Chapter 35 - Glasgow 23 July 2004
I stay there for a moment, just putting myself back into Slayer mode before I join the others. Seriously, the grin I've got on my face just now would give away far too much before I'm ready. I know I'm going to have to lay down some rules for Giles, and grinning like a love-sick teen is not going to make him take me seriously. I'm still there when the door opens and Giles comes out. He must've been listening for Spike to leave, and suddenly, remembering the way he's treated Spike lately, the grin melts away quite naturally.
"I've taken the liberty of asking Gus to tell Angel that Spike's here. I didn't mention it to him when I was in London because I didn't honestly think there was any likelihood of them being within a hundred of miles of each other."
"Ok. But … Giles, I'm telling you this because I've made a decision. It's not a decision that I'm going to change because of anything you, or anyone else, say. You can either accept it or not, but I'm beyond caring. As of now, Spike and I are together. We're going to try to make things work, and I honestly think we've got a good chance, but if you, or anyone else tries to stop that, then I'll have to reconsider those I call my friends."
"I see. If that's how you feel, then so be it. You have my word that I won't interfere, but I can't promise to like him."
"Like him, hate him, your choice. But, he's on my team, so if you want me on yours, treat him with a bit of respect. He's earned it."
He looks at me for what seems like a long time, and I know he's measuring just how determined I am. At last, he nods before turning around and going back into the office. I follow him, and go to take look at what Dawn's doing.
Minutes later, I hear the sound of steps approaching the office, and look up to see Gus, followed by Angel. My greeting is low-key, but Angel's looking at me as if he's expecting some sort of reaction. I know I need to talk to him, but I'm not going to do that with all these onlookers. Anyway, he's got a reason for coming here - something important, apparently - so it's up to him to share his news.
By the time he's ready and seated with a cup of coffee to hand, it's Dawn who breaks the impasse.
"So, what was so important you had to come up here?"
Sometimes there's an advantage in a lack of tact.
"Well, as Giles directed, I contacted Phillip. I asked him how he managed to open up portals when that's something that requires a greater level of mental capacity than he'd given any evidence of."
Seems Dawn's not the only person lacking in tact.
"His first reaction was to bluster, but I threatened that if he didn't tell us the truth, then we'd stop hiding him. After that, he produced this."
He pulls a pendant out of his pocket. It's a gold-coloured chain with a clear phial on the end. In the phial there seems to be a dark, red-brown liquid.
"Is that …" I ask.
"Blood? Yes. Slayer blood. A tiny sample was taken from each of the first few Slayers, and placed here."
"But how …?"
"Of course," Giles interrupts. "Like calls to like. Given that number of Slayers all in a single location, using this to focus a portal opening … It's a very elegant solution."
"It's always blood," I mutter, remembering Spike's words of what seems like aeons ago. I shake my head, putting him out of my head for now. "So, can we use this to find the other Slayers?"
Giles answers. "Not directly, I suspect, although I'll have a chat with my contacts at the coven. However, it does give us a very significant avenue for further investigation. Even if we can't use the phial as it is, getting our hands on further samples of Slayer blood would probably be fairly simple."
"Yeah, assuming the girls we rescued don't run a mile when they see us coming."
Giles immediately gets on the phone, and Gus pulls out a couple of huge books. Dawn seems interested, but I'm not, and neither, by the look of it, is Angel.
"Can we talk?" he asks, quietly.
"Sure. Want to come downstairs? It's where I'm staying just now - with Moira. She's well worth meeting too."
When we get downstairs, Moira's gone out, so I take Angel into the living room. He seems rather bemused by the sheer fullness of the room - every wall covered with shelves and each shelf with memories.
"Moira's husband was a Watcher. She's a witch," I offer as he looks around.
He nods, then turns his attention to me.
"So, how are you?"
"Well, apart from a whole lot of missing Slayers, yeah. I'm … ok."
"And Spike? He survived the battle. Must've been a shock for you. I know it was when Gus told me."
"A shock? Yeah."
"Funny, I thought he'd turned around. Thought he'd finally worked out which side he was on, where he could do some good."
"He has. He … he assumed that with you human, we'd be together, and he couldn't bear to see that. So yes, he ran. He ran to Giles. He ran to working for the Council. So I think he knows which side he's on."
"But working with him - must be hard."
"No, I wouldn't say that. It's been like it used to be - in Sunnydale - towards the end. We fought well together."
"Oh."
There's an awkward silence then. He doesn't know what to say, and I know what I've got to say, but actually saying the words is hard. I take a deep breath.
"Angel, you should know. Spike and me? We're going to try to be together."
"Oh."
"Well, that's not the reaction I was expecting."
"No, I don't suppose it is. Given that he's back, I suppose I thought it might happen. Maybe not this fast, but …"
"You thought …?"
"Suspected."
I'm momentarily furious. It sounds like he thinks the only reason I wasn't interested in him was because there was someone else. As if he's so special no one could turn him down unless they … But I force my anger down. Maybe it was something else. I did tell him Spike was in my heart - maybe it wasn't too big a leap from there.
"I think I knew in LA, that Spike was a ghost in your past that wasn't going to let you move on. Except it turns out he's not a ghost after all."
I just nod. Maybe he's right. I'm not sure it's important just now.
"So where's Spike now?"
"He had a meeting - someone with information that might help us to locate the Slayers."
"And what're you going to do now?"
"Go back upstairs and research, I suppose. You?"
"I'm on the Council payroll for now, but if you'd rather I wasn't here, I'll go back to London right away. It'll be … difficult for me to see you and Spike together, and it's bound to make things harder for you. So, I'll keep out of your way. Looks like Glasgow's your town for now."
I smile at that. It seems we've both come a long way.
"Stay for now. We'll see where this new information gets us. I'll ask Spike to behave, but I need you to do that too."
"I'll do my best," he promises.
We go back upstairs, and take our places in the research party. I'm clock-watching, and I know it, counting the minutes until Spike gets back and we can get out and do something other than reading. The minutes tick by with agonising slowness, and I'm feeling more and more like I'm going to explode.
My phone rings. Dawn looks up at me - grinning when she seems my expression as I read the caller's name. I just don't know why he's calling rather than coming back.
"Hello, lover."
I'm frozen for a second. The voice is agonisingly familiar, but it belongs to the face opposite me.
"I've got something I think might be important to you, although I can't imagine why."
I have no idea how, but I know that the voice belongs to Angelus.
"Don't worry. I'll take real good care of him until you get here. Then we'll have a party - just the three of us."
"If you hurt him …"
"Why would I hurt him? Oh, wait. That one's easy. Because it's just so much fun. More fun with you here, though. See you real soon."
And then he's gone. Angel's looking at me, mystified.
"What is it?"
"It's Spike. Angelus has him."
