~*~

Angel was near exhaustion. By some miracle, Connor had been returned to him from the Quor-toth hell dimension. His son was now, however, a teenager who not only hated his vampire father, but could give him a run for the Broody Boy of the Year award.

Cordy kept trying to reassure him that the boy would come around in time. Their damaged relationship, not mention the lost years, was the result of Holtz and his obsessive hatred of Angelus. In time, Cordy kept promising, Conor would see what a good guy his dad really was and things would be better.

In the meantime, the cause of all of Angel’s current misery, Holtz, was playing court to the boy he referred to as HIS son. Angel wanted to simply whisk Connor far from Holtz and his evil influence but realized doing that would only add to Connor’s distrust of him, his real father. The one who truly loved him.

The gypsies who had cursed Angel with his soul would be delighted at how well punished the vampire had been in the last few years. He’d loved and lost, both the girl and his soul.

The lesson learned was that such pleasure and love were not something he could ever experience again without a terrible cost to himself and anyone around him.

Then Angel had been given a miracle child, a son of his own flesh and blood. He’d been allowed such a brief time to cuddle Connor and make plans for the bright future he would provide for the boy when the infant had been stolen and taken to a hell dimension by Angel’s worst enemy. No, there could be no joy in Mudville, Angel thought. Not even a glimmer.

Angel was in a decidedly grumpy mood when the phone in his office rang, disturbing his wallow in pain and sorrow. He waited, hoping Cordy or Fred would pick it up, but they had either gone deaf or gone out.

With a deep sigh, he answered. "Angel Investigations. We help the helpless. Angel speaking. How can I help you?" He only hoped it would be a paying client. At least Cordy would have a moment of joy then.

"Angel" One word and he knew instantly who it was.

"Buffy. Hi, Is something going on, an apocalypse maybe? What can I do for you?’ he asked his first true love and the forbidden fruit that had once cost him his soul.

"Angel, I’m glad I got you instead of Cordy. I really don’t want a half hour conversation on this year’s designs right now. No apocalypse, but I have a problem that I think you may be the only one able to help me with".

"You know me, always willing to fight the good fight. What’s up?" he responded.

Angel was surprised to find himself hoping he could handle whatever it was over the phone, so he could get back to trying to figure out how to woo back his son. The days of the world revolving around Buffy Summers had come and gone, it seemed.

There was silence for a brief while and it seemed that Buffy was working up courage to ask him for something. ‘I wonder what would make Buffy hesitate to ask me straight out? Surely she knows I’ll always be there for her. I’d never turn down her request for help’, he thought.

He heard her take in a deep breath and then blurt out, "It’s about Spike."

"Spike! What’s he done now? I thought he wasn’t a problem anymore. What has he done, who has he hurt? Buffy, you need me to stake him?" Angel never quite knew what to expect from Spike, except trouble.

"No! No staking of Spike". Buffy was quick to come to Spike’s defense. "I mean, he hasn’t done anything wrong. Well, at least nothing to earn a dusting that is. You remember! I told you about the chip in his head and how he’s been helping out here"..

"Yeah, yeah, chips ahoy Spikey. I remember", Angel sighed.

"Buffy, Spike is evil--evil and dangerous. I know him better than anybody. Chip or no chip, he’s doing something nasty out there. I’ve told you that you can’t trust him". Angel took a deep albeit unnecessary breath himself before continuing.
"Look, Buffy, I’ve met two other rejects from the government lab with chips. I ran into them after you told me about Spike last year. They moved through L.A. after you closed down the lab in Sunnydale. I understand what the chip means now. Listen, Buffy, the fact that they can’t do the killing doesn’t mean a thing. These two losers had minions do the kills and then they fed. Spike is smart, always has been, even if he is too impulsive sometimes. If those two figured it out, what makes you think Spike isn’t eating in every night when you can’t see him? I know for a fact that Dru went to see him just last year. She’s probably taking care of her 'dark knight' right under everyone’s nose".

Buffy jumped into the conversation while Angel was gearing up for the next round. "Angel, he’s not, okay? I’d know. I’ve not exactly trusted him like I should have. But he has earned my trust, Angel. You don’t know all the things Spike’s done. The chip didn’t cause it either. All it did was keep him from hunting his own dinner, except at the butcher’s counter. He’s been on a strict animal-only diet for almost three years now. He’s even found things to add to pig’s blood to make it taste better, or so he says. I’m not tasting it to see and Giles won’t eat Wheetabix anymore either. Spikeis killing, but on our side. He slays demons and vamps. He’s been patrolling with me. He patrolled FOR me when I was dead, Angel", she said
softly.

"Why on earth would he do that? No, don’t answer. There had to be something in it for him. He’s a demon, Buffy, he’s evil. Vampire here, remember? I know what I’m talking about".

"Look, I don’t know why Spike made the choice to try to change, or how he’s been able to do it, but he has. And I know all about Dru coming to Sunnydale last year. Spike offered to stake her for me", Buffy said.

"I’ll bet! What, did he find out you knew about her and came to cover his bases? You can’t trust a demon, Buffy", Angel reminded her.

"I trust you", she replied.

They were both silent as all the implications drifted about their respective minds.

"Yes, Buffy, I am a demon. I know demons. I know Spike, but I have a soul and he hasn’t got a thing but a shock collar and all that does is make a dog mean", Angel said quietly.

"You may have known Spike in the past, the long ago past. You don’t know him now. You haven’t even been around him but a handful of times since I’ve known you both and he’s changed a lot since then. Your memories of what Spike is like go back to last century, Angel. He’s changed. It’s not a game or a trick…God, do you think I’m that stupid? No, don’t answer that. You don’t really know me either right now".

"Look, Spike fell in love with me after the chip", Buffy confessed. He’s been tortured by a hellgod, protected my family and friends, tied Dru up in my presence and offered to stake her. He hasn’t had an easy time of it and he hasn’t always made the right choices along the way, but the change is real. He’s trying to be a good man. It’s what he wants to be. For me, because he loves me. I didn’t believe it at first. I thought you had to have a soul to love and I didn’t believe him, called him obsessed. Spike’s proved it over and over though, even though I’ve been a real bitch to him, especially lately", she admitted.

"He stayed after I died. He had no reward to expect for that. Giles and the Scoobies were barely civil to him. But he stayed, he stayed and took care of Dawn and patrolled and saved all of their lives more than once. He did it because I love them. That’s the kind of 'evil' he is now, Angel.

Look, this must have been a mistake. I’m sorry I called. I just thought that Spike was family to you and even if you don’t like him, you’d want him to be okay. I’ll talk to you later. Bye", she said and hung up the phone.

Angel sat, phone in hand, just staring for a few minutes after Buffy had hung up. She was right about a few things. The Spike she described didn’t fit the Spike he remembered. And he DID care if Spike was in trouble. He was family, as Buffy had said.

Angel still knew Buffy well enough to pick up on the undercurrents of the conversation he had just had. He could almost feel the emotions through the phone wire. She hadn’t said it, but it sounded a lot like Buffy might love Spike, too. Bet Giles was loving that. Angel smiled at the thought of the Watcher having a seizure. Not only having his slayer fall in love with a second vampire, but one that could be irritating enough to tempt the Pope to go off on him eventually. Priceless!

Angel didn’t have to be convinced that William was quite able to love. He wasn’t even really that surprised to find that he had fallen in love with Buffy. The boy lived for love. Even at his most depraved and vile, William was always capable of
tenderness and love. He had loved Dru faithfully for over a hundred years and it was only her choosing Angelus over Spike that had put an end to that epic tale. Dru had always preferred her daddy over anyone else, after all. No, Angel had no trouble believing.

"I guess I see why he’s on a non human diet and wearing a white hat all of a sudden", he said to himself. Spike always did manage to live up or down to the expectations of those he loved the most.

Angel then remembered the end of Buffy’s conversation and her implication that Spike was in some sort of trouble. "Damn! I suppose I’d better call her back and find out what kind of mess he’s gotten into and what Buffy thinks I can do about it. Family is family, like she said. I can’t do anything for my flesh and blood family at the moment, might as well see about the other kind", he decided.

Angel picked up the phone and dialed Buffy’s home number.

~~~

The meeting in the doctors’ lounge of the underground facility was nearing its end. The roomful of former Initiative medical personnel and newly recruited zealots was attentive to each speaker in turn.

"What of 17? Are we quite finished with the information gathering and testing? I’m given to understand that it has been taking some of the food instead of continuing to starve itself. I don’t see any indication we have further use for it, if we have
everything. We’ll still need to study the chip, of course, find out why it was still functional without killing the host. Most strange!" The doctor in charge sounded both awed and irritated by the phenomenon.

"Didn’t we promise it to one of the militia brass for training or some such when we didn’t need it any longer? We might want to inform them to come take 17 off of our hands then", he added.

"We did a modified vivisection, Dr. Holstein", reported the doctor who had "operated" on Spike. "I’m sure the results are quite accurate. We ran tests multiple times to be certain. We didn’t want to remove the organs entirely as we weren’t exactly sure if they would turn to dust when detached from the body. This specimen is much older than others of its kind that we have had for study. The body originated in the mid- to late 1800s according to the members from our London contingent. We had speculated that might be a factor in its survival. We have documented the longevity of the other chipped specimens and they fell well within expected parameters".

"As a hostile would attempt to kill and feed, the current would be administered, weakening the hostile a bit more each time until eventual internal hemorrhaging would occur in the brain cavity. This would lead to near constant electrical charges being fired until the subject lost consciousness. A short time after that, the host body would become incapable of supporting the demon’s life force and, after bleeding out from the hemorrhage, the hostile would become dust. The average time from implant to dust appears to have been two months, with six months on the high end of the spectrum".

"The exception, as you know, is 17", he continued. "It has survived for nearly three YEARS. Assuming the typically observed kill instinct taking over at least two times daily, the electrical charges it has withstood have been staggering to contemplate. Even if it only succumbed to the kill instinct every other day, it is impossible to view as anything short of miraculous. The chip seems to be perfectly functional based on preliminary tests. Of course, the obvious answer is likely to be a fault in either the chip or the placement at implantation. The creature has been reported to have received shocks on some occasions, however. One of the militia had up-close contact with Hostile 17 during the first several months after its escape and Colonel Finn assured me that the chip did, in fact, do its job".

"We have decided, in light of eyewitness observation of the hostile while implanted, the tests performed by our own team both here and prior to its escape, that further testing using the creature is not necessary. We will, of course, continue to look at the chip itself until satisfied that there is nothing peculiar with it to account for the abnormality. Other than that, I myself removed the chip and can swear that it appeared in every way to have been implanted properly. Aside from the age of the subject there is no other variable. We need not bother with the beast any further", he concluded.

"Yes, thank you, Dr. Holstein. Admirable summation of a job well done by you and your team. The electronics and weaponry department will continue the study of the chip itself. As you seem to feel we have every possible piece of information necessary from this demon, I’d say we can close this file.

Sergeant Myers, you may release 17 to the custody of Colonel Finn now and let him know he can dispose of it at his leisure", the chief of staff ordered.

~~~

Riley was in the mess hall having lunch when Sergeant Myers arrived with the welcome news that Spike was finally his to play with. He pushed aside the plate of nearly untouched food and prepared to go claim his prize.

Sam looked at him with a slight frown on her forehead. "Ri, don’t you think you can wait at least long enough to eat? You haven’t eaten a decent meal since we teamed up and I don’t think I’ve known you to sleep a full night either. You better begin to watch out for your health or you won’t have the strength to play with your new toy."

"Sam, it’s not often a man’s duty and pleasure match up so perfectly. I’ve been waiting for the go-ahead since I first heard the board issue the order to retrieve Hostile 17. I have plans, Sam, and he’s healed just enough to make it worth my trouble".

Riley got up from the table and headed to the corridor leading to the holding cells. Sam noticed that he was still walking with the slightly awkward gait she had spotted when she was first reunited with her old friend. She kept forgetting to ask him about it. If he were in some sort of pain, the medical staff should look into it. She’d try to remember to ask later. After all, she loved Riley Finn like the brother she had never had.

~~~

Spike heard the voice in his head again. He didn’t always see the dark figure anymore. He was beginning to heal and the hallucinations were ebbing a bit. The voice still echoed in his head on occasion and this was one of them.

"Spike, he’s coming for you. You must remember your Beatrice, hold to that and the journey could still end well for you. I will try to guide you as I can. Prepare for the worst for now, son. You are forged in the fires of adversity. You shall not be destroyed unless you so choose. Your journey is not yet complete", the voice whispered.

"Spike! Up on your feet! You’re moving to another holding cell. If you struggle or try to run, you’ll wish you were back on that lab table, got that? Now, move", Riley ordered.

"Better have Dante get back on his knees again, old man. Be needin’ those prayers ‘bout now, I’m thinkin’. Did Virgil send for you, soldier boy?", Spike asked. Confusion showed on his haggard face as Spike stood up to avoid the taser-ready soldier preparing to zap him.

"Virgil? That the name of the demon next door? Funny name, especially for a demon, huh? You’d best get up and let me get these cuffs on you or Colonel Finn will have to hit you with the megavolts he’s packing", said the freckle-faced boy soldier. He held his taser in front of the exhausted vampire and tried not to show how terrified that creature made him.

"What’s that, you twit? Wasn’t talkin’ to you, now was I? Move your arse and I’ll get up on my own. Just keep your bloody human hands off me", Spike said. He was suddenly very much in the real world and steeling himself for whatever games Finn had planned.

"Let’s go Spikey. Cut with the crazy vampire act and move it", ordered Col. Riley Finn, late of the U.S. Army, Initiative branch.