AUTHOR'S NOTE Now don't everyone flame me, but I'm a little bit sarcastically cruel to Alec in this chapter…this chapter takes place before he even works at Jam Pony, so back when his sole job was to irritate Max. I like Alec, I really do! The very minor bit of bitchy Alec that's in here is the only bit!

DISCLAIMER Don't own anyone.

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Chapter Nine: In Which Max Catches the News and Buffy Confides in Angel

Jam Pony Messenger Service

"Hey Max! You watching this?"

Max crossed the lobby of Jam Pony to where Original Cindy pointed at the television monitor.

"What you're seeing is real footage from only moments ago," the announcer said. "Three females, appearing in their early twenties, leapt from the street level to a twenty foot rooftop, evading police officers and escaping over the buildings. We ask that citizens be on the lookout for these three wanted women."

Max watched the video of a blue-haired girl grab a redhead and carry her up with her to the roof in one leap. A blonde girl followed. They hesitated on the roof, apparently talking, before noticing the police and running. "Manticore," she muttered.

"That's what I was thinking. Look at that sister with the blue hair," OC pointed out. "They don't make 'em like that in nature."

Max shook her head. "And now the police are after them!"

"Boo, it's not your fault," OC said, putting a hand on Max's shoulder. "You did the right thing."

"What's going on?"

"What are you doing here?" Max asked irritably.

Alec, also known as X5-494, shrugged. "I got lonely without you," he said sweetly. "Thought I'd come see where you've been spending all your days out here."

Max rolled her eyes. "You just missed quite a show," she said and gestured to the TV.

Alec watched Max stalk off with an amused expression. "What's got her so worked up?" he asked OC.

OC looked him up and down. "Why do you care?" she asked coolly.

Alec clapped a hand to his chest. "You wound me!" he cried melodramatically. Grinning, he shook his head scoldingly. "You should be nicer to me, you know. Never know when my not-so-stable DNA might snap and I lose it like good old Ben."

OC glared hotly at him. "If I ever hear you talk smack about Max's brother again, I will kick your ass!" Alec put his hands up in defeat. Finally, she gestured to the TV. "That's what got her so worked up."

Alec turned his attention to the screen, where the news network replayed the footage of the three women leaping twenty feet in the air. He whistled. "Limber, aren't they?"

OC scowled at him. "You know what they are," she hissed. "But unlike you, Max is gonna go do something about it."

"Really."

"She's blaming herself for letting all you little Manticore children out in the world. These girls are in trouble and Max is gonna go find them."

Alec just chuckled. "Well she did let us all out. I'm glad she's taking some responsibility."

OC glared and turned her attention back to the TV, but Normal was there with the remote and the screen went blank. "Hey!" rang a chorus of Jam Pony messengers.

"Hey, we've got packages to deliver! Bip bip bip!" Normal tapped his wristwatch. "Where's little Miss Max?" he asked.

"Out delivering a packaged for you, Normal," OC said smoothly before grabbing a package of her own. "She'll be back."

"Yeah, that's what she said the last time," Normal grumbled.

Warehouse

Buffy, Willow, and Illyria barely lost the police officers on their tail before reaching the warehouse. Angel and Spike were asleep in a corner away from the filtered sunlight. The girls' not particularly quiet entrance woke them up. "How'd it go?" Angel asked.

"Oh, you know. Got chased by police officers through most of the city." Buffy shrugged. "No big."

Angel came to her side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Buffy smiled at him. "Thanks."

Spike rolled his eyes and went back to sleep. "What about the others?" Angel asked.

"We're fine," Willow replied. "A little shaky, but we're good."

The sun set and Angel posted himself as lookout on the roof. Buffy wandered up to join him. "You okay?" she asked.

Angel nodded. "I don't have particularly fond memories of warehouses," he said offhandedly. "Or factories, for that matter."

"Oh, right," Buffy muttered. She settled down next to him, gazing at the fires popping up in trashcans all over their neighborhood. "What a world," she muttered.

"Mmhmm."

"Angel?" Buffy asked quietly. Angel turned to look at her. "Do you ever wish that one of those hundred times we stopped the world from ending…well, do you look at the way the world is now and wish that maybe we hadn't?"

Angel sighed. "Do you think that people would be better off if you hadn't stopped Acathla and they were all in Hell? Or if the Master had walked?"

Buffy hung her head. "No. I guess not."

"Buffy, what is it?"

She sighed. "This is what I was afraid of. This is the world that I never wanted to come back to."

Angel blinked, taken aback. "Buffy, I'm sure that they didn't know."

"They didn't." Buffy was silent. "I didn't want them to. And then Willow tried to make me forget and it blew up in everyone's face and…" She let her voice trail off. "And then she was dark."

Buffy and Angel sat in uncomfortable silence. "Maybe I should have let her destroy the world. Maybe then I'd be back in Heaven," Buffy finally whispered.

Angel didn't know what to say. "Maybe," he finally agreed. The two sat silently. Buffy rested her head on Angel's shoulder.

"Angel? You found peace once and had to give it up. Did you ever find happiness again?"

Angel laughed dryly. "I was in Hell, Buffy. Things are a little different there."

"That's not what I meant."

Angel looked at her sharply. "Then what are you talking about?"

"The day that the Oracles swallowed. The one when you were human and we were together. How did you move on after that?"

Angel just stared at her, his mouth agape. "How do you know about that?"

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. A few weeks ago…I mean, a few weeks before we left, this wave of memories just came over me. It's like they were locked up, then suddenly released."

Angel suddenly understood. "Vail's cube. I thought it only restored the memories he had erased about Co…about last year."

Buffy shook her head. "Nope. I remember everything." She looked up at him. "I remember being with you and hearing your heart beat. I remember when you told me that I wouldn't remember."

"I'm so sorry, Buffy."

Buffy shook her head. "Don't be. It's a nice memory." She smiled a little, then put her head back on his shoulder.

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The Answer to the Last Trivia Question

Slash-a-holic, KaR-LiN, Anna, Perfect Darkness, LittleDrusilla, and Samantha all got it right. Angel recognizes the smell of rat's blood because after he got his soul and traveled to America, he ate nothing but rats. Whistler found him in Manhattan in 1996 and turned him into the kind of guy he is now.

Today's Trivia Question Is:

What are three reasons that Angel would have unpleasant memories of factors and/or warehouses? I'm looking for one from Buffy Season Two, one from Angel Season One, and one from Angel Season Two.

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Review Responses

Slash-a-holic I'm here in LA now…the move's going smoothly. I love Max and Logan…..sigh.. There will be more moments like that, although they are frustrating, since they can't be together.

KaR-LiN Yep, that's right!

Perfect Darkness I admit – the Watcher's Council is used a bit as a plot device here. Perhaps I'll go back and try to flesh out their involvement a little. That might make things more interesting. However, another pretty powerful organization from the Buffyverse will come into play later.

Anna No, the girls won't be dropping in on Logan at his penthouse. They're pretty much restricted to their warehouse and trying to figure out what's happened (they still don't know about the Pulse). They will meet Logan later on, as well as the other DA characters, though.

LittleDrusilla Haha, that's okay. And don't you worry about Spike…he gets a pretty little consolation prize later on. I just really love Buffy and Angel. I think it's the whole forbidden love thing.

Bluelilly I really hate the fact that Max and Logan can't be together too! Maybe something will eventually be done about it…you'll just have to wait and see!

Samantha They are adorable, aren't they? I love Alec as a character, but Max and Logan just fit together so perfectly. It's kind of like your feelings (and mine also) on Spike – good character, not with Max/Buffy.