TITLE: Setting Things Straight
RATING: NC-17
PAIRING: Angel/Spike
SUMMARY: This is my first fanfic. It started off as a rewrite of Season 7 with Buffy going bad not sure where it will end up. Just wondered what would happen if Spike had some real support after he got his soul back

SPOILERS: All mainly Buffy Season 4 & 7, Angel Season 3 & 4
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of these characters; they belong to Joss
FEEDBACK:

Spike's thoughts

# Angel's thoughts #

Part 17

The weeks that followed were quiet. No one saw or heard anything about Riley and The First seemed to have vanished. Spike called it "The quiet before the storm."

Well it was as quiet as it could be with Buffy and Spike continuously trading snide remarks and blows with one another, with Angel just watching in bemusement as it descended into fits of laughter and more snide remarks.

Xander and Anya were continuously bickering at one another until Spike pulled them aside and told them to just "Get on with it and shag." Then they kept disappearing at the most inconvenient times.

Dawn and Connor taking every opportunity to make out which both Buffy and Angel simply rolled there eyes heavenward and turned round back the way they came.

Giles and Willow were the quietest of them all with their heads stuck in their books with the occasional demand for more coffee.

The potentials just ate and ate, much to everyone's distress there was never any food in the house except marshmallows and that was only because a very angry Spike had yelled and accused everyone of stealing them one afternoon. Now they just magically appeared much to everyone's relief.

New potentials kept flowing in but the flow had ebbed to a slow trickle which everyone was grateful about as space was becoming a bit of a problem and Spike refused to let any of "the non-Scoobies" as he put it stay at Sanctuary with Angel following refusing to let anyone stay at the Crawford Mansion.

The days took on a routine with Buffy training all the girls in the morning in the garden. With Spike and Angel taking a small group into the basement for more specialised technical training in the afternoon. Followed by patrolling in the evening with Giles talking them through the ins and outs of what slaying is and about different kinds of demons and how best to kill them.

All in all it was a quiet couple of weeks with everyone getting to know each other and learning, thanks to Xander's teachings how to piss Spike off and to stand back while he exploded in a torrent of curses, failing arms and foot stomping. The L.A gang even had time to pop in for a quick visit and to update on how things were going on in-between cases. Life was going smoothly, too smoothly.

Sanctuary.

Spike sat up in bed taking in a gasp of breath "Oh god no...Please no." He looked over at Angel sleeping peacefully beside him and slowly slipped out of bed onto shaky legs.

"Where you going Little One?" Angel mumbled in his sleep.

Spike smiled sadly "Go back to sleep Sire just popping out for a cigarette."

"Mind the sun." Angel mumbled

"Yes dad." Spike smiled knowing Angel was thinking he was still a young fledgling in his sleep. Angel rolled over and pulled Spike's abandoned pillow closer as Spike quietly slipped on his jeans and regulation black t-shirt and quietly left their room only to bump into Dawn as she came out of a steam filled bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Hey, you're up early." Dawn said cheerfully.

"Yeah couldn't sleep, ya know." Spike said quietly.

"Yeah." Dawn looked at Spike closely. "You alright?"

"Sure why wouldn't I be...Just a bit tired that's all. So you want breakfast?" Spike regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Ohhh yesss pancakes for me and I'm sure Connor and Xander will want one of your famous English fry ups." Dawn said happily as she made her way to her bedroom.

"Knew I should never have introduced little brother to a fry up." Spike muttered as he made his way downstairs dreading the amount of washing up he was going to have to do.

Spike was standing watching the water slowly make a mini whirlwind as the water was sucked into the plughole with a guzzling sound. He was so enthralled by the sight that he didn't notice Angel enter the room until he felt his chest being enclosed by big strong arms and a kiss placed on his neck.

"You were up early." Angel stated.

"Couldn't sleep." Spike said as he leaned back into the embrace closing his eyes. "Can you do me a favour luv?"

"Sure what?"

"Take over training today." Angel cocked his head and looked at Spike's face.

"You alright?" Angel asked worriedly.

Spike sighed, "Yeah, just need a bit of space, ya know."

"Sure, I'll make sure the house is empty." Angel said as he leaned his chin on Spike's shoulder.

"Thanks pet."

Later that night Angel, Xander, Dawn and Conner got out of the car. The younger ones talking animatedly while Angel searched for the house key, as this was a regular occurrence.

"For crying out loud Angel." Dawn sighed, "Can't you be like every other person on the planet and keep your car keys and house keys on the same key ring?"

"No. Because I'm not a person. I'm a vampire." Angel said as he triumphantly held up the house key smiling.

Dawn rolled her eyes and Connor snuck up behind her and pulled her into a hug while Dawn squealed something about cold hands.

Angel quickly turned away. Muttering "Out of sight out of mind." As he opened the front door and stepped in only to suddenly stop, causing the others to bump into him.

"Angel..." Xander squeaked very unmanly as he bumped into him then fell quiet as he took in the scene that welcomed them.

There was furniture sprawled all over the place most of it broken, vases smashed, pictures hanging at odd angles. Angel carefully picked his way through the mess and entered the sitting room, where the door hung off its hinges. It was the same as the hall but worse the sofa looked nothing more than a mass of shredded wadding. Books were scattered all over the floor many of them with pages torn out or ripped into shreds. There wasn't a scrap of furniture left in one piece. The curtains were only half hanging.

Cautiously they walked over to the library and gasped, not a single book was left on the bookcases. They had either been thrown on the floor or shredded, most of the shelves were missing too.

Angel's eyes scanned the damage until they fell on a slumped figure in the corner. Angel held out his car keys to Xander and said in a low cold voice. "Leave now, go stay at Buffy's."

Xander took the keys and for once quietly started to back away.

"Dad?" Connor asked.

"Just leave now." Angel said in a voice that broke no argument. Never taking his eyes off the slumped figure.

Connor nodded and pulled Dawn with him.

Angel waited until he heard his car pull away, fleetingly scolding himself for letting Xander drive his baby. Then his thoughts quickly snapped back to Spike.

Angel cautiously made his way across the wreckage and knelt down in front of the younger vampire.

"So, was the tantrum worth it?" Angel asked conversationally.

"Fuck off Angel." Spike snapped.

"No."

"Fine." Spike suddenly stood up and barged past Angel knocking him to the ground.

"Spike?" Angel yelled as he stood up and walked after him. "What's going on?"

Spike spun round and hissed, "Just piss off and leave me alone."

Angel grabbed Spike and swung him back around. "What's going on?" Angel asked gently.

Spike looked him in the eye "I've seen what's coming and we can't win. I've looked and looked but there is no way we can win." He stated.

"You're not fooling me."

Spike looked at him questioningly "What do you mean?"

"Well you're not a quitter."

Spike snorted, "Watch me. I am not prepared to lead those girls to their deaths needlessly."

"There are always casualties in war." Angel said quietly taking his head in his hands.

"Casualties. It just sounds so...casual. These people are my friends Angel." Spike said looking at him with pleading eyes.

"I know Little one, but we all die."

Spike shoved him away and turned his back. "That's the whole point, they shouldn't have to die they're too young to be facing what's coming let alone their deaths. I can't see a way out of this one." He said hugging himself head bowed.

"You listen to me." Angel said as he walked over and pulled Spike back into a hug. "I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things far worse than you. I know I have a reputation for being a thinker. I am, but I also follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain." Angel smiled. "So I make mistakes, a lot of wrong choices.

"Two hundred years plus, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of: you." Spike looked away but Angel reached for his chin. "Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say, "I love you," it's not because I want you or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're one hell of a vampire. You're the one, Spike. You're the one that makes all this work. Without you the potentials would be walking into this with no clue how to hold a weapon let alone how to use one. You're the one that's given them a chance to survive."

"I don't wanna be the one" Spike whined

"I don't wanna be this good looking and athletic." Angel grinned as Spike rolled his eyes and buried his head further into Angel's neck. "We all have crosses to bear. Come on you need to get some rest now." Angel said as he led Spike to the stairs. "You can decide what you want to do in the morning." Angel kissed Spike's head as they walked up the stairs

"Please tell me we still have a bed." Angel groaned, remembering the last time Spike had wrecked the house, Darla had been furious with the young fledgling.

"Learnt my lesson the first time. Don't smash the beds." Spike said with a grin as they walked up stairs.

TBC