Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created like Katy, Morgan, and Michelle.
CHAPTER 40-HONEST TRUTHS, A HAPPY MISTRESS
"You think she'll make it," Spike asked with a serious look on his face and some trepidation in his voice as he watched Katy leave the training room and head upstairs to take a shower.
"Who knows, I can't even say for certain if we'll both make it, I don't have a clue how this is all going to go, it could all blow up in our faces for all I know," Angel replied with a nervous shrug of his shoulders as he inspected a small cut on his bicep that Katy had made with the edge of a knife during their last training walkthrough.
"Well what do we have here Wes, our fearless leader doubting himself, this is not encouraging," Faith snickered with a pointed grin on her face as she lightly elbowed Angel in the side as Wesley bent over and picked up one of the swords that they had used during the short training session.
"Most discouraging indeed," Wesley added with a sly smirk on his face as he calmly inspected the sword that he had picked up.
"Good to see that you two still have your sense of humor, you'll need it tonight, since I'm giving the two of you one of the hardest assignments," Angel said with a slight smirk on his face as he picked up another of the swords, lightly tapping his right index finger on the end of it. When it pricked his skin and a small ball of blood appeared he nodded his head in approval and then handed it to Spike who put it back on the weapons rack.
"I knew that this was all to good to be true, let me guess…we're the bait to get the vampire army to come into town where they can be annihilate by The Initiative," Wesley said with an overly sarcastic tone to his voice as he glanced over at Faith, who picked up a sword of her own and cocked a curious eyebrow, with the edges of her lips beginning to curl up into a daring smile.
"You're wrong Peaches, he's not as dumb as he looks," Spike quipped with a deadly serious look on his face before when everyone else in the room looked his way with curious looks on their faces he couldn't help but grin.
"Actually no, that job will belong to Spike and Buffy, I will be busy trying to get The Initiative to follow me while you and Faith will keep an eye on Wolfram and Hart, making sure that they don't move in until the rest of us are ready," Angel stated with a very serious and concerned look on his face as he bent over and picked up his coat.
"And just how are we supposed to do that exactly, walk up to them and say pretty please," Faith shot back with a curious and none to thrilled expression on her face at the thought of having to try and stop a juggernaut like Wolfram and Hart.
"Maybe, look I don't really care how you do it but just keep them there until we're ready for them, if that means blowing something up…then by all means, blow something up," Angel replied with an unenthusiastic look on his face as he slipped his coat on while Spike started towards the doorway.
"Don't be giving her any ideas Angel, we're not trying to start world war three or anything, just saving our own asses," Spike interjected with an almost scolding look on his face before he left the room.
"I don't think that it'll come to that Angel, but if it does then just remember that you're the one that put the idea into her head," Wesley said with a possibly joking look on his face before Faith cut in.
"Ah come on Wes, live a little, explosions are fun," Faith said with a joking grin on her face as she lightly elbowed Wesley in the ribs.
"Except if you're the one getting blown up," Wesley replied coldly with an unhappy frown on his face as he took a step away from Faith, leaving her to stop what she was doing and turn back to him with an inquisitive smile on her face.
"Remember when I told you that our old offices got blown up…well Wes was lucky enough to be inside the building when it went up, luckily I was able to get to him and drag him out, otherwise he wouldn't have made it," Angel said with a serious look on his face as he recounted the story. The smile instantly fell from Faith's face and the light in her eyes was replaced by a look of fear and regret.
"I don't really remember much about it, other than looking over the texts one moment and the next thing that I knew I was waking up in an ambulance on the way to the hospital," Wesley said with a slightly sad look on his face before Faith tried to cheer him up.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right," Faith said with an optimistic edge to her voice as she walked up to Wesley so that she was directly in front of him and had to look at her.
"It would appear so, though I would like to avoid being blown up again if at all possible," Wesley replied with a weak smile on his face before he looked up and saw the nervousness in Faith's eyes.
"Then just use an explosion as a last resort, try something a little simpler, like giving the police an anonymous tip that there's a group of terrorists holding people hostage, that'll bring enough bobbies to keep Lindsey and Lilah busy for awhile," Angel said with a slightly humored look on his face as he shrugged his shoulders and took a step back and off of the combat floor.
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
"My level seven wizard uses his staff of conjuring to summon a cave troll," Andrew declared with a very proud and triumphant look on his face as he clenched his fists in triumph.
"Nice try, but my spell caster trap prevents your wizard from summoning any monster to the field of play for five turns," David exclaimed back with a victorious grin on his face as he flipped over one of his cards, causing Andrew to go white in the face at the turn of events.
"I don't understand this game," Vi said with an impatient and bored pout on her face as she stared at the few cards that she had remaining and found herself completely lost.
"You and me both girl…why did I ever agree to play anyway," Rhona added with a very impatient frown on her face as she shook her head and set her cards face down on the table in front of her.
"Because you could not think of anything else to better pass the time Rhona," Giles said with a very intense scowl on his face as he studied his stat sheet and cards carefully, already planning his next move.
"We could have done what I wanted to do and go shopping," Isabella, the newest slayer said with an eager smile on her face. She had just arrived in Rome when Giles and Buffy had pulled up stakes and brought the group to London. Her fighting ability was not very high and so far since arriving in London she had done more shopping than training. Her belt length jet-black hair and olive skin gave off her region of origin without her having to answer a question. Though she had been born in a country with a language other than English as the official language she had been brought up in northern California and so spoke the language fluently.
"Oh yeah, and give Wolfram and Hart or The Initiative a perfect chance to grab you and hold you for ransom against the rest of us," Rhona grumbled with a very sarcastic pout on her face as she tried to stay calm when chastising the newest slayer.
"Oh…yeah, I forgot about them," Isabella muttered with a thoroughly embarrassed and dejected look on her face, as she had an unfortunate habit of saying something stupid at the most inopportune moment, as she did her best to hide behind her cards.
"That's okay, it's not like the rest of us are coming up with any awe inspiring plans either, we're here playing a Dungeons & Dragon's style game to pass the time while trying not to obsess about the fact that these could be the last few hours that we have to live," Vi replied with a supportive and worried tone to her voice as she sat up on her knees and scowled over at Rhona, glad when Isabella crept back out from behind her cards.
"Thanks a lot Vi, I had almost forgotten about that," Rhona grumbled back with an unhappy frown on her face as she shook her head and set her cards down onto the table with a frustrated scowl on her face.
"Sorry," Vi mumbled softly with a very nervous look on her face as she slowly shrank away from the table.
"You guys are still playing that stupid game, the battle starts tonight and you're playing games when you should be getting ready," Gwen interjected with a disapproving tone to her voice as she scowled from the doorway with her arms crossed and a slightly confused looking Groo at her side.
"They're not going to fight tonight Gwen, it's to risky, we'd just end up losing half of them and I don't want that on my or Angel's conscience," Nina answered with a forced smile of optimism on her face as she shuffled into the room with her hands in her back pockets with her thumbs hanging out, pointing towards each other.
"Oh, so you speak for Angel now," Gwen shot back with a frustrated and anxious expression on her face as she chuckled a bit.
"In this case yes," Angel stated with a very calm and serious tone to his voice as he strode into the room with a bored looking Spike a few feet behind.
"Who's winning," Spike asked with a bored look on his face before Buffy and Dawn walked into the room, with Buffy looking ready to rip someone's head off and Dawn trying her very best to calm her down.
"Depends on whom you ask," Isabella replied with a nervous look on her face as she was still getting used to being around vampires. Spike started to ask another question but as Buffy and Dawn walked by Dawn made it a point to lean over and grab Spike's arm before dragging him along.
"What was that about," Angel asked with a confused look on his face as Nina stood next to him.
"Jamie, she said some things that got Buffy all riled up, I think that it's best if we just let Dawn and Spike try to calm her down," Willow answered with a bored and slightly tired sigh as she walked into the room and sat down on the couch beside Andrew.
"What things," Nina asked with a concerned look on her face as she looped her arm around Angel's and laid her head against his shoulder.
"The truth about her ex boyfriend, someone had to tell her, guess it all hasn't sunk in yet, she must still think that he actually cared about her," Jamie interjected with a bored and relaxed look on her face as she walked into the room and briefly glanced at Willow before heading towards the stairs.
"And you decided that someone had to be you," Xander said with an unhappy frown on his face as he turned to look over the back of his chair at Jamie, which gave a sneaky Andrew to lean over and get a quick peek of his cards.
"Well I don't know her very well so I was able to just come right out and say it without worrying about hurting her feelings like the rest of you would have," Jamie said with a slight smile on her face before she continued on her way up the stairs.
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
"What about her," Scarlet asked with a bored look on her face as she pointed at one young woman out on the dance floor.
"To tall," Kennedy answered with an unhappy frown on her face as she slapped Rhett's hand away from the cup of cashews that sat in the middle of the table. Rhett and Scarlet had changed out of their outfits and into more normal clothes, mostly that of a pair of young women out on the town looking for some fun. Kennedy had chosen to dress pretty casually and mostly kept to the shadows, looking over the potential children, while Scarlet and Rhett had their fun. Rhett wore a low cut backless dress while Scarlet wore a light blue skintight dress that caught almost everyone's attention that night. They passed by undercover members of The Initiative with ease, as the operatives were far more interested in trying to find Wolfram and Hart than noticing three vampires out for a night of fun. More than once during the night Scarlet had been approached by an agent of Wolfram and Hart asking her if she needed representation. In response she had told them that she'd have to ask her mistress first. Luckily for her that had seemed to pacify their curiosity and so they had left her alone after that.
"Well what about that one," Scarlet asked again, this time pointing to the shortest of a group of women that Kennedy had had her eye on since they entered the club, as she sat down in the booth, using a napkin to wipe away some of the sweat that others had left on her body.
"To short, and I'd better not find out that," Kennedy started to say with a very stern look on her face before Scarlet went extra white and interjected.
"Okay, I had a waitress in a bathroom stall, she tasted pretty sweet, probably had some E or something, my head's still swimming a bit," Scarlet interrupted with a hurried and nervous look on her face as she tapped her fingers on the table and expected to be punished.
"Did you turn her," Kennedy demanded sharply with an unhappy look on her face as she lashed out and grabbed a hold of Scarlet's arm, digging her fingernails into her wrist until she drew blood.
"No mistress, of course not, I left her there still alive, if you want you can finish her off, she might be fun," Scarlet replied quickly with a pained and terrified look on her face while Rhett beamed from ear to ear.
"Good, maybe I'll only whip you tonight…Rhett, go finish the nice waitress off and take her home, if nothing else we can use her for bait," Kennedy said with a fed up but forced calm look on her face as she dug her fingernails in deeper into Scarlet's arm before finally letting go and half turning to Rhett.
"Yes mistress," Rhett said with a very respectful and fearful look in her eyes as she nodded her head and then left the booth.
"And me," Scarlet asked with a quiver in her voice as she started to shake slightly out of fear of what Kennedy might do to her in her displeasure.
"Go clean yourself up and then find me something to eat, I'm feeling a bit empty, and make sure that she's not all doped up on something, I hate that," Kennedy said with a very serious and frustrated scowl on her face before Scarlet bowed low to her mistress and left the table. She would return a few minutes later with a pair of twins that definitely had consumed a few too many drinks.
"Will these do mistress," Scarlet asked with a very pensive expression on her face as she directed the two women closer to Kennedy's table.
"Mistress…what," One of the women started to ask with a drunken slur in her speech before Kennedy stood up, leaned in close, and whispered something into her ear. The woman apparently liked what she heard and soon the two were following Kennedy and Scarlet, heading to what they thought was another party. Daybreak would find a woman's dead body, drained of all of its, floating naked in the river, with two new vampires waiting until nightfall for their first kill.
1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
"The troops ready," Angel asked with a very nervous tone to his voice as he continued to arm himself for the night ahead as the sunlight cast ominous shadows about the room.
"As ready as they'll ever be," Nina replied with a very nervous and scared tone to her voice though the expression on her face was a confidant one.
"We should probably get started, we only have tonight to get this done, and we're already behind the eight ball," Spike added with a calm look on his face as he stepped out of the shadows and slipped his duster back on after having to take it off to arm himself for the night's activities.
"So this is how it ends, the few of us going up against overwhelming odds," Angel said with an under whelmed expression on his face as he turned around and picked his coat up.
"Ain't the first time, somehow we seem to repeat ourselves, first Shanghai, then LA, and now…London," Spike said with a grimly sarcastic look on his face before he picked up Angel's new favorite sword and handed it to him.
"Well then let's make this the last one all right, I can't keep running forever, it all stops here, one way or another," Angel said with a very serious and anxious expression on his face as he buckled the sword's scabbard at his waist.
"Couldn't have said it better myself…uh Nina, could you step outside, I want to say something to Spike and Angel, and I'd rather it be in private," Buffy interjected with a hearty smile on her face before her countenance changed to a much more somber one as she made her request. Nina started to say something but then turned to Angel and connected her gaze with his. He nodded his head as she then turned back to Buffy and smiled warmly before ducking her head down slightly and walking out of the room before closing the door softly.
"Want us all to yourself do ya pet, not exactly the best time but," Spike started to say with a cocky swagger in his step before Buffy held a hand up and stopped him.
"Not now Spike, okay look…this might be the last time that I ever get the chance to talk to either of you so I want to say this before I choke up," Buffy stated with a very forced look of calm on her face as both Angel and Spike could tell that her emotions were running the entire gambit and her heart was racing.
"We're going to get through this Buffy," Angel said softly with a very heartfelt tone to his voice as he stepped forward and glanced over at Spike to confirm that both were worried about the slayer.
"I hope you're right, but if any of us don't I have to say this, Angel…you know that I love you, I always will, you were the first that…but our time is done, you're happy with Nina now and I'm not going to jeopardize that," Buffy said with a very nervous and tense look on her face as her eyes started to fill up with tears before she leaned in close to Angel and kissed him softly on the lips before finishing with her explanation. Spike started to step forward and protest but she stopped him with a hand on his chest. "And I love you Spike, maybe I always have…no matter what I've tried since the night that I met you in the alley behind The Bronze I haven't been able to get you completely out of my mind, but throughout all you've been there for me when I needed you, even if I didn't want you there, I tried to prove to myself and everyone else that I was over you when I started dating The Immortal, but to tell you the truth I only did that because he reminded me so much of you, there were times that I almost forgot who it was that I was with, but make no mistake about this…I did not love him, you're right that I didn't fully know what he was but I had some idea that he wasn't being completely on the level with me…but I'm denial girl remember, I try to push everything away until it fades into the dark and goes away, but this won't fade away, I don't want it to, I'm…we're through keeping this to ourselves, so here goes…Spike, if we both live through this then I'd like it if you'd…move in with Dawn and me in Rome, see if it works," Buffy added with a very serious and honest look on her face and tone to her voice as she looked first to Angel and then locked her gaze squarely on Spike, as she held his rapt attention throughout. When she finished she leaned into Spike, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him like it was their last. Angel expected himself to feel extremely jealous but as he watched the kiss an emotion other than jealousy filled him, followed by another. The first emotion was instead a serene pride, before confidence was ushered in when the kiss ended and the two looked to Angel, almost as if silently begging for his acceptance.
"Come on, we can't leave them waiting any longer, the night is still young and Faith's patience only lasts so long," Angel said with an odd smile on his face before he adjusted his coat and left the room, silently hoping that he would see the two behind him many times in the coming years.
END OF CHAPTER 40