Seas Between Us (Broad Have Roared)

Author: enigmaticblue <enigmaticblue@yahoo.com>

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Do I have to say it? They aren't mine. If they were, I'd be nicer than Joss.

Archive: Anywhere that already has my stuff. Anywhere else just ask.

Summary: Set in an alternate Angel S5, wherein Andrew tells Buffy that Spike's alive after Damage and she does something about it, upsetting the power structure while she's at it.

A/N: This story takes place after Bring Out Your Dead, and may make a little more sense if you read that one first. The thing to notice is that Lindsey does not enter into this story. I didn't want to deal with the boy since I'm mostly ignoring canon. Just so you aren't terribly surprised.

Chapter 4: Call You Mine

"It's only me in this flimsy dress/I could spread this love from the east to the west/My bed is made, the world's a mess/Maybe we've got it backwards/Maybe we should just care less/I close my eyes, I see your face/Every inch of your skin I begin to retrace/Let me be the voice inside your head/Let me whisper/We can sleep when we are dead." ~Over the Rhine, "Show Me"

Eventually Spike slowed down their explorations, although it cost him something to do so. It had been over a year since the last time they'd had sex—and they had never made love. The closest they had come was the night that Riley had walked in on them, and Spike didn't much like to think about that.

Like many of his memories, it hurt too damn much.

Buffy seemed as reluctant to slow down as he was, breaking off her kiss with a sigh that sounded like it came from her toes. "We probably should take this somewhere else," she said wryly. "Poor Wes would never forgive us if he found out we—used his couch."

An evil smile lifted the corners of Spike's lips. "Oh, I fully intend on givin' the Watcher a full report of whatever we do with—or on—his furniture."

Buffy slapped him half-heartedly on the chest. "Don't be a pig, Spike."

"So we're back to name-calling now, are we, pet?" he asked with a lifted eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes. "Only when you mention describing my sex life to my former Watcher. That's just gross."

Spike's smile faded a bit. "You think we should wait for a bit?"

"Do you want to wait?" Buffy asked. It was rather obvious that he wanted her, so that wasn't a problem.

He shrugged. "Dunno. Just don't want to be leapin' into things is all."

"Spike, we spent all of last year not 'leaping into things.' I think some leaping is warranted at this point." Buffy frowned. "Unless there's some other problem I should know about."

Spike looked highly affronted. "There's no problem," he said darkly. "Just—I can hardly believe this is all real," he confessed. "I dreamed about this so many bloody times, an' now—"

"I'm here," Buffy said. "I'm not going anywhere unless I have to."

Spike nodded, understanding. She had dropped everything and flown halfway around the globe, but that didn't mean Buffy didn't have obligations that she might need to attend to. "Right."

"Well, I do need to do some shopping," Buffy said thoughtfully. "I'll probably have Dawn fly to L.A. on her next break from school, and she can bring some of my stuff then, but I'll need a few things to tide me over."

Spike appeared curious. "What kinds of things, luv?"

"Pretty much everything," Buffy admitted ruefully. "I threw a few things in a bag and was on the next flight out. There wasn't much time to pack."

Spike stared at her. "What did you bring with you?"

"A couple changes of clothes, my makeup, the essentials," Buffy listed. "Why?"

His eyebrows had disappeared into his hairline. "How many pairs of shoes?"

"One essential pair of black boots," Buffy said, holding up one foot to demonstrate. "Spike, what—"

Her question was cut off by his incredibly enthusiastic kiss. He literally pounced on her, and while Buffy wasn't complaining one bit, she couldn't figure out what had flipped the switch. "Mmph, Spike," she said once he let her breathe. "What was that for?" she asked, her eyes slightly dazed.

"You brought one pair of shoes," he pointed out. "An' you're wearing 'em."

"So?"

His expression was incredulous. "You only brought one pair of boots! That oughta be impossible!"

Spike's eyes were as gleeful as a boy's who had just gotten exactly what he wanted for Christmas. Buffy finally caught on. He knew her too well. "I wanted to get to you," she said simply. "After Andrew told me you were alive, and what Dana had done to you..." Buffy grabbed his left hand and placed a kiss on his palm. "If I ever get my hands on her—"

"Wasn't the chit's fault," Spike said quickly. "She was crazy, an' I rushed in half-cocked."

"Do you ever go in any other way?" Buffy teased.

He gave her a sour look. "Ha-bloody-ha, Slayer."

She glanced over at the covered windows. It was obvious that the sun was going down. "I say we take this conversation elsewhere," Buffy determined. "I'm hungry, and I need to get a few things, and then maybe we could go back to my hotel."

Her heated look left no question as to what exactly she wanted to do at her hotel. Spike decided that he was amenable. "Whatever you like, pet."

The phone rang, and Spike reached over to pick it up, just in case it was Wesley calling for some reason. "H'lo?" Buffy watched as he frowned. "Sure, mate. You know what it is yet?"

Buffy sighed, already knowing what was coming. For the first time, Spike was more into the Slaying than she was, but there was no way she was going to let him out of her sight.

Even if they never did make it back to her hotel room.

Spike hung up the phone and gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, pet, but—"

"Let's go," Buffy said, rising.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "You want to go? You don't have to. I could meet you back at your hotel once we get this taken care of."

"What is it?"

"Some sort of demon that's been eatin' livers. While the victim's still alive."

Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Eww."

Spike grinned. He loved Buffy's grossed-out face. "Yeah, well, that's where I come in."

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Buffy asked with concern. "I mean, your hands—"

He wriggled his fingers at her. "Don't need fine motor control to hold an ax."

Buffy humphed. "Fine, but I'm not letting you out of my sight. We're doing this together."

Spike raised his eyebrows. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Nah," Buffy replied. "Even better."

~~~~~

"Are you sure we should have bothered them?" Fred asked. "I mean, Buffy did just get into town. They probably want more alone time."

Wesley gave her a look. "If you would like to attempt to convince Angel to take care of this little problem, be my guest."

"Angel's just getting used to things." Fred sounded uncertain, however, as though she didn't quite believe it herself.

Wesley sighed. "Angel has had more than enough time to 'get used to things,' as you say. He simply doesn't seem to care anymore."

Fred frowned, unable to disagree. "He's changed, but all of us have, Wesley. I'm sure he's just missing Cordy."

"It's more than that, I think," Wesley muttered. The muscles in his shoulders tensed as Fred's hand brushed his back.

Fred let her hand wander a bit more, her fingertips brushing the soft fabric of Wesley's shirt without much thought. He just felt so solid. Fred didn't much like to think about the fact that it had been over a year since she'd had the chance to feel a man's arms around her.

Wesley's arms were strong; she remembered that much.

"Do you think someone should talk to him?"

"What would you say, Fred?" Wesley asked quietly.

Fred got a stubborn look on her face that Wesley didn't often see but knew well enough to recognize. "I'd tell him to pull his head out of his ass."

"Fred!" Wesley appeared torn between delight and shock.

"Well, I would," she insisted. "He's being stupid about this whole thing. Remember when Spike was a ghost? Angel didn't even want me helping him."

Wesley made a face. "Tell me about it. I was thinking of suggesting that Spike stay at the Hyperion."

"You didn't tell Angel, did you?"

"Do I look like I've gone round the bend?" A grin broke out over Wesley's face. "I thought I'd just let Spike camp out there. Perhaps he would put the place to good use."

Fred gave him an appreciative look. "You're sneaky."

Wesley lifted an eyebrow. "Only when I have to be."

~~~~~

Gunn collapsed into his office chair. Making his upgrades permanent had taken a lot out of him, but they would be expecting him to be at the office. For some reason, he really didn't want anyone to know that he'd had to go back to that doctor. There was still the question of what he had done by signing that piece of paper.

Charles Gunn didn't want to look at that too closely.

If the upgrade was permanent, he didn't have to worry about losing it in the middle of a case again. He could still advise Angel on contracts. He would still have something that no one else had.

Gunn would be special.

There was a small piece of him that knew signing the piece of paper to allow transport of a quarantined object into the country was unethical. More than that, it was probably dangerous.

That was why he wasn't allowing himself to think about it too much.

Pressing the button to his secretary, he said, "Hold all my calls."

He just needed a little time to recover.

~~~~~

"Angel?"

His head shot up. "Cordy?"

"What are you doing here?"

Angel stared at her. Cordelia's eyes were open for the first time in months—and it was really her. After the body-switching of the previous year, Angel knew the real deal from the evil twin, and this was the real deal. "What—I'm here to visit you."

Cordy frowned as she moved her head to look around the room. "Wait a minute," she said. "Where am I?"

"In a hospital," Angel replied, not mentioning that it was the hospital wing of Wolfram and Hart.

Cordy looked at him. "What am I doing in the hospital?"

"You—there was an accident," Angel replied. He had no idea what Cordelia remembered, or if the memory alterations had worked on her.

She pushed herself up slowly, obviously weakened by her months of inactivity, but not as much as she might have been had it been a natural coma. "An accident?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Angel asked.

Cordelia shook her head, trying to clear it. "I was going to meet you—"

"That's right." Angel breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently she didn't remember anything in between then and now. Maybe that meant she wouldn't remember Connor. "You never made it."

"No, because Skip showed up and totally tricked me!" Cordelia said with righteous indignation. "He hijacked my body!"

Angel blinked. "Uh..."

"And you!" Cordelia glared at him. "You couldn't tell the difference between me and my evil twin!"

"Cordy, really, it was—"

Her eyes narrowed. "And where is Connor?"