Author's notes: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I do love feedback.

msberry: Thanks for the motivation.  Amanda Lord: Because you asked nicely, here you go.  Dirt Bag: Wondering about Gnash's plan? Here you go.  TMDunlap: I hope you like this part as well.  Levi: Thanks for the feedback, and of course donuts are evil.

Thanks as always to Sethoz for the beta.

Summary: Previously, Angel traveled to L.A. to pack and to let Cordelia know that he'd be staying in Sunnydale to help Buffy with Angelus' return. Gnash procured a beautiful but dangerous orb. Cordelia and Angel had a heart to heart talk. Willow and Tara shared a nice evening at the magic box until Buffy showed up with the bad news.

Chapter 4: Reflections on Life and Donuts

"Angelus. I had a slayer dream. I'm afraid he's coming back."

Tara recognized the look on Willow's face as they heard Buffy's words. The wide, worried eyes, the slightly parted lips, the color-drained cheeks: it was the look that hinted that very soon she could go to pieces. Tara had watched her girlfriend fight monsters and face apocalypses. She had seen Willow overcome fear time and again. The emotional set backs, however, often seemed to break her, and when something Willow did to help went awry, she felt it worst of all. It was as if she'd never forgotten her feeling that she'd let her parents down, and she never wanted to disappoint anyone like that again. Unfortunately she couldn't please everyone, no matter how hard she tried, but that never stopped Willow from wishing it were so.

Reluctantly, Tara took the lead, trying for the moment to head off a Willow melt down. "Are you sure, Buffy?"

"It was a slayer dream. I'm sure of it. But I don't know when he's coming back, so we need to start preparing now." Pausing only briefly, Buffy let her determined gaze shift to include them both. "I need to be ready. So I need you both to tell me everything."

Tara nodded. "I w-was the one who did the spell." She took a deep breath to calm herself. No stuttering now. She had to hold it together for everyone's sake. "What happened wasn't exactly what we had planned. Originally, Spike was going to kill Angelus. But he ran out of time."

"Because of Warren," Buffy stated.

"Yes," Tara agreed.

"Spike told me that part. He said that Angel took them both back into Spike's head because the connection was closing."

"Yes," Tara agreed. "Willow needed the power to stop Warren from shooting me. When she took it, I lost the connection."

"I shouldn't have drained the power from you," Willow said, her voice plaintive.

Tara reacted immediately to the uncertainty in Willow's voice, making sure her tone was reassuring. "You did it to save me, sweetie. It was instinct. You couldn't think about the consequences at that moment, but you fixed it. You sent Angelus away."

"Yes, but…" Her forehead wrinkling in confusion, Willow turned imploring eyes on Buffy. "He shouldn't be able to get out, Buffy. I don't understand. It was quick, but I purposely sent him to a section of dimensions with little or no magic available. How can he get out?"

"I don't know. I only know that somehow he will. I saw where he was, guys. The barren landscape, the reddish sky, the whole general hell-dimensiony flavor. It was so real."

For a moment, no one spoke as the potential dread seemed to suck the life out of the room. Then Buffy added, "It's not like I haven't beaten Angelus before. I can do this, but I don't know where he'll come from or when. Or what he'll do before I can stop him. If I can narrow this down, I can prepare."

"So, we'll research," Tara suggested. "Maybe we can still stop him from returning." She looked at Willow who was staring at the book in front of her without actually seeing it. Oh, this was bad. A despondent Willow made impulsive mistakes. She needed to get her doing something constructive, something that might give her hope. "Willow, where is the best place to start?"

"Huh? Start?"

"Researching where Angelus is. What kind of dimensions? Or perhaps a spell to search for recent magic activity?"

"Right," Buffy added. "Because magic would have to be involved for him to come back. Big magic, right?"

Willow nodded absently then her eyes seemed to focus on Buffy. "Right, and even if it hasn't happened yet, it will have to happen. The magic I mean. There must be some way to track large magical events." She quickly left her chair and went to the research books. "Now where is that grimoire?" she muttered to herself.

Tara breathed a small sigh of relief and sent a silent "thanks" to Buffy. For now, Willow had something to focus on, something to do to help. For now, this might keep her from convincing herself that this was her fault. She smiled at Willow the first chance she had to catch her eyes, showing nothing but confidence. Inwardly, Tara knew that later tonight, once the research was halted for necessary rest, Willow would remember her misgivings. Later tonight, Tara would commiserate and share that guilt with her, but for now, they had to put that aside and try to prevent a nightmare from coming true.

*********

Watching the proceedings from his home, Gnash growled, barely keeping his temper in check. Not good, not good, he thought. Of course a fairly large dose of magic would be needed to bring Angelus back. It was a strange quirk of most trans-dimensional travel that it took more than an additive amount of magic to transport more than one being. There were some exceptions. For some demons, teleportation was an integral part of their modus operandi. Vengeance demons, for example, had to be able to transport quickly to potential clients, so they had an easier time teleporting others with them, but even for them, inter-dimensional travel wasn't as easy as usual teleportation from one place to another within a particular dimension. If the little gang of do-gooders was able to track his magic and pinpoint when Gnash brought Angelus back, and worse, to where, he would have less time to get things in place and going before he was discovered. And if there was anything Gnash hated, it was being discovered.

He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyelids for a moment. Okay he needed sleep, or he at least needed a break as he didn't require much actual sleep, because he had been spying on these humans for too long. Gnash was thorough and patient as far as demons went, but even he had been working on this particular project too much as of late. Maybe he had to let some of his control issues go, accept that there might be some set-backs and deal with them as they came up. Or maybe he could start tipping the scales now instead of later. Much, much better, he decided. Okay so he had control issues; he could deal with that. Besides they had served him so well in the past. Why fix something that wasn't broken, especially when he could break something else instead, something that wasn't his?

Gnash briefly considered sending a beautiful Galok demon to entice the boy Xander, but that was so cliché even he couldn't do it. He had some pride. Besides Galok demons weren't always trustworthy; she might make it difficult for him later. Oh, oh a disguise: why didn't he think of it before? A glamour would let him nab the boy without being detected as himself. Now, he had to get the boy to the magic shop where the rest were researching. Well, how else, but with a magical mystery? Gnash smiled and picked up the beautiful but dangerous orb. Kill two birds with one stone and simple was always best: two very old and very useful pieces of advice. He was never one to ignore good advice.

*********

It was official. He was brooding. It just had to be Angel's fault, Spike decided, because he didn't brood. He drowned himself in whiskey perhaps or indulged in a spot of violence, but this brooding thing was new. Must be because of the merger, he decided, and it's one trait of the annoying poof I don't need.

He'd returned to the background now, but he knew everything that was going on. Odd, that, he mused, because Angel didn't seem to feel him so much when he was in his mystical cage. It was a really creative curse these gypsies thought up. He could only imagine how crazy it must have driven Angelus to be only a casual observer like this, made even worse without the benefit of the occasional release to the forefront that he had. Heh, heh, he thought, good. Bloody wanker deserved it. That thought made him feel a little better, though he was surprisingly hurt by Cordelia's comments. He hadn't thought that he would care what she thought of him, but hell, he hoped she'd have gotten used to him by now.

Paying attention again, he caught the look of concern in Cordelia's eyes as she softly moved her hand across his/Angel's hand resting on her arm, and ah, well, so that explained it. If he could roll his eyes he would have. Bloody hell, but Angel was dense. Couldn't he see it; the woman was in love with him, for God's sakes. He should have figured it out before himself. She had broken up with that Grusalug of hers and sent him home, after all. That should have been one clue right there, but well, he had the excuse of being in the background. Being a complete git could only be Angel's.

Well, this probably won't end well, he thought. Suddenly, he felt sad for Cordelia, his hurt feelings forgotten. Bugger, but suffering the effects of a conscience sure sucked sometimes, and not in a good way either. Sigh, and back to brooding. Soon enough, he'd start thinking about all he'd done in his past again, and that was never good. He'd likely be doing enough of that on the boring car ride home. He needed a diversion here.

He thought about the return to Sunnydale for a moment, hoping that they got back soon so Angel and Buffy could go patrolling. That was something both he and Angel enjoyed. Angel got to fight the evil, and him, well he had to admit fighting evil was good too. Buffy liked him fighting evil, so that was a bonus, but even better than that, he got to kill something. And right about now, Spike could sure use a good kill. Though since the merger, not even that held the same appeal anymore. It was good, but not like before and also not an option right now, because Angel was packing again which could take forever knowing him. How hard could it be to decide which outfits to take? See that was the advantage of black tee-shirts and jeans, but no, those stayed in the closet now most of the time, so packing it was, and a non-physical distraction was needed.

He first thought of Dawn. The Bit had been happy to see him that was for sure, and he'd been happy to see her too. His relationship with his Nibblet was one thing that was his alone, because she would always prefer him to the poof. Of course, him telling the girl amusing Angelus stories sure helped. He only embellished a bit, because of course, Angel always "remembered" eventually, even though it was too late for him to complain by then. Well, that's what Angel got for agreeing to their little arrangement. What did he expect; he was still Spike after all. The soul did change him some, but hell if it was going to change him completely. Okay, careful, he told himself, we're sliding towards brooding territory again.

Buffy. There you go, Spike, think of her. By letting his memories drift to his afternoon with Buffy, it wasn't difficult for him to tune out the endless parade of socks and knickers (what did he need those for anyway), button-up shirts and slacks. It also kept his ghosts at bay. So he let his memories recall everything: every touch both commanding and tender, every kiss and every bite, every little delightful pain delivered just right, and every time they made each other moan with pleasure. God, but Buffy had been magnificent. He loved it when she looked at him like that: like he made her feel like she was in control and powerful, like she could do anything she wanted to him, and he would do anything for her, which was all true of course. No time for caresses and soft words afterwards this time, not that she had been in the mood for that today anyway, but he did enjoy that, too. Anything to show her how amazing he thought she was. It surprised him that even now that she actually believed it, he still craved showing her how he felt, and that he never tired of proving it. Bloody hell, but he was love's bitch. And he wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Spike let the thought fade out and his attention shift back to what was happening. Oh, bonus, packing finally done. Now let's go say our goodbyes to Cordelia and get on the road. Buffy's waiting. Spike knew he had no real influence but was pleased nonetheless when Angel actually did go to find Cordelia. It was one step closer to returning to Sunnydale. In one way, he wasn't looking forward to having a confrontation with Angelus, but in another, it was sure better than the torment of waiting for the inevitable. And even if Angel tried to convince himself Angelus wasn't returning, somehow Spike knew in his gut that he was. This time Spike would be ready for him.

*********

That had been nice, Xander thought, more than nice actually. Rather, it was a well-deserved and much needed event. He was still a little buzzed from the few beers he'd had, so the loss of twenty bucks in that last pool game didn't even register as a disappointment. All he knew was that he'd had a normal and enjoyable guys' night out with some of his crew after a productive day, no make that a productive week, at work. He was on his way to his car, momentarily pondering if he was okay to drive when he heard a commotion nearby. Without thinking of the consequences, he started moving towards the noise and blurred movement. Then as he recognized a woman struggling, he ran to his car, hoping to grab a weapon. Fumbling for his keys, he heard a scream.

Damn, he thought, torn, but he knew he needed a weapon if he was to be of any use. "Hey!" he called out as a distraction, hoping to draw the demon's attention from the woman. It seemed to work as the demon turned gold eyes and a bumpy forehead in his direction. Okay, a vampire, good, that he could deal with. "What's the matter? Can't pick on someone your own size?"

The vampire actually looked insulted as he tossed the woman to the ground. She picked herself up and went screaming off into the night while the vampire headed towards him instead.

It was then that Xander realized he was supposed to be opening the trunk at the same time as he was insulting the vampire. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he chanted to himself as he fumbled to get the trunk open. He got it open just as the vampire reached him, pulling out a battle axe and swinging it. The vampire threw an arm up to block it, but stumbled back from the blow, allowing Xander to recover and get the axe ready again. Snarling, the vampire ran off.

"That's right. You better think twice before messing with Xander Harris!"

Only after the vampire had gone did he drop the axe back into the trunk and lean his head on his folded arms against the open trunk hood, panting heavily. After a minute he looked off in the direction the woman ran, glad that the vampire had taken a different direction and hoping she was okay. A moment later, he noticed the dropped purse under the light pole not far from his car. The vamp must have dropped it on his way over to the car after stealing it from the woman. Frowning, he went cautiously to pick it up and carefully reached inside to find a wallet with an I.D. He hoped it would be local, because a student might have a license from out of state, and he'd be less likely to find an address or phone number to return it. There was no wallet though, only an ornate wooden box. Opening it, he saw a beautiful crystal ball. No, even he knew it was more than that. It was definitely an orb. Knowing that this was out of his league, he pulled out his cell phone to call Willow. She'd know what to do. At least he hoped so.

*********

At least the traffic is better, Angel mused as he cruised down the freeway for the second time that day. He'd tried to be as optimistic as possible for Cordelia's sake, but now he was starting to have doubts. He had a sneaking suspicion that was Spike's fault. The anxiety coming from the demon had been uncharacteristically apparent earlier this evening, and that worry was starting to pick at the edge of his awareness.

Angel usually didn't get any real thoughts from Spike when he was in the background as he was now, but he often got vague impressions, emotions, and feelings. And at this moment, it felt like Spike was brooding. He was almost amused at the prospect, except that he remembered the long few months after they had first merged. Spike had gone through hell, and though he'd done a pretty good job of keeping it from him, Angel sometimes felt the trauma. He had a pretty good idea that without a distraction, his demon was feeling more of the same at present.

Somehow Angel had known this would happen and had tried to warn Spike when he'd heard his rival's plans to rid him of Angelus. He'd been right, on both the consequence and on the point that Spike hadn't been prepared. At times like this, Angel was both glad and a little guilty that he hadn't tried harder to talk him out of it.

Furrowing his brow and changing lanes, he wondered if Angelus had felt the direct effects of the soul as Spike did now. Angel tended to think not, but it was hard to tell. He didn't remember getting that impression from his previous demon, not even in his memories of Angelus, just a lot of rage at having been kept at bay as a prisoner for so long. In binding the soul to the demon, some things had changed with this curse, and both of them had sacrificed for it. Not for the first time, Angel was amazed that Spike had been willing to go through it at all. Of course this took some of the fun out of being annoyed with the pain in the ass for the memories of some rather embellished stories he'd told Dawn earlier today. Figures Spike wouldn't even leave him that, and to think he'd defended him to Cordelia earlier. Angel snorted to himself. Jerk. And nope, he wasn't gonna feel bad about that thought either. Just to make sure he didn't, Angel turned on the radio.

Barry Mannilow had to be on one of the stations.

*********

Gnash let the glamour drop as soon as he made it to the alleyway, chuckling a little in spite of himself. Humans were so gullible. Had he been a real vampire, he'd have grabbed the axe out of the boy's hands so fast it would've made his head spin. Well, before he sank his fangs into his neck and drained him dry that is. But the boy had bought it, and he'd found the orb. Now it was time for the second step of his plan. Pulling the worn, leather volume from beneath his coat, Gnash looked at it. He vaguely wondered if they would be suspicious when they found it in the box amongst the recent book order. The ex-vengeance demon might be if she checked it against the order form, but if he was lucky, the others would find the book before she ever knew. She wasn't even there right now, not being a part of the late-night research party. The red witch he knew wouldn't care. She'd just be content to have found the information she needed. Such simple things made humans happy. He listened to Xander's side of the conversation as he talked on the phone, pleased that he'd found the rest of the group on his third call.

"Oh, researching? Well, good, because I've got something else to bring to that party. You'll never guess what I found tonight?" A pause. "No, not even close. I'll have to show you. What did Buffy say? Donuts? I can bring donuts. What kind do you want?"

That should distract them for a moment, Gnash thought as he prepared to make a quick teleport into the basement to stash his book amongst the recent order. No one ever agrees on the best kind of donut. What other reason was there to explain the cruller?

TBC

Dirt bag: I know I didn't give you all of Gnash's plan yet. I'm a little evil that way.