Past meets Present
although i secretly refer to this as chapter-seven-monkey-angel
Author: Sarahvampgrl

Spoilers: Set right approximately right now in the series so all around spoilers for this season and others past may crop up.

Disclaimer: I think it's quite obvious i don't own them or i would have all you rabid fans, much like me, beating down my door to smother me with gifts and adoration. You can do that anyway if you want, but you can't get Spike. I'm keeping him chained to my bathtub and he's all mine! Ya hear me, ALL MINE!

Feedback/Reviews: Who needs reasons when ya've got heroin. (just a trainspotting quote, i'm only addicted to reviews and Spike)

Rating: A little nondescript hanky panky so a tame R

Summary: Buffy and Spike are gonna get together. Ya know they are. And if not, well then, they will here. ;>





Spike watched from the shadows as Angel's black convertable pulled up in front of Buffy's house silently. Cordelia climbed out of the passenger seat with Connor safely tucked in her arms and walked up the drive. Angel followed more slowly, his vampiric vision easily picking out Spike's figure leaning against the thick trunk of an oak tree in the yard.

Cordelia cast a look over her shoulder as she neared the front door. Her mouth was set in a grim line as she shifted apprehensively before the front door. Spike stood his ground unflinchingly as Angel moved towards him and a look of charged agression passed between them. Angel continued steadily past and hurried to Cordelia's side. He never took his eyes off Spike as he said, "You go on ahead. I have to deal with something."

Cordelia turned to Angel and met his eyes firmly as she answered, "No, I'm not going in there by myself. I'll wait right here."

Angel sighed and gently pushed her towards the house. "I promise I won't take long but I don't want Connor being out here in the cold. See, he's already getting fussy."

"It's not that cold out and he'll be even more fussy when he can't see you!" Cordelia insisted. Angel held her gaze calmly and softly whispered her name commandingly. "Oh, alright, I'll go face our exes all by myself," Cordelia relented with a raised accusing eyebrow that said Angel owed her big and had better appreciate her stalwart friendship for this. She pursed her lips and knocked soundly as she held Angel's eyes. He nodded then darted off into the darkness of the shadowy yard.

The door swung open and the two weary mortals were greeted warmly by a smiling Willow who exclaimed over the softly crying baby in the ex-cheerleaders arms. Spike took one last drag of his cigarette before flicking it to the ground and saying, "Well, well, Angel, looks like you found a new girl to lead you around by your," he paused suggestively, "collar."

Angel gripped Spike with lightning speed, shoving him up against the tree as he growled savagely, "What are *you* doing here Spike?"

Spike laughed in Angel's face from his higher vantage point as his feet dangled an inch off the ground. His voice was superiorly cocky as he answered through the condescending laughter, "I've been *invited* mate."

Angel's face clouded with suspicious confusion. "What?"

"Yeah, you never were a vampire of many words were ya, Angel? Unless you were spoutin on about torture and end of the world rubbish. Oh, right, that was Angelus. Simple, angsty, dark boy. That's my Buffy's Angel," Spike blustered aggressively.

Angel towered menacingly over Spike as he dropped the other vamp to the ground and asked again, "What? And what?"

"Well, long story short. I'm not quite as evil." Spike sighed wistfully. "I'm still bad," he said defensively, "Just, well, I don't really like to talk about the how's and why's but I work with Buffy now. Sort of a team, me and her." His eyes had become darkly serious. "I see why you loved her Angel."

Angel stepped back silently, his eyes wary and watchful. Spike shoved past him roughly and walked towards the waiting stillness of Buffy's house. Angel swung into step beside him and Spike cast him a sideways glance before muttering, "Just for the record, though, I still hate *you*."

Angel smiled broadly and clapped Spike on the back. "The feeling is definitely mutual, Spike," he said, his voice grinding menacingly across Spike's name. The two vamps entered the house and by unconscious agreement gave each other a wide berth. Angel rushed to his baby's side and lifted him from the arms of an incredulous Willow brimming with questions. Cordelia appeared by his side within a moment, a bottle in hand. Spike hung back in the doorway surveying the scene. He wondered where Buffy was.

A soft hand touched his shoulder and he whirled around, knowing it wasn't Buffy. Didn't have her smell. Tara's soft blue eyes gazed up at him nervously and he knitted his brows together in question. She jerked her thumb towards the stairs as she said, "Um, Buffy wanted..wanted me to tell you she, um, wants to talk to you." She smiled in relief at the delivered message and stepped back expectantly.

Spike moved towards the stairs, his gaze fixed on the landing above. He unconsciously stroked his hand along the bannister sensually as he moved up the steps. Cordelia caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and turned in surprise to see who was moving up towards Buffy's bedroom. Her eyes widened as she watched the vampire quickly disappear from view. She turned back to Angel who was lightly bouncing Connor as he walked in slow circles around the room. She wondered what Angel would have to say about Spike going up there and what was Buffy's deal with those two vamps anyway. She shrugged the thoughts away and turned to Willow who was asking about her godson. As Cordelia retold the story in a soft monotone she thought how strange it was that she and Willow had become the link maintaining the alliance and keeping both sides informed. A lot had changed since High School she thought as her eyes drifted back to Angel.

"So where is everybody else?" Cordelia asked idly, glancing around the living room for Xander and Giles.

"Oh, Giles went with Xander and Anya to the Magic Box to replenish our supplies. I don't think he trusts them to do it by themselves after yesterday," Willow said conspiratoraly.

Cordelia blinked once, slowly. "Huh? Xander and Anya can't be left alone to do an errand now?"

Willow felt a guilty pleasure at getting to tell Cordelia who, had been incredibly rude and mean to her when they were younger, the news of Xander's engagement. "Oh yeah, Anya and he are engaged now."

Cordelia sputtered and shouted, "My vengeance demon is marrying my ex!"

Willow shrugged and said, "That's the hellmouth for you." She stood and moved towards the kitchen, "Want a drink? I think I'll make some coffee." She grinned a little as she turned the corner and grabbed the can of Folgers.





Buffy stood at Dawn's bedside and stared down at her peacefully resting sister. She didn't move or look up but she knew the moment Spike stood in the doorway behind her. She reached out and brushed Dawn's silky brown hair behind her ear and let her fingers lingeringly trace her downy cheek.

"We've got company downstairs," Spike said as he moved into the room.

"So Angel's here then," Buffy said and it was more a statement than a question.

"And Cordelia and an extra bundle," Spike continued seriously.

Buffy's lip curled as she said, "Cordelia's here, too?"

"Yeah, luv, and wait till you see the bundle," Spike singsonged.

There was a soft pause as Spike faced Buffy's stiff back.

"You told everyone you spent the night," Buffy said without turning

"Yeah," Spike answered defiantly, his chin lifting as he moved towards her.

"I told you this was just between you and me, a secret," Buffy continued unemotionally.

"Yeah," Spike's tone acknowledged this fact calmly.

"I should be mad," she whispered softly

"But you're not then?" His quick question was hopeful and defensive as he stepped closer to her. Her silence unnerved him and he covered the final distance between them. He reached out and cupped her head as he inhaled the scent of her hair and skin and said, "Buffy, you push me away, then you pull me back. I just couldn't hold it in. I wanted you to have to make a decision I guess. One or the other, and that soddin boy gave me the perfect opportunity and I just.. it just came out." His stumbling explanation had wrenched from him and a tear trickled down his cheek at the thought that he'd botched it up good and proper this time.

Buffy turned slowly and met his eyes earnestly as she reached up and cupped his cheek, letting his tear trickle across her skin. Her voice was softly calm as she said, "Spike...I'm not mad."

Sweet relief and the budding hope that Buffy would let him be a part of her life washed through him. Buffy leaned up sensuously and licked away the next tear that traced a wet path across the smooth alabaster of his cheek, just as he had done the night before to hers. She leaned back slowly and met his hopeful gaze with a smile. He angled his head towards her lips as she slid her hand to the nape of his neck. Their lips met softly and Buffy sighed in pleasure. The soft sound drove Spike mad and he pulled her body tight to his and sank down into the soft wet sensation of Buffy's faintly strawberry lips. Buffy pressed her pelvis against Spike's growing erection making Spike groan. Buffy felt the wall at her back as Spike began kissing along her neck feverishly and she choked out, "Spike, no, wait. Dawn..."

Spike reared back questioningly then cast a look over his shoulder to the sleeping girl. "Oh, bloody hell! Sorry Nibblet." Then he swung Buffy into his arms and crossed the hall to her bedroom.





There was something in the air, something faint and distinct. Angel cautiously sniffed the air, not quite able to believe it. Quickly he got to his feet and sought out Cordelia. She and Willow were in the kitchen pouring coffee and he gently handed Connor to her, patting the blanket around him and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "Hold him a minute, would you, Cordy?" he threw across his shoulder as he sprinted up the stairs.

He vaguely heard Willow's, "Wait, you shouldn't go up there!"

The scent was stronger as he neared Buffy's door but he still couldn't believe it. Then he heard something. The sound was also faint yet incredibly distinct. Buffy's door was slightly ajar as Angel moved closer and heard a groan. A masculine groan. Spike's masculine groan. Angel stopped dead in his tracks, but he couldn't stop his hand raising and pushing the door wider open. Because he still couldn't believe what his senses were telling him. Then his eyes confirmed it. Buffy's golden limbs tangeled with Spike's pale ones as they writhed across her sheets. She sensed him first and raised her sweat damped face to stare at him in shock even as she moaned against Spike's thrust. "Angel!" she gasped with shock.

Spike whipped up, his face a mask of hurt before he saw the dark vampire in the doorway. His voice was just as shocked as he mimicked, "Angel," before reaching down and jerking Buffy's exposed body to his chest, concealing her nakedness. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as she stared at Angel over her shoulder.

Angel's brows were drawn menacingly over his eyes as he asked fiercly, a hint of Irish brouge slipping into his voice, "What the hell are you two doing?"

Spike's cockiness was the first to recover as he curled his lip dangerously and said, "I think it's pretty obvious what we were doing, Peaches. Or have you forgotten what it looks like?"

Buffy's sense of harsh reality was second. "Angel, we gave up our claim on each other a long time ago."

His eyes locked with Buffy's and she could sense the anger and hurt buried there as he said, "I did that so you could have a life Buffy. With a decent man." His eyes shifted to Spike accusingly, saying without words that the platinum blond vamp was neither of those things.

Buffy's voice was hard as she said, "Angel, you left because we *couldn't* be together. And you haven't been here in a long time. You don't even know me so don't act like you can judge me," her voice softenend slightly, "Listen...we'll talk. _Later_."

Angel stood holding her gaze a second longer before he turned and vanished from sight. She turned back to Spike who was watching her hesitantly. She pressed her lips to his before saying with a jokingly soft smile, "Enough private time, let's go save Dawn." She slid out of bed and began dressing as Spike followed suit, a smug smile curling his lips.

Buffy straitened her shirt in front of the mirror before turning to Spike. He moved back from the doorway to let her pass. She let her hand trail across his chest and down the length of his arm to grasp his hand as she moved to the door. Having Spike's hand to grip when she was apprehensive was really becoming addictive.

Spike followed, still grasping her hand, aching to see Angel's reaction to that. Buffy stopped at the top of the stairs. Angel and Willow and a dangerous spell were waiting for her at the base of those stairs. Questions and responsibilities and a whole lot of the past. She took a steadying breath and plunged into the mess.



on to 'Spike and Peaches'