"Hello, am I connected?" Giles replaced his thin-framed glasses on his brow. Moving the handkerchief back to his pocket, he nodded at the men on one side of the screen.
"You're patched in Giles," Willow chirped.
"Yes, thank you Willow. Now, you gentlemen needed to know about Angelus?"
"Yes," came the chorus of flat responses from the Winchesters and their angel.
"Before we continue this conversation further, I want to know exactly why you're researching Angelus," Buffy stated bluntly.
"Look Buffy," Sam said her name with air quotes in place, "its not just out of academic curiosity."
"Indeed," Giles concurred, "I don't think Angelus would come up as a mere search anomaly."
Xander added as best be could, extending his hand out to the men on the screen. "Plus Buff, look at them. They've got that whole deer in headlights thing going on. They've obviously at least experienced his handiwork first hand."
Sam gestured to Xander. "Is that what happened to your eye?"
Xander's expression turned grim. "Not exactly. That's not really his style."
"What is his style then?" Sam's eyes narrowed as he tried to interpret body language as though the Scooby gang were opposing counsel.
"We'll get to...wait, did you put air quotes around my name? You honestly think I would make up a name like Buffy?"
Dean clamped his hand on Sam's shoulder. "Look, he apologizes. Lets just move on Ms. Summers."
"Fine," Buffy stated dryly, "but my name gets made fun of one more time, we drop your name as a terrorist cell to the FBI and Angelus won't be your only problem."
Sam snorted. "Lady, you obviously know nothing about the Winchesters, but we admire your tenacity. Care to get with giving of information? We have things to do..."
"Geez, will you slow down Sam? We're trying to warm you up here. Once you hear the story, you'll probably be wishing for an ear-melting spell right away. And then how are you gonna rock the earrings? Not that you do mind you, although I haven't know you that long and..."
Sam watched in commiseration as Willow gave a mighty yet playful elbow into Xander's ribs. "As Xander was trying to say in his own Xander way is that Angelus is an oddity, even among his own kind. Your search is very serious and thats why you were brought to our attention."
Dean nodded. "We appreciate your help, but we just need to know what we're facing."
"I believe we can face this and win. These brothers have faced both demons and angels and won," Castiel added with a note of pride.
Giles proceeded to wipe his glasses again. "Yes, well, a good fighting track record may not even help against Angelus. He is, at his best, a macabre artist. I suggest first that any family you have be relocated, secretly and soon."
"We're lucky there, Mr. Giles, all we have is each other."
Giles' voice lowered. "Yes, well, that might not even help. Rumors are that he is back with Drusilla, whom he turned insane and then sired."
Buffy crossed her arms. "The angel's gonna be a problem. He loves twisting anything associated with holiness or beauty. I should know, its my fault he came around the first time."
"The first time? You mean he goes on safari occasionally?"
Willow shook her head. "Not quite, Sam. You see, he wasn't always soulless and crazy. When he has a soul, he kind of goes into redemptive mode as Angel..."
Xander looked over at Buffy with sorry in his eyes. "But its not enough. Angelus always seems to have a way of seducing the soul right from under Dead boy. Angelus is a danger not just to those of us in the blood pumping community, but anyone with any sort of firm grip on sanity."
"But he's a vampire, he can be defeated by normal vampire standards, right?" Dean tightened his grip, which was still on Sam's shoulder.
"Good lord, you're not thinking of going after Angelus, are you?"
Dean stopped a moment at the look in Giles' face. It was like watching a Picasso melt into a Dali painting. Usually a stoic and wise man, Giles suddenly turned into a hard-faced father figure. Dean had to soldier on though. "He tortured me."
Buffy shook her head. "He won't take revenge in normal ways, thats not his attitude on life. And revenge is what he'll want since you escaped He's the head of his vampiric Order, one thats supposed to be older than Dracula-though he would probably dispute that. What we're sure of about Angelus is that he is a fanatic, a fan of ironic gestures."
"Yeah, and he loves to disarm people with that damn sexy face and those muscles of his are deceptively strong and I'm...I'm gonna stop talking now," Xander finished quietly.
"Buffy and Giles are right," Willow pleaded, "magick is enough to restore his soul but I don't think Angel is destined to win against the twisted force inside of him. I mean, he's literally been to hell and back and Angelus still finds a way out."
Dean bore down on his fate. "Yeah, well, so have I but we've got too much of a different priority to be side-tracked by this clown."
"Trust me," Giles' voice began to quiver, "Angelus is not to be taken lightly. You may not be languid men, but he will find a way to hurt you if he's become interested in you. He'll send you signs, he'll kill those you love or anyone you know. He'll become your top priority."
"Geez," Sam exhaled, "and I thought being used as a meat puppet for Lucifer was enough of a problem."
"You mean the First is trying to get at you as well?" Willow asked.
"Man, you must have pissed off some people," Xander joked.
Sam shook his head. "More than we can tell you about. Seems a lot of people don't care much for our style."
"We know the feeling," Buffy nodded, "but there are some good people in the grey zone if you network with us. The PTB can only do so much."
"Buffy, you mean the Powers that Screw with you, right?"
"Xander," Giles began to lightly admonish, "you might want to rethink that question with an angel present on the Skype."
"Sorry," Xander apologized sheepishly.
"Its okay," Castiel nodded, "I understand some policies and procedures from above as of recent have not been on par with expectations and I don't blame your hesitancy at all. I myself sometimes wonder about the men I've served under."
Buffy nodded. "Good. You'll need that. Just remember, you have to trust each other because Angelus is most dangerous when he breaks you apart. Team Buffy out."
With the fast click of a couple of keys, Sam watching his screen go blank and reboot. He furrowed his brow as Dean and Castiel watched him try and track Team Buffy without success. "Its like she's..."
Dean nodded as Sam's head shook slowly. "If she wants to be found, she'll come around again. In the meantime, we have to figure out where Angelus is and how much of a danger he is. From what this girl and her friends said, I think we have real reason to worry about this guy."
"Especially if he's become psychotic about you, Dean."
Dean smiled weakly at Castiel. "C'mon, Cas, its not like Angelus is the first mad as a march hare thing to track us. We'll be okay."
Castiel traded a deep gaze with Dean. "I'll believe that when he's no more than a pile of ashes to consecrate."
"Guys..." Sam's voice trailed as he pointed to the local news story on the screen. By the time they arrived at the shell of the familiar house, there were only four people under white sheets, two deputies muttering at each other while drinking scalding coffee and a hidden photo in the back of the daughter's closet. It was a photo of Dean taken through the window with two words on the back of the Polaroid in scrawling handwriting.
"Hi again."
