And just in case I'm not able to post another chapter before the 25: Merry
Christmas!
Chapter Fifty-Nine: There Is A Life To Save
"I give them 20 minutes," Gunn said, looking back and forth between Spike and Angel.
"I say ten," Fred said.
"I'll see your ten and lower it to three," Lorne said wanting to get in on the bet.
"Amateurs," Cordelia scoffed. "I say ten seconds, unless one of them mouths off to each other, then I'd only give them five." She looked at the shocked looks around her. "What? I saw them together in Sunnydale and every time they're together it only takes about ten seconds before they try to kill each other."
After Gunn and Wesley had separated Angel and Spike they had been sent to separate corners of the lobby. The distance hadn't stopped them from glaring at each other and neither had Connor's playpen set right in the middle of the lobby. The result was that the staff of Angel Investigations were placing their bets on how long it would be before Angel and Spike got into another fight.
"Any of you lackies find where the government's set up their club house?" Spike snapped.
They looked up guiltily and quickly turned their attention to Fred's computer. She'd managed to hack into the main computer but she didn't dare stay too long in case the government figured out that someone was in their computer and changed everything around again.
"It looks like they change their passwords on the hour," Fred announced. "And are programmed to alert them at the first sign of an unauthorized person."
"Can you get those passwords in advance?" Angel asked.
"I can try," Fred said, typing a few keys.
"Brilliant," Spike snapped. "Once you've figured out how to play with Captain Cardboard's toys, how about you get back to the real reason I came here, which is getting Buffy the bloody hell away from those jokers."
"If we don't break into the computer," Cordelia explained impatiently. "Then we don't find out where they're holding Buffy and then we don't even know where to start looking."
"Then stop taking bets on how long it'll take me to kill Peaches and figure it out." Spike said. He looked around, "I don't even know why I came here. You lot are as useless as the ones I left in Sunny D."
"This lot," Angel said, starting to wish that Spike had never come here. "Is your only chance of getting Buffy and your son back. So I suggest you start showing a little more appreciation."
"For what?" Spike said. "Your lackeys haven't told me anything that I don't already know and.."
"I'd stop right now," Wesley said, calmly. "Or otherwise we might reconsider helping you."
"Right," Spike said. "Like your fearless leader would leave Buffy and miss out on the chance to be her hero."
"I think we'd better get one thing clear," Angel said. "Getting Buffy away from the government is important but protecting Connor is my first priority."
"Typical," Spike spat at Angel. "You always were one to turn on someone in favor of your latest love."
That did it. Angel grabbed Spike by the collar of his duster and dragged him into the office, slammed and locked the door behind them.
"Ten minutes," Fred said, looking at her watch. "Pay up."
"Let's get something straight," Angel said, once they were alone. "I am not turning on anyone. I want Buffy back as much as anyone but more than that I have to protect Connor."
"You always turn on the ones you claim to care about, Darla, Drusilla, the cheerleader, me and now Buffy. How long until you turn on Mini-Me? Before or after he hits puberty?"
Angel threw Spike up against the wall, and got right into his face, "Get this through your chipped head, nothing has ever been and will ever be more important than Connor. I would die before I would ever turn on him."
"Right," Spike said, pushing Angel away. "And I should believe anything you say."
"I don't care if you believe me or not," Angel said. "But remember this, getting Buffy back is your first priority, protecting Connor's mine."
"A traitor to the end," Spike said. "I don't know why I even came here."
"Because we're all you've got. Everyone in Sunnydale is busy trying to deal with Dru's mess and you have no where else to turn."
Spike growled and spun away from Angel. Angel was right, Spike had no where else to turn. If he wanted Buffy back then he was going to have to depend on Angel and his mates.
"So what do we do?" Spike asked, still not looking at Angel.
"Fred's working on finding out where they're keeping Buffy," Angel said. "Once we know where she is we can figure out how to get her out of there."
"Should be easy to break in," Spike said. "Esp. if Captain Cardboard's in charge."
"I can't believe he did that to her," Angel said of Riley. "I thought he loved her once."
"Buffy's never had good taste in men," Spike commented. "With the exception of yours truly of course."
"And that's up for debate," Angel said.
"I was there for her when no one else was," Spike snapped. "I've given her what no one else can. What did you ever give her except grief?"
"And what did you ever cause her except trouble?" Angel retorted
"At least I didn't kill and stalk people she loved," Spike pointed out.
"No," Angel countered. "You just stalked her."
"And you never did," Spike taunted. "You never stood outside her house, her window, watching her, knowing what she's like and what you can never have?" He shrugged, "Well you probably could have but then we'd have to deal with Angelus Part III and we all know what happens then."
"Exactly what will happen if you ever get that chip out of your head," Angel pointed out. "That's the only reason you haven't made meals out of every human you've come in contact with and why you haven't tried to kill Buffy."
"News for you, Peaches," Spike said. "I've been able to hit Buffy since she came back."
Angel froze, then he quickly grabbed a stake, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't use this."
Spike shoved the stake away, "Calm down, Peaches. If I'd wanted to hurt Buffy I'd have done it a long time ago and she knows about the chip." He tilted his head, "And the night she found out we brought the house down, literally."
"Spike," Angel said, trying to keep his temper under control. "I am not interested in the details of your.involvement with Buffy and I don't want to know the graphic details."
Spike raised his eyebrows, "I thought you'd want to know."
"And what gave you that idea?" Angel asked.
"I used to hear you and Darla," Spike said. "After you and I would trade women, you'd always ask her what it was like and," He lowered his voice, "Who was the better one. She'd lie and say that it was you. But you and I know different, Darla and Dru may have picked you but when it counted, when it was Buffy, you and I both know who she chose to share her bed."
Angel threw Spike onto the desk and rammed the stake at him, stopping only after he'd drawn blood. Spike laughed and shoved Angel across the room, "Never liked hearing the truth, did you?"
"No more than you liked telling it," Angel said. "And the only time you really told the truth got Buffy kidnapped and put both our sons in danger."
Angel finally hit a nerve with Spike. Spike lunged at Angel, punching him and then throwing him across the room. Angel scrambled to his feet and grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be Wesley's crossbow. Angel pointed it at Spike, "Just give me a reason to use this," Angel snapped.
"You'd never hurt me," Spike said. "You couldn't, even when you were Angelus and you'd never be able to face Buffy if you killed me."
"I'd be setting her free," Angel said. "Free to live a normal life with her child."
"And leave MY son without a father."
Angel and Spike glared at each other, both daring the other to be the next to strike. But before either of them could move the door to the office flew open.
"If you two are done trying to kill each other, maybe you'd like to see what Fred's found," Wesley said. Spike quickly left, eager to see what Fred had done.
Angel and Wesley lingered in the office. Angel slammed the crossbow down on the desk.
"Are you two going to be able to do this?" Wesley asked. "Spike has been here for less than 24 hours and already you've had to be separated twice."
"It won't happen again," Angel said.
"Are you sure?" Wesley wondered.
"Yes," Angel said.
"I hope so," Wesley said. "Because before this is over you and Spike will probably have to work together. Will you be able to do that?"
"I'd do anything to help Buffy and protect Connor," Angel stated.
"Good," Wesley said. He turned to leave, stopped and said, "Try to ignore, Spike. He knows exactly what to say to get a reaction out of you and you don't disappoint him. If you stop trying to kill him then he'll stop it."
"Fine," Angel said. He brushed past Wesley. "I'll remember that when Connor comes to me the first time he deals with a bully."
Wesley followed Angel out of the office, wondering where in his job description did it talk about having to spend half his life keeping Angel and his various family members from killing each other.
Back in the main lobby Fred was printing a document while Spike stood by anxiously. "What did you find?" Angel asked.
"I found the passwords that will let me into their system," Fred said excitedly. She gestured to the pages that were printing. "I got the location and blueprints of their headquarters."
"What about Buffy and Connor?" Angel asked.
"I'm looking," Fred told him. "That's classified information so it'll be harder to find but I think I'm almost there." She typed a few more keys and then said excitedly, "I've found her!"
"What does it say?" Spike asked, anxious for any word on Buffy.
Fred quickly downloaded and printed everything that there was on both Buffy and Connor. Spike grabbed it and began to read.
Buffy was labeled as Subject 21. She was being held in a hospital type room in the heart of the government's lair. She was being monitored around the clock. There was a printout of all the tests that had been performed already, and the results. This was meaningless to Spike but what he was able to decipher was that everything was fine with the baby and he was perfectly normal.
He turned a page, read some more, then stopped and just stared at the document he was holding.
"What does it say?" Angel asked.
Spike didn't answer so Wesley took the paper from him. Wesley quickly scanned it and finally started reading out loud. "Subject 21 began experiencing Braxton-Hicks. Upon examination subject was found to be dilated 1 centimeter. Subject will be given one week to give birth and once deadline has passed a cesarean will be performed. Fetus will be thoroughly examined to determine how it came into being and once determined test subject will," Wesley's voice faltered but he was able to say, "Will be destroyed."
Chapter Fifty-Nine: There Is A Life To Save
"I give them 20 minutes," Gunn said, looking back and forth between Spike and Angel.
"I say ten," Fred said.
"I'll see your ten and lower it to three," Lorne said wanting to get in on the bet.
"Amateurs," Cordelia scoffed. "I say ten seconds, unless one of them mouths off to each other, then I'd only give them five." She looked at the shocked looks around her. "What? I saw them together in Sunnydale and every time they're together it only takes about ten seconds before they try to kill each other."
After Gunn and Wesley had separated Angel and Spike they had been sent to separate corners of the lobby. The distance hadn't stopped them from glaring at each other and neither had Connor's playpen set right in the middle of the lobby. The result was that the staff of Angel Investigations were placing their bets on how long it would be before Angel and Spike got into another fight.
"Any of you lackies find where the government's set up their club house?" Spike snapped.
They looked up guiltily and quickly turned their attention to Fred's computer. She'd managed to hack into the main computer but she didn't dare stay too long in case the government figured out that someone was in their computer and changed everything around again.
"It looks like they change their passwords on the hour," Fred announced. "And are programmed to alert them at the first sign of an unauthorized person."
"Can you get those passwords in advance?" Angel asked.
"I can try," Fred said, typing a few keys.
"Brilliant," Spike snapped. "Once you've figured out how to play with Captain Cardboard's toys, how about you get back to the real reason I came here, which is getting Buffy the bloody hell away from those jokers."
"If we don't break into the computer," Cordelia explained impatiently. "Then we don't find out where they're holding Buffy and then we don't even know where to start looking."
"Then stop taking bets on how long it'll take me to kill Peaches and figure it out." Spike said. He looked around, "I don't even know why I came here. You lot are as useless as the ones I left in Sunny D."
"This lot," Angel said, starting to wish that Spike had never come here. "Is your only chance of getting Buffy and your son back. So I suggest you start showing a little more appreciation."
"For what?" Spike said. "Your lackeys haven't told me anything that I don't already know and.."
"I'd stop right now," Wesley said, calmly. "Or otherwise we might reconsider helping you."
"Right," Spike said. "Like your fearless leader would leave Buffy and miss out on the chance to be her hero."
"I think we'd better get one thing clear," Angel said. "Getting Buffy away from the government is important but protecting Connor is my first priority."
"Typical," Spike spat at Angel. "You always were one to turn on someone in favor of your latest love."
That did it. Angel grabbed Spike by the collar of his duster and dragged him into the office, slammed and locked the door behind them.
"Ten minutes," Fred said, looking at her watch. "Pay up."
"Let's get something straight," Angel said, once they were alone. "I am not turning on anyone. I want Buffy back as much as anyone but more than that I have to protect Connor."
"You always turn on the ones you claim to care about, Darla, Drusilla, the cheerleader, me and now Buffy. How long until you turn on Mini-Me? Before or after he hits puberty?"
Angel threw Spike up against the wall, and got right into his face, "Get this through your chipped head, nothing has ever been and will ever be more important than Connor. I would die before I would ever turn on him."
"Right," Spike said, pushing Angel away. "And I should believe anything you say."
"I don't care if you believe me or not," Angel said. "But remember this, getting Buffy back is your first priority, protecting Connor's mine."
"A traitor to the end," Spike said. "I don't know why I even came here."
"Because we're all you've got. Everyone in Sunnydale is busy trying to deal with Dru's mess and you have no where else to turn."
Spike growled and spun away from Angel. Angel was right, Spike had no where else to turn. If he wanted Buffy back then he was going to have to depend on Angel and his mates.
"So what do we do?" Spike asked, still not looking at Angel.
"Fred's working on finding out where they're keeping Buffy," Angel said. "Once we know where she is we can figure out how to get her out of there."
"Should be easy to break in," Spike said. "Esp. if Captain Cardboard's in charge."
"I can't believe he did that to her," Angel said of Riley. "I thought he loved her once."
"Buffy's never had good taste in men," Spike commented. "With the exception of yours truly of course."
"And that's up for debate," Angel said.
"I was there for her when no one else was," Spike snapped. "I've given her what no one else can. What did you ever give her except grief?"
"And what did you ever cause her except trouble?" Angel retorted
"At least I didn't kill and stalk people she loved," Spike pointed out.
"No," Angel countered. "You just stalked her."
"And you never did," Spike taunted. "You never stood outside her house, her window, watching her, knowing what she's like and what you can never have?" He shrugged, "Well you probably could have but then we'd have to deal with Angelus Part III and we all know what happens then."
"Exactly what will happen if you ever get that chip out of your head," Angel pointed out. "That's the only reason you haven't made meals out of every human you've come in contact with and why you haven't tried to kill Buffy."
"News for you, Peaches," Spike said. "I've been able to hit Buffy since she came back."
Angel froze, then he quickly grabbed a stake, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't use this."
Spike shoved the stake away, "Calm down, Peaches. If I'd wanted to hurt Buffy I'd have done it a long time ago and she knows about the chip." He tilted his head, "And the night she found out we brought the house down, literally."
"Spike," Angel said, trying to keep his temper under control. "I am not interested in the details of your.involvement with Buffy and I don't want to know the graphic details."
Spike raised his eyebrows, "I thought you'd want to know."
"And what gave you that idea?" Angel asked.
"I used to hear you and Darla," Spike said. "After you and I would trade women, you'd always ask her what it was like and," He lowered his voice, "Who was the better one. She'd lie and say that it was you. But you and I know different, Darla and Dru may have picked you but when it counted, when it was Buffy, you and I both know who she chose to share her bed."
Angel threw Spike onto the desk and rammed the stake at him, stopping only after he'd drawn blood. Spike laughed and shoved Angel across the room, "Never liked hearing the truth, did you?"
"No more than you liked telling it," Angel said. "And the only time you really told the truth got Buffy kidnapped and put both our sons in danger."
Angel finally hit a nerve with Spike. Spike lunged at Angel, punching him and then throwing him across the room. Angel scrambled to his feet and grabbed the nearest thing, which happened to be Wesley's crossbow. Angel pointed it at Spike, "Just give me a reason to use this," Angel snapped.
"You'd never hurt me," Spike said. "You couldn't, even when you were Angelus and you'd never be able to face Buffy if you killed me."
"I'd be setting her free," Angel said. "Free to live a normal life with her child."
"And leave MY son without a father."
Angel and Spike glared at each other, both daring the other to be the next to strike. But before either of them could move the door to the office flew open.
"If you two are done trying to kill each other, maybe you'd like to see what Fred's found," Wesley said. Spike quickly left, eager to see what Fred had done.
Angel and Wesley lingered in the office. Angel slammed the crossbow down on the desk.
"Are you two going to be able to do this?" Wesley asked. "Spike has been here for less than 24 hours and already you've had to be separated twice."
"It won't happen again," Angel said.
"Are you sure?" Wesley wondered.
"Yes," Angel said.
"I hope so," Wesley said. "Because before this is over you and Spike will probably have to work together. Will you be able to do that?"
"I'd do anything to help Buffy and protect Connor," Angel stated.
"Good," Wesley said. He turned to leave, stopped and said, "Try to ignore, Spike. He knows exactly what to say to get a reaction out of you and you don't disappoint him. If you stop trying to kill him then he'll stop it."
"Fine," Angel said. He brushed past Wesley. "I'll remember that when Connor comes to me the first time he deals with a bully."
Wesley followed Angel out of the office, wondering where in his job description did it talk about having to spend half his life keeping Angel and his various family members from killing each other.
Back in the main lobby Fred was printing a document while Spike stood by anxiously. "What did you find?" Angel asked.
"I found the passwords that will let me into their system," Fred said excitedly. She gestured to the pages that were printing. "I got the location and blueprints of their headquarters."
"What about Buffy and Connor?" Angel asked.
"I'm looking," Fred told him. "That's classified information so it'll be harder to find but I think I'm almost there." She typed a few more keys and then said excitedly, "I've found her!"
"What does it say?" Spike asked, anxious for any word on Buffy.
Fred quickly downloaded and printed everything that there was on both Buffy and Connor. Spike grabbed it and began to read.
Buffy was labeled as Subject 21. She was being held in a hospital type room in the heart of the government's lair. She was being monitored around the clock. There was a printout of all the tests that had been performed already, and the results. This was meaningless to Spike but what he was able to decipher was that everything was fine with the baby and he was perfectly normal.
He turned a page, read some more, then stopped and just stared at the document he was holding.
"What does it say?" Angel asked.
Spike didn't answer so Wesley took the paper from him. Wesley quickly scanned it and finally started reading out loud. "Subject 21 began experiencing Braxton-Hicks. Upon examination subject was found to be dilated 1 centimeter. Subject will be given one week to give birth and once deadline has passed a cesarean will be performed. Fetus will be thoroughly examined to determine how it came into being and once determined test subject will," Wesley's voice faltered but he was able to say, "Will be destroyed."