disclaimer: i don't own anything. just fix the mess Joss made.

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Angel faced his opponent, glaring at it as he decided what to do.

'Pick it up....or not?'

He glared at the telephone, and as much as he didn't want her to be involved in this fight.....he didn't have any choice. He knew that she had a new responsibility in her life...

...but they needed Buffy for this.

Picking up the phone, he dialed. "Buffy? It's Angel."

***
Italy

Buffy wiped her hands on the cloth, and threw it over her shoulder as she screwed the top back onto the container of mashed bananas. The phone rang, and she picked it up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

***
LA

"Buffy, something's happening in LA..."

***
Italy

"Angel, you know very well that I can't. I've got William to look after now. I can't leave my 17 month old son by himself!"

***
LA

"Buffy, I know. I know that you can't leave him alone after that whole disaster with The Immortal when he used you to get to him, but this is really important. It's about the apocalypse..."

***
Italy

"Angel, I don't have time to deal with an apocalypse-"

***
LA

"Not an, Buffy. The. This is the apocalypse. If we don't win this....we all die. But there's something else..."

***
Italy

"Great, just load me up with information," Buffy muttered sarcastically.

The next words spoken by her ex froze her.

***

LA

"It's about Spike..."

He heard the crash and knew that she had dropped something.

***
Italy

"Shit!" she swore, and picked up the shards of glass by her feet. Picking up the phone again, she said, "Angel. I must have something in my ear, because I could've sworn you just said Spike."

***
LA

"Buffy....I don't really know how to say this, but.....Spike.....he's....well, he's alive."

The last thing he heard before the dial tone was Buffy's determined, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Angel set the phone down wearily.

Spike was going to kill him for this....

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Angel sat at his office, pinching his nose with his index finger and thumb. He had arranged for a meeting in Spike's basement for later that day.

Luckily, Spike was enjoying his day as Angel had told him to. So he was sitting in the practically abandoned law firm waiting for--

BAM.

--and there's the tell-tale sign that Buffy's in the house.

Marching her way over to Harmony's desk, she slammed her hands down on the counter. "Where's Angel's office?"

The frightened vampire pointed to her boss's room, just wanting to get the pissed off slayer away from her.

Buffy stalked towards the office, fury in her eyes. When she got inside the room, she picked Angel up out of his leather chair and pushed him against the wall. "Where is he?" she snarled.

"Enjoying what may be his last day."

Buffy dropped him, hands by her side. Suddenly, it was as if all the years of stress and worries and fighting took it's toll on her. Angel took in the tired lines on her face and her red eyes, puffy from crying or lack of sleep. Sighing, she sat down on the leather couch. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off. It's just.....overwhelming, y'know?"

Angel nodded, and sat down next to her on the couch. "Y'know, he wanted to call you. But he was afraid of what you'd think of him."

"What I'd think of him?! Has he gone crazy?!"

"I ask him the same thing everyday."

Laughing a little, she said, "He is a bit stubborn, isn't he?"

"A bit."

Pause.

"Ok, a lot."

Chuckling, Angel said, "No...well, yes, he is severely stubborn. But he didn't think you'd want him around anymore. You kind of scared the guy."

She laid her head in her hands. "What am I going to do?"

"We're having a meeting in his basement later. I know," he said off of her look. "I couldn't believe he had an apartment, either. You wanna tag along?"

Buffy thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.

***

Hidden in the shadows of Spike's basement, Buffy listened in on the conversation they were having. Wesley, Spike and Gunn were sitting down while Angel paced the floor. Illyria was standing behind Wesley.

Lorne was sitting on the edge of a table off to the side.
Sighing, Angel said loudly enough so that Buffy could hear, "This may come out a little pretentious, but... one of you will betray
me."

Buffy watched as Spike raised his hands eagerly. She couldn't contain the smile that came forth.

"Wes," said Angel.

Before he could continue, Spike said in a disappointed voice, "Oh." He put his hand down. Then, suddenly hopeful, he asked, "Can I deny you 3 times?"

Buffy couldn't contain it any longer. She had kept quiet for the first part of the coversation, but now she just had to let it loose.

Everyone's head whipped towards the general vicinity Buffy was standing in when they heard her burst into laughter.

Stepping out of the shadows, she wiped tears of mirth out of her eyes. "I'm sorry....." she said, still laughing. "I know it's all bad.....but I just couldn't help it!!" She went off into another set of giggles.

Spike stood up and walked to Angel's side. "Please tell me she's not actually here."

"Fine. I won't tell you."

"Smart-ass."

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Buffy straightened, a large grin on her face. "You," she said, pointing at Spike. "may have made me laugh, but I am sooooooooooooooooooo going to kick your ass because you didn't tell me you were back. And none of the 'I'm not good enough for you, you deserve better' crap."

Spike nodded, and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Right."

Smiling fading slightly, Buffy said, "Um...guys? Can Spike and I....can we be alone for a second?"

Everyone walked upstairs, and Angel left them with, "Buffy? Try not to kick his ass....too hard."

Buffy smiled, and nodded.

When they were alone, she extricated something from her jacket pocket. She handed it to Spike, who squinted at it.

"I don't understand," he said quietly. "Who is this?"

"That," she said, pointing to the boy in the picture, "Is your son."

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