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Chapter Thirty-five

Aria followed Spike to the vault, she had tried not to laugh at her friend's
antics and she hoped that he wasnďż˝t angry but really, what was the Big Bad
doing with a romance novel? When she entered the vault, Spike was pacing back
and forth mumbling to himself but he stopped when he saw her and glared in
her direction.

"What, didnďż˝t get enough chuckles out there that you needed to follow me in
here to laugh some more?" Spike turned his back toward her.

"No, I wasnďż˝t laughing at you" Spike snorted but she continued on "I was
laughing at our friends, theyďż˝re a bunch of hams. Come on, if the roles where
reversed and it had been Gunn or Angel reading the book you would have peed
your pants laughing." Spike shrugged his shoulders.

"None of us ever thought you to be interested in...romance novels."

"Iďż˝m not. This is all your fault you know, if it werenďż˝t for you I wouldnďż˝t
have been caught with that poofy book." Spike ran a hand threw his short hair
and started to pace again.

"My fault? I didnďż˝t force feed some sappy romance book down your throat."
Aria couldnďż˝t believe he was trying to put the blame on her.

"Iďż˝ve been acting like a fool around you, trying to court you, be all sweet
and nice. Well Iďż˝m done! This vamp is not going to turn out to be all broody
like peaches out there..."

"Court me?" Aria laughed. "Is that what you call kissing me on the forehead
before you wander off to the couch every night? Wow and here I thought you
looked at me like a little sister." Relief flooded through her as her fear
that Spike would never return her feelings vacated her body.

"Little sister? Thatďż˝s a laugh, I can barely contain myself around you. It
takes all my effort not to throw you down on the ground and claim you." Aria
visualized Spike doing just that and licked her lips as she thought now that
would be nice, Spike watched in fascination as the redhead's small pink
tongue ran across her lips, it was almost his undoing.

"So why the romance books?" Aria asked.

Spike shrugged and took a few steps closer. "Thought all the chits liked that
drivel. It works for Peaches, thought Iďż˝d get some pointers from Wussyďż˝s
book."

"*Peaches* means the stuff heďż˝s saying but thatďż˝s not you. I see you as the
vampire that takes what he wants." ďż˝Like me, now.ďż˝ Aria thought, enjoying
the desire flashing in the blue eyes a few feet away from her.

"Interesting thought." Spike was on her in seconds, grabbing her to him as
he shoved up against...a bookcase that held some of the more precious books.
He seized her lips, his tongue demanding entrance. Aria gave him entrance and
sighed when their tongues met, after a few minutes of thoroughly kissing
her, Spike pulled away with a cocky smirk on his face. "Now thatďż˝s what I
call taking what I want." Aria pressed her body closer to Spike and brought
her hand behind his head to guide his mouth to hers.

Spike lifted her up bringing her legs around his waist as his lips left her
mouth to nuzzled the pulse point on her neck as he ground his groin into
hers. Aria moaned and arched herself into his body, she had been waiting from
him to do this to her for weeks now. Spikeďż˝s hands wandered to her breasts
and was about to move the cloth from her shirt aside when the door to the
vault swung open.

"AAHHH...My eyes! My retinas are burning." Gunn backed out of the vault with
a hand over his eyes.

"Bloody wanker." Spike grumbled setting Aria on the ground, only to hear her
whimper. "Donďż˝t worry kitten, I donďż˝t plan on sleeping on the couch
tonight." He threw over his shoulder as he walked out of the vault.

"Thatďż˝s good because I donďż˝t plan on sleeping." Aria grumbled and followed
the blond vampire.
********************

Almost two hours later, Giles, Buffy and a extremely tired Dawn walked into
the building. What should have been a joyous get together was tense and
apprehensive. Willow hugged her friend to her but the months of separation
had changed the two girls, that and a handsome dark haired vampire.
Introductions were made and when Giles took a look at Douglass his mouth hung
open. "Dear God, you look just like Nessa."

Douglass fidgeted under his inspection, she had been told that Giles had once
known her Mother but she still found it impossible. Seeing that her Mother
had never been to England but the way the older man was staring, she felt
that she was the one that must have been mistaken. "Itďż˝s nice to meet you."
Douglass offered her hand and it took Giles a moment to accept.

"You look like an exact copy of your Mother."

"Iďż˝ve been told, all but the eyes. She said I had my fatherďż˝s eyes." Giles
took a closer look and gazed into eyes the exact color of his, after a moment
he reprimanded himself for such fanciful thoughts. Their eye coloring was
common.

"Yes well, your Father is a very lucky man." Giles forced a smile though the
thought of any man with his Nessa hurt to even think about.

"Donďż˝t know, never met him." Douglass shrugged. "Though with a name like his
Iďż˝m not too sure that was a bad thing."

Angel cleared his throat and tried to get the their attention, the truth was
too dangerously close and now wasnďż˝t the time. Soon, after the immediate
danger was past but the two hadnďż˝t even heard him.

"I mean,what kind of name is Ripper anyway?" Douglass said as she watched,
the man in front of her paled and the room went deathly quiet. Angel knew it
was time for some damage control.

"Douglass, why donďż˝t you, Lindsey and Aria take Lilah upstairs?" Angel walked
over and guided Douglass away from the speechless Giles to the tied up Lilah.
"Lindsey give her a hand please." Angel eyes told the lawyer not to question,
just do, not that he would complain about a chance to have Douglass to
himself for a little while, even if Aria came along. Lindsey grabbed Lilah by
her upper arm and dragged her over to the stairwell, Douglass and Aria
followed knowing that something big just had happened and they were being
left out. "Was it something I said?" Douglass whispered to Aria.

Giles watched as his...daughter left the room and turned to Angel with an
accusing glare. "You knew didnďż˝t you?"

Angel looked away. "Yes. Tonight when Lindsey brought the book to us and I
read the first page, I knew."

"Does she know?"

"No. I... with everything that is happening I had no clue how to tell her."

Gunn looked back and forth between the vampire and the watcher. "Care to
share with the masses?"

Angel looked at Giles silently asking permission, Giles sighed and nodded.
"In Gilesďż˝s early days he was known as Ripper."

"You mean Ripper as in Dougďż˝s Pops Ripper?" Gunn looked at the Sunnydale gang
and realized that he was pretty much the only one in the dark about the
significance of the nickname.

Buffy walked over to Angel and put her hand on his shoulder, Willow tensed
and turned away. "Angel, you need to tell her. Someone needs to tell her."

"I...we" Angel looked around for Willow who was standing outside the group.
"Weďż˝ll tell her but now is not the right time."

"When is the right time?" Buffy watched as Giles fought for control over his
emotions.

Angel shrugged Buffyďż˝s hand off. "Buffy, you donďż˝t get it. That girl has
gone through hell these last couple of months, Lindseyďż˝s here...not helping
matter at all plus we are too close to getting the guy whoďż˝s responsible for
what happened."

"But think about Giles. The woman he loved had their child and never told
him. Howďż˝d you like it if twenty some odd years down the line you found out
that I had our child and didnďż˝t tell you?" Willow choked down the urge to
revisit dinner, how foolish for her to ever think that she and Angel had a
chance at anything other than a deep friendship. Buffy would always be there.

"Iďż˝m going to check on them upstairs." Willow started to dash to the stairs
only to have Angel stop her, he held onto her shoulder, not looking at her
but at Buffy instead. "First, I wont linger too long on the fact that Iďż˝m a
vampire and the odds on that happening arenďż˝t good but the fact remains that
Douglass deserves to be told about this later. When she has a chance to
breathe." Buffy looked ready to argue.

"Heďż˝s right Buffy." Giles agreed with Angel.

Looking down at Willow, Angel asked. "Spike can go upstairs and check on
them. Youďż˝re staying down here with me." Angel hoped he got his message
across, Spike got up from the chair he was observing from and headed to the
stairs. "Spike, take Dawn with you." Angel added softly as he watched the
young girl struggle to stay awake. "She looks like she could use a nap." Dawn
smiled at the vampire and hugged him again though it was hard seeing how
Angel refused to let go of his hold on Willowďż˝s shoulder.

"Letďż˝s get this spell over with." Angel turned back to the book bringing
Willow with him. Giles nodded absently and looked over the spell.

Buffy slouched down in a chair and pouted, this wasnďż˝t how it was supposed to
happen. She and Angel were supposed to be smiling happily at one another,
stealing touches that promised to turn into more when the spell was complete.
She even broke up with Riley that night, trying to explain that he should be
happy for her and Angel. Now she was here and Angel had yelled at her and
wouldnďż˝t even let her within two feet of him. Why wouldnďż˝t he let Willow out
of his sight?

Cordelia and Gunn watched the pouting slayer and looked at one another in
understanding. Things were going to get ugly if blondie wasnďż˝t kept busy.
"Buffy, we were going to go out and...get some treats. Want to come?"

"Cordelia, we just got done saying that we need to keep you girls safe and
traipsing off in the middle of the night in LA is not my idea of keeping you
safe." Wesley scolded.

"Iďż˝ll be safe. I have Gunn to protect me not to mention super slayer powers."
Cordelia threw back as she got her purse ready.

"I donďż˝t know, maybe Iďż˝ll be needed here with the spell." Buffy looked at
Angel longingly.

"No...why donďż˝t you go with them. Itďż˝s going to take a awhile to get
everything ready." Angel had to fight the urge to start pushing her toward
the door, he would always care for Buffy but Willowďż˝s feelings were his first
priority now and watching the redhead become the wallflower again in Buffyďż˝s
presence was not something he was willing to let happen.

"But.."

"Buffy really, go get some fresh air." Giles waved his hand to the door as he
reread the spell. Buffyďż˝s face fell again this time because Giles dismissed
her as though she were some annoying little girl. Spinning around she marched
out the door in front of Cordelia and Gunn.