A/N: Ooooh lookie, another chapter aren't we honoured : ) Anyway I promised myself I would make at least one more update before christmas and this story came out tops, so here it is. Anyway I felt like a bit of bonding time for the boys so that's coming up as soon as I can be bothered to write it. As usual, more reviews makes me update faster, and seeing as I only got 2 reviews for my last chapter I'm hoping people are still reading this and they can inform of that when they are taking 2 minutes to review, please?

Anyway, here we go, Chapter seven of Normal Again. (un-beta'ed because I'm having problems with my e-mail at the moment and can't access any of them, I'll let you know when I can work out what's wrong with them myself)

"ANGEL??" Xander shook his head furiously, "No, no way, no no and no!" He pleadingly looked into the eyes of Spike, hoping to gain some backup.

"Whelp's got a point Slayer, Angel being here would only cause trouble"

"This coming from his biggest fan club?"

"Come on Buffy, we can cope without Angel, you can cope without Angel"

"I can cope without Angel, but this isn't about me, it's about you Xander, and if you're in trouble we need all the help we can get"

"Why, because I'm so helpless? Because I can't look after myself?"

"Xander, that's not what she meant and you know it" Willow finally intercepted, she had kept out of the argument so far, not wanting to have to take sides and choose one of her best friends but things were starting to spiral out of control and she wanted to stop everything before someone said something they may regret later on.

"Oh come on then, lets all tell Xander how useless he is shall we?" Xander was starting to get seriously angry, no one was seeing things from his point of view. He couldn't see Angel, it was bad enough with Spike being around all the time, if he had to see Angel as well then he was bound to let something slip at one time or the other and he couldn't deal with that right now, especially not after meeting Liam for the first time.

"That's not what we're trying to do at all Xander, I just want you to see the big picture here"

"Fine lecture me now, tell me how I'm being selfish, endangering other people because of my personal differences with Angel"

"You aren't endangering other people Xander, but you could be endangering yourself, look Cordelia said-"

"I don't care what Cordelia said so just leave it Buffy ok?" Xander span around and grabbed his coat off the rack before opening the door "I'm going to patrol"

"Xander you-" Buffy stopped herself just in time, she didn't think that Xander was in a mood to appreciate her pointing out that he never chose to patrol, and that he really shouldn't. "Take Spike with you at least"

With a mumbled "Whatever" Xander was out of the door, closely followed by the peroxide blonde vampire.

"So, what's all this with you and the Slayer? Had a little bust up have we?"

"No"

"Not what it seemed like to me. So why are you so against Peaches coming to stay anyway, especially if it's for your health"

"Everyone knows I hate Deadboy, of course I don't want him to come over. And besides, that vision didn't say I was in danger. Cordy just had a vision and I was in it, she can't even remember anything else so I don't see any reason to get worried"

Spike gave the brunette an evaluating look as he turned away and began to look at anything but Spike's eyes. Spike could tell that there was something more to the 'I hate Deadboy' theory, there was something else causing Xander to want to stay away from Angel, and he was betting his unlife that it was conencted to whatever had been causing the young slayerette to act strangley the past week or so.

"Stop looking at me like that Fangless"

"Looking at you like what?"

"Like that" Xander shot Spike an irritated look and was briefly surprised at the look of concern he saw in the blonde's eyes, it reminded him too much of William so he quickly looked away and concentrated intently on the tree in front of him.

"Look mate, I'm not normally one to try and give advice, especially not to the likes of you, but somethings bothering you and quite frankly it's pissing me off not knowing what it is. So either open your mouth and tell someone about it, cry on your little girly friend's shoulder or whatever, or sort out the problem by yourself. But whatever happens you need to do something before it gets out of hand"

"What do you care?"

"I don't, but I've been through it all myself. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love" Xander gave Spike a look as if he'd grown two heads before he realised he thought that he was cut up about Anya, well what duid he know? All of his problems had started after that anyway. And since when had blondie cared about his problems?

"It's not about that"

"Well it's gotta be about a woman, to get you that pissed at your mates"

"It isn't about a woman. Believe me, it's not about a woman"

"Then a guy, whatever I really don't care, but you need to get it sorted out"

"Look Will, I appreciate that you're trying to help, or maybe you aren't I don't actually know what the hell you are doing, trying to do, or whatever but I don't need advice from you or anybody else my problems are my own and I can sort them out my own way, ok, and what are you looking at?" Spike was giving him the strangest of looks and it was starting to annoy him.

"What did you just call me?"

"What do you mean? You take 'til now to realise that all these times I've been calling you Fangless and Willy Wannabite that I've been insulting you?"

"You weren't insulting me, what did you just call me?"

Suddenly Xander froze, he'd called Spike Will, a stupid mistake, stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Look Spike, we're meant to be patrolling, but there obviously aren't any vampires out tonight so we might as well go home"

Xander was stopped from making a hasty retreat by a firm grip on his upper arm, he slowly lifted his head and looked into Spike's eyes and realised that he wasn't going to be able to talk himself out of this situation, unless said talking included an explanation in full. Spike began to pull Xander gently and he wasn't given any resistance, Xander had realised that he was going to have to explain and he had accepted the fact.

"Where are we going?"

"My crypt, and you and me are going to have a nice little chat"

Spike led the young boy off, further into the cemetary and he was going to get to the bottom of all of the strange bhaviour once and for all, especially as it seemed to involve him and Angel in some way, and whatever it was he was fianlly going to know for himself what it was, he had wanted to know for a while, it was his nosy vampire nature.

Well that's what he kept telling himself, there was no part of himself that felt concerned for the boy. Nope, no part of him at all.