Wren sat back after finishing off the last of her chocolate cake, a self satisfied smile on her lips. Spike watched her for a moment before speaking up.
"So then pet, what exactly is the deal with this ritual? If you are who you say you are, why aren't you off causing destrucion and mayhem? Not that that's necessarliy a bad thing," he added with a smirk.
"Oh yeah. Well, the day of the ritual came. Did the whole cleansing with oils stuff, a little chanting, then drank some of the Master's blood and boom!" she said, making a little exploding jesture with her hands "here I am, half slayer half vampire. Not that I actaully exploded mind. And as for the whole being alive thing...well, I guess because I never actually died I'm technically not undead. But I most certainaly am a vampire. Got the membership card to prove it.!
"So what about everything else. Crosses, sunlight...blood?"
"Well, I do still have the whole thing where I don't like being beheaded, staked or set on fire...but then, who doesn't right? As for crosses and sunlight, I like to think of a cross as a handy accessory, and I hope my skin is at least mildly tanned."
"And the blood?" Spike repeated in a low tone.
"Never wanted it. Never want to want it, therefore never going to have it. I'm on a strictly non-haemo diet."
"But drinking blood is what makes us vampires love, you can't be one without the other."
Wren smiled and leaned in closer to Spike. "Let me tell you a secret," she said, gesturing him to move closer. Spike did so, and just as their noses reached a few inches apart, Wren's hand darted forward and grabbed the front of his t-shirt, pulling him even closer. As she brought her eyes level with his, Spike saw the greeny-brown of her iris's transform into a familiar amber colour, and the skin around her brows morph into the tell-tale ridges.
Wren smiled around her elongated canines and said, very quietly, "I don't know or care what makes vampires, I only know what I am. And nothing can change that," she added, in what Spike would almost have thought as a bitter tone, if it had not been for her continuing smile.
Wren released Spike and immediately shifted back into her human face, grimacing slightly as she did so. Spike settled himself back into his chair and smoothed down the front of his shirt.
"Yeah, I can see that. Got the temper to match it too, haven't you ducks?"
The girl shrugged lopsidedly, playing with the fork on the plate in front of her. "I am what I am. Just don't like people telling me differently is all."
Spike could see that he wasn't going to get much further pressing the matter with her at the moment, so let it drop. 'So, she's got a bit of demon in her?' he thought. 'Guess that's no more than any other slayer can say, even if hers is just a little more up-front.'
"So that's it then," he said out loud. "Nothing else you want to let me in on?"
"Well, yeah, I guess I should probably let you know that the vampire cult guys made one little mistake about me. They always assumed that a slayer which had technically become a vampire would be evil, very much down on the dark side. Turns out they sort of made the wrong assumption. Yeah I'm part vampire...part 'evil' if you want to call it that," she said, rolling her eyes and making little air-quotes, "but I'm also part slayer. I have a soul, or so I'm reliably informed, which means I kinda make my decisions as I go along, just like anybody else. I don't have to be 'bad' or 'good' just because that's the side I'm on, I just do what I think is right, like every other human does day in, day out. In some ways, I'm more human than any of the other slayers because I don't just have this one aspect of morality governing my nature. I could go either way."
"Some people wouldn't necessarily call that a good thing, love."
"Yeah, well, some people are idiots."
"Couldn't have put it better myself. More coffee?"
"Nah, thanks. The better part of my nature tells me that we should probably be heading back. I'm just so looking forward to telling this story all over again!"
With that, the vampire and the half vampire, half slayer, threw some money down onto the table and left the dark cafe, and headed out into the nearing dawn.
-+-
About an hour previously, somewhere in LA
After leaving the alley, Angel began to pick up his pace, having a strong trail to follow in the form of Wren's and Spike's scents. It was clear that the two were moving with more purpose after the battle with the demons, as the trail did not move around as much as it had previousy. Instead it headed directly out of the worst part of the city and into the slightly better lit streets. Angel began to notice signs of a more human civilisation, such as small shops and the occasional badly vandilised bus shelter. After he had been walking for a short while, Wren's course deviated, and Angel found himself faced with the small cafe that the girl and Spike had left only minutes earlier. Brow furrowing in confusion, Angel stepped through the door.
As soon as he was inside, he met the same sight that had so intregued Spike. The cafe was a little quieter now that the night was drawing to a close, its visitors not wanting to be caught outside in the day time. Moving to sit in the same place where Spike and Wren had been, mind working overtime trying to figure out exactly what was going on, Angel began to think. 'OK, so if I take it for granted that Spike is being controlled somehow and has kidnapped Wren, why would he bring her to a place like this? And why would she just sit here...and eat chocolate cake!' he thought, smelling the air. 'None of this makes sense. I have to get back to Wolfram and Hart and find out if anyone's heard anything from them.'
Just as he was standing up to leave, the same elderly waitress came over and spoke to him.
"Hey hun, can I take your order?"
"Erm...no. I mean, wait! Do you remember a girl and a guy sitting here a while ago?"
"We get lots of people in here that fit that description sugar."
"These would have been different. Er, English, both blonde, one very blonde, also slighlty...pale?"
"Oh, you mean the girl that was here with that nice young vampire, yes?"
Angel paused for a minute, wondering if in 120 years Spike had ever been called a 'nice young' anything, let alone vampire. "You knew he was a vampire?"
"Well, yes sweetie. Look around, we get our fair share of 'different' customers in here, just like yourself."
Angel looked around at the few remaining diners for the first time, and wondered how he had not noticed the highly conspicuous demons before. They didn't even seem to be trying to conceal themselves.
"Yeah, I guess you do," Angel said, in a slightly distant voice. He returned his attention to the woman next to him an said "Do you know how long ago they left?"
"Can't have been more than twenty minutes ago," said the waitress, giving Angel a weary smile, before returning to her chair in the opposite corner of the cafe.
Angel got up quickly and left the building. Once outside he caught Wren's scent, much stronger than it had been before, and he knew he was getting closer. He followed it for a short while, before realising that he was being led straight back into the centre of the city. A few minutes later he was finally sure of his destination, and didn't even pause to think when the trail he had been following took him straight back into Wolfram and Hart.
-+-
When the elevator doors opened, Angel strode straight across the foyer and burst through the doors into his office. Unfortunately, the first thing he saw was Spike, and his focus immediately zoned in on the blonde vampire. Spike didn't even have time for a sarky greeting, before he was pushed up against the wall by his very pissed off Sire.
"What did you do to her Spike? Did you think I wouldn't find out? Where. Is. She?" Angel growled, punctuating each word with a punch to Spike's face.
Spike was just about to fight back, when the attention of both vampires was caught by a small, yet clear, voice.
"Erm, Angel?"
Angel turned around slowly and saw someone stand up out of an armchair, which had been facing away from the door through which he had made his dramatic entrance. It took a moment for him to recognise the girl stood in front of him, as she looked so different from the shy, withdrawn figure he had seen only a few hours before.
"Angel, let him go," Wren said, calmly. "If you want to fight anyone, fight me. But before you do, let me tell you a story."