Are We Now or Ever Were Chapter 13
Chapter 13:
Scaitheamh Sise Codladh-
While She Sleeps
Angelus sat at her bedside.
Hand on her belly; he contemplated the new emotions running through him.
He thought about the taste of her blood, the smell of it, and no matter what else;
he was still an evil vampire.
Yes, he loved her. He admitted that to himself only. Yes, he was starting to love their baby but
he craved her blood more and more each day.
How many times would Angelus die? How many deaths would it take to end him completely?
Could he stake Angel and pretend to be the one with a soul?
‘Never’, he thought sneeringly. ‘Never could I take the soul’s place as a soul. I could just do it
as I am now.’
/Are you now…\ the thought whispered through his mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
/Or ever were.\ The thought came unbidden in Angel’s mind.
‘Or ever were what?’ He wondered.
He walked out of the elevator and down the hospital corridor to Buffy’s room.
He heard heartbeat after heartbeat as he zeroed in on Buffy’s and their unborn daughter. Both were calm…Angelus must be there.
Imagine his shock when he saw that it was Spike humming a low tune to Buffy.
“I thought Angelus would be here.” Angel said softly, but a little harshly too.
“Hey now mate, he had some business to attend to, if you know what I mean.”
Spike walked around the bed to the doorway.
“Guess I’ll be leaving now.”
He tried to pass Angel but Angel grabbed his arm and turned him toward Buffy’s bed.
“What game are you two playing at, William?” He pushed his accent forward to let Spike know he didn’t
like nor appreciate whatever it was that he and Angelus were doing.
“You may think because I am here and not around the two of you, I am oblivious to all else, but Willie me boyo, trust me, I shall find out.”
Angel gave him a tiny shove away from the bed and he took his sit next to his wife and child.
Spike briefly wondered if he was staring at Angelus and his notorious mood swings or Angel and his broodiness.
“You know what? I’m not sticking around to be played with by either of you or Buffy when she wakes up.”
He marched out and decided he didn’t care which one it was, they weren’t going to play him like a lap dog or lost puppy!
Angel smirked; he knew that would rile Spike a bit.
“That wasn’t very nice Angel.” Buffy whispered.
Angel smiled broadly. “I know love, I couldn’t resist though.”
He rubbed her stomach for her and then kissed her lips.
“How do you feel today?”
“Rested… restless.” She laughed. “I’m not really sure. I have a headache though.” She grimaced and rubbed her forehead a bit.
Angel frowned and searched his memory from the reading they did…
He leaned forward and pushed the call button on the monitor.
“Yes?” a sweet low voice answered.
“Buffy is awake and she says she has a headache.” Angel replied.
“I’ll be there in a moment.” She said.
Quite literally, a few heartbeats later she came in.
“Now, Miss Summers, do you think you need some fresh air?”
She looked expectantly at Buffy, waiting.
“I can go out, even though it’s getting dark?”
Buffy hoped so; she wanted to be with Angel in the night air.
“Of course, there is an area designated just for night time walks.”
“I can walk around?”
“Oh certainly, I think your man can help you some, don’t you think so?”
She looked at Angel this time.
Camilla, the nurse, waited.
“Yes ma’am. I can do that.” Angel said proudly.
‘Finally something I can do right.’ he thought.
They helped Buffy in the wheelchair and helped her put on her robe.
“There usually is a cool breeze coming in off the water at this time
of night, dears. I think it will do you some good.”
Angel could almost feel Buffy’s anticipation. He heard her blood rushing through her,
her heartbeat speed up and it was the sweetest sound he hadn’t heard for awhile.
~~~~~~~
Angelus punched Knox in the face.
“The spell,.. dammit! Do you want to die? Is that it, you don’t care about
your life?” Vampiric features to the fore and his growling certainly was frightening
but Knox knew he would rather die to this vampire than live to face the Senior Partners.
Knox laughed a pitiful sound or mirth and told him. “I give you the spell; you kill me in return, fair enough?”
“Deal!” Angelus growled.
He was going to get the spell to go back, the spell and glamour for the beast and then
he would graciously kill this boy!
He was handing over paper and pen to Knox when the doors flew open and
he stopped.
Harmony, Spike, Gunn, Fred, Wes, and Lorne came marching in.
“Hell, what now!”
“You can’t kill him.” Fred said somewhat breathlessly, “If you kill him, his death will open up a portal that will suck in the entire world!”
to be continued….
Scaitheamh Sise Codladh Chapter 13 continued
Liam sat at her bedside while she slept.
He continued talking to her about his life at Wolfram and Hart.
He told her about his struggle with his inner demon; with Angelus.
He was about to go on with his story when he realized Buffy’s heart rate was much faster.
The nurse rushed in before he could call her and she rushed him out.
Just in time too, for a swarm of a medical team rushed in and set to work on Buffy.
They had put her in an observation room of sorts…pretty much an operating room or so it looked like to Liam.
~~~~~~
“Hey Peaches, how is she?”
Spike’s concern for Buffy was always legit. His patience in Angel’s quietness also was waning.
Well, do you bloody know anything or not?” He growled impatiently.
“They…Her doctors informed me that they had to remove a small tumor
that was causing pressure on her brain.
One doctor said Buffy could wake up in a matter of days. That it was successful and
when she wakes up, she should be fine.
Another doctor said that the tumor was causing her a significant amount of pain,
he didn’t know what took her so long to collapse.”
He paused and grimaced.
“Spike, when she fell through the portal and hit her head, she seemed fine.
When she stood up and passed out then didn’t wake up…
How the hell did she get here anyway?”
He changed subject so fast that if Spike wasn’t used to it, it’d have probably taken him a
moment to catch on. “Liam” as Spike refused to call him
was upset, extremely so.
Buffy’s finally back /somehow\ and he could lose her.
Spike understood the pain only too well.
“Look Peaches, maybe this is fate or some such thing. She’ll wake up soon and things will be better.
You’ll see.” He sat down next to him and patted down his pockets for a cigarette.
/Damn, I could go for a good fag about now..\
“Connor’s been by to see you?”
Spike turned the conversation this time.
“Yea. Things are better for us. I’ve told him more about Buffy.
He said you’ve talked about her some too.
Thank you for that. Thanks for sitting with her a few times too.
Don’t want her to be alone too long, ya know?”
Spike put up hand to stop any other long speech like talk from Angel.
“Look nancy boy, I’m still right fond of the chit, you get me?
So I am more than willing to sit with her.
Besides all that. Illyria ain’t around right now.”
They shared a brief meaningful look.
Spike watched as Angel stood and stretched.
“Got a call from Washington.
Seems the new breed is going to try to head this way.
I told them the Slayer is out of commission right now,
the girls are willing to hold ‘em back.
They wanted to know if you’d like to help.
Track down Nina and Gwen, Illyria will show soon
and when she does, I’ll send her your way.”
Liam walked back down the hall to Buffy’s room without another word.