Timeline

Chapter 39


A limo pulled up outside the house ans waited.
Kennedy saw the flash of headlights as it pulled round the fountain, and looked out " Ah Buffy ... you expecting to go there in style?"
"No .. why?"
"Look out there"
Buffy saw the limo and Angel and Spike looked out
"Guess the rest of us get to go in the van then" Spike snorted
"The potentials and team Angel go in the van, Angel , Spike and Faith , your with me in that"
"Time then I guess" Angel shrugged on his leather coat and Spike rolled his head to get the kinks out.
"Ready?"
They all headed out of the door and got into the limo.

Buffy sat between her two vamps , Faith sat on the opposite side .
"This is wicked cool , could get used to this ... if this wasn't unno evil" Faith said as she opened up little cupboards and drawers.
Spike helped himself to the bottle of whiskey
"I don't want you corrupted or drunk , now put that back Spike"
" Your too uptight pet, might just be what you need to relax a bit "
"You don't want me to relax , relaxed me is grrrrr "
"Exactly my point pet"
"Stop winding her up Spike"
"Yeah , I don't wanna have to beat her back off you... on second thought's B go for it"
"Hey!"
Angel just stared out the window, too deep in thought to control the ' children'. He knew that lives would change tonight. His demon could sense the power in his 'wife' and it unsettled him , he knew that Wolfram and Hart were up to something, tonight was going to be life changing, for all involved.
"What's with you ?" Spike said as he nudged Angel
"Hmm?"
"You brooding?"
"No ... just thinking"
"Brooding" Buffy said
The rest of the journey was silent


The car doors opened and Buffy was the first to step out. Angel and Spike stood at her shoulders with Faith behind, covering their backs.The van that held the salvage squad , as they called themselves, pulled up five minutes later.


Buffy and Angel were lead to an empty office and asked , politely , to wait for Ms Morgan and Mr McDonald.
A small man came in and asked if anyone cared for any refreshments, he was soon scared off by Spike who asked if there was any fresh human blood in the 'offin'. Buffy sniggered but soon shut up when Angel dug her in the ribs.
Seems Buffy had a sense of humour that matched Spikes ... that's so not good Angel thought.
After a few minutes Lilah and Lindsay joined the room , accompanied by a few bodyguards.

"How nice to see team Angel again"
"What are you doing here in Ireland?" Angel asked through gritted teeth
"We have offices all over the world and came here , easier to come to you than to fly you all the way back to L.A. We also thought you would be more comfortable on home soil as it were"
"Buffy shuffled in her chair " Let's cut through the bullshit and get right to it shall we ? What is it you want now?"
Lilah stiffened in her chair at the abruptness . She sensed power.Lilah pushed the alert button under her desk.
"We here at Wolfram and Hart wish to .... hand over the offices to you"
Angel stood at one of Buffy's shoulders and watched the lawyers intently. He nudged Spike.
Spike shifted from one foot to the other.Both had their game faces on.
Lindsay smirked .
Tension ran high in all of them. Intimidation from the vampires was evident. Lilah had some balls he'd give her that.
"What makes you think we will accept your offer?" Buffy asked
"Well you deserve it " she picked up a file and offered it to Buffy
Angel laughed " We deserve it do we? How do you explain that ? We defeated your evil bosses . Why not just close up shop and leave town?"
" This law firm has done well as a business , it's very lucrative"
Buffy looked through the file briefly then handed it to Angel
"So say we take your offer, what do you want us to do , keep running it as evil central?"
"Not at all , do with it as you wish" Lindsay added " Carry on fighting the good fight , just with a little more man power and resources"
"Your kidding right?" Spike replied
"Far from it actually , it's all there in the file" Lilah sat back.
Faith sat on the desk beside Lilah . "Can I hit her ? I feel like I owe them and then some"
A bodyguard stepped forward
" You wouldn't last a minute " Faith said .
The bodyguard looked at Lilah , waiting for a command . Lilah shook her head and the guard sunk back into position.
Angel threw the file back on the desk . "Not gonna happen Lilah"
"The contents of the contract are open to review. If there is something you are not happy with , we can discuss them and come to an arrangement"
"How's this work for you?"
"You'll be our boss ... boss"
Buffy coughed
A smell hit Buffy, Spike and Angel .
Angel tensed. He knew it was magic .He knew it meant danger , and not the type that they could fight with swords and fists.
"Faith , go, get out of here , it's not safe .It's magic ,our souls, tell Giles"
Faith threw the bodyguards out of the way and ran out the door.
Lilah signalled for the guards to let her go and to stay put
All three vampires fell to the floor in agony, clutching their chests.
Angel recognised the sensation, after all he had lost his soul enough times. Spike was on the floor groaning , taking unneeded breaths, Buffy didn't seem phased by it.
"Buffy" Angel called to her
"Great!" She stood up "Spike , you okay?"
He looked up at her " Be better in a minute pet"
Angelus roared
Buffy went to his side . Angelus dragged her into his embrace and kissed her hard.
" Missed you Buff " He let her go and swaggered up to the desk.
"So... long time no see Lilah , Lindsay. Now big question , and let me just say , wrong answers will cost you. You summoned back Angelus because?"
Spike rose up and rolled his shoulders " Cos their bleedin idiots"
Buffy just stood quietly
"Buffy" Angelus held out his hand for her , she casually walked to him.He grinned and looked at the lawyers.
"I'm waiting for an answer here and I'm not a patient man when I'm hungry"
"We have rid you of the soul as we knew Angel himself wouldn't accept the offer, he's not a complete fool"
"Are you saying that I am , that we are?"
"No , not at all , far from it, we feel you would actually see the mutual benefits of this liaison"
Buffy growled " Hungry"
"Your always hungry Buff" Angelus rolled his eyes " I suggest we get on with it then, before she can't hold herself back, she's a little spitfire" he grinned at her and then at Lilah
The guards looked more nervous. The vampires could smell the fear, it was intoxicating to them.
Spike taunted them.
"Any of this your idea Lindsay?" Angelus asked without looking at him
"No"
"No , I didn't think so, you would rather run me through with a stake wouldn't you. So how come your here now?"
"Do we need to hold a pointless conversation with them, can't you just sign the contract and we get out of here. I'm in the mood for Chinese" Buffy said with a wicked grin.
Angelus growled and pulled her to him , kissed her nose and looked at the lawyers, " She has a point, I'm not signing any contract , I'll be by tomorrow night, oh and just so you know , I don't take orders and I hate magics , I suggest you get used to me being your boss, anyone that uses magics around me will be dealt with severely"
The three vampires left the office
"Great , nice work Lilah , not only have you let Angelus out of his cage , but the other two as well , how do you propose to control him now?"
"I don't"
Lindsay looked up at the ceiling " He'll kill us"
"You? , Definitely , Me? Probably."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"Yes , of course , I just have to remind him that if he does , his soul will be restored. You don't think I'm that stupid do you ? Don't answer that"


Faith pounded on the side of the van. Kennedy opened the side door and Faith jumped in and slammed the door shut quickly.
"Drive , Now!!!"
"What is it , what's wrong?"
"How 'bout , our three vampires are souLless and after a bloodbath at the hands of evil inc"
The van sped back to the house.

Buffy walked between Angelus and Spike
Spike grinned at the thought of his slayer loose and couldn't wait to see the kind of carnage she could cause.Angelus watched the two of them .
"So Chinese baby? Lets see if we can get some to take away shall we.
Spike lit up a cigarette and kicked at a empty can that littered the street. " I can feel slayers everywhere, bloody annoyin' chits all over the place , think I'll go bag myself one. Kinda cleanse myself in slayers blood"
" Stick with us Spike , like you said , slayers are everywhere, wouldn't want you to come across the wrong side of a stake now would we"
Spike shrugged at Angelus
"Your quiet pet"
Buffy let go of Angelus and ran into an alley . Both men ran after her.
"Your gonna need a leash for her "
"Might be a good idea there Spike , my man"
They both laughed

" Well , what have I found?" Buffy said in a half laugh
" Vampire"
"Lemme guess ... you slayer ?"
"Got that right"
"Do you know who your talking to?"
"Yeah .. vampire "
"Feisty one aren't you"
Angelus and Spike stood at the mouth of the alley
"I'm Buffy the vampire slayer"
"Heard of her and I aint falling for that one"
"It's true , this is Angel and Spike , my ..... guardians , If you heard of me then you must have heard of them"
The slayer looked at them and recognised them from pictures her watcher had shown her.
"So what are you doing here?" she asked
"Patrolling" Buffy had to hold back her laughter.
The slayers senses were going off big time causing her to be jumpy and on edge
"K ... I'll leave you to it then" the slayer went to leave the alley and came up against Angelus and Spike.
Buffy came up behind her " Did your Watcher tell you anything else about me?"
"Like what?"
Buffy stepped out of the shadows , full game face on " Oh I don't know , but I'm sure you know now "
She bit down into the slayers neck , Angelus held her still and bit into her arm, Spike took the other side of her neck.
The slayers look of shock and surprise was still on her face as she slumped to the pavement dead.
"Nice find pet" Spike wiped his mouth clean and nudged the slayers dead body
"Still , she was just a snack " Angelus looked around " Now we need a banquet"

The van pulled into the house at speed and before it had stopped the girls piled out and ran into the house.
"Willow , Giles " Faith shouted through the house.
Willow was first to come downstairs , panic showed on her face" What's up Faith"
Faith grabbed a stake and threw it at her " We need to cast a spell on this house barring them from entering and we need it done now!"
"Tell me what's going on!"
"Their souls, That bitch took their souls"
Giles heard her as he entered the room "Who has removed their souls?"
Lilah , the lawyer at Wolfram and Hart"
"This is worse than we thought " he said " Willow do the spell , now!"
Willow left and went to her room to gather the herbs and book they needed.
Faith paced the room. "How we gonna get them back? It's bad when it's just A , now all three? How can we go up against them?"
By now the commotion had almost everyone up and the gathered in the room .
"We have enough people to fight them and if need be , to take them out. I hope it won't come to that but......" he was cut off by Faith and Willow
"No!"
"We have to face facts, all three are incredibly strong , and need I remind you girls of how cunning Angelus is"
"No you don't, but then your not the one that fought him , or ensouled him"
"Enough!" Wesley shouted " Your right , but they are extremely dangerous, which is why we may need to take them out if they pose too much of a threat and the opportunity presents itself"
Willow started crying
Faith slumped in a chair with her head in her hands.
Giles and Wesley huffed and did the spell banishing the three vampires from entering the house.
"We should be safe for now" Wesley said
"Nobody leaves this house after dark , unless it's under orders and as a group, and heavily armed"
"What now?" Faith asked
Giles took of his glasses and cleaned them before answering her."Research"
"I knew he was going to say that" Willow said



Lilah nodded at the men carrying the glass urns. They placed the three receptacles in a safe and she shut the door of the safe and spun the dial.
"You can leave now . Stay in your rooms and I shall send someone for you if there's a problem"
On her command the men left.
"Souls all safe in the ... safe , but how safe are you Lilah"
"Safer than you , I am the only one with the combination, I doubt they will do anything to me "
"Are you really that naive?"
Lilah looked at Lindsay confused
"As long as your the only one with the combination , they could kill you and never get their soul's returned to them"
"Good point" Lilah took out her cell phone and left the room.

Buffy entered the Chinese restaurant followed by the two males. A waiter smiled and asked if they wanted a table for three, she smiled sweetly and nodded. The waiter showed her to the table and took their coats. Spike refused and sat down in his duster.
"Tell me again why it is we are even bothering to go through this charade?"
Angelus held out a menu and gave Spike his half smile " The lady wants Chinese, this is a Chinese restaurant is it not Spike"
"I get that you ponce , but why the table and the menu and shit?"
"Fine dining boy... surely you haven't forgotten the art of it all?"
Spike just grunted. He had hoped the last few times might have made Angelus forget the 'art of it all ' and would have made him get straight to it , and cut out the bull. Obviously not he thought.
The waiter hovered and asked if they wanted something from the bar. Buffy couldn't hold in her laugh. Angelus asked for three beers.
"Please tell me we aren't gonna sit through a whole bloody meal" Spike was restless. His leg bounced up and down to show his restlessness.
" Still an insolent bastard I see" Angelus clenched his jaw.
Buffy watched the two of them and rolled her eyes.
The waiter bought there beers over and smiled at Angelus.
" Why are they always so 'happy' , it's not natural" Buffy commented " Do you think they'll still smile like that when i rip out their throats and suck on their hearts"
Angelus was taken back by her bloodthirsty comments. A wicked grin grew on both the male vampires faces .
" You're a spunky one , always knew you would be. Better than Darla i'd say. What you reckon Angelus?"
Buffy leant across and got Spike in a choke hold " Speak of that whore again and I won't just rip out their throats , got it"
Angelus laughed " Good one Willy my boy"
"And now we have all the attention" Buffy looked at Spike with disgust and got up.
"Where are you going sweetheart?" Angelus asked
"To powder my nose... where do you think?"
Angelus got up and followed her into the kitchen, just as a crash of pans was heard .
"Bloody hell" Spike followed him into the kitchen growling
Screams were heard coming from the rear of the restaurant and the diners rushed out screaming.

Faith explained the events at the lawyers office again. She was tired and worried . The Watchers went through book after book and still hadn't come to a conclusion about which spell had been used to rid the souls. Faith paced the room and went to the training room to blow off the tension.
Willow sat trying to put together a spell that could locate the souls. Illyria and Xander took care of Layton. The others sat around feeling pretty useless.
The t.v was set to the news channel in case there was anything that could give away the location of the trio.
It wasn't long before a news report of a massacre in a restaurant in a town nearby.
"So that's it then , Buffy has taken a life" Faith said as she came into the room
"We can't be sure"
"Wake up and smell the dead Wes"
"Nice choice of words Faith" Xander snapped back at her
"Want me to pretty it up for you?"
"Please could we not start getting snippy" Giles said
Faith left to get showered
"She has a point , Buffy has taken a human life, it won't be easy for her now"
"Lets just concentrate on getting her back , on getting them all back"
Xander couldn't help himself " If we can't get Angel and Spike back and we had to stake them , I wouldn't shed a tear, in fact I'd say lets do it anyway , Buffy's always been better off without those two"
Everyone looked at him
"What? I get the look because I'm not sitting here defending the monsters that caused this? I told you all my feelings years ago. They haven't changed "
Xander gave Layton a kiss " He's the only one good thing out of the mess that is Buffster and Angel, and he's the one suffering because of it"
He took the baby upstairs to his room , Illyria followed him.



"So where do we stay then , given any thought to that ?" Spike lit up a cigarette
"Well I thought the nice lawyers would find a first class hotel for us, after all they are responsible for our predicament" Angelus walked in through the foyer of the Wolfram and Hart building.
Lilah was watching on the CCTV camera's .
Angelus addressed the night staff behind the front desk and asked for Ms Morgan.
The trio were sent up to her office

"What can I do for you all?"
"We need a hotel suite, one that would be fit for a person of my stature"
"Done , here this is one we own and the suite is first class " She handed Angelus the keys. " The staff will be on hand at any hour and have been instructed to give you anything you request. We have also laid on a car for you to use at your disposal . I might add that we have fitted the car and hotel suite with necrotempered glass, so no pesky sun issues " she looked at Buffy's foot.
"Very good , Thankyou Lilah" They turned and headed out the door. Angelus paused " The restaurant... I can trust you will deal with the repercussions?"
"Working on it as we speak"
"Til tomorrow then , expect us at sundown"
They left for the hotel


"This room is amazing" Buffy looked in every room and then bounced on the bed .Spike was already reclining on it.
The men laughed at her.
"What?" she asked in all innocence " I've never been in a hotel , well , except for that time I ran away to L.A after I sent you to hell"
Angelus flinched " Lets not talk about that shall we , I might feel like a bit of payback for it"
"Like you would?" She smiled at him
"Spike ... have you checked out your room?"
"Nope , thought I'd hang out and check it out later"
"I think he means get lost" Buffy said not taking her eyes off Angelus.
"Oh right .. .. I'll just ring up and get myself a chit to toy with"
"You do that boy... in your room" Angelus spun Buffy and threw her on the bed .


Willow lost her temper and threw a book across the room. Giles just ducked out the way in time.
"That was a first edition Willow , please try not to damage the irreplaceable ones."
"Sorry, just nothing seems to work. I thought I found the place where the souls are being kept and it turned out to be a farm in the middle of nowhere"
Giles smiled at her " Keep trying dear"
Willow slumped against the couch " What's the point"
"It may seem dire at the moment but you are an extraordinarily strong witch Willow , I am confident that you will find a way to get the souls back"
"Glad you are"
Faith was training the potentials hard. She knew that if they were going to be facing Buffy , Angelus and Spike they would need to be . She held nothing back. She told them stories of the carnage Angelus and Spike had left in their wake , stories that would scare the hardest and most heartless of people. No use wrapping them in cotton wool she thought.Willow had hacked into the police files and had found the crime scene pictures . Definately the work of Spike and Angelus. Nobody wanted to say that it was also the work of their slayer , well except Faith and Xander.
Funny how one of her closest friends could differentiate between Buffy the slayer and Buffy the vampire. He kept himself busy looking up information and taking care of Layton with Illyria.What else could he do? He couldn't fight anymore , not since he lost his eye. He couldn't even drive or work with machinery. Depth perception being such a pesky thing and needed for both.So he made himself useful.
"So still no news on the where about's then"
"No, one assumes they are being protected by Wolfram and Hart"
"Not going to be easy to get to them , and they probably have spells hiding them from Willow"
"Has anyone thought about Layton, I mean , won't the lawyers and Buffy and Angelus want him?"
"That thought hadn't even crossed my mind"
If everyone had been worried enough before , now they were going out of their minds.
Illyria held the child and looked at Wesley
"I can protect the infant"
"We know that it is your calling now Illyria , but the vampires are a ruthless bunch, I am not sure you would be a match for the three of them should they attack you"
" I will take him to another timeline, through a portal"
"And that's how this whole mess started " Xander said
"You will come too human, you are not unpleasant"
"Oh crap"