Title: And Flights of Angels Sequel to: Requiem for a Childe Author: Janet Lynn (janet324@comcast.net) Rating: NC-17 Pairing: S/A Previous parts found at: http://www.geocities.com/janet324@prodigy.net/FortheFaithful.html Thoughts indicated by <> Authors Note: I have been advised by my beta to issue a tissue warning for the chapter. You have been warned. Additional warning: I didn't realize this before, but I should say something. Someone is going to die. Not right away, but come on people, Spike's an angel of death, you have to know someone is going to die. So I am issuing a major character death warning now so no one gets upset at me later. Chapter Eight Once the laughter died down, Spike looked at a confused Xander and said, "I'm gonna have a bloody T-shirt made. Ok, last time for everyone. It's AN not THE and yes." "'Kay" Xander said, surprising Angel by his easy acceptance. "So what are you doing here? How long have you been doing the angel thing?" When he asked the last question, he turned and looked at Angel and snickered slightly. The dark vampire turned and scowled at the human before smiling lightly. "Shall we?" he asked and motioned the two men toward his old office. Stepping inside, Spike tried to suppress a chuckle. The office, which had obviously once been Angel's, the impressive furniture proved that, was now filled with Xander-esque touches. The Star Trek plates and Monty Python DVDs that littered the area proved that. Still, Angel made sure to take the seat behind the large desk and turn to his friends like the elder of the group that he was. "So" Spike started, turning to Xander. "What's your line, whelp?" The human smirked at the familiar term and turned his eye to the blonde. "Well, after the battle with the first, we all stopped here. Everyone else moved on, but I just wasn't ready. After losing Anya and yo...everything I just wasn't ready to do the whole slay or be slayed thing again. Angel offered to let me stay here." Xander turned to look at the dark vampire and smiled at the recollection of that uncomfortable conversation. He looked back at the blonde and continued. "Couldn't do construction because the whole vision problem" he said, gesturing at the black patch covering what used to be his left eye. "So I had a lot of free time on my hands. One day I was kinda wandering the streets when I came upon this girl. She was living off the street and it broke my heart. I figured 'what the hell. I've got a huge hotel with a bunch of unused rooms. I'll just take her home.' So Mera came to stay here. The next thing I knew, her friend Farah was here and she brought two friends, and they brought two friends and so on." Angel chuckled at the babbling young man. "He makes it sound like they just fell in his lap" he explained to Spike. "Xander feeds these kids, finds them jobs and gets them on their feet. He listens to their problems and they respect him. I'm really proud of him." Xander ducked his head at the unfamiliar praise. Over the course of the last year, he and Angel had been able to put away their differences and not hate each other, but he wasn't sure he would have called them friends before this. "Anyway" Xander jumped in, wanting to change the topic. "So you're still all big with the killing?" Spike flinched slightly a the implication. "Not killing, pet" he said, meeting the boy's chocolate eye. "Just helping people along to the other side. Just a job to work towards a redemption of sorts. I was evil for a long time." "Yeah, I remember" the human chuckled. "A lot of times, it was directed at me." "I never would have killed you, luv" he smiled. "Well, maybe when I first went the Sunnyhell, but once Angelus offered you to me, well, all bets were off." The three men laughed at the memory before Angel turned to Xander and said, "I'd really like to talk to Spike, if you don't mind Xander." "Not a problem, Deadboy" he said as he stood quickly. Before he reached the door, he turned and looked at Spike with a question in his eye. "Spike, you didn't happen to see...?" "No, pet" Spike interrupted. "Never saw your bird. Heard she went out all hero-like though." Xander simply smiled and nodded his head before quickly turning to leave the office. As he closed the door behind him, Angel heard the young man sigh and walk away. "It still hurts" Spike whispered. Angel wasn't sure what he meant. As he opened his mouth to ask, Spike continued. "So what did you want to know?" he asked quietly. Angel remained silent for several minutes. he wondered. "Did you talk to your boss about the wings?" he asked. "Yeah" Spike said chuckling lightly. "Turns out it was described in the manual." "There's a manual?" Angel asked incredulously. "It seems the Slayer and me have a book learning problem in common. Turns out they're for decorative purposes only. Can't fly with 'em or nothin'." "So you can use them to what, convince the unbelieving?" the vampire asked. "That's about it" Spike smiled. "But they are pretty cool." "Very" Angel agreed. The silence that followed stretched out between them as they each waited for the other to say something. "What do you want, Angel?" Spike finally asked, breaking the silence. "I don't really know" he answered truthfully. "I missed you, Spike. I mourned you when you died. I know I was an asshole to you, but I never expect you to just be gone. I thought we had eternity and then you were dead. You know I sat in this room and shared the portfolio with Giles. I think I almost gave him a heart attack a couple of times." "You showed those to Rupes?" Spike asked, honestly shocked. "You probably gave him nightmares or some great wanking material." "Probably both" Angel said smiling. They both laughed at this for moment before Spike turned serious eyes on the vampire. "I don't know if I can do this, Angel." "Do what, Spike?" Angel was afraid of the answer. "This" he gestured vaguely between them. "We're not friends. We never were. You were the sire and I was the childe. We played our games and worked our roles and it was good. But now...now it's all so different. I'm an angel, but that means shit. I'm not good. I do my job and I go home just like any other blighter. I don't know how to do this with you." "That's what we need to do, Spike" Angel said, rising from his chair to come around the desk and sit on the edge of it. He leaned over to get closer to the blonde. "We need to figure out what we can be. I missed you. I need someone to talk to that will understand. I need someone who knows what it's like to be a vampire with soul. You were there, you know." "You need!" Spike shouted, jumping up from his chair to stalk over to the larger man. "Why should I give a shit about what you need? You abandoned me, remember? Now that you're all hurting and sad, I'm supposed to care?" The two men were standing toe to toe. Spike was so close Angel was sure that if either of them had needed to breath, their chests would have been brushing against each other. Slowly he reached up and traced a sharp cheekbone tenderly and whispered, "I don't deserve this, and I know that. I just don't know if I can let you go again." Spike looked up into the deep brown eyes he had loved so much, knowing that he couldn't let himself open up to this man again. "You don't have to let me go, luv" he whispered. Misunderstanding the statement, Angel leaned down and gently kissed the soft lips before him. He felt Spike sob under him and thought he was crying for joy. When he tried to deepen the kiss, Spike jerked away. The blonde almost gave in when he saw the pain and confusion in the dark depths. "You won't have to let me go because I'm leaving this time." He turned to walk away when his arm was gripped tightly by the vampire. He couldn't force himself to face the vampire when he heard the heartfelt plea. "Please Spike" Angel begged. "Don't leave me again." Without turning around, the blonde shrugged himself out of the vampire's grip and walked away. Just before he reached the door, he teleported out of the room, leaving the grieving vampire weeping alone in his office again. Tbc...