Took me long enough huh? Well I'm finally back and trying to finish this story and perhaps start a sequel to it. I'm thinking of calling it "Living Dreams" Well on to chapter 17, we're getting to the end.

Chapter 17: Promises to keep and Lovers who sleep

Angel jerked awake, suddenly alert as the man next to him continued to shake him. Turning to look upwards, he found Giles smiling down at hi.

"What time is it?" he asked. He felt a little out of order, not remembering drifting off.

"6:00 am," Giles answered, his head still held a bandage from his accident three days ago. Hard to believe it had been that long ago. Cleaning his glasses Giles advised, "Go home son and get some sleep. You've been here for the last twelve hours." He had to admire the boy; Angel really cared for his niece.

Angel shook his head, "I want to be here when she wakes up." If she wakes up, and of a few hours ago the doctors weren't so sure. The head injure Buffy had sustained as serious, and could possibly kill her.

"I'll call you if there is any change; but you know she'll be unhappy if you haven't taken care of yourself while she is here." Angel barely contained a groan, knowing the older man was correct, besides a shower and some actual sleep was starting to sound really good.

Giles turned to talk to the incoming nurse about any new information the doctor might have on Buffy's condition. Angel bent over the bed and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I love you," he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him. Picking up his keys, he walked by Giles and headed down to his car.

Starting the engine he could hardly believe it had been three days since they had found her.

He'd been too late. A car coming down the opposite direction of the street.

The driver hadn't seen the two figures in the road, but then he had barely been able to miss them through the rain.

He could remember screaming as he threw the car in to park, and went racing towards the figures, as the opposite car came to a screeching halt.

Connecting with one of the figures, and hitting the wall of the factory.

That's when he had heard the noise. The sound of the gun being fired and the smaller figure dropped to the ground before.

Trying to contain his panic, he raced to the small figure, and could barely keep his hands from shaking, when he got a good look at her.

Blood was leaking out of the gaping wound in the side of her body, her ankle was twisted at an odd angle and her head was bleeding from the head wounds she had received. Taking off the jacket he tried to stop the bleeding in her side, and screamed for Doyle to call 911. He had been so concerned with keeping her alive, he hadn't even notice that Spike had pulled the driver out of the impounded car, or that the man hit had be severed in to two pieces upon colliding with the wall.

Part of him thought that the death had been too easy for Hank. No pain, or suffering, just quick and easy. He had felt nothing as he died, and part of Angel thought that the man was to far gone to even feel any remorse over the pain he had caused his own flesh and blood.

But it wasn't just anyone Spike pulled out of that car, it had been Faith. A half naked, shaking, crying woman who except for a small bruise on her head was alright. Physically alright. He doubted that the mental and emotional scars would ever go away.

The hours after that had been a blur, of hospitals, questions, fear and hope. The doctors had declared that Faith and the baby were alright, and allowed her to go home that night at the demands of Wesley. Yesterday he had been told that Gunn was being moved to a hospital in L.A. for the surgery he had to under go. But he was expected to have a full recovery with some rest and caring.

Everyone had made it out alright. Or at least as alright as they could be. Everyone but the one woman who had faced hell and high water for some essence of happiness, that she had yet to keep for herself.

Parking the car, he made his way to the shower, and let the warm water relax his body. Before falling asleep on the couch all he could think of was she had to wake up. He loved her.

Faith smiled, as she draped a blanket over Angel's sleeping body. It was the first time she had seen him in three days, and the tension, pain, and lack of sleep were beginning to take a toll on his body.

He loved Buffy that much was clear with out him even needing to say the words out loud; they all knew how he felt. Faith couldn't help it but she envied Buffy, Angel's love was clear as day.

Spike's love. Faith shook her head, well that was part of the reason she was out of their bed at 6am. It had become to cramped in that room alone with him, since she had come home three days ago; they had barely spoken two words to one another. She had so many questions, so many fears and there was this wall between them that she felt couldn't be breached.

Turning in to the kitchen, she went through the fridge with the hope to find worth eating, the last few mornings she had had a hard time holding food down. Deciding on toast, Faith popped it in the toaster, and reveled in the silence of the house.

Xander and Oz had family to deal with and parents smothering them with love or at least concern. Cordelia was still asleep, as was Spike.

She had the house to herself for at least the next hour. So the question became… What did she want? With the baby, with Spike and the rest of her life?

She certainly wasn't going to wait on him, and she was going to be a good mother. Not like her mother was, but the kind that read bedtime stories and kissed hurts, and was around.

She could do it, and she would be damn good at it. Eating the last bit of toast, Faith felt better and went to take a shower.

Next she would deal with Spike.

Spike frowned, as Faith got out of the bed and headed out of the room, deciding to leave her alone for a while; he pulled on a pair of pajama pants and sat up on the bed.

He was loosing her, he felt it. Knew she needed more from him that just good shag in the middle of the night. Faith would never admit it, but she needed to hear the words, and have the romantic gestures that most girls loved. He had always thought that she knew he loved her, with out needing the words to be said.

He had been wrong; he had over heard her talking to Cordy last night. Faith had confided that she needed to hear the words, know she was loved, wanted, and that when it came down to it, he would stand beside her, come hell or high water.

Reaching under the bed, Spike pulled out a small blue box, opening it he found the gem twinkling at him. He had bought the ring, the day after they had found her. While she was missing, he had come to the conclusion that he loved her.

More than life, and he wanted her, to have, to hold, and to be his wife. He wanted the baby, and anything else life threw at them. It would be hard making a life together, but he was fine with that. As long as he had her.

The problem was telling her that. Putting the box in his pocket, he went down stairs to find her.

Shuffling in to the kitchen, he was a little amazed to find Cordelia up this early.

"Morin'" she smiled.

"Morin', have you seen Faith by any chance?" he asked

Cordelia grinned at him, "She taking a shower. You going to surprise her?"

Spike had to smile, even when times were down Cordelia always looked on the bright side, or even the kinky side, which ever she thought of first.

Pushing open the bathroom door, he breathed in the steam, and striped down. Pushing the small rind on to his pinky, he stepped in to the shower behind Faith.

Faith jumped, not expecting anyone to come up behind her. "Spike? God, you scared me," she scolded him. Turing back around, she faced the shower head, and lead back against his chest as his fingers slipped around her waist.

"Faith?" he questioned when she had yet to say anything else.

"Yes?"

"I want to tell you something, and you have to wait until I'm done to say anything else luv."

"Okay," she answered, and her body tensed, terrified to the words that could come out of his mouth.

"Luv, I was hoping you would marry me," he said in a low whisper, pushing the ring on to her left hand, "I love you, and want this baby, but most of all I want us to be a family, and I never want to feel the kind of terror I did when we were separated. I promise to love and protect you, and be the best father I can be to our child."

Silence.

"What to you think," he could hear her breath, and the tension built in him as he waited for an answer.

"I think----," she breathed and turned to face him.

Giles nearly collapsed in to the chair, after hearing what the doctor had to say.

"Could you repeat that for me," Giles asked, and began to clean his glasses.

The Doctor signed, understanding the man's pain, but still he repeated himself, "If your niece doesn't regain consciousness in the next 72 hours, she may never be able to,"