Buffy faced the leader of the opposing force, who lunged at her. She met his down stroke once, twice, a third time with a pole she picked up in a hurry, then Leo came at her again from another angle. They were sending wave after wave at all of them.

Leonardo cut sideways from her right to her left. Buffy hopped backwards, bringing the wooden pole along in the same direction as his rapier. Hitting his weapon, she added to his momentum, forcing him to keep moving to the one side. Subsequently, sooner than he could possible get back into position, she twirled all the way round and slammed her pole into his chest. She saw his eyes as he looked up. There was real astonishment there. Another vampire, that thought himself indestructible. At that moment, he spluttered and dissimilated. Buffy had the chance to look up for a second herself now, noticing Angel fighting on top of a table.

"Remember Prague?" Spike shouted and jumped onto a nearby table himself.

"Now!" Angel shouted and leaped into the air, dropping something round onto the floor. Spike did the same, leaping towards Angel. Their legs met in the air and they kicked each other away, sending themselves about a hundred feet away using their shared momentum.

At that second, Buffy felt a blast. She ducked and covered her face before realising she didn't need to. The holy water bomb Angel released killed several vampires, while others were running burnt and scared.

Spike walked back and gave her a hand to help her stand up. She was just about to reproach him again for disappearing for such a long time, but Angel arrived and the two souled vampires patted each other on the shoulder, laughing.

"What are you doing?" Buffy was amazed by the whole adventure.

"Ah, it's easy here, old grounds."

"So I've noticed…Spike?" she wanted an answer at last.

He shrugged, "the amulet was in fact a soul keeper. Angel let me out…" Given that Angel was around and in fact, he did not see her for almost year, he didn't feel all that comfortable talking to her. Not to mention being hurt for her being with the Immortal, "what about you, slayer? Always drawn by the dark side?"

Buffy was herself embarrassed for walking into the trap of the Immortal, but Angel answered for her, even if in a strange way, "don't worry about it. The Immortal decoys everybody, offers good sex, no wonder…"

"He'll never do that to anybody again, I'll make sure of that…" Buffy got herself together enough for a promise.

"You can't kill the Immortal, but you can make him retreat to another plane of existence," Angel did his homework since they have last met him.

"How?"

"Easy. Defeat magic with magic. Willow would probably be able to help you out there," Angel turned around, "here's something for you." A stake was airborne for a moment as it propelled through the air to land in Spike's hand just in time for him to aim it at a burnt, but attacking vampire. As it disintegrated, they could see it was the leader of the gang they previously encountered. Once again, the two souled vampires patted each other on the shoulder as hockey players would after they had scored.

"Deprive me of my fun, why don't you?" Spike scoffed at Angel, "a man can have no hand fight around here?"

"Just a measure of my brilliant foreword thinking."

"How modest you are!" Spike stared at him and pouted, "you're no fun, I've gotta work on bringing out your bad side."

They teased each other all the way back to the hotel, mostly ignoring Buffy. She guessed it might be embarrassing for all of them to be in this love triangle, and that's why they were acting so strangely, but something didn't add up. She watched them amazed. They were supposed to be rivals. What she witnessed seemed like they'd fallen into an old routine. Something both were used to. Finally she asked them, "are you now what? Friends, or enemies?"

Angel shrugged, "possibly friendly enemies?"

"Ah, just like old times then!" Spike added. They both laughed, not nervously at all as she guessed at first. Giving the impression of a well oiled team. And that didn't mean just the fighting, but the fun as well.

"Thank God, you're here," Giles greeted her in front of the hotel. Behind him, about ten young girls filed, holding various weapons.

"We'll handle it from here," Buffy turned towards her exes. Whatever their deal was, it wasn't the time to think about it. Now she only wanted their complicated selves out the way, "I'll call you later," she turned to face the women.

"Should be on the plane before sunrise," Angel urged Spike on as they ran down the stairs of the hotel.

"She didn't even say thank you," Spike noted.

"She will. Eventually…usually," Angel assured him.

"Na ja, but…"

"There'll always be that but."

"Making a show like that," Spike said after a long silence in the car, "it felt just like old times. Enjoyable."

"Yeah…" Angel agreed.

"More then?" Spike put his palm on Angel's upper legs.

"Uhum," Angel smiled and put his arm around Spike.

The End.