Chapter Seventeen: Hide and Seek


"That's it!" Spike yelled. "I'm out of here!" He walked towards the door he had gone through before.

"William, where are you going?"

"Back." He spat out. He reached for the handle, but the door disappeared before him. "Put it back," he demanded.

"I already told you William. You can't go back, You decided that you needed to move on. You made the choice."

"Bugger the choice. I was trying to be selfless. It's a new concept to me and I'm not too good at it," he said searching vainly for the door.

"You made a sacrifice, William. The Powers That Be will make sure that it will not go unnoticed."

"The Powers That Be can kiss my..."

"William, do not be blasphemous. The time will come."

"Time for what? I'm bloody sick of being the Powers bloody pawn," There, he found it. "So, you can tell The Powers That Be to kiss my souled vampire ass because I'm leaving!" He roared. He threw open the door and stepped out. He smirked up at the voice and took another step and let out a yelp as he fell.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Buffy traced the newly formed pick scars on her hand. They felt so strange under her fingers, smooth like her own skin, but alien. The fire from when Buffy held Spike's hand in those last moments had burned sickly pink scars into her skin. They would fade within a month or so, but the fact that they were here now was painful enough. Kind of like the man she was sitting next to. Man. He was a man now. Something he'd always wanted to be for her. Some kind of man for her.

Faith was right, it was always about her. It was disgusting really. To be the one person that everything revolved around. Not this time though. This time, she would just be a bystander. She'd let everyone else figure everything out, and maybe go on a vacation, alone. Somewhere, secluded, where no one could find her. Of course, she'd have to take Dawn because she couldn't leave her alone. And Willow, and Xander, she couldn't go with out her best friends. Faith and Robin too. Maybe Giles, if he wanted. And Andrew, out of pity, only. She chuckled softly to herself. Yeah, alone. So many times she dwelled on being alone, the lone wolf, she hated it, yet reveled in it. She'd leave, live a normal life, even for a short time. But not until he woke up, because she'd take him with her and never let him out of her sight.

She looked at him with her big green eyes. "Open your eyes Spike." She whispered. Anything to see those gray-blue eyes, like the sky after a storm. His intense gaze upon her, sending shivers up her spine, watching her every move, and at the same time making her feel safe and secure. She knew nothin would ever happen to her as long as he was watching.

But he didn't open his eyes. There was still no movement, except for the rise and fall of his chest, breathing air. Buffy sighed and let herself out of the room. She walked to the elevator. Maybe she'd go and join Willow and Dawn in the library. Nothing like good old-fashioned, boring fun to take her mind off Spike.

"Ahem, Ms. Summers?" A tall, young woman with the blackest hair Buffy had every seen approached her.

"Yes?"

She smiled prettily. "My name is Janet, Ms. Morgan's personal assistant. She would like to see you.

"She?"

"Yes. Lilah Morgan, Senior Business Partner of Wolfram & Hart. She'd like to meet with you," the young woman explained.

"Why?" Buffy didn't trust anyone here. Angel certainly didn't.

"I'm not sure. All she requested was an audience of your company, the Slayer?"

"A slayer," Buffy corrected. "Fine. Where is she?"

She smiled again. "I'll show you."

Buffy nodded and let the young woman lead her out of the hospital wing. She was curious about this Lilah. She had overheard Angel talking quietly to Wesley about her a number of times. And she hadn't yet been introduced to this popular person.

"Right in here," the young woman ushered Buffy into a nice office. "She'll be a moment."

Buffy sat in a comfortable chair. She glanced around the room. Nothing remarkable about it. A long, polished wood table with the same comfortable chairs, a television conference set on the wall. The blinds were drawn, even though it was dusk. The doors opened and a rather gorgeous woman breezed in. She had blue eyes, brown hair that sat in waves around her shoulders, a set of full red lips, shapely legs, and good taste. She wore a silky, soft-red pants suit, matching heels, and a dark red scarf around her neck. Buffy shifted, she wasn't used to being intimidated by appearances. She felt awkward in her tight pants, t-shirt and jacket.

She woman smiled, "Ms. Summers. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." She extended her hand. "I am Lilah Morgan."

"Nice to meet you," Buffy said shaking her hand and sitting back down. "What do you want?"

"Now, now, Ms. Summers. I thought we'd get to know each other better," she said pouring a glass of water and offering it to her.

Buffy took the glass. "Fine. Me, Buffy, Slayer. You, Lilah, evil?"

Lilah chuckled. "Not quite anymore. Angel's working with us. Or rather, we're working for him. Would Angel really align himself with evil?"

"Angel can be stupid sometimes. Especially when it comes to a pretty face," Buffy replied.

She smiled again, "True. But then again, he did leave you." Buffy looked shocked. "Oh, don't look surprised," Lilah continued. "We know everything."

Buffy looked down at her water. "Everything?"

"Almost," Lilah said. "Didn't know about your peroxided lover. Angel managed to hide that one till the last minute." She settled in her chair. "From what I understand, even from you."

"He had his reasons."

"Did he? Angel's selfish." She licked her lips. "Selfish, souled vampire."

Buffy growled. "He's not selfish."

Lilah tilted her head. "No, I suppose not. I mean after all he did sacrifice his son to give him a better life..."

"His son?!" Buffy stood up. "Angel can't have a son. He's a vampire."

"Oh, but he did. Something the Powers That Be cooked up. Darla had Angel's son, Connor, and poor, comatose Cordelia had Connor's baby. A Power That Was, or whatever. It was a wild time." Lilah sat back.

Buffy's head was spinning. "Angel had a son?"

"The Champion had the Destroyer. I'm telling you it was a great time. Well," she touched her neck, "not so much for me."

Buffy blinked, trying to understand what she had been told. "What else do you know?"

Lilah showed her teeth. "That's the thing. I'll tell you what I know and you tell me the Master Plan."

"What plan?"

"The Plan your little gang of misfits are brewing up. Why Willow was trying to wake up Cordelia, why Spike was being hidden, why they've all been holed up in the library researching a new prophecy?" Lilah said.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what they've been doing," Buffy replied, still reeling from the Angel Has A Son news.

Lilah face fell when she realized that she had given something away. She quickly regained her cool composure. "Well, if I were you I'd find out post-haste. Seems they're not letting the slayer in on something major."

"A slayer." Buffy said getting up and walking to the door.

"Excuse me?"

Buffy turned. "I'm a slayer."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Scoobies and the Fang Gang all descended into the foul-smelling sewer, weapons in hand, sloshing through polluted water and other gross odds and ends. Xander walked behind Angel, who was, of course, leading the herd.

"Hey, Angel, where exactly are we going?" Xander asked.

Angel shrugged, "Don't know. Just following the scent."

"What scent? All I smell is garbage and human waste," Andrew said. He was behind Dawn and was clutching a stake and cross. "The kind of waste that creepy, crawly monsters dwell in. They sneak up behind you and grab you, pulling you down into the water while your companions fire their blasters at it because your gun's jammed and you can't get free. Then it let's you go 'cause something worse is about to happen..."

Dawn rolled her eyes and quickened her pace through the ankle deep filth, so that she was between Xander and Angel.

"I'd get back, Dawn," Angel warned. "Stay near Fred and Gunn."

"I'll take my chances up here than with Mr. Chicken back there," she said nodding towards Andrew who leapt at every noise.

Angel chuckled then stopped. He turned a corner, "Through here," he said going through a smaller tunnel. "The sewers come to an underground system about a hundred feet ahead. I think they're there."

The group followed him and sure enough, one hundred feet later, they came to an opening, a spot where it was dry and it overlooked the Vampire's Lair. Angel peered over and saw the Twins huddled together in a corner, guarded by Chan, the karate vampire from the alley. Den and Mel were sitting at a table and Riker was drinking blood from a rat.

"How many?" Wesley whispered.

Angel did a quick scan, "No more than thirty."

"Thirty? I like those odds," Gunn smiled. He loved this. The fight. And now, he was more powerful.

Fred looked at Gunn and gave him a confused look but smiled. "Angel, where do you want us?"

Angel thought for a moment. "Gunn, Xander, you're with me. , Wesley, Giles and Willow will attack from the left, Fred, you and Dawn stay up here with the crossbows."

"W- What about me?" Andrew asked.

Angel smiled.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I don't want to be the bait!" Andrew wailed.

"Shh!" Dawn said. "It's for the good of the group."

"We won't let them kill you," Giles assured him.

"No, but if one happens to take a bite..." Xander shrugged, "Nothing we can do about that."

Andrew whimpered. "I accept this mission." He saluted them and scampered down the ladder. Angel, Gunn, Xander, Giles, Wesley, and Willow all got ready. Fred and Dawn loaded their crossbows from their higher position.

"Hey there, vampire scum!" Andrew's voice faltered but he kept on. All the vampires turned and looked at the boy.

"What is that?" Den saw Andrew. "Get him," he said to Riker.

"That's right, come get me," Andrew started to run but Riker was faster.

He had Andrew by the throat. "Stupid, tasty morsel," he snarled.

"What do we have here?" Den asked.

"Aren't you afraid, little one?" Mel showed her gleaming teeth.

Andrew wriggled around. "Extremely, but I've taught myself to withstand large amounts of pain."

Riker tightened his grip and Andrew was beginning to see black spots. "Too bad, because your death will be quick."

"Now!" Angel yelled and the group came out full force, and the fight ensued. Dawn and Fred shot two vamps cleanly through the heart as Angel jumped over their ashes.

Riker dropped Andrew to block Angel's attack. Andrew fell to the ground, grabbed the stake from his back pocket and ran. Angel punched Riker in the gut and he went flying through the air. Gunn swung his ax at Den, but the vampire grabbed it and knocked Gunn down. Giles had managed to dust one vamp quickly, but was having a harder time with the second, he was struggling with it on the floor and just when it seemed the vamp had won, Xander sliced it's head off with his sword. Xander helped the old man up and together they battled three more vamps.

"Angel!" Fred yelled. Four vamps had made their way up to where Dawn and Fred where perched. Angel looked up and started to make his way to the girls when Chan flew out from nowhere, kicking Angel sending him into a wall.

"Wes!" He called out. "Get the girls!"

Wesley staked a vamp with his arm contraption and looked up to see Fred and Dawn fighting off four vampires. He ran and was suddenly lifted into the air and placed onto the ledge. He looked down at Willow, who nodded.

Fred hit a vamp with her crossbow and he flew over the edge. "Fred! Help!" Dawn screamed. The vamp had Dawn against the wall. Fred jumped on the vamp's back but he shoved her off and she fell to the ground hard. Wesley, armed now with two stakes, swiftly hit and staked two vamps and grabbed the one holding Dawn by the hair, staking him as well.

"Come on," he urged sending Dawn down the ladder where Andrew was waiting.

"But Fred," Dawn pointed to the brown-haired girl on the floor.

"I'll get her, go!" He said scooping Fred up. Suddenly, a vamp dropped from the ceiling and jumped on Wesley, who dropped Fred over the side.

"Catch her!" Dawn screamed.

Willow opened her arms and said, "Slow." Fred's body slowed enough for Xander to run over and catch her.

The vamp had knocked Wesley's weapons from his hands and broke his contraption. The vamp continued to kick Wesley on the ground until dust rain down on Wes' head. He looked up to see Gunn's extended hand, offering to help him up.

"Thanks, Mate," Wesley said.

"Anytime, English," Gunn smiled and they rejoined the battle.

Angel had his hands full with Chan as he blocked another lightning fast punch, but missed the second swing. He staggered back then kicked the smaller vampire but he flipped and landed on his feet. "You wanna be like that, Karate Kid?"

Chan sneered and flew at Angel. Attacking him with a fury of kicks and punches. Angel dodged most of them and finally grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. "Didn't land on you feet this time did you?" Angel asked as he plunged a stake through his heart. Chan was dust. He looked around. Most of the vamps had either been killed or scampered off. Riker, Den and Mel, were nowhere to be seen. And neither were the Twins.

He jogged over to the weary group. "Where'd they go?"

"That way," Willow pointed all out of breath to the entrance to another tunnel.

Angel looked at them. They were in no shape to go another round. Xander was carrying Fred who was bleeding from the side of her head. Giles definitely needed to sit as he winced every time he breathed. Dawn had a cut above her eye, and Wesley on his cheek. Gunn looked tired as he kept rubbing his eyes, and Andrew's neck was bruised from Riker's grip. He sighed, "We'll go again tomorrow." There weren't any complaints.

"Angel, look," Dawn ran over to where the Twins were sitting before. Writing was scrawled on the floor.

Giles and Wes peered over her shoulder to read the inscription. " 'What you seek is not lost. Find the hidden, at any cost'." Giles read.

"What does it mean?" Angel asked.

"Hide and Seek," Fred murmured.

"Huh?" Xander asked as he put Fred down, but kept his arm around her waist to steady her.

"It's a game," she said.

"I know what Hide and Seek is," Xander said. "But what are you talking about?"

Willow's eyes lit up, "Oh! 'Find them', they want to play. The vamps didn't take the Twins, they hid from them, now we have to find them."

"Fine. We'll play, spread out, go in pairs," Angel said. So they split up. Xander and Andrew, Willow and Dawn, Gunn and Wesley, and Angel and Fred. Giles decided to stay behind, just in case. Angel knew he wasn't up to going out again, but said nothing to spare the Watcher's pride.

"Come back here in an hour," Angel told them as they all went their separate ways.


(I still hope you're all liking this. It'll get better, I promise.)