It's An Adventure

Bleathvore 1 twitters his tentacles; they fill, expand and ooze. "We are close to my brothers." His teeth flash, and he speeds up a bit.

"Almost there." Danielle tells the others.

Wesley has moved to walk beside Danielle. Xander is right behind the Bleathvore; finger tight on the trigger of his gun, while Cordelia has her hand tucked into the back of Wesley's tight leather pants. She's been staring at the back of his head and singing songs in her head. She doesn't want to look around or down. Ever again. The few times she's looked down, she's seen *rats*,-big-movie-type-rats-, running along and over her feet.

They turn a corner and there they are.

Spike and Angel.

Angel and Spike.

Caged yes, but whole and *there* and Xander is so pleased he moves forward and grabs at the bars of the cage.

Spike's "Don't touch the bars, pet." Is too late.

Xander grabs hold and is zapped across the tunnel, hands burnt and smoking.

"Luv?" Spike asks. "Okay? The bars are electrocuted, pet. Don't touch."

Xander picks himself up and laughs, looking at his burnt hands. "Yeah. Don't fucking touch the bars, cause, fucking 'ouch', that shit *hurts*." And Xander *smiles* despite the pain of burnt hands. Spike is here. And fine. And it's *Spike*. And isn't that all he wanted?

"Angel!" Cordy runs to the cage and stops short, having seen Xander's fate. "Are you okay? You *look* fine. You look *good*." She crosses her arms across her chest and steps back, *regarding* him. "You look just *fine* really." She tells him accusingly. "I stepped on a *rat* for you. *And* I went into a demon bar for you! And Xander *shot* vampires, and even a *human* for you, and you don't look hurt at *all*! Dirty and smelly, yes, but not *hurt*. You should at least be-well-*bruised*, dammit! Are you even a *little* bit hurt?"

Xander moved closer to the cage, reaching his hand between the bars to touch Spike's cheek.

He looks at Daneille. "Tell him I want Spike *out* of this cage."

"They were about to cut off my head." Angel tells Cordeltryitrying to placate her.

"Really? Then I, like, *saved* you, huh?"

"It would see-"

Bleathvore 1 raises all tentacles, except the ones he's standing on, over his head and calls out. "Come forth brothers. I have won the challenge. I have found buyers. And they are *humans*. And a vampire. A *good* vampire." He smiles at Danielle. Teeth oozing.

Danielle grins back. Winks im. im.

And before Spike's eyes the Bleathvores return.

Out of nowhere.

Gone one minute and there the next. "God *damn* it. And fuck it all. *All*! You bloody *shits*! And just *where* the hell did you all *go*?" Spike demands of the now visible Bleathvores.

Bleathvore 5 smiles at Spike. "What are you speaking so loudly about?"

Oh. Right. He'd been yelling in English.

"You ran off and left. Why?" He asked, speaking their language. His anger mostly spent, his voice was quiet. He did manage to *glare* at Bleathvore 5.

Flashing several rows of teeth, Bleathvore 5 reaches a tentacle between the bars and pats Spike on the head, leaving a puddle of slime on his head. "Living is important to us, vampire." He flaps his tentacles. "We *hide* until we know what we face. Do you not hide?"

"Yeah. Sure. Let me out of this fucking cage! I've been *bought*!" Spike looks at Xander and smiles. "Is it true, pet? Did you *shoot* vampires and *people*?"

"Yeah. I shot stuff." Xander smiles a bit bashfully at Spike.

"Yum, pet. *Xander*, and I missed it? *Still* trying to keep me from having *fun*, damn you! That is just so-"

Bleathvore 3 pokes at Spike. "Get me out of this fucking cage!" Spike yells at the Bleathvore.

Bleathvore 3 is unconcerned with Spike's display of rage. He is, after all is said and done, still *caged*.

Bleathvore 1 walks to 5 and twitters. "Ha! I have found buyers! You *lose*! I have obtained tasty and good mind altering beverages for us *and* we will receive the skins the new humans wear. I have made a good deal. Say it is so."

Bleathvore 5 smiles. "It is true that you have made a good deal for *two* vampires, but we have *three* vampires!"

Bleathvore 1 looks at the cage. And into it. Closely. He snorts. "You have been into the mind altering beverages we have stored, I think. Or you are as stupid as your mother-in-law has stated you are. There are *two* vampires." He points at Spike and then at Angel. "One vampire. *Two* vampire. No more vampire."

All bleathvores *except* 5: Laughter.

"Yes. You are amusing, just as *your* mother-in-law says you are *not*. The dark-haired one is with *child*. So we must declare the challenge null and void."

Bleathvore 1 wraps several tentacles around Bleathvore 5 and squeezes. "Vampires do not breed, fool. They do *not*. You have said so yourself!" Bleathvore 1 turns his head to look at Danielle. "You! Vampire! Do you breed?"

"Um, no?" She looks at Spike. "Um, we *females* don't, but the *males*? Oh, sure. *They* breed. Yeah. Like, uh, bunny rabbits. The males breed like crazy."

Bleathvore 1 lets his tentacles fall. "Well. Fine. We will consider our deal null and void. I do not gain what I would have wished from you, but I am still pleased. You will not lay tentacles upon my mate, *nor* my daughter. And still I have obtained a good deal. This is pleasing to me."

"*What* the fuck are they saying?" Xander demands.

"Um. Well. Everything seems to be fine. The *deal*, however is sorta *off*, seeing as how the 'dark-haired' one is, uh, *pregnant* and the deal was only for two vampires, and not, um, two *plus* one."

"Huh?" Xander, Wesley, and Cordelia all ask.

"Well, like I just told you-" Danielle begins.

Spike cuts her off. "Peaches is knocked up. The deal will stand between *you* and *them* but not *them* and *them*, so give 'em whatever it is you promised and get ME OUT OF THIS FUCKING *CAGE*!"

Danielle smiled. "Yeah. It's like what *he* said."

"Whatever." Xander takes off Angel's coat and hands it to Bleathvore 1. "Tell him to open the cage."

Danielle does.

Bleathvore 1 takes the coat and smiles at Xander. And then he smiles at Danielle. "No."

Danielle blinks. "*What*?"

Bleathvore 1: "No."

Pissed off, even though it's not really her battle, Danielle rages. "And just why is it *no*?" She lets loose a string of her, admittedly, limited amount of Bleathvore expletives. "*We* kept our part of the deal! What are you trying to do?"

Limited they may be, but the Bleathvores are impressed buy her string of curses.

Spike, doubly so. "Where'd ya pick her up, pet?" Spike asks Xander.

"Bar." Xander tells him.

Spike nods. "Best place to get women, Xanpet. Good pick, luv."

Bleathvore 1: "Calm down and rest your vocal cords, vampire. The deal is set and good. The vampires are free. I wish only to have the rest of the skins."

"Oh. Okay." Danielle smiles and fans her face with her hand. "My! I didn't even know I *knew* all those bad words." She tells Bleathvore 1.

"It is, no doubt, the cause of the Ta'karta clan. Bores, liars, cheats and filthy mouthed also. You are not to be blamed."

"Of course, I'm not. I never am."

Spike and all the Bleathvores laugh.

"I'm getting *so* tired of not knowing what's going on!" Xander yells out. "I'm going to start *shooting* again."

"Shoot Angel, pet. Go on. It won't hurt him much, and if it makes you feel better? Do it."

Xander giggles and it makes him feel better. Less like shooting.

"Just give them the coats." Danielle tells the group.

Bleathvore 3 has already made off with the case of 'mind altering and tabevebeverages.'

Cordelia strips off her coat, unwillingly really, carefully removing her weapons. Angel watches, wide-eyed, as she begins to store weapons in various and unlikely places on her body. Wesley does the same thing. Angel takes a close look at Xander and notes that he, too, has guns and knives shoved in his clothes.

Spike notes Angel's goggle-eyed look. "What? You don't think my Xander knows how to go to war? He can prepare the troops, mate. He's got all *kinds* of nasty secrets."

The coats are handed over without fanfare.

All Bleathvores bow.

Bleathvore 5 speaks: "We have had a good and entertaining time with the shiny-headed vampire. We would take him with us. Will you journey with us?"

"No. I must stay. They would surely die without my guidance."

Danielle translates and the others laugh. Spike gives Danielle a dirty look and she stops her translation. No need to *die* over it, she thinks to herself.

Bleathvore 5: "Most surely they *would*. We are saddened by your unwillingness to join our journey, but so what? We will get over it, yes? Yes. And you have won many treasures from us. And lost many treasures. This marks a good time. So be it. We will take the skins and beverages and leave you with what you have won and with your *lives*, also won. *And* because we like you so, we will leave you with our weapon, so that you may kill the dull one. As you see fit. We ask only that you wait until after the child is born. It may be a child of great worth. Worry not that its host is dull. The child may glow bright."

Spike smiled. "Yes." He nodded his head at Angel. "*He* may be dull as yesterday's cleaning water, but his *children* are usually bright as sunshine."

And the Bleathvores leave.

Without turning off the cage.

"God damn it! Come *back* here!" Spike snarls.

Cordelia walks around the cage. When she comes to a rug, she kicks it over. "What's this?" she asks, leaning down to pull out a cord attached to the cage.

The edge of the cage.

The very *accessible* edge of the cage.

She reaches a confident hand to the bars and grabs one. Nothing happens. No shock. No zap. She grins, wagging the cord in her hand. "You guys *suck*! Some vampires *you* are! I stepped on a *rat* for you guys! I shot *vampires* for you guys! I let that *coat* I wanted go for you guys!"

Spike and Angel both reach out and grab the cage bars. They duck and turn the cage over them. They are free. Just that easy. They look at each other. They look at Cordelia, twirling the cord around.

"That was *not* the cord." They both state.

But it didn't matter, really.

They were free of the cage.

Xander grabs hold of Spike and pulls him close, kissing him.

Spike pulls back with a grin. "Is that a gun in your pants, pet, or are you just *happy* to see me?"

Xander kept his body close to Spike's and held out his hand, still holding his newly beloved Glock. He grinned at Spike. "Here's my gun, Spike. I must just be *happy* to see you."

"Eww." Was Cordiela's contribution to the romantic moment.