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snoggedTitle: Self-Destruct Button (3/?)
Author: snogged
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and many other corporations own the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series. I don’t.
Pairing: Willow/Spike
Word Count: 1715
Overall Rating/Warnings: FRAO/NC-17 (Eventually)
Setting: Buffy – Post “Chosen”/Angel – set shortly after “Damage.”
Summary: Willow gets a party invitation from a certain warlock in Los Angeles.
Beta(s):![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
angelskuuipo and purplefeen. All other mistakes are mine.
A/N: Written forrua1412 who inspired me with her gorgeous artwork.
Banner byrua1412
Feet first, Willow. Feet first.
Her heart was already crushed and broken. She didn’t really want to break any additional body parts once she’d landed at Angel’s last known location. Especially because Angel wasn’t known for surrounding himself with soft, squishy beanbag chairs and gym mats. Angel was far more of the type to surround himself with sharp, pointy things. Things that could be used to kill demons and vampires and other nasty things that went bump in the night.
Gosh, what if I programmed this darn spell to teleport myself right into a showdown between Angel and a band of angry demons? That would be bad. That would be very, very bad. Or what if Angel had already left before the spell had time to reconfigure itself and- I -suddenly became the one stuck facing a pack of angry demons?
“Oof,” Willow muttered as her tailbone made contact with soft, gray carpeting. She figured she shouldn’t be too surprised that her train of thought had completely derailed her focus, but much to her relief, there were no demons in sight. What she saw instead were several red plushy chairs, a curved mahogany desk, a black leather swivel chair, several bookcases along the far wall, and the only sharp pointy thing (a sword) was safely tucked inside its scabbard.
This was definitely a far cry from their old digs at the Hyperion Hotel.
“Angel?”
Willow’s ears perked up, recognizing the familiar drawl that was coming from the hallway outside of the room she was in.
“In here!” Willow called, realizing a bit too late that she should have started with her name.
It wasn’t like they were expecting her to show up. What if Wesley thought she was some demon who was possessing Angel? Of course, now that she thought about it, it occurred to her that she would make a terrible imitation demon given the fact that she hadn’t lowered her register or disguised her voice in any way.
Wesley appeared in the door frame within seconds, his fists clenched slightly. He wasn’t looking to fight though, which meant he’d recognized her voice.
“Willow?”
“The one and only,” Willow replied softly.
“Are you all right?” Wesley asked, glancing down at the floor where she sat, tears staining her cheeks.
Willow wiped off her face with the back of her hand, hoping to erase the physical signs of her pain. As much as she liked Wes, he wasn’t really at the top of her list when it came to talking about her relationship troubles. Those positions had always been filled by Buffy and Xander. Though, unless she was going to call them, she was going to have to find someone here to talk to and maybe Wesley could be that person after all. “I’m fine. Kink in the teleportation spell, I guess.”
Wesley nodded. “What are you doing here?” he asked, sounding perplexed. “I was under the impression that your…lot…was choosing to avoid us because of the Wolfram and Hart takeover.”
Willow carefully pulled herself into a standing position, trying to keep her own bewilderment at bay. Everything Wesley was saying was completely foreign to her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Wesley looked startled and a bit taken aback. “But Andrew told us….”
“What?” Willow asked.
“Andrew told us, in no uncertain terms, that Rupert and Buffy had chosen to cut ties with us. He made it clear that everyone was involved in this decision,” Wesley explained.
Willow blinked twice, a sense of some understanding washing over her. Was this why Giles had told her to stay away from Los Angeles? Why he had said that Angel wouldn’t be able to help her figure out Vail’s plans?
“Well, I wasn’t informed,” Willow replied, ignoring the twinge in her heart that she’d been kept out of what seemed to be a pretty inclusive loop since Andrew knew about it.
“I see,” Wesley said, pursing his lips, uncertainty still creasing his forehead.
“I’ve still got my Team Angel membership card, Wes, and I don’t plan on ripping it up. You guys are my friends and you always will be. That’s why I’m here. I need your help. Well…not just your help, but Angel’s help and Gunn’s help and Fred’s help and….” Willow’s voice trailed off, waiting for Wesley to jump into the conversation.
“Of course,” Wesley replied. “You’ll have to come to the medical wing though. Angel should hear this.”
Willow’s eyes widened with worry. It wasn’t often vampires needed medical attention, given their ability to heal quickly, so something seriously bad must have happened if Angel was in the hospital. “Oh Goddess! Is he hurt? Is he okay? Does Buffy…?” She stopped herself before officially sticking her foot in her mouth. Buffy and Angel weren’t an item anymore. They weren't even on speaking terms anymore.
“Angel’s fine,” Wesley replied. “It’s…Spike.”
“Spike?” Willow asked; her mind racing to twist itself around Wesley’s shocking revelation. Did Buffy know about this? Was this another thing that everyone knew except for her? Gosh, how out of the loop was she? “But he…Buffy said…that.... he…he sacrificed himself to save the world.”
“He’s very much alive, Willow,” Wesley replied. “The amulet used to destroy the First Evil was mailed to our offices and Spike popped out, more insolent and disagreeable than ever.”
“Is that why he’s in the hospital?” Willow asked. “Did something go wrong?”
“Well…yes and no,” Wesley said. “He came back as an incorporeal being and had a few spots of trouble with a demon named Pavayne who tried to drag him back to Hell. But…I think it might be best for us to just walk down there. I’ll explain on the way.”
“Okay,” Willow answered.
The walk to the medical wing was brief, but Wesley managed to fill her in on the horrific details of the Dana case. By the time they reached Spike’s hospital room, there was no room in Willow’s head to think about Kennedy or the heartbreak she would eventually need to process. Her problems were nothing in comparison to….
“Hands! You have hands!” Willow shrieked, startling the blond vampire who had, until that point, been watching an As The World Turns marathon on the small television that had been rolled in on a cart.
As for Angel, he was sitting in a plastic, champagne-colored chair with an unopened, manila file in one hand and squeezing the life out of a glass of whiskey with the other. He glanced up at her briefly, but barely offered her more then the ghost of a smile.
“’Course I bloody well have hands,” Spike retorted, pressing the mute button on the remote control that was resting next to his calf, well within reach of his fingers, that were peeking out from the thick bandages wrapped around his hands. “Don’t need to alert the presses, Red.”
“Sorry,” Willow said, feeling suddenly embarrassed. “It’s just that Wesley told me about Dana and I thought that….”
Spike lifted up his left arm and waved his hand at her. She couldn’t help but notice that the nails already had a fresh coat of black polish on them. “You thought wrong, love. Fancy doctors patched me all up.”
“That’s great!” Willow exclaimed. “And it’s great that you’re here and great that you’re not dead and I’m saying great too much, aren’t I?”
Spike chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement as a smirk curled the corners of his lips. “A few more times couldn’t hurt. Bet it’s been a long time since you’ve stroked a man’s ego.”
“Erm…,” Willow stammered. She probably should have seen that coming. Spike had always had a knack for racy, off-color commentary.
“Spike,” Angel said warningly, contempt lacing his tone.
“What?” Spike asked. “Red’s good for a tease, aren’t you, pet?”
“It’s okay,” Willow replied hurriedly. “I’m just glad Spike’s alive.”
“Is that why you rushed all the way here? Had to see to believe after Andrew returned to your headquarters? He’s not a sideshow attraction,” Angel said brusquely.
Willow furrowed her brows and crinkled her nose. It was clear that whatever Andrew had said had certainly rubbed everyone here the wrong way. “Spike’s my friend, Angel. Of course I’d come to see him. If I’d known he was back, I would have been here a lot sooner. But we…I…didn’t know, okay? I’m only here because I need….”
“Willow’s here for our help,” Wesley interjected, as he stepped inside the room to defend her. “She was not aware of any other issues until the present time.”
Angel nodded and flashed Willow an expectant, questioning look.
Willow inhaled sharply and glanced over her shoulder, mouthing “thank you” to Wesley, before returning her gaze to Angel’s stoic expression.
“I’ve been traveling the astral plane a lot these days to locate women and girls that were affected by the big slayer spell we did in the spring and the last time I went in something unusual happened.”
“Like we haven’t heard that line before,” Spike said, snorting with amusement.
Undeterred, Willow continued: “While I was there, I got an invitation to a party from a sorcerer. Cyvus Vail. Giles says he’s bad news.”
“That daft buzzard thinks we’re bad news too,” Spike murmured.
“Well I don’t,” Willow said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest and almost throwing in a foot stomp for good measure. She needed them to know she was in their corner, needed them to know that she wasn’t giving up on them like her friends had. That wasn’t the Willow way.
“We’ll do what we can, Willow,” Angel replied.
“I believe I have,” Wesley offered. “Heard of him, that is. I’ll have my department review the files and develop a list of critical details. I’ll also check with Lorne. If anyone in this town is having a party, he’s going to know about it.”
Willow grinned broadly, not caring that Wesley had just mentioned consulting with his “department.” It was far more important to her that they were helping. To her, that proved that it didn’t matter where Angel’s crew was located as long as they were still willing to fight for the side of good.
“I’ll be her date.”
Even those who just recently had their hands chopped off by a psychotic slayer.
Chapter 4
Author: snogged
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and many other corporations own the characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series. I don’t.
Pairing: Willow/Spike
Word Count: 1715
Overall Rating/Warnings: FRAO/NC-17 (Eventually)
Setting: Buffy – Post “Chosen”/Angel – set shortly after “Damage.”
Summary: Willow gets a party invitation from a certain warlock in Los Angeles.
Beta(s):
angelskuuipo and purplefeen. All other mistakes are mine.A/N: Written for
rua1412 who inspired me with her gorgeous artwork.Banner by
rua1412Feet first, Willow. Feet first.
Her heart was already crushed and broken. She didn’t really want to break any additional body parts once she’d landed at Angel’s last known location. Especially because Angel wasn’t known for surrounding himself with soft, squishy beanbag chairs and gym mats. Angel was far more of the type to surround himself with sharp, pointy things. Things that could be used to kill demons and vampires and other nasty things that went bump in the night.
Gosh, what if I programmed this darn spell to teleport myself right into a showdown between Angel and a band of angry demons? That would be bad. That would be very, very bad. Or what if Angel had already left before the spell had time to reconfigure itself and- I -suddenly became the one stuck facing a pack of angry demons?
“Oof,” Willow muttered as her tailbone made contact with soft, gray carpeting. She figured she shouldn’t be too surprised that her train of thought had completely derailed her focus, but much to her relief, there were no demons in sight. What she saw instead were several red plushy chairs, a curved mahogany desk, a black leather swivel chair, several bookcases along the far wall, and the only sharp pointy thing (a sword) was safely tucked inside its scabbard.
This was definitely a far cry from their old digs at the Hyperion Hotel.
“Angel?”
Willow’s ears perked up, recognizing the familiar drawl that was coming from the hallway outside of the room she was in.
“In here!” Willow called, realizing a bit too late that she should have started with her name.
It wasn’t like they were expecting her to show up. What if Wesley thought she was some demon who was possessing Angel? Of course, now that she thought about it, it occurred to her that she would make a terrible imitation demon given the fact that she hadn’t lowered her register or disguised her voice in any way.
Wesley appeared in the door frame within seconds, his fists clenched slightly. He wasn’t looking to fight though, which meant he’d recognized her voice.
“Willow?”
“The one and only,” Willow replied softly.
“Are you all right?” Wesley asked, glancing down at the floor where she sat, tears staining her cheeks.
Willow wiped off her face with the back of her hand, hoping to erase the physical signs of her pain. As much as she liked Wes, he wasn’t really at the top of her list when it came to talking about her relationship troubles. Those positions had always been filled by Buffy and Xander. Though, unless she was going to call them, she was going to have to find someone here to talk to and maybe Wesley could be that person after all. “I’m fine. Kink in the teleportation spell, I guess.”
Wesley nodded. “What are you doing here?” he asked, sounding perplexed. “I was under the impression that your…lot…was choosing to avoid us because of the Wolfram and Hart takeover.”
Willow carefully pulled herself into a standing position, trying to keep her own bewilderment at bay. Everything Wesley was saying was completely foreign to her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Wesley looked startled and a bit taken aback. “But Andrew told us….”
“What?” Willow asked.
“Andrew told us, in no uncertain terms, that Rupert and Buffy had chosen to cut ties with us. He made it clear that everyone was involved in this decision,” Wesley explained.
Willow blinked twice, a sense of some understanding washing over her. Was this why Giles had told her to stay away from Los Angeles? Why he had said that Angel wouldn’t be able to help her figure out Vail’s plans?
“Well, I wasn’t informed,” Willow replied, ignoring the twinge in her heart that she’d been kept out of what seemed to be a pretty inclusive loop since Andrew knew about it.
“I see,” Wesley said, pursing his lips, uncertainty still creasing his forehead.
“I’ve still got my Team Angel membership card, Wes, and I don’t plan on ripping it up. You guys are my friends and you always will be. That’s why I’m here. I need your help. Well…not just your help, but Angel’s help and Gunn’s help and Fred’s help and….” Willow’s voice trailed off, waiting for Wesley to jump into the conversation.
“Of course,” Wesley replied. “You’ll have to come to the medical wing though. Angel should hear this.”
Willow’s eyes widened with worry. It wasn’t often vampires needed medical attention, given their ability to heal quickly, so something seriously bad must have happened if Angel was in the hospital. “Oh Goddess! Is he hurt? Is he okay? Does Buffy…?” She stopped herself before officially sticking her foot in her mouth. Buffy and Angel weren’t an item anymore. They weren't even on speaking terms anymore.
“Angel’s fine,” Wesley replied. “It’s…Spike.”
“Spike?” Willow asked; her mind racing to twist itself around Wesley’s shocking revelation. Did Buffy know about this? Was this another thing that everyone knew except for her? Gosh, how out of the loop was she? “But he…Buffy said…that.... he…he sacrificed himself to save the world.”
“He’s very much alive, Willow,” Wesley replied. “The amulet used to destroy the First Evil was mailed to our offices and Spike popped out, more insolent and disagreeable than ever.”
“Is that why he’s in the hospital?” Willow asked. “Did something go wrong?”
“Well…yes and no,” Wesley said. “He came back as an incorporeal being and had a few spots of trouble with a demon named Pavayne who tried to drag him back to Hell. But…I think it might be best for us to just walk down there. I’ll explain on the way.”
“Okay,” Willow answered.
The walk to the medical wing was brief, but Wesley managed to fill her in on the horrific details of the Dana case. By the time they reached Spike’s hospital room, there was no room in Willow’s head to think about Kennedy or the heartbreak she would eventually need to process. Her problems were nothing in comparison to….
“Hands! You have hands!” Willow shrieked, startling the blond vampire who had, until that point, been watching an As The World Turns marathon on the small television that had been rolled in on a cart.
As for Angel, he was sitting in a plastic, champagne-colored chair with an unopened, manila file in one hand and squeezing the life out of a glass of whiskey with the other. He glanced up at her briefly, but barely offered her more then the ghost of a smile.
“’Course I bloody well have hands,” Spike retorted, pressing the mute button on the remote control that was resting next to his calf, well within reach of his fingers, that were peeking out from the thick bandages wrapped around his hands. “Don’t need to alert the presses, Red.”
“Sorry,” Willow said, feeling suddenly embarrassed. “It’s just that Wesley told me about Dana and I thought that….”
Spike lifted up his left arm and waved his hand at her. She couldn’t help but notice that the nails already had a fresh coat of black polish on them. “You thought wrong, love. Fancy doctors patched me all up.”
“That’s great!” Willow exclaimed. “And it’s great that you’re here and great that you’re not dead and I’m saying great too much, aren’t I?”
Spike chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement as a smirk curled the corners of his lips. “A few more times couldn’t hurt. Bet it’s been a long time since you’ve stroked a man’s ego.”
“Erm…,” Willow stammered. She probably should have seen that coming. Spike had always had a knack for racy, off-color commentary.
“Spike,” Angel said warningly, contempt lacing his tone.
“What?” Spike asked. “Red’s good for a tease, aren’t you, pet?”
“It’s okay,” Willow replied hurriedly. “I’m just glad Spike’s alive.”
“Is that why you rushed all the way here? Had to see to believe after Andrew returned to your headquarters? He’s not a sideshow attraction,” Angel said brusquely.
Willow furrowed her brows and crinkled her nose. It was clear that whatever Andrew had said had certainly rubbed everyone here the wrong way. “Spike’s my friend, Angel. Of course I’d come to see him. If I’d known he was back, I would have been here a lot sooner. But we…I…didn’t know, okay? I’m only here because I need….”
“Willow’s here for our help,” Wesley interjected, as he stepped inside the room to defend her. “She was not aware of any other issues until the present time.”
Angel nodded and flashed Willow an expectant, questioning look.
Willow inhaled sharply and glanced over her shoulder, mouthing “thank you” to Wesley, before returning her gaze to Angel’s stoic expression.
“I’ve been traveling the astral plane a lot these days to locate women and girls that were affected by the big slayer spell we did in the spring and the last time I went in something unusual happened.”
“Like we haven’t heard that line before,” Spike said, snorting with amusement.
Undeterred, Willow continued: “While I was there, I got an invitation to a party from a sorcerer. Cyvus Vail. Giles says he’s bad news.”
“That daft buzzard thinks we’re bad news too,” Spike murmured.
“Well I don’t,” Willow said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest and almost throwing in a foot stomp for good measure. She needed them to know she was in their corner, needed them to know that she wasn’t giving up on them like her friends had. That wasn’t the Willow way.
“We’ll do what we can, Willow,” Angel replied.
“I believe I have,” Wesley offered. “Heard of him, that is. I’ll have my department review the files and develop a list of critical details. I’ll also check with Lorne. If anyone in this town is having a party, he’s going to know about it.”
Willow grinned broadly, not caring that Wesley had just mentioned consulting with his “department.” It was far more important to her that they were helping. To her, that proved that it didn’t matter where Angel’s crew was located as long as they were still willing to fight for the side of good.
“I’ll be her date.”
Even those who just recently had their hands chopped off by a psychotic slayer.
Chapter 4
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
on 2011-05-07 06:47 pm (UTC)Love Spike's running commentary, and those bastards for keeping Willow out of the loop! Although I'm glad they're going to help her :)
no subject
on 2011-05-09 04:22 am (UTC)