Picking up the pieces

Pairings: will be disclosed later on as they happen. Not that I think they are great surprises but…
Disclaimer: I don’t own nor did I create these characters. Writing this makes me happy even without making any money so please don’t sue me. That would make me unhappy.
A/N: Thanks to you guys who've reviewed and added this to your alert list or favorites. I just hope I can live up to your expectations.

Chapter 3

When Willow came downstairs, the next morning, Illyria was already standing in the lobby waiting for her.

“Have you been waiting here long?” Willow asked politely.

“I’m not sure what humans consider long.”

“You could have sat down and been more comfortable” Willow tried again pointing at the two chairs she and Spike had sat on when she first got here.

“That would diminish my capacity to quickly respond to danger.”

“Oh. Ok then.” Better just get back to business the witch thought to herself. “I think we should be able to get this place cleaned up. The lobby and the office at least. I say we just throw all the broken things out in the alley behind here for starters.”

“That is where the battle took place.” Illyria stated in an almost gentle voice. “It is a great hub of mystical energy.”

“Well, mystical energy will just have to find another place to hub until I get the junk removed.”

The women started to work hauling out broken chairs tables, pieces of cutlery and other stuff into plastic bags or just straight out to the alleyway. As they started to make progress and were nearing the front desk Illyria came to a stop.

“Spike is asleep behind the counter. Do you want me to remove him as well?”

Willow couldn’t help but giggle a little at the thought of the demon woman easily picking Spike up, in his passed out state, from the floor and tossing him to a pile of junk out back. But since it was mostly wooden furniture debris and still sunlight outside that probably wasn’t a great idea for a practical joke.

“No he’s technically not broken, just dead. Let’s just leave him until he wakes up.”

They worked in comfortable silence for a while and again and again thoughts about what the hell could have happened here and left all this mess, began to swim around in Willow’s head. All the furniture indicated that a lot of people had been here, like a party. But when she last came to visit L.A. the gang didn’t seem likely to be throwing big parties any time soon. Suddenly she realized that there was indeed someone there, beside Angel, who had been here at the time.

“Illyria, do Fred’s memories know what happened here. What all this junk is?”

“Yes. But I can’t explain it. It’s very confusing.”

That was a strange answer and an answer Willow hadn’t expected from either Illyria or Fred. There was nothing to do for her but to shrug these thoughts away and continue with the cleaning. In the office she found a radio and put on some music. Illyria seemed to like it.

Willow and Illyria diligently kept working around Spike’s dead body lying in all his clothes behind the desk. He didn’t wake until they were down to dusting and sweeping the floors. He looked confused around his changed environment, saw the girls with broom and rag in hand and sneezed.

“Bloody women, obsessed with cleaning, you are. And what the hell are you listening to?”

“It’s music, Spike” Illyria generously explained. “I like it.”

“Buggering unhealthy music, that’s what it is. And what do you think you are, Red? Coming here feeling a disturbance in the force, all Obi-Wan and thinking you can just start bossing us around, cleaning and things. Next you’ll probably try to stop me from drinking and smoking… or actually to get off my ass and do something.”

“And that would really be a tragedy.” Willow answered sarcastically. “Besides, you just sneezed! You don’t even breathe. That must tell you something about the need for cleaning.”

“Women,” the blond snarled on his way towards the stairs. “I’m gonna take a shower. With all this cleaning I feel kind of dusty. I don’t like it.”

“Well, that was easy,” Willow said cheery when he was gone. “Showering was actually way above actually doing something on the list for him.

When Willow and Illyria were finally finished with their work downstairs the witch decided to have another go at the depressed vampire on the second floor.

“Angel, it’s Willow. Can I come in?” she gently asked after knocking on his door. She just took the low mumbling she heard from the inside as consent and walked in.

Angel was sitting in the same big armchair as yesterday facing the window staring into the darkness in the room. The blinds were drawn shut. A bath wouldn’t be a bad idea for him as well but Willow wasn’t sure she’d manage that today.

“Angel, I want you to come downstairs with me. Illyria and I did some cleaning. I thought it would be nice if we all had some dinner together.”

“What’s the point Willow? What’s the point of attaching oneself to people? It only makes it much more difficult if they leave or are taken, drains you, takes away all your strength. It has to be easier if you just never care.”

Willow let out a deep sigh. This wasn’t going to be easy. She sat down on the same chair as where she had sat yesterday when she had come to see him. But now she noticed how dusty the chair really was. She had dealt with enough dust today to last her a lifetime but there weren’t any better options.

“Why did you then? When you left Sunnydale I didn’t really figure you for the friends making type.”

“I didn’t want to. I was told to. So I wouldn’t be tempted.”

“Tempted how?”

“Not to care. To allow myself to slip up. It made me better at my job.”

“There you go.” Willow smiled. “That still applies.”

“What job? Wolfram & Hart is gone. I’ve been fighting them since week two in L.A. I don’t know where to start again. I don’t think I have the energy to start again.”

“Angel, you knew there would be sacrifices to make. And everyone you worked with knew what dangers lie in our line of work. They accepted the risk.”

“I know. But it’s not fair that I’m still here and they’re not.”

“Yeah. I know that sucks.” Willow answered quietly her suddenly looking just as depressed as Angel. “And I know it’s hard coming to terms with it. You’re dealing much better with it than I did. I went all evil, sought vengeance and decided to world wasn’t worth anything without her and tried to take it down. And almost did.” She paused and tried to shake the gloom. “But with the help of my friends I managed to get over it, mostly. And it made me stronger.”

“I don’t have any friends left.”

“Oh, come on Angel,” she scoffed at him. “Spike’s still here. Illyria is here. I’m here. Buffy would come if you asked her.”

When he made no attempt to answer she continued talking.

“Our job sucks. It’s hard, tiring, the hours are crap, the pay is low or non-existent and we have to make huge sacrifices. In some jobs you have to be away from your family, that also applies here, but mostly for their own safety. The ones you do get to be around you almost have to expect to loose sooner or later. And when you do you still have to go on. We’ve all done it. I lost Tara, Xander lost Anya, Giles lost Jenny, Dawn, Spike, you and we all lost Buffy. She’s died twice and lost heaven. Plus she sacrificed you and still thinks she’s lost Spike. I don’t know how many potentials, that is innocent girls, we lost during our dealings with the First. You lost a lot of people but do you honestly think they’d want you to sit around here and mope and just give up. You know, even Cordelia was very dedicated to your cause and she was stubborn as hell.”

“I loved her, Willow.” Angel almost whispered. “I really loved her and I never got to tell her.” With that admission something burst and the vampire broke down crying. Willow slowly walked over to him and awkwardly laid a hand on his shoulder in support. It was strange seeing this big and strong man cry but it was way beyond obvious than he needed it. She had no idea how to comfort 250 year old vampires and before she knew it he had grabbed her and she was sitting in his lap with his heads cradled at her shoulder and his tears wetting her shirt. But if this is how he wanted it she was going to let him and just gently stroked his arms and shoulders until he had let it all out.

“I’m sorry,” said apologetically he said when he released her from his embrace and started wiping the rest of his tears of his cheeks.

“It’s fine Angel. I want to help. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you when it really mattered but I want do what I can now.”

“Don’t be sorry. You couldn’t have known. And it was all very sudden anyway and this time you were kind of my second front… except you didn’t know it.”

“Huh?”

“Doesn’t matter. So you’re staying?”

“If you let me. Most of my work for the new council can be done per e-mail and since me and Kennedy broke up I don’t really have any special place to be, other than here.”

“I’d like you to stay. I think we really need some fresh blood… since Spike is now technically the youngest. Let me just take a shower before I come down.”

A winner’s smile spread through her face a minute. “Angel.” She waited for him to turn around and face her again. “It’s gonna take time. And believe me, it’s not easy. But I believe it’s worth it.”

He gave her a shy smile and turned towards the bathroom.

Down in the lobby Spike had retuned the radio and found some punk metal station.

“I liked the other music better,” Illyria, who amazingly enough was sitting on a chair at the table they had set up, informed her. It was actually amazing that Illyria could sit down in her costume, Willow suddenly caught herself thinking.

Spike seemed to be in better spirits and gotten over his dusty felling. He sat on the newly cleaned desk and banged his head and played luftguitar in the rhythm with the music. “So how’s broody?” he asked stopping his animation.

“He’s coming down when he’s showered.”

“Well, well, aren’t we honored? So was there lots and lots of nancy boy crying?”

“I think crying is a much better strategy than drinking yourself into oblivion every night and hiding the fact that you are a live from the people you supposedly love.”

“Bitch,” he mumbled.

“Champion!” she mocked back.

When Angel came downstairs he looked muck better and almost laughed when Illyria immediately asked him what kind of music he liked.

Now Illyria looked adorable, having decided to taste some human food, Chinese takeaway, to be precise. She was concentrating so hard on picking up a deep fried shrimp with her chop sticks that her eyes almost crossed.

“There is a whole world that is only made from shrimp.” She said. “It feels strange eating one.”

“Really?” Willow grasped. “I’ve only heard about a world without shrimp.”

Spike was also doing better and almost back to his old self, on the outside at last. He complained that the food wasn’t spicy enough and had gone to the market down the street to get some beer. A lower alcohol percentage could probably be considered progress.

In her order Willow had specifically asked for four fortune cookies. She was the first to open hers and read the fortune out loud: “ ‘What goes around comes around’. Let’s hope that is in a good way.”

Spike went next. “Oh, bollocks,” he cursed when he looked at the slip. “Revealing your emotions is the greatest bravery.”

Illyira was next in line. “I don’t understand this ritual.”

“It’s just a silly tradition. You just open the cookie and inside is a piece of paper with some advice on it,” Willow explained. “You decide if you want to believe it or follow it but some say the advice you get is always the advice you need.” Illyira got to work on opening her cookie.

“’Questions are the key to knowledge’. I like this advise.”

All eyes turned to Angel, who was the only one left but he didn’t do as much as look at his cookie.

“I don’t like prophecies.”

Willow frowned at him. “It’s only a fortune cookie. Usually they are good and I don’t think they are really that reliable,” Willow tried to persuade him.

He indulged her, but with a grave expression on his face. “Cherish what you had but remember what you have.”

The room went silent. “That should apply to all of us,” Spike finally said with uncharacteristic gravity.

“If you have something to remember,” Angel mumbled under his breath.

“Oh come on, Angel.” Willow was slightly annoyed. “Don’t you go all broody on me again. We are all here aren’t we?”

“And you have that boy that comes here,” Illyria added. Willow didn’t know who she was talking about but still agreed with her.

“And how ‘bout dog lady?” Spike supplied.

Before she realized that this was off topic Willow had asked for clarification.

“He has a girlfriend.” Spike said mockingly. “Who’s a werewolf.”

“So? You say it like there’s something wrong with that.”

“Damn. Forgot about your dogboy. Ruined my moment.”

“I don’t think I’ll be seeing Nina again.” Angel broke in. “Sending her on vacation kind of against her will and then not calling for two months I think sends a certain message.

Willow decided that maybe it was best to change subjects. “You know, I’m no expert on vampire post apocalypse aversion depression, but to me it kind of looks like you need something to do. Why don’t you build the private investigation agency up again? That would be a point to start from.”

“But we don’t have seer,” Angel replied.

“A what?”

“A seer. When I moved her, Doyle found me and he was my link to the Powers that be. He got these visions to show me where I was needed. When he died the visions went to Cordelia and she tried to pass them on to me, but I’ve only gotten that one vision that told me how to take down the circle.”

“Boo, hoo.” Willow wasn’t all that sympathetic. “So you actually have to find your own cases. Come on. You were starting to build a reputation. I’m sure business will go up fast when word gets out that you’ve opened again. And until then, you could patrol.”