Chapter 3 – Rendezvous with a Demon
Angel and Spike both ran out onto the runway where Wolfram and Hart's private jet sat awaiting takeoff.
They stopped at the stairs where Gunn stood waiting.
"Ok Gunn, give me a brief overview of what has happened in the last few hours," Angel said.
Spike rolled his eyes.
"Wesley got hold of Rupert Giles, who said that he would inform his slayer as soon as possible. Lorne and Fred have managed to brief all of the important employees and sent word up the the senior partners. I've got everything you'd need on that jet, including a few exclusive weapons that you *are not* to use unless absolutely nessecary, and you're to take off within the next three minutes," Gun said, sounding very rehearsed.
Angel nodded, "Thanks," he said, starting up the stairs, "I'll call you guys as soon as we get there with information."
Gunn nodded, "Good luck!" he said, "Both of you," he nodded at Spike as he walked by.
Spike nodded back, a bit confused on why everyone was being all...nice to him.
'They probably figure I'm going to die again,' he thought, 'Everyone says things they don't mean when they think you're about to die," he groaned, 'Not the right time to think about that...'
-*Rome*-
A scream erupted through the house.
Buffy shot up in bed and blinked a few times.
"Willow," she said when everything had processed.
She flew out of her room and down the hall to Willow and Kennedy's room.
"Willow!" she yelled as she turned the corner into the room.
Kennedy was sitting up in bed cradling Willow who was breathing hard in her lap.
"My God, what's wrong?!" Buffy asked, rushing towards them.
Other slayers and Xander followed in behind her.
"I saw it. I saw it again," Willow said between her difficult breathing.
"Saw what?' Xander asked, pushing his way through the slayers.
"The Hellmouth," Willow breathed, sitting up. Kennedy wrapped her arm around her.
"What?" Buffy, Xander, and Kennedy asked all at the same time.
"The Hellmouth. I saw it again. In...in my dream," Willow turned around and looked at her pillow as if she was expecting to see some sort of evil there.
Everyone was silent for a moment. The slayers all fidgeted nervously.
"Well maybe it was just a flashback," Xander suggested.
Willow shook her head, "I don't know, it didn't seem like one."
Kennedy gently rubbed her arm, "Are you sure? Because the Hellmouth in Cleveland is under control, and the other one is well...gone."
Willow shrugged, "I guess it could have been."
"So everything's okay?" one of the youngest slayers asked.
Buffy put on a fake smile and turned her head, "Yea, everything's fine. Willow just had a nightmare.
The little girl who looked like she couldn't have been any older than eleven sighed in relief.
Buffy made her fake smile wider, and looked around at all of them.
"Wait a minute," she said, her smile fading, "Where's Dawn?"
-*Somewhere in the Sky*-
The two vampires sat on couches on opposite sides of the plane.
Spike nervously dug through his jacket for more cigarettes, "Bloody hell!" he yelled, pulling his empty hands out, "Where dig all of my cigarettes go?!"
Angel looked away from the crossword he was doing to the overflowing ashtray, "Gee, I wonder..." he muttered, looking back at his magazine.
"Oh shut your yap, you're back there hiding behind your magazine with nothing to worry about..." Spike said, reaching back into his jacket, not ready to give up just yet.
"Nothing to worry about?!" Angel yelled, "Um, your the one who said there was a huge Hellmouth underneath Rome about to eat the whole continent!" he growled frustrated and looked back to his crossword.
Spike shook his head, "I'm worried about more important things. In case you've forgotten, I'm about to see the woman that I'm in love with for the first time in eight months who doesn't even think I'm alive!" he growled in frustration when he came up with nothing again.
"How could I forget? You tell me every five fucking minutes," Angel said, not looking away from his magazine.
"Well I'm sorry that not everyone on this plane isn't oblivious to everything going on in the world!" Spike said, his anger rising. He hadn't had a cigarette in ten minutes and all the nerves and anxiety was starting to get to him.
Angel set the magazine down in his lap, "Spike, let's look at the big picture here. The end of the world," he held up a hand, "And your reunion with Buffy," he held another hand up and then began to move them up and down as if he was weighing them on a scale, "Which is more important to me?" he asked sarcastically.
Spike glared at him and stood up, heading for the cockpit, "'Cuse me," he said, trying not to sound completely rude, "But when are we stopping?"
The pilot and the co-pilot looked at each other like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "When we get to Rome," the pilot answered, looking back at him.
"What!?" Spike yelled, making Angel jump and sending a pen mark across the page of his magazine, "What do you mean 'when we get to Rome'? Don't you have to stop somewhere in-between and fill up on gas or something!?" he asked, his voice sounding desperate.
The pilot and the co-pilot looked at each other and then both looked back at Spike, "Nope, she should make it all the way. Why is there a problem?"
"Is th...is there a problem?!" Spike asked, stuttering, "You mean to tell me that I have to go for the next three hours without any cigarettes?!"
The pilot stared at him in disbelief for a moment, "I guess so," he said slowly, "You're really not supposed to be smoking on the plane anyway."
"You're really not supposed to be smoking on the plane anyway," Spike said in a mocking tone, "Turn around and watch the...air!" he said, turning back around to see Angel staring at him with a cocked eyebrow like he was insane.
"Oh shut up," Spike said, walking back over to his couch and flopping down onto it.
"I didn't say anything!" Angel objected.
"You know, you're just loving this aren't you!?" he started.
Angel stared at him slack-jawed, wondering what *he'd* done.
"Yea. You and your little circle," he continued, standing up to pace, "Probably had a good laugh behind my back after you found out didn't you?!" he said, glaring at Angel.
"No?" Angel said, setting the magazine down and rising. He walked past Spike to the refrigerator.
Spike spun around to watch him reach into the refrigerator and pull out a container of blood. He took off the top and reached over for one of the mugs sitting on the little counter where the sink was.
"Spike, you're overreacting," he said as he poured some of the blood into the mug and put it in the microwave.
"I am not," he objected, walking over next to Angel and reaching into the refrigerator to pull out one of the bottles of champagne.
Angel sighed, "What are you doing with that?" he asked as Spike uncorked the bottle.
"Well I don't have any cigarettes!" he said, taking a sip out of the bottle.
Angel rolled his eyes and pulled his mug out the microwave and headed back to the couch.
Spike followed him and they both sat down on their seperate couches.
Angel took a sip of blood, "Really though," he said, "The worst thing that could happen is that she's with someone new and she's happy," Angel said, all too cheerfully.
"See!" Spike said, taking another long swig of champagne, "You're absolutely loving this you...imbecile!"
Angel glared at him, "Whatever Spike," he said, setting the mug down in the little holder built into the couch arm, "I'm going to sleep. Wake me in a couple hours," he rolled over so that he was facing away from Spike.
"Wake you," Spike mocked, "Oh I'll wake you alright," he said right before he downed the rest of the bottle.
-*Rome*-
"Dawn!" Buffy's voice rang through the air.
"Dawn!" the voices of many others followed hers.
They were all out searching the town with flashlights for the missing member of their 'crew'.
"Xander, where could she be?" Buffy asked, her voice filled with the fear that was rising in her.
"I don't know," Xander said, walking a few steps behind Buffy. Buffy looked at him with alarm, "But I'm sure she's fine!" Xander added quickly, "I mean, I snuck out a time or two when I was younger and nothing ever happened to me," he thought about this for a moment, "Well okay, some stuff happened to me but nothing that got me killed or permanently injured," Buffy's eyes grew wide, "But I'm sure she's fine!"
"We have to find her. And quickly," Buffy said.
Then, as if on cue, the bushes rustled behind them and a soft giggling could be heard coming from within them.
Xander and Buffy both looked at each other. Then they both hurried through them.
Only to find Dawn pushed up against a tree with the teenage boy Buffy had seen earlier on the drive the mall sucking on her neck .
"Holy Lord!" Xander yelled, covering his eyes.
Dawn's eyes flew open when she heard them.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled, disgusted.
"Did you find her...oh geeze," Willow said when she had made her way through the bushes.
"Buffy!" Dawn squealed, stepping away from the boy and straightening her clothes.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled again.
A small crowd of slayers was gathering around.
"What!?" Dawn asked.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Buffy yelled, surveying Dawn up and down.
"What's it look like I'm doing!?" Dawn yelled back.
"It looks like you're making yourself easy prey to a vampire!"
Dawn rolled her eyes, "He's not a vampire!"
"Oh really?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms, "Then why was he sucking on your neck?"
"Because we were making out!" Dawn said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "That's what you do when you make out."
"Hm...then explain to me why he was about to bite you," Buffy said, looking over at the boy.
"He was not about to..." Dawn looked over at the boy only to find his face fully vamped and looking very hungry, "Oh hell," she muttered.
The vamp stared at them for a moment, "What?" he asked, "Oh," he said, realizing he was still in game face, "Oops..."
"Yea. *Big* oops," Buffy said, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a stake, "Biggest 'oops' of your life if you ask me," she said right before she staked him.
Dawn's jaw dropped, "You staked him!" she yelled in disbelief.
"Yes. I do that alot, if you haven't noticed," Buffy said, sticking the stake back into her jacket.
"But why!?" Dawn asked.
"Because," Buffy started, "If we hadn't have gotten here when we did, you could have been dead right now!" Dawn rolled her eyes, "And another thing," Buffy continued, "What have I *told* you about going out with demons?!"
"Oh don't give me that!" Dawn started, taking a step toward Buffy, "First of all, who's the only one here that has slept with *any* vampires. Second, how was I supposed to know? I'm not a slayer or anything! I don't have a 'spider sense' to tell me who's a demon and whose not!"
"Yea! That's why you're supposed to introduce them to me before you go out and do anything!" Buffy retorted, "And don't get on my and Spike and Angel. They had souls, you know that."
"Yea, and she never really went out with Spike," Xander added in the background.
Buffy rolled her eyes but ignored him.
Dawn crossed her arms, "Spike didn't the first time you slept with him," she said matter-of-factly.
Buffy opened her mouth the retort again, but had nothing, "Whatever Dawn, I'm not having this conversation with you right now. It's two o'clock in the morning and I want to get home and get back to bed."
She turned and walked away, leaving a vail of uneasiness behind her.
Dawn's expression fell when she realized what she had just said, "Woops," she whispered.
Willow walked forward and put an arm around her, "Yea," she said, "But don't worry about it. Let's just get home okay?" she asked.
Dawn nodded and the rest of them followed Buffy back to the house.
-*Rome International Airport, two hours later*-
"Angelus!" a tiny voice said, "Oh Angelus!"
Angel stirred in his sleep and his eyes fluttered open to see Spike leaning over him, smelly strongly of champagne.
"Spike," he moaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "What do you want?"
"We've landed!!" he said in a very drunken, high-pitched voice.
Angel sat up and looked at him.
His hair was all messed up and he was swaying back and forth on the spot, holding a half-filled bottle of champagne in his hand.
"My God," Angel said, "How many bottles of champagne did you have?"
Spike chuckled and monitored toward his couch where at least nine other empty bottles lay.
Angel groaned and rubbed his eyes again, "Spike...you're an idiot."
"No..." Spike protested with another chuckle, "I am completely intoxicated!" he said triumphantly, spinning around in a circle.
Angel sighed and rubbed forehead, "Great. Just what I need," he stood up and stretched.
Just then the pilot walked out of the cockpit, "Oh good, you're awake. I have some things that I've been needing to inform you of," he said very professionally, "First off, your friend is very, very drunk," he gestured toward Spike who was standing by the mini fridge, staring down at it.
"Yea, I realize. And he's not my friend. We're just unfortunately acquainted," Angel said.
"Now, now," Spike said, turning away from the refigerator and stumbling over to him, "Don't talk like that old buddy, old pal," he threw his arm around Angel's neck and leaning on him for support, almost knocking him over, "Angel and I go way back," he said, taking another sip of champagne, "Way, way, way, way back really. Hundreds of *years*!" he said, dramatically.
"Mhm," the pilot said, looking a bit frightened.
"In fact!" Spike continued, "We're such good friends that we shag all the same girls and we both have souls! Isn't it bloody fantastic?! Me and Angel. Bestest buddies we are!" he tightened his grip on Angel's throat, and if he had to breath it would have been a problem.
"Spike," Angel said, staring at him with disgust, "Don't touch me," he pushed Spike away back onto the couch.
Spike blinked a few times and then shrugged, taking another sip of his champagne.
Angel turned back to the pilot, "What else did you need?" he asked.
"Well...um," the pilot started again.
"But do you know the difference between me and Angel?" Spike interrupted.
"You're a prick and I'm not?" Angel said, turning around to face him.
"Nooo," Spike said, shaking the champagne bottle and splashing it everywhere, "The difference between me and Angel is that Angel gets all the glory for absolutely nothing," he rose, taking a few steps forward, "You see, Angel got cursed with a soul. He didn't choose to have it or anything. He just got it from the stupid gypsy people," he said, moving up so that he was right in Angel's face, "But me. Me, I went and worked my ass off to get my soul back. And I got it back. I got it back for her. But did it make a difference?" he asked, looking over at the pilot. The pilot took a step backward and shrugged, "No! It didn't!" Spike yelled, throwing the now empty bottle at the pilot, "didn't make a difference. Angel still gets everything. The nice office building, the fancy jets, and the girl," he said, laughing, "Yep, that's Angel. Gets everything he wants for nothing. That's the way it's *always* been."
Angel's rage was building up inside of him and he looked like he was about to lunge at Spike.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, "Spike. I'm not arguing with you. I've got more important things to do," he turned back to the pilot.
Spike began to laugh behind him, "That's right, always got someth-"
The was a loud 'thump' and Angel spun back around to find Spike passed out on the floor.
"Oh thank God," he heaved a huge sigh of relief.
The pilot stared at Spike also and cleared his throat, "We've got stuff he can take that'll get him out of his stupor and keep him from having a hangover," he said.
"I think I might just leave him like that," Angel said, he turned back to the pilot, "What else did you need to tell me?"
"Well," the pilot said, "We've got a limo with very dark tinted windows waiting for you. And we have a location on one Miss Buffy Summers," he said, smiling like it was the greatest thing he'd ever done in his life.
"That's...great," Angel said.
The pilot nodded enthusiastically.
"So..." Angel said, "How exactly are we supposed to...approach her?" he asked.
The pilot shrugged, "Go to the house and knock on the door?" he suggested.
Angel ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't think it'll be that simple. Especially with him," he gestured back at Spike who was till sprawled on the floor.
The pilot shrugged, "Would you like me to go get him something for that?" he asked.
"Yea," Angel said, disappointed that he had to wake him up.
"Right away," the pilot disappeared back into the cockpit.
Angel walked over to Spike and bent down next to him, "Spike," he said, "Spike!" he tried again.
No response.
Angel sighed, and looked around, wondering how he was going to wake the other vampire up.
Then an idea struck him and he grinned wickedly. He turned back to Spike and raised his fist.
As soon as he punched Spike, he shot up and gripped his head in pain.
"Ouch! That was rude!" he said, rubbing his head, obviously still drunk.
Just then the pilot came back with a glass of nasty-looking green slop, "Here you go sir," he said, handing it to Spike.
Spike took the glass and them looked back up at him, "Um...what's this?" he asked.
"It's a potion. Drink it," the pilot said cheerfully.
"Bloody hell no!" he said, pushing the glass back into the pilots hands.
"Oh you must!" the pilot said, "If you don't you'll have a terrible headache and be throwing up everywhere within the next few hours," he said, once again inappropriately cheery.
Spike took the glass from him and stared down in it. He groaned and then lifted it to his lips, taking a small sip.
No sooner had he gotten it in his mouth than he spit the small sip out, "It's terrible!" he yelled.
"Well what did you expect?" the pilot asked.
Spike shrugged, "Do you think I can mix it with some champagne?"
A/N - R&R! Please?
xxCASPERxx
Angel and Spike both ran out onto the runway where Wolfram and Hart's private jet sat awaiting takeoff.
They stopped at the stairs where Gunn stood waiting.
"Ok Gunn, give me a brief overview of what has happened in the last few hours," Angel said.
Spike rolled his eyes.
"Wesley got hold of Rupert Giles, who said that he would inform his slayer as soon as possible. Lorne and Fred have managed to brief all of the important employees and sent word up the the senior partners. I've got everything you'd need on that jet, including a few exclusive weapons that you *are not* to use unless absolutely nessecary, and you're to take off within the next three minutes," Gun said, sounding very rehearsed.
Angel nodded, "Thanks," he said, starting up the stairs, "I'll call you guys as soon as we get there with information."
Gunn nodded, "Good luck!" he said, "Both of you," he nodded at Spike as he walked by.
Spike nodded back, a bit confused on why everyone was being all...nice to him.
'They probably figure I'm going to die again,' he thought, 'Everyone says things they don't mean when they think you're about to die," he groaned, 'Not the right time to think about that...'
-*Rome*-
A scream erupted through the house.
Buffy shot up in bed and blinked a few times.
"Willow," she said when everything had processed.
She flew out of her room and down the hall to Willow and Kennedy's room.
"Willow!" she yelled as she turned the corner into the room.
Kennedy was sitting up in bed cradling Willow who was breathing hard in her lap.
"My God, what's wrong?!" Buffy asked, rushing towards them.
Other slayers and Xander followed in behind her.
"I saw it. I saw it again," Willow said between her difficult breathing.
"Saw what?' Xander asked, pushing his way through the slayers.
"The Hellmouth," Willow breathed, sitting up. Kennedy wrapped her arm around her.
"What?" Buffy, Xander, and Kennedy asked all at the same time.
"The Hellmouth. I saw it again. In...in my dream," Willow turned around and looked at her pillow as if she was expecting to see some sort of evil there.
Everyone was silent for a moment. The slayers all fidgeted nervously.
"Well maybe it was just a flashback," Xander suggested.
Willow shook her head, "I don't know, it didn't seem like one."
Kennedy gently rubbed her arm, "Are you sure? Because the Hellmouth in Cleveland is under control, and the other one is well...gone."
Willow shrugged, "I guess it could have been."
"So everything's okay?" one of the youngest slayers asked.
Buffy put on a fake smile and turned her head, "Yea, everything's fine. Willow just had a nightmare.
The little girl who looked like she couldn't have been any older than eleven sighed in relief.
Buffy made her fake smile wider, and looked around at all of them.
"Wait a minute," she said, her smile fading, "Where's Dawn?"
-*Somewhere in the Sky*-
The two vampires sat on couches on opposite sides of the plane.
Spike nervously dug through his jacket for more cigarettes, "Bloody hell!" he yelled, pulling his empty hands out, "Where dig all of my cigarettes go?!"
Angel looked away from the crossword he was doing to the overflowing ashtray, "Gee, I wonder..." he muttered, looking back at his magazine.
"Oh shut your yap, you're back there hiding behind your magazine with nothing to worry about..." Spike said, reaching back into his jacket, not ready to give up just yet.
"Nothing to worry about?!" Angel yelled, "Um, your the one who said there was a huge Hellmouth underneath Rome about to eat the whole continent!" he growled frustrated and looked back to his crossword.
Spike shook his head, "I'm worried about more important things. In case you've forgotten, I'm about to see the woman that I'm in love with for the first time in eight months who doesn't even think I'm alive!" he growled in frustration when he came up with nothing again.
"How could I forget? You tell me every five fucking minutes," Angel said, not looking away from his magazine.
"Well I'm sorry that not everyone on this plane isn't oblivious to everything going on in the world!" Spike said, his anger rising. He hadn't had a cigarette in ten minutes and all the nerves and anxiety was starting to get to him.
Angel set the magazine down in his lap, "Spike, let's look at the big picture here. The end of the world," he held up a hand, "And your reunion with Buffy," he held another hand up and then began to move them up and down as if he was weighing them on a scale, "Which is more important to me?" he asked sarcastically.
Spike glared at him and stood up, heading for the cockpit, "'Cuse me," he said, trying not to sound completely rude, "But when are we stopping?"
The pilot and the co-pilot looked at each other like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "When we get to Rome," the pilot answered, looking back at him.
"What!?" Spike yelled, making Angel jump and sending a pen mark across the page of his magazine, "What do you mean 'when we get to Rome'? Don't you have to stop somewhere in-between and fill up on gas or something!?" he asked, his voice sounding desperate.
The pilot and the co-pilot looked at each other and then both looked back at Spike, "Nope, she should make it all the way. Why is there a problem?"
"Is th...is there a problem?!" Spike asked, stuttering, "You mean to tell me that I have to go for the next three hours without any cigarettes?!"
The pilot stared at him in disbelief for a moment, "I guess so," he said slowly, "You're really not supposed to be smoking on the plane anyway."
"You're really not supposed to be smoking on the plane anyway," Spike said in a mocking tone, "Turn around and watch the...air!" he said, turning back around to see Angel staring at him with a cocked eyebrow like he was insane.
"Oh shut up," Spike said, walking back over to his couch and flopping down onto it.
"I didn't say anything!" Angel objected.
"You know, you're just loving this aren't you!?" he started.
Angel stared at him slack-jawed, wondering what *he'd* done.
"Yea. You and your little circle," he continued, standing up to pace, "Probably had a good laugh behind my back after you found out didn't you?!" he said, glaring at Angel.
"No?" Angel said, setting the magazine down and rising. He walked past Spike to the refrigerator.
Spike spun around to watch him reach into the refrigerator and pull out a container of blood. He took off the top and reached over for one of the mugs sitting on the little counter where the sink was.
"Spike, you're overreacting," he said as he poured some of the blood into the mug and put it in the microwave.
"I am not," he objected, walking over next to Angel and reaching into the refrigerator to pull out one of the bottles of champagne.
Angel sighed, "What are you doing with that?" he asked as Spike uncorked the bottle.
"Well I don't have any cigarettes!" he said, taking a sip out of the bottle.
Angel rolled his eyes and pulled his mug out the microwave and headed back to the couch.
Spike followed him and they both sat down on their seperate couches.
Angel took a sip of blood, "Really though," he said, "The worst thing that could happen is that she's with someone new and she's happy," Angel said, all too cheerfully.
"See!" Spike said, taking another long swig of champagne, "You're absolutely loving this you...imbecile!"
Angel glared at him, "Whatever Spike," he said, setting the mug down in the little holder built into the couch arm, "I'm going to sleep. Wake me in a couple hours," he rolled over so that he was facing away from Spike.
"Wake you," Spike mocked, "Oh I'll wake you alright," he said right before he downed the rest of the bottle.
-*Rome*-
"Dawn!" Buffy's voice rang through the air.
"Dawn!" the voices of many others followed hers.
They were all out searching the town with flashlights for the missing member of their 'crew'.
"Xander, where could she be?" Buffy asked, her voice filled with the fear that was rising in her.
"I don't know," Xander said, walking a few steps behind Buffy. Buffy looked at him with alarm, "But I'm sure she's fine!" Xander added quickly, "I mean, I snuck out a time or two when I was younger and nothing ever happened to me," he thought about this for a moment, "Well okay, some stuff happened to me but nothing that got me killed or permanently injured," Buffy's eyes grew wide, "But I'm sure she's fine!"
"We have to find her. And quickly," Buffy said.
Then, as if on cue, the bushes rustled behind them and a soft giggling could be heard coming from within them.
Xander and Buffy both looked at each other. Then they both hurried through them.
Only to find Dawn pushed up against a tree with the teenage boy Buffy had seen earlier on the drive the mall sucking on her neck .
"Holy Lord!" Xander yelled, covering his eyes.
Dawn's eyes flew open when she heard them.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled, disgusted.
"Did you find her...oh geeze," Willow said when she had made her way through the bushes.
"Buffy!" Dawn squealed, stepping away from the boy and straightening her clothes.
"Dawn!" Buffy yelled again.
A small crowd of slayers was gathering around.
"What!?" Dawn asked.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Buffy yelled, surveying Dawn up and down.
"What's it look like I'm doing!?" Dawn yelled back.
"It looks like you're making yourself easy prey to a vampire!"
Dawn rolled her eyes, "He's not a vampire!"
"Oh really?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms, "Then why was he sucking on your neck?"
"Because we were making out!" Dawn said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "That's what you do when you make out."
"Hm...then explain to me why he was about to bite you," Buffy said, looking over at the boy.
"He was not about to..." Dawn looked over at the boy only to find his face fully vamped and looking very hungry, "Oh hell," she muttered.
The vamp stared at them for a moment, "What?" he asked, "Oh," he said, realizing he was still in game face, "Oops..."
"Yea. *Big* oops," Buffy said, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a stake, "Biggest 'oops' of your life if you ask me," she said right before she staked him.
Dawn's jaw dropped, "You staked him!" she yelled in disbelief.
"Yes. I do that alot, if you haven't noticed," Buffy said, sticking the stake back into her jacket.
"But why!?" Dawn asked.
"Because," Buffy started, "If we hadn't have gotten here when we did, you could have been dead right now!" Dawn rolled her eyes, "And another thing," Buffy continued, "What have I *told* you about going out with demons?!"
"Oh don't give me that!" Dawn started, taking a step toward Buffy, "First of all, who's the only one here that has slept with *any* vampires. Second, how was I supposed to know? I'm not a slayer or anything! I don't have a 'spider sense' to tell me who's a demon and whose not!"
"Yea! That's why you're supposed to introduce them to me before you go out and do anything!" Buffy retorted, "And don't get on my and Spike and Angel. They had souls, you know that."
"Yea, and she never really went out with Spike," Xander added in the background.
Buffy rolled her eyes but ignored him.
Dawn crossed her arms, "Spike didn't the first time you slept with him," she said matter-of-factly.
Buffy opened her mouth the retort again, but had nothing, "Whatever Dawn, I'm not having this conversation with you right now. It's two o'clock in the morning and I want to get home and get back to bed."
She turned and walked away, leaving a vail of uneasiness behind her.
Dawn's expression fell when she realized what she had just said, "Woops," she whispered.
Willow walked forward and put an arm around her, "Yea," she said, "But don't worry about it. Let's just get home okay?" she asked.
Dawn nodded and the rest of them followed Buffy back to the house.
-*Rome International Airport, two hours later*-
"Angelus!" a tiny voice said, "Oh Angelus!"
Angel stirred in his sleep and his eyes fluttered open to see Spike leaning over him, smelly strongly of champagne.
"Spike," he moaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "What do you want?"
"We've landed!!" he said in a very drunken, high-pitched voice.
Angel sat up and looked at him.
His hair was all messed up and he was swaying back and forth on the spot, holding a half-filled bottle of champagne in his hand.
"My God," Angel said, "How many bottles of champagne did you have?"
Spike chuckled and monitored toward his couch where at least nine other empty bottles lay.
Angel groaned and rubbed his eyes again, "Spike...you're an idiot."
"No..." Spike protested with another chuckle, "I am completely intoxicated!" he said triumphantly, spinning around in a circle.
Angel sighed and rubbed forehead, "Great. Just what I need," he stood up and stretched.
Just then the pilot walked out of the cockpit, "Oh good, you're awake. I have some things that I've been needing to inform you of," he said very professionally, "First off, your friend is very, very drunk," he gestured toward Spike who was standing by the mini fridge, staring down at it.
"Yea, I realize. And he's not my friend. We're just unfortunately acquainted," Angel said.
"Now, now," Spike said, turning away from the refigerator and stumbling over to him, "Don't talk like that old buddy, old pal," he threw his arm around Angel's neck and leaning on him for support, almost knocking him over, "Angel and I go way back," he said, taking another sip of champagne, "Way, way, way, way back really. Hundreds of *years*!" he said, dramatically.
"Mhm," the pilot said, looking a bit frightened.
"In fact!" Spike continued, "We're such good friends that we shag all the same girls and we both have souls! Isn't it bloody fantastic?! Me and Angel. Bestest buddies we are!" he tightened his grip on Angel's throat, and if he had to breath it would have been a problem.
"Spike," Angel said, staring at him with disgust, "Don't touch me," he pushed Spike away back onto the couch.
Spike blinked a few times and then shrugged, taking another sip of his champagne.
Angel turned back to the pilot, "What else did you need?" he asked.
"Well...um," the pilot started again.
"But do you know the difference between me and Angel?" Spike interrupted.
"You're a prick and I'm not?" Angel said, turning around to face him.
"Nooo," Spike said, shaking the champagne bottle and splashing it everywhere, "The difference between me and Angel is that Angel gets all the glory for absolutely nothing," he rose, taking a few steps forward, "You see, Angel got cursed with a soul. He didn't choose to have it or anything. He just got it from the stupid gypsy people," he said, moving up so that he was right in Angel's face, "But me. Me, I went and worked my ass off to get my soul back. And I got it back. I got it back for her. But did it make a difference?" he asked, looking over at the pilot. The pilot took a step backward and shrugged, "No! It didn't!" Spike yelled, throwing the now empty bottle at the pilot, "didn't make a difference. Angel still gets everything. The nice office building, the fancy jets, and the girl," he said, laughing, "Yep, that's Angel. Gets everything he wants for nothing. That's the way it's *always* been."
Angel's rage was building up inside of him and he looked like he was about to lunge at Spike.
He took a deep breath to calm himself down, "Spike. I'm not arguing with you. I've got more important things to do," he turned back to the pilot.
Spike began to laugh behind him, "That's right, always got someth-"
The was a loud 'thump' and Angel spun back around to find Spike passed out on the floor.
"Oh thank God," he heaved a huge sigh of relief.
The pilot stared at Spike also and cleared his throat, "We've got stuff he can take that'll get him out of his stupor and keep him from having a hangover," he said.
"I think I might just leave him like that," Angel said, he turned back to the pilot, "What else did you need to tell me?"
"Well," the pilot said, "We've got a limo with very dark tinted windows waiting for you. And we have a location on one Miss Buffy Summers," he said, smiling like it was the greatest thing he'd ever done in his life.
"That's...great," Angel said.
The pilot nodded enthusiastically.
"So..." Angel said, "How exactly are we supposed to...approach her?" he asked.
The pilot shrugged, "Go to the house and knock on the door?" he suggested.
Angel ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't think it'll be that simple. Especially with him," he gestured back at Spike who was till sprawled on the floor.
The pilot shrugged, "Would you like me to go get him something for that?" he asked.
"Yea," Angel said, disappointed that he had to wake him up.
"Right away," the pilot disappeared back into the cockpit.
Angel walked over to Spike and bent down next to him, "Spike," he said, "Spike!" he tried again.
No response.
Angel sighed, and looked around, wondering how he was going to wake the other vampire up.
Then an idea struck him and he grinned wickedly. He turned back to Spike and raised his fist.
As soon as he punched Spike, he shot up and gripped his head in pain.
"Ouch! That was rude!" he said, rubbing his head, obviously still drunk.
Just then the pilot came back with a glass of nasty-looking green slop, "Here you go sir," he said, handing it to Spike.
Spike took the glass and them looked back up at him, "Um...what's this?" he asked.
"It's a potion. Drink it," the pilot said cheerfully.
"Bloody hell no!" he said, pushing the glass back into the pilots hands.
"Oh you must!" the pilot said, "If you don't you'll have a terrible headache and be throwing up everywhere within the next few hours," he said, once again inappropriately cheery.
Spike took the glass from him and stared down in it. He groaned and then lifted it to his lips, taking a small sip.
No sooner had he gotten it in his mouth than he spit the small sip out, "It's terrible!" he yelled.
"Well what did you expect?" the pilot asked.
Spike shrugged, "Do you think I can mix it with some champagne?"
A/N - R&R! Please?
xxCASPERxx