*****************************************

Part 1

The crypt looked like a tornado had hit it. Clothes were strewn about. Furniture was completely destroyed. Even the brand new telly was smashed to bits.

"Spike?" Buffy yelled as she walked in with the rest of the Scooby gang in tow.

"Buffy...What happened?" Willow asked.

"Definitely does not look of the good," Xander answered.

"Hey," Anya said as she walked toward a corner inside the crypt. She bent down and stood back up. "Look at this." Dust fell through her fingers.

"Y-you think that's....?" Willow let the rest of the question hang, as tears welled up in her eyes.

"We don't know that for sure, Wills." Buffy replied. She could see the hurt in the redhead's eyes. She knew Willow and Spike were sort of friends, but she had no idea how much her best friend cared for the blonde vampire. Until now.

"Well, at least we know what happened." Anya stated. "Xander, can we go have sex now?"

"Wait a minute!" Willow screamed. "We don't know WHAT happened! How can you be so insensitive?" She ran out of the crypt, her sobs echoing through the cemetery.

"Nice going, Queen of Tact," Riley told Anya. Then, he turned to Buffy. "Somebody has to go after her to make sure she gets home safe and sound."

"I'm on it," Buffy volunteered, and ran after the crying redhead.

***

"Wills!" Buffy screamed as she searched for her friend. "Willow, where are you?"

"I'm right here, Buffy." Willow was sitting on a park bench. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying. Buffy slowly approached her.

"I'm sorry Wills," Buffy said as she sat next to Willow and put her arm around the redhead. They sat in silence.

***

"So now what?" Anya asked. She was sorry for upsetting Willow. If she would've known the red-haired witch cared so much for the vampire, she never would've treated the situation so nonchalantly. She knew how she would react if something happened to Xander.

"Now," Xander replied, shaking her out of the thoughts. "We try to figure out what exactly happened here, and hurt whoever's responsible. That'll teach 'em for making my best friend cry."

***

"Were you in love with him?" Buffy asked.

"I loved him," Willow replied, her head was resting on Buffy's shoulder as they sat side by side. "But I don't know if I was IN love with him."

"Did he know?"

"No."

"Oh, Willow." Buffy hugged her best friend.

*****************************************

Part 2

The Scooby gang sat around the magic shop. "I'm extremely concerned about Willow," Giles stated. "How long has she been out there?" He looked out of the window at Willow sitting at the bus stop staring off into space.

"Almost 3 hours," Xander answered. Just then, the phone rang.

"Magic Box," Anya spoke into the phone. "Oh, this is a surprise....Yes....What?....Are you sure?...Yes, he's right here." Just then, she handed Giles the phone.

"Um, yes, hello?" Giles said into the phone. "Angel?"

Riley immediately turned to Buffy as he remembered the severe ass kicking he received from the tall, dark vampire. All of the color had left Buffy's face. Riley dropped his eyes.

"Angel, I have some disturbing news...." Giles continued into the telephone. "No, it can't wait. It's about Spike....Oh dear lord.....Yes, I see....No, not yet. But Angel, is it really necessary to go back so soon?....Ah yes, that does make sense..."

***

Willow sat on the bench and couldn't stop thinking about Spike. How many times had she had a chance to let him know how she felt? When he kidnapped her and Xander their senior year in high school is when it started. Every day after that, she thought about him. The night he found out about being chipped, and he went to their dorm to kill them was another opportune time. But did she say anything? Not poor little shy Willow. When he told her he'd bite her in a heartbeat, her heart started racing. It only made her want him more. She smiled as she remembered the perfect way he had described what she was wearing the night he kidnapped her and Xander. She was so happy for that. And Thanksgiving. When it was official that Spike couldn't hurt humans, she could've taken a chance and told him she had feelings for him. Why else was she the only one of the Slayerettes that brought him warm blood, and stayed to talk to him when he was chained in Gile's bathtub? She thought of every excuse to see him. That's why she was so taken aback. She cast a spell that had her best friend and the guy she was so attracted to, engaged! She still would laugh about that in light conversations with Buffy. Spike brought her out of her shell. They would talk to eachother like no one else was in the world. Or the room.

Now he's gone. Dust. Ash. Spike. His beautiful blue eyes are just dust now. All she wanted to do was look into those icy blue crystals and see that arrogant smirk with his scarred eyebrow raised, one more time. Just one more time.

"Hey Red," a familiar British voice said. "Who died?"

*****************************************

Part 3

"SPIKE!?!?!"

"That's my name, Luv."

"SPIKE!!!" Willow screamed as she stood and ran over to him, and jumped up to straddle him in mid air.

Spike was genuinely shocked. Happily shocked, but shocked nonetheless. The little witch was holding on to him for dear life, and he liked that feeling. Willow had always been special to him. He reveled in her sudden excitement towards him for a few moments before asking:

"Not that I mind taking advantage of you, Red, but what's going on?"

Willow was so happy that Spike wasn't dust that she forgot how she was 'supposed' to behave in front of him. "Oh, Spike! I can't believe it!"

"What? That you just jumped on me and wrapped your legs around me? Careful, Slutty will get pissed." He said with his trademark smirk.

Suddenly, reality came crashing down as Willow noticed exactly what position she was in. She jumped off of Spike and stood there staring at him.

"You always know how to ruin a mood, Fangless."

"Well, next time, I'll have to remember not to say a word, and just take you and shag you right here."

Willow blushed as the blonde vampire raised his scarred eyebrow. Just then, everyone came walking out of the magic shop.

"Oh look," Spike teased. "A welcome home party from the Scoobies. I'll pass."

"Not this party, you won't, William." Buffy retorted.

"No one gave you permission to use that name, Slutty."

Buffy grabbed him by the throat. "You know, you make it really hard for people to be relieved to see you! Now, I'm upset that it wasn't you who was the pile of dust in your damned crypt!"

"Wait a minute," Spike removed her hand from his throat. "You blighters thought I was dead? The Big Bad?"

"Tell me again why we're happy he's not dead?" Xander said, followed by, "OUCH!" as Willow punched him in the chest.

"Erm, listen," Giles started. "Why don't we all go inside discuss all of this."

"Look, Rupert, this doesn't concern me. I'm not going in there."

"Well, I guess you don't want to know why Angel called so soon after you left his place in LA." Xander teased.

"You were with Angel in LA?" Willow asked.

"Uh, Red, I can explain."

Willow giggled. "The Big Bad was helping the 'Great Pouf' to fight demons! You'd swear our lives were part of a movie, or something." Buffy couldn't help but laugh as her friend smiled for the first time in 2 days. Xander soon joined them, as Giles led the way to the Magic Box.

***

"You guys are not going to believe this!" Tara said as she ran inside the magic shop.

"Hey Tara, what's up?" Buffy asked.

"The pile of dust in the crypt? It's not Spike!" She replied.

"Are you people really THIS brain dead?" Spike asked.

"Spike!" Tara screamed. "Oh this is great!"

"How exactly did YOU find out, Tara?" Giles asked.

"Oh, I did a spell to show me the essence of the ashes. It showed me some bimbo-looking girl about our age, with long, blonde hair."

"Really annoying even just to look at?" Spike asked.

"Yeah," Tara replied. "How'd you guess?"

"Harmony," was the collective answer.

"Finally." Spike added.

"Whoa, wait until we tell Cordy." Willow mused.

"Well, now that that particular mystery is solved," Giles said, while taking off his glasses and wiping them. "We all have to get packed and be back here in 2 hours."

"Why?" Xander asked.

" Why do you think?" Buffy answered with dread in her voice. "We're going to LA."

*****************************************

Part 4

"Okay, so what's going on?" Willow asked, as they got on the road in the rented SUV. "Why was Spike in LA? What did Angel want? Is it necessary for ALL of us to be there? Who would want to kill Harmony?" Everyone gave Willow a confused look. "Okay, I'll rephrase that: Who DID kill Harmony?"

"Hey, Wills, you wanna slow down?" Xander asked. "My brain is going into overload here."

"Oh, yeah. And that's a first?" Spike asked sarcastically.

"Watch it, Oh Impotent One." Xander retorted.

"Will you PLEASE stop acting like a bunch of 5 year olds?" Giles yelled from the driver's seat.

Riley leaned over to Buffy and whispered, "Hell, I was waiting for one of them to ask-,"

"Are we bloody there yet?" Spike yelled to Giles.

"Spike, don't make me pull this car over." Giles screamed.

"You got in trouble!" Xander teased, in a singsong voice.

***

"Okay," Cordelia said, as she came down the steps of the Hyperion Hotel. "I'm all done."

"Thanks, Cordy." Angel replied. He was grateful to the former cheerleader for helping to get everyone's rooms prepared.

"So, tell me again why I have to sleep here?" Gunn asked.

"It's just until we deal with this current situation," Wesley replied.

"What exactly IS the current situation?" Cordelia said as she plopped down on the couch in the lobby. "I mean, is this going to fly with everyone who is coming here? My vision was really specific about who should be with whom in order to survive this nightmare."

"Well, I guess none of us have a choice." Angel answered.

"Oh right," Wesley replied. "You get to room with Kate. I get Mr. Giles. It's just not fair."

***

"It's imperative that we stick together the entire time we're in LA." Giles started. "Our very lives may depend on it. So, I've asked Angel to set us up two to a room. Buffy and Riley; Xander and someone named Lindsey McDonald; Cordelia and Gunn; Angel and a police detective; Wesley and myself; Spike and Willow."

"What do you mean, 'Spike and Willow'?" Xander asked. Shock was written on everyone's face. Except for Willow's. A small smile crept up on her face at the thought of sharing a room with Spike. But, of course, she couldn't let him know just yet.

"Yeah, how'd that happen?" She asked in her most innocent voice.

"Who's this Gunn person?" Xander asked. You could hear the tinge of jealousy in his voice.

"Look, we really need to be on the same page, here." Giles said. "Can we just stick to what's important?"

"Sorry, Giles," Buffy said. "We're listen group, now."

ONE WEEK AGO.......

// Cordelia had a vision of some 'demonic evil' being brought forth on the Hellmouth. Unfortunately, it was already raised and had set up camp in LA with many followers. Angel called Spike to see if he could help with the difficult battle that was ahead of them. Spike went to LA, where he met Charles Gunn, a demon hunter with a bad attitude (Although he wouldn't admit it, he really liked the guy), a cute blonde police detective named Kate Lockley (he couldn't wait to share that bit of news with the Slayer), and a lawyer named Lindsey McDonald, who rivaled his Sire in the Pouf department. The Mysloapion demon, however, had telepathic capabilities, and put them to good use against Angel, Spike, Gunn, and the people they had recently been in contact with, which included Cordelia, Wesley, Kate, Willow, Buffy, Giles, Xander, and Riley. After a long, hard battle against the Mysloapion demon's minions, the warriors discovered the demon itself missing, which meant that it would be after them for revenge. After some extensive research, Wesley found that as long as the group stayed together, they would be able to fight the demon. //

*****************************************

Part 5

"Well, at least we know what happened to Harmony." Xander said.

"Yeah, but if this thing could really read my mind, he would've known that him NOT killing Harm would actually have been torture for me." Spike answered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen: Mr. Sensitive." Riley 'fake' announced.

"Oh, sod off, boy toy, and stick to what you do best: sitting there and shutting the hell up." Spike replied.

"Ooh, somebody's being a little bitch today." Willow said.

The entire van gasped, as Buffy screamed in surprise, "Willow!" Then, Buffy began to laugh, along with Riley and Xander. Even Giles managed to crack a smile.

"Well," Spike said with a smirk. "Looks like somebody trying to be as nasty as the Big Bad. That's my girl." Apparently, no one else caught that last sentence of his except for Willow. She blushed a bright shade of red as she faced front in her seat once again, with a smile on her face.

***

"Is anyone here?" Lindsey asked as he entered the lobby of Angel Investigations with a duffle bag.

" Well, if it isn't born-again-boy." Cordelia said from the couch in the lobby. "Or would it be TWICE-born-again-boy?"

"Cordy," Angel warned.

"Sorry boss. Just trying to have a little fun."

"Hey, I'm all about fun!" Gunn said as he came down the stairs. "And at Lindsey's expense, count me in!"

"Gunn," Angel said, sounding like a dad.

"What's with him?" Gunn asked Cordelia.

"In case you two haven't noticed," Wesley chimed in. "This is an incredibly tense and dangerous situation."

"Stay out of it, 3PO."

"Gunn!" Angel screamed.

"Well, at least old Spike won't be the only one getting scolded for the next few days." Spike said as he slowly stepped into the lobby with the rest of the Scooby gang.

"Willow!" Cordelia squealed as she ran to hug the red head.

"Hey Cordy!" Willow said as she hugged Cordelia in return.

"Well, let's dispense with the pleasantries for the moment and get down to business."

"Could be more rude if you tried, Giles?" Willow asked, as she locked eyes with the most beautiful blue-eyed man she'd ever seen, second only to Spike. Then, she started to blush.

Lindsey, who had been quietly regretting his presence at the hotel, was suddenly alert. Entering after the cute blonde girl and a few others was a beautiful red head with spectacular green eyes. Lindsey stood and watched the bantering of everyone else in the room.

"Why don't we show everyone to their rooms to get settled in; then, we can proceed," Wesley suggested. "Translation: Let Cordelia show everyone to their rooms before more bickering ensues." Cordy whispered to Willow and Buffy who both giggled with the former cheerleader.

"Wesley's right," Angel said, ignoring the three women. He looked at Riley, who had been staring at him since they arrived. "Let's get everyone settled in, and then we'll do the introductions."

"Hi," a voice from the front doors said. Everyone turned around and looked at the attractive blonde woman standing in the entrance.

"Detective Lockley!" Spike said, overly exaggerating his tone of voice as he quickly turned to see Buffy's reaction. "You're just in time!"

"What?!?" was Buffy's response.

*****************************************

Part 6

"Kate," Angel said. "Hi."

"Am I the last one to show up?" Kate asked as she surveyed the room. Buffy was still in shock.

"THIS is Detective Lockley?" Xander asked. "I want to talk about the sleeping arrangements!"

"Xander!" Cordy scolded.

Riley watched Buffy as she looked from Angel to Kate and back again. Pure jealousy was in her eyes.

"Angel," Buffy started. "What's-?"

"Why don't we stick to the original plan and get everyone settled in?" Gunn intercepted. He knew this was going to be an interesting few days.

"Good idea," Willow agreed.

Everyone followed Cordelia up to his or her rooms.

***

Xander and Lindsey chose from the double bed each would sleep on.

"Why was the blonde girl so freaked when she saw Det. Lockley?"

"Can you say, 'way too much history to try and recap in 5 minutes?"

"Let me guess: that's the Slayer."

"How'd you know that?"

"My law firm knows a little bit about everything."

"So, why are YOU here?"

"Good question."

***

"Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall this week?" Cordelia asked Gunn.

"I get the strangest feeling there'll be a lot of yelling going on, which would make the 'fly on the wall' theory obsolete," he replied.

"Point taken." Each sat on the bed they had chosen. "So, why do you think my vision paired us all up this way?"

"Truth?"

"Duh."

"I think that the Mysloapion demon is on to something." Gunn started.

"Huh?" "I was thinking about you when we fought him." Cordelia just stared in shock. "How was I going to protect you?"

"Oh, that's sweet."

"No, not protect the people I work with. Protect the person I want to be with."

Cordelia stood up. "It was that night we went looking for Devak, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Truth?"

"Duh," he repeated her answer to her.

She smiled. "I felt it, too."

***

"There's so much tension here, Mr. Giles. How are we going to stay focused with all of the drama going on?" Wesley asked as he paced the room.

"Calm down, Wesley. Everyone appreciates the severity of the situation."

"I just don't like all of the tension, that's all."

"Join the club."

***

Buffy started busying herself with putting things away the second they stepped into the room. Riley just sat there waiting for her to say something. Damn it! Spike was right. All he was doing was sitting there and shutting the hell up. Well, not anymore.

"You want to tell me why that little display of jealousy poisoning occurred?"

"Would you believe me if I told you?"

"Try me."

"Oh Riley, I'm so sorry," she said as she sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I don't know what happened."

Riley stood. "Well, let me take a stab at it: you were fine with coming to LA with your boyfriend because you'd have something to flaunt in front of your ex. Then, you find out that the detective your ex is rooming with is a beautiful woman, and you freaked. How am I doing so far?"

***

"Could that lobby have been any more tense?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"It's not your fault."

"It kinda is," Angel replied as he sat on the bed.

"Oh...I see. You were--?"

"Yeah. Cordy's in the same boat. She and Xander dated back in Sunnydale, too."

"Which one is Xander, again?

"The one rooming with our pal, Lindsey."

"Oh," she said and thought aloud. "The things people will do to save the world."

***

"Hey, why are you so bloody tense, Red?"

"Huh? Um, no I'm not." Willow answered nervously. "I'm tense-free. Really."

"Right." He sat down beside her. She felt him staring at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, Red."

"Spiiiiike."

"What's with you and lawyer boy?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"That's Lindsey McDonald?" Willow exclaimed. "I assumed it was Detective Lockley...until she walked in. I guess I didn't realize..."

"Answer the question, witch!" Willow was surprised at the jealous tone in his voice.

"What the matter with you Spike? You're acting weird." But, she kinda liked it.

"Am not." He answered with a guilty look on his face. He liked the red head. He'd had no idea. I mean, yeah, he'd wanted to shag her for quite some time, but he actually really liked her. He couldn't believe he was being such a bloody pouf!

"So," Willow said trying to get on a happier note. "Which bed do you want?"

"Whichever one you're in." Then, he looked up and smiled a mischievous grin. Willow blushed, and returned the smile.

"Are we playing?" she asked.

"I'm not."

*****************************************

Part 7

The lobby of the Hyperion Hotel was deathly quiet as its inhabitants sat in silence, each with something on their minds, other than the business at hand.

Buffy stared at Kate and Angel alternately, as Riley sat next to Xander, who was watching Cordelia and Gunn act way too comfortable with one another. And what was with Willow? He looked at his best friend, and saw she was all flushed. And there was Spike with a shit-eating grin on his face. He'd have to talk to Willow when this awkwardness passed.

Angel shifted uncomfortably as he felt Buffy's intense gaze. But that was the least of his worries, as he looked from Spike, to Lindsey, both staring at Willow. He really didn't like where this was headed. Lindsey surveyed the room, wishing he had some sort of dossier on the history of the people in this room. Especially the red-haired beauty sitting on the couch across from him.

Willow was still in shock, as the events of ten minutes ago ran through her mind. She smiled inwardly, and blushed. She looked over at Spike, who arched an eyebrow, and sent a sexy smile in her direction. The redhead looked down again. She couldn't believe this was happening.

TEN MINUTES AGO..................................

//One minute she was sitting on the bed talking to Spike, the next minute, he reached over and softly put his lips to hers. He swayed his head to let his lips move lightly across hers. Willow had never felt such sensations run through her entire body. Her heart sped up as Spike brushed his tongue across her lips. She parted her lips about to protest when he decided this was the moment his tongue would gain access to hers. Willow gasped as Spike's tongue started lightly playing with hers. He deepened the kiss and she moaned.

 The two fell back on the bed and hands were everywhere. The vampire was kissing and nipping at her neck when....there was a knock at the door. "Hey, you guys ready to go downstairs?" "Um, yeah!" Willow answered trying to sound normal. Spike smiled at her, sat up with her, straightened her blouse, and kissed her hand. "Shall we?" He said. They walked to the door and headed for the lobby. //

"Well, I'm sure you're all aware that this is a rather odd situation," Giles started, and then paused so that everyone would understand the severity of the situation. "Maybe we should start with who you are, and a little about yourself. It'll help us to get to know one another a little better. Xander, why don't you start?"

"Hi, I'm Xander. And I'm an alcoholic." Giggles filled the room, as Willow reached over and playfully smacked her best friend in the arm. "Ouch!" he said, rubbing his arm. "Okay, I'm Xander Harris. I live in Sunnydale. I have all my life. I've known Willow since I was 5, Cordy since I was in junior high, and Buffy, Angel, and Giles since 10th grade. I've been helping the Slayer and friends fight vamps and demons ever since. Oh yeah, I met Wesley my senior year when he was still a watcher." He turned to Giles. "How was that, G-man?"

"Fine, Xander. Next."

"Hi, I'm Detective Kate Lockley. I met Angel, Cordelia and Wesley about a year and a half ago. And Gunn, about 6 months ago. I didn't know Angel was a vampire until after I had known him for a few months. He's helped me with some cases, and I've helped him with some."

"I'm Angel. I help people," he started, sounding quite nervous, and started over. "Okay, does anyone NOT know me?"

"Point taken. Let's move on." Giles said as he gestured towards Gunn.

"I'm Charles Gunn. I fight demons and vamps."

"And...." Giles prompted.

"And what?"

"If you fight demons and vamps, how'd you become friends with Angel?" Willow asked.

"I thought he was a bad vamp, and we fought. Then, I found out the truth, and now I work with him."

"Oh."

"Alright, next." Giles said.

"I'm Cordelia Chase. I'm from Sunnydale. I work for Angel Investigations, and I'm an aspiring actress." She said with a big proud grin. "Oh yeah, and I have visions. I'm a seer." She added as an afterthought.

"I'm Lindsey McDonald. I worked for Wolfram and Hart, a law firm."

"An EVIL law firm." Cordy amended.

"Yes," he said glaring at the seer. "The firm caters to vampires and demons, as well as evil humans. I got in over my head, and now I'm trying to make things right."

"Spike," Giles had to prompt the vampire, as well as Gunn.

"What?"

"You're next."

"Why?"

"Spike," Angel said in a warning tone.

"Oh, don't you start, Peaches."

They hadn't even finished the introductions, and they're already at each other's throats, Wesley thought. This was going to be one hell of an adventure.

*****************************************

Part 8

"Will you please try and act your age?" Giles yelled at Spike for causing such unnecessary trouble. Spike just looked at him, shocked. "Now,"
Giles continued speaking to the group. "Let's continue. Spike, please play nice for once."

"Oh, bugger it all!" Spike said "If it'll get the Watcher off my back, I'm Spike. William the Bloody. I can't kill humans anymore because of
this bloody chip in my head. Soldier Boy over there had something to do with that. Anyways, Peaches here is my Sire." He looked over at Willow who was smiling at him.

"Riley," Giles prompted.

"Hi, I'm Riley Finn. I'm from Iowa. I was part of a secret military group known as The Initiative, that captured, performed experiments on,
and/or killed vampires and demons."

"You forgot to add boy toy to your list."

"Watch it, Spike." Riley warned.

"Hi, I'm Buffy Summers." Buffy interrupted before things got ugly. "I'm the Slayer."

"My name is Willow Rosenberg. I'm Buffy's friend. I help her slay. I'm also Wiccan. I can do spells."

"And, she's a computer wizard, too!" Buffy added, smiling at her best friend. Willow just blushed and put her head down.

"My name is Wesley Wyndahm Price. I'm a former Watcher and Rogue Demon Hunter. I help Angel now."

"I'm Rupert Giles. I'm Buffy's watcher, even though I don't work for the council anymore."

"We're trying to get to know everyone else, right?"

"Yes, Xander?" Giles asked, slightly annoyed.

"Okay, so I'll ask." He turned to Lindsey. "What happened to your hand?"

"Why don't you ask your favorite brooding vampire?" Lindsey replied as he glared at Angel.

"Angel?" Willow asked. "You didn't!?"

"Look Willow, it's a long story that we probably shouldn't..." Angel started before he was interrupted.

"Dude, you were supposed to HELP people. Not go around chopping their limbs off!" Xander said, suddenly feeling sorry for Lindsey.

"Why don't you ask Lindsey WHY Angel cut off his hand?" Kate interrupted. Everyone looked at Lindsey curiously.

"I'll tell" Cordy said, all too ready. "Lindsey was about to destroy the Scroll of Abergian, which was the only thing that would save my life.
Lindsey had a cross. Angel was too far away, so he threw the scythe he had just killed a demon with, and poof! There went Lindsey's hand."
Xander and Gunn glared at Lindsey, who looked at Willow and hung his head in shame.

"So what? The Pouf here has tried to kill just about everyone in this room, and you all still kiss HIS ass." Spike had decided this was way
too much fun not to get in the conversation. "What makes it so different with lawyer boy?"

Everyone looked at the blonde vampire, who obviously wasn't as daft as everyone thought. Willow stood and went to him. She kissed him softly on
the lips.

"Wills!" Buffy yelled in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing the man I'm crazy about, Buffy."

"Yeah, so sod off."

"Spike, you might want to be a little nicer considering the fact that she could stake you and not think twice about it." Willow said in a
hushed, giggling tone.

"You used my friend? Oh, you are so dust!" Xander said, grabbing the stake that was on the table.

"Xander! No!" Willow screamed.

No one saw Angel move just in time to stop Xander from staking his Childe. He grabbed the brunette's arm just as he was about to plunge a stake
into Spike's heart.

The lobby regained its eerie silence, as everyone remained still.

"Xander, how could you?" Willow screamed as she ran towards the front doors of the hotel.

"Now look what you did, whelp." Spike said as he turned towards the door and went after Willow. Angel and Buffy followed close behind.
When Spike got to the alley, he sensed other vampires. The bleach blonde vampire showed his true face and rant to the other end of the alley
where 5 vampires were about to have a redheaded snack. He pulled the first one off her, and threw him against the wall. Angel retrieved the unlucky bastard and staked him. Spike continued to pull the next one off of her, and ripped out its throat. The others noticed the interruption, and prepared for battle, leaving a very frightened Willow on the ground behind them. Spike looked at her, game face still on, and she gave him the tenderest smile. Then, Buffy came around the corner and cart wheeled into a kick that sent a vamp flying 10 feet. When she landed, her arm flung out and she hit another minion before he knew what was going on. Angel was caught off guard and hit with a trashcan. He quickly recovered and kicked the fledgling's feet out from under him. That's when he noticed the stake he had dropped. He reached for it and staked the now unconscious vamp. Spike blocked a few 'not too well aimed' punches and decided to literally kick some ass. He started with a spinning side kick, to a roundhouse kick. The then waited for the vamp to catch it's balance. The fledgling tried to stand, and Spike finished him off with a running kick, and landed on him as he staked the fourth vamp. Spike then ran to Willow to see how she was. Buffy and Angel were on either side of the last living minion, taking turns punching him. Finally, Angel gave him one last solid punch, as Buffy staked it. Just then, Kate came around the corner and noticed the dust. She stopped, and looked around to make sure everyone was all right. Willow hugged Spike, and looked over at Buffy and Angel.

"Are you alright, Wills?" Buffy asked.

"I'm fine, Buffy."

"Let's get back inside." Angel suggested.

"Is everyone okay?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, let's just go, okay?" Buffy said.

Just then, 4 muggers came running up to them.

"Hold it! Hand over your money!"

"The five looked at each other and started to laugh.

"Hey, do you people WANT to die?" Another mugger asked.

Kate pulled out her badge and showed it to the muggers. They ran away.
 

*****************************************

Part 9

"Xander!" Cordelia slapped him on the leg, as Spike, Angel and Buffy ran after Willow.

"Ow!!" Xander replied, rubbing his thigh.

"Xander, I'll have to agree with Cordelia on this matter." Giles said. "The last thing you want to do is try and kill the person your best friend obviously cares for."

"Unless you work for Wolfram & Hart," Cordelia added offhandedly. Lindsey glared at her. "Oh, was that out loud?" She added with mock innocence.

"Really, Cordelia, don't you think that's enough?" Wesley asked.

"Nope." She replied.

"Cordelia, please!" Giles scolded.

"I think I should go check on them." Kate said as she stood and headed towards the door.

"Sorry Giles." Cordy said in a tiny voice.

"So, does that mean I'm not in trouble anymore?" Xander asked happily.

"I wouldn't say that," Riley replied.

"Yeah, you still have Willow to deal with." Lindsey chimed in. Riley tried to suppress a laugh.

"You people act worse than a bunch of 1st graders." Gunn said, obviously shocked, because he'd heard that these people fight the forces on darkness on the mouth of Hell. That's serious danger, and yet, they were so ambivalent about all of it. Then, he started to laugh to himself. "I guess you need to be a little like this to keep perspective, huh?"

"Exactly!" Cordy replied.

"Not like Cordelia was, though." Xander added.

"Hey!" Cordelia retorted. "I resent that! Giiiiles!"

"I'm afraid I have to side with Xander on this matter." Giles replied.

"So do I," Wesley added. "Okay, FINE!" Cordy said, then sat back and pouted.

Gunn smiled at how cute she looked when she did that. Then he whispered, "Exactly how terrible WERE you?"

"Trust me, you DON'T wanna know."

"So, they're right," he laughed.

"100%," she said proudly smiling. "I was Queen Bitch of Sunnydale!"

He tightened his grip on her and she snuggled into him. Xander couldn't help but be happy for them.

****************************************

Buffy, Angel, Kate, Spike, and Willow walked into the Hyperion Hotel, and sat down.

"Is everything okay, guys?" Cordelia asked.

"We got mugged," Spike said dryly.

"Oh, ha-ha, Mr. Peroxide Head." She replied.

"Um, Cordy," Angel said. "It's true."

"You guys can't be serious." She said with an exasperated look on her face. "How the hell does this stuff happen to us?"

"Wait a minute," Gunn joined in. "Two vampires, a slayer, and a cop let some muggers rough 'em up like that? What are we missing?"

Buffy leaned forward and took a deep breath. She was very impressed with how perceptive Gunn was. "Any volunteers?" She asked. No one said a word. "Fine, I'll be the one to tell." She then told them the events of their time in the alley.

"Damn," Gunn said when Buffy was finished. "Trouble finds you people everywhere, doesn't it?"

"Well, since you're one of us now, it'll find you, too!" Buffy replied jokingly.

"Hey Xander, let's go." Willow said as she stood.

"Huh?"

"We need to talk about what happened."

"So all of the violence and mayhem in the alley didn't make you forget, huh?"

"Nuh uh." Willow replied. "Resolve face. Let's go."

Willow led Xander to one of the rooms.

*****************************************

part 10

"Well?" Willow said as she impatiently tapped her foot.

"Okay, I'll explain." Xander replied. "IT'S SPIKE!!!"

Willow looked at him wide eyed, and the two went into a fit of laughter.

"I'm sorry, Wills. I know I shouldn't have tried to kill him, but I just didn't want to see you get hurt. And let's face it: it's Spike. The Big Bad, as he likes to call himself."

She walked over to him, and captured him in a bear hug. "Alexander Harris, you are the best friend a girl could ever have!"

"So, you're not still mad at me?"

"I'll let it slide-this time." She answered with a mischievous smile.

"How very thoughtful of you." He said sarcastically. Then, he realized why. "Oh, wait! You want me to be nice to him!!"

"Weeellllll," she replied.

"Oh. Come. ON! There is only so much I can take!"

"Please, Xander. All I'm asking is that you're civil to him. Andapologizefortryingtokillhim." She said the last sentence in one very small and short breath. Xander paced the room once before stopping to face the red head.

"And that's it, right? I don't have to give up my first born son or anything,"

Willow smiled, "That's it!"

"Well then, let's go talk to this new main squeeze of yours." He put his arm around her, as they opened the door. What they saw made them stare in shock and horror.

~*~*~*~

As the music blared from an unseen boom box, the Sunnydale & LA Scoobies were performing. Directly in the middle of the lobby. Angel and Gunn were backup dancers. Cordy and Buffy were back up singers and dancers. Wesley and Riley were at an imaginary turntable, both wearing sunglasses. Kate and Giles were what looked like the entourage standing around trying to look cool. And there was Lindsey. He was facing Spike, each holding a microphone about to begin a dialog.

"My girl just caught me."
"You let her catch you?" Spike replied.
"I don't know how I let this happen."
"With who?"
"The girl next door, you know? I don't know what to do."
"Say it wasn't you."

Willow and Xander couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was as if this was SUPPOSED to be going on. Everyone was so natural about the whole thing. The two just stood awestruck and watched as the spectacle took place. Lindsey continued his rant, as Angel, Cordelia, Buffy, and Gunn began a synchronized dance routine.

"Honey came in and she caught me red-handed
Creeping with the girl next door.
Picture this, we were both buck-naked
Bangin' on the bathroom floor.

How could I forget that I had.."

"Given her an extra key," The backup singers chimed in.
"All this time she was standing there,"
"She never took her eyes off me." The backup sings had chimed in once more.

And then there was Spike (in a very believable reggae voice):

" Oh, you've another woman access to your villa
Just a sign of weakness, all that unclean on your pillow.
You better watch your back before she turn into a killer.
Best to view the situation not to cause a pent-up
To be a true player, you have to know how to play.
If she say it's night, confuse her, say it's day.
Never admit to a word that she say.
I used to claim iota, now baby, no way."

Xander and Willow looked at one another, and looked back at the 'stage', eyes still as wide as the Grand Canyon. Xander couldn't believe the way Angel was dancing. He didn't think dead boy had any kind of rhythm. Then, Lindsey continued to sing, with Cordelia and Buffy on background vocals.

But she caught me on the counter (It wasn't me)
Saw me bangin' on the sofa (It wasn't me)
I even had her in the shower (It wasn't me)
She even caught me on camera (It wasn't me)

She saw the marks on my shoulder (It wasn't me)
Heard the words that I told her (It wasn't me)
Heard the scream get louder (It wasn't me)
She said our dealy was over..............

Just then, there was a flash of bright light. Willow and Xander blinked, then looked back at the lobby. Everyone in the lobby was sitting as if nothing happened. And the weird part, Willow noticed, was that the people in the lobby were looking at them, the way she and Xander must have looked during their little 'performance'.

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy asked.

"We were about to ask you the same question." Willow replied.

"Why us?" Riley asked. "You two were the ones..."

"Were the ones what?" Xander asked.

"Erm, Willow, Xander, what exactly did YOU see?" Giles asked.

"I think we'd better sit down first." Xander replied, as he and Willow walked into the lobby.

*****************************************

(Part 11)

"Oh, Dear Lord," Wesley said as he took off his glasses and polished them.

Willow and Xander had just given their account of the infamous `lobby performance.'

"Are you SURE Angel was doing the running man?" Cordelia asked.

"Missing the point, aren't we Cordy?" Buffy asked.

"Listen," Giles said. "Clearly it's starting."

"What is IT, exactly?" Kate asked.

"Wait a minute," Xander said. "I wanna know what you guys saw when you looked at us."

"Are you sure?" Riley asked.

"Let's just say," Buffy started. "You did it all for the nookie."

"NO!!" Willow screamed, her face turning bright red, as she buried it in her hands. Spike put his arm around her, and chuckled.

"Oh, Xan-man was kickin' it Limp Bizkit style!" Xander said smiling.

"Do I need to go on?" Buffy asked.

"No. Really." Willow replied, her head still in her hands.

"Well now," Giles intervened. "This is where it gets interesting."

"Yeah, because the last 15 minutes were so uneventful." Spike said sarcastically.

"I think, what Giles means is that we finally get an explanation. So can it, William." Angel said in a fatherly tone. Spike just glared at his Grand-Sire.

"Yes, well," Giles continued. "The Mysloapion demon is pulling bits and pieces out of everyone's minds and trying to dictate exactly what everyone sees."

"In other words, he's fucking with us." Gunn replied.

"Yes, I suppose you could put it that way." Giles answered.

"He's trying to keep us off balance." Angel added. "To keep our defenses down."

"How do we stop it?" Kate asked.

"I think that's where my vision comes in." Cordelia said. Everyone looked at her, waiting for further explanation. "The way I see it, the Powers That Be believe that the person we were paired with in this vision, is the person that makes us stronger as beings. Whether it's mentally, emotionally, psychologically, or physically. I think we need to stick to that plan. We need to spend more time with our `assigned partner' in order to build our defenses back up."

Everyone was staring at her as if she had 3 heads.

"What?" she asked. "Oh, please don't tell me I was doing a Britney Spears act or something atrocious like that."

"No, I just don't think that the Sunnydale crew is accustomed to the new you." Angel replied, smiling.

"Hellllloooo! I was a brain in high school. I just covered it up."

"Maybe we could spend some time in our rooms before we start sleeping in shifts." Angel suggested.

"Great idea!" Cordy replied.

"Excellent!" Giles said. "We'll all meet back down here for something to eat in a few hours."

~*~*~*~

"Wow," Lindsey said. "I was the lead singer."

"Yeah," Xander replied. "But, I did it all for the nookie!"

"So, what's the deal with Willow? Is she really seeing that vampire, Spike?"

"Much to my dismay, yes."

"She's amazing." Lindsey said, remembering her beautiful emerald green eyes.

"Yes, she is."

"Did you two ever….?"

"What? Me and Wills? She's my best friend!" Xander replied a little too anxiously. Lindsey just looked at him. "Well, senior year, when I was dating Cordelia…"

"You dated Cordelia?"

"Let's not go there." Xander replied. "Anyway, senior year, Willow and I were really attracted to each other. Our hormones were so wacky, it was scary. We just couldn't stop the smoochies. Then, when Spike kidnapped us so that Willow could do a love spell to get Drusilla back…"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Lindsey interrupted, astounded. "All of that actually happened?"

"I'm afraid so. Anyway, we got over the whole attraction thing, and Cordelia broke up with me. Spike left town without doing the spell. He even told Buffy and Angel where we were locked up. Scary, huh?"

"Damn," was all Lindsey could say. "So, if you and Willow never…then, where is your girlfriend?"

"Oh, Giles owns a magic shop in Sunnydale. Anya works there. She's an ex-demon. She's watching the store while everyone else is here."

"Now I've heard everything." Lindsey said smiling.

"Really," Xander said sitting back in the chair. "Let's here about your oh-so-normal life, Mr. I-work-for-an-evil-law-firm-and-got- my-hand-chopped-off-by-a-vampire-with-a-soul."

 *****************************************

 (Part 12)
 
 

Willow sat on the bed and looked up at Spike who was standing against the door.

"All this time alone together," He said huskily.

 "What WILL we do?" Willow added as she bat her eyelashes at him.

 Spike walked slowly towards the bed. Willow leaned back on her elbows and waited for him. Once Spike got to the bed, he crawled up her body and stopped when he was directly above her. He just stared at her. "Spike?" she asked.

 "Did you actually believe what that bloody wanker, Xander said?"

 "Huh?"

 "About me using you. You know I really care about you, right?"

 "Spike, if you're trying to ruin the mood, you're succeeding."

 "C'mon, Red. I need to know if you trust me."

 She didn't say anything for a full minutes. Spike was starting to get uneasy. Then, Willow replied. "I trust you with my life, William."

"Good, because I'm in love with you, Pet."

 "Yay!" Willow squealed, and lifted her head to kiss Spike.

 "Yay?" he asked as he pulled his head away from her searching lips.

 "Yay? What about, 'I love you, too, Spike'?" He got up and sat on the edge of the bed.

 "You really believe I don't?"

 "I didn't say..." Spike began.

 "You didn't have to!" Willow screamed and put her face in the pillow.

 "Oh, c'mon Luv. Don't cry." He said as he moved to the red head. "Willow, talk to me." Her shoulders were shaking and Spike couldn't stand it. Then, it hit him. "Wait a minute. Did you just pull the Jedi Mind Trick on me?" he asked, as he flipped her over. Willow's face was red. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. It was from laughing. "Oh, bloody hell!!"

 Willow stood and started dancing around the room. "You fell for it!!" She sang over and over again. Spike got up and ran over to her using his vampire speed. Willow didn't know he had moved until he had her in his arms. He swung her around and they landed on the bed, with Spike on top of her.

 "I do love you, Spike."

 "Forever?"

 "Forever."

 ~*~*~*~

"So, are you gonna talk to me?" Buffy asked.

 "I have been talking to you. But you only seem to hear anything if Angel is mentioned."

 "Riley, that's not fair."

 "No, Buffy, it's not!" he yelled as he stood and started pacing.

 "This is not helping."

 Riley stopped pacing. "I know. I just get so frustrated about this.

 One minute I think you're over him, and you really do love me, and the next minute, I see pure jealousy in your eyes when you find out the detective is an attractive woman. It hurts, Buffy."

 "I'm so sorry." She said, and walked over to him. "Can we work on this now that we've established that there IS a problem?"

 "Well," Riley replied. "I suppose it couldn't hurt." He pulled her to him and they hugged one another silently.

 ~*~*~*~

"That carpet isn't cheap, you know." Angel said as he watched Kate pace back and forth.

 "Since when do vampires care about interior decorating?"

 "I always have. Even when I was evil. I have good taste. I can't help it."

 "You never cease to amaze me, Angel."

"I amaze you?" he asked with a shy schoolboy smile.

 "No-uh-I-um-I mean," Kate stammered. "Oh, you know what I mean!" she said frustrated. "Listen, I don't think this is the subject matter suggested to find our strengths."

 "Are you sure?"

"Angel, I," Kate started, and then stopped speaking when Angel stood and walked towards her.

 "Don't be afraid of me, Kate. I just want us to be friends."

 "Is that really possible?"

 "You tell me."

 "How did we ever get ourselves into this?"

 *****************************************

 (Part 13)
 
 

Cordelia walked over to Gunn, who was sitting in an armchair. He was deep in thought.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked innocently.

 "All this is just so weird." He replied.

 "Yeah, I guess it is," she said, sitting in his lap and putting her arms around his neck. "I suppose I'm just not as surprised by much of anything anymore."

 "The perils of living on the Hellmouth most of your life, huh?"

 "Uh-huh."

"You know, I have to apologize for something."

 "Charles, what'd you do?" she asked suspiciously.

 "A couple of months ago, I called you Stick Figure Barbie." Cordelia had to laugh. "No, wait." Gunn continued. "I had no idea how strong you really are, and how much you've had to go through."

 "So, does that mean you like me even more?" Cordy asked, grinning ear to ear.

 "I like you more and more each second."

 "Trying to score brownie points will get you everywhere," she said as she planted a deep kiss on his lips.

 ~*~*~*~

"Giles, this is serious."

"What happened to MISTER Giles?"

 "Pardon?"

 "Just kidding, Wesley. I know this is serious." Giles said taking off his glasses and wiping them. "However, we have to survive this as best we can. If that includes going with our instincts, then be prepared to do so."

 Just then, there was a loud crash downstairs. Giles and Wesley ran to the door of their room and opened it. They saw the others opening their doors as well.

"What was that?" Xander asked.

 "We'd better go check it out." Angel replied. "Gunn, Spike, and Riley, come with me. Buffy and Kate, stay here and look after the others in case it's some sort of a diversion."

 The four men slowly walked down the stairs. Riley was actually happy that Angel considered him to be one of the warriors. That meant he'd done more damage to the vampire than he'd thought. It also meant that Angel actually held some respect for the ex-commando.

Angel was in the lead, with Gunn behind him, Riley third, and Spike bringing up the rear. Just then, Angel suddenly stopped 2/3 of the way to the bottom of the stairs. Gunn bumped into him, who was run into by Riley, as Spike ran into the ex-commando. It looked like a scene from the Three Stooges.

 "Oh, bloody hell!" Spike whispered. Then, he saw what made Angel stop. Demons. "Slayer! Lock the others in a room together and get down here!"

 Buffy was behind Spike before he finished the command. Angel jumped the rest of the way down the stairs and headed for the first demon. Once he reached the demon, he didn't stop running, but just punched it in the face without stopping on his way to the second demon, where he did a spinning heel kick on it and sent it flying into the lobby. Gunn grabbed the first demon Angel hit, and delivered a series of kicks to it. Meanwhile, Riley ran over to the third demon and took a hit to the stomach. He quickly recovered and kicked the demon from the ground as he stood and punched it repeatedly.

Spike did a couple of flips to get to the demon he would be fighting, and managed to deliver a kick in mid-flip to it once he arrived at his destination. Spike landed on his feet and roundhouse kicked the demon then swept his feet to knock the demon to the floor.

Buffy ran to the foot of the stairs where two demons were waiting for her, obviously unaware that she was The Slayer. She jumped up and straddle kicked the two demons on either side of her and stabbed one in the head with her stake. The second one Buffy was fighting stood up and charged her. She easily jumped in the air above its head and landed behind it to kick it in the crotch.

Angel was thrown against the wall, and jumped to his feet just in time to deliver a spinning sidekick to the demon and pull a sword from the wall. He then beheaded the demon. Gunn was starting to lose his battle when Angel called out to him and threw him the sword. Gunn punched the demon with all his strength; back flipped, and caught the sword. He then stabbed the demon through the heart.

 Gunn then ran over to help Riley, who was in a headlock. He got the demon's head from behind, and broke it's neck. Spike was on top of the demon he was fighting and punching it repeatedly. Finally, he grabbed its head, and tore it off. Buffy was on her way to delivering a fatal blow to the last demon when Spike took the sword from another demon's heart, and beheaded the final demon.

 Then all was quiet for 60 seconds.

Finally, the others headed downstairs, led by Giles. The warriors stood there and looked up at the new arrivals.

"What the hell?" was all Buffy could say.

 "It's almost time." Giles replied. "I hope everyone is ready."
 
 

*****************************************

 (Part 14)
 
 

"Wasn't that pretty bold to just storm in here like that?" Buffy asked.

 "Why don't we all go into the kitchen and get a bite to eat?" Giles suggested.

 "After looking at the dead demons, I'm sure food is on everyone's mind, Rupert." Spike said. Giles glared at him.

 "Actually, that's a good idea." Angel said.

 "Pet," Spike put his arm around Willow. "Can you do something about this?"

 Willow closed her eyes and mumbled a spell, and the demons disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

"That's my girl," Spike said, smiling proudly at the redhead.

 The group headed to the kitchen. The humans got food, and the vampires got blood.

"So, what do we have to do now?" Lindsey asked after everyone had finished his or her meal.

 "We're getting stronger. That's the only explanation I have." Giles replied. Our minds are getting harder for the Mysloapion demon to manipulate. So, it has decided to try and get to us physically. Hence the demons that were here."

 "And so we just wait?" Lindsey asked, the frustration in his voice was apparent.

 "Didn't you ever hear the term, 'Be careful what you wish for,' Mr. McDonald?" said a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned toward the anonymous voice.

"What do you want?" Buffy asked as she stood. The others followed suit.

 "Ah, the Slayer. So good to finally meet you."

 "Yeah, too bad I won't lie and tell you the same thing," Was Buffy's reply.

 "Ooooh, temper, temper." The demon replied.

 "You're kidding." Xander said. "That's your comeback?"

 "Mr. Harris," the demon faced Xander. "How is Anyaka?"

 "Don't. Even. Start." Angel said, glaring at demon.

 "What the hell is this, movie dialog?" Spike asked. "When can we just pound on this piece of shit?"

"Careful, William. I know who you used to be." The demon said, as he gestured to the opposite entrance of the kitchen.

There stood William the Bloody, pre-vamped, circa 1880 London; suit, poetry, glasses and all. Buffy had to sit down. Willow's jaw dropped, but she squeezed his hand letting him know she was with him no matter what.

 "Holy shit, were you really that much of a geek?" Xander said.

 "Watch it, Xapper." Spike growled.

"This is it, isn't it?" Kate asked.

"Yes, this is it." Giles confirmed.

 "Detective." The demon said. "Your father says hello." The image of William faded, as Kate's father's image appeared. He looked exactly as he did when he died, complete with vampire bites. Angel grabbed her hand. She shook free of him, and realized that the demon wanted her to do that. So, she grabbed Angel's hand again, and squeezed. She looked up at the dark vampire, and he smiled at her.

"Oh, how touching," the Mysloapian demon said sarcastically. "Remember everything you read about him, Detective?" It waved its hand again as the image of her father faded, and the image of Angelus came in. But it wasn't just Angelus. It was Angelus killing Jenny. Kate continued to squeeze Angel's hand. Giles took a deep breath.

"It wasn't him, Giles." Buffy said as she once again stood. "It was Angelus." Giles nodded.

 "Yes, Slayer." The demon replied. "You should know the difference between the two better than anyone in this room." The image of Angelus standing over Jenny's body faded as image of Angelus enjoying kicking Buffy's ass faded in. The image quickly changed as the demon continued. "You think you have to worry about the detective here?" The image of Angel and Faith kissing faded in. Buffy felt the loss of control in her knees as Riley supported her. "How stupid do you have to be, Agent Finn?" The demon asked Riley, as the image of Angel and Faith, faded into the image of Angel and Buffy professing their undying love for one another. Lindsey touched Riley's shoulder with his left hand.

 "It's not real, man." Lindsey said to the ex-commando.

 "No, it's not, is it?" The demon asked as the image again faded. The image of Angel throwing the scythe and chopping Lindsey's hand off faded in. Cordelia reached for his arm and entwined hers with it.

"Don't let it get to you, Lindsey." She said.

 "And why should it?" The demon asked. "Wait until you see what I know about you, Miss Chase."

 "I'm ready."

*****************************************

 (Part 15)
 
 

The Mysloapion demon seemed impressed with Cordelia's bravery. But, that did not stop it from showing everyone the next image. This time, the image was of Cordelia and Oz walking in on Willow and Xander kissing when Spike kidnapped them. It then showed Cordelia running and falling through the staircase.

"Cordy," Willow said.

 "It's okay Wills," Cordelia replied, and then turned towards the demon. "That is so not the source of my problems since after graduation. Nice try, dumb ass. I think your crystal ball is broken."

 "Way to go, Cordy!" Buffy said, obviously impressed. Gunn put his arms around her waist.

 "There is still so much more." The demon retorted. " So don't gloat just yet. I'm not finished."

 "Oh, is it my turn yet?" Gunn asked. "Let's see. I predict that the next image will be of my sister, Alana. Stop me if you've heard this--," Just then, Angel started laughing. Cordelia soon joined him with giggles as Giles, Willow and Wesley began to catch on. The others decided to join in as well.

 "From the looks of things, mate," Spike said. "I'd say you are definitely finished." The demon glared at Spike and then looked around the room confused.

 "It's weak now!" Giles screamed. "Someone do something!"

Angel was closest to him and dove directly into the demon. No one seemed to notice that Wesley had disappeared during the visual display a few minutes ago, and had now returned with a sword.

"Spike!" he yelled, as he threw the sword to the bleach blonde vampire. Spike caught the sword as Angel moved far enough away for Spike to behead the Mysloapion demon. The demon exploded as Spike made one clean swing separating its head from its body throwing everyone backwards a few feet. Fortunately, no one was knocked unconscious.

"Is it over?" Willow asked as Spike rushed to help her up.

"Well, Peaches," Spike said to Angel as he kissed Willow's cheek. "Is it?"

 "What do you think, Rupert?" Angel asked Giles.

 "Well, I believe so." Giles replied. "I'm just happy it didn't get any worse than that."

 "It could've been worse?" A surprised Buffy asked.

 "Oh yes," Wesley answered. "Much worse."

 "There was the possibility of pain he could've inflicted inside our heads," Angel started.

 "Not to mention it's nifty little trick of making us see what it wants us to see," Spike added.

 "Or, he could've just killed the humans and got the vamps to duke it out." Gunn continued.

 "And then of course--,"

"Okay, I get it Willow." Buffy interrupted the redhead before she could say more.

 "So now what?" Lindsey asked.

 "Now, we get some sleep, and everyone goes home tomorrow." Cordelia replied. "Just in case."

 "Sounds like a plan." Kate said as she headed to the lobby towards the stairs.

 "I'm in." Xander added, and started his trek through the lobby, as well.

 "Are you tired, Luv?" Spike whispered to Willow.

 "As far as THEY know." Willow answered, indicating the rest of the group.

 "Right then," Spike announced to everyone else. "We're off to sha--umm, bed, as well."

"Have fun," Angel chuckled.

Everyone else decided sleep was the only option.
 
 

*****************************************

 (Part 16A)
 
 

Angel was the first one downstairs early that evening. He got rid of the demon's remains and went to take a shower. When he entered the bedroom, Kate was awake in her bathrobe with towel in hand.

"Hi," Angel said.

 "Hi."

 "Listen, I know last night was intense--," Angel started.

 "No, Angel. Wait." Kate interrupted. "That's not why I did what I did." Angel stepped towards her. "Listen, I do want you as my friend. And you have done so much good here. I'm sorry for being such a bitch."

 "Apology accepted." Angel said with a smile.

"I just hope you didn't take all the hot water," she said returning his smile as she walked past him to the bathroom.

 ~*~*~*~

"Hey man, are you okay?" Xander asked Lindsey after he hung up the phone with Anya yet again.

 "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

 "Dude, it had to be harsh watching that whole thing again."

 "Actually," Lindsey replied. "I've relived it every night since it happened. My subconscious won't let me forget it." He looked down at his prosthetic hand. "Not that I could."

 "Do you think you and Angel will ever get past this?"

 "You know," Lindsey answered. "I would love to tell you that this little event has brought us closer together, but I won't lie to you. It'll be a while before we're ever actually friends. I'm talkin' decades."

 "So NOTHING'S changed?" Xander asked.

 "I didn't say that. I HAVE developed a new respect for him. So, I don't think I'll be trying to kill him any time soon. But he took my hand. I can't forget that. I won't."

"Well, if it helps any: I'm not too crazy about him, either." Xander whispered. Lindsey laughed.

 "Really?" Lindsey asked with a mischievous smirk. "Do tell."
 
 

*****************************************

 (Part 16B)
 
 

Giles was taking notes of the previous nights events, when Wesley walked in.

"Mr. Giles," he started.

 "Oh, we're back to mister now."

Wesley smiled. "Thank you."

 "What for, Wesley?"

 "For having confidence in me."

 "You're quite welcome, Wesley." Then, Wesley left the room to find his boss.

 ~*~*~*~

Buffy paced the floor as Riley still lay in bed.

 "What are you trying to accomplish, Buffy?"

"I don't know. I just...I love you, Riley. I just wanted you to know that."

 Riley stood. "I love you too. Look, I know the demon brought up things that were painful-for both of us. But, he couldn't get between us. And I'm not going to let the ghost of a mere vampire do it."

 Buffy smiled. Riley walked over to her and put his arms around her.

 "We'll get through this." He said.

 ~*~*~*~

Cordelia was nestled in Gunn's arms when there was a knock on their door.

 "Hey you two," Wesley's voice filtered through. "Angel is making a big breakfast, if you want to call it that, and wants everyone downstairs in an hour."

 "Thanks Wesley." Cordelia called out. "Oh, that means we have to get up." She whined to Gunn.

 "Yeah, but we get to come back while the others have to drive all the way to Sunnydale."

 "So, all of this is okay with you?" Cordelia asked.

 "All of what?"

 "THIS!" She gestured to the two of them in bed.

 He rolled her on top of him as she giggled. "What do YOU think?" he asked.

 ~*~*~*~

"One word, Pet." Spike said. "Wow!"

 Willow blushed, and then giggled as Spike squeezed her tighter.

"You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" She asked.

 "Baby, you feel way too good as it is," he said slapping her thigh.

 Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Um, Willow. Spike."

"Oh, bloody hell! What do you want?" Spike screamed at Wesley.

 "Um, so sorry to interrupt. Angel is making a big breakfast and wants everyone downstairs in an hour."

 "Thanks Wesley," Willow yelled out. "We'll be there."

 "Like hell," Spike whispered to his new lover.

 Willow giggled as he licked her ear. "Spike, I need to eat. And YOU need nourishment as well."

 "I've got all the nourishment I need right here, Luv." He said as he nibbled on her neck.

"Well," Willow said, trying to catch her breath. "We do have a whole hour."

 ~*~*~*~

Everyone sat at the big table in the dining room of the Hyperion
Hotel. Angel had cooked an unbelievable 'breakfast' and everyone was
stuffed. Even Spike ate some.

"Angel, this was amazing!" Willow said.

"Yeah, I'm ready for a nap."

"Xander, you just woke up a little while ago." Buffy said.

"Your point?"

"Thanks Willow." Angel said. "But, you guys are more than welcome to
stay here as long as you want."

"Famous last words." Spike said. He received an elbow to the ribs
from Willow. "Ouch, Red!"

"You promised to be nice." Willow replied.

"Nice job, Willow!" Cordelia said, laughing.

"Hey Red," Gunn said. "Don't be puttin' any idea's in my girl's
head." He finished jokingly.

"Sorry Gunn," Willow replied. "It won't happen again."

"Until we get home," Spike whispered. "And then I'll enjoy it."

Willow blushed a deep shade of red.

"I REALLY don't want to know what was just said." Xander announced.

"That makes two of us." Lindsey stated. He decided to follow his
instincts. "Breakfast really was good."

"Thanks Lindsey." Angel said, genuinely surprised. Kate looked from
the lawyer to the dark vampire in complete and total amazement.

"Um, I'd better get going." She said standing up. "It was very
interesting meeting you all. But, it was nice to see that we could all come
together." The group said their goodbyes to the detective. "Angel, if you
need anything, I'd be more than happy to help." With that, Kate Lockley
walked out of the Hyperion Hotel.

"Well, I guess that's our cue." Giles said. "Angel, thank you so
much for your hospitality. I'm happy we could be of help."

"You're welcome, Rupert." Angel replied.

"Yeah, I need to take off, too." Lindsey said. "Cordelia, Wesley,
Gunn, Angel: Thanks for everything."

"Don't mention it," Cordelia said. "What's going to happen with you
now?"

"Well, I guess I'll pull a 'Kate' and say, if you guys need any
help, give me a call. It was nice meeting the rest of you." He said, but
only made eye contact with Willow. Spike growled.

"Relax, Spike." Lindsey said facing the jealous vampire. "I wouldn't
dream of it. Not after the past few days." With that, he walked out.

"Okay, I guess we all grew up in the past couple of days." Riley
said. "Even me."

"Nu-uh!" Xander whined. "I'll be young forever!"

"I think he means immature." Giles stated. Everyone laughed. "Well,
I guess we should get going. Is everyone ready?" They all mumbled their
yes's.

Cordelia, Gunn, Wesley, and Angel all stood outside and waved
goodbye to the Sunnydale Scooby Gang.

The End

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