Twists of Fate - (9) Snooping Around

by Tasha & Athenewolfe
(Tasha)

Chapter Summary: Angel, Cordelia and Connor arrived in Sunnydale. After a chat with Willow and Amy, Cordelia snuck out of the Summers' house to search for the crypt from her vision. She was caught coming out of the crypt, and those who found her now confront her. Who caught her? Will Angel find out about Buffy? Is there someone lurking around the cemetery who will catch Spike and Buffy out on "patrol"?

Disclaimer and Distribution notes are listed on the Index page of this story.

'Single' quote marks surround thoughts in this story. "Regular" quotes are around spoken words.


"What are you doing here?" The vampire snarled at Cordelia. "Come to make sure your work was complete?" Spike, in full game face, gripped Cordelia's arms tightly.

Cordelia shook in the Master Vampire's arms. Never had she seen such rage up close. She knew this was Spike, and she was afraid that her next breath would be her last.

Buffy caught up to Spike. He'd broke out into a run when he glimpsed a figure near the crypt they'd been in before. She stopped Spike before he sank his fangs into Cordelia's neck. "Spike, she isn't the one."

"Are you sure?" Spike looked over Cordy's turned head at Buffy. "She was snooping around in places that no human in their right mind should, unless they were looking for something in particular."

"Of course I'm sure. The guy told me who his boss was." Buffy reasoned with her Sire. "This is Cordelia. She probably came from L.A. with Angel."

Cordelia felt relief for a moment or two. 'Buffy kept Spike from killing me.' So, if Buffy was a vampire, she reasoned that Buffy was a good one. She tensed up in fear again after the mention of Angel caused Spike to growl deeply once more.

"Peaches doesn't even do his own investigating anymore? He sends out his women?" Spike rolled his eyes and let go of Cordy. "Go tell the prat his interference isn't needed or wanted here in Sunnydale."

"First off, I'm not one of Angel's women." Cordelia scooted back against the crypt door and pushed herself up. "He ... He doesn't even know I'm out here. Angel is at Buffy's house."

Buffy placed a calming hand on Spike's arm. She tried to show Spike her support and assure him that he was the one she wished to stay with. "Why are you out here, Cordelia? You should know better than to travel in the cemetery at night in Sunnydale."

"I needed to find out if something was true, and I could only do that in this cemetery and at this crypt." Cordelia answered honestly. Whatever was going on wasn't as "evil" as she originally interpreted from her vision. Apart from Spike's anger at finding her at the crypt, Spike was back in his human face and calmly waiting for her explanations.

Buffy listened to Cordelia talk. She could smell Angel's scent on Cordy as well as a couple others mingled in. One smell was oddly familiar to her. "What are those smells Spike?" She was still learning what each scent stood for. Her Slayer senses were keen before, but now they were even more attuned to every underlying scent or touch.

Spike leaned in a little closer to Cordelia to get a good grasp of all the scents on her. He loved Buffy's curiosity. If they could get everything squared away with his Sire, he was going to enjoy showing and teaching Buffy everything he could. "I'd say some of it is Peaches' scent. Some of it belongs to the kid of his." He inhaled again. "The rest is a mixture of Willow and Willow's residual spell casting."

"So, Willow is doing enough magic in my house that a smell sticks to people who visit?" Buffy's gaze wandered from Cordelia to Spike.

"The smell would be stronger the longer someone stayed and the more magic was casting within a certain amount of time." Spike pulled a cigarette out of a pack in his duster. He flicked open his lighter and lit the tip of the cigarette. He enjoyed breathing, but he didn't want to smell Angel's scent. The smoke would cover it up well enough for him to bear it. "Why do you think there are ways to trace spells or magic used, pet? Because all magic leaves a trail for a bit. The stronger the magic, the stronger the trail."

Buffy leaned into Spike's side. She rested her head with her cheek down on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you got Dawn out of that house." She sighed. "I would have been so worried about her, if she was still there."

Cordelia listened to the conversation go back and forth between the two blondes. She noticed how easily and comfortably they interacted with each other. 'This is not the same Spike who came to Los Angeles and tortured Angel. Though he still seems to hate Angel.' Many questions ran through her head to ask the pair, but her mind stopped wandering at the mention of Dawn's name. "Dawn is safe?"

"Of course she is. Definitely a hell of a lot safer than she was with Red." Spike huffed. "I took care of the bit for 147 days when Buffy was d ... dead. Why would I let anything happen to her now?"

"Have you seen her in the last 12 hours?" Cordy was more baffled than when she left L.A. What was going on between everyone in Sunnydale? Buffy was hanging out with Spike, Giles was all bad Buffy, and it seemed that no one knew what was going on with the others.

"We left her at our new home less than an hour ago, Cordy." Buffy lifted her head off of Spike's shoulder and sighed. Their house was already starting to feel like a home with Tara and Dawn there with them. She felt like she was a part of a true family again. "I'm afraid that someone jumped to the wrong conclusions when she called you here."

"We were told that Dawn was kidnapped, possibly by a branch of Wolfram and Hart." Cordy watched Spike and Buffy's body language and facial expressions for any signs of insincerity. It hadn't gone unnoticed that most of the time Buffy barely took a breath during the whole time they talked either. "We've had dealings with Wolfram and Hart, and none of them have been good."

"I had a feeling that's what the bloody bitch told the poofter." Spike spat out his words in anger. "She didn't even bother to check the facts before she assumed the worst."

"Spike ..." Buffy cautioned Spike about his temper. She cared deeply for him, whether she wanted to admit it fully or not, but his temper did frighten her. He was a passionate person, and he felt everything deeply including his anger and love. "She's still our friend. Willow is just on the wrong track right now. She could have been genuinely concerned about Dawn."

"From what I overheard of Willow's conversation with Angel, I don't think so." Cordelia interjected her perspective.

"Why should I believe what you say about Willow?" Buffy asked the question in curiosity and not malice. "It's no secret that you two haven't exactly gotten along since the whole kissing thing with Xander."

"Red kissing the Whelp?" Spike raised an intrigued brow. "Never would have figured that one to happen."

"Yeah well it was your fault." Buffy slapped him upside the head. "I never really slapped you for that one either."

"Oi, how was that my fault?" Spike rubbed the back of his head.

"It was your oh so wonderful plan to lock my boyfriend and Willow in the factory," Cordelia grated her teeth together as she spoke. "Oz and I found them snuggling and kissing on the bed you left them on when we went to rescue them."

"Oh." Spike frowned. "I just wanted her to do a spell for me, but the Whelp got in the way. I couldn't leave him on the lab floor. He'd have gone running to you all for sure."

"Spike it doesn't matter. It's over and done with, but I will kick your ass if you kidnap my friends again."

"Yes Mistress Slayer." Spike growled playfully. He wrapped his arms around Buffy's waist and pulled her back against him. "I promised you that I wouldn't harm innocents any longer, didn't I?"

"Yes you did." Buffy closed her eyes to savor the feeling of being in Spike's arms. She opened them again at the sound of Cordelia clearing her throat.

"Not to break up the oh so touching scene, but I believe we were talking about Willow." Cordelia's hands were on her hips. She rested her weight on her right leg.

"Sorry Cordelia," Buffy answered.

"Anyways, Willow seemed to want Angel to solve all her problems for her, including finding your checkbook. She was hardly focused on Dawn at all." Cordelia started to explain the conversation she walked in on again. "Plus from what I saw it looked like she redecorated Dawn's room already. She's probably going to have her friend Amy live there."

"Amy?" Buffy blinked in surprise. "When did she get de-ratted?"

"I don't know, but Amy was there. Her and Willow were looking pretty cozy on what looked like a new couch." Cordelia tilted her head to the side. "It's a nice one. When did you get it?"

"I swear I'll rip her limb from limb if she got rid of, or ruined, any of my family's things." Buffy growled loudly. She heard a yelp of surprise from Cordy, and she realized that she must have shifted faces. "Sorry." She lowered her head to hide her face.

Spike lifted Buffy's face to be level with his. "Never be ashamed of your face, Buffy." He smiled lovingly. "You are beautiful no matter which face is forward."

Cordelia stared at Buffy. Now that the shock was over, she smiled. "Your eyes ... They're pretty. I've never seen silver ones on a vampire before."

"You knew I was a vampire?" Buffy was surprised that Cordelia wasn't freaking out a lot more.

"Yes, it was a part of the vision I had." Cordelia motioned to the closed crypt door. "That was why I was looking for this crypt." She took in a deep breath while a shudder passed down her spine at the memory of her vision. "I saw your death and then your turning."

"I see." Buffy nodded. That explained to her why Cordelia wasn't all wigged out. "The eyes must be a part of the whole Slayer package: soul, silver eyes, no guilties." She shrugged. "More research for Giles to do if I ever get up enough gumption to see him again."

"If you aren't careful, you'll see him tonight." Cordy remembered that she saw Giles and Xander earlier before she found the crypt. "Xander and Giles are doing some sort of patrol in the cemetery. A whole clan could walk up behind them with how loud they were."

Buffy's concern for her friends overrode her various qualms with her Watcher and one of her oldest friends. "Do you think we should follow them? Just in case they get into trouble?"

"I think they'll manage fine without us." Spike wasn't ready for a confrontation with the Scoobies, and he doubted Buffy was either. "We have to suss out what to do about Angelus first."

"Angelus?" Cordelia gasped. "No way. He's definitely soulful right now. He's brooding too much not to be."

"For now, but let's just say I had a little vision of my own." Buffy frowned. "It could have been a Slayer dream. It sure felt like it."

"He's not making with the happies about being back in Sunnydale." Cordelia was afraid to deal with Angelus again. "He wants to avoid you if at all possible. So no bump and grind for him to lose his soul with."

Spike snarled possessively. He bared his teeth at the former cheerleader. "He won't get a chance to get his mangy paws on my Mate. I'll pull his undead heart out with my own hands if he even tries to get that close."

Buffy nuzzled her lips against Spike's neck. She knew what being mated meant, and she was fairly certain that the term slipped out of Spike's mouth because he cared for her as a Mate and not just a Childe. A year or two ago she would have been ticked at such a possessive tone, but right now she felt pretty good about it. "I am yours, beloved Sire." She purred softly and soothingly. She turned Spike's head towards hers to share a brief but heartfelt kiss.

'This night just keeps getting more bizarre,' Cordelia thought.

Buffy looked at Cordelia after she was sure that Spike was calmer. "My dream showed Angelus coming to the foreground when he realized my change. I don't think the soul was gone. It just wasn't in the driver's seat."

"That would be very bad." Cordy contemplated what they could do to avoid a confrontation between Angel and Buffy and Spike. "I can't get him to leave Sunnydale without some explanation as to how and why I know that Dawn is safe or that Wolfram and Hart aren't involved."

"We never said that the law firm wasn't involved." Spike spoke evenly.

"You said Dawn wasn't kidnapped. So, if she wasn't kidnapped, why would they be involved?" Cordelia questioned in confusion.

"Not everything is in black and white." Buffy explained. "Just like not all humans are good, or all demons bad, not all at that law firm have evil purposes."

"My lawyer, Valerie, works for them." Spike further explained. "She helped me get Dawn away from Willow's magic, and she had the firm's mages cast multitudes of protection spells and wards for our home."

Buffy nodded her agreement with what Spike was saying. "Though I don't like what I saw in their files on Angel, Valerie has done nothing but be helpful."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Cordelia shook her head back and forth. "If you knew what the firm in L.A. has done to use for the last couple years, you wouldn't believe them to be anything but evil."

"From what we read, a lot of that has to do with Lindsey MacDonald." Buffy sneered. "If I ever get my hands on him for finding a way to bring Darla back, I'll hurt him ... a LOT."

"You know about Darla?"

"And about Angel's child with her. Yes."

"Valerie was quite shocked by that situation herself." Spike rocked Buffy in his arms to comfort her. He was starting to realize that her anger over the situation wasn't that Angel was with someone else. She was mad that Darla returned, no one told her about it, and Angel risked his soul to be with anyone.

"It could all just be an act." Cordelia countered. "Angel is never gonna believe me without some kind of proof."

"We can have you meet with Dawn and Tara." Buffy offered. "Willow tried to brainwash Tara. Her last attack was the reason we took Dawn out of my Mom's house." She had been filled in on everything that happened in the couple days that she was resting before her awakening.

"Valerie can bring them somewhere safe. So, you could talk to her as well." Spike wanted to do whatever it took to get Angel and his group gone. They had a lot of preparation to do for their future meetings with the Scoobies. They couldn't hold off that meeting forever. Every day that passed brought them that much closer to the inevitable encounter.

"I don't know if it will be enough, but it's a start." Cordelia pulled a little notepad out of her back pocket. "What is a number I can get a hold of you guys at?" She looked up at Spike and Buffy. "I have to figure out a way to do this without Angel's knowledge. So, I'll have to call you later with a time."

"Fine." Spike rattled off his and Buffy's cell phone numbers to Cordelia. "We pick the place though. We have to be sure it is warded against any magical attacks or interference."

"You're really serious about the magic, aren't you?" Cordelia asked. She'd noticed that something seemed to be off about Willow, but she assumed it was because Willow had grown up in the last couple years.

"Yes, we are. She's tried to brainwash people and take away their will." Buffy gripped her hands into fists. "She tore me out of Heaven to resurrect me. She uses magic without thought or care to the consequences, and she makes too many mistakes with it."

"Don't let Red know anything or she might try to swipe you too." Spike cautioned. "We can try to bring you protection if you are willing to trust us. I hope you do." He spoke honestly. "I don't want anything to happen to Buffy or the Nibblet. They are my life, and I love them both."

Cordelia nodded. "For some insane reason, I believe you do love them. Beyond that, I can't promise right now." She looked back and forth over the tombstones at the eery night. "I've been gone a long time. I'd better get back. I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Okay, Cordy. Thanks for giving us a chance." Buffy smiled.

Once Cordelia headed West back to the Summers' house, Buffy and Spike headed North for a quick patrol of the area. They hoped to avoid Xander and Giles.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Xander sat flat on the ground. He shook his head once, twice, and then he buried his head in his hands. There was no way he just heard any of that between Cordy, Buffy and Spike. 'She seemed like Buffy, but that's impossible if she's a vampire.'

Xander waited for the trio to part ways before he walked to the crypt. He held his hand on the door. He was afraid to go inside to see any evidence to support what he'd just heard. He opened the door and nearly passed out at the gore apparent from the violence that happened in the tomb. Until he slipped on the bullet on the crypt floor, he was ready to assume that Spike attacked Buffy

'Spike wouldn't use a gun. He can't.' Xander remembered back to a time in his parent's basement when Spike tried to point a gun at him. The chip fired even at that. Xander stood there for a couple hours, cemented to the place where his life had changed again forever. He shifted between tears of pain and disbelief and overwhelming joy that Buffy wasn't "dead" again.

Xander cursed himself for not following Giles out of the cemetery earlier. If he hadn't decided to make one final sweep, he would have never known about his friend's turning. He didn't know how he would survive this happening twice in his life. From what he'd heard, he couldn't even talk to Willow about it. He wasn't blinded by her forays into too many things of a magical nature. He believed that what Buffy and Spike said could very well be true about Willow.

Xander didn't know which way to turn or who to turn to. Life was getting more complicated by the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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