Angel was felled with one blow to his head.

Everyone froze.

There was complete silence.

Which was punctuated with a gasp of pain from Buffy.

And then an angry voice interrupted the pregnant pause.

"Get the HELL away from my daughter!"

"Whoa!" Cordy's jaw dropped open in shock at the sight of Buffy's Mom standing over Angel's slumped form swinging her purse.

"Buffy?" Spike gasped in horror at the sight of Angel's stake that was stuck in her shoulder. Blood was pouring out of his Childe. The sweet intoxicating scent filled the room.

Buffy slumped back against Spike's chest. As Angel had charged towards them she had positioned herself to protect his heart thinking that the brunette vampire had been aiming for Spike. To her shock she had heard his exclamation and realised he wanted to dust her.

His angry words echoed through her head 'she needs to be dusted!' The pain that ricocheted through her body was secondary to the hurt in her heart. Angel wanted her dead, no questions, no pausing…nothing. Just wanted her dusted. For what? She was stunned and hurt by his callous actions. 'So much for him loving me for ever, no matter what, even if I where covered in slime and had antlers.Guess fangs don't count.'

Spike realised that Buffy was in shock, the injuries she had sustained earlier fighting the frizzy haired psycho were still fresh and now she had a stake in her body. Ignoring everyone in the room he carefully turned Buffy in his arms and reached for the stake.

"WAIT!"

Spike froze at the sound of Giles's barked order.

"We need to get her comfortable before you try to remove the stake." Giles pushed past Anya and Tara and knelt down beside Buffy and Spike's huddled forms.

"Is she okay?" Joyce stepped over Angel's body and stared in shock at the sight of the blood pouring from her baby's body. Her hand shot to her mouth as her face paled in fright.

"Oh Buffy, what has he done to you?"

"Mom...mommy…it hurts." with that Buffy passed out, unable to cope with the pain that was pulsing through her entire frame.

"Well." Wesley shifted uncomfortably. The tall teen that had trailed in after Buffy's mother was giving him the evil eye. He blinked and his memories adjusted, then a small smile wavered across his lips, he finally had a name for the angry face glaring at him. Dawn Summers, Buffy's younger sister. He hadn't had much to do with his Slayer's younger sibling in the past and she was an unknown entity to him.

"Well what? You sail into town with him and try to kill my sister?" Dawn kicked Wesley in the ankle and turned in a huff to stare down at Spike and Buffy. "Mommy? Can I help?"

Wesley muffled a curse and hopped away from the angry teen with a yelp. He was bursting to ask questions. From the moment Angel had received the call from Spike a few days ago the vampire had been in a bad mood and then suddenly this afternoon Angel had announced that he was going to Sunnydale to find out what Spike was up to. Wesley had been surprised it had taken so long - he had expected Angel to rush off immediately- but they had all been distracted by various cases in LA. It had only been a few days since they had moved to the Hotel and after ensuring that Bethany, the telepathic girl was safely out of Lilah's clutches, Angel had made his announcement. Cordelia had greeted Angel's decision with a series of voluble shrieks and then a general denouncement of Buffy and her relationship with the souled vampire. Which had fallen on deaf ears, as usual. Wesley had resigned himself to a road trip and had called Gunn for support.

Before any of them could say 'Brooding One', they were halfway to Sunnydale. Angel was even more taciturn than usual and refused to be drawn into a conversation of any type. Their arrival had been a flurry of events with Angel searching for Buffy. Eventually leading to this rather smart gym and him lying unconscious at their feet after discovering that Buffy was without a pulse and sporting some rather fetching fangs

Joyce glanced up with a wan smile on her face, "Dawnie, could you get a towel and spread it over the bed so we can move Buffy upstairs?"

Dawn nodded and skipped up the stairs to the loft apartment, trailed by Anya.

"He really is a broody idiot!"

All the remaining bystanders heard Anya's voice as she clattered up the stairs, offering her opinions on various ways to get vengeance on Angel. "We could castrate him, it's not like he uses it that much, what with the curse."

Gunn flinched his hands involuntarily covering his groin, "who the hell was that and can I add she is damn scary!"

Cordy nodded in agreement and then squatted down next to Angel and turned him onto his back. Blood seeped from a cut in his hairline where Joyce's purse had hit him. "We need to dress this cut!"

"I vote he waits until the vampire with a gushing wound is tended too," Spike growled as he took a cloth from Tara and began to staunch the crimson flow of blood.

"Should we pull it out now?" He asked Joyce and Giles who were busy unpacking a first aid kit that Tara had found on a shelf.

"No lets get her comfortable upstairs.

"We can't leave Angel like this!" Cordy interjected angrily.

Spike glanced over at the slumped form of his Grandsire, his blue eyes hard and uncompromising. "No, your right!"

"Thank you," Cordelia replied. Relief coloured her voice.

"Rupes, can you toss him out with the rubbish?" Spike snarked.

"Hey!"

Gunn and Cordelia's voice echoed in unison.

Before Spike or any of the others could say anything Dawn called down the stairwell, informing them the bed was ready and that Anya was warming some blood as well.

"Spike, can you manage or shall I carry her?" Giles had decided to put aside any lingering worries he had for Spike's loyalty. The worry and anguish that was etched across the British vampire's face told him all he needed to know. Buffy was safe with him. It was a hard realisation to swallow but the Watcher would do so, if it meant Buffy's happiness.

A sense of relief flooded him as he finally accepted Buffy's new life and her choice of a partner in that life. It would not be easy, but he would be there for her and stand next to his Slayer through thick and thin. He just hoped Spike wouldn't drive him to drink or make his hair thin anymore than it had already due to the stress and strain of being an active Slayer's Watcher. He paused for a moment, wondering if Buffy could be considered that anymore, and what ramifications her new status would have in relation to the council.

Spike, unbeknownst to Giles, had been watching him as he had finally accepted Buffy's new situation. Spike was no fool, he realised from the moment they had returned to Sunnydale that Giles had reservations. But now there was a loose limbness to the usually stuffy Watcher, what ever he had been pondering had resulted in acceptance.

Taking an unnecessary deep breath, which his shattered ribs protested against with a jolt of pain, Spike offered an olive branch to his Childe's father figure.

"Bit bashed up here, could you do the honours?" Spike refrained from adding that his balls hurt like the blazes and the strain of carrying Buffy would probably result in him falling to his knees and sobbing like a baby. He did not want to show that sort of weakness in front of any of them - especially Peaches's groupies.

"Right then, Joyce if I may?" Giles gently pushed the older woman's hands away from Buffy's shoulder.

"Thank you, Rupert." Joyce straightened and watched as Giles carefully cradled Buffy against his chest and stood up. He ignored the blood that stained his suit and walked slowly to the stairs. Joyce reached down and helped Spike up, slipping his arm over her shoulder and helped him limp after Giles and Buffy. Spike gritted his teeth as each step sent a fiery bolt of agony from his groin to his stomach.

Tara glanced shyly at Gunn and Cordelia, who were pulling Angel to his feet. The tall vampire's head lolled, as he remained blissfully unconscious. "I think it'd be okay to put him on Spike and Buffy's sofa," she gave a small grin at the look of surprise on the brunette woman's face. "Follow me?"

"They live together?" Cordelia hissed as she tightened her hold on Angel.

Allow me?" Wesley stepped forward and took over the Angel hefting duties.

"Y…yeah," Tara slipped away up the stairs before Cordelia could cross-examine her. Willow had told her all about the brunette ex Sunnydale High alumnus and Tara wasn't ready for the grilling that was bound to happen. She decided there was probably safety in numbers. She was hoping that Giles or one of the others would take over and she could look after Buffy and Spike.

**********

"So Xander went nuts and Willow tried to skin him alive?" Cordelia sank back in her seat and stared at Giles in total shock. "And Willow is gay?" Her voice rose to a high pitch.

"Figures she would focus on the sexual orientation angle and not the sewing of the guy's mouth shut and then trying to kill him." Gunn whispered to the shell-shocked figure of Wesley.

"Dracula turned Buffy and Spike saved her?" Angel sat up and then sank back down with a groan when the room span. He felt ill at the thought that his errant Grandchilde had been the one to rescue his girl.

"Still hurts?" Anya asked from her perch on the windowsill.Angel groaned and then whispered an affirmative.

"Good. I hope your head explodes!" Anya huffed. She eyed the bruise that was flowering out from under the gaze padding Cordelia had stuck on Angel's head. "Must say purple is a break from the whole black on black look you're cultivating!"

"Spike wears black." Angel mumbled defensively.

"Yeah but he wears it with panache and not as if it were a badge of mourning." Anya retorted.

"Not one of her favourite people right now, are you, Angel," Gunn interjected with a smirk.

"Hardly. He hurt Spike's testicles. Buffy will not appreciate that! And then you tried to kill my friend! Not a very nice thing to do. Bet it's a big black mark on the road to redemption." Anya grumbled and gave him her patented 'if I were still a vengeance demon you should be quaking in your boots' look.

"She hurt mine!" Angel gestured to the strategically placed icepack.Anya opened her mouth to retort and Tara interrupted the verbal one up manship battle, which Anya seemed to be currently winning.

"Anya could you help me in the kitchen?" Tara pulled her friend away before she said or did something else. The two women retreated to make sandwiches for the hungry masses.

"Dracula is real?" Gunn asked the now silent room.

Giles nodded, "yes, unfortunately he is and he has made his presence very well known here in Sunnydale."

"Dracula is real?" Gunn repeated.

"Yes he is!" Giles answered again with a hint of exasperation in his tired voice.

"Right…so...he turned Buffy and now she's an ensouled vampire." Wesley tried to steer the conversation back to a more essential topic.

"Yes, it appears the Powers stepped in to help and saved her from being a killer." Giles responded.

**********

"You okay, Spike?" Joyce watched as Spike very carefully lowered Buffy onto their bed. She caught hold of Dawn by the waistband of her jeans and stopped her from snooping through the Armoire that contained some of Buffy's clothes. Joyce knew from all the complaints over the last few days that Dawn was missing having Buffy's clothes at home for her to raid and supplement her wardrobe. She had promised the teen to go shopping at the Mall on the weekend as a treat, and hopefully to stop the whining. She loved her youngest but sometimes the teen hormones were exhausting.

Buffy's eyes fluttered open and stared up into the worried blue gaze of her sire and lover, who was leaning over her supine body and gently stroking her hair. "Ow?" She looked down at the still present stake embedded in her should courtesy of her ex and nearly retched at the sight. A few more inches lower and she would've been staked through the heart.

Yeah, maybe she did have the neato reappearing trick but she sooo didn't want to try it out cos she had been staked!

"We need to get that out, luv." Spike gently rubbed her sides, trying to distract her from the sucking chest wound look she had going on.

Buffy nodded, "’kay."

There was a rap on the door and Giles stuck his head through. "I've got everyone sorted in here, is there anything I can do?"

Spike glanced at Joyce and Dawn, and then at Giles.

"Ah, Dawn, maybe you and your mother could assist in organising some dressings for Buffy and some blood to help her heal up?"

Spike nodded his thanks and then turned to Buffy without a word. When the room had cleared he began to tear her top off and then a rage filled him. The sight of her pale skin surrounding the stake was almost too much, but then the seeping blood that trailed down her side and soaked into the towel pushed him over the top. He lost control on his hair-trigger temper and turn with a howl to the door, intent on destroying Angel.

A slender hand lay over his wrist and a hushed whisper of four words word stalled him in his vengeful tracks.

"Don't, I need you."

*********

Angel lay on the massive couch and watched as Joyce and Dawn re-entered the bedroom carrying a first aid box and several mugs of blood for Buffy. Angel wondered if anyone was going to offer him some blood and then decided to wait, deciding not to risk asking as the looks he was getting from Anya suggested she might put something disgusting in it!

He had heard the quiet exchange over the other’s voices and then the whimper of pain as Spike pulled out the wooden stake Angel had rammed into Buffy's body. The whispered words of comfort had filled him with a faint jealously, and then his concentration was pulled away from Spike and Buffy. Instead he had suffered a verbal attack like no other from the odd woman that Xander had been dating.

Xander.

If it had been possible, steam would've poured from his ears after Giles had revealed that it had been Buffy's so called best friend- and his biggest detractor -who had fed her to Dracula. 'And all because he wanted to be a vamp? Guess that explains a lot.'

Angel shook his head and then regretted it when it began to ache. He wondered what the hell Mrs Summers had in her purse- maybe some bricks from the feel of it.

He was pulled from his musings by Giles's voice. Angel's head snapped up and his jaw dropped.

"She has a soul?"

"Well yes, did you honestly think I would've allowed Buffy to continue to exist if she hadn't?" Giles peered over his glasses in irritation at Angel before dismissing him and turning to Wesley.

Relief flooded Angel-she had a soul. Which meant that he didn't need to dust her.

"So she is en-souled, this is a relief- and no clauses, I imagine," Wesley gestured to the closed doors of the bedroom. Giles nodded, his eyes never leaving Angel's.

"Well, that's is reassuring’. Wesley reached for his cup of tea and took a restorative drink.

Cordelia huffed and folded her arms; "I can't believe you guys are all with the accepting of Spike here. Last time we saw him, Spike tortured Angel and nearly killed him."

Angel's brown eyes swung and pinned Cordelia with a warning gaze. "Cordy, not now," he warned.

"We know. However, circumstances have changed since then," Giles responded curtly.

"Yeah, so?" Cordelia retorted. She stopped herself from saying that Angel was more equipped to deal with Buffy the souled vampire - she sooo didn't want to have the blonde coming back to LA. That was so not a possibility.

"We have more important problems to focus on," Giles replied calmly.

"Like?" Cordelia challenged when she realised that Angel was staying silent on the whole subject of Spike. She wondered what the hell was going on with him; instead of arguing against Spike and Buffy, he had stayed surprisingly quiet. Well, since the initial 'grrr argh' attack.

"Dracula for one, Cordy," Gunn interrupted the blossoming argument, returning to the subject to the villain of the hour.

"Is that where Spike and Buffy sustained their injuries? Fighting Dracula?" Wesley asked his voice filled with Watcherly interest.

Giles shook his head and before he could reply, Tara surprisingly spoke.

"No, it was someone else that nearly killed them both." Tara ignored the others and carried on making sandwiches.

Angel twitched in surprise. He was amazed at the quantity of injuries that both Spike and Buffy had sustained- before he had attacked. Whatever it was they had fought, it must have been strong. Both of them were powerful and canny fighters, and despite how he felt about Spike, one thing he had to give his Grandchilde - he was an un-paralleled scrapper who rarely lost a battle or allowed himself to be injured so badly. Angel also suspected that they had both been exposed to sunlight for a long period, if their skin was anything to go by.

"What did that to them?"

Giles sighed tiredly, as did Tara.

"We don't know much, all that Buffy and Spike discovered from that dead monk was that it was called de Beast" Anya responded for the other two.

"No other name?" Gunn demanded. "What did it look like, this demon?"

"About 5ft nothing in heels, skanky red dress and long blonde hair," Anya sighed. "But hits like a pile driver,” she added helpfully.

"Human?" Wesley raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"No, it was supernatural, but we have no idea what she was, I haven't had a chance to research as of yet." Giles was itching to get to his books and start sifting through them.

"Maybe I could assist as well?" Wesley offered.

"Thank you. I imagine you have several avenues to investigate in LA that are not open to us here." Giles was secretly relieved that he hadn't had to ask his former colleague for help.

"Yes, have you considered approaching the Council to see if they have anything on this latest threat?" Wesley asked curiously, his own contact to their former employers was limited to the occasional strained conversation with his supremely disappointed father and nothing more.

Giles shook his head.

"We thought that mightn’t be the best idea, seeing that they would send over some large and well-muscled thugs to kill Buffy if they found out what she has been turned into." Anya snorted and rolled her eyes. That Wesley guy was kinda dumb, the ex demoness pondered as she began to load the dining table with all the food she and Tara had prepared.

"Turned into?" Buffy's tired voice made everyone jump.

Angel swivelled his body slowly to face the door from which Buffy's voice had emanated. She and Spike stood side-by-side, leaning against each other. Angel took in the sling that her arm rested in so has to help avoid straining the damage inflicted on her body, and he lowered his eyes guiltily. He started at the soft touch of Cordelia's hand on his knee and he looked up at her, surprised with the understanding smile the brunette directed at him.

Angel turned back at the united front that Spike and Buffy were displaying towards him. They stood alongside each other; Buffy's unencumbered hand was wrapped around Spike's waist and tucked into the waistband of the loose fitting sweats he had put on. Joyce and Dawn flanked them and both were glaring at Angel in disapproval.

Angel felt the burden of their angry stares and also the burden of guilt for hurting Buffy and surprisingly, Spike.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Spike snarled angrily.

"Don't even start, Peaches!" He growled and pulled Buffy against his side protectively. He had felt her tense when the Poof had spoken and every cell in his body screamed at him to protect her. He had failed once already tonight and his precious Childe had been nearly staked. Not again, he vowed.

Not again.

And no way was he going to tolerate the great git brooding over it - it made his fangs ache even thinking about the pity me session Angel was gearing up too.

Dawn gave Angel her patented hairy eyeball glare and flounced past him and sat down on the arm of Giles's chair. Joyce ignored Angel and sat down at the dining table - acutely aware of all the history between the three vampires and unwilling to add to it.

Buffy and Spike sat down slowly in an over large armchair, each moving awkwardly from their still healing injuries.

"Buffy?" Angel muttered under his non-existent breath.

Buffy reluctantly looked over at her ex and a pang of sorrow filled her gut at the morose sight that greeted her. Angel was staring at her with sorrowful eyes and his large frame was hunched over as if expecting an attack at any moment. She was hurt and angry at his reaction; even when he had been Angelus she had held back slightly - hoping that something may have been done to save him. Never had she attacked first and asked questions later, like he had - Buffy felt betrayed by Angel's actions and was amazed at the depths of antipathy she felt towards her 'first love'.

Things had changed. She had been through the 'wringer' recently and had been forced to grown up very quickly. The realisation that nothing in this or the supernatural world was black and white had been a tough lesson to learn - but she had.

Buffy sighed and peeked up at Spike through her lashes, only to find him watching her with concern colouring his expressive eyes. She raised her eyebrows in question, aware that he had probably picked up on most of what she was thinking. Which, On top of that what they had discussed briefly in the bedroom when they had been alone all lead to her having to accept Angel's apology.

Spike narrowed his eyes for a split second, then sighed and rested his head against her uninjured shoulder.

Buffy and Spike were so absorbed in each other that they were unaware of being watched by the others. Their silent exchange was a revelation to their observers. The newcomers were filled with surprise, those more used to the two vampires regarded them fondly, and one was filled with an unwarranted jealousy.

Buffy nudged Spike and he grumbled under his breath.

"Okay, stop nagging woman!" Spike huffed playfully at Buffy. He was not eager to ask what he was about to of his Grandsire for several reasons - two of which were now looking at him as if he was insane, and, the other reasons were best left between him and his Grandsire. Peaches knew what they were and there was no use rehashing well-trodden ground again - not now, anyway.

"Spike, go on." Buffy pinched him on the thigh.

There was no way she was asking.

"Peaches, we need you to do us a favour." Spike jerked his thumb at Joyce and Dawn. "We need you to take Mum and the Nibblet back to LA with you." Spike closed his eyes and waited for the explosions- and was left unsurprised.

"No!" Dawn yelped. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Angel blinked in surprise. Of all things he imagined, he had never expected this. He looked from Buffy to Spike and saw the determination on both their faces. In that instant he realised that they were entrusting him with the most precious of burdens, and he determined that he wouldn't fail them- again!

Buffy remained silent throughout the entire exchange. She knew that when Giles had first suggested this, she had been the most vociferous of opponents. But in the quiet moments when Joyce and Dawn had left them- while Spike tended to her injuries- they had talked and come to a decision. One that Spike was revealing now to their surprised friends and allies; they needed to be safe away from Sunnydale so that she and the others could focus on destroying Dracula and the latest Big Evilina. She knew that Dawn would raise hell over going, and also mom. Buffy looked over her unusually silent mother and a small crease of confusion appeared between her brows.

Joyce watched as her eldest daughter sat there in the midst of Dawn’s arguing with Giles and Anya, who both supported this idea of them fleeing the town. She glanced over at the brunette vampire who was still frozen in place in wonderment and looking at both Spike and Buffy with a mixture of confusion and acceptance. The eldest Summers had never warmed to the vampire, even before she had known of Angel's true vampiric nature. Joyce had still felt a small amount of guilt over encouraging Angel to leave Sunnydale, but in the end she knew it had been the right thing to do. It had been for the best.

Spike and Buffy were more suited for each other. Anyone could see that.

Joyce took a deep breath and then clapped her hands to disrupt all the conversations. Once their attention was directed to her, the fair-haired woman ended all the discussions with one sentence.

"We are going to LA.”