"Since there is no way that is going to happen, I suggest we look at something else." Angel said immediately.
Caitlin crossed her arms over her chest. "You won't even leave it on the table for a minute? Jesus, we aren't saying run out and screw Buffy. We're just starting to talk about it."
He looked to Lorne and Faith for support. "You understand, right? You were there. We had a fool proof plan – just bring Angelus out for a day, ask him a little question, and put the soul back."
Connor sat down on the edge of the desk. "I don't know, Dad. I was there, too, and I don't think I'd call it a fool proof plan. Besides, it would have worked if your soul hadn't been stolen."
"Stolen?" Caitlin scoffed. "What did you guys do? Put it in a empty peanut butter jar for safe keeping?"
"It was a magic jar." Connor told her. "And we looked it in the safe."
"The code for the safe is your birthday!" She said. "Who wouldn't figure that out?"
"Hey," Faith said. "It all worked out."
"Yeah, but you almost died." Connor said.
"Well, that's truly a great plan." Caitlin said, rolling her eyes. "But there has to be a better way." She pointed to Angel's head. "Angelus is in there. We don't need him to come out. We just need to go in, have a little chat with Dr. Jekyll."
"Can't you use your ESP?" Spike asked.
She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. A few days, he'd figured out that the ESP business really irritated her and he'd used it every occasion he could. "Don't call it that." She said. "And no, I don't think I'm ready to look into anyone's head. I can't control what I see."
"It wouldn't work," said Lorne. "Like you said, in a human it may have been a case of multiple personalities. But he's not human, so we have separate beings. If this is something Angelus has managed to hide from Angel, you won't find it by reading Angel."
"So we're out of luck?"
"Maybe not." He said, rising. "I checked into this last year just in case. There might be a ritual that we could use to contact Angelus without removing the soul..." He trailed off.
Caitlin grinned. "That's perfect. What's involved?"
"Little chanting, a little incense, a trip for you into Angel's head."
Her eyes widened. "I-I don't know."
"No way." Connor said. "I don't trust magic or Angelus. How do you know something won't go wrong and Caitlin won't end up in a coma, or dead?"
"A good coma never hurt anyone." Faith said with a grin. "But we don't know that this is our only choice. I say we take the night to look into other options."
Everyone agreed. Illyria disappeared and everyone else began to settle into research mode. Faith and Spike stepped outside.
They sat together in companionable silence for a few minutes. At some point, Spike inclined his head toward her. "You're taking this well. Aren't you worried about your little charge?"
"Hell yeah."
"Then why the sensible approach, love?"
"Look, I did the brain walk with Angelus. I don't want her to go through that, but if it's the only way...I don't know. But there isn't any point in getting all worked up about it yet. Didn't you see the kid? If there's a better way, he'll find it."
"I think he's got a crush on the little Slayer."
"Yeah? What do you know about crushes?"
He slid his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her close. "Maybe I've got a crush on you." He said softly, then lowered his mouth to hers.
She let herself slid into the kiss for a moment before she pulled away. "This is going to sound so girly, but I still don't think I'm ready to... And I don't want to start something if you're going to have a hard time stopping."
He pulled his arm back, lit a cigarette. "Worried I won't take no for an answer?"
"Not worried. Just – careful."
He inhaled, then blew smoke out, watching it dissipate. "What do you know about why I got my soul?"
"You went on a quest, 'cause of your big love for B."
"Yeah, that's part of it. The other part is, I finally saw the monster I was."
"I don't follow."
He leaned back. "Let me tell you a story."
Caitlin crossed her arms over her chest. "You won't even leave it on the table for a minute? Jesus, we aren't saying run out and screw Buffy. We're just starting to talk about it."
He looked to Lorne and Faith for support. "You understand, right? You were there. We had a fool proof plan – just bring Angelus out for a day, ask him a little question, and put the soul back."
Connor sat down on the edge of the desk. "I don't know, Dad. I was there, too, and I don't think I'd call it a fool proof plan. Besides, it would have worked if your soul hadn't been stolen."
"Stolen?" Caitlin scoffed. "What did you guys do? Put it in a empty peanut butter jar for safe keeping?"
"It was a magic jar." Connor told her. "And we looked it in the safe."
"The code for the safe is your birthday!" She said. "Who wouldn't figure that out?"
"Hey," Faith said. "It all worked out."
"Yeah, but you almost died." Connor said.
"Well, that's truly a great plan." Caitlin said, rolling her eyes. "But there has to be a better way." She pointed to Angel's head. "Angelus is in there. We don't need him to come out. We just need to go in, have a little chat with Dr. Jekyll."
"Can't you use your ESP?" Spike asked.
She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him. A few days, he'd figured out that the ESP business really irritated her and he'd used it every occasion he could. "Don't call it that." She said. "And no, I don't think I'm ready to look into anyone's head. I can't control what I see."
"It wouldn't work," said Lorne. "Like you said, in a human it may have been a case of multiple personalities. But he's not human, so we have separate beings. If this is something Angelus has managed to hide from Angel, you won't find it by reading Angel."
"So we're out of luck?"
"Maybe not." He said, rising. "I checked into this last year just in case. There might be a ritual that we could use to contact Angelus without removing the soul..." He trailed off.
Caitlin grinned. "That's perfect. What's involved?"
"Little chanting, a little incense, a trip for you into Angel's head."
Her eyes widened. "I-I don't know."
"No way." Connor said. "I don't trust magic or Angelus. How do you know something won't go wrong and Caitlin won't end up in a coma, or dead?"
"A good coma never hurt anyone." Faith said with a grin. "But we don't know that this is our only choice. I say we take the night to look into other options."
Everyone agreed. Illyria disappeared and everyone else began to settle into research mode. Faith and Spike stepped outside.
They sat together in companionable silence for a few minutes. At some point, Spike inclined his head toward her. "You're taking this well. Aren't you worried about your little charge?"
"Hell yeah."
"Then why the sensible approach, love?"
"Look, I did the brain walk with Angelus. I don't want her to go through that, but if it's the only way...I don't know. But there isn't any point in getting all worked up about it yet. Didn't you see the kid? If there's a better way, he'll find it."
"I think he's got a crush on the little Slayer."
"Yeah? What do you know about crushes?"
He slid his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her close. "Maybe I've got a crush on you." He said softly, then lowered his mouth to hers.
She let herself slid into the kiss for a moment before she pulled away. "This is going to sound so girly, but I still don't think I'm ready to... And I don't want to start something if you're going to have a hard time stopping."
He pulled his arm back, lit a cigarette. "Worried I won't take no for an answer?"
"Not worried. Just – careful."
He inhaled, then blew smoke out, watching it dissipate. "What do you know about why I got my soul?"
"You went on a quest, 'cause of your big love for B."
"Yeah, that's part of it. The other part is, I finally saw the monster I was."
"I don't follow."
He leaned back. "Let me tell you a story."