Chapter Five
Spike, Max, Angel, and Cordelia cautiously walked down the basement steps into a room guarded by a net of green laser beams. Several doors were on each side of the wall, an unblinking light above each. Max found herself gripping her sword and dagger in anticipation.
"Wanna see what these fancy green lasers do?" she smirked, stepping forward.
"Uh, luv? Maybe you should..." Spike tried to get her to stop, but he wasn't quick enough. Alarms suddenly blared as the lights above the doors flashed bright red. "...wait." The doors opened and staggering people stepped out, poised for a fight.
"Zombies," Angel stated, giving Max a death glare. Max bit her lip and gave an innocent shrug.
"Sorry?" she tried. Angel suddenly stole Cordelia's sword and swung at Max's head. "Hey! I said I was sorry!" She swiftly ducked and the sword decapitated a zombie that was right behind her. She narrowed her eyes at Angel. "And you didn't just tell me he was back there because...?" Angel bit his lip and gave an innocent shrug, imitating her previous reaction.
"Sorry?" he mocked.
"Not yet, but you will be," Max growled as she twirled around, cutting off the head of another zombie. Spike smirked as he killed one as well.
"You and the vision girl go ahead. Max and I can hold 'em off," he said. Angel and Cordelia didn't hesitate as they ran forward, fighting off anything that got in their way. Spike turned to a group of zombies that had surrounded him and Max. "No need to be gentle, lads. We're all dead men here." Max loudly cleared her throat and gave him a pointed look. "'Cept for the lady."
"Damn straight," Max agreed as she swung her sword in a wide arc, decapitating three of the zombies. Spike didn't respond as he was tackled by another. "These guys actually aren't that..." A zombie picked her up by the hair and tossed her across the room. She landed in a heap against the wall. A few others slowly made their way towards her. "Okay so they are tough...but they sure as hell aren't fast." She stood up in a blur and elbowed one in the face, kicking another in the chest.
"Mind sparing some pointy steel?" Spike bellowed as he tried to fight off several zombies that were holding him down. Max decapitated one with her sword before tossing it to Spike. She threw a few off of him before one grabbed her from behind. She head-butted the zombie and wrenched his hand away from her waist. She twirled around and cut its head off.
Many decapitated zombies later, the room still continued to fill with them. "These bastards aren't stopping their onslaught anytime soon. What do you say we get us a few lawn chairs and come back?" Max suggested glibly. Spike's laugh rang out.
"Don't think Angel and Cordy would appreciate it if we let their revenge against the tiny Texan get disturbed by some slow-ass dead things," he replied.
"Fair enough," Max muttered as she decapitated yet another zombie. She turned to check out how Spike was doing and was horrified to see another zombie slowly make its way towards him, carrying the sword that it had stolen from him at some point. Spike didn't see it coming as he was distracted by a few others in front of him. Max ran forward. "Spike!" she hollered, just as the zombie got ready to strike, throwing the sword at him. Spike looked over his shoulder as Max hurled her dagger at the zombie and tackled Spike before the sword decapitated him as well.
A bright white light filled the room and both Spike and Max quickly shut their eyes against the intensity of it. Max opened hers first and swiftly scanned the room, not noticing that she was still sprawled on top of Spike. The zombies had mysteriously disappeared, as did the green laser-light show. She smiled.
"Hey, they're gone," she stated as she looked down at Spike. Only then did she realize the position they were in as Spike's intense blue eyes bored into her.
"So I see," Spike replied softly, not taking his eyes off her as he caressed her cheek. Max's smile turned more loving as she bent her head down, grasping his lips with hers.
Buffy was the first one to step off the jet. She stood still for a moment as she admired the chilly night sky. She grinned. "This place really hasn't changed much," she stated happily. Faith, Alec, and Dawn appeared behind her.
"You mean the stars have always been covered by a bunch of polluted smoke like that?" Alec asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Buffy nodded.
"Yep," she replied flippantly, her smile not wavering as she practically raced down the steps to reach the ground. "Come on slowpokes! You don't want to miss the fantastic polluted air on the way to Wolfram & Hart, do you?" Faith and Alec exchanged strange looks. Dawn just rolled her eyes.
"You might as well get used to it," she advised as she followed her sister, but not quite in the same implied drug-induced way. "You're about to see a whole new Buffy."
"I like the regular Buffy," Faith replied quickly. "Don't tell me she's about to go all Valium-chick on us." Dawn just shook her head.
"We better catch up or she might use the limo to go shopping before taking the trip to Wolfram & Hart. Leaving us deserted," she warned. Faith and Alec exchanged looks again before hurriedly following the younger Summers woman.
Max was just helping Spike off the floor as Angel and Cordelia entered the room. Angel had a slight limp to his walk. Max whistled in appreciation.
"Damn. Looks like the Doyle imposter did a number on you," she commented, smirking as she admired all the cuts, gashes, and bruises. Spike had a huge grin on his face as he noticed a particular gash in Angel's chest.
"Is that a deep sword injury I see?" he questioned gleefully. Angel just glared at him as he limped past. Cordelia tried to hide her smirk.
"So I take it the little guy is dead?" Max called out to their retreating forms.
"Not yet. But once the senior partners are through with him, he'll be wishing he was," Cordelia stated. Max raised her eyebrows at Spike but didn't comment as they followed Cordelia and Angel out of the room.
When they reached the lobby, Max stared out at the night sky with a strange look on her face. Spike noticed her expression.
"Wanna take a little walk?" he asked. Max simply nodded, her look not faltering as she began walking towards the exit. Spike turned to Cordy and Angel, who were waiting for the elevator to return to the floor. "See ya up top in a bit?" Angel just rolled his eyes as the elevator door dinged open.
"It was nice to kill some zombies with you, Max," Cordy called out as Max and Spike headed for the door. Without turning around, Max raised her hand to acknowledge her but continued out the exit.
Once outside, she held her arms out wide, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Spike watched this with a very amused expression on his face.
"What are you trying to sniff out, luv?" he asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. A smile spread across her face but she didn't open her eyes.
"Just a feeling..." she replied cryptically. Spike smirked.
"Would that feeling have anything to do with..."
"Trying to contain my dinner in my stomach while I watch this fluffy scene?" Dawn's voice came from a few yards away. She had obviously come out of the black limo now resting by the sidewalk. Faith, Alec, and Buffy soon appeared out of the limo as well. Max's grin grew wider as she detached herself from Spike and ran to give them each a hug while Spike had a slightly bewildered expression on his face.
"What a...lovely...surprise," he finally managed to say. Buffy scoffed.
"Coming from the guy that turned into a hot pocket last spring," she retorted. Spike's face broke into a grin.
"Think I'm hot do you?" he teased. For once, Buffy didn't seem ruffled. She pretended to consider it though, just to humor him.
"Mmm...lukewarm," she concluded, giving him an evil smile. He rolled his eyes and turned to Dawn, who was standing quite a distance away with her arms crossed and her face blank.
"And how's the niblet?" Spike asked softly, unsure how she was gonna react. He certainly wasn't expecting the now-quite-taller younger Summers girl to nearly crush his bones as she engulfed him in a very tight hug. His surprised eyes met Max's. She was smirking. "Kinda happy...I guess..." Dawn pulled away and kicked him the shin. "Ow! Bloody hell ow!" The others laughed. Spike glared at them as he rubbed his shin. "What was that for?" Dawn crossed her arms again.
"That was for not telling us you were back," she stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Spike resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Am I ever gonna live that down?" he asked. Max raised her eyebrows and gave him a pointed look. "So not for a while then, eh?"
"So how's life in LA been treating you lately?" Faith interrupted. Max exchanged a look with Spike.
"To give you an idea...we just finished killing a bunch of zombies."
"Damn. A real party compared to our flight over here..." Alec commented. Buffy groaned.
"I said I was sorry!" she said emphatically. Alec just smirked.
"What happened?" Max asked.
"Barbie over here wouldn't stop yammering about LA life and her glory days. First few demons she 'slew', old demon lairs...and oh! The bestest places to shop!" Faith explained in false cheery voice. Buffy pouted.
"What's wrong with remembering great stores?"
"It's wrong when we were in the middle of talking about things completely different from mini-skirts," Alec retorted. Max's brow furrowed.
"What were you..." she began but looks from both Faith and Alec made her shut her mouth. "Oh..."
"So where's Angel?" Buffy questioned suddenly, trying to look casual.
"Very subtle," Spike replied sarcastically. Buffy ignored him and looked to Max.
"Up in his office, I think. He's with a bunch of his staff," Max told her. Buffy nodded in understanding and began to look antsy. "Wanna go see what's up?" Without waiting for an answer, her and Spike led the way back into Wolfram & Hart.
Wesley, Fred, Gunn, Lorne, and Harmony were just coming out of the elevator. Each group was surprised to see the other.
"Buffy?"
"Wesley?"
"Faith?"
"Harmony?" Harmony suddenly jumped behind Lorne as Buffy's eyes widened at seeing her. "What are you doing here?"
"She's uh...Angel's...secretary," Wesley explained. Harmony nodded emphatically and smiled nervously. Buffy's bewildered expression didn't change. "Buffy, Faith, Dawn...and who are you?" Wesley looked at Alec with confusion. Alec was too busy looking at Lorne to pay attention to him.
"That's Alec," Max introduced, elbowing him in the stomach discreetly. Alec winced but didn't look away from Lorne.
"Is that your natural skin tone?" he asked casually.
"Alec!" Max hissed. Lorne just smiled.
"Don't worry Maxicat. I'm used to it. Yes my skin is just as green as yours is a miraculous golden," he replied. Max and Faith smirked at Alec's sudden discomfort. Wesley cleared his throat.
"What...exactly are you all doing here?" he asked.
"Visiting," Dawn stated.
"Angel?" Fred asked.
"Him too," Faith answered. Fred's brow furrowed.
"Mostly just Max and Spike...Buffy was the one who wanted to see Angel," Dawn explained. The others all nodded with the same expression on their faces. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Faith wanted to see him too," she claimed. Faith just shrugged when they looked to her.
"Well he's upstairs getting his coat with Cordelia. We were just about to go out for some drinks," Gunn said. Buffy blinked.
"Cordelia?" she asked, sounding surprisingly calm. They nodded uncomfortably. Buffy didn't seem to notice. "Do you think they'll mind if I just go say 'hi'?" They exchanged looks.
"Go ahead slayer. We can go drink these guys under the table while you and the poofter have a reunion," Spike offered, beginning to usher the others out the door.
"W-wait," Wesley tried to protest but Buffy was already heading up the elevator. Max watched her go with a concerned look on her face.
"...I got my guy back on track..." Buffy heard faint voices as she walked towards Angel's office. She frowned as she slowed her pace, hearing the rest.
"Cordy, there's just..." she heard Angel's voice and her heart skipped a beat.
"...Take what we can get...I'll be seeing you..." Buffy stopped walking completely as she was able to see Cordy and Angel talking inside the office. Cordy turned to walk out the door. Buffy found her body tense up for reasons she didn't know, but Cordy kept her head down before she suddenly turned around. "Oh, what the hell. One for the road?" To Buffy's horror, she walked briskly back to Angel and they engaged in a very passionate kiss. The breath caught in Buffy's throat and she stumbled backwards against a wall. Angel and Cordelia had yet to notice her. She finally tore her wide-eyed gaze away from them and stared at a spot on the floor, still in shock. She faintly heard Cordelia say, "Oh...and you're welcome." Buffy waited for her to walk out of the office and see her, but she didn't. A few minutes passed and she forced herself to lift her gaze, finding Angel looking right back at her. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed and teary, with quite a lot of shock thrown in.
"B-Buffy...?" he questioned softly. Buffy swallowed and felt her jaw tighten. Angel stepped forward and she quickly took a step backward. She tried to ignore the hurt that flashed across his face. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting," Buffy replied, surprised at how hostile her voice sounded. Angel seemed to notice it as well.
"How...how long were you standing there?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Buffy's face expression confirmed it. He smiled nervously. "Well...um...I guess you saw the kiss then..."
"Yeah, I did," Buffy snapped. Angel opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hand to silence him. "Don't. I don't even wanna know. I'm trying to erase it from my memory..." Angel didn't respond. Buffy took a deep breath and started to turn around. Angel made a move to stop her but she suddenly whirled around, eyes blazing. "Cordelia? You and Cordelia? What the hell is going on? We kissed the night before the hellmouth went cablooey and suddenly you're frenching Cordelia?!" Angel's face hardened slightly.
"Just to refresh your mind...that kiss was almost 6 months ago. And you seemed to make it pretty clear that you wanted nothing to do with me after you found out I became CEO of Wolfram & Hart," he replied angrily. Buffy's eyes narrowed.
"I think the correct name is 'Beyond Evil, Inc.'," she snapped. "And how was I supposed to know if you were good or not? This place is freakin' evil! You could've turned into Angelus again! And now that I think about it...why am I surprised? If you're evil, why wouldn't you be making out with Cordelia?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What do you think it means Percepto?" Buffy growled. Angel just stared at her angrily. "What? No retort? Come on, our fights used to be so much more 'fun' then this!" An extremely fake smile appeared on her face. "Aren't you going to defend your girlfriend?"
"She's not my girlfriend," Angel said in a dangerously low tone. Buffy didn't seem bothered by it, not realizing what a thin line she was crossing.
"So what, you just french all your friends and ex-honeys?"
"She's not my girlfriend," Angel began. Buffy rolled her eyes.
"Broken record much?"
"But she was one of my dearest friends," he continued, ignoring her. He didn't bother to mention that he actually loved her. Somehow he didn't think Buffy would take that well. Buffy opened her mouth to retort but then shut it as what he just said sank in.
"Was?" she asked, her voice losing the venom. Angel nodded, relieved she wasn't angry at the moment.
"She was in a coma. She was just telling me that the Powers That Be owed her one and so let her wake up momentarily." Buffy stared at him in silence. "She's dead, Buffy. I guess that was a...goodbye...kiss." Buffy inhaled sharply but didn't comment. "I'm sorry you misunderstood what was going on." Her eyes suddenly blazed again. Uh oh.
"Misunderstood?" she growled. Angel winced. If he only he hadn't said that last part... "Of course I misunderstood! What, did you think I would already know that one of your 'dearest friends' had gotten herself into a coma and was about to die so she just decided to slip her tongue into your mouth as a little going away present? Excuse me for freaking out a little after seeing a woman who used to be a complete bitch slobber on my boyfriend!" Angel raised his eyebrows at her. She tightly shut her eyes. "Former!" She turned and briskly walked towards the elevator. Angel ran ahead to stop her.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Can you please just not run away?"
"I'm not running away! I'm just...falling back at a brisk pace..." Buffy replied lamely, trying to get ahead of him. Angel rolled his eyes and suddenly pulled her away from the elevator, keeping her against the wall with both arms on either side of her head. She inhaled sharply but didn't struggle.
"We need to talk," Angel stated.
"I don't think talking is where this conversation is going..." Buffy replied softly. Angel shifted uncomfortably but didn't let her go.
"That's not what I meant..." he said in the same tone. Buffy lifted her eyes to meet his.
"But it's what you were thinking."
"You don't know that."
"Of course not. How could I?"
They stared at each other for a long time, neither one moving nor mentioning out loud how close their bodies were.
"I have to go," Buffy finally stated, mentally berating herself for not stopping her voice from shaking slightly.
"Wait..." Angel began to protest, but Buffy suddenly shot him a venomous look. Shocked, Angel faltered slightly and Buffy pushed past him. He didn't bother going after her. He knew that even if he did catch up with her, she wouldn't stop.
A/N-I know this chapter may seem shorter than usual, but I had to hurry to get it posted. I'll be out of town for about a week so updating will take a while as well...Reviews are much appreciated ;o)
RavynJensen-I didn't actually put Lindsey in this chapter since the scene with him and Angel wouldn't have changed much. I wish Lorne hadn't killed him too... The way Angel ended was just annoying... I wrote Buffy's and Angel's reunion in this chapter, but in the next one I'll be writing about Spike, Max, Dawn, Faith, Alec, Wesley, Fred, etc all having a drink, among other things. I hope you liked this one ;o)
Cora-Thanks ;o) I like Lindsey too. It's alright, I'm just thankful you're reading it ;o)
Doza-That fic sounds interesting, I'll be sure to look it up once you post it ;o) I've been thinking about bringing in more transgenics, and I probably will since so many people have been asking me to. I haven't decided which ones will be coming though. I'm sorry for the long update wait, school has just been really busy. And now I'm going on a trip so updating might be slow again...
Sky Angel-Thanks a lot ;o) They kissed in this chapter so the real making up is about to begin...hehe. Happy Easter to you too! Even though that was about two or three weeks ago ;o)
Lozz422-Nope. It'll be drama aplenty ;o)
Angel Of Darkness231-Thanks. She got to kick ass ;o)
luvin it-I know it seems like that, but that's because this fic hasn't gone completely AU and a lot of what happened in the episodes is what I'd like to still happen in this fic. Now that Buffy and the others are here, it will go a different course than the episodes but the show ideas will still be at the root. So my originality isn't as low as you may think ;o) Please don't completely judge the story until it's all done.
