CHAPTER THREE

In the tight quarters of their temporary headquarters, Spike shifted on his makeshift mattress. Most everyone slept through the night and well into the day, including him. Even Angel who had put up a huge fight when the hospital made him leave when visiting hours were up had slept until the sun had set once more. Everyone was tucked away in a warehouse that Lorne owned. Wolfram and Hart had set the demon up with the building with an eye to reclaiming the warehouse area for a club.

Lorne had managed to even get a little bedding to lay on the floor and some food for the Slayers but no blood. It was almost enough to make Spike forgive the demon for sticking it to them in the end. He couldn't believe Lorne had just run out on them when every fighter was needed. He didn't want to hear Peaches' lame excuses about letting Lorne go, how he wasn't a warrior. It was weak. It was even weaker that Lorne required cajoling to allow them in the warehouse, as if the mere presence of the Slayers would bring more demons. In all fairness, there was some truth to that dear. He glanced around to see if Illyria was accounted for. The demoness was in a corner, maybe asleep. Did she even do that? Spotting Angel prowling around restlessly, Spike made his way over.

"I'm debating if I'm too tired to go back out there right now or not," Spike said, even if there was no real debate. He knew he was going to go but he wanted to leave an out if Angel was too injured or exhausted.

Angel spread his hands wide. "I'm going. I need something to take my mind off the hospital."

"Care to tell me about Junior?" Spike put a cigarette to his lips then glanced around at the sleeping Slayers and settled for sucking on the filter. "I heard Buffy and Faith talking, not to me mind you, but about us, you more so than me." Spike managed to look hurt at this. "They were talking nonsense about the scrawny mite in the hospital being your brat but we both know Dru and Penn are the only type of kids you can have. I know the yob was a Wolfram and Hart project."

"You heard them right." Angel scrubbed a hand over his hair, feeling the grit. He needed a shower but there just wasn't time or facilities. "It's a very long story and I'm not in the mood to tell it again."

Spike opened his mouth to protest but the defeated look on his grandsire's face made him rethink it. This wasn't the time to be irritating anyone. "What happens now?"

Angel shook his head. "I have no answers, Spike. I'm not even sure how the rift closed or why we're still alive."

"I can probably help you there."

Both vampires turned to look at Lorne. The demon's eyes were dulled with fatigue and his color had gone dead fish green. "I called Meerna and some other dimensional experts. They managed to get the portal closed."

Spike looked at Loren a little less hostilely. The demon had done what he was best suited at, putting the right people together to get results. "Thanks."

Angel nodded, managing a grateful look. "Good work, Lorne, and about that other matter I asked you do to…I'm sorry. That was wrong of me. I should have handled it myself."

Lorne's lips thinned. "Yes, you should have but it's done."

Angel nodded again and Spike wondered what kind of unpleasant task the green demon had been assigned to do. Whatever it was, he could see the toll it had taken. "Lorne, the Slayers need a safe place to stay for the duration while the city's in chaos. There's nowhere for them to go. Is it possible-"

"They can stay here," Lorne cut in, his body tensing as he looked at the sleeping women, some mere girls.

Spike could see the surprise in Angel's eyes. "Are you sure?"

Lorne nodded. His eyes dimmed as he gave something a moment's thought. "I was thinking of heading out of town and you can have the warehouse for as long as you need. I was on my way to new endeavors even before the attack. This will work out for the both of us."

Angel's lips pulled into a thin line. "We could use the help here, Lorne."

"I've never been a warrior, Angel-cakes." Lorne held up his hands. "You know that, no matter what we shared in the past."

"You're good at putting people together and getting resources to where they need to be," Spike argued, noting Angel's nod of agreement. "The Slayers could use that."

"Most of my lines have been cut," Lorne hedged, looking at the vampires uneasily.

"Cut or not, you'll do better at it than me and Spike," Angel contended.

Lorne shoulder's slumped under his stained silk shirt. "I could give it a try for a little while."

"That's all I can ask and thanks." Angel sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. "Getting out of town sounds good to me, too, Lorne. It really does."

Spike looked at Angel, shocked. He hadn't expect to hear defeat. Angel was usually Mr. Perseverance; well, Angelus had been and Buffy-influenced Angel seemed to share the trait. Angel looked utterly defeated. Of course, taking a peek outside could make anyone feel vanquished. Lorne just nodded and moved off.

Tapping Angel's shoulder, Spike nodded over to where Buffy and Faith were sleeping. "What are we going to do about them?"

Angel shrugged. That wasn't the response Spike wanted. Angel usually had a plan. "I don't know. They're not exactly our biggest fans right now."

"Well, we did get them involved in a battle that killed off a lot of their kind and let demons run loose but this cold shoulder shit isn't about that, is it? It has to do with what that little prat, Andrew, said." Spike curled his lip then made air quotes as he said, "We've gone evil."

"Got it in one," Angel said sardonically, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I pointed out that, in that case, shouldn't they have done more about it, like kill us when they found out. Right now they're not happy on so many levels."

"We probably should talk to them," Spike ventured uneasily. He wasn't looking forward to it and his senses were screaming to run out into the night. He didn't like being surrounded by so many Slayers.

A banging on the man-door of the warehouse echoed through the building. Several Slayers woke as the vampires exchanged looks and started for the door. Angel cautiously opened it and only saw a shadow at first in the pale safety light then the outline of a very large gun. The man at the door stood in police position off to the side for his own safely. He peeled off his Kevlar helmet.

Angel knew the freshly revealed farm boy face all too well. "Riley," he said, softly.

Finn's blue eyes were hard and tired. "Some of the demons know you and the Slayers are here."

"I guessed that someone must know if you're standing on our doorstep," Angel replied, wearily. Spike shifted from foot to foot, irritated that Riley hadn't even addressed him and assume that Angel was in charge. "How many teams of demon-hunting military men are here?"

"Not enough," Riley said, his voice betraying his fatigue.

Angel took a step back. "Come in. You look like you could use a place to rest."

"Probably should tell Buffy and Faith that Soldier Boy's back in town," Spike said, noticing Riley's lips tighten at the mention of the girls' names.

Finn nodded and beckoned to his companions. Several weary and bloodied soldiers came inside the warehouse and Angel barred the door behind them.

"Good to see you here, Soldier Boy," Spike said, studying Riley's tired face. "We could use your help."

"Bet you never thought you'd say that." Riley's lips quirked up.

Spike snorted.

"Spike's right though. The Slayers are exhausted and Spike and I are only good at night." Angel glanced back at the door. "Which I know it is now but we got torn up pretty good."

"How far did the demons spread?"

Spike hadn't heard Buffy's approach but he wasn't surprised at her question nor over the fact that she and Faith practically materialized at their side.

"They've gotten as far as the Midwest already," Riley replied then his face softened a bit. "Hello, Buffy." The hard mask went back on when he added, "Faith."

Faith didn't look too put out at his anger, as if expecting it. The group moved deeper into the warehouse away from the curious eyes of the younger Slayers who had roused at the knocking at the door. Riley's men just started sagging down wherever there was enough open space to lie down in. Riley sat against the wall and the others ringed around him.

"There are only three teams here in L.A.," he said without preamble. "More teams have gone after the leading edge of the hoard. I'll assume you all know what in the hell happened."

Spike and Angel took turns telling the story with some interjections from the Slayers. Riley just listened silently, taking it all in. "But the rift is close?" he asked at the end.

Angel nodded, shifting his weight painfully, letting the wall support him. "According to Lorne. I don't know how badly I damaged Wolfram and Hart by killing their liaison. The building is gone but both were just the tip of a multi-dimensional iceberg."

"How did you get involved with them?" Riley asked and Buffy looked acutely embarrassed that he had asked the one question no one from her crew had thought to. They had just assumed the worst.

"Another long story," Angel sighed and shared an abridged version. Spike was shocked by some of the details since they were ones he had asked about earlier in regards to the kid Angel was so ripped up about, and was told Angel was too tired to tell the story. Even Spike had trouble believing parts of it.

Riley's eyes widened more and more as Angel's story went on. "You have a son?" was all he could say.

"He's in the hospital," Buffy said with enough sympathy to catch Angel's attention. She sagged a little, resting back on her elbows.

"This is a lot to absorb…and then forget. The government doesn't need to know any of this," Riley said, shaking his head.

Angel sighed like Atlas had come back to take the world back off the vampire's shoulders. "Thanks.

"Yes, thanks Riley." Buffy reached out to him then suddenly remembered he was off limits now and dropped her hand. "How do you want our Slayers to work with you and your men?"

Riley rubbed his face. "Let me catch a few minutes of sleep then ask me. How many of there are you?"

"Less than there was a day ago," Faith said sharply, casting her gaze out over the girls bedded down in the warehouse. "Most of the ones left are the older girls. They've all been at it for a year now but a lot of the younger ones were picked off long before this, before we could even find them. A lot more died during the battle." She sounded bone-weary and just a little sick.

"Is it just us and your men or is there other help coming?" Spike interjected, resisting the urge to put a comforting hand on Faith's shoulder.

"For the demon problem, it's just us." Riley rubbed his face. "The National Guard is coming to deal with the looters and other wastes of skin that take advantage of the chaos."

"Do we stand a chance of stopping all of this?" Buffy asked, looking afraid of the answer.

"There's a good chance," Riley said, his eyes starting to droop.

Buffy glanced back at the sleeping soldiers. "I don't see Sam." There was a hint of worry and jealousy in her voice.

"She's in Wisconsin," he said with a warm smile. "With our daughter, Rachael. She's six months old."

Spike noted the slight forced nature of Buffy's smile. He felt sorry for her. She still obviously had a little feeling left for Riley…not to mention for Angel and himself. Could there be much left of her heart to share?

"That's great, Riley, congratulations," she said, managing to sound happy for him.

"She's beautiful. When I'm not dead, I'll show you a picture," Riley promised either too proud a father to notice his former lover's discomfort or too tired to care.

"Get some sleep. There's still some hours left of night. Spike and I will be going out. I feel rested enough," Angel said, even though Spike knew it was mostly bravado. The vampire looked spent.

Riley didn't argue. He just folded up on the floor. The vampires and Slayers moved off to let him sleep.

"I think some of the girls are ready to go back out there," Faith said, waving a hand at some of the girls who were on their feet.

Angel nodded. "We can divide up the city."

Buffy nodded. "Good idea. You two are still injured. Are you sure you're up to it?"

Spike smiled at the Slayer, pleased that she was beginning to thaw towards them, maybe seeing that this wasn't all their fault. "We still have some fight in us."

"Spike's right. We've rested enough," Angel said. "It's time to take the fight back out there."

"I'll go get Illyria," Spike said, moving off to round her up.

Spike found himself looking forward to it. He had nothing to prove, he told himself but in the back of his mind he knew he did, at least to himself. Besides, he was being useless here. Damn them all for making him more comfortable with being a white hat than being where he, by nature, belonged. He shoved that thought out of his mind as he followed his grandsire into the night.