AN - Just to let you know, the feedback has been amazing (and very much appreciated)!!!I think this is my most successful story ever, and to think, I'd been putting off writing it, because I thought it was crap! Thankyou all so much for your patience, and I'll try and keep the updates coming :)

mit lieb,

Hani xXx

chappie 10

Angel and Giles stood staring in silence at the door through which Spike had just disappeared.

"Did he just... walk out?" Angel asked, his frown deepening impossibly.

"I believe so." Giles said, he sighed and removed his glasses, getting ready for the inevitable, "I think it would be wise to go after him." he said, turning to the vampire. Angel turned and gave the watcher a look.

"Oh, do you?"

Giles sighed, "This is no time to be petty. Spike could get hurt."

Angel scowled, he shook his head, "Why can't he just do what he's told?"

Giles shrugged, "I think we all know the answer to that one."

Angel nodded, "He's a moron?" and actually gave a smile as he headed towards the door after his willful Childe.

He didn't, however, have far to go, as just then the door opened and both Willow and Tara came in. They each had one of Spike's arms over their shoulders as they hoisted him in. The vampire didn't seem to be conscious, he hung loosely between the two witches, his feet dragging on the floor. Without his shirt he looked emaciated and vulnerable, his jeans were sliding down, but not enough to reveal anything, yet.

Angel closed his eyes and made a mental growl, before taking the younger vampire from the two witches.

"W-we found him lying outside, n-near your car, Mr. Giles." Tara said, averting her gaze from anyone who met it.

Willow nodded, a kind of lost look on her face, "What was he doing out there?"

"He tried to go back to his crypt." Giles said, replacing his spectacles on his nose.

"He just walked out?" Willow asked, looking from Giles to Angel, "You didn't stop him?"

"Well,-"

"He just went-" Angel said, sounding lame, even to himself.

"Giles, I thought we were trying to help him?" Willow said, "I thought we were looking after him?"

Tara, sensing danger, put a tentative hand on Willow's arm and gave her a smile, calming her. Willow returned her lover's smile.

"You're right," Willow said, shaking her head, "At least he's ok."

Angel sighed and went over to Spike who was lying at an odd angle on the sofa, "Define 'okay'."

Buffy sighed, cracking her neck. She'd just got back to her dorm room, after several days Spike-sitting at Giles' she was up for some boyfriend time. She pulled her brown halter-neck on and arranged it into shape, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The problem was she'd never really been bothered about Spike before. He was a pain in her ass; an old enemy who'd been demoted. She'd never really regarded him as anything else other than someone who got on her nerves and wanted her dead... except that one time with Willow's 'I will it so' spell... but even when betrothed to the bleached menace, he'd still got on her nerves and he'd still wanted her dead. But now, she was all with the helping of him. She'd given up time and even risked her boyfriend's job to help the poor creature. She'd even been a little upset (even if she wouldn't admit it) when they'd found him sliced up in the bathtub. Buffy shook her head and lifted her, no Willow's, hairbrush dragging it through her golden locks. She was confused.

Riley was waiting in the hall when Buffy walked out. He gave her a smile, but it wasn't his usual jubiliant 'hiya-Buffy-I'm-all-soppy-over-you' smile.

"What'sup?" Buffy asked, bouncing into the hall putting her earrings in at the last minute, "You've not got 'happy-face'."

"I have news."

"'news-face'?" Buffy pouted, "That's never fun."

Riley kissed her cheek, "Yeah, really not." and they headed out of the hall into the grounds.

"So?"

Riley sighed, "Professor Walsh just called a big meeting," Riley sighed and stopped talking.

"uh-huh?" Buffy prodded, when Riley paused and didn't continue.

"It was a new girl, one of the training surgeons, who let Hostile 17 out." Riley said, his voice quiet, a smile on his face that had nothing to do with the conversation and everything to do with pretence; just a boy and his short, blonde, super-human girlfriend, out on a date.

Buffy, incapable of being undercover, looked shocked, "What did she do that for?"

"As far as I can tell? She felt sorry for him, thought they were going to kill him."

Buffy nodded, "I'm sorry Riley, it's your job, but they were planning on taking his lungs out! Even to Spike, I can't let that happen."

Riley sighed again, "The girl's in the lock-up area, she's being court-marshalled, it was a janitor who turned her in. An old guy; Bob. He's been there a long time."

Buffy frowned, "We should do something."

"That's not the issue." Riley said, losing his pleasant fake smile and turning to Buffy, his face serious, as he towered over her, "They want him dead, Buffy. They don't trust you, hell, they don't even trust me. Walsh wants that man good and dusty. The lung they took out turned to dust after 48 hours, so he's no use to their research, but they don't want him living, having seen what he's seen." Riley gripped the Slayer's shoulders, giving them a quick squeeze, "They'll come for him, and there's nothing we can do to stop it. We're just in the way."

Buffy's eyes widened, "After all this trouble, you want to hand him over? For what, a pat on the back and a lollipop? Riley, we can't."

Riley turned away, "Think about it, Buffy, they already know where all of you live. Sooner or later they'll narrow it down, and they have a liscence to stop anyone in their way. People could get hurt, your friends. For what? A vampire?"

Buffy folded her arms, "And this has nothing to do with Angel?"

Riley frowned, "Why would it-?"

Buffy found herself laughing, "I can see Riley! I know you think there's something going on! I can assure you, you are so wrong."

Riley opened his mouth to say something, but Buffy walked away, "Date's over."

Everything was fuzzy when Spike opened his eyes, like being underwater. He groaned, recognising where he was.

"Thought I'd got out of here." he said, his voice quiet.

"You passed out outside." Angel said, leaning over the younger vamp, "What the hell were you playing at?"

Spike swallowed, "I need to get out of here." he said quietly, "Don't think it's not appreciated, but I just can't stay here anymore." Spike tried to get up.

Angel sighed and helped Spike to sit up, "Why can't you just let yourself get better?"

"I am better!" Spike said, Angel raised an eyebrow, "yeah, well I am." Spike said huffily. "look, if I get back to my crypt, I'll be alright. Got everything I need there, plenty blood..."

Angel scowled, "Spike, I know you, you drink a glass a day and think that's fine. You need at least a pint, and you're lucky if bother having half of one."

Spike shook his head, "Yeah, because you care."

"I do."

"Piffle," Spike said, waving a hand, "You just think it's a good way to get into the Slayer's pants." he raised his arms in retreat, as Angel tensed, "Hey, point for trying, mate, playing the considerate brother card's a stroke of genius, but I'm sick of this. So, that's it, let me go."

Angel scowled and lifted a glass of blood out to Spike. Spike shook his head, "I'll have it in a bi-" but Angel grabbed the younger vamp by the hair, causing him to yell out.

"I've had it with this, Spike." Angel said, pouring blood into Spike's mouth as the younger vampire struggled, "You say you want to get better, but you won't eat. If we can't trust you to look after yourself, we'll have to stake you."

Spike grasped at Angel's face, nails scratching at his skin, as Angel pinned him down forcefully. Spike was getting tired, he couldn't win. He stopped struggling, letting Angel force another glass full of warm blood down his throat.

"See?" Angel said, putting the glass down, "Not so hard, just like Amsterdam." he said, his voice holding something dark and secret in it. Spike shivered, remembering 'Amsterdam' and what it had meant.

Spike wiped his bloody face and glared at his Sire, "You dick. You bastard."

Angel stood, putting a hand to the nail marks on his cheek, "You always were a scratcher, William." he said, heading for the door.

"You bloody sod!" Spike forced himself to the floor, using the sofa to get him to his feet. "Come back, come back and I'll bloody kill you!"

"What was that all about?"
Giles asked as Angel entered the other room, Spike's yells still audible from the livingroom.

"Sharing old memories," Angel said, darkly. Lifting a glass from the sideboard and filling it with blood for himself.

"From the sound of it, I gather they are not treasured memories."

"Oh, they're treasured," Angel assured him,"Just not happy."

"Damn it." Walsh said, slamming her clipboard down. "Find other co-ordinates. I need to know everywhere that creature has been, everyone it's been in contact with. Miss Summers and her friends, the lot of them. I want warrants, I want information, and most of all, I want an execution."

The three teamleaders (minus Riley) nodded and headed to deploy their troops.

Professor Walsh groaned and headed into the restricted sector to 314, she needed some time alone. Time to think. Time to check on Adam.