TITLE: Who Are You?

 

CHAPTER: 2

 

AUTHOR: persistenceofmemory

 

DISCLAIMER:  As usual, Joss owns all I'm just borrowing his people.

RATING: R

PAIRINGS: A/S

SUMMARY: The gang starts to go into research mode to fix Spike. All the while Angel is struggling to keep his cool while Spike is temporally his seventeen year old self. R&R please.

 

A/N: Takes place early during Angel season 2 and Buffy season 5. And just pretend that Dawn is home with Joyce and Giles is... somewhere. R&R please.

 

 “Okay, so why are we in deep trouble?” Buffy asked.

“Think about it Buffy.” Giles explained. “The time when William first met Angelus. This could be very dangerous. Angel, tell us what happened.”

Angel shook his head silently and stood up from the couch. Pressing a finger to his lips he walked over to the bedroom door. He pulled open the door and smiled as William tumbled forward and sprang to his feet. Angel quirked an eyebrow at the boy.

“S-sorry.” He said quickly. “Didn’t mean to eavesdrop but the conversation seamed to pertain to me so I...”

Angel held up a hand to stop him. He fought the urge to reach out and stroke the blonde’s cheek comfortingly and put his hands in his pockets instead. “I was just coming to get you.” He turned back to the group. “That’s Buffy, Giles, and Willow.” He pointed to each in turn.

Once William had introduced himself to each, Angle spoke again. “We need to get to Buffy’s house, she has things there that can help us.” Angel turned and walked to the door.

He grabbed his coat off the coat tree and slipped it on. “We should take the tunnels, I can’t really go outside. It’s a... skin condition.” He handed William Spike’s coat. “Lets go.”

“What about them?” William asked, taking the strange garment from Angel.

“The um... carriage.” Buffy said quickly. “We have a carriage, it’s waiting outside but you and Angel should take the tunnels because of the... skin condition.” She stopped suddenly when she realized she was babbling. “We’re gonna go now. See you soon.” She grabbed her coat and she Willow and Giles walked out the door.

“Lets go.” Angel said walking into the back room and lifting up a sewer grate.

Angel jumped in while William stood looking down, a look of disgust on his face. “You expect me to go down there? Can’t I go in the carriage with them?”

“Just get down here.” Angel said angrily.

“Alright.” William sighed, carefully jumping down and joining Angel. “What now?”

“We walk.” Angel then turned and began to go down the familiar path to Buffy’s house, William following along with his nose plugged.

After a few moments of silence William asked the question Angel was hoping he wouldn’t get to for a while yet. “So, you and this Spike chap.” He said, trying to act casual. “I saw some interesting pictures of you. Were you two...?” He trailed off, trying to hide the awkwardness in his voice.

“I don’t know how he felt about me but I know that I love him.” Angel said quietly. “Lets not talk about it. I just want to get him back.”

“Am I that unbearable?” The blonde asked, his voice taking on an offended tone.

Angel stopped in his tracks and glared at William. “As a matter of fact yes. I’ve been here for three days and Spike and me have hardly had any time together. Now you’re here and you look like him and smell like him but you’re not him. I miss him and all I want to do is get him back so I can fuck him ‘til his eyes bleed. Unless you want to volunteer?”

“There is no need to be snippy.” William said defensively. “And there is certainly no need for such language. You are nothing like Angelus.”

“Well yeah!” Angel yelled then continued to walk, William still following him like a lost puppy. Angel didn’t think he could put up with much more of this, he wanted Spike back badly. Angel suddenly stopped dead when William’s words hit him. William had met Angelus already. They were in deep shit.

He turned and looked at William. “How long have you known Angelus?”

William stopped to think. “About a month or so I believe.” He said. “He really is a very nice gentleman. You know him? You do look a great deal like him, a relation perhaps?”

“I’m his brother.” Angel said quickly. “Listen to me William, Angelus is not like other men. Just be careful around him, okay?” Angel sighed as the memory of his first meeting with the young William came into his mind.

William shrugged. “I rather like him. Shall we carry on?”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached Buffy’s street they entered her house through the sewer grate in her basement and walked upstairs to join the others. Angel introduced William to Dawn, Xander, Anya, Tara and Riley then Angel asked Dawn to keep William occupied while the gang researched. Once Angel was certain that William couldn’t hear them he told the gang of Angelus’ little obsession with the blonde.

Angel passed the room as he spoke, running his hands through his hair every so often out of nervousness. “I met William at a party. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. He’d just turned seventeen I believe.” Angel said, still pacing the room.

“Not to be rude but can we skip the vampire love crap?” Riley asked from his spot over by Buffy. Angel glared at him. “I just mean to save time.”

Angel rolled his eyes but kept going. “I talked to him at the party, he thought I was the kindest man to walk the planet.” Half the room snorted in disbelief but Angel ignored them. “I visited him on and off for the next year and on his eighteenth birthday I...” Angel trailed off with a slight shudder.

Buffy stood up and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, it wasn’t you. It was Angelus.”

Angel covered her hand with his then continued the story. “On his eighteenth birthday I raped him. He wouldn’t come willingly so I took what I wanted.” He heard Willow gasp slightly and bowed his head in shame. “I left him alone for the next month or so then I went back to him. As Angelus I was imposable to resist, I knew exactly what to say and do to keep people coming back to me. I kept this up with him on and off for the next three years, then left for another year. When he was twenty-two, once he’d forgotten me finally I turned him. Then he became Spike.”

“I’m still not getting why this is so dangerous. I mean he knows Angelus, so what?” Xander asked.

Angel sighed and looked at the boy. “Think about it, this is pretty much the ‘I hate Angelus Club’ one wrong word about him and William goes off running into the sun he can’t go out into.” A look of fear crossed Angel’s face briefly but he shook it off and kept going. “And I really don’t want to lose my mate. If I do, Angelus might just have to make a repeat appearance.”

“Alright Angel we get it, no bad talking Angelus.” Willow said, trying to keep the peace. “But what do we do? I mean we have to track down that warlock to find out how to reverse the spell and our only tracker is, well, stuck in the nineteenth centaury.”

“Hey!” Angel half shouted. “I’m still a vampire here! And I am a way better tracker than Spike.” He crossed his arms and began to mumble to himself. “I just prefer to use good old detective work to solve my problems.” He sneered.

“Yeah Angel, we got it.” Buffy said. “It’s just that Spike doesn’t like you helping, he doesn’t want you to get hurt if you don’t have to. We just want to respect his wishes while he’s gone.”

“He’s not dead!” Angel shouted. “He’s just... misplaced.” He stood up and grabbed his coat. “I’m going to find this warlock no matter what you guys say. There was some foreign blood on Spike’s shirt, I’m going to try that then follow the scent. I find anything, I’ll come back.” He stalked into the kitchen and down into the basement.

A moment later they heard the sewer grate slam and everybody winced at the sound. “Wow.” Riley said finally. “He’s in a bad mood.”

“Well how would you feel if I couldn’t remember who you were?” Buffy said, trying to defend Angel. “I mean you weren’t here when I went all seventeen hundreds. It was bad and now Angel has to go through that again.” She sighed, resting her head on Riley’s shoulder. “We need to fix this. Willow, Tara, why don’t you two try any all-purpose counter spells. The rest of us will hit the books.” She stood up. “Lets get to work.”

Meanwhile, Dawn was keeping William occupied in her room. They were playing cards and chatting. William however, had an ulterior motive, he was trying to discreetly find out about this Spike fellow and making good progress with Dawn.

“So, Spike and Angel.” He said casually. “Are they somehow involved? I can’t see how that is possible though, two men together is absurd.”

“Well, it’s different here William.” Dawn explained. “It’s okay for people to fall in love with who ever they want. As long as they don’t hurt anybody.”

“So they are in love then. Interesting.” William said.

Dawn was confused, where had he heard that Angel and Spike weren’t in love? “What do you mean? Who’ve you been talking to?”

“Angel.” William answered. “He said that he didn’t know how Spike felt about him. Odd man that Angel, nothing like Angelus.”

“I hope not, cause that would be really bad.” Dawn half laughed. “Angelus is evil.”

“Bite your tongue child, Angelus is a fine man.”

“Oh yes a very fine man, so fine he tried to kill my sister and her friends for like a year straight. Not to mention me.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “Jeez it’s like you’ve never met him.”

William suddenly dropped his cards, his face turning hard with anger. “You are wrong about him, he wouldn’t hurt a fly and I wish you to stop speaking of him so negatively.”

Dawn snorted. “I will talk about him any way I like, he’s an evil vampire. Nothing good ever came from him.” She was about to go on when she saw the shock in William’s eyes. She had said the V- word. William stood up off the bed and bolted to the door. “William wait!” Dawn called after him as he raced down the stairs.

She chased him down into the kitchen. He headed for the door and ran outside. “William no!” Dawn shouted, but it was to late...

To be continued...

I know, evil cliffhanger but I had to get reviews somehow! I’m not posting chapter three until I get at least five more reviews. Once the counter hits seven I will update soon after that. So R&R please.

 

Next Chapter