"Before we get into all of the little events that led up to last
night, let me just tell you I'm not sorry for what caused it. We took out a
very powerful group last night, the worst of the worst, and we very likely
put a big dent in the Apocalypse. The real, final apocalypse."
A lot of voices rose after that, but Giles' voice rose above the din. "We must have some order!"
Faith sat back from the table a little with one leg up on her chair. She leaned forward, grabbed a slice of pizza. "We need more than order. Some of us are lacking a lot of Intel. So let's start with the most obvious – last time I saw you, Blondie, you were looking a little flamey."
Spike gave a little smile. "Magic necklace. Brought me back as a ghost. Magic box, made me less see-through."
No one said anything, so Faith continued. "Okay. We heard something about it when that little freak brought Dana to us, but we thought he was just being – well, a little freak."
Xander cleared his throat. Belatedly, Angel realized he and Buffy were holding hands. He wondered if it was just friendly support, or something more. "That explains Spike, but what the heck are you?" He asked, addressing Illyria.
"Oh, oh!" Willow said. "Fred!"
Angel nodded. "That's right – you met her."
"Magic coffin. Put the former Old One here in our little Fred, burned her right out of her own body." Spike summarized.
Angel turned his gaze to Giles. "I believe I called you about that."
Giles began to clean his glasses. "Uh, so you did. I – well, Andrew...oh, um. I take it, that had something to do with this."
"Well, actually, it goes back to when Cordy came out of the coma-"
"Cordy?" Xander said.
"Coma?" Faith asked.
"Magic coma." Spike filled in. "She died, passed on her visions to the boss here."
Buffy raised an eyebrow at the "boss" comment. A year and a half ago, Spike hadn't exactly been Angel's biggest fan.
"There seems to be a lot of magic things involved here." Giles observed dryly.
Caitlin looked at Giles. "What does he mean by visions?"
Angel turned to look at her. It was a little strange that she was hearing all of this for the first time and that was the detail she picked up on. "Cordy had visions of things that were going to happen." He explained. "When she died, that night I had a vision. Of the Circle of the Black Thorn."
"Ah, yes." Giles said. "I think that's where we come in. After our phone call, I had a long talk with Andrew. I found out that he was a bit precipitous when he learned you were running the law firm. I called Wesley to apologize, see if we could be of any help, but he wasn't very – coherent. I began researching Wolfram and Hart on my own."
"He and Fred were very close." Angel said. "I began a plan to take down the Circle. I thought about asking you help, Buffy, but when we were in Rome-"
"What does Rome have to do with anything?"
"We saw you." Spike said, almost growling. The sound sent chills up Caitlin's spine. She had been getting comfortable, forgetting they were monsters, but she sat at attention now, sensing danger.
"We saw you with the Immortal."
"The what?" Buffy said. "I haven't been in Rome in eight months. Dawn wanted to transfer to an English school because she missed everybody."
"But we were at your flat." Spike said, confused.
"Did you go in?" Xander asked.
"Yeah-"
"Well, how could you go into Buffy's house unless Buffy invited you?"
"So you weren't in Rome." Angel said. Inwardly, he cringed. That wasn't his finest moment, riding around Rome on a moped with Spike. He had been so driven by jealousy, both of Buffy with another man, and of the Immortal making a conquest of one of his women. Again. Also, he had been anxious to get back to LA and the Circle. "So we took out the Circle, and the Senior Partners tried to take us out."
"And we came to help." Giles said. "The only question is, what do we all do now?"
A lot of voices rose after that, but Giles' voice rose above the din. "We must have some order!"
Faith sat back from the table a little with one leg up on her chair. She leaned forward, grabbed a slice of pizza. "We need more than order. Some of us are lacking a lot of Intel. So let's start with the most obvious – last time I saw you, Blondie, you were looking a little flamey."
Spike gave a little smile. "Magic necklace. Brought me back as a ghost. Magic box, made me less see-through."
No one said anything, so Faith continued. "Okay. We heard something about it when that little freak brought Dana to us, but we thought he was just being – well, a little freak."
Xander cleared his throat. Belatedly, Angel realized he and Buffy were holding hands. He wondered if it was just friendly support, or something more. "That explains Spike, but what the heck are you?" He asked, addressing Illyria.
"Oh, oh!" Willow said. "Fred!"
Angel nodded. "That's right – you met her."
"Magic coffin. Put the former Old One here in our little Fred, burned her right out of her own body." Spike summarized.
Angel turned his gaze to Giles. "I believe I called you about that."
Giles began to clean his glasses. "Uh, so you did. I – well, Andrew...oh, um. I take it, that had something to do with this."
"Well, actually, it goes back to when Cordy came out of the coma-"
"Cordy?" Xander said.
"Coma?" Faith asked.
"Magic coma." Spike filled in. "She died, passed on her visions to the boss here."
Buffy raised an eyebrow at the "boss" comment. A year and a half ago, Spike hadn't exactly been Angel's biggest fan.
"There seems to be a lot of magic things involved here." Giles observed dryly.
Caitlin looked at Giles. "What does he mean by visions?"
Angel turned to look at her. It was a little strange that she was hearing all of this for the first time and that was the detail she picked up on. "Cordy had visions of things that were going to happen." He explained. "When she died, that night I had a vision. Of the Circle of the Black Thorn."
"Ah, yes." Giles said. "I think that's where we come in. After our phone call, I had a long talk with Andrew. I found out that he was a bit precipitous when he learned you were running the law firm. I called Wesley to apologize, see if we could be of any help, but he wasn't very – coherent. I began researching Wolfram and Hart on my own."
"He and Fred were very close." Angel said. "I began a plan to take down the Circle. I thought about asking you help, Buffy, but when we were in Rome-"
"What does Rome have to do with anything?"
"We saw you." Spike said, almost growling. The sound sent chills up Caitlin's spine. She had been getting comfortable, forgetting they were monsters, but she sat at attention now, sensing danger.
"We saw you with the Immortal."
"The what?" Buffy said. "I haven't been in Rome in eight months. Dawn wanted to transfer to an English school because she missed everybody."
"But we were at your flat." Spike said, confused.
"Did you go in?" Xander asked.
"Yeah-"
"Well, how could you go into Buffy's house unless Buffy invited you?"
"So you weren't in Rome." Angel said. Inwardly, he cringed. That wasn't his finest moment, riding around Rome on a moped with Spike. He had been so driven by jealousy, both of Buffy with another man, and of the Immortal making a conquest of one of his women. Again. Also, he had been anxious to get back to LA and the Circle. "So we took out the Circle, and the Senior Partners tried to take us out."
"And we came to help." Giles said. "The only question is, what do we all do now?"