It was late afternoon before David finally came out of his room. He looked worn out in his baggy khakis and 'I smile because I have no idea what's going on' T-shirt.

"Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence." Angel said

"Huh?"

"You've been in your room all day."

"Oh."

David plunked on the couch near Angel and began to fiddle with his bare feet.

"Wanna go out tonight?"

David shook his head.

"Oh come on, you're in town, how rare is this? I never get to see you."

To that, Angel got no response. He looked as if he'd just lost his best friend... or killed him.

"Dave." Angel said softly

David brought his amazingly blue eyes up to meet his older brothers.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

David shook his head.

"There's nothing." He replied "Nothing is wrong. I'm just tired. Been traveling for quite sometime." Then he smiled softly "It's really nice to see you. Know that you're in one piece."

Angel smiled. David stood.

"I missed you." He said softly.

Angel nodded.

"Likewise."

David shook a bit.

"Well, enough with the sappy stuff..."

But then he fell to his knees, clutching his head. His eyes stared out in terror. He was having a vision. He gasped, Angel ran to him, grabbing his shoulders to keep him from jerking violently. He then stared at his hands.

"BLOOD ON MY HANDS!" He shrieked, and moved away from Angel, rocking himself in the corner "It won't come clean."

He began to scratch himself. Angel moved to him, moving his hand.

"Stop it, you'll hurt yourself."

"Pain is punishment."

"Have you done something to deserve punishment?"

"Blood on my hands." He said again "Cries of pain. They beg and cry out for mercy. There shall be none."

Angel was reminded of how Drusillia was when she had a premination. It was also how she was all day every day. Loony.

"Who cries out?" Angel asked

"Faceless, nameless souls. Such soft flesh. Like butter. One poke and all their insides fall out."

He was reliving how he'd killed.

"So much blood. Blood on my hands not mine."

"Dave." Angel murmered "I'm so sorry."

David blinked, snaping out of his vision. Then he stood.

"What happened?" He asked, dazed

"You don't remember?" Angel asked

David shook his head.

"No."

"Oh." Angel said "You had a vision."

"Oh."

"You're a mercinary aren't you?"

"What?" He asked, shocked

Angel too, was surprised at how quickly and suddenly he'd brought it up, but something had to be said to help him.

"You're a mercenary for hire. An assassin."

"No I'm not."

"David, you just told me."

David lowered his eyes.

"I don't kill people."

"You do. I saw you last night. You came in with blood on your hands."

David moved away.

"No, you're lying."

"You stabbed that guy right through the heart, brutal and quick huh Dave? Don't like to hear 'em scream?"

"I haven't killed anyone!"

"Oh really? What about the guards two nights ago?" Angel replied, stepping in front of David "You stab them through the heart too? Did your blade go through them like butter? Did you hit your perfect mark, Bull's eye?"

"Stop."

"Did they scream? Did they try and fight? Beg and cry out for mercy? Did you show them some?"

"Please?"

"No, of course you didn't. Because what fun would that be? Letting them go? No, you killed them all didn't you? Their bloods still on your hands."

David pushed Angel back so fiercely that Angel fell to the floor.

"No!"

"You can scrub and scrub until your skin comes off and you can scrub some more. Rinsing and rinsing and watching the blood fade away. No matter what you do, there's always some left!"

"Stop it! Stop it! Just stop!"

David colasped in a heap of tears on the floor.

"I can't take it anymore."

Angel moved to him.

"I wanted to stop. I tried, but it seems like the harder I try to keep out of trouble, the more I get into it."

"Dave let me help you."

"And I keep trying to stop, and be right and make things right but I can't. I can't. I keep falling Angel. I keep slipping. And I can't keep holding on."

Angel sighed. There was a moment of silence.

"David." Angel said "I know you've never been great at taking care of yourself. And that you tend to get into trouble. The really bad kind. And, I've always been there. To take care of you, to catch you. Why didn't you just come to me?"

David stood.

"Because, I always run to you!"

"So?"

"So?" David asked "So? I am two-hundred and some change and I don't need to run to you. Look, I am I'm not that little nine year old boy who needs his big brother to come and save him. I don't need you to catch me anymore. All my life, I've run to you, because you were my brother, you were supposed to take care of me. Or so I thought."

"I am supposed to. I--"

"No! You're not! Angel, I'm a man now! I'm not that tiny nine year old boy that I was back in Galaway! I don't need you to carry me through life. I have to learn to stand on my own, and how to take care of myself. I can't always run to you."

"Why not?"

"Because it's wrong! I'm not supposed to depend on you to take care of everything. To come with the light and sword and fight away all of the monsters. I'm not a little boy Liam! I--"

He faultered.

"I'm all grown up." He finnished, speaking more to himself than to Angel.

"But part of being a grown up is knowing when to ask for help."

At this, David didn't reply. He simply silenced. And stared at him.