Worlds Apart

Chapter 6







After Angel, Lindsey and Darla had gotten home the previous night, the couple headed straight off to the bedroom, leaving Angel to himself in the living room. There had been silence for a few moments, and then the unmistakable thuds and squeaks, gasps and moans of a couple getting intimately acquainted.







Angel groaned to himself and collapsed onto his futon trying not to listen. Trying, but not succeeding, he realised, as he found a hand sliding into his pants to grab his hard cock. He had thankfully managed to will down his erection after his meeting with the cop so he was able to walk straight for the second half of his shift, but the sounds coming from the other room had rapidly brought it back full force.







As he gently pressed down on his shaft he remembered the feeling of pressing up against a hard body hours ago and felt the absence of that body acutely. He undid his pants and didn’t feel strong hands on his arms. He pulled himself free and didn’t feel soft lips kissing his.







He closed his eyes so that he wouldn’t notice not seeing the gorgeous face he had wanted to see in front of his own every moment since they met. He thrust into his own hand mindlessly and when he heard two successive shouts of pleasure from the bedroom, he answered them with his own soft grunt, spilling across his stomach. Looked like he’d have to do laundry the next day.







***







The next day Angel was awoken by mouth-watering smells of grease and sugar and starch coming from the kitchen. He stretched and ran a hand over his face before padding, shirtless, across the room to see what Lindsey was cooking.







He nearly kissed the man. Again. Bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, potatoes, real maple syrup, and fresh orange juice sat piled on the kitchen table, as Lindsey fished some slices of toast out of the toaster and put them on a plate.







“Sit down, help yourself,” Lindsey suggested.







Angel smiled and was about to do just that when the sound of the running shower, only noticed for its sudden absence made his ask, “should we wait for Darla?”







“Nah,” Lindsey shook his head. “She wont stay anyway. Things to do. Sit. Eat. While it’s still hot.”







Angel did and Lindsey joined him. After several bites, mouth still full of sausage, Angel looked up from his plate and complimented his friend on his cooking. “Oh my God. Linds, seriously, this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Where did you learn to cook?”







Lindsey smiled, pleased at the appreciation. “I’ve had a lot of free time in the mornings. My breakfast is great, but you really don’t want to see me try to make anything for supper unless it’s spaghetti, and even then you may not want to eat it.”







Just then Darla emerged from the bedroom, showered, changed and ready to head out. She grabbed a slice of toast and an apple from the fruit bowl and bent down to give her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve got to run. See you later, baby.”







She picked up her purse and threw it over her shoulder as she moved to the door. She turned once again to face them as she opened the door, with a smile said “Angel. See you soon, I’m sure,” and blew Lindsey a kiss before crossing the threshold, shutting the door behind her.







Angel looked curiously between the door and his friend, not wanting to pry, but unable to douse his curiosity he asked, “Do you guys ever do anything besides..?” he trailed off and nodded toward the bedroom. “She never sticks around in the morning, and this whole week I haven’t seen you go out except that time, you know, with Buffy? Is it me? Do you guys need time alone? Cause I can take off for a while. Just ask.”







“It’s not you,” Lindsey assured him. “It’s not anything. We’re fine. Really,” he added at the sceptical look he received. “I work nights, she works days. It’s hard, but we make it work. It’s worth it.”







The somewhat dreamy smile on his friend’s face made Angel think that maybe it was worth it, and made him wish he could find someone to make him feel that way.







“So there were two guys at the club last night,” Lindsey said with a grin, changing the subject.







Angel went along with it. “There were a lot of guys there last night, Linds.”







“Funny. No, these two guys at the bar. Obviously a couple, right, but the one guy was seriously in denial. Got all jittery when his friend let on that they were together. Also, he looked pretty pissed, cause his guy, the blond, had just been all over some chick on the dance floor.”







With a sinking feeling, Angel thought that maybe he knew who Lindsey was talking about, but it couldn’t be. Angel had watched the two cops. Watched them closely and lengthily, and while they were close, he was pretty sure they weren’t in a relationship. Especially since the man had practically attacked him outside the washroom last night.







“Anyway,” Lindsey continued. “I knew the blond guy was wearing the pants, so to speak, so I played it up for him. Made him feel like the man, flirted a bit. Paid off. Got a $14 tip from the guy.”







Angel scowled, wishing his cop, if it was the same guy, hadn’t behaved that way, hoping against hope that he wasn’t in a relationship with the other man, but knowing it wouldn’t really matter either way. They’d met, they’d kissed, and he’d been blown off. He needed to move on.







Lindsey noticed the less than happy look on Angel’s face and confused, told him, “Angel, dude, I understand if that kind of shit freaks you out a bit, but if you’re ever going to work the front at Caritas, you need to know how to work the customers to get the biggest tips.”







“No, no. That’s not it.” Angel told him. “Not freaked, at all. Just… okay, yeah, you’re right. Thanks. I’ll remember that.” And the two got back to their breakfast.







***







“Hello Will,” Wes said as his partner sauntered in at half 10 in the morning.







“Wes,” Spike responded, immediately looking to his desk and pulling out the work that needed completing first.







“Something wrong?” Wes asked.







“No. Nothing wrong mate. Just didn’t sleep so well’s all.”







Wesley resisted asking why he didn’t sleep well, just barely. He did look at his partner with a disapproving eye Spike couldn’t possibly miss and say, “If you’re sure.”







Spike spared his partner a smile to tell him that, yes, he was sure everything was alright, and then they both got to work.







The entire day passed without ten worlds between the pair, save the lunch order and the occasional request to pass the stapler.







Suppertime came after a day of mind-numbing deskwork, and Spike and Wes headed down to the cafeteria to get some much needed food.







Once they were seated at their usual table with their usual meal, Wes broke the silence. “Spike. Stop dicking around. I know you saw him last night. Just tell me what happened.”







“What?” Spike asked, shock written on his every feature. “How could you possibly… I mean, saw who?”







Wesley let out a small humourless chuckle. “Oh, you know damned well who, William, and I’d’ve thought that you’d have trusted me enough to tell me about it.”







So, Wes was playing the guilt card. And it was working. Spike looked down, ashamed of himself for not believing that his friend would understand, then looked back up and admitted, “Yeah, alright. I saw him. Liam. We…” Spike sighed, not wanting to go on, but seeing the look in Wesley’s eyes knew he had to. “We kissed. Well, I kissed. And then he did, and then, I pulled away… Fine. That kid, Marcus Hamilton. He was there. He saw us.”







Wesley wasn’t sure what he should more pissed off about, his friend keeping personal information from him, or his partner keeping professional information. He decided on the latter for just now.







“Spike, damn it. If Mr Hamilton has been watching you, or your little friend Mr Murphy, we need to know why. We should have had people on him 12 hours ago. Who knows what he’s been up to since then.”







“Relax Wes,” Spike told his partner. “I’m pretty sure all he’s interested in for the moment is finding out what the kid knows. I think we’re both pretty sure Liam Murphy knows nothing, and if Hamilton is nervous about it, it’s only because he’s the one we need to be looking out for.”







“Exactly!” Wes bit out. “So instead of mooning over your stupid little crush you should have had someone following Hamilton.” Wes got up from the table angrily. “I’m going to call Chief Travers. Get a detail on Hamilton now.”







“What will you tell him?” Spike wondered, hoping not to get in any trouble.







Wes couldn’t hold back the foul taste this whole situation put in his mouth, but knew he could never willingly get Will in any trouble. “Oh, don’t worry Spike. I’ll be sure to leave out how you felt seducing one of our witnesses was more important than our apprehending the one putting these deadly narcotics on the street.”







Spike let his partner go without another word, slouching down in his seat. He was unable to decide what he felt worse about. The slow reaction time on getting someone after Hamilton, or having his Wes so upset with him.







**







Lindsey and Angel showed up for work early that evening. Not because they needed to, but because they had run out of things to do at home, and they were both getting a little fidgety.







They picked up a couple of pints of beer and an order of wings for supper and sat down at a table. They ate and talked and watched the early crowd, and Angel couldn’t help but look every time someone walked by, imagining that it was the blond cop.







Lindsey also couldn’t help but look every time someone passed, whistling at every hot girl, and looking to his friend for a similar judgement.







Angel played along, of course finding the same girls attractive, but had to force his reaction down when a good looking man walked by. He was pretty sure Lindsey wouldn’t have the same open appreciation for the human form he had.







Once supper was finished and they still had half an hour until work, Lindsey came up with an idea.







“Hey, you wanna watch me tend bar a bit?” He saw Angels hesitant look. “You don’t have to do anything. Just watch. Get a feel for if it’s something you want to do. Really, it’s loads of fun.”







Angel gave in and decided to watch his friend in his element. He smiled. “That actually sounds really good.” He really was looking forward to seeing his friend do what he did best, and sat back to watch the magic.







After just 5 minutes and less than a dozen customers, Angel knew that he couldn’t possibly do Lindsey’s job. He was so chatty, so open, so happy, so in tune with every person to sit in front of him. Angel, in his place, would fee like a fool.







He watched Lindsey talk and flirt and schmooze and flirt again and suck up, feign admiration and talk some more. Then he watched him receive smiles, and hand shakes and well wishes and kisses and very large tips.







Finally Angel’s shift started and he waved off to his friend that he had to get going, and headed off to the kitchen.







**







After watching Wes go back to their office to call their boss he didn’t feel much like sticking around to hear the results. He also didn’t feel much like calling Wes to ask for his help with what he was planning.







He knew the force was going the get a tail on Hamilton soon, but he didn’t know how soon. And he wasn’t going to take any chances where Liam was concerned. He was determined to keep an eye on the kid, even if it was on his own time.







He knew Wes would tell him not to do it, to wait for the official team, to wait for him, if nothing else, and Spike knew that he really could count on Wes here, even if the guy was a bit hesitant. Nothing they had come across so far had been able to separate them, and Spike knew he shouldn’t think that trend should end here.







Regardless of his knowing better, he called a taxi and headed off to Caritas on his own. If Hamilton was after Liam, Spike wanted to be there.







***







Spike saw the long line and couldn’t be bothered waiting in it. He walked straight up to the bouncer he recognised from previous nights and flashed his badge. He was met with a look of mild shock, and the slight nod of a head to indicate that he should go in. He smiled in return, and entered the club.







Once inside the club, Spike wasn’t sure what to do. He wandered around hoping to catch a glance of Liam, but really, he wasn’t even sure if the kid was working that night. He caught sight of the same bartender who’d been working there last night and headed over to talk to him.







“Left the little lady home tonight did ya?” The bartender asked, clearly recognising him from last night.







Spike smirked, glad to make an impression, and equally glad Wes wasn’t here to see it. “Yeah, she cramps my style sometimes. Sleeman’s,” he ordered, and continued, seriously when the beer was placed before him, “Was actually looking for someone.”







“Got lots of someone’s here. Got any particular flavour in mind?”







“Again with the funny. Not lookin’ to pick up, big guy. You’ve got a busboy workin’ here. Tall, dark hair, beefy, ‘bout your age, maybe a little younger…” Spike hoped this guy knew Liam and could help him out.







The bartender’s brow furrowed slightly as he thought. “You mean Angel? He’s not really a busboy, but-”







“Angel, yeah,” Spike interrupted. “He workin’ tonight?”







“Yeah, he’s back in the kitchen now. He goes on break in about an hour.” The bartender looked him up and down and leered a little as he continued, “unless you can’t wait, then I can get him out here sooner. Needs not being taken care of at home?”







“Ha, bloody ha, mate,” Spike said as he got up from the bar leaving exact change for his drink. It was a small insult, and pointless really as they both knew he’d be back, and leaving a big enough tip to make up for it later.







Liam’s whereabouts settled, Spike downed his drink placing the empty bottle on a nearby table as he walked out on to the dance floor grabbing hold of the first pretty girl he saw on the way. She didn’t seem to mind in the least and the two gyrated against one another for the next four songs.







Finally Spike tired of the movement, getting nothing out of slow grind and caress of the woman’s hips and extricated himself from the dance. He went back to the bar and ordered another beer leaving the expected very large tip and when the bartender smirked at him in response he held up two very proud fingers.







He remained at the bar, nursing his second drink and watching carefree people enjoy their evenings. He fended off two would-be suitors and accepted a phone number from a third, and as he was about to order a third beer caught sight of Liam emerging from the kitchen.







He almost had to physically restrain himself from going to him, but reminded himself that he wasn’t there for that. He was only there to make sure Liam was okay. To see if Hamilton was indeed following Liam, and if he was, well, they’d have to deal with that as and when.







He forced himself to stay put as the, admittedly pretty hot, bartender swapped with a somewhat less attractive one and went directly to Liam, clearly having some news. He saw the bartender look in his direction as he spoke with Liam, and quickly turned away, taking another swig of his drink.







***







Angel had spent the entire first half of his shift in the kitchen, and when his brake came about he practically ran for the front rooms. He loved the kitchen. Loved its quiet loudness and public privacy and would have been happy to stay there the whole night, but tonight more than any other he desperately wanted to check out the bar and the dance floor to see if he could catch a glimpse of a certain blond.







He saw him almost immediately, and only a fraction of a second after that his roommate came bounding up to him, diverting his attention.







“Dude, check this out,” he started with a huge grin. “Remember that couple I was telling you about this morning?” At Angel’s dumb nod he continued. “Well one of the guys is here, over at the bar.” He looked toward him and Angel couldn’t help but follow his gaze. “And he’s asking about you!”







“I… um,” Angel couldn’t be any more articulate than that as he watched the back of a blond head moving up and down with the swallow of alcohol.







“He must have seen you around and his boyfriend isn’t with him, so…” Lindsey trailed off as he realised that Angel was pretty intently studying the man at the bar. “Hey, Angel, you’re not interested… are you?”







“Interested in what?” Angel was so legitimately distracted that he didn’t get what his friend was talking about.







Lindsey rolled his eyes. “In him, dumbass.”







Angel looked at him, not willing to say ‘no’ because it wasn’t really the truth, but equally unwilling to say ‘yes’ for fear of telling his friend something he didn’t want to hear.







He really didn’t need to say anything. Lindsey saw in his face what the answer was. And he didn’t mind at all. “Shit, Angel, why didn’t you tell me? I’d never have set you up with Buffy if I’d known. I might know a couple of guys…”



“Thanks, Linds. No, I’m… good. And I didn’t even really know until, well,” he looked at the blond at the bar, as if that finished the sentence for him. And oddly, where Lindsey was concerned, it did.







“Ah, so you two… Wait. He’s got a boyfriend. Angel, what’s going on?”







“I don’t know, I just-“ he cut himself off, and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Nothing is going on. He’s one of those cops I was telling you about from last week. I ran into him last night and… and we… kissed.”







Lindsey seemed to take all this in stride. “And his boyfriend?” he asked, making it clear that the boyfriend issue was what Angel should be focused on.







“I didn’t know. He’s a cop too. The blond’s partner.”







“If he’s already seeing someone you can’t just,” Lindsey began as Angel started to move across the floor toward the washrooms. “Angel!” he called out to no effect. With a put upon sigh he went off to the kitchen to grab a snack for his break.







***







From his perch at the bar Spike saw Liam head in the direction if the loo. He was trying to decide whether he should follow him or not, when Liam turned the corner out of sight, and he noticed a tall brunet man who had been using one of they payphones on the wall suddenly put the phone down and head off down the hall behind Liam.







Instincts kicking in before he was consciously aware of his action, he found himself in pursuit. He crossed the dance floor at lightning pace and rounded the corner just in time to see Liam head into the men’s room, closely followed by the other man.







He wasted no time and entered the room behind them before the door had a chance to close. Liam obviously hadn’t needed to relieve himself as he headed straight for the sink, and turned the faucet on, bending to splash water on his face.







Spike and the other man both stopped, each unsure what to do next, and turned to look at each other. A knot formed in Spike stomach as his suspicions were confirmed. Hamilton.







Spike immediately saw the look of reciprocal recognition in the man’s eyes, and could tell by the way he shifted his gaze down and headed for one of the stalls, that he had something to hide.







Spike noticed Liam look up just in time to make eye contact with Hamilton in the mirror before the stall door was shut. As the young man turned to leave the restroom, he noticed Spike standing there. He opened his mouth to say something, or maybe nothing, but Spike cut him off by putting his finger over his mouth in the international symbol for ‘shut the hell up’, and gestured to the door with his head.







Spike exited and held the door open for Liam to follow. Once they were back in the hallway Spike looked up and down the corridor spotting a door marked ‘Employees Only’ a few meters down. He assumed it was some sort of storage closet, and figured it might give him a couple of minutes to talk with Liam someplace that Hamilton wouldn’t know to follow.







He grabbed Liam’s hand and dragged him to the door. With a sigh of relief at finding the door unlocked he pushed Liam through first and then followed, snaking a hand up the wall to flick the light switch.







“What the hell are you doing?” Liam asked, clearly outraged at being manhandled into a closet.







“Thought we needed someplace private like. To talk.”







“Can’t you read the sign on the door? Employees only. We aren’t supposed to be here.”







Spike laughed out loud at Liam’s whispering. He couldn’t believe how cute this kid was. “Pet, it may have slipped your attention, but… you are an employee.”







Angel looked down, seeming pretty embarrassed for actually having forgotten that. Still, this was a storage closet. It was meant for employees to… store stuff. Not to use as someplace private to make out with hot police officers.







He looked back up into those warm eyes and forgot last night’s rejection. He had been hurt and humiliated at the time, but he figured this man must have changed his mind. After all, here they were, alone together, mere feet separating them, and as blue eyes raked up and down his body, he got the feeling that he would do just about anything to keep this man looking at him like that. So there they were, surrounded by toilet paper and floor cleaner and hand soap, and Angel wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, summoned his courage, and began to move closer to the man.







The blond took a half step forward, almost it seemed, in unconscious reaction to his own movements, and before either man had time to think about anything else lips were smashing together, hands were grabbing at arms and backs and hair, lower bodies were thrusting against one another in shameless abandon – and then suddenly they weren’t.







“This isn’t,” Spike gasped, catching his breath. “This isn’t why I came here.”







Angel felt devastated once again. The first person that he had really wanted, had felt something for, in his bones in a way that was impossible to describe, couldn’t seem to get away from him fast enough. Maybe he was coming on too strong? He doubted it. The guy had seemed pretty into it at first, both times, so what the hell?







“What the hell?” Angel demanded. “You practically attack me last night, and then you drag me into this closet, and now you don’t… don’t want me?” Some of the anger left Angels statement as it concluded, and was replaced with hurt and insecurity.







It just about broke Spike’s heart. “That’s not… Argh! I’m awful at this. I’m sorry for what happened. Last night and tonight. It was a mistake and I’m sorry.”







He watched Liam’s face fall as he called their stolen kisses mistakes and hurried to the point of this little meeting. “I don’t think you’re safe. That bloke in the washroom just now? He’s bad news. And I think he’s been following you.”







Liam looked confused. “Following me? What for? I don’t even know the guy.”







“Yeah. Well, ‘parently he knows you, luv.”







“I still don’t get it. Why would he be following me? And how come I’m not safe?” A little bit of fear was starting to work its way into Angel’s confusion.







Spike sighed. “Long story short, right? He was one of your group we brought in that night, to question about Caleb. Remember?” Spike received a look that clearly stated ‘Are you kidding?’ in return, so assumed the kid did and continued. “Course you do. Well, word’s got back to his boss about the bust, and we’re thinking that bloke from the loo was the guy did the telling. Now he seems to be interested in you, for whatever reason. He probably thinks you saw something, know too much, and unless you’re working with him, that’s not likely a good thing.”







“Working with him?” Angel spluttered. “I work here. I just told you I don’t even know the guy. And I didn’t see anything!”







Man this kid was high strung. “I know that, kid. Wasn’t accusing. Just saying, you’re in danger. I think you need to come with me. We’ll put you up in a safe house. Not long, just until we nab that son of a bitch and he can’t harm you.”







“I’m not a kid,” Liam mumbled under his breath, looking down at his fists.







That was the last thing Spike had expected him to say. “Right. No, sorry, just a… figure of speech, yeah?”







“Is that what you think?” Liam asked, face turning up to his, defiant. “That I’m a kid? Is that why you wont….” He cut himself off, seemingly becoming flustered at the topic.







Spike tried his best to ignore a line of questioning that could only possibly lead nowhere good. “Safe house?” he asked, bringing the conversation back to focus. “I really think it’s a good idea.”







“Yeah? I really think you’re crazy!” Liam bit out. “I live with a friend, and I’m either with him, or here, surrounded by people. And I’ve never seen that guy before in my life, so I really don’t think he’s been following me as closely as you think he has. So, thanks, but no thanks,” he finished, and headed out the door, presumably back to work.







The kid obviously wasn’t interested in help, and Spike couldn’t legally force him, so he stopped briefly to kick over a waste bin and exited the store room himself. He stopped quickly by the men’s again checking in vain to see if Hamilton was still there. Of course he wasn’t; the guy was probably long gone. He cursed himself for letting Hamilton out of his sight. He knew he should have stayed on him, called in to let someone know where he was so they could get with the watching him, but seeing Liam had thrown off his judgement. Fuck! He’d been so close.







He walked slowly back to the bar scanning the room for Liam and seeing no sign. Somewhat thankful, he placed his money on the smooth bar surface and asked the bartender, whose nametag read ‘Ramone’ for another beer. After having been asked if he wouldn’t prefer a seabreeze instead and having responded with the appropriate sour look, he received his beer and finished it off as he watched the carefree couples go about their carefree lives and remembered last week, when he’d been one of them.







***







Once the last of the customers had gone home and the kitchen was cleaned up for the night, Angel headed out to meet his roommate.







“Dude. Thank fuck. Let’s get the hell home.”







Lindsey was a little confounded by his friend’s zeal to get home. “Okay, sure. Chill for a few though, I’ve gotta go talk to Lorne.”







“NO!”, Angel shouted out, before he could control himself. “I mean, no. I’ll come with you.” He didn’t want to admit to anyone that his conversation with the police officer had shaken him up a little, and he wasn’t willing to spend any unnecessary time alone. So he followed his friend to their boss’s office, watched them haggle over a raise, and watched Lindsey walk away with a dollar more an hour, on account of him being able to sweet talk the customers into spending more at the bar.







Finally the meeting ended and Angel and Lindsey shifted out onto the street where they had quick luck finding a taxi and heading home. As they exited the vehicle and entered the apartment complex Angel kept very close to his friend, and neither noticed a bleached blond head in the dark behind a tree, nor a car parked across the road, its only occupant watching their moves intently.







When they got into the apartment Lindsey said his quick goodnights and went straight for the washroom, and less than a minute later the bedroom. Angel was stuck with only his thoughts for company as he preformed his own bedtime ritual.







After emerging from the washroom, clean and changed and ready for bed, and deciding he couldn’t sleep anyway, he headed over to the window, intent on staring out into the night.







He didn’t have to stare long before he recoiled and jumped back from the window. He had told the cop he wasn’t scared; he’d lied. Seeing the big man from the club washroom staring up at the building, as if into his own face, Liam was pretty damn terrified.







Liam quickly shut the blind and crept back into the living room, out of view of the street.







He didn’t sleep much that night.





***



TBC