Los Angeles
::Resolution!:: Wesley shouted suddenly, bolting upright from what had been a sound slumber.
::Its not New Years, Wes, ::Cordelia mumbled, still in the dream state herself.
::No! The stone! The stone is for resolution! Thats its purpose. Thats
what it was sent for.:: The Watcher asserted
loudly, flipping wildly through an ancient tome to the page which
would prove him correct. When he found it, he pointed
the paragraph out to Giles.
::Yes,:: Giles began, replacing his glasses. ::Yes, youre right, that does
appear to be our stone .......and our demons
purpose is to resolve deep seated issues...::
Xander interrupted ::Sorta like group therapy for vampires? Hello, my name
is William the Bloody and Im a
death-o-holic. Great! Love you Will!:: .
GIles shook his head non-comitally. ::Actually, rather like that, yes.
Whoever comes in physical contact with the stone
will need to...oh dear...::
::I hate it when you do that. Dont you hate it when he does that?:: Xander spoke up.
::Well, weve come in contact with it,:: Giles stated. ::Which means we
are going to be involved in Angels...resolution.
And possibly Spikes....::
Cordelia sniffed. ::Personally, I vote good. I think a little collective guilt is good for the conscience.::
Xander looked annoyed at the implication, but Willow nodded. ::Shes right,
Xand. Its not like we havent had
our...issues with Angel. And you know...Buffy would want us to resolve
them::
The group was silent. They had gone almost a whole twenty-four hours without
mentioning the Slayer. Speaking her
name now, the shock and pain of the loss was once more a physical
presence among them.
::Resolution indeed::, Giles thought silently.
************************************************************************ Elsewhere.....
Druscilla sat in Spikes lap, his long arms about her waist, her dark head
resting on his shoulder. Angel watched them;
silent, from a distance. Spike was whispering something in her ear,
and she was smiling. Then she turned her face
toward him, and he grabbed her tiny face in his hands, and kissed her,
long and deliberately, and a deep moan rose
from the males chest...And it could have been a century ago.
It never ceased to amaze the dark vampire. Every time
he was certain there was no part left of his heart to break.
Unlife was just full of these jovial little surprises. Blessed be
those fucking gypsies.
Angel walked slowly over to the couple, and knelt down. He was struck by
the surreal sense of genuflecting before the
Virgin, suddenly, and had to shake his head to clear the strange
feeling of dejavu.
::Excuse us a moment, Dru?:: Angel gestured for Spike to follow him as
he walked a few paces away. Spike scowled
at him, but nonetheless did as he was bidden.
::What the fuck is your - - , :: began the smaller vampire, but Angels
hand across his mouth effectively silenced him. The
urge to bite down on the smooth palm was obvious in Spikes enraged
expression.
**In here. Silently. Dont speak it.** Angel sent him the soundless message, without removing the offending hand.
<<She can hear us anyway, you know, and let go of my bloody face, idiot!>> Furious. But silent as requested.
**No, she can only hear you. So just do as I say, and answer my questions with a yes or a no only.**
<<Yea? You want me to lick your goddamn boots too, Master?>>
Angel grimaced , and reflexively he tightened his grip around the smaller
mans mouth. Spikes eyes went yellow with
anger, and Angel felt the fangs begin to tease the skin of his hand.
Angels gaze flashed gold in response. For a
moment, they stood, tense and unmoving.
The dark vampire blinked first; his grasp loosened. ::Im sorry,:: he said, aloud. For both vampires to hear.
Then, he bent his head and covered Spikes lips with his own. The kiss was
gentle, hesitant, and it made the younger
mans toes curl inside his boots. Then the voice in his brain.
**I know this makes you uncomfortable, the conflicting loyalties...Can you just trust me? Humor me?**
Spike stiffened in Angels grasp. <<Im not some soddin wench, Angelus.
You dont just kiss me and think you can do
whatever the hell you want.>>
The kiss deepened, Angels tongue dueling briefly with the other vampires,
before straying over his teeth, licking the
smooth, shiny surfaces. Angel sliced his own tongue on one sharp
point, and thrust the blood covered tip deep into
Spikes throat. The smaller vampire was undone by the blatantly submissive
gesture. He tightened his hold around
Angels waist, and sucked on his tongue until the dark man whimpered
in pain.
Satisfied, Spike sent him a mental grin. <<Good. Now. What?>>
Angel growled half heartedly and broke the kiss. **Are you certain none of this is physically real?**
<<Yes.>>
A brief smile of gratitude at the obedient monosyllabic reply. Small sneer
in return, but Angel thought that maybe it
covered a reluctant grin.
<<Fat chance.>>
Ignoring the last, **Our physical selves are still inside my apartment?**
<<Yes.>>
**You joined me here....on purpose?**
<<Yes.>>
**You have more information to tell me about the stone?**
<<Yes.>>
**You know how to get back to our bodies?**
<<No.>>
**Shit.**
<Yes.>>
A grin now. Matched.
**Anything else I need to know now?**
<<Yes.>> Then silence. Angel frowned.
<<Well? You want to play charades with it or can I just tell you?!>>
Another smirk from the taller man. **You play charades?**
<<Yea, wanna see a gesture that means bugger off?>>
**Just go ahead and tell me.**
<>
Angels eyes widened. **Nice call, Will**
<<Im brighter than you give me credit for. We done now?>>
::No,:: Angel whispered, and bent his head once more to touch Spikes mouth
with his. He merely brushed his lips back
and forth across the younger mans several times, until he felt Spike
arch, pushing forward to deepen the connection.
He obliged eagerly, plundering the willing mouth with a kiss that
was more than enough message in itself.
End part 13