Chapter 5
Angel walked into his, Buffy, and Dawn's apartment and walked into his and Buffy's bedroom. Buffy stood in front of the large window staring out at Los Angeles. She was in a pair of white shorts and a black tank top. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid in the back.
"Nice bed hair." Angel said.
"I let Dawn mess with it." Buffy said.
"Are you ok?"
"What do you think?"
"Does Dawn know?"
"Yes. I don't keep things from her anymore."
"Good."
"I'm going to bed."
"I'll be in, in just a minute."
Ten minutes later, Angel walked back in from the bathroom in a pair of baggy PJ pants and climbed under the blankets with a big sigh. Buffy scooted over and laid her head on his chest. She couldn't sleep unless she was comfortably curled up in Angel's arms. She was still mad that Angel would even think to exorcise Spike without asking him.
"Well, look at you two." Spike said from the shadows.
"Aw, no. No. No, no!" Angel said.
"Sitting in luxury's ample lap. Top of the world. Looking down on.. well, everyone. It's good to be king and queen, isn't it?"
"Ground rules. Haunt us all you want during business hours, but this space.. off limits."
"Relax, beefcake. I didn't come for a fight."
"Really?"
"Not that I could, right? Can't touch, can't affect anything.. Yeah, I overheard your little group powwow about me."
"How much?" Buffy asked.
"Enough of enough."
"Look, Spike.." Angel said, looking at Buffy.
"Necromancer tried to make a deal with me."
"What?"
"Said he could bring me back, body and soul, if I used our close personal relationship to double-cross you."
"Tempting. So what'd you say?"
"You see, right there, that's the problem. You having to ask me that. I don't play for that side anymore, or haven't you heard? Besides.. even if Mr. Death could do what he promised, I trust him about as much as you trust me."
"What do you want from us?"
"I can't live like this. Being useless. Being nothing. I want it to end."
Buffy looked at Angel. He nodded at her, understanding that she had been right. They quietly got dressed and headed out to the nearest cemetery. Spike looked around and then at Angel. "Suppose this'll do. Feels hallowed enough."
Buffy looked at the amulet in her hands. "Are you sure you want to do this, Spike?"
"What, think I could really stand hanging out with your honey and his lot, now and forever? Wisecracking ghost sidekick. No bloody thanks." Buffy stared at Spike, slightly hurt. "Sorry luv. It's not that I don't care for you. I do. But I don't want this existence. Come on. You know as well as I do, it's for the best." Angel picked up an urn from a nearby grave and handed it to Buffy. "I'm glad it's you, though. Finally doin' me in. Feels right. You bein' my first Slayer and all."
"If I could playfully punch you right now, I would." Spike smiled. "Good- bye, Spike."
"No good byes from you?" Spike asked Angel.
"Bye Spike." Angel said.
"See you around, Angel." Buffy picked up the urn and aimed for crushing the amulet. Suddenly, Angel had the other urn and he slammed it over Buffy's head. She turned just in time to get struck again and knocked out. Then Angel turned the urn on himself. "Uh, I think you missed." Angel hit himself in the face again, and then was picked up off the ground unable to move.
Hainsley stepped out of the shadows. "And the dead shall rise! Just 'cause I say so."
"Hainsely.." Angel groaned, looking down at Buffy.
"Vampire should think twice before messing with a man who wields power over all things lifeless." He dropped Angel to the ground, knocking him out. "If you ask my advice."
"Took your sweet time stepping in, Hainsley. I came this close to getting a one-way to the great beyond."
"Relax, son. I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. You're the linchpin of my plan."
"Our plan. And you bloody better hold up your end of it. I'm not gonna be used by you."
"Yes, you are. But afterwards, I'll give you your reward, just as you asked. I'll put you back in the driver's seat of your afterlife. Control. That's all anyone really wants, isn't it?"
When Buffy woke up, she was tied to a chair with thick chains. She looked around and saw Angel lying on the same table that the girl was on before Hainsley put the demon inside her. Apparently Angel had woken up too.
"Hello, vampire. Have a nice nap?" Hainsley asked. Angel tried to sit up, but Hainsley used his power to push him back down. "Naw, don't get up. You've had a rough day. You know, so have I, thanks to you."
"Yours is about to get a hell of a lot worse." Angel said. "Where's Buffy?"
"She's fine." Hainsley looked at Buffy. "Oh, and she's awake. Too bad. I'll just have to have you vamp her."
"I'll kill you before I'll let you do that."
"I don't think so. Me necromancer. You.. dead. You can't lay a finger on me."
"Maybe not. But what do you think the senior partners are gonna do to you when Buffy and I turn up missing?"
"Oh, you're not going to be missing. You're going to show up to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow morning, when you'll reverse the seizure of my personal assets and reinstate the Internment Acquisitions Department."
"And why would we do that?"
"Not you. Me. Wearing your body." Spike said.
"And to think I didn't trust you."
"Come on, Angel. What choice did I have? Bloody exorcism? Letting you and yours banish me to oblivion? No, thanks. Necro here's gonna give me my body back.. after I take yours for a test drive, fix his little problems. And here's the kicker: I go in, and you go.. pfft! Off to never- never-come-back land. And then.. yours very truly will be running the show. Your cars, your fancy digs, everything.. Everyone.." Spike glanced at Buffy. "I deserve.. will be mine. And you know I'll have a go with your Slayer. She's a goer and you know it as well as I do."
"Shut.."
"Spike." Buffy said, lifting her head.
"Yes pet?" Spike asked, turning.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Um.. Trading my life for a much better one?"
"Why?"
"Don't you see me? I'm a bloody ghost! That's not what I wanted."
"But you want to hurt to me?"
"What?"
"You want to take my husband from me? I thought you cared about me."
"I do."
"Then why would you hurt me like this?"
"Come on Slayer."
"No. Spike, if you have ever loved me.. If you have ever cared about me in your entire un-life, you won't do this. Please Spike. Don't take Angel away from me!"
Spike looked conflicted. Before any of them could blink, Hainsley started some eerie chanting and then plunged his hand inside Angel's stomach. Angel let out a scream and Buffy started to struggle with her bonds. Hainsley reached back toward Spike and absorbed Spike's energy into his own body. Spike disappeared and Hainsley's hand glowed orange. The orange glow flowed through Hainsley's body toward Angel, but stopped short. Buffy's eyes widened as Hainsley stared at his arm.
"Unh! What? What.. are you doing?"
The orange glow went back up Hainsley's arm and disappeared into his chest. "Spike.. would you mind?" Angel asked.
Spike/Hainsley pulled his hand out of Angel's body. "No! Noooo!"
Angel ran over to Buffy and helped her get out of the chains. Her forehead had dried blood on it from where Angel had hit her over the head with the urn. "I'm fine." She said. Angel and Buffy faced off with Hainsley, kicking him across the room. "I can touch you now, Hainsley."
Hainsley controlled Angel's body again, throwing him across the room. "Think you're clever, eh? But... unnnnh! Your ghost can't control me for long. I hold the power. I rule the dead." He reached toward Angel, but couldn't control him anymore.
"Not today." Buffy said. She threw a hard punch and sent Hainsley flying into a nearby table, knocking him down to the ground. Hainsley got up again and engaged Angel in hand-to-hand combat again. "Honey, duck." Buffy threw a blade at Hainsley, cutting his head off. Hainsley's head fell to the ground, and Spike's head floated above Hainsley's neck.
"Oh, bollocks." Spike said as Hainsley's body fell to the ground. "I was just getting warmed up."
"That was you hitting me?" Angel asked.
"The last bit, yeah. Hainsley's been dead since he hit the table. Oh, come on. Had to get a few licks in, didn't I?"
"Spike!" Buffy groaned. Angel held his stomach and Buffy walked over to him and held him up. "You ok?"
"I'll be fine." Angel said. "You might have a concussion though."
"Nah. It was only a concrete urn to the head."
"Only." Angel said with a smirk.
"And you two are all right?" Wesley asked as he, Buffy, and Angel walked through the lobby and towards Buffy and Angel's office.
"We'll be fine." Angel said.
"And Spike? Buffy got to him and saved the day in the nick of time?"
"Yup. That's my girl."
"I knew he couldn't say that he didn't care about me." Buffy said. "He's sorta like Angel in that way."
"Is not."
"Oh, he is too. If I told you to say you didn't love me right now, could you?"
"No."
"Spike couldn't either." She sat down in the chair. "Besides, he's been nice to me the whole time." The phone rang and Buffy picked it up. "Yeah?"
"Buffy, Faith's on line one." Harmony said.
"Oh." The Slayer looked at Angel. "Uh, patch her through."
"K."
"Hey B!" Faith said. "What's going on?"
"Uh.. Not much. How're things?" Buffy asked.
"They're great. These rookie Slayers are really looking up to me."
"That's.. you know, that's really good."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Buffy and Angel both said.
"Angel? Are you on speaker?"
"Yeah." Angel said, walking over. "Hey Faith."
"What's going on with you two?"
"Weird night."
"Don't tell me about it. I've got kinky sex things going on too."
"We didn't mean.." Buffy said. "Never mind. How's Giles?"
"He's good."
"And Willow?"
"Is right here waiting to say hey."
"Ok."
"Hey Buffy! Hi Angel!" Willow said.
"Hey Wills."
"Hey Willow." Angel said.
"Golly I miss you guys."
"We miss you too." Buffy said.
"Buffy was telling me the other day that she felt guilty for not going with you all."
"Ah, Buff.. Don't. You've got a family to take care of. We can't move Dawn around like that. It's good you're settled down."
"Not something I'm really used to." Buffy said. "But you should see the penthouse!"
"I can't wait."
"When are you coming in?" Angel asked.
"Soon hopefully. We're really busy."
"That's good, right?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah! More protection for the world."
"You guys should start a school."
"And base it in LA that way we'd never be so far apart. I miss you so much Buffy. There's no one here that I can share stuff with."
"Hey!" Faith protested in the background.
"She's my best friend. Sorry Faith."
"It's ok. I was only playing."
"I miss you way more Will! I need my best here." Buffy said.
"Wes could use some help in his mystical department." Angel said. "You're the best source of mystical I know."
Wesley walked out of the office to let Buffy and Angel catch up with their friends in private. He watched through the window as the two laughed at something Willow must have said.
Angel walked into his, Buffy, and Dawn's apartment and walked into his and Buffy's bedroom. Buffy stood in front of the large window staring out at Los Angeles. She was in a pair of white shorts and a black tank top. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid in the back.
"Nice bed hair." Angel said.
"I let Dawn mess with it." Buffy said.
"Are you ok?"
"What do you think?"
"Does Dawn know?"
"Yes. I don't keep things from her anymore."
"Good."
"I'm going to bed."
"I'll be in, in just a minute."
Ten minutes later, Angel walked back in from the bathroom in a pair of baggy PJ pants and climbed under the blankets with a big sigh. Buffy scooted over and laid her head on his chest. She couldn't sleep unless she was comfortably curled up in Angel's arms. She was still mad that Angel would even think to exorcise Spike without asking him.
"Well, look at you two." Spike said from the shadows.
"Aw, no. No. No, no!" Angel said.
"Sitting in luxury's ample lap. Top of the world. Looking down on.. well, everyone. It's good to be king and queen, isn't it?"
"Ground rules. Haunt us all you want during business hours, but this space.. off limits."
"Relax, beefcake. I didn't come for a fight."
"Really?"
"Not that I could, right? Can't touch, can't affect anything.. Yeah, I overheard your little group powwow about me."
"How much?" Buffy asked.
"Enough of enough."
"Look, Spike.." Angel said, looking at Buffy.
"Necromancer tried to make a deal with me."
"What?"
"Said he could bring me back, body and soul, if I used our close personal relationship to double-cross you."
"Tempting. So what'd you say?"
"You see, right there, that's the problem. You having to ask me that. I don't play for that side anymore, or haven't you heard? Besides.. even if Mr. Death could do what he promised, I trust him about as much as you trust me."
"What do you want from us?"
"I can't live like this. Being useless. Being nothing. I want it to end."
Buffy looked at Angel. He nodded at her, understanding that she had been right. They quietly got dressed and headed out to the nearest cemetery. Spike looked around and then at Angel. "Suppose this'll do. Feels hallowed enough."
Buffy looked at the amulet in her hands. "Are you sure you want to do this, Spike?"
"What, think I could really stand hanging out with your honey and his lot, now and forever? Wisecracking ghost sidekick. No bloody thanks." Buffy stared at Spike, slightly hurt. "Sorry luv. It's not that I don't care for you. I do. But I don't want this existence. Come on. You know as well as I do, it's for the best." Angel picked up an urn from a nearby grave and handed it to Buffy. "I'm glad it's you, though. Finally doin' me in. Feels right. You bein' my first Slayer and all."
"If I could playfully punch you right now, I would." Spike smiled. "Good- bye, Spike."
"No good byes from you?" Spike asked Angel.
"Bye Spike." Angel said.
"See you around, Angel." Buffy picked up the urn and aimed for crushing the amulet. Suddenly, Angel had the other urn and he slammed it over Buffy's head. She turned just in time to get struck again and knocked out. Then Angel turned the urn on himself. "Uh, I think you missed." Angel hit himself in the face again, and then was picked up off the ground unable to move.
Hainsley stepped out of the shadows. "And the dead shall rise! Just 'cause I say so."
"Hainsely.." Angel groaned, looking down at Buffy.
"Vampire should think twice before messing with a man who wields power over all things lifeless." He dropped Angel to the ground, knocking him out. "If you ask my advice."
"Took your sweet time stepping in, Hainsley. I came this close to getting a one-way to the great beyond."
"Relax, son. I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. You're the linchpin of my plan."
"Our plan. And you bloody better hold up your end of it. I'm not gonna be used by you."
"Yes, you are. But afterwards, I'll give you your reward, just as you asked. I'll put you back in the driver's seat of your afterlife. Control. That's all anyone really wants, isn't it?"
When Buffy woke up, she was tied to a chair with thick chains. She looked around and saw Angel lying on the same table that the girl was on before Hainsley put the demon inside her. Apparently Angel had woken up too.
"Hello, vampire. Have a nice nap?" Hainsley asked. Angel tried to sit up, but Hainsley used his power to push him back down. "Naw, don't get up. You've had a rough day. You know, so have I, thanks to you."
"Yours is about to get a hell of a lot worse." Angel said. "Where's Buffy?"
"She's fine." Hainsley looked at Buffy. "Oh, and she's awake. Too bad. I'll just have to have you vamp her."
"I'll kill you before I'll let you do that."
"I don't think so. Me necromancer. You.. dead. You can't lay a finger on me."
"Maybe not. But what do you think the senior partners are gonna do to you when Buffy and I turn up missing?"
"Oh, you're not going to be missing. You're going to show up to work bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow morning, when you'll reverse the seizure of my personal assets and reinstate the Internment Acquisitions Department."
"And why would we do that?"
"Not you. Me. Wearing your body." Spike said.
"And to think I didn't trust you."
"Come on, Angel. What choice did I have? Bloody exorcism? Letting you and yours banish me to oblivion? No, thanks. Necro here's gonna give me my body back.. after I take yours for a test drive, fix his little problems. And here's the kicker: I go in, and you go.. pfft! Off to never- never-come-back land. And then.. yours very truly will be running the show. Your cars, your fancy digs, everything.. Everyone.." Spike glanced at Buffy. "I deserve.. will be mine. And you know I'll have a go with your Slayer. She's a goer and you know it as well as I do."
"Shut.."
"Spike." Buffy said, lifting her head.
"Yes pet?" Spike asked, turning.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Um.. Trading my life for a much better one?"
"Why?"
"Don't you see me? I'm a bloody ghost! That's not what I wanted."
"But you want to hurt to me?"
"What?"
"You want to take my husband from me? I thought you cared about me."
"I do."
"Then why would you hurt me like this?"
"Come on Slayer."
"No. Spike, if you have ever loved me.. If you have ever cared about me in your entire un-life, you won't do this. Please Spike. Don't take Angel away from me!"
Spike looked conflicted. Before any of them could blink, Hainsley started some eerie chanting and then plunged his hand inside Angel's stomach. Angel let out a scream and Buffy started to struggle with her bonds. Hainsley reached back toward Spike and absorbed Spike's energy into his own body. Spike disappeared and Hainsley's hand glowed orange. The orange glow flowed through Hainsley's body toward Angel, but stopped short. Buffy's eyes widened as Hainsley stared at his arm.
"Unh! What? What.. are you doing?"
The orange glow went back up Hainsley's arm and disappeared into his chest. "Spike.. would you mind?" Angel asked.
Spike/Hainsley pulled his hand out of Angel's body. "No! Noooo!"
Angel ran over to Buffy and helped her get out of the chains. Her forehead had dried blood on it from where Angel had hit her over the head with the urn. "I'm fine." She said. Angel and Buffy faced off with Hainsley, kicking him across the room. "I can touch you now, Hainsley."
Hainsley controlled Angel's body again, throwing him across the room. "Think you're clever, eh? But... unnnnh! Your ghost can't control me for long. I hold the power. I rule the dead." He reached toward Angel, but couldn't control him anymore.
"Not today." Buffy said. She threw a hard punch and sent Hainsley flying into a nearby table, knocking him down to the ground. Hainsley got up again and engaged Angel in hand-to-hand combat again. "Honey, duck." Buffy threw a blade at Hainsley, cutting his head off. Hainsley's head fell to the ground, and Spike's head floated above Hainsley's neck.
"Oh, bollocks." Spike said as Hainsley's body fell to the ground. "I was just getting warmed up."
"That was you hitting me?" Angel asked.
"The last bit, yeah. Hainsley's been dead since he hit the table. Oh, come on. Had to get a few licks in, didn't I?"
"Spike!" Buffy groaned. Angel held his stomach and Buffy walked over to him and held him up. "You ok?"
"I'll be fine." Angel said. "You might have a concussion though."
"Nah. It was only a concrete urn to the head."
"Only." Angel said with a smirk.
"And you two are all right?" Wesley asked as he, Buffy, and Angel walked through the lobby and towards Buffy and Angel's office.
"We'll be fine." Angel said.
"And Spike? Buffy got to him and saved the day in the nick of time?"
"Yup. That's my girl."
"I knew he couldn't say that he didn't care about me." Buffy said. "He's sorta like Angel in that way."
"Is not."
"Oh, he is too. If I told you to say you didn't love me right now, could you?"
"No."
"Spike couldn't either." She sat down in the chair. "Besides, he's been nice to me the whole time." The phone rang and Buffy picked it up. "Yeah?"
"Buffy, Faith's on line one." Harmony said.
"Oh." The Slayer looked at Angel. "Uh, patch her through."
"K."
"Hey B!" Faith said. "What's going on?"
"Uh.. Not much. How're things?" Buffy asked.
"They're great. These rookie Slayers are really looking up to me."
"That's.. you know, that's really good."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Buffy and Angel both said.
"Angel? Are you on speaker?"
"Yeah." Angel said, walking over. "Hey Faith."
"What's going on with you two?"
"Weird night."
"Don't tell me about it. I've got kinky sex things going on too."
"We didn't mean.." Buffy said. "Never mind. How's Giles?"
"He's good."
"And Willow?"
"Is right here waiting to say hey."
"Ok."
"Hey Buffy! Hi Angel!" Willow said.
"Hey Wills."
"Hey Willow." Angel said.
"Golly I miss you guys."
"We miss you too." Buffy said.
"Buffy was telling me the other day that she felt guilty for not going with you all."
"Ah, Buff.. Don't. You've got a family to take care of. We can't move Dawn around like that. It's good you're settled down."
"Not something I'm really used to." Buffy said. "But you should see the penthouse!"
"I can't wait."
"When are you coming in?" Angel asked.
"Soon hopefully. We're really busy."
"That's good, right?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah! More protection for the world."
"You guys should start a school."
"And base it in LA that way we'd never be so far apart. I miss you so much Buffy. There's no one here that I can share stuff with."
"Hey!" Faith protested in the background.
"She's my best friend. Sorry Faith."
"It's ok. I was only playing."
"I miss you way more Will! I need my best here." Buffy said.
"Wes could use some help in his mystical department." Angel said. "You're the best source of mystical I know."
Wesley walked out of the office to let Buffy and Angel catch up with their friends in private. He watched through the window as the two laughed at something Willow must have said.