Relationships

Rose was headed to her office the next morning when she heard a familiar voice, singing.

"Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak." The singer appeared around the corner. "Good morning, blossom darling," Lorne said.

"Well you're certainly in a good mood this morning," Rose observed. She scrutinized his features, then added what she saw to what she'd heard him singing. "Are you in love, Lorne?"

"A little early to tell yet, doll-baby," Lorne admitted. "But it has all the earmarks of something special." He paused a moment, getting a little dreamy eyed. "Her name is Angela."

"Good for you, Lorne," Rose approved. "You deserve to have someone that will make you happy, since you spend so much effort making other people happy." Self-honesty prompted her to add. "Even neurotic, mothers who jump at shadows."

"Do you have all that nonsense squared away now, Rosebud?" Lorne asked. Even in his euphoria, he had time to show concern for his friends.

Rose nodded. "I know I was being silly, I knew it then." She sighed. "But knowing isn't always enough. It was my feelings that I had to deal with."

"Join the human race, sugarplum," Lorne said. He gave her a peck on the cheek. "Look at the time, I've gotta dash."

Rose did look at the time and thought that she'd better dash too.

&&&&&&&&

Wesley went to Rose's office to check on her progress, or, more likely, the lack thereof, and immediately noticed the new decoration. Since Rose was so absorbed in her work, that she scarcely registered his presence, he paused for a more thorough inspection.

"When did the children start writing, Rose?" Hardly the question he'd come to ask, but if he didn't ask, the curiosity would drive him crazy.

"Yesterday." Rose looked up from her work. "Oz started teaching them to read and write."

"This one says Alaric on it," Wes remarked. "Didn't Ariel do one too? I'd have thought you'd have both of them."

"I'm not their only parent," Rose pointed out. "Or even the only one with an office. Of course Ariel did one."

Wesley smiled in understanding. "And that one would be in Spike's office, wouldn't it?" he asked rhetorically. "How is the research going?"

Rose grimaced. "I've only been at it for about an hour and already I'm working up to a full scale headache. I'm up to the s's now, and it looks like I'll be there all day. Unless I get lucky."

Wes nodded in sympathy. "I've just started cracking the f's. I never thought I was going to work my way out of the d's. Just checking in to see how you're doing on it."

"I think," Rose said reflectively. "That if it weren't so important, I'd just throw in the towel and go home and cuddle my babies." She looked up at Wesley. "But it is important. It's Angel's life that's in danger."

"Most of what we deal in is life and death situations," Wesley pointed out. "But you're right, it always does seem more important when it's someone you care about."

"That being the case," Rose remarked. "Why don't you get on with your work and let me get on with mine?"

&&&&&&&&

Angel was having his daily workout with Spike. The almost rhythmic clacking of staff striking staff echoed around the room.

"So what do you think?" Spike asked, dodging a thrust.

"I think they're a lot smarter than you ever were," Angel replied, parrying Spike's counterstrike. "Next thing you know, they're going to be writing poetry." He wanted to see if the dig rattled Spike into doing something stupid. It did.

Spike rushed him. "Take that back, you big dumb git," he growled. And the next thing he knew, he was bouncing off the padding on the walls.

Angel shook his head. "I can't believe that even you fell for that, Spike," he commented. He raised his staff to block Spike's next attack.

"Stupid ponce," Spike muttered. He went back to the original subject, one as near to his heart as his beloved Rose. "Oz is teaching them to play songs on a keyboard too." He spun, thrust, and missed.

"And you still think that Oz applying for the job was just a coincidence?" Angel asked. "If you do, you're even dumber than you look."

&&&&&&&&

Angela looked through her wardrobe carefully, trying to decide what to wear. She had a date with that green demon tonight, and while he was nice enough, his appearance was enough to put her off. But, it was all part of the plan. The demon worked for the vampire, and it was the vampire whose blood they needed for the spell. She thought that if she could just close her eyes the whole time, she could really like Lorne. He was charming, intelligent, and he said the sweetest things. But he was just so.., green. But she'd been the one who was chosen, so she had to do it. For the coven. For the greater good. And it wouldn't be for long, then she could get back to her life and never have to see the demon again. That was a cheering thought. She pulled a slinky little red number out of the closet. That ought to do, she thought. Keep him coming back for more until he was no longer of any use.

&&&&&&&&

Angel and Spike had called a halt to the sparring session, and were getting ready to go back to their respective jobs. It was then, that Angel noticed that one of the pockets of his jacket was bulging and remembered why. He pulled out the sack.

"I saw the Q'xlzr demon yesterday," he began. "It sent this along for the twins."

Spike took the bag and peeked inside. "Bloody hell," he said. He thrust the sack back at Angel. "You do the honors," he suggested.

"Oh no." Angel refused delivery on the offering. "They're your kids, Spike. I'm just the messenger."

"And if I bring home a whole bag of candy," Spike stated. "No matter where it came from, Rose is gonna rip me a new one. You know how she feels about the stuff."

Angel nodded. "I know," he replied. "But she wasn't like that at first. What made her change her mind?"

"I think it's because everybody gives it to them," Spike answered. "I don't think she'd have a problem with a bit once in a while, and even if she did, I could talk her into easing up. But it seems like every time everybody in this sodding law firm sees those kids, they've got to give them candy."

Angel grinned, having a sudden thought. "If she thinks it's bad now, wait till the kids are old enough to go trick or treating."

"I don't think even Rose knows about that," Spike remarked. "And I'd appreciate you keeping your fat gob shut on the matter, Liam."

Angel was still thinking of Halloween. "They'd make a cute pair of little vampires."

Spike snorted. "Not much of a costume, being yourself," he said derisively. "Besides, we don't go out on Halloween, them's the rules."

"We don't create trouble on Halloween." Angel was quick to point out the difference. "And you've got to admit, that when it comes to breaking rules, your kids are even better at it than you."

&&&&&&&&

"Giles, by the time you get a flight booked and get over here, the blue moon will already be past," Wesley said with more than a touch of asperity. "Yes, I can appreciate that you have a few personal scores to settle with the fellow, but at the moment, he's our problem, and I'd be extremely grateful if you could tell me just what he's capable of." He stopped talking and listened for a few minutes. "Well, if the circumstances are favorable, I don't see why not," he remarked. "Of course, I would have to run it by Angel first. And in the meantime, I really need everything you can tell me about Ethan Rayne."

&&&&&&&

"It's not a silly song," Oz protested. "It was written by Mozart. Do you know who Mozart was?"

The children nodded. Between Rose, Spike and Lorne, they knew quite a lot of music in just about every genre. But they didn't like that silly baby song.

"Mozart didn't write that," Alaric scoffed.

"He did too," Oz argued. "When he was five years old." He paused and went at it from another angle. "When you're just learning something, you have to start out with the simple stuff. You can go on to more complicated things when you know what you're doing."

"I'll do it." Ariel started to make a place for herself in front of the keyboard.

"It's my turn." Alaric refused to move for her.

"Then stop wasting time," his sister snapped.

"Maybe we should just call it a day as far as music lessons go," Oz said craftily. "As grumpy as you two sound, I think maybe you ought to go down for your naps now."

The twins exchanged horrified looks. The dreaded afternoon nap was just one more reminder that they were still babies, much though they hated to admit it. And Oz looked serious. Maybe they'd better behave.

Alaric sat down in front of the keyboard. "Which one did you say to start on, Oz?" he asked. And under Oz' direction, he started picking out 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'.

&&&&&&&&

"I'm glad it was Angela who got picked to try to charm that demon and not me," Melody said with a giggle. "Do you think she'll actually have to sleep with him?" She made a face, and snuggled against Nathan. "I'd far rather sleep with you."

"As I recall," Nathan replied. "We don't actually seem to have done much sleeping." He sat up and started groping for his clothes, thankful that soon he'd be able to drop the whole facade. Including trying to keep up the sexual pace with a woman twenty years his junior.

"You're not leaving, are you?" She was starting to pout again. She seemed to think it was cute, or alluring or some such. Nathan thought it was childish and inane.

"I'd love to spend the whole night with you, kitten," he lied smoothly. "But if I do, neither one of us is going to get much rest. And the blue moon is almost upon us. We're going to need to be fresh and alert when we do the spell."

"You always have some sort of excuse." Dear god, now she was whining.

"It's not an excuse." He bent down to kiss her. "It's a reason. And a very good one too. We've been working too hard to make all this happen. We can't let anything, not even relationships get in the way."

"You're right," she admitted ruefully. "I can't wait till we've gotten the spell done. Then, we can spend the whole night together whenever we like. Or maybe even move in together."

"Yes," Nathan agreed. "Whenever we like." Whenever he would like would be never again. She really was a silly little girl, and he hated having to waste his time on her. Stiff upper lip, he thought, then grinned. Stiff certainly did come into the equation, but it wasn't his upper lip that Melody was interested in.

&&&&&&&&&

"Angela, doll, a million bucks would sit around wishing it looked as good as you," Lorne remarked when he went to pick up his date. "You are one fine looking mama."

Angela giggled and took his arm. "You smell very nice, Lorne," she said in reply, trying to keep from out and out lying. "What is that aftershave you're wearing?"

"I didn't really look at the bottle," Lorne admitted. "I just splashed a little on. Do you like karaoke by any chance, sweet thing?"

"Sounds like fun," Angela replied. Just a few days, she thought. Surely she could get through just a few days. But why did it have to be her?

&&&&&&&

"I really thought you'd have kittens over the whole thing," Spike admitted.

"How could I.., oh never mind." Rose slid under the covers. "I like it that people like our children. I just wish they could show it some other way."

"We'll put the bag up and dole it out a bit at a time," Spike reassured her, climbing into bed beside her. "Just a bit of a treat now and then."

"Why can't they all just stick to hugs and kisses?" Rose grumbled. "That I could deal with."

"They get plenty of those too," Spike replied, snuggling up to her. "Come to that, I could use a few hugs and kisses myself about now." And instead of waiting for them, he pulled a more than willing Rose into his arms to get them.