Healing

Disclaimer: Don't own them, can I lease them?

Summary: More fuzzies. Don't ya love it?

Reviews: Oh Yeah. Love those reviews, better than Christmas candy. Readers rock but reviewers RULE!!!

A/N: This should be done by Christmas, actually long before that. If there are any plot bunnies anyone wants me to explore, lay em on me. The muse seems to be on strike as far as something new is concerned. Something will come up I'm sure. Hugs and kisses to everyone who's still reading my insane ramblings. xoxo

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Spike woke slowly. He could feel warmth all along his body. He was confused. For a moment he couldn't remember who was snuggled so closely against his oddly languid limbs. He rose up cautiously on one elbow and surveyed the delectable female still sleeping soundly next to him. Fred. The pretty little physicist who'd made such an impact on his unlife in such a short time. She shifted slightly and snuggled even more comfortably against the vampire. The smile that snuck its way onto Spike's handsome face had enough wattage to light a small town. His enhanced senses told him it was too early to get up, not that he could have moved if he'd wanted to, so he inched back down into the warmth and went back to sleep, content for the first time in… well, never.

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Earlier:

The Magic Box was silent in the wake Willow's request to speak to Angel about his soul. Even Giles abandoned his fascination with Lorne's books to tune into the impending conversation.

Willow gulped as she realized that she was the center of attention. "You know that the coven enhanced my magic, right?" She began nervously.

She'd been looking at Angel while she spoke so he nodded. The others waited quietly for her to continue. "The high priestess told me I could come there and study magic. Tara can come too if she wants to. It's going to be so great." She babbled.

"Anyway, along with being able to heal people and teleport stuff she gave me a spell…" She trailed off uncertainly.

Giles remembered the other reason they'd been summoned to London. He smiled to himself. He hoped that Angel would accept the opportunity presented by the redheaded witch. Catching a glance at Cordelia, the former Watcher began to get a sneaking suspicion that Angel would not be the only one to benefit from what Willow had to say.

Angel gaped at Willow as she babbled. He couldn't feature what she could possibly tell him about his soul. The curse was pretty cut and dried, if he experienced a moment of pure happiness the soul would take a walk and he'd be Angelus again. The thought made him shudder. The last time had been right there in Sunnydale and it had been with Buffy that had cost him his soul. The end result was that he'd spent a millennium in a hell dimension being tortured in every way imaginable and many ways that weren't. Forcing the unpleasant memories aside, he refocused his attention on the pretty redheaded witch. She'd grown in power so much she was almost scary. He was glad to hear that she would be learning to control her power. He glanced over at Cordy and was startled to see her staring at him with hope in her huge dark eyes. She tore her gaze away swiftly, making him wonder if he'd actually seen it.

Xander broke the increasingly tense silence. "Willow, you gave Deadboy his soul back, don't even tell us you're taking it away again. I left my stake in my other pocket."

Willow swatted her best friend on the arm and Cordy smacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow! Take a joke okay?" He rubbed his various injuries and sulked.

Tara walked up behind Willow and slipped her arms around the redhead's waist in support. The blonde witch whispered in Willow's ear that maybe she should explain more. Willow nodded.

"The high priestess told me that you made quite an impression on her when you went to London to help Spike. She was pleased by your ability to overcome past hostilities and rush over there to your Childe's side. That kind of devotion is rare in vampire Sires. So she wanted to reward you and asked me to help her with that." Willow twisted her fingers together nervously.

Angel shifted in embarrassment. "Spike's family. He comes first. He's just about the only one left of my vampire family so, yeah, I'm gonna do everything I can to help. So I don't need a reward. Seeing him happy again is reward enough."

Willow smiled. "She knew you were going to say that. She wanted me to remind you of how many times you've done the same thing in the past year or so. Since Buffy died, in fact. You've been there over and over for him. So you deserve a reward." Again she stopped nervously, despite the assurances, Willow was not sure she could do what she'd been asked to do.

Angel sighed needlessly in exasperation. "Willow, will you just tell me what's going on?"

She gulped. "Shewantsmetoanchoryoursoul." She said in a rush.

Stunned was the only word to describe Angel's frame of mind when he deciphered Willow's run-on sentence.

Giles, unnoticed behind his counter, smiled at the expressions on everyone's faces. Gobsmacked was the term that came to his mind. Cordelia had a look of hopeful disbelief on her pretty face. Lorne was smiling broadly as if he'd expected this. Xander was watching Buffy for her reaction. Buffy just looked sad as if she knew that she would not be the one sharing Angel's permanent soul with him. The former Watcher's heart ached once more for his 'daughter'. Seeing the expression in Xander's eyes, Giles hoped that Buffy would realize how devoted the male Scooby was to her. That he could look at the Slayer like that knowing what he did about the relationship between her and Spike, told Giles more than words ever would. The older man had a sneaking suspicion that Buffy was an unacknowledged reason that Xander had stood Anya up at the altar. It occurred to Giles that Xander might be the one male in Buffy's life to help curb the Slayer's impulsive tendencies. As immature as the young man seemed, he had an innate maturity that shone through at the oddest times. Getting the girl to see her friend in a new light might prove to be quite the challenge.

Angel sat in silence going over in his mind the ramifications of what Willow was offering to do. He risked a peek at Cordy. Her face was now blank but the hope in her eyes sent a shaft of feeling through his unbeating heart. A thought crossed his mind and he shifted his gaze to Buffy, his first love. The acceptance in her face gave him hope. He cleared his throat.

"I… think I should talk to Buffy for a second." He rose from his chair and extended a hand to the petite slayer. They walked quietly into the training room at the back of the building.

"Well…" They both spoke at once, stopping to wait for the other to speak.

"I wanted to tell you…" Again the words were in unison, this time they both laughed nervously.

Buffy put a finger on Angel's lips, silencing the dark vampire. "If you don't go for this, I'll stake you myself." She warned. "Then I'll have Spike set your ashes on fire and, if there's anything left from that, Willow will beat it with her shovel. You deserve to be happy and I know that it's not possible for us. There's been too much that's happened for us to go back and frankly it wouldn't be right for us to try. So go, make Cordy happy. Make that soul permanent."

Angel smiled against her finger then pressed a kiss on the digit. He put his large hand over her tiny one and pulled it away from his face. "I love you, you know that don't you? I always will." He said.

She nodded. "I know. I love you too. I always will. But as Spike so wisely observed, I'm not in love with you anymore. And you're not in love with me. You're in love with Cordy. Anyone with eyesight can see it." Tears sparkled in her green eyes.

"I hope those are happy tears." Angel pulled her into a hug. She nodded without speaking, just enjoying the closeness.

They separated after a moment and went back to the main part of the shop. Everyone turned their gazes to the returning couple.

Angel smiled, his dark eyes trained on his seer. "When can we do it?" He asked, not missing the joy that leapt into Cordy's deep brown eyes.

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Fred rolled over and stretched languidly. A smile lit her face as she remembered the night before. A long cool length was pressed up against her. She opened one eye cautiously and sighed with contentment as she saw the deep sapphire gaze of the one vampire in the world that she wanted to be with. A giggle escaped as she opened the other eye and fully looked at the incredibly handsome man next to her.

"So I'm funny now, eh?" A pout appeared on Spike's sexy mouth, tempting Fred. She looped a hand around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss. He pulled her firmly into his arms and deepened the kiss until she was gasping for breath. She pushed him away gently. They were both panting for air, one unneeded. Spike raised a hand and trailed a finger down her slender face. She kissed the finger and smiled luminously. He caught his breath at the beauty of her delicate features.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered.

"So are you." The awe in her voice shook him to his soul. He smiled as pure happiness flooded his being.

She shifted uncomfortably. "Do you happen to have a bathroom?" She asked shyly. He shook his head before closing his eyes, then nodded.

"Well? Which is it? Do you or don't you?" She gazed at him, confused.

"I didn't but I do now. Brand new. Just for you." He kissed the tip of her nose and released her so she could get up. They sat up and she held the sheet against her bare skin. He created a t-shirt and handed it to her knowing how shy she was. She slipped it over her head and he pulled her long curling hair out of the collar for her, kissing the nape of her neck as he exposed it. She looked around and he pointed to a previously unnoticed door in the stone wall. She smiled her thanks and went into the newly created bathroom.

He heard the shower start and concentrated for a moment, making sure she had plenty of warm fluffy towels and a set of clean clothes to put on. He opened his link with her.

'Sweetling?' He sent.

'Yes, Spike?' She answered.

'Want me to wash your back?' The seductive suggestion whispered through Fred's mind.

'Gee, I don't know. Think you can handle it?' He was up and in the shower before she could finish the question. The shower took a lot longer than Fred had originally planned but she couldn't have enjoyed it more.

They were dressed and ready to face the world again when Angel opened his link with Spike. The blond sat back down on the bed and pulled Fred into his arms for a cuddle while he talked to his Sire.

'What's up, Peaches?' Spike asked, smiling at the growl over the hated nickname.

'When are you and Fred coming out?' Angel wanted to know.

'Well, gee, Pops, if you had waited just a few more minutes we'd have been out and about. Where can we meet the lot of you?' Spike told him.

'We're all back at the Magic Box. Willow's going to do a spell and we want you here for it. We set this up last night after you left but no one with a link wanted to risk opening it to tell you about it. Didn't want to get scarred for life, you know. Especially Dawn, being as young and impressionable as she is.' Angel teased his Childe. His mood was too good to let any chance of riling Spike go by.

'My, my. You're feeling mighty spry for a gent of your advanced years. What's Red going to do? Or has she already done the spell and given you a sense of humor?' Spike sniped back good-naturedly. 'Don't tell me she's going to try a spell on me, won't work you know. My magic will cancel out hers.' Spike suddenly became serious as concern for the redheaded witch surged forward.

'It's a spell for me but I'm not sharing until you guys get here. So hurry up.' Angel closed the link, leaving Spike with more than one unanswered question.

"Well, Babe, I guess it's the Magic Box for us. Are you ready to face the horde that we call our friends?" Spike asked his love before kissing her.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist for the transport to the Magic Box.

They appeared just inside the door and were greeted with a round of applause from some of the braver of their friends. Xander wandered over and threw his arm over Spike's shoulder.

"It's about time you let this poor girl leave your musty old crypt, you fiend." Xander said seriously but with a twinkle in his eyes.

Fred moved around to Spike's side but kept an arm around his waist. She grinned at the male Scooby. "I'll have you know that you're lucky I let him leave. Wouldn't have bothered me to just stay there. It's cozy."

A round of laughter exploded at Fred's verbal smack down of Xander. He accepted defeat with good grace and patted Spike on the shoulder. "Got a good one there, Pal. She won't bore you."

Spike's grin lit the room. His sapphire gaze landed on Angel. He kissed Fred's temple and released her walking over to his Sire. He noticed that Angel's good mood was contagious, everyone present seem to be extraordinarily cheerful. Even Buffy was sitting at the table with a complacent smile on her face. He had to hand it to the Slayer, she was bouncing back from her previous anger with more class than she'd ever shown before. His respect for her inched back up a notch. Her apology to Fred yesterday had shown real maturity.

He gazed around the room, taking inventory of those present. Giles was either back behind the counter leafing through Lorne's books or he'd never left, since he was wearing different clothing, Spike tended to believe the former. Willow and Tara were seated at the table near Buffy. Willow was looking rather pale and frightened, Tara was holding her hand and attempting to soothe her. 'Not so sure about the spell.' Spike thought. Xander was still by the front door talking to Fred. They were laughing. Spike smiled at the sight of Fred's happiness.

Wes and Gunn were back because Angel called them to tell them the good news. Angel hadn't wanted to exclude his two friends because of their disgruntlement over Spike. He'd told them not to cause Spike and Fred any grief. They had reluctantly agreed to behave themselves.

Dawn was sitting on the steps talking to the friendly green demon. Cordelia was next to Angel, looking up at him with joy shining in her eyes. Everyone in the room appeared to be happy over whatever was about to happen. The younger vampire moved over to stand in front of his Sire. Looking up at the larger vampire, Spike smirked up at him.

"So Peaches, what's the party for?" The blond asked cheekily.

"Willow's going to anchor my soul." Angel announced.

Spike was stunned. "Red's going to take away the happiness clause?" He asked in amazement. "Well, good on you! What brought this on? Does it have to do with your enhanced magic, Red? Don't think I didn't notice the extra power boost you came back with." He extended his hand for Angel to shake, which he did with some bemusement.

Angel smiled. "The high priestess of the coven you were at gave Willow the power and the spell to anchor my soul as a reward for being such a good sire to you the past couple of years. Can you imagine that?"

Spike shook his white-blond head in disbelief. "That would have been the last reason I would have imagined them doing that for, but whatever the reasoning, it's a good thing."

Willow looked at Spike with frightened green eyes. "Do you think I can?" She quavered.

"Red, you can do anything you put your mind to. I told you before you brought Buffy back that you were wicked strong. If the high priestess says you can, you won't find me telling you any different." Spike walked over to Willow and put his arm around her shoulder. "So, what are we waiting for? I'm sure that Peaches and the Cheerleader are just itching to test your results."

"Hey!" Cordy protested but subsided with Spike turned his knowing blue gaze on her.

Willow stood up. "We're all here. I guess we can get started." She led everyone into the training room where she'd already set up what she needed to do the spell. She'd drawn a circle on the floor and candles were already lit around the perimeter. She directed Angel to the center of the circle and stood next to him. Everyone else took seats at a respectable distance from the spot. Spike sat on the floor with Fred between his splayed legs. Dawn took a spot next to them. Xander opted to sit on the other side of them. Buffy sat next to Xander and Lorne took a place on the other side of Dawn. Wes and Gunn sat on the other side of the room. Giles chose to sit next to Buffy and Cordy hovered near the charmed circle anxiously. Tara stood just outside the circle near Willow's position.

Willow began to chant, uncertainly at first but with more confidence as the spell took over. Her eyes turned black and the roots of her hair darkened. She ended the chant by placing her hand on Angel's chest sending a jolt through his large body. Everyone watching jumped a little as he jerked violently before collapsing onto the floor. The candles flared brightly then went out.