"You're the biggest dolt I've ever met in my life" Spike exclaimed. They had been walking through the sewers for about an hour now trying to find the entrance to the Wolfram and Hartt building.

"I had no choice Spike." Angel tried to explain

"Yeah you did, get up and walk out of the bloody room. Don't get me wrong this ups my anti about 200 percent but how much fun is it gonna be winning my humanity when I know I didn't steal it from you."

"Well that's just something you're gonna have to live with because I signed it away. The Shanshu prophecy is yours now."

"Why are you telling me this? You hoping maybe I'll give up Buffy in return or something?"

Angel Grabbed Spike and pinned him against the wall "This has nothing to do with her you inconsiderate prick! She's no ones to give away. She makes her own choices and unfortunately I'm not one of them. I thought if you knew about the prophecy you'd take the extra effort to make it happen."

Spike threw Angel away "You ever lay a hand on me again and I won't think twice about ripping your heart out so you can watch me stake it." And with that they began walking again. "You don't even know who she is anymore." How long have you been away and you think you still know her or who she is?"

"I'm not getting into this conversation again. I wanted you to know about the prophecy, and now you know."

"Fine then lets just not talk until we get there."

"We're here…"

Spike sighed and shook his head. They both crawled up through a whole in the ground and found themselves in one of the lower levels.

"I've never seen this area before." Angel said. They began walking carefully wherever they could find room. Half collapsed walls made for easy access but difficult maneuvering. They made their way up two more levels to a place Angel recognized. "OK there should be a vault somewhere around here with all kinds of artifacts and files in it."

Sure enough it was right where he thought. They searched around and Spike filled bags with weapons big and small. Angel worked on remembering the code to the drawers where all the files where kept. Lindsay had told him so long ago but he was always so good at remembering these things. It was then he turned and saw the podium, the podium that had once held the Shanshu prophecy and was now empty. Before he knew it he had ripped the drawer out of the wall. He filled two duffle bags with DVDs which contained Wolfram and Hartt's backup library. They now had all the research material they would need.

The two remained in complete silence throughout their entire mission, both eager to get what they needed and get away from each other. Had they not been Angel might have missed the whisper of a barely recognizable voice call out his name. He stopped so abruptly Spike walked into him.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

"Shhh!" Angel exclaimed, and then he heard it again. Spike having heard it this time followed Angel down the corridor it came from. The hall followed down about twenty-five yards then just stopped.

"Where are we?" Spike asked

"I don't know" Angel said "I've never seen this level and it wasn't on any of the maps I was given." He peered for another second then walked forward.

"What are you…?" Spike was cut off as Angel disappeared into the brick wall. He was so surprised he almost dropped the bags of weapons he was carrying. "Riiiight" He let it sink in then followed.

He came out on the other side in a cave of sorts with no entrance or exit. Four torches lit the white marble room as Angel stood and stared at its only contents. A single roman style column about four feet tall rose up from the ground in the center of the room. The angled top contained three hooks, the top two horizontal from each other. Braced across them was the container which held the Shanshu prophecy, the actual, ages old, priceless prophecy. Below on the third hook hung a large round pendant…the pendant.

Spike walked up behind Angel "What's so…oh no, get that bloody thing away from me, I did my time." Spike backed up and leaned against the wall he could no longer pass through.

"Spike!" Angel turned to look at him "Shut up!"

Angel sat pondering a dozen questions. Finally it all became too much. He grabbed them both and put them in the bag. Swiftly he turned and headed towards the wall.

"Might not be…" Spike was cut off as Angel walked through the wall that had led them in. "Yeah that figuuuuuu." As Angel walked through the wall Spike was pulled through and spit out the other side back into the hallway. "Well that's about right." He said sarcastically as he picked up his dropped backs and followed Angel through the whole back down into the sewer.

They walked for another good hour until they reached their destination. Spike complaining the whole way, Angel ignored him, deep in thought. Angel climbed up an old ladder which led to a trap door. Opening the door he climbed up through the hole and found himself standing inside his old abandoned apartment. Everything was as it had been more than four years ago. Burnt and charred pieces of exploded furniture littered the room. It wasn't home but it was a place to be for now.

"Wonderful accommodations" Spike mocked as he climbed up through the floor.

"You don't like it try the sewer." Angel retorted as he slowly walked around examining his former belongings.

"So where are we exactly?"

"Angel Investigations."

"This is the hotel? You gotta be kiddin me."

"This isn't the hotel, it's my apartment."

Before Spike could ask another question a loud bang erupted from one of the floors above. Spike and Angel turned towards each other and reluctantly ran up the stairs. Angel found him self in what used to be his office. Gunn and Gwen had broken in the front door.

"Sorry, hope you didn't need that." Gunn said as he positioned the door back in its place.

"So how long have you had this place and not bothered to have it cleaned up?" Spike asked

"Spike!" Angel was getting beyond agitated at this point. "Let it go!"

"How did you guys do?" Gwen asked

"Good, we got most of what we needed." Angel answered "it's all downstairs. How about you?"

"Not much luck." Gwen answered "The place was fairly well guarded from all sides. I could have gotten us in but we figured it was better not to attract too much attention"

"Good call. Let's sort through what we got, try and figure out what our next move is. I'm gonna see if there's anything left behind up here."

The others went downstairs as angel began to look around. He wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for. They had everything they needed, weapons, research material. Yet still he sifted through the rubble. In the corner a pile of old papers caught his eye. Seemingly normal old files and invoices except for one which had a shine to it. It was a picture, a picture of him Cordy and Wes. Taken so many years ago, before everything. Before Wolfram and Hartt, before Cordy became a higher being, before Wesley discovered the prophecy. A rush of emotions came over him. He was deep in thought when the sound of Spike's voice furiously yelling his name from the basement woke him out of it. Angel ran downstairs to find them all huddled over a table looking at something.

"What's the bloody big idea?" Spike confronted him "Is it some kind of joke or something? Tell me its mine so when you get it you can laugh in my face some more?"

"What joke?" Angel asked

"Telling me the prophecy wasn't your anymore!"

Angel walked over to the table to find the Shanshu prophecy laid out. It was as it had always been. But when he looked for the red mark of his name in top corner, he couldn't find it.

"So?" Spike asked

"I signed it right there." Angel pointed

"Well it doesn't bloody well look like it."

"When Wolfram and Hartt was destroyed could it have canceled?" Gwen asked

"I wouldn't think so; Wolfram and Hart's contracts are eternal. They even continue after you die." Gunn replied "Since we left my brain has been kind of fuzzy on the law stuff but it is possible since you were a member of the black thorn when you signed, you actually signed it over to yourself."

"But they told me I wasn't a full member until I did one more thing." Angel responded "Signing was the one more thing."

"Everything they gave me is fading away. We need a real lawyer." Gunn said

"Ask and ye shall receive." Came a voice

Angel looked up and leaning against the doorway to the kitchen was a woman dressed in a skirted suite with a matching silk scarf wrapped around her neck.

Angel sighed "Lilah."