Tangled Webs chapter 2
Buffy and Spike's apartment in Mayfair, London on Sunday 14th May 2005
Buffy awoke around 8 am. She noticed that Spike was still sleeping in their double bed. She quietly got out of bed in her black pajamas and walked downstairs. In the furnished kitchen, she saw her sister Dawn eating her breakfast of cereal and coffee.
"Morning sis," greeted Dawn, who was still in her blue pajamas.
"Good morning Dawnie, and is there any more coffee in that pot?" asked Buffy.
"Sure, and help yourself. How is Spike doing?" responded Dawn.
Buffy moved to the coffee pot and made herself a cup of coffee before getting a croissant out of the fridge. After putting it in the microwave oven she replied.
"He is doing alright just sleeping,"
Buffy remembered her turbulent past with Spike and how the English vampire tried to kill her several times before her ex Riley and his organization put a chip in his head. He had fallen in love with her after that which had led to him trying to kidnap her and offering to stake his sire Drusilla. But she had rejected that at the time because she had been through enough with Angel and having another vampire fall in love with her was a bit too much. However, when she was depressed after being brought out of heaven by Willow, she and Spike began connecting. But their affair nearly destroyed them. Spike ended up going to Africa and getting his soul back. He had helped her with the First Evil when the others such as Giles and the potentials threw her out and had chosen Faith to lead them. When he burned up in destroying the army sent by the First Evil it was one of the worst moments of her life. But to her relief Spike came back and she had found him when she, Willow and Faith led a team of Slayers to rescue Angel and his gang.
"Buffy, your croissant is ready!" Called out Dawn and Buffy got her croissant out from the microwave and got the butter and jam from the fridge and began to butter it before eating it.
"Do you have anything planned today?" asked Buffy.
"Yeah me and my friends from the Watcher's Academy plan to go out for a bit and Hamish will be there," replied Dawn.
"Well, make sure that you come home at a reasonable hour and who is Hamish?"
"He is my classmate at the Academy and is planning to be a Watcher. He is gorgeous looking," answered Dawn, blushing a little bit at the mention of the good-looking Watcher trainee.
"That's fine but I want to meet the boy that my sister is interested in," responded Buffy.
"Ok but don't you dare embarrass me in front of him!" growled Dawn
"Hello, ladies," called out Spike before Buffy could snap back at her sister.
"Spike, you're up!" replied Dawn cheerily.
"Yes, platelet, I am, and did I hear right some tosser is interested in you? That will be over my dead body!" asked Spike with a protective look.
"Spike!" Buffy snapped at him with a warning glare.
"Yes, and he is a perfect gentleman at the Watcher's Academy," said Dawn excitedly.
"There is no such thing, pet, and how old is this wanker anyway?" asked Spike.
"He is only two years older than me," replied Dawn.
"Isn't he a bit old for you?" asked Buffy.
"You were how old when you and Angel got together?" questioned Dawn sarcastically.
"Now Dawn, that was different," answered Buffy.
"Your sister does not want you to be hurt like she was with Peaches," broke in Spike.
"Whatever," replied Dawn and she left to use the shower.
The phone rang and Buffy went to answer and spoke for a while.
"Who was that on the phone Luv?" asked Spike.
"It's Andrew. Giles has summoned us into an emergency meeting to discuss the information that you gave me about Slayers going missing. The meeting will start at 10 am," replied Buffy.
"On a Sunday morning! The Watcher is probably finding it hard to believe that I can be a good bloke even with a soul," grumbled Spike.
"I believe in you, Spike, and I will be back after lunchtime," responded Buffy with a loving smile. She then went to use the shower and was in the bedroom getting dressed into her outfit of the day.
Spike sighed and started to read the newspaper before drinking a cup of blood. He blew Buffy a kiss as she passed him and then walked out the front door.
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At the Marriott Hotel in Regent's Park at 8:30 am.
An alarm went off in 501 at the Marriott Hotel and a moan could be heard from under the cove. A tanned hand reached out and leaned over to switch off the alarm. The cover lifted and a brunette slipped out from underneath and she walked into the bathroom and started the shower running. A mop of brown hair slipped out of the other side of the bed. He sat upon the bed facing away before picking up the phone and began to order room service. He could hear Faith close the shower door and then there was the sound of the hairdryer.
About forty minutes later Faith got out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around her waist. She regarded him with an affectionate but sexy grin.
"Morning and I ordered some breakfast for us both," said Connor.
"Thanks, babe, and I am hungry" replied Faith.
Connor then kissed her passionately and she responded with enthusiasm. But they were suddenly disturbed by a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" yelled out Faith
"Room service," replied a voice.
"Come in," said Connor, and Faith started getting dressed while Connor went to the door and opened it. Someone brought in a tray of food and two coffees. Connor offered him a tip and brought the tray over to their bed. Faith took a sip from her coffee and smiled, while Connor started to eat his share of the scrambled eggs.
"It was good to see your dad in Ireland," said Faith suddenly.
"Yeah he and Nina seem to be doing alright," answered Connor.
They continued eating and suddenly Faith's mobile phone rang. She answered it and then put it down.
She then started to get changed by pulling on a pair of blue jeans, followed by putting on a black bra and then a red t-shirt over that. She went into the bathroom and was brushing her teeth.
"Who was that honey?" asked Connor after she had finished brushing her teeth.
"It's Andrew. The Council has summoned me into an emergency meeting about Spike's information about Slayers going missing," explained Faith
"Ok and what time will you be back?" asked Connor.
"After lunch. You can stay here and watch TV until I get back stud," replied Faith. She then kissed him goodbye. She grabbed her wallet and hotel key and threw them into her blue denim jacket. Faith then walked out of the door leaving Connor with the TV on.
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Council Headquarters in Kensington, London about 10 am
Buffy walked in and smiled at Xander who was waiting for her in the briefing room. The sight of the patch over Xander's eye brought a pang of distress to the blonde Slayer.
"Hey Buffster and how is Captain Peroxide?" greeted Xander and he smiled at Faith who had just walked in and sat in one of the chairs.
"When will you be mature, Xander?" asked Buffy.
"What am I, wine?" said Xander with his usual goofy grin and Buffy smiled.
"Welcome everyone and I see that we are all here," said Giles.
"Apart from Willow," pointed out Xander.
"Where is Red?" asked Faith.
"Still in South America and she needn't worry I will keep her up to date," responded Giles reassuringly.
"But the matter of Slayers going missing is serious, G-Man," complained Xander.
"Yes, well the Slayers in South America need her protection should anyone try and kidnap them. Besides, we only have Spike's word that Wolfram and Hart are involved in an operation to kidnap our girls" replied Giles in an irritable manner.
"Spike is a good man Giles and he has a soul when are you going to start believing that he has changed and give him the benefit of the doubt!" said Buffy sharply.
"B is right, and we owe him a lot for stopping the First," agreed Faith.
"When he starts proving it, Buffy. One good deed does not absolve him from a century of murder or his involvement with Wolfram and Hart. He worked with them with said soul so no I don't trust him nor do I believe he has changed," replied Giles.
"Giles has a point. Spike has a soul for now but what happens if he manages to lose it or something," pointed out Xander.
"Moving on and while Rupert has his concerns about Spike, we need to look into the disappearances of the girls to reassure the rank and file Slayers that we are doing everything we can," pointed out Andrew.
"Yes, we need to do that but we can trust Spike because he's not lying to me and besides Wolfram and Hart's L. A's office has been destroyed by him and Angel," said Buffy defensively.
"If you say so, Buffy, but neither he nor Angel have always been honest with us," retorted Giles.
"Yeah, he could have picked up the phone to tell us about Cordelia or was he busy in his ivory tower?" agreed Xander.
"Now Xander, maybe the big guy and his team were grieving over Cordelia because they were all close," reproved Faith.
"When have any of us been honest with each other?" put in Buffy seriously.
Giles said nothing so Andrew got up to get some files and handed them to the people sitting around the table.
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On a street in Galway Ireland at 11 am
A pretty blonde jogged down the street in her blue sports bra and black athletic shorts while some men whistled at her. She smiled as she continued to run back to the cottage that she was sharing with her boyfriend. The weather was rather sunny and there was the promise of clear skies according to the newsreader on the TV. She then walked to her front door and let herself in with a key.
"Hi there, Nina, and how was the run?" asked Angel and the petite blonde smiled at him.
"Fine thanks, baby, and I ran for about twenty minutes" replied Nina and then she opened the fridge in the kitchen and got a bottle of water and started drinking.
"What do you have on for the rest of the day?" asked Angel and he had noticed that the curtains were still firmly closed to prevent any rays of sun from getting in. Nina must have done that before she went for her run.
"Well, I thought that I could have some lunch here and then go to the supermarket to buy some groceries. Do you need me to go to the butchers to buy you any blood?" asked Nina.
"Yes, please, and it was good to see my son last week," said Angel.
"I am glad that you and he were able to spend some time together. He seems like a good kid," answered Nina.
"He wasn't always a good kid and we had a difficult relationship at one stage," said Angel with a brooding expression.
"I know but I still think that altering everyone's memories of him was rather extreme" and with that Nina kissed Angel on the lips before heading to the bathroom to use the shower.
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Wolfram and Hart's offices in Rome at 7pm in the evening.
At the office complex belonging to the evil law firm at the centre of Rome, a woman greeted a tall, dark-haired man with a kiss on both cheeks.
"It is nice to see you, Immortal," said Ilona.
"Yes, and how are our associates running the London end of our operation?" asked the Immortal.
"Good, according to the last reports, and I have managed to find more buyers for the merchandise that has been acquired," replied Ilona.
"Excellent. Buffy will pay for breaking up with me for that thug William the Bloody," said the Immortal with a cold smile on his lips.
"I spit on Slayers and Watchers! They are filthy people," cursed Ilona and she spat on the ground while the Immortal winced at the sight.
"I have received word from the Senior Partners that their team from a parallel universe should be arriving about now," said the Immortal.
Suddenly there was a flash of blue light and everyone turned to look to see a portal open and four vampires walked through. One was the exact physical double of Angel but had a cruel expression on his face. The vampire standing next to him on his right was a slender young man with a sneer on his face. The only woman was a brunette that the Immortal recognized to be the infamous Drusilla who was swaying to music that only she could hear. The last one was a man of average build wearing brown cargo pants and a black shirt and a brown leather jacket. Both Ilona and the Immortal recognized him from the files that Wolfram and Hart had collected on Angel and his associates as the former Watcher Wesley Wyndham Pryce.
"You!" growled Angelus at the Immortal.
The Immortal sneered at him before Ilona spoke into her phone in Italian and several men carrying crossbows rushed in and pointed them at the vampires.
"Now Angelus, you have been brought here with your gang to this world to perform a mission for the Senior Partners," said the Immortal.
"That sounds great and all that boyo, but I am not big with teamwork," sneered Angelus.
"Angelus isn't a team player and he killed the Beast who was supposedly on his team once," pointed out Wesley.
"Please hear us out. We need you to grab Buffy Summers in London," said Ilona.
"There are a lot of things that I want to do to her," replied Angelus with a sadistic smirk on his face.
"Oh, here we go again," mumbled Wesley.
"I heard that!" snarled Angelus.
"You were meant to and is there any chance that I could convey my displeasure to Faith for torturing me?" asked Wesley. To him being a vampire made him feel more alive because there was no tortured humanity to hold him back.
"Yes, that is no problem for us," replied the Immortal.
"Hold on, Faith is mine and not yours!" growled Vampire Connor. He had been sired by Angelus in their world.
"Shut it, you spoiled brat!" snarled Wesley.
"The pixies tell me that my Spike is in love with the nasty Slayer and I cannot abide this!" wailed Drusilla in a loud voice.
"Now let us continue our business together. We will have a plane ready to take you to London. And Buffy Summers is to be acquired alive," said Ilona.
"In return for what?" asked Angelus.
"Well, I am sure that you want to convey your displeasure to the Kalderash clan in Romania for being cursed with a soul. We can help you to track them down," offered Ilona.
"Yes, I would like to sort them out. Trust them to mess something up when it comes to curses although I do like their pure happiness clause," replied Angelus, smiling like a shark.
"Good. There will be a car to take you all to the airfield in an hour," said Ilona before leaving.
"By the way, is there any blood around? I am rather peckish," asked Wesley.
"I can order you some from the local butcher's," promised Ilona.
"Make sure it is human and not something like pig or cow," ordered Angelus.
Ilona left followed by the Immortal.
"Are you going to bring Buffy to the Immortal Dad?" asked Vamp Connor softly.
"No and I am keeping Buffy for myself, son," retorted Angelus.
They both laughed together evilly while Vamp Wesley rolled his eyes at the sight.
Please read and review and I want to thank Starway Man for his review of chapter 1.