Angel slid the grate to the side and the four men climbed up into the hallway of Wolfram and Hart. It had taken them longer than they had thought, having to fight not only a nest of vampires but some Lirgo demons as well. Angel peeked around the corner, seeing two women and a man talking. He turned to the others.

"Don't make eye contact. Keep going." They quickly made their way to the elevator across from them. Angel pressed the button and thankfully the elevator opened quickly, allowing them to duck inside. Lorne was about to let out a sigh of relief when a briefcase was thrust between the elevator doors, stopping them from closing. Angel, Gunn and Spike were prepared to start their attack when their eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you three doing here?" Angel asked, pulling Willow, Cordelia and Doyle inside before pressing the button that would take them to Lindsey's floor.

"I'm thinking risking our lives to save yours." Cordelia answered, pressing the button for the floor they were on.

"How did you get in?" Gunn asked.

"We used the door." Doyle told them.

"Oh, and they just let you in?"

Cordelia and Willow pulled the glasses from off their head and placed them on their noses. Angel pushed the button to Lindsey's floor again as Cordelia said, "Hello. Lawyer." in a haughty voice. She reached over and pressed the button for their floor. "You guys aren't going up there."

"No, no, we need to do this." Spike punched the button. "I have to find Robin, make him pay."

"Still with the Robin of it." Cordelia pressed her button, making the elevator door open.

"Did you encourage them?" Doyle asked Gunn, who shrugged his shoulders trying to appear innocent.

"I'm just going along for the ride." Spike pressed his button again, causing the doors to close.

"Gonna be a pretty short ride. They have vampire detectors." Willow pressed the button, the doors opening.

"We know. It's cool. They've got a plan." Gunn assured them, knowing the two vampires would have something in mind.

"A plan?" Doyle asked, not seeming convinced.

"Yeah." Angel pressed the button for his floor again....doors closing. "Tell them the plan, Spike."

"We get to the offices before they stop us." Spike added, as Willow opened the doors again.

"See?" Gunn smirked before realizing what Spike had said. He quickly turned to the vampires. "What? That's the plan? Walking real quick was the plan?"

"Bet it took you two a long time to cook that up." Lorne added.

"Angel, Spike...this is crazy. Listen to yourselves. You're both insane and angry and insane. You need help." Spike was pressing the button again, closing the doors.

"I'm not insane." Spike told Cordelia.

"And I'm not angry." Angel replied.

"You two are the worst liars ever to be vampires." Cordelia banged her fist against the buttons, causing the door to open again. This time there was a security guard behind it. He had come over to see what was wrong with the elevator. Angel saw the stake in his hand and shoved the girls aside before grabbing the man's arm and pushing the stake through his foot. The man yelped in pain as everyone stared.

"Oooh." Doyle moaned in sympathy for the man.

"Man, that's nasty." Gunn had his 'euw' face on.

"Maybe I am a little angry." Angel admitted as Spike pressed the button, the doors closing for the last time. He turned to look at Willow.

"Why aren't you back at the office helping with the spell?"

"Wesley's taking care of it. He found a spell derived from the Enochian alphabet. Some kind of revealing spell. 'Disperses the walls that are clouding the all-seeing eyes'. He's going to call me when it's done...had to get some ingredients together first. While Wesley and Tara were gathering the stuff, Cordy and I went downstairs and found Dawn and Oz with Xander and you four gone. And before you say anything, Xander was still sleeping and no, Dawn didn't tell us where you went. We kinda figured that out on our own."

"Couldn't sit around waiting any longer. Had to do something to find this bloke."

"It won't be that much longer with the spell and..."

"Two minutes more is too long." Spike growled, interrupting Willow.

"I'm thinking you just want to pound on someone and Lindsey's the first person you could think of."

"Pounding...sounds like a plan." Spike muttered, getting off the elevator and striding purposefully toward Lindsey's office. No one even attempted to stop any of the group...the look on Spike and Angel's faces were clear warnings that anyone that touched them or their friends would die. Spike pushed the door to Lindsey's office open and stepped inside. The lawyer was sitting at his desk and he gave them a smirk as they entered the room. "Need a word with you, Lindsey."

"Now's not a really good time, Spike. However, if you'd like to make an appointment..." Spike reached across the desk, grabbing Lindsey's arm and practically pulling the man over the top of the desk.

"Gonna make a mess of this office with your blood in about two seconds if you don't stop smirking and making jokes. We'll start with seeing how fast I can snap your forearm and work from there."

"See, we have a problem, Lindsey." Angel told him, enjoying the sound of Lindsey's grunt of pain.

"Damn right you do. And it's just arrived." Spike let go of Lindsey and they all turned to see five guards enter the room. Within 20 seconds all of them were sprawled on the floor, bleeding from one area or the other courtesy of Spike, Angel and Gunn. Lindsey sat back in his chair, fear settling in the pit of his stomach as the two vampires whirled around to face him. *Damn, these two were pissed*.

"I thought we played this game last time, Lindsey. Didn't you learn your lesson then?" Angel asked.

"Guess I'm just stubborn. Must be my upbringing."

"We don't have time for this. You're gonna answer our questions or we're gonna kill you. Is that simple enough for that special-ed brain of yours?" Spike threatened.

"Oh, not this again." Lindsey groaned, rolling his eyes. He started to get up from his chair but Willow stepped forward and gave him a warning glare.

"Get out of that chair again and I'll stick it up your ass....literally and permanently." Gunn turned to Cordelia.

"She can do that, too?" Cordelia nodded. "Damn. First frogs and now this? Remind me not to piss her off any time soon."

"These little drop by visits of yours is getting a little old. And why do you keep hunting me down when you've warned me to stay away..."

"This is about Xander." Angel interrupted. Now Lindsey's smirk was replaced with a look of concern.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to...."

"Like you don't know." Spike didn't let him finish.

"I don't. Tell me...tell me what the fuck is going on." Now Lindsey was angry.

"Now he wants to talk." Gunn snorted, continuing to watch the door as he listened to the others.

"Damn right, I do. If someone's done anything to hurt Xander, I'll kill them." Spike stepped into his personal space.

"That's for me to do."

"Is he okay?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'okay'" Gunn told him.

"He'll live but he's been to hell and back." Willow added.

"Which is something you don't get over for a very long time, if ever. Taken that trip myself." Angel muttered, almost to himself.

"Someone sent Xander to hell?" Spike grabbed Lindsey's collar pulling the man towards him.

"Quit acting like you don't know what we're talking about."

"He doesn't, Spike." Lorne spoke up. "Lindsey's telling the truth...for once."

"Are you sure?" Angel asked.

"As sure as I can be without say positively which by the way, I'm saying now."

"You're barking up the wrong tree, man. I would never hurt Xander. I lo---" Spike glared at Lindsey his hand tightening on the man's shirt.

"Finish that sentence and I will feed you your balls." With that, Spike shoved Lindsey backwards.

"Here's the short version, Lindsey. A guy at a bar slipped some Beladonna in Xander's drink. We've watched Xander suffer for almost two days now so we're not in a pleasant mood. What pisses me off is not only did they hurt one of the men I loved they're after the other one. This person called Spike...said he'd found him with the help of some powerful friends who had an interest in Spike. The only powerful people we know work here and seeing as you hate us you can understand how we might come to the conclusion that you and this mystery guy may be working together." Angel explained.

"Well, as usual you'd be wrong. I've made it clear to everyone here that no harm is to come to Xander in any way."

"I guess you didn't make it clear enough, did you?"

"Oh, I thought 'touch one hair on Xander's head and I'll make your death the most painful in history' pretty much summed it up. You got a name or were you too busy running down your long list of enemies to think about that? Proud of yourself, Spike? I told Xander this would happen. I knew...." Now Angel had Lindsey by the collar, raising him up off the ground as the lawyer struggled to get away.

"That if you say one more word to Spike, I'll snap your fucking neck." Angel threw Lindsey to the ground. "Do you think Xander would've been safer with you? Hell, you're more evil and have wracked up enough enemies...."

"The bloke's name is Robin Wood." Spike interrupted, hating that Lindsey's words had made the guilt return in full force. Lindsey stared at them in surprise. "I see you recognize the name?"

"Hell, yes. That's Lilah's new boy toy." Lindsey got up and made his way to the desk, pushing a button on his intercom. "Lilah, get your ass in here now!"

"And hello to you too, Lindsey." Lilah's voice came over the speaker. "I'm a little busy right now. Call me back when...."

"I don't care if you're having coffee with the Senior Partners...do what I said." Lindsey clicked that button off before pushing another. "Avery! Bring me all the records you have on Robin Wood. I want them on my desk within five minutes or you're on permanent vacation. Got it?"

"Y-y-yes, sir." Avery's voice could be heard just as Lilah entered the room.

"Okay, Lindsey I'm here. What's so urgent that...oh, look a party." Lilah practically purred as she looked around the room.

"And you're the guest of honor." Cordelia told her.

"As flattering as that is, I'm going to have to decline. I hope you don't mind." Lilah tried to leave but Angel stepped in front of her.

"Lilah, I mind you breathing."

"Which is gonna stop in two seconds if you don't tell us where Robin Wood lives." Spike added.

"Now what do you want with him? Ahh, are you jealous?" Lilah teased.

"Hardly." Spike snorted. "I want to kill the bastard."

"Damn...you mean I'm going to have to find someone else to share my bed?"

"Good luck with that one, sister." Cordelia glared at the woman.

"What did he do?"

"Playing innocent? We'll work with that, Lilah. Robin hurt Xander...gave him some kind of drug." Lindsey explained.

"I didn't have anything to do with that."

"So you want us to believe that Robin just happened to figure out who Xander was? Who he was associated with? That he wandered into the same bar as Xander, slipped a drug into his drink and put an innocent kid through hell by accident? I'm not buying it." Angel told her.

"None of us are. Angel...Spike, torture her." Cordelia stated, waving her arm at Lilah.

"What?" Spike and Angel asked in unison, both genuinely suprised.

"You heard me. She had something to do with this. For all we know, she may have already warned the guy we were looking for him which means we don't have a lot of time. Have at it."

"Always did like your attitude." Spike grinned at Cordelia before turning towards Lilah. He was about to approach her when a young blonde haired man with glasses practically ran into the room.

"Sorry it took so long, Mr. McDonald. We've searched everywhere and Mr. Wood's records are gone."

"Gone? How is that possible? Those records are kept under lock and key." Avery shrugged.

"I don't know, sir. I have everyone searching...."

"Look them up on the computer. For Christ's sake do I have to do your job for you?"

"We...we already tried that, sir. All the information about Robin Wood has been permanently deleted. It's as if he never worked here." Lindsey stared at Lilah.

"Don't look at me. I don't go to personnel...they're beneath me."

"That's true, sir. Not about...I keep up with everyone that goes in or out and Ms. Morgan hasn't been down there." Avery agreed.

"So let me get this straight, Avery." Lindsey walked towards his desk, searching through his drawer as he continued to talk to the young man. "You're in charge of all the personnel files yet somehow some unknown person managed to break into the vault, steal the paper files, decode the encryption on the computer and delete this man's records without you having any knowledge of what was going on? That's very sloppy of you."

"I know, sir. I'm sorry it will never happen....."

"You're right...it won't. Not only was it sloppy, it would be impossible. I know how well you guard that information, Avery so I'm thinking you were in on it. Now most of the time I admire a man who can lie, cover up and consort with the enemy with such ease. Normally, I would give said person a pat on the back but in this case what you did was unforgiveable." Lindsey pulled the gun from his desk, shooting the young man before anyone could stop him. Avery wobbled for a few seconds, his hand coming up to his chest to feel the blood seeping from the bullet hole before he fell face first onto the carpet. Lindsey scrunched his nose up, knowing that blood was not going to come out of the carpet. He placed the gun back into the drawer and switched on a button. "Johnson, round up the janitorial crew. Have them come to my office in fifteen minutes."

"Lindsey what were you thinking? Killing an employee and having to retrain another one is not very cost effective." Lilah pointed out.

"No, but it's satisfying. He disobeyed a direct order from me and I need to make it clear to everyone here what happens when someone doesn't listen to me."

"You shoot a kid for misplacing some files or possibly back stabbing you and you have the nerve to call Angel and Spike evil?" Doyle asked.

"I'm not evil. I warned him, didn't I?"

"Are you crazy?" Spike yelled, stepping towards Lindsey. "You never kill them until they give you the information you need."

"He was reading clean, too." Lorne told him, staring at the young boy's body. "Until the bullet ripped through his heart. Now he's not reading anything."

"Which leaves you as the main suspect, Lilah." Angel glared at the woman. "Start talking."

"I told you I had nothing to do with Robin's vendetta. Sure, I knew about it. I told him everything I knew about Spike but I didn't know he was going to go after Xander."

"You damn well knew he could get caught in the cross fire." Lindsey yelled as he stepped forward, making Lilah flinch.

"I thought he was going to go after Spike...maybe kill him. That would mean less trouble for us."

"Really not helping yourself, Lilah." Angel growled.

"That's an understatement. Messing with two of my friends. Man, I'd love to punch your face in right now, Lilah." Cordelia was already upset about Xander but Lilah talking about hurting Spike had only made that anger escalate.

"Are you trying to turn me on?" Lilah purred.

"What's sad about people like you...they don't give a damn about who they step on to get to the top."

"Well, yeah. But why would I want to do anything to Xander? He's just a kid that's got Lindsey jumping through hoops so that he can get back into Xander's bed. There's nothing special about Xander. No one around here with the exception of Lindsey cares enough about him..." Lilah's words were cut off when she was knocked to the ground by a solid blow to the face. Everyone in the room stared in disbelief at Lorne who was standing over Lilah, having beaten the others to the punch.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry. That was a knuckle-buster." Lorne chuckled, seeing the expressions on his friend's faces. "I'm Jake LaMotta over here. It's pathetic." Lorne picked Lilah up and threw her into a chair, leaning down to stare at the woman. His chuckling had stopped and now his red eyes were glinting with hatred. "I think someone's been naughty, Lilah. I read that guy over there and..."

"You said he was clean." Angel interrupted, causing Lorne to sigh.

"Angelcakes, please....let me finish. I was about to say he read clean about Lilah not being anywhere near the records but Lindsey was right for once. He was helping her and Robin by looking the other way. Robin deleted all the records didn't he?" Lilah nodded. "Nice...we're off to a good start. Here's the thing, Lilah. You're going to sing for me and I'm going to read you right now. And here's one more thing. Xander Harris once told me after a sinful amount of Chinese food and in lieu of absolutely nothing...'Don't ever let anyone make you feel bad about being green. Be proud of it. After all, look at how much everyone loves Kermit...except for Willow who has that frog fetish. I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade, not Kermit's, if they had the choice'." Lorne's eyes misted with tears, remembering that night before glaring at Lilah again. "If I hear one note, one quarter note that tells me you had any involvement with hurting Xander or that you're lying to us now, Angel and Spike won't even have time to kill you. I'll do it myself." Lorne stood up and walked back to the two vampires who were giving him nods of approval. A thought occurred to him and he turned back around adding, "Oh, and anything by Dianne Warren will also result in your death. Well, except "Rhythm of the Night"."

"Robin lives over on Vermont...small grey house with garage. I don't remember the address but his name is on the mailbox. That's all I know. I was only there once and I had better things on my mind than jotting down an address for...."

"Say it with a song in your heart." Angel growled, interrupting her. Lilah sat for a minute before starting to sing.

"She's clean." Lorne told them. "Not in the strictest sense of the word but what she told us is the truth. I read her future and it's not too bright. You killing her now would probably save Lilah a lot of pain and we don't want that now do we?"

"What do you mean?" Lilah was clearly scared now.

"Well, nothing's written in stone, but, uh, if I was about to face your future...I'd make like Carman Miranda and die." Lorne practically spat those last words at Lilah.

"Which is highly possible." Lindsey added. "Think about it, Lilah. You went against the Senior Partners. They don't want Spike and Angel to die...not yet anyway."

"You're not going to tell them, are you?"

"Hell of a bargaining chip wouldn't you say?" Their little conversation was interrupted by Willow.

"You two make me sick! Lindsey, you say you love Xander but you're willing to forgive and forget so you can use this information to barter with your bosses and...and Lilah, you don't care that Xander got hurt. The way I see it, you deserve some payback." Willow stretched her arm out, the chants mixing with Lilah's screams as electrical shocks shot from Willow's finger to her body. "How does that feel, bitch? Are you suffering as much as Xander did! As much as Spike, Angel and the rest of us did while watching..."

"Willow...." Angel cautiously approached the witch, Spike following. Willow didn't notice, too busy doling out her punishment. "That's right! Beg me to stop just like Xander was begging for the pain to go away!" Spike stepped up behind her, grabbing her shoulders and gently shaking her.

"Willow! Red! Stop it! We need you to save some of that mojo for Robin if he tries to stop me."

"Oh, I've got plenty of angry energy to go around." Willow gestured around the room, making Gunn duck.

"Whoa! Don't be pointing that trigger finger at me."

"That goes double for me." Cordelia agreed, also ducking.

"Sorry. Got carried away." Willow apologized.

"Do you care enough about Xander to keep this bitch here...make sure she doesn't warn her boy toy?" Spike asked Lindsey, pointing at Lilah who was lying curled up on the floor.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good answer." Spike motioned for the others to follow and started for the door before turning back. "Oh, and by the way...better start filling Robin's position too. He won't be coming back to work."

"We have to leave now, but this isn't over. I'm giving you one final warning. No one comes near me or mine again." Angel growled, ushering his people out of the office and towards the elevator. His cell phone began to ring and he answered it while Spike grinned at Lorne.

"Didn't know you were that viscious."

"Yeah, well underneath my Wayne Newton exterior lies the heart of a demon. How else do you think I managed to escape a hell hole like Pylea?"

"Bad?"

"Oh bad doesn't even begin to cover it my peroxide buddy. Do you know there's no music there?"

"No Ramones or Sex PIstols?" Lorne shook his head. "That's bloody evil." ******************************************************

Wesley paced across the floor, reading off the ingredients to the spell and double checking that they had put all of them into the pot while Tara stirred the contents.

"Woodbury Lichen."

"Check."

"Where's our danbeetle skeleton?" Wesley glanced around.

"Already in the bowl."

"All that's left is to sprinkle the ingredients with the arterial blood of an unclean. A demon." Wesley stopped reading to stare at Anya who was walking around the office, waving the scented candle in the air. She noticed him staring at her and began to scoff.

"We're unclean? Like you're so April fre---" Her words dangled in the air when she realized what Wesley was doing. "Are you sure that thing said, uh "arterial blood"?"

"Sorry."

"Why don't they ever need the urine of an unclean? I happen to have plenty of unclean urine." Wesley pulled out a long knife and approached her. "Wait...wait. You've double checked everything else. Double check that last part."

"Anya, I already have. This is for Xander." Anya thought for a second and sighed.

"Fine...but this is it." Wesley nicked her neck with the sword, drawing the blood and sprinkling it over the rest of the ingredients in the bowl. David dressed Anya's wound while Wesley, Tara and Alana formed a circle. Wesley started reciting the spell in Latin while Alana looked on, in awe of the man.

"I think I can feel it working." The bowl started to shake and a bright light flashed from it.

"That was tight." Alana whispered, making Wesley turn and give her a smile.

"Yes. Tara do the locator spell then call Willow and tell her she can use her magics against Robin." Wesley had added extra umph to the spell so that if Robin was using magic, which they knew he was, Willow would be able to counteract it. Tara nodded and rose to call Willow, Alana and Wesley never taking their eyes off each other. After a few moments Wesley leaned forward and kissed Alana, pleased when she wrapped her arms around him and responded with passion. God, he had to love magic.


Chapter Fifty-One

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