The Forget Me Not Series

"How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable. So condescending
unnecessarily critical. I have the tendency of getting very physical. So watch
your step cause if I do you'll need a miracle. Does it kill? Does it burn? Is it
painful to learn That it's me that has all the control?" ~ Maroon 5

If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is a part of yourself. What
isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us?

--Herman Hesse

Ugh. I hate screaming kids.

--Guy Ritchie

Forget Me Not Part 9- Harder to Breathe

Wesley walked down the hall of Wolfram and Heart with his cell phone. He nodded
to one of his employees, Lutz. He was a good fellow. He had helped Wesley with
tracking down all the surviving Watchers. It turned out there were quite a few
of them. They had scattered about the world when the Watcher Headquarters was
blown up. What was difficult was convincing them to not pick up where they left
off but, Wesley would make sure that this Council would be different. They would
not merely delegate responsibility to underlings. They would be agents as well
as teachers and they would become something they couldn't even imagine being
before -- respectful.

"I don't approve of this!" Mr. Wydam-Pryice said, "I don't approve of this at
all, Wesley."

Wesley continued walking down the hall. He almost bumped into Angel's secretary.
He would have if she didn't move out of the way. Why was he suddenly so clumsy?

"I've worked very hard to do this, Father. It's up to you as to whether you want
be a part of it."

Wesley's clamped his mouth shut tightly. He really didn't want his father to be
any part of it.

But of course, his father had gotten word that Wes was reforming the Council. He
realized he was a fool to be surprised that his father still was in
communication with the remains of the Council, it had been the old man's whole
life. Wesley wondered what his father was doing with his days of retirement. He
certainly wasn't talking to his mother. He found himself wondering if his
parents had ever been in love.

Wesley smiled at Fred as she walked up the stairs. Wolfram and Heart had this
staircase that a lot of men employees habitually stood under and loitered.
Wesley realized that you could see up women's skirts if you stood there. Fred
was wearing a dress today, a very tasteful professional garment. Wesley walked
briskly to get under the stairs and shoo away some employee with an icy glare.
His father was now giving him a lecture on why the making all the potentials
Slayers had been an awful idea, as if Wesley had anything to do with it.

"...You are very fortunate there weren't more dire consequences then a few young
girls losing their lives in battle with that dreadful spell," Mr.Wyndam-Pryce
was saying as Wesley tuned back in.

"That spell saved the world, Father," Wesley reminded him.

"Still, the Slayers were made to be young girls and be chosen one at a time for
a reason. Girls are easier to control. They look to us -- The Watchers -- for
guidance. They cannot be out there alone. It's amazing that each of them didn't
take over every shopping mall in the world, or some such chaos," his father
said.

"Dare I say, the world is a very different place from when you were a Watcher--"

"Yes, that's what you told me when you lost control of your Slayer. She was much
more dangerous than a teenager with a desire for clothes. I believe she had a
desire for blood. I hear she is the one Slayer now. One of the Council's
greatest limitations is that we couldn't control who was chosen as the one
Slayer."

"Indeed," Wesley said flatly, "things change, and this Council is going to be a
different sort of Council. We aren't going to just move all the pieces we've
been given into place and wait for evil to move."

"What on Earth are you talking about?" his father demanded.

It was amazing how well version wireless worked. It was really like his father
was standing there. He could almost see that look of disgust. The one he got
where Wesley had the nerve to think of his own theories.

"Well, I want this Council to be doing a sharing spell of its own of sorts. We
should share the knowledge we have and not only work with Slayers, but with
anyone who fights the mission," Wesley said.

"Yes, that's what you've been doing for the past few years, isn't it? Giving
over all the secret knowledge it's that we have been protecting for eras and
giving it over to the most awful vampire in history and a bunch of upstarts,"
his father grumbled.

"Yes, and now the vampire and the upstarts and I also share the knowledge in the
multibillion dollar corporation that I am part owner of," Wesley smiled
satisfactorily.

"Yes, did your murdering Slayer help you take over that corporation with your
murdering vampire?"

"Well, in a way, yes," he continued to smile as he stood under the stairs with
his back to them.

"I bet that rogue Slayer of yours had a hand in that God awful spell!"

"Indeed," Wesley had been smiling tightly for thirty whole seconds, "without her
saving the world wouldn't have been possible."

"Well, I do hope that you've at least been keeping her under control. I suppose
I would have heard about it if you hadn't been," his father snipped.

"The rogue Slayer, --- Faith, is no longer a problem at all."

Wesley smile was finally squashed. He walked into his office and looked out at
the sprawling LA skyline.

"Still, she should at least be in the Cleveland Hellmouth. What is she doing on
that re-risen town on a closed Hellmouth?" his father asked. You had to hand it
to the bastard, he still was up to date with all the latest.

"Well, at first she stayed because we were suspicious of the town resurrecting,
and then it seemed that there was a high amount of demonic activity going on
there even though the Hellmouth was still closed," Wesley explained.

"America," his father scoffed "even when their Hellmouths close they are still
out of control. I heard a vampire rose from that Hellmouth too. The railroad
spike one, Spike. Is he the cause of the demonic activity?"

"Well, yes and no. Do you remember anything about the Rhoshobi prophecy that was
to come to pass in the first decade of the new millennium?"

Wesley's voice had lost his flatness. He would be the one to inform his father
of the real story, and how he figured it all out and saved Faith.

"Something about a Slayer being burned and joined with a vampire, and this was
to end ahinghings as we knew them... Don't tell me this is your Slayer's fate
with Mr. Railroad Spike? Send her back to prison, or have this newly formed
Council of yours share it's knowledge to have a few roughnecks take care of
her!"

"I found a better way to handle it, Father," Wesley cut him off quickly as he
almost knocked some books off his shelf, "we are going to remove the Slayer
demon from the girl -- from Faith. Then she'll be--"

"How on Earth are you going to do that? There are limits to what your science
can do, boy!"

His father had always criticized him for not being practical enough, an als also
criticized him for being too practical .

"There are ways. I have resources the Council wouldn't-- couldn't use," Wes
to
told him.

He wasn't about to tell his father that he was using the infamous Alistair
Crowley to remove Faith's slayer demon, or that Faith had gone to the shadow
dimension to take in more of the demon. Wesley was almost afraid that his father
would somehow "take care" of Faith himself. The old Council didn't seem to
believe in redemption. Not that Wesley believed for a second that Crowley had
redeemed himself, but, evil people had to eat, too, and would do all sorts of
things for obscene amounts of mo Cro Crowley asked that his adopted Grandson,
Robin Wood, not be told about the money. That was easily done. Wesley wasn't
about to tell Faith about the money either. She was too proud and would refuse
Wesley's money, even if it was to save her from a fate worse than death. It
seemed that Crowley, evil as he was, cared about what his Grandson thought of
him, so there was another reason to trust him. Robin Wood was Crowley's adopted
Grandson and Faith's boyfriend. Wesley was Faith's Watcher, so it seemed natural
that he would help. It was a family affair, and like any family affair there
were a few little secrets and lies.

"My God, you're not going to do it with magic, are you? Even you have more sense
than that. I think you should have the girl taken care of," his father insisted.

"She is taken care of, Father. The Slayer isn't going to be a threat to anyone
... or herself," Wesley sighed as he mindlessly copied the picture of the Shadow
Demon he had seen in one of his books. He wasn't goto lto let his father throw
him off. There were no loose ends.

"Well, then there is still the question of the vampire," his father said.

"What do you mean?" he tried to say in a relaxed manner. He would not be
rattled. He was no longer a gangly boy, he was an executive, a rogue demon
hunter, and an occult expert. There was nothing he didn't know.

"Oh, dear boy, don't you know about the railroad spike vampire, Spike, or
William the Bloody. He killed two Slayers. Some threthree--"

"Of course I know about Spi-- Really? Some say three?" Wesley gasped.

"Say by some miracle you remove the Slayer demon from the girl. There is still
the matter of Spike. He is a maniac. Relentless. If he wants to burn Hell into
that girl he'd stop at nothing to do it."

"I wish I could tell you he's changed," Wesley laughed now. He wished his father
could have seen the vampire he was warning him about now. The last Wesley saw of
him he seemed on the verge of tears like a brokenhearted school boy as Faith
cast him out for his sins.

"Monsters like that don't change. He was the closest I've ever come to dying in
the line of duty," his father sighed.

"I beg your pardon?"

When had his father fought any real battles? He hadn't known about it.

"He was with his paramour, Drusilla, and she had a desire for young blood. She
was too mad to get it on her own, but with Spike behind her she always did. We
knew about plans of theirs to slaughter an orphanage. We tried to stop them. He
killed two of my men. One rather brutally because he attempted to kill Drusilla.
I'll spare you the details, it's all quite unseemly. At least we managed to save
some children. It seemed it was she who wanted the children, but it was he who
was tenacious about getting them for her. I wish we could have killed them."

"I'm sorry, Father," Wesley heard himself say. Had his father just admitted to a
failure? Wesley had seen many slaughtered, but there really was nothing more
disturbing than a slaughtered child. Could he and his father actually exchange
battle stories? Regrets?

"Ah, it was a long time ago. 1963. You were only two."

"No, I was five years shy of being born Father. You're thinking of Aurther."

"No, no you where two. I remember because your mother didn't want me to go. She
didn't want to be a widow with a young baby."

"Well, that ss ses senisible, but that was Aurther. He was the one who was two
in 1963."

Wesley never realized his mother had to think of such things. Had she thought of
it every time his father went away? When had she just stopped caring? Was it why
she seemed to stop caring about his father? Wesley could understand the need of
shutting out someone who seemed out to destroy himself, but that wasn't what his
father had been doing.

"Ah, yes. Well, remove the threat of the girl, because as long as she is alive
Spike is a threat to you."

"I have the problem with the Slayer resolved. She won't be a threat to anyone. I
have more influence over her now than I did in the past, and she has no desire
to be anywhere near the vampire," Wesley assured.

He heard someone rummaging through his closet. Fred, she needed something again.

"Wesley, I'm sure you know that a woman's desire's are very fickle and
fleeting," his father warned.

It was almost a kind warning. His father should only know Fred when she desired
an answer to something, it was neither fickle nor fleeting. She would go as far
as to rummage through his closet without asking.

"And if you know Spike, you know he is very cunning," his father said.

"Perhaps, but when you have no one on your side cunning may not be ... enough."

Wesley's voice fell on the "enough." He was shocked his father would give him
credit about knowing anything, but. But, that wasn't why his voice hit the
bottom of his throat. The closet door had sprung open. The knob had hit the wall
without abandon.

Wesley forced himself to stop conveying his shock. He locked wit with the icy
blue ones before him. He had to figure out just how this happened.

"Excuse me, Father, but, I'll have to call you back," he said coolly and tucked
his his phone.

"What do you think your doing? Who let you in here? Who do you think you are?"
he demanded in a low, but fierce voice.

The vampire opened his mouth and then pulled it back into a smug satisfied
smile. He had only encountered him a few times, but Wesley was already familiar
with that look.

"In order, Percy: I'm looking through all your personal papers. A good bloke
doesn't rat out his connection. I'm the man who’s going to save the Slayer from
her bitter poncey watcher, and I think I'm going to have fun while I do it,"
Spike said.

Wesley quickly drew up his arm and pushed the bottom on his holster so a stake
would fly out of his sleeve.

"My, my. You're full of surprises," Spike chuckled as he caught the stake
between his hands.

It was pointing right at his heart.

"You're not. I should have known you'd lash out at me for taking your toy away,"
Wesley said as he advanced towards the vampire.

"She's not a bloody toy! She's not a pawn you can use in your game of risk and
she is not a sacrificial lamb for the slaughter you caused!"

Now the vampire had him by the throat against the wall. His eyes no longer blue,
but yellow. He had stopped looked like an overpaid rock star, but a demon.
Wesley had to remember that Spike wasn't an ordinary vampire.

"I think you're getting us confused I never caused a slaughter in my life. I've
only stopped them, and I didn't use Slayers as an excuse to do so."

Like Angelus he was easily distracted from killing by a battle of wits. So,
Wesley would have to keep his wits about him. He hoped he could do so as it was
getting harder to breath. Why would he kill him here? Just to show he could?
Surely he would be caught and Faith would know. Is that what he wanted? It was
extremely probable that Spike had lost all reason, and wanted to go out in some
wicked blaze, like Faith had herself years ago.

"Yes, you did and you bloody know it!...And the first reason you're alive right
now is that I want to hear you admit it...and the second reason is I want you to
make amends."

The vampire's voice sounded like it was racked with misery, about what Wesley
didn't know. Wesley had nothing to make amends for, if Spike wanted him to
apologize for telling Faith that he had killed Nikki Wood, he was insane.

"Why are we keeping him alive after that again?" a young voice said as it
entered the room and shut the door.

Of course! Connor would be Spike's ally. Wesley should have known that, but why
did this alliance go as far as to kill Wesley for telling Faith that Spike had
killed Nikki Wood?

"Boy, what are you doing?" Spike asked Connor.

It was odd. He had completely let go of Wesley and turned back into his human
face "You're supposed to disable security and keep watch."

Wesley took this opportunity to run. Unfortunately, he ran into Spike's fist.
Indeed, not an ordinary vampire. Wesley's unfortunate ordinary nose felt broken.

"Yeah, I'm done," Connor sighed lazily. He was wearing a blazer that for some
reason had a Ramones T-shirt under it. Was that what passed for business casual
these days?

"You couldn't have disabled security here. It's impossible," Wesley sneered at
the boy from the floor as he whipped blood off his lip. He angrily tasted the
familiar saltiness of it in his mouth.

"Not when it comes to just doing it for you're office. You see once we got Spike
past the mystical vamp boundaries it was easy. See, you're office is really only
secured with cameras and well, it's really easy to rig a camera."

The boy was spng ing in Wesley's desk chair in a light obnoxious voice that
Wesley would love to smack out of him. Then he stopped spinning and kept the
voice, but the look in his eyes was deadly.

"All you need is basic knowledge of how a digital cable network in an
independent system works, which you can get in any advanced mechanics class. I
can tell you what I did, but you might think it’s kind of boring compared to the
other stuff we want to discuss."

"Don't ya just love 'em?" Spike asked with a laugh. "The boy's not only bloody
McGuyver, but he's quite obnoxious as well, and he appreciates the classics."

"Yeah, I'm up on the Classics....like burning and cutting and breaking bones,"
Connor walked over the Wesley who had now gotten up and stuck his face into his.


The boy seemed to be daring Wesley to hit him.

"See, funny as hell...He knew I meant that he liked The Clash and the Pistols...
Distortion, but do they really make it to the classics?" Spike asked as he
gently took the boy by the shoulders and made him back away from Wesley a bit.

"Sure they do. They're old and good."

Wesley just waited. What were they trying to tell him other than they were
friends and they wanted to beat him silly over Faith? With these two that could
be all they wanted, but Wesley realized they had gone to too much trouble for
just that.

"Social Distortion-Old. Can you believe him?" Spike shook his head with that
smug smile, as he grabbed Wesley's arm in a way where if he tried to fight back
it would break.

"Well, maybe they are old. I bet you were a randy college boy busy not getting a
shag when they came out. And now look at you, a Week-end Warrior still hard up,
but it doesn't matter as much because while your still hard up your entering the
age where you have a problem getting hard. It's good to be young? Right, Blade?"
Spike asked Angel's son who laughed.

"The only thing that's going to be hard up is the stake I drive up through your
heart and I'm a warrior seven days a week," Wesley said hitting Spike as hard as
he could with his free arm.

It did set him off balance a bit. He let go of Wesley's arm, and Wesley enjoyed
no longer feeling the pain. It felt like a blood-pressure machine had released
its grip on him.

"That's it. Is that how hard you're own Dad used to give it to you? Not very
fair to a little boy, but, you'll have your own to take it out on. There'll be
hell for your bits to pay, huh?" Spike smiled.

Wesley was happy his nose was bleeding, but he realized it was clearly not
broken. He'd hit the Slayer-Killing vampire enough to get temporary relief. What
ever this was going to be Wesley would survive it, and Spike would be caught and
made to pay.

"Or, he'll just take someone else's and send them there!" Connor said and kicked
Wesley, who fell on the floor.

Wesley had never been clearer as to why Angel made him forget this boy. His
kicks felt like internal stabs.

"Blade, I need you to stop playing angry young man and start playing young
corporate climber. I know which one you really are, and I like him, but we don't
want to look suspicious," Spike said to Connor.

"Why are you afraid of Dad busting in?"

"Bugger, that smart-mouth can turn on you, right ol' boy? So defiant.. you know
about that. How should I handle the boy? You seem to have such lovely
ideas...Maybe if you can help me out with the Slayer, I can overlook them,"
Spike was looking down at Wesley, smiling.

Wesley now understood now. Spike turned the boy against him by bringing out that
Wesley was the one to give Connor to Holtz. Now if Wesley didn't agree to let
Spike have Faith he would have the boy kill him. As far as cunning plans went it
didn't suck, except for the doing it at Wolfram and Heart part. Why did they
decide to do it here?

"Look, if this is about my taking Connor away from Angel and Holtz taking him to
that Hell dimension I don't see--"

"You shut you're fucking mouth!" the boy roared and ran furiously at Wesley.

"Connor! Blade, easy we don't want to be getting dead ex-watcher out of the
carpet."

Spike grabbed the boy. He apparently didn't want Wesley killed. He really
thought there was a chance that Wesley would convince Faith that it was a good
idea to have an impure vampire soul burned into her. This vampire was different.
He was an idiot.

"I hate to tell you, vampire, but I'm no longer going to be an Ex-Watcher. The
Council is being reformed," Wesley smiled through blood.

"I know, I heard you on the phone with Daddy. I would think you were too busy
playing double O seven to take on rebuilding a place that fired you. What's the
matter? You want a second chance? A high school reunion to show them the big man
you've become?" Spike asked.

Wesley did feel like he was in secondary school again as the boy laughed for
Spike. All bullies need an audience, and the beatings had felt this painful, but
Wesley knew that this beating now was far worse than any he recieved back then.
If only he could go back and tell his young self what he had learned to
withstand, all his high school assaults would feel like cake.

"No," Wesley said dully "I'm suddenly realizing the importance of certain
vampires being put in their place."

"Well, I'm flattered, all for little ol' me and I'm not even the big bad
anymore," Spike mused.

Did he really think that? Did he still really believe that he was going to save
Faith by burning an impure soul into her with all the evidence pointing to it
being her end?

"No Spike. You're worse. You're an evil being that thinks he's good. You think
you're different because of you're soul, but you're not you're exactly the same.
Look at you. You love this."

"Oh, no. Oh God you're right! I DO love beating on pompous asses who endanger
girls, so I can't get to them first. Good lord, I really must take a good look
at myself after this is all over."

Spike's sarcasm was so deadpan it almost sounded serious. "You stupid, git! If
anyone doesn't realize which side he's fighting for it's you. Wolfram & bloody
Heart....Handing the boy over to the enemy...Bringing out the worst vampire of
all time. Working with his weaker half who doesn't seem to be able to keep hold
of that slippery little soul. At least I'm better than you're boss."

"You're right. You're no Angel; just like you were no Angelus.,"

Now Wesley had his attention. He rose painfully from the floor and sank into his
leather chair opposite his desk. "You're more dangerous now than when you were
soulless; you killed the weak before, but now you really prey on them."

"Well, this is actually a bit out of my routine. But, if beating on a weak
Watcher who drains strength from everyone else will make him put things right, I
step up."

"I am not talking about me! I am talking about Faith and Connor. I'm sure you
brought out Faith's sadistic nature when she fought by your side and now you've
lost her, so you're enthralling Angel's son. Preying on their instability, their
recklessness. Angel saved both Faith and Connor by removing that from them, and
you brought it back to them. You'll destroy them for your own enjoyment!"

"My father saved no one! He threw me away, just like you tried to do to Faith.
Just like you tried to do to both of us!" Connor spat at Wesley.

Wesley felt himself get punched. It was better than running into a fist
yourself. He had to stay focused. What tripe had Spike been feeding this boy,
and how dangerous was he?

"Boy, you aren't listening to me. I said go and keep watch. Not go and beat on
Watcher!... Please, I know how to get what we want," the vampire said.

His snide tone was completely gone, but there was the same firmness behind it.
The boy's eyes narrowed at Wesley, but then he turned and left.

"Kids." Spike snorted and pointed with his thumb to the door the boy had exited.

"You're disgusting," Wesley spat.

"You don't like the way I'm handling the boy. Well, like I said, you having such
lovely ideas. What should I do with him?" Spiked asked putting his hands behind
his back and circling the chair.

"I thought you would like the fact that I took Connor away from Angel. I did it
because I didn't trust Angel. I made the mistake of not remembering that Angel
and Angelus have a clear separation. Just like I made the mistake of not
realizing there is no such separation in you, Spike. You're using my mistakes to
manipulate the boy is actually very clever," Wesley told him expecting obnoxious
but sincere gloating, which would lead into Spike telling Wesley the full
details of his plan.

"I'm not interested in how you failed your boyfriend, or why the boy has more
than one reason to hate his Dad's man right now... But you seem to be. You want
to punish the boy. He made you look quite the fool, being beaten by such a tiny
little thing, and he out smarted you....Maybe, maybe you can inject him full of
mystical smack and make him fight the meanest vampire on Earth as punishment for
wising off to you? That would really show him who's boss, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Wesley's eyed widened as the vampire grabbed the
back of his head. He often killed by breaking necks. He only seemed to feed when
there was some kind of attraction.

"If you ask me that again I WILL kill you. If there's one thing I can't stand
it's evasiveness. Maybe that's why Peach and I never got along. I've always
owned up to all my deeds."

"Just like you owned up to killing Nikki Wood," Wesley grinned, even though he
was sure his back was about to betray him.

Perhaps, this would prolong whatever torture was in store, but it would save his
life. The vampire tied him to his chair. He had brought rope.

"Now, who has used whose mistakes to manipulate who?" Spike asked more calmly
than Wesley expected.

"I only told Faith the truth," Wesley grunted as Spike pulled his head back
farther than Wesley thought it would go.

"Yes, and you're timing was so bloody perfect wasn't it? Should she go with me
and become rightfully bound with the shadow demon, or should she go with you and
have her essence ripped out of her by an evil warlock?"

"Rightfully bound? To you? To that demon? That demon has killed Slayers and the
people around them long before you started doing it. Faith has worked hard to be
redeemed. She doesn't deserve something that draws out her darkness." Wesley
refused to grunt as the vampire tighly tied him up.

"Her darkness has bite, doesn't it? Sounds like she was a real terror. You know,
I really thought Buffy suffered from her little tantrum the most, but it seems
like you did. I mean who was responsible? Who not only had to take the torture
from her, but the torture of looking like a failure? Wouldn't it be bloody
brilliant if the man who was responsible for her failing as a Slayer could
somehow find a way to strip away her Slayer powers?"

Spike now had a knife to Wesley's face. There was something familiar about the
way in which he was cutting Wesley.

"You came in here to read records. Records about how Faith tortured me, so you
could reenact it," Wesley said.

"Yes," Spike answered, "and I'm slacking off. I didn't hit you enough and you
were bound and gagged and it was more of a kitchen chair. I knew we'd have to
improvise. It's amazing how bloody accurate files and records are. They get all
the little nasties down."

He punched Wesley again.

"How would you know?" Wesley laughed.

"I knew that you would be enough of an ego maniac to have all the files and
records that were about you transferred into your office... I know that she
wanted you to beg and you never did," Spike said casually as continued to cut
Wesley.

"That's right," Wesley said firmly. Faith had been better at it all. She had
jumped in his lap and squashed his testicles flat. Wesley didn't think the
vampire would be doing that. He wished he was sure. At least Spike wouldn't
humilate him about having an unmet sexual desire for him.

"There's that anger I was looking for. Did you want her to beg? Oh, no, she
couldn't could she? She was too busy dying--- in Hell, with the most sadistic
vampire in history, that you brought out!" Spike roared.

"But, she didn't die, and I won't let her go to Hell again-- not with you!"
Wesley said as he grunted in pain. Spike was cutting deeper than Faith now. If
Faith had never done this to Wesley Spike wouldn't have her example to improve
upon. Wesley would be damned if he was going to allow Faith to fall back into
being a monster with a soul like Spike.

"I know. If it were all up to you only Angelus would be able to have her, after
all Angel had to be the one to save her. There's your clear sodding separation!
Pretty sly having the boss do your old job. You only save the best for your man.
Anyway, You're lasting longer than I thought. When are you gonna call me a piece
of shit?"

"Is that all you want? Why didn't you say so? Spike, you're a piece of shit,"
Wesley laughed.

"Is that how you said it to her? Laughing, finally letting some emotion through.
That's why she did it, you know? She just wanted your attention. No, you don't
know. You don't know her. You never gave a toss about her. Never did you're
bloody job!"

"I did my bloody job! " Wesley yelled, "I taught her how to fight, and what you
had to sacrifice to fight. If Faith had died saving Angel she would have died a
hero. That's what a Slayer is. A hero, before she is anything else, no matter
how much you want her to be something else. Faith understood that. She
understands it now. So, I've done my job. Now let's get this over with. What do
you want?"

"How do you know this isn't just what I want? A little bleed and burn for the
girl - the hero- you're putting in harm's way?" Spike smirked as he chucked.

"I know what you want. You'd have tortured me much more if this was only for
your own pleasure. It's always about the girl with you, William. You want Faith.
What I don't understand is how you think you can get her like this."

Wesley could feel his blood mix with his sweat. It stung like cheap after-shave.
He could almost smell cheap aftershave with the blood and sweat. He knew it was
a hallucination. So, he was getting to the hallucination part? It was ame,ame,
since this was a reenactment of his torture session with Faith that he couldn't
use the same coping mechanisms with Spike. Picturing Spike naked would only make
all of this more disturbing.

"Ah, pulling out my files from Watcher 101... It's true. I do want Faith, like
you, and like you I know I'll never have her. But, unlike you, Percy, I don't
want to hurt her. I want to save her."

"You really believe that don't you? I can hear it in your voice. I thought
Drusilla was the mad one. I'm the one saving her you fool- from the shadow demon
consuming her- from you consuming her. You're no good Spike. You didn't
resurrect correctly. Your resurrection is so wrong that an entire normally
peaceful demon race wants you and Faith dead rather than seeing her be touched
by you and God help me I'm also helping to save you from their assassination
attempts."

And, Wesley would save Faith from this pathetic adolescent monster, and the one
inside her that he wanted to bring out. It would be metaphoric, if it wasn't
quite literal. Spike personified some of the worst qualities in Faith. For the
first time Wesley realized that while Faith was smiling when she cut into him
her face was grey and drawn. Spike didn't have any of that besides the natural
paleness he carried, that had nothing to do with physically manifested guilt.
Thank God the Rhoshobi Clan had a prophecy warning the world about what would
happen if Spike got inside Faith.

"So, the bloody Rhoshobi's say Spike's come back wrong. Almost forgot about
those buggers. Just because something is 'normally peaceful' doesn't mean it's
good. Look at you. You're just asking her to surrender herself to their wishes.
To not even question them. I bet you wish that she did that with you. Good
Slayers don't lie down. They fight, and they keep fighting. Isn't that how Faith
has lasted? Isn't that how she out-lasted you? You say you want to save her,
Watcher. Then do it. Tell her not to do this black bloody magic that you know
will rip her apart. Get Crowley back to the rock you found him under."

"You're delusional! My understanding with Crowley is Faith's only chance for
survival."

Wesley grimaced and it hurt his cuts.

"What was you're understanding with the Orpheus dealer? What was Faith's chance
for survival there? You're so full of shit it's seeped into your brain. You can
live in denial all you wanter yer you call off Faith's appointment with that
Slayer killer!" Spike roared as he broke Wesley's finger.

"What are you tng ang about?" Wesley demanded with a painful grunt. "The only
Slayer killer I stopped from killing her is you."

"Oh c'mon, Percy. You're a smart boy. You must know a thing or two about
Alistair. Now, call her. Tell her you've realized removing the Slayer demon with
him would have been a one way ticket to her death. We can all hold hands and
pretend you didn't know before. I'll bet you don't know her number, so I'll dial
it for you," Spike said as he held a piece of glass to Wesley's face one hand
and now the phone in the other.

"No," Wesley breathed out through his nose and his nostrils flared. "Crowley
isn't my favorite person, but I know he's a wise business man. He can't afford
to make an enemy of Wolfram and Hart. He can't afford to make an enemy of me,
and neither can you. Now, get out of here before Angel discovers your here."

"You bloody admit you're giving her over to that man knowing what he is! You're
the bloody devil. You sit here and bleed, but you've got it all. Magic and
minions to carry out your punishments for you. And, the whole bloody time the
people you have in your pocket think they are the big bads, while you can
pretend to sit here with good intentions. You want Alistair Crowley to finish
the job you started with the Orpheus," Spike growled after he socked Wesley in
the face.

"No. I needed a power warlock that was willing to remove a shadow demon, a demon
that is the origin of the Slayer. It's very powerful and very dark. Sometimes
you have to work with the darkness to save someone. Look at all the times that
Buffy worked with you. You can cut me all you want, I'll never advise Faith to
go off with you. At least Alistair Crowley knows what kind of man he is."

"Need you to help me out here a bit. How is it coming off that this is a
request? Because we really need to fix that. You think because I have a soul I
won't kill you? Call it off," Spike said as he began dialing.

"The girl deserves some peace and I intend to see that she has it. It's too
late, Spike. Everything is in place. You and everything else that could destroy
her will be gone. No matter what you do to me," Wesley said through gritted
teeth.

"Bloody Hell! You've really deluded yourself into thinking thau wau want to do
right by her."

The vampire actually seemed surprised.

Then, the boy entered the room. He didn't look as cocky.

"So, is it over? Has he called her? You need to get out of here. Angel's looking
for him now. I don't like this, Spike. If you already made him call Faith to
stop the magic we should take him somewhere, or else he'll just talk. He'll say
we made him call it off and he'll convince Faith that using black magic is the
right thing all over again," he sighed.

"'Fraid we have to rework this a bit, Blade. Head-boy here isn't going to budge.
The git really thinks he's doing the right thing," the vampire sighed.

"What?" the boy roared, "You mean Faith is still going to go to that black magic
guy because of him! W-what are we gonna do now?"

"Well, we still have to stop Faith from ripping out her very essence, don't we?
Or else she'll most likely die. I suppose we could--"

"You fucking asshole!" the boy roared, and charged Wesley. In seconds, he broke
the chair and was pummeling him.

"Well, I don't think that'll work, but don't stop on my account," The vampire
sighed carelessly before Wesley lost consciousness.

End of part 9! OH what Happens now?? Go to 10 --->