Angel's POV
I've just fed my childe. I've just fed my childe for the first time in roughly a century. I've just fed my childe for the first time in roughly a century and now he's asleep in my bed sucking his thumb. But I'm down here.
I'm downstairs watching as Cordelia yells things to me and I don't listen. She's screaming at me and I just don't care. Something about evilness and blood and death and her getting run through with a spike. I don't care. My boy's all alone upstairs sleeping peacefully and I'm down here.
I'm pretty sure I could have told you how my friends would have reacted. I knew Cordy would be awful. She knew Spike before now and she has experience with him in the killing fields. She understands what he is capable of and how much pain he can cause. But she doesn't know about the chip. Or that she didn't just see Spike; it was William. My William.
Wesley is being a typical watcher and writing notes on my behaviour. I can tell because I know the exact movement needed to write the word 'Angel' on a piece of paper. He's chewing his pen and running a hand through his dishevelled hair. He looks like he's debating what exactly to write. It must be hard being fired from what you've worked your whole life for.
Gunn is pacing round the lobby floor and giving me weird looks. He's asking me something about 'that guy' but I'm not really listening. Would you be? Spike's upstairs and all alone. He needs me. It's taken a century of solitude, but he needs me. Poor Gunn. No gang to running to any more. His friends have gone and he's stuck here for the night.
Poor little Fred is playing the scientist. It's easier for her to find something to do and stick to it. She found out she was smarter than even Wesley at science and now she's writing things down and mumbling to herself about a theory of something or someone. As long as she's not writing on the walls of her room I'm not bothered.
William is upstairs in my bed. He's breathing. He always breathes when he sleeps. I don't know why he does that but he does. And it's very very sweet. My poor little creation is asleep upstairs whilst my co-workers yell and scream and try to make me listen to their pathetic pieces of conversation and words that will crumble away. That's all they'll do. Crumble away. One day, every one of them is going to stop breathing, go cold and die. And I'll only have William left.
So I should listen. And I do. But only while they're here.
"Spike? Angel have you gone evil again?" Cordy's gone bright red and is pointing an accusing finger in my direction. She's been ranting for a good few minutes by now, and I'm sure it's not going to stop any time soon. So listen like a good vampire. "He's evil. He's not like you. He'll kill all of us in the blink of an eye and then he'll torture you for a bit before staking your brooding ass!"
Wrong again princess. He'll never stake me. He's not allowed. One of the most respected rules in vampire lore. Sires are not allowed to be staked. You can torture them, hit them, hurt them, leave them paralysed before opening the window, but you cannot stake them. I know that leaving them in the sun will cause them to combust, but so long as you don't ram a piece of jagged wood through their heart then you're not breaking the lore. Stupid really isn't it? Why'd you think I was officially struck from the clan after dear Darla departed?
"And then we'll all be dead and he'll be laughing his bleached butt off whilst rolling around in your ashes and our blood. Why aren't you staking him Angel? He's all defenceless and just laying there and helpless!"
"Angel Investigations we help the helpless." Gunn answered from where he was pacing. I'm not sure if that was a joke or a way to calm Cordy down. I'm not sure of lots of things right now. Maybe I should just go hold him.
"William the bloody is never helpless." Poxy watchers' council makes itself present again. "He's a vicious killer. One of the most feared vampires of all time. Only second to..."
"Me."
Yeah I spoke. Wesley looks up from his books and paper and gives me a wary glance. He thinks I'm evil. They all think I'm evil. But if I were, they'd all be hanging upside down from the ceiling with their intestines falling below them as I writhed on the floor bathing in their blood. Just for the sheer hell of it. So I don't think I'm evil quite yet.
And yes, I did do that before. William was with me.
"What are you suggesting Gunn?" Wesley's continuing as if I hadn't spoken. "That we help a killer?"
"Why not? We work for one." Good man. I like it. A very witty thing to say. Catch Wesley off guard. I like Gunn. He reminds me of someone I know. Arrogant, noisy, childlike, tough, ready for action and cocky as hell. Gunn reminds me of Spike. But not William.
"Gunn you are not helping. We need to think about this carefully. Spike could be playing us for fools and just waiting to jump up and kill us all." Yeah, sure. That's why he was just collapsed outside earlier. He knew that Gunn and his crew knew me and that they would bring him here. Despite the fact that I've never told him anything of who I work with or what I do.
"He won't." I hear Fred comment quietly. I look over and she's holding onto a piece of paper like her life depended on it. Honestly she probably thinks that it does. Cordy's gone over and asked what this is about. "I did some tests. All of the signs that I found on Spike indicate that he has suffered from severe head trauma. The signs all point to a type of brain damage."
"But there was no injuries on his head." Cordy points out and looks at the graphs and phrases scribbled on the paper in her friend's hands. "And vamps don't suffer from brain damage. Do they Angel?" I shake my head and wander over to see what Fred's going on about.
Wesley's looking at the screen of the computer she had abandoned not long before and is now scrolling down the pages. "Fred this is medical records and symptoms. What were you going to diagnose Spike with?"
"A type of brain tumour. It seems to be a type of aneurysm in the brain that's causing him harm. But..." She trailed of uncertainly and shuffled the papers in her hands.
"But vampire's don't get sick. We don't get cancer or tumours or illness of any kind." I add. She nods and Wesley's doing a rather good Giles impression. You know, that thing when he takes off his glasses and cleans them over and over again until you think the lens will just fall out. Maybe one day they will. I think I'll laugh if that happens.
I'm not laughing right now. Fred's just told me that my youngest child is suffering from some sort of brain illness that he shouldn't have. When did my life become so complex? It used to be so easy. Maim, torture kill, cut a bloody path throughout Europe and have sex with Darla on a nightly basis. Where did it all go wrong?
Oh yeah that's right. When I got a soul.
"So what's wrong with him?" Gunn's asking again. He's stealing the questions form my lips. I need to find out what's wrong so I can make it better. My childe does not get sick. He will not get sick and weak and die. Spike is strong, bold, straightforward and direct. William even had a sense of strength around him. I refuse to be left with merely a shell of what my Childe is.
"We don't know." Wesley's confirming all my fears with three little words. Three little stupid insignificant words that mean the world to me because he didn't say that they could make it better.
"I can carry on running tests on him and keep an eye on how he is." Fred's shrugging and looking at me for confirmation. I nod curtly and let her scurry away with folders and files. Wesley looks at me for a moment before retiring to his books and closing the door.
"Hey man, I should go tell my crew," I knew it was a crew, "that Spike's got somewhere to stay. They should know." He smiles slightly and watches as Cordelia turns to me with her face screwed up in anger before turning to leave. He doesn't quite make it to the door.
"Stay? As in here!" she shrieks and stamps one of her pink shoe covered feet. I sigh and fight the urge to roll my eyes. That will get me nowhere. "In this hotel? Where we humans work? So he can kill us when our backs are turned? Why should we trust...Spike?"
I sigh again and keep myself from shaking her to get the thoughts into her head. "He wont hurt you Cordy. He has a chip in his head. It stops him from hurting humans. Okay? Now please just calm down and go home. We can talk about this when..."
"Spike." she says again and I'm pretty sure I know why now. The slight breeze that exists in big old buildings like the Hyperion suddenly picks up and I can smell it. I whirl round and see why she was repeating his name.
"Sire..." Standing about halfway up the staircase, where it's flat for about two steps, is Spike. He's leaning heavily on the banister and panting from the effort of getting there. I don't even need to think. Before long I'm up the stairs beside him and holding him up as his feet give out.
"Spike what are you doing here? You're meant to be in bed." I check him over quickly and support his head with my free hand so it doesn't hurt his neck. Honestly, he's like an over grown baby. My baby.
"Had to...had to see you." He whispers and looks straight into my eyes. He's in pain I can see that without even looking. And his scent is fogged with something else. The strawberries and cream smell is strong but intermingled with baking cake and peaches. That and insecurity. He seems smaller than usual and I feel like he could fit inside my clothes with me if he wanted.
"Why Spike? You need to rest. Come on, I'm taking you back upstairs." I go to take him in my arms like before but he struggles and whimpers before I can. Cordy's beside us and looking Spike over. I don't think she figured just how bad he was before. This isn't the Spike form Sunnydale; this is William in pain and crying out for his Sire.
"Did you kill it?" he whispers and grabs onto my shoulders to keep himself on his feet. I carefully slip one of my arms round his waist and keep him supported. He's not making any sense right now. I think it's from the blood loss. I'll have to feed him again.
"Kill what William? Kill what Precious?" I murmur and pull him closer so he doesn't feel so scared here. He needs me right now and by God he's going to have me. Cordy probably thinks I'm mad right now, but if she does she hasn't said anything.
"The demon. The monsters. I saw you fighting. Fighting when I was walking away." What?
"Fighting what demons? When Spike?" I'm finally bale to lift him quickly and start my way back upstairs. Cordy's jogging alongside me and holding Spike's head straight. Maybe she's not so bad after all.
"Before. When I saw you fighting. It was my first dream of you when I wasn't sleeping..." he whispers as I place him back on the bed and wrap my duvet tightly round him. He may be cold blooded but William likes to be warm. Trust me, I took him to Greenland.
"Okay my boy. We'll talk later when you're feeling better. Okay? You go to sleep now Precious and I'll come feed you soon." I brush a few stray hairs form his forehead and he purrs in response. I smile at the familiar noise. At least I know he's not too hurt if he can purr. Even before I shut the door on my way out I know he's asleep.
I'm met by Cordy at the door. She's looking anxious about something...wonder what...
"I think I know what's wrong with Spike..."
Dun dun dun... you want me to update? Well review then and I'll see what I can do.