Spike shifted slightly trying to move into a more comfortable position without waking the redhead cuddled against him. Willow muttered sleepily and stretched out laying her head on Spike's chest with her right arm flung across his body and her leg draped over his. Spike waited until she settled and her deep breathing and slow heartrate confirmed that she was still asleep. He looked around the room taking in the top of the line computer sitting on the desk and the stuffed animal collection in the corner next to the bookcase which was jammed with technical journals. He stared in amazement at the heavy green velvet curtains that closed over the sliding glass balcony doors hiding him from the sun. He couldn't believe that he was here in Willow's childhood room holding the witch as she slept.
He stared again at the curtains remembering that Willow had explained that she had installed them when he came back to Sunnydale just in case he had ever needed a place to stay. Willow muttered again and Spike made soft shushing noises and began to stroke her blood red hair with his long fingers. She sighed contentedly and burrowed deeper into his chest. He could feel her warm breath against his chill nipples and his mind was dragged back to the evening before when his witch had proved just how little doubt she had about her feelings for him. Only Angelus had ever made him feel this sated, he didn't think he could go another round if that was all that would stop Armageddon from happening.
His gaze returned to the little witch curled in his arms. A line from
a song flitted through his mind and he frowned trying to remember the tune.
Just as he remembered it Willow began to twitch. Her face screwed up and
her whole body tensed. Spike was used to this having seen Willow's nightmares
on a regular basis. Although outwardly she was untouched by the horror
that was Sunnydale when she slept her mind replayed the horrors that she
faced so bravely while awake. In an attempt to soothe her Spike began to
sing softly.
I remember the time I was lonely without her,
Now she's mine and I spend my times dreaming about her,
Love her all I can and try to understand
The things that make her glad
The things that make her sad
The words to the song took him back to the time about a month before
when he first realized that his feelings for the witch had slid from friendship
into something deeper. He had been in the watcher's kitchen warming himself
some blood when he heard her groan and stretch tired muscles as she sat
in front of the computer researching some demon. Without thinking about
it he had fixed her a cup of coffee with two sugars and a splash of Irish
Cream creamer. The smile she had given him when he delivered it to her
had made him feel as if he had been bathed in the sun's rays for the first
time in over a century. It was then that he realized that without meaning
to he had memorized all the things that the witch liked from how she took
her coffee to the song she would hum when she was patrolling with the Slayer.
He also knew that he was the only one of the group who knew what her nightmares
were about.
I'm a lucky guy, I hardly ever cry
And when the world looks bad
She's never ever sad
She's so easy to please and it doesn't take money, no, no
Spike grinned down at his witch, it took very little to make her smile. An off color joke, a bouquet of wildflowers picked from around the cemetery, a double latte decaf. And, he realized, when he was around her it took very little to make him smile. Her shrieking and jumping into his arms when she saw a frog sitting next to a pond had made him almost drop her he was laughing so hard. Even when there were demons trying to swallow the world or cut off the Slayer's little blonde head Willow could make him smile just by rambling on about something unimportant.
Even the way she was determined to give him a "crypt-warming" party
made him feel lucky that she was in his unlife. Angelus had done things
like that too. Once he had kidnapped an entire band of minstrels just so
that Spike could hear his favorite songs on the anniversary of his turning.
We can have a good time when the skies aren't sunny
Ah, I love her all I can and try to understand
The things that make her glad
The things that make her sad
I'm a lucky guy, I hardly ever cry
And when the world looks bad
She's never ever sad
Spike frowned, troubled that his mind kept turning to his sire as he
thought about the joy that Willow had brought into his life. He sorted
through his tangled emotions and finally settled on the explanation that
Angelus was the only other person he had ever truly loved. He was even
willing to admit that his feelings for Drusilla had been based mostly on
the fact that she was Angelus' creation. Willow was all light and fire,
joy and beauty, she bathed him in a radiance that was like the sun. Angelus
had owned a different part of him, the part that was consumed with desire
and passion, pain and pleasure.
I remember the times I was lonely without her
Now she's mine and I spend my time dreaming about her
I love her all I can and try to understand
The things that make her glad
The things that make her sad
I'm a lucky guy, I hardly ever cry
And when the world looks bad
She's never ever sad
Willow felt Spike slid away from her and sit on the edge of the bed. She opened her eyes and propped her chin on her hand as she watched him fumble for the pack of cigarettes on the nighttable.
"Want to go to LA, pet?" His smooth tenor sounded unusually tense as he made the request.
"O..okay." Willow stuttered slightly, wondering if Spike had reached the same conclusion that she had come to over these past few weeks that they had been together. She could complete the side of Spike that longed to walk in the sun again but she couldn't ever complete the side that was still wrapped up in the darkness of the moon. It didn't bother her, she knew that Spike would always need her but she also knew that Spike needed HIM.
"Then let's go talk to Daddy, shall we?"
(LA)
Angel dropped his head into his hands and groaned as the sounds of bickering intruded into his silent office. Wesley and Cordelia were at it again and...yes there was the soft voice of Doyle adding wood to the fire. He groaned again as he caught the subject of their argument: which pointless errand they were going to send him on this evening.
Lately the city of Angels had been so quiet that Angel had been reduced to working for mere mortals going through messy divorces. He had a sudden pang for the good old days when he didn't have his soul and mayhem and chaos was his game.
He frowned as he realized that his demon had slipped its bonds for a moment and joined his conscious thoughts. That had been happening a lot lately. He wasn't really worried, as he didn't sense the overwhelming fury from the demon that had been there when the gypsies had cursed him almost a century ago. Since Willow had restored his soul the demon had given his plans to awaken Acathla a great deal of thought and had reluctantly concluded that he had been insane to put such a plan into motion. With all that he had to do in LA the demon was content, as there was plenty of chasing, fighting, blood-spilling etc. to keep it occupied. Angel wondered if the moment when his soul and demon would merge was far off. He decided that he would welcome such a joining as it would keep him from having to constantly struggle within his own mind and it might even make him a better demon hunter. As long as the basic goodness of his soul could keep the demon contained and thwart any mad plans of world domination Angel thought that he would actually be happy being his true self.
He had never been a pure soul, he knew. If Darla hadn't turned him that night so long ago he probably would have ended up gutted in some alley after a drunken fight or by a jealous husband. But he had always wanted to do something with his life, something worthwhile. He had even made plans to join the army before he was turned.
Now he could have both the knowledge that he was doing something good
for the world and still embrace the darkness of his demon. The only thing
that would make him even happier would be if his bleach blonde childe were
there to be with him again.
Searching in the darkness, running from the day
Hiding from tomorrow, nothing left to say
Victims of the moment, future deep in doubt
Living in a whisper until we start to shout
Angel's head jerked up as he recognized the smooth tenor singing in the street beneath his window. He stood from his desk and moved to the window in one smooth motion. He stared down into the alley.
A slender figure stood underneath his window, head tilted back as the lyrics to a Kiss song flowed from his lips. The streetlights spilled enough light into the alley for Angel to see the pale blonde hair and ice blue eyes of his favorite childe
As he listened to Spike sing his memories of his time with his lover
raced through his head. Spike had always loved to sing to him after they
had made brutal love to each other.
We're creatures of the night, we're creatures of the night
Breathing in the madness, spitting out the lies
Searching for an answer, keep your alibis
Don't know where we are going, just know where we've been
Inside Angel's soul the demon roared in agreement with Spike's words.
They were vampires, they shouldn't be hiding in a smoky office taking small
jobs finding cheating husbands, they should be out under the moon taking
the fight directly to those who threatened the ones under their protection.
Surprisingly the soul didn't attempt to reign in the demon. Instead it
calmly stepped aside to allow the demon to take full control of Angel's
body. Apparently the demon and the soul had found a common ground at last.
There was no pain as the demon and the soul joined together finally allowing
Angelus to access both sides of his nature at the same time.
Remember when the clock strikes twelve, the losers always win
We're creatures of the night, we're creatures of the night
Searching in the darkness, running from the day
Hiding from tomorrow, nothing left to say
The window made a squeaking noise as Angelus pushed it open and threw a leg over the sill. His office door burst open as his staff finally brought their argument to him.
He turned to glare at them and Wesley fell back a step seeing the demon in control. Cordelia yelped and grabbed her cross but Doyle only looked at him curiously.
"You've made your peace." Doyle stated after a moment's thought. Angelus nodded knowing that Doyle had gone through the same moment when he had accepted both sides of his nature several years before. Doyle cocked his head listening to the voice still singing from the alley. "Go on then." He nodded to the window and held out an arm to hold Cordelia back as she stepped out ready to thrust the cross in Angelus' face.
Angelus didn't hesitate knowing that Doyle would make his staff understand what had happened. He'd be back by morning to deal with the inevitable questions and to field either the calls or visits from Sunnydale that would be sure to follow Delia's frantic phone calls.
He dropped swiftly to the street next to his childe. Spike turned to
face him as he finished the song.
Gathering up our courage, ready for the fight
Howling in the shadows, till we start to bite
We're creatures of the night, we're creatures of the night
We're creatures of the night, we're creatures of the night
As Spike finished singing Angelus reached for his face and cupped his chin in his hand. He leaned forward intending to crush his lips against his childe's when a strong scent caught his attention. He froze a few centimeters from Spike's face as Willow slipped out of the shadows where she had been hiding. She moved to stand at Spike's side and take his hand in hers. Angelus growled as the witch wrapped a hand possessively around his childe's arm.
"Mine." He growled at her.
"Mine." She growled back.
"Mine." Spike growled at both of them. Angelus looked startled and then nodded slowly as he realized what Willow had known from the beginning. Just as he had a soul and a demon Spike had a desire for both the light and the dark side of life.
Willow was his sun and Angelus would be his moon. His soul approved of Willow as a mate and his demon demanded Spike as his mate as well. A sudden thought flitted through Angelus' brain; a tripod is the most stable geometric form in existence. He ducked his head briefly and then reached out a hand towards Willow. Willow slipped her warm hand into his cold one and drew him into a three-sided hug with her and Spike.
A shudder ran through Angelus' form as he realized that in their embrace
he felt complete at last.
We're creatures of the night, we're creatures of the night
The End