I don't own Angel of BTVS. I don't own the characters in this story, except the ones that I do own. Sorry about the last chapter being so short and *ahem* pointless, but every writer has a filler chapter here and there, right? Anyway, Joss is the psycho behind all the real insanity. I just have my moments. Thanks for all the reviews and I'll try to pump up my chapters... some. Anyway, I suppose it's that time again. What time you ask? It's time to get...

On with the show.

::Carpe Diem- Pigs on the Wing::

"This is nasty." Spike picked off a piece of stringy goo that clung to his shirt and flicked it over to the side of the alley.

"Hey, you wanted to kill it." Angel pointed his sword at Spike. "I was completely willing to take care of the job. Anyway, why does it matter? I'm going to end up paying for it, either way."

Spike threw his arms up in the air and groaned. "Oh, what type of torment are you putting your soul though, now? Sometimes you really get on my nerves, Angelus."

Angel smiled, as he sheathed his sword. "I seem to be doing a lot of that tonight."

"Yup." Spike stated, while trying to fling some extra goo off his axe.

"I was being literal, Spike."

"About what?" Spike dropped his axe to his side and gave Angel a tired look.

Angel smiled at his childe. "About the paying. I was referring to our clothes." Angel pointed at the pile of sludge that was once a vicious demon. "That is a Feuranurl demon. Someone was bound to get messy. I suppose it was a good thing it was you, now that I think about it." Angel scratched the back of his scalp, thoughtfully.

Spike was feeling kind of dumb for yelling at Angel... again. He didn't know what was wrong. Angel seemed to be ignoring the little outbursts, as if it was a stupid stage he was going through, but Spike just couldn't do that. He hadn't been this tense since Sunnydale and he just couldn't figure out the common denominators. Spike sighed and decided he should probably answer Angel, before the guy started trying to extract his thoughts. "Why is that?"

"After their goop dries..." Spike pointed at Spikes shirt, skin, and hair. "It works as a bleaching substance. You could just stick your head in the leftovers and do your roots."

Spike looked his Sire over, closely. "Were you being serious or was that a crack on my hair? Either way you're a sick, sick man."

Angel grinned and shook his head. "You need to loosen up, boy." After watching Spike's 'I'm not amused' face for a second, Angel turned toward the dead demon and sighed.

Spike scoffed at Angel. He couldn't believe the audacity of it all. Angel telling him to loosen up? "Yeah, the last time I heard that phrase come out of your mouth, there was some particularly nasty bits of horror you introduced me to."

"Really? Enlighten me. I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to." Angel bent down to look the demon over more closely. It was very dead. It even smelled dead.

"Let me paint a picture." Spike smiled at the memory. "I'm a fledge. Dru brings me home to parade me in front of daddy. You look me over with a sly little grin on your lips. 'Don't be afraid, acushla.' Dru's nibbling on me shoulder and you're appraising the new 'boy'. I'm standing there bent between laughing and running and all I can think is "Am I going to be dust.' Then you smile... kind of sweet like. Tell me to loosen up. You lead me through the house and open a door. You push me inside and horror of horrors, there sits Darla. She's talking to Penn, who's lounging in a chair. Apparently, he was home for a little while and you wanted them to both meet me at the same time." Spike watched Angel closely. He wasn't moving. "I didn't like me step-mum... or me brother for that matter. But I suppose you were an all right character and, of course, I had Dru for when you weren't."

Angel shook his head. "You were so much like me." Angel heard the scoff before it ever left Spike's mouth. "I not being narcissistic, Spike." Angel turned on his heals and looked at his childe. "You were your Sire's favorite, headstrong, strong from the beginning, you hated your grand- sire... great grand-sire, whatever."

"Hey, Angel, how do you explain the natural draw of you and me being Sire and Childe. I mean, in all ways that mattered, you picked up where Dru couldn't handle it."

"I'm your Sire by default." Angel shrugged. "Why does it matter, now?"

"I don't know." Spike scratched his head and sighed. "It's just that the slayer never asked me and you know she was a nosy bird. I thought somebody would be the least bit curious why I call you Sire, when Dru was the one that changed me."

Angel shrugged again. "Everyone assumes I made you, usually. I guess you could set them straight if it matters."

"It doesn't." Spike bent down beside Angel and hefted the demon over his shoulder. "You might want to put down garbage bags, or something. Unless you prefer tye-dyed seats."

Angel got up from his squatting position and hurried to the car. He laid down some garbage bags and tried o help Spike put the demon in the back. Spike had just pushed his hands away and plopped the demon back there. Angel walked around to his side of the car and slid into the seat, while starting the ignition. Spike got in next and they were off. After driving in silence for a mile or so Angel started getting fidgety. Something was wrong. Spike was being sullen and he wasn't feeling all that bad. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, wifey. Just go back to your brooding and leave me to mine." Spike looked out at the sky and watched the stars twinkle.

"I'm *not* brooding." Angel sighed.

"Do you think we'll find the kid? He's most likely dead, you know."

Angel kept his eyes on the road. "I don't know. We usually find them, but sometimes..."

"Sometimes they're dead and gone."

"Everybody dies, Spike. We, as vampires, should know that better than anyone." Angel looked over at his childe, who was shaking his head.

Spike looked over and caught Angel's gaze. "Not everybody has to die so soon. We, as vampires, should know *that* better than anyone." Spike paused. "Keep your eyes on the road, Pet. We'll end up killing someone, before the night is through. With you driving like that, I'm surprised someone's not dead already."

Angel kept his eyes on the road for the rest of the trip home, but his mind was somewhere else. It was all right, though. He had been driving so much in the last few years that it was a second nature to him, by now. When they got back to the hotel, Angel looked between the demon in his front seat and the demon in his backseat. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with either one of them, at the moment. "I'll have Gunn get it later. You can go ahead and get changed and we'll head out, into the sewers."

"I'm going to go get clean, so I can get dirty?" Spike smiled weakly, when Angel nodded. "Sounds 'bout right."

Angel shook his head and got out of the car. He couldn't figure out what was up with Spike. The boy had just gotten so morose, lately. Angel sighed, as he walked in the front door of the Hyperion and stopped dead in his tracks. There he was leaning against the front desk, in a nice pair of inexpensive dress pants and a button up shirt, which could only be described as periwinkle, and Angel's first thought was that all he wanted to do was break to break the guy in half. "Hello, Lindsey."

Lindsey turned around and gave Angel a toothy grin. "Hello, Angel. I was just talking to your son, a moment ago. He went to check on his cat, but he should be back soon. He had loads of interesting stories to tell, while you were away."

Angel crossed the room until he was only inches from the man. "I truly hope they're not that interesting. Wouldn't want you staying past your welcome." Angel smirked, coldly. "Oh, wait. That happened the moment you walked in the room."

Lindsey's smile widened. "Same old Angel. Thanks for the sign you left on my car, by the way. A pretty little brunette cop pulled me over, 'for speeding', and we had a really nice conversation."

"Hope he didn't fine you for too awful much." Angel offered his fake sympathy.

"I wrote you out a bill and left it on your desk, in the office." Lindsey looked past Angel and caught a glimpse of a dark figure, in the doorway. "Who's the shadow?"

"He's the guy who knows what darkness lies in the hearts of men." The 'shadow' stepped out of the doorway and walked into the light. "I'm Spike." Spike took a few steps and stopped to look Lindsey up and down. "You're Lindsey?"

Lindsey nodded and waited patiently, until Spike was done with his inspection.

Spike grunted and glanced over at his Sire. "This is the guy who gets your guff up? Not much to him, is there?"

Lindsey half-smirked at the vampire and shook his head. "Spike? That would make you William the bloody, favored childe to Angelus." Lindsey spared Angel and quick grin. "What happened Angel? Where all of the good vagabonds taken?"

Spike stroked his chin, thoughtfully, and let a small smile break loose. "You're all right."

Lindsey gave a small bow and smiled. "Thank you. Coming from a Master Vampire, such as your self, it is a true honor."

Spike laughed, out loud. "Don't push it."

Angel grunted. He didn't like that Lindsey was getting along with Spike, and apparently Connor, so well. The guy was annoying. Couldn't they see that? Not to mention the fact, that he's the bad guy.

"So, he still does that brood thing, where he cuts off the rest of the world and goes to spend time in his own little hell?" Lindsey asked Spike, curiously.

"Yup. He's done it ever since I've known him. Some people think it started when he got his soul, but I know better. He used to spend hours staring into fires and thinking of knew ways to torment the mass population, without getting dusted." Spike informed his knew acquaintance. "Now, he just torments himself. Stupid pouf. Don't know why I hang around."

Angel looked up at the two men and found them starring at him. "What?"

Lindsey smiled. "We were just talking about what an ass you are."

Angel sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "You guys are getting a kick out of this aren't you?"

Lindsey bent in toward Spike and whispered. "You guys have ghosts?"

"No." Spike whispered back. "But we have super hearing, so your whispers aren't doing you any good."

"I know." Lindsey answered, still in a hushed tone. "It was for the effect."

"Oh." Spike nodded, as he drew back away from the young man. "You just may be a loon."

Lindsey smiled and nodded. He wasn't about to dismiss the idea. He was standing in the lobby of the Hyperion, after all. He was conversing with Angel and his family of misfits. Wouldn't the 'normal' population find this all a little absurd? "Actually, I probably am a little... abnormal, but that's not why I'm here." Or it is, but that's not the point, Lindsey thought to himself. "I suppose my sister came in here earlier tonight."

"Last night. It's..." Angel pointed up at the clock on the wall. "...well past midnight."

"You will argue over anything won't you?" Lindsey sighed.

Spike grinned. "It's part of the curse. See, he can never be truly happy right? Well, have you ever heard the saying 'If mom's not happy, nobody's happy'? That happiness clause really pisses me off."

"That happiness clause is no longer in effect." Angel reminded his childe.

"Really?" It was Lindsey's first time hearing about that little tidbit of information.

"Yeah and I think I'll indulge myself. I'm pretty sure I could get a big happy off of sucking you dry." Angel smiled wickedly at the ex-lawyer and almost patted himself on the back, when he saw the young man shiver. It probably was just revulsion, but it was still a reaction.

"God, how I would love to say something extremely naughty, right now." Spike laughed.

"What's stopping you?" Lindsey asked, as he sneered at the older vampire. "You don't seem like the kind of guy that would censor his conversations."

"Not on a usual basis." Spike admitted, as he waved toward the stairs. The other two men looked and saw Connor walking down toward them, holding his cat. "But I don't really want to sway Junior's opinion of his dad. It's an easy thing to do." Spike muttered to Lindsey.

Connor reached Spike's side and looked between his dad and Lindsey. "Are you playing nice?"

"As nice as can be expected." Lindsey told the young man. "I haven't been bitten, yet."

"Neither have I." Angel nodded his assurance.

Connor rolled his eyes and looked over at Spike. "Did you redye your hair?"

Spike ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. "I'll be right back. I gotta' go get this stuff offa' me." Spike turned and headed up the stairs, two at a time.

Connor just shrugged and looked back to his dad. "So, did you find the boy?"

Angel shook his head and glanced over at Lindsey. "So, it's your nephew?" Lindsey nodded and Angel sighed. "Why would your sister let the woman take her son out on a full moon day? She had to know what a risk it was."

Lindsey nodded in agreement. He had told Amelie what a fool she was to let Andy go out with any of her friends. She hung out with many untrustworthy people that had no business taking care of the boy. Especially, now that he was living so close to her. When she was at work, he was perfectly willing to watch the kid. He was a smart little boy and very laid back. "She's an idiot."

"But she does know the risk factors that come with being around werewolves? They're very unpredictable and wild. You can't control them and it's very hard to contain them. We're going to have to use a lot of force and there is no telling whether we will be able to put it down without hurting it." Angel walked over to his weapon cabinet and pulled out a dart gun.

"You can't hurt him, Angel!" Connor ran over and grabbed his dad's gun. "He's small for his age. Lindsey said! And it's not his fault he was scratched, in the first place."

Lindsey walked over to Connor and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine Connor. His mom's had to shoot him, once before. Amelie isn't very responsible, but she's prepared to do what she has to, in most cases. We have to be prepared to do whatever is necessary, also. We owe Andy that much."

Connor smiled at Lindsey and nodded. He handed his dad the gun and stepped back. "He's a lucky kid, to have an uncle that cares about him so much."

Lindsey frowned slightly and stared down at his feet. "Yeah."

"Wait." Angel stopped the two and grunted. "The kid is the werewolf?"

"Well, I feel so clean, I'm squeaky." Spike was stomping down the stairs and ruffling his curls. "My hair is under a lot of stress right now. I'm actually scared to gel it. It may just decide to give up and fall out of my head. I start looking like the Master and I'll stake myself."

Angel glanced over at Spike, a look of frustration etched across his face. "Andy's the werewolf."

"Oh. Does that make things easier or harder?" Spike had never fought a baby werewolf before. "Are we still aloud to tranquilize it?"

"Yes." Lindsey rubbed his hand across his face and groaned.

"Hey, guys! We gotta' get down to the zoo, now!" Gunn rushed in the door, holding a ball bat. "I just heard on the radio that there was a wild bear loose in the wild boar display. Sounds kinda' werewolfish to me." Gunn saw Lindsey and frowned. "Hello."

Lindsey nodded at the man, as he grabbed up a hand full of darts and pushed them into Angel's hands. "Your car or mine?"

TBC

-Thanks for the wonderful reviews. I've been gone most of the weekend and I'm so glad to be back at the computer. Anyway, you guys are the bestest.-

--The subtitle was called Pigs on the Wing. It's a Pink Floyd song. Have I mention that they are my zen?--