Author's Notes: I thank you very much for the Reviews, Please keep
reviewing. How's everyone enjoying the story? Hopefully you are...There's
much love for all you people that give reviews, and much glaring for all
you people who read and don't review, I know your out there come out come
out wherever you are. Entertain my sick little mind as I am attempting to
entertain yours please! Really I do have a sick little mind but that's
besides the point, I leave you with the story, enjoy POR FAVOR.
Several hours later
Kerri sat perched casually on a table, her hangover from the events the night before was none existent, Though both Chris and Nick wished they could say the same, but Nick had it the worse being that he drank the most, no Wait Spike drank the most but him being a vampire and all, hangovers didn't really effect him too much.
Nick grabbed a chair and sat down at the table Kerri was sitting on. Spike's eyes darted in his direction.
"While I don't remember much about last night, I was left with this strong feeling that I should apologize to you, but I'm not really sure for what though...I usually don't drink that much...no I usually don't drink vodka but I normally drink twice my weight in beer and I've never waken up with someone and not remembered how I met them, though I have waken up with some and wondered if I should just gnaw my arm off instead of waking her, she was damned ugly," Nick said laughing a bit.
Kerri couldn't help but laugh as she gently hit on the arm, "You're terrible..."
"What I was just saying..." Nick started, "Never mind, away I'm um...I'm..."
Nick always had trouble apologizing to people, mainly because it was rare that he took the time to do it.
"Apology excepted..." Kerri said smirking a bit appreciating the attempt.
"Oh good I was afraid I'd have to say it," Nick smirked.
"Chris!" Kerri yelled.
Chris orbed in from the back room, "What? You don't have to be so loud."
"Leo, Where is he?" Kerri asked him.
"I don't know he said he was going to find Angel..." Chris shrugged.
"Don't you think you should orb your happy whitelighter ass on over to him and see if he's okay bub?" Logan snapped.
Chris rolled his eyes, "Leo can take care of himself..."
"I think that was less of a request, and more of a 'do it before I slaughter you like a pig'..." Kerri informed him.
Chris looked from Kerri to Logan as if trying to get confirmation, Logan narrowed his eyes which was enough for him. Chris sighed, rolling his eyes, as if he was going for some other reason than to not get sliced in to sushi by Logan "Fine, I'm going," he muttered. He orbed out, in a wave of bluish white lights.
Spike could help but smirk, watching Nick as he rubbed his jaw, which had a nice large bruise on it, Leo had heal his other bruises before Spike had hit him again. Spike on the other hand, didn't have a scratch because his wounds had already healed up.
Suddenly two shapes orbed in, Chris, with his hand in Angel's shoulder, and as soon Angel's feet hit the floor they collapsed out from under him and he hit the ground. He was covered in blood, cuts and bruises. Chris had a large welt on his forehead, but he didn't stay long, he orbed out without a word. Both Kerri and Nick ran to Angel's side, the other two looked on in interested.
Kerri and Nick lifted him up by his arms and helped him walk to the couch.
"What the hell happened to you?" Kerri asked.
Angel coughed then said, "We were talking, Leo and I, and...then we were attacked, by something that smelled really...Evil...I mean it smelled like evil in it's pure form...but it was shaped like...a snake...a really big snake, with really big fangs...I grabbed a manhole cover, I was going to cut off its head while Leo distracted it but I couldn't get a clear shot at its...neck, so I threw and cut him in half...but...then there were two snakes...and the one with the head swallowed Leo...he orbed out of the creature, but he passed out as soon a he hit the pavement, and hasn't waken up, but he's still alive."
"Damn it," Nick cursed, Leo was the only one of them that knew what the hell was going on.
Chris orbed back in with Leo laying on the ground, a blackish goo covered him, presumably from the inside of the evil snake creature.
Meanwhile Leo sat watching all that was going on, he looked down at his body in dismay. He wasn't dead, he had died once already he remembered what that felt like. He could see everything that was going on, but apparently they couldn't see him. There were two good reasons for that though.
One was that his soul had vacated his body, but was still tied to it, so he was kept alive, and he was actually attached to his body by a silver cord that was attached at the back of his neck like an umbilical cord. Reason Two, was that he was floating above them all and literally felt like he was pinned to the roof, like he'd sucked to much helium. Now he knew how a balloon felt.
He decided it was because of the goo, it was pure evil and his soul rejected it so strongly it jumped out of his body, like magnetic repulsion.
"Guys, just clean off the goo," Leo muttered. "Have you tried healing him?" Kerri asked.
"I can't heal..." Chris said.
"What the hell kind of Whitelighter can't heal?" Kerri demanded.
"Hey healing takes a while to develop..." Chris muttered defensively, then confided reluctantly, "I'm only half whitelghter anyway."
"Well that's helpful," Spike mummbled to no one in particular.
Chris tossed him a dirty look.
"Why don't you go talk to the elders and ask them what we should do...We can watch Leo..." Kerri suggested.
Chris nodded, taking in a deep breath 'Hold on Dad,' he thought before orbing out. Leo wondered if he could get Kerri's attention. After all Piper, Paige, Phoebe and even Prue when she'd been alive had seen ghosts when others couldn't. Though he wasn't really a ghost he hoped that wouldn't make a difference.
He'd discovered he wasn't really pinned to the ceiling, he was just weightless. So it was like swimming minus the gravity. He swam next to Kerri. It was funny because it seemed that the silver cord was infinitely long.
"Kerri..." He tried to touch her on the shoulder. A chill suddenly ran down Kerri's spine. She didn't like the spot she was sitting in. Angel picked up Leo and laid him on the couch. Kerri moved to the bar, perching on top of it, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of her head she couldn't quite place. She shrugged it off as paranoia.
"What?" Spike asked her.
"Nothing I just got cold all of the sudden..." she said looking around.
Spike grabbed his jacket which had been laying on the couch where Kerri had been sleeping, and handed it to her. A gesture which surprised Angel, for some reason Spike was being...nice to this girl. Spike noticed Angel's gaze and glared at him.
"Thanks," Kerri said wrapping the oversized jacket around herself, "So what now...I can't sit here and wait for something to swallow the rest of us, I can't orb and neither the rest of you so if we are eaten we're lunch..."
"I'll bet that'll be a new experience for you," Nick said to Spike in a cheerfully sarcastic voice.
Spike narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Nick, "I'll bet me slitting your throat and letting it drain into the street until it turns completely red with your blood would be a new experience for you...but hell why not try something new..." he said very slowly articulating each word in a quiet threatening voice.
'There goes Nice Spike,' Angel thought.
"Just try it and I swear I'll blow your tiny little brain all over the wall." Nick hissed moving toward him.
This time Logan did step in sooner.
"Both of you sit down and shut up," Logan growled stepping in between the two.
"Sought off," Spike growled back.
"Kid..." Logan said to Kerri through gritted teeth, "You'd better get him before I amputate one of his arms for him."
Kerri nodded and grabbed Spike by the arms and pulled him over to the couch sitting him next to Angel. Not the best idea but it would work for now. Spike allowed the girl to pull him to the couch, with only verbal resistance.
"You know where you can shove your bloody claws, right up your..." Spike started but Kerri cut him off.
"Spike!" Kerri snapped, "Why don't you take a lesson from thumper...If you can't say something nice...don't say anything at all...that goes for you two too."
Spike sighed, "Yes mum,"
Angel looked at him again, then shook his head slowly.
"What?" Spike demanded looking at him carefully.
"Nothing..." Angel said but smiled slightly.
Spike raised a single eyebrow, Angel looked at him, "What's with the girl?"
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Spike asked though he knew full and well what he meant.
"You're so...nice to her...yet you really haven't changed...just around her..." Angel said slowly.
"I don't know what your..." Spike started but changed his mind, and sighed just a little bit, "When I was alive, I wanted a little sister...of course I was an only child but...she's like the little sister I never had..."
"Don't make her trust you then do something to take that away...if you hurt her I'll kill you," Angel told him.
"Yeah, Yeah," Spike said pulling a cigarette from his pocket and getting up. He walked over to the far corner, and lit the cigarette inhaling deeply.
Kerri had sat down at a table and laid her head on the table, falling asleep.
Kerri stood in the bar, she saw what everyone else was doing, but it seemed like she was looking at an old picture.
'A dream,' Kerri reasoned.
Leo's attention suddenly focused on Kerri again...she was there too now...sleeping.
"Kerri?" Leo said.
"Leo what are you doing here?" Kerri asked him.
"Having an out of body experience, my soul and body separated, like magnetic repulsion, you get rid of the evil goo...I can go back to my body..." Leo said.
"Uh-huh, "Kerri said slowly, "So how are supposed to get rid of the goo if we can' touch it..." Kerri asked.
"A little is okay...Chris orbed me here after all, but just to be safe...have spike do it...he's evil..." Leo replied.
"Spike's not....evil...just misguided..." Kerri said slowly but she seemed unsure of her own words.
"Spike just threatened to slit Nick's throat and I don't think he was kidding..." Leo replied
"He's very misguided..." Kerri said in his defense.
"He doesn't even have a soul to separate from his body..." Leo argued.
"Okay you win Casper..." Kerri said. 20 min. later
Spike grabbed Leo by his shirt and dropped him in the large dishwashing sink in the back, now they didn't have running water, but the sink was full of old soapy water, it would work.
"Come on rise and shine now," Spike said gritting his teeth a little as Kerri came in behind him.
"Keep his head above the water..." Kerri said quietly.
Spike noticed her tone of voice seemed a little...doleful. He propped up Leo's head and let him go, turning to her.
"What's wrong?" Spike asked her.
"Nothing...Just tired..." she replied quickly.
"You just woke up..." Spike pointed out.
Leo's eyes fluttered open, then he slowly sat up. He spit out a mouthful of placid soapy water.
He climbed out of the sink, then headed in the back...but not before tossing back over his shoulder, "Thanks,"
He knew that Chris kept clothes here, and suddenly he was thankful for that.
Spike nodded in response, but kept his eyes trained on Kerri.
"Okay love...here's the deal, your not leaving until you tell me what's wrong..."Spike said crossing his arms.
She raised an eyebrow, "Right..."
"I'm serious...Try to leave..." Spike challenged.
Kerri moved for the door but Spike being faster than her was there already. He stood in the door with his arms crossed...
"So..." he asked.
"Do you know why your the only one who could do that?" Kerri asked.
"The whole soulless thing might have something to do with it..." Spike said.
"Leo said it was because you're evil...and I wanted to believe that wasn't true but..." Kerri said her voice trailing off a bit.
"It is love, face it I'm evil as hell, but I'd never hurt you," Spike replied
Several hours later
Kerri sat perched casually on a table, her hangover from the events the night before was none existent, Though both Chris and Nick wished they could say the same, but Nick had it the worse being that he drank the most, no Wait Spike drank the most but him being a vampire and all, hangovers didn't really effect him too much.
Nick grabbed a chair and sat down at the table Kerri was sitting on. Spike's eyes darted in his direction.
"While I don't remember much about last night, I was left with this strong feeling that I should apologize to you, but I'm not really sure for what though...I usually don't drink that much...no I usually don't drink vodka but I normally drink twice my weight in beer and I've never waken up with someone and not remembered how I met them, though I have waken up with some and wondered if I should just gnaw my arm off instead of waking her, she was damned ugly," Nick said laughing a bit.
Kerri couldn't help but laugh as she gently hit on the arm, "You're terrible..."
"What I was just saying..." Nick started, "Never mind, away I'm um...I'm..."
Nick always had trouble apologizing to people, mainly because it was rare that he took the time to do it.
"Apology excepted..." Kerri said smirking a bit appreciating the attempt.
"Oh good I was afraid I'd have to say it," Nick smirked.
"Chris!" Kerri yelled.
Chris orbed in from the back room, "What? You don't have to be so loud."
"Leo, Where is he?" Kerri asked him.
"I don't know he said he was going to find Angel..." Chris shrugged.
"Don't you think you should orb your happy whitelighter ass on over to him and see if he's okay bub?" Logan snapped.
Chris rolled his eyes, "Leo can take care of himself..."
"I think that was less of a request, and more of a 'do it before I slaughter you like a pig'..." Kerri informed him.
Chris looked from Kerri to Logan as if trying to get confirmation, Logan narrowed his eyes which was enough for him. Chris sighed, rolling his eyes, as if he was going for some other reason than to not get sliced in to sushi by Logan "Fine, I'm going," he muttered. He orbed out, in a wave of bluish white lights.
Spike could help but smirk, watching Nick as he rubbed his jaw, which had a nice large bruise on it, Leo had heal his other bruises before Spike had hit him again. Spike on the other hand, didn't have a scratch because his wounds had already healed up.
Suddenly two shapes orbed in, Chris, with his hand in Angel's shoulder, and as soon Angel's feet hit the floor they collapsed out from under him and he hit the ground. He was covered in blood, cuts and bruises. Chris had a large welt on his forehead, but he didn't stay long, he orbed out without a word. Both Kerri and Nick ran to Angel's side, the other two looked on in interested.
Kerri and Nick lifted him up by his arms and helped him walk to the couch.
"What the hell happened to you?" Kerri asked.
Angel coughed then said, "We were talking, Leo and I, and...then we were attacked, by something that smelled really...Evil...I mean it smelled like evil in it's pure form...but it was shaped like...a snake...a really big snake, with really big fangs...I grabbed a manhole cover, I was going to cut off its head while Leo distracted it but I couldn't get a clear shot at its...neck, so I threw and cut him in half...but...then there were two snakes...and the one with the head swallowed Leo...he orbed out of the creature, but he passed out as soon a he hit the pavement, and hasn't waken up, but he's still alive."
"Damn it," Nick cursed, Leo was the only one of them that knew what the hell was going on.
Chris orbed back in with Leo laying on the ground, a blackish goo covered him, presumably from the inside of the evil snake creature.
Meanwhile Leo sat watching all that was going on, he looked down at his body in dismay. He wasn't dead, he had died once already he remembered what that felt like. He could see everything that was going on, but apparently they couldn't see him. There were two good reasons for that though.
One was that his soul had vacated his body, but was still tied to it, so he was kept alive, and he was actually attached to his body by a silver cord that was attached at the back of his neck like an umbilical cord. Reason Two, was that he was floating above them all and literally felt like he was pinned to the roof, like he'd sucked to much helium. Now he knew how a balloon felt.
He decided it was because of the goo, it was pure evil and his soul rejected it so strongly it jumped out of his body, like magnetic repulsion.
"Guys, just clean off the goo," Leo muttered. "Have you tried healing him?" Kerri asked.
"I can't heal..." Chris said.
"What the hell kind of Whitelighter can't heal?" Kerri demanded.
"Hey healing takes a while to develop..." Chris muttered defensively, then confided reluctantly, "I'm only half whitelghter anyway."
"Well that's helpful," Spike mummbled to no one in particular.
Chris tossed him a dirty look.
"Why don't you go talk to the elders and ask them what we should do...We can watch Leo..." Kerri suggested.
Chris nodded, taking in a deep breath 'Hold on Dad,' he thought before orbing out. Leo wondered if he could get Kerri's attention. After all Piper, Paige, Phoebe and even Prue when she'd been alive had seen ghosts when others couldn't. Though he wasn't really a ghost he hoped that wouldn't make a difference.
He'd discovered he wasn't really pinned to the ceiling, he was just weightless. So it was like swimming minus the gravity. He swam next to Kerri. It was funny because it seemed that the silver cord was infinitely long.
"Kerri..." He tried to touch her on the shoulder. A chill suddenly ran down Kerri's spine. She didn't like the spot she was sitting in. Angel picked up Leo and laid him on the couch. Kerri moved to the bar, perching on top of it, but there was this nagging feeling in the back of her head she couldn't quite place. She shrugged it off as paranoia.
"What?" Spike asked her.
"Nothing I just got cold all of the sudden..." she said looking around.
Spike grabbed his jacket which had been laying on the couch where Kerri had been sleeping, and handed it to her. A gesture which surprised Angel, for some reason Spike was being...nice to this girl. Spike noticed Angel's gaze and glared at him.
"Thanks," Kerri said wrapping the oversized jacket around herself, "So what now...I can't sit here and wait for something to swallow the rest of us, I can't orb and neither the rest of you so if we are eaten we're lunch..."
"I'll bet that'll be a new experience for you," Nick said to Spike in a cheerfully sarcastic voice.
Spike narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Nick, "I'll bet me slitting your throat and letting it drain into the street until it turns completely red with your blood would be a new experience for you...but hell why not try something new..." he said very slowly articulating each word in a quiet threatening voice.
'There goes Nice Spike,' Angel thought.
"Just try it and I swear I'll blow your tiny little brain all over the wall." Nick hissed moving toward him.
This time Logan did step in sooner.
"Both of you sit down and shut up," Logan growled stepping in between the two.
"Sought off," Spike growled back.
"Kid..." Logan said to Kerri through gritted teeth, "You'd better get him before I amputate one of his arms for him."
Kerri nodded and grabbed Spike by the arms and pulled him over to the couch sitting him next to Angel. Not the best idea but it would work for now. Spike allowed the girl to pull him to the couch, with only verbal resistance.
"You know where you can shove your bloody claws, right up your..." Spike started but Kerri cut him off.
"Spike!" Kerri snapped, "Why don't you take a lesson from thumper...If you can't say something nice...don't say anything at all...that goes for you two too."
Spike sighed, "Yes mum,"
Angel looked at him again, then shook his head slowly.
"What?" Spike demanded looking at him carefully.
"Nothing..." Angel said but smiled slightly.
Spike raised a single eyebrow, Angel looked at him, "What's with the girl?"
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Spike asked though he knew full and well what he meant.
"You're so...nice to her...yet you really haven't changed...just around her..." Angel said slowly.
"I don't know what your..." Spike started but changed his mind, and sighed just a little bit, "When I was alive, I wanted a little sister...of course I was an only child but...she's like the little sister I never had..."
"Don't make her trust you then do something to take that away...if you hurt her I'll kill you," Angel told him.
"Yeah, Yeah," Spike said pulling a cigarette from his pocket and getting up. He walked over to the far corner, and lit the cigarette inhaling deeply.
Kerri had sat down at a table and laid her head on the table, falling asleep.
Kerri stood in the bar, she saw what everyone else was doing, but it seemed like she was looking at an old picture.
'A dream,' Kerri reasoned.
Leo's attention suddenly focused on Kerri again...she was there too now...sleeping.
"Kerri?" Leo said.
"Leo what are you doing here?" Kerri asked him.
"Having an out of body experience, my soul and body separated, like magnetic repulsion, you get rid of the evil goo...I can go back to my body..." Leo said.
"Uh-huh, "Kerri said slowly, "So how are supposed to get rid of the goo if we can' touch it..." Kerri asked.
"A little is okay...Chris orbed me here after all, but just to be safe...have spike do it...he's evil..." Leo replied.
"Spike's not....evil...just misguided..." Kerri said slowly but she seemed unsure of her own words.
"Spike just threatened to slit Nick's throat and I don't think he was kidding..." Leo replied
"He's very misguided..." Kerri said in his defense.
"He doesn't even have a soul to separate from his body..." Leo argued.
"Okay you win Casper..." Kerri said. 20 min. later
Spike grabbed Leo by his shirt and dropped him in the large dishwashing sink in the back, now they didn't have running water, but the sink was full of old soapy water, it would work.
"Come on rise and shine now," Spike said gritting his teeth a little as Kerri came in behind him.
"Keep his head above the water..." Kerri said quietly.
Spike noticed her tone of voice seemed a little...doleful. He propped up Leo's head and let him go, turning to her.
"What's wrong?" Spike asked her.
"Nothing...Just tired..." she replied quickly.
"You just woke up..." Spike pointed out.
Leo's eyes fluttered open, then he slowly sat up. He spit out a mouthful of placid soapy water.
He climbed out of the sink, then headed in the back...but not before tossing back over his shoulder, "Thanks,"
He knew that Chris kept clothes here, and suddenly he was thankful for that.
Spike nodded in response, but kept his eyes trained on Kerri.
"Okay love...here's the deal, your not leaving until you tell me what's wrong..."Spike said crossing his arms.
She raised an eyebrow, "Right..."
"I'm serious...Try to leave..." Spike challenged.
Kerri moved for the door but Spike being faster than her was there already. He stood in the door with his arms crossed...
"So..." he asked.
"Do you know why your the only one who could do that?" Kerri asked.
"The whole soulless thing might have something to do with it..." Spike said.
"Leo said it was because you're evil...and I wanted to believe that wasn't true but..." Kerri said her voice trailing off a bit.
"It is love, face it I'm evil as hell, but I'd never hurt you," Spike replied