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In the Hyperion, Cordelia was plunked in a chair, with Gunn, Angel and Wesley arrayed in front of her. She did her best to explain her recent vision but found that talking was not helping her pounding headache, so she wasn't doing very well.

"He had to be crazy. But he didn't feel crazy. He felt normal, you know?-- Until he started stabbing himself." She said.

/How does one fully explain the vastness of emotions one receives with a vision? I don't remember Doyle's visions being this complicated. Maybe it's because I'm a woman./ Cordelia thought.

"But you don't know where this occurred." Wesley prompted.

"I told you. It was in a house. It could have been in an apartment. In a kitchen."

"We got to narrow it down a little." Gunn pointed out.

"An nice kitchen?! I don't know!" Cordy said, getting frustrated.

"It's alright. We'll figure it out." Angel said.

"Let's start by calling the hospitals." Wesley suggested.

"And say what? Did my uncle check in with a knife in his eye? They only give out information to relatives." Gunn said and then noticed Angel and Wesley looking at him. "I just got the calling the hospitals job, didn't I?"

"I'll go to the morgues." Wesley offered

"Alright. I'll hit the streets, roust some demons, see if there's a new terror in town." Angel said.

"Good idea." Wesley said as he went to get his jacket.

As Angel got his own jacket he turned to Gunn.

"Keep an eye on her, will you?" Angel said. He was concerned about the seer.

"Sure."

Angel pulled on his coat and walked over to where Cordelia was sitting and put a comforting hand on her arm.

"We'll be back," he said. And he swept out the door.

Gunn turned to Cordelia.

"Can I, ah, get you anything? A cup of tea?"

Cordelia gave him a look. If looks could eviscerate...

"You'll let me know." Gunn said and sat down at the counter, near the phone with the phonebook and a notepad.

He threw a look over his shoulder at her. She was now sitting in her chair, one hand pressed up against her forehead, her hair obscuring her face. A worried look crossed Gunn's features before he started to concentrate on his given task.

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

Dawn and Willow looked up at the hotel.

"Nice place huh?" Willow said. "Well...big place anyway."

Everyone was outside stretching and breathing the fresh air--well, as fresh as Los Angeles air can be--except for the two vampires, who were still under the safety of the RV's roof.

Buffy stared morbidly at nothing out the window in the direction of the hotel.

"You should probably go in first." Spike said.

Buffy didn't say anything.

"Not that I won't be right behind you," Spike rambled on. "I just don't want to be staked on sight or anything."

"Uh-huh," Buffy said distracted.

Spike looked at her for a moment and then pulled her into a hug. She breathed in unnecessarily and wrapped her arms around his neck. He nuzzled her neck and quietly slipped his fangs into it, reopening the bite-mark he had claimed her with. She closed her eyes, content for now. He pulled his fangs out and licked the wound twice.

"Go on. Take the blanket and sprint," he said as he gave her a smile and a small shove toward the open door of the RV.

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

She officially hated sunlight. Buffy decided as she ran toward the door of the Hyperion and burst inside. She threw off the flaming blanket and stamped out the flames.

"Geez," she said.

Gunn stood up when Buffy rushed in and gripped a stake that had been lying on the counter.

"Buffy?" Cordelia said weakly.

Buffy looked up.

"Cordelia? God, what's wrong?" She started to walk over to the sitting seer, but Gunn stood in her way.

"Don't go near her," he said and held up the stake.

"Hey," Buffy said and raised both hands in surrender. "I'm a good guy."

"Right," said Gunn.

"I am!"

"Prove it."

Every word echoed painfully around Cordelia's head.

"Um..."

Just then, Willow stepped in the front door. She held the door open with one hand because she was about to run out again. Sunlight streamed through the open door in torrents, bathing the witch in it. Cordelia winced at the light.

"Buff...where's the blanket? I just want to get it so Spike can...um...hi." She said the last part to Gunn.

Buffy pointed to the scorched blanket on the ground near the door. Willow picked it up and headed outside.

When Buffy looked back at Gunn, he had lowered his stake.

Gunn wasn't sure what to think but he didn't see why a human would be hanging around with a vampire if the vampire wasn't good. Unless the human was addicted to the biting thrill and the vampire was a whore. But that didn't seem the case.

Buffy gave a small smile and headed over to Cordelia. Buffy kneeled next to her chair.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Cordelia said tiredly

--= * =-- --= * =-- --= * =--

Gunn sat at the counter, talking on the phone with the last hospital on his list. Cordy was indulging in a cleaning spree and was currently dusting any and all shelves she could find on the main floor. The gang from Sunnydale sat around the lobby talking or snuggling with their paramours or just thinking.

Cordelia was a tad miffed about the surprise visit but didn't say anything. She was very wary of Spike, and was completely baffled as to why Buffy was sitting calmly next to him, with his arm around her shoulders. She'd asked Buffy about her sanity earlier and Buffy said she'd explain when Angel got here.

Angel returned from his demon search just as Gunn hung up the phone, and looked gloomily at the list of crossed out hospital names.

Angel looked shell-shocked when he walked in the door to find the whole crew from Sunnydale and some new faces sitting or standing around the lobby. Nobody said anything for a minute. Everyone just stared at each other; there were one or two blinks. The only sound was coming from Tara, who was humming a tuneless song to herself. Cordelia stopped dusting and turned around. Giles, Dawn, and Willow's eyes flickered back and forth between Angel, Spike and Buffy, and Tara. Xander eyes focused on any inanimate object they saw. Anya looked on with interest, desperately wanting to break the quiet but not wanting to ruin the moment. Angel never took his eyes off of Spike and Buffy, and they stared defiantly back.

"Hi, Angel," Buffy said at last.

After the initial shock of seeing her had worn off, Angel sunk into a depression at the fact that he couldn't hear her heartbeat. He could tell that Spike was her sire. Why else would he be there? But he saw a glimmer of a soul in Buffy's eyes and the depression lifted. Of course they would have restored her soul. But that still didn't explain Spike.

"Buffy," he breathed at last.

She glanced quickly at her sire before standing up and walking toward him with her hands in her pockets. She gave sort-of a half smile and said.

"Something's happening in Sunnydale and we need to be away for a while. Do you think we could stay here?"

"Sure," Angel said looking concerned. "Buffy, I..."

He looked around and noticed Anya's interested look.

"Can we talk in private?"

Buffy looked slightly nervous and turned to look at her sire.

"Go on," he said quietly but with no scorn. Buffy bit her lip and gave a small nod.

"Okay." She said and followed Angel to the office in the back.

Now, Angel saw why Spike was needed. One of Buffy's greatest fears in high school was to be turned into a vampire. When she had been turned, she must have been terrified. And the greatest comfort to a fledgling is his or her sire. Any mature vampire or demon or even an experienced human could see that Buffy was still a fledgling by the way she respected her sire like a parent and looked to him like a child would. But that didn't explain why Spike was traveling around with white hats, didn't explain why the Scoobies would /let/ him travel with them. But he was hoping Buffy could explain that.





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