Chapter 5: Catching Up
Spike continued to pace around the basement. Trouble. Things were beginning to fall into place. The players were beginning to surface themselves. This meant all sorts of trouble. They shouldn't have come. They have no idea. The more power... the more destruction. Buffy was well aware of that, so was Red.
He saw the Hellmouth growing. It was moving. It wouldn't surface itself until it was ready. Still a baby, it was, spurting bits of evil here and there. It was obvious what they were. It had stopped for a while, and left the town silent. Silence. It's what drove people insane. It's what made people make assumptions. It brought worry, and most of all fear.
"I'm not evil, I'm not evil, I'm not evil..." Spike repeated to himself over and over. The voices were menacing. They kept telling him how evil he was, how much pain he brought to everyone. He hurt everyone who crossed his path. They told him he was worthless, trying to help the Slayer and her friends, he was what he was. He was nothing but a monster.
"Did you really think a soul would help you?" they always said, and they laughed condescendingly. They told him she could never feel for a thing like him. That was what he was, a thing. Look at what receiving his soul did to him. It made him crazy.
Why all the voices? Why were so many people talking to him? It needed to stop. It *had* to stop.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked, staring at the vampire standing at her door.
"We need to talk," he said, and tried to step into her house. He was blocked by an invisible barrier. He looked at Buffy, surprised and shocked. Had she really uninvited him?
"How do we know he's not evil?" Xander chimed from the living room.
Buffy gave him a questioning look. "Are you?" she asked.
"I can't believe... Why would you think that?" He was shocked at her sudden coldness.
She looked past him and saw his car. There were four other people sitting inside. "He's not evil. I can see Cordelia in his car," Buffy said. Then she looked at Angel and said, "Come in."
He let out a sigh of relief and walked in.
"Uh, Angel, are you planning on letting your friends out of your stuffy car and into my house?" Buffy said, eyeing the car in front of her house.
He looked at her and realization flashed through his face. He momentarily forgot about the rest of his troop. "Oh..." He gestured to the car and four people came out and started walking to the front door.
Buffy knew Cordelia, of course. She came running up to her, with a smile on her face. "Buffy! Hey!" she called. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"
Buffy was a little surprised. Was this Cordelia? It's not like they were the best of friends... Well, the never were really friends at all. If anything, they were always competing for everything. Cordelia gave Buffy a hug when she got to the porch.
"Come in... everybody," Buffy said, letting each person file in, then closing the door behind her. "So what do I owe this surprise visit from the LA crew to?" she asked, walking back into the living room.
Willow, Dawn, and Xander were still sitting on the couch. Angel, Cordelia, and the other three people were standing in the center of Buffy's living room.
"Cordy had a vision," Angel explained. "She saw you guys in her vision, and said that you guys were in some kind of trouble."
"Cordelia? Visions? Where have I been?" Xander asked, already confused.
"And who's planning on introducing us?" Dawn added, loving the fact there were new people in the house, who apparently were mystically-inclined.
"Oh. That's Angel, I'm Cordelia, that's Gunn, Fred, and Connor," Cordelia said, pointing to each person as she said their name. Then she looked at Dawn and asked, "Who are you?"
Willow, Xander, and Buffy looked at each other. They didn't know.
Innocently, Dawn answered with, "I'm Buffy's sister, Dawn."
Angel and Cordelia looked at each other, confused. Buffy had a sister?
"They don't know..." Dawn breathed. "Oh... I remember you guys."
Buffy sat down next to her sister. "She's... my sister. It's a long story we don't feel like discussing. It involved too much... For everyone," Buffy explained. She put her hand on her sister's back.
Silence. They didn't want to ask, and they knew Buffy wouldn't say anything.
"So back to the question at hand. Why are you guys here?" Buffy asked.
"I had a vision," Cordelia said.
"She's a demon," Willow said, looking at her. "No, wait, she's only half. She has visions of people who are in trouble or are in need of help. She had a vision about us. Sunnydale. That's why they're here." She then looked at the other people and asked, "Am I right?"
"How did you know that?" Angel asked, eyeing Willow.
"I'm a witch," Willow answered. "Did a lot since we last saw each other, Angel." She took her eyes away from Angel's gaze.
"What kind of trouble did you see exactly?" Xander asked. Then he added, "And what's going on here? Cordy's a demon, Willow's a full-fledged witch, Buffy's about as immortal as a human person can be, and what am I? I'm still just Xander."
"You're Xander who saved the world before the summer," Dawn said, a cheerful smile on her face.
More confused looks from the LA crowd.
"Let's not get into that. Not now," Buffy said to Dawn. Then to the rest of them, "Continue. What kind of trouble?"
"I don't know. My visions don't tell me exact things. The one I had about you guys just involved faces. I saw all four of you, and Spike, and Anya," Cordelia explained. "I don't know where Spike came from. Maybe he's the one causing trouble."
Guilty looks from the Sunnydale crew.
"He's caused enough trouble in our neck of the woods," Xander mumbled. "Besides, he's too loony to *be* trouble."
"And Buffy would kick his butt to the next world and back," Dawn said coldly.
"Granted, he could be great help..." Xander started.
Angel raised his eyebrow. "Spike's here?" He looked over to Buffy for an explanation.
"Yes, he is. He's been here for the last three years. He's useful," Buffy told Angel. "And before you get all wiggy, he's got a chip in his head, please don't ask, that makes him unable to harm humans."
"What is going on in this town?" Cordelia exclaimed. She sounded frustrated, and she didn't even know the entire story.
"Can't you feel it? Cordy, you're a demon. Angel, you're a vampire. You should be able to. Something's coming. The Hellmouth wants to reopen," Willow said to them. "Not like the first time. It's much more serious this time. I feel it, it's growing. It wants power."
"Father, the witch makes sense. I feel the presence of something evil. It's strong, and it's getting stronger," Connor said to Angel.
Xander looked at Angel, then to the boy, who looked about Dawn's age. They sure did look similar, and they both had that reserved kind of manner. "Father?" he asked, looking at Angel in disbelief.
Angel took a deep breath and said, "This is my son, Connor."
Buffy's eyes grew wide. Angel had a son? How? With who?
"I will explain this later," Angel told them. "Back to this... thing. My son is right. It's strong. I don't think Buffy can even take on it alone."
"We already know this," Willow said, jumping back into the discussion. "Right now, we're trying to get clues to what this thing may be. I've already tried looking for it, but with no luck. I can't see into the Hellmouth. It's too dangerous."
"Things have been weird around here too," Buffy said. "It's been too quiet around town for the past week or so. There hasn't been anything too catastrophic. I've been patrolling every night except for tonight, and I've only encountered the regulars- vampires."
"It's the same in LA," the girl named Fred said, finally joining in. "Nothing has been happening, and Cordy hasn't had vision until today, when it was about you guys."
"So does this mean another possible apocalypse?" Dawn asked, trying to ease the tension in the room.
Everyone shot each other glances around the room.
"Looks like it," Buffy mumbled, then sighed. Then changing the subject she said, getting up, "Well, you guys are welcome to spend the night here. This house has been so empty since..." Her voice faltered a bit, remembering the events preceding the summer. She continued with, "It's just me, Dawn, and Will."
The five guests nodded.
"I'll go clean up my room, since obviously someone's sleeping in there with me," Dawn said, getting up too.
"I guess I'm getting ready for bed," Willow announced and started heading upstairs.
"This is my cue to book it back to my apartment," Xander said, heading for the door. Then he turned to the crowd and said, "You know, if there's not enough room here, there's plenty at my place." He took a look at Angel and said, "Wait, let me rephrase that. Anyone who's not Deadboy can come stay with me."
Angel shot Xander a disgusted glance. Gunn and Fred ended up following Xander out the door.
Cordelia headed upstairs with Dawn and Willow, while Angel and Connor stayed in the living room.
Buffy stood in the living room for a moment, and then said, "I'll get you guys blankets." She turned to walk away.
Angel stopped her. "Buffy. I need to talk to you. Alone."
She turned around slowly. "I don't feel like talking right now," she said absently, waving her hand around, almost like shooing him away.
"It's not about this... situation. It's about..."
Buffy's face twisted into almost a scowl. "Not wanting to talk about that. Not right now. But on the subject of 'talking,' there *is* something I need to talk to you about, but that will have to wait until... A better opportunity," she told him.
It was almost a relief that Angel was here. He was the one who could possibly tell her what was wrong with Spike. She wanted to ask him what it was like when he first got his soul back. Then again, she didn't want to actually *tell* him that Spike got his soul back. Not yet at least. It would raise just too many questions.
"It was nice meeting you, Connor," Buffy said, and then retreated upstairs. What a night, what a night.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To be continued...
There are so many possible directions this story can go. Wondering where I'll go next? ;) Guess you'll just have to keep reading. =) Don't forget to R&R!
Spike continued to pace around the basement. Trouble. Things were beginning to fall into place. The players were beginning to surface themselves. This meant all sorts of trouble. They shouldn't have come. They have no idea. The more power... the more destruction. Buffy was well aware of that, so was Red.
He saw the Hellmouth growing. It was moving. It wouldn't surface itself until it was ready. Still a baby, it was, spurting bits of evil here and there. It was obvious what they were. It had stopped for a while, and left the town silent. Silence. It's what drove people insane. It's what made people make assumptions. It brought worry, and most of all fear.
"I'm not evil, I'm not evil, I'm not evil..." Spike repeated to himself over and over. The voices were menacing. They kept telling him how evil he was, how much pain he brought to everyone. He hurt everyone who crossed his path. They told him he was worthless, trying to help the Slayer and her friends, he was what he was. He was nothing but a monster.
"Did you really think a soul would help you?" they always said, and they laughed condescendingly. They told him she could never feel for a thing like him. That was what he was, a thing. Look at what receiving his soul did to him. It made him crazy.
Why all the voices? Why were so many people talking to him? It needed to stop. It *had* to stop.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked, staring at the vampire standing at her door.
"We need to talk," he said, and tried to step into her house. He was blocked by an invisible barrier. He looked at Buffy, surprised and shocked. Had she really uninvited him?
"How do we know he's not evil?" Xander chimed from the living room.
Buffy gave him a questioning look. "Are you?" she asked.
"I can't believe... Why would you think that?" He was shocked at her sudden coldness.
She looked past him and saw his car. There were four other people sitting inside. "He's not evil. I can see Cordelia in his car," Buffy said. Then she looked at Angel and said, "Come in."
He let out a sigh of relief and walked in.
"Uh, Angel, are you planning on letting your friends out of your stuffy car and into my house?" Buffy said, eyeing the car in front of her house.
He looked at her and realization flashed through his face. He momentarily forgot about the rest of his troop. "Oh..." He gestured to the car and four people came out and started walking to the front door.
Buffy knew Cordelia, of course. She came running up to her, with a smile on her face. "Buffy! Hey!" she called. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"
Buffy was a little surprised. Was this Cordelia? It's not like they were the best of friends... Well, the never were really friends at all. If anything, they were always competing for everything. Cordelia gave Buffy a hug when she got to the porch.
"Come in... everybody," Buffy said, letting each person file in, then closing the door behind her. "So what do I owe this surprise visit from the LA crew to?" she asked, walking back into the living room.
Willow, Dawn, and Xander were still sitting on the couch. Angel, Cordelia, and the other three people were standing in the center of Buffy's living room.
"Cordy had a vision," Angel explained. "She saw you guys in her vision, and said that you guys were in some kind of trouble."
"Cordelia? Visions? Where have I been?" Xander asked, already confused.
"And who's planning on introducing us?" Dawn added, loving the fact there were new people in the house, who apparently were mystically-inclined.
"Oh. That's Angel, I'm Cordelia, that's Gunn, Fred, and Connor," Cordelia said, pointing to each person as she said their name. Then she looked at Dawn and asked, "Who are you?"
Willow, Xander, and Buffy looked at each other. They didn't know.
Innocently, Dawn answered with, "I'm Buffy's sister, Dawn."
Angel and Cordelia looked at each other, confused. Buffy had a sister?
"They don't know..." Dawn breathed. "Oh... I remember you guys."
Buffy sat down next to her sister. "She's... my sister. It's a long story we don't feel like discussing. It involved too much... For everyone," Buffy explained. She put her hand on her sister's back.
Silence. They didn't want to ask, and they knew Buffy wouldn't say anything.
"So back to the question at hand. Why are you guys here?" Buffy asked.
"I had a vision," Cordelia said.
"She's a demon," Willow said, looking at her. "No, wait, she's only half. She has visions of people who are in trouble or are in need of help. She had a vision about us. Sunnydale. That's why they're here." She then looked at the other people and asked, "Am I right?"
"How did you know that?" Angel asked, eyeing Willow.
"I'm a witch," Willow answered. "Did a lot since we last saw each other, Angel." She took her eyes away from Angel's gaze.
"What kind of trouble did you see exactly?" Xander asked. Then he added, "And what's going on here? Cordy's a demon, Willow's a full-fledged witch, Buffy's about as immortal as a human person can be, and what am I? I'm still just Xander."
"You're Xander who saved the world before the summer," Dawn said, a cheerful smile on her face.
More confused looks from the LA crowd.
"Let's not get into that. Not now," Buffy said to Dawn. Then to the rest of them, "Continue. What kind of trouble?"
"I don't know. My visions don't tell me exact things. The one I had about you guys just involved faces. I saw all four of you, and Spike, and Anya," Cordelia explained. "I don't know where Spike came from. Maybe he's the one causing trouble."
Guilty looks from the Sunnydale crew.
"He's caused enough trouble in our neck of the woods," Xander mumbled. "Besides, he's too loony to *be* trouble."
"And Buffy would kick his butt to the next world and back," Dawn said coldly.
"Granted, he could be great help..." Xander started.
Angel raised his eyebrow. "Spike's here?" He looked over to Buffy for an explanation.
"Yes, he is. He's been here for the last three years. He's useful," Buffy told Angel. "And before you get all wiggy, he's got a chip in his head, please don't ask, that makes him unable to harm humans."
"What is going on in this town?" Cordelia exclaimed. She sounded frustrated, and she didn't even know the entire story.
"Can't you feel it? Cordy, you're a demon. Angel, you're a vampire. You should be able to. Something's coming. The Hellmouth wants to reopen," Willow said to them. "Not like the first time. It's much more serious this time. I feel it, it's growing. It wants power."
"Father, the witch makes sense. I feel the presence of something evil. It's strong, and it's getting stronger," Connor said to Angel.
Xander looked at Angel, then to the boy, who looked about Dawn's age. They sure did look similar, and they both had that reserved kind of manner. "Father?" he asked, looking at Angel in disbelief.
Angel took a deep breath and said, "This is my son, Connor."
Buffy's eyes grew wide. Angel had a son? How? With who?
"I will explain this later," Angel told them. "Back to this... thing. My son is right. It's strong. I don't think Buffy can even take on it alone."
"We already know this," Willow said, jumping back into the discussion. "Right now, we're trying to get clues to what this thing may be. I've already tried looking for it, but with no luck. I can't see into the Hellmouth. It's too dangerous."
"Things have been weird around here too," Buffy said. "It's been too quiet around town for the past week or so. There hasn't been anything too catastrophic. I've been patrolling every night except for tonight, and I've only encountered the regulars- vampires."
"It's the same in LA," the girl named Fred said, finally joining in. "Nothing has been happening, and Cordy hasn't had vision until today, when it was about you guys."
"So does this mean another possible apocalypse?" Dawn asked, trying to ease the tension in the room.
Everyone shot each other glances around the room.
"Looks like it," Buffy mumbled, then sighed. Then changing the subject she said, getting up, "Well, you guys are welcome to spend the night here. This house has been so empty since..." Her voice faltered a bit, remembering the events preceding the summer. She continued with, "It's just me, Dawn, and Will."
The five guests nodded.
"I'll go clean up my room, since obviously someone's sleeping in there with me," Dawn said, getting up too.
"I guess I'm getting ready for bed," Willow announced and started heading upstairs.
"This is my cue to book it back to my apartment," Xander said, heading for the door. Then he turned to the crowd and said, "You know, if there's not enough room here, there's plenty at my place." He took a look at Angel and said, "Wait, let me rephrase that. Anyone who's not Deadboy can come stay with me."
Angel shot Xander a disgusted glance. Gunn and Fred ended up following Xander out the door.
Cordelia headed upstairs with Dawn and Willow, while Angel and Connor stayed in the living room.
Buffy stood in the living room for a moment, and then said, "I'll get you guys blankets." She turned to walk away.
Angel stopped her. "Buffy. I need to talk to you. Alone."
She turned around slowly. "I don't feel like talking right now," she said absently, waving her hand around, almost like shooing him away.
"It's not about this... situation. It's about..."
Buffy's face twisted into almost a scowl. "Not wanting to talk about that. Not right now. But on the subject of 'talking,' there *is* something I need to talk to you about, but that will have to wait until... A better opportunity," she told him.
It was almost a relief that Angel was here. He was the one who could possibly tell her what was wrong with Spike. She wanted to ask him what it was like when he first got his soul back. Then again, she didn't want to actually *tell* him that Spike got his soul back. Not yet at least. It would raise just too many questions.
"It was nice meeting you, Connor," Buffy said, and then retreated upstairs. What a night, what a night.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To be continued...
There are so many possible directions this story can go. Wondering where I'll go next? ;) Guess you'll just have to keep reading. =) Don't forget to R&R!