Xander and Doyle exchanged glances before looking back down at the vampire, who was lying on the ground, blood running from his head and nose. Yes, this was definitely Spike.

"What the fuck has happened to you, Spike?" he asked as he gently lifted the vampire's head and placed the shirt he had pulled off of himself under Spike's head.

"Maybe there were too many of them for him to fight off." Doyle guessed.

"Too many for Spike? Three measly humans? I don't think so. Hell, Angel and Buffy have a hard time fighting against him. He's killed two fucking slayers, three humans is a walk in the park for him," Xander told Doyle, admiration for the vampire's fighting skill apparent in his voice.

"So what do we do with him?" Doyle asked.

"We take him to Angel's," Xander said, trying to raise Spike off the ground. Even though Spike was thin and gaunt, Xander winced and gasped when his ribs protested. Doyle put a hand on his shoulder to stop him as Xander tried again.

"Xander stop. You're going to hurt yourself trying to lift him."

"Shit, we can't just leave him here. If someone else doesn't get to him, then the sun will. It'll turn him to dust."

"And that would be bad why exactly?" Doyle asked. When Xander started to protest, Doyle raised his hand to stop him. "I'm just saying - he's an evil vampire, he kills people and let's not forget him torturing Angel."

"I hear what you're saying. He's tried to kill the whole gang back home - well mostly Buffy and while that doesn't leave me with fuzzy feelings for him, he's in trouble. Something is definitely wrong here. Besides, Angel is his sire." Xander answered.

"So," Doyle asked, not grasping the situation.

"I've done a lot of reading this past summer, studying demons and while I kinda glanced over the vampire parts, I read enough to know that a sire/childe bond is huge. Even though Spike tortured Angel, he'd want to help Spike. That's just the way it is. Now are we taking him to Angel's or what?"

"Fine, just remember, it was your idea not mine." Doyle warned and as Xander got ready to get up, he put a restraining hand on the boy. "Huh, uh. You'll never make it to Angel's in the condition you're in, even if I carry Spike myself. Stay here and I'll get Angel. We'll be right back."

"Hurry, Doyle. I don't like this alley very much," Xander said, slumping down next to Spike.

"I'll be right back. Be careful and watch your back in case our little friends decide to make another appearance." Doyle told him as he started to run towards the exit of the alley.

"Sure. I know for a fact I didn't like their debut," Xander muttered to himself as he reached weakly for Spike's hand. He didn't know why he cared what happened to the vampire but he felt something was terribly wrong with this picture.

"Hang on, Spike. I'm here. I won't let anyone hurt you. You'll be safe, I promise. Angel's coming and he'll help you." Xander shook his head as if to clear his mind when he heard what he had just said. "I can't believe I'm worried about a vampire who's tried to kill me and my friends. I have definitely been hit in the head once too often."

If Spike could have smiled he would have, as he heard the words Xander was saying. He was in a coma like state that vampires usually went to when they were hurt so that they could heal, and while he could heard everything around him, he couldn't move. Spike doubted that being in this state would help that much. He had gone three days without blood and had lost quite a bit during the fight. Spike had heard everything - the fight, Xander's smartass remarks at the other men, and Doyle and Xander's conversation afterwards. He was worried about the boy's injuries, but he couldn't open his eyes to look him over.

The fight had taken a lot out of both of them, Spike surmised. He cringed inside as the word fight passed through his mind. It hadn't been a fight between himself and the three angry humans. A fight was when both parties actually fought. Spike hadn't been able to defend himself and that thought filled him with fear. What if he had to go through the rest of his unlife unable to hurt anyone or anything due to what those soldier boys and doctors had done to him? No, he would stake himself before he suffered humiliation that way. Hell, he was a master vampire. People and demons everywhere were supposed to cringe at the sight of him, not the other way around.

As Spike started to lose consciousness the only thing that comforted him was Xander's warm hand squeezing his, the boy's tone soft and full of compassion as he told him to hang on, that Angel would be there soon and he would take care of him because Spike was Angel's childe. Spike hoped Xander knew what he was talking about. He needed his sire.

Angel was just pulling off his shirt, getting ready to go to bed, when Doyle burst through the office door upstairs, yelling his name. Thinking Doyle was being attacked, Angel grabbed an axe and ran up the stairs and almost ran headlong into Doyle.

"What's the matter, Doyle?" Angel took hold of the man's shoulders and looked into his scared eyes. *Oh, this was bad*. "Is it a demon or something? Did someone attack you?"

Doyle was panting from the fight and the run back to the office. His adrenalin had been at an all time high since spotting Xander being attacked by those three men and it hadn't stopped. Doyle didn't like the thought of Xander being alone in that dark alley with Spike and who knew what else.

Angel's question finally made it through his muddled thoughts and he gasped out one word, "Xander."

"What about Xander? Doyle, has something happened to him? Is he hurt? Where is he?" Angel asked, fear making him question the other man so fast that Doyle didn't have a chance to answer. All Angel could think was that he should never have let Xander wander around the streets of Los Angeles on his own, especially once it had become dark. Guilt almost overcame him as he listened to Doyle's voice.

"Xander...alley...fight...three guys...hurt." was all Doyle could manage to get out between gasps of air, as Angel quickly ran back down the stairs and put his shirt on. He grabbed Doyle by the arm as he passed him, dragging the other man back out into the night.

"Show me where he is," Angel growled, hoping that the three men were somewhere close so that he could kill them. No one hurt his family and lived to tell the tale. Not anymore.

Doyle took the lead and Angel followed him into the dark alleyway where Xander was still sitting holding Spike's hand. Angel's fear heightened as he took in the sight of the boy who was slumped against the wall, muttering incoherently, his eyes slightly glazed.

Angel dropped down next to the boy, so intent on checking Xander's condition that he didn't notice Spike lying in the dark next to the young man. "Xander? Xander, can you hear me? Xander, talk to me. It's Angel." he said, reaching over and running his hand down Xander's cheek before cupping his head and raising the boy's face so he could see him. His look of fear became one of rage as he took in the bruises and cuts on Xander's face and the blood that was now on his own hands. Yes, he could definitely kill those men, soul or not.

"Angel? Glad to see you, man. Help Spike. He needs you. Spike needs you. Don't know what's wrong with him. He's hurt pretty bad. Don't know what to do for him. Do vampires die, you know without turning to dust?" Xander was babbling. He couldn't seem to form any thoughts except that Spike needed help and Angel would know what to do.

Angel looked past the boy and noticed Spike for the first time. His childe was lying on the ground, blood trickling from his nose and head. Angel recognized that Spike was in a healing state, but he didn't think it would do much good. The vampire looked like he was starving. What the hell was wrong with him? Concern flooded Angel at the thought that his favorite childe was hurt. He turned to Doyle for answers, but the man just shrugged his shoulders, as lost about what had happened here as Angel was.

"Doyle, grab Spike. I'll get Xander. We have to get them back to the apartment so I can check them over. We may need a doctor. I'll figure that out as soon as we get them home and cleaned up." Angel gently picked Xander up off the ground. He heard the boy's groan and watched as Xander's eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.

Doyle rushed over and grabbed Spike, lifting him with an ease that surprised him. Spike was thin beyond belief and looked half starved. Both men raced back to Angel's apartment, kicking the door shut behind them and making their way quickly down to the apartment below. They laid both of them side by side on the bed and Angel started assessing the damage to Spike and Xander as Doyle ran to get some warm water, bandages and anything else they would need from the first aid kit.

An hour later, Doyle and Angel emerged from the bedroom. Angel left the door open so that he could keep his eyes on his childe. He didn't like Spike being that close to Xander without him to watch over them. Angel remembered Spike's words from the last time he had been in Los Angeles and even though he knew that Spike was in a healing state, he still didn't trust leaving them alone for very long.

Angel walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed the remaining packet of blood. After putting it in the microwave and heating it, he went back into the living room and sat down on the couch, facing the bedroom. As he drank, he kept his eyes on the men in his bed.

"So you don't think that Xander needs a doctor?" Doyle took a seat next to Angel.

"No. He's got a lot of bruises and cuts and I'm pretty sure he's cracked those ribs of his, but at least they're not broken and his lungs haven't been punctured. Give him a few days and he should be up and around." Angel assured the other man.

"What about Spike? Is he going to be alright? Cause I'm not sure how to help a vampire, you know with no pulse and all to go by."

"Spike's in a healing state right now. I've given him some of my blood as well as five packets, but I don't know if that will be enough. I've called Ernie and he's bringing some over as soon as he can." As if on cue, someone knocked on the outer door of Angel's apartment. Angel grabbed some money and passed it to Doyle, who went to answer the door. "I ordered some extra human blood this time, so it might be more expensive this time."

Doyle opened the door and after exchanging pleasantries with Ernie, he took the supply of blood and thanked the man, closing the door behind him. He put the bags into the refrigerator before re-joining Angel on the sofa. Doyle lay his head back on the cushions and yawned.

"Doyle why don't you go on home? It's been a long night and you need to get some sleep." Angel told him, taking in Doyle's weary look.

"No way. Not until Xander wakes up. It's not that I don't trust you or anything but I wouldn't be able to sleep at the apartment. He looked pretty rough. They both do."

"Yeah. That was quite a beating they took." Both of them sat in silence for awhile before Angel said, "Doyle, I know you told me these were humans that did this to them, but I have to confess...well, let's just say that if I had been there, soul or no soul, I would have killed them."

"Can't say as I blame you much. I have a soul too you know and I was damn near ready to kill them myself after I saw what they were doing to Xander. I would have too, if I hadn't been so worried about the boy." Doyle confessed. "Matter of fact, when I saw the damage they had done to him, I wished I had."

Their eyes met in understanding. Angel and Doyle had stripped Spike and Xander down to their boxers and had cleaned them up with soap and water from the bowl Doyle had brought into the room. Every time they came upon a new gash or bruise on Xander's body their anger had risen a notch until by the time they were done, their anger had risen to rage. And Spike didn't look much better. In fact, the younger vampire had looked close to starvation.

"What do you think happened with Spike?" Doyle asked Angel. "I mean, Xander was sure something was wrong with him. He said there was no way three humans could take Spike down like that. And he looks like one of those under nourished kids you see in the commercials."

"I don't know. I have to agree with Xander though. In his right mind, Spike would never let humans get the best of him. I guess we'll find out what's happened when he wakes up. Tell me again what you saw, what happened in that alley."

Doyle related what he had seen and heard starting with hearing a noise as he was on his way to his apartment and after investigating finding Xander being held down by two men as another was getting ready to smash his head in with a trash can lid. When he got to that part, Angel started to growl.

"My feelings exactly. I've got to say though, Xander's a scrapper. As beat up as he was, when I pulled those two guys off of him, Xander threw the other against the dumpster. I didn't think he had enough strength in him to do that. I guess it was adrenalin or something, but he didn't give up until he had gotten over next to Spike, protecting him while I came to get you."

"I've always said that no matter how much of a smartass he was, one thing Xander isn't is a quitter."

"You got that right," Doyle said, before closing his eyes and giving into the weariness he felt. Angel sat in silence, finishing his blood and watching Spike and Xander sleep. He would not be satisfied until he knew the whole story. Angel's mind was filled with questions, questions that wouldn't be answered until Spike and Xander were awake. He settled back on the couch, his eyes closed but his ears alert to the sounds of the apartment. Angel wanted to be there as soon as one of them awoke, but mostly he wanted the answers to his questions.