Epilogue.

Angel just didn't get it.

Spike had been working for them for over a week now, and Angel still just could not understand why he had opened his mouth and asked Spike to work there. He just didn't.

It wasn't as if he hadn't been suffering enough already, knowing that Wes was sleeping with him- living with him. That was more than enough to make his head hurt, make him grit and grind his teeth. Wesley was one of his people, and Spike had friggin' well stolen him.

And yeah, if he said that out loud Wesley would do that thing where he arched one eyebrow and just looked at you and made you feel about ten inches tall, so he didn't say anything. He knew he was being immature. No need to do something to prove it, and have everyone laugh at him.

It was just… did Spike have to be so damn smug about it? He'd been a huge help, protecting Cordelia when James, curse his hide, had come for revenge for his precious Elizabeth. OF course, he'd also gotten pretty damn jittery from the fight, and had jumped Wes as soon as the man had walked into the hotel, dragged the (unprotesting) Englishman into his office, and locked the door. They didn't come out for a while, and though they were considerately quiet so the humans could pretend they didn't know what was going on, Angel, at least, could smell it.

Spike was just so… irritating. He had this smirk and swagger that made you want to punch him, and Wesley, who was absolutely the only one of them who had any control over Spike at all, usually would just stand there and laugh at his antics. And yeah, it pissed Angel off, and Gunn too, but then they both had personal reasons to hate Spike. Cordelia usually thought he was pretty damn funny, though, which settled things, because neither of them wanted to cross Cordelia once she'd made a decision.

If anyone was listening, Cordelia would declare that she thought Spike and Wesley together were icky- though she didn't use that particular word, since she wanted to sound older than six. Secretly, though, she thought they were kinda… sweet.

In a weird, twisted way, of course, but still sweet. Like the time Wes had gotten into a fight with a clawed demon on the way back from dealing with one of her visions, and had come home with his chest covered in tiny cuts that seeped blood. Spike had pounced, of course, and as she'd been walking past the door, she'd seen Spike licking all the blood off his bare chest with the most lascivious smile she'd ever seen, and Wesley had his head thrown back, his face free and easy as he laughed.

Of course, she didn't think it was sweet when Spike went sneaking around and put blood in all the coffee pots, because then she wanted to smack him- and usually did- and it was all Wesley's fault that he was there at all. But Spike never pulled any pranks on her in particular, not like he did Gunn and Angel, just general things that happened to affect her too. Spike respected her- he'd told her so, and she'd had enough practice in the last couple weeks to know when he was lying- but more than that, he liked her. Gunn and Angel… well, both men had claims on Wes that went beyond friendship, or wanted to at least, and Spike wasn't particularly happy with that.

She couldn't blame him, really. For the most part, his pranks were just Spike being Spike, but sometimes Angel would get too obvious about the fact that he missed the time when Wesley thought he hung the moon, or Gunn would watch Wesley a little too closely with a little too much heat in his eyes when he though no one would notice, and then Spike would get snarly and vicious until Wes could get him calmed down. Cordelia didn't think of Wesley as anything more than just Wesley, and that left her and Spike on an even keel.

Gunn hated the undead Cockney bastard. He hated the blood in his coffee, and the yellow smiley face painted on the blade of his favorite axe, and Angel's hair gel squirted into his boots when he'd borrowed the shower that time. He hated the fact that Spike was a much better fighter than he was or ever could be, and the way Spike would smirk at him right before Wesley's door swung shut and he just knew what they were doing in there, even if he couldn't hear it.

He pretty much just hated Spike, period.

But, he'd promised himself that he would deal with it. Hell, he'd pretty much promise Wes that he would deal, so here he was.

Dealing.

Would be a lot easier to deal, though ,if Spike weren't such an asshole. The vamp treated Cordy well enough, an even got along well with Lorne- though everyone got along well with Lorne, so that really didn't count. Angel Spike obviously hated, though less now because Wesley respected him and Spike couldn't bring himself to hate someone that Wes liked.

Except Gunn. Spike hated him freely and without guilt. He'd made it damn clear that he knew how Gunn felt about Wes, and didn't like it one little bit. Gunn knew exactly what Spike was thinking when he would smirk at Gunn- you had your chance, wanker, and now you can't have 'im 'cause he's mine.

It pissed Gunn off.

Fred liked Spike. He didn't treat her as if she was insane, just listened to her ramblings and nodded and smiled. He told her once that she reminded him of someone he'd known, years ago, and when she asked him who, he told her about Drusilla. Sometimes he kept her entertained (if a little creeped out) for hours with tales of their exploits in Europe.

Not long after James had invaded their hotel Spike snuck in while she was taking a nap and stole all her wall-scribbling pens, then stood outside the door and held them and her lunch hostage until she came downstairs. She crept down, quiet as cold be, and ended up holed up in Wesley's office, chattering with Spike and shooting nervous glances at Wesley.

She wasn't sure what to think about Wesley. She knew he was a good man- Spike complained about his "heroing" a lot. She knew that Angel trusted him, even respected him, because Wesley was in charge of AI. She knew he was intelligent and a good leader, because he'd been the one who put together the plan that had effected revolution in Pylea. People trust him, listened to him. He understood the costs of war. He also understood books and learning.

All of which were good things, but she was still nervous around him. And then she saw the way he'd smile at her chatter, and laugh when Spike started laughing, and all along he was still researching something, and that was familiar. By the end of her lunch she had decided- Spike was Fun, and Wesley was Safe.

She came downstairs more often after that, because even if she was still hiding in caves, at least Wesley's office had just enough light and no more, and it smelled of books and ink. Spike hid in there too sometimes, usually after he'd done some nasty prank and knew tat Wes would protect him from the wrath of Angel and Gunn, even if he was on his own with Cordy. Spike would skulk around the office for all of five minutes before interfering with Wesley's work, usually by sitting in his lap or groping him. Wes never looked mad, though, just laughed and kissed him and went back to work, and Fred secretly thought that they were in love.

End