A/N: Let me rest in peace, let me get some sleep...BUT NO! I have to write these stories. Oh and to answer someone's question – This is set after "Chosen" but I am choosing to ignore all of Angel season5 (I'm mean like that). So, no, Spike is not already back from the dead and Angel is not covering. Read on -

8

"Well," Giles sipped his tea "My guessing is that they are taking their time to prepare and get things right. Come up with a plan and find out Buffy's, and the rest of our weak spots, so they can target them and effectively bring us down. It's quite refreshing to have demons so well prepared"

"Refreshing? I'd say it was damn well annoying! Who do they think they are being all smart and un-demon like!" Xander protested heartily.

Angel cleared his throat "Well, actually demons can be intelligent on many levels"

"Name one!"

"The First" Angel offered "The Mayor and of course there was Jasmine"

Xander frowned "I still can't believe that whole mind-warping peace on Earth deal"

"I lived it" Angel shrugged.

"And destroyed it" Kennedy reminded him.

"Yeah, thanks" He grumbled.

Xander stood "Look we can't just stand around and wait for these guys to come and eat our heads!"

"Nice visual, Xand" Dawn grimaced.

"I don't intend to let them eat our heads, Xander" Buffy said "Well, maybe Andrew's"

"Hey!" The boy protested.

Buffy sighed "What I'm saying is that Willow's mojo isn't working on them, the demons of the town aren't talking so how are we suppose to find them? We have to train and prepare so when these demons do hit we'll be ready for them. It's not my ideal scenario either but it's all we got"

Xander nodded "It makes an annoying kind of sense"

"That's the only kind I'm good at" Buffy smiled a little.

"But meanwhile we still patrol, right?" Faith asked, "I'm itching for a little slayage"

Giles nodded "Yes but instead of many small groups one large group of about the quarter of the girls will patrol and stick close together. The rest will stay here to hold the fort. I want at least two mobile phones with the patrol group so we can contact you if you get in trouble or vice versa. Understood?"

Faith saluted "Got it, we play it safe for a while"

"Faith you take Kennedy, Vi, Amelia, Jenna and five others who want to go" Buffy said, "I'll stay here with the gang. You know actually...I want Andrew to go out on the patrol group and take Xander with you too"

"Yay!" Andrew grinned.

They all stood and walked away getting weapons and jackets to be ready for a night of patrolling. Angel stood and looked at Buffy.

"What about me?" He asked.

"I want you to stay here" She replied.

"Wouldn't I be better use out on patrol?"

"I want you here, just incase"

Angel paused then nodded "Okay"

Buffy stood and looked around "Everyone double check doors and windows"

Everyone cleared out of the room leaving just Buffy, Angel and Giles who stood in a rough triangle looking at each other with varying degrees of worry on their faces. Angel stood with his hands in his pockets and Giles rubbed the bridge of his nose whereas Buffy just shook her head and acted as worried as she was.

"Giles, locking windows and doors is all great but if they do get in which, hello, demons? What are we gonna be able to do about it? I want some sort of defense system set up" Buffy folded her arms.

"What do you suggest, Buffy?" He questioned.

She shrugged "Do I have to come up with every plan nowadays?"

Angel said "Well I suggest that a team of two of us does a perimeter of the building every half an hour and scouts around outside for...fifteen minutes at least"

"Some of us would like to get some sleep tonight" Giles pointed out.

"No, Angel's right" Buffy said "And since he's the creature of the night he can do the sweeps with me, I need less sleep, remember?"
Giles' brow knitted together "You'll be useless to us if you're sleep deprived, Buffy. What if these demons attack when we least expect and you're taking a nap?"

"Have you got a better way to keep everyone safe?"

"Fine" Giles grumped "But you will not do this all night. We will take shifts, I shall swap with you half way through the night then Robin shall swap with me and there will be no arguing"

Buffy nodded "Okay and I want it double checked that everyone has a weapon in their rooms or sleeping places, two if we've got enough"

"Already done"

"Good" She nodded sated.

Angel shifted on his feet, his duster swaying "So, we start doing sweeps in what...two hours time?"

"Should be plenty dark enough for a surprise ambush then" Buffy agreed "In the meantime I want everyone to get their hands re-stamped, do the guys that are going patrolling first"

Giles brandished his library stamp and started calling out to the group and he walked to stand by the door so no one could accidentally go out before being stamped.

Angel looked at Buffy, his dark eyes searching hers "You run your operation well up here"

"So do you back in L.A" She pointed out.

"My group isn't quite so big" He smiled softly "I still think it might help to call Gunn up here and Wesley. Fred would be an asset too; you know how smart she is she may be able to help Willow with research for a spell"

Buffy paused "If you think it will help"

"I really do"

"I'm gonna go get changed and have something to eat then I'll be right with you"

"I can wait"

A few hours later Buffy and Angel were on about their sixth sweep of the grounds. Buffy noticed that the weeds and grass in the grounds was well past needing a trim they needed a damn machete taken to them. Who knows? Maybe one of the girls would turn out to be a passionate gardener.

It was dark now; very dark almost black and the moon was in a crescent, the trees rustled and wind whistled all the usual unnerving sounds of the night.

Buffy glanced at the vampire next to her, all dressed in black he practically blended into the night but she guessed that was the point. His dark hair was slightly longer than it used to be and his dark eyes were what could only be described as soulful.

"Slow night, huh?" She breathed, her breath coming out in an icy cloud.

Angel was looking out into the night, listening for everything and anything but as she spoke he turned to her slowly. His eyes leveled down to hers and he stuffed his hands deeper into his coat pocket, the cold didn't bother him but it was a habit.

"I could do this alone for a while if you want" Angel offered.

"No one goes anywhere alone, remember?" Buffy sighed "I'm just saying that I have walked past that clump of weeds I don't know how many times but I'm seriously starting to think that we need to hire us a gardener"

Angel smiled a little "I could help out"

"Oh, yeah, I can just see you with a wheelbarrow and a pair of handy sheers!" Buffy laughed.

"Hey, I like greenery" He shrugged.

They remained quite the rest of the way around the perimeter of the building checking in every clump of bushes and surveying the outside of the building and the outside garden. They walked to the fence and Angel gave her a boost up to look over the edge of it, checking every corner and hidden crevice.

Again on this sweep they found nothing and made their way back to the front door of the building and as the vampire started to enter Buffy grabbed his hand, he turned back to her giving full eye-contact.

"Buffy?" He murmured.

"Thanks" She said, "For helping out, you didn't have to"

Angel kept hold of her hand "I am involved in this but even if I wasn't you know I would always give you my help if you wanted it"

"I know and...I appreciate it" Buffy spoke softly.

She took a deep breath and put her arms around him, a warm lingering hug that Angel responded to almost immediately by putting his arms around her. Angel reminded her of home, wherever she was when they were like this it reminded her of home. His arms were strong around her and once in a while she liked to let someone else be the strong one, just to make it easier on herself. Angel laid a soft kiss against the crown of her head and Buffy pulled back out of his arms clearing her throat.

It started to get awkward when it got like this. She gave him a small smile then started to move past him to go through the door but Angel kept hold of her hand and pulled her back into him.

"Buffy," His voice was gentle "Are we ever going to talk about this?"

She shook her hair out of her eyes "This – what?"

"You know what I am talking about" Angel's eyes bore deep into hers.

"Angel, I can't think about that now okay? There's too much going on for my mind to be on anything but the mission"

He sighed "Buffy, there's always too much going on that's what our lives are like. Just give me a straight answer; is there ever a chance? Yes or no?"

"Angel..." The Slayer trailed off.

The vampire looked deeply into her eyes and she couldn't look away even though she wanted to, she didn't want to have to look into those eyes and see all the pent up desire that was still very much present between them both. Angel stepped into her slowly and moved his hands up to cup her face, he paused then leaned down to kiss her. Buffy's hands went to his forearms and though she didn't move toward him she didn't stop him as his lips brushed hers ever so slightly.

"Well, well, well" The sound ringed out over garden "Looks like I arrived just in the nick of time, eh?"

Buffy whirled around to face the entrance that was somehow partially open with a figure standing in-between the wrought iron gates and leaning on one casually, a sly grin on his face.

It was Spike.

A/N: Hmm. This "Spike" character sounds intriguing. He certainly got an "end of episode" entrance, huh? Perhaps we shall find out more about him in the next chapter? One can only hope. Review, and I may treat you....