PART 7

"You found a *WHAT*?" Angel yelled at them.

They had all just finished eating the breakfast Buffy had prepared and were now discussing the reason that Hank had actually called Angel.

"A note," Hank repeated feeling as though he was being interrogated. "Buffy thought that it was a warning from the assassin."

Angel looked at the note, as Hank passed it to him and realised whom it was that had written it … it was not good news. However suddenly a plan came to him, one that would benefit his plan to get Buffy back, but also offer protection to Hank, Buffy and Dawn.

"I think you're in serious trouble," he told Hank, "I think that you all should move into the mansion… at least until this is over."

"I don't think so," Buffy said in panic. She was having a hard enough time dealing with Angel being in Sunnydale. How would she cope in the same house?

"It's that, or Cordy, Doyle, the little one and I move in here. And let's face it the mansion has got a lot more room," Angel replied.

"Why should we move?" Hank asked Angel confused.

"Yeah, why?" Buffy echoed.

Angel looked at Hank and Buffy, "Because if we're under the same roof, Hank will stand a better chance of surviving this."

"I can protect him here," Buffy argued.

"Yeah, but at the mansion he'd have you, me, Doyle and Spike to watch him. It doubles his chances."

"Like Spike's ever gonna agree to move in with you," Buffy retorted.

Angel tried to hold in a smile, "Sure he will. It's his big chance to annoy me 24/7."

"Buffy… if it saves me…" Hank applied the pressure.

Buffy felt herself wavering, but decided to remain strong… at least until Dawn spoke.

"It's a good idea. Not only because of Hank, but because it will also protect you and me from this assassin. Who says that after it's finished with Hank that it won't come after one or both of us," Dawn said.

Buffy sighed; she didn't want anything to happen to Dawn… or Hank. "Okay, but I don't like it," she answered.

"All right" Angel said, "Go and pack. I'll meet you at the mansion in two hours. Spike can come after dark." He got up said goodbye and left.

Buffy watched him leave and wondered why it was always her life that went to hell.

When Angel arrived back at the mansion he found Doyle playing with Ricky. "Where's Cordy?" he asked his friend, "I need to talk to you both."

"She's lyin' down… she was upset," Doyle told him angrily.

"What happened?" Angel asked both curious and concerned for his friends.

Doyle sighed and tried to reign in his temper. "We went out for awhile and we ran into 'Delia's parents. They pretended not to know her or the little one."

"Poor Cordy," Angel said sympathetically.

"Yeah. Yer know it was the one time in my life when I actually wanted to hit a woman."

Angel took a deep breath and said, "So I guess this isn't a good time to tell you we're having house guests?"

"Buffy?" Doyle questioned his friend.

"And Dawn, Hank and Spike..." Angel added. "Hank got a note from the assassin."

Doyle looked at Angel, "But the only one of Wolfram and Hart's assassin's that does that is…"

"Greltar!" Angel finished.

"I thought that we got rid of her?"

"Well, she's back. This means that Hank's in worse trouble than I'd thought" Angel replied.

"Shall I call the… what are they… Scoobies?"

"Yeah, with Greltar around, we're going to need all the help we can get," Angel told him as he went off to get the rooms ready.

"Buffy?" Buffy turned towards her door when she heard her name called and found Dawn standing there.

"What is it, Dawnie?"

"You really don't wanna go there, do you?"

"No… yes… no… I don't think so. However I need to for dad's sake, but…"

"But…" Dawn pushed. She had high hopes that Buffy and Angel would work out now that they'd both grown as people.

"I don't think I can handle being that close to him," Buffy replied. "That's not it… the truth is I think you were right about me still having feelings for him."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"Because I have trouble willing myself to keep my hands off him and cover it up with vicious sarcasm," Buffy told her.

Dawn nodded, "Yeah, he's pretty hot… for an ex-dead guy."

"Dawnie!"

"Hey, I was only looking," Dawn told her. "Besides anyone can see they don't stand a chance by the way he looks at you. Plus this time around you don't have to keep your hands off."

"I know," Buffy said, and then she sighed. "But I can't."

"Why not?"

"Dad's safety has to come first," Buffy said, "And when it's over, he'll be heading back to LA."

"Which is only *TWO* short hours away," Dawn reminded her.

Buffy looked at Dawn suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly pushing me at Angel?"

"I just want you to be happy," Dawn replied.

"So it doesn't have anything to do with a blonde vampire?"

"No."

"So, you don't think that if I end up with Angel, that Spike will decide that you're the one?" Buffy asked.

"Maybe."

Buffy walked over to her sister. "Don't worry, I will never fall for Spike… he's all yours."

"Would you tell him that," Dawn said walking away back towards her own room.

Buffy sighed and turned back to her own packing and wondered why she didn't tell Angel to stick the co-habitation idea. She knew why, because it was really what she wanted, even if it killed to be with him and not *WITH* him.

Lilah Morgan was upset. She was upset because Hank Summers, even after sending her two best assassins, was still alive and was now under the protection of a vampire, a slayer and Angel. Not only that but Greltar was proving to be a total incompetent… actually Greltar was just following her own weird routine, but this time stalking and the use of torture was a luxury that just couldn't be afforded. Her thoughts were disturbed when Davidson walked into the room.

"Well?" she demanded she wanted the latest news and she wanted it now.

Davidson was sweating, he was nervous because he knew that she wasn't going to like the news he had to deliver. "Our sources on the Hellmouth say that they've moved."

Lilah glared at her assistant, "Where did they go?"

"No one seems to know. They weren't expected to make a move during the day," Davidson explained.

Lilah shook her head as if she was clearing out the anger. "You're right," she said in a neutral tone, "Why don't you go and check if any more news has come through?"

"Yes, Ms. Morgan" Davidson said relieved to be escaping in one piece. As soon as Davidson had left the office, Lilah was on the phone to her secretary. "Janet," she said, "Terminate Mr. Davidson and inform Mr. Adler that he's been promoted."

"Right away Ms. Morgan."

Lilah hung up, sat back in her chair and relaxed. Even though she now had to go through the trouble of training Adler to take Davidson's place, she was in a good mood. After the example that she'd just made of Davidson, everyone in her department would be anxious to please her and work twice as hard at finding and disposing of the traitor, Hank Summers.

Dawn sat in her new room and had to admit to herself that Angel had one hell of a plan. His idea of putting Buffy in the room straight across from him was predictable, but to put Hank next to her and Spike on the other side of Hank was genius. Buffy couldn't object because Angel explained to her that she was part of what Angel called 'Hank's protective habitat,' which basically meant that she was in the best position to help Hank if someone tried to kill him. Buffy had stormed off to her room in a huff, knowing that Angel had tricked her but that she couldn't do anything about it. Dawn's favourite part was that Angel had put her straight across the hall from the room he was giving to Spike. Unfortunately Spike wouldn't be so happy with it; he'd want to be with Buffy. Not that Dawn had any idea why he preferred Buffy to her, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do about it… for now. Her immediate plan was to sit, wait and hope that Spike eventually got a clue.

"Dawn?"

Dawn snapped out of her thoughts and looked towards the doorway. "Hey Cordy," she said, "Is something wrong?"

"Angel… he's depressed… over Buffy," Cordy said. "He's my friend and if… she is what he…"

"Cordy, I'll help you set them up," Dawn told her.

"Great. Any ideas?" she asked waddling over to Dawn.

Dawn shrugged, "Nope."

Cordy looked at Dawn; "Spike has a whole Buffy-thing going, doesn't he?"

"Yeah."

"Then let’s make them jealous. We'll use Spike on Angel and… Kate on Buffy," Cordy said deviously.

"Who's Kate?" Dawn asked confused by Cordy's so called plan.

"Never mind. All that matter is that it works," Cordy told her smiling.

Dawn smiled back even though she felt uneasy about Cordy's plan, but it wasn't like she had a better idea.