Memory Redux

A/N: This chapter was a blast to write, so I hope you enjoy it as much as Isis and I did. But I would love to hear what you think. Thanks

Chapter 8: Accident or Coincidence

After Buffy’s dreams on Saturday night, Spike was terrified. Not a word often associated with a master vampire that had made his name by using railroad spikes on his victims, but he was scared out of his Doc Marten, which are boots that are certainly not easy to hop out of. So Sunday evening, he practically shooed Beth out to her car, sending on her way back to Sunnydale. Before her car was out of view, he could have beaten any vampire in the one meter dash back up the stairs to his loft, only to stop in the middle of his living room calling, yelling, cussing, and bellowing. “Damn you, Whistler, you had better show, or I am going to cock up this new, bright and shiny reality.” It was a lie to be sure, but that little, irritating tosser didn’t know that – for sure. Even if the PTB’s mouth piece called his bluff, he would know of the infamous vampire’s unpredictability. “WHISTLER! NOW!”

Waiting long enough to watch the blonde worry and make threats a while longer, Whistler made his appearance, casually sitting on Spike’s leather wit with his feet propped up on the coffee table. “You know, Spike, I heard you the first time. I just had better things to do than come running to you.”

Spike growled at him as he stepped closer to the late comer. The vampire’s foot swiftly shot out, kicking Whistler’s feet off his table, spinning the annoying demon to the side. “Whistler, you little bleedin’ prat. I should squish you like the roach that you are, but I want some answers first. The honest kind, not fake-a-fib.”

“Then you should treat me better.” Snubbing the vampire, Whistler absently looked around the room. “Much better than the crypt. Never saw it, but that’s what I’ve heard.”

Looking confused, Spike placed his hand on his chin and looked up at the ceiling as if trying to think of the next thing he was going to say. “Where was I? Oh, I remember now.” Spike leaned in so his yell could be heard even louder. “What the bloody, fucking hell is going on? The deal we made that day at the Hellmouth was that I got to keep my memories as long as I don’t do anything to remind Buffy of her real past, and as we both know, the consequence would revert her to that old past, which would go against her own wish. Now, you and the sodding powers should know that I’ve kept my word. So tell me, what is going on?” What Spike really wanted to do was punch the wanker’s nose so hard that it would smash against the back of his skull, but he needed information. So unfortunately, Whistler needed his face intact to talk.

Watching the vampire continue his pacing, Whistler shrugged. “What do you think is going on?”

“Don’t start that namby-pamby psycho-rubbish on me. Socrates, you are not.” dem demon in him mentally added, ‘I would just have soon eat that bothersome nit, anyway.’ Spike paused to point his finger at the ponce with the bad hat lounging on his sofa. “Now, let me ask you a question you had better answer. If she is so happy in this new life, and I haven’t screwed up and reminded her of anything, why does she keep remembering pieces of her past that she so desperately wanted to leave behind?”

Whistler paused before asking, “What have you done to make her remember?

Throwing his arms up in frustration, Spike roared. “You’ve got that wrong, leprechaun, and you know it; it is more like what I have done to make sure she doesn’t remember. I am using a different name, one which I hate but the only other one I would consistently answer to. I’ve also changed my clothes, including storing away my duster, letting my hair curl on top instead of slicking it back, and bought a Jaguar so she would not see the DeSoto. I’ve even cleaned up my accent so that the William in the twenty-first century sounds like the William of the ninetieth century.” Spike wanted to gag just at the thought. “Overall, I’ve not made any mention of the past; I have kept and guarded the bloody secrets. She’s the one that is reminding herself. She didn’t call the DeSoto by name, but thought I should drive something like antique instead of the Jaguar. She made reference to Willy’s bar that probably doesn’t even exist in Sunnydale now. She talked about me using a blanket to run around in the sunlight. And last night, she said that she dreams, as in *more* than one, about us walking in a graveyard on patrol, describing me down to my duster. Dreams about sitting on the Summers’ back porch again with me there with her. And…uh…other things she dreamed about us doing together.” Those memories in the abandoned house were the best but were none of the weasel’s business. Spike had made his point. “None. Of. This. Is. My. Fault.”

“Spike, they,” Whistler pointed up at the ceiling, “realize that you have been very careful kept your end of the bargain so far, and acknowledge that you originally tried to avoid this situation when it first began. However, you do have quite a dilemma, or actually she does. Buffy wanted this new, happy life, she wished for it, and now you are a large part of her new life.”

Even though Whistler was trying to make it clear that the vampire’s explanation was valid, Spike still felt the need to defend his actions further. “But I didn’t ask for it…I didn’t even see her in that mall until she came after me.”

“No, you didn’t, Spike, just as the few memories she has remembered are not your fault. The way I see it, and I suspect that it is the same way the Powers That Be see it also, is this way. The natural turn of events of life are based on choices that a person makes. In fact, it’s all the different choices made by different people in the world that influence how the world exists. For the most part, the Powers do not step in and interfere in choices the various people made, rarely meddling with the natural course of events. But in some examples, special circumstances, the Powers That Be step in and meddle in the lives of people such as you, Angel and Buffy by giving each of you a wish for your future.”

Spike snarled. “Leprechaun, I want to hear this straight out, no poofy, higher plane English. None of that rot you are spouting so far.”

Whistler shut his eyes and shook his head, “Ok, let me bring this down to the low, vampiric description. In my opinion, they are leaving Beth a choice of what she wants to remember. If she does recall memories with no help or interference and her old life comes back, it would still be her choice. And if she does remember all, I honestly don’t know what the Powers would do to her. Or you, actually, since you have become one of the players in her new life. I can tell you this, if they decide you have influenced her choices, their punishment would probably be harsh.” Whistler shrugged. “You can play the cards and hope you come up aces. If it were me, I’d the game while you can.”

“Harsh. What do you mean harsh?” Spike latched onto that one word and started pacing again. “Lose my memories of my time in Sunnydale, lose my soul and become a killer again, be sent to a hell dimension? Tortured for all time having to live with Harmony? Harmony and Dru with not one complete brain cell between them? What?”

“, wh, whoa, I’m not the Powers That Be.” Whistler held up his hands. “Ok, the snail version. Beth can choose on her own to remember her past life. That’s within the rules, but you can do nothing to remind her. Now, my advice for what it’s worth, Beth in this new life that she wished for has chosen to be in it with you, so I suggest you should enjoy yourself. Otherwise you will grow old before you time.”

“Ha, Fucking, Ha, you tosser.” Spike glared with yellow eyes before continuing to a more delicate topic. “What about when Beth and I are…intimate. You would think that something so personal would remind her of when we had sex before.”

Whistler stood up and looked Spike directly in his eyes. “Then my guess is she must not want to remember that part of the past or something. Maybe it is because she is letting herself go, feels different, feels better, no guilt. Who knows? She could be choosing the new memories over the old one from the past. You ok jus so that she you don’t intenallnally reminder. Most of all, remember, that it’s ultimately is her choice, unconsciously but still her choice.” With that Whistler was gone.

Spike spent the rest of the week mulling and pacing, pacing and mulling, over Whistler’s words. What Spike suspected was that her old life was somehow making itself known in her current life, and that Beth was making those choices whether she knew it or not. Not one important piece to this puzzle that Buffy and Spike’s lives always manage to find, was that he had no way of finding out what was going to happen. It hadn’t worked with Buffy, but if there were someway, somehow, that he could help their relationship, he wanted to, still included avoiding any reminders of the past. So what he finally decided was fall back on the school boy William learned, “Carpe Diem,” Seize the Day. With that decision made and a large cup of warm blood, Spike realized that he had been blessed with a second chance with Buffy, who was now Beth, and he was going to grab it and run. The stop light to this relationship had been yellow for caution had just skipped red and went straight on to green.

***** he mhe much dreaded weekend had arrived. Things had been going so well between Spike and Buffy that it just made it harder for Spike to face what was coming for several reasons. Nonetheless, he would face the challenge; he never backed down, but the fact that he loved her certainly helped him persevere.

Beth was on the road to Sacramento and his loft at that particular moment, but here’s the rub, Willow and Xander were with her. This situation was way past, “Bloody hell.” asn’asn’t worried about meeting two people that didn’t remember that they already knew him. Xander, just the whelp’s name gave him the willies. He had been hard to take in the past, and it would have been so nice to NOT see him in this new reality. The pair had used the excuse that they just wanted to get out of town for the weekend, and that Willow wanted to go to an arts festival being held in Sacramento that weekend. But they may not know him any more but he knew them. This little visit by Buffy’s two best friends’ translated to two protective chums that wanted to see if the current boyfriend was good enough for their Buffy. The whelp judging him. Ha! That would put a twist in anyone’s knickers.

Another nagging worry was that he ran a risk that Willow and Xander would remember something about him which could trigger Beth’s memory. For this same reason, Spike had been refusing Beth’s numerous invitations to visit Sunnydale. So, they were coming to him. Major backfire. Instead of a win, win situation, it was a no win situation. In the past, demons of any kind were on the no touchy-feely list for Buffy. They had accepted Angel, but he had mucked that up by using his dick to go all Angelus. And to add misery on top of misery, the bleeding bastard walked away, leaving Buffy broken hearted and leaving a bad taste for accepting demons in all of the Scoobies’ mouths. So if Angel was low on their list of ineligible bachelors, Spike was so much farther down the list that he couldn’t even see Angel’s name above. A China to the US kind of difference.

But there was one little twinkle of fun, which was that this time around, neither Willow or Xander knew he was a vampire. They were all equal on the playing field. No automatic rejection is eis eligibility this time. Not to mention, Spike couldn’t wait to make fangy faces behind the whelp’s back. Juvenile, but oh, it was going to be fun.

When Xander’s SUV pulled up to the funeral home, they dropped Beth off, and then left so they could hunt down their motel and clean up. Spike suspected that it was the witch’s idea to give Spike and Buffy some alone time, which Spike put to use, kissing her until her head was spinning.

Thllowllow and Xander invasion took place a few minutes before sunset, and Buffy made the introductions. Spike felt so funny being introduced to two people he had spent four years with. Willow was just as adorable as ever. He had always been partial to the witch, but then, she wasn’t a witch anymore. Xander was the same, all mouth and only sporadic use of his brain. When they shook hands, Xander shot off his first cannon. “Nice to finally meet you, ‘Mr. Frosty the Snowman Hands.’” Spike smiled, while basking in the irony that Xander was stooping below his bigoted standards to even touch him. Watching the whelp make with the nice with him was going to be an unexpected perk to the weekend.

Feigning surprised at Xander’s comment, Spike tilted his head “You know, I get that a lot, and I’m not sure why.” Same Xander. Foot in mouth and still talking. So much fun to bait.

Xander squirmed. “Oh, well, I didn’t mean that…uh…your air conditioner must be set a little too low?...”

Since she had already seen many people’s reactions to William’s cool hands, Beth laughed at the joke which went along with the bewildered look on her friends face. But what her friends didn’t know was how excellent his cool hands felt running all over her body.

*****

As soon as it was dark enough outside for Spike, they headed out. When they arrived, the festival glittered with lights, booths and activity. The city barricaded off four blocks of a popular street in the arts district. There were booths on each side, food and beverage vendors sprinkled through out, and various performers wandering from place to place, putting on little shows.

While Beth loved visiting the festival with her three favorite people, William, Willow and Xander, Spike enjoyed watching her so happy. She held his hand, drng hng him from booth to booth, and making comments on the various displays art with Willow. Luckily, when Beth or Willow decided to go inside a particular booth, he was able to stand back with Xander and watch the two women gush over the various objects on sale.

He had expected some difference, but Spike was surprised how much more comfortable he and Xander were around eotheother. He realized that it was because Xander didn’t know that he was a vampire, but it still warranted a raised eyebrow and some comfort that he would never admit to. One of those tongue cut out instead of things. Now, of course, Xander was obviously still a little jealous of any man with Buffy rather than himself, but he was dealing well. In fact, the banter between himself and the whelp was free flowing as the two girls tried to involve the men in the trinkets from the venders.

At a break in the booths, Spike bought a round of drinks, and they found a place at the back of a crowd to watch a street magician perform his slight of hand on various people in the audience. Incredibly content with how the evening was turning out, Beth nestled back against William’s chest with her head resting on his shoulder and enjoyed the feel of his chin against her hair. She laid one of her hands on top of William’s arm that he had wrapped around her waist while all four of them laughed at the magician’s antics. Beth on occasion tried to clap for both of them, but neither she nor William wanted him to take his arm away long enough for her to even clap properly. Adding to the fun, Xander supplied a running dialogue, as only Xander could do, trying to explain the redirections of the audience’s attention behind each trick.

A sudden tap on Spike’s shoulder naturally put the vampire on guard. But when he identified the voice coming from behind him, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end before he could even turned around. “I would recognize that glow of bleach anywhere, Spike.” The “Spike” part was drawn out, making it linger in the air.

Before dealing with the ponce, Spike checked Beth’s reaction at the mention of his preferred moniker. She had turned around as she felt him turn, but now she was looking at Angel with a normal expression of curiosity, but no recognition was evident.

Angel also had false memories in place of his old ones of the slayer just as Willow, Xander, and anyone else except Spike himself. Accordingly, in Angel’s memory, he and Spike would have not met up in Sunnydale. He was making an educated guess on this part, but Spike suspected that the Powers That Be left it that Angel and he hadn’t met since Angel left their little “family” when cursed with his soul. Spike’s main concern had been if that spark of Buffy that was left in Beth, which recognized himself at the mall, would also recognize Angel as well. And the answer looked to be a resounding, “No.”

Feeling smug from her lack of reaction, Spike turned his attention back on Mr. High and Mighty. Making sure his cockiest grin was in place, Spike pulled his arm free from Beth and turned around to address the speaker. “Peaches, fancy meeting you here at this quaint, little street show. And with no date?” Ok cou couldn’t resist that jab with Beth standing with him. “What do we owe this dishonor? I didn’t see a booth with bulk rate hair mousse, but I did see kitchen canisters in the shape of fruit that might take your fancy, especially the peaches.” Normally, he would have sensed the older vampire’s approach, but Angel was now without Angelus, his demon. Spike looked Angel up and down, taking in his golden tan. Spike had to admit, humanity agreed with his grand-sire, but he would as soon light himself on fire before he admitted it to the poof. “So, how is your broodiness doing these days? Must be a hard addiction to kick, mate. Maybe you could join one of those support group things. Hear they do wonders.”

As Beth stood a little behind and to the side of William, she looked back and forth between the two alpha males, trying to decipherer what exactly was going on between them. They obviously knew each other but as anything except friends. Actually, they looked like two pit bull dogs squaring off to fight, waiting to immediately go for the throat with any provocation. The darker man was larger than William, and with body language, he was making every effort to intimidate. William however, looked relaxed, but she suspected that he was anything but.

Spike noticed that Angel ignored Beth, completely focusing on him. He was feeling better and better about this chance encounter every minute. Who would have thought?

“I was doing fine until I saw you. Does Drusilla know you’re off your leash?”

‘Oh, so grandpa was coming out swinging,’ Spike thought. “Dru and I went our separate ways a few years ago. Maybe I can find her and send her your way, if you want, Peaches?”

The mention of an ex-girlfriend certainly captured Beth’s attention, sending a possessive spark coursing through her nervous system. After slipping her hand into William’s, she stepped up to formally announce her intention to enter the bizarre conversation. “Hi, I’m Beth, and you are…?”

Spike looked down at her and smiled when he heard a slayer’s voice with her hackles up mixed in with Beth’s. She sounded just as Buffy always did before her fist shot out, connecting with some poor blokes nose, something he knew from numerous such experiences. He would pay to see Angel holding his bleeding nose from her tiny fist. “Sorry, pet.” He raised her hand to kiss the back of it before looking back at the annoying one. “This is Angel, and we go way back. But don’t let his lack of facial expressions scare you, luv. He’s worked years to perfect that talent.”

After watching his grand-sire’s expression darken, Spike looked back down at Buffy. “Would you hold my drink for me, pet? We are going to step down this side street, so we can hear better over the music. Why don’t you watch the rest of the magicians act with Xander and Willow and tell me what I missed later?”

Not wanting the ponce to get behind him, Spike followed Angel half a block down the relatively vacant street for a little privacy. Angel was more than willing, especially if he needed to stake Spike now instead of later as he planned.

When he stopped and faced the cocky blonde, Angel didn’t waste any time. “You are a killer, Spike. Are you hunting tonight’s liquid meal in this unsuspecting crowd?” Angel took a step closer in another attempt to intimidate by his superior size, trying to take control of the situation quickly and have it over with. Never doubting he could take Spike, but never trusting the blonde’s wiliness either.

So there still was a little of Angelus left in the man, Spike observed, but times have changed. They hadn’t truly fought in decades, and the wanker would be quite surprised in his once student. But Spike remained deceptively calm, and with a tilt of his head, he smiled. “’You are a killer.’ Change the “are” to a “were,” then I would agree with you. Same. As. You. WERE.”

Not believing what he was hearing, Angel stared at Spike. “No way would I ever be in the same category as you.”

“Actually, peaches, remember we were both killers of humans. So there is the first category, and don’t bother denying it. I was with you before you got all souled up. Even if you are now human, and I am still a vampire, all we kill now are demons, which makes a second category we share.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Angel’s brown eyes were now slits.

“Well, you were always a little thick.” Rolling his eyes, Spike sighed in frustration. “You have a detective agency that you often snuff out a demon or two. Right?” Spike could tell that Angel didn’t want to agree with him in any possible way but to even if it was a silent agreement. “I am right, so don’t bother denying that one either. See, up until last year, that’s what I did, also. Hunt and kill demons. Not. Humans.” He wanted to rub it in the wanker’s face that he had been fighting beside Buffy, but that history no longer existed. “So now I have a job as a skip chaser, which means hunting humans but not for a meal. Instead, I am paid to put them in jail.”

Angel looked at him as if Spike had grown tulips out of his ears and laughed. “You’re trying to tell me you don’t feed off humans any more? Oh, this is getting better and better.”

“Bag it just like you did when you were all fangy and grrh.” Spike left out his arrangement with the mortician, not even wanting to go there.

Regardless of any explanation and only having Spike’s word, which held very little weight with him, Angel still held on to the old image of Spike. “You’re a killer. You enjoy the hunt, the feeding. You pride yourself in the destruction.”

“Are you deaf as well as hair impaired? Killer. For once you’re right about one thing, grandpa. I do love to hunt and that’s why I hunt bail jumpers now. Perfect profession for me.” Spike smirked at Angel as doubt in his preconceived notions started to seep into the newly forming cracks in Angel’s mind set. “But of course, who taught me to hunt? It certainly wasn’t Dru with could barely hunt down a clear thought.” Asthinthinking, Spike paces few steps away and then back to stand in front of Angel. When he looked up, he gazed at Angel with hard, cold blue eyes. “Oh, yeah. I remember now. You. But I never did take to the torturing that you so enjoyed.” Spike watched as that jab hit its mark in the martyr’s shell.

“I’ve paid my dues.” Angel stood rigid with his fists clinched at his side. He decided to try a different direction. It was low for him, but he was pissed. “So who’s the skirt? A tasty midnight snack?”

“Leave her out of this.” Before, he was just annoyed and frustrated, but now Spike’s anger was starting to soar. “She doesn’t know anything about the darkest side of what is so lovingly called life.”

“She doesn’t even know you are a vampire?”

Spike had had a sharper edge to his voice now. “No, she doesn’t. But good try on the subject change. Let’s return to the topic of this little tête-à-tête. You think I’m a killer.” Spike relaxed back into his calm façade. “Why did you bag it? Why did you stop killing humans?”

“You know why,” Angel sneered, as cas cursed with a soul, BUT I redeemed myself.”

“Like grandsire, like grand-childe, just without the curse, gramps. Soul equals no more killing humans for dinner, which also means that my gorgeous girlfriend is not a meal.”

“You have a soul? That’s funny coming from you, Spike.” But then Angel took in Spike’s serious expression. Not one of his “trying to slide a good lie by” expression, but a truly serious look. “How did you get a soul?”

“I fought for it, and I won it, instead of being a brutal son of a bitch and being cursed. Since you had a soul as a vamp, you should know that my girlfriend is not a meal. She’s…”

Before Spike could finish, Angel interrupted. “You’re in love with that girl.” With a harsh bark of an excuse for a laugh, Angel gestured toward Beth, who was making no pretense about watching them. “So sappy William is back. I should have known with your accent cleaned up, and Drusilla not around. She only wanted the animal she sired, not the lame poet you were, which you seem to have returned to.”

“Shut your gob, you fucking tosser. This has nothing to do with Dru. Beside, when you were a vampire, you were in love with a human.” He had started to mention the slayer but caught himself in time, so he took a chance that some of Angel’s past was still intact. Spike raised his scared brow, “What’s her name? Cordelia? But you call her Cordy? Cheerleader type?”

Angel’s fist shot out only to be caught by Spike, who forced it down hoping to stop the imminent fight in front of Beth. “Fair is fair, Peaches. Let’s agree to leave the birds out of this. This is just between you and me.”

She had wanted to go back to William’s side sooner, but he had specifically asked her stay back. Xander assured her that it looked like “a man thing,” and that William could handle himself if he was a skip chaser. But when the brunette tried to hit William, all of the solid reasoning became paper thin. All three friends saw the punch thrown, and with silent agreement, all three of them walked up to William’s side. Willow stepped up to Spike’s right, while Buffy stood at his left with Xander next to her. Beth’s friends hadn’t known William long, actually only a handful of hours, but what they had seen so far was that Beth was happy, treated well, and he obviously adored her. So if Beth was mad, Willow and Xander were mad. One front with William now included.

Beth immediately went on the attack. “What do you think gives you the right to try to hit him?”

Smiling, Spike enjoyed her protective ferocity and the unexpected support of the Xander and Willow. “Angel is a relative, luv. You know, one of those that you want to keep tied up in a cellar.”

“Color me confused, William, but I thought relatives tried to greet each other warmly. So what’s with this boss-type attitude and then throwing a punch? Nice catch by the way, but still a punch.”

“No, luv, Peaches only thinks he can still push me around. Did I mention he was dropped on the noggin when he was a babe?”

Angel ignored the petite spitfire and went for Spike again. “She calls you William? I guess I was right about you reverting back to the poet, after all.” Angel looked down at Beth and dragged out the name, taunting Spike. “William is only hiding his true nature, a wolfish devil in sheep’s clothing.”

Xander couldn’t miss that incredible opening for a joke. “Yes, he’s Dr. Eeeevvviiilll.”

“Oh, oh, I want to be Mini-Me.” Willow piped in with a grin.

Beth smiled at her friends’ jokes but stayed focused on Angel. “Geez, I would have to agree. He’s evil that his is so good looking, evil that he makes me so happy to be with him, and evil that he is so good in bed. So if you meant that, my reply is, yes, he’s evil, and he can do it to me anytime.”

Xander made a face like he had just eaten a lemon. “Ugh, way too much info on the bed stuff, Beth.”

Unfortunately, Spike and Angel squared off again. “So, William, you need girls to help you out now.”

“Hey, now. One hundred percent male here and have the parts to prove it. And large parts I would say.” Xander hesitated before adding. “Not that I am going to show you any said parts...”

Beth reached behind William to give Willow her a “follow my lead” nudge and then did the same to Xander. While the two men were still posturing and arguing, Beth handed Xander Spike’s drink, and then “accidentally” dropped her purse. Her aim was right on when the purse landed on the toe of Angel’s shoe, making sure the brunette noticed. As expected, both Angel and Spike started to pick it up. Actually Spike mostly didn’t even want Beth to accidentally touch the poof, but Spike felt Willow’s hand slide into the crook of his arm, holding him back. He gave her a quick glance, and was so stunned when, with a little smile, Willow winked at him, he stopped moving altogether.

As Angel leaned over, Beth swiftly followed, so when Angel started to stand back up, he bumped her cup, spilling it all over himself.

Still slightly bent over, Angel looked at the soda streaming off of his head and back as Beth went into innocent, apologetic mode. “Oh, I’m soooo sorry. It was an accident. I didn’t mean to get you all wet.” She snatched her purse out of his hand as she talked so it wouldn’t get any wetter.

Willow tried to look sympathetic. “Ick, all that hair gel is going to get so ooey-gooey.”

Handing William’s drink back to Beth, Xander started to help Angel brush off. “Man, I hope this doesn’t ruin your shirt. Not to mention, it must be really cold. Here let me get that ice cube out of your collar.” When Xander reached up to pick out the imaginary ice cube, he also accidentally bumped Angel, his arm this time but with the same result. Angel ended up with Xanders’ drink mixing with Beth’s, dripping off of him.

Angel jerked upright, furious, and glared at Xander. “That’s enough of your help.” Angel, looking like he had been dunked head first in a large bucket of coca-cola, turned and started to walk away.

Spike’s voice, unexpectedly serious instead of the usual taunting, stopped him. “Angel, things are not the same as they were, so let it lie between us. A cease fire of sorts.”

Angel turned back and glared at the blonde. “Fine but if you step over the line, I’ll be back to take care of you in a dusty way.”

“That’s fair. But make sure you do a disappearing act until I’ve crossed that line.”

All four stood and quietly watched Angel stalk away until Xander broke the silence. “Ya know, it’s hard to take a man’s threat seriously when his exit is way blown into little ego bits by his shoes squishing as he walks away.” Spike was reminded how much Xander, a regular human, had always added his own brand of skills to the Scoobies.

While they laughed and turned to go back to the festival, Willow kept her arm through William’s. , wa, wasn’t that fun? I didn’t know an art festival was so entertaining, did you?” She looked across at Xander. “Xan, we should visit Sacramento more often.”

Spike started to groan out of habit, but stopped when he realized that that Red was right; it actually had been fun having their help taking Peaches down a not As As they continued their stroll through the booths, the girls resumed their chatter about the different things for sale, and he listened to Xander comments about any eligible girls passing by. Absently listening to the whelp speculate if a red head’s breasts were real or implants, Spike realized that the Powers That Be gave him more than the reward to keep his memories. They had also rewarded him with a clean slate, a second chance with not only Beth, but with her friends, one of the big hindrances to his relationship with Buffy in the past. The question of the day, no of the year, was if this bonus was accidental or deliberate.

TBC


Fun chapter, huh? The next chapter is steam, or I should say STEAMY.

I would love some feedback. Thanks


MadRog
www.sunnydale–tales.com
madrog@ev1.com