&&&&&&&&&&&
Sunnydale Hospital
8 am

Buffy woke suddenly, and said, "Adam. We have to--"

"No, he's gone," Angel said. He was sitting on the chair next to her
bed again. He reached over to stroking the side of her
face. "Charlotte thought that blowing up the Bronze while he was in
it would do it, but it didn't. She and I went to Giles' when he
showed back up there. Wesley, Oz, and Xander were fighting him when
Charlotte and I showed up. I beheaded Adam, and we're pretty sure
he's dead now."

"Xander was there?" Buffy asked. "Was that..."

"Awkward?" Angel supplied. "Slightly. He handled it, and I left as
quickly as I could," he shrugged.

"Sounds fun," Buffy said with a sigh.

"I think Xander will be okay once I've left for L.A. again," Angel
replied. "Which I'll do once I know you're really okay."

"I don't want you to go, Angel. But I don't want Xander to leave town,
either--"

"Nobody has to leave town," Xander said as he walked into the
room. "How are you feeling, Buffy?"

"Tired, but okay," Buffy replied. "Better if I get a hug?"

"That I can do," Xander said with a smile as he walked over to Buffy's
bedside. Angel had moved toward the door, and Xander said, "You don't
have to go, Angel." He turned back to Buffy, and hugged her, then
said, "I bet he didn't tell you, did he?"

"Tell me what?" Buffy said, bewildered.

"Typical of my luck in fighting demons, Adam got the better of me
earlier this morning," Xander said. "Angel...Angel saved my life." He
turned to Angel, missing Buffy's mouth dropping open in shock, and
said, "Thank you."

"You don't have to--"

"Angel." Buffy cut off Angel's protest. "Just say you're."

Angel managed, "You're welcome."

Xander nodded, and smiled at Buffy. "I think my work here is done
then. There's a long line of people who want to see you, but the
nurse won't let more than a couple in at a time. So I'll get out of
here. I'm glad you're okay, Buffy. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Xander. I'm glad you're back," Buffy replied,
hugging him again.

"I'll see you later," Xander said, standing up. He looked at Angel,
and frowned, saying, "Huh. I just realized something." He turned back
to Buffy, "I can't call him Dead-Boy anymore. A perfectly good
nickname gone to waste," he sighed, but winked at Buffy as he walked
out of the door.

"Did hell freeze over and I missed it?" Angel said in bewilderment.

Buffy giggled, and held out her arms to him. He gladly obliged,
sitting next to her and holding her. "Maybe," Buffy shrugged. "After
all, this is the Hellmouth. Home of weird goings-on, twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week."


&&&&&&&&
Paris
6 pm

"It's not with the body of that Watcher Peter? That's what the book
that I found said," Spike said to Drusilla.

"The book's right. But the Watcher's Council moved him, which is silly
because he's been dead for fifteen hundred years, so he's not really
there now. But the dust and the ring were put into a brand new
coffin. They moved it to their place in England, and buried it under
the building," she said.

"What do you mean, under the building?"

"They made a mess, and ripped up the floor. Then they dug a hole and
dropped the coffin in. Then they covered up the hole with cement. It's
under the building," she shrugged.

"Good girl," Spike said, and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

She giggled and asked, "Can I use it too?"

"Yes, Pet. In fact, once Spike kills that annoying Slayer, you can
have it for good," Spike replied. "I like the dark. Are you up for a
little trip?"

"I don't like England," she pouted. "It's not fun like here."

"It's just for a little while," Spike said patiently. "You can stay
here if you want, but you know I'll have to get somebody to keep you
company while I'm gone."

"I don't want anyone here," Drusilla said. "Nobody else is nice to
Miss Edith like you are. The last vampire you hired to protect me
threw her in the fireplace."

"I know Dru," Spike said. "But I threw _him_ in the fireplace when I
got back, remember?"

She giggled at the memory. "He screamed so loud. It was such a nice
sound."

"This time will be different, Drusilla. If you stay, nothing will
happen to you _or_ Miss Edith." He was interrupted by a knock on the
door. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

She didn't reply but showed no interest in going anywhere, so he went
to answer the door. He opened it to a group of twenty vampires, led
by one of his childer, a female. "You wanted us, Sire?" she said as
she breezed past him. She was as tall as him, slender, with long
blond hair, fair skin and blue eyes.

"You always were too bloody self-assured for your own good, Brianna,"
Spike said, as he stepped back to let the rest of the group in. There
were two more vampiresses in the group, both brunettes. The remainder
of the group were males, all burly with dark hair and dark eyes.

"Well, you were never a very respect-inspiring Sire," she replied, a
bored expression on her face. "You left messages all over town this
past week that you required my assistance, so here I am. So what did
you want?" She walked over to the couch, and lounged on it.

"First of all, which one of these morons would you trust with your
life?" Spike asked.

"Louis over there," she waved to one of the males standing at the
door. "He'll do whatever I say, won't you Louis?"

"Huh?" the vampire replied, looking at her with a confused expression.

"You're kidding, right?" Spike looked at Brianna like she'd sprouted
wings.

"He's dumb, but loyal. And he does whatever I tell him. So what do you
need him for?" Brianna asked.

"You and I and the rest of your childer are going on a trip for a day
or so," Spike replied. "I've determined the location of something
that I'm looking for. It's a dangerous job, I don't expect that all
of you will get out undead. But you will be paid whatever you want. I
need someone to stay behind and watch out for Drusilla, though, while
the rest of us are gone."

"She's still around???" Brianna questioned. "Why is it you didn't dust
her years ago, Spike? She can't be _that_ good in bed--"

Spike growled and grabbed Brianna by her hair, and threw her on the
floor. "You keep your opinions to yourself!" he yelled. "I made you
and I can un-make you, don't forget that," he warned, standing over
her. One of the other vampires ran to Brianna's assistance, but
didn't know what hit him. Spike turned and grabbed the vamp, snapping
his neck effortlessly. He heard a growl from behind him and pulled
Brianna to her feet, holding her between another vampire and himself.
Pulling a knife out of his jeans pocket, he held the three-inch blade
at Brianna's neck.

"Back off, you bloody wanker," Spike ordered. "I'll cut her head off,
and it will probably take a while. But it won't make a difference to
me. Tell him, Bri. How many do you think I've killed?"

"Before or after you were turned?" she asked.

"Both," Spike shrugged.

"Hundreds, thousands, how the hell should I know," Brianna shrugged.
"Back off, Joseph," she commanded, and the other vampire obeyed.
Spike made no move to release her, and she said, "I'm sorry, Sire. I
shouldn't have insulted Drusilla," between gritted teeth.

Spike dropped her then, and stepped back. "So, do you want the job or
not?" he asked.

"Why not, I'm bored," Brianna answered, getting to her feet. "Louis
can stay with Drusilla, he won't hurt her. I give you my word."

"I don't care about your word," Spike replied. "I just want you to
understand that if _anything_, and I do mean anything, happens to
Dru, I will hold you responsible. I'll kill you, but not before I've
made you beg for death. Understood?"

"Understood," she said. "Now where are the rest of us going?"

"England. Watcher's Council Headquarters," he answered.

"What????!" Brianna shrieked. "Have you lost your bloody mind?!"

&&&&&&&
end Thirteen