Chapter 9:
Angel answered the phone, Dawn was washing up and Adanar was seeing Giles to the door.
"Hello Buffy. He's just leaving. Oh. I see. No, he's still here. Dawn? I'll call her."
Giles stopped and turned at the sound of his name and Dawn came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a cloth. Angel held out the handset, saying,
"Willow just arrived at the hotel. Buffy wants to talk to you."
Dawn took the receiver gingerly and was relieved to hear Buffy's voice,
"Hi. Yeah, I heard. No, not tonight; tomorrow evening after dark will be better. I'd like everyone to be here, Giles will explain. Oh, tell her not to use her magic if she can help it. If Hadretz is back I don't want him picking up any trace of her power. She could be our ace in the hole. Okay, see you then. Bye."
As she hung up the phone she said,
"Willow should be over her jet lag by then and she should be told she could be in for an uncomfortable time. Just … I'm not out to get back at her Giles, could you please let her know? It's time Adanar and I explained what Kridjator was like and how the slavers work. Fighting blind usually ends up being a complete disaster."
Giles nodded,
"I think you've made the right decision Dawn. I know it will be harder for you to talk about it then for us to hear it. Although I must say I'm not looking forward to hearing it myself. I'll see you all then."
Dawn turned to Angel before going back to finish the dishes,
"Could you phone Spike for me? If he's still with Gunn he could see if he wants to be here too. If I decide to stay on in L.A., I'll want a job with 'Angel Investigations' and this way I don't have to repeat it all later."
Spike and Gunn were on their second coke flavoured bourbons when Angel called. Gunn was pleased to be home among his own things, although the small mementos of Wesley and Fred had brought the sting of tears to his eyes. Spike pretended not to see and had handed him a large glass with a cheery,
"Get this into you mate."
"Aah, just what the doctor didn't order! Better than any happy pill. Say, is Angel on anything? I thought you said he was at his gloomy worst but he seemed almost sociable this afternoon."
Gunn asked.
"Creepy, isn't it? I thought maybe Adanar's healing touch had some sort of antidepressant effect, but he said no. I got so curious I broke down and asked the poncy git if he had taken up smiling just to get up my nose. He says he felt ashamed to be so down in the dumps when Dawn and Adanar had been through a worse time and aren't forever moaning about it. You need a refill. I'll have one so you're not drinking alone; start that and it's a quick slide to the bottom you know."
The vamp was pleased to hear Gunn laugh at the weak joke.
So now Gunn listened to the one-sided conversation with growing interest.
"Yeah? What's up Peaches? Please tell me you've turned back into a puppet; that'd really make my night! She is? Dawnie wants Gunn there too? Sure I'll ask him, hang on. Red just got to town and Dawnie's gonna tell us all about Club Hell tomorrow night and you're invited. Interested? Yeah, he'll be there. Okay. I'll collect him on my way."
He shoved the phone back in his pocket and lifted his drink. Gunn commented,
"We could be in for an exciting time. I can only imagine what I'd do to someone who sent me to Hell for six years. I remember the state Fred .."
His words tailed off and Spike mused out loud,
"I've had a glimpse of my bloody after life and I'm not looking forward to taking up permanent residence, even if I do deserve it! But Bit's not a natural born killer; odds are that she won't even take a swing at Red. They were friends before Will lost the plot. I should have been on her shit list too; promised her I wouldn't let anyone hurt her again and then I wasn't around when she needed me most. Got a huge heart, has Dawnie. Just like her mom. Joyce was good people, kind, even to a lowlife vamp like me. Top up?"
Buffy accepted the room service tray and sat it on the coffee table, pouring coffee for herself and Willow. The little witch was red-eyed, pale and Buffy noted the way her were hands clasped in her lap with the fingers so entwined that the knuckles were a bloodless white. She felt a pang of sympathy for her friend and tried to soothe her.
"It'll be fine Will, you'll see. It's not gonna be easy for any of us but as angry and hurt Dawnie might be right now, she's not out for revenge. And if Angel or Spike is a bit cool, it's me and Giles they've got the problem with for not sending them any help and distrusting them."
"I can't imagine either of them carrying a grudge against you. Especially Angel, since he had the rest of them thinking he might have gone over to the senior partners."
Willow raised her cup gingerly, trying to control the fine tremor in her hands, grateful for the change of subject.
"Apparently there's a bit of history between them and my new boyfriend; something to do with Dru and Darla."
She tried to sound off hand as she told Willow,
"I met Angel's girlfriend Nina the other day. She seems nice."
"Angel's got a girlfriend? That's …unexpected."
She struggled to find the right word but failed. She gave her friend a long, searching look.
"And you're all right with it? No stab-y pangs to the heart or a little green eyed monster jumping up and down in your mind? Because, you know, Angel having a girlfriend is a much bigger deal than Riley having a wife and that shook you up a little."
"We haven't been a couple for a few years, remember? It's always been 'maybe one day when the time is right' but nothing carved in stone. I should be happy for him, having someone in his life."
She sounded a little doubtful.
"So what's Spike's problem? I mean he didn't even tell you he was back, did he? Mind you, the thought of him being a ghost and haunting Angel is way funny when you think about it."
She caught Buffy's eye and they began to laugh at the absurdity of a ghost Spike and a haunted Angel.
"Can you imagine not being to shut Spike out? Or up, for that matter?"
Buffy giggled.
Will's imagination went into overdrive and she laughed even harder before deciding,
"I should think having Spike wise-cracking day and night without being able to dust him ought to count in Angel's favour with the whole Shansu deal."
"Yeah, talk about 'cruel and unusual punishment'. It'd have to be right up there with being drowned in a vat of cod liver oil or being back at school with Principal Snyder!"
Buffy offered.
By the time Giles joined them, Willow was more like her old self, much to Buffy's relief. Willow had done some research on Tarethian magic and the three of them settled in to discuss magical tactics.
