The Opened Window

_______________

Spike lurked across the street, pacing, occasionally looking over at the old hotel. The lobby and a couple of the rooms were lit; the rest of the building was dark. He had arrived in town just before sunrise that morning and had found an abandoned warehouse to hole up in for the day. He'd had to dust the current occupants, but that hadn't bothered him too much.

Now here he was across from the Hyperion pacing and stalling, stalling and pacing. He was disgusted with himself. Come on, wanker, he snarked at himself. You afraid of Angel now? Afraid he'll stake you? Never were afraid of him before. The great-arsed nancy-boy poof.

Truth was though Spike wasn't afraid of being staked; he was afraid of being rejected. Why would Angel welcome him? They hated each other, didn't they? Had fought often enough.

Pulling the Big Bad persona around him like a suit of armor, he swaggered up the walk and through the front doors. Taking a brief glance around, he saw only a small dark-haired woman sitting behind what had once been the registration desk. She looked up and immediately tensed. Spike relaxed a little. Didn't want to scare the girl.

"Hello, luv. Angel about?" Spike walked casually forward, smiling and trying his best to be non-threatening.

"Ye..yes. He's in his room right now, but I can call him if you like. May I have your name?"

"Yeah. Tell him Spike's here for a little visit." That should bring the great broody one down in a hurry.

"Spike?" the girl squeaked. "From Sunnydale Spike?"

"That's me, luv. Heard of me have you?" Spike wondered just what kind of stories she'd heard. Probably nothing to his credit.

The girl was picking up a telephone receiver now, eyes never leaving him. "Angel, Spike's here...yes here, in the lobby, right in front of me...yes...you sure? Okay, I will." Hanging up she smiled nervously at him. "Angel will be right down," she told him. Spike watched with amusement as her hand sneaked down beneath the counter.

"You know," he told her casually, "if I were going to hurt you, you'd be dead before you could even aim that crossbow you're reaching for."

Gasping, the girl pulled her hand up and placed both carefully in front of her. An uncomfortable silence fell for a few seconds before a voice called from the stairs, "Step away from Fred, Spike."

Spike turned around and looked up. Angel stood about halfway down the stairs, crossbow pointed directly at Spike. One eyebrow raised Spike said, "Hope you have good aim with that thing, Angelus. You miss, the little girl is shish kebob."

"My aim is perfect, William, you know that. Now step away from her."

Spike shrugged and moved. Arms spread out at his side he said, "Thought you heard, got a soul now."

"Yeah, I heard. Why doesn't that make me trust you?" sarcasm dripped from Angel's voice.

"Don't know mate. Projecting, maybe?" Spike smirked.

Angel's face darkened and he growled, "What are you doing here, Spike?"

"Not here for any trouble. Was in town, thought I'd pay a visit, you being family and all."

"Now why don't I believe you?" Angel asked wryly. "We haven't exactly been family for a long time now, Spike."

Spike looked at the elder vampire and simply said, "Look, I...do you think we could talk someplace private? No tricks."

Angel stared at him for a few seconds, lowered the crossbow and inclined his head towards his office. "In there," was all he said. Walking down the rest of the stairs, he led the way into his office. Motioning Spike to a chair, he closed the door, placed the crossbow on his desk, and sat down.

"Okay, I'm listening. Say what you have to say and then get out."

Spike hesitated a second and then said, "Actually, sire, I was wondering if you could put me up for a few days, maybe a week, till I figure out what I want to do. Then I'll move on, you won't have to worry about seeing me again."

Angel frowned. First of all Spike had called him 'sire'. Something he rarely did and then usually only when he was angry with him. Secondly Spike was moving on from Sunnydale? Angel had learned about Spike's love for Buffy just a few months ago. He knew Spike. His devotion to his ladylove was epic. A hundred and twenty years with Drusilla was not to be dismissed lightly. What had happened to chase Spike away?

"What happened, Spike?"

Spike closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his pain was evident even to Angel. "She's marrying the Principal."

"What?!"

Angel's shout could be heard throughout the lobby, which was now occupied by Gunn, Connor, and Wesley as well as Fred. All four tensed up, prepared for battle, but it was obvious that while Angel was upset, no warfare was breaking out. In fact, Spike looked more sad than angry.

"Yeah, told me last night. Came home from a date covered in him. Let me know. He'd asked; she said yes."

Angel just stared at him for a minute. "So you cleared out?"

"Yeah." Shaking his head, Spike sighed. "I'm tired, Angel. I'm tired of trying to get something I'll never have." Spike hesitated for a moment, then continued, "You want to know the funny part? Said she loved me." Angel winced slightly but didn't say anything. "Said she loved me but couldn't be with me. Wants a 'normal' life. Well okay I can understand that. It's why you left town after all; give her a chance at a normal life. So she's made her choice. I tried to force myself on her once; won't do it again."

Angel opened his mouth to ask just what that meant, but closed it again. Somehow he felt it best if he didn't know something that he may have to stake Spike over. And in truth he knew that if Spike needed staking for something he had done to Buffy, she, or Giles, even Xander, would have taken care of it by now.

"So when's the happy day," Angel inquired. Spike shrugged, smiled weakly and answered, "Don't know. Didn't ask. Didn't see me being part of the festivities, you know. Certainly not Best Man." Once again Spike hesitated before continuing. "His mum, the Principal's mum...she was the second."

"The second?" He had lost Angel on that one.

"The second slayer I killed. The one in New York in the '70's."

"Oh. Buffy know?"

"Yeah. She knew before I did. Didn't tell me; didn't want me to be upset. You know; soul, guilt." Angel just nodded. "Didn't tell Wood 'cause she didn't want him to stake me. Turns out The First already spilled it. Wood knew from the night we first met. Did try to dust me a few times. I didn't even know it until the last time he tried, then it all came out. He promised Buffy he wouldn't try anymore, at least until after the big battle. Then, well I guess he got over his need for revenge, because he didn't try again."

"Or he found a better revenge," Angel stated flatly.

At first Spike was confused as to what Angel meant, and then his eyes opened wide. "Fuck, Angel, you don't think that bastard's marrying Buffy just to get his revenge on me?"

"And maybe on her," Angel said. "Just think how he must feel to find out that not only is the vampire who killed his mother now souled and fighting the good fight, but has a close relationship with the current Slayer; is in love with her even. And that Slayer is in love with him."

Spike just stared at Angel in horror. Could it be possible? Could Wood be marrying Buffy, making love to her, just to exact some kind of perverse revenge on them by keeping them apart? Jumping up, he ground out, "I'm going back to Sunnydale, kill the pillock and then tell Buffy just what he was up to."

Angel jumped up at the same time and hurried around the desk. Placing a restraining hand on Spike's arm he said, "And if we're wrong? If he is marrying her because he loves her and you have nothing to do with it?"

Spike looked at Angel with frustration. Then his face lit up, "I know! We kidnap him; you torture the truth out of him. If he loves her, well then, okay. Too bad for us, but good for Buffy. If he's lying and doing this to hurt her, we kill him. How's that then?"

Angel just shook his head in amazement. "Spike, my boy, have you ever heard of impulse control?"

Spike stared at his elder and said, "You think it's a bad plan then?"

"Yes."

Sighing Spike sat down again and asked, "So what do we do?"

"We let Buffy make her own decisions, her own mistakes, and live her own life," Angel answered quietly sitting back down at his desk. "It's a hard lesson I think I've finally learned. She's all grown up, Spike, and we can't run her life to suit ourselves. If this Wood is being dishonest, we have to believe that Buffy will discover it in time. And face it, Spike, do you think she would believe or thank either one of us if we told her our suspicions, which by the way are founded on absolutely no facts?"

"Fuck," Spike said again rubbing his hands over his face. "I don't suppose you have anything to drink around here, do you?"

"As a matter of fact," Angel said standing up again and going over to,a filing cabinet. Opening the top drawer he pulled out a bottle of Irish whiskey and two glasses. Setting the bottle and glasses down on his desk, he poured two stiff drinks, handed one to Spike and lifted his glass up in a toast, "To Buffy. May she have a long and happy life."

Spike stood, lifted up his glass and added, "And if that rotten bastard of a Principal is not as he seems, may a Klocbrah demon eat his gonads."

Angel grinned and tossed back the drink in one swallow. Pouring another he toasted, "May he be afflicted with the itch and have no nails to scratch with!"

Toss, swallow, pour.

"May a Mimsack demon cause his pecker to wither and shrink."

Toss, swallow, pour.

"May he be cursed with only telling the truth."

Toss, swallow, pour.

The curses continued becoming more outrageous and silly with each drink. When it became evident that they were soon to run out of whiskey, Angel carefully walked over to the door, opened it and motioned for Fred. She cautiously walked forward and accepted the money that Angel had dug out of his pants pocket. "Fred, would you or someone go get us a couple..."

"Three!" came the shout from inside the office.

"Yeah, okay, three more bottles of whiskey?"

"Ah, do you really think that's a good idea?" Fred asked softly. "I think you two are..."

Before she could continue, Angel patted her on the side of the face and said, "Be a good girl, Fred, and do as I ask, okay? Spike and I are celebrating the betrothal of the woman we love."

"Oh, dear." This from Wesley.

"'S okay, Wes, my friend. We're happy for her, aren't we, Spike."

"Over the moon!" came the slightly slurred answer.

"And she picked a good man, hasn't she, Spike?"

"A pillar of the community with only a slight case of all-consuming hatred for vampires and their ilk," came the happy reply.

"So you see, it's all good and we're just toasting their happiness. Now, be a good girl and fetch us more drink, okay?"

"I'll go," Gunn offered. "I know what Angel likes. Be right back, bro."

"Good man, Angel. You've surrounded yourself with good men...and women," Spike added after smiling blearily at Fred. Fred smiled back tentatively at Spike and then hurried back to Wesley's side.

Luckily, or unluckily as the case may be, the liquor store was not far from the Hyperion and Gunn was back quickly. By this time Cordelia had joined the group and was seated on the registration desk, sipping an extra large Diet Coke and watching the two vampires with unveiled interest. The real Cordelia had finally returned from the Higher Plane, given everyone hell for not being able to tell the difference between her and her evil doppelganger, and promptly moved back into her old apartment. It turned out that Phantom Dennis had taken up his mother's ways and had frightened every tenant away that had tried to rent her apartment. He had been ecstatic when Cordy had returned.

Gunn went to the office door, knocked, and entered, dropped off the bottles of whiskey and returned to the group.

By now the talk inside the office had become animated with much throwing around of arms and exaggerated facial grimacing. At one point, both vampires morphed into game face, made theatrical grrrrr gestures with their arms and had then fallen back into their chairs howling with laughter.

When Lorne joined the crowd gathered outside the office, he was quickly filled in on what the gang knew and pulled up a chair to watch the show. It was at this point that Angel decided to sing.

"'Oh, Mandy, well you came and you gave without taking'"

Spike leaped across the desk taking Angel down in a flying tackle.

"Music critic," was Lorne's response.

The two vampires disappeared behind the desk until Spike was kicked across the room to land against the far wall. Getting up again, he lowered his head and caught Angel in the stomach knocking both of them down. A powerful push and Spike was thrown off again. Angel followed landing on top of Spike and punching him in the face. Spike answered the punch with a neck grasp and head butt. Throwing Angel to the side the younger, lighter vampire then jumped to his feet and kicked Angel in the ribs only to have his foot grabbed, twisted and pulled out from under him. Down he went again, took a few more punches to the head and returned his own. Both vampires climbed unsteadily to their feet, swinging clumsily at each other and cursing at the top of their lungs.

Fred was becoming increasingly frightened by the display and asked, "Shouldn't we go in and stop them?"

Gunn looked at her as if something had come in and sucked her brain out when they weren't looking. "You want us to go into that office and break up a fight between two drunken elder vampires?" he asked incredulously.

"And relatives at that," Wesley interjected.

"Don't worry, Fred," Cordelia added. "If they hurt each other, well they're vampires; they'll heal. And if anyone gets killed it'll be Spike and no big loss there, if you ask me."

"I'm not so sure you're right there, Cordybear," Lorne answered. "I was able to read Angel there before Spike stopped the music, and I think our new boy could be a real asset to Angel Investigations."

"You've got to be kidding," Cordelia responded. "Do you know exactly what Spike is? He's the Slayer of Slayers. Meaning he's killed two Slayers, tried I don't know how many times to kill Buffy, tortured Angel to get the Ring of Amarra, and hung around with that crazy bitch Drusilla for over a hundred and twenty years! And he would be an asset to AI?" Cordelia had been too busy yelling at the gang at AI while on TPTB's payroll to follow what had been happening in Sunnydale, so she was unaware of Spike's efforts to be good.

"Yes, and now he has a soul." Wesley added. "I agree with Lorne. I think if Angel can be persuaded, we may want to add Spike to the team. If he too is seeking redemption, well who are we to deny him the opportunity to do good?"

Connor had remained silent through much of the evening only watching his father and his what? Nephew? Uncle? He wasn't too keen to have another vampire on the staff, but he had learned a hard lesson the past year and was a sadder but wiser boy. He generally kept his opinions to himself now, listened and learned.

By now the two vampires had stopped knocking around each other and had returned to knocking back drinks. It was going to be a very long night.

***

It was late the next evening before Spike made an appearance. Walking very carefully down the stairs to the lobby, he stopped as he realized that he was the center of attention. He recognized the little dark-haired girl, Fred, he thought he remembered Angel calling her, and smiled rather sickly at Cordelia.

"Hullo, Cordelia. Long time no see," he said, trying to be friendly.

"We saw each other just last night, Spike, when all of us helped you and Angel to bed. Guess you don't remember," Cordelia answered dryly.

"Uh, no. 'Fraid I don't remember much from last night, except..." Gingerly touching a bruise on his face he asked, "Did Angel and I get into a fight? I vaguely remember somethin'."

"Oh yeah, you two fought. Hardly a surprise. He started to sing and you took him down."

Spike winced. "Angel sang? God, he's lucky I didn't stake him."

"You're not exactly Barry Manilow yourself, boy," came a voice from behind him. Turning Spike saw Angel descending the stairs. He too had bruises on his face and was holding a hand to his ribs.

"Yeah, well thank God for that," Spike snorted. Reaching the bottom of the stairs he was surprised to find Cordelia holding a mug of blood out to him. Raising a questioning brow, she said, "Just a little blood and a bit of the hair of the dog. Thought if might help."

Spike sighed appreciatively and took the pro-offered mug. "Thanks, luv," he said gratefully. "You're an angel."

"Not any more," was the ironic reply.

Holding out another mug to Angel, she returned to the desk to answer the ringing phone. Spike was grateful once again. The shrill sound had been going straight through his skull. Made him wish for the relatively mild pain of the disintegrating chip.

Turning to Angel, he asked, "So, Angel, what do you do around here for fun anyway?"

"Mostly? We help people. Cordy gets visions or we get phone calls or one of the gang knows somebody who needs help and we help."

"Oh. Okay. Well as long as I'm here, I'll help you help them. If you want me to that is."

Angel looked long and hard at his offspring and then nodded. "Sure," was his only response.

Cordelia came over to them, a slip of paper in her hand. "So you two up to a little fieldwork tonight," she asked.

Angel nodded and took the paper she handed him. "Woman claims some creepy guys are hanging around her house. Arrive every evening as soon as the sun goes down, leave every morning before the sun comes up. Police are never able to find anybody when she calls and now they've put her on the nutcase list. Won't even respond when she calls."

Angel and Spike looked at each other, replied, "Well, this will be easy," at the same time and headed out. Two hours later they came back in beaten and bloody and with their clothes almost torn off. Angel was holding his wrist as if it was broken and Spike was dragging his right leg behind him.

"Dammit, Spike I told you to take the smaller guy, but no, you had to go for the big guy. If you want to work for me you have to do as I tell you."

"Listen, you burk! I keep telling you, that big guy had a stake aimed right at your back. If I hadn't taken him you'd be a big dust pile with nothing left but your hair gel!"

"I knew that guy had a stake. I was ready for him. Now I have a broken wrist and you have a broken leg! I'm telling you, boy, you have to do as I say!"

"'S not a broken leg, just sprained some. I'll be good as new in the morning," Spike countered loudly.

The argument continued all the way into the hotel and up to the desk. The AI group once again watched the show with rapt attention.

"So," Cordy interjected. "I take Spike's first assignment was less than successful?"

"It was too successful," Spike exclaimed. "We took them out. All of them. And by the way, Cordelia, when someone tells you "some" try to get a more accurate count would you? There were more than twenty vamps there. Good fight, but it would have been helpful to be prepared, if you know what I mean."

"Twenty!" Fred cried. "It's a wonder you two weren't killed."

Spike and Angel exchanged glances and then grinned. "Nah," Angel stated casually. "Spike and I are more than a match for twenty youngsters like that. Buncha gangbangers that got turned and still think that guns and knives show how tough they are. We had fifteen of them dusted before they even knew what hit them. It was that big guy that was the trouble. The one I told Spike to leave to me."

With that the argument started up again. Everyone else turned away and ignored the pair. They had a feeling this was something they had better get used to as long as Spike was around.

Over the next week, Spike worked with every member of the team. It had been strange at first working with Connor. Spike could see Darla's good looks and bad attitude and Angel's broody moods all through the boy, but he came to like him nonetheless. He wondered what Dawn would think of him, but then ended that thought before it went any further. He would probably never see Dawn again so no use in opening that wound.

Before he knew it, seven days had passed and Spike realized that he had promised Angel that he would only be there for a week. Standing in his bedroom, he once again neatly folded his clothes and packed them into his knapsack. Angel hadn't paid him for his work and he hadn't asked for anything. He'd had plenty of blood to drink and petty cash had supplied any money he needed for business expenses. He had carefully returned any change left over. He had just enough gas left in the motorcycle to make about a hundred miles before it would need refilled. He had less than five dollars in his pocket. He didn't know what he was going to do for money.

Coming down the stairs with his knapsack in tow, he noticed that everyone looked at him in surprise.

"Going somewhere?" Angel asked.

"Well, yeah. I told you I'd only be here a week. It's been a week."

"Oh, so you're moving on, huh?"

"Yeah, moving on."

"Where to?"

Spike just shrugged. "Don't know. Wherever the bike takes me, I guess."

"Oh. Well, good luck then. Keep in touch, okay?"

"Sure." Spike turned quickly so that no one would notice the tears in his eyes. He had almost made it to the door when Angel called out, "'Course if you wanted, you could stay here. Work for me."

Spike stood frozen. Did Angel just say he wanted him to stay? Work for Angel Investigations? Spike slowly turned around, looked at everyone's smiling faces and swaggered back down into the lobby. "Well, guess I can stay and help keep you lot from gettin' killed. Don't know how you managed all this time without me."

With that, he was enveloped by warm human arms as Fred and Cordelia hugged him and Gunn and Wesley slapped him on the back. Angel merely caught his eye and nodded his head once, a look of pride on his
face. Connor grinned at him shyly and Lorne sang a little welcoming ditty.

And at last Spike felt as if he too was a part of a close family, loved and accepted with a mission worthwhile and a future that promised excitement and a chance to be a good man.

The End