Come Back to Me

by Spikesdeb

Chapter 19

Angel leant back in his chair.  It had been quite an illuminating conversation with Xander; who’d have guessed little Miss Rosenberg thought she could go up against him and win?  She might know her way around a few spell books but the child had lessons to learn.  Hard lessons.  He’d sent Harris off with advice to sober up and get his act together for the next stage.  The idiot had left behind the focusing amulet that would be his protection when hell was unleashed, so he’d had to summon Harmony to deliver it to him.  A spy in the enemy camp was too useful to waste or he’d put the sorry loser out of his misery now and have done with it.   

So… decisions, decisions.  Time to modify his plans in light of the Powers That Be joining the equation.  Oh, he knew they weren’t invincible but still – an adversary not to be taken lightly.   

He picked up the phone, “Get me Demon Domination.” 

The cloying voice of the receptionist stroked his ego.   

“Yes, Mr Angel, Sir.  Connecting you.  Have a nice day…” 

“This is Demon Domination.  How may I disembowel you today?” 

“Get me Stone.” 

“And you are…” 

“About to rip your tongue out.  This is Angel.  You were saying?” 

The squeal of terror from the other end of the line curled Angel’s lips into a satisfied smirk.  That was more like it!  Some damn respect.  There was a whispered conversation then the sound of the receiver being snatched, someone clearing their throat. 

“Mr Angel, sir!  Lucas Stone here, how may I be of assistance?” 

“I’m upping the schedule a notch.  Did you manage to recover the items you need to finish it?  Good.  Then I’ll head down to the lower levels so we won’t be disturbed.  This needs to be done now, time’s running out.  Be there in fifteen minutes – I’ve got a little unfinished business to attend to first.” 

Angel replaced the receiver and got to his feet.  He was actually feeling quite relieved – thank god he could drop the playacting at last; it wasn’t his forte and quite frankly it bored him.  He had two modes, broody and broodier, and they worked just fine.  Anything else was a stretch and his energies could be better spent.  So the Scoobies knew that he’d caused Dawn’s coma and had used Spike’s surprise reappearance to his own advantage.  So what?  Not a lot they could do about it.  He could imagine their faces… God, he loved the game, especially when he held all the aces – the entire resources of Wolfram and Hart at his command.  

He felt a twinge of regret that Buffy no longer looked on him as her noble, tortured hero, but tough – she’d get over it just like last time.  Once Spike was out of the picture, he’d show her what she’d been missing.  Soon enough she’d be all big eyes and lovesick glances – I want you but I shouldn’t.  And if she was taking too long about it he could always hex her.  She would be his.  Now that he saw things clearly he knew exactly what he wanted to do with her.  He wanted to ravage her, mark her and bite her and fuck her.  He’d come to realise that his soul was like an albatross slung round his neck – useless and somehow diminishing - the sooner it was gone, the better.  Buffy could take his virginity, in a manner of speaking, and gift him with his unfettered self back to full, glorious, bloodthirsty colour.  And this time he’d make sure there were no inquisitive witches to mess things up. 

Smiling, Angel headed towards the medical wing. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Spike broke into a loping run as he neared Fred’s lab.  His nerve ends were tingling, he’d worked himself up to such a pitch - he was desperate to tell the others about Xander and get straight back to Buffy. He didn’t feel safe with Harris so unstable and wandering around.  He could do anything.  He wouldn’t put it past the git to mess with his girls just to get back at him.  Why the hell did he hate him so much?  They’d never got on but it hadn’t all been bad.  Bloody hell, he’d gone the extra mile for the boy more than once – and that’s not to mention the whole dying to save the world in the Hellmouth.  What had he said?  Why not her?’  Her who?   

Spike answered his own question just as he entered the lab.  Anya.  Her death meant Xander could never make amends for the way he’d treated her – Spike knew a thing or two about that one – and he ’d realised what a fool he’d been.  But then yours truly gets mojoed back from beyond while Anya rots in the Hellmouth.  Harris felt cheated – no second chance for him – so blame it all on the resurrected.  Only human, after all.   

But to turn on his friends like that…there was nothing that could justify that.  Spike steeled himself to act if he had to and skidded to a halt inside the lab doors.  Giles, Wes and Willow were huddled round Fred, flashing a shiny coin and whispering furiously and hadn’t noticed him come in, but Faith – lounging against the wall, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face – nodded to him so he walked over to her.  Gunn rested beside her, looking remarkably relaxed given the situation. 

“Faith.  How’s the ladyboy?” 

“You mean Robin, the guy who kicked your lily-white butt?” 

He snorted.  “Yeah, as if!  Don’t know what dream world he was in, but the runt was a hairsbreadth from oblivion.  Ask him to show you the fang marks if you don’t believe me.” 

The two were warming up for a full on snit fest when Fred cleared her throat.  As she checked her clipboard and got ready to speak, Lorne rocketed through the door and closed it behind him, leaning on it heavily and panting for breath. 

“Sorry, boys and girls!  Been tailed by a bunch of truly stenchworthy members of the Angel Fan Club and I had to make with some serious duck and dodge to lose them.  Not sure if they’re watching my luscious self any more than usual, but why risk it.  So…what have I missed?” 

Fred became the centre of attention, her blush and giggles oddly incongruous with her severe hairstyle, spectacles and stark white lab coat she wore.   

“Perfect timing, Lorne, I’m just about to start.  I’ll give an outline of what I know so feel free to join in when you spot something interesting, everybody.   Okay?” 

After a chorus of encouragement, the shy Texan started out. 

“Well…First off we know that Angel’s definitely a little darker than usual.  It’s like this place is his personal empire, the way he’s taken to leadership and the selective blindness when it comes to the evil that goes on…Willow’s found out why.  Willow, you wanna?” 

“Oh…yeah.  Well…thing is I don’t know the exact details but Cordy told me…” 

“Cordy!  Well bake me, frost me, and top me with a cherry!  The divine Miss C is returned to hearth and home.  Is she okay?”  Lorne grinned at Willow who nodded at him, but moved on.  Stories of Cordelia’s miraculous revival would have to wait.   

“So…Cordy told me that some top bigwig at Wolfram and Hart brokered a sweet deal with Angel to get him here and they’ve been working on him ever since.  You know that otter blood that Harmony fetches him almost on the hour?  They’ve been spiking it, made it so that he’s losing his grip on the soul.  The longer it goes on, he’s becoming more Angelus and less Angel.” 

One by one the team nodded and added their opinions.  That made sense, explained a lot.  Didn’t excuse it, of course.  And what could the evil law firm have possibly offered the penitent Champion of the People to make him so interested in a corporation he’d been battling for years?   

“A stake’ll fix him whether he’s an ‘el’ or an ‘us’.  Likely you lot can work the magic to sort Dawn out, and I trust to Tex here to make sure I’m still around to pretty the place up.  If that’s what it takes…we dust him good and proper.  What d’you think, Gunn?” 

Gunn didn’t answer, eyes cast down to the floor; his jaw was working though, signalling his unease and his rising temper.  It had taken him a long time to get past the ‘Angel is a vampire – vampires are evil’ vibe he had going.  He was surprised at his own reluctance to put an end to the evil undead; but the truth was Angel had opened his eyes to the possibility of redemption and he had become his friend.  He couldn’t just pretend that hadn’t happened.  He raised his eyes and looked directly into Spike’s icy blue ones. 

He was puzzled by the uncertainty he found there.  Surely out of all of them Spike would be the one to be in no doubt of what his feelings about Angel were.  Seemed not. 

“So, Gunn -- you with me?” 

“Let’s just hear Wes’s pitch.” 

Everybody turned their eyes to the ex-Watcher in shock; Wes blinked back with the same expression.  Since Giles and Willow had turned up he was used to taking a back seat and following their lead.  Giles had been a Watcher forever and Willow had awesome power that just sizzled, even when she was sitting and being calm. 

“Ahem…yes.  I think there may be other avenues to explore before we go all ‘gung ho’.  Giles?” 

“Agreed.  We need to consider all possibilities.  Willow? How about your conversation with Cordelia – anything more?” 

Willow eyed Spike nervously.  How he’d react to the news that he was the one to bring Angel back to the fold was anyone’s guess.  And even then the Powers That Be didn’t know if that would be enough to save Dawn.  She hadn’t let that little titbit out yet, figuring she owed it to Spike to tell him first, or at least at the same time as the others.  Giles and Wesley already knew about the Champion thing and Giles was giving her the cue to spill what Cordy had told her. 

“Spike – there are things you need to know.  Cordy has a direct link to the Powers, she’s kinda their mouthpiece, I suppose.  She told me that there is a way to restore the balance and have Angel set on his right path.”  She swallowed as Spike shifted his weight and raised an eyebrow.  “But I don’t think you’re gonna like it…” 

“Try me.”  Spike’s jaw was set, his eyes cold and lethal.  He didn’t do well with being manipulated by anyone. 

Willow took a deep breath and continued, “Cordy has given me details of the ingredients needed to counteract the effects of the tainted blood but there’s the mystical side to deal with too.  We can mix up the herbs and stuff, and Harmony’s so dense she’ll just give him what we tell her to -- but to complete a reversal of the effects it needs…well, you.” 

Spike snorted.  “Me save Peaches?  You’re kidding.” 

“No.  She shared her vision with me telepathically and I’m afraid it’s the only way.” 

Giles butted in.  “Spike, Willow informed Wesley and myself of your role in this.  And…” Giles hesitated before delivering this news; “…it would seem that you were brought back by the Powers for this very purpose.  It is your destiny.” 

Spike exploded into motion, bouncing towards Willow and the watchers, his duster flaring out behind him and his arms flailing.  Fred took a step back but the others held their ground. 

“No!  You’re wrong, Watcher! I came back for Buffy…I know it.”  His voice tailed off; much as the romantic poet inside him wanted to believe that his eternal love had bought him a return ticket to Buffy’s side, an intervention of the Powers That Be was a far more plausible explanation.  Deflated yet accepting of the bitter truth, he’d better hear what the tossers wanted of him.  He looked at the others, all of them avoiding eye contact so as not to irritate him further. 

“Sorry, Red.  Go on.” 

“There are trials to undertake to prove that you are a Champion and then…” 

“Trials?  That’s rich, cinderising in the Hellmouth not good enough?”  Spike snarled at Willow, transferring his aggression to her in place of its proper target. 

Willow didn’t flinch.  She’d expected worse.  “So…Spike…you pass the trials and then we’re all set for the ritual.” 

“Don’t tell me, it’s all about the blood.” 

Willow was surprised and her voice showed it.  “Erm…yes, actually it is.  The ritual’s similar to the one you used to heal Drusilla.  Sire’s blood?  But this time it has to be blood of the Champion vampire.” 

Silence descended as they considered the revelations.  Wesley was first to speak. 

“Willow, as I understand it, the ritual that you refer to had the side effect of killing the donor, and it was only Buffy and Kendra’s intervention that averted that outcome.  Do the Powers require a sacrifice of that nature?” 

Spike drew in a breath.  So, it came to this.  Once again he got to play Russian roulette with his bollocks on the block – but he had too much to lose now.  How could that ever be right?  And how come Angel never got to die? 

“The ritual isn’t clear on that, but Cordy believes there is a way to save Angel without losing Spike.” 

Everybody in the room seemed relieved.  Spike shot anxious looks at them all, surprised by at least some of their reactions.  Maybe Fred wasn’t his only friend here. 

Willow outlined the trials and the ritual, Spike gritting his teeth but nodding in agreement.   

Buffy wasn’t going to like this one little bit. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Angel hesitated when he reached the hospital wing.  Should he go brazen it out with Buffy or deal with Cordy?  He considered his options.  Buffy was the Slayer, more than capable of ripping his head off with her bare hands.  Cordy – well, she may be the vessel of the Powers but she was still human and therefore fragile - plus she wasn’t exactly what you’d call gifted in the brain department.  A little kissing and a few crocodile tears of regret and she’d believe he’d reformed.  And then he’d remind her what happened to those who tried to oppose him. 

He strode off down the corridor, shoving the door to Cordy’s room open wide.  It bounced back from the wall from the force, Angel sweeping in to make the grand entrance.  But his dramatics were wasted.  Cordy wasn’t there.  Cursing, he turned on his heel and headed back to Buffy. 

+++ 

Buffy stood up to stretch and sauntered over to the nightstand to flick through the pile of magazines, thankfully finding one she’d read only the once.   Glancing at Dawn she noted her pale features, the slightly flushed cheeks and even breathing; her sister wasn’t on the respirator but she was still attached to various beeping and pulsing monitors measuring this and that.  It was surprising to Buffy how soon this had become normal to her, this waiting and watching. She wasn’t usually a sit and wait person, preferring by far the jump in and slay approach.  But there was nothing else she could do here.  Not yet anyway. 

Footsteps and the sound of the door opening had her turning with a happy smile, expecting to see Spike.  The smile froze as the looming figure of Angel filled the doorway.  Her heart started to race and she instinctively moved to put herself between him and Dawn.  

“Buffy.”  The word held menace, veiled but there nonetheless. 

Buffy was beyond the pretence.  “What do you want, Angel?  I won’t let you hurt her, nor Spike.  You want either of them; you have to come through me.  Wanna try it?”   

Angel stepped forwards under the stark fluorescent lighting.  The harsh glare of the white tubes shadowed his face, casting a sinister mask over his features, and Buffy wondered why she hadn’t seen the cruel turn of his lips or the hooded eyes before.  His true nature was written on his face like an admission of guilt.  The last of her girlish memories dissolved before the reality of Angel.  So be it. 

“Buffy, Buffy.  You gotta know I’d never hurt you, or Dawn – I only wanted to keep you both with me.  I can fix it, don’t worry.  All you have to do is promise me you’ll always be my girl.  Would that be too much to ask?  Spike won’t be a problem for much longer and we can have a new beginning.  I’ll take good care of you, Buffy.  And it won’t hurt but a moment…” 

Angel lunged at her before she could react, his brow ridging as he pounced.  The element of surprise and his superior bulk had her shoved up against the wall before she realised what was happening and although she struggled, she couldn’t get the leverage to push him off.  He wrenched her head to the side and had his fangs in her neck, Buffy kicking furiously and scratching at his face. 

Abruptly, he threw her to the floor, spitting out her blood and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.  Malevolent golden eyes turned on her, Buffy clutching at her torn neck with her hand to staunch the blood flow. 

Angel snarled.  “You let him claim you?  And you claimed him back?  You stupid bitch - you’re mine – not his!  I see I’ll have to teach my get that he only has my leavings when I’ve finished with them.  I’ll be back for you when he’s dust.” 

So saying, Angel turned on his heel and strode out, knocking over a drip stand on his way that clattered and bounced in the silence he left behind.  

Buffy hesitated a second to gather herself then raced out after him.

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