What Spell? Spike/OC PG13-NC17

[phoenixnz]

Fandom: Angel (with an appearance or two from the Buffyverse)
Pairing: Spike/Original Character
Characters: Angel, Spike, Willow, Giles, Zoe (OC)
Rating: Up to NC17
Warnings: Language and Sexual Situations
Disclaimer: All hail Joss Whedon. He owns the characters (I just made up Zoe). I bow to his greatness.

Summary: A new vampire is in town. And Angel gets a surprise when he discovers she is not what she seems.


A/N: This takes place several years after the end of the series. Neither Angel nor Spike achieve Shanshu. Have had this story on my mind for a little while, so thought I'd give it a go.



Part One

The hotel was quiet. Too quiet. Mind you, it had been that way for years. Angel Investigations had been whittled down to just two investigators. Two vampires, both with souls. Angel sighed. Spike pissed him off at times, but, since they were the only demon hunters left out of the group, they needed each other. Fred/Illyria had died in the battle with the dragon. Gunn had been taken out by a demon, his neck broken. Wesley – well, Angel didn’t really know what had happened to Wesley. Illyria had just told him the former watcher was dead. And Cordy, poor Cordy. She had died long before the final battle that had almost destroyed a big part of LA.

There had always been more demons to kill. More cases. But Angel’s heart, such as it was, hadn’t been in it for a long time. He’d seen so many apocalypses it was almost old hat. So much for the prophecy of Shanshu. Neither he nor Spike had ever really worked it out. And the powers-that-be hadn’t seen fit to grant mortality to either of them. Even after everything they’d done.

“Hey Peaches, we’re out of blood.”

Spike leaned casually against the door-frame. Angel rolled his eyes at the nickname. Spike had called him that since he’d adopted the moniker of Spike instead of his birth name, William. It was one of the things that pissed him off.

“So go get some,” he snarled back at his childe.

“Can’t. Out of dosh.”

Sighing again, Angel dug in the drawer of the desk and found the cash box, taking out enough to get a supply. He handed it reluctantly to the younger vampire. Spike grinned and turned away, heading for the sewer.

“And don’t spend it on booze.”

At least the peroxide blonde didn’t smoke any more, which was one consolation. But he did go out drinking a lot. Not that alcohol affected him that much. Angel pretty much felt the other vampire only did it to piss him off.

Angel glanced out the double doors of the Hyperion Hotel. He and Spike had moved back here after the whole debacle with Wolfram and Hart. It was sunny out. Not too hot, not too cold. Of course, Angel was stuck indoors unless he used the sewers. F**king sewers, Angel thought. He hated going down there.

Business had been slow lately. LA might be demon central, but it seemed lately even the demons had had enough ass kicking. They were laying low. Usually, that suited Angel down to the ground, but he was getting low on cash reserves. He’d spent the first hundred years of his unlife wandering the northern hemisphere with Darla, not really caring about little things like money. After the gypsies cursed him with his soul he’d lived off rats. He hadn’t bothered with money then either. It had only been the last fifty years or so that he’d done something about it.

Angel went to get a coffee, grimacing at the taste. Over two hundred years old and he still hadn’t learned to make decent coffee. Neither, for that matter, had Spike. He tossed the bitter liquid down the sink and tried again. Better, this time, he thought. Although it would never have met Cordy’s standards. He smiled at that. He missed Cordy. Hell, he missed the whole gang, even Wesley with his occasional whining. Lorne was the only one of the others who had survived, and he was now doing cabaret acts in Las Vegas.

When Angel finally made his way back out into the office, he noticed that the sun had gone down. Geez, he thought, how long was I making coffee? It seemed lately he’d been spending a lot of time daydreaming. Time was slipping by too fast for him to notice. Oh, what the hell, he shrugged. He was going to live forever, unless someone staked him.

His senses tightened at the slam of the front door and he felt a growl begin from deep inside. Vampire. And not Spike. He moved away from the office and went out to the lobby.

A woman stood there, looking around. She was wearing jeans and a short leather jacket, long brown hair cascading over her shoulders and down her back. Anyone else would have been fooled into thinking this was just a normal human. But Angel could smell it on her. That sense of wildness, of something untamed. The demon in him recognised the demon in her. But the human part of him wondered if she was a threat. She looked harmless, and that was not a word he would normally use to describe a vampire. She had no soul – that much he could detect, but there was something ...

She turned and saw him watching, then smirked. And that irritated him.

“You must be Angel,” she said, looking him up and down. “Gotta admit, you’re not quite like I imagined.”

Her accent wasn’t American. She was definitely not from around here. She didn’t sound British either, unless it was a bastardized version of it. But she definitely came from an English speaking country. One of the former colonies, perhaps?

“How do you ...” he began.

“Internet,” she said. “Course site’s a little outdated. A few years old and that.”

It had been Fred’s job to update the site. Angel didn’t really like computers much. Didn’t have a lot of time for them. But Fred and Wesley had often suggested it was a good idea to have one – it kept them up to date on current demons. Angel figured the old texts worked just fine, but he guessed a lot of them were being, what was the word, scanned?

“What do you want?” he asked sharply, already on the watch for any trouble. His stance might appear relaxed to the casual observer, but he was warily watching her body language for any sign of attack.

“Geez,” she said. “Way to welcome a visitor to this fine country.”

“How did you get here?”

“Turned into a bat and flew,” she smiled. Then laughed as he scowled. “Joke, Angel. Lighten up. Came here to see the old man.”

Angel cocked an eyebrow at her. Old man? Who the hell was she ...? Oh s**t! Spike. He was going to kill him!

“When?” he asked. She smiled, knowing exactly what he was asking.

“Back in the nineties,” she said. “Long story. Wouldn’t want to bore you.”

She sniffed appreciatively. “That coffee I smell? Oh god, I haven’t had coffee in ...” she held up her hand, flicking her fingers up as if she was counting. “Three, no four, yeah four months.”

“Why not?” Angel asked.

“Been pretty much living underground,” she said, shrugging. “At least until a couple of weeks ago. Big mistake. Coming up, I mean. You mind?” she added, moving forward.

Angel stepped back, but she just passed on by, heading for the kitchen and the coffee. She picked up the coffee pot and grabbed the cup that Cordy had always used. Angel opened his mouth to say: ‘that’s Cordy’s’ until he remembered she’d been gone a long time. Why he had kept it he didn’t know. He wasn’t usually this sentimental.

The woman poured the coffee in the cup and tasted it, grimacing.

“Ugh, tastes like diesel fuel,” she said. She looked up at Angel and grinned. “Not too good with the coffee making are you?”

Before Angel could answer that, she pulled the filter out of the coffee percolater.

“Oh man, you guys need a woman around here,” she said. “Bloody hopeless.”

“Uh,” Angel said. He frowned. This woman hadn’t been here five minutes and it looked as if she was moving in already. Angel wasn’t sure if he wanted another vampire on the premises. Especially one without a soul.

“Relax, gramps,” she said with a smirk, seeming to read his thoughts. “Way things are looking I won’t be around long enough to move in.”

He scowled. “Don’t call me gramps,” he growled.

“Well, you are my sire’s sire. What should I call you then?”

“His name is Peaches,” Spike drawled. “And he can call you gone.”

Spike was in full game-face, fangs drawn back in a snarl as she looked up at him. She pouted, still in human form.

“Aww, now is that any way to treat your childe?” she chided. “Especially when she makes good coffee.”

As she’d talked, she’d put in a new filter and had gone looking through the cupboards for coffee grounds, spooning them into the clean filter and pouring new water into the pot.

“Eat your heart out Martha Stewart,” she said with a grin as she poured a new cup of coffee once it had perked. Then she handed Angel a cup. “Better?”

Angel tasted it. He nodded.

Spike growled and grabbed his childe by the arm. “You’re not welcome here, bint.”

She studied him for a moment.

“So, it’s true then. What they’re all saying. Spike went and got himself a soul.”

“F**k you, c...”

She growled back at him. “You know, I never liked that word when I was human and I’m not going to take that kind of abuse from you now.”

Angel watched the blonde vampire and the woman face off, growling at each other. She’d morphed into game face, on the defensive. There was something weird about the way these two interacted. She’d been almost friendly before, joking, casual, even relaxed, but as soon as Spike had returned, her hackles had been raised.

Vampires were normally self-serving. Even he knew that. But childer did tend to have a sense of loyalty to their sire. But he wasn’t sensing that from this woman now.

Angel studied her as the two vampires circled each other, fangs bared. She looked young – she’d probably been in her early twenties when she was turned. Why had Spike done it? He had never been interested in creating childer before. Minions, yes. And according to Buffy, when he’d been made crazy by The First, he’d turned others. But this one had been made in the nineties. Was it before or after Buffy? When he was still with Drusilla?

The woman suddenly backed off and looked around at him, cocking an eyebrow. It was the second time Angel had had the sense that she was able to read his thoughts.

“After Drusilla,” she whispered. “When she dumped him.”

“Dru didn’t dump me,” Spike said.

“Oh please, you were going on and on for weeks about how she was making out with a Chaos Demon. And you told me the only reason you turned me was because I reminded you of her.” She sighed. “I remember it so well, the last time we were together. You called me Dru when you came.”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Shut up, Zoe.”

She grinned. “I’m surprised you even remember my name you pommy bastard.”

Spike grinned back. “That the best you got?”

Suddenly, Zoe laughed. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Spike laughed too. Angel watched in amazement as the two suddenly morphed back into human faces. Spike held out his arms and Zoe went into them, lifting her face for his kiss.

Angel shook his head in confusion, starting to wonder if she’d put something into the coffee. He was hallucinating. He had to be. A minute ago, these two had been at each other’s throats. Now they were laughing and kissing? Had a hell dimension frozen over?

Zoe looked around at him again.

“No, I didn’t put anything in the coffee,” she grinned, still in Spike’s embrace. “Although I was tempted to find some arsenic.”

Angel, having taken another sip of the coffee, suddenly spat it out, choking.

“Joke, Peaches,” she grinned. “Lighten up.”

“Yeah, you tell him Pet.”

Suddenly, she began shaking. If it had been possible, her face would have paled even whiter than it was now. She doubled over in pain, groaning.

“Oh s**t, not now!”

Spike knelt down beside her. “What is it, Pet? What’s happening?”

She shook her head, unable to answer. “Oh god,” she moaned. Spike didn’t hesitate. He picked her up, carrying her to one of the couches in the lobby as she began convulsing. Angel followed, wondering what was going on. She was obviously ill. As possible as it was for a vampire to be, anyway.

Spike sat beside her, holding her as her body shuddered. She seemed to be gasping for air, but that of course was a reflex action. Damn, Angel thought. Where’s a watcher when you need one? Or an ancient text. There had to be some kind of magickal explanation for what was happening.

“Please,” she was muttering.

“What do you need, Pet?” Spike whispered.

She was licking her lips, then morphed into full vampire mode. The pain seemed to be spreading, her face contorting, fangs baring. “Oh god, help me,” she said.

Instinct seemed to take over in Spike. He appeared to know exactly what she needed, stripping off his leather duster and pulling back his shirt sleeve, knowing she was too weak to sit up. He pressed his arm to her mouth and she bit into him, suckling hungrily. As her sire’s blood began to fill her, the pain seemed to ease and the convulsions slowed. Her eyes, glazed before, gradually began to clear.

Spike gently pushed her hair out of her face as she relaxed, letting his arm go. Her eyes closed and she dropped into sleep. Spike pulled his arm away, noting that the bite mark was already starting to close.

Angel looked at Spike from his position at the door. “What the hell was that all about?” he asked. Spike looked up from the couch.

“Beats me,” he said. “Gimme some blood will ya? She bloody nearly drained me.”

Angel nodded. “Yeah.” He went to grab the new batch Spike had bought from the demon they dealt with and warmed up a pint.

“Ta,” Spike said when Angel handed it over. He watched as his childe continued to care for his own childe.

[Dana0715]

Interesting start, and great introduction to the OC. PPMS

[phoenixnz]

Part Two

“I think we need to talk,” Angel said.

“Yeah, guess we do,” Spike answered. “Let me take care of this, first,” he said.

Angel agreed for Zoe to be put in one of the rooms upstairs. They only had a couple of rooms prepared. Habit, he supposed. They did sometimes have humans who needed protecting. Spike seemed almost tender as he put the sleeping vampire in the bed and took off her shoes, jeans and leather jacket, leaving her in just a t-shirt and underwear, then covered her up with the blankets.

They went back downstairs and had some more of the coffee.

“Gotta admit. Bit makes good coffee,” Spike sighed.

“Yeah,” Angel agreed. He sat at the table, moving the cup around in a circle, thinking about the sleeping woman upstairs. She did remind him a little of Dru. Drusilla was crazy, but she also had precognition. Zoe seemed to have the ability to read minds.

“Was she a telepath before you turned her?”

Spike shook his head.

“What happened Spike?”

Spike began to tell the story. After Dru had dumped him, he had gone on a rampage. He’d returned to Sunnydale to try and find a way to get Drusilla back. That Angel had remembered. He and Buffy had fought together with Spike to dust vampires who had come after Spike. He’d tried again to get Dru back and had failed. So he’d got on a boat, not caring where it was bound for, and ended up in a country in the Pacific – one of the colonies. Angel decided his guess about her accent had been right then.

He’d wandered around the country for a while, taking solace in his victims. Bedding women he fancied before killing them. Then, he’d met Zoe. She’d been all right company. Smart, funny. Spike had found himself liking her, despite the fact that he was really only interested in her for her blood. She had a dark side to her that reminded him of Dru. Except, well, she wasn’t funny in the head like his dark princess.

Zoe had sought him out. That was the only explanation Spike could think of. He knew he wasn’t the brightest of the bunch – lacked a thing or two in the brains department. But of this much he was certain.

“What are you doing, bit?” he’d asked as she found him at the pub, drinking what passed for beer in this place. Truth be told, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t as good as Guinness, mind you, he thought, but it was drinkable.

“I like spending time with you Spike,” she said.

“Go spend time with your real friends,” he told her. “You really don’t want to hang around someone like me.”

Her face clouded. “I don’t have any,” she said in a small voice.

Spike decided he needed to scare her away from him when she kept coming back. So as they walked along the street, he pulled her into an alley, then pushed her into the brick wall, morphing into the demon.

“You see this,” he snarled. “This is what I am you stupid c...”

“I know what you are,” she interrupted. “Why do you think I came looking for you?”

Spike stepped back, stunned. He morphed back into human face.

“What?”

She shrugged. “I saw the papers,” she said. “Mysterious deaths. Women with puncture marks in their throats. I know a couple of cops. They told me they didn’t find much blood at the scene, but the women all died from massive blood loss. I knew what it was. I do read.”

“You ...”

“I figured you had to be stalking them. On the prowl, so to speak. So I watched for you. Well, I watched the women, actually.”

Spike thought he had been so careful, only taking women he figured wouldn’t be missed much. Prostitutes, mostly. He’d paid them for sex and then killed them, taking their money.

Zoe had stalked the women, just like he had done, watching, waiting. And her patience had paid off. She had found him, sought him out deliberately.

“Why?” he asked, wondering why he hadn’t just killed her to start with. That was what his sire would have done.

“Simple,” she said with a smile. “I want you to kill me.”

Taken aback, Spike stared at her. This was a first. He’d never had anyone actually ask him to kill them before. He frowned, wrinkling his human nose.

“I have no life, Spike. I have no friends, no family. No one would give a **** about me if I just dropped dead. But I don’t have the heart to do it myself.”

“D’you know what you’re asking me?”

She nodded soberly. “Yes.”

Spike tried to scare her even more. Thinking that if he used his game face enough, she might actually get the picture. He left her, went to stalk another woman to kill, but she kept following him. When he went to the pub, there she was again. He tried to stay away from her, but she was determined.

Finally, he’d turned on her.

“Fine. You want it? Let’s go,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into an alley. But she shook her head.

“Not like this,” she said. “I know all about vampires. I know the act itself is almost as good as sex. Not that I’ve experienced that either.”

Spike stared at her. “You ...”

“Virgin,” she said. “Freak, whatever. Geez Spike, I’m 22 years old and I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’m a ****ing loser, okay? I just want to feel what those other women felt. The papers said they all had sex right before they died. I want that too.”

“You don’t want much, do you pet?” he’d said, forced to smile.

She laughed and shook her head. “Nope.”

He’d taken her to the gloomy flat he’d used as a base. A place to hide when the sun came up. As she’d sat on the bed, he noticed she was shaking. For some reason, Spike felt the need to comfort her.

“You’re shaking,” he said.

She nodded. “Yeah. Petrified.”

“You don’t have to do this,” he said.

“I want to. I need this Spike. I can’t live like this anymore. I just feel so alone.”

He pulled her into his arms as her shoulders began to shake. He didn’t want to do this. For the first time in his unlife, he didn’t want to take a life. But the hunger was building in him. He could smell the fear in her, the loneliness, yet deep within he could also smell a hunger in her. Not the blood lust. No. But a hunger just the same.

“Please Spike,” she said through her sobs.

He realised now that she and him were a lot alike. Maybe he had the heart of a poet in his human life. But he’d been lonely, pining for someone who never wanted him. And then Drusilla had come along and he’d been seduced by her darkness. She’d offered him solace – a place in her heart, a way to belong to something, and he’d taken it.

Zoe reminded him of Dru in a way. The way she’d sought him out – it was almost the same dance except the positions were reversed.

Spike slowly undressed her. He couldn’t believe no-one wanted this girl. This young woman with the body and face of a siren. She was beautiful. Yet, he could tell she never saw that. She would look in the mirror and see nothing but a freak. Someone who welcomed death because life had nothing else to offer.

She wasn’t interested in foreplay. The nerves were probably creating huge fluttery feelings in her stomach. And she didn’t want to wait. Wanted it done before she changed her mind. Had she really thought this through? he wondered.

He was hard. It was a by-product of the blood lust. He knew that. But part of him did desire her sexually. And he wanted to make sure that she knew that. He pulled her onto his lap, naked, and kissed her deeply. Her eyes were closed.

“Look at me, Pet,” he said softly. She opened her eyes and he was struck by the deep blue of her irises. Such a pretty blue. “You’re beautiful,” he said, even though he knew she wouldn’t believe it. He caressed her face, gently pushing away the long hair as he kissed her again and she responded, opening her mouth, winding her arms around him.

He lowered her to the bed, conscious of his weight on her slender form. She was a little too slender, he thought. But it didn’t matter. It would be over soon. And her figure would have no bearing on her death.

She pulled him on top of her, legs widening, held open to give him room. He touched her sex. She was wet and he was stunned. She obviously had been thinking about this. She’d wanted him as much as he wanted her.

“Spike,” she said under his mouth.

He made himself comfortable over her, positioning his cock at her entrance, then lifted himself slightly, separating them and staring into her eyes.

“Do it,” she said. “F**k me.”

“It’ll hurt,” he told her, wondering again why he cared so much about this. He was a vampire, for god’s sake. He was William the Bloody, who had fed on thousands. A cold, vicious vampire. He didn’t have a soul. Why should he care so much about one little bint who wanted to die?

She pushed her hips up in reply, urging him to take her. To do it now. He took an unnecessary breath and rammed home, paying no attention to the gasp of pain as he broke through her meagre defence of her virginity. Her face contorted as he thrust into her, unable to hold back the cries of agony as he almost ripped her apart inside. But even as pain-filled as her eyes were, they looked at him with such complete trust, and almost gratitude.

Spike felt the bloodlust even more. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold back as he moved inside her. He felt his face morph and she turned her head, baring her neck to him. He bent his head, biting into her, feeling the power as he took her blood, emptying her as he emptied his seed into her. Her body tensed and she climaxed, even as her life slowly bled away.

He felt her heart beneath him as the beats began to slow. He waited for that crucial moment – the one that told him it was almost over. Then he used his own fangs to rip into his wrist, feeding his own blood into her. And slowly, the human she was gave up her soul, and the demon took over.

She rose at sunset the next day. He’d left her body there and gone out to feed again until dawn, returning to the flat in the semi-darkness, watching over her while she slept the sleep of the dead.

When she did wake, her eyes fell on him. Conflicting emotions showed in her expression and Spike wondered about that. She was a demon now, wasn’t she? She had no soul. He was sure he’d feel it if she had a soul. So why was she conflicted?

“How do you feel, childe?” he asked.

She thought for a moment. “Hungry.”

He decided now was not the time to teach her the ways of the vampire. She was a fledgling and it would take time for her to adjust to her new unlife. Unlike his own sire, Angelus, he didn’t want to make the mistake of bringing her up too fast. So he fed her his own blood.

When she was full and satisfied, she looked at him, accusing. “You turned me.”

“That’s right, I did,” he said, unapologetic.

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Dunno. Good idea at the time.”

“Oh,” she said. He could tell she was thinking that over. “So I guess that means you’re my sire. My old man.” She suddenly laughed at that. “Old man.”

He saw the lust darkening her eyes. It was bloodlust and it was something else. And he felt the answering desire in his own body.

“So you turned her,” Angel said when Spike had finished.

“Yeah, but, I dunno, something not right about the bint.”

Angel frowned. He’d sensed it too. “Like Dru?” he asked.

Spike shook his head. “Nah. She’s not loopy, like Dru.” He remembered that had been one of the things he’d liked, no loved, about Drusilla. He briefly wondered where she was now. Her and Darla. They’d probably found their way to Europe or something, gone on a rampage there.

“So, what do you mean, she’s not right?”

“She ain’t got the bloodlust like we got, has she?” he said. “I mean, yeah, she’ll kill, yeah? But she won’t kill innocents.”

Spike took her out on a hunt a couple of nights later. After he’d tried to teach her everything he knew about being a vampire. He’d picked on a couple. The woman dressed like a slag, he thought. The guy was drunk and high on something. That sometimes added a bit of spice to it. The couple were fooling around in the street, showing off to all and sundry.

“Come on bit,” he said. “This’ll be good.”

But Zoe had hung back. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Leave ‘em.”

“It’s what you are now, Pet. Take ‘em. You know you want it.”

But Zoe had been distracted by something. She heard screams coming from a short distance away and followed the sound. Spike hurried after her, afraid she might get into trouble on her first night out. He saw her stop at the head of an alleyway, watching three guys with a woman. One of them had a knife to the girl’s throat and they were pulling at her clothes. She was crying, begging them to stop. They were clearly intent on raping her.

Zoe must have made some kind of sound because they turned.

“You want a bit of this?” the guy with the knife said. “Come on, b***h.”

Spike tried to stop her as she grinned. She looked at him. “Come on,” she said. “This’ll be fun.”

Spike groaned inwardly. This wouldn’t be fun. They were f**king idiots and if she wasn’t careful, she’d arouse suspicion of the local authorities. One was okay, but not three of them, especially in front of a witness. Vampires didn’t draw too much attention to themselves. Not when they were fledglings. That could attract slayers and all sorts. And she would be dusted before she ...

He hissed at her to get away, but she kept on going.

“Why waste time with that?” she told the boys. “I could be much more fun. Always wanted to try taking on three of you.”

“Yeah? Like that idea, b***h?”

“Oh yeah,” she said.

One of the three grabbed the young woman they’d been about to rape and pushed her away. Zoe looked at the girl. “Get the f**k out of here,” she said, her blue eyes cold as ice. “Now.”

Spike watched her go, then watched his childe as she approached the three men, all panting with lust. They were drunken ass***es, Spike thought. He saw her lick her lips in anticipation of the kill as they came on her. Now this was more like it, he thought, his own bloodlust rising. But this was her first, and he wanted to make it memorable.

As one man pushed her against the wall, she rose up. He screamed then, a blood-curdling scream as she drank from him. The other two looked on in horror, then tried to run as she pounced, pushing their heads together and knocking them out before taking them as well.

The sex that night between them had been incredible. She’d been completely charged, full of passion and energy from the kill.

But it wasn’t to last.

“So what happened?” Angel asked.

“We had this huge fight and she took off. I got pissed, then I found out about the Gem of Amara and decided to go back to Sunnyhell, and the rest is history. Heard later there were a few cases of mysterious murders. All crims – you know, rapists, murderers. She never took innocents that I know of.”

“Still don’t.”

[Dana0715]

Another vampire superhero! Cool! I like that idea! Keep it coming! :)

[phoenixnz]

Part Three

The two men looked around. She stood in the doorway, exhausted.

“How?” Angel said.

She shook her head. “Don’t know. Tried to find out. Went to England for a couple of years to look at some of the old texts, but, well, my Latin sucks.”

“You don’t have a soul,” Angel pointed out.

“Yet, there must be some reason why I do what I do.” She sighed. “None of it matters anyway.”

“Why’s that Pet?” Spike asked his childe.

“Cause I’m dying.”

It sounded strange, considering she was a vampire, and technically, already dead. She flopped down in a chair beside him and laid her head on his shoulder.

“What do you mean you’re dying?”

“The fits, the pain – it’s getting worse. Spike’s blood stopped it this time, but it won’t sustain me forever.”

“You said you went underground for a while. What happened?”

“Local gang. Didn’t like me eating their members,” she grinned. “They sent in the troops so I had to lay low. Lived on rats for a while.” She shuddered at that. “Came up a couple of weeks ago and bam. They tried everything. Guess they’ve been watching too many bad movies or something. Tried poison, silver bullets, crosses. Only thing that did was piss me off.”

“Do you think you’ve been poisoned?” Angel asked.

She shook her head. “Nah. This all started months ago. I went to a healer who told me that the answers I sought weren’t with her. Only my sire’s sire could be the one to help. That’s why I came to you. Spike told me about Angelus.”

“And my blood?”

“Oh, yeah, the healer told me it wouldn’t cure me but it might keep me alive long enough to get what I need. But with the gang hunting me down and everything, I’m kind of running out of time.”

Angel looked at her. She looked ill and exhausted and he had no idea how to help her. Or even if he wanted to. She was still a vampire, at the end of the day. The fact that he was, although ensouled, shouldn’t have any bearing on it. After all, the powers-that-be had brought him back to fight evil.

But still, there was the fact that there was something different about her. Not the telepathy. Not that she only went after murderers and the like. The demon might take over the body, but they still had all the memories of the dead person. As well as the personality.

It sounded like the girl she had been had been fascinated with death. Which was why she had pursued Spike so relentlessly. And Spike, egoist that he had been, would have been flattered by the pursuit. Still, Angel thought there was something odd about Spike’s story. Why would Spike, known for being so cruel toward his victims by impaling them on railroad spikes, be so caring with this one? If it had been Angelus, the demon would have ripped her throat and left her to die. Or driven her mad first. As he had done Drusilla.

He tapped his fingers on the table, watching as she curled up practically in Spike’s lap. And Spike was loving the attention. That was another thing Angel couldn’t understand. One minute they hated each other, the next they were almost trying to swallow each other’s tonsils.

She was still, at least in their terms, a fledgling. A very young vampire. Whereas he and Spike were as close to master vampires as you could get. And Angel knew from his own experience as a fledgling that you could blow hot and cold from one minute to the next. Emotions tended to run high in young vampires. So sure of their own superiority over humans. Eager for the kill. Zoe didn’t look that eager. If Angel didn’t know any better, he would say that she killed with a certain reluctance. She was certainly discriminating in her choice of kills. But despite what her victims were, they were still human.

Angel knew from experience that evil existed in all shapes and forms. So why shouldn’t vampires be the same? Why did they have to be lumped under the same old stereotype. Vampire equals evil, equals death to all humans. Yet, Angel had never heard of a vampire only killing those who deserved it. Well, more or less. Angel certainly didn’t condone rape, or murder, especially when the guilty were human. But he wasn't about to kill them. That was what the human world had laws for. Demons he could deal with.

“Maybe it was some sort of freak spell, yeah?” Spike asked, looking down at Zoe.

Angel looked at the blonde vampire, barely registering the fact that his childe had been trying to get his attention for the last couple of minutes.

“You’d think I’d know if someone did a spell,” Zoe said sleepily. She was dozing against Spike’s shoulder.

“Not necessarily,” Angel said, remembering a few times Willow had done spells in Sunnydale which had gone a little awry. None of them had found out until the spell had done its damage.

Spike grinned. Yeah, he thought. He remembered a spell. Willow had broken up with the werewolf. What was his name? Oz? That spell had him proposing to Buffy, Giles going blind and the boy, Xander, a demon magnet. Good times. That had been the first time Spike had begun to realise he was actually attracted to the Slayer.

He looked down at the vampire next to him. She didn’t know about Buffy, other than the few times he’d cursed her name. Zoe didn’t know that he’d fallen hard for the Slayer. And he wasn’t about to tell her. It would break her unbeating heart.

His and Zoe’s relationship had been up and down over the couple of months they had been together. He knew she was kind of a rebound from Drusilla. She reminded him of the bint after all. Hell, most vampires would usually f**k anything on legs if they had the mind to. With them, they’d fight, f**k, be okay for a couple of days, fight, then f**k some more. Sometimes he thought she actually got off on the fighting.

Spike wondered briefly what Zoe had been doing in the ten years since he’d turned her. She’d gone to England, she’d said but that was only a couple of years. Had she turned anyone else? Nah, he thought. Zoe didn’t have it in her to turn a human. Not that she was weak. Just not like others. Even when they’d hung out together, she had preferred the quiet of solitary. Didn’t like the idea of having minions around.

Hmph, he thought. She was a lot like Mr tall, dark and broody in that respect. It had pissed him off sometimes, that she wasn’t interested in seeking out her own kind. She’d latched on to him and that was it.

Angel nodded at Spike, and the blonde looked down. She was asleep again. Obviously this thing, whatever it was, was taking a lot out of her.

Day was breaking and Spike decided it was time to hit the sack himself. Angel looked at him and he picked his childe up, carrying her upstairs again to the room they’d given her. She murmured something in her sleep as he put her down on the bed, her hand on his arm. Spike shrugged and stripped off, getting in the bed with her.

[Dana0715]

Great update Leanne! I liked hearing more of the back story. Can't wait for the next update. :)

[phoenixnz]

Part Four

Spike came awake suddenly when she kicked him.

“Bloody hell woman,” he said.

“What the f**k do you think you’re doing?” she said, blue eyes glaring across at him from the other side of the bed.

“Hey, you’re the one who didn’t want me to leave, pet,” he said.

“In your dreams, blondie.”

“Whatever b***h,” he snarled, going to turn away until she grabbed him and kissed him.

“What?” he said.

She growled in annoyance as he pulled away. “Just shut up and f**k me Spike.”

Now that he could do. Spike grinned, stripping the rest of his clothes off quickly before doing the same to hers, his hand brushing her sex. She moaned. The heat of lust was coming off her in waves as he moved over her, kissing her as if it was the kiss of life. She pulled him closer, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“Bloody hell, bint, you ever heard of f**king foreplay?”

She just rolled her eyes, pushing her hips up in that demanding way of hers. He’d always liked that. She knew what she wanted and she didn’t care about preamble. She was hungry and when she was hungry she took. Spike’s bloodlust rose, just as another part of his anatomy rose, hard and heavy.

She was tight as he entered her. Damn, he thought, how long has it been? But she was wet and needy and he slipped inside without too much bother.

Zoe was in game face now, her forehead ridged, her fangs more prominent. Spike knew what she needed without her even asking and he gave it to her, baring his neck. He felt the pain of the initial bite as she sank her teeth into him, then the heat of his own lust rising as she drank. His cock twitched inside her and Spike thrust in earnest, unable to resist the scent of blood, or the rushing in his veins.

For her, it had always been like this. The combination of blood-lust and sex always got her off. Spike felt her inner muscles squeezing him and he groaned, even as she slowly suckled from him. As she dropped her head back to the pillow, he pounded her into the mattress until she came, crying his name.

Oh yeah, he thought, as he emptied himself into her. It had never been like this with Buffy. She ...

“Who’s Buffy?” Zoe asked.

Oh bollocks, he thought. He’d forgotten about her ability to read minds.

Her eyes widened as she stared at him, reading his deeper thoughts. “The Slayer? You slept with the Slayer?”

“Well, it wasn’t just me,” he protested as she wriggled away from him. “Angel did too.”

She pushed him away, with enough force that he ended up on the floor on the other side of the bed. He pulled the sheet over his hips as he watched her pull her clothes on.

“Like that’s a ringing endorsement,” she snapped.

Spike grabbed his clothes and began pulling them on. “Zoe.”

She had grabbed the rest of her clothing and was heading for the door. She turned and glared at him. “F**k you Spike.”

“You just did, pet,” he grinned, trying to lighten the moment by making a joke out of it. She just glared at him some more and went out.

Spike dropped back to the floor, feeling a little weak. She had obviously taken more than he’d thought. He buttoned up his pants and stood, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

Zoe sat silently at the table, staring into a cup of coffee as he grabbed a pint of blood and bit into the plastic, draining it into a cup before tossing the bag in the trash. He put the cup in the microwave to heat.

“Don’t even think it Spike,” she said.

“Wasn’t thinking anything,” he said, which was true, for the most part. She looked up, glaring at him once more. Oh, this was going to be a fun day, he thought.

Angel looked from one to the other, sighing. So it was back to that, he thought. He’d heard them before – the creaking bed springs, the moans, then the fight afterwards. God, it was like living with teenagers. He drank his fill of warmed blood and watched the interaction. She was definitely giving Spike the cold shoulder.

Angel supposed that next minute they would be back at it. Spike did enjoy playing with his partners, but this was too much.

There was a soft sound and he looked up to see Zoe watching him. She’d been reading his thoughts, smirking at him. Then Spike murmured something and she turned toward him, giving him a vicious look. Even Spike seemed taken aback at that.

Zoe stood up and went out to the office, probably going to look through some of Angel’s texts to see if she could find any information.

“What the hell was that all about?” Angel asked his childe.

“Bint read my thoughts, didn’t she? Saw Buffy in there.”

“S**t! No wonder she’s pissed!”

“She’ll get over it. Always does.”

At first, Angel didn’t hear her call, too lost in his own thoughts about what to do about this new situation.

“Angel!” she called, irritation, as well as urgency in her voice.

He went out, followed by Spike, thinking just how demanding Spike’s childe was. She was standing in the lobby, her body language screaming trouble. Her blue eyes were wide as she looked at him.

“Demon. Approaching the hotel.”

“What kind?”

“I don’t know. I can only read his intent.”

“So what does he want, Pet?” Spike asked. She ignored her sire. Boy, she really was pissed, Angel thought.

“What does he want?” Angel asked.

“You. Dead.”

Angel barely had time to prepare as the demon came crashing through the door. It was a Fyarl demon, similar to what Ethan Rayne had changed Giles into a few years ago. Not too bright, but strong and mean. They were often the assassins of the demon world, paid to kill. But they lacked finesse and pretty much destroyed everything in their path. God, Angel was going to have to pay for repairs again. Trying to explain demons to insurance claims adjusters was more painful than just paying the bill.

He glanced quickly at Zoe, hoping she would pick up on his thoughts. He needed something silver to kill the demon. But not before he tried to get out of it who had sent it. Her eyes widened and she nodded, grabbing Spike and forcing him to lead her to the basement where the specialised weapons were kept.

Angel dodged as the thing’s big arms dropped, attempting to pummel him. He tried to lead it away from the furniture in the lobby, hoping to minimise the damage. It snarled.

“Who sent you?” Angel asked, trying to dodge its blows as well as aiming some of his own. That only enraged the demon more. Angel grabbed it and threw it against the wall, wincing as the old plaster cracked and dust fell. God help him if the supports came down. Oh hurry up, Angel thought.

Spike glared at Zoe as they searched frantically for something silver.

“Not my fault you two can’t organise to save your lives,” she was yelling.

“Bollocks,” Spike said.

“Just find the f**king thing,” Zoe said. Angel had pictured a silver dagger in his mind and now they were both turning the basement storage upside down looking for it.

“Aha,” Spike said, standing up, holding a dagger, his face gleeful. Then it fell. “Bollocks. Not silver.”

“Angel’s dying up there,” she said. She hadn’t needed to read Angel’s mind to know that. They could hear the banging and crashing from down here. She began rummaging through the various blades until she found the one he’d pictured.

“Got it,” she said, tossing it to Spike.

“Ow. Zoe!” He’d caught the blade and cut himself. She snorted.

“You’ll live,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Spike saw her give one final glance at the chaos of the weapons collection and shake her head, before going back upstairs.

Angel was on his back on the floor, the Fyarl trying to crush the life out of him. Fyarl demons, he thought. Not a brain among them. He managed to do a sort of flip and get the creature onto its back, catching the dagger tossed to him, and plunged it into the demon’s heart, or whatever it was. The demon died with an unintelligible whimper.

“Damn it,” he said. “I still didn’t find out who sent it.” He glanced at Zoe. She shrugged.

“Sorry gramps,” she said with a smile. “Can only read minds if they have one.”

Spike was looking at her. “Nifty little talent you got there, though, Pet. Wouldn’ta known about it if you hadn’t warned us.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Angel said. She shrugged again. No biggie, her expression said.

[Chlollie]

With is good, I am always up to reading a fanfic that has Willow in it, one of my favorite character.

[phoenixnz]

Part Five

Angel spent the next few hours of darkness talking to his contacts, trying to find out who or what had sent the Fyarl demon after him. Wolfram and Hart were practically non-existent. All the lawyers were pretty much part of the un-dead persuasion and as far as he knew, all stuck in hell dimensions. Not that it counted them out, but Angel felt sure it had nothing to do with them.

He wished Lorne was around rather than being in Las Vegas. Not that he didn’t begrudge the man? demon? anything. After what had happened those last few days all those years ago, Lorne deserved to have something that was his own.

But if there was one thing Lorne was good at, it was reading futures. Even if he had to sing Barry Manilow songs, Angel had always relied on the information. At least, knowing what to expect even if he couldn’t change the outcome. It made it easier to deal with.

Angel didn’t want to deal with the problem he had at the Hyperion. Zoe was an enigma. A telepathic vampire with, if not a soul, then at least some sort of conscience. Obviously someone had a sick sense of humour, he thought wryly, glaring up at the night sky as he walked along the alley.

He’d tried talking to her, getting her to think about what might have happened. But like any young vampire, she didn’t much care about what had made her the way she was. Just because she took little pleasure from the kill didn’t mean that she wanted the answer to life’s big question. Why am I here? A question that Angel had asked himself many times over the last two hundred odd years – well, at least the years he had been cursed with the soul anyway.

He stopped at a local magick shop to browse through their books. Angel had quite a few ancient texts, but he thought there might be a chance he’d find something here.

“Something I can help you with? Ah, Angel. Good to see you.”

Angel turned and looked at the young man. Well, he wasn’t a man really. Just a demon that looked human.

“Freddie,” he said. “Just looking through your books.”

“Are you looking for something in particular?”

Angel shook his head. “Don’t really know.”

“Well, is it a specific problem, or are you just thinking ahead.”

As much as Angel wanted to talk to Freddie, the young demon was hardly the best source of information.

“Thanks,” he said with an apologetic smile. “But I think I’ll wait for the cavalry.” He hoped like hell they had arrived.

***

Zoe had been reluctant to feed from Spike. She was obviously still pissed, he thought. Stupid bint. Did she really think he would ... He cursed as she slapped him upside the head. For a fledge, she was strong. Maybe it was all that pig’s blood he’d been drinking. Or the fact that the only human blood he’d been able to get lately was the expired stuff. Certainly lost its potency after a while. Tasted all right though.

He kept forgetting that she could read minds. Sure, the thing came in handy, but it was also bloody inconvenient. Especially when he started thinking about Buffy. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been hanging out with the Immortal One. Stupid name, he thought. Course, that had been right before the whole thing with the evil lawyers had blown to smithereens.

Zoe was starting to look sick again. Spike knew she’d have to drink from him sooner or later. Hissy fit or not. And that thought earned him another slap upside the head.

“Bloody hell, woman, can’t a guy think in peace?”

“Not when you’re insulting me.” She screwed up her human nose. “Although right now, your very presence is offensive.”

B***h! “Ow!” Okay, that did it, he was going to whup her ass for this. He was going to make her sorry he’d ever ...

“F**k!” She was on the floor, shaking violently. They’d waited too long. Spike pulled her up by the collar of the shirt she was wearing, using his own fangs to rip into his wrist and fed her. She tried pulling away but the convulsions and the obvious pain she was in sapped her strength and she couldn’t resist him. Finally, the smell and taste of his blood overwhelmed her senses and she drank deeply.

This time, she didn’t pass out. As she finished taking her fill of him, her eyes widened and she pulled away. Spike began to say something about her having no choice, if it was the only thing keeping her alive but she began shaking her head.

“Two people, outside the hotel. They’re both human, but, they’ve touched magic. The female – she’s extremely powerful.”

Willow. It had to be!

Spike stood up weakly, pulling Zoe up. He felt a little dizzy and knew she’d taken too much again. He turned toward the kitchen to go fill up.

“Stay put, yeah?”

She wasn’t exactly shaking in her stylish yet affordable boots, but he sensed fear coming off her in waves. He wanted to tell her that they were okay, but he really didn’t know that for sure. He had no idea how Red or the Watcher would react to her. Or how much Angel had told them. But Spike needed the energy if there was going to be any sort of confrontation, or he wouldn’t be able to keep her back.

As Angel returned from his detective work that night, he thought for a moment he’d walked into a museum. It was deathly quiet in the lobby. Giles and Willow were facing off with a very defensive young vampire. None of them spoke, but Zoe’s fear of the witch’s power was strong. And Willow was all set to use her own power to dust the vampire. So where the hell was Spike?

[Dana0715]

Hey! Sorry it took so long to get back! Still loving this story. I'm like you. If I quoted everything I liked, I'd quote the whole damn story! Keep it up Friend! I'm loving it! :)

[phoenixnz]

Part Six

Angel looked at Giles who was barely keeping the redhead away from Zoe. The female vampire was growling now, the scent of her fear even stronger.

“Zoe, calm down,” he told her. She looked at him, eyes widening. Almost as if she hadn’t realised he was there, which was unusual for a vampire. Then he saw the blood on her lips and realised she’d just fed.

Spike came back out with a mug of blood. He saw Angel, then Willow and Giles.

“Oh bloody hell,” he said.

“Where the hell were you?” Angel admonished him sharply.

“Getting some blood,” he told his sire petulantly. “Where the hell else would I be after she ...”

“Another attack?” Angel asked, looking from Spike to Zoe. Spike nodded.

“Bit left it too long.”

Zoe turned and glared at him, mouth opening as if she was going to say something sarcastic, but Angel growled softly and she backed off, walking unsteadily toward the couch and lying down.

“What’s going on Angel?” Willow finally asked, having taken in the scene.

“I couldn’t really explain to you over the phone,” he said. “I’m not even sure what this is.”

Giles looked at Zoe, then back at Angel pensively.

“Clearly,” he said. He went over to the couch where Zoe lay bending down to try and examine her. Zoe opened her eyes and tried to pull away from him.

“He stinks of death,” Zoe said.

Angel glanced at Giles who frowned. “I don’t quite understand,” the Watcher said.

“She’s telepathic. She can read the minds of demons.”

“And humans touched by magick, apparently,” Spike piped up.

Giles took off his wire-rimmed glasses, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the lenses on the cloth. An old, familiar gesture that usually meant he was thinking deeply. He stopped rubbing and put the glasses back on.

“Were you telepathic before?” Giles asked Zoe. “Before you were turned, I mean.”

“No,” Spike told him.

“Spike, if you wouldn’t mind,” Giles said, looking at him. “I’d rather she answers my questions, not you.”

“She told me,” Spike said.

“Told you?” Angel asked. “Or did you assume?”

“He’s right,” Willow said, moving to Angel’s side. “I can sense there was something different about her before she, well, died.”

Spike could see Red was not happy about this situation. It was bad enough he and Angel both being vampires even with souls, but having Zoe around unsettled the witch.

Giles was speaking softly to Zoe.

“I wonder if you’d let us take a look at you,” he said in a soothing tone. “In order for us to understand what is happening, we will need to see if there are any marks on you.”

“Marks?” Zoe asked weakly, clearly not at full strength.

“Yes,” Willow said. “Marks of a demon, or a spell of some sort.” Willow had obviously decided with the vampire so weak, her defences were down.

Zoe glanced over at Angel for confirmation and he nodded. Warily, she allowed Giles to help her up off the couch and she stood up unsteadily, her body shaking. Spike moved forward, getting in between Zoe and Willow when she flinched away from the witch’s touch.

“Easy Pet,” he said. She glared at him, trying to pull away from him, but he took her arm. They went back upstairs, Giles and Willow following. Angel watched them go, sighing.

Spike helped Zoe settle on the bed. He could see she was exhausted. He was annoyed that she had stubbornly refused to feed until it was almost too late. Okay, so he was a jerk, but he didn’t want anything bad to happen to her. And whatever was going on with her worried him.

Zoe stared at him and he realised she had heard those thoughts. She blinked, then lowered her eyes in unspoken apology. Then she winced. Spike frowned. This thing was causing her pain, and a lot of it. He wished he knew what the hell was wrong so he could fix it. But as he looked at Giles and Willow, he realised they were the best people for the job. If Red couldn’t figure out what was wrong, no one could.

He stayed with her while Giles and Willow looked for any marks. But they found nothing. So it wasn’t a demon which had caused this.

“Do you remember anything? When this started?” Willow asked.

Zoe shook her head.

“What about before?”

She looked at Willow, puzzled.

“Well, uh,” Willow said, “what made you, uh ...”

Zoe looked pointedly at Spike and he looked away from the Watcher, who pulled off his glasses and began polishing them once again.

“Yes, we are aware that Spike is your sire. But how did it come to that.”

“Bint had a death wish,” Spike piped up.

That prompted a raised eyebrow from the Watcher.

“Death ... wish?”

Zoe sighed. “So, I had a death wish, so what?”

“Did you, uh, make this wish with anyone?”

She stared at them, her expression a perplexed frown as if to say, what the hell are you on about?

“Zoe?” Willow said gently. “I think you need to start from the beginning, you know?”

Zoe looked studiously at the redhead. Their eyes met and bore into each other for a few moments, then Zoe’s eyes widened. Spike looked at the two of them and the unspoken messages that passed between them. Clearly, Red’s power had increased. Now she could sense something that he didn’t.

“What?” he asked.

Zoe looked at him. “Guess I never told you why I ... uh ...”

“It’s okay,” Willow said. “No one’s going to judge.”

Much, Spike thought, and Zoe turned injured eyes to him. He scowled. It was true that Zoe had never told him why she had sought him out. Why she had wanted him to kill her. She had never talked about her life. Well, he thought, it’s time to bloody start, innit?

“Zoe,” Giles said gently. “In order for us to understand what you are and why, we need to know what prompted this.”

She turned and looked at him, then gave a resigned shrug.

“My old man hated me. He was forty when I was born. I was a mistake, an accident, he always told me. He lost his job not long after and he blamed me. Said I jinxed them. I was born under an unlucky star, or something. It wasn’t so bad when I was a kid, but then he started drinking and gambling and kept losing money, and of course, I kept getting the blame for it. So when I was big enough, he started hitting me.”

Spike hitched in a breath. Bastard. If he had known then, he would have sought the prick out and killed him. Zoe looked at him and shook her head, no. Okay, maybe he wouldn’t have done it for her, but it sure would have felt good.

“I started running away a lot and he kept finding me and dragging me back. Spent six months on the streets once. Begged people for food and stuff. Cops found me and took me back again. They didn’t believe me when I told them my father hit me. He had a lot of mates who were cops. He kept telling them I was a mental case. Even when I was older, he kept coming for me. Then one night when I was about nineteen, he came into my room, drunk as anything and he tried ... tried ...”

Zoe trailed off. Spike didn’t have to imagine. He knew what the bastard had tried to do.

“What happened, Pet?” he said softly, his hand providing gentle comfort on her shoulder.

“I fought him off and took off that night. Got a job in another city and kept pretty much to myself. Thing was, he used to tell me I was so ugly no one would want me, and I believed him. I used to get teased in school as well and I just hid in a corner and never said anything to anybody. So by the time I met Spike I had no one.”

The three listening were silent. Tears were falling down Willow’s face. This girl had been hurt, abused and made to feel like everything was her fault. She’d been rejected by society. It was no wonder she had sought out Spike. Willow knew that if she hadn’t met Buffy, or had Xander, she might well have ended up the same way. She’d always known there was strength in friendship.

“Anyway, a couple years later, he came looking for me and beat the s**t out of me. But I managed to get away. I was in this pub a couple of nights after that and there was this girl there. We just started talking and ... I don’t know ... I said something like I wished I was dead so I could come back and haunt the bastard and every other guy who treated women that way. I wanted them to pay.”

“Bloody vengeance demons,” Spike snarled, realising what had happened.

Zoe stared at him. “What?”

Giles turned and looked at Spike. “You might be right.”

Willow was shaking her head. Neither one of them seemed surprised at Spike’s response.

“It makes sense,” Willow mused. “The power of the wish. Spike. Being in the right place at the right time.”

“What are you talking about?” Zoe asked, genuinely puzzled.

“You’ve never heard of vengeance demons?” Giles asked.

“Please, I’ve been practically living in the black hole of Calcutta the last few years.”

Giles peered at her through the thin lenses of his glasses, then explained.

“These demons are mostly young women who have been wronged by a man. They become demons when they draw the attention of a demon chief called D’Hoffryn. He recruits them, then sends them out into the world to exact vengeance on behalf of wronged women. It explains why Spike didn’t just kill you. He turned you so you could get your revenge. It seems neither one of you had a choice in this matter. You were both compelled.”

“So, I am the way I am because of a vengeance demon? How f**ked up is that?”

Spike had to agree.

[Dana0715]

I love the twist and turns you're weaving into this story Leanne! Did you come up with the vengeance demon yourself? If so that's awesome! I like your imagination and I am intrigued by this story. Keep writing! I'll be waiting as patiently as possible for the next installment! :)

[phoenixnz]

Oh yeah, the vengeance demon thing was all me. I remembered Anya and what she did and sort of expanded on the idea.

[phoenixnz]

Part Seven

“Well,” Giles said. “That does clear up one part of the mystery. But there is still the question of this illness you seem to have. Your symptoms seem to point to some kind of poison.”

“Or a spell,” Willow added.

Both Spike and Zoe looked at them.

“Well, what’re you waiting for?” Spike said impatiently. “Divine intervention?”

Giles looked at Zoe. “I don’t remember anything,” she protested. “If I did, I would have said something, wouldn’t I?”

“Hmm, so you have no recollection of any chance meeting with a witch, or another demon perhaps?”

Zoe waved her hands. “No. God! How many times do I have to say it?”

“Okay, pet, calm down.”

“F**k you Spike,” she snarled suddenly.

Giles and Willow looked at each other. Their expressions clearly showed it was time they made a discreet exit.

“You know, someone’s looking for a bloody good spanking.”

“Yeah, and who’s gonna do that. You? I’d like to see you try, Daddy.”

Spike knew that she knew when she called him ‘Daddy’ it only pissed him off more. He remembered Drusilla always used to call Angel that. Of course, that had been when Angel was actually Angelus. He had been injured then, and so sure that Angelus had been f**king Dru.

God damn it all to hell. Zoe had always known that Spike was sensitive about those days. He and Dru had been together for over a hundred years when that had happened. And Angelus had returned and blown it all to hell.

“That does it,” he said, coming to the bed, taking his belt out.

Neither one of them had noticed Willow and Giles had left. Spike quickly had Zoe over his knee, whacking her backside with the belt. It would have seemed strange, given her revelations about her father, but as a vampire, Zoe seemed to get off on the idea of a good spanking. She was clearly becoming aroused as Spike threw the belt off and pulled her jeans down, exposing her bare ass.

“Start counting,” he hissed.

Zoe twisted and looked at him. “F**k you,” she hissed back. As he spanked her, he paid little attention to what she was doing until she had undone his jeans and had pulled his cock out.

“Bloody hell, bint.”

Zoe twisted off his lap, getting on her hands and knees, bare ass pointing skyward. She knew he was just as aroused.

“Aww, come on Spikey,” she said suggestively. Spike hesitated for less than a second, then plunged into her from behind. She whimpered as he pushed, her hips snapping back, struggling for balance on the bed.

Soon, they were panting, copying the actions their human counterparts would have taken, although there was no need to pretend. Spike roughly stroked her clit, continuing his thrusts, groaning. Before long, the headboard was crashing against the wall.

***

Giles came down the stairs, followed by the redhead. Angel looked at them. “Well?”

“Are they always like that?” Willow asked, her face almost as red as her hair.

“Like what?” Angel asked, then he heard thumping and understood.

“Oh god,” he groaned. “Not again.”

“Oh dear,” Giles said.

Angel sighed heavily. “Yes, they’re always like that. Hot and cold. One minute she hates his guts, the next they’re ...” He gestured slightly, demonstrating.

Willow’s face turned even redder.

“Complicated relationship,” Giles said. “Considering Spike’s issues with Buffy. Does she know? Zoe, I mean.”

“Telepath, remember?”

“Oh, yes, of course, thank you Willow.” Giles shook his head. If Angel had had any, he would have dug up a tumbler of scotch for the former Watcher. They all went into the kitchen, eager to get away from the sounds of moaning and the crashing of the headboard against the wall.

Once they had coffee in their hands, Angel was able to tell them what he knew about how Zoe was turned, and Giles and Willow in turn told him what they had already learned. Angel shook his head in disgust. He remembered what Buffy had told him about the chaos Anya had caused through the power of the wish.

“You don’t like her very much, do you Angel?” Willow said peering at him as if she was trying to see into his soul.

“No, I don’t. I mean, I admit, her ability is useful. But I don’t like what she is.”

“It is very concerning,” Giles said, in that understated way of his. “But I do remember reading a prophecy that ...”

Angel groaned. Not the powers-that-be and their damned prophecies again. “If you tell me that this was ‘seen’ centuries ago, I ...”

“Angel, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I do believe that her, uh, birth, was written. The Morte text spoke of a vampire hybrid with the ability to see into the minds of demons, who punished the guilty.”

“The powers-that-be can’t have meant for her to go out and kill humans,” Angel said.

“No, maybe not,” Willow mused. “But maybe we should check the prophecy again. Look, we know that since the battle, your resources have been on the low side. We’ve offered fully trained slayers, but you’ve refused. You need someone like her on your side Angel. There is still a battle going on out there.”

“I’m tired of the battle. I’m tired of fighting for the powers-that-be. If they want a champion then they can look somewhere else. They promised Shanshu. They didn’t deliver. And I’ve had it.” He scowled. “And trust me, the last thing I want to deal with is those two and their love-hate dramas.”

“Well, if that’s the way you feel, Peaches, then me and Zoe will go out on our own.”

“You two wouldn’t last five minutes out there alone,” Angel snarled at the blonde vampire. “If you’re not fighting you’re f**king. Trust me, the demons wouldn’t have to fight you to win. Since the two of you can’t even get it straight in your own minds which side you’re on.”

Spike growled at his sire as he swaggered over to the refrigerator and pulled out a pint of blood. Angel saw the wound on his neck and figured Zoe had bitten him again. If Spike wasn’t a vampire he’d be covered in damn hickeys. He watched as Spike emptied the blood in his mug and put it in the microwave to heat, slamming the door.

“You know what Peaches? Save the bloody lecture, a’ight? I don’t need you to f**king tell me how to control my own childe.” The microwave beeped loudly and he took out the mug, leaving the room without a backwards glance.

[Dana0715]

Read it, liked it, waiting for more. I don't know what you have in mind for Zoe in this story, but I'm still intrigued. :)

[phoenixnz]

Part Eight

“He’s right, you know.”

Spike glared at Zoe, who was still laying on the bed, the sheet over her nakedness. She had obviously read his mind as he went over the argument with Angel in his head.

“About what?” he said, aware he sounded surly.

“We wouldn’t last five minutes out there. Especially when I can’t keep my hands off you.” She got up on her knees, letting the sheet drop, showing her breasts in all their pale perfection. Spike’s eyes were drawn to the dark pink of her nipples.

Bloody hell, he thought, bird’s got nice ... He didn’t have a chance to finish that thought as she put her arms around him, rubbing herself against him.

“God, Zoe,” he moaned, “keep that up and I ain’t gonna be responsible for the consequences.”

“C’mon Spikey,” she said, cajoling. “You know you want to.” She’d removed one arm from around his neck, going to cup his erection through his black jeans. Damn, how did she manage to do that so fast, he thought, feeling the blood rushing to his cock. He pulled away.

“Bloody hell, Zoe,” he said. He hadn’t even finished his blood. He gulped it down, going to wipe it off his lips when she leaned forward, tongue flicking out to lick the drops on his skin. It wasn’t supposed to be erotic, but damn that went right through him, Spike thought.

She was still licking him, exploring his lips with her tongue. Little, tantalising licks promising more. Spike tried to resist, but she had a power over him. It was different from Buffy, who had turned to him in the beginning to escape. She was like his dark princess – getting off on the bloodlust, letting that form part of her sexual desire. She was insatiable when she was like this. Spike could recall many a day when they should have been sleeping the sleep of the dead but instead had ****ed all day long. That was the nature of the beast, he thought. It helped to quell the hunger of the demon inside.

Spike let his empty mug drop to the bed, uncaring as it rolled off the edge and onto the floor when Zoe plucked at the fabric of his t-shirt, pulling it out of his jeans. He helped her pull it over his head and pressed his naked chest against her. Zoe’s eyes gleamed as she kissed him, tongue practically down his throat as she moved in for the kill. It was moments like these that he was glad he was a vampire because he was sure she was about to suck his tonsils out. Her fang cut him and the sharp, metallic taste of blood hit his tongue. She was sucking on his tongue, taking that little bit of blood with it. He moaned softly, body already half aroused, mind swirling with all kinds of dirty thoughts.

Zoe pulled her mouth away, staring up at him.

“You really want to?” she said breathlessly. “We’ve never done that before.”

Spike was a little confused at first, but he remembered what his last thought was.

“Only if you do, Pet,” he said.

She nodded slowly. Part of him realised she wasn’t sure about it, but there was also a part of her that was completely aroused by the idea. Spike got off the bed and quickly stripped off his jeans, then knelt on the bed as Zoe turned her back to him.

“Lie on your tummy, yeah?” he said. There’d only ever been one person he’d ever done this with, and they weren’t female. The last time had been over a hundred years ago, when he’d first been turned. Spike heard Zoe growl and he grinned. Knew that would get her.

“Careful, or I’ll change my mind,” she said.

Not a chance, Spike thought, leaning over her and running a hand sensuously down her spine, searching for sensitive spots. She shivered as his finger traced patterns along her smooth white skin. Oh yeah, he thought. His cock was clamouring for attention but he ignored it. This was a different experience for women than men, although not many were willing to try it. That was what he liked about Zoe. She was willing to try it. God, he had missed her these past ten years or so.

Pressing his lips to the skin over her spinal column, Spike began a slow, sensuous glide of lips along her back. Zoe pressed deeper into the bed, moaning softly as he licked his way down. His hands pulled her cheeks apart as he slipped his tongue in the groove in-between, until he found her hole. He licked slowly around the puckered lips, letting the sounds she was making be his cue.

Taking a pillow, Spike slipped it underneath her belly, forcing her hips to rise just slightly, giving him a better angle as he thrust his tongue inside those lips. The scent of her rose, her taste bitter but intoxicating. “Oh god,” she moaned, face buried in the pillow. He continued to **** her hole with just his tongue and she wriggled beneath him. He moved his hand to the bottom of her spine to keep her still and she quieted.

Her scent arose, becoming more pungent as her arousal grew. Spike imagined there would be wet spot underneath her and knew it would be the same for him. His cock was leaking pre-cum like a tap that hadn’t been turned off properly.

“Please,” she muttered.

Spike instructed her to get on her hands and knees. Then, cock in hand, Spike used the pre-cum to slick himself, guiding himself slowly to her hole. He paused, then let the head just enter past the ring of muscle. Zoe groaned. Spike hesitated. If it had been before he got his soul, he wouldn’t have cared about hurting her. But he did have a soul now, and that part of him did care about that.

But clearly Zoe had other ideas as she pushed against him, forcing him further inside her. Spike had to strain to keep himself from plunging, giving in to the desires of his own body.

Zoe continued to push back against him, and faster than Spike had wanted, she was impaled all the way. Spike thought he felt something tear inside, but Zoe had barely made a sound and he was already so hard the thought of stopping now was impossible. He pulled her up, her back flush against his chest, practically sitting in his lap as he began stroking her clit, periodically inserting his fingers in her vagina while he continued to thrust, his balls hitting her ass.

“Jesus Zoe,” he moaned as her tightness squeezed him. He knew it wouldn’t take long but she was obviously so ready it wouldn’t have mattered how short it was.

She came hard and fast, shuddering against him, and her shudders set off his own orgasm. They both cried out, their cries loud enough to wake the dead.
***

Both Angel and Giles raised their eyes heavenward as they heard the crashing once again above the lobby, then the loud, long moans. They sighed at the same time and shook their heads, both of them completely confused by the behaviour of the two vampires upstairs and not even sure if they wanted to understand it.

[Dana0715]

Very good writing Ms Leanne! Waiting for more! The smut is great. Still waiting for some unanswered questions to be explained. :) You're doing an awesome job!

[phoenixnz]

Part Nine

Willow was in the same magick shop Angel had been in earlier. Freddie stared at her as she came in. It wasn’t often he got humans in. He wasn’t one of those picky types who thought demons were better than humans. He was a peaceable sort who believed demons and humans could work together. But it didn’t always mean the same for humans. He didn’t get that much traffic in his shop.

He watched the redhead browsing through the books, wondering what she was looking for. He eyed her up. She was attractive, beautiful even. Freddie was dying to ask her out. He hadn’t seen a ring on her finger, but that didn’t mean anything.

The redhead smiled at him. “Have you got the Reichman Chronicles?” she asked.

Freddie looked at her. She knew the Chronicles, which meant she wasn’t just a browser. She knew exactly what she was looking for.

“Uh, I do,” he said, “but they’re not for sale.”

She had smiled at his answer until he’d said they weren’t for sale.

“That’s a shame. I’m doing some research for Angel.”

Freddie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You know Angel?” He looked at her oddly. “You’re not a demon are you?”

“No,” she laughed.

“Half demon?” he said hopefully.

She laughed again. “My name’s Willow.”

“I’m Freddie.”

“It’s nice to meet you Freddie. Angel said you were always very helpful to him.”

Freddie frowned at that. It wasn’t like Angel to say nice things about anyone, even friendly demons like him. But she was cute and he wanted to please her. He leaned on the counter and looked deep into her green eyes.

“Look, uh, I can’t sell the books to you, but I can lend them.”

“Really?” she said, her voice almost rising in excitement. “That would be so good of you Freddie.”

“Would-you-go-out-with-me?” he blurted as he handed the books over to her.

Willow beamed at him. “Aww, Freddie, you’re really sweet for a Vashnyktl. But I’m ... I have a girlfriend.”

Damn, she was gay? And wait, how did she know what he was? He'd never mentioned that fact to Angel.

“Uh, how did you ...” Willow just smiled at him, almost shyly.

“Thanks Freddie. We’ll get these back to you as soon as we’re done with them.”

“Uh, sure,” he said, thoroughly confused.

Willow returned to the Hyperion to find Giles and Angel sharing tea. Well, Angel was drinking coffee and Giles was drinking tea. Willow hadn’t really got used to the tea even though she had spent the last two years in England. They had set up training facilities for potential slayers in Suffolk.

After the destruction of Sunnydale and the battle with the First, the gang had all separated. Xander had gone to Africa, while Buffy had gone to Italy. Willow had gone with her girlfriend Kennedy to Central America and they had found more potentials. Giles had also been busy setting up the new Watchers Council. They had wanted to help Angel, of course, in the battle for LA against the evil that was Wolfram and Hart, but there’d been new battles of their own – of the human kind.

“I got it,” she said, showing Angel the three volumes Freddie had lent her.

She hefted the heavy volumes on the table and the three of them began poring through them, looking for the Morte text. Morte was a French theologian from the tenth century who had also been executed as a heretic when he’d claimed to be a prophet.

After an hour of searching, Giles found the text. It was in Latin.

“Hmm,” he said, the earpiece of his glasses in the corner of his mouth. He realised what he was doing and put them back on, peering closely at the ancient text. “Yes, here it is. She will be born into, hmm, not sure what that word is. Can you see it?”
Willow looked at it as he passed the book to her. “I think it says cruelty, or something. My Latin isn’t so good.” Giles took the volume back.

“Anyway, it looks like she will be born into a life where she will know only cruelty. This in turn will lead her to a new path, with a darker purpose. Notice it doesn’t say life, just path. Ah, and here’s what we need. She will become the guide for the champion whose soul, no spirit, has been drained by death and sorrow and who has strayed from the path set down for him by those who wish to bring balance to light and dark. But her path will not be easy. She will face many temptations along the way and many trials, some of which ...”

Screams rang out from above them. Giles paused in his reading and looked up. All three of them looked at each other. Zoe.
***

Spike came awake suddenly. Zoe was no longer beside him. She was crouched in the corner of the suite, screaming. The screams were so loud his ears rang. He leapt up, forgetting the fact that he was starkers, and went over to her. But she began flailing about, hitting him hard in the face. The more he tried to control what was happening, the harder she hit. It was almost as if she didn’t even see him.

The door opened with a loud crash and Angel, Giles and Willow ran in. Angel looked as if he had been prepared to stake Spike, or Zoe. But he just stared at the scene before him. Giles looked at Spike, who stared up at them from his position from the floor.

“I didn’t touch her, swear I didn’t. What’s happening?”

“For goodness sake, Spike, put some bloody clothes on,” Giles said, reminding Spike of his nudity. He grabbed his jeans and pulled them up quickly. In the meantime, Willow had grabbed a blanket from the bed and tried to drape it over the now convulsing Zoe, who had stopped screaming but had her mouth open in what appeared to be a silent scream.

“Damn it,” Spike yelled at Red. “Do something. Find out what the hell’s going on with her so we can all get some bloody peace around here.”

Grabbing his black t-shirt, Spike strode out of the room. Angel sighed and shook his head. He decided to ignore the blonde vampire and see what he could do to help the one who needed him most.

But Willow had other ideas. “Angel, go talk to Spike.” The burlier vampire shook his head, but she pushed him, her green eyes blazing emeralds. “Go, Angel. He’s upset.”

Angel decided the last thing he wanted to do was piss off a witch so did as he was told, going out quietly.

“Giles,” Willow said, “help me.”

“What do you need?”

“She’s in a lot of pain, but I don’t think she knows what’s happening to her right now. I can feel her screaming in my mind. It’s almost like she’s trying to reach me but she can’t verbalise it.” She looked at Giles. “I’ll need to do a spell just to put her under. It’s the only thing I can think of.”

Giles nodded, picking the girl up and laying her on the bed, covering her nakedness with a blanket. Willow sat on the bed, whispering incantations with her eyes closed. Zoe’s convulsions stopped but her body continued to tremble. She was staring sightlessly up at the ceiling. As suddenly as it had all begun, Giles felt an enormous force of energy flow from Willow to Zoe and suddenly the female vampire was still and peaceful. Almost as if she was asleep.

***

Spike was sitting against the wall in front of what had been the reception area when Angel came in. He said nothing, just handed his childe a mug of warmed blood.

“Ta,” Spike said hoarsely.

“I think I understand now,” Angel said softly.

“What’s that Peaches?”

Angel ignored the hated nickname. “You love her.”

Spike scoffed, but kept his head bowed, holding the mug in his hand.

“To you, Spike, at least the old you, love and hate are pretty much the same thing. You loved Dru, but she was never really there ... not in her head. That was my fault, I know that.”

“You took her away from me.”

Angel nodded. “Yes, I did. And when she left you, you were out of your mind with anger and grief and then along comes Zoe and she’s got that same fascination, that same darkness you loved about Dru. As did Buffy. Let’s face it. You got off on the hate as much as the love.”

“It’s different with Zoe.”

“Is it?”

“Bollocks. I dunno.”

“I said you love her, but I don’t think you’re in love with her.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Yeah.”

“Bloody hell.”

“You’re really not good for her. And she’s not good for you. But right now she needs you.”

“I wish I knew what was wrong.”

“I think I know. And it has everything to do with the prophecy,” Willow said.

[Dana0715]

Oooooh! The plot thickens!!! More, more, more!! :)

[There Is No Spoon]

Amazing story Leanne. Cannot believe I missed this story.

Definitely looking forward to reading more.

Post soon.

[phoenixnz]

Hey guys, have been so busy with RL but will try to update soon, promise. I haven't forgotten it.

[Dana0715]

It's OK.... still waiting patiently. :)

[There Is No Spoon]

It's OK.... still waiting patiently. :)

Agree.

[phoenixnz]

Managed to write a new chapter. Happy reading!


Part Ten

Angel and Spike stood and stared at the redhead as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

“What are you on about?” Spike asked.

“When I connected psychically with her, for just a moment, I felt the touch of another’s magick. She’s under some sort of spell, only I’m not sure what spell it is. Not yet. I’ll need to do some spells of my own to find out. But everything that’s been happening points to something that was suggested in the prophecy.”

Spike was still looking puzzled. “Still not making much sense, Pet,” he said.

Willow went to the book where Giles had been reading the prophecy just minutes before. She showed him the page, waving her hand over the Latin and it was instantly translated. Spike read it.

“She will face many trials, but the biggest will force her to seek out her own protector. The one who ...”

He looked up. “That means me, don’t it? I’m her protector.”

“Spike, you feed her your blood, and for her, that provides some sort of protection against the spell. Only temporarily mind you. As for the, um, physical stuff, well, it has more to do with your spiritual connection. The closer you are, the harder it is for the spell to get through.”

“So what the bloody hell was that all about?” he asked, glancing up at the ceiling toward the room above where she lay in the unconscious state Willow’s own spell had induced.

“It means that whoever is behind it has stepped up their campaign. The spell I did is providing a protection of sorts, and it will sustain her for now. I mean, up till now, she’s been able to ward off the spell by being under your protection. From what you two have told me, she was told to seek out the sire of her sire, which is great and everything, but really Angel can’t help her at all. Not until he destroys whoever’s behind the spell.”

It was Angel’s turn to frown. “So, there wasn’t much point to her coming here, except for Spike also being here.”

But Willow shook her head. “Factor in the prophecy,” she said. “She is supposed to be your guide back on the path the powers-that-be set out for you.”

Angel shook his head. “No. I gave up on that.”

Spike was looking thoughtful. “Hey, that Fyarl demon. Didn’t Zoe say that it was here to kill you?”

“Yeah, so?”

Willow looked at him. “What Fyarl demon?”

Spike quickly explained about how Zoe had warned Angel, seconds before the Fyarl had crashed through the hotel lobby intent on murdering Angel.

Willow seemed to become excited by this. “That’s it. If you can find out who is behind the Fyarl demon’s visit, you’ll know who’s behind the spell.”

“What happens if we can’t?” Spike asked.

Willow looked at him seriously.

“The spell I put on Zoe will only last so long. Eventually, she’ll die. I mean, again, I mean, oh, you know what I mean.”

Spike was clearly upset. In spite of the love-hate relationship he had with Zoe, she did mean something to him. Willow went to him, putting a comforting hand on his arm.

“I know, Spike. I know.”

Angel hit on an idea. “Why didn’t I think of this before,” he said. He turned to go into the office. Meanwhile, Giles had come down, telling Willow that Zoe was still peaceful. Willow nodded, watching after Angel with deep concern. Clearly, there was some kind of demon faction gunning for him, and he had never looked so lost.

Angel picked up the phone and dialled. The voice on the other end was gruff as the man spoke.

“Whaddya want?” he said.

“I need to speak to Lorne. Tell him it’s important.”

“Lorne’s busy. You wanna join the fan club, otherwise, don’t bother ‘im.”

“Listen shithead, tell him it’s Angel, and tell him to get his green-skinned ass to the phone right now, or I swear I am coming there and kicking your sorry ass right to the next hell dimension and back. You got that.”

“Damn, why didn’tcha say it was Angel? Hold on a mo.” Angel winced as the guy yelled, his voice echoing through the phone. “Yo, Lorne, ya gotta call.”

“Take a message.”

“You really don’t wanna miss this one. It’s that guy, Angel. Ya always said he gets special consideration.”

“Angel? Damn it Buddy, why didn’t you say so in the first place?” Lorne’s voice came closer to the phone. “Angelcakes?” he said, after there were sounds of him taking the receiver from ‘Buddy’. “How’s good ol’ LA?”

“Not so good. I need your help. There’s some kind of demon after me and well, Spike and I kind of have a complication.”

“Sing it for me baby,” Lorne said.

Angel thought for a moment. He was like the world’s worst singer, but he knew that was how Lorne read him. He wasn’t sure this would work over the phone, but he didn’t have a choice, since Lorne was in Vegas and he was in LA.

“I don’t know what to sing,” he confessed. “You know I hate that.”

“Baby, baby, you know the tune, and you know I don’t care about the voice, although honey, angels weep when you do it, or maybe I should say cringe?” Angel growled, even though he knew the demon was just teasing him.

“Fine,” he said, thinking quickly. He would have to resort to the old faithful. The first time he’d sung for Lorne, it had been Mandy. This time, he chose another Manilow song.

You know I can't smile without you
I can't smile without you
I can't laugh and I can't sing
I'm finding it hard to do anything
You see I feel sad when you're sad
I feel glad when you're glad
If you only knew what I'm going through
I just can't smile without you

“Aww, Angelcakes, I didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Lorne,” Angel said warningly.

“Fine,” Lorne sighed. “You asked for it. Honeybuns, you are in a world of trouble. And I’m not kidding. This girl, Zoe, she’s a powerful kid, ya know? And that prophecy, whew! She is the kid in the prophecy, Angel. She’s supposed to guide you back. And if you’d got to her before this spell kicked in, she might have been able to warn you about what’s coming. As it is, Angel, you’ve got yourself some serious **** coming down. And this time, I really ain’t kidding. There are some very powerful guys after you. Consider them the mafia of the demon world honeybuns.”

“Do you know who?”

“All I get is a feel for their power, Angelcakes. You need Zoe, I can tell you this much. I’d trust Willow. That girl is one very powerful witch, and if anyone can stop this, she can. But you gotta pull together. You and the blondie bear. If you don’t get past your past, it’s never gonna work, you understand? Forget what’s gone on before. You guys need each other. And right now, Zoe, she needs Spike more than ever. They can go back to hating each other later, but they’re drawn to each other like a moth to a flame. Both of them’ll get burned, dearie, and bad, but they can’t stop it.”

“Willow seems to think it’s that connection between them that’s protected Zoe. Otherwise she might have been dead already.”

“And she’d be right honeybun. Listen, I gotta go. There’s not much more I can tell you that Willow won’t have already suggested. So take it easy there, cowboy. You got a long fight ahead of you and you’re gonna need all your cajones, know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Angel said, nodding, even though Lorne couldn’t see it. He rung off, going back out. Spike looked at him.

“Wot?” he asked.

“Lorne ... says it’s something big. Like demon mafia.”

Angel looked at Willow, who was discussing something with Giles. “What’s that all about?” he asked.

“Red seems to think she can do some sort of protection spell on the hotel. Stop more of these demon assassins getting in.”

Willow turned and smiled at Angel. “Will it work?” he asked, concerned.

“I think so,” she said. “Kinda helps when at least one of us has actually been a Fyarl demon,” she added with a smile at Giles.

“Yes, well,” he said, looking uncomfortable. “I think I shall go check on young Zoe.”

Spike grinned at the older man’s retreating back. He knew all about Giles’ experience as the Fyarl demon, since he’d helped Giles out of the fix he was in when Ethan had turned him into the demon. He’d pretending to help Giles out of the evilness of his heart, back when he had still been sort of evil, although Dru had often suggested in those few months before they’d broken up permanently that he’d gone soft.

Maybe he had, but he had kind of liked being part of the Scooby gang, even if he hadn’t been a fully fledged member. He liked being a white knight, in some ways, fighting the good fight. He even wrote poetry now and then, when he felt like it. He’d once told Zoe about his poetry, and written something for her. Zoe had confessed last night that she had kept it all these years. That warmed his dead heart.

Agh, he told himself. “You really have gone soft.”

He went upstairs to check on Zoe. Giles was sitting beside her, watching over her. He glanced up at Spike as the blonde vampire entered.

“She’s still sleeping,” he said. “As long as Willow can do the protection spell, she should be okay.”

Spike nodded and sat beside the older man. “Sometimes I wondered if I shoulda just killed her, ya know? She mighta been happier.”

“It’s not how the prophecy was written Spike. I don’t think either one of you had a choice. This was foretold long ago.”

“I hate prophecies,” Spike said.

Giles nodded. He’d learned long ago that there was always a chance prophecies could get it wrong. He remembered the prophecy that had foretold Buffy’s death at the hands of the Master. The prophecy had been true after a fashion. Buffy had died, prompting the rise of a new Slayer. But Xander had given her CPR and she’d lived. Prophecies were funny things. They had a screwed up kind of logic to them.

“Thing I don’t get is, why a spell? Why not just finish her off?”

“Maybe the spell wasn’t intended to kill her. Maybe it was intended to drive her insane or ... I don’t know.”

“I just don’t get how she could be this way,” Spike sighed. “I mean, I got turned and bang, I was evil.”

“But you changed, Spike. Even before the chip, you weren’t completely evil. Otherwise, you never would have teamed up with Buffy against Angelus. You would have just walked away.” Spike scoffed at that.

“I liked having humans around. Like Happy Meals on legs,” he grinned. Giles just shook his head, not believing Spike for a second.

[There Is No Spoon]

Awesome chapter Leanne.


“I liked having humans around. Like Happy Meals on legs,” he grinned. Giles just shook his head, not believing Spike for a second.
Friggin fantastic line. That is Spike to a tee.

Looking forward to reading more.

Post soon.

[Dana0715]

I agree with Sherman. You're doing a super job and I like where this is going! Keep up the good work! You rock!

[phoenixnz]

Part Eleven

Willow had gone out to the magick shop to get herbs and ingredients for her spells. She’d been gone over an hour when Spike came back downstairs.

“How’s Zoe?” Angel asked, looking up anxiously.

“Still sleeping. That musta been some spell Red used on her.”

“Better than the alternative, I guess.”

“Yeah, don’t mind admitting I’m kinda worried.”

“Me too, Spike.”

“I mean, I’m not scared or anything, mate, but ... ya know, these guys that Lorne told you about, must be pretty powerful, yeah. They must want you out of the way real bad, know what I mean?”

Angel nodded. He’d been looking over the Internet for some clue to what he might be up against, but he had never really got his head around computers. Even Giles would pull off his glasses and suck on the earpiece, saying ‘hmm’. Giles had never liked what he called the ‘idiot box’ even though he’d been corrected on that so many times.

The door chimed and the two vampires looked up. Willow came in carrying two heavy bags. Angel and Spike both got up to go to the redhead and help relieve her of her burdens.

“Thanks,” she smiled.

They put the bags on the table and she started pulling out the contents. There was sage, wormwood and a number of different clear bags containing herbs of different scents. Some were sweet, while others had Angel screwing up his face.

“Urgh!” Spike groaned. “What is that smell?”

Willow looked at him sheepishly. “Sorry. It’s just this,” she told him, picking up one of the bags.

“Smells like, ugh, rot.”

Angel agreed. The thing smelled a lot like mildew. He was sure if he was human he’d be sneezing right now.

“Well, if you guys think it’s bad, the Fyarl demons will hate it. It’s kinda like, um, garlic is for you, in a way.”

“So, that’s part of the protection spell?” Angel asked.

“Yup,” she nodded.

“Great,” Spike moaned. “Just make sure we’re not around when you do it.”

“Well, I’ll get to work on that first,” she said. “How’s Zoe?”

“Still out, as far as I know,” Spike said.

“Good.” Willow nodded. “The longer she’s out the better. The spell I’m going to cast on her works better if she’s relaxed. Whoever did the other spell on her will expect a counter spell and will try all sorts of defences.”

“Like what?”

“Well, Zoe could be made to attack me, or something. See, the spell used on her is not just being used as a distraction. It’s also being used to manipulate her, and she could become violent.”

“So what then?” Angel asked. “Will one of us have to be present?”

“Spike,” she nodded. “Only her sire can control her.”

Willow told them both to go upstairs while she got things ready for the protection spell. The smell of the herbs she was putting together was not pleasant for anyone and she needed them both to be alert for any signs of trouble. Angel had a feeling that Willow was expecting something to happen.

They left her and went upstairs to Zoe’s room. The female vampire was still sleeping. Angel could see Spike hated the idea of someone using his childe against them. It was obvious that the presence of both souled vampires was enough to cause one demon faction concern.

Giles looked up at them from his post at the girl’s bedside.

“Willow’s downstairs casting the protection spell,” Angel told him. The older man nodded.

“Have you had any thoughts about who this demon mafia could be?”

Angel shook his head. “I tried looking it up on the computer but ...” He held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. Giles gave a half-hearted grin, knowing exactly what the vampire meant by it.

A short time later, Willow came up. Angel looked at her, cocking his head questioningly.

“It’s done,” she said. “Now I need you and Giles to leave us.”

Angel nodded and Giles rose, glancing at Willow, who nodded and smiled. “It’ll be okay,” she said.

The two men decided to go down to the basement to see what they could do about the weapons inventory. Angel had a feeling he would need as many as he could lay his hands on.

***
Spike looked at Willow.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked.

“Sit with her. In the bed. You may need to hold her down.”

Spike did as she instructed, getting in the bed next to Zoe, who slept on, unaware of what was about to happen.

As he watched, Willow began putting some herbs into a small clay pot, then lit a match and dropped it in. She began whispering incantations. First in English, then as she drew on the power of other witches, in Latin. Somehow, she’d managed to channel that power, draw it in to herself.

Spike marvelled at the confidence Willow showed. Unlike what he’d heard about when she had been fuelled by grief, this was another powerful Willow. A force definitely for good. He could feel the sparks of energy in the air, turning it almost into static electricity. His hair stood on end, generated by the same energy as it flowed around him, through him, and into Zoe.

Suddenly the female vampire was awake, growling loudly, eyes snapping open. She began snarling, fighting him as he pulled her into him, his arm around her shoulders, muscles bulging as they both struggled. Yet when he looked into her eyes, he saw nothing but emptiness. Zoe, the Zoe he knew, was no longer there. It was the spell that had been cast on her.

Talk to her. Spike realised Willow was reaching out telepathically, putting her thoughts into his mind as she became caught up in the spell she had cast. Her body caught in the whirlwind, air rushing around her, Willow was unable to speak aloud.

“Zoe, it’s me, it’s Spike. Your sire. Fight it Zoe. You can fight this. Zoe, you’re safe here. I promise. Whatever it is that’s controlling you, you can fight it. Hold on Zoe.”

He kept repeating the words over and over. Speaking her name, whispering it in her ear as the other vampire continued to snarl and fight against him. Wind seemed to scream in his ears and he fought against the sound, wondering if his eardrums were about to be shattered by the combined forces of the two spells struggling for supremacy.

Then all was silent and it almost seemed as if he was floating. Spike vaguely remembered an incident back in the sixties when he’d taken the blood of a guy on a bad acid trip. His blood had been full of the drug and Spike had found himself on the same trip, out of his mind with hallucinations. He remembered mad giggling as he watched the crazy psychedelic colours swirling around him.

Only this time, it wasn’t colours. Spike could swear he saw the silhouettes of two ancient warriors fighting a duel right in front of him. He blinked as the swords clashed. Then one of the combatants managed to get the upper hand, plunging their sword into the other. The images disappeared with a pop and his hearing was back. Zoe was slumped, exhausted against him and Willow was on her knees, panting.

“Willow?” he called.

For a moment, it seemed as if she hadn’t heard him, then she looked up and smiled wearily.

“Sorry,” she said. “That took a lot out of me.”

“What the bloody hell was that?”

“Ancient magic,” she said. “Did you see it? Did you see it?”

“Saw what?”

Spike was almost afraid to admit what he had seen, wondering if Willow would think he was crazy. But when she described exactly what he’d seen, he knew he wasn’t.

“What does it mean?” he asked.

“It means that what we’re fighting is an ancient power. Older than the druids, even.”

“Druids?”

The redhead nodded. Druids were among the oldest of the pagan priests. The remnants of their temples were scattered around the world – the oldest of which being Stonehenge.

“But not as old as the First,” Willow told him, still breathless.

Zoe chose that moment to come out of it.

“What happened?” she asked, looking around at him.

“Long story, luv,” he told her.

“But at least you’ve got time now,” Willow smiled. “The danger’s passed.”

Zoe was blinking, then her eyes went wide. “I don’t feel anything. Before, I could feel something pushing down on me. Draining my energy. I don’t feel that now. Why don’t I?”

“Someone cast a spell over you,” Willow explained quickly. “But it’s gone. I removed it.”

“How?”

“I called upon the power of the coven,” Willow explained simply. “For good, I mean.”

Zoe frowned. “A spell? That’s what all this was? Some kind of spell?”

The redhead nodded and Spike patted her shoulder reassuringly. They quickly explained about the prophecy and what it meant for her. Zoe looked at both of them, not speaking for a moment.

“Someone wanted me out of the way so I couldn’t fulfil the prophecy.”

“That about covers it, yeah,” Spike told her. He could see she was thinking this over carefully.

“Then, whoever did it is going to be mighty pissed,” she said slowly.

Spike shrugged. “You could say that.”

“Then the danger’s not passed,” she told them both. “I can feel it. Don’t ask me how, or why, but maybe it had something to do with that spell. But I can feel their anger. It’s like it’s more magnified in my head. It’s worse now than ever.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re coming,” she said, grabbing her clothes and pulling them on quickly. “They’re coming.”

[phoenixnz]

Part Twelve

Spike followed Zoe down the stairs, trying to keep up with her urgent pace. He heard Willow coming after them. Angel stared at Zoe.

“What?” he asked.

“Angel, they’re coming.”

“Zoe,” Willow called. “It’s okay. There’s a protection barrier around the hotel. They can’t get in.”

Zoe looked at the redhead. “Didn’t you just say they used a spell to control me? They’ll use the same thing to try to break the barrier.”

“It’ll hold,” Willow promised.

Zoe sighed and shook her head. “Spike, listen to me. If these demons, whatever they are, have used a powerful spell to try to destroy Angel, what makes you all so confident that the protection spell will hold them off. If Willow could counteract their spell, they’ll come back again more powerful than ever.”

“You know, Red, she’s got a point.”

“The question we should be asking ourselves,” Giles spoke, “is what they plan to do.”

“I can’t read that much yet,” Zoe said.

But they all knew whatever the enemy planned, it would be bad. Angel began handing out weapons. Willow took the crossbow while Spike took the double-headed axe. Giles the sword and Angel supplied himself with another sword.

Zoe was the only one who didn’t get a weapon.

“I want to help,” she told her sire.

“You’re not up to this pet,” he said. “For one thing, you don’t know how to fight.”

“Spike ...”

“No, Zoe. It’s better for you if you stay back. We don’t know what’s going to happen and you got to keep your wits about you, right? ‘Sides, we need that little talent o’yours. Keep us up with what’s going on.”

Biting her lip, Zoe glared at him resentfully, but said nothing. She stood back, sighing. Willow glanced at her, giving her a sympathetic look.

Spike turned away from his childe. He needed to focus and he couldn’t do that with the way she was looking at him, eyes huge. He glanced at Angel, who was holding his sword at the ready.

“Open the doors,” Angel said gruffly.

“Angel, what exactly do you propose?”

“Protect the hotel at all costs, Giles. I’m going out there. If they should break the barrier, you, Willow and Spike are the only ones who can stop them.”

Zoe stared at Angel. “Angel, no, you’ll be killed,” she said, her voice full of fear.

Spike looked at his sire. This was not the prophecy. But then again, maybe it was. Because Angel seemed to be finally willing to step up and fight for what was right. He watched as Angel stopped by Zoe, taking her chin in his hand, his expression almost tender as he looked at her.

“You’ll be okay,” he promised. “Spike will take good care of you.”

“Angel, no, it’s suicide,” she begged.

Spike felt the sharp pang of jealousy, even though he knew there was nothing in it. Angel was looking on Zoe like a father – he was, more or less. Angel let her go gently and turned to his childe.

“Spike ...” The rest went unsaid between them.

This was bigger than what had gone before. Spike could feel it. Wesley had died last time, so had Illyria. And Gunn. They’d lost so much and here was Angel, preparing to sacrifice himself.

“No Angel,” he said, blurting it out.

“What?”

“I can’t let you do this. I can’t let you go out there knowing what’ll happen. You know what Lorne said. About us needing each other. We fight together, not apart. You got that?”

Angel looked at him and Spike knew what his sire was thinking. Spike had always been the weaker one when it came to doing what was right. Okay, so he had grown up to be some ponce who liked poetry, and maybe that made him a nancy boy, but he was damned if he was going to let his weakness stop him now.

“Zoe’s right, Peaches. You go out there, it’s suicide. At least, if we’re all together in here, we’ve got some chance at making this work. I mean, we won’t stop ‘em all gettin’ in. I know that. But I figure if we work together, we got a better chance than if we fight alone. I mean, forget the prophecy mate. This ain’t about some poncy twat from centuries ago tryin’ to tell us what’s what. What we got out there is a group of demon *******s who seriously need their tentacles, or whatever else they got, whupped. And I aim to be the one doing the whuppin’.”

It was probably the longest speech he’d ever made and Angel was staring at him in shock. So was Red. And Giles was doing that thing he always did when he was trying to get a handle on the situation, by taking off his wire-rimmed specs and polishing them with a handkerchief. Only Zoe was looking at him in total admiration. And Spike puffed out his chest with pride in the age-old mating ritual.

But it was all for naught as Zoe’s expression changed.

“They’re here,” she said, wide-eyed. “There’s at least half a dozen Fyarl demons. I’m not sure what the others are, but there’s about twenty all up. And they’re all ready to kill.”

“Can you read anything else Zoe?” Willow asked.

“Yeah, there’s someone with power among them. A lot like you, only the power’s dark. They’ve already recognised the barrier.” Her eyes widened even more. “They have a message for you. ‘Remove the barrier or we will tear this place down stone by stone.’

“What are they going to do?” Spike said smartly. “Huff and puff and blow the place down?” He smirked, but Zoe ignored him, continuing the message.

“’You have no power over us witch. You cannot stop us. We alone will destroy you, then take what was ours. The human disease will be wiped out, and the halflings along with them. The world once belonged to demons and it will once more. We will not be banished’.”

Spike sighed. What was it with bloody demons and their hankering for world domination? Wait a minute, he thought. Halflings? Did that mean ...

“Yes,” Zoe said, reading his mind. “Vampires included. They want purity. So anything that is half-demon will be wiped out.”

“Well, we’re not going to let them,” Angel said determinedly. “If it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight they’re going to get.”

The little group didn’t need Zoe to hear the roars of the Fyarl demons trying to break down the barrier. Willow had been right about the spell though. The Fyarl hated the mix of herbs she had used as part of the spell. It repulsed them. Angered them.

“It’s getting crazy out there,” Willow remarked as the roars increased in volume.

Zoe stepped back, the scent of fear coming off her in waves. She glanced anxiously at Angel and Spike. It wasn’t just because they were her ‘family’, Spike sensed. They were master vampires and leaders and she was still very much a fledgling, even though it had been ten years since she’d been turned.

Willow stood with her, providing reassurance that Spike knew he couldn’t give. He looked at Angel.

“Well, I’m not gonna stand here and wait for them to come in.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

A cold voice startled him. He turned. “Zoe? What the bloody hell ...?”

She had wrenched the crossbow away from Willow, who was unconscious on the floor. Wielding the weapon, she turned and aimed it at Angel, who dodged. Giles moved quickly, but he was no match for the vampire’s strength, as weak as she had been. She turned on him, knocking him out with a blow to the head.

It was obvious that another spell had been used against Zoe.

“Bloody hell, not again,” Spike moaned. He ran to her, getting to her side just as she let another arrow go. He raised his hand, but wasn’t quick enough. The arrow went straight through his hand.

“Ow. F**k!”

Angel grabbed her from behind in a bear hug. “Spike. The crossbow. Get it away from her.”

Spike did so, wrestling with her, even though his hands started to smoke and burn with the whole ‘cross’ notion. Zoe struggled, trying to get away from Angel. Spike threw the crossbow away, trying to help his sire, who was crushing Zoe’s windpipe with his arm around her neck. Her struggles became weaker and she finally collapsed. But Spike knew from experience she wouldn’t be out for long.

“Now what?”

“Take her down to the basement and chain her,” Angel ordered. “She’ll be safer there.”

“No she won’t.”

“She’s a Judas Goat,” Angel snarled. “They’ve been using her to get on the inside.”

Willow, meanwhile, had come around.

“I knew I should have extended that protection spell,” she mumbled, seeing what had happened.

“Yeah, well it ain’t much help now, Red,” Spike snarled. He lifted Zoe in his arms and took her downstairs, chaining her up in the basement as Angel had ordered. He hated doing it, but Angel was right. The demons had used her as a Judas Goat.

He heard glass smashing and knew immediately what had happened. Obviously the protection spell had been broken. Willow had bought them time. That was all. Long enough to lift the first spell on Zoe. Long enough to piss the enemy off.

He dashed back upstairs, hoping Angel knew what he was doing. He ran to the lobby, preparing to pick up the axe. It was time for battle.

[phoenixnz]

Part Thirteen

Angel glanced at his companions. Willow had used a spell to revive Giles. Angel worried about that a little. Willow was using too much magic. But they had no choice. Another power was being used against them. It was up to Willow to counteract them. Fight them.

Giles looked up, bleary-eyed, as Willow pressed a cold compress to the bump on his head.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Zoe. They must have used a different spell on her.”

Giles looked at Willow. “Are you sure you lifted that other spell properly?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Glass smashed and all three of them looked toward the big doors.

“Barrier’s down,” Angel said. He whirled at the sound of running footsteps and then saw Spike.

“Right mate,” Spike said, picking up his weapon. “Let’s take these bastards down.”

Angel nodded and prepared himself for battle. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on the others in the midst of fighting, and he had to trust they could take care of themselves.

He glanced at Spike. For a long time, he hadn’t trusted the bleached blonde. It wasn’t just because of Buffy, who had loved them both. Spike had killed two Slayers before. He was cocky, almost arrogant. But he’d also been needy – always looking to his sire for approval. When Angelus had become Angel, cursed with the soul, Spike had turned on his master.

They’d hated each other for the longest time. Angel had turned away from the life of Angelus, broken the Aurelius line, denied his ‘birthright’ and Spike had hated him for it. He’d hated Angelus as well, but then Angelus had been a vicious killer, tormenting his victims. Spike was the impatient sort. He’d never really been that much into torture, just preferring to get his kicks in finding new and more inventive ways of killing.

Angel, or at least, the demon with a soul, had been a sanctimonious prick at times. Or so Spike had accused. Mr tall, dark and broody, Spike had often laughed. But then Spike had also found himself a soul – only his hadn’t been a curse. He’d deliberately sought it out. An effort to win the heart of the Slayer. And he’d rubbed Angel’s nose in it.

Love and hate, Angel thought. A little like Spike’s relationship with Zoe. And he realised that Lorne had been right. All the ups and downs of his relationship with his childe meant nothing right at this moment. They had to trust each other, or they had no chance of winning this fight.

Spike was looking at him.

“Yo, mate, you with us?”

Angel nodded, whirling the sword in his grip. “Let’s do this,” he said grimly.

The demons burst through the doors and quickly engaged their opponents. Angel was set upon by two very ugly looking examples. He didn’t know what they were but he didn’t much care. He whirled, cutting one in the arm as he swung, managing to catch them both off guard momentarily. Blood spurted forth from the wound. It wasn’t red. It was some sort of greyish substance that sizzled when it hit the ground. Acid. Or something like it.

He quickly dodged, careful not to get the stuff on him. The way it was eating into the ceramic tile, he knew it wouldn’t be good if it touched his skin. Slashing with the sword, he beheaded one, while kicking out with his foot, catching the other in the stomach.

A third demon joined the fray, opening its mouth and spitting out some thick, gelatinous substance. Angel, with all his vampire instincts, managed once again to dodge disaster, realising that the thing had aimed for his head, hoping to blind him. He quickly dispatched that one, then turned to the second demon. This time, he wasn’t so lucky, taking a hit to the head, then the stomach.

Angel decided to use the age-old tactic – let his opponent think it had won, then let loose. The demon moved forward as Angel groaned and doubled over, bending over him as if to strike the final blow. Angel angled his sword, plunging it into the demon’s belly and quickly moved out of the way as it collapsed. Three down, he thought. Seventeen to go.

He glanced over at the others. Giles was grappling with a Fyarl demon on the floor, his hand reaching for a silver dagger, just missing the tip of it. Angel started over to help the man, but was distracted by yet another demon coming for him. This time, he knew, the sword would be no help, so he dropped it and began using his martial arts skills, turning the demon’s strength against him and raining a flurry of blows down on the demon. Weakening, the demon fell to its knees, giving Angel the opportunity to grab the demon’s head in both hands, twisting it, breaking its neck.

Giles, meanwhile, had managed to grab the dagger and plunged it into the heart of the Fyarl demon. He was up with surprising deftness and onto the next.

The battle raged, and it looked like the good guys were winning. Until Angel turned and saw that Zoe had somehow managed to get free. He had just killed yet another opponent when she came up the stairs, holding a sword.

“Zoe!”

Spike whirled. He was bruised, beaten and had been loving every minute of the battle. This was what is was all about, he thought. Until now. He watched as Zoe, a blank look on her face, approached Angel. Clearly intent on murdering him – decapitating him with the sword. And quite obviously, under a spell.

“Zoe,” he said.

Zoe wasn’t listening. Or she wasn’t capable. Spike bit his lip. There had been times in the past when he’d hated Peaches. Even when he was Angelus. He’d killed those two Slayers not because he’d wanted to, but because he’d wanted to impress his sire. And his sire had never been impressed. Of course, he’d been cursed with the soul by that time too, but that was neither here nor there.

Ignoring the rest of the battle, Spike lurched forward. He stood between Zoe and Angel.

“You wanna kill him, you go through me,” he said.

Zoe looked at him, raising the sword over her head. But her eyes, glazed before, had taken on a new awareness. Her hands began trembling, her arms shaking with the weight of the sword. Some part of her was fighting the spell cast over her.

“Fight it, Zoe. You can.”

She was straining with the pressure. The spell cast over her had been powerful, but something else was going on. Something that made her fight it. As Spike watched, the other power won and the sword dropped with a clatter.

Puzzled, he looked at Willow. She smiled triumphantly.

“Well, you didn’t think it was all about the sex, did you?”

[phoenixnz]

Part Fourteen

Angel turned, growling, preparing to attack Zoe, thinking she was still under the spell. But Spike got in his way.

“No!” he yelled. “She’s okay. She won’t hurt us.”

Angel looked at Zoe. She was blinking, looking around, a puzzled frown on her face.

“What happened?”

“The witch, or whatever.”

“What did I do?” she asked.

“Doesn’t matter pet,” Spike told her, shaking his head. “It didn’t work.”

“Explain later,” Willow said urgently, nodding her head in the direction of the basement. The witch was coming up the steps. Obviously, she had freed Zoe, somehow managing to get past the others.

“The battle is not over,” the witch said.

“It is for you,” Angel growled. He moved forward, only for Willow to push him aside.

“No,” she said. “This is mine.” She gave him a small smile. “It’s what I do,” she added, with a little nod.

She glanced at the others. “Stay back,” she murmured.

“That means you too, pet,” Spike told Zoe, grabbing her and holding her securely. Part of it was for her own protection, he told himself, but also for theirs. But he had realised something that Willow had only hinted at. He, at least, was safe from Zoe because of their connection.

Paganists had done it for centuries. The church had made it corrupt, but a coupling between a man and a woman – the male and the female joined together, was more than just about sex. It was a spiritual thing. There was an incredible power in it that Spike had never realised, until now. Now that he could see what it had done in those few moments when Zoe had been under the witch’s spell.

He watched as the redhead faced off with the witch.

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with, little girl.” The witch’s voice was husky, almost like someone who had chain-smoked for years.

Spike smirked at the witch’s confidence. But he knew something the witch obviously did not. Willow had fought with the Slayer. She had helped defeat the first by drawing on the power of the first Slayer and those who had given her that power.

The witch began gathering her strength, sparks flying from her fingertips. But Willow was more than ready, invoking the power of the coven she belonged to, chanting a spell. The power manifested itself in an unearthly glow around her, emanating from her in a beautiful white light.

The witch screamed as it was engulfed by the light, unable to fight back. Before their eyes, the witch began to age rapidly. Finally there was nothing left but dust and a pile of ash.

Spike stared for a moment, then turned and glanced at the demons who had also been watching. They each dropped their weapons and turned to run, but Angel was well ahead of them. He grabbed one of them, dropping him with a short, hard jab to the chest. It was a Krug demon – its most vulnerable spot was where a human heart normally lay.

The others yelled and ran out while Angel turned to Willow and Giles.

“Take this trash downstairs. We’ll have some questions for him.”

He then looked at Spike. “Take care of Zoe.” He made it clear he still was not sure about the female vampire, so Spike nodded. Zoe looked at Angel, also nodding. Message received and understood. Angel turned and went downstairs.

Zoe and Spike looked at each other. Spike was torn. Part of him wanted to go to her, f**k her until they both attained oblivion. But he also remembered the conversation he’d had with Angel. He wasn’t good for her, and she wasn’t good for him. The sexual connection had saved them. This time.

Zoe broke the silence first.

“I could use a drink,” she sighed. She turned to the kitchen and went to get one for each of them. Spike stayed where he was, ignoring the mess of broken glass, and flopped down on one of the couches, sweeping the debris to the floor. Angel’s insurance company was going to flip over this, he thought.

Zoe returned with two glasses. She flopped on the couch next to Spike and handed him the glass. Out of habit, he threw an arm around her shoulders and they sat drinking in companionable silence.

By the time Angel came back upstairs, the two of them were curled up together on the couch, fast asleep.


Epilogue – Six months later.

The demon with the green skin pushed his way through the double doors and dumped a heavy suitcase on the tiled floor.

“Home sweet home,” he said to himself. The lobby was empty. But he heard sounds coming from upstairs. Then two pairs of feet came running down.

“Ha! Got you!”

“Gonna take more than that to beat the man, Pet.”

The demon stared in amazement as first Spike appeared, then a woman he guessed was Zoe. They were laughing, engaged in some kind of hand-to-hand combat. Spike saw him and was immediately distracted. And that was when Zoe managed to get him in one particularly vulnerable spot.

“Ow, Zoe!”

“Suck it up, Spike,” she said, grinning, then saw the demon standing in the lobby. Before Spike could say anything she smiled. “You must be Lorne.”

“Well, hello Precious,” he said.

“Hey Peaches,” Spike yelled. “You got a visitor.”

Angel came out from the office and stared, stunned at Lorne.

“Lorne?”

If he’d been anyone other than Mr Tall, Dark and Broody, Lorne would have hugged him. Instead he settled for a handshake and a “hello Angelcakes.”

“I thought you were still in Vegas.”

“It’s overrated and overpriced,” Lorne said dryly. “Thought I’d come see how my old friend was doing.”

“Doing all right,” Angel mumbled.

Lorne nodded. “I heard Angel Investigations was back in business.”

“Sort of.”

“Sort of, Peaches?” Spike said. “More than sort of.” He flung an arm around Zoe. “You’re looking at the best damn computer hacker we could ask for. And she makes a pretty mean cup of coffee too.”

“Only cause you two are too lazy to learn how,” she snorted.

“Careful, pet. I might just have to take you over my knee.”

“Oh, in your dreams blondie.”

Spike just leered at her as she pulled away. Lorne looked at Angel.

“Are they?” He was certainly getting those vibes.

Angel laughed and shook his head. Lorne smiled. It seemed that Angel laughed easily these days.

“No, they’ve got a much better outlet for their energy. They’re always like that lately.”

It hadn’t been easy in the beginning. For a while, Spike and Zoe had gone back to hating each other, until Angel had suggested that Spike train Zoe to fight. Just because they had won one battle, it didn’t mean they could get complacent. The Krug had told Angel, after being tortured for the information, that there was another demon – one who had organised some of the demons into an army of sorts.

Angel had become more focused on defeating that army. But people had asked for help and Zoe had convinced him to re-open Angel Investigations. Despite the things she had done as a vampire, she still had sympathy for the weak and abused. While she was no longer allowed to go after bad humans, she could at least fight demons. And that she was happy with.

Spike and Angel had also managed to put the past behind them. Buffy was no longer between them. She had moved on and it was time for them both to do the same.

Lorne smiled. The prophecy had been fulfilled. The gods were smiling. All was right with the world.