Angel needed to get out for a walk tonight. His apartment felt a little claustrophobic, so he decided to patrol a little and keep an eye out for any trouble. While he respected Buffy's dedication to her job and her ability to take care of herself, she couldn't be everywhere at once. He'd just kind of skim the area and see if any troublemakers needed dealing with.

He circled downtown for a couple of hours, his thoughts drifting all over the place as he thought about Buffy. She knew what he was, and she seemed okay with – maybe too okay with it – but she didn't know a lot about who he was. He couldn't keep it all a secret forever. Even if Giles' books weren't totally incomplete, the truth would come out one day. All the atrocities he committed, they would be out there for her to see – and she would never look at him the same way again.

A familiar scent snapped him out of his musings. He hadn't smelled her since Prague, but he could still tell it was her. His greatest project back in the day, still roaming the streets, looking for victims. He followed the scent, and it took him to Sunnydale Park. He could just see the last few orange embers of sunset over the horizon, and then, he could see her – talking to a young boy sitting on the lower part of the jungle gym.

"Are you lost?" he could hear that familiar English accent ask.

The boy looked back at her, his weirdness radar clearly on. "No. My mom's just supposed to pick me up is all," he said, climbing down and already moving away from her.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" she asked slyly. Sheesh, she wasn't even trying not to act suspicious.

The boy shook his head. "No, thank you." Good instincts, Angel thought. If he stayed in Sunnydale, he might actually make it to adulthood.

Drusilla touched the gym, and Angel could see her smile in the shadows. "My mummy used to sing me to sleep at night." She slowly walked around the gym as she sang. "Run and catch... The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch…" She smiled wistfully. "She had the sweetest voice. What will your mummy sing when they find your body?"

The boy tried to move, but she had him transfixed. She had that gift with some people. He started moving stealthily towards them. "I'm not supposed to talk to people."

"Oh. Well, I'm not a person, see, so that's just…"

Closing the distance, Angel suddenly stepped between her and the boy. "Run home," he told him.

The boy snapped out of it, looked between the two of them, and then very intelligently ran off down the street. He heard Drusilla emit a growl of dismay behind him. Taking a breath to steel his nerve, Angel turned around to face her, and she smiled delightedly. "My Angel!"

He kept his voice neutral. "Hello, Drusilla."

She slowly approached him, her eyes wide and wondrous. "Do you remember the song mummy used to sing me? Pretty."

"I remember."

She tilted her head, as if sensing his words with a mental lie detector, and she smiled. "Yes, you do."

He didn't have time for this. "Drusilla, leave here. I'm offering you that chance. Take Spike and get out."

Her smile turned wicked. "Or you'll hurt me?" He looked down, knowing she would sense the answer again. "No. No, you can't. Not anymore."

"If you don't leave it'll go badly. For all of us."

Her smile turned sad. "My dear boy's gone all away, hasn't he? To her."

"Who?"

"The girl. The Slayer." She moved closer to him. "Your heart stinks of her," she hissed, putting her hand on his chest. "Poor little thing. She has no idea what's in store."

A tiny bit rattled, Angel tried changing the subject. He knew all about Drusilla's 'visions' and tried to ignore the uneasiness she gave him. "This can't go on, Drusilla. It's gotta end."

She tilted her head and reached up for a kiss. "Oh, no, my pet. This is just the beginning." She pulled away without kissing and gave him an evil smile, keeping her head turned to him as she slowly walked away.

Angel watched her disappear into the shadows before he turned and walked off to resume patrolling. Maybe he'd shadow that kid and make sure he made it home safely. He hoped Buffy hadn't already learned about Drusilla – although, if she had, she'd have asked him about her by now, surely. He quickened his pace a little. He resolved to pretend this encounter never happened.

"It's a secret!" Jenny insisted as they came down the school stairs.

"What kind of a secret?" Giles asked, grinning a little as he walked alongside her. They'd managed to have a couple of less-frightening dates lately, and he'd been talked into letting her decide on the next one. She'd made up her mind today, but she refused to tell him what it would be. Infuriating woman. He had no choice but to pester her.

"Uh, the kind that's secret," Jenny smirked. "You know, where I don't actually tell you what it is."

"I think it's customary that when two people are going out on an evening that they both have an idea of where they're going."

"Oh, come on! Where is your sense of adventure?"

Giles thought for a moment. He really hoped this date would be less adventurous. "Well, I, I…," he stammered momentarily. "Uh, how will I know what to wear?"

Jenny eyed his tweed suit. "Do you own anything else?"

"Uh, w-well, not as such, no, um…"

Jenny laughed. "Rupert, you're gonna have to trust me."

Reluctantly, he nodded in acceptance. "Alright, alright, I put myself in your hands."

Now her smile turned mischievous. "That sounds like fun," she said, starting away from him. "Okay, tomorrow night, seven-thirty, right?"

He agreed, and she went on her way down an adjoining hall. He only made it a few yards before he noticed Buffy come up alongside him, looking rather despondent. "Hey," she said.

"Hello," Giles replied, continuing towards the library. "Um, did we hunt last night?"

"I did a couple quick sweeps downtown," she nodded.

"Any encounters?"

"Nothing vampire-y."

Yes, she did seem rather moody today. Best to tread carefully. He didn't wish to pry if it wasn't vampire-related, so he knew he'd have to pick a topic that wouldn't make it worse. "Uh, I've been researching your friend Spike. The profile is fairly unappetizing. But I still haven't got a bead on why he's here."

She nodded distantly. "You'll figure it out."

Giles' concern overrode his senses for a moment. "You alright? You seem a little glum."

"I'm fine," she said as they stopped before the library.

Deciding to make good on his promise not to push her too hard, he suggested, "Why don't you take the night off?"

At that, she perked up a little, smiling. "Okay. That'd be nice."

"Yes, even I realize a young person like yourself can't spend all her time fighting the forces of darkness. No slaying this evening. Perhaps you can concentrate on your homework instead."

Now her smile turned amused. "Do they know about 'fun' in England?" she teased.

A cheap shot, yes, but at least he was back in familiar territory. If she had the will to mock him, maybe it wasn't so serious after all. "Yes, but it's considered very poor taste to have any," he replied dryly. "Very well. Do whatever it is you like. You could spend some time with Angel."

At that, her smile faded a little. "I don't know. He might have other plans," she muttered before stalking off to her next class.

Giles watched her go. So that was the problem – something Angel-related. She'd said they were doing much better only the other day. Teenage relationships, he thought as he entered the library. So unpredictable, even when one of the teenagers was centuries old.

History came and went. They talked about Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette – who Cordelia said she could identify with, which surprised no one – during which Buffy and Willow passed notes about Angel. She'd seen him last night, talking to some skanky woman. Maybe that was an unfair description of a complete stranger, but dammit, she was clearly someone Angel knew if she talked to him like that. Was he up to something behind her back? Was she an ex back in town like Darla? One of Willow's notes asked the question – Vampire?

The bell rang, signaling the end of class and allowing them to communicate without having to get around that pesky education nonsense. They gathered their things and headed out into the hall with Jesse and Xander behind them.

"I don't know," Buffy sighed, answering Willow's written question. "I don't think so. They seemed pretty friendly."

"Agreed," said Jesse. "Also, who are we talking about?"

"No one."

"Angel and a girl," Willow answered, automatically truthful.

Buffy gave her the most annoyed look. "Willow, do we have to be in total 'share mode'?"

Xander, naturally, grinned delightedly. "Hey, it's me. If Angel's doing something wrong, I wanna know. Because it gives me a happy!"

"Empathy is not a big thing with you, is it?" Jesse lightly scolded him.

They entered the lounge, and Buffy's mood did not improve. In fact, she looked downright depressed. "Mm, I'm glad someone has a happy."

Xander refused to let up on his sudden good mood. "Aw, you just need cheering up. And I know just the thing!" He did a wild dance move that almost smacked Jesse across the face. "Crazed dance party at the Bronze!"

Buffy crossed her arms, still depressed. "I dunno."

Xander tried again, only this time with a very restrained dance move. "Very calm dance party at the Bronze?" Buffy gave him a glum expression that would've even bummed out Richard Simmons. "Moping at the Bronze," he decided, slouching off to a couch next to Willow, while Jesse took the opposite one next to Buffy.

But then, they heard another male voice that made Buffy sit up. "I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe she's over that phase."

She uncrossed her arms and turned around. "Ford?" she asked hopefully.

They all looked, and they saw a charming young man with dark hair grinning at her. "Hey, Summers!" She glomped him in a big hug, her earlier depression forgotten at this touching reunion. "How ya been?"

"Oh, my God!" she squealed, letting him go but still holding his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, matriculating."

She frowned at the unfamiliar word. "Huh?"

"I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred."

Definitely the best news she'd heard all day. "This is great!"

"I'm glad you think so," Ford chuckled. "I didn't think you'd remember me."

"Remember you? Duh!" Buffy scoffed. "We only went to school together for seven years. You were my giant fifth grade crush."

"So!" Xander interrupted, reminding her of his presence. "You two know each other."

"Oh!" Buffy exclaimed, turning to her friends apologetically. "I'm sorry. Um, this is Ford! Uh, Billy Fordham, this is Jesse, Xander and Willow!"

Jesse scooted over to make room for Buffy and Ford on their couch. "Hey, Ford," he said amiably as he got settled, offering his hand to shake. "Welcome to the planet Sunnydale. Beware the Dark Lord Ferret – otherwise known as Principal Snyder."

Ford chuckled as he shook his hand. "Thanks, I only had to travel through two wormholes to get here."

Xander muttered a barely audible "Hey", while Willow cheerfully exclaimed, "Nice to meet you!"

Feeling compelled to give some backstory, Buffy smiled. "Ford and I went to Hemery together in L.A.," she explained before looking at him hopefully. "And now you're here. For real?"

"Dad got the transfer, and boom, he just dragged me outta Hemery and put me down here," he confirmed.

"This is great! Well, I mean, it's hard, sudden move, all your friends, delicate time, very emotional, but let's talk about me!" she grinned excitedly, putting her hand on his knee. "This is great!"

Willow smiled to see her so happy again. "So, you two were sweeties in fifth grade?"

Buffy scoffed playfully. "Not even. Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well, I was a manly sixth-grader," Ford replied defensively. "I couldn't bother with someone that young."

"It was terrible. I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song 'I Touch Myself'." Everyone's eyes widened, some more amused than others, and she realized how that sounded. "Of course, I had no idea what it was about," she added hastily. Everyone just nodded benignly, and she decided to move things along. "Hey, are you busy tonight? We're going to the Bronze, it's the local club, and you have to come."

"I'd love to!" Ford replied amiably. "But if you guys already had plans… Would I be imposing?"

"No, only in the literal sense," Xander replied, with his most sarcastic smile.

"Okay, then! I… gotta find the admissions office," he said, getting up. "Gotta get my papers in order."

Buffy got up as well. "Well, you know what, I'll take you there, and I'll see you guys in French!" She took Ford's arm and led him away.

"It was good to meet you!" Ford told the others as they disappeared into the crowd of students.

Xander grumped to himself as soon as they were out of earshot. "'This is Ford, my bestest friend of all my friends!' Jeez, doesn't she know any fat guys?"

Jesse rolled his eyes. "Ah, you'd only be jealous of them, too."

Willow's eyes widened as she realized something. "Oh, that's what that song is about?!"

The Bronze thumped out bass notes to the people outside while everyone either danced or bobbed their heads to it inside. Jesse, Willow and Xander had met Ford there and invited him to a game of pool. He turned out to be pretty good. Just one more thing for Xander to be sullen about – especially since he'd insisted Jesse play on his team so he wouldn't have to.

Buffy arrived at the table just as Ford was setting up another shot. "Ford! You made it."

"Wasn't hard to find," he grinned in response.

Willow giggled. "Buffy, Ford was just telling us about the ninth grade beauty contest, and the, uh, swimsuit competition."

Buffy's face turned beet red. "Oh, my God, Ford, stop that! The more people you tell, the more people I have to kill."

"You can't touch me, Summers," Ford grinned. "I know all your darkest secrets."

"Care to make a small wager on that?" Xander sneered, but Jesse gave him a nudge.

Buffy rolled her eyes and headed for the bar. "I'm gonna go get a drink. Ford, try not to talk." He smiled innocently in response as she made a hasty retreat. She'd just about found an empty spot to place her order when she found Angel there, holding a drink of his own. "Hi!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him.

"Hey!" he said, looking almost glad to see her. "I was hoping you'd show."

Buffy eyed his drink. "You drink! I mean, drinks. Non-blood things."

"Yeah. I eat, too. Not for nutritional value," he explained. "It just kind of passes the time."

"Who knew?" she remarked.

"There's a lot about me you don't know."

"I believe that." The memory of him with that girl in the park stung her brain. "So. What'd you do last night?"

Angel shrugged. "Nothin'."

"Nothing at all. You ceased to exist?"

"No, I mean I stayed in, read."

So it was something he was trying to hide. He could've just said he went for a walk. "Oh," she said simply, doing her best to not sound like she was onto him, before going back to the pool table without another word.

Her friends watched her coming back, watching her warily. "Didn't want that soda after all?" asked Ford.

"Not thirsty," she replied briskly.

Willow, however, looked past her with a tentative expression. "Hey, Angel." Buffy turned and saw he had followed her from the bar, his brow in full-on 'what the hell' mode.

"Hi," Ford said as politely as he could.

Deciding to make with the introductions, Buffy gestured towards the newcomer. "This is Ford. We went to school together in L.A."

"Nice to meet you," Angel said, shaking Ford's hand.

Ford's face grew into a surprised half-smile. "Whoa! Cold hands!"

"You're not wrong," Xander remarked, earning himself a gentle tap on the back of the head via Jesse's pool cue.

"So, you're here visiting Buffy?" Angel asked, obviously trying to pry without being too obvious.

"No, I'm actually here to stay," Ford said brightly. "Just moved down."

Unable to properly deal with the rising tension in the vampire's eyes, Willow cleared her throat. "Hey, Angel? Do you wanna play?"

Not in the mood to entertain the idea of her possibly unfaithful vampire maybe-boyfriend joining them for the evening, Buffy took a step away from them. "Y'know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight. Um… I'm a little hot," she said, looking at Ford. "You wanna take a walk?"

Ford shrugged, setting down his pool cue. "Um, sure! That'd be nice."

"Okay, then, um…," she fumbled, glancing hurriedly at the others. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

Angel moved aside to let them pass. "Good night."

"Take care," Ford replied as he followed her through the crowd.

Everyone watched them disappear, Angel still staring after them with an unreadable expression. "Okay," said Xander, "once more with tension."

Jesse sidled alongside the vampire. "You okay, big guy?"

Angel didn't look at them, still watching Buffy disappear. "He just moved here?"

"Yeah," snarked Xander. "And, boy, does he move fast."

Willow, still trying to salvage the evening, moved the rack into position, drawing their attention. "Well, Angel, we could still play," she started, but when they all looked up again, he'd disappeared into the crowd without a trace. Willow looked reproachfully at Xander. "See, you made him do that thing where he's gone."

Xander dismissed her comment and got ready to break.

Relieved to have made a clean getaway, Buffy ambled slowly down the alley alongside Ford. In hindsight, maybe that hadn't been the best way to handle the situation, but she'd been hurt by Angel's lie, and she wanted to punish him for it by… walking off with her really good friend who probably thought she'd lost her mind or something.

"So, that was your boyfriend?" Ford asked amiably.

Ah, yes – there was the forty million dollar question. "No. Uh, yeah. Maybe," Buffy replied, depressingly honestly. "Could we lay off the tough questions for a while?"

"Sorry. So! What else do you do for fun around here?"

Before she could answer, she heard noises coming from around the corner, and she quickly suspected a vampire. She hadn't spent the last year perfecting her 'spidey sense' for nothing. She quickly grasped Ford's arm, giving him an urgent look. "Um, my purse. I… left my purse at the Bronze. Uh, could you get it for me?"

Bewildered by yet another curveball this evening, Ford nodded. "Uh, okay," he replied, heading back.

"Good. Run! Thanks!" she ordered, sending him into a jog. Satisfied to have him distracted, she ran in the opposite direction and rounded a corner. She grumbled to herself. How the hell could she write this mood swing off? Would she have to go back to the Bronze and reveal she never had a purse? Would the gang cover for her? This had better not be Angel tripping over a brick or something.

Thankfully, it was not Angel in the alleyway. She found a vampire trying to snack on some poor woman. She immediately went into attack-mode, pulling the vampire off of her and sucker-punching him away into the wall. The victim took advantage of this and immediately fled the alley, leaving Buffy free to attack without having to explain anything to her.

The vampire regained his senses and grabbed a metal trash can, lifted it over his head and flung it at her, but she ducked in time and it flew out of sight. She sprung forward and started punching left and right, sending him to the ground face first. He got up and took a swing at her. She ducked the punch and kicked the vampire in the face. The vampire swung again, and Buffy grabbed his fist and held on while she punched him in the face. She pulled out a stake and thrust it into the vampire's chest. He staggered back into the wall and exploded into ashes.

She barely had time to get her breath back when she heard Ford's voice. "What's going on?"

Startled, Buffy spun around to face him. He stood at the entrance to the alley, clearly having not even gone for her imaginary purse. "Uh, there was a cat," she stammered. "A cat here, and, um, then there was a-another cat… and they fought. The cats. And… then they left." Dammit, why wasn't she any better at lying than this?!

Ford nodded in acceptance of her story though, so maybe she was better than she thought. "Oh. I thought you were just slaying a vampire."

Buffy's expression remained the same, but she felt her whole face go slack. "What? Whatting a what?"

Ford smiled reassuringly. "I know, Buffy. You don't have to lie. I've been trying to figure out the right time to tell you. I know you're the Slayer."

"Just like that he told you?!" Willow gasped into the phone.

Buffy nodded absently. "Just like that," she replied, still blown away. How many people knew her secret? Was she not the cunning mistress of disguise she'd tried to convince herself she was? "Said he found out right before I got booted from Hemery."

"Wow!" said Willow. "It's neat!" She paused. "Is it neat?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," Buffy smiled. "I don't have to constantly worry that he's gonna find out my dark secret. It just makes everything easier."

Late into the night, Ford headed down an alley for one place in particular. The building looked rundown, but that was what he needed. Over the large metal door, someone had painted a sign. No words, just a picture of a setting sun. A nice touch, he supposed. He knocked on the metal door, and the viewport opened briefly. It closed and the door opened to let him in.

The welder was cutting the knob off of the inside door. Glad to see him doing the job, Ford patted him on the shoulder. He could feel the music thrumming louder as he went. He descended the stairs, his clothes bathed in blue and white lights, a disco ball reflecting its pretty white squares around the room. Nodding along to the dark gothic music, he took in the crowd. Everyone dressed in black and pale makeup – just what he needed.

One of his friends – sort of, anyway – met him at the base of the stairs. This guy was a total poser compared to the others. His costume looked like he'd rented it from a cheap tacky place like Party Town. His ruffled shirt and velvet cape only accentuated his nerdliness "Ford? Hi, Ford?"

"Hey!" Ford replied, only somewhat friendly.

"Well, how'd it go?"

"It went good."

This didn't exactly please the guy. "Good? That's, that's it? That's all we know?" he asked urgently before calming himself down. "Well, when are we…?"

"Soon," Ford assured him.

"Oh, soon, okay," the total poser said agitatedly. "Y'know, you could gimme a little more information here. I'm trusting you. I'm out on a limb here. Not to mention the lease is almost up on this place. Who's gonna cover that?!"

Ford rolled his eyes as he got his medication bottle out of his pocket. "Marvin…"

"Diego!" he snapped before making sure no one else heard. He wanted to be taken seriously in an outfit like that? "C'mon, man, it's Diego now."

"Diego," Ford sighed, taking out a pill. "Ritalin. Everything's gonna be fine." He popped the pill as Chantarelle approached and handed him a drink. "Just make sure you're ready when I say. True believers only."

Chantarelle smiled eagerly. "I can't wait!" she murmured, looking gorgeous in her slinky outfit. Much more appropriate than 'Diego'.

"Right, whatever," Diego huffed. "I still think I should be in on the plan."

But Ford's attention had already wandered to the Dracula movie on the screen. "Diego, you gotta trust me," he said, not even pretending to be interested in the dork's problems. He could see Jack Palance on the screen, and he looked on, enraptured. "A couple more days and we'll get to do the two things every American teen should have the chance to do: die young, and stay pretty."

He spaced out as he mouthed the words of Jack Palance in the movie. "So… you play your wits against mine. Me, who commanded armies hundreds of years before you were born. Fools! There is no way in this life to stop me…"

Willow always kept her room neat and clean, with everything in place just so. Every book, every knick knack, not a thing out of place. The clothes scattered on her bed drove her nuts that they weren't tidied away yet, but she'd started brushing her hair after drying it, and she hadn't gotten around to it yet. She really could be a spontaneous soul when she wasn't overthinking everything.

She wandered around her room a little in her long nightshirt, getting ready for bed, when there came a knock on her balcony door, which caught her off guard. She didn't often get knocks at those large French doors. She dropped her brush on the bed, went to the door and pushed the blinds apart to see who would dare visit her this late and with her parents still home.

She got a face full of broody Angel. "Oh!" she exclaimed, opening the door. "Angel! What are you doing here?"

Angel looked a little uncomfortable at his own actions, but he had a nervous energy about him that she normally didn't see. "I wanted to talk to you," he explained.

Willow briefly looked around just to make sure she truly was alone. "Oh, well…," she said before gesturing for him to come in. He stayed put. "Well?"

"I can't. Unless you invite me, I can't come in."

Remembering that weird thing about vampires – and that Angel was, in fact, one those, which was a weird thing in and of itself – Willow nervously nodded. "Oh! Well, okay, I invite you. To come in."

Whatever invisible barrier stood between them apparently dropped because he took a cautious step inside, apparently aware he shouldn't be here. She turned to walk back into her room and stopped in horror when she saw her bra just lying there on her bed out in the open. Flushing with embarrassment, she quickly rushed over, grabbed it and stashed it.

She couldn't tell if Angel had seen it or if he was just socially awkward, but either way, he looked uncomfortable. "If this is a bad time, I…"

"No!" Willow assured him just as uncomfortably. "I just… I'm not supposed to have boys in my room." She wrung her hands – not even Xander or Jesse had ever been up here before.

Angel nodded. "I promise to behave myself."

"Okay. Good." They stared at each other for a long moment before Willow raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"I guess I need help," he finally conceded.

"Help? You mean like on homework? No, 'cause you're old and you already know stuff," she rambled, still a little flustered.

"I want you to track someone down. On the 'Net." He eyed something on her desk, and she turned to see her laptop.

Relieved to be in familiar territory, Willow smiled. "Oh! Great! I'm so the 'Net girl," she said, sitting at her desk.

Angel sat down on the bed behind her. "I just wanna find everything I can. Records, affiliates, I'm not even sure what I'm looking for yet."

"Good. What's the name?"

"Billy Fordham."

Willow continued typing, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed. They were chasing down some dangerous criminal or doing something to protect society. Angel was just jealous and cyberstalking a potential romantic rival. "Uh, Angel? If I say something you really don't wanna hear, do you promise not to bite me?"

"Are you gonna tell me that I'm jealous?"

Willow looked at him, checking to see if he looked ready to bite. He just looked back at her with those deeply depressing eyes. "Well, you do sometimes get that way."

To her surprise, Angel didn't look angry. He looked thoughtful. "You know, I never used to. Things used to be pretty simple. A hundred years, just hanging out, feeling guilty… I really honed my brooding skills. Then she comes along." He looked at her again. "Yeah, I get jealous. But I know people. And my gut tells me this is a 'wrong' guy."

Appreciating such a well-thought-out answer, Willow nodded and continued typing. "Okay. But if there isn't anything weird…" She trailed off when she saw something – or rather, something she didn't expect to see – on her screen. "Hey, that's weird."

"What?"

"I just checked the school records, and he's not in them." She heard Angel stand up to look at the screen as well. "I mean, usually they transfer your grades and stuff, but he's not even registered."

"He said he was in school with you guys, right?"

"Let me just see if I can…"

"Willow? Are you still up?" They both jumped at the sound of her mother's nosy voice carrying from down the hall. Willow leapt panicked from her chair and started guiding Angel back to the balcony door.

"Ack! Go!" she hissed before calling out to her mom. "I-I-I-I'm just going to bed now, mom!" Angel stepped back out onto the balcony while Willow held the door. "Come by tomorrow at sunset. I'll keep looking."

Angel nodded. "Don't tell Buffy what we're doing, alright?"

"You want me to lie to her?" Willow wailed quietly. "It's Buffy!"

"Just don't bring it up until we know what's what."

She nodded sadly, an accessory now. "Okay. I-it's probably nothing."

He didn't look convinced. "That'd be nice," he sighed before turning and disappearing into the night. She couldn't see him in the shadows, but she heard his footsteps hit the ground and then start running off through the backyard. Closing the door, she took a moment to fret before brushing her teeth. How did she get caught up in these things?

The next day, Buffy decided not to worry about Angel and focused on talking about her Slayer past with Ford. He could remember the gym being burned down, what with it having been full of vampires and everything, but he also recounted how everyone seemed to just forget the vampires and move on with their lives. Not unlike things here in Sunnydale, really.

The pair of them came into the hall from outside, spotting Willow about to get a drink from the water fountain. "Willow!" Buffy called.

Willow didn't even press the button on the fountain before immediately turning around, doing her best 'deer caught in headlights' impression. She looked around briefly, apparently trying to make an escape, but then, she changed her mind and smiled instead, fidgeting nervously.

"What's up?" asked Buffy.

"Nothing," Willow replied quickly.

"Do you wanna hang? We're cafeteria-bound."

"I- I- I'm gonna do work in the computer lab on school work that I have, so I cannot hang just now." She waved stiffly. "Hi, Ford."

"Morning," he replied politely.

Buffy tilted her head sardonically. Her friend couldn't lie at all. "Okay, Will, fess up."

"What?"

"Are you drinking coffee again? 'Cause we've talked about this."

Willow looked surprised at the suggestion but also smiled, laughing the fakest laugh outside of a date with a billionaire. "It makes me jumpy. I have to go. Away." She hurried. Away.

Ford grinned, amused. "Nice girl!"

Buffy stared after her, though, quite taken aback. "There aren't two of those in the world."

At that moment, Giles met them in the hall. "Buffy!" he started before noticing Ford, causing his shoulders to tense. She'd already told him yesterday about her old friend, but she hadn't had a chance to reveal her secret wasn't so secret with him. "Um… Yes, uh…," he stammered, setting down his briefcase and searching his pockets as he mentally changed gears. "Ms. Calendar and I are going… somewhere tonight, and she's given…," he fished out a slip of paper, "… oh, given me the number of her beeper thingy, uh, in case you need me for, um…" He eyed Ford."Study help, uh, suddenly."

Buffy took the slip of paper. "He knows, Giles."

Halfway into picking his briefcase back up, Giles froze. "What?"

"Ford knows I'm the Slayer."

Ford nodded, smiling awkwardly. "I know," he confirmed.

Giles found his voice. "Oh! Uh, very good, yes. Uh, um, Buffy… Excuse me," he said to the boy as he led Buffy aside and started whispering. "You are not, by any chance, betraying your secret identity just to impress, um, cute boys, are you?"

Buffy could tell from his tone it wasn't a serious question but still one he needed to ask. She smiled. "I didn't tell him. He knew."

Giles relaxed a little. "Oh! Uh, right then. Well, uh, just remember, if you…"

"Go! Experience this thing called fun. I'll try not to have a crisis."

Her watcher nodded in acceptance and headed back to his library. She smiled fondly and rejoined Ford.

That night, Buffy and Ford were still at school, strolling along as she continued to give him the tour. They'd been all over the place once classes ended, and now, as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, she walked him out into the open. "And on your right, once again, the beautiful campus. I think you've now seen everything there is to see in Sunnydale."

Ford nodded distantly, trying to think of the right word. "Well, it's… really…"

Buffy smiled pityingly. "Feel free to say 'dull'."

He smiled with relief. "Okay. Dull's good." Then, he spotted something over her shoulder. "Or maybe not so dull. Is that more vampires?"

Buffy followed his gaze and spotted two vampires running towards the administration building. "Must be the weather," she sighed. She pulled out a stake and a cross, and handed the cross to Ford. He took it and reached into his back pocket to pull out a stake of his own. He smiled and waved it about. Not the best carving job she'd ever seen, but it was wood, so it would do. "Stay close to me," she ordered. He nodded in agreement, actually kind of behind her.

She hopped up the steps the vampires just ran up and cautiously looked around. She peeked around a corner and saw nothing. How had they disappeared already?

"Maybe they were just passing through," Ford suggested.

Buffy started to turn around. "I don't think so," she started, only for a blonde female vampire to grab her from behind and try to bite.

Ford took a startled step back while Buffy did a high kick into her face, then grabbed her by the arm and flipped her over onto her back. A male vampire rushed her and grabbed her, pulling her over a railing with him. She landed in a crouch on the grass below and got up while the vampire rolled to his feet. She kicked him in the jaw, making him fall backward.

Unseen by her, Ford looked down at his stake and cross, and then he glanced at the fight a moment before quickly approaching the other vampire and holding the cross in her face and the stake up and ready. She hissed at him. "You've got one chance to live. Tell me what I wanna know, and I'll let you go."

Buffy knocked the vampire out with a punch to the face and staked him, letting him explode in a cloud of dust. She ran back up the stairs to Ford, finding him crouched where the vampire was before.

"Where's the other one?" she asked.

"I killed her," he coughed, apparently waving some dust away. "I… I killed her, and she just turned to dust. It was… amazing!"

He looked downright gleeful. He'd killed a vampire on his first try? None of her friends had managed that. Maybe all these months of knowing the truth had better prepared him for it?

Willow led Angel, Xander and Jesse across town to the only address she'd found. She really didn't like coming here. It was rundown and icky – she was a suburban girl, darn it. She hated the seedier areas of Sunnydale.

"Ah, downtown," sighed Jesse. "See the sights, smell the sewers."

"The only thing I could track down was this address," she told them. "The Sunset Club. Still didn't find anything incriminating."

"He leaves no paper trail, no records, that's incriminating enough," Angel replied.

Xander nodded. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with Dead Boy on this one."

Angel made a face at him. "Could you not call me that?" He knocked on the door. The viewport opened and the doorman looked out. "We're friends of Ford's. He said we should come."

Thankfully, the doorman nodded and opened the door for them, although Willow could swear he looked suspicious. Curse her overthinking brain.

Once inside, they saw the blue light shining down from the ceiling. From the top of the stairs, they could see the crowd milling around, all dressed in gothic-looking outfits, with gowns, collars, waistcoats and capes – all in either black or various shades of red or purple. Even the heavy metal music was gloomy in the extreme.

Jesse tutted. "I don't think much of their decorator," he murmured.

Willow glanced down at her colorfully striped shirt. "Boy, we blend right in."

"In no way do we stick out like sore thumbs," agreed Xander.

Angel didn't join in the sarcasm. "Let's look around. You guys check out downstairs," he ordered, already moving off.

"Sure thing, Bossy the cow!" Xander retorted as they started down.

"Why don't we hang out with him more?" added Jesse. "He's so easy to talk to."

Willow frowned. "Okay, but do they really stick out?"

"What?" asked the guys.

"Sore thumbs. Do they stick out? I mean, have you ever seen a thumb and gone, 'Wow! That baby is sore!'"

"A question that has baffled scientists for decades," sighed Jesse, guiding her to the bottom of the stairs and into the den of depression.

They wandered through the crowds. How big was this place? What had it been before these guys took it over? Willow glanced up at the upper-level. More people dressed in this Victorian gothic club, plus Angel weaving in and out between them, glancing over the crowd below him.

They looped around under the stairs and walked by a man standing in a coffin dressed as a movie vampire. He didn't smile, but he did wave politely as they passed. "Hi!"

Xander waved back and looked around more, while Jesse looked a little unnerved. Willow could tell they were thinking the same thing as her. "Are you probably noticing a theme here?" Xander asked them.

"As in 'Vampires! Yay!'?" suggested Willow.

"There are three screens playing Dracula movies," murmured Jesse. "I'd say that's a pretty fair assumption."

They heard movement behind them, and they turned to see a blonde girl in a slinky black dress holding a goblet walking up. She smiled pleasantly enough, so maybe she'd be safe to talk to. "You guys are newbies. I can tell," she said.

"Oh, no," Willow said, trying to sound like a seasoned vampire enthusiast. "We come here all the time."

"Don't be ashamed! It's cool that you're open to it. We welcome anyone who's interested in the Lonely Ones."

Willow frowned. "The Lonely Ones?"

"Vampires." They turned again and saw Angel descending the stairs, having heard the conversation.

"Oh!" said Xander, realizing. "We usually call them the nasty, pointy, bitey ones."

The girl smiled understandingly. "So many people have that misconception. But they who walk with the night are not interested in harming anyone. They are creatures above us. Exalted!"

Before anyone else could ask what that meant, Angel bluntly told her, "You're a fool."

The others gave him a look, and the girl looked offended, her pleasant smile falling. "You don't have to be so confrontational about it. Other viewpoints than yours may be valid, you know." She turned and walked back into the crowd.

"Nice meeting you!" Willow called after her, but she didn't even glance back.

Jesse raised an eyebrow at Angel. "We just can't take you anywhere, can we? We came here to investigate, remember?"

Angel didn't look interested. "I've seen enough. I've seen this type before. I mean, they're children making up bedtime stories of friendly vampires to comfort themselves in the dark."

"Is that so bad?" asked Willow. "I mean, the dark can get pretty dark. Sometimes you need a story."

But Angel still looked around the crowd contemptuously. "These people don't know anything about vampires. What they are, how they live, how they dress…" He trailed off as a young man dressed exactly like him – leather jacket, red shirt – came down the stairs behind him and looked him up and down before continuing on. The encounter robbing him of some of his vitriol, he cleared his throat and started for the stairs, ignoring their amused expressions.

As they followed him up, Xander remarked, "You know, I love a good diatribe. But I'm still curious why Ford, the bestest friend of the Slayer, is hanging with a bunch of vampire wannabes."

Willow nodded in agreement. "Something's up with him, you're right about that."

Buffy entered the library with Giles and Ms Calendar at her heels. "Sorry to beep you guys in the middle of… stuff, but it seemed really weird."

"No, you did the right thing. Absolutely." Giles assured her.

This was apparently the wrong thing to say because Ms Calendar stopped in her tracks. "You hated it that much?"

He spun around on his heel to placate. "No! But, but, uh, vampires on campus could have implications. Very, very grave…"

She put her hands on her hips. "You could've just said something."

"Uh, honestly, I… I've always been interested in, in, uh, monster trucks."

That got Buffy's attention. She stared at Ms Calendar, unable to help her incredulous expression. "You took him to monster trucks?" Seriously? This guy?!

Ms Calendar shrugged defensively. "I thought it would be a change!"

Giles nodded. "It was a change," he agreed.

"Look, we could've just left."

"What, and miss the nitro-burning funny cars? No, couldn't have that."

Rolling her eyes, Buffy decided to steer things back on track. "Okay, can we get back on the vampire tip here? These guys were here with a purpose."

Relieved to be removed from his argument, Giles nodded and followed her. "Yes, yes, and, uh, we must, uh, ascertain what that purpose is."

"Where's your friend?" asked Ms Calendar.

"I sent him home."

"Oh, good," said Giles, sitting at the table and going through one of his books. "Yes, the less he's involved in all this, the safer he'll be."

Buffy nodded. "He did bag a vamp his first time out. Gotta give him credit for…" She looked down at the book Giles had just gotten from the small stack he had, and she saw an old picture of the woman vampire she'd seen Angel with the other night. "… that."

"Something wrong?" Ms Calendar asked.

Buffy picked up the picture. "Who's this?"

"Um, she's called Drusilla," Giles explained, "a sometime paramour of Spike's. She was killed by an angry mob in Prague."

"Well, they don't make angry mobs like they used to, 'cause this girl's alive. I saw her with Angel."

This took her watcher by surprise. "With Angel?"

Ms Calendar frowned. "Isn't he supposed to be a good guy?"

"Yeah. He is."

"I think maybe we need to read up on this nice lady," Ms Calendar remarked, eyeing the picture critically.

Giles got up and headed for his office. "Well, some of my new volumes may be more helpful. Uh, my own research is…"

Suddenly, the blonde vampire from earlier ran into him as she ran from his office. Making sure Ms Calendar was a safe distance away, Buffy came to Giles' aid, but got knocked to the floor underneath him when the vampire gave him a hard shove. She jumped up onto the table and leapt over the mezzanine railing, making her escape through the stacks.

Ms Calendar immediately helped them both up. "Are you guys okay?"

"A book!" Giles exclaimed indignantly. "It took one of my books!"

"Well, at least someone in this school is reading."

But Buffy stared after the vampire. That was the vampire Ford killed. Ford had said he killed it. He lied. The implications set in. Why would he lie about that?

Another night, another something or other. Spike descended the stairs of his warehouse to check on Drusilla. He could hear her voice wafting up to him like beautiful music. "You sing the sweetest little song. Won't you sing for me, hmm? Don't you love me anymore?"

Spike came into the room behind Drusilla, talking to a dead bird at the bottom of the cage. He hated having to be stern with her, but she needed to be told sometimes. "Darling! I heard a funny thing just now. Lucius tells me that you went out on a hunt the other night."

Drusilla didn't look at him, still looking at the dead bird. "My tummy was growly. And you were out," she replied before readdressing her pet. "Come on," she cooed, giving it a whistle. "I'll pout if you don't sing."

Spike gently put his arms around her. "You, um, meet anyone? Anyone interesting? Like Angel?"

Drusilla smiled. "Angel," she repeated the name.

Just as he'd feared. His mind flashed back to all the times his grandsire had taken Drusilla away from him, just to mock him and display power over him – and he quashed the memories, for they contained a beaming Drusilla looking at his tormentor happily. "Yeah. So…," he continued, kissing her forehead. "What might you guys have talked about, then? Old times? Childhood pranks? It's a little off, you two so friendly, him being the enemy and all that."

Drusilla continued to coax the bird. "I'll give you a seed if you sing."

His patience wearing thin, Spike raised his voice in frustration. "The bird's dead, Dru. You left it in a cage, and you didn't feed it, and now it's all dead, just like the last one."

She made that noise she made when she was unhappy and about to cry. He softened instantly, wrapping his arms around her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby. I'm a bad, rude man. I just don't like you goin' out, that's all. You are weak." He took her hand, and she started to smile again, this time at him – the smile that Angelus would never again enjoy. "Would you like a new bird? One that's not dead?" he continued, starting to suck on her finger.

But then, they heard a voice behind them. "This is so cool!" Instantly switching to attack mode, Spike whirled around and saw a teenage boy standing among some crates, looking around eagerly as some other vampires looked at him viciously. "I would totally live here."

Spike glared at his underlings. "Do I have anyone on watch here? It's called security, people. Are you all asleep?" He walked toward Ford. "Or did we finally find a restaurant that delivers?"

The boy looked up at him, grinning like an idiot. Spike could smell the nerves radiating from his body. "I know who you are," he said.

"Yeah, I know who I am, too," Spike sneered. "So what?"

"I came looking for you, Spike. You are Spike, right? William the Bloody?"

Guh, that blasted nickname. Sure, it sounded badass, but he knew it was only half-finished, and that memory stung just as much as… the thing he'd already decided not to think about. "You've got a real death wish. It's almost interesting."

A blonde vampire named Julia came in, carrying an old book. Oh good – in better news, she'd done the job. He signaled her over, and she complied, handing him the book he'd wanted from the Watcher. He began to leaf through it. "Oh, this is great. This'll be very useful." He eyed the boy, his temper quelled for the moment. "So, how did you find me?"

"That doesn't matter. I've got something to offer you." He paused, looking at Spike expectantly. "I'm pretty sure this is the part where you take out a watch and say I've got thirty seconds to convince you not to kill me?" he asked, smiling. "It's traditional."

Oh great, the nitwit had a script ready, and here was Spike, the King of Improv. "Well," he said, slamming the book and striding to Ford. "I don't go much for tradition." He grabbed Ford by the ear and lifted him. Good – he finally looked scared. He started to go in for a bite, but then, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Dru looking at him.

"Wait, love," she whispered, giving him that look.

Spike continued to hold the little runt, causing him pain, but the little blighter wouldn't even scream. Well, if Dru wanted him to hear this guy out, it must be worth listening to. She'd been right about Halloween, after all. He released him and waited, but the boy just stared at him. "Well?" he prompted.

The boy slumped in disappointment. "Oh, c'mon! Say it! It's no fun if you don't say it."

Spike frowned. "What?" Then, he realized. He would have to play along for now. Rolling his eyes and bobbing his head, he said in the flattest voice possible, "You've got thirty seconds to convince me not to kill you."

He lit up now. "Yes! See, this is the best!" He took a moment to compose himself. "I wanna be like you. A vampire."

Spike looked at him incredulously. Seriously? This kid was one of those vampire wannabes? He'd had a share over the last hundred years of clueless kids begging to be a vampire just so they'd have some kind of purpose for existing in their miserable lives, but damn – this one was definitely the boldest he'd ever encountered. "I've known you for two minutes, and I can't stand you. I don't really feature you livin' forever." He looked pleadingly at Drusilla. "Can I eat him now, love?"

Disappointingly, Drusilla shook her head.

"Well, feature this," the boy said, his tone hardening. "I'm offering you a trade." Spike frowned at the kid, who continued. "You make me a vampire, and I give you the Slayer."

Those words impacted on Spike, and he smiled a little. He still hated this kid's guts, but damn, that was a good offer.

That night, Buffy sat listlessly in her kitchen, nursing a cup of hot chocolate. These last few days had been a lot – Angel possibly cheating on her with Drusilla, Ford returning, Willow acting skittish and now Ford lying about killing a vampire. Had he just been trying to impress her? What did it mean?

Her thoughts were interrupted by movement at the kitchen door. She jolted as it opened, but she relaxed a little when she saw Angel peeking in at her, his expression unreadable as usual. "Buffy," he greeted. "May I come in?"

"Sure," she said quietly, watching as he crossed the threshold. "I thought once you were invited you could always just walk in."

"I can. I was just being polite." He closed the door, his eyes still on her, so she looked down again. "We need to talk."

"Do we?" she replied. She picked up her hot chocolate and headed into the dining room. She probably should hear his explanations, like maybe this would turn out to be like Mystic Pizza and it would turn out Drusilla was really his sister visiting for a while, but she thought that unlikely.

"It's about your friend Ford. He's not what he seems."

Buffy scoffed quietly. "Who is these days?"

"Willow ran him down on the computer."

"Willow?" That would explain her weirdness earlier today.

"We found this address," he continued, "we checked it out with Xander and Jesse, and it turned out…"

Okay, this was just out of control. "Xander and Jesse?" she repeated disbelievingly, sitting down. "Wow. Everybody's in. It's like a great big exciting conspiracy."

Angel's considerable brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the people I trust," she snapped. "Who's Drusilla?" Angel lowered his eyes in a shameful manner, indicating the 'sister' theory probably wasn't true. "And don't lie to me. I'm tired of it."

Angel didn't look at her, staring off into the lower-middle distance. "Some lies are necessary."

"For what?"

His eyes finally locked with hers, and he looked so ashamed, like he couldn't stand talking about this. "Sometimes, the truth is worse. You live long enough, you find that out."

Buffy held his gaze. "I can take it. I can take the truth."

"Do you love me?"

"What?"

"Do you?"

She took a moment to consider her answer, but she knew the truth. "I love you. I don't know if I trust you."

His expression didn't change. "Maybe you shouldn't do either," he replied, turning to face the nearest corner of the room.

"Maybe I'm the one who should decide!" She wanted to sound like she was in control, but in truth, she didn't want him to just up and leave. He stood away from her, his head bowed, and she swallowed down her anxiety.

"I did a lot of unconscionable things when I became a vampire," he said at last. He turned back around, but he didn't make eye contact. "Drusilla was the worst. She was… an obsession of mine. She was pure and sweet and chaste…"

Buffy looked hard at him. "And you made her a vampire." Not the best news, but that still wasn't too bad. Angel must've turned loads of people before he got his soul.

But unfortunately, Angel kept talking. "First, I made her insane." Now he looked at her. "I killed everybody she loved. Visited every mental torture on her I could devise." The horror building in her, Buffy looked away. Still, he kept talking. "She eventually fled to a convent, and on the day she took her holy orders, I turned her into a demon."

Her eyes fixed to the table, Buffy kept her breathing even. She knew he had done horrible things, but to hear about one in great detail and see the victim… She closed her eyes for a second. She really didn't know if she was relieved it hadn't been an affair. Would that have been better than learning this? "Well. I asked for the truth," she muttered ruefully.

Angel didn't look any happier to have this out in the open. "Ford's part of some society that reveres vampires," he said. "Practically worships them. I don't know what he wants from you, but you can't trust him."

Buffy continued staring at the table for some considerable time. She heard Angel leave at some point, but she didn't follow or say anything to him. She stared into her increasingly cold mug and wondered how the hell her life had gotten like this. How could she face everyone at school tomorrow?

Buffy's head continued to swirl with the news she'd received last night as she walked up some stairs to the quad. She hadn't seen any of her friends yet. The fact they had gone behind her back like this still made her cold inside. Sure, they probably didn't do it willingly. Willow's skittishness betrayed her guilty heart, and she knew Jesse only ever reluctantly got dragged away on capers like this. Xander, he probably let his jealousy override common sense yet again, although maybe there had been signs of Ford's betrayal that she hadn't seen before. Or maybe not. Maybe he was just a really good actor, and Xander followed Angel because they had a common enemy.

In any case, she decided, she would probably forgive them before Angel. His would come later, once this was all over and she'd cooled off a little. She just needed to uncover his treachery so she could move on.

No time like the present, fate decided, as Ford met her on the quad. "Buffy!" he said brightly.

"Ford," she replied, trying not to sound like she knew the truth about him.

"I had a great time last night. Well, an interesting time."

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest, almost protectively. "I'm glad."

"Do you wanna go out again tonight?"

"Not busy," she shrugged.

"I sort of had an idea. It's a… It's a secret. Kinda wanna surprise you." His smile seemed so cold and predatory now. Had it always looked like that?

"I like surprises," she said, attempting to smile.

"Can you meet me here?" he asked.

"Sure."

"At nine?"

"At nine."

He smiled delightedly, and she could see the joy in his eyes at having fooled her. "It's gonna be fun!" he said before walking off.

Buffy just stood there for a moment before uncrossing her arms and continuing on her way. She still wanted to believe that maybe he wasn't up to some evil plan. Perhaps he was just misguided. But she couldn't shake that gut instinct that he was playing her much bigger than she could imagine.

She came down some stairs into the hallway and almost stopped. She could see Willow, Jesse and Xander all seated on the steps. With their backs to her, she couldn't make out if they were deeply depressed over going behind her back. Even if they were only doing it on Angel's instructions, it still made her angry. She braced herself and continued walking towards them.

They heard her footsteps, and the moment they saw her, they leapt to their feet. "Buffy!" exclaimed Willow. She looked excited to see her for a moment, but then, her face fell when she saw her serious expression. "Did, uh, Angel…?"

"He told me everything," Buffy replied bluntly.

Jesse held up a hand. "Look, Buff, you've got every right to be mad at us, because we shouldn't have kept stuff from you," he said a little hurriedly, "so we understand if you can't forgive us all right now, but please – can you at least forgive Willow?" He patted the shorter girl on the shoulder. "She's been wringing her hands with so much guilt lately we're worried she's going to wear them down to the nubs."

Seeing how pitiful they all looked, Buffy couldn't help smiling a little. Yes, she still needed some time to get over what happened, but this was a good first step. She placed a gentle hand on Willow's shoulder, and that act alone seemed to relieve some of the tension she was carrying.

"I'm sorry, Buffy," Willow said quietly. "When Angel came to my room, he was just really concerned for you, and we didn't wanna say anything in case we were wrong."

Guh, these guys really had each other's backs. That just made it all the more difficult to stay mad at them. She would, though, just a smidge, but still.

"Did you find out what Ford is up to?" Xander asked.

"I will." She walked off. She suspected they would follow her later, but she really wanted to face Ford by herself for now. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too much trouble as a human. She would be paying this Sunset Club an early visit.

She could hear her friends behind her. "Angel was in your bedroom?" asked Xander, sounding disturbed.

"Ours is a forbidden love," Willow replied.

Buffy bit back a grin and kept walking.

Ford entered the Sunset Club immediately after school. Granted, he didn't attend classes, but he knew appearances were important. Tonight was the night, the big event they'd all been waiting for. He'd sent Diego an email to let the rest of the club know. He chucked his backpack into a dumpster – he wouldn't be needing it anymore after tonight. Soon, he would be cured of all his problems, and he would be able to live out the rest of his life – forever.

As he descended the staircase, he could already see only twelve people waiting for him below. The rest had apparently decided immortality wasn't for them. Just as well, as these suckers wouldn't be getting it either. "Chantarelle," Ford smiled at the blonde girl in the slinky dress. "Is everything ready?"

Diego interrupted. "Of course. It's ready. Hi, I took care of it. I always take care of it."

Chantarelle looked hopefully at Ford. "Is it time? Tonight?"

Ford smiled as he took a pair of goblets and poured some wine into them. "You nervous?"

"Yes. No," she smiled, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready for the change. Do you really think they'll bless us?"

Ford handed her the other goblet while he kept his own. "I know they will." She smiled back, reassured for now. "Everything's falling into place."

Diego, however, interrupted the mood. "What about your friends? Are they comin'?"

Ford lowered the goblet from his lips. "What are you talking about?"

"Your friends. They came. Last night. Three guys and a girl."

"One was mean," added Chantarelle, looking upset by the memory.

"That's not the point. They weren't even dressed right. Plus, they didn't know the password so officially they really shouldn't have been here."

It didn't take much for Ford to put two and two together. Buffy's friends had been here. They were going to wreck everything. They'd probably already told her. Would she even show up tonight if she thought it was a trap?! "Oh, Christ! Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I have to do everything around here," Diego grumbled irritably. "Sorry, Mr. Flawless Plan Guy, it slipped my mind."

Chantarelle looked worried again. "It's gonna be alright, isn't it? They're not gonna let us down?"

Ford almost answered, but he had to wince in pain for a moment. Dammit, this always happened at the worst moments. He put his fingertips to his forehead in an effort to soothe it. "It's gonna be fine," he assured her, the pain fading.

But she didn't look convinced. "I need them to bless me."

"It's gonna be fine!" he snapped more forcefully.

"No," said a familiar voice. "It's really not."

Ford whirled around, and there stood Buffy at the top of the stairs, glaring down at him. He instantly began to relax. She'd still come. Good. He could work with this. He glanced at Diego. "It's kinda drafty in here," he murmured to him.

Diego looked between him and Buffy uncertainly for a moment before nodding and slipping away into the crowd.

. . .

Buffy looked at the sea of black capes, crushed velvet and corsets as she descended into the den. How the hell did these people live like this? Not their living conditions, but being so utterly stupid? How could they not see the vampires for what they were – a bunch of blood-sucking fiends walking around in the dead bodies of their victims? It just made her sick that they'd romanticized them, and that Ford seemed to be one of them.

"I'm sorry, Ford. I just couldn't wait till tonight! I'm rash and impulsive. It's a flaw."

"We all have flaws," he replied, his tone casual.

"I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what yours is," she continued as she reached him. "I think it has to do with being a lying scumbag."

"Everybody lies."

He wasn't trembling in fear. She could play it cool, too. "What do you want, Ford? What's this all about?"

Ford smiled patronizingly. "I really don't think you'd understand."

"I don't need to understand. I just need to know."

"I'm gonna be one of them."

Yep, worst fears confirmed. "You wanna be a vampire?"

"I'm going to," he corrected.

"You know, vampires are a little picky about who they change ov…" She trailed off as she suddenly felt the pieces click together in her head. "You were gonna offer them a trade!"

Ford started to turn away. "I don't think I wanna talk anymore." She got him to stay by grabbing him by the throat and shoving him up against a pillar.

"Yeah, well, I still feel awfully chatty! You were gonna give them me! Tonight!"

Wincing a bit from the pain, Ford nodded. "Yes."

Buffy practically growled. She'd been let down in the past, but this – this was an actual betrayal from someone who'd been close to her. "You had to know I'd figure it out."

"Actually, I was counting on it," he grunted out, starting to smile despite being the one with his throat grasped.

The implication set in, and Buffy let go of his throat, backing away. He coughed a bit and then laughed. She looked around at all the weird people surrounding her. Just how much of a trap was this? "What's supposed to happen tonight?"

But Ford's smile looked crazy now, not helped by the blue light shining on him casting weird shadows on his face. "This is so cool! It's just like it played in my head. You know that part where you ask me what's supposed to happen?" he snickered. "It's already happening."

Buffy heard a loud clang up the stairs and looked up to see the dweeb in the most pathetic-looking vampire ever had shut the door. She ran up and pounded on it, only to find no knob. She was trapped.

"Rigged up special," Ford explained, and she turned to see him coming up the stairs, stopping at the halfway point while his followers flocked slowly to the base behind him. "Once it's closed, it can only be opened from the outside. As soon as the sun sets, they'll be comin'."

Buffy looked at them all. None of them had that crazy glint in their eye like Ford. They looked… nervous. Like, they'd been fed the story for so long that they were terrified of something ruining it for them. "Ford, if these people are still around when they get here…"

"We'll be changed," the dork who closed the door insisted. "All of us." He was trying to sound tough, but his tone betrayed his fear.

"We're going to ascend to a new level of consciousness!" a blonde girl exclaimed. "Become like them. Like the Lonely Ones."

"This is the end, Buffy. No one gets outta here alive."

Not willing to accept that, Buffy hurried back down the stairs. "There's gotta be another way out of here!" she insisted, looking around.

Ford smirked at her panic. "This is a bomb shelter, Buffy. I knew I wasn't gonna be able to overpower you. But this is three feet of solid concrete. Trust me when I say we're in for the long haul."

"At least let the other people go!"

The blonde girl looked at her with genuine confusion. "Why are you fighting this? It's what we want!"

"It's our chance for immortality!" added the dweeb by the door.

"This is a beautiful day. Can't you see that?"

God, these people were full Heaven's Gate right now. It made her sick. "What I see is that, right after the sun goes down, Spike and all of his friends are going to be pigging out at the all-you-can-eat moron bar."

"Okay, that's it," snapped the door guy. "I think we should gag her."

Buffy glared up at him. "I think you should try."

The guy was scared – not to mention a total poser – but trying to hide it. "She's an unbeliever. She taints us."

"I am trying to save you! You are playing in some serious traffic here! Do you understand that? You're going to die! And the only hope you have of surviving this is to get out of this pit right now, and, my God, could you have a dorkier outfit?!"

Okay, that probably didn't help her cause any because now the guy just looked offended.

"I gotta back her up, D," Ford called up to him. "You look like a big ninny." At that moment, they heard an alarm go off, coming from his wristwatch. "Six twenty-seven," he announced. "Sunset."

Satisfied apparently that they would soon be turned, they all walked away from her. She looked around for what to do next. Options truly were limited. There had to be a way. Her only hope at this point was that Ford wasn't too far gone. Maybe a trace of her former friend still existed.

With the sun now properly out of the sky, Spike led his flunkies out of the warehouse, barking out instructions as they went. "When we get there, everybody spread out. Two men on the door, first priority's the Slayer, everything else is fair game, and let's remember to share, people." He met up with Drusilla, who smiled lovingly at him. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure you're up for this?" he asked cautiously.

"I want a treat. I need a treat," she smiled.

Spike smiled back, deciding to trust her. "And a special one you'll have." He looked up at one of his followers. "Lucius!" he called over, holding up the keys to his DeSoto. "Bring the car around."

Lucius complied, taking the keys and running to the other side of the building. Spike smelled the air. He would see if the kid delivered. Even if he didn't have the Slayer, at the very least, they would have plenty of souls to chow down on, and the boy would go down for his troubles.

Buffy ran back up the stairs to the door to try and find any trace of an escape. She didn't turn to face Ford as he followed her. "Hey, you never give up, do you?" he remarked.

"No, I don't," she snapped.

"That's a good quality in a person. Too many people, they just lay back and take it, but us…"

Buffy stood and turned to glare at him. "Us? We have something in common now?"

"More than you think."

"Yeah, well, let me explain something to you. You're what we call the bad guy."

Annoyingly, he chuckled. "I guess I am!" Dammit, he was acting like a cartoon villain. Did he think this was a game?

Buffy glanced down at the people anxiously milling around the club in their costumes, dreaming of something that would never come. "These people aren't gonna get changed, are they? The rest of them, they're just fodder."

Ford shrugged. "Technically, yes. But I'm in. I will become immortal."

"Well, I've got a newsflash for you, brain trust: that's not how it works. You die, and a demon sets up shop in your old house, and it walks, and it talks, and it remembers your life, but it's not you."

"It's better than nothing."

"And your life is nothing?" Buffy asked incredulously. He laughed quietly at that. It almost sounded bitter. "Ford, these people don't deserve to die!"

"Well, neither do I!" he yelled back, his voice wavering a little. "But apparently no one took that into consideration, 'cause I'm still dying."

It took a moment for the words to register with Buffy, but then, she began to realize. His cold demeanor, the willingness to throw it all away – these were the actions of someone who thought he had nothing to lose.

He composed himself and spoke in a quieter tone. "I look good, don't I? Well, let me tell you something," he said, his anger contained but still bubbling beneath the surface. "I've got maybe six months left, and by then what they bury won't even look like me. It'll be bald and shriveled and it'll smell bad." He shook his head, resolute. "No, I'm not going out that way."

Overwhelmed with this info, Buffy turned away. She had to recalibrate for a second because this was all too much.

"I'm sorry, Summers," he hissed. "Did I screw up your righteous anger riff? Does the nest of tumors liquefying my brain kinda spoil the fun?"

She turned back to face him, cursing the tears filling up in her eyes. Even if he'd become a lying scumbag, he had been her friend once, and the thought of that friend dying such a painful horrible death broke her heart. "I'm sorry. I had no idea. But what you're doing is still very wrong."

"Okay, well, you try vomiting for twenty-four hours straight because the pain in your head is so intense, and then we'll discuss the concept of right and wrong." He pointed at the people below them. "These people are sheep. They wanna be vampires because they're lonely, miserable or bored. I don't have a choice."

Buffy, however, would not be swayed. "You have a choice. You don't have a good choice, but you have a choice! You're opting for mass murder here, and nothing you say is gonna make that okay!"

Ford scoffed. "You think I need to justify myself to you?"

"I think this is all part of your little fantasy drama! Isn't this exactly how you imagined it? You tell me how you've suffered and I feel sorry for you. Well, I do feel sorry for you, and if those vampires come in here and start feeding, I'll kill you myself!"

For a brief moment, Ford looked at her, his expression a little hard to read in the harsh shadows, but she thought that maybe she could still see a trace of humanity in his eyes. "You know what, Summers?" he said quietly. "I really did miss you."

Buffy could only look at him sadly. Maybe, somewhere deep inside, he still had a shred of human decency. Her thoughts were interrupted, though, by the sound of a car screeching to a halt outside. The vampires had come. "Ford, help me stop this," she pleaded hopefully. He didn't respond, still staring at her. "Please!"

But Ford remained silent.

Not having time for this, Buffy ran around to the stairs again and called down to the 'sheep'. "People, listen to me! This is not the mothership, people! This is ugly death come to play!"

And then, Ford backhand punched her across the face, and she went tumbling to the bottom of the steps, landing in a heap. She was more stunned than hurt. She attempted to get back up, but he had followed her down and punched her in the back, sending her to the floor again. In the dim light, she could see his face, and that small trace of humanity she'd seen was gone, replaced with something much colder.

They heard the outside door open and look up. The blonde girl started up the stairs to meet them. Dazed, Buffy couldn't even raise her head at the moment. She heard her reach the top, and she heard the inner door opening. She heard the grumbling and mumbling of the vampires coming in, followed by a roar, and a moment later, she could hear the blonde girl crying in fear.

Then, she could hear Spike's voice. "Take them all. Save the Slayer for me."

Her vision cleared as she began to regain full consciousness, and now she could see the vampires running and jumping down the stairs to the people below and begin feeding. Spike grabbed the blonde girl by the neck, biting her violently.

She started to get up, and when Ford tried to hit her with a crowbar, she grabbed his arm in mid-swing and pulled him around, making him hit his head on a concrete pillar. He fell unconscious to the floor.

Getting to her feet, her strength now returning, she looked at the mayhem going on around her and spotted Drusilla standing by herself on the balcony. She took a running leap off of a couch up to the balcony railing, quickly climbing over, grabbing Drusilla from behind and holding a stake to her chest.

"Spike!" she shouted over the chaos.

Spike looked up from feeding on the blonde girl and looked over at them. Buffy knew this was a long shot. She knew vampires had no real sense of loyalty or love, least of all one like Spike, who often disposed of his own minions like pawns, but if Giles said they'd been an item, then maybe it would –

"Everybody STOP!" Spike shouted at the top of his voice.

Buffy watched as all the vampires stopped feeding. Trying not to show her surprise that this had worked, she stayed cool. "Good idea. Now you let everyone out, or your girlfriend fits in an ashtray."

Drusilla sounded frightened. "Spike?"

Spike's eyes looked remarkably gentle as he addressed her. "It's gonna be alright, baby." He snapped sternly at his minions. "Let them go!"

They all let go of their victims, and the people hurried up the stairs and out the still-open door, some of them pausing to assist the blonde girl, who could barely stand from blood loss. Then, she gestured at Spike with her head. "Down the stairs."

Spike slowly backed down the stairs. Buffy forced Drusilla ahead of her, still holding the stake ready. When she reached the top of the stairs, she stared at Spike for a moment. She looked at Drusilla, at her mercy. She could stake her right now and run. Angel's little pet project – who had once been an innocent victim, and now, a monster.

She looked back down at Spike, clearly on edge and actually a little worried. His jaw tensed, and she could almost make out his tense breaths, even though he didn't need to breathe. She almost laughed bitterly. A vampire who would do anything to protect the one he loved, and she had a friend who had tried to sell her out. It just wasn't fair.

Angrily, she shoved Drusilla down the stairs at Spike, who caught and steadied her as Buffy turned and rushed out the door. He started to give chase as Buffy swung the door shut behind her. She heard him slam up against it and, after a pause, she heard ask, "Uh, where's the doorknob?" Satisfied with her night's work, she turned and walked out of the building.

Out in the alley, she saw the people help and support each other. To her surprise, she could see Xander, Willow and Jesse tending to them, helping those who had lost a lot of blood. Jesse fumbled in his pocket for change so he could call an ambulance to take the blonde girl away. She smiled a little at them.

Angel walked up to her, looking relieved to see her.

"You guys are just in time," she snarked, "to be late."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming here?" demanded Angel, and she could only give him an annoyed look. His worried anger faded a bit, and he took a hint.

"Are there vampires?" asked Willow, also approaching.

"They're contained," she assured them. "They'll get out eventually, though. We should probably go. We can come back when they're gone."

"Come back for what?" asked Xander.

Buffy looked back at the entrance. "For the body."

Spike left his minions to handle breaking the door down. Dru needed him. The encounter had left her badly shaken, and he was man enough to admit he felt the same way. She wasn't fit to take on a Slayer in her condition. This was why he had wanted her to stay in the warehouse, safe from harm until she could fight properly again. Then, they would return to being the best power couple anybody ever saw. In the meantime, he simply sat and stroked her hair soothingly. They'd get the door open eventually. Pound on anything hard enough, and it would break in due time.

Then, he spotted movement on the floor. Oh bloody hell, the wanker was left down here with them. Well, he thought, at least they wouldn't go hungry. He watched the lad get up onto his hands and knees, rubbing his sore head where he had clearly taken a hit. The fact that the Slayer had abandoned him to this fate told Spike all he needed to know. If nothing else, he could respect her for that.

"What happened?" Ford grunted.

"We're stuck in a basement," Spike snapped, rising to his feet angrily and approaching him.

Ford looked up at him. "Buffy?"

"She's not stuck in a basement." Spike switched back to game face just to demonstrate his frustration on the matter.

The kid looked frightened for a moment, but he got to his feet, standing his ground. "Hey, well, I delivered. I handed her to you," he said defiantly.

Spike tilted his head a bit. True enough, he'd come through, and it was Spike's own need to protect Drusilla that had scuppered the plan. Sometimes, he hated being love's bitch. "Yes, I suppose you did," he conceded.

Ford, still shaking from the fear he thought he was hiding, nodded. "So what about my reward?"

Spike exchanged a glance with Dru. Oh, this kid would die either way for sure, but to turn him? He'd been dicey on that agreement to begin with. Now he really didn't want to keep it. Then, he smiled a little. The agreement had been to turn the kid. They never agreed that he would make sure he rose in a safe environment.

Buffy didn't return until after school the next day. When she came back to the building, she found the inner door destroyed, ripped off its hinges. They'd gotten out some time ago, she could tell. The sun could actually shine inside. The depressing gothic music had gone, the stereo stolen, but the disco ball stayed in place. Even vampires have taste, she figured.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and peered down at him. Ford's body, drained and bloodied, remained on the floor, discarded carelessly.

Buffy laid out flowers on Ford's grave, kneeling in front of it for a few seconds before standing and rejoining Giles on the grass overlooking it. He was the only one in attendance, and frankly, she hadn't quite gotten over Angel and the others going behind her back, so she was glad it was just him. This whole thing had somehow been the hardest thing she'd had to deal with – not just as the Slayer, but as a person.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say," she admitted out loud.

"You don't need to say anything," Giles assured her.

"It'd be simpler if I could just hate him," she continued, her thoughts pouring out of her head. "I think he wanted me to. I think it made it easier for him. Be the bad guy. The villain of the piece. But really, he was scared."

Giles nodded. "I suppose he was."

"You know, it's just, like, nothing's simple. I'm always trying to work it out. Who to hate, or love… who to trust… it's like the more I know, the more confused I get."

"I believe that's called 'growing up'," Giles replied gently.

Unable to smile, Buffy looked at him pitifully. "I'd like to stop, then. Okay?" she asked in a small tired voice.

He smiled a bit in understanding. "I know the feeling."

"Well, does it ever get easy?"

At that moment, the dirt exploded in front of them, and Ford crawled out of his grave. His face was shriveled, his skin sickly and his eyes no longer his. Growling and snarling, he took all of two steps towards Buffy before she staked him. He looked at the stake, looked at her, and then roared as he burst into dust.

Buffy and Giles stared at the dissipating cloud of dust for a moment.

"You mean life?" Giles asked.

"Yeah. Does it get easy?"

Giles shrugged helplessly for a moment. "What do you want me to say?"

Buffy thought for a moment, remembering what Angel had said in her living room the other night, and she looked at her Watcher sadly. "Lie to me."

Giles smiled and put a gentle hand on her back, guiding her out of the cemetery. "Yes. It's terribly simple," he said. "The good-guys are stalwart and true. The bad-guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and we always defeat them and save the day. Nobody ever dies… and everybody lives happily ever after."

Buffy looked up at him and gave a weary smile. "Liar."