"I know you're there, watching me." Angel said. I sighed and walked out of my hiding spot with Gunn and Fred behind me. Angel turned around to face us. The dark night cloaked us and the cool summer, California breeze stroked my cheeks gently.

"We weren't spying." Fred said.

"Well, actually, we were." Gunn said.

"Come on, Gunn, really?" I questioned him. "Geez, with an attitude like that, I don't know how you stayed alive this long."

"Okay, we were." Fred said.

"Fred!"

"We've been a little concern for you. Wondering where you've been skulking off to these past few nights."

"I'm not skulking." Angel insisted.

"You should go after him." I said, looking over the edge of the rooftop to see Angel's son, Connor, leave the alley. "Talk to him, if that's what you want." Angel leaned against the edge and hung his head.

"What exactly do you want, Angel?" Gunn asked. "I'm only asking, because, well, you've been seeming kind of distracted. Like, maybe you're not as ready as you think to move on…without Connor and Cordy."

"And frankly, when your head's someplace else, we are into some serious floundering." Fred said. "You act like a guy with a clear agenda, always on the move but we don't know where we're going." Angel looked up at us with his brown eyes. He smiled.

"Come on." Angel said as he stood up and pushed past us to the door that lead to the stairs.

"For instance—" I muttered.

"Um, Angel, where are we going?" Gunn asked as we turned to follow Angel.

"On a little retreat." Angel answered. "The four of us."

"Oh, like a spiritual journey?" Fred asked.

"Whoa." I said. "You mean like that monastery you went to in Tibet?"

"Exactly." Angel grinned his answer.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAA

"Las Vegas?" I questioned Angel as we passed the sign. "Really?"

"Now this is my kind of retreat." Gunn said as we entered the heart of the city. Lights flashed everywhere. Red here, green there, blue up there and yellow down there. The stench of whiskey stung my nose and clouded my throat. The noise of girls yelling in excitement and the men's booming laugh drowned out my thoughts.

"I just thought we could all use a little getaway to decompress." Angel explained. "I know I haven't had a vacation in a while."

"But the reason we're here is to see Lorne, right?" Fred asked. My eyes grew wide at Lorne's name. A picture of him flashed through my mind. Tall, golden brown hair. Green soft skin with two small horns on his forehead and his eyes were a dark red. Not like a blood color like most people would think when they first see them but red like love. And the most important thing, his dark red wine lips. Lorne was an empathy demon. You sing a single note and he can tell you how you feel and what your future is.

"Absolutely." I tuned back into reality. "And maybe afterwards, we can check out…that Danny Gans guy I keep seeing billboards for."

"After Lorne reads you, to help you get back on your path?" I pressed on, wanting to be sure that we were definitely going to see Lorne.

"Yeah, whatever. Wow, this place sure has changed."

"Get out." Gunn said. "You never told me you've been to Vegas before."

"A few times. It's been a while though. Used to be dunes over there."

"Oh, it has been a while." Fred said. "They tore down the dunes ten years ago." Angel laughed.

"Not the casino, I mean, actual dunes. Bugsy used to call 'em, dung piles."

"Bugsy?" I questioned him. "Bugsy Siegel?"

"Yeah. Not one with words, I know, but the man he had a mean backhand on the tennis court. So what do you guys wanna do first?"

"Um, well, the place Lorne is singing is called the Tropicana." Gunn said.

"The Tropicana?" Fred asked. "The Tropicana? That can't be right."

"Why not?" I asked.

"The Tropicana's a pretty high profile casino, not some low key out of the way dive." Angel explained. "Looking the way Lorne does, he'd have to go someplace a little bit more discreet."

"How discreet, exactly?" Gunn asked. I looked away from Angel and looked to the right of us. There was a sign with big red letters that said Tropicana. Underneath that was a picture of Lorne singing. And underneath that were green words that said, The Green Velvet Fog.

"You guys go on in." I said. "I'll wait out here."

"You sure?" Fred asked. "You seemed awfully excited to see Lorne." I scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Go on."

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NNNN

"You mean he ignored you?" I questioned Gunn and Fred as we sat at the blackjack table. "Completely?"

"Yeah, he just walked right by us." Gunn said.

"And he didn't even look in our direction." Fred said. "I mean, he did but he looked right through us." I took a sip from my White Russian.

"That's funny." I muttered, staring out into space as I took another sip. "I thought he would be happy to see you guys."

"Yeah, me too. I'm feeling really bad about this."

"Aw, don't feel guilty, babe." Gunn said. "If I had your head for numbers, I'd be counting cards too."

"Gunn, I think she means about Lorne." I said. "It's weird for him to just ignore his friends. It's not like him. I mean, take like out. It's not him."

"The guys on some old star trip, man. Who needs him?" I had the urge to get up and slam Gunn's head into the table but I managed to contain myself. I do! I need him! I need Lorne! The voice in my head screamed at me. I was about to listen to the voice and say it but Fred answered.

"Angel does." Fred answered. "I'm really worried about him, Charles." Fred and I looked over our shoulders to see Angel standing a couple yards away, looking around in curiosity. Fred brought her voice down to a whisper. "Okay, I know he was right to send Connor away. But with Cordelia gone, the loneliness must be unbearable for him."

"But Angel had to bear a whole lot more than that over the years." I said.

"So, Lorne or no Lorne, I think this trip's gonna do Angel a world of good." Gunn added.

"I hope so." Fred said.

"He's gonna be fine."

"Maybe you're right."

"But back to Lorne." I said.

"What about Lorne?" Gunn questioned me.

"Was you not listening to me, Gunn?"

"I was in and out." My left silver eye and my right gold eye glared at Gunn.

"She wishes that she knew what was going on with Lorne." Fred informed him before I could kill him.

"Well, let's find out." My eyes relaxed.

"What, now?"

"Hey, if it'll make my two honeys feel better, put their minds at ease, my fun can wait." My eyes harden again at my two honeys. "Or just my honey and my good friend." I relaxed and smiled.

"It's because you're out of chips, isn't it?"

"Yeah." I got up with Gunn and Fred followed. We turned around to the spot where Angel was standing and saw him gone.

"Where'd Angel go?" I asked. "He was standing right there a second ago."

"Wherever he is, I bet he's having a whole lot better luck than me."

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GG

Gunn, Fred and I peered around the corner to see two men guarding double French doors that said Lorne on it.

"Looks like we found the place." I muttered.

"You sure?" Fred asked.

"No, I'm just staring at two doors that say Lorne on it for the hell of it. Yes, I'm sure."

"Heads of state don't get this much security." Gunn said. "Something's starting to feel a lot not right about this."

"That's what I've been saying, only with better grammar." Fred said. "Should we find Angel?"

"We're never gonna get by Bruiser One and Two over there without a fight."

"I think we can take them." I smirked. A door opened down the hallway and a green lady with horns walked out and disappeared back into the casino. "Was it just me or did she have horns?"

"Oh, that was a Lornette." Fred said. "A dancer from Lorne's show. With the make up and cloths and stuff and—why are you looking at me like that?"

"I got an idea."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEE

I heard Fred come out of the room and walk down the hallway to the men.

"Whoa." The first guy stopped her. "What's this? He already got his drink."

"Uh, yeah, he—he did." Fred stammered. "Right. I—I know. They—they told me—I mean, they sent me to—"

"Oh, I get it. It's a little preshow diddle for the green guy, huh?"

"What?" I buried my face into my hands and let out a silent groan. "Diddle? I'm what?"

"Oh, don't be nervous. The demon, he doesn't bite."

"Oh."

"Yeah, not with his mouth anyway." Both of the men started to laugh and Fred let out a forced giggle. I shook my head in my hands.

"Wait a minute." The second guy said and Gunn peered around the corner to see what was going on. "You missed a couple of spots on your neck and behind your ear. You might wanna fix that before you go out onto stage."

"Oh, right." Fred said. "'Cause—'Cause that would've been embarrassing." She forced another giggle and Gunn leaned back against the wall again.

"She's in." He whispered. I slid down to the ground and leaned my head back and waited for my part of the action. "Evee?"

"What?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Depends on what you want to ask."

"It's about Lorne." I lifted my head and looked at him in the eye.

"What about Lorne?"

"Why didn't you come in with us back at Tropicana? I mean, I thought you would have wanted to see Lorne sing." I sighed and leaned my head back.

"Have you ever heard Fred sing?"

"Yeah and just between me and you, she's not that good." I smiled at that.

"Guess that didn't work out. Let's try it this way. The first time I walked into Caritas, was a time when Lorne was on stage singing. I mean, he was the first thing I looked at when I walked in. Our eyes locked together and the sound of his voice…mmm, his voice…it made me feel something I never felt before."

"You're not answering my question."

"The feeling was weakness. I never felt weak before. Never."

"You hate being weak."

"I don't just hate it. I'm scared of being weak. I like to feel powerful."

"So, you're saying every time you hear him sing, you get weak?"

"Yes."

"Evee, you ever thought that maybe that feeling was love?"

"Don't be stupid, Gunn." The door to the room opened and Gunn and I jumped to our feet. Fred came out screaming.

"Oh, my god!" Fred exclaimed. "It was horrible! He—he attacks me with these, um, laser beams…that—that shot out from his horns, and—and he escaped! He's gone."

"There's no other way out." The man said.

"Right. No. 'Cause—'Cause he went through some sort of—of…demon metamorphosis thing! And—and he spit out his entire skeleton, like—like—" She imitated vomiting. "Like that. And then he just—He slithered away…down the drain in the sink, in the bathroom! Hurry!"

"Security one. We have a code green. Repeat, code green." The men disappeared into the room and as soon as they passed the door, Lorne slipped out and closed the door. Gunn ran forward and grabbed a rope from a curtain to tie the door knobs together.

"Demon metamorphosis?" I questioned Fred. "Laser beams? Slithering away?"

"What?" She asked. "I was just thinking fast. I do that when I'm thinking fast."

"Uh-huh."

"What do we do now?" Gunn asked me as men banged on the door from inside the room.

"You're asking me?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Um, I say we split up. Fred and Gunn go right. Go the way we came. Lorne and I will go left and meet you, um, by, um…"

"The car?"

"Yes! The car!"

"See you on the outside, Sister." Lorne and I turned left and then right and I skidded to a halt to see two security guards blocking our paths at the end of the hallway.

"Maybe we could just go back the other way." Lorne said. I was about to agree to that when a security guard grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. I gasped for air, each breath burning my throat.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to take other people's toys?" The guard growled, squeezing my throat harder. I coughed and he slapped my face. I lifted my head back up and looked in the mirror that was hanging in the hallway to see my right eye was green and my left eye yellow.

"Oh, man, you really shouldn't have done that." I gasped. I felt my soul be pulled down and be replaced my something more powerful. I didn't even try to stop it. I tore away from the man's grasp and phased. My hands and feet grew into four large furry yellow paws. My nose and mouth merged together to create a snapping, snarling green muzzle. My eyes grew further apart and my ears grew into two yellow pointed ears and the rest of my body fell into the rhythm of making me into a green furry dog. I howled in vengeance. I didn't feel like me. Of course it wasn't me. It was her. One of them. It was Honey.

Oh, man, it feels so good to be back. Can't you feel the energy that binds us together, Evee? Honey taunted me in my head.

Just stop anyone that gets in our way. Do not hurt Lorne. I said.

Oh, I can't promise that, Evee dear. I'm ready to have fun. Honey took complete control over my body. She leapt at the man and let electricity escape her paws as she tackled him. She charged at the other man and leapt for his throat. I felt her sink her teeth into his throat, tearing it out.

No! Honey turned and locked her eyes on Lorne. Honey, no, don't. She took a step towards him. Honey, stop it.

Oh, come on, Party Pooper, let's have some fun. I am dying for some demon meat.

No. I fought and fought against the cage that held me. I broke through and slammed against Honey in my mind, pushing her down and pulling my soul back up. I phased back into my normal self. I looked back into the mirror and saw my eyes were back to their normal silver and gold color. I looked back and saw the first man on the ground, blacked out, but still breathing. I looked to the second man and felt guilt immediately seize me. I ran my hands through my thick blonde hair. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I didn't mean to kill him. I didn't mean to kill him." I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around to see Lorne. "I didn't mean to kill him, Lorne. I didn't mean to."

"It wasn't you, Evahart. It was one of them." Lorne soothed me.

"I should have stopped her. I should have known I couldn't control her. I should have stopped her. I should have stopped her, Lorne."

"Let's just get out of here before more comes, ok?" I turned back around and continued to stare at the body. "Evee." I turned back around and stared into those red eyes of love. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go." I ran down another hallway with Lorne behind me and found an exit. We eventually found our way to the car where Fred and Gunn were waiting for us.

"Okay, as soon as I find Angel, I'm bringing him right out." Gunn disappeared inside Tropicana.

"But what about his destiny?" Fred asked Lorne. "Angel's? We can't leave without getting it back."

"Yeah, well, this is Vegas, sunshine." Lorne said. "Generally speaking, you lose here, you don't get it back. Hey!" I turned around to see two guards grab Lorne. I made a move to attack them but two more grabbed me and two more after Fred.

"Now would be a great time to get angry, Evee." The guards dragged us inside the casino to Gunn and Angel. They moved us to a back room, leaving Angel behind and closing the doors behind us.

"Lorne!" A man said, standing up from a chair. "I am so relieved. I was afraid something terrible might have happened to you, missing you second show like that. All those poor, disappointed people."

"I'm sure they'll find someone else to admire and then you can let poor, disappointed Lorne go." I said. A man made a move to hit me but head chief stopped him.

"Don't."

"Damn. I was hoping to put on a show." Instead of hitting me, the man went over and slapped Fred. "Ok, now that's just uncalled for. It's just going to get me angry faster."

"Then shut your mouth." He turned his attention back to Lorne. "All I could do was refund their money and comp their rooms for the inconvenience. And my, my, what an inconvenience it was for all of us."

"Yeah, yeah, okay, Lee." Lorne said. "Okay, white flag's up. You got me. Grind your organ and I'll be your monkey. But you get nothing from me if you hurt someone else. I swear it."

Let me out, let me out, let me out. Honey chanted.

Go away. I snapped.

Party Pooper. Her voice drifted away.

"Lorne, sweetie, you worry too much." Lee said. "I promise. You will be the only one hurting. Your friends will be dead so quick, they won't feel a thing. Take them out into the desert and shoot them. Bring the demon. I'd like him to watch."

"Mr. De Marco." A man said.

"Not now, Spencer."

"Sir, we have a winner." I looked over a television screen to see Angel.

"That's impossible!"

"He's won a little over three hundred thousand dollars…and a car."

"Pretty good haul for somebody with no destiny, huh?" Lorne said.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked the men who were standing around. "You, you, back on the phones! And bring me that vampire, now!" A few minutes later, guards dragged Angel into the room.

"Hi." Angel greeted us emotionlessly.

"I want answers, and they better be the right ones or you're dead." Angel looked around the room, dumbfounded.

"I know this room." Spencer punched Angel in the face.

"I'll—I'll start again. Um—How did you win on that slot machine?"

"I put a quarter in the slot, I pulled that little lever thing—"

"Smart ass, isn't he?" I smirked. A guard punched me in the right cheek and pain crawled up my jaw like little tiny spiders.

"No!" Lee yelled.

"Hell yeah! Who's up next?"

"Brown and white." Fred murmured beside, obviously reading the color of my eyes.

I will help you have courage and pride.

Artemis.

No! This is my fight! Honey yelled.

Silence! Artemis said. Be gone with you, Honey! You already killed one person today. We don't need anymore killings today. Leave my presence at once! It felt odd having two different spirits arguing in my head.

"Evahart, just calm down." Lorne said.

"It's alright." I reassured him. "It's not her." I felt Honey leave.

Now, Evee darling, stay calm. I phased and shook my brown and white fur and growled furiously. Easy, darling, easy. Not yet. I loved Artemis. She was always so calm. Always seeing the silver lining in things. She never fought for power like Honey or many other spirits do. She lets me be in control.

"Keep an eye on her." Lee ordered. "If she moves an inch, shoot her dead. Are you playing games with me, vampire?"

"Have to play to win." Angel said.

"It was a fluke. A glitch in the machine. There's nothing there. Pay him his winnings in quarters, and take the others on their desert tour." A guard pushed Gunn to the door and Gunn turned on him but the guard punched him to the ground. Fred ran to him.

"Leave him alone!" She cried as a guard pulled her back. I snapped my jaws and growled. Not yet, darling.

When?

Not yet, darling. I looked towards Angel and saw his face scrunched up, his gold eyes cold and his fangs bared.

Uh-oh. Angel ran towards the guards and knocked them aside. Now?

Now, darling. A guard pointed a gun to Lorne's head and I leapt at him. The man cried out in pain as my gray paws burned his chest. I made a move to snatch his throat. No, darling.

Yes. Honey whispered. I could feel Honey's bloodlust.

No, darling. It's not the way. You don't need to live with the guilt. I slammed my paw on his head, knocking him out.

"What am I paying you people for?" Lee asked. "Shoot them!" I kicked Lorne aside as a man fired at us. I dodged the bullet and slammed my tail into his side, knocking him into a wall. I shook my head and looked to the right to see Lorne ready to smash a pretty ball of light. "We can still come to terms. Right, kid?" Lorne looked at me.

May I?

Please no killing.

Never. I leapt at Lee and knocked him aside as Lorne smashed the ball, releasing all the destinies.

"This room." Angel stilled looked around the room, dumbfounded, vampire fangs away. "There's something familiar—" Gunn walked up to him.

"Angel?" Gunn questioned him.

"You're my friend. I know. I'm not stupid." Gunn sighed. I looked around for anybody else to attack.

"That's it, Evahart." Lorne said, sounding every letter of my nickname. I looked around, eyes blazing.

It's over, Darling. Let it go. No more fight here. Time to let go. You are safe. Your friends are safe. Lorne is safe.

Lorne?

Yes, he's safe. Let go. Go to him. I relaxed and phased back. I looked at everybody.

"I'm good, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, you're back to your freaky silver and gold eyes." Gunn laughed. We walked out of the room and Angel gasped.

"Oh, now I remember that room!" He said. "Elvis and Priscilla's wedding reception, ! All right. It's not like I was, you know, really invited. They just put me near the dais. Uh-huh. I think somebody thought I was in the band, probably because I was all drunk and surly."Angel laughed. "They had these little fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches."

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLL

"Okay, no more road trips for at least six months." Gunn said once we were out of the car and walking up to the hotel.

"I can't wait for a nice, hot bath." Fred said.

"I can't wait for a nice, long nap." I said.

"Hey, you okay?" Lorne asked Angel.

"Just thinking." Angel muttered. "It doesn't make any sense—winning on that slot machine."

"Maybe De Marco was right." Gunn said. "A glitch in the machine."

"Or maybe Lady Luck was smiling down on you." Lorne suggested.

"Mm-hmm." Angel sighed. "Lady Luck. I don't know. I just—I don't get why or how I was able to fight…when I had no reason to, no destiny."

"Even without a flight plan, bucko, you're still a stealth bomber. You were fighting for you friends' futures. The people you love are part of your destiny. Nobody can take that away, not even you. Listen, I got a lot more insightful bon mots like that, but I've been stuck in a car for five and a half hours, and I gotta pee. Excuse me." Lorne waved by to us and ran inside the hotel. Angel and I walked side by side into the hotel with Gunn and Fred behind us. We walked in and Angel and I stopped in our tracks when we saw a woman standing there in a white dress. She turned around and faced us and I gasped at who it was.

"Cordelia?"

"Who are you people?" She asked.