Chapter 2

"...on?" Angel trailed off when he realized he was no longer in the English clearing with the others. Instead, he found himself in a great stadium-like hall surrounded on all sides by shimmering incorporeal beings seated in groups of twos and threes.

Two of the beings stepped forward, and Angel instantly recognized them as the two he had met over five years before when he bargained to take back his day as a human. Before the two beings had been uninterested in the going ons of mortals, but by the look on their faces now, Angel could tell that they were angry. However, the dark haired vampire was sure he would be able to explain his actions adequately enough to make the PTB see reason.

"Angelus, our daughter Cordelia..." The male being started to speak.

"Tells us that she is unhappy with you." The female finished the sentence.

"I don't know what the problem is," Angel replied loftily while he shrugged his shoulders in dismissal. "It's only Spike."

"That is hardly the reaction," the male said.

"We expected from our champion," the female finished.

"I don't know why you're suddenly concerned about him, is all." Angel shook his head. "Look, I know Spike. He's nothing. All of his actions were to get into Buffy's pants because he knows she belongs to me."

"You really believe that only reason," the male started the question.

"He fought for his soul was to impress the Slayer?" the female ended.

"Well, of course," Angel scoffed. "It's not like she'd give him a chance otherwise." The smugness rolled off of him in waves.

"If this was your belief, why did you cast..."

"Your dark spell over the Slayer and her champion?"

"Buffy doesn't need that idiot mucking around in her life while she's still cookie dough," Angel grumbled. "I'm handling things just fine on my end. The Circle of the Black Thorn is no more, and the Senior Partners have lost most of their power."

"Hold it right there, buster." Cordelia's voice echoed off the walls of the hall. "How exactly do you justify the loss of your entire team? Didn't my little vision show you that you would win if you called Buffy and the others?" She marched over to the vampire, and she poked him in the chest with one forefinger. "Damnit, Angel, I trusted you to do the right thing."

"The vision was wrong, Cordy," Angel growled. "Everything turned out okay, didn't it? Some losses are acceptable in a war!"

"Honestly, Angel." Cordelia fisted her hands in anger. "How do you expect to help the helpless if you don't have any help? Buffy, the Slayers, and the Watchers want nothing to do with you. Hell, even Spike doesn't want anything to do with you. Gunn, Wes, and myself are dead. Fred's gone, replaced by an ancient demonic being. You're alone."

"Daughter, if we found Angelus a new team," the male PTB started the question.

"Would you consent to being his moral compass?" the female PTB finished.

"Really?" Cordy blinked in surprise. "I have permission to whack him upside the head anytime he steps out of line?" She grinned at the thought.

"Yes," the male answered.

"Of course," the female said.

"We'll need a team." Cordelia chewed on her lip. "Somehow I don't think the old gang would be too happy to be here right now." She thought about Gunn and Wesley's deaths at the hands of the Senior Partners. She knew that Wesley hadn't been happy with Fred's death.

"We have just the people."

"In mind."

"Hey, chief." The voice echoing off the walls caused Angel to whirl around and stare in horror at the group of people now standing on the other side of the room. "Guess I have a mission now."

"L-Lawson," Angel stammered. Then, he took in the others that were standing with his Childe. "Jenny Calendar? Lindsey McDonald? Marcus Hamilton? This is the crack team of helpers you're gonna make me work with?" Angel curled his lip in disgust.

"Don't forget about me, Bossy." Harmony popped out from behind Hamilton. She leaned into the tall man's side. "I'm just so happy to see Hammy baby, again." She blew a kiss up Hamilton. She looked Angel from top to bottom. "My God, what are you wearing?"

Angel looked down to see he was still wearing the appalling superhero suit that the goddess had dressed him in back in the English clearing. He decided that he was going to be as dignified as possible and ignore the vapid blond vampiress' question. Angel wasn't too pleased that the others were now giggling amongst themselves and pointing at him. He sniffed in disdain, turned, and said to Cordelia, "Can we get on with this, please?"

"Well," Cordelia groaned. "This should be as fun as a barrel full of laughs." She snapped her fingers to conjure a chair which she sank down into, her head cradled in the palm of her hands. "I wonder if Giles has anyone whatsoever he'd let us have. Someone preferably living."

"Let me check," Anqet announced. In a blink of an eye, the goddess was gone and back again accompanied by two people; a short blond man and a dark haired girl whose posture screamed Slayer. "Here. Rupert said we could have these two, Andrew Wells and Kennedy the Vampire Slayer."

"Wow," Andrew cooed. He glanced around the room. "It's just like the galactic senate from Attack of the Clones."

"Wells?" Harmony tapped her chin. "Now why is that name so familiar?"

"Oh, my brother is Tucker." Andrew smiled happily at the vampiress. "You know, the hellhounds at the prom? Anyway, this is just so cool. Even more cool than Buffy the Vampyre Slayer and her great love affair with Spike the Evil, yet Cool Vampyre." The blond boy's voice was filled with awe.

"Can we not speak about them?" Angel snarled. "Can I go home now?"

"I suppose," Anqet replied. "I'll send you and your new team back to your hotel. I will be checking in with Cordelia often to make sure you don't get full of yourself again." She snapped her fingers and Angel, with the others disappeared. "Why do mortals have to be so tiring?"

Spike landed on his back with Buffy sprawled on top of him. He was glad that Dawn had gone back with Willow when the Slayer attacked his lips with her own. Instead of the wild sex he thought she would initiate as soon as they were alone, Buffy curled onto his chest with her head tucked into his neck. At first he thought she was laughing, but then he felt her hot tears splashing his cool flesh. Spike let her finish crying while he rubbed comforting circles on her back.

"I-I missed you so much, Spike," Buffy hiccupped. She tightened her arms around him. "I tried dating, but no one was you. Don't leave me again!"

"You dated the Immortal, luv," Spike huffed.

"Yes, and I twisted his arm to tell me everything he knew about you," Buffy huffed in return. "It wasn't a pretty picture."

Spike sighed to himself. He knew he had to confess his liaison with Harmony, because he knew if his Slayer found out about it later she'd be right brassed off. Best to get the broken nose now rather than later. "Since we're confessin' our sins here, pet, I have to say I was a ghostie for a bit and when I got m'body back I tried to make it with Harm."

"With Harmony?" Buffy screeched and sat up. "That is just ewww." She sighed before laying back down on his chest. "Okay, I can be a grown up about this. We weren't together at the time, and it's okay that you did something with someone else. Just don't ever do it again. You're my vamp, and I don't like to share."

"Yes, luv." Spike rolled Buffy beneath him. "Just as long as you remember you're my slayer." He bent down to brush his lips against the Slayer's.

"Mmmph," Buffy tried to say. Her arms looped around Spike's neck as she pulled him closer. She parted her legs, and she let him fall into the space between them. Buffy pushed the duster off Spike's shoulders and down his back.

Spike helped Buffy remove his jacket without letting his lips leave her mouth. He deepened the kiss before letting his lips slide down her jaw line to her neck. His name mixed with whimpers fell from Buffy's lips when he cupped her breasts with his hands. Spike swallowed convulsively before he whispered in her ear, "Do you want this, Buffy? I'll stop right now if you aren't comfortable with me."

"Spike, please," Buffy pleaded. She tried to throw her leg around his hips, but she was hampered by the robe she was still wearing. "Please love me. I love you so much. I should have told you sooner. I just thought we'd survive, and then we'd have lots and lots of time to get to know each other again."

"I thought so, too, pet," Spike whispered. He realized that the robe that Buffy was wearing was hindering his way to her sweet parts. Spike grabbed the neckline, and he ripped the robe down the front until her silk covered breasts were exposed for to his view. "Hmm, so sweet and plump, Slayer. Just love your titties." He leaned down to suck on the nipples.

"Spike, please." Buffy arched her back in an attempt to get more contact with the vampire's cool mouth. Nothing made her hotter than his tongue and teeth on her hard nipples.

"Uh huh, luv," Spike cooed against her skin. "You just lay there like a good little Slayer, and let Spike have his fun." He nuzzled her flesh with his face.

"Before we go any further, I need to tell you something," Buffy muttered between moans.

Spike looked up with sudden fear in his heart. "What, Buffy?"

"I never had sex with the Immortal," Buffy whispered. "So, my last time was when we blew up your crypt."

"Oh, fuck." Spike's forehead fell to her chest. "Buffy." He attempted to figure out what he could say to convey his shocked awe to the woman of his dreams.

While the blond vampire knew Buffy wasn't one for casual sex, he had always feared that she'd found someone to erase the memory of his touch from her body. Even now he worried that he would wake up and this would all be a horrible dream of what he couldn't have. That every intimate act, even the depraved ones from years before, would be a dream or hallucination. Sometimes he hoped that he'd wake up still in Glory's clutches, awaiting rescue, but able to change so many things that had gone horribly wrong.

"I never wanted anyone like I wanted you, Spike." Buffy buried her hands in his curls, and she lifted his head to look into his eyes. "Not even Angel. After you were gone, it took me a long time to get back on my feet. It was like being pulled out of heaven again."

"I would have found you, but that bloody pillock convinced me that you were better off having your normal life," Spike whispered. "I can't believe I fell for it."

"He did something to all of us," Buffy replied. She adjusted herself beneath him, and she guided his mouth back to one of her nipples. She hissed in pleasure when he restarted his assault on her flesh. It had been so long, and he felt so right.

"Think we'd be use to it by now, wouldn't you, Joan?" Spike teased between kisses. He chuckled when she smacked him on the shoulder.

"Yes, Randy," Buffy teased in return. "We should be use to it. Now, make love to me, and remind me why you're the vamp for me."

"Your wish is my command, Buffy." Spike finally got to love his Slayer in the manner he'd wanted to since he first discovered he was in love with her so many years before.

"Angel, it's time to bond with your new team members," Cordy shouted. She shoved the broody vampire into the room and locked the door. "I'm not letting you out till you're all friends."

Angel banged on the door until he got tired. Then, he turned around to stare at Andrew and Kennedy. He glanced around the room to see if there was any wood he could impale himself on, but he soon realized that Cordelia had removed any and all objects made of this material. Angel slid down the door to the floor, and prayed that he could outlast the two humans. He consoled himself with the fact that he wouldn't go hungry for a couple of days.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Jonathan and I went to Mexico? We were trying to outrun..."