The usual disclaimers - nothing is mine, apparently not even my uterus according to many in this world - *angry huff*

Short but sweet... actually it's just short. Filler chapter but I HAD to end it where it ended, too tempting not too :P


Later, with Angel cleaned up, clothed and fed – thankfully without needing any assistance, they sat on the couches set up in the community area between pods, kitchen and cages. The vampires with their warmed O-neg, now 'properly' in mugs and Buffy with a coffee. The Free Rangers patrolling had been justifiably nervous at the sight of the vampires out of the cages, especially as Angel had been a snarling demon only hours before but Buffy had reassured the wary slayers that it should be fine. It was then that she found out that Faith had taken off with the Rocker Witch after an interesting phone call while Buffy was off having her meltdown with Spike.

When Buffy called the Dark Slayer to update her about Angel and Spike, Faith had told her that she had interesting info too and would be back at the warehouse in about a half hour, so catch-up time could happen then.

Now, they were sitting in silence. Buffy sitting at one end of the small sofa, her legs curled under her, while Spike sat at the other end, sprawled out, one hand around his mug, the other resting on Buffy's thigh. Angel was sitting opposite, hunched over his blood like a brooding crow in the rain, twitching and jiggling. Buffy was expecting him at any time to spring to his feet.
Looks were flashing between Spike and Angel, but Buffy didn't say a thing. The old Buffy would have demanded to know what she was not getting. The new Buffy on the other hand, she knew that quiet watching often filled in more gaps.

The slowly growing oppressing silence was broken by the flamboyant entrance of Faith as she slammed open the warehouse door and strode in.

"Everyone's here and not foaming-at-the-mouth-insano's!" She threw a double thumbs up as she grabbed a beer from the fridge and threw herself down on the last remaining couch.

Spike chuckled.

"Speak for yourself. I think I've been more insane than sane since I met you lot that I no longer know the difference." He lit a cigarette and sighed a look of bliss on his face as the smoke twirled lazily around his head. "Oh My GOD! I have bloody well missed this!"

Buffy allowed a small grin to pull at her lips.

"Not the freedom from a cage, or clean clothes or even blood you drink yourself. Only you would love something that would kill the rest of us."

He quirked his scarred eyebrow at her and in reply and drew in another lungful of smoke, releasing it with a pleasured groan.

Buffy mock whacked the back of his arm. Out the corner of her eye, she could see Angel watching them. Instead of the dark glare she expected, it was simply the look of a friend watching other friends. Well, huh.

Faith threw her legs up on the crate they were using as a coffee table and chugged half her beer in one go.

"Well, fangboys and girls, what's the what?"

Buffy settled back and watched as both her former lovers exchanged looks. Angel sighed, rubbed his face and sat back in his seat before starting.

It took all the rest of the evening and well into the night to get all caught up on Angel investigations and the debacle that had been Wolfram and Hart. Buffy had restrained herself from physically smacking Angel on the back of his stupid head so many times. Seriously? She could kinda understand Giles reluctance to help Angel after hearing everything – if she squinted a bit. She also knew Angel – very well. She would bet Spike's smokes that he wouldn't be telling everything either.

Once they got to Spike's arrival at the Law offices, it got harder to hear. At one point, Spike leaned over and quietly murmured into Buffy hearing.

"Lots to talk about Pet, rather do that private like, yeah?" Buffy merely nodded. There was definitely lot to talk about. Much of it she would rather not. But she was nothing if not a lot more aware of things nowadays.

Buffy watched and listened as Angel and occasionally Spike obviously glossed over a lot until they got to the part about the Big Battle in LA. Just listening about it got Buffy's now always violate temper rising. She knew that all three others of the groups could tell and they were having their own reactions. Faith obviously if her fists clenching and curled lip were anything to go by. But Angel ploughed on, his voice skipping and pausing as both he and Spike remembered those that didn't make it from the fight.

Buffy felt the stirrings of jealousy as she watched Spike's obvious relief at the information that the Blue Warrior aka Illyria had escaped the carnage. Just how close had they been? Spike caught her hand and she realised that she too had been clenching and unclenching her fists. With a soft kiss to her knuckles and a look, she knew that too would be covered in their private talk later.

Next was the year of hell for the two men.

As the women had seen, Spike had indeed suffered the brunt of the men's cruelty in the machine. They had overheard at one point that for some reason, the machine had much better results when he was thrust in it. Angel had tried to help the younger vamp cope by feeding him the powerful Sire blood as much as he could, risking his own unlife to do so.

Buffy could see that the volatile relationship that she had seen between the two vampires was more different than she ever imagined. Gone was the almost hate she witnessed on several occasions. Now there was a closeness that was more than just family. They were almost like lovers and didn't THAT just give her tinglies that she wasn't quite ready to think about yet...

Silence fell as Angel finally stopped talking. Neither had much memory of when they were feral, just bits and pieces. Neither had any memory of Buffy and Faith's rescue.

When Faith asked about Angel's being upset at random empty spaces, he had no idea. But both vampires acknowledged that they would be more sensitive to perceived threats when in their more feral states, especially after their experiences in the other dimension.

Everyone agreed that if anyone sensed anything, everyone would be notified asap.

Both vampires were obviously exhausted after the long day and night. Faith left and Buffy told the vamps to go sleep in her pod. Noone mentioned the empty cages with their unused beds and blankets. Buffy herself settled onto the couches. Once the FreeRangers had noticed, they tried to insist that she use their pod, but there were already too many people rostered to use it, she didn't want to make trouble for the women that were already doing so much for her.

She settled under her blankets and thought over all she had learnt. While she understood a little why Giles and Willow had chosen as they had, the deception they practiced still meant that she didn't change her feelings on them at all. She had silently wished that she had been able to snuggle with Spike again, but she knew that he was beyond tired and she sensed that he and Angel needed some time to themselves. She had settled for a long hug and a kiss on the top of her head. Exhaustion pulled at her as well and pushing the thoughts away, she along with everyone but the patrolling FreeRange Slayers were fast asleep. Mere moments before sleep overcame her conscious mind, she realised that Faith hadn't shared her information. The thought was lost as she drifted away into sleep.

A long way away, eyes were watching that glared in fury at all they saw. A furious hand swept across the table and glass and pottery exploded on the wall and across the floor. Harsh breathing was the only thing that broke the oppressive silence.
A stiff calming exhale and another hand wave to close the viewing portal that only showed the now sleeping Slayer. A finger tapped a thin lip before the hand waved a third time, this time it was negligent and careless.
"Let's hurry up the plan. I want this dealt with now."
The only other person in the room nodded in response and left.
A self-satisfied smile replaced the furious frown.

"Time to come home Buffy."