She woke to sunlight spilling across her. She was free, and she ran a hand through wind whipped hair and looked over the rooftop thoughtfully. Going back to Lindsey's was an option, but not one she felt good about. He was working with Marcus, and Marcus wasn't on her side. She sighed before walking to the edge of the roof and carefully looking for pedestrians before jumping when she didn't see any. A few minutes, and a few blocks later she was standing in front of an occult store. She studied it before deciding to take a chance and took a deep calming breath before walking inside.
The good looking brunette behind the cash register smiled, and she gave a weak one back as she walked over to him. "I um..." Buffy hesitated uncertainly. "I was wondering if you could help me find a witch."
He studied her with pale green eyes. "You're after a love spell right?"
"That's not really what I had in mind." She met his eyes. "I'm looking for something more substantial."
He lifted an eyebrow. "You know playing with magic can be dangerous, don't you? I mean, spells go wrong all the time... Sometimes people get killed."
"That's why I thought it would be good to ask for someone that can cast them," Buffy answered with a hint of annoyance. "Do you know of anyone?"
He sighed. "I might..." he broke off when a green skinned demon walked up to the cash register with a book.
"I've been waiting for this book forever," Lorne stated as he laid it on the counter with a twenty dollar bill on top of it. He glanced at Mike before turning to Buffy. "Do I know you cream puff?"
"I don't think so," she answered.
He frowned. "I'd swear I've seen you before."
"Thanks, Lorne," the brunette offered as he handed him some change.
"I'll be back Mike," he answered cheerfully before stopping when he got even with Buffy. "You're..." he broke off as he studied her before snapping his fingers. "You're Angel's slayer aren't you?"
Buffy shifted uneasily. "I don't know an Angel."
"I didn't say he was an angel cream puff." He gave a smile before pulling out a business card. "You know I've been having some problems with break-ins lately. If you'd like to make a little cash, I could use the help. My name's Lorne by the way."
Buffy hesitated before taking the card and glancing at it. "Maybe," she answered noncommittally before looking up. "I knew an Angel years ago. He's a stranger now, and I'm not interested in getting reacquainted."
He reached for the arm of her damp coat. "It's an offer for a job, not a singles ad in the paper. Think about it."
She took a breath and watched him leave before glancing at the brunette. He was watching with new interest, and indecision ran through her. It had been beyond stupid for her to come here, and she ran a hand through her hair. "You know I just remembered I've got an appointment." She turned away, headed for the door, and ran into a barrier. A moment later, she slowly turned back to Mike before reaching for her sword.
"Hey," he lifted his hands and took a step back. "I'm not your enemy.
"Try looking at it from my perspective."
He took a breath. "I just..." he broke off. "You're Buffy right?"
She gave an unpleasant smile. "I don't know her."
He studied her for a long moment. "Look... I know the boundary spell because I get shoplifters from time to time, and I can spell cast food, but I'm not really very good at it otherwise." He hesitated. "What kind of spells do you need?"
"A driver's license, social security card, clothes," she added.
"I can probably get you ids, but I don't know if they'll be in the government databases or not." He hesitated before reaching under the counter and pulling out a spellbook. "Give me a minute." He opened it thoughtfully before flipping through the pages. "I think..." he broke off and studied the text before pulling out a candle and lighting it. "Okay, um... I'll need to know a name and birth date."
"Anne Smith," she answered hopefully before giving a birth date.
Silence fell as he slowly lifted his head to look at her. "With that date, you'd be almost forty. How old are you?"
She took a breath. "I died when I was 19."
"So you're birthday's nineteen years ago." Buffy didn't reply, and he gave a slow nod. "Okay." He turned back to the book before carefully reading the spell, and she studied the ids that appeared before looking back up at him.
"Thank you."
He grinned before it slowly melted. "Um... I'm not sure about clothes. I mean, I don't know what size or..." he broke off uneasily.
"My clothes are..." she hesitated before frowning, "at Wolfram and Hart. Can you get them for me?"
"Buffy," he started uneasily. "Giles and Willow are a lot more powerful than I am. If there are any spells around Wolfram and Hart, I'm pretty sure my magic will be useless."
"There's a spell on the basement, but I don't think there's any on the upstairs apartments."
He ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. I'll try alright?" She nodded, and he turned back to the book. "Um..." He flipped through the pages. "Maybe..." he hesitated and took a breath before beginning to read the spell and ended with a wave of his hand. Clothes appeared, and his face turned red at the frothy nightgowns, satin underwear, shoes, leather... miniskirts that were piled on the floor.
Buffy glanced at the clothes before digging through them. "I'm pretty sure you emptied Will and Cordy's closets." She dug down to find her jeans and shirts. "These are mine." She pulled out three large stacks of clothes, a nightgown, and a robe. "Can they do a spell to find their stuff?"
"I hope not," he muttered before flipping through the book and carefully reading an incantation. The clothes disappeared, and he rubbed at his forehead. "I don't think I want to try more spells today unless it's food." He looked up. "Hungry?"
"Pizza?" she asked.
"Yeah," he grinned. "I can do that."
Angel was staring out the window when Cordelia walked into his office. "My clothes are gone," she hissed angrily. "My whole closet's empty."
He turned to her before glancing at Willow when she walked in. "She's not lying. If I didn't know better I'd say Buffy found a witch and went after her clothes."
"I'm surprised it didn't take her longer to find someone willing to cast spells into our territory," Angel stated thoughtfully.
Willow nodded. "And it's a safe bet whoever she's found is a beginner. I mean, they're not very accurate."
"Are her clothes gone?"
"The clothes from upstairs are. The ones in the basement are still there."
Angel nodded. "Any way of finding out who it was?"
"No."
"Hey," Cordy broke in with annoyance, "I want my clothes back."
Willow rolled her eyes and waved a hand. "Done."
Mike finished ringing up a sale before dropping the candles and incense into a bag and smiling at the girl that was buying them. "Thanks, Trish."
"Are you going to make it to the meeting this weekend?" she asked.
"I'm not sure."
"You should. A couple of weeks ago we practiced levitating. It was fun. I mean, the whole group was floating."
He smiled. "Makes me wish I'd been there."
She grinned. "Well... hope you can make it anyway."
"Maybe." He watched her leave before glancing over the empty store and walking over to where Buffy was standing near the books. "I had to kick my roommate out a month and a half ago. He was hooked on drugs, *and* sleeping with my girlfriend."
"Ouch," Buffy murmured.
"Yeah." He nodded before hesitating. "Anyway if you need a place to stay, you're welcome to take over his old room."
She hesitated before looking up with a weak smile. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't have a job... or anything really. And you don't even know me."
"I know you're a slayer," he answered. "I know Marcus brought you back from the dead. I know Angel..." he broke off. "I really don't want to tangle with him, Buffy, but if we're careful, *they*," he stressed, "won't even know you're here." Silence fell, and he looked at her curiously. "Can you get through the L.A. barrier?"
"Not when it's up, but it's down now isn't it?" she asked thoughtfully.
He shook his head. "The barrier's made of magic, witches can feel it, and it went back up early this morning."
She frowned before rubbing at her forehead. "Can you take it down?"
"No. I mean, some of the demons have tried, but no one's even come close to getting rid of it."
She gave a slow shake of her head. "I don't have much to offer. I mean, I'd like to find a job, but I just..." she broke off before giving him a pointed look, "got out of the Wolfram and Hart basement."
"Did they turn you loose?"
"No." Buffy watched as he looked away before she drew in a breath. "They want... I mean, they're trying to..." she broke off uneasily before giving a humorless smile and shrugging. "The family's upstairs."
"And the toys are in the basement."
"So you've heard that too?"
"Yeah. Demons and witches know about Angel's family Buffy." He hesitated. "They do come in once in a while. I mean, it's usually Giles or Willow, but they've all been here one time or another.
"Cordy?"
He nodded. "It's not like they come in often, but once in a while they stop by."
She let out a breath and thought about her options. There weren't many, and she pushed hair behind her ear. "I don't want to take advantage of you... but I could use a place to stay."
He gave a cautious smile. "I'd welcome the company... and having a slayer owe me a favor might come in handy sometime."
Four weeks later Buffy glanced at the clock and slid off her apron before looking at her boss. "See you Monday, Mr. Winslow."
He looked her over, and she watched with narrowed eyes. "You know Anne if you ever need extra money, I can probably give you some overtime. All you have to do is ask."
She forced a smile. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."
"You do that."
Buffy grabbed her purse and headed out the door before beginning her six block walk. It was five o'clock. Sun shown down on her, and she luxuriated in it. She stopped at the small grocery store and picked up a few items before walking the last two blocks to the Occult Stop.
"Hey," Mike greeted as she walked in. "Did it go okay?"
"Yeah. But I still think my boss is a creep."
He looked over the slim black haired girl in front of him thoughtfully. "Maybe we should have gone with a different glamour?"
"I'm not sure that has much to do with it," she answered with a scowl.
"Look Buff, if you need to quit, do it."
"I can handle him, but he's like fifty." She shook her head. "My life's sooo screwed up."
He laughed. "You've only been back about four months, just wait until you've been back six."
"Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "That's something to look forward to." She hesitated before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a clear stone. "A customer gave me this today. Have you ever seen one like it?"
He reached for it before holding it up to the light. "No. Crystals are usually used for healing and cleansing. I'm not sure you could use this one for that." He studied the dark purple band in it curiously before giving a shake of his head and handing it back. "Maybe it's some kind of wishing stone."
She was silent before wrapping her hand around the rock. "I wish Marcus had never brought me back." Nothing happened, and she looked at Mike. "Well, that seems about normal for my life."
"Don't count it out yet, Buff. Wishing stones are normally used once and then passed on. If this is one, it might just need to gather a little more energy before it works."
She rolled her eyes before sliding it back into her pocket. "That figures," she muttered before starting toward the steps to the apartment.
She'd only been back about an hour when she heard a woman's angry voice, Mike's quiet responses, another man's voice... scuffling.
Buffy went downstairs. A goth looking woman with blonde hair was watching as a couple of men confronted Mike. "Hey," Buffy cut in challengingly as she started walking toward them and watched as they turned toward her.
"You got a new lay already?" The brown haired guy looked her over as the goth girl stepped in front of her.
"You don't want to do that Amanda," Mike warned before turning back to the guys threatening him. "And I'm not giving you money Steve."
Buffy studied the girl before looking at the guys that had turned back to Mike. One of them drew back a fist, and she moved with slayer speed to catch it.
They stared at her, looked her over, looked at Mike. "Where'd you find the freak, Mike? One of your witch gatherings?"
Buffy rolled her eyes, "As if... mages are not my favorite people."
"I'm sure that scares them," the guy on the left answered before suddenly throwing a punch. She ducked it before putting a foot into his gut that sent him to the floor.
"You know this just brings back memories," Buffy told them conversationally before her voice turned cool. "The only difference is you guys are human."
"And you're not are you?" Amanda asked as she studied the black haired girl with narrowed eyes.
"Maybe not entirely."
Amanda looked at the two guys facing Buffy. "Let's go," she almost hissed before looking at Mike a moment later. "And this isn't over Michael."
"Just for today," Buffy answered as she watched them leave. A moment later, she turned back to Mike. "That was your girlfriend and roommate right?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I threw out some of Steve's drugs, and now they want me to pay so they can buy more." He hesitated and ran a hand through his hair. "If Amanda hadn't been with them I could have used a boundary."
"Does she know magic?"
"Some. I met her at a witch's convention."
Buffy nodded before glancing over the shop. "You know Giles could probably put up an anti-violence spell on this place and do it in five minutes flat."
"Yeah, but would he?" he asked skeptically.
"I think he would. I mean, he doesn't hate you right?"
"No. He seems nice enough."
She nodded. "Call him, but *don't* take him to the apartment." She hesitated. "Just tell him you've heard he's good with spells, and you need one. I think he'll help you out."
He nodded thoughtfully, and she headed back upstairs.
It was almost nine when Giles arrived, and he left at ten after, the spell in place.
"He did it?" she asked as she watched Mike walk into the apartment.
"Yeah." He grinned and dropped on the sofa beside her before giving a shake of his head. "He even put up a spell to keep people from stealing me blind. I mean, I've been beaten up before, robbed... This spell is just a relief."
She couldn't stop from giving a faint smile. "I take it you're not a fighter then?"
"Not really a good mage or fighter Buff," he turned to look into amused green eyes, "but I can spell cast food. Does that get me points?"
She gave a shake of her head. "Yeah, that gets you points."
Two weeks later, Buffy walked into the apartment and froze when she saw Amanda and Mike sitting on the sofa talking in hushed tones, and she motioned toward her room when they turned to look at her. "I'm just going to go."
Amanda snorted and turned back to Mike. "Do you think she wouldn't abort it? She would."
"She's my roommate. I'm not sleeping with her." He hesitated before giving a shake of his head. "Besides she's already got a guy."
"I'm not here to discuss her. I need cash for an abortion."
Mike rubbed at his forehead. "I lost my brother two years ago Mandy. Please don't abort our child. I mean, you can move back in and we can see if..."
"I don't want to move back in," she hissed. "I want it gone."
Silence fell, and she got to her feet, gave Buffy a hard look before turning back to the brunette. "It's your child Mike. Steve doesn't want it, and neither do I. He says if you don't come up with the cash, or figure out a way to get rid of it, he's going to put you in the hospital."
Buffy watched her leave before looking back at Mike. "Are you sure it's yours?"
He nodded. "I um... did a paternity spell on it. It's mine." He hesitated. "I suppose a lot of guys wouldn't want it, but my brother and I lost our parents in a plane crash when we were just kids, and I lost him a couple of years ago."
She hesitated before walking over to sit across from him. "I'm sorry."
"I thought about trying to bring him back, but I didn't know anyone powerful enough to do it." He looked at her searchingly before dropping his eyes back to the floor and rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Maybe you could convince her to have it," she finally answered. "She might do it for money."
"I've already tried. She's not interested."
Silence fell, and she studied him intently. "Want to have a research session?"
He stared at the floor. "Is that where we start going through books?"
She nodded. "It's worked more than once."
He tiredly got to his feet before glancing at his watch. "Todd and Jim are going to be here in an hour. We were going to try to levitate."
Buffy frowned at the thought of having to deal with the two college boys that liked to flirt with her before rolling her eyes. "Change of plans. We'll put them to work."
He nodded absently, ran a hand through his hair before leading the way downstairs.
The slayer walked into The Occult Stop the next day and glanced over to where Mike was sitting on the cashier's counter talking to a brunette girl that was sitting beside him. He looked over and grinned before hopping to the floor. "Anne, this is Trisha." He looked at the brunette. "And Trish, this is my roommate Anne. She's the one that came up with the idea of having a surrogate."
Trisha slid off the counter and walked over to Buffy. "Hey," she greeted. "You know I've known this guy for years." She looked at Buffy with a smile. "I mean, we went to high school together. The stories I could tell you." She rolled her eyes.
"Come on Trish," he broke in. "Be nice."
"I already am." She gave a shake of her head. "I'll be your surrogate Mike, but I'm going to expect visitation rights, and if it's a girl, I get to name her. If it's a boy you can name him after your brother okay?"
He nodded and pulled her into a hug before looking at Buffy over her shoulder. "Um... we're going to need a *good* spell caster."
Buffy nodded. "I'm pretty sure I can help with that."
Giles looked over the three candles on his desk, one red, two identical white before looking at the two brunettes. "You're sure this is what you want?"
Mike looked at Trisha, and she nodded. "Yes," he answered.
"Alright. The spell will transfer the child with the intent it be born."
Mike nodded, and Giles began the incantation. The flame of the red candle and one of the white ones intertwined to make a bright four inch flame before the flames slowly separated, the center candle's flame moving toward the identical white candle beside it. The flames twisted together, intertwined, before the white candle in the center flickered and went out, leaving only an orange glow at the end of the wick.
"No!" Mike shouted as he stared at it. Giles did a quick chant, the orange glow on the center candle flared into a flame and reached for the white candle at the side of it. The combined flames grew stronger, shot almost a foot into the air before Giles waved a hand and the candles went out.
Trisha swallowed and looked at Mike. "I'm sorry," she stated quietly. "I thought... I mean, I had an accident when I was in middle school. The doctors told me they didn't think I'd be able to have a child. I thought I might be able to do it this way."
He ran a hand through his hair. "It's okay," he muttered, "but," he looked at Giles worriedly, "what happened?"
Giles shrugged. "When the red and white candle flames separated, the child was in limbo. When I tried to connect it to Trisha it almost died. The last spell I did sent it to a woman close to you who's willing to be a surrogate. I can't tell you more than that."
"What about a location spell?" Trisha asked as she looked at Giles with tears spilling down her cheeks.
"The boundary's back up," Mike answered absently. "Location spells won't work."
"I'm sorry," Trisha wiped at tears as she turned to the brunette next to her. "I would have loved to have had it."
"Amanda was going to have an abortion." He glanced at her before dropping his eyes to the desk. "It's got a chance now."
Silence fell, and Giles studied Mike thoughtfully. "I can't do a location spell, but there might be a way for you to tell who the surrogate is."
"How?" Mike asked with interest.
Giles chanted, and the smoking wicks on the two white candles lit, their flames intertwining to blaze high into the air. There was a bright flash of light before the candle flames went out. "When you see the surrogate for the first time she'll glow."
Mike looked at him uneasily. "But, um... she's someone I know... and is willing to carry it for me?"
"Yes." Giles waved a hand to clear the candles off his desktop. "How far along was Amanda?"
"Around 10 weeks I think."
"So she's not really showing yet?" Mike shook his head. "Well that's good," Giles offered. "It should help the surrogate acclimate to her situation."
Buffy looked up from the sofa when Mike walked in. "How'd it go?"
He stepped in and froze when he saw her. She was surrounded by light, and he uneasily walked over to sit on the sofa. "There was a problem," he stated slowly as he stared at her. "It turns out Trish can't have kids."
Silence fell before Buffy shifted slightly to look at the guy sitting next to her. "Do you have someone else to ask?"
"Buffy..." he broke off and looked away. "The baby was dying." He glanced back before dropping his eyes to the floor. "Giles said it was stuck in limbo and did a spell to give it to a girl close to me who was willing to carry it."
"Do you know who?"
"I swear I didn't... He did a spell, and told me I'd know the first time I saw her, that she'd glow." He looked at her uneasily. "Um... You're glowing Buffy."
She froze and got to her feet before running a hand over her stomach. "I'm not pregnant."
"I'm sorry," he answered tiredly. "I might be able to find someone else, or I'll pay for an abortion." He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I swear I didn't know it was you."
She dropped her head and stared at the floor. "Does Giles know?"
"No."
She took a breath before turning to look at him. "I just can't tell you how much I'm starting to hate magic."
"I'm sorry," he repeated.
Silence fell and she sat at his side. "I need some time... I mean," she broke off before rubbing at her forehead, "my life isn't normal, but the last four and a half months have been beyond strange, even for me."
He glanced at her. "I'll help any way I can, and maybe Giles can cast a spell to help you through the birth?"
"No. His loyalty's to Angel first. I'm not even sure I'd come in ahead of Xander or Cordelia," she finished with a scowl.
He dropped his eyes. "I know you've been wanting to give me money for rent the last few weeks, but I don't want it. Just keep it, and don't spend it on food. I can spell cast that... and I can probably do other things, clothes..." he broke off before looking at her cautiously. "I'm sorry Buffy. If you don't want to do this, I'll understand."
She stared at the floor before giving a slow shake of her head. "I'll do it Mike, but I'm really starting to feel like I'm cursed."
"I've um... felt like that too... It seems like if there's someone I care about they die."
A silence fell, and Buffy slowly shifted to lean against him.
Two weeks later:
Buffy entered the store and watched Mike make change for a sale before walking over when he was done.
"How'd it go?" he asked before looking up and waving as Lorne walked in.
"Long day," she answered as she slid an arm around her stomach before brushing a hand through long black hair tiredly.
"Is your boss still a creep?"
"He's backing off a little." She gave a snort before looking at him. "His *wife* was there today."
"Well, that's good, right? Maybe she'll start coming around more often."
She nodded and stared at the floor. "Trisha stopped by. She feels bad about the baby Mike." Silence fell, and she gave a shake of her head. "You told her who I was didn't you?"
"I probably should have talked to you first, but you can trust her Buffy... And it's not so bad having people around you can trust is it?" He looked up as an older man came in before looking back at her.
"No," she answered quietly. "It's just that I'm still trying to figure things out."
"Well you've got three of us on your side... and if the crystal turns out to be a wishing stone, can have anything you want."
"That would be good," she answered almost absently before looking back up. "So you're telling me I've got this right?"
He grinned and nodded, and Buffy turned toward the stairs before changing directions to walk over to Lorne. "Any more problems with break-ins?"
"No cupcake. I guess the word went out not to mess with my place."
"Glad I could help." She gave a shake of her head. "The kids that were robbing you didn't know much about fighting." She looked up as the older man walked up to them.
"Do you work here miss?"
He was looking at her with sharp interested eyes, and Buffy returned it with the same intensity. "No. I'm just shopping."
"Ah," he answered with a nod before looking at Lorne. "My daughter wants me to pick up some incense."
"It's along that wall," Mike offered as he motioned to the other side of the room.
"Thank you, young man." He turned to walk across the store to look for it.
Buffy hesitated before picking up a smudge stick and moving to the cash register. She pulled out a few dollar bills.
"Is that all?" Mike asked slowly as he looked at her with searching green eyes.
"That'll do it," she answered, and he turned to the register to make the sale, hand her her change, drop the stick in a sack.
"Thanks and have a good day," he offered as he watched her pick up the sack.
"Which way are you heading miss?" the older man broke in as he walked to the counter.
Buffy turned to look at him. "East."
"Me too. Would you mind walking with me a ways?"
Mike's head came up. "I had a two for one sale on incense over the weekend. If you want to pick up another one, you can have it for free."
"That's very nice of you," the gray haired man responded before beginning to walk over to get another one. Buffy slowly started toward the door, and Mike did a quiet spell making her invisible. She'd just stepped onto the sidewalk when the older man realized she was gone, and he gave a quiet curse as he started after her. The anti-theft boundary stopped him, and he murmured a spell to break it before stepping into the sunlight. He was back in the store a moment later. A hand waved through the air, a glamour broke, and Marcus stared at Mike. "Who was tha..." he started before falling unconscious as heavy curtains suddenly appeared on the windows.
"I hope you don't mind that I'm monitoring my spell," a new voice broke in. "I do try to be thorough when it comes to magic."
Mike slowly turned to face Giles. "I don't mind," he answered as he watched Buffy's watcher pull out his cell phone, make a call. There was a slight breeze, a flash of light, and the rest of his family appeared.
Willow took a moment to look at the brunette behind the cash register before turning to look over the store. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Marcus, and she studied him before turning to Giles. "How did you get him?"
"I have an anti-theft boundary on the building, and he used a spell to break it." He shrugged. "I guess you could say he didn't see it coming."
Xander gave a shake of his head. "It's too bad we'll lose our advantage when he regains consciousness."
"Maybe we won't," Angel answered. "I want a spell making it impossible for him to do incantations."
"And a truth spell?" Wesley asked.
"Both are good," the brunette answered thoughtfully.
Willow chanted, Giles waved a hand, and Marcus woke up, looked the situation over before getting to his feet and backing away. "We've been over this Angelus... I'm not your enemy."
"Maybe you're not," Angel answered, "but I have to admit, I'm curious about your bosses. Who are they?"
He took a breath, hesitated. "The Senior Partners."
Silence fell, Angel's eyes glinted as he moved closer. "Did you bring Buffy back on their orders?"
"Yes. She was always intended to be a gift for you, even though such offerings usually go through Eve."
"A gift," Angel stated slowly, not making it a question, his eyes sharp with interest. Marcus lowered his head in submission, and the older vampire nodded. "Alright, but who's idea was it to turn her into a seer, or was that a mistake?"
"When she exchanged bodies with Cordelia, there was a chance the visions would transfer to her, but it was never a sure thing."
"I know visions can transfer, but you also took away her heartbeat, and the ability to tell the difference between humans and vampires. So tell me Marcus... why the games?" Angel's voice was silky as he reached out to tilt the mage's head back so they could lock eyes.
"She was intended to be an entertainment, an intriguing amusement, nothing more. The small differences you mention were only meant to show you the possibilities."
Angel dropped his hand. "And today? I find it hard to believe you were trying to rob the place."
"I was attempting to follow a young lady that had just left, and unfortunately had an item in my hand."
"A young lady?" Angel asked in a low murmur. "Anyone I know?"
"I'm not sure. She had a glamour on her."
Silence fell, dark eyes sparkled with gold. Angel turned to look at Lorne before swinging around to face Mike. "Did you know her?"
"No," he answered uneasily.
"You were talking to her," Marcus broke in threateningly.
"She was hitting on me, but I didn't know her."
"Was she?" Angel asked. Mike didn't answer, and he turned to the green demon. "Did you know her Lorne?"
"Let's see... long black hair, around 20, glasses, freckles. No. I didn't recognize her." He glanced at Marcus. "She did ask me where the smudging sticks were."
Angel studied him before looking at Giles. "I want to know if *anyone* comes into this store with a glamour, and if they do Giles, I want to talk to them."
Giles chanted before looking back at Angel. "Done."
"Take the spells off Marcus," he ordered before looking at Mike thoughtfully for a long moment. He turned to Willow a few seconds later. "Let's go home."
Mike watched with relief as everyone but Lorne disappeared from his store. "That was close." He ran a hand through his hair before rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Tell me about it," Lorne answered. "Angel Cakes is acting more than a little scary."
Buffy knocked on the back door an hour later, and Mike pulled it open before blocking her from entering. "Wait a minute." He broke his earlier spell. She was visible... and looked like herself again. He opened the door wider. "Sorry. Giles put up a spell that would let him know if anyone comes in with a glamour." She entered, and he stepped forward to close the door. "Hopefully I can find a way to automatically break the ones on you before you come in."
"Giles was here?" she asked uneasily.
"They *all* were," he stressed before turning away from the door and looking her over with a faint smile. "You know it's been so long since I've seen you without a glamour, I almost forgot what you looked like."
"Uh huh... except for the missing posters all over town." She frowned before looking down at her still flat stomach and looking away, running a hand through her hair. "They're gone right?"
"I'm the only one here."
"Good, because I'm starving. Can you fix a bowl of chili... with a few slices of cheese," she hesitated, "maybe a jar of pickles?" she added hopefully.
His eyes glinted with amusement before he smiled. "Yeah. I can do that."
Wolfram and Hart lounge a week later:
"Anything?" Willow asked as she watched Angel hopefully.
"No." He laid the cell phone on the table. "The marrows still haven't seen her... and Kate hasn't heard anything."
Xander settled back in his chair. "With all the missing posters around town, she's almost got to have a glamour on her." He shook his head. "It's too bad Marcus didn't catch the girl at The Occult Stop."
Wesley took a sip of blood before grinning. "She does seem to be keeping a low profile. Maybe we should leave her alone... She doesn't bother us, we don't bother her?" His eyes glinted with amusement at the looks he got.
Willow rolled her eyes. "The entertainment factor alone makes her worth having around."
Cell phones started ringing, and they exchanged looks before answering them.
"Vision... and it's not one of Cordy's," Wesley stated as he watched a group of demons advancing on a little girl. "Takes place a little more than three hours from now."
"Yeah," Willow agreed as she stared at her phone. "It's down at Toys R Us at 10:45."
Angel watched it on his phone before putting his feet on the chair across from him thoughtfully. "So... this is the first vision that would have went to Buffy since she escaped."
"Yes..." Giles agreed before taking a sip of blood.
"And we happen to know about it," Xander glanced at Angel with gold specks in his eyes.
"And *she* happens to know about it," Giles added with a smile.
"You um... took the protection spell off her then?" Wesley asked.
"Yes." Giles pointedly met his eyes.
"Well..." Willow ran a hand through her hair and looked at Angel, "I guess we should show up and save the little darling."
"They're my visions Will, of course I'll be there," Angel murmured with a gleam in his eyes that made her smile before he turned thoughtful. "I counted fifteen demons. What did you guys come up with?"
"I thought seventeen... Twenty if you include the dog like things," Wesley answered.
Buffy glanced down at her arm and didn't see anything, the glamour on her making her invisible. 'If only,' she thought with a scowl as she looked back at the Toys R Us parking lot. It had been a week since they'd been able to use glamours in The Occult Stop, and four days since Jim and Todd had paid a surprise visit and recognized her from the missing posters all over town. If that wasn't bad enough, they also seemed to know who she was, her ties to Angel... who and what he was. She rubbed at her forehead and broke the thought. There wasn't anything she could do about it, and it wasn't like she had a lot of options in living arrangements, especially now that she was pregnant. She frowned at the truth of that, took a breath before forcefully pushing the thoughts away and doing another careful scan of the quiet parking lot. There wasn't a sign of Angel, and she flexed the fingers on her right hand.
Giles's spell hadn't worked. She was still getting visions, and Angel either didn't know about this one... or didn't care enough to stop it from happening. She scowled and slid an arm around her stomach before lifting her head when she heard a woman scream. It was abruptly cut off by the scream of a little girl, and Buffy reached for her sword and pushed away from the shed she'd been leaning against.
She was only a few feet from the horde when the sounds of boots on gravel had her turning to see the vampires that had been standing on the other side of the shed. Her sword wavered as she watched them uncertainly before her attention went back to the demons when there was a sudden sharp pain in her arm. "Let. Go," she whispered as she tried to pull away from the dog like thing that was biting her. There was a sensation of falling before a change in the timeline broke the invisibility spell. Her stomach flipped nauseatingly as years fell away, her legs gave out, and she quickly got to her feet before backing away from the large demons moving toward her.
"Will," Angel called at the first scent of Buffy's blood, "put up a boundary."
"Done," she answered at the same time Buffy started to run toward the little shed that was a few feet away. The barrier knocked her to the ground, and startled by the unexpected pain, she buried her face in her arms and curled into a ball. She didn't move again until the demons were dead and the adults were talking.
"Well that didn't take long," Xander stated before snorting. "There were twenty of them, and it took less than 10 minutes."
Angel glanced over the bodies without interest before turning to look for Buffy. The scent of her blood hung in the air, but he didn't see her, and he looked at the two little girls before turning to the redhead. "Did you put up a boundary Will?"
"Yeah. Is she here?"
"She was," he answered grimly.
Xander took a breath of blood saturated air that had a scent in it even more mouthwatering than kylick blood. "Is that... um... *her* blood?"
"Yes," Angel answered as he thoughtfully glanced over the parking lot. "Buffy?" he called loudly.
The blonde opened tear filled eyes at the sound of her name before slowly getting to her feet and trying to shift away. She stopped when she came up against the barrier.
"The boundary went up fairly fast," Giles stated as he looked the area over with a frown. "I don't see how she was able to escape it."
"She didn't," Willow answered. "It's a large boundary. I covered several yards with it."
"Why are there two kids?" Xander asked as he looked at the blonde and brunette girls that looked about the same age.
Buffy looked up before turning toward the girl walking toward her. "Who are you?" the brunette asked.
"Buffy," she answered quietly. "What's your name?"
"Lisa." The brunette looked at her with tear filled eyes. "My arm hurts."
Buffy nodded. "Mine too."
They both looked up when Xander walked over to crouch beside them. "Hi," he murmured as he glanced at the brunette before turning to study Buffy closely. His gaze slid over her white t-shirt and blue skirt thoughtfully before he scowled and stood up.
Buffy watched him worriedly before looking at the other vampires walking through the lot. "Do you know them?" she asked quietly.
"No."
"I don't either." She continued to watch before reaching out to grab Lisa's arm and start to tug her away from the barrier. The brunette followed until they got close to the dead demons and then locked her feet.
"No," she exclaimed loudly as she pulled away and shook her head.
The slayer looked at the bodies with a wrinkled nose before stepping closer to the other girl and lowering her voice. "You're not supposed to talk to strangers."
"I know, but..." she broke off, looked at the bodies with a frown before shaking her head.
"Fine," Buffy breathed with annoyance before starting to carefully make her way through the dead demons. She gave a fearful cry when Wesley picked her up and started to carry her toward the others. "We need to call Kate," he stated.
"Already taken care of," Angel answered. "She should be here before much longer."
"Can we do a location spell?" Xander asked.
"Not with the L.A. boundary working again," Giles answered. "It interferes with location spells."
"There's no way she escaped," Willow exclaimed angrily.
Silence fell, and Wesley set Buffy back on her feet before running a hand through his hair and looking over the parking lot again. "Why are there two girls?"
"Why should we care?" Willow almost growled. "If they'd been around a few weeks ago, they could have been snake food."
"Not these two," Angel answered firmly. "We're supposed to protect them."
"I don't remember there being two," Giles answered.
Buffy looked up at them worriedly before starting to run. Xander caught her and carried her to Angel before setting her on her feet. "Is Kate anywhere near here?"
"She said she could be here in a few minutes," Angel answered as he glanced over the parking lot with a scowl. A moment later, he turned to Willow. "Will," he growled. "Where is she?"
"I don't know. The spell's intact." Willow shook her head with irritation. "She either got away, or she's here."
"Fuck," Angel breathed angrily.
"Buffy," Willow called. "You might as well come out. We're not leaving until you do."
Silence fell, and Buffy looked at her uneasily before starting to back away. When she got a few feet from them she started to run and gave a cry of pain when she ran into the barrier. A moment later, she curled into a ball.
Willow snorted. "I don't know why anyone would want a kid."
"Channeling Cordy Will?" Wesley asked with a smile before walking over to scoop Buffy up. "Are you okay?" he asked as he looked into tear filled eyes. Buffy swallowed as she nodded. "Alright," he murmured. "Just don't run on gravel, and you'll be fine." She nodded again, and he studied her for a few seconds before setting her back on her feet. Buffy looked at the five of them fearfully before curling into another ball. She covered her face with her arms a few minutes later when car lights splashed across the parking lot, an engine shut off, a car door slammed.
"What's going on Angel?" Kate asked as she walked over.
"We stopped a demon attack." He walked toward her. "And these two," he motioned to Buffy and Lisa, "need to get home."
She looked at the bodies before looking at the little girls. "Alright. I'll take care of it." She walked over to Lisa and crouched down to her level. "What's your name?"
"Are you a policeman?" Lisa asked.
"Yes," Kate answered with a smile.
The brunette smiled happily before going over to shake Buffy. "Come on Buffy," she ordered. "We're going home."
Buffy sat up and glanced at Kate before suddenly looking up at the dark haired man that had crouched in front of her. He was looking at her with dark interested eyes, and she slowly got to her feet before carefully starting to walk around him. An arm caught her before she was lifted onto a hip. "I guess you're just taking one Kate."
"You know her?"
"Yes."
"No," Buffy answered in a panic as she started to struggle.
Angel's eyes narrowed before he slowly crouched down to set her on her feet. "If you can walk to Kate's car, you can leave with her."
The five year old backed away and looked worriedly at the vampires before walking over to Kate with Lisa at her side. Lisa took Kate's hand, and Buffy reached for the other one before they started toward the car. Her foot hit the barrier, and she stopped before bringing up a hand to press against the invisible wall. "Can you drive the car closer?" she asked quietly as more tears spilled.
Kate frowned from the other side of the barrier. "What's wrong?"
"This one's ours." Angel looked at Kate as he walked over. "She'll be fine."
"Alright," she agreed before looking at the decapitated demons. "Are you going to clean this up?"
"Yeah. We would have done it by now except we got a little sidetracked."
She nodded before looking down at Lisa. "Are you ready to go home?"
Lisa nodded before looking back at Buffy. "Bye Buffy."
"Bye," the blonde called quietly.
"Will," Angel turned to her. "Get rid of the bodies." They disappeared, and he looked at Buffy for a long moment. "Let's go home."
Willow chanted, and they reappeared in the lounge a second later. Buffy's legs gave out as nausea ran through her, and she curled into a ball.
Hands reached for her before Angel gave a quiet growl. They backed off a moment later, and he studied her thoughtfully before picking her up and moving to set her on the kitchen counter. "Want some ice cream?"
She looked at the five people in the room uneasily before shaking her head.
Giles watched with a faint frown before heading out of the lounge. "I'll get the books."
"The uh... dog must have been some kind of a succubus?" Wes asked as he looked at the bite on Buffy's arm.
"Possibly," Angel answered before slowly setting her back on her feet and watching as she backed away.
Wesley abruptly shifted down to her height. "Hi Buffy," he murmured.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" she asked quietly.
"Wes," Angel snapped. Brown eyes came up to lock with brown eyes, and Angel looked into them before looking curiously at the five year old. "What's wrong with his eyes?"
Buffy edged away from Wes before looking up as Xander headed toward her. "You've all got weird eyes," she answered before running to the back of the room and sliding down to sit on the floor.
"Put up a barrier Will," Angel ordered, "and I don't want her hurt if she runs into it."
Giles came in with a couple of large books. "These two are the best we've got for identifying demons." He set them on the table before picking up the one on top and flipping to the index.
Xander picked up the second book, and a silence fell.
Buffy's arms slid around her legs as she sat against the wall. She looked up sharply when Willow started toward her before fearfully getting to her feet, and the witch instantly stopped as her eyes glinted with amusement. "Do you think she remembers us?"
"Do a truth spell if you want," Angel answered curiously.
"Buffy," she started a few seconds later. "Do you know who we are?"
"No," she answered as she nervously shifted away from the redhead.
Silence fell, and Willow studied her with interest."I know I said I didn't like kids, but this one might be fun." The wicca glanced at her family before slowly sinking down closer to Buffy's height. "How old are you?"
"Five."
"Does your arm hurt?" Buffy nodded. "I can fix it... Would you like that?" Buffy nodded again, and Willow did a spell that had the five year old looking at her curiously.
"How did you do that?"
"I'm a witch."
"A good witch?" she asked.
"It depends on who you ask," Willow stated as her dark eyes gleamed with light.
Buffy stared into them before shifting a few more steps away. "I want to go home."
"Shhh..." Wes answered as he sat on a chair and looked at her. "No one's going to hurt you, Buffy."
She looked away from Willow to look at him before quickly hiding under a table.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like some ice cream?" Angel asked.
"No," she answered defiantly.
Giles shook his head, his eyes glinting with amusement as he looked at his sire before returning his attention to the text.
"It's a type of succubus," Xander spoke up a few minutes later. "Instead of stealing life force, it lives from taking a person's lifetime. When it takes everything the person dies, and the demon gains their years. When it doesn't, the damage reverses itself in around two and a half days." He shook his head and his eyes sparked with amusement. "Looks like she's going to be five for a little while longer."
"Yes," Wesley agreed with a smile as he looked over Xander's shoulder. "And when that's done, she'll be nineteen again."
"I for one am just glad to have her back," Willow answered. "I mean... the entertainment factor you know?" Smiles, a few laughs, nods of agreement ran around the room. Angel watched with a smile before looking at the clock. It was almost midnight, and he thoughtfully sat on the floor before looking over to where Buffy was huddled under a table. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he studied her.
She turned to look at him but didn't reply.
"Are you tired?" he tried again.
She shook her head. "I want to go home."
He scowled, and Willow took a seat beside him before chanting a spell that had Buffy walking over to sit on his lap, lean against him tiredly. "Will, I don't want... *this* kind of spell on her."
"How about something that just makes her a little tired?" Giles asked.
Angel shrugged. "Maybe."
Giles chanted, Willow's spell broke, and Buffy quickly moved back under the tables. Willow laughed and looked up at him. "Nice one Giles."
"I said a little tired," he answered with a smile.
Silence fell, and a few minutes later Buffy yawned and curled into a ball. "Tired Buff?" Angel asked as he watched her shift to get more comfortable.
"M hmmm," she murmured tiredly.
"Why don't you come with me then, and I'll find you a place to sleep?" He got to his feet and walked over to her. She didn't move as he crouched down to pick her up, and he settled her on a hip before pressing a firm kiss to the top of her head. "I'll be in my rooms if you need anything," he stated quietly as he left.
The next morning Buffy was critically looking over a plate of french toast. Angel had already cut the pieces for her and poured the syrup, and she frowned before stabbing a piece of bread and chewing it.
"Is it okay?"
She looked at him suspiciously before nodding, taking a sip of milk, and beginning to chew on another piece.
"Hey," Xander greeted as he stepped into the lounge and headed toward the refrigerator.
Angel raised an eyebrow before glancing at the clock. It was 6 am, and he glanced back at his childe. "You're up early."
Xander grinned as he warmed a cup of blood. "So are you."
Angel's lips twitched up before he took a sip of blood and glanced back at Buffy. She was watching Xander with a frown before returning her attention to her food. She looked back up when a couple of gift wrapped packages were laid on the table.
"They're for you," he stated with a smile. "Why don't you open them?"
She turned back to look at the packages suspiciously. "Is it a snake?"
"Noo," he drew out slowly. "Why would you think that?"
Buffy chewed on another piece of french toast before taking a drink of milk. "I don't want to be snake food," she stated warily.
Xander's eyes glinted with amusement. "No snakes," he agreed. She narrowed her eyes before slowly reaching for the package and tearing off the paper.
"A coloring book," she stated happily before tearing the wrapping paper off the crayons.
"Do you like?" he asked. She nodded before flipping through some of the pictures excitedly, and Xander grinned and took a sip of blood before looking at Angel. "What's on the agenda for today?"
"Got a meeting with Adams at one."
"We're working with him again?" Xander took a seat beside Buffy.
Angel shrugged. "He wants to work for the Powers... and I don't have a problem with it... as long as he lets them decide who he kills."
Buffy looked at them before picking up her book and crayons and moving to a table by the windows. She put the items on it before curiously walking over to look out a window. Her eyes widened when she saw how high up they were, and she hesitated before climbing onto a nearby chair and then onto a table as she continued to look outside.
"Good morning Buffy," Giles greeted as he walked into the lounge and headed for the refrigerator.
She turned to look at him before looking back toward the door when Wes walked in.
"Giles," Angel called. "I bet Buffy would like to have Mr. Gordo."
She turned to look at him. "You know Mr. Gordo?"
"I know who he is," Xander answered. "He's a pink pig right Buffy?"
She nodded. "Can I have him?"
Giles looked at them with a frown. "Mr. Gordo?" he asked.
"He's a stuffed pig," Xander answered. "Buffy had him all the way through high school."
"Ahh..." Giles nodded and looked at Buffy. "Let's see... How would we find him?"
She got off the table and walked over to look up at him. "He's in my room."
"Is he?" Giles asked with a smile.
She nodded.
"Alright." He looked thoughtful before murmuring a spell. Mr. Gordo appeared in his hand, and Buffy gave a happy shout before taking the stuffed pig back to her coloring book.
Wesley watched with a smile before looking at Angel. "Cord had a vision last night."
Angel lifted an eyebrow. "Do you know what it's about?"
"No. We didn't ask, but she kept Xander and I busy for a couple of hours."
Angel's eyes lit with amusement. "And you're still up before 7 am."
Wes grinned and glanced at Buffy before turning back to Angel with a shrug. "Well you're almost 200 years old sire, we thought you might need some help."
Angel's eyes glinted with something Wes couldn't identify before the older vampire picked up Buffy's plate and glass and took them to the sink.
Cordelia walked in a couple of hours later wearing a translucent nightgown and pulled Xander over to the sofa before straddling him after she'd pushed him down. "You left too soon," she hissed before her lips covered his.
Buffy watched with wide eyes before picking up Mr. Gordo and hiding under a table.
"So what's the vision?" Willow asked with a hint of boredom.
"Demon breaks into a house. One girl is supposed to die, the other one's the one it goes after. We... help... divert its attention until the right one comes along."
Willow glanced over to where Angel was reading through a few case files before looking at Cordelia. "You mean we have to get involved?"
"Some," Cordelia answered as she shifted back and began to free Xander's cock.
"Cord," Xander hissed before he grabbed her wrist and gave a warning shake of his head. "Will," he called. "Cordy could use a robe."
Willow smirked and threw up her hand, and Cordelia stared at Xander angrily. "You're turning me down?" she hissed.
"No, but I'm not having sex in front of a *five* year old."
Cordelia glanced over the room before turning to where Angel was staring at her. "A five year old?" she asked with interest. "Where is she?"
"What makes you think it's a she?" he asked coolly.
"Because she's in my vision," the seer answered with a wicked smile. "She's blonde, wearing a little white t-shirt with a pony on it, a blue skirt, and pink shoes." She laughed before adjusting her robe and climbing off Xander. "Where did you get her anyway?"
"She just... showed up one day, and it's been fun and games ever since," Willow answered.
Cordelia turned to stare at her before her eyes narrowed. "Buffy's back?"
Willow smiled and nodded. "We got her last night, and she's younger than nineteen now."
Cordelia took that in before turning to Angel. "I want you... now," she breathed and watched as he settled back in his chair.
"I doubt that," he answered with a hint of a threat. "In fact I think I can guarantee it."
She gave him a hard look, and Wes walked over to wrap an arm around her waist. "Why did you see Buffy in your vision?" he asked as he tugged her against him.
She leaned into him. "Like I said, the demon will kill the wrong girl unless we give it a distraction. And Buffy... let's just say it's more interested in playing with her than killing her."
Silence fell, eyes turned to Angel, and he got to his feet before walking over to stand in front of her. "Playing with her how?" he asked coolly.
She grinned as she ran a hand up his silk shirt. "Let's just say it's going to be a date until the girl he's supposed to kill interrupts the fun." Angel's eyes glinted dangerously, and she shrugged as she studied him. "He doesn't really do anything." Her hand slid behind his head before starting to tug it down. He twisted away, took a step back. "I'm your *seer*," she breathed with irritation. "You *owe* me."
"Do you want me?" he almost purred as he stepped closer and leaned down to her throat before leaving thin bloody scratches with his fangs. She pushed him away, and he met her eyes. "When does it happen, Cordy?"
"Tonight at 10:05. It's a rust colored house. 11488 Henderson Avenue." She stared into his eyes before giving an unpleasant smile. "My visions come from the *Powers*," she stressed, "and I can't tell you how glad I am your bitch is in this one." She reached for Wes's arm before pulling him out of the lounge.
Silence fell, and Xander ran a hand through his hair. "I don't understand how she can be in a vision. I mean, Buffy can't even get out of the building without help." He gave a shake of his head and looked uneasily at Willow.
She nodded and shot an uncertain look at Angel. "Yeah. I mean, if she's going to show up tonight, we're going to have to make sure she... makes the appointment."
Angel gave a quiet curse as he looked the room over for Buffy. He didn't see her, and angry indecision ran through him before he rubbed at his forehead. Xander took a breath as he watched before walking over to the table Buffy's coloring book was on and dropping down to the floor. "Hi," he greeted the little girl curled up under the table.
She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I want to go home."
"Yeah," he agreed. "In a couple of days." He looked up when Angel walked over and sat beside him.
Buffy hugged Mr. Gordo tighter as she looked at them before shifting to sit up and then getting to her feet. She stood for a moment before running for the door and gave a fearful cry when Angel moved with inhuman speed to catch her. "Buff," he started quietly. "It's okay... Shhh," he offered when she kept struggling. Willow murmured a spell, and Buffy went slack before Mr. Gordo slid to the floor a few seconds later. Angel cursed again as he looked down at her.
"It'll be over tonight," Willow told him quietly before she picked up Mr. Gordo and put him on a table. "After that, she'll be fine." Angel turned to her with angry gold eyes, and she lowered her head.
"Sire," Xander started. "None of us want her hurt." He gave a slow shake of his head as he locked eyes with Angel. "She'll be back to wanting to kill demons in a couple of days."
"Put the documents back in my office Xander." He looked at Willow. "I need a transportation spell to talk to the Powers."
He was back angrily pacing the room fifteen minutes later.
"What did they say?" Giles asked quietly.
"They consider her to be a warrior, nothing more than a means to an end."
"An expendable means to an end," Giles answered with resignation.
"Yes."
Silence fell, and Angel turned cold eyes to Willow. "Do a spell to make sure Buffy does her part tonight, and when it's done I want her transported to me. I don't want her there a *second* longer than necessary."
"We won't even have to leave Wolfram and Hart," Willow stated quietly. "She'll just disappear for a few minutes, and then we'll get her back."
Angel was pacing at 10:05 pm. He looked up sharply when Xander and Wes entered the lounge. "What are you two doing here?" he asked with annoyance as he looked at them with dark eyes.
"We've been with Cordy for the last couple of hours," Xander stated quietly. "And we thought..." he broke off before lowering his head. "We asked Will to do a spell so she wouldn't miss us during the vision."
"She doesn't even know we're gone," Wes threw in before he ran a hand through ruffled hair.
Angel glanced at Willow darkly before turning irritably back to Wes and Xander. "You two look like you've spent hours in a whore house. The only thing missing is the scent of more than one fuck," he ground out before starting to pace again.
Willow's eyes lit with amusement as she studied them before she waved a hand to clean them up, fix their hair. "Did um... you see the vision?" she asked.
"Yeah Will," Xander answered with quiet unease. "Cordy played it. Did you?"
"I um... watched it," she glanced over to where Angel had turned to stare at her before lowering her eyes.
"Really?" Angel asked as he paced over to look down at her threateningly. "Why don't you tell me about it, Will?"
"He's red, has horns," she stared at the floor, "pointed teeth." She hesitated. "Cordy's right, he doesn't get very far."
Angel stared at her with unforgiving eyes before reaching out to lightly touch her cheek. "Maybe someday we can watch it together. Would you like that?"
She slowly lifted her head to look into his eyes before lowering hers back to the floor. "I don't think you'd enjoy that sire."
"I know *you* wouldn't." He caught fingers under her chin and lifted her head so they could lock eyes. "But tell me Will, does she?"
"Sire," she started uneasily. "She'll be back in a few minutes, and it'll be like she had a bad dream."
Angel stared at her for a long moment before shifting away and beginning to pace again, and Giles watched thoughtfully. "She... she should be back to normal in a day and a half." He ran a hand through his hair. "I... I wonder if she'd like to go ice skating tomorrow."
"I bet she would," Xander spoke up before turning to look cautiously at Angel. "And I mean, she's *five*, but even if she can't skate, she might still like watching the skaters. "
"Maybe we could have cake and ice cream," Willow offered. "We could tell her we're throwing a party before she goes home."
"That sounds like fun," Wes answered.
Angel looked at them neutrally as a silence fell. It lasted several long minutes before Buffy's hitching sobs broke it, her fear, the scent of her blood. Angel went still as he looked at the little girl that was curled into a ball on the floor, bruises on her arms and legs, thin scratches across her face. Willow murmured a spell, and she was healed and clean, and they watched as she got to her feet before quickly running to grab Mr. Gordo and hide under a table.
Silence fell. They stared at the tables, they stared at Angel, watched as he slowly walked over to the wall and slid down to sit on the floor. Tear filled green eyes met somber brown, and he watched as Buffy sat up and looked the lounge over for the demon that had been hurting her. She didn't see it, and she turned back to him. "He's going to hurt her."
"Who?" he asked quietly.
She pulled Mr. Gordo closer. "The girl that tried to help me." Her breathing hitched and more tears fell.
"All you have to do is show me where she's at, and I'll help her Buff."
She crawled out from under the table and looked over the room for several long seconds before looking at Angel and wiping at tears. "I don't know." More tears spilled, her breathing hitched, her eyes dropped to the floor. "Why does it... do that?"
Angel closed his eyes, rubbed at the back of his neck. "You were sleeping. I think you just had a bad dream." She looked at him with confusion, and he gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We were thinking we could take you home soon. Does that sound good?"
She adjusted her hold on Mr. Gordo. "Can I go now?"
"No. Not yet... We thought we could keep you for another day."
Buffy swallowed thickly before looking up as Xander moved to sit beside Angel. She looked at him uneasily before turning back to Angel. "Do you promise?"
"Everything will be better in a few hours," he answered as he met her eyes. "I promise."
"In the meantime how do you feel about cake and ice cream?" Willow asked brightly.
Buffy turned to look up at her, wipe at tears. "Is it your birthday?"
"No. I just thought it sounded good," she answered with a smile.
Buffy continued to look at her for a few seconds before turning back to Angel. "It was a dream?"
"Yeah," he answered. "You were sleeping."
She looked at him for a long time before turning back to Willow as she hugged Mr. Gordo closer. "I don't think I'll be here for cake and ice cream. I'm going home."
Wesley smiled. "What if we have cake and ice cream tomorrow? Will you be here then?" He crouched down to tap a finger against her nose. Buffy took a couple of steps back before watching as Willow dropped to her knees beside him.
"Do you ice skate?" the redhead asked.
She slowly nodded as she looked into Willow's dark eyes before looking into Wesley's. "What's wrong with your eyes?"
Willow's lips twitched up as she stared at her. "Nothing," she answered. "I can see you just fine."
Angel got to his feet. "Would you like to go skating Buff?"
The blonde turned to look up at him as he walked over before turning toward the door when Cordelia walked in. The seer looked down at her with a wicked smile, and the five year old quickly ducked back under the tables to hide. "I know the vision's over," Cordy purred as she wrapped arms around Wes, "but I was thinking we could spend some more time together." She looked pointedly at him before turning to lock eyes with Xander. "Come on," she murmured as she kept her eyes on Xander's and started to tug Wes out of the room.
"Night Buff," Xander murmured as he cast a quick glance over the empty tables. He frowned when he didn't see her before following Wes and Cordy.
Angel watched him go before looking at his watch, it was 10:45, and he turned to Willow. "She might need a little help going to sleep Will. Can you help me with that?"
"Yeah." She murmured a quiet spell, and Angel walked over to pick up Buffy and Mr. Gordo. "I don't want anyone coming to my apartment tonight. Let's just let her sleep," he stated quietly before turning to leave the lounge.
Wesley broke away from the kiss Cordelia had pulled him into when he heard the knock on the door. "I got it," he murmured as he started to shift away.
"I can get it," Xander answered.
"I got it," Wes repeated as he pulled on a robe and tied it before heading for the door.
"Will," he greeted. "Is something going on?"
She smiled as she looked over his rumpled hair, the hickies on his neck. "Not really, but," she reached up to pull his head down for a long kiss that went on for several long seconds.
He ran a hand through his hair when they broke it. "Will, we've been busy with Cordy for hours."
"Yeah, but you've got to be careful with her don't you?" She stepped closer, began to loosen the belt on his robe. It parted, and she pressed against him before tugging his head down and sinking fangs into his throat.
Angel woke up. He was laying on the floor of his living room and he glanced at the sofa expectantly and scowled when he didn't see Buffy sleeping on it. He got to his feet a moment later before stretching and starting to search through his rooms. The last one he came to was the spare bedroom, and he checked the closet before dropping down onto his knees and forearms to look under the bed. "Hi," he greeted as he looked into fear filled eyes.
Buffy stared at him before adjusting her grip on Mr. Gordo. "Can I go home now?"
"In a little while," he answered. "Are you hungry?" She didn't reply, and he frowned and hesitated. "Is something wrong?"
Tears fell, and she slowly crawled out from under the bed before looking around the room with a lost expression. "Are you sure it was a dream?"
"Yes." Silence fell, and Buffy stared at the floor for a few seconds before wiping at tears. "What would you like for breakfast? You can have anything you want." Angel got to his feet. "And we can probably find some cartoons."
She wiped at her nose and thought longingly of home as more tears spilled. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she answered as she thought of the woman in the see through nightgown, the demon that hurt her, the redhead that scared her.
Angel slowly started toward her and stopped when she backed away fearfully. He rubbed at the back of his neck before sitting on the floor. "You're right," he agreed, "but we know you, Buffy. We even knew about Mr. Gordo didn't we?"
She nodded and hugged the pig closer before looking back up. "I don't like it here."
His expression went neutral. "Cordy and Willow," he asked quietly, "the nightmare?"
She looked at him with tear filled eyes, and Angel leaned back on his hands. "Tell you what, you tell me what you want for breakfast, and we can call your mom. How's that?"
She wiped at tears. "Fruit Loops."
Relief ran through him. "Alright," he agreed with a smile. "And... do you like Scooby Doo?"
She nodded, and he got to his feet. "I'll be right back."
Angel knocked on Willow's door and frowned when she didn't answer. He was on his way to Giles's apartment when he heard the low growls coming from Cordy's. He knocked, and Wes almost instantly answered. "Sire?"
Angel glanced at him before smiling at the nude redhead on the floor. "Hey Will. I need Fruit Loops, a Scooby Doo marathon, and a make believe call to Joyce. Can you take care of that for me?" She nodded, and he turned to go.
"How is she?" Wes asked.
"A little scared," Angel turned back, "and she still wants to leave."
"You mean that hasn't changed?" Willow asked as she gave a slow stretch and smiled up at him. He didn't answer, and she sat up when he turned away. "Can we stop by later?"
Angel turned back to study her. "I don't want her upset, and I think she's a little more afraid of you than she is of us."
The redhead ran a hand through her mussed hair. "Why would she be afraid of me?"
"Maybe it was the 'snake food' comment?" Wes asked as he looked at her with a smile and gold sparks in his eyes.
Willow growled with annoyance, and Angel shook his head. "I'm going to give her some cereal and let her... call her mom. We'll probably be in the lounge in an hour. If you guys want to come by you can, but I don't want her upset any more than she is."
A few hours later Buffy was sitting at a table in the lounge with her coloring book. She glanced at the large screen tv before reaching for a green crayon and beginning to color in the grass. A yelp had her looking back at the television, and she watched as Scooby and Shaggy ran from a demon. They couldn't seem to get away from it, and she put down the crayon before picking up Mr. Gordo as she watched fearfully.
"Hey," Wes murmured. "Are you okay Buff?"
She continued to stare at the screen before sliding out of the chair and onto her feet, tears beginning to fall as she looked at the red demon chasing them. "He bites," she stated fearfully as she slowly started to back away from the tv.
Wes reached down to pick her up. "It's okay," he murmured as he looked at her before looking at the screen. "See? They got away."
Buffy watched the cartoon uneasily before starting to push against him, and he carefully set her back on her feet. She stood for a moment as she hugged Mr. Gordo before running for the door. She hit a soft barrier and started struggling to get through it.
"Buffy," Willow called. "Would you like some ice cream?"
The blonde didn't reply as she continued to fight with the barrier before abruptly backing away when Cordelia walked into the lounge.
"Cordy," Angel greeted as he got to his feet and stared at her warningly.
She walked in wearing tight leather and spikes before grinning maliciously at the small blonde. "I see she's still out of the basement," she stated with dark amusement before walking over to tug Angel's head down. "Have you watched my vision?" she purred into his ear.
He snorted before lifting his head. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't get off on it."
"I bet you would," she answered as she locked eyes with him meaningfully before stepping away and glancing over to see that Buffy had disappeared. "I've got an appointment at the hair salon and intend to go shopping after that. I probably won't be back until six or so."
"Cordy," Giles spoke up. "Would you stop off at 'The Occult Stop' and see if my order for the lamet skull is in?"
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, but only because Mike's cute."
"He is," Willow agreed, "but his spell casting sucks."
"You're talking about the guy that runs the place?" Xander asked before rolling his eyes. "Why would you want him when you've got me?"
"You've got your uses," Cordelia offered before glancing at Angel and heading for the door. "At least some of you can still get it up."
Angel ran a hand through his hair with irritation before looking back at where Buffy had been. He dropped down to look under the tables. She was curled into a ball. "So," he started lightly, "you want to go skating Buff?"
The five year old slowly looked at him before shaking her head.
"I think I would," Willow murmured as she dropped down to her knees and looked under the tables.
"Me too." Wes went down onto his hands and knees to look at her, and Buffy looked back before slowly shifting to crawl out from under the table and get to her feet. She was running for the door a moment later, and Xander scooped her into his arms before she could get there. She struggled, and he set her on the counter before slowly releasing her and looking into tear filled eyes.
Angel walked over and brushed blonde hair behind her ear. "Let's go skating. Okay, Buff?"
Buffy studied them before wiping at tears. "What's wrong with your eyes?"
Angel frowned. "I don't know." He reached out to wipe more tears off her cheek.
She looked at him and wiped her nose before dropping her eyes to the floor. "She doesn't like me does she?"
"She's just grumpy," Xander spoke up as he made a face that made Buffy grin through tears.
Willow reached out to comb fingers through soft blonde hair. "Want to go skating?" she asked before giving the blonde a tap on the nose.
Buffy looked at her cautiously before a hint of challenge sparked in her eyes. "Maybe we can play hide and seek?"
"I'm good at that game," Willow told her.
"Me too," Buffy answered before turning back to look at the guys watching her. "Okay," she quietly agreed with a troubled frown as she looked into their dark glittering eyes. "You're eyes are weird." She gave a shake of her head before holding out her arms for help getting off the counter.
Angel slid her onto a hip. "What kind of ice cream and cake would you like?"
Buffy told him, and a few minutes later she was eating as she watched them watch her.
Transportation spell?" Willow asked a few hours later.
"Yeah," Angel agreed before walking over to pick Buffy up, "but not yet." He glanced at the five year old. "We're going to the arena, and it's going to be quick," he stated quietly. "Are you ready?"
She looked at him with somber eyes that made him smile before nodding, and he caught the back of her head and pressed it against his shoulder. "Alright Will," he murmured.
He slowly set her back on her feet a moment later, and she looked over the parking lot with a sick feeling before heading toward the door to the rink. She was almost there when she turned back to look at them with annoyance. "I don't like doing that," she stated, "and I want to go home tomorrow."
Angel grinned and nodded, and Buffy looked at them for a long moment before shaking her head. "Just weird," she muttered before struggling to pull open the door to the rink.
Angel helped her, and she went in and headed for the counter.
Buffy was the youngest one there, and they watched as she carefully skated along the wall. When she got to the far end of the ice she sat down and glared at them.
"Oh god," Xander breathed as he watched her. "She's so cute."
"Yeah, she is," Angel agreed.
Willow's eyes narrowed with irritation. "She's *five*, so why is she *still* fighting us?"
"I don't know," Wesley answered.
"Maybe I should talk to her," Giles spoke up.
"I doubt they'd want us on the ice without skates." Willow waved a hand and everyone except them froze.
"Buffy," Angel called. "Are you okay?"
The five year old slowly got to her feet and looked over the frozen skaters with interest. "They're not moving," she answered before carefully skating over to a woman and tugging on her shirt. She lost her balance and fell a moment later before slowly getting to her feet.
"I'll talk to her," Willow offered as she started to walk across the ice. She fell before she was halfway there, her head hit, and she blacked out.
Buffy cautiously made her way through the skaters that were suddenly moving again before skating to Willow's side. "Are you okay?" she asked before looking up and then shifting out of the way as several adults stopped skating and began surrounding the redhead.
"I'll check on her," Wesley murmured as he started onto the rink and promptly fell. His head hit the ice, and he looked up groggily as Buffy skated over and patted his cheek. "Are you okay?"
"What?" he asked as he tried to focus on her. Buffy looked at him before looking up when Angel, Xander, and Giles started to pull him off the ice. She watched them for a moment before carefully starting to skate back over to Willow.
"Buffy," Angel called. She turned to look at him. "Want to get something to eat?"
She frowned, looked back at Willow, before skating over to Angel and letting him pick her up.
The five year old chewed on a bite of pizza and looked over the restaurant curiously before looking over to watch Angel take a sip of coffee. She turned her attention to Willow a moment later. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," Willow answered with a frown as she ran a hand through her hair. "I guess I'm not used to ice."
Buffy nodded. "It's easy to fall."
Angel watched her before giving a shake of his head and looking at his childer. "I guess now we know why she wanted us to transport to the middle of a skating rink a few weeks ago."
"Yes," Giles murmured. "I suppose she thought once we managed to get off the ice, it would have given her a good head start."
"And it probably would have," Xander agreed before reaching for a piece of pizza.
Wesley's eyes gleamed with amusement. "I have never felt so challenged by such a charming opponent before."
Angel's lips twitched up, and he watched Buffy take a bite of pizza before glancing at his watch. "She should be back in 4 or 5 hours."
"We're not putting her in the basement are we?" Giles asked.
Buffy's head came up and she stared at him uneasily. "Put who in the basement?" she asked suspiciously.
Angel turned a smile on her. "Not you Buff."
She frowned before looking at Willow when she gave a quiet laugh. "I'm not sure which one I prefer."
"I like them both," Angel answered before reaching for a slice of pizza. "But the older one's a bit more my speed."
Smiles went around the table, and Buffy turned her attention back to her pizza.