I want to thank all of you for reviews and the wonderful support.

Here it is! A new chapter as I promised. The last one was kind of hard, but this one has a really good ending... or not? Enjoy!

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Angel closed the door behind him and walked to the stairs with his head down. When he reached the top of the stairs, he decided to sit in the first step to think things through. Beside, he was sure he was wearing a murderous face and he didn't want his mother and sister to see how upset he was. They would want to know what happened and he could not tell them what he heard even if he wanted to. He was sure if he did so, he would get in his car, find the men who did those things with the little blonde sleeping in the guestroom and beat the crap out of them, what would be improper for her lawyer to do.

He was upset as he has never been before. His chest was bubbling with fury. That was the only way he could put it. How a man could do that to a woman, any woman, was just hard for him to accept, but if the said woman was a friend, it was really worst. For some reason, it was even worse to think that Buffy had to go through all of that. From what he saw before, when she was still in the hospital, the way she insisted she could take of herself, the way she had wanted to leave because she couldn't pay, the way she confronted him the moment she left the hospital. He had the distinct sensation she was a free spirit like wild horses. It pained him to think that such a creature was crunched under so much pain. He looked around and realized he was blessed to have a great family, being loved and all that Buffy probably never had. Again, he had the sensation that if her parents were able to do what they did, she must not have been that important to them, what made him think her life in her own house was not that good.

Angel sighed and looked to his hand, realizing he was keeping it closed so tight its knuckles were white. He breathed hard so to give oxygen to his brain and started to think, leaving the anger fade away. He had a good lead now and his instincts were telling him he was right into following what he knew. The first thing he had to do was officially open Buffy's case. He knew word would spread like fire with the fact he was famous for never losing a case. He would like to see the smirk disappearing from the faces of the men he saw in the pictures in Buffy's files when they discovered whom they were to deal with. That brought a smile to his face. It was time to act.

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Angel came back to the back of his mother's house garden to find her cooing at his niece. He leaned in to kiss her face, while Drusilla peered curiously at him.

"Hey, bro. We thought you would stay upstairs."

Angel sighed unhappily.

"We talked. Buffy is sleeping now."

"Hey, why so serious?"

Angel sighed again. Sometimes it was not fun to have a sister who could read people.

"Nothing. Buffy and I talked. I am going back to my office to prepare her files."

"She told you about it, didn't she?"

"You know. Sometimes you are a pest, Dru."

Dru smiled at his brother. He had smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. She could see he was upset and that was probably because he heard a lot more than he was prepared to, mainly if he cared for the girl the way everyone was seeing.

"Yeah. And I'll put those bastards in jail for what they did to her. Buffy gave me some leads and I'll be able to reopen her case."

"Then, I know she will have justice."

"Thanks mom. Bye"

Angel kissed Anne's head, grabbed his suit, the car keys, turned around and left, never realizing the way his mother looked at him, between amused and curious.

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Angel arrived at his office with the case worked up in his head. However, his worries turned to Faith when the door of the elevator opened in his floor and he saw Faith being carried by William.

"Hey, what is happening Spike?"

"It is nothing Angel. My husband is just a pain in the ass. He just wants me to stay at home like a porcelain doll."

William, who was popularly known as Spike, gave him an amused grin.

"Well. My wife passed out in the bathroom. I told her she should not overstress herself because of the baby, but you know how she is."

"Is she… did you say baby?"

Spike gave Angel a big smile.

"Oh man. Congratulations!"

Spike and Angel held hands and hugged, while an exasperated Faith looked from one man to the other.

"Hey, Faith. Congratulations! Shouldn't you be…?"

"No! No! No! Not you too. I am not staying at home. I am perfectly normal. Women get pregnant all around the world and they… work!"

"Don't bother, mate. This is my stubborn wife."

Spike got down on his knees and grabbed Faith's hands to kiss it. Angel smiled at the public display of affection because he was really happy for the couple. Faith and Spike had come a long way to be together and they deserved it. Out of nowhere, something akin to envy stirred within his chest. He wanted something like that for himself too. Then, yet again out of nowhere, he saw himself doing the same thing to Buffy. He pictured her grown belly heavy with their firstborn. Without realizing it, Angel scrunched his forehead and shook his head to clean the unwanted thought.

"Hey, big guy… what is happening?"

"I was just thinking of Buffy."

"WHAT?"

Spike was grinning broadly at his fried. He knew too things about him. He was definitively interested in the blonde girl Spike had yet to meet… and he didn't see any of that. The man was a damn moron sometimes. Angel stared from Faith to Spike without realizing the other meaning his words could be taken.

"What?"

"It is nothing, Angel."

Faith realized Spike was going to say something and pinched him.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Ok! You too can play as much as you want. Faith, can you call Judge Keller's office? I'll prepare the files to reopen Buffy's case and Judge Keller is the one I need for what I have in mind."

Spike entered his lawyer mode. He had seen that face before enough to know the other man had found a lead to follow. He always did.

"And that would be?"

"Buffy and I talked today. She said that Xander's room was not the one where… well, everything happened. Also, there may be pictures of the whole thing."

"WHAT?"

Faith squeezed her husband's hand at the new detail of what happened to the girl she knew just two days before. Things can always get worst.

"Yeah. That was pretty much my reaction too. I need a search order for the houses of her assailants because I think there is a room somewhere that escaped the first ride. I bet my diploma this room is the key for a great turn in this case. My aim is to get Harris, her friend, but I cannot take risks. If things were in the houses, I want them to be found all at the same time. If the houses were searched separately, they may be alerted and disappear with the proofs. "

Angel congratulated his friends again and entered his office.

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"Hey, Xan men!"

"Hey, Riley."

Xander was in front of Riley parent's mansion and was wearing a not so happy face. His Porsche was stopped in the front yard.

"Xander, man, we have to throw a party. I am restless."

"Yeah, maybe we'll do it, but right now we have to lay low for a while."

"Why? What is up?"

"It's Buffy."

"What about that bitch? She was finished after we won the case. She can't do anything."

"Well. Holland called. He said he heard a lawyer called Angel seems interested in her case. "

"So what? He can be as interested as he wants, there is nothing there. I bet he wants to screw the blonde too."

"Maybe, but Holland said the man is a beast in the court. He never lost a case."

"Shear up, man! There is a first for everything. We don't even know if this lawyer will really do something. Besides, the case was closed. What can he do? Now, come on! Josh said they received a new deal yesterday."

"Really? That is cool. Mine is ending."

"Yep. He said it has a great quality, although it is a little more expensive. Nothing we can't afford."

"Come on. Let's go. You are right. This bastard of a lawyer can't do anything."

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"Angel?"

Angel looked from the papers he was reading and his notes when he heard Faith's voice in the intercom on his desk.

"Hey, Faith. Didn't I tell…"

"… that you didn't want to be called unless there was an emergency."

Faith's voice was serious and that picked Angel attention because when that happened some bad news just followed.

"Yes."

"Well, there is one here."

"What is it? Is it Buffy?"

"Yes and no."

"Faith."

"There is a couple here. They want to talk to you."

"Faith, I don't have time to…"

"It is about Buffy."

Angel felt like someone had punched him straight in the chest. What was now going to happen to his blonde? No, not his blonde. He asked himself from where those thoughts were coming. First, earlier while he was with Spike and Faith, and now this. He needed a girlfriend.

"Is it really serious?"

"Yes."

"Ok, Faith. Bring them in."

Angel stood up from his chair to grant the couple. The woman was an older version of Buffy, with the same hair and eye color. The man was wearing glasses. Both of them looked the parental type. The woman was holding a newspaper cover.

"Hello."

"Hi. My name is Joyce Summers and this is my husband Giles."

"Nice to meet you."

Angel offered his hand to the couple and showed the couch where they could sit.

"We don't want to take much of your time. We just want to know if you know where this girl is."

"That depends. What do you want with her?"

Joyce looked to her husband unable of speaking because of a sudden hush of emotion. Giles was the one to voice their question.

"We want to talk with her because we think she is our daughter."

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Yay! I know... a cliffhanger! I am bad… eheheheheheh.

I hope you like this new turn in the story. Everything will be explained in the next chapters. So, stay tuned.

Angel is still hiding from his feelings, but he will find them out soon. In addition, the story is now moving towards our assailants. Don't fear. They will be dealt with.