REPRECUSSIONS
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
Author's Note: Wesley waking up after passing out happens the same morning that Spike/Buffy show up unexpectedly in the doorway, just so that everyone's up to date and the timeline doesn't get confused, because I've jumped back and forth a bit. And Angel isn't mad at Wesley, he's mad at the Scoobies. And the potentials have faced the Turok-Han since they fought them after the bomb blew up and Buffy came in and killed them all before getting everyone to safety.
CHAPTER 5-THINGS GET INTERESTING
Roses. Roses, grease, and a fair amount of dirt. A myriad of aromas assaulted his senses as the world came back into focus to him. He had no idea how long he had been out, but upon managing to force open one eye and look down he found that his wounds had been cleaned and sufficiently dressed. What he didn't know was by whom, sure he had his guesses but wasn't in a mood to only guess. When he managed to crack his other eye open an odd, but almost comforting sight greeted him. Curled up against him, with an arm draped lazily yet almost comfortingly around his waist, lay his slayer. No, on second thought, not his slayer but the one in whom he had failed to serve as watcher. A sense of confusion washed over him and for a time he seriously thought about moving to rouse her from her slumber. But oddly enough, maybe because of the dizzy feeling in his head, he calmed down and took a closer look at the slayer with the unruly mass of chocolate curls that was softly snoring at his side. She had changed so much over the last few years. When he had first met her he had been struck more by her seemingly endless supply of energy and quick change of attitude. That coupled with her razor sharp wit and daring smile had endeared him almost immediately to her, making her turn to the darker side even more disturbing and hurtful. For long months after her incarceration he had blamed himself every night in his sleep and in his quiet moments before Angel or Cordelia would interrupt and ask him about something that even a future watcher in his first year of training could help with. But over the rest of the time he had changed his way of thinking and come to the conclusion that they had both erred in their judgments and actions and that they both had points to apologize for.
When he had been nearly at his wits end in scrounging to come up with a way to find and then bring Angelus' reign of terror to a stop his former slayer had at first not even been in his peripheral vision. But when he had started thinking outside of the box her name had suddenly and rather forcefully come to the forefront of his mind. He hadn't been completely sure about his decision, being intentionally vague to the others when he had abruptly left the Hyperion that night. But upon locking gazes with her he knew that his appraisal of the situation had been correct. During the short talk, that was arguably one of the longest if not the longest conversation that he'd ever had with Faith where she actually spoke back in something more than short angry grunts of telling him where to go, he had kept his gaze locked onto hers for fear that if he looked elsewhere he'd lose his concentration, and quite possibly his nerve. After the defeat of the Beast he had been about ready to rush into the bathroom when the sound of the crumbling wall meeting with her fists had come resoundingly through the walls of his apartment but he had steadied himself and waited, coming up with the perfect quip to try to help her calm down. It hadn't worked very well but when she had left with Willow to come to Sunnydale Wesley had found himself wishing that she could have stayed in the Hyperion and continued the fight. Maybe it was his fear of the coming battles and how nearly they had come to losing this one. Maybe it was the fear of being blamed for the whole situation. Or maybe it was something else entirely, something that he hadn't expected in the least to come his way but had never had to much luck in acknowledging it when he found it. Those thoughts tormented him as slumber overtook him once more, affording him only the gesture of pulling his free arm around the rogue slayer, no his slayer once more, and lazily running a rough thumb across her silky soft cheek.
* * * * * *
"Buffy…," Angel choked out the word almost more in astonishment than happiness to see his former lover.
"Angel…," Buffy said again, this time smiling a bit more and shrugging her shoulders before she stopped, steadied herself and looked up. "We need your help…we can't go ho…to Sunnydale right now and we…," Buffy added with a nervous and patient tone to her voice that made Angel instantly suspicious, if seeing her standing beside his grandchilde and the smell that permeated the two wasn't enough.
"Need a place to stay since those bastards kicked you out," Angel finished Buffy's thought with a very serious frown on his face as he sat back down.
"So you've been to casa de mutiny eh Peaches…they give you a warm welcome," Spike asked with an impish smile on his face as he pulled a hand out of one of his pockets and reached up to scratch behind his ear.
"Well if you consider getting jumped by a Shaft wannabe and a bunch of girls then no…they didn't," Angel replied with a restrained expression of anger on his face as he tried to stay seated rather than jump up and demand to know why Spike and Buffy smelled like they had bathed in each other.
"Was…was everyone there…I mean they're all okay right…," Buffy stammered out her question with a concerned look on her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and turned her head away.
"For the moment…now which one of you is going to explain to me why you both smell like you…," Angel started to say as he shrugged his shoulders before he looked up and glared a hole through Spike.
"Is there somewhere where we can talk…in private…to much has happened and…," Buffy replied with a nervous smile on her face before Angel nodded his head and lead her out of the board room and back to his office. Before leaving, and after Angel had left the room, Buffy turned back to Spike and kissed him gently before adding, "Don't worry, I'll tell him everything…but don't worry, no matter what Angel says or does I know who I'll be with tonight and forevermore…you."
"Hey now…what are you two staring at," Spike growled with an angry and frustrated frown on his face as he crossed his arms and glared at Gunn and Fred.
"Nothing…," The two answered in perfect unison with confused and worried looks on their faces as Fred slowly pushed her chair away from Spike while Gunn prepared to fight if the need arose.
* * * * * *
She awoke to an odd occurrence, that of still being in the same bed with the same man next to her as had been there the night before. Sure she had slept with men before and had overslept and woken up beside them. But this time was different, for she hadn't slept with her former watcher but instead only offered him comfort, an odd thing for her to do. After the others had left them alone she had started to pull away but found that for some strange reason she felt that she had to remain at his side. She guessed that he had awoken sometime during either the night or early morning hours as she didn't remember his good arm being wrapped protectively around her. To her amazement the position that she found herself in didn't automatically make her want to flee for the hills upon its realization. Instead she felt oddly warm and content, almost happy, and for the first time in a long time the nightmares that had plagued her first in prison and then during the nights spent before Buffy had left had mysteriously not presented themselves. When she lifted her head to get a better look around she grimaced at the sickly taste of blood on her lips, a taste that she puzzled over as none of her current injuries were of the possibility of bleeding. Puzzled she looked down and her heart nearly stopped at the sight. Sometime during the night Wesley's wounds had bleed through the bandages and she must have moved her head just enough that the blood that she tasted on her lips was his. Disgusted and frightened for what the blood meant Faith quickly extricated herself from Wesley's grasp while disturbing him as little as possible. Rushing out of the room and to the bathroom Faith angrily shoved Vi aside as the potential slayer was on her way to brush her teeth after lunch and slammed the door shut. Ignoring Vi's surprised and angered questions Faith hurriedly turned the water on and brushed the blood from her lips before throwing the door back open and rushing to the top of the stairs before shouting for Giles.
* * * * * *
For the next hour Buffy and Angel spoke in his office while Spike sat slumped in Angel's chair in the boardroom, acting as if he could care less. However Fred had been watching him from the time that he had first stepped foot into the room and she could tell by the look in his eyes that the wait was pure torture. Several times during the hour large bangs could be heard coming from the office, prompting Gunn to guess that the sounds must have been caused by something large striking the wall, most likely one of the chairs in Angel's office. With each bang Fred noticed that Spike would flinch a bit and start to appear more like a scared child than a fearsome vampire. Gunn and Fred had tried to ask Spike questions but he had only grunted in reply that he didn't feel like answering any questions.
"Spike…Angel wants to see you…and please don't try to kill each other," Buffy said softly with a worried look on her face as she walked back into the board room and laid a hand on Spike's shoulder.
"Everything go okay pet," Spike asked with a worried look of his own as he leapt up out of his chair and laid a hand on Buffy's shoulder.
"Yeah…he wasn't exactly overjoyed with what I had to tell him but…he's trying…he said that he wanted to go over some things with you…so please…don't do anything stupid…," Buffy replied softly with a look of innocence on her face as she looked deep into Spike's eyes and leaned in a bit.
"Of course luv…Peaches and I will have our little talk and then you and I can get some sleep," Spike whispered back with an odd smile on his face before he leaned in close, gave Buffy a gentle kiss, and left the room. Spike didn't initially see Angel when he slipped into his office and shut the door behind him. True all of the lights were out in the office but with his vampire abilities that wasn't a problem.
"How could you…," Angel's voice asked out of the darkness as if an unveiled threat before Spike caught sight of the his grandsire sitting behind his desk.
"How could I what...," Spike started to ask with a slightly confused look on his face before Angel bolted up out of the chair and grabbed Spike by the throat, slamming him into the wall behind him.
"How could you do that to her…you said that you loved her and you try to…," Angel growled loudly with a pissed off scowl on his face before he slipped his game face on and uttered a very low vampiric growl.
"I don't know…never planned…on going that far…things…got out of hand…," Spike gasped out in between Angel's attempts to choke the proverbial life out of him before Angel cut in with another question.
"How convenient for you then…getting your soul and everything…what'd you do Spike, go out and have a ball after trying to rape the woman that you claimed to love…then make a deal with the devil to get your soul so that she'd forgive you," Angel shouted his question straight into Spike's face as he continued to squeeze Spike's throat and hold him firmly up against the wall.
"Are you that thick headed…I hated myself for what I did…I still do…the soul makes sure of that…not that I need it to do that…but you're right about one thing…I did make a deal to get my soul…but I never…asked for her…to forgive me…she did that on…her own," Spike answered in short gasps before he managed to push Angel away and gently rub the bruises on his neck.
"You expect me to believe that…Buffy just forgave you because you got your soul…please…she…," Angel laughed out with a sinister scowl on his face as he slowly made his way back to his desk and slightly leaned on it.
"She forgave you quickly enough after you killed that teacher, the one that Rupert was in love with…what was her name again…Jenny something or other," Spike spat back out with a defiant edge to his voice as he glared back at Angel.
"Calendar…Jenny Calendar, and don't bring that up, that was different…I couldn't be held responsible for…," Angel started to growl back before Spike perked up like a child that suddenly knew the answer to a question.
"Can't be held responsible…oh that's rich Angel…as much as you try and deny it Angelus is still in there, even with your soul, every bit as much as William the Bloody is still in me right now, the only difference between you with a soul and without one is that when you have a soul you know what you're doing is wrong and it bothers you…but with me I didn't need the soul to feel like I deserved to die for what I did to Buffy…I still do…feel that way, but for some reason that I can only begin to fathom she actually loves me…for the first time in my life I actually have someone that loves me…and I'm not about to let you or anyone else take that away," Spike shot back in a longwinded reply as he angrily paced around Angel's office and every once in a while glared over at his grandsire.
"What if you're wrong Spike…what then…," Angel asked softly while glaring daggers through his obstinate grandchilde.
"Then…well then…," Spike started to reply with a very nervous look on his face before his words caught in his throat as a familiar tingle ran up the back of his neck.
"He's not wrong Angel, I do love him…maybe not in the exact same way that I loved you but it is still love, enough for me anyway," Buffy stated with a very matter of fact look on her face as she stood in the doorway of Angel's office, arms crossed and hips slightly cocked to one side.
* * * * * *
"Where do you think she is…," Willow asked with a sad pout on her face as she pulled her knees up under her chin and stared out across Buffy's backyard.
"Who knows Will…," Xander replied softly with a worried look on his face as he slowly took a seat beside Willow and clasped his hands together.
"Do you think we…did the right thing…," Willow mumbled with a hesitant tone to her voice as she only half looked over at her best friend.
"I thought so originally…but now…I don't know Will, I just don't know…," Xander solemnly stated his reply as a cool breeze picked up and wafted a few leaves across the lawn.
"Me either…," Willow nearly choked out before her voice escaped her and tears filled her eyes.
"Hey now…who said that you could cry…don't worry we'll find her and hopefully someday we'll all look back at his and laugh…," Xander stated with a lying look on his face as Willow only responded by curling up into a smaller ball than before.
"What are we going to do…Faith's barely up on her feet…," Willow started to ask with a worried look on her face before she was interrupted by the sounds of sneakers on the deck behind them.
"And we got our asses kicked twice in one day…," Kennedy said with a very depressed frown on her face as she slid down beside Willow and wrapped her arms comfortingly around her girlfriend.
"We're in trouble…aren't we," A very meek Vi asked with a nervous look on her face as she kept her arms tight to her sides and stared at her toes.
"Uh huh…trouble with a capital trouble…," Xander replied with a forcibly confidant smile on his face as he tried to not scare the skittish potential to much, but failed miserably.
"I knew it…we're all going to die…," Vi mumbled softly with a panicked expression on her face as she scurried in between Willow and Xander and finally stopped out underneath Spike's tree.
"We're not all going to die…most…but not all," Xander joked softly again, in an attempt to soothe Vi's overly frayed nerves.
"Maybe I should call Fred, I think that I trust her enough to tell me if they know where Buffy is without letting Angel know that it's me," Willow offered with a fearful look of optimism on her face as she looked over to Xander.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea Willow, if Angel's told her what happened then she might not want to even talk to you," Xander replied softly with a hesitant look of hope on his face as he tried to stay calm and not get his hopes up.
"It doesn't matter, we're running out of ideas here…," Faith stated with a deadly serious edge to her voice as she slowly walked, barefoot, out onto the deck and stopped a few feet behind Xander and Willow.
"How's Wesley…," Willow asked with a worried look on her face as she wiped away a tear and tried to keep from shivering, even though it was the middle of the day.
"He's…well he's…Wesley…Giles and Robin have done all that they can for him…he needs to get to a real hospital…," Faith answered with an odd shiver of her own as she jammed her hands deep into her pockets and hung her head.
"Hey…you okay Faith…," Xander asked with suddenly a very worried feeling in the pit of his stomach as the formerly tough as nails rogue slayer suddenly reminded him a great deal of Buffy after her first full encounter with one of the ubervamps.
"Sure…of course…I'd better get back inside and check on Wesley…if he wakes up and doesn't know where he is there could trouble…he'll want to see a calming…I mean soothing…I mean familiar face…fuck," Faith grumbled with an eerie stutter to her voice before she turned around on her heel and rushed back into the house.
"Was it me or was that just totally wiggy," Xander asked with a startled gasp as he looked back and forth between the empty doorway and Willow.
"She kinda looked like she was going to cry…can she cry…," Vi stammered out softly with a terrified look on her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around her midsection and looked desperately towards Willow and Xander for an answer.
"Of course Vi…Faith just isn't one to show her emotions to…I'm going to call Fred," Willow started to reassure Vi with a kind smile on her face before she frowned suddenly and awkwardly stood up before rushing back into the house.
"Yep…trouble with a capital trouble…," Xander muttered softly under his breath with a very sarcastic tone to his voice before he stood up and sulked off back into the house, leaving Kennedy on the steps and a scared Vi trembling near the tree.
END OF CHAPTER 5