"So, the entourage. All this for me?" Nina asked.
"Um, no... well... yeah, kind of. I mean, it's just in case you... you know," Fred stammered.
"Run away?" Nina suggested.
"It's not like you're a prisoner," Fred assured her. "You're totally not. It's just... really important that you stay with us tonight."
"This is just so... I should be in ceramics class right now. We're learning raku. Seems like somebody else's life."
"Nina, it's just 3 nights a month, not even days. Your life doesn't have to change... much." Fred shrugged.
"How would you... you're not a monster too, are you?" Nina asked suspiciously.
"Nope." Fred shook her head. "Standard-issue science nerd. I did spend five years in a demon dimension. Till Angel saved me."
"Guess he saves a lot of girls, huh?" Nina looked slightly dejected.
"Girls, guys, puppies. He's pretty much an equal-opportunity saver," Fred replied.
"So, you two are like a couple?" Nina asked.
"Uh, me and Angel? Oh, God, no. He... he was seeing someone, sort of... but she... Angel doesn't date much — at all. 'Cause of his circumstances."
"Because he's a vampire?"
"Kind of. But that doesn't mean... his situation's just complicated," Fred explained.
"Must be lonely," Nina observed.
"Sometimes, maybe. But it's not like he doesn't have anyone. We all... we try to be there for each other."
"Like a family."
"Yeah. A demon-hunting, helpless-helping, dysfunctional family."