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Hilary
Xander came into the shop around six p.m., freshly showered and ready to spend another evening looking through musty old books with forced enthusiasm. Anya greeted him enthusiastically, then finished pricing the new shipment of tarot decks, keeping a watchful eye on the clock. Giles had decided to extend business hours to 7 p.m. since most of their business took place after four in the afternoon anyway.
Xander was soon persuaded by Giles and Willow to help the cause by keeping Buffy occupied, and within moments he, Dawn and Buffy were involved in a hopelessly mismatched but highly amusing ‘full body’ arm wrestling tournament.
With a sigh, and a warning ‘not to mess up my business establishment with your roughhousing”, Giles left to go retrieve more books from the Summers’ attic, which he had stored there months earlier. He left Anya in charge, promising to return shortly.
At seven p.m. precisely, Anya turned the sign to ‘closed’ and turned off the outside lights, not noticing the classic black GTX convertible that pulled up in front of the shop.
* * * * *
Opening the door silently, Angel took in the scene before him. The Scoobies
were all there, as well as Buffy and Dawn. Only Giles was absent from
the shop. He watched Buffy for a moment, noting her clear, uncluttered
gaze as it wandered around the shop as if she’d never been there
before, the mild interest she displayed as she picked up a random object
to give it a cursory
once over before moving on to the next. The others watched her as they
would a young child, trying to divide their attention between their tasks
and keeping an eye on Buffy.
Angel regarded her sadly. Willow had tried to prepare him. His mind quickly shifted gears as he realized with surprise that Buffy was wearing Spike's duster. He eyed the leather suspiciously, thinking maybe it was only a similar coat, then caught the faint but unique scent that he immediately recognized as Spike’s.
What the hell?
He cleared his throat and all eyes turned toward the doorway he filled. Willow squeaked a 'hi Angel' and Xander rolled his eyes, muttering a rhetorical query as to why nobody had ever gotten that bell he’d suggested years earlier.
Tara just nodded shyly in his direction. Anya looked up, threw out a chipper ‘Hi, Angel!” when she realized he wasn't a paying customer trying to get in a last minute purchase, and went back to counting the day's take as she readied the night’s deposit.
Buffy stared at him with undisguised curiosity, and Angel shifted uncomfortably. Dawn came over and gave him an awkward but affectionate hug.
"Hi, Angel.” Even though she'd never actually met him until Buffy's funeral, Dawn had memories of him when he had been around; he’d always been nice to her, at least as Angel and not Angelus.
“Hey, Dawnie.” Angel returned the gesture distractedly and stepped forward.
"Buffy?"
Buffy's expression didn't change as he said her name softly. Instead, she continued to stare at him for a few beats before turning to Willow. The redhead almost giggled at the look Buffy was giving her, which was something of a "how’d he get here?' look. She stifled her amusement and said, "Buffy, I called Angel to let him know you're...alive." Buffy may be alive, but she wasn't exactly back yet, the witch thought sadly.
Angel coughed.
"Um, Willow? She acts like she doesn't even recognize me."
Xander smothered a grin as Willow regarded Buffy thoughtfully.
Pulling the duster firmly around her slight form, Buffy walked over and faced Angel, as if to study him closer. Angel moved forward and embraced her; she allowed it, but did not return the gesture except to grasp his upper arms lightly.
When he pulled back, she regarded him with a soft smile. As if coming to a decision, she said clearly,
“Friend.”
Angel was at a loss. He and Buffy may have been star-crossed lovers, but she had never called him her friend. He turned to Willow again.
"She's been like this since...since you found her?" he asked thickly, his voice heavy with emotion.
Without thought Willow replied "More or less, and I didn't find her. Spike did."
As soon as the words were out, she bit her lip, as if she could take them back. When she’d called him this morning, she had been careful to not mention Spike's name; Angel knew in a roundabout way that Spike was part of the gang now, but he wasn't happy about it.
Angel was regarding her intently. "Spike found her? Why didn't you--"
Just as he was about to interrogate her, he heard a high-pitched squeal of delight as the slayer shot past him and into the arms of...
"Spike?!" Angel stared at the blond vampire who had just stumbled in the entrance from the back alley, and was now holding Buffy in a comfortably familiar embrace. Buffy was nuzzling Spike's collarbone, arms firmly wrapped around Spike's waist. Angel heard her whisper "Spike" as if it were a prayer, an invocation, then Spike mumbled, “I’m sorry Buffy...I know you wanted it, but...I’m just sorry.”
He looked up then, and noticed Angel standing by the door. Spike was surprised, and none too pleased; but instead of tossing out one of his usual snarky insults, he gazed at Angel impassively and tightened his arms around Buffy.
Angel could smell the liquor on Spike’s breath from where he stood, and Buffy apparently smelled it as well, because she sniffed him, then pulled a face as she leaned back to study him.
Angel swung around to face Willow as Dawn edged closer to the witch trying to see what was going on. Xander moved over to stand between Anya and Dawn, keeping his eyes on the confused and angry vampire.
"Ok, could somebody fill me in as to what the hell is going on? Why is shehugging Spike?" Angel frowned, realizing how jealous he sounded, and turned back to Spike and Buffy.
Spike was about to reply when he got a sharp mental smack upside the head and a warning from Willow to keep his mouth shut.
He glared over at the witch, trying to project his Big Bad image. Almost giggling at the exaggerated roll of her eyes in response to his posturing, he contented himself with burying his fingers in Buffy's hair and playing with the long, golden strands. Buffy smiled delightedly and stood up on tiptoe as she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.
Angel growled and moved closer, just as Spike's fingers, still caught up in the Slayer’s golden mane, lifted the hair away from the side of Buffy's neck that he had bitten earlier. At the same time, he tipped his head to meet her kiss, his own marks now clearly visible. Suddenly it all clicked in Angel's mind.
Angel managed to swallow his rage and bit out, “Spike, can I talk to you?” Spike’s eyebrows shot up, but he shrugged and looked at Buffy. “Stay here, luv.” He then made his way unsteadily over to the corner Angel pointed to.
Willow and Tara exchanged uneasy glances while Xander leaned back against the counter to watch the two vampires with great interest. Anya came around and stood next to Dawn, who watched Angel and Spike nervously.
Angel stalked over to the younger vampire in fury. Spike stood there waiting for him to speak with his arms crossed loosely, looking for all the world like a defiant teenager about to be lectured.
Angel, his eyes narrowed to dark slits, examined the faded mark on Spike’s neck. He fought for control as he almost snarled, “How did this happen, boy?”
It was the ‘boy’ that did it. Only Angelus had called him ‘boy’, and only to humiliate him, usually in front of Dru. Perhaps if he’d been sober he would have shrugged off the insult and remained silent; then again, probably not. He hadn’t changed that much.
He drew himself up proudly.
“How it happened, mate, was that she bit me.” He noticed with pride that his speech was only slightly slurred, although he didn’t realize that his accent had become noticeably thicker.
“She bit me, and she claimed me. Not only that, she cried her bleeding heart out ‘til I would bite her back. I wasn’t even gonna, ‘til Giles said I should just bloody do it and make her happy.” Spike nodded, as if confirming his own statement.
Angel spun and pinned the Scoobies with his disbelieving gaze.
“Giles said this was okay? How could he allow this?”
Xander stepped forward, anger written plainly on his open features.
“At least Jr. over there didn’t drain her and have to rush her to the hospital so she wouldn’t die!”
Spike smirked and thought blearily that maybe Harris wasn’t so bad after all.
Angel’s rage dampened somewhat as the guilt of what he’d done to Buffy when he’d marked her settled heavily onto his shoulders.
He turned back to Spike, who had enough sense to wipe the smirk off his face.
Angel said quietly, “Why would she claim you in the first place?”
Spike shifted his gaze over to Buffy, and they shared an affectionate look as he spoke quietly.
“Me and the Nibblet, we’re her family.”
Angel growled. “Spike, you’re not her family! And do you think she’d ever love another vampire? It was bad enough that she was with me, but at least I had a soul!
Spike stared at him levelly. “Well, Peaches, as far as the soul bit...didn’t do you much good, now did it?”
Angel’s already strained control snapped and his game face slid on. His arm shot out and caught the younger vampire in a vicious backhand that sent Spike staggering. Recovering quickly, Spike launched himself at Angel with a howl and landed a solid punch to Angel’s gut before turning swiftly to aim a roundhouse kick to the other vampire’s head. His reflexes were impaired by the alcohol still in his system though, and although his aim was true Angel easily deflected the kick and moved in to land a heavy blow to Spike’s right side ribs.
Suddenly, as the two alpha males grappled for control, a shrill scream pierced the shop. Buffy had realized that not only was Angel attacking her mate, her mate was at a distinct disadvantage. She dashed across the room and jumped onto Angel’s back, her forearm around Angel’s throat as she shrieked her fury.
As Angel tried to dislodge Buffy from his back without harming her, Spike stepped up. “Queensbury rules out the window, mate” he muttered as he sucker-punched Angel in the face.
Willow stepped forward, realizing that Buffy might actually hurt Angel, and that the vampires might really hurt each other.
Her eyes darkened as she threw her hand out and intoned “freeze” at Buffy’s flailing form, which she then moved away from Angel with a gentle flick of her wrist. With Buffy safely trapped for the moment, Willow turned to the vampires and commanded “separate!” Angel flew backwards across the room into a bookcase while Spike landed on his backside and slid back across the floor, slamming into the wall.
“Bloody hell, Will!” Spike shouted as he rubbed his head reflexively.
Nothing hurt the way he thought it should, though. ‘I’m in for
a world of bleeding hurt in the morning’ he thought idly as he made
sure that Buffy was okay; she was mightily pissed off, he noticed with
a grin, but safely
restrained.
Making no move to get up, the peroxide blond turned to watch as Angel rose slowly from where he’d landed, staring at Willow with awe. He had never actually seen Willow at her current strength, although Cordelia had hinted at it.
Willow turned to a furious Buffy, who was still trying to struggle against her invisible bonds. She remembered a spell she had tried with Tara; it was basically a ‘positive energy’ spell, which had a pleasantly calming effect on the receiver. She concentrated some of her energy and began to suffuse the magically thickened air around Buffy with a sense of peaceful well-being. Soon, Buffy had stopped moving and closed her eyes, as if absorbing the positive energy her friend was sending her.
When it seemed that Buffy was totally relaxed, Willow tentatively released her hold on the Slayer. Buffy didn’t move right away, then opened her eyes and surveyed the scene in front of her. Meeting Angel’s pained expression, she shook her head sadly, but made no move towards him. She instead turned and rushed over to where Spike was still sprawled on the floor, gently kissing him and fretting over his wounds.
Spike smiled broadly and chuckled at her concern, not even trying to hide his glee at Buffy's actions. He had waited over a hundred years for the woman he loved to choose him over Angel. Dru had never been able to do it; hell, Buffy wouldn't have bothered until now and she wasn't exactly herself, but still. His heart was bursting with love and pride and he felt a song coming on.
“We are f-fam-uh-lee...Slayer and th’ Nibblet an’ me...We are fam-uh-leeee...” He warbled until he realized that Buffy had stopped her fussing and was staring at him strangely.
Sure that the fighting was done with--at least for the moment--Dawn rushed over to Spike and Buffy, grabbing a scarf from one of the displays as she passed by. Kneeling down on the side opposite Buffy, she suppressed a fit of giggles at the vampire’s impromptu song number and instead asked, “Are you ok, Spike?” He grunted as she began dabbing at his cuts, which were mostly superficial and already beginning to heal. Buffy watched Dawn tending to Spike and a soft, maternal look settled onto her face. Slowly, she turned and met Angel’s gaze.
"Family."
Angel choked back a sob and turned to the Scoobies, who, although staring at the ‘family’ as well, didn't seem shocked or even surprised by her words.
Willow finally took pity on Angel and moved over to his side, gently leading him to the door.
He couldn't pry his tortured gaze from Buffy as Willow said quietly, "I'm sorry, Angel. I know this isn’t what you expected, and that you only want to help. We're all doing our best to help her. But I think it would be best if you left; we’ll let you know as soon as there’s any change.”
Angel finally managed to tear his eyes from the trio and focus on what Willow was saying. He nodded, then whispered, “I still love her. I always will.”
Willow squeezed his shoulder in sympathy; she knew all too well what it felt like to love somebody you couldn’t be with, even if she’d been able to love again while Angel had not.
“I know Angel.” He turned to leave, shoulders slumped, then turned back to the witch.
"We'll keep you posted." She answered his unspoken question with a smile.
With a last lingering glance at the woman who had taught his soul to love, he reluctantly left the shop and got in his car. As he drove away, he was painfully forced to admit to himself that he didn’t belong in Sunnydale anymore.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Lost in thought, Willow shut the door behind Angel and turned to the others. She realized that Buffy had named Angel ‘friend’ as she had Anya and Tara, although without the enthusiastic hugs they’d recieved. Willow cocked her head towards Buffy with curiosity.
"Buffy?" Buffy's head shot up and she smiled at Willow from her position next to Spike on the floor.
"Buffy, did you know who that was?" She asked lightly as Xander regarded them with interest. He had realized the same thing about Buffy's reaction to Dead Boy.
Spike smirked as he met Xander's look and mutual understanding passed between them. There may not be any love lost between Spike and Xander, but they were united in their intense dislike of the dark, brooding vampire.
Dawn stopped fussing over Spike and looked at her sister, her own curiosity piqued.
Buffy took the scarf from Dawn and used it wipe away the blood away from the corner of Spike’s mouth.
Spike stilled her hand, waiting for Buffy to answer Willow’s question. Had she chosen him in front of Angel? Knowing who Angel was?
“Buffy, do you know who that great poofy wanker was?”
Xander snorted, and Willow shot him a look of warning, a look which closely resembled her resolve face. Tara looked at the ceiling and Anya began banding up dollar bills and placing them carefully in the deposit bag.
But Buffy met Spike’s lopsided grin with a serious expression on her face.
“Angel.”
Spike’s heart soared; she had recognized Angel, and had still made it clear that she considered Spike her mate. She could regain her senses and stake him now and he’d die grinning from ear to ear.
Xander clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. “Well, now that we’ve dealt with the question of which Dead Man Walking Buffy wants around...” he paused, mentally replaying Angel’s flight across the shop with a wistful smile, then continued, “I say we get back to the books.”
Willow was about to remind Xander that he hadn’t actually touched any books lately, when he turned away to study the bookshelf Angel had landed on, which was not much more than a pile of splintered wood surrounded by what was left of the ‘D’ section. Wondering how Angel hadn’t ended up a pile of dust, Xander noisily expelled a deep breath.
“Maybe you guys research while I start building another book shelf.”
Anya, finished at the counter, came over and ‘tsked’ at the mess.
“Boy, is Giles going to be pissed.”
The others in the room looked at the ex-demon in surprise; this was the first time anybody had heard her swear.
“What? He is!” She stated somewhat defensively.
Suddenly the back door swung open and everyone’s gaze swivelled to watch Giles come in, his arms full of books.
Everyone except Buffy and Spike exchanged guilty looks as Giles called out absently,
“Any luck with--” He stopped abruptly as he took in the mess made of his shop. Again.
Xander backed away from the pile he’d been poking around in, and stuffed his hands in his back pockets, trying to appear nonchalant. “It wasn’t me, G-Man. Angel was here and Buffy...Spike...” He looked to Willow for help.
Willow nodded supportively.
“Angel was here, and he saw Buffy’s neck, and there was fighting...” She too trailed off uncomfortably. Tara smiled at her comfortingly and whispered ‘you did good, sweetie’.
Anya stepped over a book on demon mythology and took one of the books balanced on Giles’ arms.
“Ah! I was looking for this! It was a special order that got mixed in with your personal library.” She flipped through the book as she added drily, “Willow had to separate Angel and Spike.”
Giles took in Spike’s inebriated state, bloodied face and joyful exuberance, then eyed Buffy, who was busily preening, running her hands along the sleeves of the black leather duster she’d been wearing all day.
“Bloody Hell.”