Authors Note: This is the sequel to Darkness Within. I highly recomend you reading that story first before this one, without it, I don't think you'll understand this story too well.

Authors Note 2: I hope all of you who gave me some... colorful reveiws :), like this chapter. I'm afraid you're not going to get much because it is just the first chapter but at least you know that the story is on the way and you can stop you're tireless man hunt to track me down and torture me. :) X-mas vacation is almost over for me though so it might take awhile to get the next chapter up. Enjoy this one as much as you guys can.

Chapter One

Questions Unanswered

"You stabbed her?"

"I didn't hit anything important."

"You stabbed her."

"I avoided the major arteries!"

"You still STABBED HER! God! I knew you were stupid but even I didn't think you would do something as stupid as this."

The booming voices rolled like thunder above me, but I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes. My head felt like it was splitting in two at the moment, and my heart was doing that rapid thumping thing, like it was working harder then it ever had before.

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know Spike," the man's voice said dangerously. "You could have knocked her out, scared her, anything but stab her!"

"Would you calm down? Look at her, she'll be fine."

"She's bleeding, she hasn't woke up, clarify how the hell that's supposed to be fine."

The voiced sounded familiar, but I just couldn't reach out to it through the fog that clouded my mind. I knew I was being carried, I could feel my body resting in the arms of some man. But other then that, I was numb. Nothing was getting through to me except for the voices and the stinging sensation I felt at my side. The one that was slowly turning into white hot pain.

"She's not dead. How's that for clarification?"

"For once in your life be useful and go get me some water and bandages."

Somewhere in the distance I heard a mumbled reply followed by the slamming of a door. Placing me on what I could only guess was a bed, cold hands reached under my shirt and started to pull it up. I wanted to yell in protest. Kick, scream, anything to keep this man's hands off me. But all I could do was lay still and feel the material of my shirt slide off me.

"Here's your bloody water and bandages." Spike, which for some reason I was only now realizing, said with a harsh tone. This was wrong. Spikes' name had been mentioned at least twice before and it was only now registering. My mind could barley even keep hold of the fact that Spike was here, somewhere, because slowly that white hot pain was taking over. So many questions ran through my head. How did I get here? Who was the other man? Why the hell was Spike even alive? These thoughts were nothing more then blips on my radar screen though as blackness started to enclose the edges of my mind. The capacity to think was slowly becoming less and less.

I felt the cold water splash onto my suddenly tight skin, beading together to drip down my side. What was even more disturbing though was the fact that the mans hands were the same temperature as the water. It could only mean one thing. Vampire. But my senses weren't going all wacky like they should be. I had at the very least two vamps in the room and yet… the feeling I was getting, the tingle down my spine, it wasn't what I should have been feeling at the moment. At least that was the last thought I had before I succumbed to total darkness.

When I woke, I was able to open my eyes this time. Not that it seemed to matter though since my vision was bleary at best and what I could see was clouded in the same oppressing darkness I had been feeling for the past who knows how many hours. A single flame by the bedside seemed to be my only salvation.

Despite that though, I couldn't for the life of me figure out where I was. The room was definitely lacking personality. It had plane grey stone walls and no furniture except the bed I was laying on and the small table to my right. Flexing my muscles, I started to prepare myself to get up. The only thought that was in my mind at the moment was the fact that I needed to get out of here. That's when I felt the cool hands wrapped in mine.

My mind stopped. Images of Spike came rushing back to me. The cold steel as it slid into the fleshy part of my side, the voices of him and another man arguing. The soft touch before I had blacked out. But was all that real? Or was it some pain induced dream? The only part that I felt with some confidence was real, was the knowledge of Spike stabbing me. But now what? Was I dead… again? Or was it something else, something worse?

Slowly, making sure not to disturb the person next to me, I turned my head. Pain crackled under my skin as my muscles protested the movement. It didn't matter at the moment though. I had been through worse in my life, and if I didn't get out of here, more pain was almost guaranteed to come.

What I saw though, made my breath catch in my throat. Angel had his hands securely wrapped around mine, his head resting on the bed in front of him. I smiled sadly. It never ceased to amaze me that no matter what was happening, one glance at the man before me, and nothing else in the world mattered.

His hair was mused to the point that looked like he hadn't slept in days, and a small welt was appearing under his left eye. But what worried me most was the gash that ran from his temple down to his chin.

As if sensing me, he stirred slightly and lifted his head. Looking at me through glassy eyes he starred at me, not quite believing that I was awake.

"Hey stranger." I smiled softly, squeezing his hand.

It only took a beat before he threw his arms around me. "God Buffy," He said, kissing my shoulder, my forehead, anything that he could reach. "I thought…" he hugged me even tighter as he trailed off once again.

"Umm… Angel? Not that this isn't great and all but, I kind of need to breathe."

"Oh!" He pulled away from me quickly but still kept his hands firmly on my shoulders. "Sorry, I just… I didn't think you were going to wake up."

"Hey, I did that one already. It's not going to happen again. Hopefully." I added as an after thought. He smiled and leaned in to kiss me on the lips. "Not so fast." More then anything I wanted to feel his lips on mine, to take comfort in the only man that ever truly made me feel alive. But there was still the small incident where he had just disappeared on me, cutting off contact for days at a time. And then the whole Spike suddenly showing up and stabbing me… more important things needed to be handled before I allowed myself to rest. "First tell me where we are?"

He looked at me, no doubt confused as to why this seemed to take priority over him. In truth, I was right there with him. "I can't do that."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "And why is that?"

"Because you might get a little… upset."

"Me being upset is going to be the least of your problems if you don't tell me what the hell is going on around here. Now talk." I said, trying to add an icy tone to my voice, but it obviously didn't come through to clearly.

Angel sighed and leaned back a bit more. "We're at Spikes house."

I starred at him. "I'm sorry, did you just say…"

"Yup."

Insanity and confusion seemed to be a common theme with me lately. "You do know that he tried to kill me right?"

"It was for a good cause." He tried to say.

"Don't try and weasel your way out of this one. What the hell is going on here?"

"Buffy, you're hurt. Maybe you should take it easy for awhile. You know, rest."

"Angel, you were gone for nearly two weeks. I get no word telling me that you're okay, I was left in a house going stir crazy with your son, and now I have a wound the size of Texas in my side because of a vampire who we both know is criminally insane and now you're telling me that we're in that said vampires house! I don't want to rest! I want answers." I shot up trying to prove my point, but the moment I did, I instantly regretted it. Pain ran up and down my side, sending bolts of electricity to my brain. Angel was there the instant I let the cry of pain be released from my throat.

Gently he lowered me back down and kissed me on the forehead. "I told you, you need to rest." He had that satisfied smirk on his face that all males get when they've beaten a woman in something.

Angel was right. I did need the rest. Even if I wanted too, getting out of this bed would prove to be a challenge, even for a Slayer. "I'm going to get bored." I stated. Lame? Yes. But if he wasn't going to let me get my way, then I was going to be as difficult as possible.

"I'll keep you company then."

"Yes, and while you're keeping me company you can tell me that grand little tale about how you went off to help some hooker and wind up staying in a house with the man… excuse me, vampire, who stabbed me." I smiled at him sweetly.

"That's not happening I hope you know."

"Angel." I whined.

"No. You're not getting anything out of me. Now sit still. I need to check on your wound."

Settling back into the soft blankets I retained the scowl on my face. That is until his hand brushed my side. Hissing in pain, my back nearly arched off the bed.

"Sorry," he amended. "I tried to irrigate it as much as I could earlier, but I still think you're going to get an infection. All thanks to Spike of course." He added with a bitter note at the end.

"You were the one that dressed my wound before?"

"Yeah." He looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Thank god. I thought it was some creep touching me and…"

Angel laughed. "Leave it to you to think off that while you should be dying." Applying a green pasty ointment to my skin he covered it back up with a fresh piece of gauze. A cooling sensation replaced a portion of the heated feeling that was currently running through my midsection.

"What was that stuff?"

"I'm not sure. Julia made it."

"Who's Julia?"

"Just a person I know." I glared daggers at him, causing him to fidget back and fourth between the first aid kit and the freshly tapped gauze. "Alright! She's the girl I went to help."

"The hooker!" I yelled. I didn't mean to, but jealously suddenly seemed to rear it's ugly head.

"Buffy…"

"No, don't you dare Buffy me. She's the one that's gotten us into this mess in the first place. If it wasn't for her you and I would be back with Connor and the least of our worries would be how to stop Leon. But no… Now I am stabbed, you look like hell, and we're in a house with Spike!"

"I know that things don't seem good at the moment…" He trailed off as I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him the full on Slayer look. "I'll tell you everything Buffy, trust me. But right now you need your rest. You can barley keep your eyes open."

He was right. I hate it when he's right, but at that moment he was. My eyelids felt like they had lead weights attached to them and every muscle in my body seemed to ache. Giving in, although I'd never admit it to anyone else, I uncrossed my arms and looked at him. "The moment I feel better, I want to hear everything."

He nodded his head slightly and started heading for the door. "I'll come back and check on you in a little while."

"Angel?" I called before he placed his hand on the doorknob. "Do you think you could stay? Just until I fall asleep." I don't think he could help the small ghost of a smile that crossed over his face at the moment.

"Of course." Moving over to the bed he lowered himself gently, favoring his left side.

I frowned. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine."

Ignoring his claim I pulled up his shirt. A whole the size of my fist stood out prominently, with the skin around it frayed and charred black as night. "What happened to you?" I looked at him in horror.

He kissed me lightly on the lips. "Rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

I was about to protest, but I soon saw that he wasn't just asking me to rest for my sake, his body was starting to rebel too. He needed sleep as much as I did at the moment. So without any further discussion, I snuggled up close to him as he pulled me tightly against his chest.

"Buffy?"

"Hmm?" I barley got out as I was already starting to drift off.

"I love you." He said so quietly that I almost couldn't hear him. But I did, and at that moment, it meant the world to me.

Authors Note: Review and tell me how you think I'm doing.