Chapter 2 - The Invitation
Angel groaned one last time and walked forward toward Spike and the old man.
Spike wasted no time to make Angel look like an idiot, "Think they're overly dramatic accusations now, mate?" he whispered with great satisfaction as Angel walked by to the man.
"Doctor," he said, acknowledging the old cripple.
Doctor smiled up at Angel, "Angelus!" he said in a high-pitched broken voice, "It's been so long."
"Yes, it has," Angel said, inwardly wishing that it was longer.
Doctor nodded vigorously, "I've come to warn you dear demon," he said, his words seemed to be very rushed, as if he didn't have much time to explain.
Angel sighed and put his hands on his hips, leaning his neck back and rolling it, trying to relieve the stress that was tearing his insides apart.
Spike stood behind him, grinning widely, "Warn him you say?" he said sarcastically, "Of what? Because according to Angel here, there's no evil brewing anywhere that we should be worried about, is there?" he asked, patting Angel on the shoulder.
"Don't touch me," Angel said bluntly.
"Oh but there is. There is more evil than ever before," Doctor continued, "And it is rising. Rising rapidly. And this time, it will not be so easy to control," his eyes began to glaze over as if he was looking off into space.
"Hey now, wait a minute," Spike said, "It wasn't easy to control before! I had to melt to get that bloody thing shut!"
"Yes, that is the worst you've ever known. But trust me, there will be more," he paused for a dramatic moment and then continued, "It is coming. I can see it. All the pain, the torture."
Spike looked back to Angel, "Believe me now?" he asked.
Angel glared at him, "Spike, he's talking about the Hellmouth in Cleveland. That's what you've been feeling. That's what we've all been feeling. And if you would stop being a drama queen for just three seconds, you'd see that we are already setting an establishment up there to close it and keep it closed..."
"No!" Doctor yelled suddenly, cutting Angel off, "No, no, no," his eyes became normal again, "Not Cleveland. The Hellmouth in Cleveland is just Satan's play thing. No real harm can ever come from there."
Spike's sarcastic grin got wider, "Ah, so are you saying the great Angel doesn't know everything?! Dear God! It cannot be!" Spike yelled sarcastically.
By this time the entire building had stopped to watch the little show.
Angel sighed, "Are you sure that you're not just having flashbacks?" he asked Doctor, rubbing his neck the back of his own neck to control the need to burst out and kill something.
"No. I know what I speak of you imbecile," Doctor said, his voice rising.
Spike broke into a fit of laughter at Doctor calling Angel an imbecile.
"The power of evil is rising again. And it is not anywhere near here. It is across the ocean. In Europe, in the beautiful city of Roma."
Spike's laughter abruptly stopped and he and Angel looked at each other with alarm.
-*Rome*-
"Do you like this shirt?" Buffy asked, spinning around to look at herself in the mirrors at the Abercrombie and Fitch store.
Willow was looking in the mirror next to her, deciding whether or not she liked the pants she had picked out, "Yea, that's cute," she said.
Buffy smiled, "Yea I thought so too," she said, turning back toward the dressing room cubicle she was using.
Willow took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she was about to say, "You should wear it when we all go out to eat tomorrow afternoon."
Buffy stopped right in front of her the door, "What do you mean, 'when we all go out to eat tomorrow afternoon'?" she asked, her voice dripping with warning.
Willow took another deep breath, "Well, Me, Kennedy, Xander, and a few of our new friends are going out tomorrow afternoon, and I figured you'd like to tag along," she said this all very quickly and then hastily began to make her way back to the cubical she was using.
"No, no no!" Buffy yelled. Willow stopped and slowly turned around, "Okay, two things wrong with the sentence you just said. Number one: By 'figuring I'd like to tag along' you mean that you already told everyone I was coming. And number two: by 'new friends' you mean the guy you were talking about earlier in the car."
Willow cringed at her pinpoint accuracy, "Yes...kind of."
Buffy groaned, "Willow!" she said.
"Come on Buffy!" she whined, "It'll be fun! Why not?"
"There's lots of reasons why not! I refuse to leave those girls alone for two days in a row, I have clearly explained to you millions of times that I don't want to date right now..." she started.
"But when then Buffy?" Willow interrupted, the words falling from her mouth before she could control them, "It's been eight months since Spike died. You need to move on," no sooner had she finished the sentence than she clapped her hand over her mouth in horror, "No! I didn't mean to say that! That's not what I meant."
Buffy sighed, "Willow, I know that's what its about. And I'm okay. It was a long time ago. And I have moved on, just not in the direction most people do. I just...I'm not ready for that yet. In case you guys haven't realized, every guy that I've ever lov--been with has left. What makes you think this guy will be any different?"
Willow shrugged, "Nothing really, I just thought it'd be good for you to give him a chance," she looked up at Buffy who was staring at the floor, "Buffy, I'm sorry. I know that I'm really out of line. It's not my place to..."
"No," Buffy said, "You're right. I do need to move on. I'm just not sure I know how to anymore."
Willow's face fell and she walked forward, wrapping her arms around Buffy, "It's okay. Whatever you want to do, that's fine. You don't have to come out with us tomorrow afternoon if you don't feel ready," she pulled out of the hug and looked at Buffy who was trying her very best to force a convincing smile.
"Okay, I'll think about it," she said.
Willow nodded and took a step backward toward her dressing room, "Is it just me or is this talk of food making you hungry too?" she asked, desperate to change the subject.
Buffy laughed, "Yea, I am kind of hungry. I have eaten since...okay, I don't remember the last time I've eaten," she said, suddenly painfully aware of the growling in her stomach.
"Okay," Willow said, "Want to change and then go find something to eat?" she asked.
"Sure," Buffy said, pushing the door open to change back into her original outfit.
She was just about to shut it when Willow called her name again, "Buffy?" she asked.
"Yea?" Buffy asked, sticking her head around the corner.
Willow opened her mouth and then shut it again as if she wasn't sure where to start, "I...well, I don't know. Since we're on the subject. I mean, I've been avoiding the question for months but...um...did you love him? Spike, I mean," Willow said these words quickly also as if she was desperate to get them out before they made her explode.
Buffy looked down at the ground, "Yea," she said quietly, "I think I did."
Willow nodded, "Did you...did you ever tell him?" she asked quietly, the questions just letting themselves out now.
Buffy nodded and sniffed, "Yea. I did once," she answered, looking up at Willow.
Willow was looking at her, her eyes full of sympathy.
"But by that time, it was too late," Buffy said, turning back into the dressing room and shutting the door. She didn't want Willow to see her cry.
-*Back in L.A.*-
"What do you mean 'Roma'?" Angel asked, slowly looking away from Spike and back at Doctor.
"Roma!" Doctor said, his voice much more powerful now, "The beautiful city in Italy! Where love blossoms and the old live out their last years. The city with the most to lose from such destruction and evil!"
Spike took a step forward and held a hand up, "Calm down Dinosaur," he started.
"Doctor," Angel whispered behind him.
"Right. Doctor," he corrected himself, "Now why don't you lower your voice, come into Angel's little office get-up, and explain to us what exactly you mean?" Spike said, taking another step toward the old man.
"No! I haven't much time!" Doctor warned, "But I had to come tell you before it was too late. And I am warning you, it comes! And it comes with power, and great evil. It is seeking revenge this time, and it will stop at nothing to get it," Doctor held a fist in the air and slowly fell to the floor.
Spike and Angel both rushed forward to help him.
"You cannot negotiate your way out of this one," he said to Angel. Then he turned to Spike, "and you cannot save them all this time. More of them will die. Do not try to fix it. For such a stunt will only make matters worse," he let out a ragged cough and laid his head back on the floor, "The true champion will be revealed," he sputtered out.
And then he lay there, motionless, his eyes wide open as he let go of the little bit of life left within him.
-*Two Hours Later*-
Angel paced his office, nervously gnawing on his lip. He had managed to round up Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne by this time and now the four of them sat around the table, staring blankly, still in shock from what he told them.
"How?" Fred asked suddenly, still confused.
Angel stopped and buried his face in his hands, "I don't know," he said.
Spike was leaning against his desk, smoking nervously on a cigarette, "Another Hellmouth. Perfect. Just bloody peachy," he was mumbling to himself.
"So let me get this straight," Lorne said, "So this Doctor guy's a prophet?"
Angel nodded.
"And he just showed up out of no where to tell us that the world's going to end?" Lorne shook his head, "You'd think he would at least call and make an appointment! I mean, whatever happened to common curtesy?"
Angel lifted his face out of his hand and took a deep breath, "What are we going to do?" he asked.
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"Well I think it's pretty damn obvious," Spike started, putting his cigarette out and crossing his arms, "We have to go to Europe..." he said this very slowly, as if it was still sinking in, "To Rome."
Wesley nodded, "Spike's right. We need to go there and warn them."
Angel sighed, "It's not that simple though. I can't just up and leave right now, it's too hectic."
Spike shook his head in disbelief, "Well correct me if I'm wrong but I think the end of the world is a *bit* more important than your stupid, little, evil law firm!" he said, irritated.
He stood back up and walked toward Angel, "But maybe to you it isn't. Because you weren't there last time. You didn't see it."
Angel glared at him, "I was there last time."
"Oh yea, for a whole ten minutes! Long enough to have a quickly with Buffy and run off just to spite me!" Spike yelled.
Angel opened his mouth to retort, but Gunn intervened, knowing that if he let it go on any longer they would get into another fight and break Angel's office window yet again. It had happened so many times already they were losing count.
"Spike's right," he said, standing up and walking to the window.
"What!?" Angel asked, appalled that Gunn was taking Spike's side.
"And Angel's right too," Gunn continued.
Both vampires looked at him like he was a complete and utter idiot.
"Spike's right about the whole 'saving the world' thing, and Angel's got a point about not leaving," Gunn explained.
Their expressions didn't change at all at this comment.
Gunn sighed and was about to explain further when Wesley spoke up, "I up think the best plan is to go to Italy," he started. Angel spun around to glare at him. Wesley held up a hand, "But I don't think we should all go. This office would burn to the ground if we all left it for more than ten seconds."
"So what are you saying?" Angel asked, not completely sure that he wanted to know.
Wesley sighed as if he knew that what he was about to say would only cause more problems, "I'm saying that just you and Spike should go," he said quietly.
"What?!" Spike and Angel both yelled at the same time.
"If you think that I would even *consider* flying across the ocean with this poof you have got another thing coming. I refuse to tag along with him too see the woman I love that thinks I'm still dead, mind you, for the first time in eight bloody months!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air.
Wesley held up his hand again, "I understand Spike, but if you don't do this you may never get to see the woman you love ever again. You two not going there to warn them could cause the death of all of them and many others."
Angel and Spike both looked at each other and then down at the floor.
"Can't we just call them on the phone?" Angel asked in what sounded like a pleading little boys voice.
"I like his plan!" Spike said, looking up again.
Wesley shook his head, "I think it'd be best if you told her in person," he said, leaning back in his chair.
Fred still sat at the table staring off into space, and Gunn was staring out the window in the same fashion, while Lorne leaned against the wall, still trying to put everything together.
Spike shuffled his feet a bit, "But..." he started, but stopped.
They all sat in silence for a few minutes until Angel spoke.
"All right," he started, still talking as if he wasn't sure of what he was going to do, "Gunn, call the airport and tell them to have our jet ready by early tomorrow morning. Lorne and Fred, you guys are in charge of briefing the whole building and getting notice up to the senior partners about this," he said, walking back towards his desk.
"Wait!" Spike said ,"What happened to the calling them on the telephone idea!?" he demanded.
Angel ignored him, "And Wesley..." he said cautiously, "I want you to contact Rupert Giles. Tell him what's happening and that we're on our way."
Spike's mouth fell open, "No! Don't tell Giles! I don't want that flop to be the one to drop the news on Buffy that I'm no longer a neat little pile of ash!"
Angel groaned, "Fine! Tell Giles everything except the part about Spike! Jesus Lord, you're a pain in the ass!" he yelled at Spike.
"Well you're not exactly a ride on the merry-go-round either you bleeding idiot!" he retorted.
Angel flopped down into his chair, "Look, Spike, I'm extremely stressed out here..." he tried to start.
"*You're* extremely stressed out?!"
Angel groaned again and rubbed his temples, "Look, just go back to your apartment and get whatever you're going to need to go on this little...trip. And then come back. We're leaving before the sun comes up."
"Well gee, I don't think we really have any other option, do we now?" Spike asked sarcastically.
"Whatever," Angel said, leaning his elbows on his desk, "I'm really not in the mood for this. Just go."
Spike shook his head, "I've got everything I need on me," he said.
"Fine," Angel said, "Then just go somewhere, I can't put up with you all night," he slid his chair backwards and pulled his desk drawer open.
"I was planning on it," Spike said, turning and heading towards the door.
As soon as he was gone Angel let out a huge sigh of relief and looked up, "God, what did I *ever* do to you?!" he sat there for a moment until what he said sunk in, "Don't answer that..."
-*Rome*-
Willow pulled her keys out of the ignition and her and Buffy got out, heading towards the house.
Buffy seemed somewhat nervous and was muttering to herself.
"What's up?" Willow asked as she struggled with her shopping bags.
"I'm afraid to go in there," Buffy said, "Can you imagine all of the things that could have happened while we were gone?"
Willow sighed, "Buffy, you're overreacting. Nothing's wrong. See?" she pushed the door open and Buffy cautiously peered in.
Much to her surprise, everything seemed perfectly fine. The average level of noise was pouring through the house, and nothing seemed broken or destroyed. Hell, it was...normal.
Buffy heaved a huge sigh of relief and continued on into the house. A few of the girls were in the living room watching television. She could hear another group of them in the kitchen making dinner, and a steady flow of female voices from upstairs.
Buffy smiled, "Wow. No one's dead, all the walls are still here, and no ones getting attacked by demons!"
"See!" Willow said, nudging her as she walked by towards the winding stairs, "Everything's fine!" she was about to make her way up to her room, when Xander came sliding down the banister.
"Uh...hey Will, Buffy!" he said, jumping down off the railing.
Both girls looked at him with extreme disapproval, "Xander. I yell at the girls for sliding down the banister. What kind of example are you setting!?" Buffy asked in a very mother-like tone.
"Oh come on Buff, there's like, fifteen-thousand stairs! It's bad enough we have to walk *up* them. You should at least give us a break coming down!" he whined.
Buffy sighed, "Well it's not my fault we had to get a huge house. There's like a million people living here and there's still not enough room! We've run out of bedrooms with all these slayers pouring in!" she walked past Xander to follow Willow up the stairs.
"Well then maybe we should have an elevator installed!" Xander called after them.
"No!" Buffy yelled back down as she disappeared behind one of the curves.
"Why not?" Xander called again, cupping his hands around his mouth just to make sure she could hear him.
"Because!" Buffy called back, her voice becoming more and more distant, "You need the excersise.
Xander's expression fell and he looked down as his gut, "I do not," he mumbled to himself as he lifted his arms to observe his muscles.
Just then Dawn walked by carrying a heavy load of books, "Hey Xander?" she said, "take these into the library okay?" she dumped the books into his arms.
"Oh my God," Xander said as the weight of them almost made him fall over.
"Oh come on, they aren't that heavy," Dawn said, disappearing down the hall again.
-*London*-
Giles was pacing his house, talking frantically into the phone, "Yes Wesley, I understand. I'll try to get hold of her as soon as I can. Thank you, bye," he hung up the phone and then picked it up again to dial Buffy's number, but when he put his ear to the phone, there was no dial tone.
His phone line had gone dead.
~*~*~*~
A/N – R&R please : -(. I know this chapter kind of sucked but yea...review anyways?
xxCASPERxx
Angel groaned one last time and walked forward toward Spike and the old man.
Spike wasted no time to make Angel look like an idiot, "Think they're overly dramatic accusations now, mate?" he whispered with great satisfaction as Angel walked by to the man.
"Doctor," he said, acknowledging the old cripple.
Doctor smiled up at Angel, "Angelus!" he said in a high-pitched broken voice, "It's been so long."
"Yes, it has," Angel said, inwardly wishing that it was longer.
Doctor nodded vigorously, "I've come to warn you dear demon," he said, his words seemed to be very rushed, as if he didn't have much time to explain.
Angel sighed and put his hands on his hips, leaning his neck back and rolling it, trying to relieve the stress that was tearing his insides apart.
Spike stood behind him, grinning widely, "Warn him you say?" he said sarcastically, "Of what? Because according to Angel here, there's no evil brewing anywhere that we should be worried about, is there?" he asked, patting Angel on the shoulder.
"Don't touch me," Angel said bluntly.
"Oh but there is. There is more evil than ever before," Doctor continued, "And it is rising. Rising rapidly. And this time, it will not be so easy to control," his eyes began to glaze over as if he was looking off into space.
"Hey now, wait a minute," Spike said, "It wasn't easy to control before! I had to melt to get that bloody thing shut!"
"Yes, that is the worst you've ever known. But trust me, there will be more," he paused for a dramatic moment and then continued, "It is coming. I can see it. All the pain, the torture."
Spike looked back to Angel, "Believe me now?" he asked.
Angel glared at him, "Spike, he's talking about the Hellmouth in Cleveland. That's what you've been feeling. That's what we've all been feeling. And if you would stop being a drama queen for just three seconds, you'd see that we are already setting an establishment up there to close it and keep it closed..."
"No!" Doctor yelled suddenly, cutting Angel off, "No, no, no," his eyes became normal again, "Not Cleveland. The Hellmouth in Cleveland is just Satan's play thing. No real harm can ever come from there."
Spike's sarcastic grin got wider, "Ah, so are you saying the great Angel doesn't know everything?! Dear God! It cannot be!" Spike yelled sarcastically.
By this time the entire building had stopped to watch the little show.
Angel sighed, "Are you sure that you're not just having flashbacks?" he asked Doctor, rubbing his neck the back of his own neck to control the need to burst out and kill something.
"No. I know what I speak of you imbecile," Doctor said, his voice rising.
Spike broke into a fit of laughter at Doctor calling Angel an imbecile.
"The power of evil is rising again. And it is not anywhere near here. It is across the ocean. In Europe, in the beautiful city of Roma."
Spike's laughter abruptly stopped and he and Angel looked at each other with alarm.
-*Rome*-
"Do you like this shirt?" Buffy asked, spinning around to look at herself in the mirrors at the Abercrombie and Fitch store.
Willow was looking in the mirror next to her, deciding whether or not she liked the pants she had picked out, "Yea, that's cute," she said.
Buffy smiled, "Yea I thought so too," she said, turning back toward the dressing room cubicle she was using.
Willow took a deep breath and prepared herself for what she was about to say, "You should wear it when we all go out to eat tomorrow afternoon."
Buffy stopped right in front of her the door, "What do you mean, 'when we all go out to eat tomorrow afternoon'?" she asked, her voice dripping with warning.
Willow took another deep breath, "Well, Me, Kennedy, Xander, and a few of our new friends are going out tomorrow afternoon, and I figured you'd like to tag along," she said this all very quickly and then hastily began to make her way back to the cubical she was using.
"No, no no!" Buffy yelled. Willow stopped and slowly turned around, "Okay, two things wrong with the sentence you just said. Number one: By 'figuring I'd like to tag along' you mean that you already told everyone I was coming. And number two: by 'new friends' you mean the guy you were talking about earlier in the car."
Willow cringed at her pinpoint accuracy, "Yes...kind of."
Buffy groaned, "Willow!" she said.
"Come on Buffy!" she whined, "It'll be fun! Why not?"
"There's lots of reasons why not! I refuse to leave those girls alone for two days in a row, I have clearly explained to you millions of times that I don't want to date right now..." she started.
"But when then Buffy?" Willow interrupted, the words falling from her mouth before she could control them, "It's been eight months since Spike died. You need to move on," no sooner had she finished the sentence than she clapped her hand over her mouth in horror, "No! I didn't mean to say that! That's not what I meant."
Buffy sighed, "Willow, I know that's what its about. And I'm okay. It was a long time ago. And I have moved on, just not in the direction most people do. I just...I'm not ready for that yet. In case you guys haven't realized, every guy that I've ever lov--been with has left. What makes you think this guy will be any different?"
Willow shrugged, "Nothing really, I just thought it'd be good for you to give him a chance," she looked up at Buffy who was staring at the floor, "Buffy, I'm sorry. I know that I'm really out of line. It's not my place to..."
"No," Buffy said, "You're right. I do need to move on. I'm just not sure I know how to anymore."
Willow's face fell and she walked forward, wrapping her arms around Buffy, "It's okay. Whatever you want to do, that's fine. You don't have to come out with us tomorrow afternoon if you don't feel ready," she pulled out of the hug and looked at Buffy who was trying her very best to force a convincing smile.
"Okay, I'll think about it," she said.
Willow nodded and took a step backward toward her dressing room, "Is it just me or is this talk of food making you hungry too?" she asked, desperate to change the subject.
Buffy laughed, "Yea, I am kind of hungry. I have eaten since...okay, I don't remember the last time I've eaten," she said, suddenly painfully aware of the growling in her stomach.
"Okay," Willow said, "Want to change and then go find something to eat?" she asked.
"Sure," Buffy said, pushing the door open to change back into her original outfit.
She was just about to shut it when Willow called her name again, "Buffy?" she asked.
"Yea?" Buffy asked, sticking her head around the corner.
Willow opened her mouth and then shut it again as if she wasn't sure where to start, "I...well, I don't know. Since we're on the subject. I mean, I've been avoiding the question for months but...um...did you love him? Spike, I mean," Willow said these words quickly also as if she was desperate to get them out before they made her explode.
Buffy looked down at the ground, "Yea," she said quietly, "I think I did."
Willow nodded, "Did you...did you ever tell him?" she asked quietly, the questions just letting themselves out now.
Buffy nodded and sniffed, "Yea. I did once," she answered, looking up at Willow.
Willow was looking at her, her eyes full of sympathy.
"But by that time, it was too late," Buffy said, turning back into the dressing room and shutting the door. She didn't want Willow to see her cry.
-*Back in L.A.*-
"What do you mean 'Roma'?" Angel asked, slowly looking away from Spike and back at Doctor.
"Roma!" Doctor said, his voice much more powerful now, "The beautiful city in Italy! Where love blossoms and the old live out their last years. The city with the most to lose from such destruction and evil!"
Spike took a step forward and held a hand up, "Calm down Dinosaur," he started.
"Doctor," Angel whispered behind him.
"Right. Doctor," he corrected himself, "Now why don't you lower your voice, come into Angel's little office get-up, and explain to us what exactly you mean?" Spike said, taking another step toward the old man.
"No! I haven't much time!" Doctor warned, "But I had to come tell you before it was too late. And I am warning you, it comes! And it comes with power, and great evil. It is seeking revenge this time, and it will stop at nothing to get it," Doctor held a fist in the air and slowly fell to the floor.
Spike and Angel both rushed forward to help him.
"You cannot negotiate your way out of this one," he said to Angel. Then he turned to Spike, "and you cannot save them all this time. More of them will die. Do not try to fix it. For such a stunt will only make matters worse," he let out a ragged cough and laid his head back on the floor, "The true champion will be revealed," he sputtered out.
And then he lay there, motionless, his eyes wide open as he let go of the little bit of life left within him.
-*Two Hours Later*-
Angel paced his office, nervously gnawing on his lip. He had managed to round up Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne by this time and now the four of them sat around the table, staring blankly, still in shock from what he told them.
"How?" Fred asked suddenly, still confused.
Angel stopped and buried his face in his hands, "I don't know," he said.
Spike was leaning against his desk, smoking nervously on a cigarette, "Another Hellmouth. Perfect. Just bloody peachy," he was mumbling to himself.
"So let me get this straight," Lorne said, "So this Doctor guy's a prophet?"
Angel nodded.
"And he just showed up out of no where to tell us that the world's going to end?" Lorne shook his head, "You'd think he would at least call and make an appointment! I mean, whatever happened to common curtesy?"
Angel lifted his face out of his hand and took a deep breath, "What are we going to do?" he asked.
Everyone stared at him blankly.
"Well I think it's pretty damn obvious," Spike started, putting his cigarette out and crossing his arms, "We have to go to Europe..." he said this very slowly, as if it was still sinking in, "To Rome."
Wesley nodded, "Spike's right. We need to go there and warn them."
Angel sighed, "It's not that simple though. I can't just up and leave right now, it's too hectic."
Spike shook his head in disbelief, "Well correct me if I'm wrong but I think the end of the world is a *bit* more important than your stupid, little, evil law firm!" he said, irritated.
He stood back up and walked toward Angel, "But maybe to you it isn't. Because you weren't there last time. You didn't see it."
Angel glared at him, "I was there last time."
"Oh yea, for a whole ten minutes! Long enough to have a quickly with Buffy and run off just to spite me!" Spike yelled.
Angel opened his mouth to retort, but Gunn intervened, knowing that if he let it go on any longer they would get into another fight and break Angel's office window yet again. It had happened so many times already they were losing count.
"Spike's right," he said, standing up and walking to the window.
"What!?" Angel asked, appalled that Gunn was taking Spike's side.
"And Angel's right too," Gunn continued.
Both vampires looked at him like he was a complete and utter idiot.
"Spike's right about the whole 'saving the world' thing, and Angel's got a point about not leaving," Gunn explained.
Their expressions didn't change at all at this comment.
Gunn sighed and was about to explain further when Wesley spoke up, "I up think the best plan is to go to Italy," he started. Angel spun around to glare at him. Wesley held up a hand, "But I don't think we should all go. This office would burn to the ground if we all left it for more than ten seconds."
"So what are you saying?" Angel asked, not completely sure that he wanted to know.
Wesley sighed as if he knew that what he was about to say would only cause more problems, "I'm saying that just you and Spike should go," he said quietly.
"What?!" Spike and Angel both yelled at the same time.
"If you think that I would even *consider* flying across the ocean with this poof you have got another thing coming. I refuse to tag along with him too see the woman I love that thinks I'm still dead, mind you, for the first time in eight bloody months!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air.
Wesley held up his hand again, "I understand Spike, but if you don't do this you may never get to see the woman you love ever again. You two not going there to warn them could cause the death of all of them and many others."
Angel and Spike both looked at each other and then down at the floor.
"Can't we just call them on the phone?" Angel asked in what sounded like a pleading little boys voice.
"I like his plan!" Spike said, looking up again.
Wesley shook his head, "I think it'd be best if you told her in person," he said, leaning back in his chair.
Fred still sat at the table staring off into space, and Gunn was staring out the window in the same fashion, while Lorne leaned against the wall, still trying to put everything together.
Spike shuffled his feet a bit, "But..." he started, but stopped.
They all sat in silence for a few minutes until Angel spoke.
"All right," he started, still talking as if he wasn't sure of what he was going to do, "Gunn, call the airport and tell them to have our jet ready by early tomorrow morning. Lorne and Fred, you guys are in charge of briefing the whole building and getting notice up to the senior partners about this," he said, walking back towards his desk.
"Wait!" Spike said ,"What happened to the calling them on the telephone idea!?" he demanded.
Angel ignored him, "And Wesley..." he said cautiously, "I want you to contact Rupert Giles. Tell him what's happening and that we're on our way."
Spike's mouth fell open, "No! Don't tell Giles! I don't want that flop to be the one to drop the news on Buffy that I'm no longer a neat little pile of ash!"
Angel groaned, "Fine! Tell Giles everything except the part about Spike! Jesus Lord, you're a pain in the ass!" he yelled at Spike.
"Well you're not exactly a ride on the merry-go-round either you bleeding idiot!" he retorted.
Angel flopped down into his chair, "Look, Spike, I'm extremely stressed out here..." he tried to start.
"*You're* extremely stressed out?!"
Angel groaned again and rubbed his temples, "Look, just go back to your apartment and get whatever you're going to need to go on this little...trip. And then come back. We're leaving before the sun comes up."
"Well gee, I don't think we really have any other option, do we now?" Spike asked sarcastically.
"Whatever," Angel said, leaning his elbows on his desk, "I'm really not in the mood for this. Just go."
Spike shook his head, "I've got everything I need on me," he said.
"Fine," Angel said, "Then just go somewhere, I can't put up with you all night," he slid his chair backwards and pulled his desk drawer open.
"I was planning on it," Spike said, turning and heading towards the door.
As soon as he was gone Angel let out a huge sigh of relief and looked up, "God, what did I *ever* do to you?!" he sat there for a moment until what he said sunk in, "Don't answer that..."
-*Rome*-
Willow pulled her keys out of the ignition and her and Buffy got out, heading towards the house.
Buffy seemed somewhat nervous and was muttering to herself.
"What's up?" Willow asked as she struggled with her shopping bags.
"I'm afraid to go in there," Buffy said, "Can you imagine all of the things that could have happened while we were gone?"
Willow sighed, "Buffy, you're overreacting. Nothing's wrong. See?" she pushed the door open and Buffy cautiously peered in.
Much to her surprise, everything seemed perfectly fine. The average level of noise was pouring through the house, and nothing seemed broken or destroyed. Hell, it was...normal.
Buffy heaved a huge sigh of relief and continued on into the house. A few of the girls were in the living room watching television. She could hear another group of them in the kitchen making dinner, and a steady flow of female voices from upstairs.
Buffy smiled, "Wow. No one's dead, all the walls are still here, and no ones getting attacked by demons!"
"See!" Willow said, nudging her as she walked by towards the winding stairs, "Everything's fine!" she was about to make her way up to her room, when Xander came sliding down the banister.
"Uh...hey Will, Buffy!" he said, jumping down off the railing.
Both girls looked at him with extreme disapproval, "Xander. I yell at the girls for sliding down the banister. What kind of example are you setting!?" Buffy asked in a very mother-like tone.
"Oh come on Buff, there's like, fifteen-thousand stairs! It's bad enough we have to walk *up* them. You should at least give us a break coming down!" he whined.
Buffy sighed, "Well it's not my fault we had to get a huge house. There's like a million people living here and there's still not enough room! We've run out of bedrooms with all these slayers pouring in!" she walked past Xander to follow Willow up the stairs.
"Well then maybe we should have an elevator installed!" Xander called after them.
"No!" Buffy yelled back down as she disappeared behind one of the curves.
"Why not?" Xander called again, cupping his hands around his mouth just to make sure she could hear him.
"Because!" Buffy called back, her voice becoming more and more distant, "You need the excersise.
Xander's expression fell and he looked down as his gut, "I do not," he mumbled to himself as he lifted his arms to observe his muscles.
Just then Dawn walked by carrying a heavy load of books, "Hey Xander?" she said, "take these into the library okay?" she dumped the books into his arms.
"Oh my God," Xander said as the weight of them almost made him fall over.
"Oh come on, they aren't that heavy," Dawn said, disappearing down the hall again.
-*London*-
Giles was pacing his house, talking frantically into the phone, "Yes Wesley, I understand. I'll try to get hold of her as soon as I can. Thank you, bye," he hung up the phone and then picked it up again to dial Buffy's number, but when he put his ear to the phone, there was no dial tone.
His phone line had gone dead.
~*~*~*~
A/N – R&R please : -(. I know this chapter kind of sucked but yea...review anyways?
xxCASPERxx
