Now--Inside Spike's Room

Spike turned away from Dawn when the hotel room's door was imbedded in the wall. His arm snapped around and snatched the crossbow bold Angel fired at him from the air.

Dawn screamed.

"Bloody hell! What was that for?"

Angle grabbed spike by his shirtfront and slammed him into the wall. "What did you do to buffy?"

Spike was glad that his grandsire's glare couldn't incinerate him the way it promised to. "I didn't do a bloody thing to her!"

Angel punched him. "What. Did. You. Do?"

The younger vampire kneed his grandsire in the groin, causing Angel to lose his grip. "What are you talking about?" He slammed the elder vampire into the floor and pinned him there. The crossbow bolt he hadn't' let go of poked a hol in the elder vampire's shirt, just above his heart.

Blue eyes glared into brown, both waiting a small eternity for the other to speak. Angel felt a growl of anger rise in his chest, answered by one from Spike. Their eternity stretched on, filled by the rumbling growls of the two master vampires.

And then Spike felt two strong hands pull him off his grandsire and back several feet. He watched angrily as Buffy moved in to hold Angel back, and realized that one of the other Slayere-- Probably Faith--had come with Angel.


Angel fought against Buffy's restraining hands as Faith dragged Spike back. Why was she still protecting his grandchilde when he had obviously hurt her somehow? He growed more loudly when Faith let Spike go--and again as the younger vampire held out an arm to Dawn, who rushed into his embrace.

His attention snapped back to his Slayer when Buffy slapped him nearly hard enough to bruise. His growl tapered off when he saw the hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

Directed at him.

"Spike didn't hurt me tonight, Angel." Several more tears slid from her eyes. "You did."
A/N: Ok, ok. so it was the obligatory Spike/Angel fight. Really now, who didn't see it coming? but for those of you who think i'm getting overly cliche think again. stuff hasn't even warmed up yet!