CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
" Maybe we should go back inside, it's getting cold." Abigail suggested, as she lay curled up in Lorne's arms, nothing but a towel covering them.
" Really? I'm still rather warm." Lorne teased and starting kissing her neck.
" Plus its late and we have an early start." She started to get up, wrapping the towel around herself.
" What about me?" Lorne protested.
" No one's around. You're safe." Abigail grinned down at the naked Lorne and went back inside the house to have a shower. Lorne changed upstairs and ate a late dinner. This was his one night off before having no nights off. The next few weeks were going to be tight and he had an idea on how to cope with it. Wolfram and Hart had a procedure, removing one's sleep. He thought he might try it without anyone knowing.
Later the next day, Angel was telling the group, they would deal with anything that would come next. Fred still had her misgivings though.
" Is this gonna be our lives now? Fighting our own employees, our own clients? Are we really gonna do any good?" she asked.
" Yes, we are. We're gonna change things. We came to Wolfram and Hart because it's a powerful weapon, and we'll figure out how to wield it."
" Or kill ourselves with it." Wesley added.
" Yay team," Fred said flatly.
" No, sooner or later they'll tip their hand, and we'll find out why they really brought us here. Meanwhile, we do the work...our way, one thing at a time." Angel said and picked up an envelope and ripped it open.
" We deal-" an amulet fell out of it.
" Whatever comes next." He finished starting at the amulet.
Immediately, the amulet activated. A black whirlwind erupted from it, causing papers on Angel's desk to stir. The ashen whirlwind started to glow with flecks of orange as something begins to materialize inside it. A man's skeletal form showed, then it gradually fills out until it's completed. The wind faded and Spike is standing there, screaming and grunting, in the middle of the office, right where the amulet fell.
"Aah!" Spike grunted in pain.
" Spike?" Wesley stared at the vampire in disbelief.
" Spike". Angel said angrily.
Harmony stuck her head in the room smiling, " Blondie Bear?"
~**~
Several days after that, Spike "haunted" the building, going through walls and taunting Angel who was none too happy having him back. Abigail sat at her desk and was going through the day's pile. She opened her drawer to get a pen when something caught her eye. A file with her name on it. It was the same file Eve had given her the first day. She had completely forgotten about it.
She went through it. It had stuff she already knew. She wondered why Eve had insisted on giving it to her.
There was a knock on the door and she answered. Bailey stuck his head, " Hey. There's something weird going with the computers in the other office."
Abigail nodded and followed him to the computer lab. She took one look at one and announced there was a virus. The phone on the desk rang and she answered it.
" This is Harmony. My computer's acting really weird." The vampire complained.
" What can I do about it?" Abigail asked snappily.
" Well, you're the computer expert aren't you?"
" I'll have a look at it. Ten minutes." She hung up and it rang again. This time it was Fred. Soon just about everyone who had a computer were complaining.
" There's a virus in the network," Bailey said, " It's the only explanation." He checked on one of the computers and nodded, " And it seems it came from here. Someone logged on and used one of the terminals to do it."
" No one has access to this room except for my staff." She frowned, " Which could only mean someone here did it." She sighed and looked over at her team who were talking among themselves and not paying attention. She'd had trouble with these people from day 1 and it wasn't getting any easier.
" All right, who did it?" she demanded the group. They all looked at her.
" Who put the virus on the Wolfram and Hart network?" No one said a word. She then warned they would all be seeing Lorne for a reading since no one was owning up.
" I think I know," a voice said behind her. She whirled, it was Spike. He had walked through a wall soundlessly.
" He was the only person in here last night when you and everyone had gone." Spike explained, " I asked him if you had him working overtime but he didn't answer. I guess he's too up himself to talk to a ghost."
" I said it before Spike, you're not a ghost." Another voice joined in. Fred had entered the office.
" Whatever the bloody hell I am." Spike said crossing his arms.
" Richard, is this true?" she asked her senior web designer. Richard denied it of course and she phoned Lorne and told him she's sending Richard over.
~**~
Richard had definitely been the one who put the virus in the network. When Lorne asked him why, Richard's face turned red. Lorne stood up, " I'm taking you to see Angel." He said and started to leave his office when Richard whacked him the back of the head with something.
" Hey, that hurt!" Lorne complained whirling around. Richard just glared at the demon,
" I don't have to answer to a demon," he snarled before running from the office. He didn't get very far when security caught up with him and arrested him.
Richard was fired by Angel and after several death threats from the employee, he was escorted from the building and wasn't heard from again.
The virus from the network had been destroyed and everything was in working order again. Abigail sat in Lorne's office with Lorne and Fred.
" I can't trust my team." Abigail said irritated, " I tried but we're not working."
" Just give them a chance. It's only been a few weeks." Lorne assured her.
" That reminds me, I have to find Spike to thank him. He's saved the day." Abigail smiled at Lorne, " Will you be home tonight?"
" I'll try sweetie." They kissed and she went to find Spike. He had been popping in and out all day and there was no way to tell when he'd "pop in" again.
~**~
Abigail waited at home for Lorne but hours went by and she eventually gave up. She was woken when she felt someone sat down beside her on the bed. She peered at the clock and was startled to see it was 3am.
" You're home late," she greeted him tiredly.
" Yeah, sorry." Lorne explained, " I would have called but you were in bed."
Abigail nodded. She didn't move to kiss him instead just rolled over and went back to sleep.
The next morning, Lorne went to his friend's offices and reminded them about the upcoming party he was hosting. All the evil and not so evil clients were going to be there. Lorne had been planning the party all week. He had been staying back late preparing for it. He hadn't seen Abigail much and he missed her. It seemed their personal life was slowly being taken over by their professional lives. Lorne promised himself not to work this weekend and to pay more attention to Abigail.
Abigail had walked into the foyer and noticed it was being set up for the party. Something she was hoping she'd miss. She saw Lorne talking to Angel and decided to avoid him. She didn't want to go and wasn't going to be talked into going.
She sneaked up the stairs and into her office without being seen. She was surprised to see Spike there.
" Morning," she greeted him, turning on her laptop.
He didn't answer, "You going to this Halloween party your boyfriend's hosting?" he asked her.
" Not if I can help it." She told him and he raised an eyebrow.
" I'm not much of a party person." She explained, " Unless it's a party with friends."
" Me neither," Spike said.
~**~
Lorne stepped into his office and shut the door behind him. He breathed deeply and collapsed into the chair at his mirrored vanity make-up table. He rested his elbow on the vanity, rubbed his temples and moaned. Suddenly, his reflection in the mirror turned to look at him, concerned, and began to speak.
" Ooh, ouch. That's an adult-sized bang-a-roo. Hello?"
Lorne groaned.
" Oh, Mr. Smiles." Said Lorne's reflection.
Lorne continued groaning.
" Oh, come on, you can't ignore me forever. Oh, well, fine. Looks like you're gonna have to slap a band-aid on that melon, draw a grin on that bewitching green mug, and go right back out there. On the count of 9, sunshine. 1...2...3..."
Lorne glared at his reflection.
" The show stops for no demon, Lorne. 4...5..."
Lorne winced.
" They're all waiting for you. 6...7... They're counting on you. 8...comin' up on 9. They're gonna eat you up with a spoon because you're so scrumptious!"
" Shut up!" Lorne screamed at the mirror, grabbing a wine bottle and smashing it against the glass. He groaned, stood up and headed for the door.
He turned when it suddenly began to sing a slow ballad.
Don't, don't leave me this way
I can't exist
I'll surely miss
your tender kiss
so don't leave me this way
ohhhh...
When Lorne appeared in the hallway, his is smiling and full of energy again, talking on his cell phone, transitioning his reflection's song into an upbeat pop song.
" Ohhh, baby! Oh, my heart is full of love and desire for you!"
