Willow sat on the balcony wall outside Giles' apartment, smiling to
herself. Just before she had left her dorm room, Buffy had rung to
say she had found something the little redhead was going to love. As
she had been giggling at the time, Willow was both dreading and
looking forward to seeing what it was.

She had also received a quick visit from Cordelia and Wesley earlier
that day as well. Pleased as she had been to see them, the redhead
had promptly sent them back to the mansion on Crawford Street to
catch up on much needed sleep. She had also been left with the now
confirmed impression though that there was something decidedly up
with her friends.

"Willow, are you ready?" Giles touched her shoulder. "It's time to
patrol."

"Of course." She pulled a stake out of the top of her boots and
tossed it, catching it neatly. "Where are we meeting Kat again?"

"At the Park." The pair started to walk away from the apartment
complex, choosing the quickest route to the Park. "I thought we could
do Ferndale first."

Willow groaned. "Giles, you've just ensured an eventful patrol."

He merely laughed. "My dear girl, I've noticed lately that vampires
have a tendency to avoid you."

"More than I have. Are you sure we've been on the same patrols." She
glanced round, a deep instinct warning her that they were being
watched. Two game faced vampires emerging from the shadows confirmed
it.

A brief fight and two piles of dust later, Willow turned to the
former Watcher, a mischievous glint lighting up her green eyes. "You
were saying, Giles."

"Hilarious Willow. Shall we continue now and without Ferndale." He
rolled his eyes, making the redhead giggle. "And it would seem Kat's
just as impatient as ever because here she comes."

"I heard that." Kat shot back as she joined them. "By the way, I had
to dust a couple of fangs on the way here."

"Well that leaves just the rest of our gang to welcome you to
Sunnydale." Willow murmured as she buried her hands in her jacket. As
she did so, a familiar looking blond vampire suddenly appeared ahead
of them. "On second thoughts."

"Watcha Red." He grinned at her, taking a cigarette out and lighting
up. "Long time and all that."

"Spike. I'd say it was nice to see you but I'd be lying."

Kat raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by the redhead's strangely
relaxed attitude towards the obviously familiar master vampire. After
what she had been told by the former Watcher, it was most definitely
not what she would have expected. <But then again, I didn't expect
the infamous Spike a.k.a William the Bloody to be Kindred either. >
She thought to her self. <Now how in the Goddess' name was that
important little fact missed? >

Neither young woman missed the stake that suddenly appeared in Giles'
hand. "What the hell are you doing here, Spike." He growled.

"Had a sudden yearning to see dear old Sunnyhell." The vampire
replied nonchalantly. "Got a problem with that, Watcher."

"Yes actually." He started towards him, stake now raised.

"Giles, no!" Willow shouted as the other woman cursed under her
breath. With a strange unknown word and a peculiar sigil, she threw
up an invisible wall between the vampire and former Watcher, causing
the watching redhead to gasp in stunned shock. "Kat!"

After touching it, Giles turned to face her, his stake out of sight
once more and his eyebrow raised. "Perfected it even more I see, Kat."

"With the hotheads I have to deal with." Kat moved to his side then
punched him in the stomach. As he sucked in his breath in pain, she
put her hand on her hips. "Were you out of your mind, Giles, you
could have got yourself hurt."

"I seem to be that anyway." He groaned standing up. He looked over to
find the petite redhead doing her best not to laugh. "As for you."

Kat jumped in quickly as she caught the panicky look the redhead shot
her, then the blond vampire. "Giles, I don't think this is the time
or place to chew her out. I believe we have some where else to be."

"May be so but..." At the glare the brunette shot him, he closed his
mouth quickly.

"Wills, go walk with tall and cocky." The redhead nodded and moved
swiftly away as the former Watcher started to object. Kat immediately
covered his mouth with her hand. "Giles, stop talking, start walking."

"Kat."

"I mean it, Giles." The English girl linked her arm in his, gently
pulling him after the redhead and the vampire. "Something tells me
Spike's not the vampire you remember."

"It must be that same something that's telling me Willow's been
keeping secrets."

"Every girl has a secret, Giles. Even the most transparent of us."
Kat replied, forestalling the objection she could see on Giles'
lips. "Look at them, old friend. The girl's reprimanding one of
history's most notorious master vampires and he's just taking it."

"He does appear to be acting more like Angel, which is extremely
surprising considering the way he feels about him." Giles agreed
after a moment's quiet observation. "But I'll still be having a
serious conversation with Willow, Kat."

"I'm sure you will. You wouldn't be you if you didn't."

"Hilarious, Katrina, simply hilarious."

"Am I in trouble too? People only call me that when I am." Her answer
was rhetorical, making him laugh and her grin. "It wasn't that funny,
Giles."

"My dear Kat, believe me, it was."

"Sometimes, Giles, I think I hate you."

He merely laughed in response.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Part 10

Ahead of them Willow was indeed telling the blond vampire off. "Would
you just stop with the spectacular entrances, Spike. You almost got
yourself dusted this time."

"You know me, Red, don't like my unlife to be boring."

"Yes unfortunately. It just happens to be my life you turn into chaos
every time you do it." She actually growled in a credible impression
of his sire making him grin.

He had also noted the leather jacket, recognising it as a feminine
version of the ones his ensouled sire chose to wear. His internal
grin grew broader. "Who's the spell caster by the way, Red."

"Kat Knight. She's an old friend of Giles from England."

"Did you say Knight, Red." Spike asked a little sharply. She nodded
and he looked back over his shoulder at the woman talking to
Giles. "No wonder that bloody spell seemed familiar."

"What are you talking about now, you idiotic vampire." Willow looked
up at him curiously, then took him by surprise as she punched him
hard in the arm. "And just why didn't you tell me you were coming."

"Wanted to surprise you, pet." He ruffled her hair, risking
irritating her even further.

"Well you so managed to do that, and don't do that, you peroxide
pest." She brushed his hand off, then poked him in the side. "Angel
wants to talk to you, Spike."

"Peaches will just have to want. LA ain't on my travel agenda."

"Good job I was only thinking of going as far as the mansion then."

"Peaches is here." He groaned much to her intense amusement ass he
nodded. "Well, if you wanted to find a way of getting back at me,
Red, I doubt you could do better."

This time she laughed out loud and the blond vampire threw his arm
around her shoulders - much to the shock of Giles. "I am definitely
going to have an extended conversation with Ms Rosenberg."

"Oh hell." Kat groaned. She took out her phone, pressing three
buttons. "Raven."

"Kat, what's up. I thought you were on patrol with Giles and your
Willow."

"Get yourself to the mansion on Crawford Street."

"Something wrong, Kat."

"More like unexpected but I think another neutral is called for."

"Give me thirty."

"Make it less."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Part 11

Angel leant against the mantle piece, looking down into the fire he
had just lit. As was becoming his custom, his thoughts were on the
redhead that had become his closest and dearest friend since his
return from Hell. If he was honest with himself, he had deeply missed
the petite redhead while making her staying away from LA because of
the witch hunter.

"But I would rather miss her temporarily than permanently. The other
doesn't bare thinking about." He murmured aloud to himself. Cordelia
would have put it differently if she had been present but as she
wasn't, she couldn't.

"Angel! Angel! We're here."

The familiar joyful sounding voice coming from the garden had him
turning round, his rare smile lighting up his handsome face. "In
here, Willow."

Seconds later, the young woman herself appeared, followed closely by
Spike.

With a sound of almost pure joy, she ran across the room to throw
herself into his open arms, wrapping her own around his neck. "Angel."

Catching her, he swung the small redhead round in a wide circle
before wrapping her in a tight bear hug. "Willow." He dropped a kiss
on her soft hair before releasing her slightly. A kiss she didn't
feel but which his child most definitely did see.

<So that's the way things are falling these days. > He thought to
himself as he watched his sire with the petite redhead. <Well, well,
well. >

"We missed you this last month, Will." Angel brushed her pixie style
fringe out of her eyes, fingers lingering unconsciously for a moment
on her cheek. "Not a drinkable cup of coffee to be had for love or
money."

"Ooh joke man!" She grinned, touching his cheek with the same
unconscious tenderness. "I missed you too, Angel. It's not been the
same with only Giles hovering over me and have you seen who the
Hellmouth dragged in."

"Hey, I'm right here, pet." Spike objected fiercely just as Giles and
Kat walked in through the main door.

"You've always been a little hard to miss, Spike. Especially since
you dyed your hair." Angel returned as Willow burst into laughter,
leaning against him.

"And if anyone has been hovering, Willow, it's been you." Giles added
as he moved further into the mansion's main living room. "Angel,
you're welcome back as always."

"Giles." The dark haired vampire acknowledged, turning his gaze to
Kat. "And you must be Katrina Knight."

"From the day I was born." She replied earning herself an
appreciative grin from the blond vampire. "Don't suppose you've got
any tea in this museum of yours. Giles needs a brew."

"Good God, do you know how long it's been since I heard it referred
to as that." The ex-Watcher exclaimed looking at his former pupil in
sincere shock. "This lot tend to associate it with witches."

"I wonder why?" Willow raised herself on tiptoe to murmur to the dark
haired vampire making him grin.

"Impish creature." He returned in the same murmur as he turned back
to look at Kat. "Behave."

For a second Kat watched them, an eyebrow raised in silent
recognition at the interaction between the pair. "Angel, tea."

"In the kitchen of course. Where else would it be." The dark haired
vampire replied as Willow hid her face against him again, shaking
violently with laughter. "Giles, why don't you show her the way."

"I think I will at that. The last time she made me any, she forgot
the tea and almost exploded the kitchen."

As they walked away, Kat's response had Willow in further
hysterics. "Giles, you know I said I think I hate you earlier."

"Yes."

"Well, now I most definitely do."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Part 12

"Spike, want to tell me what you're doing back in Sunnydale and why
you didn't warn anyone." Angel turned to look at his eldest childe,
folding his arms across his chest. Spike just glared back at him,
mimicking his position to the last detail.

Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Willow moved from Angel's side and
sat down on the sofa, shrugging her jacket off as she did so. "Guys,
if you two really decide to have a fight, let me know beforehand."

Both vampires turned to face her, almost identical expressions of
interest on their handsome faces.

"Any reason in particular, pet?" Spike asked curiously.

"She most probably wants to sell tickets." They spun round to find a
young man slightly older that the petite redhead lounging in the open
garden doorway. "At least that would be my suggestion."

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of `Willow mortal,
Willow goes squish if stupid big vampires start fighting. Just like
magic shop.' Or words to that effect." The redhead replied a slight
grin playing in her green eyes as she curled her legs under her. "You
must be Raven."

"I must be, just like you must be Willow." He nodded towards her in
greeting, then looked over to the dark haired vampire. "Angel, fancy
meeting you here."

"Raven." Angel acknowledged before turning back to the redhead
again. "Willow, how many more times do I have to say it was a pure
accident. It just happened to be where we got trapped that night."

She stuck her tongue out at him unrepentantly before looking over at
the younger vampire. "In that case I blame Spike."

"Yeah, so you've said before, pet." The younger vampire shot
back. "You're the one who said it had the stuff you needed for that
blasted spell."

"You had just kidnapped me, Spike and were threatening to kill
Xander." Willow replied calmly. "And for a love spell you never even
used in the end."

"That wasn't my fault either. All that violence bloody sobered me up."

"Hah!" The redhead glared back at him. "Pull the other one, Spike."

"Quite frankly I blame the mayor myself. He sent the vampires to
remove Spike." Giles suddenly inserted as he and Kat returned. "Most
things led back to him that last term after all."

Kat on the other hand moved towards her brother, eyebrow
raised. "Well, well, look what the cat's dragged in. Took your time,
where's the bike?" She poked him in the chest hard.

"Parked it down the driveway. On top of a fledge." He replied taking
a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This came as I was leaving. I
put Tommy on it."

His sister read it swiftly, frowning. "Giles, have you ever heard of
a company called Initial Research."

The answer came however in the form of a groan from Willow. "Goddess,
how unoriginal can they get." She looked up. "Try for the Initiative
and you might understand."

"Walsh." There was a note of sheer disdain in Kat's voice as she
spoke the professor's name. The two women had clashed twice already
that day. "That woman really doesn't have any imagination."

"You can say that again." Willow agreed, smiling grimly up at Angel
as he joined her on the sofa and put her feet back on the
ground. "That woman is so out of it, she would have given the mayor a
run for his money. total bitch that she is."

"Upon that uncharacteristic comment from Willow." Giles gave his
young protege a strange look, which she returned with an unrepentant
grin then turned his attention to the vampire at her side. "Why are
you back in Sunnydale, Angel?"

Angel's dark gaze fastened on the pale face of the girl beside
him. "Cordelia had a vision."

"Concerning someone in Sunnydale I take it." Giles sat down across
from them. "Anyone we know or wasn't she able to tell."

In response the dark haired vampire put his arm around the redhead
and drew her close. She put her hand on his cheek and looked up at
him. "Angel, who is it?" She asked softly. "If we're supposed to help
you, we need to know."

"Will, the vision was of you."

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