Buffy and Connor walked into the lobby from the elevators. Harmony waved at them, welcoming them back, and told them that everyone was in the office. The door was open and they walked in to find Angel sitting on the edge of the desk talking to Fred, Gunn, Wesley, and Lorne.

"There's nothing more to discuss. I'm resigning." Angel said.

"Gee, it seems like a ripe topic for discussion to me." Lorne said.

"What happened last night was tragic." Wesley insisted. "It's a terrible setback, but…."

"Setback, Wes?" Angel scoffed. "It's status quo." Clearly no one had realized that Buffy and Connor had walked in. They exchanged confused glances. "Evil wins, cause instead of just wiping it out, we negotiate with it. Or worse…. For it."

"Angel, we're doing the best we can." Fred said.

"It's not that you guys aren't doing your jobs. It's that we shouldn't be doing these jobs in the first place…. or I shouldn't. And clearly Buffy doesn't want to because she's…."

"She's what?" Buffy asked, making everyone in the room jump.

"You're back!"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Our conversation before you left, I thought…. Well, I thought you were done with this place. And you sounded really happy while you were over there."
"It was great to see my friends again and to help with my Slayers, yeah, but I signed a couple of legally binding contracts and I was always planning to come back."

"Clearly Buffy has thought about what would happen to us if we tried to say bye-bye." Gunn said. Buffy nodded her agreement.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"The ramifications. You think the Senior Partners are just gonna let us breeze on out the front door?"

"You're saying we're trapped here?" Fred asked.

"I'm saying we knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this gig. Let's not start pretending that this was some lease with an option to buy."

"Gunn, you really think they won't let us out?" Angel asked. "Or is it that you just don't want to leave?"

"Ok. Maybe I don't. It's cause I believe in what we're doing. We made the right call."

"And I'm sure that legal brain upgrade they gave you has got nothing to do with…."

"We all got something out of this."

"He's right, Angel. I had some time to think about everything while Connor and I were helping in England." Buffy said. "We're meant to be here. We're doing real good. It may not be the old smash and crash way we're used to, but I don't regret my decision to come here with you."

Before anyone could say anything, the desk phone rang. Angel sighed and picked up the phone. "Yeah. It's Angel. What?"

Buffy moved to Angel's side suddenly, sensing the change in his demeanor. "What is it?"

"It's Cordelia."

Buffy paced in the office while Connor sat on the couch watching her. The two of them had opted out of joining Angel and Wesley in going to the hospital. They hadn't known if they should or not. Angel had insisted that it would be fine, but neither of them could bring themselves to go.

This was the real Cordelia. The thing that had possessed her was long dead. This was the Cordelia that Angel had had feelings for. They had almost started a relationship. She had no idea how Cordelia would react to her and Angel being together again, let alone married. Connor was nervous about seeing Cordelia again. He didn't know if she remembered everything that had happened. What if she did? How would she react to him?

Lorne, Gunn, and Fred were waiting in the joined conference room. The nervous energy coming off Buffy and Connor was making them edgy. Fred finally walked over and grabbed Buffy's arms.

"Please stop!" She cried.

"I'm sorry." Buffy sighed. "I'm just…."

"Nervous. I know."

"They almost had a relationship, Fred. He cares for her so much. And you didn't know her back in high school, but she's always been competitive with me. Distance between us made it easier, but now…. And after…."

Fred gave Buffy a reassuring smile. "Angel loves you, Buffy. I promise you that she will be happy for you guys."

"It's true." Lorne said, walking over with Gunn. "I can read the big guy like a book these days and he doesn't even need to sing out loud. His soul is singing loud and proud and it's only crooning your name, strudel."

"Lorne!" Cordelia's voice came from the doorway of the office.

Lorne turned around and smiled at Cordelia. "Are you huggable?"

"It is so good to see…. Oh, my God. Gunn? You have hair."

"Oh…. Ha! Yeah." Gunn said, rubbing his head slightly. "What did you think? I was prematurely bald?" Cordelia didn't say anything. "I wasn't." He hugged her tightly.

Angel walked over and wrapped his arm around Buffy's waist, kissing the side of her head.
"Oh! Hey, Fred." Cordelia said.

"Hi, Cordy." Fred hugged her friend tightly.

Cordelia turned and looked in surprise at Buffy standing there with Angel's arm around her and Connor standing next to them. "Buffy?"

"Hi." Buffy said.

"Uh…. What are you doing here? And wrapped around Angel?"

"You didn't tell her?" Connor asked.

"Uh, no." Angel looked at his wife and son sheepishly. "We didn't get a chance to."

"Buffy's co-CEO with Angel." Wesley explained.

"And they're together again." Cordelia filled in.

"Married, actually." Gunn said.

"I'm sorry, what?"
Suddenly an ear-piercing shriek worthy of a tweeny bopper cut through the room. "Oh, my God!" Harmony ran up to Cordelia and hugged her tightly. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Likewise." Cordelia said, disengaging herself from Harmony. "Especially since the last time I saw you, you tried to kill me."

"Um, Harmony, she's…. Actually, she…." Angel stuttered.

"She's our secretary." Buffy said.

"Oh. Well, things just keep getting better and better." Cordelia said, eying Buffy slightly.

"I know. You and me together again!" Harmony squealed. "So, how was the coma?"

"Harmony, I think Cordy's had enough excitement for the day." Buffy said. "Why doesn't everybody get back to work?"

"Great to see you." Gunn said as he walked out.

Fred followed him out with a little wave. "Bye."

"We'll talk later." Harmony said before she walked out.

"Hey, listen, crumbcake," Lorne said from the doorway. "When you're ready to splash back into that acting pool, just say the word. I'll have you lunching with Colin Farrell like that."

"Who's Colin Farrell?" Cordelia asked.

"An actor." Buffy filled in. "Irish and hot." Angel cleared his throat and Buffy rolled her eyes. "Not as hot as you are."

"How are you two married? Or go further back, how are you even together?"

"You remember what happened with Angelus?" Angel asked.

Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. Buffy came and helped out. And Willow was there, too, right?"

"Right." Buffy said.

"Well, Willow changed the restoration spell." Angel said. "My soul…. It's permanent."

"Oh." Buffy didn't miss the slightly disappointed look on Cordelia's face, but she covered it quickly and smiled. "So, you two just skipped a relationship and went straight to marriage?"

"That's a long story." Buffy said. "We didn't intend to get married, it just…."

"Happened." Angel said.

"And we just kind of…."

"Went with it."

"Uh huh…." Cordelia said, looking between them uncertainly.

"Cordy, I know there's a lot to take in…. A lot of changes," Angel said. "But I promise you…. Things are working out. Not just with my personal life, but here, too."

"Really?" Cordelia and Buffy said at the same time.

"Well, yeah." He looked between them and realized he and Buffy hadn't finished the conversation they'd started before the call about Cordelia came. He sighed and said, "With these resources, there's nothing we can't do, no one we can't save."

"Except maybe yourself."

"What?"

"I had a vision from the you-know-what that be. That's what woke me up. And you know something? When higher powers send you coma visions, you'd better pay attention."

"What did you see?"

"You. In trouble. Also, these weird symbols. Glyphs, I guess. On a wall…. and on flesh. A tattoo, and…. There's a woman behind you."

"You saw a woman in your vision?"

"No, lunkhead, right now."

Buffy rolled her eyes, knowing exactly who it was there. "You weren't home upstairs." Eve said as they turned around. "Didn't think you'd mind me using your private elevator."

"Eve, I mind you breathing." Buffy growled. "Get out."

"Yeah, sure. Except I'm here to convey the Partners concern. A little issue of Angel letting a client skip out of our dimension. Dead nuns we can deal with, but the firm's out 10 million in bail costs. I ask you, is that any way to run a business? Who's your friend, Angel?"

"I'm Cordelia Chase." Cordy said.
"Oh. My name is…."

"I didn't ask."
"Right. Cordelia Chase. Oh, yeah. Angel's mentioned you only a couple of times, I think."

"Didn't we tell security not to let you in this building?" Buffy asked.

"Sweetie, I'm liaison to the Senior Partners. You honestly think you have any control over my comings and goings?"

"I do actually." Buffy took a threatening step forward. "You keep trying to seduce my husband and since he keeps turning you down, you tried to kill him. I'm pretty sure that gives me plenty of control over forcefully removing you from this building by your stringy hair. Whether your head is attached to your body while I'm doing it is up for debate."

Eve hadn't seen Buffy this hostile and knew the woman had the power to really do some damage to her. She rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. "We'll talk business later."
Buffy followed her to the doorway. "Harmony, I want security keeping tabs on that vapid hussy while she's in the building."

"Got it, bossy!" Harmony grinned at Buffy. "Do you want me to take care of her if she makes one more wrong move?"

"You can have her brought to me. I don't care if you do damage to her in between."

"You're the best!"

Buffy turned and saw Cordelia looking appalled at the interaction she just witnessed. "She tried to kill Angel? Is that the kind of person you guys do business with now?" Cordelia asked. "Do you realize what's happening? You've made a deal with the devil."

"Oh, come on, Cordy." Angel said. "You're being a little overdramatic. It's not that, uh…."

A red-skinned demon with black hair, horns, and a goatee walked up to Angel. "I gotta go. Everything's in place. They'll draw up the paperwork."

Angel shook the demon's hand. "Good. Great."

"Racquetball Thursday?"

"Ok, then."

"Who was that?" Buffy asked.

"Uh, Izzy."

"What paperwork?"
"I'll tell you about it later." Buffy lifted her eyebrow at him. "It was while you were gone."

"Since when do you play racquetball?"

"I'm learning."

"Look, Connor and I need to get unpacked. We'll take Cordy upstairs and get her settled. Catch her up on…. Everything. You finish and come join us later."

"You sure? You were kind of nervous…."

"Yeah. I'm sure." Buffy reached up and kissed her husband lightly. She started to walk away, but he grabbed her hand.

"Hey…. I love you."

Buffy smiled. "I love you, too." She kissed him gently again and walked back into the office. Connor was standing by the elevator ready to bolt. "Cordy, would you like to go upstairs and see our apartment?"

"Uh…." Cordelia looked at Angel uncertainly for a moment.

"My closet is full of designer everything."

Cordy grinned and moved to follow Buffy. "Say no more!"

Buffy stepped out of her bedroom in jeans, socks, and a red tank top. She was pulling her long, blonde hair up into a high ponytail. Cordelia was sitting on the couch looking out the window at the view. Connor had retreated to his room. Buffy could hear him playing video games.

"He's turned into a typical teenager." Buffy said.

"I've noticed." Cordelia said. She sighed and looked at the door. "He hasn't said two words to me."
"He's scared to talk to you. After everything that happened to him, I can't blame him."

"It wasn't me."

"I know it wasn't." Buffy sat down. "I've had the most practice at telling when someone's evil or not."

"Right. You were the one that knew about me not being me."

"He knows it wasn't you, too."

Cordelia nodded and looked around the living room for a minute before settling on Buffy. "Um…. So, I guess by your nervousness that you know about me and Angel."

"Yeah."

"He and I…. We didn't…."

"I know."

"Can I talk?"

"Sorry."

"Look, he and I…. We never got started, so it's not fair of me to feel jealous. And I've always known that if his soul ever became permanent…. It wouldn't be me that he ran to. He's always loved you more than life itself. I never stood a chance." Cordelia smiled slightly. "He actually looks happier than I've ever seen him. I swear I've seen him smile more in the last few hours than I have since I've known him." Buffy laughed slightly, nodding her agreement. "Just because I have some pangs of jealousy, I don't want you two to feel so nervous around me, ok?"

"Ok."

"So, will you tell me about the wedding?"

"There wasn't one, actually. It was just getting the paperwork and signing it and a justice of the peace declaring us man and wife."

"How are you guys even legal? He doesn't exist!"

"I have no idea, honestly. Apparently, it happens more often than you'd think. I looked into it after Gunn mentioned that he had done it for a client of his. One of Wolfram and Hart's specialties is marriages like ours."

"Weird."

"Yes, it is."

"So, you two just decided to get hitched?"

"It was my fault." Connor said from his doorway. "I made them nervous because I told Buffy she and dad should just get married because wife is a stronger title than girlfriend. Eve was hitting on dad…. again. They were talking about the whole marriage thing when Lorne overheard them."

"Lorne had his sleep removed and apparently that's a big no-no for empath demons." Buffy said. "He told you to do something and you did it."
"Gunn peed all over the place to mark his territory." Connor sat down beside Buffy.

"That's gross. So, Lorne told you and Angel to get married?" Cordelia asked.

"Yeah." Buffy said. "It was weird. After everything had worn off, we decided to just leave it alone."

"Is that when you signed on to Evil Inc?"

"Oh, no. I signed on a couple of months before." Buffy sighed. "I guess we should start from your coma, huh?"

Angel found them a few hours later watching the tape of a promotional spot Cordelia and Doyle had made in the early days of Angel Investigations. The three of them were smiling and laughing. He watched them for a long moment before turning his attention to the video.

"If you need help, then look no further. Angel Investigations is the best. Our rats are low…."

"Rates." Cordelia corrected.

"It says rats. Our rates are low, but our standards are high. When the chips are down, and you're at the end of your rope, you need someone that you can count on, and that's what you'll find here, someone who will go all the way, who'll protect you no matter what. So don't lose hope."

Buffy spotted Angel standing there. "Hey."

He smiled at her. "Hey."

"Come join us." She scooted over to give him some room and he settled in next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We were just trading stories and catching up."

Angel looked at the TV. "Been a long while since I've seen that."

"The first soldier down." Cordelia said.

"Yeah."

"Doyle pissed me off so righteously going out like that, but he knew. He knew what he had to do. Didn't compromise. Used his last breath to make sure you'd keep fighting. I get that now."

"Cordy…." Angel sighed. "There are reasons we agreed to take over Wolfram & Hart, reasons you don't understand."

"Buffy and Connor filled me in on everything I've missed, so I've got the gist. I can't believe Sunnydale is completely gone."

"It was…. pretty crazy."

Buffy's phone started trilling from the bedroom and she excused herself to go answer it. Connor said he wanted to call Nina and let her know he was back, so he went to his room and closed the door. Angel turned to Cordelia and knew that look she was giving him.

"I'm worried about you, Angel." She said.

"Why?"

"This place! I know your reasons why you took it, but I still think you were seduced. And you brought Buffy and your son in on the seduction!"

"We're doing fine here. We've done some great work…."

"Don't give me that, 'everything's fine here' company line. I'm not buying it. Neither are you. And neither are the Powers That Be. Why do you think they woke me up? Gave me that vision? They know you slipped the track, and they want me to help put you back on it."

Angel sighed. "You're probably wrong about the Powers. They seem to have picked Spike as their new champion."

"Spike? Spike who?"

"Spike. He's got a soul now. And he saved the world. And now he's out there on the streets helping the helpless."

"Ok, Spike's a hero, and you're married and co-C.E.O. of Hell, Incorporated. What freakin' bizarro world did I wake up in?"

"I'm sorry."

"I naturally assumed you'd be lost without me, but this? I'm starting to think the celibate life was better for you. Now that you're finally getting some on a regular basis, you've forgotten who you are."
"That's not…." Angel shook his head. "Who do you think I am?"

"I don't know anymore! All I know is who you were. A guy who always fought his hardest for what was right, even when he couldn't remember why. Even when he was miserable, which was, let's face it, a not small portion of the time. He did right. And that gave him something. A light, a glimmer. That's the guy I fell in…." Cordelia stopped herself and glanced at the bedroom door. "That, um…. the guy I knew. I see him around here, then maybe I'll start believing."

"Let me know if you do. I'll probably run from him." Angel looked at the picture sitting on the side table and smiled. "He was miserable. I like who I am with her now."

Cordy glanced at the bedroom door again. "She really does make you happy."

"She really does. I honestly never believed I deserved happiness, but she's working very hard to change my mind."

"Do you ever wonder…." Cordy trailed off.

"What?"
"Do you ever think about if we'd met up that night and had a chance to…."

"Cordy…."

"Guess we missed our moment, huh?"

Buffy walked back in just then. "That was Willow. She wanted to make sure Connor and I made it back ok and she says welcome back, Cordy. What did I miss?"

"Cordy panicking that we've been seduced." Angel said with a grin.

"I'm not gonna lie…." Buffy sat down next to Angel. "The perks are pretty sweet. You saw my closet."

"I almost fainted." Cordy said.

"But we really are doing good work here. The resources we have at our disposal are like nothing we've ever had before. Sure, some of the demons are evil, but we're working on that, too. Not that long ago we actually negotiated a clan of Magneposet demon monks to stop their ritual sacrifices of teenage virgins. They started using goats, instead, but at least the sacrifices aren't to an active demon god that can come back and end the world. That particular demon was taken out by a Slayer in 1628."
"Oh." Cordelia said, wide eyed.

"I feel kind of bad for the goats, but I would rather goats be killed for nothing than teenagers."

"Right."

"Speaking of resources," Buffy turned to Angel. "Willow and Xander are interested in using ours for the new Watcher's Council. Remind me to speak with Gunn about that air tight contract for them. And I'll need Harmony to set up some conference calls between all of us to hash out those details."

"You're better at remembering these things than I am." Angel said.

"Well, two heads are better than one." Buffy smiled at him and he smiled back.

Angel sat on their bed watching Buffy wash her face. Her nightly ritual had quickly become one of his favorite things to watch her do. It was a sign of normalcy in their not-so-normal world and he cherished those moments with her. In those moments, he allowed the hope of becoming human with her one day to take over his thoughts.

She finally dabbed her face with a towel and turned off the light. He pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. "What was that for?" She asked with a laugh as he rolled them into bed.

"I missed you." Angel held her against him, his thumb stroking the curve of her hip.

"Mmm, I missed you, too." Buffy kissed him again, but gently pulled herself away.

"What's wrong?"

"As much as I've missed you and the direction you're steering us right now, I don't want to make Cordy any more uncomfortable than she already is."

"She's not…."

"Angel, I heard everything. I heard her almost admit she's in love with you. Enhanced hearing makes accidental eavesdropping easy." Buffy sighed. "Is she right, though?"

"About what?"

"About the fact that you're happy and that's made you lose sight of who you were?"

"She didn't say that."

"Don't play dumb."

Angel reached up and cupped her face gently. "She's dead wrong about that, Buffy. Fighting for what was right didn't give me that light she was talking about. You've always been my light. You're the reason I fight."

"Poetic."

"But true. From the moment I saw you sitting on your high school steps until the day I turn to dust…." He smirked. "Or the day I stop breathing." That made her smile from ear to ear. "You're the reason I fight. I love Cordelia, but I'm not in love with her. That's always been you and always will be you."

Buffy smiled and pulled him to her, kissing him deeply.

Angel and Buffy walked side by side down the hallway discussing one of the meetings she'd missed while in London. She was looking down at the file in her hands, allowing Angel to steer her. Suddenly he let her go and was gone from her side. She looked up to see Spike in vamp face and Cordelia holding her neck. Angel had charged Spike and knocked him to the ground.

Spike got up and started to engage Angel, but Buffy grabbed the back of his coat and stopped him. He whirled on her but stopped when he realized it was her. "Did you bite Cordy?!"

"She's evil!" Spike cried.

"Excuse me?" Cordy snapped. "Who bit whom? I thought he had a soul!"

"I thought she didn't."

"I do."

"So do I."

"Well, clearly, mine's better."

"Look…." Spike moved towards Cordelia, but Buffy still held his coat.

"And you called this guy the big hero?" Cordelia asked Angel.

"You called me a hero?" Spike asked.

"I didn't know you were eating people." Angel defended.

Spike looked at Buffy. "Would you let me go?"

"Stop attacking people." Buffy ordered.

"It was a taste test! I needed to know if what my source said is true." Spike looked at Cordy. "And, actually, well, you don't taste evil. Demons are more astringent with a sort of oakie, really…."

"What source?"

"I've got a guy. Has an in with the Powers that whatsit. Gets these visions."

"Visions?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. Said Cordelia was taken over by some big bad and she came out of her coma to destroy you all."

"The thing that possessed Cordy's long dead, Spike." Buffy said. "You knew that."

"No I didn't. You just told me it was handled and Cordelia was in a coma. My source said she was back and still evil. Looks like tattoo boy was wrong this time."

"Wait. Tattoos? What kind of tattoos?" Cordelia asked.

"I don't know. Symbols. Tribal-like."

"This guy with the visions, did he have a name?" Angel asked.

"Called himself Doyle."

Angel and Cordelia froze, staring incredulously at Spike. Buffy's ears perked up when she heard Eve nearby. "No, he didn't kill her. She's still alive. Now they're talking. A lot."

Buffy handed the file to Spike and walked down the hallway. Eve was just hanging up her cellphone. "Can we have a word with you, Eve?"

"Now's really not a good time." Eve tried to back away, but Buffy grabbed her hair.

"Now's when it's happening, though." She drug her through the hallway with Angel, Cordelia, and Spike following. Angel and Cordelia quizzed Spike on the fake Doyle as they went. Gunn, Lorne, Fred, and Wesley each stopped what they were doing as the procession passed them to join the angry group. They made it to the CEO's office where Connor was just stepping off the elevator and Buffy tossed Eve into a chair.

"We've got a problem, Eve." Angel said.

"Damn right, you do. When I tell the Partners you assaulted me…."

"A couple weeks ago, a man approached Spike. Told him that the powers that be have some missions for him. Spike, braintrust that he is, went along with it."

"Hey!" Spike protested.

"He's the one who told Spike to save me from the parasite. The parasite you put on me in the first place."

"Not this again." Eve started to stand, but Buffy was suddenly behind her, yanking her back down into the chair.

"Get out of that chair and I will feed you those Manolo Blahniks." Buffy growled. Connor stifled a grin at Buffy finally getting to enact some revenge on Eve.

"Seems to me like you and this guy are working together."

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." Eve said. "But you can't keep me here. I have to leave."

"But the thing that really, really pisses me off is that this guy seems to be going by the name of Doyle."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"It does to me." Cordelia said, getting in Eve's face. "It rings a big frickin gong and I wanna know who has the nerve to be using that name."

"I'm gonna give you one chance to tell me where he is." Angel said.

"Look, I don't know what…." Eve was interrupted when Harmony walked into the office.

"Excuse me, bosses?"

"Not now, Harmony." Buffy said.

"Ok, but do I get the afternoon off, too?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Everybody's gone. The whole building cleared out a few minutes ago."

Angel looked down at the liaison. "What's going on, Eve?"

"I'll check it out." Gunn offered heading out of the office. He wasn't gone long. "I checked the server. A message went out. Code 7, right before the building emptied."
"What's a code 7, Eve?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know." Eve insisted. Buffy stepped closer to her. "Seriously."

"Ok, this is getting us nowhere." Cordelia said. "Angel, torture her."

"What?" Angel asked.

"What?" Eve cried.

"You heard me." Cordelia said. "Building clearing out means we don't have a lot of time. Have at it."

"I can't just…. torture her." Angel said.

"He's right, Cordy." Fred agreed. "If we sink to their level…."

Harmony tackled Eve, knocking her into Buffy and Angel's desk. "Harmony!" Buffy yelled.

"Is this ok?" Harmony asked, grabbing Eve by her neck. "I mean, I am evil, technically. I don't mind torturing her for the team."

Buffy and Angel exchanged glances and then nodded. "Yeah. Ok." They said.

Harmony grinned and punched Eve in the face. "Come on, you hussy!" She backhanded her again. "Spill it!"

"Ok. Ok! Stop!" Eve cried. "It's a fail-safe. They built a fail-safe…." Harmony punched her in the face again.

"Ok, Harmony, she's talking." Buffy said.

"She is? Already?" Harmony sighed. "Well, that sucks."

"Look, the Senior Partners were never certain they could keep you under their thumb, so they created a fail-safe." Eve said. "Housed it in the sub-levels of the building."

"What kind of fail-safe?" Connor asked.

"I don't know what it is, exactly, but it's huge and alive…." Eve looked at Angel. "And specifically designed to destroy you."

"How can I stop it?" Angel asked.

"The only way to shut it down's in the chamber itself."

"Who activated it?" Buffy asked. "It definitely wasn't you. You were with us when the building cleared out. So, it has to be someone else."

"Someone with the ability to slip past Wolfram & Hart security systems." Wesley added.

"Like our magically tattooed faux Doyle?" Lorne asked.

"Spike, I don't wanna go in blind." Angel said. "Anything else you know about this guy?"

"Not much." Spike shrugged. "Average size. Dressed like an urban cowboy. Got his hand chopped off once."

"His hand?" Cordelia asked.

"He's back." Wesley said.

"Lindsey." Angel clarified.

"Who?" Buffy, Connor, and Fred asked.

"Lock the building down, make sure he can't get out. Don't trust security systems. He won't show up because of those tattoos of his."

"There could be a way to fix that." Wesley said. "I'll need some help."

"My dance card's free." Lorne said.

"Connor, go with them." Angel ordered.

"Sure, ok, but who is Lindsey?" Connor asked.

"A lawyer." Cordy said. "Wolfram & Hart's former golden boy, till he ran off to go find himself."
"Yeah, he should've stayed lost." Angel turned to his secretary. "Harmony, guard Eve. She moves, eat her."

"Really?" Harmony grinned. "Thanks."

"Angel, you know you're not going down there alone, right?" Buffy asked.
"The fail-safe's meant for me." Angel argued. "I'm not gonna risk anybody I care about."

"I'll go." Spike offered.

"Ok."

"Angel…." Buffy started.

"He volunteered!"
"Goody for him, but I'm coming, too."

"Buffy…."

"Till death do us part, right? I'm just making sure that it's not today." She turned to Connor. "Be ready to evacuate. If this thing gets past us, get them and you the hell out of the building."

"You got it, Buffy." Connor said, tossing her a sword off the wall.

"Toss me one, too." Cordelia said.

"No, no." Angel protested. "Cordy…."

"Yeah, save it, Angel. You can order me around all you want, but I know my rights. And I wanna see a lawyer."

Spike, Cordelia, Buffy, and Angel walked down the basement steps into a room guarded by a net of green laser beams. "What the bloody hell is this?" Spike asked.

"Let's find out." Angel moved forward a few steps into the laser net. An alarm sounded and doors unlocked. Shambling forms came out from behind walls that suddenly opened around them.

"Yay! Zombies." Buffy said sarcastically as the dead attacked. "I miss my scythe."

"You just had to let them take it to London." Spike said.

"I think I'm going to go get it after this is over."

"We don't have time for this." Angel growled.

"Go on. I'll hold them back." Spike offered.

Buffy looked at Spike gratefully as she, Angel, and Cordelia ran off. They made their way down a hallway and into a large room. There was a huge tank rising from the floor and Lindsey was walking down the stairs from a control panel. He hadn't seen them enter.

"Bye-bye, Angel." Lindsey said, patting the side of the tank.

"Hello, Lindsey." Angel said.

Lindsey grinned at them. "And the hero arrives right on schedule. And with the missus and the one that got away in tow. Is this the part where I get all weak in the knees? Promise I'll never do it again?"
"It's a little late for that, Doyle." Angel snapped.

"There's always time for redemption. Isn't that your whole thing?"

"You had your chance. I guess some people, they just never change."

Angel moved to backhand Lindsey, but Lindsey caught his hand. He punched Angel in the ribs before throwing him hard across the room. Buffy yelled her husband's name as he rolled across the floor into the opposite wall.

"I did."

"I thought you said he was human." Buffy said to Cordelia.
"He was!" Cordy insisted.

"Look, you should go."

"No." Lindsey pointed at the door and it slammed shut. "Hang out. This won't take long."

"No, it won't." Buffy kicked Lindsey with all her strength. He flew across the room, slamming painfully into the wall.

"Got a little power in you, huh?" Lindsey got painfully to his feet as Angel moved to Buffy's side. "Never thought I'd get to fight a Slayer." He pulled his pocketknife out of his back pocket.

"You won't be fighting her." Angel growled.

"He won't?" Buffy asked.
Angel took the sword from Buffy. "This is my fight."

"I really hate it when you do that."

"Hey, I gave you Caleb. You can give me this one."

Buffy sighed. "Fair enough. Cordy, let's let the menfolk have their fun while we shut this thing down."

"How do you plan to do that?" Cordelia asked, following Buffy up the stairs to the control panel.

"I have no idea."

"Start hitting buttons till something happens?"

"Sounds good to me."

Lindsey eyed the sword Angel was holding and then looked at his own knife. "Well, it's not the size that matters, big guy." His puny pocketknife turned into a large sword. "It's how you use it."

"So, go and get yourself a little mojo?" Angel taunted. "Should never have come back, Lindsey."

"What can I say? I missed you." Angel swung first and Lindsey blocked. He clearly wasn't as good as Angel, but he was holding his own.

"Let's try the blue one." Cordy muttered. She pressed the button and it shocked her. "Ow!" Buffy looked over at her. "Ok, not the blue one."

"Are you ok?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." Cordy poked a few more buttons and looked at Buffy. "Are you really going to let him fight alone?"

The Slayer shrugged. "It's his fight. If he needs me, he knows I'll be here."

"I'm impressed."

"Why?"

"There was a time when you two would have a knock down drag out fight over who's fight it actually was."

Lindsey pinned Angel against a wall, but Angel pushed him away. They traded blows before Lindsey punched Angel and backflipped away, landing on his feet on top of the holding tank.

"Little something I picked up in Nepal." Lindsey gloated. "You like it?"

"They sell that crap at the airport." Angel easily leapt on top of the holding tank and attacked again.

Lindsey kicked Angel in the knee, causing Angel to scream in pain and recoil. Buffy flinched, but stayed in place. She flicked a few of the switches, but nothing happened.

"You know, all my carefully laid out plans, my designs," Lindsey said. "When you get right down to it, that was pretty sweet, too, huh? Reason enough for me to come back. You, me…. fight to the death… Yours."

"I've seen your tough act before, squirt." Angel got to his feet and resumed their fight. "First time we ever met, you put on a show. Huffing and puffing, telling me I couldn't lay a hand on your scumbag client."

"So you kicked him out a window."

"Good times."

"It was a defining moment. Kind of like this one."

The tank suddenly let out bursts of steam and they could see something very large moving around inside of it. "Oh, crap." Cordelia said.

"Eh." Buffy said, not fazed by the sight of the demon in the tank.

"Eh!? Are you crazy?"

"Cordy, I faced down a Hellmouth demon twice and then I went down into the Hellmouth and faced down a very, very, very large horde of ancient vampires. That thing? It's 'eh'."

"You are way too nonchalant about this."

Buffy shrugged. "It's not like I want to fight it, but I will if I have to and I'll know it's not the worst thing I've ever faced. Probably."

Angel punched Lindsey in the face, knocking him down. When the ex-lawyer stood up, his shirt was hanging open and his tattoos were on display. "That must have stung." The vampire quipped.

"Worse than when you cut off my hand."

Lindsey attacked again, restarting the fight. He managed to take Angel's sword, but Angel kicked Lindsey's sword into the air and leapt onto a balcony to catch it. Lindsey followed him to the balcony to continue the fight. Angel kicked Lindsey in the chest, moving him back a few feet. Lindsey lunged at Angel and managed to stab him through the heart with the sword. Cordelia screamed Angel's name just before Lindsey kicked Angel off the balcony and across the room. Angel landed on top on the holding tank with Lindsey jumping down to stand over him, his back to Buffy.

"Screw it." Buffy muttered.

Lindsey began to mock Angel, not hearing Buffy's approach. "Who is this? Who is this? I came to fight the vampire with a soul. Guess you shouldn't have sold it, huh? Look at you, from champion to pathetic corporate puppet in just a few months. You used to have fire in your heart. Now all you got in there is that big honkin sword. How's that feel, champ?"

Suddenly, Lindsey went flying, slamming into the wall below. "You lawyers talk too much." Buffy said. She helped Angel pull the sword out of his chest. "Also, little tip, Texas? If you're going to stab a vampire, it's more efficient if you use wood." Lindsey yanked his shirt off and leveled a glare at her. "Angel?"

"Tag, you're it." He gave her a grin and Buffy rolled up her sleeves.

"Yee-haw." Buffy jumped down to Lindsey's level and began to wail on the man. He was no match for her strength and agility and soon she had him pinned to the wall.

"Now you are gonna give it up." Cordelia said just before she yanked a crystal out of the control panel. The system made a powering down noise and the tank began to sink back underground. "Like that was so hard."

"No!" Lindsey screamed.

Angel appeared behind Buffy and slammed Lindsey's head into the wall. "All those tattoos, all those new tricks you've learned? They just don't matter. Doesn't matter what you try. Doesn't matter where I am or how badass you think you've become. Cause you know what? I'm Angel. I beat the bad guys." He looked at Buffy. "With my wife."

"You ok?" Buffy asked.

"I've been worse." He took her hand and smiled at her. "Did you have fun?"

"Oh yeah. Thanks for the tag in."

"So what now, huh?" Lindsey growled. "Think either of you got it in you to kill me?"

"I really don't think I have to." Angel said.

"Sweetie, your epidermis is showing." Cordelia said, joining Buffy and Angel.

Lindsey looked down at his tattoos as they floated up off of his skin and vanished. "Damn!" A flashing white light appearing above Lindsey and a whirlwind kicked up around him.

"I think the Senior Partners would like a word." Buffy said.

"You don't think they're angry, do you?" Lindsey asked with a nervous chuckle just before he was sucked up into the portal.

A pouting Eve walked onto the elevator with the entire gang standing behind her to make sure she left. Connor was smirking at Buffy's unhinged glee at getting rid of the woman who was a thorn in her side.

"It's really been a pleasure." Cordelia said. "Let's never keep in touch."
"It's a new game, Eve." Angel said. "If I were you, I'd start thinking strategy."

"And here I am thinking revenge." Eve spat.

"And what do you imagine the Senior Partners are thinking?" Buffy asked as the elevator doors shut. "Well, now that we've taken out the garbage…."

"I'm thinking seabreeze, compadres." Lorne announced. "I gave up a lot of blood for this gig."

"And I didn't get any." Harmony pouted. "I kept begging Eve to run, but…."

"Well, I've been prancing around thinking I had a destiny." Spike said. "Love to drown my embarrassment in a few pints."

"We should all go get a drink." Fred said. "We haven't done that in…. Ever."

"I'm in." Gunn said. "Cat and Fiddle?"

"Yeah." Wesley looked over at Angel. "Unless, of course, you're busy packing."

Angel looked at Buffy with a smile. "A drink sounds good. I'll go get my coat."

"I need to go up and grab my purse." Buffy said.
"Does that mean drinks are on you?" Gunn asked.
"Yeah, I'll buy a round."

"Sweet!" Gunn high fived her as she and Angel headed for their office.

Angel followed her to their private elevator. "Don't be too long." He kissed her gently as the doors opened.

"I won't." Buffy smiled at him as the doors closed and she shook her head as it began to ascend. She headed into their bedroom to grab her purse out of their closet, but it wasn't there. She searched for it and finally found it under her side of the bed. When she came back out, Cordelia was standing by the elevator. "Hey!"

Cordelia smiled. "I don't have a lot of time. I needed to tell you something."

"Ok."

"Your destinies are intertwined. They always have been. Make sure he doesn't stray from the path, ok? You're his compass. Whatever happens next, be at his side, ok?"

"Always."

Cordelia nodded. "Good." She paused and then nodded, coming to a decision. "I love him, Buffy. I know I've never stacked up against you, but it didn't stop me from loving him."

"Cordy..."

"But I want you to... No, I need you to know that I'm so very happy you two can finally be together. He deserves all the happiness you bring him." Cordelia hugged Buffy tightly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Cordelia squeezed her one more time and then stepped onto the elevator.

Buffy waited a moment to compose herself before calling the elevator back. She headed down to the office, hoping Angel and Cordy were waiting for her. The doors opened and Angel was the only one in the room. His back was to her, but he was on the phone.

"When did she die? Did she, um... she never did wake up?" He said. "I see." After a moment, he hung up and looked straight ahead. "Thank you."

"Angel?" Buffy asked, walking over to him.

He turned and pulled her tightly to him, holding her against him. And suddenly, Buffy knew. Cordelia was gone. It was why she had been so final in her words upstairs. Buffy held her husband tightly as they both began to cry.