Notes: Yeah, nothing to say here today really either except that my betas are crazy... and I want to kill both of them thank you have a nice day. I'm trying to cook up plausible ways to torture Riley Finn. Don't ask... as a matter of fact, whatever I just said- didn't say it. What I'm saying right now... yeah, never happened. (Ah, if you want a disclaimer... go to the prologue psh.)

Special Thanks to: Danielle y Alice- A vosotros doy mi corazón.

Maybe When It Matters

Angel narrowed his eyes angrily at the woman. How dare she just waltz in here like that? After all, she did owe the vampire her life... more than once, even, but who was counting? Deciding first to abide by her pathetic rules as not to provoke more bullets in his body, he released his vicegrip on Buffy and whirled completely around to face the woman before him. "Kate. Good to see you haven't changed." The bitter tone of sarcasm and anger only rose with each word.

"Kate..." Buffy replied softly, the anger in Angel's tone was practically visible. Whatever had happened between these two, she didn't want to know the details. Okay, so that was a lie- she was completely all ears as far as details would be concerned, but this was interesting. Something about Kate seemed quite familiar, and it took quite a bit of jogging her memory to pull out the confrontation. She had talked to this woman before- a police officer, if memory recalled correctly. She and Wesley had just entered the station as this Kate person had arrested Angel for sheltering Faith. She could not believe she missed it in the beginning- that same stuffy arrogant way she carried herself... with a false air of 'importance.' This officer thought she was such a big cheese...

I think you're gonna like the cell we have for you, Angel. It faces east. It'll give you a great view of the sunrise in about four hours.

Buffy opened her mouth silently, and then her jaw shut in unspoken rage. After a few moments she cleared her throat and spoke up. "Oh, I remember you," she narrowed her eyes as she accused the former police officer. "You're that one maniac a-and washed-up police officer that wanted to murder Angel by locking him in an eastward facing cell. Don't you dare think I've forgotten that," her tone did all but soften up as her threat became evident. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave now."

"Oh, you know him?" Kate shot to Buffy, obviously not amused and not removing her own glare from the vampire's eyes. "Then you know he can't be trusted."

"You have got to be joking," Buffy rolled her eyes, pushing past Angel and walking between the two. "What gives you the right to come in here and start shooting potentially innocent people?"

"He isn't a person."

"Really?" Buffy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't make me give you the lecture about how Angel is much better of a-a... thing OR person that you will ever become."

"If I shoot you, will you get right back up too?" Kate's icy glare locked onto Buffy carefully, after her eyes finally tore themselves from Angel's unwelcoming glare. "I came because I was called to a potentially hostile situation and you two are the only ones remaining in this building... give me one good reason why I should believe a word out of your mouths."

Angel's gaze swept over to the overgrown lizards in the corner as an inquisitive eyebrow raised, "How about giant red salamander? Times two."

Kate's eyes followed over to where Angel was indicating, her gun lowering slightly as she caught the sight. Swallowing in apparent misunderstanding, she looked back up at Angel. "There was a hostage... shady figures, two women and- a hostage," she stated firmly. She was not going to give up or admit the fact that she perhaps had interpreted everything wrong.

Buffy pointed at Angel behind her with one finger, stating one simple word, slowly and clearly as if Kate were brain damaged, "Hostage." Buffy then rolled her eyes, pointing to herself now, "Buffy." Then she pointed over toward Kate with a smirk, "Jumps-to-conclusions." Perhaps it was just now that it dawned upon Buffy as to why, when she had first seen Kate and demanded an explanation from Angel, he had told her that she was 'Nobody.' She wasn't even worth recognition!

The officer only scoffed at the childish behavior displayed by the slayer. She had barely even met this woman and already she hated her. Her thoughts of how Angel could have happened to know her were quickly broken by a rather up-front question proposed to her.

"So what are you doing with your life?" Angel inquired with false interest. "I know they didn't take you back."

Kate closed her eyes. She figured he'd see right through that aspect, he always did have a way of knowing what went on. She still blamed him for her failures, for her futile pursuit of the supernatural that had endangered and eventually cost her a valuable position on the Los Angeles police force. "S-shut up!" She snapped, her anger only resurfacing when the threat of her finger on the trigger reassessed itself, "It's all your fault, you know... everything! You made me believe!"

"No, that you did all on your own," Angel eyed her carefully. "You were the one trying so hard to rationalize the supernatural. You can't do that, Kate... it doesn't work that way. I think you finally just figured that all out and came to terms with it. It's something you just can't accept... and now... you can't let it be." Flinching slightly while he rolled his shoulders in an attempt to ward away the fresh pain brought about by the bullets, Angel continued to lecture the officer, "You've seen the other side and you just can't bring yourself to go back... live in the luxurious warmth of ignorance. Well, that's too bad. It's about time you come to terms with yourself and reality and stop blaming your misfortunes on me."

Buffy looked over at Angel questioningly. Usually he wasn't this opinionated or lectureful. Sure, Angelus was pretty cocky, egotistical, and more than willing to point out the flaws and stupidity in others but Angel... her Angel... always stood on the sidelines. He didn't need words to express his feelings, needless to say his bitterness towards this woman intrigued her. Then again, it was all rationalized... she was a pretty ignorant-looking loser. Buffy also did not miss his flinching at the throbbing pain the bullets had to have caused him. Kate had absolutely no right to shoot him, vampire or not, without a warning or some sort of evidence that he had been causing any harm. She deserved every hateful word, and had Buffy two cents to add to the disagreement, she would have done so in a heartbeat.

"You should have just let me die," Kate's lips curled into a grin while she emitted a low chuckle. "You could have... it wouldn't have been that hard- then it'd at least be easier..."

"Afraid that's not how it works," Buffy chimed in. She stepped forward now and, with lightning speed, landed a perfect roundhouse across Kate's wrist. She'd aimed it so that the gun flew straight from her hand, firing a stray bullet while it skidded across the ground in apparent defeat. "Ya know..." Buffy lectured, with a cock of her head as she crossed her arms, "I tried being dead... it never really worked so well. A-and even when it does..." She allowed her voice to trail off a bit as if in apparent thought, "...when you think it's alright to relax... pop! You're back in the running for world's most recycled Slayer. Oh, and just when it's getting good- just when you finally think maybe- perhaps you could make this work just a while longer... lovely federal papers with big red numbers (that would be pretty if they weren't so demanding) start showing up at your doorstep commanding your attention."

Kate stared at this woman in disbelief. Perhaps she was rendered insane or something? What was she talking about? Then her foot struck and the pain searing through her arm was nearly too much to bear. Kate wouldn't be surprised if Buffy had just broken her arm. She began to nurse her attacked wrist with her 'well' hand. Now merely defenseless without her precious gun, Kate backed up a few steps. That wasn't even actually her gun. Angel was right about one thing- they did not... would never... take her back. She had not had her head screwed on quite tight enough, however, when she had received another offer. It was quite convincing, really- and foolishly she had accepted it.

"But it doesn't matter," Buffy continued, the same grim tone in her voice that had accompanied her preciously came back to threaten the officer. "It's not going to matter because as long as someone in the great Up-Above happens to want you alive, you're just not gonna be able to rest in peace. They'll do whatever hocusy-pocusy rituals they gotta do to make your life a living hell... and that's a fact coming from experience. It's not like I eve-"

Angel reached out and grabbed Buffy's arm gently, signaling for her to stop now. This little ranting of hers was getting out of hand. "Kate..." Angel looked over at her, trying hard not to laugh at the state that Buffy had left her in. She was desperately cradling her hand while choking back any attempts to cry out in obvious pain. "Who really sent you? Why are you here?"

"They wanted me... they wanted me to tell them everything, to fight with them. They agreed that I had skills- ones no others possess, they recognized that. They made me feel like I belonged- feel important... I thought maybe I'd actually found my purpose in life. I wasn't... I didn't know anything else... I was, have always been, a police officer, Angel. It was my everything, my entire life. When that was taken away from me, I didn't know how to go on with such a pointless existence... a-and then... after you... then they came along with a promise. A promise and a glimpse of hope that maybe I had some sort of-"

"WHO?" Angel cut off irritably. The last thing he needed was another person ranting about their life troubles and problems to him. If she was about to say what he thought she was going to say, then there was far more to this than he could have ever hoped to know.

Kate leveled her eyes with the vampire's and thrust out her jaw with false pride, "Wolfram and Hart."

The growl that erupted from Angel's throat caused both Kate and Buffy to jump slightly. The Slayer quickly reached over and placed a hand on the vampire's chest, as if preparing to hold him back if need be. She may hate this Kate woman, but Angel didn't need to add another body to his pile of corpses and guilt. Angel knew he was overreacting, he should not have even been surprised that they would pull something like this, but he was fed up with the law firm's interference and constant hounding in on his life. "And you accepted," Though it was a question, Angel had phrased it as if it were implied.

"I had no other choice. My resume wasn't exactly stellar. I took what I could get," She replied quietly. "I still don't know why I'm even alive. Somehow... they already knew all about it- wanted to help me figure it out too."

Angel didn't even want to know how Wolfram & Hart figured out about him saving her life... that small bit of knowledge irked him as well. They were all over the place! "Oh really? Makes them sound like quite the charity... they're using you, Kate. They will continue to use you until it's too late. By the time you realize the circles they run you in, you'll already have a guaranteed spot in Hell. They don't give a damn about your life," Angel muttered through gritted teeth. "You know they're evil."

"And I also know I need to survive," the woman replied, equally irritated. "What can I say? I've changed."

"Okay... I'm only a little lost here," Buffy looked between the tense gazes of Kate and Angel. "Just a teensy bit. Kate was good. Wolfram and Hart is bad. Angel saved your life- somehow... and that... confused you? S-so... then you join the baddies... anyone else not quite understanding the sense that... isn't... here?"

Angel released a heavy sigh, "Kate drugged herself up after being fired from her job for failure to stick to her own cases. She always had to be on top of the paranormal ones... when I got to her apartment, I was able to get in without invitation and save her life. Either she was already clinically dead, or the Powers intervened... but either way, I am still regretting ever bothering to save her life." Why was everything like this? Why did it always have to come back to hurt him in the end? They were more like the Powers that Screw You, as Fred would so intelligently point out in the not-too-distant future.

Kate remained in her proud stance, watching Angel carefully. "Either way you phrase it, I didn't need your help."

That had taken it too far. He was done dealing with Kate. Angel swept past the woman, walking towards the exit, "I owe you nothing, Kate. Absolutely nothing." Buffy seemed to have caught the drift, as she made for the exit along with him. He paused a moment and fell back slightly, however, but did not even bother to turn around as he repeated and returned the words she had once said to him on one of their very first confrontations- with equal rage and malice, "I can go where ever I want and... ah, - you can go to Hell."

He took a few moments to relish in his chosen comeback before jamming his hands in his pockets and allowing a smirk to light up his features. With that said, he (and that blonde) somehow managed to disappear within seconds, a trait that irritated Kate almost as much as the fact that he was a vampire.

'No... you don't,' she thought to herself in response to his comment. 'But I owe you...' Kate stood there, nodding slightly to herself and running her tongue across her teeth in defeat. She had been rendered speechless by the one person whom she'd least expected. Well kudos to the vampire. Then a thought finally occurred to her. Angel must hate himself now, knowing he saved her life only to discover that she had joined the enemy. Enemy... that was a funny way to explain the law firm. It did not matter, though... what he thought. But she had vowed that she would not rest... not until she did one last thing to repay him...

----

- I brought Kate in because I'm thinking I wasn't the only one angered by her unthankfulness for having her unworthy life saved. (Plus, where the hell DID she go after she left to join Law and Order?)... Either way, I could not resist a confrontation with her. XD It screamed to be written in my head. I decided not to let my head explode, so I let her have a chapter. Ohh, and it's relevant too. Yay.