Chapter 39
The elevator bell dinged and Buffy, Angel, and Spike stepped off the elevator into a lobby that looked identical to the L.A. branch's lobby. The office was busy even at night. It was full of people chatting away in Italian. A woman walked through the lobby toward them. She was wearing a low-cut, tight, slinky sundress.
"Ciao! Benvenuti! Welcome! Ah, Spike." She kissed Spike on both cheeks. "Ha ha ha. Oh! You are the very meaning of handsome. You take my breath away. Ah, I have no breath. Ha ha ha!" She went to kiss Angel on both cheeks, but Buffy intervened.
"I don't need any more problems with him." Buffy said.
"Si. Si. And you two, what an honor. The great Angelus and his beautiful wife Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What a handsome couple you make, si?"
"Actually, it's just Angel." Angel said.
"Ah, yes, of course. The gypsies, they gave you your soul. The gypsies are filthy people!" The woman spit. "And we shall speak of them no more. I am Ilona Costa Bianchi. I'm the CEO of the Roman offices of Wolfram and Hart. And please, we are at your disposal. Whatever it is that you want, we give to you. If you want the world, we give you the world. We give you 2 worlds, in fact, because this is our way."
"Ok."
"Good. Yeah." Spike said.
"Now, let's go in my office, and we talk like adults, eh? Come." Ilona turned toward her office. "Pietro."
"Si, signora." The man at the reception desk said.
Ilona said something to the man in Italian and Spike leaned over to Angel. "She seems nice."
Ilona's office is where Angel's would be, but it was decorated very differently. There were lots of paintings of religious and secular material that appeared to have been created by masters of the Italian renaissance and baroque periods. Pietro lighted a cigarette for Ilona, and she smoked it through a long detachable filter. "Please, make yourselves as though you were at home. Your problems, they are no more. You have no more problems. What are your problems?"
Angel glanced at Buffy and then back at Ilona. "Our friend, she's under some sort of spell...."
"Cast by the vilest wretch this side of Mount Everest." Spike said. "Which.... I'm told he has climbed.... several times."
"Look, he goes by the name of the Immortal." Angel noticed Buffy squinch her face up in confusion and mouth 'the Immortal' to herself.
"Ah, the Immortal." Ilona said. "Ah. Then your friend is lucky. Ha ha. I have had dealings with The Immortal many times, and I must say that the outcome is always.... most satisfactory."
"He's got her trapped." Spike said.
"It's a love spell, and we...." Angel said.
"It's doubtful. The Immortal doesn't use spells. He considers them dirty. Dirty tricks for dirty people. Like gypsies." Ilona spit. "We will speak of them no more."
"Well, he's done something magic to her." Spike said.
"No he hasn't." Buffy said.
"Yes he has."
"No, he hasn't."
"Yes.... he has."
"I know him and he hasn't done anything to Faith."
"That you know of." Angel said. "We need to do some research. Look, don't you guys have, like, an Italian Wesley here?"
"Yes. Yes, we have, but he's taking a nap. And I do not need him to tell me what is already widely known, that the Immortal does not use magic."
"Then it must be somethin' else." Spike said.
"Look, we need to know everything there is to know about him. We need...."
"To keep your head." Ilona said. "Ha ha! Yes. We know all about your mission to retrieve the Capo di Famiglia. And I have to say, right now it seems a bit more important than trying to pry your friend off of the Immortal. Your head is in great danger. We have already received a ransom note. It was addressed to you via our offices. I took the liberty of sneaking a peek." She handed the paper to Angel, who seemed annoyed. "We must hurry because the drop is about to take place in less than one hour."
"All right. We're gonna need a chase helicopter, assault team...." Angel started.
"And guns. Lots and lots of guns." Spike added.
"No, no, no, no! No, no." Ilona squeezed the boys' cheeks. "The two of you are so precious. But no! This is a civilized country. We do these things all the time. Somebody gets kidnapped, somebody pays the money. Everybody goes home happy. Grazie. Prego. Kiss-kiss. We already have the money ready to go." She gestured to Pietro, who opened a briefcase full of Euros. "Eh. Huh?"
"All right. Fine. Whatever." Angel said. "We'll do it your way."
"Who's making the drop?" Spike asked.
"You are." Ilona said.
"What?"
"Yes. You want the head, you must get the head."
"But...."
"We'll do it." Buffy grabbed the briefcase and walked out.
"She is a fiery thing, si?" Ilona said.
"Si." Angel said, following Buffy.
Buffy sat on the fountain watching Angel and Spike banter back and forth. "I helped save the world, you know." Angel said.
"Like I haven't." Spike retorted.
"Yeah, but I've done it a lot more."
"Oh please."
"I closed the Hellmouth."
"I've done that."
"Yeah, you wore a necklace. You know, I helped kill the mayor and, uh, and Jasmine and...."
"Do those really count as savin' the world?"
"I stopped Acathla. That saved the world."
"Buffy ran you through with a sword."
"Yeah, but I made her do it. I signaled her with my eyes."
"She killed you. I helped her! That one counts as mine."
"Would you two just shut the hell up?!" Buffy said. They turned to look at her. "This is one of the reasons I came here. I can't stand the two of you bickering constantly over every little thing. I oughta just throw you two in a room and see who gets dusted first."
"Buffy...." Angel moved towards her, but she held up her hand.
"I don't even want to talk to you." Buffy stood and got in Angel's face. "You order me around, you have me followed, then you come all the way to Italy to follow me yourself because your monkeys aren't capable of doing it themselves, and on top of all that you drag me in on this stupid little mission."
"I didn't drag you in on this."
"Inadvertently, you did. You show up, start a fight in the bar that you know I'm at, then just take off without giving me so much as a second glance, I have to save you two from walking, and then you're both big ol' babies and won't make a simple little drop."
"But...."
"When this is all over, you and me are going to find a secluded spot and we're just going to duke it out. I'm tired of suppressing my feelings because you're too busy with everything else."
"You've been cuddling with the Immortal."
"And?"
"You're my wife! Till death do us part and then some. Don't you remember that, or did he put a whammy on you too?"
"There is no whammy on either me or Faith! Faith's dating him because he's a nice guy."
"What about the cuddling?"
"Perhaps she likes the cut of his trousers." The Butler said behind them. "Your wife and your girlfriend have become lovers with the Immortal. How unfortunate for you both. And how fortunate for them."
"You know the Immortal?" Angel asked.
"But of course."
"Ha! I knew it. None of this is a coincidence."
"Been his plan all along. Steal our head, keep us busy, and traipse off with our girls." Spike said.
"It's a setup. You're just his lackey."
"I should be so lucky. The Immortal does not need men like me to do his business. He is a wild card, a wolf removed from the pack, a stallion without, uh, the bridle."
"What, are you in love with him?" Buffy asked.
"No, no, no, no. Well, ok, yes. But if anything, he's more of a, uh, inspiration, a spiritual guide. Have you read his book? It's a life changer."
"I'm gettin' a little tired of Italy." Angel said.
"Know what you mean." Spike said. With that, the vampires attacked. Buffy was forced to join the fight to keep them from losing their heads and the head they were supposed to be holding on to.
"Oh, look. The Americans are relying on violence to solve their problems. What a surprise." The demon threw the bag into the air. "Woo!" Angel tried to keep his eye on the bag, but another man caught it and swung the bag at Angel, hitting him in the face. The men kept playing a massive game of keep away with the bag, throwing it through the air to someone else anytime Angel or Spike get close to it. Finally, the demon butler caught the bag. "Ok. No more games!" He pulled out a gun and aimed it at the bag. Everyone stopped fighting, but then Angel elbowed a man behind him, getting in one final blow. "One more step, and the head gets it, hey? We are not animals. We are Italiano. You give us the money, we give you the head. You give us the money, we give you the head. The money, the head. The money...."
"Yeah. We get it." Angel hit Spike. "Money."
Spike got the money and walked toward the demon. He held out the money, but pulled it back. "Hey." They switched bags at the same time. Buffy shook her head and walked a little ways away.
"Arrivederci, Americanos. It was a pleasure to do the business with you." The demon and his men left.
"Don't believe him for a second. The Immortal's neck-deep in all of this." Spike said.
"Course he is." Angel said. "He's screwin' us. He's screwed us before, and he's screwin' us now."
"He's not screwing either of you. He doesn't care about you enough." Buffy said.
"Yeah, but every time we hear his bleeding name, we end up standin' in the strada holdin' the bag." Spike unzipped the bag to look inside, and instead of the head, a ticking bomb was inside, counting down in seconds from 0:05. He dropped the bag. "Run!" They hadn't gotten very far before the bag blew, sending the three of them flying.
Buffy crashed through a brick wall and landed hard a chunk of the debris, her arm pinned beneath her. When she came around, Angel was helping her up. She cried out in pain as he pulled on her right arm. "No!" Without hesitating, Angel scooped her up into his arms. "I think I broke it." She whimpered.
"Come on, we'll go back to Wolfram and Hart." Angel said. "I've got you." Buffy looked at her husband's concerned eyes and then laid her head on his shoulder.
"Civilized country? Look what that squeaker did to my jacket." Spike said, walking up to them.
"After everything we've been through, you're pissed about a jacket."
"No, not a jacket. My jacket. You have no idea what I went through to get this."
"You stripped it off a body of a dead Slayer." Buffy said.
"Well, which gives it great sentimental value. Besides, I've been wearin' it for over 30 years. It's like a part of me."
"Get over it. Buy a new one." Angel said.
"It's my second skin. It's who I am. It's just one more thing he's taken away that I'll never get back."
Angel walked into Ilona's office wearing a waist-length white, red, and black leather motorcycle jacket. "You! Guarda! Come sei bello! Sei bellissimo! Bellissimo! You look gorgeous! Oh!" Ilona said.
"You know, I'm not sure this is me." Angel said.
"No, no, no, no, no. This is the latest style. You will define handsome for years to come. Ha ha ha!"
"Where's Buffy?"
"Right here." Angel turned to find Buffy in black leather pants and a long sleeved, white boat neck shirt. Her right arm was in a sling.
"Are you ok?"
"Getting there."
"Now that you've had a happy reunion.... What happened to the drop?" Ilona asked. "No grazie, prego, kiss-kiss?"
"Grazie, prego, ka-boom." Angel siad.
"Ohh! Oh, they always do this to first-timers in this country. Did I not mention that?"
"That's it. Call up the helicopters."
"And the assault team." Spike said.
"We're gettin' our head back."
"No, no, no. I love the three of you so much, but brute force will only get your precious head smooshed. You have done such fine quality work." Ilona escorted them to the door. "Now, please, relax. Let us handle it from here. Sometimes you have to put your fate in a higher power."
"We're heroes. We don't need any higher power."
"I'll be in touch." Ilona closed the doors to her office.
"We make our own fate." The doors clicked shut. "We don't need anybody cleaning up our mess. You know, we're champions!" Spike pounded on the door and Angel tried to open it, but it was locked. "Got this under control." He pounded on the door. "You know, we're just gonna.... We're...." Angel leaned against the door and sighed. He looked at Buffy watching them with an amused look on her face. "Should we just go home?"
"God, yes." Buffy said.
"Couldn't get me out of this rat hole of a country fast enough." Spike said.
At Faith's casa, Buffy was packing her things. Andrew was long gone and Buffy had called to let Faith know she was going home. "Could it be mind control?" Spike asked. "Or a love potion? Did she drink a love potion?"
"Spike, I thought of all those things, but Faith fell for the Immortal on her own, and she's happy." Buffy said, looking at Spike. He looked highly depressed. "The Immortal's nice, but he's not the greatest thing in the world. He's got flaws."
"Really? Wh-what are they?"
Buffy sat down next to Spike and laid her good hand on his shoulder. "The point is, Spike, she's moving on. You need to do the same, and you might catch her one day. You keep running in place, you're gonna find she's long gone."
"It is a bit silly. Me.... chasin' her around like a henpecked teenager."
"Faith loves you, but she's gotta live her life. People change."
"Well, maybe it's time we get outta here." Angel said, picking up Buffy's suitcases.
"I totally agree." Buffy said.
"Gunn." Angel said as he, Buffy, and Spike got off the elevator back in LA. "We lost the head. Start preparing the troops for war."
"Head's in your office." Gunn said.
"What?"
"It's on your desk." Gunn smiled at Buffy. "Nice to see you back." With that, he walked off.
Buffy walked into the office to see the guys staring at the bowling ball bag containing the head. It was sitting on Angel's desk with a little folded note tied to it with a ribbon. Angel and Spike walked up to it and Angel pulled the note out of its envelope and read it.
"'With regards, The Immortal.'" Angel angrily ripped the note into tiny shreds. "You know, I really hate that guy!"
Spike looked at Buffy. "Can't we just.... lock her away in a box where no one can ever touch her? You know? Like we did with Pavayne?"
"I don't think she'd let you. She's pretty strong." Buffy said.
"We could do a spell. Some sort of mind control."
"She'd figure it out. She's smarter than she looks."
"Yeah. So, what? I just have to live with it? Get on with my life?"
"Fraid so."
"Fine." Spike sniffled. "No problem. I was plannin' on doin' that anyway."
"Uh huh."
"Actually, I'm doin' it right now. As we speak, I'm movin' on."
"Right." Buffy kissed Spike's cheek. "And you're doing a great job of it." She looked at Angel. "So, do you want to go up to the penthouse and talk?"
"I think we need to." Angel said.
"Right." Buffy looked at Spike. "Tell Harmony no one disturbs us until we say it's ok."
"Will do." Spike nodded. Angel held the elevator door open and Buffy stepped on. Spike figured it wouldn't take too long for them to work things out. He wouldn't be surprised if Angel had some bruises though.
The elevator bell dinged and Buffy, Angel, and Spike stepped off the elevator into a lobby that looked identical to the L.A. branch's lobby. The office was busy even at night. It was full of people chatting away in Italian. A woman walked through the lobby toward them. She was wearing a low-cut, tight, slinky sundress.
"Ciao! Benvenuti! Welcome! Ah, Spike." She kissed Spike on both cheeks. "Ha ha ha. Oh! You are the very meaning of handsome. You take my breath away. Ah, I have no breath. Ha ha ha!" She went to kiss Angel on both cheeks, but Buffy intervened.
"I don't need any more problems with him." Buffy said.
"Si. Si. And you two, what an honor. The great Angelus and his beautiful wife Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What a handsome couple you make, si?"
"Actually, it's just Angel." Angel said.
"Ah, yes, of course. The gypsies, they gave you your soul. The gypsies are filthy people!" The woman spit. "And we shall speak of them no more. I am Ilona Costa Bianchi. I'm the CEO of the Roman offices of Wolfram and Hart. And please, we are at your disposal. Whatever it is that you want, we give to you. If you want the world, we give you the world. We give you 2 worlds, in fact, because this is our way."
"Ok."
"Good. Yeah." Spike said.
"Now, let's go in my office, and we talk like adults, eh? Come." Ilona turned toward her office. "Pietro."
"Si, signora." The man at the reception desk said.
Ilona said something to the man in Italian and Spike leaned over to Angel. "She seems nice."
Ilona's office is where Angel's would be, but it was decorated very differently. There were lots of paintings of religious and secular material that appeared to have been created by masters of the Italian renaissance and baroque periods. Pietro lighted a cigarette for Ilona, and she smoked it through a long detachable filter. "Please, make yourselves as though you were at home. Your problems, they are no more. You have no more problems. What are your problems?"
Angel glanced at Buffy and then back at Ilona. "Our friend, she's under some sort of spell...."
"Cast by the vilest wretch this side of Mount Everest." Spike said. "Which.... I'm told he has climbed.... several times."
"Look, he goes by the name of the Immortal." Angel noticed Buffy squinch her face up in confusion and mouth 'the Immortal' to herself.
"Ah, the Immortal." Ilona said. "Ah. Then your friend is lucky. Ha ha. I have had dealings with The Immortal many times, and I must say that the outcome is always.... most satisfactory."
"He's got her trapped." Spike said.
"It's a love spell, and we...." Angel said.
"It's doubtful. The Immortal doesn't use spells. He considers them dirty. Dirty tricks for dirty people. Like gypsies." Ilona spit. "We will speak of them no more."
"Well, he's done something magic to her." Spike said.
"No he hasn't." Buffy said.
"Yes he has."
"No, he hasn't."
"Yes.... he has."
"I know him and he hasn't done anything to Faith."
"That you know of." Angel said. "We need to do some research. Look, don't you guys have, like, an Italian Wesley here?"
"Yes. Yes, we have, but he's taking a nap. And I do not need him to tell me what is already widely known, that the Immortal does not use magic."
"Then it must be somethin' else." Spike said.
"Look, we need to know everything there is to know about him. We need...."
"To keep your head." Ilona said. "Ha ha! Yes. We know all about your mission to retrieve the Capo di Famiglia. And I have to say, right now it seems a bit more important than trying to pry your friend off of the Immortal. Your head is in great danger. We have already received a ransom note. It was addressed to you via our offices. I took the liberty of sneaking a peek." She handed the paper to Angel, who seemed annoyed. "We must hurry because the drop is about to take place in less than one hour."
"All right. We're gonna need a chase helicopter, assault team...." Angel started.
"And guns. Lots and lots of guns." Spike added.
"No, no, no, no! No, no." Ilona squeezed the boys' cheeks. "The two of you are so precious. But no! This is a civilized country. We do these things all the time. Somebody gets kidnapped, somebody pays the money. Everybody goes home happy. Grazie. Prego. Kiss-kiss. We already have the money ready to go." She gestured to Pietro, who opened a briefcase full of Euros. "Eh. Huh?"
"All right. Fine. Whatever." Angel said. "We'll do it your way."
"Who's making the drop?" Spike asked.
"You are." Ilona said.
"What?"
"Yes. You want the head, you must get the head."
"But...."
"We'll do it." Buffy grabbed the briefcase and walked out.
"She is a fiery thing, si?" Ilona said.
"Si." Angel said, following Buffy.
Buffy sat on the fountain watching Angel and Spike banter back and forth. "I helped save the world, you know." Angel said.
"Like I haven't." Spike retorted.
"Yeah, but I've done it a lot more."
"Oh please."
"I closed the Hellmouth."
"I've done that."
"Yeah, you wore a necklace. You know, I helped kill the mayor and, uh, and Jasmine and...."
"Do those really count as savin' the world?"
"I stopped Acathla. That saved the world."
"Buffy ran you through with a sword."
"Yeah, but I made her do it. I signaled her with my eyes."
"She killed you. I helped her! That one counts as mine."
"Would you two just shut the hell up?!" Buffy said. They turned to look at her. "This is one of the reasons I came here. I can't stand the two of you bickering constantly over every little thing. I oughta just throw you two in a room and see who gets dusted first."
"Buffy...." Angel moved towards her, but she held up her hand.
"I don't even want to talk to you." Buffy stood and got in Angel's face. "You order me around, you have me followed, then you come all the way to Italy to follow me yourself because your monkeys aren't capable of doing it themselves, and on top of all that you drag me in on this stupid little mission."
"I didn't drag you in on this."
"Inadvertently, you did. You show up, start a fight in the bar that you know I'm at, then just take off without giving me so much as a second glance, I have to save you two from walking, and then you're both big ol' babies and won't make a simple little drop."
"But...."
"When this is all over, you and me are going to find a secluded spot and we're just going to duke it out. I'm tired of suppressing my feelings because you're too busy with everything else."
"You've been cuddling with the Immortal."
"And?"
"You're my wife! Till death do us part and then some. Don't you remember that, or did he put a whammy on you too?"
"There is no whammy on either me or Faith! Faith's dating him because he's a nice guy."
"What about the cuddling?"
"Perhaps she likes the cut of his trousers." The Butler said behind them. "Your wife and your girlfriend have become lovers with the Immortal. How unfortunate for you both. And how fortunate for them."
"You know the Immortal?" Angel asked.
"But of course."
"Ha! I knew it. None of this is a coincidence."
"Been his plan all along. Steal our head, keep us busy, and traipse off with our girls." Spike said.
"It's a setup. You're just his lackey."
"I should be so lucky. The Immortal does not need men like me to do his business. He is a wild card, a wolf removed from the pack, a stallion without, uh, the bridle."
"What, are you in love with him?" Buffy asked.
"No, no, no, no. Well, ok, yes. But if anything, he's more of a, uh, inspiration, a spiritual guide. Have you read his book? It's a life changer."
"I'm gettin' a little tired of Italy." Angel said.
"Know what you mean." Spike said. With that, the vampires attacked. Buffy was forced to join the fight to keep them from losing their heads and the head they were supposed to be holding on to.
"Oh, look. The Americans are relying on violence to solve their problems. What a surprise." The demon threw the bag into the air. "Woo!" Angel tried to keep his eye on the bag, but another man caught it and swung the bag at Angel, hitting him in the face. The men kept playing a massive game of keep away with the bag, throwing it through the air to someone else anytime Angel or Spike get close to it. Finally, the demon butler caught the bag. "Ok. No more games!" He pulled out a gun and aimed it at the bag. Everyone stopped fighting, but then Angel elbowed a man behind him, getting in one final blow. "One more step, and the head gets it, hey? We are not animals. We are Italiano. You give us the money, we give you the head. You give us the money, we give you the head. The money, the head. The money...."
"Yeah. We get it." Angel hit Spike. "Money."
Spike got the money and walked toward the demon. He held out the money, but pulled it back. "Hey." They switched bags at the same time. Buffy shook her head and walked a little ways away.
"Arrivederci, Americanos. It was a pleasure to do the business with you." The demon and his men left.
"Don't believe him for a second. The Immortal's neck-deep in all of this." Spike said.
"Course he is." Angel said. "He's screwin' us. He's screwed us before, and he's screwin' us now."
"He's not screwing either of you. He doesn't care about you enough." Buffy said.
"Yeah, but every time we hear his bleeding name, we end up standin' in the strada holdin' the bag." Spike unzipped the bag to look inside, and instead of the head, a ticking bomb was inside, counting down in seconds from 0:05. He dropped the bag. "Run!" They hadn't gotten very far before the bag blew, sending the three of them flying.
Buffy crashed through a brick wall and landed hard a chunk of the debris, her arm pinned beneath her. When she came around, Angel was helping her up. She cried out in pain as he pulled on her right arm. "No!" Without hesitating, Angel scooped her up into his arms. "I think I broke it." She whimpered.
"Come on, we'll go back to Wolfram and Hart." Angel said. "I've got you." Buffy looked at her husband's concerned eyes and then laid her head on his shoulder.
"Civilized country? Look what that squeaker did to my jacket." Spike said, walking up to them.
"After everything we've been through, you're pissed about a jacket."
"No, not a jacket. My jacket. You have no idea what I went through to get this."
"You stripped it off a body of a dead Slayer." Buffy said.
"Well, which gives it great sentimental value. Besides, I've been wearin' it for over 30 years. It's like a part of me."
"Get over it. Buy a new one." Angel said.
"It's my second skin. It's who I am. It's just one more thing he's taken away that I'll never get back."
Angel walked into Ilona's office wearing a waist-length white, red, and black leather motorcycle jacket. "You! Guarda! Come sei bello! Sei bellissimo! Bellissimo! You look gorgeous! Oh!" Ilona said.
"You know, I'm not sure this is me." Angel said.
"No, no, no, no, no. This is the latest style. You will define handsome for years to come. Ha ha ha!"
"Where's Buffy?"
"Right here." Angel turned to find Buffy in black leather pants and a long sleeved, white boat neck shirt. Her right arm was in a sling.
"Are you ok?"
"Getting there."
"Now that you've had a happy reunion.... What happened to the drop?" Ilona asked. "No grazie, prego, kiss-kiss?"
"Grazie, prego, ka-boom." Angel siad.
"Ohh! Oh, they always do this to first-timers in this country. Did I not mention that?"
"That's it. Call up the helicopters."
"And the assault team." Spike said.
"We're gettin' our head back."
"No, no, no. I love the three of you so much, but brute force will only get your precious head smooshed. You have done such fine quality work." Ilona escorted them to the door. "Now, please, relax. Let us handle it from here. Sometimes you have to put your fate in a higher power."
"We're heroes. We don't need any higher power."
"I'll be in touch." Ilona closed the doors to her office.
"We make our own fate." The doors clicked shut. "We don't need anybody cleaning up our mess. You know, we're champions!" Spike pounded on the door and Angel tried to open it, but it was locked. "Got this under control." He pounded on the door. "You know, we're just gonna.... We're...." Angel leaned against the door and sighed. He looked at Buffy watching them with an amused look on her face. "Should we just go home?"
"God, yes." Buffy said.
"Couldn't get me out of this rat hole of a country fast enough." Spike said.
At Faith's casa, Buffy was packing her things. Andrew was long gone and Buffy had called to let Faith know she was going home. "Could it be mind control?" Spike asked. "Or a love potion? Did she drink a love potion?"
"Spike, I thought of all those things, but Faith fell for the Immortal on her own, and she's happy." Buffy said, looking at Spike. He looked highly depressed. "The Immortal's nice, but he's not the greatest thing in the world. He's got flaws."
"Really? Wh-what are they?"
Buffy sat down next to Spike and laid her good hand on his shoulder. "The point is, Spike, she's moving on. You need to do the same, and you might catch her one day. You keep running in place, you're gonna find she's long gone."
"It is a bit silly. Me.... chasin' her around like a henpecked teenager."
"Faith loves you, but she's gotta live her life. People change."
"Well, maybe it's time we get outta here." Angel said, picking up Buffy's suitcases.
"I totally agree." Buffy said.
"Gunn." Angel said as he, Buffy, and Spike got off the elevator back in LA. "We lost the head. Start preparing the troops for war."
"Head's in your office." Gunn said.
"What?"
"It's on your desk." Gunn smiled at Buffy. "Nice to see you back." With that, he walked off.
Buffy walked into the office to see the guys staring at the bowling ball bag containing the head. It was sitting on Angel's desk with a little folded note tied to it with a ribbon. Angel and Spike walked up to it and Angel pulled the note out of its envelope and read it.
"'With regards, The Immortal.'" Angel angrily ripped the note into tiny shreds. "You know, I really hate that guy!"
Spike looked at Buffy. "Can't we just.... lock her away in a box where no one can ever touch her? You know? Like we did with Pavayne?"
"I don't think she'd let you. She's pretty strong." Buffy said.
"We could do a spell. Some sort of mind control."
"She'd figure it out. She's smarter than she looks."
"Yeah. So, what? I just have to live with it? Get on with my life?"
"Fraid so."
"Fine." Spike sniffled. "No problem. I was plannin' on doin' that anyway."
"Uh huh."
"Actually, I'm doin' it right now. As we speak, I'm movin' on."
"Right." Buffy kissed Spike's cheek. "And you're doing a great job of it." She looked at Angel. "So, do you want to go up to the penthouse and talk?"
"I think we need to." Angel said.
"Right." Buffy looked at Spike. "Tell Harmony no one disturbs us until we say it's ok."
"Will do." Spike nodded. Angel held the elevator door open and Buffy stepped on. Spike figured it wouldn't take too long for them to work things out. He wouldn't be surprised if Angel had some bruises though.