PART 9

Spike was not a happy vampire. Ever since he had woken up and found Buffy's little note explaining that she, Hank and Dawn had moved to Peaches mansion and asking him to join them there after dark, he'd been pretty mad. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that this was all Peaches idea, he'd convinced them all or at least Hank that it was a great idea. Spike was sure that it wasn't, it was just an excuse for Peaches to try to get back with Buffy and it had nothing to do with him being a bad ass PI taking care of his client.

Angrily he threw some clothes into a bag, grabbed some of his blood stash from the small refrigerator he kept in the basement and headed off towards the mansion, intending to get there before Peaches tried anything on Buffy. Spike was halfway to the mansion when he felt something; he turned quickly and thought he caught a glimpse of something. Not sure but wanting to keep on Buffy and Dawn's good side he doubled back and headed to Willy's bar, sure enough the feeling followed him. When he finally reached the popular demon hangout, he greeted the gang, stuffed his belongings behind the bar and headed straight to the payphones in the back. He dialled Buffy's cell phone number, after a minute she answered.

"What?"

"Hey Fluff," he replied.

"Hey. Where are you? Is something wrong?" Buffy asked him concerned for his welfare. She knew how much he meant to Dawn and if she was honest she kind of thought he was okay… in a disgusting sort of way… it was more like she'd gotten used to having him around.

"I'm at Willy's. I think someone or something was following me," he told her.

Buffy was silent; it appeared that Angel's moving house idea had actually worked. "Spike. Head back to the house. We just can't risk whatever's following you finding Hank here."

Spike didn't answer her; instead he hung up in a fit of temper over Peaches getting the upper hand once again. Then he headed back into the main bar and started to drink himself into oblivion.

"Ms Morgan?"

"What?" Lilah hissed at her new, but extremely annoying assistant, Adler. She was pissed; there hadn't been a single development on the 'Hank Summers' situation and the senior partners were breathing down her neck.

"Nothing."

Lilah watched him scamper away and wished that the remainder of her problems would disappear as easily as it was to dispose of her staff. The phone rang and she instantly answered it, thinking it was news of Hank.

"Hello?"

"Lilah… it's been a while," a familiar yet impossible voice said.

"Holland?" she asked gasping for breath.

"I know, it's a shock. But what can I say?" he replied. "Anyway, the senior partners asked me to check on your progress… I guess they want to know just how soon they'll be seeing you."

"Everything is fine," Lilah assured him, "Hank Summers will die soon."

"You'd better hope so," Holland said suddenly sounding very far away, "Goodbye Lilah."

"Bye" she added in a small voice.

She quickly hung up the phone and tried to get her breath back, but couldn't. If Greltar didn't kill Hank soon… then she'd be one dead lawyer and there was no way she was going to allow that to ever happen.

Late that night a long time after all of the Scoobies had gone home and everyone else was in bed, Buffy snuck across the hall to Angel's bedroom. She needed to talk to him about Hank's safety, the fact that Spike was followed and the wisdom of inviting your new girlfriend to help protect the old one's father. Naturally Buffy didn't want to admit that she could possibly be jealous of this Kate, the woman that Angel went everywhere with. She didn't have any right to be jealous anyway, she and Angel had been over for a long time. She knocked softly on his door and was forced to suck in a breath when he answered it wearing only a pair of black silk boxers.

"Buffy? Is everything okay?" he asked concerned at why she was at his door at two in the morning.

"Yeah," she replied trying to stop herself from staring at his body, "It's just we need to talk… about stuff."

Angel stepped back from the doorway, "Come in."

Buffy went inside showing none of the hesitation or the nervousness she felt about being here in this room again with him. It may not have been the room or bed that they made love in, but it wasn't as if she'd never spent the night there.

"So… what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked her as he sat down on his bed.

Buffy sat down next to him, since there wasn't anywhere else too.

"Spike was followed from the house. I told him to stay there and not risk Hank. I don't think he's happy about it," Buffy told him.

Angel smiled, "So that's where he is. I didn't think anything would stop him from rushing to your side."

"I told him to go home and he did it. Is that so hard to believe? Would Kate have ignored you?"

"Kate! How do you know about Kate?" Angel asked.

"Cordy," Buffy answered.

Angel was confused. Why was Cordy talking about Kate? They loathe each other's very existence. And why in hell was Buffy talking about Kate?

"What did Cordy tell you?" he asked her.

"That she would soon be joining us," Buffy told him, trying desperately not to sound like some jealous shrew.

"But Cordy hates Kate? Why would she say that?"

Buffy just stared at him, "You're dating someone that Cordy hates?"

Angel found himself even more confused, "What?"

"Cordy told me all about you and Kate finding each other," Buffy said in a strained voice, "I'm very happy for you."

"I am *not* seeing Kate."

Now Buffy was confused, "Huh?"

"Cordy lied. Kate's a friend… there has never been anything romantic between us," Angel told her.

"Oh!" Buffy said, "Night." Then she got up and practically ran out of his room.

Angel just sat there watching her go and then when he was alone whispered, "I'll be damned. She was jealous."

Dawn couldn't sleep; she was worried about Spike. About him being all alone in that big house with an assassin running around trying to kill the occupants. She got up and left her room just in time to watch her sister enter Angel's and being the caring sister that she was, she snuck up and tried to listen in on the conversation. Unfortunately she couldn't hear anything through the door, she didn't know if that was the reason or if there wasn't any verbal conversation going on. She was about to pull away when she thought she heard the name Kate, but she wasn't sure. Dawn didn't want to be caught eavesdropping by either Buffy or Angel; so she headed downstairs to do something… she just wasn't sure what. She walked into the kitchen and found Cordy in there.

"You okay?" she asked her.

"Fine. I just can't sleep when I'm this pregnant," Cordy told her, rubbing her back. "What are you doing up?"

"I was worried about Spike?"

"Why?" Cordy asked.

Dawn actually blushed, "He's…"

"Oh my God!" Cordy said her eyes widening in shock. "You're in love with Spike. How could you do that? Have you seen how he wears his hair?"

Dawn ignored Cordy and changed the topic. "Buffy just went into Angel's room," she said instead.

Cordy smiled, "I am such a genius."

"Yeah. I think I'm going to go back to bed" Dawn said, "Good night."

"Goodnight Dawn," Cordy said still smiling at her own brilliance.