AN: Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming!

Chapter 12

Spike began to stir a few hours later. She felt Angel's arms hold onto her tighter to prevent her movement. She smiled.

"Don't move..." Angel playfully ordered Spike as he lay behind her. "What time is it anyway?" The dark vampire said sleepily.

Spike turned a bit towards the nightstand. "Um. 9:05."

"What!" Angel said as he shot up in bed. "Crap!" He said as he leapt out of bed and then tripped on the bed sheet. He fell with a thump onto the floor. Spike chuckled as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Graceful, pet." She smiled brightly.

"I have a conference call at 9:30." Angel complained as he rushed into the bathroom. He did not take long. Fifteen minutes later, he was showered and dressed. He joined Spike in the kitchen and nodded his head as Spike handed him a mug of blood. He smiled at her as she stood there drinking her blood wearing his shirt. It was so oversized that it reached below her knees. He had to concentrate and push away the desire to take her back to bed.

"Alright." He said as he downed the contents quickly. "I'll see you. Are you coming down later?" He asked.

"Yeah, maybe I'll come to the group meeting." She smirked. "If you're lucky!"

He embraced her and kissed her nose. "You better!" The two vampires laughed and kissed for a few minutes before Angel finally tore himself away.

Spike slept until noon. She slowly rose and showered. As she dressed, she felt a nervous flutter in her stomach. She and Angel had crossed a line that morning. She heard him say he loved her after they made love. She smiled briefly at the memory. What happened when she left the comfort of the penthouse? Would they return to their usual banter in front of the others? Would Angel deny their relationship like Buffy had done to him? Spike's legs felt weak for a moment as she reached out with her arm and lowered herself to the bed. She chewed her nails as she decided whether to go down to the offices. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. 'It's different this time.' She thought. 'Isn't it?' She placed her hands over her eyes and shook her head. "Don't be such a ninny, Spike." She said out loud as she forced herself to stand. She limped over to her cane and walked slowly over to the elevator. With each step, her nerves increased. She reluctantly pressed the button and the doors to the elevator opened. As they closed in front of her, she stood for about a minute before pressing the button to exit in Angel's office. "Well, no turnin' back now." She mumbled.

As she left the security of the elevator, Spike turned her head to the left and saw the entire group congregated at the large meeting table. They were in the midst of a discussion. So, Spike quietly grabbed a seat at the opposite end of Angel. Fred turned to her and smiled as she noticed the blond vampire take the seat next to her. Spike did not look at Angel; she tried to concentrate on what Wesley was saying.

"Angel, I simply worry that we have been distracted from our true mission by dealing with some of the unsavory aspects of the Firm. Half of our time is spent defending characters that would have been our enemies prior to coming here." The Ex-Watcher stood and placed his hands in his pockets. "Do you not see this?"

Angel had a pained look upon his face. He spoke defensively. "We all had our reasons for coming here. We knew it would be a challenge." He sighed. "And we are doing some good. Gunn?" The dark vampire looked to his legal eagle for some support.

"Granted, our methods have changed." The handsome vampire hunter began. "But we have managed to do an inordinate amount of good works." He shrugged. "Sometimes, I miss the old days though. Mixing it up; getting our hands dirty. But all in all, I think we do good work here."

Wesley stood there with an angry look on his face. "And your legal brain upload certainly contributed to your fondness for this place, eh Gunn?"

Gunn stood and walked over to Wesley. "If you have something to say, English..." He growled.

Fred spoke with a worried but warning tone. "Wesley..."

Lorne interjected before things escalated. "Come on, friends. We're all in this together."

"I agree, Lorne. Wes?" Angel turned to the figure now staring out the window. Wesley nodded his head and took his seat. Gunn followed suit.

"Good." Angel said as he looked down at his notes. As his head rose, he briefly eyed Spike to smile and noticed she was looking away. "Now, about the Schukack demons?"

Wesley sighed and then responded. "Yes, I believe they are preying on innocent demons just outside the city. We need some more reconnaissance. There are a few people in my department that may be up to the challenge."

"Hey!" Spike interjected as she turned to the group. "Recon is my job. Remember, Percy?"

Wesley was taken aback. "W-Well..." He was not sure how to respond. "Since, your illness..." He trailed off when he noticed the fire in her eyes.

"Spike." Angel started. His voice was not forceful or annoyed like in the past. "We are confident that when you are stronger, you can continue with that work." He continued quickly as he saw her open her mouth to speak. "I don't want to see anything interfere with your recovery." He smiled at her and was pleased to see her return it.

"Fine." She huffed almost playfully. Everyone in the room noticed the thawing of their relationship. Fred lightly kicked Spike under the table. She smiled brightly at her friend.

"Okay, assign recon to your department, Wes. Anything else?" The dark vampire looked at his watch and then surveyed the room. "I have another meeting in five minutes." Angel said with little enthusiasm in his voice.

"With whom, Angelcakes?" Lorne asked.

"Hamilton. Our liaison to the Senior Partners." Angel rubbed his eyes to relieve the tension in his head.

The group dispersed and left Angel's office. Spike hung back and watched Angel as he walked to his desk. She frowned with worry as she noticed the posture of her Grandsire. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Angel smiled as he lifted her up and hugged her like his life depended on it. After he set her down, Spike looked up at him. "You okay, Pet?" Her voice was filled with concern.

"Yeah." Angel shook his head. "Sometimes...it's just...this place."

Spike remembered when he first returned as a ghost and berated Angel about fighting within the belly of the Wolfram and Hart beast. She still believed this was true. She could not understand why Angel could not see it as well.

"Angel." Spike hesitated. "Maybe Percy was right?" She was taken aback as Angel quickly turned away and hung his head. Her small hand turned his head back towards her. "Luv?" Spike felt fear in her heart as she watched Angel. "Why did you come here?" Her bright blue eyes tried to seek the truth as she continued to stare at him. "You can tell me."

Angel did not speak. Instead, he kissed her forehead and then chastely kissed her lips. Spike tried to speak again but was interrupted when Gunn burst back into Angel's office.

"Angel. About the deposition tomorrow..." He trailed off when he saw the two vampire in a lover's embrace. "Um...sorry." Gunn said as he blushed with embarrassment.

Spike's eyes were wide and she quickly tried to disengage herself from Angel when Gunn entered the room. Angel continued to hold her tight. He quickly kissed her forehead and turned to Gunn.

"Why don't you come back later, Gunn. Okay? I'm a bit busy right now." He said with a smile as he looked down at Spike again and kissed her on the lips.

"Uh...sure." Gunn said as he hurriedly left the room.

Spike's lips were tense as she pulled back from Angel.

"What?" The dark vampire said.

Spike looked at Angel and could not even answer him. She saw love shining in his eyes and her undead heart jumped for joy. For the first time in Spike's existence, the blond vampire felt truly desired. It nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"Nothing." She finally responded. "Just kiss me, Peaches."

TBC...