"AAARRRRGGGHHHH" Angel let out a cry of pain. As a human he could feel the pain more.

"Oh Angelus stop it.since when have you hated hot pokers" Spike jabbed it into Angel's side once again.

"Please Spike" He gulped, "I'm not a demon anymore"

"I know. Shame isn't it. This way, it wont take as long for you to die" and he jabbed the poker into Angel's other side. Angel cried in the pain.

Even though the floor had been swept several times already, Willy swept it again just to make sure. It was his security as a snitch. A shadow appeared on the wall in front of him. He looked up and then around. The broom handle covered his cries as it hit the floor.

"Ow! What was that for.what I do?" Willy shuffled back up against the wall grasping his nose. Buffy walked forward and crouched down to his level.

"Now, I don't trust you one bit Willy, but to save yourself severe blood loss you might want to co-operate" He nodded, only too eagerly.

"Anything Slayer.anything. What ya wanna know?" Buffy reached for his shirt edges and lifted him off the ground, pressing him against the wall. He groaned as his back hit the wall.

"Where's Angel!" She shouted angrily.

"My buddy Angel.haven't seen him for a few days. Word has it, he's human" Willy had that nervous nodding twitch.

"I know" Buffy said whilst giving Willy the worst evil ever.

"Where is he?" She repeated.

"I don't know. Like I say, I haven't seen him for days" Willy hunched his shoulders as Buffy loosened her grip on his shirt, bringing him to earth. "I thought he was slayer bait. You know how you two fight" Willy broke a smile to the Slayer who greeted it with a backhand punch. Willy grabbed his nose again.

"I am only gonna ask you one more time Willy, where is Angel?" Buffy pulled a huge knife from her coat and held it to Willy's throat. "Talk" She ordered.

"Ok.ok! I know!" He looked at the knife that was still close to his neck. "Y.you can put that down now," He pointed to the ground with his finger.

"I'd rather not.talk"

"Spike has him.you know, the blonde vam."

"I know Spike, where is he?"

"He's underground, for safety reasons, u know" He twitched, "Under the sewer system near the mansion" Buffy remarked to her self, "Close to home" then focused her attention on Willy, who was still shaking.

"Thanks Willy, you been a great help," she said as she removed the knife and her body weight from him. He placed his hands around his neck, checking for bruises or cuts. He watched Buffy walk out the door until her whole shadow was gone.

"Pleasure" he coughed and picked up his broom and continued to sweep.



Buffy burst into the library slamming the knife onto the table.

"I know where Angel is, we gotta move now" Giles couldn't take his eye off the knife.

"Where did you get that?" He enquired.

"The weapons cabinet, you try and hide it from me a lot" she added not really noticing the Watchers scolding looks.

"Oh" he gave up the argument. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yeah" She looked proud which was dissed by the watchers glimpse.

"And what may I ask, is your plan?" Giles placed his book on the desk and lent on it. Buffy gave him a serious look. She walked over to the weapons cabinet taking out an axe with freshly sharpened edges.

"I go in, start knocking heads off and walk out with Angel"

"Go Buff!" Xander shouted and cheered from the table. Giles gave him the 'grow up Xander' look.

"W.w.what is something goes wrong Buffy?" Willow looked to Oz for support in her concern.

"She's right Buffy, it could be dangerous" Buffy admired Oz. A guy of very little words yet they had so much meaning.

"Don't worry about me guys, Angel needs me and I'm not going to let him down"

Angel opened his hazed eyes but couldn't see into the darkness. Oh how he wished he still had the demon abilities right now. He was hanging from the wall in chains that he could have easily broke if demon. He was so exhausted and weak he couldn't hold his head up. As it flopped to his chest he could see the blood stains on his shirt and feared the picture beneath. A figure cast a shadow over his body that he could only see on the floor. He didn't lift his head to see, not because of what he might see, but because he was too weak.

"Your up then Angelus I see" the figure said. All Angel could see were the dusted boots the figure wore.

"What do you want from me Spike?" Angel's voice was slow and short of breath. A thin beam of sunlight that was slowly fading shone through a crack in the warehouse door.

"Nearly sunset" Spike acknowledged as he gazed towards the doors. "Then you die" He chuckled.

"Why?" Angel was fading fast so made he speech short. "What do you want?"

"I didn't ask for you to speak" Spike kicked Angel in his stomach. Angel desperately tried to clutch his stomach with the pain, but the chains stopped it. He coughed, and on opening his eyes, saw it was blood he had coughed.

"I just don't like you" Spike said casually. "You have the big brown puppy- dog eyes, that all the girls go for, and your more powerful than any demon I know" He smiled and laughed to himself. "I despise you Angelus. To know that you can get so close to that bloody slayer and not kill her sickens me" Spike clenched his teeth in anger.

"But I'm hu." Spike repeated his kick to Angel's stomach. Angel screamed in pain and a tear rolled down his cheek. He wished Buffy were here.

"I know your bloody human! You think that will save you!?" Spike grew angrier. "I need your blood man, but not as a human, so I'm going to make you a vampire" Spike stood back from Angel and held out his arms to his sides as though about to take off. "And thanks to that son-of-a-bitch Willy, the slayer thinks were are underground. It couldn't get any better" He smiled.

"Oh really Spike" a voice came from the shadows behind him. Spike put his hands on his head covering his face. Angel knew it was Buffy, he could sense her although he couldn't see her.

"The bloody bastard! I'll kill him!" Spike was waving his hands in rage.

"Willy never told me, but the mansion sewers lead to this warehouse.not clever Spike" Buffy grew sarcastic. She saw Angel behind Spike and wanted to run to him. Spike noticed her glance.

"He's nearly dead, might as well move on" Spike tilted his head. "Even if he does survive, you'll be dead anyways" The rage inside Buffy grew the more she saw Angel helpless and heard Spike's words. Buffy couldn't help but notice that there were no other vamps around.

"Say, where are the rest of the uglies anyways?" she looked around then back at Spike.

"They skipped town after your little 'off with his head' routine last night. But I can kill you anyways" He sounded so sure.

"Lets see" All this time Buffy had been sizing up the gap between Angel's head and Spikes. The gap was big and she could easily hit Spike but the axe would fly across the floor if she missed. That would leave only her fighting skills. She could handle it, she had to. For Angel. Buffy launched the axe through the air, aiming it at Spike's neck, but to her anger it missed and skidded across towards the door. Too far away to regain possession. Spike picked up the axe, looked back at her and laughed. "Lost your touch Slayer" He threw his head back in laughter then turned towards her with his back to Angel.

"No Spike, that was purposely done" She tried to cover up her mistake.

"I'd rather fight you without weapons anyways, however, I do like them" Spike vamped out and dropped the axe on the floor. Whilst Buffy and Spike were involved in their duties, trying to kill each other, Angel managed to kick the axe towards Buffy.

"Here!" He tired to shout but it didn't work.

"Now now, no cheating" Spike had intercepted the axe sliding across the floor and threw it behind him, narrowly missing Angel's head. It did however severely dent the chains so much so Angel pulled and they snapped, hitting him in the back as they fell. He hurt all over, Buffy could see that but what became even clearer as she ducked to avoid Spike's head kick was that Giles and the gang were creeping through the door. Willow and Cordy ran to Angel and Giles fitted Oz and Xander with a cross and a bottle of holy water each. Oz and Xander waiting until Spike had his back to them then threw holy water and pressed the crosses against his back. Spike howled in pain and spun around but backed away at the same time. By now Giles had loaded the crossbow and had it pointing towards Spike.

"I suggest you get away from us and stay wherever you go, preferably far away," Giles was not kidding as his voice was low and he seemed to get angrier. Spike put up his hands in defence still vamped out.

"I'm outta here, you're all mad" and he disappeared into the darkness. Buffy ran up to Angel while Willow and Cordelia backed away a little. All the pain Angel felt from the beatings he has taken seemed to disappear as Buffy knelt down and comforted him. He rested his head on her knee.

"Buffy" He swallowed and breathed fast. "I'm.i'm." Buffy stroked his hair gently as she spoke to him.

"Shhh Angel, don't speak. It's ok, I'm here now" His breathing slowed and he began to drift off to sleep.

"Buffy, we should get him home, safe and warm. He'll get cold without his demon defences" Giles reminded her. Oz backed his van into the abandoned garage after Xander and Willow dragged open the doors. Buffy, Giles and Cordy helps lift Angel into the back of the van, as he was too weak to even move or talk. They drove off toward Buffy's place where Angel could rest, safe.