The Familiar

Title: The Familiar

Author: Chelle'

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Nothing in the story except Chelle' and everything to do with her, her kind, and the storyline itself belongs to me. Angel, Buffy, Wesley, Giles, and all other BtVS characters, as well as the settings and the references to the show, belong to Joss, W.B., M.E., and anyone else with a legal claim. I mean no harm, I'm just telling a story. Please don't sue.

Distribution: Archive for this list, otherwise, tell me.

Timeline: This story takes place right after Season ONE of Angel.

Feedback: Mom2Alex@aol.com

Notes: The main character in this tale is my own Buffy/Angel verse avatar. In regards to Angel, this is who I am. So, my imagination is a little twisted.

Chapter One:

The young woman at the desk looked up as the office door opened suddenly. The person on the other side scurried in, slammed the door, and leaned against it, gasping for breath. When the visitor regained her composure, she looked up. The woman at the desk took that as her cue to introduce herself, and the agency.

"Hi, I'm Cordelia Chase, and this is Angel Investigations. May I help you?"

"I hope so, is your employer around?"

"Not at the moment. Why?"

"Then it is a good thing that vampires cannot go into human occupied buildings without an invitation. There is a pack of them chasing me." She smiled wryly, then added, "By the way, my name is Chelle'." She extended her hand.

Cordelia shook it, saying, "Welcome, and nice to meet you. I'm not sure when Angel will be back, but it could be anytime. He left recently to take care of some business, but didn't say what. He had that glowery look he gets when it's something nasty evil and he doesn't want me to know about it."

"I can imagine! LA is one very rough town!"

"Tell me about it! I came here to act, and so far all I've done is help Angel kill a bunch of monsters. I could have done that back in Sunnydale," Cordelia pouted. "So, is there a reason - besides those vampires that are after you - that you came here?"

"I'm afraid I can't discuss that with you. No offense, but it's rather a delicate problem, and can only be handled by your employer. It's a personal matter. He may choose to tell you-if he wants to-but I cannot."

Her curiosity aroused by that overly strong refusal, Cordelia studied Chelle' skeptically. Personal, huh? What is she, some kind of vampire groupie or something?, she thought.

"Or something," Chelle' responded, coldly. "You should learn not to think quite so loudly," she added, in response to Cordelia's startled expression.

"You can read minds?"

"No, I can hear thoughts if a person broadcasts them. Or if a person is thinking something about me specifically." She smiled. "Don't worry, I won't pry. I respect other peoples' rights to privacy. I would just prefer not to hear erroneously judgmental thoughts about myself."

"I'm sorry, but listening in on my private thoughts is rude, too."

"I didn't 'listen in', YOU broadcast. I overheard. The tone of your mental comment indicated that you, having never met me before, have drawn a very unflattering conclusion about me." She paused then finished, " My reasons for being here are none of your business, and I would rather you didn't worry about it. From what I've heard of Angel, he is usually pretty open with his friends, and will probably tell you why I am here when he makes his decision about me."

"Alright, already! I get your point. But, whatever you came here for, it will have to wait. Angel just left not too long ago, and I don't know when he'll be back. You can sit and wait here, or you can go and come back later. Considering your friends out there, I guess you probably should stay here."

"Thank you, I will."

Locating a chair - in a well lit corner, away from the window - Chelle' arranged herself in it, and pulled a thick, leather bound book out of her bag. Turning to a marked page near the back of the tome, she produced a pen and began to write.

Cordelia sat back down in her desk chair, and watched the visitor for awhile. Remembering Chelle''s ability to hear thoughts, she decided to simply ask the question that popped into her mind.

"What is that? That book, I mean."

"It's my gr- journal. Sort of a diary."

"Is it almost full?"

"No, I have it divided into sections. I am currently working on my `Inner Thoughts' section." She sighed, then added, pointedly, "Weren't you doing something when I came in?"

Oblivious to the warning implicit in Chelle''s tone, Cordelia shrugged. "Just some paperwork. I could do it later. The insurance company has been bugging us ever since they had to rebuild this place after that creep from Wolfram and Hart blew it up. You hungry?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I'm tired. I just want to finish this entry, then try to grab a nap. You mind if I find somewhere to settle in for a nap?"

"Go ahead. Angel can wake you when he gets back, then you can talk to him. In fact, his apartment is just downstairs. If you want, you can go down there and use the couch. I'll tell Angel you're there when he gets back."

"Thank you, Miss Chase."

"Please, call me Cordelia."

"Alright, Cordelia. Thank you. Could you show me where I can rest now?"

"Sure. Just follow me."

Cordelia led Chelle' through the back door of the office, into a hallway. At the far end of the hall was an elevator. "Just take the elevator downstairs. There's only one stop below this floor, and that's Angel's apartment. Make yourself at home. I'll tell him you're here when he gets back."

"Thank you, Cordelia. I truly appreciate your help." That said, Chelle' made her way to the elevator. There was a longer distance then she had expected between the office and the basement apartment, and she was feeling slightly claustrophobic by the end of her ride. When she got off the elevator, she entered an immense, loft type living space, which was rather ironic, considering she was underground. It was very roomy, and at the same time, cozy.

She wandered around, looking at the furniture, wall decorations, and taking in the general good taste of the whole place. And, of course, the fact that most of the things in the place were rather expensive looking didn't detract at all from the homey atmosphere. All told, Chelle' liked the place. If things went as planned, that was a good thing.

She found a comfortable looking daybed set up behind a wall, out of direct view of the door and elevator, and curled up to rest. She wouldn't have been so secure if she had known that, as soon as she had returned to her paperwork, Cordelia forgot all about her. About two hours after Chelle' went downstairs, Cordelia wrote Angel a note, saying she was taking the rest of the night off, and left. No mention of his guest was made.

That is why, just over an hour before sunrise, Chelle' awoke to the sight of a wary and irritated Angel, staring at her in confusion. "Who are you, and what do you think you are doing in MY bed?"

"Chelle', and sleeping. Cordelia said she'd tell you I was here. I take it she forgot?" Chelle' asked, masking her amusement.

"You take it correctly. That still doesn't explain why you are in MY bed."

"Well, she did send me down here to sleep, and told me to make myself at home. Nice place, by the way."

"Thanks. Alright, I can tell this was just a misunderstanding. So, why did you come here in the first place?"

"To find you, of course."

"You are looking for me, personally? Are you human?"

"Use your nose."

Angel sniffed the air, lightly. An expression of astonishment suffused his face. "You are NOT a human! What are you doing here?"

"Then you have met my kind before?"

"Yes, a very long time ago. You are a familiar! Only the greatest Master Vampires possess familiars. Some vampires spend their entire existence hunting for a familiar to possess." A figurative lightbulb went off in Angel's brain. "You're being hunted, aren't you? By a Master Vampire? That's what all those minions were doing out front. Trying to figure out how to come in and get you."

"Smart boy. Why else would I come to you?" She paused. "Why not just duck into a church until sunrise?"

"I'll tell you why. Because hiding only offers a temporary solution. I want a cure for my problem, not a treatment for the symptoms. You are the best cure, yourself."

"What are you talking about?"

"A little slow, aren't you?" Chelle' commented, archly. "I mean I am offering to bond with you. Become your familiar, instead of just a familiar."

"I cannot accept that. I don't believe it's right to possess another person. Besides, what do I need a familiar for?"

"Do you know what a VOLUNTARILY bonded familiar can do for their Master?"

"I have heard of Masters going out during the day, or being immune to staking and holy objects as long as they have a familiar."

"That is true, and all familiars can do that. But I am more than just a familiar. I am a true born."

"True born? I've never heard of that before. I do know that familiars are slaves to their Masters and they cannot be sold or stolen."

"Familiars that are forced to bond are slaves. Those who choose to bond are partners, friends, or even mates to the ones they choose to bond with. And a true born familiar can bear the children of her Master. Or of anyone he chooses her to. The ability to bear offspring to a vampire makes me doubly valuable, and in twice as much danger from an unscrupulous demon or two. There are the ones who want me, and the ones who want the reward from capturing me. They all hunt me for their own reasons, and until I bond, they will continue to do so. Will you help me?"

"Let me get this straight, You want to bond with me so the hunters won't want to hunt you anymore, because once you bond, they can't use you?"

"That's right. Not that that is the only reason for you to bond with me."

"I don't need children, thanks."

"Not that. I can take away your pain, and give you power, and provide that which you most desire."

"And just what do you think you know about my pain or desire?"

"I know that you have a soul, you love the Slayer, you are afraid of losing your soul again, and that you want to be forgiven for your past. I also know that you are an honorable man, and that you fight for justice. You recently lost a good friend, and you have literally been to Hell and back. You crave love and acceptance, and at the same time reject them because you feel you don't deserve them. How old do you think I am?"

Angel gaped at her, shocked at just how much she did know. She had to ask her question a second time before he responded. "I don't know, twenty-two?" Chelle' smiled, wryly. "Try two hundred, twenty two. I had three more years to bond before I started aging again. Remember, familiars get two centuries to search for their chosen Master before one is required for their survival. I have been watching you since not long before you turned William. I have been your shadow for most of your existence. You are my Chosen Master. But time is running out for me to bond. That is why the hunters are after me. All vampires know that when a familiar is nearly out of time, a choice can be forced. In fact, to date, ALL bonds between true born and vampire, have been forced. There has never been a good vampire before you, Angel. I knew a century ago, when you were still Angelus, that this day would come. You have always been a creature of extremes, then evil, now good. I knew that you would be changed, although I didn't know the how of it. If you bond with me, you will never be at risk of losing your soul, EVER again."

Angel swallowed, hard, at the thought of banishing Angelus forever inside himself. Perhaps, without the worry of his evil side returning, he could finally make amends for all of his past.

"Yes, and you will never have to be afraid to love again." Chelle' whispered in response to his wistful, incredulous thought, understanding the emotions behind it. "There is one other thing, you know. I can help you make peace with your family, as well."

"What family?" he asked, truly confused at her unexpected add-on. "The remaining childer, for one. I know that you only have two childer left, but the Slayer and her friends are your family, too. You have some fences to mend. Oh, a little update on sweet William, by the way. He is learning to enjoy fighting as a good guy, rather than fighting against the good guys. You really do need to be brought up to speed on the goings-on in Sunnydale. And little Drusilla is still in South America. She is busy being a social butterfly, enjoying the equatorial social demon scene, and has no intention of coming back to the States for a long while. Anyway, I am off the subject. Will you bond with me?"

Just then, Cordelia came bursting through the door, disheveled and out of breath. "ANGEL!! I just had a vision, and YOU are in danger! I saw you being forced into the sun! I'm not sure by what, but then, it doesn't matter. Something is going to try to kill you."

"Are you sure?"

"My visions make my head feel like it is exploding, but the visions are clear. And this one was crystal!"

"Did you see what it was?"

"No, it stayed in the dark. What I saw was you, stepping into the sun. That was it. It didn't even last long enough for me to see what happened to you next. What are we going to do?"

"I guess this is the powers' way of telling me to accept your offer," he said to Chelle'.

"Did I miss something here?" Cordelia asked, noticing Angel's total lack of concern at her warning of impending death by sunlight.

"I told her earlier that if you wanted her to know the reason for my being here, you would tell her. She doesn't know what I am, yet."

"Will you guys stop talking around me! Hello, rude much?"

"Sorry, Cordelia. It's just that I know what your vision means."

"Already? Well, spill. What's the deal about showing me that you are going to go into the sun?"

"The powers were telling me that Chelle' here, came to me by their will, to aid me in my work by reducing certain on the job hazards."

Cordelia looked at Angel as if he'd just lost his mind. "What does I-don't-read-minds, I-hear-thoughts girl here, have to do with my vision? And since when does burning to death in the sun fall under 'on the job hazards'?"

"Listen, Cordelia. There is alot I can't explain right now. What I can tell you is that if I let Chelle' join us, she can make me immune to sunlight, among other things."

Cordelia looked at Chelle' with new respect. "Cool. What else can you do?"

"I am capable of doing all the things that the Gem of Amara could, and a few things that only a living being can do." She smiled and added, "You really don't want me to go into detail, there."

After a moment's pause, she turned her attention back to Angel and inquired, "So, will you?"

"It looks like I have to."

"Wonderful. I will talk with you more later. For now, I suggest you let me crash on the couch, and Miss Chase can go to her apartment to get some sleep. Will that be OK for tonight?"

"Sounds fine to me. I'll drive Cordelia home for the day. I still have time before dawn to get her there and back. I will see you in a little while." Angel agreed. Cordelia nodded, and the two of them left.

Chelle' took advantage of her time alone to add some entries to various sections of her journal. She was just putting it away when Angel came back. "So, when would you like to perform the bonding ritual?" she asked, as he walked to the fridge and pulled out his breakfast.

"Whenever. I still don't feel right about 'owning' you, but I can deal with it."

"Before I do, you need to know a few things. First, I haven't been the only one watching you. I have used spells to watch you through the eyes of a succession of people; including your daughter, Dru, and, most recently, my five times great-granddaughter, Willow. I have only been observing you personally since you came to LA." She paused for a breath, then continued.

"Second, once we bond, my survival is entirely dependent on yours. When you die, I die. Third, anything that happens to me, you will experience in your mind, and vice versa. You will always know what is happening to me, and where I am. Are you ready for this?"

"I believe so. What do we have to do to bond?"

"Bite me."

"Excuse me?"

"Bite me. We must exchange blood. This is similar to you 'making' a vampire, but you don't drain me, just take a small amount. Then, I bite you back. Figuratively speaking, that is. I don't have fangs so I have to cut you and take some of your blood. Were you expecting something else?"

"I hadn't really thought about it that much. I guess I was expecting some kind of spell. Witches use spells to bind their familiars to them."

"Do you know the history of vampire familiars?"

"Not really. I know there are familiars, and obviously there are vampires, but I don't know how they came to be together."

"The first vampire familiar was the result of the union of a faerie and a vampire. The vampire was a warlock when he was turned, and used a spell to make a faerie fall in love with him. He wanted her magic for himself. When he took her, he had no idea that his spell had made it possible for the faerie to bear his offspring. That offspring was the beginning of the race of familiars. If they mated with humans, their descendants became witches. If they bonded with vampires, they bore mixed blooded familiars. Every fifth generation or so, a true born appeared, the fruit of a male descendent and a human female. Only the true born has all the abilities of the original ancestor. That is why I am so valuable. I can do more than you can imagine for you." She smiled. "Did you know that the first vampire familiar originated on the Emerald Isle?"

Angel's mouth opened and closed a few times before he found his voice. "You are descended from vampires?" he croaked.

"And of the Fae. 'Tis the magic of the faeries that makes me the honorable being that I am. Were I to allow it, I could be as evil as you once were. This will be the first voluntary bonding since my ancestress, Lucrecia, who was the daughter of a true born, fell in love with a Master vampire, and chose him as her Master. Of course, she was one of the most twisted women in recorded history. Her power surpassed all familiars in history, and I believe it was because she chose to bond instead of being forced into it. If that is true, then you will be the most powerful Master vampire in the history of the world. You have one asset that will make you and I together the strongest bonding in history, and the power of the familiar is directly proportional to the strength of her bond to her Master."

"What asset?"

"You have a soul. I know it was returned to you as a curse, but I think it will be a blessing for us. It will add the strength of your emotions to our bond, effectively doubling the power I will wield for you. Also, as we grow close, which we will, we will continue to gain power together."

"This will all happen if we exchange blood? Nothing more?"

"Nothing more. Are you ready to bond? Anymore questions?"

"No more questions. I will bond with you."

Chelle' unbuttoned the top three buttons of her high collar shirt, and bared her throat. Angel hesitated only a moment before gathering her in his arms and sinking his fangs into her soft white skin.

At the first taste of fresh, hot blood, his instincts told him to feed until satisfied. He had to consciously restrain himself from draining her. As it was, she nearly fell from dizziness when he pulled away from her. He supported her as she took a short pocket knife and cut into the skin of his finger, drawing his blood. She lifted his hand to her mouth and sucked on his finger, feeling her soul attach itself to his. She held his finger in her mouth until she felt the wound on her neck heal. It was only moments later that she lost consciousness.

Angel lifted her into his arms and carried her to his bed. There, he lay her gently on her back and covered her with the quilt. He sat in an armchair, thinking, for the remainder of the day.

Chapter Two:

That evening, when Chelle' woke, there was a new person in the apartment with her, Angel, and Cordelia. She knew from observing Angel over the past several months who he was, but allowed herself to be introduced in the old fashioned way.

"Chelle', this is Wesley. He used to be a Watcher. Wesley, this is Chelle'. She is my new, uh, associate. She will be working with us from now on."

"Nice to meet you, Wesley."

"Charmed. How did you come to be here, if I may ask?"

"You may not."

"Chelle', that's rude. She was sent to me, by the powers-that-be," Angel explained. That just confused Wesley.

"The powers-that-be?"

Cordelia fielded that one. "The PTB's are the ones that gave me the my ability as a Seer, thanks to Doyle. They also gave me a vision yesterday that Angel says is a sign that Chelle' is here by their will. He says they sent her here to make him immune to the sun, and other things, however she is supposed to do that."

When Cordelia mentioned Chelle''s ability to make Angel sun-proof, Wesley's face lit with comprehension. Unlike Cordelia, he knew what a familiar was. Chelle' flushed under his sudden scrutiny, and turned away from his direct gaze. Angel stepped between them, suddenly feeling a surprising rush of possessiveness. Wesley accurately interpreted the warning in Angel's eyes, and held his tongue. Chelle', feeling Angel's feelings, smiled in satisfaction at his back.

"Well," Wesley said, "It is very nice to meet you, Chelle'."

He turned back to the papers he had been shuffling through when she walked in, and added, "Now, as to this job I have been investigating. Angel, have you ever heard if the Koldarsk Iliache?"

"Doesn't ring a bell, why?"

"It is a book. A very powerful, and dangerous, book. It contains the writings of the greatest warlock in history, and is currently lost. I have been hearing rumors about it in certain demon-frequented establishments in Koreatown. Koldarsk was..."

"A human warlock who was turned into a vampire, and used his magic to entrap magickal beings from all species to steal their powers by feeding on them." Chelle' interrupted. "He was killed over five thousand years ago, by the first Slayer. His writings were given to a priestess of Gaia for safekeeping. The Iliache was the repository of all his magickal knowledge, and was lost right around the onslaught of Christianity. Demons, vampires, and black magicians have been scouring the earth for it since."

By the time she was finished, both Wesley and Cordelia were staring at her in astonishment. Wesley was the first to recover. "How did you know that? I had to research the subject for the last three weeks just to find out that much, and I was looking for everything I could find on the subject of the Iliache," he sputtered.

"You know what I am, Wesley?" At his nod, she pointed out, "Then you should know that the story of the Koldarsk Iliache is a part of my family history. Koldarsk and a Fae female were the beginning of my line. Their daughter was the first of my kind."

Wesley stared at her, then nodded. {Too bad I am no longer a Watcher, he thought, The council would probably dance with glee over that bit over historical confirmation. Imagine! A direct descendent of Koldarsk, and she openly admits it.} Just then, he noticed Chelle' watching him closely.

She turned to Cordelia then and asked, "Cordelia, what was it you called me last night when you were talking to Angel about your vision of him going into the sun?"

"What?" Cordelia asked, confused by the sudden change in subject.

"It had to do with my ability. The one that you found out about last night?"

"Oh, I called you I-don't-read-minds,I-hear-thoughts girl. Why?"

"Would you care to explain that to Angel and Wesley? Not the reason you found that out, just what you discovered."

Cordelia looked at her strangely, shrugged, and obliged. "When Chelle' came in here last night, we were talking, and I found out that anything anyone thinks about her, she can hear. I unintentionally insulted her, and we almost got into a fight about it. As it was, we both learned something about manners, I think. Wesley, what's wrong with you?"

Wesley had gone chalk-white during Cordelia's little sharing of information. Chelle' grinned wickedly as the realization that she had heard his ruminations visibly sank in. She started counting in her head, and had gotten to four when he started sputtering unintelligibly.

"Wha-, u-, y-, whe-, bu-, how-, " Suddenly he shook his head, and closed his eyes. "I apologize, Miss, um, what is your last name?"

"It's Graves."

"Miss Graves."

Chelle' smiled then, "Apology accepted, Wesley. I wasn't trying to be mean, but, as I told Cordelia last night, I don't like overhearing unflattering thoughts about myself-especially from people who don't know me or barely know me." Wesley reddened.

Angel gave a snort of impatience. "If you are about done, Chelle', we need to find out what these rumors of Wesley's are."

Chelle' smiled, and nodded acquiescently.

"Well, " Wesley began, going into Watcher-lecture-mode, "It's all very vague and disjointed, but I gather that there is a new cult in LA that wants to try to use some kind of rift or tear in the fabric of this world to draw the Iliache through another dimension to them. They talk about using a demon of immense power and possibly resurrecting Koldarsk, himself. There is also talk of offerings and sacrifices to appease the inhabitants of the other realm, and of mass destruction."

Chelle', the only one not concentrating on trying to decipher the meaning of Wesley's words, paled as a sudden realization hit her. "Um, Angel. He's talking about these cultists using the HELLMOUTH." Three faces turned toward her, all showing shock, then fear.

Cordelia was the first to speak. Or rather, scream. "OH MY GOD!!!" She promptly fainted, crashing into Wesley.

"I think that was a healthy reaction. I cannot believe I didn't see it before," Wesley moaned.

"How did you think of that? Are you sure?" Angel asked.

"Think about it. The rumors include: a dimensional rift, demons, sacrifices, and a new cult of worshippers of Koldarsk-one of the worst monsters this world has ever known. That sounds like a recipe for the Hellmouth to me. And I know for a fact that one of the only active ones within three thousand miles is the one in Sunnydale."

Angel sighed. "Then it looks like we are going to Sunnydale. Let me have some time to call a couple people so they can be ready for us when we get there. I have a feeling that we are going to need some help on this one." He turned and walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~

Roughly three hours later, Chelle' and Angel met up with Cordelia and Wesley in front of the home of Rupert Giles, the former Watcher and current friend of the only active vampire Slayer. He was also Angel's friend. The man was also an excellent researcher and planner. He was going to be needed.

"Why did I have to ride with Wesley while new girl rode with you, Angel?" Cordelia whined, as soon as everyone was together. "Do you know how boring it is to ride with someone who doesn't even have a CD player in his car?"

"Because I had to speak with our newest team member confidentially. AND because I knew you were in a bad mood about having to come back here, and I didn't want to spend the entire trip listening to you complain. As to your other question, no I don't, but I'm sure you are going to tell me." Angel smiled to soften his words and added, "Come on, Cordelia, we're in Sunnydale, think of the people you can insult."

Cordelia pouted about Angel's scolding, but brightened at the thought of getting to harass some of her old classmates. Then she realized that most of them were away at college, and pouted again. However she decided not to pick a fight with Angel just then, having realized that he was dealing with his own returning to Sunnydale issues.

For his part, Angel was dreading what was to come. Chelle', feeling his trepidation and accurately guessing the cause, smiled. Little did her Master know, he had nothing to worry about. By bonding with her, he had rid himself of the things that caused him the most pain, and gained that which he desired most. His pain was his love for the Slayer and his guilt over his deeds in the past. His desire was peace and self forgiveness within his soul. Unfortunately, none of the subjects had come up, and he was afraid of what he remembered feeling.

Wesley was also worried about the upcoming reunion with the Sunnydale group, but for a different reason. As a Watcher who failed in his duties, he was not supposed to contact the Slayer, ever, again. He was afraid that, because of him, his old associate would turn them away and refuse to help.

They both could have spared themselves the trouble. As soon as Angel knocked on Giles' door, it opened, and they were all invited inside. Chelle' was introduced to the people gathered there, and smiles of greeting were exchanged all around. Chelle' finally met the five people, besides Cordelia, with whom Angel had spent the last couple of years. First in the line of intros was Mr. Rupert Giles, the Watcher. Next came Buffy Summers, the Slayer. After Buffy were the remaining Slayerettes, Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris. Finally there was Spike, former evildoer converted by technology into the newest member of the Sunnydale team. He was also one of Angel's last remaining childer. Chelle' smiled to herself when she noticed Spike sniff the air, then study her covertly.

{ And just how did dear old dad there manage to catch himself a familiar? I thought they were only for the Masters who could capture them,} he thought. {Hell knows, I've tried to find one.}

Chelle' responded to his ruminations in a pitch so low that only Angel and Spike could hear it. "He didn't catch me, I chose him. I offered to bond with him of my own free will."

Spike stared at her in shock, then realized that she had answered a question he had only thought, not spoken. She was about to say something else when she noticed Angel's inner surprise.

{It doesn't hurt! I am in the same room with her, and it doesn't hurt!} He turned his face toward Chelle', and saw her watching him. Without speaking, he asked, {Did you do this? }

She smiled and nodded slightly. Consciously projecting her thoughts to him she 'said', {It was not directly my doing. I told you that bonding would take away your greatest pain and grant your greatest desire. Your love for her was a large part of your pain, so bonding took away that obsessive love, and offered peace instead. You did not lose your ability to love, just your love for a person you felt it was wrong to love.}

She watched as his eyes began to fill before he controlled the impulse to shed those tears. He was free! His love for Buffy had become a prison, and now he was free of that prison. His undead heart swelled with gratitude at the kindness of this young female, who knew him well enough to know what he meant when he had painful or confused thoughts, and who cared enough to explain things to him.

He had been around for nearly two and a half centuries, and this was the first time he had met someone who really understood him and reached out to the human side of him without being afraid of the demon within him. Suddenly Angel noticed that everyone was looking at him expectantly.

"Uh, what? I think I missed something."

Wesley sighed, "Angel, we were asking if you had anything to include. To the explanation. Of what brings us here tonight? Where were you?"

Cordelia grumbled to herself, "He and Blondie were both staring at the new 'team member'."

The only people who could hear her comment were Angel, Spike, Chelle', and Buffy-thanks to her Slayer hearing. Angel, Spike, and Chelle' glared at Cordelia. Buffy studied Chelle'.

{I wonder what is so special about her? She does seem to have gotten their attention, but she's not a vampire, and they are the only ones I have ever seen these two pay that close of attention to, except myself of course. Who and what is she?}

Chelle' smiled at Buffy and acted innocent. {Let her wonder,} she thought to herself. {I am not going to explain myself to her.}

Angel, still able to hear Chelle''s thoughts now that she had made the connection, arched one eyebrow at that. Then he understood as she added, {Not after she hurt my Master Angel so badly. } Suddenly he realized, in her mind she referred to him as her Master! His brows knit together in consternation. She sounded like she believed herself to be his slave. Not good. He didn't want her to be his slave, but his friend. She looked at him in surprise, then slammed her mental shields into place so he couldn't hear her inner thoughts anymore. Then they both started listening to the discussion going on around them.

"-do some serious research on it, first." Giles was saying.

"Would it help if I told you where to look for information?" Chelle' asked, joining in the conversation.

"That would help, yes. The more we know, the less research we have to do," Xander pointed out, sarcastically.

"Xander, be nice. She may be new around here, but you could at least get to know her before you bite her head off," Willow chided.

"Thank you, my dear. Now, as to the Iliache, you will find all the currently known information in the pages of this book, listed in the section, `Events Past and Related Knowledge'," Chelle' said as she pulled the thick, leather-bound tome out of her bag.

"Hey, that's not a research book. You told me yesterday that that is your DIARY!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"I said it was my journal, but a more accurate term would be grimoire. It is the written copy of a great deal of information which I have amassed throughout my lifetime, as well as my personal thoughts on the aforementioned information. Obviously not everything I have ever learned is in here, but every scrap of information about my family history I have ever found is in this book, and the Iliache is part of my family history, remember?"

"Oh," Cordelia said, weakly.

Giles looked at Chelle' in confusion. "How can that book be part of your family history?"

"Koldarsk wrote the book, and he is my ancestor."

"Oh, quite. I hadn't considered that. Well, show us what you have on the Iliache in your book."

Chelle' opened her grimoire to the appropriate page, and set it in the middle of the table. Giles slid it toward himself and began to read, several of the others looking over his shoulder. For the next hour and a half, the nine of them dissected every bit of information in the tome about the Iliache, and by the time they felt they were ready to take the next step and determine what they were going to do about stopping the cult from obtaining it, the sun was rising. This meant that Spike and Angel were stuck spending the day at Giles' house. Chelle' stayed with them, and everyone else went home. Cordelia and Wesley checked into rooms at the nearby Sunbird Hotel, which was a new addition to the town since they had left.

After the people who could had gone, Giles looked at his unexpected houseguests. He hesitated a moment, then said, "I suppose you have some ideas about sleeping arrangements. I only have one extra bedroom, but I also have the sofa and a recliner in the spare room. You three can decide how to set yourselves up, I am going to get some sleep. Fortunately, it's Saturday, so I don't have to work. You have rather good timing, Angel."

"Well, I try to plan my world threatening disasters to be convenient for everyone, Giles," Angel joked. Giles offered a wry little half smile in response and left the room.

"Well, I never expected to be sharing space with you, again, Peaches. And this time you brought a playmate," Spike drawled after Giles left. Chelle' and Angel turned toward him, wearing matching frowns.

Chelle' found her reply first. "You're very rude. We had no intention of staying here today either. The least you could do is be civil."

"No, the least I could do is nothing, luv. But then again, that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it? I like getting under my sire's skin, and watching him squirm. Isn't that so, Schnookums?"

"Hmm. Well, at any rate, we're here. Let's try to get along for the time being, shall we?" Angel said, pointedly ignoring Spike's attempts to antagonize him. Spike pouted, having failed to get a rise out of Angel.

"You're no fun anymore. What happened to good old Brood-Boy, and his sensitivity?"

"He grew a shell, and learned to ignore specious jibing."

"Due to his acquisition of a new pet, perchance?"

"I AM NOT A PET!!!" Chelle' spat, indignantly.

Spike grinned at being able to make her react. "And you really believe that, ducks? And just what do you think he is going to do with you, if not keep you for a pet? After all, we both know that he's in love with the Slayer, so you can't be hoping he'll fall for you, can you? A familiar who falls for her Master is a truly pathetic creature. Or do you think you are something special?" Chelle' was so angry at that point that her face was nearly purple, and for a moment all she could do was sputter.

Then she found her voice. "How DARE you?" she hissed. "I have been watching Angel since before you knew him! I know him better than you ever will, and I know my place. You, insolent childe, obviously do not. If Master Angel permits me to, I will teach you exactly your place in the world." Her voice at that moment held so much venom, that both vampires looked at her in shock.

"Where did that come from?" Angel asked, perplexed.

"My apologies, Angel. His insolence offended me. He has no right to speak to you in such a manner." She bowed her head. "I told you I have been watching you. I have also seen enough of recent events here to believe he had truly changed. Discovering I was mistaken was a shock. I had hoped he would be more open to peaceable contact. I allowed my temper to get the best of me. I'm sorry, Master."

That was the third time he had heard her refer to him as her Master, but, at the moment, there was nothing he could do about it. Not in front of his childe. In his deepest thoughts he even admitted he rather liked it. He knew it was wrong, but he enjoyed the notion that there was at least one being in the world that would respect and obey him, no matter what. He pulled himself out of his momentary introspection, and focused on the matter at hand. "Chelle', I am not angry with you, I was just surprised. You sounded so passionate, as if you were ready to beat him nearly to death to make your point. That kind of conviction is admirable, if it's controlled."

"Yes, Angel," she whispered. Then his last statement sank in. She studied him, and chose her words carefully. "You find passion...admirable?"

"When it's warranted, yes."

"Hate to break up this little lesson in Master/familiar etiquette, but I'm knackered. Let's decide who sleeps where, so I can get my rest."

"We'll take the bedroom, you take the couch," Angel decided.

{Well, she is rather pretty. Can't say as I blame you for wanting a spot of privacy,} Spike thought, with a mental leer. Chelle' glared at him.

"In case you didn't know it, I can hear your thoughts. You really need to start thinking like an adult, William." She sniffed imperiously and continued, "I don't particularly care if you find me pretty, I wouldn't touch you unless I was commanded to." {Liar,} she thought to herself. {If you had the chance, and the right, you'd jump him in a heartbeat.}

{I'll bear that in mind.} Angel thought, knowing she would hear his amusement. Chelle' blushed nearly purple when she remembered that Angel could now hear her unshielded thoughts. Spike looked interested at her sudden blush, and wondered at its cause.

Wouldn't you like to know, Chelle' commented to herself. {But there's no way I'm telling you. Angel can if he wants to, but I hope he won't.}

Angel smiled a funny little half smile, and turned toward the bedroom. "Coming, Chelle'?"

"Right behind you."

"Sleep tight, Peaches. You too, Pet." Spike smirked at the glare he received from Chelle, and stretched himself out on the sofa.

When the bedroom door closed behind them, Angel studied the bowed head of his newly acquired familiar. She was obviously embarrassed, and trying to avoid his searching gaze. He placed his fingertip under her chin and tipped her head up to meet his eyes. "Chelle, I am not angry with you. I find your attraction to Spike unexpected, but not wrong. I loved him in my own way once, I know he is very appealing. If you've been watching me, you know that. What I want to know is, if you were attracted to him, why did you choose me?"

She hesitated, and he heard her think, {Because I want you more.}

"I wanted to be secure in the knowledge that my Master wouldn't abuse me or my gifts. I knew you were a good man, and would be an honorable Master, and you needed me," she explained. "Besides, tall dark and gorgeous is a definite plus," she grinned, half-teasing. He started, then smiled.

"Thanks for the ego booster, and the honesty. If your choice were a typical relationship choice, instead of an eternal commitment, which of us would you choose?"

"You."

Her response was so immediate, he knew it was true. He smiled gently, and hugged her. "You're sweet, and I'm flattered, but why don't we take our time."

"Yes, Master."

"That's another thing. I am not comfortable with the idea of being your "Master". I would rather you refer to me by name, and think of me as your friend, or maybe your benefactor, OK?"

Chelle' was startled. He was her Master, that was just the way it was. The way it had always been for familiars.

"So let's change that. Why must the familiar be subservient? Why can't she be equal? Why shouldn't you be my partner, instead of my slave?"

"I- I- I- I don't know what to say."

"How about you'll try to think more modernly?"

"OK. I'll try." She sighed and added, "I've been so busy watching you that I guess I have not really kept up with the world. I try, but I guess I just haven't thought about how relations between people have changed. But, we're not people. Why don't you want to keep tradition?"

"Because frankly, owning anyone makes me extremely uneasy. I would rather not be responsible for your welfare. If you've been watching me for two centuries, I think you can take care of yourself, and maybe we can learn some things from each other. But I would rather have us be on an open, equal footing, so I don't have to worry about your needs so much. I will enjoy taking care of you, but I need to know that you can make decisions for yourself, or you will be a liability in a fight. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

She nodded, satisfied that his rejection wasn't of her, but of her obviously antiquated notions.

She smiled then and asked, "So, how are we going to work this sleeping arrangement?"

Angel smiled at her. "You take the bed, I can make do with the recliner."

For the first time, Chelle' actually looked at the bed. She was surprised to discover that the unpredictable Mr. Giles had a king-sized bed in his spare room. She eyed its expanse speculatively, then turned to Angel. "You, know, there's no reason we can't each take a side of the bed. It's big enough for us to both stretch out and still have room between us."

He looked at the bed, then at her. "You're right, there's no reason we shouldn't both be comfortable." He indicated that she should choose a side with a wave of his hand.

She scooted under the covers, and settled herself on the side nearest the door. Her tank dress reached mid thigh, and provided a very serviceable nightgown. Angel opened several buttons on his shirt to allow him some range of movement, and took the other side of the bed.

Chapter Three:

The first thing Angel noticed when he woke was Chelle''s face, pressed against his exposed chest, and her thighs hugging one of his. Sometime during the day, she had rolled until her whole body was nestled snugly against his own. She was very warm.

The second was the figure standing in the doorway. He met Buffy's eyes for a split second before she turned and fled. He sighed, knowing that she was going to misinterpret what she saw. As he started to ease away from Chelle', he felt her move. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth to taste his skin, then she pulled away, blinking owlishly as she woke.

"Good evening, Angel," she whispered, sleepily.

"Evening, Chelle'. I have to get up now, but you can sleep more if you wish."

"No, once I am awake, I generally stay that way. I will get up now, too. I wonder if Giles has something to eat. I think I'll check the kitchen."

"You might want to ask, first."

"I will. I just want to look to see what's there first, OK?"

"Alright, just don't take anything without permission." Angel made his way to the patio, where he knew Buffy would be, while Chelle' went in search of breakfast. "Buffy, we need to talk."

She turned to him. "You know, you might have warned me. Last night, maybe. I would have liked to know that you were seeing someone. Is that why she is your so-called new team member? Is she somehow different that you would get involved with her when you left me because you were afraid to be with me?"

"It's not like that. I've only known her for two days, and she came to me."

"Well, it's not really my problem anymore, anyway. Is it? You have her, I have Riley."

"Buffy, why are you so worked up about this? I am happy for you that you're happy, even if I don't like him. What else do you want?"

Buffy was surprised. "That's it? No sad, soulful look? No resigned, love-filled puppy-dog eyes? You've changed, Angel. You don't even look like you're carrying around your planet-sized ball of guilt. Did she do this for you? If she did, she must be an incredibly talented woman." She offered him a lopsided grin. "Either that or you managed to find the vampire equivalent of Prozac."

Angel smiled. "You could say she is the vampire equivalent of Prozac. At least for me. Ask Giles about familiars one of these days. Then you might understand." He turned to walk back inside, adding over his shoulder, "By the way, it's nice to see you again."

Chelle' looked up from studying the contents of the refrigerator when Angel reentered the house. "So, how did the chat with Buffy go? Angel looked startled for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "It went better than I expected. Tell me, how did you know that that's what I was going to do?"

"I feel your feelings and share your thoughts, remember. I know everything you think, feel, and do. It's part of my side of the bond." She smiled. "I know how hard it was for you to decide to come back here, not knowing how you were going to react to seeing her again. I couldn't tell you because I didn't know exactly how myself."

"I just wasn't sure I could handle being here again. I have always felt guilty about leaving her, ever since I chose to move to Los Angeles. I guess it was just because I was afraid to let go."

"Letting go of your hold on things past is always one of the most difficult things to do in life. I have held to traditions my entire life, that you want me to let go. I agree that some of my ideas are old fashioned, but then you could call me an old fashioned girl. I am nearly your age, and I am still hampered by the sensibilities of my upbringing. You want me to dump the things that make me-admittedly-inhibited? Let go of your chains from the past."

Angel looked surprised by her insight. Suddenly, he realized that she was right. Even though he wasn't in love with Buffy anymore, he was still obsessed with her. Admitting his unnecessary fascination with the Slayer put him on the road to ridding himself of it. He smiled at her, and said, "If you need time to adapt, you may have it. I will try to let go of my baggage, and you can do the same."

She shielded the thought that that was what she'd said in the first place. "I can change now, Angel." She smiled, "I will not refer to you as Master anymore, not even in my head. I suppose history has it's value, but the future cannot be always determined by the past. Sometimes things just have to change, usually for the better. I guess there is more to bonding than I knew. Of course, I only knew what I had learned from my research. One thing, though. Do you truly want me to be your equal?"

"Yes, I do."

"If you mean that, then I have a suggestion that might help us both. It would provide me with what is probably the only reasoning my training would accept for not being subservient to you, and it would offer you an easy out of alot of awkward or embarrassing situations." She hesitated, not sure if she should continue.

"Go on," he prodded, "Don't leave me hanging. Don't worry, whatever your suggestion is, I promise I won't laugh or get angry."

"Well, we would only be truly equal if we got mmphmed." The last word was impossible to hear-even with his vampiric ears- because it was mumbled into the collar of her jacket (which she had donned in preparation to go outside, right before he had come back inside).

"Got what? I didn't catch that last part."

{Married}, she thought strongly, not wanting anyone else to hear her idea.

Angel's mouth dropped open in surprise. Chelle' became extremely self-conscious as he stared wordlessly at her for several seconds. Then his eyes took on a speculative gleam as he considered her suggestion. It made sense, in a way. With them already bonded, they would eventually need some kind of explanation for their intimately close relations, and marriage would be the one thing that no one would ever dare to challenge. His friends should understand once he explained her to them, and Spike would be shocked to life over it. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Angel smiled inwardly at that thought. Well, if they were going to do it, they might as well do it right. Privately, he admitted to himself that what he was about to do was going to be fun, if for no other reason than the expression it would produce on Chelle''s face. He hunkered down on one knee, and pulled an old silver ring out of his pocket. The ring was decorated with an intricate Celtic Knot, and he had been carrying it in a pocket or pouch, ever since he had been turned. A wave of guilt washed over him as he recalled that it had been the wedding ring of his middle sister, Morag. Angelus had taken it as a souvenir after he had killed her and his entire family. Shaking off the memory, he took the left hand of his familiar in his own.

"Chelle' Graves, will you honor me by becoming my wife? To favor me with your presence for the rest of our lives?" He fought a grin as she blushed lightly.

"Yes. Yes, I will," she breathed.

At that moment, they both became aware that they had an audience. Angel slipped the ring into place, and stood. Together they turned to see Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Spike all standing in the living room, watching over the half wall separating the kitchen from the living room. No one so much as breathed for a moment, then they each reacted in their own way.

Buffy turned red and sputtered, Giles cleared his throat several times, Willow smiled and congratulated them, and Spike's eyes rolled back as he slid bonelessly to the floor in a dead faint. Of the three in varying degrees of speechlessness by this revelation, Giles recovered first. "Ah-hem, yes, well, it seems we have some happy wishes to impart. All around, I would say that while this was unexpected, it is most apropos, and certainly the correct thing to do under the circumstances. Although I have never heard of it happening, a marriage between a vampire and his familiar can only serve to strengthen the bond between them. How do you intend to carry out the actual proceedings of this wedding?"

"I was thinking long white dress, church, pastor, altar, the whole thing, " Chelle' joked. She rolled her eyes when nobody laughed. "Geez, grow a collective sense of humor, I was kidding. In order to have a legally recognized marriage, all we have to do is go to a justice of the peace, and sign a license in front of witnesses. Who would be willing to stand as witnesses?" She looked around at the group.

"I will stand in as father of the bride if you like," Giles offered. Chelle' laughed, "You, sir, are about two hundred years too young to be my father. My four times great granddaughter is about your age. Your offer is sweet, but I'd rather have you stand up as friend to the groom. Unless William wants to be the best man."

Spike, coming to just in time to hear her last comment, growled. "Don't bloody call me 'William', woman. I have absolutely no wish to see that sod give up his last bit of what made him a Master vampire before he went soft, thanks to that damned gypsy. Wives always expect their husbands to be their lapdogs. I want no part of making Peaches your lapdog."

Chelle' smiled slightly, and said, "Well, that settles that. Now, Buffy, Willow, would you two stand with me? I don't really have any friends to ask." Willow nodded, and Buffy slowly followed suit.

"Thank you both, this means alot to me."

"Just one thing, though. May I bring Riley?" Buffy asked.

"I don't mind, if Angel doesn't."

"By all means," Angel rplied, half-smirking.

Buffy glared at Angel, then turned back to Chelle'. "How soon do you plan to do it?"

Chelle' looked at Angel, putting the choice in his hands. "I think we should hold off on planning that part until we finish our work here. And I would prefer to be married in LA."

"Um, Angel? I just realized, I don't know your last name."

"That's probably because I haven't used a surname for over two centuries. Why don't we choose one for ourselves, as a marriage name."

"What about Masters?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Masters? Sounds OK to me, but what gave you the idea?"

"Well, as your familiar, you are my Master, and as your wife, I am your equal, which would make me my own Master. It could be complicated, but the truth is, I like that last name. I always have. It's a power name."

Angel smiled at her slightly convoluted explanation. "Alright, Chelle' Graves, we will be Angel and Chelle'-"

"Michelle."

"What?"

"My name is Michelle. I go by Chelle', because I prefer it, but legally, my name is Michelle."

"OK, Angel and Michelle Masters. It sounds good, I think."

"Of course some people might find the name, Michelle Graves Masters a bit on the odd side. Again, I like it, but I can see how some folks might think it sounded funny. Or morbid," she grinned cheekily. Everyone in the room laughed at her observation-and her expression.

"I have just one question, though," she said when the laughter died down. "Who can we find to perform the ceremony? I know we can go to the courthouse, but to be honest, I don't think a justice of the peace marriage is enough. I want to be handfasted, too." The reactions her statement caused ran the gamut from confused to astonished. Buffy looked totally in the dark as to what `handfasted' meant; Spike, Angel, and Willow looked curious, but surprised; and Giles looked astounded that she would think of such a thing.

"Handfasted? Are you a witch?" Willow squeaked.

"Witch?" Buffy asked, a slight frown knitting her brow.

"I am a familiar, not a witch. Witches-at least, hereditary ones-are the offspring of familiars and humans. Because I bore two half human daughters before I stopped aging at twenty-five years old, I have several descendants, most of whom are learning about some, if not all, of their powers." Her eyes twinkled as she said, "At least one is learning about the fine arts of levitation and transmutation, among her regular studies. And, of course, the advice I always give young Wicce is simple. Enjoy the craft but never underestimate its power. And don't treat magick as if it were a toy."

Willow nodded her understanding of Chelle''s point. Magick that was mishandled could be very dangerous stuff. Then her comment about one of her descendants learning about levitation and transmutation sank in. She shot the familiar a startled look and received a slight nod of confirmation in return. The familiar had been talking about her!! This woman was one of her ancestors?

{You're great-great-grandmother on your mother's side is my great-granddaughter}, Willow heard, inside her mind. Willow did what any normal college girl would do at the revelation that they were standing in the same room with their five times great-grandmother. She fainted. Her sudden loss of consciousness caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"Wills!" Buffy exclaimed, hurrying over to her friend.

Willow moaned softly as she gradually came to. Buffy looked her over carefully. "Are you OK?"

Willow nodded, weakly, "I'll be fine, it just got stuffy in here all of a sudden. I think I need to go outside for some air."

"I'll go with you."

"No, Buffy, I need to be alone for a few minutes. Don't worry, I'll be fine." As she made her way out, Spike followed her to the door, a slight frown of concern narrowing his eyes. {I wonder what set Red off. She isn't usually one to swoon.} He looked at Chelle', and noticed her watching him with interest. What are you bloody lookin' at, woman? She smiled slightly at his defensive tone.

In a tone audible only to vampires, she commented, "A little worried about her, William? Why do you care? She's only a human."

{I AM NOT WORRIED. JUST CURIOUS IS ALL. SHE IS NORMALLY NOT A FAINTER, AND THAT MAKES ME WONDER WHAT CAUSED IT}, he roared in his mind. Then he contradicted himself unintentionally but thinking inwardly, {I just hope she's OK.}

In her own mind, Chelle' chuckled. {He really cares about her.}

{So it would seem,} Angel thought to her, hearing her replay Spike's thoughts in her mind.

{Maybe he is changing. I hope so, learning to care about people could really help him deal with alot of things.}

{Like his memories of his own abusive human parents,} Chelle' agreed, knowing full well how Angelus had found Spike, bruised, bloody, and filthy after being literally thrown into the street as a teenager. He had taken the nearly broken boy in, and, contrary to his vampiric nature, had nurtured him in his own way. He mentored him until William was in his early twenties, which is when he turned him. By then, William had already earned himself a reputation as a killer, and Angelus enjoyed watching him kill, maim, and basically wreak havoc on the lives of the residents of London. Perversely, Angelus waited to feed from William until the young man asked to be turned. Of course at the time, the Master vampire found that having someone who could go about during the day to be very useful. He taught William, who eventually came to be called William the Bloody, to hunt humans as if they were nothing more than deer, to be killed and used for survival. William gained their worldly goods, and Angelus took their lives. As a result, William was ready to be a vampire by the time he was turned, and he was loyal to Angelus. It was fortunate for him that he was ready when, nearly eighty years after he was turned, Angelus was cursed to regain his soul and was thereby forced to leave his pack, including William. By then, William was ready to be a Master in his own right. He had Drusilla who'd been a vampire for only a decade, and he had his "training". He took control of the London pack and lived comfortably, traveling around until he remet Angelus, now called Angel, in this small California town called Sunnydale.

Chelle' shook her head when she realized she had lost the thread of the conversation, which had turned to a discussion of the real reason they were in Sunnydale. While she had been remembering Spike's past, the rest of the group had shown up, and they were trying to plan a way to find some more clues on how the cultists were planning to acquire the Iliache. A lull in the conversation made her look up. Everyone in the room was staring at her, expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You really need to stop wandering off like that. I asked you if you knew of anyone who might know where the Iliache is hidden, or who might know a spell to find it."

"Sorry. I do know that your basic locator spell should do the job. It wasn't hidden, it was lost. If someone had hidden it using Magick, it would be more difficult to find. As it is, location isn't the issue, retrieval is. These worshippers of Koldarsk are going to try to bring it through the Hellmouth to them, and that means they want it badly enough to sacrifice a life for it. Several lives, in fact. The sacrifice will be specific, and dangerous, and stopping it will be extremely difficult once the ritual is begun. I know because I own one of the only two written copies of the spell to retrieve the book. We can only assume that they have the other." She pulled a brown roll of some kind of parchment out of her bag, which had been on the dining table. She smiled wryly, "If they don't, they'll show up pretty soon after this one." She handed the scroll the Giles, with the added warning, "Be careful, that is over two thousand years old."

He looked at her in surprise, then studied the scroll without unrolling it. "What is this made from?"

"It's the skin of a human, cured in vampire's dust and werewolf's blood." Every human face in the room turned green at that and even Angel and Spike looked a little uncomfortable. "Sorry, but you need to know what you are dealing with. Koldarsk was one of the most evil beings in history, but one of his descendants was nearly as bad. This document and its duplicate were created by one of my ancestors right before the Iliache was lost. It is a reclamation spell that is already linked to the book. A piece of each copy of this spell was made part of the book itself and the way it works is that when the spell is performed, the piece of it that is in the book will come to the bearer of the spell and will rejoin with the rest of the spell. Kind of like tearing out a page, in reverse. The spell will be in the book forever afterward. No one has ever used the spell before because the one who holds the spell, dies. And because there are only two copies and once they are used, the spell can never be used again. This prevents a lazy warlock from summoning the Iliache for no good reason. AND, I can't ever use it. No true descendant can. The spell must be cast by a male magician, using the original elements. The sacrifices necessary are, a virgin human male, a male Master vampire, and a male werewolf, just entering his prime. We know that two of the elements are here in Sunnydale, and the third, they already have."

"Well, virgins aren't that hard to come by and there are two male Master vampires in this room, but what about the werewolf? Aren't they as rare as vampires? If not more so. I mean, the only one that I know of is-"

"Oz," Willow breathed. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Chelle' in shock. "They have Oz?" Her expression begged for denial.

Chelle' nodded, then spoke. "I heard a rumor while I was looking for a way to get to Angel in LA. I was in a bar one night, and I overheard a couple guys talking about 'the wolf guy' and 'Oz'. I really hadn't thought about that until I remembered your boyfriend from observing you before Angel moved to LA. And I have been keeping an eye on things here since, so I know he left on a soul journey about three months ago, and hasn't been back, or contacted you. I'm sorry, child. We will get him out of their hands for you, I promise." Willow nodded, looking lost. {Great, now she'll be moping over dog-boy, again}, came Spike's derisive thought. Chelle' glared at him and passed his mental comment on to Angel, who added his thunderous look to hers.

"That was low, Spike. Even for you," Chelle' subvocalized, growling menacingly while staying so low pitched that even Buffy couldn't hear. Spike visibly cringed. "You hurt her feelings and I'll-" She let him finish the threat for himself. {As long as she doesn't think she can make me do anything I'll be just fine. And it's not like Brood-Boy would let the little thing do anything to me, anyway.}

When Chelle' passed the thought on to Angel, he smirked at Spike. "Wanna bet?" he asked low enough that no one heard but Chelle' and Spike. Spike looked startled, then confused.

"Huh?"

"She can hear thoughts, I can hear her thoughts, which means she can pass what she hears on to me. I just received your thoughts, second hand, but completely honestly, which is something I can never depend on from you. How does it feel to be caught? As long as she listens to you inside your own mind, you can't lie. At least not to me." Angel's smirk evolved into a full-blown smile of triumph. "So you see, Willy, me lad, your days of trying to pull the wool over these eyes are over," he finished, allowing a trace of his native Irish lilt to creep into his voice.

Spike glowered. Chelle' smiled beatifically and turned to speak to Willow. Unfortunately, Willow was no longer in the room. She had slipped down the hall to one of the bedrooms.

Chelle' followed the young woman's energy until she found her, sitting on the bed Chelle' had shared with Angel that day. Chelle' sat beside Willow, and Willow raised her eyes to meet the familiar's. "Are you really related to me?"

"Not just related. I am exactly who I say I am. Did you know I was very surprised when my great-granddaughter was allowed to marry a Son of Levi? His family nearly disowned him when he chose a `Gentile' for a bride. As I said, that was your great-great grandmother, Rachael. Her husband was Joshua, the only son of a powerful Rabbi, who convinced his followers to accept my granddaughter if she would convert. She agreed and underwent over three years of intensive teaching before they were allowed to marry, and by that time she had put her heritage as a natural witch behind her. I had to watch her turn her back on her family in order to join her husband's life. It hurt, but I allowed her to choose her happiness. Now, I am very glad I did. I have been watching you, and I am very proud of you, Willow Rosenberg. I never knew I would have a descendant who, given the proper training, had the potential to be as powerful as me."

"What does that mean?"

"If you will allow me, I will teach you how to use your magic in ways that right now, you wouldn't be able to imagine, let alone understand." She paused. "One thing you must remember, though, there are many types of magic that have a price. ALWAYS research any type of magic you wish to try before you attempt to use it. I don't want you to get hurt by something you don't understand. Oh, and just so you know, the next time I catch you saying 'I think I can do this', about a spell you haven't thoroughly researched, I WILL act. You know, I hope, how lucky you were to survive giving Angel back his soul after he lost it and became Angelus? His soul was channeled through your body, into the orb of Thessulah, before it was reattached to him. It could have taken part or all of your soul with it, and you would have died if that had happened. Were you aware of that?"

"No, but-"

"No buts. you could have been killed by your own inexperience, and he might not have gotten his soul back. Then your life would have been lost for nothing. Do you know why the spell was a success at all?"

"I think I was possessed by a gypsy ghost or something."

"Close. You were channeled by the spirit of your friend, Janna Kalderash, and SHE finished the Restoration spell. If she hadn't done that as her final attempt to atone for her betrayal of you all, you would now be dead. And Angel would now be Angelus. He was returned to you from Hell because, soul or not, he was needed here. He would have returned, regardless of his having a soul. His meeting me was preordained, and the thread of reality was threatened when Buffy sent him to Hell. He was returned for me. Do you want me to train you in the use and knowledge of magick?" Willow nodded, mutely. "Then I will. for now, however, we need to concentrate on this mission that we are all about to undertake." Chelle' smiled, gently. "Don't worry about Oz, we will save him. I know this is hard on you, but we will succeed and, as is common, everyone involved will probably learn a lesson from this. C'mon, let's go back out to the planning party." She led Willow back down the hall.

Chapter Four:

"Chelle', Willow, we think we have a way to find out where this ritual is to take place. I mean we know it will be on a Hellmouth, but there are three in Sunnydale, we need to find out which one. We also need to find out where these cultists are headquartered. I think we can get both from the demon hangout of choice here in Sunnydale, now known as Willy's Place." Giles announced, by way of greeting.

"You mean the snitch?" Willow asked.

"That's precisely what I mean. Spike will-"

"No, I bloody well won't. The last time I was in there, a regular told me that helping the Slayer put me on the blacklist. I have no intention of going in there and having a bunch of brassed-off demons removing my body parts, one at a time. No, thank you, I like everything right where it is."

"If you would let me finish," Giles snapped, glaring at Spike, in his mild mannered way, "I was about to say, Spike will escort Chelle' to the establishment. As a bonded familiar, she can obtain the information that only the most powerful Master demons or their most valued associates can command. There is probably not a single demon in existence who will challenge her authority as a bonded familiar. All demons know that only the greatest vampires can bond a familiar. That will work to our advantage here." He offered a small half-smile and added, "And, of course, you being a true born, you have the power in your own right to destroy any demon who challenges you. Spike, are you sure you don't want to take a bigger role in this endeavor? If you offer to help her, she will make sure none of those 'brassed-off demons' can lay a hand, claw, or talon on you. You might even get to see her tear a few of them apart for you, if Angel OK's it. Interested?"

"She's a true born?" Spike gasped. He looked at both Chelle' and Angel with new respect. "I wouldn't miss this for the world. I'm in!"

"I thought you might say that. So, you will take Chelle' into Willy's, and she will get you as much of the information as is currently available."

"Um, might I interject something? If you expect Chelle' to protect Spike, won't she have to masquerade as HIS familiar?" Wesley asked. He was suddenly the object of several surprised looks. Angel spoke first.

"That hadn't occurred to me. It would probably work, though, except that she carries MY mark." He indicated the bite mark on Chelle'`s neck.

{That wouldn't be a problem if they could smell me on her,} Spike thought.

Chelle''s brows shot up and she relayed the thought to Angel. He nodded, also appearing a bit surprised. "That would probably work, Spike," he said out loud.

"What would?" Buffy asked.

"If the demons could smell Spike on her. They would naturally assume that the mark was his, or that her Master was sharing her. Either way, it would make her 'his' as long as she was with him."

"Smell Spike on-? I don't think I want to know how you plan to do that, do I?"

"I'm sure if you tried, you could figure it out."

"Um, eww," Cordelia commented.

"Yes, well. I think you three should work out the details among yourselves. Perhaps with a bit of privacy?" Giles suggested, indicating the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"That might be best. I'm not sure how we'll accomplish this ruse, but you probably don't want to be privy to all the details. We'll be back as soon as possible," Angel replied, and headed for the hall. He turned when he reached the beginning of the hallway, and gestured for Chelle' and Spike to follow him. As soon as they had filed past, he followed them into the darkness of the unlit hallway, and to the room that he and Chelle' had occupied the previous day.

"I sure hope they know what they're doing," Willow murmured to herself as the three of them disappeared down the hall. "The last thing we need right now is problems with the local demons."

"Why don't we work on the plan, and let them do whatever it is they are going to do and worry about the locals if they decide to get all rowdy, huh, Wills?" Buffy suggested, turning her best friend toward the others.

Meanwhile...

Chelle', Angel, and Spike arranged themselves around the room. After a brief moment of silence, Chelle' addressed the issue. "There are a number of ways to accomplish this. I could wear some of Spike's clothes, for instance."

{Or I could shag you senseless.} Spike thought, idly.

Chelle' looked at him. "Yes, that is another possibility," she acknowledged, passing his idea on to Angel.

"You know, it is getting really irritating, that trick of yours. Why do you snoop inside my head? I know you can shut it out. Why don't you?" Spike grumbled.

"Because knowing what's going on in there is useful. And you have some rather amusing reflections that you don't share. Why does it bother you so much?"

"It's a bloody invasion of my privacy. My mind, my thoughts, are mine, and you listenin' in is rude. It's like if I were to go through your personal belongings just to know everything you have. And like I said, it's really bloody irritating."

"Well if we could trust you to be honest with us, I wouldn't need to snoop. Although I can't guarantee that to mean I wouldn't snoop anyway. I actually enjoy hearing what you don't say as well as what you do. You have a wicked mind, William." Chelle' smiled coyly and added, "I rather enjoy that. It complements mine."

"She's not kidding. I've heard her think about you. Would it make you feel better to know that she is attracted to you?" Angel interjected.

Chelle' flushed, then pressed her advantage. "I know you don't find me entirely unattractive, either."

{You know you're gorgeous}, Spike commented involuntarily in his head, then flinched as he remembered that she could hear his thoughts. "Thanks. So, back to the subject. Do you want to keep this game tame, or make it as real as possible? We can make it an innocent ruse, or -if you agree, Angel- I could be shared for the duration of our stay here. My only input in the matter is to point out that the more real we make things, the less chance there is of someone discovering our game." {I wouldn't mind having as much or as little close interaction with William as you see fit to secure this ruse,} she sent privately to Angel, her thought tinged with the slightest touch of innuendo.

{Do you want him?} Angel responded bluntly. Chelle' flushed and Angel was surprised when an image of her in an intimate position with both him and his childe flashed in her mind. He raised an eyebrow. {So that's how it is. Interesting little fantasy, would you really want that to happen?} The image flashed again, this time accompanied by another of her with a baby. {You want a child? Mine or his?} Angel held his figurative breath while he waited a split second for her reply.

{Yours,} she replied without hesitation. Angel smiled.

"What are you two thinking? Come on, I can't hear your thoughts, fill me in," Spike growled. I hope he's giving her the go ahead to shag me, he thought. It's been awhile, and I could use the relief.

Chelle' grinned wickedly and passed the thought on to Angel.

Angel studied his familiar and his childe, then finally made his decision. "I'll be right back." Angel walked out of the room, leaving Chelle' and Spike eyeing each other, awaiting his return. Anticipation lay heavy in the air as they waited.

Angel appeared in the doorway of the living room, and cleared his throat. It took mere seconds for every head in the room to turn toward him. Silence reigned for a moment while he formulated what he was going to say. Finally he decided to be up front but as vague as possible. "We have decided on a way to proceed, but it will take the rest of tonight, and probably most of tomorrow before we come out, so we will be ready to go beginning tomorrow night. Please don't try to disturb us until we come out of the room together." He turned to walk back to the bedroom when Buffy's voice stopped him.

"Angel, be careful."

"I will," he replied, smiling back at her over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I have no intention of losing my soul again."

That concern was in the forefront of Angel's mind when he returned to the bedroom. He had no idea how he was going to withstand the upcoming activities and keep his soul intact at the same time.

His worrying got Chelle''s attention, and she looked at him in surprise.

{But don't you know? When you bonded with me, your soul became attached to mine, remember? As long as I live, it's permanent, and when I die, you die, so for all intents and purposes, your soul is fixed. You can't lose it again.} Angel looked at her in shock, then the implications of her words sank in.

"You have done the impossible, Chelle'. First, you took away the burdens my guilt and love for Buffy were, now you are telling me my soul is fixed, and I can't lose it again. Why did I even think about turning you down when you offered to bond with me?"

At that revelation, Spike looked at Angel in astonishment. "You actually thought about not accepting the offer of a bond from a familiar? I knew you were cracked, but I didn't know you were foolish as all that."

Angel smiled wryly. "Well, I was thinking that bonding would be like slavery. I have since learned otherwise." He glanced affectionately at Chelle' and continued. "She may be my familiar, but she's definitely her own person."

Her own person was becoming impatient, and she said, "Are we going to talk all day, or what?"

She smiled when her question made both males remember why they were in a bedroom together in the first place, and she felt them shift gears, as the atmosphere in the room changed to one of charged anticipation. {This is gonna be fun,} she thought as the two vampires in the room suddenly looked at each other and smiled wickedly. Her eyes widened when they both began stalking her, and she caught a glimpse of a thought in Angel's mind that made her squirm. Just as the two of them reached her, she leapt sideways-right onto the bed. They followed.

When Chelle' woke, some nineteen hours later, the first thing she noticed was that she was sandwiched between two male bodies. The second was that all three of them were nude. These observances brought forward the memories of just what had gone on in the bedroom that day. She smiled and stretched luxuriously. Chelle' had heard of the infamous stamina of vampires, but until today, she'd never experienced it firsthand. She wriggled out from between Angel and Spike, and groaned as she felt the stiffness in parts of her body that hadn't been used in several decades. She looked at the clock and noted that she'd only been asleep for about five hours. She knew that she'd only gotten that much because the boys knew she would have to be in fighting form today. Oh well, at least they had accomplished their goal. She definitely smelled like Spike. And Angel. And sex. The demons shouldn't question her connection to Spike tonight. To relax her abused muscles, Chelle' performed her morning Yoga stretch routine. By the time she finished, the boys were stirring, about to waken. She sat on the end of the bed and watched as each of them opened his eyes. Spike fell off the bed backwards, and Chelle' laughed.

"It's not funny. You try waking up to see him looking you in the eye sometime." Spike gave a mock shudder, and smiled at Chelle'. He sniffed the air in her direction, and commented, "Well, I can smell me on you, so I guess anyone else who wants to will be able to, too."

Chelle' bounced off the bed and pulled her clothes on. "So, who's hungry?"

Angel and Spike exchanged an amused glance over Chelle''s deliberate lack of response to Spike's teasing remark. Spike eyed Chelle''s dress then, and made an observation.

"If you plan to masquerade as my familiar, you can't wear that. It's not my taste, and you would be dressed to please me."

Chelle' nodded, already knowing what he had in mind. "Who do you know that could help?"

"The Slayer would know where to get clothes for you, and if she's given enough money, she might even be nice about it. Unfortunately, right now I'm penniless. Any ideas, Angel?"

Angel sighed and reached into the pocket of the pants he had just put on. He pulled out his wallet and opened it. After thumbing quickly through it, he selected several bills and handed them to Chelle'. "Think this should be enough?"

Chelle' looked in her hand, to discover she was holding five one-hundred dollar bills. She smiled at Angel and nodded. "This ought to be plenty, thanks."

"You know the kind of thing I want you to get?" Spike asked. Chelle' tapped his forehead twice with the tip of her right index finger, and replied, "You know it, so I know it." For once, Spike didn't complain about her ability to hear (or in some cases see) his thoughts. He wanted the clothes he had in mind for her to wear to be a surprise for his sire. He laughed evilly in his mind as he pictured Angel's reaction to what he was going to have her wear.

{The old sod'll probably short-circuit when he gets a look. Or get a stiff one over her, and he won't have any way to fix it 'til we get back from Willy's.}

Chelle' directed a shielded thought to Spike. {Don't tease the tiger unless you plan to feed him.}

Spike looked startled that she would be able to send her thoughts into his mind. He shot her an inquiring glance, to which she responded verbally.

"When Angel shared me with you, it created a temporary bond between you and me. Angel is still my chosen, and primary 'Master'-" She emphasized the imaginary quotation marks in her mind to Angel so he'd know she was using the term to make her point, not because she actually still thought of him as owning her, "but as long as he is willing to share me with you, you and I will have a similar, secondary bond. Don't abuse it."

Spike was thunderstruck. This had started out as a ruse to fool the demons at Willy's, and it was becoming something else entirely. He had actually become connected to her somehow.

Chelle' opened her mind to Angel so he could hear Spike's thoughts as Spike thought them, and vice versa for Spike. {As long as I keep these pathways open, you two will be able to hear each other's thoughts. This way, as soon as we have our information from Willy, Angel can pass it on to the others while Spike and I work our way out of there, and maybe have a little fun decimating the local demons a bit. And,} she added devilishly, {nobody else will hear us if we want to have a private conversation. Are we ready to join the others now?}

{Why don't we, pet?} Spike replied, mentally.

{Yes, let's,} Angel agreed.

Chelle' turned toward the door with a fleeting thought of, {This is going to be fun!} Angel and Spike followed, smiling at her enthusiasm.

Chapter Five:

The three of them walked together into the living room to find only Giles, Buffy and Willow waiting for them.

"Where-?" Angel began

"Xander and Anya went to Xander's for the day and haven't come back yet, and the last I saw of Cordy and Wesley, they were bickering their way back to their hotel. Those two should just get together and be done with it. They were interested as far back as when he first came to Sunnydale. When I got my 'almost drove me crazy demon-part' and could hear everybody's thoughts, I heard them thinking about each other," Buffy explained, surprising everyone with that last part.

"Well. Yes. A-at any rate, they should all be back soon. Now, as to this plan of yours to go to gather information, are you ready to proceed?" Giles inquired.

"Almost, I have to go get the right outfit for the part, first," Chelle' replied. She turned to Buffy as said, "Spike tells me you would know where I can acquire what I need." Buffy looked startled.

"There are a few places here in town that are still open, it's not quite six yet. We have to go now if we want to get to anywhere before the stores close, though. Do you have some money?"

"I have enough to get what I need, yes."

"Then let's go." Buffy led Chelle' out the front door, being careful not to let too much of the light from the setting sun shine into the room. Angel and Spike stayed in dark corners while the door was open.

For the next hour, Buffy let Chelle' hunt through the leather boutiques in the mall. When she had put together the outfit Spike had envisioned, they made ready to leave. On their way to the exit, they passed a Goth shop, and Chelle' ducked inside for a moment. She quickly found what she was looking for, purchased it, and emerged, carrying what appeared to be a large ball of black wool. She shook it out to show Buffy, and Buffy made a sound of approval. The ball of fabric turned out to be a silk-lined, wool cloak, complete with cowl. It covered Chelle' from head to foot when she put it on, and the cowl covered her face past her eyes, totally obscuring it when she tilted her head forward. It was an effective way to be seen and not recognized for who or what she was.

She was nearly ten and a half inches taller than the Slayer, and in her cloak, she looked like a druid. Of course, being slightly over six feet tall had advantages. She was only about two inches shorter than Angel, for one. Also, it often gave her an edge in stride and reach when she was fighting or running. Of course, that also meant that Spike came up to her eyes, him being only five foot ten. Still, sometimes she wished she were shorter, so as to be more inconspicuous occasionally. Either way, she would like the way she looked.

The two young women made their way back to the former Watcher's house, and had nearly arrived when a large young man approached them.

"Buffy, what are you doing tonight?"

"Hi, Riley. I was doing some research, and my patrols. Why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me."

Chelle' heard him think, {Who's the shadow?}

She smiled and introduced herself. "Hello. My name is Chelle' Graves. You must be Riley Finn. I have heard quite a bit about you."

He looked at her and smiled, uncertainly. "All good, I hope?"

"Well, not all good, but all true. Watching can teach a person much about the ones they watch. You spend time with Buffy, therefore I know about you. Anything Willow knows, I know." Riley paled. {That means she knows about the Faith debacle}, he thought to himself.

"Chelle'! Out!" Buffy ordered, noticing the slightly glazed look on the familiar's face, indicating she was listening to thoughts. {Stay out of my boyfriend's head!} she growled, mentally.

Chelle' nodded slightly, in response to both thoughts. "Let's go. The others will be wondering what's happened to us, soon. Better yet, why don't I go to the house, you go out for dinner with your man. I'll tell the others where you are. We don't really need your help tonight, anyway, and you don't need us to patrol after you eat. Is that OK with you?"

Buffy looked at Chelle' for a long moment, then nodded. "Good luck tonight, by the way. I hope you find the answers."

"Answers?" Riley asked, looking interested.

"Research, remember?"

"What kind of research?"

"History stuff."

"Oh. Well, nice to meet you Chelle'. Hope you find whatever it is you're looking for. Good-night."

"Good-night, Riley. It was nice to meet you, too. Have fun, Buffy."

Chelle' finished the walk to Giles' house after Buffy and Riley left, presumably to go have dinner. She thought ahead to Angel and Spike, letting them know she was coming, and that Buffy had gone out with Riley. When she reached the door, Angel opened it as soon as she reached the porch.

"Find what you were looking for?" he asked, as she stepped inside.

Chelle' nodded. "It wasn't too difficult. I think Spike has gone shopping with Buffy before. We found what he pictured right away. It usually takes longer to shop, but I guess Buffy knows Spike's tastes." She opened her cloak and smiled as Angel's mouth dropped open. "I had to put it together from four different shops, but I think I got it."

Spike looked over Angel's shoulder and leered. "It's perfect, luv. Just exactly what I wanted, although the cape doesn't quite go with it."

"The cloak is for the sake of warmth and decency. Besides, I would have ended up getting here a lot later if I had tried to wear just this back," she pointed out, indicating her clothes. "I may be a marked familiar, but that wouldn't keep the less than nice humans away from me."

She removed her cloak as Angel closed the door, and did a pirouette to show off the entire outfit. From top to bottom, she was adorned entirely in leather.

Patent leather, to be exact. Around her neck she wore a wide collar (covering Angel's bite-mark) studded with chrome spikes. Her torso was covered with a halter top that laced up the front, with a sizable amount of cleavage showing. The top ended at her midriff, and her abdomen was exposed to her hips. A skirt that clung snugly to her hips covered her just to the bottom of her butt. Her feet and most of her legs were encased in black, patent leather boots, which reached the middle of her thighs. The boots had platform soles, and eight-inch, polished-ebony spike heels. The boots gave her the advantage of greater height, elevating her so that she was six feet and nine inches tall. Angel looked her over, and smiled.

"Well, I don't think anyone will miss you when you go into Willy's. Will you be able to defend yourself in those heels?"

"They are effective weapons. I have worn wood heeled shoes before. Think about it. What happens if I kick a vampire in the chest with these?"

"Interesting point. Although I think they would only be good weapons for women. Men would have a hard time explaining high-heels in this day and age. It never occurred to me to wear wooden stakes on my feet before."

"That is a nice touch, luv. I didn't think about the heels of the boots much, but I approve. The spike heels and spiked collar rather go together, eh mate?" Spike tilted his head back slightly to look her in the eye, and added, "Can't say I thought about how tall you'd be in heels, though. Why, you're nearly a foot taller than me." He looked straight forward and grinned. "Although it does put things in convenient reach."

She looked down and noticed that his face was level with her chest, and flushed. "Well, that's as good an excuse as any for me to be dressing like this. After all, you did say I'd be dressing to please you. Are you pleased?"

Spike shot her a toothy grin and replied, "Very, pet. Very"

Just then, Xander, who'd been standing off to the side staring, found his voice. "Whoa! You look... well, I can't describe it, but it's great!"

Chelle' smiled at the boy and tilted her head in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Xander." Then she turned her attention back to the two vampires. "So, are we ready to go?"

Spike and Angel nodded in unison, and Giles stood. "I think someone should go with you. Remember, these cultists are trying to attain a Master vampire for their ritual. You should take someone to watch Spike's back while you're inside the bar because he can't hurt humans, and I'm guessing that these cultists are mostly, if not all, humans."

"Good point. Any volunteers?"

Willow, Xander, and Cordelia all stepped forward, none of them wanting to be relegated to research duty.

"Well, that makes a difference. All right, how does this sound. Giles, Wesley, Anya, you three stay here and try to find out if there's anything we missed. The rest of us will go hunting. Is anyone not OK with that?" Chelle' waited a moment, before adding, "Then let's go."

As she turned toward the door, Giles stopped her by asking, "Where is Buffy?"

"She met up with Riley on the way back here, and he invited her to dinner. I told her to go ahead, that we could handle this without her. After all, tonight's the easy part." Chelle' responded.

Giles nodded. "Very well. We will see you when you return. Good luck."

Chelle' led her part of the team out of the house, and they headed for the bar.

The five of them arrived at the mouth of the alley leading to the seedy little bar that was "Willy's Place" with relatively little incident. After conferring for a moment, it was decided that Chelle', Willow, and Spike would go in, while Angel, Xander and Cordelia waited outside, ready to aid their friends at a moment's notice. Spike hesitated a moment, then led the familiar and the witch inside. As soon as they cleared the door, Chelle' saw a group of demons rise from their places at a table in the corner. They were looking at Spike with unabashed hatred. {Heads up}, she thought to him.

{I see them}, he returned. Spike pretended not to notice the demons, and made his way to the bar. Chelle' followed his lead, and drifted silently in his wake. Willow faded into the background, finding herself a secluded seat from which to watch out for Spike without drawing attention to herself. "A double shot of O negative, keep," Spike ordered, taking a seat at the bar. "The good stuff."

Willy looked at Spike, a little worried. The last time the peroxide blond vampire had been in his place, the fight had nearly destroyed it.

"Come on, come on. Haven't got all night you know," Spike added, ignoring the knot of other patrons making their way toward him. Willy opened the bottle of fresh blood on his counter, and poured Spike's drink, nervously eyeing the demons headed Spike's way. He glanced at Spike, wondering why he didn't seem worried. He held his breath as the leader of the group placed his hand on Spike's right shoulder. Spike didn't move, and faster than anyone could see, Chelle' threw the demon across the room. Willy stared at the familiar in shock.

"Who are you?" he asked, finally gathering his scattered wits.

"Does it matter?" she returned.

"No, ma'am. Not if you don't say it does."

The other demons had watched their leader's flight across the room, and, as one, they now turned their eyes to Chelle'. One of them sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. He began to back away from her. The others caught his movement, and expressed their disdain at his apparent cowardice.

Then the remaining demons attacked her. {Not too bright, are they?} she thought sarcastically to Spike as she engaged them in battle.

{They're young, pet. They have most likely never heard of familiars}, he pointed out.

{Well, then, it's about time they learned, hmm?}

{Just don't wear yourself out. We've work to do, after all.} He picked up his drink nonchalantly and downed it. "Another, I find myself thirsty tonight," he ordered, giving the impression that he had absolutely no interest in the fight taking place directly behind him. Willy poured him another drink, and he began sipping it. Less than a minute later, Chelle' had dispatched the demons, and she flopped down on the stool next to him.

"Well, that was fun," she announced. "Too bad it was so short, though. I could have used a bit more exercise."

"Don't worry, pet. The fun's not over for the night yet." Spike smiled at her. He turned to Willy and instructed, "Give her whatever she wants."

The snitch raised an eyebrow at Chelle', and she ordered, "Shot of Aftershock, Miller chaser."

"Very good, miss. Would you be interested in a order of chicken fingers? On the house, " he added hurriedly, eyeing her.

"Sure, why not. Got any honey to dip them in?"

"Sure do. Let me get you your drinks, then I'll start those frying for you." The little man moved away from her, and went about preparing her order. Chelle' smiled covertly at Spike, and he returned the look. So far, so good. Chelle' glanced at Willow, and found the redhead in conversation with a young man wearing a black T-shirt and matching jeans and boots. She focused her attention on them, and began listening through Willow's ears.

"I don't usually come in here, no. Do you?" the witch was saying.

"No, I'm not from around here. I live in another city. My friends and I are here on vacation. We were looking for someplace quiet to go, so we can unwind. College, you know," the young man replied. "Do you live around here?"

"All my life. I probably know more about Sunnydale than just about anyone. It's my home. So, why'd you come to this particular bar? I mean, it's kind of off the regular tourist list."

"A guy we met at the motel said this was a pretty decent place, so we decided to check it out." He paused and looked around. "What's with all the guys in demon makeup, though? It's interesting. Weird, but interesting. Is this place some kind of Goth club?"

"Something like that. I think -"

Chelle''s attention was pulled away from Willow with a jerk, as Spike elbowed her in the ribs. "Your food is here."

She looked at the plate that was set in front of her, then at the vampire beside her. "Thanks." She relayed what she had "heard" of Willow's conversation to Spike and Angel, then added mentally, {Could be this guy is one of our cultists, or the guy who referred him here is. Either way, at least we know that they're staying in Sunnydale for more than one day.}

Spike nodded minutely, and finished his drink. "Be right back, pet. Have to attract some attention." Spike stood and walked over to Willow. Chelle' listened as he spoke to the redhead. "'Allo, luv. Care to join us for a drink?" he asked, allowing his human mask to slip, showing himself as a vampire.

Willow played along. "Won't your ladyfriend get upset?"

"She's just my familiar, she won't object. Interested?"

"Well, it would be a little rude to leave Kyle just sitting here." She turned to her companion. "Want to go sit at the bar?" Her new acquaintance glanced at Spike, then shrugged. If Willow wasn't worried about this new person, then he wouldn't worry, either.

"Sure," Kyle replied. "Why not."

The three of them walked to the bar together. Chelle' smiled as Spike arranged things so that Willow sat between him and Kyle, with Chelle' seated on the new person's opposite side. The proximity made reading his thoughts exceptionally easy.

{Yeah, this place is definitely weird. I hope it's not one of those crazy theme bars I read about. Although Willow seems pretty normal, and even sounded like she was maybe interested in me.} His mental tone had a wistful undercurrent, and Chelle' caught a wisp of a thought. {I wonder why the guys insisted that we come to this little town in the middle of nowhere, anyway. It's not like we couldn't find something to do on a four day weekend in LA. At least there I would have had another chance to find someone to-}

At that point his thoughts became a little graphic, and Chelle' started blocking them. She passed along his thoughts, and mentioned the thing she'd noticed.

{Uh, guys? I think this is our third sacrifice. I think he was sent here as bait to catch a vampire.}

Spike whispered what Chelle' had told him into Willow's ear, and the witch nodded.

"So what do we do?" she asked him.

"We play it by ear. I say we let him lead you to his mates, then we get them."

"One problem with that idea, Spike. That would mean they would get what they needed. Namely, you or Angel. Then there would be no way to prevent them from performing the ritual."

While Spike and Willow conferred, Chelle' probed gently into Kyle's unconscious mind, looking for any other information they could use. She was rewarded with an image of the motel where they were staying. She showed Willow, Spike, and Angel the image, and Willow twitched in surprise.

{Oh, that's the Sunbird!}

{Where Cordelia and Wesley are staying?}

{Yes. They mentioned that there was a group of college guys staying there, but I didn't think it meant anything. You think they are the cultists?

{Probably. We need to get out of here, and let the others know what we found out.}

Willow turned to Kyle, and murmured, "Would you like to get out of here? Maybe go someplace less crowded with my friends and me?"

"Your friends?"

"Yup. Sometimes Spike scares away people and they don't want to talk to me if they know about him right away. He's a good friend, but if I want to meet new people, we pretend to not know each other until I get to know a little about someone. Then, if they are not frightened away by Spike, I know they are people worth knowing," she explained.

He looked skeptical, then smiled. "Well, it's a good thing that I am not afraid of much. I'm glad to hear that I passed your test, even if it's a little strange. You're an interesting girl, Willow. And if you say this guy's OK, I will believe you. Where did you want to go?"

"I have some other friends, and we usually hang out at a teen club called the Bronze, or we go to Giles' house. The only question is, which would you prefer? Noisy music and lots of young people having fun, or quiet house and a select group of people, having fun?"

"House. I want to be somewhere that I don't have to yell to be heard. Do you think your friend Giles will mind you bringing a stranger to his house?"

"Giles? No way. He doesn't mind just about anything. Well, not anything as long as it's not too major, like a party. He even likes Spike, sort of."

Chelle' and Spike rose from their barstools and headed for the door as Willow finished convincing her new friend to come with them. Chelle' mentally informed Angel that they had acquired another person to protect. She also told him to act as if they had just met up when the four of them met him and the others. This Kyle kid was pretty skittish, and she didn't want to scare him. They had to get him to Giles' house with as little trouble as possible, so they wouldn't attract any unwanted attention.

Angel acknowledged her warning, and acted accordingly when the four of them emerged from Willy's. "Hey, guys. Leaving already? I just got here," Angel said, by way of greeting.

"Yea, mate. Things are pretty quiet tonight, so we're heading to the Wat- er, Giles' house. Care to-" Spike was interrupted just then by the appearance of nearly thirty demons, coming toward the group from all directions.

{Looks like our friends from inside called in the reserves. We have to protect Kyle. Let's send Xander and Cordelia ahead with him, and the four of us can take on these fools.}Chelle' thought to the two vampires. Nods of acknowledgment were their only response.

While Angel and Spike engaged the demons in battle, the familiar shoved Kyle at the two Slayerettes, and instructed them to get him to Giles as quickly as possible. Then she took Willow's arm and drew her toward the action. When the two of them assessed the fight, they found that their vampires were losing. Considering they were outnumbered about fifteen to one and there were still more demons coming every moment, that was no surprise. Chelle' send Willow a focused thought, {Use your natural talent. Try this}, she showed Willow an incendiary spell, to cause demons to spontaneously combust. {Just don't aim it at any demons to near either of the boys.}

Willow nodded and started building up to the spell the way she had been shown. A fleeting thought of, {I'll have to tell Tara about his one}, passed through her mind as she cast the spell for the first time. The demon nearest her went up like a match. {WOW! Strong spell.} She pointed her finger toward another demon and spoke the activating phrase of the spell again, and saw another demon ignite.

As Willow began roasting demons left and right, Chelle' joined Angel and Spike in physically tearing the demons apart. She could have eliminated the whole lot of them with magic, but beating them up was much more fun. Aside from which, if she used magic to eliminate the demons, there was a better than even chance that she would harm or destroy Angel and Spike, so she chose not to take the risk. The four of them battled constantly for more than thirty minutes before Chelle' paused to take stock of their situation. What she saw disturbed her.

{They are not thinning out! For every one we dispatch, more come. Where are they coming from?} she thought to Angel, desperately.

{I don't know. They just keep coming,} he responded, not pausing in his fight.

{They told me they would kill me if I ever came back. I can't believe I let you people talk me into coming here. Then again, I didn't think the demons would raise a bloody army to take me out. I'm freakin' flattered,} Spike thought sarcastically at her and Angel.

{May I suggest a change in plan?} Chelle' thought to them. {You guys take Willow, and get away from the center, and I will take them out all at once. I can generate a vortex to remove them from this world, but it will take everything in its radius, except me. I need you guys to get out of harm's way before I can activate the spell. It will be like opening a temporary Hellmouth, large enough to swallow everyone inside it. I can keep fighting long enough for you three to escape. }

{NO! It's too dangerous. We can keep fighting,} Angel argued. {You could be killed.}

{I'll be fine as long as you get away safely. You live, I live, remember?}

{Yes, but you can still be damaged by these guys, or even be knocked out and not be able to do the spell, or taken prisoner. Demons treat prisoners like garbage. Their favorite thing to do is torture people, and prisoners make the best targets because they don't have to chase them. You could be-}

{Could you guys hurry up and make a decision already? These things are not going to wait for you two to settle your little domestic squabble,} Spike growled mentally, then added, {Angel, mate, I think she's right. She has a good plan and it might be the only way to get out of this with our hides intact.}

Angel snarled at his childe, then grudgingly admitted the logic of his argument. He glanced at Chelle' and mouthed "Be careful." Then he nodded to Spike, grabbed Willow by the arm and headed out of the alley toward the open street. The three of them reached the alley mouth at the same time and Spike and Willow took off running toward the safety of the former Watcher's home. Angel turned and watched his familiar once he reached the opposite side of the street, clear of the battle.

He held his metaphorical breath as he watched her begin chanting, even as she fought for her life. He could hear her words as she began shouting, all the while scattering demon parts around herself as she threw everything she had into the destruction of the mob of demons around her. The souled vampire blanched slightly as he watched the familiar literally disembowel anything that came within striking distance. His demon was a vicious bastard, but even he didn't have the ability to litter an area with body parts with the skill and apparent relish that she demonstrated. She actually looked like she was enjoying herself. By the time she stopped chanting, the entire alley was buried a foot deep in pieces of demons. Arms, legs, heads and entrails were mixed together like some kind of Hellish stew.

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble and Angel felt the earth under his feet tremble. A brilliant flash of white light enveloped the alley and part of the street, and Angel heard a roar similar to that of a volcano erupting, and was overcome with the powerful stench of sulphur. The heat the spell gave off was nearly enough to burn, and Angel took a defensive step backwards.

Then, it was all over. The light went away, the smell dissipated and the earth ceased its shaking. Angel looked into the alley and saw his familiar standing alone, in a clean, empty alley. All signs of the demons were gone without a trace. Even the demon blood was gone from the brick walls of the buildings that made up the sides of the alley. If he hadn't been there and seen it, Angel would not know there had ever been a battle in that particular place. He gaped at Chelle' as she turned and sauntered in his direction.

{Told you I could handle them,} she thought, smiling at him.

Her confident walk lasted until she reached his side, then she swayed. Only his preternatural reflexes allowed him to prevent her from hitting the ground as her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness. He swept her into his arms and headed to the house to meet with the others.

Chapter Six:

"You wouldn't have believed it if you had seen it yourself, Giles. She was literally knee deep in bits of demons she'd torn apart with her bare hands. Then her spell made it all disappear. I have been around and seen a lot of magick, but I have never seen anyone as powerful as her. Will she be alright?"

"I don't know. If she were human, I would say she is in shock. I don't really know enough about familiars to know what to do about her condition. Why don't we give her some time, see if she comes around on her own." Giles sounded baffled by the familiar.

She hadn't awakened, and the fight outside Willy's had taken place nearly six days earlier. While Chelle' slept, the rest of them had been doing some more researching on the legend of the Iliache. Angel refused to leave his familiar's side for any reason, and the only feeding he had done was whenever someone brought him a cup of microwaved blood. Spike, worried about his sire, had taken to alternately watching Angel from the bedroom doorway and researching everything he could find about familiars. He kept running across vague references to the blood the two had exchanged, but there were very few references to much of anything else. His mind was somewhat tired as he tried to sort through the mounds of useless information, trying to come up with a solution.

He was paging through yet another leather bound tome when he was struck with an idea. He rushed into the bedroom where Angel and Giles were sitting, trying to find a way to wake Chelle'. "I think I know what you need to do!" he announced, by way of greeting. Angel glanced at him, startled, then returned his attention to his familiar. "Listen to me! I think I know what you need to wake her up. She's bound to you by blood, right?" He waited until he had Angel's attention before he pointed out what should have been obvious to his sire. "Have you given her any of your blood since she cast her spell?"

Angel and Giles stared at him in astonishment. Giles recovered first. "Of course! She used all her own strength to defeat those demons, she needs yours to regain it." Angel raised a brow, and Giles continued, "You have to feed her to wake her up."

Angel paused as the solution to his problem sank in, then he turned back to his familiar. He allowed his demonic visage to emerge, and bit into his own wrist. Gently, he lifted Chelle''s head and pressed the wound on his wrist to her mouth. For a moment, he felt nothing, then she began suckling, lightly at first but with increasing force. When she finally stopped drinking, he pulled his arm away from her mouth, the puncture wounds already healing. Her lowered her head back to the pillow, noticing that she was still unconscious. Finally, he turned to Giles and asked, "Now what?"

"Now, we wait and see if this works."

Angel woke several hours late, when he felt Spike poke him sharply in the ribs. "Wake up ya' bloody poof!" his childe growled, having obviously been trying for awhile to waken him. "Listen!"

He groaned softly, and tried to go back to sleep. Then he heard it. { Angel.} The whisper in his mind was barely recognizable as his name, but it was there. And it was growing stronger as it repeated. {Angel.....Angel.} His eyes flew open, and he stared at Chelle'.

"She's startin' to wake up, and she's going to need you when she comes round," Spike rumbled, urgently. "Come on, mate, wake UP! You have to be ready when she wakes up to help her or she'll fall back asleep, and she might not wake up at all again." Angel didn't move from staring at his familiar, and Spike decided more drastic measures were called for. He took a firm hold of his sire's shirt collar and dragged him off the bed, allowing him to crash to the floor. The shock finally woke Angel completely, and he glared at his childe while he rubbed his head.

"Are you crazy? Why, if I may ask, did you do that?" Angel snarled.

"You have to be completely awake when she wakes up. When she does, she's going to need you."

"And you care, why?"

"If she dies while I am still bonded to her in any way, I die with her. I am not looking forward to the end of my existence. At least not until I can have this bleedin' chip taken out so I can go like a normal vampire, fighting against the Slayer, not beside her."

"Wait. You want to survive so Buffy can kill you? Any reason why you want Buffy in particular?" Angel teased. Spike opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it. Anything he said would only make him sound daft.

Just then, Chelle' shifted her body restlessly. The two vampires moved to her side as one, and watched as she began to writhe gently, her body gradually working out its kinks. Her eyelids fluttered, and her mouth opened. She sighed, and attempted to speak, but no sound emerged. Her tongue came out and she tried to moisten her lips. Spike observed her problem, and left the room, only to return a moment later with a cup and a straw.

"Here, pet. Try to drink," he whispered to her, holding the straw to her lips. She sipped weakly, taking just enough to wet her mouth. The familiar released the straw, and whispered, "Angel?"

Angel moved to where she could see him through her slitted eyes. "I'm here. You're safe."

Her eyes rolled toward Spike and she smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"It's just water."

"No, I meant for the other thing. I was here, you know. I could hear everything. You saved me when you made Angel give me his blood. I won't forget. If I can, I will repay you."

Spike turned away, a slight flush covering his cheeks. He cared about the familiar, but was embarrassed that she knew it. {I didn't do anything special,} he thought to himself.

"But you did," Chelle' insisted. "If you hadn't figured out how to help me, I would have stayed unconscious forever. I wouldn't have died until Angel did, but I would not have awakened, either. I would have been a useless burden. I am grateful to you, young man."

Spike shot her a startled look. "Young man? Just how old are you, pet?"

"Old enough to have been your mother. In fact, I am thirty-eight years older than you are. Don't look it, do I?"

"I wouldn't say so, no. How long did you watch Peaches, here, and why did you choose him?"

"I have been watching Angel since I was thirty, and had not long before discovered that I stopped aging at the age of twenty five, and found out about my, er, condition. Up until I was twenty eight, I thought I was human. When I found out I was a familiar, I was terrified. Everything I had ever thought about myself seemed to be wrong. I didn't know anything about familiars, except that they were part vampire, which scared me even more. Over the two years between finding out I was a familiar, and discovering Angelus, I learned a great deal about being a familiar, including the magickal aspects. I found your sire when I cast a spell to determine where my future would take me. I found out that I was destined to bond with the only 'ensouled vampire' in history, and was shown an image of Angel, here in Los Angeles. Of course, at the time, the setting made no sense to me, but it came to, when Angel left Sunnydale. I studied the information the spell gave, and made it a point to learn everything I could about vampires, familiars, and magick. By the time I was driven into your office, Angel, I had been watching you for nearly two hundred years, and I knew everything that has ever been recorded about familiars, and bonding. And I had been sure I wanted to bond with you for over a century." Her eyes twinkled, and she remarked, "I wonder, do you know how I was able to watch you, without you seeing me for so long?" Angel looked at her blankly, and Spike raised a brow, warily.

"Do you remember a certain doll, owned by Drusilla?"

"You mean Miss Edith?" Spike offered.

"The very one. Have you any idea how she came by it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, she 'found' that doll a month or so after she was turned. She told me the child who was playing with it didn't need it anymore," Angel replied, grimacing.

"She was too attached to that bloody doll. Said it spoke to her."

"That was an unfortunate side effect to the spell."

"Spell?" Angel inquired, softly.

"Yes. I knew she was going to take the doll, so I cast a spell on it so I could watch you through it. Drusilla's psychic talent must have made her at least subliminally aware of my presence when I was watching. Sometimes, I did speak to her through the doll intentionally, and she listened. Most of the time, though, she used what I told her the wrong way. Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Dru is gone, and the doll is broken. Before you turned Dru, I kept tabs on you through your pigeon's blood ruby. It made an effective eye, from which to observe you, since you never took it off. It was your favorite pinky ring, remember, Angel?"

"Darla gave me that ring. She told me it was blessed to give me power when I worked magic, as she knew I sometimes did. She never told me where she got it, though."

"I made that ring, and gave it to her, using the power of suggestion to give her the idea to make a gift of it to you. It was one of the first major spells I cast, and I did it so I could see you without being in any danger from you. Gifts from sire to childe are rare, and I knew you would treasure it. You still wear it sometimes, don't you?"

"Occasionally, if I want to look especially wealthy. I don't wear it for magic anymore, though."

Chelle' nodded, and commented, "I noticed when you stopped wearing it, a short while after you started to fall for Buffy. That's when I started watching you through Willow's eyes, as well as following you myself."

"Let me get this straight. You approached Darla, and she didn't take you? She was a Master vampire, why didn't she claim you?" Spike inquired, with a lifted brow.

"For one thing, at the time, she was too wrapped up in Angelus. For another, I hadn't enough knowledge, and I convinced her that I would be a liability as I was, and to let me live out my time that I needed to learn everything I needed to know in order to be the best familiar that had ever been. Darla is the only Master vampire I have ever heard of, aside from the souled one- you, Angel- that could be reasoned with. She agreed to let me go in exchange for something. I gave her the ring, with the suggestion that as a gift to a magick user, it would be a valuable asset if she had that magician as an ally. By that time, she knew of Angelus' magickal proclivities, and had already claimed him as her own, favorite childe, so she did the obvious thing, she gave him the ring I made for him."

"Very devious, luv. I have never heard of anyone getting the better of my lovely Grand Sire, but it sounds like you did just that. I wouldn't have let even an inexperienced familiar get away from me, though, I would have seen to it that you learned everything there was to know about the world around you, and would have bonded with you right then and there."

"Think about it, Spike. If she had bonded with me when I'd had barely three decades of experience, I wouldn't know how to fight, I wouldn't know much magick, and I wouldn't have been able to acquire as much information about demons, vampires, familiars, and other paranormal beings as I have. I would have been far less useful at the time as I am today. Fortunately, Darla died before I deemed myself ready to bond, or I would have kept my word to her that I would return, and allow her to claim me. When she died, that promise was made null and void. Even though Wolfram and Hart had brought her back-"

"WHAT!?!?" Buffy's voice rang from the doorway. "That's impossible! I saw Angel stake that bitch. And who is Wolfram and Hart?"

Angel turned toward his former love, and answered for his familiar. "Wolfram and Hart is a law firm that caters to the spawn of the underworld. Demons, vampires, and the like. They are the ones who hired Faith to kill me. I was able to stop her from doing that, and to help her turn herself around." Angel fell silent, and the two of them reflected on the last time that they had seen each other. Angel showed Chelle' his memories of Faith, Buffy coming to LA, and his subsequent trip to Sunnydale, when he met Riley.

"It's also the representation for every nonhuman sapient being on the planet that has the funding to pay for them. They have used magic for several things, and they have a big grudge against Angel, because he has killed some of their clientele. Recently, they used a scroll containing a spell to bring Darla back to life. Angel just found out about it a little over a week ago, and I have known as long as he has." Chelle' added, speaking to both Buffy and Spike.

Spike goggled at the familiar, and drew in enough air to gasp,

"S-sh-she-she's back? I thought the poof staked her. How can she be back? How is that possible?"

"As I said, it was the result of a magick spell. Five fledglings were sacrificed in order to bring her back, so she could kill Angel. Don't worry, she's no threat to you as long as you stay in Sunnydale, or near me if you cme to LA. I will deal with her when the time comes."

"Well that's terribly reassuring, luv, but if it's all the same to you, I'll watch my back anyway. The great poof may be all soul having, and turned into a big puppy, but she is not. He killed her and when she remembers that, she's going to be very brassed off, and I don't want to be around when she decides to exact her bloody revenge. I said I'd help you with this adventure, and I will, but if she shows up, I plan to disappear in very short order. As nice as it would be to see that fight, I would rather keep my parts together, than risk having her try to use tearing me apart to hurt Angel. No thanks, not my idea of a good time."

"Spike, if she shows up here, I will be taking her on alone. I will not allow anyone to be hurt by her, and I won't be leaving her undead. She will either be made alive, or just plain dead. I might be able to turn her human, but either way, her threat will be eliminated. I won't let her get you," Chelle' explained, teasing him as she finished.

"Just the same, if she doesn't show up here before we deal with these cultists, I'd appreciate it if you would run on back to Los Angeles and not bring your battles here anymore."

"We'll do our best," Angel drawled, half smiling at his childe.

"At any rate, that's enough chit-chat. How long have I been out, and what progress has been made in finding out more about the cultists?"

"I'm not letting you do anything until you have something to eat. You've been asleep for six days, and you need your strength. You need some nutrition. You are a living being, even if you are bound to me," Angel ordered, gently.

"I know. But I still would like a progress report for-... SIX DAYS?!?! I have been out for six DAYS?? What's happened since the fight? I know my spell worked, and that I walked away from it, but not a lot after that. We don't have much time, the cultists must have nearly everything they need by now. Did the guy, Kyle, make it here? Is he still here? What else have you found?"

"By the way, it was three weeks ago that I learned Darla was back. We've been in Sunnydale for eight days already, and the others will have to tell you what they've found out, because I haven't left your side since the fight."

"Spike?" Chelle' turned to the blond vampire expectantly.

"I know the Watcher has found out it is the high school Hellmouth that they are planning to use, and that they will be performing their ritual on the night of the full moon, so rescuing your wolf friend is going to be a mite harder than it otherwise would. Also, they plan to use some kind of bait to catch themselves their Master Vampire, so we all need to watch our backs, especially you and the witch. They have come to the conclusion that it was the local demon population that was responsible for the loss of their third sacrifice, and they plan to retrieve him, so he will need to be guarded well. This is-"

Willow rushed into the room, and gasped at Spike, "I know what they are using as bait. Spike, they want you, and they have Harmony. They think you will come to rescue her. We have to get her out of their hands." The redhead paused and noticed the looks she was getting from everyone in the room. "What? You guys are looking at me like I'm nuts. I know you guys couldn't care less about Harmony, and she is a twit, but wouldn't leave even her in the hands of these guys."

Spike sighed, and nodded, "Red's right, we can't just leave 'er with 'em. We'll have to make sure to free her when we go to get dog-boy. You can stake her another time, Slayer," he added, when Buffy looked about to argue.

Buffy held her breath for a few seconds, then nodded her acceptance. They couldn't very well rescue someone, just to turn around and kill her, and Buffy wouldn't leave anyone, even an enemy, in the hands of the cultists.

"If I have been asleep for six days, then we only have two more before the full moon. I suggest we get to work if we are going to save the world. I know, you guys do that alot, but this will be my first team effort at it. So Angel, if you want me to eat, let's get to it, so we can get to the real work, okay?"

Willow, Buffy, and Spike left, so Chelle' could have some privacy and get dressed. Angel sat in the chair in the corner of the room and waited as she took the time to dress in an attractive black dress, brush and braid her long hair, and put on the barest amount of makeup. Chelle' ran to the bathroom the relieve herself, and to brush her teeth, then finished getting ready to face the world by putting on some very sensible leather shoes. She started to walk out the bedroom door, and swayed right at the doorway. No sooner had she regained her balance, than Angel was sweeping her into his arms, and getting her settled against his chest. He then carried her down the hall, and into the living room, where she was greeted by Giles, Wesley, Cordelia, Anya, and Xander.

She waited until Angel put her down, then turned to the unfamiliar person in the room. "And you are?"

"Graham Miller, ma'am. Riley and I are friends, and I'm helping."

Chelle' picked the information that he had been part of the ill-fated military "Initiative" that had, for awhile, been centered in Sunnydale, from his mind. The soldiers who'd held high rank positions in the endeavor had been debriefed and given the option to transfer to another Marine base, or be honorably discharged, on the condition that they never told anyone who didn't already know, about what had really happened in Sunnydale. Graham had been the only one, besides Riley, to opt to stay in Sunnydale and offer to help the Slayer and her friends.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Miller. Where is Mr. Finn?" she inquired politely.

"He's patrolling, and will be back shortly. He and Buffy left just a few minutes ago."

"I do hope to see him tonight. For now though, Angel said something about food-?" she directed the last part to the dark vampire.

"What would you like?" Angel asked her, acknowledging her blatant hint.

"Surprise me," came the saucy reply.

Angel smiled to himself as he went into Giles' kitchen to make her something to eat. She had to be feeling alright, or she wouldn't be teasing him. He caught her wink as he glanced into the living room over the half wall. He ignored the light chatter in the living room as he made his familiar a Western omelet, bacon, and pancakes. He rounded out the meal with a glass of milk, and a cup of hot, French Roast coffee. He arranged the meal on the Watcher's only TV tray, and carried it to where Chelle' sat, then watched as she attacked the meal with relish.

She stopped after the first bite, to savor the rich taste of the food, then ate with gusto. She didn't stop eating, until every last scrap of food was gone. She downed her glass of milk, then took up her cup of coffee. "Wow, Angel, that was a delicious breakfast. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Angel took the tray, and walked back into the kitchen with it. He rinsed the plate and glass, then put the tray away. After setting the dirty dishes into the sink, he made his way back into the living room, and stood behind his familiar's seat. He observed the light banter between the other people in the room, and smiled. He was still standing there when Buffy and Riley returned from patrol.

As soon as he walked through the door, Riley glared at Angel, and moved protectively close to Buffy. Chelle' noticed Angel's lips twitch, and had to hide a smile of her own. The young man's actions were funny, and telling. Chelle' knew that Riley had met Angel some time ago, right around the time Faith had turned herself in to the police, and the Initiative had fallen. Angel's final statement before left Sunnydale the last time was, "I don't like him." He was telling Buffy that he didn't like Riley personally, but if she was happy with him, Angel wouldn't get in the way. Now Angel was past Buffy, but Riley didn't know that, and he felt threatened by the vampire's presence.

Chelle' decided to break the uncomfortable silence forming in the room. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Finn. Please, I don't think Giles will mind if you take a seat."

The ex-Marine looked blankly at the familiar a moment before he reacted. "Er, uh, thank you Ms. Graves."

"Don't thank me, it's not my house, I was just being courteous."

"Well, thank you anyway. I think I'll stand, if that's alright."

"Suit yourself," Chelle' hid a smile and looked up at Angel. "Dear, I need a drink of water. Would you please get it for me?"

Angel played along, "Sure thing, sweetheart. Would you like anything else?"

"No, but thank you for offering. Just the water, please."

Riley goggled at the two of them as Angel moved to do Chelle''s bidding. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, before clamping it shut and looking at Buffy expectantly. The Slayer had to cough to hide her mirth at his behavior, then she explained, "They're planning to get married. Angel just asked her the day after they came into town to get our help on a case they are working on that just happened to lead them to the Hellmouth. So you see, Mr. Overprotective, Angel is not a threat to you. You don't have to hover around me like that, and I won't let you. Here, sit." Buffy pulled out a chair from the kitchen table, and waved her boyfriend into it. Riley studied her for a moment, then sank into the chair. The expression on his face, like a little boy who's been told to behave by his mother, caused nearly everyone in the room to laugh.

Angel's reappearance, just at that moment, furthered the laughter all the more. The dark vampire looked around, suspiciously. "What? What did I miss?" The other people in the room only laughed harder.

Finally, Chelle' contained herself enough to explain, which gained her a smile from Angel, and a glower from Riley.

"You're right, that is funny," Angel agreed. He handed his familiar her drink, then sat on the arm of her chair. Chelle' stood, pushed him into the chair, then made herself comfortable on his lap.

"This is much better. Giles, you need new chairs, this one's lumpy."

"So she makes me sit in it, so she can rest her bony butt on me. Women," Angel joked.

Most of the people in the room stared at him. Cordelia and Wesley had gotten used to his rare, off-the-wall humor, and Chelle' was glaring. Everyone else was stunned.

Finally, Xander broke the silence. "Deadboy! You made a joke. I didn't know you knew how to do that. Congratulations!"

"Yeah, Peaches, what he said," Spike chimed in.

Angel offered the group a lopsided smile, and said, "Well, maybe I have lightened up a bit, but if that's true, it's because I wouldn't have survived this long if I hadn't, as Cordelia once put it, gotten a clue and chilled out. Otherwise, Cordy's complaining and Wesley's questions would have made me as crazy as Drusilla."

The Scoobies turned as one to see the effects Angel's words had on Spike. Surprisingly, the peroxide blond vampire didn't bat an eye, but teased back, "And you know we wouldn't want that now, would we? I don't think the world could handle two Drus."

Riley butted in to ask, "Who's Drusilla?"

Spike turned toward him and replied, "She is my one time love of my unlife. We went our separate ways when she decided she didn't love me anymore. A friend recently gave me a bit of a new perspective on the situation, and I feel much better about it all. She's also the most insane being you would ever meet."

"She's... a vampire, right?"

"Yes. I made her a very long time ago. Spike was jealous, and hated her for a long time, because he is also my childe, and Dru took my attention away from him. When she took me away, Spike lost his best friend, and hunting buddy, but he couldn't do anything about it because I was his sire. After I regained my soul, the two of them were left to fend for themselves, and they fell in love. And the rest, as they say, is history." Angel finished his explanation, and returned his attention to nonverbally soothing Chelle''s ruffled feathers. He began nuzzling her neck, and his mark, tickling her, and distracting her from her ire. When she released a nearly silent moan of pleasure, he smiled. "Still mad at me, sweetheart ?"

"Yes, dear, I am. That was a very mean thing to say to me. You hurt my feelings," she pouted.

"Well, I'll just have to fix that, won't I?"

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

Angel put his mouth directly over her ear, and whispered his reply. His words made her flush, and grow warm with pleasure, and lust.

"Bedroom?" she murmured.

Angel lifted her up, stood, and tucked her against his chest. He threw, "Give us at least an hour, will you?" over his shoulder as he carried her across the room, and into the hall toward the guest bedroom.

He just barely caught Buffy's "Geez, they're almost as bad as Anya and Xander!", and Xander's defensive, "Hey!" as he closed the door to the room.

The moment she was on her feet, Chelle' reached up behind her back, and unfastened the back of her dress. It pooled at her feet, and Angel, after locking the door, swept her up and carried her, ignoring her clothing at his feet, to the bed. The two of them began tearing at each other's clothes. Their lovemaking was intense and passionate, and neither noticed the passing of time.

Chelle' and Angel had just come down from their fifth shared climax, when there was a knock on the door. Angel grabbed the blanket and pulled it up over the two of them, and called out, "Yes?"

Willow peeked inside, and said, "You said at least an hour, it's been two. Are you ready to come back out yet?"

Chelle' smiled at her descendant, and nodded, "We'll be out in five minutes, OK?"

"'K. Just don't rush so fast that you forget anything important in here. See you in five." The red-head ducked out of the doorway, and returned to the living room.

"Well, are you still mad at me?"

"No. I feel too good right now to be mad at anyone, but you better understand something. I DO NOT HAVE A BONY BUTT! Got that?"

"Yes, dear," Angel replied, imitating a hen-pecked husband.

"Oh, you!" Chelle' exclaimed, and hit him with her pillow.

"Now, now. No more games just now, we have to get dressed," Angel admonished, playfully.

"Don't you dare think this is over, mister. You have a rematch coming. We'll finish this later."

Chelle' bounced off the bed and gathered her clothing, then ducked into the bathroom to freshen up and dress. When she emerged, Angel was waiting for her, looking for all the world as if he hadn't just spent two hours having wild sex with her. She wrinkled her nose at him, and he smirked at her. "By the way," she commented, as they headed for the living room, "I didn't know that it was possible to give a vampire a hickey that would show."

Angel clapped his hand over the side of his neck, and glared at her back as she preceded him into the main living room, rejoining their friends.

Chapter Seven:

"Have fun?" Anya asked, as they found the chair they had occupied earlier still empty, and settled into it, her on his lap, again.

The two of them looked at Anya and smiled, simultaneously.

Anya answered her own question, "Yes, you had fun. You wouldn't look quite so satisfied if you didn't. Xander, why can't we do things like that? Just decide to get up and go have sex whenever we want to?"

"An, we do just decide to have sex and go do it whenever we want. That's why I gave you keys to my place, and why you moved in with me, remember?"

While the two of them had their little discussion, Angel unwittingly let the lovebite Chelle' had left on his neck to show, as he reached for the cup of blood Giles had put on the coffee table for him.

Spike noticed it immediately, and let out a whoop. "Bloody Hell, Angel! She got you right good, didn't she? You have a mark on you neck. What did you use on him, luv? A power vac?"

Angel looked at his childe through slitted eyes, and Chelle' blushed faintly, as she replied, "No, just my mouth. I'm afraid I bit him a little harder than I expected to. I didn't know vampires could sustain a hickey, and have it show like that."

Of course, this interaction attracted the attention of the other people in the room, and Angel and Chelle' bore the teasing for a good twenty minutes before everyone settled down, and they began working on a plan to stop the cultists from attaining any of their goals, especially the Iliache. After a short discussion, they decided to adjourn to the college library, where Willow and Cordelia could use the computers to dig up anything they could that would help them.

Giles, Wesley, Riley, and Angel each took their respective cars, and they met outside the entry to the access tunnels which connected the entire school together, for night students. The group then made its way to the library, where they took up residence to do their research in one of the secluded corners in the far back, which contained two Internet computers, a large table, and several chairs. Research parties were usually held at Giles' house, but with a group this big, the library was more efficient.

Willow and Cordelia looked up everything they could that might help them know what was coming on their respective computers, with Anya staying near them, offering suggestions every time one of them got stuck. Giles, Wesley, Buffy, Riley, Graham, and Xander sifted through the bits and pieces of information they had already gathered, and marked into various notebooks. Angel, Chelle', and Spike took the opportunity to go through Chelle''s book, and to translate the spell written on the scroll for calling the Iliache to oneself. Once they determined that it was written in Ancient Gaelic, it didn't take very long to translate. Once the three of them had translated the spell, it was turned over to Willow, the group's current magick user. Every bit of information in the familiar's grimoire that was thought to be even vaguely relevant was transcribed into the notebooks, and the grimoire itself was put away for safekeeping.

When she had done everything she felt she could for the research end of their mission, Chelle' left the rest of the party in order to prowl through the huge library in search of some distraction. She didn't expect what she found instead. Four young men in black robes were standing around a small circular table, studying the contents of a thick book. She got close enough to them to see that their book was written in the same language as the spell to retrieve the Iliache, and then backed away, hoping she wouldn't be seen. She made her way back to the group in the corner, and motioned for Angel, Spike, Riley, Graham, and Buffy to follow her. She led them to the spot where she could first see the robed men, but the four men were gone. The six of them hurried back to their friends, and proceeded to fill them in on what the familiar had seen.

"-four of them, in black robes. I believe they are some of the cultists we are planning to take action against. They may still be here somewhere, or they might have left. I'm really not sure, so I think it's time we made our own exodus, don't you all?" Chelle' finished.

"Yes, I quite agree, we should leave here post-haste," Wesley replied.

"Yeah, let's go," Willow, Anya, and Xander said in unison. The others nodded. With that general consensus, the entire group returned to the ex-Watcher's house.

A couple hours later.....

"So basically you, me, Angel, Riley, Graham, Xander, Willow, and Spike crash the cultist's party, while Giles, Wesley, Anya, and Cordelia rescue Oz and Kyle? I wish we could have just locked that kid up until all this was over," Buffy grumbled to Chelle'. "Then maybe he wouldn't have run off and gotten himself captured by the nutcases. Again."

"Actually, Buff, Tara asked me if she could help. I think she should go with Giles' team, on the rescue mission," Willow broke in.

"Fine, Giles, Wesley, Anya, Cordelia, and Tara will rescue Oz and Kyle."

"And Harmony," Willow reminded her best friend.

"Well, you work the kinks out of the plan of attack, I have to do a few things in preparation," Chelle' told Buffy. Then the familiar turned and walked away from the Slayer, and beckoned for Spike and Angel to follow her. She led the two vampires outside, and faced them. After she was certain that they would not be overheard, she spoke. "I didn't want to say anything inside, because this is between the three of us, but I need to know if you two want to be sun-proofed for this battle? I have a feeling it's going to be a long one, and I don't want to take any chances."

"What do you have to do to make us immune to the sun? And can you do it for us both?" Angel inquired.

"You both have to take some of my blood, and keep it on your persons. If it looks like it's going to go past sunrise, drink the blood, just before the sun comes up. The blood will make you immune to the sun for up to eighteen hours, which means you could be out all day if necessary. The problem is that each of you is going to have to take about a quart, so I will need some of your blood, Angel, after mine is drawn, and I am not sure how," she tilted her head toward the house window, "are going to take having you guys drain some of my blood, then give me yours."

"Why don't we just go out and do this somewhere else. We can always say we're going to do something in preparation for the attack. It would be the truth, and we would have some privacy for your bloodletting. Besides, we need to get something to put the blood in," Angel suggested, reasonably.

Chelle' studied him for a moment to see if he was mocking her, then nodded. "Good idea, Angel. Let's do that." She turned to Spike. "There's one more thing. Your implant. If you swear to not go back to killing humans, I will remove it. You could probably come to LA if you wanted to, and stay with us, if that's OK with Angel. Will you make that deal?"

"This ok with you, Angel? If your bird here takes out my chip, would you let me stay with you two?"

Angel looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "If you come stay with us, and don't kill humans anymore, I will let her take out your implant."

Spike turned back to the familiar, and said only two words. "I agree."

Chelle' smiled at Angel, then gestured for Spike to kneel on the ground in front of her. She ran her fingers over his spine, feeling with her inner senses for the foreign object lodged in his brain. When her aura found it, she drew it toward herself, and it phased through membrane, bone and skin as if the tissue weren't there at all to materialize in her hand. She showed Spike the tiny piece of metal and fiberglass, then dropped it on the ground and crushed it under the heel of her shoe. "OK, Spike, no more chip."

The blond vampire looked at her warily. "That's it? Just like that?"

"That's it, Spike. Just like that. Do you want to do a test?"

"Yeah, I think I should. Hey, Peaches, are you gonna stop me if I decide to go hunting?"

"You may hunt, just don't kill. I will hold you to our agreement, but I don't expect you to live off bloodbags when you know you can hurt humans again."

"Bloodbags! Of course!" Chelle' exclaimed. "Are you two interested in going on a little raid?"

"Raid on what?" Angel asked, arching one brow skeptically.

"Only a local plasma center, for a couple empty bloodbags. The ones at the plasma centers are the right size for me to fill so you boys can have a day of fun in the sun. Otherwise, I have to stay really close to both of you, and in a battle, that's never guaranteed. So, are you game?"

"I think you have a good plan, luv, just one problem. The nearest Plasma center is nearly an hour's drive from here, and it's almost sunrise. How are we supposed to get there in the daytime to raid?"

"Tell me, Spike, do you still have the DeSoto?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Good. You two can keep yourselves in the backseat, I'll drive, OK? I will pull the car up right in front of the door, and the two of you can run inside from there. You should only get slightly singed, and I will keep the motor running, so we can make a fast getaway."

"Small problem, there, pet. My motor's in the shop right now, and I don't have the money to go get it. Also, the bloke who's fixin' it said it won't be ready for a couple more days."

"I'd be willing to bet it's ready now, and he's just stalling to give you time. If you showed up with the money today, it would be ready for you to take out of there today." She paused, then asked, "How long has it been in the shop, anyway?"

"Almost two weeks. He had to order a new part or something."

Chelle' turned to Angel, and waited. The dark vampire studied her for a moment, then sighed, resignedly. He looked at his childe, and asked "How much did this mechanic quote you?"

Spike thought, {He said around two-fifty.} He said, "Three hundred dollars. He said the estimate wasn't exact, but it should be between two hundred and fifty, and three hundred. You going to loan me the cash, mate?"

"It's against my better judgment, but yes, I'll loan you the money. And to pay me back, you have to come help out on cases at the agency. Deal?"

Spike hesitated a moment, then agreed. After all, how long would it take him to work off three hundred dollars if he worked with Angel and company?

Once Spike agreed to Angel's terms, the three of them told the others inside that they were going to pick up the DeSoto, and made their way to the bodyshop where it was being fixed. Sure enough, as Chelle' had predicted, once Spike produced the money, the mechanic announced that the old car was ready to be taken home. The papers were filled out, Spike retrieved his beloved car, and they were on their way.

Chelle' drove them to the plasma center, they went inside, and came back, not only with two empty bags, but with two cases of plasma, as well. The familiar shook her head, and popped open the trunk so they could hide their boxes of "food".

Philosophically, she thought, {Oh, well. I did have them raid a bloodbank. I shouldn't be too surprised that they decided to help themselves to some freebies. I hadn't thought about it, but this was like having a kid raid a candy store.}

Spike beat Angel back around the car, and took possession of the front seat. Angel gave his childe a dirty look, and climbed into the back. Fortunately for the two of them, the front of the Plasma center was on the north side of the building, so there was a relatively wide section of shade this early in the morning. The car drove away from the center, noone the wiser until two hours later, when the place opened, upon which, the security cameras showed doors opening by themselves, boxes floating through the air, and outside, the boxes putting themselves in the trunk of an old DeSoto with no license plates and blacked out windows, the passenger door opening, then closing, and the car driving away. After the general manager watched the tapes, an inventory was taken of the entire facility, and the items that had been stolen were written off.

The familiar and two vampires returned to Giles' home, and stashed the car in his garage. It was cool enough in the garage that they didn't worry about the plasma in the trunk staying cool. There was a general mob scene when they walked back into the home of the former Watcher, and Chelle' took advantage of the confusion over Spike and Angel going out so close to morning, and coming back after sunrise, to go to the bedroom and lay on the bed. She promptly fell into a solid sleep. She woke long enough to curl against Angel when he joined her an hour later, and they both slept until sunset, a good ten hours later.

When she woke, Chelle' stretched like a lazy cat, and turned to face Angel. When her eyes adjusted to the dim light in the room, she saw Spike, sitting in the armchair across the room. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Spike acknowledged her inquiry with a half smile, and explained, "When the poof told them about your little chip removing trick, they decided that you could be responsible for me, and locked me in here with you two for the day."

"And you didn't get into the bed, why?"

Spike actually looked shocked for a moment, then he laughed. "You're not serious. Angel may be a great poof, but I'm not stupid enough to climb into a bed he is sharing with a woman. Not without an invitation, anyway."

"I would consider myself invited if I were you. There's enough room, and you've shown me that you can share a bed with your sire without it coming to blows."

"I second that invitation, Spike." Angel's sleepy voice alerted the familiar to his awakening.

"In that case," Spike moved around the bed, and climbed in, spooning himself against Chelle''s back. He was cold, and she squawked at the contact, arching her back, and inadvertently pushing her backside into his groin. That's when she discovered that he was fully aroused.

"So how long have you had this problem?" she asked, wriggling against his hardness. She caught Angel's gaze, and here eyes locked with his. They communicated without words for a moment, then a wicked smile crept across her lips as she began undulating slowly against Spike, alternately pressing against him and brushing her breasts against Angel. Spike groaned when he realized what she had in mind, and Chelle' and Angel both smiled at the sound, their gazes still locked with one another. The three of them began gently exploring each other's bodies, and beginning slowly, built themselves up to three simultaneous, explosive climaxes.

They were still collecting themselves when there came a knock on the bedroom door. Buffy's voice rang out through the closed door. "Can we assume from all the noise that you guys are awake? Because otherwise, you all are on some drug and just had very loud sex in your sleep."

Chelle' turned red, and hid her face against Angel's chest, and Angel and Spike both started laughing. Angel responded to Buffy with, "No, we're all very much awake in here, thanks. Give us a few minutes and we'll be out."

The three of them laughed when Buffy walked away, grumbling to herself about not needing to know that the three of them were still having sex together on top of everything else that was going crazy in her life, and why did there have to be an Apocalypse threat every other week. The last thing she said before she moved out of their hearing was, "I so need a vacation."

Chelle' and Angel rose from the bed and dressed themselves. Spike, on the other hand, settled back into the soft pillows and cradled his head in his hands. When they were dressed, Angel and his familiar ganged up on Spike and got him into his clothes. Then the three of them went into the main living area, and joined the discussion. The general consensus was that they had nothing to do until the next night, so they were all taking a night off to enjoy themselves.

Everyone hung out for a little while, then they broke into smaller groups. Willow and Tara went back to the Tara's campus apartment. Even though classes weren't scheduled for another month, she had kept her place on campus so she wouldn't have to worry about finding another place to stay when next semester started. Buffy, Riley, Graham, Cordelia, Wesley, Xander and Anya decided to go to the Bronze, Sunnydale's only nightclub. Giles opted to stay at home for a quiet night alone, and Chelle' and the two vampires went hunting. Or, more correctly, Spike went hunting and Chelle' and Angel went with him to make sure he didn't kill anyone.

"I still don't understand why you two had to decide to come with me. You're just going to take all the fun out of hunting. I mean, why hunt if you can't kill?"

"That's the point, Spike. You can't kill anyone. Besides, Buffy would stake you if you did," Chelle' explained, for what felt like the hundredth time. She rolled her eyes at Angel, who just smiled a tiny half smile and shrugged. She shot him a 'You're no help' look, and added, "If Buffy did stake you, who would I match wits with?"

The blond vampire offered the familiar a 'Yeah, right' look, and replied, "You want me to not kill so that I can argue with you? No thanks. I haven't had a proper meal in months, and I WANT to kill someone."

Chelle' heaved a sigh and took hold of Spike's arm. "Look, Spike. Which would you prefer: not killing your prey and staying in one piece, or killing because it's fun and becoming Slayer bait? Personally, I'd rather you don't wind up inside a Dust-Buster."

"Alright, you've got a point. Still doesn't mean I won't kill anyone. I've gotten used to always being hungry, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. How about I'll try not to kill. I'm not making any promises, though." Spike sulked as he acknowledged her reasoning.

"I can be satisfied with that. Angel?"

"It'll do. For now."

Spike growled softly and stalked off. Chelle' and Angel laughed together as they caught his disgruntled, "Bloody wankers. Don't let a bloke have any fun at all!"

Chelle' turned toward Angel and commented, "Oh well. As long as he's complaining, he can't sneak up on anybody."

"I suppose. Tell me something, why doesn't it bother you that he wants to hunt? I mean, you know if he had his way, he'd kill people, and even so, your arguments weren't based on the old 'Don't kill, it's wrong' song, but on concern for him personally."

"I have spent the greater part of the past two hundred years observing vampires in general, and you and your family in particular. You know that. I've come to some interesting realizations. Whether a creature is a demon or not, hunting and death is a part of life. Whether it's quick, at the fangs of a vampire, or slow, like cancer, everybody - everything - dies. Personally, if I had the choice (and I could die at all) I would choose the vampire. I think quick, painless death is infinitely better than a slow, agonizing one. I can't say I condone the lengths your soulless self used to go to, but I have seen Spike hunt. He is a remarkably neat, efficient eater. Humans, whether they like to admit it or not, are a part of the natural world, and are as affected by natural selection as is everything else in existence. They've always striven to cheat death in one way or another, but they still die. I've learned that demons and vampires are one of the few controls left in this world that humans can't seem to find a 'cure' for. In a way, you could say that vampires - at least, normal vampires - are to humans what wolves are to, say, rabbits. Look at the way you were brought across. You approached Darla, alone at night, in a dark alley. How smart was that? Vampires are the only predator that preys almost exclusively on humans. Granted, most vampires retain enough humanity to feel emotions and embrace humanity's darker aspects - arrogance, greed, lust, hatred - but they are also population control. Think about this for a moment. If there were no vampires, there'd be an exponentially larger number of humans than there already are, because every young person that is killed by a vampire had the potential desire to reproduce. Vampires and demons are no more evil and unnatural than sharks or alligators. All creatures serve a purpose. Does that answer your question well enough?"

Angel was stunned. He had never heard his kind explained in that light before. What she said made sense, but it went against the grain of everything he had ever heard about his kind. "But what about the fact that vampires are human corpses animated by the presence of a demon? If that's not unnatural, what is it?"

"Well, approached scientifically, vampirism - the condition, not the fetish - is a rare, blood-borne disease in which the body of the host is invaded, killed and reanimated by the parasitic creature, which then uses the body to perform it's natural functions - finding sustenance, and reproduction. If you think about it, that so-called 'curse' the Kalderash cast on you could be considered a treatment of your 'condition', if not a cure. It doesn't end the problem, but it inhibits it. And having to battle your demon constantly has made you exceptionally strong. I don't know if this will make any difference to you, but all that guilt you carry around with you? It's not necessary. Are you the monster that committed those atrocities? Angel, you weren't even there, and if you really think about it, the person you are now is infinitely better than the young man you were before you met Darla so long ago. So you see, you truly have nothing to atone for."

If Angel had been stunned before, now he was thunderstruck. He watched, frozen, as his familiar turned and walked away from him, in the direction Spike had gone. Chelle' had walked nearly twenty yards before Angel collected his wits, but when he did, the dark vampire took off after her at a dead run. She'd gone barely five steps further before she was scooped off the ground and spun around in several wide, crazy circles. Angel was laughing heartily, and when he finally set her on her feet, he spun her around in his arms and planted an enthusiastic kiss on her surprised lips. She hesitated for an instant, then responded ardently. The wild kiss lasted for several long moments, and when they pulled apart, both were gasping raggedly. They both jumped when applause suddenly rang out from the shadows of the nearby trees. Turning as one, they saw not only Spike, but the rest of the group of friends, who'd said they were going to the Bronze that night.

Vampire and familiar exchanged a speaking glance, and walked to their friends. "I thought you guys were going to the Bronze. So what are you all doing here?" Chelle' asked casually, as if she and Angel hadn't been all over each other a mere minute before.

Cordelia answered her, "We are, but Buffy wanted to make a quick patrol first. It's a good thing we did, too, because we found bleach boy fighting a pack of fledglings in an area littered with fresh dead people. I guess he likes the good guy thing, because it looks like he tried to save the people, but was too late." The Seer actually sounded proud of the blond vampire, who managed to look sheepish.

{That's not what happened,} he thought to Angel and Chelle'. {I was hunting and had just finished my first real meal in over a year - three troublemaking blokes who, in all fairness, attacked me first. I think they wanted to rob me. Anyway, these seven young minions of somebody's seemed to have a grudge against me, and were feeding nearby when I started heading back toward you two. Both cases were self-defense. Be good to a mate, don't tell the Slayer? } His last thought was delivered in a plaintive tone, and Chelle' and Angel responded soothingly in their own minds.

Out loud, Angel smiled and said, "Sounds to me like you deserve some congratulations."

Chelle' added to Spike's discomfiture by walking over to him and giving him a hard hug, rubbing against him slightly, and saying, "You're a hero. I'm proud of you." She leaned in closer to him and whispered, for his ears only, "You will be appropriately rewarded later, trust us." Her whispered comment, and provocative behavior elicited a nearly inaudible whimper from him, as well as a smile of appreciation and gratitude as he got the message that she and Angel would keep his secret.

He looked into the familiar's eyes, and thought directly to her, {If I let myself, I could love you as much as I do my sire.} He half smiled and added, {Don't tell him I said so.}

Chelle''s heart swelled at his admission, and she gave him another gentle hug, and brushed her lips across his sharp cheekbone, mentally telling him, {You will always have a place with us, if you want it.} Then she released him, and returned to Angel's side. To the others, she asked, "So, what are you all planning to do now?"

Buffy answered her. "Well, we're done patrolling, so if you guys want to come along, we're going to go ahead and hit the Bronze." She included Spike in her invitation, and the three of them mentally conferred for an instant, then Chelle' turned to Buffy and voiced their response.

"Thanks for the invite, Buffy, but I think we are just going to walk around town tonight. This is the first night in a long time when I didn't have to worry about being attacked for whatever reason. The cultists may be smart enough to capture Harmony in order to bait Spike, but they are not stupid enough to go after more than one Master vampire at once, even if they don't know about me, and there isn't a vampire around who will challenge the three of us while we're together."

The Slayer looked at the familiar skeptically for a moment, then shrugged. "Suit yourselves, just make sure you're around when we need you tomorrow night."

Chelle' smiled at the younger woman, and nodded. "Of course. I know you still don't know what to make of me, but you can trust me." She regarded the petite Slayer for a long moment, then added, "I know it will take time, but when you finish dealing with your past, present, and accept your future, you and I will grow to be friends."

Then she hooked one arm with each of her vampires, and turned away before Buffy could reply. She tossed a cheery, "See you in the morning!" over her shoulder as the three of them walked away.

Chapter Eight:

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as Angel, Spike, and Chelle' walked in the door of Giles' house. Chelle' felt the evening had been successful on more than one front. The three of them had been able to relax without being attacked by anything, not even bugs, Angel had visibly lightened up, and had even laughed at some of Spike's more outrageous jokes, and both of the vampires had discovered that hunting without killing really wasn't as bad as they had both thought. Admittedly, Spike's problem was the not killing, and Angel's problem was the hunting in the first place, but they each discovered that the compromise agreed with them, especially now that the familiar had given Angel a new perspective on the issue. None of the three noticed the presence of the stranger in Giles living room, or the absence of the former Watcher himself. They moved as one directly to the bedroom they were being allowed to use.

Chelle' locked the door behind them, and they stripped out of their clothing and fell onto the bed together. Their lovemaking was intense, and noisy. They wore themselves out, then slept until sunset. When the three of them emerged from the bedroom, they were greeted by a somber group of friends, and a note, which Buffy handed to Chelle'. Angel and Spike leaned over the familiar's shoulder, and the three of them read the note together. It read:

If you want the old man to live, stay far away from us tonight. All we want from you is one of your monsters, and no interference from the Slayer bitch. We have a man watching her, so we will know if she decides to cause trouble. Since our bait didn't work to bring out that blond freak, we had to take a bit more drastic measures. If he or the other one don't show by eleven p.m. tonight, the old man, the bimbo freak, and the kid all die. Our divine goals will come to fruition tonight, and the unclean shall be purged from the earth.

                  The Divine Children of Koldarsk

Silence reigned for several long seconds as the message sank in, and Chelle' paled. The cultists had Giles, which meant they knew at least part of their plans. The familiar's mind began running through possible options, and she hit on an idea. "Buffy, how do you feel about decoy duty?"

"You mean me being the bait so the rest of you can go in?"

"You got it."

The familiar and the Slayer regarded one another for a moment, then Buffy turned toward her friends. "Chelle' has a good idea. I am going to have to draw the cultists attention away from the rest of you. I think we are going to have to have a two part distraction, though. We know they want Spike, so let's give him to them."

Spike opened his mouth to object, but Angel, seeing where Buffy was heading, silenced him. The dark vampire nodded, and added, "I don't know if the cultists know Chelle''s lineage, but considering what they call themselves, they may take her on to add credibility to their 'cause'. If she takes Spike to them as her 'captive', they probably won't question her until they are in, and then she can find a way to let us in."

Spike smiled them, and said, "Oh, I understand, the old 'bomb in a box' trick, right?"

Chelle', Angel, and Buffy looked at Spike, startled, then laughed as his comment registered.

"Spy vs. Spy, huh? Or maybe 'bombshell in a box'!" Angel joked, obviously referring to his familiar's apparent physical appeal.

"I don't think she would fit in a box, actually," Anya pointed out, completely missing the joke, and inciting more laughter. The former vengeance demon glanced around in confusion, then shrugged. If the others wanted to share what was so funny with her, they would.

When they had regained control of themselves, the group began planning their offensive. Buffy would go on a 'patrol', and the others would wait until the man following her was gone, then Chelle' and Spike would head for the burnt out ruins of the high school, where the cultists were awaiting the response to their ultimatum. The rest would wait for Chelle''s signal, via her telepathic link with Angel, before moving in. There was a great deal of risk to the familiar in this plan, but that is why Angel was remaining behind. Unless they were both destroyed, the cultists couldn't do any permanent damage to her.

The non warrior members of the group would be on search and rescue detail, and the rest of them would move in to help with the fight when Angel told them he had been given the signal.

Buffy left the house, as planned, at exactly ten-thirty p.m. Chelle' and Spike gave her ten minutes, then headed out toward the one time high school, in the opposite direction from which Buffy had gone. As the familiar had expected, they were met at the entry to the ruined building.

The young man who stopped them didn't look like a psychotic religious fanatic. He looked like a regular college student, on a short vacation. The hostility and arrogance in his challenge of them made him stand out more than anything else. He eyed them both, then demanded, "Who are you and what business do you have here?"

"Last time I checked, this was a public building, mate," Spike responded, sardonically.

The cultist's eyes narrowed at the British vampire, and he paused a moment, then smirked slightly. "You are the freak we told the Slayer bitch and her friends to give us. I guess they value that old man more than is wise." He turned to Chelle' and asked, "And who might you be? I know you are not one of the freaks, you are too tan. So what are you doing here?"

The familiar examined the young man, standing regally, and arched a brow as she replied, "I have as much, or rather more, right than you do to be here. You call yourselves the Divine Children of Koldarsk, but you have no blood of Koldarsk in your veins. I, on the other hand, am a true born daughter of the line of Koldarsk. And I have proof of that on my person."

The young man gaped at the familiar, and it took a moment before he regained his composure. Then, as if he remembered suddenly that he was supposed to guard the door, he attempted to glare at the familiar, and asked, "What proof? How do I know you are what you say?"

Her eyes narrowed, and grew very cold as she stared at the cultist. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Spike's glance, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he watched the human squirm. She thought, mock-reprovingly, {You're not helping. If I can't convince this moron that he should let me inside, our plan is going to go right down the tubes. So BEHAVE!}

The vampire pretended to pout, and shot back, {But that's no fun at all, luv.}

Chelle' mentally rolled her eyes at him, and opened the front of her cloak. She showed the young man both her bite mark, and her tiny birthmark, which was located on the top of her right shoulder. It was a light tan pentacle. "All the true born of the line of Koldarsk are marked in this fashion."

"My name is Robin. How may I serve you, my lady?" The acceptance was so immediate, that it was a surprise to the familiar and the vampire both.

Chelle' turned her eyes ever so slightly toward the peroxide blond vampire, and thought, {Trap?}

Spike nodded infinitesimally, and agreed, {Trap. I bet they have been watching you as closely as they've been studying the others. Whether he believes you are who you say or not, I'd say the bunch of 'em are a mite curious about you, luv.}

The familiar suppressed a smile at Spike's worried thought, and told him, {Just remember, they don't know what it means to be true born, and as long as they don't simultaneously kill Angel and me, they can't kill either of us. And as long as you are bonded with me, they can't kill you either.} She watched out the corner of her eye as he visibly relaxed. {That's better. You need to be calm when all hell breaks loose, or you won't be able to function at peak efficiency, and we need everyone at their best. This is going to be dangerous.}

The familiar and the vampire followed the young man through the halls of the burned out old high school, to the pit where the library once existed. The familiar took the time during their walk to see firsthand the damage that she knew had been caused when Buffy had blown up the school in order to prevent the mayor's plans for world domination as a demon. She was impressed. The Slayer really knew how to make an... impression.

When the three of them arrived at the library, they were greeted by several robed figures, and the sight of Giles, Oz, Kyle, and Harmony chained to the walls. Chelle' heard Spike growl slightly as Harmony looked at him pitifully.

"Spike!" the young vampiress called, "I'm so sorry. I was mean to you and threw you out and stuff, and I didn't mean it. Help me? Ple-" her chattering was abruptly ended as one of the cultists slammed the blunt end of a large metal club into her temple.

The male vampire lurched as if to charge the cultist, but was forestalled by the familiar's urgent, {DON'T!} thought.

Chelle' showed Angel a visualization of their location, and surroundings, and told him what was happening. She and Spike allowed themselves to be led into the library and over to where the others were being held. The familiar watched dispassionately as Spike was led toward the opening in the floor, which was the Hellmouth itself. One of the cultists brought out a stake, and began chanting the first part of the spell to call the Iliache. As he prepared to stake Spike, Chelle' informed the others, via Angel, that it was time to get into their places to stop this. The cultist struck, and Spike turned to dust.

Angel, seeing everything through his familiar's eyes, roared mentally. {You let them kill him! You let him DIE!!}

Chelle' answered calmly, {It's not permanent, as long as I can get some of his dust, my blood will bring him back, whole again. That's the nature of the bond I share with him. My bond with you means that you will not 'poof' at all when staked. And now, it's time to move in.}

Angel's response was skeptical, but he chose not to challenge her assertions just then. The familiar waited for her friends, watching as the cultists continued the ritual, taking blood from the unresisting Oz, and cutting Kyle, taking a small piece of his skin to add to their mixture. She waited until the incantation was complete, then she used her magick to put herself in the place of the summoner to whom the book was being called, so that when the cultist performing the calling finished, and was taken as sacrifice, she would be the holder of her ancestor's writings. She gathered the remaining dust from Spike's death, placed it into a secure pouch, and tucked it inside her clothing.

Then she waited as the spell was completed, and the cultist vanished. All this happened in a matter of seconds, and, even as the cultists realized that she had the Iliache, she turned and escaped, allowing Buffy, Angel and the others to rescue the victims of the cultists. She kept tabs on the others as she left the building, making her way to Spike's crypt, where she pulled out the pouch of his dust, pouring them onto the middle of the sarcophagus upon which he slept.

Taking out a small, silver-bladed knife, she sliced open her palm and allowed her blood to saturate the ashes. Then she ran her tongue over the cut, instantly healing the wound (a trick only bonded familiars could perform). She watched as the mixture of blood and ashes began to writhe and boil. She stepped back as a flash of white light filled the crypt. She smiled as Spike flinched reflexively, then realized that they were no longer in the high school. He looked around, and his gaze settled on her.

"What happened, pet?"

"They staked you, and I brought you back. How do you feel?"

"A bit looped, and hungry."

"The others are nearly finished with the cultists, and we'll be meeting them shortly. Why don't I escort you as you hunt, then we can head back together." The familiar chose not to reveal that she'd allowed the ritual to be completed, and that she had acquired the Iliache. The Hellmouth had not opened, but for a split second, and she had used her own magick to prevent anything but the book from coming through, and it had closed as soon as the Iliache was through. And now she had the writings of her ancestor, in her own possession. "Come, you need to eat, and I really don't feel like hanging out here." She turned and led him out into the night.

The two of them made their way to Giles' house roughly two hours later, and the rest of the groups was there. Angel met them at the door, and his scowl turned to shock, then relief upon seeing Spike undead and walking. The three of them went inside together, and there was a flurry of greetings and expressions ranging from relief to disappointment that Spike was in one piece.

Buffy pulled the familiar aside and asked her, "Did you have to bring that blonde moron back? He's just going to cause trouble."

"Yes I had to bring him back. Angel didn't want him dead, so I saved him. I am a familiar, that's what I do." She watched Buffy's face cloud with confusion, and sighed. "I am bonded with Angel. What he wants, I do. Traditionally, familiar's have been slaves. Just because he lets me do pretty much what I want to, and lets me think for myself and contribute when there's a problem, doesn't mean I will ever be able to not do something he wants me to do. For all intents and purposes, he owns me - mind, body, and soul." She smirked, and added, "Besides, I like Spike."

"Did I hear my name?" The vampire in question walked up and wrapped an arm around Chelle''s shoulders. Buffy rolled her eyes and walked away. Spike turned to Chelle' and asked, "What's 'er problem?"

"Thinks I should have left you a pile of dust."

"I actually got staked? And turned to dust? How'd you bring me back?"

"True born familiars can 'reconstitute' the vampires they form secondary bonds with, by mixing their blood with that vampire's dust."

"Interesting trick, luv. Just don't tempt fate by letting me get dusted very often, huh?"

"Deal, LUV. Let's just get through this victory party, then you, me, Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley can all go back to LA and have a nice life."

Spike laughed, and replied, "Sounds like a bloody wonderful idea, pet. Let's go tell Peaches about it."

The next morning, everyone from LA said their goodbyes, and the five of them went home.

Chelle' showed Angel the Iliache, which he locked in his new weapons locker, along with several other antique magickal artifacts. Spike quickly made a place for himself in the agency, and in LA. Chelle' and Angel continued planning their wedding, and learned to fight as a team, the evils of LA, but that's another story.

END