***

Spike and Angel were waiting for them outside. Spike was leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette moodily. Angel was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking into the shop.

  He moved back as the two Slayers came out of the door. "Ready to go?" He asked Buffy.

"Yep, as soon as we've split into groups," She chirped. "Hmm…."She assessed the scene around her wickedly. "Obviously 'cause Leia and Angel both know where it is, they can't be in the same group. So I'm thinking…me and Angel, Leia and Spike?"

    "What?" Leia screeched.

"You're joking!" Spike sprung up from the wall, enraged. They both eyed each other with obvious dislike.

"Buffy," Leia said through gritted teeth.

Buffy smiled at her innocently.

Spike eyed Angel warily. "Why can't me and the Poof go together?" Spike asked angrily. "He knows the way."

"Spike, I'm touched," Angel mimicked wiping away a tear.

Spike shot him a look of loathing.

"Because, Spike," Buffy shook her head, "Then it would be two Slayers together, and two vampires together. That just really doesn't make sense. We should pair together evenly."

 "She's right Spike," Angel put a hand on Buffy's shoulder. "It's the only way."

Spike looked at the floor and let out a sigh of exasperation. Leia rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay." She mumbled. "We better split up. Me and Spike will take the back of the sewers."

"Okay," Buffy nodded, taking Angel's arm. "See you there. Have fun!" She winked at Leia over her shoulder.

"You're evil," Angel muttered as they walked away.

"Oh, please." Buffy shook her head. "Someone had to force them to admit that they like each other."

Looking after them, Leia sighed and turned to Spike. Regarding him with annoyance for a second, she pursed her lips. "Coming?" She asked, striding off before he had a chance to answer.

   "Great," He muttered, and prepared for the night ahead.

***

Half an hour later they stood a few blocks away from the back entrance of the sewers arguing about their strategy.

"Look, we'll just go down there and search for the vault!" She exclaimed.

"Will we?" Spike stepped forward and looked at her. "I don't remember you consulting me before you decided what "we" did."

Leia clenched her jaw. "Fine," She said coolly, crossing her arms across her chest. "Spike, what's your plan?"

He glowered darkly. "I don't know. I don't know where this bloody place is."

She was just about to reply when she noticed a good-looking boy staring at her intently from across the street. Her lips curved in a smile as he crossed over the road.

   "Well?" Spike asked impatiently, then he saw what she was concentrating on and flared his nostrils angrily.

"Hi," The boy said, approaching. "I hope you don't mind me interrupting like this."

"Well, actually-" Spike began, but Leia elbowed him in the ribs hurriedly. She flashed the man a dazzling smile. "Not at all," She replied.

 "I couldn't help but notice you," He blushed a little. That is so cute! Leia thought. She could see Spike seething beside her out of the corner of her eye. The sensation was not unpleasant, she decided.

 "Um." The boy cleared his throat. "My name's Christian, " He offered. "The truth is, I've seen you around a few times and I was wondering if you wanted to go get a coffee now, or something."

   Leia smiled. "I'm Leia."

Before she could continue, Spike butted in, "And I'm Spike, and she," He nodded to Leia, "Is taken."

Christian looked surprised. "Oh man, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Looking wistfully at Leia, who was standing with her mouth open he said, "Well, I'll see you around, " And moved to walk off.

   Leia regained her powers of speech. "Wait!" She called, shooting Spike a murderous look. "He means taken, for tonight!" She fixed a smile on her face. "We have some, uh…business to attend to. We work together. But," She continued, "I'm free other nights…?"

Christian's face creased into a smile. "Oh, I see."

Cursing loudly, Spike walked off.

Leia stared after him in exasperation, and then grabbed Christian's hand and quickly wrote her number on it. She knew it was forward, but she didn't care. The look on Spike's face before was worth it. He probably thought because she hadn't swooned at his feet the other day that she was lesbo or something. "Call me!" She told him, and hurriedly ran off after Spike.

  When she had caught up to him, she grabbed his shoulder and turned him round, fuming, with her hands on her hips. "What the hell did you do that for?" Leia yelled.

  "Look, luv, we've got a job to do, in case you haven't forgotten," Spike spat. "I'm not wasting my time just standing there while you make goo-goo eyes at some faggot you picked up off the street!" He paused. "Who, incidentally, is probably a demon."

  "Oh, so it was really my safety you were worried about?" Leia said sarcastically, and snorted. "Give me a break."

"Well, what else could it possibly be?" Spike asked her lightly. Leia stared him down, then, for some reason, noticed how close they were. Their faces were inches apart and his body was nearly touching hers…she looked down, blushing slightly. How he infuriated her!

Spike regarded her and pondered for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, and sucked his lip in thoughtfully. "Oh, I get it." He said softly. "You think I'm jealous, don't you?"

   Leia looked up for a moment, her expression guarded. "Are you?"

Spike laughed. "Give me a break, sweetheart," He said coldly. "Let's just get on with this, shall we? I'm getting bored."

 "Fine." Leia spat. "But just don't get in my way." She barged past him and stomped down the road.

"Wouldn't dream of it, pet," He said under his breath, following her as she prised the lid off the sewer.

Leia pulled the lid off and made to drop down inside without looking back at him. But suddenly she hesitated, leaning back from the tunnel. This wasn't right. All the training she had been given, though it was from the council, was firmly drilled within her and her whole body was screaming out with warning; going down into the unknown while fighting with your partner was just not safe. Leia bit her lip and looked up at him.

  "Look, Spike…" She raised her eyes to heaven, looking like she was struggling with the words, but continued quietly, "You may not like me, and it's obvious we don't get on. But we have to work as a team now," She looked at him defiantly, ready for him to oppose her, as always. "I'm not asking you to pledge undying loyalty to me. I just need to know, that when we get down there, you're on my side."

   Spike looked at her, knowing that it had taken a lot for her to say that. Quite touched, he managed, "Of course I'm on your side. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." She looked at him to check that he was being serious, and when she saw he was, she nodded and disappeared down inside the sewer.

    Feeling genuine respect for the girl, and a number of other emotions swirling inside him, he swallowed and jumped down after her.

***

Buffy and Angel were also arguing, but about not about strategy.

  "Are you sure that's wise?" Angel asked Buffy, as they rounded the corner near the sewer entrance.

"What!" Buffy exclaimed. "So I left them alone together. Big deal!"

"Yeah, but if you think she has a…well, a crush on him," Angel said carefully.

"It's obvious they're attracted to each other," Buffy countered. "Why else would they jump all over each other all the time? Besides, Spike totally checks out her butt!"

  Angel looked at her sternly. "Buffy…don't you think she should be careful? Spike is a vampire."

"So are you."

"Yes, slightly different-" Angel was exasperated. "I think you should be a bit more serious about this. You're being pretty flippant…Spike is a killer."

   Buffy sighed. "I know…it's just…"She looked at him pleadingly. "Maybe I've just got a rosier view of him then you and the rest of the gang because he's helped me so many times. He just, he seems like he's changed."

  "How could he possibly have changed?" Angel's voice rose with disbelief. "Does he have a soul?"

"No, but-" Buffy began.

"But nothing!" Angel cut her off. She looked at him with surprise and swallowed. It wasn't often he was angry. "You didn't see the things he did to people! You don't even know what he did to people…but you know how he got his nickname! How are you going to feel when you find Leia impaled on a railroad spike and realise Spike's found a way to get the chip out?"

   Buffy winced, but soon resumed, shaking her head. "I know Spike. I know how he used to be, when he used to try and kill me all the time! He's different now…"

Angel snorted. "He's my childe. He'll never change."

"Oh, so you're telling me you don't think there's any way he has feelings for Leia?" She challenged him, and they stopped walking.

   Angel looked uncomfortable as he turned to her. "I don't know…I haven't seen them together."

"Aha!" Buffy said triumphantly. "If he's so evil, how could you even consider the possibility that he could have feelings?"

  "I meant that he was physically attracted to her," Angel said quickly.

"No." Buffy's smile faded and she regarded him seriously. "Spike's always been different. I mean, he loved Drusilla properly. He was devastated when she left him. You saw it. That was real love. And I may not know much, " She raised an eyebrow at him, and Angel knew that she was a little hurt by his earlier comment. He looked away sheepishly as she carried on, "but I know that isn't common for vampires. They form bonds out of loneliness and for a need for companionship, not love."

  Angel raised his eyes in surprise, and again she raised her eyebrow. "Leia told me that. And you're right, I might not know what he's done, and what he was like. But Leia does. She's read the diaries; she's got a good head on her shoulders. I'm not saying I'd be happy for her to be with him, I just…I want her to have a little fun. She hasn't had much. Spike might not be boyfriend material, but at least he's light. And funny. Besides, their constant sniping at one another isn't really tip-top for slaying atmosphere. It'd be better with them screwing one another then screwing at one another."

    Angel nodded after a moment. "I understand that. If you trust him, then…"

"It's strange, but I kind of do." They resumed walking. "Even if he does repulse me most of the time, he always comes through. And it's her choice what she wants to do, anyhow. It's not like she couldn't kick his butt."

"Mmm." Angel smiled. "You couldn't kick mine."

"Oh, you think so?" Buffy raised an eyebrow. Walking towards him slowly, she suddenly reached up and murmured in his ear,

  "Let's just wait and see, shall we?" With that she stepped back and dropped down into the sewers. Angel stood for a moment, a sudden heat rising in his cold body. With Buffy being this enticing, it was sure going to be hard to concentrate…

***

Leia and Spike walked in silence. Good, Leia thought. I prefer him when he keeps his mouth shut. The sound of their combined footsteps echoed eerily around the tunnel and Leia held up a lighter, the flickering light throwing shadows across the dank walls. Spike had no shadow, she remembered, seeing her own outline alone on the wall. Creepy.

    Spike noticed the silver lighter she held in her hand as the tunnel was suddenly illuminated. Funny, he mused. She smokes. One thing about her, she sure was unpredictable…Spike had always prided himself on being able to read women like a book. That was what had attracted him to Dru. She was new, different. That, of course, being because of the fact that she was insane. Leia definitely wasn't insane, he thought. She was as sharp as a knife and had a tongue that cut like a razor. But he couldn't read her. She had kept him guessing since the moment he met her. For a second he wished he knew what she thought of him. Then he realised what he had just thought. *Spike, you're going round the bloody bend. And you need a good shag, obviously, if even that bitch is starting to look appealing.* The fact that she was incredibly easy on the eye was of no importance, although it was distracting. Spike hastily put her out of his mind and concentrated on the area around him, honing his senses carefully.

    They reached a fork in the tunnels. They both stopped, unsure of what to do.

"Which way?" Spike broke into the silence.

Leia looked around her. "I…I don't know," She said finally.

"I thought you knew the way?" Spike turned on her. "Oh, this is just great."

"We're coming a different way," Leia argued. "I've got a rough idea of where we're going. I say we go left."

"Well isn't that strange, I have this instinct that we should go right." He stared at her stubbornly. "I know these tunnels better then you do."

She scowled at him for a moment, and then sighed. "Fine. We'll go right."

Again, Spike was surprised. "You're agreeing with me?"

"Neither of us know where we're going," Leia corrected him wearily. "Your guess is as good as mine. Lead the way."

More silence ensued until a little way down the tunnel when they both stiffened suddenly. "Something's coming," Spike's preternatural hearing picked up on footsteps coming closer.

   "You don't say," Leia said sarcastically, pointing further down the tunnel where they could see shadows being formed as whoever it was rounded the corner. Spike turned to her, an infuriated reply forming on his lips.

   Suddenly vampires shot down from above, landing beside them, behind them, and the ones from further down in the tunnel rushed up. Spike and Leia were surrounded. "We've been tracking you since you came in here," One of them hissed. They were all wearing their vampire visage, but the one who spoke was particularly ugly, and covered in scars. He looked old. "If you're lucky, we might drain you before we take you to the master. I could use a little…snack."

   "Oh, really," Leia replied coolly. "Come and get it, then."

The vampire laughed, and then shot towards her, showing off. Spike knew that he had obviously meant his sudden burst of speed to frighten Leia, not realising she was a Slayer. Spike also knew that he had wanted to impress his vampire friends, because Spike was guessing he was second-in command to the master and wanted respect. They were quite amusing, vampire clans, Spike mused. All the same.

   What the vampire wasn't prepared for was for Leia to whip out a stake and before he could stop himself he ran straight into it.

   "Clever girl," He said in amazement, before exploding into ash.

Spike shifted into his vamp face. "Come and get stuck in then, you little wankers," He growled. He was in the mood for a good brawl.

   The other vampires stood in shock for a second, staring at his face, so Spike took the initiative and started the fight. Kicking the vampire to his left in the face, he backhanded another who was coming at him, sending him flying at the wall. Seeing the shock on their faces, he expected them to retreat, by now they would have guessed he was much older then them and that he was, basically, an unbeatable fighter. Spike wasn't one to blow his own trumpet, but damn, he was good…or rather, he was bad. Bad to the bone, baby. Smirking, he thought that he would have to say that to Leia one day; the look on her face would be most satisfying. But then something unexpected happened. One vampire grabbed his right arm, another grabbed his left. Before he knew what was happening, he was pinned on the floor, unable to move, and the vampire that he had kicked was bending over him. "I see you follow the old ways, vampire," Hissed the vampire, stroking his cheek. "But we have a new way for you." Still stroking his cheek, he wrenched Spike's head sideways, and whispered in his ear. "I have never drunk from one as old as you."

   Struggling to wrench himself free, Spike found that he could not move. "What are you doing, you idiot? We drink off humans, not vampires!" Spike shouted, genuinely enraged. He had heard of such a thing, and childer often drunk from their sires- but only if wounded. To feed off another vampire in order to kill them was strictly forbidden by the old ways.

    Over the vampire's shoulder, Spike could see Leia executing a perfect roundhouse kick into the jaw of one vamp, staking another under her arm as she turned.
  He tried to call out to her, but the vampire shoved a knee into his throat so that he could not make a sound. And as the vampire's face moved closer to his to bite down on his neck, for the first time in many, many years, Spike began to feel truly afraid.

He closed his eyes tightly and prepared for the pain of the bite, but then heard one of the vampires restraining him make a noise of warning. As he opened his eyes, the vampire in front of him looked into them with shock. A split-second later he was dust. Leia was standing behind him, stake in hand, and for a second they gazed at each other. Then she lunged and staked the vampires restraining him in a fluid motion so quick that they had no time to do anything.

    Breathing heavily, she held out a hand to him.

Spike, still shaky from what had happened, could only gaze up at her in wonder. "You…you saved me," He croaked out finally.

   She seemed surprised, also. "I know."

Taking her hand, Spike stumbled to his feet, unable to believe how much the experience had terrified him. For once he had no sarcy comment, no wisecrack, no smart-aleck remark. He was speechless. Still clinging onto her hand, he looked at her and muttered, "Thank you."

   She was about to reply when she heard more footsteps coming around the corner. She was still out of breath from dusting at least 10 vamps. And looking at Spike, she knew he was in no state to fight. As she stood there, wondering what to do, Spike yanked her by her hand into a gap between two of the pipes in the wall opposite. The pipes hid them sufficiently. The gap, however, was not very big, causing them to squeeze in, their bodies pressed tightly together. With a gasp she realised she was still holding his hand and she dropped it instantly.

     Spike knew he should be concentrating on the vampires walking down the tunnel, but all he was aware of was Leia. He could feel the softness of her breasts against his chest in contrast to the bullet hardness of her nipples. He could feel the frantic hammering of her heart and the warmth of her trembling body. He could smell the faint scent of vanilla in her hair…

      She could feel the hardness of his body and the coolness of his skin. She could smell leather and a trace of cigarettes, and when she looked up she could see his blue eyes glittering in the darkness, burning down at her.

The footsteps died away, and Spike hastily wrenched his gaze away, staring out into the tunnel.

   "What should we do?" Leia whispered. "If that many vampires come again before we even get to the vault, I doubt we can take them."

   Spike looked left to right, quickly, and moved out into the tunnel. He seemed to have regained his composure. "I don't think this is the right way," he said thoughtfully. "Those vampires looked like they were patrolling the sewers, not coming from near the vault."

"Oh, really?" Leia remarked, crossing her arms across her chest.

Spike held up a hand. "I admit it. I was wrong, you were right," He rolled his eyes and then smiled. "Why don't we just go back to the fork and go left this time?" He held out his hand to her.

A triumphant comment, and a "I told you so" were on the tip of her tongue. But, seeing the sincere smile on his face, his hand outstretched, she swallowed them down. Much as she hated to admit it, she was enjoying this truce between them.

   "Sure," She replied, taking his hand, and together they ran back to the fork, ready to start again.