Confrontations

Author: Joy

Email: Julianna@ziplip.com

A/N: REVIEW!

Gabriella went into the bedroom first with Angelus trailing behind. Spike sat staring at the broken mirror in the bathroom. Gabriella knelt in front of him taking his injured hand in hers. She kissed the cuts and then slowly ran her tongue over them. Spike drew in a sharp gasp. His eyes met hers and the entire world went away. All the pain and sorrow disappeared as he gazed at his love.

Angel's heart broke a little more as he saw Spike kiss Gabriella's lips then slide down next to her burring his head in her lap. She sort of laid herself over her husband hugging him. Angel turned to leave. Neither would offer him comfort for what he had lost.

"Angelus," Gabriella's lovely voice called to him. He stopped. "You just lost a childe…come mourn with us." Spike stiffened but Ella simply touched his mind. "He is in pain. He came to take your abuse. We can give him this."

Spike sighed and nodded. Angelus watched the silent conversation. Gabriella gazed up at her sire and raised a hand to pull him down with them. She shifted grabbing a pillow and settled Spike's head back on soft down on half her lap. Large blue eyes met her kneeling sire. "Lie down Angelus," she soothed.

Hesitantly Angel laid his head on the other side of the pillow. This treatment far exceeded any of his wildest dreams. Lorn was right; she had forgiven him. All of the threats were a way to establish boundaries. Given the chance Gabriella did still have the ability to be the sweet girl that gave him Sprites and didn't push him to talk.

After he got settled he felt a small hand stroking his hair softly. Tilting his head Angelus could see Spike silently crying with Gabriella rubbing his back and neck. He could see she was whispering to him in his mind. Her eyes came to rest on Angel's and he guiltily looked away. Ella ran her fingers through his hair. "Thank you for not getting in the way," her voice said softly. "I know this is very painful for you. She was always your favorite." That did it. Angel found his face wet as well.

Gabriella leaned over and kissed Spike on the forehead. "My love," she hushed. "My sire," she whispered as she continued to run her fingers through his hair. Both men began to purr. Gabriella had her cheek against Spike's occasionally stealing kisses. Angelus wanted to be closer to Ella but would be grateful what she gave him.

After a while both Spike and Gabriella began to rise. Angelus looked startled and vaguely hurt. Ella extended a hand to him. "Three things can happen now. You can leave and get comfort from your friends, you can hold me or you hold him as we all lay down… Now this is a major act of forgiveness and acceptance on our parts so this is not the time to blow it."

Angelus looked at Spike, "I would like to stay. I will take either of the last options you feel most comfortable with."

"I'm not comfortable with either," Spike started to say angrily. "But I know what you lost. I felt the same way when Dru told me she killed Gabriella," he said more softly. He braced himself, "I'll let you hold Ella only because she is…" Spike didn't get any further.

            Gabriella held her husband to her kissing him softly. "Come on," she motioned. "Grab the pillow Angelus. I'll hold both of you."

            Angel climbed in on one side while Gabriella and Spike climbed on the other side. The scent of the couple drenched the sheets. Angel sighed; beggars can't be choosers. Spike cuddled under one of Gabriella's arms resting his head on her shoulder so he could kiss her. Angelus got close but didn't initiate any contact. A small hand wound over his shoulder and rested him on her other shoulder. All he really wanted was to wrap his arms around her middle and fall asleep surrounded in family. "Can I…" he broke off not having the courage to ask. Gabriella wrapped one of his arms around her and let him get comfortable before she turned back to soothing Spike. Soon all three were asleep cocooned in the love of the others.

            Buffy stood at the door and saw the scene before her. Angel wanted their comfort, not hers. She sighed. This trip was just getting better and better.

            An hour later Angel woke to having his hair stroked. Spike was still asleep but Gabriella was soothing them both. "Thank you," the words dropped from his lips quietly. She shrugged. "No…this means so much to me."

            "Good…Rest," she shushed.

            "I need to tell you something… well actually I need to tell you a lot of things," Angelus looked down guiltily. Gabriella tilted her head to consider him. "That morning… that awful morning…" he didn't look up. "I knew I'd never be able to explain that I turned you because of the kindness you showed me… When I saw what I had done to you, I was at the door ready to greet the morning sunshine."

            He looked up to see the pain brimming in her eyes but she didn't stop him. "I…" Angel's voice faltered. "Someone I knew found me and dragged me off so I couldn't do it… I didn't leave you to rise alone… I didn't reject you…" His eyes began to tear, "I came back…I came to get you…to do whatever I had to…to beg forgiveness. I saw you with Spike and… and I saw he was taking care of you. You were shaking so…" Angel stared straight into Gabriella's eyes, "I let you go cause I knew you would never trust me…and I had seen Spike love and care for another before. I knew he would take good care of you. I let you go and hoped you would be better off without me… I'm sorry… I… I'm so sorry."

            Gabriella's jaw hardened, "What about reliving it? That doesn't strike me as being sorry. I'm not the only one…"

            Angelus stared down completely ashamed, "I know I'm an animal deep down. I know that I can be a monster… I guess I figured if I gave into the thoughts I wouldn't actually follow through."
            She stayed tense but half nodded. "Well try not to for a change."

            "I will."

            "Lay back down," she whispered. Angelus curled back into her now stiff body but still came. Gabriella breathed deeply letting go of the stress. She stroked Angelus's head a few times until he started to purr. Ella gazed at her husband and her sire. She placed a small kiss on each man's head and settled back to sleep.

            "What is going on up there?" Gunn asked no one in particular.

            "The link between Angelus and Spike has been cut… I would imagine they are re-establishing familial bonds," Wesley observed.

            Buffy raised her eyebrow, "Would that include them all snuggly in a bed together purring like kittens?"

            Wesley looked a bit shocked, "I suppose… I would have thought Gabriella would have been out of the bonding…but with the claim in place and the fact she too is a childe of Angelus that is possible."

            "Purring like kittens?" the young man asked. "Is that normal?"

            Buffy shrugged, "Ang…elus would purr occasionally when we were holding each other. Spike always purred after sex."

            Will walked into the room just as the last part was uttered. He grabbed a bag of blood out of the refrigerator and heated. "Really?" he questioned. "Was that before or after you would beat the bloody hell out of him for existing in your near vicinity? As far as my memory goes… he purred for you maybe three times and that was only because you didn't wake up telling him how disgusting and awful he was."

            Buffy swallowed. She knew this conversation had been coming. This boy had been terrified of the version of her in his mind. Now that she was real he could lash back. "Ya know I'm going to make sure Fred is playing well with Joy," Gunn said quickly and left the room followed by Wesley.

            "Do you like people to know about the private moments in your life because it makes you feel important or is it just to prove you've had a life in the midst of your existence?" Will snapped.

            "I… I don't know what to say to you. I didn't mean to hurt you," she pled.

            "Yeah but you did mean to hurt Spike. He wasn't real. He didn't matter. He was just something you would use…like a drug. If you beat him down enough maybe he would leave like the rest and then you could play the wounded martyr all over again… Ya know there is no excuse for him forcing himself on you…but god didn't it make sense. You had to make him as evil as possible to make yourself look good. Well guess what princess, I've seen you at your finest moments and you don't look real human to me." Flames lit behind Buffy's eyes. "What do you want slayer? Ya want to hit me? I can see it in your eyes. That's how you deal with everything. Something hurts you, you slay it. Don't understand something, you punish it. You're scared, you lash out. Anger is what you know."

Will's voice got very quiet. "All he ever wanted to do was love you. That night he saw you alive at the top of the stair he was ecstatic that you were alive and pained you weren't at rest. He loved you that much…he wanted you at peace more than he wanted you alive. You were his life…his existence and yet he still would have rather you be finished than have to keep fighting."

            Buffy swallowed her anger at the boy. "That little twit of a Normal you had with the big pretty soul that shone so brightly…he staked Spike because Spike showed you the truth…about you not being enough for him. How he needed to feel needed, depended on, even if it meant going to a vampire whorehouse. And Normal staked him for it. It was a plastic stake but still…Spike never mentioned it. Your heart had already broken so much and he regretted the pain it caused you that he never said anything. Your solider…did he ever show you the devotion and absolute understanding Spike did? Did the human guy that took you for a ride show you that sort of love? Have you ever been given that much? And if you even think of saying Angelus we're going to argue more… No one ever gave you more completely than Spike. I know he can be a jackass. I know he was evil but he loved you. He was good to you. If you had given him any sort of support or love he would have out shined every other guy on the planet for love." Buffy stood silently taking his abuse.

The teenager breathed deeply and remembered for all intensive purposes this was Dawn's mom. Will said quietly, "I am sorry for what Angelus did to you and the people you love. You were my age when your world fell apart. I understand that too. I know you're scared for Dawn and the life she'll be forced to lead. But Buffy let her lead it. She's stronger than you know."

            "Was that the 'soften mom up' speech?" she joked.

            "I guess…It was more the 'I do get the worries but I won't be the one to cause problems' speech," Will replied.

            "So how do you do the…" Buffy pointed at her head.

            "My hair?" he questioned.

            The slayer laughed, "No I meant the mental thing…with Dawn."

            "Haven't a clue… There does seem to be a correlation between the ability and the girls I'm interested in," he confessed.

            "You saw Dawn for like a minute?"

            "No…I spent hours telling her stories and the summer with her playing cards. I listen to her sob about the loss of her mother and sister. And I protected her from idiot boys on the make. I let her paint my fingernails and listened to god-awful music. More than anything I was just with her when she needed to be with someone who loved her… I also took a knife to the back and a nose dive off a tower to save her," Will said solemnly. He stared into Buffy's eyes and said, "I got a punctured lung, several cracked ribs, and bruises all over my body. In short I nearly got beaten to death to protect her… I know her…and I love her. And that may terrify you more than anything because I'm a vampire but I am my father's son and I will be there for her when she needs me."

            Buffy was stunned. "Seventeen year old boys must have changed a lot in the last several years cause I never met any with that kind of commitment and sincerity."

            Will smiled, "You've never met the son of Love's Bitch before."

            "I forgot about that nickname… Very dramatic. You certainly possess his flare."

            "Yeah well I also possess his heart… I knew I felt something for the brown haired girl in my head but until I met her it was disconnected…not real. Once I could talk to her and be with her…everything just fit."

            Buffy paused, "Do your…parents know about your feelings for Dawn?"

            "Spike knows I like her a lot… Mum will have it nailed down as soon as she really talks to me about her," Will paused. "Dawn doesn't know how much I feel for her. I don't want her to either. She's sixteen and just met me. She hasn't been seeing me through Spike's eyes… Love is too much pressure to put on her."

The slayer stared at the teenage boy for a long time, "You love my sister?"

            "Yes."

            "You aren't going to sleep with her and lose your soul are you?"

            "Slayer, that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard," he chuckled. "One…I can't lose my soul. And two…I am not my father in that respect. I can keep mine in my pants just fine…especially in public places. I don't know how I am ever gonna be able to be in the Bronze and not think about… Forget it… I know how old I am and the general hormonal state that implies. I know you won't like the sound of this…but I was raised better than that. I was raised to respect myself and who ever I dated more than to sleep with them because 'it felt right.' I'm a bastard Buffy…in the realest sense of the word. I was raised with a respect for marriage and commitment. Hormones are one thing…the reality of growing up fatherless is another."

            "Can they clone you?" Buffy asked quickly. Will stared at her confusedly. "No really…you should be the model shown for boyfriends to teenage girls. Like 'here, see, this is a guy who is cool with a slightly weird hair thing going, body piercing, quite good looking, likes punk, and yet still a great guy to bring home to mom.' We need to have more men like you in the world…especially in high schools."

            Will chuckled…"So I passed the audition?" he asked. "Another guy from Liverpool said something like that once…made it on an album."

            "You are a very strange young man."

            "You're a vampire slayer that has died twice and had affairs with two…I repeat… two vampires. You aren't exactly the most normal person on the block." Buffy and Will smirked at each other in silence as he drank his lunch.

TBC…

A/N2: My life is utterly insane right now. I don't know how my updates are going to go.