[Okay, because you demanded it, here's an epiloge of sorts to the old, "Awake." I think an epilogue is the only logical thing to do at this point, so here goes.
Watch for my next effort, which will either be "Buffy the Slayer," which needs a lot, a lot, a lot of work, or a little flashback into season three as recounted by "Year 8" Buffy." If you don't, I'll sic Jacob on you.
-DUNOTS]
Awake: Afternoon
"On your left!" Spike shouted, hurling the spear he'd picked up off the ground.
Angel gave a start and ducked to his left, Spike's right, and straight into the hulking demon who had just stepped into that void. There was a little startled look on Angel's face as the spear lodged into the demon's throat, only inches above Angel's spiky hair.
"Spike," Angel exclaimed after standing up and making a few little chokey noises of disbelief. The starts of words he tried after that apparently didn't work out.
Spike smiled winningly. "Meant my left," he apologized, lighting a cigarette.
Angel sighed very, very deeply. Spike enjoyed it quite a lot.
---
Angel sat at his desk, face in his hands, sort of sighing and grimacing and rubbing at his temples. It was all very funny.
"Spike," he addressed his audience, one hand still on his face, "You really need to work on..."
There was a long pause as Angel thought very hard and moved his hand a bit. The rest of Angel Investigations looked around aimlessly. It was a strange little meeting.
"Not..." Angel continued warily, "attempting to injure me for your own amusement."
Spike looked at him blankly.
Angel stood, a sad sort of look on his face. "Am I getting through to y-" he said quickly, raising a hand, then interrupting himself to turn it toward Wesley, "Am I getting through to him at all?"
Wesley sort of shrugged in deferment. "Personal issues aside, William has been doing a bang-up job as of late. And he hasn't, ah, seriously injured you since..."
"Kidney bit," Spike added helpfully.
Angel turned to look at him balefully and took in one long breath. Lorne tried not to laugh, but nearly failed.
"Got something to say?" Angel asked without looking at him.
Gunn cocked his head. "Just that it's a pretty good show. You two should be in TV."
"Whatever," Angel spat, chopping forward with both hands while turning around to sit back down, "Spike, can we agree to keep the... fun to a minimum?"
Spike smiled with his best foot forward. "If you can't enjoy your work, I guess it can't be helped. One order of employment, easy on the fun, coming right up."
Angel nodded with some effort. "Fine."
As Spike walked out of the office, he could hear Angel note, "See, he always does that."
William didn't smile.
---
"William," a familiar voice called from behind him.
He turned around to see Wesley leaving the front doors of Wolfram and Hart, a typically-stern expression on his face.
"What's up?" William replied, flipping his car keys into his hand.
Wesley sort of rapidly sauntered up, his head tilted a little. "Do you... would you like to go out tonight?"
Spike chuckled, "Oh, Windy, I didn't know you thought of me that way..."
Wesley managed something between and grumble and a sigh and reiterated, "I meant that we could go actually do some socializing this evening. Away from Angel Investigations. As friends."
Spike smiled again. "And you wouldn't really mind if our good outside-Angel-Investigations friend Tanya tagged along, now would you?"
"Er," he smiled, looking not at all flustered, "Yes, that would be nice, too. Just the three of us."
"Four," William corrected, sitting in his car and starting it up with a roar, "Wouldn't wanna explude ol Jake, would we?"
"No," Wesley grimaced, "No we wouldn't."
Spike wanted to say something scathing, but he just drove off with a smile instead.
---
Jacob Tangerine really liked combos.
He had learned this recently, on a trip to the local convenience store. Tanya had bought a package of the things, and given one to him. Thus was a lifelong love affair started.
"Hey," he exclaimed heartily as Tanya sat down next to him, "Combo?"
"Uh, no," she soothed, declining the treat, "We're in a bar, Jacob. Maybe you should lay off on the combos for the time being."
His eyes grew wide and he almost growled. "Hey!" he shot, "I don't tell you what boobs to show off, don't you tell me what cylinders to eat!"
Tanya's jaw fell, and they stared at each other for a few moments: Jacob with a vindicated look, and Tanya completely dumbfounded.
"I'd love to be angry with you," she explained, "But I don't think I can manage it right now."
"I know my audience," he shrugged.
Suddenly, something hit him in the back of the head. Blinking, he turned around to see where it had come from. Several seats down the bar, William and Wesley were sitting together, probably miraculously missing the other pair's entrance.
Jacob shot an mock-angry glare at William, who had another peanut in his hand, which he quickly ate. Jacob scowled and William shrugged, looking around as if to find the culprit. After a moment, he almost smiled and pointed a thumb casually at Wesley, who was busy ordering some kind of drink.
Wesley turned to see William looking down the bar and making fist-in-palm punching motions and gesturing at him. It only took a moment longer for him to look down the bar and realize that Jacob Tangerine was his conspirator in idiocy.
"Whatever you're planning," Wesley said darkly, "I'm well onto you."
"You're onto who now?"
Wesley almost gave a start at Tanya's voice behind him. Breathing in, he turned around on his barstool, the woman's face even with his own.
"Hello, Tanya."
"Wes. William. Been working hard?"
They shared some kind of Look. She had long since given up on deciphering those.
"Don't I always?" he asked.
For all she knew, he did. She shrugged her assent. "Jacob and I have been waiting for you."
"Same here," William continued, "With baited breath."
Sly Brits they were, Wesley managed to elbow William fairly hard without Tanya seeing it, and William managed not to grunt too loud.
"Yeah, what about me?" Jacob tottled over, continuing to consume the baked snacks.
William gave him a stern eyeing and grimaced, "What is it with you and those bloody combos?"
Jacob shrugged. "What is it with you and that stupid hair?"
William looked away a little bit as Wesley joined in, protesting Jacob's continuous imbibing of the food in question. Putting a hand surreptitiously on his hair, William sort of smiled to himself, away from his little group.
It was wierd, at first, but it was his. Not hers, not the other one's, but his own. Something new, and odd, but there nonetheless. Joining back into the fray, he actually smiled all the way.
"Oh, quiet, Wesley," he grinned, "Your tea will be the death of you."
---End.
Watch for my next effort, which will either be "Buffy the Slayer," which needs a lot, a lot, a lot of work, or a little flashback into season three as recounted by "Year 8" Buffy." If you don't, I'll sic Jacob on you.
-DUNOTS]
Awake: Afternoon
"On your left!" Spike shouted, hurling the spear he'd picked up off the ground.
Angel gave a start and ducked to his left, Spike's right, and straight into the hulking demon who had just stepped into that void. There was a little startled look on Angel's face as the spear lodged into the demon's throat, only inches above Angel's spiky hair.
"Spike," Angel exclaimed after standing up and making a few little chokey noises of disbelief. The starts of words he tried after that apparently didn't work out.
Spike smiled winningly. "Meant my left," he apologized, lighting a cigarette.
Angel sighed very, very deeply. Spike enjoyed it quite a lot.
---
Angel sat at his desk, face in his hands, sort of sighing and grimacing and rubbing at his temples. It was all very funny.
"Spike," he addressed his audience, one hand still on his face, "You really need to work on..."
There was a long pause as Angel thought very hard and moved his hand a bit. The rest of Angel Investigations looked around aimlessly. It was a strange little meeting.
"Not..." Angel continued warily, "attempting to injure me for your own amusement."
Spike looked at him blankly.
Angel stood, a sad sort of look on his face. "Am I getting through to y-" he said quickly, raising a hand, then interrupting himself to turn it toward Wesley, "Am I getting through to him at all?"
Wesley sort of shrugged in deferment. "Personal issues aside, William has been doing a bang-up job as of late. And he hasn't, ah, seriously injured you since..."
"Kidney bit," Spike added helpfully.
Angel turned to look at him balefully and took in one long breath. Lorne tried not to laugh, but nearly failed.
"Got something to say?" Angel asked without looking at him.
Gunn cocked his head. "Just that it's a pretty good show. You two should be in TV."
"Whatever," Angel spat, chopping forward with both hands while turning around to sit back down, "Spike, can we agree to keep the... fun to a minimum?"
Spike smiled with his best foot forward. "If you can't enjoy your work, I guess it can't be helped. One order of employment, easy on the fun, coming right up."
Angel nodded with some effort. "Fine."
As Spike walked out of the office, he could hear Angel note, "See, he always does that."
William didn't smile.
---
"William," a familiar voice called from behind him.
He turned around to see Wesley leaving the front doors of Wolfram and Hart, a typically-stern expression on his face.
"What's up?" William replied, flipping his car keys into his hand.
Wesley sort of rapidly sauntered up, his head tilted a little. "Do you... would you like to go out tonight?"
Spike chuckled, "Oh, Windy, I didn't know you thought of me that way..."
Wesley managed something between and grumble and a sigh and reiterated, "I meant that we could go actually do some socializing this evening. Away from Angel Investigations. As friends."
Spike smiled again. "And you wouldn't really mind if our good outside-Angel-Investigations friend Tanya tagged along, now would you?"
"Er," he smiled, looking not at all flustered, "Yes, that would be nice, too. Just the three of us."
"Four," William corrected, sitting in his car and starting it up with a roar, "Wouldn't wanna explude ol Jake, would we?"
"No," Wesley grimaced, "No we wouldn't."
Spike wanted to say something scathing, but he just drove off with a smile instead.
---
Jacob Tangerine really liked combos.
He had learned this recently, on a trip to the local convenience store. Tanya had bought a package of the things, and given one to him. Thus was a lifelong love affair started.
"Hey," he exclaimed heartily as Tanya sat down next to him, "Combo?"
"Uh, no," she soothed, declining the treat, "We're in a bar, Jacob. Maybe you should lay off on the combos for the time being."
His eyes grew wide and he almost growled. "Hey!" he shot, "I don't tell you what boobs to show off, don't you tell me what cylinders to eat!"
Tanya's jaw fell, and they stared at each other for a few moments: Jacob with a vindicated look, and Tanya completely dumbfounded.
"I'd love to be angry with you," she explained, "But I don't think I can manage it right now."
"I know my audience," he shrugged.
Suddenly, something hit him in the back of the head. Blinking, he turned around to see where it had come from. Several seats down the bar, William and Wesley were sitting together, probably miraculously missing the other pair's entrance.
Jacob shot an mock-angry glare at William, who had another peanut in his hand, which he quickly ate. Jacob scowled and William shrugged, looking around as if to find the culprit. After a moment, he almost smiled and pointed a thumb casually at Wesley, who was busy ordering some kind of drink.
Wesley turned to see William looking down the bar and making fist-in-palm punching motions and gesturing at him. It only took a moment longer for him to look down the bar and realize that Jacob Tangerine was his conspirator in idiocy.
"Whatever you're planning," Wesley said darkly, "I'm well onto you."
"You're onto who now?"
Wesley almost gave a start at Tanya's voice behind him. Breathing in, he turned around on his barstool, the woman's face even with his own.
"Hello, Tanya."
"Wes. William. Been working hard?"
They shared some kind of Look. She had long since given up on deciphering those.
"Don't I always?" he asked.
For all she knew, he did. She shrugged her assent. "Jacob and I have been waiting for you."
"Same here," William continued, "With baited breath."
Sly Brits they were, Wesley managed to elbow William fairly hard without Tanya seeing it, and William managed not to grunt too loud.
"Yeah, what about me?" Jacob tottled over, continuing to consume the baked snacks.
William gave him a stern eyeing and grimaced, "What is it with you and those bloody combos?"
Jacob shrugged. "What is it with you and that stupid hair?"
William looked away a little bit as Wesley joined in, protesting Jacob's continuous imbibing of the food in question. Putting a hand surreptitiously on his hair, William sort of smiled to himself, away from his little group.
It was wierd, at first, but it was his. Not hers, not the other one's, but his own. Something new, and odd, but there nonetheless. Joining back into the fray, he actually smiled all the way.
"Oh, quiet, Wesley," he grinned, "Your tea will be the death of you."
---End.
