Catastrophe

by

Princess McPhee

Disclaimer: I don't claim. Not mine. Bow to Joss Whedon.

Author's Note: As always, I apologize for the wait. I know I'm losing people's interest because by the time a new chapter comes out, they've forgotten the plot of the story, but I really just can't work any faster. Nasty, nasty real life. I really appreciate the fans I do have, so keep reviewing and letting me know you're around, okay? Thanks!

Summary: An AU version of the events after 'The Weight of the World.'

Rating: PG-13

Buffy was getting restless. She was bored with television, bored with the computer, bored with books. She was even starting to get bored with sparring the two vampires she lived with. She knew what she needed to alleviate the boredom, too. But her over-protective ex and his grandchilde wouldn't let her patrol!

She was strong enough now, she knew. She wouldn't go alone, not just yet, in case something came along that was stronger than the average vampire, but as long as Spike or Angel was with her, she wouldn't be in any danger, and she could hold her own. She was almost healed, the only time she still felt the effects of her earlier injury was when she exerted herself for a long period of time.

"Guys, I swear, I know my limits. I've stayed away from working for almost three months now, I'm back in shape."

Angel frowned. "Buffy, you're still weak." Spike nodded his agreement.

"Pet, you need more rest before you get back to taking on the big ol' beasties." For once, Spike and Angel were in full agreement about something, and it had to be this. It was just her luck.

"I can do this."

"It's not safe."

Buffy sighed, then threw her hands in the air. "You know what? I don't care. I think it is, and I'm going. Someone can come with me or not." She knew full well there was no way either vampire was going to let her patrol by herself, and sure enough, the thumping footsteps behind her confirmed her knowledge.

She entered her bedroom to get out her patrol clothes, which she hadn't had occasion to wear in a while, and the footsteps headed towards the living room. They weren't nearly heavy enough to be Angel's footsteps, so she guessed that Spike had drawn the short straw for patrolling with her. Either that, or the long one. She wasn't quite sure whether the vampires were fighting about who got to go with her, or who had to go with her.

Eyeing the leather pants in the back of her closet, she reluctantly shook her head. Leathers were fun, but those ones were new and not worn in. Best not to wear something that constricting while she still tired easily. Instead, she grabbed a pair of workout pants and a sports bra, then pulled a tank top on over it. Grabbing her leather jacket, she decided she'd leave it at the door if it seemed too warm.

She completed the ensemble with her boots, which, though they were more stiff than tennis shoes or any other kind of athletic wear, were much better for caving in vampire noses. Heading into the living room, she grabbed several stakes and started putting them up her sleeves, in her pockets and down the edges of her bra. Starting to grab a sword from the weapons case, she realized she didn't have a clue how the citizens of LA would react to a girl carrying a broadsword.

"Angel?"

He appeared in the doorway, looking broody and miserable. "Yes?"

"Am I likely to get myself arrested for being all sword-carrying-girl in this wonderful city?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Don't go into the downtown and they won't bother you. And if they do, hand them this." He handed her a few Angel Investigations cards. "They pretend not to know what's going on, but most of them are aware, at the very least, that we keep carnage to a minimum where we're seen."

She nodded. "Kay. Cool." Looking around, she realized she didn't see the blond vampire anywhere. "Spike!"

He appeared in a different doorway. "Yeah?"

"Ready?"

Looking himself and then her quickly over, he nodded. "Yep." Glancing at his grandsire, he started towards the door. "Peaches is staying in tonight."

Buffy nodded, caught Angel's eye and then nodded to him, as well. "Okay. We'll be back in a couple of hours."

"Don't tire yourself out, Buffy."

"I won't."

He nodded his agreement, and the blond Slayer and vampire swept out the door, Buffy incredibly glad to be out of the house and ready to kick some demon butt. It had been far too long.

"Catch!" Buffy threw a stake end-over-end at Spike, who caught it in midair and dusted the vampire he was wrestling with. Moving with his incredible preternatural speed, he appeared only seconds later in front of the Slayer, and dusted the one she was just about to take out. She glared at him. "I almost got him!"

Spike smirked. "I know." His face went serious. "But you're getting tired. We should head back before the demons sense something's up."

She nodded, not wanting to stop, but seeing the wisdom in his statement. "Yeah, I guess so." Grinning, she stomped in the little pile of vampire dust by her feet. "So, did you have as much fun as I did?"

He grinned back. "Yeah, pet, I think I did."

"Good." Cheerfully and as though it was nothing out of the norm, she hooked her arm through his, and they started walking back to the hotel in companionable silence.

When they got back, Buffy disentangled her arm from the vampire's and walked into the lobby, sighing loudly. "God, that felt good," She announced to no one in particular.

"Buffy!" Dawn looked surprised. "You were out?"

She nodded. "It felt so good..."

"Are you sure you're strong enough?"

Buffy nodded her head at the vampire who was entering the room behind her. "I took Spike with me." She knew that would be the end of the discussion with Dawn, as much as she trusted the vampire to keep her and her sister safe. And, indeed, the teenager just nodded her head.

"Okay."

Angel, however, was not going to be appeased so easily. Sitting in the corner and glaring at a book more than reading it, he didn't bother looking up when the Slayer and his grandchilde entered the room.

Buffy looked over at the older vampire and sighed. Handing her stakes to Spike, she shrugged out of her jacket and threw it over the back of the couch. Then she walked up to Angel, put her hands on her hips and waited for him to look up at her.

"Can we talk?" It wasn't a request.

He nodded, and she turned abruptly to walk out of the room. A little more slowly, he followed her, and Dawn watched the whole thing with unabashed interest.

Spike threw the stakes back in a chest of them that his grandsire kept around. "Niblet, don't stare," he chided. "Even Angel's arse ain't that good lookin'."

Dawn turned towards him distractedly, and then looked back at the disappearing vampire. Finally, Spike's statement registered and she whipped around to face him. "What?! Ew!"

Spike grinned. "Yeah, well, that's not what you looked like you thought a minute ago, pet."

Dawn shook her head vehemently. "God, yuck! It's Angel."

"And?"

"And that's not enough?" She asked, incredulously.

"Didn't seem to stop your sis, did it?"

Dawn wrinkled her face. "I've known Angel since I was nine. He's like an older brother."

Spike's face clouded briefly, but he forced it away quickly. "Glad to hear that. 'Cause the last thing we need is a Summers' sisters bitch-fight over the old poof."

Dawn shook her head. "Yuck. And no way." Turning back to her book, she didn't notice the stormy expression on the vampire's face or the angry stalk in his steps as he left the room.

Buffy had led Angel back to his room, where she knew they could talk uninterrupted. Shoving him down onto his butt on the bed, she started to pace back and forth, closing and latching the door but otherwise being entirely unproductive.

"What is it, Buffy?" He asked softly.

She turned to face him, but didn't meet his eyes. "You."

He nodded slowly. "Okay. What, specifically, is the problem between you and me?"

"You're making me guilty!"

Angel raised an eyebrow in question. "I certainly hadn't intended to make you feel that way."

She sighed. "I know. It's stupid. And it's my fault."

"Is this about... Spike?" Angel asked, tentatively.

She turned away, not wanting to see his face when she answered. "Maybe."

Angel sighed this time, and then silence reigned in the room for a long moment. "Okay," he finally said.

She turned around to face him once more. "'Okay' what?"

"'Okay,' I guess you're right and we need to talk about this. I was just trying to ignore it, and it isn't working anymore."

"No, I don't think it is." She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Angel."

He smiled back just as sadly. "Don't be. What we had can't be, and if this was going on in Sunnydale, you never would have told me. It's only because you're here that it's causing any problems at all."

Buffy's face clouded, unknowingly looking just like the other vampire in the living room of the hotel. "Maybe we shouldn't be in such close quarters anymore. I can find somewhere, take Dawn and maybe Spike with me."

Angel shook his head, hard. "No, Buffy. I didn't mean it like that. I like having you here, and it's good for Dawn to have people around. Plus, it would cost money to rent a place, and right now you don't need to hassle of trying to make ends meet."

She nodded slowly. "Are you sure? Because it can be hard to live with people in a small space, I know."

He nodded back. "I'm sure. And I'll try to curb my jealous feelings as best as I can."

"Okay." She shifted her weight, not really sure what else to say. "I'm sorry, Angel, I really am."

The sad smile returned. "I know. I am too. But we'll make this work, and maybe you and Spike can make something work, too. As much as I hate that idea." He held out his arms. "You still my girl?" He asked softly, unsure, for the first time, what the answer would be.

She smiled. "Of course I am, Angel." Moving into his embrace, she held him tightly as his large, muscled arms squeezed her to him. "It's different now, but I'll always be your girl."

"Thank you," he whispered, and kissed her quickly on the top of the head.

"Thank you, Angel."

It was dark in the sisters' room that night when Dawn decided she wanted to talk. "Buffy?"

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Why now? Why not in the morning, when the sun's up, and I'm not trying to sleep?" The Slayer sounded grouchy.

Dawn sighed. "Okay."

Silence reigned for a few moments, then Buffy heaved a sigh similar to her sister's, and the sheets rustled as she propped herself up on one elbow. "What is it?" She asked.

"It's okay. It can wait until tomorrow."

Buffy sighed again. "No, I want to know. What is it, Dawnie?"

There was rustling from Dawn's side of the room, too. "What's going on?" She asked.

"With..."

"You and Spike."

"Oh." There was silence again for what seemed like a long time.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just not really sure how to answer that question, honestly."

"Well, do you like him?"

Buffy sighed. "It isn't that simple. I'm not sure there's one answer to that question."

"Are you in love with him?"

A pause, and then, softly, she replied. "No. But I could be, if I let myself."

Both were quiet for long moments after her declaration. Dawn piped up first.

"Are you going to? Let yourself?"

Buffy's sheets rustled again as the Slayer fidgeted. "I don't know. It's complicated. He's not all the person you see, Dawn. He's also a killer, restrained by what's basically an electric collar. He revels in terror and pain. He's not human, but what he is isn't as important as who he was just a few years ago."

"He's never treated me badly," Dawn interjected softly.

Buffy shook her head in the dark. "No. He hasn't. I'm not saying that a vampire can't care or love, I learned a long time ago that isn't true. But he took to you from day one. He tried to kill me, repeatedly, before he decided he loved me."

"And you can't forgive him?" Dawn asked, softly. "We see a lot of people do a lot of things, knowing what we know," she said, sounding immensely older and wiser than she was. "Forgiving is what we do."

"I think I could forgive him, Dawn. Forgive him for me, maybe for Xander and Willow. For Giles and Angel. But for the other people who he really did kill? I don't know."

"Will you try, Buffy? He really does love you. And... I think he could be good for you."

Buffy laughed, and Dawn furrowed her forehead in confusion. "What?" She asked.

"Listen to little Dawnie, giving out such sage advice," Buffy answered. "When did you grow up?" She sounded faintly sad.

Dawn's voice was sad, too, when she replied. "I guess we've been so busy that we haven't had a lot of time to listen to each other lately," she said. "I've been wrapped up so tightly in ourselves that I've been forgetting other people's needs."

"No you haven't, Dawn. You're young and grieving. You haven't been any more insensitive than anyone else in your situation would be. And we've all be wrapped up in our own needs lately."

"Promise to thump me and make me come out of it next time I do that?" Dawn asked.

"Promise. If you'll do the same for me."

"Promise. I love you, Buffy."

"Love you, too, Dawn."

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