"Maybe he's learned a new trick or two," Spike concedes.

"Was he always this methodical?," Angel asks.

"Hermann has the daft idea that planning made everything a whole lot easier."

"You were never much for siring. Especially not guys. How'd he happen?"

"It was the night after I killed Nikki. That was something of a high point in my career, and Dru suggested that it was time we started a family, create a legacy. Hermann had brains and charm. You know how rare a combination that is. He knew a thing or two about punk rock, enough for us to have a nice conversation. He told me he was a film student. Big into computer programming. Talked about how these machines were going to change everything. I hadn't a clue what he was talking about. Hermann joked that I still lived in the nineteenth century. That settled it."

"Sounds like he had a bright future. Until you took it away."

"Oh, get off your bleeding high horse. How many times did you do the exact same bloody thing?"

"Which is why I understand if you're feeling guilty about siring him."

"You keep trying to empathize, and I'll put a stake through both of our hearts."

"Fine. You've never been one for self-examination." Angel looks down at his wound and thinks about what transpired. "He's obviously been waiting for us for a while. Maybe months. I think it's safe to assume that he knows where Charles, Wesley and Fred live."

"That would be his insurance, in case you tried to go after his girl."

"I'm not going to let anyone intimidate me. Certainly not some wet-behind-the-ears vampire."

"Is catching this Slayer worth all that?"

"She's obviously abusing her power. Someone has to save her."

"Have you forgotten what happened to the last Slayer you tried to save?"

"Either they don't know about her, or they don't have time to come for her. Which makes her our problem."

"What problem? There's someone out in the 'burbs slaying vampires. How is that a problem?"

"Don't be so naive. Who knows what else she's up to. And I know he's up to no good. I don't buy his no biting speech."

"I did. It suits him. Herman never feasted the way we did. Most of what normal vampires love leaves him cold. He's been an odd sort since day one."

"Sounds like a real prince," Angel comments sarcastically.

"I'm not saying he's nice to everyone. But when he meets a girl he likes - "

"Why does she see in him? He's not that good looking."

"Herman's quite the catch."

"You're a little biased on this matter." Angel laughs. "Everyone likes to think their children are perfect."

"Okay. So he's not exactly me." Angel scoffs at Spike's boasting. "But he's still easy on the eyes."

"Not easy to pull the wool over a Slayer's eyes."

"Dev's sensitive. He listens. He really cares. And when he doesn't, he's great at faking it. The boy was something of a late bloomer. Didn't get that many dates as a human. So he learned to try harder. And no one exploits teen angst like Hermann. And he's had plenty of practice. Hermann's been nineteen for more than a quarter century."

"Why do you call him that?"

"It's his name."

"His human name. He hasn't been human for a long time. We all called you Spike when you switched."

"It took you a few years."

"Not twenty seven."

"My name meant something. His doesn't."

"He must have chosen it for a reason."

"Guess he figured Devlin sounded cooler than Hermann."

"A lot of names sound cooler than Hermann. Why that one?" Angel can tell Spike's hiding something.

"He never bothered explaining. Does it matter?"

"Not as much as figuring out what his game is."

"Sounded to me like he wants to hurt Buffy a lot more than he wants to hurt us. Makes sense. She's the bigger target."

"But we're the target he can hit from Orange County. I don't buy his live-and-let-live talk," Angel argues. "He'll come after us when we're not looking, and he'll run away when we are. Boy's clearly got it in for me. And he obviously has serious issues with you."

"He took Dru's side after we broke up."

"A mama's boy," Angel says with a smirk.

"He wants to beat you and me. That's bloody obvious. But Herm can't enjoy that if we're not around to tell him he's won. The lad doesn't want us dead."

"Your boy wants to play divide and conquer, that's fine with me. I just need to get the Slayer alone."

"She doesn't trust you."

"I can work on that. I've done it before."

"Will you get over yourself? Faith didn't have a boyfriend. Or friends of any kind. She was lonely and desperate. Best as I can tell, this girl's neither."

"That's it. We convince her that we want to protect her from Buffy. That we want to keep her in California."

"When did you decide to work against Buffy."

"I'm doing Buffy a favor. This girl's mind's been poisoned. She gets carted off to Italy, she'll try to be Spartacus and lead a Slayer revolt."

"We'll need more than truth and honesty," Spike guesses. "Deb will think it's a trick. Herman definitely won't let us near her."

"He's brainwashed her. He's probably the only person who's told her anything about what it means to be a Slayer. Bring her out into the wider world, and his hold will break."

Less than a mile to the west, Debbie sits at her desk in her bedroom, studying for a math test. Devlin enters. Debbie leaps to her feet and hugs him.

"Thank God you're back. I was worried."

"They weren't ready for a fight. Now they know that we are." Dev and Deb keep holding each other tight.

"I'm scared, Dev."

"Of them?"

"And Buffy. And the Council. And that crazy law firm. You said they have commandos."

"You're too powerful to mess with. They know that."

"You know what's more powerful that a Slayer? Ten Slayers."

Dev strokes her hair and gently kisses the top of her head. "I told you before. They try anything, we'll have plenty of warning."

"And I'll have you." She kisses him and sits down on her bed.

"They'll have to kill me before I'll let them take you away."

"Don't say that." Dev takes off his flannel shirt, sits to her right and runs his left hand through her hair.

"But it's the truth."

"You'll be a lot more useful to me alive," Deb tells him. Dev smiles and kisses her. Deb pulls his t-shirt over his head and tosses it to the floor. She runs hands down his chest, then takes off her own shirt.

"I'm a lucky guy."

"The luckiest."

"Hey. That's my line."

"Come here, lucky." Deb knows that most people would think Devlin is evil and she's sick for being with him. But he treats her better than any of her human boyfriends ever did. And none of them made her feel anywhere near this special.