Buffy stood outside Spike's front door, and took a nervous moment to smooth down her black knee length dress and double check there were no kinks in her hair. The door whooshed open, and there stood Spike.
"I can still feel you through the door, Slayer." Spike practically smouldered.
Buffy smiled, feeling somewhat self conscious, and stepped inside. "Ok, can we at least have some semblance of a normal first date where you let me have a girly moment worrying that I have a hair out of place before you see me?"
"I've seen more than a hair out of place before you know, it's never put me off." He smiled as he stalked toward her, placing his hands on her hips. "You look beautiful."
Buffy relaxed, smiling. "Thank you. You look very dapper yourself."
Spike had gone with the blue shirt, brown leather jacket combo, much softer than the all black look she was used to. "Well you know, thought I'd make an effort. First date and all."
"Right." Buffy laughed. "It feels weird. A first date. For you and me. I'm oddly nervous."
Spike smiled softly. "Me too, love. Mostly at the thought of where you're taking me."
Buffy beamed. "No spoilers. Are you ready to go?"
"Almost." Spike smiled, a glimmer of flirtation in his eyes as he leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Buffy's lips. They pulled apart slowly. "Ok." Spike said, his eyes still closed. Buffy smiled. "I thought I'd take precautions and kiss you goodnight now in case one of us dies and gets banished to a hell dimension before we finish our date."
"Well that's very considerate. And… pessimistic." Buffy cocked her head to the side thoughtfully.
"With our track record?" Spike winced.
Buffy shrugged. "Ok, valid and realistic." Buffy placed her hands round into his back pockets of his jeans, bringing her face closer to his, done with a familiarity as if she had been doing it for years. "But I have a good feeling about tonight, this is our night, and nothing is going to get in the way."
"From your lips…" Spike murmured, moving in close again.
"Come on," Buffy smiled. "Or we'll never get out of this apartment."
"I can think of worse things…" Spike smiled seductively, and Buffy felt something inside of her melt at the thought. Spike pulled back, took her hand and moved towards the door. "Come on Slayer, take me on a date. Whats the worst that can happen?"
Buffy smiled and went to open the door. "That's the…" In the doorframe stood the only person who could have ruined the moment entirely by his mere presence. "Angel."
Spike's face fell. "Balls."
"Hi Buffy." Angel addressed her and completely ignored Spike in the moment.
Buffy felt Spike's hand fall from hers, creating a distance in Angel's presence she couldn't really blame him for. If Drusilla had arrived at the exact moment she was about to go on her first date with Spike, well, there would likely be a staking but it would be wildly awkward first. And probably after. Definitely a mood killer.
"Um," Buffy looked nervously at Spike, who had instantly walked away from the door as Buffy held it open. "Angel, what are you doing here?"
"And how do we get you to leave?" Spike added.
"Can I come in?" Angel asked.
"Like you need the invite, mate." Spike collapsed into his armchair.
"I was being polite." Angel said, stepping through, Buffy closing the door behind him.
The three of them stood in a triangle, no one speaking for what felt like hours and was likely seconds.
"So what is it, then? Mortal danger? Apocalypse?" Spike finally asked. "You must be desperate if you've come to me. When I told you where I was living, I didn't honestly think you'd visit."
Buffy played with her hands, unsure how this interaction was going to go, what Angel could possibly be doing here. "I'm sorry to interrupt." Angel said, mostly to Buffy.
"Well you did." Spike replied before Buffy had a chance.
"But I'm not here about mortal danger, Spike. I need to talk to you." Angel said.
"Sorry mate, I've already got a date tonight." Spike said, which earned a death stare from Buffy.
"Yes… I can see my timing… isn't the best. But I've got 20 minutes before I'm being teleported out, so…" Angel looked from Buffy to Spike.
"Oh I see. Everyone's got a teleportation spell now, what are they just giving them out at the store?" Spike asked aggressively.
Angel shook his head, angrily. "Why did I even come here, I knew this was a waste of time."
"Angel, just say what you came here to say." Buffy said, somewhat impatiently, but also because she didn't like the way Spike and Angel acted when they were in the same room together. She couldn't picture how they worked together for as long as they did.
"Actually, what I have to say, it's just for Spike." Angel said awkwardly to Buffy.
"What?" Buffy asked incredulously. "What could you possibly have to say to Spike that you couldn't say to me?"
Something about that question irritated Spike, burned him in just the wrong way; Buffy missed his reaction whilst she was looking at Angel, hands on hips.
"Buffy, just… trust me here." Angel implored her, also irritated at her tone. "Spike?" Angel motioned for Spike to go outside the flat with him.
Spike took a moment to consider his options, and then stood to follow Angel out. "Just give us a minute, love." He pecked her on the cheek, apologetically. Buffy looked nervously at Angel when Spike kissed her to gauge his reaction, which was one of uncomfortable anger.
Spike followed Angel out the door, and down into the street. The night was cold and crisp, the damp road and pavement were lit by the streetlights, they glimmered in the black.
"Let me guess. You've got some seer somewhere or a spy, watching over Buffy at all times. You saw what was happening here, between us, and you couldn't stand it. You came here to throw a spanner in the bloody works, didn't you?" Spike hurled accusations at Angel with reckless abandon; the panic at the thought of losing Buffy to her first love taking over any sense he had.
"Spike…" Angel began.
"You blew your shot with her, mate. I won't blow it. You can't just come here the moment you find out she's with me…" Spike began ranting angrily.
"Spike!" Angel shouted at him, stopping him in his tracks. "I don't have any seers or spies, you moron. Buffy called me. She told me about… you two."
"Oh… right." Spike was dumbfounded. "What did she say? She told you? Why?"
"For reasons I don't understand, fathom or abide, Spike, Buffy called to tell me… she was choosing you. She chose you." Angel said quietly.
Spike stood there silent. He was taken aback. He didn't expect this, that Buffy would so completely declare herself as his as to shut down Angel. He never really thought… if it was between him and Angel, he never really thought she'd choose him.
"Shocks the hell out of me, too." Angel muttered, gauging Spike's reaction.
"Right, well. So that's it, then." Spike said, fighting the primal and immature urge he had to gloat. He wasn't sure what it was, but something about Angel just always brought it out in him. "So what, you just came here to wish us the best?"
Angel scoffed. "I have no idea what she sees in you, no clue. You're a selfish ass, Spike, and you always have been." Angel sighed, and almost physically winced at his next words. "Which is why you deserve her."
Spike looked up at Angel, completely confused. They'd had this fight about Buffy many times in the past, in a hundred different ways, but it had never gone this way before.
"Come again?" Spike sputtered.
"You have the chance to be with Buffy, really be with her, and you aren't going to let anything stand in the way of that. When I had that chance, I couldn't - I chose not to - pay the price." Angel admitted.
"What are you talking about?" Spike was getting frustrated.
"You ever heard of a Morag demon?" Angel asked, his anger not fully abated.
"Morag? No… what kind of nasty is that?" Spike winced, not grasping the point.
Angel sighed, fully grasping what he was about to say, what he was about to give Spike, and Buffy. "The kind that'll turn you human if you let it bleed on you."
Spike fumbled for words. "Human…? And the catch would be?"
"No catch, no loophole. Human. With all the ineffectual strength and mortality that comes with it. You could be with her, have a human life with her."
Spike looked around wildly. "But you didn't…"
Angel looked at the ground. "I did, I tried… I couldn't put her first, in front of the mission, the people and lives I could save, including hers."
"She never mentioned…" Spike began.
"She never knew. Time reset. For her, it never happened." Angel admitted.
"You made the choice for her. You really are a gormless nit, aren't you?" Spike scoffed. "You had the chance to be with Buffy, forever, and you what? Walked away?"
"It wasn't that simple, Spike. It's never that simple." Angel growled through gritted teeth.
"Not for you, maybe. I wouldn't let anything - " Spike began pacing.
"I know!" Angel shouted, enough to stop Spike in his tracks. "I know, Spike. That's why I'm telling you, that's the only reason I'm telling you. You think this is easy for me? Giving you the key to having it all with Buffy? I hate this. I couldn't put her first, as much as I wanted to. But you, you are the most selfish…" Angel took a calming breath. "And Buffy needs that. She'd never ask for it, she may even hate you one day for choosing her before anything else, but I know you will. Two selfless heroes can't be in a relationship Spike, they put everyone ahead of themselves. Buffy needs someone who will put her in front of the world. And as much as it pains me to admit it, that's you. For better or worse. You would rather see the world burn down than any harm come to her, whether she agrees with that decision or not."
Spike took a moment to absorb everything he said. He was never under any illusions that he was a hero, he just did what he could with what he had. But if Angel had a way for Spike to give it all up, the vampire life, for a chance to spend a mortal life with Buffy, Angel was right. He would. "So all this time, you've known, you could've…"
Angel smiled ironically. "I had a prophecy to fulfil. For all that was worth."
"But now? You could do it yourself, become human, be with Buffy." Spike began.
"She doesn't want me." Angel said coldly. "As flawed and messed up as it is Spike," Angel struggled with the words on his lips. "She loves you. She wants you. She called me to make that painfully clear to me. She wouldn't do that if she didn't intend… I'll always love her and want the best for her. But unfortunately she's chosen the worst for herself." Spike smirked. "But it is what it is. If it's got to be you, and this is actually going to happen, you should have all the options."
Spike remained thoughtful. "That's… very noble of you, Liam."
"Just know, if you go through with it, become human and then hurt her, I will rip your ribcage out through your throat and bash you to death with it." Angel growled.
"Like we did in Belgium." Spike nodded nostalgically, and Angel rolled his eyes. They remained in silence for a moment. "Death threats aside," Spike inhaled as if these next words would hurt him. "Thank you."
Angel nodded. "Good luck, William, with your second life. Don't mess it up."
Angel turned and walked away from Spike, knowing there would be a good chance he would never see him or potentially Buffy again. Angel had given them the key to a good, human life together, and that's all his conscience could handle. He couldn't stick around and watch them be happy, that was a bridge too far. He hated the truth, but the truth was Buffy was in love with Spike and vice versa. Buffy deserved a shot at normalcy and happiness, even if it was with the person he loathed more than anyone in the world.