ATS: Kindreds 1
Title: Kindred's
Author: Psychofilly
Rating: Pg-NC17
Pairing: C/A, C/S, A/C/S, other
Category: AU, Angst, Romance. Angel never gave Cordy money and Cordy never left with Groo after "Couplet." I started this after "Hells Bells", but it's really more along the line of a follow-up to "As You Were" for Spike.
Disclaimer: Not mine, all Joss's, ME's, and Fox Studios.
Summary: Spike always had been a sucker for a pretty face.
Kindred's 1 of 8 *Post Couplet/Hells Bells*
Archive Version
Notes: Wow, it's finished. Sometimes, a peice of writing becomes something more than just a story to the writer. I started this fic way back in mid-season three. I had no idea about how to really write, I just had this idea of Spike on a drunken tear, trying to call his sire to pour out his frustrations because he just couldn't take it anymore and getting Cordy instead. I've always felt that Spike and Cordy were kindred spirits, and I wanted to show that, plus have a little fun at Angel's expense. It's taken nearly two years, of struggle, and determination with inspiration and encouragement from my friends (Especially Gabriella) it is finally finished.
This fic has become a journey for me as well as the characters. Over the last two years with the wonderful guidence of
starlet2367 and lots of practice my writing skills have improved. Also, my outlook on the shows, on the characters, on the 'ships- and on life in general have changed. I think the story reflects this a bit in the change in tone/quality from beginning to end. It’s still largely unbeta’d but instead of going back and tinkering, I left it as-is. I hope it conveys real change and growth as it should have been for all three of the main characters. I also hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.
Special thanks to:
gabriella ~ her stalking skills are unparalleled, her encouragement invaluable. Imona and LL ~ whom have both been known to remind me that they were waiting for more. Kel ~ for her comments and letting me talk through the story. To everyone who's followed the fic so very patiently... Thank you.
"Angel?"
"Huh? No...." a groggy female voice replied.
Spike's eyebrows shot up in surprise. His mind racing- who could Angel have in his room at 1am? It took him a moment, then-- "Cordelia?" he slurred.
"Speaking, who's this? Is Angel OK?" The edge of worry took some of the sleep out of Cordelia's voice.
"I wouldn't know, luv."
Cordelia's face scrunched in consternation. "Who *IS* this?"
"It's Spike!" he confessed cheerily.
"Spike?" she was almost fully awake now. She froze, a chill running from her head to her toenails. "Is everything OK in Sunny-D?"
(Silence).
"Is...Buffy all right?" Cordy finally asked.
"Oh, *she's* fine!" he replied, yelling into the receiver.
Cordelia could clearly hear his pain, and frustration over the phone line. "Okaaay."
"She's always fine," his normally clipped accent was sounding rather sloppy. "She doesn't need poor 'ole Spikey!"
Cordy sighed and cradled the phone between her cheek and shoulder. She began to examine her nails. "You're drunk," she observed, dryly.
"Of course!" Spike guffawed. "I'm snockered, I'm ripped...I'm soused! And why shouldn't I be!" he cried petulantly. "She can leave and barely get her knickers in a twist! All, 'I can't do this anymore *William*! (Cordelia could almost hear him pacing.) I don't want to *use* you anymore William!!' WILLIAM died a hundred and forty odd years ago like she would even care to remember-- Say what *are* you doing in Angel's room at 1 (he looked at his watch) 30am?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter Peroxide." She chided. "I'm just looking after Con...er...a...friend."
That brought on a round of laughter from the drunken vamp. "What," he sniggered. "Has the old poofter gone and taken in *another* poor and bedraggled soul."
Cordelia coughed, mentally kicking herself for almost revealing Angel's secret.
"Guess that's one way to make friends. Oh, come live with me in my big lonely hotel, I promise I won't take advantage..."
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "It's really none of your business."
That struck a nerve with the inebriated blonde. "Oh that's RICH! Oh noooo, It's never any of my business...It's not like were bloody related or anything!"
Cordy didn't have to be psychic to picture him pacing again. She could hear the creak of the metal cord. "It's none of HIS fucking business! He's there in LA with his mission, and she's stuck here in Sunnyhell all newly resurrected and vulnerable!"
"Spike!" Cordelia cut in. She studied her nails, frowning, trying to figure out why she hadn't hung up yet. "Is there a point to this call?"
(Silence)
She heard the scrape and hiss of a lighter being ignited, and a long slow breath on the other end.
When he spoke his voice was less slurred and more shaky. "I just needed to talk, you know, get it out. She just sucker punched me, and I-" He stopped. Cordelia heard him swallow, hard. One thing was certain, he had her attention now.
"Hey, hey..." her tone was gentle, holding genuine sympathy. It was the last thing Cordelia expected she would feel, and apparently the last thing Spike expected hear. It threw him off his guard enough that he confessed....
"I'm a stupid git to go falling for the slayer-" Sobriety must have been catching up with him...quickly. He groaned, "And I am a complete *idiot* for just telling you that."
Cordelia chewed her lower lip, uncertain about just what to say. Angel had asserted on many occasions that soulless vampires were incapable of love. James had proven him wrong, in a sick, twisted, vampiric way. She had eyes, and ears apparently. She knew the sound of a heart breaking when she heard it. "How long have you been in love with her?" she asked, careful to keep any trace of judgment from her voice.
Spike began to giggle, a high pitched, crazy, desperate sound that chilled her veins. She wondered how close he was to actually cracking. "Since the first moment I laid eyes on her, I think." He sighed, "I suspect even Drusilla knew it. That's why it was so easy for the flighty bint to leave me back in the day."
Cordelia waited patiently, biting back her instincts to interject. She had enough experience with brooding vampires to know that Spike needed to rant uninterrupted.
"Buffy and I weren't perfect," he continued. "But I thought -and okay, I *know* it was stupid- but I was going to give her the money, and he left again, but now I know she loved HIM more than she could have ever loved me. Oh, that's right! The bitch couldn't love me, just *use* me. I hate her!" His voice crumbled, and she had to strain to hear him. "I told him once, that he was lucky to be able to just hold her, and feel her, but now I know how touching her, holding her but not really *having* her makes you feel, and I hate him for it, and if I could get this chip out of my head, I would rip *his* head off!!!
Cordelia was starting to get annoyed, her mind raced ahead of Spike's words, and as usual, she assumed the wrong thing. "Spike."
"What?"
"You *know* they are always going to love each other, so why would you even try to get between them?" This was a mantra she knew only to well, She kept it playing in her head whenever Angel was near, and especially when they were bonding over Connor. Buffy was the only thing that kept her from reaching out to him when they were alone. Buffy kept her from leaning over and kissing his crooked, quirky smile from-
"He got over her just fine!" he huffed. "She never really loved him either!"
"Huh?"
"At least with him she gave it a try, at least she treated him with *some* dignity!" She heard a loud crack, as Spike slammed his fist into- something. "At least he wasn't *killing* her!"
Cordelia's fist tightened angrily around the receiver. "What do you mean, they're over each other! HELLO! This is Mr. and Mrs. Soulmate your talking about!!! They're NEVER going to be over each other!"
Spike was laughing, which only irritated Cordelia more. "Please!" he scoffed. "If he's not over her, then how come he got married?"
"Married?", she sputtered. "How, when, WHAT?"
"Mr. and Mrs. cardboard commando, and Buffy wants that?"
"Angel's no cardboard commando!" Cordelia bristled.
Spike got himself under control. "Angel? No, you silly bint...Riley!"
Cordelia started to breath again. "Riley? Oh...OH! But, well...I mean didn't they break up about a year ago?"
Spike blew out an unneeded breath. "Well, yeah. Back to the point of this entire conversation, A couple of days ago he came back all commando-like and smashed my un-life all to hell."
"Why?" Cordelia asked truly curious, forgetting for the moment, that it was Spike she was talking to.
"Because!" He let out an explosive breath. "Oh bloody hell..."
"It's okay, take your time... not like I'm going anywhere."
Spike sounded genuinely puzzled. "Hold up. Since when do you care about anyone but yourself, Pet?"
"Don't pet me Buster!" She grimaced, "Okaaay, that came out wrong. Since when have you been capable of true love, hmmm?" She rubbed her temples, wondering *again* why she felt compelled to stay on the line. "We do important work here. We help people, and I'm proud to be a part of that." The silence stretched thin on the other line. "Okay, I'll admit part of it is morbid curiosity. We hardly ever hear from the Scoobies anymore. The other part is that even though you are a looser and evil, I can sense your pain and..."
"And you...what?" he groused. "You want to help me? I thought monsters didn't rate the hero treatment."
"Well I'm a seer not a hero, so..."
"Riiight"
"Look, your life is obviously pathetic enough that you called Angel, whom you hate...."
(Silence)
"And even more pathetic you're talking to me, whom you hardly know, and certainly don't like. At least with me you can talk without all the Buffy-baggage getting in the way."
(More silence)
Cordy huffed impatiently, "Hey, I know we're not friends, or probably ever will be, but I've learned to listen to my gut, and right now my gut is telling me..."
"That's indigestion, Luv."
"Screw you Spike!" she said, contemptuously.
"Is that an invitation?"
Cordy's mouth dropped and her eyebrow shot up. She took a deep breath and counted to three. "Quit trying to change the subject, and drop the act. You're hurting Bub, and I'm going to be here for you whether you want me to or not!"
"Are you always this exasperating?" Spike sighed.
"Nope, worse, you caught me on a good night."
Spike groaned. "Okay, you win. But do you think you think we could meet somewhere? I hate talking over the phone."
"That depends," Cordy hedged, "Where are you?"
"About a block away from the hotel."
"WHAT!" Cordelia started to cackle. "You drove all the way to LA to make a phone call!"
Spike chuckled, ruefully. "Yeah well, I *was* pretty drunk."
"Coffee shop." Cordy said abruptly as inspiration struck.
"Eh?"
"There's a coffee shop across the street."
"I see it"
"Okay, meet you there in a half hour or so."
"Fine."
Cordelia and Spike both hung up and stared disbelievingly at the receivers. Both shook their heads, and decided they were crazy. Both smiled at the thought. Both let out a deep sigh, suddenly unsure of what they were doing. Spike turned on his heel and headed for the coffee shop. Cordelia went into Angel's bathroom, washed her face and ran a comb through her sleep tangled hair.
She took a critical look in the mirror and her shoulders sagged. She had on baggy sweats and a tank-top, no makeup, and her hair refused to fully cooperate with the brush. "That's what he gets for calling me in the middle of the night." she grumbled. She went to Angel's closet and pulled out a maroon sweater. She pulled it over her head and after scrawling a quick note headed for Connor's crib.
"Let's get you to Fred's room," she cooed as she cradled Connor to her chest. She scooped up his diaper bag, and headed out the door, and came face to face with Lorne.
"AAAHHHH!" A high piercing scream made her jump and the baby scream.
"Krevlorne Swath of the Deathwok Clan!"
"Don't use your high and mighty tone with me, sweets. My heart almost burst out my ass!" He held up a bottle. "AND I almost dropped the Kalhua!" He assessed the situation with a glance. "After recent events, I would think sneaking out of Angel's room with Connor would be a big no-no."
Cordelia rolled her eyes and puffed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Relax Greenie, I'm just taking Connor to Fred's room. I left Angel a note..." She nuzzled Connor's cheek, as he looked at her and begin to make spit bubbles. She began to sing tonelessly. "Were, goin' to Fred's room and waking h-er up, so she won't get any sleep, just like u-us..." Her voice trailed off at the indignant look on Lorne's face. "What? You moved here 'cause we destroyed Caritas, not because you wanted to play nanny."
"I happen to make a great nanny!" He argued, his dignity affronted.
"I know!" She waved his concerns off with a flick of her wrist. "I just wonder if Angel ever tells you how appreciated you are, and I don't want to take advantage..." She smiled, and patted his forearm. "We demons need to look out for one another."
Lorne's face immediatly softened. he placed his hand over hers. "Thank you, really. Now give me the baby." He insisted. She handed him the sleepy child and he grabbed her arm dragging her in the direction of his room. "I need to talk to you before you go, and don't worry it won't take long."
She followed him and perched herself in his recliner while he fussed over Connor. "What gives?"
"I want you to be careful.."
"Pffft, I'll be fine."
"I read you just now, when you were singing to Connor, which by the way, stop...please. No wonder the kid has no taste in music."
"Hey!"
"But more important," He cut in over her protest, "Though it's nice that you are beginning to take on more responsibilities as a seer, this thing with the vampire has to be handled delicately."
"I'm delicate! I can be sensitive, and subtle, and layered." She hesitated, Lorne's expression was dubious. "I can be tactful!" she insisted.
"Riiiight."
"You bet your ass!" Her tone dared him to disagree.
"That's not what I meant, anyway." He said, neatly sidestepping her challenge. "You and Spike are cosmically connected, and that could be a problem."
"Okay, now I'm lost."
Lorne sighed tiredly, "There's a word for it in Pylea, well...it's unpronounceable, but roughly translated it means Kindred's."
"Still lost."
His red eyes turned contemplative then brightened. "You're like the opposite sides of the same coin, with similar fates. You're human, with a smidge of demon...he's demon with a smidge of humanity."
"Okay," Cordy agreed cautiously. "I'm following so far, but why would that effect my ability to help him?"
Lorne sighed, looking desperate to find a delicate way to phrase it. "Buffy and Angel were kindred's too."
Cordelia frowned. "So, following your logic, that would make them opposite sides of ...what?"
Lorne gestured excitedly, punctuating his point. "He was a demon with a soul, she was a human whose powers are rooted in darkness...both are champions of the human race, but coming from opposite side's of the spectrum-- opposite's attract...." He stopped and fixed her with a pointed stare.
Cordelia's frown deepened, then her eyes flew open as comprehension dawned. "You mean, Me and Spike might end up with an overwhelming soulmatey, groiny attraction thing? EEEEEWWWWWW!!!"
Lorne laughed at the shuddering girl, "Something to that effect sugar-plum, but not soulmates. That's the thing about romances between Kindred's, It's all angst, drama, and passion. But when you strip it all away, you find that there was no real foundation, just a lot of moira."
"Who's Moira?"
Lorne sighed and put his head in his hands. "Moira's not a who, it's the gut physical attraction between to larger than life souls."
"I guess Angel and Buffy had plenty of that." Angel would never have moira with her. They were friends....She wondered why Lorne looked like he wanted to shake her. "I just can't see myself wanting to bone down Spike, ugh."
"Speaking of, you need to go, and personally, I don't think you and he will come close to ending up horizontal. You are supposed to set him back on his path, not pull him further off of it. The PTB's have *huge* plans for that boy, that's why they sent him to you, god help us." He stood shooing her out the door. "It will be a piece of cake. Just try to remember he's stubborn and abrasive. He has a lot of romantic issues stemming from rejection, but on the inside he's hurting at least as much, if not more so, than you."
"I don't- I'm not-" a shocked pained look flitted across her features. "You *so* need to stop reading me."
********************
Lorne laid his aching head against his door. That girl needed to wake up, and smell the kyrumption. He worried about what would happen if Angel saw Cordelia and Spike together. He turned, pulled the bottle of Kalhua out of his coat pocket, and rummaged through Connor's diaper bag. "I hope she brought plenty of formula, cause I need a drink."
********************
Later, at the 24 hr coffee shop...
Spike cupped his hands around the thick ceramic coffee cup. He wasn't all that interested in drinking its contents, but it's warmth soaked into his palms and up to his wrists. He waited, cursing himself for being stupid. He still wasn't sure what had compelled him to drive all the way to LA, and he certainly didn't understand his willingness to open up to Angel's chit....
He caught the scent of something unexpected, he whirled, eyes flashing golden. "Angelus!" He glared into a pair of dark eyes, but not Angel's.
"Melodramatic much?" Cordelia casually commented, as she slid onto the cracked vinyl stool next to him. "FRANCIE!" she bellowed. A mousy woman scurried out of the kitchen, her eyes lit up momentarily when they saw Cordelia. "Hey, sweetie, I'll have a nonfat tall mocha latte, and Blondie here will have a caramel Angel special." Francie nodded, and with a nervous glance in Spike's direction hurried off.
"That's sweet, luv, but I already have coffee." He tried not to stare too hard at the bedraggled woman sitting next to him. She wore a sweater the color of crusted blood, baggy sweats, and an irritated expression. Her hair was shorter than he remembered, and hung in tousled chunks.
She didn't have on any makeup, so he could see the dark circles under her eyes, and the spidery creases that would eventually become worry lines. She had also put on a few pounds, though it was hard to tell how much under the baggy clothes. It softened her features a bit, and conformed with his old fashioned views of beauty, and he decided, despite her neglected appearance, that she *was* beautiful. She caught him staring and he felt her tense up.
"What?" She barked, defensively.
"Nothing." he said, suddenly feeling very awkward. He tried to sort out the conflicting smells emanating from her. He took a deep breath, disguising it as a sigh. Her head snapped around, and he found himself staring into her amused hazel eyes.
"Are you trying to *sniff* me."
'What?" he croaked. "No, um..."
"Give it up, I've lived around Angel long enough to know you're trying to sniff me up. You vampires are worse than dogs."
He suddenly got a visual of Angel on his knees holding Cordelia firmly by her waist, his head buried in her mound drinking in her scent checking for others who might try to lay claim on her. He shook his head, dispersing the image. Still he wondered if he wasn't that far off from the truth, his scent was all over her.
"Will it help if I let you smell me?" Her annoyed expression brought him back to reality. "You keep zoning out so why don't you get your sniff on, and get it over with."
He shrugged and leaned in close, smirking at her vexation as he invaded her personal space. She sat stiffly still while he hovered just inches from her breathing her in. He smelled her. She was buried under Angel's scent. The shirt, he figured, had to be his. There was someone else, someone inhuman, but the scent was faint. Stronger he smelled- baby powder, also formula, and the unmistakable smell of stale spit up- what the hell?
Then he reached it, the scent of her. the strong musky scent of her sex, the earthy warm smell of her skin, her sweat, the fruity smell of her conditioner, and...he gasped and jerked away from her. "Demon?" He ran his hand through his hair, barely noticing that the waitress had brought them their drinks. He searched her face, but she just sat there, a half smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You're a demon?" He repeated stupidly.
"A bit," she said wryly. She took a sip of her latte. "It's a long story, but it was necessary." She shrugged. "I haven't woken up all demony, and I've only levitated once, so it's not so bad."
He was floored by her nonchalant acceptance of this fact. He picked up his latte and took a swig. "Arrgh!" He grimaced, looking at the container like it might bite him. He looked at her, his eyes watering. "Bloody hell, pet! This is made out of blood!"
Again she shrugged. "Angel likes it." she said all innocence.
Spike checked out their surroundings suspiciously. "Is this a...demon coffee shop?" he asked tentatively.
She laughed, pleased with herself. "No, we saved Francie a while back. She couldn't afford to pay, so we worked out an arrangement. She keeps a bit of pigs blood on tap, so Angel can enjoy a latte now and then."
"And this was his idea?"
"Pffft, no!" she rolled her eyes. "This is Angel, were talking about, the only originality he's ever shown is when it comes to slicing and dicing demons."
"So you play Emeril, and 'Bam' spice his blood up a notch?" He grinned at the thought. Another flash of imagery ran through his head, this time of Cordelia standing over a big vat of blood, tasting it and frowning, then throwing a handful of spices into the mix.
She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Somebody has to take care of the big dork."
Spike wondered if, in his 250 year history, anyone else had the rocks to call Angel a dork.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, and looked him strait in the eye. "So, what brought you on a drunken tear all the way to LA?"
He looked down at his hands, and took a sip of his pigs blood latte.
Cordelia took advantage of his silence to examine the him out of the corner of her eye. "Let me guess," she said sarcastically..."Buffy."
He just huffed and took another sip of his latte.
She sighed, seemingly resigning herself to the fact that she probably wouldn't see her bed until the morning. "Look Spike, I can't help you unless you talk to me."
He leaned back in his chair and finally looked the young seer in the eyes. "It's not that easy, and I'm not sure I can stomach the Oprah treatment."
"Are you trying to say, I'm fat?" she arched a brow.
Unlike Angel, he didn't get all stammery. "No, don't be an idiot." He graced her with a wry smile. "I just don't think you could handle the details, luv. That's why I called on gramps...not a naive little tart like you."
"What, you don't think I can handle a vampire talking about sex? I get the dirty underbelly of an entire city dumped into my head on a regular basis, and you think what a neutered vamp does in his off time is gonna shock me?"
Spike almost spit out his drink again. "Sex!, How'd you...I never said sex!" He slowly lowered his head to the dingy counter and groaned. "*That* was supposed to be a secret. I promised!" He rolled his head to the side and eyed her angrily. "Did you get a vision? Bollocks!" He sat up and pointed an accusing finger in her direction. "Those Powers need to keep their...whatever they have, out of my affairs!"
"Relax Peroxide, I figured it out for myself. It doesn't take a rocket scientist ya' know." She shrugged, "I figured you wouldn't get that hot and bothered about someone unless you were getting some." She swirled the dregs of her drink together and finished it off, trying to keep from looking smug.
"It wasn't entirely about sex." He admitted morosely. "It took a while for the chit to come 'round. I thought she *liked* me at least. After the resurrection she would tell me things, let me in. Besides she started it with the kissing and the innuendo...I should have stuck with trying to kill her."
"Yeah 'cause nothing says 'I love you' more than attempted murder...."
********************
"Are we there yet?" Gunn complained.
"What's wrong Gunn? Is it the slime, or the Brahms?" Wesley sniggered.
Angel glanced at the angry black man in the seat beside him. "There's not that much slime." he suggested helpfully. "And what's wrong with Brahms?" He huffed, "I swear, I thought after the ballet, you were actually developing some taste." He smiled as Gunn shot him the finger.
They pulled to the stop light in front of the coffee shop, and out of habit he glanced inside to see if Francie was there. He saw a pretty brunette laughing at something that a blonde man next to her was saying. The light turned green and he stepped on the gas. He got half a block before the scene in the coffee shop fully registered in his brain. With a growl he spun the wheel as he hit the breaks, sending the car into a 180. Wesley squealed, and Gunn let out a string of obscenities. Angel just gritted his teeth an gunned the engine.
"Wesley gripped the seat, and stared at the vampire like he had lost his mind. "ANGEL!! For God's sake...what's wrong?"
"SPIKE!" Angel yelled over the roar of the engine.
Gunn was holding on to the dashboard for dear life. "What spike?"
Wesley handed him his favorite vampire killing weapon. "Spike is one of Angelus' childer."
"Do we get to kill this one?"
"Maybe," Angel angrily grumbled. "It depends on why he has Cordelia with him."
It was all Angel could do not to let his demon take over him completely. For once they were in perfect sync. All that mattered was wiping that happy smile from Spike's face, and dragging Cordelia away to the safety of his rooms. He sucked in unnecessary oxygen trying to get a grip on his thoughts. There would be no dragging of Cordelia anywhere, nor would there be any throwing her on the bed, and going over her hot tight body inch by inch with his teeth and tongue, removing any smell but his own....
Gunn gripped the handle of his wooden fighting stick tighter, "You think he kidnapped her? What about Connor?"
The GTX screeched to a halt, and Angel was across the street before Wes and Gunn were even out of the car.
********************
"So she just let him tear the place apart? After coming to your crypt like that..." She scowled, "but you *did* have the eggs."
Spike's jaw tensed in frustration. "Well, yeah, but I *wasn't* the doctor. He offered me ten grand to watch the little nippers. He never told me anything about freezing them. I was going to give the money to Buffy for her and the niblet. I wanted to prove I could provide for her..." He looked up and frowned.
"In the stupidest way possible!" She gaped at him incredulously. "Geeze Spike!"
Spike whipped around as a growling blur slammed into him, knocking him over the counter.
Cordelia shrieked.
Spike let the larger man's momentum carry them to the floor, he kicked up and threw Angel over his head. Instantly both vampires regained their feet, crouched defensively as they squared off.
Gunn and Wesley ran through the door ready to back Angel up.
"Cordelia get out of here!" Wesley commanded. Much to his annoyance she vaulted the counter, landing between the two snarling vampires.
Before Angel could react, Spike grabbed Cordelia by the waist and pulled her too him, placing his hand lightly on her neck. He wasn't sure how much they knew of his condition, but he could at least buy himself some time. Angel lunged, but Spike swung around keeping Cordelia between them. He tightened his grip, wincing, as a few tingles of electricity, jolted through his head.
Cordelia turned her head and whispered. "Put me down, you dumbass."
"What, so that poncy bugger can rip me to shreds? No thanks." he whispered in her ear.
"Oooh! This is insane!" Cordelia jerked to the side, and elbowed him in the nose, catching him totally off guard. She then swung into a much more graceful version of Angel's spin-kick, which knocked him back a few feet.
"You....Bitch!" He yelped, checking for blood.
"Asshole!" she yelled right back.
Gunn smashed his weapon longwise against Spike's throat, and Spike kicked him viciously in the chest. He immediately howled in pain and dropped to the floor in a heap.
"What the fuck?" Gunn backed away from the writhing blonde.
Angel rushed forward, but again Cordelia stepped in his way. He pulled himself up short, but ran into her. She fell. He lunged, grabbing her by the wrists and pulling her to him. He stepped in front of her, but kept her firmly planted behind him.
Gunn and Wesley stepped forward flanking Spike.
Cordelia had never seen Angel quite like this. His "grr" face never usually scared her. The fact that Angel was a vampire hardly registered in her mind anymore. The Angel in front of her now...the one whose growls were guttural and leonine, whose face was free of it's human mask and bristling with aggression, whose hard body and arms of steel had her pinned behind him. This Angel was frightening... and he was pissed.
She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Angel, please. Don't hurt him." she pleaded.
"He could have killed you!" Angel snapped, glaring at her. "Forget it, I'm going to tear him limb from limb, I'm going to piss in his skull, roll in his blood..."
She slapped the back of his head. "Gag me, why don't you! He *can't* physically hurt me. Which you would have known, if you would have given us time to explain instead of going all berserker on us!"
Angel turned on her, yellow angry eyes boring into her brown ones. He loomed menacingly over her. She didn't even flinch.
Spike tried to hide a smile. The tart's fire was a match to his grand-sire's, a rare find in a mere human. No wonder he was so possessive. He studied the chit. She, apparently, was clueless to why Angel had reacted so violently to her being here. He lit a cigarette, and smirked at the black man with the pointy stick. He might just have to stay a little longer than he planned. Any chance to piss in Angel's playground was just too good to miss.
Angel stared down the woman in front of him, but she refused to be intimidated. He grabbed her wrist, and dragged her towards the door. "Wes, Gunn, Don't let him go anywhere." He looked at Cordy, she arched a brow, he growled at her. "Don't kill him...yet."
He drug Cordy out of the building and into the alley beside it shoving her against the wall. He heard her grunt as it knocked the air out of her. "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded, "Where's Connor?"
"With Lorne." she said flatly.
"Why in the hell were you in there with him?" He barked, pacing back and forth in front of her, still in gameface.
"He needs help. Last time I checked that *is* what we do." She snapped angrily, her eyes flashing.
He stopped pacing and glared at her. "Last time *I* checked Spike was having steel pokers rammed through my chest, or did you forget that?"
"Of course not!" she answered curtly. "I came to a public place, away from the hotel, I made sure Connor was taken care of...and I brought this." She shook her sleeve, Angel noticed in passing that she was wearing one of his sweaters again, and a stake slipped into her hand. "And if you don't stop with the angry Angelus act, I'm seriously considering using it on you."
Before she could react Angel was pressed up against her, his hand pinning the weapon above her head. She pushed ineffectually against his chest. He applied a sharp squeeze and she dropped the stake. He pressed his body into her, making it hard for her to breath, his face almost touching hers. "It's *not* an act! This is what I am!" he snarled.
Things were getting *way* out of hand. She took a ragged breath and made a conscious effort to relax. Cordy could understand in part why he would be angry, but Angel had never reacted violently to her before. He was scaring her, yet at the same time it was kind of reassuring that he was so protective of her. If she didn't know better she would have thought he was- jealous. Of course *that* was impossible. He was just concerned for her well-being. She gazed into his angry yellow eyes almost smiled. On impulse she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
He pulled back as if she had burned him, stepping away. Shame flooded through him and he turned away, burying his head in his hands.
Cordelia followed and laid her hand on his shoulder, he jerked away. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around to face her. "Hey," She whispered.
He glanced into her eyes, and saw her anger had evaporated. Still, he had almost hurt her, or worse yet, he'd been tempted to succumb the primal urge to take her right there against the wall. Cool tears of shame threatened to fall.
Cordelia could see the guilt etched in his face. Sure he had acted insane, and he *had* scared her a little, but she trusted him. He was her best friend, which in her opinion meant you had to take the bad with the good. She smiled but he tried to look away. She cupped his cheek and pulled his face back towards her.
"Angel, I know what you are, and I don't care. I love you, you *know* that," wishing he understood how much more than just friends she meant those words.
"I could have hurt you." he croaked. He wished he could take her words to heart.
"But you didn't," her hand slid from his cheek and came to rest on his chest, "And somewhere in there you know you wouldn't have either. It just makes me mad that you come bustin' in like Batman, without the cool cape. Spike was sent here by the Powers, but you didn't bother to check with me about what's going on first."
Angel felt like an idiot. "I'm sorry. With everything that's happened in the last few months, I just reacted. I didn't take the time to think it through." He looked at her expectantly. "So?"
Her lips slowly spread into a mischievous smirk. "So what?"
He smoothed her hair behind her ear, grateful once again that the Powers had bound her to him, at least until he shanshued. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"Do you trust me?"
A smile tugged at the corners of his angular lips, "Implicitly"
"Pfft," she stood back and crossed her arms. "You promise that for the remainder of the time that Spike is here, which might be a couple of days, that you won't kill him, or beat him up, unless he deserves it and you won't go all obsessively protective and weird on me?"
He tried to gauge her expression. He had a feeling she was about to box him into a corner with some form her bizarre Cordy-logic, but she had on her pokerface. "I guess."
"You have to promise." She took a step forward, hands on her hips, her dark eyes challenging.
Angel took a step back. "Cordy, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I mean, stuff, could -you know- happen." He had gone from intimidating her, to being the one intimidated, and he was still in gameface.
"Promise!" She actually stamped her foot for emphasis.
He held his hands up in surrender. "Fine! I promise!"
"Good," she walked out of the alley.
"Hey!" He caught up with her, and grabbed her shoulder. "Aren't you going to tell me what's going on?"
"Let's see, umm... no." she turned away again.
"Cordelia!" He bellowed, thoroughly miffed.
She turned to face him but continued to back out of the alley. "It's personal!"
"But...."
She waved, "I'll call you tomorrow,"
"But...."
"I probably won't be in." She turned and hurried into the coffee shop.
Spike was still standing against the wall. He was casually smoking another cigarette, and alternating blowing smoke in Wesley's and Gunn's direction.
She squeezed past Wes, and grabbed Spike by the arm. "Is your car close?"
"Right outside." he drawled.
"Good, come on." She drug him past her astonished friends and out the door.
Spike was grateful to be away from the goon squad, but he was painfully aware of his grandsire's cold stare from the shadows of the alleyway. He grinned as he placed his hand on the small of Cordelia's back as he guided her to his car. He kept it there as he opened the door for her. When he turned he came face to face with the dark hulking vamp. "Piss off Angelus." He snapped.
Angel grabbed him by his collar and lifted him off his feet. "Anything happens to her, your going to wish you were in hell."
"Don't you guys talk with the Scoobies anymore? I can't harm the girl. The government put a chip in my head." Spike rolled his eyes. "Made it so I can't hurt humans anymore." Angel set him down. "Don't get any ideas though gramps, I can still throw down with you." He straitened his duster. "You can call Buffy and confirm it if you like."
"I'll do that." Angel said.
Spike shrugged. "Hell, I even baby-sit Dawn from time to time."
To Angel's surprise, Spike eyes began to mist, and he swiped at his tears angrily, ashamed for Angel to see him all emotional. "Bloody hell, I miss the little platelet," he sniffed as he strode to his side of the car, and jerked the door open.
Angel backed away slowly, between his childe and his seer, he was getting one hell of a headache.
Spike started the car and turned to Cordelia. "So, where to princess?"
"My place, it's not far." She rubbed her temples, this night was exhausting her.
"Is there a liquor store on the way."
"Yep."
"Good."
"Spike."
"Yeah."
"You're not afraid of ghosts are you?"