Buffy woke up half expecting Angel to still be there, hogging her bed. Even
though she had at one time loved him, she couldn't wait for him to leave.
Their relationship seemed as if it were a hundred years ago. So much has
changed since then and she didn't like Angel acting like he still had some
power over her. She loved Spike now, not him and couldn't imagine being
away from him. Spike needed to know that she loved him but there have been
so many distractions and interruptions that it had been next to impossible
to talk to him about it. No matter how her actions have changed toward him,
she knew he still needed to hear it be said. After the battle with the
first, he didn't believe her when she said 'I love you' and she understood
why. If she had been treated the way the she treated him during their
sexual affair, she would have a hard time believing it too.
When she rolled over, however, Angel was thankfully gone and only Spike remained. She watched his peaceful face of slumber and his chest rising and falling as he breathed. Watching him sleep made her content beyond belief and she knew at that moment that she wanted to wake up like this every morning.
Her legs swooped over the side of the bed and she walked out into the living room to find Angel asleep on the couch. All she felt when she looked at him was annoyance and knowing that he couldn't leave until sunset made her realize how long this day was going to turn out to be. Never before has she looked so forward to losing the sun. She took one last glance at him and rolled her eyes. She secretly hoped that he would remain sleeping until he had to leave. It would make everything so much easier.
She walked into the training room and brought out the video camera that she had in the cabinet. She secretly set it up in the corner that captured the entire room the best. She wanted to start videotaping her and Spike's fighting sessions so that she could go over his moves with him and point out what he needed improvement on. She needed to make sure that his fighting skills were as sharp as ever, never wanting to take the chance of losing him ever again.
Meanwhile, back in Spike and Buffy's bedroom, Spike awoke to find Xander, Dawn and Willow sitting on the bed staring at him.
"Ya know, I keep waking up like this and it's starting to freak me out." Spike grumbled sleepily. He sat up and scooted himself upward so his back rested against the headboard. "What can I do for you?"
Willow spoke first "Well, we've all been really busy lately and haven't had the chance to give you a proper welcome."
"Does this welcome involve a weapon of some kind?" Spike raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not." Dawn said.
"I know that Willow and Nibblet are happy to have me here but I never expected a welcome from monkey boy." Spike grinned.
"And you're not gonna get one if you keep calling me that." Xander's non- patched eye narrowed.
"Right. Sorry about that, mate, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't give you a hard time."
"Don't I know it." Xander smiled. "Actually, I wanted to thank you."
Spike looked bewildered and suddenly had a loss for words.
"I was wrong about you." Xander continued. "I know about what you did for Buffy, what you did for ALL of us. You gave her and the rest of us the break we desperately needed. You gave Buffy the normal life that we never thought she would be able to have. I just want you to know that we have no problem with you being here."
"Thanks." Spike said thoughtfully. "It means a lot of me to be accepted by Buffy's friends."
"We do have one question though." Willow chimed in.
"What's that, luv?"
Willow's brow furrowed slightly. "What the hell is Angel doing sleeping on our couch?"
Spike groaned and covered his face with a pillow momentarily. After he removed it from his face he looked back at the gang who were waiting for an answer. "Damn! I almost forgot that the grand poof was even here. I was hoping it was just a nightmare. Angel's got himself convinced that Buffy is making a mistake by having me here. He said he would go peacefully if Buffy let him stay one night so he can make sure I wasn't going to hurt her. Stupid git. If there is anyone we should keep an eye on it's him, not me. But no worries, his undead ass will be out of here at sunset. As soon as the sun hits the hills, I'm kicking his giant forehead out the door."
"We are going to go out for a while to stay out of the line of fire. You are more than welcome to come with us." Willow offered.
"Thanks, luv, but I think I'll pass. There is no way I'm leaving him here alone with Buffy. I never trusted him and I never will."
The gang nodded in understanding and left the apartment for the day.
Later, Spike and Buffy left a still sleeping Angel on the sofa while they walked into the training room for a bit of sparring. She started to record their session but didn't tell Spike in fear of making him nervous. He had enough on his mind already without having to worry about his every fighting stance, punch and kick being caught on film.
As they started to fight, she noticed a sudden improvement, which she attributed to the fact that Angel was visiting. She could feel the pent up anger in his punches and knew he was most likely using his frustration to help improve his fighting.
When Angel showed up and stood in the doorway after waking, Spike's kicks became even fiercer when he noticed him standing there. The newly human man had to remind himself that he was fighting Buffy and to settle down a little before his violent tendencies got the better of him. He would much rather save his energy to beat Angel to a bloody pulp if the situation arose to do so.
Putting her hands up in a signal that she needed a break, Buffy grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow and handed one to Spike also. He looked at her funny at first and then gently wiped his forehead with his hand to find moistness there. He grabbed the towel and realized it was going to take him a long time to get used to being human and remember that he would now do things like sweat after a long workout. He realized he would have to start taking more showers now to avoid the pungent workout smell that was likely to develop.
"I'm going to go get us some bottled water and a snack. Angel, why don't you work with Spike for a little while until I get back."
Angel pushed himself away from the doorjamb with his shoulder. "No problem."
"My pleasure." Spike seethed.
Fear swept over her as she saw the competitive and equally confident expressions on their faces.
Her eyes widened. "Be good you two!" She warned. "I won't be long."
Buffy rushed into the kitchen not wanting to leave them unsupervised for a long period of time. She grabbed two bottled waters from the fridge and took out some meats and cheeses so she could make her and Spike sandwiches. Looking inside the fridge, she contemplated bringing Angel some blood but decided against it. She really didn't want him there and refused to cater to him like he was a welcomed guest.
She prepared their food as quickly as possible so she could get back to the training room before they could kill each other. She could have smacked herself for even suggesting that they get into a round of sparring together. As far as stupid ideas go, that has to have been one of the dumbest she's ever had.
She grabbed the water and the plates with the food and headed back to the training room. As she walked inside, she dropped everything she held in her hands when she saw Spike lying unconscious on the floor.
Kneeling down beside him, she placed her hand on his chest to assure herself that his heart was still beating. It was. Then she grazed her fingers across her temple before looking viciously at Angel.
"What the hell happened here?" Buffy said with a clenched jaw.
"I don't know." Angel said, with a concern that Buffy was starting to question in her mind. "We were fighting and all of a sudden he just stopped. He started getting all wobbly and then he just passed out on the floor. It happened right before you walked in. I was just about to come get you because I didn't know what to do."
Her eyes narrowed at him in disbelief. "Help me get him up and into bed."
Dragging Spike to the bed, Buffy continued to eye Angel suspiciously. They gently placed him onto the mattress and Buffy ordered Angel to get a wet washcloth.
When Angel came back with the moistened cloth, she began patting Spike's face with it, hoping that the coolness of the water would be enough to bring him back to consciousness.
She looked up at Angel who was watching her actions toward Spike with a blank stare.
"I swear to God." She said with as much venom as her voice could muster. "If I find out you had anything to do with this, I'll stake you myself."
To Be Continued....
Additional Note: I know some of you like Angel and I also know that some of you wish that I would just write him out of the story. But believe me when I say that he is here for a reason. There is a method to my madness and hopefully it will all make sense in the end.
When she rolled over, however, Angel was thankfully gone and only Spike remained. She watched his peaceful face of slumber and his chest rising and falling as he breathed. Watching him sleep made her content beyond belief and she knew at that moment that she wanted to wake up like this every morning.
Her legs swooped over the side of the bed and she walked out into the living room to find Angel asleep on the couch. All she felt when she looked at him was annoyance and knowing that he couldn't leave until sunset made her realize how long this day was going to turn out to be. Never before has she looked so forward to losing the sun. She took one last glance at him and rolled her eyes. She secretly hoped that he would remain sleeping until he had to leave. It would make everything so much easier.
She walked into the training room and brought out the video camera that she had in the cabinet. She secretly set it up in the corner that captured the entire room the best. She wanted to start videotaping her and Spike's fighting sessions so that she could go over his moves with him and point out what he needed improvement on. She needed to make sure that his fighting skills were as sharp as ever, never wanting to take the chance of losing him ever again.
Meanwhile, back in Spike and Buffy's bedroom, Spike awoke to find Xander, Dawn and Willow sitting on the bed staring at him.
"Ya know, I keep waking up like this and it's starting to freak me out." Spike grumbled sleepily. He sat up and scooted himself upward so his back rested against the headboard. "What can I do for you?"
Willow spoke first "Well, we've all been really busy lately and haven't had the chance to give you a proper welcome."
"Does this welcome involve a weapon of some kind?" Spike raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not." Dawn said.
"I know that Willow and Nibblet are happy to have me here but I never expected a welcome from monkey boy." Spike grinned.
"And you're not gonna get one if you keep calling me that." Xander's non- patched eye narrowed.
"Right. Sorry about that, mate, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't give you a hard time."
"Don't I know it." Xander smiled. "Actually, I wanted to thank you."
Spike looked bewildered and suddenly had a loss for words.
"I was wrong about you." Xander continued. "I know about what you did for Buffy, what you did for ALL of us. You gave her and the rest of us the break we desperately needed. You gave Buffy the normal life that we never thought she would be able to have. I just want you to know that we have no problem with you being here."
"Thanks." Spike said thoughtfully. "It means a lot of me to be accepted by Buffy's friends."
"We do have one question though." Willow chimed in.
"What's that, luv?"
Willow's brow furrowed slightly. "What the hell is Angel doing sleeping on our couch?"
Spike groaned and covered his face with a pillow momentarily. After he removed it from his face he looked back at the gang who were waiting for an answer. "Damn! I almost forgot that the grand poof was even here. I was hoping it was just a nightmare. Angel's got himself convinced that Buffy is making a mistake by having me here. He said he would go peacefully if Buffy let him stay one night so he can make sure I wasn't going to hurt her. Stupid git. If there is anyone we should keep an eye on it's him, not me. But no worries, his undead ass will be out of here at sunset. As soon as the sun hits the hills, I'm kicking his giant forehead out the door."
"We are going to go out for a while to stay out of the line of fire. You are more than welcome to come with us." Willow offered.
"Thanks, luv, but I think I'll pass. There is no way I'm leaving him here alone with Buffy. I never trusted him and I never will."
The gang nodded in understanding and left the apartment for the day.
Later, Spike and Buffy left a still sleeping Angel on the sofa while they walked into the training room for a bit of sparring. She started to record their session but didn't tell Spike in fear of making him nervous. He had enough on his mind already without having to worry about his every fighting stance, punch and kick being caught on film.
As they started to fight, she noticed a sudden improvement, which she attributed to the fact that Angel was visiting. She could feel the pent up anger in his punches and knew he was most likely using his frustration to help improve his fighting.
When Angel showed up and stood in the doorway after waking, Spike's kicks became even fiercer when he noticed him standing there. The newly human man had to remind himself that he was fighting Buffy and to settle down a little before his violent tendencies got the better of him. He would much rather save his energy to beat Angel to a bloody pulp if the situation arose to do so.
Putting her hands up in a signal that she needed a break, Buffy grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off her brow and handed one to Spike also. He looked at her funny at first and then gently wiped his forehead with his hand to find moistness there. He grabbed the towel and realized it was going to take him a long time to get used to being human and remember that he would now do things like sweat after a long workout. He realized he would have to start taking more showers now to avoid the pungent workout smell that was likely to develop.
"I'm going to go get us some bottled water and a snack. Angel, why don't you work with Spike for a little while until I get back."
Angel pushed himself away from the doorjamb with his shoulder. "No problem."
"My pleasure." Spike seethed.
Fear swept over her as she saw the competitive and equally confident expressions on their faces.
Her eyes widened. "Be good you two!" She warned. "I won't be long."
Buffy rushed into the kitchen not wanting to leave them unsupervised for a long period of time. She grabbed two bottled waters from the fridge and took out some meats and cheeses so she could make her and Spike sandwiches. Looking inside the fridge, she contemplated bringing Angel some blood but decided against it. She really didn't want him there and refused to cater to him like he was a welcomed guest.
She prepared their food as quickly as possible so she could get back to the training room before they could kill each other. She could have smacked herself for even suggesting that they get into a round of sparring together. As far as stupid ideas go, that has to have been one of the dumbest she's ever had.
She grabbed the water and the plates with the food and headed back to the training room. As she walked inside, she dropped everything she held in her hands when she saw Spike lying unconscious on the floor.
Kneeling down beside him, she placed her hand on his chest to assure herself that his heart was still beating. It was. Then she grazed her fingers across her temple before looking viciously at Angel.
"What the hell happened here?" Buffy said with a clenched jaw.
"I don't know." Angel said, with a concern that Buffy was starting to question in her mind. "We were fighting and all of a sudden he just stopped. He started getting all wobbly and then he just passed out on the floor. It happened right before you walked in. I was just about to come get you because I didn't know what to do."
Her eyes narrowed at him in disbelief. "Help me get him up and into bed."
Dragging Spike to the bed, Buffy continued to eye Angel suspiciously. They gently placed him onto the mattress and Buffy ordered Angel to get a wet washcloth.
When Angel came back with the moistened cloth, she began patting Spike's face with it, hoping that the coolness of the water would be enough to bring him back to consciousness.
She looked up at Angel who was watching her actions toward Spike with a blank stare.
"I swear to God." She said with as much venom as her voice could muster. "If I find out you had anything to do with this, I'll stake you myself."
To Be Continued....
Additional Note: I know some of you like Angel and I also know that some of you wish that I would just write him out of the story. But believe me when I say that he is here for a reason. There is a method to my madness and hopefully it will all make sense in the end.