The Forget Me Not Series

Forget me Not- Part 2- "Who Made who?"

"Classy joint...a bit lavish for my taste...Just like Ye ol' Sire, though."
Spike smirked as his short companion followed. She seemed to be trotting as he
just walked. The sun was set enough that they could just walk right through the
front door with out him bursting into flames. Spike was sure that if he had
burst into flames this girl would have thrown herself on him.

"So, it was Angelus that sired you and not Drusilla?" Talia gasped. "But...why?
Why would he do it? Did he want male camaraderie and then you fell in love with
Drusilla and it became more like competition?"

"Dru was bored of Angelus by the time I came along" Spike grumbled.

"So, he sired you FOR her...like a new doll, only alive, or not alive but..."

"I was for her...then. HE had nothing to do with that," Spike said lowly. Before
she could open her trap again Spike rang the bell at the front desk. When no one
came he started tapping it to the beat of "Iron Man." It kept the girl quiet.
Why "Iron Man?" Faith, she LOVED the good classic punk, but her taste spilled
out all over the place to that classic Heavy Metal and New Wave, "old school"
Hip-Hop to the newest stuff that had all different names like Hardcore,
Skate-Punk, and Rap. Faith seemed like she was all over the place, but Spike
realized she liked any music that was brassed off. She would like the
Grass-Roots concert Wood was taking her to. Grass Roots can be brassed off
music: "I lost all my family in the dust-bowl" and whatnot.

As he was thinking about all things brassed-off, a girl came out who was just
that. She was long and lean- not counting the huge breasts. She was dressed like
a one thousand dollar whore. Her lipstick matched the streaks in her hair-
cherry red. Spike hadn't expected Angel to know so many women with freak colored
hair. But Peaches that dog, he knew how to get every type of woman around for
his eye-candy.

"You must be Spike," She said thickly, as she took the bell he had been ringing
and threw it across the room.

"Well, that wasn't very professional. The boss-man won't be pleased, Love" Spike
smirked.

"I am the boss-man, LOVE" She glowered. She wore gloves. Interesting. Ladies
hadn't worn gloves is ages, but she was no 200 year old demon. She was human.
She smelt like curry and patchouli. She liked the East.

"I thought this was Angel's place. He owns everything else in LA, right?"

"It's mine now."

"He gave it to you, did he? He like your...face?" Spike asked emphatically
looking her up and down.

"Something like that...But, I bought it fair and square with my money I made
from being a professional thief." She said plainly.

"Well, if you're trying to go straight, stay away from bloody Angel. He's in
with the white collar thieves now." Spike told her with raised eye-brows.

"Who said I was going straight? I just think it's wise to own real estate." she
smirked.

"Spike this is Gwen...I can't believe she waited a whole thirty seconds to tell
you she was a thief. It usually only takes her ten. It's like she's proud of it
or something." Talia scowled.

"Talia, how are you, Cherry?" Gwen nodded with a smirk. "Now Talia is the one
with the boss- not me...but, Angel did give me a heads up on you."

"Which was?" Spike asked.

"You're an independent contractor sent to take care of his son. He gave me
double what I charge for a room he said I'd understand why when you showed. He
said to call him if you got out of control. But, I don't think that will be
necessary. He told me I could kick your ass if you were a pain in mine." Gwen
stated as she looked over Spike. He was sure she only looked him over in her
very overt fashion because he had looked her over. She was into retaliation.

"And how do you think you will do that? Do you know what Spike even is? I know
you just can't turn on and off like a light switch, despite what the bathroom
wall says. You need your little adjustment window when you take your de-freaker
out." Talia demanded.

"Haven't you heard the good news, Doll? My adaptor is being fixed by Fred's
people in the lab at Wolfram...it's busted. Just goes to show you... you should
only buy the best... Oh wait..."

"Yeah- yeah... You didn't buy it- you stole it. We're all really impressed,"
Talia growled. Spike was impressed, about whatever it was Gwen stole.

"Why did Angel tell you all of this? He told me to tell you the bare minimum."
Talia continued.

"Maybe he thought you'd forget to tell me. I don't know why. Since we are such
good friends." Gwen said coyly. Spike grinned.

"How do you know about Angel's son? That information is classified!" Talia
insisted.

"Maybe I've known longer than anyone," Gwen sang sarcastically.

"Or maybe you are getting your jollies stealing information!" Talia barked.

"Listen you little dwwithwith a boob job-" Gwen's face contorted into nastiness.
She had power. A good amount of it. Spike could feel it like he could feel the
power of the slayers, or the evil at W&H, or the fact that a good amount of
people died in this place.

"Ladies! Ladies! Maybe we can retract our claws for now? I AM a guest at this
establishment and as much as I like a good cat fight, I'd like a room with an
honor bar even better" Spike interrupted.

"Thanks. She's such a bitch! ...My boobs are real" Talia said after a polite
enough Lackvar Demon showed them to the room. Spike slipped him a twenty; even
though this little job was all expenses paid. He was sure Angel would treat the
help shabbily as usual. It sickened him to think how many people were Angel's
"help" now. Including this cute erinering little bird. At least the one
downstairs made sure she didn't work for the big poof. At least he didn't
terrify them before he killed them anymore.

"She has some power that one downstairs... And it's not magics, is it? What is
it?" He asked.

"Oh...I don't wanna talk about her. She's just one of the anti-socials Angel
takes in so they don't wreak havoc...Thinks she's special or something" Talia
said a mellow dramatic sigh flopping on the bed. So, she was staying. Spike was
hoping that she had been all bark and when it was time to dance she would shy
away.

"Hey!" She gasped suddenly. "How did you know that?"

"Know what?" He asked lighting a cigarette.

"That she had power? Power that wasn't magic in origin? You're a seer too! Did
some of Drusilla's seeing power get into you? How? How did that happen if
Angelus sired you? Angel can't see anything." She said all of this in one
breath.

"You got that bloody right." Spike grumbled.

"So how?" She demanded.

"I could talk about that...or I could talk about the little girls I used to feed
on. I liked them short and spunky a lot of the time- just like you" Spike
smirked that would shut her up.

"Really? From what I read I thought I would be too old by now" She giggled.
Spike frowned.

"Your friend wrote some sort of bloody age average of my victims in her thesis?"
He had always said he liked veal, but he didn't realize that there was some kind
of cut off age, and if this girl was above it that would have made him some kind
of a...well, yeah.

"Yes. Your feeding preference was said to be mostly girls ages 15-23. Why? Was
she wrong?"

"Christ! Did she juxtapose it with the fact that I have close relationships with
birds of that age bracket now that I have my soul?" His brow wrinkled.

"Oh. No. She did her thesis way before you had the soul. She never found out you
had it...I don't think. I swear, Lydia...She might even be disappointed...I
think she liked you bad." The girl smiled.

"Liked me bad?" He smirked sadly. He felt a pang of bittersweet pain. There was
that part of Buffy that liked him bad. When he was bad was the only time they
ever really shagged.

"I'm still bad, Love... Very bad. You really shouldn't be in here with me...If
you knew half of the things I had done-" He stalked over to her. Nice and slow,
but stopped a good three feet away.

"Oh, but I do!" She said proudly. "I know at least half...and there are so many
things I want to ask you... Why did you torture some people and not others? Why
did you like to kill people with tuberculosis? Why did you bight Xin Rong and
not Nikki Wood?"

So, there was something of a groupie following in the underground. That made
sense. It seemed she hadn't even known he had saved the world. She seemed to
love to talk about things he'd so rather forget. She probably would still be in
here if he had no soul. Soulless he would have taken her life in a second...
Well, not in a second. He'd have shagged her. Then he would have taken her. She
was a rare find. The ones who knew it was coming and wanted it. The ones who got
off on it. They would still always scream when it happened. None of them had
known on a level of consciousness like this, but they HAD known. He had only
came across a few in the one hundred and some odd years. He had let most of them
go because there wasn't enough of a challenge.

He hadn't shagged hardly any because Drusilla was the jealous sort. He had
implied that he had taken advantage, no, raped his victims to Buffy once. He had
wanted to get Buffy to kill him. As if Drusilla would allow him to take any
girls he pleased! It wasn't that she cared for the girl's safety. Maybe he and
Dru had kept the relationship with their food platonic, but wasn't it all a rape
of sorts? The things that they had done, the things Dru told him to do, the
things he did on his own. He hadn't lied to Buffy in that he had only drained
them enough to have them still cry, but it was ONLY so they would still cry
until they died.

And suddenly the girl was on him- like white on rice- a moth to a flame- a fly
on shit- dust in the wind... Wait, that didn't work, "dust in the wind" was
Faith. Her little Zen mantra. Spike knew Faith wished it was literally true at
times... Too bloody bad. Faith would live a long time, as long as he could help
it. With Buffy that had only been a yearlong. Slayers were the 'throw themselves
to the lions' type, moths to the flame. He had been the flame and girls had been
the moth for one hundred years and forty...and it was still going on now.

"Your poor eye" The girl cooed. She had her hands on his face and in his hair.
Buffy would do the things this girl was doing when he had been beaten down,
after the First had come. Little did they know it was already irrevocable that
she was to leave him. She was to go off into some wonky dimension where Angel
had become human and become a bride at twenty and never remember anything of
Spike and their time together. Buffy would lay him down on the bed like this
girl was now and wash his eye and say: "Open your mouth", like this girl was and
clean it out with a washcloth. He always seemed to get manhandled by five-foot
nothing girls.

Much unlike Buffy, this one was going on about it with all the "poor, poor
babys" and such. Buffy wouldn't say a word. But the look on her face would say
it all. It said:

**"Damn, you took a pounding. Damn, we're in a whole hell of a lot of shit, and
seeing you like this is worse than seeing myself this way"** Actually, if Buffy
did speak she wouldn't say "damn" that would be Faith. Buffy would say:

**"Why? Why does this keep happening to me, to you, to us? Look at you! You're a
mess. You shouldn't be a mess. THEY should be a mess for hurting you. I hate
this...Don't do this. I mean, I wish you didn't have to do this...I mean, thanks
for doing this." **

"Don't be upset, Love. This is just they way things are." Spike said softly as
his eyes were closed he put his hand in her hair.

"You mean it's really no big deal for Angel to beat you up like this? This is
just like a cultural thing in your family like the Klingons or something?" The
girl was asking him as she kneeled over him and had his shirt off. He opened his
eyes suddenly.

When he had found out where Buffy was jumping to from that awful Beljoxa's eye
he had acted like such an asshole. Was this where she had been when she had died
the first time? Was this her Heaven? To be a child bride to sodding Angel?

"Angel DID NOT beat me up. We pounded on each other! What people fail to realize
is that I LET him hit me in the face, so I can do more internal damage to the
Wanker...Is this what you wanted? Did you want to brass me off?" Spike demanded
now on top of the girl holding her forearms.

"Of course not! This isn't my fault. I didn't make it this way. How can you
think I am not just as upset as you are after everything that we've been
through!" Buffy demanded. But, something WAS wrong. Her arms had gone limp. She
was not fighting him. Not fighting at all.

"I'm sorry. It's just hard for me to understand, and I want to get it, you know?
Is it that it doesn't hurt as much? Is getting punched in the face like someone
bitch slapping you? I don't know if you remembeut iut if you are human and
someone beats on you like that, it is very traumatizing. Do you remember how it
feels, being human? I think I'd wanna forget too." The girl said seriously. She
was wide eyed, but he smelt no fear. Only arousal and perhaps tears that were
still behind her eyes. He let go of her arms and she responded by caressing his
cheek. He closed his eyes.

"It's better. It's better if you forget. Don't you think so?" Spike asked. The
girl pulled him down to kiss him sadly, sweetly.

***"How can you say that? You think I want to forget about you- about us! You
think I want to be with him!" Buffy roared.***

"Don't you?" Spike asked as he broke away from the kiss. You were down there at
zero hour suckfaceface with him! How can you not want to be with him!

"I don't know. It seems to me, that you're special. You never really forgot
about being human... You still feel everything" The girl said kissing him again.
This time more erotically with tongue twirling and sucking.

"You think really think I'm special? What about Peaches- Angel? He is sodding
Elvis, the original soul-man. You must have thought about getting in on him too.
The only thing stopping you was that happiness clause, right?" Spike demanded.
He sat up so she was straddling his lap. He spoke before she could answer him.

"Well, I can be as big and as bad as him...Before, during, after...I can be the ddindding animal!" He said in vampire face. He made her believe that he was going
to bite her nipples, but he licked them instead. She was moaning that moan. That
high-pitched shaky breath moan. He was on top now, as she pulled down his pants.
This girl grabbed his cock more gently than Buffy ever had. This girl was
finally talking less than Buffy. "Stop it! Stop it! That's not what I want!"

"This IS what you want. It's what you always wanted! To be in bed with the big
bad! But, it's a catch-22 once the big bad loves you it doesn't seem so scary
anymore...But, I can make it scary...Just like you wanted...Just what you asked
for- the old me...Are you sorry that sodding chip is out now?" Spike demanded.
She shook her head against his shoulder as she waited legs open for him to
plunge in. He froze. He was frozen again. **"Please, Spike. Please!"** Buffy had
begged. Begged for him. Spike rolled off the speechless girl.

"Yep... I am the bloody rock star. Just order up what performance you want from
me and I'll deliver it... I always have-haven't I? You think you want me? You
don't want me, Love. You want the thrill that I give you. The line I make you
walk in your mind...Angel may have been the first real legend with a pretty
face. He created the serial killer... but me-I created the misunderstood bad
boy... When Sid Vicious's Grand-dad was a fetus I was loving that one girl and
bludgeoning the rest...and look where it got me...Look where it got Sid...At
least Ted Bundy got to have a family before he died...Were his wife and daughter
still loyal when they electrocuted him? I forget... Well, if they weren't I bet
a lot of those blokes have the loyal families that would throw themselves on the
chair instead. The serial killers go out loved...Us rock stars...We just go out,
and take our girl's down with us if we can... Go to your sodding serial killer.
He's not just all smoke and mirrors." Tears fel his his ears.

"Shhh...It's okay, Baby. It's okay. I'll make you feel better," The girl was
whispering in his ear.

"*It's okay, Love. It's okay. *" Buffy had taken on his slang. His use of the
word "Love."

The girl was kissing down his body. It had been over a year since he felt hard
nipples against his skin sliding down with a tongue, but it had flikelike
yesterday. Buffy had smelt as she always did. Something like a wheat field mixed
with Neutrogena soap. This girl smelt like cigarettes and Red Vines.

She was a seasoned veteran at ball cradling and using her hard nipples as
massagers. How old was she? She said she was too old to be one of his 'feeding
preferences?' She didn't look a day over twenty. Where did she get all this
know-how? Well, how old had Buffy been? He knew Buffy didn't have any good sex
teacher, or perhaps even any good sex before him. But, He hadn't needed to teach
her a thing, because she had wanted him so badly. Buffy must have thought of
doing all of the things she did with him- to him night after night in the
darkest corner of her mind. Because once she decided to do it, there was none of
her pussyfooting that she often did in only pleasant conversation. Buffy shagged
him, as she would have fought in battle. She was neither stiff and strategic nor
lacking in confidence or skill. She had been full of passion and precision. That
was something, right? He was wanted so much, it just all came naturally.

This girl had an ass like Faith's. It was soft and had give, but there was
something good and firm under it. Perhaps, Faith had some better and firmer
under that soft give, but she was a slayer after all. Yes, you'd be surprised
how many times in training and fighting a good ass grab just happened. It was
something about her no-nonsense style that made him have to grab her ass-
literally. Faith would tell him she was "goin' in" and she would go to jump down
a sodding mineshaft or something. He'd catch her right under the curve of that
ass. Spike would stand there holding her four inches above the ground to his
height, by her ass, and bitch at her to not be so "bloody gung ho." Faith had a
vampire on her side. He could see, hear, and smell things she couldn't. Faith
had to learn to utilize Spike fully. He was a tool, not just back up firsts.
She's tell him he was a "tool all right", or throw in a Giles joke. Rupert was
never so hands-on. Spike grunted as the girl wiggled as he kneaded her ass.

"**You thinking about MY ass, English? Well, it is a good ass... And you are
FINALLY getting laid**" Faith would say. Yes, Faith thought this was a good
idea. She said it didn't matter if he was over Buffy. You had to ride side
saddle a couple of times before you really got back on again, She had said.

"I know you'd do anything for a girl you loved... Lemme do something for you."
The girl whispered. Oh bloody hell! Stop the presses! There was no other saddle
for him though, and his ass was just to whipped to even go along for the ride on
this one. He pushed the girl off. He made sure he did it gently enough.

"I can't do this... I can't bloody do this. I know you think you know me, but
you don't. I'm not your man, Love. Maybe if I thought I deserved this, I'd take
it. It doesn't matter how much you know about me...I could never be your
man...You know it and I know it. ...So, I think you should go, before you get
hurt."

"I know what I'm doing... I only look young and innocent believe me." The girl
laughed and began kissing him again.

"****I know that you would do anything for me. How can I not love you?***" Buffy
had said. It had been awful. Worse then when she said he was "just convenient."

"No... No. Just go please. I need to heal from all this and I don't need you
bloody at me and at me! You don't want love from me. You never did" Spike
barked.

"Don't you think I know that?" The girl demanded surprisingly shirty. "I KNOW
I'm not in love with you... I know that you are that safe version of the
dangerous un-obtainable male... I mean you- look at you! Look at all of you! You
got your face beat in and you're off to go club some people on the head so they
can actually think they live in a happy family... You date slayers- the people
that are supposed to kill you. Then they have to jump dimension or the freakin'
world ends...and then there is that one you and Mr. Windham-P were yelling
about... Someone should have given her fake memories of a good childhood and the
world would be a safer place-"

"Hey! Faith is all right now. She's a good girl... See what I mean? You don't
even know her!" Spike grumbled.

"I'm not saying I do... I'm just saying I don't want to get mixed up in this
Under-world. I mean, thank God I dropped out of the Council's graduate program
or they would still be dusting me off Big Ben!" Talia grumbled as she put her
clothes back on.

"Oh you Yanks are so-The sodding Council was nowhere near Big Ben. Do you all
think that London is just stretched out on one block?"

"No, I don't! I lived there! I was being sarcastic. At least when I was in a
different country I tried to drop all my stupid American slang...And I only
lived there for one year not thirty...If you don't want to be treated like a
rock star quit acting like one!"

"Well, you didn't seem to be complaining about it before, Nancy! 'Oh
Spike...tell me I look young enough for you to feed of mof me. That's such a
turn-on.'" He mocked.

"I NEVER said I was turned on about that! I can't help it if I know my research
unlike these two Slayers of yours that would do a lot better if they read
anything past their minimum wage paycheck stubs!"

"'Ey! They happen to both be sharp as whips. They just have more to do than sit
around and read about stuff that has nothing to sodding do with them all day" He
roared as she went to the door.

"Yeah, well... Maybe they should have done what they were supposed to do rather
than do whatever they were doing when Lydia died. Maybe they should have
murdered less people to stay out of jail, or maybe they should have had the
common decency to stay dead when they were supposed to, so things like the
ultimate evil stay in fucking place!" She roared. That was when he grabbed her
by the hair and pulled her head back.

"Go ahead! Do it!" She was growling at him as he was literally growling at her.
She had stones this one.

"You were so sweet a second ago. Do you always turn into a bitch when things
don't go your way?" He asked smugly letting her go.

"No, then I would have ALWAYS been a bitch...You got turned into a vampire
because of some asshole...I guess I got sired into being a bitch by all the
assholes in the world...A beast sired by this shitty man's world" She laughed
bitterly. Was this her real face? It was pretty dark. It didn't annoy him like
all her prattle did. It brassed him off. It was more than a bit of a turn-on.

"Oh! Pull-ease!" He laughed. "Your one of those people that sat around feeling
sorry for yourself buying all your leather, X, and 'Cure' Cds you could with
Daddy's money... Now college is over and you don't know what do to with
yourself...So, you got yourself a copy of 'Ms. Magazine' and now there is
something new to bitch about... You have no idea what it's like to live on the
outside... To be buggered by the world." He put his face as close to hers as he
could. Now she would be brassed off too. She would try to prove him wrong. It
would be a fun argument.

"You're right." She laughed. He tilted his head in bemusement. He WAS, but this
wasn't what he expected.

"But, you think I have any friends left between the Council and the blood bath
here in LA? You think you're the only person that lost someone? At least that
slayer you and Angel bludgeon each other over is alive somewhere. Do you really
think I'm at W&H for free concert tickets and cute glorified bounty hunters? You
think I know all about the whole fanged four linage and the slayers for fun?
When the next end comes I'm gonna be in the know. I am not gonna be one of the
clueless assholes who waits on you and YOUR slayer." She continued.

"I'm sorry, Talia." He said softly. "If anyone was ever waiting on me they WERE
in a world of trouble...I'm no hero. You've probably seen the memo on that. But,
don't bad mouth the Slayers. You have no idea how hard it's been for them and
all that they do everyday."

"Well, whatever you all did. It wasn't enough... And I know it isn't your fault
or theirs..It's just...I just came up here with you...To understand
something...To know something...To feel

something." Talia had been crying since he said her name.

"I get that...Can you do something for me, though?" He asked softly.

"What? Are you gonna ask me to not cry? It'sttentten you couldn't stand to see
Drusilla cry. That you'd give her anything to stop her crying."

"

No, sounds like you have a right to cry...I just wanna know, what on Earth is
this 'Fanged Four' thing?"

"You don't even know where you come from! I swear you are more self-involved
than Drusilla. Maybe siring you for her was the last thing Angelus did to push
her over the edge into total madness and that was what finally worked." She
snapped back into the talky bitch.

"Angelus didn't make Drusilla mad...He just liked to pretend he did. Granted he
didn't help. But, she was mad to start with. Seers often go mad. Imagine knowing
all these horrible things that were going to happen and you couldn't stop them."


"Yeah, imagine that" She laughed sardonically. "But, Honey, you really need to
research your family history on the Net... One thing I do know is Angelus drove
Drusilla crazy. Maybe she was always a little loopy from the visions but he tooit tit to new heights...He often called her his creation...I can't believe you
didn't know. He drove her crazy when she was still human..."

"He called her his creation because he sired her is all. Angelus had a God
complex" Spike insisted. He was not arguing about this when he could be
shagging? Was he?

"That is totally true, but even Angel said Drusilla was one of the worst things
he ever did... He killed her family- all of them- right in front of her...I
don't want to get into details because I like sleeping... Didn't any of this
ever come up in ninety years, or did she just suck you off and ask for dolls?"

"She mentioned that he killed them here and there. Maybe there was even a little
part of her that missed them. But, it didn't really bother her that he did it.
It was to be expected. They were vampires. Don't you Sods ever get that?" Spike
growled.

"It's you that doesn't get it; Baby...Angelus killed them all when she was still
human, in front of her... She ran to the Nuns and he and Darla followed her
there and slaughtered the penguins too... He did some other stuff too. The boss
had a thing for the penguins. Angelus told Dru she was the cause for all of it.
He told her she was innately evil. She was still human. She still loved her
family and she loved the penguins." Talia said this all firmly but then sighed.
She was back into cute prattle mode. He was too thrown by what she was saying to
be annoyed. He was also speechless. She continued.

"Sorry, I went to Catholic school...and we called Nuns 'penguins'...But, not to
their face...But...there was this one cool one...Anyway, there were studies
done...papers written...discussing Drusilla and what was done to her when she
was still human. How turning her into a vampire didn't take any of that prior
pain or trauma away. It just warped it into something else...There was this
whole Neo-feminist argument that it was better that Drusilla became a vampire,
or else she would have suffered more. But, there is this counter Neo-feminist
argument that Angelus only turned her into a vampire to make her suffering
eternal...That was very controversial because it implies that vampires have
deeper feelings than the Council would have liked to believe...I tended to sway
towards that theory. One of the reasons the professors hated me."

"You KNOW all of this about Angelus! All these sodding details! How can you work
for him?" Spike demanded, but in a low tiered voice.

"He has a soul now" Talia sighed.

"Is that really enough?" Spike genuinely asked.

"Hey...I'm not crawling' into bed with the guy- perfect happiness curse or
not...I don't get that by the way...Since when is sex perfect happiness?... I
mean you can have great sex and still be miserable about something else the
whole--- Oh, I guess for a second... Anyway, maybe you can say being a vampire
makes you not responsible for what you do, or maybe your will has never been
more free. I studied all the stuff. You lived it...Who can say what's right, or
even what the fuck is going on? I can't. You obviously can't!... I just know
Angel, you, and whoever- you all seem to be the safest port there is to go to
when the storm comes...So; I am his secretary waiting for the next storm. In the
mean time, I go to lots of free shows...and I hit on the heavy hitters-because-
How can I not? Of course the heavy hitters have HUGE egos and think I'm in love
with them when all I want is--- Sometimes it just comes down to
survival...Survival and feeling...I thought you would understand that." The girl
wiped her eyes that were now red. Maybe she was thirty at the most. He would
have still taken her in a second. He would have still considered her veal even
if she knew too much.

"I do" He sighed. "But, I need to be alone."

"Whatever" She grumbled and was gone.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Spike kicked open another door at the Hyperion. It was his fourth.

"Well, all right!" He whooped. The man who was entering his room stared at him.

"Jack-Pot!...Get it? JACK-pot" Spike said holding up a bottle of Jack Daniels to
the man. The man shook his head.

"Suit yourself." Spike sneered. "But...I knew... I knew that Peaches had to have
a little work-out room around here since he used to live in this sodding
place...and here it is!"

Spike gestures at the huge room with several punching bags hanging from the
ceiling and work-out mats.

"See... Maybe he can bloody dupe me when he tortures my Ex until she's crazy and
no one ever tells me...Maybe he can make an arse out of me when he swoops in and
tries to steal her away...Maybe he can make a complete bloody fool of of me
when he does it again with the second girl...The only one I really loved...But
he can not CAN NOT hide the sodding work-out room!" Spike bellowed. He guzzled
more Jack Daniels and threw the bottle into the workout room, which shattered
with an echo. The man went into his room and ed ted the door.

"Wha? You're not gonna be a spotter then?" Spike grumbled. "You know...People
think we have all this natural fighting ability as vampires...and we do...I
admit it- we do. But..."

He turned into vampire face and growled and jumped up as high as he could and
kicked one of the punching bags into the rest.

"We have to work at it if we really want to be any good...That's...the only
way...We..last!" He grunted as he continued to hit the punching bags and dodged
out of the way of them.

"Okay... First thing: Who are you talking to, Chief?" She scowled in the doorway
her hands leaning on each side. Spike turned back into human face to turn to
her.

"Genevieve, the lady that gets stolen from the king by his most loyal of
Lords...Have you come to join the party?... A real lady does never come to a
party without gloves" Spike sang to Gwen.

"This is why Angel told me to call him if I saw you drinking Jack? You start
talking like a Ren fair guy and kicking in doors? I'm really insulted he didn't
think I could handle this." Gwen muttered.

"Oh, Angelus thinks ladies can handle a lot...In fact he likes to give them all
that they can handle andn son some...Haven't you heard?" Spike smirked.

"Guess this just isn't my night then...C'mon, let's go, Brit boy... Back to the
nice little room... Do you want someone to restock the honor bar for
you?...Again?... You're gonna wanna be nice and sober for when you see Baby boy
Angel, or else you won't get your money... People get really pissed when you
show up on a job juiced up... in most cases" Gwen said as she took his arm.

"I do NOT do Angel's dirty work!...I am not the bloody help!" Spike roared as
Gwen tried to pull him by the arm and he stayed planted.

"Strong little bugger aren't you?... I knew there had to be a reason Angel hired
you." She smirked in amusement.

"I am not a second rate bounty hunter that you can just throw money at to do a
job that you don't want to deal with!" Spike continued.

"No, you're a drunk memorllerller that Angel can just throw money to do a job
that he doesn't want to deal with" Gwen cracked as she grabbed both of Spike's
hands to begin pulling him out of the room. Spike grunted in anger and threw
Gwen off of him. She stepped back a few steps to keep from falling. Spike raised
an eyebrow as if he were surprised she didn't fall.

"Okay, now I'm pissed" She chirped and got up and took off one glove.

"You don't know anything about me, Ducks... About why I'm here. I can't be
bought! I am not you sweet Angel... who I am sure you know nothing about either"


"I know EVERYONE can be bought with something. I know Angel can't be bought with
money and liquor , which is more than I can say for you...Let's go...Outta my
room" Gwen commanded as she grabbed him by the arm with her gloved hand.

"Get you hands off me you skanky bitch" Spike spat.

"What did you just call me?" She demanded.

"I called you a skanky bitch... I had a girlfriend and a friend...I still have
the friend and when they used to fight the words 'skanky' and 'bitch' would come
out... So, I figure it is a good way to rub a girl." He stammered.

"You are really drunk, huh? Your ass would be too easy to kick no matter what
mojo you have going on"

"You? Kick my..." Spikoke oke off laughing. "Wha? You have some mutating gene
that makes you the strongest girl in your weight class? Your parents shagged
near a toxic waste dump the Ronnie administration made?... I've taken on
slayers, Love... The ultimate Evil, Goddesses that were doxier than you...Things
that would blow you away. I'm---"

"Tell them 'hi' for me" Gweid fid fiercely and touched Spike. He went flying
back into the mirror which cracked.

"Bloody hell!" He shrieked "Are you a mad scientist that found a way to harness
elec- ow-tricity?" He got up and held his head.

"No, it found a way to harness me, but you know, you use was you have...What do
you have? Why are you still conscious and yapping?" She demanded.

"You want me to show you? We laying all our cards on the table?" Spike asked
turning into vampire face and kicking her.

"Great! Another vampire... Angel has really let me down. He thought I couldn't
handle another one of him" Gwen scoffed as she only managed to hit him a couple
of times as he kept kicking her.

"I am NOTHING like Angel!... He's a liar and a bloody sell-out!" Spike roared
kicking her in the face.

"Knew I liked the guy for a reason... Were you a soccer player or something?
What's with all the kicking and lack of hands?" Gwen asked rubbing her face.

"Rubber grounds electricity...Docs always have good rubber souls" He said
kicking her again.

"Hey...Look at the big 'ol brain on Spike... Maybe that's why Angel picked you
as the 'Total Recall' guy" Gwen said coolly.

"Bigger brain than his anyway" Spike smirked.

"But as usual, us doxy Goddesses have the biggest brains of all" Gwen smirked
back and touched his chest. Spike kneeled in the corner coughing and holding his
chest.

"BLOODY HELL!" Spike screamed.

"Sorry, Cherry. Will you go back to your room now, like a good boy?" Gwen asked
slyly.

"You bitch! Why would you bugger me like this?... I thought you laid all your
cards on the table" He whispered lowly.

"Aren't you a sore loser" She laughed.

"You haven't even begin to see how sore... If anything happens that I can't
protect them from now... Their blood is on your hands, and I don't care how
bloody human I am. I'll find a way to kill you for it...Fuck!" He growled and
kicked the other mirror that shattered.

"Okay... I'm kinda getting why Angel wanted me to call him now. You're a total
psycho... And you seemed so normal before talking about taking on ultimate Evils
and things."

"Little girl... You have no idea hadlyadly you have just buggered me and a whole
lot of little brats just like yhat hat have power they don't know how to use
half the time... With the way things have been going you've probably just
buggered the whole world" Spike growled at her holding his chest.

"Wow! And I did all this by kicking your ass. I guess I am a doxy Goddess...What
is a doxy Goddess?" Gwen smiled sarcastically.

"Laugh it up, bitch... You'll really think it's funny when the body count starts
rising again"

"You're going to go on a killing spree because a girl kicked your ass? You
really should be more secure with your manhood"

"I'm not, but something will and I won't be able to stop it now! You had no
right! No right, to make me human!" He roared.

"Whoa! Back it up there, Ringo. Make you what?" Gwen demanded.

"Sodding human! Did you think you were doing me a favor? I don't know what you
think I'm playing at here, but it isn't Pinocchio... I didn't want to be a real
boy! Not now!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh yeah! Angel probably cries on your shoulder. 'I wish uld uld just be human,
so I could shag you and Buffy and whoever else I fancy this week.' But didn't
you ever notice how he never took you up on your ability to make him a real boy"


"I can't make Angel human!" Gwen gasped.

"Well, then how did you do it to me?" Spike demanded.

"I didn't."

"You did! I can feel my heart beating... I can bloody hear it. I'm alive. It's
bloody awful!"

"Oh, Dolly...No..you'you're not" Gwen laughed.

"Wha?"

"The electricity just makes your heart go boom boom...But, there's no real
thunder in that lightning... Don't worry your still as dead as a door nail."

"I am?" He asked hopefully.

"I swear... Look in the mirror and you can see you still have that mean little
vamp face... Oh, actually look in the mirror and see that you have no
reflection... That works too."

"Oh." He sighed in relief when he turned to the broken mirror to see nothing
there.

"The heartbeat's gone too" He smiled broadly "This is such a bloody relief!"

"Yeah, I bet you never felt more dead in your life... Man if the situa was was
reversed and I thought you could just touch my chest and make me normal I'd be
begging you to do it" Gwen sighed. She went to sit down next to Spike.

"Wait" He said.

"Don't worry. I won't touch you...That's what all the boys want to hear from me"
Gwen grumbled.

"No... I just don't want you to sit on broken glassEspeEspecially is a that
skimpy thing you have on" He sighed and brushed the glass away.

"Oh" She muttered pulling on her skirt. "Well, thanks."

"What's with the mirrors, anyway? Has Angel gone completely mad?" Spike asked.

"No, I put them in... This is my work-out room now."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry then... If I knew it was yours I never would've busted in
and been a Git about leaving... I just know how Angel likes to have all his toys
in place... He probably hasn't been able to get them all this nice and shiny
since he stopped murdering people for them." Spike grumbled.

"So, what's the deal with you and Angel, anyway?... I get the feeling there is
some bad blood between you... more than the usual between him and his friends"
Gwen asked.

"You could say that" Spike chuckled.

"Does he owe you something? Is that why he hired you for this job?"
ou cou could say that too... But, he owes a lot of other people a lot more... His
son... A few girls I loved...love... In fact, there is only one girl I know he
didn't screw over, at least I don't think he did... Better not have... Whatever
the deal is with you and Angel- don't bloody do it" S war warned. He took some
cigarettes out of his pocket.

"No deal with Angel...a few business deals... and some confidences shared. He
knows I have no friends. So, he tells me things sometimes... He's torn up about
his kid. That's the whole reason he went to Wolfram, you know? For his kid. You
are doing him a great favor by fixing this with his kid" Gwen told him.

"Not a bloody favor!" Spike scowled "As you said, a business deal... and a good
one for me. It gets me everything I want and some extras."

"Still, he's trusting you with the most important thing to him" Gwen said.

"Well, he took the most important thing to me" Spike scowled.

"What? Some girl? Well, whoever she is he's not with her now... And obviously
there is some other stuff is important to you, as you said this deal gets you
what you want... What do you want?... I can't believe you don't to to be
normal." Gwen said haughtily.

"What idiot sod would want to be normal when they have been given power?" Spike
demanded.

"Angel" Gwen answered to which Spike laughed.

"Angel is the last person in the world that wants to give up power he has... He
would only become human for her... Thinking he could do it, and then he would
find out he preferred it the other way, even if he had to be without her... I'd
become human for her in a bloody second and I'd stay

that way... I'd do the whole bald and fat thing and I would die... with her"

"This is that same girl Angel mentions, isn't it? That's what all the bad blood
is about. God, men are so lame!" Gwen laughed. "First of all you have no idea
what Angel was willing to give up for his son and this mystery chick... I bet
she's blond, isn't she?-- Second of all, you just said you'd be human for her
with no regrets... When I made Angel's heat beat he sure as hell didn't have the
cow you had."

"Well, it's different now! I have things I have to do. I have a slayer I have to
train. She's bloody brilliant but she missed out on a lot of training since
she's been in jail. There's also Dawn to look after, who Buffy left in the care
of mostly Red and the boy... But, I-I know things about Buffy they can't know-
that Dawn will want to know... Things about power that you have to have power to
know about... Maybe Red knows, but she can't talk about it... And they also can
all be such idiots... I need to save their lives!" Spike scow


"Well, from what I got it sounds like you have a nice little family there with
some criminal past and power struggle issues, but what family doesn't have
those?" Gwen asked. Spike started laughing.

"Bloody hell! Look!" He chuckled. As he looked at his cigarettes for the first
time. It looked like the pack had been burned in spots.

"Yeah it sucks to be me" Gwen sighed.

"I would think it's brilliant to be you. You did that to my fags because I was
being a pain in the ass...Hey, it kind of sucks to be me...I'm outta fags."

"You're the one with the little family... I can't even touch anyone or they get
like those cigs... Crispy critters may not talk back, but they still don't make
for good company."

"You can't touch anyone?"

"Well, I can. They would just get shocked to death if I did it for too long...
So cuddling with the kids is out... Making kids is out."

"So you never..."

"No, I have. I stole this regulating device from one of the fortune 500... It
made the spark die... So, I could have it in the bedroom. But, a few months ago
it started acting funny...Fading in and out... Weird how fear of being randomly
electrocuted can scare a boyfriend away... So, I gave it to Angel and he gave it
to Fred the head research girl at Wolfram... And I'm waiting."

"That's bloody awful."

"Well, I wasn't very good at dating, anyway" Gwen joked.

"Me neither" Spike rolled his eyes

"Yeah, what did you do to Talia? She looked rattled when she left" Gwen asked.

"Nothing. That was the problem... At least I think it was... We started... but
she was all high on me thinking I was the big bad and asking me questions about
my past."

"Yeah, I know it sucks for me when someone thinks I'm really cool and is
interested in my life." Gwen scoffed.

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Pet" Spike retorted

"Lemme guess- that blond girl." Gwen groaned.

"Partly...Mostly... But I was trying to be all bloody Zen and have a go at it.
Have some fun... But then the girl just ended up getting all-angry that I
didn't...Oh, I don't even remember! I told her I couldn't be her man, so she
wouldn't get hurt...And then she startedlingling at me about my family history
or something"

"Wait. Back up. You told her you didn't want to be her boyfriend and she flipped
out."

"Yes...No...I told her that I couldn't have a thing- a serious thing- from the
get-go. She wasn't mad about that...She was mad that I called her a stupid Yank
or something"

"Were you fooling around while you told her you couldn't be her boyfriend?"

"She said she KNEW that already-"

"Just answer the question."

"Yes, but I had already said that before. It wasn't that."

"You said it before when you weren't fooling around, but then said it again
while you were correct?"

"Yeah but she-

"She was mad that you weren't going to be her boyfriend. Once sex comes into
play everything changes. She may have said she was mad about something else, but
that was it."

"So, what is a bloke to do?"

"No..It was good you said something. Believe me. I've been in situations where
things have turned into onghtsghtstands and if the person had only announced
that before hand I would have been fine, but-It was good you said something. Now
you know Talia can't handle that... Most girls can't... I can, but most can't"

"Sod the whole thing!"

"Huh, it's nice you have the option to say that. In my particular situation I
can't chose"

"Oh, quit whining. For every power there is a price"

"Hey! You don't know what it's like...

"Yes I do!"

"Your sitting there looking all sexy and almost healed up from that shiner you
had this morning... You have people throwing themselves at you"

"Yeah that worked out brilliant... Don't you think?"

"Oh shut-up! That was a choice! You can pull out your fangs whenever you want.
You can look like a demon to scare people away, or you can look like the cute
pouting cherry that you do right now."

"I can't turn it off. I can't go out in the light... When someone is bleeding
you don't think I still smell that and want to suck it all out of them like a
bloody juice pop."

"Okay, nasty... And I don't feel sorry for you. You look like the
I-wear-my-sunglasses-at-night-type anyway. But, speaking of juice, you don't
think I want to zap every annoying customer until their ears smoke."

"Right and YOU make a choice not to do that... By the by you can hire a hotel
manager to work with the people"

"I know! I'm just waiting until after people forget about the whole Jasmine
massacre thing and more people start coming in...But, that's not the
point...This" Gwen said grabbing his hand "is all I got... It doesn't stop when
the sun goes down."

"It's tingly ...It's kinda...neat" He giggled.

"Yeah, well, it may be neat to you, but if you weren't a freak like me you'd be
having a seizure on the floor right now."

"That not what you hit me with before. I swear that sobered me up faster
than---"

"Well, I can turn it higher and lower, but the lowest is still dangerous to
people"

"Well, that's a choice then, in' it?"

"Wow, a choice to filet people or merely zap them ... Lucky me"

"Oh c'mon! I was in here with you having a tumble and you were loving it... You
steal things, right? Well, I'm sure this comes in handy." Spike said as he kept
hold of her hand. Then he licked his finger and touched her hand with it.

"Do you mind?" She scowled.

"It feels different when it's wet."

"Well, I'm so glad you're enjoying it... But, I'd rather be a normal person...
with the bunch of kids you were talking about."

"Kids? Oh, Oh, bloody hell, Love! No... no you wouldn't! First off most of them
are just infants by mental age... I'm really only there for Faith and Dawn.
Though Kennedy and 'Manda are all right...and I have nothing against Red...But,
don't get me started on Anya and the boy. Do you think I want to stay in the
bloody suburbs waiting for that Hellmouth to open again?... I'll admit I like to
fight... But, those apocalypses can be a rub. This is where my lack of choice
comes in... I need to keep being a vampire to help all these little girls save
the world."

"It sounds like a choice to me. I mean you could just high tale it out of there
any day.... Go out and party all night..sleep all day...Never grow old."

"What and miss out on all the fun of getting my heart smashed to bits for the
100th time when I can't save another one of them?" Spike smiled. "I could never
bloody chose to runaway. That's not a choice. Not when I could help them...
Faith, she thinks I stay because of Buffy, they were her familallyally. But, the
truth is it would be easier to leave because of Buffy... Go off to be with other
people who don't understand what the fuss is over one girl, like Angel did...
But, I stay because they need me... and I need them to need me... One day,
Faith, she won't need me... She's got more potential in her than anyone I've
ever seen...Some people are just late bloomers...Guess how I old I was when
I-

"Shut-up!" Gwen yelled "You are making me feel like a shitty person and I don't
even know who the hell any of these people are!"

"Okay... I swear I don't know why I bother talking tods ads anymore... I always
brass them off when I'm just---"

"I would never do that, okay? I would never stick around somewhere if I didn't
want to be there to help some people with the end of the world of all things...
I would just run... I said that I wanted a family, and I blame this.." Gwen said
grabbing fac face and it tingled "..on not having one. But, if I did have one
I'd probably just leave them high and dry...with no power."

"No you wouldn't... You prolly just don't know what it's like to trust people
since you can't get close to them is all...You're a late bloomer... What I was
saying before I was so rudely interrupted was I was in my late thirties before I
ever really got close to anyone. I was even in love once before, but not
close... How close can yot tot to a girl driven insane by a man you--- You just
need to find people that can get close to you... and there will be some
regardless. Your boy who left is a Wanker. He could have just worn latex all the
time."

"You really look good for someone in their late thirties" Gwen stated

"Umm... I meant one hundred and thirties...Vampire, Love." Spike smiled.

"Oh God! I don't have that kind of time." Gwen laughed hopelessly. WellWell, that is one good thing aboeingeing a vampire"

"There's another...This" She said and kissed him. She was the stick my tongue
down your throat type. The tongue didn't seen to have that zap, but the hands
sure did.

"Wow...You do have your spark... But, I can only get so close to you...blonde
bird and all." He smiled and rubbed his hands down her unitary, which she seemed
to react to as if she was naked.

"That's okay... I have to start out small... I could never be with you anyway...
You live in the 'burbs with a bunch of kids...too normal." She said as she
slipped out of the unitard thing.

"You wear those things to make sure you're all covered up...but, I bet, you
don't mind that they are as tight as skin on a grape." He smirked as he ran his
hands down her real body now.

"You do h-have a big brain." She shuddered. She was like rubbing a hotel quilt
they forgot to put the fabric softener on. A very sensitive blanket. He supposed
if no one ever touched him her would be the same way. Actually, he wondered how
he could stand it. Even a spark that made people afraid to hit you seemed a
shame. It was good to feel pain now and again. It reminded you how good pleasure
was.

"What does it feel like?" She asked in awe as she grabbed his cock in her little
lightning hands.

"Like you giving my cock a pulse...But unlike me it performs better when it's
brought to life." He whispered as she shudd bed because he merely dipped his
finger in her.

"You like it?...You really like it?" She asked laughing as he sucked on her
electric nipple. It was like sucking on pop rocks if she moaned.

"You can make my heart beat anytime, Love." He told her. Did he really just say
that? Would he come back for more of her and not be plagued with thoughts of
Buffy? He would come back for more, but he would be plagued with thoughts of
Buffy. That is what his brain was saying as he sank himself into this girl nice
and slow. He hardly knew her this girl. He didn't love her. But, he liked her
hardness that yielded so easily with touch. Touch that only certain people could
bring. This girl may be a great fighter, but her force came from outside of her.
So, he was slow gentle but deep.

"How do I feel?" She asked with her eyes closed. He only moaned in response. She
seemed happy with that and moaned back. She felt like she had a ty huy humming
motor down t. Sh. She came a little and he felt her pussy squeeze tight and a
little extra surge of sparks came burst out of it.

"Oh...Bloody brilliant." He groaned as this kept happening.

"'M..not hurting you am I?" She asked her voice sd wid with pleasure and
giggles.

"God, no" He grunted and flipped them over so she was on top. Then he pulled her
down so there bodies met. This pleased her in a new way. She shook and surged.
It was like he waldinlding onto a human massage chair and he had gotten his cock
in it. He saw sparks coming out of her hands and he put them on his chest. The
second his heart beat he purposely turned into vampire face and grunted. He knew
she could take it, but she took it better then he thought. She laughed ,moaned,
and pushed her face into his.

"So, is that a thing that you all have to do?" She asked after a few minutes of
her still letting out small little yelps of pleasure.

"Wha? Light up a fag?" He asked.

"I am sure there is a really good joke in response to that, but no I meant turn
into cat-face."

"Cat face?"

"Yeah.. I always thought vampires looked like cats."

"Hmm..That's a new one on me..But, no that isn't a 'thing', even for me... I
just did it.

"Might as well put you freak face on if you're with another freak."

"You didn't seem to mind."

"I didn't... It was oddly hot... I liked knowing I couldn't hurt you."

"Not me. Never.. Got a heart of steal, I do"

"Sure are a scared little pussy about me winding it up."

"So, I guess you haven't wound up a boy in a while."

"Nope... That was my first time with the juice on... Like losing a second
virginity.. Almost as good as losing the first one."

"For most people that is a bust... So to speak" He grinned.

"The guy was cool. Very cool. A good person. Too good to stick around"

"Please don't tell me it was sodding Angel... I'll kill him for you... Actually,
tell me it was sodding Angel. I'll kill him for you."

"No... Gunn is a good guy. He meant no harm in leaving. I told him I was a loner
a thousand times... But, he DOES have a big ol' brain kinda like yours, but
sweeter. You think he would have figured out I at leastted ted to try again."
Gwen frowned.

"He is a good bloke. But, he might have started his dark decent into corporate
life."

"Or maybe he wants to get back together with that little cherry Fred...You know
Gunn, huh."

"Well, well Freddy swings both ways." Spike smirked as he ran his fingers
through her wavy hair. Not many birds had wavy hair anymore. Buffy had it when
he first realized he loved her.

"Fred swings both ways? It's always those geeky ones... It doesn't matter
whether Gunn is an evil yuppie or enjoying a threesome with Fred, I'd never be
able to touch him with out my adapter."

"There are ways around these things, Love... If the Gunn really wanted to be
with you-"

"He'd have called a year ago." She finished plainly. She could clearly handle
the rejection, but it was as if she thought that rejection was all that was
possible. He was reminded of Faith. He was glad she had Wood even though it
meae hae had to constantly watch his back.

"So you're hung up on Gunn and I'm hung up on Buffy. We both desperately want
them, but can't have them due to wonky circumstances... but they prolly don't
want us anyway, and we both are way too pretty to let these bodies go to waste."
He smirked.

"You're hung up on a girl named Buffy... Is she a cheerleader?"

"She was."

"Gah, she sounds so non-freaky... so normal." She traced his abs. The birds
loved the abs. He really didn't care about hers because he was too distracted by
her huge breast.

"Well, she had to give up the Cheerleading because she had to slay vampires, and
she saved the wor lot lot... And even though she was supposed to kill me she
believed that I could become a good man, and she made me do it by kicking my ass
a lot... And I helped her save the world by burning out my soul... But, then we
discovered that as long as she was in this dimension the origin of evil would be
able to rise."

"Why?" Gwen asked. Only one of Angel's people would have only one question about
all he had just said.

"Because she died and her friend used magic to bring her back and that upset the
balance of the mortal scales... So, she had to jump dimensions."

"Oh, huh, not so normal then."

"No, not so normal."

"Just goes to show even those girls that seem all normal-"

"Oh, she never seemed normal. Half the time no one knew what she was talking
about... I did... But, she wasn't normal. She only had two friends... a lesbian
witch and an odd boy."

"I don't really have any friends."

"She liked ice capades and really awful movies where everyone was 35 pretending
to be in high school... and power ballads... Can't forget those." He laughed. Oh
was that a cue to say that he was her friend?

"You're right I don't see her blending." She sighed as she cuddled up against
him. It was like cuddling with a very soft shapely plugged-in tele. No she
didn't need a friend. She needed a body she could do this with. That was
familiar, but this time it didn't hurt. In exchange feingeing a body, he could
talk about Buffy all he wanted. Not a bad deal.

"Blenders are boring. I need a slicer." Spike smiled.

"Want a generator? For a little while anyway? When your in town..." Gwen said
kissing him.

"LA..." He paused to kiss her. "And all it's bloody glitter... Is not half ba-"
He was interrupted by the door crashing down.

"Spike!" Angel growled in vampire face. He was followed by Gunn with an ax.

"Sweet Jasmine!" Gunn yelped after he took one look and left the room.

"Angel! Holy shit...Gunn." Gwen yelped. She was trying to cover herself up with
her skimpy unitard.

"Here." Spike sighed and covered her with his coat. "What the bloody hell are
" He" He was interrupted by Angel picking him up by the throat.

"You dea dead! Dead!" Angel growled in game face.

"Really?" Spike growled in vampire face. "Killing doesn't seem to be your style.
Why don't you torture me? I'm dressed for it"

"Angel. Stop." Gwen demanded and hit him so he dropped Spike.

"Oh sweet Jesus!" Gunn said numbly and he peaked in and then disappeared again.

"Gunn... Wait!... This isn't what it looks like. Actually, it is exactly what it
looks like but--" Gwen called after Gunn, but then stopped to hold the coat
closed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded to Angel and slapped his arm
with the sizzle of electricity.

"Ow!" Angel whined. "He was all on you... You were all on her!" Angel yelled at
Spike.

"She was on top, Peach." Spike grumbled with his head in his hands as he sat
naked on the mat.

"You- you and him... Him and you-" Angel stammered to Gwen.

"Made the beast with two backs?" Gwen questioned with a smirk. Spike smirked
back at her. Angel saw this and his eyes bulged.

"Yeah... You really are so in love with Buffy." Angel sneered at Spike.

"Um, yeah I really am!" Spike growled and stood up to glare at Angel. "But,
since she is in another dimension hitched to a total Wanker... I decided to go
on with my life...Much like a certain Wanker in this dimension who decided to
move on by shagging evil bitches!"

"Oh, man! This Buffy has to be a cherry." Gwen sighed.

"Oh, sweet Lord." Gunn half laughed as he peaked in the doorway.

"Gunn come in here." Gwen ordered.

"No thanks!" He laughed. "One too many naked dudes in there for me...I'm glad
you are okay, though"

"Why wouldn't I be? What the hell are you guys doing gang busting into my
place?" Gwen demanded.

"Um...You called me and said Spike was drinking Jack" Angel said softly.

"I thought you just wanted to know if he'd be sober for the job...I said I could
handle it." Gwen barked.

"And you did, Love." Spike smiled.

"Oh my God!" Gunn could be heard laughing outside.

"Shut-up!" Angel barked at Spike and turned back to Gwen. "When Spike drinks
Jack he has a tendency-a tendency to make the nearest hundred people around him
very dead."

"Bloody fuckin' hell!" Spike yelled in outrage and got up to shove Angel. "That
was a century ago you drooling idiot! I have a soul now, and I don't know how
yours took affect but I've found other ways to entertain myself."

"I didn't-I don't... Well, I can see that!" Angel finished defiantly. "I mean
what the hell are you doing? Look at this room. Gwen isn't-I mean she's-You are
out of control!" Angel insisted.

"Excuse me! Raise your hand if you the vampire that can shag and is talented
enough to keep a grip on his soul." Spike smirked. Gunn could be heard laughing
in the hall.

"That doesn't make it a good idea." Angel insisted.

"Seemed like a good idea to us, Pope John Paul... Quit this saintly act. You are
just so brassed off that I did one of your honeys that you wanted but couldn't
have because she has the spark for perfect happiness in her." Spike chuckled.

"Oh Buddha above!" Gunn laughed.

"Look-" Gwen began.

"No!" Angel yelled. "I'll have you know I could of had her... And she wouldn't
have brought me perfect happiness. I just decided it was not a good idea."

Gwen looked at Angel and bolted out the door.

"Gwen!" Gunn called after her.

"Gwen?" Angel said bemused. "Oh... I didn't mean it like that! Gwen! It's not
you! My life is just..."

"You are a sodding moron! I think I know why women like you-They are all bloody
masochists!" Spike growled as he jumped into his jeans.

"Not smooth, man... Gwen is a great girl... a bit unruly- but hey. I'm not
complainin'... but I'm sure you'd have lost your soul...Hell I nearly-I don't
think we should take her for granted " Gunn said gently to Angel.

"You should go see if she is all right, Mate." Spike said to Gunn.

"Me? Why?" Gunn brow crinkled.

"She knows you better than me, right? We can't have Peaches do it. He would take
too long finding her with his bloody foot in his mouth and his head up his ass"
Spike growled. "Do you want me to sniff her out for you?"

"There is no way I could want that any less! I know she'll just be in the
pent-house suite with all the best bootie...But thanks." Gunn shook his head and
left.

"Buffy is about to be twenty-three. I'll bet she has out-grown your mortal arse
in that bloody dimension she jumped to and she left you...And, I bet you are
sodding bald and fat." Spike grumbled and left.

"... way too complicated to achieve perfect happiness." Angel finished with a
sigh

______________________________________________________________________________________________

"Hell-o" She answered groggily.

It was only 2 am. She would be home with Kennedy watching "She Spies." She would
have left Wood all happily shagged. She only slept at his house when he didn't
have to go wake-up and be headmaster. Besides Wood hated the tele and she made
it a point to watch every B grade show, but none of the network stuff. She said
it was boring. Kennedy would make the soup. It was Prorogues. She didn't make it
when Red was around because Red would just pout about the poor lambie that died
for the soup. The soup was good dead lambie especially.

"You awake?" He asked grinning.

"I answered the phone, didn't I?" She grumbled.

"Hell... What's the matter with you didn't get laid?" He scoffed still grinning.


"Actually, no." She said, wearily or bitterly he couldn't tell.

"Wha's the matter? Wood couldn't get any?" He suppresseughiughing.

"One day you and Harris will get tired of that double entendre." She told him,
but he knew she was smiling...Sadly though.

"What's wrong?" He asked. No longer grinning.

"The shadow demon came out again." She sighed.

"Are you all right?... I can come back right-"

"I'm fine. I feel like someone roofied me and threw me down the stairs of the
Guggenheim, but I'm fine." She said plainly. He frowned.

"I can leave now and be there before daylight. Actually, I have this bloody
brilliant car now---"

"No, no... It's sort of a waste. You coming back to feed me aspirin...I have
Special K and Robyn for that...You do your double O seven thing for Angel... You
bastard Brit! You make me constantly stick up for Angel around you like I am
your God damned den mother or something and then you go off and---" She couldn't
have been that bad then, if she was still mad about this job.

"Speaking of secrets...You finally told your man about the shadow demon." Wood
would be a good nursemaid. He'd jump at the chance to feel like he had saved
Faith from something for a change.

"Kinda had zero choice. He saw it surge outta me and do all its skateboarding
tricks. You know how it's a different show every time. It seemed to boil this
demons brain."

"Lovely...So, was your man impressed?" Spike laughed. Maybe it was stupid to
worry. Not only was she tough but she had something else inside of her that was
vicious when sparked. They just didn't know what sparked it, or what it would do
next.

"Not exactly. When I told him the story he said I shouldn't have done it... He
said that I should have refused the shadow guys and this demon- like B did" She
added the Buffy part with a sigh. Spike's hand that wasn't holding the
ridiculously small phone turned into a fist. Why was Wood talking about Buffy?
What did he know about her? He obviously didn't know much about his own girl
either!

"Bloody Hell! Is he remembering we were fighting the biggest war of our lives?
Buffy wanted me to bring my demon out, but she couldn't take that demon in"

"This is a first. Robyn saying I should have done what B did, and you saying she
should have done what I did...Actually, I think that's a major apocalyptic sign.
Is the Hellmouth opening again?"

"Oh, I'm not sayin' that... Buffy was different." He told her. "Too pure for to
have any dark demon in her. It wouldn't have been right for her---"

"Yeah, but me having evil things put in me by men is what I do best...So while B
figured out all the ways to save us, not only did I let some man-made bomb blow
us to bits, I also visited a gang of boys and had them hit me with their best
shots...and it did nothing...But a year later the symptoms from my gang-bang
begin to show. It takes over my body and mutilates everything and leaves me weak
for a while... Maybe a shot of penicillin with take care of it." She said
wearily. There was no bitterness.

"Faith, I beg you... I bloody beg you to not do this to me now... I have had
such a night with birds and their hurt feelings-I just can't take anymore! You
know all of that dark slayer crap is bullocks! You know you went to that sodding
shadow dimension to do all that you could to save the world. You know that you
and Buffy are very different, but different doesn't mean one is a better
slayer." Spike pleaded.

"Chicks and their hurt feelings, huh? Is that your secret mission with Angel?
You're running a women's focus group for W&H's new Fall line of PMS pills?" And
like that her hurt feelings were gone. Did she actually believe the things that
came out of his mouth? They were true, but that had never made anyone believe
them before. Maybe she just liked to hear a man beg so she gave them what they
wanted when they did it. Was she the positive reinforcement type?

"No...Dealing with birds and their hurt feelings is always one of the balls you
juggle when you get shagged" He laughed.

"Oh! We should hold a fuckin' parade! K! Spike got his balls juggled! We had a
bet going to see if you would screw Angel's secretary... See K thought you would
do it- just to piss-off Angel, but I thought you really were still too B
whipped...But, it's a bet I'm happy to lose."

"Why did I close that Hellmouth? You birds need more entertainment than my
sodding sex life." He rolled his eyes now.

"We are just worried about you, E. We don't want you to just brood over Buffy
for eternity and get really boring and crotchety."

"Even if I never shagged again there is NO WAY I would turn into Angel! And what
is this about eternity it's only been a sodding year or so." He took another
Snickers bar out of the honor bar and chomped on it.

"Don't bullshit me! You know exactly how long she has been gone."

"All right! So, it's been one year and five months and eleven. ...no twelve days
since Buffy jumped to the dimension where she is married to mortal Peaches,
whose ass I could kick in seven seconds...Still that isn't a very long time when
you have forever." He washed down the Snickers with a little bottle of
Goldschlagger.

"Yeah how does that work exactly?... Is it like dog years, only the opposite? Do
decades feel like days to you guys?" She did have a raw innocence about her
despite everything.

"It's all wonky, Love... All wonky... The first hundred years flew buy like a
party...Then punk came... Oh that was brilliant! The next twenty years flew by
like an even better party! Then it all started to slow down... When I fell in
love with Buffy those years felt like a lifetime, but still a lifetime was too
bloody short. This time that she has been gone has felt like an ice-age"

"Great. You're saying our friendship has been part of a lifetime and an ice
age... Like waiting on line for Aerosmith tickets or something"

"It does seem like we have always been friends."

"Were kindred losers... Beautiful losers...on that ticket line...So, what was
the sex like?"

"You're not a loser! Huh?"

"With Angel's secretary?"

"Oh, it wasn't her. Well...She started with me... but it was this other bird."

"'Ho! Two women and I was worried...I see your game now...'Oh, there only one
bird for lil'ol' me.. I try to keep a stiff upper lip but if all of you other
birds can flock around and make me feel better... I would be ever so grateful'"
She mocked in a British accent that made her sound like she had never been out
of the West end.

"First off all I keep telling you that is the bloody worst impression of me
ever. It's like if someone were to do one of you with Long Island lockjaw.
Second of all, that is not MY game. You have me mixed-up with some other vampire
who says they love Buffy... I swear you torture me."

"I torture you? I think you do a good job of that yourself." She snorted.

"No, it's all you... I just want to rest...and you're all: 'Oh, go out and have
a good shag. It always makes me feel better...go on...go.' I swear I'm the only
man nagged to death about having a shag by a woman...Now I did it and I get lip
about it" He smiled.

"How can I nag you to death when you are already dead? Sittin' around cryin'
over B who's off in Angel's dream dimension." She chirped. She could be so
cruel.

"Do you want to hear this story or not?" He grumbled.

"Maybe just the highlights for now. I'm tired." She laughed her voice cracking
with the laugh and the weariness. He frowned. He wondered if she had a fever.
The demon often left her with one. But, he knew she we be insulted if he asked.

"Highlights..." He smiled. Ready to entertain. "The girl's got a spark...I mean
literally... Maybe that is the only kind of spark I'll ever feel...Angel seems
to fancy her. He walked in on us and tried to strangle me while I was
naked...You think he would remember he's not the only one that doesn't need to
breath...Wanker."

"Wait! I'm wide-awake now and I want details! So, you and Angel fighting
naked...Go on... Do you mind if I tape this-'No'- Great!" She bolted up
giggling. He smiled. This was more like her.

"UUGH! I thought we talked about this." He roared. "'Joke about anything bloody
thing you want,' I say...Call me Buffy-whipped...Talk endlessly about my
blood-lust railroad spike days, which can be a hoot if you have the stomach for
it...But DO NOT- DO NOT joke about Peaches and--- I'm gonna beat your ass."

"Okay. So, who beat whose ass as you and Angel were fighting naked? ...Did the
girl have a whip?" Faith cackled as Kennedy was saying something in the
background.

"You know something you ARE evil. More evil then this sodding corporation that
Peaches is tied into." He grumbled as he looked at his check that Angel had
given him with its cheeky little Wolfram and Hart logo.

"Why are you there then? You better tell me or I'll make a sodomy bondage joke
out of what you just said"

"If I tell you- will you take the money I'm getting?" He asked as he held the
check up to the light even though he could still see better in the dark in most
cases.

End Of Part two (Scroll my Pretties Scroll)--------------->
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