Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe, Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.

Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again.

And here we go again- listen claudeagassi92/camagassi72/camgodking/callanagassi92, you are a gorram moron and a harasser! NO ONE forced you to read anything I write, so if you read and get triggered and butthurt, its not my fault.

I don't take criticism well? Then why is the top comment on 'Lost and Found' which is criticizing that fic still there and not deleted, eh?

You can call your bullcrap 'respectful criticism' all you want, but its not, its just you getting butthurt and moaning and whining.

And its hilarious you think you represents all fans, when you're saying 'you're isolating fans', since so far, the only one who has brought up the power level crap is you.

No one else, literally no one else, gives a shit about it. I even had a conversation with one author over power levels, he told me what goes on in the comics, but he doesn't give a crap about how I do power levels in my fic because he likes the story, and he even said he likes the 'Adam' thing because having someone like Matt well-settled instead of struggling internally would make him boring.

And he is a much bigger and more respectful Buffyverse fan than you are, especially since he puts a lot more thought into Buffyverse lore and power levels than not only me but the canon writers as well.

Seriously, the amount of self-righteousness and delusions in you is hilarious and pathetic both.

And logic eh? I think you and I have a different definition of 'logic', and I don't wanna know yours, because none of your nonsense has any basis in reality.

Plus, other writers, the quality of whose works exceeds mine by miles, said what I did was good and made sense. Between them and a whiner like you, I'm more inclined to believe them.

I didn't isolate you, you isolated yourself, and in the Buffyverse fandom, the only person I've ever blocked is you (all 4 of your accounts that is), because you are nothing more than a jackass throwing a fit over a pointless issue. Pretending to be a legit critic only makes you look more pathetic than you already are.

Plus, its not just me or Bl4ckHunter, I've seen you spout the same crap at various other authors too on any Buffyverse crossover like the húndàn you are.

But guess what? No one gives a shit. Seriously, move on with your life. I've even left a 'get lost' message for you in Chapter 8 of this story after you left a stupid comment on another fic of mine.

So go read that message as well and GET LOST! You're nothing more than a persistent, unwanted nuisance, and you lack all self-awareness to even realize it.

Goodbye! To quote Gollum- "Leave now and never come back!"

Goramit! This whole 'telling off' was 500 words in itself.

Chapter 20- Change in staff

Wolfram and Hart

Angel, Matt and Groo sat in the conference room together. Angel was tapping his fingers impatiently.

"I told you no one was going to show up", Matt finally said.

Angel pressed a button on the speakerphone. "Harmony!"

"Coming boss."

Harmony walked in, but first she greeted Groo. "Grooby Bear!"

"My Lady Harmony!" Groo greeted back as they gave each other silly grins and kissed on the lips, then rubbed their noses against each other.

Then they noticed Angel's deadpan expression and straightened, getting professional again.

"The meeting?" Angel asked.

Harmony shrugged. "Everyone's otherwise occupado, boss. Wesley's stuck in talks with clients after Matt's super demon went all WrestleMania with the Devil, all that world shaking really ruffled some feathers, and scales...and tails."

Matt sighed as Harmony added. "Right now he went to talk to some Cyvus Vail wherever he lives, since Vail was quite displeased too.

Angel asked. "Gunn?" Where is Gunn?"

Harmony informed. "The hospital still. You know, from when Lilah..." she mimed shooting, "Gunn taken down by a gun. Hmmm…."

"The rest?" Angel then asked.

"Cordelia took Lilah and Faith out to celebrate with Fred, a whole carpe dome thing or something, and I can't help but feel offended they didn't invite me."

Matt ad Angel shared a 'look', not correcting Harmony on her fail at using 'carpe diem'.

"Why didn't they clear it with me? I'm the boss!" Angel asked.

"Cordy knew you would say that, and she said, "break up our day and the only guy allowed in the bed will be Connor."

Angel backed down. "Right."

Matt smirked and muttered "whipped" to himself, but earned Angel's glare because he could clearly hear that.

"Lorne went on a major party streak after Fred came back, and he's getting over the hangover."

"That explains so many of those drunk calls I got." Matt piped up.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but...what about Stick?"

"Bodyguard detail. He's promised to keep an eye over Fred in case Illyria gets...controlling."

Harmony walked out and then in came Spike with a briefcase.

"Where's the rest of the crew?"

"Apparently not coming."

"But this is an important meeting."

"At least some-"

"My first official parley as a very loosely affiliated member of the... what are we?" Spike put his briefcase on the conference table. "Tell me we're not Scoobies." He unlatched the briefcase.

"We don't have a..."

"A name? Well, that's probably for the best. You'd want to be "Angel's Avengers" or something."

Angel frowned, mocking. ""Angel's Avengers," that's..." He stopped himself as he pondered the sound of it.

Matt and Groo struggled to keep the laughter to themselves.

Spike sat. "So what's on the agenda?" He reached into his briefcase.

Angel leaned over his papers. "Uh, I have assignments for people-" He looked up as the sound of a pop-top opening comes from Spike.

"What?" Angel glared. "I'm listening." He held up a beer can. "With beer." He drank.

Matt and Groo were about to let their laughter out.

Angel glared at Spike. "Forget it. You know what? This isn't a meeting. This is you being annoying." He stood, sighing heavily, then looked out the window.

Spike grabbed a paper from the stack where Angel was sitting. "Hey, bullet points. Classy." He paused to read, then held up the paper to Angel with contempt. "Why am I always reconnaissance? I should get a decently flash gig like "save the girl" or "steal the emerald with the girl.""

Angel muttered. "Fred is trying to work it out with Illyria, very little progress so far."

"She's an Old One", Matt pointed out, then rubbed his chest. "Hell-Mark is gone now, no Demon commanding or Hellfire now. I think I can still turn though."

"So Mephisto disowned you and cut ties, hmmm?" Angel muttered.

"Well, his control over you and Adam is receding", Groo shrugged.

"At least now you can go to the beach without anyone gawking at your chest", Spike quipped as all chuckled.

Then Spike saw Angel's look and asked. "You're fixing to do something stupid, aren't you?"

Angel told him. "Done it. Came here. Spend every day lying to myself about making the world a better place."

Spike pointed out. "Welcome to the planet. We all paint on our happy faces every day, when all we really wanted is to pound the neighbor's missis, steal his Ben Franklins, and while we're at it, not think about the third of the world that's starving to death." He walked toward the window, looking out.

"Besides, we did do fine, not the best, but not the worst either", Matt added.

Angel said. "I'm not saying that I can fix everything. I just-I... I have to do better. The Senior Partners have a plan."

Spike scoffed. "Yeah, the prophecy. That ever-lovin' apocalypse you keep going on about."

"Yeah, which apocalypse- the one last year or the year before that? No, the Senior Partners are up to something now, Lilah told me they have their own scheduled apocalypse without their say-so when she asked me to join."

"Guess the lawyer harlot did change a bit after all", Spike commented.

"And since she told me, I'm not waiting for them to spring it on us. We're through operating in the dark."

"So, a plan, right?" Matt asked and got a nod.

Spike added. "OK, then. Might be easier if we knew anyone who had a direct line to the big guys."

Angel looked at Spike as an idea popped into his head.

Standing side by side, Angel and Spike stared at Eve with their arms crossed.

"No way. Even if my connection to the Senior Partners wasn't completely severed, I'm done helping you."

Angel told her. "This isn't a negotiation, Eve."

Eve mocked. "Ooh, I'm intimidated. What could you possibly do to me? I've been trapped in this house for weeks like a-"

"Rat? Snake? Beady little rat snake?" Spike taunted.

Angel pointed out. "You're not trapped, Eve. You're hiding. You know the second you step out that door, the second you don't have these symbols keeping you invisible to the Partners, they're gonna zero in." He walked closer. "So don't bother playing the pity angle. The only thing you care about is saving your own ass."

"The only thing I care about is gone. You gave him up to the Senior Partners, let them suck him into-"

"Could do the same to you. Tell 'em how to see through your security system."

Eve was shocked. "You wouldn't-"

"Not if you tell me what I want to know."

The house started shaking as a deep rumbling sound is heard somewhere outside the door.

Eve was terrified. "Oh, you bastard! You told them! You-"

Angel assured. "Wasn't me."

"Oh, God. They're coming." Glass shattered. "Please, don't let them take me. Angel, please, I'll tell you. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Angel looked at Eve, then looked at the front door as the doorknob rattled.

Soon, a man wearing a fine, tailored gray pinstriped suit with a white silk tie and a white shirt busted through the door.

He looked around the apartment, but Eve and the Vampires were gone. There was an open window creaking at the back of the apartment. The man stared at it, frowning.

Angel stepped off the elevator into the lobby followed by Spike and Eve.

"Harmony!"

"Yepper?"

"Call Groo, have him put security on red alert. Nobody gets in this building without clearance from me. I want a guard at every entrance, every elevator, every stairwell. Cover the whole building."

Harmony shrugged. "OK, but you know how that never works-"

Angel was irritated. "Harmony!"

"On it." She went to her desk.

Angel turned to Spike. "All right, go to Matt and both of you stay with Eve. Anything gets past security, kill it."

Spike asked. "Where are you going?"

"To see a lawyer."

Gunn was sitting in a hospital gown in a hospital bed when Angel walked into the room.

"We have a problem. Senior Partners found Eve. They sent something to take her out. I need to know if I have jurisdiction to protect her. What's protocol here?"

Gunn closed a magazine, hanging his head. "I don't know."

"Right. Well, when you're through reading about important things like, um..." Angel picked up the magazine, reading the headlines. ""Trista and Ryan's big baby plans" maybe you can put some thought into it."

Gunn looked away. He had been told Fred was alive but hadn't met her yet, and it was still not enough to alleviate his guilt over the pain she'd been through.

"I'm just not sure-"

Angel pointed out. "Gunn, you almost paid a high price for what's in that brain, so use it."

Gunn looked at Angel, sighed, looking down. "There's a proviso in your contract. Says that as CEO of a Wolfram & Hart branch, you can invoke a rapio salvus order. Basically says you're taking custody of a wayward employee. It's not usually used for protection, but it should work."

Angel started. "Great. How do I-"

Gunn assured. "I'll make a call."

"Good", Angel started to walk out, but stopped at the door. "Listen, Gunn... I know you feel bad about your part in what happened to Fred, even if we got her back. And you should...because you're a good man. You signed a piece of paper, that's all."

Gunn pointed out. "But I knew. Not about Fred, but... when I signed, I knew there would be consequences."

Angel told him. "You know, the thing about atonement is, you never run out of chances... but you gotta take 'em. You can't hide in some hospital room and pretend it's all gonna go away... 'cause it never will."

Gunn stared thoughtfully.

At Fred's apartment, Stick looked at Illyria, who got up from a chair, having just come out when Fred had been sleeping.

"She has been sitting for a long time."

Stick replied. "She dozed off."

"She sat here for hours making noise with her nose."

Stick told her. "She was dreaming, you twit."

Illyria noted. "She said a name. Steve."

"It was a dream", Stick shrugged. "I don't suppose you have dreams or nightmares... or sleep or any of that human crap. I get the feeling, I'm a ghost."

Illyria again spoke of her time. "In my time, nightmares walked among us, walked and danced, skewering victims in plain sight, laying their fears and worst desires out for everyone to see. This...to make us laugh."

Stick quipped. "I'll bet you were tight as frat boys."

Illyria commented. "And now nightmares are trapped inside the heads of humans... pitiful echoes of themselves. I wonder whom they angered so to merit such a fate."

Stick was deadpan. "This world must be a terrible disappointment to you."

"Grievous."

"I'm not too impressed with it myself", Stick told her.

Illyria asked. "Why don't you leave?"

"Got some people I care about, and the other side is going to be worse", Stick said as Illyria turned back into Fred.

"Huh? Woke me up", Fred muttered. "This is getting weirder."

"Well, like we said, try to talk, establish something", Stick assured, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Eve, Matt and Spike waited in Angel's office.

"Brilliant. Really. They'll never look for me here." Spike rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna die."

"You make it hard for me to want to help you", Spike shook his head.

"She gave Connor a powder to make him sick", Matt added as Spike glared at Eve in rage, now making her pale.

"Once you've tattled enough, you won't be in one piece", Spike sneered.

Angel walked into the office. "We don't want her in one piece. But...we need her. You're under my protection."

"Thank the Gods", Eve stepped back as Angel approached.

"But, you know, I can take it away with one phone call. Convince me not to, Eve."

Eve sat in a chair in front of the three. "How can I?"

"Let's start with something easy, huh? You."

"Me?"

"What are you? What do you do for the Senior Partners."

"I'm a liaison. I liaise."

Matt, Angel and Spike crossed their arms disapprovingly.

"Not just a normal liaison", Matt pointed out.

"Look, what do you want me to say? I'm a leprechaun. I'm from Brigadoon."

Spike rolled his eyes. "If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one."

Eve stood up. "There are layers upon layers at Wolfram & Hart, Angel, things you'll never understand. What am I? I'm a child of the Senior Partners, created to do their bidding."

Angel instead asked. "You're an immortal. Why are you here?"

"To watch. Tell them what I see. Pass on messages to you, if there are any."

Spike asked. "So you're, uh, middle management?"

"What are the Senior Partners, huh? What do they-"

Eve shook her head. "No idea."

"Eve."

"Do you honestly believe the Senior Partners would let me have access to that information? Angel, for someone so old, you're so young. I only know what they want me to know and only when they want me to know it."

"You don't know anything?" Angel asked.

"She's not lying", Matt told Angel."

Eve shrugged. "Maybe I know a lot... but I don't have access to it." The three were annoyed. "It's locked in my head somewhere, and I don't have the key." They sat down and sighed. "Ready for the funny part?" She turned to Angel. "There was someone who could've told you everything you want to know... and you let the Senior Partners take him away."

Angel realized who it was. "Lindsey."

"Lindsey's dedicated years of his life to the study of the Senior Partners. Few know more about them than he does- what they've done, what they plan to do."

Angel stood and frowned. "I thought he was after me. You're saying manipulating Spike, the fail-safe, that was all about the Senior Partners?"

"No. It's about you, too. He really doesn't like you... but he may know more about you than... well, than you do."

Angel realized. "Which is why they snatched him up."

Spike noted. "Yeah. They couldn't risk him and you having a sit-down."

"So he was our lead", Matt sighed.

"And now...what he's going through."

Angel asked. "They didn't kill him?"

"They would want him to suffer horrors. Even worse than last time when they took him for a 'review' due to Darla's and Drusilla's feasting. Lindsey is in some hideous...awful hell."

Cordelia and Faith then came in as the former asked. "Hey! Who let this bitch back in?! Actually, don't bother, I throw her out myself."

Angel caught Cordelia before she could leap at Eve, reluctantly saying. "We need her."

"Its actually Lindsey who is needed, not that he likes you", Eve shrugged.

Cordelia quipped. "Feeling's mutual."

Spike paced, ranting, while Lorne with baby Connor in his arms, Eve, Matt, Faith, Cordelia and Angel stood.

"There's thousands of different kinds of hells. You got your fire hell, your ice hell... your…." He paused to think, "ice hell. Your upside-down hell."

"Yes, I did go through various Hells for five years", Matt added.

Angel rubbed his head. "I don't care if he's in "toy poodles on parade" hell. He's got information that we need."

Spike pointed out. "According to the girl whose only reason for being is to see her little pookie bear again."

"I'm not lying", Eve turned to Matt and Lorne. "Well, tell him I'm not lying."

Lorne told him. "No one can fake it through the piña colada song. Not once the chorus kicks in."

"And I could tell too", Matt added.

"We should still throw her out the window", Cordelia shrugged as Eve paled.

Faith agreed to the plan. "You get the legs, I'll get the arms."

Angel stood up. "You two can do whatever you want later. If Lindsey can tell me what the Senior Partners have planned, I want him. You got a better idea how to do it, I'm totally open."

Spike pointed out. "Didn't say that. Just pointed out that this one sucks. We're looking for a hell dimension in a haystack. How are we supposed to know-"

Gunn walked into the office. "I know. And I can get us in."

Gunn was wearing street clothes, not his usual business suit. His head was shaven. He looked more like the pre-W&H Gunn of yore.

"Us?"

Gunn lead Angel, Spike, Faith and Matt into the garage, chatting.

Gunn told them. "Started flipping through the brain files soon as Harmony told me. Figured there had to be some kind of precedent."

"And?" Angel asked.

"Senior Partners had trouble with a guy in the Tokyo division way back. Lindsey probably got the tattoo idea from studying up on him."

Angel realized. "And wherever they sent this guy, that's where Lindsey is."

"Yep", Gunn nodded.

Spike quipped. "I hope it's toy poodle hell."

"It's not hell. It's a Wolfram & Hart holding dimension. They had him there last time too till they did a review and decided to send him back when Ghost Rider burnt the place down, as his experience was needed", Gunn explained to them.

Angel chuckled. "Meaning what-Senior Partners haven't decided what to do with Lindsey?"

Matt realized. "Its their version of a penalty box."

"Great. So... how we supposed to get there?"

"Ever taken the Camaro?" Gunn tossed the keys to Angel.

"We should take the Viper", Faith said with a naughty smirk.

"No!"

They stopped walking as they approached the classic Camaro painted shiny cobalt blue.

Angel was in the driver's seat, but he was not steering. The car was driving itself.

Angel commented. "This is weirding me out. Is this weirding you out?"

Spike stuck his head between the front seats. "What, you never heard of Knight Rider?"

Faith added. "David Hasselhoff."

The two high-fived as Spike said. "Now there's a lass of culture."

Gunn said. "Car's built to get us there. Once we have Lindsey, it's on us to find the Wrath."

Spike commented. "The Wrath?! You know that's gonna be a giggle."

Gunn told them. "Whatever it is, we got to go through it to get out."

Angel noted. "I've never seen these streets before."

Gunn explained. "Where we going- not in the Thomas Guide."

Spike sighed, resigned. "There's gonna be fire."

Matt mentioned. "And I'm not fireproof anymore." He heard something. "A Dimensional rift is opening up."

The Camaro headed through the dark night into a tunnel carved into a hillside.

"This must be it", Faith realized.

When the Camaro emerged from the other end of the tunnel, it was a beautiful, sunny day with clear blue skies.

They looked out the window to find themselves in Lindsey's suburban neighborhood.

Spike quipped. "This isn't hell. It's the 'burbs. Close enough."

"Yeah, looks nice and cozy", Faith agreed.

Angel wondered. "This is Lindsey's punishment? For trying to kill me? Hunh! Maybe it's a reward."

Matt smelt faint traces of blood coming from ahead. "Don't be too sure, not everything is at it seems. Just look at me."

Stick asked Illyria. "So, you used to travel Dimensions?"

"I traveled all of them as I pleased. I walked worlds of smoke and half-truths, intangible", she turned away. "Worlds of torment and of unnamable beauty." She looked into the mirror. "Opaline towers as high as small moons. Glaciers that rippled with insensate lust. Worlds ruled by beings that made me and my kind quiver in fear. And one world with nothing but shrimp. I tired of that one quickly."

Stick commented. "Hmmm, interesting long life."

Illyria then started gasping for air. She breathed hard. "It's too small. It's too small. I can't breathe." She paced, panicked, in a circle. "I can't live with these walls. I can't breathe. There's no room for anything real. I can't share."

Stick assured. "It's all right."

Illyria glared at Stick. "If you were alive, I should gut you where you stand. You challenged me. There's not enough space to open my jaws. My face is not my face. I don't know what it will say. My mind tries to share with another." She panted again.

Stick requested. "Illyria... don't try, do it."

She turned back into Fred, who panted and almost fell over as Stick caught her. "She really is trying to take over, its too hard for her to be congested."

"Let's do something about it", Stick smirked.

The blue Camaro drove down the street, stopping in front of Lindsey's house. Spike looked out the car window at the sunny front lawn between the car and Lindsey's front door. "Oh, so we just open with being on fire. That's great."

Angel agreed. "Yeah. We can put our coats over our heads and make a run for it."

Gunn opened the car door, and the Vampires reacted instantly, recoiling with fright, putting their hands to their faces trying to shield themselves from the sunlight pouring in through Gunn's open car door.

"Aah!"

The Vampires realized they aren't on fire after all, and Gunn gave them a matter-of-fact look. "Alternate dimension, remember? Sun's the non-frying variety."

Spike tried to save face. "I figured that."

Angel too. "Oh, right."

Matt and Faith snickered before the latter said. "Let's go."

They walked out of the car as Angel told the plan. "Grab Lindsey and we get out."

Gunn added. "Kill everything in our way."

Spike commented. "What's going to be in our way, the family mutt?"

"I think it will be worse", Matt said.

Gunn rang the doorbell. "Odds are there's something ugly behind that door."

A beautiful woman, Lindsey's wife, opened the door with a smile. "Can I help you?"

Angel straightened up, surprised, looked at Spike, Faith and Matt, then back at the woman, stammering. "Uh, is Lindsey home?"

The wife nodded with a smile. "Sure. Come on in."

Matt whispered to the rest. "She is not a human, she is a construct to guard this Dimension."

Matt, Faith, Angel, Spike and Gunn followed the wife into the house.

"Honey?" She told the group. "There's coffee."

Angel assured. "No. We're fine. Thanks." Gunn closed the door behind them.

Lindsey came down the steps. "Zach's hockey stick's gone missing." He noticed the new people. "Oh. I didn't realize we had company."

"I'll do search and rescue", the wife walked off.

"OK", Lindsey turned to the group. "How can I help you guys?"

Spike told him. "Cut the act, Ward. June's gone."

"'scuse me?"

Angel inquired. "You don't know who we are?"

Lindsey shook his head. "No. Do you play in the league?"

"He's telling the truth, he doesn't know us", Matt confirmed to them.

Angel made introductions. "I'm Angel. This is Spike, Faith, Matt and Gunn."

Gunn added. "You might want to have a seat."

Lindsey smiled. "OK." He gestured to seats for the gang. "Please. Is this about the free vacation I entered to win?" He clapped his hands once gleefully, sitting on the couch.

Gunn then asked. "Does the name Wolfram & Hart mean anything to you? It's a law firm. You used to work there."

Lindsey asked. "All right, Gunn, is it? Yeah. Now, the only lawyer I know is the one who fixes my speeding tickets." He chuckled.

"More likeable than the real one", Faith whispered to Matt.

"Well, that guy, he's not real", Angel sat down. "None of this is. You're under some spell."

"What?"

Spike said. "Nuts and bolts, you're in hell. We've come to break you out."

Lindsey thought it was a joke. "All right. Who put you up to this? Was it Fisher?"

Gunn told him. "There's no joke. You're in a mystical holding cell, an alternate reality."

Lindsey was surprised. "So Trish is not my wife and Zach's not my son?"

Spike quipped. "Now he's gettin' it."

Faith inquired. "Ever heard of the Wrath?"

Lindsey sat back, smiling. "Seriously, is Fisher outside?" He stood, looking out the window laughing.

Angel tried to tell him. "Lindsey, this whole life is a lie."

Lindsey turned to face Angel, no longer laughing. "All right. This is starting to get a little less funny. I think you guys should leave."

Faith asked. "Maybe if I hit him over the head, the memories will come back."

"Pretty sure that's not how it works, honey." Matt told her, and she pouted.

Eve was agitated and pacing while Cordelia, Lorne and Harmony kept her company in Angel's office, with Lorne shielding baby Connor from her gaze.

"What is taking so long? They should be back by now."

Harmony told her. "It's really hard to get a firm E.T.A. on alternate dimension travel. I've tried."

Eve said. "I just want him back, and I don't want to die."

Lorne told her. "Oh, calm down, chicken little. Nobody can lay a finger on you without Angel's permission."

Harmony added. "Yeah. I got strict instructions. No torture. You're totally safe."

"You don't get it. So stupid legal order isn't going to matter. The Senior Partners-"

"Do you ever stop whining?" Cordelia asked just as Lilah came in.

"Hey, who let this bitch back in?!" Lilah asked as Lorne covered Connor's ears.

"We've a baby here!" Lorne told her.

"That's what I said", Cordelia commented when Lilah grabbed Eve by the hair and slammed her head on the table, making her scream.

"Remember what I told you last time?" Lilah reminded.

"Lilah, stop, we have orders to not harm her, there's some info we need, Angel, Matt, Faith, Gunn and Spike have gone on to get her boy toy", Cordelia quickly stopped Lilah before she could pound Eve further, though Cordelia would have loved to join herself.

"Pity", Lilah scoffed as she pushed Eve off, and Eve rubbed her face, gasping in pain.

Lorne told Eve. "Lilah didn't know. But worry not, nobody can darken our bulletproof doors, not without our fearless leader's say-so. Thanks to the efforts of a lovable ex-champion and ex-ruler, this place is a fortress."

The security alarm started ringing.

"Uh-oh", Harmony muttered.

"You were saying?" Lilah asked Lorne.

Lorne nervously told Eve. "This thing coming after you, how bad on a scale of, say, one to Terminator?" The alarm continued ringing.

The same man who busted into Eve's apartment walked off the elevator into the lobby area. He was looking around, walking forward with determination.

Eve was crying. "Oh, god. He's here."

Harmony smirked with arms crossed. "That's the guy? He's just a suit."

A guard rushed forwards, pulling out a gun. "Hey, you, stop! Put your hands up!"

The security guard made a final grunt as the man punched him so hard through the stomach that the man's hand came out of the guard's back, covered in blood.

The guard fell to the ground.

Cordelia, Eve, Lorne, and Harmony screamed in terror as they watch through the window in Angel's office while Connor cried.

"Shut the hell up!" Lilah snapped.

Matt sensed something from Lindsey's necklace and getting up, ripped it off as Lindsey fell to the floor in a heap.

"It was this", Matt held it up before throwing it down as Lindsey came to and saw Angel with a dagger on his belt.

Lindsey begged. "Angel. Make it quick."

"If I was gonna kill you, it wouldn't be quick", Angel rolled his eyes, pulling Lindsey to his feet by his collar.

Lindsey's "wife" appeared as Matt sensed the machine gun materializing.

He grabbed Faith. "DUCK!"

They all hid behind the couches, with Angel pulling Lindsey down as she started firing.

Matt then snuck up and picked an ornament from the cupboard before hurling it as it hit the "wife", knocking her out.

"The car! Let's go!" Angel said when Matt sensed something.

"It's gone, the car is gone!" He said, shocking them all.

"Oh boy", Faith muttered. They got up as the kid came down but Faith knocked him out before he could take the gun out.

Gunn told them all. "We've got to find the Wrath. Where's the Wrath?"

Spike asked. "Where's not the Wrath? The Wrath's all over!"

Angel urged. "Lindsey, think. Do you know where it is?"

"I don't know. I don't know!"

Gunn noted. "There's a door by the kitchen. Might be a way out, through the cellar."

"Yeah, let's go", Matt agreed.

Lindsey was scared now. "No! We can't go down there, not the cellar!"

"Cellar it is, then", Spike noted.

Gunn realized. "Guessin' we found the Wrath."

Lindsey begged. "No! Please, don't!"

"If you want to get out of here, let's go", Faith said as they headed for the cellar door, going through and down the steps into the cellar.

Lindsey was afraid. "We're all gonna die."

Angel assured. "Not today."

Lindsey countered. "Every day."

They continued their descent.

The man in the suit pursuing Eve entered Angel's office through the double-doors and looked around.

Cordelia, Lilah, Eve and Lorne were standing together, with Connor in Lorne's arms.

Eve backed away and begged. "Don't let me die."

"Tempted to", Cordelia shrugged.

"Yeah, if not for orders I'd kill you myself", Lilah said.

Harmony jumped out from behind the door, grabbing the man around his throat. She groaned as she tried to break his neck, but wasn't strong enough.

The man seemed more annoyed than hurt by her attack.

"Run already!" Harmony urged.

Cordelia, Lilah, Eve and Lorne headed to the private elevator.

The man frowned and grabbed Harmony's arm, flinging her across the room where she crashed into Angel's desk and fell to the floor. The man started walking toward the four again.

Then Groo tackled the man down and started pounding his face.

"I think Connor needs a new diaper," Lorne looked down and realized. "No, actually, I need one."

"Thanks muscle", Lilah commented as she closed the door and the elevator went down.

The man threw Groo away out of the room before standing up, completely unhurt.

The gang had descended the stairs into the cellar, and everyone was having a look around. It looked like a torture dungeon, and it lit by candles.

"Holy!" Spike said.

Matt told him. "Nothing holy here."

"Hearts, so many hearts", Matt realized as he sensed them nearby, and all were the same kind.

"Mine. All of them", Lindsey revealed as they were all horrified.

Angel said. "Try to find the door, some way out."

"Why ain't Adam coming?" Spike asked Matt.

"He is still recovering from the fight with Mephisto, so first we'll look for some other way", Matt explained.

They looked around as Spike paused to look at chains and manacles on a post. "Somebody has fun with these."

"A bit too much from the looks of it", Faith muttered.

Angel opened a creaking door. "Guys." There was a huge flaming furnace behind the door.

Spike asked. "The Wrath?" He walked toward Angel.

"Could be."

Matt sensed something. "Something's coming."

"He's coming!" Lindsey ranted. "He knows. He always knows."

"Who?" Spike asked.

Angel noticed a Demon with rattling chains approaching. "Him. Gunn, guard Lindsey!"

"Urrggh, S&M Demon", Faith muttered with a cringe.

Gunn pushed Lindsey out of the way as Spike took Vamp face and attacked with an ax before being thrown off. Angel attacked too but was knocked away.

Matt attacked with an arm-blade but it grabbed his hand and tossed him away as Faith kicked its gut and tried to kick again but it grabbed her foot and threw her down.

Then Spike swung on a chain to kick it but his legs were grabbed and he got thrown off. The Demon beat him as Angel attacked but was disarmed and thrown down.

Then Spike hit him a few times before being thrown off as Angel hit him with a mace but was thrown off again, only for Faith to pick the mace and bash its face twice while Matt spin kicked it twice, then with a flip, kicked its chin, staggering it.

It was strong, but slow.

As it tried to attack Matt, Matt got behind it and kicked it towards Faith who bashed its face with the mace again, and then Angel brandished his dagger, using it to slice its face twice while Spike grabbed it in a chokehold.

It struggled as Angel grabbed him too, and Matt as well. Using the opportunity, Faith bashed its face with the mace multiple times, weakening it with each blow.

The three let go as it staggered around, and with a roar, Faith bashed its face again, sending it to the floor, knocked out.

Gunn then put Lindsey's necklace on as Angel saw and asked. "Gunn, no! What the hell are you doing?"

Gunn replied. "What needs to be done."

Angel said. "I'm not leaving you here."

Gunn told him. "You don't make the rules here. Wolfram & Hart does. If one leaves, one has to stay. A void is impossible." The gate in front of the fire opened.

Angel realized. "You knew."

Gunn reminded. "That thing about atonement."

"No, Gunn, don't!" Matt snapped. "Fred is alive, she will forgive you, don't do this!"

"Someone has to wear the talisman", Faith noted, then an imaginary lightbulb went off in her head. "It can be anyone."

"Who though?" Spike wondered, before they all turned to the knocked out Demon torturer.

A while later, the Demon torturer lay on the table, trying to cut its heart out, the necklace around it.

"No more than you deserve", Lindsey snarled at it as Angel, Spike, Faith and Matt then led Lindsey into the fire, the gate then closing.

Cordelia, Lorne, Lilah and Eve arrived in the garage with baby Connor in Lorne's arms as Cordelia took the keys to the Viper. "I'm sure Angel wouldn't mind."

She opened the car and got on the driver's seat, Lilah next to her and Lorne and Eve behind, as Lilah took Connor from Lorne, and Cordelia started the car.

A bright light appeared above them as a portal opened up, dropping Lindsey, Faith, Matt, Gunn, Spike and Angel onto the car. Cordelia screeched to a halt.

"What the daisy?!" She and Lilah out of the car, followed by Lorne.

Spike got to his feet in a panic. "I'm on fire!" He realized he was not on fire. "Oh, never mind."

Eve jumped out of the car. "Lindsey!" She hugged him. "What did they do to you?"

"Ease up lovebirds", Lilah scoffed as Lindsey glared at her.

"Lilah."

"Lindsey."

Angel shrugged. "He'll be fine."

Spike added. "Whereas we got almost shot and almost killed by a juiced-up S&M demon. Thanks for asking."

"Until I bashed its face in", Faith quipped.

"And then it delivered punishment to itself", Gunn finished.

Angel sighed. "Let's get upstairs." Angel and Spike flanked Lindsey, each supporting one of his shoulders as they carried him toward the elevator.

Eve added. "Be careful. He's hurt."

Lorne started. "Uh, Angel, you should know there's a very tall, well-dressed, uh-"

"There's a man after Eve", Cordelia finished.

There was a thumping on the stairwell door.

"Oh, god!"

"I guess he's here", Matt said as the man pursuing Eve punched the door off its hinges, sending it flying into the garage. When the dust settled, the man walked out into the garage and approached them all.

Angel stared at the man. "Damn... he is well-dressed."

Eve backed away. "Please, don't do this."

Angel walked toward the man, inadvertently letting go of Lindsey as Matt supported him. "Eve's under my protection. You can't touch her."

The man stood his ground, and reached into his vest pocket to pull out a pen. "Whoa. Didn't see that coming."

He turned to Eve. "You know how it works, Eve."

Eve begged. "You could talk to the Senior Partners. Tell them it's a mistake."

"That's impossible", he reached into his other vest pocket.

Angel snarled. "I said back off."

"Wait", Matt told Angel as the man pulled out a contract from his vest pocket, and unfolded it for Eve.

"Don't bother, Angel. It's over."

The man handed Eve the pen, pointing to the contract. "Sign here." She signed. "Good girl."

Angel looked around. "What the hell's going on?"

"Oh, sorry for the intrusion. I'm Marcus Hamilton, your new liaison to the Senior Partners."

"And that I didn't see coming", Lilah muttered, glaring at Hamilton, noting the Partners now gave this position to him.

They really didn't care about her, unlike certain people who cared about her in spite of not having any reason to, Lilah thought as she glanced at the whole Team Angel that was present here.

They should hate her, but they didn't, proven by the fact that they were not bothered by her having baby Connor in her arms.

The Partners, on the other hand, didn't care about her in spite of all that she had done for the firm.

In that moment, Lilah made her choice, knowing fully well whose side she stood on in the coming conflict.

"And here", Hamilton pointed to the contract as Eve signed.

Angel asked. "You're what?"

"Along with her immortality and certain other privileges, Eve has signed over her duties to me", Hamilton flipped to the back page. "Oh, and initial there." He pointed as Eve signed.

Angel was shocked. "This is about a contract? I thought you said you were gonna die."

"Clearly, she lied", Gunn muttered.

Eve said. "And now one day I will die."

"Right, lie by omission", Matt scoffed.

"You are such a…" Faith trailed off at Eve angrily.

"No kidding, leading us on a goose chase for no reason", Cordelia scoffed, glaring at Eve too.

Hamilton told the group. "The Senior Partners felt it was time for a change. Eve was too easily distracted. Lost sight of the big picture."

Eve told him. "I fell in love."

"Yes. Congratulations", Eve walked away. "Wonderful escape, by the way. Very clever. We'll be in touch. Oh, I have some excellent ideas I can't wait to share."

Angel got up in Hamilton's face. "This is my house. The only ideas that matter are mine."

Hamilton smiled, chipper. "Absolutely. That's the policy. The Senior Partners are behind you 100%."

"I doubt that."

"I'm looking forward to working myself into the mix. Angel, Spike, Faith, Matt, Gunn, Cordelia, Lilah, Lorne..." he opened his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Welcome to the team."

He walked away.

Lorne gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, he's not so bad."

"Step up from Eve for sure", Faith agreed.

"Charles", Lilah called out as Gunn turned to her. Her next words surprised him. "Sorry for shooting you."

Gunn sighed, not believing she'd apologized, but he felt it was genuine, and told her. "It's all right, I deserved it."

Fred was in her own mindscape, which had taken the form of the apartment, Stick next to her.

"Come on, this is your place, we need to get to the border", Stick told her.

"Let's go", Fred said as they walked, reaching a place that looked dark but glorious and beautiful at the same time.

Illyria's temple!

There was a line separating Fred's house from that, and Illyria stood on her own side, looking at them.

"Oh, hey Old One, having fun inside here?" Stick asked.

"I feel trapped in here, trying to share", Illyria said, then looked at Fred. "You are Winnifred Burkle, the one with whom I must share."

"Hi, you must be Illyria", Fred said with an awkward wave as both now stood at the exact border, not stepping forth from there.

"You are so soft, and weak", Illyria said as she tilted her head. "Vermin, like the rest of them. Killed as I took over you, then the Sorcerer Supreme brought you back and made us share."

"Not idle, I know, but what can you do?" Fred sighed, then said something which surprised both Stick and Illyria. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Illyria asked her.

"You're just as much a victim as I am", Fred told Illyria, actually feeling sad for her. "Knox and Sparrow, they killed me against my will, but they also brought you back into a world that has long moved on from your time, without wondering how you would feel about it. And now you're lost, alone, trying to find your way. I get that, it has happened to me too."

Illyria did not respond for a few seconds, the words of kindness seeming to get through to her.

"This kindness…..pity…..save it, I have no use for it!" Illyria said, regaining her pride.

"Look, we have to exist together, best you just accept that", Fred told Illyria. "I really don't hate you. Knox and Sparrow, yes, but you, no. But if you hurt my friends, you're not going to like what follows."

Illyria realized Fred had a fire within her too. "Most people would not speak this way to me."

"I am not most people", Fred replied.

Stick chuckled at the display. "Wish I had popcorn."

Wesley was sitting in front of Cyvus Vail. "So as you can see, Mr. Vail, this was an unintended consequence of a Hell-Lord and his heir battling, we shall compensate you."

"I accept", Vail assured, knowing he couldn't exactly do anything to Mephisto or Matt either. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce."

Wesley nodded and getting up, walked off.

At Angel's penthouse, Lorne dabbed at Groo's wounds with a handkerchief. Lindsey and Eve sat together as Angel, Spike, Matt, Cordelia, Faith and Lilah arrived, Gunn having gone off for a bit, taking baby Connor with him.

Lindsey quipped. "Oh, look. It's the hero of the hour."

Angel snarled. "I'm not your hero. I'm your warden."

Lindsey shrugged. "It's all how you look at the glass."

Angel sighed. "I thought a few months of torture at the hands of the Senior Partners a second time would have dug a little deeper."

Lindsey told him. "Just scratched the surface. Turns out they can only undo you as far as you think you deserve to be undone."

Angel told him. "The Senior Partners want to know everything you know about them. About the apocalypse, about their plans for me."

Spike walked forth. "And for me. The guy with the pen said, "welcome to the team." Must've meant something."

"Well, maybe he was trying to be fake-friendly", Faith shrugged.

"Yeah, he gives me the heeby-jeebies, still better than you though", Cordelia told Eve.

Lindsey gave a speech. "You know what I know. Look around. The world's a cesspool... full of selfish and greedy beasts. We live, we die. Even you, babe."

Eve was hurt. "Lindsey, don't."

Lindsey asked. "You still happy to see me?"

"You have a selfish and greedy beast right here", Lilah told Lindsey who looked at her.

"Right, you, sorry, don't recognize you anymore", Lindsey told Lilah who gave him a glare.

Angel reminded. "Yeah, hell's on earth. Holland Manners tried to sell me that line a long time ago."

Lindsey asked. "Did you ever prove him wrong?"

"All how you look at the glass. You know, Lindsey, we can philosophize all night. Hell..." Angel chuckled. "We could do it forever, huh? I don't need to eat, sleep, drink." He sat. "How about you?"

Lindsey grinned. "That's what I like to see... the Angel of yore. Takes no prisoners, suffers no fools. How 'bout this? It's here. It's been here all along. Underneath. You're just too damn stupid to see it."

Angel leaned forward. "See what?"

Lindsey revealed. "An apocalypse, man. Of the Senior Partners' own making. You're soaking in it."

"The one I mentioned", Lilah reminded.

"I remember, thank you Lilah", Angel said, again surprising Lilah.

"You're welcome", she muttered.

Spike shrugged. "I've seen an apocalypse or two in my time. I'd know one was under my nose."

Lindsey told him. "Not a normal apocalypse. The Partners' apocalypse. What'd you think, a gong was gonna sound? Time to jump on your horses and fight the big fight? Starting pistol went off a long time ago, boys. You're playing for the bad guys. Every day you sit behind your desk and you learn a little more how to accept the world the way it is. Well, here's the rub... heroes don't do that. Heroes don't accept the world the way it is. They fight it."

"Hmmmm, so you think this lot will fight it", Lilah muttered.

"Well, we're the only ones who can", Matt pointed out to her.

Angel sat back. "You're saying everything we do... it's a distraction... to keep us busy from looking under the surface."

Lindsey snapped his fingers. "Ding! We have a winner! The world keeps sliding towards entropy and degradation, and what do you do? You sit in your big chair, and you sign your checks, just like the Senior Partners planned. The war's here, Angel. Is your team ready for it?"

Gunn was cooing at baby Connor. "Hey little man, its been a day, but you're always smiling, ain't ya?"

Connor laughed when Gunn heard a knock at the door and looked up, his eyes widening to see Fred there finally, ghost Stick behind her.

"She was talking it out with her roommate", Stick said before disappearing.

"Fred….." Gunn trailed off, putting Connor on the table and standing up, tears in his eyes as he walked to her.

"Charles", Fred muttered as Gunn walked closer.

"Fred….." Gunn touched her face, assuring himself she was there. "Fred…"

He fell to his knees and hugged her waist, sobbing. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…."

Fred had tears in her own eyes as she hugged his head, allowing him to weep. "It's all right, it wasn't your fault."

"I'm sorry….."

"It wasn't your fault."

Finally did it. Thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for his help again.

Hope I did fine with the Fred/Illyria and Fred/Gunn scenes.

I really enjoyed writing Lilah actually coming to the light over the course of this story, hope her growth into a genuinely decent (but still cruel when needed) person was a natural one, and not forced or rushed or anything.

Lindsey returns.

Now there won't be any 5x18, that episode is pretty much wiped out, which is why I gave Wesley an excuse to visit Vail for a legal reason, hence Vail already appearing.

Now 5x19-5x22, 4 more to go. Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.