Chapter Seventeen

Spike! Buffy thinks she's in love with Spike of all people! I mean I can understand why she's upset and confused about our relationship. The guilt kills me every time I think about what Angelus tried to do to her, but she's got to understand that I'm not him!

But Spike?

Where the hell did that come from? He's Spike for crying out loud! He's a pain in the ass! A cosmic joke played out for the sole purpose of pissing me off! I understand how Dru could convince herself she has feelings for him, she's a nut job, but Buffy?

She's way too good for him.

"Huh. Two years later and again with the brooding. That still working for you, then? At least tell me you're off the rat diet."

I whirl in shock, surprised that someone could sneak up on me, before I recognize the voice.

"Whistler."

"That would be me. Now the question is, who are you? We still talking evil sumbitch trying to destroy everything you've ever cared about in some sad sack attempt to prove that you're in control of your emotions or have you been reformed again."

"You're the Metatron. You tell me."

"Metatron? Nah. He's much taller and, if you ask me, kinda gay. I'm just a humble mouthpiece. A messenger, if you will, but we're not here to talk about who I am. We're here to talk about who you are."

"What do you want, Whistler?"

His smile makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I know I'm still standing alone with him in the high school parking lot but suddenly it seems like I'm being watched, judged and found wanting by a host of spectators. Knowing who Whistler works for the word 'Host' is more accurate than I'd like.

"It seems to me the question on the table is really, 'What do you want, Angelus.'"

"Angel."

"Oh, really? There's a difference, then?"

"You know there is."

"Do I? If you ask me that's your problem in a nutshell."

Whistler can be very intimidating for such a short guy and I can feel my hackles rise. If there's one thing I can't stand it's intimidating short guys. I take a step towards him to try to get him to back down. For some reason this causes the little bastard to laugh.

"Angel...Angelus...there's no moving forward for you until you reconcile the two. When I told you that you could go either way I meant all of you. Not this tragically poetic split personality thing you got going now. That kind of romantic clap trap we expected from the limey, not from you."

"Who, Spike?"

"Yeah, the poet himself. No one saw Angelus coming! You were supposed to throw yourself entirely in with the Slayer. You had a head start already with the soul! All you had to do was make a commitment. Take a stand. You should see what we had to do to poor Spikey to get him on the right track. Instead you get into a seventeen-year-old's pants and throw everything over to join the dark side."

"Hey! She's still seventeen and your precious Spike is sleeping with her!"

"Beside the point and technically he didn't start until she was twenty. You gotta say one thing for the guy. He's predictable. A chip here, a dream there and away he goes trotting merrily down his selected path. You I gotta lead by the nose hairs kicking and screaming the entire way. Do you have any idea the paperwork I gotta submit in order to get face to face time with you?

"So I'll ask you this one more time, Angelus. Think long and hard before you answer because I'm talking to all of you and there's no more room for screw ups. Do you want to be a useless evil rodent who's king of a dunghill in Hell or do you want to actually make a difference?"

~~~~~

Right.

I'm sitting on the floor with an unconscious Slayer on my lap while her Watcher and Witch Best Friend hover threateningly over me. They look for all the world as if they'd just been hit by a ten ton lorry. The hallway around me is scorched because it seems that when Buffy and I get together we're not only hot. We're torch the area; nuke 'em all from orbit HOT!

By the way, it seems I'm the only vampire in the world who could work as an altar boy seeing as I'm currently holding a crucifix.

I've just about decided to simply sit here stunned when Buffy stirs against my lap. Throwing her head back she stretches like a cat and lets out a moan that no one could possibly mistake for pain. Her mates flush and shift uncomfortably as Buffy blinks awake. For a moment she smiles into my eyes and we're the only two people in the universe. Then she notices our onlookers and starts to flush. For some reason I half expect her to jump away from me as if I've got the pox but she only giggles and hides her face in my neck for a mo' before she jumps up and reaches for my hand to help me stand.

There is no way that what I feel for her is anything but real.

Buffy catches my eyes and smiles before she braces herself and turns to confront our audience of two.

"Well, I guess it's time to get back to researchy goodness, eh?" She turns quickly and is through the library door before the Watcher and the Witch can even start sputtering. I admit—I'm impressed by the deflection, not that I think it will last more than the five minutes it will take us to switch locations.

I'm right behind her, which means I trip and fall forward when she comes to a surprised halt. Peering past her, curious as to what's got her all aflutter, I see Angel standing next to a mousy guy with unfortunate taste in hats who is sitting on the table waiting for us.

~~~~~

"Oh God, what are you doing here?"

Seriously not happy to see Angel and Whistler waiting for us in the library. Bright side, though? Embarrassing questions have now been delayed even longer. Maybe Giles will forget to ask about what happened in the hallway altogether. Maybe I'll win the lottery, become a rock star and live to be the first eighty-three year old Slayer, too, since we're asking for the impossible.

"You don't look very happy to see me, Summers."

"Depends. Is someone else gonna die this time?"

"Can't answer that one, but technically, no one died last time either."

"Spike..."

"In a way he entered a similar dimension, lived there for several years and returned. He didn't die. Actually, if anyone did die it was that timeline's Spike at the point that your Spike entered his reality. Kinda. It gets confusing. There's wrinkles involved..."

"What are you talking about?" Angel blurts, irritated. Huh. I though Spike was the only person who could annoy Angel this much. He's not usually a blurter.

"Slow down. I'll answer most of your questions but you gotta let me get it out in the right order"

"Angel, who is this scruffy hooligan sitting on my library table?" Giles huffs from behind me.

"This is Whistler. He's kind of an emissary from The Powers That Be."

"The Whaters that Huh?" I knew he was all Prophecy Guy when he showed up at Giles apartment offering all kinds of mystical mumbo jumbo and a magic sword to help against Angelus, but I didn't know he was part of a band. Giles seems calm, though, so I guess he knows who Angel is talking about.

"I see. Well then Whistler, I take it you have a clue as to what is going on with Spike, Buffy and to a lesser extent Angel. It's imperative you fill us in on whatever is causing this strange behavior between them."

Bonus! Maybe Whistler will be able to answer Giles' question and I'll be off the hook!

Whistler stands up from his perch on the table, preening. "Well now that you've asked so nicely; the end of the world is coming. Time to powwow."

My stomach hits the floor. "Not again! We just finished one of those. Don't we deserve a break? It's almost summer vacation!"

"Well, this one is sort of a extension of the last. I told you there was a wildcard in the mix. Well it seems our wildcard has caused a supplemental apocalypse. On the bright side, if you defeat the Big Bad this time it won't be powerful enough to challenge you again at a future time when the stakes are much higher. Downside...well do I really need to explain the downside of an apocalypse?"

"What exactly are you talking about when you say wildcard?" Giles moves to the research table and starts sorting through books, which splits his attention between his task and Whistler.

"I'm talking about the First Evil."

Giles grabbed a book from the pile. "Yes, I've been reading up on that subject, absolute evil, older than man, possibly even older than demons. There's a picture here of it's high priests, or Harbringers."

I recognize the picture immediately. "Giles, these are the guys who attacked us in your living room and stole Spike's necklace."

"What necklace? I had a necklace? What are you talking about?" Spike's eyes squint in confusion. It's adorable and makes me want to ruffle his hair and kiss him. I think I start to lean in when Giles' voice breaks my concentration.

"What about the spell that's affecting Buffy and Spike's emotions?"

Whistler looks surprised. "Wow. You've managed to confuse me. That doesn't happen very often. What spell?"

"The one that's forcing my Slayer to have feelings for Spike, of course."

"Ummm, Giles, now might not be the right time..." I don't want to know the answer to his question and I can tell by the tension that's nearly vibrating off of Spike that he doesn't either. Whistler, on the other hand, breaks into reassuring laughter.

"There is no spell. At least not in the way you're talking about one."

"Pray tell, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Whistler sits down on the table again, "Like I said, Spike was sent to another dimension by Acathla. While there a behavior modification chip that prevented him from being able to feeding on humans was implanted in his brain."

Whistler really must be psychic because he pauses long enough to Angel to guffaw and allow Spike to sputter.

"What's in my brain now?"

"Nothing. The Buffy in that dimension had it removed."

"Why would she do that?"

"Officially? Because you'd been working alongside her for years and you'd already sought after and received your soul. Plus the thing was killing you. If you ask me, it was because she loved you but I'm hopelessly romantic that way."

Angel interrupts, "You mean that Spike asked for a soul?"

"Can I get back to my story?" Whistler pauses until everyone nods, "thanks. So poor, defenseless, starving Spikey goes to the one person who is good and pure enough to help him even though she's his mortal enemy...Give me a minute. This story always makes me a little verklempt.

"Anyway, Spikey goes to Buffy and asks for her help. She helps because that's the good kind soul that she is and Wham! Bam! Thank you vamp! Spike realizes he's in love with our intrepid heroine. Buffy dies. Willow resurrects her. Spike gets a soul and saves the world. With me so far?"

"I die!"

"Spike saves the world?"

"Stop calling me Spikey!"

"Resurrect Buffy! I barely managed to put Angel's soul back!"

"Dear Lord."

"Good. Glad you all caught up. Now here's the twist. There wasn't actually another dimension involved. Everything that happened to Spike happened here, in this dimension. In the future.

"Imagine the Powers dismay when a vampire responsible for decades of mayhem and murder gets a soul and sacrifices his life for the world. Can't let him through the pearly gates, that would cause a hell of a ruckus; but technically he's a martyr so he can't be sent downstairs either. Also, he's been a good guy. He's followed the path he was placed on and went where he was supposed to go up until he was handed a necklace meant for someone else. Even then he stepped in and took one for the team. This guy deserves a reward, right?

"So that's what They did. They solved their problem by rewarding the vamp with a trip back home. They wiped his memory to give him a fresh start and arranged for the feelings his girl had for him to be returned, just a little early and not nearly as warped by suffering as they had been during his original timeline.

"Are you saying the Powers arranged for Buffy to love Spike as a reward for his sacrifice?" Giles is cleaning his glasses again. How many pairs does he have?

"No. I'm saying that the powers allowed her to feel them earlier than she would have felt them if they hadn't bent time. On the up side they also twisted events a little so she didn't have to send Angel to hell for a hundred years in order to close Acathla. You should have seen what that did to her the last time around. It was hideous. Even I cried a little."

"Where does the First Evil come in?" I interject. Why is Giles so hung up on my feelings for Spike? I'm just glad there's no spell.

"And what's up with the lightshow every time we hold hands?" Spike asks from behind me.

"And why is Spike holding a cross?" snits Angel.