Title: Conversations
Series: Changed 2/?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. All else belongs to Joss and the production company. I'm not making any money off of this, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Distribution: Fanfiction.net All list archives. If anyone else wants it, feel free, just let me know where it's going.
Spoilers: Just generic season 4 and 5 stuff. Spike is chipped. This is a little bit AU, some minor changes have been made to the storyline. Riley left shortly after he had his life-saving operation, because he felt useless, just as Graham implied. Tara has chosen to study abroad for a year. Set in what would be season 6.
Feedback: Yes please. I'm not sure, if it was any good. If no one sends me feedback I think nobody's reading and stop writing. Thank You.
"Willow, we're ready." Giles' voice was full of confidence. In reality he was much less sure of himself, of what they were about to do. He realized that more than any other single act in his lifetime, this night would change his life, all of their lives irrevocably.
"Let's do it." Willow's voice and thoughts were an echo of Giles.
The two of them walked silently back into the living room joining Anya. Willow spoke a few preparatory words before lighting the incense and taking up her spot on the floor, the glass orb sitting between the three of them. She took a moment to settle herself comfortably, drew a steadying breath and began to chant in a language she did not understand. After a moment, Giles' and Anya's voices joined her own. The three of them could feel the power building in the room, swirling around them. After several minutes the prickling heat of the energy was almost unbearable, then Willow changed her words. The energy that had been filling in the room was suddenly pulled into them, It was almost painful the energy being thrust through their bodies, there was a bright flash of light, and the three of them fell unconscious.
A moment later Giles and Anya woke to find Spike hovering over the three of them a worried expression on his face. If it hadn't been for the seriousness of the situation Giles would have laughed at the vampire's expression. As it was he was still dazed from the sheer power of the spell. He turned to Anya, "Are you okay?"
Anya nodded and stood gingerly moving to the couch. "Tired, I think I'm going to sleep again. It did work didn't it?" Her voice broke on the final words.
"It worked, I felt it, can feel it now actually." Giles words were soft, wonder in his voice.
While Giles and Anya were speaking, Spike had moved to kneel next to Willow. He was cradling her head in his lap when he spoke, "Of course it worked, my Red did it, didn't she. Is she alright?" The emotion his voice held was all over the place, beginning with annoyance sliding into pride for the small witch in his arms, and finally chased by fear.
Giles seemed to realize at that moment that Willow was still unconscious. "She'll be fine, she needs rest. There was so much energy in that spell. Willow chose to act as the focus, she took the brunt of things as it were. What Anya and I felt was just an echo of the energy that tore through her. The poor girl isn't used to manipulating that much raw power. Any other time, I would have made her let me do it. But she was so commanding, I just did as I was told. I'm not sure, I could have controlled it at any rate." Giles realized he was rambling, but couldn't seem to help it. He was in awe. He had never realized that the young girl, no woman, he knew held such talent within her. He was nearly certain that he would have lost control of the magic in this spell, but there had been no wildness in it. Willow had always firmly guided the energy in the spell. More than the magic Willow's ability to take over the situation and actually make the others do as she said surprised him. He didn't know what to think or expect of Willow any more. Giles was trying to clear his head, think coherent thoughts again, when he realized that Spike had stood, lifting Willow easily, and begun to walk away. "Spike, where are you going with her?" His voice held curiosity, but no real concern. Giles was certain that the blonde vampire would not hurt Willow.
"I'm taking her to a bed, I will not leave her lying there on the bloody floor." His voice was back to sounding vaguely irritated, but with an undercurrent of worry that wasn't usually there. He continued to walk away, and Giles realized he was heading towards the guest bedroom upstairs. He had to wonder just how, Spike knew Willow's home so well.
Giles took just a moment to check that Anya was sleeping comfortably before following the vampire carrying the small witch. He reached the room where Spike had taken Willow, he paused in the doorway, watching the vampire's actions. Spike very gently placed Willow on the mattress, wrapping the blankets around her. He then sat down in a chair next to her and began to softly stroke her hair. Giles remained still, just watching them for a moment. Trying to get a handle on the situation. He had never seen Spike treat anyone this way before. His mind jumped at moments from the last year. He began to see a pattern to things. He realized that Spike had visibly relaxed and softened when Willow would walk into a room. Frequently her mere presence had been enough to diffuse the tension in a room. The flashes of anger that Giles had noted, but never really understood that would cross Spike's face when Oz was mentioned or lately Tara. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere in the time the vampire had spent with them, Spike had fallen in love with Willow. He understood now, so much. With this sudden realization Giles finally entered the room, pulling a chair to the other side of the bed. "You love her don't you?" There was no threat or distaste in Giles' voice, merely a certainty that it was true.
Spike looked up sharply. Giles thought for a moment that Spike would deny it, but Spike knew that the watcher had already figured this out, and was only looking for confirmation, so he decided to go with the truth. "Yeah, I love her more than anything, ever. I've never felt this for anyone, not even Dru." He hadn't meant to reveal so much, to speak so openly.
Giles looked across at the vampire, the almost lost look in his eyes as he wondered over what would happen to the girl he loved. A part of Giles wanted to comfort Spike, reassure him, the logical part of his mind was busy screaming at him, *This is Spike, a soulless, bloodthirsty killer, you are thinking about.* Surprisingly that part of his mind was shoved aside by the other, and he spoke softly, "We won't let anything happen to her Spike. She'll be fine. None of us would ever let anything hurt her."
Spike looked at him for a moment and when he spoke it was in an icy tone that Giles had never heard from the vampire, rage concealed barely beneath the surface. "But you do don't you. You let her get hurt. Oh, I know it's not your bloody fault, but Red, just keeps getting hurt, over and over. I remember when I first got the chip, she was so bloody miserable. The pain radiated from her. The demon wanted her. Wanted to taste that pain. But a part of me, I thought long dead and buried wouldn't have allowed it even if I could bite. That part of me wanted to hold her until the pain went away. You couldn't stop that. You couldn't stop the pain of the witch leaving her. Half the time, you don't even try. You let her play the brave little soldier, so you don't have to confront her pain. All the time pouring more right on top of it." With that Spike's voice broke and the anger seemed to drain out of him, when he continued his voice was soft. "And I'm no bloody better than the rest of you lot. The demon can't leave well enough alone even. No, it has to make some cutting remark driving whatever knife she's got in her just a little deeper. Won't allow me to just love her, the way she deserves. And that is the only thing that has ever made me want to be more like Angel and less like Angelus" He broke off violently, fighting the urge to cry. He wouldn't not in front of the watcher. He would not cry.
Giles sat in stunned silence thinking over everything Spike had said, and was ashamed to admit that there was truth to it. He had always known that Willow put on an act of being happier than she truly was. It had been easier to accept that than try to find out what was wrong, fix it. He'd allowed her to hide from him, and the others did too. They had never really helped her through the pain of Oz's leaving, and had mostly ignored the fact that Tara was gone. He also knew that they each carried guilt around for it. He was surprised to find that Spike seemed to know all of this though. He really couldn't fault the vampire's anger, so he chose to respond to only the words, and not the tone in which they were spoken. "You're right. We haven't been very good friends to her. We never have. She deserves so much more than any of us. Still we do love her, all of us. I know, I'm grateful to have the chance to be a better friend. We'll take care of her Spike, always." Giles let his words trail off.
As Spike was trying to decide how to reply to the watcher, in this conversation that had turned way to personal and uncomfortable for him, Willow's eyes fluttered open. She reached a hand out blindly, which he captured in his own whispering, so low that even his sensitive hearing could barely make out the word, "Spike"
"Shh, I'm here love, It's alright," Spike's heart leapt. Willow had called for him when she woke. He'd never felt such happiness. Then she spoke again.
"Spike please, call Angel." as her words trailed off, Spike's world shattered around him. She'd called out to him, but only to get at his bloody sire. He felt as if his heart had broken into a million tiny shards and each one was twisting in his flesh. The pain and anger was almost unbearable. He didn't even realize that his eyes had gone golden, he was a hairs breadth away from losing control completely, his vampire visage taking over, when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and heard Giles' voice.
"She didn't mean it that way, you know. She was thinking of Xander. Angel will be able to help him, come to terms with the demon and the soul, learn to control it." Giles spoke gently, in a comforting tone. He wasn't sure what had made him move. But he couldn't bear seeing the hurt on Spike's face. So he had gotten up and laid that hand on his shoulder. The part of him that needed to reassure the vampire was still definitely in control. Giles wondered briefly if he had entirely lost his mind, but pushed the thought away. He drifted away from Spike and ended up back in the chair at Willow's side.
At Giles words the anger slid away from his features. The pain lingered a moment longer but it too slid away. Spike was surprised by Giles. He didn't think that had ever happened. He decided that this was just a momentary lapse of his usual watcher attitude. That being the case, he could write off his part of the conversation as a momentary lapse of his usual bad-ass vampire attitude. Neither of them would speak of this conversation again he was sure of that. "Yeah, I know. Still It scares me. Angelus has always reveled in taking what's mine, and he loves her."
Giles managed to be shocked once more. Angel loved Willow, but that simply wasn't possible. Angel loved Buffy, it was a forever kind of thing, the star-crossed lovers. His voice shook slightly when he spoke, "W-what do you mean, Spike? Angel can't love Willow."
Spike almost laughed at the shock on the other man's face. He realized he'd just shattered another of Giles well placed illusions. His voice was serious when he spoke, "He can and he does. The one thing that Angel and Angelus both have in common is that the greatest attraction for them, is innocence, purity. And Willow is the purest soul that Angel has come across since Dru. She's innocent in a way that no amount of sex or magic can ever take away. Her soul is pure, perfect. In another time she would have been named a saint. His demon wants to corrupt that, twist that purity. His soul wants to protect it, but they both want to have her."
There was such conviction in that voice, but how was it possible that Angel loved anyone other than Buffy. They were soul-mates, weren't they? Hadn't Angel left because the pain of having to see Buffy, but not give her his love was too much. Still when he spoke his words were tentative, questioning, "But what about Buffy, doesn't Angel love her?"
Spike actually did laugh this time. "The slayer. I guess so. But he's not in love with her. I don't think he ever really was. She can't even begin to come close to Willow in terms of purity. And don't give me any of that 'One true love' bollocks. Buffy was about redemption. Think about it. Making the slayer love him. It meant somehow that he was fundamentally different. Not a vampire anymore. It was proof positive that he had changed. But the relationship was always doomed, even without the curse. The slayer sees things in black and white. Angel, well, anyone who's lived that long, learns about all the shades of grey. It would never have lasted. And why do you think he left Sunnyhell, it wasn't over her. Oh he loves Willow all right. I've even practically heard him admit it. Was torturing him at the time, funny how torture, brings who you love into focus. But then you already knew that didn't you." The demon was getting fed up with this conversation, and so he interjected that last bit, causing Giles to flinch visibly.
Spike finally seemed to be returning to his normal self, if that last barb was any indication. Giles decided to pretend ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh don't tell me you've forgotten my dear sire and his games. I know that when he tortured you you called out for Buffy, not your little Gypsy, but your underage slayer. Oh yeah, I know." The sneer was back in Spike's voice now. He watched as pain flitted across the Giles' features. He felt disgust at having caused it, and then more disgust at caring. What the hell kind of vampire was he anyway. Caring about hurting the watcher. He decided he had better leave the room before he caused any more damage. Still, he couldn't help crossing the room and laying his hand on Giles' shoulder, in a shockingly similar pose to that the watcher had taken only minutes before. Very softly he did something he hadn't for nearly a century, he apologized, "I'm sorry watcher. I shouldn't have brought that up. I'll call the poof. Willow was right, Xander may need him." With those words he turned and walked out. leaving Giles sitting in a stunned silence.
Surprisingly enough, that is exactly what Spike did. He walked directly from the guest room to the phone in Willow's room, knowing she kept Angel's number on speed dial. He listened to the phone ring, having absolutely no idea what he was going to say when it was answered. Still totally unprepared when Cordelia picked up the line, with a cheerful, "Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless."
"Is my bloody sire there." Spike ground out. He could barely force the words past his lips.
"Spike, what do you want." Cordelia sounded bored, but really she wanted to know what could possibly make the bleached blonde call the one man he professed to hate more than anything else.
"I want to talk to the bloody poof, put him on the phone." Spike's impatience gave a knife-edge to his voice. He wanted to get this conversation over and done with.
"Fine." The line fell silent for a moment, presumably while Cordelia let Angel know he was on the line.
"Spike" Angel was the only person or vampire that Spike knew who could speak with that absolute void of emotion. It chilled him. Always had. He would have thought that the soul, would have taken that voice away, but it hadn't.
"Sire, we, I, your help is needed here." Spike stumbled over the words, unused to asking anyone for help, and Angel in particular.
"What do you need Spike." Angel used that same emotionless tone. What Spike did not know, had never known, was that Angel only used that voice when allowing his emotions to show was dangerous. He used it when his emotions could cause pain to those he loved. He also used it when he knew he would be ridiculed for those emotions. Spike got to hear this voice a lot.
"Right, let me give you the short version. I was out demon-hunting with Xander when we were attacked by a hunting pack. The leader took Xander before I could kill her, but the bitch died for her effort. I turned the boy, Red restored his soul, permanently. And no, I don't know how that works, but she says it's permanent for him. He'll need help controlling the demon. You are the only other creature I know with his unique condition, so get your ass down here, and help us." Spike had tried to stay calm, collected, but his voice had taken on an edge of desperation to it by the end of his words.
The line stayed silent for a long moment. Angel was shocked. Shocked at the death of the boy who he admired, despite their rather troubled history. Shocked at the fact that said boy was now a vampire with a soul. But mostly the thing that shocked him was that Spike had made a childe. Long ago, when he was still William, Spike, had sworn that he would never make a childe. In all these long years, he hadn't. When he finally spoke it was with a bit of wonder to his voice, "Cordelia and I will be there before dawn. I promise." with that he hung up the phone not even bothering to wait for a response. His childe had called him for help, he would be there. "Cordelia get some things together we're going to Sunnydale."
Series: Changed 2/?
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. All else belongs to Joss and the production company. I'm not making any money off of this, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Distribution: Fanfiction.net All list archives. If anyone else wants it, feel free, just let me know where it's going.
Spoilers: Just generic season 4 and 5 stuff. Spike is chipped. This is a little bit AU, some minor changes have been made to the storyline. Riley left shortly after he had his life-saving operation, because he felt useless, just as Graham implied. Tara has chosen to study abroad for a year. Set in what would be season 6.
Feedback: Yes please. I'm not sure, if it was any good. If no one sends me feedback I think nobody's reading and stop writing. Thank You.
"Willow, we're ready." Giles' voice was full of confidence. In reality he was much less sure of himself, of what they were about to do. He realized that more than any other single act in his lifetime, this night would change his life, all of their lives irrevocably.
"Let's do it." Willow's voice and thoughts were an echo of Giles.
The two of them walked silently back into the living room joining Anya. Willow spoke a few preparatory words before lighting the incense and taking up her spot on the floor, the glass orb sitting between the three of them. She took a moment to settle herself comfortably, drew a steadying breath and began to chant in a language she did not understand. After a moment, Giles' and Anya's voices joined her own. The three of them could feel the power building in the room, swirling around them. After several minutes the prickling heat of the energy was almost unbearable, then Willow changed her words. The energy that had been filling in the room was suddenly pulled into them, It was almost painful the energy being thrust through their bodies, there was a bright flash of light, and the three of them fell unconscious.
A moment later Giles and Anya woke to find Spike hovering over the three of them a worried expression on his face. If it hadn't been for the seriousness of the situation Giles would have laughed at the vampire's expression. As it was he was still dazed from the sheer power of the spell. He turned to Anya, "Are you okay?"
Anya nodded and stood gingerly moving to the couch. "Tired, I think I'm going to sleep again. It did work didn't it?" Her voice broke on the final words.
"It worked, I felt it, can feel it now actually." Giles words were soft, wonder in his voice.
While Giles and Anya were speaking, Spike had moved to kneel next to Willow. He was cradling her head in his lap when he spoke, "Of course it worked, my Red did it, didn't she. Is she alright?" The emotion his voice held was all over the place, beginning with annoyance sliding into pride for the small witch in his arms, and finally chased by fear.
Giles seemed to realize at that moment that Willow was still unconscious. "She'll be fine, she needs rest. There was so much energy in that spell. Willow chose to act as the focus, she took the brunt of things as it were. What Anya and I felt was just an echo of the energy that tore through her. The poor girl isn't used to manipulating that much raw power. Any other time, I would have made her let me do it. But she was so commanding, I just did as I was told. I'm not sure, I could have controlled it at any rate." Giles realized he was rambling, but couldn't seem to help it. He was in awe. He had never realized that the young girl, no woman, he knew held such talent within her. He was nearly certain that he would have lost control of the magic in this spell, but there had been no wildness in it. Willow had always firmly guided the energy in the spell. More than the magic Willow's ability to take over the situation and actually make the others do as she said surprised him. He didn't know what to think or expect of Willow any more. Giles was trying to clear his head, think coherent thoughts again, when he realized that Spike had stood, lifting Willow easily, and begun to walk away. "Spike, where are you going with her?" His voice held curiosity, but no real concern. Giles was certain that the blonde vampire would not hurt Willow.
"I'm taking her to a bed, I will not leave her lying there on the bloody floor." His voice was back to sounding vaguely irritated, but with an undercurrent of worry that wasn't usually there. He continued to walk away, and Giles realized he was heading towards the guest bedroom upstairs. He had to wonder just how, Spike knew Willow's home so well.
Giles took just a moment to check that Anya was sleeping comfortably before following the vampire carrying the small witch. He reached the room where Spike had taken Willow, he paused in the doorway, watching the vampire's actions. Spike very gently placed Willow on the mattress, wrapping the blankets around her. He then sat down in a chair next to her and began to softly stroke her hair. Giles remained still, just watching them for a moment. Trying to get a handle on the situation. He had never seen Spike treat anyone this way before. His mind jumped at moments from the last year. He began to see a pattern to things. He realized that Spike had visibly relaxed and softened when Willow would walk into a room. Frequently her mere presence had been enough to diffuse the tension in a room. The flashes of anger that Giles had noted, but never really understood that would cross Spike's face when Oz was mentioned or lately Tara. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere in the time the vampire had spent with them, Spike had fallen in love with Willow. He understood now, so much. With this sudden realization Giles finally entered the room, pulling a chair to the other side of the bed. "You love her don't you?" There was no threat or distaste in Giles' voice, merely a certainty that it was true.
Spike looked up sharply. Giles thought for a moment that Spike would deny it, but Spike knew that the watcher had already figured this out, and was only looking for confirmation, so he decided to go with the truth. "Yeah, I love her more than anything, ever. I've never felt this for anyone, not even Dru." He hadn't meant to reveal so much, to speak so openly.
Giles looked across at the vampire, the almost lost look in his eyes as he wondered over what would happen to the girl he loved. A part of Giles wanted to comfort Spike, reassure him, the logical part of his mind was busy screaming at him, *This is Spike, a soulless, bloodthirsty killer, you are thinking about.* Surprisingly that part of his mind was shoved aside by the other, and he spoke softly, "We won't let anything happen to her Spike. She'll be fine. None of us would ever let anything hurt her."
Spike looked at him for a moment and when he spoke it was in an icy tone that Giles had never heard from the vampire, rage concealed barely beneath the surface. "But you do don't you. You let her get hurt. Oh, I know it's not your bloody fault, but Red, just keeps getting hurt, over and over. I remember when I first got the chip, she was so bloody miserable. The pain radiated from her. The demon wanted her. Wanted to taste that pain. But a part of me, I thought long dead and buried wouldn't have allowed it even if I could bite. That part of me wanted to hold her until the pain went away. You couldn't stop that. You couldn't stop the pain of the witch leaving her. Half the time, you don't even try. You let her play the brave little soldier, so you don't have to confront her pain. All the time pouring more right on top of it." With that Spike's voice broke and the anger seemed to drain out of him, when he continued his voice was soft. "And I'm no bloody better than the rest of you lot. The demon can't leave well enough alone even. No, it has to make some cutting remark driving whatever knife she's got in her just a little deeper. Won't allow me to just love her, the way she deserves. And that is the only thing that has ever made me want to be more like Angel and less like Angelus" He broke off violently, fighting the urge to cry. He wouldn't not in front of the watcher. He would not cry.
Giles sat in stunned silence thinking over everything Spike had said, and was ashamed to admit that there was truth to it. He had always known that Willow put on an act of being happier than she truly was. It had been easier to accept that than try to find out what was wrong, fix it. He'd allowed her to hide from him, and the others did too. They had never really helped her through the pain of Oz's leaving, and had mostly ignored the fact that Tara was gone. He also knew that they each carried guilt around for it. He was surprised to find that Spike seemed to know all of this though. He really couldn't fault the vampire's anger, so he chose to respond to only the words, and not the tone in which they were spoken. "You're right. We haven't been very good friends to her. We never have. She deserves so much more than any of us. Still we do love her, all of us. I know, I'm grateful to have the chance to be a better friend. We'll take care of her Spike, always." Giles let his words trail off.
As Spike was trying to decide how to reply to the watcher, in this conversation that had turned way to personal and uncomfortable for him, Willow's eyes fluttered open. She reached a hand out blindly, which he captured in his own whispering, so low that even his sensitive hearing could barely make out the word, "Spike"
"Shh, I'm here love, It's alright," Spike's heart leapt. Willow had called for him when she woke. He'd never felt such happiness. Then she spoke again.
"Spike please, call Angel." as her words trailed off, Spike's world shattered around him. She'd called out to him, but only to get at his bloody sire. He felt as if his heart had broken into a million tiny shards and each one was twisting in his flesh. The pain and anger was almost unbearable. He didn't even realize that his eyes had gone golden, he was a hairs breadth away from losing control completely, his vampire visage taking over, when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and heard Giles' voice.
"She didn't mean it that way, you know. She was thinking of Xander. Angel will be able to help him, come to terms with the demon and the soul, learn to control it." Giles spoke gently, in a comforting tone. He wasn't sure what had made him move. But he couldn't bear seeing the hurt on Spike's face. So he had gotten up and laid that hand on his shoulder. The part of him that needed to reassure the vampire was still definitely in control. Giles wondered briefly if he had entirely lost his mind, but pushed the thought away. He drifted away from Spike and ended up back in the chair at Willow's side.
At Giles words the anger slid away from his features. The pain lingered a moment longer but it too slid away. Spike was surprised by Giles. He didn't think that had ever happened. He decided that this was just a momentary lapse of his usual watcher attitude. That being the case, he could write off his part of the conversation as a momentary lapse of his usual bad-ass vampire attitude. Neither of them would speak of this conversation again he was sure of that. "Yeah, I know. Still It scares me. Angelus has always reveled in taking what's mine, and he loves her."
Giles managed to be shocked once more. Angel loved Willow, but that simply wasn't possible. Angel loved Buffy, it was a forever kind of thing, the star-crossed lovers. His voice shook slightly when he spoke, "W-what do you mean, Spike? Angel can't love Willow."
Spike almost laughed at the shock on the other man's face. He realized he'd just shattered another of Giles well placed illusions. His voice was serious when he spoke, "He can and he does. The one thing that Angel and Angelus both have in common is that the greatest attraction for them, is innocence, purity. And Willow is the purest soul that Angel has come across since Dru. She's innocent in a way that no amount of sex or magic can ever take away. Her soul is pure, perfect. In another time she would have been named a saint. His demon wants to corrupt that, twist that purity. His soul wants to protect it, but they both want to have her."
There was such conviction in that voice, but how was it possible that Angel loved anyone other than Buffy. They were soul-mates, weren't they? Hadn't Angel left because the pain of having to see Buffy, but not give her his love was too much. Still when he spoke his words were tentative, questioning, "But what about Buffy, doesn't Angel love her?"
Spike actually did laugh this time. "The slayer. I guess so. But he's not in love with her. I don't think he ever really was. She can't even begin to come close to Willow in terms of purity. And don't give me any of that 'One true love' bollocks. Buffy was about redemption. Think about it. Making the slayer love him. It meant somehow that he was fundamentally different. Not a vampire anymore. It was proof positive that he had changed. But the relationship was always doomed, even without the curse. The slayer sees things in black and white. Angel, well, anyone who's lived that long, learns about all the shades of grey. It would never have lasted. And why do you think he left Sunnyhell, it wasn't over her. Oh he loves Willow all right. I've even practically heard him admit it. Was torturing him at the time, funny how torture, brings who you love into focus. But then you already knew that didn't you." The demon was getting fed up with this conversation, and so he interjected that last bit, causing Giles to flinch visibly.
Spike finally seemed to be returning to his normal self, if that last barb was any indication. Giles decided to pretend ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh don't tell me you've forgotten my dear sire and his games. I know that when he tortured you you called out for Buffy, not your little Gypsy, but your underage slayer. Oh yeah, I know." The sneer was back in Spike's voice now. He watched as pain flitted across the Giles' features. He felt disgust at having caused it, and then more disgust at caring. What the hell kind of vampire was he anyway. Caring about hurting the watcher. He decided he had better leave the room before he caused any more damage. Still, he couldn't help crossing the room and laying his hand on Giles' shoulder, in a shockingly similar pose to that the watcher had taken only minutes before. Very softly he did something he hadn't for nearly a century, he apologized, "I'm sorry watcher. I shouldn't have brought that up. I'll call the poof. Willow was right, Xander may need him." With those words he turned and walked out. leaving Giles sitting in a stunned silence.
Surprisingly enough, that is exactly what Spike did. He walked directly from the guest room to the phone in Willow's room, knowing she kept Angel's number on speed dial. He listened to the phone ring, having absolutely no idea what he was going to say when it was answered. Still totally unprepared when Cordelia picked up the line, with a cheerful, "Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless."
"Is my bloody sire there." Spike ground out. He could barely force the words past his lips.
"Spike, what do you want." Cordelia sounded bored, but really she wanted to know what could possibly make the bleached blonde call the one man he professed to hate more than anything else.
"I want to talk to the bloody poof, put him on the phone." Spike's impatience gave a knife-edge to his voice. He wanted to get this conversation over and done with.
"Fine." The line fell silent for a moment, presumably while Cordelia let Angel know he was on the line.
"Spike" Angel was the only person or vampire that Spike knew who could speak with that absolute void of emotion. It chilled him. Always had. He would have thought that the soul, would have taken that voice away, but it hadn't.
"Sire, we, I, your help is needed here." Spike stumbled over the words, unused to asking anyone for help, and Angel in particular.
"What do you need Spike." Angel used that same emotionless tone. What Spike did not know, had never known, was that Angel only used that voice when allowing his emotions to show was dangerous. He used it when his emotions could cause pain to those he loved. He also used it when he knew he would be ridiculed for those emotions. Spike got to hear this voice a lot.
"Right, let me give you the short version. I was out demon-hunting with Xander when we were attacked by a hunting pack. The leader took Xander before I could kill her, but the bitch died for her effort. I turned the boy, Red restored his soul, permanently. And no, I don't know how that works, but she says it's permanent for him. He'll need help controlling the demon. You are the only other creature I know with his unique condition, so get your ass down here, and help us." Spike had tried to stay calm, collected, but his voice had taken on an edge of desperation to it by the end of his words.
The line stayed silent for a long moment. Angel was shocked. Shocked at the death of the boy who he admired, despite their rather troubled history. Shocked at the fact that said boy was now a vampire with a soul. But mostly the thing that shocked him was that Spike had made a childe. Long ago, when he was still William, Spike, had sworn that he would never make a childe. In all these long years, he hadn't. When he finally spoke it was with a bit of wonder to his voice, "Cordelia and I will be there before dawn. I promise." with that he hung up the phone not even bothering to wait for a response. His childe had called him for help, he would be there. "Cordelia get some things together we're going to Sunnydale."