126

"We need to plan another night out with Rose," Spike announced.

Angel's eyebrows shot up. "We? When did I get taken into the decision making process? As I recall, you make all the plans and just tell me where to go."

"I always tell you where to go, but you never take the flippin' hint." Spike threw himself into a chair with a little too much force and a little too little concentration, and went right on through it. "Bugger," he muttered, getting up and sitting down with a bit more care.

"Listen," Spike went on. "I'm dead serious about this. The last couple of weeks, all she's done is that bloody research, either here or at home. Some nights she's so deep into it that I can't even get her to talk to me, except for the few minutes we have at the end of the night before she turns in. She's getting obsessive, and I'm getting worried."

"Okay, I'll grant you that she needs to get out," Angel conceded. "But I still don't know where this 'we' stuff is coming from. As I recall, I'm just a necessary evil on these outings."

Spike cocked his head thoughtfully. "I want to do something really different. Like, maybe, oh I don't know, a concert, opera, ballet, something like that."

Angel was stunned. "You'll be bored to tears," he predicted. "Besides, I don't think your current attire would pass muster at one of those events."

Spike grinned, waved his hand theatrically and was suddenly in white tie and tails. He stood up and spun around for effect. "That's the easy part." In the blink of an eye he was back to Spike as usual.

"So that's how you were wearing.., what you weren't wearing that night I took that fall." It was Angel's turn to look thoughtful. "Doesn't that just make things harder?"

"Nothing there to get that way at present," Spike quipped. Then, he got serious again. "Sometimes it does. Sometimes I'd give the earth just to be able to hold her."

This was getting too personal for Angel to be comfortable with, even though he had opened the subject. He therefore decided to change it. "As it so happens, there's a concert Friday night," he mentioned. "Just mixed pieces, a little something from all the great composers. Will that fill the bill?"

"Sounds like it," Spike agreed. "'Course, you know what else this means, don't you?"

Angel didn't, but he didn't much care for the gleam in Spike's eye. "What is it going to cost me? Pride? Or money?"

"Money," Spike replied. "Rose hasn't got anything suitable for the occasion. And a shopping trip would do her some good. Get her out and about a bit."

Angel sighed. "On one condition."

Spike eyed him suspiciously. "And what would that be?"

"Stay away from the 'basic little black'," he elaborated. "It makes her look too pale. Unless, of course you can talk her into getting some sun between now and then."

Spike was gazing off into the distance, imagining what sort of evening gown would best suit his beloved. "Not black," he agreed distractedly. He came back. "Of course, even if she wore a flour sack she'd have us outclassed."

"You, me and everyone else there," Angel remarked. "Well? Aren't you going to go popping down to her office and ask her?"

"I can't." Spike looked disgusted. "Bloody watcher warded the place so I couldn't get in. He's been about as much fun as the plague lately too."

"Didn't Rose object to the wards?" Angel couldn't believe that she would just sit still for Wes deliberately shutting Spike out.

"Rose doesn't know about them," Spike explained. "He did it the other day while he had her off running some fool's errand or another for him."

Angel picked up his phone. "Harmony? Will you call Rose down in research and have her come to my office, please? Thank you." He hung up. "Will that do?"

&&&&&&

"Wes, can I have a word with you?" Angel had slipped out of his office as soon as he'd sent for Rose. What Spike had told him about the ex-Watcher's activities bothered him for some reason.

"Certainly, Angel, what did you want?" Wesley reluctantly dragged his nose out of a book.

"Why did you ward Rose's office so that Spike couldn't get in?" Angel asked bluntly. "Especially behind her back like that. Spike is the reason that she's here, after all."

"And he's been driving her to distraction," Wesley remarked. "Every time I went into her office, there he was."

"Did Rose complain about it?" Angel inquired. "Or is this just something you took upon yourself?"

"Do you have a problem with the way I run my department?" he asked a little belligerently. "I'm just trying to create a productive atmosphere where work can be done. Spike was a disruption."

Angel was beginning to see Spike's point about Wesley. "What kind of hours have you been putting in lately, Wes? You're not usually like this."

Wesley ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. A lot, I guess." He looked a little sheepish. "Made an ass of myself, have I?"

"A bit." Angel felt a wave of relief wash over him. So much depended on the research department, he needed them to be sharp. "Take down the wards, please. Then take the rest of the day off and get some rest. You're not going to be doing anyone any good if you wear yourself into the ground."

"Rose has been working just as hard," Wesley pointed out. "I thought you'd be worrying about her, too."

"I generally leave worrying about Rose to Spike," Angel replied. "Besides, that is being taken care of even as we speak. In fact, I've been so absorbed in the details, that I wouldn't have known what was going on if Spike hadn't mentioned it." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, Spike may even have thought you had some justification in putting up those wards. He didn't mention them until I asked why he didn't go tell Rose that we were going to take her out."

"I'm sorry I did it at all, now," Wes remarked a bit ruefully. "I'm really not thinking straight, am I?"

"It's called all work and no play," Angel observed. "And it's going to stop, isn't it, Wes?"

"I'll be good," he promised.

&&&&&&

"Hullo, luv." Spike greeted his lady.

"Spike? What are you doing here?" Rose asked. "I was told that Angel wanted to see me."

Spike gestured for her to sit down. "No, pet. Unless the message got garbled, you were told to come to Angel's office. Basking in the warm glow of the big pouf's company was not explicitly stated."

Rose grinned at the allusion. "Well, if Angel doesn't want to see me, then why am I here?"

"Well, I know how full your social calendar's been of late," Spike teased. "I wanted to make sure you keep Friday night open for me."

"I thought you didn't want to go on any more dates," Rose remarked. "What changed your mind?"

"You," Spike said simply. "You've been working yourself too hard, precious. And while I appreciate the dedication on my behalf, I don't want you putting yourself in an early grave on my account."

"I haven't been paying much attention to you lately, have I?" Rose asked quietly. "I've been so absorbed in trying to make you corporeal again that I've been ignoring you. I'm sorry, Spike."

"Have I been complaining?" Spike asked.

"You should have been," Rose replied. "If you had been as distant to me as I've been to you lately, I'd think you were mad at me." She got an impish look on her face, and in a passable imitation of Spike's accent said, "Don't know why you put up with me, luv."

Spike laughed. "That's my girl. And it's not hard to put up with you, pet, 'cause I love you."

"Am I allowed to know where we're going Friday night?" she asked.

"Somewhere that's going to involve another shopping trip," he answered with a grin.

Rose rolled her eyes, then giggled.

&&&&&&

Spike surprised Angel by not only not disrupting the concert, but by actually seeming to pay attention and enjoy the music. Rose was held rapt by the music, and Angel found almost as much enjoyment in watching her reactions as Spike did.

Rose kept stealing glances at Spike. She couldn't believe how handsome he looked. Not that he didn't always, but she was slowly starting to appreciate that there was a lot more to him than met the eye. And that was entirely by Spike's design. She sighed contentedly, but the content received a slight check when she remembered that things couldn't go on like this forever. Indeed, probably not for much longer at all. She recalled her deal with Spike and tried to put the unhappy thought out of her mind, but it persisted, and it took some of the shine off the evening for her.

Spike saw her features cloud over, and leaned to whisper in her ear. "Stop that, pet. Only happy thoughts."

Rose turned to smile at him. "You're my happy thought," she said softly.

"Then think about me." Smirk.

&&&&&&&

"Did you have a good time tonight, pet?" Spike asked, as Rose emerged from the bathroom in her nightgown.

"I had a lovely time," she replied. "You looked very nice, Spike. Why don't you let people see you like that more often?"

"Like what?" He deliberately misunderstood her. "Togged out like a pouf?" He smiled at her. "I do have a reputation to uphold, luv. People expect Spike to be the Big Bad."

"Is that what you want to be, though?" she asked. "You could be anything, Spike. So why do you insist on playing the bad boy when that's not really what you are?"

"Then what am I?" Spike was more than a little interested in hearing what her answer would be.

"You're kind, generous, intelligent and loving," Rose responded. "Or am I the only one you show that to?"

"Mostly," Spike smiled at her. "You bring out all the best in me, precious. Besides," he went on. "The persona does have its uses. Saves me no end of getting my ass kicked."

Rose settled down under the covers, to be joined in the bed by Spike. "Don't get me wrong, Spike, I would love you no matter what. I just think that you're wasting yourself."

"If it was anyone else saying that I'd say that it's mine to waste," he remarked. "But for you, pet. Well, I'll think about it."

&&&&&&&

"Rose."

Rose: "It's about time. I was starting to think that you'd forgotten about me. Are we ready to make a decision?"

Citrine: "The decision has already been made. We didn't need you here for it. We know your feelings on the subject."

Violet: "We have been impressed by the depth of emotions that surround the subject. And you."

Viridian: "The weight of the evidence seems to agree with your original assessment."

Sienna: "The judgment is favorable."

Cerulean: "Given the special circumstances, though, the regeneration will take some time. We will instruct you."

Rose: "Just tell me what to do."

&&&&&&&

Rose woke with tears on her face. She felt torn in half. She was happy that Spike was finally going to get his body back, definitely happy. It was what he deserved, what she'd worked so hard for. But when it was over, it was going to feel more like loosing a piece of herself then leaving the rest of The Powers had. He wasn't just entwined around her heart, but her soul as well. She looked over at him without stirring, just drinking in the sight that would all too soon be denied her. Then, she realized that now she had at least some of her powers back, she could have all in readiness without disturbing him. Once she had everything prepared, then she would hand it to him, wrapped with a big bow, metaphorically speaking.

She placed a small area of stasis around Spike, then climbed out of bed, knowing that he wouldn't notice it now. She went in the other room and picked up the phone. "Angel? Sorry to bother you, but I'd like to ask you a favor. Yes, it's about Spike, the judgment was for him. But I'm going to need a few things. Oh, he can't hear me right now, I've taken care of it. I want to surprise him."

&&&&&&&

Angel reflected that one of the good things about being in a big city, was that no matter what you needed, no matter the hour, day or night, you could usually find a place open where you could get it. He ran his errands as quickly as possible, then went to Rose's apartment.

&&&&&&

Angel had scarcely tapped on the door than Rose opened it.

"Thank you, Angel," she said, relieving him of his packages. "This means more to me than you could possibly know. And I hope that I'm not out of line if I ask you to do one more thing for me."

"You ought to know by now that all you have to do is ask, Rose," Angel replied. "We're all going to miss you, though."

"And I will miss you, and.., everyone," she answered. "But it has to be this way. Could you tell everyone at the office good-bye for me? And give them my love?"

"Of course," he said softly. "Good-bye, Rose." He gave her a quick, awkward hug and then left.