(A/n): Yes! Another twist! And it only took 10 chapters for the story to get interesting!!!!

Chapter 12: Rosetta Stone

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"Why in the name of all that's holy would you want to go back there?" Lawson groaned. It had been two days since the "revelation" and he wasn't psyched about the idea of going back to Wolfram & Hart, especially with Spike prowling about.

"Because." Becca began as if she were explaining the situation to a child. "Lindsey still has important business there." Becca leaned in and touched Lindsey's chest with her bare fingers. Suddenly, a symbol on his chest appeared and began to glow.

Becca looked over and caught a glimpse of Lawson's troubled look. "Nobody told you to carry on like that. As my father he has the right to haul out the old shot gun and start polishing it off against any potential suitors."

Lindsey snorted. "Please. I think Spike'll do a little more than that. Vamp out and start picking his fangs should you come within ten feet of Becca." Lindsey's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the vampire. "And I for one wouldn't lose any sleep should he happen to accidentally tear into your neck."

Lawson's eyes widened as he scooted away from Becca. "Linds! I thought we were friends." Lawson pouted.

"Becca looked between the two. "Hey! Just remember what you two have in common. A strong dislike for Angel."

Both Lawson and Lindsey smiled as if the wool had been pulled from over their eyes and shook hands. Just then, Chloe walked through the door.

"Hey guys." Chloe greeted as she walked into the living room where the others were sitting. "Why is Lindsey shirtless." Chloe asked as she desperately tried to look nonchalant.

'You fool!' That little nagging voice in her head whispered harshly. 'Don't give him a reason to put it back on!' Chloe turned around and dropped her keys on the table next to the door. She rolled her eyes thinking how much that inner voice sounded like Gollum from the Lord of the Rings.

'Great. I'm becoming schizophrenic. Just what I need.' Quickly, she sat next to Lindsey who was sitting on the couch. Becca and Lindsey were sitting across from them on the glass coffee table.

Chloe grinned wryly. "Great. Now there's going to be two big, butt print smudges where I put my coffee. Ouch!" Chloe rubbed both of her legs where Lawson and Becca had kicked her.

"Whose but are you calling big?" Becca asked but smiled when she got up and stretched.

"Ok. I think I've avoided it long enough. We don't want Spike and Dru hunting me down. Let's go to Wolfram & Hart. Then maybe we can get pass all this Baby, Mama, Drama and get some work done."

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

"Hey Harmony!" Fred greeted as she walked across the office. Harmony looked up and smiled.

"Hey Fred. You seem happy. Did you and Wes manage to score some alone time?" Fred blushed and lowered her head, looking back up at the blonde vampire, beaming. "No...But I did get a new specimen. It's a bug and in pretty good shape. Well, in about as good a shape as Angel."

Fred and Harmony turned around when they hear Angel and Spike approach, their arguing bringing interrupting their Girl Talk.

"You know what Spike? Everyday you're either punching me, impaling me and/or annoying me and I'm sick of it!" Angel strode through the office and opened the door of his office. He swung the door but Spike intercepted it before it could close.

"Please, Angel! You could spend an eternity in a Hell full of devilishly handsome me's and you still wouldn't have paid your debt to society." Spike yelled. Angel sighed and lopped down into his chair. Before they learned that Becca was Spike's daughter and Angelus had killed her, their arguments were mostly good-natured ribbing. Now there was an underlying threat in everything Spike said to him and Angel had no doubt that if he did turn evil that he wouldn't live long enough to get his soul back.

"Spike..." Angel began. He leaned in and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry for what I did to Bec...your daughter..."

Spike's eyes flashed as he walked toward Angel's desk. "Don't go there, Angel. You think I don't know that you think I'm a joke? You look down on me just because you were the first one to get a soul." Spike stopped right in front of Angel and sneered. "Didn't stop you from killing my daughter, eh?"

"Spike, I would never wish for a parent to lose a child. Even if they didn't know that the child existed." Angel's voice trembled slightly with emotion. He met Spike's glare and refused to break it. They stayed like that for a while and Angel thought he was getting through to Spike until the blonde vampire flipped him off.

Spike turned around and began to pace. Angel rolled his eyes. "You know, Spike, after thousands of years of evolution you'd think you'd be able to get the facts through that thick head of yours. I–Didn't-Have-A-Soul!"

Spike looked at him in disgust. "Please, evolution just turns people into softies. Something that any girl stupid enough to let you get in their pants will surely know a lot about..."

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"Oh, hello Lawson." Harmony purred as said vampire, Chloe, Lindsey and Becca walked off the elevator and into the reception office.

"Hey Harmony." Lawson mumbled, completely void of enthusiasm.

Fred, who was still hanging with Harmony, greeted the newcomers somewhat cautiously, considering the last time she saw Lawson he put a noose around her neck.

"Hi! Lawson, Becca, Lindsey..." Fred frowned at the blonde reporter. "I don't think we've been introduced yet."

Chloe smiled. "Hello. I'm Chloe Sullivan. Reporter for L.A. Times."

"Wow. That's impressive. But I doubt anything that goes on in this law firm can be postedin any of the more respectable papers. At least any of the seedy under belly stuff."

Fred turned her attention to the other man in the group. "And you must be Lindsey. I'll have to ask you to refrain from killing Angel."

Lindsey smiled very charmingly. "I make no guarantees."

Becca rolled her eyes. "Lindsey, I guess you could go in and yank angel away from whatever "important matters he is up to." Lindsey nodded and walked toward Angel's office.

Becca looked back at Lawson and Chloe. "I guess you two can do whatever you'd like. Maybe blow spitballs at the backs of demons heads..." Chloe and Lawson looked at each other and smiled like kids in a candy store before running off.

"Just make sure they don't have eyes in the back of their heads!" Becca shouted at the two.

Harmony watched Lawson's back as he ran away and smiled. "Mm, mmph, mmph. I hate to see him leave but I love to watch him go."

"Riiiight. Well with that said, I've got work to do so see ya later." Fred said as she moved toward the steps to go back to her office.

"Wait!" Becca yelled as she dodged a few lawyers to catch up to Fred. "I was wondering if you could do me a favor real quick."

Fred frowned so Becca continued. "Could I hang out with you for a bit? I usually like to let Lindsey stay with Angel without me for a while. Just so he can get used to working with him."

Fred looked a bit taken back and not too certain but finally relented. "Oh, ok. Come with me."

Fred and Becca walked up the stairs and into Fred's office.

"Nice Dixie Chicks poster." Becca commented absently.

"Fred grinned. "Thank you." Getting back to work, she went to one of the filing cabinets and started looking through files. "Becca? Could you pass me a pen? Should be one in the desk."

"Sure." Becca reached into the desk and found a pen but also found something she didn't expect to.

"Uh, Fred. What's this?" Becca asked as she held up the beat up old bunny.

Fred grinned and moved over to the desk. Becca gave her both the pen and the bunny. "This is Mr. Feignbaum."

Becca nodded. "Uh huh. Then let me ask you this, why is your nickname Fred? It could be Winnie. You already have Mr. Rabbit, or are you not a fan of Christopher Robin?"

Fred laughed. "I guess n one ever thought of calling me that, thank God." Fred's smile died down as she looked over at the younger woman. "But I guess it wouldn't kill me to have one person call me that." Fred mocked a sigh. "If you MUST."

A slight smile turned a corner of Becca's mouth upward. "Okie dokie, Winnie. I think it's time for me to leave. See you later."

"Bye." Fred said. Neither knew that those were the last words the new friends would be saying to each other.

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

"Fine. If you must know I think the cavemen would win." Wesley sighed.

"Ha! Told ya, Peaches." Spike taunted a smug grin on his face.

If Angel were alive he would have blushed. He hadn't meant for the argument to get as far as it did but when Lindsey sauntered in he was double-teamed and he felt the frustration of the situation and let it get the better of him.

"Funny, it seems that every time I come here you guys seem to devolve in maturity." Both Angel and Spike snapped their heads toward the door to see Becca leaning on the doorframe.

"Wesley turned around and smiled. "Hello, Becca."

"Sup, Wes?" Becca moved into the office and began to trap Wesley in a brigade of complicated handshakes.

"I heard about you and Fred, you sly dog!" Becca elbowed him causing Wesley to sputter.

"Well, uh. Yes, quite. I think I'll be leaving now. Nice seeing you again."

Wesley tried to leave but Becca stopped him. "Wait. Maybe you could identify Lindsey's tattoo, Mr. Mojo." Wesley raised an eyebrow at his new nickname but finally sighed and walked over to the couch where Lindsey was currently sitting.

Becca cleared her throat and clapped her hands. "Well, let's get started. Lindsey, take off your shirt."

Angel threw his hands over his head. "I don't care if whatever he has can help me, he's NOT taking off his shirt!"

Lindsey grinned at Angel and stood up as he began to unbutton his shirt slowly, trying to make a show of it by swaying his hips to imaginary music.

Beck's giggle turned into a squeal as Lindsey slipped off his shirt. Becca took out a dollar bill and stuffed it in his pants.

"Hey!" Spike barked as he grabbed Becca's hand away from Lindsey and slapped it. "Don't touch the Texan. You don't know where he's been." Spike reprimanded as he literally wagged his finger at Becca.

"Well, I'm gonna have to touch him..." Becca explained as she slipped one hands out of her biker gloves. "To do this."

Becca touched the center of Lindsey's chest with her palm as Angel and Wesley moved in front of them to see what was happening. Lindsey's chest began to glow a brilliant golden yellow, dying down after a few seconds only to reveal dark blue runic tattoos, not entirely unlike the ones he originally had. The tattoos roamed all over his body only to come together in the center of his chest. After the last marks were put into place, the shape on his chest revealed to be a small majestic bird surrounded by what seemed to be an ancient writing.

Wesley peered at the markings closely. "Angel, I've seen these writings before."

Angel looked away from Lindsey's chest, toward Wesley and frowned. "Where?"

Wesley took out his pointer and gestured toward the upper half of the writings. "This is the same writing used in the Shanshu prophecy."

Angel's eyes widened as Becca gasped. Spike frowned in confusion. "But why would that help Angel? It's the same jargon you couldn't translate before."

Wesley nodded absently, adjusting his glasses as he studied the markings. "Yes, quite, but the bottom I can translate and it seems that it is the missing link. This is a later form of the many languages used in the scroll of Aberijian. It has more in common with dialects much easier to translate."

Becca nodded slowly, in complete shock. "This must be what Doyle was talking about. I'd say that translating that prophecy would be a hell of a help."

Wesley looked back up. "Indeed."

Spike narrowed his eyes in concentration. "What's with the bird?"

Wesley shrugged. "I don't know. Birds have been used throughout history in all sorts of different meanings from death to life... Though that would explain its significance to the prophecy, the journey form life to death then life again."

The whole room was in stunned silence until Becca's cell phone went off.

"Excuse me..." Becca whispered distractedly. In a daze, she exited the office.

Wesley cleared his throat. "We'll wanna copy this as soon as possible."

Angel nodded dumbly. "Right." Angel grabbed a pencil and a pad off his desk and walked back over to Lindsey. He began to draw a replica of the tattoos, feverishly but as soon as he put even part of it on the paper, the markings melted away, crumbling away and falling to the bottom of the page where they disappeared.

"Dammit." Angel muttered as Spike sighed. "That's just peachy. It's probably a test, Angel. See if you can hang around Lindsey long enough not to kill him and screw up your chance to get the grand prize." Spike grinned. "I love it."

Before Angel and Spike could start arguing, Becca busted into the office. "Lindsey, we have to go, now!" The urgency in her voice caused Lindsey to pull on his shirt and walk toward her even though he hadn't buttoned it, yet.

"What's going on?"

"I think I've found someone to replace those protection tattoos."

Angel stepped forward to intervene. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Chicago." Becca informed them, reluctantly.

"The hell you are!" Spike yelled. "Who in the blood hell's in Chicago?!"

"Someone Wesley should know very well. A Miss Virginia Bryce. She specializes in runic tattoos and body armor and for reasons that should be obvious, she doesn't wish to come here." Becca explained, nonchalantly.

Wesley's eyes widened and he nodded. "Yes, uh. How long do you think you'll be?"

"Hopefully not too long. Apparently she has some sort of price that has too be paid, yada, yada, yada..."

Spike growled. "That's not making me certain you should go, pet. Why can't Lindsey just stick with you to protect him from the Senior Partners?"

"Because what if something happens to me."

"Nothings going to happen to you. I'm not gonna let it."

Becca looked into her own eyes as she watched the emotions in her father's face. There was so much protectiveness and guilt there that it almost broke the young woman's heart.

"Lindsey, could you get Chloe and Lawson for me?" Lindsey nodded and left.

"We'll be in my office discussing this new predicament." Wesley said as he and Angel the two alone.

Spike and Becca walked back into Angel's office and sat on the couch. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Becca began.

"Where's Dru?" Becca asked, trying to get Spike to do something besides stare at her.

"Angel set her up in a flat where he can keep tabs on her." Becca nodded.

"Listen, Rebecca. I'm sorry I couldn't be their for you, I never..." Becca held up her uncovered hand, inadvertently causing Spike to growl.

"How can you be so calm?! It's taking all of my will power not to shove a stake up his ass so it could travel the long way to his heart."

Becca laughed. "Please, if you wanted to you would have by now. Only problem is that the demon that killed me isn't here right now. At least he isn't in the forefront. You know it, I know it, Hell, anyone with half a brain could tell."

Spike opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it when Becca took his hands in hers. "Think about it. What if it had been you who had killed me? Hell, it could have easily been, Angelus did use your moniker."

Spike bowed his head and closed his eyes, squeezing his daughter's hands. "I'm better than that, now. I can only hope..." Spike inhaled sharply and looked back up to meet her eyes. "I can only hope that I don't disappoint you because if our time apart was fate's way of giving me the time I needed to become the kind of person who can be a father you could be proud of..."

Spike paused and pushed back some hair away from Becca's face. "... Then I guess I don't mind not being there for your first word, or your first dance. Hell, not even missing the first little ponce that started buzzing around you who would have been my right as your father to scare shitless."

Becca laughed although her voice a little watery because of the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Spike wiped away a few tears that accidentally fell and pulled her into her arms.

"Yeah, maybe things did turn out for the best." Becca muttered from Spike's chest. "I don't think that having you explain the Birds and the Bees to me would be the highlight of your looooong life."

Becca laughed and removed himself from her father's embrace but Spike frowned. "Speaking of which, Rebecca, what's the deal with you and Lawson? Say the word and he'll be just as much a eunuch as his grandsire, the only difference would be the shears that would be indubitably involved."

Even though she was still laughing, Becca managed to stand up and smiled at Spike as he joined her. "My father, The Champion. How cool is that?"

Spike beamed but his smile quickly died after her next words. "Makes it easier for you to understand why I've decided to fight The Good Fight and how... demanding it can be."

"Demanding?! You could die, Rebecca!" Spike yelled.

"Spike, you're my father and I love you but nothing will stop me from fighting and honoring the memories of those I love who have died to ensure that I would stand here today. I need to leave but I'll be back in a few days. I promise."

Spike sighed; the stubbornness in Beccas' eyes just one of the many things he realized they shared. "Fine. But you have to promise me that when you come back we'll have a serious discussion about your current living conditions. I think you should live with me.

Becca was more than reluctant to agree but knew that if she didn't, Spike was liable to put a leash on her and drag her around everywhere to keep an eye on her.

"Agreed." Becca growled through gritted teeth. She walked toward the door and Spike followed, going in front of Becca to open the door for her.

"But I make no guarantees. My current home is actually quite wholesome." Becca stated. She hadn't turned around yet and was still facing her father. When she did the most horrifying thing she'd ever seen greeted her and she let out a blood-curdling scream.

In the middle of the office were Chloe and Lindsey, his shirt still unbuttoned, making out for the whole office to see.

Spike raised an eyebrow and leaned in to whisper into Becca's ear. "Is that what you consider "wholesome"?"

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R&R: To see exactly how Chloe and Lindsey turned Wolfram & Hart into Makeout Fest '04! I promise at least one interesting twist each chapter.