Title: Under An Incubus Moon: Book Two: A Gift Of Love: Part 1

Author: JINX Buffywatcher

Feedback: Constructive comments always welcome: jinxascendant@hotmail.com

Pairing: S/A

Rating: R to soft NC-17

Spoilers: Some scattered references to events in Season Five of Angel and Chosen from Buffy

Warnings: The usual warnings for Slash, graphic violence, strong language and such forth.

Disclaimer: Just borrowing them for a bit of harmless fun. All characters, recognisable likenesses are retained by their owner and accredited license holders.

Writer’s Notes: This story takes place in an AU setting. Please excuse any minor discrepancies or artist license. As always thanks are going out to GF, Myst, Salustra, Betsy, Sweet, Luba, and Mera my most excellent group of Beta/Editors.

Writer’s Credits: This story features the poem ‘Because I Could Not Stop for Death’ by Emily Dickinson and it is being used in honour of Myst, hugs Lil Bear. The second poem is a non-published piece.

Writer Websites: JINXI’s Archive At Shadows In A Mirror: FEVER DREAMS

JINXI’s LiveJournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/jinxwatcher

The Crypt: http://home.att.net/~lubakmetyk/crypt.htm#buffywatcher

Distribution: If I’ve already been given permission to archive my work please consider it yours if you want it. If I haven’t and you would like to archive it please do, all I ask is that you email me and tell me where it’s going so I can visit.

Summary: Finding love is sometimes easier than holding on to it. As Angel and Spike lead their friends to the frontlines of the battle for humanity’s future spectres from their past are stirring.

Prologue

Angel feels the plastic of the phone starting to crack under the pressure of his tightening hand and forces the clenching muscles to relax. “Hold on for a minute Buffy.” He presses the hold button, sets the phone down in the cradle and falls back in his chair. “Come here Wil.” He lifts his hand.

Spike is there within seconds curling up in his usual spot on the arm of his chair, his arm slipping behind Angel to rest across his shoulders.

“It’s your choice Spike. Do we talk to her and find out what she wants or do we hang up and make sure she can’t get through again?” Angel asks quietly, smoothing his palm up and down Spike’s thigh in a tender caress. “She held your fate in the palm of her hand when she had that amulet and I’m giving her life to you now. She wouldn’t have called me unless it was a dire emergency, but that doesn’t matter, what you want does.”

“Find out what she called for Angel; then we’ll all decide what to do about it?” Spike suggests, his eyes flickering over everyone and smiling at the pleased and touched expressions on their faces.

They’ve managed to mend a lot of fences and forge a lot of new relationships among themselves since they found out that they were ‘chosen’ by the Powers themselves. There are few things that can make a person cut through the b-s in life than knowing that a higher being has been watching and found you worthy of their interest. He turns his gaze to Dana and smiles warmly. “Would you mind fetching the others Pet? I think Lorne’s in his office and if Harmony’s still in the building, you’ll probably find her with Gunn in his office or in the cafeteria. Ask them to join us? I think this is a decision we should all make together.” Dana smiles back and hurries off; Wes follows her headed for Fred’s lab.

Tara walks over and sits on the couch. “That’s a nice thing that you did Spike, it helps her to know that she’s useful and an important part of things around here.”

“Well the poor girl’s been a pawn in a madman’s ploy and an unwitting tool for the Watchers, it is little wonder why she needs to be encouraged and supported. That collar Wes made for her seems to help a lot and Fred says the new medication therapy she’s on is working much more effectively due to it. She thinks that it won’t be long until Dana can maybe even take the collar off for short breaks.”

“That is wonderful news!” Tara says brightly, she smiles gently as Andrew takes the seat beside her and fidgets nervously. “Are you alright Andrew?”

“I’m…just I haven’t spoken to Buffy or anyone else except for all of you since it happened.” He replies nervously.

“You’re safe here Andrew, we know how to look out for our own around here.” Angel says quietly. “If we end up helping them, then you and Dana will be coming with us, not that we had a chance of anything else since Dana’s not about to let Wil out of her sight.” Angel says with a chuckle, as Spike flushes faintly and ducks his head quickly.

Of all the surprising occurrences that have happened to them of late, the fact that Dana, a Slayer has decided that it is her path in life to protect Spike, is one of the more astonishing. She rarely leaves his side when they leave the building and can usually be found hovering nearby even when they are. Tara thinks that it may be a guilty reaction to what she did to Spike and finding out that she had in fact hurt one of the ‘white hats’ that is motivating her. Despite not needing to be protected, Spike hasn’t made a fuss over her hovering but allows her to do whatever she needs to do to feel better.

Within five minutes the others have all arrived, Angel motions to Spike and lays his finger across his lips, Spike nods his understanding and Angel does the same to Dana and Andrew. After getting their nods he reaches over and pauses with his hand over the phone and his brow furrowed.

Harmony and Spike stifle a chuckle and she reaches over and deftly presses a couple of buttons, transferring the call to the speaker phone and nodding to Angel.

“Sorry to keep you waiting Buffy, I thought it’d be a good idea if Wes and the others were here to hear this call too. What can we do for you?” He asks calmly, his voice cool and brusque.

“Hello Angel, we need your help with something big, apocalypse kind of big. Giles wants you to come to London for a meeting. He doesn’t want to chance talking about this on the phone.”

“We’ll discuss it and get back to you Buffy.” Angel disconnects the call with no further warning and looks around his office at his friends. “Harmony, have my personal number changed as soon as possible.”

“Have calls from them routed to me directly Harmony. I’ll deal with them personally.” Wes says coolly, his eyes flashing dangerously. He’s made no secret of his disdain for his former colleagues.

“You got it Boss, Wes. I’ll take care of it.” Harmony reaches over and takes a pad of paper off Angel’s desk and catches the pen Spike tosses over to her and writes down a note to remind her.

“What are we going to do about this meeting they’re demanding?” Gunn asks, crossing his arms and looking every inch the dangerous street-wise fighter he’s always been. Though he retains the knowledge imparted by the implanted lawyer information; completely string free as verified by Lorne and Tara both; Gunn’s been attending night school classes to learn the information on his own and to gain his own genuine degrees and license. They’re all proud of his efforts and support him one hundred percent and the confidence it has given him has refreshed a lot of his spirit. “Personally, I don’t really like being ordered around by that bunch.”

“I think we can all agree on that Gunn.” Wes says with a shrug. “If it is a genuine emergency though, can we afford to overlook the possibility that we can prevent serious harm to others?”

“No we can’t.” Spike says quietly. “We’re all part of something bigger than we are now and we can’t afford to play up to our personal grievances anymore. I don’t trust them and I don’t think we can expect them to tell us the facts straight. I think that we should find out what they want and then if it turns out to be genuine than we handle it ourselves rather than trust them to back us up.” No one is really surprised by Spike’s calm acceptance and newfound maturity. Since his mating to Angel, he has gained a new measure of peace and confidence and a lot of his former posturing is a thing of the past.

“I agree, I think that we need to put them on notice that things are changing around here. We’re not going to be conveniences for them, muscle for when they can’t handle something. It’s time they got over themselves. So we go?” Angel pulls Spike closer and strokes his thigh soothingly. One by one he looks at everyone and one by one they all nod. “We’re agreed then. Harmony, we’ve still got all of Wolfram & Hart’s old resources correct?” The bubbly blonde nods. “Make arrangements for the largest company jet we’ve got to be ready within the hour.” Harmony nods and dives for the phone. “Everyone else will need to pack for the trip and make sure your papers are in order.”

“I can make sure that everyone has what they need Angel.” Gunn says proudly. “I’ve made up legal papers for both Dana and Tara and for Spike and Harmony as well. We won’t have a probably getting through customs when we land.”

“Good work Gunn. I’m not leaving anyone here; we’re all going on this. Stony can watch the operation here, he seems more than capable.” Angel says and Wes nods; his new assistant has proven to be a very competent young man and an asset to their evolving business. “Tara, Dana, and Andrew, I want you three to stay close to Spike when we get there. We don’t know how they’re going to react to the knowledge you’re back and that Dana and Andrew have been with us the whole time. I don’t want them to know about you just yet, we’re going to have a little surprise for them when we get there. We’re going to bring all their sins home to roost and let’s just see how they deal with it when they haven’t gotten their cover stories figured out.” Angel decides.

“Pack light, we may have to stay mobile, we can buy whatever we need when we get there, only exception is weaponry. Wes, Gunn you two handle that, I’m not going in using strange weapons, I’d rather trust our own.” Both men nod and head for the weapons vault. “Fully loaded, we don’t know what we’re going to be dealing with!” Angel calls after the pair. “Lorne, Andrew get onto your contacts and see if you can find out anything about what we may be dealing with, if there’s something big brewing it must have started to leak out to the demon underground by now. Find out what you can.”

Lorne nods and grabs Andrew’s hand and pulls him after him, the pair grabbing their cell phones.

Angel turns to Tara and Dana. “Tara is there anything you can do to shield us from their magic and make sure they can’t try anything nasty or underhanded?”

The young witch thinks for a few moments. “Yes, there are several spells that will do and with Wesley’s help in the casting not even Willow could overturn them.”

“Okay, get with Wes and decide what you need and when you need to do it by, Dana could you take Wes’ place and see to the weapons please?”

Both women nod and hurry off to their appointed tasks, just glad to be needed and relied upon.

Fred steps up to the desk, as Harmony hangs up the phone and moves to stand beside her and Angel turns his attentions to them. “Fred we could certainly use some of your gadgets with us on this, could you bring anything that you think we may need?”

“I keep field packs ready to go; it should have anything we’ll need.” She says seriously.

“Terrific, you can help Harmony make the arrangements we’re going to need. Nothing public, arrange to rent a place for us to stay, no hotels, and discreetly. Use one of the company accounts to pay for everything, make sure none of our names are used for anything. We’re going to need to stay mobile but I want us to be together too so arrange for two SUV’s and five motorcycles. Have the motorcycles waiting where we’ll be staying and arrange to have the SUV’s waiting for us at the airport.” Angel says decisively. “Make sure that we’ve got what we need Harmony for at least a week’s stay and that includes any sundries and you may want to keep some personal shoppers on retainer. If we need anything we can get it through them and maintain a low profile until we find out what’s going on.”

“You may want to see what you can find outside London proper Pet.” Spike adds. “The Wankers Council has a well established intelligence net inside the city but they largely ignore most of the outlying areas and send in agents as needed. We’ll draw less attention there, try to stay within a thirty mile radius of the city, that’s far enough out that their intelligence will be sketchy at best but where it’s still common to see large numbers of tourists. We won’t stand out then.” He adds helpfully.

“Good idea, Spike.” Angel says proudly. “We’ve got some plans to come up with before we get there, Spike and I will take care of that.”

“Fred and I will get started on the arrangements, I’m sure Wes can help us too.” Harmony takes Fred’s hand and they depart. “I’ll give you a hand with those field kits and then we’ll head for your office. We can find what we need on the internet.”

Spike glances sideway under his lashes at his Mate. “You know this is probably some sort of a ruse.”

Angel nods leaning back in his chair. “They must think that whatever it is will be sufficient cause for us to overlook their less than sterling treatment of us during that Dana debacle.”

“They don’t know that they came to us for help though. I’m sure that they figured Andrew believed the stories they’d told him about you and your ‘descent into evil’ as he so eloquently put it.”

“He came to us for help because you were here. He may not have trusted us and I’m not still he’s sure if he does but he does trust you. You, Dana, and Tara are our wildcards in this; they won’t have made any plans to deal with you since none of them know about you. That will be a strong advantage in our favour. They don’t know that we’ve cut our ties to Wolfram & Hart and they still called us. It must be serious.” Angel pulls his Mate to lie across his lap, tracing a thumb along his cheekbone.

“Or they’re trying to finish the job they manipulated Dana into doing. I’d say that her progress proves that they she was anything but irredeemable and yet they kept her doped up in mental wards for most of her life.”

“Whatever they’re up to it won’t work on us. If this is a serious threat than we’ll deal with it and if not…” Angel’s eyes flash with amber. “…Then we’ll deal with them.” He pulls his Mate’s mouth to his and opens the blood bond between them, flooding his essence through the link.

Spike sighs and melts into the kiss, cupping Angel’s cheeks and holding him to the deep drugging kiss and he funnels it deep inside him, feeding and sating the ancient power that coils low in his belly. If he had any question of where Angel’s loyalties lie and whether Buffy will be a concern, they’ve been answered. Angel and Angelus both are his, as inseparable as they are immortal. When they face her, come what may it will be together as a united front. Angel and Spike, Angelus and William, Sire and Childe, as life-mates; they have stood as legends. They shall again.

Chapter One

“Mr. Price?” Wesley looks up from the papers he’s studying diligently and the steward leans down. “The Captain says that we’ll be landing in a little under forty minutes and you asked to be informed.”

“Thank you Steward, is there a weather report on what we can expect at Heathrow?” Wes asks the neatly dressed young man.

“The Captain is diverting us from Heathrow, Mr. Price. We’re non-commercial class so we can divert to Norwich, which is closer to where we’ve been told we’ll be staying. The rental company has made arrangements accordingly and the vehicles we’ve requested will be awaiting us when we land. Suites have been retained for the flight crew and arrangements have been made for hangar facilities and twenty-four hour security.” The steward hands Wesley a slim folder. “These are the final arrangements, Sir. I hope they meet with your approval. Weather is cloudy, it is thirteen degrees Celsius, and winds are currently from the southeast at twenty-one miles per hour. The five day forecast is predicting light to moderate rain and temperatures in the same range. There should be no problem with our ‘special’ passengers disembarking Sir. The pilot will taxi us directly into the hangar just to be safe.”

Wesley takes the folder and nods approvingly. “What about customs?”

“All A.I. aircraft are equipped with state of the art stealth technologies, Sir. They won’t know we’ve landed and the Norwich tower is reading us as a local flight so customs won’t be called out. Our flight plan will reflect that we’re a flight out of Cheshire. Arrangements have been made with the facility’s Director of Operation. He believes that we’re carrying certain high profile guests that would like to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Suffolk coast and would like to maintain the strictest of low profiles. You know obsessive fans these days, it’s just shameful.” The young man replies with a grin and Wes chuckles.

“It sounds like you’ve saved us some work, please thank the crew for us and let them know that we’ll be making sure that all of you receive generous bonuses for your competence.” Wesley unbuckles his seat belt and stands. “Your food and accommodations are on us and we’ll make sure that a vehicle is provided for your convenience while we’re here as well, in addition to your usual pay checks.”

The young man’s smile is beaming. “Thank you Sir. I’ll let them know and please allow us to say thank you for letting us stay on as employees and with generous raises.”

Wes clasps his shoulder with a companionable hand. “This is the start of better days for us and loyalty and competence is something we value and it will always be rewarded. Your time is your own until we depart but I do ask that you remain on call in the area in case we need to leave quickly.”

“Understood, Sir, we’ve all got pagers and cell phones and Ms. Kendall has a complete listing of them all. Would you like me to get you anything Sir? We’re fully stocked and I believe we’ve got some fresh pastries and rolls onboard.”

“That sounds great, how about an assortment and two carafes of coffee and cocoa?” Wes says realising that he is a bit hungry so the others probably are as well. “Also you may want to heat up something special for Angel, Spike, and Harmony.”

“I’ll attend to it directly.” The young man moves off and Wesley kneels to wake Fred with a gentle shake.

“We’re almost there Winifred.” Wes says quietly, smiling as Fred wakes with a sleepy smile that is utterly charming. “Would you wake the others while I go see if Angel and Spike are awake yet?” Fred covers her yawn and nods as Wes moves to the back of the plane where a fully appointed state room is located. The others claimed the comfortable sleeping couches in the main area, leaving the large luxurious stateroom to the mated pair.

He pauses as he reaches the door and listens for a moment and hearing nothing he taps lightly at the door before pushing it inward and peering around the door. He inhales sharply and his eyes glaze in unvoiced lust. Spike is lying on his back half under Angel’s body, clothed only in the dark collar and charm that he never takes off. His modesty and Angel’s preserved only by the tasteful drapery of a corner of the black silk sheet and comforter and the entwined position of their bodies. Angel is sleeping peacefully cuddled against Spike’s chest with one powerful arm wrapped around him and stroking his back gently. His eyes follow that caressing hand, as mindless as a lemming drawn by instinct to follow its kind, as it draws slowly up Angel’s back and shoulder. Up and across to Spike’s chest it wanders until it reaches Spike’s face and a finger is laid silently across those full lips.

He swallows heavily and glancing at the still sleeping Angel he nods his understanding of Spike’s request. He points to his watch and uses his hand to pantomime a plane landing and holds up three fingers and then closes his fist. Spike nods and leans down and presses his lips to Angel’s shoulder and purrs quietly and Angel starts to stir atop him. Wesley steps back and quietly closes the door and leans against it weakly. He’s seen few sights that could be as sensually erotic as hat he’s just seen. He’s never stopped to wonder before about how beautiful the male body can be but for those two Vampires the appeal and attraction can’t be denied. They were shaped to fit together, where one is powerful and strong the other is lithe and graceful, where one is dark, the other is light and moonbeams. Even their personalities mesh to form a more powerful unified front. Angel’s calm, focused, and analytical nature well partnered to Spike’s more exuberant, fiery, and emotional nature but he’s noticed that since their mating their traits have begun to emerge in each other at times. He moves back to wait with the others, clutching the thin folder to his chest. He wonders if there will ever come a time that his body stops yearning for Spike. He smiles as Fred steps up and hands him a cup of coffee with a sweet smile. Maybe that time will come and maybe it won’t but he’ll enjoy it anyway.

Chapter Two

They’re settling down for breakfast as Spike and Angel appear both sporting black boots and tight black leather pants. Angel is wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up neatly up his forearms under a sleeveless black leather waist coat that is both tailored yet maintain a loose comfortable fit. Spike’s dressing style is edgier as usual foregoing a shirt in favour of a simply tailored dark blue leather vest laced neatly over his impressive chest. The cropped cut of the vest and the hip hugging pants display his navel and the rich gold of the waist chain that encircles his waist passing through the simple hoop piercing in his belly button. As he leans over to set the duster he’s carrying over one of the chair backs they get their first sight of some new body work. The edge of a wing like shape peeks out from beneath the leather of the arm hold on his right shoulder blade. A small but intricately detailed Celtic trinity symbol in basic black rests in the small of his back, encircling a small but perfectly formed red edged- white rose. Spike’s usual brow piercing, earring, bracelet, and rings are in place, the platinum Claddagh on his left ring finger is the only other piece of jewellery other than his collar that he never takes off.

Angel smiles his thanks as Harmony hands him a mug of blood and he sips it appreciably as Spike returns from setting his coat down and leans against his side. Angel wraps an arm around his shoulders and sighs as Spike relaxes against him and waves off the mug Harmony proffers and picks up a cheese Danish to nibble on instead. “I’ve already eaten, Pet.” He says with a smile and Angel grins and drains his mug and takes the one she offered to Spike.

“The pilots are diverting us to Norwich and that’s only fifty kilometres from Lowestoft, where we’ll be staying.” Wesley opens the folder the steward handed to him and he looks over the details. “The two SUV’s we requested will be waiting for us at the Norwich airport. Five motorcycles and attendant gear will be waiting for us at the Wherry Hotel where we’ll be staying. Arrangements for a third car have been made for the flight crew who will follow us with the luggage. We’ve booked all thirty one rooms of the Hotel so we’ll have the place to ourselves. I think for security reasons though it’d be best if we stayed together as much as possible. There are four suites on the top floor that I think will do, each has two bedrooms and a small pull out so we should be able to fit three comfortably per room. We need to decide who is staying with whom.”

“Well it’s a given that the fang boys will be sharing a room.” Gunn says with a grin and everyone chuckles.

“Indeed.” Wes says with a grin. “I think we should split up so that each of our friends is staying with at least one of us so Tara why don’t you take the second bedroom in Spike and Angel’s suite? Dana and Fred can take the bedrooms in the second suite and I’ll take the pull out. Harmony you and Andrew in suite three and we can bracket you between us and Gunn and Lorne in the last suite. I think that will give us a good mix so that every suite has at least one fighter?”

“That’s an excellent plan, Wes, good thinking.” Angel says with a smile. “I think we should decide on basic pairings as well for when we hit London. I don’t want any of us wandering off on our own. Who is comfortable on a motorcycle?” Angel isn’t surprised to see that Spike, Wes, Gunn, have raised their hands to his question but he’s mildly surprised to see that Dana has as well. “Okay, here’s how I think we should pair up. Lorne you’ll come with me.” Lorne nods, knowing that he’s a wink link as far as fighting, so pairing him with one of their strongest fighters just makes sense. I know that Fred’s ridden before so I think that she should ride with Wes. Tara, I don’t know if you’ve ridden much so you’ll go with Spike, he’s the most experienced. Dana, I want you and Andrew to stick close to Spike and Tara, I don’t want you four separated once we hit London, so you’ll take Andrew. Gunn, that leaves you and Harmony?” The pair nods their approval.

“Once we hit London, we’re going to assume we’re going to be walking into a hostile situation. I want every fighter armed and for the rest of us, I want each of you prepared in your separate disciplines and skills. Wes, Tara, that means that we may need your magic so be sure you’ve got what you may need. Andrew, Lorne, if any fighting starts than I want you both to break off and get away cleanly. If something goes wrong we’ll need to know that you two are clear and out there working to get us free. Tara if it looks like we’re losing I want you to break off as well. Harmony if that happens you go with her, we’re entrusting her safety to you. The rest of us will stay and fight and hold them back so that you can get clear. Does everyone understand?” Angel asks and they all nod.

“Speaking of magic…” Spike glances at Tara and quirks his eyebrow questioningly.

Tara retrieves her bag and nods. She pulls out a crystal vial and opens it pouring a little clear viscous liquid into her hand. She hands the vial to Wesley who closes it for her and she rubs her hands together, chanting quietly beneath her breath as she steps toward Spike. She slides her hands into his hair. “Time turns back as per my will, as it was let it be so still.” She combs her fingers through his hair and it transforms beneath her hands. She presses her fingertips to the gryphon charm hanging from his collar and murmurs something and lets her hands fall away.

Angel catches his breath as the short platinum pale locks Spike is sporting changes into the waves of sandy gold with deeper tones of red and tawny brown shot through it that was William’s glorious hair. The back and sides are still cut tightly but the top is a little longer and waves slightly. Amazingly Spike seems equally striking either way and Angel smiles to notice that there are threads of pure platinum running through the amazing mane of hair that ties the two looks together.

“Oh now that’s clever. You still look like yourself but from any distance away you look just different enough to throw off an observer. That’s clever!” Wes says approvingly. “Is it a permanent change or a glamour spell?” He asks curiously.

“It’s both actually. It’s a spell Spike asked me to work on. Now that it’s in place it’s bound to the magic of his charm. He can change his hair at will and it will remain permanent until he consciously changes it again. His looks are so striking we thought it might be a good idea if he could alter it slightly from time to time. It won’t fool anyone close enough that knows him very well but even a second’s hesitation is a positive advantage in our favour.” Tara says with a smile.

Angel strokes Spike’s hair and leans over to nuzzle his nose into the soft locks and he smiles. “I haven’t seen your hair like this in over a century. I’d forgotten how lovely it was.” He pulls a comb out of his pocket and neatly combs through his hair and it falls neatly into place, the mark of a good high quality hair cut. Satisfied he smiles and puts the comb away. He nods to Wesley and he continues outlining their game plan until each of them is comfortable with it as the jet taxis in for a landing.

Chapter Three

Angel looks around the lobby checking to see who’s arrived and sees that only Spike and Tara have yet to meet them in the lobby. They left the suite about half an hour ago to go shopping in one of the upscale boutiques nearby and he’s curious as to what the pair were whispering about so covertly and giggling about.

“Everyone make sure that you have your helmets, gloves, and jackets.” Angel announces to everyone glancing at Harmony and nodding his approval as he sees that she’s wearing sturdy boots.

“Where are Spike and Tara?” Fred asks shrugging into the jacket that Wes is holding up for her.

“We’re right here.” An amused voice says from behind them and they turn towards the lobby door and smiles and cheers break out. Spike smiles and leads a blushing Tara down the steps and into the lobby. Apparently Tara asked Spike to take her shopping for clothing more suited to the weather and motorcycle riding. Spike has Tara’s hand in one hand and in the other he’s carrying a large soft cream leather bag with a large strap.

Her top is an off the shoulder style with short capped sleeves in a soft rust colour silk. It is loose and gauzy trailing almost to her mid-thighs but it is slit nearly to the waist at the sides. A cream leather waist cinchier is laced neatly to her torso tailoring the soft gauzy blouse to her form. Cream leather leggings, rust coloured leather ankle boots with only a short heel, and a long sleeved cream and rust coloured leather jacket completes the look. It manages to be both soft and feminine while being more than functional for what they may be called upon to do if things go wrong. Her hair is neatly French braided and she’s looking fresh and lovely, her cheeks rosy from the cool night air and a gentle smile on her face. A slender gold torc surrounds her throat and the symbol of the Goddess hangs from the lower edge, just below the hollow of her throat.

Spike sets the bag down gently and takes the jacket from over her arm and holds it up. Angel walks over and pulls her hair out of the way gallantly while she slips into it.

“You look lovely Tara and you may be more comfortable since we’ll be taking the motorcycles into town.” Tara blushes and shyly takes the gloves Spike’s pulled from her coat pocket and is holding out for her. She leans down and slips the strap of her bag over her head and angles it so it’s resting on her hip.

“I’ve got our helmets out on the cycle. We’re ready to go.” Spike says quietly. He’s still wearing what he arrived in and closes the buckles of his duster over his abdomen.

Angel steps closer and cups the back of his nape. “We can do this tomorrow or even in a couple of days Wil, we don’t have to do it right now.”

Spike leans into the comforting touch. “It’s not going to get any easier for the waiting.” Spike says honestly. “I’m afraid of what I may do when we meet with them.”

“We’ll deal with them, I’d rather they not get too close to you or Tara at this phase of things.” Angel says truthfully. “The element of surprise is on our side in this and that makes the advantage ours. Seeing the four of you will throw them off-balance and keep them there and that’s what we want?”

The others close ranks around them, until they’re huddled together supportively, drawing strength from each other. “We’re all here to do more than just help with whatever has them panicked. We’re here to show them that things are different and we’re not jumping to their tune any longer. If they want our help then they had better start treating us like allies and not as cannon fodder. Our mission prerogatives take precedence, if they are going to impede us than we’ll have to deal with them accordingly.” Wes says with steely resolve and all of them nod, getting fired up by his speech.

“How are we going to handle my return? And Spike’s for that matter not to mention explaining how Andrew and Dana ended up working with us?” Tara asks worriedly. “From what I’ve heard they’ve written most of you off as working for the other side and they may well suspect that we are as well if that’s their mindset. I’ve got an idea.” She says at first hesitant to speak up but the warm encouraging smiles being beamed at her soon sets her mind at ease. “I can request some help from the Powers, I’m sure they’d agree if only to prove that we’re their agents here on this plane. They’d send agents to prove our claim, likely Doyle, Cordelia, Anya, and Joyce again. Would that be enough?”

“I think that we should hold some of the cards in our deck close to our chests.” Gunn offers.

“I think that sounds wise. Here’s what I think we should do…” Everyone pulls closer to listen to Wesley’s plan. “I think that we should hit them with Andrew and Dana first. I doubt that all of them would have condoned murder as a viable option, so that may cause some dissention. The Powers said that not all of the Slayers may be beyond redemption so if we can convince some to go out on their own or even choose to join us; that works in our favour. We explain about the Powers extending their offer and our acceptance and that Dana and Andrew have chosen to work with us. Then we hit them with the Powers allowing us to reclaim two fallen Warriors back to the fight.”

“And that’s when Tara and I make our selves known I take it?” Spike asks, looking impressed.

Wes nods. “Of course as mandated by our new mission for the Powers we were naturally compelled to help Dana.”

“Something they not only failed to do but actively worked to do the opposite.” Tara says coolly, glancing at the young woman who has become her friend.

“Yes and naturally being the responsible young Watcher in training Andrew would remain with his Slayer. I will complete his training properly. I like the idea of forming a Council of our own to guide those Slayers that turn away from Giles’ corruption. They will need guidance and support from people that know that they are there to serve and assist not to rule and dictate. He’s forgotten that.” Wes says clasping Andrew’s shoulder. “Each of us has skills we can impart to our young protégés.”

“I think that you should take the lead in any discussions Wes.” Angel says, garnering several surprised looks but Spike only smiles at his Mate. “As Wes said we each have our strengths and I know that mine isn’t in talking. I’m a fighter and it’s what I do and what I’m good at.”

“Fine but I will defer to you and Spike when a judgement is called for. I’ll be our spokesman and negotiator but there still has to be a leader to make the ultimate decisions. Together you and Spike have over six hundred years of experience between you.” Wes argues.

“I think perhaps we should take the Council idea to heart.” Spike says softly. “Each of us does have unique skills and prospective to bring to the table. Fred has her Ms. Wizard bit, Gunn has his legal eagle know-how, Wes has the Watcher stuff, and Lorne has his connection of informants, and what not. I think we should discuss the issues when we can but we should have some sort of a chain of command for when there may not be time for all of us to meet. Why don’t we decide among ourselves who’s going to do what and under what circumstances?”

“Well you can count me in as a follower, Sweet Pea, but a leader I am not.” Lorne says throwing up his hands. Dana, Harmony, and Andrew all nod their agreement.

“I’m a Science Geek not a commando but I’ll consult where and when I can.” Fred says modestly.

“I’m happy to help with matters of lore and magic and in areas and skills that I have but I’m not a Leader either. I’m not sure I could make the hard decisions if I know someone may be hurt following them.” She says honestly.

Spike wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer and presses a kiss to her forehead. “We won’t ask you to go against your Goddess’ teachings, Lamb. There are a lot of ways we can all help and contribute. There is more to this fight than just the fighting.” Tara looks pleased and touched that her feelings would be considered.

“I think we should go with the command structure we’re most familiar with.” Gunn suggests. “Angel can be our top dog, Spike, Wes, me, Fred, Tara, and so on down the line?”

“I’ll rank after Wes.” Spike says and it’s his turn to be the recipient of the surprised looks. He just smiles and shrugs. “I’m a lover not a leader?”

Angel grins and ruffles his hair and smiles affectionately. “Don’t sell yourself short William. I know you like to hide just how smart you are but Oxford graduates are hardly dullards no matter when they actually graduated and how long ago.”

“Spike, you went to Oxford!?” Wes says with a grin.

“Yeah well so did you!” Spike mutters embarrassed, flushing faintly. He clears his throat and hurries to change the subject. “We also happened to find out some other things that came as a bit of a surprise earlier.” Tara smiles and reaches into her bag and pulls out a small vial and opens the top as Spike holds out his hand. She smiles and tips some of the contents out onto his palm.

“What is that?” Angel asks curiously, reaching out and touching it with his fingertips. “Water?”

“Holy water actually.” Spike says with a grin, stifling a chuckle as Angel jerks his hand away to stare at his unburned fingers in wonderment before he puts them right back into the water pooled in his palm.

“Not even a tingle.” Angel says with child-like wonder.

“I needed to refill some vials of Holy Water and Spike wouldn’t let me go in alone and I accidentally splashed some on him.” Tara says embarrassed but her smile is sunny and pleased.

“I touched every crucifix and nothing happened. Harmony?” Spike holds his hand out and it’s a silent testimony to her trust in him that she steps forward, unhesitant and unafraid and touches the holy water still dampening his palm. She squeaks happily when there’s no reaction and dances back over to throw her arms around Gunn in a big hug.

“Well I suppose that makes a kind of sense.” Wes realises. “You’re a servant of the Powers so it would hardly be sporting if their symbols would injure you or could be used against you.”

“Did they remove any other weaknesses?” Angel breathes.

“Well I don’t think they really could, not without affecting the skills that make you so valuable to their cause. You and Spike and of course now Harmony, are unique, you have the strength of your Demons and the powers it affords you but yet you fight for Humanity and not against it any longer. I suspect that there is little they could do as far as making you immune to sunlight without adversely affecting your Demons.” Wes surmises.

“It doesn’t matter, this removes two of our weaknesses and it gives us two more options as far as weapons and defences against other Demons that are vulnerable to them still.” Spike says pleased.

“And this only strengthens our positions as agents for the Powers.” Angel replies with a grin. “Let’s go teach some Scoobies a few new tricks.” Angel whoops and jogs over to pick his helmet off the counter and pushing it down on his head jogs for the staircase up and the door out of the Hotel. Spike grabs a giggling Tara and the pair chase after the exuberant Angel while their friends retrieve their gear and chase after them.

Chapter Four

Angel smiles as they roar down the motorway. Despite the chill night air, he’s enjoying the ride now that Lorne’s relaxed somewhat. The first few miles were a little tricky with the Lorne shaped limpet on his back threatening to squeeze him in half. After he realised that Angel was in full control of the motorcycle and that he was as safe as houses Lorne let up on his hold and began to enjoy the ride. He glances to his right at the empty spot next to them. He sighs and wishes that Spike was riding there but the formation they’ve fallen into is the most prudent for their situation. They’re in the lead, keeping a watch ahead of them and Spike and Wes are just behind him riding side by side but to either side of him to increase their range of view and manoeuvrability. Dana is behind Spike and Wes but directly behind him in a slightly more sheltered position while Gunn and Harmony bring up the rear guard position.

It doesn’t take as long as he’d expected it would to get into London and they arrive safely only 3 hours after dusk, making it still relatively early. He throttles back as Wes roars up beside him and he skilfully throttles down and within seconds he’s assumed Wes’ spot next to Spike. It was only prudent to have Wes lead the way to the small intimate restaurant that they’ve chosen to host their meeting with Buffy and Giles. It’s been several years since he and Spike have visited London and while it was once their home for years, time marches on and little remains as it was. Wes having visited more frequently is the natural choice to guide them through the busy city.

They arrive at the quiet King’s Cross area and they know immediately that they’ve chosen their area well. It’s near enough to the tourist attractions that tourists are an accustomed sight and their presence won’t raise any alarms but far enough away from where the majority of the Council congregates in South Kensington. They park their cycles several blocks distant in a sheltered alcove between an alley and two buildings. They lock up their gear and carefully hide traces of how they arrived by leaving their gloves, helmets, and other motorcycle gear safely locked up.

Wes and Spike have a quiet conversation for a few moments. Spike nods and slips into the night, with Dana, Andrew, Tara, and Harmony following him. They’ll make their own way to the restaurant. If Giles has set out Watchers to keep an eye out for them then they’ll be looking for Angel and his known associates. Since Spike and Tara are believed to be dead, it’s unlikely that any Watchers would recognise them if they saw then; especially since Spike’s little mystical makeover. They won’t attract any attention being in a small group and between Spike and Dana’s fighting prowess and Tara’s mystical gifts they’re well armed and able for combat. Harmony’s own skills are growing by leaps and bounds under her tutelage by Spike, Angel, Wes, and Gunn, and she further ensures their safety.

Angel watches his Mate melt into the shadows and has to force his muscles to lock before he runs to catch up. They haven’t been apart very much since they mated and it is difficult to watch him walking away. Despite his total confidence that Spike can handle whatever situation arrives, he’s finding it difficult to trust his safety to anyone else, including Spike himself.

“They’ll be fine Angelcakes.” Lorne says confidently, feeling the tension in the air. “I doubt there’s anything in this town that could get the better of Spike.”

“No just the blonde bitch that’s already killed him once.” Angel growls quietly, turning on his heel and stalking down the sidewalk. They’ll approach the restaurant from another direction just to throw off any possible observers. Though the possibility is remote and highly unlikely, the tactic is sound and the precaution is just one further safety layer.

Wes quickly marshals the others and urges them to follow Angel and then hurries to catch up as well. “I hope you don’t think that Spike still has feelings for Buffy, Angel.”

“I know that he does Wes.” Angel’s voice is a rumbling growl. “He hates her and part of him is afraid of her but the rest of him wants to hurt her as much as she did him. He doesn’t love her, he never did. I know that he loved her because through her he was connecting to me and what he loved about her was that I loved her once. Now I’ve brought him here to see the architect of his nightmares.”

“He voted along with the rest of us Angel. Everyone is here by choice, you saw us all raising our hands for this. Don’t you get it? Spike would rather walk into Hell by your side than be apart from you and safe. He’s here because it’s where you are, it’s where we are. We’re his family and he’s here for us too. We’ll keep each other safe and we’ll be home in LA before you know it.” Wes says quietly, laying his hand on Angel’s shoulder.

He glances behind them and sees that the others have fallen back a little to give them a bit of privacy. “Are you going to tell Buffy that you’ve become integrated with Angelus, taken a Mate and that it’s Spike? Or are we just going to tell them about our new ‘employers’?”

“I won’t hide or deny Spike in any way. He is my Childe and Mate and I won’t have him think I’m ashamed of him in any way or in front of anyone. He is my priority in all of this. The mission may have brought us here but it will be love that takes us home again.” Angel says implacably. “Spike and Harmony are Childer of the Aurelius Order and I am Aurelius, we will bow before no Slayer. Spike is the strongest Master of the Order, comparable to me. One day with our help and infusions of our blood Harmony will do something that no minion before her has done and she will become a Master in her own right. We are rebuilding our legacy and I’ll be damned if anyone, even Buffy, is going to interfere in that.”

“What about your feelings for Buffy?” Wes asks playing the Devil’s Advocate. He gets a private chuckle over that phrase as he thinks that as a former employee of Wolfram & Hart it’s probably a very apt phrase to think of.

“During the mating ceremony, I was inside Spike, Wes. His mind, soul, and body were all open to me and I know *everything* about him and the life he’s led. If I told you even a quarter of the things she’s done to hurt him and the ugliness that she visited on him, you wouldn’t need to ask me that.” Angel’s voice deepens, his brogue becoming more prominent as golden topaz flecks wink to life in the depths of his whiskey brown eyes.

“You hate her.” Wesley says somewhat surprised. He knew that Angelus’ feelings for Buffy were easily categorised as hate but he’d always assumed the part of him that was Angel was more lenient towards his former love. It seems that the integration of the disparate sides of his psyche have indeed become one and he wonders briefly who the ‘chief’ personality is. He didn’t realise that he was wondering that aloud until Angel answers him.

“I am Liam Kiley Quinlan, every thing else is just a name. Angelus or Angel we’re all the same now. What I’m called doesn’t seem to matter so very much anymore. My friends know who I am.”

“That we do old friend; that we do.” Wes says warmly patting Angel’s shoulder before letting his hand drop. “I’ve wanted to discuss our hiring policies with you. I think it would be better if we had a few highly paid and compensated employees rather than trying to amass sheer numbers…” He trails off as he sees the distant look on Angel’s face. He stares curious and intrigued as a gentle smile curves his lips up in a tender expression he’s only ever seen him use when Spike is around. “Are you alright?”

“They’re at the restaurant safe and sound overseeing the final preparations that we requested.” Angel says looking over and the smile turns into a grin. “Spike’s going into raptures over some onion thing they have on their menu.”

Wesley looks around in amazement, their circuitous route is taking somewhat longer than he expected and they’re still some minutes away. “We’re still a good four blocks away and your connection to Spike is strong enough for you to ‘talk’?”

“He never leaves me Wes.” Angel’s eyes flash brightly and for a moment Wes could almost swear there was a hint of blue there. “As near as we’ve been able to tell we can ‘speak’ as long as we’re within a mile or two but it becomes harder the farther we’re apart past that distance. I always have some sense of his emotional state and if he’s hurt, it’s like a song that plays constantly in the back of my mind that lets me know he’s alright and that he’s there.”

“Is that normal for a mated pair?” Wes asks curious. The Council’s books were really woeful inadequate in some areas. He’s been seriously considering asking his Vampire friends if he could write a true to life book on the true nature of Vampires with their help of course.

Angel looks amused as he shrugs eloquently. “We don’t have a clue what’s normal for a Mated pair.” He says honestly. “As far as we know we’re the first to have tried it and succeeded in centuries, maybe even ever. You may have noticed we’re rather souled for Vampires too, that may have changed how our pair bond has manifested itself.” Angel says with a low chuckle. “Or it could be that it’s Spike’s gifts that have tied us this closely together. There is just really no way to know at this point, so it’s all guesswork. It could be any of a dozen factors.”

“That’s amazing! What does it feel like, the bond you have with Spike I mean?”

“It depends on what state he’s in.” Angel says cryptically. “If he’s channelling some of his excess emotions through me than it feels like being hooked up to a live battery. Every nerve tingles and my skin feels too tight and feeling anything but his skin against mine is pure sensual agony. I can’t even stand to wear clothes sometimes and everything is anathema to me but him. When he’s happy it’s like floating in a hot bath, he surrounds me and soaks into me and I just want to melt and merge into him. When he’s in pain it’s a thousand needles of pain in every nerve, I’d kill to stop it. When we make love it’s like flying. He takes me so high that I forget what the ground looks like, it’s all rushing air and motion and emotion all tangled together and I can’t tell where I stop and he starts. I’m not explaining it very well.” Angel says frustrated.

“There are some things that aren’t meant to be explained.” Fred offers from behind them and Angel looks over his shoulder with a smile and nods.

“Yes that’s how I feel. I don’t really understand it and I can’t really explain it but I feel it.”

“You’re a lucky man Angel.” Wes says honestly, ignoring the small twinge of jealousy he feels.

Angel glances over his shoulder at Fred again before turning to look at Wes as she speeds up to take his hand in hers. “So are you Wes, so are you.” Angel glances ahead of them at the gently glowing neon sign he’s been watching for and his eyes flick up towards the roof. He can’t see Spike, even with his keen night vision but he knows that’s he’s there making sure they aren’t being watched or tailed by unwelcome observers. “That’s the place.” He stops beside the door and opens the sturdy iron strapped wooden door for his friends before following them inside and letting the heavy door close behind them.

Chapter Five

Angel looks around the restaurant and admires the old world craftsmanship of the fine wood and metalwork that you don’t see very often in American establishments. For a second he feels briefly homesick but it is a fleeting feeling and he can feel that Spike echoes the sentiment. The old world was once their kingdom but the new world has become their home.

As they requested only the staff is present as they’ve rented the establishment for the whole evening. One of the small back rooms has been cleared out and set with a long study wooden table and thickly cushioned old-fashioned chairs. As they instructed half the chairs have been set up at one end and the other half at the other end with a suitable gap between the two. The staff of the restaurant cleverly explained away the gap with an artful arrangement of flowers and thick crystal sheathed pillar candles that look like they’ve been constructed from converted old gaslights. The effect is pleasant and tactically sound. While the light of the candles rather than the harsher overhead lights, only partially illuminates the room, the low light levels aren’t much of a hindrance to him or his companions. The candle-lamps have been pushed farther down towards the far end of the table, lighting that area up more effectively while casting their own into deeper shadows. The shadows being cast also effectively camouflage the back half of the room and all but conceal the dark staircase that winds upward in a loose spiral, up to the rooftop dining area that doesn’t see much use in winter. Angel pulls out the chair in the centre, with the staircase at his back and watches as Wes bustles around making sure that everything is set up exactly as they requested.

He smiles as a hand trails along his shoulders, slipping down to rest against his far arm as his Mate perches on the sturdy arm of the heavy wooden chair and curls up comfortably. Tara appears silently at his other shoulder.

“It’s done, Angel. I’ve placed a binding spell around this place and with the Goddess lending her strength to mine. Willow and Giles won’t be able to break it. Only Wes and I can use our magic here until I release the binding. The Goddess is…very displeased with how Willow has abused her gifts and if she continues to do so there will be a reckoning.” Tara says quietly. “She called on dark powers to get revenge for my death, that isn’t something that can be overlooked. If she tries to harm you then I have been charged with stopping her. What the Goddess grants she can also reclaim.”

“You’re going to take her magic away?” Spike asks surprised.

“You know how magic works, it’s just another form of energy and it’s everywhere and in everything and it can never be completely destroyed; only transformed as with energy in general. Her ability to sense and manipulate those energies however was a gift and one that she’s abused. If she continues to abuse it and does harm to an innocent in the process than I will bind her ability to use it.”

“It won’t hurt her then just keep her from being able to use magic.” Angel says looking impressed.

“What about Giles? He’s almost as strong as she is.” Spike points out.

“The Goddess has no sway over Rupert Giles as his power was not born of her light. He is cast in shadow-light but when he defied the demon that gave him his magic much of his ability to cast was also impaired. He has to draw on outside sources of power and I assure you that no children of the Goddess will be a suitable conduit any longer. The Goddess has declared him renegade and that we are blessed in her light and none of her children will or could defy that ruling. As I meditated she told me that one would find their way to us soon and that we must learn forgiveness and that if we can turn dark to light we shall gain a powerful ally in our fight.”

“Do you think she meant Willow?” Spike asks.

“I don’t know, I somehow don’t get that impression but I will help whomever it is that invokes the Goddess’ protection.” Tara swears quietly.

“And so will the rest of us.” Angel promises stroking Spike’s thigh. “Your Goddess gave my Mate to me and I can never repay that. She may call on our aid as she, and the Powers, will.”

Tara’s smile is blindingly warm as the others filter into the room, talking quietly amongst themselves.

“Everything is ready.” Wes says quietly, smiling at Spike as he pulls out the chair to Angel’s right and has a seat, his shoulder almost touching his thigh as he lounges on the arm of the chair. He sombrely sets his cell phone down on the table in front of them. “We’re ready for them.”

Angel trails his fingertips upward slowly until he can curve a finger under that stubborn jaw he so adores and turns Spike face until their eyes meet and he can trace his thumb along that lushly plump lower lip. Whiskey brown meets glacial blue that is anything but cold as they slowly close the distance that despite being meagre and almost non-existent is still too far apart.

As always the first light brushing of their lips have them curling up into faint smiles seconds before the light brushes give way for their physical need to connect. Angel moans silently nursing at Spike’s tongue greedily sweeping up every last trace of the Wintergreen mints that he constantly seems to be sucking on to drive him crazy. Everything seems sharper and more vivid to his senses when he experiences it with his Mate.

He smiles as he remembers a leisurely night not so long ago curled up on the couch with his sensualist Mate. Hours of lazy caresses and slow deep kisses one of those damned Wintergreen mints became the prize in a pleasurable duel with one of them wrestling it away only to have the other sweep in to win it back. He’s not sure how long the game went on, neither of them was very motivated to win.

Now as then time is only as important as the next sweep of Spike’s talented tongue against his, the caress of his hand in his hair; something no one else would dare to touch but he demands nothing less from his Mate and from himself. The things that are taboo and forbidden to any other are their playground and no intimacy remains unexplored between them since their mating. He needs the knowledge that the walls he’s built to keep everyone out actually keeps Spike safely sheltered inside. They’ve been alone for so long that they both need that reassurance and seek it shamelessly.

The withdrawal of Spike’s tongue and the cool gust of air across his glistening lower lip as he quietly murmurs his name and blows softly, brings him back to the here and now. He looks at the devilish look in his Mate’s eye and raises his eyebrows in silent question. Spike subtly nods his heads and he turns to look and almost grins at the sea of staring faces and Harmony’s beaming face.

“Ok I had twelve minutes and that was eleven and a half. Pay up.” She grins as everyone groans and soon an impressive stack of ten dollar bills is neatly folded and slipped into her jacket pocket.

“I don’t think it’s fair, I forgot they don’t have to breathe.” Andrew says grumpily and everyone chuckles.

“Are you taking bets on us, Sister?” Spike asks carefully making his way back up onto the arm of the chair from Angel’s lap where he’d fallen during their long and leisurely deep kiss. It would totally ruin his fun later to injure his Mate in any ‘delicate’ areas. “Next time go for twenty minimum.” Spike grins and uses his fingers to comb Angel’s hair back into order.

“Harmony is your sister?” Dana asks surprised. “I didn’t know that Vampires recognised siblings.”

“Harmony is a Childe of the Aurelius Order by blood consecration and by virtue of choice. As the Elder of the Order, in a way I am Sire to all who share that blood. That is why Spike calls her Sister, they are both my Childer.” Angel explains with a grin as he nuzzles Spike’s combing fingers, silently demanding that he keep stroking his hair and his Mate gives in gracefully.

“Ok let’s get this done.” Spike leans down and kisses his Mate slow and softly before rolling his hips and gaining his feet with the sinuous grace of muscle and leather. “Dana, Andrew, and Tara make sure you’ve got your jackets and head up the stairs. They lit the fire pit up there so it won’t be too cold up there and I think that I saw a carafe of cocoa.” Tara herds the pair up the stairs. “You all know your places.” Everyone but Angel and Wesley makes their way to the shadow shrouded back wall where they’ll quietly wait for their cue from Wes and Angel to make their presence known. He leans down and strokes his cheek against Angel’s tenderly. “Be safe Liam. I’ll be listening for our cues.” He straightens and cups his hand over Wesley’s shoulder. “Watch them carefully, Wes. They can’t be trusted.” He turns and joins the others up the stairs as Wes picks up his phone and starts to dial.

When the call is picked up Wesley hands the phone to Angel. “Rupert Giles please. No you may not ask; I assure you he’ll have been expecting my call.” Angel says coolly and Wes grins and he frowns at him in mock anger before he starts wanting to laugh and it’d totally ruin the hard-ass image he’s trying to project. He taps into his inner Angelus and it becomes a little easier. “Hello Giles, I believe you’ve been expecting me to call.” He pauses to listen, his eyes narrowing as the topaz flecks in his eyes intensify. Despite not being very close most of them can hear the sound of a raised voice coming from the small phone. “I’d suggest that you rethink the tone of voice you’re using Watcher.” His voice is pure ice. “Vixen’s Rest, King’s Cross, you have twenty minutes before I leave and I guarantee I’ll be back in LA before you find out where I’m staying on this unpleasantly cold little trip. I suggest you stop making excuses and start making tracks. Twenty minutes and I’m counting now.” Angel pushes the disconnect button and calmly closes the phone and hands it back to Wesley. “Now that was fun.”

Chapter Six

They can all hear the front door of the restaurant fly open with a hurried with barely two minutes to spare and an angry voice asking if they’re party is waiting for them. As he was instructed the hostess keeps them waiting several moments.

Angel turns to Wesley to whisper in his ear. “Giles, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn, Faith, and three others I don’t recognise the scents of but one smells like Willow. Spike says there are three more Slayers outside and two Watchers.” Suddenly Angel starts to growl softly and an echoing growl from upstairs answers him. “Spike says that two of the ones I don’t recognise are Robin Wood and someone named Kennedy. He doesn’t know who the third is but for some reason his scent is familiar.” He straightens and schools his features into impassivity just as the room is invaded.

Angel casually looks at his watch. “You have a commendable organisation to be able to get fourteen people here in less than twenty minutes.” He says coolly.

“Have a seat and tell us why you sent for us.” Wesley’s voice is just as frosty and it’s obvious that their ‘guests’ are somewhat surprised by their cold reception.

Buffy makes a move towards the chairs at their end of the table and Angel throws up his hand. “These seats are taken.” He says stoically and he almost ruins it by laughing at the childish pout on Buffy’s face. “I don’t know if you’ve met my associates. Charles Gunn.” Gunn steps out of the shadows and takes a seat next to Wes. “Winifred Burkle.” Fred calmly steps forward and takes a seat next to Gunn. “My friends Harmony Kendall and Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok Clan.” Harmony and Lorne step out together and separate to walk to chairs on opposite sides of the table. Harmony takes a seat two down from Angel and Lorne doing the same on the other side beside Gunn; leaving two empty chairs on both sides of the table on their end.

“I’m surprised that you felt confident enough not to leave someone watching over the Office but then I don’t suppose whatever Wolfram & Hart gets up to concerns you much these days.” Giles says with a smug grin as he takes a seat and waves everyone to do the same.

“I’m sure Mr. MacDonald is doing an admirable job in their new Vegas Headquarters. It’s hardly my affair to attend to running Wolfram & Hart, that’s their C.E.O.’s thankless task.” Angel says smoothly, his gaze cool as he peruses the sea of faces looking back at him. He stops on one handsome but arrogantly smirking dark haired man and his eyes narrow. His scent is not only familiar but mixed to a large degree with Buffy’s betraying an intimate connection between the two. Suddenly the pieces fall into place and a smile, albeit a frozen one, finally curves his lips at the shocked look on Giles’ face. “I take back the complement on your organisation if you didn’t know that we parted ways with Wolfram & Hart. They’re now headquartered in Las Vegas under the iron rule of one Lindsey MacDonald; I’d suggest updating your intelligence.”

“Realised you’ve bitten off more than you could chew Angelus?” The dark haired man says arrogantly.

He looks somewhat taken aback as Angel chuckles. “I see that Buffy’s taste in men hasn’t changed much, still likes them anything but human I see. If I’d known you were screwing The Immortal, I’d have sent my condolences.” Angel leans back so that his features are half in shadow and steeples his fingers under his chin. “As for biting off more than I can chew, that has yet to happen. I have very large fangs.” Angel enjoys Buffy’s discomfiture and the vexed look on the Immortal’s face as his taunt fails to get much of a reaction.

Suddenly Willow cries out sharply and slumps in her seat, having to be caught and held up by Xander and the young woman next to her but she recovers after a few moments.

“I’d suggest that you refrain from trying to cast any spells while you’re here or the next shock will be worse.” Wesley leans forward to rest his palms on the table. “You sent for us and dragged us here on some emergency, were you planning to tell us what it was sometime this year?”

A chorus of angry voices breaks out but it stops abruptly as Dawn notices that two more people have quietly made their entrance. “Andrew?!”

Giles stands up and starts to walk around the table when a cool voice stops him in his tracks.

“Sit down Giles.” Angel orders. “Andrew, Dana, why don’t you both have a seat?” His voice warms distinctly.

“Andrew what happened to you?” Dawn asks genuinely concerned. “The Slayers Giles sent to help you said that crazy Slayer you went to pick up had killed you and then herself! Giles what’s going on?!”

“Yes why don’t you explain that, Giles? We’ve all been very curious about why you’d stop us from helping her only to turn around and try and kill her yourselves. And you said that we were the evil ones?” Wes asks nonchalantly.

“She was insane and a danger to everyone, it was deemed necessary and humane.” Giles says trying not to look flustered.

Wes gestures towards Dana. “She hardly seems to be much of a danger to me Giles. Well perhaps she will be towards you now but I assure you we’ve found Dana to be a great asset. The Powers That Be must agree or they wouldn’t have made sure that she and Andrew found their way to us.”

“The Powers That Be?” Buffy asks confused. “That sounds like an ad for a battery company.”

“I’m sure you must be familiar with batteries, what size does he take; AAA?” Harmony asks with a smirk as she glances at the dark haired man sitting beside Buffy. Angel and the others chuckle as Buffy and the Immortal look constipated.

“The Powers didn’t like the way things were being handled down here so they decided to recruit some efficient help for a change.” Wes says calmly.

“You?! You work for the Powers now? They’d never have taken you back after you worked for Wolfram & Hart.” Giles scoffs; clearly not convinced.

“Angel was doing what they wanted and needed him to do. They never forsook him or us. You shouldn’t have assumed that they would have Ripper.”

“What possible reason could there be for you to have anything to do with Wolfram & Hart?” Buffy says with a sneer.

“We had to go along for a while until I was in a position to fix a major problem they’d caused. In the end it was too badly corrupted to be saved and the Powers were forced to realise that it couldn’t be fixed. The Senior Partners had destroyed the fabric of destiny itself and fate was cast to the wind. They’ve paid a dear price for upsetting the balance and we’ve reaped the benefits. They made us an offer that we couldn’t refuse if we would volunteer to be their agents in this realm. We agreed to their offer.” Wes says with a smile. “And we’ve been very handsomely rewarded for our services.”

“And what did they offer you? Money, fast cars, a plane, we’ve got all of that.” Buffy says with a sniff of disdain but Angel can see that Giles looks very uncomfortable. The uncomfortable expression grows as he sees the knowing smile on Angel’s lips.

“Yes that and more besides but that’s not the prize we won for accepting their golden ring.” Lorne says with an enigmatic look on his face.

“I think that we’re overlooking a key point here. Are we all going to ignore the fact that they tried to kill us?” Andrew asks dryly.

“What do you mean by ‘us’?” Dawn asks confused.

“It seems no one let Andrew in on your little plan to execute Dana so when they Slayers attacked her he naturally tried to help her. After all twelve Slayers against a lone one; doesn’t sound very sporting does it? When Andrew tried to help her they attacked him as well. They managed to get free and came to us for help. Despite what you tried to tell them about where they’d be safe, I’d say we’ve proven they’re safe with us. You can hardly say the same can you? The Slayers did do their level best to kill Andrew and came scarily close to succeeding; only it wasn’t Dana that did the damage.” Wes says coldly. Dawn shoots a stricken look at first Buffy than Giles; they at least have the grace to look remorseful and ill.

“What’s another life or two? They’d already sacrificed Spike.” Angel calmly drops the ticking time bomb into the fortuitous lull in conversation. Buffy, Willow, and Giles all stare at him with expressions ranging from anger, to embarrassment, shame, and guilt. “Drusilla threw herself into the sun when she felt Spike’s end, so we’ll just call that a two for one shall we?” Angel leans forward until his features once more emerge into the full light and they flinch at the cold and deadly stare being aimed at all of them.

“We didn’t sacrifice Spike! Buffy told me that he wanted to stay, he died like a hero.” Dawn denies.

“Buffy, Giles, and Willow knew what the amulet would do to the person that wore it, knew it would be a death sentence. Ask them if she told Spike that when she gave it to him to wear.” Angel says flatly. “You should have research things more thoroughly. The amulet requires a willing sacrifice; that means that they have to know what the price of using its magic is and to still accept it. You set Spike up to die but he could have stopped the magic at any time by refusing to sacrifice himself. He knew *everything* and he still chose to save the world.”

“Buffy that didn’t happen right? You didn’t do that to Spike did you?” Dawn asks upset and just wanting her sister to tell her it didn’t happen that way and Angel is wrong.

“What does it matter anyway? Spike died a long time ago; it was just correcting a mistake made a long time ago by a crazy Vampire. So he died so what? So did a lot of other people and they deserve to be mourned a lot more than that would-be rapist ever was.” Xander says darkly.

“I wouldn’t cast any stones on that front Xero. It’s a bit like the pot calling the kettle black isn’t? Cordy told me that you tried to rape Buffy once and she had to drop a desk on you was it?” Harmony says coolly.

“Hey I was possessed at the time and it wasn’t my fault!” Xander denies; flinching as Dawn shoots him a betrayed look.

“And Vampires have their Demons. Buffy didn’t have to drop a desk on Spike either.” Angel says coolly. “He stopped himself and then went and fought for his soul to make sure nothing like that would happen again. He risked his life for you how many times until you finally finished him off for good?”

“How’s the eye Xander?” Harmony asks with a grin, her smile brightening as Xander’s hand flashes up to touch the eye patch and he actually looks remorseful.

“You were right by the way. One Vampire isn’t worth the world and neither is a Slayer or a Watcher.” Angel says quietly. “Spike would have done it anyway; if you’d known him at all you should have known that. You were all family to him and Spike’s always watched out for his family. You lost the greatest ally you could have had fortunately we’re not as foolish.”

Buffy is startled to hear Angel repeat things that were said in confidence and to her knowledge there’s no way he could have known about it. “How do you know we said that?”

Dawn looks horrified and she dashes away her tears and runs out of the room. Faith shoots Buffy, Giles, and Willow a filthy look and jogs after Dawn and Xander looks disappointed and disillusioned.

“You didn’t answer the question. How do you know what happened?” Giles demands.

Angel smiles serenely and leans back in his chair once more. “I’m surprised you haven’t worked that out yet.” He says sounding bored.

“Stop being an arse and just bloody answer the question!” Giles roars.

“Wolfram & Hart’s actions had consequences as we’ve already told you. Destiny and fate have been reset. All those prophecies you’re always harping over, you can forget them, they aren’t worth the ink they’re printed with any more. Not even the Powers know what is going to unfold from this point but they did inform us of one significant change.” Wes says calmly, totally ignoring Giles’ outburst.

“Congratulations Giles, you get to go down in History as the last Chairman of the Watchers Council. There will be no others beyond this generation as I’m sure you’ll discover for yourselves soon enough. I suspect however that you’re already aware of your planned obsolescence. The time of the Slayers is over and new agents will be called to take their place.” Angel says calmly, satisfaction clearly ringing in his voice. “It’s not a fitting punishment for the lives of my Childer that you stole from me but I’ll take it and know it is all the more sweet. Just as I’ve taken almost everything else you’ve gotten since the Council was destroyed by The First.” They all stare at him in shock. “Oh you weren’t aware that we were your benefactors and the architects of your recent misfortunes I see.” Angel says smugly.

“That really wasn’t very smart of you Giles. I was rather surprised to find out how lazy you’d been in rebuilding the Council yourselves but it was so much simpler to take the easy handouts wasn’t?”

“Shut up Wesley, you have no idea what you’re talking about.” Giles retorts.

“I suggest that you watch your tone when you address him Giles.” Angel cautions. “On second thought I grow weary of this. Make the call Gunn.”

Gunn smiles widely as he fishes his cell phone out of his pocket and opens it and hits the speed dial before pressing the phone to his ear. “This is Gunn, issue the foreclosure orders.” His smile grows cold. “On all of them, yes immediately. Issue the purchase waivers and secure the final assets and liquidate.” He calmly hangs up his phone and slides it back into his pocket and meeting Angel’s eyes he nods. “That will secure the last of the outstanding assets and the purchase and liquidation of the remaining loan contracts.” Gunn glances over towards the door as Faith returns leading a quiet but tear streaked Dawn. Seeing her reminds him of another piece of business and he reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a thick envelope. “If you’ll excuse me for a few minutes Angel, Wes? I need to discuss some things with the young Miss Summers before I can finalise the paperwork.” Gunn stands and glances at Andrew and Dana warmly. “You two need to sign your paperwork and get it back to me so we can have them filed when we get back.” The pair smiles and nods with grateful expressions on their faces.

“Certainly Gunn, take your time. The three Slayers and the two Watchers outside shouldn’t be a bother; they’ve been taken care of by our associates.” Angel replies confidently. “Why don’t you take a walk and explain some things to Dawn? Dawn, this is Charles Gunn, he’s our Lawyer and he’d like to discuss some things with you is that alright?”

“No it is not alright. You’re not taking Dawn anywhere or talking to her without me being there.” Buffy says hotly, her eyes all but disappearing they’ve narrowed so much in her fit of anger.

“I’m eighteen, Buffy, you can’t tell me what to do and I’m not a child any more. If I choose to talk to Mr. Gunn, then I’ll talk to him and I do choose to talk to him. I’d like Faith to come along though is that alright?” Dawn says confidently staring Buffy down defiantly.

“Certainly Miss Summers, if that will make you more comfortable.” Gunn assures her.

“No one is going anywhere until I get an explanation for all of this! What in the hell is going on here?! Why are you all being such Bastards about this? This isn’t why we sent for you!”

“You didn’t send for us, we chose to show up.” Angel says flatly.

“Why are you doing this Angel?” Buffy asks hurt and confused by Angel’s cold, almost cruel attitude towards her since they arrived. “What did we do to deserve this?”

“You killed his Childer.” The Immortal says flatly. “You have my condolences, Angelus.” The Immortal’s voice actually betrays his sincerity. “Drusilla was a lovely creature. I regret that I did not know William very well but as I recall he was a regular Heller.”

Angel manages to smoothly hide his surprise at The Immortal’s sincerity and politely nods his thanks for the sentiment. “Dru is happier where she is, it seems love does redeem a lot in the eyes of the Powers. Only her Demon was consigned to Hell, the human part of her was welcomed to her eternal rest.” Angel is surprised he actually took the time and effort to explain to his old adversary but his sincerity has earned him at least a small measure of his respect.

“How do you know all this?” Giles demands with a growl.

“You’ve forgotten to ask us just what our reward for working for the Powers was.” The sound of measured footfalls tapping down the metal and wooden staircase echoes through the suddenly silent room. “Two warriors were allowed to return to serve in the name of Powers as do we all now. What you stole from me, they have returned.”

Buffy tries to peer into the darkness but the low light levels on that side of the table combined with the bright candles so close makes it almost impossible. She leans forward trying to get a better look into the darkness as Gunn sits down with a chuckle. No way is he going to miss seeing the looks on some faces.

A graceful but powerful hand slides out of the darkness to run along Angel’s shoulders. The fingers are lithe and well formed and sporting a ring on almost every digit and obviously male. As is the black clad form that flows out of the flickering shadows to curl up on the arm of Angel’s chair in a sinuously graceful movement. She can see a shapely curvier form step up to stand on Angel’s other side between his chair and where Wes is sitting. Their upper bodies obscured it’s still easy to see that the second arrival is clearly female. Buffy’s eyes narrow as Angel slips an arm around the one sitting on the arm of his chair.

“Perhaps we should shed a little light on the situation.” Angel suggests with an amused chuckle. “Would you mind my dear?”

“From darkness to light; Ad’illuminatim solari bene!” The main lights turn on, momentarily blinding most of them but as their vision clears and refocuses they stare fixedly as though still blinded.

“Oh my God, it’s Spike!” Dawn is across the room in a flash and throwing herself at the grinning Vampire, bowling them both over onto a laughing Angel’s lap. A chuckling Wes and gently smiling Tara converge to help support the tangled mass. “Oh my God, it’s Tara!”

Angel roars with laughter as a laughing Dawn pulls Tara down onto the pile in his lap and tries to hug both her and Spike at the same time. As suddenly as her laughter started so do the tears. Within moments the stunned silence of the room is filled with soft whispers and murmurs of comfort as Spike and Tara comfort the crying young woman.

“A little bit of help here Pets?” Spike asks quietly and his friends flood from their seats. Harmony gently lifts Tara off the pile and Lorne and Fred help the still sniffling Dawn to her feet, as Angel gently levers Spike back up onto the arm of his chair. Seeing that Dawn is shaking faintly in shock, Spike unbuckles his coat and slips it off and wraps it around her. “It’s alright Dawn, shhhh now Lil Bit.” Spike sweeps up the young woman and gently hands her off to Tara’s gentle care before he pivots to look at their staring observers.

It seems to break the spell over Willow and she jumps to her feet and charges around the table with a happy cry. “Tara, baby it’s really you?!”

She doesn’t get far as Dana steps into her path and sends her back the way she came with a gentle push. Willow tries to dart around her only to be blocked again. “Go back to your seat Witch.” She says implacably. “The Priestess will come to you if that is what she wishes.”

“What do you mean Priestess; who is a priestess?” Willow finally stops trying to get past in favour of staring in vacant confusion.

“The Goddess was well pleased with her daughter.” Spike says simply, turning his head to smile at the faintly flushed Tara, who returns the smile and stands up tall, bolstered by Spike’s support.

“You are a Priestess of the Goddess now?” Willow asks hurt and more than a little jealous.

“She is THE Priestess not a Priestess. She is the avatar, the earthly agent of the Goddess.” Spike says proudly. “It is her place to speak her will and she is our conduit to the others.”

“What others, who are they?” Willow stammers confused.

“The agreement was that only two warriors could be returned to their corporeal forms and their lives continue. Spike was the first to return and he was entrusted to our care and protection once we reversed what you had done to him. It was all a trick; you were manipulated by Wolfram & Hart to do their work for them. They made sure that we wouldn’t discover what the true nature of that amulet was and made sure that you three would and knew that you wouldn’t stop to ask if you should use the amulet. It would have destroyed Spike utterly if it hadn’t been tampered with. That tampering is what allowed the Powers to reset Destiny and Fate.” Angel says coolly, reaching out and trailing his hand down Spike’s sleekly muscled arm. “Events were set in motion after the destruction of Sunnydale and the Hellmouth to restore Spike and return my Childe to me.”

“I can see why you wanted him back.” The Immortal drawls huskily, watching the inhumanly attractive pair. “He’s truly quite beautiful. I can see why he was always your favourite.”

“Favourite, SPIKE?” Buffy snorts with laughter. “They hate each other; they’ve tried to kill each other several times. I’m surprised that one of them hasn’t killed the other yet.”

The Immortal shoots her a pitying look and glances at Giles with what can only be called disgust. “You don’t know Vampires very well do you? If you’re the poster child for the Slayer training program I can see why over a quarter of you have already been lost. No wonder there have to be so many potentials a generation if they’re all this stupid. How can you hope to hunt what you can’t understand?”

Angel and Spike hide their surprise at The Immortal’s shocking support but don’t bother to hide their grins as Buffy predictably shoots him a hurt pout as Giles tries to stare him down. Spike turns to look at his Mate and winks hiding a smile as Angel forces his features not to betray his mirth as he nods slightly.

Spike locks his eyes on The Immortal for the first time, his head tilting to the side and his lashes unconsciously dropping half closed over his fathomless eyes. Drusilla hadn’t misled him; he is very handsome, his dark hair and olive skin tones are a nice compliment to each other as are his dark eyes. Spike almost smiles as he perceives the real reason that the man probably held the attraction that he did for Drusilla and even Darla. He bears no little resemblance to Angelus, only his features and build are built along less powerful and more graceful lines. He does smile vaguely as he realises that if he was taller and his musculature a little heavier with the lines of his cheekbones softened he would look remarkably similar to the man as well. It’s almost easy to imagine that if it were possible; without divine or infernal interference that is; to have a son by his Sire, he would likely have looked very much like the man before him.

He chuckles huskily as he feels his Mate’s shock through the bond as his thoughts filter through their connection and then his overwhelming pride and pleasure at the thought. He’d always secretly feared that Darla and Drusilla had somehow found him lacking next to the Immortal but it does his heart good to realise that unconsciously they had still been seeking him in the other man.

He keeps his progress slow and measured; his stalking walk is the epitome of predatory grace and unleashed sensuality that marks a fully mature Master Seducer Vampire. It has been possibly thousands of years since anyone living or un-living saw one of his kind so it is little wonder that they can do little but sit or stand and stare nervously at his approach.

“Looking razor, Blondie.” Faith says with a grin as Spike reaches her. Her breath catches as Spike turns his gaze on her and she feels a rush of heat low in her belly, her hand flying up to press against her stomach as though to trap the feeling there.

“You certainly know how to compliment a Vampire, Faith. When in doubt compare them to something that can draw blood.” Spike purrs quietly, running the back of his fingers across her throat. His nose crinkles slightly. “Still with the Slayer’s Boy I see…and smell.” As though released from stasis Robin Wood is suddenly at her shoulder and his hands cup her shoulders intending to pull her away. As Spike’s gaze shifts to him however, his movements still and his angry words quiet. “You are suited for each other.” Spike says simply his gaze locked on Robin. “Your Mother is safe and well and happy where she is. She is at peace in the fields of dreams where all Slayers go.” He says quietly, moving on and leaving Faith to help her suddenly weak-kneed boyfriend to the nearest chair. Silent tears course down his cheeks and she wraps her arms around him, comforting him.

Spike glances at Xander. “Anya and Cordelia are also happy. You should be proud of her Whelp, Anya has done something incredible, and she has earned her place in Heaven’s grace, the first former Demon to ever do so. Doyle was there to meet his Cordelia and they are happy together.”

“Cordy is dead?” Xander exclaims. “Anya’s not in Hell?” His eyes widen. “Who the hell is Doyle?” Silent tears trail down one of his cheeks.

“Not everyone makes it to the end of the circle together but they have done well and you will see them again when the time comes. Doyle was Angel’s first Seer, Cordelia was his second, and the Senior Partners tried their best to cut his ties to the Powers. Unfortunately it ran through them and they were lost but they have found each other now. Take comfort in that.” Spike replies quietly for his ears only. “Joyce is also well.” He says more loudly so everyone can hear him, turning to glance over his shoulder at Dawn who is crying happy tears once more and smiles gently.

He turns to look at the Immortal, who stands and walks over to meet him and the pair stop nearly a foot apart and peruse each other in silent observation.

From his seat Angel watches the confrontation as the pair sizes each other up but his features are calm and serene and full of his pride in his beautiful Mate.

“I can see that the stories were true, I always thought they were somewhat exaggerated but you are truly lovely, beautiful. I can see why half of Europe was ankle deep in blood with a Childe like you to protect.” The man says flirtatiously. “You have excellent taste Angelus.”

“You can thank Drusilla for turning William.” Angel says proudly, his grin widens as Spike’s fist suddenly flies out and lands a crushing blow on the Immortal’s jaw, laying him out at his feet. “As for Spike however, he’s all mine.” He says proudly, nuzzling his Mate’s emotionally through their link.

“If you ever chain him again, I’ll rip you into a thousand pieces, wait for you to regenerate and do it again.” Spike crouches to growl low enough for just the man at his feet to hear him.

The Immortal looks up at Spike as crouches above him and marvels at the predatory Vampire. “I trust that if the occasion should arise where I have you both in chains again, that the circumstances will be somewhat more pleasant than the first time.” He says with a husky chuckle and a wink that has Spike shaking his head and rising smoothly to his feet, only to find he’s being confronted by Buffy.

She reaches up to touch his chest, as though to reassure her eyes that he is really there and Spike shifts back of out range and suddenly Angel is there, his fangs dropped and his eyes solid glowing amber.

“Don’t touch him. Come to me Wil.” Angel lifts his arm and he sighs as Spike doesn’t hesitate to step forward and melts against his side, his arm wrapping tightly around his waist as he lowers his arm across his shoulders. “Stay away from him Buffy.” Angel turns them, careful to turn them so that he remains between Spike and Buffy and the pair walks back to their friends and only then does he release his hold to regain his seat. Once he’s seated he motions to Spike who instantly returns to her perch on the arm of the chair but it seems that even that is too far as Angel tenderly pulls him to lounge across his lap.

Spike sprawls with a lazy grace, comforted by his Mate’s presence and his public declaration of protective possessiveness. His posture and the lack of his jacket only emphasise the changes he’s gone through and he’s even more striking in his new incarnation. Being coddled by Angel as he is, it’s like watching a Tiger snuggling with a Panther, so deceptively beautiful that it is easy to forget they are deadly predators.

Giles stares at Tara, unable to believe his eyes that the sweetly shy young woman is back. His gaze flickers over Spike and Angel and he forces his gaze away despite the fact he wants to stare at the pair. As his eyes flit away he catches sight of the simply elegant collar around Spike’s throat and the charm that hangs from it and inhales sharply as he realises the significance of it.

“You’ve bound him to you!” He exclaims amazed. “That is why he obeys you!”

“What the Hell did you do to him Angel?” Buffy demands. She doesn’t have a clue what Giles meant by ‘bound’ but if it’s pissing him off it can’t be good.

“Is that what you did to Tara too?!” Willow demands angrily.

The Immortal just has to laugh as he stares at them in amazement. “Okay how did you really stop the apocalypses because you people are utterly clueless? You had help didn’t you?” He asks between bouts of laughter.

“What the devil is wrong with you Airic? What are you rambling about?” Buffy demands petulantly.

The Immortal doesn’t answer her merely stands up and zips up his coat and turns up the collar and heads for the door. “I think I’ll spend the winter in Rome. It’s so cold and rainy here. Congratulations on the mating Angelus.” The Immortal turns and inclines his head respectfully towards Angel, knowing that any move to acknowledge Spike or address him directly will draw the ire of his protective Mate and Sire.

“Wait a moment please.” Spike says quietly and the Immortal turns all the way around to look at him with no little surprise.

Spike motions for Angel and Wes to lean close and the trio speak quietly for several moments and they can see the thunderous expression on Angel’s face as he shakes his head vehemently. It becomes clear that Wes and Spike are trying to convince Angel to agree to something. After several more earnest moments they win a reluctant nod and the observers stare at Spike lifts up to press his forehead against Angel’s gently. They can’t hear what they’re saying but by the time Spike settles back down into his lap a beautiful smile has reversed the scowl on Angel’s face. Spike motions Harmony closer and she gets up and leans over the table and listens intently before nodding. She opens the belt pack at her waist and removes a slender gold case and opens it as she walks towards the Immortal. She pulls a slender rectangle of fine Vellum paper from the case and hands it to the Immortal before closing the case, returning it to her belt pack and returning to her chair.

The Immortal makes a show of reading the card before slipping it into his pocket and leaving with the flare that only a truly confident and self-assured person has.

“Lil Bit, Gunn has some legal matters that he needs to talk to you about. You can trust him but why don’t you take Faith and Nikki’s Boy with you?” Spike suggests.

“You’re not going to disappear again are you?” Dawn asks fearful that if she takes her eyes off Spike and Tara they’ll disappear on her again.

“We’ll be right here Dawn.” Tara assures her, patting her on the back.

Faith and Robin move forward and bracket Dawn as Gunn gets up and motions them towards the door.

“Gunn be sure to get their address please. I believe that Spike has something he’d like to return when we get back.” Wes calls out and Gunn nods as he leads them out into the main room of the restaurant.

“Thanks Wes.” Spike says quietly. “When we get back Angel and I will take you shopping for a new jacket on us.” He promises, slipping into the chair next to his Mate, in a sinuous shimmy that would make even the most limber exotic dancers jealous. Angel places his hand palm up on the table and Spike settles his over it and threads their fingers together until they’re holding on tightly.

“Angel hasn’t done anything wrong to Spike or to me Willow. And Spike can’t be bound by Angel in any way. You should know that Giles or has it been that long since you’ve actually read any of your precious books from your days as a Watcher?” Tara says with a pitying glance and a sad sigh. She takes the seat next to Wes but leans over the table and gently adjusts Spike and Angel’s hands to display the tattoos on their wrists. “Surely you recognise these?” Tara motions towards the marks but looks on disbelievingly at the blank look on Giles’ face.

Spike and Angel share their own looks of disbelief. There was a time that it seemed that there wasn’t anything that Giles didn’t know or at least know how to find out about. It’s a tragic surprise to see such a proud man seemingly so addled.

“Let’s just say that those marks ensure that Angel can’t bind Spike. It marks them as equals.” Tara says quietly. Her attention is grabbed as Willow cries out again and she sighs sadly. “Wesley warned you Willow. How many times do you have to feel the pain before you’ll stop?” Tara’s expression grows grave and serious. “I really suggest that you stop while you can.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Willow asks weakly, being held up in her chair again by Kennedy, Xander seems to have retreated off into his own little world.

“Are you threatening her?” Kennedy demands.

“What The Goddess gives she can also take back.” Tara says implacably.

“As entertaining as it is watching the Red Witch shocking herself over and over again I think you called for a reason?” Spike says drolly. “Or were you planning to try and finish the job you programmed Dana to do?” Spike sighs and drops his chin to his chest as Giles jerks up straight in his chair and drops his eyes immediately.

“I have no idea what you’re prattling on about Spike but you’re right we do have other concerns.” Giles agrees hurriedly.

Spike turns to face his Mate as the hand in his squeezes consolingly. Not a single word passes between them as their eyes meet but they say everything that has to be said in that brief glance.

“I would hardly call Riley and those bully boys he’s recruited for the new Initiative to be much of a concern ordinarily.” Angel states, smiling as Giles looks at him in amazement. “However I owe him for what he did to Spike and that makes him number one on my list of concerns for now but we’ll handle it ourselves.”

“You didn’t seem that upset that he chipped Spike before.” Buffy points out snidely still upset that somehow Angel persuaded her boyfriend to leave her. At least she thinks he’s left her, it all happened so fast she’s not really sure what happened. She glances at Spike and licks her lips and finds herself hard pressed to care if Airic’s left her or not right now.

“He didn’t know Spike when that happened but he knew him when he staked him in the heart with a plastic stake and tried to frame him. For that reason alone I’d love to rip his head off, the Powers however have another plan in mind for Mr. Finn.” Angel says with a deadly gleam in his eyes.

“And what plan would that be?” Giles demands.

“That’s none of your concern.” Angel says flatly.

“It is a need to know plan and guess you don’t need to know Rupert old boy.” Wes says dryly.

Gunn returns, folding a sheaf of papers and tucking them back into an envelope and he nods with a pleased smile at Angel and Spike’s enquiring glance. Dawn, Faith, and Robin following him into the room and the youngest Summers’ girl walks over and kisses first Spike than Angel on the cheek. She removes Spike’s coat and hands it back before following the Immortal’s example and zipping up her coat and making a production of leaving without another word.

“Where the hell is Dawn going?” Buffy demands.

“Harvard.” Faith says proudly, with a wide grin.

“I told her we couldn’t afford to send her there!” Buffy exclaims.

Faith glances at Spike, Gunn didn’t say specifically who was behind the trust fund for Dawnie but she knows the blond Vampire must have had more than a little to do with it. “Maybe you couldn’t afford to send her but it seems she has benefactors who can. She’s quite wealthy, though most of it is in trust, she’ll be able to live comfortably if not richly while she gets her doctorate. She’ll want for nothing in her life, I imagine with her fairy godfathers around.”

“A little less of the ‘fairy’ talk there, pet.” Spike says wryly but then completely ruins his protest by turning his head and blowing Angel an air kiss.

“Sure nothing the least bit ‘fairy’ about you Blondie.” Faith says wryly, grinning widely.

“You don’t even know where to find Riley.” Giles says superiorly, preparing to use the information the Watchers Council has amassed on his movements to negotiate a new agreement between Angel and them. Despite his personal feelings for Angel and his damned Childer, he can no longer ignore it would be suicidal to ignore his worth as an ally but it will be on his terms.

“Lorne, Andrew, what did you find out?” Angel asks ignoring his outburst.

“We’ve given everything we gotten from our sources to Fredikins, Angelcakes so that she could work her computer magic and get us a model virtual reality model of the reports.” Lorne says looking worried and vaguely frightened. “From what we’ve heard they certainly are a threat to Human and Demon alike at this point.”

“I’ve double checked everything and from my projections I’ve located a main base of operations as well as smaller secondary, third and fourth bases of operation. I’ve also identified a dozen or so smaller facilities that I would hazard to guess are either detention or research facilities.” Fred reports. “I’ve started to trace their supply lines as well but the work would go faster with some help.”

“Gunn, Andrew, and I can lend a hand Fred.” Wes offers with a smile at the shy brunette.

“Sure plug me in and call me Johnny Mnemonic.” Andrew says with a grin; and an eager puppy like expression that brings affectionate chuckles from his friends.

“How many countries are we talking Fred?” Spike asks fatalistically. He knows that like rats in the walls it’s unlikely they’re all going to stay in one nest.

“For the main bases of operation there are surprisingly enough only three but for the minor ones, they’re on every continent, including I believe Antarctica. Someone’s gone to quite a bit of trouble to conceal some flights, material, and personnel transfers down there as legitimate but they were only partially successful. I’ve got the probably location on a fairly sizable research station.”

“That makes sense.” Spike points out. “It’d have everything they need, geographic isolation being tops on their list as well as containment of their ‘specimens’ in case of escape.”

“Agreed, while most Demons are hardier than Humans there are only a handful that could survive unprotected exposure to those types of temperatures for the length of time it would require to make their escape. Assuming they somehow did survive that they’d still have the trouble of getting off what’s essentially a floating ice cube in the middle of the ocean; getting out is only the first problem.” Angel offers his opinion.

“That is their main research centre and where they take their most dangerous subjects for their little ‘tests’ no doubt. It will also be one of their financial lynch pins if they’ve moved their little ‘harvesting’ program there.” Spike says quietly, his tone is flat and unemotional but his eyes are twin coals of ire burning from within.

“Harvesting program, what’s that?” Xander finally finds his voice to ask.

“When you were down in the Initiative hive didn’t any of you bother to actually look around?” Spike asks, disgusted when they shake their heads or just shrug. “If you had then you would have noticed that the majority of their ‘menagerie’ was Vampires and not because they saw us as the greatest threat.” Spike’s eyes cloud over and he’s grateful to feel Angel’s hand tightening around his. “They had grand plans for the species don’t you know? Their little ‘chip’ project was just one of their past times and the end result was never to ‘pacify’ Vampires to prevent their feeding from humans. It was the first step to controlling them, a nice ready made army that was immune to most of the things that kill humans including chemical warfare. They would make the ultimate assassins, able to infiltrate behind enemy lines and decimate the enemy from within and wholly expendable.”

“That’s horrible!” Fred exclaims angrily. “That’s inhumane.” Wes reaches over and pats her shoulder comfortingly.

“That was only part of it.” Spike says unemotionally. “While they were running their little ‘tests’ they also came across a few interesting facts when they were dissecting Vampires without anaesthetic.” Everyone looks ill at the thought. “It seems that we’re not completely ‘dead’, our organs while they no longer function, remain perfectly viable. They can be removed and transplanted to a human and due to our regenerative ability. Eventually whatever they harvest will regenerate back to the condition it was when we were turned. Due to altered blood chemistry, there was no possibility of rejection in human beings and once the transplant was successfully completed, the organs began to function normally. The only organs they found that couldn’t survive outside the body was the brain and to a degree the heart. The could harvest parts of the heart, valves and up to three chambers but if the whole of it was removed the Vampires dusted immediately. If they left at least a quarter of it intact and fed their ‘subject’ on a steady diet of human blood they would regenerate in time. Vampires deemed too weak to serve in one of their other little projects were slated for their little harvesting programs. They were dissected, without anaesthetic and awake, their organs were harvested and they were allowed to regenerate so it could happen all over again. Some of the Vampires had been there for almost two years. They rarely lasted beyond that as I was told, their bodies eventually shut down and stopped regenerating and they were incinerated and others would take their place.”

Angel roars out of his chair and before anyone realises what is going on he’s swept Spike up out of his and up the stairs to the roof. All they can do is stare after the pair with Angel’s anguished roar sounding in their ears. The horror of the truth about The Initiative and about Riley Finn will haunt them all and Buffy flinches as dark looks are aimed at her. She is the one that brought Riley Finn into their little family…she finds that she’s glad that Dawn left before Spike revealed the ugly truth. There isn’t a single doubt in her mind that Dawn would never speak to her again. She may not have always liked Spike, especially after Xander told her about the incident between her and Spike before he left to win his soul, but Spike had always been there for her. Spike had been there for them all, even before the soul she realises. She’s been such a fool, she had two wonderful men in her life, strong and brave and able to understand and accept her darker side and she lost them both…to each other it seems.

Chapter Seven

Angel carries his precious cargo up the stairs easily bearing his weight and lopes over to a quiet sheltered area under the trellised eaves and sinks down. He cradles his Mate in his lap and wraps his arms around him tightly and rocks gently, wrapping himself around Spike as tightly as he can.

Spike wraps his arm around Angel and lets his other hand skim up his back and into his hair, sinking in deeply and pulling them as close together as possible. “Shhhh I’m here with you and I made it through all of that and managed to thrive despite what they did.” He says soothingly, trying to ease Angel’s guilty conscience.

“Did they…take…anything…from you Wil?” Angel asks haltingly.

Spike curls closer and tightens his arms as his eyes slip closed. “Yes.” He whispers, wincing as Angel tips his head back and howls his fury to the heavens.

Down in the restaurant Wes and Harmony move quickly to head off the rush for the stairs as people for blocks around scatter for safety under the eerily echoing cry reverberating through King’s Cross.

Angel wants to sweep Spike up and carry him far away from everyone and everything, find the deepest and darkest hole there is to climb into and pull it in after them. He remembers the stories Spike told him about the pocket dimension he was sent to after his destruction in the Hellmouth and he almost wishes that they were there together. Only in a world of their own will he ever be sure that Spike is really safe and it’s almost enough to wish them back to his prison to make sure of it. “Tell me, everything.” He demands angrily, but the expression in his eyes are soft and love-filled and his caressing hands tender.

Spike takes a deep breath and staring into his Mate’s eyes he reveals the full depths of the depravities the Initiative visited on him. “They took both of my kidneys, my liver, bone marrow a few times and they took what they called ‘samples’ for sequencing, I can only assume that had something to do with experimenting on my DNA. The rumour in the cells was that they were trying to create hybrid clones but that so far they’d been unsuccessful. It was something to do with incompatible genome structures or something like that? They didn’t harvest much from me and I had some value for their fighter program so I think they didn’t want to chance damaging me too much.”

“They picked you apart like pulling fruit from a tree and they’re still doing it to others. They’ve stolen everything that you are and they could be using it to make bastardisations of my Mate.” Angel sounds like a little boy waking up from a nightmare, only to find out that the nightmare is true.

“They’d be in for a rude awakening if they have.” Spike says dryly. “They don’t know what my true strengths are, as far as they knew I was a fighter. I didn’t even know what my true strengths were so I don’t imagine that they do and without you I’d have gone insane and taken everyone else with me.” He points out. “If they had managed to clone me, they’d have cloned my gift as well.”

“And they wouldn’t understand what they’ve done until it was too late. Still let’s hope that they weren’t that stupid but let’s plan for the eventuality that they were. The Master told me that Seducers had rankings of their own among their kind separate of Sire and Childer and that their dominance was set by how strong their gifts had developed. Do you think that you’d be strong enough to influence any that they have created?” Angel asks worriedly but his expression clears as Spike nods.

“Haven’t you felt different since that night?” Spike asks smoothing his hand down Angel’s cheek.

Angel doesn’t need him to elaborate on which night he’s talking about. “Yes, I feel…more.”

“Yes ‘more’ of everything, stronger, faster, all of that?” Spike continues as Angel nods. “I think we’ve bonded more than we realised. You can draw on my strength and I can draw on yours and it makes us both stronger. I’m not sure if I’d be strong enough alone but I’m not alone any longer. I have you.”

Angel doesn’t answer him as his hold loosens enough to slip his hands under the edges of Spike’s coat and slip it off his shoulders. Spike obligingly relaxes his arms and lets them fall back so that his coat can be slid free but Angel smiles and holds the coat at his elbows, trapping his arms in the process. His eyes rove over that perfect chest framed so well by the dark leather coat and vest. Within seconds both are swept away and his hands worship the bared flesh. “You have always been my beautiful boy.” He stands carrying Spike up with him, carrying his weight as easily as he’d lift a piece of paper. He carefully sets him down and holds on until he’s sure he’s balanced and ready to support himself before he lets his arms fall away. “Dance for me?” He could forget any horror and banish any haunting memory with such a sight to fill his eyes and mind with more pleasant visions.

Spike steps closer until their torsos are just barely brushing as they exhale and inhale to necessitate speech. He skims his hands up Angel’s arms slowly to cup his shoulders before sliding back down to thread their fingers together locking them palm to palm. “No, dance with me?”

Angel takes two steps closer until the front of their bodies are pressed tightly together and wraps his arms around the small of Spike’s back, carrying their still joined hands with him. Spike relaxes and widens his stance until Angel’s leg slips between his and he looks up at his Mate and quirks his brow up and his lips pull into a playful smirk in silent dare. Angel accepts and yanks him closer still, thankful for the moment that breathing for them is an option and not a necessity. They sway together barely moving but their hearts have wings of their own as they dance to the music of their souls.

Spike gives himself over to Angel’s care, unable to do much other than follow his swaying rhythm caught as he is against his Mate. It is more than the trust of a Childe in his Sire or that between Mates it is the trust of being in love and like the bonds that tie them together they are as unbreakable. He smiles and presses his lips against Angel’s neck and speaks softly.

Because I could not stop for Death,

He kindly stopped for me;

The carriage held but just ourselves

And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,

And I had put away

My labour, and my leisure too,

For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,

Their lessons scarcely done;

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed

A swelling of the ground;

The roof was scarcely visible,

The cornice but a mound.

Since then ‘tis centuries; but each

Feels shorter than the day

I first surmised the horses’ heads

Were toward eternity.

Angel smiles and turns them into a gliding spin, neither noticing the light drizzle of rain misting their skin as they waltz in their own inimitable style. “I love it when you recite poetry. Do another one?” He asks eagerly, the world falling away until it is only the two of them. It’s how things ought to be.

“Do you have a request or shall I just choose one from the ether?” Spike teases.

“I want to hear one of yours. I always liked it you know.” Angel replies shyly.

“I’m no Emily Dickenson but alright, ask and ye shall receive.” Spike searches his mind for one of his long mouldering works and wonders which one to recite but even as he wonders the words are falling from his lips.

In a glance where time holds, stilled,

That second of awareness, that hearts jump, thrilled.

You think that you know all of me there is,

But is all that you see, all that there is?

Are you looking for God in these eyes?

In these devil’s eyes, dreaming of those heaven borne skies…

A peace of soul, trapped and confined, forever there denied.

What is it in these mirrors, that which you so desperately search to see?

Angels singing up on high, with beauty so profound, heaven itself will sigh?

Devils cavorting in caverns deep, darkened shadows, where no light seeps?

Or do you look beyond the surface to see what lies beneath it all?

Can you see the siren’s call, shining in these mirrored orbs.

Do you see, on the knife sharp edge of truth’s unforgiving sword?

Does your soul rise to answer a need, you can never voice?

Are you drawn into the mirror and do you go by choice?

Or is there in all, in fact, a deeper force,

That moves our lives, seduced and coerced.

Have you met yourself, destiny’s tears, in these eyes?

Are you the pain that, even now, in them hides?

Are you the Devil or the Angel, whispering low, on my shoulder?

Or are you merely in my path, just another boulder?

Look into these eyes and tell me what you see,

I shall tell you of who you are.

These are not the windows to my soul but the mirror of your own.

Do you dare to look or will you turn away?

Run back to the safety of the bright and sunny day?

You’ll find neither God nor Devil, nothing of heaven or hell, shining here to see.

No Angels to chorus, No demons to dance,

Only a truth you’d rather not see, here entranced.

All that we are, of all we are born to do, in the name of all that makes us,

As we are, worn on us as mirrors.

A cold, reflection’s truth.

Our lives are not meant to be seen but rather to be shown,

So be careful what you reap as that is what you sow.

And this the tale of your life reflected in this crystalline show.

As Spike’s voice trails off he realises that Angel has been making a needful sound halfway between a growl and a purr mixed with a throaty moan. Even as the last word of the poem is fading Angel’s fangs are in his neck as his greedy mouth and lashing tongue draw out his lifeblood.

Angel groans against the perfect alabaster skin his fangs have sunk deep into and he swallows greedily as the unique flavours of Spike’s blood rush over his tongue. It’s all about the blood. Who a person is and where they come from; their life in ruby red suspension for his delectation. He knows that no one other than another Vampire could probably understand the depths of the connection sipping Spike’s lifeblood creates. That’s what he’s doing, drinking Spike, his life, his energy, and his power, all of them flowing from his body to his.

The flavour of smoky streets packed with humanity, the slightly acidic bite of old-fashioned India ink and the slight mustiness of fine linen paper, the coolly sweet hint of vanilla and violet water, so many things all warring in the rich soup of life that is Spike’s blood. Above them all is the heady flavour signature of his own blood and the power and lineage of Aurelius that draws him as a moth to the flame.

He moves by instinct, lifting Spike and moaning against his neck as he feels the strong leather clad legs encircle his waist and clinging as his Mate throws his head back baring his throat and sending a fresh wave of blood into his hungry mouth. They move as one to the deepest shadows of the protective overhang until Spike’s back is braced between the wall and himself in equal measure. He feels a fluttering of warmth deep inside him, rhythmic and pounding almost like the pulse he no longer has and he knows that Spike is tapping into the emotions of their embrace. The needy whimpers and the low deep throated moans and gasps intensify his hunger as they form a closed-circuit, feeding and being fed, each second doubling their need until at last he wrenches his fangs free as an orgasmic rush pours them through each other as they cry out in unison.

Demons and souls sated they sink slowly down the wall and Angel finally releases Spike’s hands to open his coat and wrap it around them both, locking in the lingering warmth of their friction heated bodies. Making sure that Spike is well cocooned Angel relaxes for the first time since they arrived here.

“Was it hard to see her again?” He asks quietly, stroking Spike’s hair.

“Yes but not in the way that you mean I think.” Spike says honestly, wrapping his arms around Angel and turning him so that he’s reclining against his chest more comfortably. “I was harder to see her knowing you were seeing her if that makes sense?” He says finally.

Angel chuckles. “It sounds like we’ve been more worried about how each other is going to react than how we’d react ourselves.”

“I don’t know what I thought I’d feel when I saw her again but I was surprised to not feel anything at all. I thought that I would at least be angry or hurt but instead…”

“There’s just nothing there.” Angel completes for him. “I feel the same way. I’ve seen her through your eyes and I can safely say that love isn’t blind any longer. It’s opened my eyes to what she’s really like. The strange thing is I think that I always knew she wasn’t the any great love of my life or I wouldn’t have been able to walk away from her so many times. I had a much harder time trying to deal without having you in my life, or our sweet Drusilla. I could live without Buffy, I’ve proven that, she dies, I lived on. If I lost you I wouldn’t survive it, even before we mated. I held on because of Drusilla, when they told me you were gone. She was my last connection to you…if I had known that she was gone as well…” Angel reaches his arm around Spike’s waist until his fingertips can soothe over the tattoo in the small of his back.

No one could have been more surprised than he was when Spike chose to have some body art done. His right shoulder now sports a twin of the tattoo that graces his own shoulder proudly displaying the large simply elegant capitol ‘A’ that stands for Angelus and Aurelius both. The tattoo artist was very skilled and the design incorporates the letter runes for ‘W’ and ‘D’ as well. He remembers spending hours licking that incredible mark until his tongue could follow its intricate lines with his eyes shut. The tattoo in the small of his back is a newer addition but no less special for its short lifespan. Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves…but shirts get changed. Spike wears his love on his skin, eternal and uncompromisingly obvious. How fitting it should be that their lives should be condensed into one beautifully rendered image on the alabaster perfection of Spike’s back, a white rose with blood tinged petals surrounded by the Celtic trinity of three; the Sire, the Childe, destiny, all around their so perfectly imperfect rose.

“Did you ever think that we’d be here? I mean together, seeing Buffy, and everything? It seems strangely anti-climatic somehow.” Angel asks quietly, relaxing in his Mate’s arms and licking leisurely at the seeping wound in his neck a gentle bite now and then keeping the barest trickle of blood flowing.

“You expected something else; a bar fight, getting run over, or getting blown up or something?” Spike asks with a grin chuckling as Angel blushes faintly and shrugs nervously. “Give them time, my Love; I don’t think the facts have really sunk in yet. When it does well…” Spike shrugs eloquently.

“It’s entirely your fault’ and Tara’s too, they’re so shocked that you aren’t dead that they aren’t processing anything else. We set up this whole elaborate plan and we could have met in MacDonald’s for all the good it’s done.”

“You’re just a frustrated drama queen aren’t you?” Spike asks with a snicker.

“Shut up Spike.” Angel says with an exaggerated pout.

“Oh look at that lip…it’s all pouty…gonna get it.” Spike dives down to nibble and suck at the tempting lip while Angel actually giggles and wiggles playfully in his arms and feigns trying to get away.

Play soon gives way to long drugging kisses and tender embraces and whispered endearments and needful sounds of encouragement. Angel pulls back to trace Spike’s cheek. This Precious Lad is the true gift from the Powers and it will be up to him to make sure to take care of him. “I don’t want you to get near Riley Finn, leave him to me. I need to have some words with Mr. Finn.” He lays a fingertip across Spike’s lips as he opens them to argue and shakes his head. “We may be Mates now but that makes you no less my Childe. The Powers will pass their judgement but I have some closing arguments of my own.”

Spike considers arguing who has the greater claim to Riley Finn’s downfall and decides that it doesn’t matter as long as he falls. He presses a soft kiss to the fingertip and sighs as Angel presses it more tightly and traces the plump lower lip. “I know how we can flush him out…” He murmurs against Angel’s fingertip.

“That is a discussion for later, my Precious Lad. Plan later, now if for loving.” Angel locks his arms around a smirking Spike and deftly rolls them until the writhing blond is blanketed beneath him and talking is the last thing on his mind.

Chapter Eight

Everyone looks up from their meal as Angel and Spike return and calmly retake their chairs, their smiles letting their friends know that everything is alright, despite the haste of their departure. They glance down at the other end of the table and they notice several empty chairs, including Buffy, Giles, and Kennedy.

Seeing their confused glances Wes answers their unspoken question. “Giles refused to stay here if we were going to refuse to be ‘cooperative’ as he called it and he told Buffy they were leaving. She just went along with him but I’m not sure that she necessarily wanted to. Xander just seemed to get dragged along in their wake and Kennedy and Willow got in a fight when Willow refused to leave so she stormed off. Willow’s been sitting there just staring at Tara the whole time and we’re all more than a little uncomfortable with her fixated expression. Mr. Woods looked like he was going to leave for a while but he stayed with Faith; he hasn’t said much since then. I’d say the three of them have managed to get on Giles’ bad side by staying.” He pitches his voice low so only the Vampires can hear his low tones.

“Spike and I did a little reconnaissance while we were on the roof and it looks like we’ve got some new watchdogs to replace the ones that Tara and Spike ran off on snipe hunts. We counted three Slayers and a Watcher but the Slayers don’t feel very strong, probably not long out of training. They’ll be easy to lose; I’m not sure about the Watcher…Wes…it’s your Dad.”

“And here I thought this trip was going to be all work and no play. Maybe I’ll get to shoot him again?” Wes says chillingly but all of them have heard about his horror stories about growing up with Roger so none of them are surprised by his animosity.

“Or we can just leave through the sewer entrance.” Spike says with a grin and Wes and Angel snicker at having forgotten the other reason they choose to have the meeting at this restaurant. “We can just take the sewers for a couple of blocks and we should be able to lose them. With the magic bound, they can’t have tagged us with locater spells so they’ll have to use more mundane means to try and locate us. With nothing to go on they’ll have to start in King’s Cross and work out to the rest of London and outward. We’ll be well away before they can search a tenth of the city.”

“We’ll have to distract Faith and the others and I’d rather not have to do anything…invasive since Faith seems to be at least partially on our side in this.” Angel says quietly.

Spike glances at the couple, leaning towards each other and talking quietly, the occasional caress or kiss interspersed throughout. “What do we do about Willow? Do we have to be as nice with her?” Spike’s eyes narrow as they pass over the red-haired witch; he hasn’t forgotten the part she played in his demise, albeit a temporary one.

“A simple teleportation spell will work. I’ve been to the manor they’ve set up as their base of operations, I spent a lot of time there as a junior watcher. I can teleport her safely.” Wes assures them.

Angel glances at Faith with her beau and grins. “You can leave the lovebirds to Spike and I. They’re obviously already halfway there; it won’t take Spike’s aura very long to push them over.” He stands and holds out his hand to Spike with a raised eyebrow.

Spike stands and slips his coat off, carefully laying it over the back of his chair before he takes Angel’s hand and the pair strolls down to the other end of the table. Spike pulls slightly ahead to pull a chair out and Angel sinks into it with a graceful flutter of his coat, using their still joined hand to pull Spike into a lazy sprawl across his lap. The old world style of the chair is wide and sturdy, well able to hold their weight and Spike leans back comfortably, bracing a boot heel over the arm of the chair and reclining boneless and relaxed.

Angel draws the back of his other hand slowly down Spike’s chest, obligingly bared by the vest and stops at his navel, toying with the piercing absentmindedly. He hides his grin as he notices that Faith and Woods are unconsciously focusing on the movement of his hand and the perfection of Spike’s body.

“You’re looking good Blondie. The afterlife seems to agree with you.” Faith says with a wink.

Spike shoots a nuclear glance at Angel beneath his lashes. “It has it’s…benefits.” Spike lifts his free hand up and bends it at the elbow so that he can stroke the side of Angel’s jaw with his fingertips.

Faith’s eyes widen as Angel turns his head slightly and draws his tongue across the fingers stroking his jaw before pressing a light kiss to the ones that he can reach. “You two certainly seem to be getting along…well. That’s somewhat surprising.”

“I thought you two hated each other. At least that’s what Buffy keeps saying.” Woods says bluntly.

“We were rivals and I suppose it wouldn’t be too strong to say enemies for longer than you’ve been alive, longer than you’ve both been alive, combined. Show me a hate that lasts that long that isn’t fuelled by a love stronger than the hate. To hate to the depths of all that you are, you have to have loved just as much.” Angel leaves off playing with the piercing in Spike’s navel and skims his hand down to trace a fingertip slowly over the button-fly of his leather pants. “Drusilla turned William but I created Spike. He is my creation, my masterpiece…my forever love.”

Spike locks his eyes on the pair and it’s not long before they’re moving restlessly against the wooden support of their chairs. He cracks open the shields around his ability and lets it writhe and coil from his core to wrap around them. He manipulates it as skilfully as a sculptor with clay. A subtle shaping there and a nudge here and he can feel the emotions coming from the pair as well as the barely banked fires from his Mate and that lies within him. As adept as a spider he trails the emotions and begins to weave them and interlock them, turning them back upon themselves until an intricate patchwork of nebulous emotion clings to their skin.

“Whoa you’re in love?!” Faith looks blown away by that and her exclamation manages to get even the obtusely staring Willow’s attention.

“What the hell do you mean you’re in love; what about Buffy?!” Willow demands.

“You mean the Buffy that showed up here with her latest bed bunny to meet the great love of her life, that Buffy? Or did you mean the Buffy that gave me that pretty bauble to wear knowing it’d kill me and telling me she ‘loved’ me when I was burning from the inside out, that Buffy?” Spike growls. “Maybe you meant the Buffy that beat me half to dust when I tried to stop her from turning herself in for a murder she didn’t commit, that Buffy? Oh I know you meant the Buffy that stabbed a sword through the man she claimed to love and sent him to Hell, you meant that Buffy right?” Spike growls sub-vocally and he curses Willow silently as his hold over Faith and Woods is temporarily blocked by his own heightened emotions.

“She…she had to do that to stop Acathla!” Willow says shakily, crossing her arms in a huffy gesture. “It would have sucked the world into Hell, she had to do it.”

“Did any of you even bother to research? Angel’s blood awakened Acathla but all it would have taken to close it again is his blood. Letting the portal take Angel was never necessary.” Spike says coldly. “None of you bothered to find out what you were fighting did you?” Spike says disgustedly.

“Xander never told Buffy you were going to restore my soul either.” Angel remembers with a wince.

“You tell me who has more to be ashamed of here Witch; Buffy or Angel and me for falling in love?” Spike asks staring at Willow until she drops her eyes in shame. “You did a bang up job on Warren and tried to send the world into Hell and they forgave you and you chose to take on that evil. Angel lost his soul and it freed Angelus and there wasn’t anything he could do caged as he was. What’s your excuse?”

Willow leaps up with a cry and runs off sobbing and Robin curses and chases after her. Faith shoots them an apologetic glance and chases after the pair.

Spike leans back with a smirk and rubs his hands together as though dusting them off. “Anyone care for some dessert?” He quips.

Angel rises, carrying Spike with him. “Anything but cookies; I really hate cookies.” He sweeps from the room, carrying a laughing Spike. “Harmony get Spike’s coat!” He calls back as the pair heads for the kitchen and the well concealed entry to the basement and its sewer access.

The laughing blonde sweeps up the coat before following the exodus of laughing people from the room.

Epilogue

Lindsey MacDonald hangs up the phone on his desk with careful intent and leans forward to press the intercom on his desk. “Get me everything we’ve got on a Riley Finn and a government subsidised program called the Initiative; immediately. Wire ten thousand to the following account.” Lindsey reads off the Swiss bank account identification number. “Put out the word, I want Riley Finn, alive, and there’s a generous bonus in it if they bring him to me within the week.”

“Yes, Sir Mr. MacDonald, how much should I list the reward for?” A man’s voice asks politely.

“Start it at two million and increase it by two million every other day until he’s brought to me.”

“Understood Sir, I’ll handle the matter personally.”

“You do that Knox.” Lindsey takes his finger off the intercom button. “Then I’ll know who to blame if you fail me.” Lindsey leans back in his chair and stares at the portrait hanging on the wall opposite his desk.

The portrait is classical and tastefully done, the rich colours, and bold strokes the work of a Master painter. The background is a silken bower with the moonlight showing through gossamer curtained French doors. In the foreground is a roman style chaise lounge in deep, darkly rich scarlet velvet that darkens to almost black in areas. Reclining atop the couch is a frozen ode to masculine beauty. The man is slender but well muscled with the sleek strength of a gymnast or a swimmer rather than a muscle builder. Pale and perfect alabaster skin peeks from beneath the wispy fall of a black silk sheet as it drapes casually over the centre of his body, hiding the intimate secrets of his body yet hinting at the power and beauty beneath.

The facial features are obscured by artfully placed shadows as the man’s face is turned away from the viewer, throwing a long graceful neck into high relief. A collar of thick linked Platinum, blue diamonds and sapphires cut in a marquis style encircle that graceful expanse and from the centre of the collar hangs a glittering diamond spike that rests lightly just below the collarbone. The moonlight cascading through the windows of the French style doors is reflected in the severely styled platinum hair of the mysterious subject of the painting. In the deep background in the deepest of the painted shadows there is an area of deepest darkness that takes the form of a man’s silhouette if one looks at the painting long enough.

Lindsey picks up the phone once more and taps the subtly blinking light to connect to the caller he’s kept on hold. “Your information is sketchy at best but you’ve done well for me in the past so I’m going to send the usual payment for your services. IF this information can be verified and proves useful you can expect a bonus.” Lindsey disconnects the call, never having taken his eyes off the painting.

Blackstone Manor, South Kensington, London

Across the sea, Kennedy closes her cell phone and slips it into her pocket with a calculatingly cold smile on her face. She may not be THE Slayer or distinguishable in any way from the hundreds or even thousands of other girls and women that can claim the title but she will be different in one way. If things work out for her, she’ll be able to buy or sell them all a million times over. Who cares about being a Slayer when she can be rich? She’ll buy all the respect she deserves, even if she has to do it over the dead bodies of every person she knows.

TBC…

In Part Two of Book Two:

Angel and company set their plans in motion to capture Riley and put an end to the rebuilt Initiative but will Lindsey get to him first with Kennedy’s betrayal to aid him? Buffy finally discovers that Angel and Spike, the two great ‘loves’ of her life, are a mated pair and it drives her to an insane act that will change the lives of everyone around her forever. Stay tuned on the same JINXI station at the same JINXI time for part two of the Incubus Moon Saga.