Chapter 59

Demons and vampires shared drinks and shot pool while Angelus regaled several lesser vampires with tales of his recent exploits. A vampire waitress walked over and sets a glass of blood down in front of him.

"Compliments of the lady." She said, motioning to the bar.

He turned around and to find a female vampire waving to him from the bar. He waved back, then turned back to his tablemates with a grimace. "Yeah. As if." Buffy walked over and slid onto his lap. "I got something much more tasty." He smiled as Buffy coldly smiled at the vamp at the bar. He turned back to the vampires at the table. "Anyway, I couldn't believe how easy it was luring the Slayer into our little 'welcome home from prison' party."

"Wish I could have been there when she saw the Beast." Vamp 1 said.

"The guy wasn't going to win any personality contests but he put on a good show. Slapped her around real nice." Buffy said.

"Like a little bunny?" Another vamp asked.

"A bloody, whimpering bunny. Once she was tenderized, I gave rocko the shaft. Never saw it coming. Dumb-ass." Angelus said.

"Yeah, soul-boy, nice job bringing the sun back." Francis said from the bar. He was a horned demon with one horn sliced off. Buffy and Angelus glared and he quickly turned back to his drink. Angelus smiled and stood up with Buffy. Francis pretended to be surprised to find them standing behind him. "Oh, hey, Angelus! Buffy! Buy you a warm one?"

"Maybe after." Angelus said.

"After what?"

"After I rip out your windpipe till it stops making that annoying talky sound." Buffy said.

"Wait, I have a condition. Whoop! Goh-boy! Dirty bitch! Tourettes. You've heard of it, right?"

"Yeah, causes uncontrollable impulses. Like yanking out throats." She seized the creature by the neck and started squeezing. As the demon choked and gasped, a loud, disembodied voice called out to Buffy and Angelus, deep and resonant.

"Hello, Buffy and Angelus. It's time we had that talk." The voice said.

Buffy and Angelus looked around in confusion. Buffy's grip tightened on the demon. Angelus looked at her, knowing she heard it too, and then he looked around at the crowd. "Where are you?"

"Wherever you want me to be, buddy!" the demon in Buffy's grasp choked out.

"I'm where it's warm and soft.." The voice said.

Buffy dropped the demon and walked to the center of the room with Angelus, staring at the ceiling. "Hide-and-seek, huh? Okay. We'll play."

"Playtime's over. You've been bad. Killed my favorite pet."

"Yeah, well, we thought that might get your attention." Angelus said.

Buffy stared at the patrons of the bar watching the display. She grabbed Angelus' arm and hauled him to the back of the bar. There were humans and vampires back here. The humans were hopped up on some drug and the vamps were getting off on it. The voice continued to talk. "Initiative. I like that. But you needn't have bothered. I've had my eyes on you two for some time."

A junkie girl walked up to Angelus and wrapped herself around him. "Hey, baby, how about a hit?"

Buffy grabbed the girl by the throat and tossed her aside easily. "You like to watch, huh?" She asked the voice.

"One of the many things we have in common." The voice said.

"Oh, I don't know about that." Angelus said, grabbing Buffy's waist harshly. "I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy." Buffy responded and nipped at his neck. The vampire sucking on the junkie girl watched them and Angelus barked, "Scram." The vamp did just that. "Okay, come on. You got a pair or the wind you're blowing up our tailpipes' all you can muster?"

"Hey, here's a kooky idea." Buffy said. "Now that Angelus and I've killed your little pet rock, how about a little face-to-face, huh? Assuming that you've got one."

"Don't worry. We'll meet. When you're ready." The voice said.

"Oh, come on. Why the stall, huh? You whipped up a rain of fire, blotted out the sun, earthquakes, bringing Buffy here over to the right side.. all to maneuver the Brady Bunch into releasing Angel's inner me." Angelus said. "Don't you want to kick the tires?"

"So beautifully vain. But the whirlwind doesn't always revolve around you. Destruction sometimes is its own reward."

"Hey, you're preaching to the guy who ate the choir. But wait.. it was you, wasn't it? You just pulled the wrong strings to make them think it was their idea. Got them to yank that white, fluffy soul and stuff it in a jar and then gone, baby, gone!"

"Couldn't risk them putting it back in you. I have wonderful plans for you, my sweet boy."

"Oh, yeah." Buffy said. "Lay off my man horny. But the thing is, as far as plans go, we make our own so, you know.. thanks for stopping by our heads." She started to walk, Angelus still attached to her waist.

"You would dare to defy me?"

"Defy who? A big, scary voice? Whoa!"

"Hey, I've got one of those, too." Angelus said. "You want to hear it?" He put his hands over his mouth. "You can kiss my vampire ass! That do anything for ya? Hello! Hey, we've got places to go, friends to kill. Well, not actually our friends but you get the idea. You got any more bluster you want to blow up there? That's what I thought." Angelus laid his chin on Buffy's shoulder and looked over at a drugged vamp.

He came out of the corner and his drugged stupor long enough to watch Angelus and Buffy talking to themselves. He stroked the hair of the unconscious girl lying in his lap. "Dude, whatever you guys're on.. I'll give you the girl for a gram."

Buffy rolled her eyes and started to walk. Angelus took her hands and walked out with her. Once they were out of the foul bar and walking the night streets, Buffy moved away from Angelus and started to walk. Angelus followed. "What now?"

"I want to find out about migraine boy." Buffy said.

"And how do you expect to do that?"

"Follow." Buffy led him to a little shop on Olive Street.

"What the hell is this?"

"A way to make sure that we can get in and get what we want without too much trouble." She kicked down the door and walked in. "Hey Maury! You here?"

A podgy old man ran out to the main part of the shop. "We're closed." He saw who it was. "Oh, it's you."

"Long time no see. How've you been?"

"Good.. Um, how's Merrick? Haven't heard much from him since you moved."

"Merrick's dead. He's been dead for a while."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not."

"But he was your Watcher."

"I'm a new girl Maury." Buffy started to walk in a slow circle around the shop keeper. "Now, I want something from you and I want it now."

"Weapons? Holy water?"

"I've got plenty of that. I need.." Buffy walked over to a display case and busted the glass. She picked up a talisman and held it up to the light with a smile. "I need this."

"What's gotten into you? You're going to pay for that."

"No she's not." Angelus said, stepping into the light.

"Who are you?"

"Maury, I'd like you to meet my husband Angelus." Buffy said, walking over and wrapping her arms around his waist. "He's going to kill you now."

"Angelus? THE Angelus?"

"The very one." Buffy reached up and pulled Angelus' mouth to hers. They kissed passionately and so sinister that the shop keeper started to run. Buffy reached out and grabbed his neck. "Ah, ah, ah. Where do you think you're going?"

Angelus morphed into vamp face and grabbed Maury's shirt collar. Just as he brought his fangs to the man's neck, a loud crash sounded outside. A couple of vampires ran in and pointed. "That's them! They brought back the sun!"

"Shit." Buffy said. She looked at Maury. "It's your lucky day." Angelus dropped Maury and together, he and Buffy hightailed it out of there. The vamps gave chase, but Buffy caught them off guard and staked them.

"I get the impression that they don't like us anymore." Angelus said.

"Let's get that info and get out of here."

"What's the talisman for?"

"I'll explain it on the way."
Fred stood in Angel's office going over the papers that held information on the Beast. She was all alone in the lobby, but she wasn't too worried. The sanctuary spell was up and running and already tested. She felt a lot safer from Angelus and Buffy.

"If I were a runic transcription guide, I would be.." She pulled a book off the shelf. "Shelved wrong."

"Talking to yourself, Fred?" Buffy asked.

Angelus smirked. "A lot of that going around."

Fred whirled. "You can't hurt me. We did a no-demon-violence thingy."

"Oh, the sanctuary spell. Well, damn. Oh, wait a minute.. I think I.." Buffy pulled out the talisman. "Oh, yeah. Kinda thought you pesky PI's would be humming that old tune so we picked up a little somethin' somethin'."

"Lets me be as demony as I want to be." Angelus said, catching the talisman as Buffy tossed it to him.

"I don't believe you." Fred said.

Angelus took the book from her and slammed it into the wall inches from her head with enough force to shake the building. She gasped in terror. "How about now?"

"What do you want?"

"Maybe we just miss you." Buffy said. She shrugged. "Well, since you brought it up.. let's talk Beastmaster. What do you got?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Winny. All this raw material, brainiac like you.. you must have a theory."

"If I did, you're the last people I'd tell."

"Well, all right, then. We'll just have to figure it out ourselves, huh?" Angelus asked as he gathered up the papers and books from the desk. "Let's see.. these.. this.. thanks for nothing!"

"I do know one thing. You're out of your league. What you're up against? He'll make you both his bitched, just like the Beast. So if you're going to kill me, just get it over with." She looked at the charm in Angel's hand. "'Made in China?'" She lifted a glass pitcher off the shelf and shattered it against Buffy's head, sending her reeling backward. Angelus dropped the charm and started to go to Buffy as Fred snatches her tranq gun from the table and fires. Angelus ducked at the last moment and the dart thudded into the map of L.A. behind him as he dashed out into the lobby with Buffy. Lorne walked in as Angelus and Buffy charged directly at him and Fred fired again. Her aim was off and the dart hit Lorne in the chest, dropping him like a sack of concrete. Buffy laughed.

"Lorne!" Fred screamed.

Angelus leapt from the floor up to the balcony level and turned just as Buffy flipped up. He used the book as a shield as Fred fired her last dart. The tranq hit the book and Angelus grinned down at her. "Can't beat a good book."

Fred tried to fire again, but the gun clicked. Buffy smiled and looked at Angelus. "Too bad. I was just starting to have fun."

"Why stop now?" Connor asked.

Angelus and Buffy turned to find Connor running at them along the balcony. Connor threw a punch right at Angelus' head but the magickal barrier sprung up, deflecting the blow and hurling Connor over the balcony rail to the floor below. Unharmed, Angelus looked down at Connor as Fred ran to his side. He looked at Buffy. "Well.. isn't that interesting."

Buffy didn't respond. She flipped off the balcony and landed in front of Fred. Fred screamed and Buffy kicked her in the shoulder. Angelus leapt down and tossed the dart at Fred's feet. "Nice try, Fred. You think about how close you came to stopping us when we're slaughtering all your friends."

Buffy winked. "Toodles." She and Angelus headed out the front door as Fred eyed them warily. Out in the courtyard, Faith and Wesley were walking up.

"We track them, we find them, we.." Faith said.

"Get your asses kicked? I don't know.. wild guess!" Buffy said.

Faith looked up in shock as Buffy and Angelus walked down the sidewalk toward them, then she dropped her gear bag, ready to fight as Wesley raised the tranq rifle. Faith attacked but Buffy parried her blows then punched her, sending her reeling backward into Wesley. He went down and the rifle flew out of his grip into the bushes. Angelus rushed forward and yanked Wesley to his feet, then held him as a shield, his hand wrapped around Wesley's throat. "Sucky spell, huh? You think it'd at least go to the sidewalk." Angelus said. Buffy smiled and walked over to the two men.

"Let him go. This is between you, Buffy, and me." Faith said.

"It's never just between you and us, Faith. Wes will always be in the middle." Faith hesitated.

"That's it. Do the math. Can you get to us before he snaps Wes' neck? You still that fast? Wes is just dyin' to find out, aren't ya, Wes?" Buffy asked, pinching Wes' cheek.

"Do it." Wes said.

"That's it! Come on, do it! Take your shot and save the world." Angelus said. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Faith stood there. Buffy smiled and mocked her lessons to the potentials. "It's all about choices, Faith. The ones we make and the ones we don't.. oh, and the consequences. Those are always fun, huh? Don't worry about Wes. What's one more dead body to us? Come on.." Buffy smiled, remembering words that Faith had once said to her after Faith had killed her first human. "We're the Slayers, girlfriend. The Chosen Two. How many people do you think we've saved by now? Thousands? In my book, that puts you and me firmly in the plus column. Nobody's gonna cry over some random bystander who got caught in the crossfire." Buffy smiled as she saw the stricken reaction on Faith's face.

"Faith!" Gunn called.

She turned and caught the rifle he threw her. She turned back, rifle raised. Angelus hurled Wesley across the courtyard directly into Gunn, sending them both to the ground. Faith raised the rifle and started to fire, but Buffy kicked the rifle out of Faith's hands and then she and Angelus leapt up and over the outer wall of the hotel, disappearing into the night. Buffy smiled as she heard Faith start to give chase. By the time the dark headed Slayer was on the street, Angelus and Buffy were gone.