I don't own BTVS or Angel, because Joss is a meany-head who doesn't want to share. I don't own most of the characters in this story and pouting about it doesn't seem to fix things. So, I'm feeling sorta'... thin. Kinda' like a wraith. *sigh* Oh, I have an idea! Feed the starving artist some tasty reviews! (My muse is being a... stupid-face and I'm having a hard time with it. I know that was very elementary of me, but I don't care.) Anyway, Joss Whedon is da' bomb and I am hardly da' bullet, but that's okay, cause I try. Anyway, this is the portion, after my ranting, where I say...

On with the show.

::Carpe Diem- Bahama Mama::

She walked into her apartment and flicked on the light, tossing her keys over on the counter to her right. She shut the door behind her and sighed gustily.

"Amelie, is that you?" The young woman walked into the room, apron tied around her small waist and a dustpan and broom clinched in her fists.

Amelie looked up at her guest and grinned. "What are you doing here, Mis?"

Missy shrugged. "I guess I felt guilty for the screw up and I wanted to make it up to you." Missy lifted the dustpan and broom up and smiled. "See? I cleaned."

Amelie laughed, warmly, and sighed. "No need to feel bad, Missy. So, you made a little mistake. We're no worse off, for it." Amelie walked around her couch and slipped her pumps off, before plopping down on the cushions. She rested her head back against a small pillow and closed her eyes.

"So, did Angel get your bastard of an ex-husband?" Missy leaned across the back of the couch and watched the way Amelie's lips twitched up in an 'almost' smile.

"Yes, they got him. The older vampire knocked him out. He went out like a light." Amelie snuggled down into the cushions and chuckled. "They grabbed the witch, soon after she let out this destructive shriek that knocked down the curtains and broke the outside windows. Angel, you met him, jumped over toward this couch, where this blonded man was sleeping. I suppose he was a vampire too. They hid, until this good looking black man brought them some blankets." Amelie sighed. "It was exciting."

Missy frowned. "The blonde man... was he really pale, like he was bleached head to toe... except, you know, for wearing black."

"Yes." Amelie opened her eyes and looked up at her friend. "Why?"

"That was the guy I told you about. Spike, I think his name was. He didn't like me, from the start. He was very ready to hand out blame for everything."

Amelie nodded, thoughtfully. "He was there when I met Angel, too. Now, that I think about it, he really didn't like me either. He could be a problem."

Missy shrugged and walked around the couch, until she came to the matching loveseat. She lay across it, much in the same way that Amelie was sprawled on the bigger couch. The only difference was that her legs were hanging over the armrest. "I'm sure he wpon't be a problem. He seemed to just be mad, when I saw him. I think he was fighting with the older man."

"Vampire, Mis. Remember that they are monsters and nothing less." Amelie smiled and shrugged. "Nothing more either."

"Kind of like Andrew?" Missy asked, quietly.

Amelie shook her head. "He's something more, Missy."

Missy nodded. "He's a little boy."

"That's not what I meant." Amelie threw her arm across her forehead and sighed. "He's a means to an end, Missy. When this is over we shall be done with Andy, Lindsey, and the whole lot of them. I won't have to be mother-dearest any longer, I'll be able to retire early, and we can move to Aruba... or maybe Jamaica."

Missy laughed, like a little girl, and hopped up in her seat. "I'll be able to sit back and drink Pina Coladas for the rest of... forever."

Amelie spared Missy a glance and shrugged. The girl was very energetic and she was always so happy. Amelie didn't want to shoot down her little daydreams, so she decided to be agreeable. "Of course, Mis, but won't you get bored? I mean you're just twenty-one. You might change your mind and want to go to the Alps or run off with some hot young cabana boy. I'm not saying that I would blame you, of course."

Missy shook her head. "I don't think so."

Amelie nodded and closed her eyes, again. "Whatever you say, dear."

Missy bit on her thumbnail and looked over at Amelie. The woman had been watching out for her, for close to five months and she was worried that it was all to good to be true. "You aren't changing your mind, are you?"

Amelie shook her head. "When I make up my mind, I stick to it."

"Good." Missy sighed, with relief and leaned back into her seat. "I almost feel bad about it all, though. I mean Lindsey really does think that Andy is his."

"Oh, he knows that's just wishful thinking on his part." Amelie sniffed. "He's a fool if he really believes it, through and through."

"He treats him like a son." Missy watched Amelie's sneer turn into a snarl.

Amelie shrugged. "He deserves what he gets."

Missy nodded. "I guess." She said, indecisively. "So, everything is going according to plan?"



Amelie chuckled, quietly. "Yes, Mis. Everything is perfect."

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

Lindsey paced around the office, Angel still sitting across the room. Angel had been starring at him for so long now that Lindsey's skin wanted to crawl off of his frame and away from the vampire's gaze. Lindsey stopped pacing and turned toward Angel. The tension in him would have been evident to even the most casual observer. "What?!"

"You and Spike are friends, then?" Angel tried to make the statement sound aloof, laid-back even, but it just ended up sounding absurd, even to his ears.

Lindsey nodded, slowly. "Yes, I suppose." He sighed. "The times we weren't pummeling each other were actually quite pleasant. I don't think our relationship calls for a chorus of 'So Happy Together', but we seem to get along."

Angel grunted and put his chin in his palm. "But you're so... you."

Lindsey's jaw dropped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Angel shrugged and sat back in his seat. "Spike wouldn't even consider you a decent snack."

Lindsey wasn't sure whether that comment was comforting or degrading. He pointed his finger in Angel's face and huffed. "When I think of a decent comeback, I'll get back with you."

Angel chuckled. Maybe Lindsey was still good for a laugh or two. "Well, if you two are such good friends, maybe you can tell me what's wrong with him."

Lindsey took a seat, in a chair in front of Angel, and slumped down. "What do you mean?"

Angel sighed. Where to begin? "He hasn't been feeding, he's brooding, and he's almost eager to help out on cases. It's like he's a different person." Yeah, that about summed it up.

Lindsey shrugged. "Or becoming a person."

Angel's head snapped up. "What?" He got up from his seat and leaned over Lindsey, cocking his head to the side. Unbeknownst to him, he was growling just loud enough for Lindsey to hear.

"It's just that..." Lindsey leaned back slowly, as Angel rested both of his hands, on the armrests to Lindsey's sides. "A vampire with a soul that has redeemable qualities... Seems like he might be 'shan-ing' your 'shu'." Lindsey gasped, inaudibly. Angel was right in his face, growling, under his breath, like some type of animal. Duh, Linds, he thought, suddenly.

Angel sniffed the air and pushed himself back a step. He took a breath and gave Lindsey a small smile, which was actually more of a hard twist of his lips. "You think too much." Angel smacked Lindsey's cheek, a little less than softly, and took a few more steps backward, until he was sitting on the edge of his desk.

"What's all this, then?" Spike stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "I thought you were going to send him up to talk to his honey."

Angel gave his childe a toothy grin. "We got caught up... chatting"

Spike quirked a brow, at his sire. "Chatting?" He looked over at Lindsey and shook his head. The man smelled like he was about to piss his pants... not that he smelled like urine. He smelled more like frightened animal. At one time, fear used to be an aphrodisiac for him. Not it just smelled like... fear. Spike looked back at his sire and grinned his own little grin. He tried projecting the word 'bastard' at him and hoped he got the message. Who knew?

Angel knew what Spike was thinking. Hell, he could smell the stench of fear wafting through the air, so he knew Spike could. It was actually a kind of heady smell. Angel bet that Spike was probably thinking of some choice names to call him, when they were alone, later on.

"Lindsey, I give you leave from this office." Spike smirked at the man, as he pushed away from the wall and walked toward his sire. "You and me need to talk." He murmured under his breath, so that only Angel could hear.

Angel nodded, solemnly. "You're breaking up with me?" He couldn't help but break out into a grin, over that all-too-serious look Spike was wearing. Then he frowned. Spike didn't seem...right. "What is it?"

Spike nodded over in Lindsey's direction. He didn't want to discuss anything, while Lindsey was around.

Lindsey was still standing outside the door of the office, trying to figure out what to say when he got upstairs. Should he knock on the door or just bust in and take Katie into his arms? Would she push him away, slap him, and tell him he's an idiot? There were too many thoughts. He figured that he would just cross that bridge, when he came to it.

Spike waited for Lindsey to make his way upstairs and he slammed the office door. He turned on his sire and growled. "Were you being a sod, again, Angel?"

Angel's eyes grew wide and he shook his head. "No, mother. I was being good." Wow, Spike looked pissed.

"This is so like you!" Spike stomped his foot like an angry child and collapsed in the nearest chair. "No, I retract that comment. This is so like Angelus!" Spike took a deep, unneeded breath and let it out in a huff. "You're stirring things up. Keeping me off balanced. I need to know what's going on, around here!"

"What are you talking about, Spike? I tell you more about what's going on, than anyone." Angel was thoroughly confused. He really had been pretty open with his thoughts about Lindsey and the like. "I thought I was keeping you pretty well informed."

Spike shook his head, obstinately. "You don't tell me bloody-well enough, that's for bleedin' sure!" Spike jumped up from his seat and pointed in his sire's face. "Are you planning on letting Angelus out?"

Angel went completely still and stared at the finger that almost sat on the bridge of his nose. He, then, looked up into his childe's eyes and sighed. "What?" Angel suddenly felt very tired. Spike had had stupid ideas and crazy notions, before, but what could ever make him think that he was going to let Angelus out?

Spike pulled his hand back and put in his pocket. He turned and looked around the room, as if he had never really seen it before. He took a step toward the door and then, turned back to his sire. "You're not, then?"

Angel hit both of his fists on the desk, underneath him, and grunted. All of this resulted in Spike jumping back, in surprise, and a splintered finishing on a perfectly good desk. "What is this all about Spike? Why haven't you been feeding? Why are you getting so into this case? Why are you being nice with Lindsey?"

Spike looked around the room, as if scoping out the nearest exit. "You want those answers in any particular order... Sire?"

"I want you to stop looking for an escape and sit down... now." Angel narrowed his gaze at Spike, when the younger vampire looked up at him. "As long as I get answers, I don't care what order they come in."

Spike nodded, as he took a seat in front of Angel, again. Spike scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "I haven't been eating, cause my stomach has been weird, lately. Blood still sustains me, but it seems to have lost it's... magic. It tastes stale." Spike shrugged. "I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Angel just nodded.

Spike was encouraged to go on, when Angel said nothing. "I've been nice to Lindsey cause I don't care to be mean to him. He's lost his kid, Angel. Have some compassion. From what I've picked up on, that bitch tricked him into getting her preggers, so that he would do the 'honorable' thing and marry her. She split his assets down the middle. Of course, he wasn't exactly Richie Rich, at the time. Seems like it was part of the reason he went to Wolfram and Hart. To get some cash flow." Spike sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

Angel nodded, slowly, taking it all in. He didn't want to stop Spike, now. Not when he was being so open.

Spike took a breath and muttered under it. "I've been so involved in this case, cause I've been wanting to keep an eye on you."

Angel shot Spike a disbelieving look and shook his head. "Why would you want to do that?"

"It's this guy, Angelus. He makes you mean and not a few days ago, I had a dre..." Spike drifted off.

Obviously, Spike had not meant to make that little slip up. "A dream?" Angel crossed his arms across his chest and smiled, almost sweetly. "Continue."

Spike shook his head. "No, you don't, Angel! You would refuse me the gory details and you know it! I'm not just going to take a leap, just cause you say jump!"

Angel nodded, in an accepting and thoughtful manner. "How about if I say, 'Jump, now.'" Angel met his childe's gaze and didn't let it drop. "Eh, boy?"

Spike shook his head, vehemently, and pushed himself up from his seat. "You aren't doing this too me. I won't have it. I'll leave before this crap comes back full-throttle." Spike stomped toward the door, his Doc Martens hitting the floor in an unusually hard manner.



"Spike..." Angel stopped when Spike turned toward him. He looked weak. "..you are killing yourself and I want to know why."

Spike shook his head, sadly. "Cause it's better to kill myself, than to have you do it for me."

TBC

-Okay, questions answered and questions asked. Ha! Now, you hafta' review. Well, you don't have to, but I would appreciate it. *chuckles* (Oh, and Chelsea dear... I believe that you certainly made up for your lack of speediness, in reviewing. *gives fake glare* But don't let it happen again! *holds out ruler, threateningly*) Hehe... I love you guys.-

--The subtitle was Bahama Mama, because I love that drink to pieces. Non-Alcoholic, of course. *grin*--