On Olympus, Spike was facing Hera once more. One second he was lying naked in his bed contemplating asking the Gods and Goddesses for clothing, the next Hera had him standing up and fully dressed by its side. The sudden unannounced transference to an upright position pushed his stomach to the very edge of his control. The Greek Goddess saw the look on his face, sighed and waved a hand once more, abating the wave of nausea that threatened to sweep him away.
"Erm, I take it you want me to do something?" Spike managed to be polite. The idea that the diminutive female standing before him could reduce him to ash tray filler in an instant help him rediscover his inner politeness demon. Hera rather did remind him of his mother. A soft smile came unbidden to his face, gentling the harsh lines there.
"Yes, we need you to clean up some of Angelus' messes. A line of Skilosh demons have murdered a family of humans, you and young Oz will go meet out justice. Deliver the parent demon to us and kill the rest if you must. There are a few other little messes you must deal with too, if you can." She handed him a sheaf of papers. "Here you go, all the details you're going to need to get it all done. And once you're finished you'll know where to bring the parent demon. I'll meet you there." With another wave of her hand a brand new leather duster adorned the slender vampire's frame.
"What happened to my old duster?" Spike felt as if his entire existence as a vampire was being wiped out. Things were running out of his control. Granted working for the Powers That Were was a lot better than looking at 'Angelus was here' scratchings on Hell's walls. However, he would have rather they got their message across in some media that didn't involve Angelus torturing it out of his hide.
"It's with the slayer, if we remove it, she'll notice and react accordingly. If she asks the right, or wrong question even, at the wrong or right person, then our plans will be know far too soon. She isn't a fool, well, not entirely." Hera indicated the door from the room, out into a cool, darkened atrium. "Shall we go collect Oz?"
"About the daylight earlier, how come I'm not burned to the proverbial crisp? What gives with the day light up here?" Spike hesitated on the threshold of the room he had occupied. He had felt safe there, and he didn't know what to expect with the rest of Olympus.
"While on Olympus nothing will harm you. You are our champion after all and under our protection. As for the mortal world, you'll be able to function in direct daylight, for a little while anyway. About two hours a day in fact, as a vampire that is, any longer and you're like your mortal self again. We don't even know if you'd revert to vampire after more than two hours. But you'll be safe enough in all filtered daylight. In other words, so long as there is a window between you and the sun light you will be perfectly safe. It's our gift to you, like Oz's control over the wolf, you have daylight." Hera grinned somewhat sheepishly at him.
"Why the hell not more'n two hours? You're bloody Gods an' all!" Spike had had the image of living fully in the light of day pulled from under him once more and was taking out his frustration on Hera. Living dangerously. "Sorry, didn't mean t'shout." He mumbled on realising just who he'd shouted at.
"Yes, we are Gods, but you've got to remember we're somewhat out of practice at being Gods, doing Godly things. Give us a chance, you'll not be sorry." Hera smiled at her new charge, it was so obvious that she was looking forward to her new adventure amongst the humans.
"Fine, you win. Let's get wolfboy and head to glorious down town LA." Spike couldn't resist the enthusiastic mother look the Goddess gave him. It reminded him far too strongly of his own long dead mother. He only hoped he didn't start relying on Hera for a motherly ear like he had Joyce Summers. She would up and leave him behind, like Joyce had, like his own mother had. Going off to heaven where he couldn't follow. Not now, not thanks to Angelus anyway.
To distract himself, Spike scanned the papers again, familiarising himself with their content. Old habits died hard, some harder than others. He smiled ruefully as he realised that if handed legal looking papers he still memorised them.
"Who's this Kate Lockley? And why do I have to save her?" He asked Hera rather bluntly for the truth. As far as he could see there wasn't a demon directly involved in her death. On the contrary, there seemed to be far too many demons than she could account for.
"She's another victim of Angelus. His involvement in her life has lead her to her current dire state. She was suspended from her job as a police detective and can't face the future without her past. Angelus is currently far too busy to answer his phone as she called for help. So it's up to those of us who actually do answer to the cry of 'oh God, why me?' to send the help she needs. And unless you haven't realised, you are the help we send." Hera laughed warmly at the look on the blond vampire's face.
"And these pyramid sellers of the vampire world? Why them?" Spike had formulated his basic plan for the first two challenges, leaving him free to think about the third one. "Other than eating and turning a lot of humans into vampires, what's so special about them?"
"Nothing yet, but your ex girl friend Harmony is due into town tomorrow or the day - erm.. night after and if she gets a grip on the idea she's going to take it and run with it. Then it'll go global and all Tartarus will break loose. She's rather alarmingly one of the lynch pins to the apocalypse we're trying to forestall."
"Aw fuck!" Spike swore loudly at the very idea that Armageddon was riding on Harmony's coat tails. "She's as thick as the proverbial plank, the dimmest bint that ever lived!" As the dread thoughts of the world depending on Harmony's actions filtered through Spike's mind he also realised they were now in some big room with lots of mirrors, and Oz was there too. "Hey!" He greeted the werewolf.
"Hey, back!" Oz smiled slowly in return. "We ready for the off then?" he enquired.
"Just about. Have you read these pages of doom and gloom?" The vampire waved the sheaves of paper at the werewolf.
"Yeah, just before coming over here. Can you believe Harmony in a pyramid sales scam?" Oz laughed at the image in his own mind of the dumb girl he had known at high school.
"It gets worse, she's one of the lynch pins to Armageddon, seemingly. We've got to stop her getting a hold of this pyramid selling idea." Spike snorted in derisive laughter and grinned wickedly at Oz. "I never thought I'd ever have to stop Harm from having an idea!"
Oz did something he very rarely did, he laughed out loud in public, at another's expense no less.
"If you're quite ready?" Hera's voice scolded both young men. To her a vampire of one hundred and twenty eight years was but a child, she reached over five thousand and stopped counting long ago. "Children!" She added for good measure, firmly putting them in their place. Or waving a red rag to a bull.
"Ready, mother." Spike smiled so sweetly at her that she instinctively began to worry.
"Sorry mom!" Oz apologised, hugging her briefly and toeing the ground like a two year old. "He started it!" He added pointing at Spike.
"No I did not!" Spike pouted as he answered. "You did!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not, can't prove it!"
"Did too, can too, to. You locked Harm in the boys bathroom in your first term at high school and it traumatised her. So now she's determined to take over the world. So it is all your fault. Q.E.D." Spike stuck his tongue out and blew a loud raspberry. Just as the diminutive goddess was about to reconsider her plans for these two they both burst out laughing.
"I think I'm having an 'oh Gods, why me' moment." She muttered.
"One last thing before we go to the mortal world." She dragged both men's attention back to her. "When out and about in fighting situations you will wear this." She made one more gesture with her hands and Spike found himself wearing what appeared to be the finest mesh chain mail he'd ever seen.
"Why?" He asked, not looking away from the 'armour' he now sported.
"Because it will protect the baby. If it dies you die, remember?" She reached for him as he began to tremble again.
"Yeah, okay, I forgot. I'm pregnant and staying pregnant. What happens when it's time for it to be born? Do I die then?" Spike finally looked at her.
"No, by then your body will have changed enough to allow it to be born. All that happens then is that you become a parent." Hera pulled him closer and simply stood there. Letting him find his own equilibrium.
"Ready." He soon said.
Hera looked at him assessing his real state of mind and saw that he was indeed ready. If his ability to accept things as having happened that quickly, could he possibly be guided to forgiving Angelus? If they had him in their corner as well as Spike, then Armageddon would die in its birthing. And her other speciality would be satisfied. The Goddess of Marriage and Childbirth wanted a complete outcome to their current situation. Pushing such thoughts to one side she activated a mirror and transported them all to the mortal realm.
"This way, boys." She smiled as she stepped into the swirling image that filled the scrying glass.
Dutifully they both followed where she lead. As they stepped out of nothing they both realised they were in a large office. They both looked around at their new spacious surroundings before turning to face Hera once more.
"Where are we then?" Spike asked, Oz was content to simply nod his head.
"In our head quarters. Offices this floor, apartment up stairs, transference point down stairs." She handed them both a small bundle of business cards, they stated the address and company name. Night and Day Investigations. A phone number, their own names and the little word licenced under the company name made both men smile. That was far more than Angel Investigations had to their credit. The Gods and Goddesses of the Greek Pantheon sure thought of everything. Hera handed a set of car keys to each man but turned to Oz before speaking. "You're driving!" She told him.
"Why him?" Spike demanded petulantly.
"Because, you're pregnant and I do believe driving is currently considered way too stressful for someone in your early stages." With that explanation she ushered them all out of the door into a darkened LA street and towards a rather nice car. It looked rather familiar to Spike, like a white version of his damned sire's car in fact. "Get in, time is running out for everyone concerned. Complain later." She waved Oz off into the traffic and their first case.
***
Angel watched Gunn and Virginia watch each other with growing suspicion as they all sat, supposedly together, in the hospital waiting room. He let his attention drift over to Cordeilia as she too watched Gunn and Virginia. He could smell Cordeilia's confussion at Virginia's lack of nervous tension, he could clearly smell the dark haired woman's worry too. The short red haired woman just didn't smell right. Cordeilia smelled right, as did Gunn, but not Virginia. She didn't smell anywhere near as concerned as the other two did. Possibly she didn't understand how dangerous it was for Wesley to re-open his stitches? Maybe she did but didn't care? Unable to take the mood a moment longer Angel crossed to one of the empty seats that surrounded Virginia isolating her from everyone else.
"You do understand the severity of Wesley's accident tonight don't you?" He was in no mood for trying to be subtle. It wasn't something he had ever understood anyway, not even as a mortal. He had been a brutally direct man who in turn became simply a brutal vampire.
"Yes, I do, thank you very much." Virginia snapped at Angel, annoyed with his assumption that she knew less than she did. Or perhaps she was just annoyed that he saw through her so very easily. After living with her father so long she had thought she was a better actress than that, to show the truth so easily.
"So, you really don't care then. Isn't that it?" He pinned her under his hard gaze. He couldn't stand the idea of Wesley being used by anyone the way he felt used by Buffy. The way he had more than used his William. He had been unable to prevent his William suffering at his hands, maybe he could save Wesley some of that same hurt. Yet, a little spark in the darkest corner of his soul sympathised not with Wesley but with Virginia.
"Oh, I care." She shook her head at him, warning him off. A warning he chose to fully ignore.
"Just not enough. Look, Virginia, I don't know what game you're playing with Wesley, but for his sake, try and tell him the truth. Even if just once?" Angel vamped out and had to fight back the appearance of his game-face. "I can smell the emotions you're giving off, and believe me, I know the smell of fear in all its guises. You just aren't afraid for Wesley. You may be worried you'll have to find a new boyfriend tomorrow, but that isn't the same as being worried that Wesley will walk out of here tomorrow. Or be carried out in a box!" Angel swung his glance at Gunn and Cordeilia who sat huddled together in a corner. "Now, they smell right. They smell afraid for their friend." He looked once more at the red head and walked to the door of the waiting room and stared out at the world and its friend. All of whom seemed to be trundled by his face with varying amounts of freshly spilled human blood, just to tempt him.
Virginia pushed past him, roughly. A bearly audible excuse me hissed at him. She made her way to the cubicle with Wesley inside and with a final glare back at the too perceptive vampire she entered. Not even bothering with a fake smile.
"What was that about? What did you say to upset Virginia?" Gunn stood by Angel's shoulder questioning the vampire. Letting his lack of trust show fully and unchallenged. Much as he secretly hated Virginia, for Wes' sake he would defend her from Angel if need be.
"I told her straight, that she didn't smell right. You smell of fear, the fear that a friend is hurt worse than you have been told. A clean fear. She smells of annoyance and inconvenience. Go, listen, make sure she's not hurting Wesley." Angel pushed the bulky man out of the door towards the cubicle that now held Wesley and Virginia. He could smell the desire that radiated off Gunn every time he was near Wesley, or even thought about him.
Gunn got there in time to hear Wesley announce to Virginia her intent to leave him. He also heard his friend's so called lover not deny her intent. He could feel his friend's pain, but a part of him felt excited about it. Casting a quick glance at Angel, wondering what the vampire could smell now, he entered the cubicle as the red head left. He didn't spare a glance for the fickle woman, he only had eyes for his hurting friend.
"When the doc says you can go, we're ready Wes." He sat beside the paler than normal Englishman and thanked the fates for this renewed chance to be there for him. He prayed to whomever would listen that he could be more than a friend to Wesley.
"We'll take Wesley to the hotel, once he's cleared to go home." Angel said as he faced the still fuming Cordeilia. "There's more than enough room and you and Gunn can keep a closer eye on him. I can always smell the blood if he over does things again." Cordeilia still glared at him.
"All of my things? You gave all of my things away? To a complete stranger? Just to get back at Lindsay?" She then processed just what Angel had said. "Why should we go back to the hotel?"
"Virginia just broke up with Wesley." Angel replied.
"Wesley!" She too moved to enter the cubicle with Wesley and now Gunn in it.
"Wait!" Angel reached out a hand to stop her leaving the waiting room.
"Why? Wesley needs me! Haven't you ruined enough lives for one week? Wesley needs the support of his friends, that's me and Gunn if you didn't know!" She tried to pull free from the vampire's grasp, but failed.
"I know, I also know what I've done, more deeply than you can ever imagine, Cordeilia. I know who it is I've hurt the most and believe me it wasn't you, your silly clothes, Wesley or Gunn! It was my childe! The only mortal that ever loved me for the man and the demon, equally, and I killed him. And just to cap it all off, I drove him to his second death. So don't ever play the poor victim with me! Unless you want me to show you just what a real victim goes through?" He did not release her, in fact he pulled her closer, letting her catch a quick glance of his true demonic visage. Shocking her into listening.
"I can replace your stupid clothes so very easily. Just go into a dress shop and spend money on over priced bits of fabric off cuts." Through his anger and outrage Cordeilia could hear the pain in his voice. She finally realised that Angel was truly hurting, that the dead Spike had meant more to him, for longer, than she and the others currently did. As was right and proper between family. Family before friends. She also realised he didn't know all this in his own heart. Not yet at any rate. So she let him rant.
"Tell me, oh wise one, which shop do I go into to buy a new childe? Where do I get my William back? And the child I forced on him? Hmm? What, no answers? My, I am surprised! Wesley has Gunn, Gunn finally has Wesley, you have your promise of new clothes, what do I get? Where do I find solace? I'll tell you! I can't, not until they all pay. They forced Angelus to the fore, well, I think I'll take him visiting. Maybe that will deaden the pain. What do you reckon?" He released the young woman's arm, fully expecting her to run, not ready for her to firmly close the waiting room door and put the do not disturb sign on it.
"Angel?" She hazarded a light touch to his arm, trying to stem his grief and pain. "I forgot, forgive me? I shouldn't have ever compaired my clothes to your Spike. But you can't carry on this campaign to rid the world of Wolfram and Hart, if you do you will lose yourself entirley. Then where will the innocents, the hopeless be? You have to give yourself time to grieve. And more importantly, we have to give you time to grieve. You've lost so much, any hope of a reconciliation with Spike, your William, and I should never have forgotten the baby you two would have had..." She leaned into him, to enfold him in her arms. Offering shelter from his immediate pain. Blindly he turned towards her warmth and held on. "Why did you turn him in the first place? What did he do, or say, to earn him that punishment? Or was it that he was alive and you wanted him a vampire? With you forever sort of thing."
"He said that, in the fullness of time, he hoped he'd be as good a father to his children as I was to my Drucilla." Angel looked at her, letting her see all his pain and regret. "I couldn't handle the jealousy, that my William could foresee a dim and distant day when he would choose to be with a mortal woman rather than me! That some bitch would get her hooks into him as a baby factory and a meal ticket! I was so jealous, I couldn't let that happen, so I drained him. Then, when I realised what I'd done, I shared my blood with him. Then something shut down, switched off. I stopped thinking, I just reacted, I fled him. I left him there to perish in his first and last dawn. I felt so sure he'd hate me for what I'd done I couldn't face him. I robbed him of all his dreams of a family. I killed him and didn't even give him the peace of heaven, but the eternal threat of the torment of hell. Just because he wanted children." He looked away, to the hands clasped between his knees as they sat side by side on the uncomfortable seats.
"Oh God, the irony stinks, doesn't it?" Cordeilia was honest with her opinion, but tender with the hand she laid on his leg. "Did you really love him? Even before you got your soul?"
"I think I did. But, as with all my loves, it was a jealous, greedy love. Not what he deserved."
"I really don't know what to say, you were right, I don't understand the pain. I can only imagine and hope I never do understand it." Cordeilia leaned over and brushed Angel's cheek with a brief, chaste kiss.
"I hope you never know it too. None of you." Angel leaned into the warmth of her touch and closed his eyes, remembering his beautiful William.
"When they're ready to release Wesley, we'll go back to the Hyperion with you. I guess Wes isn't the only one who needs his friends right now." Cordeilia pulled him back into her embrace.
"What do I do now Cordy? There is no redemption. I know that, because I killed it." He cried once more. This time the pain wrenched from him was not for himself and what he'd lost, but for a sweet, shy young man whom he had loved and destroyed in 1873. "I killed it in 1873 when I killed my William."
"You go on Angel, much the same as the rest of us..." Before she could finish her speech she was interrupted by the grieving vampire.
"Don't tell me, one day at a time, am I right?" He whispered his response between the sobs that threatened to tear him apart.
"Well, in your case, one night at a time. But otherwise, you got it in one!"
"Welcome to the first night in the rest of eternity!" He smiled, shakily at his friend, he hoped she would still be his friend at any rate. "If I ever forget, just whisper William and remind me. Okay?"
"Okay" She whispered back and fell silent, waiting to see what happened next.
Not that she could maintain the silence all that long.
"So, you reckon Gunn and Wesley have the hots or something for each other then? How do you arrive at that conclusion mister?" She didn't see it, hadn't seen it all the time it had been just her and Gunn and Wesley.
"Every time Gunn looks at Wesley he sends off this wave of pheromones. I guess my William would have referred to them as 'fuck me' pheromones. And, conversely, every time he looked at Virginia he gave off this corresponding wave of the old perennial favourite 'die bitch' scent." He grinned at Cordeilia's stunned expression. "Wesley gave off 'fuck me' pheromones to both of them."
"You putting Wesley into the double room on the third floor then? The one with the balcony over looking the atrium?" Ever practical, Cordeilia thought of the temporary sleeping arrangements. At least as far as they would aid Gunn's seduction and comfort of the abandoned Wesley.
"Of course." Angel agreed. "And you can have the room on the opposite side of the atrium, if you wish. It's got the best chance of over looking their room after all."
"Angel!" Cordeilia shrieked in outrage.
"You're acting lessons are paying off, that was almost totally convincing. Only, I know you too well."
"Damn!" She muttered, grinned and fell silent to wait with him for their friends to be ready to go home.
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