101

One to Go

"Harmony, hold my calls," Angel instructed. "If it's really important, you can call me at home. But if you call, it had better be important."

Harmony pouted. "It must be nice to be the boss and be able to take the day off whenever you want."

He picked up Alaric. Ariel was still in his arms. "You know what, Harmony?" he said. "It has its moments." He walked off carrying the twins with Oz following along in his wake.

&&&&&&

"Seems weird walking in here without having the kids coming running," Spike remarked as he and Rose entered their apartment.

"Mm-hmm," Rose agreed. Besides having stayed up all night, she hadn't been sleeping well the few nights previously.

Spike picked her up. "You're about out on your feet, luv," he commented. "Should have left you home in bed."

"We had to be there," Rose mumbled against his shoulder. She was seized by a jaw-cracking yawn. "Besides, that bed is too big to sleep in alone."

"I'm a bit knackered myself," Spike admitted. "I was having trouble sleeping alone too." He was still by far the more alert partner of the pair, so he took on the task of undressing her. Not that he had a problem with that.

"What are you doing?" Rose was almost limp as a rag-doll now, but there was still a modicum of awareness in play. "Are you going to make love to me?"

"Later," Spike answered a little ruefully. He kissed the tip of her nose. "I want you awake for it, sweetheart."

"That's nice," Rose murmured, and curled into a ball as Spike covered her up.

Spike quickly shed his own clothes and climbed in beside her. Once he got all snuggled up against her, he too dropped off to dreamland.

&&&&&&

"I'm not one hundred percent sure that this will do the trick," Angel confessed. "But it's all we've got to work with." He turned to the twins. "When you and Oz were meditating, you were trying to shut Drusilla out," he began. "Do you think you can do the same thing backwards? Start listening for her?"

"What if she's not talking to us?" Ariel asked.

"Maybe we could try talking to her?" Alaric suggested.

"We'll just try listening first," Angel replied. "Are you ready to start?"

The twins shook their heads.

"We're hungry," Ariel explained. "Uncle Wes was in a big hurry."

"He didn't give us time for breakfast," Alaric added. "We're starving. Do you have any human food, Uncle Angel?"

"No," Angel replied. "But all I have to do is put in a call to the executive dining room and you can have whatever you want."

"Waffles?" Alaric asked hopefully. "With whipped cream on them?"

"And strawberries," Ariel added.

Oz was feeling a little hollow himself. "Could you make that for three?" he inquired.

&&&&&&

Rose woke a few hours later, feeling like she hadn't done in days. Safe, happy, content. With Spike's arm draped across her. She wriggled back against him, just to make sure he was still there. She still couldn't believe he was there.

"Thought you were going to sleep the whole day away, pet," Spike murmured in her ear. "I been laying here awake for over an hour now listening to your tummy gurgle. Haven't you been eating?"

"I ate dinner with the children last night," Rose said evasively. "Your son told me that if I didn't eat my dinner, I'd have to go straight to bed." She rolled over so that she could look at him.

Spike laughed, and then, just because she was there, he had to kiss her. "I missed you so much, babe," he whispered. "No more getting caught by love spells, understand?"

Rose giggled, but before she could reply, her stomach spoke up again.

Spike whipped the covers off of both of them and pulled her out of bed. "Let's get you something to eat, luv," he said. "I do have plans for the rest of the day, and you're going to need to keep your strength up."

Rose smiled up at him, but dragged her feet. "Shouldn't we put something on first?" she asked.

Spike shrugged. "Why?" he queried. "Nobody here but us chickens. Besides, it'll save time later."

&&&&&&&

"They'll be back soon, Miss Edith," Drusilla murmured. "Shall we play with them a bit first? Or just make them go away?"

Voices echoing just outside the lair confirmed Drusilla's observation, and she hurriedly stationed herself beside the door.

It was Den's ill luck that being in the biggest hurry to get off his feet, he had taken the lead. The moment he walked in the door, Drusilla's stake plunged into his heart, and he disappeared in a cloud of dust.

Val was feeling a little tired, and had hung back a bit, so he was several paces behind his friend when Drusilla commenced her attack. Then, she charged him, the hand holding the stake stretched out in front of her.

Without thinking, Val grabbed her hand and went over backwards, adding his momentum to hers, so that Dru went sailing over him.

"What do you know?" he muttered in awe. "It actually freakin' worked." Then, as Drusilla regained her feet and came after him again, he added, "Shit!"

&&&&&&

"I can hear her, Uncle Angel," Alaric said excitedly. "I can hear the crazy lady." Both twins had dropped using Drusilla's name completely.

"I can too, Uncle Angel," Ariel put in. "But she's not thinking at us right now."

"What do you hear?" This was completely unexpected, and Angel thought they might pick up more information than they'd hoped for.

The children concentrated furiously.

"She's trying to kill someone," Alaric said. "His name is Val."

"She already did kill someone named Den," Ariel added. "Do you know who they are?"

"I'm not sure," Angel replied. "But the names sound vaguely familiar. I'll see if I can find out." He picked up the phone and rang his assistant. "Harmony, I need to know the names of the two vampires Spike hired for ops. Can you find them out for me? Oh you do. Well, what are they? Why do I need to know? Why do you need to know why I need to know? They are?" He covered the receiver with his hand for a minute and bit his lip to keep from swearing in front of his godchildren.

Oz and the twins were unashamedly eavesdropping on the conversation, but the twins had the edge on Oz. Even with a werewolf's hearing, he couldn't make out what Harmony, on the other end of the line was saying. Alaric and Ariel picked her half of the discussion out of Angel's head.

"The crazy lady killed one of Auntie Harm's boyfriends," Alaric hissed.

"She's a very bad, crazy lady," Ariel said. "She shouldn't do that to Auntie Harm."

"Maybe when we catch her Uncle Angel will beat her up," Alaric suggested.

Ariel looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should make him promise before we help," she murmured. Then, she brightened up. "If Uncle Angel won't do it, daddy will."

&&&&&&

Ethan was both startled and apprehensive when a slightly built female in a lab coat came to his cell accompanied by several burly men carrying a large box.

"Should we strip him down first, Ms. Burkle?" one of the men asked.

"Just his shirt," Fred replied. "The hook-ups don't go lower than waist level."

His cell door was opened and he was seized rather roughly and his shirt was torn off.

"What are you doing?" he asked desperately. He didn't like the looks of that oversized coffin. Although in reality, it more resembled a photo booth. Coffin was just more evocative of the feelings it aroused in him.

Fred smiled sweetly at him. "Think of it as a packing crate," she suggested. "We're going to airmail you to England in it."

Despite his struggles, Ethan was manhandled into the box and strapped in. Fred started wiring him up. Attaching electrodes and heaven only knew what else.

The last thing he heard was one of the security men asking, "Who do we send it to, Ms. Burkle?"

"Rupert Giles."

&&&&&&

Spike had managed to restrain his ardor while Rose got something to eat. He even held back while she cleared her dishes off the table and stacked them in the sink. Then, he felt that his patience had been tried enough. He picked her up and laid her on the kitchen table.

"Spike," Rose protested feebly, but with a giggle added. "What on earth are you doing?"

"If you don't know by now," Spike mumbled, nuzzling at her neck. "Then I've been doing something seriously wrong, pet."

"If you've been doing something wrong you couldn't prove it by me," Rose replied. She tangled her hands in his hair and tugged on it, coaxing him up so she could kiss him.

Spike allowed himself to be persuaded. "You could always try that little move if I'm ever stupid enough to walk out on you again, luv," he murmured. "The cavewoman approach. I kind of like it."

"Spike." Rose was suddenly serious.

"What, sweetheart?" Spike felt a nervous tingle.

"I love you." Having said what she felt needed to be said, Rose then proceeded to start nibbling on his neck.

"I love you too, babe," he answered. "You want to be on top, cavewoman?"

&&&&&&

Val ducked and dodged and even got an occasional shot in, but Drusilla was relentless. Every time he knocked her down, she got right back up. And came after him again with the stake.

"Naughty boy," Dru scolded. "Don't you know that a gentleman never hits a lady?" She made another pass at him with the stake.

"I never said I was a gentleman," Val replied. "You dizzy broad. What did we do to you?"

"You and your little friend were mistakes," Drusilla admitted. "Miss Edith told me so. She said I needed to get rid of you." She swung the stake again.

Val grabbed her arm as it came near him and gave it a vicious twist, producing a sickening, crunching sound.

Drusilla let out a squeal of pain, and sank to the floor, cradling her arm against her body. "I do believe that you've broken it," she said accusingly. "You shouldn't have done that. When I get rid of that dreadful soul that Spike has, he'll make you pay for hurting me."

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Val asserted. Then, he made tracks out of the lair.

&&&&&&

"Her arm hurts, Uncle Angel," Ariel said. "It made a funny noise when Auntie Harm's boyfriend grabbed it."

"Is she still fighting with him?" Angel asked. He wasn't sure whether Dru being hurt would make her an easier target, or just piss her off.

"She's not fighting any more," Alaric answered. "Auntie Harm's boyfriend ran away." He thought a moment. "What a wuss."

"Can you tell what she's thinking?" Angel inquired, fighting back a smile at his godson's observation.

"Mummy says we're not 'sposed to talk that way," Ariel said primly. She looked up at Angel and batted her eyelashes at him. "Do we get a present for helping?"

Alaric looked at his sister, and one of their silent conversations took place, then, he grinned, a smirky, cocky grin that made him resemble his father to an uncanny degree.

"You aren't supposed to have any candy," Oz warned. He shot a look at Angel.

Angel looked a little sheepish, then he got a crafty expression on his face as well. "I have some ice cream in the freezer," he announced. "Do you two like chocolate peanut butter swirl?"

"That's our favorite," Ariel chimed. She gazed up at him adoringly. "Thank you, Uncle Angel."

"Yeah, thanks," Alaric added. He was already headed towards the kitchen. "Can we have two scoops?"

Angel laughed. "You can have as much as you want," he promised. "Just as long as..,"

"We won't tell mummy," Ariel declared.

&&&&&&&

Val ducked into the door of the ops room. It was deserted now. Unless there was something on the schedule, the late shift was on a call-in basis. And he didn't think he could be safe here all night. It was a public building, therefore, Drusilla could walk in as easily as he did. He cudgeled his few remaining brain cells for an idea.

He started making his way through the eerily quiet building, seeing little but the cleaning staff. He made it to the front entrance just as Harmony was about to leave for the night.

"Harmony!" he said urgently. "You gotta help me. Please. That crazy bitch is going to kill me."

"What crazy bitch?" Harmony asked. Then, the phrase crazy bitch really sank in. "Drusilla?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Val said. "Will you help me Harmony?"

"Maybe." Harmony leaned against the door and crossed her arms. "First, you'd better tell me what you were doing with Drusilla. And you'd better make it good."