Three men. One room. Only one will get out alive... but then only one went in that way.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Continued from here.

Spike relaxed just slightly at Wesley's words, although he was still just one rude comment away from launching himself at Angel's throat.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to get used to the idea," Angel said. "I know you're upset about what happened, but that doesn't mean you should settle for - "

"You are such an arrogant prick, you know that?" Spike interrupted before Angel could get any further into uncomfortable territory. "I know it's hard to get new thoughts through that thick skull of yours, but one of these centuries you're going to have to face the fact that other people actually like me. Some of them even love me."

"I'm just saying he has a pattern when he's unhappy of getting involved in relationships that can't go anywhere." There was a satisfied gleam in Angel's eyes that Spike didn't like at all.

Comments

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley stayed calm. He had to. "This relationship is going somewhere."

"You really think so?" Angel asked.

It was very difficult not to stand up and walk out, which was what Wesley really wanted to do. "Yes. I do." It was difficult to say the words with conviction when, in reality, there were moments when Wesley was anything but sure. "And so does Spike." He turned to look at Spike, needing confirmation.

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Spike brought his other hand across his lap to cradle their joined hands. "There's no question about what I want with you, pet," he said, meeting Wesley's eyes seriously and wishing that Wesley had sound more sure. "The only question is why he's trying to bollocks up something we both know is good."

"Hey, I just care about Wes," Angel protested, holding up his hands as if to show he wasn't armed.

"I've seen what you've done to him. Sounds like he's better off with you not caring about him and leaving him the hell alone."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"That's not -- " Angel started hotly, then he glanced down. "Well okay, yeah, but I was trying. I mean, not to -- "

"It's all right," Wesley said, saving Angel from his inability to say anything sensible. "I know." It was easier with both of Spike's hands holding onto his.

Angel looked up at him gratefully. "Thanks."

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"It's not all right with me," Spike said, which earned him another of Angel's glares. "Well, it isn't."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"If you hurt him, I'll find you and rip out your spine," Angel said, still glaring at Spike.

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"Again, let's look at history," Spike replied with obviously feigned patience. "Who here tried to kill him and let Wolfram & Hart suck out his memories? Right, that would be you. Who was there for him when he learned his supposed best friend did all that to him? That would be me." His eyes narrowed. "And you can bloody well try to rip out my spine."

"Any time," Angel said, his voice soft and dangerous.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"No," Wesley said. "Angel, it's not your place to protect me from real or imagined dangers, and you'll only damage our relationship further if you lay hands on Spike again. I want you to promise me you won't touch him."

Angel looked startled, then almost angry. "What? No. If he starts something, I'm going to finish it. I'm not making any promises that give him the upper hand."

It wasn't that Wesley couldn't see Angel's point, but that didn't make him any more comfortable with the situation. "You're the one threatening to start something with him."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"You don't need to defend me, pet," Spike told Wesley. "I've taken him down before, and I can again. Besides, it's getting tiring to have to use small words so he can follow along."

"Oh, would you rather talk in poems, William?" Angel asked, smirking.

"Right. That's it." Spike released Wesley's hand and started to rise from his seat. He knew that Wesley would be upset and that Angel had just been baiting him, but his temper was frayed to its limits.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"See?" Angel said, standing up as soon as Spike began to move, his chair sliding back over the short carpet. "See? He's the one starting this! I'm willing to talk, but he's not happy unless there's violence involved!"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"And if he believes you're not trying to push me with every sodding word he's more blinded by you than I think," Spike growled. The table stood solidly between them, but it would take almost no effort at all to get it out of the way.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley felt rather trapped -- it wasn't as if he could convince Angel to behave by threatening to leave, as staying was his only way to be sure that Angel would tell the others as he'd said he would. "Spike," he said gently, reaching out and taking the vampire's wrist, feeling the tension and strength there. "Yes, I'm perfectly aware that Angel's goading you into this, and so is he."

Angel actually had the decency to look a bit ashamed, but he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "He needs to drop the superior attitude."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I supposed to be impressed that you treated your friends like rubbish?" Spike asked, but Wesley's hand on his wrist had dampened some of his rage, and though the words were spoken in a scathing tone he made no move to break away and launch himself at Angel.

"I don't need a lecture from someone who doesn't even know what friends are," Angel replied.

Spike turned to Wesley. "What do you want me to do? Sit here quietly while he can say whatever he likes?"

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"No, of course not," Wesley said, upset that Spike was upset and that it didn't seem there was anything he could do about it. "But I can't make him stop, can I? What do you want me to do?"

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"I've given the idea of you shooting him a second thought," Spike said, but he took a deep breath and tried very hard to calm down. It helped if he kept looking at Wesley and ignored Angel's presence. "Just tell me again you're not going to go back to work for him."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm not," Wesley said quickly, wanting to give Spike the fastest reassurance possible. "I'm not going back, I swear it."

He was aware that they were talking as if it was just the two of them in the room, but he didn't look in Angel's direction. He only had eyes for Spike.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"All right." Spike offered Wesley a very faint smile and sank back down onto his chair. He still felt tense and ready to strike, but he could keep the urge at bay. "Then I can put up with him being an ass for a little while longer. It's not like it's anything new."

"I knew you had something to do with it," Angel said, still standing on the other side of the table with his arms crossed over his chest.

Spike managed to break away from Wesley's gaze to glance over at Angel. "With him leaving? You did most of that yourself, mate. I just gave him another option."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Taking a deep breath, Wesley said, "Spike didn't talk me into anything. It's true that without him I might have stayed, but I can't honestly say it's because I would have wanted to. As he said, I just didn't feel I had any other options. Without him..." He looked at Spike again, stroking his hand down along Spike's arm. "Well. You don't need all the details, do you."

"I think I'd be happier without them," Angel agreed. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"I do," Wesley said.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Oh, let's give him the details," Spike said, but his teasing had only a little bite as he smiled a bit more at Wesley. Wesley's touch and his reassurance that he hadn't changed his mind about staying with Angel helped some of Spike's agitated energy to dissipate.

Angel sat down heavily in his chair. "I'm definitely going to need a drink. Or five."

"Afterwards," Spike replied. "You don't get out of telling them that easily."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Angel leaned back, looking defeated. "It'd take a dozen to get anywhere close to drunk enough to forget," he said, and Wesley couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Again.

"It's going to be fine," he said. "It will mean a lot to them that you're willing to come clean, I know it will."

"Too bad I missed out on that chance with you," Angel said, his eyes looking into Wesley's with enough emotion that Wesley thought he felt his heart skip a beat.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Your loss is my gain," Spike said seriously, and when Angel met his gaze for a moment he knew that they agreed upon where Wesley would be if Angel hadn't done what he had.

"If you ever want to come back," Angel said, looking into Wesley's eyes again and showing remarkable sensitivity in not listing all of ways things might go wrong for them, "your job will always be open. I'd like to try to make things up to you."

Spike had to look down, unable to watch the connection between them that he knew he'd never be able to touch. As much as he hated that someone else had such a draw on Wesley's heart, it also made his stomach twist not quite in revulsion to see Angel caring about someone so deeply.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"You can make things up to me by being good to them," Wesley said, the words simple because Angel knew what he was talking about. It seemed cruel to say that he couldn't imagine coming back, so he didn't.

"I'll try," Angel said.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Let me give you a hint," Spike said. "Whatever Wolfram and Hart wants to do to them is probably not a good idea."

"I'll keep that in mind," Angel said dryly, but he didn't look away from Wesley to reply. It was as though he were hesitant to loose Wesley's attention because he feared he might not ever get it back again.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Angel already knows that he needs to be careful here," Wesley said.

"Yeah. I do." Angel looked as if he wished he could say a lot more, but Wesley suspected he didn't want to in front of Spike. It was all so complicated. "What was it like?" Angel asked.

"What?" Wesley said, puzzled.

"Getting your memories back."

"Oh." Wesley thought. "Confusing. The old ones -- er, new ones, I mean, the replacement memories -- didn't go away when the original ones came back, so it was like there were two sets."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Plus there was the falling on the floor, the complete disorientation, and the thousands of questions he didn't have answers for," Spike added.

Angel's brows pinched together in an even more unhappy look. "That must've been really hard."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley wished Spike hadn't made it sound so... dramatic, although truth be told it was probably an accurate picture. "It was," he said. "But that's not the point. The point is, it's better this way. I'd rather know."

"And you're sure that Fred and Gunn and Lorne are going to feel the same way?" Angel asked.

"Yes," Wesley said, not needing to think about it for more than a second or two. "Yes, I think they will."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"And they'll have some warning, so it'll be easier on them when it happens," Spike said.

Angel sighed and nodded. "Yeah. It had to be a lot to get all at once."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"It was," Wesley said shortly, trying rather desperately to think of a new topic of conversation, because, to be perfectly honest, the last thing he wanted to discuss with Angel was how difficult it had been. And not just because he didn't want Angel to feel guilty, but because he didn't want Angel to feel sorry for him. There was no point to it, and the idea made him uncomfortable.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Spike reached over to touch Wesley's leg, hearing the tightness in his voice and offering his support. "It won't be so bad for them," he said, hoping that it was true.

"I just hope they'll listen," Angel said, leaning forward to rest his arms on the table. "They're not going to be happy."

Spike was proud of himself for not pointing out whose fault it was that they were in that position in the first place.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"They'll listen," Wesley promised. Of course, afterwards he wasn't sure if they'd want anything to do with him or Angel, but he'd deal with that when the time came. "It will all get sorted out."

"Yeah, right," Angel said. "Like it did with you?"

"This is different," Wesley told him.

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"I hope so." Angel glanced somewhat suspiciously over at Spike. "At least they'll have more people to talk to."

"And they probably won't want to shoot you," Spike replied with an overly friendly smile.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Well, they don't like guns as much as Wesley does," Angel said, almost as if it were a peace offering. "If it'd make you feel better, I'd let you shoot me."

Wesley blinked. "No," he said slowly. "I don't think that would make me feel better."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

Pleased that he had indeed made the right choice for Wesley, Spike only cleared his throat instead of piping up that it would make him feel better.

Angel glanced over at him, his glare already forming.

"Don't look at me like that," Spike said. "I stopped him before, didn't I? I knew he wouldn't be happy about it."

"That was very thoughtful of you." The tone of Angel's voice made it clear that he was still suspicious of the action.

"I'm a thoughtful fellow," Spike replied easily.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I remember," Angel said dryly. "Must be why I've always liked you so much."

Wesley sighed. "I suppose I should be grateful you're not at each other's throats."

Angel grinned, suddenly and unexpectedly. "Give us a minute."

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Actually laughing, Spike gave Wesley an encouraging pat on his leg. "This is probably the longest we've talked without actual violence in decades."

"You're a good influence," Angel agreed.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure I want to be responsible for your fleeting good behavior," Wesley protested. "If I am, what happens when you stop getting along?"

"I blame him," Angel said, still grinning.

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"Sounds about right," Spike said, rolling his eyes as he turned to Wesley. "You've got to remember, pet, we've been doing this for more than a century. The clothes change, but the insults stay the same."

Angel gave Spike a slightly strange look at the endearment, but he still nodded. "In his case the clothes haven't changed much."

"And then there's your hair," Spike said with a sigh.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair," Angel replied immediately.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"No, of course there's not," Wesley said, then he heard a sound behind him and turned to see Fred in the doorway, one hand held up in a tentative wave.

"Hi," Fred said. "Are we late?"

Wesley and Angel stood up at about the same time. "Not exactly," Wesley said, as she entered the room with Gunn and Lorne behind her and their waitress bringing up the rear. "There was some mix-up about the time."

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"We wouldn't want to miss out on the festivities," Lorne said. "Especially now that the ghost of Billy Idol is back in his flesh and blood. Well, flesh, anyway; I'm assuming the blood's still pig."

"Yeah, it's good to see you solid, man," Gunn said, extending a hand to Spike as the vampire stood.

"It's even better to be solid," Spike said, shaking Gunn's hand.

"Um, can I get you something to drink?" the waitress asked, looking rather nervous after the previous exchange.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"Oh! Something fruity," Fred said, her eyes lighting up. "Maybe a Mai Tai?" She looked suddenly uncertain again. "I mean, if we're actually celebrating? That is why we're here, right?"

Wesley didn't know that he wanted to burst her bubble just yet. "By all means, have a Mai Tai. Lorne?"

"Thanks, honey -- I'll take a Sea Breeze," Lorne said, smiling reassuringly at the waitress, who Wesley really would have thought would have seen more jaw-dropping things in L.A. than a man with green skin and red eyes. And horns.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

"Beer for me," said Gunn.

Angel shook his head when the waitress looked at him, though he seemed sort of sad about it. As much as he would have liked at least a beer, Spike also declined.

"Would you like something?" the waitress asked Wesley. "And I'll bring in another place setting."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

"No, I'll wait, thank you," Wesley said, taking his cue from Spike and Angel. It might not be a bad thing for the others to have at least one drink under their belts before they found out, he thought -- it might make the experience a little less... raw.

The waitress nodded and went off.

Wesley gestured at the chair he'd been using. "Fred?"

"Oh," Fred said, moving over and sitting down. "Thanks."

Lorne claimed a chair as well, and Gunn glanced around and then took a few steps over toward the small stack of chairs in the corner of the room behind the door, taking one and handing it to Wesley. "Looks like they got the count wrong," Gunn offered.

Angel cleared his throat. "No," he said. "Actually, I wasn't supposed to be here."

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"Why not?" Fred asked Wesley. "Were we supposed to be planning a surprise for him, which I ruined by mentioning it?"

To keep Wesley from having to stammer out some lie to that adorably worried face, Spike said, "Something like that, but you haven't ruined anything. He already knew."

"Are you guys going to sit?" Gunn said, still standing behind his chair. "'Cause if you're going to keep hovering, I might as well stay where I am and not get a crick in my neck."

"No, we'll sit." Angel pulled out the chair at one end of the table and sat down, looking a bit like he was about to face his execution. Although, given how well he knew Darla, Spike expected that Angel's death was far more pleasant than this discussion was going to be.

Spike hung back to follow Wesley's lead on where he wanted to sit and whether he wanted Spike next to him.

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Wesley didn't know what to say. He glanced at Spike, then went around the table to the other side where two unclaimed chairs sat -- if Spike didn't want to sit next to him, the vampire could take Gunn's chair -- and sat next to Angel. It seemed to make the most sense -- he'd be between Spike and Angel if Spike did sit next to him, and either way he doubted Gunn would want to be sitting beside Angel when the truth came out.

[flaming-muse.livejournal.com]

After a second's hesitation, Spike followed Wesley around the table and sat next to him as the others got settled.

"Isn't this nice?" Fred said, unfolding her napkin and placing it on her lap. "We should do this more often."

"Although whether we come back here again will depend on how well they make a Sea Breeze." Lorne looked wistfully over his shoulder at the closed door. "After the day I had, if they use canned grapefruit juice, I think I'm going to pull a Lucy and start bawling."

The cheerful chatter, which he used to find at least entertaining if not comforting, grated on Spike's nerves, since it was soon going to be dampened if not entirely destroyed. "I should've got something, myself," he muttered under his breath.

"Don't look so glum, chums," Lorne said, fixing a friendly glare on Angel, Wesley, and Spike. "So Angel crashed your party. It's not like we can't still celebrate short, pale, and handsome getting his body back."

"I'm not short," Spike replied. "I just don't need to tower over everyone to prove my manliness."

[wesleysgirl.livejournal.com]

Continues here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/reality_bends/68681.html).