A/N: And again comes a really short prologue, and the next chapters will come out very, very slowly, I'm sorry. This is the sequel to 'Handling Loss', and if you haven't read that first you won't understand anything. For those of you who don't feel like reading the whole thing, a short condensed version- Angel Buffy and Spike went on a roadtrip to find the people who killed Drusilla. After finding them and disposing of them, Spike and Angel decided to go to England and bury her ashes, sending Buffy back to Sunnydale. They've both given up on the hating thing, but their friendship is really, really fragile. Will they survive the trip? Will they ever get out of the emotional mess I've got them into? I sure hope so. Enjoy.

Standard disclaimer: Not mine. Joss's, the WB's and UPN's respectively. I'm not making any profit, and this is done purely for my own enjoyment. This story features a M/M relationship with some kink elements- if you don't feel mature and open-minded enough to read it, get out.
 

 Prologue

They bickered for over an hour. Over everything- the music, the route they should take to the harbor, whether they had packed enough blood. Angel running out of patience; Spike was having the time of his unlife. After less than two hours of being alone with his Sire, he's effortlessly slipped into the old routine of trying to irritate the older vampire into losing control. He knew of course that he was playing with fire, but a small part of him still thought that any attention at all from Angel was good. Even the kind of attention that meant you couldn't move for a day and a half afterwards.

Finally, Angel grew tired of the arguments. "Childe, you can stop this now. You have my guarantee that we can, and will, have a normal conversation which won't turn into childish fight."

"Can not." Spike taunted, secretly delighted at having worn down the other's resistance.

"Can t- Spike, enough already! What is wrong with you?" Angel asked, exasperated.

"Nothing at all, Peaches. Race you to the boat!" Spike launched himself out of the car and down the walkway before Angel had any time to probe further. There were some things he didn't feel ready to say yet. The information desk stopped his headlong rush, and he practically quivered with nervous energy until Angel arrived, at a more sedate pace, and gave their names and registration number to the girl at the desk. Then he was off again. Angel looked after him and shook his head. "Youngsters." He said to nobody in particular, and the girl smiled. He smiled back and followed Spike, determined to stop him before he caused any trouble. The problems of two vampires on a boat full of humans were many, but most wouldn't appear if they weren't courted. Angel had a feeling that Spike would try to get into as much trouble as he could, and he knew why. Resolving to have a talk with him, he speeded up his pace and caught up with Spike at the door to their cabin.

"Beat you." The blonde leered at him.

"Does that make you happy, Spike?" Angel asked. Spike's smug smile widened.

"Yep. Bloody well does. Well, open it already!"

"Calm down. Is it the sea air that's getting you so twitchy? Cause you could stop breathing, you know." Angel slipped the magnetic key through the slot, and the door swung inwards, revealing a large and luxurious room.

"Where would the fun be then?" Spike bounced into the room, and stopped halfway through a flying leap designed to land him on the bed, crashing to the floor. "Damnit!" He swore, then looked again. "There are two beds." Immediately his energy turned to sullen silence, and he turned a questioning look in Angel's direction.

"I reserved a double suite." Angel shrugged. "I suppose they thought I meant two friends sharing. The fact that I gave them two male names might've been involved." He inspected the two large beds. "We can push them together, if you want."

"We could." Spike agreed, his face brightening. "Let's do it!" He hopped up and started pushing, quickly maneuvering the beds into a position in the middle of the room. Tossing his bag in one corner and the other packages- a cooler with blood and a small cardboard box containing Drusilla's ashes- in another, Spike lay back and bounced slightly on the bed.

Angel put down his own luggage and inspected the suite. It was large and elegant, with curtains over window-like frames in the wall, and low lights that cast a pinkish shadow over the room. There was a door leading to a bathroom to one side, and enough closet space for a horde of teenagers. There was a TV and a VCR in one corner, angled so that watching it from either of the beds would be possible. The guide on the desk said that there was a video library as well as a small cinema on board, and that there were four different channels to choose from. It also gave meal schedules and a schedule of the different morning and evening activities. He was about to point out several interesting options when the door opened and slammed shut again. He opened it and shouted after the fast moving figure of his Childe.

"Goin' explorin'!" Spike yelled back, not stopping. "I'll be back before dawn." And he disappeared down the corridor. Angel sighed and closed the door, earning an amused look from a middle-aged woman who appeared to be their neighbor.

"Younger brother?" She asked pleasantly.

"Don't I wish. That would mean we'd have parents around to control him." Angel replied, sighing again. The thought of harassed parents trying to keep up with a hyperactive vampire brought a smile to his face. "No, he's a friend. I'm Angel." He held out his hand.

"I'm Alice Brown." The woman shook his hand. "Angel- that's an unusual name."

"I like it." Angel replied simply, offering no other explanation. If the woman was surprised by his cold hand, she didn't show it. "Well, there's no use in trying to catch up with him now; I might as well unpack. Any idea when the boat actually leaves?"

"In about an hour, I think. It's been nice to meet you." The woman nodded and closed her door. Angel did the same. It took him less than fifteen minutes to unpack. He pushed the all-important box under the bed, where it would be safe, and stowed the coolers in one of the cupboards. He noticed a tiny kitchenette with a quarter-sized fridge and a microwave oven, and smiled. His travel agent knew exactly what he needed whenever he went anywhere. He'd have to thank him for it later. Left with nothing to occupy his hands, Angel's thoughts turned once more to his traveling companion. Spike was very obviously avoiding him, and Angel didn't want to spend the entire trip like that. It had happened once before, right after he had rejoined the group in China. Although Spike had been busy with Drusilla at the time, he had also tried to get as much of Angel's time as he could, spent in frantic groping and silent lust, with nervous energy that was unleashed when ever he tried to explain, and furious silence when he insisted that they part. A week of that back then had hurt- now it would be unbearable. No, he would have to do something to show Spike once and for all how things should be. The main problem now, he knew, would be to get him to sit still and listen for more than ten seconds. Angel resolved to wait a few hours, until the boat was far enough from solid land, at least, and then force his Childe to talk to him. Reaching into the bottom of his bag, he pulled out two of Whistler's gifts. Laying the two pairs of handcuffs under a pillow, he surveyed the room again and nodded to himself. He went up to the outer deck to watch the ship leave, whistling the 'Mission Impossible' theme.