Chapter 15
**
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Previously:
Picking up a heavy bronze statue from the mess on the floor, Xander willingly hit the out-of-control vampire on the back of the head, knocking him out completely. Turning to Buffy, no one was surprised at his question. “Now, can I dust him?”
**
When the bell for the front door jangled, the first thought that went through everyone’s mind was, ‘really should have locked that’. Looking up, the group was surprised to see Dawn, who was taking in the scene before her with wide-eyed amazement. As Joyce stepped through the door to join her youngest, she calmly ignored the unconscious form of the brunette vampire and directed her question to Buffy. “Dear, were you aware that Riley is sitting in his car watching the shop? He doesn’t look pleased.”
“I broke up with him last night. He was carrying around a plastic stake to torture vampires with.” Buffy let her eyes flick towards Spike, silently sharing with her mother her belief that Spike had been the intended victim.
Before Joyce could comment, Dawn made her presence felt, squealing her thank-yous over and over again, the exuberant teen launched herself into Spike's arms before she promptly burst into tears.
Totally at a loss, Spike shared a panicked look with Xander before turning pleading eyes towards Joyce.
Taking pity on the confused vampire, Joyce gathered her weeping child into her embrace, offering Dawn assurances that she was here and not going anywhere.
Bouncing back, as teenagers do, Dawn looked down at the vampire she was standing on. “So…why is there an unconscious stalker on the floor?”
“Xander hit him,” Willow informed the curious girl.
“He rammed his head into the wall first,” Xander felt it necessary to explain.
“He was being an ass.” Cordy looked down at the now groaning vampire, “This is sooo gonna cost him a Prada handbag to go with my new Manolo Blahnik shoes”.
“Should we restrain him? He seemed quite agitated.” Wesley kept his concerned gaze on Angel.
“Who was he angry at?” Joyce eyed the downed vampire suspiciously as Dawn stepped off him.
“Me,” Penny grinned, completely unperturbed by the attempted attack. She was really starting to see the benefits of being non-corporeal.
Groaning, Angel gingerly sat up, holding onto the back of his head. “Could you all please stop talking about me as if I wasn’t here?”
“I’m still voting for the stakage,” Xander completely ignored the now conscious subject of his derision.
“Oooh, can I vote too? ‘Cause…gotta say…I’m all on board with the stakage.” Dawn grinned at Xander.
“Why do you hate me?” Angel whined at his teenage tormentor.
“Uh, duh…’cause you’re an idiot,” Dawn lifted an eyebrow as she responded to his question, her tone dripping with teenage condemnation.
“Dawn,” Joyce gently chastised her daughter. Waiting for Dawn’s full attention before she continued. “I asked you not to wear your new shoes until this weekend.”
Stifling her giggle at the affronted look on Angel’s face, Buffy carefully schooled her features before addressing him. “Was I not clear that you weren’t welcome in Sunnydale anymore, Angel?”
“You weren’t serious,” he firmly informed her.
While Willow and Tara shook their heads in disbelief, Giles and Wesley rolled their eyes. Joyce, Cordelia, Penny, and Dawn crossed their arms in disgust. Anya hoped that they dusted Angel before she swept the floor, and Spike and Xander sat back in joyous expectation as Buffy went from simmer to a full rolling boil in a millisecond.
“Where do you get off telling me what I’m thinking? You didn’t have that right when we were together,” Buffy blasted the clueless vampire. “I have a mind of my own, Angel, and I'm not afraid to use it. Need I remind you that you broke up with me, and if memory serves, the last time I was in LA, you told me I wasn't welcome. You seem to have conveniently forgotten you left me and our 'freak show'.”
“He compared your love to a freak show?" Spike growled. He couldn’t have stopped his exclamation if he tried; he was incensed. How anyone, let alone his poofter of a grandsire, could be so cruelly insensitive to the heart of this passionate girl was beyond him. Wasn’t the poof supposed to be the one with the all encompassing bloody soul?
Buffy threw the blond vampire a grateful glance and moved closer to him. She knew that Spike would have never said something like that to a woman he loved.
Turning back to Angel, Buffy continued to speak. “There’s something you need to know once and for all, Angel. One of Willow's spells showed me something, and I've really been in denial about it for too long, but now that I don't have to worry about the gang staking him..." Buffy grabbed Spike's hand and prayed that he was open to her unplanned announcement, or at least that he wouldn’t embarrass her in front of his grandsire, ‘cause that would just suck. “I'm finally gonna date who I've wanted to date for the past three years, and before you say he's a substitute for you, Angel. In reality you were a substitute for him.”
“Are you serious, Slayer?” Spike asked her; his expression hopeful and pleading, but fear danced though his eyes as his history in coming second to his grandsire flashed through his mind. ‘Please, please don’t be playing with me’, he silently begged.
“Totally!” she confirmed before facing the ecstatic blond, “You know, if you hadn't issued that stupid death threat, you would have gotten lucky that first night:”
“Buffy!” Joyce admonished her daughter’s forthright statement, placing her hands firmly over her other daughter’s ears.
“But mom, you should have seen him.” The non-repentant girl responded. “He was so hot! What sixteen year old girl doesn't like a bad boy?” Buffy let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like the word ‘Ripper’.
“Buffy Anne Summers, I am still your mother, young lady!” Joyce blushed crimson, as she caught sight of the embarrassed watcher.
Buffy returned her mother’s look with one of complete innocence. “What’s a stevedore?”
Angel looked sick, turning to Joyce, he all but begged her, “Tell her you don’t approve.”
“Why wouldn’t I approve of Spike?” Joyce innocently asked the demanding brunette, fully cognizant of the fact that she had been instrumental in his break-up with Buffy.
“You didn’t approve of me!” Angel responded in indignation
“And your point is?” She smiled politely.
Ignoring the snickering at his expense, Angel doggedly persevered. “He's a vampire.”
“Nice to know your observation skills are still right up there, gel boy,” Xander sarcastically mocked the discontented vampire.
“I think you’ll find, Angel, that not one of us would be willing to choose you over Spike.” Giles said, compelled to add his support to the blond vampire. He may have reservations about the blossoming relationship between Spike and his slayer, but he was firm in his belief that the blond was by far a better choice than the brunette.
Rounding abruptly on Penny, the furious vampire spat out his accusation. “You! You’re responsible for this.”
“Seriously?” Penny deadpanned, lifting an amused eyebrow. “Yay me.”
“Do all psychologists act like you? ‘Cause…gotta say…funny.” Xander grinned at Penny.
“Nah, this is just me. I left the doctor badge at home. And you really couldn’t afford my hourly rate,” Penny returned his grin.
Desperate and totally at a loss at how to handle being completely dismissed, Angel grasped at straws. If he had to suffer this humiliation, he wasn’t going to suffer alone. Smiling coldly at Spike and using his sire’s voice, he made his demand. “Beg for forgiveness, boy; that you would dare to forget your place. Show them who your master is.”
Spike stiffened every cell in his body electrified. His demon screamed to obey the command, but Spike was stronger than his demon, he fought off the desire to yield.
The other occupants of the room seemed to freeze in a combination of horror and anticipation as the moments passed with no visible movement from the blond vampire.
Angel’s smile slowly faded. His demon was outraged. How dare this little upstart defy him, humiliate him further? Guess it was time to show his errant grandchilde just who exactly was in charge. “Boy, you’re gonna regret defying me.”
Taking a step forward, Angel was halted by the stake pressed firming against his chest. This one would not miss his heart.
“Stay the hell away from him.”