A/N: Many thanks to LadyForAsh, for betaing
Thoughts are in ‘single quotes’.
Chapter 6 deals with my Season 7 Bangel issues. I’ve used a few of my favorite sentences from “End of Days” in this chap. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter 6 – Angel


At three o’clock in the morning, all was quiet at the Summers’ home. Xander stood at the sink in the dark kitchen and reflected on his good fortune. Now that Spike had moved upstairs, Anya and he had taken over the basement. They’d claimed that it made more space for everyone else to have them out of the way. He realized that no one was fooled, but he also knew that Buff, Wills and Dawnie were glad for their happiness.

Xander had spent the majority of the day following Anya around with a hangdog expression, apologizing to her for his stupidity and thoughtlessness, and begging her to give him another chance. “With all the second chances going on around here, can’t I have one, too, Anya, please?” His entreaties, claims of undying love and big sad brown eyes had finally moved her. She had decided that he’d groveled enough, and had led him downstairs for “makeup sex.”

It had been so long since he’d been able to lose himself in her sweet body, he’d almost forgotten the wonder of it. Xander shook his head at his idiocy in walking out on his wedding last year. He swore that this time around he wouldn’t panic and run, wouldn’t take her for granted. This time he’d appreciate what he had. Something, at least, had come right of the farce that was Buffy and Spike. Anya had agreed to try again.

Looking out the dark window into the street beyond, he was aware of the deep silence in the house. It was unusual. Most of the time someone was up and making noise. The potentials had finally fallen asleep in their sleeping bags on the living room floor, Faith had moved in with Willow, as Dawn wasn’t about to let her sleep with her, and Dawn had taken several of the newer potentials in with her. Buffy had assigned her the job of orienting the new potentials to the situation at hand as they arrived in town, and she enjoyed being their mentor until they inevitably gravitated to the other potentials. Wood had stayed late talking strategy with Giles, and he, Andrew, and the Watcher were bedded down in the den. Andrew had been heard to thank the Heavens that he was quit of Xander’s snoring, and all was peaceful.

Suddenly a powerful engine roared up the street, and Xander’s heart stuttered. He had a feeling he knew who was about to arrive. Rona woke up and looked out the window in time to see a black Viper’s engine and lights shut off and a tall dark and handsome, grim faced man get out and stomp up the walk. She called the others over to see and potentials crowded around the front window, admiring him and his car, speculating as to who he was as he stormed towards them. At the door, instead of knocking, he slammed it open and yelled, “Spike!”

Xander appeared in the doorway, took one look at Angel’s face, and regretted that he’d wanted him to come. He’d never seen Angel looking so deadly. ‘Dawn was right. When will I ever learn to keep my big nose out of other people’s business?’ He berated himself. Now that he and Anya were back together, he wished he hadn’t been such a buttinsky, and he dreaded this screwing things up between them. ‘I sure hope none of the girls ever learn that I called Los Angeles and tried to tell Angel, even if he had already sniffed it out on his own. They’ll all be mad if they find out.’ Nervously he asked, his voice cracking faintly, “Hey, Deadboy Sr.”, you soul having?”

Angel brushed passed him without a word or a look in acknowledgement, and shouted another challenge, “SPIKE!”

Xander quickly gathered the potentials, Andrew, Anya, and those coming from upstairs together and herded them all up into Willow’s room. He put Willow in charge, and told her to keep them there. “We need to let Buffy handle this on her own,” he said, becoming more and more worried about the cold expression on Angel’s face. When he tried to round up Giles, Wood and Faith as well, they informed him they’d stay downstairs in case they were needed.

Confused, Wood asked what was going on, and Xander explained that Buffy’s ex, Angel, a.k.a. Angelus, had arrived. Angelus was just about the only vampire known to be worse than William the Bloody, and was his grandsire. Angel had been cursed with a soul over a hundred years ago, and now fought for the good guys, but where Buffy and Spike were concerned, who knew what he’d do? “And I thought he should be informed. Big mistake.” Xander rubbed his eye patch. He was getting a monster of a headache.

Wood shook his head incredulously. Buffy and yet another vampire…unbelievable. This he had to see. He was learning more about the Slayer than he had ever wanted to know. Watching the drama from a safe distance, he murmured to Xander. “You called and told him?!?”

“No, I just tried to. He already knew. Sensed it, I guess,” Xander watched glumly as Angel attacked Spike. He winced as Angel hit the banister, worrying about potential damage and upcoming home repairs.

Buffy had run down the stairs ahead of Spike, her heart pounding. She really wished that she’d found the time to tell Angel before he turned up on their doorstep. ‘What was I thinking, ignoring his likely reaction?’ She wondered ruefully. Buffy silently admitted that Spike had filled her thoughts; there hadn’t been room for anyone or anything else the past day. Thanks to her thoughtlessness, there could well be collateral damage here tonight.

Spike had tried to get her to stay upstairs, saying that Angel was his problem, but she wouldn’t hear of it. He bounded down right after her. At first sight of Spike following Buffy from her room; Angel vamped, roared, and launched himself at the blonde vampire. Spike snorted and pursed his lips sardonically, dodging to the side so fast that Angel missed him and slammed against the banister. Buffy suddenly had visions of her house falling down around their ears, so she picked Angel up by the nape of the neck, and tossed him back out the front door. “You are not going to destroy my home, Angel. We’ll talk outside,” she said firmly, following Angel and Spike out the door. Wisely, the rest of them stayed in the doorway.

Outside, Angel ignored Buffy, stood up and lunged again for Spike. This time, as Angel connected, Spike grinned and slugged him in the jaw. Angel flew back against the pillar of the porch, splitting it lengthwise. Buffy yelled, “Hey! What did I just say?” and picked him up again, tossing him away from the house and towards the street.

Following, Spike turned back to Buffy and complained, “Stop it Slayer, this is between Captain Forehead and me!” Turning back to Angel, he ground out, “Give it up, peaches. She’s mine. What is mine, I keep!”

Spike’s inattention had given Angel enough time to punch him solidly in the nose as he turned back. In the past, that hit would have sent Spike flying fifteen feet backwards. Now it didn’t even snap his head back. Angel belted him again and gaped in astonishment as Spike just stared at him grimly.

Angel’s fangs had slashed Spike’s hand when he first struck Angel, but the wound was now sealed and Spike punched him in the stomach in retaliation for hitting him in the face. As Angel, winded, doubled over forwards, Spike slammed his elbow down on his shoulder. Angel crumpled to his knees, and Spike gave an uppercut to his chin that had him flying out into Revello Drive.

Angel sprang up and launched himself at Spike again. Spike grinned tauntingly and toyed with Angel by cuffing him lightly with alternate fists, slamming Angel’s face aside and forcing him to stagger backwards with each hit. Angle tried to retaliate, but his swings missed as Spike twirled and landed a roundhouse kick to the chin that had Angel flying back into the street. Banging his head on the asphalt, Angel was stunned long enough for some sense to prevail and he stopped rushing Spike long enough to speak.

Game face coldly angry, he slipped into a rarely used Irish brogue. Glaring at Spike, Angel barked, “Ye endangered the lass’s life, you selfish gobshite! Ye’ll die slowly for that.”

Spike’s good humor abruptly faded, and his face shifted as well, his upper lip curled in a deadly sneer. He didn’t bother answering the accusation. It didn’t deserve an answer. He hadn’t endangered her, they were sure or they never would have mated, and the stinking bogtrotter should have known that. Scornfully mispronouncing Angelus, he merely asked, “Oh Ho, is Angel-us pushin’ at the gates? Wassa matter, ole man, did I poach on yer goods?”

Angel saw red, and charged at him again, roaring, “She’s mine!”

Buffy’s patience abruptly snapped and she entered the fray. Flashing in front of the rushing dark haired vampire, her fist slammed into his nose, knocking him yet again back into the street, this time slamming into the Viper. “How dare you?!” She demanded. “You gave up any claim you had to me when you left me!”

Sitting up, his face melted back to human and Angel stared at her, stunned. Buffy had never before hit him when he had a soul. Standing and walking back to them, he wiped the blood from his nose and said miserably, “It tore my guts out to leave you! I did it so you could have a normal life. One I couldn’t give you. I didn’t leave you so Captain Peroxide here could step in. Never would I leave you for Him to take my place,” he grated out angrily.

Also looking human again, his blue eyes cold as ice, Spike stood back and moodily watched the exchange. As much as he hated it, he knew Buffy needed to find closure with Angel. He reined his jealousy in with an iron will and didn’t interfere.

Buffy’s face had softened as Angel told her about how leaving had torn him up, but hardened again with his last sentence. “You don’t seem to get it, Angel. You don’t get to choose who takes your place. That’s my choice. You’ll always have a place in my heart, but you left. I had to move on, several times. In the end, I thought love was beyond me, lost to me. Spike healed me, Angel. He taught me the joy of love. What I’ve found with him is beyond anything I could ever have imagined.” She smiled tenderly over at her lover, her mate.

Spike felt a burst of sunshine in his chest, and thought he just might dust from the intensity of it. He was sure vampires weren’t built to withstand such joy. He gave her a blinding smile, unable to maintain his usual cool demeanor.

Angel, however, was filled with pathos. “Why didn’t you at least warn me, Buffy?” He implored. “Spike and I are family.” Expelling his breath on a harsh sigh and rubbing his hand back and forth over his head, he finished, “I felt it as it happened.”

‘Whoa, the duffer is upset! He just mussed his do,’ Spike wordlessly mocked. He was surprised at himself for being able to hold it in, and smirked silently. Much as he hated having Angel trying to interfere, the thought of him feeling the mating brought an evil smile to Spike’s lips. Finally, finally the old poofter knew how it felt to have his woman taken away. Spike was almost taken aback that the “mating and merging” hadn’t wiped out his hostility towards his grandsire, but it was still there.

Buffy didn’t look at all happy to hear that Angel had felt the mating. “I’m sorry, Angel. We didn’t plan it ahead of time. We couldn’t warn you. And ewww, you felt it? Talk about invasion of privacy.” Buffy shrank from the thought of Angel sensing her and Spike at that incredible moment. It wasn’t any of his business. Then she frowned again as she realized that her own senses were now extended the same way. She’d be feeling “family” just as they did. And if Angel had felt it, then Drusilla certainly had. Sighing, she determined to keep her eyes open for yet another threat.

“Besides,” she continued, “you’d just have tried to stop us, and it wasn’t your decision to make, Angel. It was our love, our choice. We didn’t risk ourselves or endanger each other. We wouldn’t have done it if we didn’t know; if we hadn’t been sure.”

Angel regarded her silently for a few seconds, and then muttered with brow furrowed, “I always thought that I’d be the one joining with you.” ‘It was my right, after all,’ he thought. ‘Buffy was my reward for fighting the good fight. Whistler waived her as bait to get me to come on board with the Powers back when she was a new Slayer.’

Buffy stared at him incredulously. “Did you, Angel? Really? When your other half doesn’t even pretend to love me?” Buffy folded her arms and looked him steadily in the eye, challenging him to remember the chaos Angelus had loosed on her and her loved ones.

He brooded for a moment before mumbling, “I was working on it.” And he had been, just hadn’t found a way to get around his demon yet. He’d contracted with the mages at Wolfram and Hart. They’d been researching and experimenting on the mating ritual without success ever since he had moved to Los Angeles.

Buffy continued to stare at him, wordlessly demanding that he admit the truth. Incredibly, she could feel what Angel was thinking, then shook her head, confused. ‘Now why did I think I knew his thoughts?’ She’d never understood Angel’s thought processes.

Angel’s gaze finally dropped and he silently admitted defeat. The dream had been doomed, after all. His demon neither knew, nor had any use for love. He hadn’t found any way to circumvent that. Stupid requirement, he’d sure like to get his hands on the mage that created the spell. According to W&H mages, though, “true love” was apparently the only power that could make the ritual do anything at all. And now it was too late. There was no way to reverse the thing. Spike had the right of it, she was his. Reluctantly accepting the inevitable, he hugged her and murmured, “Welcome to the family, Buffy. If you ever need me, let me know. I’ll be here in a flash.”

Buffy beamed and hugged him back. “Thank you, Angel.” ‘Whew, that went better than I expected it to,’ mentally wiping her brow, she was relieved that the situation hadn’t turned deadly. It easily could have. She was surprised that Spike had been so patient with Angel. The “Old Spike” very well may have provoked him into having to be dusted.

Glaring at Spike, Angel ground out, “If you ever…”

“Yeah Gramps, I know,” Spike cut in. “If I ever hurt her, I’m dust, yada yada.” Spike slouched against the porch with his hands in his pockets, staring at Angel moodily. On the inside though, he was crowing exultantly. ‘This time I got the girl; and this one you’ll never steal from me.’

Nodding resignedly, Angel turned back to Buffy and took a large amulet that sparkled with a sunburst of diamonds on a platinum chain from his pocket. He held it up to her.

“I can already tell you, I have nothing that goes with that,” quipped Buffy, looking blandly at the gaudy ornament.

“It’s not for you,” Angel stated. “Wes and I uncovered it in Italy. It may help against The First. Apparently, when worn by a souled champion, it has purifying or cleansing powers, or,” looking whimsical, “possibly scrubbing bubbles.” He shook his head slightly and continued, “In any case, it’s very powerful, but also very dangerous. I was going to offer to wear it for you during the last battle, but I guess you don’t need me now that you have Spike,” he finished rather bitterly, looking at her questioningly.

Buffy smiled, hugged him again, and thanked him for the offer, but said that she needed him gone. She needed him to go back to LA and run a second front against The First in case she went down.

Angel nodded and looked over at Xander standing in the doorway. A shrewd look crossed his face, and he thought, ‘the boy needs a lesson in staying out of Aurelian business.’ Aloud he enquired blandly, “Fred said you called for me, Xander. What did you need?”

Gulping, Xander looked frantically back and forth between Buffy and Spike. Buffy’s face darkened forbiddingly as she realized just why Xander had phoned Angel. Spike started to laugh. ‘This should be good,’ he thought.

“Oh, uhhh, nnnothing, now, Angel. My question is all cleared up.” Clearing his throat, Xander smiled nervously, hoping that Buffy would let it slide.

Spike and Angel exchanged small nods and smirks. Angel turned to Buffy, and nodding solemnly this time, handed her the amulet. Climbing into the Viper, he was gone.

“What was that all about, Spike?” Asked Buffy irritably. She didn’t like not knowing what was going on between the two vampires. It was too dangerous to just ignore it. They could both be deadly, champions or no.

“Family business, love. I’ll tell you later,” and he turned towards Xander.

Buffy eyed the quaking brunette grimly and asked with deceptive blandness, “Tell me, Xan, why does this situation remind me of when you took it upon yourself to let everyone know that Spike had attacked me?”

He knew he was caught out, and didn’t even try to pretend otherwise. Walking outside towards them to plead his case, Xander babbled, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It was stupid of me. I thought he should know. I didn’t think of him coming here with blood in his eye. And I didn’t tell him anyway, he wasn’t there, and he already knew, so no harm done, right? Right?” He repeated when Buffy didn’t answer him, merely glared at him stonily.

Spike just grinned and folded his arms, leaning against the porch rail. He didn’t need to settle with the idiot. Buffy would do a fine job. At the worried look on Xander’s face, he erupted with a belly laugh, enjoying the spectacle of the wanker caught in the backlash of his big mouth.

Buffy continued to stare daggers at Xander. He started in again. “To use Dawn’s words, I’ll keep my big nose to myself from now on, I promise. Come on, Buff, say something…” He looked at her beseechingly.

“Do not ever try to cause trouble for me again, Xander,” was her only response, her expression flat and hard. Then turning to Spike, she took him by the arm and marched past Xander and back inside the house, demanding to know what was going on with him and Angel.

Xander shivered, thankful that very few people had witnessed his humiliation, well-deserved though it was. He stared after them silently, wondering how the Slayer had come to look so much like William the Bloody.

Inside, Spike touched the side of her face and smiled as he escorted her upstairs. He lowered his voice so that no one but Buffy with her enhanced hearing could make out what he said. “Granddad told me that he acknowledged and accepted our mating. Family comes first with vamps, love. He also let me know that the whelp had tried to interfere in Aurelian business, and that he supported me.”

“How could you tell all that from just a nod and a smile?” Buffy murmured back, astonished. She hadn’t had a clue about any of it. In fact, she’d been afraid that they were agreeing to meet later to battle it out.

Spike kissed her lightly on the lips as he closed the door of their room and responded, “We’ve always known what each other feels, love. It’s not exactly mind reading, just “knowing”. From the very first time we met. No matter how furious we were with the other, how much we hated each other, we’ve always been connected.” He shrugged, “It’s just the way it is. I don’t know why, it seems to run in the family.”

“So why didn’t I pick up on it, if I have your perceptions, now?”

“It doesn’t work like that. I can’t read between him and Drusilla, he couldn’t read between Darla and me. You probably have your own connection with the poof now, yeah? Did you get a feel for what he was thinking as he spoke to you?”

She looked at him, surprised. “I thought I was imagining it.” So, all that about trying to get around the love requirement of the mating spell had come from Angel, she surmised.

Spike grinned at her suggestively, “You know how I feel, yeah? You got the perceptions between us, puss. What am I thinking right now?”

Buffy paused, looking into him, and the moment lengthened and stretched between them. She reeled under the urgency of it and left clothing strewn across the floor as she raced him to get back into bed.

Tbc…