**** Chapter 10: Unexpected ****
Spike and Angel stood together in the basement speaking, as Xander stepped into the room. The conversation quickly stopped as they looked at Xander, both looked to have tears in their eyes. "Sorry fella's, don't mean to bother you but I had to escape the female population that is upstairs." Xander smiled at them and was, for the first time in history warmly welcomed among them. "So what's the topic of discussion?"
"Soul's," Angel stated flatly, "and humanity."
Spike shifted anxiously as Xander looked on, "Angel says that the Mohra demons blood can make us human again." Spike stated noticeably holding back tears.
"That's great! Isn't it?" Xander was puzzled by the way Spike had said human.
"What you don't understand is, is that there are many things that this entails. Mostly, you no longer have the ability to fight the fight. You're mortal, you live, you breathe, you eat," Angel was quoting this while crying, "you love, and then one day when you don't have your superstrength someone you love dies. We find it hard to take our humanity over allowing someone to die." Angel was choking on tears at this point, "If we make it through this battle Spike," Angel was breaking down at this point, "you need to take the blood and become human. I already have a default, there is a prophecy that I will shanshu, or become human after I help advert the apocalypse, and if this is it, there will be no need for the worries from before. This will be our last battle. So when this goes down, stay with me and we will become what we were before, you will become what I helped take away from you. We will be human again."
Spike stared into Angel's eyes, both men openly crying as Xander watched on. "When you become human mate," Spike choked, "what are you looking to do? I take it you will want to be with Buffy, huh?"
"Spike," Angel looked almost desperate to say yes out of reaction, but instead went with his heart, "don't worry. I can see in your eyes and in hers what is going on, I wouldn't interfere with true love. I have something true waiting on me in LA. Cordelia." Angel finished with a smile, having been through hell this past year thinking she was evil and sleeping with her son, only to have the true Cordelia to return as the evil Cordelia died in childbirth. He wanted so badly to be there right now, making up for lost time, and in his eyes, both men could see his words to be true.
Xander at this point is beyond confused. These two men that stood before him-the two most ruthless and violent men ever, two men that he hated with a passion because of their former sins- stood completely innocent, completely free, and Xander felt something released in those moments that had held them for far too long. "So," Xander choked back his own tears at this point, "everything's going to be perfect after this?"
"No mate," Spike started as he leaned back on the wall, "nothing's perfect. Even if I become human and do get to be with Buffy, it will never be perfect. Angel and I have waited a hundred plus years for this day, and yet it's not perfect. When the world is perfect, then there's nothing worth sodding living for. You strive for perfection because it can only make one better, but never actually be reached. It will be nice, hell it will be fantastic, but not perfect."
"God man, that was way too deep," Angel said with a laugh, "I thought I got to be the broody one? What are we going to tell the other's about this? Should we tell them, 'hey, save that one, we'll need it' or what?"
"Let's not, let's just do it and let them be surprised. It's our prize right? We have battled and we have won, we deserve to rest." Spike stated to Angel.
"Yeah, we deserve to rest." Angel said, "We deserve that and so much more."
"Guys, I have to tell you. When I left the girls upstairs to escape girl talk, I didn't know I was going this deep into man talk," Xander joked lightening the mood. "I expected more of the verbal jabbing that we all used to do, hell, I would settle for nicknames at this point."
"Alright whelp, if that's what you want," Spike laughed as he looked to Angel.
As the boys started verbally jarring, Buffy ran down the stairs clearly panicked. "Guys, get ready, it's going down. NOW!"
"What," the three screamed in unison.
"Faith just returned from patrol and she said that there was a crew of bringers and demons marching into town towards the hellmouth. We have to stop them now, or they could raise God knows what."
"Alright luv," Spike calmly started, "gather the girls, and make sure Willow is positive about what she said she could do. Angel, Xander, and I will gather all the weapons down here, and you gather everything up there, we'll meet in the kitchen in a minute."
Angel and Xander went to searching for all the weapons in the room when Buffy silently walked close to Spike who stood watching her. "Spike, if I don't make it through this I want you to know this," Buffy put both her hands on his cheeks and delicately kissed him. Xander looked at Angel, waiting for that look of revulsion, but instead was surprised to find a smile. "Remember I love you, and no matter what, I always will." With that Buffy started to head upstairs.
"Buffy, you'll make it through this, I promise. When all is said and done, I'll have a present waiting for you," Spike smiled as softly as he ever had as his baby blues locked onto her eyes. In that moment, if ever, Spike believed in perfection, she was perfect and he would strive for her. A moment later she was gone, preparing for the battle.
"Spike," Angel started, "no matter what, we'll all get through this. We deserve to. You deserve her, and she deserves you. God knows after all we've been through together, we deserve this, all of us, Xander you deserve this -- friendship. I don't let my friends die, not now."
"Well mate, let's go to it then."
Xander mentally prepared himself, he didn't have superpowers so he had to have a gameplan. He had it, he would do the unexpected. He could be the key to this battle he thought. "Thanks Angel, I'm sorry I didn't give you my friendship in the past, but hell, this is as good a time as any I guess."
With that, the three old foes, now new friends marched up the steps of the basement. Out of the training room, off of the floor that had held the warriors of today's battle, into the warroom known as the world. The three friends shared one last smile before preparing themselves to go into battle. As the door shut Xander remarked in usual Xander form, "God, this apocalypse thing feels too familiar to be unexpected."
Spike and Angel stood together in the basement speaking, as Xander stepped into the room. The conversation quickly stopped as they looked at Xander, both looked to have tears in their eyes. "Sorry fella's, don't mean to bother you but I had to escape the female population that is upstairs." Xander smiled at them and was, for the first time in history warmly welcomed among them. "So what's the topic of discussion?"
"Soul's," Angel stated flatly, "and humanity."
Spike shifted anxiously as Xander looked on, "Angel says that the Mohra demons blood can make us human again." Spike stated noticeably holding back tears.
"That's great! Isn't it?" Xander was puzzled by the way Spike had said human.
"What you don't understand is, is that there are many things that this entails. Mostly, you no longer have the ability to fight the fight. You're mortal, you live, you breathe, you eat," Angel was quoting this while crying, "you love, and then one day when you don't have your superstrength someone you love dies. We find it hard to take our humanity over allowing someone to die." Angel was choking on tears at this point, "If we make it through this battle Spike," Angel was breaking down at this point, "you need to take the blood and become human. I already have a default, there is a prophecy that I will shanshu, or become human after I help advert the apocalypse, and if this is it, there will be no need for the worries from before. This will be our last battle. So when this goes down, stay with me and we will become what we were before, you will become what I helped take away from you. We will be human again."
Spike stared into Angel's eyes, both men openly crying as Xander watched on. "When you become human mate," Spike choked, "what are you looking to do? I take it you will want to be with Buffy, huh?"
"Spike," Angel looked almost desperate to say yes out of reaction, but instead went with his heart, "don't worry. I can see in your eyes and in hers what is going on, I wouldn't interfere with true love. I have something true waiting on me in LA. Cordelia." Angel finished with a smile, having been through hell this past year thinking she was evil and sleeping with her son, only to have the true Cordelia to return as the evil Cordelia died in childbirth. He wanted so badly to be there right now, making up for lost time, and in his eyes, both men could see his words to be true.
Xander at this point is beyond confused. These two men that stood before him-the two most ruthless and violent men ever, two men that he hated with a passion because of their former sins- stood completely innocent, completely free, and Xander felt something released in those moments that had held them for far too long. "So," Xander choked back his own tears at this point, "everything's going to be perfect after this?"
"No mate," Spike started as he leaned back on the wall, "nothing's perfect. Even if I become human and do get to be with Buffy, it will never be perfect. Angel and I have waited a hundred plus years for this day, and yet it's not perfect. When the world is perfect, then there's nothing worth sodding living for. You strive for perfection because it can only make one better, but never actually be reached. It will be nice, hell it will be fantastic, but not perfect."
"God man, that was way too deep," Angel said with a laugh, "I thought I got to be the broody one? What are we going to tell the other's about this? Should we tell them, 'hey, save that one, we'll need it' or what?"
"Let's not, let's just do it and let them be surprised. It's our prize right? We have battled and we have won, we deserve to rest." Spike stated to Angel.
"Yeah, we deserve to rest." Angel said, "We deserve that and so much more."
"Guys, I have to tell you. When I left the girls upstairs to escape girl talk, I didn't know I was going this deep into man talk," Xander joked lightening the mood. "I expected more of the verbal jabbing that we all used to do, hell, I would settle for nicknames at this point."
"Alright whelp, if that's what you want," Spike laughed as he looked to Angel.
As the boys started verbally jarring, Buffy ran down the stairs clearly panicked. "Guys, get ready, it's going down. NOW!"
"What," the three screamed in unison.
"Faith just returned from patrol and she said that there was a crew of bringers and demons marching into town towards the hellmouth. We have to stop them now, or they could raise God knows what."
"Alright luv," Spike calmly started, "gather the girls, and make sure Willow is positive about what she said she could do. Angel, Xander, and I will gather all the weapons down here, and you gather everything up there, we'll meet in the kitchen in a minute."
Angel and Xander went to searching for all the weapons in the room when Buffy silently walked close to Spike who stood watching her. "Spike, if I don't make it through this I want you to know this," Buffy put both her hands on his cheeks and delicately kissed him. Xander looked at Angel, waiting for that look of revulsion, but instead was surprised to find a smile. "Remember I love you, and no matter what, I always will." With that Buffy started to head upstairs.
"Buffy, you'll make it through this, I promise. When all is said and done, I'll have a present waiting for you," Spike smiled as softly as he ever had as his baby blues locked onto her eyes. In that moment, if ever, Spike believed in perfection, she was perfect and he would strive for her. A moment later she was gone, preparing for the battle.
"Spike," Angel started, "no matter what, we'll all get through this. We deserve to. You deserve her, and she deserves you. God knows after all we've been through together, we deserve this, all of us, Xander you deserve this -- friendship. I don't let my friends die, not now."
"Well mate, let's go to it then."
Xander mentally prepared himself, he didn't have superpowers so he had to have a gameplan. He had it, he would do the unexpected. He could be the key to this battle he thought. "Thanks Angel, I'm sorry I didn't give you my friendship in the past, but hell, this is as good a time as any I guess."
With that, the three old foes, now new friends marched up the steps of the basement. Out of the training room, off of the floor that had held the warriors of today's battle, into the warroom known as the world. The three friends shared one last smile before preparing themselves to go into battle. As the door shut Xander remarked in usual Xander form, "God, this apocalypse thing feels too familiar to be unexpected."