InsaneJournal

Who: Buffy Summers, Spike and Angelus
When: The Night After the Fang Gang shows up
What: Buffy and Spike go out patrolling and run into Angelus. Things are revealed
Where: Somewhere in the city
Progress: Complete

Even twenty four hours later, Spike still couldn't believe that Angelus, Darla, Drusilla and Harmony were there. Of all the people Zenner could have brought, they had to bring them. Harmony of all people, well vampires. She wasn't even remotely scary like the others, so what was the reason for her being there besides to be a pain in his arse?

They had spent the entire previous night and the day making sure that the Slayers knew what they were going to be up against; Giles, Wes and Spike gave them the run down on what to expect from each of them while Willow and Tara made sure that all the wards were doubled and even tripled. Everyone else either hid or made sure all the weapons were in working order.

Once the sun went down and they were sure that everyone would be safe for a little while, Buffy and Spike decided to take the first patrol session to check things out before letting the other Slayers or Connor out. He still couldn't believe that Faith had gotten herself kidnapped by Harmony earlier.

Leaving his room, Spike went to Buffy's and knocked on the door. He knew that this couldn't be easy for her, not that seeing Dru was any easier for him, but at least he'd never had to kill Drusilla, not that he wouldn't if he had to.

Angelus had a talent for getting under her skin like no other, just like Angel. No matter how much she told herself she was over it and moved on, all it had taken was his arrival to throw her off balance. He'd broken her heart, terrorized her friends and family, murdered Jenny Calendar, and tried to end the world. If that wasn't enough, she had Darla and Dru to contend with, and they weren't exactly a walk in the park either. Apparently Zenner thought it would be hilarious to bring back the worst vamps she knew, just when she was starting to get comfortable with Spike and the vampires who popped up in Las Vegas. Cordelia suggested telling Godric and the other demon hunters, but Buffy was hesitant to do that, because this was her problem. She didn't want anyone else to get involved. Still, she'd warned all of the Slayers about what was going on, and everyone was in danger mode now. The Slayerettes were all talented fighters and she trained with them regularly, but they were young. She underestimated these vampires before when she was young, and barely made it out of their fights alive.

Giles gave her a hug and a pep talk after the meeting, and she went to get changed for the patrol with Spike. She had to be ready for a serious fight, and sneakers were a much better idea than her stylish but affordable boots at the moment. Blond hair was tugged up into a ponytail, and her expression was grim, prepared. "Let's go," she said briskly to Spike when she opened the door. This was Buffy the General, not Buffy the Girlfriend. She led him outside, crossing arms against her chest, the cross hanging around her neck more prominent than ever. "Where do you think they'll go first to cause mayhem?"

Spike was always impressed at how quickly Buffy jumped from role to role, and she had a lot of roles to play. Slayer, Sister, Girlfriend and General, unfortunately none of those left room for Normal Girl and that was one of the things Spike wished he could do for her, even if it was pretty unattainable.

As he followed her out of the house, a couple stakes hidden in his sleeves and the lining of his jacket, he shook his head, "Your guess is as good as mine, love. This isn't like Sunnydale, it's quite a bit bigger, with quite a bit more people. Or in their opinion, Happy Meals on Legs." He wished that his experience with Angelus, Darla and Dru could help them to pin point exactly where they would go, but they were unpredictable most of the time, so really all they could do was patrol and hope to happen upon something.

For patrols in the city their weapons had to be secret, something she was well used to from back in Sunnydale, so she had stakes hidden as well, although Buffy was best when she used her environment to fight. Right now she was in the mood to make a kill last, and it had been a long time since she was allowed to dust a bad guy, so the Slayer part of her was energetic. Excited even. But that directly contrasted with the mixed feelings she had toward the vampires, and her growing concern for the household she had to protect. Angelus liked to make her suffer. He wasn't going to make it easy for anyone. "I want Dawn under constant watch whether she's okay with it or not." She seemed like the most obvious choice for a raging Angelus. A young, pretty girl whose death would hurt Buffy more than anything in the world. Completely his style.

"Zenner's such crap. The last time they brought bad guys here, we had an Apocalypse." And zombies. And Dawnie died. The very memory of it haunted her.

"I agree whole heartedly." Spike had always felt protective over Dawn, even before Buffy had died and he'd begun hanging around the Summer's house while the others had patrolled and even plotted to resurrect Buffy behind his back, not that he was complaining now of course. "Connor maybe. The boy needs something to do so he won't run blindly into something he can't handle. He can babysit Jaeger and Anya too. It's almost ironic how an ex demon is so bloody afraid of everything that goes bump." Then again as a human Anya didn't have any special skills. At least Xander came in handy every now and then; like that wrecking ball with Glory.

"That's a good idea, I didn't think of Connor." He would be someone that could get bothered by both Angelus and Darla. Buffy hadn't really gotten a chance to get to know Angel's son very well, she was almost shy around him, but she'd protect him regardless. As they talked she was keeping her eyes open and alert, every muscle in her tense and ready to react to the smallest shadow or noise. "She went from being a thousand to being mortal, lucky if she makes it to 80. What if you were suddenly mortal? You'd probably be a little more careful." Buffy smiled slightly despite everything; Spike always managed somehow to make her feel better. She was in General mode so she couldn't get sappy with him, but she did sneak out a hand and take his, threading their fingers together. It was an innocent gesture altogether, and a way to show him she was grateful for him being there. And understanding. "Are you okay? I know seeing all of them is a lot for you too."

Spike had heard about how Anya had died during the battle at the high school and he wasn't sure if this Anya knew about that or not. If not then it was probably for the better. When Buffy took his hand, Spike squeezed hers a smirk crossing his lips, "In case you forgot I did become mortal for awhile there recently." It still upset Spike every now and then when he recalled the feeling of his heart stopping, when he'd become a vampire again, but he couldn't dwell on that for too long. As much as he'd enjoyed being human for that short time, he hadn't enjoyed being useless. Much the way Anya must feel most of the time. "I'll live. I'd already gotten over her a long time ago." He was obviously talking about Drusilla, however Angelus still unnerved him, for quite a few reasons.

"I only caught the tail end of that. It was interesting for you to be human. And weird too." Buffy didn't exactly mind him being human and mortal and ... well, weak. Contrary to public opinion, she didn't just love vampires! There was an attraction to a man as strong as she was, of course, and she didn't have to be careful with him. With Riley if she fought too hard, he'd break, and even he was a strong guy with training. She loved Spike regardless, but she also loved him for who he was. She didn't need him to change, at least not now when he had a soul and chose to fight on the side of good. It wasn't just to impress her anymore; he genuinely wanted to help. "I know, but even if we're over them, it still gets to us, right?" Angel was her Dru, and she stopped briefly, tugging on his hand to make him stop too. "You can talk to me if you need to, about all this stuff. I know I'm all Leader Buffy at the moment, but I'll listen." She leaned up to kiss him gently, to cement what she was saying. They were in no position at the moment to enjoy getting distracted like that, but she needed a little confirmation of her own.


Spike and Buffy? Well, didn't that just explain so much. God, he reeked of her, little bits of soul and Slayer all mixing together to form something truly nauseating. Angelus was going to have to have to drink from half a dozen people just to get the taste out of his mouth. That would be fun, at least. No need to let this ... thing ruin his night. He heard there was a great little cafe a few blocks over, real nice atmosphere, popular with couples on first dates. He wondered how fast he could have them all dead. But he was getting ahead of himself. Plenty to do right here.


"That," he called, stepping lazily into their line of sight, "Is disgusting." He leaned against a wall, casually picking lint off his coat. For all his nonchalance, though, he never took his eyes off his company. You could call Angelus a lot of things, most synonyms for psychopath to be sure, but stupid wasn't one of them. He turned to Spike, mouth twitching into a smirk. "You were always love's bitch, but this?" He jerked his head at Buffy. "This is a new low, even for you."

"I know, I can." It really did mean a lot to Spike that someone actually cared enough to want to listen if he needed to talk. Sure, he used to talk to Drusilla, but she was crazy so it was more or less like he was talking to himself. He kissed her back, keeping it gentle, knowing that they needed to spend this time actually patrolling and not patrolling like they did back in Sunnydale during their fling. Not that they'd actually slept together yet since deciding that they were in fact in a relationship.

Hearing Angelus' voice, Spike groaned in frustration, it wasn't that he hadn't expected to eventually see him, but now things were going to be even harder. Spike had always had a difficult time closing off his emotions when he felt strongly about something, or someone.

Setting his jaw, he turned to Angelus and cocked his head slightly, a familiar gesture to everyone present, "I seem to recall similar words spoken once, but reversed." He was referring, of course, to what he'd said to Angel about Buffy back when Spike and Drusilla had first shown up in Sunnydale.

Buffy's entire body froze when she heard that familiar voice, and she pulled away from Spike, eyes closed tightly. It only took her two seconds to strengthen her walls again and turn to face her bitterest enemy. The one who really taught her how to hate. She squared off against Angelus, standing next to Spike as if together their strength alone was enough to repel him. "I figured you couldn't resist coming out to waste all our time with your endless talking. Blah blah blah I'm evil blah blah blah arrogant rambling." She just pointedly ignored his attempt to jab at Spike's taste. He loved getting a rise out of her, and Buffy was determined he wouldn't get one this time. "Can we just skip the part and go to the killing you?"

Well, was a reaction, if Angelus had ever seen one. Look at that, wasn't she precious? All tough, squared away like that. He couldn't help it, his face twisted into a grin. Buffy was right, he did love getting a rise out of her. One of his favorite things, actually: mayhem, chaos, fucking with the Slayer. It'd been a while since he'd seen her, but that didn't matter. She'd made him feel like a human being, once. That wasn't the kind of thing you could just forgive. "Well, I could waste it with a inspiring musical number, but you know, that never gets the same response."


He turned towards Spike. "What can I say, I was going through a phase," he smirked. "You know how it is, a couple of brunettes, a sprinkle of blondes." He watched them casually, looking for any sort of emotion that might make this little encounter a bit more ... entertaining. Entertaining for him, of course. Eyes catching on Spike, he added, "Lots of blondes, actually. Darla, you, you." He nodded his head towards each of the others in turn. It almost pained him to lump Darla in with the other two. Almost. When it came right down to it, he didn't really care. He fake-shuddered exhaggeratedly at the idea of intimacy with either of the two of them. "I'll admit, not some of my finest moments."

No! No, he did not just bring up their past. Of all the times to do it, he had to do it now when Buffy was around. He didn't want her to know that; at least not from him! Maybe she didn't realize what Angelus was referring to and it'd go right over her head. Somehow Spike doubted that. Part of him wanted to say how he hadn't been blond then, but that wasn't the problem at hand. As he attempted to remain unphased by what Angelus had said, he knew that if anyone wanted to know if what Angelus said was true, all they had to do was look at his eyes. His biggest downfall was that his emotions were always crystal clear in his blue eyes.

"Seriously, I don't want to waste my breath on you, let's just fi ----" And that was about the time she realized what he was saying. Color flooded Buffy's face, either from embarrassment or anger or horror, and she shot Spike a sudden look. The exact thing she did not want to do, because then Angelus would know that he got to her, and the smart thing would've been to pretend she already knew or that she didn't care. It was too late, he knew that she did. She wasn't great at hiding emotion to begin with, and not with someone who knew her that well. Damnit all to hell. She really needed to punch someone. Luckily there was an Angelus nearby. She casually pulled out a stake and twirled it in her hand, her other hand on her hip, pretending nonchalance now even if she was feeling sick. "Remember how I didn't have much patience for you then? It's gotten shorter. Much shorter."



Oh ho ho, that there? That was exactly what Angelus had been waiting to see. This new Buffy been giving him so much trouble, what with her newfound confidence and emotional resolve. He gave and he gave and for what? Nothing. No embarrassment, no pain, no rage. Quite frankly, it'd been pissing him off. He'd been ready to take his ... attentions elsewhere. But it'd all paid off in the end, and he watched the blushed that colored her cheeks with a delight he hadn't felt in days. "Spikey here begged me for it," he mocked, completely ignoring Buffy's threat, though he instinctively checked to make sure there was a clear escape. He wasn't here to fight. Well, he was, but not with his fists. That was just a bonus. "Hey, would you look at that. I guess you two have something in common after all."

Spike could feel his anger rising as Angelus spoke and his face changed, morphing into that of the demon, yellow eyes blazing! He was in no way ashamed of his past or anything he'd done, but having it out there, having Buffy know, that was completely different. He hadn't wanted to tell Buffy about him and Angelus yet, but he eventually would have. He knew that he would have had to do tell her eventually, but not like this!

Without a glance back at Buffy, Spike snarled and rushed at Angelus, ready to take his head off with his bare hands if he needed to.

To take a phrase from Spike ... bloody hell. It was infuriating that he could still get to her. It wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be, but his comment still caused her to wince, and that just annoyed her more. She used to hate Angelus as much as she loved Angel, but now she and Angel had been apart long enough that the hate far outweighed the love. She wouldn't shed many tears when he turned into dust. "Spike!" Buffy knew their strength was in the fact they worked as a team now, but he lost his temper and was charging in without thinking. Gritting her teeth, she followed him after Angelus.


And that was his cue to leave. He was tempted to stay and brawl it out, for old times sake, but hundreds of years of violence and mayhem had taught him a few lessons. The first being that life was like a game of poker. The second, that poker metaphors could be applied to any situation. He'd learned that in some pub on the outskirts of Glasgow from an angry man in a raincoat. He'd liked that place. Maybe he shouldn't have set it on fire.

Ducking between the other vampire and the Slayer, Angelus gave the smallest of salutes before disappearing off into the night.

The last thing Spike had actually expected was for Angelus to dodge him the way he did. Normally, Spike wouldn't have let the bastard get away, however by the time he actually stopped his charge and turned to face the spot where the vampire had just been, he was gone. It was only him and Buffy standing there. Just him and Buffy, standing there in a rather awkward silence. For once he didn't know what to say. Buffy knew that he'd been with men before, but this was completely different.

Buffy wasn't surprised that Angelus took the escape route rather than fighting with him. He was a strategic fighter, and even mad at each other she and Spike made a good team against him. Still, not being able to punch him meant she had a great deal of anger built up, and absolutely no way to get it out. Instead of standing in that awkward silence with Spike, Buffy just started stalking off on their original path toward the city. Just because they found Angelus didn't mean that Dru and Darla weren't around to find and get into a fight with. Or she could just find the nearest criminal trying to do no good and break their nose. She needed to fight, and she was absolutely not going to talk to Spike. If he tagged along she'd barely acknowledge him for the rest of the night. They'd talk eventually, but there were bigger things to worry about.

It didn't surprise Spike that Buffy didn't say anything, he knew how notorious she was for avoiding something she didn't want to talk about and it was pretty obvious that she didn't want to talk to him right now. Adjusting his jacket, he followed her, walking a few steps behind her. Things might have been awkward between them now after Angelus' revelation about them, but he wasn't going to let her patrol by herself right now; besides, he really wanted to hit something right now.