A/N- I really want to thank everyone who has reviewed this. And, I am so sorry for the delay in updating.
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Chapter 4
Buffy watched, still stunned, as Spike disentangled Bella from his legs then turn and walk out the door to the hotel. It only took her a moment before she instinctually started to follow him. Before she could cross the room, Buffy felt a hand on her arm, stopping her. Buffy looked up to see it was Angel who held her back.
"I need to find him."
"He needs time Buffy. Alone." Angel said.
Buffy glanced back to the door that Spike had gone through. "I hope your right." She said, looking back pointedly at Angel. They both stared at each other for a moment. Neither giving over any power or emotion to the other. Finally it was William who broke the silence, calling to his mother. Buffy turned back to her children, noting William proudly holding a picture, as Bella simply stared confusedly at the adults in the room.
"I'm taking the up and putting them to bed." Buffy said, quickly sweeping up William and taking Bella's hand, leaving the room in silence.
**********
"Fascinating. Angel, I...I..I don't know what to say." Wesley commented. Angel had relayed to him and Connor everything that the oracle had told them.
"I, just..I can't believe she's mine. I mean, a daughter. I have a daughter. With Buffy. That I didn't even know about." Angel scrubbed his face roughly with his hand.
"And Spike has lost his." Connor said quietly.
Angel's head jerked up and he stared at Connor.
"Think about it dad. For five years Bella has been Spike's daughter. She has always been HIS Bella. Don't get me wrong, I think he loves William with everything in him, but we all know he's had a soft spot for her from the time she was born. Now he's lost her. To you. So, the question is.....what happens now?" Connor asked.
Angel considered his son for a moment. He had become quite the man in the last several years. Overcome all the difficulty and prejudice he had been instilled with, finally leaving a handsome you man with a quiet wisdom gained only through pain. More than once, Connor's wisdom had shown Angel the correct path to take, as it was doing now.
"How'd you get to be so smart?" Angel asked with a smile.
"I think it must've been my mother." Connor answered with a sly grin. "You still haven't answered the question."
"So, now we give Spike the time he needs now and then we make this work." Angel answered, staring back down at his hands.
**********
Hours had come and gone, and still no word from Spike. In a couple of hours it would be dawn, and everyone was getting worried. Buffy had been down countless times to see if Spike had returned. Wes had called Spikes cell numerous times, and Angel was pacing a rut into the lobby floor. Connor was the only calm one, resting in the office with his feet propped on the desk.
"I'm going to find him. Wes, can you watch the kids again?" Buffy said coming down the stairs.
"Yes, of coarse. You'll let us know if there's anything we can do?" Wes answered.
"No." Angel answered, catching everyone off guard. "Let me go. I can track him faster."
"Angel I'm not sure you are the person he will want to see just now." Wes said
"No, but I'm the person he needs to see right now." Angel stated, taking his jacket from the back of his chair and heading for the door.
"Angel" Buffy called after him, causing Angel to pause and turn back to her, "Bring him home."
Angel gave her a sad smile in response as he nodded his head and set out the door.
**********
Angel had tracked Spike to 4 separate demon bars. Apparently when he got too drunk or rowdy in one, he would move on to another. Not completely out of character for Spike, but he hadn't done that in years. Of coarse, Angel thought, he certainly had a reason for tonight. Angel finally found Spike cozzier up to the bar in one of the worst bars in this end of LA. Placing a call, he notified Connor that he had found Spike and where. Then tried to decide how best to get Spike home. Angel could feel the pain and confusion rolling off his grand-childe in waves, and it hurt.
Spike deserves better than this he thought for a moment. No matter what his status in the moral hierarchy, Spike had always had to fight for everything he had, and he had always ended up second place. Sure his grand-childe had certainly terrorized his share of more than one continent, but he had a soul, had had one for several years now. One he had fought for, simply to be better. He knew that Spike was continuously tormented by his soul, though he showed it much differently than Angel himself had.
They had spoken about the souls on many occasions, and it pained Angel that Spike would suffer the same torment he had. But at least Spike had something going for him from the beginning that Angel didn't.....Buffy. Angel had wondered aimlessly for decades. Simply existing most of the time. Until Buffy had changed his world. Spike had been lucky, Buffy had been there almost from the beginning for Spike, and Spike had been able to forgo the wasted time Angel had spent. Now they both were fighting for their own redemption in their own ways, and to think they both owed it to a certain blond slayer. Who was now waiting nervously for her husband to come back to her. Angel let out an exasperated sigh and sat on the stool next to Spike.
"Come to rub it in then?" Spike slurred out.
"No." Angel answered and waved to the bartender. "Came to take you back."
Spike gave a short laugh. "Like to see you try it."
The bartender brought a blue shot to set before Angel. "I gotta say Spike, haven't seen you go on a binge in years. Kind of surprised here." Angel downed the shot before indicating to the bartender to bring another.
"I've lost my daughter you bloody git!" Spike shouted.
Angel just sat in silence.
"I'd think you'd be glad to be rid of me." Spike finally broke the silence. "Figured you'd just take the whole thing now anyway." Spike said, sloppily pouring himself another shot from the bottle of tequila on the bar.
Angel downed the next shot, then smiled. "You really are stupid Spike."
Spike turned his head to stare at Angel and frowned.
"You really think I could take them from you?" Angel asked.
"Don't see why not." Spike quietly answered, "got the big first love thing and all. And, the tots tend to go where the mum goes."
Angel simply shook his head. "You know Spike, you usually have everything figured out so well. Yes, Buffy and I will always have a love for each other. But we aren't in love, not anymore. Not like you. Buffy's heart belongs to you Spike. Same as the twins."
"But,..." Spike began
"No but Spike, you've been there all this time. You've taken care of them. You've loved them. You've been there every day, giving them every last bit of yourself from the beginning. No one could love them more than you, ever. No matter what happens from here on out, you will always be first with them. I could never take that. they will always be yours. All of them."
Spike was staring at Angel with an incredulous look. Causing Angel to laugh as he took yet another shot.
After long minutes and more liqueur, Spike finally spoke up again.
"So how does this work then?"
"Well, I think you spend a while telling me everything I've missed the last few years. I missed Connor's childhood, at least I can hear what I've missed of Bella." Angel replied.
**********
Both Spike and Angel had spent the rest of the small hours of the morning alternating shots with stories. Spike had given more than a few proud father speeches, and both had come to realize that rather than either loosing a child, somehow the child had gained a father. They regaled themselves and each other with stories of decades past, regrets, and glory until each finally somehow accepted the other as a friend. One that neither had fully accepted until now, the other being uniquely qualified to understand the other.
Finally the bartender had cut them off, saying that he didn't want two vamps spending the day sleeping in his bar, it was bad for business.
Angel felt that familiar tingle that indicated the approaching sunrise and decided that getting home was definitely a priority. It was lucky that it was a short walk back to the hotel. He tapped Spike on the shoulder, wondering when the blond vamp had passed out, but the blond didn't respond. After some forceful shaking, he got minimal response and decided he was going to have to lug him home. Standing rather wobbly himself, he managed to drag the blond off the stool and haul his arm around him. Not like he hadn't done this before, though it had been more than a few years ago.
Angel loudly cursed himself for letting the hour get so late to try and get them home. There wasn't even a decent sewer entrance on the way. And why had he let himself get so drunk with Spike anyway? They were both going to catch hell when they got back to the hotel.
On the way back to the Hyperion, Spike finally roused a little and the pair were managing fairly well. Well, not bad for two drunken vampires, Angel thought. As the hotel came into sight, darkness seemed to be closing in on both the vampires though, and Angel had just managed to get them inside the garden before Spike had passed out again, completely dragging Angel with him as they reached the bottom of the steps to the stoop of the hotel.
Angel picked up the blond tossing him over his shoulder, but in his drunken state he over shot and both vampires came crashing down against the steps. The combination of drink and heads bouncing off pavement took both of them the last step into unconsciousness.
**********
"Where ARE they?" Buffy asked for the millionth time. Dawn had come and the light was filtering in the front door. but there was no sign of Spike or Angel.
"Eddie said they left the bar a couple of hours ago." Connor said after hanging up the phone. "Said they were both pretty hammered too."
"I am SO gonna kill them if the got themselves dusted." Buffy said, continuing to pace. "I can't do this, we have got to find them. I'll check the tunnels. Connor you head to Eddies and see if you can track them. Wes, you keep trying their cells."
"Right." Both Connor and Wes replied and everyone set into action.
Connor and Buffy armed themselves, just in case, and both headed for the rear door of the hotel.
"Everyone call if you find anything out. Otherwise, we'll meet back here in....." Buffy trailed off, hearing a faint ringing noise. Connor seemed to hear it too.
Both Buffy and Connor silently edged toward the back door with curiosity and caution as the faint ringing continued. The closer they got, the louder it became. Both burst through the door looking for the phone, certain that it had been dropped or left behind, only to find to sleeping vampires on the back steps. Angel was propped against the wall as Spike was head down and half draped across Angel's legs. Buffy could only stare in rage at them as Connor popped his head in the door to tell Wes he could stop calling.
The three stood on the stoop studying Spike and Angel as one would a laboratory experiment, watching as the daylight crept closer to the unaware duo.
"I still say Angel will wake first. He couldn't have been as inebriated as Spike." Wes commented.
"Are you kidding? Spike is smaller, faster, his metabolism has to be faster than Angels. I say Spike wakes first." Buffy said.
"I think she's right. Dad's preferred drink is some pretty powerful stuff you can only get in the demon bars." Connor said.
"Yeah, and Spike never went for anything worse that Whiskey or Tequila." Buffy added, nodding her head affirmatively. "Oh, oh, smoke!" Buffy pointed as Spike's hand, now in the light started smoking.
"Angel's foot too." Wesley pointed out, as sizzling noises could now be heard.
The trio stood watching as the two vampires started rousing thanks to their new and painful stimulus. Suddenly both Spike and Angel's eyes popped open. There was a sudden fluttering as the two started screaming and jerking their limbs out of the sunlight and jumped up, making their way up the stairs and into the lobby without seeming to notice the three humans watching them.
As Buffy, Wes, and Connor made their way into the lobby Angel and Spike patted down their smoldering partner in crime.
Wes smiled and held out his hand, as Buffy and Connor reluctantly dug into their pockets, coming out with cash and handing it to Wes.
"What the heck is that all about?" Angel asked with confusion.
"Wes won the bet." Buffy supplied nonchalantly.
"You mean you lot knew we were out there and left us to parboil?" Spike asked
"No, you left yourselves out there to fry. We just watched to see who'd wake up first." Buffy commented, heading across the lobby for the stairs. "Oh, by the way. Since you guys got some sleep, do you mind watching the kids while I catch a nap? Thanks!"
"Yeah, I'm beat. Night dad." Connor said waving towards Angel.
"Agreed. I should get some sleep before my first group of students arrives." Wes supplied filing in behind Connor as the twins came running down the hallway, chasing each other and screaming as young children tend to do. A squealing and giggling Bella quickly ran around behind Angel's legs, hiding from her brother.
"Tag! You're it." William said as he reached out and gave Spike's leg a very overzealous smack, then took off running around the couch in the lobby. Bella seeing her opportunity for escape, took off after him.
Spike and Angel looked at each other, both at a loss for words.
"OK, what just happened here?" Angel asked.
"I'd say we just got stuck with rugrat detail." Spike answered, "Shall we?" Spike said waving his hand towards the hallway the twins had just run into.
"By all means," Angel grinned, "I can think of worse punishments."
With that both vampires took off down the hallway. As Angel edged around Spike, the blond vamp reached out and smack the darker one in the arm before taking off at a dead run down the hall, shouting "Tag, you're it!"
**********
The End
This was part two of the Series the began with "Gifts". Look for part three coming soon.
**********
Chapter 4
Buffy watched, still stunned, as Spike disentangled Bella from his legs then turn and walk out the door to the hotel. It only took her a moment before she instinctually started to follow him. Before she could cross the room, Buffy felt a hand on her arm, stopping her. Buffy looked up to see it was Angel who held her back.
"I need to find him."
"He needs time Buffy. Alone." Angel said.
Buffy glanced back to the door that Spike had gone through. "I hope your right." She said, looking back pointedly at Angel. They both stared at each other for a moment. Neither giving over any power or emotion to the other. Finally it was William who broke the silence, calling to his mother. Buffy turned back to her children, noting William proudly holding a picture, as Bella simply stared confusedly at the adults in the room.
"I'm taking the up and putting them to bed." Buffy said, quickly sweeping up William and taking Bella's hand, leaving the room in silence.
**********
"Fascinating. Angel, I...I..I don't know what to say." Wesley commented. Angel had relayed to him and Connor everything that the oracle had told them.
"I, just..I can't believe she's mine. I mean, a daughter. I have a daughter. With Buffy. That I didn't even know about." Angel scrubbed his face roughly with his hand.
"And Spike has lost his." Connor said quietly.
Angel's head jerked up and he stared at Connor.
"Think about it dad. For five years Bella has been Spike's daughter. She has always been HIS Bella. Don't get me wrong, I think he loves William with everything in him, but we all know he's had a soft spot for her from the time she was born. Now he's lost her. To you. So, the question is.....what happens now?" Connor asked.
Angel considered his son for a moment. He had become quite the man in the last several years. Overcome all the difficulty and prejudice he had been instilled with, finally leaving a handsome you man with a quiet wisdom gained only through pain. More than once, Connor's wisdom had shown Angel the correct path to take, as it was doing now.
"How'd you get to be so smart?" Angel asked with a smile.
"I think it must've been my mother." Connor answered with a sly grin. "You still haven't answered the question."
"So, now we give Spike the time he needs now and then we make this work." Angel answered, staring back down at his hands.
**********
Hours had come and gone, and still no word from Spike. In a couple of hours it would be dawn, and everyone was getting worried. Buffy had been down countless times to see if Spike had returned. Wes had called Spikes cell numerous times, and Angel was pacing a rut into the lobby floor. Connor was the only calm one, resting in the office with his feet propped on the desk.
"I'm going to find him. Wes, can you watch the kids again?" Buffy said coming down the stairs.
"Yes, of coarse. You'll let us know if there's anything we can do?" Wes answered.
"No." Angel answered, catching everyone off guard. "Let me go. I can track him faster."
"Angel I'm not sure you are the person he will want to see just now." Wes said
"No, but I'm the person he needs to see right now." Angel stated, taking his jacket from the back of his chair and heading for the door.
"Angel" Buffy called after him, causing Angel to pause and turn back to her, "Bring him home."
Angel gave her a sad smile in response as he nodded his head and set out the door.
**********
Angel had tracked Spike to 4 separate demon bars. Apparently when he got too drunk or rowdy in one, he would move on to another. Not completely out of character for Spike, but he hadn't done that in years. Of coarse, Angel thought, he certainly had a reason for tonight. Angel finally found Spike cozzier up to the bar in one of the worst bars in this end of LA. Placing a call, he notified Connor that he had found Spike and where. Then tried to decide how best to get Spike home. Angel could feel the pain and confusion rolling off his grand-childe in waves, and it hurt.
Spike deserves better than this he thought for a moment. No matter what his status in the moral hierarchy, Spike had always had to fight for everything he had, and he had always ended up second place. Sure his grand-childe had certainly terrorized his share of more than one continent, but he had a soul, had had one for several years now. One he had fought for, simply to be better. He knew that Spike was continuously tormented by his soul, though he showed it much differently than Angel himself had.
They had spoken about the souls on many occasions, and it pained Angel that Spike would suffer the same torment he had. But at least Spike had something going for him from the beginning that Angel didn't.....Buffy. Angel had wondered aimlessly for decades. Simply existing most of the time. Until Buffy had changed his world. Spike had been lucky, Buffy had been there almost from the beginning for Spike, and Spike had been able to forgo the wasted time Angel had spent. Now they both were fighting for their own redemption in their own ways, and to think they both owed it to a certain blond slayer. Who was now waiting nervously for her husband to come back to her. Angel let out an exasperated sigh and sat on the stool next to Spike.
"Come to rub it in then?" Spike slurred out.
"No." Angel answered and waved to the bartender. "Came to take you back."
Spike gave a short laugh. "Like to see you try it."
The bartender brought a blue shot to set before Angel. "I gotta say Spike, haven't seen you go on a binge in years. Kind of surprised here." Angel downed the shot before indicating to the bartender to bring another.
"I've lost my daughter you bloody git!" Spike shouted.
Angel just sat in silence.
"I'd think you'd be glad to be rid of me." Spike finally broke the silence. "Figured you'd just take the whole thing now anyway." Spike said, sloppily pouring himself another shot from the bottle of tequila on the bar.
Angel downed the next shot, then smiled. "You really are stupid Spike."
Spike turned his head to stare at Angel and frowned.
"You really think I could take them from you?" Angel asked.
"Don't see why not." Spike quietly answered, "got the big first love thing and all. And, the tots tend to go where the mum goes."
Angel simply shook his head. "You know Spike, you usually have everything figured out so well. Yes, Buffy and I will always have a love for each other. But we aren't in love, not anymore. Not like you. Buffy's heart belongs to you Spike. Same as the twins."
"But,..." Spike began
"No but Spike, you've been there all this time. You've taken care of them. You've loved them. You've been there every day, giving them every last bit of yourself from the beginning. No one could love them more than you, ever. No matter what happens from here on out, you will always be first with them. I could never take that. they will always be yours. All of them."
Spike was staring at Angel with an incredulous look. Causing Angel to laugh as he took yet another shot.
After long minutes and more liqueur, Spike finally spoke up again.
"So how does this work then?"
"Well, I think you spend a while telling me everything I've missed the last few years. I missed Connor's childhood, at least I can hear what I've missed of Bella." Angel replied.
**********
Both Spike and Angel had spent the rest of the small hours of the morning alternating shots with stories. Spike had given more than a few proud father speeches, and both had come to realize that rather than either loosing a child, somehow the child had gained a father. They regaled themselves and each other with stories of decades past, regrets, and glory until each finally somehow accepted the other as a friend. One that neither had fully accepted until now, the other being uniquely qualified to understand the other.
Finally the bartender had cut them off, saying that he didn't want two vamps spending the day sleeping in his bar, it was bad for business.
Angel felt that familiar tingle that indicated the approaching sunrise and decided that getting home was definitely a priority. It was lucky that it was a short walk back to the hotel. He tapped Spike on the shoulder, wondering when the blond vamp had passed out, but the blond didn't respond. After some forceful shaking, he got minimal response and decided he was going to have to lug him home. Standing rather wobbly himself, he managed to drag the blond off the stool and haul his arm around him. Not like he hadn't done this before, though it had been more than a few years ago.
Angel loudly cursed himself for letting the hour get so late to try and get them home. There wasn't even a decent sewer entrance on the way. And why had he let himself get so drunk with Spike anyway? They were both going to catch hell when they got back to the hotel.
On the way back to the Hyperion, Spike finally roused a little and the pair were managing fairly well. Well, not bad for two drunken vampires, Angel thought. As the hotel came into sight, darkness seemed to be closing in on both the vampires though, and Angel had just managed to get them inside the garden before Spike had passed out again, completely dragging Angel with him as they reached the bottom of the steps to the stoop of the hotel.
Angel picked up the blond tossing him over his shoulder, but in his drunken state he over shot and both vampires came crashing down against the steps. The combination of drink and heads bouncing off pavement took both of them the last step into unconsciousness.
**********
"Where ARE they?" Buffy asked for the millionth time. Dawn had come and the light was filtering in the front door. but there was no sign of Spike or Angel.
"Eddie said they left the bar a couple of hours ago." Connor said after hanging up the phone. "Said they were both pretty hammered too."
"I am SO gonna kill them if the got themselves dusted." Buffy said, continuing to pace. "I can't do this, we have got to find them. I'll check the tunnels. Connor you head to Eddies and see if you can track them. Wes, you keep trying their cells."
"Right." Both Connor and Wes replied and everyone set into action.
Connor and Buffy armed themselves, just in case, and both headed for the rear door of the hotel.
"Everyone call if you find anything out. Otherwise, we'll meet back here in....." Buffy trailed off, hearing a faint ringing noise. Connor seemed to hear it too.
Both Buffy and Connor silently edged toward the back door with curiosity and caution as the faint ringing continued. The closer they got, the louder it became. Both burst through the door looking for the phone, certain that it had been dropped or left behind, only to find to sleeping vampires on the back steps. Angel was propped against the wall as Spike was head down and half draped across Angel's legs. Buffy could only stare in rage at them as Connor popped his head in the door to tell Wes he could stop calling.
The three stood on the stoop studying Spike and Angel as one would a laboratory experiment, watching as the daylight crept closer to the unaware duo.
"I still say Angel will wake first. He couldn't have been as inebriated as Spike." Wes commented.
"Are you kidding? Spike is smaller, faster, his metabolism has to be faster than Angels. I say Spike wakes first." Buffy said.
"I think she's right. Dad's preferred drink is some pretty powerful stuff you can only get in the demon bars." Connor said.
"Yeah, and Spike never went for anything worse that Whiskey or Tequila." Buffy added, nodding her head affirmatively. "Oh, oh, smoke!" Buffy pointed as Spike's hand, now in the light started smoking.
"Angel's foot too." Wesley pointed out, as sizzling noises could now be heard.
The trio stood watching as the two vampires started rousing thanks to their new and painful stimulus. Suddenly both Spike and Angel's eyes popped open. There was a sudden fluttering as the two started screaming and jerking their limbs out of the sunlight and jumped up, making their way up the stairs and into the lobby without seeming to notice the three humans watching them.
As Buffy, Wes, and Connor made their way into the lobby Angel and Spike patted down their smoldering partner in crime.
Wes smiled and held out his hand, as Buffy and Connor reluctantly dug into their pockets, coming out with cash and handing it to Wes.
"What the heck is that all about?" Angel asked with confusion.
"Wes won the bet." Buffy supplied nonchalantly.
"You mean you lot knew we were out there and left us to parboil?" Spike asked
"No, you left yourselves out there to fry. We just watched to see who'd wake up first." Buffy commented, heading across the lobby for the stairs. "Oh, by the way. Since you guys got some sleep, do you mind watching the kids while I catch a nap? Thanks!"
"Yeah, I'm beat. Night dad." Connor said waving towards Angel.
"Agreed. I should get some sleep before my first group of students arrives." Wes supplied filing in behind Connor as the twins came running down the hallway, chasing each other and screaming as young children tend to do. A squealing and giggling Bella quickly ran around behind Angel's legs, hiding from her brother.
"Tag! You're it." William said as he reached out and gave Spike's leg a very overzealous smack, then took off running around the couch in the lobby. Bella seeing her opportunity for escape, took off after him.
Spike and Angel looked at each other, both at a loss for words.
"OK, what just happened here?" Angel asked.
"I'd say we just got stuck with rugrat detail." Spike answered, "Shall we?" Spike said waving his hand towards the hallway the twins had just run into.
"By all means," Angel grinned, "I can think of worse punishments."
With that both vampires took off down the hallway. As Angel edged around Spike, the blond vamp reached out and smack the darker one in the arm before taking off at a dead run down the hall, shouting "Tag, you're it!"
**********
The End
This was part two of the Series the began with "Gifts". Look for part three coming soon.