Spike reluctantly dragged his feet up to Angel's apartment. It had only been a few days, but he was already sick of being stuck with having his grandsire for a roommate. Conceded that Angel's place was much nicer than his, and he'd pick it over his basement flat any day. If, it didn't come with a pre-installed Angel. All he really needed was a place to sleep and to be alone with Rose. He didn't have much in the way of material possessions, yet. He'd been spending most of his pay on the bills and for clothes and such. And, of course, what with one thing and another, he hadn't really had much time for shopping of late. He missed those shopping trips for Rose, especially since he'd been spending Angel's money then. Right now, he couldn't even go shopping, not even for the most mundane things, let alone keep his promise to Rose to take her out. Not till the ponce gave him the all clear. The only thing that kept him from telling the other vampire to sod off was the fact that Rose would probably have conniptions if he made himself a target for the bounty hunter by spurning Angel's hospitality. Not, he suspected that his grandsire was enjoying it any more than he was. Well and good. As long as he had to be inconvenienced, it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one.

&&&&&&&

Angel reluctantly dragged his feet up to his apartment. It had only been a few days, but Spike was already getting on his nerves. If he could think of a viable alternative, he'd certainly employ it. He and Spike generally had no more than a tentative truce at the best of times. Lately, it hadn't been the best of times. And Spike had been going out of his way to be more annoying than usual. He really needn't have bothered. Spike annoyed the hell out of Angel just by being himself, most of the time. He'd made such a pest of himself about the robot already, just in hopes of getting the situation dealt with and Spike out of his place, checking on their progress almost hourly, that Fred and Gunn were barely speaking to him. God, he hated having Spike as a roommate.

&&&&&&

Wesley glanced at the time. "It's getting late, Rose," he remarked. Since her more or less reinstatement in the research department, she usually worked with him in his office. "Spike ought to be off work by now. Don't you want to be there to meet him?"

"Yes," answered Rose, but without the sort of enthusiasm Wes had come to expect from her at the mention of Spike.

"Something wrong?" he asked. "I mean, I've certainly no intention of prying, but if there's something you'd like to talk about, I do hope that you would consider me a friend."

"Of course I do, Wesley," the ghost replied warmly. "It's just having Spike and Angel under one roof. It wasn't quite so bad when I had to stay there, because Spike was the one that was the specter. But now, unless Angel has a reason to go out, it seems that all they can do in the evenings is bicker and fuss. I've got to admit, it's getting on my nerves."

"Have you told them that?" Wesley queried. "I know that both of them in their own ways, think the world of you, Rose. Surely they could put aside their animosity for a bit and try to get along for your sake."

"I've tried," Rose said wearily. "Believe me, Wesley, I've tried. I've almost reached the point where I'm ready to move out."

The researcher's eyes took on a shifty expression. "Well, I don't have a spare bed," he said, obviously thinking out loud. "But then, you don't really need one, do you?"

"I appreciate the thought, Wes," the phantom responded. "But I couldn't presume on your friendship like that."

"You wouldn't be presuming," he argued. "I offered. And it needn't necessarily be on a long term basis. Given the way they feel about you, Spike especially, it probably won't take more than one night until they decide to mend their ways."

Rose started to smile, despite the pang she felt at spending a night away from Spike. "Do you really think it would work?" she inquired.

"I'd almost be willing to put money on it," Wesley answered with a grin. "Shall I call them now, or after we've gotten to my place?"

"Wait," Rose said firmly. "If we tell them before we go, they'll probably head us off in the parking garage and start another big fight. And that's what I've been trying to avoid."

"Well then." Wesley stopped a moment to save his data, then turned his computer off. "Shall we?"

&&&&&&&

Spike was pacing around the apartment, occasionally stopping to give Angel a dirty look and swear at him. Angel was a little keyed up himself. It wasn't like Rose to not be here at the end of the day. He knew she didn't like being away from Spike.

The phone rang, and Angel answered it. "Hello? Oh, hi, Wes. What's so important that it couldn't wait till you came in tomorrow. She what?" The way he said that, especially the emphasis on the pronoun, immediately got Spike's attention, and he unashamedly eavesdropped. "Why? Oh. Yeah, I guess we have. Does she really think it's that bad? Of course I'll tell him. Good-bye, Wes." He hung up and gave Spike a disgusted look. "Rose is spending the night at Wesley's," he informed his fuming grandchilde.

"What in the hell did you do to piss her off?" Spike demanded loudly. "You bloody stupid poncey git."

"It wasn't me," Angel said defensively. "At least, not entirely. According to Wes, our arguing has been getting on Rose's nerves so badly that she decided to leave us to our own devices."

Spike had the grace to look ashamed. "It's been gettin' on my nerves so much, having to share a place with you that I never even thought of how it might be for her."

"I think we were both spending too much time feeling sorry for ourselves to consider Rose's feelings," Angel stated. "But I think we'd better work out a way to get along. For Rose's sake?" He held out his hand to Spike.

Spike looked at Angel's outstretched hand with a marked lack of enthusiasm. Eventually though, he stiffened his spine and took it. "I hope you know that I'm only doing this for Rose," he said defiantly. He looked at his grandsire and caught the knowing look in his eyes. "Okay, maybe a little more than that, but you'd better not be telling anyone."

"My word on it," Angel promised.

"Do you think we could call the Watcher and ask Rose to come back now?" Spike asked hopefully.

Angel thought about it for a moment. "No," he replied slowly. "We're being punished for being bad, so I think we'd just better take our medicine like men."

"That sucks," Spike stated flatly.

"Yes, it does," Angel agreed.

&&&&&&&

"Well, that's done," said Wesley, hanging up the phone. He started towards the kitchen, then paused. "You know, this feels deuced awkward, having a guest and not even being able to offer you any more hospitality other than just a place to be."

"I'm sure you can deal with it," Rose said with a grin. "And if it bothers you, I'll just watch t.v. or something while you have your dinner. I know it can feel a little.., odd, sitting there and eating in front of someone."

"Nonsense," Wesley replied firmly. "I admit, it will feel a bit, unmannerly, but it would be even ruder not at least offering you some conversation." He started making preparations for his meal.

"If you don't mind, I would like to watch," Rose admitted. "I never did learn to cook. All I ever had is stuff that you just had to heat up. I was too busy with other things." She gave a rueful smile, remembering. "Why the first time I had something to eat, I didn't even stop to think about letting it cool down before I ate it. I burned the inside of my mouth."

"Ouch," murmured Wes in sympathy. "That must have been a little embarrassing. It probably would have been more so if there had been someone there to see it."

"There was," she remarked wryly. "He said he'd never seen anyone eat pizza with a knife and fork before, either."

"Spike?" Wesley's eyebrows shot up. "Why would he have been at your apartment that first night? That was the first time you ate human food, wasn't it?"

"It was," she confirmed. "You know how he showed up when I was singing for Lorne. Well, something about that song I sang intrigued him, and so he just went invisible and followed me home."

"Well I'll be damned," Wesley said in awed tones. He kept up his dinner preparations on automatic pilot. He'd been feeding himself for a number of years now, and his cooking, while not particularly inspired was adequate to keep body and soul together. Rose watched with rapt attention, however. "Where did you hear that song?" he asked. "I've never heard anything like it before, or since."

"I made it up," Rose mumbled shyly. "Well, I was here to learn more about Spike," she added defensively. "And I thought that maybe if I made up a song about him, it might provoke some illuminating comments about him."

"And instead, you got Spike himself," Wesley remarked, popping his casserole into the oven. Suddenly, he did look a little embarrassed. "Rose, do you think you could amuse yourself for a while?" he muttered. "Usually while dinner's cooking I grab a quick shower."

"And your hospitality doesn't extend as far as talking to me while you're bathing?" she teased, and was inordinately pleased with herself that she brought a faint blush to his cheeks. "Go ahead, Wesley. I won't peek."

&&&&&&&&

Angel was trying to read a book, and almost as if by conditioned response, Spike headed for the stereo system. "Could we skip that for just one night, Spike?" he asked, trying to keep his temper in check. This had practically gotten to be a ritual. As soon as Angel sat down with a book, Spike would crank up the stereo till the walls rattled.

Spike realized that he'd been acting nearly by reflex, something he'd been doing because it so obviously irritated Angel. "Sorry," he mumbled. He wandered around the room a bit, trying to find some way to amuse himself. He flopped down in front of the telly, and picked up the remote. "Do you mind?" he asked politely.

"As long as you keep it down to a dull roar," Angel agreed, scarcely looking up from his book. He hadn't absorbed one word yet, and it wasn't entirely due to Spike. He was still feeling like a prize jerk for behaving in such a juvenile fashion that it had driven Rose away. He'd always thought he behaved in a much more mature manner than Spike, of whom he had come to expect childish behavior. Rose's desertion of them suggested that he was mistaken.

Spike desultorily flipped through channel after channel, not really taking in enough of anything to see if he really wanted to watch it. What he really wanted was to have Rose sitting beside him. With a sharp pang he realized that he'd been taking her for granted of late. He loved her, she loved him, therefore, no further effort was needed in the relationship. He was coming to the conclusion that it just wasn't so, you had to keep working at it. He sighed and flipped the t.v. off.

Angel closed the book on his finger. "You want to talk about it?" he offered.

"Talk about what?" Spike asked. "About the pair of us acting like a couple of complete dinks, or the fact that I've been takin' Rose for granted?"

Spike was showing no signs of moving, so Angel got up and moved to a nearby chair. "I can't really say that I've noticed you taking her for granted," he admitted. "But if you think you are, then you probably are."

"It's just that I figured that since we're in love with each other, she'd always be there like a fixture in my life," Spike admitted. He sighed. "Maybe we needed this. Or I did, anyway. Show me that if I want her to hang around, I've got to give her a reason to want to." He suddenly had a horrified expression on his face. "Does this mean I'm growing up?"

Angel couldn't suppress a smile. "It just might," he conceded. "But what's more important to you? Being an overgrown juvenile delinquent forever, or having Rose with you?"

"Know the bloody answer to that one, don't you?" Spike inquired. "Nothing's more important to me than Rose."

&&&&&&&&

Wesley dragged himself out of bed with a groan. When she could be kept off the subject of Spike, Rose was an excellent conversationalist. Or, to be more honest, a good listener. They'd stayed up far too late, chatting about this and that. It wasn't until a long denied yawn had nearly snapped his jaw that Rose had looked at the time and insisted that he go to bed. He dragged on a pair of sweat pants just to make himself decent while he got some coffee going. Then, he'd come back and get dressed while his caffeine fix was brewing.

Rose was sitting watching the television with the sound turned down till it was barely audible. "Good morning, Wesley," she greeted him. She gave him a closer look. "You've got dark circles under your eyes," she remarked. "I'm sorry I kept you up so late last night."

"I'm a big boy," Wesley protested, stumbling into the kitchen. "No offense, Rose, but I don't need mumsy to tell me it's bedtime."

"Then why didn't you go to bed sooner?" she said gently. "Wasn't it because you didn't want to leave me to fend for myself?"

"Believe it or not, miss," he said tartly, measuring out the coffee grounds and starting the coffee maker up. "I was actually enjoying the conversation. Now, if you'll excuse me," he made a mocking bow. "I believe I'll go get dressed."

&&&&&&&

Spike was at his desk at an unprecedentedly early hour. He'd more or less accustomed himself to sleeping at night, strange though that was for a vampire, but he couldn't believe how hard it had been to sleep without Rose in her usual place beside him. He was more than half hoping that she'd break the rules and come see him in the office. He'd apologize, grovel, whatever it took. He didn't think he could stand another night like last one. It had seemed to go on forever. He set his glasses on the bridge of his nose and turned on his computer.

&&&&&&&

"I'm sorry, Harmony," Angel apologized again. "I had a bad night last night, and I didn't sleep well. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Listen, boss," Harmony said. "I know you and Spikey don't get along too well, but I thought maybe Rose could kind of, I don't know, calm the two of you down?"

"Rose wasn't there," Angel admitted. "She got sick of us fighting, so she spent the night at Wes'."

Harmony looked shocked, initially, then a delighted grin crossed her face. "Good for her," she said brightly. "It's about time she stood up for herself. I didn't think she had it in her."

"Don't you have some typing to do?" Angel asked pointedly. The last thing he needed was to get a lecture from his ditzy secretary.

&&&&&&&&

As soon as Wesley and Rose arrived at his office, Rose settled into the extra chair he'd placed beside his desk for her, obviously intending to get right to work.

"Um.., Rose?" Wesley began hesitantly. "Why don't you go say good morning to Spike and Angel before we get started?"

Rose's face lit up. In truth, once Wesley had retired and she no longer had the distraction of his company, the night had passed as slowly and miserably for her as it had for the vampires. Without reply, she disappeared.

&&&&&&&&

Rose started with Spike, of course. She appeared behind him, then stepped up quietly (and who to move more quietly than someone who didn't actually have feet?), and put her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?"

"Rose!" Spike spun his chair around, forgetting how close behind him she was, and went right through her. "Sorry, luv."

"Miss me?" she asked, a little wistfully.

"More than you could imagine," he replied softly, drinking in the sight of her. "If I ever treat you so badly again, pet, feel free to yell at me, kick my ass, whatever. But please, don't ever leave me like that again."

"I missed you too," Rose murmured, looking at Spike as avidly as he was gazing at her. "But I really ought to let you get back to work."

"You'll be there tonight, won't you?" There was a pleading note in Spike's voice that went like a knife through her heart.

"Of course I will, love," she assured him. She blew him a kiss and disappeared.

Spike went back to work, whistling between his teeth. Rose still loved him, all was almost right with his world. If only the so-called Powers would pull their thumbs out of their asses and make her corporeal again.

&&&&&&&

Rose popped into Angel's office briefly and let him know that all was forgiven, then re-joined Wesley and got to work, humming.