A/N: This is SLASH. If you are offended by Male/Male pairings please do NOT read this. Wesley is in with the rest of the crew. There is no animosity. Gunn and Fred are together, Cordelia is still being a ho. I'm not too sure of the Angel episode names, but assume it's when things were still good in the current season, Season 7 BtVS, nothing specific. Now onto the fic!
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Wesley knew, logically, that there was no reason to be nervous. Spike was chipped and souled now, after all. Yet he was still nervous of the soon-to-be-new arrival at Angel Investigations.
***
Earlier in the week…
"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless…how may I help you," Fred asked as she picked up the phone.
"Hi, is Angel there?"
"Who's calling, please?"
"It's Buffy, can you put Angel on the phone?"
"Oh. Oh! Of course! Hold on one second, please."
Fred ran up the stairs, after putting the phone down on the counter. She ran to Angel's room and knocked on the door in quick succession. "Angel! Angel, are you up? You have a phone call!"
"Fred, it's still early for me, can you just take a message?"
"Well, I could, but I think you might wanna pick up. It's that girl you know, Buffy?"
"Ok, Fred," Angel sighed. "I'll be right down."
Angel hurried in getting dressed. He threw on some pants, and a shirt and flew down the stairs to the phone at the front desk. "Buffy?"
"Angel, thank goodness. I need your help. I don't know what to do…"
"What is it? Apocalypse? Demon? What?"
"Spike…"
"I knew I should have killed that son of a bitch years ago," Angel growled.
"Angel! No! It's nothing like that. He – I think he needs your help. He has a soul…" Buffy trailed off.
"He what?!?!"
"He has a soul Angel, and I don't know how to help him anymore. I figured since you went through what he's going through maybe you could help him get through it."
"Buffy, I don't know what you expect me to do. Who did he piss off this time?"
"What? No you don't understand, he wasn't cursed, he went and got his soul…for me."
"Oh, I see," Angel sighed. "Well, what do you want me to do, Buffy?"
"Could you come get him and bring him to L.A.? I think the Hellmouth is hurting him even more. I- I've never seen him like this before. I've tried everything. I don't think I can help him anymore."
Angel's thought were racing through his head. How did his childe get a soul? Or more importantly why? Buffy had said it was for her. What did that mean? Angel sighed again before replying, "Alright, Buffy. I can't promise he'll even want my help, but I'll try. I suppose I'll come there, and see what I can do. But, Buffy, you have to understand, there may not be anything I can do."
"I know Angel, just please, try, for me." With that last line both hung up. Angel made his way over the office where Wesley was researching the current demon-of-the-week.
"Wes, I have to go to Sunnydale for a little while. Will you be able to handle things for a few days?"
"Of course, Angel. May I ask what you are going for?"
"Spike, seems he got himself a soul. Buffy says she needs help with him. So off I go. It shouldn't be too long. Could you maybe get Fred to get a bedroom ready for him though? One fairly close to mine?"
"He'll be coming here to stay then?"
"Just for a little while, Wes. I really have to go now."
Angel turned and walked out of the office, headed for his convertible. Luckily he had put the top up the night before. He made a dash for the car, and jumped inside before he could catch on fire. The engine was started up and he was on his way to Sunnydale.
***
In Sunnydale…
Buffy made her way to Xander's apartment. She hoped that Spike would be rational about his sire coming to town, but she was sure some sort of fight, be it physical or verbal, would ensue. When she reached Xander's building she made her way up the stairs, to his door. Knocked lightly and waited for it to be answered.
A moment later and she heard shuffling footsteps coming closer and closer to the door. It opened to reveal a sleepy-looking Spike, who was barefoot and rubbing his eyes.
"Buffy? What – what are you doing here? Xander's at work you know."
"I know Spike, I needed to talk with you."
"Oh, um…well come on in then I guess."
Spike turned and headed further into the apartment, Buffy trailing behind him. "So, what did you want to talk about, luv?"
"Well, this is gonna be hard, but Spike, I think you need help." Buffy could see the plain emotion playing across Spike's features. She couldn't quite decipher it, but hoped that Spike would remain calm.
"What did you have in mind," Spike sighed.
Buffy was shocked for a moment, she thought Spike would rage against her idea, but instead he just had accepted it with a sense of resigned detachment. 'Guess that's cause of the soul.'
"Well, don't be mad now, but I called Angel…."
"Oh. I see, go on, sorry to interrupt."
"I – I called Angel, and he's on his way here to see if he can help you, and maybe even come with him back to L.A.. The Hellmouth isn't helping you Spike. I'm sure there are lots of bad memories here. Maybe it would be good if you started fresh somewhere else."
"I see, so when is he getting here then?"
"I called him an hour or so ago, so I guess he should be here soon. Why don't we head over to my house, the sun's almost down you should be able to get there easily enough."
"Let me just get changed first. Ok?"
"Yeah, Spike, that's ok." Buffy sighed again and put her head in her hands after Spike had disappeared into his roomcloset. She could hear him moving around and thanked a God she didn't really believe in that Xander wasn't home. She would hate to see what type of ammunition out of this.
Spike emerged with a fresh shirt on, and his feet were now encased in his heavy Doc Martens. "K, ready to go, Slayer."
They made their way out of the apartment and down the building's stairs. Once they got outside they began to walk towards Buffy's house since the sun had just set. The walk was silent, but Buffy could feel the tension radiating off Spike in waves.
They came to her sidewalk and Buffy noticed a black convertible parked out front. 'Must be Angel's car. Guess it's time to face the music.'
Spike and Buffy headed up the front walk, Buffy with her head held high, and Spike trailing behind her with a decided slump to his shoulders. As Buffy reached for the doorknob eh thought entered her head that, 'I hope I did the right thing…'