Seas Between Us (Broad Have Roared) by Enigmaticblue

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Chapters 9 & 10

Chapter 9: Shifting Sand

"...I don't mean to laugh out loud/I'm trying to come clean/Trying to shed my doubt/ Maybe I should just keep/My big mouth shut ./ More often than not/When it comes to you/ You want whatever's not in front of you/Deep down I know this includes me too...Trouble is I'm so exhausted/The plot, you see, I think I've lost it/I need the grace to find what can't be found." ~Over the Rhine , "Long Lost Brother"

Buffy followed Fred into the lobby of the Hyperion. She was weighed down with shopping bags, since it seemed that she and Spike would be staying there, rather than at her hotel. The Slayer, almost in spite of herself, was worried for Cordelia. While they hadn't always gotten along, Buffy had never truly wished her harm.

Okay, that wasn't completely true. There had been several times in high school where Buffy could have quite happily wished her dead.

Things had changed, however. They had changed. Buffy was ready to do whatever she could to help out.

"How is she?" Fred asked Spike breathlessly. The vampire was lounging on the round chair in the center of the lobby, reading a book he'd found.

"Fine," he replied. "She hadn't eaten since breakfast, an' even then it wasn't much. Wes thinks she was just a bit lightheaded from all the activity and such."

Fred breathed out a sigh of relief. "Maybe we should get takeout."

"Already taken care of," Spike replied. "The Watcher called for it a little while ago. Should be here any minute now." He gave the shopping bags a dubious look. "Find anything?"

Buffy smiled at him, the look on her face mischievous. "Just a few things."

Spike's look turned sour. "Buffy—"

"I promised I wouldn't get anything you wouldn't like," she reminded him.

Fred nodded, offering her support. " It's fine, Spike. I think it'll look good on you."

He sighed. "Yeah, alright." Looking over at Fred, he said, "Wesley said to send you upstairs when you arrived. Said you'd know what room he'd put her in."

She nodded and headed up the stairs, leaving Spike and Buffy alone in the lobby. Buffy didn't need any encouragement. She was immediately astride his lap, kissing him. Spike's hands went to her waist, holding her steady as he deepened the kiss.

When Buffy finally broke it off to breathe, she smiled at him. "That was nice."

"Missed you," he murmured.

She smiled, putting a hand on his face, noting that he didn't slick his hair back quite so much. "I missed you too. What did I miss, besides Cordelia fainting?"

Spike frowned slightly. "Sounds a little more serious than we thought, pet. Turns out Angel did a mindwipe on the whole bunch to prevent them from rememberin' his kid."

Buffy's eyebrows went straight up. "Angel has a kid? When did this happen?"

"While back," Spike replied. "It's a much longer, much more complicated story than I can tell you, but it's interesting."

"Do you think Angel's gone evil after all?"

Spike shook his head. "Don't know. Everythin' he's done so far can be chalked up to good intentions, which is somethin' Angelus never had."

Buffy grimaced. "You know what they say about good intentions."

"I think that's what we're all afraid of." Spike sighed. "Wes and Fred have to go back over to the office after we eat. You want to stay here with the Cheerleader or should I?"

"I don't want to go back there," Buffy replied quickly. "I don't know what it is, Spike, but that place—"

"'s not a good place," he agreed. "Right then. I'll go back an' see what I can dig up on that end. Who knows? Maybe somebody will listen to me for a change."

Buffy grinned. "Yeah, when hell freezes over."

~~~~~

"How are you feeling?" Fred asked solicitously, Wesley hovering in the doorway.

Cordy sighed. "I feel like a complete wuss, passing out like that on you guys."

"Don't worry about it," Wesley said quickly. "We pushed you too hard."

"No, you didn't," Cordelia said. "I pushed myself."

"Well, we'll get you something to eat and then you'll feel better." Fred gave the other woman a smile and a hug. "It's really good to have you back."

Cordelia returned the embrace gratefully. "It's good to be back."

"We have to go," Wesley said apologetically from the doorway. "After we eat, of course, but Fred and I should get back to the office."

Cordy tried for a smile. "Of course."

"Someone will stay here, though," Fred quickly promised. "Spike or Buffy."

She tried not to wince. There had been a day when she had been the glue that held the group together, and now what was she? Cordelia wondered if she even belonged here anymore, because it sure didn't feel like it. "I'll be fine," she said. "Even if no one can stay."

"We're not leaving you by yourself," Wesley said firmly. "Just in case this is something more serious, we want to be sure you're alright."

"Do you want to eat downstairs?" Fred asked. "We could bring something up to you if—"

"No," Cordelia said, suddenly unable to take another minute in her room. "No, I think I'll come downstairs."

~~~~~

Buffy and Cordelia stared at one another, neither speaking. With Spike and Fred present, there had been no want of conversation. The Slayer had been amazed to find that Spike got along quite well with both Wesley and Fred; she was the one who didn't belong.

Except that Buffy got the feeling that Cordelia didn't quite fit anymore.

"How's the vision thing?" Buffy finally asked.

Cordelia shrugged. "It's okay. I'm part demon now."

"Yeah, I'd heard."

There was another long pause.

"My body got hijacked last year and I tried to end the world." With that off her chest, Cordelia felt a little better. She and Buffy had never been friends, but there was a lot of history between the two of them.

Buffy nodded. "That sucks. I was in heaven, until my friends ripped me out, and then last year I had to watch my boyfriend die."

"Spike?"

"Yeah."

"When did that happen?"

They were in full girl-talk mode now. It wasn't something they had previously indulged in, but there wasn't really anyone else who could understand their lives. "A while ago," Buffy admitted.

Cordelia's look turned sly. "How is it?"

Buffy grinned. "It's amazing! What about you?" At Cordelia's expression, her eyes widened. "No! Angel?"

Cordelia shook her head. "Not anymore. At least, I don't know. I mean, before..." She trailed off, unsure of how to explain the changes that a year had wrought. Changes that had seemed to put them on opposite sides of the battle lines.

The Slayer reached out and squeezed Cordelia's hand. The fact that she had a steady boyfriend, plus being totally over Angel, allowed her to offer what comfort she could.

High school was a very long time ago.

"I get that."

Cordelia flashed her a grateful smile, then started lookng around the lobby. "We had some really good times here, you know?"

"You still could," Buffy said. "It might be different, but that doesn't mean it won't be good."

Their eyes met, and a shared look of understanding passed between the two of them. Cordelia smiled. "Do you want a tour of the place? I think I remember where everything is."

"That would be good," Buffy replied. "Especially since it sounds like Spike and I are going to be staying here for a while."

Cordelia's eyebrows went up. "You seriously aren't going back to Rome ?"

The Slayer shrugged. "I'm not the only Slayer in the world now," she replied. "I can go wherever I want."

"That must be really nice," Cordy said.

"It really, really is," Buffy replied. "So, the hotel?"

~~~~~

Wesley got grabbed as soon as he walked into the building. Harmony, looking very important, said that Angel wanted to see him as soon as he got in. "I have to go," Wesley said. "Spike—"

"I'll meet up with you later," Spike replied. "'m not sure I want to have another battle to the death with Peaches."

Wesley frowned. "Why—"

"He's goin' to smell Buffy all over me," Spike said wryly. "An' then he's goin' to want to kill me. I can take him, but I'd rather not. Buffy has plans for later."

The ex-Watcher shook his head. "Alright, Spike. Will I see you later?"

"Here or at the hotel," Spike said. He watched, amused, as Fred and Wesley shared a look that managed to be both full of promise and anxiety.

"I'll see you later, Wes," Fred said, suddenly shy, as she headed off towards the lab, Spike on her heels. Now that he and Wesley weren't going to be able to corner Gunn for a while, he really didn't have much to do. While he probably could have gone back to the hotel—and Buffy—it didn't make sense to do so yet.

Besides, Spike still couldn't quite believe this was all real.

"Have you snogged him yet?"

Fred whirled to meet Spike's mischievous grin. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said primly.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me Percy hadn't kissed you senseless yet. Do I need to have a talk with him?"

"No!" Fred said, blushing bright red. "It's none of your business, Spike."

"'course it's my business," he replied, loving to get her wound up. They were both so focused on their current conversation that neither noticed the large sarcophagus sitting in the middle of the lab. Nor did they pay much attention to Knox, who was seemingly busy scribbling notes. "You're my friend, Wesley's a friend, you like each other..."

"I don't like Wesley," Fred replied, inadvertantly putting the emphasis on "like."

"You're in love with him, then."

"I'm not—" Fred broke off and then glared at him. "How do you do that?"

"Told the Cheerleader," Spike said easily. "'ve been hauntin' these halls for months, pet. Not hard to see things that way, especially when no one expects you to think about things."

Fred smiled at him. "You don't do anything but think about things, Spike."

"That's not precisely true," Spike corrected her, looking pleased nonetheless. "I've gotten into plenty of trouble for not thinkin'."

She shrugged. "That doesn't mean you don't think." Fred noticed the new arrival for the first time. "When did this come in?" she asked Knox.

The lab tech shrugged. "I'm not sure. It was here when I got here this morning."

Fred frowned. "Did it come with any kind of paperwork?"

"On the desk over there," Knox replied casually.

Fred glanced at the paperwork cursorily. "That's strange," she murmured, noticing that some of the important documentation was missing. "I'll have to look at this later," she said, putting the sheaf of papers back on the desk, glancing back over at the sarcophagus. "I'll have to do a proper inspection later with full gear."

Fred spoke the words, and she meant them, but she couldn't resist moving closer to the large stone coffin. She'd always been the curious sort.

Several things happened at once. Spike, who had been inspecting a piece of equipment he didn't recognize, heard Knox's heartbeat jump just as Fred reached out to touch the jewel-like stone embedded in the top of the object. Later, the vampire couldn't have said why he acted as he did, but he was in between Fred and the sarcophagus in a flash, shielding her body with his own.

There was a sound of rushing air, and Knox's cry of disappointment. "What have you done?"

Spike kept Fred behind him. "What are you on about?"

"You've ruined it," Knox cried. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way. This has been planned for millennia, and you ruined it!"

Spike snarled. "I've been known to bollocks things up, but if you don't tell me what's goin' on, 'm goin' to—"

The expression on Knox's face was one of anguish. "You ruined it," he moaned. "Everything was set."

"Knox, what are you talking about?" Fred asked, coming out from behind Spike.

The young man shook his head. "You were supposed to be the perfect vessel. Everything was aligned, and now—" He dodged as Spike leapt for him.

It was chaos for a moment as Spike grappled with Knox, who pulled a wicked looking knife out of somewhere. The vampire gasped as the knife slipped between his ribs, and then Knox was gone, dashing out of the lab, holding tightly to the blade that was still dripping blood.

Fred was immediately at his side. "Spike?"

"I'll be fine," he managed. "Hurts like a bitch, though."

She watched as the blood seeped from between his fingers, giving him a sympathetic look. "This really hasn't been your week, has it?"

Spike managed a faint chuckle. "S'pose not."

"Let's get you cleaned up," Fred said. "Then we should probably find Wesley and the others and try to figure out what it was that Knox was planning to do."

"Whatever it was, wasn't anythin' good," Spike said, watching as Fred eased his t-shirt up, his brow furrowed in concern. "An' it was meant for you, pet."

Their eyes met, and then Fred smiled bravely. "We're always in danger, Spike. Besides, whatever it was, I'm sure we would have beat it."

Spike wasn't quite so optimistic. He had a bad feeling about that sarcophagus.

Chapter 10: Under the Surface

"I'm afraid I've lost the piece of me/I need the most you see/This puzzle is really all about the need/To be somebody...But you came so close and I assumed/You were looking/For the piece of yourslf that's lost/It is the hiding place inside everybody/And though we love to numb the pain/We come to learn that it's in vain/Pain is our mother/She makes us recognize each other..." ~Over the Rhine, "Nobody Number One"

"Where have you been?" Angel asked irritably.

Wesley simply raised an eyebrow. After hearing what Cordelia had to say, he was feeling much less charitable towards Angel. "I've been helping Cordelia settle in at the Hyperion," he replied evenly.

Angel's frown deepened. "How is she?"

"Cordelia's fine," Wesley replied, making a quick decision not to tell Angel about her collapse earlier. "What did you need, Angel?"

The vampire was slightly taken aback by Wesley's short response. "You haven't been here all day, Wes," Angel replied. "Don't forget, we have a job to do here."

"What job?" Wesley asked, allowing his irritation to show. "Reading innumerable reports that I can do nothing about? Or are you talking about overseeing a department that seems to run quite well on its own? Or maybe you're talking about me doing all the things you'd rather not burden yourself with."

Angel glowered. "What the hell are you talking about, Wes? Look, you signed on to work here. I didn't force you into anything."

"No, you didn't, but you didn't tell us the whole truth either," Wesley hissed in reply, lowering his voice. "You made the decision to work at Wolfram and Hart knowing that we would follow you willingly. You made the decision without ever telling us what you were receiving in return."

Angel went very still. "She told you."

"She did. I, for one, was rather surprised." Wesley's voice held a bitter note. "You could have told us."

"That's not the way it worked out," Angel spit out. "It was my business, not yours."

Wesley glared at him. "We're in this together, Angel."

"Are we?" Angel asked angrily. "You seem to be about to bail on me, Wes."

Wesley drew himself up. "I would have stayed with you until the very end," he shot back. "I would have followed you into hell itself. Actually, it's possible that I did follow you into hell. You were the one who felt it necessary to alter my memories."

"Connor—"

"Needed help, yes," Wesley said impatiently. "Cordelia told me. What I'm not sure you understand is what you've done. You are now inextricably linked to Wolfram and Hart, and you may have put your soul in jeopardy. Did you think about that, Angel?"

"It was worth it!" Angel exclaimed. "Connor is my son!"

"Not any longer," Wesley replied coldly. "Of course, if he discovers that he is nearly invulnerable, you may find him on your doorstep."

The anger on Angel's face nearly caused Wesley to back up a step. The ex-Watcher hadn't been this afraid of the vampire since he'd first started working for Angel Investigations. "Get out."

"Are you firing me?" Wesley asked.

Angel opened his mouth to answer when Fred and a still-bloody Spike entered the office. "What are you doing here, Spike?" Angel barked.

"Getting carved up," Spike shot back. "What are you doin' here, Peaches?"

"Don't, Spike," Fred warned him. Turning to Angel, she said, "Spike saved my life, Angel."

Wesley frowned. "What happened?"

"That prat, Knox, had plans for Fred," Spike said. "Not quite sure what they were, but it wasn't good."

Angel shook his head. "What are you talking about, Spike?"

Spike raised his shirt, showing off Fred's first aid job. "He got upset when I kept her from touchin' this stone coffin, and then he pulled a knife on me. I'm thinkin' that's a pretty good sign the git wasn't up to anything good."

"I'd say you were correct," Wesley agreed. "Do we know anything about Knox or this—coffin?"

Fred shook her head. "I haven't gotten the chance to investigate yet," she replied. "I think Lorne did a reading on Knox, though."

"Wait a minute," Angel said, holding up a hand. "Aren't we jumping to conclusions here? I want to pull a knife on Spike on a daily basis. Just because—"

Fred glared at him. "We know what happened, Angel. Knox isn't what I—we thought he was. I think we should probably do some investigating."

"There are other things going on," Angel replied. "I think—"

"If someone tried to harm Fred, I think that ought to be our first priority," Wesley said, his eyes narrowing. The tension in the room went up several notches.

Angel finally seemed to remember that his friends should be his first responsibility. "Fine. Do what you need to do to take care of it."

Something close to regret flitted over Wesley's face. "Angel—"

"I'm not going to discuss this with you, Wes," Angel said. "It was my decision."

Wesley's hands flexed, and Spike wondered if the ex-Watcher was going to go after his grandsire. "Better see to our leads, mate," Spike said softly.

Wesley nodded tightly. "We aren't done with this, Angel."

Angel didn't reply, going back to his paperwork. He waited until the door closed behind them to put his head in his hands. This was getting out of control. He had no idea how to fix this mess, and now it seemed that just being at Wolfram and Hart was going to place his friends in danger.

Even though they had grown apart, Angel still felt responsible for their well-being. Of course, he was also certain of the rightness of his actions. He would stay at the law firm, because he had made a commitment, and he had put his immortal soul on the line.

It wasn't the first time that he had wondered if he had done the right thing.

~~~~~

The shipping and receiving information didn't give them many clues as to the artifact's purpose or origins. What they did discover was that it had been held up in Customs for quite a while until Gunn had signed a piece of paper.

Wesley had wanted to find Gunn and ask him about it immediately, but he wasn't in the office, and Spike and Fred had managed to convince him to wait until they knew more. "It might be completely innocent, Wesley," Fred said.

Wesley wasn't so sure. Neither was Spike for that matter, but the vampire was inclined to want as much information about the sarcophagus as possible. That way, they would know how badly to hurt Gunn when they did confront him.

They had barely scratched the surface, and Spike knew they were in for a long night of going through dusty old books. He was starting to think about heading back to the Hyperion since he didn't think he could be of much use.

A secretary, one of the many at Wolfram and Hart, knocked hesitantly on Wesley's door. "Sir?"

"What is it, Audra?" he asked, not bothering to hide the impatience in his tone.

She flinched. "There's a problem. One of the employees was just taken ill. It has something to do with the new arrival in the technology lab."

Wesley was out of his seat in a moment. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Audra said, shaking her head. "We just got the call. Since Miss Burkle was here, I thought you might want to know..."

"You did the right thing," Wesley replied, composing himself. He turned to Fred and Spike. "I think we ought to check this out."

Fred was looking guilty. "Wes, I didn't even think about leaving that thing in the lab. I should have warned people, or put a sign on it, or something."

"It's done now," Spike said, sounding grim. "An' it's not your fault, ducks. We had plenty on our minds."

Wesley hesitated. "Spike, I think you ought to head back to the hotel. Fred and I will meet you there a little later."

The vampire shook his head. "Wes—"

Wesley shook his head, cutting off Spike's protests. "You're still hurt," he pointed out. "There's no sense in placing yourself in more danger. Let Buffy and Cordelia know what's been going on here. We'll fill you in once we've found out what's happened."

Spike didn't look happy, but he nodded. "Right. See you later then."

~~~~~

There wasn't a lot to do once Cordy had given the Slayer a tour. The two women could only find so much to talk about, so many stories to share, before an uncomfortable silence fell. With no TV or anything else at the Hyperion, it seemed that they could look forward to a very boring afternoon and evening.

"Are you hungry?" Buffy asked after a while.

Cordelia shook her head. "Not really." She sighed. "I wonder where my computer got to. If we had internet, we could do—something."

Buffy sighed. "Do you want to get out of here for a while? We could go shopping."

Cordy hesitated, and then she shook her head. "That sounds nice, but what if somebody calls?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Another silence fell, even more uncomfortable than the last. They might have sat like that forever, or at least until Buffy went to the basement to use some of the training equipment she'd seen down there, except that Cordelia suddenly straightened. "We've got a problem."

"What is it?" Buffy tried not to sound too hopeful. She really wanted out of there.

"Vision," Cordelia replied, holding a hand up for silence. "Big demon, horns, trying to sacrifice a girl for some reason."

Buffy tried to squelch her excitement, but with little success. This was more like it. "Do you know where?"

"Yeah," Cordelia replied. "I can drive us if you've got a car."

"I don't," Buffy replied, then she smiled. "Although, I think Spike rode back to the office with Wesley. His car should still be here."

Cordelia stood. "I'll drive."

"I can drive!" Buffy protested.

Cordy fixed the Slayer with a look. "Buffy, I remember how you drive. I was the one with the wheels in high school, remember?"

"A lot has changed since then," Buffy said petulantly. "I can drive."

"I'll drive," Cordy insisted. "A lot has changed, but I know I can drive. I don't know anything about your driving talents."

Still bickering, they headed out to take care of the demon.

~~~~~

Spike walked into the empty hotel with a feeling of concern. "Slayer?" he called. "Buffy? Cordelia? H'lo?"

He was still trying to remember whether or not Buffy had given him her cell phone number when the two women walked into the hotel, arguing good-naturedly over who had managed to kill the demon. Buffy had been impressed with Cordelia's slaying abilities, almost in spite of herself. Cordelia had come a long way since leaving Sunnydale.

"Where were you two?" he asked, sounding irritated.

They exchanged looks. "Out slaying," Buffy replied off-handedly. "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you," Spike replied. "We had a situation at Wolfram and Hart."

Cordelia's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Spike quickly explained. "Fred and Wesley should be back here soon. Dunno what they were goin' to do about the person who got sick," he finished.

Cordelia appeared grim. "I told Angel that place was no good."

"We don't know why this happened," Buffy reminded the seer. "It might be something completely unrelated to being at Wolfram and Hart." She grimaced. "Although, it's unlikely, I'll grant you." The Slayer looked at Spike. "I want to see that knife wound, and then you need to get cleaned up. I can go check out of my hotel and then come back."

Spike winced. "The bastard completely ruined my shirt."

"Good thing I got you some new clothes then, isn't it?" Buffy asked smugly.

He sighed. "Just so you don't make me look like a complete git."

"Why would I do that?" Buffy teased him.

"Let's see it, Slayer." Spike followed her up the stairs to the room she'd marked as their own.

Cordelia couldn't help but feel envious, watching them go. She remembered when she and Angel had that sort of easy camaraderie. She missed him, missed the man she'd fallen in love with. The Angel she'd seen reminded her of the time he'd gone so dark, when he had allowed Darla and Drusilla to kill all those lawyers.

She was afraid for him.

~~~~~

Spike stared at the t-shirt that Buffy had thrown in the trash can as she inspected the laceration in his side. "This isn't looking too bad," she commented. "You could get cleaned up, and I'll bandage it for you after you get out of the shower."

"You want me to go back to the hotel with you?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Someone should be here with Cordelia."

"Where were you two really?"

"She had a vision, and we left to take care of the demon." Buffy smiled. "She's actually not too bad with a sword. I was impressed."

Spike smiled in response, but the expression didn't quite reach his eyes. "That's good."

Buffy stared at him thoughtfully, and then she leaned in and kissed him, slowly, sweetly, deeply. "I love you," she murmured.

"What was that for?" Spike asked, sounding a little dazed.

She pressed her lips to his forehead. "You looked like you needed it." Buffy rummaged through the shopping bags for something for him to wear. "Now, go get cleaned up."

Spike let the hot water from the shower rush over him, not quite able to believe what was happening. A few days ago, he'd had nothing, nothing except for his soul really, and maybe Wesley's friendship. Today, it seemed that he had a purpose, a place to stay, and Buffy.

He kept waiting to wake up.

When he had gotten out of the shower and towelled off, Spike took a look at the clothing Buffy had purchased for him. It wasn't too bad, really. Better than he'd thought. Dark blue jeans, black t-shirt, red button-down that was reminiscent of a shirt he'd had years ago. He pulled the jeans on, but left his chest bare so Buffy could re-bandage the wound. It was healing nicely, but he'd need to put something on it for at least another day.

Buffy fussed over him when he came back out, her hands gentle. "This is a little weird," he murmured.

"I know," she replied, not meeting his eyes. "It feels like no time has passed, and like we've lived whole lifetimes."

Spike suddenly realized that the Slayer might be having just as difficult a time of things as he was. They both had their insecurities, and hers had probably been triggered by his long silence after being brought back. Putting a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so she met his eyes, Spike said, "I love you."

"I know." Buffy smiled. "I love you too."

They would let that be all that mattered.

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