(Still not mine. Warning for violence, nastiness, major angst and slight emotional crap.)
 

Spike had long since stopped counting the blows that landed on him, and concentrated on staying conscious and fighting back. It didn't take him very long to realize that he'd really done it this time- made Angel completely lose his composure, but by that time he'd lost control of the situation. Spike had no other choice but to protect his face as best he could, and wait until Angel gave him an opening.

When the opening came, Spike used it well. He shoved Angel off him hard, then sprang up and faced his Sire's furious gaze.

"Hit a nerve, didn't I?" He leered at him, wiping blood out of his eyes. "It needed to be said, Angelus. All you have to do now is kill me, and you'll be free of all of us. You'd be able to start over. Maybe your new family'll forget you were ever evil. I never will, though." Spike blocked Angel's arm as they clashed again, but couldn't do anything about his other arm. He felt a rib crack, and vowed to do at least as much damage before Angel took him out. Maybe leave him a souvenir from the fight... He leaped back and reached blindly for the drawer behind him. Luck appeared to be with him, because the first thing his fingers found was a pair of scissors. He flashed them at Angel's face, and the older vampire just managed to avoid being cut.

"Is that what you really think?" Angel growled, "That I could ever forget the way I was? That you're the only thing tying me to the past?" He grabbed Spike's wrist and squeezed hard, and the blond had to release his hold on the scissors. He tried to hit Angel with his other fist, but had no leverage. "Don't flatter yourself," Angel continued, "I could never forget what I was- what I did. It has nothing to do with you. You are only one of many."

"I'm the only one, so far, who's lived to tell the tale," Spike snarled, struggling, as Angel practically dragged him upstairs, "And I'll go on spreading it, Peaches, no matter what you do." He hoped that, at least, the words would force Angel to tell him exactly what he was actually planning to do to him. If not... well, Angel had done many things to him. And none of them were really any worse that what Glory had done to him weeks before. He could handle it.

He hadn't expected Angel to throw him on the bed and glare at him, though.

"You'll do what I tell you to do, William, because I'm your Sire and Master."

Spike snorted, gave Angel a disbelieving look, "Come on, Angelus. D'you really think I'd fall for that load of shit? I've never listened to you, and I'm not gonna start now, just because you say so. Don't make me laugh."

"Oh, I'm not going to." Now that Spike was in a more comfortable position- for Angel, that is- he could get on with what he'd been planning, in moments of real anger and frustration, for nearly two years- putting his errant Childe back in his place.

******

Fine. It took me 15 minutes to find a hot dog stand, another fifteen to finish my 'dog, and then I wandered aimlessly around the local shops for an hour and a half. With no money, since I'd forgotten to take my purse. Finally I gave up. I figured two hours should be plenty for the guys to finish their fight.

I opened the door to Angel's house, and listened carefully. I couldn't hear anything. Had they really killed each other? They'd better not have, 'cause I'm not driving all the way back to Sunnydale. Hey, if I'm alone I can catch a plane. What am I thinking? They can't be dead. They'd never... Damn, they would. My heart was going a mile a minute. There was no one in the kitchen... Oh, thank God. Voices from the second floor.

Unless Angel's into talking to himself nowadays, Spike's still undead. Oh good. Something made me stop outside the slightly open door and listen instead of barging in.

"Say it." Angel's voice. No, not Angel- The Master's Voice. The one he'd better not use on me ever again. Then something else- was that Spike? He sounded like someone's done a real number on him.

"No. Bugger off."

"Say it!" Angel raised his voice. I suddenly realized that I wasn't sure that it wasn't Angelus in there. Had Spike given him a happy? Grrr... The thought of... Wait, who was I feeling jealous about? Angel, for getting happies from someone else, Spike, for giving him a happy, or the two of them, for not asking me in? I would've refused, sure, but they could've invited me...

"Damnit, William, say it and I'll stop. Just admit it already. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Because I don't wanna say it. Yer not my Sire, and you'll never be, so give it up." Spike replied. Was that what they were fighting about? I don't get vampires. I really don't.

"I am your Sire, and you will acknowledge me as such, or you will face the consequences." Angel grated out. He sounded majorly pissed. I told myself I should stop them before he did something he regretted, but... They needed to get this done with. Vampire stuff. Suddenly, my life didn't seem so complicated.

"You haven't been anyone's Sire in over a century, shithead, and you sure ain't mine. Just leave me alone."

"I'm acting like your Sire right now. If you don't say it now, you know exactly what I'll do next."

"Yeah, and you'll enjoy every second of it, too. Isn't your damn soul starting to fray around the edges from all this?" Jeez, Spike just never knows when to stop, does he? I heard something that sounded a lot like someone hitting someone else. This is it- I had to see what was going on in there. I peeked through the half open door.

Angel was half naked, covered only in black jeans, and Spike didn't even have that. He was also handcuffed to the bed, and bleeding all over Angel's deep red sheets. I pulled my head back before they noticed me- I hope. Then I looked again. Spike looked totally trashed. And Angel... I wasn't even sure it was Angel. A growl thundered through the room, and Angel pounced- that's the only way I can describe it- on Spike, and... bit his neck? Haven't they done this once already? I mean, could Spike be any more vamped than he was? I stood there silently, watching. Spike struggled at first, but then he just... gave up. If Angel didn't stop soon, Spike would pass out, and then... Damn. I had to stop them. Suddenly I noticed Angel was pulling off his pants.

What did he think he was doing? Jesus H. Christ! He is not gonna... No. This I had to stop. I marched into the room, and pulled out a cross, just in case. The stake was there as well, just out of sight so I wouldn't scare them- too much.

"Honey, I'm home!" I called. Angel jumped up and gave me a deer-in-headlights look.

"Buffy...I..."

"Yeah? You were what, Angel?" I didn't back down an inch, never mind that he was standing there, completely nude, and obviously ready for action. I looked around him. Spike was barely conscious, but a ghost of a smile was on his lips.

"Yeah, Angel, start explaining." He whispered. Blood was still leaking slowly out of the fang-marks in his neck. "We agreed you were the Master, so you get to explain."

"We agreed?" Angel sounded surprised.

"Yeah. Whatever. Just untie me and let me die in peace..." Spike tried to curl up and failed, being all tied up to the bed, I suppose. I cleared my throat.

"Um, excuse me? I was waiting for an explanation." I said. It was pretty clear, I guess, but seeing Angel all flustered is just so much fun.

"Spike and I had... a little disagreement. He said some things that were not only hurtful but wrong, and several things that were... true," He gave Spike an apologetic look, but was ignored, "And I lost my temper and..."

"Went all Angelus on him." I completed.

"Nah." Spike said, "Angelus wouldn't have left a whole bone in my body. As it is, it's only a couple ribs and maybe a wrist. Pretty tame. Hurts like a son of a bitch, though. Would one of you unlock these fucking things?"

"Yeah." Angel bent down to unlock the cuffs, then sighed. "Spike, I'm s-"

"Don't." Spike stopped him. "Don't you dare apologize, Peaches. First time you've acted like a real vampire this century, and yer not gonna spoil it by apologizing." He pulled himself up, winced, and lay back down. "Now, go explain this shit to the Slayer, while I lie here looking miserable, and see if I can't get some comfort sex out of it."

"Half dead, and you can still make lewd suggestions." I shook my head. Angel looked a perplexed as always by the turn of events. Like he didn't know I might come in during... Whatever it was. "You could've at least closed the door. I think I'm scarred for life."

"Things you've seen, Slayer, and this scars you?" Spike snorted. "I'm gonna get some sleep." He curled up and closed his eyes. Before I had a chance to say anything, Angel shook him awake.

"Don't fade out on me, Spike." He said seriously. "I'm delegating- you explain things to Buffy, and I'll go get breakfast for us, okay?"

"Wanker. Lemme alone." Spike sighed. "Fine. You'll probably bollocks it up if you try to explain. Go away." He opened half an eye. "Sit, Slayer. This is gonna take a while." He groaned. "Bloody hell, the poof is strong. Are you sure about the comfort sex thing?"

"Start talking, Spike, before I take you out of my misery." I threatened, only half joking. I hated feeling left out like that. "Well, I won't, 'cause you really look like shit, but you'd better start talking soon."

"Love ya too, Slayer." He sighed. "Fine. So yeah, I pushed Angel like he's never been pushed, and he finally snapped out of the sissy-boy mode he's been in the past century or so, and showed me he still has some backbone left. So I'm willing to admit that he's a part of my family again."

"You did it on purpose?" I asked, shaking my head. I still didn't understand. "So it's like you respect him now that he nearly killed you?"

"I suppose you can say that, yeah." Spike nodded slowly, "But there's a lot more to it than that. Angelus never would've let any of us talk to him like I talk to Angel, see?" I really didn't, and I told him so. "Jeez, Slayer, is it that difficult to understand?"

"I don't get it. How can you be one big happy family again after trying to kill each other for a couple of years?"

"I was trying to take him out of his misery. Do you have any idea how pathetic he was before he met you? Tried to off himself a couple hundred times, probably. And yeah, I was angry, and hurt. He left us, you know?"

"Yeah. He left me as well." I reminded him.

"After what? Less than a year. I was with him for two decades, and Dru for four. We were a family, and he tore us apart." Spike took a deep breath. Angel entered the room, still nude and carrying a tray with steaming cups on it.

"I didn't tear you apart, Spike." He replied, setting the tray down. He wasn't quite so...ready for action anymore. Thank God. "I finally gave you and Dru the privacy you wanted."

"We wanted you around, you idiot. Screw privacy. You didn't have to leave. You didn't even say goodbye." Spike snarled, reaching for a mug of blood.

"I couldn't." Angel said simply. "You have no idea what a soul feels like after years of being the evilest creature in Europe. It was..." He closed his eyes, "Horrible." He sat down on the bed and pushed Spike's head to one side, licking the last of the blood away from his neck. Spike grimaced, touching the bite marks carefully.

"That's gonna leave a scar." He sighed. "Hopefully, though, so will that." He pointed at Angel's face. There were three long scratches stretching from just under his left eye down to his jaw. I hadn't noticed those before.

"I'm glad to see you guys actually fought before hopping into bed together." Where did that come from? I wasn't glad. "And do you know you're both naked?"

"Yeah." Spike drawled, while Angel looked uncomfortable, "Aren't you feeling a little overdressed for the occasion, pet?"

"No!" Well, I kinda was, but I wasn't about to get naked with the two of them. That would inevitably end in a staking. Probably mine. No! Bad Buffy. No dirty thoughts about two gorgeous vampires in bed with you. One is enough.

"Come on, Slayer. You know you wanna." He said again. I gave him my best death glare, and directed another one at myself, for agreeing with him.

"Remember what happened the last time you said that, Spike?"

"Yeah." He replied, "I got this close to killing you. Twice. And I wouldn't have regretted it, either."

"This I need to hear about." Angel said lightly. Spike turned to him, half smirking half scowling.

"No, Peaches. We were talking about you being a bad Sire, here, and the Slayer won't change the subject so easily. Now, where was I?"

"My turn, Spike." Angel stopped him. Spike froze and shut up. Cool. That master thing really works. I should try that sometime as well. "I have a list of my own, you know. First, you defied me every chance you got for twenty years, you hit me when we met again in Sunnydale, you assaulted me again, after I pretty much established my mastery over both of you, you tortured me for hours and hours last year, and finally," Angel's voice lowered slightly, "you moved in on my mate."

"Let's see..." Spike ticked off the points on his fingers, "First, even Angelus was a bloody poof with serious control issues who just begged me to bug him, I hit you because you were planning to poison me with that boy..."

"Which boy?" There were new things being revealed here. I liked that. A lot.

"I offered to share Xander with him." Angel explained, shrugging, "Nearly did it, too, only he punched me first."

"You were going to eat Xander?"

"Not really. I was just trying to get him to trust me again. I wouldn't have let him get hurt. Badly." Angel said.

"Moving right along, you were about to send the world into Hell, and don't even start with the 'moving in on my mate' shit, 'cause I've been there, mate, and you have no right." Spike glared, then smirked, "And the torture was just plain fun."

"Wait, wait- torture? When, where and why didn't either of you ever tell me?" I had to ask. Why didn't Angel tell me? I would've killed Spike in an instant.

"You'd have killed me in an instant if I told you, pet." Hm... yeah.

"I didn't think it was important. It didn't mean much." Angel shrugged. Spike glared at him.

"Didn't mean much?" It was the bloody ultimate proof that you had no spine left. Even if you were rescued by those human pals of yours, the old Angelus would've come after me and made me eat my mistakes." He grimaced, "Literally."

"Yeah, but you see, it bothered me so little that I didn't even feel it was necessary to reprimand you." Angel patted Spike's shoulder patronizingly, "It was clear you'd forgotten that I've spent several centuries in hell. Makes sense, too. After all, you only helped me get there."

"Shut up. You deserved it. You deserved to be on the receiving end once." Spike replied, half-smirk still firmly in place.

"I was 'on the receiving end' for longer than you've been alive, boy, and that wasn't even in hell. Who do you think taught me to do what I did to you?" Angel asked sharply. "I'm sick and tired of you acting as if you're the only person on Earth who's ever been kicked out of the nest."

"I wasn't kicked out of anywhere. You kicked yourself out and left me high and dry. And then you came back and you were fighting for the other team!" Spike raised a hand before Angel could reply to that. "I know I do that too, nowadays, but that was then, alright? This is now. And right now, you still haven't proven that you're still a vampire inside."

How the hell did he get there? Sometimes Spike confuses me. Angel seemed to understand, though. He sipped his blood, and I realized that he was a lot less self-conscious about that. "I thought I did that just now. Also, that's not exactly tomato juice I'm drinking."

"I know." Spike shook his head in frustration, "But you don't get it, you'll never fucking get it. And you didn't prove it. Not all the way."

"What did you want him to do, Spike?" I asked, and realized I was shouting. Why am I shouting? I'm not even a part of this argument. "Did you want him to kill you? To... To..." I can't even say it. "Would you prefer it if he lost his soul again?"

"Hell no!" Spike replied, just as heatedly, "But I can't stand the nancy-boy version either!" He sighed, then glared at me. "It's all your fault again, Slayer."

"How the hell is it my fault?" I yelled at him. How dare he drag me into their messed up situation? "If I remember correctly, I saved your ass."

"Yeah, and maybe my ass wasn't ready to be saved!"

Huh? Oh, he did not just say that. Angel looked at him questioningly, and Spike tried to glare at both of us at the same time.

"Maybe I wanted to see if the Poof was willing to go all the way. Risk his precious soul just to satisfy the vampire instinct. And you bloody stopped him and now I'll never know!" The last bit was almost a whine. "The only things I do know is that my favorite shirt is ruined, and I'm bruised, and I won't get any comfort sex, and-" Spike gulped from a new mug, and choked, "That's not blood!"

"I made some hot cocoa." Angel said, "And I can promise you that I would've gone 'all the way', as you put it, and if you go on yelling and whining, I might still do it."

"You would?" Spike sounded almost hopeful.

"Do you guys want me to go shopping again?" I asked. But I was kidding. I was! I didn't want to think about what they'd do, and if they really were, I wanted to be there!

"It's alright." Angel lay a hand on my shoulder, and the other on Spike's. Spike shook him off angrily.

"It's not OK! I'm still angry."

"You've been angry for the last century or so. Deal with it for another fifteen minutes."

"Fuck you, Peaches."

"If Buffy doesn't mind..."

"I do mind." I interrupted, "What if you give him a happy, Spike?"

"I'll never give him a happy, luv. He still hates me." Spike sounded strangely resigned to the fact.

"For the last time, boy, I don't hate you. But he's right about the happy. I think you're the only sexual trigger." Angel looked down, embarrassed, "I've, um..."

"You got laid? Who was the desperate lady? Did Miss Chase finally loosen up some?" Spike leered at Angel, and got two death glares as a response.

"Not Cordy, and shut up, Spike. If you must know, it was Darla."

"Oh." Spike was the one who looked uncomfortable now, "Never mind then." Which is, I guess, the closest he ever gets to apologizing.

"I'll get jealous, I'm warning you both." I tried again, only to be foiled in the way I least wanted, but at least expected.

"You could always join us, pet." Spike. Of course. Angel looked surprised, but not like he'd be too opposed to the idea. I was really going to say something witty and cutting at that point, but Spike kissed me, the kind of kiss that I hadn't had since the day at the motel, and my resistance kinda melted away. Most of it was still there, though, and the thought of... being alone, with them, in a bedroom, for even one more minute suddenly made me sick. I stood up shakily.

"I... I need to get some air. Yeah. I'll be right back." I muttered. I don't know why. I just couldn't handle it. Somehow, I managed to get myself outside, stumbling and breathing hard. I collapsed on Angel's sofa, cursing myself, and wondering what they might do now I was gone.

*****