The Devil You Know
Parts 10-12
Angel managed to avoid the initial swipes of the Berks' claws and the snaps of its oversized jaws,but this was a dead end alley,and he was rapidly running out of room to retreat.Maybe there would be a bit of a bright spot-maybe he'd finally get to see Angel dismembered. As he pulled himself up to his feet,he saw Angel spin into a kick as the Berk snapped its head forward,so the kick landed full force and sent a couple of its big black teeth flying,which made it scream like a gut shot dragon.Angel then dove between its legs and scrambled towards the mouth of the alley as it tried to slash him once more. Angel came right up to him and pulled something out of is pocket,which he slapped in Spike's hand."One of us is going to have to get up on its back,"he said,as Spike saw he'd just given him a hunting knife with a wicked serrated blade.
Spike just stared at him,wondering if he'd actually heard him correctly."At what point did you become brain damaged?" Angel just gave him look number three,blood from the newly opened gash on his oversized forehead trickling down his face."It's the only way to kill it-sever the brain stem.Either you or me,whoever gets the first,best shot.Aim high on the neck,stab it in as hard and deep as you can-wounding it will just make it more pissed off than it already is." "Well,as they say in Sunnydale,duh." Angel then shoved the dumpster forward as hard as he could as the Berk charged,and it rammed into one of its oversized feet,making it scream and stagger back,slashing the dumpster in half with its claw in rage.
Spike still thought the whole plan of Angel's-if it was indeed a plan-was complete bollocks,but it didn't really matter:as soon as Angel had the Berk distracted again,he was so out of here Angel probably wouldn't even notice before he was ripped to shreds.
Angel dodged the first swipe of the Berk's claw as he pulled out his axe,but the Berk's second swipe just caught him and threw him high into the wall across the way,hard enough to leave an Angel sized dent in the brick. And it was then that the Berk turned towards him. Spike backed up slowly,gripping the knife tightly,but it was ludicrous to think this pig sticker could harm this oversized beastie,no matter where he stuck it. "Don't think I've forgotten about you,vampire,"it growled,its voice like metal talons scraping a tombstone."You can run if you want,coward,but you're not leaving this city alive." "Coward?"He repeated in disbelief,as Angel somehow staggered back to his feet and buried the axe in the back of the Berk's leg. It roared and lashed out when it spun,but Angel managed to hack off one of its fingers,which flew into the ruined heap of the dumpster with a serious metallic clang as the Berk cursed every ancestor Angel could possibly have,and charged him. "Coward?"Spike repeated again,growing angrier by the second.Who the fuck was that bastard talking to?Coward?He was Spike,god damn it!He was a lot of bloody things,but never,ever a coward.Well,not in his opinion."Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?!" And to add insult to injury,the big ugly had completely turned his back on him,ignoring him as it went after Angel,considering him no threat at all.
Angel was a threat?He was still staggering,game face on (although there was so much blood pouring down his face now it was kind of hard to tell),possibly limping,slowing down to the point where it was inevitable the Berk would shred him like wet tissue paper any second now.He buried the axe in its forehead when it tried to catch him in is jaws,but it ran him through with the remaining three claws on its bleeding hand,making him scream as it impaled him to the brick wall at the end of the alley.Angel kicked at its muzzle as it tried to bite him again,even though it just made the wounds even bigger,and the Berk just laughed,sounding like rocks tumbling around in a clothes dryer. And payed no attention to Spike at all. He couldn't believe how infuriated it made him. No Jurassic Park looking motherfucker called him a coward,and then turned his back on him like he was a helpless little bint in a bad horror movie.He'd show him what a fatal mistake it was to turn his back on Spike. He ran down the alley and jumped on his back,grabbing the Berk by the throat and stabbing the knife in as hard as he could into base of its misshapen,oversized skull,burying it to the hilt,making it scream loud enough to make the buildings around them tremble. It threw him off,but Spike managed to take the brunt of the impact with the alley wall on his back,and nearly caught himself as he fell to the pavement,not quite landing on his feet but not landing on his face,which was a plus.
The Berk reeled,trying to reach the small knife buried in its skull,but then collapsed,hitting the ground hard enough to crack the cement. Angel,thrown when the Berk bucked him off,was curled up in the far corner of the alley,almost swallowed by shadows,not moving at all. "What,no 'thank you for saving my worthless ass,Spike'?"He chided as he got to his feet. Nothing. Angel wasn't dead-he wasn't ash (damn it!)-but he was out,wasn't he?About bloody time.
Supposedly,the older a vampire got,the tougher they got,but he always dismissed that as just oldies trying to make themselves sound macho,but maybe there was something to it-he was surprised that Angel got back up after the Seeker tried to make him his bitch,nonetheless could continue to fight.But tougher didn't equal impervious. And could there be a more perfect moment for a little payback? He stalked over to Angel,smiling to himself,stopping only to yank the axe out of the forehead of the Berk."Come on,you magnificent pouf-thank me.What?Embarrassed?Ashamed?"He couldn't help laugh,savoring this moment as he stood over Angel's prone,bloody body."Don't need your lame ass help anymore,do I?"He kicked him in the side,but barely even elicited a groan from him he was so out of it."I can't tell you how long I have waited for this moment.I kinda wanted you to be conscious when I finally killed you,but,what the hell?" He raised the axe over his head,feeling more joy than he had in the longest time,when the ground trembled beneath his feet,and a shadow blotted out the streetlight behind him. "Oh shit,"he exclaimed,barely,as the Berk grabbed him in its bloody,mangled hand and slammed him down back first on the concrete,sending an explosion of pain throughout his nearly shattered spine.
Spike got enough feeling back in his arms to bring the axe down on its scalp,but it just bounced off its thick hide,and his still numb fingers couldn't keep a hold of it,so the axe went sailing away,out of his reach. The Berk leered down at him,black blood pouring from its oversized mouth as it snarled,"Not good enough,vampire."Spike winced at its fetid breath-did it really eat shit,or did it just smell that way?"Did you really think a piece of sputum like you could kill me?"It snorted derisively,splattering its blood on his face."Now,to take back what's mine."It opened its jaws wide enough that Spike thought he could see all the way down its esophagus as it lowered its face down towards his. 'See you in hell,Dru,'he thought,as he got a nice and final view of its endless rows of ugly black teeth.
Then it made the strangest noise,a wet sound like the tearing of flesh,and its oversized head toppled off to the side,no longer attached to its thick stump of a neck.Spike shoved himself backwards,out from underneath it,a millisecond before its heavy body hit the the pavement with a teeth rattling thud. Any sense of relief he had died quickly when he saw it wasn't Angel standing on the Berk's back,but a woman in a happening leather and chainmail outfit,with bloody red eyes and long black claws currently dripping black Berk blood and decorated with strips of its leathery flesh.He couldn't decide if that made her more attractive or not-he supposed it depended on whether she was going to turn those claws on him. "He's the one,"she said,briefly glancing over her shoulder at three guys loitering near the mouth of the alley. Actually,only one appeared to be an actual guy-he wore an outfit like claw girl,only it didn't look nearly as good on him.In fact,he bore a distressing resemblance to Giles,only ten years younger,with no glasses and more hair.The other person wearing the new wave bondage outfit was a thickly muscular bird with short black hair,who looked like the sadistic warden in every 'women in prison' movie he had ever seen. The third demon standing behind the rough trade was one of those horned kitty demons,like the one who first slapped the bloody bug on him in the first place,except its face was more grey than orange.Still an ugly bugger,though. Oh well-whoever the fuck they were,at least Slutty wasn't among them.
"You,"Angel said faintly,still curled up in the corner like the useless piece of shit he was. The leather girl looked at him and gave him the faintest of smiles."We meet again,Angel." Ah Christ-Wolverina was a friend of his?Great. Two people came up behind the demon trio,panting for breath,and he recognized Cordelia and that poncy little Watcher wannabe,Wesley."Oh look,the gang's all here,"Spike muttered,rolling his eyes,as he used the wall to pull himself up to his feet.Where was the Mick,though?Didn't Angel have a little Irishman working for him?Maybe he sobered up long enough to realize who he was working for and quit. "Angel?"Wimpley asked,moving past the demons,brow furrowing in concern. "I'm okay,"Angel lied,blood still obscuring half his face-which was an improvement.
Wolverina jumped off the Berk's corpse,claws retracting into her hands until they looked like nothing more than sharp black fingernails,and walked over to where Angel was,helping him to his feet as her eyes mutated from crimson to deep brown. "You know him?"The male demon asked,sounding disapproving. "We once had a mutual enemy,"she said,draping one of his arms over her shoulders to keep him on his feet."Actually,several mutual enemies."Really?"Wimpley seemed as surprised as the other guy-ooh,Angel was keeping secrets from his quote unquote friends?How friendly was he with the demon hottie?Did the Buffster know about this?"Dare I ask what became of them?" "We're alive;they're not."She said simply,and he just nodded,clearly intimidated by her.But considering she just decapitated a Berk with her bare hands,that was probably a wise stance on Wimpley's part. "Let's just get this over with,okay?"Cordelia said,slapping a book hard enough against Wimpley's chest to make him gasp. "Cordelia,gone all delicate on us?"Spike taunted,as she glanced away from the Berk's corpse,nose wrinkling in disgust. "Fuck off,Spike,"she snarled,"before I come over there and smack you."She glared at him,her hazel eyes full of hate."Or did you think I'd forget you're all impotent now?" "I am not-"he roared angrily,thinking about snapping her pretty little neck,which gave him a stabbing bolt of pain behind his eyes.He managed not to grab his head,but completely repress the flinch. Cordelia grinned smugly,her eyes still remarkably hard."What were you saying,Spike?" He glowered at her,swallowing his rage as best he could."I won't have this chip forever,you know.You'll pay for that." "Oh really?"Angel interjected coldly. "What makes you think you're going to live that long,vampire?"Wolverina said,her eyes briefly flashing red. Oh great-after all the hell he'd been through,they were ganging up for a 'kick the Spike' session."Hey-you need me,remember?I got that bloody bug you all want-I think you'd better treat me a bit nicer,don't you?"
Wimpley opened the book Cordelia gave him and started speaking in what sounded like Latin,while the kitty demon-with the two other leather demons following it like a mutilated shadow-started speaking in her weird ass language,slowly approaching him. He had a bad feeling about this. "Hey,"he exclaimed,then felt something inside his arm move,something slithering along the bone of his forearm like a burrowing snake.He yanked back his sleeve and watched as the bug seemed to pulse and swirl with an inner light,slowly emerging from the nesting place in his skin,until the light died and it fell out of his arm,leaving the skin untouched. The kitty demon caught the stone before it fell to the ground,and Wimpley stopped chanting and closed the book. Cordelia pulled a stake out of the pocket of her red suede jacket,and said,"Oh good-I've been waiting for this." Oh fuck. Spike charged past the demons and ran out of the alley,figuring Cordelia couldn't catch him...he didn't know about the rough trade,but at least he had a head start,and demons he could fight.
God,what a sucky night. "What are you doing?"Cordelia exclaimed."Don't just stand there-go get him!" But the leather clad demons just glanced at her with what appeared to be bored disinterest."The blood debt doesn't include the parasite,"the man said."Although it should." Angel was amazed at how tired at how he felt,and he was too numb to properly ache-it was astounding what several blows to the head could do.He wanted to go after Spike-could there be a more perfect time to kill the bastard?-but he knew if he wasn't being held up he'd fall on his face.Running was out of the question-in fact,moving was pretty much out of the question. He glanced at the dark skinned woman holding him up,and asked,"Who-and what-are you?"
It was Wesley who answered,and they seemed content to let him tell the story:they were the Xendomaii,an ancient order of demon warriors with a strict honor code not unlike the samurai (who,the man interjected,'borrowed heavily' from them).They often acted as mediators in demon disputes-usually clans or groups,but sometimes entire races-and in rare instances they acted as guardians or protectors,when a 'severe injustice or dishonor' had been done (in their opinion).And after the ruthless slaughter of their people in Sunnydale,the surviving Khelions petitioned the Xendomaii to intercede on their behalf,to protect them and their property.The Council of Elders not only agreed to protect the Khelion,but decided that a 'blood debt' was called for-that was basically a euphemism for 'an eye for an eye';'honorable' revenge. From the look on Wesley's face,he didn't exactly approve of this sanctioned vengeance,but knew better than to say anything in their presence,and right now Angel was in no mood to argue either;the only thing he was in the mood for was sleep. "We are grateful for your assistance in this matter,"the woman told Wes and Cordelia-and Cordy looked especially unimpressed-and then glanced at him."And thank you for keeping the bloodstone safe.The Council will not forget that." The male demon scoffed dismissively."He's a vampire." "Even so,"she replied coolly."Show some honor,Reyald."She then looked at him sidelong,and said,"I am Kyris." "And you're the leader here." "Does it show?" "Is it just me,or did tonight just totally suck?"Cordelia suddenly said,and everyone stared at her."What?" Sometimes there really wasn't anything you could say. Kyris had to help him to the vehicle the Xendomaii came in,as Wes had only brought his motorcycle,and Angel was glad Kyris was so strong,because moving was harder than he thought,and numbness was giving way to agony.There wasn't a single inch of his body that didn't hurt,and he didn't know what had really done him in;the fight with the Berserker,the fight with the Seeker,or the gnawing aggravation of being with Spike.Maybe all three at once-he was probably lucky his head hadn't exploded.
"How do I know you're not going to use the stone for your own purposes?"He asked,aware it might get him decapitated,but he had to know. She gave him the faintest of smiles,a 'I like you so I won't kill you this time' sort of smirk."If we wanted it,we'd have had it before now." Okay-good point. "Besides,it would be dishonorable to steal,nonetheless steal from a helpless opponent-that is not our way.Also,we are long lived,and the idea of putting something in your body to artificially extend your life-"she shudder in distaste."-better to die." He nodded,or at least tried,but the pain was remarkable so he stopped."If I had known you were on my side,I'd have gone to you for help." "No you wouldn't-you don't ask for help,Angel.You need to learn to do that before it kills you." "You don't even know me-how can you say that?" "Because you remind me of when I was your age,that's why.I was the same way." "I'm two hundred and forty seven years old."He pointed out. "As I said,"she replied,that smile briefly returning to her face."Listen to your elders." For a second,he considered the possibility she was joking,but it was clear she wasn't.She appeared no more than thirty,but he knew better than to trust appearance,especially when it came to demons."Exactly how much elder?" But the smile continued,and he knew she was not going to answer.So he decide to ask a question she might answer."How far is this blood debt going to go?You know the mercenaries were following orders." "Yes,we know they were hired by Wolfram and Hart on behalf of the individual who coveted the stone."Her smile suddenly became predatory,the irises of her eyes briefly flaring red."Don't worry,Angel-they will know us. "And some of them might live long enough to regret it."
11
Lindsey gulped down his third cup of rocket fuel grade coffee and barely paid any attention to d'Morte as he raged on,his mind going back to the tragicomedy that was the security camera tapes pulled from the burning convenience store. It was so pathetic he had to laugh,even as he grew infuriated at their bumbling incompetence. Fucking morons didn't even begin to describe that bunch of losers.Of course they had excuses-they didn't expect armed resistance/the robbers/the improvisational fighting skills of Angel and Spike-but if they had been true professionals all those things should have been a minor inconvenience at best. He was so glad he hadn't hired them-Johns and Ramirez had,and despite their protestations that the mercs had a rep as the best in the demon underground,they were called upstairs to a 'private conference' two hours ago and hadn't been seen since.Lindsey figured the next time they'd be seen would be in the park...in shallow graves.He for one wouldn't miss them. But maybe he'd have been better off if he had been given a one way ticket to oblivion-death was preferable to this emergency meeting from hell.
He sat at the head of the long,highly polished conference table,trying desperately to look like he cared,while that weaselly looking assistant to the Senior Partners,Trevor Hodges,sat at the foot of the table,randomly glaring at everyone like they had offended him somehow and occasionally jotting something in his leather bound notebook. The cadaverous d'Morte sat sandwiched between Lilah Morgan and Brett Ellis on the right side of the table,facing the window and Keith Spencer,who was doing his best impression of an ass kisser.Oh,wait-it wasn't an impression. The sun had risen,pinkish light limning the miasma of grey smog that obscured all but the closest buildings from view,and he knew that had to put Angel and Spike out of the game...so why the hell weren't the surviving mercs calling in?Had they decide it was a lost cause and decided to make a run for the border? And what about Zerk?That goddamn monster hadn't touched base with them since he claimed to have run Angel and Spike to ground.Okay,so he was pissed that Angel had done a Lizzy Borden on him;that was no excuse for not bringing in the bloodstone.
Maybe it was being up all night,or the awful extra-strength coffee,or some combination thereof,but Lindsey was starting to think things had taken a disastrous turn for the worst,and he had no idea how or why,except the strange e-mail he received before this brutally pointless meeting may have given him a clue. From Holland Manners himself,it emphatically stated that he should let it be known no one was to 'engage' Xendomaii demons at any cost,even the loss of the bloodstone.There was no explanation why-was there ever?-and only a vague description of these Xendomaii:red eyes,snake like red scaled skin,lethal claws capable of slicing through bones like butter,sometimes capable of passing for human.He may as well have said 'more or less like every other demon you've ever seen' for all the good it would do him. But it sparked a troubling thought:could the Senior Partners be afraid of these Xendomaii?He couldn't quite believe that...maybe these demons had something on them.What?He was tempted to track one down and ask.
He was vaguely aware of someone saying his name,and he glanced up to find Hodges beady little eyes fixed on him."Are you with us,Mister McDonald?"He asked facetiously,frowning like he smelled something worse than his own aftershave. He was tempted to say 'no,I left five minutes ago',but the smarmy asshole would probably jot something like 'beligerent' next to his name in his little ledger."No offense,but this meeting is pointless.We should be trying to find the bloodstone,not sitting around jawing about it." Hodges wrote something in his notebook anyways.Fine,whatever. "Yes,"d'Morte said,his voice so raspy now he sounded like a creaking door gifted with the capability of speech."It seems like you've shifted your priorities." "I assure you,Mister d'Morte,our priorities have not changed,"Lilah said,in her most placating,patronizing voice-it was just half an octave lower than her 'imperious bitch' voice;poor Lilah didn't have a lot of range."Our people are still trying to ascertain the location of the bloodstone." "You are trying to ascertain the location of your people,"the sorcerer snarled.He seemed to have shrunk even further inside his dark shroud of clothing,his hands now little more than painfully skeletal claws,but his eyes still smoldered like embers. "Mister d'Morte,"Spencer said soothingly,oozing oily charm."I assure you Wolfram and Hart is using all our considerable resources to bring this matter to a satisfactory conclusion."
The conference room door opened,and an attractive black woman dressed like someone's paralegal came in,carrying a leather bound dossier. "This is a private meeting,"Hodges instantly snapped. "I have a message from upstairs,"she replied in a cool voice,with a trace of an exotic accent. Lindsey couldn't help but notice she had nice legs,yet glancing up at her face he realized something was very wrong-it was the way she carried herself,not meekly like most aides,but with the certain confidence of someone who knew there wasn't an ass in the world she couldn't kick. It all happened so fast there was nothing he could do. She dropped the dossier and lashed out with a hand that suddenly grew long black claws,neatly severing d'Morte's head and sending it bouncing across the table,right into Spencer's lap. He screamed in horror,jumping to his feet and causing their client's head to fall to the carpet as his body slid out of the chair and joined it there,blood fountaining from his neck.
Suddenly the window exploded,sending Spencer diving beneath the table with a terrified yelp as Zerk's large grey head sailed over them and bounced along the floor until it came to rest against the far wall,its death clouded eyes aimed their way,its thin lips pulled back in a rictus grin that revealed it was missing several of its teeth. Hodges leapt to his feet,pulling out a semi-automatic handgun Lindsey had no idea he was packing,but the woman was a blur of movement,and for a second it looked like Hodges's arm fell off by itself,the shoulder separating itself from his body and plopping itself down at his feet of its own accord. Hodges didn't seem to register what had happened until he looked down and saw it,and then glanced at the place where his right arm used to be,confirming the limb was his.He went instantly ashen as he put a hand over his shoulder stump,not staunching the flow of blood at all,and he sank back into his chair gasping like a fish out of water. The woman stood behind Lilah and Bret,claws extended,and they sat as rigid as statues,not even daring to breathe,as the woman's skin became leathery red overlapping scales,her eyes flaring an angry crimson as she looked at him."I lied-the message is actually from the Xendomaii,"she said,almost nonchalantly.
Hodges was now making strange mewling noises,his eyes glassy and vacant as he stared at nothing on the blood splashed table,and Lindsey shook his head in disgust.He had his arm lopped off too,but he took it like a man.He always knew Hodges was nothing but a pussy. He met the demon's eyes levelly,and said,as neutrally as possible under the circumstances,"And what might that be?""The Khelion and their bloodstone are now under our protection.Any further harassment of the Khelion,or further attempts to steal the stone,and everyone who works for Wolfram and Hart-from the Senior Partners to the lowliest mail boy-will owe us a blood debt.And we will not rest until you all pay.You may be legion,but so are we,and there isn't a human among us.Do I make myself clear?"She said it in a deceptively casual manner,with pure steel underneath,and an almost bored look on her face. "Crystal."
Security burst in,half a dozen guards armed with tasers,guns,and utterly useless stakes,and they froze in their tracks when they saw the gibbering wreck of Hodges and the demoness with her claws in decapitation range of Lilah and Bret.After realizing Hodges was in no shape to do it,they looked to Lindsey for orders,and the demon looked at him too,smirking,while Lilah and Bret looked at him like deers in the headlights of an oncoming truck. The demon bitch goddess wasn't concerned at all,not one iota:she knew they could take them all,and even if she couldn't,her friends outside-the ones that tossed Zerk's head through the window,certainly could. He was tempted to provoke her just so he could see Lilah's and Bret's heads roll across the table,but he had a feeling once she started the slash fest she wouldn't stop-she'd clear the room,and possibly the entire floor,just because she could.Everything about her screamed stone cold killer. Why wasn't she working for them? He glanced at the security chief,and told him,"There's no problem here,Mendoza.You can go." Mendoza stared at him in disbelief."Sir?" "You heard me,"he snapped impatiently."But you might want to send janitorial up here."He noticed Hodges,sheet white from shock,sliding out of his chair to the floor,as boneless as a rag doll."And notify medical we have a situation requiring their attention." Mendoza glanced warily at the back of the Xendomaii,who continued grinning fearlessly at Lindsey.She wanted him to sic the dogs on her;she wanted the excuse to kill them all. Lindsey smirked back at her,almost gloating-he wasn't about to give her what she wanted. After another scalding glare,Mendoza finally left,the rest of the security team trailing behind him obediently,while Hodges finally shut up.
"Very wise,"the demon said."You want to live." "It beats the alternative." She turned to go,making Lilah and Bret breathe heavy sighs of relief,but Lindsey wasn't finished with her yet."Your people are the reason our mercs have dropped off the face of the Earth,aren't they?" "They haven't dropped off the face of the Earth,"she replied coolly,not even bothering to turn around."They've just been reduced to several neat piles upon it." "And you helped Angel and Spike slip the net." She glanced back at him from the doorway,morphing back into her deceptively attractive human form,and didn't respond,she simply grinned malevolently at him before leaving as casually as she had arrived. Bret leaned over and vomited up his breakfast,while Lindsey simply shut his briefcase and got to his feet."Well,I'd say this meeting's adjourned."He noted wryly,heading for the door. He heard Spencer's tremulous voice ask,"Is she gone?" He passed janitorial on his way out,and a med tech asked him what was going on,but he simply referred them to Lilah. As far as he was concerned,the case was closed,and he was going home to get some sleep.
Spike strolled into Giles's place,still feeling restless and angry.He really wanted to hurt something,work out his frustrations,but so far the night had been dead,and not in a good way.But the sun had set less than an hour ago;maybe things would pick up closer to midnight. The former Watcher was sitting at his desk,going over several old books,most in languages he didn't recognize,and he glanced up when Spike entered,giving him a dour frown."Do you ever knock?"He wondered sourly. "Why?It's not like you have a life."He replied,heading to his kitchen.He was fairly certain he still had some blood in the old sod's fridge,and he didn't want to risk Willy's bar if he didn't have to. Giles glared at him from behind his wire framed glasses,as if it was his fault he had no social life,then shook his head as he returned to his musty old books."I should revoke your invitation." Spike ignored him as he searched his fridge,rearranging various disgusting foodstuffs until he found some blood shoved into the back corner of the top shelf;if Giles was actually going to revoke the invitation,he'd have done it long before now."Where the hell were you and the loser Scoobies last night?"He snapped,taking out the blood and tossing it in the microwave."I'll have you know I was almost killed by some bloody Berserker.And if that wasn't bad enough,old caveman brow had to help me,which will take me a lifetime to live down,and in the end I didn't even get to kill him."He shook his head in disgust as he turned on the microwave,looking forward to some warm blood after so much of the cold stuff;it just didn't have the same flavor."The one time I need you guys you're not around."
Giles glanced up,befuddled."What are you on about?There's a Berserker in town?" "No,in L.A.-or,it was.Now it's pushing up the daisies.That's where they took me after the bastards kidnapped me."The microwave chimed,and he pulled out his hot blood,searching for a clean mug to pour it in.Didn't the man ever do his dishes?What a slob. "You were gone?"Giles asked curiously. Spike glared at him in disbelief.Un-bloody-believable."You're telling me you didn't know?I was assaulted,kidnapped,and almost killed,and you didn't know?"He snorted derisively."I do and do for you people,and this is the thanks I get?Christ!See if I ever help you again." "Precisely when have you ever helped us?"Giles replied coldly. Spike stormed out,taking his mug of blood with him,and Giles said something about coming back with his cup,but Spike just ignored the ungrateful bastard.All he had done for that group of losers,and not only did they never thank him,they didn't even appreciate him. That was exactly why he sometimes hated his life. THE END
