“It does. Angel is no longer evil—neither are you.”

He considered this, slowly, then smiled, not the sneer of the ‘mask of Spike’; but a genuine smile, childlike and happy. I couldn’t resist any longer. I kissed him.

Now, several adventures, four months, and a romantic dinner later, I smile in the darkness, feeling his body near mine in the bed, and wonder. Is my love for William real? I’ve felt it all along, and it hurt me deeply when he betrayed me, first to Adam, then by ignoring me for Harmony; then by sleeping with me and refusing to admit he felt anything for me—then, in my absence, sleeping with (well, I doubt they did much sleeping, but I’m English, and she’s like a daughter to me. I don’t have to deal with it) Buffy, and Anya.

They are all quite capable of handling things now. I’m not needed here any more. If I'm needed anywhere, it’s in England, and I should take Willow with me.

I let go of William, because I couldn’t deal with my feelings, and he took it, and left. The others had accepted the idea that I loved him, but in the end I kept pushing him away. It was too soon after Jenny, after Olivia, too much like Ethan all over again, and I couldn’t cope with being hurt.

Well, sometimes I can. William is one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever been privileged to have—his love is deep, and before I rejected him it was true. He must have thought I didn’t love him. It wasn’t that—I did, I do—but that I wasn’t ready for it. With Buffy’s training to attend to, the Magic Box to care for, and his growing affection for my Slayer, not to mention the other troubles in our lives (and unlives) it was all just too much for me.

I thought it was that way with him, after Adam, after he went for Buffy again, after I went back to England. It couldn’t be—how could he still love me? We would sleep together occasionally, when we needed company, but it didn’t really work because neither of us felt we could be honest. I was afraid he might lead me back to my dark side, make me into Ripper just as Ethan did. I was in enough danger of that when Buffy was dead anyway—only just before, I killed a human. Perhaps only Willow really appreciates how much danger I was in, since she’s the one who fell.

I love him, and I need him to know: but I have to go back to England. Willow needs me there.

He has a soul now. That is a true surprise, and that fact that he went through trials to get it, made up his mind and went, is both impressive and almost frightening. If he can get a soul just by setting his mind to it, what can’t he get if he tries?

I love him, and he loves me. We have a long way to go, but the possibility exists that we will succeed. I have to give it a try. If I don’t try, I will never be able to forgive myself.

We broke up all those years ago because he was falling more and more for Buffy. That’s what I said at the time. Now, I think maybe I had more issues than he did. I thought-feared- that he’d bring Ripper out again.

When he told me that he wanted to be with me, that was the sweetest moment ever. It must have been. He apologised for all the things he’d done, for not being able to see his feelings for Buffy for what they were—lust—and asked me if he could stay in the apartment for a day or two. I said yes, and we slept together for the first time since I left for England, over a year ago. No sex, just the sleeping, curled up against each other, his smaller body cradled in mine. Proper love-birds, we were, in our little nest.

I hope I can be with him for the rest of my life. The part of me that never submitted to the Watcher’s Council says ‘and beyond’. I want to be with him forever, always able to feel him in my arms, hold him when he dreams and talks in his sleep, let his arms slide about me, lift me, when I’m tired. This love is eternal.

Knowing that he has come back, that he has made up with me, that he is with me even now, brings a whole new light to my life. I still have things to face, problems in England to deal with, Buffy to help, Willow to assist, but it is easier to face anything when you don’t feel so alone anymore.

Let me tell them, one thing at a time. First your soul, then why, then us. Don’t say ‘maybe’ in that sulky tone of voice, and tell them anyway. It’s got to be slow. They don't need to be shocked.

And for heaven's sake, let me get the trip to England out of the way first.

The Resurrection Gambit

Part One: Quiet Drinks in a Foreign Land

China, 2023: “Shanghai,” muttered Xander as he dodged the vampire's punch. “Why the Hell did it have to be Shanghai?”

Dawn just rolled her eyes at him. The vampire—old one, she thought, her usual glamours weren’t throwing it—took a swing at her. She ducked, and its fist shattered brick behind her. She didn’t stop to see the spectacle. She fell to her back and kicked out, tripping the vampire’s feet out from under it. It fell forward, and Dawn let gravity do her stake’s work for her.

“Hello!” she said, springing to her feet. “Doing all the work here! Complain later!”

Xander got his bearings, turned, and staked the vampire before it could get another shot at him.

“You sound just like your sister sometimes.”

Dawn shot Xander a withering glance. They stepped back to back to assess the potential danger from the remaining vampires. The vampires obviously didn’t like the odds. One swore in Mandarin, and they retreated into the night.

“We never go anywhere nice,” said Xander. Dawn shook her head, but was smiling. “Twenty years," she thought. "And in some ways, he hasn’t changed.”

She was glad of that.

They pushed on to the waterfront bar they’d been headed toward when they were attacked. Dawn noted that the vampire gangs were getting larger, more organized.

Xander nodded, more serious. “They’re coming together for protection,” he said. “The war’s starting.”

Dawn said nothing. They approached the bar in silence.

Inside, a seedy, underworld—in both senses of the phrase—crowd hid in plain sight, obscured by each other’s efforts to remain unseen. Through the dim light, they sought out their colleagues. Xander knew they’d have beaten them here.

He was right. Wesley and Spike sat in a corner, obviously as unhappy with their location as Xander was. Shanghai had not been good to them.

Xander and Dawn pulled up chairs.

“I was afraid you weren’t coming,” said Wesley, smiling thinly.

“Vampire attack,” said Xander. “They’re coming fewer now, but more viciously.”

“Like bloody wolves pushed out of the woods by construction,” said Spike. “They’ve got nothing to lose now.”

“The balance is gone,” said Wesley. “We need to set it right, before the Slayers are gone.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“So,” said Dawn, all business. “Is everyone in place?”

“Buffy’s group is in London,” said Spike. “Willow’s got the wards cast, and is dead sure the spell will work. Faith and Vi have Slayers spread out across the globe. We don’t know exactly what the reaction will be. Could be bloody chaos.”

“It’s not like we have a choice, Spike,” said Xander, grimly. “We’ve got to finish what we started in Sunnydale. The fate of the world depends on it. Angel died for it.”

They were silent then. Wesley went pale. His stiff upper lip was quivering a bit, Dawn thought. Xander and Wesley had become close—nearly brothers, in some ways. At first it was because they were at the core of the new Watcher’s Council, but then Angel’s death, in this very city… it had affected the two of them hardest of all.

Wesley raised his glass.

“To Angel, and to everyone else that’s died to set this sorry world right.”

The four of them toasted in silence. Four heroes, each of whom have been through the fires more than they could count. They drank silently for a moment, and then Spike smiled maliciously.

“They’ll never forgive us for what we’re about to do to them,” he said, his dark mood evident despite his voice’s lilt. “Trust me mates, “I know.”

Great stuff Am-Chau.

Victor, I'm glad you decided to keep on writing fic. I like this a lot.

More, Victor, please.

Victor, man, you make me squirm in all the right places.

Thanks, all. Part Two will be around later today or tomorrow. Must work now.

YAY! More Victor!!!!!!!!!

[link]

Victor's CWDP story is up now. There was a minor delay involving some minor hacks to my alt.css for the site, as it turns out NN4.7x is even more random in its support of CSS than even I knew.

Victor, great story. Loving Dawn and Xander more and more. You do good Spike.

The Resurrection Gambit

Part Two: The Raid

Los Angeles, 2003: The LAPD barreled down the door with a battering ram, and policemen nervously hoisted their guns at the crowd of vampires gathered within the run-down warehouse.

The monsters lurched forward as Angel leapt into the fray ahead of the cops, barreling into the crowd, vamped out and in an obvious frenzy. Gunn began barking orders.

“All right, people!” he shouted. “We're shooting anything that’s a vampire and not on our side. Remember, you’re on the side of the angels this time.”

“Whattaya think we usually are?” asked an offended cop.

“Huh.” said Gunn. “Hadn’t thought about it.”

Wesley folded his arms into the lining of his jacket, and pulled them out quickly, revealing a pistol in each hand. He began firing—head shots only—into the crowd.

“Now, Gunn, don’t taunt the clients. It’s gauche.”

After years of thinking Kate Lockley was crazy, a sudden increase in L.A.’s vampire population proved to be more than they could explain away. They turned to Kate. Kate referred them to Angel. Angel charged them a lot of money.

Spike came flying out at the crowd from the police’s opposite flank It was his first big scrap since he fell naked out of the sky into the crater that was once Sunnydale, where he was found by a Wolfram & Hart scout team trained to seek out otherdimensional disturbances. His reckless abandon disturbed Gunn. Vamp was having too much fun.

Still, Spike’s obvious need for release was nowhere near as disturbing as the fact that all of these vampires were, judging from their colors, Bloods. He didn’t laugh at the joke.

He pulled out a stake and joined the fight, covering Wesley’s back.

“Noticed anything about them?” asked Wesley coolly, as he tossed away one empty pistol in favor of a loaded secreted in his belt. “Head shots only!” he shouted at the cops, who seemed a bit lost. “The body shots have no effect!”

“You mean besides fighting beside the cops and a couple of Brit vamps against a bunch of ex-brothers? Starting to think I’m the wrong side, dog.”

Wesley smiled. “I think they’re taking applications. This lot's fresh.”

Gunn looked closely. They were. Clothes still in fashion. New sneakers on a few. That “just exhumed” smell.

Angel and Spike did most of the heavy lifting, and the nest was cleaned up in no time. Angel pinned one against the wall, his hand tight around its jugular.

"Talk,” said Angel. “Who’s bringing vampires into my town? Why the sudden increase?”

The vampire grimaced, and then smiled at him.

“You.” it said. “You will be judged, Angelus. Soon.”

Angel bashed the vampire’s head against the wall, knocking it unconscious. He turned to the group.

“Gunn, you have an idea what neighborhood this group was from originally?” Gunn nodded. “Good. Take a team tonight. find out where they’re coming from. What’s going on.”

Angel turned to the police, and pulled a cell phone from his pocket. “I’m calling my people. They’re equipped to handle the survivors. We’ll let you know when we know something.” The cop looked like he was about to protest, then thought better of it. “Where you going to be?” asked Gunn. “Evidently,” said Angel, “I have an appointment.”

Very nice Victor, except for the part where there's not enough of it.