Good Intentions

Ethan was no longer afraid.., much. Most of the fear had burned itself out. One can only take so much, then, the senses just get overloaded and give up the whole thing as a bad job. But staring up into the eyes of a drooling werewolf definitely made the list of the worst moments of his life. As far as the vampires with souls were concerned, that merely offended his skewed sense of propriety. And as to what the bleached-blond one had said about all vampires having them someday, well, poppycock. Vampires evil. The very nature of the universe. Then he remembered the baby vampires and started to wonder if perhaps nature was changing without his permission.

He also spared a few moments to wonder exactly what they were going to do with him.

&&&&&&&

Everyone was still at Spike and Rose's, filling everyone else in on what they had missed.

"Lorne, come Monday morning, I'm going to want Angela's address," Angel said. "I want to round up the entire coven and talk to them. They didn't sound like they were really bad people, just badly mislead."

"Rosebud, hon, can I trouble you for some writing materials?" Lorne asked. He got them, and quickly scrawled out the address. "Here you go, Angeleyes. I don't expect to be in Monday morning. I'm kind of planning on staying home and nursing a hangover."

"I'd really like to slap that woman," Rose muttered. She suddenly got a crafty expression on her face. She had resumed her place on the sofa, between Spike and Angel, and abruptly leaned towards Angel, trying to get a look at the piece of paper in his hand.

"Oh no, you don't." Angel held the paper far to the other side of him.

"Got it," Fred announced. She'd been leaning on the back of the sofa. "Pick you up tomorrow, Rose?"

"Works for me," Rose agreed.

"Hey, wait a minute, you two," Angel protested. "I want the coven members in a listening mood when I talk to them. I don't think they're going to believe anything I say if you two rough that woman up first."

"Just relax," Fred advised. "We're not going to hurt her."

"We're just going to have a heart to heart chat with her," Rose explained. "Women to woman. And she's going to listen."

"Listen, ladies, I appreciate the thought and all," Lorne remarked. "But you don't have to go to the trouble."

Fred and Rose exchanged glances. "We'll decide what's trouble or not," Rose said. "Did you want to come along, Harmony?"

"I thought you'd never ask." And for Harm, that was the bare-naked truth. But Lorne had always been nice to her, accepted her as few people did, and she wouldn't mind a shot at the woman who broke his heart either. "Are you sure we can't hurt her just a little bit?"

Fred shook her head. "'Fraid not," she said apologetically. "But if we can't make her feel as badly as she deserves just talking to her, you can vamp out and scare the hell out of her."

"Cool," Harmony approved. "I'll meet you here tomorrow."

The assembled males looked around at each other and wisely decided not to intrude on what was, at the moment at least, strictly women's territory.

"By the way, darling," Rose turned back to Spike. "There is one little matter that I would like to discuss with you."

"What's that, pet?" Spike asked cautiously. When Rose wanted to 'discuss' something with him it didn't generally bode too well.

"The language you were using just before you left," Rose said with a bit of acid in it. "Why do you know what Alaric said after you left?"

"I said that daddy was going to kick the bad man's ass," came a little voice from the door to the children's room.

All eyes swiveled around to see a pair of pajama clad figures standing there. But they weren't still for long. They rushed into the living room and swarmed up onto the sofa. Ariel took Angel's lap, and Alaric decided that Spike's lap was a safer bet than Rose's at the moment.

"I said that daddy would save Uncle Angel," Ariel piped up. "And you did, didn't you, daddy?"

"Well." Spike hemmed and hawed for a moment, torn between bragging to his kids and being caught in elaboration, if not out and out lying by those that had actually been there. "I did have some help."

"Modesty, from you, Spike?" Wesley arched an eyebrow at him. "I would have thought that you'd be claiming to have taken the entire coven out on your own."

Rose was, at the moment, more concerned with little people being somewhere other than where they belonged i.e. in bed. "You two can kiss everybody good-night," she said. "Then it's back to bed with both of you."

"I'll tuck them in," Harmony offered. "C'mon guys. Auntie Harmony will tell you a story."

The twins made the rounds and kissed everybody, then obediently trotted after Harm.

"And by the way, Spike," Rose added as an afterthought. "When I'm out tomorrow, try not to..," Her forehead wrinkled in thought, as she tried to dredge up the right phrase. "Trash the place."

"Anything you say, sweetheart," Spike agreed.

"Sounds to me like someone's seriously whipped," Gunn remarked with a grin.

"And lovin' every minute of it," Spike replied. He got a thoughtful look on his face. "Speaking of whips, luv..," he said teasingly.

As Rose flushed crimson, to everyone's amusement, Wesley remarked, "I do believe that Spike just scored one."

Angel shrugged. "Everybody gets lucky once in a while," he conceded.

"And some of us get lucky damn near every night," Spike said with a smirk, then, a pained grunt escaped him as Rose's elbow connected with his ribs.

&&&&&&&

Angela was holed up in her apartment, trying to deal with the events of the previous night. By tacit consent, none of the coven members were contacting each other. She kind of doubted that any of them would want to see any of the others ever again. She was considerably surprised when her doorbell rang. Even more so when she saw three unfamiliar women standing there. She opened the door, but kept the chain up.

"Hello," she said cautiously. One of the women was blond, fashion model tall. The other two were small and petite, one with brown hair the other with chestnut locks. They were all pretty enough to give her a run for her money.

"Angela, isn't it?" asked the one with the chestnut hair. "My name is Rose. We'd like to have a word with you, if we may."

"We have a mutual acquaintance," the other small woman. "I'm Fred, by the way."

"I'm Harmony," the blond introduced herself. "May we come in?"

Unnerved by the whole thing, Angela's hands automatically undid the chain. Rose and Fred entered, but Harmony stood waiting at the door.

"You have to invite her in," Fred said quietly, without explaining why, and hoping that Angela wouldn't ask.

"Oh. Come in, Harmony," Angela said. She felt like she had no choice. Almost like she was a puppet, and someone she didn't know was pulling her strings.

Harmony walked in. She looked at Rose and Fred. "Now?" she asked.

"Not now, Harmony," Rose instructed. "That's a last resort measure. We're going to talk nice, first."

&&&&&&&&

"Wonder what they're talking about," Spike remarked. Angel and Wes had joined him for the babysitting chores, since all the women were out.

"I'm not sure I want to know exactly," Wesley replied. He had Ariel on his knee, giving the giggling little girl a horsey ride. "Women can be pretty vindictive at times."

"And they all love Lorne to death," Angel added. He had Alaric pinned to the floor. "Give up yet, sport?"

"No," said Alaric defiantly, then squealed with laughter when Angel resumed tickling him.

Spike glanced at the clock. "They've been gone long enough," he muttered. "'Bout time for tea."

"Tea?" Angel looked at Spike questioningly.

"S'what we call it around here," Spike answered. He looked at the little ones. "You two ready for something to drink?"

"Yes," they chorused, abandoning what they were doing.

Spike sighed. Best mind his manners as host, even if the guests were, more or less, uninvited. "Anyone else want some while I'm on the get?"

"Why not?" Angel replied.

Wesley looked uncertain. "You're not talking about actual tea, are you?" he asked.

"No," Spike said, looking amused. "But since you can't appreciate the red stuff, Watcher, I'll fix you a cuppa."

"Thank you," Wesley said with a sigh of relief.

&&&&&&&

"This is pretty," Harmony remarked. She was looking at a planter shaped like a music note.

"It was a gift from a friend," Angela replied, a little nervously. So far, all the three women had done was engage in small talk. But there was such a sense of purpose about them that she knew that something was up. But she still didn't know what it was.

"It looks like something that Lorne might have picked out," Rose observed. "Is that who got it for you, Angela?"

"You know Lorne?" Angela's heart sank to her shoes, and her stomach knotted up. She had a pretty good idea why these women were here now.

"Lorne's a very good friend of ours," Fred said. "Somehow, I don't think you make the list."

"Lorne's a sweetie," Harmony agreed. "We don't like the thought of someone using him." She turned to her companions. "Now?"

"Not now, Harmony," Rose replied. "We'll let you know." She turned her attention back to Angela. "How could you do that to him?" she demanded.

Angela looked at her guests in shock. These women really cared about Lorne, and the fact that he was a green demon didn't make a bit of difference to them. "We were," she started, then corrected it. "We thought we were doing something really good. Lorne was a way to lure the vampire..,"

"Angel," Rose supplied.

"Angel," Angela repeated. "To us. He was just a means to an end. I didn't mean to hurt him." She looked at her visitors with something akin to awe. "It really doesn't bother you, does it? The fact that he's a demon? That he's green?"

Fred shrugged. "Should it?" she asked. "Some of us care a little more about what's inside. And Lorne is as nice as they come."

"He is very sweet," Angela conceded. "If he had been human, I think I would have fallen for him."

"Lorne isn't so prejudiced," Rose pointed out. "He did fall for you. And you broke his heart."

"He's going to be out getting drunk tonight just trying to forget what you did to him," Harmony informed her. "I hope you're pleased with yourself." She looked pleadingly at Rose and Fred, but they shook their heads.

Angela looked from one woman to the other, and realized that they all loathed her. Because of what she'd done to Lorne. She buried her face in her hands and started crying. Because she was afraid of what they might do to her. Because she felt completely alone right now. And because of what she'd done to Lorne.

&&&&&&&

"Heard from Oz?" Spike asked, breaking the silence that had, for the most part reigned since the twins had been put down for their naps.

Angel shook his head. "I think he was planning on just sacking out for most of the day," he replied. "Changing back and forth like that kind of took it out of him."

"I've never heard of a werewolf with that kind of control," Wesley mused. "Once the change is made, it's generally conceded that the wolf takes over completely." He looked thoughtful. "I wonder if Oz would let us study him."

"Don't get your heart set on it," Spike warned. "Oz has been a lab rat before. Don't think he cared for it any better than I did."

The rattle of the doorknob indicated that the women had returned.

"Here you go, Angel." Fred handed him a piece of paper. "It's the names, addresses and phone numbers of all the coven members. But Angela is going to call them all tonight and arrange for them to meet in your office tomorrow morning at ten."

"And they're just going to do it because she's asking them to?" Angel was skeptical.

"She promised to be very persuasive," Rose murmured. Since Spike was sitting in a chair rather than on the sofa, she sat on his lap, there being no space beside him.

"Do we even want to know what you did to that poor woman?" Wesley asked.

"We didn't do anything," Harmony pouted. "I didn't even get to make a face at her. For such a cold-hearted bitch, she's a wuss."

"You did make her cry though, Harmony," Rose pointed out, trying to cheer her up.

&&&&&&&&

The coven filed out of Angel's office, slowly. They felt like complete fools, and, for the most part, they were right. But since they had been sincerely trying to work for the good, Angel had given them some contacts that could guide them safely along the way, and prevent a repeat of anything like what had happened.

Eleven of the remaining twelve immediately headed for the exit. But one lagged behind and took another direction.

&&&&&&&&

Lorne clutched his aching head for a moment, then downed a handful of aspirin. He should have taken his own advice and stayed home to nurse his hangover. He felt like he'd been run over by a Mack truck.

The knock at the door seemed to go straight through his head. "Come in," he said. "Do anything, just don't do that again." When he saw who entered, though, he changed his mind. "I take back what I said. Don't come in."

"I won't be a minute," Angela promised. "I just wanted to apologize to you, Lorne. I thought that what I was doing was more important than people, or demons." She reached into the oversized bag she had slung over her shoulder, and pulled out the planter. "Here." She set it on his desk. "Maybe you can find someone to give that to who really deserves it."

"And I suppose that that's supposed to make it all alright," Lorne said sarcastically.

"No," Angela admitted. "I know that there isn't anything I can do that will do that. But for what little it's worth, Lorne, I really am sorry."

"You sure as hell are," Lorne replied. "Now why don't you get out of my sight? The hangover's got me nauseous enough."

Head hanging, Angela left.

&&&&&&&

The week went by, and neither Oz nor Rose even thought of going back to the part time thing. They were both on the job full time, and it was working out well for both of them. They didn't even mention it. Oz showed up at the apartment as usual on Thursday, and Rose was ready to go to work.

The twins had gotten over their initial fascination with Oz. They still adored him, of course. But he was no longer the centerpiece of every conversation. He was just another fixture in their lives, as far as they were concerned, just like the rest of their adopted aunts and uncles.

&&&&&&&

By long-standing rule (ever since the twins had been born) once a month Spike and Rose had a night out. This weekend was it, and after the last few weeks, they were ready for it. Spike intended tonight to take her out and dance her feet off. Then take her home and do things that didn't require her to be on her feet for most of the rest of the night.

&&&&&&&

Gunn and Harmony were up on the baby-sitting roster, and they'd decided to take the kids out too. At the moment, Gunn had the kids to himself, sitting at a table outside the ice cream stand while Harmony was getting a treat for the children. He didn't have a lot on his mind, except for listening to the two little chatterboxes that flanked him. Until the beautiful, dark-haired woman approached their table.

"What lovely little children," she cooed. Gunn couldn't tell what part of the country she came from, but she was definitely English.

The twins looked at her curiously, and found it odd that they couldn't get inside her head. That alone was enough to catch their interest. But what the woman said next, did even more to arouse their curiosity.

"Especially the little boy," the dark lady went on. "He reminds me of someone I used to care about. He looks just like my Spike."

A pair of ice cream cones hitting the sidewalk heralded Harmony's return. "Oh my God," she gasped. "Drusilla."