"NO! I won't do it!"

"But you have to!"

"I don't have to do anything!"

"Please? It's the only way. Nothing else works!"

"I don't care! I don't want it to work!"

Angel slammed his office door closed and sat down behind his desk. He rubbed his temples as he head began to work. He couldn't believe what was just asked of him. There was no way he was doing it.

Then his office door swung open and Fred marched in. She slammed the door behind her. "Angel you have to do this." She said.

"Fred, I don't have to do anything. I'm the boss." Angel said.

"Angel, come on! It's the only chance we have to understand why Spike becomes corporal." Fred argued. She sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't care about Spike. As far as I'm concerned he can stay incorporeal!" Angel said.

"If he does he can bother you whenever!" Fred said.

"And he'll bother me whenever if he was solid!" Angel yelled.

"Spike needs a body! He can't live like this!" Fred argued.

"Yes he can! Spike's a big boy. He'll get use to it." Angel said.

Fred groaned. She stood there trying to think of something. She turned to Angel. "If Spike stays incorporeal that means he stays tied to WRH, which means he stays tied to you. So long after we're all gone, it'll still be you, Spike and WRH. Now I know you don't want to be with Spike for that long. If he's solid, again he can leave. So no more walking through walls or-or popping into your penthouse."

Angel leaned back in his chair. He really, really didn't want to do this. And he knew that, no matter how much he cared for Fred, that she wasn't going to be able to get him to do it. No possible way in hell.

"So what are we doin'?" Spike asked. As he stood next to a brooding Angel in his office.

"We're going to lock you and Angel in here for 48 hours. We'll be monitoring everything with the cameras that are being installed. These cameras will send feedback of your stats and vitals to Fred's computer. That way she can study and pinpoint the reason you turn corporal for a certain amount of time." Wesley explained.

"Why Angel? This feels more like a bloody punishment than a test." Spike said. "That's what I said." Angel agreed.

Wesley sighed. "Because every time you've become solid you've been with Angel. So we want to know why." He said. "Can' you just…do this with a video feed or somethin'?" Spike asked.

"No, Spike. You and Angel have lived together for almost two centuries! I think you can stand 48 hours," Wesley said. "And you can't kill each other."

"Well then I'm not doing this," Angel said. Angel went to walk out his door when Wesley stepped in front of him. "Move, Wes." Angel growled. Wesley folded his arms across his chest and didn't move.

"You know he can just pick you up, right? Big brute like him." Spike said. Angel looked back at him and growled. Spike smirked. "Can' touch me ponce!" Spike taunted.

"Angel please? If it doesn't work then we don't have to do this again. But…for Fred's sake, do it. Her and Spike have rather grown attached. Let her have this." Wesley said. Angel rolled his eyes. He turned around and went over to his desk.

Spike raised his hand. "Question. Why are we doin' this in Peaches' office? Why not the lab?" Spike asked. "Because it was Angel's choice." Wesley said, before he left. "That's not bloody fair!" Spike yelled after him.

Angel leaned back against his desk with his hands on either side of him. Spike glanced at him and moved to the sofa. He carefully sat down so he wouldn't go through it. They both waited for the people putting up the cameras to finish. Once they did Fred and Gunn showed up.

"Okay, everything's set. I have a live feed and I have your stats up on my computer. So you two just…pretend you're not doing a test." Fred said.

"Right because we both want to be near each other?" Spike and Angel said. They stopped and looked at each other then looked away.

"Okay, that was weird," Gunn said. He cleared his throat. "Angel your schedule has been cleared. If there's anything pressing that you have to address it will be by phone. If it needs to be done in person then we'll pause for a second so you can handle it."

"Wait there's a timer?" Spike asked. Fred grinned and held up the stopwatch. "Oh, great. Now we'll be countin' down ourselves." He sighed.

"Chin up. This time will fly by." Gunn said. Then him and Fred closed the door and locked it. Fred clicked the watch and they went off to the lab.

Angel looked at his watch. It read only 9:16 a.m. He groaned in his head.

*************************************20 minutes***************************************

"How long as it been?"

"Only five minutes more from the last time you asked."

"Really? Only five minutes? Hmm, seemed longer."

"Would be if you stopped asking the time."

"Then don' answer."

"Then stop talking."

There was silence for a good three minutes when the phone rang. Angel frowned as he looked at it. "Are you goin' to answer it?" Spike asked. Angel glared up at him and Spike smirked.

Angel picked it up. "What?" he asked.

"Rude." Spike muttered. Angel gave him a look as he listened to the other line. "Fine." Angel said, slamming the phone down.

"Fred wants us to interact," Angel said. Spike raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know. I can't even believe I'm here…doing this." Spike snorted. He put his feet up on the couch and laid down. "Get your feet off the couch." Angel said. Spike gave him two fingers and ignored him.

*************************************2 hours******************************************

"How long has it been?" Angel sighed. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

Oh, please kill me now. I can't take it if he's going to ask me every effin' time! Angel thought.

Spike turned his head and looked at Angel. He smirked. "'S matter? Headache 'cause you can' brood?" Spike asked. Angel looked at him.

"No I have a headache because of a certain peroxide idiot." Angel retorted. He then leaned down and opened a bottom drawer. Spike watched him with curiosity. Angel sat back up and placed a bottle of whiskey and a glass on his desk. Spike cursed and turned back around, missing Angel's smirk.

**********************************2 hours and 45 minutes********************************

Angel's jacket was on the back of his chair and he had a little more than half a bottle of whiskey left and he was nowhere near as drunk as he wanted to be. Spike had picked up humming and tapping his boots together.

"This isn't working," Fred said, looking at the computer. "This is a test! These two are supposed to act normal or at least act. They're just passing the time and Angel's getting drunk."

"Give it some time, Fred. They have 48 hours total. Something's bound to happen sooner or later." Wesley said. "And if not?" Fred asked. Wesley grinned. "We'll make them do it again." She smiled.