From: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com (buffyfic-digest) To: buffyfic-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: buffyfic-digest V2 #136 Reply-To: $SENDER Sender: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-buffyfic@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk buffyfic-digest Thursday, April 16 1998 Volume 02 : Number 136 In this issue: BUFFYFIC: The Things We Do For Love (3/5) See the end of the digest for information on (un)subscribing to the buffyfic or buffyfic-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 00:15:26 EDT From: Anexsin Subject: BUFFYFIC: The Things We Do For Love (3/5) TITLE: The Things We Do For Love (3/5) AUTHOR: Melinda Frango EMAIL ADDY: Anexsin@aol.com DISTRIBUTION: Please, ask first. FEEDBACK: Greatly appreciated. RATING: PG, for the usual Buffy language. SPOILER: All episodes have happened, but major spoilers for "Passion" DISCLAIMER: Anything that has to do with the Buffyverse in anyway, belongs to Joss Whedon, WB, etc. Only the story is mine. SUMMARY: The gang restore Angel's soul, aided by the yellow disk. AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know I already wrote a story in which Angel gets his soul back, but this one is a direct sequel to my other two stories "Moments of Truth" and "Unexpected Confrontation" and is in no way related to my other one. This one takes place immediately afterwards, so if you didn't read those two, you wil be confused with this one. If you want to read them, email me privately and I'll send them to you. Oh, and this * represents thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -Later that same night- "So did Giles find an orb?" Cordelia questioned. "No, the only place that used to sell them is closed down," Buffy replied feeling defeated. "Slayer," she heard someone call. The group stopped and looked at each other, she gripped the stake in her jacket pocket and glanced around. Her gaze fell upon a figure emerging from the shadows, and she immediately brought the stake up. "Spike," she hissed. "Out of your wheelchair I see." "So good of you to have noticed," he sneered. "What do you want?" she asked coldly. "I've come to make you a deal." "Why on earth would I make a deal with you?" "It involves restoring your precious Angel's soul," Spike smiled knowingly. "What do you know about that?" she asked taken back. "I know you need an Orb of Thesulah, and you can't find one. I also know that Angelus wouldn't have killed your Watcher's consort if she wasn't trying to restore his soul." "What are you saying, exactly?" Xander interrupted. "What I am proposing," he emphasized. "is, I'll get you the orb, and you get Angelus out of my hair," Spike bargained. "Why do you want us to restore Angel's soul? Aren't you happy he reverted?" Willow asked meekly, afraid of the vampire, but curious despite heself. "I was, for about five minutes. But he's really starting to piss me off now. He saunters in thinking he can take all that is mine! My status, my forces, my Dru. He thinks he's all high and mighty, and oh, so special. I hate him, and I want him dead! But then I thought why not make the loser suffer by being cursed with a soul again. And if helping the Slayer will help me achieve that, then so be it," he finished. "It can't be that bad," Buffy commented. "He's annoying, his games are tiring and old, and all he talks about is which one of you he's going to kill next, or the Slayer this, the Slayer that. In the words of a teenager can you say obssesive much?" At first Buffy seemed amused at Spike's predictment, then she took a deep breath and looked at her friends for support. They gave her an 'it's your decision, but we'll stand by you no matter what you decide' look. "Alright, you get us the orb, and we'll take Angel off your hands. But if this is some sort of sick joke to help Angelus get to me, so help you God, I'll kill you, and I'll kill your girlfriend as well. Deal?" "Deal," Spike replied shaking her hand to seal it. "Meet me in the cemetary on the far side of the south wall in three hours no one will see us, and I'll have your orb for you," he informed her. Bufy nodded her head in agreement. "What if Angel finds out?" she suddenly realized. "He won't, as long as any of you don't squel. Besides he hunts near the Bronze, he likes them young." Buffy gave him a knowing look, and watched him carefully as he backed away. "Oh, and Slayer..." "What?" "When this over expect me to come after you. Just like the old days," he smirked. "I can't wait," she called to his retreating form. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - -3 hrs later- "I knew Spike was a lying son of a ...." "Xander, calm down. He's only three minutes late," Willow reminded him. "We'll give him a few more minutes," Buffy informed them while glancing at her watch. "So...um, do you guys spend alot of time in this place," Oz asked, looking around the cemetary nervously. "Well, Buffy basically spends her life here, Willow and I frequently visit," Xander joked. "Do you really think he is going to come through, I-I...mean he is a vampire," Willow questioned. Before Buffy could answer Spike came walking in their direction. "Oh ye of little faith. I'm hurt that you didn't trust me," Spike smirked, while bringing his hand to his chest in mock irritation. "Of course we don't trust you. Hello brain-trust you are a vampire," Xander stated. Spike growled at him, and then laughed when he took a step back behind Buffy. "Now I know why Angelus has such a yen to kill you boy. You are annoying." Spike brought his gaze back to the Slayer. "Here's your orb Slayer, the rest is up to you." Spike reached into the pocket of his black trenchcoat, and retrieved a round ball of glass from it, and handed it to her. Buffy took the orb from Spike and held it up for inspection. "Is this it, Willow?" she asked. "Yeah, this should do it." "Where did you find one?" Cordelia piped up. Spike chuckled. "I have my ways." "Damn vampires are always cryptic. Well, I guess I should thank you," Buffy murmured. "No need, just get Angelus out of my way, and we'll call it even." "Alright, I'll hold up my end of the bargain, then expect me to come kill you," Buffy recited. "Oh, you just made my night, I can't wait," Spike joked, and retreated back into the shadows. Xander, Oz, and Cordelia let out the breaths they were holding during the exchange, while Buffy and Willow admired the orb. "It's beautiful," Willow greeted. "Let's get this to Giles," Buffy ordered. "He's gonna flip when I tell him where I got it from." Once again hope welled up within Buffy. Maybe luck will be on her side, and bring her Angel back to her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Spike made his way back to the factory he saw Drusilla moaning on the floor, and Angelus trying to comfort her. "What's going on?" he asked puzzled. "The Slayer and her watcher are trying to break up our happy home," she whined. "What?" Spike acted as if he misunderstood. "The mean watcher is going to restore Angel's soul." "Not if I can help it," Angelus declared angrily, and left the factory in a blur of motion. "Where were you my Spike?" Drusilla questioned him. "I went for a bite, love. Don't worry about it, I'm here now." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Giles!" Buffy yelled, when she burst into the library with the others trailing behind her. "Look what I got." Giles came out of his office looking at her tiredly. "What do you have?" he asked. Buffy held up the orb for him to see. "This," she replied in short. Giles gasped. "The Orb of Thesulah. Wh-where di..did you get it?" he inquired while taking the orb from her hands and looking it over. "Spike." "What!?" he asked in disbelief. "Spike made a deal with Buffy," Willow began to explain. "If she got Angelus out of his way, he would get us the orb, and that's what he did." Giles just shook his head. "A Slayer bargaining with a vampire, it's unprecedented." "Don't worry about that, we have the orb, now what?" Xander interrupted. "Well...um, we need to cast Angel's soul into it, and then get Angelus here to transfer it," Giles stated. He took of his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I can deal with the Angelus issue, but who's going to perform the ritual?" Buffy offered. "I have casted spells before, I'm sure I can handle it," Giles reminded them. "When?" Oz queried. "Tonight, as soon as possible," Giles stated. "He probably found out already, he did the first time..." "And he'll come after us," Buffy finished. Giles nodded his head solemnly. "So we wait," Willow guessed. "Yes, but let's get his soul into the orb for now, we must be ready." "Okay, I'll get the printouts," Willow offered. "Very good," Giles agreed. When Willow returned with the ritual, Giles took the papers from her and began. He held the orb out at arms length in front of him, and called upon Angel's soul with a few words. The orb began to light up with a orange and white glow. At first dimly, but it began to glow brighter as Giles finished the incantation. And as the others looked on in astonish- ment the orb took on a steady rythm. The glowing pulsed in time with everyone's heart beat. "He's in there?" Buffy asked quietly. "Angel's inside this?" she asked again, as she stared at the orb in fascination. Giles nodded his head in confirmation. "Can I hold it?" "Okay, but be careful," he ordered, while he gently laid it in her hand. "If it breaks, we're in trouble, not to mention Angel as well." A gasp elicited from Buffy's mouth as he laid the orb in her hand. A small feeling of peace came over her, as the warm essence inside the orb engulfed her. She could feel him. "I can feel him Giles," she informed him, as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sure he can feel you as well," he assured her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ To be continued........ To subscribe to buffyfic or buffyfic-digest, send the command subscribe buffyfic-digest or subscribe buffyfic to majordomo@xmission.com. You will need to go through a confirmation process, and the listowners have to manually approve your subscription request, so it may take some time. 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