*~*~*~*

Something weird was going on. I'm not quite sure what yet, but something was going on. I couldn't get thoughts of Angelus out of my head, his big brown eyes, that spikey hair, that tight ass in the leather. . .and Xander. Oh, god, Xander was freaking out. I think. . .I think he liked Spike. And I knew that bothered him. He would stand on top of the roof and yell that he was not gay; he didn't like men.

He didn't have anything against men who like men, and I knew he'd kill to see two women together, but he felt threatened. But I could see in his eyes that he was interested in Spike. I knew that look, I'd seen it plenty of times, as he thought of whatever girl he wanted that week.

He was in the bathroom for a long time. I wasn't sure what he was doing, but I figured it had something to do with sex, masturbating probably. I knew he woke up erect, I could feel it. Of course, it took me almost a full two minutes to realize that it was *Xander* pressing into me, and not Angelus. I'd never wanted Angelus near me as bad as I did then. I was actually disappointed that it was only Xander.

These new sets of feelings scared the hell out of me. I've never loved anyone other than Xander. That was natural. He was my other half, he had a part of my soul. How would I love someone else? What would happen to Xander if I did? Would we still be friends? Would Angelus let us be friends?

And then I felt silly, lying there in bed, waiting patiently while Xander jacked off in the bathroom. I was trying to figure out all these complex feelings and emotions when I didn't think I'd ever really see Angelus again anyway. The answers to my questions didn't matter, since they'd never get answered.

I sighed, pushing them from my mind. I rolled over, snuggled to Xander's pillow, and fell into a troubled sleep.

*~*~*~*

I blinked. "They went back in time?"

"Yes," Whistler said. "They weren't supposed to, but Fate smiled on them that day, and sent them back to 1886, in London, England. Now," he said, leaning forward, "of course, they were looking for a way back home. As they searched for a shop to find a magic book, they bumped into Angelus and Spike. They were terrified, because they knew Angelus hadn't gotten the soul yet. That wasn't to happen for another thirteen years."

I turned to Angelus. "And you didn't kill them?" I was shocked, to say the least. I knew that before Angelus returned our sister, he and Spike were violent killers that tortured humans for the enjoyment factor. "Why didn't you kill them?"

Angelus shrugged. "The woman, Willow, was. . .I can't explain it. She was beautiful. Completely the most beautiful woman I think I'd ever seen. Big green eyes, red hair that looked like fire. . ."

"And the man, Xander, he was just. . .he was intrigued with me. I think he had a crush on whoever I was back in his time, though I don't think they got along very well. He was scared, but his body betrayed him. He wanted me." Spike leered at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Is there anyone who doesn't want you?" I said, patting his cheek playfully.

His blue eyes were dancing with amusement when he nipped at my hand with his blunt teeth. "Be careful, pet," he said, waggling his scarred eyebrow. "You know I bite."

I laughed. "Silly vampire." I sat back against Angelus and he wrapped his arms around me. The three of us were extremely close, the two treating me like I was their little sister. I looked at Whistler. "So what now?" I asked softly.

"Now, Angelus and Spike will woo our favorite humans, and then Buffy will come town."

"The Slayer," Spike spat.

"Correct," Whistler said, leaning forward. "Now, here is the important part. You messed up the time line when you didn't eat the gypsy girl. Buffy will need you, Angelus. Your souled counterpart saved her life, and the lives of her friends, more than they probably even know."

"What are you saying, mate?" Spike asked with a growl.

"When Willow and Xander befriend Buffy, we need you to help them," Whistler said matter-of-factly, like vampires helping the Slayer were every day occurrences.

Spike stood up with a loud growl. "Listen, Angelus. I know we promised Red, but I don't think we should help the Slayer. I mean, she's the *Slayer* for Christ's sake! That completely goes against everything we believe in!"

I could feel Angelus' chest vibrating against my back. He was growling low and dangerously. I wasn't sure though if it was because he agreed with Spike, or wanted to chastise his childe for his outburst. I turned to Angelus. "Angelus?" I asked softly.

He pulled his eyes from his childe and looked at me. I shivered, a small amount of fear entering my body. His eyes were brown, tinged in yellow. They were filled with hate, anger, and complete evil. It was at that moment, I realized *exactly* whom I had spent the last two years with. He was a demon, and he had no qualms about killing something and wrecking havoc on the world. "What?" he hissed.

"You've laid pretty low the last century. Why?"

Angelus thought about it. "Because of Willow." He shrugged. "She was so innocent, so sweet, and my demon was so happy to be with her, that he just didn't really want to do anything evil, because he knew she'd look down at him." He glanced down. "But that doesn't mean we have to help the Slayer."

"Buffy is going to become Willow's best friend, other than Xander. It will tear her apart if she's killed," Whistler said softly. "And you can't keep them from wanting to help her. They are what will save Buffy's life."

Angelus growled again, pulling me closer to him. "We don't have to like her, do we?"

"Of course not," Whistler said. "You probably won't. She's a Slayer. But you need to help her."

I glanced back at Angelus. "Please, Angelus? I think we should do this. I have a feeling that it's the right thing to do." I did. For some reason, when Whistler started talking about helping the Slayer, my feelings of unease started to slack off a bit.

"Fine, we will. Under one circumstance. Willow asks us to," Angelus said.

Spike, who was never very good at controlling his emotional outbursts, growled angrily at Angelus. "Bastard," he hissed. He grabbed his duster and walked out.

Whistler watched Spike leave. "Will he be ok?"

"Yea," Angelus said. "He's just throwing a tantrum." He growled angrily.

*~*~*~*

Continue