Lets get together {Angel/Spike/Open}

[buffy anne summers]

This hadn't been her idea. She just wanted that out there. Wanted it to be on record that this whole thing was not her idea. That way when everything went wrong (and it would) she could say that it hadn't been her idea, so it couldn't be her fault. She wasn't exactly sure who had come up with the brilliant idea of inviting Angel and company to Cleveland. She was even more unsure to why he said yes. They weren't on bad terms...they just hadn't spoken in a while. A long while. Since the whole drama with that rogue slayer in LA she had tried to avoid him. It worked pretty well too, until now.

Buffy and gang had been in Cleveland for going on two years now. Everything had been great too, they had a nice setup going, what with the slayer school and all that. It wasn't exactly a slayer school, since only Buffy and Faith were slayers now. But it sounded better than 'potential school'. The magic that had been done to create all those slayers had decided to reverse itself. Leaving the good side with a limited number of soldiers. Instead of giving up and sending all the girls packing, they decided to keep on going and train them anyway. Most of the girls didn't have a home to go back to, and the others didn't want to leave. Sure, a few had wondered back to where they belonged, but as of now they had over 150 potential slayers residing in their very large school. They didn't teach math and science, they taught fighting, demon history, and magic.

Then the problem arose. Some super big vampires decided to turn a few of the potentials. Creating creatures with vampire strength and a slayer mind. Not as dangerous as a slayer turned vampire, but not something simple either. It was causing...issues. It seemed like they were making an army, which never ended well. So someone had suggested Angel. It had taken a while to locate him (since the whole LA craze), but they found him. And surprisingly enough, he agreed to come. Not only that, he would bring his crew.

Who his 'crew' was, Buffy had no idea. Nor did she really care. She wasn't even sure she wanted Angel to be here, let alone his 'crew'. The clock struck 12:30 exactly. Her eyes glanced up at it nervously as she resumed her pacing. She was in the meeting room on the third story, waiting for them to arrive. So, instead of sitting and waiting, she was pacing and waiting. Yeah, she was nervous. After all, it had been a long time since she had seen Angel. She wasn't even the one who had called him. That was all Willow. Or Faith. Buffy really wasn't sure who called him, but she knew it hadn't been her. But were they here now? No. Of course not. Faith was off somewhere and Willow was teaching a class. Xander couldn't make it either. Leaving just Buffy to greet the newcomers. Unless one of the scoobies decided to show up, it would stay just her. Maybe she could grab a potential and have them join in. Maybe that would make it less awkward?

Probably not. She played with her hands as she paced, needing something to do to distract her from the meet and greet about to take place. So much had changed in the last few years. Her hair was still blond and she still looked just as young (a slayer thing, they age a bit slower), but she had been through so much. From what happened at Sunnydale (she still hated thinking about that), to what happened it Rome, to having all the slayers turned back into potentials. A lot had happened. Her stylish flats clicked on the tile as she sped up a bit, praying for this to be over quick. Like a band-aid, quick and painless, right?

Buffy had to admit, she had tried to look nice. She actually spent two hours trying on different outfits, as shameful as that sounded. It wasn't as if she felt she needed to impress anyone, she just wanted to look nice. Hopefully she did just that, with her tight jeans and off the shoulder casual tee. Not matter how many times Lucy, one of the more fashionable potentials, told her it screamed sexy, she still felt uncomfortable and nervous. Yeah, Buffy was worried that Angel would think she didn't look good. Call her vain, but it was a worry.

Little did she know she had more to worry about than what she was wearing.

tags angel;spike;open
wordcount 773
outfit here
comments =) how exciting! first thread!

[angel]

There was so much potential for disaster. Angel recognized it from the second he agreed and long past when he hung up the phone after the call that changed his course. Despite the distance put between himself and Buffy, Angel would always be there if she needed him. He didn't know if she saw it that way, given it was him that left Sunnydale to begin with all of those years ago and he seemed to decide when he thought he was really needed. If he wanted to be technical, Angel felt like he needed Buffy a long time before. Years might have passed and things might have changed over and over again for the vampire with a soul but how he felt about the blonde slayer had never changed. But, neither had the doomed label that rested over any relationship that they might ever have had. It was safer for Angel to be away from her, and if not safer, important to keep fighting his own fight. The two had set up their boundaries shortly after he moved to LA. That was his city and he practically kicked her out of it when Faith had first showed up there. Sunnydale might be gone, but Cleveland was Buffy's now. Not Angel's. It wasn't what he intended to be the new home base of Angel Inc. But, if he was needed, he would be there, team at his side. He rationalized it, tried to talk himself into the idea that it wasn't such a bad idea. It had been years since they really fought alongside eachother and why couldn't they? After so long, maybe the teams could use up the same town. They were on the same side and both had concerns with keeping evil at bay.

But, seeing Buffy was never that easy. Before he managed to agree, Angel had asked Buffy's opinion on it. Not to Buffy herself, because he hadn't been able to talk to her specifically, but he was told that he was wanted there—that he was needed. But, even the brunette vampire knew it could have just been said to coax him into coming. He had no way of knowing Buffy's feelings about it. Being together had always been hard for him. She was still... Buffy. On the trip to Cleveland, that was all that was on his mind and yet he never once mentioned the blonde slayer. Talking about her would only up the uncertainty, not to mention it was bound to start a fight. And frankly, he didn't feel like arguing with Spike. Over the course of the last year, he had become pretty accustomed to the other vampire being around. After all, in the time he spent heading up Wolfram and Hart, he was a part of the team. He helped them up to the final moments and Angel trusted him to an extent. But, the annoyances didn't change and the topic of Buffy was a dangerous one.

The idea of Buffy and Spike would never sit well with him. It couldn't. Especially when the idea of her having been with him already crossed his thoughts. It wasn't pure disgust or out of dislike for Spike (sure, that might play a role but it was small), it was fear. The slayer still meant more to him than any one woman ever could. In 250 years, he loved her the most and no one would ever be what she was to him or what she represented. And Spike could take all of that if he wanted. He didn't have all of the limitations and while he would never admit it out loud, he was safer than he would ever be. When he arrived at the building, the dark eyed vampire looked up at it. He was trying to gather himself and trying to settle the nervous jumping in the pit of his stomach. Honestly, he wasn't sure if Spike had told Buffy about being alive or not. Last he heard, he hadn't, but figured with the move to Cleveland he probably would. And if he hadn't... Well, Angel wasn't going to help spread the word. It wasn't lying or anything. Angel just never mentioned it in any of the conversations he ever had with anyone that dealt with Buffy. He was supposed to meet her on the third floor. They. Not he. It wasn't long before he was entering the meeting room, just as silent as he had been the whole time. Again, he was avoiding a lot of conversation with Spike for his own sanity and to keep from wanting to push his fist through his head. As Angel entered the room, his eyes rested on Buffy immediately. She looked good. Amazing maybe. Like she always did. It had been a long time since he actually saw her face to face and he missed her. Angel always missed her. "Buffy." He greeted her, to let the petite slayer know that he was there and because no other word thought to come out of his mouth.

[spike]

The whole drive from LA to Cleveland Spike spent grinning. In a good mood, probably happier then a child on christmas. It wasn't the thought of sitting next to Angel from LA to Cleveland or the thought of getting out of LA. No what had Spike smiling from the inside out was he was going to see Buffy. The one person he wanted to see since his return. He was pretty sure she had no idea about him, and if she did, well she probably wasn't thinking he would tag along. As they approached closer to their destination though Spike couldn't help but get nervous. The last time he saw her he was burning up in a hell hole, just after she told him she loved him. It had been years since then. What if she went back to hating him. What if it never really happened, and he just imagined it all before he thought he would die. Bollocks, this is just what I need to be thinking before I go see her.' he thought as more and more buildings passed, closing the distance between them and Buffy.

The anticipation inside was getting dreadful, but not enough to make the blonde haired vampire look as if he had lost his cool. He took out a smoke and breathed in the toxic fumes. Nothing better then breathing something in that could kill you to get you to calm down. Spike took a side glance to Angel, he seemed emotionless enough. If you just looked, but Spike had a feeling there was much more going on under that big forehead of his. Spike smiled to himself, no matter what him and Angel had gone through, are going through, or will go through, Spike will always have some kind of joke or name for Angel. Or anyone else for that matter. It was one of the Spike qualities that Spike enjoyed the most. Taking another drag from his cigarette Spike began to think again. What would happen if Buffy wasn't expecting him at all. That would make things even more interesting.

It was time. Just as Spike finished his last drag, the car pulled up to a building. He flicked the butt aside and continued inside. Of course Angel being the all boss, do as I say man went first. Then Spike followed, not caring to much about the others. There was no doubt that he liked them, he just wasn't in any rush to see them walk ahead of him. It was when Angel said her name did Spike finally get the picture that they were there to see her. Really see her and help her, just like the old times. 'Hey slayer...' Spike added to Angels greeting.

[buffy anne summers]

She had fully circled the room six and a half times. And that was saying something. When you had someone like Giles, who loved having meetings, you had to have a big enough room to cover everyone who came to those meetings. Which involved a lot of people. The official conference room was large enough to hold 75 people, according to the fire marshal. Walking around the edge of the room took exactly 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Buffy knew this because she had resorted to counting as she paced around the room. Another nervous habit that had suddenly decided to show it self, much like the playing with her hands one. This was stupid. She wasn't suppose to be nervous. She was a slayer, one of the only ones in the world now. She had survived more apocalypses than she could count. She shouldn't be nervous about meeting an ex, who happened to be a vampire. But here she was, pacing the room like a teenager going on her first date. Or a teenager getting ready to kill her first vampire. That was more likely. It wasn't as if she had had a date in...will, a while. She had tried in Rome, but that didn't end well. Then there had been Jake, a young and hip watcher. He was too young, didn't take anything serious. It was just a phase she had gone through.

Right as she passed the main door, she sensed him. It was impossible not to. After all, it was Angel. Her first love. They never would be anyone like him, never anyone to replace him. The closest anyone had gotten was Spike and that...well, that was different and she didn't like to think about him. Her foot had paused, mid step, as she stood there, her back to the door waiting for him. It only took a few seconds before she heard him enter the door, heard his voice call her name. That voice. She bit her lip slightly, a small smile coming over her features. Suddenly it didn't matter if she wanted him here or not. It didn't matter why he came or if he even wanted to be here. It didn't even matter that they hadn't seen each other in years. It was Angel. She would always be happy to see him. Spinning around on her heels she gave him a grin. It really had been a long time.

"Angel...I'm gla-" She dropped off mid sentence, as her eyes focused behind the vampire. She stayed frozen, unable to move for longer than she noticed. Her mind went completely blank the moment she saw his face, as he rounded the corner and entered the room. She couldn't even say his name. He looked the same, of course he did. He was a vampire, they didn't exactly age, did they? But...last time she saw him he wasn't exactly full of skin, he had been on his way to a handful of ash. True, she hadn't exactly seen it happen but she had seen the outcome. He was burning. And the whole town was turned into a crater site. There was no way he could have survived that. But...but...there he was. Standing in front of her, clearly still intact. And then he was speaking, calling her slayer.

He was alive. He was...he was alive. Ok, not really alive, because he obviously still was a vampire, but in the general sense, he was alive. Sunnydale had been years ago. Years. He had been here all this time? Her confusion suddenly turned to anger, and in less than a second she had closed the gap between them and was throwing her fist straight at his face.

[angel]

As Buffy turned to face him, Angel felt himself right on the edge. Her reaction to him would set up everything. He had tried to waltz in with an air of purpose and confidence—the type a person had when coming on a strictly help fight basis. Angel wasn't even fooling himself with that line of thought. There was no way he could walk in, see Buffy and not feel. He felt before he even arrived, before he left LA. Hell, Buffy had a place on Angel's mind and amongst his emotions long before he ever received call that they needed his help in Cleveland. She always would be. And seeing her, well it was a tangible reminder. There were very few things that could make Angel nervous and seeing Buffy this way was one of them. Not that he showed it. No, Angel still stood tall, his hands tucked casually into the pockets of his coat and his facial expression mocking one of calm composure. But, it changed completely when she turned around. When he saw the grin start to appear on his face, it took the stoic expression away and a faint smile ghosted his expression too. It was the first smile that he'd managed since he left Cleveland. Which, might not be saying much, considering that Angel wasn't one to smile often, but it lifted noticeably.

She never finished what she tried to say, however. Angel knew Spike was just behind him. He had been since they got out of the car. But, he was barely thinking about that or him, and even when he walked in he didn't think about it, not until he saw Buffy's face. Angel could imagine the shock, the confusion and whatever else was going through the slayer's head at that moment. And Angel definitely didn't want to be in the middle of it. Obviously, Spike hadn't told her. And as much as Angel wanted that moment to himself, he wasn't going to do anything to get in between it. There would be time to talk to her later, after her and Spike were finished. As soon as she started to come forward, he stepped out of the way to let her get to Spike. He couldn't predict what she was going to do and again, he didn't want to be between them.

The crack of the punch against Spike was too amusing. As Angel stepped to the side, he turned to get a full view of the pair. And while amused by the sight of Buffy punching Spike, he hid it well. It wasn't the time to laugh at Spike's misfortunes. And it was really his own fault that she was upset at him. He was the one that chose not to tell her and Angel knew he had all of the chances to get a hold of her. Of course, Angel himself could have let them know that Spike was alive again, but that wasn't his business to do (or so he told himself). If Spike wanted them to know then he would have told them himself. And maybe he was going for the surprise. Too bad waiting over a year to let someone know you were alive wasn't the best way to carry out a surprise. Slowly Angel's eyebrows lifted at the sight, glancing at Spike questioningly. How did he really expect it to go? Needless to say, the dark haired vampire was completely quiet. There was nothing for him to say. And even if he could think of something, he was fully aware that it was a bad idea.

[spike]

The next thing that spike noticed was an ear splitting crack, as Buffy's fist colided with Spikes face. Collided wasn't the word necessary for this case. Her fist terrorized his face within that split second contact. Spike would never admit to it, but it felt nice. Not what he was hoping for as her reaction, but to know she was that strong still. That she was there in the flesh. It was enough to make him not regreat getting hit by her yet again. Spike rubbed his jaw, hoping that it hadn't been dislocated.

'Well I know that I might of deserved that but come on Slayer, I just got here, can't we party then get to the big fight later. I am tired from all traveling. Plus Angel here brought you a present...me! Gonna be mad, be mad at the bloke who didn' tell ya I was back.' Spike was trying to act like it unphased him to get hit, even though he was wishing that the reaction he would have gotten was her running up to him and hugging him as if he would slip away again. Though that was just something he would have to keep private. He didn't like people to know he could be a real softy. It was also not really all Angels fault, yeah Angel should probably of said something, but spike had the same ability to tell her as well. He knew he didn't cause he was scared. What he would of done if she flat out said 'Don't come here Spike, we don't need you.' or worse, 'Spike I Don't want you.' both thoughts made Spike uneasy.

There was nothing else that Spike could think of to say that would make any of this easier. If he wasn't scared to get hit again he might of tried to give her a hug, or something. Anything. The one thing he had high hopes for, he did get a better reaction of him showing up then what Angel got. She almost completely ignored him. That was something to gloat about. Right?

[buffy anne summers]

She felt her blow make contact and heard the satisfing sound of flesh hitting flesh. She wouldn't lie, hitting him made her feel slightly better, but she was still in the middle of processing everything. She didn't know what happened, she didn't know all the facts, but then again, she wasn't sure if she wanted to. Seeing him here was like being hit in the face with ice cold water. Once she got over the inital shock and surprise, she was angry and filled with rage. Right now, hitting him was the top priority on her mind. Her eyes glanced up at his (of course, she didn't have to look to far up, they were very close in height), and she wanted to hit him all over again. She had trusted him more than anyone else at the end, those last weeks it was Spike she had confided it. They had built a bond...something they had never had before. And then he left.

Only now, it turns out he was never really gone. Yeah, saying she was mad was an understatement. It might as well been Xander or Willow or Angel standing there, back from the dead as if nothing happened. She would have been just as angry. Because he lied to her, maybe not directly, but indirectly, oh it was full on lie. She wanted to punch him again, over and over, until he could take it all back. She didn't even care about knowing the truth right now. Later, later she would be curious. Later she would wonder how he had survived Sunnydale. But right now? Right now there was zero curiousness.

Buffy used her anger to cover up any feelings of joy at seeing him. She was always good at that, always good at masking emotions with other ones. She was good at not admiting to herself how she really felt, mainly because she didn't want to deal with it. Did she miss him? Every day. But she wasn't going to hug him. She wasn't going to tell him that. No, she was going to be angry. Because anger was so much easier than anything else. She couldn't let him get to her, she had spent the last few years trying to forget him, not thinking about him, pretending he never existed. Everyone around her knew better than to mention him, so it had worked out pretty well. Until he decided to show up, very much not dead. That didn't work for her.

"Don't call me slayer like you know me." He left her here to worry. He left her alone to go through everything, all by herself. And turns out, he was here all the time. Yeah, needless to say she wasn't all sunshine and rainbows at him being in front of her all of a sudden. "And I'll be mad at you however much I want. I don't care how tired you are." WIthout even thinking she shot her fist out again, wanting to cause as much damage as possible. That one he might be expecting, so he might be able to block it. She didn't care though, she just needed to hit him.

Then she turned sideways to glance at Angel, her face softened slightly, but she was still angry. She couldn't explain her anger, didn't want to. But the fact was, she was mad that he had been here and no one told her. "Who else knew?" She asked Angel quietly. "Did Willow? Or Dawn?" She wasn't sure if he would know the answer, but she had to ask. What if they had been lying to her all this time? What if they all knew he had been back? And why the hell did it effect her this much? She thought she had spent enough time ignoring he had ever been in her life, she shouldn't care that he was back. But it was the fact that he had lied to her.

[angel]

'Plus Angel here brought you a present...me! Gonna be mad, be mad at the bloke who didn' tell ya I was back.'

Angel was content not to comment on any of it. He would just step back out of their way and slip back into view again when they were finished. Instead, he heard Spike's comment and his dark eyes snapped to Spike. He shouldn't have been surprised that he would try to pass the blame onto him, even though it wasn't his responsibility to tell Buffy that he was alive. If Spike wanted her to know then he should have told her. Now, he wasn't going to admit that even if he had a chance, he would have probably chosen to keep it out of any conversation he had with Buffy, but he wasn't going to take the blame for it either. "I had nothing to do with this," Angel pointed out, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't going to be pulled into their fight. He didn't want Buffy against him. He had just arrived, and the last thing he wanted was to have a fight with her. As amusing as it might have been to see Buffy attack Spike right away, he didn't want any of the heat focused on him. It felt ominous if his first night there and they were arguing in the first five minutes. Angel wanted to stay out of it. It was why he tried to give them space.

By no means was Angel about to try to help Spike out. Especially not after he tried to throw him under the bus with that comment before. Buffy had every right to be upset and to be honest, Angel wouldn't have minded watching the blonde slayer pummel Spike. It was a good thing thoughts like that were kept to himself. There didn't need to be more fuel added to the fire and the vampire with a soul knew that any enjoyment out of it was immature and when he boiled it all down he didn't want to see Buffy upset. Even if he didn't cause it, he wasn't hoping for a fight to break out. Still, he kept quiet except for the comment towards Spike. He didn't think that Buffy would be right to think that he had any major role to play in it. It wasn't as if he had time for a social call that involved talking about the peroxide blonde vampire.

"Who else knew?"

If any one of the scoobies knew, Angel wasn't aware of it. Aside from Andrew, of course, but he decided to leave him out of it. The truth was that he never told anyone. The only people he knew for sure that had any idea that Spike was alive was his own team. He never mentioned him on any of the phone calls Angel had made over the last couple of years. Whenever anyone heard from Angel it was always related strictly to a problem involving demons or something of a mystical nature. He didn't make personal calls. He couldn't. There was too much history to just be casual. It would come out awkward if he tried. Even when she addressed him, she sounded angry. But, he looked at her and didn't shy back from the question. "No—and if they did, I didn't tell them. " Angel replied, because as far as he knew, Willow and Dawn didn't know about it. "It was just me, and the rest of the team. I figured it wasn't my place to tell you—But his." He explained gently, his own tone calm. He had no idea how she was going to react to him. While he thought most of her questioning should be thrown at Spike, he knew he couldn't just disappear and avoid it.

[spike]

There was no way that Spike could have predicted this outcome. In fact he was starting to get angry now. He came back from the dead after saving everyone, and the only thanks she has to give is to continuouisly punch him. Well Spike was having enough of that. As her next punch was coming through, Spike saw at coming and this time he reached out and grabbed her fist which would of had a run in with his face. 'Now see here, i didn't come all this way to get beat up by you. If this is all your going to do, then I am going to turn around right now, and go back to LA. Never come back, just say bye Spike and I will leave.' Spike hoped this wasn't what she wanted but instead of spending the rest of the day fighting, they needed to resolve whatever pent up anger Buffy had before they could begin anything.

He pulled his hand away from hers. It wasw weird to feel her skin again. He didn't let it phase him though. He had his other hand ready just in case she decided to swing yet again. If she did he would turn and wallk away. There was no need for them to be fighting between them, there were obviously bigger things going on here or she wouldn't of requested help from them, or atleast from Angel and his crew. It was clear that she had no idea he even existed.'Play nice?' He really wanted to help but not if he was to be turned into a punching bag. He had already gone thoruhg that phase with Buffy. He wasn't about to be depromoted back down to that. He would rather just not be involved.

When Angel denied knowing that any of the others knowing, Spike shrugged. Not knowing as well. Spike figured that if it was so important that he was back, someone would of notified her. Obviously it wasn't that important to them, to Buffy on the other hand it was a whole different story. Of course Spike wasn't completely thoughtless in the whole thing. He knew that she must of gone through hell when he sizzled up, but she was strong, and he was quite certain she got through it.

Spike threw up his hands, 'alright it's all my fault, put it all on me. It's all Spikes fault cause NO ONE could tell Buffy that a certain blonde vampire turned up on Angels door step.' The blame game was going to get old fast too. Until everyone had their say though, they would never get passed any of it.

[buffy anne summers]

This was not going well, not at all. This little curve ball had come out of nowhere, and Buffy was clueless how to take it. The news that Spike was not dust was a huge thing to take in, after all, she had spent years without him, years trying to forget it all happened. And all he had to do was show up, and all her work was reversed. How could she not be mad? Was that even possible? The simple fact was he was alive and had been hanging around LA. Angel knew he was back. Angel, his archenemy. Yet he couldn't find time to tell the slayer? The one he claimed to love? Her mind was spinning and she just wanted to run away from it all. Too bad that wasn't possible...or was it? Maybe she could take it back. Say she didn't need them here and send both of them packing. Too bad she really did. Not matter how much she liked that idea, she couldn't risk loosing any more potentials due to her little aggravation.

She was right about one thing though, Spike did expect that second punch. She figured he would have just blocked it, or stepped out of the way. She didn't expect his hand to grab it, didn't expect to feel that shock of skin to skin contact. She froze slightly, her mind actually going blank for a second as she listened to him talk. More like threaten her then talk. Maybe she did want him to leave, go back to where ever he came from. He obviously didn't want to be around her before, why else would he wait until she needed help to show up? He just didn't want Angel to have her. God, vampires and their stupid selfishness. It made her want to scream. Before she could scream, or say anything else, his hand let go of hers, and she forgot what she was going to say again. It had been so long since their skin had touched. His cold pale hands felt just the same, but it was something that had grown familiar to her for a while. She was no up for this, she was not wanting to go through all these emotions. She just didn't want to deal with it.

So she ignored his 'play nice' comment, instead keeping her attention on Angel. She didn't want to look at him right now, she didn't want to risk having any of those memories pulled back up. At least not here in front of everyone. Maybe later, when she was safe in her own bed. But right now? No, right now she was going to ignore all her emotions. She was good at that, after all, she was the slayer. She realized too late that she was taking her anger out on Angel, when she practically yelled at him. She hadn't meant to, she was just so mad. Lowering her voice she gave a small nod. He was right. It hadn't been Angel's place to tell her. It shouldn't have rested on anyones but Spikes. "Your right. It wasn't your place." She gave Angel a small smile, hoping he would forgive her anger. She was about to just give up, tell them all they could figure this out later, and maybe head out to patrol, when Spike threw up his hands.

"alright it's all my fault, put it all on me. It's all Spikes fault cause NO ONE could tell Buffy that a certain blonde vampire turned up on Angels door step."

She spun on her heels and faced him fully now. He really didn't understand. He didn't get what she went though. Seeing him die...or at least she had thought she had seen his last moments. Sharing that piece of herself when she let out those three little words. She had given up so much...it had hurt. Somehow she got through it, somehow. Mainly by not thinking about it. "You don't get it Spike. Fine. You are here. You're back. And very much not dust. No one should have had to tell me. I should have known years ago. Its fine, obviously you didn't want me to know." She took a deep breathe and calmed herself down slightly, turning around and walking toward the large table where she had a stack of papers. In her head she counted to 5 as she walked, trying to calm down. Her hands were on the verge of shaking, not from anger, from everything else. He was back.

"So lets just get to business and forget it." She said as she picked up the small stack of pile and turned around to face both vampires, refusing to look either one in the eye. "My girls are getting turned and I need it to stop. Here is what we know." She held out the papers, hoping Angel would be the one to reach out for them. Yeah, she was ignoring the situation. But she didn't want to deal with it, and this was the only way she could do that. Buffy really didn't know what else to do. She had already punched him. She wasn't going to hug him, not when he didn't want her to know. What else was there?

[angel]

Unlike Spike, Angel wasn't the least bit surprised by Buffy's reaction. He tried not to think about it on the way there, so he couldn't say that he predicted anything. Angel's biggest fear was her seeing Spike and rushing head first into his arms. They could call it petty and they could even call it jealousy, but Angel would always love Buffy and the fact that Spike had had her dug in deep. He knew that in coming here with Spike he risked witnessing what the two of them shared. It hurt when he thought of Buffy and Spike together. He had been replaced with (at the time) a soulless vampire. He had a soul now, and while it made Angel trust the peroxide blonde, it made the situation with Buffy harder for him to swallow. Angel didn't fight for his soul. His was temporary (permanent if he could help it). The answer to losing it, in fact, was in that room and the very girl that he feared watching Spike wind up with. And Angel would never be a vampire that fought for his soul—he would fight to keep it maybe, but if lost, Angelus wouldn't dare it. The idea was ridiculous, as it was for most vampires. So, why wouldn't Buffy want Spike? It made perfect sense that she would and it scared the hell out of Angel. He may never show it and definitely wouldn't admit it because the idea of admitting anything of that sort would probably lead to him being dust on the spot just out of principle. Yet, he felt it... Felt it even now when Buffy's initial reaction was rage. Because, Angel knew Buffy better than that. There was more than rage beneath the surface; there had to be.

And Spike sounded like he was going to keep arguing with her, or according to the blonde just walk out. He wondered how far he would really go. But, he wasn't about to test the theory. Angel was silent, not wanting to address Spike directly, because at this point he would have liked to yell at him to shut up. He was making matters worse and Angel was getting tired of the blame game. This wasn't his fault. And as Buffy addressed him again, he calmed slightly. He couldn't muster a smile back at her, but did nod with understanding and acceptance. It wasn't his place and he didn't blame Buffy's anger. Though, if she had kept it up, there was no way he would stand there and listen to it. Angel never was able to do it. He simply didn't want to be in a fight with her seconds after seeing her for the first time in so long.

'alright it's all my fault, put it all on me. It's all Spikes fault cause NO ONE could tell Buffy that a certain blonde vampire turned up on Angels door step.'

That was it. Angel couldn't stand there and listen to more of Spike's twisted logic. "It is your fault. You had all the chances, Spike. No one was there to stop you. I didn't have time to make calls on your behalf to let everyone know you popped back up. " Angel had a law firm to run, an evil one where 99 percent of his employees wanted him dead and he was sure was trying to corrupt him and his team at every turn. He didn't have time to make casual calls and he definitely didn't have time to spread the news about Spike. Besides, when he first arrived, the only thing Angel wanted was for someone to find a quick way to get him out of his hair. In his opinion, Spike had been the coward. His words were said with a certain finality. He didn't have any intention of continuing it. Watching Buffy made Angel want to reach out for her. It took a lot of refrain not to try to try to hug her himself, as if maybe that could ease the obvious strain going through her. But, he didn't. He didn't move until she had the papers in hand and then stepped over, reaching to take them.

"How many so far?" Swallowing back any emotion and focusing on the matter at hand, Angel managed to ask the question as his dark eyes skimmed the pages he was given. Angel was doing his best to respect Buffy in that situation and to not make matters worse. It was hard on him. And he kept it boiled down because this was more important. The girls being sired and the fighters being built was more important. ...Then why the hell couldn't it feel that way? His mind wasn't preoccupied with business. He cared, he did—It was just that everything else happened to take precedent in his head.

[spike]

What else was there for Spike to say. He knew he was in the wrong. Would he ever admit it? No. It wasn''t in his nature. Not even with a soul. He didn't lose his stubborness, just his evilness. There was no more fighting to be done. Atleast not now, not with everyone there. Not with Angel there. Spike would get Buffy alone sometime later and talk to her. Maybe apologize. He still didn't think he could, but then again it was Buffy. She had always got him to act out of character.

Now that the topic had been drastically changed spike inched over to where they were talking abou the slayers being sired, or the potentials being sired. Either way one of which were being sired which equaled no good. There wasn't much Spike could really do at this point. His brain was still occupied with the presence of a blonde standing within feet of him. Her sweet scent of honey tingling his nose. There was no way he would be able to fully concentrate unless he got over the fact that she was really here. Right there. And she wasn't very happy with him at the moment. Made things even harder to concentrate.

Spike racked his brain for anything he could think of that would be wanting to form an army of potential slayers turned vampire. There was nothing that rang a clear bell, but there were defiinatly a list of big bads that wouldn't mind getting their hands on one. Hell there were even some demons that would pay to have jsut one potential turned vampire. It could make for some good profit if they knew who to talk to.

Spike still kept quiet there was really nothing for him to add at this point. Anything he might say would probably get him hit for anyways. Best to stay quiet for the time being and let them two talk it out before he puts in his own two cents.

[buffy anne summers]

She kept her body calm, something she was able to do with her years of practice and training. After all, she had to be able to fight even when her personal life was going to hell. So she learned to keep the personal seperate from her. It had taken a long time and a lot of training, but she had managed. With those few quick breaths she was back in the game, ignoring that slightly faster than average heart beat, the one she knew both vampires were aware of. But she could do this. She had no other choice. Later...later she would let it all flood her brain and be left to wonder what had happened. But not now, and certainly not in front of them, two of her ex lovers. They both had given her two different sides of a relationship, if only she could mush them together. Then she would have the perfect guy. Of course, that would never happen. She wasn't going to fool herself. She also was going to try as hard as she could not to fall back to where she had been before, she didn't want to love either of them. Yes, as much as she tried to deny it, she had loved Spike. But then he was gone and she spent all that time forgetting him, trying not to remember how he made her feel. And now the two guys in the world who had effected her heart the most were in front of her.

That was a recipe for disastor if she ever heard of one.

"It is your fault. You had all the chances, Spike."

And there it was. The real thing that had been bothering her, exactly as Angel said it. He had all the chances in the world to let her know he was alive and well. And he didn't. He chose not to, he chose not to pick up a call and say 'hey, I'm alright'. No, instead he went jumping around playing hero with Angel. That little sentence described everything that was bothering her, put it all out there in the open. She was secretly glad her back was turned from them, she didn't want them to see as she closed her eyes, begging for her emotions not to show. Luckily it didn't take long to jump back into the business game, as she turned around and Angel took the papers from her hand. It seemed for now, this matter was going to be laid to rest. Good. She didn't want to duke it out with them. At least not with Angel. She had no issue with him and didn't want him to be around when she started aruging with Spike.

She cleared her throat and leaned back against the table, looking very calm, despite actually being calm. At least she was still able to pretend, that was something. "Four. That we know of. We currently have 16 potentials missing, 4 of them are confirmed vampires. One was already taken care of." She left out the part where no one was able to actually kill that potential but her. Jenny. She had been a loud and slightly crazy girl, always doing whatever she wanted and speaking her mind. Not afriad of anything. She had been everyones friend. Buffy was the one that had to drive the stake through her heart, no one else was able to. That was why this was going to be such an issue, that is why someone suggested bringing Angel in to it.


{{sorry if it seems unfinished, just tried to get out a reply before work which I have to leave for...NOW! =) }}

[angel]

The two didn't need to say anything for the room to feel more tense or to have that awkward shadow looming overhead. If anything, having Spike of all people so silent added to it. As far as the brunette vampire was concerned, that didn't happen often enough. The conversation had obviously quieted him with what he imagined to be a realization that he was wrong. If not, that should have been the reason. He was less concerned about Spike's silence although it was slightly unnerving. It was Buffy that kept drawing his eyes back to her. It took so little to read into her, even after all of those years. He wondered if time really changed how much he knew her. There were definitely things he didn't know about her right now, but she was still Buffy. She was strong, but Angel could hear the change in heartrate and wanted so badly to ease it. But, odds were, he would only make it worse. It took every amount of control not to put the papers down so that he could address her instead. He would have pulled her to him if he could. And Angel knew coming here that this would happen. He tried to prepare and he would keep it all down. Angel knew how to practise control too. Too well. So, he tried to focus on what was supposed to be more important. He tried not to think about how upset Buffy was now, but how that would probably change after she got used to the idea of Spike being alive and everything was settled between them. Then, he tried like hell not to think about what was going to happen. Angel did his best to ignore what Spike and Buffy had and it was easy in LA, where he didn't have to face it. And all that being in the same room with the two of them did was bring the cookie dough talk right to the forefront of his mind.

Angel had no idea how this was going to work. He wanted to be able to push whatever he was feeling aside and work beside her. For years he thought it impossible to do. It was safer and easier to be away from her. Not that it was ever all that easy. Just because she wasn't physically constant in his life, he thought about her often. He always would. Annoyed with himself, he clenched his jaw reflexively and gazed down at the pages in his hands. Girls were being killed and not just killed, but sired. It was a good tool for a big bad. And because of that, it was more urgent. But, they were more than that, weren't they? The girls might not have been more than names to Angel, but it probably wasn't that way for Buffy. He didn't know exactly how her slayer school worked, but he knew that these people had faces, names, personalities and friends. They weren't just some random vamps set against Buffy. Not that Angel was ever able to look at a victim as nothing more than a face. At first, that was exactly what they were to him. But, he'd learned since that a slight connection was necessary. He had to see them as human, or else he would get too cold and when humans turned into numbers, there was less stopping him from thinking that one wouldn't upset the balance. To see the potentials as victims was only to be sympathetic to Buffy. When it came to getting rid of the ones already vamped out, Angel would have no problem taking them out. It would be easier for him.

"I'm sorry." Angel offered it in regards to the potentials she was losing. They were training these girls to fight evil and now they were a part of that. It couldn't be easy on Buffy. He knew if it was his team or his friends, it would feel quite a bit like failure to lose them. In fact, it did feel like his own personal failure when he lost someone he couldn't save. "So, worst case scenario, you have almost twenty of them out there. The confirmed ones... Are they attacking? Or laying low?" Angel asked, trying to figure out motives. There were a lot of reasons someone would want to do this. There was too much to be earned by whatever big bad attempted it. Flipping through the pages, he stopped and looked towards Spike, holding them up slightly in offer. Even though he had been silent, Angel figured that he could still put his thoughts in. He was there to help, after all, wasn't he? Angel wasn't going to put it past him that it might be a scheme to get Buffy. But they were supposed to be there to help with the problem and although Angel's mind was barely skimming the surface of that issue, he thought it best to try to round the conversation to it. If only his thoughts were half as obedient as his voice.

[spike]

As Angel skimmed through the papers thoughts of the lost potentials ran through Spikes mind. If there was anything he was good at it was thinking of evil motives, and this was an evil motive. He may be in love with Buffy but that wouldn't stop him from helping. If nothing else it made him care more. If it was going to hurt her he needed to make it better. No matter what. It seemed he had already proved in the past how far he would go to save her. She has also has already proven how far she would go to save the people she loved. She had already died quite a few times. Spike was going to make sure she didn't have to make that sacrifice again. He woulndn't be able to ahndle it and he doubted anyone else would be able to handle it either.

Spike didn't notice Angel handing him the papers at first. When he did notice he grabbed them. 'Great prolly looks like I wasn't caring.' Spike thought hoping that wasn't what they got out of his thinking. In the old days papers would of meant nothing to Spike ,but after working with Angel for a few years the paper work seemed to help him out alot. He read it over, keeping certain facts in his head hoping they would help later if he needed them. Spike waited on Buffy's answer before asking his own question. The papers went through the potentials which were missing, which they had terminated and any other information that they had.

Spike almost didn't want to make Buffy think of the girls being in trouble. It seemed painful, and she wasn't hiding it as well as she probably hoped. Or maybe it was cause he knew her and it was evident the more you know Buffy the less able she is aat hiding things. Returning to his question and out of his thoughts on Buffy Spike asked, 'Is there anything else in common between these girls? Other then them all being potentials?' Maybe the master behind all this is singeling out the strongest ones or something.' It was a thought atleast. It couldn't hurt to look into it. If they did find a trend then they could atleast protect those who could be next. It was either they liked the idea or they shoved it down. Nothing that hadn't happened before.

He handed the papers back to Buffy. Hopefully they would have something to go off of soon, or they would just be wasting time till they did have something to go off of.