Harmony

Rated- PG13

Summary- There are two vampires with a soul. The world is falling into chaos because of this anomaly. There is no way around it. One of them has to die. But which one?

Spoilers- This takes place after Buffy’s Chosen and Angel’s Destiny

Dedication- Joss Whedon owns all the characters from BTVS and ATS. I’m just borrowing. Although, I’m kinda reluctant to give back a certain bleach blonde

Chapter 5

Buffy thought the world had shifted when she set eyes on Angel. That was nothing compared to what happened when she saw Spike again. The world didn’t change. Instead she saw a whole new world open up for her. Spike was all she saw and all she felt. He filled everything in her and everything around her. He was everything.

It was too much. Her mind was overwhelmed and couldn’t take it. She sunk to her knees.

Stepping forward, Spike glared at his grandsire. He pointed to the distressed slayer. “You weren’t going to tell me she was here,” he accused.

Angel just stared.

Spike went to Buffy’s side. He scooped her up as if she weighed nothing more than a cat. Those arms. So strong and comforting. They were never meant to let go. Hold me forever, Buffy silently pleaded. Never let go again.

There was no temperature in the man that carried Buffy. Still, somehow he managed to fill her with warmth. She sizzled with electricity from their contact.

She was laid down on a couch, barely noticing. Spike tried to straighten, but she wouldn’t let him. Her fingers gripped his arm with slayer strength. She wouldn’t let him go. If he wouldn’t hold her till the end of time, she would him.

Nodding with understanding, Spike knelt beside her. He gave her a genuine smile. The expression was a rarity. He hardly ever lifted his lips in such a manner. Arrogant smirks, yes. Mocking grins, yes. Real smiles, seldom. Buffy felt herself melt.

***********************

Angel watched the pair with disdain. Blond vampire and slayer only had eyes for each other. A giant bubble encased them, separating themselves from everything on the outside.

She used to look at me like that, he thought. He took in an unneeded breath.

A vice squeezed Angel’s dead heart. Was he even in her heart anymore? Or was it all taken up by Spike?

He had left her. This was all his doing. But if he knew this was going to happen. . . If she wanted to blow her life on a vampire. . . It should be me, Angel told himself. I’m the one who deserves her. I’m the one who went to hell and back. I’m the champion. I’m not some poser reject got a soul to get into some girl’s pants. I don’t do good for selfish reasons. I want to save the world.

Both of Angel’s hands tightened into fists. He had the urge to rush at Spike and slam one into that bleach-fried head of his.

Angel suddenly realized that there were murmurs. He had been so involved in his thoughts that he missed their conversation. He tuned them in.

“I don’t . . . How?” Buffy whispered. Her green eyes were shimmering. They took Spike in as if he were a dream and she would wake up any moment.

“Long story, pet,” Spike replied. He ran a hand through his slicked back locks.

“You were dead.”

“Still am.” He took her hand and placed it on his still chest.

Buffy sat up a little on the cushions. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeh, I do.” There was a pause. “I was dead, yes.”

Buffy closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again. She let out a choked laugh. “Seems like nobody stays dead these days.”

“Should we send an angry letter to the Powers that Be?” Spike suggested.

“No. No. Because . . . Because I’m glad.”

That was it. Those words were all Angel could stand. He couldn’t hear anymore. Another sentence would be his breaking point.

He turned and left the office, slamming the door on his way out.

**********************

Buffy and Spike didn’t even notice Angel’s departure. Not even when the door created a loud bang when it shut.

Stillness surrounded them. Buffy clung to Spike and he was now doing the same to her. She wanted to tell him things. She needed to say so much. But it seemed wrong to disturb the quiet. It felt like if there was a sound this all would be destroyed. It would break their perfect sanitary bubble and let in the dirty germs.

The door opened.

Crash. The bubble wall burst and it all fell away. The coldness seeped in. Buffy tightened her grip on Spike, determined to keep him from drifting away.

Harmony came in with a steaming mug in her hand. “Angel, 98.6 degrees, exactly like you. . .” She frowned at the empty desk. Her gaze traveled over to land on Buffy and Spike.

The secretary gaped at them. Then she crashed the mug of blood down on the surface of Angel’s desk. Red liquid splattered out of the container.

She crossed her arms. “So this is it? This is the reason you broke up with me? Your precious Buffy is back?”

“Harm . . .” Spike began.

Harmony held out her palm in a gesture of silence. “Don’t even start. I know we weren’t really going out. But I wanted to pretend, all right. That’s all I ever wanted. I wanted to pretend you really cared, but you kept making me remember. It isn’t fair!”

“Harmony, I told you. . .”

“I know! It is over. No more sex buddies. I got it.” With that she stormed out.

Silence fell over the office again.

Buffy abruptly let go of Spike. She moved, sitting up.

“You slept with Harmony?” she asked, stolidly.

“Once,” he confessed. “I realize that it was wrong. I needed something to get over the detached feeling of being a ghost.”

Her green eyes widened. “You were a ghost?”

Spike ran a trembling hand through his hair. “Sorta. Not exactly. I was incorporeal.”

Buffy poked him in the side. “You seem fine now.”

“Yeah, got myself a friendly gift that set things to right.”

“So, you were a ghost and had sex with Harmony?” She let out a humorless chuckle. “God. And nobody was going to bother to tell me you were back. I was in Europe trying to forget you, when you were right here. . . ” She gestured around them. “Right here ‘having sex with Harmony’ !”

She knew that she had no justification to give him a lecture. She had used him the same way he used Harmony. Any scolding would be hypocritical.

“Sorry, Buffy, but it isn’t like you have some sort of claim on me.”

Tears sprung to Buffy’s eyes. “I told you I loved you. Isn’t that claim enough?”

“Right, and were you telling the truth?”

She raised her eyes to meet his. “I don’t know. I think so. I wanted it to be true. I thought that maybe when it was all over we might be able to have a chance. I watched you die, though. Goodbye chance.” Buffy paused. “And you don’t know how broken I was to know that. I would never be able to let myself love you. Because you were gone. But now we have a chance. Please, let us have a chance.”

Her little confession had left him speechless. He gazed at her with soulful eyes. She figured there had been enough talk. She grabbed him and pulled him toward her. Their bodies met, smashing together.

Buffy attacked his mouth. She slipped in her tongue, surveying the landscape. She had missed this. There was nothing like the taste of Spike. Blood, alcohol, and cigarettes. Spike batter, beat together and cooked at room temperature. All bad ingredients, but when they combined it turned into something good. Well, ’mostly. Spike wouldn’t be Spike without that pinch of badness.

Buffy wished she had the recipe to bake herself. Oh forget about completing your dough mixture! her mind cried. Right then she felt like Spike was all she needed. He was the chocolate chips. And who really cared about the rest of the cookie anyway?

A moan escaped her throat. They parted and stared.

“What was that?” Spike questioned.

“I’m acting. There’s been enough talk. We can talk later.”

With that she kissed him again.

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Sorry for the wait. I had this chapter written last week, but I didn’t like it. So I redid it. I like this version better.