Disclaimer: The usual

Spoilers: BtVS through Chosen and Angel through Just Rewards. I may borrow dialogue from other episodes, just not plot.

True Nature

Chapter 5

"I think we should find out what the meeting in Angel's office is about." Wesley murmured to Buffy.

"Me, too." Buffy said, turning her attention back to the two men enjoying their current position in the limelight.

"Guys, we need to see what's going on in Angel's office. Like, now!"

"Oh, right." Spike nodded at Knox and walked over to Buffy and Wes.

"Yes, of course. It was a pleasure to meet you, uh..."

"Knox."

"Right, right. Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Knox." Giles shook the young scientist's hand vigorously, until Buffy grabbed his elbow and dragged him away.

"Jeez. You're not J.K. Rowling. Let's go."

She and Giles followed Spike and Wes to Angel's office. In the lobby they passed by the desk. Harmony glanced up from the computer. "Hey Wes. Hi, Spikey." Suddenly, she screeched and jumped out of her chair. "Slayer! Oh my God." She dropped to the floor and hid under her desk.

Buffy looked at Spike. "What the hell is she doing here?"

Spike didn't even try to hide his smirk. "She's Angel's secretary."

"What?" Buffy couldn't hide her shock.

"It's true, Buffy. She has been working for us for several months, and she hasn't been killing anyone. That we're aware of..." Wesley trailed off.

"Hey!" An indignant voice yelled from under the desk. "I haven't killed anyone in a very long time." She peeked out from under the desk. "I'm totally not evil anymore, okay. So, please don't stake me. And, I'm like really, really sorry for all of that stuff I did back in Sunnydale. Okay?"

Buffy just stared at Harmony with a look somewhere between curiosity and disgust. Finally, she just shrugged. "If Wes and Spike vouch for you, you can stay...undusty."

"Oh, thank you. I promise you won't regret it." Harmony gushed.

Buffy just rolled her eyes as they walked past the desk. As they reached the door, they could hear Angel's voice raised in anger.

"I don't believe this. All three of you turned on me, too? I mean, Wesley was bad enough, but he's done it before, but you guys..."

Buffy, Spike, and Giles turned to look at Wesley who looked hurt and confused by Angel's accusation of betrayal.

"Angel, what are you talking about?" Fred sounded as confused as Wesley looked.

"Never mind. Forget it. I just can't believe you guys all let yourselves get sucked into that. I'm surprised Rupert even wrote it." Giles head popped up at the mention of his name, his expression indignant at the insulting tone of Angel's voice. "I mean, he should know better." Angel continued. "And, I know this book has everybody thinking he's this big hero, all noble and self-sacrificing. But, believe me, I know Spike better than anyone, and he only cares about himself. You'll see."

Buffy couldn't listen to anymore. Before anyone could stop her, she flung the door to Angel's office open.

"I think you've got the wrong vampire. The one who never cared about anyone but himself, wasn't that Angelus? Because I'm pretty sure that even when he was evil, Spike loved Drusilla. And even before he got his soul, he loved me. He cared about Dawn and my mom. And he was friends with Willow and Tara. So, who are you really talking about?"

Angel stared at Buffy in shock as Fred piped up. "She has a point, Angel. I mean, from what Mr. Giles wrote, he was taking care of Drusilla for a long time. He even helped Buffy save the world and stop you because of Drusilla."

"That's right." Lorne chimed in. "And that wasn't the only time, either. He helped the Slayer and her friends save the world, what, three or four times before he got his soul? Then he went and did the whole grand sacrifice after the soul."

"Did you guys even read about the other stuff he did?" Angel sounded exasperated.

"Oh, you mean like when he helped prove that that girl wasn't a demon?" Fred asked.

"Or when he stuck around Sunnydale helping take care of Buffy's sister and friends after she died because of a promise he made to her?" Lorne wondered.

"Or, when he kept trying to help Buffy after she got brought back from Heaven, eve after she beat him up?"

"Or, when he tried to rape her?" Angel asked sarcastically, interrupting Fred and Lorne's back and forth remarks.

"You don't..." Buffy started, but Gunn interrupted her.

"Was that the only part you read, man?"

Angel looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, everybody else is has been talking non-stop about all the heroic shit the soulless vamp did, but you're stuck on this one thing. Which makes me wonder if you read anything else in the book?"

Everyone in the office looked expectantly at Angel, who seemed to shrink slightly under the scrutiny.

"Fine. No. I went to Wes' office to ask him a question. Nobody was there. I saw the book on the desk. I wondered if it had anything to do with the case that we're working on..." He paused when he realized that everyone had the same disbelieving look on their faces. "Fine." He sighed heavily. "I was being nosy. But when I saw the title, I started flipping through the book. And I didn't see anything I didn't already know. Spike tried to kill me. Spike tried to kill Buffy. Spike kidnapped Buffy's friends and threatened to kill them. Same old Spike.

"But then I dropped the book, and when I bent down to pick it up, it was face down, open to that page, and I read what he tried to do." He glared at Spike.

"Don't you think that's a little too coincidental?" Gunn asked calmly.

"What?" Angel turned back to Gunn.

"Think about where we are. We know the senior partners gave you the amulet for a reason. But we still don't know what that reason is. Then Spike shows up, with some mystical attachment to the amulet, and a couple of months later, this book, which happens to have the history of his relationship with your ex, falls into your hands. And you just happen to drop it so that it lands on the page containing the one thing guaranteed to piss you off enough to destroy him, and the amulet, before we find out what the senior partners are up to. Don't you think that maybe you were being played?"

Realization dawned on Angel's face. Gunn nodded. "Now, I'm not saying we all gotta join the Spike fan club and get matching "Spike's Da Man" T-shirts. And, personally, I'm gonna base my judgment on his behavior in the here and now, not what he did in the past. Kind of like I've done for another vampire with a soul. But, all I'm saying is maybe you should keep an open mind." He stood up and straightened his tie. "And just possibly, you should read the damn book. Now, I've got work to do." He nodded to everyone and strode out of the office.

After he left, Fred looked at Angel. "Charles is right. We don't know what the senior partners are up to, but the odds of the book landing on that page, especially since you were apparently three chapters ahead of that incident, are not good.

"Maybe you should cut Spike a little slack. I mean come on, he just saved the world. Vampire with a soul fighting for the good of humanity. Ring anything?"

Angel rolled his eyes.

Buffy and Wes both opened their mouths to speak, but Lorne beat them to the punch.

"Come on, Angel-cakes, what are you really mad about? What went down between Buffy and Spike? Or the fact that he's stealing your limelight? Is that it? Not enough that he's another souled vampire, but he was helping the good guys even before he got his soul. Something you could never..."

"This isn't about me." Angel growled.

"Isn't it?" Buffy's voice was quiet, but cool. "Isn't it about the fact that you can never make those kinds of choices without a soul? You couldn't do the right thing, show mercy, experience grief, guilt, or affection. And you were never able to love me without your soul, were you?"

"Buffy..."

"No, don't. Look, I believed you, and I believed what Giles told me. Vampires can't love because they don't have souls. Then Spike proved me wrong, proved all of us wrong. But, the thing is, he isn't the only one who told me that. Drusilla told me that, too. But, I didn't listen to them, because you said that vampires couldn't love without their souls."

"Buffy, I know that you have feelings for him, and after what happened last spring you feel indebted to him, but trust me on this. I know him..."

"No. You don't. You knew him, a long time ago, but not anymore. You didn't see him change. I did. And don't tell me that he can't, or won't, change, because I watched him do it."

She sat down in the chair that Gunn had vacated. Spike walked over and stood behind her.

"I know this is hard for you, Angel. But, you were the one who told me that we couldn't be together. You were the one who left me. You made the decision. You told me to find someone else, and you don't get to change the rules, now."

"I told you to find someone who could take you into the sunlight and give you children. Someone who could give you a normal life."

"Yeah. I tried that. More than once. Parker was a big mistake. And Riley got his feelings hurt when I worried about him on patrol, and he didn't think I needed him enough. So, he went and found some girls who did. Of course, they were vampires, and all they were really needed was his blood. So, he left because I couldn't get over that little indiscretion within a few hours, and then he went and got married. Then, I finally found someone who not only understood about my life as a Slayer, but who could also be my equal in strength and fighting ability. I finally had a chance to find a little happiness. And you stepped in and started asking if we had a future, making me think about the possibility. Then when he turned up here in your office, you decided that I didn't need to know. And now, you're trying to convince me that you know him better than I do and that he's nothing but a selfish bastard who'll end up hurting me and everyone I love." Buffy never raised her voice, but that just made everyone realize just how serious she was.

She leaned back toward Spike, her meaning clear. "Spike was with me and the people I love when my mother was sick and after she died. Not at the funeral, but in Sunnydale. And he was with us when we had to face a Hellgod. He fought against a demon, and nearly died, trying to save Dawn. He stayed and helped them all after I died. He tried so many times to help me, and even Willow, after they brought me back from Heaven. Things were so bad, and he kept trying to keep us away from the edge. Then, this past year, he helped us fight the First. He helped me train all the Potentials. He saved Xander, and helped me save Dawn. He sacrificed his life to save the whole world. I don't think 'selfish bastard' when I look at him. You, on the other hand, claim to love me, and that you've done everything you've done because it's best for me. But let's look at the facts. You may be all championy here; fighting the good fight, helping the helpless, but you've left me to fight the Big Bads without your help. And, I nearly lost my sister, I died again, lost Heaven, had to fight my best friend, and had to bury a bunch of teenage girls. Then you came back all ready to be my champion and expected me to jump at the chance to have you back. You haven't been around to help. Spike has. So, stop calling him selfish and stop telling me he's going to hurt me, because the only vampire in this room that those words apply to, is you."

With that she calmly stood and walked out of the room, with Spike close on her heels. Wesley looked at Angel and shook his head sadly before following them. Giles refused to even look at him as he followed the others out the door.

Angel, Fred and Lorne watched them go. Lorne turned to Fred. "I gotta tell you I like her. She's got spunk."

Angel just dropped his head to the desk with a resounding thump.

TBC