Disclaimer: see first chapter. nothing's changed.

Chapter Five:

"Angel."

The room was silent as the former lovers stared at each other. She looked good, Angel noted. Not as haggard and skinny as the last time he'd seen her. Buffy was pleased to see no trace of Angelus in him. Didn't mean he could be trusted, though.

"…so how are things? Did you say that you were coming? Cause I never saw it on my schedule…" Angel asked, awkwardly. He couldn't think of anything to say to her, which gave him a painful stab in his heart.

Buffy looked at him, hoping that the hurt she felt at his question didn't show. She needed an appointment to see him? Ouch. She took a breath before answering.

"I'm fine; great, even. I know it's kid of weird, us just showing up like this, but we need your help."

Angel perked up. Maybe things weren't so bad between them after all.

"There's a prophecy that concerns me, and your company stole the only whole copy that there is, and I'm gonna be needing it." Aaaand there goes that hope; torn and spread over an ocean of unfulfilled dreams. Sigh. Sometimes he really wished that someone else had to deal with this, even if it was Buffy.

" A prophecy? Well, that's easy. I'll have Wes call it up, get his team on it, and they should have it translated for you by'"

"Um, Angel?" Willow spoke up, "If you don't mind, we're gonna do the translating ourselves. We brought along most of the resources we need and inn a couple days, we should be done." Angel stared at her, finally understanding.

"You guys really think I've gone evil, don't you? I mean, distrust, I can understand, but evil?" He laughed bitterly, walking towards them.

" I came into this company, thinking about how much good we could do with their resources, how we could 'fight evil from within the belly of the beast', and this is what happens? Naturally I expected some distrust, perhaps some worry, but I never expected you to think I was evil!" Angel looked into Buffy's eyes; the hurt lay open.

"I thought you knew me better than that."

" I couldn't be sure. But now we know." She answered simply.

"Still," Spoke up willow, "We'd like to do our own translating. Not because of you or anything," she added hastily, "But because of the other people, okay?" Angel nodded, not speaking.

"So, when can we start?" Asked Dawn, speaking for the first time.

" I'll talk to Wes, have him make arrangements. He'll bring you any books you'll need, help you find anything. I'll have an office set up and some bedrooms. Don't worry, no-one'll kill you in your sleep; I'll send out a memo." He finished sarcastically.

"Angel…thanks." Buffy spoke quietly, touching his arm. He nodded.

"I'll send Wesley in for you in a minute. Just…wait her for him." He told them before heading towards his private elevator. He needed a shower and a really big drink, and he REALLYdeserved them.

Fred looked up from her work to see a very miserable-looking Spike enter her office, holding a very large bottle of some form of alcohol or another in his hand. He plopped down in the chair in front of her desk and set down his bottle.

"Let's get pissed, you an' me." Fred looked at him questioningly.

"Spike, what's going on? Didn't you kill anything?" He looked at her, despair in his eyed.

"Buffy's here."

"Oh." Was all Fred could say. Of course she'd heard stories about the Slayer. Everyone told of how she saved their lives, saved the world, saved puppies and kittens and goldfish, or whatever was in mortal danger…. And Fred was a little sick of it. Plus, for some reason, hearing Spike talk about her always stirred up a little flame of jealousy somewhere inside her.

" You know, I was straight on my way of bein' over her, and the she shows up! How's a vamp supposed to move on when she's right here?" Spike ranted, reaching for his bottle. Fred reached it first, and moved it away from him.

"Spike, I don't thing getting drunk over her is gonna help anything. I mean, you tend to do some really stupid stuff when you're drunk, like the special 'Angel' shampoo bottle that was filled with Rogaine, or going off to eat that Xander guy now that you're corporeal again, or that time you thought the secret to a lifetime of happiness was to propose to Harmony…" Spike cringed, remembering.

"Fine. What am I supposed to do then?"

"I don't know." Fred said, thinking. "You could go to a movie or something. Play pool, go kill something…I suck at suggestions." She apologized. Spike smiled at her, leaning forward in his chair.

"Actually, luv, that movie idea sound like something I could do. But you're comin with me." Fred looked at him, surprised.

"Umm, why?" Spike hot out of his chair and reached for Fred's jacket.

"Because, you need a break, you're the only person I can stand to be around in this wreck, and because I'd look bloody pathetic goin to a movie by my lonesome." Fred smiled. She was not going to turn thins into another Angle and the movie thing.

" Well, I wouldn't want you to look pathetic." She answered, slipping into her jacket.

"What are we gonna see?"

"Umm, what about Lord of the Rings?"

"I don't know. I was thinking maybe The Phantom of the Opera."

"Are you insane? I am not sittin through the soddin Phantom of the Opera! The book was enough. Besides, I don't so so well with musicals."

"Really? Why?"

"…Long story pet. So, Lord of the Rings, huh? I think you'll like it."

" I don't know. Isn't it a little violent?"

"Course not! There's elves, and hobbits, and cute lil' dwarves, and magic rings. That was a book I liked. You'll love it."

" You're not lying, are you?"

" What! Of course not!" Spike lied, leading her out the door, neither of the having a single thought of Buffy.

Andrew kept fidgeting around, becoming more and more nervous by the minute. He was in the same building as Spike; Spike who threatened to tear his arms off. He liked his arms, they helped him to hold things type, smoke his pipe, do…stuff. Anyway, the point was, he didn't want to lose them, but he had to tell someone. Everyone knew he couldn't keep a secret!

"Andrew!" Buffy yelled at him. "Can't you sit still for even a minute?" uh-oh, she looked mad. They hadn't even left Angel's office yet, and she was angry.

"Sorry, I think I had too much… coffee, or something." Buffy sighed.

"Dawn, will you take Andrew out for a walk? Make sure he doesn't get lost." Dawn looked up at her.

"What? I have to baby-sit the little freak?"

"Dawn…" Buffy warned.

Fine! But don't expect me to save him if some evil thing around her tries to kill him!"

" I never asked you to." Buffy called out to the retreating form of her sister.

Dawn walked toward the elevator, wishing she were still in Italy.

"Seriously Andrew, what's wrong with you?" Andrew looked at her guiltily.

"I have to tell you something."

"Than tell me!" Andrew looked at her like she had two heads.

"Not here! There are eyes and ears everywhere, my young Padawan!" Dawn rolled her eyes; she hated when he called her that.

The elevator doors opened and Andrew pulled her outside. They had walked for about five minutes before Dawn lost whatever patience she had left.

"Okay! What is going on?" Andrew glanced around furtively before stopping.

"Okay. This is good,"

"Great!" yelled an exasperated Dawn, "now what's going on?"

Again the guilty look came over Andrew's face. The fidgeting picked back up.

"Um, remember when I came here on my first mission? You know, the crazy Slayer? Well, when I was here, I saw someone I wasn't supposed to see." Dawn looked at him annoyed.

"You went to that comic book convention that Buffy told you not to go to, didn't you?"

"No! Well, yeah, but I saw someone else, not just the great and powerful Hugh Jackman." Andrew replied, a dreamy look on his face. Dawn sighed. For being straight, he could get so gay.

"Andrew, if you don't tell me who you saw, I'm going to push you into traffic and say a demon attacked you. Who did you see?"

"Spike."

"What!"

Crap. He was so gonna die.