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Part 12
~One If By Land, Two If By Sea

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"What did you say?"

Riley's voice was low, dangerous. He spoke quietly, from the corner of the room where he had been packing several books into a leather briefcase. He stopped in midair at her words and cocked his head to look at her, his eyes dark with betrayal.

"What did you just say?!" he said again, desperation creeping into his voice this time. Faith panted softly, her chest heaving against the chains that bound her. She couldn't help the smile that graced her lips, no matter the situation that had been one amazing orgasm.

"I said," she repeated, her smile disappearing as quickly as it had come, "that that bitch is going to pay *dearly* for fucking that vampire in my body."

Riley turned away from her to shield himself from her words. "No," he whispered hoarsely. "No. Buffy wouldn't do that. She...she wouldn't."

"Wrong, Ry. B would do just that. Anything to fuck the love of her life again," Faith said coldly. She watched him grapple with her statement for a long moment before looking at the others, who were equally stunned. "What? No comments from the Peanut Gallery?"

Giles was the first to speak, after removing his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was getting too old for all this drama... "What exactly happened, Faith? We all know you're quite the actress."

"Although we also all know that you're only second best," Willow snapped.

"Funny, Red, and I seem to remember that when it comes to the witch stuff you suck," Faith replied.

"Can we unchain her so that they can fight?" Spike asked from his spot in front of the television. "Haven't seen a good chick fight in decades..."

"Stick around," she sneered. "Party hasn't even started."

Giles cleared his throat loudly, causing Faith to roll her eyes in response. "Now Faith, I need you to tell me exactly what happened so that I--"

"Can what? Go look it up in one of your books? Ooh, I know. It was an Orgasmic Demon looking for a little bondage fun," she interrupted sarcastically.

"Maybe it really was a demon! Or a spell of some kind! Or...or...maybe it was just some weird side effect of the switch..." Riley said desperately.

"Now you're just reaching, Soldier Boy," Spike laughed.

"But how do we *know* that the whole thing wasn't just as act to distract us?" Xander asked quietly from his seat on the couch.

Faith snorted and tried to shift in her chair. "Even *I'm* not smart enough to think of this one on my own. Face it. Little Miss Perfect--who really isn't so perfect anymore--and her pet vamp just got it on and I felt it. Must be some weird connection or something..."

"Wait," Tara said, holding up her hand. "If y-you could feel...uh...that," she stopped to clear her throat, blushing slightly, "then how do you know that Buffy didn't feel what happened between you and...you know?" She purposely avoided looking in Xander's direction, nor did she mention his name, because he was suffering enough. His eyes shot up to look at her guiltily and she watched them fill with gratitude when she caught his gaze.

"She has a point there, Slayer," Spike said as he leaned against the doorjamb leading to the kitchen. "Bet she won't be too happy when she finds out about you and Xand-Man over there."

"I thought I was supposed to come up with the lame nicknames," Xander muttered. Spike tossed him a bored look.

"And let you have all the fun? Nah. A boy has to have a little excitement, and since maiming and killing is off the list, name calling will have to do," he replied, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag.

"As much as I'd love to sit here and listen to you bicker like children, we have work to do," Giles said, running a hand through his tousled hair before going over to Spike and plucking the cigarette out of his hand, crushing it out in between his thumb and pointer finger. Spike cried in outrage, but Giles ignored him as he went back to his task.

Faith had long since tuned their annoying voices out, and her eyes narrowed as she began contemplating what she would do to Buffy. Her hate for the girl grew by the second, until she was so blinded by it that she wanted to scream with rage. The bitch had it all, the Watcher, the boyfriend, the friends, the mom, the life. And she had the vampire on the side, who she could now conveniently fuck.

Faith was determined to somehow take it all away from her.

"Can we just go to L.A. and get Buffy back? The sooner we do the sooner we'll be able to move on from all this," Riley suggested, having to sit after the strain from it all finally got to him.

"So you're going to just get her back and forget everything that happened? Pretend she never fucked her vampire again? Ignore the fact that she didn't run to you when we switched? That's so...repressive of you," Faith said, her voice cold with hate.

"Why do you just assume--" Riley started, only to be interrupted by Willow.

"This is getting us nowhere!" she cried, standing and walking to the center of the room. She gave each person a look that had 'resolve face' written all over it as she continued, "We need to get to L.A. and talk to Buffy before we make any accusations or assumptions."

"Thank you, Willow, I couldn't have said it better myself," Giles agreed.

"Are you going to try to? 'Cause I don't want to hear another one of your bloody lectures," Spike muttered, sinking into his armchair. Xander rolled his eyes.

"He is *not* coming with us," he said, pointing a finger at the vampire. Spike cried out in protest.

"Aww, why not? I'm sure Peaches will want to see me again...of course the last time he saw me I was having him tortured, so maybe he won't...which gives me all the more reason to go!" Seeing he wasn't winning any support, he tried again. "Oh, come on! It's not like you like him all that much either. Why try protecting him from me?"

"I say he comes," Faith said, casting a quick glance at Spike. "Who are you to deny him the entertainment this little visit is going to be?"

"That's enough!" Giles yelled, causing the little arguments that were about to spring up to die on their lips. He waited for a moment, relishing the silence. "We are going to finish packing the supplies, and then we are going to pile into my neighbor's van and we are going to drive to Los Angeles and switch them back. In the meantime, I do not want to hear *one* word about all this. Understood?"

Willow, Xander, Spike, Riley, and Tara were all silent as they looked at each other, trying to hide their smirks. Finally Faith spoke. "Did anyone ever tell you how sexy you are when you're firm?"

"I am *not* going down there!" Cordelia stated firmly, turning her back on Wesley to replace a book on the shelf in Angel's office. "I *told* you they wouldn't be able to control themselves! God, why can't they just keep their hormones in check?"

Wesley shifted uneasily on his feet. "We can't really assume that they were doing anything." Cordelia whirled around to stare at him like he had grown another head.

"Oh I'm not assuming--I know!" she argued, turning back to her work. "I knew it, I *knew* they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off each other...and now we're going to have to deal with Angel the psychotic killer again! I knew that she'd bring nothing but trouble with her!"

Wesley waited patiently for her to finish her tirade, and sat silently with a small smile on his face as she regarded him with growing confusion. Finally she threw her hands up in the air in defeat and shrieked. "What?! You *cannot* tell me that you aren't worried about this!" Still he didn't answer, and she grew frustrated. "Why are you looking at me like that?!"

"I trust Angel. And Buffy, for that matter," Wesley said, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees. "They wouldn't jeopardize his soul, they went through too much the last time. You and I both know they're too smart--and scared--to make the same mistake."

Cordelia shot him an incredulous look. "You have way too much faith in them."

"It's not faith, it's common sense," Wesley argued, sitting back in his chair once more.

"All right, since you trust your common sense so much...you go down there and check on them," she said, crossing her arms over her chest smugly and leaned back against the bookcase.

Wesley shifted in his chair and refused to meet her gaze. "Well, I...it's not like they need a constant babysitter and...I think...perhaps it would be best for us to wait for them to come up. You--we don't know what we would be interrupting, and..."

Cordelia only smiled in return.

Buffy finished towel-drying her dark hair and put it up in a simple pony tail. She purposely avoided the mirror as she left the bathroom and buttoned up the shirt Angel had given her. She glanced in the bedroom, but Angel was nowhere to be found. The bed looked incredibly inviting and she was tired from both the fight and their escapades in the shower...

She heard the low hum of the television coming from the living room, and glided silently over the hardwood floor in that direction. Angel kept his gaze on the set as she rounded the couch and plopped down beside him, immediately snuggling into his side. He sighed contently as he slid an arm around her shoulders and pressed a gentle kiss to her wet hair.

"Xena?" she asked incredulously as she focused on the show. Angel shrugged, a small smile playing across his lips.

"I like the fight scenes."

Buffy laughed as she curled her legs underneath her body and let her hand stray to his leg. She glanced up shyly at him and smiled when she saw that his eyes were fixated on hers. "When do you think they'll be here?" she asked, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder. He shrugged and tightened his hold on her.

"Hopefully never. That way I can keep you all to myself," he said, picking up the remote to turn the volume down. Buffy yawned and fought to keep her eyes open. Angel felt her internal struggle and chuckled softly, bringing his hand up to smooth a stray piece of hair back. "Sleep. You're going to need your strength."

"But I don't want to," she protested softly, her eyes already closing and her speech starting to slur. "I wanna talk to you, I wanna know what's been going on in your life."

"I know," he said softly, turning his head to press another kiss to her temple. "There'll be plenty of time for that later. Rest."

"But--" Her arguments were growing weaker and weaker as she faded, and he gently shifted her so that she was laying down, her head in his lap. She sighed happily and let her hand trail down his leg as he lifted one of his to tangle in her hair.

"Sleep."

And she did, willing herself to forget about what was to come.

"For the *last* time, will you shut your bloody hole?!" Spike yelled, covering his ears with his hands in a vain effort to block out Xander's singing. In an attempt to lighten the dark mood in the car he had started singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall".

He'd made it to 98 before getting yelled at.

"Just trying to make the ride more interesting," Xander said, sinking lower in his seat in the middle of the large van.

"Why don't you make out with Faith some more," Anya suggested bitterly. "I'm sure that'll be really exciting."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Faith said, leering at the ex-demon from her seat all the way in the back. Giles hunched over the steering wheel and tried to ignore the immature bickering.

"Look, Anya, it was a mistake, and I'm sorry," Xander started, turning to look at her.

"Oh, well then I guess that makes everything okay, doesn't it?" she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and looking out the window.

"Why did you even come?" Faith asked, causing Anya to twist around to stare at her coldly.

"Because people like you always get what they deserve, and I want to be around when Buffy gives it to you so that I can laugh," Anya said before pulling her head phones on and blasting Limp Bizkit.

Faith smirked. "Aww, the support is so sweet," she said. Boredly, she turned to Spike, who was huddled against the window in the farthest seat in back with her, making sure the blankets that protected him from the sharp rays of the sun was secure.

"Did we lose Riley and Tara?" Willow asked from the front seat, glancing over her shoulder in search of the commando's car. Giles looked in his rear-view mirror, quickly spotting the Jeep several cars behind them.

"No,they're right back there...we'll see how well he'll keep up once we get into the city traffic," Giles said as he changed lanes. "And will you stop that drumming?!" he called back to Xander, who had taken to making his own music on the seat of the van. At Giles' request, he stopped but continued to fidget, finally sitting on his hands in an attempt to sit still.

"Are we there yet?" Spike asked from the back. "I want to annoy Peaches and the Princess."

"You've been alive for a century, haven't you developed any patience?" Willow called playfully.

"Never was my strong point," Spike said with a shrug.

"Are you going to unchain me when we get there?" Faith asked, tossing her blond head from side to side. Her arm was starting to go numb, and she shifted in her seat, moving closer to Spike. She glanced sideways at the vampire before smiling coyly and sidling up to him as much as her chains would allow. "Come on, Spike, help me out here. Can't you get the key or something?"

"Well, that depends," he smirked, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "What's in it for me?"

"You do know that we can hear you, right?" Xander asked, not moving his eyes from the window. He watched cars whiz by as they turned off the highway, and in the distance the sprawling city of Los Angeles rose before them.

"Why don't you try getting back together with your girlfriend," Spike suggested with a smirk.

"And hey, if that doesn't work...the seat's big enough for the three of us," Faith said with a wink.

Giles sped on.

Buffy slept for only fifteen minutes before waking, her stomach suddenly in knots. The whole situation and the confrontation that was coming crashed down on her and she squeezed her eyes shut to block it all out, willing everything to go away so that she could go back to sleep. When that didn't work--not that she'd expected it to--she tried shifting around on the couch, trying to get comfortable again. She felt confined, and not even Angel's gentle touch as he rubbed her back could help.

She moaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Guess there's no rest for the weary, huh?" she joked as she slumped against Angel again. He chuckled.

"Isn't it the wicked?" he teased, picking her chin up gently so that he could look at her. "Bad dreams?"

Buffy shook her head and sighed. "Just bad feelings, I guess," she said as she tucked her head back under his chin, her hand straying to play with the hem of his shirt.

"About what?" Angel asked.

"Everything," she confessed, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, letting his familiar scent wash soothingly over her. "I mean, what's going to happen when they get here and we switch? What's Giles going to say? What's Willow going to say?"

"What's Riley going to say?" Angel added quietly. Buffy's eyes shot open and she sucked in a quick breath but didn't comment on it.

"What're we going to do with Faith?" she asked instead, refusing to even go near the topic of Riley. "I mean, how're we going to get the police here so that they can take her without getting the Council involved? Or should we turn her over to the Council? At least they'll know what they're dealing with, and--"

"What are you talking about?" Angel interrupted, shifting and causing her head to slip from its comfortable spot. She turned her head to stare at him with a confused look in her eye and, when his gaze didn't waver like she had expected it to, she looked away.

"Faith, and what we're going to do about her. I'm not about to let her sleep on the couch and babysit when we wanna go out," she said sarcastically, brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes and leaning back into the couch cushions. Angel turned his gaze to the floor and leaned forward to brace his elbows on his knees, his face hard to read. "What?"

"Nothing," he murmured, refusing to meet her eye. Buffy sighed.

"Angel, just because we haven't been together for a while doesn't mean I don't know that look...or you, for that matter. You've got something face, so spill. What's wrong?"

He was silent for a long time as he pondered his answer, how he would tell her that turning Faith over to the police or the Council were the furthest thoughts from his mind. Buffy wasn't sure what to make of his silence. Just as she was about to ask again, he promptly stood up and turned away from her. When he spoke, his voice was low and neutral. "I don't think we should turn her over to anyone."

Buffy stared at his back crazily, her dark eyes boring into him. She stood on shaky feet and said in a quiet voice, "You what?"

"I don't think we should turn Faith over to anyone," he repeated softly, his gaze roaming over his darkened apartment to avoid her eyes. He should have known that this was coming, and yet he'd been so consumed by her presence and the past twenty four hours that it had completely slipped his mind. But now it all came crashing down on him, and he knew there was no escaping what was going to happen.

"How can you say that?" she whispered, trying desperately to keep her voice from cracking. She had to look away from the back of his head when her anger swept through her, setting her mouth in a firm line.

"She's...Faith's probably very confused right now, and--"

"Confused?!" Buffy repeated, this time the rage in her voice quite clear. She stalked around Angel and stood before him, forcing him to look at her. "Confused!?! She *stole* my body Angel. She's not confused. She obviously knows what she's doing, and she has to be stopped!"

"Buffy, we'll stop her," Angel said reassuringly, reaching a hand out to rest on her shoulder and looking her straight in the eye. "We'll switch you back. But after that...Faith has a lot to come to terms with, and she's going to need time and support if--"

"Support? You expect me to *support* her after what she did? After what she's done? That's one thing I refuse to give her," Buffy said, shaking his hand off her shoulder. Dejected, he let it fall limply to his side and swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat.

"We can't just turn her over to the Council. Who knows what they'll do to her?" Angel tried.

"Who cares?!" she countered sharply. "Look, Angel, I know you think you have to save everyone in this city, and that's great. It's good that you have a five-year plan. But this doesn't have anything to do with you! Faith has to pay for what she's done."

Angel drew back as her words stung him deeper than he knew she had intended them to. He stared at her for a long moment, trying to keep himself calm. Fighting about this would get them nowhere...and yet this clash was inevitable. She stood quietly, her stance almost daring him to argue, and he was suddenly--painfully--reminded that she was still young and would resort to this kind of insolence when challenged. She was, after all, only human.

But then again, to some degree...wasn't he?

"It *does* have everything to do with me," Angel argued, raising his voice as he stared her in the eye unflinchingly, "because it involves someone's soul. That's what I do now, Buffy, remember? Faith's in a lot of trouble and she needs help."

"You and I both know that she doesn't want your help!" Buffy cried, pointing at the door as though Faith was standing right behind it "Why are you even trying to defend her?"

"She *needs* the help, Buffy, whether she admits it or not," Angel said, ignoring her question as he ran a hand through his drying hair.

"How do you know that? How do you know she *wants* to change? Last time I saw her she seemed pretty happy over on the dark side of the Force," Buffy said, desperation creeping into her voice. "Not everyone is like you, Angel. Not everyone wants redemption."

He turned away from her words in growing anger. "You can't just make that kind of assumption, Buffy, you can't--"

"So what you're saying is that you're willing to forget about what she did to you--what she did to *me*--God, Angel, she stole my body. She stole it! Who knows what she's done to it, what she's done to the babies. How can you be so sure that she wants to change?"

"How can you be so sure that she doesn't?" he countered sharply, his back still towards her. Angel closed his eyes and took a deep, calming--albeit unnecessary--breath and tried to cool down. His fists clenched unknowingly at his sides in an attempt to also control himself. He was a pretty unflappable person, but when he was passionate about something he would do anything for it.

It was one of the things that made him such an amazing Warrior.

Buffy stared at his back in a fury. She loved Angel with all her heart and soul, but sometimes he was so blinded by his redemption mission she wanted to strangle him. This was one of those times. No matter how much Angel wanted to help Faith, the fact remained that Faith didn't deserve it. She wasn't worth the time or the effort. Buffy had tried, she'd befriended the girl, she'd trusted her, and Faith had thrown it all back in her face.

She wasn't worth it.

And Buffy told him so. "She's not worth your time, Angel," she started, somehow managing to control herself. "She's a *killer*. She's dangerous, sh-she...God, Angel, why're we even having this conversation? This is stupid, we--"

"You're right, this is stupid," Angel interrupted. "Faith has to be dealt with, I'm with you there. But we can't just give up on her, and we can't throw the book at her."

"Book? I don't want to throw a book at her," Buffy said, shaking her head. "I want to throw the whole damn library!" Angel spun back around on the balls of his feet to face her once more. He'd never heard her say anything with so much venom in her voice. She stood before him literally shaking with anger. She repeated her words again slowly, with precision. "Faith's a killer. She's a ticking time bomb! She--"

"And I'm the same thing she is," Angel whispered, his fists clenching so tightly that his fingernails bit into his skin.

"No, you're not. How many times do we have to go over this? That *wasn't* you, Angel, you didn't kill all those people! And yet *you're* the one who's making up for it all! You're completely different from her," Buffy argued, shouting the last part at him.

"Am I?" Angel asked almost dangerously, suddenly stalking up to her. He grabbed her arms roughly and pulled her body flush up against his, leaning down to look her in the eye. His unnecessary breath was uncharacteristically hot on her face as he continued. "Am I really? I've killed before. Maybe not me, but these hands have. This body has. I remember it all, every scream, and drop of blood. And when I'm around you, *I'm* the ticking time bomb."

His grip on her arms tightened with each sentence and his eyes tracked her wildly. "Angel, you're hurting me," she whispered. He released her instantly, backing up and running a hand through his hair in an effort to gain back his self control. "Why do you want to help her?" Buffy asked quietly, rubbing her slightly-sore arms.

"I've gotten a second chance, Buffy," Angel said softly after a long pause, his eyes refusing to meet hers in embarrassment. "I made a lot of mistakes, and a lot of bad choices. But I can make up for them now. I can make amends, I can atone. Faith's no different from me, why do I get a chance if she doesn't?"

"Angel, you *are* different. You want to change. Faith doesn't. She knew what she was doing when she went to the Mayor. She knew what she was doing when she poisoned you!" Buffy's voice rose sharply, until she was nearly screaming at him. "She knew what she was doing when she stole my body! She knows *everything* that she does, and she doesn't care! She. Doesn't. Care." She crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to keep from breaking something in her anger.

"You don't know that!" Angel countered, pacing in front of her, his large strides eating up the hard wood floor. "You don't know what's going through her head, Buffy. You-you don't know what it's like."

"You're right," Buffy said, throwing her hands up in the air in defeat. "You're right! I don't know what it's like to kill someone. I don't know what it's like to go all psychotic on my former friends. So I'm sorry if I can't exactly identify with her, but that does *not*--"

"But I can," Angel interrupted, stopping mid-stride to address her directly. "I know everything she's going through, everything she's been through. I know what it's like to not have anyone in the world, no family, no friends. She needs us."

"She needs us," Buffy spat. "You keep saying that, and I just don't know how you possibly can. She doesn't need us, Angel. She doesn't need anyone, something she's proven more than once."

Angel stared at her, not understanding why she didn't see it. How she'd never seen it. "You don't get it, do you?" he asked with a shake of his head, a small, somewhat sad smile playing across his lips.

"Get what?" she asked, bewildered suddenly by the shift in conversation from Faith to herself.

"Buffy, compared to Faith you have everything," Angel said, holding up his hand to silence her. "You have the family, the Watcher, the friends, the..." He faltered for a moment and had to look away. "The boyfriend. She's never had a real family, she's never had real friends. Her Watcher died right in front of her. The closest thing she's ever had to stable was her relationship with the Mayor. You have to put things in perspective, Buffy."

"I have perspective. I'm *choking* on all this perspective. Faith's had it rough: I get it."

"No, I don't think you do," Angel said quietly, his gaze burning into hers. "You do realize that all Faith's wanted since we've known her is to be like you, right? She may have never said it, but it's so obvious. She's wanted the 'perfect' life that you have, she wants the friends and family that love her. Since she hasn't gotten it, she took it from you. Literally."

"You know, the book jacket sounds really nice and all, but I just don't think it's gonna make the best seller list because *no one cares*," she said harshly.

"I care."

"Is that right?" she countered, an ancient memory surfacing in her mind. She stood before Xander, arguing with him over the restoration of Angel's soul...

"It is," he said, not backing down. "No one else understands it like I do. She wants to *be* you on some unconscious level."

"Oh, great, so now I have a stalker," Buffy grumbled, folding her arms over her chest again. She shook her her dark head. "And she stole my body...why? Because she likes my eyes?"

"It's a cry for help. She wants someone to rescue her from her pathetic excuse of a life," Angel said, finally spelling it out for her. Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Generally, if you want help, you say it. Out loud. You don't go stealing people's bodies and their lives and hope they can read all the signs," she snapped, her eyes sparking with renewed anger. She turned away from him and tried to breathe deeply, tried to calm down.

"Faith deserves a second chance, Buffy. Everyone does," Angel said quietly, taking small steps towards her, his eyes nailing her in place. "I've killed hundreds of more people than Faith has. I've done things she's never even dreamed of. I've--" His voice broke, and he had to lick his suddenly dry lips before continuing. "Now I have everything...love, a family, friends, two children on the way. Things I don't deserve. How is it that I can have all that and she doesn't even get the opportunity to change?"

Buffy was thankful that she was facing away from him, for she had no answer for him.

The Sunnydale group arrived in Los Angeles shortly afterward--somehow managing to get there in one piece. Giles followed the directions Wesley had given him and manuevered through the streets to Angel's building. The traffic rushed by as they pulled over and parked in front of a tan building. Checking the address several times, Willow nodded.

"This is it," she said, peering out at the building. There were no signs or indications that it was Angel's office...in fact, she was kind of disappointed. She'd been expecting a big sign and a big picture window in front like the old detective agencies from the '50s...although now that she thought about it, she realized that it wouldn't be very convenient for the vampire.

"Yep, this is it all right," Spike said, peeking out the window carefully to avoid the killer sun. "Kinda anti-climatic, don't you agree?"

"I was hoping for a welcoming party myself," Faith said. Anya finally turned off her loud music and removed her headphones, smoothing out her dark hair.

"Like they'd waste their time on one," she muttered as she reached past Xander to open the side door and practically shoved him out ahead of her. He shot her a nasty look and caught himself from falling, brushing his clothing off.

"Thanks for the help, Anya, I have such trouble opening doors," he said as he began removing the bags that had been stuffed at his feet. His estranged girlfriend rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Giles joined Xander and together they unloaded the rest of the supplies before he reached into the back to get Faith as well. Making sure her chains were firmly in place, he placed her on the ground and motioned for Willow to come over and keep an eye on her.

"Hey, watch--" Xander snapped as he was pushed from behind. He stumbled and fell onto the unyielding pavement, taking the brunt on his palms. He looked up to yell at the person who'd knocked him down, and stopped short when he saw that it had been a beautiful blond on roller blades, complete with incredibly short shorts and a bikini top. Anya caught him staring and nearly saw red.

"What, you want to fuck her too?" she snapped.

"Anya!" Giles scolded, aware that they were now drawing a small audience. The ex-demon scowled.

"What? I've never been this angry before. Cursing helps."

"Oh get over it already!" Faith sighed. "Xander and I had sex. Hot, passionate, sweaty sex. Deal and move on for Christ's sake!"

"Don't tell me to do *anything*, I--"

"Anya, drop it," Xander said. His voice was low and authorative, and she looked at him with a mix of shock and disgust.

"Xander--"

"Anya, DROP IT," he said again. "We will talk about this later, when we're alone."

While they had been talking, Riley and Tara had parked and gotten out of the Riley's jeep and were now standing on the curb. Riley kept glancing up at the building, wondering what would happen when he saw Buffy again. When he finally met this Angel that no one seemed to want to talk about. There was so much he wanted to say to her, about how he'd missed her and how sorry he was and about the baby...he just wanted to hold her again.

"Let's get this circus inside, hmmm?" Giles said as he unbuckled his seat belt and slid out of the van. The others followed suit, leaving only Spike.

"Great, how am I going to get out?" Spike grumbled.

"Well, you can make a run for it," Xander suggested. "'Course, you didn't bring your SPF five million so that might be a problem...for you, anyway. I don't think the rest of us will mind you getting a nice tan."

"You're very lucky you're standing in the sun right now," Spike growled.

"Why, what were you planning on doing? It's not like you could touch me--well, not in anger anyway. I don't even want to think about you wanting to touch me in a non-hurting way."

"I'm getting a major headache listening to the two of you!" Willow said exasperatedly. "Spike, use your blanket and make a run for it. And hurry up, because we need to get Faith inside. People are starting to gawk."

"Yes, do hurry, Spike...we all can't wait to see Buffy again," she snapped. Spike gave her a lop-sided smile.

"When you get your body back, you and me are gonna have some fun," he whispered to her. She winked back.

"Count on it, baby." With that, he wrapped his blanket around his body and made a run for it, yelping when his hand nearly caught on fire from exposure.

They got plenty of strange looks from the pedestrians that strolled by. Xander smiled broadly at several of the women that passed them, watching them walk away as he said, "It's nice to see so many women who look so... healthy."

Anya hit him on the arm in disgust as she scowled. "What, do you want to go have sex with them to? Wait here, I'll get their phone numbers for you. Maybe even an address if you're lucky."

"Can you do this later?" Riley asked as he took Faith by the arm and led her up the steps. She tried to shrink back from his touch, but he held her firmly and made a face at a businessman who stared at her chains as he went by.

"I second it," Willow agreed.

Giles joined them with the rest of their things and said, "I've been seconding that since this whole mess started."

"Okay, so where is it?" Xander asked.

"Straight ahead, first office on the left," Willow told him after consulting the directions. The group made their way down the hallway rather awkwardly, suddenly feeling out of place in the building. This was Angel's territory, and none of them--with the exception of Spike--had been there before. They quickly came upon the door that had 'Angel Investigations' painted on it, and with Giles and Willow in the lead they entered the office.

"We'll be right with you," Cordelia's voice called from the other room. They stood in the center of the room, unsure of what to do.

"This is a...nice set-up Dead Boy's got for himself," Xander commented as he glanced around the room. "Look, he even has coffee! Wonder if it's safe to drink."

"It's not--not when Cordelia makes it, anyway," Wesley said as he entered the room. They all looked up, shocked at seeing him, when he spoke. Cordelia followed him in and hit him good-naturedly on the arm as she dumped a few crosses and two vials of holy water on her desk.

"Always goes perfectly with your ass-kissing donuts," she retorted. She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed the new arrivals warily. "God, it's like a high school reunion."

"Good to see you too, Cordy," Xander said, flashing her a smile. "What's Watcher Guy doing here? And what's with the equipment? Expecting Spike to give you a hard time?"

"What's he doing here?" she countered, her eyes flickering over the blond vampire as she picked up a stake and twirled it idly between her fingertips.

"Don't worry, he's impotent," Anya said.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Spike grumbled when she started giggling, crossing his arms over his chest in defense and glaring at the ex-demon.

"Impotent?" Wesley repeated.

"Yeah, impotent. Flaccid. Unable to perform. Can't--"

"That's enough!" Spike roared, backing into the wall as he tried to escape their laughing eyes. "You talk like I can't bloody get it up."

"Can we not go there?" Cordelia intervened, raising a finger to draw attention to herself.

"How about we go to where Buffy is," Riley spoke up. Cordelia turned her gaze on him in impatience.

"Oh look, it's Buffy's new beau. Riley, right? I had a vision of you kissing Faith. Seems kinda apropos, seeing as how your little Buffy was--"

Wesley quickly covered her mouth with his hand. She made an annoyed noise, but he wouldn't budge until she quieted.

"Was what?" Riley asked worriedly, stepping forward. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I didn't throw it to you," she said hotly, wincing as she realized how lame she sounded and putting down the stake to stick her hand out. Angel SO owed her... Riley gripped it as she continued, "Cordelia Chase, budding actress and secretary on the side."

Riley turned to Wesley, his hand still outstretched. "Riley Finn, and you are...?"

"Wesley Wyndham-Price," Wes said, shaking the commando's hand firmly.

"Well, now that everyone knows everyone else, can we get Buffy and switch them back already?" Xander asked.

"It's nice to see that you haven't developed patience yet," Cordelia said, tossing her long hair behind her and resuming her stake-play. "I'm still welcoming. Anya, what're you doing here?"

"She's with me," Xander told her, putting an arm around his girlfriend's shoulders. She shrugged it off angrily and glared at him.

"Don't touch me."

Cordelia didn't miss the hostility in the other girl's gaze, and said wryly, "Yep, she must be. No one else could look at you with that kind of anger. What'd you do now, Harris?"

"He slept with me," Faith spoke up. The actress, caught off guard, dropped the stake and turned to stare at her in shock. It clamored to the floor unnoticed as Cordelia sized the other girl up, noting that it was clearly evident that Buffy was *not* in her body. Faith held it so...differently. Unnaturally, too.

"But you just woke up," she said, a note of disbelief in her voice. Her eyes traveled over to stare at Xander, who was looking at the floor guiltily, his arm having fallen from Anya's shoulders.

"Can we talk about this later?" Giles asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Where are Buffy and Angel?"

He had asked the question that had been running through everyone's minds the entire time that they had been standing making small talk. The room quieted and Wesley and Cordelia shared a nervous glance that didn't go unnoticed. Cordelia looked away from the group and quirked an eyebrow, obviously waiting for Wesley to come up with an explanation.

"Buffy and Angel?" he repeated, trying to stall.

Riley saw right through it. "Where's Buffy?" he asked, nearly pleading with them.

"Buffy...uh...well, you see, Riley...Buffy's downstairs," Cordelia stammered, looking at Wesley for help.

"Right, she and Angel had to clean up."

"What, were they a little sloppy while they romped?" Faith asked, her tone cold. Cordelia paled, wondering how she could have known about that.

"Angel *so* owes us for this," she murmured before speaking louder so that everyone could hear. "They had to go fight some yucky slime demons and needed to get unslimed."

Willow spoke up worriedly. "Are they okay?" she asked, inching closer to Tara. She had been quiet the whole time, her eyes wide as she stared around the office and absorbed everything that was happening. Willow gave her a quick smile before focusing her attention back on Cordelia.

"They're fine," she said tightly, fidgeting in place. "In fact, if you want to check on them you can. Go right through the office, elevator's in back."

Faith quirked a brow and wiggled in her chains. "Why don't you go down and get them?" she asked, a sly smile on her lips.

"We...ah...that is to say--I mean..." Wesley started, silently praying that Cordelia would come to his rescue.

"We don't want to get in the way of anything," Cordelia supplied, saving him. He breathed a sigh of relief and nudged her when he realized how bad it sounded, causing her to look at him before continuing. "It's just that his apartment is so small and with all of you and us...there wouldn't be a lot of room."

"Right," Faith said calmly. "I'm sure."

"Well then," Giles said, trying to move the group along. "We'll just go down there and see them, if that's all right with you."

Cordelia glanced frantically at Wesley again before sighing in defeat when she realized she'd been the one to suggest it in the first place. "Yeah. Sure. Go right ahead. Take this with you, just in case," she said, handing him a stake and smiling brightly. "And tell Buffy that if she screwed *anything* up, she's cleaning up her own mess. I'm not dealing with that again. Oh, and also tell her that if Angel goes back to being his brooding self again after she leaves she's going to pay. Dearly. I've worked too long and too hard to break him of that, and if she causes him to revert she'll be sorry. He's always a mess after she leaves, all whiny and quiet and I-love-her-and-miss-her-but-it's-all-for-the-best. Do you have any idea how bad depression looks on a vampire? Of course, happiness looks even worse on him--which she'll also have to deal with. Or you can deal with it, whatever you like. I don't get paid enough to."

Her comments served to fuel their insecurities that had taken root in Giles' apartment. Unsure, they glanced around at one another in an attempt to comprehend it all. Cordelia smiled smugly and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against her desk once more.

"She was just kidding," Wesley said, trying to relieve some of the tension in the room. "You know, on second thought, why don't I go down and warn--uh, let them know that you're here?"

Cordelia sighed. "No, you stay. I'll do it."

Buffy was rapidly trying to process what Angel had just told her. He had just shared one of his deepest fears with her, and it was taking some time for her to digest it, to digest everything they had been fighting about.

She was about to turn around when a sudden, sharp wave of dizziness hit and she wavered on her feet. Angel was thankfully standing right behind her, and swept her into his arms to help steady her before she could fall. She felt nauseous and light-headed, and gladly collapsed against his unyielding chest.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked, concern evident in his voice as he pulled her closer still, trying to somehow shield her from any pain. She raised a shaky hand to her head, pressing it against her cheek.

"Yeah, I just...I..." She stiffened suddenly, her eyes flying to the stairwell. "They're here."

Angel's gaze followed hers, and he reached out with his enhanced senses, nodding when he felt the new presences. "How did you know?" he asked as he guided her over to the couch and helped her to sit down.

"I...I don't know," Buffy said honestly. "I suddenly felt really dizzy and...I just knew that Faith was here."

"Do you think it was because of that strange connection you have?" Angel asked, tucking a loose piece of hair back behind her ear.

"I think that anything's possible, especially now," Buffy said as she leaned back and closed her eyes. Angel hovered over her protectively, their argument pushed into the back of his mind. She opened her eyes to peer at him and said softly, "Guess it's show time, huh?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"No, but I will be," she said. "Now how are we gonna do this?"

Angel swallowed and pulled her into his arms suddenly, his lips meeting hers in a desperate kiss. She returned it without pretense or hesitation, her lips melding with his furiously over and over again. Finally, the need to breathe overtook her and she pulled away but didn't go far, resting her forehead against his as she panted.

"Well, I know that we can't do that in front of them," he teased, nuzzling his cheek against hers.

"And I also know that we have to talk about Faith later, after this is all over with. I just...I don't think she deserves another chance," Buffy whispered, closing her eyes and reveling in the feel of his cool skin against hers.

"I know you don't," Angel replied, pulling back so that he could look her in the eye. "But I hope you can understand why I think she does."

"Ahem," a voice said from behind them, startling the couple. They jumped up and broke apart guiltily, Angel automatically reaching out to steady Buffy in case she felt dizzy again. They turned to see Cordelia standing on the landing, shaking her head. Her hands were hidden behind her back. "You guys really have gotten yourself into a mess... They've arrived. Oh, and Angel? I know there's no easy way of asking this, but are you evil again?"

Buffy and Angel shared amused smiles. "What would make you think that?" Angel asked.

"Does 'Oh, Angel, yes', ring any bells? I really don't think that was caused from a soothing game of Checkers," Cordelia said.

"No, he's not evil," Buffy said. "And I believe it was 'Oh God, Angel', but I could be wrong. I wasn't exactly paying attention to what I was screaming."

The look on Cordelia's face made them burst out laughing. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged, the stake that was hidden behind her back falling out of her grasp and rolling down the stairs to land at Angel's feet. He bent down to retrieve it, letting it dangle between his fingertips.

"Nice to know you have faith in us, Cordelia," Angel said wryly, slipping an arm around Buffy's shoulders and gave her a light squeeze. "You can send them all down."

"Are you sure you're ready to face *all* of them? They sure do take the whole 'strength in numbers' concept to heart..." she said, her cheeks still rosy. "And me, have faith in you two? Please. I know you way better than that."

With that, she turned and marched back up the stairs.

"I love you," Buffy said suddenly, turned to Angel and raising her hand to gently cup his cheek. He nuzzled her palm before placing a soft kiss on it.

"I love you too," he replied softly, leaning down to capture her lips in a searingly sweet kiss.

"We're gonna get through this, right?"

"We will," he whispered reassuringly, catching her lips in another kiss that conveyed all his love to her. They broke apart slowly, neither wanting to let go. But they knew they had to, at least for the time being. Buffy was afraid that letting go of him would make him disappear completely, and the mere thought of being without him again was unbearable.

They separated further when footsteps were heard on the stairs, Buffy smoothing back a piece of stray hair and making sure that the clothes that Angel had given her were on correctly. No need to give them any clues... She watched with a growing smile as her friends filed down into Angel's apartment. Giles, Willow, Xander, Tara, Riley, Spike...well, her friends and a few enemies. Anya walked behind Faith, a sour look on her pretty face.

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, glancing from Buffy to Angel and then back again. A thick, uneasy silence filled the air as Buffy shifted from foot to foot, not daring to look at Angel for fear of them finding anything out.

Finally, she smiled uneasily and said, "So, do you like me better a brunette?"
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