Disclaimer:

The characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Charmed do not belong to me.

Summary:

Angel is talking with the dead. Buffy returns from the hospital.

Chapter Four

Hyperion Hotel – Cellar

"A ghost." Angel breathed out.

"Indeed." The spectral Wesley replied. "Are you feeling better? Can we get you anything?"

We? Angel thought. He looked around. There was no one else in the cellar. Yet, Wes had been speaking to someone.

"Fred. It's Fred, Angel. We're together again."

Angel looked up at the name. Fred! Dear sweet Fred! Her soul, it had been saved – somehow. But he didn't understand. If she was here, if Wes was here, why were they? Why hadn't they moved on? And why could he see Wes and not Fred? "Wes. I-- I have so many questions. I--"

"Not now, Angel. They'll be back from the hospital soon. They'll be worried. Because of what you did to Buffy. We need to talk about that first. Do you understand? We barely stopped Giles and Xander from staking you earlier."

Tears came to his eyes as he thought of Buffy. "Bu-Buffy. How bad? Is she-- is she---" He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"No, no, she's not dead. But it was a close run thing. She was still unconscious when they took her to the hospital. We're fairly sure she'll be alright."

"FAIRLY SURE!" Angel bellowed as he surged the bars. His rage was cooled by the look in Wes' eyes. He hadn't moved a muscle at his temper. Just raised an eyebrow and tapped a spectral toe. It was pretty hard to put the fear of death into someone that was already dead, that was for sure. He sighed and sat back down. "Okay, Wes, I get it. Just fill me in. The last thing I remember was the battle behind Wolfram & Hart. I take it that was a while ago."

Wes' eyes got wide at that. He turned away from Angel and seemed to be looking at someone. Someone Angel couldn't see. It must be Fred. He wished so badly he could see her again. Just to let her know how sorry he was that he didn't save her. That he had failed her. Like he had failed Cordelia and Doyle. When Wes turned back, he saw the expression in Angel's eyes and he smiled sympathetically.

"She wishes she could talk to you too, Angel. She really does. She's not the same, you know. She's here, but she's still-- well, she's a little fractured. That's as close as I can explain it."

"Could you-- Fred? If you can hear me, I'm sorry. So sorry for not saving you. For--"

"Angel! Stop! You're just upsetting her!" Wes yelled, his eyes panicked. He looked anxiously to where Angel thought Fred had been standing. Angel watched in alarm as Wes' eyes rose to the ceiling and then his head slumped. He waited silently until Wes looked him in the eyes again. Now he had a look of desolation there. "I'm sorry, Angel. You weren't to know. Fred is highly unstable. When she gets overly excited, she just dissipates. She's still around. But in more than one piece." He tried to reach out for Angel at the sight in his friend's eyes. "Angel, don't worry. She's getting better. Every day she improves. We just have to be patient."

Angel nodded glumly. He didn't really understand. He was still trying to figure out which way was up if he told the truth. It was bad enough when he had dug himself out of Liam's grave. Then, when he had come back from the hell dimension that Buffy had sent him to. What he'd give for some whiskey. Irish, of course. "Yes, of course, Wesley. I think we all need to take things slowly. Now why don't you let me know what's happened."

Wes smiled, nodding in agreement. Yes, he'd tell him as much as he could. "Yes, Angel. We need to discuss this before they get back. However, there is one complication. You are the only one that can see me, apparently. I don't know why but Mr. Giles, Xander, Buffy, not even Ms. Rosenberg – none of them can see me. You will – in all probability – have to convince them on your own."

"Convince them? Of what?"

"Oh! Didn't you realize? You will have to convince them that you are not Angelus. That you still have a soul. Why do you think you were in this cage?"

Angel groaned. Why couldn't things ever be easy?

Hyperion Hotel – Lobby

Buffy led Giles, Xander, and Willow into the lobby of the Hyperion. It was very quiet. But then she had always thought this place a little eerie. She could blame it on the ghosts, but she couldn't really. No, it had seemed eerie before she had even known about the ghosts.

"What a mess!" She breathed, looking around herself. The lobby looked as if a tornado had run through it. "What hit this place?"

Willow chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Told you, Buffy. The ghosts. The other ghost made all this mess."

"The other?"

"Yeah, Buff." Xander interjected. "The non-Watcher ghost. Wes made a mess. But it was a much neater mess. Just like a Watcher. Even their messes are organized."

"Indeed." Xander flinched at the sound of cold disdain. "However, it does seem the other ghost was quite a bit more frantic."

"Frantic doesn't really describe it guys. Things were flying all over this place. I am so not looking forward to cleaning this up."

"So, who is the other ghost?" Buffy asked as she stepped over the debris of files and office supplies littering the floor.

"Well, I'm not really sure." Willow hedged. "But I have an idea."

"Yes, I think we can make an educated guess. After the behavior upstairs, we can determine they are a friend of Angel's. That should narrow it down."

"Or Angelus'." Xander piped in.

Giles narrowed his eyes and groaned. "Xander, Angelus didn't have friends. He had minions." He turned to Willow. "So, who do you think it is? I don't really think it's Cordelia."

She snorted in response. "No way is it Cordelia. No, I'm betting on Fred."

"Why do you think it's this... Fred, Wills?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I figure our candidates would be one of Angel's friends. So that would mean Cordy, Fred, and Gunn."

"What about that Doyle guy?"Buffy asked her, remembering the little guy with the Irish accent that used to work with Angel. She had heard that when he had died both Angel and Cordy had really been affected.

"No, I don't think so. Doyle never came here. He died before they moved to the hotel. Same with Spike. Although, I'd think we'd know it if it was Spike haunting the hotel."

"Yeah, the tv'd be tuning in to that horrible soap of his all the time." Buffy put in with a giggle.

"Right." Willow continued. "One of the reasons I think it's her is because of how she died. This ghost is here not just because of unfinished business. It's here because there's something wrong. Like the soul itself is damaged."

"Willow is right." Giles put in. "I could've sent you to Angel when he asked for help. I'll always regret that I did not. I know that Wes blames me."

"Yeah!" Willow agreed enthusiastically. "That's another reason I think this is Fred."

"Okay, I so did not follow that." Xander spat out.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Wes loves Fred. He adores Fred. I don't think he could move on if Fred was stuck."

"Ohhh!" Buffy cried out. "Does she love him?"

Willow nodded sadly. "Yes, I think so. She had been seeing that Gunn guy for a while. Another reason I think it was her is how loyal she was to Angel. She practically hero worshiped him. Cordy told me once that she considered Angel her knight in shining armor. She thought he was this noble, tragic hero cursed to roam the earth eternally without love." She smiled as she heard Buffy groaning at her side.

"So, that's why she – and Wes, I suppose – wouldn't let us stake Angelus? They're hoping to bring back the old broodster?" Xander quipped.

"Maybe it isn't Angelus? We just assumed that because--"

"Whoa! Wills! I'm thinking if it's quacking, it's a duck!"

"We don't know that." Buffy interjected. "I mean, he was feeding on me. But, he wasn't torturing or tormenting me. I mean, Angelus usually likes to play with his food a little first."

"Right!"

"I hate to admit it, Xander, but the girls do have a point. I'm not entirely sure that it is Angelus. At least not completely. Wes, dead or not, fired or not, will always be a Watcher in his heart. I don't think he would protect him, unless he believed that we were making a mistake."

Xander moaned. He knew if Giles had any doubts, then the argument was over. They would be giving the vampire another chance. Just one more in a whole multitude of chances. Even Derek Jeter gets only three strikes for God's sake!

Hyperion Hotel – Cellar

Angel was listening to what was going on in the lobby with interest. Not for the first time was he thankful for his preternatural sense of hearing. He had no trouble at all understanding what was going on upstairs.

Maybe it won't be too hard convincing them, after all. If Giles wasn't certain, if he had doubts... Then, he had a chance of convincing them. Buffy wanted him to be okay. Willow-- well, Willow sounded like she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The only holdout would be Xander. And Xander-- well, Xander would probably, left to his own devices, stake him – soul or no soul.

"Well, thankfully Mr. Giles is not letting his emotions rule the day."

He looked up at the ghost in front of him. He was quite grateful for Wes' presence. He had been a solitary creature for a century. However, he had been ruined by the last decade, especially the last seven years in LA with these people. He had fought many times with people over the years – both on the side of evil and the side of good. But to know that people would not only fight with him, but for him – it was an incredible feeling.

If Wes hadn't been here, he didn't know what he would've done. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He'd gotten used to depending on people. He liked it. "Wes? Thanks."

"Thanks? For saving your life? No problem, no thanks are necessary."

"No, Wes. Not for that. You're right, I don't need to thank you for that. No, I want to thank you for being my friend. I wish I'd said it more often to you. All of you. After a century alone, I've gotten used to depending on.. on counting on people. Thank you."

"Angel, you're welcome. That was.. well, that was an incredible thing to say. I've never heard you be so--"

"I take it back, guys." Angel's eyes spun to the entrance from the lobby. There stood Buffy, Willow, Giles, and Xander. It had been Xander who spoke. "Old Angel may be delusional, but there's no way in Hell that Angelus would say something so sappy!"

Angel rolled his eyes. Xander never ceased to aggravate him. Soul or not, he had always fantasized about killing him. He watched as the four of them entered the room. Xander walked right through Wes, who bristled in annoyance. He chuckled as he watched Xander first shiver from the cold (walking through a ghost could be a rather chilly experience), and then trip down the stairs. He guessed it was due to something Fred did. He couldn't see her, but he did get a sense of her from time to time.

Buffy ran to the cage. She fumbled at the lock with her left hand as her right reached in the cage to caress Angel's face. And it was Angel's face. Xander was right. This was definitely not Angelus. He took the hand from his face, bringing it to his lips. She blushed as every nerve in her body shuddered in delight. She tore her eyes away from his face reluctantly when she realized that the lock seemed to not be giving. She grabbed it with both hands and tugged. She frowned. "I don't---"

Angel laughed, his eyes meeting Wes'. "Bloody right, it doesn't give. I should hope not."

"Wes is right, Buffy. That lock was designed to keep Angelus in. You shouldn't be able to beat it either."

Willow and Giles exchanged a look. Wes? "Angel, excuse me. But, can you actually hear Wes? You can communicate with him and the other ghost?"

Buffy spun and looked at Willow, Xander, and Giles. One of them had to have the key. They wouldn't have just locked him in without it, would they? "Um, guys? I'm curious about the ghosts, too. But you didn't just lock him in without a key? Did you? Did you!"

Xander chuckled, shaking his head. Trust Buffy to be so focused on that one thing. He fished in his pocket for the all-important key. "Okay, Buff. I'll let him out. But – on one condition – no giving him the Happy. Know what I mean?"

She smiled happily, moving to the side as Xander unlocked the cage. As soon as he was out, she shrieked in delight and launched herself at him. She jumped up, her arms around his neck, her legs about his waist. It had been so long, so very long. She took his lips as a man dying of thirst would take to a bottle of water.

Xander and Giles rolled their eyes at the sight before them. Well, as long as it was only a kiss, they'd be safe. Anything more than that... Willow didn't roll her eyes. She sighed happily at her friends. Kissing may be all they could do. But it was more than they had done in some time. If only, hadn't they suffered enough?

She turned around and headed up the stairs to give them some space. Perhaps she should start on cleaning Fred's mess. As she headed back into the lobby, she was surprised by an arm snaking around her waist. She felt herself being pulled against a very firm – and very male – chest. Another hand reached up to her chin, tilting it upwards. Her green eyes met with a pair of cool blue ones. Goddess! She thought. It's him! It's that demon from the Hellmouth! He smiled into her eyes. She smiled back, as she felt a great rush of heat bubble up through her. Oh, boy. He's going to kiss me. And damn it all, I'm going to let him. She held her breath as she watched his eyes move from her eyes to her mouth and back again. He lowered his head and took her lips in a kiss. And what a kiss!

Cole hadn't planned on kissing her. He had just planned on seeing her, and maybe – just maybe – asking her out. But, then he'd seen what was going on in the cellar and he thought he'd take his chances. All the extra pheromones flowing had really gotten his juices flowing. It may be a mistake. But judging on how he felt right now, he didn't think so.

It was all he could do to keep Belthazor under wraps. He could feel his demonic energies sizzling just under his skin, as they practically begged to jump out and envelop the small witch in his arms. Something he had never, ever felt with Phoebe. Hardly surprising, as Phoebe was a white witch. Color was everything when it came to witches and demons. He pulled her tighter in his arms as he felt the darkness under her skin mirror his own. She shuddered and wrapped her arms tight around his neck, drawing him even closer – was that possible? - to her.

Willow shuddered in ecstasy at the sensations running through her. This wasn't just sex. No, sirree Bob! No, there was much more to this. She could feel the darkness bubbling up through her like hot lava. It was only a matter of time before an eruption. She felt dark magicks under his skin as well. But where she felt hers as hot lava, it seemed to her that his were closer to a lightning storm – the mother of all lightning storms.

His hand held her firmly, but very gently, to his lips. She just couldn't get enough of him. She moaned as his lips left her mouth and travelled down her neck. His hand moved from her waist upwards, cupping her breast. She moaned again, louder this time. She felt the magick bubbling up from within. This time, however, she was too weak to stop it. She groaned and surrendered to the force. She reached out to her partner, pulling at him. Begging him for satisfaction.

Cole nearly lost it completely as he felt her surrender. As he felt the darkness within her take over. He hesitated for a moment as he teased her nipple to a peak. How small and delicate she was. On the outside. On the interior, she was a volcano! He shuddered. He took her lips once more, grabbing her waist with both hands. He surrendered to Belthazor, who growled in pleasure. Picking her up with both hands, he carried her a few steps and pressed her against the wall. Growling again, he began to redouble his efforts. He wanted this witch more than he had ever wanted any female. And he meant to have her!

As he began to paw at her clothing, he was assailed by the coldest sensation he had felt in a long, long time. Suddenly, the air became thicker as he was forced backwards. What the hell? A ghost! It had to be! What else could be doing this?

Willow, too, was spitting in anger in frustration. She wanted to kill something. Too bad the victim was already dead. She struggled to get to her feet, when she was tackled to the floor once again. It wasn't a ghost this time. She'd heard her mate growling in anger at the attack on her, but she didn't have time for that. She let loose a flash of plasma energy, forcing Xander across the lobby, crashing against the far wall, knocking him unconscious.

At the sounds from upstairs, Buffy and Angel had reluctantly parted. Something was going on up there. Maybe they were being attacked. Angel looked to Wes. Maybe he knew what was going on. "Angel, I'm not sure what is going on. But you need to stop it before Willow goes much farther."

They followed Giles and Xander out of the cellar and into the lobby. What they saw struck even Angel into a temporary paralysis. Willow – a very dark Willow – had attacked Xander, knocking him out. Angel was stunned by Willow's appearance. Her hair – and eyes – had gone coal black. The veins in her face and arms stood out on chalk white skin as ebony lines. He shuddered at the feeling of malevolence emanating from her. More than just that, the rage was clearly palpable.

Across the room, a large demon stood growling and snarling in rage. Whatever Xander had done had enraged not only the dark witch within Willow, but this creature too. It was a very large, very muscular – and very red demon. Looking between the two of them, Angel knew they had to do something. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to hurt Willow doing it. Whatever it was Angel knew that attacking the demon would only succeed in irritating – or even enraging – the dark Willow. But, before he knew what was happening, that is just what Buffy did.