"Hey, uh, who wants some mu shu?" Lorne asked. "I got beaucoup mu shu here."
"I'll take some, thanks," Fred smiled at Lorne. "Angel, this little picnic was such a good idea."
"Yeah, man. Why haven't we done this before?" Gunn asked.
"Well, you know, you've all been working so hard..." Angel started.
"Has anyone seen the plum sauce?" Wesley asked.
Fred finished scanning the area for bugs, nodding at the group.
"We're clean," she said. "No one's listening."
"You were late," Angel told Wesley.
"Thought I was being followed," Wesley shrugged.
"I get that we have to be careful," Gunn put in. "But it feels weird hiding from the company we're supposed to be running."
"We're not hiding," Angel assured him. "We're being safe. There are factions at Wolfram and Hart, people that want to see us destroyed."
"But still, it's not like everyone there's evil. I mean, we work with these people. Some of them I see more than I see you guys, at least lately, anyway." Fred shrugged and made a face.
"And you think you can trust him - them?" Wesley amended.
"What?" Fred asked.
"These... people, the ones you're spending so much time with lately. Knox, for example," Wesley replied nonchalantly.
Fred looked flustered. "Um, we're, you know, friendly, but he's under me — or I'm on top of him. Professionally! All I'm saying is, he's not evil."
"I think we're all agreed that the Senior Partners are. They put us in charge for a reason. What we need to know is... why?" Angel put forward.
"We haven't been there for all that long," Gunn pointed out.
"Turns out running a company doesn't leave a lot of time for, you know, covert ops," Fred said.
"Yeah, I'm up to my horns in schmoozin' starlets and boozin' hipsters, Angel," Lorne spoke up, making a motion of washing his hands.
"What about Gunn?" Wesley questioned.
"What about Gunn?" Gunn challenged.
"It's... well, what they put in your head," Fred stepped in before there was a physical fight between the two men. "All that law knowledge and whatever. Maybe you know something, more than the rest of us."
Wesley cleared his throat. "The alteration to your mental capacity - "
"My capacity's the same as it's always been." Gunn shrugged again. "The good doctor just revved up some idlin' brain cells, set 'em in motion. That's all."
"It's a legitimate concern. You gave them access..." Angel trailed off.
"I made a deal. We all did. Seems like I'm the only one who's willing to accept that. Everybody here got something out of this," Gunn defended.
"Fear, mistrust, a great motor pool," Angel muttered.
"I got the Nancy Sinatra collection. Original 45s." Lorne grinned.
"I did get a rather nice pen. Sterling. Has my name on it." Wesley pulled the pen out of his pocket. "Which is not the point at all."
"No, the point is what, that I'm some spy for the Senior Partners?" Gunn asked, a disbelieving tone in his voice.
"Nobody's saying that," Angel replied.
"Just thinking it," Gunn sniped.
"No, Charles..." Fred began.
"The point is, the Senior Partners have a plan for us, and if we're not prepared — " Angel was cut off.
"Angel, it's not like we don't want to be ready. We just have, you know, plates... big, heaping, full plates!" Fred said, waving her hands around.
"Between running our departments, handling clients, dealing with Spike, Faith's whereabouts being leaked to the FBI..." Wesley started.
"Spike is just being a pain," Angel replied, shaking his head. "As always. He's bored, so he's here to try to cause trouble. That's all. And Faith - "
"Angelcakes," Lorne spoke up. "I like Faith, I really do, she's a firecracker, but, you have to admit, she is a liability. She's your weak spot."
Angel rubbed his temples. "Look, we've always known Faith was going to be on the FBI's wanted list. Gunn, how are you doing on the deal?"
Gunn waved his hand back and forth. "You know... this and that. One step forward, three steps back. We'll get there. It's a little harder, considering they got wind of her being with the Winchesters. But we're working on it."
"Good, good." Angel nodded.
"This is what Lorne means," Fred tried. "You're doing everything in your power to help Faith and it's going to - "
"Yeah, I'm helping her," Angel almost snapped. "But I thought that's what we did, remember? We help those who need help. You may not agree with all she does, but let me worry about her. Faith is my responsibility."
"Angel," Wesley held his hand up. "She's mine, as well. She was my Slayer. I understand where you're coming from, you're looking out for her, but can't you see the Senior Partners might be counting on that?"
"She's not a spy, Wesley," Angel replied tiredly. His eyes caught something in the distance. "Can I borrow your pen?"
"Uh..." Wesley looked confused, but handed him the pen. "Sure."
Angel took the pen and stood up. He ran a few metres away from the group, stabbing a werewolf with the silver pen. He looked up for the girl who was being attacked and noticed she had disappeared.
"Damn."