Note that I call Angel Spike's sire in this. Trying to stick to canon
with this as Spike in "School Hard" called Angel his sire.


Love's Gift - Part 3
By Jill


"I miss my Angel."

Spike closed his eyes, tried to block out Drusilla's voice for a
moment. If it was going on like this any longer, he'd end up with
a splitting headache. All thanks to his bloody sire. For all he
cared Angel could go straight to hell. Not for the first time he
found himself wishing the old Buffy-whipped Angelus was back, rather
than the annoying soulless version.

He knew Drusilla didn't see it that way, knew that she missed
him. Spike resented him even more for that. It was one thing that
Angel had had his girlfriend night after night. Sex wasn't really
special for a vampire. Drusilla was a passionate person, and Spike
was aware that she'd been seeking satisfaction elsewhere ever since
he was bound to that damned wheelchair, and that Angel had existed in
her life long before the blond vampire. Hell, he'd made her after all.

What really bugged Spike was that Angel was a threat for Dru's
affection. For once, Drusilla was Angel's childe. And there had always
been a special bond between them. Spike usually ignored it. But with
Angel so near by all the time, it grew stronger.

"Aaaaangeeellll."

"Hell, would you mind stop that whining now?," he whirled the
wheel-chair around. "I really can't stand it."

She turned slowly, her eyes unfocussed, she was staring into space.
"He's gone," she said, a frown appearing on her forehead. "Someone's
destroyed our happy home."

"Gone?," Spike studied her face closely. "Are you sure? Because I'd
say good riddance then. It's not a minute too early."

"Oooooooh, Spiiiiike," she fell to the ground, clutching her head,
"My Angel," she cried, "my Angel."

Gone? What the hell did it mean? Was the bugger dead? Had he left
Sunnyhell? But no, he'd never leave the town. The Slayer was here,
and Angel was obsessed with her. Spike could relate to that. He knew
all about obsessions and Slayers. No, Angel wouldn't leave. But it was
a fact that he hadn't shown up for more than 24 hours. Not that he
actually told anyone what he'd been up to. The mighty Angelus never
bothered with those things.

Spike looked to the ground, Dru was still sobbing, lost in her own
world, while the puppy licked the salty tears from her cheeks. As
far as Spike was concerned an eternity until he saw his sire again
was still too early.

*

"I can't believe humans actually wrote this." With a jerky movement
Giles removed his glasses, then pulled out a handkerchief to rub them.
Giving the paper in front of him a glance of disgust he leaned back,
looking at the little group assembled in the library. "It's completely
inhuman."

"I know," Jenny said quietly, shame colouring her voice.

"It was made to punish a demon," Angel reminded them softly,
"Humanity had nothing to do with it."

"Oh, no," Buffy turned swiftly, glaring at her boyfriend, "You're not
taking the blame again. Giles is right. It's inhuman." She looked at
him firmly, and he had to smile. Under the table he reached for her hand,
squeezed it gratefully. He had not the slightest idea what he'd done
to earn this unwavering support of her's, but he wasn't about to
question it. At least not at the moment.

Maybe not ever.

The exchange wasn't lost to the others, but while Willow smiled at
the recently reunited couple, reaching for Oz's hand under the table
as well, Giles and Jenny looked at them with understanding, Xander
straightened suddenly in his chair.

"Okay," he said, "that's it. That's enough. I've got enough of this
happy family reunion." He ignored Cordelia's hand that was pulling at
his arm, shook it off angrily. "I didn't say anything so far, but
that's it. I was sitting here the whole evening, asking myself the
one question nobody's obviously going to ask." He jumped up, planting
his hands on his hips, glaring at Angel, then turning towards Buffy,
"Why the hell didn't you just stake him when he was unconscious? Or
were you too wrapped up in the afterglow of sex you couldn't think
straight?"

"Xander!"

Even before he'd heard Willow's shocked outcry, he knew he'd gone too
far, but at the moment he didn't care. They were all behaving as if
nothing had happened. Even Giles and Jenny were accepting. Accepting!
Xander couldn't believe it. Angel had roamed the streets of Sunnydale
for weeks, maimed and killed, tortured all of them, stalked Buffy, and
they were taking him back with open arms. Like the prodigal son finally
coming home.

Well, he for once, wouldn't welcome Angel. Hell would freeze over first.
This thought firm in mind, he raised his chin.

"Actually, I've been asking this myself, ever since I woke up with my
soul firmly in place. So far, I haven't been able to find an explanation."

And like this Xander felt all the steam leave his body. He stared in
disbelief at the vampire who'd just uttered the words, feeling like a
fool, or - judging the expression on Cordelia's face - like a bug. A
very, very low bug.

He saw Buffy turn her head, saw tears in the blonde's eyes when she
looked at Angel. She reached out her hand, cupped the vampire's chin.
There was an expression on her face Xander had never seen before. It
was so soft it made him want to weep. Her voice was a bit wobbly, but
he had no problems to understand the words. "I couldn't. Because I love
you. I love you so much. And as long as there was a chance to bring you
back ... how could you expect me to kill you?"

Angel obviously was at loss of words at that. Xander saw him struggle,
and lose. Faster than the boy could see, the Slayer was in the vampire's
arms, in his lap, Angel holding her close, his eyes shut tightly, he
took several deep breaths. Then his eyes opened again, and he blinked
rapidly. He still held Buffy close to him, but cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry," he managed, and Xander suddenly realised that for someone
like Angel who rarely showed any kind of emotion, this had to be
extraordinary. No wonder he was embarrassed.

Feeling someone tugging at his arm, Xander found Cordelia glaring up
at him. "Sit down," she hissed, and when he did, she added, "And shut
up. You've done enough for tonight."

Feeling even worse, he glanced at Willow, his best friend since earliest
childhood, but all he found in her eyes was disappointment. It was like
a slap in his face. Ashamed he lowered his head. Maybe he should just
crawl into his bed and pretend he was dead. The way Cordy had looked at
him, he was sure she wouldn't let him kiss her for a week. He sighed
inwardly. And maybe he should just learn to keep his mouth shut. Or
think first, and talk later.

"Well, yes," Giles cleared his throat loudly, rubbing his glasses so
hard, Willow thought he would break them. "Maybe we should come back to
the reason of this meeting. The reason why his soul was returned to Angel,
and what this means for the future."

"You mean if they can get groiny with each other without the world
falling into pieces. Because I really hate to think my life might
depend on something as simple as an orgasm."

Willow turned beet reed, while Xander almost choked, then coughed to
cover it.

"Yes, Cordelia, thank you for putting this into perspective," the
watcher said dryly, but had to chuckle inwardly. The brunette might
be tactless sometimes, but her blunt remarks certainly helped to ease
the tension.

"You're welcome," she replied, giving him a bright smile.

Shaking his head, he picked up the sheet in front of him. "We have to
thank Jenny for this translation. She also made copies for all of you,
and I suppose you all have read it by now. As I said before, it's an
inhuman curse. The Romani said they were doing it to seek justice, but
this has nothing to do with justice. It's vengeance. Plain and simple.
And it's disgusting."

He gazed at Buffy and Angel, who were sitting separately again. Traces
of tears were still on her cheeks, but she was listening closely. "Giles,"
Angel's voice was low, heavy loaded with guilt, "Believe me. They had
every right for vengeance."

But the watcher didn't have compassion for the gypsies. "That's no
excuse. You - or rather your demon - might have done horrible things.
But nothing justifies vengeance. A mental torture like this. But what
even weighs more is this stupid clause. Whoever created it ...," he
trailed off, shaking his head again. "What did they hope to achieve?
The result, and we've seen it first hand, was to set your demon free.
It's insane. Who would want your demon to run free again?"

"They wanted to make sure he was suffering eternally," Jenny spoke up.
"Happiness wasn't part of the plan."

Putting his glasses back on, Giles rubbed his forehead, "No, certainly
not."

"Uhm ...," Willow held up a hand, "We agree they did a bad job the
way they cursed Angel," she smiled briefly at the vampire, "But does
that help?"

"No, no," the watcher shook his head. "Willow is right. What we need
to do, is to understand this curse. The way it works. Maybe to find an
explanation for what happened to Angel last night. I'm sure it has to
be in here. Maybe hidden."

"Hidden?," Jenny looked at him doubtfully, "But I've read it again
and again. There's nothing in it."

"Couldn't there be some kind of hidden code?," Cordelia asked, staring
at her copy. "I mean ... they did have codes then, right?"

"A code?," Giles tilted his head, gazed at her. Suddenly his eyes
lit up, and he slapped his hands together. "Of course, a code. Cordelia,
that's brilliant. Why didn't anyone of us think about it. It has to be
a code. And it has to be in it. All we have to do is find it."

"All?" Willow sighed, "I'd say it's going to be pretty difficult.
Because so far, nothing I've read didn't even look like a code."

"Did you hear him, he said I'm brilliant?" Cordelia beamed at Xander.

He rolled his eyes, "Yes, I heard it." And he'd probably hear it
again during the next week. She would certainly remind him. Often.

"Just so you remember it," she replied, looking at Buffy and Angel.
"You owe me."

"Yes, Cordelia, we do," Buffy said, sighing, too.

"Don't forget it."

"We won't," the Slayer said, and the tone of her voice said, she meant
it. Looking back at the words in front of her. "Maybe we should read it
aloud. Or backwards. Or ..."

"It's like searching for a needle in a haystack," Xander muttered.

"It is, but we have to find it," Buffy said, her voice pleading. "We
just have to." She looked around, at her friends, and was relieved to
see them nod. At last her eyes stayed on Xander for a moment. Only after
he nodded, too, she relaxed slightly, and concentrated on the text.

... to be continued


Hope you enjoyed it so far, and tell me what you think.