Buffy blinked rapidly, trying without success to make sense of the scene in front of her even as she took a tentative step forward, meeting her ex-lover's eyes with a calm and ice cold, "Angel. Long time, no see."

"Oh God," Harmony continued to whine, and Buffy sent her a warning look, snapping,

"Oh SHUT UP," disgustedly before turning back to Angel, appraising him carefully.

"Actually," she amended in the same unnaturally cool tone, "It would probably be better to say long time, no hear. Kind of thought you were dead."

"Thought or hoped?" he questioned sharply and she recoiled as though slapped before replying, voice hard,

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." She shook her head, seeming to contemplate before adding, "Or maybe I am. I regret how we left it. I've been regretting it for five years. Which you would have known if you'd bothered to stick around for, I don't know, five seconds after the apocalypse had ended, but of course-"

"I'd seen enough," he cut her off, his own tone cold to hide the agony he'd been living with for the five years she so flippantly sited, five years he knew she'd spent with Spike, a fact that was attested to by the almost blindingly large diamond ring on her left hand. She shot him a sarcastic smile, opening her mouth to reply but prevented as Faith burst into the lobby, asking in an annoyed tone,

"B, what is going ON out-" before growing silent at the sight of the scene in front of her. "Well," she said after a beat, surveying the broken glass on the floor and the shattered remains of the door, "I always did say those doors were an accident waiting to happen."

The bitterness faded from Buffy's gaze and a small, concerned frown took its place as she looked around her, noticing for the first time the fearful faces of her employees, who looked, if possible, even more confused than she felt.

"Um- this is a drill," Buffy blurted, improvising wildly in a way she hadn't since trying to explain where she had been to her mother back in high school, blurting out the first excuse that came to mind, heedless of how probable it might or might not seem. "A- violence drill. Since, you know- violence sometimes occurs. The- correct procedure is for everyone to go to the back of the office while I wait for authorities to come and- uh, apprehend!" she exclaimed triumphantly, even as she started to push them back toward the rear of the office. "Just- be calm, it's only a drill."

She sighed in relief as they went, scowling at Faith's amused look as she started to follow them toward the back of the office.

"Faith stay!" Buffy said a bit desperately. "I think-"

"It's not a social call," Angel confirmed from the doorway as the last of the workers disappeared, more surprised than he should have been when Buffy just nodded resignedly, seeming to lack the will to snap at him anymore as she admitted reluctantly,

"Yeah, well, whatever my opinion of you is, I didn't think you shattered my office doors just to see the look on my face." She felt more relieved than she was willing to admith that she wasn't going to need to face him alone after all this time as Faith stepped forward to stand beside her, offering silent and much needed support through a slightly painful pause.

Unable to deal with the awkwardness, Faith finally questioned bluntly, "Is he evil?" surprised when Buffy only shrugged.

"Don't think so," the blonde mused slowly slowly, biting her lip, and it surprised Angel how much it hurt that she wasn't sure, even though there was no earthly reason that she really should be-

"I'm not," he confirmed softly, trying to keep the slight note of pain from his voice and surprised when both girls just rolled their eyes.

"It's been a while, but even I remember that evil things don't usually admit that they're evil," Faith smiled ironically.

"I do think that's partly because evil things usually don't think they're evil, though, if we're being fair," Buffy mused, to Angel's amazement seeming to forget that he was even there- a fact that was quickly remedied by Spike's voice sounding from the doorway behind Faith and Buffy.

"That's not Angelus," he stated definitively, and Angel had never felt more grateful to toward him in his life than in the moment before Spike continued, "Angelus would never let himself look so pathetically confused. That's an Angel face alright-"

"Thanks, honey," Buffy chirped without turning around, and Angel felt his heart twist painfully at the slight smile that accompanied the words before she turned her focus fully back to him. "So- if you aren't evil- what's with the shattered doors?"

"Well, they wouldn't have shattered if I'd been able to get in," Angel snapped in exasperation, taking an angry and unconscious step forward and cringing as his way was blocked again even as Spike offered slowly,

"See, this is the part I'm not getting. You've been bloody awful about keeping in touch all these years- not that I'm complaining-"

"I'm here now because demons are following me and I need help," Angel snapped, losing patience. "Now can I come in or-"

"Hrmmm. Is it up to me?" Spike enquired, teasing look on his face, and Angel gasped despite himself as he saw the man for the first time. Gone was the bleached blonde hair and obscene amount of gel, replaced with wavy brown locks similar to those he had possessed when Angel had given Drusilla permission to turn him. His face, while not drastically altered, had matured slightly, and a few laugh lines he hadn't possessed during the hundred years Angel had known him had surfaced, lending his face a more adult look, somehow making him objectively more attractive- and Angel blinked as Buffy turned toward her husband, holding up a hand and saying softly, imploringly,

"Will-"

"Will?" Angel enquired disbelievingly from the doorway, futher flabbergasted when the teasing look faded from Spikes face and he conceded,

"You're right, now isn't the time," as Buffy turned back toward Angel with a sigh, saying slowly,

"Okay. Come in."

"Thank you," he said briefly as Harmony came bursting back into the lobby, saying breathlessly,

"Mr. Spike, everyone wants to know what's going on and- oh god! You let him in? Please protect me-"

"Angel," Buffy said slowly, a teasing gleam that he couldn't understand in her eye, "Are you in any way here to kill Harmony?"

He blinked at her in confusion. "No. Why would I-"

"Pity," she quipped dryly. "I was just telling William ten minutes ago that I wouldn't mind getting rid of her-" and despite himself Angel fought the urge to laugh at the horrified expression that crossed Harmony's face as she turned and ran frantically back in the direction from which she'd come.

"He goes by William now?" Angel questioned, unsurprised as Buffy nodded and Spike rolled his eyes, snarking,

"I am still in the room you know," before turning his attention to Buffy. "Can you handle this? I'm sensing the need for some damage control back there-"

She nodded. "I'll be fine."

Angel cringed as Spike took a small step forward and claimed Buffy's lips gently with his own for less than a second before following the way Harmony had gone without so much as a glance backward. He struggled with his emotions for a long moment, feeling ridiculous before he realized that he was so deeply affected not because of the significance of the gesture but because of the fact that it was obviously completely insignificant to both Spike and Buffy. It was just something they did twenty, thirty times a day at random intervals, so commonplace that it meant nothing, and yet the fact that it meant nothing meant so much more than anyone who seen them every day for the past five years could possibly realize- signifying comfort, commitment, permanence, stability. Even more hurtful was the fact that Spike hadn't even taken advantage of the moment to give him a hard time in any way- hadn't even blinked an eye as he left Buffy alone with him well, and Faith- the fact that Spike William trusted his marriage, believed that Angel's presence meant nothing- and though Angel knew he should be happy for them, grateful for that, something deep inside himself wouldn't allow it as he wondered what on earth had possessed him to come to her after all these years-.

And for the first time he really surveyed the girls in front of him, shocked when a tiny voice in his head informed him harshly that they were women now. Faith looked virtually unchanged, if far more content and dressed more business casual than sexy vixen- but Buffy-

Angel felt his unbeating heart constrict at how she had developed. He'd seen women age throughout the centuries, had always suspected that she wouldn't reach the height of her beauty until she was around thirty, but seeing it having actually transpired was another thing entirely. She had gained at least ten pounds since he had last seen her and it made her curvy in all the fight places; her face had matured, losing the last of its girlish configuration and conveying wisdom - compassion. Tiny laugh lines were just starting to form, but instead of detracting from anything they only served to give her character-

"Angel? Are you with us?" he suddenly heard Faith ask sharply, and he shook his head reluctantly in the negative.

"Sorry. I'm a little disoriented-"

"Well, try to pay attention!" Buffy snapped roughly, but he recognized her unkind tone for what it really was- nervousness about what was happening, what was coming- and focused his attention on her, offering a sincere,

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she shrugged magnanimously before determining, correctly, that she was going to need to start over, beginning, "How did you get here in the middle of the day?"

"The sewers," he replied at once, looking at her like she had grown two heads, and she rolled her eyes, flushing slightly.

"Sorry, I guess that was a stupid question," she admitted ruefully. "Been a long time since I needed to keep track of how Vampires-" and she grew redder before lifting her chin defiantly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I just- don't understand what's going on," and Faith nodded agreement.

"That would make two of us. I mean, you disappear for five years and then suddenly burst in here talking about evil, which, I mean, also seemed to have disappeared-"

Angel's brow furrowed in confusion. "If evil has disappeared from LA, why do you all work here together?"

Both girls looked at him like he was crazy before Buffy ventured, "Well… I know you're not much for transient things, but there is this little fad called money-" before Faith snorted,

"Not that we make any-"

"Hey!" Buffy snapped. "We do make-" she flushed again, "Well, some-"

Faith shrugged. "Whatever. It's just good that we can help-"

"What exactly do you all do?" Angel interrupted, and Buffy grew redder before squaring her shoulders.

"Employ lawyers to defend underprivileged children," she said in a soft rush. "Not the most lucrative thing in the world, but it can be pretty rewarding-" and suddenly her eyes locked with his before she continued, voice tight with emotion, "After all, someone needed to look out for the kids whose souls needed saving-"

Angel looked downward, feeling like her words were a slap as he ventured, feeling ridiculous, "So- you're not a lawyer?"

She smiled in what could almost have been amusement were it not for the tension in the room, saying "Not so much," before turning to Faith, and stating with some pride, "But Faith just finished up her fourth year at UCLA and is applying to Law School-"

"Um," Faith said nervously, looking toward the shattered doors as soft growls started to come from down the hall, "This small talk is all- um, REALLY great, but about those demons who are following you-"

"Okay," Buffy cut her off rapidly, seeming to comprehend the situation in one swift instant. "One of us needs to get Angel out of here through the back. The other one gets to play."

"You're stronger than me," Faith admitted at once, at which Buffy snorted.

"Yeah, but you're actually in shape."

Angel looked at them in disbelief, wondering how they had come to get along so well even as he asked incredulously, "Are the two of you going to rock paper scissors for it?"

"Well excuse me," Buffy snapped, eyes flashing. "This is a little confusing. It's been five years since any fighting of any evil of any sort has been done. I'm sorry if you can't-"

"Right, then," Faith sighed, realizing that leaving them alone together would most likely result in at least one death and yanking Angel toward the back stairway. "I'll take care of him, you do the kick ass thing."

"Good plan," Buffy shrugged, squaring her shoulders as the noise in the hallway got louder. "Will and I will meet you in an hour."

With that she rushed out into the hall.

--

Feedback inspires me to keep going and is VERY appreciated :-) I hope you are all enjoying!

And also- for the record- who is a Bangel fan and who is a Spuffy fan and which way would you all like to see the story go? (Yes, I do care!)