ATS/BTVS - Spike/Angel(us) - Fight - PG-13
Title: Fight
Author: tamibrandt
Fandom: ATS/BTVS
Rating: PG-13
Character(s)/Pairing: Spike/Angel(us)
Summary: Angel and Spike argue about Spike's place in the final fight and Angel decides what's best.
Warnings: SPOILERS FOR NOT FADE AWAY.
Notes: Beta'd by Myself, kateyes085.
Word Count: 1,658
Written for 10_hurt_comfort
My Table Here
This was the end, Angel thought as he stared out the window of his 30th floor office. Tonight they were going to attack Wolfram & Hart and end it all. His team and Spike didn’t know it yet. He had kept them in the dark about his recent dealings with Hamilton and the Black Thorn. It was better this way. It was better for them to think he’d turned evil; that he had given in and finally succumbed to the temptation of this place.
For a moment, he mused on the fact that he always separated Spike from the others whenever he thought about them. Spike and his team. His team and Spike. He never grouped Spike in with them even though the other vampire had been with them all year, and was willingly helping them since they lost Fred.
The truth was that Spike was his guiding light in all this madness. There was Connor certainly. Connor was his link to Darla. Connor was his living soul, his immortal image, someone who could carry on when Angel had finally finished this mess with Wolfram & Hart once and for all. He could commit suicide with this last mission and know that there was one good thing that came out of his abominable existence and out of his tenuous relationship with Darla.
But, Spike . . . Spike was his link to everything, to his past, to Sunnydale and Buffy. Spike was the one that knew him best. The first thing Spike did upon materializing here was to call him on what he’d planned to do by trying to defeat an evil corporation from within itself. That was a naïve notion if he had ever thought of one. It didn’t stop him from trying it though. It was working too, until they lost Fred, until they corrupted Gunn so much that he was hooked on all that knowledge they’d surged into his head.
He should have seen that coming. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen corruptible temptation before. Corruptible temptation was the reason he was a vampire now. Darla was the first of many of those temptations. He could still remember that night as clear as if it were yesterday. Just as he could remember how pure and sweet Drusilla was before he tormented her with horror and death. He could remember following her back to that barn when she went after Spike. He could remember the taste of the blood of each of them.
He could remember those days in Sunnydale when he met Buffy face-to-face and when he first saw Spike in Buffy’s high school after 54 years. He could remember the painful joy he felt when he had hugged him after all that time apart. He could remember seeing Spike again a year later when Drusilla had left him and then the torture over the Gem of Amara.
He had attacked his family members over the years, staked Darla, and burned her and Drusilla. Nevertheless, he always allowed his boy to live. Spike was his truth. Spike stated cold, hard facts and never gave a bullshit excuse for any of it. Moreover, Spike would be the first to follow him into this suicidal mission, for nothing else other than the thrill that he had for fighting. Being too burdened with his past, Angel admired Spike for loving his life completely and without reservation. It was something he, himself couldn’t afford to do.
“You’re not doing this with me,” Angel said.
He didn’t need to look to know that Spike stood next to him. He felt it in his blood when the blonde walked into his office.
“Why not? You’ve got something brewing Angel. You may think you’re fooling Wes, Lorne and Gunn, but you and I both know it’s bad. Whatever you’re planning you’ll need all the help you can get. You need me in this.”
“No, I don’t. I need you gone,” Angel said. He squeezed his eyes shut when his words echoed what Buffy had told him a year before.
“Bollocks, Angel! I’m not letting you martyr yourself for some bloody holy grail!” Spike countered.
“It’s not about the Shanshu Prophecy anymore,” Angel said quietly.
“What do you mean? You whole existence since moving here has been about that little prophecy.” Spike stared at Angel in disbelief. It’s what the fight over the Cup was about . . . in the beginning anyway.
“Just what I said, it’s about doing what’s right. It’s not about us or the team or the Shanshu. In the grand scheme of things, the prophecy means nothing. I know that now. If I became human today, would it help anything?” Angel asked.
“All you’ve talked about was that prophecy. The vampire with a soul averts the apocalypse and becomes human.” Spike reminded him.
“It’s a lie. No matter how much good I’ve done, there’s still this place making me take two steps back,” Angel growled.
Spike stared at him in shock. Not that he disagreed with Angel, but that Angel said it aloud and believed it himself. He turned until he stood in front of Angel. “I’m still going with you whatever you’re planning. You told me once that you couldn’t live in a world without me in it, well that works both ways, Sire.”
Spike walked out, not giving Angel time to respond. Angel just hung his head in defeat. He couldn’t get his childe to turn away from this. He had spent years doing things subconsciously to protect William, Spike, whatever his childe wanted to call himself. Yet, he couldn’t protect him from this. If his childe managed to survive this without him, the Senior Partners would hunt him down like a dog and kill him. Angel didn’t know if he could bear that knowledge. So, it was best that Spike went with him, right?
Angel sniffed and continued to stare out the window.
**************************
Spike’s Apartment, later that night
“So I guess we're not going back to the office after this,” Gunn said.
Angel shook his head and said, “The alley just north of the Hyperion. Everyone who makes it will meet there. If we do any damage at all, the Senior Partners are going to rain hell on us. So be ready.”
Lorne grabbed Angel’s arm and pulled him aside, “Hey, Ange, uh, I'll do this last thing for you, for us . . . but then I'm out, and you won't find me in the alley afterwards. Hell, you won't find me at all. Do me a favor: don't try.”
Lorne walked away without another word. Angel was sad to see the empathic demon leave. It would probably be the last time he saw him. He hoped Lorne would make it out of his mission in-tact. Then, Wesley grabbed his coat and walked toward the door with Gunn and Illyria.
“That day went by fast, huh?” Gunn commented to no one in particular.
“Try not to die. You are not unpleasant to my eyes,” Illyria said, surprising him.
“Uh, thanks. You . . . try not to die, too,” Gunn responded. He turned to Wesley and shook his comrade’s hand before walking out. “Later then.”
Wesley turned and looked at Angel for a long moment. Memories of the years working side by side with each other passed between them. Angel gave a brief nod in acknowledgement before Wesley walked out the door with Illyria following.
When they were the only ones left, Spike turned to Angel. “What do you think all this means for that Shanshu bugaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?”
Angel crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at his childe. “Who are you kidding? We're not going make it through.”
Spike sighed and then commiserating, said, “Well, long as it's not you.”
**************************
Alley behind the Hyperion
Angel ran through the pouring rain, down the alley behind the Hyperion. He stopped when he hit the chain-link fence at the end of the alley and looked around for the others, but didn't see anyone. The sky thundered above him as the heavy rain continued.
Where were they? I told them to meet me here. Why didn’t they make it? Those were the thoughts going through Angel’s head when he felt his blood tingle in his veins. He looked around for the source just as he heard Spike’s voice.
“Boo,” Spike said as he walked out of the shadows.
Angel gave a huge sigh of relief when he saw the shock of blonde hair emerge from the inky blackness. He took a step closer to his childe.
“Anyone else?” Angel queried.
Spike moved closer to his Sire. He thought for sure they would both be dust by now. Even though he’d never say it, he genuinely worried over Angel. They had argued earlier about what would happen tonight and it scared him to think he’d be the only one to make it out of this mess that Angel created for them.
“Not so far. You feel the heat?” Spike asked. He was now standing in front of Angel almost touching him.
Angel nodded. “It’s coming.”
Spike gave him a patented smirk. “Finally got ourselves a decent brawl.”
Angel couldn’t stand it anymore, he had to touch Spike. Wrapping an arm around his childe’s shoulders, he yanked the blonde against him and buried his face in Spike’s neck, hugging him. Then, he moved his head up against Spike’s ear.
“Just remember Spike, whatever happens next: you’re mine until the end of time. The world may end tonight, but I’ll see you in the next life. I’ll track you down if I have to.”
Spike could do nothing but nod against Angel’s shoulder. He felt the briefest kiss against his temple before Angel pulled away. They stood apart just in time to see Gunn jogging down the alley . . .
Author: tamibrandt
Fandom: ATS/BTVS
Rating: PG-13
Character(s)/Pairing: Spike/Angel(us)
Summary: Angel and Spike argue about Spike's place in the final fight and Angel decides what's best.
Warnings: SPOILERS FOR NOT FADE AWAY.
Notes: Beta'd by Myself, kateyes085.
Word Count: 1,658
Written for 10_hurt_comfort
My Table Here
This was the end, Angel thought as he stared out the window of his 30th floor office. Tonight they were going to attack Wolfram & Hart and end it all. His team and Spike didn’t know it yet. He had kept them in the dark about his recent dealings with Hamilton and the Black Thorn. It was better this way. It was better for them to think he’d turned evil; that he had given in and finally succumbed to the temptation of this place.
For a moment, he mused on the fact that he always separated Spike from the others whenever he thought about them. Spike and his team. His team and Spike. He never grouped Spike in with them even though the other vampire had been with them all year, and was willingly helping them since they lost Fred.
The truth was that Spike was his guiding light in all this madness. There was Connor certainly. Connor was his link to Darla. Connor was his living soul, his immortal image, someone who could carry on when Angel had finally finished this mess with Wolfram & Hart once and for all. He could commit suicide with this last mission and know that there was one good thing that came out of his abominable existence and out of his tenuous relationship with Darla.
But, Spike . . . Spike was his link to everything, to his past, to Sunnydale and Buffy. Spike was the one that knew him best. The first thing Spike did upon materializing here was to call him on what he’d planned to do by trying to defeat an evil corporation from within itself. That was a naïve notion if he had ever thought of one. It didn’t stop him from trying it though. It was working too, until they lost Fred, until they corrupted Gunn so much that he was hooked on all that knowledge they’d surged into his head.
He should have seen that coming. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen corruptible temptation before. Corruptible temptation was the reason he was a vampire now. Darla was the first of many of those temptations. He could still remember that night as clear as if it were yesterday. Just as he could remember how pure and sweet Drusilla was before he tormented her with horror and death. He could remember following her back to that barn when she went after Spike. He could remember the taste of the blood of each of them.
He could remember those days in Sunnydale when he met Buffy face-to-face and when he first saw Spike in Buffy’s high school after 54 years. He could remember the painful joy he felt when he had hugged him after all that time apart. He could remember seeing Spike again a year later when Drusilla had left him and then the torture over the Gem of Amara.
He had attacked his family members over the years, staked Darla, and burned her and Drusilla. Nevertheless, he always allowed his boy to live. Spike was his truth. Spike stated cold, hard facts and never gave a bullshit excuse for any of it. Moreover, Spike would be the first to follow him into this suicidal mission, for nothing else other than the thrill that he had for fighting. Being too burdened with his past, Angel admired Spike for loving his life completely and without reservation. It was something he, himself couldn’t afford to do.
“You’re not doing this with me,” Angel said.
He didn’t need to look to know that Spike stood next to him. He felt it in his blood when the blonde walked into his office.
“Why not? You’ve got something brewing Angel. You may think you’re fooling Wes, Lorne and Gunn, but you and I both know it’s bad. Whatever you’re planning you’ll need all the help you can get. You need me in this.”
“No, I don’t. I need you gone,” Angel said. He squeezed his eyes shut when his words echoed what Buffy had told him a year before.
“Bollocks, Angel! I’m not letting you martyr yourself for some bloody holy grail!” Spike countered.
“It’s not about the Shanshu Prophecy anymore,” Angel said quietly.
“What do you mean? You whole existence since moving here has been about that little prophecy.” Spike stared at Angel in disbelief. It’s what the fight over the Cup was about . . . in the beginning anyway.
“Just what I said, it’s about doing what’s right. It’s not about us or the team or the Shanshu. In the grand scheme of things, the prophecy means nothing. I know that now. If I became human today, would it help anything?” Angel asked.
“All you’ve talked about was that prophecy. The vampire with a soul averts the apocalypse and becomes human.” Spike reminded him.
“It’s a lie. No matter how much good I’ve done, there’s still this place making me take two steps back,” Angel growled.
Spike stared at him in shock. Not that he disagreed with Angel, but that Angel said it aloud and believed it himself. He turned until he stood in front of Angel. “I’m still going with you whatever you’re planning. You told me once that you couldn’t live in a world without me in it, well that works both ways, Sire.”
Spike walked out, not giving Angel time to respond. Angel just hung his head in defeat. He couldn’t get his childe to turn away from this. He had spent years doing things subconsciously to protect William, Spike, whatever his childe wanted to call himself. Yet, he couldn’t protect him from this. If his childe managed to survive this without him, the Senior Partners would hunt him down like a dog and kill him. Angel didn’t know if he could bear that knowledge. So, it was best that Spike went with him, right?
Angel sniffed and continued to stare out the window.
**************************
Spike’s Apartment, later that night
“So I guess we're not going back to the office after this,” Gunn said.
Angel shook his head and said, “The alley just north of the Hyperion. Everyone who makes it will meet there. If we do any damage at all, the Senior Partners are going to rain hell on us. So be ready.”
Lorne grabbed Angel’s arm and pulled him aside, “Hey, Ange, uh, I'll do this last thing for you, for us . . . but then I'm out, and you won't find me in the alley afterwards. Hell, you won't find me at all. Do me a favor: don't try.”
Lorne walked away without another word. Angel was sad to see the empathic demon leave. It would probably be the last time he saw him. He hoped Lorne would make it out of his mission in-tact. Then, Wesley grabbed his coat and walked toward the door with Gunn and Illyria.
“That day went by fast, huh?” Gunn commented to no one in particular.
“Try not to die. You are not unpleasant to my eyes,” Illyria said, surprising him.
“Uh, thanks. You . . . try not to die, too,” Gunn responded. He turned to Wesley and shook his comrade’s hand before walking out. “Later then.”
Wesley turned and looked at Angel for a long moment. Memories of the years working side by side with each other passed between them. Angel gave a brief nod in acknowledgement before Wesley walked out the door with Illyria following.
When they were the only ones left, Spike turned to Angel. “What do you think all this means for that Shanshu bugaboo? If we make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?”
Angel crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at his childe. “Who are you kidding? We're not going make it through.”
Spike sighed and then commiserating, said, “Well, long as it's not you.”
**************************
Alley behind the Hyperion
Angel ran through the pouring rain, down the alley behind the Hyperion. He stopped when he hit the chain-link fence at the end of the alley and looked around for the others, but didn't see anyone. The sky thundered above him as the heavy rain continued.
Where were they? I told them to meet me here. Why didn’t they make it? Those were the thoughts going through Angel’s head when he felt his blood tingle in his veins. He looked around for the source just as he heard Spike’s voice.
“Boo,” Spike said as he walked out of the shadows.
Angel gave a huge sigh of relief when he saw the shock of blonde hair emerge from the inky blackness. He took a step closer to his childe.
“Anyone else?” Angel queried.
Spike moved closer to his Sire. He thought for sure they would both be dust by now. Even though he’d never say it, he genuinely worried over Angel. They had argued earlier about what would happen tonight and it scared him to think he’d be the only one to make it out of this mess that Angel created for them.
“Not so far. You feel the heat?” Spike asked. He was now standing in front of Angel almost touching him.
Angel nodded. “It’s coming.”
Spike gave him a patented smirk. “Finally got ourselves a decent brawl.”
Angel couldn’t stand it anymore, he had to touch Spike. Wrapping an arm around his childe’s shoulders, he yanked the blonde against him and buried his face in Spike’s neck, hugging him. Then, he moved his head up against Spike’s ear.
“Just remember Spike, whatever happens next: you’re mine until the end of time. The world may end tonight, but I’ll see you in the next life. I’ll track you down if I have to.”
Spike could do nothing but nod against Angel’s shoulder. He felt the briefest kiss against his temple before Angel pulled away. They stood apart just in time to see Gunn jogging down the alley . . .