Chapter 16 – Topsy Turvy World
The
microwave beeped but Spike and Angel were too entranced with each other to pay
attention to it. Spike’s fingertips traced the planes of Angel’s chest leaving
goose bumps in their wake and the brunette shivering from his ministrations.
Spike licked one nipple and smiled in satisfaction when it beaded. Angel
growled and pulled Spike closer, who didn’t disappoint as he rained kisses
upward to nip at his Sire’s throat. He laughed when Angel had enough and pinned
Spike between him and the counter. It was playful and loving, their kiss
passionate and deep, tongues dueling for pleasure.
“The blood
is going to congeal,” Spike whispered, kneading at Angel’s shoulders. “And we
need to pick Buffy up.” He pushed at Angel still licking along his neck.
“Later, all of us,” he promised.
It was so
hard to stop. His body ached for his Sire’s touch; for that claim that told him
he belonged to someone. That he would never be alone again in a world that
didn’t understand him. Angel’s hands held his face and he was forced to look
into eyes that were a fathomless well of emotions. Conflict and devotion warred
in those brown pupils and he pulled Angel closer.
“Thank you,
Spike,” Angel said. “For not being afraid to tell me when I’m wrong. For
keeping me grounded.” He leaned his forehead against his Childe’s. “Just don’t
ever forget that I love you and Buffy.”
“I know,
Ang, I know,” Spike said, stepping out of arms he could let hold him forever.
He opened the microwave to pull out their mugs and handed one to Angel. After
taking a sip, he shook his head and added some Berber weed to the liquid. “Much
better,” he said after taking a sip.
Taking the
lead, Spike headed back to the bedroom. It was almost time for them to pick
Buffy up and their room, especially the bed needed to be straightened before she
returned. This time had been making love but it didn’t mean they were any less
gentle on the furniture or the bed. He picked up the pillows and tossed them in
the general vicinity of the bed while Angel righted the nightstand. One of them
had kicked out for support and knocked the table halfway across the room.
“Maybe we
need a bigger bed,” Spike said. “Just for playing, not sleeping because I like all
of us wrapped together.”
Angel
smiled and seemed to be contemplating the idea as he studied their current
sleeping arrangement. “Might be a good idea. Maybe something with bars in the
head and footboards and somewhere to hang the…”
Spike threw
a pillow at his Sire, laughing because there was a twinkle in Angel’s eyes as
he caught the airborne object. It was going to be all right between them.
Angel, not Angelus, really loved Buffy the way she was. There wasn’t going to
be ‘lessons’ but they had compromised on letting Buffy choose her own path. In
the end it was different things in the Slayer that they were attracted to and
loved just like it was different things in them that she loved and needed.
Together, somehow, they all received the things they needed.
They moved
to separate sides of the bed to make it and Spike reached for the scarves.
Bright, silky and with a delicate hint of a perfume that was sensuous enough to
make a man heady from desire. An image of Buffy moving over him, tying him to
their bed flashed in his mind and Spike closed his eyes to savor it for a
moment.
“Hello,
boys,” Buffy said, from the doorway. She was leaning casually on the frame, her
hands resting on her hips as her eyes devoured them.
“Couldn’t
wait for us?” Angel asked, holding his hand out to her. “I’ve missed you.”
“Missed
you, too, Baby,” Buffy purred, moving into Angel’s arms. She tugged his head
down to kiss him. No premise, no teasing, her tongue darting out even before
their lips met. Their hunger for the other was so evident as they fed the
other’s ardor. A twinge of jealousy replaced Spike’s desire and he turned from
them. Buffy’s hand caught his arm and pulled him back around. “Not so fast,
lover.” She was leaning against his Sire now, her bottom pressed to his crotch
as she pulled Spike to her. “Need you, too.”
It was the
way she kissed him. The way her hands moved over him as if she didn’t already
know the spots that gave him more pleasure that whispered something was wrong.
He let the kiss continue; let her take the lead until he could figure what that
something was. She pulled away him and he watched as she wandered around the
room for a moment, only to end up at the foot of the bed.
“Oooh,
scarves,” Buffy cooed. “Is it play time?” With deliberate moves Buffy sat on
the bed, glanced at them, and then lay back, crossing her wrists. “Who first?”
“Oh, you,”
Angel said, crawling onto the bed next to her. His hand slid along her hips and
then slapped her bottom. “Up with you.” He waited until Buffy had turned before
he looked at Spike indicating that he also knew something was wrong.
Spike
joined them on the bed, watching as Angel tied her wrists to the headboard. He
slipped his leg between hers, hooking his foot under her knee. Angel nuzzled
her neck as his arm draped over her waist.
“So, why
the change of mood, Buffy?” Angel whispered, still stroking her gently as he
baited her with a lie. “When you left this afternoon, you said an emphatic no
to being tied up.”
A brief
flash of fear before the girl between them regained her composure. She smiled,
“Had time to think about, that’s all. Letting me be at your mercy sounds like
fun.”
Angel
kissed her as a hand reinforced the scarf at her wrists. “You look like my
girl, smell like my girl, but who exactly are you? Because you’re not my girl.”
‘Buffy’
didn’t even try to argue as she attacked. They thought they’d planned it well
and would be able to subdue her but she had Buffy’s strength or had knowledge
of the body she was in. And she fought for her very life as she surprised them
with the fervor of her assault. Spike saw stars when her head slammed into his
nose. He saw Angel fly into the wall as she pushed him away from her. Spike
tried to follow her with Angel darting around him but she was gone. Vanished
into the night and they stared at each other in their failure. But there was
still the unanswered questions, who was she? And where the hell was their
Buffy?
~~~~~~~
The sirens
were getting louder.
Buffy
picked up speed as she moved through the backyards. It was still hard to accept
what had happened after she’d seen Faith in her mother’s house. To accept the
fight that had destroyed her mother’s living room and several dining chairs,
the moment when Faith had grabbed her hand and she found herself looking at
herself. Her mother had hurried back into the living room, yelling at her to
leave because she’d called the police. A murderer like her had no right being
in decent people’s houses and Faith standing there in her body smirking at her.
Buffy was just glad that neither had tried to stop her as she ran out the back
door.
The only
thing she could think of was to get to her vampires. They’d protect her. They’d
know what to do. A police car screeched to a stop in front of her and Buffy panicked.
It didn’t matter; they’d said they’d shoot her if she tried to run. She stood
there as the one cop walked behind her to put the handcuffs on her. She waited
until the cold steel of the cuffs grazed her skin that she acted. In one quick motion, she elbowed the officer
behind her in the jaw and disarmed the second with a roundhouse kick to the
wrist. She didn’t bother to check on
them and fled, traversing through several backyards before finding the sewer
grate and hopping down into the filthy water. Spike had shown her the routes
one afternoon when they were bored and wanted a new game to play. For hours
they’d played hide and seek in the water system. Thinking back to that day hurt
her heart, the possibility that she would never see him again mingled with the
realization that she and Angel would never able to work things out.
“No,” Buffy
screamed when she remembered the test she had been about to take. What if she
was pregnant? Faith wouldn’t care about it. A rush of love for someone that she
hadn’t even wanted that afternoon took her by surprise as she picked up speed.
Water flew out from where her feet separated it without disregard. She had to
get home.
The house
was quiet as she crept up to the window. She looked inside, searching for them,
they were getting dressed to go and pick her up. Doubts filtered through her
belief leaving her edgy. What if they didn’t know it was her? What if they
didn’t believe her and turned her into the police? What if they just killed her
like they had Riley? Buffy wiped a tear from her cheek and knew she had to try.
They were her only hope.
She slipped
in through the door by the garden. The foreign shoes on her feet squeaked from
being wet and her whole body shook as she silently prayed for help.
“We’ll go
by her mother’s first,” Angel said, leading her mate from the bedroom.
Buffy froze
as she looked at them and they did the same when they noticed her. Their eyes
roved over her and it was then that the tears came in. She wanted them to hold
her so bad.
“Angel,
Spike,” Buffy hiccupped through her sobs. “Listen to me for just a minute…I’m
Buffy.”
Spike
reached her first, wrapping his arms around her and then Angel was there too.
They knew and she relaxed. It was going to be okay. She burrowed against the
strength of their bodies, enjoying the warmth they brought and the smell of sex
that still clung to their skin. It was familiar and home.
“What
happened, Buffy?” Angel asked. “She was here.”
“You knew;
you knew it wasn’t me?” Buffy asked, suddenly afraid of that scent that just a
moment ago had comforted her. Had they slept with her?
“Shh,
don’t,” Spike said, cupping her cheek. “You’re our girl, even if you…” He
giggled and she smacked him. “Sorry, but is still cheating if…” He ran his
fingers through Faith’s hair as his eyes lighted on the brunette’s more ample
chest. More tears formed and he kissed
the corner of that mouth. “I was joking. I only love you and I much prefer your
body.”
“Liar,”
Buffy said, turning to Angel to see his reaction but he was glowering as he
looked her over. “Is she still here?”
“No,” Angel
said. “She got away. See the bruise on your lover’s forehead.”
Her fingers
touched the small spot above Spike’s scarred eyebrow that was slightly swollen.
It was then that she remembered and fear took her over again as she thought of
Faith fighting in her body.
“We have to
find her,” Buffy said, clutching at their hands to pull them along. “Hurry,
please, before it’s too late.”
“Hold on,”
Angel said not moving. “Tell us what happened.”
“No, I’ll
explain later. Please, come on.”
“What
aren’t you telling us, pet?”
Damn Spike
and his uncanny perception of her moods and needs. Buffy chewed her lower lip.
She’d have to tell them before they’d leave. They seemed to circle her, giving
her no where to run, forcing her to confess.
“I…Imightbepregnant,”
Buffy rushed out. Disbelief and annoyance she expected but she was unprepared
for the flare of Angel’s nostrils accompanied by a low guttural growl of
jealousy. “I haven’t been with anyone else.”
“Then how
and why?” Spike asked. His eyes shining with hurt as he studied her. “If you
are then it couldn’t be ours.”
“You think
I’d be with someone else?” Buffy asked. Spike’s hurt was mirrored in her own
aching heart. They both thought that she was so low that she’d sleep with
someone besides them. “I can’t believe it. Jenny said that sometimes it does
happen and I have all the symptoms. I told them it was impossible but they
wouldn’t listen. Spike, you were there this afternoon when I had the dizzy
spell.”
“Let’s go,”
Angel said, walking toward the door. “Let’s find Faith and we’ll sort this out
later.”
He didn’t
believe her or was it that he didn’t want to? Buffy turned to Spike holding her
hand out. He looked at it then back up at her and turned to follow Angel.
They’d stick together and force her out of the trio. She’d always thought that
Spike would follow her if things didn’t work out. It was the one assurance that
she’d held onto when she toyed with the idea of leaving Angel behind. But now
she knew it was her that would be gone. They were vampires who understood each
other and she was just a silly, emotional girl that they had to treat with kid
gloves. A sob burst out of her before she could stop it and she turned away
when they looked at her.
“I wasn’t
with anyone else,” Buffy mumbled. “I wasn’t.”
It was
Angel that came to her first, his arm settling across her shoulders, pulling
her into the comfort of his body, and whispered, “I know, Buffy, I know.”
~~~~~~~~
A
protesting Buffy had been left behind at Giles while Angel and Spike went to
find Faith. A phone call to Joyce to explain what had happened revealed that
Faith had taken off with a couple of her credit cards. Another phone call let
them know that a plane ticket to
The tires
of the car squealed as Angel turned a corner leading to the highway. His mind
occupied on the conversation with Buffy earlier. Could she be really pregnant?
Was it possible? And if she was then who was the father? He knew it was either
him or Spike. Like he’d told her he knew she hadn’t been with anyone else. He
just hated that he didn’t know if he was sure or not because he trusted her or
because he and Spike would have smelled someone else on her. The disclosure and
the subsequent conversation had revealed how far apart they truly had drifted.
What once had been taken for granted was now being questioned. He sighed and
glanced at Spike. His Childe looked as shocked and confused as he was.
“We both
need to concentrate on finding Faith,” Angel said. “After that we’ll deal with
the other.”
Spike
nodded while his fingers drifted along the window. “You’re right but I can’t
stop thinking about it…about her.”
“I know,
William, it’s just too much to even contemplate.”
They lapsed
into silence as Angel concentrated on weaving through the traffic to get them
to the airport. Once they reached their destination they settled into a more
normal pace unwilling to tip Faith off sooner then they needed. Angel led the
way after they got directions to the correct gate. She wasn’t hard to find in
the small waiting room. She saw them just as quickly and took off running. Angel
was too fast, however, and caught her around the waist.
“All we
want to do is talk to you,” Angel said softly. “You have something that belongs
to me and I want it back. Not that your body isn’t beautiful but I have a
partiality to this one.”
“Forget it,
Angel,” Faith said. “You’ll have to do without it.” She wrenched away and
screamed attracting the attention of everyone that was within earshot. The two
vampires kept an easy pace behind her as she took off running in the confusion.
In the parking lot they cornered her. “I’d rather die than go back.”
“You’ve
been pretty much that way for the last year or so,” Angel said, taking slow and
careful steps toward her. “You mean you prefer it that way or do you want to
take a chance on living again.”
“I won’t go
to prison,” Faith said, looking around for a way out. She decided to scramble
over a car but Spike caught her leg and pulled her back. “No, stop it, you son
of a bitch.” She screamed as she fought back. Her heel connected with Spike’s jaw
and he loosened his grip. Unable to keep her balance, Faith tipped over and fell
against the car, stomach first.
“Oh, my
God,” Spike yelled, “The baby.”
He reached
for Faith but she seemed to have lost her fight as she slid off the car to face
them.
“Baby?”
Faith said, her hands going to cover her abdomen. “B’s pregnant?”
“We don’t
know for sure,” Angel said. “She has symptoms and was going to take a test
tonight to find out.”
“Guess I
fucked that up for her, huh?”
“You don’t
have to fuck anything up,” Angel said, soothingly. He took advantage of her hesitation
to move closer noting that Spike was doing the same. “Let me help you. Go back
with us and we’ll do what we can for you.”
“Whose is
it?” Faith asked looking from one to the other.
Spike
shrugged. “It’s one of ours; not really sure whose but it doesn’t matter
because we’re in it together.”
“Who gave
Buffy the personality transplant while I was asleep,” Faith said, laughing. “And
I thought little Miss Prissy’s new digs with the tattoo and the nose ring was
shocking. Hell, that ain’t nothing compared with tight ass B getting it on with
two vamps.” She ran shaking hands through her blonde hair. “I get you, Angel,
what with being soul man and all…but demon boy? It must be that fine ass shell
that gets her all hot and bothered.”
“Try love,
sweetheart,” Spike said. “That’s what makes us mates.”
“A lot of
things have changed,” Angel said. “Give us a chance to prove it.”
“You know
what,” Faith said, patting Angel’s cheek. “This actually works in my favor
because I have my own little built in hostage. You’re going to let me walk away
because if you don’t then it’s, ‘oh damn, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to fall down
and lose the baby.’ That’s right. I’ll write when I land somewhere.” With a
final smirk at them she walked away.
“Faith,
please,” Angel said. “I’ll do whatever you want but don’t do this.”
It wasn’t
his style to beg but the last couple of hours had hit Angel hard. The thought
that a baby might be in their future had him more frightened than he’d ever
been but it also was making him look at things differently.
Faith kept
on walking. He had to make a decision and he only hoped it worked. Glancing
over at Spike, he pointed to Faith’s legs, received the nod and they moved. Angel
wrapped his arm around her neck and squeezed; she struggled but was at disadvantage
when Spike grabbed her legs. Her cries died in her throat and the Slayer
wearing their mate’s body slunk into unconsciousness.
“Time to
get our Buffy back,” Angel said, as they deposited Faith into the backseat.
to be continued…
AN: Thanks
to DarryJ, my beta, for once again, rewriting all fight scenes so they read
like fight scenes and for the help with the Faith speak.
