Los Angeles Livin'
Disclaimer-Anything that you recognize isn't mine.
Summary-Sequel to California Trippin'. Crossover with Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Spike was dusted during the battle with the First. Still grieving over him, Max joined Buffy, Dawn, Giles, Andrew, Faith, and Alec in going to live in Europe. But when they receive news of a slayer in desperate need of help and send Max and Andrew to check it out in LA, they encounter someone they thought they'd never see again.
Timeline-Angel Season Five. About five months after the previous chapter so it's at the episode 'Damage'.
Pairings-Max/Spike, Faith/Alec, Fred/Wesley, Buffy/Angel. There will probably be more pairings as the story goes on.
Chapter One
Five Months Later (Psychiatric Ward)...
Angel was watching video-tapes in the presence of the nurse of the supposedly demon-possessed-Dana's therapy sessions. She was restrained in a straightjacket, thrashing, speaking in a foreign language and breathing hard. The nurse made a clicking noise with her tongue.
"And that's with the thorazine," she said. Angel looked at a stack of tapes.
"These all of her?" he asked. The nurse nodded.
"Most of 'em. Rabinaw's planning on writing a book about her. That's why he doesn't want anyone to know about these. Putz."
"You were the one that called Wolfram & Hart?" Angel questioned.
"My cousin's a paralegal there, told me about the big shake-up, lots of position openings."
"Uh uh..." Angel muttered, still watching the tapes.
"So I thought..."
"Wait," Angel interrupted before rewinding the tape. He watched a segment where Dana was growling and speaking in another foreign language.
"They're pretty much all like that. Bunch of monkey gibberish," the nurse explained.
"It's Romanian," Angel said softly.
"Oh. You...you understand what she's saying?"
"Yeah. I do."
Angel was driving in his car and dialing a number on his phone.
"Wyndam-Pryce," Wesley answered.
"Wes, it's me," Angel said. "Check with our police informants. Get her last known sighting. I need a technical assault team on the ground in five minutes. Non-lethal ordinance."
"Do you think that's wise? I've been brushing up on demonic possessions..."
"That's not what's happening," Angel interrupted. "Look, there were drawings of demons in her room. Hundreds of them. Some with a little girl in them. I thought it was Dana, but they're all different. It's not her."
"Are you certain?" Wesley asked, still unsure. "Multiple personality manifestations are often associated with cases of possessions."
"Look, it's not just the drawings. I saw a tape of her. She was speakin' a half-dozen languages. One of 'em was Romanian. She was yelling about being chosen. She's not a demon, Wes. She's a vampire slayer."
Meanwhile (Rome)...
"Come on Jenne, you can do better than that," Max taunted as she sparred with one of the potentials-turned-slayer. Jenne scowled and lashed out. Max blocked her punch but she quickly followed with a knee to Max's stomach. Max smirked and landed a kick to Jenne's side. She grunted and attempted to sweep her feet out from under her. Max jumped and flipped over. Without turning around, Jenne kicked back. Max caught her foot and flipped her over. She twirled in midair and landed on her feet, back in her fighting position. Max grinned. "Excellent." She gave her a high five. Jenne returned her grin.
"Thanks," she said happily.
"Who's next?" Max called out to the other slayers. A few were already training with Faith and Alec and the rest were working out using the equipment. Caridad stepped away from a punching bag andwalked onto the mat with Max. Max grinned. "Alright, let's go Carrie." Caridad smiled slightly at the nickname and dropped into her fighting position.
They circled each other for about thirty seconds before Caridad made the first move. She kicked out at Max's knee, but Max easily raised her leg to block it. Max used a right hook but Caridad blocked it and held on to her fist. Max twirled around so her back was to her and elbowed her in the stomach. She didn't let go of her fist and Max followed with an attempt at backhanding her face, but Caridad grabbed her otherfist as well. Max quickly flipped her over and onto her back. She held out her hand to help her up. Caridad accepted it and Max hauled her to her feet. "Good fight, Carrie. Next time try using my momentum to flip me over also." Caridad nodded and walked off the mat.
Max walked over to her bottle of water that was resting on a chair against the wall and took a sip. As she recapped the bottle her gaze fell on Giles and Andrew across the room. Giles was teaching Andrew how to fence. She laughed softly at the sight. A few months ago, Andrew could barely hold a sword without complaining about swimmer's ear when someone tried to fence with him. Now he could successfully hold his own against Giles. At least for a little while.
I've never tried fencing...Max thought. Might be fun...She walked over to the giant rack that held all the sharp, pointy weapons and chose a sword. She twirled it around a few times, getting the feel of it.
"Maxie wanna fence?" Alec's voice came from behind her. Max smirked and turned to face him. She held the point of the sword against his neck. He didn't even blink.
"I was just thinking about learning to do that. Think you could teach me?" she countered. Alec returned her smirk and simply swatted her sword away and held up his own.
"Sure thing. But I must warn you," he said with faux-drama. "You're in for countless hours of brutal training..." Max rolled her eyes and crossed her sword with his.
"Let's get fencin' already, 'kay?" she interrupted. Alec closed his eyes and waggled his finger at her.
"Patience, young grasshopper," he replied. Max stared at him incredulously before bursting out laughing.
"Come on Master, let's cut to me kicking your ass," she taunted. Alec's eyes snapped open and he gave her a challenging look.
"Bit big-headed for someone who's never technically fenced," he said. Max cocked an eyebrow at him and arched her arm so her sword was parallel with her shoulder.
"I'm a fast learner," she replied, smirking. Without replying, Alec swung out with his sword. It hit Max's with a loud clang.
"Let's see exactly how fast..." Alec said calmly. He slowly put his right leg back then twirled so he brought his sword down on the other side of Max's. Her face became expressionless as she watched. Alec brought in his sword, close to his chest and glanced at Max, signaling for her to do the same. She copied his posture and then moved parallel with him in a series of exercises.
When they finished, Max faced Alec with a smile that showed her surprise. "When did you learn to use a sword like that? The basic beheading and all, I get. But this is different. It's not like Manticore taught it. When'd you learn?" Alec shrugged.
"First few months while we were here. Had to so I could help train the new slayers," he explained. "I would've asked you to join me but you were more preoccupied with Sp..." His eyes widened as he realized what he was about to say. Max's smile swiftly disappeared off her face and her eyes clouded slightly, becoming more dazed. "I-I'm sorry Maxie. I shouldn't have..."
"It's okay," Max quickly interrupted, forcing a smile back on her face. "I-It's fine. I don't mind." She looked anywhere but at Alec as she put her sword back on the rack. "I'm gonna go...rest." She walked out of the room as fast as she could without resorting to blurring. Alec bit his lip and sighed.
"Great job being a friend Alec..." he muttered to himself.
Max kept her head down as she walked up the stairs. She nearly crashed into Buffy who was on her way down.
"Max, you okay?" she asked. Maxexhaled slowlybefore letting a small, genuine smile onto her face.
"Yeah, I'm alright," she answered. Buffy returned her smile but was still unsure.
"Well, I just got a phone call from Los Angeles," she explained. "Could you help me round up the others?" Max nodded.
"Sure, I was just on my way up to my room...but it can wait," she replied. Buffy nodded and they headed back down the stairs.
Buffy stood at the head of a table in a conference room. Max, Alec, Faith, Giles, Dawn, and Andrew filled the chairs around it.
"I just got a call from Wesley at Wolfram & Hart," Buffy began. Giles rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Buffy glanced at him before continuing. "Seems they got a problem. There was a mentally ill girl in a psychiatric ward. Apparently that spell we did back at the hellmouth caused her to become one of the many full-blown slayers." The others' eyes widened.
"You mean..." Dawn began.
"Along with her mentally unstableness, she's got inhuman strength which she's now using to kill or just hurt people," Buffy finished.
"Damn," Faith said. "Take it they need our help?" Buffy nodded.
"We don't need to send everyone, though."
"Andrew," Giles said suddenly. Andrew turned to look at him in shock. "You've been doing well. It would do you good to go out in the field." He looked to Buffy, who shrugged.
"Hell, if he's up for it..." she replied. A boyish grin appeared on Andrew's face.
"Oh, thank you Mr. Giles, and Buffy. It's very considerate of you to give me this chance. It's like..." he began.
"If you're about to make some cult reference, I'm gonna stop you there and just remind you of the basic guidelines," Buffy interrupted. Andrew scowled for a millisecond before his boyish, eager grin was back. "First, don't let on that we don't exactly trust them, but help in any way you can. If you encounter any trouble, scream in that girly way of yours and Max and some slayers will help you." Andrew just nodded while Max's eyes suddenly snapped to meet Buffy's.
"Excuse me? What was that last part?" she asked. Buffy sighed.
"I think it'll do you some good to travel around, get out of this giant slayer-training house," she said. Max scoffed.
"I'm all for traveling around," she argued. "But this is all the way back to the west coast. All the way back to where..." She took a deep breath. "Where Spike died." The room was silent for at least a minute before Buffy cleared her throat.
"Max, trust me, it'll be good for you,"she said. Max opened her mouth to reply but Faith swiftly covered it with her hand.
"She'll be delighted to go," she answered for her with a smirk. Max rolled her eyes but didn't argue any more.
"When we leaving?" she asked, voice still muffled by Faith's hand. Buffy smiled, glad she was going.
"Soon as possible. Now."
Back in LA (Warehouse)...
Dana was looking out the windows toward the Los Angeles city lights when Spike walked up behind her.
"Likin' the view, are we?" he sighed. "What say we have a nice, quiet chat...about mistreating little girls...demon to demon." He changed into his vampire face. Dana turned to face him, seeing his transformation, and grinned sadistically. "What are you grinnin' at?" Dana didn't answer but swung her bone saw at him. Spike stepped back, avoiding her blows and mocking her. "Oh, yeah. Look at the big, bad demon hidin' inside the helpless little girl." He knocked her bone saw away and kicked her into a pile of debris. "Why don't you come out of there and we'll have a proper go, mate." Dana pushed herself out of the debris and picked up a splintered fragment of wood as she stood. "Or you could do that..."
Dana repeatedly tried to stake Spike, grunting loudly with each forceful thrust. He ducked and managed to avoid the blows. He rolled out of the way, but she punched him in the head when he stood. She pinned him against a post and tried to stake him again. He caught her hands before she plunged the stake into his chest. She growled in Chinese. Spike cocked his head to the side and grinned.
"Sorry, luv. I don't speak Chinese," he said before punching her in the face and kicking her away. They continued to fight until Dana threw him out a huge window.
He landed face-down on the pavement outside the warehouse just as Angel drove up. He stopped his car and got out just as Spike slowly stood up.
"What happened?" Angel asked. Spike smirked.
"Oh, I just thought I'd see what it was like to bounce off the pavement," he replied sarcastically. He glanced at the ground. "Pretty much what I expected."
"Stay out of it," Angel ordered. "Tactical's on the way."
"Oh, right. Sure she'll hang around till they show up."
"You should've waited," Angel snapped angrily.
"Hey, keep your knickers on. Least now I know what we're dealing with," Spike replied. Angel looked at him expectantly. "It's a Chinese demon. Maybe a water dragon or one of those elemental thingies." Angel sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked away. Spike stared after him. "What?"
Wolfram & Hart...
Angel and Spike walked off the elevator and into the lobby.
"A psychotic vampire slayer," Spike said. Angel rolled his eyes.
"How many times you gonna keep sayin' that?"
"Just tryin to wrap my lobes around it. A psycho slayer."
"And you let her get away."
"At least I was trying to stop her."
"And how'd that work out?"
"At least I know the game, now, don't I? I killed two slayers with my own hands. Think I can handle one that's gone daft in the melon."
"You're not handling anything, Spike. Ok? Wes contacted Buffy. They're sending their top guy to retrieve her," Angel explained. Spike suddenly stopped walking and got a weird look on his face. "What?"
"Top guy? Could be a girl too, ya know. As in..." he trailed off and Angel gave him a slightly sympathetic look.
"I don't know if it's Max. For your sake I hope it is. I don't get why you never told her you were back in the first place," he replied. Spike rolled his eyes.
"Because I died saving the world, alright? I can't just call her up and be like 'hey, didn't burn up into a pile of dust like ya thought. Wanna have some tea?'," he held his hand up to his ear as if indicating a phone as they walked into the conference room. Wesley, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and an additional person were waiting.
"Angel, we were just about to..." Wesley began. The other person turned around in his chair. It was Andrew. He was wearing a suit and tie and holding a pipe. His eyes widened when he saw Spike.
"Spike?" he dropped the pipe. Spike groaned.
"Oh, for the love of..."
Andrew stood. "Spike?" he repeated before running towards him, touching his shoulders. "It's you! It's really you!" he hugged him, sobbing. "My therapist thought I was holding onto false hope, but...I knew you'd come back." He sniffled and released Spike from the hug to look him in the eyes. "You're like...you're like Gandalf the White, resurrected from the pit of the Balrog." He touched Spike's face. "More beautiful than ever." He hugged him tightly around the neck. "Ohh, he's alive, Frodo. He's alive." Angel smirked.
"So...you two know each other?" he asked. Spike launched a glance at him. Andrew stepped back from him, sniffled, then straightened his lapels.
"Uh, yeah. We saved the world together. I mean...Buffy and the transgenics helped, but...it was mostly us," he said. Then his eyes widened. "Oh my...Max! She'll be so glad to know you're alive! You should've seen her during those first few months after you went all pillar of fire down in the hellmouth." Angel gave Spike an I-told-you-so look and Spike winced.
"Um...I didn't mean..." he began.
"Why don't we save that stuff for later and just focus on containing this psychotic superpowered killing machine?" Angel interrupted before walking around the table and sitting next to Wesley.
"Yes, we were just about to bring everyone up to speed on slayer mythology," Wesley added.
"I'll take it from here, Pryce," Andrew replied, trying to make himself appear taller. "Best they hear it from an expert." Wesley rolled his eyes but stifled his scoff and leaned back in his chair.
"Please...enlighten us," he said.
"Gather around and attend to a most unusual tale...a tale I like to call...The Slayer of the Vampyrs," Andrew began. He rested his chin on his hands, paused for thought, then cleared his throat. He walked around the table. "Eons ago..." He looked at Gunn. "On the dark continent, three wise elders decided to fight evil with a taste of its own sinistro." He put his hands on Fred's shoulders. "They took a young girl, and they imbued her with the powers of a demon." He crooked his forefingers above Fred's head, forming makeshift horns. "Thusly, the first Slayer of the Vampyrs was born. But alas, the existence of a slayer is often brutal and short-lived. And the 'primitive', as she was called, boasted no exception. But...the elders had foreseen this inevitability and...devised a way for her power to live on."
"In every generation, one is chosen," Fred supplied.
"Yes, attractive, slender woman," Andrew replied. Fred rolled her eyes. "There are many potentials, as we experts call them."
"Hundreds...maybe thousands per generation."
"Each of them experiencing vivid dreams...some say nightmares...of the heroics of past slayers. But only one can be chosen." Angel frowned and scratched the back of his head.
"That's...uh, really great. But we...actually already know all that," he said.
"You think you know, my good man. You think you know," Andrew replied before he lit his pipe, smoked it, and followed with a hacking cough.
"Uh, wait. If there's supposed to only be one slayer, what's little miss-whack-your-head-off doing scampering around town?" Lorne asked.
"Little Sunnydale surprise," Spike muttered as he leaned against the wall. Andrew sat down in a chair.
"About five months ago, Buffy, Vampyr Slayer extraordinaire, had her lesbian witch make with the beaucoup de magie. One light show later..." he continued.
"All the potentials become slayers," Angel finished.
"An army of slayers," Wesley said, obviously amazed. "Brilliant stratagem. But with the watcher's council destroyed, how will these new slayers receive their necessary..."
"Mr. Giles, Max, Alec, some other transgenics and a few key Sunnydale alum have been tracking down the recently chosen...guiding them, training them, giving them the full X-Men, minus the crappy third act. But this Dana girl-she's an anomaly that no one could have foreseen-tortured, traumatized, driven insane by Yoda knows who..."
"And then the dreams of demons and superpowers she's always had suddenly became real," Angel added.
"The dreams of slayers are usually just that-dreams. But Dana's mental instability may be making them appear more real," Wesley said.
"My thought exactly, Pryce," Andrew replied, smiling. He took a small red notebook out of his breast pocket. "I see Mr. Giles may have been wrong about you..." He wrote something down, not noticing Wesley give him a questioning look.
"Explains why the skirt was yappin' at me in Chinese. Must've thought she was the slayer I took out back in the Boxer Rebellion," Spike said. Angel gave him a look.
"You mean the one you murdered?" he asked.
"Well, I didn't have a soul back then, did I?" Spike countered.
"Right, 'cause having one now is making such a difference," Angel retorted sarcastically. Andrew held his finger up.
"Might I add that while Spike here didn't call Max when he should have after claiming to love her...in his defense, he hasn't murdered a slayer since, has he? I would've known about it, being the top, informed guy that I am," he said with another boyish grin.Angel gave Spike another I-told-you-so look. Spike rolled his eyes.
"I think I can make my own defense argument, thanks," he snapped. Andrew just raised an eyebrow. "I already explained to Peaches here why I didn't call Max. I had to wait for the right moment, didn't I? I couldn't just call her after dying all heroic, saving the world and all... You corporates go ahead with your talky-talk. Anybody needs me, I'll be out doing his job." he nodded towards Angel and left the room.
Andrew's grin widenedsuddenly and called after him, "Since you didn't call Max...it makes me wonder if you'd evenlike to know that she's here in LA." Spike stopped walking immediately and turned around. His expression was a mix of worry, surprise, fear, and happiness.
"She...she's here?" he asked softly. Andrew's grin grew even wider.
"I knew that would get your attention."
A/N-Again, sorry it took so long. School's been really awful lately...Thanks for all the reviews! I don't think I've ever received that much for one chapter ;o)
RavynJensen-Luv ya too ;o) Max will see Spike in the next chapter...
Angel Of Darkness231-Lol. Guess I'll have to update soon then, huh? ;o)
mel11-Thanks ;o) I'll try to update sooner.
willow98002-I'm glad you're being open-minded and I hope you enjoy this story ;o)
Sky Angel-Lol. Thanks. Little jigs are fun ;o)
nights-ether-Lol. Maybe. I'll see if I can write her convincingly or not first, though. She may end up a pile of dust...ya never know ;o)
Cora-Thanks. Don't worry, she'll be seeing him in the next chapter ;o)
Lozz422-Thanks. I hope you enjoy the rest of it ;o)
cc-Thanks ;o)
in love with dis story-Thanks a lot ;o) I'll do my absolute best.
LadyV77-Thanks ;o) I always loved it too. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. The transgenics, Buffy, and the rest were just able to score a bunch of money to buy it. It'll be explained more later on if need be.
