Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction ❯ Old Friends ❯ Meeting the Friends ( Chapter 5 )

I know I took everything down for a while. I thought I was going to be doing a major over haul, but instead I just changed this one chapter and everything else stayed the same. Sorry. But this one change will change things.

 

Chapter #5: Meeting the Friends

 

And time still continued on.

Spike finished his transformation from guest to just another of the main cast, Angel became Buffy's ever-elusive yet ever-mentioned mystery man, everyone else grew even more comfortable and easy with the new alterations to routine, and before they knew it a month had passed with Buffy and Angel going strong. And, a month being an unusually long time for both a Buffy romance and no introduction to the significant other, it was decided that Angel would be attending that week's Sunday get-together to meet the entire group.

“Still can't believe I'm fuckin' doin' this,” Spike groused, irritably walking beside Xander, the plastic bags of Chinese take-out he held hitting his legs as the two made their way back to Giles' place that evening.

“Well, it's not like I couldn't have done this alone, you know,” Xander muttered, his own hands full with drinks, “Nobody asked you to come.”

“That right?” Spike raised a brow, “If I remember correctly, mate, you asked me to come. Begged me t' come.”

Xander narrowed his eyes at the other in annoyance, “I was talking about the food run, genius.”

“Then y' admit t' begging?”

“Of course I don't,” Xander said, a touch irritably, “I asked nicely. I didn't beg.”

“Y' begged,” Spike corrected with a smirk.

“Whatever,” Xander rolled his eyes with a huff, “That still doesn't mean I forced you to go for Chinese with me.”

“Might as well `ave,” some of Spike's annoyance returning as he remembered the plans for the night, “I'm definitely not going t' sit with th' rest o' yer lot as they natter on `bout th' bint's bloody new shag-toy.”

“Ah . . . the timeless retreat of man from girly overload,” Xander nodded knowingly, smirking as his slight annoyance quickly disappeared into amusement. “It all makes sense now.”

An increasingly familiar expression of unimpressed disgust appeared on Spike's face. “Git.”

Xander chuckled, smiling at the older man as he shifted his hold on the drinks in his hands.

Shaking his head at the boy's amusement, Spike turned back to watching the path. He was honestly somewhat troubled with the feelings that were starting to appear at the sight of that smile. They all seemed to be creeping up more and more these days, emotions vaguely resembling fondness that he just wasn't comfortable with feeling.

The rest of his uncle's little harem generally ignored him, content to let Spike do whatever the hell he wanted so long as it didn't interfere with their busy little lives. Xander was a curious sort though, actively seeking Spike out to buy him booze and ask him about his day.

It was bloody bizarre. Spike just wasn't used to someone that actually seemed concerned about his well-being and state of mind. Even Drusilla, the love of his life, had never really cared about what he thought. (Not that he blamed her or anything. The poor girl was usually too far gone to care about herself never mind someone else.)

But still. For someone to care. That was just new and it, if he could admit it to himself, was quickly becoming addictive. Spike found himself actually wanting to spend time around the boy just so that he could soak in that feeling.

Oh Spike knew he found the boy attractive. The boy was just his type, tall and dark-featured, of course he found him attractive. But these feelings of fondness, these feelings so strangely close to what he felt for Drusilla, those just weren't supposed to be happening. They just weren't.

“Hey, are you okay over there?”

Xander's voice bringing him out of his thoughts, Spike looked up from the pavement and over at the boy indifferently. “Hmm?”

“Are you okay?” Xander asked again, clearly concerned, “You went quiet and look like you're about to start growling at something.”

And damn the boy again for looking like he actually cared, for making it hard to hate him. “I'm fine.”

“You don't have to come tonight if you really don't want to,” Xander continued, ignoring the answer.

“An' I said I'm fine.” Spike snapped irritably. “Needed more t' bug Summers with, anyways, didn't I?” Spike shrugged casually, turning away from that annoyingly open face, “This should be a bloody goldmine.”

Xander grinned. “It better be.”

 

 

 

Buffy had arrived, the mysterious Angel in tow, not too long after Spike and Xander had gone to pick up to the nice Chinese take-out that would serve as dinner for the night, making the couple only an hour late instead of the two hours Buffy had warned them to expect.

Tara sitting quietly at her side, Willow had enthusiastically welcomed the newcomer, firing off questions to satisfy both curiosity and protectiveness, while Giles had taken firm hold of his role as father-figure and studied both Angel's answers and actions intently, asking the occasional question, trying to make sure the boy's intentions were pure. In lack anything better to do, Anya had simply spent her time dreaming up several interesting fantasies starring Angel alongside a variety of attractive males. Not really caring about Buffy's new boyfriend, she was only there for the free food and company.

Giles frowned at the young man seated before him. “I don't believe I quite caught your age.”

“Uh,” Angel shifted uneasily in his seat on the loveseat, sitting far too close to Buffy for Giles' liking, “I'm 25 actually.”

“Oh?” Giles raised a rather eloquent eyebrow at this, and, seeing it, Buffy quickly rushed to her own defense.

“Yeah, but six years really isn't that much of a difference, you know,” she said quickly, “And, I mean, who really cares? We're both mature, responsible, adults, right?”

That raised eyebrow turned now in her direction, but Giles still nodded, gracefully allowing the issue to drop for the moment, “Very well. But do please refrain from that particular line of defense until it can be believed.”

Glad he wasn't going to make a big deal of the age thing, Buffy put on a look of hurt feelings. “Are you saying I'm not a mature and responsible adult?”

“Of course he is,” Anya answered for Giles, looking at Buffy as though she were an idiot, “Xander told me about Mr. Gordo.”

Buffy turned to her in shock. “What? No. He actually told you?”

“Who's Mr. Gordo?” Angel asked, confused.

Not wanting him to think she was a little kid, Buffy hurriedly answered, “No one,”

Anya answered more honestly. “It's the disproportionate and stuffed reproduction of a pig she whines at when no one wants to listen to her trivial problems.”

Sensing no bad in the man, Tara, trying to get over her shyness, turned to Angel and smiled softly in amusement. “A-Also known as a stuf-stuffed animal.”

Being a known good judge of character, Tara's obvious approval and good opinion of Angel went a long way to ease many of Willow and Giles' worries, but they still decided to hold off any further judgment until after Spike and Xander's return, which turned out to be nearly half an hour later.

Casually barging through the front door, Xander stood in the entryway of the living room and held the drinks in his arms a high, announcing, “And we are here, people.”

There was a derisive snort from behind him, Spike pushing the younger man out of his way and quickly moving toward where everyone sat to dump his bags of Chinese on the coffee table. “There.”

Witnessing this rather ungraceful presentation, Giles looked at his nephew and said dryly, “Yes. Thank you.”

Spike glared, “Well, next time, y' should bloody order from a place that delivers, yeah? I'm not yer—” catching sight of the man seated at Buffy's side as Spike moved to take a seat, “Fuck!” He took a quick step back, now staring wide-eyed, “Jesus bloody fuckin' Christ . . . Angel?”

Angel's own eyes went wide as he got a good look at Spike. The voice had sounded familiar but he hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact identity until right then. “William?”

No answer, Spike temporarily incapable of deciding just how he should respond to the sight of this particular face. A face he had dreamed of meeting again but never actually expected to see.

“Will?” Angel's voice filling with wonder as he sat forward, “What - what are you doing here?”

Spike didn't answer, still staring at Angel as he tried to sort out his emotions. Gradually a sense of fury was starting to push through his shock and confusion and before anybody knew it he was on Angel, attacking him with his fists. “You . . .” punch to the face, “bloody . . .” uppercut to the chin, “bastard!” right hook to the nose. “I'll kill you!” Angel, caught sitting on the couch with no escape, tried to back away and put up his hands to block Spike's attack, but had no luck.

“You bastard! Get off him!” Buffy screamed, trying to hold onto one of Spike's arms and stop him. Spike shook her off easily and continued to attack Angel.

“Spike!” Xander yelled and quickly dropped the drinks in his hands onto the coffee table and grabbed a hold of Spike, trying to pull him back. “Spike! Stop it!”

Twisting violently, Spike tried to throw Xander off of him, but had no luck. He strained forward; trying to reach Angel again as Angel quickly got off the couch and took a few large steps away from the angry man.

“Spike, stop it! Listen to me!” Xander shouted, holding onto Spike tightly as Spike thrashed, wrapping an arm around Spike's waist and pulling back. Meanwhile everyone else had gotten out of their seats and was staring at Spike in something close to fear. No one had expected this.

“You don't know wot `e did!” Spike growled, still trying to pull away, glaring death at Angel. “Let . . .” thrash, “me . . .” twist, “go!” Spike pulled at Xander arms, trying to free himself, but Xander held firm.

Xander tightened his hold on Spike threateningly, pulling him back into his chest. “You can't kill him,” he said firmly.

“An' why not?” Spike snapped, beginning to calm down. “No one'll miss `im.”

“I think Buffy would.”

Spike didn't care about that. “And?”

Sensing that Spike was calming down and cautiously loosening his hold on the other man, Xander turned the older man around to face him. “You can't kill him. You'll go to jail.”

Spike still didn't care. It would be worth it. “And?”

Alright so that failed. Xander decided to try it yet another way. “Why do you wanna kill him?” he asked, looking at Spike curiously, “I mean, what did the guy ever do to you?”

“He ruined my life,” Spike growled, turning his head to glare at Angel with hate in his eyes. He may have been calming down on the outside, but inside he was clearly just as enraged as before. He was just honing it to a finer, deadlier, point.

“Will . . .” Angel started, bravely taking a step forward and looking at Spike in anguish. “You know I didn—

“Don't talk to me,” Spike snarled and Angel stopped speaking, but he didn't stop looking at Spike in anguish. “Stop looking at me,” Spike snapped.

“Will— Angel started again.

“I said don't talk to me!” Spike snarled, hands clenching into fists.

Not showing much of a self-preservation instinct, Angel ignored him. “Will, I'm sorr—

Taking two steps forward, Spike punched him one last time across the face. Buffy cried out and hurried to Angel's side to make sure he was all right as Spike quickly left the room.

“Well . . .” Giles said, clearing his throat uncomfortably in the following calm.

Xander stayed looking in the direction of the door, having watched as Spike left the room. “What do you think that was about?” he asked the room in general.

“I don't . . .” Willow said, looking a little frightened from where she and Tara had backed up almost to the wall. “I don't know.”

“Do you think he's alright?” Xander asked, still looking in the direction of the door.

“Who cares?” Buffy said angrily, looking up at Xander from her spot next to Angel on the floor. “The bastard can rot in hell. Look what he did to Angel.”

“Buffy . . .” Xander said, turning back to her, not wanting her to be angry at him, but still more worried about Spike than angry over Angel's treatment.

“It's not his fault,” Angel groaned as he sat up, moving his jaw to make sure it wasn't broken.

“But Angel!” Buffy protested.

“No, really . . . I deserved it.”

“Nobody deserves to be beaten like that,” Buffy insisted.

Angel shook his head, but didn't say anything. Let Buffy believe what she wanted.

“I'll go get the first aid kit,” Anya said and then left to go do as she said.