84

While Lorne settled for dozing on and off on the sofa, merely checking on Rose periodically, Spike didn't stir from her side for the rest of the night. Occasionally, Lorne would wake to hear Spike's baritone voice softly crooning and know that Rose had become restless again.

A thin shaft of light drifted into the bedroom window, then intensified, and Spike reflected how odd it was that he of all people, should be glad to see the sun rise. It had been a long night. A very long night. Right now, though, all was well. Rose was curled up in a ball like a kitten, soundly, peacefully asleep. Snores coming from the next room suggested that the same held true for Lorne.

Spike gazed down at his lady love fondly. A stray lock of hair had fallen across her face, and her nose twitched irritably. Frowning with concentration, he carefully pushed it back out of the way, and watched her features resume their serenity.

There was a brief strangled sound in the living room, then, the snores ceased. Lorne poked his head in. "How's she doing?" he whispered loudly.

Spike rose from the bed with a languid grace. "Sleeping like a baby," he reported softly, joining Lorne, who had retreated to the living room at Spike's approach. "Been that way for a couple, three hours now without getting the fidgets."

"Do you think we should wake her up for work, or let her sleep?" Lorne went to the kitchen and started rummaging around. "I can't believe that she doesn't have any coffee, not even the instant stuff," he muttered. "Where was I? Oh, yeah, in my totally unprofessional opinion, she still looks pretty fragile."

Spike shrugged. "Let her sleep if she can. The Watcher can do without her for one day. Besides, Angel should be calling back to clue us in on the switch in prescriptions."

Lorne nodded. "Probably for the best. I'll wait till she's awake before I turn my cell on. That's all I really need to keep things running for the most part." He went back to ransacking the cupboards again. "You're around her a lot, Spike, what does she usually eat for breakfast? Do you know?"

"She usually skips it," Spike informed him. "Lunch too, as a general rule. Don't know how she keeps going on as little as she eats. It's not like she needs to watch her figure." A naughty grin crossed his features. "I think I can handle that much."

"That's not any help," Lorne complained. He shifted a few things around. "Neither is this. I can't find anything even remotely breakfast-like here."

"Does it really matter?" Spike asked. "As long as she eats something, can't see it makes any difference what it is."

Lorne held up a couple of packages. "So, what do you think?" he asked. "Frozen pizza or a t.v. dinner?"

&&&&&&

"Wes," Angel said. "Maybe we've been going at this the wrong way. What exactly has Rose been working on? Aside from her private research."

"Just cleaning up translations of reference works," Wesley replied. "Nothing particularly sensitive. I certainly couldn't imagine anyone trying to do her any mischief because of it. What about her own research? Maybe there's someone with a vested interest in keeping Spike the way he is, and Rose may have been getting too close to a solution."

"But why would anyone want to keep Spike a specter?" Angel mused. "Or keep Spike at all, for that matter. I think I'm going to have another talk with that doctor."

"Have you got the medication that Rose was supposed to be taking?" Wes asked. "It might not be a bad idea to have Fred analyze it and see if it is actually what it is purported to be."

"Good idea," Angel agreed. "I'll send someone over to pick it up." He pulled out his cell phone. "Maybe I'd better call Lorne first, and let him know that someone is on the way." He tried the number for Lorne's cell phone and got no answer. "Must have it turned off," he muttered. He tried Rose's number, got Lorne, had a brief chat, then dialed another number. This conversation took a bit longer, and Wesley listened in unashamedly.

"Did I just hear you order breakfast for Lorne and Rose?" He sounded slightly amused.

"Lorne was complaining that Rose didn't have anything nutritious in her kitchen," Angel explained. "Besides, I intend to spare no expense where Rose is concerned. All things considered."

"Treading carefully." Wesley nodded in agreement.

"And, it never hurts to have friends in high places." Angel tipped Wesley a wink.

&&&&&&&

"Well," Fred said, a few hours later. "The drug is what the label says it is. I don't know why it didn't affect Rose the way it should have. A dosage as high as that should have nearly put her in a coma, yet both Spike and Lorne said she had a restless night."

"Could it have anything to do with who she is?" Wesley asked.

"I don't think so," Fred responded. "If it did, she probably wouldn't have fainted in the first place. It's a human body, reacting like a human body. Mostly. Except for the effects of that drug. What we really need is to have a medical doctor give her a really thorough physical, plus a battery of tests." She turned to Angel. "The problem is, it might look a little strange, or more than a little strange if you went to all that trouble for an employee at her level."

"It might also tip our hands," Angel observed. "Let whoever set this up know that we're suspicious. I think we'd better carry on business as usual for now, but keep our eyes open." He looked at the pill bottle in Fred's hand. "And lock that up somewhere. Rose is not taking any more of it."

&&&&&&

"Sugarplum, you haven't eaten enough to keep a bird alive," Lorne protested.

"I really don't feel like eating, Lorne." Rose pushed her plate away. Against the demon's protests, she had insisted on getting out of bed for breakfast. "I feel kind of queasy. And my head feels like it's full of sand." She picked up her glass of orange juice and drained it. "I'd like some more juice, though, if there's any left. I'm awfully thirsty."

While Lorne was re-filling her glass, his cell phone rang, again. He hadn't been off it for more than five minutes running since turning it on. He listened intently, with just the occasional acknowledgement.

"Well, it's official," he said. "That drug was what the label on the bottle said it was. What we can't figure out is why it didn't put your lights out, doll."

"Bet I know." Spike hadn't said much since Rose had gotten up, he'd mostly just hovered around her, watching her. "You went and palmed those pills, didn't you, luv?"

Rose didn't have to answer, the furious blush said it all. "I just didn't trust them," she mumbled.

"Well you sneaky little puss," Lorne exclaimed. "I wouldn't have thought such a sweet little girl could put something over on me like that."

"Just as well she did," Spike pointed out. "Or we might have had to take her to an emergency room instead of being able to keep it all in the family."

"Can I get ready to go to work now?" Rose asked plaintively.

"No." Spike and Lorne said in chorus.

&&&&&&

Shortly after sunset, Angel came by Rose's apartment, where Lorne ushered him into Rose's bedroom, then went back to the other room, continuing to talk on his cell phone all the while. She had protested vehemently against spending the day in bed, but her protests had fallen on deaf ears.

"I hear that you pulled a fast one on us, Rose," Angel remarked. He looked around the room for someplace to sit, but there was no place except the bed, so he sat gingerly at its foot.

"Give it a rest, Angel," Spike advised. "That was old news this morning. Anything new?"

Angel shook his head. "Wes is pretty sure that her work for him didn't have anything in it that would put her in harm's way. So that just leaves her search for a way to bring you back to unlife."

"But who knew?" Rose asked. "You, me, Spike, and Wesley. I didn't tell anyone else, did either of you?"

"None of their sodding business," Spike remarked. "What about you, ponce?"

"I didn't think it was anyone else's business either." Angel didn't much care for agreeing with Spike, but the truth was the truth. "And I can't see Wesley talking about it."

"Not with that overblown upper-class sense of propriety of his." Spike didn't like agreeing with Angel any more than Angel liked agreeing with him. "So what does that leave?"

"Those access codes," Rose murmured. "With the kind of security Wolfram and Hart has, I bet that no one can use those codes, authorized or not without it sending off warning signals all over the place."

"What access codes?" Spike inquired.

"I gave Rose my personal access codes so she could extend her research," Angel explained. "Damn, it makes sense. Either you were getting close to something that someone didn't want seen, Rose, or at least, they thought you were. Can you remember the last reference you pulled up?"

"The Chronicles of Ahmed Al-Shere," Rose answered. "I can't see why anyone would get upset over me seeing that. I know it was placed in the classified information, but it reads like the rantings of a madman."

"It's the only lead we've got right now," Angel pointed out. "Weekend or not, I think I'll get Wes looking into it, see what he can ferret out." Now that the problem was partially solved, at least, Angel remembered his manners. "How are you feeling, Rose?"

"Over-protected." She grimaced. "I'm fine, really I am. But I can't convince Spike and Lorne that I am." She turned to glare at Spike, but he just gave her a warm smile, and her irritation, and her heart melted. "Cheater." Spike just sat there looking smug.

Angel watched the byplay with a grin. It was something of a change to see Spike use his powers of charm and persuasion for someone else's benefit.

"Play your cards right, pet, and maybe we'll even let you get dressed tomorrow." He looked at Angel. "Did you get what Lorne asked you for?"

Angel pulled a bottle out of his pocket, an over the counter sleeping aid. "Hopefully this will do the trick," he said. "You really do look a kind of frail, Rose. You need an undisturbed night's sleep."

"And we're on to you now," Spike observed. "Tonight, those pills are going to go where they're going to do some good." He stood up. "You be okay on your own for a few minutes, luv? I need to have a little talk with the pouf, here. Away from your shell-like ears."

Rose thought a moment, and made a gesture that she'd seen Spike make several times, even though she had no real idea what it meant.

Angel busted up laughing. Spike gave her a wicked grin. "I'd be happy to if I could, sweetheart," he said, in tones so naughty that Rose started to catch the implications and blushed.

&&&&&&

"So, what's the big secret," Angel asked, when they were safely in the other room.

"You saw what she was wearing and you have to ask?" Spike was incredulous. "No self-respecting twelve year old would wear that."

"I thought it was kind of.., sweet," Angel muttered, seeing where the conversation was going. It occurred to him that Spike was awfully free about spending his money. But he really couldn't bring himself to object when the request was made on Rose's behalf.

"Sweet my ass," Spike said disgustedly. "It's kid stuff."

"So what?" Angel asked. "You want me to walk into Victoria's Secret and buy Rose sexy nightwear? I think I'm going to have to draw the line there."

"You ought to know better than to draw lines with me," Spike remarked. "I just step over 'em anyhow. If it's too much for your nancy-boy sensibilities, just send a car, someone to drive it and a credit card, I'll do the rest."

"Lorne's been cooped up here all day," Angel said resignedly, pulling out his wallet and extracting a credit card. "And, he's had to put up with you, too. Of course he still will, but he might like the chance to get out. I'll stay here with Rose till the two of you get back."

"Works for me." The trademark Spike smirk was much in evidence.

"Just try not to bankrupt me," Angel requested.