Chapter 23: all aboard?

Title: Reunion time.

Author: Nikka

Author notes: Hi everyone, If you need to know about summary, rate and all the rest it's all in chapter 1 I'll just remind you that English is not my native tongue so you may find some spelling & grammar mistakes, you're more then welcome to let me know about them but remember you may find them while you read the story. Have fun.

Disclaimer: Angel & Buffy's characters are not my creation (wish they were) they belong to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Other characters that are not familiar from the show do belong to me.

Author's remark: My chapters as of ch 12 will no longer be reproof by Sigma due to the fact that I have no internet and I'm asking someone else to post the remaining chapters for me. I want to take this opportunity and thank sigma for all the help. And I hope you will continue reading my story even without the excellent work sigma has done. Thank you again sigma for all your great work.

"They've been there for hours are they ever going to come home?" Dawn asked Lorne.

"I'm sure they will pumpkin, it's just they need to finish whatever it is they're doing there." Lorne explained.

"Aren't you a bit curious about what they're doing?" Dawn inquired.

"No." Lorne said without hesitation.

"Really?" Dawn asked surprised. For some reason she thought Lorne would be as curious as she is.

"Listen pumpkin. In my colorful life." Dawn smiled looking at his green face. "I've learned that if you're asked to stay away you better do just that." He saw that Dawn still wasn't convinced. "Besides, it's better off not knowing."

"How come?" Dawn didn't understand.

"That way if there's something bad on it's way maybe you'll be lucky and they'll defeat it without you ever knowing about it. I tell you ignorance is a blessing." Dawn was still not convinced but she decided not to push it any further.

Back at the shop everyone were reading trying to find a way to modify the spell so Cordelia can go back to her vision.

They've been working for hours with little success. Every time someone found some way they found another problem needed solving. It was starting to look pretty grim.

"Bloody hell, there must be some way to perform the spell safely." Giles said as he slammed the book shut.

"I think I found something." Willow said and Giles quickly ran to her. "If we'll combine this spell and that one." She said as she pointed on various pages in different books. "We might be able to pull it off." She said with a smile of victory.

Giles and Wesley leaned down and began reading while they mumbled things to themselves. All the rest just stared at them trying to make sense of it all.

After 5 minutes Wesley finally spoke. "I think you're right." He said to willow who smiled again so proud of herself.

"So we've got the spell. What else do we need?" Buffy asked.

Willow took a pen and paper and worth a list of ingredients. "Here." She handed the list to Anya.

"Well that's a lot of supplies." Anya remarked as she read the list.

"It's a big spell." Willow replied.

"And expensive supplies." Anya added.

"What?! you're going to charge us?" Willow was amazed.

"A business is a business. Right Giles?" Anya looked at Giles who didn't seem surprised by her behavior.

"Indeed it is." Anya smiled. "And as a partner in the shop I decided to give the supplies for free."

"What?!" Now Anya was the one not smiling, but Willow was.

"And make it fast." Willow said as Anya gave her a nasty look.

"Any thing else you need?" Angel asked.

"Yes there's one more thing we require but it's not a pleasant one." Willow said.

"What is it Will?" Xander asked.

"We need some blood." She said hesitantly.

"No problem." Xander smiled and grabbed his coat. "I'll go get some from the butcher."

"No Xand we don't need that kind of blood." Willow said.

"Then what kind?" He asked confused.

"Arte you thick. Human blood." Everyone looked at the door. There was Spike in all his glory.

"What are you doing here?" Xander lashed out.

"I heard there are trouble coming." He explained as he walked in.

"Heard from whom?" Angel asked suspicious.

"You of all people should know that when ever something evil is coming the first to know are the creatures of the night." Spike said with a smile while lighting a cigarette.

Anya came up to him and took the cigarette out of his mouth and through it away.

"Hi." Spike complained.

"You know the rules. No smoking." She said while pointing to the sign hanged on the wall.

"So as I was saying." Spike kept on. "You need human blood." He said with satisfaction knowing that fact will shock them all.

"Is he right Willow?" Buffy asked hopping it wasn't true.

"I'm sorry Buffy." Willow said and Buffy knew that Spike was right.

"So what now?" Tara asked hoping someone has a brilliant idea.

"I don't know Tara." Buffy mumbled quietly.

"Is there any way we can get it without…?" Gunn wasn't sure how to continue his question.

"Without killing anyone." Wesley completed it for him. Gunn nodded his head.

"Yes there is." Giles answered. And some of the bunch seemed relived. "But still we do need a big amount of blood so who ever that person might be needs to be strong enough to endure that much of blood lost.

"I can." Angel said.

"No Angel." Cordelia said to him. "We need human blood." She saw the disappointment in his eyes but there was nothing she could do.

"So now what? We're running out of options." Fred said in despair.

"No there's still one option." Buffy said all of the sudden. She looked at Angel and he knew what she meant.

"Buffy no." Angel said.

"What are you talking about?" Fred asked confused.

Suddenly the rest of the Scoobies started to catch up. "You've got to be kidding." Xander said angrily. "There's no way you're doing that again. It nearly killed you last time."

"Will that be enough?" She asked Willow.

"Buffy?" Willow couldn't even consider the idea.

"Willow from what you know will the amount of blood that Angel drank from me before would be sufficient enough for the spell." Buffy asked again.

"That Angel what?" Gunn jumped up. "You mean Angelus? You never told us you bit your ex?" Gunn looked at Angel.

"No she meant Angel." Cordelia corrected Gunn.

"I don't get it." Gunn said confused.

"Can I?" Cordelia asked Buffy.

"Sure, they know pretty much all the rest so why not."

"Three years ago Angel was shot with a poisoned arrow. That poison killed vampires and the only cure was to drink the blood of the slayer." Cordelia looked at Gunn and Fred and made sure they were all right.

"And since Buffy couldn't kill faith, that's the other slayer, she let Angel drink her blood." Everyone looked at Anya. "What? she was telling it too slow." Anya defended her little out burst.

"Cordy?" Gunn didn't find Anya so trustworthy.

"Yeah. It's true." Cordy replied.

"So you drank her blood?" Fred asked Angel while looking at Buffy.

"Not my proudest moment but yeah." Angel said.

"The important part is that I lived." She said to Fred who still looked shocked.

"Can you handle it a second time?" Anya asked.

"I think so." Buffy said looking at Giles.

"Buffy are you sure? The situation is different." Giles wasn't sure it was the right thing to do but on the other hand it was the only thing to do.

"I'm sure." Buffy reassured him.

"How will we do it?" Fred asked curiously.

"Well, when we have all the ingredients we'll take Buffy's blood and perform the spell." Willow explained.

"And then Xander can rush me to the hospital. Isn't it fun." Buffy tried to be funny but no one seemed amused.

"Maybe we should do it somewhere near the hospital." Tara suggested.

"No, I think it's better if we'll stay here were it's private and safe in case something goes wrong." Wesley preferred staying close to his books in case things don't go as planned.

"Besides the hospital is not far from here." Anya added.

"So let's get the supplies and you three keep working on that spell." Buffy said to Giles, Wesley and Willow.

"I'll help them." Fred offered.

The rest started opening jars and collecting all the supplies gathering them on the table in the center of the room. Meanwhile Buffy went to Call Dawn making sure she was all right. She couldn't tell her what was going on. She knew she'll try to stop her or come to the shop and right now that's the last thing she needed.

Now everything was ready but Buffy still had one more thing to do.

"Spike can we go out for 5 minutes." Spike as well as Angel was surprised.

"Sure luv." He said and smiled at Angel.

"Buffy can't it wait we're almost ready." Angel stopped them at the door.

"It's important. I only need five minutes." She said and walked out with Spike.

"I knew you'd change your mind." Spike felt so pleased with himself.

"I didn't want to talk to you about us Spike."

"Oh." He was disappointed.

"I wanted to make sure you know what to do." She looked at him.

"Do what exactly?" Spike didn't follow.

"In case something goes wrong and I end up dead. Again." Spike lowered his head the thought of losing her again frightened him.

"You'll be fine you said so yourself." Spike shook it off.

"I know I did spike, but there are no guaranties. So In case I don't make it…"

"Buffy?" Spike turned his back to her and stepped away.

Buffy walked to him and grabbed his arm. He turned. "In case I don't make it." She kept on holding his arm. "I know you'll take care of Dawn and the others." She let go of him and looked in his eyes that seemed sad.

"I promised you once I'll protect her and I'm not about to disappointed you luv." He touched her face.

"Spike don't!" She pulled away.

"I don't believe it."

"Believe what?" She asked.

"You think you might die and still you can't admit your true feelings for me. Am I that much of a leprous?"

"You're not a leprous Spike but we can't do this no matter what we feel." Buffy knew it hurts him to hear that, just like it hurt her to say it.

"So you do feel?" Spike saw it as a glimpse of hope.

"Does it matter?" Buffy didn't saw the point to all of this.

"I just want to hear it, just want to feel it. At least once, before…" He walked up to her.

"Is it that important? Does words mean that much?"

"Oh pet, words mean everything sometimes more the actions. Although I wouldn't mind seeing some of that also." He smiled, so did she. She wasn't mad she knew what he meant.

"For what it's worth I don't know what I feel." This is not what spike wanted to hear. "All I know is that I feel something and it's not hate and not friendship. It's more then that." She looked at him he seemed pleased.

"Is it love?" He hesitated.

"I don't know. That's the truth."

"That's enough for me." He said pleased. she smiled and turned heading back to the store. "Buffy." She turned around. "Can I ask one more thing?" He said as he came close.

"What?" She asked quietly.

He took another step forward. "This." He leaned over and kissed her. She didn't fought back she didn't pull away. She let herself drown in his kiss, to feel his lips. She felt it was right.

"Buffy we're ready inside…" They both stopped kissing and she turned her head to see Angel standing in the doorway to the store. He looked shocked.

"Angel..." She tried to explain, although she had no idea what to say to him.

"We should go inside." He said and walked back to the shop leaving her alone with Spike.

"Oh god." Buffy couldn't believe it was happening.

"We did nothing wrong." Spike tried to calm her.

"God, we did everything wrong. I knew we shouldn't have done this." Buffy walked back and forth.

"What?! Just because your ex, who by the way has someone new, doesn't approve you think we did something wrong? Hell no." He grabbed her arms holding her tight.. "We did good, we went with our feelings and that's never bad." He let go of her. "And if you think otherwise keep it to yourself, I don't want to know." He turned around and walked back to the shop.

She stayed there for a few minutes, till she worked up the courage to go inside. She knew Angel wouldn't tell anyone but still she feared seeing their faces looking at her. What if they all knew? What will she do then? She took a big breath and walked in. Everyone was busy setting everything up.

"Good you're here. Se we can start." Giles said as she walked inside. No one seemed to notice her. She caught Spike standing in the corner frowning.

"Are we ready?" Giles asked and everyone nodded.

The table was moved and in the center of the room there was a circle of sand. Cordelia set in the center of the circle and Willow, Giles, Wesley, Anya and Fred set around her outside the circle surrounding her.

"How does it work?" Buffy asked.

"We have the potion in here." Willow pointed to a cup that said 'Hot mama'. Buffy looked at it funny. "It was the only cup we could find." Willow looked at Anya. "Anyway. We'll start chanting the words then at a cretin point Angel will make a cut on your arm and take the blood. As soon as he's done Xander will rush you to the hospital while we complete the ritual." Willow finished her explanation proud of her well-planned plan.

"Why can't we take the blood now?" Buffy wondered.

"It has to be fresh. Real fresh." Anya explained.

"What? Why?" Buffy didn't understand.

"The real ritual intended for a human scarifies and since we can't do that we have to have the blood second after its… extracted." again Anya explained.

"You didn't tell me that it needed a human scarifies?" Buffy said to Giles.

"Well, we didn't know ourselves until a few minutes ago when we completed the translation and combined all the different spells." Giles explained. "Buffy you need to understand this is not an ordinary magic, it's partially dark and combined of various spells. We had to improvise. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Giles. I get that." Buffy knew it was the only way to get the information they needed. "So I'll wait here till you come and stab me. Okay?" She looked at angel smiling but he didn't like the joke.

he stood next to her holding a knife and a bowl waiting for the signal from Willow.

"Cordelia are you ready?" Giles asked moments before they began.

"I'm ready, let's get this show on the road."

TBC.