I got a WHOLE bunch of feedback and support, and for that I am grateful. REALLY! THANK YOU! Oh, and there maybe some (or a lot) of grammatical errors, but it's late (or early) and I just don't care. Just wanted to point it out before someone else did, let them know that I know.
Lynn
"With Some Scoobies on the Side Series"
By: Lynn
DISCLAIMERS: Duh guys! Nothing's mine!
DISTRIBUTION: You ask me, I ask you... you know the process.
SUMMARY: This is a re-write of most of the Angel episodes with the Scoobies in the mix. Whoohoo! This is gonna be fun!
SPOILERS: I guess the beginning of Ats.
A/N: Okay, so during the Ascension thing, Angel didn't tell Buffy he wasn't saying goodbye, and the whole "one last look by the fire trucks" thing didn't happen. And Faith didn't go all psycho. In my story, her association with the mayor was just a decoy.
"In the Dark"
Part 1
"Another uninterrupted forty minute-block. You are listening to LA's only alternative KLA-Rock. It's 11:05, do you know what your karma is?"
Oz clicked off the radio and cut the engine off of his van after he pulled up in front of Angel's apartment. He reached over next to him and gently shook the sleeping slayer in the passenger seat awake.
"Buffy... Buffy, we're here."
Buffy blinked open her green eyes and stretched out her cramped arms.
"Mmm... finally," she yawned, "You got it?"
Oz picked up a ring that was safely placed in the cup holder. "Got it," he replied. Buffy nodded and with that, they got out of the van and headed toward the building.
Over the weekend, Oz and Buffy made a little trip to Sunnydale. Oz had a gig with the Dingoes, while Buffy was there to pick up some stuff and to see how the Hellmouth was doing with the brunette slayer in charge.
Of course, the simple planned trip became anything but simple. While they were in Sunnydale, their favorite platinum blonde vampire came back to town once again, and also brought along an unlikely accomplice with him.
Spike had nearly destroyed Sunnydale from underground in search of the Ring of Amarra. Apparently, the vampire had been there for awhile, holed up beneath the Hellmouth's soil, with none other than the newly vamped Harmony Kendall.
The piece of jewelry that Spike was after held great power. It made vampires invincible, immune to anything that vampires were "allergic" to.
Unfortunately, Spike had obtained the ring, but luckily, Buffy got the ring from him before he could do any real damage.
Giles wanted to destroy the ring, but Buffy had better plans for it. She had to admit to herself that some of the reasons she didn't want to destroy the ring were a bit selfish, but Angel really, truly deserved it.
"Hello LA," Oz said when they entered the office. Cordelia and Doyle looked up with smiles from Cordy's desk, while Willow jumped up in excitement, and headed straight for her boyfriend's arms.
"Hey guys," Buffy greeted after a quick round of hugs, "What's going on?"
At that question, Cordelia beamed brightly and held up a piece of paper that said, "Invoice" in big, bold letters. "We had our first walk-in client!"
"That's great... Is he downstairs?"
Cordelia rolled her eyes at Buffy's lack of interest and sudden change of subject. "Yes, he is."
"Great! Thanks," Buffy then gestured to Oz to follow her, and they made their way to the elevator.
"What's going on," Willow asked, following the two; Doyle and Cordelia were right behind them, just as curious.
"We have a present for Angel," Buffy answered cryptically.
Cordelia huffed, "So it is true then? After a while, couples do start acting alike."
Buffy chose to ignore the comment and drew up the elevator door.
Just in time, Angel walked by thumbing through a book. He was probably about to have a busy night of reading and brooding. 'My man's a wild one,' Buffy thought.
"Hey guys," Angel said, only sparing a quick glance from his book. Not even a second later did he finally register that his love stood right in front of him, and looked up.
A huge smile, only reserved for Buffy, lit up his face. He opened his arms and let his girl enter his embrace.
After a few beats, Cordelia ruined the sweet moment with her impatience. "Okay that's lovely and all, but can you tell us what you got Angel?"
The couple took their focus off each other, but kept their arms around the other.
"Oz," Angel greeted the werewolf.
"Hey," he replied and nodded.
"Nice visit?"
"You could say that."
"Drive safe?"
"Of course."
Doyle looked between the two. "Are they always like this," he asked to no one in particular.
"No, we're usually laconic," Oz retorted.
"Come on in," Angel told the group, and lead them into the kitchen. "So what brings you by?"
"Mostly to see you," Buffy grinned up at him, "But also to give you this." Oz placed a small object in her hand, and she held it up for Angel to see.
Angel stared at the gold ring with a round green gem in shock, while Doyle moved closer to get a better look.
"Is that what I think it is," Doyle asked in wonder.
"It's the Gem of Amarra," Angel stated, still staring at the ring in Buffy's hand.
"One and the same," Oz commented.
"I wanted you to have it," Buffy said, stepping closer to Angel. "Giles wanted to destroy it, but I knew it would have better use here."
"Hey, Giles," Cordelia said with a laugh, "How is good old Giles anyway?"
"He is...," Oz started.
"What? Still the cool watcher, or does he brood and bark out orders like-," Cordy received a cold look from Angel, "Nobody here," she held up her hands in mock defense and shook her head, "Mm-mmm."
Angel carefully plucked the ring from Buffy's hand and examined it in awe.
"He's good. He's Giles."
"And I'm sure we'll be interested in that later, but right now can we concentrate on the mother-load Angel just hit," Doyle said.
Angel remained quiet and deep in thought. He leaned on his kitchen table, staring at the ring intently as he rolled it around in his hand.
Extremely excited and impatient, Doyle urged him, "What are you waiting for, man? Put it on!"
"Okay, you're getting weird about this ring. Since when did you go all Versace about accessorizing," Cordelia wondered.
"Since the accessory is priceless and renders it's wearer 100 unkillable if he's a vampire."
Cordelia and Willow's eyes widened.
"Unkillable," Willow tried to clarify.
"Whew. You mean not even stakes," Cordelia asked.
"Not nothing. Not stakes, not fire, and the best thing is not even sunlight," Doyle returned.
Willow's eyes lit up with excitement that she knew her best friend most likely felt. "Oh my gosh! Buffy! Angel! This is what you always wanted! Well except for the children and human thing, but... sunlight! This is so great," she rambled.
Buffy let the smile she was holding crack through her worry towards Angel's reaction. Her best friend knew her well; she had never been happier. She was already planning picnics in the park, walks on the beach, and even fun trips to the boardwalk or maybe even Disneyland, but judging from Angel's response, or lack there of, she knew she shouldn't have counted her chickens before they hatched.
"Just think about it, man," Doyle boasted, "Pool side tanning, bargain matinees. Plus, I know a couple of strip clubs that have a fabulous luncheon buffet." At everyone's looks towards him, he tried to amend with, "I mean, it's- I've heard."
"Excuse me, but if Angel does accept this ring, I don't think he'll be spending all sunlight time at a buffet with a bunch of naked ladies and you, thank you very much," Buffy commented, she sidled up to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his waist. She was still aware about Angel's grave expression toward the ring.
Finally, the vampire spoke, "And you want me to have this," he asked Buffy.
"Yes, of course. Who better than you," Angel just gazed into her eyes that always seemed to change from hazel to blue.
"Your old buddy Spike dug up Sunnydale looking for it," Oz told him, "He got a fist full of Buffy and left it behind."
Despite his muddled feelings about the ring, he smirked briefly at Buffy's triumph. 'That's my girl,' he proudly thought.
Buffy grinned back up at him. "I wanted to be sure it was in good hands."
Doyle walked over to the couple. "I have an idea," he interjected, sounding like a little boy on Christmas day, "Why don't you put it on and I'll stake you! It'll be fun!"
Angel gently pried himself away from the comfort of Buffy's arms; his thoughts were back on the ring. "Maybe later," Angel replied dully.
"What, are you out of your mind?"
"I said maybe later," he said a little more forcefully.
"Yeah...," Doyle tried to argue.
"Doyle."
The half-demon gave up and walked toward the elevator. "Okay, you have it your way, alright Bud. But I'm still going to celebrate with a drink down at the pub."
"He'd celebrate the opening of a mailbox with a drink at the pub," Cordelia commented. She waved goodbye to Buffy and Angel as she followed Doyle. "You coming guys?"
Willow and Oz still had their blue eyes on the other couple when Willow answered for them, "Yeah. We could eat something."
"Go ahead," Buffy insisted, "I'll meet you at home later."
The red headed wicca nodded, and after a bit, she dragged her boyfriend to the elevator.
Once they were gone, Buffy turned to Angel and placed a hand on his back.
"So what are you thinking," she asked quietly, gently rubbing his back to show that she wasn't pressuring him.
Angel sighed. "I don't know. It's a lot to take in. I mean, I don't feel like I deserve this opportunity."
"But Angel, you do. You really, truly do."
He sighed again, "I just need some time to think about it, okay?"
"Fine," she agreed, but frowned none the less. "You up for patrol," she offered.
Angel nodded. "Just let me put this somewhere safe, and we'll get going."
"Okay, hurry back."
He gave her a quick peck to the lips. "I will."
The next morning in the office, Willow stared at a hung over Doyle in amusement while Cordelia fetched him a cup of water from the cooler.
Doyle moaned in agony and leaned heavily on the end of Cordelia's desk. He used his first two fingers to dig into the aspirin bottle he was holding to try and fish a couple out.
"Oh God. You know what would feel really good right now? One of those mind-numbing, head-cracking visions that I get from time to time," Doyle sarcastically stated. He was still struggling with the bottle of aspirin. "Because that would really kill me now. Is there some kind of trick to this?"
Willow took the bottle out of his hand.
"I think the trick is laying off the ale," Cordelia said, "before you start quoting 'Angela's Ashes' and weeping like a baby man."
"Hey, that's a good book." Willow put the pills in Doyle's accepting hand. He popped them into his mouth and washed them down.
"It's is," Willow said, "I've read it, but I don't remember the main characters being Betty and Barney Rubble as you vehemently insisted last night."
"Also, I don't think Oz appreciated being called 'My Little Bam-Bam' all night," Cordelia added.
Doyle shifted his eyes as he instantly remembered that action.
"Don't worry, he was cool with it," Willow assured him with a smile, "And I thought it was cute when you called me Pebbles."
Suddenly, a giggle came from the entrance, and they turned to see their favorite blonde slayer and Xander.
"He called you Pebbles," Xander wondered and walked up to the desk with Buffy.
"Yeah. How was class," Willow asked Buffy.
"Ugh, boring and long. I think I'm just gonna go downstairs and try to find some relax time with my honey," she said while walking to the stairs.
"What else is new," Xander mumbled to himself, but slayer hearing went a long way.
"I heard that," Buffy's voice came from the stairwell.
When Buffy entered Angel's apartment with a slight bounce in her step, her eyes caught sight of one of the most sexiest things ever.
Angel was in a black wife beater and matching sweat pants, his body glistened with seat as he swiftly and gracefully did his Tai Chi.
In one of his movements, he slightly turned and caught a grinning Buffy gawking at him from behind. He turned around fully to face her.
"Hey, how was class," he asked like Willow had.
Buffy wrinkled her nose, "I'm just starting to wonder why I picked an early morning class," was her reply. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you."
Angel held her about the waist and pulled her closer despite his sweatiness. "I missed you, too."
"If only there was a way we can see each other at all hours of the day," Buffy hinted in a wistful tone.
"Buffy..."
"I know. I'm just saying."
Before Angel could say anything, the phone rang. After the second ring, he picked it up.
"Hello?" There was only silence on the other end, "Hello?" Right when he was about to hang up, he heard his name being called from the other end and immediately recognized the scared voice.
"Rachel. Are you alright?"
"They let Lenny out," their first client told him about her violent, crack-head boyfriend, "The lawyer said something about a technicality."
"I'll be right there." He hung up the phone. "That was that girl I told you about," he said to Buffy.
"What happened?" She followed Angel to his bedroom, where he quickly changed his clothes.
"Her boyfriend got out of jail. I need to go to her to make sure he won't get to her."
"It's daylight," she pointed out, but then her face lightened up with hope and excitement, "Are you going to use the ring?"
Angel shrugged on his black shirt and had to smirk, "I'm going to go underground."
Buffy's excitement quickly vanished, and a pout replaced it.
As Angel passed by his disappointed girlfriend on his way to the exit, he planted a kiss on her cheek.
"I'll be back," he grabbed his leather coat and put it on, "I love you," he softly declared and then left a pouting Buffy behind him.
When Angel disappeared to the underground garage, Buffy's pout turned into an evil glare.
'Damn that man's stubborness,' she thought and was about to storm upstairs, and vent to Willow when she heard a stampede of footsteps hurry down the stairs.
"Guys...," she was about to ask her friends what was wrong when Cordelia frantically cut in.
"Doyle just had a vision. Where's Angel?"
Buffy's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "He just left. Wha-"
"Damn," Doyle cursed, and ran toward the underground garage where Angel just exited, everybody following his tracks.
"Spike's here," Xander informed her.
Buffy's eyes widened, "Here as in..."
"As in 'here about to kick Angel's ass for the ring' here."
The slayer let out an angry cry before pushing her way to the front and rushing to Angel. This is just what she needed today, school, stubborn Angel, and an evil Billy Idol clone.
The team ran in just as Angel threw Spike into a wall, both vampires in game face.
As Spike slowly got to his feet, he caught sight of the angry looking slayer and smirked.
"Slayer! Good to see you again," he then saw the others surrounding her, "And the whole gang's here, too! Cordelia, Red, the slayer's lap dog... it's like a reunion of sorts."
"What are you doing here, Spike," Buffy growled.
"I'm taking back what's mine."
"It's not yours. It's Angel's now."
Spike scoffed and chuckled, "Oh okay, Cutie. Since it's Angel's I'll back off now," he remarked sarcastically and then turned to Angel seriously, "I'll get that ring. This isn't over until one of us is a pile of dust, mate." With that, he ran off, disappearing in the shadows before anybody could do anything.
Buffy relaxed a little and walked up to Angel, laying one hand on his chest and the other lightly ran over the ridges of his demon face.
"Are you okay," Willow asked for her.
Angel looked away from everybody, ashamed of his vampiric features, and then turned back to his human face.
"More importantly," Doyle urged, "how's the ring?"
"It's fine," Angel answered and reluctantly left the space of Buffy's arms, and turned to the group. "I can't say the same for you guys, though. You better get out of sight until this thing is over. Spike is out for blood," he looked at Doyle, "Take them to your place, and make sure Oz goes there, too."
"His place," Cordelia said a little apprehensively, "Why can't I go home? Or to Buffy or God forbid Xander's? He doesn't know they actually live here."
"Because he knows you Cordelia," Buffy returned, "And as much as I hate to admit it, he's not stupid. He'll figure out we moved here and track us all down."
"Yeah but he's not invited, right? He can't come in."
"No," Xander said, "But he can burn the place to the ground."
"Okay then," she willingly gave in, "Doyle's place it is then."
"What about you," Willow asked Angel, "You know he'll be coming back for you before long."
"I know."
"So what are you going to do," Cordy further questioned.
"Find him first," was Angel's blunt answer.
"Alright," Doyle said, immediately satisfied with Angel's response, "let's go."
As they left, Buffy and Angel exchanged glances while Angel wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Okay, so I guess we need to find Spike," Buffy said and started to walk to the car, until Angel gently grabbed her arm to stop her.
"I still need to go to Rachel," he stated, causing Buffy to look at him incredulously.
"What? Angel, your life, unlife, is at stake here," she wrinkled her nose, realizing the unintended pun, but quickly shook it off, "We have to find Spike. Now."
"Buffy, I can handle Spike, I have for over a hundred years. Right now, I need to help Rachel. It's my job now, remember?"
She stared at him for a second and then let out a frustrated noise. "Fine. Let's go," she snapped and threw her arms in the air angrily.
Angel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, thinking that the time they will spend in the car, which will be a cold, silent time, no doubt, will probably be the only time they will be alone for awhile.
"Not Spice, that's the bird down on Broadway. Spike, like in railroads... Uh-huh... yeah, vampire, right... No?... Okay, then. Thanks." Doyle ended his conversation on the phone with one of his contacts. Willow, Oz, and Xander sat across from him on his couch, while Cordelia wore down the carpet by pacing around the small apartment, observing some of Doyle's belongings.
The Irish man made a mark in his open address book. "Frankie Tripod? A big no."
Cordelia looked up confused from her pacing. "Frankie Tripod," she questioned the weird sounding name, "Oh I get it. Some kind of three-legged monster, right?"
"No he's human." Doyle smirked, looking quite amused, as did Xander, who immediately got the joke. Willow, bless her still innocent mind, looked a bit confused like Cordelia, and Oz, as always, had barely an expression on his face.
"Then why is his name... Oh...," The nickname became clear to her and she continued her pacing.
Willow still looked around confused. "Wait, I still don't...," Then it suddenly dawned on her and her eyes widened, "Oh, okay. That's... oh."
A grin graced Oz's stoic features, and he brushed a kiss against her temple.
"Cordy," Xander said a little agitated, "can you please stop your pacing? You're gonna clear a pathway to China. Also, you're making me a little dizzy."
Cordelia's dark eyes smoldered her ex-boyfriend, and she continued to pace, now not only to ease her anxiety, but to annoy Xander. She was interrupted, though, when Doyle got up and got in her way.
"I agree with Xander, here. Why don't you sit down. Get comfortable. Angel said I should go through every name in my book until I get a bend on where Spike is hiding out. Could be a while."
Cordelia snottily dismissed his offer, "Please. I couldn't get comfortable in here if the floor was lined with mink. I mean, how can you live like this?" She gestured toward his apartment. Just like her apartment, clothes were thrown about in piles, but unlike her place, Doyle's was a tad bit nicer.
Doyle looked at her in an amused way. "Well I didn't until last week. Then I saw what you did with your place and I just had to call my decorator," he quipped sarcastically, and a couple of snickers came from Willow and Xander.
Cordy gazed at him incredulously, "No way! My apartment isn't near this yucky."
Xander scoffed, "Your apartment makes Doyle's look like a suite from the Waldorf-Astoria." She immediately slapped him on the shoulder.
Before she sat on the arm of the couch next to him, she brushed off some crumpled pieces of paper. "It smells like bong water in here."
While he picked up some dirty clothes off his small lounge chair, he said, "Okay, a couple of laundry might be a couple of days over due, but..." The ringing of the telephone interrupted him, and he dropped the clothes in his hand to answer it.
"Yeah?... Hey, Kizzy... Yeah, vamp named Spike... No?... Okay..." Doyle's voice suddenly changed defensive, "What, a "C" note? I absolutely paid that back, man!... Hey, no, sorry, there goes my other line." He quickly slammed down the phone. At everyone's inquiring looks, he tried to save himself. "He was mistaken, but I didn't have time to get into it, right? I'm on a mission here... So what about this Spike? Is he as bad as all that? I mean should I be sweating?"
"He's really not...," Willow glanced at the other "Slayerettes", "sweat."
"That's what I figured."
When Angel and Buffy arrived at Rachel's apartment, Buffy had cooled off just a bit. She said more than one word to him, so that was good.
As soon as Rachel opened the door, Buffy rolled her eyes. Why wasn't she surprised that it was yet another helpless blonde chick that needed Angel's help.
"Hey," the girl greeted, a recently lit cigarette in her hand, "you came."
"Of course," Angel replied, "This is my girlfriend Buffy. She helps me... do what I do."
The girls politely shook hands and they stepped further into the apartment after an invitation from Rachel.
Rachel hugged herself tightly and let the cigarette burn in her hands without even taking a drag. Buffy watched the overly stressed girl as she leaned against the wall, while Angel remained in the shadows in front of the doorway.
"You keep showing up like this and I'm going to think you're a man of your word," Rachel said after a while.
"Stranger things.."
"Not many," Rachel went into the kitchen and leaned on the counter top.
Angel finally stepped out of the shadows, but carefully skirted a patch of sun. Thank God Rachel had the blinds shut so only little sun came in.
"So we'll get you out of here," Angel told her as he and Buffy followed her, "There are places you can go, where you'll be safe."
"Like a shelter?"
"It's a start. He won't be able to find you, I swear." Buffy remembered the "shelter" that she went to when she was in LA last summer that lead to hell, but decided to keep it to herself.
"Not, it's not the shelter, it's just, half the time, you know how this thing starts up again, Lenny and me?"
"You call him," Buffy assumed, a grim look on her face.
"I-I-I just," she stabbed out the barely used cigarette onto a plate, "I just start to jones for him. The way jones for rock. And I call, or find him in some dive, and I drag him home... and it's good for awhile."
Buffy shook her head and replied firmly, "But it doesn't last. This last time he would have killed you." She referred to the time Angel found her in the nick of time in an alley with a crazed Lenny handling a gun.
Rachel tried hard not to let her tears stream down her face. "I'm scared, I'm more scared of me right now than I am of him."
"You're at a crossroads, I know," Angel said, "It's either go for the easy fix and wait for the consequences, or take the hard road and go with faith."
The scared girl suddenly got a freaked out look on her face and backed away from the couple a few steps into the living room.
"Oh God. You're not from that freaky church on Sunset, are you?"
"In yourself," Buffy clarified, "That kind of faith." She walked a little closer to Rachel, "What Angel's trying to say is, if you leave Lenny for good, it'll hurt. But eventually you'll be stronger for it. And maybe you'll find your way to the kind of love you deserve."
"You mean the kind of love that comes without 911 calls," she half-heartedly joked.
"That's the general idea," Angel said.
"Hey," Buffy said lightly, "Leaving loved ones for the better ... He's talking from experience here."
Angel awkwardly cleared his throat and shook his head when Buffy looked over at him with a grin.
"Oh yeah, Spike's nearly done Buffy in a few times," Cordelia informed Doyle as she snacked on a bag of microwave popcorn she found in the kitchen, her voice sounding a little too upbeat. "I mentioned that he's killed two slayers already?"
Doyle nodded, "You did."
"Oh, and this one time, he and Dru raised this demon that burned people from the inside," Willow told him and snagged some popcorn from Cordelia.
"It was this whole weird thing with an arm in a box," Xander finished for her, taking a handful of popcorn as well.
"An arm in a box," Doyle questioned skeptically, and they all nodded.
The phone rang and Doyle picked it up. "House of Pies," he answered in a different, nasally voice.
"Doyle? Is that you," Buffy asked over the line. She watched as Angel tested out his wrist sheathes, he threw newly made ones to her.
"Oh, sorry, lass. Just laying low. All those calls to past acquaintances stirred up a few, uh, old resentments."
"I hope it was worth it," she said, strapping on the weapons.
"Yeah, well, listen. Manny the Pig said he didn't know anything about a vampire named Spike."
"So?" She shot out her arm, causing the hidden stake to snap out. A smile lit her face as she marveled at the idea of all the damage she could do with her new toy. Her boyfriend was such a dangerous genius.
"So he said that before I mentioned anything about Spike. You'll find him at a joint down on Third called the Orbit Room."
"Okay," she manually retracted the stake to put it back into place, "we'll start with Manny the Pig then."
"Work your way down."
The couple did actually start with Manny the Pig, but it suddenly turned into a game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", only with Spike instead, of course. Three different low-lives lead them to a pub, to a strip club, and now to an underground poker game.
Finally, the man Angel held roughly told them Spike was just behind the building.
When the two walked out the back door and into the alley, they found Spike snacking on a struggling, young girl.
"Let her go," Buffy said calmly, but with intimidation.
Spike looked up from the whimpering girl, vamp face still in place, blood dripping from his fangs.
"Did anyone ever tell you, you were a hell of a buzz-kill, Slayer?" He threw the girl into Angel's arms and took off.
"Run," Angel told her and he and Buffy went after Spike.
Spike ended up at the end of an alley that was blocked by a chain linked fence.
"Caught me fair and square, White Hats," Spike declared, sounding bored. He turned around to face them and slowly lifted his hands over his head mockingly. "I guess there's nothing to do now but to go quietly and pay my debt to society."
Buffy and Angel closed in on him slowly.
"You think you can come to my town and pull this crap," Angel growled, "You never learn Spike."
Spike, with his usual smug face, laid his hands on top of his head. "I may be a slow learner..."
The sounds of chains rattled behind Buffy and Angel and they turned around. A bald man with a white dress shirt and black pants suddenly whipped the long chain in his hands around Angel's neck and dragged him to the ground.
Before Buffy could attack, a sharp pain pricked her neck. She hissed and brought a hand up to find a small metal dart, the kind they used on Oz when his werewolf side got out of control. The Slayer turned to Spike to see a little tranq-gun in his hand. Her vision became blurry and then it turned totally black as she fell unconscious to the found with a thud.
"But eventually I learn," Spike finished, tucking the gun back in his coat pocket.
At Doyle's apartment, Xander, Cordelia, Willow, and Oz huddled around the phone, anxiously waiting for it to ring, while Doyle paced back and forth like Cordelia had done before.
"Buffy and Angel should've called by now," Willow stated and then sighed, "This is bad."
"Maybe not," Doyle returned, trying to sound optimistic, "Maybe they did away with Spike in short order, and decided to give a go at surfing?"
"Right," Cordy agreed, "What are we worried about? Angel has the ring, right?"
"Right," Xander joined in, "I bet he's hanging 10 right about now, off the sandy shores of Malibu. Wind in his hair..."
"Yeah, he and Buffy are probably soaking in the sun together, taking a romantic walk on the beach," Willow tried to convince herself and the others that they were okay, but knew that their little theories were less than likely to be true.
TBC...