Disclaimer - not mine, all Joss's. Except this story. Sorry it's all mine
Robin had been as good as his word. The truck had arrived and the two sleeping vamps had been loaded up. By the time they were in the air on the chartered jet, both had stirred. Shoving bladders of prepared drugged blood in their faces meant that they were out by the time they need to be offloaded the plane and loaded onto the truck to their new secure location.
Buffy meanwhile had managed to call Dawn and after the youngster had screamed her lungs out, then cried her eyes out and screamed some more, she had managed to allow Buffy to quickly fill her in on what had happened. By the end, Dawn was sobbing even more, for a different reason this time and Buffy had agreed to let her fly out. She would get one of the Cleveland free-range slayers to pick her up from the airport.
Hours later, they were settled in their new 'home'. Robin had located a warehouse with secure storage – cages, enclosures really, bolted to the concrete and double reinforced steel bars and tons more room than the tiny cages they had been trapped in for months. On the flight home, Buffy and Faith had worked out that if it had been roughly 6 months since the LA incident, then the two vampires had been in the other dimension for nearly a year. A year of being starved and shoved in the portal machine. Both women had teared up at the thought. It would certainly take more than a few days of blood and peace to bring the men back.
Transferring the two vamps had taken some work. Angel had recovered faster, being stronger than Spike and it had taken bribes with fresh Slayer blood to get him snarling and fighting into the larger cage. Spike had merely been dragged gently from one to the other. Their new enclosures had bunks and blankets and bolted down tables, with half the cages covered in canvas to give the vampires privacy from the wider open areas. Angel had immediately taken to striding around his cage, growling constantly as he hunted out every heartbeat in the building. The Cleveland Slayers had eyed him distrustfully, fully aware that they were in the presence of a master vampire in full beast mode. Spike on the other hand, still dozed on the floor of his cage, close by the door, covered gently with the blanket by Buffy as he slept.
Angel calmed down as one by one the Slayers left the building until only Buffy, Faith and Robin remained.
Robin, having been filled in fully, now helped set up the slayers own accommodations as they organised the last of everything. Blood would be delivered tomorrow lunchtime and food for the Slayers. Dawn would arrive at dinner time and would be staying with Buffy. Pizza was delivered by a Slayer and they fell on it like ravenous wolves.
Sated and comfy, their comfy chairs within viewing of their vampires, the girls and Robin were silent for the first time that day.
Faith sighed and broke the silence first.
"Well, I'm knackered. Big day tomorrow, what with the Fixing Bad Boys on the agenda, so I'm off to bed." With a smile for Robin and Buffy, she disappeared into her pod that housed her sleeping quarters and bathroom. Buffy waited a while before turning to Robin.
"Thanks for all this, I know that it must have been hard.." But he cut her off.
"Buffy, stop. Am I over the fact that Spike murdered my mother? I'll never be over that. I will never shed a tear if he dusts. BUT I also know that he has done great things since and it's no longer my place to condemn him." With that, he smiled at the blonde slayer and said his goodbyes.
In the quiet of the warehouse, Buffy could hear Angel's quiet growling.
Knowing it was time, she threw two packets of 0- blood in the microwave and nuked them. Carrying the heated blood to the cages, she could see Angel's yellow eyes glowing in the half dark, watching her every move. She placed the bags on the table bolted to the outside of Angel's cage and watched as he reached through and took it, his feral eyes never leaving her for a second. She stayed calmed and smiled gently at the growling monster. One day, one day they would BOTH be back and Buffy could push this time away into the depths of her mind, never to see the light of day again.
Spike lay where he had been placed, the blanket still on him, eyes shut. Buffy crossed her legs and sat by the cage, watching the deeply wounded vampire rest. After a few minutes, feeling the blood cool in her hands, she softly called to him.
"Spike, Spike, I have your blood. Come, open those gorgeous eyes and look at me." Slowly, lids slid up and yellow glowed in the dark. Buffy smiled and extended her arm into the cage, holding out the packet of blood. "Here, eat. You know how this goes, Oh Painful One." She grinned as she heard the first rumblings of a growl. When he still didn't move, she waggled the blood, causing it to slosh in its packet. Still he didn't move and his growl stayed steady. On the other side of the bars, Angel watched with his feral eyes.
"Spike, come on my beautiful one, time to eat. You know your choice. Stay here or go to the next, but I will follow either way." Spike's growling grew and his lips slid back over sharp fangs. With a lightning move, the blood bag was snatched from her grasp and drained in a second. Angel's growls also subsided as he watched his childe drink. Buffy lay down by the side of the cage, just far enough so that if she fell asleep, she wouldn't be within reaching distance. It was an agreement she had made with Faith once Faith caught her asleep back in the other dimension.
It was the growling that woke her the next morning. Angel had rested at some point, Buffy had noticed the growling stop even in her sleep. But he was in full deep throat mode this morning and Buffy rolled quickly over to see what had upset the volatile vampire. She could see nothing, let alone something that would account for Angel's distress. Pulling the dagger from her back sheath, she looked at Angel and tracked his eyes. He was fixed on a point by the main doors. Doors that had been welded shut to avoid any accidental sunlight entry. On silent feet, Buffy glided around the warehouse, all her senses open. But other than a tingling sensation where Angel was fixated, she could find nothing. Reminding herself to tell Faith when she woke, Buffy crossed back to the now snarling vampire. He was still fixated on the spot so Buffy positioned her chair so that she could see both the vampires and the main doors.
After a while, Angel seemed to lose interest in the doors and went back to stalking his cage. Knowing that he did it for the sheer act of moving after all those months trapped, Buffy forced herself to relax. Any sign of agitation or worry set the deadly vampire off, his eyes would track you with bloodthirsty intent. Buffy knew that keeping these two fed enough to sate them would be nearly impossible, but she planned to get as close as possible, even if it ate up every single cent of her money.
In his cage, Spike finally stirred. It was rare that anything caused him to move in his old cage and Buffy only prayed that the larger enclosure would encourage 'some' movement. He would never recover his health if he didn't move. Buffy noticed that she wasn't the only one watching him, Angel's attention had shifted from Buffy and the warehouse to the lethargic vampire in the cage beside him.
His growls and snarls had shifted to a croon, and Buffy watched as he strode to the bars separating the two cages. He squatted down and reached his arm through, gesturing to the supine vampire. Croons echoed around the warehouse and Buffy watched, her heart in her throat as the younger vampire slowly responded. It had been her call to put the two vamps next to each other, their behaviour making her feel it was beneficial rather than detrimental to have them close.
Slowly, Spike drew himself up until he was sitting slumped over. Angel's croon never wavered, steady as he called his childe to him. Painfully, Spike crawled to the cage bars. Buffy's hand clung to her throat. She prayed with all her might that it would go well!
Finally, agonising eons later, Spike collapsed exhausted against the steel bars, one hand clutching at his Sire's arm. Angel, with the gentlest expression Buffy had ever seen on his face ever, pulled the weak vampire to him and enfolded him into a clumsy embrace hindered by the cage's bars. Buffy's face flushed as she watched, feeling like a voyeur by watching this obviously intimate moment.
Angel pulled Spike in tight, and pressed the younger vamp's mouth to his wrist, croons never wavering. Spike just sat there, obviously exhausted by his struggles to move a mere 3 feet. Croons worked up and down the register and finally Angel bit his own wrist and placed the bleeding wound to Spike's lips. Spike gradually opened his mouth and drew on his Sire's wrist, suckling almost like a babe at its mother's teat. After a while, Angel drew away his arm and licking it himself, sealed the wound. He continued to croon to his childe until it was clear Spike again slept. Carefully, he eased him down and once free, recommenced stalking his cage.
Buffy reminded herself to make sure she wrote it in her journal.
Soon enough, Faith was clattering around her pod and calling out to Buffy. Once the dark slayer had exited her place, Buffy head off to her own, longing for the shower and bed it contained. Faith said nothing about the night Buffy had spent. She figured it was just how it was going to go.
Buffy slept through the Cleveland Slayers arrival as they all filed in to check that Faith was truly back and safe and to see for themselves that the famed Angel and Spike were indeed back. And insane, but they knew better than to utter Those words out loud.
Most of them couldn't handle being in the same room as two master vampires, especially as Angel snarled and snapped from his cage at the scent of so many desirable slayers just out of reach. Once a Slayette got too close and Angel lunged, catching the girl's sleeve and ripping it from her body. Faith could have sworn she heard him chuckle at the girl's terror. But it served as a good reminder to the others not to venture close again. Spike again, lay where Angel had lain him, for all appearances asleep.
When Buffy emerged from her own sleeping quarters, Dawn had called to say that she was on her way from the airport. Showered and feeling 1000% rested for the first time in months, years even, she strode out to check on her vampires.
Angel for once, was resting on his haunches, arms hanging between his legs, head resting back on the bars behind him at the back of his cage, in the shadow cast by the canvas. Numerous blood packets littered the floor of his cage. Spike on the other hand, still lay by the cage bars where he had been when Buffy had gone to bed. Her heart sank. Surely he wasn't that far gone? His blood packets sat undrunk on the table by his cage.
Faith came over and linked her arm in Buffy's as she gazed sadly at the broken vampire.
"He just won't drink for me Buffy. Nothing I do makes any difference. I did as you suggested and gave Angel Spike's share and just after lunchtime, Angel fed Spike again. Kinda squicked me out to be honest. Felt all dirty but in a nasty way, ya know?" Buffy nodded, clearly remembering the same feeling she had gotten. "Well, Little Sis will be here soon, ya want me to take off for a while? Give you some sister to sister bondin time?"
Buffy smiled and hugged the arm wrapping hers. In the time she had left the Council, she and Faith had come to an understanding that had grown into a friendship. The time in the other dimension had solidified it.
"Nah, you can help deflect any teenage angst directed my way." Buffy replied with a giggle.
"Listen to you, all with the giggles and smiles! Like someone replaced the batteries in your happy meter, girl!" Faith smiled in genuine pleasure at seeing her sister slayer happy for the first time years. Buffy stalled and thought about it. It was true, she DID feel actually happy! She could still feel the rage bubbling away, but it seemed less volatile now. Her happiness felt strange though. Even though Spike and Angel were seemingly damaged beyond help, they weren't dust! If they weren't dust then anything was possible! So yeap, she was happy and dammit, she was determined to enjoy every second, because who knows when it would vanish, like vamp dust on the wind.
Shortly after, Dawn had burst into the warehouse, all teenage squeals and shouts, setting Angel off into his snarling tantrum, silencing the vivacious girl.
"Buff?" Dawn looked at the two vamps trapped in their cages. She had heard what Buffy had told her, but it hadn't actually sunk in. Now, looking at the feral vampire and the catatonic one, her heart stuttered. Angel, his yellow eyes tracking her every move, made her feel like she was 14 again and her skin crawled and she shivered. Angel growled and even Buffy thought it sounded like a chuckle too. Faith and Buffy shared a look. If Angel was so broken that Angelus made an appearance, then even harder choices would have to be made.
Dawn, ignoring Angel as much as possible, moved to Spike's cage.
"Oh god Buff, he looks so... so broken!" Her voice broke on her sob and Angel barked softly, his demon eyes watching closely.
"I know Dawnie, but we have to believe that he'll make it. He's already a bit better than when we found him." With that comment, Dawn broke and sobbed into Buffy's shirt.
Leading her away from the creepily watching vampire, Buffy led her into her sleeping quarters and the three women spent the next few hours catching up. After feasting on delivery food and soft drinks, Dawn crashed in Buffy's bed and Faith left for her own, leaving Buffy to head out to her vampires.
Warmed blood in her hands, she approached Angel's cage as usual. Glowing eyes studied her from the rear of the cage and Buffy respected his privacy and didn't peer back. At Spike's cage, she lay down and looked at the thin vampire. While he was nearly all healed now, he was still skin and bone, whereas Angel was already packing muscle back on.
"Hey Spike, I'm back, did you have a better day? I'm real sorry about the cage, but until you are better, it's just best for everyone this way. Hey don't know if you noticed, but Dawnie came to visit you today! Great huh! She really missed you too and really wants to get better so that she can hit you and yell and then hug you until your back cracks, I should know" Buffy chuckled and wriggled to get comfier on the cold concrete. It meant that she missed the flinch from the quiet vampire. Looking back up, her eyes met his yellow ones.
"Hey there, you are awake! Here, I have your blood here. Think you can slide on over and have dinner with me? I promise I won't bite." Another laugh, this time she did see the twitch that ran the length of his body. Her heart tripped and sped up, the only indication that either vampire noticed was a slight growl that quickly subsided from Angel.
"Well, I'll just keep on 'gabbing' then, as you say. I'm glad to be home. Not that the Putorna weren't fabulous hosts, but there is only just so much roast meat you can stomach before pizza and soda start visiting your dreams. Oh and showers! Finally clean! I think it took 3 showers to just get that black soot stuff out of...ahem, yes ..uummm. Ohh I'm sorry hon, here I am, gasbagging about showers and you and Angel are still dressed in rags and filthy! I thought about doing a cleanup while you were both out, but it just was too hard and Faith suggested drugging your blood here and doing it while you slept, but I remembered what you said about the Initiative and their drugged blood and I just couldn't. Now I'm rambling Buffy. Anyway, long story short, I know how much you and Angel like to be clean but I figured mental health is higher priority than cleanliness... I'm going to shut up now." She shut her mouth, sealing her lips tight and looked at the quiet vampire.
In her ramblings Angel had ceased his rumblings and when Buffy looked over at his cage, he was sitting slumped in a corner, fast asleep. Returning her eyes to Spike, she lay down completely, resting her head on the stone floor and laying on her back. He blinked slowly and shuffled closer. Buffy's heart skipped and pounded double time. She knew he heard when his head cocked to the side and the familiar move caused a warm feeling to flood her body. She had never even dreamed that she would see that beloved move ever again. Holding herself statue-still, she waited as he gradually shuffled-crawled over to her side and shakily reached out and grasped his meal. Buffy stayed still as he finished his meal and dropped the bag a few feet away. Then, as though that had taken every scrap of energy, he sagged into the floor and closed his eyes.
Moments later, Buffy followed suit.
