Category – AU, Romance/Action/Adventure
Summary – Angel gets nabbed by the Initiative, ends up in the cell next to Spike. Stuff happens, including confrontations with Riley. The Fang Gang shows up, and they save the day.
Timeline – Sanctuary happened, but The Yoko Factor didn’t. Oz never showed back up, so Riley is still a member in good standing of the Initiative. Doyle’s not dead.
Pairings – B/R, B/A, C/D, W/T, X/A, G/O

Spike looked up from the white tile floor of his small cell as he heard the soldiers of the Initiative – the bastards who had captured him – come into their secretive underground installation. They were carrying the limp body of a vampire, a vampire that Spike knew quite well – it was Angel. He gave a soft laugh as the carried the Slayer’s ex past him.

Angel came to a while later, cussing softly and rubbing his aching head. "Fuck."

Spike meandered up to the corner of his cell. "Well, good morning, Peaches."

His grandsire let out a disgusted groan. "Great. Hi, Spike. How are you?"

"Wow, Peaches, civilized. How nice. Are you drunk, there, mate?"

"Fuck off."

Spike smiled. "Nope, cranky."

Three of the regulars G.I. Joes strode up to the table to begin arming themselves. Angel glared at them as they strode by. "Who are these people?"

Spike shrugged. "Buggered if I know. Until today I thought that the Slayer had gotten some funding but I don’t think you would be here if she had."

"You never know. We’re not exactly friends."

Spike gave a soft snort. "You never will be friends. I’ve told you that."

"Piss off."

One of the men, a tall, beefy blonde man. "Guys, she’s great. I mean, perfect!"

The other two, a black guy and a brown-haired man exchanged disbelieving glances. The blond man continued. "I mean, she’s cool, right?"

"YES!!" both men exclaimed in unison.

The black man sighed. "She cool. She great. She’s just freakin’ wonderful. Buffy’s a goddess."

Spike let out a crow of laughter. "Buffy Summers?" he demanded. "The bloody Slayer? Better watch your moves, boy. She has a mate."

Riley turned to look at the bleach haired vampire. "Mate?" he demanded. "What the hell does that mean?"

Spike laughed. "She’s been claimed by a vampire. You know what’s good for you, you won’t touch his mate. He’s a viscous bastard."

Angel rolled his eyes and sat down on the cell floor.

Riley took a step towards Spike’s cell. "What do you know about Buffy?"

Spike snorted laughter. "Ah, Fluffy the Vampire Layer."

Angel growled. "Enough, Spike."

The younger vampire paused, then decided that playing the childe couldn’t hurt. "Yes, Sire."

A baffled expression came onto Riley’s face. "What’s a sire?"

Angel growled softly. Spike chuckled. "You’re an idiot, Captain Cardboard."

Riley frowned and got a slightly threatening expression on his face. "What do you know about Buffy?"

"That you’re not her type." Spike gestured to the commando’s combat fatigues. "I mean, does she know about the little operation that you’ve got going here?"

The commando’s expression falter for a moment before steadying it again, but it was enough. Spike grinned, and Angel let out a low growl. He was on his feet by the electrified glass doors. "She doesn’t!" Spike crowed triumphantly. "Boy, that’ll piss her off." He glanced slyly at the wall that partitioned his cell off from Angel. "Probably piss of her *mate* too."

Angel growled obligingly.

Finn looked at him with a scornful expression. "Buffy doesn’t have a *mate*."

Angel growled. "How little you know, *boy*."

Riley switched his gaze to the ensouled vampire. "What do you know about Buffy? Huh, Hostile?"

Angel smiled, baring his fangs. "She’s great in bed."

Spike choked laughing. Riley narrowed his eyes and went to open the door to Angel’s cage, but Graham’s hand on his arm stopped him.

"Come on, Ri. Just calm down. Don’t listen to them."

"Yeah, man, they ain’t human."

Angel spoke again. "Not lately. But Spike and I were as human as you, once."

"A long, long time ago," Spike added quietly.

Forrest shook his head. "Bull."

Spike shrugged and went back to sitting in the corner of his cell. Angel sat down away from the door. Riley and the others went back to gearing up. When they were gone, Spike hollered over to the next cell. "Well, did you enjoy that? Pissing off somebody movin’ in on yer ‘mate.’"

Angel smiled. "Yeah, but it doesn’t matter."

Part Two

RING, RING, RING!!

"Giles, your phone’s ringing!" Buffy called from the living room.

Giles sighed and raked a hand through his hair and wrapped an arm around Olivia from his place on the couch. "Answer it, Buffy."

Buffy sighed and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Buffy? Is that you?"

Buffy frowned. "Yeah, Cordelia, is that you?"

"Yeah, it is. Dammit, Wesley, hush. Angel was up there to fight some big bad demon Doyle saw in a vision. He didn’t come back. Did he come to see you? Oh, God, did you two get with the groiny? Is he evil again?"

There was a cry I the background. "Evil? Angel goes evil?"

"Shut up, Gunn! God!" Cordelia heaved a sigh and returned to the phone conversation. "Have you seen him?"

"No, no groinyness, no evil, no Angel. Why was he here?"

Cordelia sighed again. "Demon. Vision. Remember?"

Just then there was another shout from the background. "Delia?"

"Nothing," Cordy answered. "We’re coming up there, Buffy. We have to find him."

"I’ll find him, just give me some time. You don’t need to come up."

Cordelia’s voice was firm when she replied. "He’s our boss and our friend. We’re coming." She hung up.

Buffy did the same. "Damn."

Giles raised his head so he could look at her over the back of the couch. "Was that Cordelia?"

Buffy nodded and went to sit on the back of the couch. "Yeah. Angel came the Sunnydale way to slay some kind of demon, and he hasn’t reported back. They’re coming, whoever ‘they’ are."

Part Three

Two and a half hours later, there was a knock on the door. When Giles opened it, there were four people there. Cordelia, Wesley, surprisingly enough, a short man with dark hair, and a tall, kind of scary black man. Giles gave them a nervous smile and gestured for them to come in.

Buffy, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara, and Olivia were seated around the room. Giles cleared his throat. "For those of you who don’t know, this is Buffy, Xander, Anya, Willow, Tara and Olivia, and I’m Giles."

Cordelia gestured. "I’m Cordelia, this is Doyle, Wesley, and Gunn. They work with me and Angel."

Buffy folded her arms across her chest. "We think that some of these commando type people are the ones who nabbed him."

Doyle spoke up now, an Irish lilt coming through in his voice. "How do we get him back?"

Buffy frowned. "I’m not exactly sure."

"Could we storm?" Gunn asked, wandering around the living room.

"For that to work, we’d have to know where they were," Xander said.

Cordelia plopped down on the couch between Olivia and Anya. "In this town? I’m betting underground."

Buffy sighed. "Yeah."

Gunn glanced up from the book whose cover he was staring at. "Why underground?"

Xander looked back at him. "We’re talking about a town with fourteen million square miles of sewer, a lot of natural cave formations, and a gateway to hell under the old high school. Everything’s underground." He paused. "Besides, where else would it be?"

***

Meanwhile, back in the Initiative’s secret underground base…

Riley, Graham, and Forrest had returned from their fruitless patrol, and Riley was about to leave to prepare for his date with Buffy. He strode up to Spike’s cell. "You were lying about Buffy."

Angel growled. "You’d like to believe that, wouldn’t you, boy?"

Riley shook his head and left the room.

Part Four

Buffy ran a brush through her hair, straightened her skirt in the mirror, and turned towards the door to head out and meet Riley, only to be confronted by Cordelia before she got to the door. Buffy sighed. Cordelia planted her hands on her hips. "Not to interrupt your precious social life, but when are we gonna get my boss?"

"Riley’s a member of the Initiative. He might have information."

"And it’ll give plenty of time for her precious social life as well," Wesley added snidely.

"At least I have a social life," Buffy shot back.

Gunn grinned at his friend. "I kinda thought that redhead was cute," he told his friend, and Wes grinned. "You would."

Buffy sighed, smoothed her blonde hair, and left.

***

She was there five minutes before Riley, which left her enough time to gulp down to mochas, which gave her enough energy to power a nuclear power plant.

Riley leaned down and gave his girlfriend a tiny peck on the lips, startling her, but she smiled quickly. "Hey."

"Hey," he answered softly. "What did you need to talk to me about so urgently?"

Buffy nervously fidgeted with her cup and glanced around the outdoor area. "Ok, there’s this friend of mine, who was supposed to be here in town, but hasn’t shown up yet." She paused. "No, that’s not exactly right." Deep breath. "Ok, he was here – in Sunnydale – to fight a demon that another friend – more his friend than my friend, ’cause I’ve only met the guy once – saw in a vision, and he never made it home. We’re thinking he was captured by the Initiative."

Riley frowned, obviously confused. "Buffy, we only capture…." He trailed off, staring at her in shock. "Demons. He was a demon?"

Buffy nodded slowly. "Vampire, but a good vampire."

The blonde commando slowly shook his head. "There’s no such thing as a good vampire, Buffy. They’re all bloodsucking, parasitic fiends."

"No," she protested vehemently, "no, Angel’s not a parasite! He has a soul!"

Riley frowned. "A soul?"

Buffy nodded slowly, keeping her feelings in check. "Yeah, a soul. He was cursed about a hundred years ago. He’s a good guy. He helps people, fights evil, like I do, only in L.A. with friends, like the L.A. Scoobies, kinda."

Riley nodded. "So you think he was nabbed by the Initiative?"

His girlfriend nodded. "Yeah." She swallowed hard, some desperation coming into her eyes. "I can’t leave him there, Riley. People need him." *I need him,* an inner voice whispered, but was ignored. "Especially his friends." She reached up and lightly rubbed the scar on her neck as if it burned.

Riley sighed. "You want me to risk my commission for one vampire?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "I wouldn’t ask you this if it wasn’t important, Riley. Angel’s not your average vampire. He’s…" she shook her head. "It doesn’t matter, but we have to get him out. If you could just get me in, so that I can get him out. Pretend that you weren’t even a part of it."

Riley sighed. "Buffy…. You still have you classification. You can still get in, if you want."

Buffy blinked, then grinned sheepishly. "Oh." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I better go get him, Riley. It’s better to just get it over with," she said quickly. "Bye."

Riley stared after her retreating form, then a horrible suspicion dawned on him.

The dark vampire, down in the labs. He and the blonde had said that they knew Buffy. When asked, the dark one had said she was great in bed.

She had been so passionate in defending him.

Had they really slept together?

Had Buffy Summers, the Slayer and the girl he was in love with, had sex with a vampire?

***

Buffy took a deep breath and pushed Gunn and Doyle, both dressed in fatigues and army gear, out of the way of the retinal scan. Then they slipped into the elevator and went down.

It only took them a few minutes to find Angel. Riley was standing in front of his cell. Buffy paused to hear the conversation.

"Are you Angel?" he demanded.

The ensouled vampire cocked his head, studying the all-American boy standing before him. Buffy could almost see the contempt in his eyes. "Who’s asking?"

"A friend of Buffy Summers. She doesn’t like you very much, vampire."

Buffy drew in a shocked breath. She hadn’t said that! He was lying! What would Angel think? She didn’t want him to think she hated him! She loved him!

Buffy quickly pulled that thought up short and drew her attention back to the present.

To her surprise, Angel just shrugged. "Oh, well. I think I can live with it."

Riley’s expression hardened. "Are you sure? She is the Slayer, after all."

Angel gained an incredibly cocky grin. "I’ve lived with her being pissed at me before," he replied calmly.

Gunn snickered. "When did Angel get to be such a wise-ass?" he asked quietly.

Buffy shrugged, still intent on the conversation. "Have you now?" Riley was asking. "You seemed proud earlier!"

There was some deep male laughter, and a familiar British voice said, "Yer just jealous, Captain Courageous. Angelus here has had the little bint, and you haven’t managed to get into her knickers yet."

Gunn and Doyle gave the little blonde Slayer an assessing look. Buffy straightened and strode out of the shadows toward Angel’s cell. The vampire inside of it promptly straightened, soulful brown eyes widening slightly upon seeing her.

Riley gave her a surprised look, obviously not expecting her to be there so soon. "Buffy."

"Riley," she answered coldly, taking the keycard out of his hand and opening Angel’s cell. "Why were you asking him all those things? Didn’t you believe me when I told you he had a soul?"

Riley looked ashamed. "He said some things about you before we met, today."

Angel hid a smile and Spike outright laughed. Angel took the keycard out of Buffy’s hand and opened his childe’s cell.

Buffy took this in, but figured it was something Angel could explain later. She planted her hands on her hips and stared at the blonde commando. "Like what?"

Riley blushed, glanced at Angel, and said quickly, "He said you were great in bed. I didn’t believe you’d ever touch him, but I couldn’t just let—" He broke off when he saw the rosy blush climbing her cheekbones.

She looked at Angel. "You said that?" Not wanting it to make it seem like it mattered whether she was good in bed or not, she quickly added, "Why?"

Angel shrugged. "Wanted to piss him off. Seemed like a good way."

Buffy nodded, believing that answer – at least until she saw Spike roll his eyes – and said, "You guys better go. I need to talk to Riley."

Gunn and Doyle nodded and moved for the stairs, Spike not far behind them. The blonde vampire, however, paused when he noticed his sire wasn’t following. As much as he hated to admit it, he was grateful to the big poof for letting him go, and decided that he was going to use that excuse when he was really just making sure his mentor got away. That, and the souled-Angel was his inner-William’s hero.

He watched as Angel leaned down and brushed his lips lightly over the scar on Buffy’s neck, then kissed her lips in a long, wet, openmouthed kiss. Then the vampire walked away, his childe falling into step beside him.

Buffy stared after them, her fingers pressed against her lips, then turned to meet Riley’s enraged blue eyes. "I think you have some explaining to do, Buffy," the commando snapped, and the Slayer sighed.

***

Buffy entered Giles’s flat three hours later, looking tired and hollow-eyed but still feeling Angel’s kiss on her lips. Cordelia and Doyle were sound asleep on the couch, Cordelia leaning against the short Irishman’s shoulder. Wesley and Giles were in the kitchen, talking quietly over tea. Gunn, Spike, and the Scoobies were nowhere to be found. Angel, however was sitting in a chair, staring at the draped window. She walked over to him on heavy booted feet.

He looked up, and she smiled, but he didn’t smile back. "How’d it go with your boyfriend?"

Buffy sighed and sat down on the table in front of him. "I don’t have a boyfriend anymore, and I think I have a really, *really* powerful enemy, now. He didn’t much like the idea that his precious perfect little Buffy had boinked the undead." She saw him wince, and felt a flash of pain. "Sorry, that came out way wrong," she said, lightly touching his hand. "I don’t regret it, Angel."

Angel looked at her with calm, serious dark eyes. "You should, though, Buffy."

The Slayer tossed her long blonde hair and grinned. "Well, I learned the ‘sex is bad’ lesson young, and that’s a plus." She lowered her eyes, blushing slightly, and muttered, "Besides, it was wonderful."

He reached out and tenderly caressed the side of her face with cold fingertips. "Wonderful," he murmured. "It was wonderful."

She gave him an injured look. "You said I was….not good."

Angel shrugged. "I was evil. When you’re evil, you say evil things." He ran his fingertips over the scar on her neck, and she unconsciously tilted her head to the side in a show of vampiric submission. He growled, low in his throat, and she made a quiet noise.

The vampire glanced at his sleeping friends, then pulled away from the vision in front of him. Buffy whimpered at the loss of his cool touch.

She opened her eyes and came back to reality with a jolt. "Oh," she murmured, feeling her hot arousal, knowing Angel could smell it, and know that she wanted him.

Desperately wanted him and couldn’t have him.

Angel cleared his throat several times before he was able to speak. "Spike can’t attack people, for some reason, so I’m taking him with me to L.A. We’re leaving after sundown."

Buffy nodded, hating the feeling that she was losing him again, but unable to help it. She leaned forward and pressed her slightly parted lips against his, licking his to get them to part for her. He opened his mouth with a low, quiet moan, and Buffy slipped into his lap. They continued the passionate kiss for a long moment.

***

Spike emerged from the bathroom, glancing into the living room only in passing on his quest for the kitchen. He paused, then quietly called for the Watchers. "’Ey, mates, better have a look at this."

Giles and Wesley exchanged an annoyed glance, and then went over to where the vampire stood, staring out into the living room. Both froze at the sight that greeted them –- Buffy, straddling Angel’s lap, his hands at her waist, kissing deeply.

"I don’t know about you two," the vampire said softly, "but I don’t really wanna see evil-Angelus again." He looked at Giles. "’Sides, I figure you’d hate to clean that outta yer chair."

Giles frowned. "Spike, do shut up."

Wesley was much calmer than either of his fellow Englishman. "They’re still in love," he told them. "Angel will stop it before it has gone to far. There’s nothing to worry about, however. His soul is bound."

Giles looked at him. "How do you know?"

Wesley shook his head. "He told me so." At his fellow ex-Watcher’s inquisitive gaze, he added, "I don’t know how, or when, all I know is that it’s bound."

Spike shrugged. "Good enough for me." He walked into the kitchen in search of blood.

***

Cordelia opened her eyes and nearly gasped at the sight before her – would’ve, had Doyle not put his hand over her mouth. "Don’t," he whispered in her ear. "Just ignore it and go back to sleep, ‘Delia. Let them have it."

She nodded and laid back against his shoulder.

***

Angel broke away from Buffy only a moment later, looking guiltily at the pair sleeping on the couch. "We have to stop, Buffy," he said gently.

Buffy groaned and leaned back slightly, Angel’s hands still on her hips. "Why?" she demanded, the curse the farthest thing from her mind. What she was thinking of, however, was his lips on her, the feel of his smooth, hard pale skin, cool against her hot flesh, their one night together, how he had felt inside her, how –

"We’re in your Watcher’s living room, for one thing," the vampire beneath her said quietly, "about three feet from where two of my best friends are sleeping."

Buffy sighed, as she suddenly remembered why she hadn’t been able to make love to Angel for so long…. "And the curse."

Angel paused, thinking, then slowly shook his head. "It’s not an issue anymore."

Buffy looked at him, not daring to breathe. "You can – you can be with me?"

The vampire nodded slowly. "But we can’t," he said firmly.

Buffy rocked her hips over his, watching as he squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lower lip in concentration. "Why not?"

"Because we have separate lives now, Buffy, we can’t just throw them away to – " He broke off as she ground against him and leaned for ward to whisper in his ear, "We can try. The reason you left me isn’t valid anymore. I don’t want sunlight and normal if I can’t have it with you. I tried it. It didn’t work out."

Angel heard a muffled gasp from behind him, swore, and pushed the beautiful, aroused blonde Slayer off his lap. "We can’t, Buffy," he said firmly. He looked at the draped window. "We have to go." He looked at the two on the couch as he slipped on his long black duster. "You two can stop faking, now," he said sarcastically, then called, "Spike! We’re going!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," muttered the vampire as he went for the door behind his sire. Gunn came down the stairs, and Doyle, Cordelia, and Wesley wordlessly fell into step behind their boss.

Once they were gone, Buffy dissolved into helpless tears, rocked and comforted by her worried Watcher.

Part Five

Buffy was quiet and listless for the next several weeks. She went to school, went home, slept, patrolled, and slept.

The one person in the world who could make all this better was a hundred miles away, feeling her pain.

It was two months before he couldn’t take it anymore.

Three a.m., he was standing outside her window, his childe at his side. Over the last couple of months, Spike had made himself useful. Cordelia and Doyle had begun to soften towards him once it was proven that he couldn’t hurt people. On top of that, he had saved Cordelia’s life. Also Angel’s, and whenever there was a brawl or a fight, he had Angel’s back. The two were actually kind of friends.

"Gonna go talk to her?" Spike asked quietly, taking a long drag on the Marlboro in his hands.

Angel sighed and slowly shook his head. "She doesn’t need me," he muttered.

Spike made a quiet, disgusted noise in his throat. "You always were an idiot, Angelus," he said, almost conversationally. "She’s needed you since the day she met you. Now go up there and talk to the girl."

Sire turned to childe. "I can’t believe I’m taking relationship advice from *you*," he said in wonder.

The younger vampire grinned. "I know," he said. "Any minute now, earth is gonna rotate backwards, the sky’s gonna turn fuschia, and the cheerleader’s gonna get an actin’ job."

Angel laughed softly and went for the door to the dorm. Spike lit another cigarette and headed for Willie’s.

***

Angel paused outside Buffy’s door, then knocked quietly. It was Willow who answered, and, noting Angel’s guilty expression, step outside and spoke quietly. "She’s asleep, so you’re gonna have to wake her up. I heard about the smoochies at Giles’s, so I know that’s why she’s upset. Talk to her, and if you hurt her, I will beat you to death with a shovel." Willow reopened the door, then said quietly, "Sometimes, she calls out your name at night," then gestured. "Come in," she said, then left, closing the door behind her.

Angel stared at he immobile lump on the bed, then walked over and tenderly caressed the sleeping girl’s blonde hair. "Buffy," he murmured. "Buffy, love, please wake up,"

Buffy rolled slowly over onto her back. "I knew you were here. I could feel you." She sat up slowly. "So what’s to slay? Can we get over with, please, so you can leave?"

Angel sighed. "There’s nothing to slay, love. I just…" Another sigh. "Needed to see you. You’ve been in pain."

Buffy glared. "Thanks to *you*!" She began to warm to her subject. "You left me, *twice* after I saved you ass *both* times – "

Angel suddenly grasped her head between his hands and kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth to silence her. Buffy moaned low in her throat, and pulled Angel flush against her, close enough for him to tell that she wasn’t wearing anything under the loose shirt that she wore as pajamas. She laid back, pulling Angel on top of her, letting his weight bear down on top of her, and her fingers started fumbling for the buttons on his shirt so that she could feel his skin.

Angel slipped a hand under her shirt, sliding it up to cup her breast. She moaned and arched into his hand as she felt him caress her nipple with a feather-light touch. She pulled away from his lips, gasping for breath, murmuring his name like a mantra.

Angel growled, low in his throat, and Buffy felt her skin prickle and her muscles clench inside. He reached for the hem of her shirt, and she arched herself off the bed to let him pull it off of her. He bent down and took one perfect pink nipple into his mouth, suckling and nipping at it with is blunt teeth. She ran her hands into his hair as he gave it a final lick and moved onto the other before beginning a slow trail back up her throat to her lips, which he caught in another fiery kiss.

Soon, Buffy’s shirt on the floor was joined by Angel’s shirt and duster and Buffy’s pants. Buffy was straddling him and very seriously working on his beltbuckle when his cell rang and Angel started swear. Buffy pushed him back against the bed. "Ignore it," she ordered, kissing him.

Angel groaned. "I can’t," he muttered, "Somebody might be hurt."

Buffy sighed and rolled off of him as he reached for his phone. She began to absently trace his tattoo with her fingertips as she listened to him talk into the phone. "Yeah? Cordelia, what is it? What about Doyle? Yeah, I knew. Why are you calling me about this? Can’t you tell Spike about it? Or Wes? You slept with him. OK…..ok, Cordelia, you can tell me about this when I get back, alright?" He sighed. "I promise. Bye." He hung up and stared at the phone for a long moment. "I think he should’ve told her."

"Who told who what?" Buffy asked softly, sitting up and wrapping her arms around him.

He tiredly rubbed his eyes. "Cordelia and Doyle slept together. He waited until afterwards, however, to tell her that he’s half demon." His lips quirked. "She was upset."

"She doesn’t wanna be with a demon?" At Angel’s nod, Buffy rolled her eyes. "She didn’t have a problem chasing you in high school." She ran a hand through his hair. "She should try having her own personal demon. It has it’s advantages."

He smiled at her and leaned in for another kiss, and there were no more interruptions.

***

Buffy sighed and lay back against the pillows, practically bathing in the afterglow. She stretched slowly and cuddled up against the side of her undead lover’s chest. He lightly stroked her back with his fingertips. "Angel?"

"Mmm?"

She bit her lip but forced herself to continue. "Are you gonna leave me again?"

His fingertips still on her back, but he shook his head. "No, Buffy. I’m not going to leave you, but I can’t stay in Sunnydale. I have a life in L.A., friends."

Buffy nodded over his heart. "But we’ll make it work, right? The long distance thing?"

Angel nodded and squeezed her tighter. "Yes." He smiled. "We have an enabler."

She raised her head. "Who?"

"Spike."

"Oh, God."

A/N – Tada. That’s it, for now. Maybe a sequel, dealing with other ‘ships, maybe not. What do y’all think?

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