This is the last chapter I have ready to go aka I haven't got any others written up yet, so these will have to hold you all over until I get some more written.

To follow up on some reviews - Let's just say there won't be a lot of 'Willow and Giles love" in this story, heeheehee, but more on that in upcoming chapters.

Enjoy... or not ;)


It was at breakfast with Dawn the next morning that the discussion of the two men came up.

"Buffy, what's your plan with Angel and Spike?" Dawn asked around a mouthful of Fruit Loops and Coco Puff mix.
Buffy, picking at her fruit toast, scowled at it as though it was to blame for everything.
"Honestly Dawnie, I haven't really got a plan." She shrugged on shoulder. "Basically, it was get them here, get them safe and try and fix 'em up."
Quiet stretched briefly while food filled faces.
"It might take a long time" Dawn continued.
Buffy nodded. "Yeah Dawn, I'm actually not expecting anything anytime soon. We think that they were in that dimension for a while, a year actually, and all that time as prisoners. Not just prisoners but..." Her voice broke at the thought of what her vampires had endured. Dawn blanched as she remembered the bits Buffy had shared.
"Buffy, you..I mean..it might be that they never get 'well', you know?" Dawn whispered the thought that everyone had been thinking, but too afraid to voice.
"I know Dawn, I know. If it comes to that, well, we'll think of something. Probably something like this but bigger, comfier.." Her voice trailed away, her thoughts stuttering to a close, refusing to contemplate any other choice. But Dawn, in the way of all teenagers, ploughed on regardless.
"But if you can't.."
Buffy snapped.
"Look Dawn, I know what you are saying. I KNOW!" She breathed deep, reigning in her ever present anger. Softer she continued. "I know. But I have done that before, to both of them. I won't do it again." She held up her hand to stall her sister's further comments. "Dawn, it's not that I can't, believe me if it comes to it, I will, but it's that I won't. Not yet. Not until there is no other choice, ever. Capice?" Cowed by the steely look in Buffy's eye, Dawn nodded meekly. While she wasn't a fan of this new more forceful Buffy, especially when aimed in her direction, she WAS loving the whole stronger woman thing. Finally.

Topics then moved to move mundane things, such as life as a teenager. Laughter soon rang out and Faith stomped on over, her own smile breaking out at the sound of girlish joy.

And that's how the following days went. Buffy spent her nights sleeping by the cages and her days with Dawn. Occasionally she let Faith and Dawn drag her out shopping or meals, but she felt the constant pull to return to the warehouse. Soon Dawn had to return to school and Buffy's and Faith's lives settled into the warehouse. Well Buffy's did. Faith was more and more pulled into the real world until finally they both sat down and hashed it out. Faith had commitments and while she helped here, she actually wasn't helping all that much. Angel now let both Buffy and Faith near his cage without losing it and Spike showed absolute no interest at all in the dark slayer. So the two Slayers agreed that Faith would stop in every few days and check up on the group, as would the various free range Slayers that were comfy with the whole set up. But Buffy would be the main 'carer' here and where once Buffy might have felt trapped, now she welcomed any time to spend with Spike.

Both Vampires were slowly showing signs of getting better. Angel no longer growled or snarled constantly and he was sleeping better – overall he was getting less completely animalistic. Buffy noticed that Angel slept best when he and Spike were side by side so she started bringing the blood bags to the same spot, encouraging Angel to be near more often. It also had an effect on Spike.

Spike was getting better. He had started filling out so at least he no longer looked like an animated skeleton, but Buffy missed his defined lithe look. He now was awake for hours at a time, and while he wasn't overly active, he could now get to his feet and shuffle around his cage. Angel still fed the weakened vampire from time to time but Spike now got most of his substance from the blood Buffy provided.

Some days Buffy despaired that they would ever be 'normal' again and found herself planning houses in the country with secured rooms where she lived out her life as a white-haired dottering old woman with two snarling vampires instead of rooms of cats. Then she would shake herself and focus on them being back to themselves- broody, snarky and smart mouthed again.

At times, it almost felt as though they were waiting for something to strike. Buffy would remember the long ago warning of storms coming and wondered if this was it, or something darker awaited her on the horizon. She would huff to herself. Of course it was the horizon.

It was probably a month later when things started going a little hinky.

Angel had been upset all day. Buffy had managed to get him to the back of the cage and the partition for cleaning lowered, but he had been all toothy and flashy eyed. Moving quickly, Buffy removed the old blood bags and switched the blankets for clean ones. She had started leaving out clothes for the men, but apparently they were still too wild to use them. When she had released Angel back into the main cage, instead of his usual pacing around scenting all the new changes, he had remained at the rear of the cage, a constant snarling growl vibrating the air.

"Angel?" Studying the obviously stressed vampire, Buffy patrolled the entire warehouse, trying to find the source. But again, like that first time, there was nothing beyond a few tingling 'hotspots'. Returning to the side of Angel's cage, she tried to see what he has sensing, but it was seemingly beyond her. When she checked Spike, he was also pacing his cage and nothing she could do would get him to go into the rear of his cage so that she could tidy up. In fact, when she watched him, she noticed that he kept to the side of his cage that was closest to Buffy.

Unsettled as much as her vampires, she placed a call to Faith and within an hour, the dark slayer showed up with 5 of the free range slayers in tow. They all did a thorough search of the warehouse and surrounding areas, but nothing showed.

Faith also put in a call into some demon contacts to see if anything was brewing and with an initial negative, was promised that they would keep an ear out and let her know.

The rest of the day was spent on edge. Angel didn't shut up for a second and Buffy could see that it was grating on everyone's nerves, even Spikes as he continued to pace whatever cage wall was closest to Buffy. Buffy worried that the unexpected exercise the smaller vampire was doing would set him back, but after a month of minimal life and maximum stress, Buffy couldn't bring herself to worry too much about it.

Faith left to deal with some hellmouthy stuff and the 5 remaining Slayers had rostered themselves so that 2 were at the warehouse at all times, one outside patrolling, one inside doing the same. When Angel refused his blood at feeding time, Buffy knew something was coming.

She moved to the side of Angel's cage and watched the growling demon. All day he hadn't moved from the shadows at the rear of his cage. But now he pressed himself against the bars, the first time he had come close to the Slayer without blood being an incentive.

Following her instincts, she reached out her hand and lay it on the side of his face, the growls now vibrating up her arm. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. Buffy's heart stopped and tears sprung to her eyes. Suddenly a vicious snarling tore through the quiet and a loud clang and Buffy's eyes sprung open in time to see Spike throw himself violently against the bars. At them.

Angel spun, an answering snarl on his lips and Buffy knew that they were seconds from a fight. Racing to the front of Spike's own cage, she recklessly thrust her arm into the cage, stretching it out to Spike.

"Spike, I'm here, I'm here, shhh now, nothing to worry about you silly vampire!" A blink later, Spike had crossed the space, and yanked her arm into the cage as far as it would go, smashing Buffy face-first into the bars. His arms thrust through the bars and wrapped tightly around the Slayer, further crushing her into the cold steel. His head was turned away, watching Angel while snarls still fell from his lips, his fangs on full show. Bit by bit, she drew her arms around the vibrating vampire and ignoring the split lip and bruised nose, revelled in the first hug she had gotten from her vampire in 2 years.

A sob escaped her and she felt the man in her arms freeze, silence dropping like a curtain. Slowly, he turned his head and she lifted hers. Hazel eyes met yellow and a breath later, yellow dropped to her lips, spotting the drop of blood leaking from the split. A whimper sounded from Spike and Buffy couldn't hold back the tears as he dipped his head and licked away the ruby droplet. Another sob and the whimpers increased. Buffy clutched the whimpering vampire but he slowly slid from her arms, sliding down to crouch, his arms now wrapped around the Slayers legs. Buffy stoked the vampires' grimy hair and ssshhhh'ed him.

"Spike, it's okay, you didn't hurt me, it's okay." She repeated softly until the whimpers hesitantly drifted away. After a while, knowing that the Slayer inside the warehouse had probably seen everything, she gently pulled away from the crouching vamp. With a look at the quietly rumbling Angel still in the shadows of his cage, moved off to find the other slayer.

She found her hanging out the front with the other rostered on Slayer. A look passed between the two free rangers and Buffy steeled her spine, ready to defend herself.
"They are really unsettled in there Ms Summers. Hate to see them so upset." Buffy merely raised an eyebrow in response, waiting to see where this was going. "Glad to see that you can calm them down when needed."
Buffy blinked in surprise. Well, that was unexpected to say the least. A look was all Buffy needed to see that neither of the women had an issue with Buffy and her vamps. A relieved smile spread across her face and relief coursed through her body. Until this moment, she hadn't realised just how much worry she was carrying about how others viewed her relationship with the vampires.

It was cut short when roars shattered the air.