Lisa was headed towards Angel's office. She just came straight from a meeting with Mr. Wyndam-Pryce. He was her direct superior so she had to report to him on a weekly basis concerning the progress of her work. The Englishman seemed to be satisfied with her, because he had praised her efficiency repeatedly. Unfortunately he must have mistaken her for his secretary, because she was now on her way towards the boss's office with the mission to deliver at least a dozen of contracts which needed signing.

"Hallo, Harmony," she greeted Angel's secretary unenthusiastically. Both women had learned to despise each other on sight in the last couple of days.

"Oh, hello, Lisa. You are here because of the contracts? He's already waiting for you," Harmony answered with an equally frosty undercurrent.

"Thank you," Lisa rushed by with her head held high and entered Angel's office.

"Sir...," she began as she entered the room, but was shortly after silenced, being completely unprepared for the wave of aggression and seething hatred that swept over her. Angel and Spike were staring at each other with murder in their eyes, ready to strangle each other throats. The only thing that hindered them from giving into their violent tendencies was the fact that was Spike was incorporeal. Lisa loudly cleared her throat. No reaction.

"Sir?" she asked again hesitantly. It was as if she didn't exist. The heap of paper was slowly getting heavier in her hands and she was getting tired of carrying them around. After all further attempts of attracting both men's attention had failed, she finally decided to walk up to them and nosily slam down the contracts on the huge desk. Angel flinched and awoke from his hatred induced trance, shortly after followed by Spike.

"What! Hum, Lisa, what is it?" the vampire asked confusedly.

"The contracts," Lisa indicated the pile of files on the table, talking slowly as if she was addressing an infant.

"Oh, yes the contracts," he gradually regained his composure.

"Hello, beautiful," Spike greeted her with an appreciative glance that made her slightly nervously. She didn't know how to deal with compliments and much less with open flirting.

"Oh, hey, Spike," Lisa answered awkwardly and refocused her attention on Angel, "Mr. Wyndam-Pryce will later come up himself to discuss the details with you."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," she answered already turning to leave.

"By the way, good work at the hotel last week," Angel called after her, already taking the first file on top of the heap.

"Thank you, sir," the young woman smiled before she left the office hurriedly.

Just as she had closed the door behind her, Spike appeared beside her, simply following her by walking through the wall of Angel's office.

"Oh, no," she muttered under her breath.

In the last few days the ghost had practically become her shadow. Somehow he seemed to magically appear everywhere she went. After a while she had stopped being surprised or angry about it and had stoically given up hope to ever get rid of him. Just yesterday she had run into him, as she had gone to get herself a well- deserved cup of coffee in between working hours. Monosyllabic greetings had been exchanged and then she had busied herself with working the sparkly silver-chromed espresso machine, while Spike hung about in one of the armchairs behind her that were grouped in front of a tiny TV, which was hanging from the ceiling. He had complained about the fact that he couldn't even watch the 'bloody telly', so Lisa had asked him politely – not out of charity, but because his whining had been getting on her nerves - what he wanted to watch, as he could neither switch on the TV nor change channels. She had aimlessly pressed the buttons on the remote control, while she waited for her espresso to run through the machine. Then finally – as nothing else but the 'highly uplifting' prospect of working on some more cases awaited her in the office- some TV programme had caught her attention and they had somehow ended up watching it together, ridiculing almost every scene that had flickered over the small screen above them. Afterwards she had felt extremely guilty. Firstly because she had spent an hour away from her working desk instead of the initially intended ten minutes and secondly because she had enjoyed herself a little too much for comfort.

But today she wasn't in the mood for distractions. "Go away, I've got work to do," she informed him briefly.

"On your coffee break?"

She sighed. "Yes, I have to do some research for my English class."

"Oh, didn't know you were also a student."

"Well, actually I'd like to have a normal job in the not so distant future, thank you," she said making her way to the elevator.

"What's your research about?" he asked her curiously as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Exactly this simple question marked the end of Lisa's patience.

"Why, Spike! Why are you so interested in me?" the way she acted when she asked this question was the most emotional he had seen her in the few days he had come to known her. Her eyes were flashing at him in a mixture of anger and helplessness.

He opened his mouth to answer her but she beat him to it. "If you want me to help you just get it over with and ask me."

"Okay, would you please help me?" Spike asked her pleading at her with his eyes.

Lisa's face was an unreadable mask. The elevator announced his presence and she stepped in. The ghost cursed silently and followed her. "So? What's it going to be?" he asked again getting more and more impatient.

"No."

Spike let out a frustrated scream and hit the wall of the elevator with his fist. To Lisa's surprise it actually slammed down on it without going straight through like she had suspected. "What the bloody hell is your problem? You are the most cold-blooded, emotionless, pig-headed bint I have come across in my entire existence!" he paced up and down in the small cabin.

"How did you do that?" Lisa asked softly, but her question was drowned in the flood of insults and complains that came from Spike's mouth.

"What does it bloody take to make you feel some compassion? To make you feel anything at all? You're a godforsaken sodding ice-queen, that's what you are! Am I supposed to crawl on my knees in front of you!"

The young woman slowly retreated into a corner of the cabin. "I'm sorry," she said weakly, "It is not that I don't..." Lisa momentarily struggled with the words, "that I don't want to help you. I just can't. I'm nothing more than a guide between the realms. I don't have any special powers that could make you corporeal again."

"I see," his anger dissipated as quickly as it had come and his features slowly softened. And with that he turned and left, walking straight through the wall.

Shortly after the elevator reached its destination and Lisa made her way to her office. She was running on autopilot. Her feet knew the way and she let them carry her. After the doors had closed behind her she slumped down on the couch that stood opposite of her desk. She didn't even bother to turn on the light. The young woman stared blankly ahead in the depressing twilight of the room. Somehow she felt empty inside. She always tried to convince herself that she was strong and didn't need anybody, but strangely enough the argument with Spike had actually affected her very deeply. At least more than anything else had done in the last few years. She had gotten used to his company – a fact which disturbed her extremely. At the beginning she had accepted his presence reluctantly, but with the passing of days, she had even begun to enjoy is company. He was the first person in years she had come to regard as something remotely close to a friend and now he was gone. It hurt. Somehow she couldn't quiet shake of the thought that it was her fault. She had messed up again. No wonder, she had done something inexcusable. She had been as naïve and weak to believe she could actually trust someone other than herself, despite of the fact that life had already taught her otherwise. He had only spent some time with her, because he wanted to get her to help him. Nobody ever does something out of complete selflessness. She should have known right from the start. But that was nothing new right? She had always trusted the wrong people. 'This should teach you a lesson. Suits you right," she mentally scolded herself. Life had to go on. She couldn't sit around brooding in the dark forever. Lisa sighed and switched on the lights and almost would have screamed in surprise when she saw Spike lean against the door casually. "Already asked myself how long you were going to sit around in the dark. Could get bloody difficult to get your work done like this," his voice was soft despite his words.

"So what are you reading?" She hesitated a few seconds before she answered.