"It's a textbook demon, okay? Easy kill. We wanna be in and out." Angel told Spike as they trundled through the sewers.

"Yeah, yeah I heard you the first 50 times, mate." Spike rolled his eyes.

The pair continued splashing their way through the tunnels, Angel clutching his favourite broad sword and Spike muttering in annoyance under his breath.

"Wait." Angel slapped Spike backwards. "Do you hear that?"

Spike froze and listened, he turned to Angel and nodded. Angel pressed a finger to his lips and the pair tilted their heads to hear the noise.

"Sounds like it's.." Spike whipped his head around just in time to see the demon's fist flying for his face.

Spike landed a few feet away in a filthy puddle and Angel launched into attack. Swinging the axe around in a wild fury, he sliced again and again into the demon. The demon snatched the axe from his grip and tossed it to the floor before swatting Angel to the side dismissively. Spike hopped to his feet kicking the demon twice, who lashed out scratching him across neck. Angel was back up standing behind Spike desperately reaching for the axe. Spike scooped it up and swung it backwards and then forwards slicing the demon's head clean off.

"OWW!" Angel screeched.

Spike spun on his heel and didn't even attempt to hide his giggle upon seeing the slice he'd made straight through Angel's shirt.

"You got me on the backswing!" Angel fingered the rip in his shirt, and swiped his hand across the blood on his stomach.

Spike bent close to the tear and noted, "Ah it's just a papercut! You'll be fine."

"So not the point." Angel huffed and the duo made their way stomping out of the sewers.

Back in the Wolfram and Hart offices...

"You killed it?" Wesley checked again.

"Uh huh. Sliced his head clean off." Spike nodded.

"Right his head...and my shirt." Angel shot him a dirty look.

Fred was delicately cleaning the wound Spike had caused and then reached behind her for a bandage. "I have to admit, Angel it's not that bad."

Angel just grunted and turned to Wesley. "It's all good then?"

"I guess so. I mean yes, as you say if it was an easy kill, nothing to complain about." Wesley agreed.

"What do you mean? You weren't sure it was gonna be easy?" Gunn raised his eyebrows.

"Well I wasn't positive on the sort of demon it was...the two species I was between are notoriously similar.." Wesley admitted.

"Who cares? It's dead anyway." Spike shrugged.

Angel hopped off of the table and headed out the door. "I'll be in my office."

The rest of the team filed out leaving Fred in her lab...and Spike.

"What are you still doing here?" Fred smiled sweetly at Spike.

"Got nowhere to be."

"Angel doesn't want you for something?" Fred asked absent-mindedly as she headed for a shelf of conical flasks and began labelling them.

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not work for Captain Forehead."

"Why do you both do that?"

"What?" Spike perched on a countertop.

"The Captain thing? Captain Forehead and Captain Peroxide?"

"Peroxide? He goes for the hair? So bloody original.." Spike shook his head.

Fred put down what she was working on and moved to sit next to Spike. "It's kinda cool though. You and Angel's relationship."

"Relationship? Hardly." Spike scoffed.

"You're like brothers." Fred nudged Spike with her elbow.

"Are not!" Spike spluttered. "If anything it's grandad and grandson...who hate each other."

"You have so much history together. I know you don't hate each other, never could."

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"Well for one thing, you kinda have a history of falling for the same girl and yet you always end up back together." Fred pointed out.

"It's not like that happens often!" Spike said defensively.

"Riiiighttt..Drusilla...Buffy..."

"Two isn't that many ya know!"

"More than most people." Fred joked patting him on the arm.

Spike scoffed and stood up. "I'll be off then, nothing to do here."

"Wait. Can I ask you something? I mean if it's too personal that's okay I've just kinda wondered..well really since you got here."

"What?" Spike took a step closer to her, intrigued.

"Why don't you tell Buffy you're alive? Why don't you go see her? You are corporeal now."

"It's...complicated." Spike decided.

"All I'm saying is...if I was her, I'd wanna know." Fred said softly.

"I'll think about it, love. But don't get your hopes up."

Spike turned to walk out, but suddenly felt a searing pain through his neck and dropped to his knees.

"Spike? Spike, are you okay?"

"I-I..what's happening to me? Ahhhh!"

Spike's hand flew to his neck, pain coursed through his veins and he cried out. He now felt it all over, writhing on the floor in agony.

"Angel! Wesley! Somebody!" Fred yelled.

"Ahhh!" Spike screamed again, convulsing on the ground.

Fred flapped around him, stroking his arm through his leather duster. "It's gonna be okay."

Spike's hand reached out and grabbed her arm tightly between her fingers, she yelped in pain. "Get...Angel." He hissed.

Spike's hand suddenly dropped from her arm, his body stopped twitching, his eyes snapped shut and his head fell, banging to the tiled floor.