Angel and Spike walked down the cobble-stone streets, the moon shining high in the sky. They had both been quiet since arriving in Rome two hours before, neither wanting to voice their concerns over running into a certain blonde slayer and her new boy toy. Both vampires walked around in silence, each contemplating what would happen if they indeed saw her. Finally, Spike, never one who liked silence much, spoke up.

"You don't think she's still with that pillock, do you, Peaches?"

Angel took in a long, unneeded breath, "I don't know. I know she looked happy the last time we saw her."

"My arse. That wanker couldn't make her happy."

Angel glared at Spike, who looked like a little boy who didn't get his pudding.

"Be quiet, Spike."

Spike grumbled and shook his head. Leave it to Peaches to brood. Not that he was all that surprised. It was what he had been doing for the past three years, since that final battle with Wolfram and Hart.

After the dust settled, Angel and Spike were the only two left standing. Ridden with guilt for everything, Angel decided to leave Los Angeles, and the memory of the things he had caused behind. Spike, claiming nothing better to do, tagged along. Reluctantly, the two vampires got close again during their time together in LA, and Spike had no one else. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Angel was the only family he had left.

They had traveled the United States for a while, going down south first, traveling through Texas, and Louisiana. Then they decided to hit New York City before hopping Angel's private jet, one he procured while Angelus came out to play, and landed in Europe. They went to London, Spike visiting his old human haunts, then Ireland, where Angel visited the graves of his parents for the first time since Angelus slaughtered them. They went to Germany and France. They even stopped in Greece. Finally, they decided to see Italy, but went to Venice first. They then decided that Rome was a huge city. There could be a possibility that they'd never see Buffy or Dawn, so there was no reason to avoid it.

They stopped when they heard a scream from a nearby alley. Looking over at his blond childe, he motioned with his eyes for him to go around while he went in head on; effectively trying to trap whatever baddie was there. Spike nodded and silently slipped around the building, leaning against it and looking over his shoulder to see Angel’s signal to move in. Angel moved slowly and quietly toward the alleyway. When he got the end of the building where the alley was, he moved in close to the building, peering slightly to the side to assess the situation.A rather large man had a young girl pinned against the side of a building, his large hand holding hers above her head. She was screaming and trying to wriggle free, but he seemed to be way too strong for her to overpower him. Angel, catching Spike’s eyes, gave a quick nod, and both zeroed in on the couple.

“I couldn’t help but overhear. I think the lady wants you to let her go.”

The man turned his head angrily toward Angel, his eyes conveying his anger.

“Dis is no your concern, “he said in a very thick Italian accent. “I suggesta you go now.”

“Sorry, Mate. That’s just not gonna happen. I suggest you step away from the lady, yeah?”

The man turned back to the woman, shaking his head and mumbling an Italian curse, only to feel himself being thrown back into the opposite wall of the alley way, then falling in a heap of garbage.

Angel watched the man fall, then turned toward the woman, telling her in Italian to run. He watched as she ran away quickly, then turned his attention back to the man laying off in the corner who was slowly standing back up, his real face melting away the human visage he’d had earlier.

“Now, you will both-a pay,” he hissed, flying through the air at both of them.Angel and Spike, looking bored, looked at each other, then each stepped off to the side, leaving a wide whole between them, effectively making the other vampire slam into the wall again.

Spike chuckled, shaking his head, “I tell you, Sire. These new pups aren’t nearly as fun to fight anymore.”

“Quite right, me Boy. Seems they don’t have the finesse us older, wiser vamps have.”

The frustrated vampire stood up again, angry, his eyes glowing gold.

“I will kill-a both of you with my bare hands!”

He lunged at the pair, only to be stopped in mid-air by a stake to the heart. There was a slight pause, the vamp’s face covered in shock before he dusted, the particles landing on the two Master Vampires.Angel and Spike looked at each other, wondering if the other was the one who threw the stake, when a voice was heard from behind Spike.

“Oh my God,” was said in a whisper.

If it wasn’t for their vamp hearing, they would never have heard it.Both of them turned toward the voice, their eyes immediately falling on the one woman that they were talking about earlier.

Angel watched as Buffy’s eyes turned to recognition at him, then shock and amazement as Spike turned into her view. He watched them then turn to something else, something he just wasn’t ready to face.

Spike’s chest rose and fell, as if he couldn’t get enough air into his dead lungs. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. He couldn’t take his eyes off of hers, he was totally frozen on the spot.

“Buffy,” he said, awe covering his voice.