The Scoobies made their way to the library in silence, an oppressive silence that swallowed everything like a black hole. Buffy had tears rolling down her face but other than that there was no sign that she was even there. Willow and Cordelia were openly sobbing. All of the men had tears in their eyes and they were making no effort to hide them. The group felt as if its heart had been removed. They pushed the doors to the library and stopped dead.

There sat at the table, as if nothing had happened was Spike.

The entire group ploughed on to him pulling him into a powerful hug. Everyone was talking at once and trying to get hold of him, just to make sure that he was real. Eventually, Spike made himself heard and they all pulled back to look at him sheepishly.

"As much as I luv the lotta ya, and I know I don't need to breathe but you could make a guy bloody claustrophobic with hugs like that." Spike offered them all a dazzling smile that belied his words.

Buffy just looked at the man that she thought she had lost and moved towards him.

"I thought you were dead."

She didn't give him a chance to respond. Instead she pulled him into a frantic kiss. She wasn't wasting time anymore. If the situation was as dangerous as he had said then she wanted him for as long as they had. She wasn't taking anything for granted. She was faintly aware of her friends muttering that it was about time but she was too lost to the kiss to care. She pulled back when the need for air became an issue.

"Don't do that to me again!" She hissed before wrapping her arms around him. She was so happy that she didn't notice the slight tension in his body.

"Spike, how did you get away? Angelus is not known for his mercy, he is the worst of the worst. I know that you are a good fighter but he is…"

"The Devil himself?"

As one they turned to see the object of their discussions calmly sat at the table in the exact spot where Spike had been. Immediately they grabbed for weapons. The vampire just cocked his brow and gave them an amused smirk. The expression was so like Spike's it was uncanny, yet at the same time it had everyone's libido rising. Spike knew that if they attacked Angelus would defend himself and Spike wanted to know what the Hell was happening. He had just been told to run and that Angelus would find him.

One hundred years apart and his Grand Sire was still irresistible. Perhaps more so. Spike moved from Buffy towards him and had to stop when that gorgeous body unfurled itself from the chair. Spike had to bite back a groan as his cock twitched at the sensuous movement that was Angelus standing up.

"It's been a while." Angelus could taste the pheromones pouring off Spike and decided that to gain the trust of these people he would need his boy on side.

"A life time." Spike could think of nothing witty or profound to say. His mouth was dry and his brain was definitely seated in his pants and oozing out of him in the form of pre-come. Fuck! He wasn't a bloody fledge anymore but Angelus had him creaming his pants with one fuck me smirk. It was embarrassing and he wanted it more than ever! But he had learnt the hard way that his want got him into trouble.

"Or two, but who's counting?" He moved away from the boy and started to stroll around the library. Everyone was tense and he could feel the barrage of emotions rolling through them. He almost laughed, but that would have had the cross bows firing.

"Oh fuck it! Get over here Childe!"

Spike threw himself into the arms of the only thing that he had ever loved and tried to climb inside that solid safe body. Angelus was overjoyed at the feeling of his Childe in his arms again. He thought that this was something that he would never feel again. He was finally home. It had taken a hundred years, but he was finally home.

Suddenly he felt something totally different and a violent snarl ripped from his chest. He lowered his voice and made sure that what he said would be obeyed. "Get out here and face me you fucker."

Luke appeared from the stacks and moved to stand at the foot of the stairs. Angelus could taste his hatred for him, his Will and the humans. He knew that he was going to kill Luke, hopefully that would drive the Master to make a move. Then the game would begin. This was the longest Angelus had ever pursued a victim and the taking would be all the sweeter for it.

"Luke, I'd say it was a pleasure to see you, but we both know that would be a lie. What can we do for you?"

Angelus was mad with glee at the thunderous expression that crossed Luke's face. Oh this was going to be fun. He caught Spike's eye and motioned that he should stay out of this fight. Spike stepped back and took the Slayer and her friends with him. He knew that this was a fight to the death and he knew that Angelus would win. He had felt it when he had seen Angelus in the cemetery and he had touched it when he held Angelus just then. Angelus had changed, he was brimming with power. This power was different though, this was alive. And very angry. He made sure that all the Scoobies knew to keep back. They may have fought vampires but he seriously doubted that any of them had ever witnessed a Master and Childe go at it.

Luke started to prowl around Angelus, but Angelus held his ground. "When Leo returned to say that you had killed that thing, the Court rejoiced. I was not fooled. I remember how you were with the boy. It was sickening! You were a legend and all it took was this little bastard to make you fall. He pulled you down Angelus. I knew that he made you weak, too weak to kill him! Looks like I was right. The Master will have your head for this! Traitor!"

Angelus merely laughed and a lightening quick hand shot out and grabbed Luke, hauling the vampire up against him. Angelus cocked his head and moved forward. He licked up the cheek and whispered into his ear. "You forget who you are talking to Lukey Baby." He then tossed Luke onto his ass on the floor.

Angelus began to prowl. His posture was relaxed and calm but the other vampires knew that he was ready for everything. "Do you really imagine that you can beat me? You may be old Luke, but your fat and lazy and have forgotten how to live on the surface. I'll eat you for breakfast."

"You won't get the chance Boy. I'll rip you apart and as for your precious boy there… well I guess I'll have to see what it was that kept you so enamoured." He leered over at Spike and Spike shivered. Buffy moved in front of him as if to protect him. She didn't understand what was going on with these vampires but she knew a threat when she heard one. No one was getting near Spike. And Spike wasn't gay either.

Whatever reaction Luke had expected Angelus to have to that comment he was shocked when Angelus merely stopped moving and whispered, "Come and get me."

The fight was fast and brutal and Buffy was thankful that she wasn't facing either vampire. They were so skilled. Luke was bigger and his blows fell like sledgehammers. He moved with a speed and grace that defied the laws of physics. A man built like that shouldn't be able to move that way. He was also winning. He seemed to be too strong for the angelic man. Spike had a death grip on her arm and Buffy knew that it wasn't to hold her back but to hold him. His eyes were fixed on the fight and filled with worry.

Blow after blow, kick after kick fell on Angelus. He was tossed the breadth of the room, slammed into the steps, onto the table and generally beaten to a pulp. He could feel the blood pouring from the cuts on his body and the pain from his cracked ribs. He had to hold on a few moments longer, he didn't have it yet.

Luke slammed him to the floor one last time and whipped a stake out. "Bye bye Angelus. Enjoy hell." He brought the stake down fast but it was stopped before it could pierce flesh.

He was shocked to see that nothing was stopping him. There was only his hand with the stake and yet it wouldn't move. He looked at Angelus.

"My turn."

If they had thought that Luke was a good fighter then Angelus was a revelation. He was a blur of black and white. Once he started moving Luke couldn't touch him. Each blow was calculated for maximum effect and minimum effort. This was the one who had taught Spike to fight. Yet this was more than a fight, this was a dance, a final waltz.

No one saw where the knives came from but Angelus was slashing them across skin leaving a mixture of deep and shallow cuts. Blood was all over the vampire, his face was a study of pain and rage and his energy was failing. But he wouldn't give in. Angelus had already won the fight though. He was now just playing cat and mouse games. He wanted Luke to suffer for a while before he died.

Pain had always been a friend to Angelus. He was a master of it. He knew where to cut, where to hit, where to kick to cause the maximum pain. He knew how much his victim could take in one area as well, and then he would move on. He would constantly move the source so that his prey had no chance to become accustomed to his pain. Not only that, but Angelus couldn't be beaten by physical pain. The waves of pain radiating from Luke were just fuelling Angelus.

Finally he grew bored. Showing strength that he had never revealed before, he raised Luke into the air, one hand around his throat. Throughout the entire fight he had never slipped into game face. Now though, he allowed his fangs to drop and his eyes to change. He didn't allow the ridges to form though. He was still as beautiful as an angel, the demonic features only served to heighten this. Now he looked like an avenging angel – sent by a wrathful God. He was Azreal.

"I want you to know this before you die. By the 20th of October the Order of Aurelius will be no more than a footnote in history. You took from me and I am going to destroy you all. Your precious Master will beg at my feet for a mercy that I can not give. Think on that when you are in Hell. Goodbye Luke."

Angelus plunged his hand through flesh, muscle and bone and yanked the heart out of the vampire that he held. He then watched dispassionately as it crumbled into dust, merely wiping it away on his pants.

"What the bloody hell is going on Angelus?" Spike was incandescent with rage. He had thought that the wanker was going to get staked. If that wasn't bad enough, Spike had had to see that Angelus hadn't been bothered about the fight at the beginning and could have ended it a lot sooner at the end. To top it all off he was planning a suicide mission against the entire Order. No, Spike wasn't angry, there wasn't a word to describe what he felt.

"Well it would appear that I have ruined my favourite shirt." He really wasn't bothered. He turned to Giles and pouted. "Is there a decent cleaner in this town that can get blood stains out?" He then turned to Cordelia. "If not do you know of any decent clothes stores? You look like a lady that knows quality when you see it." Cordelia melted.

"Angelus!" Spike was growling now. The fucker wouldn't pay attention. More interested in his bloody clothes than the more important aspect that he had just killed the Master's heir.

Angelus turned to the younger vampire and smiled. He could feel the waves of fear and tension rolling from the younger vampire. "Problem Spike?" He enquired sweetly.

"What game are you playing?"

"You really want to know?"

"Bloody Hell! Of course I do. You may be the most vicious bastard I know but you are also the smartest. You have just killed the heir to the Order of freakin Aurelius! You don't do that without a bloody good plan! What the hell are you up to?"

Angelus just smiled and turned to the humans.

"You have no reason to fear me. Your watcher will tell you that I am the worst vampire on record. A trail of destruction follows me everywhere. I have brought cities to their knees and wiped out entire populations. I am walking genocide and I'll do it with a song in my heart. I am the nearest thing to a pure demon that you will ever meet. Blah blah blah…

What your watcher won't tell you is that I have a sense of honour. If I give my word then I stick to it. What can I say, it's a quirk of mine – perverting the pure. Be under no illusions, I am evil. But at the moment, I am your new best friend."

"Oh yeah? And why should we listen to you?" Buffy's voice had finally returned to her and she was very aware that the demon in front of them was very dangerous. He was too charming, he had them all hanging on his every word. People like him were not meant to exist. She couldn't help the shiver that ran though her body as he moved towards her. She could feel him he was that close, and the way he was looking at her and inhaling her scent was making her knees weak. He knew that too. She was grateful when he backed away.

"Because Sweetling, you are standing on the mouth of hell, and it's about to swallow you whole." There was no humour in his voice as he said that, he was deadly serious.

"The Hellmouth is going to open?" Giles couldn't help the thrum of fear that weaved its way through his body. That, coupled with undeniable attraction and excitement of having the most feared vampire here, made the words come out as a very undignified squeak.

Angelus nodded and motioned for them all to sit down, they did, not understanding how the vampire was controlling them. Seeing their unease he decided to have a little pity on them. He tossed his knives away and hopped up onto the counter. He also relaxed his hold on their minds, they needed to focus. Spike on the other hand, didn't know where to go. Angelus was playing nice with the humans and had just risked himself twice for Spike, yet the humans were his friends. He decided for the first time in his life to play the diplomat and went to sit on the stairs so that he was near neither group. He saw that this amused Angelus and confused the others. He nodded to them to indicate that he was ok and shot his Grand Sire a shy smile. His breath hitched at the look he got in return. Before he had chance to analyse it, it was gone and Angelus was back to watching the humans.

"For starters, call me Angel, it's the name as I have been going by for one hundred years. Especially when I play away from home."

"Ok then. Angel. What is going on and why are you of all creatures willing to help a Slayer? You have killed more slayers than any other, so forgive me if I find this hard to accept." Giles suddenly felt more in control of his body and focused on the matter at hand. He was a Watcher, first and foremost. He had been taught to resist the lull of the night, and this was his ultimate test.

"I don't need you to accept it; I just need for you to listen. You're little girl may be good but no Slayer could stand against the full force of the Order of Aurelius. I don't know if you have noticed but in the past few weeks, there have been very few vampire attacks. I see that you have. The Order has moved into Sunnydale – the entire Order and they are all here and are taking control of all the ferals in town."

"Ferals?" Xander wished he'd kept his mouth shut when the vampire turned his full attention on him.

"A term used to describe vampires that have no Clan. They are what you kill every night. They are weaker than minions, vampires made to serve." He saw the blank looks on all the human faces and laughed. "I don't believe it! You know nothing about vampire society. This is delicious. Ok a quick lesson for you. There are five ranks in vampire society, Ferals, Minions, Childer, Masters and Fonts. Ferals have no status or power, they are the most numerous of all of our kind. You will kill ferals ever night. Minions are next; they are created by Clans but are the lowest members of the Clan, made for no other purpose than to serve there elders. Childer are next, aren't they baby boy?" He shot Spike a wicked smirk. "These are powerful vampires but haven't yet reached the level of power or the age required to become a Master. They are created by Masters alone. Anyone can create a Minion or a Feral but only a Master or Font can create a vampire that has the potential to be another Master. Masters are powerful, through either age or gifts. You just saw two fighting, something not many humans survive the witnessing of. You fight one of those and chances are you won't survive. Fonts are something else entirely. They are the eldest and purest of their Order. All in the Order owe their allegiance and life to the Font. The Master of the Order of Aurelius is a Font as he is the only Childe of Aurelius himself that is left. Any questions? Comments?"

"So you're a Master?"

"Yes and no. I have the power, but my order doesn't know that yet. That is why Luke attacked me so confidently. Had he thought that I was a Master he would have paused first."

"Then how come he beat you at first?" Buffy couldn't help the small dig. The vampire was such a know it all.

"Because I wasn't concentrating on the fight." He looked at them and knew that that hadn't washed. If none of the humans made a comment, then Spike most definitely would. "I have a lot of secrets and a lot more power than I pretend to have. I was trying to read his mind, so my body was just doing the bare minimum to defend itself. I broke into his mind when he was about to stake me. That's why he couldn't do it."

"You expect us to believe that you can read minds? Yeah and I'm the Easter bunny."

"I don't care if you don't believe me Alexander LaVelle Harris. You just need to know that it is not only your comic book heroes that have the cool powers. I have to say that I prefer Gambit to Wolverine any day." Xander blinked in confusion at the use of this knowledge of him. He hadn't admitted to liking comics since before he started junior high, no one knew. He gulped and moved further back from the demon.

"Back to the Apocalypse at hand. The Order of Aurelius is one of the most powerful in the world. That isn't enough for Bat Features though. He wants us to be the premier Order and himself to be the Master of all vampires. He has come to open the Hellmouth. There is an old legend that states whoever opens it can control what comes out of it. He could rule the world with what could come out of that glorified man hole."

"We appreciate the warning. What is in it for you though? Why would you turn on your family like Luke?" Giles wasn't convinced that the demon was on the level. "Frankly I am unwilling to believe that you are going to help us. Surely, if the slayer can't stand against the Order then it makes more sense for you to side with the 'winning side'."

"Sceptical, it's a good way for a Watcher to be. I say the Slayer can't defeat the Order because she can't. I can though. I am more of a monster than you can imagine. For the past one hundred years I have been planning on taking out all of them. Everything that has Aurelian blood in its veins. I'm going to kill them all and thought that you might be in for the ride."

"What's in it for you though? Vampire's are loyal to their Clan, family is everything to you."

"It was. A hundred years ago. Things change."

He couldn't be sure if it was the tone of voice or the words but Spike knew that this was about him. Angelus was on a suicide mission because of Spike's soul. He didn't know how he had one but he didn't think that it was worth this. His family had shunned him but this was overkill, even for Angelus. As if sensing his revelation, Angelus hopped off the counter.

"Well, I think you have had enough excitement for tonight. I am sure that we will meet again soon. We both want the same thing after all. Get in my way though and I will kill you."

Then he was gone. And Spike wanted to follow him.

"What do you think Giles? You know him, well of him. Do we trust him?" Buffy was being practical first and would get emotional later. If what he said was true then she really didn't want to fight alone.

"I have no idea… Angelus isn't the type of demon that will work with humans. He is a vicious killer nothing more. He plays games with his victims and totally destroys them before he kills them. He drove one of his Childer mad before he turned her, for fun. This could very well be a trap." Giles began to fastidiously clean his glasses. When all else failed this was his zen exercise.

"I get that Giles, but what if he's telling the truth? What if I have to fight this Master over the Hellmouth? What if I fail?"

"Buffy you can't be considering this! Angelus is nothing more than a monster…"

"No he isn't." Spike's voice was low and threatening. "He's a demon, he does what vampire's do – he kills and hunts and he is evil."

"Not helping here Fangboy!"

"But he is no monster. He is telling the truth, I know it."

"How Spike? He saves your life and you know he's going to help us? That doesn't follow! You may have a sense of honour but most vampires don't. Giles is right, we can't trust him!" Buffy couldn't believe that he was saying this. Ok, so they might be related but they couldn't trust a soulless demon. There was too much at stake.

"We can. He's doing this because of me. He said so himself. Look, I was cursed exactly a hundred years ago and Angelus has been planning this for a hundred years. This is about me." His voice was soft and he couldn't meet their eyes. This submission made his words all the more forceful.

"You can't know that Spike. You haven't known him for a hundred years, how can you be sure that you know him now?" Buffy refused to accept that her potential boyfriend was defending someone he hadn't seen in a hundred years. She wouldn't be able to defend her father that adamantly and she had only been away from him for 2 years. Plus she saw him at holidays. She was missing something here.

"Because… We were in love."

Spike left the library, six awed humans staring after him.