* * * * *

Angel exited the hotel and glanced up and down the street, clearly feeling
uneasy about something. Three pairs of eyes followed the handsome man as his
trench coat flared behind him and he disappeared around the corner. When he
was out of sight, the car doors opened and the three voyeurs emerged from
the darkened vehicle.

Willow looked at Spike with a playful smile on her red lips, he grinned
back. The nervous anticipation was crackling like static electricity between
them. The redhead hoisted a knee on top of the car and climbed like a cat
over the hood. The image itself aroused Spike but he tried keep a composed
demeanor.

"Ready kitten?" He growled lovingly. She nodded and he lifted her off the
car and placed her on her feet. "Good luck," he murmured, bending down to
kiss her sweetly. Her hand firmly grasped the back of his bleached head and
captured his mouth in a rough embrace. Raising a leg, she wrapped it around
his hip.

"Can we upgrade that to great?" She giggled into his mouth.

"Hell, let's try for 'best of' " He chuckled pulling her closer and lifting
the other thigh until both her legs were around his waist. Moving forward he
rested her buttocks on the car and groped at her feverishly. She moaned and
bucked her hips against him. A small squeaking noise caught them both off
guard and they slowly turned their heads to the source.

"Oh, right." Willow sighed seeing Dawn and casted a deflated look to her
lover. Spike disentangled himself from her and backed off.

"Right then," he tried not to sound disappointed. The redhead smacked her
palms down on the metallic surface and pushed herself to the ground,
blatantly frustrated. She grabbed Dawn by the elbow and began to drag her to
the hotel.

"Hey!" Dawn exclaimed with an air of disappointment. She beamed towards
Spike. "Don't I get any luck?" Willow rolled her eyes and hauled the young
vampire away from her smirking sire.

* * * * * * *

Spike headed down the same direction he had watched Angel take, following
his scent. It lead him to a deserted alley. He sniffed the air and spun
around to find his sire towering over him. Before Spike had a chance to
duck, his back was thrown up against a chain link fence which rattled upon
the sudden impact.

"Peaches!" Spike exclaimed with a boyish grin. "Been well?"

"Was until I saw you following me," Angel said in a low voice. "What are you
doing here?"

"Didn't you hear?" Spike's grin grew. "I'm a superhero now too." He
chuckled.

"I'd heard rumors," the tall brunette replied, not releasing his
intimidating grip on Spike's duster. "But why come here?"  He peered
untrustingly at the smaller, blonde vampire.

"Well, it's all true," Spike affirmed with mock sophistication. "Problem is,
I haven't got myself a decent pair of tights. Hoping you could lend me
some." Angel slugged him across the face.

"Hey!" Spike furrowed his brow.

"Sorry, never been one for gossip," Angel retorted sarcastically.

* * * * * *

"Can I have one more?" Dawn pleaded.

"No," Willow scolded firmly. "We have to do this now." She smiled. "Besides,
you're going to need your appetite."

At this, the vampire smiled back excitedly.

"Ready?" She lovingly placed a hand on the teenager's cheeks. Dawn nodded.

"Good." Willow moved her hand to the girl's hair and closed it around a
fistful of brown strands, pulling it hard; her smile never leaving her face.
"Because if you screw this up, you'll have an eternity to be very, very
sorry." Dawn swallowed and nodded again.
Satisfied, Willow released her hold and turned back to the hotel's front
doors. She smoothed out her disgustingly fluffy outfit. They entered, her
arm around Dawn's shoulder, stopping in the middle of the lobby.

"Willow! Dawn!" Cordelia came out from behind the desk and practically ran
over to them. She noticed the somber expressions on their faces and paused.
"Oh God, what's wrong?"

* * * * * *

Spike could feel his sire's sideways glare on him, chocolate and
penetrating, as they walked alongside one another.

"So what do you do for fun in this town?" Spike lit up a smoke and raised an
inquisitive brow at Angel, but he remained silent. "Oh come on, mate, cheer
up for Christ sake. All that brooding must be so bloody exhausting."

Finally Angel stopped and turned to face Spike. The blonde vampire didn't
know what to think but he kept grinning and let the smoke escape from his
lips. Angel reached out pulled the cigarette from his mouth and dropped it
to the ground.

Spike frowned, "What the bleedin' hell-"

Angel grabbed Spike by the neck and dragged him down a few steps and through
a door. Spike stopped struggling and became extremely confused as he looked
up and saw a Chaos demon singing "I'm too sexy for my hat.what do you think
about that?"

* * * * * *

Dawn sniffled and took another sip of the hot cocoa from the mug in her
small hands. Willow's arm was draped across Dawn's shoulders as the redhead
conversed with Cordelia.

"I called Giles after we found Buffy's body, Xander and Anya are waiting for
him there." Willow paused to wipe away some tears. "I thought it would be
best to bring Dawnie here." She absentmindedly stroked the child's hair with
her fingers. "That she'd be safe here."

"Of course," Cordelia nodded sympathetically and glanced to Dawn. "I mean
this place is huge, let's go find a good room okay?"

Dawn nodded still looking into her cup. She let the two girls lead her up
the stairs and down the hall.

* * * * * *

"Welcome, salutations and hello gorgeous." The host greeted Angel and Spike
with a dazzling smile. "Aren't you going to introduce me to the new friend?"

"He's not new and, trust me, he's no friend either," Angel corrected.

"Crying shame too, I reckon, not to be allowed in your circle of mates,
Peaches."  Spike eyed the green demon incredulously. "You seem real
selective, I'm probably not poofy enough for the lot of you." His eyes
traveled around the room and then lit up. "Hey is that booze?" He sauntered
out of range and over to the bar. Angel watched the blonde closely.

Lorne raised an amused brow. "Spunky little fellow, isn't he?"

"More of an annoyance if you ask me," Angel began. "Has a very unclear path
too."

"Ah, so you want me to take a peek and bestow a little sight and insight on
him." The Host took a sip of his cosmopolitan. "Give him a bit of guidance,
eh?"

"Actually I think he knows exactly what he's doing," Angel sighed. "I'm the
one who needs to be shown his path."

* * * * * *

"She's what?" Wesley's face contorted in confusion.

"Dead." Cordelia replied. "Again."

"Is this Buffy girl trying to make it into the Guiness Book of World Records
or something?" Gunn asked.

"Well she certainly has died and come back an unprecedented amount of
times." Wesley began.

"Okay, I am sad and everything but." Cordy hesitated. "I mean, who knows,
she could come back again couldn't she?"

"The girl is like a cat, got nine lives or something." Gunn affirmed.

"Where's Willow and Dawn now?" Wesley asked.

"Dawn's unpacking upstairs and Willow went out for some food,"  Cordelia
answered.

"Something seems off about all this." Wesley thought aloud.

"Yeah, Wesley's right." Cordelia agreed with a frown. "Doesn't Buffy usually
die right before the summer? This is so unlike her."

"I'm fairly sure that isn't what I meant," the British man rolled his eyes.
"How did Willow say she was killed?"

"Oh," Cordelia thought for a second. "Something about..uh." Her hand rose to
her  temples and she cringed. "Ow."

Gunn raised a brow. "Don't force it, I'm sure it'll come back to you."

Cordelia looked up with narrowed eyes and another pronounced "Ow!"

"Vision!" Wesley stated before running and catching her as she fell.

*She could see Dawn running through the streets of L.A, Cordelia could sense
the girl's fear. Dawn was carrying something big in her arms. Cordy could
hear Dawn's scream ringing through her head.*

"Dawn." Cordelia murmured. "Go.check.on Dawn." Finally she opened her eyes.
"I'm fine, go see if Dawn's okay," Cordelia stated firmly.

The men exchanged a look and nodded.

* * * * * *

"I love this bloke!" Spike threw an arm around the Host and grinned. "And I
absolutely adore his bourbon." Spike took a swig of his twentieth free
drink.

"I'm touched," Lorne smiled weakly and glanced at Angel.

"Someone lied to this poor fellow," Spike snickered, gesturing to the stage.
"None of his heads can carry a bleedin' tune."

"Well why don't you get up there and show them how it's done?" The Host
suggested with an enthused tone. Angel cast a hopeful glance that only Lorne
caught.

"Yeah," Spike nodded with a frown. "I'll show'em." He hopped off his stool.
"Which way's the loo mate? Want to look presentable first." Lorne smirked
and pointed to the restrooms. Spike nodded and headed towards the bathroom
doors.

"That's cute," The host looked to Angel with an amused expression. "Little
guy wanted to fix himself up in the mirror's first."

"Always was pretty vain," Angel chuckled and then paused. "Mirrors? Oh
shit." He ran with supernatural speed into the men's room. It was empty.
"Damnit!"

* * * * * *

Cordelia knocked on the door softly and waited for a reply. Nothing. Pushing
lightly on  the door it swung open the rest of the way. Her eyes went wide
at the sight before her and the tray slid from her hands. She clasped her
palm over her mouth.

Cordy was shaking as she approached the figures on the bed. Both men were
turned onto their stomachs, gagged and their wrists secured behind their
backs.

"Oh god.Gunn.Wesley?" Her voice was quivering and she reached out to touch
them. Cold. Ice cold. Cordelia's breath caught in her throat and she
squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She turned Wesley over. This time, she
couldn't even muffle her scream.

There were cuts and bruises all over his face as if he had been sadistically
tortured. Blood ran from his throat and covered the front of him. She
glanced at Gunn, whose eyes were wide and blank, his neck torn in the same
fashion.

Instinct overrode her grief temporarily and her eyes darted around the room.
A shadow stirred. Cordelia squinted and saw that it was Dawn. She almost ran
to the girl but something stopped her. Dawn was smiling and her hands were
glistening.

"No." Cordelia began disbelievingly. Dawn waved, a slight wiggle of fingers,
exposing a blood slicked palm. Her smile grew maliciously before she trailed
her tongue over the crimson liquid.

Cordy turned to run out the door but Dawn was in front of it before she
could even start.
"Why." Cordelia breathed.

"Wesley was trying to be all parental and sympathetic. It was annoying,"
Dawn smirked. "I guess I just have an issue with father figures."

"And Gunn?" Cordelia choked out.

"Killing Giles junior got me all hungry," she shrugged and started to slowly
move towards the woman.

"You killed Buffy didn't you." Cordelia glared accusingly but still inching
back.

Dawn stopped. "No. That was all Willow and Spike."

"Willow and Spike? Spike and Willow?" Codelia paused. "I thought she was
gay?"  Then her hazel eyes trailed to the door. "Angel." she whispered.

Dawn pounced on a shrieking Cordelia. "Oh don't worry about Angel." Her
innocent face surrendered to her demonic features. "Willow's totally got
that under control." She lowered her fangs to Cordy's neck.

* * * * * * *

He had run at lightening speed back to the hotel. To his friends. But the
closer he came to the office headquarters, the weaker he seemed to become.
He threw the doors open and stumbled into the lobby. It was a large
building, but the scent of death wafted from the staircase. Angel clutched
the railing and pulled himself up the steps.

His vision was blurring and he couldn't keep himself upright as he staggered
to his room. The door opened for him and he was pulled inside.

"Wha." Angel was half shaking and quite disoriented as the small, pale hands
guided him to the bed.

"Shh, Angel," Willow cooed. "It's gonna be okay." She set him on the
matress.

"Willow?" He squinted but all he could really make out was a halo of crimson
around her pale face. Angel could feel something perturbing about her,
something wrong, something missing. But his preternatural senses were all
fogged up and he couldn't put to words or thoughts what he was feeling.

"Shh," she repeated soothingly, coaxing him to lay back. He was too weak to
argue and reclined against the headboard. "Substringo sui!" She commanded,
her words animating some ropes that had been lying on the bedside and they
bound his wrists above his head, securing him to the wooden frame.

The witch mounted him, wearing only a viridian corset and matching panties.

"Wh-why can't I." but it took too much physical exertion to speak. Willow
produced a small object, that he could barely make out, and trailed it down
his features. It was light and tickled; ripping his shirt open, she brought
it over his chest. "M-magick?" He knew it couldn't be anything natural
having this effect on him.

Willow nodded with a smile.

"He looks pathetic, pet," Spike moved out from the shadows. "Moreso than
usual, that is." He took a swig of his flask, he'd have to be good and
tankered to be less than jealous with this phase of the plan. "Think he'll
be up to spec? Performance wise."

"Hmm..." she pondered aloud. "I dunno." She moved her empty hand down over
his abdomen and cupped the bulge of his pants. She smiled. "Looks like he
may need his strength after all." The hand that held the mystical object
closed into a fist and the thing crumbled to a fine powder.

Angel's vision cleared and he felt the helplessness subside. With his
strength back, he tried to break loose, he struggled but to no avail.
Defeated, he looked from Willow's amused expression to Spike's almost bitter
one.

The blonde vampire raised a scarred brow. "Finished then?"

"Why are you doing this?" Angel's accusing glare moved to the redhead but it
was her lover who replied.

"Oh, do you want to hear the plan from when we first plotted it or what we
propose to do after this?" Spike followed his sarcasm with another gulp of
bourbon.

"Relax baby," Willow began to undo his pants. "This will only take a
moment."

"Yeah, Peaches," Spike muttered. " Just one, happy little moment. to last an
unlifetime."

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