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Body Shots

Body Shots
By NautiBitz
CHAPTER SEVEN:
"Loss Angelus"

Info and Author's Notes: See introduction.

Chapter summary: Spike returns to Angel's after a humbling experience with Faith. Now it's Buffy's turn to muck things up!

"Honey, I'm home," Spike said with little enthusiasm.

In mid-pushup, Angel turned his head. "Where's Faith?"

"Where's my dinner, snookums?"

He said it slower this time: "Where is Faith?"

Spike turned his attention to his black polished fingernails. "We had a little, uh... disagreement."

Angel stood up. "What did you do?"

"What do you want from me? Got her out of here, didn't I? Stopped her from slicing up the help."

"Spike, Faith is a loose cannon. Any wrong moves and--"

"And what? Is the big bad Angelus afraid of the little lost lamb?"

Angel swiftly grabbed him by the neck. "Don't call me that."

"Let. Go of me," he spat.

Angel cast him aside.

"You know," Spike said as he fingered his twice-bruised neck, "I can still kill you, you righteous ponce."

Angel mentally counted to five. "Just tell me what happened."

"Mm." He casually lit a cigarette. "You'll never beat that out of me."

"The short version."

"She kicked me out of a hotel room," he said simply.

"Where?"

"Somewhere in Hollywood."

"The name of the hotel, Spike."

"Can't say I was paying much attention," he ground out.

"When did you leave her?"

"Couple hours ago."

Angel ran a hand through his hair, mulling over action plans.

"If it's any help, I don't think she'll be back here tonight," Spike reluctantly volunteered.

"Good."

Spike turned toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go get myself a little blo -- ffy!" His tone switched from boredom to pleasant surprise.

"Bluffy?" Angel repeated, and saw her standing in the stairway.

"Where is she?" Buffy demanded.

"Who?" the two vampires replied in unison.

"You know who."

"You mean Faith?" Angel said. "How did you--"

"Well, this is obviously between you two--"

She flung him backwards. "You're not going anywhere, Spike."

"Buffy, why are you--"

"Angel, I asked a simple question. Where is she?"

"She's not here," Angel said. "Why are you?"

Spike smirked. "Yeah. Why?"

"I heard that they... hooked up." She pointed at Spike.

"Wherever did you hear that, love?"

"Oh, cut the crap, Spike," she said.

"Buffy. I've got this under control," Angel said. "You should go back home."

"No, I shouldn't! Faith is my problem, not yours."

"My turf, my problem. I'm handling this, Buffy."

"Oh yeah? You're handling this so well you don't know where she is?"

"Much as I love a good lover's quarrel, I'll be--"

"Stay!" She held a palm to Spike's chest. He stayed.

"Buffy," Angel said. "This isn't about you."

"It is so about me!" She realized where her hand still rested and recoiled. "She's out to destroy me, Angel! She steals my body, attacks my mother, sleeps with my boyfriends, ruins my life, my reputation..."

"Your boyfriends?"

Buffy bristled. Did she use the plural? "When she stole my body, she... slept with Riley."

Angel looked from Buffy to Spike. "Riley?"

"Nice-lookin' bloke," Spike piped up, "if you like the pastyfaced bohunk type."

"He's not pastyfaced," she said, then turned to Angel. "But, yeah, he was my boyfriend."

"Oh," Angel processed. "But Faith never slept with me."

"Was?" Spike asked Buffy. "Trouble in paradise, pet?"

"Yes, thanks to--" Buffy caught herself. "Faith."

Angel narrowed his eyes at Buffy, then Spike. "Faith never slept with me."

Spike employed his most innocent expression. "What you lookin' at me for, mate?"

"Angel, you know what I mean!" Buffy intercepted his line of vision. "Slept with, fooled around with, whatever!"

"She fooled around with him too? The chit really got around that night."

"Not that night," Buffy said, glaring at Spike.

"She was in your body longer?" Spike asked.

"No... Oh, forget it! Why am I talking to you?"

"That's what I wanna know!" Spike said.

"No," Angel said. "That's what I want to know."

"Okay," Buffy said nervously. "Obviously this was a big mistake."

"Obviously," Spike agreed.

"What happened that night?"

"What night?" both Buffy and Spike asked.

"Two weeks ago."

"I don't know," Buffy said. "I wasn't there."

"Were you?" Angel asked Spike.

"What? What are you implying, exactly?"

"I'm not an idiot," Angel said. "I remember what Faith said today."

"What did Faith say today?" Buffy's eyes darted from boy to boy.

Angel confronted Buffy. "Why did you come here tonight?"

"What?"

"Why did you come here? For Faith? Or for him?" He didn't bother to point.

"What?"

"Why did you send Spike to me?"

"Wh... what?"

"Look," Spike said. "You can stop gettin' your knickers in a twist, mate. Nothing happened between me and the Slayer, if that's what you're gettin' at. Not this slayer, at least."

Buffy stifled the unbidden bolt of jealousy that shot through her.

"Why don't I believe you?" Angel asked.

"Will you tell him that I'm telling the truth, Buffy?" Spike pleaded.

"He is... telling the truth," Buffy said. "Sort of."

Spike turned to her, threw his hands up and bellowed, "Oh, great! The merits of having a bloody conscience, proved yet again! Wish I had one of those!"

"Spike, I can't lie to Angel."

"What makes him so special? You lied to your bloody soldiertoy, didn't you?"

"Angel," Buffy explained, "Faith had sex with Spike when she was in my body. I had nothing to do with it."

Angel sneered and went for Spike.

"Great, thanks, love!"

Buffy jumped between them. "It wasn't his fault either, Angel! Faith threw herself at him! God! Why am I the only one who blames Faith?"

Angel clenched his jaw, and his fists. "Get out."

Buffy and Spike looked at him.

"Both of you. Get. Out."

"Angel?"

"Get out! NOW!"

"Second time I heard that tonight," Spike said, turning on his heel.

Stunned, Buffy searched Angel's expression. "Angel--"

"You heard me." Afraid of what he might do, he braced his hands on the dining table.

"But I--"

"I'm not gonna say it again," Angel said evenly.

"It's not what you--"

"Buffy!" Staring at the table, he said, "I can't even look at you right now."

Her face fell.

"Goodbye, Angel."

She walked out, feeling numb all over.

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