Spoilers: Angel through the end of Season 3, and Buffy through the end of
Season 6. (Warning: I may not portray past events nearing the end of Season
6 of Buffy completely accurately since I only saw the summaries and
spoilers, not the episodes. I basically kept what I liked out of what I
heard.)
Disclaimers: They're not mine.
Chapter One
The lobby was as silent and dismal as it's two occupants. Even after following up on every lead, no matter how worthless, they still had nothing Gunn had even chanced the Furies to gain any available information on the whereabouts of Cordelia and Angel, but even that appeared to have been futile. Currently without any friends with known whereabouts beyond the room they currently occupied, Gunn and Fred were distraught.
"Maybe we could try The Host?" Fred's questioning voice broke through the silence with.
"The dude's been in Vegas for a month. Probably forgot about us and set up a bigger and better Caritas," was the curt reply she received. Gunn sighed and continued, "I don't know if we should keep Angel Investigations open any more…."
"Charles!"
"No, no, hear me out-"
"I'd rather not."
Gunn and Fred turned to gawk at the new addition to their disheartened group. A man, clad in a black t- shirt and a pair of black dress pants had entered the lobby. He looked down at the pair with disdain. Setting an expensive black briefcase on the former check in counter, he opened it and removed a large manila envelope. He tossed it down on the floor, and it slid until it stopped by colliding with Fred's left foot. She reached down for it, but Gunn stopped her with a look and a hand upon her upper arm.
"Oh, I assure you it is very safe. Why would I bother to come here without Lilah's bodyguards if I had Wolfram and Hart's best interests in mind?" He smirked, carefully watching Fred watch him while slowing retrieving the envelope from the floor.
"What's this all about, English?"
Wesley scoffed. Closing his briefcase, he slid it off the counter and paced slowly to the door. "You're Welcome," were his only words as the Englishman let himself out of the hotel.
Gunn and Fred just looked at one another in shock.
"Charles… we need to do something. The Hyperian has been so empty since Angel and Cordy… and Conner… went missing." Fred began to pace as her babbling became more rapid. "I - I think we need to go to Sunnydale, Charles. They might know how to find them. They brought –"
"Fred –"
"CHARLES! Just listen! They brought that girl…the slayer, Buffy, back from the dead, I'm sure that they –"
"No, Fred –"
"I'm sure that they could help us find them!"
"I AGREE, FRED!"
Fred suddenly halted and spun around, throwing her arms around him. Grinning, she began to pull him upstairs with her, "I just got to get a few things from upstairs and I'll be ready… do you know where Angel keeps the spare keys? You could make a sign for the door and –"
"I got it girl. Get your stuff."
Needing no further encouragement, Fred ran up the stairs to her room as Gunn walked towards the desk.
**
"'Ello? Anyone home? Watcher! Lil'bit? Bloody hell."
"Well isn't this just your neighborhood disaster zone?"
"Shut the hell up you soddin' green… thing."
"Be nice, hun, your aura's all over the place," the being standing beside the souled vampire put a hand to his forehead. "It's giving me a headache."
Spike frowned at the disaster before him. The room was in shambles. Broken magical supplies lay broken throughout the room. Chairs, tables, even the cash register, were forgotten and destroyed beyond repair in the store. Turning, he began to walk towards the only other place he knew they gathered at: the slayer's house.
Retrieving his small bag as he trotted out the door, Lorne stared at his retreating form. The green demon signed, and followed the vampire into the night, only to stop as he rounded the corner, bumping into the leather duster that adorned Spike's body. Lorne watched in amusement as Spike sniffed at the air before dropping his bag and running off into the night.
"Oh I wonder, wonder, wonder who," the demon leaned against the alley wall and began to sing, "Who wrote the book of love! Tell me tell me darlin' who –"
"Who the hell are you?" came the voice, piercing his thoughts.
Turning, Lorne saw an Englishman of about fifty standing at the end the alley with a crossbow aimed at his chest. All Lorne did was roll his eyes. Giles stared.
"False alarm," Spike stared as he rounded the corner back towards Lorne, "it was only…" he continued, trailing off as he saw Giles with the crossbow. "Well this is just neat! Hello Watcher."
"Spike. This…thing is with you?"
"You'd better bet I am sweet-kins! Spike here looked me up when he was in Vegas; thought you folks would need a little help. Seemed that he was right," Lorne cut in, making the tenser, living, occupant of the alley jump and re-aim the crossbow to his chest. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, you can just set that crossbow down…" he tried, but giving the tactic up on seeing the expression on Giles's face. "You're aura's jumping all over the place. How's the little witch doing? Sorry about the loss."
"How… what… who…" Giles stuttered, not knowing where to begin.
"Ain't it just cool? This fella," Spike said, pointing at Lorne, "reads auras. Apparently he got a grip on whatever our little witch has been up to."
"Well… uh… indeed."
Spike began to walk towards the end of the alley. "You're all holed up the Slayer's house, right?" he said as the continued walking.
"Well, yes…" was all Giles got out before Spike began walking.
Lorne glanced at Spike's retreating back and turned towards Giles and sticking his right hand out. "Hey, I'm Lorne."
Disclaimers: They're not mine.
Chapter One
The lobby was as silent and dismal as it's two occupants. Even after following up on every lead, no matter how worthless, they still had nothing Gunn had even chanced the Furies to gain any available information on the whereabouts of Cordelia and Angel, but even that appeared to have been futile. Currently without any friends with known whereabouts beyond the room they currently occupied, Gunn and Fred were distraught.
"Maybe we could try The Host?" Fred's questioning voice broke through the silence with.
"The dude's been in Vegas for a month. Probably forgot about us and set up a bigger and better Caritas," was the curt reply she received. Gunn sighed and continued, "I don't know if we should keep Angel Investigations open any more…."
"Charles!"
"No, no, hear me out-"
"I'd rather not."
Gunn and Fred turned to gawk at the new addition to their disheartened group. A man, clad in a black t- shirt and a pair of black dress pants had entered the lobby. He looked down at the pair with disdain. Setting an expensive black briefcase on the former check in counter, he opened it and removed a large manila envelope. He tossed it down on the floor, and it slid until it stopped by colliding with Fred's left foot. She reached down for it, but Gunn stopped her with a look and a hand upon her upper arm.
"Oh, I assure you it is very safe. Why would I bother to come here without Lilah's bodyguards if I had Wolfram and Hart's best interests in mind?" He smirked, carefully watching Fred watch him while slowing retrieving the envelope from the floor.
"What's this all about, English?"
Wesley scoffed. Closing his briefcase, he slid it off the counter and paced slowly to the door. "You're Welcome," were his only words as the Englishman let himself out of the hotel.
Gunn and Fred just looked at one another in shock.
"Charles… we need to do something. The Hyperian has been so empty since Angel and Cordy… and Conner… went missing." Fred began to pace as her babbling became more rapid. "I - I think we need to go to Sunnydale, Charles. They might know how to find them. They brought –"
"Fred –"
"CHARLES! Just listen! They brought that girl…the slayer, Buffy, back from the dead, I'm sure that they –"
"No, Fred –"
"I'm sure that they could help us find them!"
"I AGREE, FRED!"
Fred suddenly halted and spun around, throwing her arms around him. Grinning, she began to pull him upstairs with her, "I just got to get a few things from upstairs and I'll be ready… do you know where Angel keeps the spare keys? You could make a sign for the door and –"
"I got it girl. Get your stuff."
Needing no further encouragement, Fred ran up the stairs to her room as Gunn walked towards the desk.
**
"'Ello? Anyone home? Watcher! Lil'bit? Bloody hell."
"Well isn't this just your neighborhood disaster zone?"
"Shut the hell up you soddin' green… thing."
"Be nice, hun, your aura's all over the place," the being standing beside the souled vampire put a hand to his forehead. "It's giving me a headache."
Spike frowned at the disaster before him. The room was in shambles. Broken magical supplies lay broken throughout the room. Chairs, tables, even the cash register, were forgotten and destroyed beyond repair in the store. Turning, he began to walk towards the only other place he knew they gathered at: the slayer's house.
Retrieving his small bag as he trotted out the door, Lorne stared at his retreating form. The green demon signed, and followed the vampire into the night, only to stop as he rounded the corner, bumping into the leather duster that adorned Spike's body. Lorne watched in amusement as Spike sniffed at the air before dropping his bag and running off into the night.
"Oh I wonder, wonder, wonder who," the demon leaned against the alley wall and began to sing, "Who wrote the book of love! Tell me tell me darlin' who –"
"Who the hell are you?" came the voice, piercing his thoughts.
Turning, Lorne saw an Englishman of about fifty standing at the end the alley with a crossbow aimed at his chest. All Lorne did was roll his eyes. Giles stared.
"False alarm," Spike stared as he rounded the corner back towards Lorne, "it was only…" he continued, trailing off as he saw Giles with the crossbow. "Well this is just neat! Hello Watcher."
"Spike. This…thing is with you?"
"You'd better bet I am sweet-kins! Spike here looked me up when he was in Vegas; thought you folks would need a little help. Seemed that he was right," Lorne cut in, making the tenser, living, occupant of the alley jump and re-aim the crossbow to his chest. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, you can just set that crossbow down…" he tried, but giving the tactic up on seeing the expression on Giles's face. "You're aura's jumping all over the place. How's the little witch doing? Sorry about the loss."
"How… what… who…" Giles stuttered, not knowing where to begin.
"Ain't it just cool? This fella," Spike said, pointing at Lorne, "reads auras. Apparently he got a grip on whatever our little witch has been up to."
"Well… uh… indeed."
Spike began to walk towards the end of the alley. "You're all holed up the Slayer's house, right?" he said as the continued walking.
"Well, yes…" was all Giles got out before Spike began walking.
Lorne glanced at Spike's retreating back and turned towards Giles and sticking his right hand out. "Hey, I'm Lorne."