98

Damage Control

Oz was a little surprised to find that no one answered the door as he approached. It was an unusual occurrence, as the twins usually informed Rose of his arrival, and she invariably opened the door before he could ring the bell. And somehow, the idea seemed like a profane intrusion under the circumstances. He hesitated a moment. Rose had given him a key, for when he took the kids out on their little field trips and for emergencies. He figured if the current situation didn't qualify as an emergency, it would do until one came along. He opened the door.

Two little pajama clad figures rushed up to him, but before he could say anything, they put fingers to their lips and motioned him to follow them. Puzzled, but not too worried now, since the twins, from what he could see, were in good spirits, he went along with them. To the kitchen.

As they got closer, a low murmur of voices issued from the kitchen. So quiet that they were nearly there before his sharp, werewolf's ears could pick it up. But then, he had other things on his mind. The voices became clearer as they got close, and he realized that it was Spike and Rose.

As the trio reached the doorway, they saw the couple just as they had been earlier in the night. Spike sitting on the kitchen chair with Rose on his lap.

"How could I blame anyone for falling in love with you?" Spike asked softly. "I did. Always thought I had a pretty good eye for the ladies."

"And you really won't take it out on Angel?" Rose inquired. "I know the two of you don't get along all that well, love, but..,"

"But you were victims of a spell, and I should have seen it," Spike finished. "I knew that something wasn't right with you, and so did the kids. When I saw you there though, it just went right out of my head."

"It wasn't your fault," Rose said softly. "If the tables had been turned, and I was the one who'd seen you with..,"

Spike interrupted her with a laugh. "I think you'd have a lot more to worry about than me being unfaithful if you saw me swapping spit with the ponce." He looked up. "We're not alone, babe."

Rose followed his gaze and saw the children, and Oz and it struck her just how long they'd been there. "We've been talking all night?" she asked.

"Looks like," Spike agreed. "Good morning, everyone."

Alaric and Ariel sped to their parents and started climbing up. Oz was happy to observe that the furniture looked pretty sturdy, because the whole family was piled on one, lone chair.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Oz volunteered. He wasn't even sure that anyone had heard him.

When Oz opened the door, Wesley walked right in. "I'm going to ask Angel to call a meeting," he announced. "I need to ask Rose to have you and the children come along as well. I hope she can deal with being in the same room as Spike, and that they can both tolerate Angel's presence, because I think I've got a line on what's been going on. I'm hoping that we can repair the damage and get Spike and Rose back together."

"You're a little behind the times," Oz informed him. He nodded towards the kitchen. "They're already back together. I think they were up all night talking."

Wesley looked stunned. "With the type of spell that was cast it was amazing enough that it was broken without any magical intervention," he muttered. "But a reconciliation already?"

"Go look," Oz invited.

&&&&&&&

Drusilla was angry. She was pacing about the lair at a furious pace.

"They made up before I could get him back," she snarled, vamping out. "And I can't even find the witch. Yet. When I do, I'll make her cast my spells, then, I'll give her as a welcome back present to Spike." She paced some more. "You haven't really been of much help, have you, Henrietta?" She flung the doll against a wall and watched with satisfaction as it nearly disintegrated from the force. She picked up another doll. "I knew I should have listened to you all along, Miss Edith," she cooed. "But how are we going to get Spike and the children now?" She listened intently for a moment, then, an evil smile spread slowly across her face. "What a wonderful idea," she said approvingly. "Miss Edith, you're a marvel." She danced around the room with the doll. She stopped and listened again. "You think we should dispose of the dead wood first?" She looked towards Val and Den's empty spaces, vacated because they were at work. "Quite right, Miss Edith. They've been more trouble than they're worth from the very start." She lay down with the dolly, closed her eyes and went to sleep, hoping her dreams would tell her how to rid herself of her troublesome and less than useful allies.

&&&&&&&

Angel was feeling nervous, and truth to tell, more than a little bit sick. He knew they all had to get together to compare notes, but he wasn't sure who he dreaded facing the most. Rose, Spike, or the kids. Each in their own right had reason not to want to see him. He was fidgeting again, but Lorne pretended to ignore him, and Fred was sitting quietly. Gunn was fidgeting worse than he was. Harmony divided her time between staring at the door and glaring at her boss. It was plain that she felt he was somehow responsible for the situation. He couldn't blame her. Even though they knew a spell had been cast, he felt responsible himself. He was in no way prepared for the sight that opened up upon them with the opening of the door.

Wesley had a book tucked under one arm, and was carrying Alaric. Oz followed close at his heels with Ariel. They in turn, were followed by Spike and Rose, arm in arm and looking as if they had never been apart.

The room fell dead silent for long moments as the new arrivals took their seats, with Rose and Spike seated side by side as usual.

&&&&&&&

It had taken everyone a few minutes to get over the shock, then, it was business as usual, such as usual was at Wolfram and Hart.

"I've studied the love spell that Drusilla employed in detail," Wesley said. "And it's one of the most powerful that I've ever seen. If you had asked me before this happened, I would have said that it couldn't have been broken without a counter-spell."

Spike shook his head. "Dru might not have sussed out the fact that if she kills Rose she'll kill me too," he remarked. "But she knew that wasn't the way to go about it. Must've figured out that the best way to split us up was to make Rose fall for someone else."

"I don't understand why she just didn't cast the spell on you, Spike," Fred said. "I mean, it is you that she wants. Wouldn't it have been easier that way?"

"She probably thinks that Spike is still in love with her," Angel replied quietly. He hadn't spoken much. He was still feeling a mite uncomfortable.

"Well, we have the witch, and we have all her little spell-casting goodies," Lorne commented. "So, what's next on the agenda?"

"Gotta do something about Drusilla," Spike stated. "I hate to think of what else she could come up with if she's got her little black heart set on getting me back."

Alaric and Ariel had been sitting quietly, for the most part, speaking when spoken to and answering questions. But now, they got that far away look in their eyes that said they were conversing on a strictly mental level. Those assembled were used enough to it that they wouldn't have paid it any particular mind, until they noticed the panicky expressions the twins were getting on their faces.

Rose and Spike didn't notice, since the children were sitting on their laps, and therefore facing away from them, but everyone else noticed.

"Munchkins?" Lorne knelt in front of them. "What's wrong?"

"She's talking to us," Ariel replied in a barely audible whisper.

"She says that she wants to be our mummy," Alaric added. "She can't do that. We already have a mummy." He turned in Rose's arms to hug her.

"Drusilla is talking to you?" Wesley asked in shock. "Is she saying anything else?"

Ariel looked at him. "She wants us and daddy to be her family," she answered. "She says that mummy doesn't love us anymore."

Rose looked aghast, and Spike was starting to look positively murderous.

"Can you guys talk back to her?" Angel inquired. He was getting the beginnings of an idea.

The twins concentrated for a minute.

"We're not sure," Alaric finally admitted. "We think she can hear us, but she doesn't want to listen."

"Sounds like Dru," Spike agreed. His voice sounded level enough, but he still appeared to be one small step away from vamping out. "Listen, you two tell that mental case..,"

"Nothing," Angel broke in. "Can you shut her out? Keep from hearing her?"

The twins looked a little confused. They'd never had to try something like this before, and they weren't quite sure how to go about it.

"I have an idea," Oz said quietly. He sat in the middle of the floor and motioned to the children to join him. "Remember how we got your faces changed back?" he asked them.

He didn't have to say anymore. The twins joined hands with him and each other, and all three of them closed their eyes.

It became very still in the room again, while everyone watched the werewolf and the baby vampires silently meditate.

After a few minutes, they opened their eyes.

"She's gone now," Alaric said with satisfaction. "I don't like her talking in my head."

"She's a big, fat liar," Ariel declared. "Mummy does so love us."

&&&&&&&

"What naughty, naughty little children," Drusilla hissed in frustration. "They shouldn't ought to have done that to us, should they, Miss Edith? I do believe that I'm quite cross with them now. I think we're going to have to punish them."

&&&&&&

"Why did you have the children shut Drusilla off, Angel?" Wesley asked. "We might have been able to gather some valuable information if we had kept the channel open."

"Because if they turned her down flat, she'd have gotten mad," Angel replied. "If they had acted like they believed her, she'd have probably been suspicious. This way, hopefully, we'll keep her guessing. And the next time she tries, if she does, the kids can start talking like they're beginning to fall for it."

"You're going to use my kids to bait Dru?" Spike asked incredulously. "Are you out of your bleeding mind? I don't even want that psychotic bint thinking about them, let alone to them."

"But what if Dru thinks she's winning them over?" Angel suggested. "Slowly, so that it looks more natural. That's why I didn't want them to say anything else just yet. I wanted to work out the plan with them first."

"Angel, they're just babies," Rose protested. "The idea is supposed to be to protect them, not expose them to a sick mind like Drusilla's."

"And we will protect them," Angel promised. "But if Drusilla believes that the children want to come to her, that they'll bring Spike with them, it could be our chance to deal with her once and for all."

"I don't like it," Spike declared. He sighed and gave in, though. "But much as I hate to say that you're right, I can't see any other way we're going to catch her."

&&&&&&&

As everyone was starting to leave, Angel said quietly, "Spike, could you and the family stay for a few minutes? I think we need to talk."

Spike nodded, but his expression was totally unreadable. Angel didn't know whether that was a good sign or not.

Alaric whispered into his father's ear. "He feels bad about kissing mummy."

Ariel wriggled in her mother's lap until Rose put her down. She went over to Angel and stood in front of him expectantly until he picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "We still love you, Uncle Angel," she said, planting a wet kiss on his cheek.

"It wasn't your fault, Angel," Rose added. She looked down at her hands which were starting to live a nervous life of their own now that she didn't have a baby to hold.

"Wasn't yours either, pet," Spike put in. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"The crazy lady did it," Alaric said.

Angel was beyond stunned. He wasn't sure just what he'd expected, but it certainly wasn't anything like this. "I know I wasn't exactly in control," he said slowly. "But I'd still like to find a way to make it up to you."

"Give us the day off," Spike suggested. "We sat up all night talking." He glanced at Rose, but all he could really see was the top of her head which was in its accustomed place on his shoulder. "Don't think you'd be able to get much work out of Rose today anyway. I think she's almost asleep as it is."

"I'm still awake," Rose murmured. But from the sound of her voice, her words should have been qualified with the phrase, just barely.

"Oz could take the kids to my place," Angel offered. "Give the two of you some peace and quiet so you can catch up on your rest."

Alaric had climbed down out of his father's lap and was wandering around on his own. He pulled out one of the drawers of Angel's desk and removed something, then went back to his parents.

"See what Uncle Angel made." He displayed Angel's drawing of Rose and Spike together and ever so obviously in love.

Spike scrutinized the picture for long minutes. "Damn," he muttered, drawing a reproving look from Rose. "I guess I've got no choice now. I'm going to have to forgive you. You big ponce."