Chapter 10:

Angelus all but roared as he shifted into game face , " Dracula. How the bleedin hell did ye get in here. Cause I promise ye boyo, ye'll be leavin a different way."

Dracula threw back his head, and laughed as he taunted, " Angelus, Angelus, Angelus. There was a time, when you were hired for a job, you completed it."

Angelus felt his blood run cold as realization suddenly dawned on him. He growled fiercely, " Those bloody bastards hired yer arse ta kill the lasses didn't they?"

Dracula cackled as he purred, " Alas I cannot tell a lie. They did. I also have orders to kill you as well. They ordered your death, because you took their money, then betrayed them."

Angelus was fuming as he roared, " What d'ye mean?"

Dracula responded, " You saved the oldest one from becoming a Furie, not to mention you fell in love with one."

Angelus growled, " Remember back in 1985 when me, an Spike kicked yer bloody arse."

Dracula laughed cruelly as he taunted, " Care to try again."

Angelus let loose a savage roar as he leapt into the air, and threw a spinning roundhouse at Dracula, but before it connected Dracula materialized by Paige. Leaving Angelus to kick empty air. He landed on his feet, whirled around, and glared at Dracula with glowing golden eyes as he snarled, " Ye hurt er, an ye'll wish I staked yer arse 16 years ago."

Dracula gave a cruel smile as he lifted Paige up off the floor by her throat, as he said in a conversational voice, " Take another step, and I'll snap her neck."

Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Cole all tensed at Dracula's words. Angelus used his eyes to ask Cole if he could hit Dracula with an energy ball. Cole gave the barest shake of his head as he transformed into Belthazar. Dracula sneered as he started to apply pressure to Paige's throat, " Aw Belthazar, I thought you smelled familiar."

Cole snarled, " So the lawyers hired them another assassin."

While Cole had Dracula distracted, Angelus smashed him in the back with a vicious hook kick, causing him to drop Paige. As soon as he saw Paige was safe Angelus, and Cole went on the attack. Cole started throwing energy balls at him, while Angelus chose the more direct approach. He smashed Dracula in the gut with a ferocious roundhouse, then he followed it up with a wicked knee to the mouth, then he hit him with an elbow strike that split his eye open. Then before Dracula could recover he hit him with a flurry of hook, jabs, knees, and uppercuts. Dracula staggered back, and Cole him full in the chest with a huge energy ball, causing him to explode. Paige said, " He's finally dead."

Cole shook his head as Angelus said, " I don't think so darlin. He ain't that easy ta kill."

Piper was about to ask what he meant, when suddenly Dracula was standing in front of her fully healed. Piper exclaimed, " How the hell did he do that?"

Angelus replied as he glared at Dracula, " he made a bargain with some bloody Gypsies, although I don't know what they got out of it, they granted him all those powers ye read bout in Stoker's novel. Bunch o Gypsy mumbo jumbo if ye ask me."

Dracula replied, " They got my eternal protection especially from you."

Phoebe asked, " What do you mean, and what was up with the mention of the last time you saw him.?"

Dracula laughed as he replied, " Well back in 1898 Angelus killed the favored daughter of a very powerful Gypsy clan, so in punishment, they were going to return his soul to him, and make him feel the guilt for all those he slaughtered, but his sire Darla warned him, and they slaughtered the whole village. Then after that Angelus had a fondness for slaughtering Gypsies. In fact he recently slaughtered a whole clan of Gypsies in a house not to far from your club."

Everyone with the exception of Cole glared at him accusingly. Dracula cackled as he turned in a bat, and flew away. Phoebe yelled, " So you're still killing humans?"

Angelus replied as he lit a cigarette, " No I don't kill humans anymore. That happened after I first met Paige."

Realization dawned on Paige as she yelled, " That was the dinner you had to get to?"

Angelus nodded as he said, " Yes, an I swear that was the last time I killed a human."

At everyone's disapproving looks he exploded, " I'm a bloody vampire for fuck's sake. None o ye know how bleedin hard tis ta deny one's nature."

Then he glanced at Coe, and said, " Cept ye boyo."

Phoebe yelled, " That's no excuse."

Paige had tears running down her face as she whispered, " You'd better go, and don't come back."

Angelus was fuming. He couldn't believe this. After everything he'd done, After he had saved all of their lives twice, they were kicking him out. He thought about pleading his case, but Angelus, the Scourge of Europe did not beg, or plead. He rose to his feet, and wordlessly walked out. All the while thoughts of bloody, and brutal vengeance for Dracula went through his head.

How should Angelus take his vengeance on Dracula