A/N: Thank you all again for the positive reviews!

Angel slammed the cell door shut and bolted it. The Kraal lay inside still mercifully asleep. Angel's ears were still ringing from having to listen to Spike rambling away the whole walk back to Wolfram and Hart.

Now he stood outside one of the holding cells with Wesley, Buffy, Dawn and Spike. Wesley had handcuffed the Kraal's feet then tied the feet and hand binding together with a length of chain so that the demon couldn't effectively move.

"Now what?" Dawn asked.

"Now, we wait until it wakes up" Angel says "How long is it likely to be, Wes?"

The ex-Watcher looked up "In it's highly unstable state of mind and body I would say at least several hours"

"Damn," Buffy sighed, rubbing her head "It's been a long night. I think Dawn should go to the hotel and get some rest; I'll stay here and make sure that when it wakes it doesn't get out"

"There's no need, I'll put a team on it" Angel replied.

"I'd rather watch myself," She said "Just to make sure. I feel better if there's someone I can trust with this. And I trust myself"

"Right sure" Angel's eyes narrowed "While you're doing that, maybe you can give Giles a call and thank him for all the help he didn't give Fred"

Buffy watched as the vampire turned on his heel and walked out of the door. Everyone in the room had collectively held their breath, minus Spike. Buffy sighed. She had no real idea what Angel was talking about but she was going to make sure she asked Giles about it. Whatever it was, it had gotten Angel pretty mad.

Dawn cleared her throat "So, you want be to go back to the hotel?"

"Yeah, I'd be grateful if someone took her" Buffy said.

"I will –" Spike started.

"No, you stay here and help Buffy keep watch," Wesley patted him on the shoulder, looked him in the eye pointedly "I will take Dawn home"

Wesley placed his hand on Dawn's lower back and guided her out of the room before following. Buffy rolled her eyes and sat on a chair. It was obvious what her old Watcher was trying to do. To get Buffy and Spike to reconcile. She pulled the chair around to face the cell with the Kraal in it.

She was aware of Spike still standing behind her and off to the left. He rocked from foot to foot, the leather of his boots and duster creaking, the scent of tobacco and cigarette smoking entering her nostrils.

He cleared his throat and then took up a position leaning against the wall, arms folder, one foot up on the wall behind him. He was also concentrating all of his attention on the Kraal. Buffy took this time to study him out of the corner of her eye. He looked the same as he had back in Sunnydale, which wasn't surprising since he never aged. Still, there was something different about him. Buffy put her finger on it almost immediately.

Spike was happy.

She remembered his playing around on the radios, the way he was included in group discussions fully, his obvious like for this girl "Fred" – she could see it in him every time he looked at Illyria. Spike had friends here, real friends and they treated him as equal. Sure, he still sniped at Angel but Buffy could tell that the two of them were bonding in a way. They worked well together, as a team they functioned pretty much as a unit.

Spike had never really had that back in Sunnydale. The gang had never fully accepted him, always been slightly reluctant to include him in anything. They had fought well together though, Buffy and he, but it had been a long time coming before they had trusted each other enough. Just when it all seemed to be changing for the better he had died.

And now he had this whole new life. A better life.

Buffy had seen him smile more times in the short while she had been back in L.A then in the whole last year in Sunnydale.

She was glad for him, she really was but there was still a small, stupid, selfish part of her that was upset by the whole thing. That he could find happiness here so quickly when he had never fully had it in Sunnydale. With her.

"Are you gonna stare at me all night, or what?" Spike said, trying to sound casual and disinterested but failing.

Buffy felt a hot flush creep up her neck, looked away back to the cage "Maybe. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how you could be such an idiot"

"Oh, I'm the idiot?" Spike pushed off the wall, standing straight, and pointed at her "How do you figure?"

She turned her face to him "You must be an idiot. I mean, who comes back from the dead and then just doesn't bother to tell the people they supposedly care about?"

"Look, it wasn't like that…I…I can't explain it to you," Spike said, rubbing his head "But there were valid reasons for me. And…the longer I put it off the harder it was to do"

Buffy rolled her eyes and turned back to the Kraal in the cage. She crossed her legs and folded her arms – the picture of Ice Queen cool. Spike began to pace behind her, the way an anxious dog would when it wanted to get outside. William the Bloody obviously wanted to leave.

"Why don't you just go? I can handle this without you" She said coolly.

"Of course you can. Miss. Control Freak"

Buffy stood and turned to him glaring "Maybe I'm a control freak because I need to be! To do my job!"

"And what's that then? You're one of many Slayers now, you could give it up completely" Spike stepped closer to her "But you don't because you're afraid to feel useless. Slayer blood is pumping through your veins and you gotta keep doing it so you can keep getting the rush you get from killing the bad guys"

"Nothing wrong with that, it's better than working for them"

Spike snorted "Yeah, sure. Except you always have to go it alone"

"It's safer that way"

"No, you mean it's easier," He stepped into her again "It's easier for you to be alone. That way you don't have to worry about losing someone you give a damn about"

"And you're saying that's a bad thing? That I want to protect the people I love?"

"No, it's not but maybe sometimes you could let them protect you for once," Spike shook his head "Or at least stand side by side with you"

"What are you even talking about? I fight along side my friends, we fought together…" Buffy looked at him.

Spike leaned into her face, looking her deep in the eyes as he whispered "I'm not just talking about in battle"

Buffy looked back at her for a few moments. His close proximity was producing feelings she didn't need to be having right now.

She placed her hands on his chest and shoved him back a couple of steps "There's a little thing called personal space, ever heard of it?"

"Sure, I've been in yours," Spike remarked crudely, smirking.

The Slayer pulled her fist back and let is land right on the mark. Spike's nose.

Spike stumbled back a step. Looked at her. Then punched her right back.

A/N: Oh my! (aren't my author notes just so useful and informative?)