~Part 1~

It was about noon when Willow hung up the phone distractedly. Cordelia had just called to ask how she was doing.  They talked quite a bit since Queen C had started working for Angel.  The hacker had helped Cordelia design their demon database into a user friendly instant access resource.  Cordelia had mentioned Angel and some prophecy about him in passing.  That is, the prom queen mentioned it in between talking about their movie star client and about the incredibly rich billionaire guy came in to hang with them.

Willow knew her well enough to know that the brunette was really worried about Angel and the prophecy.   Cordelia had said she was going to browse through the street festival later that afternoon and see if there was anything she could buy Angel that would make him feel like he was in the world before she had hung up and now Willow felt something was incredibly wrong.  Willow just knew it had to do with that prophecy.   The redhead didn't know how she knew, just that she did.   She had to find Spike, he was the only one that would be able to take her to L.A. on such short notice.  She'd have to bribe
him somehow, but she'd think of something.

It took her several hours to locate Spike.  Giles couldn't help her and gave her a stern warning about dealing with the soulless vampire.  So she'd went to Willie's and threatened to turn him into a rat for the information.  Of course Willie knew that being a literal rat would be bad for business so he gave her the information that she wanted.  Spike had moved into an apartment not too far from Angel's old place.

"Come on, Spike, please?"

"Why, pet?  Why would I drive 2 hours with you, to see two humans I've met only briefly and my idiot poof of a sire?  I'd rather go sunbathe."

"Pretty please?"  Willow was glad Spike had finally moved into an apartment instead of that musty old crypt, it made what she was about to do much easier.

"Look luv, I'm not just going to drive you to L.A. on a whim because you flashed those big green eyes at me.  I have no desire to see Peaches and his nancy boy hair gel fetish.  What's in it for me?"

By this time Willow had walked into the kitchen and pulled out the things she needed.

Spike backed up against doorframe when he saw his favorite mug on the counter and a knife in her hand, "Um, Willow, you know I can't harm you right?  There's no need for that, pet."

"I know Spike.  Here's my deal, you take me to L.A. and you get a mug of fresh blood, not cold pig's blood from the butcher, but real human blood every three days for the next month."  Spike shook his head. He was a little surprised at her audacity.

"Why every three days?"

"Because that's how long it takes for me to recover enough to do the spell to heal myself completely."

"Oh, well, I'll have to think about it."  He shrugged and made a big show of pulling out his cigarettes and lighting one up.

"Come on Spikey, you know you want it, all warm and squishy...."

"Alright, alright, deal!  Hurry up Red, all this talk has made me hungry."

"Nope, we have to go get my stuff from my dorm room and when we get to L.A. you can eat.  I'll even take your "Save Timmy" mug if you want."

Willow smirked at the bleached vampire.
 

~Part 2~

Two and a half hours later they drove up to where Angel Investigations had stood.  Willow thought it looked like the high
school had looked after Giles blew the library up.  There were cop cars, fire trucks, ambulances, even police tape everywhere.

"Ya know, pet we could've gotten here sooner if you didn't need all that stuff...  Bloody hell!  What happened here?!"  Spike took in the emergency vehicles everywhere and felt a sudden dread wash over him. His Sire lived in there.  The place was reduced to rubble and his Sire lived in there.  He had to get in there and find him.  Willow was completely forgotten as he rushed between the cop cars and ducked under the yellow tape.

"Wait!  Spike!  You can't go in there!  You don't even know if anyone was home!"  Willow rushed after him, but a blonde woman had already stopped Spike with an unholstered gun.

"This is a crime scene, you people need to move back behind the tape."

"Where is Angel?!?  Where is he?!"  Willow was worried about Spike, he sounded almost panicked. He kept glancing from side to side and shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"Spike, she is a police officer, this isn't Sunnydale, and she does have a gun out."

"Thank you, miss--" the detective arched an eyebrow as she reholstered her police issue.

"Rosenberg.  Willow Rosenberg.  Where are the people that worked in that building?"  Willow bit her lip nervously, hoping that they didn't arrive too late to help the trio.

"Well Miss Rosenberg, I'm detective Kate Lockley, but we really can't allow you in there.  Do you know anything about Angel Investigations and the people who work there?"

"They're our friends--"  Willow started.

"Look, Katie, you better friggin' tell me where Angel and those other two are right now!"

"It's Kate.  Detective Lockley if you don't mind.  Cordelia Chase is in the neuropsychiatric unit and Wesley Wyndam-Price is in ICU. They're both at St. Matthews.  Angel was the one who brought Mr. Wyndam-Price out of the building.  I haven't seen Angel for a few hours."

"Bugger..." Spike was relieved that Angel hadn't been in the blast but he didn't want to examine those feelings to closely just yet because he still didn't know where Angel was and if he was ok. "Thanks for all your bleedin help, Kelly." his sarcasm and intense desire to leave were completely obvious.  Spike started dragging Willow back towards the DeSoto with the detective following them towards the yellow tape.

"Here's my card, Miss Rosenberg.  Let me know if you have any information for me.  It's Detective Kate Lockley at LAPD Precinct..."

"Spike, she didn't get to tell me what precinct she was at. Oh wait, its on here."  Spike grabbed the card out of her hands and tore it into four pieces and dropped it to the ground.

"We don't need to help that lazy cow with anything.  Come on, we're here.  Get in."  Spike opened the car door and pushed Willow in through the driver's side over to her seat.

"But Spike we don't know where St Matthews is."

"I'm 126 years old, Willow, I've been to L.A. before.  Now hold on and shut the hell up."

"Fine, but don't blame me if i can only spare a small mug of blood instead."  Willow mumbled angrily.

"Look, Red, I'm sorry I yelled at you, I just want to find the Poof and get in on the fight if there is one and that blonde bint took up too much of our time."  and if my Sire's hurt, kill the wanker responsible, chip or no chip, he added silently as he started the car.
 

~Part 3~

They arrived at the hospital in record time.  Willow just knew that they were going to get pulled over and was surprised that they hadn't caused any accidents.  Spike drove fast, but he was a surprisingly safe driver, asking the redhead to buckle up after he put the car in gear.  He had brushed it off saying that the ponce would make his undead life miserable if anything happened to her.  They entered through the emergency room doors and went up to the triage station.

"Where's ICU and that neuropsychiatric ward or whatever its called at?"  Spike asked brusquely of the fiftish male nurse sitting behind the counter working on paperwork.

"We're looking for Wesley Wyndam-Price and Cordelia Chase.  We were told they were brought in earlier?"  Willow smiled at the man hoping that she could smooth things over and keep Spike from causing a scene.

"ICU is on the third floor and the neuropsychiatric ward is up one floor down the hall from it.  Take the hall to your right and the elevators are across from the vending machines when you exit the elevator take a left to get to ICU and take a right from the elevators and go up the stairs to get to the NP ward."

"Right.  Thanks mate."  Spike took off down the hall and started dragging Willow with him.

"I can walk ya know, Spike."

"Not fast enough, Red, not fast enough."  They found the elevators, got in and Spike pressed the 3rd floor button. Luckily it was late enough that no one else was on the elevator because Spike didn't reflect on the mirrored walls.

"Spike, I'm sure everyone's ok.  I'm sure Angel is ok."

"Did you see his place, Red?  He has to be in some kind of trouble."

The doors opened and Spike grinned at Willow and couldn't resist pushing all the floor buttons before he turned and went left towards the ICU.

"Let me talk this time Spike." Willow rushed ahead of Spike to the ICU information desk and spoke to the volunteer there.  The elderly lady looked at her list and told them that Wesley was still unconcious and couldn't have visitors yet.  Willow asked that their names be added next to the ex-watchers name in case his employer Angel came by to check on him.

"Let's go see the prom queen.  Didn't Chubs used to date her?"

"Yeah, back in high school, before you kidnapped us, when you wanted me to do that spell for you."

"Seems like she's too much a looker to be dating that dolt."

"Hey, he's not stupid, just misunderstood."

"I'm misunderstood, pet, he is stupid.  We're here--" Spike was interrupted by a young black man with a five inch stake in his hand.

"You're not going in there blondie."  the young man said and took a step forward.

"Wait, don't hurt him.  We're just looking for a friend.  Cordelia Chase?  I went to high school with her.  I talked to her earlier today and got worried about her.  I'm Willow Rosenberg, and this is Spike."

"How do I know you're Willow and he's Spike?"

"You're wasting time! Red, give him your license, you must be that bloke that threw the vamp in with that law firm that gives gel-boy so much trouble."

"Yeah, that's me.  Alright, I see that you're Willow, but blondie here is staying outside."

"It's ok Spike, I just want to check on her.  I'll ask her about Angel and I'll come right back out."  Willow sounded braver than she felt.  Cordelia was in the NP ward.  Something had to be seriously wrong for them to keep her there.
 

~Part 4~

Willow walked into Cordelia's room and sat down beside her.  Willow had been lucky that Cordelia always put Angel, her and Giles for her contact information in case of emergencies.  The brunette was just staring at the ceiling making small weeping sounds every few minutes and didn't even notice the redhead had taken her hand.  Willow was scared, she was really scared.  They'd lost a member of the Scooby gang before, well, Jenny was an honarary member before they found out she was a gypsy.  But this didn't feel the same.  She looked down at Cordelia wondering what she was seeing.  It was like she had those cool virtual reality goggles on, and was seeing a really sad movie, but she wasn't wearing any and there wasn't any popcorn.

"Oh, Cordelia, what happened to you?"  Willow whispered.  Cordelia still didn't respond.  A tear slipped down her face and landed on their joined hands.  Willow looked down and saw the mark and gasped. She went over to the table next to the wall and got a piece of paper and pen and copied the mark.  At least she had a clue, Cordelia hadn't mentioned wanting to get a symbol tattooed on her hand, so it must have something to do with what happened to her.  After stuffing the piece of paper into her pocket she went back and sat with Cordelia a minute more.  She didn't want to stay long because she knew Spike had to be going crazy.  He was hyper on his best days, she couldn't imagine what he was going through now.  She knew that he cared more for Angel than he was saying, for that matter she loved Angel too.  He was always so generous and willing to help others.  It didn't hurt that he looked great in leather and that coat.  Willow sighed.  This wasn't getting her anywhere, she knew she was just as attracted to Spike as she was to Angel and right now they didn't even know where the older vampire was.  She looked down at Cordelia's unseeing face and brushed a few tears from the brunette's cheeks.
Her heart was breaking seeing Cordelia like this.  It felt like someone had grabbed it and was squeezing really hard.  She leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead.  We'll find a way to help you Cordelia, I promise, she thought.

Willow walked outside the door and saw Spike sitting in the waiting room with his feet propped up on the table with all the five year old magazines.  He was reading a music magazine with Brad Pitt on the cover.  Willow knew he wasn't really reading it though, he was flipping about three pages per second trying to wait for her patiently.

"Well, luv?  How's the cheerleader?"

Willow sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder.  To her surprise he didn't push her away, in fact, he moved her head a little and placed his arm around her.  He'd seen the tears in her eyes when she came out of the other girl's room even though he was pretending to read a magazine.  Brad Pitt, he was a wuss in that funny vampire movie, but Spike rather liked him in that fighting movie he was in.

Gunn, the young man that had stopped them, had went downstairs to check on the ex-watcher and for some reason had trusted him to protect the cheerleader and Willow.  Spike figured Angel must've mentioned him and the hacker to Gunn at some point.  The bleached vampire also wondered why it didn't bother him that Peaches was mentioning Willow to the young vampire fighter.  Spike thought he'd let Willow alone a bit before he asked her again how the cheerleader was.  He knew that he loved the redhead, he loved her almost as much as he loved Peaches.  I will not go there, Spike thought, I will not think about loving that wanker.  All he does is leave.  Like right now, I can't even find him.  He could be dead.  Spike's demon raged at that thought and he almost went into game face in the middle of the waiting room.  Yeah, Red would love that, he thought.
 

~Part 5~

Willow sat silently leaning on Spike's shoulder.  He always smelled like tobacco and leather.  She felt safe with him. She knew he couldn't harm her physically, but also knew he could harm her emotionally.  She did love the bleached vampire, she loved Angel too, she even loved Cordelia, but she didn't think she was gay.  She was sorta seeing Tara, but it wasn't much more than holding hands and hugging.  Tara was just a good friend who was there when she was missing Oz.

"Willow, luv, I know you're not asleep, your heartbeat hasn't slowed down since you came out of the cheerleader's room.  I hope you know what's going on now."

"I'm sorry Spike, I didn't mean to wander off.  I think I found something though. Where's my backpack?"  Willow found her backpack under her chair and pulled out her laptop.

"I didn't get anything out of Cordelia, Spike.  She was restrained and was just staring at the ceiling.  She didn't even know I was there.  We have to help her Spike.  We just have to."  Willow's eyes began to moisten and Spike started rubbing his hand on her back in small circles.

"No more tears, luv, we'll help the chit."  Spike had to admit that he liked the brunette's fire.  She was always keeping Peaches on his toes and she always said exactly what she thought too.  The blonde had never really given her much thought before tonight though.  He knew Willow loved the girl though.  He knew that before the redhead did.  She always lit up after a phone call and he knew she'd talked to the cheerleader after that mess with the wolf since the slayer was off with cornboy all the time.  Bugger, the only people that Red really talked to for the past few months were Angel, Cordelia and
himself.  Oh, and that blonde witch the mutt had tried to shred. That would've been great!  It's too bad they stopped him, but Red would've been upset, so its probably best that he didn't, Spike thought.

"Spike I found it!"

"Found what luv?" Spike hadn't even noticed her starting up her search or even what she'd been searching for.

"Cordelia had this mark on her hand and I copied it down so I could do a search on it.  See, I have this site bookmarked, it has demons and their symbols next to them with a description of what it would mean if something had that symbol.  I just typed in visions as my search keyword because Cordelia has to be seeing something that's making her sad and--"

"Red!" Spike firmly gripped both of Willow's shoulders, "Stop going on and on.  What exactly is wrong with the cheerleader and what does it have to do with blowing up my Sire's place?"

"I was getting there mister impatient!" Willow pointed to the symbol on her computer screen, "It says here that it's the mark of Vocah. He's opened her mind to all the people in pain that the PTB would send her visions for.  She's getting an overload of pain and doesn't know who anyone is or what's real and what's part of her visions. The only way to save her is to get the scroll of Aberjian and read the words of Anatole."

"The scroll of Aberjian?  Isn't that the one that the Poof ripped off from that law firm?  The one the watcher was busting his bullocks trying to translate?"

"Yep, that's it. Wait! So all we have to do is find Angel and and the scroll and get Wesley to wake up so he can read the scroll and everything will be back to normal!"

"Sure, pet, its gonna be that simple.  Nothing's ever that bleedin simple! Sitting on our arses isn't doing an effin thing! I'm going to find Angelus now, starting with that bloody law firm!" Spike ran his hands throudh his hair and dug in his jacket pocket for his cigarettes.  He pulled one out of his pack and started to light it when Willow knocked it out of his hand.

"What the bloody hell did you do that for Red?"

"We're in the hospital!  You can't smoke in here!"

"We're in a waiting room, pet.  Besides, you gonna stop me, witch?" Spike pulled out another cigarette and looked at her smugly.

"Spike, people haven't been allowed to smoke inside hospital waiting rooms for years."  She glanced around quickly and saw no one paying attention and zapped his cigarette with water, "and yes I'm going to stop you."  She smiled at him when she realized her magic had worked.
 

~Part 6~

"Fine.  I'll go outside to smoke.  You find out where that law firm is and--"  Spike trailed off as he felt his Sire's presence for the first time since the elder vampire had come back to Sunnydale to apologize to the blonde bimbo slayer.  He also felt another presence, but he knew it couldn't be her.

"What is it Spike? Is it another vampire?"  the redhead looked up from her laptop and worriedly glanced around the room.

"Its Angelus, luv, he's radiating tension and anger.  I'd be bloody surprised if every fledgling, minion and master vampire within a three mile area isn't cowering under cover.  Demons too if they're even slightly sensitive and he's got a slayer with him."

"Oh. Wait... Buffy's in Iowa?"  The redhead replied.  Yeah, that sounded really smart.  What's next?  Maybe make some more monosyllabic responses, he'll really be impressed with you then, the hacker thought.

The elder vampire in question was carrying the alert and coherent ex-watcher past the waiting room towards Cordelia's room.  Even more surprising to the duo from Sunnydale was Faith's running interference for the Irish vampire and his employee as they made their way to the cheerleader's room.  The dark haired vampire paused for a moment and looked directly at Spike and Willow.  Spike bowed his head slightly in a submissive gesture, Angel nodded and started to turn, when Willow spoke up.

"Angel, do you have the Scroll of Aberjian?  If you can get Wesley to read the Words of Anatole, you can cure Cordelia!"

"I have it.  I'll be back in a few minutes."  He turned and took Wesley into Cordelia's room.  Angel really didn't want to take the time to explain that the oracles had already told him how to cure his secretary.  Faith had taken up a guard position outside the door almost daring any passers by to interfere.   When the slayer noticed that all the staff on that floor had conspicuously decided they had work elsewhere, she gave up her position and walked into the waiting
room where Spike and Willow had been standing.

"Come on blondie, why don't we go have a smoke downstairs in the designated smoking area like the model citizens we are."  Faith said smugly winking at Willow.

Willow on the other hand, had gotten really nervous.  She said a quick prayer to her goddess and a quick spell allowing Spike to defend himself against the slayer if she tried to stake him.  It wouldn't allow him to take the offense and kill her, but he would have a measure of safety.  Willow didn't even want to think of how her life would be without Spike.

"It's ok, Spike," the redhead whispered, "you can defend yourself against her if she tries to stake you, but you can't kill her." Spike was touched by the witch's concern, but outwardly smirked.

"Thanks, Red.  Should be a lot of fun!"

"Come on blondie, I haven't got all day!"  Faith had her hands on her hips waiting impatiently.  Cordelia had told Willow that Wolfram and Hart had gotten Faith a lighter sentence of community service at 20 hours a week for the next five years with all the terms and conditions of a normal probation for killing a demon that ate small children including two of those of the senior partners in the firm. The firm never figured on Faith actually surviving the encounter and
now the organization had to keep the agreement in order to save public face.  After she had killed the demon she had shown up on Wesley's doorstep beaten and bloodied.  He had warily taken her in, let her clean up and borrow some clothes.  She  apologized to Wesley and told him she knew that it wasn't enough, but that she was willing to do whatever it took for him to trust her again.  She also said that she would feel honored if he would be in her life in any
capacity that he felt he could handle be it watcher or just acquaintance and that she would always be watching his back and keep him from as much danger as she could.  She told him that next to being the slayer, he was her mission in life.  Cordelia had only known that the slayer was out.  Angel had called Willow, given her the rest of the details and asked her help in researching a way to ensure Faith's freedom from imprisonment.  Once Willow had heard how
Faith had actually wanted to change she gladly helped the brunette slayer, provided she did all her community service, took responsibility for her actions and of course didn't repeat any of her misdeeds.  The hacker just hoped that Spike and the slayer were only setting ground rules and that Faith didn't include staking Spike as part of her path to redemption.
 

~Part 7~

Willow sat in the uncomfortable chair and fidgeted.  She had already looked up everything she could on Vocah and now all she could do was wait.  There were only two other people in the room with her.  A man and a woman who had brought their 12 year old son in after he had some kind of seizure.  Their son was getting tests done and they were waiting for the results.  The man had told Willow after the vampire and slayer had left the room that this was the first time their son Johnny had ever been in a hospital since he was born. The sleeping couple had been married for twenty years, and Willow wondered if she would get to be with anyone for that long.  Life on the hellmouth didn't really give opportunities like that.

 Willow wondered if there was a retirement plan for slayers.  Not many had lived past their first year as a slayer and Buffy was working on her fifth year.  Faith had only been a slayer two years, much of that time without friends or family, or even a watcher.  It was amazing the brunette slayer had lasted as long as she had.  Buffy had an entire support system, while Faith had been pretty much on her own, except for that skanky old mayor, Willow thought.

Angel was pretty much on his own too. After Adam was killed, Buffy had made it perfectly clear that she didn't want any of the Sunnydale group talking to him and of course Spike told her what she could do with her orders, that Angel was still his sire and she couldn't break that bond even if she tried.  Buffy's response to that had been a threat of staking.  Willow, ever the peacemaker, stepped in and said there would be no staking.  Willow had been surprised Spike would stand up to the blonde slayer in his chipped state, but she agreed with him, and told Buffy that if Angel needed her help she would give it willingly.

That was when Buffy announced that she was going to Iowa with Riley.  When the hacker was honest with herself, she was glad of the break from Buffy. Her thoughts drifted back to Angel. Spike was right, the redhead thought, Angel was still giving off tension.  Once he had mentioned it, she could feel it herself.  The redhead chalked it up to the soul restoration she had done for him two years earlier.  Occasionally she would get flashes of emotion from the dark haired vampire, but she thought she had been imagining it, but now with living,  well, un-living proof, she couldn't deny it anymore.

"Oh!" she muttered, waking up Mr. Buckingham.

"What is it Willow?  Is your friend doing any better?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Buckingham, I was just thinking about how I could help her after she gets out of the hospital."   Yeah, right, the redhead thought, you just realized that the love of your best friend's life really meant to say those things to *you* when he was delirious after Faith had shot him with poisoned arrow.

She heard Wesley speaking loudly from Cordelia's room.  The witch could barely make out the word 'unbind' repeated when there was a light flash and explosive sound.  Willow leaped up and ran towards Cordelia's room.  A nurse said she was going get the doctor and ran down the adjoining hallway, not seeing the redhead slip into Cordelia's room. The witch watched the exchange between the three silently from the doorway.  Angel was actually smiling at Cordelia and their hands were still entwined tightly.  It was as if the cheerleader thought Angel was going to end up being a part of another vision and the vampire had thought he could keep his secretary with him forever if he never let go of her hand.

Willow felt a sudden pang of jealousy, but she really didn't know who she was more jealous of, Cordelia or Angel.  She loved them both, and knew it was wrong of her to be jealous.  They each deserved all the happiness they could get.  Well, Angel can't be too happy, for now anyway, the witch thought and set her mind to finding a way to secure his soul permanently.
 

~Part 8~

Faith and Spike walked into the cheerleader's room a few moments behind Willow.  They had heard the "thunderclap" as they were walking up the stairs from their smoke break, and ran the rest of the way to Cordelia's room.  Spike had arrived first and had a chance to look at the scene before him before he alerted the others to his presence.

He could see the look of indecision, jealousy and even love for Angel and Cordelia on Willow's face.  There weren't any doubts in his mind, he knew he was jealous.  He was jealous of the cheerleader for having his sire look at her like that, clinging to her like she was his bleedin lifeline, and he was jealous of them both because of the emotions he saw on Willow's face.  He didn't care if it was right or not.  He was a vampire and could shag anything he fancied, and right now everything in the room except the idiot watcher and slayer looked good.  All the previous tension he had worked out with Faith while setting ground rules had returned.

Angel had noticed the redhead's entrance followed by his childe and Faith.  He could feel the redhead's emotions as plain as if they were his own.  They were practically a mirror to his own feelings.  He loved her and Cordelia, he was jealous of his favorite childe's feelings for her and even Cordelia's feelings for her.  The redhead could go out into the sun with Cordelia, she lived near his beautiful childe and saw him on a daily basis.  That tingle came when the
brunette slayer came near, that automatic response to run or fight the troubled slayer to the death.  Angel reluctantly tore his eyes from his secretary's face and glanced at the rogue slayer.

Faith had a cut above her eye that was already healing and brushed past Spike and Willow when she realized Angel had noticed her.  She fought the slight lurch in her stomach as she got closer to the vampire holding the prom queen's hand.  He was still giving off tension, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been while he was carrying Wesley to Cordelia's room.  She crossed in front of Cordelia's feet, stood behind Wesley's chair and put her hands on
Wesley's shoulders in a protective as well as affectionate gesture.

Angel watched the slayer walk over and then glanced at his childe. The bleached vampire had walked up feeling relaxed but Angel could feel the change in his demeanor before he had even looked over at Faith.  He knew his childe was as tight as a harpstring and needed another outlet.  The dark-haired vampire finally looked up at his childe's face.  Angel growled at the sight of the cut on the left side of his lips, it was bleeding slightly but had already started to heal.

"Relax, Fang.  Me and blondie here had some ground rules to set and some energy to burn off, since you decided to do all the hero stuff by yourself,"  Faith had tensed when she heard Angel growl at the sight of her right hook's handiwork, but relaxed when he realized that she was right about their pent up frustration.

"Sure, but tell me next time you guys want to go another round. Ok?"

The slayer flinched at the implications of Angel's statment.  Faith was well aware that Angel wasn't asking any questions.  He was telling her that she *would* tell him if she and Spike were to spar again and that she probably wouldn't like the results if she didn't.

Spike had relaxed immediately after hearing his sire growl.  That one primal sound from his sire meant many things to the younger vampire, not to mention the baser instincts his statement had aroused.  Spike knew that even in his souled state, the elder vampire stil cared about what happened to him.  Angel still wanted him, needed him and claimed him as a childe.  Spike didn't want to admit how much he needed Angel to claim him.  Since he had been chipped, it was hard for him to function as a vampire, never mind trying to fit into the vampire society.  Bunch of bleedin pansies, couldn't take me on like real demons, they had to gang up on me to take me.  We'll see how they like dealing with the souled version of Angelus now.  He might be a poof, but his stint in hell made him twice as strong as he was before and he doesn't like others to touch what's his, the cocky vampire thought happily.
 

~Part 9~

"Guys!  I can do this.  I'm ok! Are you trying to get me to kill you both?"  Cordelia shrugged Wesley and Angel away from her hospital bed. She was trying to make it to the bathroom and hold her gown shut at the same time. Both men seemed equally determined to help her, which resulted in the increased draftiness of her current apparel.

Now Cordelia wouldn't have minded flashing Angel, he was gorgeous in an un-dead sort of way, but Wesley was another story altogether.  The ex-watcher was cute, but the cheerleader had a feeling that Faith would take her arms off if she even tried to touch Wesley in a more than friendly manner.  Willow and Spike had finally returned with clothes from her apartment.  She hoped that Dennis had not given the two too much trouble.

"Hey, Cordy, I figured you'd want to be comfortable so i brought you a pair of jeans and a tank with a pair of sandals.  Dennis was worried about you, so I let him know you were ok.  He didn't want to let Spike in though, kept shutting the door on him."  Willow handed the other girl the clothing she'd brought.

"Let me know if you want to exorcise that bloody nuisance, pet, I'll drag the priest out of an evening mass in the middle of the bleedin church!"  Spike grinned.  He looked better than he had all evening. He was completely relaxed.

Cordelia wondered what had happened while Spike kept Angel company as the elder vampire was checking her out of the hospital.  They were gone a lot longer than she thought they would be.  She knew the slayer hadn't been with them because she'd bailed as soon as Angel had told her there wasn't going to be any more action for the night. Oh well, she thought, at least I'm going to have some decent clothing on.  Ugh, hospital gown green, the worst with my coloring!  What were the hospital people thinking?!  And these two strings?  There's no way they would keep this drafty old thing closed!

"Guys?  Why don't you make sure I can leave when I'm done getting dressed."  Cordelia flashed her best sunshine smile at them, hoping it would convince them to stop hovering for a few minutes.  Long enough for her to get dressed at least.

"Um, right.  Angel, Spike, why don't we see if there's any last minute things that need seeing to?"  Wesley lead the reluctant vampires out to the nurses station.

"Um, Willow?  Do you think you could give me a little help here?" Cordelia was having a hard time holding her gown closed, carrying her clothes and opening the heavy bathroom door.  There were lots of sick people in hospitals and she couldn't imagine why the doors had to be so heavy.

"Sure.  Here let me get those for you."  Willow took Cordelia's clothes and opened the door for the brunette.  The older girl thanked Willow and took the folded clothing back.  As the cheerleader reached to put her items on the shelf, Willow caught a glimpse of the back of the brunette's right leg all the way up to her thigh.  Willow found herself disappointed that the slit wasn't any more revealing but definitely appreciated the view she had.  Willow blushed at her
thoughts about her best friend.

Cordelia noticed Willow's blush and knew she was deliberately teasing the hacker.  The cheerleader had a crush on the redhead since high school.  She had never told anyone of her feelings, deciding that dating Xander was the best way to be closer to Willow without anyone noticing that's what she was doing.  The cheerleader thought she might be in love with Angel now, but her feelings for her best friend were nearly as strong.

"Thanks, Willow.  I'll be right out."  Cordelia smiled and shut the door.  Willow walked over to the sink and filled one of the litle paper cups with water.  She drank it all in one gulp and brushed the hair out of her eyes.  She couldn't believe how flustered she was, over Cordelia's leg, even!  Although she did have a few ideas of what she could do to that leg.  Bad thoughts, Willow, she reminded herself, Cordy is your best friend and has been in love with Angel
for a long time.  You're in love with Spike.  Willow spent the remaining time Cordelia was getting dressed in circular reasoning trying to convince herself she was not attracted to the brunette that was getting dressed from practically nakedness a few feet from her.

"Hey Willow?  We ready?"  Cordelia smiled at the hacker.  She already felt a hundred times better wearing the new clothing Willow had brought her "OK, I'm ready to take on all the nasties of L.A.  Oh, who am I kidding," the cheerleader grinned, "I just want to go home, take a shower, relax on my couch and hang out with my friends, oooh, and eat some ice cream!"  Both girls laughed as they left the hospital room.
 

~Part 10~

"Dennis, I'm home!"  Cordelia shouted in her apartment.  She dropped her stuff in her room and walked into the kitchen.  Her roommate moved the letters on her refridgerator to read 'Welcome home' and then 'How r u feeling' before placing the letters into an alphabet smiley face.

"I'm fine, Dennis.  Angel and Wesley came through for me.  Angel brought the scroll and Wesley read it and I'm all better."  Dennis opened and shut the front door.

"Where is everyone else?  Willow and Spike dropped me off and decided to go get some people food and a few movies. Angel decided to stop by what's left of the office and then go pick up vampire food.  Faith came back to the hospital to help Wesley home.  I think they're just giving me time to myself before they all come over.  I invited Willow and Spike over for as long as they want and Angel's going to be staying here until he finds a new place."  Maybe he won't want to leave ever, the brunette thought, I could put up a few shades.

"Anyway Dennis, I'm going to take a shower and fix myself a sandwich before they get here.  Will you let them in?  And that means Spike too, buster!"  Cordelia smiled towards the light switch when Dennis flicked the light on and off once, his signal for yes.  Two flickers meant he was saying no.

"Thanks, Dennis."  I can't believe its only 1130 at night, the cheerleader thought as she walked towards her room, boy time goes by really slowly when you're getting skull-splitting visions from the PTB's for hours.  Its a good thing I've started keeping semi-vampire hours now or I'd never make it.  Cordelia walked over to her dresser and pulled out her night clothes that she wore when anyone was over. She smiled when she thought about the first time Willow had stayed at her apartment.  They had both giggled when they came out wearing the same outfit, the redhead's a dark emerald green and Cordelia's a deep
burgundy.  Who knew that we had the same taste in underthings, the cheerleader mused, sure couldn't tell it from our other clothes, although I think I've been a good influence on her this year. Anyway, off to the showers, the brunette thought, as she walked into her peach and midnight blue bathroom.   She turned on the shower, closed the peach colored plastic curtain and let the water heat up. She placed her night clothes on the bathroom vanity and sighed as she removed the clothing she came home from the hospital in.  She didn't want to let the others know how tired and bruised she really was.

Falling down on the pavement in a vision induced trance wasn't on her list of fun things to do.  In fact it rated right there at the bottom with cleaning up after a rather messy demon, or doing those liquid dishwashing soap commercials that always dried her hands out and ruined her nails.  Or maybe that time she was in that Ibsen play that she had only read over once before the director shoved her on stage. She had found out later that the man had only put her on the stage because he thought she'd sleep with him for giving her "her big break".

Big break, yeah right, she thought, everyone knows you need rehearsals and stuff before they throw you on stage for anything but improv.  I'd be surprised if I ever get a paying gig after that fiasco.  Wonder what happened to him?  After I told Angel and Wesley about him, well, once Angel returned to normal, I never heard from the guy again.  In fact, the show closed down.  I'll have to ask Angel about that.

Cordelia picked up her peach washcloth and stepped into the shower. She hissed as the hot water hit her various scrapes and bruises.  She let her mind shut down as she relaxed in the shower.  After she soaped off and washed her hair she decided to lay back in the tub and just let the water run over her tired body.  Her last thoughts as she smiled and fell asleep were of Angel and Spike in their silk boxers that the brunette just knew they had to wear even though she had no practical experience to back her thoughts up and Willow in her drawstring pj pants and tank top.
 

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