He had to end this. For Buffy's sake and for the sake of the world.
Swiftly kicking the door down, he watched as splinters of wood flew around him.
The door slammed into Buffy's body, pinning her against the wall for a fleeting second before she fell to the floor in an unconscious heap. Angel spared her a glance, but knew she would be all right. Instead, he focused his attention on the slack-jawed Spike.
“Buffy,” Matt murmured, then glared at the intruder. “Look what you did, you pillock! You could have killed her!”
Angel fumbled for a moment, smelling the potent Slayer blood that permeated the air, but shoved his worry for her to the side. He could take care of her when he was finished with Spike. A small part of him wanted to leave Spike—His grandchilde—alone. He wanted to tell the younger vampire to leave and never look back. However, Angel knew that Buffy would find out what he’d done, and try to find him again. Angel couldn't let that happen. It was now or never, and he opted for now.
“I didn't kill her, but I know who I will kill.”
With that said, the battle began. Fists and fangs, just the way Spike liked his fights. However, this wasn't the real Spike. This was a lost man in Spike's packaging. Matt wasn't as skilled, nor was he well trained, but he was still just as cunning and graceful. He fought with his brain and his body, using both in a lethal dance that usually ended with him on the winning side. They both got their shots in, punches, kicks and jabs in well thought out places. No matter how hard Matt tried, Angel soon had the upper hand, using Matt's inexperience to his advantage.
“Don't think for a second that you can beat me, Spike,” Angel said, squeezing the younger vampire's windpipe in a crushing headlock. “You never could.”
Matt smirked. He had found out the hard way that letting pride get in the way of a fight could lead to dire consequences. He knew that you should go into a fight knowing you have nothing to lose, nothing to gain. If you go into it knowing that you'll win, no matter how small the opponent, you let yourself slip. Your moves get a little sloppy, and before you know it, your gloating lands you in a rough place. Angel had done just that, and Matt wasn't going to let his chance slip away.
He gripped Angel's forearm, and with a feral growl, he bent forward, using the momentum to flip Angel over his head. Without missing a beat, he straddled the brunet's chest, delivering powerful blows to the older vampire's body.
Buffy groaned, feeling some blood trickle down her forehead, threatening to slide into her eye. She wiped at it as she watched the scene before her, Spike's fists slamming into different spots on Angel's body at an incredible pace. She grinned, feeling that Angel was getting what he deserved, but when she saw Spike grab Angel's stake off the floor and hold it above her former lover's chest, she knew she had to step in.
“Stop!” she pulled herself up as relief flooded her body. Her sudden outburst had jarred Spike, making him stall his fatal blow.
She limped over to the vampires, but she wasn't fast enough.
Angel bucked his hips, sending Spike flying over him and crashing into the floor. Angel jumped to his feet and picked up a piece of the broken door, wielding it as a stake.
What Angel hadn’t expected was Buffy and her sudden lack of hindrance. Seeing Angel getting ready to stake Spike made her spring into action and tackle him to the ground, pure adrenaline coursing through her body so she felt no pain. Quickly, she pulled a stake from her boot and plunged it into his chest.
Angel's eyes flew open in shock and pain. He never thought that Buffy, his Buffy, would ever stake him... Okay, there was that one time with a sword, but that was different. There were circumstances then. Now, there were none. He was trying to protect her from Spike, and this was how she repaid him?
"I think you missed, pet,” Matt snorted, wiping his bleeding nose with the back of his hand. “Aren't Slayers supposed to have better aim than that?”
“Shut up, Spike, or you're next,” she said, feeling nothing but anger for both of the vampires.
Buffy got onto her feet, holding her sore belly where the door knob had rammed into her. She knew she would have a bruise there later. She looked down at Angel, disgust shining bright in her eyes. “Don’t you ever go near him with a stake again, you hear me?” she ground out, her voice laced with warning. She bent down and pulled the stake from his chest, ignoring the suctioning noise as it came free. “Or next time, I won't miss.”
“Buffy... I need...” Angel groaned, holding his hand over the open chest wound. “He isn't safe...”
“I know,” she whispered, catching the attention of both vampires. “I heard you talking with Wesley earlier. I know that he ‘brings the threat of the next apocalypse’.” She looked over at Spike, her expression changing from one of disgust to one of affection. “We’ll deal with whatever Wesley finds out. If an apocalypse happens, we'll avert it. Together. But I won't lose him. Not again.”
Angel watched as tears slipped down her cheeks, the pain of her tears—even if not spilled over him—hurting him. “But what about us, Buffy? You're not cookies, yet!”
Matt arched his eyebrow, lost on the little inside... whatever it was. He was obviously not a part of it, so he got up, planning to leave. But then he heard Buffy's admission, and he felt his whole body stiffen.
“My heart is no longer yours, Angel. It hasn't been for a long time. It belongs to him.”
Sure enough, when Matt turned to look at her, she was pointing to him. He smirked at the crestfallen look on Angel's face, but he had no clue how to react. One thing he knew he was good at was pushing people away. “Whoa, there, pet. I don't want anyone's heart to belong to me, let alone a Slayer's.”
Buffy stared at him, unblinking and unmoving. He watched as a tiny tear escaped an eye, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss it away. But he didn't want anyone holding him back. He didn't want anyone around him that he could hurt.
“You don't mean that,” she whispered. “Please, tell me you don't mean that.”
“I stand by what I said before the Enormous Poof showed up, Slayer. I'll visit you when I'm ready.”
And then he left, leaving an inconsolable Slayer in a destroyed motel room with her ex-boyfriend.
TBC
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thank you to Amy for beta'ing!
Chapter End Notes:
I'll be posting as regularly as I can now. I did get my laptoop for Christmas (*cheers*) so I can go on whenever I feel like it. So a chapter of AF will be coming soon! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!! Reviews?