CONSEQUENCES

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created like Katy, Michelle, and Morgan.

CHAPTER 26-TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THINGS

"What happened," Wesley asked with a confused look on his face as he slowly walked into the kitchen and saw Dawn rooting around in the fridge. Not expecting Wesley to be up and around yet Dawn screamed in response before she snapped back out of the refrigerator with a jar of pickles in her hand, fully ready to hurl them at her supposed attacker.

"Whoa Dawn…easy, calm down…it's just me and Wes," Faith said with a hopefully calming but nervous expression on her face as she quickly entered the room behind Wesley and slid around in front of him. After the shower Faith had decided to dress down a bit, going more for comfort than for looks. So she pulled out the most comfortable pair of jeans that she could find and topped it off with a simple white shirt that smelled like Wesley's cologne. Feeling the house a bit warm she had forgone putting on any socks, instead stuffing them into her back pockets and then following a similarly dressed Wesley downstairs in bare feet.

"What…Faith, Wes…don't sneak up on me," Dawn exclaimed with an embarrassed half smirk on her face as she slowly lowered the jar of pickles.

"I'll try and remember that," Wesley said with a warm smile on his face as he walked over to the table and sat down, all under Faith's watchful eye until he was seated.

"So what were you doing lurking around in there anyway, looking for a middle of the afternoon snack," Faith asked with a curious smirk on her face as she hefted up her comfortable blue jeans a bit and made her way over to where Dawn was.

"I was looking for some blood for Spike, he and Angel fought The Immortal and almost killed him, but then some Sabatin demons showed up and nearly dusted them both," Dawn replied with a very serious and concerned look on her face as she ducked back into the refrigerator and found what she was looking for.

"Are they okay," Wesley asked with an impatient and alarmed look on his face as he started to rise up out of his chair.

"Easy Wes," Faith stated calmly with a touch of worry in her voice as she turned back to him and looked to be ready to make him stay in his seat before he complied and sat back down.

"They got pretty beat up but Willow cast a few healing spells on them, Angel's up with Nina in their room now, and Spike just sent me looking for some blood," Dawn finally replied with a concerned and anxious look on her face as she opened the microwave door and set the big mug of blood inside of it. Before anyone else spoke Dawn shut the door and set the timer and pushed start.

"This is not good, if there are more Sabatin demons than those that we fought in the alley then perhaps we should rethink our strategy for closing the portals for good," Wesley interjected with a very serious and deep in thought scowl on his face as he started to do some of the many calculations in his head.

"Wait a minute Wesley, I know that look, don't you dare even think for a second that I'm going to let you get anywhere near those demons, they nearly killed you the first time around and…," Faith started to say with a very scared and angry look in her eyes as she whirled around on Wesley and stared him down.

"Easy…I wasn't thinking anything of the sort, I was actually trying to figure out how such a large amount of Sabatin demons could possibly have arrived here without anyone noticing and doing something about it," Wesley replied with a calming expression on his face before Dawn went back to the refrigerator and opened it and then pulled out a big container of water while Faith hopped up and got a glass.

"Who knows and who cares how they got into London, we just have to make sure that when we're kicking some serious Wolfram and Hart ass…that we don't become their next target," Faith said back with a very serious look on her face as she took the water container from Dawn and poured a glass.

"But can we avoid that…really avoid it I mean, if what you said is true about how badly Angel and Spike were able to hurt this…Immortal, before the Sabatin demons showed up then I highly doubt that he's just going to let them off with a letting bygone's be bygone's," Wesley said with a very concerned and anxious expression on his face as he took the glass of water from Faith and drank it down in one smooth motion.

"Wait…what if he knows where we are, he could be sending that army of demons after us right now," Dawn squeaked with a terrified and paranoid look on her face before she rushed to the nearest window and looked out.

"That wouldn't be good," Faith mumbled with a very serious and well hidden tone of fear in her voice as she glanced around the room before Wesley handed her his glass of water back and she quickly filled it again, but this time downed the glass herself and then filled it up again.

"To say the least, you and I were barely able to take down a few Sabatin…we wouldn't stand a chance against an army the size of the one that you say that Spike and Angel saw the Immortal controlling," Wesley said with a very serious and worried expression on his face as he half smiled at Faith as he brought the glass of water up to his lips and paused there.

"All the more reason to get this portal spell cast as quickly as possible," Willow interjected with a nervous smile on her face as she walked into the kitchen and leaned back up against the island.

"Agreed, all the more reason that I should assist you in finding the location of the perfect place to cast the spell," Wesley said with a very determined look on his face as he slowly started to stand up, an act that was met by Willow looking like she was about ready to pounce on him while Faith shot to her feet and shoved her chair in. "I'm fine, as long as I take it slow," Wesley added with a tired but serious expression on his face as he slowly made his way out of the kitchen and into the hallway, with Faith's gaze never leaving him.

"You love him, don't you," Willow finally asked softly without the slightest bit of scorn, sarcasm, or disapproval in her voice as she watched the door slowly swing back and forth until it stopped moving.

"I…it's to early to tell," Faith stammered out with a very nervous and unsure look on her face before she spent a silent moment or two looking back and forth between the smiles on both Willow and Dawn's faces and then quietly excused herself from the room. After Faith left Dawn and Willow remained silent for several moments before the beeping of the microwave broke in.

"She's got it bad," Dawn observed without the slightest traces of a smile but a very certain tone of voice as she took the mug of hot blood out of the microwave and shut the door.

"Oh yeah," Willow agreed softly with an equally confidant and certain tone to her voice as she pushed off of the island and walked over to the cupboards as Dawn walked silently out of the room.

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"No Angel don't, just stay where you are," Nina pleaded with a worried look on her face as she walked back out of the bathroom only to find Angel starting to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

"I'm fine Nina, I don't have time to waste lying around in bed," Angel protested with a frustrated and pained look on his face before an almost heartbroken look started to cross Nina's face as she dropped her head. Before she could turn around and flee back into the bathroom Angel acted, lunging forward just enough to grab a hold of Nina by the wrist and pulling her forward and on top of him. Despite the pain that the act and Nina lying now provocatively on top of him Angel did not let out a single whimper or grunt of pain before he locked eyes with Nina. "I love you Nina, you, I love your smile, your sense of humor, of loyalty, the way you fiercely protect those that you care about, I love your strength…and I always will, never doubt that," Angel said with a very serious and sincere tone to his voice as he looked deeply in Nina's eyes and she looked deeply back into his. At first she had no response, but after several silent moments tears sprang to her eyes. Angel was about to reach up and wipe them away while trying his best to comfort her but he was stopped when she tilted her head to one side and kissed him like she hadn't before. She didn't break the kiss until she was in a desperate need of oxygen. Angel remained silent as Nina leaned back and inhaled deeply.

"Well…how was that," Nina asked softly with a very terrified and elated all at the same time look in her eyes before Angel couldn't help but smile and dive in for another kiss, his hands snaking down to her waist and sliding underneath her thin shirt. Nina mumbled something into his kiss before he slid his hands up her body, apparently tickling her the entire way given the excited shiver and smell that she experienced before his fingertips hit the bottoms of her breasts. She pulled her mouth back into a smile at that point and instead of vocally telling Angel to proceed she used all of her weight to force Angel back onto the bed until she was lying directly on top of him. He needed no more confirmation as deftly undid the clasp on the back of her bra and in one quick effort, barely breaking the kiss for more than a second, pulled both her bra and her shirt off over her head in one quick motion. Nina kicked off her shoes and divested herself of her jeans while still locked with Angel at the lips. It was naught two minutes later when Angel would later admit that looking back he was glad that David had bought such a large house and that sound didn't carry so well within it.

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"So you don't have any idea what Whistler meant," Giles asked Buffy with a confused and anxious expression on his face as he shook his head and cracked open one of the books that he had brought with him and laid it open across his lap.

"Not a clue…but then again Whistler's not exactly known for telling you what you want to hear, only what you need to hear, even if it's some weird mumbo jumbo that makes absolutely no sense, Dawn doesn't have any old friends that would be in London and the rest of us are here in the hotel," Buffy replied with a very frustrated and confused scowl on her face as she pulled the pillow of her bed from its place at the head of the bed and hugged it close to her.

"Was Dawn close to anyone on this other team, the one led by Angel," Robin asked with an eerily calm expression on his face and in his walk as he started to pace from one side of the small room to another.

"N…no, she barely knew Angel and Cordy before graduation and they haven't…no, she doesn't…didn't know any of them," Buffy started to reply with a scared tone to her voice as she looked up from her seated position on the bed before she allowed her chin to drop back down into the softness of the pillow.

"Then we're back to square one, with no clue what's going on," Xander interjected with a very worried look on his face as he shook his head sadly and stared out of the window.

"Not necessarily Xander, Buffy…did the demon say anything about this Whistler character," Robin asked with a still very serious look on his face as he kept pacing and didn't care to see Xander's surprised glare at the comment.

"He has a name," Buffy stated with an uncertain and surprised look on her face as she lifted her head up off of the pillow and stared oddly at Robin.

"Of course it does Buffy, it's trying to blend in to our society," Robin said with a look on his face that seemed to say that he could care less what Lorne's name was as he continued to pace the floor of the room without missing a single step.

"Well aren't you just the host with the most," Lorne said with a chipper yet sarcastic tone to his voice as he walked into the room out of the bathroom and smiled.

"We need to find Dawn as soon as possible, is there anything that you could track either one of them with…does Dawn have a cell phone," Robin asked with a slightly agitated expression on his face as he kept his gaze locked onto Buffy and refused to even look Lorne's way.

"Yeah…but she wasn't wearing it when she and Willow went out to eat so it's useless to us," Buffy slowly replied with a sad pout on her face as she worried about her little sister before being interrupted by Robin.

"Then that does certainly put us at a disadvantage," Robin said with a less than thrilled look on his face as he slid his hands into his pockets before shaking his head and leaving the room.

"Yes ladies and gentlemen…Elvis has left the building," Lorne said with a sarcastic and mocking smirk on his face before his countenance changed to one of wanting to smack Robin upside the heading but thinking better of it and staying in the room.

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"Hail the conquering hero," Willow said with a relieved smile on her face as she watched from the doorway as Dawn handed Spike the mug of blood and sat down in the chair beside his bed. Spike's only initial reaction was to glance up at her with a look of mock scorn in his eyes, a look that made Willow chuckle as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Some bloody hero I am, nearly met a dusty end in a sewer," Spike said with an unhappy frown on his face as he pulled the mug of blood away from his mouth long enough to speak.

"But you didn't that's got to count for something right," Dawn said with a hopefully reassuring smile and tone of voice as she tried her best to lift Spike's spirits out of the doldrums.

"Thanks for trying Bit, but I can't stay in bed all day with that bastard out there running around free…with her," Spike said with a quick and kind smile to Dawn before he scowled heavily and tried very slowly and carefully to sit up and get out of bed.

"Are you sure that you've healed enough to," Willow started to say with a concerned edge to her voice as she hesitantly took a step towards Spike and physically prepared herself to do her best attempt at catching him if he fell before he cut her off.

"I said I'm fine…I just, can't sit still," Spike angrily snapped back at first before he saw the effect that his words had on Willow and Dawn and forced himself to calm down and take a useless deep breath.

"I understand you wanting to help Buffy Spike, but you can't do much for her in your current condition, don't worry I swear that you'll be all healed up by the time that I cast the spell," Willow said with a very positive smile on her face as she sat down on the bed beside Spike as he reluctantly remained silent and took another sip from the mug of blood that Dawn had brought him.

"I hope you're right, this is going to be big…bigger than what happened in LA and sure as hell bigger than Sunnydale," Spike said with a very determined and serious tone to his voice, the look in his eyes, and his posture as both Dawn and Willow knew the full gravity of the situation that they were facing.

"That's…pretty big," Dawn said softly, almost in a whisper as she sat down on the bed beside Spike on the opposite side of Willow and laid her head on his shoulder.

"And that's exactly why you're going to stay here until it's over," Spike said with a soft but unwavering tone in his voice as he looked down at Dawn and waited for her to explode into an argument, he didn't have to wait very long.

"Oh no you don't Spike, don't even think about it, there's no way in hell that I'm going to sit here while the rest of you go out and get yourselves killed, or on the outside…permanently close the portals and save the world," Dawn exclaimed with a defiant and angry scowl on her face as she picked her head up off of Spike's shoulder and glared at him. He couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Okay…Bit, I give…I give," Spike said back softly with a very sly grin on his face before the glare on Dawn's face was replaced by a similar look that he had loved on Buffy's face. Mumbling an Italian curse under her breath Dawn sat back down on the bed and laid her head back on Spike's shoulder before the three got back to everything that had happened since the destruction of Sunnydale.

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"Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you and I had gotten off on a different footing, if I hadn't been the rebellious hellion and you the stick up your ass watcher, ever thought where we'd be right now," Faith asked with a dreamy and far away look in her eyes as she lay on her back on their bed and stared up at the whirring ceiling fan, stripped down to her underwear, which Wesley had picked out for her, resulting in it leaving very little to the imagination.

"Like if we would be in this position right now," Wesley said back with a tired yawn as he half lifted his head up and glanced down at Faith, while he was stripped down to his boxers, before he laid his head back down and gently tickled the bottoms of Faith's feet which were on the pillow near his head as her head was down near his calves.

"Yeah…well not exactly this position, but that I…wouldn't have," Faith started to say back with a half shrug before her eyes began to tear up and she looked away.

"We are both to blame for that Faith, and if I still held a grudge against you for that night we would never have happened," Wesley said back with a very clear and sincere tone to his voice and look in his eyes as he sat up just a bit and grabbed a hold of one of Faith's hands and gave it a squeeze, getting her to look at him.

"But how can you," Faith started to say more in a sad whisper than anything else as she sat up and reluctantly pulled Wesley up with her, leaving the two close enough that their breath warmed the other.

"Because I've been there Faith, I've been so low that you no longer think that any of your actions mean anything, that the consequences matter, that no one gives a damn whether you're alive or lying on the side of the road in a pool of your own blood," Wesley started to say with a very convicted look in his eyes as Faith looked up at him briefly before letting her head drop and her hair cascade down over her face and one of the straps on her bra slid off of her shoulder.

"Sure but," Faith started to mumble back with a sad and confused look on her face as she lifted a hand up and wiped away one of her tears.

"And because I've come out of it, seeing firsthand that it's not the end of the world that I thought it was, that I could recover from that, that my life wasn't over and I was damned for my sins…and neither are you, so I stopped being mad at you and forgave you for that night, now I only can hope to wish that you can forgive me for my being such a piss poor Watcher and…," Wesley started to say with a sad and self deprecating tone to his voice as he leaned forward and spoke the words straight into the warm and scented curls on the top of Faith's head before she snapped her head up and gazed stunned at him through the ringlets over her face.

"It wasn't your fault…it was mine, all mine…I was just to much of a…I don't deserve to be forgiven, I…," Faith said frantically with a panicked look in her eyes as she gazed up at the man that she loved until he silenced her with a soft finger on her lips.

"You are forgiven Faith…let it go," Wesley whispered softly under his breath and he dove in for the kill, cupping her face with one hand and devouring her mouth and then neck with kisses as with the thumb of his other hand he wound up the other shoulder strap to Faith's bra and then began to slid the garment down her body until he stopped at her waist.

"Only if you do," Faith shot back in an almost gasp whisper as she pushed herself up to her knees and then kissed Wesley fiercely before she broke the kiss and straightened up, hugging him tightly to her chest and letting go.

END OF CHAPTER 26