Passion, Part Three.

Author's Note: Obviously I decided to break passion up into several different chapters… I felt that if I did not do this than Chapter's 9, and 10 would have been extremely long. I think I am finally halfway through! I am cutting scenes that were in the show, mainly because I am adding scenes with Miranda.. so.. enjoy.

Buffy and Giles met Willow after her second period Computer Science Class. Unfortunately when they arrived she was still inside the classroom talking to Jenny Calendar. Buffy took a deep calming breath before she poked her head into the classroom. "Hey Will!" She called out, forcing a smile for appearances sake.

Jenny and Willow turned at the same time. "Hello Buffy, Rupert." Jenny greeted, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

Giles chose to look at the ground, and Buffy ignored her altogether, choosing instead to speak to Willow. "Willow, I thought I might take in a class. Figured I could use someone who knows where they are."

Willow shot Jenny an apologetic look, before she turned and started to walk out of the classroom. Her eyes found Buffy's and she immediately began to speak. "Sorry. I have to talk to her. She's a teacher, and teacher's are to be respected,… even if they are only filling in until the real teacher shows up, because otherwise chaos could ensue." The two girls exited the room, and rounded the corner, their voices fading as they got farther away from the classroom.

Giles watched them go, before stepping slowly into the classroom, his hands in his pockets. Wondering all the while if he should even be bothering with this, according to what Miranda's visions were telling him, Jenny would die soon, whether they reconciled or not.

"How have you been?" Jenny asked him quietly, coming around her desk to face him.

"Uh, not so good actually. Uh, since Angel lost his soul he has regained his sense of whimsy."

"That sounds bad." Jenny countered, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Well he's been in Buffy's bedroom. I-I-I needs to drum up a spell to, uh, keep him out of the house."

Jenny reached behind her, and picked up a book from the top of her desk. "This might help." She told Giles, as she handed it to him. I have been doing a little reading since Angel changed. I don't think you have that one."

"Thank you." Giles told her sincerely, as he began to leaf through the book.

Jenny was silent for a moment, weighing her options. Finally, "How's Buffy

Doing?"

"How do you think?" Giles snapped, closing the book and tucking it under his arm.

Jenny turned away from him, straightening the paperwork on her desk. "I know you feel betrayed."

"Yes well, that is one of the unpleasant side effects of betrayal." Giles shot back.

Jenny kept her eyes on her desk as she answered him, choosing her words carefully, trying to make him understand. " Rupert…I was raised by the people that Angel hurt the most." She raised her eyes, and looked at him for a long moment. "My duty to them was the first thing I was ever taught. I didn't come here to hurt anyone, a-and I lied to you because I thought it was the right thing to do…I.. I didn't know what would happen, I didn't know I was going to fall in love with you." She paused then, looking at Giles for a long moment. "Oh God. Is it too late to take that back?"

"Do you want too?" he countered.

"I just want to be right with you. I don't expect more. I just want very badly to make all of this up to you."

"I understand." He conceded. "But I am not the person you need to make it up to." He smiled at her reassuringly, and turned to the door. "Thank you for the book."

Jenny watched him go, unaware that outside her window, Whistler was watching her, Making sure that Miranda was not trying to interfere.

Night.

Spike sat in his wheelchair at the head of the table that he and Drusilla had set up, deep in thought. He had just gotten off of the phone with Miranda, who had warned him that things were going to start heating up soon. She had asked for his reassurance that when the time came he would help her. He had agreed. He did not like Angelus anymore that she did, had seen him do so many horrible things to Miranda that even his stomach rolled at the thought of him doing more damage to her, which once he realized just how involved she was in his situation, was bound to happen. He sensed, rather than heard Drusilla enter the room behind him, and turned his attention to her, despite being beyond annoyed at her behavior as of late.

"I brought something for you." Drusilla sang, her face breaking into a smile as she brought a puppy out from behind her back, and sat it on Spike's lap. "Her owner died…without a fight. Do you like her? I brought her especially for you!" She reached a hand out and pulled on his jacket. "To cheer you up, and I have named her…Sunshine!"

Spike looked from her, to the puppy for a long moment, and then finally turned away, unable to look at her anymore.

"Come on Love, you need to eat something to keep your strength up now… " She began waving the puppy around excitedly. "rrrrr, open up for Mummy!"

"I won't have you feeding me like a child Dru." He shot at her, wheeling himself around the table.

"Why not?" a new voice interjected, "she already bathes you, carries you around, and changes you like a child."

"Why, Angel. Where have you been? The sun is almost up, and it can be so hurtful." Drusilla glanced at Spike, before continuing. "We were worried."

"No we weren't." Spike shot back, deciding that the two of them were making it easier by the minute to side with Miranda, and the Slayer when the time came.

"We must forgive Spike. He's just a bit testy tonight. He doesn't get out much anymore." Drusilla spoke quietly, as if she were afraid to upset him.

"Well, maybe next time I'll bring you with me, Spike. It might be handy to have you around if I ever need a really good parking space." Angelus smiled innocently.

"Have you forgotten that you're a bloody guest in my bloody home?" Spike demanded angrily.

Angelus took a couple of steps closer to him and leaned down. "And as a guest, if there's anything I can do for you…any responsibility I can assume while you're spinning your wheels…" he let his voice trail off, as he looked over at Drusilla. "Anything I am not already doing that is."

"That's enough!" Spike shouted, angrily pushing Angelus away from him.

Drusilla leaned down to Spike, and gave him a peck on the cheek, setting the puppy in his lap. "Awww.." she walked around to the other side of the table, throwing them both a grin. "You two boys…are fighting over me and all. Makes a girl feel…" Drusilla cut herself off, and moaned loudly in pain as Angelus and Spike immediately reached for her both of them concerned.

"Dru. What is it pet?" Spike asked her quietly.

"The air… it worries… someone, an old enemy is seeking help... help to destroy our happy home." Drusilla stumbled a little, and than leaned against a chair, her head spinning as the vision swirled around her.

In her house on Revello Drive, Miranda jerked out of her own vision breathing heavily. She felt around her, realizing vaguely that she was lying on her living room couch. Where had she been when the vision hit? She wondered vaguely, searching in her mind for a memory…any memory. After a moment of consideration she decided that her last very clear memory was of the conversation that she had been present at that morning, about Angelus being inside of Buffy's bedroom. With that knowledge firmly planted in her head she forced herself to pry her eyes open and look around her living room.

Whistler sat across from her, sipping a cup of her coffee and looking worried. When he saw that her eyes had opened he relaxed slightly, and sat the coffee cup down. "I will never get used to how fast you go out when you have a vision." He informed her, getting to his feet and walking to the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a glass of ice water, which he offered to Miranda, who after a moment of struggling sat up and accepted it.

"Sorry…" She shrugged, as she took a long drink of the water aware that she was shaking, badly. Then closed her eyes as she waited for the wave of dizziness to pass." You're supposed to be keeping an eye on Ms. Summers." She managed, as she fought to remain coherent. She motioned with her arm for the prescription pill bottle that sat on the counter next to the coffeepot, and Whistler got to his feet and went to retrieve it.

"Imitrex?" He asked.

"Migraines." Miranda explained her expression guarded, as she opened the bottle and palmed two of the pills, swallowing them almost immediately. "Care to tell me why you aren't across the street?"

"Well, for one, Buffy is home. She has a friend with her too, so I didn't think that my presence was needed as well. I'm no Slayer, if Angelus tries anything tonight he'll deal with Buffy. Two, I saw you go down when I was coming across the street, it worried me."

"Drusilla saw what Jenny was going to do." Miranda said suddenly. d quietly, handing the bottle to his friend, and taking his seat again.

"I know." Whistler told her gently.

"It won't be long now. If Drusilla saw exactly what I saw, than she knows who Jenny is, and that she found a way to get the spell to re-soul Angel back." Miranda took another sip of her water, trying to calm herself. She did not want Whistler to see her shaking; she did not want him to see how much her visions were starting to affect her. She had the feeling that the progression from visions, to blackouts, to waking up with migraines was not good, but she did not want a lecture from him, not when their relationship was already so strained because of the power's that be, and their backwards way of doing things. She shuddered again, as the orb of thesulah flashed in her mind, along with Jenny's words to the shopkeeper. She only hoped that Giles and Jenny had a chance to make things right before she died.

The Next Day.

Miranda arrived at Sunnydale High School late the following morning. She and Whistler had stayed up long after she had come to from the vision talking, and she had only gone to bed because Whistler had made her, going as far as carrying her from the couch, where she had been content to lay, to her bed and staying with her until she had fallen asleep. If she had time to wonder about Whistler's true feelings, or intentions she might wonder if his interest in her had changed in the past dozen years, but given how busy she was, not to mention how busy he was, she shrugged the thought off.

As Miranda got out of her car and hurried across the quad she caught sight of Buffy, Willow and Xander in conversation, and almost switched directions to greet them. Before she could however Willow stalked off, and Buffy took off at a jog going after someone ahead of them. Miranda rounded the corner just in time to see Buffy stop Jenny Calendar, and slowed from her brisk walk to a more leisurely one, passing them in time to hear Buffy tell Jenny that Giles missed her. Good for you Buffy. Miranda thought to herself, resisting the urge to rub her forehead as she continued on past them, in search for Giles.

Twenty minutes later Miranda had almost given up, until she saw him passing out flyers in the lounge. She waited until he was done speaking to several students before approaching him. "Giles."

He turned, surprised, and frowned at Miranda's haggard appearance. "What happened to you?" He asked concerned.

"A vision." She replied shortly. "Can I get you to check into something for me in your spare time?

"U-uh, sure." Giles fumbled for the words, surprised by her question. "What is it that you need?"

"My visions…" Miranda hesitated for a moment. "They are progressing, sometimes I blackout… yesterday I lost memories of an entire day, with the exception of our conversation yesterday morning… and I woke up with a headache that not even my medication could touch." Miranda glanced around her, and noticed that Buffy, Xander, Willow and Cordelia were closing in on them, quickly. "I know that it is a little bit out of your area of expertise, but I do not want to tell my Informant from the Power's that Be about it.. It will just worry him."

Giles nodded, and then noticing that Buffy and gang had caught up to them promptly changed he subject. "Buffy! So,uh, how was your night?"

Buffy shrugged. "Sleepless, but no human fatalities."

Giles nodded in understanding, having heard about Willow's own adventure with Angelus the night before. He felt sorry for her; he knew that she had been attached to her new fish aquarium. "I –I found a ritual to revoke the invitation of a vampire."

"Oh, Thank God. I actually had to talk my Grandmother into switching cars with me last night." Cordelia told them, her face grave.

"Um, t-th-the ritual is fairly basic, actually it is just the recitation of a few rhyming couplets, burning of uh, moss, herbs, and holy water." Giles turned away from them and headed for the hallway that would take him back to the library. Buffy and Miranda fell into step behind him, with Xander, Cordelia and Willow bringing up the rear.

"All stuff I have in my house." Buffy muttered, as Giles began telling her that she would need to hang crosses.