Los Angeles- close to midnight

"Willow?... You need to speak to Angel?" Pausing and listening to the case at hand, Fred nodded in an understanding manner. "Yes, well he's busy brooding over a few... mishaps- but if it's important I'll tell him-" She was cut short by Willow once more. "Oh God, can I help? I'll get him right away!" Placing the receiver on the table, Fred darted up the stairs to the dreaded room that their so-called 'boss' occupied. Pounding a fist anxiously on the door, poor Fred was met with an angered scowl accompanied by an annoyed cold voice.

"Go away." It was barked in a crisp, cool manner, as if it were ordered by someone hanging onto their last straw of patience. Angel knew the woman had been coming before she even knocked, but didn't bother to respond until she'd done so. Fred had broken his train of thought!

"Angel, you can't brood in there forever, you know."

"Leave me alone," he turned on his swivel chair to face the door, knowing that Fred was about to intrude any moment now, and when she did he was going to be sure to meet her with the most accusing and devious glare he could muster up. (Which, for Angel, wasn't all that accusing really... or devious...) He didn't want to talk to anyone right now, especially Cordelia.

"It's Willow... something's wrong in Sunnydale," Fred pleaded urgently, smacking her fist against the door a few more times to get his undivided attention and attempt to drive the vampire from his near-comatose and unresponsive state.

"Faith," Angel repeated, rising from his chair and briskly walking over to the receiver in his room and lifting it with a whole new air of worry. The thought that Sunnydale also meant Buffy hadn't even crossed his mind. This was going to be his fault, he knew it. "Willow? What's wrong?" The shakiness in his tone was only amplified by his preoccupied state.

"Bite marks in her sleep? Convulsions? I'll be there as soon as I can- and Willow? Don't tell Buffy I'm coming unless you have to. She needs to stay focused and with me in the game... it'll only throw her." He listened for a few moments while Willow babbled on with desperate pleas that she wouldn't be able to keep it from the Slayer and what she was supposed to say.

"Yes, I know she'll be mad if I-" He heaved a sigh, knowing he'd lose this argument. "If that happens, give her the truth." Shaking his head now as if Willow could actually see his physical motions, he bit his lip slightly. "No... no idea what's going on with her. We've got so many problems out here right now it's... yeah... okay- I'll be there." Slamming the receiver down on the hook, he rubbed his temple while shaking his head. Everything was happening so fast, and it was happening now.

Cordy was pregnant with God-knows-what... his son had pulled nothing short of an Oedipus ordeal on him, things were falling apart, and he'd spent the last few weeks letting his gang down as Angelus. "I should never have let Faith go back to Sunnydale," Angel growled, landing his palm angrily on the wall and looking about angrily, using the wall for support. The regret and remorse flooded in now. Couldn't he ever do anything right?

Fred took this moment to walk in sheepishly, "A-Angel... what did Willow want? Was it... is it bad? Something go kablooey with your soul spell? Because if... i-if it did, we should really-"

"Faith was attacked by something invisible in her sleep, from what Willow told me. She went into convulsions and managed to get my name out for some reason. They think I have the best shot at helping her," his eyes met Fred's. "She's barely had time to settle in, they are probably all convinced she's a bad egg. She doesn't have a chance with them... Second chances are hard to come by for people that have..." Angel didn't finish that sentence, however. He walked past Fred with a renewed air of importance about him. He had a mission. Flying past, he didn't emphasize the barely-audible line of afterthought that followed, "people like us."

Swiftly and silently, the vampire with a soul (who didn't know, by the way, that he wasn't the vampire with a soul anymore... more like a vampire with a soul) whisked down the stairs and into the main lobby only to have the red eyes of an Empath demon meet his gloomy figure. "Angelcakes, ready to join the team?" He was sitting next to the phone with a book open on prophecies and apocalyptic signs. Apparently the team had been trying to get anything they could get their hands on as far as the Beastmaster was concerned.

Not saying a word, Angel walked over to the shelf and fingered through a few volumes. Muttering to himself, he whipped the book out and slammed it on the counter, paging through it desperately.

"Angel, man... what's your case?" Gunn stared the vampire up and down, not having to be a rocket-scientist to sense the anger and frustration in his features.

"Did you discover something new- a... piece of information, perhaps?" Wesley suggested, looking up from his book a moment to pay attention to Angel.

"The Beastmaster, I have my hunches on who it is... but we gotta get to Sunnydale," Angel's eyes moved to Wesley now. "I need information on psychological attacks on Slayers, invisible demons, and any possessing entities along with side-effects that can arise from that drug you injected her with."

"Usually, normal people don't survive the near-lethal dose of Orpheus she was carting around," Wesley started, only to be broken off by an icy glare from Angel. "Okay, okay- I'll do it."

"Gunn, Lorne, Fred, I'm going to need you guys to hold up fort. Keep both eyes open and don't let Cordy leave. As long as she stays, Connor does too. Use whatever means necessary... force, magic... more force. Wesley, it's about time we go and visit some old friends."

Gunn looked over at Fred and Lorne, "Yeah, how long you gonna be out of commission? Cause... if you haven't noticed... the impending apocalypse is kinda on our tail."

"However long it takes." And with that, Angel stormed from the house, hopping into his convertible, leaving the driver's seat open for Wesley. The ex-watcher joined him shortly after, a look of dread crossing his face.

"Angel, you could just be walking into a trap. Maybe this is just a distraction to get you out of LA. Have you even stopped to think about what could happen if-"

"Go." Angel growled, ordering Wesley to start the car and drive immediately. He wanted to lay out clearly that he would not be questioned right now. He had to go back to help out. He'd screwed things up again, and whatever happened was because of the stupid choices he'd made.

Back in Sunnydale Hospital

Faith slowly opened her eyes, vision blurred. It took a few moments to gain higher brain function, though when she finally succeeded- she wished she didn't. She was able to make out the four walls of the hospital, after blinking and a bit of squinting. Surprisingly, she wasn't alone in the room. There were figures... but she couldn't make them all out at the moment, her attention was redirected. Over in the corner stood the image of the very creature next to Kakistos that she feared most. The creature scared her half to death, making her jump and cower up against the bed with an unexpected tinge of fear behind her eyes.

Angelus.

xxx

Reviews make me very happy. Thanks to all those that have done so so far. This is more of a filler chapter to just get things moving. I hope everyone continues reading :D I appreciate all those who have reviewed thus far, and even if you are one of those creepy stalker peoples that doesn't like to leave their two-cents, I'm still glad you came.

I haven't had appropriate time to review it as I like… but for the records, here it is fresh off the press!

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Another chapter will come shortly, so you don't have to worry!

To people: ((gonna dedicate a few pixels to the people that keep me writing- My reviewers:D))


Suzy87- Thank you very much for the compliments and sticking with the story. Glad to see you on the reviews and I'm proud you enjoy it! I'm hoping that the 'interesting' chapters only continue -grin-


Only Sad Words- nods insanely Bad Kennedy. Thanks, I try to be Faith-ish :D


Faith-rulz- Thanks :) Believe it or not, this is the first time I have attempted writing Faith -gasps- I'm happy you've been reading and like how I portray her! I agree with your profile as well, Faith deserves a bigger role -wink-


AscaDuin- I try, hehe! Thanks, and don't worry- I'll keep up with updates as much as time allows.


Lexi & Alice- I love you guys :D Thanks for stopping in and keeping me sane!


Lina- eats you


Allen Pitt- uhhuh. You have made very interesting points, Allen! I wasn't sure if I should be playing out the other side in LA while working with the plot in Sunnydale, but Jasmine is pretty much inevitable. Time will only tell what happens with her. That theory of the First/Jasmine being enemies is awesome, I never thought of it that way! (Though Darla being The First was something my friends and I discussed, actually! lol) As far as Angelus... he'll never completely go away. :P LASTLY, with the Spike thing. I see your point, and the reasoning is that it was going to hit harder later on, but I kind of did put myself in an awkward position there, eh? Don't worry though, Spike will react -nods- I promise!