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Summary: In an attempt to get
over her grief for Spike, Buffy has cut herself
off from her past life, and anything that reminds her of the vampire
that's still in her heart. But when a news story brings her
attention to the battle in LA, the
Slayer finds herself once again facing old betrayals and old
faces. Returning to LA she finds even newer betrayals and the
possible death of her most secret hope.
Faded Hope
Chapter 25
Buffy was embarrassed. But worse than that, she was embarrassed in
front of Cordelia Chase. She was also understandably agitated for
exactly the same reasons that had Spike doing his best big bad
impersonation.
The two people in front of her were supposed to be dead, and yet here
they were. Coincidentally, in the last place she remembered seeing them
alive.
Ok, get it together Buff, you can do the blushy thing later.
Doing up the last of her buttons on her shirt, Buffy moved to Spike’s
side. Placing a restraining hand on his arm, she turned her attention
to the other couple.
Taking note of the still glazed look on Doyle’s face, she rolled her
eyes, trying not to blush as she met his gaze.
When his eyes dipped down to the arms crossed over her chest she
frowned.
“Hey there mister…that better be the time your so interested in, coz if
it’s not my watch you’re staring at, we are so gonna have a problem.”
She smirked as his eyes instantly flew back to hers, his complexion,
even in the low light of the room, notably redder.
“So like Spike said, care to do the explainy thing before we do the
jump to conclusion thing?” she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.
Cordelia turned to face them, her own eye roll more than a match for
Buffy’s earlier one.
“Same old Buffy I see…punch first, questions…” she shrugged “well…not
so much”.
“Oi you stupid bint, don’t be talkin’ to my girl like that less you
wanna end up with more than the sharp side of m’ tongue.” shot Spike.
The scowl on his face making an already nervous Doyle step back
reflexively.
“Yeah right, like that’s gonna scare me after the day I’ve had.”
offered Cordelia with a snort. “Look, as much as I’d love to stand
around and explain…not” She rolled her eyes again “I think it would be
easier if we did the whole revelation thing back at the Hyperion. And
before you start…don’t”.
She smiled sweetly. “I’m me and he’s Doyle and that’s all you’re
getting until you haul ass back to the hotel.”
The smile slipped away and she sighed heavily; the twin glares being
directed her way, making her already strained patience verge on the
losing of it side.
“Look, sorry guys, but some very big stuff is happening and I don’t
have time to hold your hands while I explain. So I’m gonna say bye-bye
now and get my ass back to the others, before anyone else gets bitten”.
The last said with a pointed glare in Doyle’s direction.
Then before either Buffy or Spike could open their mouths to get a word
out, she disappeared as silently as she’d come.
Doyle tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers, shrugged
helplessly with a ‘what can you do’ expression, and promptly followed
her example.
“Ok, what the hell just happened?” Buffy demanded. “God is it me” she
muttered “or is Cordelia actually a bigger bitch now than when she was
alive?”
She met Spike’s amused gaze. “And hey, there’s a question I never
thought I’d ask” she said, with a grin of her own.
“Dunno Pet, can’t say I know the bint well enough to judge.” He
smirked. “Guess hangin’ around Peaches mighta magnified it some, His
Broodiness always seemed to have that effect on the women in his
life…least while the ones I know” he offered slyly.
“Yeah well…hey…watch it you,” Buffy threatened with a faux glare “or
when we get home bitchiness is all you’re gonna be getting”.
Spike’s smirk widened even as he pulled her into his arms. “S’ alright
luv, I happen to like bitchy Buffy.” he drawled suggestively, his
expression knowing.
“Pig” she muttered, pulling his head down until his mouth hovered just
over hers.
“Oink oink kitten…y’ know…” His smug response was cut short moments
later, as Buffy reached up and pressed her mouth to his.
Pulling away far sooner than he would have liked, she smiled up at him
lazily.
“Hmm…knew that would shut you up.”
Attempting to move her back towards the bed he mumbled bemusedly “Wha’s
that pet?”
“Oh, no you don’t mister. We need to get going.” Gently maneuvering
herself free of his embrace Buffy licked her lips as she met his lust
filled gaze.
“Cordelia’s bitchyness aside,” she stepped back putting some distance
between them. “I left Dawn at the hotel, along with the others. One of
who worked some pretty powerful mojo to keep us all apart. Besides, the
whole being caught by Cordelia thing has pretty much killed the mood
for me, so…”
Eyes searching the room she smiled at him as she spotted what she’d
been looking for. Two quick strides later and she was stooping to pick
up Spike’s discarded coat.
Turning back to him, she searched the pockets of the coat until she
found what she was looking for.
“I think we better get both our lazy butts back to base so we can find
out what’s the what. Here, catch.” she ordered throwing him the key
she’d retrieved from his duster.
Spike’s hand reached out and plucked it from the air with barely a
glance, his still heated gaze focused on the woman before him.
“What?” she asked when he continued to stare. Holding up the key he
cocked a questioning eyebrow.
“Ok” she admitted with a sheepish grin. “I mighta sorta forgot to
mention that when we did the claimy thing earlier…” She blushed as his
eyes darkened with the reminder of their earlier passion. “I kinda got
total recall back.”
“Hmm you did, did you?” he drawled. “So pet, when were you planning on
unchainin’ me?”
“Oh I’m sure I would have got around to it…sometime.” she replied
airily as she moved back towards him, her hips swaying.
“But…I seem to remember having other things on my mind at the time…and
it’s not like you were handicapped or anything. As a matter of fact, I
think chains make you extra creative.” she murmured, reaching out to
run one finger across his still chained wrist.
Pulling her towards him lightning fast Spike let out a low snarl.
Gripping her by both of her upper arms, their lower bodies connected in
a way that left her in no doubt of the meaning behind his next words.
“This isn’t over Slayer. An’ next time luv…you’re the one that’s gonna
be all tied up, yeah?”
Head swooping down he captured her lips, his mouth caressing hers so
skillfully that Buffy was instantly on fire with her need for him.
“God Spike” she gasped as she pulled back to take a breath. “Do you
know just how much I love you? How much I missed you…” her eyes teared
up as she met his gaze.
“I thought I’d lost you…forever.” she admitted. Her voice hitched in
remembered pain. “I-I can’t believe you’re here…with me. That I get a
second chance”.
Spike’s gaze softened. The love and pain in her eyes an abrupt reminder
of just what he’d done to her by allowing his own insecurities to over
rule his natural desires.
“M’ sorry luv, I shoulda let you know…I was a bloody fool,” he murmured
apologetically, pulling her closer.
“Bleedin’ hell Buffy, when I think of how close I came to never seein’
you again?” He shook his head.
“Don’t know what I was thinkin’ pet, s’ not like me to be such wimp.
Maybe the soul makes a vamp extra broody or somthin’? Who knows?”
He reached up to stroke a tear away with his thumb.
“Don’t cry sweetheart, s’over and look at us. You’re mine and I’m
yours, an’ nothing and no one is ever gonna keep us apart again. Least,
not if I have any say in it”.
Resting his forehead against hers, he concentrated briefly and opened
the claim. His next words were intentionally formal as he looked
into her eyes and spoke.
“I promise you Buffy Summers, that as long as I’m on this earth nothing
will ever come between us. Blood of my blood, heart of my heart…we are
joined forever. You are my reason for being, slayer, and if I have to
fight heaven itself, not even death will keep me from your side”.
Buffy could feel his determination flow through the claim. The words
that he spoke both heartening her and sending a shiver down her spine.
She knew without him telling her that the promise he’d just made was
more than a lover’s. It sent ripples across the claim, the echoes of
his words striking a chord of deeper truth inside her soul.
Without being told, she understood that the vow he’d just made was as
important as the actual claim. The words linked them in a way that had
everything and nothing to do with the fact that they were mated.
Staring back into his still solemn face, she smiled softly.
“Forever then, because there is no way I’m ever going back to heaven
without you. I’ve lived in a world where you weren’t…I’m not doing it
again.”
She reached up and stroked his cheek. “Besides…all the heaven I want is
right here,” she murmured leaning in to kiss him.
The kiss was surprisingly sweet and gentle, neither of them feeling the
urge to take it any further. Both of them content to bask in the
rightness of finally being together.
************
Willow swallowed hard against the sudden desire she had to throw up.
She was trembling with shock at Dawn’s actions.
Fuck…Well…Fuck
Trying to form a coherent thought, she kept coming up empty.
If someone had told her that Dawn was capable of the vicious coldness
she had just seen, she would never have believed it. She didn’t think
that even Buffy at her most primal would have been capable of pulling
off the level of scary that Dawn had just exhibited.
And even with what he’d done to them over the last year Willow couldn’t
understand what had motivated the absolute hatred in Dawn’s voice.
Sure, he deserved to be punished and Willow had actually thought of
some rather interesting ways she could implement that punishment, but
surprisingly none of them involved his actual death.
To her, Andrew was just a very weak minded boy that had yet again made
the mistake of choosing the wrong side. There was no way she could
picture him being bad enough to warrant the absolute loathing she just
heard Dawn dish out.
She was pretty angry with him upstairs, but a kick in the face is a
long way from torture. What the hell should I do? She wouldn’t really…
Her thoughts slid to a screeching halt as Andrew started to speak.
**********************
Angelus groaned in pain as he levered himself to his feet. The pain in
his mouth and throat had lessened but he knew that without blood it
would be days before it went away completely.
Getting up he swayed wearily. Though he’d only been back a short while,
he felt like he’d been awake for days. Angel had fought a fierce battle
against the armies of Wolfram and Hart, and then spent the better part
of the last two nights assisting in the cleanup.
Angelus now found himself paying the price for Angel’s single
mindedness, his body felt like it was on the verge of collapse.
Leaving Tain’s his first thought was to head straight to the Hyperion,
but after crossing the road and traveling barely three blocks he
realized that going up against Willow in the condition he was in would
be tantamount to suicide.
Cursing, he changed direction and headed towards the nearest demon bar.
He needed blood and rest and then he needed to find a way to get his
hands on a mou- ping.
Four bars later his throat felt much better but he’d been unable to
find anyone that could point him in the direction of another magical
supplier. To his disgust, it seemed that Angel was not someone that the
demon community wanted to cross.
As he left the latest bar, Angelus was in the sort of mood that in days
of old had made even Darla nervous.
He was in a foul temper. Not even ripping the head of a particularly
unhelpful chaos demon had brightened his mood, and he really hated
chaos demons.
Angelus may have been the scourge of Europe once upon a time: a feared
and respected predator. However, that was then, before the soul had
turned him into Angel.
Not one demon he’d come across tonight was willing to risk pissing off
his alter ego. The ones that had hung around long enough to recognize
that he was no longer one of the good guys, were not about to risk
their hides as long as there was even a chance that Angel might come
back. It seemed that Angel was just as feared by demons and humans as
Angelus had ever been. The Chaos demon had said as much, right before
he’d parted company with his own head.
Therefore, that meant the only person that knew how to get their hands
on a mou-ping was the one person that was guaranteed not to help.
Fucking hell… Cordelia fucking Chase. Why the hell does everything
lead back to her?
Fine...if that is the way it has to be, then I will just have to
find some way to get her cooperation, willing or not.
Angelus frowned. The memory of the searing pain of Cordelia’s blood
making him growl in frustration, as it occurred to him that torturing
her would now be out of the question, at least the bloody kind that he
preferred.
Pissed and disheartened he turned his thoughts to finding somewhere to
shelter from the approaching dawn. He needed a place that no one would
think to look for him, a place that demons would give a wide berth.
Somewhere to rest and to plan.
Angelus smiled. Oh yeah… why the hell not. It would be the last
place Cordelia would expect me to go.
Decision made, he changed direction and headed for the burnt out former
headquarters of Angel Investigations.