Part Eight
Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean
Wednesday 4 am
Spike returned to the cargo area where he and Drusilla were staying.
Drusilla was wearing the ring at the moment, so he had to return to
the dark of the ship before sunrise. He wished, for not the first
time that week, that he hadn't lost the Ring of Amarra to the bloody
Pouff. *Dru and I could've turned Sunnyhell upside down if I'd just
left well enough alone* he berated himself. *Oh well, we can still do
that, just won't be as easy.*
The first thing he was going to do was retrieve his DeSoto from the
front lawn of the Mansion. He imagined that the Damn Scoobies had
made good use of it. He'd rip out every one of their throats for
that. Or their hearts. Or both. Spike smiled at the thought.
Spike returned to their dark corner in the cargo hold, and amused
himself with thoughts of the terrible deaths of said Scoobies. He
finally settled on ripping out the throats of each and every one of
them, Slutty and Angel being the last. "One good thing about SoulBoy
being a human is _I_ get to kill _him_ this time. Don't tell _me_
there isn't such a thing as karma."
He heard a noise and leapt up, ready to attack. Then he caught her
scent, and relaxed again. "Dru Baby, I thought you were going to
watch the sunrise?" Spike asked.
"No fun without my Spike," she replied, frowning. She sat down,
curling up against his chest. "Besides, I'm tired," she added,
yawning to prove her point.
"Sleep then, Pet," Spike said, pressing a kiss to the top of her
head. "John and the others will be waiting for us in New York with a
car so we can make our way to California."
"Then we get to kill them all?" she asked, looking up at him
hopefully.
Spike chuckled, "Yes Luv, then we get to kill them all." He kissed
her gently.
"It would be so much better if we could find Angel. He so likes a
good bit of mayhem and death," Dru said sleepily, settling her head
back against his chest.
Spike growled, but didn't reply. He hadn't told her yet that Angel
had found not only his soul but his heartbeat. He'd been afraid that
bit of news would cause what little sanity she held onto to fly away
forever. *I suppose I'll just have to kill him first. That way Dru
will never know,* Spike contented himself with thinking.
***********
Sunnydale
Tuesday Midnight
Buffy and Angel were patrolling together. They'd spent most of the
day in relative silence, and Buffy had let it be. She knew Angel
still had moments of guilt, and was trying to humor him. But now, she
was getting tired of it.
After they'd dusted five vampires, and Angel had said more to them
than he'd said to her all day, she decided she couldn't take anymore.
True, his words to them were mocking, but it was the principle of the
thing. "Snap out of it!" she yelled, turning to face him.
Angel jumped, startled out of his thoughts. His face turned
apologetic.
"No!" Buffy stopped the impending apology. "Don't apologize, just
stop," she said, quieter now. "You're driving me crazy with the
brooding, Angel. It just doesn't fly anymore. We've got everything,"
she wrapped her arms around his waist, "that we want now. Don't let
Spike and Drusilla spoil it for us."
"I'm--" at Buffy's warning look, Angel swallowed the apology. He
thought for a moment, and settled on, "You're right. I _do_ have
everything I ever wanted," he agreed, kissing her. "But I can't help
worrying. Spike hates me, because of everything I--" He saw Buffy's
raised eyebrow and amended that to, "Angelus --did. It's not that I'm
worried for myself, though. I'm worried for you, and everyone else.
Because Spike's vendetta against me spills out on everyone I love.
And I know I couldn't stand it if anything happened to any of you."
Buffy saw the pain in his eyes at the thought of something bad
happening to her or the others. She pulled his head down for another
kiss. "Nothing's going to happen," she said confidently. "Well,
nothing except Spike's -- and Drusilla's -- dusting. And _then_ we
can enjoy some peace and quiet."
It was Angel's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh fine. Relative peace and quiet," she grinned. "I'm a Slayer,
peace and quiet for me just means no plots to open the Hellmouth, and
no demons with a personal need for vengeance against me or you."
Angel chuckled, "Oh is _that_ all you really want?"
"Well, that and you," she smiled at him, kissing him again, more
passionately this time. "But that can wait until after patrol," she
said with a wink. She pulled out of his reluctant-to-release-her
arms, and they continued patrolling.
***********
Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean
Wednesday 4 am
Spike returned to the cargo area where he and Drusilla were staying.
Drusilla was wearing the ring at the moment, so he had to return to
the dark of the ship before sunrise. He wished, for not the first
time that week, that he hadn't lost the Ring of Amarra to the bloody
Pouff. *Dru and I could've turned Sunnyhell upside down if I'd just
left well enough alone* he berated himself. *Oh well, we can still do
that, just won't be as easy.*
The first thing he was going to do was retrieve his DeSoto from the
front lawn of the Mansion. He imagined that the Damn Scoobies had
made good use of it. He'd rip out every one of their throats for
that. Or their hearts. Or both. Spike smiled at the thought.
Spike returned to their dark corner in the cargo hold, and amused
himself with thoughts of the terrible deaths of said Scoobies. He
finally settled on ripping out the throats of each and every one of
them, Slutty and Angel being the last. "One good thing about SoulBoy
being a human is _I_ get to kill _him_ this time. Don't tell _me_
there isn't such a thing as karma."
He heard a noise and leapt up, ready to attack. Then he caught her
scent, and relaxed again. "Dru Baby, I thought you were going to
watch the sunrise?" Spike asked.
"No fun without my Spike," she replied, frowning. She sat down,
curling up against his chest. "Besides, I'm tired," she added,
yawning to prove her point.
"Sleep then, Pet," Spike said, pressing a kiss to the top of her
head. "John and the others will be waiting for us in New York with a
car so we can make our way to California."
"Then we get to kill them all?" she asked, looking up at him
hopefully.
Spike chuckled, "Yes Luv, then we get to kill them all." He kissed
her gently.
"It would be so much better if we could find Angel. He so likes a
good bit of mayhem and death," Dru said sleepily, settling her head
back against his chest.
Spike growled, but didn't reply. He hadn't told her yet that Angel
had found not only his soul but his heartbeat. He'd been afraid that
bit of news would cause what little sanity she held onto to fly away
forever. *I suppose I'll just have to kill him first. That way Dru
will never know,* Spike contented himself with thinking.
***********
Sunnydale
Tuesday Midnight
Buffy and Angel were patrolling together. They'd spent most of the
day in relative silence, and Buffy had let it be. She knew Angel
still had moments of guilt, and was trying to humor him. But now, she
was getting tired of it.
After they'd dusted five vampires, and Angel had said more to them
than he'd said to her all day, she decided she couldn't take anymore.
True, his words to them were mocking, but it was the principle of the
thing. "Snap out of it!" she yelled, turning to face him.
Angel jumped, startled out of his thoughts. His face turned
apologetic.
"No!" Buffy stopped the impending apology. "Don't apologize, just
stop," she said, quieter now. "You're driving me crazy with the
brooding, Angel. It just doesn't fly anymore. We've got everything,"
she wrapped her arms around his waist, "that we want now. Don't let
Spike and Drusilla spoil it for us."
"I'm--" at Buffy's warning look, Angel swallowed the apology. He
thought for a moment, and settled on, "You're right. I _do_ have
everything I ever wanted," he agreed, kissing her. "But I can't help
worrying. Spike hates me, because of everything I--" He saw Buffy's
raised eyebrow and amended that to, "Angelus --did. It's not that I'm
worried for myself, though. I'm worried for you, and everyone else.
Because Spike's vendetta against me spills out on everyone I love.
And I know I couldn't stand it if anything happened to any of you."
Buffy saw the pain in his eyes at the thought of something bad
happening to her or the others. She pulled his head down for another
kiss. "Nothing's going to happen," she said confidently. "Well,
nothing except Spike's -- and Drusilla's -- dusting. And _then_ we
can enjoy some peace and quiet."
It was Angel's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh fine. Relative peace and quiet," she grinned. "I'm a Slayer,
peace and quiet for me just means no plots to open the Hellmouth, and
no demons with a personal need for vengeance against me or you."
Angel chuckled, "Oh is _that_ all you really want?"
"Well, that and you," she smiled at him, kissing him again, more
passionately this time. "But that can wait until after patrol," she
said with a wink. She pulled out of his reluctant-to-release-her
arms, and they continued patrolling.
***********