Warning: The angst continues; language

Chapter 16

Spike spent the night on the couch in the TV room. She did not even hear Angel come into the Penthouse. When she awoke, she slowly sat up as she rubbed her weary eyes. She could sense Angel was in the bedroom; she thanked whomever that Angel did not bring her in to share their bed. She stared at the wall ahead that was adorned with expensive artwork. She was at a loss for an explanation for Angel's conduct. His erratic behavior was starting to scare Spike. She could not predict whether or not he would be loving or reveal shades of Angelus. Spike often wondered the last few weeks if the lines between Angel and Angelus had seemingly blurred. She had asked him often to share his feelings and fears with her, yet he rebuffed her at every turn. She now felt trapped, not knowing what to do. She feared inciting his scorn.

She sat straighter when she saw him come out of the bedroom dressed for the office. She saw him smile and walk over to her. Angel sat down next to her and embraced her and kissed her forehead. Spike stiffened slightly at the contact.

"Good morning. I didn't want to wake you up when I got in last night." He said as his warm brown eyes gazed upon her face.

"Thanks." Spike answered quietly as she looked down. Angel kissed her briefly on the cheek and stood up hurriedly.

"I'll be back up around lunchtime." He said as he glanced at his watch. "Because we are leaving tomorrow, Porter is coming to show us some clothes for Toronto. There's no general meeting today, so you can stay up here if you like." He looked at Spike to see if she understood him.

She squirmed a bit in discomfort as he glared at her. "Sure." She nearly whispered.

"Alright, see you later." Angel quickly left the apartment.

A few hours later, Spike sat bored in the bedroom reading a magazine. She growled when she glanced at the clock out of the corner of her azure colored eyes. 11:45. 'That Porter ponce is comin' soon.' She thought. 'Better not make me wear some frilly shit.' She was startled out of her inner thoughts when the phone rang. She stretched her well shaped arm across the bed to retrieve the telephone.

"Yello?" Spike asked absently while she still thumbed through the gossip rag.

"Spike?" The voice on the other line was Fred.

"Heya. What's up?"

"You okay?" Her friend sounded concerned.

"Yeah, Science Girl." Spike frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you missed the morning meeting. Didn't Angel tell you about it?"

Spike sat with her mouth open. She gripped the receiver so tightly, she could hear it nearly break.

"Are you still there? Spike?"

The blond vampire shook her head and forced herself to speak. Her voice choked slightly. "Yeah...uh...I just felt tired this morning. Didn't feel like gettin' out of bed..." Her hand trembled as she grasped at the phone in her hand.

"Oh, well, that's a relief. Do you think you need to get checked out in medical? "

"No, pet." Spike managed a small smile in appreciation of her devoted friend. "I'll be right as rain by tomorrow. So, don't worry your pretty little head off, 'kay?"

"Okay. You didn't miss much, by the way. Angel is acting so strange lately. He and the others seem to fight all the time now." She said sadly. "Anyway, call me if you need anything."

"Will do, luv. Ta." Spike slowly hung up the phone. 'What is he playin' at?' She thought to herself. The confused vampire felt a familiar ache return to her chest. Her brooding was interrupted as Angel and Porter entered the penthouse chatting.

"I have a wonderful selection of clothes today, Mr. Angel. My team will be arriving momentarily. The two of you will be the best dressed couple there." He smiled widely hoping to win the approval of the dark vampire.

"Well, you have never let me down, Porter. Why start now?" He chuckled lightly. Angel walked over to Spike as she entered the room and kissed her on the forehead. "Hi, honey." Angel removed his jacket and neatly slung it over a chair.

"Where do you want us?" Angel asked enthusiastically as he looked back at his personal shopper.

Porter was speaking to his team of a man and woman who just arrived. He was pointing in a few directions leaving his orders with them. "Spike will go with Melinda into the bedroom and we can have you in the TV room Mr. Angel."

Angel turned to Spike. "Have fun." He smiled as a tall, olive skinned woman walked towards the bedroom pushing a clothing rack. Spike said nothing. She had no emotion playing upon her face. She reluctantly went to the bedroom.

After a few minutes, her anger began to rise. All she saw were dresses and skirts as far as the eye could see. Her shopper was perfectly polite, but was easily growing frustrated with Spike vetoing all the choices she suggested. Porter sneaked in to check their progress. "Everything peachy keen?" He said as he sashayed into the room. Melinda simply had a strained smile on her face.

Spike turned to Porter and with anger in her voice. "Thought we discussed this last time." Her hands were on her hips. "No frilly chick shit." She walked over to the rack and picked at the clothes carelessly. "I think dresses and skirts qualify as CHICK SHIT!" She yelled.

Porter attempted to reason with her. "These are some of the finest garments money can buy, Spike." He grew nervous as he saw the scowl on the blond vampire's face grow. He had explicit instructions from Angel what the proper attire was to be. He did not want to incur the wrath of the CEO. "I-If you look, I did not include too many pastels..."

Spike interrupted him. "I don't give a fuck if it's all black, I'm not wearin' this shit!" Spike received some satisfaction when their eyes went wide with panic. 'That's right. I'm the Big Bad!' She thought as she reveled in the smell of fear emanating from the two shoppers in front of her. The feeling was short-lived when she heard a voice behind her.

"Is there a problem?" Angel's voice was stern. Spike slowly turned around to face her Grandsire. She decided to be defiant.

"Yeah. 'M not wearin' any of this froo froo crap!" She smirked and chuckled to herself when she heard a quiet growl.

Angel turned to the shoppers. "Would you mind giving us a minute?" He said with a forced politeness. He waited until they closed the door after exiting. Yellow, angry eyes zoned in on Spike. She stood in the same place and stared right back at him. She folded her arms.

"You WILL wear these clothes, WILLIAM!" Angel was seething. He did not have time for these little distractions.

"'M not wearin' a dress! Those clothes are for birds!" She yelled back at him; she went into game face for a second but regained her composure.

"Last time I checked, Spike, you were a girl. You need to get over it! This is an important meeting and there are many functions we will attend."

"We?" Spike's anger continued to rise. "Glad to be asked IF I wanted to go to whatever the fuck is happenin' in Toronto. I'm not a damn' minion you can just order around!"

"Gee! I'm sorry I thought getting away together would be a nice thing! I just don't want you walking around there dressed like a hooker. We need to make a certain impression." Angel scowled.

Spike threw her hands in the air. "Listen to yourself, you fuckin' pillock! Impression? Jesus, you've really sold out haven't you?" She walked up to him and lightly poked him in the chest. "You're lovin' this power you have here at Evil Incorporated, eh? Wolfram and Hart bought you so damn easily with fancy offices and fancier cars. You're a king in your castle!" Her eyes narrowed and she hissed. "Feels good, doesn't it Angelus?" She started to brush him aside and walk towards the door. As she pushed his shoulder, suddenly, she had no time to react as she felt the sting of Angel backhanding her across the face. The force was so great that she was knocked to the floor. Her eyes were wide in shock as she reached up shakily as the palm of her hand rested on her left cheek. She felt her blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. She stared up at Angel who himself stood stunned as he looked upon his hand that hit the blond vampire.

"Oh, gods, Spike..." Angel shook his head in disbelief and started to inch his way towards her as he smelled her blood.

Spike frantically scooted backwards towards the wall. "Stay away form me..." She whimpered as continued to hold her hand on her bruising cheek. As Angel moved nearer to her, she eyed him intently. "I swear it, don't come any closer."

Angel's face was sorrowful as his eyes teared. "I'm so sorry, Little One. I don't know what came over me..." He trailed off. His heart fell as he saw her turn away from him. Her little body was plastered in the corner and her face was covered with her long locks. He noticed her slightly shaking. "Spike, talk to me." He begged. He received no response from her for some time. After awhile, Angel left the room.

"Mr. Angel?" Porter asked as his boss entered the TV room.

The dark vampire sighed. "Leave the clothes up here for now. I will call later." He rubbed his eyes. "Thanks for your work."

"Yes, sir. I wish you happy traveling tomorrow. Please take whatever you need. We will discuss the bill later, sir." The shopper quickly left the penthouse.

The dark vampire looked back towards the bedroom, but he did not go back in. He decided to give Spike time and hopefully he could apologize later. He walked over to the couch and sat down heavily. He placed his weary head in his hands. His stomach fluttered with the realization that he was ruining his chance with Spike. A lone tear escaped his eye. He felt the weight of so much on his shoulders. He was drowning.

After a few hours, Spike left the bedroom. She was nervous to see Angel, but she needed to feed. The blond vampire sensed that Angel was still in the penthouse, but she did not care. She quickly walked to the kitchen to prepare her mug. She purposely ignored Angel in the adjacent room. As she stood by the microwave, she heard Angel enter the kitchen.

"Spike?" Angel's voice was quiet and full of sadness. Spike turned around after retrieving her mug. Her eyes were cold as she sipped from her mug. "Can I talk with you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever." She answered flatly. She followed him into the TV room and sat on the opposite side of the couch from him. She placed her mug down and clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. Her composure seemed steely externally; inside she was screaming.

The dark vampire looked upon her with sorrowful eyes. "I'm so sorry...about what happened. I never want to hurt you..."

Spike's resolve crumbled slightly as she turned her eyes towards him. "I don't understand what's happenin' to you. You're scaring me, Angel..." She lowered her head as she bit her lower lip.

Angel took a chance and moved closer to her. He gently touched her hand. "I'm so sorry, Spike." He placed his hand under her chin and lifted it up. "I need you to trust me. Everything will be fine. I promise." His eyes seemed so sincere. Spike wanted so much to believe him, but it was becoming increasingly hard. Angel sensed the inner conflict within his Grandchilde. After some time, he moved closer to her and sighed with happiness when he felt her move into his embrace. Her petite body now sat on his lap. Her head was buried into his neck as she breathed in the unique scent of Angel. He heard her whimper as she licked his neck. "Go ahead, Little One." He whispered as he gave her permission to feed from him. He felt her face shift and his breath caught as he felt the intrusion of her fangs into his neck. After a few minutes of feeding, Spike sat up slightly to face Angel. The dark vampire stroked her long hair gently as they gazed at each other.

TBC...next chapter: Toronto