A/N: A thousand thanks to my beta, OrinForeverCrimson. She really kept this Act in check! Alright, I apologise about the delay again (I'm starting to sound like a broken record, I'm sure). I can honestly tell you now not to expect a further update until late May. With finals coming up and with me having several trips to take in the near future, my free time is very booked. All that said, please R&R, but most importantly, enjoy!
Spike realised early on that he was at a severe disadvantage against the angel. Beyond the fact that Spike had not been able to rest between the previous trials he had surmounted, the angel wore a sheathed sword on his belt. What's more, the celestial was wearing full bodied armour. Spike knew that he had to land every punch on his target's head or it would likely do more damage to his hands than to the angel. Either that or find some way to remove the armour.
Spike was still reeling from the sucker punch that the angel had landed to start the fight. Thankfully, he had landed a devastating punch of his own to give himself some time to think and regroup. He had charged the angel but had turned his rush into a roll at the last second and had come up behind the surprised angel and, before it had any time to react, Spike delivered a hard right into the winged creature's temple. The angel had staggered forward and now rested with one hand on a cave wall and the other on his hip, near his sword hilt. Spike's posture mimicked the angel's, as he too needed to regain his wits. Then, both recovered, they charged back into combat.
Spike led with a quick left that the angel dodged easily. The angel responded with a leg sweep. Spike leapt over the outstretched leg but did not account for the celestial's wings following his leg. The wings were surprisingly solid and delivered a heavy blow, sending Spike soaring left. The angel reacted quickly, moving to pounce on his downed foe. Spike reacted just as quickly, using the momentum of the blow to his advantage.
He used his hands to propel himself further away from his oncoming enemy while keeping his momentum fluid. As the angel kept coming, Spike kept tumbling away. When he neared the cavern wall, Spike shifted his angle and sailed towards it. At the end of his manoeuvre, Spike planted his feet firmly on the rockface and kicked off with all his might. The shocked angel had no time to adjust as Spike's fists connected solidly with his face. Spike rode the angel down, raining a series of unending blows upon his face before the angel was able to roll over and cover its head.
With the angel's back to him, Spike began to search for a clasp or seam in his foe's golden armour, but the wings made it hard to see anything as the angel flitted them about for additional protection. As Spike continued to search, he unintentionally let up on the punches he was landing. Sensing the vampire's distraction, the angel pushed up and beat his wings furiously, dislodging Spike with little effort. As the angel stood and turned to stare at his assailant, Spike was taken aback to see how little damage his blows had caused. The angel's nose was leaking blood and one of his eyes was starting to swell, but Spike expected to see so much more punishment reflected on that face.
"Bollocks," Spike muttered before stepping towards the angel to once again exchange blows.
Angel sat in his desk chair, fingers steepled before him. He was lost in thought, still dwelling upon his time and actions with Spike, so much so that he didn't notice Wesley standing in his office doorway until the latter cleared his throat. Angel started in his chair and nearly fell out of it backwards. He recovered nicely though, managing to keep both himself and the chair upright. For his part, Wesley did well to hold back the chuckle he felt the situation deserved. The former Watcher settled instead for a smile.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Wesley said, smile still firmly on his face, "but I believe I found something."
"You didn't startle me," Angel muttered under his breath, just loudly enough for Wesley to hear him, before standing up and walking towards his friend. "What did you find?"
"Of course, we had already determined that you and Spike were the beings implied by the riddle the Powers gave Buffy." Wesley continued talking as he and Angel walked through the foyer of the Hyperion Hotel, heading towards the counter where Wesley had several books strewn about the surface. Cordelia lay curled up sleeping on the lobby sofa, a number of books open around her as well. "And we were fairly certain that the 'font of life' was in some way related to blood. But I think I know exactly what type of blood it refers to now. An apocryphal section of the Tanakh refers to Qayin and Havel, that is, Cain and Abel, and that Cain was the first vampire."
"Yeah, but we know better than that," Angel replied with a scoff. "Vampires pre-date humanity."
"Indeed, and I find little validity in any creation myth," Wesley added, "but this particular text refers to the font of life as the blood of God." Angel stared at Wesley incredulously for a moment.
"So, we need to find a god and feed it to Spike?" Angel shook his head, disgusted at what he believed Wesley was implying. "I'm not sure I'm okay with this Wes. Hell, I'm not sure where to even find a god, let alone if we can defeat one."
"Another interpretation of the font of life metaphor is that it doesn't refer to the blood of God, but rather the blood of either one of your parents' father. In both Cain and Abel's case, this would be God, in a manner of speaking, but their case is unique, as God gave birth to Adam and Eve, who in turn gave birth to Cain and Abel. In reality, the term really refers to one's grandfather."
"Give that to me in English, Wes."
"It means that you need to bleed for Spike, dummy," Cordelia called out sleepily from the sofa. Both men turned to regard her, Wesley with a smile on his face, Angel with a frown. "What? Jealous that I can understand techno-mystical babble and you can't?" Cordelia's question was obviously directed at Angel, whose frown deepened before turning to confront Wesley.
"Why the grandfather, and not the great-grandfather or the distant uncle or the mother's aunt? Why this exact familial bond?"
"Angel," Wes said with some amusement in his voice, "it's just a metaphor. It refers to the grandfather because the first instance of the term could only go back two generations. As with many interpretations, this one is subject to debate. The 'font of life' the Powers spoke of could easily be something far more esoteric, but I think this is what they're talking about. You need to let Spike feed off of you."
Angel didn't respond. He questioned whether he was willing to give his lifeblood to a creature he despised, all so that Spike could claim the destiny that he himself had been fighting hard to achieve for years. In the end, Angel realised that if he was fighting the good fight, protecting the innocent, solely because it would benefit himself then he didn't deserve the reward that the Sanshu promised.
When Angel looked up at last, he noticed that both Cordelia and Wesley were staring at him expectantly.
"Get whatever we need; we're going to Sunnydale.
It was dark outside the Summers' house and empty Chinese food boxes were left out on the table to sit aside the numerous tomes that lay open there. Giles, Dawn, Willow and Tara all sat sullenly in the living room. Dawn was once again by Spike's side, a sight that had become all too familiar to the other occupants of the room. While no one had come out and said it, finding a cure for Spike's condition seemed more impossible with each passing hour. None of the Scoobies could find anything useful in any of their various areas of research. Giles was thinking of ways to break the news to Dawn as gently as possible when the sound of the doorbell cut through his thoughts.
Giles got up and walked to the door, expecting to see Xander or Anya standing in front of it. He was shocked when he saw that it wasn't either of the newly-weds but instead saw Cordelia Chase, Wesley Windam-Pryce, and Angel standing on the stoop. Giles was so surprised that he fumbled with the door awkwardly before finally managing to get it open.
"Miss Chase, Wesley, Angel," Giles intoned quizzically, nodding at each of them in turn, "what brings you to Sunnydale?" The girls in the living room didn't miss the names that Giles had spoken, and suddenly the doorway was crowded with people exchanging greetings and hugs. The members of Angel Investigations, especially Cordelia and Angel, were briefly reminded of just what they had given up when they left Sunnydale.
After the general greetings and camaraderie had been had, Giles once again returned to his original question.
"Not that I'm not grateful to see any of you, but what brings you all back to Sunnydale? Please tell me that you haven't discovered some new horror headed our way."
"We're here to help... Spike," Angel said after a pause. It was clear to all the adults in the room that Angel wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospect. Dawn, however, was elated that someone had offered some new hope on their hopeless situation. Before Dawn could voice it though, Tara had a question of her own.
"Wait, how did you hear about Spike's condition?" She looked questioningly to the other Sunnydale residents, seeing if anyone had contacted Angel's team. When she was met with confused looks matching her own, she turned back to Angel expectantly.
"Buffy came to me," Angel said, causing everyone who hadn't already heard the story to start questioning him all at once. "The Powers sent her to me to plead on behalf of Spike," Angel clarified, speaking loudly enough to cut through the ongoing questions. When silence ruled the room, he spoke again. "Spike needs me. He needs my blood."
"Tell me, creature," the angel called out to Spike after both had reached a mutual need for recuperation, "what manner of demon are you? I've never fought anything of your kind before. You look human, but your strength is formidable." Spike looked him over from across the cave before responding.
"I'm a vampire, mate. Didn't you hear Friar Tuck say as much after you blind-sided me?" It took the angel a moment to realise that Spike was refering to the Robed Man.
"Indeed I did, but I had always heard that vampires were the weaklings of demon society, never warranting any of my divine brothers' attention. Your strength and agility are far beyond anything I've been led to believe about your ilk." The angel's eyes flashed an unearthly blue as he spoke. Spike recognised the hue, and its importance, immediately.
"You've got a bit o' god blood in you, yeah?" The celestial appeared perplexed by Spike's question.
"I am infused with the blood of my Creator, yes. Tell me, bloodsucker; how does one such as you come by information of that kind?"
"Seen the colour that's shinin' in your eyes before, mate," Spike said simply. The angel nodded sombrely, mulling over the information.
"The Ogdoad said that you fight for a noble cause. What could possibly drive a demon to willingly endure the torments of this place?" Spike didn't recognise the name the angel spoke. He quickly surmised that the name in question was the true name that the robed men went by. That piece of information under his belt, Spike began to think over his adversary's question.
Why was he going through this? What was he fighting for? Spike looked over at Buffy and knew immediately that he wasn't going through all of this for her. The realisation struck Spike as odd; he would've walked through Hell for Buffy if she only asked, but she wasn't asking him. Not really. Buffy had told him specifically that she could not be his reason for fighting. And she wasn't, Spike suddenly realised. He was fighting to get back to the real world, to get home.
Home. A word Spike hadn't truly associated with any place since he was a human, and now no word seemed more fitting for the Summers' home in Sunnydale. A smile crept onto Spike's face, as he knew why he was fighting now.
"The best cause in the world, Wings. I'm fightin' to get home." The angel nodded his understanding.
"As do I, vampire, as do I." When the two combatants locked eyes again, they understood each other. However, each also knew that the bonding experience was over and that the fight was about to begin anew. Spike sighed wearily. He knew that as the fight wore on, he was receiving the worse end of the damage. If he was going to win this fight, he would have do so in the very near future. He only wished that his opponent wasn't nearly as skilled as he was. It made winning the fight a difficult prospect, and whatever slim hope Spike had depended on the angel not drawing his sword. Spike fervently hoped that the angel would hold on the foolish notion that most goody-good types seemed to have; the concept of a fair fight.
They charged back towards one another, each understanding what drove the other fighter and better understanding what drove themselves. Spike led with a right heel-kick, causing the angel to block low. Spike hoped to follow up with a left cross but the angel acted first by throwing a punch of his own, a right uppercut. Spike dodged to his right and landed a left knee into the angel's midsection. The blow caused a loud clang to echo throughout the cave, causing the silently watching Buffy to wince.
"Bloody hell," Spike cried out as he hopped away from his foe. His only saving grace was that he had managed to knock the wind out of his opponent. The angel was down on one knee, which Spike found rather ironic considering how badly his own knee was now hurting him. Spike cradled his fresh injury as best he could, knowing that he was missing a valuable opportunity to strike but he was simply unable to capitalise on it. When the angel finally stood, Spike was slightly satisfied to see a small dent in the celestial's gilded chestplate, but it seemed like such a small victory. It fully confirmed that the longer the fight wore on, the more of an issue the armour would become.
The angel advanced with a determined look on his face. Spike planted his left leg down, grimacing as his weight was placed upon it. 'One more disadvantage I didn't need,' Spike thought to himself, as the warriors once again walked towards one another, ready for another round.
"Buffy told you that Spike needs your blood to recuperate?" Giles was the first to speak after Angel's announcement.
"More or less," Angel grumbled out. Giles could tell that Angel wasn't keen on the idea. Giles understood completely, as there was a time, not too long ago, that he wouldn't have been very up on the idea himself. Then again, Giles still was not completely in Angel's corner, and it surprised him that he did stand fully behind Spike. The former Watcher was amazed at just how much times really had changed.
"So," Dawn began, renewed hope in her eyes, "you're going to make Spike better?" As she spoke, Dawn moved to retake her seat beside Spike's unmoving body. Angel saw how concerned the young girl was, and he too understood just how much things had changed in his absence. He looked at the way she mothered over him, and knew that it was more than simple friendship that motivated her. He suddenly wanted to scream out at her, tell her that loving a vampire would only end in pain, but he held his tongue. It was Dawn's mistake to make, and he knew he had given up the right to council her in those types of affairs when he had left for Los Angeles more than two years ago.
"You really care about him, don't you?" Angel said at last.
"He... he said he would never leave me." That simple statement let Angel know that he was doing the right thing. He resolved himself, if not to like what he was doing, then at least to go through with it without complaints.
"Wes, do we need to do anything special?" Angel threw his question over his shoulder, never letting his eyes leave the sight of Dawn hovering over Spike.
"Not that I'm aware of," Wesley replied with a shrug. "No ritual required." Angel shrugged in return and moved his wrist to his mouth to tear it open. As he bared his fangs and his intentions became clear, the living room was once again full of noise.
"Ewwwwwww," Willow and Cordelia said in unison, their gazes meeting as both turned their heads away from the perspective sight.
"Let me put s-something down, to prevent stains." Tara's voice carried behind her as she was already in motion, searching for plastic or towels or anything else that would absorb blood.
"Wouldn't you rather do that with a knife?" Giles wasn't squeamish about what was about to happen, but the thought of Angel tearing into his own flesh with his teeth seemed somehow inappropriate to him.
"Is that really necessary, Angel?" Wesley shared similar concerns to Giles. The sight Angel's actions would cause was not something suited for female company in his eyes. Not when it could be helped, that was.
Only Dawn seemed unaffected by what Angel had been about to do. She listened to the myriad of reactions with a confused look on her face. She simply wanted this to happen as quickly as possible in order to get Spike back.
Tara and Giles came back into the living room, the Brit handing Angel a knife and keeping a large bowl for himself while the Wiccan put several towels on the floor and on the couch. She even laid one across Spike's bare chest to keep the blood off of him, which gave Spike the comical look as if he were wearing a bib.
When all the commotion had finally stopped, Angel held the knife to his wrist while Giles held the bowl below it. Just as Angel was about to cut, Cordelia called out from behind them.
"Not yet!" Angel almost cut himself completely by accident and many of the rooms inhabitants jumped visibly at the outburst. When everyone glared at Cordelia, she looked back defiantly. "What? I just got a PTB flash that it wasn't time yet. They'll let me know when it is." A collective "oh" went around the room. Giles and Angel then looked at one another and moved to join everyone else in sitting down.
After a few minutes, the silence was not only uncomfortable, it was deafening.
"So," Angel began, a sheepish look on his face, turned from one Sunnydale resident to the next, "how is everyone?" Having thus broken the ice, the conversation flowed out smoothly. Everyone caught up with everyone else's lives. Cordelia couldn't wait to tell everyone how she had been queen of an entire dimension while Wesley told stories of his months as a Rogue Demon Hunter. Giles talked about his time in England and Willow and Tara talked about college and how they met. Even Angel and Dawn got in on the bonding, Angel talking about how he had built a team up in L.A. while Dawn talked about school and Spike.
They talked for hours, letting go of tensions that both groups had built up during recent weeks. When Xander and Anya arrived, it gave everyone more time to catch up, with certain stories being relayed again and Anya showing off her wedding ring. As the night wore on old animosities were forgotten or forgiven, sorrows were shared and lifted, and if only for a little while, everyone was happy.