Chapter 4
Angel sat alone in a chair staring out the window. Buffy walked in from the lobby and looked at him. She was about to say something, but Angel beat her to it. "You don't think he's really gone, do you?"
"That what's on your mind?" She asked tenderly.
"Could have been me, Buffy. Was supposed to be me."
"Or me."
"It would never have been you. You know I would never have let you."
"You're not feeling guilty are you?"
"About Spike?" Angel sat at the desk. "He's not.. that's not.. that's not.. Wolfram & Hart gave us the amulet. They must have expected ME to use it. And they had to have known it would've done to me what it did to Spike, so.."
Buffy walked over and sat on the desk in front of Angel. "Why bother handing us the keys to the kingdom?"
Angel took her hand and laid their clasped hands in her lap with a sigh. "Doesn't make sense. What are the senior partners playing at?"
"Maybe there's a disagreement in their ranks, or maybe there's another player in the game they.. and we don't know anything about. Then again, maybe they got exactly what they were after."
"Spike."
"He may be the one they.."
"What are you doing here? I thought you left town."
Buffy realized Angel wasn't talking to her. She turned to see Spike standing there. "Don't think I didn't bleeding try. Every time I got as far as the city limits I kept popping back here like my insides are getting yanked."
"Wesley said the amulet's Wolfram & Hart's property. It's bound to this place, and since Spike's connected to it.." Buffy said.
"Hey! I'm nobody's bloody property, Ducks. So what? I'm just stuck here forever? I bet you're loving this, aren't you?" Spike shot at Angel.
"Knowing you'll be haunting me till the end of time? Hmm. It's a dream come true." Angel said sarcastically.
Harmony knocked on the door. "Uh, guys? That Novac lawyer you sent over to dump the client.. well, he's back."
"Ok, send him in."
"Mmmm... Ok." Two men in suits walked into the room carrying three buckets full of a sloppy red liquid, one with a bright yellow spotted tie hanging over the edge, covered in blood.
"What is.." Buffy asked.
The men placed the buckets on the desk. Spike chuckled, looking in the buckets. "Ol' buckets here was right. You guys are doing a bang-up job."
Angel walked out of the office. Buffy sighed and followed. He walked up to Harmony's desk. "Harmony, get me Novac's contact list, close relations, next of kin, and let's be discreet about this for the time being, ok?"
"Discreet? Oh, you mean like not tell anyone about bucket-o-lawyer." Harmony said.
"Harmony, contact list."
Wesley and Gunn walked off the elevator and walked up to Buffy and Angel. Gunn handed Angel a file. "Hey, got word you two wanted the file on Magnus Hainsley. Dig this. He's a sorcerer, big time. Rich with old money and older mojo. Owns a respectable block of shares in Wolfram & Hart and he's connected up the wazoo. Carries influence with power players in the entertainment industry, politics."
"He's a necromancer." Angel said.
"A who-der-what-der?" Buffy asked.
"Power over the dead. That explains the bodies Wolfram & Hart's been providing him." Wesley said as they headed back to Buffy and Angel's office.
"But not what he's been doing with them. Out of my chair." Angel said to Spike.
"Make me." Spike said.
"Can I have the chair Spike?" Buffy asked.
"Certainly." Spike stood and graciously moved for Buffy with a smirk at Angel.
"What's in the buckets?" Gunn asked.
"Your man Novac. Guess he's been.. what do you call it?" Spike looked at Buffy. "Downsized."
"Spike, that's gross." Buffy said.
Spike smiled at her. "I only save those for you, luv."
"Gee, thanks."
"It's a message from Magnus Hainsley, and I'm gonna reply to it personally." Angel said.
"You can't take Hainsley on yourself." Buffy said.
"I'm not gonna risk him turning somebody else into chowder. Especially my wife."
"Angel, you have a multi-billion dollar company at your disposal with armed and trained personnel." Wesley said.
"They cramp my style."
"Your style's not gonna cut it with a Nemo-flayer. We should probably avoid an eye-for-an-eye thing here." Buffy said.
"Not going for his eyes."
"I know what you should go for." Angel stopped the elevator doors before they closed. "It'll hurt him. Bad."
Buffy and Angel walked out of the elevator into the garage. He decided to let Buffy go because she threatened him with no sex for a month. Their cars were lined up along the wall. He walked toward a black Viper and opened the door for Buffy. She started to sit in the passenger seat when Spike said, "Knew you'd pick the Viper. So bloody predictable."
"Spike, get out of the car." Angel said, grabbing Buffy before she fell.
"No."
"What?"
"This haunting-you-till-the-end-of-time idea of yours is starting to sound appealing. I could drive you completely starkers, right out of your gourd. Yeah, and you wouldn't be able to do a sodding thing about it." Angel slammed the door and walked over to the next car, a silver Camaro. Spike was sitting inside the car in the passenger seat. Angel groaned. "Fancy a road trip. This'll be fun, eh? You and me together again. So.. where are we off to?"
"To see the wizard."
"Spike, backseat now." Buffy said, standing at the open door.
"Oop, sorry luv." Spike stood up, torso sticking out the top of the car, and sat in the backseat.
"Why are you nice to her?" Angel asked.
"Cause she's nice to me."
Angel sighed and started the car, peeling out of the garage. The butler let Buffy, Spike, and Angel inside Hainsley's house. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Hainsley?"
"Let's just say he sent us an invitation." Spike said.
"We're from Wolfram & Hart." Angel said.
"I'm their date."
"Mr. Hainsley is with a customer at the moment. I'm afraid he does not suffer interruption lightly." The Butler said.
"Not so worried about his suffering. Go ahead and interrupt." Angel said.
"As you wish. Please wait here." He left.
"Oh, life among the power elite. It's all so civilized. Hainsley grinds up one of your people into chum, and you drop by for tea."
"I'm hoping to avoid a body count here." Angel said.
"Looks like this Hainsley keeps one on hand." Buffy said, walking into another room. Spike and Angel followed. The room was decorated like a Victorian parlor, complete with a few dozen people standing around posed, as if it were a wax museum.
"Man likes to play with dollies." Spike said.
"This isn't for him. It's a showroom." Angel said.
"I don't know. Maybe the geezer's just lonely. Throws himself a surprise party every night. Picks out one of these painted pigeons and shows her a good time, if you know what I mean." Buffy gave Spike a glare. "What? I'm sure they don't mind."
"Yeah, I mind." Buffy said.
"Why? They're the lucky ones, aren't they? It's over for them. They've shuffled off, cleanly, the one time. Nobody's shoving them back into the stinking world against their will."
"I know how that feels."
"I know you do."
Buffy gave Spike a slight smile as they shared a moment. They were all interrupted by the Butler stepping back in. "Mr. Hainsley has asked that I send you back to Wolfram & Hart." He revealed that he was holding butcher knives behind his back. "In a manner of speaking." The butler played menacingly with the knives trying to intimidate the three.
"Uh-oh. Looks like it's buckets for you two." Spike said. Angel reached for a tiny teaspoon being held by a posed person beside him. He threw the spoon at the butler, and it landed in his forehead. The butler screamed. "A spoon?! That's just.." The butler reached up to his forehead, pulled the spoon out, and turned toward Angel angrily. "Well, ok, that's more.." The butler collapsed. "Disappointing, really."
"I know you can't help us, but could you maybe not root for the other team?" Angel asked.
"Hey, I'll root for anyone with half a chance of taking you down a notch."
"What is your problem?"
"You are, ya ponce! You're my problem. You got it too good. You're king of a 30-floor castle, with all the cars, comfort, power, and glory you could ever want, and here I save the world, throw myself onto the proverbial hand grenade for love, honor, and all the right reasons, and what do I get? Bloody well toasted and ghosted is what I get, isn't it? It's not fair."
"Fair?! You asked for a soul. I didn't! It almost killed me. I spent a hundred years trying to come to terms with infinite remorse. You spent 3 weeks moaning in a basement, and then you were fine! What's fair about that?!"
"Are you getting blurry, or is it.." Spike faded and disappeared.
Angel grunted from frustration, then walked away. Buffy sighed and followed. She felt like she always just sighed and followed Angel lately. Hainsley was rinsing his hands out when Angel broke the door down.
"Come in. It's open." Hainsley said.
"Hainsley." Angel said.
"Didn't know it was the head cheese themselves. I thought for sure you were another lackey. You should show more respect."
"Oh, uh, I can see you guys have a thing going on." The woman on the table said, getting up and walking to the door. "Don't wanna get in your way. I'll let myself out."
Buffy grabbed the woman by the arm as she walked by. Her eyes glowed red and she snarled at Buffy. The Slayer punched her out and then turned to Hainsley. "So how much do you charge, huh? Installing the average demon in a human body? I'm sure a lot of them would love to pass as people. You know, walk amongst the sheep."
"Believe me, friends, the average demon can't afford it."
"We're cutting off your supply, Hainsley. As of now your body shop is.. AH!" Angel cried out. With a flick of his wrist, Hainsley took control of Angel's body, freezing him in place.
"Angel!" Buffy yelled. "Let him go."
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Hainsley turned his hand, causing Angel pain. He made Angel punch Buffy so hard, she was knocked out then he pulled Angel toward him. "I eat the dead for breakfast. And you're just another plate o' bacon and eggs." Spike showed up behind Angel. "A ghost, huh? You two brought a ghost as your backup, vampire?"
"I'm not here to back him up. I just haunt the bastard."
"Stay out of this." Angel said.
"Oh, stick it far as it'll go. You go ahead, wiz. Do what you want."
"What I want is to turn you inside out, like a shirt. I could dust you right now, boy. Wouldn't even need a stake." Hainsley let go of Angel, who grunted from the pain he was in. "But that would be too big an insult for the senior partners to overlook. Seems that they've got plans for you."
"I've got plans of my own." Angel said, helping Buffy up. He dialed his cell phone. "Gunn, do it."
"And what was that? Just call in an air strike?"
"He just froze all your bank accounts, terminated your paper assets, and turned your books over to a very motivated contact we have at the I.R.S." Buffy said. "5 minutes from now, you'll have nothing but this house. 10 minutes from now, that'll go into foreclosure."
"You can't do that."
"We'll let ourselves out."
"It's not legal. You think you can get away with that? I'll sue you both to hell."
"Good luck. We're your lawyers." Angel said.
"This isn't over."
Spike followed Angel and Buffy to the foyer. "That's how you're gonna fight the forces of evil now.. call the I.R.S.?"
"Whatever it takes." Angel said.
"Hello, I.R.S.? Will you fight my battles for me? And while you're at it, will you wipe my wide, spotty.." Spike disappeared.
"Oh, thank God."
Gunn followed Buffy and Angel into their office. "Wiped out every asset we could find on Hainsley. Wasn't easy. Man's got his fingers in a lot of dirty pies."
"Yeah, well, I think pies are gonna be off his menu for a while." Angel said.
"Yeah, well, it's gotta hurt. I mean, damn, who doesn't love pie?"
Fred and Wesley walked into the room. "You guys are back." Fred said.
"Hainsley out of business?" Wes asked.
"Yeah, for the time being." Buffy said.
"So he's not going away?" Fred asked.
"Well, I think that, 'this isn't over yet,' may be the tip off. Look, guys, can we get back to our, uh, spiritual crisis?" Angel asked.
"Yes. Spike." Wes said.
"Popped out on us at Hainsley's place. But we all know that he'll be back and back and back, and I really don't want that happening again, so explain to me how we're gonna get him out of here."
"He can't get out of here." Fred said.
"Please don't tell me that."
"Ok. Wesley.. you tell him."
"I've had my entire department doing thorough research on the amulet." Wesley said. "There's not much. Not in the way of releasing Spike from it, anyway. At least not in the conventional sense."
"And what's the unconventional sense?" Angel asked.
"Something he asked for. Eternal rest."
"Wait, you want to exorcise Spike?" Buffy asked.
"This is an unusual situation, but I think it's our only choice." Angel said.
"It's what we'd do in any case of a haunting, isn't it? An exorcism of sorts." Wesley said.
"We're talking about killing him!" Fred said. "I mean, I know he's already dead, but.. he'd be gone-dead. Forever. It just doesn't seem right."
"I agree, but neither is leaving him here, trapped between realms, with no control over his fate, not able to touch anything, affect anything. Unable to fight. Letting him cross over seems the most merciful thing.."
"Yeah, yeah, mercy. I'm all for it. Just, hey, tell me how we do it." Angel said.
"The amulet's protected, invulnerable to anything, but.. the magic that's protecting it doesn't work on hallowed ground."
"Hallowed. Like a church?" Gunn asked.
"Or cemetery, yes. It has to be taken there and destroyed."
"Destroyed how?" Fred asked.
"I think a sharp blow would probably do the trick."
"Wait! No." Buffy said. "I've been too quiet since Spike got here and I get to say something. Spike's my friend. I don't care if any of you like that, but he is. I can't just let you take his fate into your hands. You don't have the right to decide that. None of us do. If Spike wants to finally rest then we'll let him tell us. Don't just settle on 'it's for the best.' I've been put in the middle of you two and I'm really tired of it. I'm taking Spike's side on this. You tell him and you let him decide if it's for the best." Buffy grabbed her coat, near tears, and left.
Angel sat alone in a chair staring out the window. Buffy walked in from the lobby and looked at him. She was about to say something, but Angel beat her to it. "You don't think he's really gone, do you?"
"That what's on your mind?" She asked tenderly.
"Could have been me, Buffy. Was supposed to be me."
"Or me."
"It would never have been you. You know I would never have let you."
"You're not feeling guilty are you?"
"About Spike?" Angel sat at the desk. "He's not.. that's not.. that's not.. Wolfram & Hart gave us the amulet. They must have expected ME to use it. And they had to have known it would've done to me what it did to Spike, so.."
Buffy walked over and sat on the desk in front of Angel. "Why bother handing us the keys to the kingdom?"
Angel took her hand and laid their clasped hands in her lap with a sigh. "Doesn't make sense. What are the senior partners playing at?"
"Maybe there's a disagreement in their ranks, or maybe there's another player in the game they.. and we don't know anything about. Then again, maybe they got exactly what they were after."
"Spike."
"He may be the one they.."
"What are you doing here? I thought you left town."
Buffy realized Angel wasn't talking to her. She turned to see Spike standing there. "Don't think I didn't bleeding try. Every time I got as far as the city limits I kept popping back here like my insides are getting yanked."
"Wesley said the amulet's Wolfram & Hart's property. It's bound to this place, and since Spike's connected to it.." Buffy said.
"Hey! I'm nobody's bloody property, Ducks. So what? I'm just stuck here forever? I bet you're loving this, aren't you?" Spike shot at Angel.
"Knowing you'll be haunting me till the end of time? Hmm. It's a dream come true." Angel said sarcastically.
Harmony knocked on the door. "Uh, guys? That Novac lawyer you sent over to dump the client.. well, he's back."
"Ok, send him in."
"Mmmm... Ok." Two men in suits walked into the room carrying three buckets full of a sloppy red liquid, one with a bright yellow spotted tie hanging over the edge, covered in blood.
"What is.." Buffy asked.
The men placed the buckets on the desk. Spike chuckled, looking in the buckets. "Ol' buckets here was right. You guys are doing a bang-up job."
Angel walked out of the office. Buffy sighed and followed. He walked up to Harmony's desk. "Harmony, get me Novac's contact list, close relations, next of kin, and let's be discreet about this for the time being, ok?"
"Discreet? Oh, you mean like not tell anyone about bucket-o-lawyer." Harmony said.
"Harmony, contact list."
Wesley and Gunn walked off the elevator and walked up to Buffy and Angel. Gunn handed Angel a file. "Hey, got word you two wanted the file on Magnus Hainsley. Dig this. He's a sorcerer, big time. Rich with old money and older mojo. Owns a respectable block of shares in Wolfram & Hart and he's connected up the wazoo. Carries influence with power players in the entertainment industry, politics."
"He's a necromancer." Angel said.
"A who-der-what-der?" Buffy asked.
"Power over the dead. That explains the bodies Wolfram & Hart's been providing him." Wesley said as they headed back to Buffy and Angel's office.
"But not what he's been doing with them. Out of my chair." Angel said to Spike.
"Make me." Spike said.
"Can I have the chair Spike?" Buffy asked.
"Certainly." Spike stood and graciously moved for Buffy with a smirk at Angel.
"What's in the buckets?" Gunn asked.
"Your man Novac. Guess he's been.. what do you call it?" Spike looked at Buffy. "Downsized."
"Spike, that's gross." Buffy said.
Spike smiled at her. "I only save those for you, luv."
"Gee, thanks."
"It's a message from Magnus Hainsley, and I'm gonna reply to it personally." Angel said.
"You can't take Hainsley on yourself." Buffy said.
"I'm not gonna risk him turning somebody else into chowder. Especially my wife."
"Angel, you have a multi-billion dollar company at your disposal with armed and trained personnel." Wesley said.
"They cramp my style."
"Your style's not gonna cut it with a Nemo-flayer. We should probably avoid an eye-for-an-eye thing here." Buffy said.
"Not going for his eyes."
"I know what you should go for." Angel stopped the elevator doors before they closed. "It'll hurt him. Bad."
Buffy and Angel walked out of the elevator into the garage. He decided to let Buffy go because she threatened him with no sex for a month. Their cars were lined up along the wall. He walked toward a black Viper and opened the door for Buffy. She started to sit in the passenger seat when Spike said, "Knew you'd pick the Viper. So bloody predictable."
"Spike, get out of the car." Angel said, grabbing Buffy before she fell.
"No."
"What?"
"This haunting-you-till-the-end-of-time idea of yours is starting to sound appealing. I could drive you completely starkers, right out of your gourd. Yeah, and you wouldn't be able to do a sodding thing about it." Angel slammed the door and walked over to the next car, a silver Camaro. Spike was sitting inside the car in the passenger seat. Angel groaned. "Fancy a road trip. This'll be fun, eh? You and me together again. So.. where are we off to?"
"To see the wizard."
"Spike, backseat now." Buffy said, standing at the open door.
"Oop, sorry luv." Spike stood up, torso sticking out the top of the car, and sat in the backseat.
"Why are you nice to her?" Angel asked.
"Cause she's nice to me."
Angel sighed and started the car, peeling out of the garage. The butler let Buffy, Spike, and Angel inside Hainsley's house. "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Hainsley?"
"Let's just say he sent us an invitation." Spike said.
"We're from Wolfram & Hart." Angel said.
"I'm their date."
"Mr. Hainsley is with a customer at the moment. I'm afraid he does not suffer interruption lightly." The Butler said.
"Not so worried about his suffering. Go ahead and interrupt." Angel said.
"As you wish. Please wait here." He left.
"Oh, life among the power elite. It's all so civilized. Hainsley grinds up one of your people into chum, and you drop by for tea."
"I'm hoping to avoid a body count here." Angel said.
"Looks like this Hainsley keeps one on hand." Buffy said, walking into another room. Spike and Angel followed. The room was decorated like a Victorian parlor, complete with a few dozen people standing around posed, as if it were a wax museum.
"Man likes to play with dollies." Spike said.
"This isn't for him. It's a showroom." Angel said.
"I don't know. Maybe the geezer's just lonely. Throws himself a surprise party every night. Picks out one of these painted pigeons and shows her a good time, if you know what I mean." Buffy gave Spike a glare. "What? I'm sure they don't mind."
"Yeah, I mind." Buffy said.
"Why? They're the lucky ones, aren't they? It's over for them. They've shuffled off, cleanly, the one time. Nobody's shoving them back into the stinking world against their will."
"I know how that feels."
"I know you do."
Buffy gave Spike a slight smile as they shared a moment. They were all interrupted by the Butler stepping back in. "Mr. Hainsley has asked that I send you back to Wolfram & Hart." He revealed that he was holding butcher knives behind his back. "In a manner of speaking." The butler played menacingly with the knives trying to intimidate the three.
"Uh-oh. Looks like it's buckets for you two." Spike said. Angel reached for a tiny teaspoon being held by a posed person beside him. He threw the spoon at the butler, and it landed in his forehead. The butler screamed. "A spoon?! That's just.." The butler reached up to his forehead, pulled the spoon out, and turned toward Angel angrily. "Well, ok, that's more.." The butler collapsed. "Disappointing, really."
"I know you can't help us, but could you maybe not root for the other team?" Angel asked.
"Hey, I'll root for anyone with half a chance of taking you down a notch."
"What is your problem?"
"You are, ya ponce! You're my problem. You got it too good. You're king of a 30-floor castle, with all the cars, comfort, power, and glory you could ever want, and here I save the world, throw myself onto the proverbial hand grenade for love, honor, and all the right reasons, and what do I get? Bloody well toasted and ghosted is what I get, isn't it? It's not fair."
"Fair?! You asked for a soul. I didn't! It almost killed me. I spent a hundred years trying to come to terms with infinite remorse. You spent 3 weeks moaning in a basement, and then you were fine! What's fair about that?!"
"Are you getting blurry, or is it.." Spike faded and disappeared.
Angel grunted from frustration, then walked away. Buffy sighed and followed. She felt like she always just sighed and followed Angel lately. Hainsley was rinsing his hands out when Angel broke the door down.
"Come in. It's open." Hainsley said.
"Hainsley." Angel said.
"Didn't know it was the head cheese themselves. I thought for sure you were another lackey. You should show more respect."
"Oh, uh, I can see you guys have a thing going on." The woman on the table said, getting up and walking to the door. "Don't wanna get in your way. I'll let myself out."
Buffy grabbed the woman by the arm as she walked by. Her eyes glowed red and she snarled at Buffy. The Slayer punched her out and then turned to Hainsley. "So how much do you charge, huh? Installing the average demon in a human body? I'm sure a lot of them would love to pass as people. You know, walk amongst the sheep."
"Believe me, friends, the average demon can't afford it."
"We're cutting off your supply, Hainsley. As of now your body shop is.. AH!" Angel cried out. With a flick of his wrist, Hainsley took control of Angel's body, freezing him in place.
"Angel!" Buffy yelled. "Let him go."
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Hainsley turned his hand, causing Angel pain. He made Angel punch Buffy so hard, she was knocked out then he pulled Angel toward him. "I eat the dead for breakfast. And you're just another plate o' bacon and eggs." Spike showed up behind Angel. "A ghost, huh? You two brought a ghost as your backup, vampire?"
"I'm not here to back him up. I just haunt the bastard."
"Stay out of this." Angel said.
"Oh, stick it far as it'll go. You go ahead, wiz. Do what you want."
"What I want is to turn you inside out, like a shirt. I could dust you right now, boy. Wouldn't even need a stake." Hainsley let go of Angel, who grunted from the pain he was in. "But that would be too big an insult for the senior partners to overlook. Seems that they've got plans for you."
"I've got plans of my own." Angel said, helping Buffy up. He dialed his cell phone. "Gunn, do it."
"And what was that? Just call in an air strike?"
"He just froze all your bank accounts, terminated your paper assets, and turned your books over to a very motivated contact we have at the I.R.S." Buffy said. "5 minutes from now, you'll have nothing but this house. 10 minutes from now, that'll go into foreclosure."
"You can't do that."
"We'll let ourselves out."
"It's not legal. You think you can get away with that? I'll sue you both to hell."
"Good luck. We're your lawyers." Angel said.
"This isn't over."
Spike followed Angel and Buffy to the foyer. "That's how you're gonna fight the forces of evil now.. call the I.R.S.?"
"Whatever it takes." Angel said.
"Hello, I.R.S.? Will you fight my battles for me? And while you're at it, will you wipe my wide, spotty.." Spike disappeared.
"Oh, thank God."
Gunn followed Buffy and Angel into their office. "Wiped out every asset we could find on Hainsley. Wasn't easy. Man's got his fingers in a lot of dirty pies."
"Yeah, well, I think pies are gonna be off his menu for a while." Angel said.
"Yeah, well, it's gotta hurt. I mean, damn, who doesn't love pie?"
Fred and Wesley walked into the room. "You guys are back." Fred said.
"Hainsley out of business?" Wes asked.
"Yeah, for the time being." Buffy said.
"So he's not going away?" Fred asked.
"Well, I think that, 'this isn't over yet,' may be the tip off. Look, guys, can we get back to our, uh, spiritual crisis?" Angel asked.
"Yes. Spike." Wes said.
"Popped out on us at Hainsley's place. But we all know that he'll be back and back and back, and I really don't want that happening again, so explain to me how we're gonna get him out of here."
"He can't get out of here." Fred said.
"Please don't tell me that."
"Ok. Wesley.. you tell him."
"I've had my entire department doing thorough research on the amulet." Wesley said. "There's not much. Not in the way of releasing Spike from it, anyway. At least not in the conventional sense."
"And what's the unconventional sense?" Angel asked.
"Something he asked for. Eternal rest."
"Wait, you want to exorcise Spike?" Buffy asked.
"This is an unusual situation, but I think it's our only choice." Angel said.
"It's what we'd do in any case of a haunting, isn't it? An exorcism of sorts." Wesley said.
"We're talking about killing him!" Fred said. "I mean, I know he's already dead, but.. he'd be gone-dead. Forever. It just doesn't seem right."
"I agree, but neither is leaving him here, trapped between realms, with no control over his fate, not able to touch anything, affect anything. Unable to fight. Letting him cross over seems the most merciful thing.."
"Yeah, yeah, mercy. I'm all for it. Just, hey, tell me how we do it." Angel said.
"The amulet's protected, invulnerable to anything, but.. the magic that's protecting it doesn't work on hallowed ground."
"Hallowed. Like a church?" Gunn asked.
"Or cemetery, yes. It has to be taken there and destroyed."
"Destroyed how?" Fred asked.
"I think a sharp blow would probably do the trick."
"Wait! No." Buffy said. "I've been too quiet since Spike got here and I get to say something. Spike's my friend. I don't care if any of you like that, but he is. I can't just let you take his fate into your hands. You don't have the right to decide that. None of us do. If Spike wants to finally rest then we'll let him tell us. Don't just settle on 'it's for the best.' I've been put in the middle of you two and I'm really tired of it. I'm taking Spike's side on this. You tell him and you let him decide if it's for the best." Buffy grabbed her coat, near tears, and left.