Chapter 17: Good vs. Evil?

“Bloody buggering Wanker.” Spike swore loudly. “What kind of pansy-boy, spineless, loser would take after a comatose Slayer?”

“What kind of Wanker would chain up a Slayer to declare his love?” Buffy countered teasingly.

“Its not the same thing.” Spike growled, refusing to be teased out of his bad mood. There were several other things he would rather be doing, which involved a lot less clothing and Buffy. “He took Andrew hostage. ANDREW!! That’s like kidnapping a kitten.”

“More like one of those annoying yip-yip dogs.” Buffy corrected blithely.

Spike continued on. “Just so…what? He can get back at me and you by biting Faith and ending the world.”

“We don’t know for sure that’s what’s going on.” She said as they approached the Council’s headquarter in LA where Faith was being kept. “All they said is that we are supposed to be contractions or something.”

“Complements, pet.” Spike corrected her, looking up at the large dark building.

“For what?” Buffy asked confused.

Spike just looked at her funny and shook his head. “We have to get you back in college again.”

“What? What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded as she followed him into the building.



“I was not calling you stupid, luv.” Spike protested, for probably the fifteenth time in ten minutes.

“Really? What exactly was it you were trying to say then?” Buffy asked furious.

“I wasn’t trying to say anything.” He tried to defend himself.

“Oh please.” She snorted as she stomped down the dark hallway. “And try to be more quiet.” She admonished him. “We don’t want to let them know we’re here.”

“Says the girl clomping in the high heeled boots.” He muttered.

“I heard that!” She snapped. “So now I’m stupid AND you think I can’t even sneak!”

Spike sighed. “Look Buffy, the fact of the matter is that you are extremely intelligent and resourceful, BUT you don’t have the book smarts. Its not that you can’t do it…”

“You try keeping up in school, when you are out most nights patrolling or saving the world.” She interrupted.

Spike grabbed her hand and made her face him. “I know that.” He assured her, making her meet his eyes. “I also know that you have more time now and I think you would enjoy some classic literature or some history classes.”

“Literature is boring.” Buffy pouted.

“Boring.” Spike scoffed. “Luv, before we get back to the hotel, I’m going to pick up some D.H. Lawrence to read to you. We’ll see how boring you think literature is.”

“Isn’t he the one everyone was always trying to ban?”

“Yep, he was very controversial in his day.”

“And you are going to read to me?” She asked hopefully.

Spike narrowed his eyes. Was she going to make fun of him? “I can.” He answered slowly.

He was surprised at the way her face lit up. “I can deal with that. I loved listening to you recite that poem.”

If he still could have, Spike would have blushed, instead he grabbed the beautiful creature in front of him and kissed her soundly.

“What was that for?” Buffy asked breathlessly when he released her. Her eyes were shining bright.

“Because I love you and because I could.”

Buffy opened her mouth to tell him she loved him to when she heard the clapping. Both of them turned to see Angel standing in the doorway looking at them sardonically. She felt Spike tense beside her, they had been so caught up in each other, that neither of them sensed the other vampire.

“God William, do ever get tired of this dime novel crap?” Angel asked.

“Angel?” Buffy questioned hesitantly. She reached out her senses, but they didn’t advise her one way or the other as to whether or not he still had his soul.

Spike wrapped one arm around her shoulder possessively. “Well, mate when the lady seems to like it, why should I stop? Besides, its not nearly as bad as your hair.”

Angel chuckled wryly. “Which, in turn, is still not nearly as bad as your attempt at wit.”

“Angelus?” Buffy asked.

“Sorry, Buff. I still have my soul. It isn’t going to be that easy for the two of you.” Angel answered her. “Is it, Faith?” He said, focusing behind them.

Buffy spun around feeling her, before she could see her.

“Nope. It’s not going to be that easy for them at all.” Faith said stepping into the corridor.

“Faith, nice to see you awake.” Buffy said slowly.

“Its nice to be awake, B.” Faith answered. “Of course it would have been nicer not to have been tied to a table and put to sleep. It kinda brought back some bad memories.” Faith pulled a sharp looking knife from her clothes. “I’m sure you remember, don’t you, B.”

“You have to know there is no way we are going to let you win.” Buffy said.

“And you have to know there is no way you can win.” Angel answered. He and Faith began to move closer as Buffy and Spike stood back to back defensively.

“I remember how I thought you were my salvation Buffy.” Angel continued. “Now I can see that you were just a distraction that was going to keep me from my destiny.”

“What destiny is that? To end the world?” Spike asked him.

Angel lunged towards the couple at the same time Faith did. Spike managed to dodge Angel and Buffy managed to dodge Faith, but then Angel spun suddenly and grabbed Buffy by her hair. He pulled her up against him wrapping his arm around her throat. Spike immediately vamped and faced them, while trying to be aware of Faith standing behind him.

“This is familiar, isn’t it, Willie. Once again, I have something that you think belongs to you. Remember the first time we had this lesson? With Drusilla? If I recall you couldn’t sit for almost two weeks. Of course, then again, I tortured you for almost that long, didn’t I?”

“Let her go.” Spike growled.

“Come on now, you know that isn’t how it works.” Angel grinned. “You want her? Come and get her.”

Spike roared. Faith ran towards him.


“So how can we be sure that Buffy and Spike are the good guardians?” Gunn asked. “I mean what if Faith and Angel are actually the good guys?”

“Yeah,” Lorne agreed. “And if both are needed, how are you going to contain the evil ones until this apocalypse?”

Willow was now seated at the table, with Dawn, studying the prophecy.

Wesley was sitting near Illyria trying to pry more information out of the former Old One. If she had been human, it could be said she was sulking, but given who Illyria was it came out more as defiance.

Giles was on the phone yelling at one of the Watchers in England.

“Well, if you bloody well had a copy of this prophecy, why didn’t anyone send me a copy before now?!”

“Oh! You faxed it to the Council headquarters here. Well isn’t that just wonderful. Do you remember, me telling you, we weren’t going to be staying there?”

“Yes, well, your ineptitude may have cost us the world!!” He slammed down his cell phone.

“Wanker.” He muttered.

“Everything all right in England, then?” Wesley asked.

“Oh, sod off.” Giles snapped downed the glass of scotch in his hand in one large gulp.

“Actually, it doesn’t say that one team is good and one team is bad.” Willow finally answered Gunn and Lorne.

“What do you mean?” Giles asked pouring another glass of scotch and downing it..

“Well, when you read it, it just says that they are complements. It doesn’t say that one is wholly good or evil.”

“What exactly do you think complements are?” Giles poured himself a third glass of scotch, but this time just took a large swallow.

“Willow’s right.” Dawn agreed. “For one side to be completely evil, the other side would have to be like saints or something.”

“Saint Spike.” Xander laughed. “Nope, I don’t see it.”

Dawn snorted. “And believe me Buffy is no saint. Anyone who spends that much time in the bathroom can’t be a saint.”

“I say, so what are you trying to say?” Giles asked, starting to sound slightly inebriated.



Before Spike could even move a muscle and before Faith could complete her attack, Buffy surprised everyone by reaching behind her, grabbing Angel between his legs and twisting his testicles viciously. With a high-pitched scream Angel released his hold on her and sank to his knees. That gave Buffy the opportunity to spin and kick him squarely in the face.

“First of all, I’m not Drusilla.” She practically snarled. Her eyes had their otherworldly glow and her fangs were showing. “Secondly, I don’t need anyone to ‘come and get me.’”

Spike laughed, giving the Faith the opportunity she needed to knock him to the ground. Buffy turned at the scuffle.

Faith was sitting on top of Spike holding his head to the ground. “Now B, you should know by now it’s not nice to mess with my toys. What would you do if I broke yours?” She had a stake in her hand and was holding it against Spike’s back.

“You know you don’t want to do that Faith. I’m the one you want to take down.” Buffy said. “So why don’t you face me? Or are you just going to take your usual coward’s way.”

Faith got off Spike slowly, face changed until she also had glowing eyes and fangs.. “All right, you want to go? Let’s go.”

That was all Buffy needed. She launched herself at the other Slayer and they both fell through the doorway that led to the stairwell that up the building. Spike got up and looked in after them.

“Kick her arse, luv.” He said with glee. Just then he fell forward under Angel.

“I don’t think there’s much chance of that.” Angel growled in vamp face.

Spike managed to twist as he fell and clocked Angel across the face. “Am I going to have to beat you down again?” He growled.

Angel hit him back. “I don’t think there’s much chance of that either.”

Spike brought his knees up and pushed Angel off of him. “Why not? Its not like you’ve gotten any better.”

Spike jumped up and followed Angel back into the hallway, where he flew, but he didn’t see him on the floor where he expected him.

He felt more than saw the foot flying towards his face from next to the doorway. He managed to catch and deflect it. He was not so lucky with the head butt that followed and he went flying to the ground.

“No, not better. I just decided I want to win this time.” Angel growled from above. “The last time, I didn’t fight as hard as I should.” He considered the younger vamp below him. “Maybe I knew that we weren’t fighting for the real prize.” He landed a kick to Spike’s side. “All that was, was to avenge your ego.” Angel bent down and grabbed him by the collar. “Now its time to remind you who your real master is.”


“So B, how does it feel to be the bad one, for once?” Faith asked conversationally as they traded blows down the stairwell. “And here, everyone thought I was going be the one they had to watch.” She managed a solid hit, that she followed with a roundhouse kick, knocking Buffy back even further.

Buffy got her wits about her quickly, executing a back flip to miss Faith’s next maneuver. “Evidently, you’re slightly brain damaged from the drugs. Faithy, I’m not the bad girl.”

Buffy blocked a series of punches from Faith, then suddenly dropped and performed a leg sweep, knocking Faith’s legs out from under her.

Faith hit the ground hard, but immediately sprung back to her feet, taking Buffy by surprise with a knee to her chin. ‘Sell it to someone else, sister. Andrew found a prophecy that was faxed to Giles…ooof.” Buffy punched Faith in the stomach and then kicked her in the face.

“Yeah, was it about the Pyramid?” Buffy asked. Faith tried to strike her, but Buffy leapt backwards in time.

Faith looked surprised for a moment, but didn’t let it slow her down. “As a matter of fact, yeah it did. It talked about the good guardians and the bad guardians.”

The two Slayers ran towards each other wrestling face to face now. “And you’re the bad one.” They said at the same time.

Both girls’ eyes widened.

Willow and Dawn ran into the stairwell on the bottom floor.

“Wait.” They yelled up. “There’s been a mistake in the translation.”



It was that sentence.

‘Remind him who his Master was.’

Spike slammed his head into Angel’s. He didn’t even pause as the pain exploded in his brain. He began punching the larger vampire knocking him from side to side down the hallway.

“You are NOT my Master.” Spike growled. He paused for a moment, watching Angel try to remain upright, then kicked him square in the chest.

He paused for a moment as knowledge suddenly filled him. It had to be from Buffy.

The prophecy was wrong. This was just a misunderstanding.

Spike shrugged.

Oh well, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He and Angel were going to sort this out once and for all.

“Admit it.” He yelled punching Angel.

Angel shook his head no weakly.

“Admit it.” Spike yelled, punching him again and again.

Spike heard footsteps moving up behind him quickly.

“Admit it.” He yelled again.

He heard arguing in the background, but paid it no mind.

“Let me go, B!”

“No. Wait. This is between them.”

“ADMIT IT!” Spike roared. He hit Angel as hard as he could.

“FINE!” Angel’s voice came out much stronger than Spike expected, considering how bad of shape he was in.

“You were a pathetic excuse for a vampire. You stupid notions of eternal love and devotion.” Angel yelled, through a mouth of blood. “You were a weak fool. Being a vampire wasn’t about love, it was about death and pain. You wanted to be some dark, valiant, romantic figure out of a Shelley tail.” Angel spit a large amount of blood onto the carpet.

“And then you tried to turn your mother?” Angel shook his head. “I tried to make you into a real vampire, someone who could carry on down the line in my footsteps. Before me you were nothing.”

“That’s where you were wrong.” Spike said quietly. “I was me.” Spike hit him one more time and knocked him out cold.

Buffy let Faith go, who ran to Angel’s side immediately. “Asshole.” She yelled up at Spike, who ignored her.

He turned to Buffy who ran up to him immediately. She tried to hug him, but he held her at arms length. “This is who I am Buffy.” He said solemnly. “I’m a monster, who believes in romance tales and true love. Most of my existence has been about searching for that one person who completes me.” He let her go and went to run his hand through his hair, until he realized how bloody it was. He stared at it for a few seconds before continuing.

“I was a sad human being and I really wasn’t too much better at being a vampire, I guess.” He said.

Unable to take it anymore, Buffy grabbed his bloody hands. “Spike, I love who you are. I love your monster side and I love your romantic side. And I’m glad you spent your life searching for me.” She kissed the corners of his mouth lightly. “I’m even more glad you finally caught me.” She finished kissing him deeply. She released his hands and they quickly banded around her.

Once all the yelling and fighting had ceased, a grunting could be heard coming from one of the offices. Dawn opened the door and rolled her eyes.

There was Andrew tied to a chair and gagged. She went to let him loose.

As soon as he was free, Andrew ran out into the hallway. He eyes caught sight of Faith kneeling on the ground trying to rouse Angel and Buffy and Spike kissing.

“Spike.” Andrew yelled fearfully. Neither responded. “Spike.” Andrew yelled again. Spike tore his mouth away from Buffy’s.

“What, Andrew?”

“Are you evil?” Andrew asked hesitantly.

Spike chuckled. “No, I’m not evil.” He said with resignation.

Buffy grinned up at him. “But he is the Big Bad.” She said slyly.

He returned her grin and began kissing her again hungrily. “I’ll show you Big Bad.” He murmured in between kisses.

The next thing they knew Andrew was hugging them both. “I knew you wouldn’t go back to the dark side.” He said fervently. Buffy and Spike both broke into laughter.



A/N: Ok, I didn’t really plan for this story to go on so long and I really wasn’t sure where to go with it after the last chapter. Then, when I was reading back over it, I found two reviews from Redwulf. One asking for Buffy to hit Angel again and the other saying Spike needed to have a private chat with Angel and tell him to learn some manners.
Well, I Kinda went with both of those. Thank you for the idea!!!