Thank you all for the reviews, and sorry about the long delay, but i'm finally back. I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Conflicting Loyalties
"So you think the vampire will ever get up?" asked Gunn as he grabbed a slice of toast from Wesley's plate and then sat down next to him.
"Well vampires are nocturnal. So they tend to sleep during the day and wake at night" replied Wesley as he sipped on some coffee and then choked
"Oh yeah" Hope smiled, a twinkle in her eyes "Cordy made that"
Wiping his face with a napkin he offered a tight smile "thank you for the advanced warning"
Gunn looked around "where's Barbie anyway?"
"She's on the phone"
"To?"
"Lorne, to see if there any big bad roving the LA streets"
"And if there is?"
"Well I offered to go back" said Hope as she went to the sink to rinse out her mug
"Why?"
"My path's in LA" came her simple reply as she headed out the kitchen
"What about you Wes, you gonna brave it out down here"
"I don't know, if I'm needed down here I'll stay, but" he paused and look distastefully into his coffee "Our path's in LA. Besides I thought you'd be itching to go back"
Gunn began slowly "Yeah but the way I see it, we needed a vacation"
"Trouble with your friends back home"
"Something like that" muttered Gunn soberly
"Conflicting loyalties, we all have them Gunn"
"Gotta love them"
"So Buffy" called out Xander "How's deadboy, you checked up on him yet" called Xander as he sat comfortably in one of the library chairs
Buffy paled slightly "no, oh my gosh you think he's alright"
"Sure Buffy" nodded Willow
"I mean are you sure, his not good with people" put in Xander
"Xander" scowled Willow as she elbowed him in the ribs
"What what! Am I wrong in saying the truth?"
"No, but subtly wouldn't go amiss"
"So what you think I should go check up on him" asked Buffy as she turned to her best friends
"His old enough to look out for himself… but he doesn't do good with people so em" Willow stopped
"I'll go check up on him as soon as I can ditch Synder"
"You're finally awake" called out Gunn from his place in front of the TV
"Em" Angel began and then walked tiredly to the kitchen
"Hey vampy" smiled Cordelia "you hungry" she got up and went to the fridge "Sit and I'll make you something"
Angel became suddenly wide awake "No it's alright"
"Nonsense" she poured some blood into a mug "Sit" she turned sternly towards him and he fell into the nearest chair "Wes" she called
"Yes" the answer came from the other room
"What temperature do I heat blood up?"
"Em 96.6"
"No it's 95" said Hope as she came wandering into the kitchen
"What you heating up blood for" asked Gunn as he and Wesley came into the kitchen
"It's for Angel" she smiled as she put the mug into the microwave
Gunn turned to Angel.
"I never…she just" started Angel
"Why don't you just ask the vamp, it's his blood right" they all turned to him expectantly
"I just heated it at 95.5… normally" he finished lamely
"See I was closer" said Hope as she looked at Wesley triumphantly
"There's a first time for everything" he replied
"Hey" whistled Cordelia as she slid the piping mug out of the microwave "you fight later, don't you have some sort of plan for this snake I saw"
"Right, in all our excitement we forgot to tell the…"
"Sunnydale folk" input Gunn
"Right" nodded Wesley "about the snake"
"Hey" Cordelia handed him the mug and waited patiently "so"
"Em thank you" he mumbled leaving it in front of him
"Right, aren't you gonna taste it"
He looked up at her expectant face when he saw Hope in the corner of his eyes whispering poison, and Gunn and Wesley looking quite nervous "sure" he finally said as he lifted the cup to his lips and sipped "You put something in my blood"
"Yeah cinnamon, I hear variety is the spice of life" she smiled "So did you like it"
"Em sure"
"Great" this time she beamed and then walked out the room
"You drank it" whispered Gunn he then turned to the others "he actually drank it"
"Without choking"
"Damn" he looked at Angel "you ain't to bad" at Angel's look he add in a rushed tone "that don't mean I like you"
Hope laughed "you actually found something that Cordelia can make in a kitchen"
"Indeed" mumbled Wesley "come on we need to go over our plan for Cordy's vision"
"Hell no, me I'm gonna spar" he turned to the door "hey Cordy what you up to"
"Hey vamp, hurry up, me and you can go a couple of rounds" said Hope "sans powers of course" she then turned on her heels and left
Angel's eyes followed her out the room, with one thought on his mind what the hell have I got into he then looked at his mug she heated my blood a smile lit his face damn she even put in cinnamon his smile widened a bit more
"Wow" muttered Gunn for the 10th time "the brother can hold a sword" he paused "it's not an axe but it will do"
"Hey Cordy disarm and then tag team"
Cordelia nodded as she swung her sword, when his sword met hers she rotated her wrist and thrust it forward where she proceeded to grab his wrist and force him to drop his sword. She then kicked it aside and said "tag"
From behind him Hope approached and punched. He caught her wrist and sent her flying onto the mat with a crash. When Cordelia came as him with a spin kick, making him take a step back.
"Hey Gunn" called from the side lines "No far"
"Well" replied Hope from the floor "join us"
"Me and the vamp" he sent him a sideward glance "fine, Wes can go with you"
"Yeah Wes" called out Cordelia as she pulled Wes
"Cordy you know I don't like fighting"
"It's our job you have to like it"
"Yeah now come on, we can take em" said Hope as they stood showdown style
"Battle royale" was the finally call before a free for all began
"Angel" called out Buffy as she entered his Mansion. The front room was empty except from the noise of a TV. She fought on whether to continue further into the mansion when she heard a noise that soundly likes fighting. With slayer speed she made her way to Angel's training room.
"So can anyone join in" asked Buffy as she stood watching them fight "Or is there a height requirement"
"No height requirement" called out Cordelia as she blew a strand of brown hair form her face "But definitely a style one"
"Hey, what wrong with my outfit" said Buffy as she crossed her arms defensively
"Nothing, it just the colours all wrong"
"What's wrong with red?"
"Nothing just on you its kinda bla"
"Bla"
"Yep that Cordy resident vision girl and all round stylist" said Hope as she got up from the floor
"Buffy" asked Angel as he took a step forward "is there something the matter"
She shook her head "What, no I was just checking on you"
"I'm fine" they stood in silence
"Well, the life has officially been sucked out of the room, so what do you say we leave them here"
"I wanna see how long they can stand staring at each other" Hope laughed but stopped when Cordelia frowned at her
"So Wes, research" she asked as she smiled over at the ex-watcher
"Yes, we should get onto Cordelia's vision as soon as possible"
"Right" nodded everyone in the room
"So you wanna play playstation" asked Gunn to Hope
She grinned "right no point all of us reading over the books"
"Hey hold it" said Cordelia "I get the vision you guys do the research"
"Trust you to play the vision card" mumbled Gunn
"Hey you want the visions" she asked
"No, I'll get on to the research" he began walking out the room "cause Barbie you do the drooling thing so well"
"I so do not drool" she crossed her arms over her chest
Gunn looked at her "yeah, a little"
"Gunn" she called as she chased after him
"Well it's seems it will be you and me doing the research after all" said Wesley as he began walking to the door "you can take the old archaic languages"
Hope frowned an followed him "hey are those the ones that have the pictures"
"So" Buffy said as she watched them leave "are you really ok"
"Yeah" he shifted uncomfortably
"Good" she nodded and bit her lip
"Look Buffy, you…"
"Angel I…" they said at the same time
They laughed "this isn't gonna work is it" asked Buffy quietly
"What us being friends"
She nodded "Yeah that"
"I'm sorry" he lowered his head
"It's not your fault, its just God, Angel it's just so hard"
"I know" he whispered
"I hate this. I hate feeling like this when I'm with you"
"If I could take your pain away I would"
Buffy looked down "would you"
"Buffy" he held out a hand
"No" she took a step back "We can't be friends Angel, we can't be more than friends, so what are we"
"I don't have the answer for that"
"Yeah me neither" she turns to leave "if you ever find it call me"
"I will. And for what's its worth I'm really sorry"
Buffy walks out of Angel's mansion but stop when she sees a figure in the corner
"Spike" she sighs "what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for a pretty brunette; she was with the poof last night"
"Oh Cordelia, she's in there"
"So she one of you white hat's now"
Buffy sighs again wondering why she was still speaking to him "Nope, she's got her own tuff, LA"
"City of Angels" he laughs "nothing more further from the truth, got about as much demon's as Sunnyhell" ponders thoughtfully "bit more class though"
"Shut up Spike, and why I'm I not staking you"
Spike grinned "my dashing good looks, or my witty personality"
Buffy hides back a smile "nope can't be that, so what is it?"
Spike shrugs "don't know luv, could be the same thing that's keeping me from biting you"
"Which is?"
Spike rolled his eyes "I don't know now do I" he looks in the mansion "this is unbelievable"
"What" she turns and sees Angel sitting on the couch next to Cordelia who has divided her attention between Gunn and him
"What his done to my place"
"Yours"
"Come on slayer, you know that the poof has no taste. 'cause his the leader of our little clan all that's ours is his. He saw, he took and he bloody well tossed me out"
"Some how I don't feel bad about that"
"Hey you meet Angelus right" she sifts uncomfortably "well imagine spending decades with him"
"You're a vampire, you get off on pain"
"Yeah pain, torment not so much. Beside Angelus is just mean"
Buffy smiled "mean, 200 years of living and the best you came up with is mean"
"Hey saying evil would be an insult. Since I'm the big bad"
She all our laughed this time "now I know why I don't stake, you make me smile" she looks at him and then leaves.
Spike watches her leave "well I'll be damned"
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