I don't own BTVS or AtS, although I do dream about them often. I don't own any of the characters in this story, although I have many fantasies involving some and/or all of them, in various... storylines. What?! What did you think I was going to say, nasty! *scoff* Anyway, Joss is the master and I am a mere fledgling, in comparison. I also believe it is time that I get...

On with the show.

::Stuff and Nonsense- Heartbeat City::

Connor was surrounded by darkness. His head hurt and he was pretty sure his stomach was going to boil, until it evaporated and disappeared, altogether. He had been lying still for the last twenty minutes, and he wasn't sure if his eyes had been opened or closed. Everything was a blur. He couldn't move his arms or legs and his head was way too heavy to lift. He really wasn't sure whether he was lying flat, or propped against something.

He remembered fighting a demon, along side Wesley and Gunn. Then he remembered chasing said demon, throughout back alleys. After a few moments, a smaller demon with spines skittered through the dark alley and climbed up a wall. Connor was instantly intrigued and headed after the beast. Gunn had followed, after making sure that Wesley could handle the other demon on his own.

Now, Connor knew darkness. Connor knew what it was like to be helpless, and he hated it. Connor started to think about how he had put his father in a box and sent him to the bottom of the ocean. It made him want to cry. Why had he been so confused and stupid? Of course, Angel had forgiven him; because that was what Angel did... does. Connor corrected himself.

Connor sighed mentally. There were so many things that he took for granted, in the past. He took his home, his family, his clothing, his health, his ability to move... So many things that he just never really appreciated. All he worried about was *his* revenge and *his* grief and *his* pain. He had been so petty. He had been so self absorbed. When had it all changed? Skittles? No... It had started earlier than that. Connor thought for a long moment and decided the beginning of his evolution had all revolved around one thing. Spike.

It had been Spike's coaxing, Spike's arguing, Spike's jokes, Spike's stupid hair and even stupider clothes. More than that, it had been Spike's ability to make his father laugh again. Spike was more alive than any human Connor knew. Connor wished that Spike was with him now, so that he could thank him.

Connor groaned, mentally. When he thought about Spike, he though about home and his dad. He wanted his dad to be there, so he would hand him a coat and say it was too cold to be out without one. He wanted his kitten to be there, so he could cuddle it. He wanted a hug from Cordelia and/or Fred... he wasn't picky. At the moment, he would settle for a hug from Lorne.

Gunn... Where was Gunn? Was he safe? Was it Connor's fault, if he wasn't? What about Wesley? Had they left him with more than he could handle?

Connor started feeling faint again. The problem was, he wasn't sure he was even conscious to begin with. Was this all a sort of lucid dream? There were so many questions that he couldn't answer. His dad was the one who could go inside of himself and find answers. He had always been more of the take action before you think type of person. He figured that his mother must have been like that. Spike seemed to have a definite mixture between the two. Of course, Spike wasn't his 'brother', per se, so it really wasn't a blood thing. It was all so confusing.

Connor hoped that he would be able to have his sight back, soon. He hoped that he would be able to move, soon. Hell, he hoped that he could breathe, soon. It was so stuffy... Well, that narrowed down where he wasn't. He wasn't outside. Connor sighed and tried to move, once more. He failed. If help didn't get here, within the next few moments, Connor was sure he would go crazy. 'Dad', he thought, 'Please, help me.'

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Angel stopped in his tracks and shivered. Something was definitely wrong.

"I told you to get a bloody coat, before we left! Now look at you with the shivering and whatnot. The 'nasties of the night' will be getting the wrong idea about you." Spike scoffed. "This is pathetic." Spike started to mumble under his breath, just loud enough for Angel to hear. "Vampires don't shiver, you stupid pillock."

"Shut up, Spike. I just got this horrible feeling."

"Like an intuition type 'o feeling? Or a preternatural, doesn't really mean any-bloody-thing type o' feeling? Cause you've been having the latter, ever since I've known you, but then again, you have the former more often than not." Spike sighed. "Which is it?"

Angel quirked a brow and shook his head, in confusion. "I'm not following you, Spike."

"I don't expect you to follow, sire." Spike chuckled. "If you would just pay attention, I would be more than a little pleased."

Angel nodded and continued his path up the stairs of Cordelia's apartment building. Spike resumed his place at Angel's heals. Angel like Spike being at his heals, he decided. If Spike was at his heals, he wasn't under his feet or at his throat.

"So, are you predicting some type of 'mean and ugly'?" Spike queried.

Angel laughed, quietly. "It's sad that 'nasties of the night' and 'mean and ugly' are the euphemisms for the things we fight against."

Spike chuckled. "It's good that you still know how to crack a joke, peaches. No matter how meager it ends up being."

"Says the man who can only throw around pessimistic euphemisms."

Spike hummed. "Thanks, pet."

"What's that?" Angel paused and looked around at Spike, confusedly.

Spike smiled up at his sire. "You called me a man. It's one thing for the kiddies to forget my being a mean and nasty vampire, but it's a whole 'nother thing for you to forget." Spike nodded, as if it would emphasize the importance of the statement. "Even for a moment."

Angel nodded. "I suppose so." He agreed. Of course, Spike never 'forgot' that Angel was a vampire. He wasn't able to forget. The whole 'I'm your sire' thing was written in their blood. Even if Spike just barely started to 'forget', the blood would sing to him. The same was true with Angel. At least, it had been, when the blood link between them was stronger. The few times Angel had offered Spike sire blood, to help with his healing, was enough to awaken the blood between them on Spike's side. Angel's side was unaltered by blood, unscathed by time. In essence, he was losing whatever bit of power he had ever held over Spike, and it was pissing him off. Not that he wanted to attack Spike and drain his blood, because that would be irrational and crazy... and Angel didn't do irrational and crazy things... when he had a soul.

Spike grinned, to himself, and smacked Angel up side the head. "Jackass."

"What?!" Angel almost screeched. Spike hadn't actually read his thoughts, had he? No, he decided. The blood was not *that* close between them.

"Quit brooding!" Spike smacked Angel again, this time on the back. "You are starting to resemble Mopey, the eight dwarf." Spike held up his hand, threateningly, making Angel speed up.

Angel laughed. "There wasn't an eight dwarf Spike."

"Says who? Did you know Snow White?" Spike chased his sire up the stairs and grabbed at the older vampire's ankle. Angel pulled his foot up quickly, leaving Spike grabbing at air. The blonde swore and hurried his steps. "I would understand if you didn't want to admit to knowing her. She was a bloody skank, Angelus."

"She wasn't a skank, Spike." Angel laughed, as he almost tripped and feel on his face.

"Nice vampire reflexes there, Angelus." Spike grabbed Angel's foot and pulled him down a few steps. He stepped on the older vampires spine and jumped off of it, bounding up the stairs. "First, you're shivering and now you are tripping?" Spike shouted back toward the fallen 'man'. "So, much for being a Master Vampi..." Spike fell forward, with a grunt. All of the air that had filled his lungs, rushed out in an embarrassing gush. There was a very heavy pressure on his back and Spike knew it was Angel. "Son of a bitch."

"Well, that's what some call me, but my friends call me Angel." Angel pressed Spike's face into the steps and chuckled at the annoyed grunt he received. "You can call me Master."

Spike turned his head to the side and tried to buck his sire off of his back. "Not until I see some pointy ears, mate. Then, we'll talk."

"What in the world is going on here?"

The shriek was enough to make Angel jump to his feet and almost enough to make him flee the scene of the 'crime'.

Cordelia was at the top of the stairs, glaring down at the two vampires. "There are a lot of things in this town that I would expect to find on my doorstep, at three o clock in the morning." She smirked. "A naked bum, begging for change. Twin demons too busy necking to notice Fred and me sneaking by. Never in my life have I ever expected to find my boss, of all people, maiming his childe."

"I wasn't maiming him." Angel grumbled, as he dusted off his pants.

Spike shook his head and pushed himself up off of the ground. "Nope. He was fondling me more than anything."

Cordelia sneered at the blonde vampire and sighed. "Spike, lets play a word association game. What comes to mind when I say... My foot... up your ass."

Spike shrugged and grinned. "Foreplay?"

Cordelia grunted and threw her hands up in the air. "I give up. You guys are too disgusting for me to take on." Cordelia turned on her heal and stomped through her open doorway, slamming the door behind her.

Angel slid down the hallway wall and sighed. "Spike, you are an ass." Angel used Spike's favorite phrase and smirked. "She's going to go inside and tell them all some crazy story, now."

Spike shrugged and pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Some of it is bound to be right."

Angel nodded in agreement. "Yes, we are crazy. Yes, we were caught in a compromising position."

"Compromising to what, Angelus? There view of us? We are vampires, mate. We aren't killing things, and a good chase gets our blood pumping." Spike grinned, lopsidedly. "Well, not so much pumping as sloshing around, but you know what I mean."

Angel shrugged.

Spike groaned. "Oh, come on. You can't think that anything you do, short of ending the world, is going to make them think less of you as a..."

"Don't say person."

"I was going to say hero." Spike banged his head back against the wall and sighed. "Try to loosen up, Angel. You get all wound up and so does everybody else. I need Fred to be all laid back when I ask her to a movie."

Angel scoffed. "You aren't asking Fred to a movie."

Spike nodded. "Yup, I was pretty much planning on it."

"Well, forget it." Angel said sternly.

Spike quirked a brow. "Why? She's a nice girl and we seem to get on, quite well. Thought we would just get to know each other, a bit." Spike grinned, as he watched his sire start brooding again. "She looks up to me, ya kno... Hey!" Spike sat forward and laughed. "That's the problem! You think she has replaced one vampire for another."

Angel gave Spike the 'You have got to be kidding me, because I'm not that immature' look. It just made Spike laugh. "Well, I'm not!"

Spike stopped laughing, slowly, and shook his head. "You're not what?"

"I'm not that immature!"

"Oh..." Spike nodded, with a feigned seriousness. "I see." Spike stood up from his seat on the stairs and offered Angel a hand.

Angel took the hand and dusted off the back of his pants. "You aren't asking her out?" It was more of a question than a statement. It definitely wasn't a command. That meant all the world to Spike.

Spike shook his head. "No, I'm not asking the bird out." Spike stopped in front of Cordelia's door and knocked. "But Legs sure is a hot one."

"Spike..." Angel started, but he was interrupted by the door opening. Fred was standing in the doorway smiling sweetly at him and Spike.

"Cordelia said I'm only allowed to invite one of you in, because you two can't... I think she said 'play nice'." Fred grinned and leaned her head on the doorframe. "Who do I invite in?"

Spike grinned and shrugged. "Invite the pouf. I'm going to stay out here and light up a fag."

Fred's eyes went wide and she shook her head.

Angel saw the look before Spike could and petted the girl's shoulder. "A fag is a cigarette."

Fred eyes lit up with recognition and she grinned. "Oh!"

Spike laughed, when he realized the girl's train of thought and he decided to play with her a little bit. "Now, Angel, you know that I quit smoking!"

Fred's face fell. She knew that Spike was a former evil vampire, but she had not thought that he would stoop to hate crimes. "Ummm..."

Spike chuckled and lunged for Fred. He succeeded in making her scream and pulling her into a hug. "You silly girl."

Fred melted into the hug and sighed. "You're bad!" She stated, with little enthusiasm.

Spike chuckled and grinned, while letting the girl go. "And don't you forget it."

Fred laughed and waved for the guys to come in.

Angel leaned over and whispered to Spike. "Bad guys don't give little girls comforting hugs."

Spike flipped Angel a British bird and hissed. "Bite me." He walked through the door and took a running jump onto the couch. He plopped down next to Cordelia and snuggled into her side.

Cordelia just sighed and rolled her eyes, before draping her arm over Spike's shoulders. She shared a grin with Fred and shrugged.

Angel quirked a brow and grinned, before following Spike. "Don't offer and shy away, childe. You'll get a bad reputation."

"What's that?" Doyle asked the older vampire, as he walked out of the kitchen, munching on a piece of dry toast.

"It sounds like Angel is trying to warn Spike about being a tease." Cordelia shrugged, when she realized the assortment of looks she was getting. "My dad used to give me that speech every other day. I know it word for word."

Doyle muttered something under his breath before taking another bite of toast.

Cordelia shot him a glare and hissed. "You better just keep the comments to a minimum, Mr. Give-Away-the-Mind-Splitting-Visions guy."

"Speaking of which..." Doyle said. "I think I had a vision of your son and his friend."

Angel perked at the news. "Did you? Where is he?"

"He seems to be at some place called 'Drakin's Cave'. There was music and dancing... I think it's a club." Doyle frowned and took another bite of toast.

Spike jumped out of his seat and headed for the door. "Good. At least, he's safe."

Doyle shook his head. "No. I don't think he is."

Spike stopped in his tracks and turned toward the half demon. "What do you mean you don't *think* so?"

Doyle sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, with his free hand. "I mean that I didn't actually see him there, but I felt his presence and the presence of the other man."

"Gunn." Fred supplied the name automatically.

"Yes." Doyle nodded and popped the last bite of toast in his mouth. "Gunn." He said around a mouthful of crumbs.

"You felt them? You didn't actually see them?" Spike growled.

Doyle took a step back and shook his head. "It's the best I can do. 'Drakin's Cave' on Elm Street, downtown. Ask for..."

"Theo." Lorne muttered, as he walked through the front door. There was a collective gasp, as everyone turned his or her attention to the demon. Lorne's face was broken. His nose was bleeding, his jaw was puffing up, and his eyes were almost swollen shut. "He runs the place."

Spike rushed over to Lorne's side, when the demon started to sway. Spike caught him under the arms and dragged him over to the couch. Cordelia had already rushed to get a First Aid kit and some ice, so Spike made Lorne lie in the empty space. "What happened?" He asked his friend, quietly.

Lorne groaned and glanced over at Angel. "Connor. There's something wrong with him."

Fred gasped and let out a choking sob. "We should have gone to get you."

Spike swore and stomped his foot. "Wesley!"

Angel nodded and sighed. "We'll go get him before we got to the club."

Lorne shushed Fred, who was sobbing quietly, and tried his hardest to smile. "It wasn't your fault, sweet heart. You were to worried about Connor, to think straight."

Fred nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed. "It's not Connor. It can't be."

"I dunno, doll." Lorne groaned. "He punched like Connor and he had the walk."

Angel shook his head and started for the door. "It can't be Connor. Connor is at 'Drakin's Cave'." Angel opened the door and walked out into the hallway.

"Well, then I hope Angel plans on spanking him, the moment he sees him." Lorne muttered.

Spike had started after Angel, the moment he had gone out the door. He stopped to look back at Lorne, curiously, and asked. "Why's that?"

Lorne smirked, evilly. "You and Angel have had your turns at being cryptic. It's my turn, now." Lorne turned on his side, so that his back was facing Spike. "Go and find little brother... and bring me back a souvenir." He looked back and called out, after the retreating vampire.

TBC

-Okay, guys, I have to ask... Should this be the last story in the series? I love writing these stories, but I'm not sure how others are reacting, because apparently people don't review every story they read. *sigh* Who would have thought? Anyway, I need yo know what you guys think.-

--The subtitle was Heartbeat City, which is an album by The Cars. They are the bestest.--