Chapter 2 - People Who Care

Buffy woke up to some shuffling noises on Xander's watch. Spike was at the sink, dunking his shirt into water. He was only wearing his coat now above his bare upper body. He walked over to Angel, kneeling down beside him. Angel didn't take notice, looking away as ever, his head tilted to the side, to the wall. The blond vampire extended his hand towards him when Angel snapped out one of his to seize Spike's. They looked into each other's eyes motionless for a good part of a minute, which put both Buffy and Xander at unease and made Buffy stand up and move closer to the vampires.

Finally, Spike burst out swearing, "goddamn Peaches! You warped fool-born boy scout! I can't watch this anymore! You think I will allow you to suffer in silence just because it's so damn sexy and gallant? I'm the jealous type if you didn't notice!"

Angel pushed Spike's hand away from himself and let it go. Then he just shut his eyes in protest, disregarding him.

Spike sighed, "just let me help you. Please…S…Sire?"

Angel opened his eyes and looked at him, taken by his Childe's concern, but still unsure of what kind of emotional impact will him admitting to being really hungry have on the others. In hesitation, he just let Spike repeat reaching out towards him, lifting his shirt up and putting a very pleasantly warm cloth, Spike's own shirt on his stomach. And before he figured out what he should do, Spike stood up and left him to his misery.

"Spike? Can I help with anything?" Buffy enquired a bit further away.

"Yes…you could provide us with some blood…but then again, I would never ask you that, Peaches there would not take it cause he still has a grip on it, Giles and Alexander-the-boy would be pissed, so I guess not. Do you not care what they would say? You always seem to care when it's about admitting being with me…I wouldn't recommend it anyway. If you gave some to Angel, I'd be either jealous or peckish so I'd prefer you didn't…would be very unwise, Buffy. And there are no hospitals here, as you can see. What if he drinks too much?"

"You won't let him."

"No, Buffy. I will see the blood. I'll smell it. If not grandpa, than I would go wild. I can't guarantee I won't. Sorry."

"So? I'm better than you. Or him. What are the chances you both attack me at the same time?"

"No. I'm not helping."

"What do you want to do then? You're just want to be cruel with him, that's what it is."

Sick laughter, "thanks for the compliment. I was starting to think I can't prove I can be cruel anymore…look, I'm only asking you not to be foolish. Think about the fact that you will need all your strength when the door opens."

"And he needs his. He is too weak to drain me. You can either help me out here, or you can let me do this alone. Your choice," she was angry now. All she could think of how Angel was suffering. Yes, that clouded her mind before and endangered missions. But she was going to do whatever it took to ease the pain for Angel.

"I can hear you," Angel sat up more straight, "I'm fine. See? It's not any emergency. Not now, not ever. I won't die from hunger, I'll just go into hibernation. Did it before, Buffy. Ask Giles, he knows how vampire hibernation works."

"What? Hibernation?" Giles rubbed his eyes and put his glasses on, having just woken up, "vampire hibernation. Interesting topic. Yes, we should probably cover that too. Allegedly, there are a lot of hibernating colonies under the sand dunes of Nevada and Arizona, but some were found inside trees or deep crevices of sandstone rock. I've come across some colonies myself back in Scottish castles while on training. We just went in, set the place on fire before they could properly wake up. I believe they are quite vulnerable before they feed. Although hibernation hides them away from the world for decades at a time, even centuries until the food supply replenishes itself again, the most feasible reason for why as a rule, vampires do not go into hibernation is becoming accustomed to times and dreading the thought of awakening into yet another unfamiliar world."

"No vamp I ever knew would hunger itself into hibernation! I mean lust…" Buffy was unbelieving.

"Of course not, pet. You would do it before the hunger pains hit you. As a choice, not as a must."

"You mean it can be done deliberately?" Buffy never came across the phenomenon before. As Giles said, it was quite uncommon these days.

"I believe so. They just need to increase body weight to provide the crucial fat reserves required. To help conserve energy at this time they lower their body temperature and stay still until they slumber into it. There is also some kind of mantra they would repeat to clear the mind and force the bodily functions in action, or non-action, in this case."

"Wait, but Giles. Increase body weight?"

"They need to. They'd lose from fifteen to forty percent of their body weight just by sleeping."

"Oh, no, no, no. Angel, you're not doing that."

"Angel's gonna hibernate?" Xander came closer to them as well, "that will be fun. Dead boy is actually gonna look dead! On a second thought, he looks dead already, heh."

"Well, the time has not come yet," Angel assured them, "I'll let you know when I can't…I can't…when I think I should."

"Fine, fine," joined them Anya, "but can we go back to our normal sleep just now? It's soon time for my watch…"

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Hibernation wasn't such a bad idea for any of them. They could definitely catch up with sleep, until they were all dreary eyed and tired out exactly from sleep. They were not able to do much in the restricted area they lived for now. You can only play mental chess so many times before not even remembering one piece's location on the imaginary board. Sure they could train, talk and sample the tins Dru left them to open and eat from, but that surely wasn't going to shake their world. Boredom. That goddamned boredom! Of course, if it was only Spike with her, they could find a better way to pass the time. She felt for Xander, as he couldn't even play with Anya as much as he would have wanted now that she forgave and understood his reasons for why he left her at the altar.

Buffy woke up with a start after another nightmare. How she hated sleep sometimes. She looked over to the corner to find Spike sitting on the floor and holding Angel in his arms, rubbing the older vampire's stomach, while Angel was heaving and shuddering intensely. His eyes were shut and he didn't seem to react to anything Spike was doing. The blond continued with his actions and with speaking to him nevertheless, "it will pass, soon, hang on, it's okay, ssh," desperately trying to ease even a little of Angel's suffering. He was mumbling nonsense in a calming tone but it didn't help. Angel was still shifting and growling.

Buffy was by their side in a second, only briefly nothing Spike's unusually sympathetic behaviour towards his Sire. Buffy addressed him too, but there was no response.

Angel's body still writhed, mutterings of what seemed to be attempts at the hibernation mantra turning to moans of pain.

"I've had it," Buffy said firmly, strode back for one of the peach tins they emptied earlier, took Angel's sword and raised her wrist above the tin.

"I still say you're going about this all wrong. Vampires are vampires, they always will be. You seem to be too involved with them nowadays," Giles was trying to stop her, "now I really know they have the power over you. You risk fulfilling your duties as a Slayer. I know how much good Angel and Spike have done for us. Am I asking you to turn against them?"

Going against Giles, going against the whole world if she had to. As she always did. Giles wasn't her watcher anymore. Even if he would still be. The Council was a bunch of crap, as far as she was concerned. They always wanted her to do things she knew better not to. Or how to.

Angel's body tensed the moment after the tin touched his lips and he drank several sips without morphing. Realisation hitting, he stopped for a second, knowing that he would feel very embarrassed if he opened his eyes. He continued to drink another several sips before he remembered Spike being there. He was sure Spike knew he was drinking deliberately at this moment in time, he didn't need to see his facial expression to know that. Then again, he would be the only one who would understand his need. There was no reason to be embarrassed in front of Spike for that. There were several other reasons to feel uncomfortable for with Spike around, but not this. Nevertheless it was time to get a grip, otherwise the rest of the group would realise what he was doing as well. He made an effort, an effort that required all his will power and the hope that Buffy's affection for him will still sparkle in her eyes if he did this, and pushed the tin away. Not much of the contents were left in the tin anyway. Lifting his head, he found himself staring into Buffy's concerned eyes, "that…wasn't fair…"

Buffy turned away nursing her cut, but more offended than anything else, "thank you'd sound better…"

He upset her, again, going about it the wrong way, Angel noted. Disturbing. Not as disturbing as…what is this? Spike holding him? Somebody was trying to help him massaging the painful area. From his position just now and from the fact that the individual knew exactly where it hurt him, the only person that could be was Spike. Disturbing. But not as disturbing as the feeling in his guts still pulling at him, asking for more. His stupid pride that didn't let him drink more!

"What's not fair, love," intercepted Spike, "him getting some food. How come I get none?"

"There is some left at the bottom of the tin. Obviously I can't reuse it, so…" Buffy was quite close to understanding what it was like for the vampires locked in these rooms.

"No," Spike refused, going along with the same analogy Angel previously declined more blood for, but he also found an additional noble reason that could express Buffy in his favour, "Peaches will need it later, for sure. Just take it away from me, will you?"

Angel wanted to protest, but he eventually decided that would take too much effort and shut his eyes again instead. A few hours later he was so still and unresponsive, they couldn't decide if he did in fact manage to go into hibernation or not.


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Buffy was always combating demons, even in her sleep. It didn't actually alarm her to wake up to a crashing sound, she just fought a nasty quash fiend in her dream. She just planned on saying good morning to Giles. Turning towards him, she found him unconscious on the ground, with a trace of blood dripping from his neck. Xander and Anya were knocked out, and that was the real reason for the crashing sound, she realised. Spike stood in game face right in front of her, ready to finish her. When he lashed out, it was apparent that the chip was working, but with every slam the pain and the thirst together seemed to make his demon even more mad. Spike seemed to be getting the upper hand momentarily, as Buffy was fazed just being woken up and not sure what to do with her lover. She called out to him in most ways she would tenderly address him when they were getting intimate with each other, but it didn't seem to work. She just have decided a powerful blow to his head would maybe accentuate the chips' action and not cause too much damage when she heard Angel calling, "Willy! My Boy!" His voice was authoritative, but also gentle at the same time, multiple layers of meaning within those few words. Not really reproach, more like understanding, but commanding nevertheless.

Angel sat up, trying his best not to show any weakness, "come here, Will."

Blue eyes connected with the brown ones and something passed between them. A moment of recognition and possibly mutual respect, several decades or even centuries worth of feelings locked into one single look. Then finally understanding from Spike as well.

He morphed back, "I'm sorry, Buffy," his voice showing complete honesty. He hastily disappeared into the other room they kept the tins in.

While Angel slowly leaned back, exhausted by the little intermezzo, Xander and Anya was starting to stir, Giles didn't loose much blood either. Buffy was thankful to fate, (or Angel?), but Spike had to go and stay in the other room. Along with Angel, as everybody kept reminding her.

Buffy helped him through alone, with a "thanks."

"We're on a par again," Angel said and backed off from her without looking at her once more.

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Buffy quickly raised her stake when the door opened the next day and Spike came through, "look Buffy. I'm sorry…" he said hesitantly, "I'm sorry seems a bit…and I'm sorry to bother you, baby, it's just that...well..." he seemed to be reluctant to finish the thought.

Buffy waited patiently.

"It's just that I was concerned!" Spike exclaimed and panted lightly as he completed the thought.

"Giles is fine. I am fine too."

"No," he said, "I mean I'm happy you are…I must sound ridiculous, don't I? But I am worried about…p…Angel. I need you to come through."

Buffy sat back slightly, "Oh. Is he worse?"

"I don't know. He doesn't seem very coherent to me. And serious cramps I would say."

"You can never be sure if it's a trick. They both very well could have gone mad with hunger by now," warned her Giles.

"Then we'll both go," she said, almost ordering him to move.

Angel was lying on his side in a corner, wrapped up around himself. Spike stood off to the side, in a position nobody could feel as threatening.

Buffy noticed Angel's fingernails first, they had a bluish cast. She touched the cold, clammy hands, "Angel?"

Her ex opened his hollow looking eyes and looked at her, "my stomach hurts bad," he explained the obvious, "I can't sit up. Where are we?" he garbled suddenly doubling over into a curled position as another intense pain hit him.

Over the next few hours Buffy found Angel losing consciousness for short periods of time. In his moments of lucidity she tried get him to drink some water at least.

One of the times waking up he found himself alone. Loud voices were just outside the door. He heard Buffy's determined voice, "I'll feed him again, no matter what any of you says or does. I'm stronger, remember?"

There was some noise coming from the entrance door. "I got it," they heard Willow's voice, the security device fell onto the floor making a clanging sound. Just then the door swung open, and the voice's owner barged in. More of the gang followed, Tara and Dawn.

"You can hardly imagine how happy I am to see you," greeted them Buffy.

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Angel was standing on the steps of Buffy's house, ready to leave for LA.

"So, are you really feeling better? You could stay for a couple of days…" offered Buffy.

Angel did a mental inventory, feeling the weakness still pulling at him like a dull pain, his muscles limp. His belly still pounding from…

"Actually," he said, "I am," with that, he left.

In comparison to how he was feeling a day earlier, he was better now. But how he was feeling now was a whole different way of feeling awful. Like how you feel when you've cried and cried until you can't cry any more because there are no tears left. He left because he had to. Because, Spike or not, she was still ready to risk everything for him.

The End.