I own Carma, but that's it
Things had rapidly degenerated from a tense peace back to a full out war after Angel started talking about slayers.
"You never mentioned slayers. Slayers were never mentioned."
"I thought you needed our help, why the hell would you want to bring us into a house full of slayers."
"People are going to die and it bloody well won't be us!"
"What are you two so upset about? We need to stop the First and can you think of anything better than a slayer group of slayers to do that."
They made and interesting spectacle, William and Carma were slowly advancing on Angel who was holding his ground and shouting back. You couldn't really blame the two of them, they had a past with various slayers and it wasn't a pretty one. While they were occupied Angelus decided to talk to his silent childe.
"William."
"Its Spike now mate."
Deciding to tackle the change of name later Angelus pressed on.
"You don't respect him."
It was a simple statement, spoken with no emotion, but it carried so much meaning. The sire was the most important person in a vampire's life, they taught, sheltered and fed the fledgling in the first few decades, there was a blood link between sire and child, and every vampire could sense a sire-childe link. But what distressed Angelus was that the link between Angel and Spike was weak, so very weak, it almost didn't exist anymore.
"No. He betrayed us. When he got his soul he ran, he didn't even have the decency to tell us.
Then we met here again and he tried to kill me and Dru, then he lost his soul again and decided it would be more fun to sleep with Dru and torture me.
Then he got his soul back again, ran off to LA. A while ago a military group chipped me. I couldn't hurt anything human without feeling as though by brain was on fire, and he didn't help. I was left to the mercy of the slayer."
Spike lowered his eyes, he might despise Angel, but this was Angelus, his true sire, his protector. A hand lifted his chin and he found himself looking into the true face of Angelus, yellow eyes flashing with barely restrained anger.
"What?"
The word ground through his teeth, Angelus had been mad before but this was going to the extreme. One of his hands was holding onto the banister and a loud crack echoed through the basement as the wooden railing splintered and collapsed, drawing the attention of the three arguing vampires.
"Sire…"
Carma's voice was hesitant, she knew when her sire was in a fury like this it wasn't a good idea to antagonise him, something Spike said had seriously upset her sire.
"Spike what have you done now? Angelus, just ignore Spike he's an idiot and…"
While he spoke Angel had moved down the stars towards his past self, but he was cut off by a fist flying towards his face with the full force of a vampire's strength behind it. It floored him before he could move and he flew backwards, Carma and William were experienced when their sire had fits like this, and without even seeming to notice that they were doing it they each took a few steps in opposite directions, allowing Angel to fly right through them.
"Spike, do you think we should work with the slayer, train the potentials?"
Spike stared; it wasn't like Angelus to give over command to anyone. Looking around he saw Carma and William emotionless, Angel was rubbing his jaw and glaring at Angelus, and Angelus was looking at him like a sire.
"Yes."
It was whispered but it carried the point. Angelus morphed his face back to human form, slung his arm around Spike and led him up the stairs. As they reached Angel he passed Spike off to Carma and the pulled Angel to his feet, and whispered harshly in his ear.
"I don't care if you're the future version of me. No one hurts my childer, no one. What the hell happened to you?"
Angelus just ignored Angel after that, he stepped past him and joined his childer, he wrapped an arm around Carma's waist and William's shoulders, but when he gestured for Spike to go before them the bleached blond declined.
With identical malicious smirks the Triumvirate stepped through the door. Leaving the souled vampires behind.
"You always were protective, whenever anyone hurt us, or even insulted us, just a little you ripped their throats out. That's just what he's doing."
Spike moved past Angel and started moving up the stairs. It looked as though his sire was going to say something, his mouth opened, but then it closed again and there was silence. With instincts born over decades that were no longer even noticed the two vampires travelled silently and in unison with each other, as they left the basement they were greeted with a sight they'd really rather not have seen.
Angelus, William, Carma
"Willow how could you be so irresponsible. Spike and Angel might have souls but those three obviously don't and how do we know that they're not working for the First?!"
The blond slayer was leaning over Willow, arms waving around while the rest of the potentials, scoobies and the A.I. gang were just scattered around the room staring at them.
"You could always ask us."
Heads all snapped around to the doorframe that led to the hall and found themselves facing the three leather-clad vampires. But before anyone could speak Andrew decided to put his oar in.
"Are you really the Vampire Triumvirate? Wow, I remember reading about you when I was researching for the Evil Trio. I cannot believe that all this time I've been living in a house with a member of the Triumvirate mmhmn…"
Unfortunately Andrew was cut off before he could continue by Carma throwing him into a wall, as though they were watching a tennis match everyone watched the boy fly through the air, then snapped their eyes back to the three vampires, by which time Angel and Spike had joined them.
"Dead-boy, I see you've decided to grace us with two of your presences this visit."
While Angel growled at Xander Spike smirked, Angelus glared, William and Carma smiled, and everyone else was torn between reactions.
"Buffy, I understand that this is a strange situation, but there isn't a choice, if the Triumvirate is forced to work for the First we won't have a chance of beating him."
"After all the trouble last time Angelus was released, I can't believe you actually brought him into my house, especially around all these potentials."
It was getting to Buffy, she didn't seem to be able to keep a hold on her emotions anymore, tears were shining in her eyes, and as he was always unable to handle seeing his slayer in any kind of pain Angel stepped forwards and enveloped her in a hug. Buffy immediately wrapped her arms around the vampire; love was evident in every movement between them. As Angel lightly kissed her on her forehead and disentangled himself they heard the door bang shut. Carma had gone.
With identical growls Angelus and William followed. Spike glared at the other vampire and the slayer and muttering something about "my stupid poof of a sire, no common sense" he stormed out as well, yelling over his shoulder that they'd be back before sunrise.
A storm of chattering broke out in the living room after they left. Andrew had woken up and was making his presence known and unwelcome yet again. Cordelia, Gunn, Fred and Wesley were trying to get Angel's attention away from Buffy while Lorne sat on hi chair looking a bit shell shocked, ignoring the potentials who were pointing and whispering about him. Xander was wondering out loud what Spike was up to now, Willow was still looking a bit nervous, this had all happened really fast, the rest of the scoobies were trying to calm down the crowd of teenage girls, except Anya who was arguing with Faith. They were all cowed into silence though when Angel broke off his conversation with Buffy and slammed his fist in the wall.
"Damn!" he whispered before running out, leaving a room filled with silence behind him.
"Great, something else to fix."
Xander's attempt to lighten the mood only earned him glares from Buffy, Anya, Willow, Cordelia and Faith.
With the vampires
"Carma will you stop bloody moving. Carma!"
With a lunge William grabbed hold of the speeding vampire and roughly turned her round to face him.
"What the hell did you think you were doing, running off like that?"
He practically yelled the question in her face as Angelus and Spike approached them, but with a light touch on his arm Angelus pulled him away.
"You left me, you both left me, you promised you never would."
Although she was evidently trying her best not to let them, some tears managed to escape her eyes and trickle down her face. William pulled her into a tight hug, always unable to see her in pain. Angelus joined them and pressed his lips against her hair, holding them there, feeding her comfort through the contact.
At that moment Angel appeared and stopped by the slightly awkward looking Spike, Angelus lifted his head away from his childe and growled:
"What the hell has happened?"
Dreamin Of You: thank you so much for reviewing, I didn't know I wasn't accepting anonymous reviews, but I've changed it now, so hopefully more people will review. I'm really glad that someone likes this story.
Please review people, again I'm begging, please :D
