Dawn walked Spike back to her house, constantly attempting to get his
attention. Every now and then he would respond with a 'huh?' or a 'what?',
but little in the way of complex conversation. His expression was glossed
and he appeared to be staring at something that wasn't there. Dawn was
terribly worried for this was not like Spike at all. He was never that
quiet, not since the nights after Buffy had died, so she walked him to her
house to maybe get him to snap out of his daze.
They walked in through the back door to see Tara and Willow sitting comfortably on the living room couch, watching some show or another. When they saw Spike they were both taken aback. He seemed to have lost the little color that was left in his very pale face, and Tara walked to where they stood.
"Spike?" She asked, a touch of concern in her voice. He didn't respond, and Tara took notice of the worried and dazed expression on his face.
"Oh-oh my god. Is he, is he okay? I mean, did something happen. Are you hurt?"
"No," Dawn replied quickly, trying to think of what could have caused is condition. She tried to think of any strange events that lead up to his strange collapse in the graveyard, but nothing specific came to mind.
"He just, he kind of went into this daze while we were patrolling. Is he gonna be okay?"
"A phone," Spike stated as clearly as he could, the first coherent thought that came to his mind since his fall in the graveyard. "I need to use your phone."
"Um, okay," Dawn replied, almost in a whisper as she walked with him to the phone in the kitchen. He picked it up, and slowly placed it back on the receiver, realizing that he didn't know the number of the place he wished to call.
"Dawn, is Buffy home?"
"Uh, I don't think so, why?"
"I need a number, Angel Investigations."
Now Dawn was really shocked. She knew as well as anyone else how much Spike hated his grandsire, so the fact that he would want to call him worried her even more.
"I have the number, Buffy put it on the little bulletin board in case of emergencies," she told him as she walked to where the number was written. She didn't take her eyes of Spike, and she began to wonder if he'd ever come out of his daze.
Spike picked up the phone and made the call he was hoping he'd never have to, not only due to his own little grudges, but mostly due to what it meant.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gunn ran over to the phone from where he stood by Angel and the others. Angel had suddenly collapsed and mumbled something under his breath. Once they got him up and onto the sofa, he merely sat with his head in his hands, shaking and nodding it to the interrogation that followed his fall.
"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless," Gunn told the caller as pleasantly as possible.
"I need to talk to Angel," responded a cockney accent from the other end.
"Uh, he's a bit indisposed at the moment, can I take a message and have him call you back? Or maybe there's something I can help you with, Sir."
Spike just laughed. "Indisposed, hm? Well, there is a message I'd like for you to give to him."
"Okay. What's that?"
"Tell him I said to SUCK IT UP, AND GET HIS PONCY, POOFTER ARSE OVER TO THE BLOODY PHONE!!!"
Gunn pulled the phone away from his ear, a little startled at the yelling from the other line. He put his ear back up and listened, and he heard the distant voice of a young girl, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Uh, I'll see if he'll take the call," Gunn told the obviously aggravated man. He then put the phone on hold and walked to where Angel was having a serious brood-fest.
"Angel, there's a call for you."
"Take a message."
"Already did. The guys said something along the lines of 'get your poncy ass to the phone'."
Angel's head shot up. So it wasn't just him. He was glad that he wasn't just going crazy, but if Spike was calling him(no one else had called him a ponce in over a hundred years) then it confirmed his suspicion.
Angel walked over to the front desk and picked up the phone. He placed it to his ear and took a deep, unnecessary breath.
"Hello Spike."
"Angelus," Spike simply stated in a calm and even voice.
"I take it this isn't a social call, being as how we hate each other."
"Aw, you mean I can't just call and chat up me old grandsire every now and then?"
"Spike." Angel spoke his name warningly.
"Okay, sorry. I just, I get obnoxious when I'm nervous so bare with me. Did you feel it?"
Angel sighed loudly enough in response so that Spike's vamp hearing could pick it up.
"So you got your invitation then? This is it. They're here."
"There's no other explanation for it. It makes sense, I counted the days since St. Vigeous and."
"Oh god. Do we have to go?"
"Considering your status, they'll find you if you don't."
"They'll kill us you know. They'll kill us for what we do, Angelus."
"If they know. The Aurelians are brutal, but not as smart as they claim to be."
"That's a nice way to speak of your- our own order."
"What ca I say, Spike? I'm a black sheep"
Spike laughed. "Aurelians. Huh, I only met the master once myself. You remember, in Venice?"
"How can I forget?"
Spike laughed at the memory of his visit to the underground lair of the vampire master. He didn't remember the details, but he remembered how happy the master was to see Darla, and how he looked like he might heave at the sight of Angelus. He took an immediate liking to Spike, who was polite and respectful, obviously Angelus hadn't been at their first meeting. Spike could recall Angelus telling him how he had been thrown across the room. He also remembered Drusilla's extra airiness, but the master simply disregarded the crazy girl.
"So, what now?" Spike asked, "what do I do."
"You don't remember what I told you?"
"I remember, but it's been a while, mate."
"I know, I just, I need a day or two, can I call you back?"
"Well, I'm calling from Buffy's house right now, don't have a phone myself."
"Buffy?" Angel trailed of, he didn't even want to know what Spike was doing at Buffy's house. He knew that Spike had some sort of "doomed obsession" with Buffy, but he couldn't imagine Buffy ever wanting Spike or reciprocating any feelings.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Spike responded, practically reading Angel's mind, "I'm hear with the kid sis."
"You're with Dawn?"
"NO!" Spike shouted, "no no no! Nothing like that. I was patrolling with her when I got kind of, you know. So I came back here and called you. You do realize that I'm not sure how all of this works."
"I get that, but." Angel trailed of and sighed heavily, this would be more complicated than he thought.
"Look, be at Buffy's house tomorrow night at ten, I'll call there, okay?"
Spike laughed quickly, but long enough for Angel to get annoyed.
"What?"
"It's nothing. Just, you talking to me like we're friends."
Angel sighed again. "You know that's never gonna happen, Spike? How could it."
"I know. But I'll be here tomorrow just the same."
"Good."
"Right then."
Spike returned the phone to the receiver. He looked at his feet and laughed before looking back up at Dawn who had a thoughtful frown on her face. She walked over to him and just stood in front of him, not changing the expression on her face.
"You know, you're gonna be as tall as me soon," Spike told her, attempting to lighten the mood. Dawn didn't smile.
"What's going on? Who are the Aurelians?"
"Uh, Dawn, it's kind of-"
"What about the Aurelians?" Buffy asked as she walked in to the kitchen, just returning from her time at the Bronze with Xander and Anya.
"You know who they are?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, that's the master's order. Uh, I stopped his ascension onto the plain of the living," Buffy laughed. "Hey Spike."
"Slayer," he nodded, acknowledging Buffy as he fell heavily onto a kitchen stool.
"You okay Spike? And what's up with the Aurelians? I thought I took out most of them."
"You did. But there's still enough," Spike told her.
"Enough for what?"
"The Delegation of Aurelius, it's here."
They walked in through the back door to see Tara and Willow sitting comfortably on the living room couch, watching some show or another. When they saw Spike they were both taken aback. He seemed to have lost the little color that was left in his very pale face, and Tara walked to where they stood.
"Spike?" She asked, a touch of concern in her voice. He didn't respond, and Tara took notice of the worried and dazed expression on his face.
"Oh-oh my god. Is he, is he okay? I mean, did something happen. Are you hurt?"
"No," Dawn replied quickly, trying to think of what could have caused is condition. She tried to think of any strange events that lead up to his strange collapse in the graveyard, but nothing specific came to mind.
"He just, he kind of went into this daze while we were patrolling. Is he gonna be okay?"
"A phone," Spike stated as clearly as he could, the first coherent thought that came to his mind since his fall in the graveyard. "I need to use your phone."
"Um, okay," Dawn replied, almost in a whisper as she walked with him to the phone in the kitchen. He picked it up, and slowly placed it back on the receiver, realizing that he didn't know the number of the place he wished to call.
"Dawn, is Buffy home?"
"Uh, I don't think so, why?"
"I need a number, Angel Investigations."
Now Dawn was really shocked. She knew as well as anyone else how much Spike hated his grandsire, so the fact that he would want to call him worried her even more.
"I have the number, Buffy put it on the little bulletin board in case of emergencies," she told him as she walked to where the number was written. She didn't take her eyes of Spike, and she began to wonder if he'd ever come out of his daze.
Spike picked up the phone and made the call he was hoping he'd never have to, not only due to his own little grudges, but mostly due to what it meant.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gunn ran over to the phone from where he stood by Angel and the others. Angel had suddenly collapsed and mumbled something under his breath. Once they got him up and onto the sofa, he merely sat with his head in his hands, shaking and nodding it to the interrogation that followed his fall.
"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless," Gunn told the caller as pleasantly as possible.
"I need to talk to Angel," responded a cockney accent from the other end.
"Uh, he's a bit indisposed at the moment, can I take a message and have him call you back? Or maybe there's something I can help you with, Sir."
Spike just laughed. "Indisposed, hm? Well, there is a message I'd like for you to give to him."
"Okay. What's that?"
"Tell him I said to SUCK IT UP, AND GET HIS PONCY, POOFTER ARSE OVER TO THE BLOODY PHONE!!!"
Gunn pulled the phone away from his ear, a little startled at the yelling from the other line. He put his ear back up and listened, and he heard the distant voice of a young girl, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Uh, I'll see if he'll take the call," Gunn told the obviously aggravated man. He then put the phone on hold and walked to where Angel was having a serious brood-fest.
"Angel, there's a call for you."
"Take a message."
"Already did. The guys said something along the lines of 'get your poncy ass to the phone'."
Angel's head shot up. So it wasn't just him. He was glad that he wasn't just going crazy, but if Spike was calling him(no one else had called him a ponce in over a hundred years) then it confirmed his suspicion.
Angel walked over to the front desk and picked up the phone. He placed it to his ear and took a deep, unnecessary breath.
"Hello Spike."
"Angelus," Spike simply stated in a calm and even voice.
"I take it this isn't a social call, being as how we hate each other."
"Aw, you mean I can't just call and chat up me old grandsire every now and then?"
"Spike." Angel spoke his name warningly.
"Okay, sorry. I just, I get obnoxious when I'm nervous so bare with me. Did you feel it?"
Angel sighed loudly enough in response so that Spike's vamp hearing could pick it up.
"So you got your invitation then? This is it. They're here."
"There's no other explanation for it. It makes sense, I counted the days since St. Vigeous and."
"Oh god. Do we have to go?"
"Considering your status, they'll find you if you don't."
"They'll kill us you know. They'll kill us for what we do, Angelus."
"If they know. The Aurelians are brutal, but not as smart as they claim to be."
"That's a nice way to speak of your- our own order."
"What ca I say, Spike? I'm a black sheep"
Spike laughed. "Aurelians. Huh, I only met the master once myself. You remember, in Venice?"
"How can I forget?"
Spike laughed at the memory of his visit to the underground lair of the vampire master. He didn't remember the details, but he remembered how happy the master was to see Darla, and how he looked like he might heave at the sight of Angelus. He took an immediate liking to Spike, who was polite and respectful, obviously Angelus hadn't been at their first meeting. Spike could recall Angelus telling him how he had been thrown across the room. He also remembered Drusilla's extra airiness, but the master simply disregarded the crazy girl.
"So, what now?" Spike asked, "what do I do."
"You don't remember what I told you?"
"I remember, but it's been a while, mate."
"I know, I just, I need a day or two, can I call you back?"
"Well, I'm calling from Buffy's house right now, don't have a phone myself."
"Buffy?" Angel trailed of, he didn't even want to know what Spike was doing at Buffy's house. He knew that Spike had some sort of "doomed obsession" with Buffy, but he couldn't imagine Buffy ever wanting Spike or reciprocating any feelings.
"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Spike responded, practically reading Angel's mind, "I'm hear with the kid sis."
"You're with Dawn?"
"NO!" Spike shouted, "no no no! Nothing like that. I was patrolling with her when I got kind of, you know. So I came back here and called you. You do realize that I'm not sure how all of this works."
"I get that, but." Angel trailed of and sighed heavily, this would be more complicated than he thought.
"Look, be at Buffy's house tomorrow night at ten, I'll call there, okay?"
Spike laughed quickly, but long enough for Angel to get annoyed.
"What?"
"It's nothing. Just, you talking to me like we're friends."
Angel sighed again. "You know that's never gonna happen, Spike? How could it."
"I know. But I'll be here tomorrow just the same."
"Good."
"Right then."
Spike returned the phone to the receiver. He looked at his feet and laughed before looking back up at Dawn who had a thoughtful frown on her face. She walked over to him and just stood in front of him, not changing the expression on her face.
"You know, you're gonna be as tall as me soon," Spike told her, attempting to lighten the mood. Dawn didn't smile.
"What's going on? Who are the Aurelians?"
"Uh, Dawn, it's kind of-"
"What about the Aurelians?" Buffy asked as she walked in to the kitchen, just returning from her time at the Bronze with Xander and Anya.
"You know who they are?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, that's the master's order. Uh, I stopped his ascension onto the plain of the living," Buffy laughed. "Hey Spike."
"Slayer," he nodded, acknowledging Buffy as he fell heavily onto a kitchen stool.
"You okay Spike? And what's up with the Aurelians? I thought I took out most of them."
"You did. But there's still enough," Spike told her.
"Enough for what?"
"The Delegation of Aurelius, it's here."
