Careful

Spike sniffed and rolled over again trying to get comfy in his new bed. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop Wesley's words spinning round his head. He growled and closed his eyes again. Even the voices weren't this annoying. They gave him a break and went quiet sometimes, but Wesley wouldn't stop.

The man was two whole rooms away, yet Spike could still hear him. He was talking to Gunn and seemed pretty mad. There was pacing and stomping and a lot of bad words that the voices also called him. There had been no thanks or even a smile after he had fixed the bleeping toy. Wesley had just frowned and told him to behave. Behave how? He had been so good and no one even noticed. He missed Angel.

Angel would never say words like that about him. He would tell him that he was his boy and his baby. Angel would never say what Wesley was. Angel was his Sire. His protector. His creator. His God. And he had abandoned him again. Left him with these humans who were rude and mean and nasty. Maybe this was punishment. Maybe the voices had told Angel what he had done! Maybe Angel new that William was a bad rude man...

No. Spike shook his head and buried it in the pillow again. Angel would never ever listen to the voices. He had made sure that he didn't, so why would Angel listen after making sure that he didn't? It didn't make sense. If it didn't make sense then it wasn't true. He sighed and rolled over again. He was thinking too loud. Stupid thoughts.

He rolled over again and yelped when the covers wrapped round him and he found himself on the floor. Great now his head hurt. Stupid floor. He hit it and leant back against his bed, sitting on the floor he looked over at the main double bed in the centre of the room. Just where was Angel anyway?

"What is going on in here Spike?" Wesley burst in. He looked tired and held a book in one hand and his forehead in the other. "Why are you banging about so much? And what are you doing on the floor? You should be asleep." See? That was the voice that Angel would never use. Angel had a nice voice. Wesley had a mad voice.

"I fell out of bed." The vampire whispered, not wanting to get into any more trouble. He had been lucky to be fed earlier. Wesley was not happy with him at all and he'd only been trying to help.

Wesley sighed and closed his eyes. "Are you hurt?" the vampire shook his head. "Well get back into bed then and go to sleep. Please Spike? It's nine o'clock and I need to do this research."

"Is Angel home yet?" Spike whispered still from the floor and making no attempt to get back into bed. "I miss him. I really want to see him. Please Wes?"

"Spike." Wesley sighed again. "Angel isn't home yet. As soon as he gets in I'm sure he'll come see you. Please go to sleep. Goodnight." And he left. Again! Was he not aware that Spike couldn't possibly sleep now?

Angel wasn't home. He'd never been gone this long before. Why was he not here? He was always here when Spike went to sleep and he was always there when Spike woke up. Spike needed that. He needed someone to be there. Watch him. Make sure the shadows didn't capture him and make him cry and scream before letting him go and laughing. Angel needed to be there and keep away the voices and the shadows.

Even if Angel wasn't here, surely Wesley could do it? Maybe not as well as the other vampire, but it was better than being alone. He jumped as the door was caught in the breeze and slammed shut. Whimpering slightly, he drew the covers round himself as he crawled back into his bed. What was he going to do? There was no one here to protect him.

He curled up in a ball and began rocking slightly, trying to stay away from the edges of his mind where the voices liked to play. "Stupid voices." He mumbled and wriggled his head further in the covers letting a few tears fall. He shuddered as a growly voice whispered back in his ear what a bad boy he was. Breathing deeply now he tried to ignore it. Nothing good could come from the voices. He caught a scent in the shirt he was wearing, Angel. The voice shrank back and couldn't answer. He breathed deeper and pulled his head and bandaged arms inside the tee shirt, surrounding himself with Angel's scent. Protecting himself from the voices and shadows.

This was good this was okay. There were no voices if he stayed here. If he stayed here and closed his eyes and imagined really hard, it almost felt like Angel was here, wrapping his arms around him and shaking him. Oh God! He wasn't imaging it. It was real. There was someone else here and they didn't smell of Angel. This was so wrong. Usually there were only voices and shadows but they couldn't touch him. Now they were. Oh God.

He shuddered and tears now fell freely from his eyes as he felt the thing pull of the duvet. It was getting closer. He screwed his eyes up tighter and tried to imagine Angel there. Angel bursting through the door. Angel growling at the thing and making it cry and stop from trying to take the covers. Angel refusing to let the thing throw the covers aside. Angel making sure that this thing didn't carry on trying to get him out of the shirt. "Angel." He whispered frantically. Hoping that someone would hear and send him. "Angel. Angel. Angel Angel Angel. AngelAngelAngel." He cut off into a scream when the thing pulled off his only protection. The shirt.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" Wesley yelled as he swung open the door to Angel bedroom. Gunn was sitting on Spike's bed holding the vampire's arms and trying to talk to him while he bawled his head off like a scared child. "Gunn?" he yelled over the vampire's cries.

"I don't know man!" He called back hushing Spike between answers. "I came to check on him like you said and he was all hidden and shaking. He was crying for Angel. So I went to see if everything was alright and he just started bawling." The man was still holding Spike as he trembled and tried to get away from Gunn's strong grip.

"Let him go." Wesley watched as Spike immediately ran into the corner of the bed and began shaking while trying to create as small a target as possible. "What exactly was he doing when you got here?"

"He was wrapped in the covers and shaking while mumbling Angel's name." Gunn came to stand by the other man, clearly wanting to be as far away from the vampire as possible. "So I wondered if he was alright. You know, not hurting himself again or nothing. So I pulled off the covers and he was hidden inside the shirt so I pulled that off as well and he just started screaming." Gunn watched as Wesley went forward. "Wes? Don't be stupid, he could turn on you."

"Gunn I seriously doubt he is in any state to be left alone." Wesley held out a hand and placed it on Spike's shoulder, watching as the vampire flinched and tried to back into the corner more. "Spike? It's okay. It's just me. It's Wesley. You remember me don't you?"

Spike didn't lift his head but mumbled his answer nonetheless. "Course I do. You wouldn't say thank you when William was good. Then you left William all alone to deal with the voices and shadows and they got me. They got me!" Wesley stepped back at the yell but came closer to the vampire when he began shaking and crying again.

"Spike, it's okay. There are no more voices anymore. Or shadows. Come on. Let's get you to sleep." He picked up the duvet from the floor and waited for Spike to lie down. When he didn't Wesley put the duvet back down and sat on the edge of the bed, Gunn watching from the doorway. "Why don't you want to sleep Spike? What are you so afraid of? There are no more voices or shadows." He nodded to the table lamp Gunn had turned on earlier. "See?"

Spike shivered and folded his arms across his bare chest. "I want...I want...want..." he sniffed and relaxed a little Wesley was glad to see. "Want Angel. Please? Please Wes? Want Angel. He watches me. Looks after me."

"Spike, I can't make Angel come home. He will be back soon, I swear. He said so didn't he? Now why don't you go to sleep and I'll watch you? Make sure the shadows and voices stay away. You want that?"

"Won't work. Need Angel. He's strong enough." He shivered again and Wesley went to take the shirt from Gunn, Spike watching his every move while he held the material. Coming back over he held the shirt ready for Spike to come over. When he did, Wesley pulled it gently over his head and helped him put his arms through.

"I think we can fix that." The man sighed and took Spike's hand.

Wesley sat with a book on his lap and others on the table next to him. Watching the vampire breathe even when it wasn't necessary was amusing. He shook himself out of his trance and went back to researching. "Thank you Spike." was all he whispered before becoming silent and letting the vampire sleep.

Spike sighed and rolled over in Angel's king size bed, allowing himself to drown in the scent of his Sire, home, safety and love.

Red. Red dashes in the darkness trying to tell everyone all the secrets they held. Little dashes that made numbers and beeped when Angel pressed buttons. His Sire could control anything. The red dashes spelled out something, 14:46. Spike had no idea what that meant. Maybe he'd ask Angel when he woke up. Angel could be grumpy though, especially when he first woke up.

Spike rolled over and reached out an arm. Air. Nothing. Where was Angel? He was here a second ago, he was! Where did he go? Spike sat up and whispered his Sire's name. There was a snort from beside the bed and he quickly shuffled away from it, peering into the semi darkness. Wesley.

Wesley? Why was he here? Angel had told him to go away when he got home. Hadn't he? The man snorted again and wriggled slightly in his sleep. Spike froze and waited for him to settle down again. Wesley was mad when he was tired, he didn't want to find out what he was like when he was woken up. Spike sighed when the man was silent and he edged to the opposite side of the bed, the side nearest the door.

He needed to find Angel. His Sire had been right here. Where did he go? How was he meant to be safe from the voices and shadows when Angel wasn't here? Sighing slightly he gently lowered himself onto the floor and checked on Wesley. Watching for any signs of consciousness, he was glad when he saw none. He waved to his sleeping guardian and silently made his way out of the door, careful to leave it open and not make any more noise. Plus, if the shadows got too much he could get back in quicker.

Spike crept his way along the hallways to Angel's office. Maybe Angel had gone to do some work? The older vampire always did like to be in control. Just like the voices. He shuddered, turning round in a complete circle to check every speck of the hallway. He shouldn't think of the voices, it only made them worse. Carrying on, slightly slower than before he peered into the office and gulped. It was dark.

Really really really dark. There were shadows everywhere. They engulfed everything. Why did they do this? He swallowed nervously and checked behind him again. Nothing. Taking a deep calming breath, he turned to the room and dared to ask. "A...Angel?" he said, barely more than a whisper. "Are you here?" No answer. "Angelus? Angel? Sire?" He tried everything he knew he would call Angel. Everything. No answer. Where was he?

He bit his lip and turned back to the darkness of the hall. Bracing himself against the doorway, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath. This was the stupidest plan he'd ever had, but he needed to know. Consequences be damned, he needed this. He screwed up his eyes tightly and prepared himself. "DADDY?!" Spike yelled as loud as he could. He paused and listened. Nothing. Nothing at all. He opened his eyes and let out a small whine. Angel wasn't there. There was nothing.

Nothing but footsteps. Not Angel's though. Angel had neat steps. Tap tap tap tap. Always a rhythm, no matter what pace. There was no pattern to these. They were erratic and fast and getting louder. He waited. If it was the shadows he should just give up now. No struggling, they always won. Bloody shadows. He bit his lip when Wesley came round the corner with a mad face. Uh oh...

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing Spike?" He was in trouble again. Well damn him all over again if he was going to go quietly. Wesley came closer and grabbed at his arms, checking the bandages for rips and new blood no doubt. Spike sighed. He was insane, not stupid. Why try the same trick in the same day? Wesley was the stupid one.

Spike pulled his arms away and frowned at the man. Moving towards the other side of the office floor he hissed and turned away, looking out of the windows to the streets below. So pretty. Angel had to be down there somewhere. "Spike? Answer me God Dammit!" Wesley was at it again. Spike frowned at him before turning his attention back to the flashes of light below.

"You lied to me." he spoke evenly and didn't turn to face the man. Tracing shapes of the lights below he listened to Wesley's silence. Finally.

"What?" it was quieter this time. Like he felt he was wrong or something. Spike chuckled. Did Wesley honestly think that Spike could have a point? Spike never had a point. No point to existence or anything else around here.

"You lied to me." Spike repeated, slower as if he was explaining it to a child. "You swore Angel would be back soon. Well soon has been and gone and there's no Sire here. Is there?" Spike opened his arms wide to indicate the darkness beside them both. "Nothing."

Wesley sighed and came close again. Spike tried not to flinch and pressed himself against the windows. "Spike? I know Angel is not here. But I'm sure he's fine and on his way home to see you right now." Wesley gently reached out to Spike and waited for the vampire to calm down. "Please Spike? You need to go to bed and get some sleep. So you'll be ready for when Angel gets home."

"Angel?"

"Yes Angel. Now let's..." Wesley stopped to let his eyes adjust to the sudden glare of lights. He turned and saw the figure leaning in the doorframe clutching his side. Angel was hurt.

Okay if my parents ask, I was NOT writing fics, I WAS doing revision and I was defiantly NOT online. Okay? Good.

I didn't like how short this chapter was when I first put it up so I made it longer. Hope you like it and I'll thank you all a thousand times over for all the reviews I got last time! I did not believe how many people have read this fic! Thank you all for your good luck wishes on my exams. (Not going so well at the moment, I seem to always be distracted by fic ideas and have no paper to write them on. Argh!) Also thank you all for telling me who has accepted my challenge I look forward to reviewing them all.

If you have any little ideas for this fic, small things that Spike could do or say, please do tell because although I have a main plot, it is hard to fill in the little details.

Luv you all loads. Higgy. xxx