ensouled 19

"Oh my god! Spike, Spike!" Connor screamed. "Come here, quick!" Spike had come running from the lobby expecting a three headed fresnik demon to be eating his kin. He found an overly excited teenager jumping up and down with a book in his hand instead.

"Have you gone berserk? You can't just start yelping like that unless you're bleeding. You could give a bloke a heart attack." Spike took the book from Connor and read the page he had been holding open.

"No, I don't think so. I have Fred’s though." Connor searched the desk for the sheet of paper she had given him before she left. After some digging he uncovered it and dialed her number.

As Connor told Fred what he had found, Spike looked at the ancient text, briefly skimming over the Greek letters, but his focus was not the words. There was a picture of the Axis, and below it there were three more pictures. Pictures of the mythic thieves that had stolen it from it's sacred home on Delphi nearly two thousand years before. A wolf, a ram and a hart.

Angel , Fred and Gunn had all made it back to the hotel at about the same time. They all gathered in the hotel’s lobby with Spike and Connor to recap the day’s events. Gunn told the group about the Pythian house, and the pledge dinner the next night. Fred had also had some luck with the Pythian sisters. There seemed to be one that held the others at attention. It was likely she would be the oracle, assuming the oracle was in the order.

Connor, however, seemed to be the one with the smoking gun. The texts were a pretty clear indication that if Wolfram and Hart didn't have the Axis now, they did at one point and were likely to know it's present whereabouts. Now came the difficult task of trying to piece everything together.

"Ok, so let’s start at the beginning." Angel said, leaning against a desk, while Fred stood at the dry erase board. "You found the coordinates of the other plane where we think Cordy is. We think that if we have the Axis we can perform this ritual with the Oracle, who may be a Pythian sister. Wesley said there have to be five knights and two priests to perform the ritual, so we’ll need them, which might require a little, um persuading. So once we do the ritual then what?"

Fred jumped in, "Well, once the Oracle has a bond with Cordelia we should be able to use the Axis to pull her back to this plane of existence."

"I think the big question is will it kill her." Spike interjected. "Angel, your demon buddy said she had ascended to a higher plane. Is she still even human? Cause I've got to tell you, if she’s in some heaven like place, we do not want to be pulling her out." Spike lowered his eyes, remembering the pain that had been in Buffy's eyes the first time he saw her alive. He knew he couldn't stand to see that torture in another woman as long as he lived, even if it was the prom queen.

"Off again are we?" Spike stood up to join him in the doorway. "Is this another daddy only trip, or can I come play too?"

"I won’t be long, I promise. But I tell you what, if I ever find that bitch Justine and she’s scratched my car, I’m going to kill her so slowly, you’ll marvel. I don't intend to ever break the skin." He walked out the door mumbling about having to ride a motorcycle in LA, so passé.

The rumbling of the motorcycle woke him up before he ever heard the knock at the door. After all, it had been his bike once. He had even had Angel in the bitch seat a couple of times. He missed the feel of leather between his legs, the roar of the motor, the tight grip around his waist as he breezed through downtown LA at night. Wesley missed a lot of things about those first few months working for Angel. Life seemed so much simpler then.

Wesley quickly pulled on a pair of boxers that had been laying on the cold wood floor of his room and went to the front door. He knew it was Angel, but he still took his time opening the door. Let him fester for a minute, he thought as he wiped the sleepy sand from his eyes. After a few calming breaths, Wesley pulled the door open.

"Come to return my keys have you?" Wesley gave a false grin and stepped a little closer to the vampire. "You could have had Fred or Gunn bring it back, you know."

"Oh, well I think I’m keeping the bike. Seems only fair, being as how if you hadn’t betrayed me I would have killed Holtz and Justine before they went on their little car stealing spree." Angel returned Wesley’s smile.

"House in the black forest, personal blood bank, and oh yeah," Angel crossed the threshold and pressed Wesley against the doorjamb, "I want Cordelia back." Wesley didn't struggle or fight back, he simply placed his hand over the one that gripped his already painful throat.

"You ponce, I've been trying to get her back too." Wesley said through gritted teeth. "I've given Fred everything I found. You’ll forgive me for not sending an inter-office memo."

"But you won’t will you? You could have snapped my neck in the hospital. You know it and I know it Angel." He rubbed the scar on his neck, letting his fingers linger on the raised flesh. Angel tried not to stare at Wesley’s hands as he caressed his neck.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Angel sat in a chair opposite Wesley so he could watch him process this new information. Angel could smell Lilah in the air. That perfume she wore, something decidedly unfeminine. Her scent filled the apartment. He took a long breath, letting her smell fill his nostrils. Wesley rather enjoyed watching the vampire sniff out his lover. It wasn't nearly as fun to have a secret rendezvous if no one ever found out. And it was more than a little pleasing to know that his bit on the side’s entire job revolved around making Angel insane.

"So here’s what I want from you, Wesley." Angel leaned forward. "I want you to get inside Wolfram and Hart, the building that is, not just Lilah." Wesley squirmed at the imagery. "I want you to find the Axis and I want you to bring it to me at the hotel." Angel stood up and went to the door. "And Wesley, I want it by sunset tomorrow." He turned the door handle slowly, reaching in his pocket for the keys to the motorcycle.

"Angel, I love to break this to you, but I don't work for you. You don't give me orders. I will help because it's Cordelia, I will not help because you told me to."

"No. You’ll help because if you don't you’ll become my favorite toy. Imagine what I could do to you with nothing but the everyday things I keep in my desk. Be sure to ask Linwood how he enjoyed my staple puller." Angel left the apartment, but he heard Wesley swallow from the hallway.


	The Adventures of Captain Peroxide and Deadboy The Angel/Spike Zone of the BtVS Writer's Guild Home Updates Stories Resources Extras News Music Forum Contact Guestbook Links Full Version Fiction by: Title Author Pairing Rating Ensouled Chapter XIX - A Little Closer Author: Tania Summary: Spike comes to LA looking for Angel, together they try and figure out what it means to be Ensouled. Rating: Mainly R/NC-17 Pairings: Angel/Spike, Angelus/William, Lilah/Wesley, Buffy/Spike implied, Angel(us)/Darla Implied Timeline: Runs the gamut Disclaimer: Joss created my darling boys, I just let them run around in my head until they must come out. Distribution: Please ask, although why you would want to house a 41,674 word long story is beyond me. Feedback: Please, by all means, Email Tania "Oh my god! Spike, Spike!" Connor screamed. "Come here, quick!" Spike had come running from the lobby expecting a three headed fresnik demon to be eating his kin. He found an overly excited teenager jumping up and down with a book in his hand instead. "Have you gone berserk? You can't just start yelping like that unless you're bleeding. You could give a bloke a heart attack." Spike took the book from Connor and read the page he had been holding open. "That’s it, isn’t it?" Connor pointed at the page. "It's got to be the Axis. It's it, right?" "Sure bloody looks like it. Do you know Angel's cell phone number?" "No, I don't think so. I have Fred’s though." Connor searched the desk for the sheet of paper she had given him before she left. After some digging he uncovered it and dialed her number. As Connor told Fred what he had found, Spike looked at the ancient text, briefly skimming over the Greek letters, but his focus was not the words. There was a picture of the Axis, and below it there were three more pictures. Pictures of the mythic thieves that had stolen it from it's sacred home on Delphi nearly two thousand years before. A wolf, a ram and a hart. **** Angel , Fred and Gunn had all made it back to the hotel at about the same time. They all gathered in the hotel’s lobby with Spike and Connor to recap the day’s events. Gunn told the group about the Pythian house, and the pledge dinner the next night. Fred had also had some luck with the Pythian sisters. There seemed to be one that held the others at attention. It was likely she would be the oracle, assuming the oracle was in the order. Connor, however, seemed to be the one with the smoking gun. The texts were a pretty clear indication that if Wolfram and Hart didn't have the Axis now, they did at one point and were likely to know it's present whereabouts. Now came the difficult task of trying to piece everything together. "Ok, so let’s start at the beginning." Angel said, leaning against a desk, while Fred stood at the dry erase board. "You found the coordinates of the other plane where we think Cordy is. We think that if we have the Axis we can perform this ritual with the Oracle, who may be a Pythian sister. Wesley said there have to be five knights and two priests to perform the ritual, so we’ll need them, which might require a little, um persuading. So once we do the ritual then what?" Fred jumped in, "Well, once the Oracle has a bond with Cordelia we should be able to use the Axis to pull her back to this plane of existence." "Will it hurt her?" Connor asked. "I think the big question is will it kill her." Spike interjected. "Angel, your demon buddy said she had ascended to a higher plane. Is she still even human? Cause I've got to tell you, if she’s in some heaven like place, we do not want to be pulling her out." Spike lowered his eyes, remembering the pain that had been in Buffy's eyes the first time he saw her alive. He knew he couldn't stand to see that torture in another woman as long as he lived, even if it was the prom queen. "It won’t kill her. It can't. Cordelia is coming home. I swear it." Angel stood up and grabbed his coat. "Off again are we?" Spike stood up to join him in the doorway. "Is this another daddy only trip, or can I come play too?" "I won’t be long, I promise. But I tell you what, if I ever find that bitch Justine and she’s scratched my car, I’m going to kill her so slowly, you’ll marvel. I don't intend to ever break the skin." He walked out the door mumbling about having to ride a motorcycle in LA, so passé. ** The rumbling of the motorcycle woke him up before he ever heard the knock at the door. After all, it had been his bike once. He had even had Angel in the bitch seat a couple of times. He missed the feel of leather between his legs, the roar of the motor, the tight grip around his waist as he breezed through downtown LA at night. Wesley missed a lot of things about those first few months working for Angel. Life seemed so much simpler then. Wesley quickly pulled on a pair of boxers that had been laying on the cold wood floor of his room and went to the front door. He knew it was Angel, but he still took his time opening the door. Let him fester for a minute, he thought as he wiped the sleepy sand from his eyes. After a few calming breaths, Wesley pulled the door open. "Come to return my keys have you?" Wesley gave a false grin and stepped a little closer to the vampire. "You could have had Fred or Gunn bring it back, you know." "Oh, well I think I’m keeping the bike. Seems only fair, being as how if you hadn’t betrayed me I would have killed Holtz and Justine before they went on their little car stealing spree." Angel returned Wesley’s smile. "It was rather Gone in Sixty Seconds, wasn't it?" Wesley gave a genuine smile. "What do you want, Angel?" "House in the black forest, personal blood bank, and oh yeah," Angel crossed the threshold and pressed Wesley against the doorjamb, "I want Cordelia back." Wesley didn't struggle or fight back, he simply placed his hand over the one that gripped his already painful throat. "You ponce, I've been trying to get her back too." Wesley said through gritted teeth. "I've given Fred everything I found. You’ll forgive me for not sending an inter-office memo." Angel gave Wesley a jolting slam, then released his neck. "I should just drain you and be done with it." "But you won’t will you? You could have snapped my neck in the hospital. You know it and I know it Angel." He rubbed the scar on his neck, letting his fingers linger on the raised flesh. Angel tried not to stare at Wesley’s hands as he caressed his neck. "No, I won’t kill you. Today." Wesley couldn't help but laugh. "Angel." Wesley sat on the couch and leaned into the deep cushion. "Why are you here?" "I’m looking for the Axis." Angel stated flatly. "I haven’t found it yet. If it even exists." "Connor found it. And Wolfram and Hart has it. Or at least they did two thousand years ago. Give or take." "Why does that not surprise me?" Angel sat in a chair opposite Wesley so he could watch him process this new information. Angel could smell Lilah in the air. That perfume she wore, something decidedly unfeminine. Her scent filled the apartment. He took a long breath, letting her smell fill his nostrils. Wesley rather enjoyed watching the vampire sniff out his lover. It wasn't nearly as fun to have a secret rendezvous if no one ever found out. And it was more than a little pleasing to know that his bit on the side’s entire job revolved around making Angel insane. "So here’s what I want from you, Wesley." Angel leaned forward. "I want you to get inside Wolfram and Hart, the building that is, not just Lilah." Wesley squirmed at the imagery. "I want you to find the Axis and I want you to bring it to me at the hotel." Angel stood up and went to the door. "And Wesley, I want it by sunset tomorrow." He turned the door handle slowly, reaching in his pocket for the keys to the motorcycle. "Angel, I love to break this to you, but I don't work for you. You don't give me orders. I will help because it's Cordelia, I will not help because you told me to." "No. You’ll help because if you don't you’ll become my favorite toy. Imagine what I could do to you with nothing but the everyday things I keep in my desk. Be sure to ask Linwood how he enjoyed my staple puller." Angel left the apartment, but he heard Wesley swallow from the hallway. **** Chapter Twenty Have wondered how it would all end. Copyright 2002 - Tania Violators will be beaten to death with a shovel (A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend)