumped out of the shower as all he is wearing is a towel around his waist.
"Junior, tell your Daddy what you just said." Spike tells Connor.
"Will." Connor repeats.
"Good job Buddy." Angel tells Connor proudly.
"Come on let's give you some food." Spike says walking over and putting Connor in his highchair. "Sire, you'll never hear me complain about the view but you might want to get dry." Spike tells Angel.
"You're right." Angel tells him "You got him?"
"Yeah I got him." Spike says opening the food jar. "I'm really glad you're the one eating this Junior." Spike tells Connor as he pours the food into the bowl.
While Spike and Angel are upstairs those who are downstairs have changed the topic of conversation and Lorne have joined them.
"So we thinking Spike and Angel are going to show their faces' at some point?" Gunn asks interested.
"Connor should be up by now." Cordelia says looking at the clock "So we've just got to wait and see."
"After what happened yesterday do you really think that Spike will be down?" Fred asks.
"You never know with him." Cordelia tells her "He should rest. Whether or not he does is another matter."
"Come on Vision, you should know me by now." Spike says walking down the stairs with Angel, holding Connor "When do I ever do what I should do."
"Um…" Cordelia says trying to fake looking confused "Never."
"Spike you're looking much better." Wesley tells the Vampire.
"Thanks for what you did." Spike tells him.
"You're welcome and congratulations on the soul." Wesley tells him and Spike nods in response "Now that we are all here I just wanted to say Angel I am truly sorry for what I tried to do and for what I thought." Wesley says looking directly at Angel.
"I understand now Wesley." Angel says "You're one who makes the hard decisions even if you make them alone. I forgive you, this time, but I want to make one thing clear. If you discover anything about my son you'll tell me, or if for some reason you think you can't tell me then you tell Spike or Cordelia before you do or even thing about doing something about what you have found out." Angel tells Wesley. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes." Wesley tells him.
"Good. Then welcome back." Angel responds sticking out his hand for Wesley to shake but instead of shaking his hand Wesley hugs him.
"Okay enough." Angel tells Wesley breaking the hug.
"Look at what else he can do." Spike tells everyone "Junior tell everyone what else you learnt to say." Spike tells Connor, who doesn't say anything just looks up at Spike.
"Come on, you can do it." Spike tells him and once more Connor remains silent.
"Looks like he doesn't want to." Angel says as Fred leaves to go get the mail and Spike puts Connor down in his play pen with his toys.
"So he can crawl and pull himself up, can he walk yet?" Wesley asks curious.
"If he is holding onto furniture yes. By himself not yet." Angel tells him.
"Mail call." Fred says walking back in "Okay. Angel, Angel, Angel." She says handing him his letters. "Cordelia, Me, Lorne, Cordelia, Cordelia and Spike." She says handing out the mail.
"What's is it?" Angel asks as he notices that Spike gets an odd look on his face when he reads his letter.
"An invitation for Anya's and the Whelps wedding. For all of us." Spike reveals.
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AN: Four chapters to go