A Man's Worth

Chapter 7

A/N: Part Seven of the series.

WARNING: This is not a happy fic. For those of you expecting something joyous, stay away from this story. You've been warned.

DISCLAIMER: You all know this belongs to Joss Whedon and the parties involved in airing this show.

FEEDBACK: As you wish

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Phonecall Away  

It burns.

I tried to make it right.

I really did.

For her.

Always for her.

----------------------------------------

Three days ago

"What?" Angel asked. He couldn't believe what Cordelia was telling him.

"Yes, it is why I'm back here."

Angel shook his head and tried to understand.

"What you're telling me..."

"Oh, come on Peaches, shut up and try to get it together."

"Shut up, Spike. Why are you still here, anyways?"

"Couldn't miss this huge event."

Angel just turned around and stared at everyone in the room. After a few days of gaining his strenght back and his final breakdown with his son, he was exhausted and just wanted to lie down and rest.

But the news were more than forthcoming.

"Why did this happen?" He asked. Cordelia smiled.

"It's about time it did."

-----------------------------------------

"Hey, no fair! I don't have slayer strength!"

"Come on, Dawnie, it's the only way you'll learn how to stop a vampire." Buffy said, smiling at her younger sister.

"Yeah, just because I managed to dust a few doesn't mean I can take on you." Dawn huffed, taking her sword back from where it had landed after fighting with Buffy. "Besides, why aren't you using a sword as well?"

"Because I'm trying to teach you how to kill a vampire. You must have a weapon at your side. They already have theirs." Buffy frowned and suddenly remembered where had she heard those words before. The sudden change in her features did not go unnoticed by her sister.

"What is it?" Dawn asked.

"It's been a while."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Buffy straightened up. "Get your sword in position. We have to start all over again."

--------------------------------------------

"You are taking this very well." Wesley said, approaching the vampire.

"It is a big surprise." Angel replied, sititng in his office.

"What are you going to do about it?" The former watcher asked. The vampire frowned.

"I still don't know. I never thought this would happen so soon."

"After more than a hundred years?"

"You know what I mean."

Both remained silent. Angel looked at his phonebook and began playing with it.

"Someone you want to call?"

"You know I do."

"After all this time?"

"With this happening, there is no more reasons for me to stay away."

"No more reasons for you, Angel."

The vampire looked up and stared at Wesley.

"What do you mean?"

"Think before you act. You can't change what you did. You have to find a way to compensate for all that you ended when you walked away." Wesley turned around and left the office. Angel stood immovile for a few minutes, pondering what the man had just told him. He ran his hands through his hair and opened his phonebook.

-------------------------------------------

Spike leaned against the wall outside of the hotel. Once again, the shades provided him a saf haven away from sunlight and he could look at the world as if he were still alive. He brought the cigarette to his mouth and inhaled. The smoke filled his lungs and it gave him a sudden sensation of peace.

"Hiding in the sun?"

The female voice shook Spike out of his thoughts and made him focus on reality.

"Not really."

"Out on broad daylight and smoking. Both things could lead to a fiery, painful death, don't they?"

Spike smirked and threw the cigarette away.

"'S not as if I'm worried. What are you doin' 'ere, cheers?"

Cordelia smiled and walked towards the light.

"I can't still believe what you asked me to do in there."

"And I can't believe you actually helped me."

The vampire stared into Cordelia's eyes and he realized something.

"There's somethin' between the poof an' you, innit?"

Cordelia looked away.

"We were partners."

"'M not talkin' 'bout work. 'M talkin' 'bout life. Real life."

"We were friends."

"Were?"

Cordelia returned her gaze to the vampire's eyes.

"Yes, Spike. Friends. Why else do you think I'd do the crazy thing you asked me to do?" Cordelia said, as she rushed back inside the hotel. Spike didn't move.

"You did it for the same reason I did."

------------------------------------------

The souled vampire stared intently at the numbers in front of him. But there were more things in his mind besides numbers and dreams. The sudden appearance of Cordelia, Wesley, and above it all, Spike, confused him and had his brain working overtime. His partnership with Wesley had ended the night theformer watcher had decided to steal his son, and buried deep when Angel tried to smother him with a pillow. Cordelia's dissappearance had been a mistery, but now he knew she was a higher being and worked directly with The Powers That Be, hence the first hand information.

But Spike was an enigma. No one in Sunnydale had ever told him that he was still around. Or what he was doing. He seemed to recall Willow mentioning that he was harmless, something about a chip in his head. Courtesy of the U.S. Government. But why was he here? And why had he helped them take him out of his water tomb?

Millions of reasons ran through his mind, but the most rational one lingered in the back of his head. Spike had come to kill him, and in order to kill him he had to find him first.

Well, it was a longshot because the younger vampire could have staked him the moment they took him out of his metal casket. Angel had been as weak as a kitten and it could have been a matter of miliseconds for Spike to finish him off.

So what? Was Spike waiting for a perfect opportunity? Was he here to stop what Cordelia had promised him?

Why in God's name was that stupid vampire in Los Angeles?

There was only one way to find out, and it was within the numbers he had been staring at for the past ten minutes.

The souled vampire picked up the phone and dialed the number. After a few rings, a male's voice answered.

"Hello?"

Angel frowned. Had someone else moved in with her?

"Hi, uhm, is Buffy home?"

"Sure, who's calling?"

"Angel."

Silence greeted him from the other side of the line. He was about to say something when the voice spoke again.

"I'll be damned. The great evil undead himself finally calls."

"Xander." Angel sighed.

"Yeah. Wait up."

Angel rubbed his eyes. Xander had never liked him and it seemed he never would.

A few moments later, a female's voice sounded throught the phone.
"Angel."

The vampire could not stop the grin that crept up his face. He had been waiting for so long to finally talk to Buffy and tell her what Cordelia had told him earlier.

"How are you, Buffy?"

"Good. Can't complain. You?"

"Can't complain either." There was something in her voice that seemed strange to Angel. She usually was happier to hear him. He couldn't blame her. After all, he only called when there was something weird or an apocalypse was coming. "Look, I'm not calling to worry you or to tell you bad news. Quite the opposite."

"Really? That's a first." Buffy chuckled.

"There's no way to say this properly, but..."

"Is it Angel?" Another voice was heard through the line. Angel couldn't place who was it.

"Yes, Dawn, it is Angel." Buffy replied.

"Ask him if he has seen Spike, please." The voice inquired. Angel frowned and rememebred who Dawn was. Buffy's little sister. And had she just asked about Spike?

"Sorry about that, Angel. Dawnie doesn't know how to be quiet here."

Angel smiled.

"I remember. Did she just ask about Spike?"

"Yeah, it seems he told her he was going to L.A. to visit."

"Oh."

Silence stretched between the two of them.

"Is he there?" Buffy asked, her voice shy.

"Yes."

"Is that why you called?"

"Mostly? No."

"Then?"

Angel cleared his throat.

"I was about to get to that. Buffy, there are some very good news."

"What?"

"My soul."

Buffy's sharp intake of breath was heard.

"What about it?" She asked, a bit of fear in her.

"Nothing wrong about it. Something Cordelia told me."

Buffy heard the next words and she almost became numb. She didn't even say goodbye before hanging up. She looked around as if she were lost. The words becoming blurry in her mind. She sat down and began to take deep breaths.

Had she heard correctly?

Had he been telling the truth?

"Buffy, I'm being rewarded. Finally. The curse will be lifted. My soul will be permanent."

End of Chapter.