The Crypt: Lonely No More by angelspike69 and anamcara42

Rating: Adult. This story contains M/M sex. If that isn't your cup of tea then go away now and don't read any farther.

Warnings: None. This story takes place after the final scene of "Not Fade Away".

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, Angel and Spike don't belong to us. If they did, they'd be following up all their fighting snarking with each other with lots of shagging (lol).

Spoilers: None, unless you haven't seen Angel the Series at all. This story goes totally AU after the screen darkened in "Not Fade Away".

Notes: This story is written for the Forging_Ghost Ficathon. The idea for this story is based on Challenge #200 issued for our fantabulous leader Ghost_Forge. Songs used in this story include in order - Let Me Love You by Tim McGraw, Maybe It's Love by Trisha Yearwood, Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas, The White Cliffs of Dover by Burton and Kent, I Melt by Rascal Flatts, Here for the Party by Gretchen Wilson, This Love by Maroon 5, Lonely No More by Rob Thomas, and Forever and For Always by Shania Twain.

Summary: The only survivors, Angel and Spike have relocated. They attempt to lay low in Middle America together. For the first time, they get a shot at a "normal life", doing "normal things." The fact that everyone thinks they're together was unexpected.

Angel awoke hours later to silence. He looked over at Spike's bed – it was empty. When he didn't hear the shower, he began to panic.

"Evenin' ponce." Angel peered into the deep shadows at the corner of the room. Spike was standing looking out of the window. He hid something quickly behind his back and nonchalantly walked to his bag and put it inside. He took clean boxers out and looked up at the older vampire. "You wanna shower first?"

"Angel, did you bring your pad and pencils?" The older vampire nodded puzzled by the question. "You should try to sketch something. It's worth remembering." Spike lowered his head and turned quickly toward the bathroom as if embarrassed by his comment. Angel sat in stunned silence for a moment and then got out of bed. He went to look out of the window where Spike had been standing. He could see what the younger vampire meant. The large trees framed the lawn protectively and hovered over the beach. The water rolled in, tiny waves glinting in the moonlight. He stood until he heard the bathroom door open.

He turned toward Spike and replied. "You're right, it's worth remembering. We should buy a camera and take some pictures as long as the moon gives enough light. I'll sketch this beach though."

Spike walked to his bag and took something out. He turned to face Angel and handed him a small single use camera. "Bought it at the gas station. Scoobies were always takin' photographs. Got to be damn annoying." He turned his back and walked toward the microwave, busying himself with getting blood bags out of the cooler.

Amazed, Angel stood still for a moment. "Thanks. So you're used to posing?" The older vampire's lips twitched.

Angel walked over to his bag to get his clothes and went to shower. When he came out, Spike had heated mugs of blood and handed him one. The vampires walked out onto the porch. They sat in the rockers sipping their blood, letting the peace wash over them for a long while.

Angel who would have much rather stayed on the porch, stood up reluctantly and followed the younger vampire inside. Spike was rummaging in his bag. When he turned around Angel saw that he had a handful of cash.

Angel whistled and grinned. "You won that much playing poker? How are you at craps?"

"Let's see shall we?" Gleefully, Spike stuffed some bills in his duster pocket and put the rest back in the bag.

They left their room. Angel stopped at the front desk and rented the room for a second night and then the two vampires drove into the bright lights of Reno. Angel let Spike choose the casino. Almost salivating, the blonde vampire strode into the brightly lit room.

Without turning around, Spike waved his hand and walked toward a blackjack table. Angel wandered down a hallway filled with small shops and entered a bookstore. A short time later he went looking for Spike, standing a little away but keeping an eye on him. He checked his watch every so often to see how much time they had before sunrise. Casinos purposefully had no windows so gamblers would lose track of time as well as their money.

Spike played blackjack and won and lost. He played craps and won a lot. Angel strolled over to the slot machines, but remembered when he had been enthralled in front of one in Las Vegas and quickly moved away. He turned to where he'd left Spike but of course he wasn't there. The older vampire had to search for several tense moments before finding him at a baccarat table, a beautiful woman hanging on his arm. He felt a flash of jealousy which shocked him and he quickly pushed it aside. Spike must have felt Angel staring at him because he looked up and quirked his eyebrow. Angel nodded and the younger vampire returned his attention to the table. Uncomfortable with the feelings he was having as he watched the woman caressing the back of Spike's neck, Angel wandered away. He walked toward the bar and ordered a Jameson's. When he turned around to look over at the baccarat table, neither Spike nor the woman was there. He gazed over the room but didn't see the black duster or the radioactive hair anywhere. He tried to control the anger beginning to boil inside him and walked around the entire room. He couldn't find Spike.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, the older vampire approached a security guard and explained that he couldn't find his friend and that they had to make an early morning flight. They allowed him to come with them when they went to stand on the glassed-in balcony which gave a far better view of the casino floor. It was as if Spike had disappeared into thin air. He thanked the guards and rode the elevator back down checking his watch and realizing that sunrise was only about twenty minutes away

His rage intensifying, Angel stormed out of the casino, got in his car and drove back to the motel. Hitting the steering wheel with his hand, he vented. "Dammit! I'll kill him for this. It's just like him...thinking only about himself...having fun...I'll just leave. That will serve him right. He has his own money...he can get his own room."

Even the pale early morning sun was dangerous. He had to hold his coat over his head as he ran to the room, fiddling with the key as his skin began to tingle. For the next several hours Angel paced, vacillating between cursing at Spike's thoughtlessness and worrying about his safety. About an hour before sunset, he heard a car stopping outside. Just after, someone banged on the door.

Making sure to stay to the side of the door, Angel pulled it open and Spike raced inside the room as a large black limo pulled away.

Barely able to speak in his fury, the older vampire finally hissed. "Where have you been?"

Spike grinned and handed Angel a neatly wrapped bundle of bills, not really noticing the anger on the older vampire's face. "$10,000. I won $10,000 more! With the rest, I'll have enough to buy me a bike." He stopped suddenly. "What?"

"What? What?" Angel shouted as he grabbed Spike's shoulders. "Where the hell were you. I looked for you. It was almost sunrise." With each sentence he shook the blonde vampire harder.

Spike shoved Angel away from him, glaring as he spoke. "Not that it's any of your business, I had an itch, needed to scratch it."

Spike smirked and rolled his eyes. "God Angel, come into the 21st century. Haven't been laid since that time with Harm..." Angel punched him hard in the face and he staggered back a few steps.

Spike looked back at Angel, his eyes becoming fierce although his mouth twisted in a wicked grin. "Yeah, she was human and she was okay. Why you want her number?" He blocked the next punch Angel threw, but the larger vampire pushed him and pinned him to the wall. "Sod off...bloody hell Angel! What's wrong with you?"

Angel spit out his words. "You're a vampire. Human women...you can hurt them..."

Spike interrupted with a dangerous smirk. "Never hurt Buffy. Not unless she wanted..."

Angel punched him again. "She's a slayer, you moron. She's stronger than we are." He let go of Spike abruptly and the younger vampire slipped to the floor. Angel turned and stomped to the other side of the room, running his fingers through his hair."

"Calm down Angel. Look, she was a hooker, used to rough sex I'm thinking." He said as he stood up.

The older vampire spun around and Spike shivered a bit at Angel's furious penetrating stare. "Do you ever think before you act Spike?

The increasingly annoyed blonde vampire snorted. "No. You do that enough for both of us." As they glared at each other the anger between them shimmered like the sun at midday in the desert. Angel sighed and turned away speaking so low, Spike had to strain to hear him.

"Maybe you're right. We should go our separate ways. Reno's a big city. Plenty of excitement, gambling, booze and...and prostitutes to...to scratch your itch.

Angel spun around and laughed harshly. "On your own? When? You hung on Drusilla for years. Then you came to Sunnydale, where I was..."

Spike strode closer to the older vampire. His face contorted in fury. "You sodding prick. Came to find a cure for Drusilla. Heard it was there." He poked his finger in Angel's chest. "Not to see you – soulful sad sack that you were, slayer's lap dog... Besides knew the slayer was there. Thought maybe I could add another notch to my belt."

Angel's jaw trembled as he tried to control himself. "But came crying back when Dru dumped you. You could have gone anywhere, but you came back, where I was."

Spike recoiled at the hate he heard in Angel's voice but replied. "I knew the town...I...sod this, I'm takin' a shower. I'll leave as soon as it gets dark, then you'll be alone." He walked toward the bathroom and then turned back and snarled. "Even without a soul I was more human than you'll ever be Angel. And you're right. Your arrogance got your friends killed. You should be alone." He went into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Angel had been awake since sunset the night before – twenty-four hours. Half of that time he had been consumed with dread over Spike's absence and frustration at his inability to search for him in daylight. He sank onto the bed as all of his emotions battled for dominance inside his tired body. Spike's harsh words pierced his heart, reinforcing the self-hatred he already felt. Succumbing to despair and exhaustion, Angel lay back on the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

Spike was startled when he saw Angel sleeping. The scalding water had gentled his tension and although he was still hurt and angry, he felt regret at some of the things he said, understanding that part of Angel's harsh words came from fear that something had happened to him. "Ever the protector," he mumbled. He sat down on the next bed and watched the older vampire; his brow furrowing and his mouth grimacing as his hands clasped and unclasped the bedspread. "God, the man even broods in his sleep."

Spike had been up as long as Angel, and between the sexcapades and the emotional battle when he returned to the room, he was knackered. He got under the covers and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Angel woke abruptly, trying to remember where he was. Spike was asleep in the next bed. He lay on his side, mouth slightly open, and hands under the pillow that supported his head. Everything came rushing back, the casino, the worry, and the argument. Anger quickly flared, replaced by remorse at the things he said. "Damn, he drives me crazy. He just doesn't think!" He looked at Spike's face as he slept peacefully.

Angel got up quietly and went to shower, puzzling over what to say, how to apologize, and how to make Spike more responsible. He knew that Wolfram and Hart would have people searching for them. They'd have to stay off their radar, but with Spike in tow that would be difficult to say the least. Spike had a way of bringing the spotlight on them wherever they went. It wasn't something new. He was always like that, even a hundred years ago when his antics forced them to hide underground. He stood for a long time until he heard banging. "Ya gonna use all the hot water ponce?"

He shook his head, allowing himself a small smile. He turned off the water. Wrapping himself in a towel, he walked out into the room. Spike handed him a mug of warm blood and then stalked into the shower. Surprised, Angel stood drinking the liquid and thinking about what to say. He had dressed and packed his things by the time the younger vampire came out of the bathroom.

They looked at each other intently and the tension that had wound itself between them slowly eased. No other words were said. They knew they were better off together and they knew that this would be only one of the many battles between them. Their lives together had always been an emotional roller coaster. They packed up the car, Angel paid the bill and they drove away from the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

Spike interrupted. "I told you, I'm not going to sodding Montana, you pillock. It's the middle of nowhere."

Angel continued without looking over at the furious vampire beside him. "We'll stop in Missoula. It's on the way..."

Again Angel continued calmly as if Spike had said nothing. "I just want to see how it's changed. Then we'll continue east. We'll find a small town within driving distance of Chicago." He turned his head and smirked at Spike.

"You're a buggering bastard Angel, you know that?" Pissed off, he put on his headphones and stared out the window, oblivious to the quiet laughter from the vampire next to him.

Hours later, they drove past Boise and continued on Highway 93, pulling off the road outside of Challis, Idaho at a small motel. There were several hours until sunrise but Angel wasn't sure if they'd find another place in time. Although it was shabby, the room was large and clean. The vampires got their bags out of the car and Angel opened the door. Spike followed him in, threw his bag down and stalked back outside, flicking his lighter. Angel looked out of the window a moment later to see Spike at the corner of the building smoking. He sighed. The tense silence between them was wearing on them both.

Angel showered and got into bed, planning to read a little about the Chicago area before he fell asleep. Spike had not returned. Mumbling about just leaving his infuriating traveling companion, the older vampire got up and went to the window. Spike was no longer visible, and Angel's stomach clenched automatically. If a vampire could get ulcers, he swore that Spike would surely give him a few by the time this trip was over.

He put his clothes and shoes on quickly and then hurried outside. He marched toward the other end of the building, willing his fear away. Hearing loud music, he followed the sounds. He peeked in the window of the bar attached to the motel and there sitting on a stool in all his punk glory was Spike. Angel could see a few of the patrons eyeing him. Stomach in knots, Angel walked in. Heads turned toward him and he offered a small smile as he strode over to Spike. He sat down and immediately the barmaid came over.

"Two strangers in one night." She said looking between the two vampires. "What'll you have?"

"Whiskey, neat. Thanks." Angel responded and she turned away to get the drink. "Spike, this is not a good idea. People are staring." He whispered. "I doubt they get many tourists here."

Spike turned his head to glare at the older vampire. "Sod off. Couldn't stand the bloody quiet anymore." He turned back around and finished his drink nodding to the barmaid to bring him another when she returned with Angel's. Angel sipped the whiskey, which was certainly not Jameson's, and watched Spike out of the corner of his eye. Abruptly the younger vampire got up and stalked over to the jukebox, dropping in coins and punching in his choices. Angel groaned waiting to hear the songs he chose. Surprisingly it was a soft ballad.

Sometimes I close my eyes
And imagine you with me
Chasing passion into the night
All tangled in a dream.

Oh if you could see my heart
The way I feel inside
You would know just how far
I'm willing to go to get to you
There's nothing I won't do.

Let me show you what it's like to lose control
Free the desire in your soul
Oh let me love you.
Let me take you to a place like nowhere else
Show you the things you never felt
Oh let me love you.

Moving in time with the song, Spike stood and listened to the first few stanzas and then returned to sit next to Angel never acknowledging his presence, finishing his drink.

Oh I want to taste your kiss
Be the reason for your smile
Touch the magic on your skin
Be the one that drives you wild.

Oh if you could read my mind
You'd know you're everything I need
You'd see yourself through my eyes
Then you'd understand what I'm going through
Just how much I want you.
Let me love you.
Let me love you.
Let me love you.
Let me love you.

The older vampire sipped his drink slowly and listened to the words of the song as he visualized Spike standing half dressed in the motel room. Abruptly, other memories assaulted his mind – Angelus beating William bloody, ripping his back with his belt buckle, Angelus taking William over and over despite the boy's cries of protest. Angel shook his head and stood up, laying money on the counter.

The barmaid looked at the two twenties then up at him. "That's way too much sir."

"Leave it. It covers his drinks too." Angel nodded toward Spike who still did not look up. With a final glance at the younger vampire, he left the bar, hearing the strains of another song as he walked outside.

Everybody's heart aches
Every time it opens
You don't know if you'll win or lose
You have to just let go.

No I wasn't looking
It's funny how I found you
Just when I thought
I'd live my life alone...

Head bowed, Angel walked slowly to their room, his cruel memories bruising his soul. He entered the room and rummaged through his bag for his sketchbook and pencils. He sat on the bed fully clothed and drew Spike's face over and over – at first angry and hurt and then smiling and smirking. He stared for long moments at the thin face with its sharp cheekbones and scarred eyebrow. Finally he laid his pencil down and closed his eyes, conflicting emotions racing through his mind.

An hour later, the wayward vampire returned. As he opened the door, he looked over at Angel. "Spent all your dosh...bought a few rounds." When he got no reply, he took off his precious leather duster, placed it carefully over a chair and then walked into the bathroom. Angel heard the shower running. He turned off the light next to his bed and lay down, the tension slowing leaving his body. He could never sleep until Spike had safely returned. Even the few times recently when he stayed in the spare room in the penthouse, Angel had lain awake waiting for him refusing to examine the reasons behind by his concern. He heard the bathroom door open and moments later the bed creaked and the light went out.