**Hi!  New to the SNW list and this is my first fic posted on Spike
coddling.   *Waves to everyone* This is actually a fic I started a while ago
and need to get finished, but I have lost my motivation for it.  Then it
struck me that maybe so fresh feedback on it will help spark some interest
in it for me.  So I asked Aileen about posting it on Spike and she suggested
that I post it on SNW too.  So here I am.  Please, any feedback would be
helpful.it's good, it sucks,  you should never write again, you know, the
usual.  I have posted this to some Willow lists, so if you have already read
this, please forgive the crosspost.  I am determined to finish this story,
but I don't want it to just be because I want it finished, I want it to end
properly.  Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy.  Janet **



Title:  Thanks with Tears
Author: Janet Lynn (janet324@comcast.net)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: W/S/A

Warning: This contains het, multiple partners, and m/m slash.  If any of
this offends your sensitive nature, please avert your eyes.
Genre: BtVS/AtS
Disclaimer: All things BtVS and AtS belong to Joss Whedon (my god), Mutant
Enemy, etc.  I own nothing, so please don't sue me.  I just want to play
with the yummy beings that Joss created.

Spoilers: Season 6 of Buffy.  For Angel, all of season 3 and the first
episode of season 4.

Distribution: Shara Nesu's Place, Red's Soulmates, and list archives.
Everyone else, just ask.  I'm generous.

Author's Notes:  Slightly AU.  BtVS through "Grave".  For Angel, he was sent
to the bottom of the ocean by Conner, who has now disappeared and no one can
find him.  Wesley found Angel and returned him so he is around, but still
with hard feelings between him and Angel.  Cordelia went up to talk to the
PTB, but she returned shortly thereafter.  I just like Phantom Dennis

Summery: Willow and Spike need help.  They turn to the only person they
think can help them: Angel.

Website: http://www.geocities.com/stricken_girl/FortheFaithfulEntrance.htm

LJ: http://www.livejournal.com/users/strickens_girl/

The title comes from Shakespeare: "I have a kind soul that would give you
thanks, and knows not how to do it, but with tears." King John, Act V, Sc.
2.

A huge thanks to my sis Stephanie who is betaing for me.  You rock babe!

Thoughts indicated by <>



Chapter 1


On a deserted highway, the redheaded witch continued to check her watch
every few minutes.  She was afraid that she would not make it to her
destination before the sunrise.  That thought made her turn her head to
check on her passenger in the back seat.  She hoped she hadn't
underestimated her driving skills and wouldn't make it inside before the
dawn hit.  She didn't want her passenger to become nothing more than a pile
of dust.

As she glanced at the vampire curled up in the backseat of the car, she
wondered if she would ever be able to figure out what happened to him and if
there was any way for her to help him.

She decided she had better speed it up a little, even though she was afraid
of being pulled over for speeding.  The last thing she needed was to try and
explain to some cop why her passenger was smoking, literally.

She made her way into the city and turned down the many streets in search of
her destination.  And suddenly, there it was.  The Hyperion Hotel.  It was
huge and magnificent and inside it held the one person she hoped could help
both of them.

***

Inside the hotel, the Angel Investigations gang was sitting around doing
research for their latest case.  The case wasn't anything big, but it was a
paying gig.  Those were always the best.  It was simple enough.  A family
had an infestation of sorts.  After ruling out poltergeists and ghosts, the
gang was currently looking into the possibility that they may be some sort
of small, mischief causing demons.  Everyone sat around with large books in
their laps, except for Fred who was on the computer.

"Is there any more coffee?" Fred asked.  She had found herself nodding off
several times while surfing the net trying to find something that would lead
them in the right direction.

"I think we're out" Cordelia replied, rising from the table she was sitting
at.  She needed to stretch her legs and rest her eyes, so making coffee
seemed like a good excuse.  "I'll make some more."

"No!" everyone in the room exclaimed at the same time.  Cordy's coffee was
something you only had to experience once before you decided you never
wanted that experience again.

"Fine!" she snapped back.  "If you're going to be snappy, you can just make
it yourself.  I'm going to step outside for a."

As her rant was stopped short, everyone turned toward the front door where
she was heading.  There, just inside the doorway stood someone none of them
expected to see.

"Willow?" Cordelia questioned.  This girl certainly looked like the girl she
knew from Sunnydale, or at least she looked like the shell of the girl she
knew.  Willow was thinner and much paler than the ex cheerleader remembered
and the dark circles under her eyes made her face look like that of a
skeleton.

Willow just stood where she was, unable to make her feet move or do anything
more than slightly nod her head.  She was beginning to wonder if coming here
was really a good idea after all.

Angel knew something was wrong, he could feel it in his soul.  He got up
from his chair and quickly made his way over to where Willow was standing.

"Willow, what's wrong?" he asked gently, trying to get her to look him in
the eye.  She refused to make eye contact with him.

Slowly she opened her mouth and began her patented Willow babble.  "I wasn't
sure if it was good to come here, but I knew we couldn't go back to
Sunnydale.  They just won't understand.  So I guess I just came here and I
hope you won't turn us away.  Although you have every reason to hate us
both. And I hoped that you would see us and understand, but I couldn't get
him out of the car.  He's just too heavy and he won't move and I don't have
enough strength to levitate him and I don't want him to be dust and."

Angel stopped her babble short by asking her, "Who, Willow?"

For the first time since she arrived, she looked Angel in the eye. "Spike".

"What!?"  The shout came from the group of onlookers who were listening
intently to the conversation between the witch and the vampire.

"Please.  We need you" she whispered, her eyes still locked on the dark
vampire.  He could she the tears welling up in the green depth and knew that
he would do anything to help her.

"Where is he?" he sighed, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was
holding.

"Outside in the car" she could barely speak above a whisper, but her relief
was evident in her eyes. "He's in the backseat, but please hurry.  It's
almost sunrise."

"Cordy, get her something to eat and maybe something to drink" Angel told
his friend.  "And someone make sure we have some blood on hand for Spike.
Who knows what mood he's going to be in."

***

As Angel stepped outside, he realized that Willow was correct about the
sunrise.  Dawn was only a few minutes away.  He hoped that he could just go
and grab Spike out of the car and drag him inside.  It wasn't until he bent
down to look in the backseat that he realized that not only was there
something wrong with Willow but with Spike as well.

Angel opened the door to the backseat and looked at his wayward child lying
there, oblivious to is sire's presence next to him.  Spike was curled into a
tight ball with both hands clenching his head.  Every so often, he would
straighten out and then clench his fingers in his hair, almost as if he were
trying to scratch something out, but just didn't have the strength to do so.

If it hadn't been for the smell of the pending dawn, Angel would have just
sat there observing his childe.  But the dawn was coming and he needed to
get both of them inside, now.

He leaned over and softly touched Spike's shoulder. "Spike" he said quietly.
"We need to get you inside.  The dawn's coming."

As soon as Angel touched Spike's shoulder, Spike's head shot up and he
looked at Angel.  At first there was just confusion in his eyes, but then
recognition dawned on him.  Angel thought everything was going to be ok,
until Spike suddenly jerked away and started to scream in terror.

"No, Sire!  I'm sorry.  I didn't know.  I didn't see them sitting there!"
Spike was wailing and thrashing around in the backseat, doing everything he
could do to get away from the man sitting next to him.

Angel was in shock.  What was going on?  He was confused by Spike's
outburst. "What is he talking about?" Angel wondered out loud.

Spike just continued to bat away Angel's hands and beg for forgiveness.
Suddenly, something Spike said sparked a memory for the older vampire.
Once, not long after William had been turned, he accidentally sat on some
art supplies that Angelus had left sitting in a chair.  Angelus had gone
into a rage and punished William severely.  Not that Angelus needed much of
an excuse to punish William during that time period, he just took great
pleasure in it.

For some reason, Spike thought Angel was going to punish him for destroying
his precious art supplies, but for Angel, all he wanted was to get inside
away from the coming sun's rays.

"Come on Spike" Angel said, a little more harshly than he intended.  "We
need to get inside"

"No" Spike sobbed.  "I'm sorry, Sire. Please don't hurt me again.  I'm
sorry."

Angel was getting desperate.  He could feel the sun coming and Spike was not
going to move.  He hated to do it, but he had to do something to get Spike
inside.  So he reached quickly behind Spike and pinched him in the back of
the neck, hard.  Suddenly, Spike stopped all movement and passed out in the
backseat.  Angel quickly pulled the unconscious vampire out of the car and
ran for the front door of the hotel, just as the days first rays came over
the top of the LA skyline.


Tbc...