We stood there for a moment after it was done. It seemed almost anticlimactic after all the trouble he had caused us.
"Buffy?" Angel said in a strained voice. Spike had really done a number on the poor guy.
"Yes, Angel?"
"Gather his ashes. He should be put with Dru."
I could see the pain in his eyes. He knew that his two children were creatures of evil, but they were still his children.
Buffy was looking at him with concern. Was she wondering what this would do to him emotionally? Instead of speaking, she just nodded her head and looked around for a container. She walked off for a moment, then came back with a chalice. Still without speaking, she knelt on the floor and started scraping Spike's remains into a pile.
When she was finished, she handed the cup to a trembling Angel.
That seemed to be the signal for everyone to talk. And Kathryn didn't waste any time doing so.
"What the hell is going on here? You're going to have a funeral for a vampire? Are you crazy?"
"Shut up, Kat." Steven said. He was looking at Angel with a gleam in his eyes. He had seen how Spike had Angel tied up. He had to have realized what it meant.
"No. I refuse to shut up! And, what was the shit with Angel being here? What's going on?"
I looked at Angel and could see the defeat in his eyes. He knew the Team would have to be told the truth. How they would take it was another story. If they attacked him, Buffy, Oz, and I would defend him. I was pretty sure George would too. But I could tell he didn't want that. The two groups were allies, they weren't supposed to fight.
"Um, guys?" I said. "Maybe this would be better stated somewhere else? I don't know about you, but I just don't feel comfortable standing around on a bunch of vampire dust. I suggest we adjourn to the library."
The Team quickly agreed, but the Slayerettes were casting worried glances in Angel's direction.
"Angel, Buffy, Giles, and I will stay a few minutes and look around. Spike used to have a few very old books, maybe we can find them. I'm sure you'd love to get your hands on them, wouldn't you, Giles?"
He looked at me for a moment in confusion. Then, Oz elbowed him in the ribs and Giles muttered something that was taken as an assent.
After the others had left, I turned to the gang. "OK, guys? How do we get out of this mess?"
"We have to tell them the truth." Angel answered in a pain filled voice. His wounds were slowly healing, but a complete regeneration couldn't occur without blood.
"Ooookkkkkaaaayyyy.... But first, we have to get you something to drink. Any suggestions?"
The others looked at me in silence. They still weren't used to me being this calm and collected. Five years ago, I would have been telling Angel that if he even thought about drinking in front of us, I'd throw him out into the sunlight. Of course, five years ago, I wouldn't have saved him from Spike, either.
"There's a butcher shop down the street. Spike and his cronies probably fed on the thrown away blood. I would suggest we go there and... Um... Purchase some?" Giles suggested.
"OK, but you should be the one to go, Buffy. Nobody would suspect a woman of buying blood for nefarious reasons."
"And what do you expect me to say? `Excuse me, but my friend is a wounded vampire and needs blood. How much do you have on supply?' Com'on, Xander. Get real."
"Ask for Ed. He supplies blood to vampires. For a price. You'll need some cash, lots of it. Spike kept some in that box over there."
Buffy shot Angel an odd look before turning and going to the box. As she pulled out a large wad of cash, I asked Angel how he knew about Ed.
"It's kinda like Delivery Day at the hospital. Most vamps figure out how to feed without getting caught. Butcher shops just happen to be a great way of doing that."
After Buffy left, we settled Angel on a crate and started looking through Spike's belongings. He seemed to have a thing for macabre art. Most of it was so weird, I couldn't even stand to look at it. Especially the one that appeared to be a painting of a man who was being skinned. Gross!
We finally finished to a haul of a copy of the Codex and a few thousand dollars. Buffy looked at the loot and said, "Still fencing they're stuff, Giles?" She had gotten back a few minutes earlier and was hovering over Angel. I'm sure she watched him feed to make sure he drank all the blood.
He shot her an annoyed look and turned away. Angel was now strong enough to stand, but just barely. The blood Buffy had gotten for him didn't do much good. The wounds were all but healed, but he was still as weak as a kitten.
"How are we going to get Angel to the library?" she asked.
"I'll get him there, don't worry. You and Giles just have to help me get him back into the sewer. Then drive over to the library. Oh, and maybe you could order something for lunch? I'm about to starve."
"And when we get there?" Giles asked.
"We have to tell them the truth. They have all heard about Angel, they just don't think it's possible. Well, we have to convince them that it is. That may mean telling them everything. Can everyone handle having those memories dragged up?"
They nodded yes, then moved to hold Angel as I lowered myself through the opening. Once down, they quickly handed Angel down, and departed.
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