DISCLAIMER: Don't own them. Don't claim to. Don't have enough money to be sued.
TIMELINE: Sometime in the fourth season.
SPOILERS: All of Season Four Buffy.
SYNOPSIS: Spike gets caught by the Initiative again, but this time he has a roommate and he's not pleased.
DISTRIBUTION: Anyone can have it if they want, just ask.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I wonder what would happen if Angel got captured by the Initiative....?
FEEDBACK: Yes please, I like feedback.
RATING: The same as Buffy the show I guess.

Spike could not believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He'd been captured by the Initiative again. A second time! He could almost understand being captured the first time, but a second time? He must be losing his touch. He used to be one of the biggest bad guys around, and now he was in a cell. Again! As if it wasn't bad enough putting up with that bloody Scooby Gang. He cursed under his breath, and then louder. He kicked the wall, and cursed a third time as the pains in his foot traveled up his leg. Suddenly, the electrified door opened. He went to run for it, but was pushed back and landed on his ass. Then, a second figure was thrown in with him before the door was electrified again. Spike looked up from where he'd fallen. On the floor was a groaning figure, dressed in a long black leather coat. Spike blinked. Clearly, all the rotten sodding luck in the entire bloody world was being reserved exclusively for him right now.

"Bloody hell," he muttered. "Not sodding you. Bloody hell."

Angel groaned. His head ached. Last thing he remembered, he was fighting a demon in the woods near UC Sunnydale. Now, every bone and muscle he had ached and he was in some cell. He looked up. He wasn't alone.

"Not you," he said. The other figure nodded. Angel fell back onto the floor resignedly. Then, he sat up.

"So, how've you been Spike?" He asked the other vampire.

"Well Peaches, I was doing just fine then these bloody commandos captured me. I escaped, found out I had a chip in my head and then somehow I got bloody captured again. And now you." Spike leaned against the wall. Angel sniggered. Spike glared at him.

"So, what does the chip do?" Angel inquired.

"I can't bloody hurt a living thing. Except demons. Can't feed. My life is over."

"You're impotent? Unable to perform?" Angel taunted him.

"I don't know what you're so bloody chuffed about. They've probably done the same to you."

"Not a problem for me, actually." Angel thought of his curse.

"Oh, that's right, you great poof." Now it was Spike's turn for some Angel bashing. "You don't go in for that anymore."

"No," Angel said cheerily. Of all the people to be cellmates with, he ended up with Spike. Somebody somewhere was having a great joke and at his expense.

"So, Angelus, how did they get you?"

"I was fighting a demon, then they got me with one of those blaster things." He said, rubbing the back of his head. It was sore.

*

Riley Finn walked through the UC Sunnydale campus deep in thought. He had thought that he knew all there was to know about Buffy. But now it turned out there was a whole other Buffy he didn't know about. He wasn't talking about The Slayer, he was talking about the Buffy who had been in love with some mystery guy. Xander had only hinted at the past, but from itsy bitsy acorns grow big oak trees, and now Riley's mind was filled with ideas about Buffy. He sat down on a bench and watched the sun set on the horizon. Then he remembered Hostile 17. They had recaptured him, and Riley knew that Hostile 17 knew Buffy. He resolved to get the truth out of the vampire, and so he jumped up from the bench and headed over to Lowell House. Once there, he went to the elevator, and went down into the heart of the Initiative. He headed into the containment areas. Checking the files, he found out which cell Hostile 17 was in, and went there. Inside were two normal looking guys, but Riley already knew that looks could be deceiving.

"Oi! Room service!" He heard a voice call out from the cell followed by laughter. He went over.

"You want something?" He asked. The bleached blond nodded.

"Some O Negative and a beer." He said. The other 'person' in the cell snickered. He was a much darker guy than Hostile 17, and looked entirely more menacing. Riley contemplated whether to talk to Hostile 17, but he needed the truth.

"OK. If you help me out." Riley told him. This surprised the two into silence.

"What do you want?" Hostile 17 asked him.

"Information."

"About what? How to dress? Cause I have to say that your look positively screams GI Joe. Which is SO last season." The blond vampire said derisively. Riley gritted his teeth.

"About the Slayer. I know you know her. I want to know everything." He didn't notice the dark vampire tense up and suddenly begin listening closely.

"Like what, love?" Spike asked him, throwing a glance over at Angel. Angel looked back. This was a brilliant opportunity to really mess with Soldier Boy's mind.

"Everything."

"What's it to you?"

"She's... important to the Initiative." Soldier Boy told him.

"Yeah right. I know you. You're the new boyfriend, right?" Spike said. This was a great chance to wind up both Riley and Angel. He wasn't going to let this one pass him by.

"Yeah," Riley said.

"Riley Finn," Spike said.

"That's right. What do you know about the Slayer?"

"Good ol' Buff?" Spike said cheerfully. "I know everything. Well, nearly everything. But what I don't know I'm sure my friend here can fill you in." He smirked at Angel, who growled at him.

"Really?" Riley was interested now. "So tell me."

"Hang on pal, what's it worth?"

"Worth?"

"Freedom. Blood that isn't drugged and of course the obligatory merry bushels of cash." Spike told him.

"Yeah, yeah." Riley said. "Tell me."

"Oh, where to start..." Spike pretended to consider it carefully. "Buffy Summers. Slayer. Formerly of Sunnydale High School." He paused.

"So, tell me about her." Riley pressed.

"What do you want to know?" Angel finally spoke. He was suspicious of this Soldier Boy.

"I want to know about her past. What she was like before. You say you know her? I can't imagine the Slayer getting too close to vampires."

"Well, close enough to kick his ass," Angel taunted Spike.

"And yours." Spike shot back. "She kicked yours all the way to Hell." Angel kicked him.

"Ooh! Careful," Spike told him. "OK. Buffy... What do you want to know specifically? It's so hard to know where to begin."

"How about boyfriends? Did she ever date that Xander Harris guy?" Riley asked. Angel snickered.

"Yeah, right." He said. "He's just a kid."

"Buffy likes older guys." Spike filled in. "Much older guys." He winked exaggeratedly at Angel, who glared back. Riley was taken aback.

"How much older?" Riley asked.

"Two hundred and twenty five years give or take." Spike said triumphantly, drinking in the fallen look on Riley's face.

"What?"

Spike was loving it. Angel was enjoying the look on Riley's face. Riley was having trouble processing the information.

"Is that a joke?" Riley asked.

"A joke? Why no," Spike said mock innocently.

"Two hundred and twenty five years?" Riley was confused.

"Give or take." Spike clarified.

"How is that even possible? I mean..." Riley was going round in circles in his mind.

"Look mate, Buffy and her bloke had the biggest love of the century. They made Romeo & Juliet look like a casual fling. They made Antony and Cleopatra look positively dull. Hell, even Burton and Taylor had nothing on them." Spike said. A pained look flickered across Angel's face.

"What happened?"

"Well, how to put this?" Spike pretended to search for a way to say it. "They shagged, he went evil and she had to kill him. Then he came back, they got back together, decided they couldn't be together anymore and so he left."

"Who is this guy? How did he go evil? Where is he now?" Riley pressed.

"Oh, he's not far away," Angel said with a smirk.

"Well, as for the evil thing, he's a vampire. Did you not get that from the age gap? She's in love with a member of the undead elite. And not just any vamp. The most evil, vicious vampire the world has seen." Spike said. He really didn't think this Riley guy was very bright.

"You've heard of the Scourge of Europe, Angelus?" Angel asked. Riley looked shocked.

"She was in love with ANGELUS?" Riley shrieked. Much in the style of a girl.

"You've heard of him then?"

"Well, yeah. I heard we captured him. It's all over the Initiative." Riley said. Angel growled. But he was impressed. He was famous. But then, he already knew that. In certain circles, he was an un-living legend. As Darla had once told him, he'd be an even bigger legend if he'd left anyone alive in his home town. He winced at the thought of killing all those people all those years ago.

"So, you're telling me that Buffy was in love with a vicious monster that killed people?" Riley was beginning to get a headache.

"No." Angel said quickly.

"Not exactly." Spike said. He was enjoying this. "Y'see, Angelus got cursed about a hundred years back. Gypsies..."

"They gave him back his soul and he didn't kill people anymore." Angel filled in quickly before Spike could add his own skewed version of the story.

"He was... good?"

"Oh yeah, regular soft poof." Spike told him.

"And you knew him?"

"Oh yeah, he's my grandsire." Spike said proudly. He might hate Angel, but having the great Scourge of Europe as a sire held a certain cachet.

"What?"

"Grandsire. I was sired by a vampire he sired." Spike's expression melted as he thought of Drusilla.

"Drusilla." He said sadly. Angel laughed again. Spike glared at him. "It's your bloody fault." He told Angel.

"Don't start on this again Spike. It's a tired theme." Angel looked up at Riley. "Could I get a single room?" He asked. But Riley was still concerned with Buffy and this vampire.

"And she was in love with him?"

"Totally." Angel said, his expression softening. Then he put his impenetrable mask back on before Riley could pick up on it.

"You think a soft soldier boy like you compares to him?" Spike said, winking at Angel.

"You're not half the man he is." Angel added, looking Riley up and down.

"Yeah, and his hair uses twice the amount of mousse yours does." Spike added with a snigger. Angel glared at him.

"What? Riley was still confused.

"Forget about it, boy." Angel advised adding a little emphasis on the word 'boy'.

"My friend here is right," Spike added. "You should just forget her."

Spike might hate Angel and Angel might hate Spike but together they were united against the Soldier Boy known as Riley Finn.

*

Buffy was concerned. Riley was meant to have met her half an hour ago, and she'd got a garbled message on the answer phone from Giles about Angel, of all people. She tried Riley on the phone again, but there was no answer. She then rang Angel's office in LA.

"Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless." Cordelia's cheery voice said.

"Cordelia?"

"Buffy, is that you?"

"Yeah. Listen, is Angel there?"

"No, he uh, well, uh..."

"What?"

"He went to Sunnydale. I got a vision of you and he shot up there faster than I could say 'Buffy's in trouble'."

"When was this?"

"Last night. He said he'd spend the day at the mansion."

"Thanks Cordy," Buffy said before hanging up the phone. She grabbed her keys and headed over to the mansion.

When she finally arrived at the desolate old house, she found it completely deserted. The presence of Angel's car outside and several empty packets of blood suggested he'd been there, but he wasn't anymore. She left, and headed back to her room, not knowing what to do. She found Willow waiting there for her.

"Where have you been?" Willow said.

"I went to the mansion. He's been there, but he's not anymore." Buffy was concerned.

"Giles was trying to call you." Willow told her.

"About Angel?"

"Yeah."

"What do you know?"

"He was captured by the Initiative last night. Giles said he was fighting a demon, when the Initiative came along and blasted both."

Suddenly the thought of Riley entered Buffy's head again. She picked up the phone and dialed, but still there was no answer.

"Riley still isn't back." She said.

*

"But, it's over between them, right? Otherwise why would she... Me..." Riley was awash in a sea of confusion.

"Rebound, mate, ever heard of it?" Spike said maliciously. Riley leapt up.

"You're lying! I know you are!"

"You think? Why not ask my friend here?" Spike said, nodding at Angel.

"Ask him what?"

"How she was," Spike said with a gleam in his eye. Angel hit him hard, and Spike hit back. They began fighting, and suddenly it finally dawned on Riley.

"You're him," he said. Angel and Spike stopped fighting.

"By George, I think he's got it." Spike declared. Angel elbowed him roughly. He stood up straight and straightened his jacket.

"You're Angelus," Riley spat.

"I just go by Angel now," Angel told him with a smirk.

*

Buffy and Willow went into Lowell House. There they found Graham and Forrest sitting talking.

"Where is he?"

"Riley? He's uh, busy." Forrest said guardedly. Buffy glared at him and went straight to the mirror that doubled as a lift door. She still had clearance, and kept Willow out of the way as the retinal scan did its job. The door opened, and she led Willow into it.

"What are we doing Buffy?" She asked anxiously.

"We're going to find Angel." She said determinedly. "And then, uh, we'll find Riley." She said, almost as an afterthought. Willow grinned. Buffy passed the voice test, and the doors opened into the Initiative.

"Wow." Willow said, stunned.

"Yeah, it's great," Buffy said, already heading down the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" Asked Doctor Angleman.

"I've come about a hostile." Buffy said authoritatively. "Agent Finn knows I'm here." She told him. Angleman looked sceptical, but pointed to the containment area.

"He's down there." He said. Buffy nodded with a smile, and she went with Willow.

*

"But you're evil!" Riley exclaimed incredulously.

"Not anymore." Angel said mock sadly.

"It's true. Just a big fluffy puppy with bad teeth." Said Spike, remembering his trip to Los Angeles and the ensuing run-in with Angel.

"But..." Riley was confused. "You're a vampire."

"God, you know, I'd forgotten all about that," Angel said sarcastically. He really didn't like this guy. And he was wicked jealous about Buffy and Riley being together. But he was trying not to let it show. Spike noticed however.

"You'd better just be glad he's behind this glass mate. You wouldn't last five minutes with him."

"If he was really lucky he might be unconscious for the last two." Angel added. He couldn't be bothered to hide his jealousy and dislike for the boy.

"You wouldn't hurt me. You said you don't kill humans anymore." Riley pointed out.

"But there's a first time for everything." Spike was taunting both at the same time, and loving it.

"Shut up Spike." Angel told him, growling.

"Hey! You're a bloody guest in my bloody cell!" Spike said. Angel hit him across the face, and within a nanosecond a fight had broken out.

"Spike!" An angry voice cut through the shouts. The fight stopped immediately.

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered. He slouched down against the wall. Angel looked up. Buffy was standing there with Willow. Riley now looked even more confused.

"Who started it?" Buffy asked as if Spike and Angel were two naughty children.

"He did."

"He did." They both answered at the same time, like naughty children. Buffy sighed. She looked at Riley.

"Why is he in here?" She demanded, pointing to Angel.

"We captured the hostile after he attacked a group of people."

"What?" She looked confused at Angel, who shook his head.

"It was a demon attacking the group of people. Cordelia saw it in her vision. It was going to come after you, so I came to stop it first." He told her. She looked at Riley.

"You have to let him go." She told him. He laughed.

"I don't think so,"

"He's not what you think." She tried to explain.

"Really? Cause I think he's an evil vicious vampire who you used to date!" Riley exclaimed. In the cell, Spike and Angel exchanged triumphant glances, which Buffy picked up on. "What have you two been saying?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Angel said quickly, his face looking more innocent than it should be.

"He asked, we told." Spike said, a glint in his eye.

"What did Spike tell you?" she asked Riley with concern.

"That you used to date this... thing." Riley said. Angel growled angrily at him, and Riley instinctively stepped back from the glass.

"He is not a thing," she told him. "He's good now. He's a good person. He's been good for a long time."

"Except for when he went evil and you sent him to Hell?" Riley asked, not expecting to see an excruciating look of pain cross Buffy's face.

"Well, yeah. He's good now. And you need to let him go. He fights evil now, he doesn't create it."

"I can't believe that."

"Well, believe that if you don't let him go, I will." Buffy told him. Riley was surprised.

"What?"

"You heard me. He has a job to do, and you're stopping him. If you don't let him go, more people might die." Buffy said, sneaking a smile at Angel, who returned it.

"And him?" Riley nodded toward Spike.

"Oh him, you can leave him in there."

"Hey!" Spike said, but was silenced by Buffy's glare. Angel sniggered at him.

"Bloody hell," Spike said again. "Just let him go! I can't stand another second in here with him!" He exclaimed.

"Buffy, I can't..." Riley started.

"Yes you can." Buffy told him. "And you will."

"He's a good guy now." Willow added. Angel nodded at Riley with a smirk.

"No, he's a demon, and he stays in there." Riley told them. With that, Buffy tackled him to the ground, and Willow swiped his card through the locking mechanism. The door opened. Angel stepped out, smoothing down his clothes. Spike went to leave to, but Angel punched him and he fell back into the cell. Just as he recovered to get up, Willow locked the door again.

"You can't do that!" Riley said feebly as Buffy let him back up again.

"Thanks Buffy," Angel told her softly. She looked at him and smiled. But Riley was jealous, even more so than Angel. He swiped at Angel, and Angel hit back, sending Riley flying. Clearly there hadn't been time to shove a chip in Angel's head yet.

"Angel!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Sorry," he said, clearly not really meaning it.

"You should get out of here." She told him. He nodded, but was pushed to the ground by Forrest and Graham.

"Get him! He's a vampire!" Riley called from where he was lying. But Angel was big and Angel was strong and he fought off the two easily. He was about to make a run for it, when he stopped. He ran over to Buffy and planted a kiss on her lips. He grinned at her, and ran off. She stood with a soft look on her face until Riley joined her.

"So, that was Angel, huh?" He said acidly.

"Yeah, that was Angel," she said dreamily. She then snapped out of it. "Yeah."

"And you let him go."

"He's a good guy." She told him. "One of the best."

"Oh really? But he's a vampire."

"Yes Riley, he is. But he's a good guy now. And you have to believe me."

"But when he was telling me about... he was..."

"Taking you for a ride." Spike told him from inside the cell. "That'll teach you to put him in my cell again. Now, if someone would be so kind as to let me out...?"

Buffy, Riley and Willow fixed him with glares as they walked off.

"Why didn't you just ask me?" She asked Riley as he walked her to her dorm. She was still a little annoyed that he had gone to Spike instead, and that he had not wanted to let Angel go. She was still more annoyed that he hadn't believed her when she'd told him about Angel being good now.

"I was afraid of the answer. And I was right to be afraid of it." He told her. He looked up. They were now outside Stevenson Hall.

"Well, goodnight." He told her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Goodnight." She replied, before heading inside. She found on her door a note from Willow telling her that she would be at Tara's. She opened the door and switched on the light. Lying on her bed was a tall dark, handsome man in black who looked as though he'd been captured by a government agency and thrown in a cell with someone he didn't like. Which, she remembered, he had.

"Hello Angel."

"Hi."

"When did I invite you in?"

"Oh, ages ago." He told her.

"So, Angel. Did you enjoy winding up my boyfriend?"

"Spike did most of the winding. I just watched."

"Was it fun?" He smiled and nodded. She smiled back. "I'm sorry you got captured."

"Yeah, well." He dismissed the whole incident. "Rooming with Spike again made it all worth it." He said sarcastically. He sat up and she sat beside him.

"Thanks for coming to get me." He said softly.

"It was nothing." She said, blushing. She hadn't been this close to Angel for a long time.

"It was to me." He said, looking her directly in the eye. She looked away.

"What's the matter Buffy?" He asked her.

"You went away." She said quietly. Now it was his turn to look away.

"I thought it was best." He said.

"You were wrong," she said, looking him in the eye now.

"Was I?"

"Yes..." she leaned in to kiss him, but at that moment, the door crashed open.

"I knew it!" Riley stood there staring accusingly at her.

"What?" She asked, annoyed that her touching reconciliation moment with Angel had been wrecked.

"I knew you and him were..."

"We're not. He just came to thank me for getting me out. We were talking about whether he was going to return to Sunnydale." She looked at Angel questioningly. He thought for just a moment, and then nodded.

"And he is." She declared. Riley looked crushed. He didn't need telling out straight that it was over.

"OK. Fine. You go be with Undead Hero of the Year." Riley said. She smiled gently at him. "I'm sorry Riley. But it's Angel..." she looked at the vampire next to her. It was Angel. Nobody compared to her Angel. Not Riley, not anyone. Angel squeezed her hand. Riley nodded.

"Fine. See you around Buffy." He said sadly, before going. Even Riley knew when to quit. Besides, Angel scared him.

"That was horrible." She said, collapsing onto Angel's shoulder. Then she sat up. "So," she said, "Tell me how you're coming back to Sunnydale." She smiled up at him, before he leaned down and gave her the kiss she'd been waiting for.

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