I don't own BTVS or Angel, but I sure have had fun playing with them. I don't own any of the characters in this story, but I sure would enjoy playing with them... Ahem. If Joss were a serial killer, I would be a copycat murderer. Uh-huh... *nods* Hey, I was running out of metaphors. Give me a break. (By the way, Angel Davis, my dear... I'll take that metaphorical money in dollars.) Anyway, thank you for all of the lovely reviews. So... *clears throat*

On with the show.

::The Dalliance of the Eagles- Shine on You Crazy Diamond::

"What happened to you?" Gunn was sitting up on the couch, when Angel walked in the door.

Angel was serving as a crutch for the battered and bruised Spike, when they came in the door. He looked over at his childe, who winced with every pain- filled step and felt his unbeating heart tighten in his chest. "He got hurt."

Spike glared at his Sire, through dark swollen eyes. "Thanks Mr. States the Obvious. I think I can handle the talking thing, from here on in."

"Well, at least he didn't mess up the sarcasm lobe in your brain." Angel smiled, at the glare he received for that comment. "I think you'll be okay. I'll go get you some blood." Angel helped Spike take a seat next to Gunn, who had turned a nice shade of green, when he started inspecting the damage done to the vampire.

"My neck won't look like that, will it?" Gunn asked Spike, who had now closed his eyes and laid his head back.

"I've been turned into a 'shish kaspike' and your worried about a little scarring on your neck?" Spike opened one eye and looked over at the young man. "Pull the rag away and let me have a look-see." Gunn did as he was told and Spike nodded. "He took a chunk out, but don't worry. You'll look rugged and manly, when it's all healed up."

"Yeah, I bet it'll be great with the ladies." Gunn groaned and rubbed at the tender skin around his bite. "I can hear the women now. 'Ooo... what happened to your neck? A dog attack you?' Yeah, that will be the last straw." Gunn shook his head. "I'll kill myself first."

"You could always turn it around to your advantage." Spike offered, agreeably. "You don't have to say you're a vampire hunter. Why not say you saved a small child from a large animal. Don't have to be a dog. A wolf, perhaps?"

"Still a dog." Gunn grumbled, as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned his head over on his shoulder, to keep the towel in place.

"Al Pacino is very much the type-cast victim. Can he ever be a good guy? The Godfather, Scent of a Woman, Devil's Advocate... He was the devil for heaven's sake!" Lorne rambled, as he walked down the stairs, into the lobby. "Oh, Spike!" Lorne grinned widely, when he noticed the bleach blonde lying on the couch. "You're... bleeding all over the place." Lorne scrunched up his nose, in distaste. He looked around the room, in search of Angel. "Where is tall, dark, and magnificent?"

"Vin Diesel?" Spike smirked, when Lorne rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Not hardly." Lorne made his way over to Spike's side and groaned. "Your clothes are ruined."

"Maybe we'll have to go shopping." Spike chuckled and broke into a fit of coughing.

"What's going on?" Connor asked from the balcony. "Spike!" Connor hurried down the stairs. He tried not to go too fast. It wouldn't do if Spike thought he was really worried, but... he had been really worried. Connor stopped himself, before he could do anything stupid.

"What no hug?" Spike grinned at the boy, who seemed to look rather frazzled. "Where's kitten?"

"Locked in the bathroom." Connor's eyes clouded over. "He was bad."

"Oh, really. I'm sure whatever it was, couldn't have been *that* bad." Spike stated, with confidence.

"He tried to drink Gunn's blood." Connor sniffed. "It's your fault."

"Of course, it is. Why wouldn't it be?" Spike hit the back of his head against the couch and let it bounce a couple of times. "I took your kitty and while you weren't looking, I turned him into an evil vampire cat. Feel better?" Spike sighed and gripped at his shoulder. It felt like a fire was being ignited, right inside the wound.

"No. That's not what I meant." Connor watched Spike's face flicker between vampire and human stances, for a moment, and decided he felt sorry for him. "I just meant that if you hadn't run off, I could have come with you and kitten would have been put up. He wouldn't have even smelled the blood... unless you really did turn him into a vampire cat."

Spike got a hold of himself and grunted. Connor had sounded so serious, that he was forced to open his eyes and look at the boy, before he could tell whether it was a joke or not. He still wasn't positive. "You're kidding."

Connor shook his head. "Yes."

"Brat." Spike picked up the nearest pillow and chucked it at Connor, who dodged it quite effectively.

Angel watched from the doorway, amused. "He's not the one who went out and almost got killed."

"This time." Lorne added.

"Thank you, Lorne." Angel glared at the demon. Connor just sniffed.

"Yes, thank you, Lorne." Spike gave Lorne a dazzling smile that, Lorne decided, made up for the daggers Angel was shooting at him, from his eyes.

"Well, he didn't mess up your smile." Lorne retreated toward the kitchen, were he had stashed a bottle of bourbon.

"Nope." Spike agreed. "But I bit my tongue quite a few times. I'll be spittin' out blood for days."

Angel walked over to Spike and knelt in front of him. "You can't get rid of something that you don't have, Spike." Angel held up a mug of warm blood and pushed it into his childe's hands. "Drink."

"So..." Gunn started. He wasn't sure what to say next, though, that didn't sound too gruesome.

"How did he die?" Connor finished, for him. Connor took a seat on the coffee table and leaned his elbows on his knees.

"Oh well, it was a kind of 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' sort of deal." Spike offered, as an explanation. Apparently, it wasn't enough. The two young men were giving each other skeptical looks that could only lead to one thing. More questions. Spike sighed. "Here's the scoop. I find him, right? In this abandoned old warehouse. How very imaginative of him, by the- bloody-way. Anyway, he is as fast as light and as quiet as a shadow. So, he's playing these creepy mind tricks on me and it's like I'm up against some Jedi guy, except he's dead and insane. Anyway, we get into a scuffle and I whoop him up real good, you see? But he's fast and agile and he gets the better of me. I'm pinned. Ha!" Spike broke off and went into a small fit of giggles, which resulted in him clutching his side. "Pinned!"

Connor and Gunn sat gaping at the laughing vampire. They both cast their glances over at Angel, who was still crouching in the floor. He just shrugged. "He's had a long night."

"Bloody right, I have!" Spike gasped for an unnecessary breath and sighed. "Where was I?"

"You where pinned." Connor stated, cautiously.

Spike chuckled to himself and nodded. "That, I was. By the by, I'm caught like a bug, who's about to have its wings ripped off. The blighter ties me to a chair and roughs me up a little, yeah?" Spike stopped and looked over at Connor, who was currently seated so far on the edge of the coffee table, that he looked like he could fall off at any moment. "You sure I should be telling you such a creepy story before bedtime? Might mess with your dreams a little."

Connor shook his head and waved the vampire on. "Please, continue."

"Oh, so nice of a request. How could I say no? Anyway, I'm tied up, beat up, roughed up, and suddenly feeling a little nauseous. Then, I see 'im." Spike gave a dramatic pause.

"Who?" Connor asked, eyes wide.

Spike was a little frustrated that Connor messed up his pause and more than a little upset that he wasn't following the story, very well. "Who? Your dad, duh." Spike scoffed at the young man and continued with his story. "Next thing I see is Angel stepping out of the shadows, like the dark avenger. Figured on rescuing, dear old me."

"Did he? I mean did he untie you... or what?" Connor was grinning, ear to ear, as Spike went on with his story. Anyway this story went down, one of the two guys he looked up to the most, were a hero of sorts.

"Well..." Spike started.

"Not exactly." Angel interrupted. "When I walked in Penn heard my coat swish. He turned around and attacked, before I could get over to Spike. Spike took the opportunity to free himself from the ropes and to jump in and yank Penn off of me. Between the two of us, Penn was staked and killed. That's enough information. Goodnight." Angel stood up from his crouching position and offered Spike a hand.

Spike took the proffered hand and winced, as he was pulled to his feet. "Ouch."

"Sorry." Angel muttered, under his breath.

Spike nodded. He understood. "Thank you." He murmured, just as quietly.

"Need help getting to your room?" Angel knew what the answer would end up being.

"No, Angel. I'm a big boy and..." Spike went to take a step and would have fell flat on his face, if Angel hadn't have caught him. "...I could probably use a small hand."

Angel loosened his grip and helped Spike get his balance back. "Right."

Spike cleared his throat and looked back at the others. Gunn was still seated on the couch, looking over at Connor, who looked like he was brooding up a storm. "Well, goodnight all." Connor nodded and looked away, while Gunn just gave smiled and said 'night.

Lorne walked into the room and smiled at the two vampires, who were heading up the stairs. "Sweet dreams."

Angel threw a glance back at Lorne and grinned. "Yeah, I can only hope."

Lorne took a sip of his drink and smiled, warmly. "I have a feeling we've all earned a break."

Spike chuckled, cynically, as they reached the bottom stair. "Yeah, but the 'Powers That Suck' hate us, so we probably should be ready, just in case." Spike took a couple of steps up the stairs and stopped to regain his composure.

Angel shook his head and sighed. "You need me to..."

"Shut up. I need you to shut up. You offer to carry me and I'll castrate you." Spike pushed forward and gave a triumphant whoop, when he reached the top of the stairs.

"All of that for making it up the stairs?"

"All of that for making it up the stairs, without falling on me arse." Spike slumped against the banister. "How far is it to my room?"

"Which one? The one you sleep in?" Spike gave a nod and Angel thought a moment. "One and a half hallways, not including the next flight of stairs."

"Well, bugger me!" Spike exclaimed, in exasperation. "I'm gonna' have to put up camp halfway."

"You're taking the room next to mine. I'm going to have to check in on you, if I expect to get any peace." Angel gave spike a shove in the direction of his room and the vampire stumbled.

"Okay, Sire. I'm going." Spike opened the door to Angel's room, walked in, and made his way over to the chair, next to the bed. He settled down into the cushion and sighed.

Angel followed him in, confusion etched on his face. "This is my room, Spike."

"Yup. You still have those Flying Circus videos or did you give 'em back to Wes?" Spike asked with a small smile.

"When did I have the chance to give them back?" Angel asked. "Between the dead woman and the almost doubly dead you..."

"You have got to get out of California. You sound like a valley girl." Spike pointed at the television. "Put on a movie. I can't sleep, now."

"So, therefore, neither can I?" Angel was amused. Of course, Spike wouldn't want him to sleep yet. Not that he had been planning on it anyway. How could he sleep after the night they had just had?

"You got it." Spike flicked his wrist. "Put it on, slow-poke."

Angel nodded and looked inside the VCR. There was still a tape in it. He pressed play and walked back to his bed, were he lay back and threw a glance over at Spike. "You want to change your clothes or something?"

Spike shook his head. "Nope. You wanna' change my clothes?" Spike looked about as obstinate, as he sounded. "Cause I'm not moving."

"No." Angel shook his head and looked toward the TV. "You want to smell like blood and death, go for it. I can stand it, if you can."

Spike grinned. "I hope so, cause you smell just as rank."

"Stop smelling me." Angel frowned at the flickering TV, which he really wasn't watching.

"You started it." Spike shrugged.

"And I'm finishing it." Angel paused. "Weirdo."

"Creep." Spike threw back at his Sire.

"Punk."

"Thank you." Spike wasn't sure exactly what he was thanking Angel for. Saving his life, not telling the others about it, or just being there with him, while he couldn't sleep.

Angel understood. "You're welcome." Angel reached over and grabbed the remote control. He turned the sound up, just above silence, and chuckled. Michael Palin was behind the desk in a pet store, singing The Lumberjack Song. Angel couldn't help but wonder how things would have turned out if he, as a human, had done something... anything constructive. He wouldn't have been turned, he wouldn't have been a master vampire, he wouldn't have killed all of those people... he wouldn't have met Buffy or Cordelia, he wouldn't have had a son or a family.

Angel looked over at Spike and shook his head. Spike was slumped down in his seat, eyes closed, breathing softly. He wouldn't be alive to experience the headaches and heartaches but, in retrospect, wasn't that why life was worth living?

"You're brooding so loud, that you woke me up. Could you keep it down?" Spike was squinting at Angel, through barely opened eyelids. "Unlike you, some of us heroes need our beauty sleep."

Angel chuckled and turned up the TV. "Sure, Spike." Angel settled back into his pillow and sighed. Well, for the moment, things were okay. If he could just keep things that way, he would have his work cut out for him.

"Angel, what's pale but dark, obnoxious but silent, and is wrapped up in turmoil, disorder, and confusion?" Spike asked. He was the perfect picture of tranquility, with his hands folded across his chest and his head laying back against the chair.

"Riddles?" Angel thought for a moment and drew a blank. "I don't know, Spike. What?"

"You, you silly ponce. Now, if you don't stop thinking I'm going to be forced to cause some turmoil, disorder, and confusion, myself, just to get you to stop thinking. That *will* be all your fault.. Got it?" Obviously, Spike hadn't lost any bit of his ability to simplify the more complex situations and emotions.

"Got it." Angel laughed. Spike was only justifying his feelings that everything would end up all right. Didn't it always?

The End

-Okay, people. I did my part. I finished this story, did I not? Yup. Now, you do your part. Please review. If you have read this story at any point, I would appreciate your feedback. I probably will write again, but I need the moral support, people. Not just that... If you want to E-mail me any ideas you have, I will take them into consideration. I have ideas of my own, naturally, but I need to know whether you like the guys in this atmosphere or if you would prefer I toss 'em together in a different way. I can write something humorous or dark (Yes, I have that talent. I just don't usually release it on civilians.) Anyway, I guess I leave the rest up to you. Thanks!-

--The subtitle was called Shine on You Crazy Diamond', cause I like the song and it felt like it fit. Pink Floyd is my Zen.--