Disclaimer: I do not own them. . .
Dawn and Angel sat together in the middle of a pile of books, sorting through them.
"I cannot believe we don't have one of these at home." Said Dawn, picking up one. "You're sure you don't need them any more?"
"Well, Wolfram and Hart already has copies of ... uh, everything." Said Angel. He picked up a book, frowning. "This must have been Cordelia's idea." He noted, tossing it aside. Dawn followed it, picking it up.
"Vampire mating rituals? Ew!"
Angel shrugged. "Most of it isn't true." He assured her. "Just Watcher conjecture. And Anne Rice."
Dawn nodded, opening another book. "Does anybody actually read this stuff?"
"Compendium of the Supernatural? Oh, yeah, that's my favorite."
Dawn looked at him sharply, and he blinked. "I was being sarcastic." He explained. "That was my sarcastic voice."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it sounds a lot like your normal voice."
"So I've been told."
Harmony entered the room. "Hey, boss?" She said nervously.
"Yeah?" Asked Angel.
"I have Buffy on line two and Drusilla at the front door, both asking for you."
Angel froze. "Wh-what?
"Ex number one on line two, ex number two at the front door!" Said Harmony, speaking slowly, as if to a child.
Dawn gave Harmony the patented Dawn 'you've gotta be kidding me' look. "I'll take the Buffy call, you handle your other ex." She said, standing up.
Angel's eyebrows went up. "Okay, bossy." He muttered, heading for the door.
Dawn picked up the phone and hit a button. "Angel's house of prostitution, Dawn speaking?"
"Dawn?!" Choked Buffy. "What are you—is Angel there? Oh, shut up!" She added, the last words muffled.
"Angel's just going out to see Drusilla." Said Dawn.
"NO!" Roared an all too familiar voice in the background. Dawn's eyes narrowed.
"Uh, Buffy, what was that?" She asked.
"Stop him!" Said Buffy. "She's got some weapon—she'll kill him!"
Dawn dropped the phone, running after Angel. "Angel!" She yelled.
She came to halt as she reached the hallway. Drusilla stepped out of the elevator, scowling.
"Naughty daddy." She sing-songed.
Angel, already near the elevators, came to a halt, Harmony, beside him, scowling at Drusilla. "Drool-silla." Said Harmony coldy.
Drusilla smiled serenely. "I've come for you, daddy. Oh, and that shiny bright girl. She's so lovely. . ."
Angel prepared to launch himself. "Not happening, Dru."
She stood there serenely, and he suddenly felt something wrong.
Drusilla, even insane, wasn't stupid enough to attack him in his own lair. And she stood there with supreme confidence, the sort that he associated with Spike, not Dru.
She moved forward. "Soon your golden woman and your fallen Childe will arrive." Said Drusilla seriously. "When they get here, we're going to have some fun."
"Golden. . . Buffy is coming here?" Asked Angel, surprised. "And you're my own remaining Childe, Dru." He reminded her.
"No. Our Dark Prince is back, and he's shiny." Said Drusilla. She smiled slowly. "I didn't understand, at first. Because it's so wrong. But he's always been so wrong. So wrong and full of pain. And now I understand why I couldn't fix him with a Slayer's blood."
"Spike." Whispered Angel. "Spike's dead, Dru." He felt a pang of sorrow for his crazy Childe for a moment. Her link to Spike must have exploded with pain at the same time his had. When he'd felt Spike die, he'd thought it was the end of the world.
When it hadn't ended, and he'd realized Spike was dead, he'd been amazed. He'd never thought Spike would die; never.
"He's not dead any more." Said Drusilla. "It's very strange. And then they came and told me where to go and what I needed to do to make everything all right again." She spun around in place, the image of child-like glee. "They showed me how to make us whole."
Angel felt a familiar itch between his shoulder-blades. The itch he got whenever Dawn started talking about Spike. The itch he got thinking about Buffy and Spike together. The itch he got when he saw Spike after a hundred years, standing in Buffy's school.
Spike-itch, he called it. When he thought about it.
"I'd feel it if Spike were back from the dead." He said.
"Then feel it." Said Drusilla.
And he did. Spike was back, and alive, and he was amazed he hadn't realized it earlier. But it had been far away, and hard to tell, and now Spike was close, and it was impossible to miss, even if you were ignoring it, as he had been doing for so long.
"He's here." Said Drusilla.
Spike, Angel had to admit, knew how to make an entrance.
The ceiling exploded and Spike descended into the room, his lithe frame clad in black jeans and a black T-shirt. He landed between Angel and Drusilla, facing her.
"God, no. . ." Moaned Angel.
"Nice to see you too." Said Spike over his shoulder.
Buffy's head peeked down through the hole in the ceiling. "Drusilla!" She said sharply, jumping down.
"Say goodbye, Angel." Said Drusilla, holding up a scarlet amulet, the chain dangling down her forearm.
"Dru, put it down." Said Spike.
The amulet began to glow, and a flash of light sprang out. Buffy jumped aside, out of its range, but it hit Angel squarely in the chest. He gasped, falling backwards, his eyes wide.
"Angel!" Said Dawn, stepping forward.
"That was pretty smart, Dru." Angel said, smiling and climbing to his feet. "I didn't expect something that smart."
Spike's eyes narrowed, and he stalked towards Angel, sniffing. "Aw, crap." He said. "It took his soul!"
Buffy stared. "What?"
"Spike, nice shirt." Said Angel. "Was hell nice? I remember hell." He smiled fondly. "Did you get tortured like I tortured Angel, I wonder?"
"Angelus." Said Spike. "You're going down, mate."
"No." Said Drusilla, pointing the amulet at Spike. "Your soul can't make you do this. I know it can't. No matter what they say."
The beam of light struck Spike in the back, knocking him down. Angel whooped, sniffing. "And now your soul's gone too. The three of us, together again, ey, Willie?"
Spike's eyes flashed amber. "Welcome to my life." He said, punching Angel, knocking him down.
Buffy charged forward, grabbing Drusilla's arm, trying to get the amulet.
"What?" Asked Angelus, surprised. "Didn't you just lose your soul? Aren't you one of us again?"
"No, not really." Growled Spike, morphing into his demon face. "I've never been one of you, and I don't plan to start NOW." He charged forward, his hands and feet flashing out at Angelus. Angelus grunted, retreating under the flurry of blows.
"When'd you get so good?" Asked Angelus.
"Fighting Slayers." Said Spike. "Haven't been paying attention, have you?" He lashed out with a kick that sent Angelus reeling.
"You're one of us, Spike. A vampire. No soul. What are you doing?" Asked Angelus, still more surprised than anything.
"Remember Hell, Angelus?" Asked Spike.
"Fondly."
"I've been there. I didn't really like it." Confided Spike. "Broke out."
A look of panic flashed across Angelus' face. "No. That's impossible. You're one of us!!"
"I'm not. I'm your opposite. You fight that soul with all you're worth. Fight it constantly." Growled Spike. "I never fought mine. I befriended him. Together, we saved this world you're always trying to end. How's that for twisted? I'm a Champion! A fighter ! And you? You're pathetic!"
Angelus suddenly stiffened, his mouth working. Spike slammed a fist into his mouth.
"Hey!" Said Buffy, behind him. "I smashed the amulet, he just got his soul back!"
"I know, lo—pet." Said Spike lazily, watching Angel topple to the floor. "Heard you smash it, and I could smell the soul when it got back to him. Best excuse I've had to hit him in a long time."
Dawn and Buffy gave him identically disapproving glares.
Angel rose to his feet. "Where's Dru?" He asked, rubbing his mouth.
"She scrammed when I smashed the amulet." Said Buffy. "I was gonna go after her, but I figured..." Buffy glanced to Dawn, then shrugged.
Angel stared at his Childe. "It's impossible." He said finally. "You don't have a soul. You couldn't...?"
"Well, yes I could." Said Spike with a smile. "See, you have a demon. What's he like?" Angel shuddered. "Well, I'm not so bad. In fact, I think I'm downright cuddly, 'specially compared to yours. I'm a good demon."
"Impossible." Said Angel flatly. "Demons are evil!"
"Not really impossible." Said Spike. "Just improbable.
Angel snorted. "So you're chasing after Buffy again." He said derisively.
"Excuse me?" Said Buffy.
Dawn cleared her throat. "So, Spike's the Traitor referenced in all the texts?"
"Me and Anya, yeah." Said Spike. "Real killer, ain't it?"
Angel stared at him. "How can we trust you without a soul?" He asked.
Spike shrugged. "You didn't trust me with one, as I recall." He said simply. He moved past Angel, towards Dawn. "Hey, nibblet."
"Hi, Spike." Said Dawn coolly.
"Still get the cold shoulder, even after saving the world?" Asked Spike. "Ouch."
"Forgiveness is something you earn." Said Dawn.
Spike smirked. "I'll work on it." He said.
Buffy sighed. "Much as I hate to break this lovely scene up, I need to go tell Riley how it turned out before he firebombs the building to contain Drusilla."
Spike snorted a laugh. "You do that." He said.
She walked away.
Angel glared at Spike. "So, chasing after Buffy again?" He asked.
"No." Said Spike wistfully, not meeting Angel's eyes. "She's made it clear to me. Really clear. She watched me die, and told me she loved me and I... I saw it in her eyes. She never loved me, and never will." He looked away. "That hurt worse than hell." He admitted.
Angel regarded him for a moment. What was this feeling? Oh, yes. It was sympathy. As horrifying as it was to be feeling it for Spike, he knew what it was like to watch Buffy walk away. That hollow ache in your heart.
Angel walked towards Dawn. "Come on, let's go sit down." He said. They returned to the couches where Dawn and Angel had been going through his collection of tomes and prophecies. Dawn coughed, and then walked towards the kitchen, trying to escape the impending carnage by any means possible.
"I know what that feels like, watching Buffy leave." Angel granted.
Spike groaned. "Oh, come on. She's going to come back to you in the end, you know that."
"No, I don't." Said Angel. "Besides, . . .well, there's something--"
"You're not talking about someone else, are you?" Asked Spike, horrified. "That's awful!"
"Look, Buffy's made it clear time and time again that we are not going to be together. Ever." Said Angel. "Did you hear her cookie analogy?"
"Yeah, I did." Said Spike.
"That's the best break-up line I've ever heard." Admitted Angel. "Saying there's still hope, while at the same time making it crystal clear that there's no hope at all—I was carrying a torch for her till then, I'll admit it. But that was something no woman would say unless she really, really wanted to get rid of you. It was the most final end I've ever heard."
"But she said, maybe later. . ." Spike said, trailing off as he began to understand how Angel had taken it. "Oh, I see. You think she has somebody?"
"Buffy's very strong. But her choices in men have always hurt her." Said Angel sourly. "You, me, Riley. . ."
"We've all hurt her." Said Riley from the door.
"Speak of the devil." Muttered Angel.
"And don't forget Parker, her one-night stand." Added Riley.
"Oh, god. Why is he here?" Asked Angel.
"Fastest way to get here, said Buffy." Spike said.
"So, you two are having a nice family reunion here." Said Riley, just a tad bitterly.
"Hey, great. Why not pull up a chair." Said Angel. "My two least favorite men on earth, right here to visit me. I'm thrilled."
Spike turned to stare at him. "My god! Angel's developing a sense of humor! Hell must have frozen over."
"No, it did that when you broke out." Said Angel.
"Broke out of hell." Muttered Riley. "Yeah, right."
"Hello, vampires." Said Spike. "We can hear you, mate."
"This is sickening." Said Riley. "Two vampires standing here. Buffy's ex- vamps. You should have your own talk show."
"You're be a regular guest. Buffy's only human lover." Said Spike. "Well, other than Parker. And he really, really doesn't count."
"Who's Parker?" Asked Angel.
"Ditz who used Buffy." Said Riley. "I got to punch him, once."
"I would have liked that." Said Spike. "I just got to, um, taunt her about it." Off the looks the other two gave him, he quickly added, "I like to think it helped her get over him!"
"I'd have liked the chance to punch him, myself." Said Angel, shaking his head.
"Maybe the three of us could hunt him down and torture him." Suggested Spike. The other two gave him odd looks. "Hey, no soul. I'm allowed to have dreams like that."
"Disturbing." Muttered Angel.
"Right, like you don't secretly desire to torture both of us." Said Spike, sweeping his hand to include Riley. Angel's face didn't change, but his left hand twitched.
"Wow. That was disturbing." Said Riley. "Not only was I included in a group with Spike, but Angel sort of admitted to wanting to torture me."
Angel stood up straight, taking full benefit of his height to tower over the other two men. Especially Spike. It was satisfying to see Spike's lip curl in scorn, a sure sign his pride was wounded. "All right, as fun as this little snipe-fest has been, I think we all need to settle down and focus." And where was Buffy, anyway? "Spike, you said you aren't following Buffy. But are you protecting the Cleveland Hellmouth?"
"I don't know." Said Spike, still surly. "I haven't thought too much about where I could go."
"All right." Said Angel. "Why don't I come back to Cleveland with you? If Drusilla is after Dawn, you guys will want as many people as possible there. We can . . . explore our options."
"I am NOT coming to work for you." Growled Spike.
"Not exactly what I had in mind." Said Angel. "I'm just looking for solutions to problems. And trust me, Spike, you are definitely a problem."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Muttered Spike.
Angel sighed. Really, what WAS taking Buffy so long?
Dawn watched from the kitchen, fascinated. Forget the book about vampire mating rituals; if you wanted to know all about vampires, just stand quietly, and watch them lose it.
Buffy returned. "I called back home; nothing on that front. Can you two track Drusilla?"
Angel and Spike got faraway looks on their face. "She's headed east." Said Angel.
"Pretty fast." Agreed Spike. "The feelin is fadin in a hurry."
"She said something about somebody telling her about the Drakker amulet." Said Angel. "She must have backers somewhere."
Spike snorted. "It's probably you and your evil law firm." He said.
"Shut up!" Growled Angel.
"You big ponce." Mocked Spike.
"Hey!" Said Buffy. "You two play nice, I mean it!" She glared around the room. "Now, Dawn and I need to get back to Sunnydale and try to figure out the whole Traitor thing. I'm not sure we trust Spike one hundred percent yet. Riley, I assume the jet is still ready...?"
"Yeah." Said Riley. "Sure."
"We're going with you." Said Angel.
Spike growled at the 'we,' and Buffy sighed. "Okay." She said.
--
Giles quietly entered the club, watching the demons. Xander was sitting on a stool, watching the crowd. "Hi, Giles." He said quietly.
"Hello." Said Giles cautiously. "I, uh, come alone."
"I can see that." Said Xander, smiling grimly. "So, what's happening, G- Man?"
"You appeared slightly unbalanced earlier." Said Giles frankly.
"I suppose I did. It's just hard to see the woman you loved come back to you as a soulless thing." Said Xander.
"She and Spike made some, ah, rather fanciful claims." Said Giles.
"I know." Said Xander. "Good vampires, right?"
"Yes." Said Giles. "How do you know all this?"
"Doesn't matter." Said Xander flatly. He glanced around. "The clientele is all demons here. Can you imagine me feeling at home among demons?" He barked a harsh laugh. "But what do I know about humans? I mean, be honest, Giles. I know nothing about humans. Here I am, hanging out with demons, because I know them. I know what they want, I know what they'll do. I hate them all." He finished the last with a sad noise.
Giles hesitated. "Xander, I'm not sure I understand what you're going through."
"No, you wouldn't." Said Xander. "Try this one; it's an old tune, so you can probably do the Snoopy dance to it just fine. Or the Scooby dance. I'm not sure."
"What. . .?"
"The world is going to end." Said Xander seriously. "And this time, Buffy won't be any help."
"We have lots of Slayers." Said Giles.
"No. Not now. They're scattered."
"Scattered?"
"Giles, where'd all the Slayers go? To Africa, to a big Ascension. Why now? Because now is when we'd need a bunch of Slayers. With them gone, it's down to Buffy...and Spike."
Giles took his glasses off. "Spike only manifested very recently. He couldn't have done this, not this quickly."
Xander glared at Giles. "You really have NO idea." He told Giles. "You better get out of here. The boys here... they don't like humans much."
"They tolerate you." Said Giles.
Xander smiled sourly. "Yeah, they do. Just get out. If you see Spike... and you will see Spike, trust me... tell him I have his duster."
"What is going on, Xander?" Asked Giles quietly.
"I don't know anymore." Said Xander. "I really don't. All I know is that Spike's coming back is weird, Giles. I mean, isn't there some kind of cosmic balance or something that you and Willow are always going on about? Spike's back, and if that doesn't imbalance the whole universe, I don't know what will. He's turning his back on all he knows, and for what? Not the love of Buffy. Not a soul. Not a chip. Somebody in charge of something screwed up somewhere."
Dawn and Angel sat together in the middle of a pile of books, sorting through them.
"I cannot believe we don't have one of these at home." Said Dawn, picking up one. "You're sure you don't need them any more?"
"Well, Wolfram and Hart already has copies of ... uh, everything." Said Angel. He picked up a book, frowning. "This must have been Cordelia's idea." He noted, tossing it aside. Dawn followed it, picking it up.
"Vampire mating rituals? Ew!"
Angel shrugged. "Most of it isn't true." He assured her. "Just Watcher conjecture. And Anne Rice."
Dawn nodded, opening another book. "Does anybody actually read this stuff?"
"Compendium of the Supernatural? Oh, yeah, that's my favorite."
Dawn looked at him sharply, and he blinked. "I was being sarcastic." He explained. "That was my sarcastic voice."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it sounds a lot like your normal voice."
"So I've been told."
Harmony entered the room. "Hey, boss?" She said nervously.
"Yeah?" Asked Angel.
"I have Buffy on line two and Drusilla at the front door, both asking for you."
Angel froze. "Wh-what?
"Ex number one on line two, ex number two at the front door!" Said Harmony, speaking slowly, as if to a child.
Dawn gave Harmony the patented Dawn 'you've gotta be kidding me' look. "I'll take the Buffy call, you handle your other ex." She said, standing up.
Angel's eyebrows went up. "Okay, bossy." He muttered, heading for the door.
Dawn picked up the phone and hit a button. "Angel's house of prostitution, Dawn speaking?"
"Dawn?!" Choked Buffy. "What are you—is Angel there? Oh, shut up!" She added, the last words muffled.
"Angel's just going out to see Drusilla." Said Dawn.
"NO!" Roared an all too familiar voice in the background. Dawn's eyes narrowed.
"Uh, Buffy, what was that?" She asked.
"Stop him!" Said Buffy. "She's got some weapon—she'll kill him!"
Dawn dropped the phone, running after Angel. "Angel!" She yelled.
She came to halt as she reached the hallway. Drusilla stepped out of the elevator, scowling.
"Naughty daddy." She sing-songed.
Angel, already near the elevators, came to a halt, Harmony, beside him, scowling at Drusilla. "Drool-silla." Said Harmony coldy.
Drusilla smiled serenely. "I've come for you, daddy. Oh, and that shiny bright girl. She's so lovely. . ."
Angel prepared to launch himself. "Not happening, Dru."
She stood there serenely, and he suddenly felt something wrong.
Drusilla, even insane, wasn't stupid enough to attack him in his own lair. And she stood there with supreme confidence, the sort that he associated with Spike, not Dru.
She moved forward. "Soon your golden woman and your fallen Childe will arrive." Said Drusilla seriously. "When they get here, we're going to have some fun."
"Golden. . . Buffy is coming here?" Asked Angel, surprised. "And you're my own remaining Childe, Dru." He reminded her.
"No. Our Dark Prince is back, and he's shiny." Said Drusilla. She smiled slowly. "I didn't understand, at first. Because it's so wrong. But he's always been so wrong. So wrong and full of pain. And now I understand why I couldn't fix him with a Slayer's blood."
"Spike." Whispered Angel. "Spike's dead, Dru." He felt a pang of sorrow for his crazy Childe for a moment. Her link to Spike must have exploded with pain at the same time his had. When he'd felt Spike die, he'd thought it was the end of the world.
When it hadn't ended, and he'd realized Spike was dead, he'd been amazed. He'd never thought Spike would die; never.
"He's not dead any more." Said Drusilla. "It's very strange. And then they came and told me where to go and what I needed to do to make everything all right again." She spun around in place, the image of child-like glee. "They showed me how to make us whole."
Angel felt a familiar itch between his shoulder-blades. The itch he got whenever Dawn started talking about Spike. The itch he got thinking about Buffy and Spike together. The itch he got when he saw Spike after a hundred years, standing in Buffy's school.
Spike-itch, he called it. When he thought about it.
"I'd feel it if Spike were back from the dead." He said.
"Then feel it." Said Drusilla.
And he did. Spike was back, and alive, and he was amazed he hadn't realized it earlier. But it had been far away, and hard to tell, and now Spike was close, and it was impossible to miss, even if you were ignoring it, as he had been doing for so long.
"He's here." Said Drusilla.
Spike, Angel had to admit, knew how to make an entrance.
The ceiling exploded and Spike descended into the room, his lithe frame clad in black jeans and a black T-shirt. He landed between Angel and Drusilla, facing her.
"God, no. . ." Moaned Angel.
"Nice to see you too." Said Spike over his shoulder.
Buffy's head peeked down through the hole in the ceiling. "Drusilla!" She said sharply, jumping down.
"Say goodbye, Angel." Said Drusilla, holding up a scarlet amulet, the chain dangling down her forearm.
"Dru, put it down." Said Spike.
The amulet began to glow, and a flash of light sprang out. Buffy jumped aside, out of its range, but it hit Angel squarely in the chest. He gasped, falling backwards, his eyes wide.
"Angel!" Said Dawn, stepping forward.
"That was pretty smart, Dru." Angel said, smiling and climbing to his feet. "I didn't expect something that smart."
Spike's eyes narrowed, and he stalked towards Angel, sniffing. "Aw, crap." He said. "It took his soul!"
Buffy stared. "What?"
"Spike, nice shirt." Said Angel. "Was hell nice? I remember hell." He smiled fondly. "Did you get tortured like I tortured Angel, I wonder?"
"Angelus." Said Spike. "You're going down, mate."
"No." Said Drusilla, pointing the amulet at Spike. "Your soul can't make you do this. I know it can't. No matter what they say."
The beam of light struck Spike in the back, knocking him down. Angel whooped, sniffing. "And now your soul's gone too. The three of us, together again, ey, Willie?"
Spike's eyes flashed amber. "Welcome to my life." He said, punching Angel, knocking him down.
Buffy charged forward, grabbing Drusilla's arm, trying to get the amulet.
"What?" Asked Angelus, surprised. "Didn't you just lose your soul? Aren't you one of us again?"
"No, not really." Growled Spike, morphing into his demon face. "I've never been one of you, and I don't plan to start NOW." He charged forward, his hands and feet flashing out at Angelus. Angelus grunted, retreating under the flurry of blows.
"When'd you get so good?" Asked Angelus.
"Fighting Slayers." Said Spike. "Haven't been paying attention, have you?" He lashed out with a kick that sent Angelus reeling.
"You're one of us, Spike. A vampire. No soul. What are you doing?" Asked Angelus, still more surprised than anything.
"Remember Hell, Angelus?" Asked Spike.
"Fondly."
"I've been there. I didn't really like it." Confided Spike. "Broke out."
A look of panic flashed across Angelus' face. "No. That's impossible. You're one of us!!"
"I'm not. I'm your opposite. You fight that soul with all you're worth. Fight it constantly." Growled Spike. "I never fought mine. I befriended him. Together, we saved this world you're always trying to end. How's that for twisted? I'm a Champion! A fighter ! And you? You're pathetic!"
Angelus suddenly stiffened, his mouth working. Spike slammed a fist into his mouth.
"Hey!" Said Buffy, behind him. "I smashed the amulet, he just got his soul back!"
"I know, lo—pet." Said Spike lazily, watching Angel topple to the floor. "Heard you smash it, and I could smell the soul when it got back to him. Best excuse I've had to hit him in a long time."
Dawn and Buffy gave him identically disapproving glares.
Angel rose to his feet. "Where's Dru?" He asked, rubbing his mouth.
"She scrammed when I smashed the amulet." Said Buffy. "I was gonna go after her, but I figured..." Buffy glanced to Dawn, then shrugged.
Angel stared at his Childe. "It's impossible." He said finally. "You don't have a soul. You couldn't...?"
"Well, yes I could." Said Spike with a smile. "See, you have a demon. What's he like?" Angel shuddered. "Well, I'm not so bad. In fact, I think I'm downright cuddly, 'specially compared to yours. I'm a good demon."
"Impossible." Said Angel flatly. "Demons are evil!"
"Not really impossible." Said Spike. "Just improbable.
Angel snorted. "So you're chasing after Buffy again." He said derisively.
"Excuse me?" Said Buffy.
Dawn cleared her throat. "So, Spike's the Traitor referenced in all the texts?"
"Me and Anya, yeah." Said Spike. "Real killer, ain't it?"
Angel stared at him. "How can we trust you without a soul?" He asked.
Spike shrugged. "You didn't trust me with one, as I recall." He said simply. He moved past Angel, towards Dawn. "Hey, nibblet."
"Hi, Spike." Said Dawn coolly.
"Still get the cold shoulder, even after saving the world?" Asked Spike. "Ouch."
"Forgiveness is something you earn." Said Dawn.
Spike smirked. "I'll work on it." He said.
Buffy sighed. "Much as I hate to break this lovely scene up, I need to go tell Riley how it turned out before he firebombs the building to contain Drusilla."
Spike snorted a laugh. "You do that." He said.
She walked away.
Angel glared at Spike. "So, chasing after Buffy again?" He asked.
"No." Said Spike wistfully, not meeting Angel's eyes. "She's made it clear to me. Really clear. She watched me die, and told me she loved me and I... I saw it in her eyes. She never loved me, and never will." He looked away. "That hurt worse than hell." He admitted.
Angel regarded him for a moment. What was this feeling? Oh, yes. It was sympathy. As horrifying as it was to be feeling it for Spike, he knew what it was like to watch Buffy walk away. That hollow ache in your heart.
Angel walked towards Dawn. "Come on, let's go sit down." He said. They returned to the couches where Dawn and Angel had been going through his collection of tomes and prophecies. Dawn coughed, and then walked towards the kitchen, trying to escape the impending carnage by any means possible.
"I know what that feels like, watching Buffy leave." Angel granted.
Spike groaned. "Oh, come on. She's going to come back to you in the end, you know that."
"No, I don't." Said Angel. "Besides, . . .well, there's something--"
"You're not talking about someone else, are you?" Asked Spike, horrified. "That's awful!"
"Look, Buffy's made it clear time and time again that we are not going to be together. Ever." Said Angel. "Did you hear her cookie analogy?"
"Yeah, I did." Said Spike.
"That's the best break-up line I've ever heard." Admitted Angel. "Saying there's still hope, while at the same time making it crystal clear that there's no hope at all—I was carrying a torch for her till then, I'll admit it. But that was something no woman would say unless she really, really wanted to get rid of you. It was the most final end I've ever heard."
"But she said, maybe later. . ." Spike said, trailing off as he began to understand how Angel had taken it. "Oh, I see. You think she has somebody?"
"Buffy's very strong. But her choices in men have always hurt her." Said Angel sourly. "You, me, Riley. . ."
"We've all hurt her." Said Riley from the door.
"Speak of the devil." Muttered Angel.
"And don't forget Parker, her one-night stand." Added Riley.
"Oh, god. Why is he here?" Asked Angel.
"Fastest way to get here, said Buffy." Spike said.
"So, you two are having a nice family reunion here." Said Riley, just a tad bitterly.
"Hey, great. Why not pull up a chair." Said Angel. "My two least favorite men on earth, right here to visit me. I'm thrilled."
Spike turned to stare at him. "My god! Angel's developing a sense of humor! Hell must have frozen over."
"No, it did that when you broke out." Said Angel.
"Broke out of hell." Muttered Riley. "Yeah, right."
"Hello, vampires." Said Spike. "We can hear you, mate."
"This is sickening." Said Riley. "Two vampires standing here. Buffy's ex- vamps. You should have your own talk show."
"You're be a regular guest. Buffy's only human lover." Said Spike. "Well, other than Parker. And he really, really doesn't count."
"Who's Parker?" Asked Angel.
"Ditz who used Buffy." Said Riley. "I got to punch him, once."
"I would have liked that." Said Spike. "I just got to, um, taunt her about it." Off the looks the other two gave him, he quickly added, "I like to think it helped her get over him!"
"I'd have liked the chance to punch him, myself." Said Angel, shaking his head.
"Maybe the three of us could hunt him down and torture him." Suggested Spike. The other two gave him odd looks. "Hey, no soul. I'm allowed to have dreams like that."
"Disturbing." Muttered Angel.
"Right, like you don't secretly desire to torture both of us." Said Spike, sweeping his hand to include Riley. Angel's face didn't change, but his left hand twitched.
"Wow. That was disturbing." Said Riley. "Not only was I included in a group with Spike, but Angel sort of admitted to wanting to torture me."
Angel stood up straight, taking full benefit of his height to tower over the other two men. Especially Spike. It was satisfying to see Spike's lip curl in scorn, a sure sign his pride was wounded. "All right, as fun as this little snipe-fest has been, I think we all need to settle down and focus." And where was Buffy, anyway? "Spike, you said you aren't following Buffy. But are you protecting the Cleveland Hellmouth?"
"I don't know." Said Spike, still surly. "I haven't thought too much about where I could go."
"All right." Said Angel. "Why don't I come back to Cleveland with you? If Drusilla is after Dawn, you guys will want as many people as possible there. We can . . . explore our options."
"I am NOT coming to work for you." Growled Spike.
"Not exactly what I had in mind." Said Angel. "I'm just looking for solutions to problems. And trust me, Spike, you are definitely a problem."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Muttered Spike.
Angel sighed. Really, what WAS taking Buffy so long?
Dawn watched from the kitchen, fascinated. Forget the book about vampire mating rituals; if you wanted to know all about vampires, just stand quietly, and watch them lose it.
Buffy returned. "I called back home; nothing on that front. Can you two track Drusilla?"
Angel and Spike got faraway looks on their face. "She's headed east." Said Angel.
"Pretty fast." Agreed Spike. "The feelin is fadin in a hurry."
"She said something about somebody telling her about the Drakker amulet." Said Angel. "She must have backers somewhere."
Spike snorted. "It's probably you and your evil law firm." He said.
"Shut up!" Growled Angel.
"You big ponce." Mocked Spike.
"Hey!" Said Buffy. "You two play nice, I mean it!" She glared around the room. "Now, Dawn and I need to get back to Sunnydale and try to figure out the whole Traitor thing. I'm not sure we trust Spike one hundred percent yet. Riley, I assume the jet is still ready...?"
"Yeah." Said Riley. "Sure."
"We're going with you." Said Angel.
Spike growled at the 'we,' and Buffy sighed. "Okay." She said.
--
Giles quietly entered the club, watching the demons. Xander was sitting on a stool, watching the crowd. "Hi, Giles." He said quietly.
"Hello." Said Giles cautiously. "I, uh, come alone."
"I can see that." Said Xander, smiling grimly. "So, what's happening, G- Man?"
"You appeared slightly unbalanced earlier." Said Giles frankly.
"I suppose I did. It's just hard to see the woman you loved come back to you as a soulless thing." Said Xander.
"She and Spike made some, ah, rather fanciful claims." Said Giles.
"I know." Said Xander. "Good vampires, right?"
"Yes." Said Giles. "How do you know all this?"
"Doesn't matter." Said Xander flatly. He glanced around. "The clientele is all demons here. Can you imagine me feeling at home among demons?" He barked a harsh laugh. "But what do I know about humans? I mean, be honest, Giles. I know nothing about humans. Here I am, hanging out with demons, because I know them. I know what they want, I know what they'll do. I hate them all." He finished the last with a sad noise.
Giles hesitated. "Xander, I'm not sure I understand what you're going through."
"No, you wouldn't." Said Xander. "Try this one; it's an old tune, so you can probably do the Snoopy dance to it just fine. Or the Scooby dance. I'm not sure."
"What. . .?"
"The world is going to end." Said Xander seriously. "And this time, Buffy won't be any help."
"We have lots of Slayers." Said Giles.
"No. Not now. They're scattered."
"Scattered?"
"Giles, where'd all the Slayers go? To Africa, to a big Ascension. Why now? Because now is when we'd need a bunch of Slayers. With them gone, it's down to Buffy...and Spike."
Giles took his glasses off. "Spike only manifested very recently. He couldn't have done this, not this quickly."
Xander glared at Giles. "You really have NO idea." He told Giles. "You better get out of here. The boys here... they don't like humans much."
"They tolerate you." Said Giles.
Xander smiled sourly. "Yeah, they do. Just get out. If you see Spike... and you will see Spike, trust me... tell him I have his duster."
"What is going on, Xander?" Asked Giles quietly.
"I don't know anymore." Said Xander. "I really don't. All I know is that Spike's coming back is weird, Giles. I mean, isn't there some kind of cosmic balance or something that you and Willow are always going on about? Spike's back, and if that doesn't imbalance the whole universe, I don't know what will. He's turning his back on all he knows, and for what? Not the love of Buffy. Not a soul. Not a chip. Somebody in charge of something screwed up somewhere."