Spike felt Buffy pull away from him, "Well do you? Do you want Jake to lose someone else?"
Angel watched as Spike struggled for an answer. He could see the lawyers stirring and trying to decide if this distraction would be enough to get them ouf of the conference room. "Buffy....as much as Spike probably deserves this "talk", we really have more pressing matters at hand." He nodded at the lawyers around the table.
Spike looked around, "He's right, pet."
Buffy looked around the room as Deaton tried to scoot even further under the large table and Steven Randall began to stir from where he lie on the floor beside Angel's feet. "Are these.....are these men responsible for what happened to Dawn and Chris?"
Randall tried to sit up but Angel's well placed boot in the center of his chest pinned him to the ground. Ever arrogant, he smirked at Buffy, "You must be the Slayer, your sister was lovely too, must run in the family."
Buffy's fist connected with his mouth before the sentence was completely out of his mouth, blood ran down his chin, "Now, Ms. Summers.....let's talk about this." Randall began to stutter as his greatest fears were realized.
"Talk? You had my sister and her husband killed and you want to talk?" Buffy raised her fist again.
Randall began to try to back away but Angels boot remained firm on his chest, "It wasn't me.....well... I didn't do the actual hiring...he did it!" He pointed at Deaton who was cowering under the table, his glasses askew on his weasley face.
"But you backed him up didn't you?" Buffy swung her fist repeatedly into Randalls face, till blood ran from his mouth and nose, one eye began to swell.
"Buffy," Spike's hand was on her shoulder, "You don't want to be the one to do this, he's human. Scum, but human."
"You're right.....I'm through with him for .....now." She stood and walked towards the conference table where Mr. Deaton sat, his shoulders slumped his eyes downcast, waiting for his turn. "You...how could you do this to completely innocent people? You orphaned a child? For what?" She pulled him out from under the table by his jacket lapels, "Was it worth it?" She rammed her fist into his face repeatedly as she had done with Randall before him, "This is for Chris." she hit him again, "and for Dawn" Then she put both hands around his throat and began to squeeze, "And this is for Jake."
Angel and Spike watched with horror knowing that she would never forgive herself if she killed the man, no matter what he had done, "Luv, stop , don't lower yourself to their standards. You won't ever forget it if you do."
Tears rolled down her face as she dropped Mr. Deaton to the floor, "Somebody....call the police....she's crazy. " He looked at the group of lawyers around him, "We outnumber them....do something."
The lawyers stood quiet and motionless as they watched Spike put a comforting arm around Buffy, "They have to pay." She told him quietly.
One man stood up then and held his hands up in a "I surrender" gesture, "They will pay."
"Watson!" Randall shouted from his place on the floor.
"Oh, shut up, Randall. I think you've played out your tenure at Wolfram and Hart. Ms. Summer's, I think you realize that we can't just call the police and have them come pick up Mr. Deaton and Mr. Randall. They've covered their asses way too well for that. "
"What do you have in mind?" Angel asked with interest.
"I think with our resources here, we can come up with some documentation on the devious manner in which these two conducted themselves in this matter. Of course the fiirm is appalled by their behaviour." Watson continued.
"Of course." Spike replied with as much sarcasm as he could muster.
" I can gurantee that by tomorrow both Mr. Deaton and Mr. Randall will be on thier way to punishement for thier crime. And I think you realize this is the only way they will ever be punished." Watson smiled at his fomrer boss.
"And what makes you think you can pull this off?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm the new head of the firm." Watson smiled brightly.
"You......" Randall started but was quickly cut off.
"It's the Wolfram and Hart way, one leaves and another takes his place. Does anyone want to argue about this?" Watson asked the remaining lawyers.
"No."
"Congratualations"
"Fine with me"
"Time for a change in leadership"
"Is this a feasible conclusion to the problem?" Mr. Watson asked as he straightened his coat.
"Buffy, it may really be the only way." Angel advised her.
"Yes. but I want to see proof in the paper tomorrow." Buffy answered as Spike gave her hand a gentle squeeze,
"Agreed." Mr. Watson nodded his head.
"And this doesn't mean I won't be watching you." Angel warned his voice dangerously low.
"I would expect no less of you." Watson replied evenly.
"Let's get out of here." Buffy turned from the disaster that had once been a conference room.
***
"There, there, baby." Wesley walked around the living area of the Hyperion bouncing Jake on his shoulder,
"They will be here shortly, I'm sure." He told the fussy baby worriedly.
"We're back, Wesley." Buffy's voice called out from the doorway.
"Thank goodness." Wesley quickly deposited the baby in her arms, "How did it go?"
"I'm going to let Angel explain that to you. Spike and I are taking Jake to the room, It's been a long night."
She smiled at her former watcher then turned to her husband, "And we still have to talk."
Spike's expression grew grim as she followed behind his wife.
"Good luck." Angel whispered behind him.
"Now, please tell me what happened?" Wesley asked as Angel sat down tiredly.
*****
Buffy changed Jake's diaper in silence once they were in their room. Spike sat next to her on the bed, playing with the baby's bare toes, "Jakey....Jakey." He singsonged the words as the baby looked at him, a bit of drool in the corner of his toothless grin.
"So you never answered me back there? Do you want Jake to lose someone else?" Buffy asked as Spike pulled the baby into his lap.
"Buffy.....no I don't want Jake to lose someone else. But.....I...thought that if..if one of us was going to be at risk, then it should be me. You are his flesh and blood. I'm not." Spike placed a soft kiss on the baby's head as Jake's eyes began to close.
"You can't think like that, Spike. If we are going to raise Jake, then it's going to have to be "we". You can't go off making decisions like that without letting me in on it, letting me help decide if the risks are too great. And as for being his flesh and blood, you're wrong." She placed her hand on Spike's cheek, You love him as much as I do. You are his "dad" now, that counts like flesh and blood."
Spike shifted the now sleeping baby in his lap and placed his hand over Buffy's, leaning his head forward until their foreheads touched, "You mean that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. And besides you promised Dawn, remember?" She asked softly, her eyes teary.
"I remember. I'm sorry, Buffy. This won't happen again. From now on it will be the two of us....well," He grinned at the baby in his lap, "the three of us."
"I wasn't sure that I, that we could handle this responsibility. But now, now I really think we can do it."
Buffy gently removed Jake from Spike's hold and placed him in the crib.
They dressed for bed and crawled under the covers exhausted physcially and mentally from the night's events. Spike held Buffy close, her head resting in the crook of his neck, "Do you want to talk about tonight, pet? I mean what happened with Deaton and Randall?"
"No, not really. I just want it over, if Watson holds up to his end of the deal then I'll be satisfied. I will never stop loving or forget Dawn, but if we are going to raise Jake in a happy home, we can't always be out for vengeance. She would want us to concentrate on Jake." Buffy snuggled a bit closer.
"I think you're right. Goodnight., Luv." He kissed her forehead as they both settled into sleep.
*****
Buffy walked into the kitchen of the Hyperion with Jake on her hip and Spike behind her. Angel had to smile at the familial picture before him. He turned the paper in front of him over as they walked in, he wasn't sure how the news were going to go over.
"Morning." Buffy said brightly as she began to assemble a bottle for Jake.
"Monring to you." Angel tipped his cup to her and then looked at Spike, "Looks like you survived."
Spike shook his head at the other vampire, "Yeah, guess I did." He poured Buffy a cup of coffee and sat it down on the table as she fed Jake.
"Is that the paper?" Buffy asked as she moved to burp Jake.
"Yes." Angel answered with sigh, "Buffy.about this."
"What? Tell me they didn't find a way to get them out of this?" Her voice rose slightly.
"No, they didn't get out of it." Spike answered her as he lay the paper in front of her.
On the front page were pictures of Deaton and Randall, the caption underneath read,
Two of Wolfram and Hart's top lawyers killed in freak auto accident.
The article went on to say the two had been implicated in the murders of Chris and Dawn Jamison. The law firm was cooperating with police as they had no idea what the two lawyers had been involved in. An untimely accident killed both lawyers as they were being taken in to the police station for questioning.
"Buffy, you okay?" Spike asked as she finished reading the article.
"Yes, strangely I am." She answered as she smiled at the baby playing with her hair. "It's over now, and we can go home and try to give Jake the happiness they denied him."
TBC an epilogue to come shortly
Angel watched as Spike struggled for an answer. He could see the lawyers stirring and trying to decide if this distraction would be enough to get them ouf of the conference room. "Buffy....as much as Spike probably deserves this "talk", we really have more pressing matters at hand." He nodded at the lawyers around the table.
Spike looked around, "He's right, pet."
Buffy looked around the room as Deaton tried to scoot even further under the large table and Steven Randall began to stir from where he lie on the floor beside Angel's feet. "Are these.....are these men responsible for what happened to Dawn and Chris?"
Randall tried to sit up but Angel's well placed boot in the center of his chest pinned him to the ground. Ever arrogant, he smirked at Buffy, "You must be the Slayer, your sister was lovely too, must run in the family."
Buffy's fist connected with his mouth before the sentence was completely out of his mouth, blood ran down his chin, "Now, Ms. Summers.....let's talk about this." Randall began to stutter as his greatest fears were realized.
"Talk? You had my sister and her husband killed and you want to talk?" Buffy raised her fist again.
Randall began to try to back away but Angels boot remained firm on his chest, "It wasn't me.....well... I didn't do the actual hiring...he did it!" He pointed at Deaton who was cowering under the table, his glasses askew on his weasley face.
"But you backed him up didn't you?" Buffy swung her fist repeatedly into Randalls face, till blood ran from his mouth and nose, one eye began to swell.
"Buffy," Spike's hand was on her shoulder, "You don't want to be the one to do this, he's human. Scum, but human."
"You're right.....I'm through with him for .....now." She stood and walked towards the conference table where Mr. Deaton sat, his shoulders slumped his eyes downcast, waiting for his turn. "You...how could you do this to completely innocent people? You orphaned a child? For what?" She pulled him out from under the table by his jacket lapels, "Was it worth it?" She rammed her fist into his face repeatedly as she had done with Randall before him, "This is for Chris." she hit him again, "and for Dawn" Then she put both hands around his throat and began to squeeze, "And this is for Jake."
Angel and Spike watched with horror knowing that she would never forgive herself if she killed the man, no matter what he had done, "Luv, stop , don't lower yourself to their standards. You won't ever forget it if you do."
Tears rolled down her face as she dropped Mr. Deaton to the floor, "Somebody....call the police....she's crazy. " He looked at the group of lawyers around him, "We outnumber them....do something."
The lawyers stood quiet and motionless as they watched Spike put a comforting arm around Buffy, "They have to pay." She told him quietly.
One man stood up then and held his hands up in a "I surrender" gesture, "They will pay."
"Watson!" Randall shouted from his place on the floor.
"Oh, shut up, Randall. I think you've played out your tenure at Wolfram and Hart. Ms. Summer's, I think you realize that we can't just call the police and have them come pick up Mr. Deaton and Mr. Randall. They've covered their asses way too well for that. "
"What do you have in mind?" Angel asked with interest.
"I think with our resources here, we can come up with some documentation on the devious manner in which these two conducted themselves in this matter. Of course the fiirm is appalled by their behaviour." Watson continued.
"Of course." Spike replied with as much sarcasm as he could muster.
" I can gurantee that by tomorrow both Mr. Deaton and Mr. Randall will be on thier way to punishement for thier crime. And I think you realize this is the only way they will ever be punished." Watson smiled at his fomrer boss.
"And what makes you think you can pull this off?" Buffy asked suspiciously.
"Because I'm the new head of the firm." Watson smiled brightly.
"You......" Randall started but was quickly cut off.
"It's the Wolfram and Hart way, one leaves and another takes his place. Does anyone want to argue about this?" Watson asked the remaining lawyers.
"No."
"Congratualations"
"Fine with me"
"Time for a change in leadership"
"Is this a feasible conclusion to the problem?" Mr. Watson asked as he straightened his coat.
"Buffy, it may really be the only way." Angel advised her.
"Yes. but I want to see proof in the paper tomorrow." Buffy answered as Spike gave her hand a gentle squeeze,
"Agreed." Mr. Watson nodded his head.
"And this doesn't mean I won't be watching you." Angel warned his voice dangerously low.
"I would expect no less of you." Watson replied evenly.
"Let's get out of here." Buffy turned from the disaster that had once been a conference room.
***
"There, there, baby." Wesley walked around the living area of the Hyperion bouncing Jake on his shoulder,
"They will be here shortly, I'm sure." He told the fussy baby worriedly.
"We're back, Wesley." Buffy's voice called out from the doorway.
"Thank goodness." Wesley quickly deposited the baby in her arms, "How did it go?"
"I'm going to let Angel explain that to you. Spike and I are taking Jake to the room, It's been a long night."
She smiled at her former watcher then turned to her husband, "And we still have to talk."
Spike's expression grew grim as she followed behind his wife.
"Good luck." Angel whispered behind him.
"Now, please tell me what happened?" Wesley asked as Angel sat down tiredly.
*****
Buffy changed Jake's diaper in silence once they were in their room. Spike sat next to her on the bed, playing with the baby's bare toes, "Jakey....Jakey." He singsonged the words as the baby looked at him, a bit of drool in the corner of his toothless grin.
"So you never answered me back there? Do you want Jake to lose someone else?" Buffy asked as Spike pulled the baby into his lap.
"Buffy.....no I don't want Jake to lose someone else. But.....I...thought that if..if one of us was going to be at risk, then it should be me. You are his flesh and blood. I'm not." Spike placed a soft kiss on the baby's head as Jake's eyes began to close.
"You can't think like that, Spike. If we are going to raise Jake, then it's going to have to be "we". You can't go off making decisions like that without letting me in on it, letting me help decide if the risks are too great. And as for being his flesh and blood, you're wrong." She placed her hand on Spike's cheek, You love him as much as I do. You are his "dad" now, that counts like flesh and blood."
Spike shifted the now sleeping baby in his lap and placed his hand over Buffy's, leaning his head forward until their foreheads touched, "You mean that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. And besides you promised Dawn, remember?" She asked softly, her eyes teary.
"I remember. I'm sorry, Buffy. This won't happen again. From now on it will be the two of us....well," He grinned at the baby in his lap, "the three of us."
"I wasn't sure that I, that we could handle this responsibility. But now, now I really think we can do it."
Buffy gently removed Jake from Spike's hold and placed him in the crib.
They dressed for bed and crawled under the covers exhausted physcially and mentally from the night's events. Spike held Buffy close, her head resting in the crook of his neck, "Do you want to talk about tonight, pet? I mean what happened with Deaton and Randall?"
"No, not really. I just want it over, if Watson holds up to his end of the deal then I'll be satisfied. I will never stop loving or forget Dawn, but if we are going to raise Jake in a happy home, we can't always be out for vengeance. She would want us to concentrate on Jake." Buffy snuggled a bit closer.
"I think you're right. Goodnight., Luv." He kissed her forehead as they both settled into sleep.
*****
Buffy walked into the kitchen of the Hyperion with Jake on her hip and Spike behind her. Angel had to smile at the familial picture before him. He turned the paper in front of him over as they walked in, he wasn't sure how the news were going to go over.
"Morning." Buffy said brightly as she began to assemble a bottle for Jake.
"Monring to you." Angel tipped his cup to her and then looked at Spike, "Looks like you survived."
Spike shook his head at the other vampire, "Yeah, guess I did." He poured Buffy a cup of coffee and sat it down on the table as she fed Jake.
"Is that the paper?" Buffy asked as she moved to burp Jake.
"Yes." Angel answered with sigh, "Buffy.about this."
"What? Tell me they didn't find a way to get them out of this?" Her voice rose slightly.
"No, they didn't get out of it." Spike answered her as he lay the paper in front of her.
On the front page were pictures of Deaton and Randall, the caption underneath read,
Two of Wolfram and Hart's top lawyers killed in freak auto accident.
The article went on to say the two had been implicated in the murders of Chris and Dawn Jamison. The law firm was cooperating with police as they had no idea what the two lawyers had been involved in. An untimely accident killed both lawyers as they were being taken in to the police station for questioning.
"Buffy, you okay?" Spike asked as she finished reading the article.
"Yes, strangely I am." She answered as she smiled at the baby playing with her hair. "It's over now, and we can go home and try to give Jake the happiness they denied him."
TBC an epilogue to come shortly
