Daria had sent the would-be new client packing with his ears, at least she thought they were ears, burning. The fee he had offered her wasn't enough to even be a decent insult. Hopefully she'd been forceful enough in her language that not only would that loser stay away unless he had some real money to offer her, but that he would spread the word as well. It would save her breath, turning away the bums that thought they could hire her for a pittance. And Daria didn't really like offing possible clients. Someday, something might come up where the tightfisted little jerk was desperate enough to meet her prices.

On the bright side, since she didn't have a new job, that gave her the leisure to deal with her current aggravation. She had no doubts that she'd be able to trap the ghost and the vampire again. And when she did.., She wondered idly how Rose would react if she actually screwed the vampire in front of her. The idea appealed, but given Spike's reactions on previous occasions, she wondered if the pretty vamp could actually get it up.

&&&&&&&

Angel buried his head under his pillow, but it wasn't helping much. He'd always known how uninhibited Spike was when it came to sex, but it had been something of a surprise to find that someone as reserved as Rose could be so.., vocal. Hopefully they'd remember they were expected at work tomorrow and knock off early tonight.

&&&&&

Spike pulled Rose close to him, spooning her up against him. "Are you sure we need to go back to work?" He traced his fingers down the length of her arm till he came to her hand, caught it up in his and raised it to his lips.

"You do want to be able to go back to your apartment, don't you?" Rose asked. "If so, we're going to have to have a way to pay the bills."

"Our apartment," he corrected her. He kissed each finger separately. "Still, I suppose you're right, pet." He twined his fingers through hers. "Certainly don't want to stay here forever."

"I think we're getting on Angel's nerves," Rose observed, but her mind wasn't really on their reluctant host. "Oh my, I just had a thought. What if they don't want me to work here any more? They just made up the job I'm in now, and..,"

"Hush," Spike murmured, softly but firmly. "If anyone gets the sack, it'll be me. I was really just filling in for you. You're the darling of the research department." He gave her a squeeze. "No sense worrying about maybes, sweetheart. And since you're going to insist on showing up to work tomorrow, why don't we get some sleep?"

"All right," Rose agreed without protest. She snuggled back against him, and, feeling safe, secure and loved in his embrace, dropped quickly off to sleep.

Spike didn't go to sleep for some time, he just held her close, and failing to take his own advice, did a little worrying. While the law firm's pay scales were such that they could probably get by quite easily on one income, the thought of having Rose support him didn't sit too well. He wanted to take care of her. But if one of them got canned and Rose's suggestion had planted the idea firmly in his head, then he was pretty sure which one of them it was going to be.

Rose frowned in her sleep, and muttered something unintelligible. Probably having a nightmare. Spike held her tightly and murmured, "Hush, luv. Spike's here." And Rose dropped back into a peaceful sleep.

&&&&&&&&

They still rose a bit later than they should have. They emerged from the bedroom to find breakfast waiting for them along with a note that merely said, 'my office' and was signed with a stylized A.

Rose and Spike exchanged glances at the note, but refrained from commenting on it, each sure that it was their position that was about to be terminated.

Spike had come to the decision over the sleepless hours that he'd face it like a man. And it wasn't like he couldn't find work elsewhere, even if it was something that required nothing more than a strong back. Filling out a job application might be a bit tricky, though. Especially stuff like date of birth. That and explaining why he could only be there between sunset and sunrise. Oh well. He took a piece of toast, tore it in half and dunked it in his blood and ate it.

Conversely, it seemed that Rose was going on a liquid diet, a glass of juice and a cup of coffee. The way she was getting about coffee, she had the earmarks of a fledgling caffeine fiend.

"You ought to eat something, sweetheart," Spike advised between bites. "Keep your strength up. Don't want you having any more fainting spells."

Rose took a strawberry and bit into it daintily. "I didn't know that vampires ate solid food," she remarked.

"I always was a rebel," Spike replied with a grin. "And one little strawberry is not eating something, luv."

&&&&&&&

"Sorry we're so late, Angel," Rose said as she and Spike entered his office. "We kind of forgot to set the alarm."

Angel shrugged it off. "As long as you don't make a habit of it," he said. He looked at Spike. "Do you always open doors for her like that?"

"What kind of mannerless git do you take me for?" Spike demanded a little heatedly. "Of course I do."

"Good," Angel replied, turning down the heat before Spike got up a full head of steam. "Because it's a new rule. Rose." He turned his attention to her. "You don't touch anything more than you did before anywhere anyone but our little group can see you. You wait till someone opens a door for you. You don't pick up anything that weighs more than a couple of pounds, etc. Got it?"

"I understand what you want," Rose replied, perplexed. "But I don't know why you want me to."

"Create the illusion that you're still a ghost, babe," Spike chipped in. He cocked an eyebrow at Angel. "Don't want word getting back to the lovely and talented Daria?"

"Exactly," Angel agreed. "As a human, Rose is even more vulnerable now. I don't know what her value might be, but I strongly suspect that Ms. McBride has a vengeful streak. Rose is not going to be alone at any time."

"Not at all?" Rose asked, eyes widening, and face reddening.

"You'll be working in here for the time being," Angel explained, gesturing to a small table with a computer set up on it. "If I get called away, I won't leave until I have someone replace me. If you need to go to the ladies room, Harmony will go with you."

Spike nodded approvingly. "Sounds like you've got all the bases covered," he admitted. He was still waiting for the ax to fall, but it made him feel better knowing that Rose was going to be protected.

"And I'm reassigning you to ops," Angel told Spike. "I've had nothing but trouble from that group since day one. Try to get it through their thick heads that they're going to be doing things my way now."

"I'm in charge?" Spike asked in shock. "And here I was thinking you were going to sack me."

"I've been needing someone I can trust to head up each department," Angel remarked. "And with Gunn becoming a lawyer, I didn't have anyone to put there. It's just the little irritating stuff I don't trust you with."

Spike flipped him off, then narrowly eluded an elbow aimed at his ribs.

"Oh, and I hate to say it," Angel added. "But unless you're out of public view, which for the moment, means my apartment, you two are going to have to maintain a hands off policy. If someone catches you groping each other in a hallway, Rose's secret is going to be all over the place in a heartbeat."

Rose blushed again. Spike didn't look happy, but nodded in agreement. "Anything else?" he asked.

Angel held out some papers. "Your new contracts," he said. "You need to sign them."

They took the papers and glanced over them, and their faces took on identical expressions of shock.

"This can't be right," Rose muttered, pointing to a line on the paper in her hand. "It says that I'm second only to Wesley in the research department and at twice what I was making before."

"It's not a mistake," Angel replied. "Rose, Wes was planning on moving you up to that position eventually anyway. I just expedited things." He looked at them a little impatiently. "Will you guys quit wasting time and just sign the stuff already?"

The lovers exchanged glances. Spike was still in a state of shock at the size of his new salary as well. "Best take the money and run before someone comes to their senses, luv," he remarked, signing his. He handed Rose the pen.

Rose looked from one vampire to the other, then shrugged and signed her own contract.

&&&&&&&

"Mail call, boss," Harmony said, dropping a stack of letters and packages on his desk. "Hi, Rose." She breezed out.

Angel flipped disinterestedly through the stuff. He had trouble believing that Harmony had already screened it and weeded out the junk. There was so much of it. The executive life sucked, as far as he was concerned. He opened one of the packages, and a glittering gold disk, encrusted with sparkling gems rolled out of it. "What the hell?"

"Is something wrong?" Rose asked without looking up from her computer screen.

"Look at this," Angel ordered. Rose came over obediently, but when she reached to pick it up, he grabbed her wrist and halted her. "Don't touch. We have no way of knowing what it's for."

"Why would someone send you something like that?" Rose asked. "It's very pretty. A girlfriend, maybe?"

"Ha, ha," he replied humorlessly. "I have no idea who sent it. There's no return address on the package. I think I'll have the lab give it the once over. Just in case." He picked up his phone and gave orders.

In short order, Knox came in. "Expensive looking little bauble," he remarked. He picked it up with a pair of tongs and dropped it into a metal box. "Do you have the package that it arrived in?" Angel handed the wrappings over wordlessly. Knox gathered up the stuff and departed with it.

&&&&&&&&

Daria felt a twinge of frustration, but suppressed it. She could pick up useful information just about anywhere within the walls of Wolfram and Hart. But Angel's office would have been best. She'd had a tantalizing hint of her quarry the short time her device had been planted there. She was sure that was the ghost's voice she'd heard. It didn't even occur to her to wonder why the boss vampire had ordered her not to touch the talisman. After all, that was how Rose had set off the first set of wards that had trapped her. Laying her ghostly hands on the chains that had bound Spike. She didn't even have to monitor the thing round the clock to know what was going on. All she had to do was pick up her own copy of the talisman and speak a few words, and everything said in its presence would play back to her. And would continue to do so as long as she held it. Feeling impatient, Daria picked up her receiver again and triggered it.

"I really hate halting work on the robot when we're almost done with it." That female voice had to be the head of R&D.

"Yeah, but you have to admit, that something like this just landing out of the blue on the boss' desk is suspicious." Some underling or other. Daria had no interest in him.

"Oh, I agree. But it would be nice to get this whole business with Daria McBride over and done with." How did they segue from building a robot to her? The bounty hunter was intrigued.

"Standard tests, Fred?"

"I suppose so. And be sure to observe all the safety precautions."

After that, there was nothing but a jumble of technical mumbo-jumbo and inconsequential personal remarks. Daria set the talisman down with a sigh. She'd have to try again later.

&&&&&&&

A shirtless Spike was sparring with three of the ops guys. Didn't want to work up too much of a sweat. Not that vampires sweat. They were armed with stakes, however. Just to keep him on his toes. And he was doing his damndest to keep them on theirs. The boys in black fanned around him, trying to surround him. Spike let them close in a bit, then vaulted over the tops of their heads.

"Haven't you guys fought with vamps before?" he said in disgust. "There's plenty of them hanging about in this town. You can't come at one like you would a human."

They regrouped. One came at him from each side, trying to distract him, while the third rushed him from behind. Spike grabbed the first two and smacked their heads together and dropped them. The third went flying across the room.

Spike looked at them and shook his head. Hadn't even been enough to get the blood circulating. "Okay, who's next?" he asked. "And this time how about putting a little effort into it?"

&&&&&&&&&

The afternoon sun slanted through the windows of Angel's office. "When were you planning on taking your lunch break, Rose?" he asked.

"Do you think I dare?" Rose asked. "People will wonder if they see me eating. And they'll still wonder if you order food. They may already be wondering in the dining room about the meals you've been ordering for me."

"Damn." Angel slapped his forehead. "So many details to take care of. If someone has the gall to ask, I'll give them a song and dance. Spike eats sometimes, and I'm betting that they won't know how unusual that is." He looked back at Rose. "In the meantime, we're going to have to figure out how to handle this. You don't need to be skipping meals."

"It's only one meal," Rose pointed out. "It's no big deal, Angel, really."

Angel threw up his hands. "Fine. I'm not your keeper." Seeing Rose grin, he amended it. "Okay, so maybe I am. But I'm not your mother." He thought of a card he'd played before that had worked. "You can explain it to Spike."

"What Spike doesn't know won't start him nagging at me," she replied. "As for the kitchen and dining room staff, maybe you can call Lorne and see if he's got any of them on his screening list, or if he's already had them."

"Good idea," Angel said, picking up the phone. Before he dialed the number, he had a thought and dialed a number other than Lorne's. "Hi Wes. Did I catch you at a bad time? Oh, you were. Well, why don't you just grab a couple of sandwiches and bring them with you and you can eat them up here while we talk?" A grin spread across his face. Wesley must have caught the hint right away. "See you in a few minutes then." He turned back to Rose with a triumphant smirk.

"You look like Spike," she remarked, fully intending to irritate him just a little bit. And, it was no more than the truth. Spike's trademark smirk was perfectly replicated on Angel's features.

Angel refused to take the bait this time. "Where do you think I learned it?" he asked. He dialed up the next number. "Hello, Lorne? Have you screened anyone from the kitchen and dining room staff? Put a couple of them on the list, please. Just tying up some loose ends is all. Thanks."

Wesley came in with a paper sack. "It's a good thing I brought something extra today." He usually brown bagged it or went out at lunchtime. He still didn't entirely trust Wolfram and Hart's catering. "I hope you like pastrami, Rose."