Part 4

      "I don't why, but I always loved Doris Day movies," Willow stated.
      "Could it be because she plays characters that are a little like you?"
Angel replied.  Willow looked over at him.
      "That could have something to do with it."
      Willow and Angel had just left the Sunnydale Theater where they had watched
Pillow Talk.  The two people were holding hands and enjoying the warm spring
night.  It had been a week since the red head had shown up on Angel's
doorstep and, over that time, they had slowly begun to fall in love.  They
both decided that they should take the relationship slowly, not wanting to
rush anything considering the hurt that they both were just getting over.
Neither person had seen Buffy or Xander, although Willow had called Giles to
assure the worried librarian that she was okay.  He had told her that Buffy
and Xander had not even looked for her after that first day, which caused
her to question their friendships.
      "So, I take it you would like some ice cream now," Angel asked, already
knowing the answer.  "Maybe some chocolate chop cookie dough."
      "I think I could be persuaded," Willow teased.  Angel stopped and turned
Willow  so that they were facing each other.  He bent his head and captured
her lips with his in a kiss.
      "What will it take to persuade you?" Willow wrapped her arms around Angel's
neck.
      "I'm sure you can think of something."  Angel and Willow kissed again, this
time deeper than before as their tongues began a battle that neither person
cared who the victor was.  They were interrupted by the sound of someone
coughing.  They turned to face the person, half expecting it to be Xander or
Buffy, but were surprised to see a bleached blonde vampire instead.
      "Spike," Angel said, shocked at the appearance of his childe.  He hadn't
seen him since the night he and Drusilla had attempted to kill Angel to
restore the insane vampiress' health.  Angel had assumed that they had both
been killed in the fire that had consumed the church, but here Spike was, in
a wheelchair yet.  The blonde was extremely pale,.even for himself, and it
looked like he hadn't eaten in days.
      "Hello Peaches," Spike replied weakly.  "Long time, no see."
      "What happened to you? Where's Dru?" Angel approached his childe warily,
keeping himself between Willow & Spike.
      "Well, it funny you should ask about Dru.  Seems that while she appreciated
everything I did for her, and everything I went through while she was sick,
she couldn't wait to drop my arse when it was me that needed help," the
blonde explained.  "Been on my own since I made her well."
      A"But that was over a month ago," Willow stated.
      "Well, I see this one has brains as well as beauty, Angelus," Spike
quipped, giving Willow a once over that made her draw closer to Angel.  "Big
improvement over your last one."  Spike bent over as a coughing spasm rocked
his body.  Angel looked over at Willow and could see the concern on his face
for his first childe.  Over the past week, angel had opened himself up to
her more than he had to anyone in a very long time and she knew how much he
still cared for Spike.  Seeing the blonde in so much pain was killing the
older vampire.  She tilted her head, indicating that she thought Angel
should go to Spike and he did so, bending and giving Willow a kiss first.
      "Spike, when was the last time you fed?" Angel questioned the younger
vampire.  Spike didn't answer at first, refusing to even meet Angel's gaze.
"Spike, answer me."
      "About a week ago," he answered, sounding very much like a petulant child.
"Found a drunk passed out so it was easy pickens, even for an invalid like
myself."
      "A week ago," Angel repeated.  "Are you trying to kill yourself?  That way
too long between feeding, even for a master vampire like yourself."
      "Well, its not like I had a bloody choice about it," Spike growled.  "After
Dru kicked me out, there wasn't a vamp or demon that would even look at me
to kill me.  It's humiliating.  I used to be one of the most feared vampires
in history and look at me now."
      "I'm sorry, Spike," Angel said and he meant it.  He hated seeing the blonde
this way.  Granted Angel didn't approve of the death and destruction that
tended to follow Spike around, but that didn't mean he didn't care about his
childe.  Spike and Angel had been through a lot before the gypsy curse, the
blonde often making his sire laugh.  The demon in Angel was proud of the way
that Spike had taken to being a vampire, making even older vampires respect
him.  Spike had a way about him that just screamed charisma.  It was one of
the reasons that Angelus had chosen him to be his first childe.  It was also
one of the reasons that Angel had been unable to bring himself to kill
Spike.
      "I'm not asking you for you sympathy, you damn poof," Spike growled.
      "Then why are you here?"
      "I want you to stake me," Spike said softly, causing both Angel and Willow
to gasp.  It was the last thing that either person had expected to hear from
the blonde.
      "Why?" Willow asked, going over to the wheelchair bound man, her fear about
him vanishing into concern for him.
      "Why?" Spike snarled.  "Why?  Because I'm a bloody invalid, that's why.  I
used to be a bad ass vampire and now I'm confined to a lousy wheelchair. I
used to have hundreds of people quaking with fear just by the sight of me
and the sound of my name.  Now I can't even scare a child.  Look at you.
You aren't even afraid of me anymore and I've tried to kill you a few
times."  Willow looked down sheepishly.
      "I know."  She looked back up at Spike, "but that doesn't mean that I think
you should kill yourself.  Have you ever thought that maybe, with a little
help, you could get well again?"
      "What help?  Dru threw me out, remember?" Angel and Willow looked at each
other.
      "Our help, Spike," Angel told his stubborn childe.  Willow nodded her head.
  "We can help you, if you want it."  Spike looked at the two of them,
surprised at the offer.  He had truly expected his sire to stake him on
sight.  That's why he came to Angel.  Not, here he was, offering to help him
get well again.
      "Why?"  Angel shrugged his shoulders.
      "Because you're my childe.  And because, no matter what has happened in the
past, I still care about you and what happens to you," Angel explained.
      "And Red?"
      "I want what Angel wants," Willow told him.  "Besides, I hate seeing anyone
in pain, even a bad ass vampire that's tried to kill me a few times."  The
red head smiled at Spike, and he actually found himself grinning back at
her.
      "Peaches, I think you should keep this one," Spike told his sire.  "She'll
keep you on your toes."
      "What she does, Spike.  That she does."  Angel looked on at Spike and
Willow, happy to see that they were managing to get along, despite the past.
  He was also happy with the way Willow was accepting Angel's need to help
Spike.  "So, what do you say?  Will you let us help you?" Spike shrugged his
shoulders.
      "Yeah, I'll let you help me.  Who know, maybe I'll be able to steal your
girl away from you," Spike teased.
      "Not even on your best day, boy," Angel growled back.  All three people
laughed as they headed back towards Angel's apartment.  They didn't even
notice the couple that had been spying on them.
      "Well, well, well.  It seems that little miss Willow has been keeping
secrets."
      "Why do you care what that nerd is doing?"
      "I don't," the girl replied, "except for the fact that it may hurt two
other people I can barely tolerate and who happen to be her best friends."
      "What do you mean?" Her date asked.
      "Nothing.  Come on Devon.  I want to get home so I can get plenty of beauty
rest for the first day back to school.  Not that I need it, of course.
      "Of course, but I thought we were going up to the point to, you know."
      "I want to look my best for tomorrow.  You don't want me to not be happy do
you?" She pouted.
      "Fine, let's go," Devon said as he opened his date's car door.  The girl
had told him only a part truth though, her mind going a mile a minute.  She
did want to get home and make plans for school the next day, but they had
nothing to do with her beauty rest.  They were plans that would include one
Willow Rosenberg.  She had seen Angel and Willow come out of the theater
holding hands and kissing and that was why she had followed them.  Then to
see the two of them leave with Spike made her even more curious.  Tomorrow
would definitely not be boring, not if Cordelia Chase had anything to do
about it.
 

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