Chapter 2

24 hours earlier

Angel looked up and saw his wife standing opposite him. Her black hair flew about her neck whilst her equally black eyes gazed straight into his. The wind whistling through the alley whipped her long coat around her and made her image seem more domineering. Angel knew she was trying to psyche him out. Much as he tried to deny it, it was working. But he couldn't let her know that. "What are you waiting for?" she glowered at him.

"Nothing," he replied. Just keep it short and simple, he thought, then she can't twist my words. "Come on, Angel. You can do better than that." He clenched his fists by his sides and prepared for the fight that would inevitably follow. "What you don't want to talk to me?" she asked, stepping closer. Angel just glared. "No? Never mind," she added before throwing a roundhouse kick at him. He blocked it and swung his arm around to catch her middle. As she bent over, Angel hit her hard in the face and as she looked up, her vampire teeth had appeared. This signalled his vampiric visage to emerge. She grinned and leapt over his head spinning and kicking his back. He landed on his chest on the floor. Before he could move, she'd put her foot on his back. Angel couldn't see her, but he could feel the metal heel of her boot in his back. A sudden rush of pain flew through him as she shoved the six inch stiletto into his back, piercing the skin. Angel let out a little groan. She crouched over him, her heel still firmly in his back. "Having fun?" she growled at him.

"Evelyn?" he said, "screw you." With that, he leapt up, throwing the vampiress off his back and into a nearby wall. He could hear the squealing off tires on the wet road and glanced around to see Wesley and Willow in his car. He took once last look at Evelyn before running towards his friends. He jumped in the car and they sped off leaving the vampire stood alone, as it started to rain. "Just you wait, Angel," she said, staring back after the car, "I'll get you one of these days."

His keen sense of hearing picked up these words and he replied, "Not if I get you first."

"What was that?" Wesley asked from the front of the car.

"Nothing," Angel replied, sitting back in his seat, "thanks for that guys. That was close." He put his hand behind his back and felt his wound. Cold blood was gushing out all over the back seat. "Err guys?" he said, "We either need to sped up and get back to the hotel now, or stop here."

"Why?" Willow asked, turning to look at him. He showed her the blood all over his hand. "Oh," she said, "Wesley, speed up."

Within a few minutes, they'd arrived at the Hyperion and Willow and Wesley had helped Angel inside. He leant on the round sofa in the middle of the room. There was a trail of deep red blood dribbled across the floor from the doorway. "Looks like another cleaning job for me," Willow sighed, glancing at the mess.

"I'm sorry, Will," Angel said to her, "next time someone sticks their heel in my back, I'll try to make a little less mess." Willow pulled a face. "Her heel?" Angel nodded. Wes emerged with his first aid kit and approached Angel. He lifted up his vampire boss' shirt and started to mop up the blood. "This is going to need stitches," he told him.

"Wonderful," Angel said, sarcastically, "just what I need. More people poking holes in me."

"Stop bloody moaning, you big wimp," Spike threw at him as he walked through the lobby.

"As I recall you were doing a fair bit of moaning when you went head to head with Evelyn," Angel retorted. Spike just raised an eyebrow and headed for the kitchen area. He poured himself and large glass of blood and drank it whole. Angel stood up; the bandage on his bare back was already stained with blood. "I've done my best with it, but I'm no expert stitcher," he told Angel.

"Thanks," Angel replied, pulling his shirt back on, before realising that there was a big hole in the back. "That's another shirt in the bin," he groaned as he pulled it back off. He threw the shirt in the rubbish before walking off upstairs. "So what happened?" Spike asked Wes. Wesley glanced up at the vampire in surprise. "I just want to know about Evelyn, that's all," Spike defended himself.

"The fight didn't last very long. It seems she's adapting to his fighting style," Wes told him.

"Well then we'll just have to find someone else who can fight her," Spike suggested. Wesley just looked at him. "Like who?" he asked, "who apart from Angel could possibly fight her?" Spike thought for a minute. She was too strong for him and Angel was getting too predictable. "I've got it," Spike said, suddenly.

"Got what?" Willow asked as she came in.

"I know who can fight Evelyn," he said. Wes and Willow just looked at him. "So are you actually going to tell us this great idea of yours or are you going to make us sit here like idiots?" Wes asked him.

"Oh right," said Spike, "if you need to fight Evelyn, you need to one person who could control her. Angelus."

Willow and Wesley just looked at each other. It seemed crazy, but crazy just might work.