Disclaimer: I don't own the Buffyverse. It belongs to Joss Whedon . Get over it.

Penguins took my sanity: thanks for the review

Spike and Cordy had preceded to fall asleep within the first ten minutes of the play, after Angel and Spike had reminsced, for about two seconds, about killing people who'd had box seats. The only reason Dani hadn't was because she had snuck along her iPod and was listening to it the whole time.

"You think you can get Cordy to quit snoring?" Cori asked Angel quietly, trying not to grin. For answer Angel elbowed Cordy slightly, but all she did was jerk before continuing her snoring. Dani, between the father and daughter, gave a low chuckle. Neither of the girls noticed Angel scowl as he stared at the stage, and the prima ballerina in particular.

About, I dunno, however long the first half a ballet lasts, we'll say two hours later, the audience started clapping for the intermission. Gunn was the most enthuisastic. Cordy snorted awake and started clapping frantically.

"It's ok, it's just the intermission," Angel calmed her.

Cori tried to wake up Spike gently, but all he did was mumble "I'm drowning in shoes," before falling asleep again. She laughed and woke him up, this time not so nicely. "Weird dream. Is the ballet over?"

"No, just intermission," she answered.

"Damn," he stretched as they followed the others out to the lobby...place...room...thing. You know what I mean.

"I'll say it once, and gloat all you want," Gunn stated. "But that was tight, and I am trippin' out.!"

"Has the choreography changed much since-" Wesley started to ask, but Angel cut him off.

"It hasn't changed at all."

"Well, it's wonderful that they've managed to-"

"No, I mean it hasn't changed at all. These are the same dancers as before," Angel interrupted him again.

"That's imposssible. We're seeing the same troupe you two saw in 1990?" Fred looked disbelieving.

"I thought he said 1890," Gunn corrected her.

"Oh, well that's much more impossible."

"They're probably just vamps," Dani shrugged.

"That would explain the athleticism and-" Gunn realized everyone was looking at him in surprise. "You know, I used to be cool before I met you guys."

"I'm still cool," Dani teased.

"Dancing vampires?" Cordy quipped. "Anyone not scared?"

"I dunno, have you seen these two dance?" Dani gestured to Spike and Angel.

"No, it's not vampires, I would have sensed it," Angel shook his head.

"After the show we investigate?" Fred suggested.

"I'm thinking now," Angel headed for a conveniently placed doorway to the basement.

"I'll go with him, magic of the ballet not really getting to me," Dani started after the vampire.

"I'll-" Spike started to follow, but Cori pulled him back.

"Stay. 'Cause if you go, then you'll probably just try to stake my dad," she gave him a look. He tried to pull off an innocent look, but failed miserably before grinning.

"Great, a guard," Dani muttered as they saw the said guard. "How about I go over, and make with the flirting?"

"Don't be stupid.I'm that guy, and the most beautiful woman I've ever seen starts coming on to me? I'd think it was either a bachelor party or some sort of scam."

"What did you call me?"

"I'm sorry. You're not stupid," Angel replied, knowing that that wasn't what she meant.

"No, I meant the other part," she studied his expression, which was slightly hard, considering he was facing away from her and at the rent-a-cop.

"How about I just go with my patented burst of violence?" he ignored her question.

"I've got a better idea." Dani grinned.

The guard looked up in surprise when a young couple came down. The pretty girl pulled out a few bills. "Hi, do you think we can go behind that door, for, well, you know," she gave him a wink.

"Sorry, babe, I love bribes, but this is a tip. And since I'm not parking your car..." he trailed off, giving her an apologetic shrug. The next thing he knew, he'd been hit hard on the temple and passed out.

"See, told you it'd be fun," Dani told Angel. He made no comment but stepped through the door. She followed him, commenting "ok, you saw the building from the outside. It was so not this long." They both looked down a hallway that stretched for what seemed like eternity. They started to turn back to the door, but it had disappeared, leaving only another equally long hall. "Oh, shit."

"Ditto," Angel said before he could stop himself. The brunette next to him didn't comment, but he saw her try to hide a smirk.

"Well, pick a door, any door," Dani quipped, looking at the multitude of doors. Angel picked a door at random, far down the corridor.

"It's her dressing room," Angel realized as they walked inside. Dani moved, drawn to the large dresser and mirror. She picked up a necklace with a small cross.

"She would sit here, waiting for him," she said softly. Angel wandered about the room, looking for some clue or some thing.

"It feels warm. There must be some sort of-" he started when Dani cut him off.

"Undress me."

"What?" Angel looked at her in shock. She'd turned so she was facing him.

"This is only a costume. Only you can see the real me," she added.

"Look, Dani," Angel was still in shock. "This isn't us. We're acting this out."

"Whoa, did I just ask you to undress me?" she suddenly shook her head. " 'Cause that was just-"

"Is that what you really want?" he asked her, moving so he was only an inch away from her.

"Please, I..."

"You want me to make love to you?"

"You know I do."

"But you're afraid," he whispered, caressing her cheek.

"What if he finds us?"

"I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of anything," he reassured her.

"I'm only alive when you're inside me," she whispered, kissing him. The kissing didn't end until Dani's hand touched his temple, as she still held the cross. The burning jerked Angel out of the ghost...possession and he pulled away quickly.

"Ahh! Dani," Angel stepped back, or started to. The possession, because I'm not sure what else it would be called, took over, and he moved closer again.

"We've got to get out of here," she muttered, unsuccessfully trying to pull away.

"Yeah," they barely managed to make it to the door.

"Wow," She gasped out when they did finally make it out and shut the door. "It's a good thing it wears off right away."

"Yeah, good thing," Angel agreed, though he took off his jacket and folded it over his arm, strategically placed. Dani glanced away, knowing she would laugh if she didn't.

"Damn. We have to go back in there," Dani realized.

"What?" Angel looked at her the same way as when she asked him to undress her.

"I said something important," she sounded frustrated. "Back in that room. Do you remember?"

"Th-that you're only alive when I-"

"No, the other thing. About being afraid," Dani looked back at the door. "We have to go back."

"No, Dani-"

"All we have to do is play the scene."

"Look, Dani," Angel tried one last shot at making her change her mind. "It is us. When I kiss you, it's just..."

"Angel, honey, I really don't think you're gonna get blissfully happy from a few kisses," she rolled her eyes. "Look, I have my little cross in case anything happens. It'll be fine."

"But-"

"Come on, you big baby," she smiled and pulled him by the hand back to the room. They waited for a few minutes, but nothing happened. "Maybe we need to help things out." The next thing they knew they were kissing passionately again. The small cross slid through Dani's fingers.

"At least they left us a trail," Gunn shrugged when the others found the unconscious bodyguard.

"Do I get to hit anyone?" Spike asked hopefully.

"Maybe later," Cori half-promised.

Dani pushed Angel away, saying "this isn't right."

"Hush."

"You don't know him. He has unnatural power. He could-"

"Kill us?"

"Worse."

"Kurskov owns the company. He does not own you."

"He thinks he does, he thinks I'm his, that I dance for him. But he is nothing more than a deluded man. He thinks I love him."

"Come away with me, now, tonight. We'll disappear. Even he won't be able to find us," Angel promised.

"I-Stephan, everything I've worked for is here."

"You can still dance."

"I don't...not yet," she shook her head. "Maybe when we're-"

"Don't. don't make promises."

"Help me, help me be not afraid," they went back to making out on the lounge.

By now, the others reach the hallway just left of the room Dani and Angel are in. They stopped when they heard moaning.

"Somebody's hurt," Wesley noted.

"Or having fun," Cori added.

"If Angel loses his soul again, can I kill him?" Spike asked. Cori just rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"Oh, no!" Dani suddenly sat up. A second later Angel got whacked in the head by one of Kurskov's minions. Angel shook his head before kicking the minion, hard, in the abs. It fell to the floor, and pulled out its sword. "See, told you. Now we're done after we kill that...thing," Dani pulled her dress's straps back on her shoulders. She groaned in annoyance when she saw the other minion. "Never mind."

"Doesn't sound like fun anymore," Cordy stated as the sounds turned those of someone fighting. Suddenly Gunn let out a scream as another minion stabbed a sword though him. Spike finally got a chance to kill something. Wesley took the sword and started to swordfight with the other, wandering through yet another hallway.

"A weapon would be nice," Dani tossed at Angel, dodging the other minion's sword. The laughing minion Angel was fighting pulled out a dagger and stabbed him in the heart.

"Thanks," Angel pulled out the dagger and tossed it to Dani, while breaking its neck. Dani just threw the blade into her minion's throat.

"Just like a vamp. No offense," she added, looking to Angel. "We need to go, now."

"Why?"

"You looked really hot doing that."

"Oh," Angel said.

"Yeah, out, now," Dani pointed towards the door. He nodded and they found themselves outside the room, next to the others, minus Wesley.

"How happy's Angel?" Spike asked.

"Not that happy," Angel glared at the younger vampire.

""Ok, so we found a hotspot. Apparently this dancer chick was in love with some guy named Stephan, but this other guy, Kurskov loved her, so he trapped them, or something," Dani explained succintly. "What happened to Gunn?"

"Clown got me," Gunn leaned against Fred, who smiled widely.

"How do we get out then?" Cori asked.

"We have to exhaust him. Make him use all his energy maintaining this so one of us can get out and destroy his power center," Wesley rejoined them. "I hit a hotspot as well."

"And how do we do that?" Cordy asked.

"That might work," Spike, who'd been keeping an eye on the dead minions-just in case-pointed at one, which started to vibrate and duplicate. He broke their necks, but they only started to duplicate again.

"You keep them busy, I'll get Kurskov," Angel stated, seeing a chance to reenter the real world.

"Well, hurry up," Dani shrugged, throwing the dagger through another minion. Angel nodded and leapt through a momentarily broken stretch of wall, landing in the real hall of the theatre. He ran towards the stage, and looked up at the box seats. Kurskov sat, staring at the prima ballerina. Angel took a vampire leap and made it up to the seat. Kurskov looked at him angrily.

"Who are you?" he asked with a thick Russian accent.

"Where's your power center?" Angel asked, spotting the large amulet around his neck. "I'll guess." He punched it, hard, breaking it. All of the ballerinas and stage props disappeared.

"How could you-how dare you-I loved her!" Kurskov whined. Angel punched him out.

"Start a website," Angel muttered. He met the others outside.

"So?" Dani prompted him.

"He's just a lovesick idiot," Angel replied.

yes, for a chappy i've taken a long time, but i've been busy, and this is a longer one than normal, so yeah. i'll try to get the next chappy up as soon as possible. 'til then, please review! thank you!