Instant Rewind: Chapter 10
Angel was disoriented when he crossed the threshold of whatever glamour Wolfram & Hart had placed over their building. The room he now stood in looked like a conference room with a large mahogany table. Numerous people sat around the table with glasses of water in front of them; paper work skewed all over the table. Angel could tell that the water had not been drunk; he could tell that the people around the table were simply the physical manifestations of the Senior Partners. Wesley stood behind Angel as he took a seat at the end of the table. Around the room were large screens replaying the damage Angel's final assault had caused to Wolfram & Hart. The seat at the head of the table was turned facing away from Angel; a hand came out from behind the chair and ran a perfect finger along the edge of the table. The team that had brought them into the room had disappeared upon entry leaving him at the mercy of the entities in this room.
"Can I get you anything?" A voice sounded in the room reverberating off the walls surrounding them. The voice was like liquid gold, a honey-like sound echoing around them. The chair slowly turned and sitting at the head of the table was a woman. She sat with confidence as she stared at Angel from the other end of the table: she had long brown hair that cascaded down past her shoulders like a waterfall. Her eyes were huge, black and forceful. She wore a black, body hugging dress that emphasized her feminine figure. She smiled at him and waved her hand slightly. A glass of blood appeared in front of Angel. Staring at it, he hadn't realized how hungry he was until the blood appeared before him. Despite his hunger, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. She laughed at his stubbornness.
"I know what you're thinking, don't worry, it won't kill you." Her voice, which had sounded so loudly before, now sounded human and clam. Angel remained where he was and waited for her to take the lead. Leaning forward, the woman placed her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands.
"I suppose you are wondering who I am." When Angel didn't answer she fell back against her seat and crossed her legs. "Fine, stay silent. I'll talk. I am the Senior Partners. Well, we all are, but I'm the one who will be doing the talking. You have certainly pulled a card out we weren't expecting. I was concerned that you had given up on this war; you have to admit you were seriously lacking in your tactics. But here you are, an assault from all sides. Effective. You have killed many of our investors and clients. It will be hard for us to recover from that. Not impossible, but difficult."
"At least I accomplished something." Angel said. He wasn't sure if she would figure out that he wasn't the right Angel, but as long as he remained passive and steady he might actually pull this off. Wesley had told him before they'd entered that he had managed to keep that a secret from the Senior Partners, but he wasn't sure how long it would last. All he needed was for it to last as long as it took to negotiate with them.
"Yes, you certainly did. I'm impressed. You were more of a challenge then I ever thought you would be. We've been interested in you from the beginning of your career. Ever since 1753 we've been following you, interested in you. You are quite the individual. But you don't need me to tell you that. You're here for something else. So I'll be blunt, what do you want?" She asked.
"I want this over."
"So do we."
"So, lets talk."
--
(Wolfram & Hart)
Lindsey and Angel paced the room as they waited for all the parties to arrive. They had spent all night working out the final terms of the clan merger and despite the fact that the terms were now in black and white Angel wasn't completely satisfied. He had spent the better part of the week drafting and redrafting only to discover loophole after loophole that he knew the clans would exploit. He knew that he was missing something but there was no turning back now. He wanted this done so that he could go home; he remembered the Powers' terms that if he finished this mess he would get the chance to go back home the question was did he want to? He'd managed not to tell Buffy the truth about who he really was, she had her suspicions true, but he had managed to keep it from becoming anything more. Angel stared out the large glass windows as he remembered the last conversation he had had with her. He was worried that it might be his last…
The phone rang in the small room at the Hyperion. Buffy sat reading a book in a large easy chair, Liam was playing his Nintendo and Bella was dancing around the room with her stuffed Winnie the Pooh. When the phone sounded, Bella dropped her bear and ran for the phone. She picked it up squealing knowing that on the other end it was her dad.
"Hi daddy!" She said into the receiver. Angel laughed on the other end.
"Hi Bella, what are doing?"
"Dancing with my bear." She answered.
"Dancing with your bear, eh? Is he a good dancer?" Angel asked. Bella smiled at the bait.
"Not as good as you daddy!" She said. Angel laughed and smiled.
"I didn't think so. Have you been having a good time?" Angel asked her. Bella pouted and rocked on her heels.
"No." She said.
"Why not?" Angel questioned.
"You're not here. I want you to be here." Angel sighed.
"I want to be there too. But daddy is super busy with work and I promise that its almost over and then we will have all the time in the world to be together."
"You always make promises." Angel could tell by the sound of her voice that she was on the verge of tears.
"Baby girl, I know I've made promises I haven't kept, but things are different now. Once this is over you, Liam, your mommy and me are going to go away on a big family vacation. No more work ever again. That is a promise I will keep." Angel assured her. Bella smiled at her mom.
"Daddy says we are going on a vacation!" She cried out. Buffy mouthed to her 'wow' and smiled. Liam stood up and put his hand out for the phone.
"I want to talk to dad now." He said. Bella held onto the phone and pouted again.
"NO! I'm talking to daddy!" Angel's voice sounded on the other end of the phone.
"Bella, I've talked to you now, let me talk to your brother. I love you Bells, I'll see you in a day or so."
"I love you too daddy." She said and reluctantly handed her brother the phone. Liam took the phone and sat down on the bed.
"Hi dad."
"Hey pal, how's it going?" Angel asked him.
"Alright. I'm on a new level with my game." He said.
"That's great! You're not just playing that thing though right? You are doing other things too?" Angel asked him.
"No dad, I'm doing my school work and stuff too."
"Good. There is more to life than those games you know." Angel said to him. Liam smiled and sat back against the headboard.
"I know dad." Liam smiled and held the phone tight. For the first time in a long time he felt like had a real dad. It had been so long since his dad had spent anytime with them but it seemed like in several weeks he had made up for everything, "Bella said we are going on a vacation. Is that true?"
"Of course it is. Once this is over we are all getting out of L.A. and going to go somewhere really fun."
"Like Disneyland?" Liam asked.
"Disneyland!!!!" Bella second. Angel laughed.
"Sure, we can go there. Or somewhere more cultural…"
"Dad, that's boring." Liam said.
"Its not boring…" With Liam quiet on the other end Angel sighed and caved, "Fine. You win. We can go to Disneyland, but after that your mom and I get to pick the next place we go."
"Deal." Liam replied, "Do you want to talk to mom?"
"Yes I do. I love you son." Angel said.
"I love you too dad." Liam got off the bed and handed the phone to his mom. She kissed him on the head and took the phone. She got out of her chair and went into the second bedroom and closed the door.
"Disneyland, eh? What about somewhere exotic?" She said to him.
"We can go to Disneyland for a week and then head off somewhere else."
"A double vacation, where did this come from?" She asked him.
"I'm done with this. Once this is over I've decided to hand everything over to Lindsey and get the hell out of here." Buffy's eyes widened as she thought about what he had just said.
"Really? When did this new leaf turn over and why haven't I been told yet?"
"I didn't think you would mind. Thought it would be nice to get the hell out of dodge and have a real life for once away from all this."
"No, I don't mind but its just so unlike you. Actually, to be honest, a lot that has happened over the past several weeks is unlike you. Care to explain?" She asked.
"Lets just say I've reevaluated things and I know where my priorities should be and haven't been." Buffy fell back on the bed and curled up with the pillow supporting her neck. The man she was talking to was not the Angel from a couple of months ago; this was the Angel she remembered from a couple of years ago. Before Wolfram & Hart Angel had a purpose and a calling, when he took the job with the devil he had changed. His friends had warned her that he was becoming something evil but she didn't want to believe it. Over the years she had realized that they were right but her love for Angel was stronger than anything that Wolfram & Hart would do to him. Or so she had thought.
"Buffy, are you still there?" Angel asked.
"Hmm, yeah I'm still here. Lost in thought I guess." She replied.
"Me too. Look, I need to confess something to you…"
"Angel now is not the time to talk about the past." Buffy interrupted.
"No, I really want to tell you this. Its important and I need to get it off my chest…" Buffy interrupted him again.
"If this is about that woman, I don't want to know." She said firmly. Angel was silent for a moment. She knew. Angel didn't think she had known, but it must have come out before he'd arrived in this reality.
"Oh."
"You act surprised that I knew about her."
"I am."
"We fought about it over a year ago. Angel, you told me a year ago. Why are we talking about this now?" She asked him. She didn't want to talk about his affair. He hurt to even think about it.
"I…I just wanted to tell you that we fired her for stealing the files from Wolfram & Hart. Turns out she wasn't the most honest person to work with." Angel realized that using the word honest was not the best way to describe the situation considering his own situation. Buffy rolled over onto her back and sighed. She had still been working there without knowing it; Angel had promised a year ago that it was over now with this confession she wasn't sure.
"Tell me something and don't lie to me, you told me that it was over, was that true?" She asked. Angel didn't hesitate to answer even though he had no idea what the real answer was.
"Yes."
"Then why was she still working with you?" Angel didn't have the answer for that and he knew that if he remained silent for too long she would suspect that he wasn't telling the truth.
"Because despite what happened, she was good at her job. I needed the help. You were still busy with Bella and the normal part of our life and Harmony was swamped. So I kept her on, only in a professional matter, I swear it." Buffy let her breath go and sighed heavily. She didn't know if her heart could take it if Angel had been lying to her again.
"Okay, that is the last we will ever speak of this again." She said.
"One more thing first, why did you forgive me?" Buffy was taken aback slight by his question.
"Why did I forgive you? Who said I did? Angel I haven't forgiven you for what you did but I've moved past it. You should know that…A couple of weeks ago we made love for the first time in over a year because of what happened. I just figured you were pushing me away when you were resisting my attempts at seduction."
"No, I wasn't it was just…"
"Its okay Angel, I'm not upset actually I'm glad you did. That way it gave me time to figure you out which made things a whole lot better." Buffy could hear Angel smirk on the other end.
"Yeah, it did."
"Can we not talk about this anymore?" Buffy asked.
"Done and done. Never bring it up again." He said.
"Good, so how's it going over there?" She asked.
"Not so good. Do you have any idea how many times I've gone over that stupid agreement and how many times I've rewritten it due to massive loopholes? Its ridiculous how many things you can find wrong with something when you think of it from a demonic perspective."
"What kind of loopholes?" She asked.
"The kind that would allow them to slowly kill each other off and get away with it." He said. She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was tired and frustrated. All she wanted to do was make him feel better. An idea came to mind.
"Are you alone right now?" She asked him. Getting up Buffy closed the bedroom door completely and locked it.
"Yeah, I'm in our bedroom, why?" Buffy sat back down on the bed and smiled.
"What are you wearing?" She asked him. Angel laughed on the other end; he knew where this was going.
"Nothing actually. I'm trying to get some sleep." Buffy raised an eyebrow as she pictured her naked husband in their bed, "Close your eyes and picture me with you."
"Buffy…"
"Quiet you and just do it." She could hear Angel getting comfortable on the other end and she laughed softly. She felt silly making an attempt at phone sex but its not like she could go over there therefore this was the next best thing. She spent an hour on the phone with him before a soft knock came from the door.
"Oh crap."
"What?" Angel asked his breathing laboured.
"There is someone at the door." Angel breathed heavily and sighed.
"You are evil. I'm going to need a cold shower now."
"Sorry, babe."
"It's fine. I'm sure I can finish without you." Buffy laughed and got up to get the door. Liam was on the other side. Angel couldn't hear what Buffy was saying but seconds later he heard the door close again.
"I have to go now. The kids are hungry and its time to get ready for bed. Sorry honey…I love you." She said.
"I love you too." Buffy hung up the phone and smiled. On the other end of the phone Angel slowly stood and headed to the bathroom. He turned the shower onto hot and stepped in deciding to finish what his wife had started.
Angel opened his eyes and instantly thought he needed a cold shower but he had no time. The door to the conference room opened and Hamilton, Harmony and the clan members walked in. Angel turned away from the window and smiled. He raised his hand and greeted the clan members in the appropriate fashion. The members all sat around the table; Hamilton and Harmony stood by the only exit and Lindsey and Angel stood at the head.
"Lets get started then shall we." Angel said. The interpreters relayed his message and they all nodded.
--
"Bella!" Buffy called as she walked through the elaborate halls of the Hyperion hotel. While Liam was at school, Buffy and Bella had decided to play a game of hide-and-seek; turned out there were more places to hide than to seek. Buffy turned down another hall and opened another door. She'd been at this for over an hour looking for her tiny daughter; throwing her arms up in the air Buffy decided it was time to end the game.
"Bella, olly olly oxen free!" She yelled out. Still nothing. Sighing heavily, she continued to search the halls, floor after floor. She finally rounded another corner and bumped into someone.
"Oh! Connor! You scared me." She said running her fingers through her hair. Connor smiled and put up his hands.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. She continued to walk the halls as Connor followed.
"You didn't. This place is so big and I can't seem to find…" She stopped and smiled at him. She knew how hard it was for Connor to know his father had two other children and he wasn't speaking to him.
"Bella. I heard you calling her name." Connor said.
"Yeah, we were playing hide-and-seek and she seems to be very good at the hiding."
"Well, let me help you seek. I know this place pretty well. Two heads are generally better than one." He said. Buffy nodded and smiled.
"Thanks, that would be very helpful." Together they combed through another floor when Buffy decided that she was finished with seeking. She turned to Connor and smiled.
"I'm done. She'll come out when she's ready."
"Are you sure? She might get scared." He said. Buffy walked towards the elevator and hit the button. The elevator chimed and she stepped in. She held the door for Connor and squared her shoulders.
"She's a lot stronger than you think. Care to join me for something to eat?" She asked. Connor smirked back and sauntered into the elevator. The rode down together and got off on at the large spacious kitchen. Connor flicked the switch to turn the lights on and walked towards the fridge. He opened it and pulled out the items needed to make a really large sandwich. Buffy laughed and Connor turned.
"What?" She pointed to the island in the center of the room and opened one of the large stainless steel doors. Inside was Bella sleeping with her Winnie the Pooh stuffed bear. Connor laughed too as Buffy brought a finger to her lips.
"Should we whisper?" He asked. Buffy shook her head.
"Nah, she won't wake up. We can move her when we're done." Connor arranged all the ingredients to make the sandwich and smiled as he began to assemble them. Buffy sat on a barstool and rested her head in her hand. She looked at him and studied his features: strong chin, square jaw, dark hair, soft mouth and deep, dark penetrating eyes just like his father. Connor looked so much like his dad. Connor caught her staring at him. He raised his eyes and leveled them on her. She remembered those eyes; the same eyes that showed Buffy promise and love for years.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing." She replied.
"That is so not nothing in your eyes." He said. Buffy smiled and laughed.
"Its just…" Off his look she sighed, "You look so much like your dad." She finally said at length. Connor lowered his head as a smiled appeared on his lips. As quickly as it appeared it was gone.
"You think? I'm not really sure sometimes." Buffy dropped her elbow from the table and accepted the sandwich Connor handed her.
"No, really. You have no idea how similar your eyes are." Connor took a large bite of his sandwich and chewed.
"I wish I knew what he was like when he was alive, I know the demon, just not the man."
"No one knows the man." She replied, "Trust me. Not even me."
"See, that surprises me. You married him, you'd think you'd know him." He said taking another bite. Buffy swallowed and put her food down.
"Yeah, I married him. Doesn't mean I know him." Buffy put her hands in her lap and fidgeted with her hands.
"Things haven't been…good…between you two?" Connor asked.
"Things have been…interesting between Angel and me." Buffy admitted, "The Angel we know now is very different from the man I knew before. Before Wolfram & Hart Angel was a good man with a purpose, but now…that company changes people. It changed him."
"Yeah, I know." Connor closed his eyes and thought about the lack of relationship he held with his father. Buffy put a hand on Connor's and squeezed.
"Yeah we know. But over the past few weeks its like the old Angel came back. Caring, loving, lack of real interest in his work…its like something happened and I have no idea how long it will last but I'm going to take it while I can. He's even talking about getting out of L.A." She said to him and let go of his hand.
"Out of L.A.? Where to?" He asked.
"Well, he promised Disneyland for the kids then somewhere exotic for the two of us. I wonder if he will keep this promise." She picked up her sandwich and took another bite.
"He has a habit of not keeping his promises."
"Connor," Buffy said looking him in the eyes, "Your father is still there. You still have a chance to know him you just have to try. There is so much more to Angel than we know and we are all so scared of asking him. You know a long time ago Angel told me that if there was anything I ever wanted to know I just had to ask him."
"And did you?"
"Did I what?"
"Ever ask him for the truth?"
"Yeah. A year ago I had some suspicions about his new secretary. So I asked him…he'd been carrying on an affair for six months. He broke my heart but…he told me the truth." She said.
"Buffy, I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
"No one knows. Except Lindsey I'm sure…it's not something I want to talk about but we are okay. I love him too much to leave. Its funny what love does to you…love makes you do the wacky." She admitted to him.
"But aren't there limits to love? I mean how much more can you take from him and his lies?"
"There are no limits to love, Connor. Never with love. Angel may have lied to me and kept secrets from me but there is never any denying how much that man loves me."
"How can you say that? If he loved you so much why did he do it? Why did he hurt you?" Connor demanded.
"I asked him that too. Do you want to know his answer?" She asked him. Connor didn't reply but she knew he wanted to know, "He said that he didn't deserve me that he never deserved me. And yet, I still chose to be with him. Angel never believes he deserves anything. He is always trying to make up for what he has done in the past, all the pain and death he caused, but there is never any way to make up for it. Even with all the good things that have happened to him, he still doesn't believe…"
"Believe what?"
"Believe he's worth it. I love your father more than life itself…not more than my children…but more than my own life. I always will. I think maybe you should give him the benefit of the doubt." Connor shook his head and turned his back on her, "Connor you should try talking to him. He might surprise you." Connor turned back and rested against the counter.
"Maybe, do you really think he would talk to me?"
"Yeah, I do. But you might have to take the first step." Buffy picked up her plate and put it in the sink. She turned the water on and rinsed her hands. Turning the water off Buffy turned back to him and reached for a towel. Connor handed her one and smiled.
"Maybe. Let's wait and see how this all ends."
"Let's see what happens. Well, thanks for the sandwich but I now need to get this little one up to her bed." Connor put his dishes in the sink and followed her. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"Allow me." He said. Connor bent down and slowly wrapped his arms around the tiny frame of his half-sister. He picked her up easily and held her close. She looked like a little angel asleep in his arms. Buffy smiled and touched Connor's arm. She turned back to the elevator and Connor followed.
--
(The White Room)
Angel was quiet for a moment before the woman at the end of the table stood. She walked towards him and as she did the other men in the room slowly disappeared. Each chair she passed and they vanished. When she reached Angel she sat at the corner of the table; they were completely alone, aside from Wesley. She crossed her arms and smiled at him.
"This is what's going to happen. We are done playing with you. I'm not a big fan of negotiation so why don't I just lay it all out on the line for you. We have the ability to do a lot and what I'm about to offer you is a new chance at your life."
"Forgive me if I don't believe you. I'm here to talk not to follow."
"No. There will be no talking. You don't get it this is so finished. We are done with you. We should have known that a man like you could never have been controlled. We've had an interest in you since you were created." Off his look she laughed, "Oh yes. We knew about you a long time ago. We are older than you think, Angelus. We wanted you on our side a long time ago but it turns out that there is no way we can control a monster like you."
"I'm not a monster."
"Oh, yes you are. You always will be, you've just learned to ignore it. We're old and we're tired of these games. We just want things to go back to the way they were before we ever had you on our team. There are times when our judgment is wrong and we need to admit that a plan we thought would work fails."
"Are you saying you're wrong?"
"We made a small miscalculation. Its time to fix it. We hate you; you hate us, lets just for a second toy with the idea that you never took over Wolfram & Hart. We can make it happen…turn back the clock far enough…" Angel interrupted her.
"Wait one second. I did some good things with the company and you know it. I don't think its necessary to go that far back…"
"We have no idea if they can do what they are suggesting." Wesley interjected. The woman representing the Senior Partners rolled her eyes.
"Yes we can. We can do more than you would ever dream. Think about it Angel, if we go back far enough you might even be able to save your friends…Fred for example." Angel lowered his gaze and thought of the Fred in this world…a demon. Wesley arched his eyes.
"We don't have to erase everything, just enough. You just have to prevent yourself from making the same decision twice. So here is what we propose…and just so we're clear there are no other options…we turn back the clock to before Fred was changed into a demon. From there all you have to do is not make the same mistakes as the first time around."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Angel asked.
"Think about when you took back the day that never was, the one with Buffy, you'll simply keep your memories and its up to you to prevent the others from making the mistakes you are required to prevent. Stopping Fred from opening the sarcophagus…joining the Circle of the Blackthorn, etcetera. What do you say?"
"Why should he be the only one to remember?" Wesley asked, "Two heads are better than one."
"The more people who know about this the more exposure we risk. No many people, including those who work for us, know that we have the power to do this." She said.
"Yes, but if I were to remember I could help to find a way out of our contracts which we will need to do in order to get out of Wolfram & Hart." Wesley suggested.
"You may have a point."
"Leave Wolfram & Hart? Why no just stop what we did wrong and continue as we were? I can do more with the company than you know…"
"No." The woman's voice raised several octaves, "We are done. If we do this you have to leave. No more. We can give the company to Lindsey, he won't be dead anymore, we don't want to deal with you anymore. Its over Angelus, you had your chance and you destroyed it. If we go back the condition is you leave and never come back again."
"It can't be that easy." Wesley said voicing Angel's concerns.
"It's not. Just because he's gone doesn't mean he won't work for us. We hate to lose but what we hate even more is to be wrong."
"What more is there to this little arrangement?" Angel asked.
"Your friends will be free from us, but you won't. You're an asset we just can't lose."
"This is bullshit!" Angel yelled getting out of his chair, "You want me to leave Wolfram & Hart and yet I still have to work for you! There was never going to be an easy way out of this for me, them yes, me no. If you won't let me run the company what more can I do for you?"
"You'd be surprised what a vampire can do for us. Think of it as contract for hire; when we need you we'll get in touch with you."
"Contract for hire? You mean your own personal assassin." Angel accused. The woman laughed.
"Essentially."
"Again, this is bullshit." Angel repeated.
"You don't have any other options. This is what we are offering, if not we will simply destroy you and all your little friends…including the Slayer."
"You mean Slayers." Wesley corrected.
"No, we mean Slayer. We could care less about the other girls she brought we are interested in Buffy. Do you really want to risk her life over this? We will kill her and you know we can. So don't get self-righteous on us. Decide." She demanded. Angel turned from her and began to pace. The Powers had lied to him. He wasn't getting this Angel out of anything. He had no idea what he should do; he tried to think about what he would have done before taking over this company. He was a man who would have done anything for his friends and family. He thought of the Senior Partner's threat to kill Buffy. He wasn't sure if the Angel from this world loved her or not, but he knew that he did. If they were similar in any respect it would be in their love for her. He couldn't risk her life, but he could risk his own. He was so used to risking it what difference would it make? Angel turned back to look at Wesley, who was at the moment stuck as a ghost doing what Wolfram & Hart wanted. He had the power to change that all he had to do was accept the offer. Angel then noticed on the table was a contract. A pen appeared on top of it waiting for Angel to sign his life away to the company in order to save everyone else. Angel closed his eyes and reached out to try and hear Cordelia. What should I do? He asked. He waited for a response and for a moment he thought he heard her: We trust you. You are what can save them. Do what you think is best, we trust you. Angel opened his eyes and walked back to the table. Wesley knew what he was going to do.
"Angel, maybe we should think about this some more…"
"No. Can you honestly tell me you are happy being a ghost?" Angel asked him. Wesley said nothing, "I didn't think so. This is the only way out of this."
"What about this realities Angel?" Wesley asked in a whisper so that only Angel could hear.
"What about him? What would he do? He would do the same thing and you know it. Its not about me, or him, its about you guys. Our friends. He would do the same." Wesley knew he was telling the truth. He nodded and stood back as Angel moved towards her.
"I need your assurance that this isn't going to get twisted."
"We're lawyers…"
"I know. If you don't promise and assure me that this won't backfire I won't sign." She leveled with him, cocked her head to the side and the contract glowed.
"Done. There is a clause in there on page thirteen that states if we rescind on our offer you are free. And as I said before, you are too good to give up." Wesley reached for it and read through it quickly. He nodded to Angel and put the contract down. Angel picked up the pen and moved the pages. The last page a single line appeared with an 'x' and his name under the line, 'Angelus.' Angel sighed and pricked his finger. Dipping the pen in his own blood he signed the contract. When he was done the contract vanished and the room changed, turning completely white. The woman stood alone with Angel and Wesley. She smiled to him.
"Well played. We look forward to doing business with you. When you walk through that door behind you, you will be back in time. Only you and Wesley will remember any of this. It is up to you to prevent the same mistakes and get the hell out of L.A. If you don't, we'll know. Remember what I said, we will not hesitate to kill. Good luck Angel." She vanished and the door opened. Angel walked towards it with Wesley behind him. The both stopped in front of the open door and looked at each other.
"Are you ready for this?" Wesley asked.
"Lets finish this so I can get the hell home." Without any further hesitation, Angel walked through the door.