Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Chp.45
Where There's a Will...
All other info is in chp.1
As he slips through the door, the scene that he comes upon makes him giddy with anticipation. He doesn't interrupt, just stands in the doorway, with an evil glint in his eye, as he watches the interaction between slayer, and vampire. He knows what it feels like to be at the receiving end of Buffy's wrath. He feels no remorse for the dark haired ponce now getting the brunt of it. Personally, it's nice to see that someone else warrants it, instead of him. Spike grins smugly. How he wishes he had a fag.
Buffy stands directly in front of Angels' desk, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She nods her head emphatically with the rhythm of her voice.
As Spike watches, her voice filters over to him. "Angel?" Peaches looks up at Buffy, a pensive air about him. "Have you even been listening to me," she asks. Angel raises an eyebrow at her, and looks back down at the paper in front of him. She sighs, and it draws the dark vampires eyes back up to hers. "We have to do something." Spike hears her anger rising as she speaks.
"Buffy, it's Spike. The total pain in everyone's ass. You do remember that, don't you?" Angel pushes his chair back, and steeples his fingers in front of him on the desk. "Why do you even care?"
Apparently, Angel hadn't seen the two together, hadn't seen how much the separation is killing them both. It may not be a total separation, but to not be able to touch, and feel each other it might as well be as if one of them were still dead.
He can see the look on her face, as she shakes her head, and her hair moves along the middle of her back. Spike draws in an un-needed breath as he sees it in his minds eye, and she's glorious.
Buffy's hands clench tightly at her sides as she lets go her grip on her hips. She draws in a deep breath, and lets it out slowly trying to control her anger at the idiot in front of her. Spike knows the look in those green eyes as they stay firmly planted in the brown ones of Angel. The look is deadly; she's ready to dust the guy in front of her. He knows because he's been at the receiving end of it too many times.
Angel seems to be searching out something in those green eyes, and Spike should be feeling jealous of the close scrutiny, but he can't, she is taking his side in all of this. He suddenly hears a faint whisper as Buffy starts to speak again. "He's a good man, Angel."
After the admission, Spike can't help but smile the biggest smile he's ever produced. He sees the disappointment cross Angel's face, and all is right with his world. Then the ponce ducks his head and shakes it derisively.
"Buffy, I-I..." Angel stutters, unsure of what to say to that. All of a sudden his demeanor changes, and he completely straightens in his leather chair, piercing Buffy with a steely gaze.
Buffy takes a couple of steps back, not sure why Angel would suddenly turn into Angelus.
"He's not a man, Buffy," He shouts. "He'll never be a man. He'll always be a monster. He may have a soul, walk, look, act and seem like a man, but he'll never be one." His anger subsides visibly, but it's still evident in his voice as he continues to talk.
Buffy looks at the vampire in front of her, a steely glint of her own in her eyes. "That may have been true, and a few years ago I'd have said the same thing."
"So, what makes him so special now?"
She sighs, loudly, and shakes her head in disappointment, at his callousness. "Angel, you weren't there. You have no idea what he's went through, what we've went through." Her hands relax at her sides, and the tension in her body subsides. "I was there, I know what hell he's been through. I put him through most of it myself." She continues quietly, barely above a whisper. "I saw him. I saw all of him, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Saw how he tried, and changed." She lets a long, drawn out sigh escape her lungs. A hint of a smile crosses her features. "He was being and doing good before he went and got the soul, after he came back the only thing that had changed was that he'd gone insane from the pain of having it."
"He was always insane, Buffy." Angel mumbles between almost closed lips.
"Angel!" The shout echoes through out the office. Buffy clenches her fists at her sides, again in agitation at her ex-honey. "I'm trying to be serious, here." She spits through clenched teeth.
Spike still stands in the doorway, watching her every move with a smile on his face. His smile brightens as he sees her foot start to tap a staccato on the floor underneath it.
Angels hands slowly slides through his hair, as he takes in her demeanor. His hands come to rest at the back of his head, as he leans his elbows on the desk in front of him, and hangs his head. "Buffy."
"No, Angel. Just... Just don't." She knows what's coming and doesn't want to hear his objections to it, and waves a hand in the air in front of her as a dismissive gesture.
"I saw him. Not just the demon, and not just the man. I saw every bit of him."
"Yeah, from what I've heard, you've seen the whole package."
At that Spike growls low in his chest. If either of the others in the room had been paying any attention, they'd have heard it.
Buffy chooses to ignore that remark, honestly, what could she say. "The penance he's paid at my hands, mostly. He deserves to become what he was on the verge of being."
"And just what would that be, Buff," Angel asks with derision.
Buffy's shoulders become straighter as she looks directly into the brunettes eyes. "An even better man than he already is." She says it with conviction, and complete hope. Her shoulders slump. "You don't want to give him a chance at being what he can be, or even admit that he could be a good man." Her eyes wonder to the wooden top of the desk, as she speaks.
Angel searches for her eyes, and finds them. In those eyes, he sees the total conviction that she emits. Shaking his head in defeat, he wishes silently that had he could have that much conviction in his own argument.
"I'm in love with him, Angel." Her softly spoken words carry in the stillness of the room.
At her confession, Spike nearly shouts. However, he clenches his fists at his side, and decidedly starts to bounce happily on the balls of his feet.
"You don't understand how much it's killing us. The non-touching of us, it's completely unbearable." Her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "And if you won't help him." A tear slides down her cheek. "Then I'll find someone who will." She turns her back to him, and takes a few steps away from him.
"Buffy." It's almost a whisper. Angels straightens to his full height in the chair, and then he stands up after rolling it back farther.
The sound of her voice said with such defeat makes her stop mid-step, but she refuses to turn back around to face Angel.
"What," she says through tightly, clenched teeth. She fights the urge to turn around and knock the hell out of her former love.
"I'll help, even though I think it's a mistake. I'm not sure if there's even anything we can do."
She turns to him at his admission. "Well, you have all of the resources we could possibly need." She says turning a wide circle in front of him. "I'm sure if there's a way to do it, it'll most likely be found here." She continues, as her circuit finishes.
With defeat evident in his whole body. "You're right. If there's a way to make Spike corporeal again, it'll most likely be found somewhere in the bowels of Wolfram and Hart." Angel agrees, half-heartedly.
Spike slips out the door as he sees her start to turn back towards him. That went as well as could have been expected he recons.
"Good, we'll start researching it tomorrow." She demands, as she pivots on her toes, and walks purposefully to the door.
"Thanks, Angel," she says in appreciation, as she throws a quick glance over her shoulder, and walks out of the door she'd just opened.
He watches as she completely walks away from him. "You're welcome." He whispers, as the door clicks shut behind the one girl he'll never get over.
Chp.45
Where There's a Will...
All other info is in chp.1
As he slips through the door, the scene that he comes upon makes him giddy with anticipation. He doesn't interrupt, just stands in the doorway, with an evil glint in his eye, as he watches the interaction between slayer, and vampire. He knows what it feels like to be at the receiving end of Buffy's wrath. He feels no remorse for the dark haired ponce now getting the brunt of it. Personally, it's nice to see that someone else warrants it, instead of him. Spike grins smugly. How he wishes he had a fag.
Buffy stands directly in front of Angels' desk, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She nods her head emphatically with the rhythm of her voice.
As Spike watches, her voice filters over to him. "Angel?" Peaches looks up at Buffy, a pensive air about him. "Have you even been listening to me," she asks. Angel raises an eyebrow at her, and looks back down at the paper in front of him. She sighs, and it draws the dark vampires eyes back up to hers. "We have to do something." Spike hears her anger rising as she speaks.
"Buffy, it's Spike. The total pain in everyone's ass. You do remember that, don't you?" Angel pushes his chair back, and steeples his fingers in front of him on the desk. "Why do you even care?"
Apparently, Angel hadn't seen the two together, hadn't seen how much the separation is killing them both. It may not be a total separation, but to not be able to touch, and feel each other it might as well be as if one of them were still dead.
He can see the look on her face, as she shakes her head, and her hair moves along the middle of her back. Spike draws in an un-needed breath as he sees it in his minds eye, and she's glorious.
Buffy's hands clench tightly at her sides as she lets go her grip on her hips. She draws in a deep breath, and lets it out slowly trying to control her anger at the idiot in front of her. Spike knows the look in those green eyes as they stay firmly planted in the brown ones of Angel. The look is deadly; she's ready to dust the guy in front of her. He knows because he's been at the receiving end of it too many times.
Angel seems to be searching out something in those green eyes, and Spike should be feeling jealous of the close scrutiny, but he can't, she is taking his side in all of this. He suddenly hears a faint whisper as Buffy starts to speak again. "He's a good man, Angel."
After the admission, Spike can't help but smile the biggest smile he's ever produced. He sees the disappointment cross Angel's face, and all is right with his world. Then the ponce ducks his head and shakes it derisively.
"Buffy, I-I..." Angel stutters, unsure of what to say to that. All of a sudden his demeanor changes, and he completely straightens in his leather chair, piercing Buffy with a steely gaze.
Buffy takes a couple of steps back, not sure why Angel would suddenly turn into Angelus.
"He's not a man, Buffy," He shouts. "He'll never be a man. He'll always be a monster. He may have a soul, walk, look, act and seem like a man, but he'll never be one." His anger subsides visibly, but it's still evident in his voice as he continues to talk.
Buffy looks at the vampire in front of her, a steely glint of her own in her eyes. "That may have been true, and a few years ago I'd have said the same thing."
"So, what makes him so special now?"
She sighs, loudly, and shakes her head in disappointment, at his callousness. "Angel, you weren't there. You have no idea what he's went through, what we've went through." Her hands relax at her sides, and the tension in her body subsides. "I was there, I know what hell he's been through. I put him through most of it myself." She continues quietly, barely above a whisper. "I saw him. I saw all of him, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Saw how he tried, and changed." She lets a long, drawn out sigh escape her lungs. A hint of a smile crosses her features. "He was being and doing good before he went and got the soul, after he came back the only thing that had changed was that he'd gone insane from the pain of having it."
"He was always insane, Buffy." Angel mumbles between almost closed lips.
"Angel!" The shout echoes through out the office. Buffy clenches her fists at her sides, again in agitation at her ex-honey. "I'm trying to be serious, here." She spits through clenched teeth.
Spike still stands in the doorway, watching her every move with a smile on his face. His smile brightens as he sees her foot start to tap a staccato on the floor underneath it.
Angels hands slowly slides through his hair, as he takes in her demeanor. His hands come to rest at the back of his head, as he leans his elbows on the desk in front of him, and hangs his head. "Buffy."
"No, Angel. Just... Just don't." She knows what's coming and doesn't want to hear his objections to it, and waves a hand in the air in front of her as a dismissive gesture.
"I saw him. Not just the demon, and not just the man. I saw every bit of him."
"Yeah, from what I've heard, you've seen the whole package."
At that Spike growls low in his chest. If either of the others in the room had been paying any attention, they'd have heard it.
Buffy chooses to ignore that remark, honestly, what could she say. "The penance he's paid at my hands, mostly. He deserves to become what he was on the verge of being."
"And just what would that be, Buff," Angel asks with derision.
Buffy's shoulders become straighter as she looks directly into the brunettes eyes. "An even better man than he already is." She says it with conviction, and complete hope. Her shoulders slump. "You don't want to give him a chance at being what he can be, or even admit that he could be a good man." Her eyes wonder to the wooden top of the desk, as she speaks.
Angel searches for her eyes, and finds them. In those eyes, he sees the total conviction that she emits. Shaking his head in defeat, he wishes silently that had he could have that much conviction in his own argument.
"I'm in love with him, Angel." Her softly spoken words carry in the stillness of the room.
At her confession, Spike nearly shouts. However, he clenches his fists at his side, and decidedly starts to bounce happily on the balls of his feet.
"You don't understand how much it's killing us. The non-touching of us, it's completely unbearable." Her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "And if you won't help him." A tear slides down her cheek. "Then I'll find someone who will." She turns her back to him, and takes a few steps away from him.
"Buffy." It's almost a whisper. Angels straightens to his full height in the chair, and then he stands up after rolling it back farther.
The sound of her voice said with such defeat makes her stop mid-step, but she refuses to turn back around to face Angel.
"What," she says through tightly, clenched teeth. She fights the urge to turn around and knock the hell out of her former love.
"I'll help, even though I think it's a mistake. I'm not sure if there's even anything we can do."
She turns to him at his admission. "Well, you have all of the resources we could possibly need." She says turning a wide circle in front of him. "I'm sure if there's a way to do it, it'll most likely be found here." She continues, as her circuit finishes.
With defeat evident in his whole body. "You're right. If there's a way to make Spike corporeal again, it'll most likely be found somewhere in the bowels of Wolfram and Hart." Angel agrees, half-heartedly.
Spike slips out the door as he sees her start to turn back towards him. That went as well as could have been expected he recons.
"Good, we'll start researching it tomorrow." She demands, as she pivots on her toes, and walks purposefully to the door.
"Thanks, Angel," she says in appreciation, as she throws a quick glance over her shoulder, and walks out of the door she'd just opened.
He watches as she completely walks away from him. "You're welcome." He whispers, as the door clicks shut behind the one girl he'll never get over.