Title: The First Seconded

Author: Falcon-Rider falcon_rider@hotmail.com

Rating: PG-13 for Angst and ect. And CD

Disclaimer: I own nothing 'cept the plot and Nich. Oh and a few others...

Authors note:  I am extremely amused by the little robot office assistant and have spent a bit over two hours playing with him... it's so cute! And I'd also like to extend a big thank you to my new Beta FanOfFaith! Thank you so much... and I'd also wanna say how glad I am that people are so patient with me for I get out chappies every few weeks and all... oh and everyone be happy since Finals are over the worst grade I got was in Math and according to that teachers grading scale im .4 points away from a B... how sad! Too bad he didn't let me finish my final *Grumble*. Anyway that means I get to keep the computer in my room till the end of this quarter at least! Yay. SO more chappies! ^_^

Story time...

***

"What do you mean, Spike who?" Angel frowned. "Spike, short... umm, bleach-" The memory of his childe flashed before his eyes. Instead of the bleach blond hair there was unruly -- granted short -- curly sandy blonde hair. His normal all black gothic-punk look now replaced with jeans and a black tee along with a normal K-mart bought black jacket. "I mean, he's short, British, blond..."

"You mean William?" Fred asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose to make sure any bleeding stopped. "He's two rooms down on the rig-"

The three (Connor, Fred, and Gunn) frowned as Angel took off toward their new friends' room. They exchanged confused looks before quickly following.

*

"-I even called the hotel to let them know we'd be back tomorrow to get our stuff," Nich said as she snatched Spike's glass of orange juice off his tray to take a sip. "'Cause, you know, it'd be a really bad thing if someone filched our stuff or they thought we weren't going to come back... I mean, we left all our papers in the room and all..."

Spike laughed inwardly as he ate. He didn't even have to say a single word since Nich and her oh-so-cheery-hyperness managed to keep up constant chatter without him. She reminded him so much of the pre-death Buffy... He took a bite of his sandwich and attempted to clear his mind of all Buffy-related thoughts. He may have been going to be back in Sunnydale in only a week (or two), but that didn't mean that he couldn't put off thinking about the love of his unlife for that long.

"Oh, Tara's plane is supposed to be arriving this afternoon -- do you think we should meet her at the airport? After all, she knows the hotel room number we're signed in at, but we might no-"

The door swung open and a very awake, very confused and a tad bit angry Angel loomed in the doorway. "Spike."

*

The clouds drifted round the open window as Tara stared out of it. She smiled slightly as she saw the coastline nearing. Glancing away, she opened her knapsack and removed the guide; it was so confusing and she wasn't even sure if she had translated it correctly.

"Miss?" A high, nice but obviously tired voice asked. "Are you hungry?"

Tara smiled up at the young woman. She felt sorry for her after hearing the ruckus a few seats ahead of her from a couple of men who had drunk a bit too much. "No, thank you. But I could use another glass of ice water."

"Alright, I'll be right back with your water."

Tara sighed and turned back to her notes. Frowning as she read a few words, she flipped through the small book and looked over it, her breath catching in her throat. She closed her eyes briefly; it didn't matter what happened. They'd get through it... one way or another.

Balance broken,
Balance paused.
Stars will shine, their glitter bright,
Sun will rise as whispers blunder
Words to cease and bring about
The brightness of the day.
Balance checked,
Balance returned.
Death in check-
Life of rebirth
What was wrong will be made right
Stars that shone once more
Made dim.
Check the time
Check the date
Clock stopped
Now returned
Balance broken
Then made right.

She felt bad, she really did... This was a prophecy; she felt that deep within her heart. The words couldn't be made different. And she pitied the soul of the one who would return to death. She wished there was someway that she could change it.

"Miss, here's your ice water," The flight attendant told her. Tara glanced up at the young woman.

"Thank you," she said as she took the glass.

"You're welcome." The flight attendant smiled once more before heading toward the back of the plane.

*

"Angel." Spike said as he was slammed back against the bed, a hand at his throat.

Nich had been tossed aside, surprised by Angel's sudden attack. Her back hit the wall with a thud and the teen groaned.

Angel's hand wrapped around his childe's throat. "What did you do?"

Spike coughed and glared at his 'sire' as he felt the ever growing need for oxygen.

Across the room Nich slowly stood, her back sore from her flight into the wall. "Hey! Get off him!"

Angel demanded, "Answer me, Spike-" then fell to the side as a lamp crashed across his head, knocking him aside.

"Hello," Nich said, as she tossed the broken shards of glass aside. "He can't answer you when he can't breathe." She rolled her eyes.

Spike coughed as he rubbed his neck. "Geeze, Peaches, can't a bloke do a nice thing for once and save his Sire's bloody ass."

"Sire?"

Nich turned just enough to see Connor and the other standing in the doorway and cursed inside. This day was getting better and better every moment.

*

"Sire? Wouldn't that make you a vampire?" Gunn asked, suddenly tense. The air in the hotel room had quite suddenly thickened.

"Would. Did. I got bored with it," Spike smiled his old smile and slipped his hands into his jean pockets as he shrugged. "Got me a nice sparkling soul and a new lot in life to go with it."

Nich rolled her eyes at her 'brother's' sudden attitude.

"Oh, I also got me a nice annoying tagalong with it... the only real downside to it all."

Nich glanced over it him and her cat-eyes eyes narrowed. "Hey!"

"How?" the dark brooding voice asked, drawing Spike's attention back to Angel.

Spike shrugged. "Went to Africa, met a bloke... fought some demons, won." He yawned. "Pretty boring story, actually-"

Nich snorted and rolled her eyes. Leaning down, she picked up large pieces of lamp and smiled 'sweetly'. "I'm going to throw these away... and, no, I'm not going to pay for it. I'm broke as it is since the powers have nothing but 'eternal life in a good place' as a yearly or rather lifely wage."

The teen walked out of the room, disgusted at her surrogate brother's act of bravado and attitude as he showed off and flaunted in his Sire's face.

Fred touched her shoulder as she walked past. "We'll help you with that." Without waiting for either of the guys she stood next to to protest, she pulled them out of the room as well.

"So," Spike said as he shifted uncomfortably under Angel's gaze.

He could smell it, and sense it, he was a predator seeing prey. "You're human," Angel stated rather than asked.

"Yep, well mostly, anyway," Spike replied, wishing he was somewhere else. In his one hundred and forty odd years he had never had to be looked down at or questioned by his Sire since he first awoke after Dru had drained him and begged Angel to sire him for her.

Angel had complied and sired the young man even though Darla had protested, because he had felt Drusilla's need for a companion through their bond every time Darla and he would go off. Also, if he hadn't sired William Drusilla would have -- and who knows what kind of problems that would have caused.

"You're a Slayer." Angel's eyes widened at his realization. He had tasted it in his childe's blood the night before. "How...?"

"Told you a demon bloke worked some mojo... Though this wasn't exactly what I meant... He apparently worked for the powers."

The two fell into an awkward silence before Angel spoke, "Why?"

Spike was silent for a few moments; looking aside, he moved toward the closed window, staring out it as if he could actually see through the blinds. His eyes closed and he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I hurt a girl."

***

To be continued in: **currently unnamed**
 

A. Note: Okay it's a late start which is why the chappie is out so soon, and also I eanna say right now I am not a poet...but I think it got my point across and its also a warning for a future occurency due to which this fic will most likely have two alternate end