To both their surprises, retrieving the Jewel was an easy task. After only half an hour of surveying the underwater terrain, moving over hills, dodging around jagged reefs and making their way through schools of small and stupid fish, they saw the grey, sand covered sea bottom sparkle at one point from under a big shrub of sea weed. Angel picked up the Jewel, relieved. He didn't usually think of the few month he spent not so far away from there, but the sight unlocked the cage of his blocked memories of laying completely motionless, frozen into apathy, unfeeling, unmoving, without sensation, without life. After the top of his coffin was shut, his bodily systems shut down until needed. But his mind, ah, his mind... the memories of those days were lacking clarity as his mind must've been. They were like faint images on a flickering screen, half remembered feelings. One of the most disturbing, the feel of the cold water. It never touched him directly though his box, but the chill reached him despite his vampire constitution…

Spike dived up immediately, also having had enough of the cold, salty sea water, having remembered himself being sometime during the second world war, somewhere around the middle of the Atlantic ocean. That after being thrown out of a submarine by Angel himself. He quickly swam towards the coast. The sea went deep abruptly just a few metres from the seashore so it took him a while until he could put his feet down on the ground. Instinctively, he looked around. He saw Angel's head and his completely ruined hairdo above the water, but he was still floating around the place they surfaced, "hurry up. Peaches! I'm tired. Don't tell me you've lost the thing and we have to go back down for it again! Cause you can do that yourself! I'm leavin!" He waited for a few moments, but there was no answer from his Sire and no attempts to either make it to the shore, or submerge again for the Jewel, if he had indeed lost it. Instead, Angel was looking quite disturbed and desperate, as much as Spike could see from a distance.

In fact, Angel was considering shouting to Spike for help. Considering and finding it very uncomfortable either way.

"God damn," Spike swam back towards Angel with experienced movements, "what?" As soon as he reached him, he knew for sure that his Sire was in some kind of trouble.

"Cramp…" Angel grimaced very embarrassed. He growled, trying to keep his head above the water. He looked like he was sinking any second now.

Spike, just as Angel expected him, chuckled. It amused him a lot and was no less than his rightful due for what Angelus had done to him in the past, "looks like you are unfit for any place other than hell. Did anybody ever tell you not to go out swimming when you are shattered? " Nevertheless, he hooked his arm over his Sire's upper body from behind as he side stroked back to shore, "play corpse, don't try anything," he instructed Angel. Struggling persons are the most awful bother in saving from the water and say I just won't bother. Say you can't reach shore till daybreak and that means you have to descend to and spend the whole day in the dark layers of the water. That's exactly what we had to do with Lawson when you dumped us from the submarine. Not to mention that I had to teach him everything. What is it like to be a vampire, how to hurt people, soddin everything. But that's bloody characteristic of you isn't it? Abandoning your childe for me to take care of?…I would laugh if you weren't so bulky," Spike made the best of the situation, "not that you wouldn't deserve it for daring to abandon special agent me in the open waters…" Without much reaction from the older vampire, he managed quite well the dumping him on shore.

Angel flinched, then started spitting water out. He supported himself on his elbow, spat some more water, then looked at him, "I could've done that by myself…"

"Excuse me? I saved your ass again," Spike retorted resentfully.

"…but thank you," Angel continued trying to stand.

Spike's mouth dropped and his head rolled back a bit, his blue eyes big, "what?!?" What's did you just say?"

------------------------------------

By the time they reached the car, Angel was back to his normal anti-Spike conduct and by the time they arrived back at W&H's car park, Spike was back to his Angel-bashing behaviour. The younger vampire considered Angel's small act of appreciation a one off, although he secretly hoped there would be more. It was fun seeing Angel give in, but he also missed the pal he once had in Angelus. Things got messed up and complicated since, but weren't they two of a kind? At least they could've been in a similar relationship to what Buffy had with Faith. But that meant showing weakness. If Spike would've shown affection in their current situation, it would've been a weakness. Would've been against lesson number one of Angelus of when they put their hands out into the sunshine together. Why were all these rules in his head? All these inhibitions that stopped him from being happy? Like the insecurity that stopped him going after Buffy. Insecurities he hid with attacking. How was that possible while he was usually the rebel one? Some rules just must be so imprinted in our existence.

But rules fortunately never stopped him from being in a middle of another argument with Angel, "so you're saying my subconscious mind has a feeling of resentment against Honda?"

"I never said you had a feeling of resentment against Honda. Nor my driving. I'm saying you have a bitterness against me," Angel stepped out of the elevator and turned onto the corridor leading to their almost adjacent penthouses. Angel had finally agreed a couple of weeks before to give Spike an apartment as he spent most of his time at W&H anyway. Of course Spike would have more time to annoy him from close by, but also he had enough of Spike annoying him about not getting a penthouse.

"Don't tell me you just found that out?" Spike giggled, "am I sounding especially unsympathetic to you today?"

"You didn't sound especially anything. You never do. What you say it's a load of crap."

"Now, now. Using one of my favourite expressions, your majesty?" Spike said in a kid-on touchy voice.

Angel glared at him, "once more, stop calling me that."

"Well, what else should I call you?"

"I have a name," Angel was looking murderously at him.

"So do I. And it's not idiot," Spike held up a finger and stopped in front of Angel's door. The grin had left his face, as had any trace of amusement, "you better call me Spike."

"And what if not? What are you gonna do?" Angel teased him as well, "start a fight? Hey! It makes sense. You should be able to beat me easily now that you managed just the once in your existence," a wave of dizziness swept unexpectedly over him, "you know what? How about rescheduling your Happy Annoy Me Hour for tomorrow?" he clutched his midsection and bowed his head, the pain threatening to overwhelm him.

Shuddering, he drew himself up straight and pressed the silver buttons next to his door taping in the combination to his apartment.

"What now?" Spike looked at him in bewilderment tilting his head, scrunching his eyebrows.

"As long as it breaks up this non-conversation, I'm not sure I care," Angel answered, ignoring that the question was obviously about his own well-being. He blinked as the world around him swam in and out of focus. His mind reeled for a moment, and the next thing he knew Spike was grabbing him and guiding him to the couch inside the now open apartment, where he summarily sat him down.

"Are you feeling alright?" Spike asked suddenly very softly as he closed the door behind himself.

"I'm fine..." The half-hearted lie wasn't fooling anyone, but Angel still tried to sound convincing. The truth he didn't feel he could afford to tell. And after all, he knew exactly what was wrong with him and why. He will deal with it himself, as he did in the past. He had to get a grip, at least in front of Spike.

"You don't look fine to me! Are you hurt?" Spike asked casually.

"What is it to you? You wanna a reason to laugh at me again?"

"I can do that without any reason, no problem, thanks. But I need to know in case we go out on some assignment any time soon again and you black out on me! Cause in that case I'm not going out with you at all! Not that I would otherwise without any benefits to myself, but…"

Shaking his head Angel made a conscious effort to appear nothing more than shattered, "I think its time I took some leave is all. We've had a pretty big caseload and maybe it's getting to me. I'm going to get some sleep..." He didn't argue with him as he wanted Spike out of his flat as soon as possible. Why was he always so persistent?

Spike's eyes narrowed, providing evidence he didn't believe a word. Angel looked sickly, and his eyes were almost blank, "Angel, I would say you need to look in a mirror, if you could see anything in the mirror that is. Just believe me, you look like crap. I'll get you some blood," Spike started towards the refrigerator.

That mirror image would be useful. If Spike offered help, he really would've liked to see how he looked. But he still needed Spike out of his living area. And he didn't want the blood either. He knew that right now it would just make him sick, "Spike, please, I have to sleep. I'm just tired," Angel said quietly, trying the non-aggressive approach this time, "very tired, you tire me out. Happy?" Angel laughed faintly, then frowned, laughter fading as quickly as it had begun. He bent over, holding his stomach, groaning as if in pain.

Spike quickly walked towards him and crouched down in front of him, more alarmed, then concerned. But from that angle he was now in, he could see his Sire's face

creased in a painful expression, his eyes closed and his teeth clenched. He was drenched with sweat, "what is it?" Spike called softly on a voice that could've been in certain circumstances described as tender, "you certainly can't be that hungry to have the hunger cramps. Or…do you?"

A mumble answered him. Spike shook his head. This was way too much different from their normal way of functioning with each other and he changed his behaviour accordingly. Angel needed help. His help. He should concentrate on that just now and leave the bitching about it for later. But of course, it will follow. It was too much of a good opportunity to miss, again. In essence, this could be a funny day, "Peaches?"

"It hurts," was the feeble answer he heard through the gritted teeth and that reinforced Spike in leaving his normal carry on behind.

"Lie down, take it easy," Spike touched the pillow, encouraging Angel to put his head on it, which he did, given that it was what he wanted all along, "let me see your stomach. I want to see your stomach…"

"Spike, I'd rather…"

"Bullshit! You, you soddin tosser," Spike muttered in a low but angry voice.

The tone left no room for argument, not even from his Sire. Closing his eyes Angel nodded and tried to relax.

Angel didn't object anymore, confirming Spike's suspicions that he was feeling worse than he let on. The younger vampire could see no sign of injury on him, which under the circumstances, wasn't likely to be a good thing. Nevertheless, he felt the abdominal muscles grow rigid at his touch and became locked in a presumably awful spasm, "these look like hunger cramps to me," Spike was confused, "but the ones that would occur if you haven't had anything to eat for like…a month. But…I saw you eat several times. I saw you eat yesterday. Hang on! This isn't right. I'm calling Wesley."

Angel got himself together enough to speak and came out with, "no! Spike, no. I don't want to bother him with this now. It would be complicated. He'd have to look into Fred's files. And we don't want that. Now that he stopped doing that…"

"Fred's files??"

Angel nodded, "I asked her to help me with this."

"This being what?"

"Are you sure you wanna know?"

"Hell! Yes. You seem to be sick. I am a vampire too. Would it affect me?"

"Funny thing is…yes. I mean in a hundred years perhaps if you stay off human blood for that long."

"You wanna tell me I'll get to writhe around the floor like a good pint pot for no particular reason?"

"We need human blood, Spike. Emphasis on human. Sooner or later…"

"Right 'Elus. Good cope out to get some," Spike laughed.

"I don't! Usually. Take some. Or any. Fred used to give me anti-spasmodic drugs. They help," Angel rubbed his stomach feeling worse than he had before.

"Where are they? The drugs."

"I finished them off," Angel groaned before he could stop himself.

"Would there be any more of it in the lab? Well, take that back, with the destruction Illyria caused a few days ago…wait I have an idea," Spike opened the bathroom door and stepped into the area. He located a few clean cloths and dipped them into warm water, squeezed the excess water out and went back to put them on Angel stomach, "it gives you the sensation as if you just fed. You don't want the otter blood I guess?"