Decide
At Willow's shriek both Wesley and Cordelia came running. They skidded around the corner and into the room.
A demon, very like what Angel had turned into the last time they'd visited Pylea, struggled against the invisible bonds of Willow's magic. "That's Spike!" Willow exclaimed. "Oh goddess, that's Spike!"
Cordelia and Wesley exchanged a knowing glance. "I'll inform the kitchens that he's ready for his meal," Wesley said.
A day later Wesley and Cordelia were a lot less smug in their greater experience with Pylea and it's effects on vampires. Spike was still in demon form.
"Perhaps it's your forgetfulness spell." Wesley suggested to Willow. "He may not remember how to change back."
"I guess removing the spell couldn't make things worse," Willow said.
Two days later they were still waiting for Spike to change back.
"Take a look," Angel said to Fred in a soft whisper.
Curiously she peered through the foliage at the group; two humans and a demon; that Angel had spotted. "Weird, they're together," Fred whispered back.
"I'm going to ask what they're looking for," Angel said.
"No," Fred hissed.
"They might be looking for us," Angel replied. "And they would have brought more people if they wanted to fight."
Angel walked out into the clearing. Sulkily Fred followed him.
The little group started at the pair's abrupt appearance seemingly from nowhere.
"Can we help you?" Angel asked politely.
"Is that them?" The demon asked the human man.
"I only saw him once and I was more interested in looking at the Princess," he replied. "Ask them."
"Why don't you ask them," the demon said crossly.
"This is stupid," the woman announced. "Who are you guys?"
"I'm Angel, she's Fred," Angel introduced them. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"Carol, the dynamic duo is Markum and Chell. Markum is the ugly one," the woman said.
"Hey!" the human male, presumably Markum, protested and the demon laughed.
"We're supposed to find you and take you back, the Princess requires your presence," Carol continued.
"Well you tell 'the Princess' to bug off," Fred announced.
"Fred," Angel reprimanded her quietly.
"They make everything a mess," Fred protested. "We're happy here. If you go back they'll just make you miserable again."
"Fred, this is a dream; being here with you, I love it but LA is my real life. Reality is where the demon isn't fully under my control, where it isn't just you and I. Reality includes people I care about who don't trust me any more and people who I don't even know but who need to be saved. It has Wolfram and Hart and fights I just can't win," Angel said. "You saved me when you brought me here. I'd gotten to a point where all I could see was death and failure again. You pulled me back, gave me a place and time to heal. Now it's time to go home."
"I won't let you be hurt again," Fred said fiercely.
"I know," Angel replied. "I promise I won't go back to the way things were. I can see what I have change now, I'll be okay."
"Well… alright," Fred agreed. "But if they're mean again I'll just kidnap you back."