New Game Chapter 12 (part 2) /16

Sequel to Afterglow and third installment in Dive into Destiny Series

Author: T.Claybourne

Rated PG-13 to NC-17. Sex Violence and language

Pairings involve Spike /Original ( as set up in last story) Angel/ ? Wesley/? Faith /?

Thanks to my Beta, Hawera and my muses, Kurt Cobain, John Lyndon (AKA Johnny Rotten) and Joe Strummer.

Just a reminder: You die hard Spuffy fans you will finally feel some validation in the next story following this one. ( I promise there is a definite and secure Spike /Buffy pairing in Part Four and final story of the series)]

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The Away Game Part 2- Time out

Mia opened her eyes. Her arm draped over Spike’s waist while his was over Angel’s. Both Spike and Angel had their backs to her. She couldn’t hear any breathing but she asked, “ You’re awake, Angel, aren’t you?”

“Using your psychic abilities?”

“No, maybe, I don’t know….. I just knew you were. Are you hungry?”

“Are you?”

She gave a little snort. “ Just tell me.”

“Yes, I’m ready to hunt. Could use a shower too.”

“Let me see if Spike wants to get up and go.”

“Spike.” She shook him. “Honey.”

“Hmmm.”

“Baby, Angel and I want to get a shower and go on the hunt. Want to get up and join us?”

Spike took a deep unnecessary breath and turned to her. He pulled her to him. “No, stay here.”

“I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”

“Too tired to be hungry. Two of you wore me out. How bleeding embarrassing is that?”

“Want me to bring you someone back?”

“Not an invalid. I’ll hunt after I’ve slept a while longer. Might be closer to dawn but this place, Vegas, is always up.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in time and I’ll go with you then.”

Spike gave her a little pout. “Stay with me now. Sleep better with you in bed.”

“Hungry, me, very, Spike.”

Spike turned over and pulled Angel to him. “Are you? Maybe you could just stay?”

Angel was taken by surprise at his action but recovered quickly.. “Hunting was my idea, Spike. I’m famished. Seems I put a lot into things last night.”

Spike let him loose. “Fine, go have fun and leave me alone. But don’t make any noise in here. I need my beauty rest now.”

Mia gathered some clothes and toiletries, put on a bathrobe and went to Angel’s room.

“So, will we be showering together?” asked Angel with a smile.

“Don’t think so.”

“Why not? We were completely naked in bed together last night.”

“Spike was with us then. We are alone now, it’s different.”

“You just ruin all my fun.”

“Didn’t last night, bordello man.”

“I knew it: your mental flash last night was that night at the bordello.”

“Not the whole night: I made most of it up in my head. Some day you’ll have to tell me if my version is anything like the real one.. My vision, it was mostly the first kiss. Angel, except for the part where you drive your children crazy, I might have liked you as my sire.”

He smiled. “You would have liked me as your sire. Oh, the fun we would have had, and oh, how we would have tortured Dru and Spike.”

“But Darla?”

“Would have joined us.”

“Still not showering together, so who goes first?”

“You, because believe it or not I don’t blow dry my hair.”

Mia was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a semi shear blouse, she was nearly ready when Angel came out from the shower. He walked out with a towel around his waist.

“I should get points for wearing the towel.”

“OK, if you want them.”

He watched as Mia stood staring into her digital camera as she put on lipstick.

“You look nice, Mia.”

“You look pretty good yourself, and if I recall correctly, better without the towel.”

“Hey, we’re not supposed to be doing that with Spike not being here, and wait a minute, did I just say that?”

“Oooh, that had to hurt. You caught yourself being a good boy. Get dressed, big guy. I want some yummies.”

~ ~ ~

Angel and Mia walked down a back alley.

“Are you sure this is the way? It just looks like an alley, Angel.”

“The guy gave me the directions.” He waved the flyer in his hands.

“Well it better be worth it, and please tell me why any one would give someone your age a Rave flyer.”

“He gave it to you but I asked directions, remember? And quit rubbing it in that you went back to looking nineteen and I stayed…”

“Fifty five.”

“I am not fifty five. I am in my mid-forties.”

“ Right, like when we first became human you were twenty four.”

“Ok, late forties, but now I’m dead so it doesn’t matter.”

“Body is still in great shape but you have a little grey.”

“Grey? Where’s the grey?” Angel moved his hands about his hair.

“Kidding you, Angel. You don’t look two hundred and ninety-something. You’re really hot looking. In fact, I’d take you to this rave if I were alive and nineteen. Of course you’d eat me, but…..”

He chuckled. “Ok, come on, I think I can hear it, what about you?”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, when I was thirty nine would you have taken me to this rave if you were nineteen?”

“When I was nineteen, if a woman of thirty nine had looked the way you did when you were that age we would have called her a witch. But if you’d wanted me I would have taken you anywhere: at a rave, in the tavern, in a barn, on the back stairwell…..”

“I get it: horny Liam.”

They came upon a warehouse from which only the sound of loud music could be heard.

“I think we found it.”

Mia looked at Angel before they opened the door. “I’ll start with the D.J, and then we….”

“No, let’s have a bit of fun, then you can do the D.J thing.”

“Alright.”

“Wait a second.” Angel went around the building and came back with a small piece of scrap metal. “Ok, let’s go.” He shoved the metal into the lock mechanism, breaking it and causing the lock to shut down permanently,then he slammed the door behind them.

Mia looked at the sea of at least two hundred people, then she looked at Angel, Her grin was sinister.

“Thank you Angel for bringing me to a rave. I’ve never been to one before but look at all the people: so many, and just you and me.”

“Well, you know us old guys: we try to impress you young ones. Look, there is a bar. I didn’t know if they would have one. I’ll buy you a drink before we drink.” He smiled.

They worked their way over and stood by it. Angel ordered and handed her the vodka, which was her standard.

She looked at him. “This is the puniest bar I’ve ever seen.” She tapped it. It was simply a group of kitchen cupboards and a counter top on them and it reached just above Angel’s waist.

“ Raves move from place to place. Easy to move that, I guess.”

“Oh, been to lots of these have you? I knew it: deep down you love this type of music. You were sneaking off to them while you lived in L.A.”

He gave her a goofy smile, and an exaggerated dance move. “You got me.”

She giggled. “Seriously though, about this Rave, you know if I was a guy I might have a hard-on. I know, Angel, because my panties are wet, seriously wet, just looking at all the people with their jugulars just waiting to be cracked open.”

“Spike is right: you know just what to say to undo a man. I almost just want to skip the kill and explore this situation with your panties but I know your answer already to that suggestion, so that leaves us with one thing, lets go.” He took their drinks and put them on the sad, short-looking bar. “ Go, have a dance or two, our special kind of dance,the kind ending with them being quite bloodless. I’ll find me a partner or few and see you when they…” He motioned to the dance floor “…. are all dead,” He turned and worked his way to the back of the room and she went to the side.

There were already about ten dead bodies in the room before Mia hit the side stage and reached the D.J. She had learned to perfect the thrall: often a slight suggestion in her tone of voice would work. The people in the hall were so caught up in the situation that they fell under her control as soon as she used the D.J.s microphone. She didn’t use her power to make the kill easier, just keep them in the building telling them that all the doors were jammed and that if they did get out they would burn to death. So there she and Angel were, locked in the Rave with two hundred hot, sweaty, lovely bodies.

Mia jumped from the stage and started on the ones in the middle of the dance floor. She and Angel couldn’t see each other but they knew where the other was by the screams. Mia reached the point where she just couldn’t eat anymore so she started just breaking the bodies and throwing away the pieces. It was glorious.

“I can’t hold back and be as artistic as you normally are: this is too overwhelming,” she yelled out. “I just want to feel the ripping flesh through my hands.

“Artistic? Destroying this rave is the art: just kill, Mia.” He laughed from deep in his chest and let it build until it was louder than the screams.

Mia fed some more and tore more limbs from bodies. She killed everyone in her way as she made her way to the bar. She was overwhelmed. Eventually the screaming stopped and the place was silent: no hearts still beat. She felt a little dizzy, maybe it was possible to overfeed. She grabbed a bar stool to keep her balance, breathing deep and hard as if she needed to. She turned and looked across a sea of blood and body parts to Angel: his clothes were soaked in the blood but on his face only his jaw was bloody. Right then, Mia couldn’t remember when she had seen a sexier sight.

Angel started over to her and with every step he made towards she took deeper breaths. Did she just twitch down there? Only Spike had ever been able to do that to her with a single look.

“Mia,” Angel said as he got close, “you’re a mess.”

She sucked in her breath. “What?”

“A mess: you look a mess. I mean, look at your shirt, it’s torn and soaked in blood.” His mouth twitched and then he smirked.

She looked down and saw that indeed her blouse was torn as well as being soaked. The lace of her bra looked black where the blood made her blouse cling to it. Her jean shorts were soaked through.

Suddenly the flash from the Bordello came back to her and Mia tore her blouse from her chest. “I’d best just go without.”

“That might be best.”

He bent and kissed her hard and deep then he pulled back to look at her. He moved hair back from her wet face and cleared blood from around her eyes. “I love how messy you got. It’s all over you.”

“I’m feeling funny, a bit dizzy.”

“Me too. I think it’s the buzz of the kill. You smell so good: all these different types of blood.”

Mia slowly started to unbutton Angel’s shirt. “I’m glad we skipped wearing our coats. Can you imagine what they would be like with all this blood?”

She pushed the shirt back over his shoulders and with a drying bloody hand she traced over the muscles in his chest.

Angel did the same to her, but the blood on her chest was still wet and his hands left small tracks. He undid the clasp of her bra in front and exposed her pale breasts. Angel cupped one in his hand and Mia sucked in her breath.

He grabbed her waist and hefted her up to a sitting position on the bar. He stepped between her legs and was then able to take one of her nipples in his mouth comfortably. She arched toward him and, reaching down, she ran her hand up his crotch feeling the hardness already there. “Angel,” she sighed.

He stopped and looked to her. Her golden eyes stared back at him. He smiled and changed his face as well. Mia sank her teeth into the side of his neck and Angel followed her lead.

It was her growl that pushed him too far. He’d never been pushed that far so quickly but with her he had. He growled himself as he pulled away.

She said nothing for a moment, then she said, “ It’s like Pinot Noir: smoky, aged deep and full bodied. I haven’t tasted anyone’s quite like that.”

“Funny, yours is like a Pinot Grigio.”

“I’m light and fruity and good with fish and chicken”

He chuckled. “You always do that, make me laugh. But right now I’m not thinking about laughing. What about you?”

She shook her head but he stopped her with a kiss.

“I don’t know what this is but I have to….” He kissed down her neck and along her collar bone. He was taking some of the now drying blood into his mouth as he did. He moved down to her breasts. He concentrated on the nipples, first one then the other. Angel kissed her stomach and moved down. He undid the top button on her shorts then slipped them off, tore the small panties from her and kissed her just above her mound.

She sighed, “Oh God.”

“I really don’t think he’s involved in any of this tonight, do you, Mia?” Angel grinned up at her.

“Well then, aren’t you being a bit gentle?”

Angel gave her a grin….and was kicked squarely in his face.

He was quick and pressed her arms to her sides as he lifted her up, slamming her hard and flat on the bar. He jumped straight up a foot on either side of her, gave her a small kick and kneeled down and leaned over her. “ Rough enough, or should I….?”

She pulled his mouth to hers, nipping the tongue. He nipped hers back, and both their bloods mixed during the kiss

She moaned.

It was when he unzipped his pants that something changed. The alleyway in Cleveland came back to her, the night she had told Angel he would never have her. And how many times after that had she told Spike that? Why was she doing this now? She was a bit dizzy and everything felt surreal.

“Angel , wait. I can’t: something is wrong. This isn’t me.”

Anger clouded his eyes as he sat up, “This is pay back again?”

“No. I’m not doing it on purpose this time.”

“A prick tease is what they would call you. I plan on calling you other things.”

She pushed him so she could sit up. Looking off over the dead bodies she said, “ If you want to, go ahead. I wanted this tonight, I still sort of want it. But something doesn’t feel right: my head feels funky and I just remembered how I promised Spike. We already broke the other promises.”

“Your head feels funky. I’m feeling a bit….”

“Hey, can vampires get high? I thought that was fictional, the whole ‘if I feed from a drunk guy I’ll get drunk’.”

“We fed from a lot of people, not just one. And who knows what twenty-first century pharmaceuticals will do to us now. There are those magical drugs, like Faith took back…remember.”

“ Yes, and rave usually equals drugs of some type, of many types.”

He blinked several times. “And here I thought I’d become irresistible.”

“You had. Probably why you are feeling same way about me.”

Angel just nodded. He jumped down from the bar. “Come on, we’ll find some not-so-bloody clothes for your walk back to the motel.” He helped her down.

She found some clothing and dressed. Putting her hair up with a few pins she’d found, she turned to Angel. “Presentable?” She looked him in the eyes and touched his face. “Look at me…... You will forget any of our little sexual situation happened.”

“Yes……. Do you use that shit on Spike all the time?”

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Damn. I thought that would be best for both of us. How did you do that? Avoid the thrall? You didn’t when we came for you in Malibu.”

“I knew it was coming by the way you said ‘look at me’. Dru taught me how to avoid it.”

He took her hand. “I don’t want to forget it all.” They climbed over the bodies to the exit and walked along in silence for a while. They were approaching the motel when Mia turned to him.

“There’s something I need to ask, or tell you, Angel. If something happens to Spike you might have to be sure I don’t do anything too human and dramatic.”

“Like walk out into the sun to prove your un-dy..ah or your dying love?”

“Exactly. But maybe after mourning, I may be persuaded to continue what we started tonight.”

Angel gave a small laugh through his nose, “ So what you’re saying is that you’ve amended the ‘even upon his dusty demise’ portion of your former statement.”

“I said, maybe.”

“And earlier tonight, you called Spike cute. Sorry, you’re right there with him with that description.”

“We have to leave tomorrow. The strip club and the Rave: I’ve seen CSI, they’ll find us.” Mia grinned.

“I agree, we need to leave tomorrow.”

They stopped in front of Mia and Spike’s room.

“I’ll sleep alone tonight,” said Angel. “After what just happened, continuing to follow the rules Spike laid down may be hard.”

“I’m telling him, about what almost happened and the drugs. We were very good kids if you ask me but Spike may see it differently, so be warned.”

“Oh, you two are so human-like together, I ….”

“Yeah, I know. We know we are like a human couple, well except for the killing and maiming then the blood sport in bed. You tell the others about our leaving. You may have slept with the bosses but you’re still not one.”

He shook his head and stared at her lips.

She took a step and stood on her toes to pull him into the kiss. It was short but lingered just long enough not to be chaste. “Let’s leave right after check-out. I’ll decide on who drives tomorrow. Right now, I want a shower and that bed we left earlier.”

Angel nodded and turned, walking off to his room. . Mia went back to her room to see Spike still sleeping. She shed her clothes and crawled in next to him.

He pulled her close then opened his eyes. “I smell Angel all over you. And there are all types of blood.” He sat up and looked down at her. “Damn it, you are covered in blood and Angel: what the bloody hell happened?”

“You don’t want to lick the blood off?”

“Mia, you’d better tell me why you smell like him after you supposedly took a shower.”

She sat up against the headboard. Spike was evoking the same feelings she’d experienced at the Rave, the ones that had made her stop Angel and had made Angel say she was cute and she and Spike were like a human couple. She resented feeling that way after the night they had just had with Angel. She had watched him do so many different things to Spike, saw the passion and delight, and was… she was getting mad now.

“You have no right to ask that, Spike.”

She saw the look of hurt on his face and she felt the small twist in her stomach. Human: he made her human. She punched him and jumped up.

“He’s right! Humans! We are no better than a couple of humans!” She grabbed her clothes and started to dress. Once she’d pulled on her shirt she looked at the naked Spike standing by the bed. “ I watched him do things to you I never knew could be done. And now you…. It doesn’t matter. Just tell me one thing. Why, Spike, do you think you have any claim on me? You don’t.”

Mia headed for the door but Spike beat her to it. He stood in front of it.

He gripped her shoulders and shook her. “ You’re my wife.”

This just made her madder. It was proof they were not the demons they should be. “No, I’m not. We are not human, and if we are an evil reflection of who we were when we were before, let me remind you who those soulful vamps were. At nineteen I was in love with Xander Harris. I had a special friendship with Angel. He willingly died for me, remember. It was love. I hated everything about my demon. And now I hate everything about the human.”

She pushed him away and turned to the door.

“You loved my demon then and you love it now. We’re a team, Mia.”

She stopped hand on knob. “He tastes like Pinot Noir and he says I taste like Pinot Grigio.”

Spike took her hand, then pulled her until her could lift her up and over his shoulder. He held her tightly so she wouldn’t move. He took her into the bathroom, started the shower, then shoved her in. “Take your clothes off, and get his scent off you.”

She stood not moving. “You taste like a Bordeaux, maybe a little spicier: kind of like you added Burba weed to it. It’s really….”

He stepped in. “Shut up.” He kissed her. “Why suddenly the doubt in your demon? You have told them all I’m your weakness, we all know that. I allow you to have one. Angelus’s weakness was he didn’t know when to stop and he was cursed with a soul. Yours is a bit safer than that.” He pushed her hair back, wetting it in the shower stream. “And you taste like an expensive Barolo. Where does he get off, telling you that you taste like white wine.? He was just trying to be suave or some such thing . You’d said Pinot so he had to match it. Bloody wanker.”

Mia became quiet. Spike finished cleaning the blood from her and turned off the shower. He dried her and still she said nothing. She sat on the edge of the bed.

Spike knelt down and looked at her. “ It’ll change the dynamics of the team, we’ll need a new less dusty member after I do it. It has to be done.”

“I know to both things.” She didn’t look at him. “I want Giles.”

“I knew you always thought he was attractive but, love, seriously, he’s an old man now. You having and wanting anyone other than me is disturbing but you putting that picture in my mind, well, it’s just wrong.”

She swatted at him. “You know what I mean. He has the most knowledge about vamps and …”

“No, I get the reason for your choice, but wouldn’t Gunn be prettier to look at.” Spike grinned. “ He is big, muscular and black and I can vouch for the size of his di…”

She looked at him. “Pretty?”

“Ok, let’s face it, no one else has the presence and knowledge of Angel. I might consider skipping the staking of him if right now you shag me twice as hard as you did him.”

She grinned, “OK, that’ll be easy since I didn’t fuck him. My ‘humanity’ got in the way and stopped me before we did it. I kept thinking of how you would feel and how I had promised you I’d never do it. It’s embarrassing how human I felt. And then I went and told him why. Hell, what I should have done was just punch him and get up.”

“You stopped? What he say?”

“Called me a prick tease.”

Spike shrugged.

“But we both agreed it was probably the drugs the Ravers were on. We did ingest a lot of their blood.”

“You were going to just let me stake him.”

“No, I would have stopped you, I think. Besides I don’t think you would have. I saw you kiss him.”

Spike raised his eyebrow. “Am I going to hear about that every time we fight or……..”

“No, in fact I’m thinking we should forget the thing all together: behave as if it never happened.”

“Don’t think we will be able to do that, love.”

“You and Angel can.”

Spike sat up on the bed with her. “You would thrall us into forgetting?” He took her hand.

“Pretty much. If I don’t I might miss you both sniping at each other, or him always trying to get in my pants and you being all proud he can’t.”

He pushed her wet hair over her shoulder. “I agree.”

She looked at him. “You agree?”

He nodded. “I want to go back to just us. You are doubting yourself and there is no room for that right now. Mia, you are one of the most evil vampires I have ever had the pleasure of killing with and you are not human-like. I’m the only one you act that way with. The others know better than to cross you. Remember how I had to talk you into using the plastic stake on Wes? And you like him best. Wanted him in our bed, not Angel.”

She smiled, “OK. Just us. Maybe after the showdown we can go to bed with Angel again. I did like that.”

“See, not too human, proof is in the fact you are so deviant. And I enjoyed it all too. Really enjoyed.”

“I called us deviant to Angel. I like that word. Can I hit you some more so I don’t feel so human?’

He threw her back on the bed and pinned her there. “Just tell me this, if we don’t sleep with others unless we are together, if we care how the other will feel and if we plan on staying together forever just what should we call it other than wife and husband.”

She pulled her arm free and slapped him hard on the shoulder. “ I said those are human words.”

He shook his head, “Well, tell me.”

Mia used her strength to flip them and straddle him but Spike wrestled her back to the bed and took his place back on top. “Mia, tell me.”

“Mates, eternal mates.”

Spike smiled, “Eternal mates, I like that. Sounded better in your voice.”

“Can I hit you now?”

He laughed, “No, you can go get something to eat with me though. Maybe after that I’ll let you hit me. And you can pound on any of the humans you find along the way.”

Mia grinned, “ You are so sweet sometimes. Want to hit a strip club on our own? I can do that thrall thing on your girl , you know the one that makes her orgasm unexpectedly. It’ll be fun. You could bite her just as she falls forward.”

“I want to see you getting a lap dance again. I liked that. Bloody brilliant is what that was.”

Mia stared up at him quietly. She hadn’t said anything for a moment.

“Love?”

“What’s your weakness? I know what it used to be before they turned us into humans but now what is it.”

Spike gave her an incredulous look. “You know what it is.”

With a grin she asked, “Is it the brown eyes or the brow, or the firm muscles or….”

“Eternal sounds too long right now.”

She giggled, “ Is it single malt or bourbon? Buffalo wing sauce or that deep fried onion thing, wait maybe it’s Manchester United. Or fast cars, and motorcycles, no, no, no, it stealing fast cars and motorcycles, that English beer, and you like to feed on those small blondes or would it be menthol or lights?”

“Lights? Please. I never smoked a light cigarette in my entire undead life.”

“I’m starting to wonder if I’m just having nicotine withdrawal. I haven’t smoked since I got up.”

“We don’t go into withdrawal that quickly, love. We are vampires, it’s one of our perks. The nic-fits take longer for us than for a human. Fags are in my coat pocket if you want one.”

“No you are right I only have one weakness.”

“Stop it. We aren’t staying in bed: I’m sodding hungry now.” He pulled her up to a sitting position. “As you have so nicely pointed out I am a vamp of many vices, as in vices not weaknesses. I am a vampire with a weakness for slayers: I like them young and much more mentally mature than their age. They have to be natural born leaders. If I look at her she has to turn me on just as much as I’d like to drain her. “

Mia’s brow went up.

“Well, to be precise, love, my weakness has run to one particular slayer for quite some years now. She’s blue eyed, oh so smart, knows me way too well and just happens to be vamped. Did I mention I watched her kill a god once?”

“You said we couldn’t stay in bed. Why would you make a speech like that now?”

“Oh right, my coat: I hate to fight with out it. Might call that a weakness.”

Mia laughed. “Well then, I guess I have two.”

Spike put his finger to his lips and motioned her to be quiet. “Our secret. Come now, my stomach just rumbled.”

They dressed, and as they walked up the breezeway of the motel Mia stopped at Angel’s door. “I’ll get the money. He hasn’t been sharing like he should.”

Spike crossed his arms over his chest. “I knew it. I had to bloody beg for pocket money when I was with him,. Darla and Drusilla. ”

“Oh, see, I’m too human. I let my people keep money in their pockets.”

Faith and Wes came stumbling up.

“Money in their pockets, here in Vegas. No one we killed had fucking any.”

Wes chuckled. “She’s mad because she lost all of hers at the craps table.”

Mia stared at Faith. “Wasn’t a major Casino was it?”

Faith held up her hand. “No, tiny dive. I followed the rules, mom. We ate the entire place anyways.”

Wes grinned, “Yes, even the ones in the smoky back room high stakes poker game.” He handed Mia five thousand dollars: “Stakes were not very high at this place.”

He looked to Spike. “No kittens. I remember when I was human you told me that you have taken pleasure in a game of Kitten poker a time or two .”

Mia nodded and replied before Spike could. “See you tomorrow.”

They watched as Wes and Faith went into their room

She knocked on Angel’s door and he answered. “Can I have that roll of ones and such. I’m taking Spike out to eat.”

Angel just nodded then pulled the roll from his pants. He looked from face to face, “Do everything I would.”

“And maybe more,” Spike smirked.

“I saw Wes and Faith get in.”

Angel smiled slightly. “I’ll take care of it then.” He closed the door.

Spike reached over and grabbed Mia’s hand. “Vampire, give me your hand, I like feeling it in mine.”

She squeezed his. “Why?”

“Cold and smooth, and makes me think of all the things you have and can do to me with it.”

“Oh Spike, you are so romantic. That’s some of the reason I like it when you put your….” She giggled. “…in my…” She giggled again. “Sorry, was thinking of it and where it went some of last night.”

“Mia, if I wasn’t so hungry we would not be going out. In fact we may have to find a wall, like the one in New Orleans. I liked that wall.”

“ Oh no, you are waiting. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I think that works with the non-beating ones too.”

“Told you, you are one of the evilest…..”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He dropped her coat to the floor.

She looked up to him. “Let me do it now.”

He tilted his head. “Now? Why now?”

“So it’s just us in there.”

Spike nodded.

She looked into his eyes and put her hand to his cheek. “Forget our time in bed with Angel. You’ll have no memory of giving him a taste of me or how we spent the time after that. You will only remember us spending it as we usually do. The next night Angel and I went hunting and to a Rave, you’ll remember all of that except any reference to the time we were in bed with him. After the show down, if I mention the night I was shot in Vegas you may have some memory return including our discussion to have you forget.”

She pulled back and waited until his eyes focused.

“Hi baby.”

“You thralled me then?” What was it for? I forget.”

“Did you forget why my coat is puddle on the floor?”

His brow went up. “I think not.” He put his lips to her neck.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“I’m alone. That’s why I can’t fall asleep this morning.” Angel said, staring at the ceiling. “I should go barge in on Faith and Wes.”

He shook his head: no, he couldn’t picture that so soon after his time with Mia and Spike. Because right now the only bodies he pictured in his mind were theirs. He flipped over and lay on his stomach. Finally, he fell asleep.

He woke to the knocking on his door, and he rose and answered it. Mia stood there, her coat over her head. He stood back as she came into the room.

“Damn sun kept flickering into the breezeway, hit me twice before I pulled the thing over my head.”

“Let me see.”

She moved her head to reveal two red patches on her shoulder and neck. “They’re not too bad.”

Angel came closer and looked at the burns. He had an overwhelming desire to kiss them but of course there were no drugs he could blame that on. Of course, he could just blame it on being himself.

“I could kiss them to make them better for you.”

Her brow went up. “Intriguing. You have magic healing lips? Maybe that’s why I healed so fast. No, wait, you weren’t allowed to touch your lips to me the night I was shot. Hmmm, wait, osmosis through Spike. I mean you put them all over him.”

Angel grinned. “What are you here for?”

“I want you to drive until we cross the border, then I want Wes to take over, mostly so you can sit next to Spike all the way through California.”

“You are so thoughtful. You can sit with us.”

She smiled. “I have to talk to you about something.”

He looked at her with concern. “What is it?”

She went and sat on the bed, cross-legged. He sat facing her. “What happened, it changed everything and….”

“I like that it’s changed. We feel more like a vampire family.”

Mia sighed and started again differently. “Yeah, but what about what happened between me and you? I was thinking of that.”

He shrugged. “Wild night. Ended badly for me.”

She smiled and reached up to touch his jaw briefly, looking deep in his eyes. She waited and watched carefully. When she saw that glazed look come over him she started talking., and she said to Angel the same thing she had to Spike. Now only she knew about the long night and day she had spent in bed with the only two other vamps she’d ever seriously cared about. OK, she’d admit it: even as a demon she loved them, even if Angel could be a pain in her butt.

She leaned forward and kissed him briefly on the lips.

“Wait, what just happened?”

“I gave you the kiss I’d promised you. Remember I said that if you were a very nice boy while Spike hunted with us this weekend, you’d get one before we left?”

“Oh, right. I thought it would be a bit more of one. I mean last night at the Rave we did nearly….”

“You’d better stop bringing that up or I will sneak in and put you in a thrall when you’re not looking, and make you forget it. You do know Spike wanted to stake you and I didn’t argue.”

Angel crossed his arms over his chest. “As if he could. Besides our team would be back to five.”

“I’d sire Giles.”

Angel looked at her thoughtfully. “Good choice. They wouldn’t expect it: it would break them down to lose him and he has knowledge on more subjects even than Wesley. He has had more time in the field than any other watcher,so his fighting skills would be…hmmmm. I bet Spike suggested Gunn.”

“Only because he was prettier.”

Angel gave a small snort. “Now we know why you are in charge. I would have chosen Fred.”

“After you drove her crazy? Angel, what do you feel about me siring Willow after the showdown?”

He sat up a bit. “It’s a great idea. Did you hear about her vamp double? Fierce.”

“And sexy?”

“But gay.”

“So, we’re vamps, we go both ways, right?”

He glanced away. “Not all of us, Mia.”

She hid her smile: he wasn’t fooling any one. He might not remember the night he had shared with her and with Spike, but Angelus and Spike had definitely spent a few on their own and he must remember those.

“Well, I’ll brave the sun again.” She stood and walked to the door. “We meet in thirty minutes. You’ll have to pull up really close. Do you have your cover?”

“ I’ll be fine, mom. I’ve dealt with getting to the car in the sun before.”

Mia looked back at Angel, gave him a smile and pulled her coat over her head.

Angel thought about the fact they were off to Los Angeles today and the real fun was just beginning. Maybe after the game ended he’d try something with Mia again, but right now he couldn’t wait to see that hurt look on Buffy’s face. He knew how good that felt.