Prologue

Four Weeks.

It had been four weeks since they had received the call from Spike.

“Red...it’s...”

“Spike? Did you find her? Spike what is it?” There had been silence for what seemed like forever on the other end.

“The hospital, I....it....she’s bad, Red.”

Willow and Giles made it to the hospital in record time that night, but that had been four weeks ago. Now she stood outside Buffy’s hospital room watching the blond vampire who refused to leave the room at all. She knew that eventually Buffy would wake up. Faith’s head injury had been much worse and she'd eventually come out of her coma. But Willow seriously hoped it wouldn't take Buffy as long to wake up. She didn’t think Spike would last that long.

Giles strolled up next to Willow and stared through the window with her.

“Giles, I’m calling...”

“Angel,” Giles finished for her. “Yes, I had thought of doing it myself.”

“We have to do something, Giles. I don’t think he will last much longer. We’ve tried everything else, and he is the only other soul-having vampire in existance.”

“I agree. I must say, I knew Spike had a..a thing for Buffy, but I had no idea. I still don’t understand what it is that he blames himself for. What makes you think Angel will help him, however? If memory serves, they are quite at odds with each other.”

“He’ll do it for Buffy.” It was the truth. She would tell him about Buffy and he would come. Then she would tell him about helping Spike. Oh boy, was there a lot she was going to have to tell Angel.

“You’re not going to tell him are you?” Giles asked.

“Nope,” Willow replied.

**********

Angel was positive he wouldn't get a ticket. In fact, he was certain that the highway patrol wouldn’t even see his car fly by, he was driving so fast. Willow said there was no hurry, but she hadn’t really told him more than the fact that Buffy was in the ICU, before he had grabbed his keys and hit the door. Wesley had called on the cell and given him hell about leaving like that. Wes had not so kindly informed him that he’d unknowingly scared poor Fred senseless, and hadn’t bothered telling anyone what was going on or where he was going. Thankfully Willow had called back and let Fred know what was going on, and then she and Gunn called Wesley since they were unsure what to do. Wesley confidently assured Angel that perhaps it wasn’t too bad, and that slayer healing would help her. Angel simply responded that Willow wouldn’t have called him unless Buffy was dying.

“I wasn’t there last time, Wes. I have to be there.”

“Yes well, keep us posted. Things seem to have quieted a bit. But, Angel we need you here as soon as things are stabilized.”

That was 20 minutes ago. Angel had slowed down when he hit the city limits. She would be really angry if he ran over some pedestrian in “her” city. He wheeled the car into the nearest parking spot and quickly found the ICU. Willow saw him coming and practically sprinted towards him. God, this had to be worse that he thought. She looked almost terrified.

He grabbed her arms, “Is she...?” He swallowed hard, he couldn’t even say the words. He’d already faced this twice
before and he still couldn’t say the words.

“No! Angel she’s fine. Well, not fine but...Angel, we need to talk.”

**********

Much to his objection, Willow pulled Angel back down the hallway...away from Buffy’s room.

“What is it?” Angel bit out, trying to edge back around her.

“Angel, there is a lot you need to know before you go in there,” Willow started. Angel began to protest that he’d seen it before, but Willow cut him off, “It’s not about Buffy.”

“OK, I’m confused. Willow, I thought you said something was wrong with Buffy? Don’t tell me I just broke the land speed record because of..who..Xander?” Because if it is, I’ll just finish him myself, Angel thought idly to himself. Never had really liked that kid.

Willow fought the urge to laugh as she could almost see what Angel was thinking, but she quickly grounded her thoughts. “Buffy’s in a coma, Angel. We don’t know the whole story, but apparently she was fighting a, I think he said it was a Mowrok, and she ended up with some pretty bad head trauma. It’s been four weeks now.” She saw the look of understanding cross his face. “I’m sure she’ll come out of it eventually, that’s not what we’re worried about so much as.....” She stopped. Oh goddess, what if he stormed out once she told him? What if he just staked Spike outright? What if..

“Willow?” When she didn’t respond, Angel just pushed around her and went to the room she had been standing in front of...and froze.

Willow heard a very loud and very angry growl echo down the hall, drawing her back from her own thoughts. She ran back to the room with a speed almost too fast to be human, and stopped directly in front of Angel.

“What is HE doing here?” Angel growled.

“That is what I called you here for. Angel, please...let’s go outside.” Oh, this was bad. He looked very confused and angry, and he wasn’t moving. “Angel, he’s guarding her, now please...” She touched his arm gently, but had a very fiery look in her eyes. He snatched his arm out of her hand and walked the short distance to the nearby door.

“What do you want from me, Willow? What the hell could I possibly do for Spike other than stake him, and why is he guarding her?”

“He has a soul Angel.”

“What did you say?” He managed to stammer out after an interminable silence. She had said it so softly that a normal person wouldn’t have heard it, and certainly not over the din of the hospital. But his expression clearly said he’d heard her wrong. That she couldn’t have said what he though she said.

“He has a soul. He went through some trial thing and now he has a soul.” How much should she tell him, she wondered. The truth? Sure, but not too much. “Look Angel, you need to know that he’s the one who saved her.” Shocked, Angel looked shocked. Good. Shocked was better than angry. She continued, “After we brought Buffy back from what we thought was hell and turned out to be heaven, she started seeing Spike. He’s in love with her Angel. He’s the one who found her the night she was hurt and since then he’s been in that chair.”

“I..what..no, no, no, no, you’re joking, right? This is some kind of joke.” God it had to be a joke.

“Angel,” Willow tentatively began, “there’s more. She’s in love with him too.” Oh boy, that did it. He looked like he was gonna blow, or maybe vomit.

Angel turned his head up and started at the stars. He was sure that if he had fed, he would be puking it all up right about now. God, how could this be. His Buffy, HIS Buffy, was lying in a coma. And she and Spike were in love? And Spike had a soul? And Willow had called him because she wanted him to console Spike? This had to be some cosmic joke from the Powers.

Angel clenched his teeth and looked at Willow, barely controlling his anger. “Tell me what you want from me.”

Willow had seen his anger before, and it still scared the heck out of her. “I want you to help Spike. The rest of us have run out of ideas. He won’t move, he doesn’t speak except to say that it’s all his fault, and he hasn’t eaten at all since she’s been in here. You’re the only other vampire with a soul, so....”

“So you thought I would just jump right in and wet nurse the guy who tortured me the last time we met?” He was almost shouting.

“Angel, if you don’t help him I don’t know how much longer he'll last. I don’t think she could take someone else she loves leaving her. Everyone has left her Angel. You, Parker, OK...good that Parker left but, Riley, Giles, her mom, me. We’ve all abandoned her, but not him. You may not like it but she needs him and apparently he needs her.”

Angel flinched. Willows words rang deeply. He knew she was right, but this was not the way things were supposed to go.

“Willow, I left so she could move on, have a normal guy. I sure as hell didn’t leave so she could shack up with Spike.” No, I definitely didn’t leave so THAT could happen, he thought to himself.

“Angel, she will never be normal. Never have normal. Spike has a soul now He's changed. He...he makes her happy, Angel. Please, I know this will be hard, but please? For Buffy?”