Chapter 5/9: Infiltration
Previously: Pretending to be Angel, Angelus returned to Sunnydale intent on getting revenge on Buffy and her friends. His plan is to get close to them again, then betray them. Buffy invited Angelus to stay at her house.
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After agreeing to meet up at the mall, Xander took Anya in his car while the others got into Riley's vehicle. Angelus found himself sitting in the back next to Willow. 'Better her than Buffy,' he thought. 'And *definitely* better her than Riley.' Farm Boy had been behaving in a less then friendly manner, and Angelus didn't know how long he could restrain himself around the idiot. Patience only went so far when dealing with a cretin like Finn.
As Riley drove, Buffy and Willow quizzed Angelus about his life in L.A. They also filled him in on some of the events that had taken place in Sunnydale during his absence, which recitation basically went: "killed demon, staked vampire, etc." As for the gang's status, the girls reported that Giles hadn't yet found a new job following the events of graduation day and was being a "gentleman of leisure," as Willow phrased it. Or "damn lazy," in Angelus' view. Xander had been bouncing from minimum-wage position to minimum-wage position (Willow called it "seeking his niche"; Angelus privately called it "going nowhere") and was currently working in the esteemed field of pizza delivery.
By the time Riley pulled into the mall parking lot, Angelus had heard more about the Slayerettes and their pathetic existences than he had ever wanted to learn. He was beginning to discern perhaps a fatal flaw in his revenge scenario; he could only stand to be around the gang in small doses.
They joined Xander and Anya at the mall entrance, and Buffy checked her watch. "We need to make this pretty quick. I know exactly what I have to get, so how about we meet back here in 20 minutes?"
Before Buffy could ask him to tag along with her and Riley, Angelus seized the opportunity to log a little time away from his irritating companions. He loped off down the corridor, past the commonplace clothing shops with their pedestrian goods made of such materials as cotton, polyester, wool, and rayon. He might have to wear it, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Even worse was a store full of every kind of mirror one could imagine. As far as Angelus was concerned, the only place mirrors belonged was in a torture chamber, so his victims could observe their punishments in glorious detail.
Angelus had almost reached the end of the mall before he spotted a store he deemed worthy of his presence. The luxurious scent of the finest material in the world drifted over and beckoned him in. He was immediately drawn to a fine pair of leather pants hanging on the front of a rack. He reached out and reverently stroked the material. It felt so good beneath his palm--sleek, horribly expensive, and worth every cent. He was in love. The affair didn't last long enough, though, because...
"Angel!" Willow called from the doorway. "Everyone's waiting for you. We're ready to leave."
Angelus gave the leather one last longing look before he allowed himself to be summoned away. Willow trotted along at his side as they made their way back toward the front of the mall, occasionally flicking nervous glances at him before she cleared her throat. "Angel, I have to ask you something. I saw what you were doing in that store. You weren't going to buy those pants, were you?"
"No, of course not." She bit her lip, and Angelus took a calculated risk and laid it on thick. "Sometimes I need to remind myself of Angelus, of what he was like and what he could do again. The leather does that to me." For effect, he forced his lower lip to quiver.
"Oh, Angel!" Willow cried. "I had no idea...I mean, I knew you have this huge guilt complex but I never realized it was like *that* for you. I'm so sorry I even mentioned the subject."
Angelus hung his head. "It's all right, Willow. It's no more than I deserve. I accepted that fact a long time ago."
Willow looked like she was about to burst into tears, she felt so guilty and sorry for him. Spirits lifted, Angelus felt ready to face the group again. Doling out mental torment had always been one of his favorite parts of the game.
A few minutes later, they rejoined Buffy and the others at the exit. "Where have you been?" Riley asked, looking directly at Angelus. "We've been waiting ages."
"Oh, Angel and I were window-shopping and we lost track of time." From behind Riley's back, Willow winked at Angelus.
Inwardly cringing at the indignity of a master vampire forming such a gesture, he winked back. Willow grinned conspiratorially at him. Well, Angelus thought, it was worth it to have her firmly back in his corner. She'd never suspect the truth about him now.
The fact that Willow had claimed partial blame took the wind out of Riley's sails, and he didn't say another word as the group filed back through the parking lot. Angelus noted that Buffy was clutching a small plastic shopping bag and Riley a giant one. He wondered what it contained: cowboy boots, a framed hog portrait, a copy of "How to Bore People Without Even Trying"? He didn't get a chance to find out, though, since Riley shoved both bags in the trunk before jumping behind the wheel again. With a flick of his wrist, he turned on the radio to a preset station.
"Angel, what did you--?" Buffy started to ask.
The remainder her question went unspoken Riley began to sing along to the radio: "Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind."
Willow shifted in her seat. "Riley, maybe you should change the station."
He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Why? I love Kansas. They're a great group."
"'Cause of Angel."
Riley automatically looked for Angelus in the mirror, too, before seeming to realize he wouldn't find him. "You mean Angel doesn't like Kansas?"
"No, she means Angel might object to the lyrics," Buffy interjected.
"Hey, this song is harmless," Riley protested, briefly humming along. "We're hardly talking Eminem here."
"'Dust in the wind'?" Buffy quoted. "Come on, Riley."
Riley looked puzzled. "Yeah, dust in the wind. So what?...Oh! Dust, as in vampires go poof. Well, that's not the meaning behind the song. I'm sure Angel understands and doesn't mind listening to it, do you? Or are you one of those politically correct vampires that prefers to be called an 'undead American'?" Riley laughed loudly at his own joke.
Angelus waited for the hideous noise to die down before he replied. "Vampire works fine for me." He paused. "You know, Buffy asked me that 'undead American' question a couple years ago. I think she apologized, though."
Riley scowled. "Sheesh, okay, I'll change the station."
As he did so, Buffy reached behind her seat and squeezed Angelus' hand. Score two for the demon! He gently squeezed back, imagining how it would feel when he got down to business and tore those same tendons into useless, dangling shreds.
The remainder of the ride to Giles' passed quietly. Once again, they met up with Anya and Xander, and they all proceeded together to the door. Angelus stood to the side as Buffy rang the bell.
Several seconds later, Giles opened the door. "Buffy? What are you doing here with everyone? Did I forget about a meeting?"
"The day you forget anything is the day I seriously worry." Buffy motioned for Angelus to step forward. "Look who's back."
"Angel." Giles reached up and adjusted his glasses. "This is unexpected. What brings you to town? Business or pleasure?"
"Business, I'm afraid. Now, it might be nothing, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. I was in a popular demon bar in Los Angeles, hanging out trying to pick up information, and I overheard two Quord monsters talking about a powerful weapon that is either being built in Sunnydale or will be brought here soon. Of course, I questioned them but they didn't know any more details. It turns out they heard the story from another demon. It might not be true. But if it is, from the sounds of things, you'll need all the help you can get."
Angelus was very proud of the little black lie he had made up. It was simple, believable, and open-ended. Plus, if it never came to be, no one could prove he had lied. They would merely assume his informants had been wrong.
Giles nodded, the story apparently raising no warning flags. "Best that you informed us, then. Riley, has the Initiative reported any suspicious activity that might shed some light on Angel's findings?"
Riley shook his head. "Not a whisper."
"This situation will require some research, I'm afraid," Giles stated. "I hope you all are prepared."
Xander held up a large cardboard container. "Already picked up the doughnuts."
"And I have the coffee," Anya chimed in.
"Very well, then. Everyone make yourselves comfortable, and I'll split up the workload." Giles collected numerous books and other types of reference material while the others took up positions around the room.
For the next several hours, everyone paged through volume after volume of lore, searching for any applicable prophecies. Giles occasionally questioned Angelus about his time in Los Angeles, but the vampire managed to equivocate and avoid giving away any information the Watcher could utilize against his demonic brethren.
Eventually, after hours of hunting, Giles stood and stretched. "I believe we've done all we can for tonight. All of us are growing tired, and I know Xander has only been looking at the pictures for at least the past hour."
Anya poked Xander with her elbow and hissed, "See? I told you he could tell."
Giles continued, "We've managed to flag several passages that might possibly be pertinent to the matter at hand. I'll research them in the morning and fill you in on my findings."
"So you don't think we're in immediate danger?" Riley asked.
Giles nodded. "With any luck, the conversation Angel overheard was merely a rumor blown far out of proportion. I see little evidence to the contrary so far."
"That's good, then," Willow chirped. "Demons with super-weapons would be majorly of the bad."
"True," Giles agreed. "I'll keep you informed. Angel, thank you for the warning. It was good to see you again."
Angelus gleefully noted that the Watcher's eyes held no hint of suspicion as he said goodbye. Satisfied with his night's work, he was content to make idle conversation while Riley drove to the college to drop Willow off and then headed back to the Summers' home. Once there, however, Angelus quickly escaped from the car. A little of Riley went a long way.
Buffy smiled at him through the car window. "'Night, Angel."
"Goodnight, Buffy, Riley." Angelus retreated inside the house but didn't hear Buffy following. Of course, she would be saying a private goodbye to Finn. Well, Angelus wasn't going to let it remain private. He poised himself near the living-room window to better listen to the conversation outside. Except Buffy and Riley weren't talking. Instead, Angelus heard the sound of Riley-lips smacking away at Buffy's mouth. For an instant, he almost--*almost*--felt sorry for the Slayer.
The smacking abruptly halted, and was followed by the question, "Why not, Buffy?"
"Angel is here," she answered in a low voice.
"I wasn't thinking we'd do it with him in the house. We'll go to my place or get a hotel room."
"I wouldn't feel right," Buffy responded. "And he'll know what happened if I just disappear with you for the rest of the night."
"So?" Riley whined. "You're my girlfriend, not his. He ought to realize we might want to have sex sometimes. It's normal."
Buffy sighed. "These aren't the ideal circumstances for our first time together."
"Well, what's going to be? You've been putting me off for weeks now. If it's not one excuse, it's another. This time it's Angel. Hey, maybe it's really been Angel every single time, like when you said you were too tired or had to patrol or needed to study. Are you forgetting that he left you? He dumped you like week-old trash."
Angelus winced as Buffy's voice ratcheted up a few decibels. "It wasn't like that. Angel didn't leave because he didn't care; he left because he cared too much. What do you have against him anyway? He came here to help us."
Frustration coated Riley's voice. "You said I'd like him. Well, I don't. There's something really weird about him, and it's not just that he's a vampire."
Buffy answered in an equally frustrated tone. "Angel has done nothing but be friendly and helpful, and you have no right to insult him. If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything or all. Or better yet, just leave."
"Fine!" There ensued the sounds of a car door opening and slamming, and tires peeling off down the street.
With the drama over, Angelus moved away from the window, deep in thought. So, Buffy and Farm Boy hadn't gone all the way yet. Good thing he was around to make sure they never did. In fact, as long as he could help it, no one in their little circle would ever do *anything* enjoyable again.
TBC