Be Careful What You Wish For
Disclaimer: Saving all my pocket lint for Christmas. Not owning anything else.
Summary: Wishes and confrontations.
Reviews: YES, YES, YES. Please, please review and I'll put in a good word with Santa. Readers rock but reviewers RULE!!!
A/N: Sorry if some of you think Lorne is a little OOC but as I've said in previous stories, I never watched Angel much. Up until the last season, hmmm… wonder why. ;-) All I remember of Lorne is that he calls people by sweetie-pie nicknames. This was a hard chapter to write cause I know where I want to go but not sure how to get there. So read and review please and I promise to do better next time.
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Buffy automatically reached for a weapon. Seeing a demon seated comfortably at the research table unnerved her. Her first instinct was to kill first, ask questions after. But the sight of her teenage sister in the arms of a half naked vampire wiped all thoughts of killing out of her mind, well, maybe not all thoughts. The vampire wrapped around Dawn could be a prime candidate for dusting. She surveyed the store and centered her attention on the one most likely to give her some answers.
"Angel, tell me what is going on here before I start slaying." The petite blond demanded.
Angel held a hand up to stall the Slayer and turned to Lorne. "What did you see?"
Lorne continued staring at Buffy. "It occurs to me that maybe she didn't know what it was she was doing. But it is her fault that Fredikins is gone."
Buffy's mouth dropped open in disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about. Something happened to Fred? I didn't have anything to do with it. I mean, the last time I saw her I was bugged because she was dragging Spike out to the back porch but I wouldn't hurt her. She's human for Pete's sake. I mean, she is human isn't she?" She appealed to Angel to assure her that the missing scientist was in fact human.
"Yes, she's human, Buffy." Angel sighed. "Lorne, what is going on here?"
Spike kissed the top of Dawn's head and released her from his grasp. Nudging the teenager to move over, he rose from the step and advanced on the puzzled Slayer. Moving to stand in front of her as she hovered near the step just inside the door, he heaved an unneeded sigh and ran a shaking hand through his unruly curls.
"Buffy, what did you do today?" He asked exasperatedly.
She crossed her arms. "Why should I tell you?" She glared at him, making sure she looked him up and down. In spite of herself, she found the sight of his uncovered chest rather enticing.
He followed her gaze and huffed a frustrated breath. Instantly a snug black t-shirt appeared, covering his leanly muscled form. A red silk shirt topped the t-shirt seconds later. His bare feet disappeared into his customary scuffed boots. Buffy's lower lip puffed out in a pout.
"Well, if you're going to be that way. I went to the Espresso Pump and had coffee earlier. When I got back to the house, Willow was just leaving to come here so I came with. I didn't do anything to your little girlfriend. I wouldn't hurt a human. I kill demons. Speaking of which, what are you and why aren't I killing you?" Buffy turned to Lorne as she finished speaking.
Angel stood up. He grasped Buffy's arm and steered her toward the table. "Buffy, this is Lorne. He's from Pylea, that's another dimension. Somehow Fred got sent there this morning. We rescued her from there several months ago. Now we have to go get her again. He says you had something to do with that. So we need to know exactly what you did today."
"Buffy, were you by yourself all morning?" Spike asked, moving up to the table. He leaned on it with his head bowed.
She looked surprised. "No. I had coffee with Anya."
Xander shot up out of his chair. "Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. Please say it's not so, please someone tell me she didn't." He babbled. Willow raced over to her best friend.
"Xander! What's wrong? She who didn't? Xan, talk to me!" The redhead grabbed his arm as he paced. The distraught brunette shook her off.
"Buffy, please, please tell me you didn't make a wish while you were talking to Anya." Xander pleaded.
Cordelia looked at Xander in shock. "You knew, didn't you? You knew she was a demon again. That's why you told Spike not to say 'wish'. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Xander chewed his lower lip. "I didn't know for sure. Some of her friends that I talked to said that she'd left with D'Hoffryn. I was hoping he was only being nice because he was her ex-boss. I'm so stupid, I should have known."
Cordy shook her head. "You're not stupid. Buffy, did you make a wish?"
Buffy instantly denied making a wish. "No! Why would I… Oh my God! I did! I didn't know. Anya's a vengeance demon again? When did she go back? I'm so sorry! I was just venting."
Spike turned and grasped the Slayer's arms, fingers digging in almost painfully. "What did you wish?" His voice shook. He glared into her eyes, blue burning into green. "What did you wish?" He demanded again when she didn't reply.
Buffy brought her arms up and knocked his hands off. "I was ranting. The two of you pissed me off and I was letting off some steam. I hadn't seen Anya since the non-wedding so we had a lot to catch up on. I may have voiced a wish that Fred go back to whereever Angel found her. I didn't remember that she'd been in another dimension. I was mad, okay?"
Giles cleaned his glasses. Replacing them, he got up and walked over to Buffy. "You got mad. Buffy, after everything you've seen and done, I should think you would realize that you have to be careful in what you say. You cannot let your emotions override your common sense. Didn't you sense that Anya was a demon again?"
Buffy's mouth open and closed a couple of times. "Well, no. I wasn't really paying attention. It just never occurred to me that she would be a demon again. I was mad okay?"
Dawn spoke up from her position on the step. "Buffy, why were you mad?"
The slayer studied the floor. "I just was, okay?"
Spike turned his back on the woman he'd loved and once more ran a shaking hand through his hair. "She's mad at me. Fred and me. I didn't jump right back into her arms just because she said those three words she swore she'd never say. Her ego couldn't take that I might find another woman. Fred doesn't care that I'm a vampire. She doesn't know I have a soul. She didn't even care that the chip doesn't work anymore. She cared about me before she knew anything about me. That's why Buffy's mad. I didn't go right back to following her around like an obedient little puppy. I've changed, Buffy. I still love you. I will always love you but I'm not in love with you anymore. I'm sorry I made promises yesterday. I just lost it for a moment finally hearing you say it. It was just…"
Spike turned back and looked into Buffy's stunned green eyes. "I'm so sorry. But I can't believe you love me. At least not all of me. I think you love the part of me that makes me do good. The 'William' in me. You love the soul, not the whole package."
He ran a finger down the side of her face. A tear trickled down the sharp line of his cheek. He smiled sadly. "Now, we need to get Fred back."
Spike straightened up and inhaled needlessly. His whole demeanor changed. His face hardened and he closed his eyes, concentrating. Anya appeared, almost falling over in shock as she realized she was not longer talking to yet another heartbroken female.
"How dare you bring me here!" The vengeance demon shrieked. She moved to leave.
"Oh no you don't." Spike growled. He was back in control and out for a little vengeance of his own. He motioned with his hand and Anya was trapped into place much the same way Warren had been the day before. He moved over to the female he'd considered a friend.
"You granted a wish for Buffy earlier." He said. The others in the room looked on silently as the Master Vampire intimidated the demon. "You sent an innocent woman to another dimension. Now, I know you're not allowed to reverse wishes. The reason you're here is because I want you to go to D'Hoffryn and tell him you're not going to be granting any more wishes for anyone in Sunnyhell. You can stay here and refrain from vengeance or you can leave. We don't want to lose you. You're our friend and we care about you. But we can't have you wreaking havoc with your little vengeance wishes. Xander hurt you, we get that. It's part of being human. You have to get past the hurt without going around hurting others."
"Yes, he hurt me. Why shouldn't I help women who've been hurt by worthless men. Buffy made a wish and I granted it. I didn't know where she'd go. Another dimension huh? Well that worked out better than I'd hoped. Bet that gave you some pain. Serves you right." Anya ranted. She looked closer at the blond vampire looming over her. Her eyes widened.
"When did you get a soul?" She gasped in surprise.
"Always had it. Never used it." Spike smirked at her. "It doesn't make any difference. If you force me to, I'll still hurt you and not feel a seconds guilt."
Xander walked hesitantly over to his ex-fiancée. "Ahn. I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I was stupid. I should never have left you."
"Yes, you were stupid. I can't imagine what I ever saw in you. If you think for one minute…." Anya struggled to free herself from the magical hold.
There was a flash of lightening and a large blue demon everyone recognized as the supreme vengeance demon, D'Hoffryn appeared. His arms were folded and he did not look pleased.
"Anyanka, why are you letting a mere vampire hold you prisoner? I'm surprised at you." He rumbled.
Spike smirked. "A mere vampire? Do you want to test that?" He looked at the large demon appraisingly. Most of the humans, along with Lorne, retreated to the safety provided by the open work stairs. Angel and Buffy stood off to the side ready to help but both doubted the blond vampire would need it.
"I could take you." Spike muttered.
"I seriously doubt it, small vampire. I would be gone before you got across the room." D'Hoffryn stated. In a blink, Spike disappeared and reappeared, moving from his position in front of Anya to directly behind the big blue braggart. Spike tapped D'Hoffryn on the shoulder and, when the demon looked around in surprise, slugged him in the jaw. Before the larger combatant could retaliate, Spike had flashed back over to Anya and had her in a hold that, with one tiny move, would break her neck.
"The whole 'I'll be gone before you got across the room' thing, well, let's just say. You lose. I don't want to hurt her. She's my friend. But I won't hesitate if you try to harm anyone in this room. I'm no 'mere vampire'. I have more power than the two of you put together. I won't think twice in using it against you if you piss me off. That vengeance thing? Get over it. Life sucks. It hurts. People get hurt and hurt others in return. Being in the business of making people suffer for hurting someone? It's a no win. So I think that Anya should be a good girl and forget about the vengeance gig and come back to run the Magic Box for Rupert. Capitalism is so much more rewarding. Don't you think?" Spike kissed Anya on the cheek and released his hold on her neck. He released her from the magical binding and gave her a small shove towards D'Hoffryn.
D'Hoffryn inclined his head. "I will consider your words. Anyanka, come with me. We will discuss the situation. Miss Rosenberg, always a pleasure. I trust you still have my talisman; if you require anything, give us a chant." With that, the two vengeance demons vanished.
The group heaved a collective sigh of relief. Spike looked around at the absence of people at the table. He smiled derisively at the people creeping out from behind the staircase.
"Way to watch my back guys." He observed.
Dawn ran over and jumped into the blond vampire's arms. She whispered in his ear. "You are so awesome."
He hugged her close. "Nope, just desperate." He whispered back with a slight smile. Turning to the green demon and Angel, he nodded.
"Make your supply list. I'll create whatever we need. I want to leave as soon as possible. We've wasted enough time with Anya and Big Blue. But for now, I'm feeling a bit peckish and those donuts look like they've seen better days. So…." Spike glanced at the table and the books moved themselves to the safety of the counter and food replaced them. Two mugs of warm blood appeared for the vampires while various cold cuts and cheeses covered a large tray in the center of the table. Crackers, breads and chips surrounded the tray while a cooler of soft drinks appeared on the floor next to the table.
Lorne looked on in amazement. "Forget singing, you could make a fortune in catering. No overhead." He mused.
Giles walked over to the counter and found some paper and a pen to hand to Angel. Moving over to Spike, the former Watcher gazed at the vampire silently for a moment. "Do you think she'll do it?" He asked after several seconds.
Spike shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that I don't want to kill her but I will if they don't stop with the vengeance in Sunnyhell. Too many innocent people like Fred get in the way." He shot Giles a wry glance. "Besides, the place was doing all right with Demon Girl behind the counter. Has a good eye for the dollar, that girl."
"That it did, Spike, that it did." The older man admitted ruefully.
Angel handed Spike a short list that consisted of several swords and not much else. The younger vampire gave it a cursory glance. Sipping from his mug, Spike looked at his Sire in surprise. "Not much here, Peaches." He observed.
"We shouldn't need much." Angel answered, downing his own nourishment. "The plan is to go in, get her and get right back out. Lorne says your magic will work there so if we need anything else, you'll have to get it then."
"Right then. Who's going?" Spike looked at the assorted people surrounding him. "Big Green, Peaches and me. Shouldn't need more than that. Red, would you and Glenda maintain the portal from this side? Just in case, okay?" The witches nodded. "Thanks."
"I'm going with you." Buffy stated. "I have to help. This is my fault and I need to do it."
Spike nodded. "Okay. Angel, I need you to send me a visual of this dimension we're going to. I've never done inter-dimensional jumping before so I'm not quite sure how to accomplish this portal thing. We need to arrive where you think she'll most likely be."
Angel nodded. "She'll be in the cave."
"Let's do it." Spike closed his eyes and concentrated.
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Fred jumped when she heard the noise. It sounded like thunderstorm had landed right outside her cave entrance. She looked up from her spot on the floor. She'd been huddled up against the cold wall for so many hours, she wasn't sure she could move. Shadows fell across the doorway. She had company. Trying to make herself invisible, she kept a fearful eye on the approaching form. Light glinted off a sword and she screamed.