Chapter 3

I don't own anything. And be I'm not too great on the details with the Angel timeline so just go with it :)

The gang along with Spike, who joined them last minute as they were leaving Sunnydale, arrived to a sunless Los Angeles. As the van drove down the streets of the city the scale of the chaos was evident. Dead bodies were tossed everywhere and demons roaming free.

"Well this doesn't look good." Xander quips.

"Oh, dear." Willow whispers putting her hand over her mouth.

"Doesn't look like LA has fared much better than Sunnydale." Faith states.

Buffy shacks her head. No, this wasn't good. Not good at all.

She had enough to deal with regarding her personal affairs and now stopping another apocalypse was not on her list of things to do. She grips her chest the familiar feeling of having Angel close hitting her hard.

Something is wrong. Very wrong. The feeling hasn't wavered since yesterday when she felt her soul or what was left of it, being ripped out of her. She chalked it up to the impeding fight against Clyde but the car ride to LA didn't ease the feeling.

Mean while at theHyperion Hotel..

The AI gang had taken Angel's soul to get information from Angelus such information that was wiped from Angel's memory. The plan wasn't going to well. The broody evil vampire wasn't talking and everyone's patience was running thin.

Angelus paced the small cage back and forth pondering what his next course of action. He needed to get out of there before they figured a way to get his soul back.

He looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Cordelia was standing before him in a dress too tight for her expanding waistline. She smiled at him what was supposed to be seductive. He could smell her fear and arousal. A combination Angelus usually found pleasing, but not from this particular woman.

"You and I are going to make a deal."

He smirked. Stupid girl, she had no idea who she was dealing with. He decided to humor her

"Oh really? What kind of deal? Let me guess you want to know about the Beast?"

She nodded. A lump forming in her throat.

"And in return I get what? A new car? I hear the new Mustang is nice," he teased.

"Something better," Cordy said trying to stay calm.

Angelus smirked. He wanted to just snap her neck and get it over with but he decided to play along just a little bit more.

"Really? What's a better ride than a Mustang?"

"Me." She said trying to sound forcefully.

Angelus laughed, an genuine hard laugh. "You?"

She nodded. " No more games, no more stalling, that's the offer. You tell us what you know about the Beast... And you get me."

Angelus shacked his head and started to pace again."Get me my Slayer. And then maybe, just maybe I'll talk."

Cody turned around in a huff and went back upstairs.

"Well, he is not going to talk!" She shouted to the rest of the AI team. "We might as well put back his soul in."

"We do have one other option." Wesley says quietly. Sitting back in his chair looking wearily.

"And what is that?" Gunn asks.

"Well...We can call Buffy. I feel he would be inclined to speak to her."

Connor's head looked up from the books he was reading. Buffy? How come he never heard of such a person? Someone the monster downstairs would speak to? And from the look on Cordeila's look of disgust, she was someone interesting.

"No way! We don't need her here!"

And then as on que the blonde in question walked through the doors. The Scooby gang following close behind.

She was a vision. Her long blonde hair a mess, dry blood all over her arms and a gash on her forehead that was in the process of healing it's self. Dressed in dark jeans, boots and what was once a upon a time a white shirt. There was no doubt she was beautiful woman even in her distressed looking appearance.

Connor notice her disheveled appearance didn't seem to bother her. She stood tall and proud which was surprising for such a small petite woman covered in blood and dirt.

Buffy had heard their conversation from outside the hotel due to her new super human hearing courtesy of the Oracles. Learning Angelus was back wasn't a huge surprise. Deep down she had a feeling that something such as this was going on. She just didn't want to admit it. Now it was time to face the situation and resolve it as soon as possible.

"Need who?" Buffy asks the group innocently.

The AI looks at her in disbelief.

Buffy sighs, this is going to be a long night.