It was a whole month since Spike had moved in with the AI team. One whole month of hell for everyone except Fred. Spike liked Fred for some reason.

On the day of his monthly anniversary, Spike came down the stairs cheerfully and eyes everyone. "Is this all you do all day? Sit around and mope? I mean, I would've expected it from Angel... but you lot as well?" he grinned at Angel. "Clearly you're having a bad affect on them, mate." Spike dodged the paperweight that came flying his way and once again eyed the miserable bunch.

Fred, Cordy, Gunn and Wesley were all sitting around looking like a wet weekend, and Angel was pacing with his brood face on overdrive.

"Seriously, what's the matter?" Spike asked, perching on the arm of one of the chairs.

Four long faces and one dark one turned to look at him. Finally Cordelia spoke. "One of our cases was a teenage girl who was being targeted by vampires..." Cordy trailed off and Spike looked at her nonplussed.

"And?"

"And she died. This morning." Angel finished sharply and Spike nodded slowly.

"Ah..." he pretended to look pensive for the appropriate few seconds then clapped his hands, jerking everyone out of their stupor. "Well, no use crying over spilt milk eh?" He jumped up happily. "What killed her? Lets go kill it now."

"Who'd have thought it, Blondie wants to kill something," Gunn said dryly. Spike scowled at him then looked at Angel. He sidled over to where the other vampire was leaning against the desk and whispered so the others couldn't hear.

"Pleeaase Sire? Lets go and have some fun..." He fixed Angel with his baby blue eyes and Angel looked away.

"I already killed them."

Spike frowned. "That wasn't very nice. Now I don't get to have and fun." He mooched over to the fridge and opened it, then slammed it shut again and glared at Angel. "Why is there no blood in here?" he demanded.

Angel turned. "Oh... I must've drank it all. No wonder I feel so full."

Spike scowled. "Well I don't. I feel empty. I'm HUNGRY, Angelus, and there's no blood in the fridge!"

"It's Angel," said Cordy automatically.

Spike felt his stomach twinge, telling him that he needed blood, and after one last glare at everyone, he stomped back upstairs, muttering obscenities under his breath.

"Well he was a breath of fresh air," Cordy commented.

Angel looked up the stairs after Spike. "I should really get some more blood for him..." he said to himself. Cordy raised her eyebrows at that and got to her feet.

"What? Angel you're not seriously thinking about giving in to his petty little demands? He's just like a child, you've gotta be firm with them," she told him.

"But I know what it's like to be really hungry. It's not a nice feeling. And it's not like he did anything to deserve it..." Angel trailed off at the looks he was getting and sighed resignedly. He glanced up the stairs again, then turned his concentration back to his friends.

Fred surprised everyone by saying brightly, "Angel, were you aware that Spike goes into your room at night?" Everyone stared at her. "Oh sorry, I just thought, since we're on the subject of Spike an' all, I'd mention it."

"Spike goes in my room?" Angel asked at the same time as Gunn, Cordy as Wesley all said;

"Spike goes in your room?!"

Angel looked baffled. "I never knew this! Are you sure, Fred?"

Fred nodded. "He waits till you're asleep. I don't know what he does though."

There was a sudden thump, followed by a string of colourful British curses from upstairs. Cordelia snorted.

"How come we never hear you use language like that Wesley?"

Wesley preened himself. "I like to think it's because I was brought up well."

Angel felt slightly put out, and Wesley suddenly realised what he'd said. "Oh, Angel, I didn't mean... it's just that, well, Spike's a vampire and..." he ran out of words to say and Angel smiled emptily at him.

"It's ok Wes. I know what you meant." He glanced wistfully up the stairs yet again. Having Spike living with him was strange to say the least. In one sense, he hated Spike for reminding him of everything he was. And yet, he still felt that lingering Sire feeling that had been so strong as Angelus. Angelus'... love, perhaps – for the boy was still there and Angel couldn't help feeling protective over the vampire he still thought of as a fledgling.

Uh. Why was everything so confusing?

"I'm going upstairs," he announced generally, and silently padded up the stairs as new conversation broke out between Gunn and Cordelia.

Spike was in the room Angel had given him, and by the sounds of things he was re-arranging the furniture, because the occasional thud could still be heard from his room, followed predictably by the standard cry of 'Ow! Bloody hell!'

Angel knocked and opened the door. Or at least he tried to. The door was jammed with something heavy.

"Spike, open the door," he said patiently.

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? Move whatever is blocking it out of the way!"

"It's stuck."

"Well how did it get there?"

Angel heard Spike cough and mumble something.

"What was that?"

"I was trying to... make a den..." he said rather sheepishly.

Angel blinked. A den? Like one of those things children make out of bedsheets and toy boxes? "What?"

Spike snarled defensively. "I was bored! You were being all poufy and annoying me and I was just bored. Only the wardrobe fell over and I keep trying to lift it but it's caught in the curtains and I don't want to rip them cos've the sun."

Angel sighed patiently. "Spike, let me in. Rip the curtains if you have to, I'll get you some new ones."

Spike didn't answer but Angel heard the sounds of him lifting the wardrobe and predictably, ripping the curtains. Then there was a loud hiss and the wardrobe thumped back down on the floor. Angel was surprised it didn't go through the floor.

"Spike, what happened?"

"OW! Bloody sunlight just burnt me 's what happened! You can come in now, the wardrobe's out of the way."

Angel opened the door and walked in. Spike was sucking his hand, sitting on the bed. The rest of the room was in complete disarray, nothing was where it should be, and nothing looked particularly organised either.

Angel wanted to hit his head very hard on the wall. He should've known Spike would do something like this. Spike himself was still cradling his burnt hand. Angel sat beside him and prised it away from Spike's mouth.

"Let me see," he said, and Spike whimpered. Angel rolled his eyes. "It's hardly anything! You've been injured worse than this before Spike!"

Spike scowled and snatched his hand back. "Well it's gonna take ages to heal now, thanks to the lack of blood around here." He shot Angel a nasty look.

Angel sighed. "I would go and get you some more, but it's daytime."

"Well get one of your minions to do it," Spike replied sourly.

"They're not 'minions', Spike."

"Why not? They work for you don't they?"

"They're my friends."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Tell one of your 'friends' to get some then."

"They won't."

"Then threaten them."

"NO! We do not threaten my friends, is that clear, Spike?" Angel said sternly.

"Angelus would've," Spike muttered coldly, and retreated to the back of the bed. Angel followed, feeling a little bit gutted.

He sat beside Spike for a couple of seconds. "Are you seriously telling me you liked Angelus more?" he asked quietly.

Spike didn't answer for a while. "Yes. No... maybe," he said, equally quietly.

Angel started brooding again, thinking of all the cruel things he had once done, not just to humans, but to Spike too. Eventually he snapped out of it. It was making his head hurt.

"It's only a couple of hours till sunset. We'll go out and find some blood then," Angel promised, and left the room silently.

It was only when he was outside that he realised he'd forgotten to ask about Spike going in his room.

Well? Was this a good beginning? I know it's not really gone anywhere in this chapter, it was just to sort of set things up for the next ones. If you wanna know what happens then you have to review. Also – my internet connection is down so I have to use the library computers. Which will make my updates painfully slow. Sorry for any inconveniences and it may be a while before I can update from home because my wonderful father isn't likely to set it back up for a loooong time.