Part 2. ANGEL
I walked down the stairs, my eyes running over the headline: LOCAL MAN DESCRIBES CAT WOMAN. Good description of the Kishbah demon. Damn these mortals. They had no idea how to tell the difference between truth and fiction.
I shook my head as I stepped into the lobby just as Wesley’s voice boomed. “For the last time Faith, get OFF my European history book!”
I looked up putting the newspaper down on the counter. Faith blew out a bubble, her leather clad legs swinging off the counter as her eyes trained on the seething watcher.
She was at it again. When Faith wasn’t tormented with confusion she was tormenting Wesley. This time at least, she’d resorted to mental torture rather than physical and I found it a step up in the right direction.
For now. “Faith.”
The slayer turned and cast a smile at me that spoke nothing but mischief. Wesley had opposed the strongest to Faith’s being there but he didn’t voice his problems to Angel.
He didn’t dare. “Hey there Fang. Sleep well?”
“Get off his book Faith.”
She turned her eyes catching Wesley’s with firm indignation. “Tell him to ask me nicely.”
I could almost see the fury smoke out of Wesley’s ears, his fingers digging into his palms. His patience seemed at an end where the rogue slayer was concerned and I got a feeling it was because Faith had tortured him to near death.
I could almost hear Cordy in the background. No duh.
“Get OFF my book,” Wesley ground out, the nerves in his temples working as his jaw tightened. “Please.”
I watched with a raised eyebrow as the rogue slayer leaned forward and smirked.
Oh oh.
“Smile.”
My eyes widened as Wesley lunged. “Wesley!” Leaning forward I grabbed the watcher by his arms and hauled him back as Faith jumped off the counter and Wesley’s book with a burst of loud musical laughter and walked away.
“I’m going to kill her!” Wesley struggled in my arms and I sighed unnecessarily.
“Wesley…”
“I’m going to bloody KILL HER!”
“Yo Dog. Calm down man.” Gunn stepped into the lobby holding a steaming mug. He smacked it down next to Wesley’s book.
“Here. Drink this. Damn! You really need your morning fix don’t you!”
The watcher’s blue eyes were sparking with fury, but he relaxed in my grip. “I’m calm.”
Letting go of Wesley I noticed Faith drop into the couch. With a shake of my head I walked around the counter and glared at Faith. “Must you do that?”
She only smirked wickedly. “He’s mean to me. It’s only fair.”
“I wonder why.”
Her dark eyes lifted with a glare. “You shouldn’t be talking, I’m-the-bitch-of-atonement, Fang.”
I hate her when she does that. “Brat.”
***
WESLEY
I fixed my glasses higher on my nose breathing slower now as I tried to bottle the murderous rage at the gall of the woman seated not too far from me. Picking up the tea I took a sip and the smell of rosemary seemed to calm me slightly.
It was hard.
Harder being a friend to Faith than it was being a friend to Angel. The vampire still didn’t believe in me. I grit my teeth as I took a gulp of scalding tea. I didn’t believe in Faith, but she seemed to always be there.
Around me, beside me, getting under my skin trying to incite me to lash at her to scream and hurt her; almost as much as I wanted Angel to do the same.
Sometimes apologies just weren’t bloody enough.
***
ANGEL
I looked up at the fine lines of control on Wesley’s face as Fred came out with a tray of cups. She stopped in front of me and I looked up with a blink. She smiled slightly and nodded at the mug at the far corner.
The soft smile of the physicist was suddenly replaced with a wide-mouthed grin and tumbling tresses of mahogany hair and the smell of cinnamon and French vanilla, the soft touch of coppery skin and tingle of warmth across my fingers.
“Angel?”
I snapped out of my thoughts to see Fred watching me with a frown. “What?” Dammit. I spaced out again.
If I didn’t stop doing that one of them would find out exactly what was distracting me. Gunn had almost noticed while we’d been fighting the Kishbah demon last night.
If it hadn’t been for Faith I would have remained in La La land and ended up with a severed head.
~La La land?~
I winced at the demon’s timely gibe. I had been thinking of Cordelia, but I didn’t realize I’d been thinking like her.
Damn.
“Angel?
Oh oh. I did it again. “Hmm?”
“Are you okay?”
I averted my eyes as I reached out and picked up the mug of warm blood. “Yeah. Where’s Cordy?” I almost said ‘Where’s my Cordy’.
~Oh good move. Bring her up at this point. Remove all doubt.~
Shut up Angelus.
I looked up to check if anyone had noticed the soft growl that had escaped but no one was wielding stakes so I assumed they hadn’t. Whew.
Fred offered Faith the cup of coffee and Gunn picked up his hot chocolate from over her shoulder, his cheek skirting across her ear long enough to make her smile.
“She said she needed time to herself.”
I looked up startled as the young physicist continued to smile at her boyfriend. Beside me Faith rolled her eyes at the ignorant couple and I tried not to show my disappointment at the news. She wasn’t here.
She wanted to be alone.
She wanted to be away from me.
~Morbid much?~
I raised up the mug and drained the blood. Anything to shut him up.
As the blood disappeared down my throat, I stood and wiped the back of my hand across my mouth to erase the tell-tale fade there. “Anyone seen Connor?”
“He came in late, and then disappeared into his room.” Wesley didn’t look up from his book. The topic of my son was never happy for Wesley; that much I knew.
I watched the guilt chase the frown across his forehead and I didn’t ask more.
I was still trying to come to terms with having the man in the same building much less in the same room. But after almost losing Cordelia, I’d had come to realize how much I could lose.
Wesley’s intentions didn’t concern me. My demon didn’t approve, but my soul knew what it was like to make mistakes. Hell, I wrote the damned book. Still the doubt made me sadder.
If Connor had stayed with me and…me, would he have been such a smartass pain in the neck?
~Do you want me to say DUH?~
Grrr.
~Hmph. Fine.~
So I caught the watcher before they did. Not even Wesley deserved to be manipulated by Wolfram and Hart. “How late Wesley?”
Wesley looked up at the direct question with surprised eyes. What, I couldn’t talk to him anymore? True I hadn’t addressed him personally with his name in a while.
In a LONG while. So what? “Um…three I think. Up and around that time. I’m not sure.”
I was about to say more when the front door opened. I turned and went perfectly still. There was a sinking in my stomach as I took in the figure.
Godammit. Not again. “Willow.”
The redhead shifted the bag on her shoulder and gave me a hesitant smile. “Hey Angel.”
I was instantly in front of her. “What’s wrong?”
She blinked slightly startled. “Um…nothing. Oh god no. It’s okay! She’s okay.” She raised her arms as if in explanation.
“No one’s hurt. Everyone’s okay. I just…well…not everyone, but I didn’t know…”
I frowned not following her babbling, but that wasn’t new. “Willow?”
She clamped her mouth shut. “Hmmm?”
“What’s wrong?”
She bit her lip, which was never a good sign. “Well…it’s Spike.”
I tried not to be surprised. I mean I think I tried too hard because my response to her declaration was nothing short of bored.
Think I over did it.
~You think?!~
“Spike?” What was my childe up to now and why did everyone think that I could tame him anyway? He never listened to me.
~He listened to me.~
Dominatrix isn’t my thing, so piss off.
~Wuss.~
“Well…” Willow took a deep breath and looked around the doorway and I realized that I was interrogating her at the doorstep. Great. Just what hospitality desired.
The Scourge of Europe hadn’t been uncivilized.
~Angel-puss on the other hand…~
It was damned hard to speak with gritted teeth, I tell you. Angelus had been getting rather verbal since my decided attraction to one delectably, oblivious seer. “I’m sorry Willow.” I stepped aside. “Come in.”
She shot me a wavering smile before stepping over the threshold and walking into the lobby. She waved at the man behind the counter. “Hey Wesley.”
“Hello Willow.” He nodded.
Gunn nodded his greeting and then Willow’s eyes fell on the dark haired slayer sprawled on the couch. “Oh goddess! Faith!?”
“You look like you’ve never seen one before.” The slayer snorted and sat there her elbows leaning on her legs as she held the hot cup of coffee in between her hands.
Good way to win friends. I shot the difficult slayer a look and she returned with a ‘bite me’ shrug. I made a mental note to talk about public relations to her.
~YOU!?~
Since when could I scoff and insult myself? Looks like I was hitting and all new low now. Okay maybe I’d get Wesley to talk to her. If he doesn’t kill her first.
The witch next to me took a gulp of air and looked at me then back at Faith before she colored. “I…no that’s not what I mean. I thought…I mean…wow. You’re out.”
Faith’s eyes were apathetic. “Whoopie.” She stood and walked out of the lobby without another glance at the familiar witch.
Not the warmest reply but I know the last thing she needed right now was Willow reminding her how much she’d changed. More than she needed Wesley’s cold blue eyes. I understood why it was important for her to get the acceptance and forgiveness there.
I just didn’t think I could do the same for him.
When none of us made the move to end the thick tension in the room, Fred stepped up helpfully to Willow her hand sticking out as she smiled brightly at her.
“Don’t worry. She only looks threatening. I keep telling her she needs color, but she never listens. I’m Fred. We’ve never met, but I’ve heard about you. Would you like some hot chocolate?” She held up her mug.
Willow smiled back slightly caught off guard by the girl’s bubbly tirade and I hid a smile. Faith’s lack of PR was more than enough made up by Fred’s frank friendliness. Thank the powers that be.
“Er…yeah. Sure.” Willow took the mug and stood awkwardly shifting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. I touched her elbow gently and nodded at my office. “Come with me.”
~Do you think that’s deliberate? You think hole and you think your office.~
ANGELUS!
~Wuss.~
Willow trailed behind me as I opened the door and let her through. With a small sigh she dropped onto the edge of one of the chairs, her bag sliding down her shoulder and she put it on the floor next to her. “Thanks.”
I sat into the chair beside her, my arms braced on my knees as I clasped my hands together. “What about Spike?”
Willow took a deep breath. “He’s gone.” She looked up into my eyes. “I wanted…I’m not sure he’s okay. I mean a lot has been going on…I mean with Spike and B…” Her eyes shifted darker as if in guilt and my senses went on alert.
I had a feeling the witch didn’t want to have this conversation, which made me wonder why she’d come this far to have it in the first place.
“Willow?”
Her breath shuddered as she looked down into her mug. “He’s got a soul.”
I visibly jerked away with surprise as I stared at the witch, not able to comprehend the words she’d spoken.
“What?” My voice cracked unnaturally. “WHY?”
She didn’t look up. “He’s been helping Buffy…us. I mean all of us.”
~Spike and Buffy!?!?~
Suddenly the implication of what she was trying to say was all too clear to me. I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea, but the jealous fire wasn’t strong enough to suppress the truth.
Buffy was easy to love, much like a certain brunette I knew. “He got a soul for her.”
~SPIKE and Buffy!?!?~
Her green eyes snapped up to mine with relief and some panic. “Yes. No…I mean, in way you could say that, but they didn’t sleep together or anything.” Her eyes widened and I frowned at the blush that crept up her pale cheeks.
“Oh goddess I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that he’s a little confused and Buffy isn’t. I mean she knows and it’s not easy…”
~SPIKE AND BUFFY!????~
CORDELIA AND ANGEL!!!
Angelus was silent and I sighed softly trying to find the right words, my hand coming to sit on her shoulder before I squeezed gently, reassuringly.
A lot had happened here too, but I figured I’d let her finish before I told her the LA story as Cordelia usually called it. “Willow. It’s okay.”
She swallowed audibly, her fingers gripping the cup tightly, her frame shaking.
“Angel…it’s…I don’t know why. I mean Buffy says it’s over between them and I’m worried about him. He left without saying goodbye. I mean we weren’t bosom buddies that he should kiss us all bye bye before leaving, but he’d become a part of us you know. A Scooby.”
Her eyes flickered with sadness.
“He didn’t try and eat us anymore. He cared. About Dawn especially and I liked the way he picked on Xander and the way he tormented Giles and goddess Angel he left his Desoto! He never leaves his car!
He loves his car! I’m worried about him Angel and I know I shouldn’t be. Buffy says I shouldn’t be but he’s a friend. I mean it’s messed up having a vampire for a friend but gosh, you’re a friend and I care about you and Spike is just…”
I covered her mouth gently with my hand a smile spreading across my own mouth as she babbled unstoppably. I had missed her.
“Slow down.” Pulling my hand away, I let her take a deep breath. “We’ll find him.”
“What if he’s walked into the sun?”
“Easier said than done.” I ran a hand through my hair. It was proof enough that I was still here in one piece. With the amount of times I’ve wanted to die, if I was that stake happy I’d have taken the walk myself.
“It’s not as easy as you might think. Walking into the sun. What we are is hard to give up and Spike has always embraced his demon. He’s not one to give it up because of a broken heart.” My eyes held hers.
“Or a broken soul.” Willow’s lower lip caught between her teeth, her green eyes misty with concern and I once again marvelled at the loyalty in the witch.
It never ceased to amaze me. “Now tell me what happened.”