Chapter 2
"Blow everybody up?" Fred asked.
"Well, he said 'drop the bomb.' We don't know what that means." Angel said.
"We very nearly found out." Wesley retorted, glancing at Buffy.
"What? I'm not allowed to hit people?" Buffy asked.
"Not people capable of genocide."
"Those are exactly the types of people I should be allowed to hit! Plus he had his greasy, oil stain eyes all over me. Perv."
"Hey, back to the here and now, chickadees. Where do we stand?" Lorne asked.
"We need to find out about this bomb and somehow disable it in case that jury comes in with a conviction." Wesley said. "We think it may have some mystical element."
"Fries said, 'I say the magic word.' He could mean exactly that." Angel said.
"Which is my department. We also think it probably isn't an explosive. This isn't the sort of man to risk his own life. So that could mean more magic.."
"Or it could be a virus, ebola kind of thing." Fred said.
"Right. The main thing is, any of this stuff could've come from right here. Keel, the lawyer, says he doesn't know anything, and I believe him." Angel said.
"Why?"
"He's terrified."
"It's going around." Lorne said.
"Fred, go through the lab records. See if Wolfram & Hart deals in viruses. Lorne, you're in the courtroom. Monitor the case. Let us know how it's going." Wesley said.
"But lunch with Mary-Kate.. She was gonna tell me about Ashley's new piercing."
"I paged Gunn 3 times. Still nothing." Harmony said.
"Why isn't he here?" Buffy asked.
"Why is she?" Lorne asked.
"Long story." Harmony said.
"Maybe not." Buffy shot back.
"Oh, and I got Spanky's address." Harmony handed Buffy a slip of paper.
"Spanky?" Lorne asked.
"Freelance mystic. He's showed up in Fries' files a few times. Angel and I're gonna do some legwork." Buffy said. She grabbed Angel's wrist and looked at his watch. "Dawn should be getting off from school soon. She'll be coming here."
"I'll watch her." Fred said. "She likes the science stuff."
"Good. Thanks." Buffy took her coat from Angel and they headed to their private elevator. "Tell Dawn we'll be back later." The elevator doors closed and they descended into the motor pool. It was full of classic sports cars from every decade and one SUV that Buffy preferred.
Angel looked at them, unable to decide. "Oh, God, they're so beautiful!" He chose a yellow 1970's era car opened the door.
"Angel.."
"What?" She motioned to the SUV. "But they're so pretty!"
"They're pretty, yeah. But that SUV is made for damage. We may need it."
Angel was about to object when Hauser walked out of the shadows. "Ma'am? Sir?"
"Hauser, right?" Angel asked.
"We got word there's a floater you wanted brought in."
"How exactly did you get that word?"
"That's my job, sir. You want us to bring him in?"
"We'll take care of it."
"Traditionally, my unit handles all the wet work."
"I know you meant field work." Buffy said.
"Of course."
"Mm-hmm. We'll take care of it." She and Angel walked over to the SUV. "Later on, you can tell us all about tradition."
________________________________________________________________________
Angel knocked on the door, and a 50-something man walked to the door in a sweaty tank top. "So what do you two want?"
"We're here from Wolfram & Hart. Here about a job." Angel said.
"Well, then.. get your butts in here. Pardon the sweaty. I was working out. Uh, either you want a drink? I got a pitcher of daiquiris."
"No thanks." Buffy said.
"You?" He asked Angel.
"I'm good, thanks." Angel said.
"So am I. And I'm about to be better."
"Hmm. So tell me.." Angel was staring at a wall full of paddles and whips. "Why do they call you Spanky?"
"I'm a big 'Our Gang' fan."
"That's what I figured."
"Look, buddy, I'm gonna be up-front with you. I got nothing against people doing their thing. It's a wide and wonderful world, but.. I don't spank men. It's not a judgment. Men have fine, firm asses. You've been to the web site, you know how much I work on mine. I wouldn't mind spanking your girl though. But when you said Wolfram & Hart, I assumed you were here about a mystical job."
"We are. The one you did for Corbin Fries."
"Yeah? Ok, I don't discuss my old jobs. Mystic-client privilege."
"You're gonna tell us what you did for Mr. Fries. Now.. or very soon from now."
"I built him a container, a mystical vessel. You can put anything you want in it."
"Like a bomb." Buffy said.
"A bomb, a curse, a golden retriever. Anything. I don't know what he wanted it for. The vessel just holds it until the magic word dissolves the vessel."
"Ok, then, where'd you place the vessel?" Angel asked.
Spanky kicked Buffy into a chair and lunged around behind Angel, putting his forearm in front of Angel's neck and squeezing. "You know what I'm doing now? I'm applying pressure to your windpipe. You'll pass out, and then I'll let Mr. Fries decide if he wants you to wake up again."
"Do you know what I'm doing now? Not using my windpipe." Angel grabbed Spanky's forearm and twisted it around until Angel was behind him, still twisting his arm.
"Vampire. So what's she?"
"Slayer." Buffy said, standing in front of Spanky.
"And there's something else you should know about me." Angel pushed Spanky forward a bit, still holding his arm, grabbed a cricket paddle from the wall, and swung it at Spanky, sending him across the room. "I have no problem spanking men." Buffy blinked, totally caught off guard. Angel grinned at her.
________________________________________________________________________
Dawn, Fred, and Knox were sitting on the floor going through papers that are strewn all over. "Oh, ok, this could be bad." Dawn said, reading something.
"Bad what? How? Where?" Fred asked.
"Wolfram and Hart did do some work with Fries on illegal pesticides, rodent killers, but this guy Lopez.."
"The lab technician?" Fred asked Knox.
"Yeah. I don't know him." Knox said.
Dawn went onto the computer and typed for a minute. "Oh, ok. He was fired. Oh, no, I'm sorry. He was set on fire."
"That's interesting." Fred said.
"Kinda makes me miss the Hellmouth."
"Set on fire for working with Fries?"
"Maybe under the table. There's a link to his name. A cult.. 'The Black Tomorrow.' Oh, thrills."
"I think you were right, boss." Knox said to Fred while he looked over Dawn's shoulder. "These guys specialize in quick-fire disease scenarios: Sarin gases and viruses."
"Which you all built." Fred said, backing away and taking Dawn's hand with her.
"Hey, no. We've contained more plagues than we've ever designed. I'm not all about destruction here."
"We have to find out what he had access.." Dawn was cut off by the telephone ringing.
Fred rushed for it. "Department of.. Fred.. Angel, yeah. It looks like our client might be playing with a virus. Spread by touch or maybe even airborne."
"That's the bomb." Angel said.
"Safe guess. So did you guys find out where he put it? Angel?"
"Yeah. We found out where he put it."
________________________________________________________________________
Buffy paced the office while Angel leaned against the desk. They were both pissed off at what Fries had done. Eve walked in and looked at the two of them. "Rough day at work?"
"His son. He took a lethal virus, and he stuck it inside his son." Buffy said angrily.
"Hits you where you live, doesn't it?" Angel stood and Buffy stopped pacing. "Of course I know. You two lost your son. Well, gave him up."
"To save him."
"Which you did. He's happy and well-adjusted now that he has no memory of you two, and the rest of the world, including your best friends, never even heard of Connor."
"That's not a name I want passing through your lips." Angel said.
Eve leaned into Angel. "And what would you like passing through my lips?"
"News flash: I'm married and angry!"
"I'm just curious how you two are gonna play it."
"Well, we'll isolate the boy if it comes to that. Stop it.. from spreading."
"Here's the news from this sector: If every case hits you guys this hard, you're not gonna last a week."
"Now, I don't want you coming into our office again unless one of us asks for you. I don't want to hear another word right now unless you decide to start helping out."
"How do you know I'm not?" With that, Eve left.
"I told you I don't like her." Buffy said. Angel nodded. "She knew about Connor. How many other people know that aren't dead?" Angel wrapped Buffy in his arms and she laid her head on his chest. "Eve was right about one thing. The honeymoon is definitely over."
"Are you gonna be ok?"
"I miss him."
"I do too."
"I also miss everyone else. Willow, Faith, Xander, Giles.. They're so far away."
"You can always call them."
"I know."
"Then go call them."
"They're probably busy."
"Oh, I see."
"See what?"
"You feel guilty for not going with them and helping find those Slayers."
"Maybe a little."
"Honey, they've got it covered. Giles understands that you're married and have responsibilities here. Besides.. If they needed you bad enough, they'd call and let you know. Right?"
Buffy smiled into Angel's chest. "Yeah. Right."
He kissed the top of her head. "Why don't we go home? Dawn's probably half asleep by now and she has school in the morning."
Buffy nodded and let Angel lead her out.
________________________________________________________________________
The next afternoon, Buffy and Wesley walked into the courtroom and sat beside Lorne in the very back row. "How's it going?" Buffy asked. Fries turned around and stared at them. "Never mind."
"Yeah, so, what's the plan? You've got a plan?" Lorne asked. Buffy smiled at Lorne and Wesley sighed and opened his coat to give Lorne a glimpse inside at the gun he had.
"That's only for backup in case I can't take down a courtroom full of humans.. And maybe some demons."
"Oh, and here I thought we were desperate." Buffy shrugged. "Where's Angel?"
"He went to the school in a helicopter. I thought my services would be better used here. You two could use a superhero as a just in case."
"Well bless you for coming pumpkin. I think we could definitely use one if Fries gets convicted."
"How are our chances?" Wesley asked.
"What are the chances Michael Jackson will ever make another mega-hit song like 'Thriller?'"
"If there are no more objections, I'll hear final summations." The judge said.
Suddenly, Gunn walked in, in a fancy a pin-striped suit with a silk tie and expensive shoes. He walked into the room carrying an alligator-hide briefcase. "Your honor, the defense requests one more minute to confer."
"Another defense lawyer. What a joy."
"Uh, Your Honor, at this point, I'd like to cede the floor to my colleague Charles Gunn." Keel said.
"So noted."
Buffy, Lorne, and Wesley gawked as Gunn continued. "Thank you. Your Honor, the defense moves for a mistrial."
"You are, of course, joking."
"Your Honor, that's the second prejudicial remark you've made against the defense since I entered the room."
"What are your grounds for requesting a mistrial?"
"You are, Your Honor. I'm asking that you recuse yourself from this trial."
"The thin ice you are on is over very deep water."
"No judge shall be appointed to try any case concerning a business colleague or employee." Gunn picked up a file. "Permission to approach the bench."
"These are..?" The Judge opened the file. "What are you doing with my tax records?"
"The highlighted portions indicate stock in Oriental Bay Exports, which is owned by Loros, Incorporated, which in turn is owned by a consortium that includes the defendant, Corbin Fries."
"I have brokers who do my.. You submit that I could possibly have known about this connection?"
"I found out, and I've been on the case 6 hours."
"The ice is melting, counselor."
"The defense submits it has learned how to swim. I withdraw that statement with apologies." Gunn picked up a thick law book. "McCracken vs. The State of Maine,1954: 'Any financial dealings shall be deemed the responsibility of the interested party, regardless of number or function of employees unless said party has been judged mentally incapable.'" He put down the book. "Permission to approach. And furthermore, the strain on my client's several businesses has forced Oriental Bay Exports to shrink its holdings of late. If Mr. Fries is convicted, the interest your honor has in it would represent a controlling interest. I would prefer not to present the rest of our findings in front of the jury."
"I'll see counsel in my chambers. Right now."
Gunn turned and grinned at Buffy, Lorne, and Wesley.
________________________________________________________________________
Harmony brought a bottle of water to Eve as she chatted with Buffy, Angel, Wesley, Fred, and Lorne about Gunn. "It's very simple, really. Thank you. Charles agreed to let us enhance his mind with a comprehensive knowledge of the law."
"Without asking us?" Wesley said.
"Mother, may I?" Gunn retorted.
"Without telling us?" Buffy asked.
"Cause I knew you guys would freak. Look, it's me here. They didn't evil me up. All I got stuck in my head was the law. And for some reason, a messload of Gilbert and Sullivan."
"Standard. Great for elocution." Eve said.
"How can you possibly know they didn't do anything else?" Angel asked.
"Cause I saw the man in the white room. He does a lot of scary things, but lying ain't one of them." Gunn said.
"You needed a lawyer to get by here. Charles had the most unused potential. His degrees are all forged, but he's the real deal." Eve said.
"You want me to sing for Lorne? I could give him a little 'Pirates of Penzance.' All of it, actually."
"I would also point out that he did just save the day, without ever resorting to violence. How'd you do?" Eve asked Angel. She smiled. "I think you guys are gonna make it work. Yay, team. I'll see you around." With that, Eve left.
"Of course, saving the day meant getting the scumbag who was ready to sacrifice his own son off on a technicality and then returning said son to said scumbag." Buffy said bitterly.
"Fred and I have enough time to disable the charm now. He won't be in danger." Wesley said.
"And Fries is gonna have to dial down the criminal activities 'til this thing comes to trial again. Which I can draw out for months." Gunn said.
"Is this gonna be our lives now?" Fred asked. "Fighting our own employees, our own clients? Are we really gonna do any good?"
"Yes, we are. We're gonna change things." Angel said. "We came to Wolfram and Hart because it's a powerful weapon, and we'll figure out how to wield it."
"Or kill ourselves with it." Wesley said.
"Yay, team." Fred said.
"No, sooner or later they'll tip their hand, and we'll find out why they really brought us here." Buffy said. She picked up the envelope from the desk. "Meanwhile, we do the work.. our way, one thing at a time." She ripped open the envelope. "We deal.." Spike's amulet fell out of the envelope. "With whatever comes next."
Immediately, the amulet activated. A black whirlwind erupted from it, causing papers on the desk to stir. The ashen whirlwind started to glow with flecks of orange as something began to materialize inside it. Angel grabbed Buffy and pulled her back as a man's skeletal form showed, then it gradually filled out until it was complete. The wind faded and Spike was standing there, screaming and grunting, in the middle of the office, right where the amulet fell.
"Spike?" Wesley asked.
Buffy blinked a few times and took a step forward. "Spike!?"
"Spike." Angel said.
Harmony stuck her head in the door. "Blondie bear?"
"Blow everybody up?" Fred asked.
"Well, he said 'drop the bomb.' We don't know what that means." Angel said.
"We very nearly found out." Wesley retorted, glancing at Buffy.
"What? I'm not allowed to hit people?" Buffy asked.
"Not people capable of genocide."
"Those are exactly the types of people I should be allowed to hit! Plus he had his greasy, oil stain eyes all over me. Perv."
"Hey, back to the here and now, chickadees. Where do we stand?" Lorne asked.
"We need to find out about this bomb and somehow disable it in case that jury comes in with a conviction." Wesley said. "We think it may have some mystical element."
"Fries said, 'I say the magic word.' He could mean exactly that." Angel said.
"Which is my department. We also think it probably isn't an explosive. This isn't the sort of man to risk his own life. So that could mean more magic.."
"Or it could be a virus, ebola kind of thing." Fred said.
"Right. The main thing is, any of this stuff could've come from right here. Keel, the lawyer, says he doesn't know anything, and I believe him." Angel said.
"Why?"
"He's terrified."
"It's going around." Lorne said.
"Fred, go through the lab records. See if Wolfram & Hart deals in viruses. Lorne, you're in the courtroom. Monitor the case. Let us know how it's going." Wesley said.
"But lunch with Mary-Kate.. She was gonna tell me about Ashley's new piercing."
"I paged Gunn 3 times. Still nothing." Harmony said.
"Why isn't he here?" Buffy asked.
"Why is she?" Lorne asked.
"Long story." Harmony said.
"Maybe not." Buffy shot back.
"Oh, and I got Spanky's address." Harmony handed Buffy a slip of paper.
"Spanky?" Lorne asked.
"Freelance mystic. He's showed up in Fries' files a few times. Angel and I're gonna do some legwork." Buffy said. She grabbed Angel's wrist and looked at his watch. "Dawn should be getting off from school soon. She'll be coming here."
"I'll watch her." Fred said. "She likes the science stuff."
"Good. Thanks." Buffy took her coat from Angel and they headed to their private elevator. "Tell Dawn we'll be back later." The elevator doors closed and they descended into the motor pool. It was full of classic sports cars from every decade and one SUV that Buffy preferred.
Angel looked at them, unable to decide. "Oh, God, they're so beautiful!" He chose a yellow 1970's era car opened the door.
"Angel.."
"What?" She motioned to the SUV. "But they're so pretty!"
"They're pretty, yeah. But that SUV is made for damage. We may need it."
Angel was about to object when Hauser walked out of the shadows. "Ma'am? Sir?"
"Hauser, right?" Angel asked.
"We got word there's a floater you wanted brought in."
"How exactly did you get that word?"
"That's my job, sir. You want us to bring him in?"
"We'll take care of it."
"Traditionally, my unit handles all the wet work."
"I know you meant field work." Buffy said.
"Of course."
"Mm-hmm. We'll take care of it." She and Angel walked over to the SUV. "Later on, you can tell us all about tradition."
________________________________________________________________________
Angel knocked on the door, and a 50-something man walked to the door in a sweaty tank top. "So what do you two want?"
"We're here from Wolfram & Hart. Here about a job." Angel said.
"Well, then.. get your butts in here. Pardon the sweaty. I was working out. Uh, either you want a drink? I got a pitcher of daiquiris."
"No thanks." Buffy said.
"You?" He asked Angel.
"I'm good, thanks." Angel said.
"So am I. And I'm about to be better."
"Hmm. So tell me.." Angel was staring at a wall full of paddles and whips. "Why do they call you Spanky?"
"I'm a big 'Our Gang' fan."
"That's what I figured."
"Look, buddy, I'm gonna be up-front with you. I got nothing against people doing their thing. It's a wide and wonderful world, but.. I don't spank men. It's not a judgment. Men have fine, firm asses. You've been to the web site, you know how much I work on mine. I wouldn't mind spanking your girl though. But when you said Wolfram & Hart, I assumed you were here about a mystical job."
"We are. The one you did for Corbin Fries."
"Yeah? Ok, I don't discuss my old jobs. Mystic-client privilege."
"You're gonna tell us what you did for Mr. Fries. Now.. or very soon from now."
"I built him a container, a mystical vessel. You can put anything you want in it."
"Like a bomb." Buffy said.
"A bomb, a curse, a golden retriever. Anything. I don't know what he wanted it for. The vessel just holds it until the magic word dissolves the vessel."
"Ok, then, where'd you place the vessel?" Angel asked.
Spanky kicked Buffy into a chair and lunged around behind Angel, putting his forearm in front of Angel's neck and squeezing. "You know what I'm doing now? I'm applying pressure to your windpipe. You'll pass out, and then I'll let Mr. Fries decide if he wants you to wake up again."
"Do you know what I'm doing now? Not using my windpipe." Angel grabbed Spanky's forearm and twisted it around until Angel was behind him, still twisting his arm.
"Vampire. So what's she?"
"Slayer." Buffy said, standing in front of Spanky.
"And there's something else you should know about me." Angel pushed Spanky forward a bit, still holding his arm, grabbed a cricket paddle from the wall, and swung it at Spanky, sending him across the room. "I have no problem spanking men." Buffy blinked, totally caught off guard. Angel grinned at her.
________________________________________________________________________
Dawn, Fred, and Knox were sitting on the floor going through papers that are strewn all over. "Oh, ok, this could be bad." Dawn said, reading something.
"Bad what? How? Where?" Fred asked.
"Wolfram and Hart did do some work with Fries on illegal pesticides, rodent killers, but this guy Lopez.."
"The lab technician?" Fred asked Knox.
"Yeah. I don't know him." Knox said.
Dawn went onto the computer and typed for a minute. "Oh, ok. He was fired. Oh, no, I'm sorry. He was set on fire."
"That's interesting." Fred said.
"Kinda makes me miss the Hellmouth."
"Set on fire for working with Fries?"
"Maybe under the table. There's a link to his name. A cult.. 'The Black Tomorrow.' Oh, thrills."
"I think you were right, boss." Knox said to Fred while he looked over Dawn's shoulder. "These guys specialize in quick-fire disease scenarios: Sarin gases and viruses."
"Which you all built." Fred said, backing away and taking Dawn's hand with her.
"Hey, no. We've contained more plagues than we've ever designed. I'm not all about destruction here."
"We have to find out what he had access.." Dawn was cut off by the telephone ringing.
Fred rushed for it. "Department of.. Fred.. Angel, yeah. It looks like our client might be playing with a virus. Spread by touch or maybe even airborne."
"That's the bomb." Angel said.
"Safe guess. So did you guys find out where he put it? Angel?"
"Yeah. We found out where he put it."
________________________________________________________________________
Buffy paced the office while Angel leaned against the desk. They were both pissed off at what Fries had done. Eve walked in and looked at the two of them. "Rough day at work?"
"His son. He took a lethal virus, and he stuck it inside his son." Buffy said angrily.
"Hits you where you live, doesn't it?" Angel stood and Buffy stopped pacing. "Of course I know. You two lost your son. Well, gave him up."
"To save him."
"Which you did. He's happy and well-adjusted now that he has no memory of you two, and the rest of the world, including your best friends, never even heard of Connor."
"That's not a name I want passing through your lips." Angel said.
Eve leaned into Angel. "And what would you like passing through my lips?"
"News flash: I'm married and angry!"
"I'm just curious how you two are gonna play it."
"Well, we'll isolate the boy if it comes to that. Stop it.. from spreading."
"Here's the news from this sector: If every case hits you guys this hard, you're not gonna last a week."
"Now, I don't want you coming into our office again unless one of us asks for you. I don't want to hear another word right now unless you decide to start helping out."
"How do you know I'm not?" With that, Eve left.
"I told you I don't like her." Buffy said. Angel nodded. "She knew about Connor. How many other people know that aren't dead?" Angel wrapped Buffy in his arms and she laid her head on his chest. "Eve was right about one thing. The honeymoon is definitely over."
"Are you gonna be ok?"
"I miss him."
"I do too."
"I also miss everyone else. Willow, Faith, Xander, Giles.. They're so far away."
"You can always call them."
"I know."
"Then go call them."
"They're probably busy."
"Oh, I see."
"See what?"
"You feel guilty for not going with them and helping find those Slayers."
"Maybe a little."
"Honey, they've got it covered. Giles understands that you're married and have responsibilities here. Besides.. If they needed you bad enough, they'd call and let you know. Right?"
Buffy smiled into Angel's chest. "Yeah. Right."
He kissed the top of her head. "Why don't we go home? Dawn's probably half asleep by now and she has school in the morning."
Buffy nodded and let Angel lead her out.
________________________________________________________________________
The next afternoon, Buffy and Wesley walked into the courtroom and sat beside Lorne in the very back row. "How's it going?" Buffy asked. Fries turned around and stared at them. "Never mind."
"Yeah, so, what's the plan? You've got a plan?" Lorne asked. Buffy smiled at Lorne and Wesley sighed and opened his coat to give Lorne a glimpse inside at the gun he had.
"That's only for backup in case I can't take down a courtroom full of humans.. And maybe some demons."
"Oh, and here I thought we were desperate." Buffy shrugged. "Where's Angel?"
"He went to the school in a helicopter. I thought my services would be better used here. You two could use a superhero as a just in case."
"Well bless you for coming pumpkin. I think we could definitely use one if Fries gets convicted."
"How are our chances?" Wesley asked.
"What are the chances Michael Jackson will ever make another mega-hit song like 'Thriller?'"
"If there are no more objections, I'll hear final summations." The judge said.
Suddenly, Gunn walked in, in a fancy a pin-striped suit with a silk tie and expensive shoes. He walked into the room carrying an alligator-hide briefcase. "Your honor, the defense requests one more minute to confer."
"Another defense lawyer. What a joy."
"Uh, Your Honor, at this point, I'd like to cede the floor to my colleague Charles Gunn." Keel said.
"So noted."
Buffy, Lorne, and Wesley gawked as Gunn continued. "Thank you. Your Honor, the defense moves for a mistrial."
"You are, of course, joking."
"Your Honor, that's the second prejudicial remark you've made against the defense since I entered the room."
"What are your grounds for requesting a mistrial?"
"You are, Your Honor. I'm asking that you recuse yourself from this trial."
"The thin ice you are on is over very deep water."
"No judge shall be appointed to try any case concerning a business colleague or employee." Gunn picked up a file. "Permission to approach the bench."
"These are..?" The Judge opened the file. "What are you doing with my tax records?"
"The highlighted portions indicate stock in Oriental Bay Exports, which is owned by Loros, Incorporated, which in turn is owned by a consortium that includes the defendant, Corbin Fries."
"I have brokers who do my.. You submit that I could possibly have known about this connection?"
"I found out, and I've been on the case 6 hours."
"The ice is melting, counselor."
"The defense submits it has learned how to swim. I withdraw that statement with apologies." Gunn picked up a thick law book. "McCracken vs. The State of Maine,1954: 'Any financial dealings shall be deemed the responsibility of the interested party, regardless of number or function of employees unless said party has been judged mentally incapable.'" He put down the book. "Permission to approach. And furthermore, the strain on my client's several businesses has forced Oriental Bay Exports to shrink its holdings of late. If Mr. Fries is convicted, the interest your honor has in it would represent a controlling interest. I would prefer not to present the rest of our findings in front of the jury."
"I'll see counsel in my chambers. Right now."
Gunn turned and grinned at Buffy, Lorne, and Wesley.
________________________________________________________________________
Harmony brought a bottle of water to Eve as she chatted with Buffy, Angel, Wesley, Fred, and Lorne about Gunn. "It's very simple, really. Thank you. Charles agreed to let us enhance his mind with a comprehensive knowledge of the law."
"Without asking us?" Wesley said.
"Mother, may I?" Gunn retorted.
"Without telling us?" Buffy asked.
"Cause I knew you guys would freak. Look, it's me here. They didn't evil me up. All I got stuck in my head was the law. And for some reason, a messload of Gilbert and Sullivan."
"Standard. Great for elocution." Eve said.
"How can you possibly know they didn't do anything else?" Angel asked.
"Cause I saw the man in the white room. He does a lot of scary things, but lying ain't one of them." Gunn said.
"You needed a lawyer to get by here. Charles had the most unused potential. His degrees are all forged, but he's the real deal." Eve said.
"You want me to sing for Lorne? I could give him a little 'Pirates of Penzance.' All of it, actually."
"I would also point out that he did just save the day, without ever resorting to violence. How'd you do?" Eve asked Angel. She smiled. "I think you guys are gonna make it work. Yay, team. I'll see you around." With that, Eve left.
"Of course, saving the day meant getting the scumbag who was ready to sacrifice his own son off on a technicality and then returning said son to said scumbag." Buffy said bitterly.
"Fred and I have enough time to disable the charm now. He won't be in danger." Wesley said.
"And Fries is gonna have to dial down the criminal activities 'til this thing comes to trial again. Which I can draw out for months." Gunn said.
"Is this gonna be our lives now?" Fred asked. "Fighting our own employees, our own clients? Are we really gonna do any good?"
"Yes, we are. We're gonna change things." Angel said. "We came to Wolfram and Hart because it's a powerful weapon, and we'll figure out how to wield it."
"Or kill ourselves with it." Wesley said.
"Yay, team." Fred said.
"No, sooner or later they'll tip their hand, and we'll find out why they really brought us here." Buffy said. She picked up the envelope from the desk. "Meanwhile, we do the work.. our way, one thing at a time." She ripped open the envelope. "We deal.." Spike's amulet fell out of the envelope. "With whatever comes next."
Immediately, the amulet activated. A black whirlwind erupted from it, causing papers on the desk to stir. The ashen whirlwind started to glow with flecks of orange as something began to materialize inside it. Angel grabbed Buffy and pulled her back as a man's skeletal form showed, then it gradually filled out until it was complete. The wind faded and Spike was standing there, screaming and grunting, in the middle of the office, right where the amulet fell.
"Spike?" Wesley asked.
Buffy blinked a few times and took a step forward. "Spike!?"
"Spike." Angel said.
Harmony stuck her head in the door. "Blondie bear?"