"Welcome to the 'Resurrection Club', membership currently four." Spike said with an ironic flourish. "Exclusive to those who perished during, or in preventing, the End of the World. Sent back to this plane for Who Knows What? "Cept for Buffy. Red brought her back."
Wesley snorted, then tilted his head to the side. "You, me, Buffy..."
"Angel World save-age a'la shiskabob."
"Oh lord, I forgot." Wesley's eyebrows rose and he shook his head in disbelief. "After Buffy had to kill him...."
"Yeah."
"That's another question that's bothering me. Why on earth that I'm still here."
"And yet you also seem oddly happy."
"Wouldn't you be? I mean, weren't you?"
"You're forgettin' at the time I came back I was ever so slightly non-corporeal and kept getting sucked into some ponce's ghostly torture chamber. Didn't have time to be happy for a while."
"That must have been...distressing."
Spike waved a negating hand. "'M a big boy. S'over now."
"Are you telling me you're not wondering why you're back, and you're not happy that you're back?"
"No!" Spike got up and paced back and forth at the foot of Wes' bed. "You've got it all mixed up. Of course I'm wondering why I'm back - hoping it's not just some scheme that nit Lindsey cooked up. If so, then he died too easy. Jerkin' us about and sending me and Angel on that idiot quest. And of course I'm happy to be back. Took a bit of getting used to, is all. Went out saving the world. Second act is kind of hard to get started."
"I'm surprised you haven't rejoined the...Scoobies? Though you sort of have, helping the Council."
"Isn't that a pip? Never would have believed it. Tried to eat the Council back in the day. But it keeps me in blood, smokes and video games. Not to mention the side benefit of irritating Rupes no end."
"Wasn't his idea?"
"God no!" Spike stopped his pacing, and leveled a humorous, disbelieving look at Wesley" "Well, eventually, yeah, but Andrew, of all people, started wearing him down and then when Buffy decided she still wanted to go back to Rome, she pointed out that I was the most qualified trainer available. Ah, he nearly choked on his tongue. Then he very nicely asked." He grinned and bounced on his toes.
"So you and Buffy.."
Spike resumed his pacing. "Obviously that's over. Still. Gave me this ridicuous speech about cookies. Then she started freaking about watching Angel waste away - when it looked like there was nothing to stop it - and it bringing back memories of me torching last year. Then she got pissed that I didn't come prancing back and tell her I was among the undusted undead, yelled at me for being overly dramatic and knocked me from one end of the Embankment to the other. Said, why didn't I love her enough to find her. Realized I didn't."
"Right. Sorry."
Spike made a "pffing" noise. "Used to burn in my gut, she did. Fill my senses...I hate to say it - that burning up mighta burnt that right out of me. Loved her. Hell, burnt literally up 'cause I loved her and wanted to fight at her side. Don't have the energy for her on again-off again thing. Not anymore."
"You think you'll stay with the council then, keep training and such?"
"Dunno. Hey!" Spike stopped his room-sized ramble once more. "We was talking about why you were suddenly all happy-like.
"Or, I could just be getting better at readin' what your avoidin'." Spike snorted, waving a hand at Wesley. "Just spit it out. What's got you so happy to be alive, Wes? Instead of wishin' you were six feet under and not thinking about all this."
Wesley opened his mouth to answer and then shut it, shaking his head. His forehead furrowed as he considered the question. When he'd first woken up . . . well, things had just moved so quickly and he'd never given a thought to how he felt or why. Of course he'd been glad to be alive, he'd had a chance to save Angel . . . now . . . why did he have? Giles sprang to mind, as well as the chance to fix between Angel and himself, oddly, Sarah was there too and . . .
"I . . . everything's rather confused in my head at the moment," he said softly before shaking away the thoughts. "I don't know, but . . . life seemed to grab a hold on me rather quickly."
"So? What are your plans? You gonna stay here? With . . . the Council? Work with Slayers, be a Watcher again?" Spike snorted at the last, but he was smiling and Wesley couldn't help but smile as well.
Good lord, he'd come right back where he'd started. Everything had led him right back where he'd began. Granted, things were different this time. Gil--Rupert, for one. Not only in a personal sense either. With Rupert running the Council . . . well, things would be much different and Wesley was no longer that irritating sycophant he'd been so long ago.
"That's what I intend to try. Uh, Giles asked me to return. The shortage of Watchers is quite desperate and I know he could use the help and . . . Gil--Rupert will be fighting the good fight . . ."
Spike gave him a bemused look, but Wesley refused to think what the vampire might mean by it. He knew Spike, and Angel as well though he tended to ignore such things, had a sense of smell at least comparable to what he now possessed. Spike wasn't one not to notice such clues.
"Good," Spike nodded, a small smile on his face. "I, uh, I should get back to Angel. Don't like leavin' him so long. Might be awake now."
Wesley snorted, then tilted his head to the side. "You, me, Buffy..."
"Angel World save-age a'la shiskabob."
"Oh lord, I forgot." Wesley's eyebrows rose and he shook his head in disbelief. "After Buffy had to kill him...."
"Yeah."
"That's another question that's bothering me. Why on earth that I'm still here."
"And yet you also seem oddly happy."
"Wouldn't you be? I mean, weren't you?"
"You're forgettin' at the time I came back I was ever so slightly non-corporeal and kept getting sucked into some ponce's ghostly torture chamber. Didn't have time to be happy for a while."
"That must have been...distressing."
Spike waved a negating hand. "'M a big boy. S'over now."
"Are you telling me you're not wondering why you're back, and you're not happy that you're back?"
"No!" Spike got up and paced back and forth at the foot of Wes' bed. "You've got it all mixed up. Of course I'm wondering why I'm back - hoping it's not just some scheme that nit Lindsey cooked up. If so, then he died too easy. Jerkin' us about and sending me and Angel on that idiot quest. And of course I'm happy to be back. Took a bit of getting used to, is all. Went out saving the world. Second act is kind of hard to get started."
"I'm surprised you haven't rejoined the...Scoobies? Though you sort of have, helping the Council."
"Isn't that a pip? Never would have believed it. Tried to eat the Council back in the day. But it keeps me in blood, smokes and video games. Not to mention the side benefit of irritating Rupes no end."
"Wasn't his idea?"
"God no!" Spike stopped his pacing, and leveled a humorous, disbelieving look at Wesley" "Well, eventually, yeah, but Andrew, of all people, started wearing him down and then when Buffy decided she still wanted to go back to Rome, she pointed out that I was the most qualified trainer available. Ah, he nearly choked on his tongue. Then he very nicely asked." He grinned and bounced on his toes.
"So you and Buffy.."
Spike resumed his pacing. "Obviously that's over. Still. Gave me this ridicuous speech about cookies. Then she started freaking about watching Angel waste away - when it looked like there was nothing to stop it - and it bringing back memories of me torching last year. Then she got pissed that I didn't come prancing back and tell her I was among the undusted undead, yelled at me for being overly dramatic and knocked me from one end of the Embankment to the other. Said, why didn't I love her enough to find her. Realized I didn't."
"Right. Sorry."
Spike made a "pffing" noise. "Used to burn in my gut, she did. Fill my senses...I hate to say it - that burning up mighta burnt that right out of me. Loved her. Hell, burnt literally up 'cause I loved her and wanted to fight at her side. Don't have the energy for her on again-off again thing. Not anymore."
"You think you'll stay with the council then, keep training and such?"
"Dunno. Hey!" Spike stopped his room-sized ramble once more. "We was talking about why you were suddenly all happy-like.
"Hmm, I must be slipping."
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Wesley opened his mouth to answer and then shut it, shaking his head. His forehead furrowed as he considered the question. When he'd first woken up . . . well, things had just moved so quickly and he'd never given a thought to how he felt or why. Of course he'd been glad to be alive, he'd had a chance to save Angel . . . now . . . why did he have? Giles sprang to mind, as well as the chance to fix between Angel and himself, oddly, Sarah was there too and . . .
"I . . . everything's rather confused in my head at the moment," he said softly before shaking away the thoughts. "I don't know, but . . . life seemed to grab a hold on me rather quickly."
"So? What are your plans? You gonna stay here? With . . . the Council? Work with Slayers, be a Watcher again?" Spike snorted at the last, but he was smiling and Wesley couldn't help but smile as well.
Good lord, he'd come right back where he'd started. Everything had led him right back where he'd began. Granted, things were different this time. Gil--Rupert, for one. Not only in a personal sense either. With Rupert running the Council . . . well, things would be much different and Wesley was no longer that irritating sycophant he'd been so long ago.
"That's what I intend to try. Uh, Giles asked me to return. The shortage of Watchers is quite desperate and I know he could use the help and . . . Gil--Rupert will be fighting the good fight . . ."
Spike gave him a bemused look, but Wesley refused to think what the vampire might mean by it. He knew Spike, and Angel as well though he tended to ignore such things, had a sense of smell at least comparable to what he now possessed. Spike wasn't one not to notice such clues.
"Good," Spike nodded, a small smile on his face. "I, uh, I should get back to Angel. Don't like leavin' him so long. Might be awake now."
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