Angelus and Faith
"Think you can take me down, Slayer?" Angelus sneered, spinning out of her range.
"More like I know I can, dumbass," Faith replied, ducking his punch, then kicking his feet out from under him.
Angelus flipped to his feet, and grabbed her arm, bending it back into an unnatural position, letting it crack, then windmilling her into the glass doored weapon cabinet in the lobby of Hyperion.
Faith shielded her face as the door shattered and fell forward into his arms, where he put his arm on her shoulders to steady himself for the bite, when she grabbed his arm, and flipped him head over heel.
"Not getting tired are ya? I'm just starting to feel it."
Angelus growled in response, and got to his feet, charging at her.
"Red, now!"
"Te implor, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte," Willow said, standing up from her hiding place behind the counter. (I implore you, Lord, do not ignore this request.)
Angelus growled again, and kicked Faith in the stomach, sending her flying into a wall. She coughed and got up slowly.
"Nici mort, nici al fiintei..." (Neither dead, nor of the living...)
Faith punched Angelus in the cheek, then ducked his next punch, flipping over him and kicking him in the back.
"Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-i va transporta, sufletul la el!" (Let this Orb be the vessel that will carry his soul to him!)
A light shone through the Orb of Thessulah, and Angelus fell to his knees, gasping in pain. Faith took a few steps away from him, still looking wary.
Angel looked up at Faith and Willow, his face sliding out of his vampiric features.
"Faith? Willow? What's..."
"Angel," Faith said softly, going over and helping him to his feet.
"I... oh God, I'm so - "
"It's ok."
Angel looked at Willow.
"Thank you."
"Hey, no problem," Willow replied.
Angel, Willow and Faith all looked up as they heard clapping.
A slightly built woman with light brown hair leant against the doorframe of Angel's office.
"Well done," she said softly.
"Who the hell are you?" Faith asked, letting Angel support himself against her.
"I'm Eve. And just so we get the whole irony thing out of the way..." Eve paused and threw Angel an apple.
"What do you want?" Angel asked, catching the apple.
"You, silly. I'm here to make you an offer. You and the whole Angel Investigations team an offer, actually. How would you like to run Wolfram and Hart."
"Huh?" Willow, Angel and Faith all said in unison.
Connor snorted, leaning against the railing at the top of the stairs.
"You're all really stu - "
Willow waved her hand and Connor suddenly found himself unable to speak. He hit the railing and a chunk of it broke off and fell to the ground.
"Only the LA Branch," Eve clarified.
"We're not lawyers," Gunn said, walking down the stairs, past the disgruntled Connor.
"Or evil. Currently. Anymore," Angel said.
"Hey, what we're offering you is a turnkey, state-of-the-art, multi-tasking operation. What you do with it, well, that's up to you."
"What makes you think we'll accept this offer?" Angel asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Eve just smiled, in an annoyingly superior way.
"Think about our proposal. If anyone's interested and wants a grand tour, there'll be a limo waiting outside the hotel just before dawn."
Angel turned to the other members of AI.
"Guys, I'm sorry."
Serafina peeked up from her place under Angel's coat on the couch, and sort of hissed tiredly at Faith.
"It's cool, man," Gunn said, going to sit with Sera.
"Yeah, sure, fantastic. Hey, you tried to kill us again, can I get a pay rise?" Cordelia asked.
Faith let go of Angel.
"I should."
"Yeah."
They looked at each other for a few moments, then awkwardly hugged.
"Finally got your hug," she said.
Angel smiled.
"Yeah."
Willow hugged Angel, then headed outside with Faith.
"Bye guys!"
Angel looked around at AI again.
"So..."
Wesley & Serafina
"If we can trust her..." Wesley said.
"It could be a trap."
Serafina clung to Angel's leg, eyes half closed in tiredness.
Angel and Gunn
"We don't have to look at it," Angel said, bending down to pick Serafina up.
"Maybe you don't, but hell, I'm curious," Gunn cut in.
"I mean, aren't you all just a little bit?"
"Maybe," Cordelia said.
"Wonder what the pay's like."
Wesley & Serfina
"A deal with the devil is usually more trouble then it is worth," Wesley said.
Serafina twined her arms around Angel's neck and rested her head against his shoulder.
Angel and Gunn
Angel nodded.
"Look, choice is up to all of us. You heard what she said, limo's going to be there before dawn."
Gunn sat down on the couch.
"I'm going to put Serafina to bed... and Wes..."
Angel stopped as he walked past Wesley, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry."
Wesley
"Oh, the knifing thing..."
Wesley smiled slightly and then polished his glasses.
"It is healing well. And it wasn't you, Angel, I know that."
Angel
Angel smiled slightly and patted Wesley on the back, then continued up the stairs.
Connor snarled at Serafina as they went past.
Serafina
Serafina hissed back angrily, eyes flickering gold.
Angel
"Connor," Angel said in a low voice.
"She started it. Brat," Connor muttered, before going downstairs, looking sullen.
Serafina & Wesley
Serafina mewed and hid her face in Angel's shoulder. She yawned widely.
"'M not a brat."
Wesley sat down on the couch, rubbing his thumb over his upper lip. What would they do?
Angel
Angel took Serafina into his room and set her down on the tiny princess bed they had set up for her. He tucked her in under the blankets and then sniffed.
He sniffed again, then walked over to his bed and groaned.
Faith.
And Logan.
Several times.
Serafina
Serafina giggled tiredly.
"You can smell it too, huh?"
Angel
"Yes, sunshine cat. Go to sleep, darling."
Angel kissed her head gently, then went about stripping his bed. He grabbed some clean sheets from the cupboard and put them on his bed.
Serafina
"Ok," Serafina said tiredly.
She curled up and put her thumb in her mouth, falling asleep quickly.
Angel
Angel smiled and went to sit on his bed.
He decided he'd just go see Wolfram and Hart.
Wesley
Wesley paced his room, wondering what the wisest course of action would be. Should they, should they not? If Wolfram and Hart wanted to kill them, there were easier ways to go about it. What would he do?
After long deliberation, he came to a descicion. He would go see what Wolfram and Hart had to offer.
Angel and Gunn
Shortly before dawn, Angel lifted up the still sleeping Serafina, and took her down to the limo outside the hotel, just as Eve had promised.
"So you got curious too, huh?" Gunn asked, stepping out of the shadows.
Wesley
"Aren't we all?" Wesley asked as he came out of the doors.
"Even if it may be a trap..."
Angel and Lorne
"Guess only the three of us," Angel commented, then opened the limo door.
Lorne looked up from where he was drinking champagne.
"What?"
Wesley
"Quite," Wesley said dryly.
Cordelia came out and he turned to look at her.
"Coming as well?"
"Hey, I'm interactive girl. And you need your Seer, right?"
Angel and Gunn
"Don't forget me!" Fred said, way too chirpily for before five in the morning. She ran out from the hotel.
Angel climbed into the limo, right after Gunn, setting Serafina on his lap.
Wesley & Serafina
"Are you sure it's wise to bring Serafina?" Wesley asked Angel quietly.
Serafina closed her eyes drowsily, leaning into Angel's body.
Cordelia climbed in after Wesley, and then Fred got in as well.
Angel
"You'd rather leave her with Connor?"
Angel ran his fingers through Serafina's hair gently.
Wesley Serafina
"Am exceptionally good point," Wesley admitted.
"He's jealous," Cordelia declared.
"But I mean, who wouldn't? Cos our Sera's a sweetie cutie and COnnor's just a big nasty teen with an attitude problem, isn't he precious?"
Serafina smiled.
Angel, Gunn and Lorne
They pulled up to Wolfram and Hart and were taken inside.
"Whoa, check these digs out," Gunn commented, looking around.
Eve stood at the top of the stairs.
"Welcome, Angel Investigations. Now, you'll all be getting a tour... Mr Gunn, you'll be with her... Lorne, he will show you our entertainment division... Miss Burkle, our science division... Mr Wyndham Pryce, research... Miss Chase, you'll be over there, with the Seers, and Angel, you'll be with me."
Serafina & Wesley
Serafina clung tightly to Angel, leaning up to whisper in his ear.
"Don't like this place. Don't trust her."
Wesley looked at his coworkers.
"I think we would prefer not to be split up."
Angel
Angel lifted Serafina up and kissed her forehead.
"Don't worry, sunshine."
Eve smiled.
"It's only for half an hour. I think you'll survive."
Already, their guides were pulling them away.
Serafina & Wesley
Serafina hmm'd worriedly.
Wesley gave in and followed his guide.
Angel, Gunn and Lorne
Angel pressed another kiss to Serafina's forehead as Eve showed them around.
Gunn looked at where he'd been led.
"Right, so Fred gets the science, Wes gets the mystic stuff, Cordy gets the seers, Lorne gets entertainment and I get security."
His guide laughed and shook her head.
"No, I needed verification. We're going somewhere much better."
Lorne looked around and grinned.
"Hell, if they don't accept, I am, this is fantastic!"
Serafina & Wesley
Serafina hissed at Eve when she walked too close.
"Feisty, isn't she?" Eve commented.
The kitten's eyes narrowed further.
"Bite me, you bloody bitch."
Wesley leafed through the extremely rare and valuable book the man had handed to him, and raised an eyebrow. If their library was this extensive...
Angel and Gunn
Angel chuckled slightly.
"Mmm, what she said, girlie."
Gunn looked straight into the panther's eyes.
Serafina
Serafina grinned.
"I win. I rock. One to the kid, while miss prissy has yet to score."
Angel, Gunn and Lorne
Soon the group filed back into the lobby.
"I say, I'm taking it!" Lorne announced, taking Cordy's hands and spinning her around.
"Me too," Cordy replied.
Gunn appeared in the lobby, quieter than before.
"You look different. Are you taller?" Fred asked.
Angel stood watching for a moment.
Wesley
"I still think it may turn out to be unwise..." Wesley said slowly.
"However...the resources that would become available to us would be invaluable...The texts alone..."
Angel and Gunn
"I accepted," Angel announced, making his presence known.
"Oh, well, cool," Gunn said.
"I wasn't sure about you guys, but I was gonna take it anyway."
Wesley
"I will accept," Wesley said.
"With grave reservations..."
Angel
"So, we do this then. We'll go to the Hotel, get our things, and Connor."
Angel started back for the limo.
Wesley
"But will Connor come?" Wesley asked as the group followed Angel.
"He can be very headstrong."
Angel
"It's still his choice. I won't enforce it. I've screwed his life up enough."
Angel bowed his head slightly.
Wesley
Wesley nodded slightly.
"As you say, Angel."