[Reviews - 11]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1821 times

- Text Size +




Author's Chapter Notes:
Just a warning: just because this is less angsty doesn't mean it'll be smooth sailing from now on, it would'nt be love if it was that easy.
After dinner at Demorino's, Spike favorite corner resturaunt, they headed off to an ale house he spent a lot of time at since they'd broken up. A woman was on a makeshift stage, reading some spoken word from a tablet in her hand when they walked in and made their way to the bar.

"Is it a poetry bar?" Buffy whispered, feeling awkward at the tiny cafe, as she was used to loud bars with pumping music and people screaming just to be heard by the person next to them.

"Yeah, something like that. I've grown to like it here, the people are really nice and it's just a nice atmosphere," Spike answered, ordering a jack and coke for himself and, "a cosmo for m'lady,"

Buffy wondered if Spike had ever read here, if he had read poems about her here. She got lost in romantic visions of him declaring his love for her to small audiences when a girl came from around the corner and wrapped her arms around Spike's shoulders. He looked uncomfortable and stiffened at the touch, which comforted Buffy, but only for a minute.

"What, you can't introduce me to your friend?" the girl said to Spike, with a drawl to her voice that made her ten times more attractive than she already was.

"Oh. Sorry....Rachael, this is Buffy," he offered, smiling slightly at Buffy before he said, "and Buffy, luv, this is Rachael."

Buffy raised an eyebrow, but took Rachael's hand anyway. Rachael leaned in uncomfortably close to Buffy and said, "I've heard a lot about you," with a sneer.

Buffy could feel her cheeks and ears flush before she even had a chance to realize what Rachael had meant. She was about to get up and go to the bathroom, just to calm herself down a bit, but the lights had already dimmed and someone was getting up to read. Buffy found herself lost in her thoughts as Spike ordered a pint of whatever was on tap for himself and a long island for her.
"He thinks I've just been whoring myself around, he must, or else his friend, or whatever she is, wouldn't have said that...

Two hours and a few drinks later, Spike excused himself and Buffy from the company of the self-proclaimed sophisticates surrounding them and they made their way down the strip. His arm was slung loosely around her hip, and her hands dangling freely at her sides, it was clear that she had something to say.

Spike sighed silently and cast a quick glance in her direction, "Out with it, poppet.....what's got your knickers twisted?" he smiled, letting her know she could tell him.

"I don't know Spike, it's just.....that girl, Rachael....what have you told her about me?" she half-asked, half-demanded.

"Her? Nothing much, all she knows of you is that I was recently in a relationship with a lass named Buffy and I'm not ready for any other females in my life," he said, quoting himself.

"Well then how did she...." a group of four vampires was suddenly in front of them, cutting Buffy's question short, "....nevermind."

"It's rare that I see you guys traveling in packs in this town," she said casually gesturing to the buildings above them and meaning Los Angeles as a whole, and forgetting about Rachael for the moment.

"We're on an assignment," sneered the smallest of the bunch.

"Really? Well I wonder what kind of wrath you'll have to endure when one of you has to go back to class and tell the teacher that the slayer ate all the homework?" god my quips really need some conditioning, she thought as soon as the words fell from her lips.

"Give us the money, Slayer. Charlie got capped, he was dippin' into the boss' pocket and eye-in-gay-el ain't gonna settle for knockin' you into next Tuesday for it," the small vampire spoke again.

"Eye-in-who?" Buffy said, trying to commit the name to memory, if there was someone in this town who had humans and vamps doing all their dirty work, she really should know about it.

Spike already knew the rest of the name, and throwing the five hundred dollars he'd brought along earlier that night at the ground for the vampire lackeys to scatter for, he grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her in the opposite direction.

"What the hell are you doing? You just paid them, without even a fight or so much as an argument," Buffy protested, wondering why Spike was so sudden to pay the vampires off.

"We've got a bigger problem, luv. We're going to Giles' flat and havin' this out, but I want to tell you first," Spike said, still rushing her down the sidewalk.

"What? Don't tell me where we are and aren't going," she pulled her arm from his grasp, stopping, "tell me what's got you so....shirty, does it have to do with mention of this 'eye guy' or whatever his name is?" she said, smiling at the memory of a spat they'd shared so long ago.

"Aingeal," Spike repeated the name pronounced 'eye-in-gay-el.'

"What about him?" she asked, clearly not threatened.

Spike sighed, knowing he was not going to get her to sit down or relax for the news he was about to give her, "'k, tell me pet, does it sound like any name you've heard before?"

She wrinkled up her nose, "no, it sounds lame."

Spike chuckled for a moment before regaining his serious demeanor, "Aingeal, it's Gaelic for," he took her hand and softened his voice, "Angel."

The realization took but a fraction of a second to set in before Buffy realized what he had just revealed and the tears were flowing before she even had a minute to try and stop them.

"Let's get to Giles', eh?" Spike said, cradling her head against his chest.

---

Without knocking, Buffy and Spike burst through Giles' front door to find Giles, Willow, Kennedy, Xander, and Melanie sitting around and looking through dusty volumes like in the old days.
Giles jumped up immediately, cross in hand, lowering it when Spike hissed and backed away. "I'm terribly sorry, I thought you were someone else," Giles began, knowing he had to get Buffy know that Angel had once again lost his soul and become Angelus, or as he was now going by, Aingeal.
"Something's wrong with Angel," Buffy blurted.
"Yeah, the bloody ponce has lost his soul and changed his damned name again," Spike said, still receiving odd looks from Xander and company.
"Yes, we're aware. Willow had a visit from," Giles cleared his throat, "um, Drusilla, earlier today."
Spike's nerves went numb, "She's with Angel...here?" he asked, almost dumbly.
"As far as we know, the two are working together, not to destroy the world however, but to rule the undesirables of the city, both mortal and immortal," Giles answered, knowing this was a difficult moment for the two blondes standing before him.
"How'd he, lose it?" Buffy asked, nervous to hear the answer. It was hard for Buffy to see Angel with anyone but her, even though she didn't want him back at all.
"I'm not sure Buffy, this is all incredibly new information, there are a plethora of possibilities....for now, I advise you both to be on guard at all times, I imagine you'll both be subjects of interest to them," Giles warned.
"We should...stay together," Buffy knew she was treding into new waters, not knowing how Spike would react, since they 'weren't back together.'
"Yeh, your place?" Spike agreed.
Willow smiled quickly at Buffy from over Giles' shoulder as she and Spike made their way out the door.
-





You must login (register) to review.