Chapter Fifty-Eight: Singing The Song Of Angry Men
Spike looked up at the hotel. So this was where Angel lived now, not quite as homey as his crypt but it seemed like something Angel would prefer. Spike looked at the door, took a deep, unneeded breath and walked through the door.
At first he didn't see anyone in the lobby. Then he spotted a brown-haired girl sitting at the desk, working on a computer. She looked up and smiled when she saw him, "Hi, welcome to Angel Investigations."
"Where's Peaches?" Spike snapped. He didn't have time for pleasantries, not if he was going to get Buffy and their son back.
"What?" Fred asked, confused. "We don't have any peaches here."
"Not those kind," Spike said, impatiently. "Angel, where is he?"
"Spike?" Angel said, coming downstairs, Cordelia behind him. "What are you doing here?" He looked around, "Where's Buffy?"
"Captain Cardboard and his crew grabbed her," Spike said, getting right to the point.
"What?" Angel asked, alarmed. "Why?"
"Because Captain and Mrs. Cardboard found out that yours truly and you were able to reproduce the old fashioned way," Spike said. "So they brought Buffy here to their new club house."
"They want to study her and the baby," Angel said. It wasn't surprising, the only thing that did surprise him was that the government hadn't tried to go after Buffy and her baby before.
Spike nodded, not in the mood for trading barbs with Angel, "And your kid too."
"Connor," Angel said, his mind already filled with images of what could happen to Connor. Wolfram and Hart hadn't tried anything lately and most of the demons that had been after Connor were dead or scared off. This was something new. Now the government was involved. He looked at Cordelia, "Bring him down here."
Cordelia didn't argue. She just ran up the stairs to where Spike assumed Connor was.
"Why are you here, anyway?" Angel asked. "You're warning me that someone's after Connor out of the badness of your heart? Why else are you here?"
Spike gritted his teeth and said, "Because I can't get Buffy out of where ever the government has her by myself. So I thought you might like to help."
"Where do they have her?" Angel asked. He didn't like the idea of having to work with Spike again but if Buffy was in trouble then he would do whatever it took to help her.
"Somewhere in this city," Spike said. "Dawn found their new base is here."
"Could they have moved it?" Angel asked.
Spike shrugged, "Could have but probably not. It's too convenient with," He gestured to Connor, who had just been brought down by Cordelia. "Peaches Jr. right in front of them."
"Where do you think their base is?" Angel asked.
"No idea," Spike looked around. "Anyone here know how to break into high security systems?"
"Fred," Angel said, looking at her. "See if you can hack into the government computers and find out whatever you can about Buffy." He took Connor from Cordelia and said, "Get Wesley and Gunn down here, Lorne too if you can." Cordelia nodded and ran upstairs Angel and Spike didn't say another word to each other until the rest of Angel investigations joined them.
"What's with the Billy Idol wannabe?" Lorne asked as he came down the stairs.
"Hey," Spike snapped. "He got his look from me."
"What are you doing here?" Wesley asked, recognizing Spike.
"Remember that government agency that had its headquarters in Sunnydale?" Angel said. "Well they're based in L.A. now. They found out about Buffy and Connor. They took Buffy and now they're after Connor."
"How did they find out about Connor and Buffy?" Cordelia asked. "The government hasn't bothered us so far about Connor. Why are they starting now?"
Angel looked at Spike, "I was wondering the same thing. How did.." He couldn't remember the name of the guy Buffy had been dating. "Uh Captain Cardboard find out about Connor?"
Spike suddenly felt like he was a fledgling again and he'd botched another kill and was about to be taught a lesson by Angelelus, "He ah overheard Buffy and me talkin' about little Peaches."
"And you told him," Angel said, trying to hold onto his temper. "You told him and now Buffy and our sons are all in danger."
"Well when you put it that way, sure it sounds bad," Spike snapped. "Now are you going to help or should I find someone who will?"
"Alright," Wesley said, deciding to break them up before things got out of hand. "Enough you two."
Angel and Spike glared at each other or a minute before Angel nodded and said, "Fine, let's just get Buffy back, the sooner you leave the better."
"Those two really don't get along, do they?" Fred whispered to Gunn.
"Last time Spike came to town he tortured Angel with pokers and the last time they saw each other Angel saved Spike's life," Gunn told Fred, quietly. "So I think it's one of those love/hate vampire things."
"No," Spike said, hearing Fred and Gun's conversation. "It's one of those hate/hate things that once and a while comes in handy when you need a lot of muscle and little brains."
"You'd have been staked a long time ago without me," Angel said. "And once again I have to clean up another one of your messes." Cordelia took Connor from Angel. Spike and Angel were on the verge of a fight and Cordelia didn't want Connor caught in the middle.
"I survived a century without you," Spike said. "At least I never fed on the wrong girl and got cursed for eternity."
"No, you just got neutered," Angel retorted.
This was too much for Spike. He vamped out and lunged at Angel, who sent Spike flying across the room. Unfortunately it was right into the weapons chest. Spike grabbed the nearest ax and swung it at Angel's head.
"What's the matter Spike?" Angel said, grabbing the ax handle. "Truth hurts, doesn't it."
"No," Spike said, dropping the ax and punching Angel. "This does." He stood over him, "And so does this, I get to sleep with Buffy without going all evil and killing her friends."
That was the breaking point for Angel. He grabbed Spike, threw him on the desk and held a stake over his heart.
This didn't faze Spike. He just laughed and said, "Got to relieve your frustrations in some way, guess you picked Kick the Spike."
"No," Angel said, through gritted teeth. "I picked Kill the Spike."
"Okay, break it up you two," Gunn said, grabbing onto Angel and pulling him back.
Wesley stepped between Angel and Spike and said, "Now that you've got that out of your systems why don't we get down to the reason Spike's here, and that's getting Buffy back and protecting Connor."
Spike looked up at the hotel. So this was where Angel lived now, not quite as homey as his crypt but it seemed like something Angel would prefer. Spike looked at the door, took a deep, unneeded breath and walked through the door.
At first he didn't see anyone in the lobby. Then he spotted a brown-haired girl sitting at the desk, working on a computer. She looked up and smiled when she saw him, "Hi, welcome to Angel Investigations."
"Where's Peaches?" Spike snapped. He didn't have time for pleasantries, not if he was going to get Buffy and their son back.
"What?" Fred asked, confused. "We don't have any peaches here."
"Not those kind," Spike said, impatiently. "Angel, where is he?"
"Spike?" Angel said, coming downstairs, Cordelia behind him. "What are you doing here?" He looked around, "Where's Buffy?"
"Captain Cardboard and his crew grabbed her," Spike said, getting right to the point.
"What?" Angel asked, alarmed. "Why?"
"Because Captain and Mrs. Cardboard found out that yours truly and you were able to reproduce the old fashioned way," Spike said. "So they brought Buffy here to their new club house."
"They want to study her and the baby," Angel said. It wasn't surprising, the only thing that did surprise him was that the government hadn't tried to go after Buffy and her baby before.
Spike nodded, not in the mood for trading barbs with Angel, "And your kid too."
"Connor," Angel said, his mind already filled with images of what could happen to Connor. Wolfram and Hart hadn't tried anything lately and most of the demons that had been after Connor were dead or scared off. This was something new. Now the government was involved. He looked at Cordelia, "Bring him down here."
Cordelia didn't argue. She just ran up the stairs to where Spike assumed Connor was.
"Why are you here, anyway?" Angel asked. "You're warning me that someone's after Connor out of the badness of your heart? Why else are you here?"
Spike gritted his teeth and said, "Because I can't get Buffy out of where ever the government has her by myself. So I thought you might like to help."
"Where do they have her?" Angel asked. He didn't like the idea of having to work with Spike again but if Buffy was in trouble then he would do whatever it took to help her.
"Somewhere in this city," Spike said. "Dawn found their new base is here."
"Could they have moved it?" Angel asked.
Spike shrugged, "Could have but probably not. It's too convenient with," He gestured to Connor, who had just been brought down by Cordelia. "Peaches Jr. right in front of them."
"Where do you think their base is?" Angel asked.
"No idea," Spike looked around. "Anyone here know how to break into high security systems?"
"Fred," Angel said, looking at her. "See if you can hack into the government computers and find out whatever you can about Buffy." He took Connor from Cordelia and said, "Get Wesley and Gunn down here, Lorne too if you can." Cordelia nodded and ran upstairs Angel and Spike didn't say another word to each other until the rest of Angel investigations joined them.
"What's with the Billy Idol wannabe?" Lorne asked as he came down the stairs.
"Hey," Spike snapped. "He got his look from me."
"What are you doing here?" Wesley asked, recognizing Spike.
"Remember that government agency that had its headquarters in Sunnydale?" Angel said. "Well they're based in L.A. now. They found out about Buffy and Connor. They took Buffy and now they're after Connor."
"How did they find out about Connor and Buffy?" Cordelia asked. "The government hasn't bothered us so far about Connor. Why are they starting now?"
Angel looked at Spike, "I was wondering the same thing. How did.." He couldn't remember the name of the guy Buffy had been dating. "Uh Captain Cardboard find out about Connor?"
Spike suddenly felt like he was a fledgling again and he'd botched another kill and was about to be taught a lesson by Angelelus, "He ah overheard Buffy and me talkin' about little Peaches."
"And you told him," Angel said, trying to hold onto his temper. "You told him and now Buffy and our sons are all in danger."
"Well when you put it that way, sure it sounds bad," Spike snapped. "Now are you going to help or should I find someone who will?"
"Alright," Wesley said, deciding to break them up before things got out of hand. "Enough you two."
Angel and Spike glared at each other or a minute before Angel nodded and said, "Fine, let's just get Buffy back, the sooner you leave the better."
"Those two really don't get along, do they?" Fred whispered to Gunn.
"Last time Spike came to town he tortured Angel with pokers and the last time they saw each other Angel saved Spike's life," Gunn told Fred, quietly. "So I think it's one of those love/hate vampire things."
"No," Spike said, hearing Fred and Gun's conversation. "It's one of those hate/hate things that once and a while comes in handy when you need a lot of muscle and little brains."
"You'd have been staked a long time ago without me," Angel said. "And once again I have to clean up another one of your messes." Cordelia took Connor from Angel. Spike and Angel were on the verge of a fight and Cordelia didn't want Connor caught in the middle.
"I survived a century without you," Spike said. "At least I never fed on the wrong girl and got cursed for eternity."
"No, you just got neutered," Angel retorted.
This was too much for Spike. He vamped out and lunged at Angel, who sent Spike flying across the room. Unfortunately it was right into the weapons chest. Spike grabbed the nearest ax and swung it at Angel's head.
"What's the matter Spike?" Angel said, grabbing the ax handle. "Truth hurts, doesn't it."
"No," Spike said, dropping the ax and punching Angel. "This does." He stood over him, "And so does this, I get to sleep with Buffy without going all evil and killing her friends."
That was the breaking point for Angel. He grabbed Spike, threw him on the desk and held a stake over his heart.
This didn't faze Spike. He just laughed and said, "Got to relieve your frustrations in some way, guess you picked Kick the Spike."
"No," Angel said, through gritted teeth. "I picked Kill the Spike."
"Okay, break it up you two," Gunn said, grabbing onto Angel and pulling him back.
Wesley stepped between Angel and Spike and said, "Now that you've got that out of your systems why don't we get down to the reason Spike's here, and that's getting Buffy back and protecting Connor."