Stacey walked in to the pent house and threw her keys on to the coffee table. It was 7 o'clock no way would Lilah be home now. She took the clip out of her hair and let her blonde hair fall. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as she walked slowly to the bath room.

She got in to the bathtub that was now full with water and bubbles. She rested her head on the wall behind her and closed her eyes. Angel. Angel was the only face she could see. She knew everything about him, only because of Lilah, but she knew there was something, a side to him, a side that no one could see, deep down he wasn't an animal, he was the man he was before Darla turned him in that alley on that fateful night.

He had put up walls, big walls and no one could break them down, he wouldn't let them. She wanted to be the one to break down the walls, whatever it took.

Angel sat on the bed she had laid in not even an hour ago; her scent still filled the room. He hadn't made the bed and all the sheets were a mess.

She was different, different like no other. She was herself, she didn't put on an act for anyone, and she didn't care whether you liked her or not. He had been around 200 plus years and had never met anyone like her, never met anyone genuine He hadn't spoken to her much, he didn't know a lot about her, all he did knew is that he had to have her in his life.

"Where you goin?" Cordy asked Angel as he walked down the stairs and across the lobby.

"Er… I gotta… I need some more blood" he said saying the first thing he could think of.

"You want her address?" Cordy asked him


"What?" he asked "I'm not goin… why do you have her address?" he asked walking over to her at the reception desk.

"We did a check on her" Cordy said "you never know these days" she justified her actions.

"So where does she live?" Angel asked "just out of curiosity" he added

"You know she said she lives with her sister?" Cordy asked


"her sister is Lilah Morgan" Fred told him.

That changed everything. Maybe the whole 'I don't give a shit what you think of me' attitude was all an act. A good one at that. He told himself. "Oh" was all he said.

Stacey sat in the living room watching TV with a big bowl of popcorn. She channel surfed before settling on 'Interview With The Vampire'.

"hey" Stacey said as Lilah came through the front door at 11.30

"hi" she replied sitting beside her and taking a handful of popcorn. She kicked off her shoes and put her feet up on the coffee table "what a day" she sighed.

"yeah" Stacey said not really interested in her sister, she was to busy watching Tom Cruise.

"so where you been the past couple of days?" Lilah asked Stacey after a few minutes of silence. Stacey rolled her eyes at her sister then got up and walked in to the kitchen.

"give me a little more credit" Stacey told her coming back in and sitting down with a two glasses of vodka and coke.

"What?" Lilah asked taking the glass from her.

"you work at Wolfram and Hart; they know everything from when Michael Jackson has a nose change to when the next apocalypse is"

"You know I hear that's pretty soon" Lilah tried to make light of the conversation.

"What Michael Jackson or the apocalypse?" Stacey asked humouring her sister.

"Michael" she told her.


"Yes Lilah I was at Angel's, unconscious for two days therefore I didn't find anything for you to use against him and even if I did I wouldn't tell you" Stacey said

"why not?" Lilah asked hurt.


"because he hasn't ever done anything to hurt me, he saved my life, and the only reason he is pissed at you is because you give him reason to, so don't drag me in to your little battles, and believe me this is one you will lose. There's more to Angel than you think" Stacey warned her sister.

"I need a favour" Lilah said after a moment of silence whilst she took in what her sister just told her.

"no" Stacey said

"I haven't even asked you yet" Lilah moaned.

"cause I know what your gonna ask me" Lilah looked at her sister with a 'I bet you don't' face "you want me to get close to Angel so you have more knowledge about him, so you can kill him or whatever little thing Wolfram and Hart have got up their sleeve for him" Stacey told her exactly what she was going to ask.

"there's a bucket of money in it for you" Lilah tried bribing her.

"I don't care about money. I'm not doing it, I don't care what you offer me or what you threaten to take away from me, I'm not doin it"

Angel stood across the street looking up at the 10 storey building. He knew they were on the 10th floor they have a whole floor to themselves. He saw a light on. A couple walked past him as he starred, he didn't pay much attention to them. Someone walked out of the building and walked down the street, it was Stacey. He followed her, keeping his distance, but still being able to hear her phone conversation.

"Hello… hey Lindsey…we had a fight and I left, I'm not gonna do what you want me to… no Lindsey he hasn't done anything to hurt me, I'm sorry he took your hand but that's not my problem, he saved my life and I'm not gonna try and get close to him so you lot have more ammo to shoot at him…I don't know where I'm goin, I just know I'm not gonna stay here so you guys can try and persuade me to stab Angel in the back" She explained before hanging up.

She walked for 45 minutes before stopping at the bus station she sat on a bench. Angel stood in the shadows watching her. People got off buses that came, people got on them, but she just sat on the bench as if she was watching the world pass her by.

10 years ago…

Angel stood watching people pass him by as he sat on a bench, old, young, thin, fat people, none of them had a clue, they lived their lives as if they had all the time in the world. Even Angel being 200 years old didn't have all the time in the world.

She reminded him of himself. Angel thought as an old lady sat beside her and lit a cigarette.

"Old habit" the lady told Stacey. Stacey smiled at her then continued to watch people get on and off buses. He watched as the old lady walked away and then decided to go and talk to her.

"So what's the plan?" he asked sitting beside her.

"I don't have one" she told him taking her attention from the people walking by to him "get on a bus see where it takes me maybe" she suggested

"Maybe" Angel said "or you could come back to the hotel with me, get warm"

"That's not such a good idea" she told him "I'm not who you think I am"

"I know your Lilah's sister" Angel explained "and I don't care, I know your not like her, your not like anyone"

"How?" Stacey asked "how do you know I'm not like her?"

"There's something about you, your genuine, you don't put on a front for anyone. I've known you about 3 hours and I already know that much" he said

"Thanks for the offer but it's probably best if I don't" she said looking up at a bus that was coming in to the station.

"What else are you goin to do?" Angel asked "sit here, get cold, sleep here?"

"I got somewhere to go" she told him


"where Lilah's?" he asked "I heard you on the phone with Lindsey and to me it seems you won't be going back home for a while"

He was right. He hadn't known her long but it already seemed to them both like they had known each other for years. Stacey wanted so much to go with Angel but knew it wasn't the right thing to do.

"How do you know you can trust me?" she asked him "how do you know I'm not working for Wolfram and Hart?"

"Life's all about taking chances, and this is one I'm willing to take" he told her standing up.

"You're a brave man Angel" she told him standing up and walking with him.