What in the bloody hell? He knew that feeling anywhere, the one that only a sire – or in this case grand-sire – could give. With an angry huff, he tore the sheets off of him and made for the ladder to the upper section of his crypt. That wanker thinks he can come in here, my crypt and see my girl? Game face forward, he stepped out into the candle lit room.

He quietly listened, his name catching his attention though he hadn't been caught yet. "I still don't understand." Angel was saying, and Spike instantly found his possibly innocent words threatening. Though he was quickly proven right. "You don't just wake up one day and stop loving someone." He brooded.

"You don't just wake up one day dead either," Spike's girl pointed out. "I don't know Angel, I don't think I stopped loving you, I just..." Spike found himself growling before he realized the sound himself, then noticed Buffy jump away from Angel's arm, which he had wrapped around her waist. He snarled at his grand-sire, and then watched as Buffy ran over to him, getting between him and his enemy.

"Angel was just – checking on me." She explained with a nervous edge in her calm voice.

Her reassuring words did nothing to ease the rumbling in his chest and the fiery daggers in his eyes. "Get out." He said with a ferocious growl.

"I was just making sure she was still alive." Angel growled back, game face coming forward in his anger.

"Alive? Oh please," Spike scoffed. "I did less killing when it came to her than you did, and you were her lover." He said the latter word with as much venom as he could muster, grinning when the rival vampire flinched.

"Spike stop it," Buffy put her hands on his chest, pleading him silently to let Angel off. She may have no longer loved him like she used to, but she definitely didn't want him to get hurt. At all. Ever.

"Get out." He growled again, though his tough demeanour had softened slightly.

Angel turned to leave, but stopped with his hand on the door, and without turning spoke quietly to Buffy. "If you ever change your mind, need something more than this, Buffy... You know where to find me."

Buffy grabbed Spike's arm tightly as he moved to attack her former lover, and let him make his quick escape. Feeling more insecure about his relationship than he ever had – even when Drusilla had been sleeping with Angelus – he refused to look at his slayer. She didn't let go of his arm though as he turned to get himself some blood, instead she leaned her forehead into his shoulder and stroked her fingers up his arm soothingly.

"I'm sorry about that." She said miserably. "I didn't think he'd go that far."

"You gonna take him up on his offer or what pet?" He asked without emotion.

She stared at him dumbfounded, how could he even think that? Thinking her pause was hesitation, he forced himself to look down at her. He was taken aback at her hurt expression.

Shaking his head he leaned down and kissed her. "Stayin' with me?" He asked, looking for reassurance.

"Always." She let him wrap her arms around her, and returned the favour.

"I brought ice cream!" Willow squealed when she moved into the crypt that afternoon.

"And I brought movies!" Xander said from behind her, holding up a series of tapes that the three of them loved to watch.

Shocked yet excited to see her friends, Buffy pulled herself out of the lap of her tired vampire and into the waiting arms of her two best friends. "Guys! You're here!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down joyously. "Ohmygod," she said, slurring the words into one. "Willow I have so much to tell you." Her words came out in a rush as she babbled heatedly. "Xander! I hear you have something to tell me!" Her suggestive wink left him blushing as she took them each by the hand and lead them over to where the television set that Spike had most likely stolen sat on a small table.

"It's true! He does!" Willow nudged him, waiting for him to explain himself. "Hi Spike!" She waved shyly, pleased to see his returning wave. Buffy beamed at her friend, glad to see that maybe her human life and vampire life could merge. "Tell her Xan," she bumped his shoulder, expectantly waiting for his story to come up yet again.

"Will, come on, the whole world doesn't need to know." He kept his eyes forward to the floor in front of him, blushing furiously.

"Xander." Buffy gave him an incredulous look that told him that she would force it from him if she had to.

Off in his corner Spike chuckled, not having seen this side of the slayer in a long while.

"Ok, ok, but not in front of him." Xander pointed anxiously towards the still chuckling vampire in the arm chair.

"Hey," he replied in a tone of mock insult. "I'll probably just hear it later anyways, might as well only get it out once." He grinned at Xander's embarrassed groan.

"Fine, fine." He took a deep breath before blurting out all at once, "Me and Anya slept together and now we're kinda going out." He closed his eyes against the explosion of laughter from the bleach blonde pain in the ass, and the squeals of excitement from the girls who flung him into a very teenage like group hug.

"OhmygodXander!" Buffy shouted, squeezing him tightly – not in any means too tightly.

"I just want her away from him." Angel said to Giles, who had agreed to meet him before his visit to the still mourning Joyce Summers.

"I know you do Angel, but what do you expect me to do? She won't even look at me let alone take advice to leave the man she's in love with." Angel flinched at the harsh words, and Giles softened his voice. "There is nothing I can do Angel, I'm sorry."

"What if we kill him?" He asked a little too hopefully.

"Angel-" Giles gasped, flabbergasted.

"I know, I know, that would hurt her." He paused, deliberating. "Or would it..."

"Yes! Yes it would!"

"Alright, alright, so we need a new plan." Angel shook his head, taking a sip of the tea he'd ordered.

"No Angel, you need a new plan. I want nothing to do with this." His words muffled as he in turn took a large sip of steaming hot tea, trying to avoid his partner in conversations eyes.

"Giles – Mr. Giles," he corrected himself quickly when he earned a glare from the man who still held a grudge against him for his brief couple of weeks as an evil soulless vampire. "I can't do this by myself, and you want him gone just as much as I do. Especially with Drusilla on her way here, you know who he'll pick, and who he'll turn against."

"I know, I know, I won't let him hurt her Angel, I just don't want to do any more damage myself."

"You'll help me though?"

"So long as I am not involved directly, then I suppose so. But I must say that Mrs. Summers would have been a much better choice for this affair." Giles fixed his glasses, which had slid to the edge of his nose while he sipped his drink.