Boats Against the Current

Boats Against the Current (Chapter Ten)


Fortunately, Xander had made it back to the mansion in record time, though sadly without the Wheetabix Spike had requested. His explanation that it could only be found at a specialty store did little to mollify Angel’s annoyed childe, but at least he’d brought food for everyone else, including a goodly supply of blood from Willie’s. It had been awhile since Angel had tasted human blood that wasn’t Willow’s, but in a situation like this, he wasn’t going to be holier-than-thou and insist on animal blood. He couldn’t be sure, after all, that the butcher wasn’t an informant for either Adam or the Initiative. Willie, on the other hand, was too much of a weasel to go up against Angelus or the Slayer.

Willow was almost scarfing down a blueberry muffin. Xander had remembered things like bacon and eggs, but no one was patient enough to wait for food that required preparation, instead ravenously devouring the muffins and doughnuts he had also bought.

Oz looked pensive as he ate his jelly doughnut, though, and it occurred to Angel that, while Willow had spent the night cradled in the arms of someone who loved her, the wolf had been all alone with his nightmares. Shaking his head at the irony of what he was doing, he walked over to where Oz was sitting slightly apart from the others.

“Hey,” he said. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Oz replied, though the tone of his voice said quite the opposite.

“Willow told me about what happened there.”

“It was pretty bad,” Oz said.

“Yes, it was. I…thanks.”

“For what?” Oz was more surprised than Angel.

“For not giving in. A lot of demons would have and you didn’t, so…” Impulsively, he held his hand out to Oz, who took it. “I mean it. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s everything.”

The handshake ended and there was companionable quiet for a moment or two.

“Thanks,” Oz said.

Angel nodded and walked back to where Willow and Xander were having an animated argument about someone called…Little Debbie?

“I can’t believe you like that crap, Xander!”

“I’m not saying it’s as good as Hostess, but when you’re on a budget…”

“You should go hungry first! Little Debbie tastes like cardboard.”

Huh?

Willow turned and saw that he was there and pleaded with him. “Angel, tell Xander that Little Debbie is rancid and inedible.”

Angel felt like a deer caught in the headlights. What in the heck were they talking about? “I…umm…”

“I’m thinking Deadboy isn’t too familiar with snack food, Wills.”

Oh, so that’s what they were arguing about. And now it suddenly made sense.

The fact that Willow was having a silly disagreement like this with her best friend made Angel smile. She was bouncing back nicely. He looked back at Oz, who seemed less weighed-down than before. Both of them were on the mend. Angel might not be much with regular humans, but at least he was good with witches and werewolves…most importantly with witches. He pulled Willow to her feet and hugged her. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” she said. “Even though you didn’t back me up.”

He held her close, enjoying her warmth and the sunshine of her smile as she looked up at him.

“Any doughnuts left for a hungry Slayer?”

Oh great. Buffy was here. She’d better not have brought that sadist of hers. He held tight to Willow, even as he turned his head to see just who all had burst in.

“Willow and Angel aren’t having sex,” Anya said immediately.

“I…uh…didn’t think they were.” Buffy looked and sounded very confused.

“Well that’s good, because they aren’t.” Anya shot a glance at Xander, who was obviously tamping down an enormous amount of annoyance. Cordelia probably looked pretty good at this moment.

Willow slowly disengaged from Angel’s arms, trying to be very inconspicuous about it. Angel didn’t have the heart – or inclination – to tell her she looked guilty as hell. Maybe it was finally time for Buffy to learn the truth. After all, how much of an ally could she really be, sleeping with the enemy as she was?

“How’d you figure out where we were, Buff?” Xander said, by way of distraction.

“It wasn’t too hard. I mean, where else would you go?” Buffy was staring at Angel and Willow, her brow slightly furrowed. “How are you, Willow?”

“She’s holding up well, under the circumstances,” Angel answered for her.

“What do you mean?”

This time it was Oz who answered, getting up and walking towards the rest of them. “Your boyfriend’s buddies thought it would be cool to try and force me to rape her.”

“Oh my god!”

“Nice taste in men you have there, Buffy,” Cordelia sniped. She and Xander and Oz and Spike were all gathered close to Willow and Angel now. Angel couldn’t have been more gratified by the way their loyalty was being displayed.

“But you didn’t…did you?” Buffy ignored Cordelia.

“No, Buffy, he didn’t. But I think the point you’re missing here is that Willow and Oz were stripped and abused and victimized by your boyfriend’s little commando playmates and that’s bad enough.” Thank you, Xander Harris. While it hurt to see the haunted look return to Willow’s eyes, Angel was grateful that her friend understood the magnitude of what had happened and was more than willing to stand up for her.

“I know. But at least…”

“At least what, Buffy? At least we got there in time to keep Riley’s team from watching a live sex show starring someone you claim is your friend? Gosh, I’m sure that just makes all the rest of it go away. I, for one, didn’t hear Willow or Oz wake up screaming even once last night.”

“Cordy,” Willow chided.

“What? Tell me you are not expecting me to be tactful with Miss High and Mighty Selfish One. Because that is so not going to happen.”

Willow stared into his face, but Angel wasn’t going to insist on tact from his seer either. Frankly, he was glad for both her and Xander’s frankness right now.

“Hate to say it, Red, but I’m on Madame Zelda’s side here. The Slayer has never been one to think that anyone but her has ever suffered and it’s about time she learned that what happens to other people matters, too.” Angle stifled a grin. Spike was always good at getting to the point.

“What’s going on here?” Buffy asked, clearly upset at having been rounded on by all and sundry.

“Nothing, Buffy. We’re all just tired.” Willow attempted to mollify her friend and to bring down the level of vitriol in the conversation, but Angel and the others were not on that page.

“I can’t believe you,” Angel hissed. “You really think this is all about you?”

“Is this about me and Riley?” Buffy asked, completely and utterly clueless. “Angel, I…”

“Oh bugger it,” Spike groused and Angel got a very nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. “He’s moved on, Slayer. He doesn’t give a damn who you wrap those short legs of yours around these days.” Everyone was staring and Spike feigned utter innocence. “What? Harris figured it out, for hell’s sake. ‘Bout time the slow-witted bimbo here was brought up to speed.”

“What do you mean?” Buffy’s voice held as much fear as he’d ever heard from her before. Angel refused to hate himself for enjoying it.

“Willow and Angel are having sex.” Why was Angel so completely unsurprised to hear Anya’s grating voice?

“An!” Xander cried.

“What? I figured since Spike started it that it was okay for me to tell the truth now.” Anya turned back to Buffy. “I was lying before.”

“I think she figured that out,” Spike said. “Though it probably was a good idea for you to spell it out, seeing how challenged she is.”

“Spike!” Willow was clearly very upset.

“Angel?” Buffy’s voice was pleading and choked. “Is this true?”

Angel wasn’t the slightest bit moved. “Yes, it is. I wanted to tell you before, but it never seemed like a good time.”

“Buffy, I’m sorry…I…” Willow’s eyes were filling with tears. Angel put his arm around her. He was not going to let her bear the burden of this.

“How long?” Buffy’s voice was cold and Angel was angry. She had more raw nerve…she still thought of him as her property. Her pet vampire who was supposed to brood and pine over her forever while she went on her merry way and had a new love and a life of her own. He wasn’t sure he could control himself if he spoke, so he stayed silent.

“Why do you care, Buffy? It’s not like you haven’t moved on.” Xander to the rescue again. Angel had a disturbing desire to offer the boy a job.

“What do you mean, why do I care?”

“Oh don’t worry. He can’t lose his soul with Willow,” Anya chimed in, apparently trying to be helpful, though with her, who could tell?

Buffy’s eyes were as wide as could be now and she looked as if she’d been horribly betrayed. Again, Angel was disgusted. She reeked of her quasi-human soldier boy, but heaven forbid that Angel have the right to be with someone himself. This couldn’t be the girl he’d once loved, could it? “Is that true?”

“Yes. “ Angel’s tone was clipped. He still didn’t trust himself, but he wasn’t going to let Willow get dragged into this any more than absolutely necessary. This was, as far as he was concerned, a matter between him and Buffy. “I went to the Oracles and they said I can’t lose my soul with her.”

“The Oracles?”

“Yeah, the Oracles. They work for the Powers that Be.” Cordelia couldn’t be expected to keep silent forever. “They’re the ones who told us what we already knew – Angel and Willow are soulmates.”

While that last part played a bit fast and loose with the timeline of realizations and with the exact words of said Oracles, Angel was hardly inclined to correct her recitation. Every now and then, her relentless lack of tact and her projection of herself and her issues into every conflict were downright endearing. After this was all over, he figured a new pair of shoes would definitely be coming to her.

Buffy looked as if she would collapse if only she could figure out which way down was. Willow wanted to go to her, but Angel held her back. Buffy was not an injured party and he refused to allow Willow to coddle her.

“Yeah, Slayer. Looks like you’re second best. Not that we didn’t already know that.”

While Angel didn’t favour the kindest approach, Spike was carrying it a bit too far. “Stay out of this,” he admonished his childe.

Spike held his hands up in melodramatic fashion. William would never change.

“Buffy, I…” Willow refused to stay out of the fray.

“I don’t want to hear it. How could you do this to me?”

Just as Angel was about to let Buffy have it with both barrels, Xander stepped in. “What in the heck does any of this have to do with you? Last I heard, you and Angel were not a couple. You broke up quite awhile ago. You’ve moved on, not once, but twice.” Buffy winced and Angel was curious. He knew about Riley, of course, but…had there been someone else as well? Obviously not a long-term someone, that was for sure. Spike’s snicker confirmed that fact…and that it might not have been Buffy’s choice that it was such a brief relationship.

Xander, however, wasn’t finished. “Look, I know it’s not what you expected – it’s not what I expected either - but Willow and Angel fell in love and it has nothing whatsoever to do with you.”

“Xander…”

“No, Will, let me finish here. Buffy needs to deal with this.”

“No, what I need is to be out of here, away from this.” And with that, Buffy turned and nearly ran out the door.

“Buffy!” Willow called after her. She would have run, but Angel held fast to her arm.

“Let her go.”

“But she’s hurting and it’s my fault and…” She struggled, but he held her fast.

“Your fault for what? Do you regret…?” Angel couldn’t bear to finish that question.

She stopped trying to get away and looked into his eyes. “No, of course not. It’s just…”

“I know. But there was never going to be a time when she was going to be okay with this. I think it’s just as well that it’s out in the open now. After all, we can fight Adam without her. We’ve got a pretty good team here.”

“Damn right we do,” Spike said.

“Yeah, we do.” Oz’s voice was soft, but Angel was glad to hear he was on board. He had a feeling that, when it all came down to it, Oz would be a fierce fighter.

“Now that we’re down one Slayer, though, we’re a bit short on the folks with super powers.” Xander sounded a bit unsure.

“I just wish I was a little better with magick,” Willow sighed.

“You’re plenty good, Red.”

“Yeah, so good that you guys had to come rescue me and Oz.”

Angel pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. “There are limits to magick, Willow, especially when you’re new at it. You’ve come so far in such a short time, though. Wesley says he’s never seen anyone with so much natural ability.” He hated how small and helpless she felt right now.

“It’s not your fault, Willow.” Oz again. “None of it.” There was a great deal of meaning in the wolf’s words and they were all mindful of it. He was reminding her that Buffy’s opinion wasn’t shared by every ex-lover in the mix.

“Buffy’s my friend. I don’t want to lose her.”

“I don’t either, Will, but she needs to grow up. Angel isn’t her boyfriend anymore. It’s not like you stole him from her or anything.”

“No, this is nothing like what you did with Xander.” Anya always managed to say the wrong thing.

“Hey! The only person in this room who has a right to bring that up is me,” Cordelia interjected. “And since I’m not angry about it anymore, I think everyone should just shut up about it. And by everyone, I mean ex-vengeance demons who conjure up creatures from bizarro world and almost get me killed.”

Xander said nothing and looked utterly torn. Unfortunately, staying out of it was not an option for him.

“What kind of boyfriend are you?” Anya complained. “You’re supposed to be defending me.”

“An, I…” His voice trailed off; he obviously had no idea what to say.

Luckily, Spike did. “As entertaining as watching you two lovebirds have a tiff might be, I think we need to focus on the task at hand: Fighting Adam and shutting down the Initiative without a Slayer or an inside man.” Angel nearly fainted at the spectacle of his childe playing peacemaker, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Spike’s right,” Cordelia said, though her pain at saying so showed clearly on her face.

Everyone else contented themselves with nodding.

“Is anyone else still hungry?” Xander asked.

Some chuckling followed, but also much agreement. All the stress was enough to make them all ravenous. Angel himself could stand some more blood. “Why don’t I make some scrambled eggs for everybody?”

“I’ll make the bacon,” Willow chimed in. Oz stared. “I’m not so much with keeping kosher these days, what with being Wicca and all.”

“Eggs and bacon it shall be. Let’s go to the kitchen.” Angel took Willow’s hand.

“Bacon and eggs better be the only thing you guys make in there,” Cordelia admonished. “Because if I walk in on the two of you with the…”

“Cordy!” Willow was blushing beet red now. “We don’t need to talk about that.”

Angel grinned. Other than being interrupted by his nosy seer, that particular memory was a very fond one. Who knew a spatula had so many intriguing uses? And then there had been the whisk…and the basting brush…not to mention the tongs…

Best to get his mind back on less arousing topics. As much fun as it would be to baptize the mansion’s kitchen, he and Willow really needed to stick to the most prosaic sort of cooking. Besides, he was pretty sure she wasn’t yet ready for adventurous lovemaking after everything she’d been through.

Mindful that Anya was about to ask a question, Angel hustled Willow out of the room. Thinking about sex in a room full of other people was one thing, but that demon wench of Xander’s was never going to learn that talking about it in explicit detail was inappropriate in the company of anyone but one’s significant other, and only one’s significant other.

As they departed, he could already hear Anya loudly grumbling because Cordelia would not give her any details about what she’d walked in on in the kitchen that day. Thank heavens. There had been a time when he’d thought Cordelia was the epitome of tactlessness, but now he realized she could be so much worse…she could be Anya.

Willow seemed pensive as she looked around trying to find a pan. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” he asked.

“I’m just…I love you and I don’t regret us at all, but…hurting Buffy…it hurts, you know? I want her to be okay with us. I want her not to hate me.”

Angel went to the right cupboard and found the pan she needed, handing it to Willow, then he put his arm around her. “She’ll come around.” He hoped he sounded more confident of that than he felt. Frankly, he wasn’t at all sure Buffy was mature enough to put her silly schoolgirl dreams aside and accept that she and Angel had never been meant to be. He could only hope that her friendship with Willow truly meant something to her, enough so that it could overcome her hurt pride.

Willow said nothing, merely shrugging and heading to the stove with her pan. Angel’s heart nearly broke. The cooking wasn’t nearly as much fun as it had been in L.A.

*****

“Wesley…I’m not trying to rain on your parade, but isn’t it a little weird that you just ‘presto’ found yourself with access to all the super secret files and got all the inside scoop without even hardly trying?” Angel watched Willow wince even as she said the words; he knew how much she hated to make Wesley feel inadequate. He wondered just what had happened, though he knew Willow would share as soon as she got off the phone. She’d been busily scribbling notes since the call had come in.

There was silence from her for a few seconds and then, “Oh I know you knew something was up. Sorry. I’ve just been kind of tense. Buffy sort of found out about…” Another pause. “Thanks. And thanks for all the info. No matter where it came from, I know we can use it. You’ve been a huge help. Really.” Her voice was high and chirpy on the last word, obviously trying to salve the newest team member’s wounded feelings. “Bye. We’ll see you soon.”

Just as she was getting off the phone, Xander called out, “Hey, Giles. Welcome to the party. We were kind of expecting you sooner.”

“Thank you, Xander,” Giles replied in rather annoyed tone as he entered the mansion. “I would have been here earlier but I was on the phone with some old contacts trying to see if anyone had any new information. And then I had a visit from Buffy.”

“Oh.” Willow sounded crestfallen. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, well, I don’t know if ‘okay’ is a word I’d use to describe her. I know that she’s not any fonder of me than of you at present. I’m afraid she deduced that I knew about your relationship with Angel quite some time ago.”

“Yeah, well, about time to cut the apron strings anyway. You haven’t been paid to babysit the stupid bint for years now. I don’t know why you keep bothering with it.” Spike was always so sentimental.

“And again I find myself agreeing with him. I feel defiled,” Cordelia muttered as Xander patted her arm consolingly. Anya fumed at the gesture, and Angel wondered if steam was actually going to come out of her ears. That might be fun to watch.

“What did Wesley have to say?” Oz asked.

“Oh. He said he decided to try getting into the Initiative files himself this morning and he somehow got into the Project 314 files and…well, most of what he said, we already know, but there was some stuff there about building an army of demon/human hybrids and some other stuff about unusually high numbers of demons being captured and…”

“I can see why you’re suspicious. Wesley got in when you couldn’t?” Xander uttered in disbelief.

No one was going to argue with that, not even Willow. It made no sense unless…

“Seems like Frankenstein wants us to know all the good stuff.” Spike wasn’t wrong there.

“I kind of thought the same thing.”

“Yes, well, that’s a reasonable assumption. But why…?”

“Luring us into a trap? It’s a time-honoured evil villain move,” Oz interrupted Giles.

“It’s something I would have done,” Anya offered. No one cared.

“I’m thinking Oz is right. And as someone who’s been through that before, can I say it’s so sophomore year?” Xander didn’t elaborate further, but Angel knew what he meant and he was surprised the boy referenced that incident at all. He hadn’t thought Xander would ever want to remember that praying mantis teacher.

“The question is what do we do? I mean, we know Adam’s like super-strong, not even Buffy can fight him, and he’s pretty much invulnerable thanks to being a lab-created creature. I mean, he’s worse than Ted. We’d need a really super super-powered being to fight him. I don’t think even you are a match for him and you’re pretty super.” That last was addressed to Angel, but she hadn’t needed to mollify him. She was right. Adam was unbelievably strong. Everything they’d learned up to now had told them that and it was no insult to be honest at a time like this. Even as a team, the weakness of their individual components was a significant handicap.

“It’s too bad we can’t make a Frankenstein of our own, you know? Put Angel’s strength and Oz’s strength together with Willow’s Wiccan-y mojo and create our own super-powered good guy.”

Cordelia’s suggestion was met with scornful laughter from Anya and Spike and curious looks from everyone else, but a light bulb seemed to go on over Giles’s head. It dimmed just as quickly, however.

“What?” Angel asked him. “Did you think of something?”

“Yes, and it would have been an excellent idea – exactly suited to our present circumstances but for one small thing.”

“And that would be?” Spike asked.

“We don’t have the key ingredient.”

“Well what’s the key ingredient?” Xander sounded very impatient and Angel couldn’t blame him.

“Well, to serve as the focus, the person in whom all the elements would combine…we would need a Slayer.”

“And wouldn’t you know? There’s one just lying around, waiting for something to do,” came a voice from the doorway.

“Buffy!” Willow squealed.

Angel and Buffy locked eyes for a moment, an unspoken understanding being reached. There’d be time to hash out all their personal drama when this was over, but right now, Buffy was the Slayer, not a teenage girl, and she was here to do her job. It felt good to respect her again.

“So, Giles, what do we need to do?”


Tbc…