Notes:

Sorry!! This is short but there will be more soon now that I'm on holiday!!! Daym this fic is sucking me dry – there is a HUGE HUGE thing coming up, can anyone guess what it could be? Funkeh prize to the first one to guess!!!

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I know this is the second time. But problems. Next time I am DEFINITELY gonna utter my thankses!

Stuff between these lines:

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are song/poem lyrics, disclaimed at beginning of episode if necessary.

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"Wow."

"Yeah, wow. It can be so bloody amazing, kid. It can be empty, it can be intense, and it can be beautiful. Depends when, where, why and who."

"I can't wait."

"See, that's where you're wrong. You can wait."

"Whats wrong with doing 'it' now?"

"About three hundred things. Thing number one, there's AIDS. That'll kill you. You're human. It's like a Viloin – Rebis' dimension - it sticks to people forever, but, unlike a Viloin, it kills ya, nice an' slow like."

"AIDS."

"Yeah, but you can't catch it from touching people, only through sex nowadays. There's this whole blood thing too, but I'll let Buffy 'splain that to you. Important thing is, be aware of it."

"What else?"

"Reproduction. We so do not need more of you around just yet. You're too new at this dimension and too new at existence here to be a father. If you're not careful, the poor girl'll have a baby to call your own….."


~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~~*~*~~*~*~*~*

"SPIKE!" Buffy threw the vampire an axe and within a few milliseconds, the demon's head rolled across the street and exploded.

Wincing at the new layer of slime that covered her body, Buffy smiled at Connor. He had taken to Slaying like a duck to water. The teen had loved learning new techniques from both Spike and Buffy and using them on poor unsuspecting demons. While Buffy and Spike liked to exert as little energy as possible, finishing off demons within a few minutes, Connor relished in fighting for an hour at times, working on his moves and making up new ones. Buffy watched him as he incorporated dance moves that Dawn had taught him into his fighting, giggling as he bobbed his head while punching the demon's slobbering mouth.

"Alright kid, come on. We've got to talk tonight."

"Come on Spike!!"

"Nope, finish him off."

"Bloody Hell!" Connor pouted as he walked away from the demon, seemingly carelessly throwing an axe into its chest, killing it.

"Buffy?"

"Yeah, Spike?"

"Call Angel. Tell him to come down to pick Connor up. We'll meet him at the cemetery."

"I don't want to go!" Connor shouted out, anger flooding his system. "You can't control me!"

"Come on Connor, we're going home. It'll take your dad awhile to get here."

Buffy smiled and hugged Connor.

"Listen to him Connor, you know he hates this." she whispered, pulling back, nodding and walking home.

"You can't make me leave."

"I am."

"You're a traitor. Just like Angel."

"Don't compare me to him. I'm nothing like Angel and you know it. Things are just complicated. You have to be with your father. I'm not your father. I'll probably end up corrupting you."

"You don't treat me like a baby."

"Because I didn't see you like a baby, care for you as a baby, love you as a baby. Angel did. Most parents can't even accept that their kids are teens after a decade of watching them grow. Angel didn't even get that. You have to go to him. LA is your home. It's been fun, Connor."

"Steven. My name is Steven."

"Your name is Connor. You said that you wanted a new life away from that dimension. You've got it."

"I still want to know you."

"You will. I'll see you from time to time if Angel lets me."

"What happened between you two? If you hate him, why shouldn't I?"

"You don't need to know. I do hate Angel. I won't deny it. But I won't deny that the poof loves ya. An' he'll never abandon you. Not Angel. He's loyal."

Spike bit back the aching that had grown inside him, *loyal to humans, always*

"Will you come with me to the cemetery?"

"No. I'll drop you off and watch till he comes. I don't want to see him."

"Ok... Thank you Spike."

"Hey, its ok kid. Its not like I wont ever see you. Maybe the poof'll even let you visit at the weekends."

"Maybe."

~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I've got to go to Sunnydale Cordelia – Connor's there."

"How'd you find out?"

"Buffy called. He's been there all this time."

"With Buffy, wh-"

"I want to get there as soon as possible, I'll explain when I get back. Can you look after Dru?"

"Sure, she owes me a tea party anyway."

"Thanks Cordelia."

Angel sighed and pulled the door closed behind him. The click echoed and his undead heart seemed to weigh a hundred tons. Connor with Spike. Angel no longer knew what to do around Spike. Thoughts of seeing his childe again sent a wincing pain through his body. At these times, with gritted teeth, he would remember times with Spike. Through hundreds of years, the memories seemed to merge into one and it had become the ensouled vampire's pastime to sort through the memories and place them on the timeline of his relationship with his childe. Being with Drusilla had pulled forward all the rusty Sire responsibilities that Angel had repressed and with every day that went by, a little Angelus was brought forward also.

'There is a demon inside of you. The bloody mortals you love so much have a saying – When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. In other words Peaches, exploit what you have. You have a demon. You don't need to let it control you, but you can take the advantageous parts. But hey, that'd never happen would it? That would mean admitting that there is some good in demons and Mr-I-consider-myself-human-now would never believe that.'

The cutting words that Spike had spat so long ago came rushing back. Finally Angel understood. Finally Angel accepted.

But maybe, finally, Spike had given up.

~*~*~*~~~~~~~********~*******~*******~*****

"Spike?"

"Yeah, kid."

"It's been a long time."

"I know. Don't worry kid. The poof is fine."

"How do you know?"

"I can just tell, ok."

"Ok."

"Maybe its just traffic."

"It's been three bloody hours."

"I know. He'll come."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~~*~~*~*~

The traffic was bumper to bumper. Angel's car had all but died and after a quick call telling Cordelia to leave Dru with Fred and then drive down to Sunnydale, Angel had hitchhiked.

The music had been the same for the whole journey.

Country.

Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Dingaling Ding Ding Da Ding Ding…………

It never seemed to end. It had been three hours of this. Over and over and over. The same two minute track ticked through Angel's head till there seemed to be steam rising from the dark vampire's frazzled head.

"Could we possibly change the music?" a voice, alien to him, croaked.

"Yes Sir, I reckon we could." The bucktoothed truck driver pulled out the tape and slipped in another.

"This here one is by another musi-shian."

"Right."

Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding Dingaling Ding Da Da Da Dingaling Da Ding………

~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"He's coming." Spike stated.

Connor looked up at his brother and the fear and hesitation all came flooding back.

"You'll be fine in school mate. I'll be watching out for ye. If you feel its all getting tough kid, just gimme a bell and I'll bring ya back here for a bit. You'll have to tell Angel first o'corse. No more running away."

"I'll miss you Spike. Thanks."

Spike nodded and after a few stretched seconds they hugged. "Love you, kid."

"Love you too, Spike."

"Stop sounding like a poof."

They smiled and after another moment, Spike nodded and walked away. Watching from the shadows, the blond saw Angel arrive a few minutes later, an erratic pattern of scattered straw behind him.

"Hey Connor."

"Hi."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Right, so you're coming back with me? Dru misses you."

"Yeah. Spike said I bloody have to."

"You've met Spike?"

"I stayed with Spike."

"Oh."

"Spare me the lecturing shit."

Angelus would have killed anyone who witnessed Angel's shameful display of goldfish behaviour at this point.

"I don't want you to use that word." The vampire managed to choke out.

"I can do what I want."

"I'm sure Spike taught you that."

"Yeah."

"Come on, lets go."

"Ok."

"We have to go to Buffy's house until Cordelia arrives with the car."

"Ok."

"Buffy is the Slayer."

"I know. I've hung out with her and Dawn while I've been here."

"Oh, right."

They turned, still awkward with each other. Holding Connor back for a moment, Angel stared into the shadows.

"I know you're there, so, Thank you."

After a few seconds of waiting for an answer he knew would not come, Angel started walking towards Revello Drive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*

Please feedback guys!!! This is really chugging it outta me!!!