Title: The Night Calls
Author: Kylia
Email: kylia_bug@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Nobody belongs to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss & Mutant Enemy, and a few other people I don't know.
Rating: PG13 (for now)
Spoilers: general fourth season. And some rumors I heard about “Doomed”
Category: Willow/Spike – Who else would I write about?
Summary: Willow, still upset over Oz’s departure, attempts to ‘bounce back’ with some help from her friends.
Distribution: Fire & Ice. Anyone else, ask, and you shall receive.
Feedback: Yes, please!! I need to know if I should quit while I am ahead.
Author's Notes: This takes place after Something Blue & Hush. Oz has never returned, and The Scooby Gang is somewhat frustrated with the amount of time it is taking Willow to recover. Spike is still ‘neutered’ although he no longer lives at Giles. Mark is of my own creation.

Once Willow had left, Giles turned to Cordelia and Angel. "I had better be going. I'll see if I can find anything more out for you." He stepped towards the door.

"Thank you, Rupert. I know that helping him can't be easy for you." Angel looked seriously at the watcher.

Giles sighed. "I don't agree with what they're doing." He told them honestly before leaving the house.

Once Giles had left, Cordelia flopped onto the couch, opposite Angel. "So, What exactly are we up against here?"

Willow walked down the dorm hall with a purpose. The entire walk over she had been thinking about what she would tell Buffy. Would she tell her how she felt about Spike? Would she tell her how bad Spike really was? Would she try and explain things to her best friend? Would she ask for her help? She realized with only a small amount of trepidation that it didn't matter. It didn't matter if Buffy didn't understand. It didn't matter if she wouldn't help. She wasn't going to be bullied into doing what the Slayer wanted, even if it was for her own good.

She walked into the room and stiffened slightly as she saw Buffy's angry gaze. She was sitting on her bed, sharpening her stake at a furious pace. When Willow entered the room, Buffy looked and scowled at the witch.

"Willow." Her voice was eerily calm.

"Buffy." Willow sat down on her bed and looked at Buffy. "I'm sorry."

Buffy started to say something but Willow stopped her with a raise of her hand. "I'm sorry, I was rude to you earlier. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth about where I spent the other night. But," She paused, taking a deep breath. "But you shouldn't have brought them there, and I won't apologize for how I feel about Spike."

"And how is that?" Buffy asked, trying to remain calm. She didn't understand what was going on. Why were both Giles and Willow at Spike's? Why were Angel and Cordelia in town? Why did Willow cared what happened to Spike?

Willow thought about the question before responding. She didn't know what to tell her. She eventually decided on the truth. She wasn't ashamed, and she wasn't going hide.

"I love him." The words were so quietly spoken, it took a moment for Buffy to register their meaning. When she did, a look of pure disbelief crossed the Slayer's features.

"You can't be serious." She exclaimed. "Tell me you're not serious. Please, Will, tell me this all some elaborate plan to get back at me for bring Riley and Mark to Spikes?"

Willow couldn't help but laugh at the question. It was so completely ridiculous a notion that she found herself wondering why she would bother. Was the idea of her being in love with the vampire such a shock? Giles had seen it. Cordelia had seen it, and she had been all the way in Loa Angeles. Why hadn't Buffy seen it? The answer was as startling as the question. She had been too busy to notice. Too consumed with her life to bother with Willows.

She giggled to herself with amusement. That's the way it should have been. She didn't want Buffy to be overly concerned with Willow's love life. Since Oz, there had been none to speak of. She wanted her friend to be too busy with her own love life. She wanted Buffy to be happy, something she hadn't been with Angel since before her seventeenth birthday.

Willow looked at Buffy, realizing she was still waiting for an answer. "No, Buffy, it's not a joke. It's the truth." Willow stood up and started to pack a small bag.

"Willow. He's a killer. He's… He's Spike!" Buffy protested as her eyes followed Willow's actions. "What are you doing?"

Willow sighed as she zipped her bag closed. "I'm packing some things. I will be staying at Spikes for awhile." She turned around and peered into Buffy's blue eyes.

"Whatever they did to him is killing him, Buffy."

"And? He's a vampire. In case you forgot, they're the bad guys." Buffy told her snidely.

Willow felt the last remnants of her calm flee her. "Okay. I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. She walked out the door without looking back.

Mark was confused. He didn't understand what was going on. Who were those people with Willow? Was she really at Hostile 17's house? He had heard that Willow knew him, and that the creature helped the Slayer, but he had never dreamed that Willow was friends with him. Or was it something more? He blocked that thought out, refusing to believe that someone as sweet as Willow would willingly spend her time with a creature as evil as a hostile. He must be forcing her somehow. It didn't matter. If the hostile was ill, that could only mean one thing. The implant had malfunctioned. And if that had happened, it was only a matter of time before the poison worked its way through his already dead corpse.

"I can't believe her!" Buffy fumed. She paced around Xander's basement for a minute and then stopped turning her attention to Xander. "You weren't there, Xan. You should have seen her. Sitting in Spike's living room, like she belonged there. And with Angel and Cordelia no less!" Buffy waited for Xander to comment, knowing he would side with her. When he remained silent, Buffy continued. "She through us out. Us! Can you believe that?" Buffy turned to the couple sitting on the couch in silence. "Well? Say something!" She demanded.

Anya spoke first. "What's wrong with him?"

Riley looked up sharply at the question. He exchanged a look with Mark. A look, which had not gone, unnoticed by the ex-demon and her boyfriend.

"Huh?" Buffy asked confused by the question.

"She asked you what was wrong with him." Xander asked quietly.

"Who?" Buffy looked perplexed.

"Spike. What. Is. Wrong. With. Him?" Anya spoke slowly, and deliberately, trying to control her mounting temper.

Buffy shrugged. "Who cares?"

Xander put a calming hand on Anya's shoulder, knowing that she was quickly losing her temper. He couldn't blame her. While he couldn't count Spike among his best friends, the blonde vampire was rating higher than Buffy at that moment. It was no secret, at least to him, how Willow felt about Spike, and as far as he could tell, the feelings were mutual.

Xander could believe Buffy was being so callous towards Willow's feelings. It baffled the mind, and for Xander to think that was saying a lot.

Xander stood up and headed towards where Mark and Riley were standing near the staircase. "What's wrong with him?"

Riley and Mark exchanged a glance, but remained silent.

"You know." Anya stated from her seat on the couch. "What's wrong with him?"

Buffy turned around and faced her boyfriend and his colleague. He noted for the first time that they seemed to know something. "Well? Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"Buffy." Riley started, "I can't just…"

"Just what?" Buffy asked. She looked at Riley's nervous expression and sighed. "What will it hurt to tell them?"

Riley ran a hand through his hair as he sat on the bottom step. "The implant has a fail safe."

"Fail safe?" Buffy asked.

Xander return to his place on the couch. "Why don't I like the sound of that?" He whispered to Anya.

"Should the implant malfunction in any way…" Riley paused, not wanting to upset anyone.

"A poison is released into the hostile's system. It's only a matter of time before he dies." Mark sneered at the couple on the couch.

Xander looked incredulously at the commandos and then back to Buffy, whose face still wore a passive expression. "You're okay with this? With what they're doing?"

Buffy shrugged. "It makes no difference to me. They're doing me a favor."

"Get out!" Anya's voice was calm, but Xander could feel her rage radiating off of her.

"Excuse me?" Buffy asked.

Xander stood. "We're leaving." He grabbed Anya's hand and pulled her towards the door. He stopped before reaching the exit. "You can come back," He told Buffy softly.

"But don't bring them with you." Anya threatened as she pointed accusingly at the commandos.

Buffy watched in stunned silence as her Xander and Anya left.

When Willow returned to Spike's house, she was greeted with the smells of food. She smiled as she saw Angel and Cordelia in the kitchen. Angel was putting the finishing touches on dinner while Cordelia set the table. They looked so comfortable together. Friends indeed.

"Hey guys." She walked towards the dining area. "You didn't have to cook." She told Angel.

"Are you kidding? It was mandatory." Cordelia contradicted and then grinned at the vampire. She turned back towards Willow. "I bet you're hungry. When did you eat last?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know. Yesterday, maybe."

"Sit" Cordelia motioned for willow to take a seat as Angel set a couple of plates down.

Just as Cordelia was about to join her at the table, the doorbell rang. Cordelia groaned and started to stand.

"I'll get it." Angel told her as he gently pushed her back into her chair. He walked over to the door, bracing himself for whoever was one the other side.

"Xander." He looked at the new arrivals in shock. "Anya."

"Deadboy." Xander pushed past the vampire and made his way into the dining room. "Mmm, I'm just in time for dinner." He took a seat in a chain next to Cordelia.

Anya rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's behavior. She turned towards Angel. "We have news. And it's not good."

Angel watched in silence as the small group ate their dinner, discussing various matters. Everything except why they were all there. Anything except the choices they had been forced to make. No one spoke about what they were going to do. But that could only last for so long.

Willow stood up and started to clear the table. "Dinner was wonderful, Angel. Thank you." Willow called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, who knew Deadboy could cook?" Xander comment through a mouthful of food.

Cordelia rolled her eyes, but kept quiet.

"I'll be back." Willow spoke quietly as she returned to the dining area. When Angel nodded his head in understanding, Willow turned and headed up the stairs to check on Spike.

When she was gone, Xander took on a serious expression. "How is she? Really?"

No one spoke, letting the silence answer the question.

"Well then, I suggest we get to work." Anya broke the stillness, which had enveloped the room.

"You said you had some news?" Angel asked the former demon.

"We found out what's wrong with him. It's not good."

Willow leaned against the doorjamb to Spikes bedroom and sighed heavily. She watched his still body, and let the tears fall. She felt her feet give out under her and collapsed in a heap on the ground. The events of the past few days were catching up to her. She let the tears fall, soaking her cheeks as the force of the sobs racked her body.

She didn't know how long she had sat like that. Minutes, hours maybe. She didn't know. Eventually she felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around her, and gently move her to the bed. She felt herself lean against the broad chest.

"Shh," A familiar voice whispered. "It's going to be alright."

Willow looked up and met chocolate brown eyes. "He's going to die, isn't he?"

"No." Angel shook his head. "I won't allow it." He reassured her. "Willow, we have some new information. We know what's wrong with him. Can you come downstairs?"

Willow took a deep shaky breath as she moved out of Angel's embrace. "No. I'm not leaving him." She moved higher onto the bed, so that she could hold Spike's warm and sweaty hand in her own.

"I'll go get the others." Cordelia whispered from the doorway."

A few minutes later Cordelia returned with Xander, Anya, and a recently returned Giles. They each took a seat in various places in the room. Xander and Anya sat in a couple of chairs, next to the stool, Giles had chosen, while Angel and Cordelia shared the small couch, which sat near the foot of the bed.

Willow smiled weakly at her friends. "What have you learned?"

Buffy pounded on Giles front door. She had been knocking for almost thirty minutes. She groaned as she realized that he wasn't here. Where would he go?" She asked herself aloud.

She turned to face Riley and Mark. "Now what?"

"We should go in. Check in with the professor." Riley told her. Buffy nodded and followed him out of the courtyard.

Several minutes, and nearly a dozen security precautions later, Buffy found herself seated in a large conference room, facing Maggie Walsh.

"Is it true what I've heard? That hostile 17's implant ahs malfunctioned?" Professor Walsh asked calmly.

Buffy nodded. "So I've been told."

"What exactly does that mean? It either ahs or it hasn't."

Buffy shrugged. "Spike… Hostile 17, is sick, but I haven't actually seen him myself."

Professor Walsh turned towards the others in the room. "We need to know for sure. Take a team, and recapture him… alive." She ordered.

Riley stood up, followed by his team.

"Wait." Buffy stopped everyone in their tracks. Professor Walsh turned her attention back to Buffy.

"He's… he's not alone." Buffy explained. "There are… others with him."

There was something in Buffy's voice, which alerted Professor Walsh. "Others? Other Hostile's? Or humans?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "Both."

Professor Walsh looked slightly surprised by this latest revelation, but then nodded. "Capture everyone. Will sort it out later."

"Professor?" Riley questioned. "If there may be more Hostile's, maybe we'd be safer taking them out during the day.

Professor Walsh stood and turned her back on the group. "I don't care how it's done, just so long as it is!"

Willow sat in stunned silence as she listened to Anya explain what she and Xander had learned. After several moments digesting the new information, she spoke. "Does Buffy know?"

Anya snorted. "Yes. She was there when they told us."

Willow nodded, a brief flash of pain coming across her features, before it was replaced with her famous resolve look.

"Maybe she doesn't understand." Angel began before any further reassurances could be brought up.

"It doesn't matter." Willow spoke quietly. "She couldn't do what I asked." She turned to face the small group assembled. "I can't ask any of you to help me. The Initiative is dangerous. I can't ask you to put your lives," She looked to angel, "Or unlives, in danger."

"Who's asking? The way I see it, we're offering." Cordelia pointed out, putting a comforting hand on Angel's arm.

"They're dangerous to us all." Anya's voice was laced with anger and fear.

"Anya's right." Giles spoke for the first time. "We can't allow this to continue. But I'm afraid I'm not sure what… what we can do."

"They did this. They have to know how to undo it." Willow's voice had grown stronger with each passing moment. Each word of friendship, and assistance, adding to her confidence.

"Do you think you can get access to their computer system?" Angel asked.

"Of course, the willster can do anything." Xander tried to lighten the mood.

Willow smiled at her friends' boost of confidence. "I can get inside, but without being on their machine, my access will be limited."

"So, then, a little breaking and entering?" Xander asked cheerfully.

"It would appear so." Giles acknowledged.

"When?"

"Tomorrow. Most of the commandos go to school here. They won't be anticipating a daytime attack." Willow sighed, her exhaustion starting to show.

"Can you be here first thing in the morning?" Willow asked Xander and Anya.

"With bells on." He grinned.

"Yes, well… maybe you should leave the bells at home." Giles smiled as he stood up. "We should get going. We'll all need a good nights sleep."

Xander and Anya stood up to leave, following Giles out the door. Once they had left, Cordelia stood up. "I'm going to get ready for bed. A girl needs her beauty rest." She gave Willow a hug and left the room.

Willow noticed the slight smile that had appeared on Angel's face at Cordelia's comment. "Does she know how you feel about her?" She asked softly.

Angel looked up, surprised by Willow's insight, and then shook his head. "No."

"And the curse, does she know about that? Did you tell her?"

"About the anchoring? Yes, she knows."

"Then why…?"

Angel sighed needlessly, "It's not a question of my soul being permanent. Our friendship… we're too good of friends to ruin that." He explained.

"Maybe. But that excuse only works if she doesn't feel the same." Willow smiled s she climbed off of the bed. "Just something to think about." She told him as she grabbed her bag and headed towards the bathroom to change.

When she returned, the room was empty, except for Spike's comatose form. She climbed into the bed beside him, and tried to take comfort in his closeness.

Wesley came strolling into the Angel Investigations building, his head immersed in a book as he juggled the couple of steaming coffee in his free hand. He kicked the door shut with one foot and continued into the office, oblivious to anything around him.

"Where’s fang?" Faith strolled in behind the oblivious watcher. She walked over to Cordelia’s desk and hopped up on her desk.

Wesley startled at the sound of another voice, spilling the coffee down the front of his suit. "Dammit, Faith!" Wesley glared at the Slayer.

Faith grinned. "What’s so exciting in that book Wes?" She took another look around the office. "So where is he?"

Wesley took a look around and noticed for the first time that the office was empty. "I, uh, I don’t know. Maybe he’s sleeping?"

Faith shook her head, her wild hair falling around her face. "Nope. No itch. Not here."

"Well, Cordelia’s gone as well." Wesley spoke, more to himself than to the Slayer.

"Say, maybe they’ve finally decided to let loose and are locked up in some seedy motel." Faith raised her eyes suggestively.

Wesley was about to protest her theory when the telephone rang. "Angel Investigations. We help the… Oh Angel. Where are you?"

Faith raised an eyebrow as she tried to figure out what was going on by listening to Wesley’s end of the conversation.

After several moments, where Wesley listened to the caller speak, he turned to eye Faith curiously. When he noticed she was watching him, he turned back to the desk.

"I’m not sure that’s such a good idea." Wesley sighed. "Alright, I understand." He hung up the phone and turned to Faith.

"What’s up?" She asked, growing wary at the look Wesley was giving her.

"There’s in Sunnydale. There’s been some trouble. They need our help." Wesley watched, concerned as Faiths featured paled slightly.

Angel hung up the phone and turned to face Cordelia who was brushing her hair after having taking a shower. He noticed how it seemed to sparkle in the dim lights of the room. It was all wet and shiny. For a brief moment he felt the urge to brush it for her. Feel it in his fingers.

"Hello? Earth to Angel? You in there?" Cordelia’s voice shook him from his inappropriate thoughts.

"What? Oh sorry. I was… thinking." He told her sheepishly.

Cordelia smiled. "It’s good you can still do that." She teased. "Did you speak to Wesley?"

Angel sat down on the foot of the bed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. They’ll come." He turned to look at Cordelia. "He’s concerned. He doesn’t think she’s ready."

Cordelia sighed as she sat next to Angel on the bed. It had been a rough couple of months. They had all had to make some changes. But things were starting to make sense again. She had slowly begun to like Faith. In some ways they were a lot alike. Insecure, alone. They just dealt with it differently. Where Cordelia had had her parents’ money to fall back on, giving her the ability to pretend she wasn’t as alone as she felt, Faith had had no one, and a destiny.

Cordelia placed a hand on Angel’s arm reassuringly. "She’ll be alright. She’s got us, and Wesley will be there." She looked up as a thought struck her. "Someone should tell Willow."

Angel stood up. "I will. I’ll meet you downstairs."

Cordelia watched him leave and went to find Willow. She was incredibly glad she had kept willow informed with everything that had happened regarding the rogue Slayer.

Wesley watched Faith out of the corner of his eye as they drove down the highway. He knew it would be difficult for the Slayer to come back to Sunnydale. Too much had happened there. Old wounds which hadn’t quite healed.

Wesley also knew that Angel wouldn’t have asked if it weren’t necessary. And after hearing about what had happened to his boss’ Childe that it would be nothing short of a miracle to pull of what they had planned.

Faith popped the CD into the player and turned the volume up all the way, trying to drown out her own thoughts, her own memories. It wasn’t working. She had known from the moment she had broken down outside that guys apartment, the moment she had let herself cry, let Angel comfort her. She had known then that everything was about to change. She wasn’t running anymore, she wasn’t hiding. Angel wouldn’t let her. She had spent the past several months confronting her demons. It had been difficult, more than she could have ever imagined. But she had found that some part of herself still lived. Some part of her hadn’t been shattered by the fragments of her life.

She had found a sort of strange family in Angel, Cordelia and Wesley. A family she had never known before, never wanted, but now that she had it, she didn’t want to lose it.

That was why she was coming to Sunnydale. When Wesley had told her about the trouble that Angel had run into, she had felt anger on Angel’s behalf. She didn’t know Spike. She had only met him that one time, while in Buffy’s body, but she felt a sort of connection to him. She supposed it was because he was Angel’s childe, and she had become a sort of daughter to the brooding vampire. Although to be honest, he didn't brood nearly as much as she remembered. She supposed that was Cordelia’s influence.

Cordelia. There was a paradox if she ever saw one. She hadn’t known her well when she had been in Sunnydale, but everything she had believed about the girl had been wrong. So very wrong. She had more layers than a fancy French wedding cake.

Faith found herself liking Cordelia’s honesty. She didn’t hide her feelings. She laid it all out. Except maybe when it came to Fang. But that was a whole other issue.

Faith let her mind drift again as the cars sped by. She wondered how Willow would react to her coming back. Willow had been an enigma to her. She was incredibly smart, and brave, and yet she allowed herself to become nothing more than a piece of furniture for Buffy and her friends to trample all over.

Willow risked her life for them, and they didn’t even see it. Even while facing impending death, Willow had chosen to help her friends instead of escaping. And more than that she hadn’t backed down. She hadn’t tried to convince her that she still had a chance. She had told her it was too late. And it was. Then. She wasn’t ready to make the hard choices. Not then.

At the time, Faith had believed Willow foolish, now she knew it wasn’t stupidity that kept her there, but loyalty, even if she was loyal to the wrong people. Faith now understood that kind of loyalty. She now knew what drove the witch, despite the danger to herself. She knew it was the same thing that was bringing her to a place she desperately didn’t want to be.




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