18

London - May 20th, 2004

The initial meeting of the Los Angeles delegation with Buffy in the underground parking area at Watcher's Head Quarters had been strained to say the least. The low cement walls caused the van's diesel engine to echo as it pulled into a pre-marked slot near the elevators. Faith hopped out of the vehicle and nonchalantly reached back to pull open the sliding door on the side as the rest of them had gotten out quietly. Connor and Illyria had come out first, followed by Gunn who winced slightly at the pain in his still tender abdomen. Both Spike and Angel had hesitated, exchanging a brief look but Willow and Andrew interrupted by pushing past them unceremoniously and stepping out to the sidewalk.

"Hey," Angel said quietly, taking a hesitant step toward Buffy. The blonde Slayer stepped forward too and Angel flinched slightly at the anger in her eyes. She looked him up and down before punching him solidly in the face. The vampire's head had snapped back and he spun and gave her a furious look. "What the fuck was that for?"

"I can probably fill you in on that," Spike chirps from behind him and takes a step forward. "Some, myself included, would say it's for being an insufferable ponce; others might argue that it was a comment on that metro hairdo and low forehead you've been sporting for ages-" Spike's happy recitation of Angel's shortcomings was suddenly cut short as he too took a right cross from Buffy. The blonde vampire staggered slightly and then shot Buffy a reproachful look. "Bloody hell, what was that for?"

"Neither of you," Buffy had said in a voice shaking with fury, her clenched fists white at her sides. "Neither of you thought for one second that I might want to know that Spike was still alive?"

"Oh," Spike mumbled. "Yeah, about that … see there was this thing in Angel's office and then I was a ghost but not a real one. Fred here, I mean Blue before she was Blue, see, she said I wasn't a ghost and then the phones all went crazy the one day and I walked into a door and," his rambling was cut off by another punch from Buffy. "Dammit, stop hitting me!"

"You didn't want to know," Angel growled at her, his own fury rising. Buffy turned back to him with an indignant look but Angel ignored it and took an angry step toward her. He stuck a finger into Buffy's chest and shouted, "You're the one that ran off to Rome! You're the one that didn't want anything to do with us! You're the one that wouldn't help when -" he jerked his thumb at Illyria, "we needed it! So now you want to act like you're the one who got shit on here? Well fuck you!" He finished with a barely coherent snarl of anger and turned to walk back toward the exit of the underground garage, apparently ready to leave.

"Dad," Connor stopped him, placing a hand on his arm. "Stop it okay? We're here. Let's hear what they have to say at least."

"Dad?" Buffy's blue eyes went wide with shock. "Did he just call you Dad?"

"Oh right," Willow interrupted anxiously. "Yeah there was this thing a few years ago and Angel got Darla pregnant and they had a kid, but it was mystical and there was this thing with a hell dimension," she rambles nervously. "But we all forgot because Angel had some shaman cast a spell that altered our reality and-", she left off when Faith had kicked her surreptitiously in the foot. "Right, not helping."

"So you just went and got a son and then had everyone's memory changed?" Buffy had given Angel a disgusted look. "What were you thinking?"

"And what's Dawn then?" Angel had shot back, equally angry. "A figment of my imagination?"

"She's my sister you sanctimonious son of a bitch!"

"And Connor is my son! He was falling apart at the seams and if I hadn't-"

"I'm standing right here for God's sake," Connor had said in exasperation.

The elevator ride up to Giles' office had been a quiet one. The LA group had moved to one side of the car with the Council members on the other. Faith stood between them oddly silent and dejected looking. Now they were all gathered in the opulent room, waiting for the Head Watcher to arrive. Angel stands near the fireplace, gazing into the low flames with his eyes glittering in the reflected light. Spike and Gunn, having discovered Giles bar at the far end of the room had poured drinks and were now sipping them while seated at the table with Buffy, Faith, Connor, Willow and Andrew. Illyria was looking around at the different tomes that lined Giles' office walls.

"Three?" Spike shakes his head in disbelief, nursing his somewhat tender jaw. "You just up and lost three Slayers and no one knew until a week ago?"

"Its part of the reason it took us so long to come to LA and fill you guys in," Willow tells him and shoots a pained look at a very quiet Faith. The Boston Slayer was examining her fingers which she had laced together on the tabletop with a stony look on her face. "We had an errand to run first that didn't go so well."

Spike just snorted at Willow's answer and shook his head. "Well isn't that bloody marvelous. A renegade Old One, missing Slayers and the Senior Partners probably turning over every stone from LA to Tokyo looking to make me, Angel, Blue, Connor and Charlie here into trophies on their boardroom wall. This day just keeps getting better and better."

"When is Giles coming?" Angel asks quietly from his place near the fire.

"I think that's him now actually," Willow says getting to her feet. From the anteroom there is the sound of voices and a moment later the large oak doors open. Giles and Robin come in, talking quietly about some news from Canada followed by…

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Spike shouts, nearly choking on the sip of whiskey he'd just taken as he spots the Immortal coming in behind the two Watchers. His question is lost however as Angel moves so fast that it's almost a blur. With one deft movement he seizes Giles by the throat and slams him into the wall of the office.

"Angel!" Gunn, Willow and Buffy all shout as if in chorus. Faith reacts the fastest and leaps from her seat, grabbing Angel's arm and trying to wrench his iron grip from the Head Watcher's throat. Buffy and Connor are there within seconds and the three of them try to wrestle Angel off of the Watcher.

"You judgmental fuck!" The vampire is screaming at the struggling Watcher. It takes Buffy, Faith and Connor to manhandle him off as Giles sinks to the carpet, gasping for air and massaging his throat. "I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Buffy hauls off and punches him hard in the jaw again, snapping his head around. She swings again as he recovers but this time Angel blocks it and throws her into Faith, knocking both Slayers to the floor. Connor manages to keep a hold of his father's wrist long enough for the two to recover and seize him again. They each take an arm and rush him backward into a wall, knocking a small avalanche of books onto the carpeted floor.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Buffy shouts at him as he struggles mightily to get at the Watcher again. The rest of them have all now moved between the two parties except for Spike who is still sipping his drink and eyeing the Immortal coldly and Illyria who seems to not have even noticed. It finally turns and looks at the struggling vampire with mild interest.

"Is this human an enemy? Do we kill him now?" Illyria takes a purposeful step toward Giles but Spike now gets to his feet and interjects himself between them.

"Easy Blue. Angel just has a bone to pick with Nancy-boy here … as do I." He turns and gives Giles the same cold stare he'd been giving the Immortal. "Well Rupert," his voice is light and conversational but his eyes are locked on the Watcher with cold anger. "It would appear you have some explaining to do."

"Explain what?" Buffy nearly shouts, still struggling to hold back Angel. "What the hell is going on here Giles?"

"Will everyone just calm the fuck down for two seconds?" Faith shifts her grip on Angel and hip-tosses him to the floor and rolling with the throw and straddling him. The vampire struggles for a moment but then seems to deflate. The murderous rage on his face drains away to be replaced by a look of defeated sorrow. Faith gets up and extends a hand down toward him. After a moment he takes it and gets to his feet. Buffy is staring at the vampire with an appalled expression and a large group headed my Meghan are now gathered at the open doorway looking in with astonishment. Faith takes three strides toward the open doors and then slams them closed in their faces. She turns and takes a deep breath. "Okay, whatever is going on with you people, get over it. Sit!" she orders and after a moment everyone in the room except Illyria moves toward the large table and takes a seat.

"Now will someone tell me what the fuck this is all about?" Buffy says quietly from her seat next to the Immortal who has remained silent throughout all of the carnage.

"Ask him," Angel says in a low voice, still looking sullen and exhausted. He jerks a thumb at the Watcher and nearly spits out the next words. "Ask him why he let Fred die."

"What?" Buffy turns to look at Giles who is still massaging his throat. The Head Watcher glances at her and then looks quickly away. "Giles? What is he talking about?"

"Me," Illyria's cold voice comes from across the room. She has started to examine the books again and after a moment turns her cold, pale eyes toward the group. "My essence infected the shell several months ago and it led to death for the host entity, Winifred Burkle. Angel tried to receive help from your Council. He was told it wasn't to be forthcoming." Illyria tilts her head to the side slightly. "Not that it would have changed anything. Winifred was destroyed. Nothing could have changed that."

Buffy sits silently for a moment and turns to look at the Head Watcher who is still silent at his seat at the head of the table. "You did what?"

"I did what I thought was best," Giles replies in a strained voice. There are large mottled bruises starting to spread across his throat where Angel had throttled him. "We did not know what side Angel was on. It seemed," he clears his throat carefully and winces slightly at the obvious discomfort it causes him. "It seemed the best thing at the time," he finishes simply.

"Angel," Faith cuts in with a warning tone. The vampire has started to get to his feet again, the look of murderous fury starting to rise back into his eyes. He looks at her and she shakes her head. "Let him finish. You'll get your innings." He settles back down in the chair slowly and Faith turns her gaze to Giles. "Okay Giles, you had a good reason for this right? I mean, you wouldn't just let a friend get hollowed out like a pumpkin and die for no reason other then some judgmental bullshit right?" Her own dark eyes are coldly angry now as well. "Because if you did, Angel's not the only one that's gonna be pissed."

"Oh, stop this self-righteous crap right now," Giles says loudly, banging his fist on the desk hard. "Angel had taken up residence in the most notorious institution of evil in the Western Hemisphere as its leader. We had clear data from Andrew, as well as several other reliable sources, that his intentions and motivations were hazy at best. When he called I had no idea of the scope of what had happened and all he did was shout and rage that he needed Willow to come and resurrect one of his dead staff. What the hell was I supposed to do? I might add that we did look into it but by the time we had a chance to evaluate the situation properly it was apparent that nothing could be done. So we did exactly what we could. Nothing!" Giles pauses, breathing hard and wincing again from the pain in his bruised throat. "What was I supposed to do? Send a fruit basket?"

"You could have told me!" Buffy shouts, looking angry and very near tears.

"Told you what?" Giles counters hotly. "What on earth was I supposed to tell you? Buffy, your judgment has never been impartial when it comes to Angel and we thought it best that-"

"You didn't think at all!" She nearly screams at him in return. She puts her hands over her face and takes a few deep breaths. "This is how we always screw stuff up. No one tells anyone what they need to know because everyone is so friggin' sure that they're right that they don't bother thinking about the consequences if they're wrong." She lowers her hands and her eyes are now streaming with tears. "All of this shit was supposed to be over now. When we decided to reform the Council last year the idea was to get rid of all the bullshit influence peddling and information hording that the old Council used to love so much. We are supposed to be the good guys, dammit!"

"We are the good guys Buffy," Willow interjects quietly. She holds up a hand to cut off an angry reply that Angel seems to be about to make. "Angel, we're sorry about Fred. Honestly, we didn't want things to happen this way. Giles is right about one thing. There is nothing I could have done. From what I understand you say her soul was destroyed?" Angel nods fractionally and Willow shakes her head sadly. "Then I couldn't have done anything. None of us could." She reaches out and puts her hand on Angel's tentatively. "I liked Fred too," she tells him quietly.

"So it's unanimous," Gunn interjects tiredly. "What happened to Fred sucks and we can't change it." Gunn shakes his head at Angel as the vampire shoots him an angry look. "It's time to let it go boss. We're never gonna get anywhere if we all keep screaming at each other and pointing fingers. From what I understand we have a whole heap of new problems now right?" He looks askance at Willow and the witch nods vigorously. "Then let's save it for now and get on with gettin' on. Fair enough?"

"Well said Charlie," Spike taps the table with his knuckles. "Now we're done with the face-punching too right?"

Despite herself, Buffy is forced to stifle a grin and gives Spike a wry look. "For now."

"Excellent. Now let's order up the bloody agenda and talk about this. What's next?"

"Africa," Andrew says quietly.