¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤¤¤
What Is To Be
-Eleventh-
By Annie
2003-09-17
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤
The flat of Gary Forte was everything Cordelia had claimed it would be, and more. It was decked out in silver for the party and everywhere were candles burning, giving the ten rooms throughout which the Twilight Gathering was held a mystic and aged air. With the contents of beautiful people dressed up in beautiful creations it seemed to be the perfect backdrop.
Gary Forte himself stood at the door, greeting all his guests by name and he gave Angel a handshake and a nod as though they had known each other since the age of toddler. Angel returned it, keeping a strictly professional exterior, and then the group spread out as they all began to mingle.
There was truly a mixture in the crowd; and though it seemed to consist largely of the demonic part of society, there were a selected few of the human part as well. Buffy soon concluded that these must be very close and personal friends of Forte's; otherwise he clearly wouldn't have let them join in an event as exclusive as this one was.
How Angel had come across his invitations, not only for himself but for all of them, he had explained by one single word and then left it at that: contacts.
Now Buffy moved from his right side to his left, sipping her champagne and smiling at what she thought was a Datrot demon, which smirked back.
"So far I count seven," she said out of the corner of her mouth to Angel, referring to their largest obstacle of heavy looking men on just as heavy guard-duty.
Angel nodded.
"Most of them located around the stairs to the second floor," he agreed very quietly as well and she gave him a look.
"Then that's where we're headed," she said, putting her glass down on a nearby table and then smiling at him as he put his arm around her waist and escorted her further into the room.
There were five smaller rooms being used purely for conversation and card- playing, one of these being an amazing library which Buffy was sure would make even Giles' eyes grow rather round. Wesley had tried to hide how he himself was impressed by the extensive collection, but he did a poor job of it and Cordelia mocked him relentlessly.
One larger room was proprietor of a long, wide mahogany table loaded with all sorts of foods for the jumble of party-goers. It seemed Forte had deterred, however, from serving food which was alive and Buffy had to admit she was rather grateful.
Two rooms were no smaller than halls and they were both illuminated by great, glittering chandeliers. The first held a live orchestra of twelve tux-clad musicians who at least looked human, joined by a very pretty female singer. People were flowing in an endless twirling mass about the dark wooden floor and the mirrors, hung on eggshell painted walls, reflected most of them.
In the second room tables were set out, used for dining at as the food was not permitted in any of the other rooms.
"Mr. McLaughlin," a voice stopped the Slayer and vampire in their tracks, the latter turning around to meet the deep brown eyes of Gary Forte. "I beg of you, a moment of your time," the man added and Angel nodded, giving Buffy a look which told her to stay put and she gave a small nod in return just before he left.
She swallowed, feeling goose-bumps spread up her arms at the thought of their plan failing even before it had started.
"Did I tell you?" Spike's voice suddenly said right next to her ear and she turned her head sharply to the side, her nose practically touching his and she drew a breath before she smiled a little, his face pulling back an inch or so.
"Tell me what?" she wondered and he smiled back before replying:
"That you look stunningly beautiful."
Her smile broadened at that, then she looked away with a timidity in her posture that he didn't think he had witnessed on her before.
"You didn't think I failed to notice, did you?" he asked, voice soft and she looked back at him, her gaze warm and intimate as she slowly shook her head.
God, she was almost shaking and her knees were much too weak and... He had completely surprised her. This not feeling a tingle whenever he was a hundred feet away really did take some getting used to.
"I-I mean, I might've... thought that," she answered his previous question and he smiled a little. "Where's Susannah?" she then asked, squaring her shoulders and trying not to look too much as though she was fighting to get back in control.
"She's dancing," he replied.
"Oh," she said, looking out over the dance floor in seeming search of the other lady when his fingers brushed against hers and they reacted without her even thinking as they met his and then entwined their hands.
"Want to?" he wondered and she turned her head back to him, quizzical to anything but the feel of him there. "Dance," he elaborated as an explanation and she smiled a little, her cheeks suddenly burning as she averted her gaze again.
"Okay," she then mumbled. "Yeah, we could... do that... I guess," she added and he put one index finger under her chin, making her look up at him again.
"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked and she smiled again, resting her eyes firmly in his this time as she answered:
"Yes."
The orchestra was just starting a new song and Buffy closed her eyes as he took her in his arms and gently began to lead her with the others across the floor. She rested her head against his shoulder, his left hand still gripping her right in a tender hold and she was smiling though barely aware of it.
The words of the song that the young woman began to sing worked as a soft lullaby for her mind, and she let them soak through it as she floated with him in a sphere out of reach to any other.
~
Laugh and cry, live and die
Life is a dream
we are dreaming
Day by day, I find my way
Look for the soul,
and the meaning
Then you look at me, and I always see
What I have been searching for
I'm lost as can be
Then you look at me
And I am not lost anymore
~
Spike moved their hands so that he could put the back of her right over the place of his heart as he kept their fingers intertwined and she moved her head to look up at him. He met her gaze.
~
People run, sun to sun
Caught in their lives
ever flowing
Once begun life goes till it's gone
We have to go
where it's going
Then you look at me, and I always see
What I have been searching for
I'm lost as can be
Then you look at me
And I am not lost anymore
~
"I talked with Cordelia before," he said quietly. "She told me... about Angel and why..."
He trailed off.
"I tried to tell you," Buffy grumbled and he tilted his head a little to one side before he asked:
"Why?"
She stared at him for a moment, then said:
"I just... I thought you should know. I just wanted you to know that I... But then Susannah..."
"She didn't mention... not that it was her place but... She knows that she's a friend, a close and good friend and..."
Buffy smiled a little at the awkwardness, why was it so hard to produce the right words? To let him know what she wanted him to know...?
"Buffy," he mumbled and she rested her gaze in his as his left hand let her right go before moving to the side of her face and she closed her eyes before opening them again almost immediately and he had the shadow of a smile on his lips; she mirrored it.
~
And you say you see
When you look at me
The reason you love life so
Though lost I have been
I've found love again
And life just keeps on running
And life just keeps on running
You look at me
and life comes from
you
From you
~
Say it, her mind whispered, just say it.
Then a hand grabbed her right arm and practically ripped her away from him and her throat was about to voice a protest when Angel pulled her close and hissed:
"I just spent four minutes with the man we're trying to fool out of any suspicion and I told him that you were as much my girlfriend as he had presumed since otherwise I was pretty sure he was going to make a move on you and keep you in his company for the remainder of this evening. I tell you this only 'cause because of it, it might not be such a good idea for you to look quite so friendly with another man."
She swallowed, looking over his shoulder at Spike who now had Susannah in his arms.
Buffy felt like crying over the moment that had just been lost, but then she slapped herself out of it. They were there to work; she couldn't get hung up on this now.
"I didn't realize," she muttered as a response to Angel, having Spike turn his gaze in hers once more and she gave him a meaningful look as she made a discrete movement with one hand as though stabbing Angel in the back.
Spike smiled widely at that and she returned it.
Keeping it on as it was - as they say - show time.
***
Buffy looked down the abandoned hallway, and then at Angel. The sound of the bash going on below them didn't reach the second floor but for a muffled current of noise. It was stillness which met the two intruders as they became one with it and moved down the corridor.
Getting passed the security-guards had taken them nearly fifteen minutes of patient wait for the right moment. Then Buffy had charmed the one standing right at the foot of the stairs - the latter sealed off by a thick and black velvet rope. It hadn't taken much of her cunning to lure him aside as she kept on asking personal questions with her eyes telling him she wanted to learn even more of him. Then she had simply asked him to wait while she went to get them both something to drink, all the while slipping up the stairs with Angel. The guard was obviously muscles-for-hire-excluding-the- brain. This type was, of course, easier to deal with if you wanted less-of- a-mess in the questions department, but still more-of-the-gore in the... rest of the departments.
The Slayer and vampire were still in a hurry, though, as they didn't want to overstay their welcome and the longer it took them to find anything of value, the longer they obviously put themselves at risk. Gary Forte had a brain, and a good set of eyes. Soon those two were apt to begin processing the guests and if any were missing...
"Here," Angel stopped her as she was about to walk passed a door standing slightly ajar to her left.
She reached out a hand and pushed the door to slide open, then she turned her eyes on Angel and he nodded before they entered the room.
It was large, oval shaped and covered in dark wood panels, dark wood bookcases stocked with volumes of books looking truly antique stood along the walls on both sides and before the two beings, with the backdrop of three large French windows, stood a charismatic piece of furniture - a big desk in the same dark wood as the rest of the room.
Drapes of deep green hung on both sides of the window as well as between every bookcase, and the group of armchairs and sofas standing in the middle of the room were dressed in the same color velvet.
The room breathed wealth.
"Say what you will, but he has got good taste," Buffy stated, Angel giving her a glance before they split up and took one side of the room each.
Buffy beginning with the right hand side bookcases as Angel started on the left. They worked methodically and quickly, scanning the backs of the bands. After ten minutes they still had nothing, both of them having worked through three of five cases, and Buffy felt how her heart was beating hard in her chest.
"There's nothing," she mumbled.
"Don't give up," he replied and she clenched her jaws together as she nodded and kept going.
After another minute she was about to move to the next bookcase when she found herself pausing before the green drape covering the wall separating the third case from the fourth. She hesitated, then reached out a hand and carefully moved the cloth aside.
"Angel," she breathed and he turned his head to her, his eyes widening.
Then he did as she had, removing the drape on his side from what it covered and revealing what Buffy had just found as well - in the wall, behind a glass-door, was another set of shelves containing artifacts so clearly magical that there was no need for any puzzlement. This was what they had been searching for; they were one step closer.
Buffy quickly looked over the items before her, but she found nothing of interest and moved to the next drape. Behind this one were only three items - a pair of scissors looking as though made out of gold, a slim bottle not higher than three inches made of copper with intricate carvings covering it and a fan with a painting which continuously changed its pattern.
As this drape was the last in line she let it fall back in place and hurried back to the first one. This contained a collection of close to thirty books in different shapes and sizes and she leaned a little closer to the glass as one of them caught her attention.
"Angel," she said. "Come here... I think I've found something."
He moved across the room and came to join her at her side, bending forward as well, gazing through the glass at what she was pointing to and he raised his eyebrows.
"See, there," she said, "it looks like it's been torn from something."
"Interesting," he nodded, reaching into one of his pockets and bringing out the smallest camera she had ever seen.
It was practically flat and the length of his palm.
"Spy much?" she asked and he smirked.
"It was a gift from a friend," he replied, beginning to take pictures and the camera giving off a small buzzing sound, making Buffy smile.
"What sort of friend?" she asked and he gave her a look before straightening his back.
"I think we've gotten what we came here for," he said.
"You think that actually is the missing part of the prophecy?" she asked and he shook the camera meaningfully before answering:
"Only one way to find out."
"Well, I'm glad we didn't get to the point of 'borrowing' anything," she said as he put the cam back in his pocket and they headed for the door. "I'm pretty sure there would've been pain to pay if we tried to break through that glass," she added and he nodded.
He had felt it too, a light touch of electricity around it. It had been hot- wired against thieves for sure.
"Me too. Now let's get out of here," he said and she nodded as she followed him through the doorway.
As she rounded the frame she put her hand up and let it trace it, her fingers sliding over a rough spot in the wood which made her pause and glance back at it. A carving the size of a dime was etched into the matter right by her fingertips and she blinked, taking a closer look and almost wanting to ask Angel if she could borrow his spy-equipment when he hissed at her to hurry up and she quickly followed him down the hall and back to the stairs.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******************
Joy, joy! Feedback is definitively the best part of my day!
Wa-ha-harm thanks to Taelyn (*smirks* And OMG, I'm so totally lost that I didn't get you were talking about hurricane Isabel! I hope all is as well as it can be with you! And I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 11 as well! :) Really glad you liked the Buffy/Willow conversation!) :), maribel (hey, cool that you approve! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, girl!) ;), Caikes (Oh no, hope the tenth will work now! And so pleased you like the others!) :), Winters1 (Get rid of Susannah?! *smirk*) ;), Mel (Oh, I love the new title, though I'm not taking all the credit because half of it is for my muse! Naw, but really, aw! and thank you! :) Thanks for sharing, girl! Happy you liked!) :), wolf116 (oh, poor Susie! ;) So annoying that ff.net is acting up, but hope it's sorted out! And grrreat that you like it!) ;), MissK (Awesome! Thank you! Here it was! *smile*) :), Captain (Oh, nice. And happy b-day a bit late. And yummy Spike! You lucky duck! Break me off a piece of that! ;) And very, very nice indeed to read that you enjoyed the last chapter! And hey, of course there's dancing! You know me by now! Romance, romance, romance.) :)
Hope all of you guys liked this chapter as well!
A.M.L, Annie.
What Is To Be
-Eleventh-
By Annie
2003-09-17
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤
The flat of Gary Forte was everything Cordelia had claimed it would be, and more. It was decked out in silver for the party and everywhere were candles burning, giving the ten rooms throughout which the Twilight Gathering was held a mystic and aged air. With the contents of beautiful people dressed up in beautiful creations it seemed to be the perfect backdrop.
Gary Forte himself stood at the door, greeting all his guests by name and he gave Angel a handshake and a nod as though they had known each other since the age of toddler. Angel returned it, keeping a strictly professional exterior, and then the group spread out as they all began to mingle.
There was truly a mixture in the crowd; and though it seemed to consist largely of the demonic part of society, there were a selected few of the human part as well. Buffy soon concluded that these must be very close and personal friends of Forte's; otherwise he clearly wouldn't have let them join in an event as exclusive as this one was.
How Angel had come across his invitations, not only for himself but for all of them, he had explained by one single word and then left it at that: contacts.
Now Buffy moved from his right side to his left, sipping her champagne and smiling at what she thought was a Datrot demon, which smirked back.
"So far I count seven," she said out of the corner of her mouth to Angel, referring to their largest obstacle of heavy looking men on just as heavy guard-duty.
Angel nodded.
"Most of them located around the stairs to the second floor," he agreed very quietly as well and she gave him a look.
"Then that's where we're headed," she said, putting her glass down on a nearby table and then smiling at him as he put his arm around her waist and escorted her further into the room.
There were five smaller rooms being used purely for conversation and card- playing, one of these being an amazing library which Buffy was sure would make even Giles' eyes grow rather round. Wesley had tried to hide how he himself was impressed by the extensive collection, but he did a poor job of it and Cordelia mocked him relentlessly.
One larger room was proprietor of a long, wide mahogany table loaded with all sorts of foods for the jumble of party-goers. It seemed Forte had deterred, however, from serving food which was alive and Buffy had to admit she was rather grateful.
Two rooms were no smaller than halls and they were both illuminated by great, glittering chandeliers. The first held a live orchestra of twelve tux-clad musicians who at least looked human, joined by a very pretty female singer. People were flowing in an endless twirling mass about the dark wooden floor and the mirrors, hung on eggshell painted walls, reflected most of them.
In the second room tables were set out, used for dining at as the food was not permitted in any of the other rooms.
"Mr. McLaughlin," a voice stopped the Slayer and vampire in their tracks, the latter turning around to meet the deep brown eyes of Gary Forte. "I beg of you, a moment of your time," the man added and Angel nodded, giving Buffy a look which told her to stay put and she gave a small nod in return just before he left.
She swallowed, feeling goose-bumps spread up her arms at the thought of their plan failing even before it had started.
"Did I tell you?" Spike's voice suddenly said right next to her ear and she turned her head sharply to the side, her nose practically touching his and she drew a breath before she smiled a little, his face pulling back an inch or so.
"Tell me what?" she wondered and he smiled back before replying:
"That you look stunningly beautiful."
Her smile broadened at that, then she looked away with a timidity in her posture that he didn't think he had witnessed on her before.
"You didn't think I failed to notice, did you?" he asked, voice soft and she looked back at him, her gaze warm and intimate as she slowly shook her head.
God, she was almost shaking and her knees were much too weak and... He had completely surprised her. This not feeling a tingle whenever he was a hundred feet away really did take some getting used to.
"I-I mean, I might've... thought that," she answered his previous question and he smiled a little. "Where's Susannah?" she then asked, squaring her shoulders and trying not to look too much as though she was fighting to get back in control.
"She's dancing," he replied.
"Oh," she said, looking out over the dance floor in seeming search of the other lady when his fingers brushed against hers and they reacted without her even thinking as they met his and then entwined their hands.
"Want to?" he wondered and she turned her head back to him, quizzical to anything but the feel of him there. "Dance," he elaborated as an explanation and she smiled a little, her cheeks suddenly burning as she averted her gaze again.
"Okay," she then mumbled. "Yeah, we could... do that... I guess," she added and he put one index finger under her chin, making her look up at him again.
"Would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked and she smiled again, resting her eyes firmly in his this time as she answered:
"Yes."
The orchestra was just starting a new song and Buffy closed her eyes as he took her in his arms and gently began to lead her with the others across the floor. She rested her head against his shoulder, his left hand still gripping her right in a tender hold and she was smiling though barely aware of it.
The words of the song that the young woman began to sing worked as a soft lullaby for her mind, and she let them soak through it as she floated with him in a sphere out of reach to any other.
~
Laugh and cry, live and die
Life is a dream
we are dreaming
Day by day, I find my way
Look for the soul,
and the meaning
Then you look at me, and I always see
What I have been searching for
I'm lost as can be
Then you look at me
And I am not lost anymore
~
Spike moved their hands so that he could put the back of her right over the place of his heart as he kept their fingers intertwined and she moved her head to look up at him. He met her gaze.
~
People run, sun to sun
Caught in their lives
ever flowing
Once begun life goes till it's gone
We have to go
where it's going
Then you look at me, and I always see
What I have been searching for
I'm lost as can be
Then you look at me
And I am not lost anymore
~
"I talked with Cordelia before," he said quietly. "She told me... about Angel and why..."
He trailed off.
"I tried to tell you," Buffy grumbled and he tilted his head a little to one side before he asked:
"Why?"
She stared at him for a moment, then said:
"I just... I thought you should know. I just wanted you to know that I... But then Susannah..."
"She didn't mention... not that it was her place but... She knows that she's a friend, a close and good friend and..."
Buffy smiled a little at the awkwardness, why was it so hard to produce the right words? To let him know what she wanted him to know...?
"Buffy," he mumbled and she rested her gaze in his as his left hand let her right go before moving to the side of her face and she closed her eyes before opening them again almost immediately and he had the shadow of a smile on his lips; she mirrored it.
~
And you say you see
When you look at me
The reason you love life so
Though lost I have been
I've found love again
And life just keeps on running
And life just keeps on running
You look at me
and life comes from
you
From you
~
Say it, her mind whispered, just say it.
Then a hand grabbed her right arm and practically ripped her away from him and her throat was about to voice a protest when Angel pulled her close and hissed:
"I just spent four minutes with the man we're trying to fool out of any suspicion and I told him that you were as much my girlfriend as he had presumed since otherwise I was pretty sure he was going to make a move on you and keep you in his company for the remainder of this evening. I tell you this only 'cause because of it, it might not be such a good idea for you to look quite so friendly with another man."
She swallowed, looking over his shoulder at Spike who now had Susannah in his arms.
Buffy felt like crying over the moment that had just been lost, but then she slapped herself out of it. They were there to work; she couldn't get hung up on this now.
"I didn't realize," she muttered as a response to Angel, having Spike turn his gaze in hers once more and she gave him a meaningful look as she made a discrete movement with one hand as though stabbing Angel in the back.
Spike smiled widely at that and she returned it.
Keeping it on as it was - as they say - show time.
***
Buffy looked down the abandoned hallway, and then at Angel. The sound of the bash going on below them didn't reach the second floor but for a muffled current of noise. It was stillness which met the two intruders as they became one with it and moved down the corridor.
Getting passed the security-guards had taken them nearly fifteen minutes of patient wait for the right moment. Then Buffy had charmed the one standing right at the foot of the stairs - the latter sealed off by a thick and black velvet rope. It hadn't taken much of her cunning to lure him aside as she kept on asking personal questions with her eyes telling him she wanted to learn even more of him. Then she had simply asked him to wait while she went to get them both something to drink, all the while slipping up the stairs with Angel. The guard was obviously muscles-for-hire-excluding-the- brain. This type was, of course, easier to deal with if you wanted less-of- a-mess in the questions department, but still more-of-the-gore in the... rest of the departments.
The Slayer and vampire were still in a hurry, though, as they didn't want to overstay their welcome and the longer it took them to find anything of value, the longer they obviously put themselves at risk. Gary Forte had a brain, and a good set of eyes. Soon those two were apt to begin processing the guests and if any were missing...
"Here," Angel stopped her as she was about to walk passed a door standing slightly ajar to her left.
She reached out a hand and pushed the door to slide open, then she turned her eyes on Angel and he nodded before they entered the room.
It was large, oval shaped and covered in dark wood panels, dark wood bookcases stocked with volumes of books looking truly antique stood along the walls on both sides and before the two beings, with the backdrop of three large French windows, stood a charismatic piece of furniture - a big desk in the same dark wood as the rest of the room.
Drapes of deep green hung on both sides of the window as well as between every bookcase, and the group of armchairs and sofas standing in the middle of the room were dressed in the same color velvet.
The room breathed wealth.
"Say what you will, but he has got good taste," Buffy stated, Angel giving her a glance before they split up and took one side of the room each.
Buffy beginning with the right hand side bookcases as Angel started on the left. They worked methodically and quickly, scanning the backs of the bands. After ten minutes they still had nothing, both of them having worked through three of five cases, and Buffy felt how her heart was beating hard in her chest.
"There's nothing," she mumbled.
"Don't give up," he replied and she clenched her jaws together as she nodded and kept going.
After another minute she was about to move to the next bookcase when she found herself pausing before the green drape covering the wall separating the third case from the fourth. She hesitated, then reached out a hand and carefully moved the cloth aside.
"Angel," she breathed and he turned his head to her, his eyes widening.
Then he did as she had, removing the drape on his side from what it covered and revealing what Buffy had just found as well - in the wall, behind a glass-door, was another set of shelves containing artifacts so clearly magical that there was no need for any puzzlement. This was what they had been searching for; they were one step closer.
Buffy quickly looked over the items before her, but she found nothing of interest and moved to the next drape. Behind this one were only three items - a pair of scissors looking as though made out of gold, a slim bottle not higher than three inches made of copper with intricate carvings covering it and a fan with a painting which continuously changed its pattern.
As this drape was the last in line she let it fall back in place and hurried back to the first one. This contained a collection of close to thirty books in different shapes and sizes and she leaned a little closer to the glass as one of them caught her attention.
"Angel," she said. "Come here... I think I've found something."
He moved across the room and came to join her at her side, bending forward as well, gazing through the glass at what she was pointing to and he raised his eyebrows.
"See, there," she said, "it looks like it's been torn from something."
"Interesting," he nodded, reaching into one of his pockets and bringing out the smallest camera she had ever seen.
It was practically flat and the length of his palm.
"Spy much?" she asked and he smirked.
"It was a gift from a friend," he replied, beginning to take pictures and the camera giving off a small buzzing sound, making Buffy smile.
"What sort of friend?" she asked and he gave her a look before straightening his back.
"I think we've gotten what we came here for," he said.
"You think that actually is the missing part of the prophecy?" she asked and he shook the camera meaningfully before answering:
"Only one way to find out."
"Well, I'm glad we didn't get to the point of 'borrowing' anything," she said as he put the cam back in his pocket and they headed for the door. "I'm pretty sure there would've been pain to pay if we tried to break through that glass," she added and he nodded.
He had felt it too, a light touch of electricity around it. It had been hot- wired against thieves for sure.
"Me too. Now let's get out of here," he said and she nodded as she followed him through the doorway.
As she rounded the frame she put her hand up and let it trace it, her fingers sliding over a rough spot in the wood which made her pause and glance back at it. A carving the size of a dime was etched into the matter right by her fingertips and she blinked, taking a closer look and almost wanting to ask Angel if she could borrow his spy-equipment when he hissed at her to hurry up and she quickly followed him down the hall and back to the stairs.
**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ******************
Joy, joy! Feedback is definitively the best part of my day!
Wa-ha-harm thanks to Taelyn (*smirks* And OMG, I'm so totally lost that I didn't get you were talking about hurricane Isabel! I hope all is as well as it can be with you! And I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 11 as well! :) Really glad you liked the Buffy/Willow conversation!) :), maribel (hey, cool that you approve! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, girl!) ;), Caikes (Oh no, hope the tenth will work now! And so pleased you like the others!) :), Winters1 (Get rid of Susannah?! *smirk*) ;), Mel (Oh, I love the new title, though I'm not taking all the credit because half of it is for my muse! Naw, but really, aw! and thank you! :) Thanks for sharing, girl! Happy you liked!) :), wolf116 (oh, poor Susie! ;) So annoying that ff.net is acting up, but hope it's sorted out! And grrreat that you like it!) ;), MissK (Awesome! Thank you! Here it was! *smile*) :), Captain (Oh, nice. And happy b-day a bit late. And yummy Spike! You lucky duck! Break me off a piece of that! ;) And very, very nice indeed to read that you enjoyed the last chapter! And hey, of course there's dancing! You know me by now! Romance, romance, romance.) :)
Hope all of you guys liked this chapter as well!
A.M.L, Annie.
