"When did they say they'd be here?" Lorne asked Buffy.

"Sometime after dark," She replied, glancing at the hotel's main doors. "Which was half an hour ago."

Willow checked her watch again. "Thirty seven minutes. Where are they?"

"Stuck in traffic?" Dawn guessed. "It's pretty bad out there."

Lorne gave up on waiting and went back into Caritas to check on the party set up. He'd closed down the club for a 'private party', running off the regulars so their returning friends could relax in peace. Buffy, too, had done her part towards cleaning out unwanted guests; Giles was stuck across town, dressing down his younger Watcher charges for whatever petty complaints Buffy had come up with. It was something to take the older man's mind off his failure to get Faith out on parole. The only thing brightening that situation was that the board was sure to be a different group of people next time. The Council needed to get Faith back, so that she could be of use. It had taken years, but she was finally showing signs of rehabilitation.

"They're late. What if they ran into someone on the way in?" Buffy worried. "Wolfram & Hart still have people on the streets. Lilah's been brutal with those vampire patrols lately."

Dawn glanced heavenward. "They said 'after dark', Buffy. No timeframe, just 'after dark'. It could be hours."

Buffy snarled. She'd spent the last three days scrubbing the hotel from top to bottom. It had been a mistake to leave their friends' rooms alone so long. At first they'd intended to keep the rooms clean and ready for the gang's return, but between work and life, they'd just forgotten. Unfortunately, that meant that when they went up to deal with getting the rooms ready, they'd found... well, a bunch of big messes.

Shampoo and conditioner that once were of a smooth, liquid consistency now resembled a mad scientist's experiment, having separated out and...congealed. Buffy, Dawn and Willow did get a good laugh out of Xander's old clock radio, before deciding to replace it with a newer model integrated with the hotel's computer system. A few fixtures and fittings had to be replaced in some of the showers, but that wasn't a very big deal. The most work, however, was done to get rid of the dust and cobwebs.

Sheets and curtains required three washings to get clean and drive away the stench of sitting in unaired rooms for a decade. It was during the third washing that Willow realized they had another problem: since the curtains hadn't been cared for in all this time, they'd dry-rotted and were falling apart. As a result, she and Dawn had to rush out and buy more--lots more. Buffy cursed them when they left her to vacuum and dust alone, but such was the life of a Slayer.

Still, when she and the others finally finished, they swore they were finding a maid service next time. They'd killed their vacuum, gone through at least three dozen rags, and probably should've bought stock in furniture polish.

"I wish they'd just get here!" Buffy muttered, slumping down on the stairs. Lorne had made that yummy avocado dip and she wasn't allowed to touch it until their friends arrived.

...

"It's dark," Thalia said softly as she clung to Fred. Angel was leading them through the sewers, Julian tucked under one arm. They were returning to Los Angeles the same way they left--through the dank underground tunnels of the sewer system. It wasn't the most pleasant way to travel, but it was certainly the safest. Nothing had changed in ten years; rats still scurried around and demons still lurked here and there. None of them gave the group any trouble, however.

Fred rubbed Thalia's back comfortingly and continued on behind Angel. They were almost to the hotel, nearly to safety. When they reached the overhead access door to the Hyperion, Angel stopped.

"Is it locked?" Xander whispered, staring up at the metal slab.

"Dunno," Angel murmured, testing the door. "I think so." He banged on the door, hoping to get someone's attention. Perhaps they should've mentioned that they were coming in via the tunnels.

"Did you hear that?" Buffy asked, glancing towards the kitchen. "I swore I heard--"

"The sewers," Lorne stated, walking out of Caritas. "They're in the sewers."

Willow and Dawn joined the others as they headed for the access door. "Why didn't we think of that?" Willow asked absently.

Buffy unlocked the access door and flung it open. Angel was below, smiling up at her.

With a child in his arms.

"Hi, Buffy! Fancy meeting you here," Angel said as he pulled himself and Julian up into the kitchen. He moved aside so that the others could climb up.

"Xander!" Willow cried, grabbing the Raphe and Siobhan in a huge hug. "I missed you so much," She said against his shirt. "You never wrote or called or--" They both began to laugh at her weak joke, until Siobhan demanded a bit more room. "Who's this?" Willow asked curiously. "And that one, and that one, and..." The redhead's voice trailed off as she saw the eight friends standing in the kitchen, five toddlers between them. "Er, ah..."

"They're Cordelia and Gunn's," Wil said, tilting his head towards the two werewolves. "Had a litter, she did."

Buffy scraped her jaw off the floor. "I'll say. Five? Cordy, you never do anything by halves, do you?"

Cordelia grinned. "Nope. Just try topping this one, Slayer."

The Slayer shook her head and took a step closer to Lorne. "Uh, maybe not. Five kids is... a lot."

Dawn crept around Angel until she could reach Wil. "Hi," She said softly, watching the blonde vampire cradle a cute little kid in his arms.

"Come 'ere," Wil said, pulling Dawn into a hug. "You got all tall on me, Nibblet. Not fair," He muttered happily. She was now his height, taller with her current chunky shoes on."

"So, while I'm all for awkward silences, we've got food and music in Caritas tonight," Lorne said brightly, wrapping one arm around Buffy's waist. "And even though no one mentioned the five-piece band making its grand entrance, I'm sure we'll find something they'll eat."

"They eat everything," Fred commented.

"Except capers," Angel warned. "They hate capers."

"So do I," Buffy replied. "With good reason. They're nasty."

Lorne shooed everyone out of the kitchen and into the club. The cubs got one look at the food spread out and wriggled out of their adults' arms, streaking across the floor. Said adults watched as ten little hands carefully reached for crackers and cheese, making the food disappear at a rate only Xander could challenge. "Do the little Hoovers have names?" Lorne asked Gunn, who was grinning at his kids' antics.

"Julian Connor, Mischa Sebastian, Siobhan Artemisia, Thalia Rhiannon, and Alan Francis Charlemagne," Gunn replied, pointing to each child in turn.

Dawn dragged Wil over to a table, while Willow followed with Xander. "Spill," The young woman demanded, flipping her long, dark hair back. "What have you guys been doing for the past ten years, besides e-mailing us visions?"

The rest of the adults joined their table, with the kids following shortly thereafter. "First we left town," Wil began, sipping the coffee Lorne provided for him.

"We know that," Willow said impatiently. "Where did you go?"

"Spent a few days in San Diego," Xander added. "Then we went east."

"East?" Buffy murmured. "Where to?"

"Indianapolis," Cordelia snarled.

"Indianapolis?" Lorne, Buffy and Willow said together. "What's in Indianapolis?"

"Not much," Cordelia, Xander and Fred said together.

"Actually, there's a very nice museum," Wesley countered. "And some lovely parks."

"It was boring," Xander disagreed. "But we only stayed there about three years or so."

"So you moved?" Dawn asked. "Where did you guys go after that? What did you do in Indianapolis?"

Wil smiled. It was nice to see that some things never changed. Dawn was older now and had the look of a grown woman about her, but she still sounded like Dawn. "We worked on Wolfram & Hart," He replied.

Buffy nodded. "They're not doing so well nowadays."

"We know," Wesley and Cordelia murmured.

"So, where'd you go to after Indiana?" Buffy asked, accepting a glass from her husband.

"Knoxville," Oz replied.

"That's a change," Willow said.

...

"I can't believe Buffy married Lorne," Wil said as he tucked the cubs into Angel's old bed. Cordelia gave each child a goodnight kiss and flicked off the light as they left the sleeping babies.

"Me either," She agreed, yawning. "Or that Willow and Dawn are..."

"I know," Wil murmured quickly. Perhaps more things had changed than he'd realized. "Sleep well, Delia." He turned towards his own room, knowing that Angel would be waiting for him.

Angel was indeed waiting, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. "She married Lorne."

Wil shook his head slowly and sat down next to Angel. "They're happy together."

Angel laughed. "It's not *that*," He replied. "She's always hated..."

"She's never been with anyone remotely normal," Wil countered. "Why would this be any different? He makes her happy."

"It's just...would you have put money on it?" Angel asked the blonde.

"No," Wil replied quickly. "But then again, I wouldn't have thought Dawn and Willow would've gotten together either."

"Things do change," Angel murmured. "Any other platitudes I should add in?"

"The more things change, the more they stay the same?" Wil offered.

"All things come full circle?" Angel threw in.

"That one doesn't really apply," Wil countered. "Try, 'Only those who really love you can make you cry.'"

Angel frowned. "I didn't cry, and I'm not sure Buffy loves me, and you're not making me... That one doesn't work either, Wil."

"Fine," Wil snorted. "If you can't say something nice..."

"The squeaky wheel," Angel warned, eyes narrowing.

"You offering?" Wil asked, eyes dancing.

Angel grinned. "Does a bear--"

"Shut up," Wil interrupted, pushing Angel down onto the bed.

...

The next morning found Cordelia, Gunn and Xander chasing cubs around the hotel, trying to convince them that breakfast tasted better when they had clothes on. The children weren't buying it, though. Instead of sitting quietly and eating their oatmeal and bananas, they were running up and down the stairs, screaming like banshees. As soon as an adult caught one of the kids, another managed to free his trapped sibling by tripping the adult.

"What on earth is going on down there?" Buffy shouted as she descended the stairs. She stepped out onto the landing, only to be hit by a flying ball of hair and giggles. The Slayer was caught off -guard and landed on her ass. Thalia scampered away, determined to get Fran free of Xander's clutches.

"Kids, breakfast, mess," Xander gasped as Thalia attacked his knees with her tiny fists.

"They're all naked!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Way to point out the obvious, Buffy," Cordelia muttered. "That's the 'mess' part of kids, breakfast, mess."

"Could you go get Oz or Wes? Or Fred or Angel? Or Wil?" Gunn asked the Slayer. "We need more hands down here."

Buffy nodded and ran back up the stairs. Children were great, cool, wonderful and all those other nonspecific positive things, but she had no idea what to do with them. The Slayer pounded on the first door she came to, rousing Wil and Angel from their morning's sleep. "Kids, naked, breakfast," She said sharply, already moving to another apartment.

Wil and Angel glanced at each other, not completely sure what Buffy was talking about. They'd been woken so suddenly by her knocking that they'd answered the door naked. Breakfast was a meal they usually ate at night, and neither of them were kids. "Do you think she's talking about the cubs?" Angel asked his lover.

"Probably," Wil replied, reaching for some clothes. "They're probably overexcited from being in a new place." Angel dressed and followed Wil down the hall, already hearing the squeals and curses of the games downstairs.

"How can five children do that to them?" Angel asked, awed. Cordelia and Gunn were on the floor, practically in tears. The only child being remotely good was Siobhan, who patted Xander's head as she passed. By and large though, the kids were running roughshod over the adults, who had pretty well given up.

Wil waded into the mass of children and grabbed Mischa with one arm, gathering Fran with the other. Angel too moved quickly, capturing both Julian and Thalia. The children weren't expecting them and thus weren't prepared to evade.

"Wil!" Mischa cried out as the vampire hauled him up the stairs. Xander realized he was free of the child-barrage and caught Siobhan. He followed Angel up the stairs, carrying a fretting, angry child with him.

Cordelia and Gunn watched as their children disappeared with Angel, Wil and Xander. "When did we lose control of our kids?"

"We had control of them?" Gunn replied. "When? I don't remember that time."

"Back when they were babies and didn't move much?" Cordelia tried.

Gunn stood up, reaching down to help Cordelia rise. "That'd be back when we had to fight the others just to hold the cubs, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Cordelia murmured. "Well, we'd better heat up the oatmeal again; it'll be cold and Fran *hates* cold oatmeal."

"I hate cold oatmeal," Gunn retorted. "And I think Sio threw a banana under the table."

"We're out of bananas, then. Those were the only five in the hotel," Cordelia said.

"Get an apple, then," Gunn suggested.

"Do we have five?" Cordelia chirped. "No, there are only four apples, two peaches and one grapefruit. We had five bananas, and it was perfect."

"If we hadn't peeled them ahead of time, we'd be able to salvage the banana," Gunn lamented.

"So what do we do?" Cordelia pressed. "The kids will freak if they don't all have the *exact* same breakfast."

Gunn frowned at the table. "Cut up the bananas? Spread them out among all of them?"

"Works for me," Cordelia said, walking into the kitchen. Gunn bumped into her when she froze in the doorway. "Oh. Er... Hi, Giles."

*****
Part 92:

"So," Buffy began as the last stragglers piled into Angel Investigations' main office, "What's the gameplan?"

Angel's head jerked up from where he'd been studying the floor. "Wolfram & Hart."

"Yes, we assumed that," Giles spat. The Watcher was still very upset that he'd been kept in the dark about Angel's and the others' survival. Both Buffy and Angel had tried to explain why they'd decided not to inform the man, and he saw some validity in their argument. However, for the most part he felt they'd underestimated his ability to keep information out of enemy hands and had generally treated him poorly. Unfortunately for him, no one else felt the same way.

"Well, we've all had a chance to review each others' info," Cordelia commented. "Maybe we should plan out what we want to do and just do it."

Dawn pulled a computer display around so that everyone could see it. "Ok, first, we know that Wolfram & Hart are at their weakest right now. Their financial state is, to be blunt, abysmal. As best as we can tell, they're at 10% of peak client load and their office is nearly abandoned."

"Not only that, but they're in the middle of a criminal trial--several of the junior partners have been charged with extortion. The state declined to plea bargain the case, so it's in court starting two weeks ago," Willow added.

"But what are we going to do?" Xander asked. "I mean, blow up the building, kill them, what?"

"That's what we've got to decide," Wil murmured. "What *do* we do?"

"I vote for demolishing the building," Lorne muttered. "There's no way to get all of them, but that'll destroy a bunch of the slimy bastards, plus their records."

"They're probably backed up somewhere," Dawn said. "But the demolishing the building bit has its merits. Without a corporate office, they'll have nearly nothing to stand on in the city."

"Wes?" Oz said quietly to the frowning faun. "What is it?"

"None of us are demolition experts," Wesley commented. "That building sits amongst many others. How are we supposed to destroy it without also causing a great amount of death and destruction to innocents?"

"And what about the magickal aspects of the place that won't just go away via dynamite?" Fred added.

"I doubt all of our magickal abilities together would be able to completely annihilate some of what they must still have standing," Willow admitted.

"But tracking down all of them individually just ain't gonna work," Gunn said. "I mean, even if their work force is way down, that's a lot of lawyers."

"What if we took out all the bosses? The senior partners, that is?" Xander offered. "I mean, without them, what is the firm, anyway?"

"Getting to them might be a problem," Wil replied. "We never saw a senior partner while we were here."

"They don't exist on this plane, remember?" Buffy stated.

"So who's the head honcho now?" Xander asked the Slayer. "It's not in your reports."

Dawn glanced at Willow. "We think its Lilah, actually."

"Lilah?" Angel said, blinking. "That's... really not that surprising. She was always ambitious."

"She broke down a while back," Buffy murmured. "Showed up in Caritas, drinking like a fish. Lorne got to read her."

"What did you see?" Wesley asked the green demon.

Lorne grimaced. "I saw her holding having most of the firm's power, whatever that amounted to. I must admit, though, that the picture was pretty bleak. I didn't get the impression she has much of a future."

"She doesn't," Angel said darkly. "As soon as we figure out what we're doing, that is."

"This building," Oz murmured, drawing everyone's attention. "It's big, you know?"

"Huge," Buffy replied. "But like we've said already, we can't exactly blow it up."

"We might not have to--at least not entirely," The alpha wolf said. "If their financial resources are meager enough, they won't be able to repair it very quickly."

"And in the meantime, we can pick off the last of their clients and contractual safety nets," Wesley continued.

"Maybe if we did something like start a fire," Xander said. "Cause lots of damage; maybe get a few of the really nasty ones off the bat..."

"Hitting a few of their finest would definitely rattle them," Fred added. "And if we could get Lilah and Gavin too..."

Giles finally could take no more. "Do you realize that you're talking about killing human beings?" He asked harshly. "Buffy, Slayers do not *ever* kill humans."

"Giles, Slayers do not *ever* let overwhelming evil run rampant without trying to stop it," Buffy retorted. "What, you want to rehabilitate them? Maybe stick them into the same program you've got Faith in? And we've all seen how well that's working," She continued. "Yes, Giles, they're human. They also sold themselves to this *thing* that does nothing but churn out pain and greed and evil and all sorts of mean, nasty things that hurt other humans."

"I will not abide by this brutal... massacre you seem to be planning," The Watcher swore, standing up. "And neither will the Council!"

"Then the Council won't have anything to say about it, will they?" Buffy grated out.

Giles turned on his Slayer. "Do not think such petty threats will have any effect on us now, Buffy. The Council does not live merely to bend to your wishes. The cardinal precepts of slaying stand as they do for a reason."

Angel spoke before Buffy could. "If you don't want Buffy to help us, take it up with her and her alone. This operation," He said firmly, "Is more than just the Slayer, or the Council. You might think they're worth saving, but I don't. And before you start ranting again, I want you to think about that, Giles. You know me. Have I ever taken humanity lightly? No. I kill my own kind so that one day I might be human again. Almost everyone in this room, too, values humanity over all other forms of life. Many have actually lost their humanity, but still they fight for the survival of humans. This isn't the solution we'd prefer, but the only one that will work."

"I disagree," Giles spat. He saw that no one supported him, so he turned to leave.

"Giles?" Wil murmured as the man reached the office door. "I'd recommend against calling in the Watchers' cavalry in your zeal to oppose us."

"And why is that?" Giles asked coldly.

"Because, quite frankly, Watchers make excellent targets," Wesley told his former hero. "And you can be sure that if a few dozen self-righteous Watchers show up in Los Angeles, Wolfram & Hart will take notice. And the results of that, Rupert, will be rather devastating to both this group and yours."

Giles studied his former colleague for a moment before leaving. "That was painful," Dawn said quietly.

"Indeed," Wesley agreed.

"So, plan," Cordelia said, drawing their attention back to the matter at hand. "How are we going to deal with this?"

...

"Do you think they know we're back?" Cordelia asked Fred as the werewolves worked on lunch. "I mean, it's been two days now."

"Probably," Fred admitted. "We've not been hiding, you know."

"I guess they don't really care anymore," The seer said. "They've not tried anything."

"They might not be able to," Fred commented. "Or maybe they're planning something, the same way we are."

Cordelia frowned. She worried about her cubs. Would the firm target them, since they couldn't yet defend themselves? She hoped not, but Wolfram & Hart were dirty, underhanded lawyers with the morals of a rabid hedgehog. "Did you ever find Thalia's sippy cup?" She asked Fred.

"No. I think she left it at that rest area," Fred replied. "Xander's going to get her a new one when he and Oz go out for stuff today."

"Speaking of Xander and Oz," Cordelia murmured. "Who's watching the cubs?"

"I think Wesley and Gunn are working on their reading lessons," Fred said. "At least, I saw Dawn and Willow carrying books into the office, and Buffy had a weird expression on her face when she ran into the training room."

"Sounds about right," Cordelia said. "At least, the book part. I guess Buffy's not the kid type."

The two women continued to prepare an army's worth of sandwiches in the kitchen while the other occupants of the hotel worked, slept or played. They didn't really notice anything amiss until Lorne began shouting.

"That was Lorne, wasn't it?" Cordelia asked, wiping her hands. "He sounded..."

"Like he was in trouble," Fred finished. "Let's go."

They ran into the lobby only to find Lorne rushing up the stairs. A crowd of black-masked people were already entering the main office, and a hazy cloud of chemical gas was wafting through the hotel. They watched in horror as Lorne collapsed, falling back down the stairs. Cordelia's eyes began to water as the gas reached her.

"We're not..." She began, stopping to cough.

Fred looked up towards the office. She was oddly sure that the intruders were after the cubs. "Wil! Angel!" She shouted as best as she could. "The cubs are in trouble!" She hoped the vampires heard her screaming, since after she'd finished she fell to the ground. Whatever poison they were using was strong, burning her eyes and mouth and making her choke.

Wil was roused by the sound of far too many feet on the stairs. At first he thought that perhaps it was the cubs being overactive again, until he heard Fred's shouting. "Angel?" He murmured, but the dark vampire was already getting up. Within seconds, they were out the door, running down the stairs. The vampires found the office in disarray; the cubs had wolfed out and were running around wildly, screaming and mewling in pain. They temporarily ignored the furry little puppies in favor of the gas-masked commandos that were trying to catch their beloved cubs. The vampires knew that they couldn't fight any more than the intruders could; they were limited to doing things that didn't hurt. It had taken Lorne more than a year to find the right kind of wards for the hotel, but the ones he'd gotten were very effective.

Wil danced around one commando, who was in the process of pulling out a cross. The vampire nimbly reached around and yanked off the man's gas mask. Angel was also stripping the strangers of their masks, subjecting them to the same treatment they'd given to Wesley and Gunn, who were passed out on the floor. By the time the two vampires managed to get to the last black-clothes intruder, the first ones were writhing on the floor.

Angel motioned to Wil to open a window as he did the same. The gas quickly started to dissipate as fresh air filtered in. Wil then fetched some restraints while Angel tracked down the cubs. Tying up their attackers was short work, so Wil was soon getting Gunn and Wesley off the floor and into a bathroom. They woke up when with the first splash of cold water and worked on rinsing out their eyes and retching violently while Wil went to check on Lorne, Fred and Cordelia.

The two women weren't actually unconscious, and once Wil had propped open the front door to air out the lobby, they managed to stand back up. He helped the now-blind women into the kitchen so they could wash out their eyes. Lorne was already recovering, but Wil took him into the kitchen anyway so that he could wash his face off. Then he was off again, to find Dawn, Buffy and Willow. Meanwhile, Angel got all five cubs into one big bathtub and climbed in with them, helping the screaming infants cleanse themselves.

Buffy was also incapacitated, but once Wil got her eyes washed out, she was able to get around on her own. He tracked Willow and Dawn to a hallway near the office, where they'd been lured by Fred's scream. It didn't take long to get them situated either.

"How are they?" Wil asked as he reached for Mischa and Siobhan. Angel finished washing up Thalia and moved on to Fran.

"It burned them," Angel said starkly. "This wasn't some sort of tear gas. It was meant to kill."

Wil growled and hugged the cubs tightly to him. He'd promised Cordelia that the cubs would be safe. And now this had happened.

...

When Oz and Xander returned from their trips to the library and the grocery store, they found the hotel to be strangely silent. Caritas didn't open for another few hours, but no one was around at all. "It smells bad in here," Oz told Xander as they trekked up the stairs.

"You don't have to tell me that," Xander replied. "Uck."

"Smells like poison," The alpha wolf murmured.

"It is," Angel said as he walked out of the shadows.

"What happened?" Xander asked frantically. "Where is everyone?"

"Asleep, or trying to sleep," Angel replied. "Wolfram & Hart gassed the hotel."

"Fuck," Oz said succinctly.

"Are the cubs ok?" Xander inquired, worried beyond belief about the children.

"Everyone survived," Angel said. "But the gas left burns. We think they'll all heal up fine, though."

"They just what, threw in smoke bombs?" Oz asked the vampire.

Angel shook his head. "No, they sent in a team as well--straight to the office. They must have been after records."

"Or something," Xander muttered. "The wards would keep them from doing anything directly."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Oz told Angel. "I mean, they had to know that you and Wil would be here, and that the poison wouldn't affect you... it didn't, did it?"

"No, it didn't," Angel assured them. "It only affected the living. And I agree, it was a very poorly planned attack, regardless of what they were after. If it was to kidnap the cubs, then they risked killing them. And if they wanted to kill us, why send in a team, or use something ineffective against vampires?"

"And why use something that doesn't affect vampires if you're going to send in a team to steal stuff from the office," Xander continued.

"And why wait until after eight more able-bodied people show up at an understaffed operation to attack for information?" Oz added. "That just doesn't make sense."

"Wil thinks that they might have been taking a shotgun approach," Angel murmured.

"How so?" Xander asked.

"Well, considering what they did, they could've been aiming for anything. However, they had a chance of killing some of us, gaining leverage against us via the cubs, and getting some of the information we've got against them, and about some of Buffy's clients. Any of that would be useful," Angel told them.

"All fine goals for an evil law firm," Xander agreed, "But not really well planned out. I mean, they didn't get anything, did they?"

"They're all tied up and incapacitated in the training room," Angel confirmed. "Lorne stuck a turntable in there playing Wagner... backwards."

"Gonna make 'em talk, eh?" Xander remarked. "Can I see Siobhan?" He asked. "Or the others? Any of them?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah, just be quiet."

Oz watched Xander run down the hall. "We got the blueprints, and the other supplies," He told Angel. "I'm guessing you're going to want to step up the plan a bit?"

"Yes," Angel said darkly. "They're not going to get another chance."

*****
Part 93:

"So you've done this before?" Dawn asked as Fred studied the blueprints and scribbled notes on a computer screen.

"She did this once as a prank in college," Xander told Dawn. "But we also did it to some vamps in a nightclub."

"That was so nasty," Cordelia said, shuddering. "Vamp dust caked all over, holy water, ugh."

"Won't be an issue this time," Fred murmured. "Xander? Did you get the blueprints for the adjacent buildings?"

"Yup," He said, shuffling a set of tiny discs around. "All of them, labeled with the map coordinates."

"Great," Fred said. "Let's pull them up on the screens and see if the sprinkler systems are on common water lines. We don't want any cross-contamination."

Dawn helped Xander set up a few more screens and size the blueprint pictures. "What is it we're looking for?" He asked Fred.

"This," Fred replied, showing them a roughly sketched schematic. "If you see it, mark it on the blueprint."

"What'll we do?" Dawn asked. "'Cause that means the water lines are connected, right?"

Fred nodded. "We'll divert them."

"Ah," Xander murmured. He scanned his blueprint carefully, circling marks here and there. "How are the cubs doing?" He asked Dawn. She had been helping Cordelia and Gunn watch after the five toddlers, who were suffering through the healing process. Lorne had procured them a soothing balm for their sore skin, but the rest of the damage just had to heal on its own. Oh, the adults were also suffering a bit--but they weren't so young that they didn't understand the pain. The poor cubs were scared and hurting and needed constant attention. Wil and Angel were also juggling their duties to the cubs and helping Fred with the planning. Everyone had a part to play in the attack on Wolfram & Hart, but since Fred was their resident sprinkler system expert, she was in charge of that part.

"They're ok," Dawn replied. "Fran's eyes are still swollen shut, though. Gunn's worried that they won't heal right."

"We can find a doctor, you know," Fred recommended.

"Cordelia doesn't want one," Xander said. "She's paranoid about outsiders getting anywhere near the cubs."

"But if they need treatment," Dawn murmured. "I don't want them to be blind or anything." She'd just met the cubs, but she was already in love with them. Yeah, they could be a bit... active, but it was obvious that they didn't have a mean bone in their bodies.

"We'll see," Xander said absently. "And Fred? You're going to need a lot of those diversion thingies. I think Wolfram & Hart have been stealing water from other buildings. I mean, *everything* on this blueprint is interconnected with their place."

...

Angel checked over each of the others one last time, looking for any deficiencies he hadn't seen in any of his other checks. Everyone but Cordelia, Gunn, and Lorne were suited up and ready to go. All of them had on Kevlar vests with lead plate reinforcements and flame retardant fabric. They were also armed to the teeth. The vampires' advance scouting hadn't found many guards in the areas of the sewers they were using, but they knew they couldn't be too careful.

Mostly, though, Angel was worried because they'd had to speed up their plans so drastically. They'd been thinking of attacking sometime in the next few weeks, but that got bumped up after Wolfram & Hart had tried to kill them again. They roughed up the commando intruders a bit, and then let them go. They didn't want them around when they started working on their plans.

Those plans were eerily similar to ones they'd used before. After considering many options, Angel and the others had decided to use one of Fred's now-classic maneuvers. She was going to alter their sprinkler systems in a manner similar to the way she'd defeated a horde of vampires that had gotten into a crowded dance club. That time, she'd put holy water into the sprinklers. Once they went off, the vampires exploded into dust.

This time, however, the contents of her... contaminants were quite a bit different. She had mixed up a truly frightening mixture of liquid petrochemicals, mostly gasoline and the like. When the smoke alarms were triggered, the sprinklers wouldn't put out any fires. No, instead, they would spray accelerant everywhere. Even mixed with water, the results would be devastating. The plan was to have Xander and Oz go into the lobby of Wolfram & Hart's building and start a small blaze. It wouldn't be difficult to do; the serious security for the law firm started near the elevators. All they had to do was set the smoke alarms off, though, which meant a small smoke bomb thrown in the correct direction.

Once the sprinklers started, the building would go up very quickly. Even if Wolfram & Hart had some sort of fail-safe mechanism to keep the upper floors, where the bigwigs' offices were, from being destroyed, if enough damage was done to the lower levels, the building would be condemned. That was what Angel wanted; the law firm would be struck a fatal blow if they no longer had a central place to work. And once those lawyers scurried like rats jumping from a sinking ship, neither Angel nor any of his colleagues had any intentions of letting them regroup.

However, Fred's design was also set up to not cause a catastrophe for the city. They didn't want the building to explode, hence the diluted solution. And, the stuff would be distributed quickly. Then the sprinklers would begin showering clean water. Fred had done many calculations before deciding on an amount of accelerant and a length of time for application. She was going for a fast, severe burn that would also be put out quickly.

A small but vocal part of Angel wanted everyone in the building to be burned alive, especially Lilah. They hurt the cubs, they hurt his friends, and they hurt him, and that meant they had to pay.

...

Wil led Xander, Oz and Buffy through a maze of sewer tunnels. They were in charge of setting up half of the sprinkler setup. It would take them more than six hours to get all the water pipes for Wolfram & Hart isolated, and another hour to get Fred's cocktail set up. Then Xander and Oz would go up to the surface and set the blaze, while Buffy and Wil met up with the others to wait.

"Anything, Wil?" Buffy asked the vampire. She hadn't seen anything larger or more menacing than a rat for the last half hour.

"Not yet," He murmured. The vampire was in gameface, extending his senses as much as he could.

"Here's our first set of pipes," Xander said, stopping the group. "If Mr. Got-Muscle will just loosen this valve..." Wil reached over and easily twisted the rusted valve. "We'll get started," Xander finished.

Oz helped Xander fit the first pipe, while Buffy and Wil loosened another three and worked on them. It was slow going; somehow the builders had managed to make everything nearly impossible to maneuver without a significant risk of breakage.

Meanwhile, Angel and his group were doing very much the same thing. The vampire was on point, scanning the tunnels ahead of them for interference. Fred was busy going over her plans again and again, while Wesley, Dawn and Willow carried supplies. "Is that one of our pipes?" Dawn asked as they passed a set of valves.

Fred glanced over. "Nope, but we're getting close." She stopped about ten yards later and began to work. "Wesley, I need the--"

"Here," Wesley said, providing Fred with the required implements. "And the spanner as well."

She took the thing gratefully and nodded for Angel to start on another valve. They had so many to do, and not enough time.

...

"What was that?" Dawn whispered, jumping. She and Fred were bundling up the last of their tools as they prepared to leave the last site.

"It's Wil and Buffy," Angel said. "And they're running."

"Go!" Buffy yelled as she and Wil reached Angel. "Guards!"

Willow grabbed a backpack and streaked down the tunnel, followed by Wesley, Fred and Dawn. Angel got Buffy past him and ran alongside Wil. "What happened?" Angel asked the blonde as they rushed to get away from whatever guards had managed to get both Buffy and Wil to flee.

"After Xander and Oz got to the surface, these guards showed up. Holy water, acid, the works," Wil hissed. "I hope Oz and Xander made it out ok."

"Fuck," Angel swore. "Somebody'll have to go up to check on them." It was the middle of the day, so Wil and he would probably have to stay in the sewers.

"I'll go," Buffy said over her shoulder. "Get Dawn and the others back to the hotel."

Angel glanced over at Wil, who nodded. "Use the street access in the next tunnel on your right," Angel told Buffy. "It's only about half a mile from the building."

She nodded and darted off into the correct tunnel. Angel and Wil moved forward, closer to the others. The guards were still close enough behind them to worry the vampires, and they hoped that Buffy made it out ok.

...

"Got the, ah, mail?" Xander asked Oz as they strolled casually towards Wolfram & Hart's offices.

"Yeah," Oz murmured. The Raphe reached in front of Oz and held the door open for his lover as they entered the building.

"Well, well. Fancy meeting you here."

Xander turned his head to the left. "Lilah. What an unpleasant surprise."

Lilah walked around to stand directly in front of the two men. Oz noted silently that she wasn't looking so good. The past decade hadn't been easy on the woman. "Let me guess... you're planning on triggering some sort of horrible disaster in the building, hoping that if you bring it down, we'll topple to?"

Xander grinned. "Er, no?" He said brightly. "We just got back into town and wanted to stop by and say hello. Long time, no see."

Lilah laughed harshly. "Yeah, right. I must say, though. I'm impressed. Ten years, on the lam. Of course, if we'd ever really wanted to find you, we would've. But what was the point? I mean, you were gone. Just think... little old me got the big bad Angel to hide with his tail between his legs for a decade!"

"Uh huh," Oz murmured, pulling out a small, brown box.

"Is that the trigger?" Lilah said excitedly. "For the bombs you're going to blow us up with?"

"No," Oz replied sarcastically. "It's a present."

"For you," Xander added. "You know, something to show how much we care."

"You *do* realize that you're not going to make it past the lobby," Lilah warned them. "We know you're planning something; I've already got people going into the sewers to find the explosives you've set up."

"Cool," Oz murmured. "So you won't mind if I just toss this over there?" He asked, gesturing towards one corner. It looked like any other empty part of the lobby, but there was a smoke alarm directly overhead.

"I'd rather you not," Lilah said. "It'll just get you in worse trouble."

"Too bad," Xander muttered as Oz let the package fly. Security guards rushed towards both it and the two men, but they didn't reach either location in time. The package landed on the floor with a soft plop and did nothing--at least, not for a second. Then thick, white smoke began to pour out.

"Oh, how original. Poison?" Lilah asked dryly.

"No, just plain old smoke," Xander said, backing up to the door. He and Oz were set to flee, just as soon as the sprinklers went off. It would take a bit for the system to push out all the water already in the building, and they wanted to be close by when the solution hit. Their package was set to explode on a delay, once enough accelerant was present.

"Take them," Lilah told the guards as she turned around for the elevators, waving her hand to dispel the quickly gathering but seemingly innocuous smoke. "I can't believe I stayed here instead of going to court just for that pathetic display. And somebody get me a report on those explosives!"

Oz and Xander ran back through the door and onto the plaza. Then they heard the smoke alarm go off. They glanced back, looking between running security guards to see that no one had disturbed the package yet. It was still billowing smoke, enough so that no one could see to reach it. It didn't matter if they did, however. As soon as someone touched it, it would explode. The package was also packed with a gelatinous accelerant that would burn for several minutes, hopefully long enough to set the contaminated water on fire.

They ran down the street, wanting to be close enough to see if their plan worked. It was a close thing; but they wanted to see if their plan worked.

"Hey!" Buffy shouted as she caught up with them. They grinned at her and ducked into a clothing store, immediately losing their pursuers in a crowd of young shoppers. The three friends looped around and ran back outside, keeping track of where the burly guards were.

"Where are the others?" Xander asked Buffy.

"Going to the hotel," Buffy replied. "What about the--" A small explosion interrupted her. "Well, that part went ok, I guess," She said as the bomb went off. The glass of the lobby didn't shatter, which wasn't all that surprising. After all, this was Wolfram & Hart and their lobby was probably bulletproof.

Oz stared hard at the building. After a few seconds, he saw a bright flash. Then another... and another. "It's working," He said starkly.

Xander watched as the lobby exploded in a fireball. "Yeah, it's working. But maybe we should make our grand exit," He murmured. "Those guards..."

"Are much more concerned with the fact that their place of employment isn't looking very viable anymore," Oz remarked. "But we should leave." They'd tried not to leave any evidence, but... well, they'd deal with that later. Part of the bomb package had contained a jamming device for recording equipment, so they probably wouldn't have to worry about the police trying to track them down from a surviving security tape. Of course, they'd done all they could to make the stuff in the sewers untraceable to them... and Wolfram & Hart were on everyone's bad side, so any investigation would end up pointing back at them.

*****
Part 94:

"That was too easy," Cordelia said as they stood around the video screen Dawn had erected on the lobby counter. They were standing around, finally stripped of their armor, watching a news feed of the latest city crisis--namely the partial destruction of Wolfram & Hart's office building. The place had mysteriously exploded that morning, damaging the lobby and the next ten stories up... as well as the top fifteen floors. Fred's best guess was that someone on the top floors had fires burning--candles or something else to ignite the solution she'd injected. Most of the flames were actually under control now, since she'd set the sprinkler system up to continue to push fresh water through.

Of course, as soon as the event hit the news, everyone in the city was spouting off their own personal theory about what had happened. No one bothered to deny that they thought that it had been some sort of attack, but no one was particularly angry, either. The building had been almost completely deserted; the actual casualties looked to number only about five people. The police weren't acting very enthusiastic about investigating the cause, which wasn't surprising since Wolfram & Hart currently stood accused of trying to bribe the sheriff.

"So, what now?" Xander asked as Dawn turned the volume on the television down slightly. "I mean..."

"Yeah," Gunn murmured. "What now?"

Everyone sort of looked around. The cubs were currently curled up in a ball on the couch, sleeping peacefully. It was as though they somehow knew that whatever had been threatening them was gone; Cordelia and Gunn swore that all of a sudden, while the others were out working on Fred's plan, the cubs all started relaxing. "Er..." Buffy mumbled. She knew she had files to deal with, clients to harass, and bills to pay. But she couldn't shake this odd, almost empty feeling. It was similar to how she felt when she slayed, but... different too. It weirded her out that she couldn't identify it.

"Sugar, what's bothering you?" Lorne asked his wife. "You look all..."

"Confused," She admitted. "I'm with Xander and Gunn on this one. What do we do now?"

Oz shrugged. He was content to sit back, breathe for a few minutes, and then maybe convince Xander to go upstairs and scream for a few hours while they fucked themselves unconscious.

Angel closed his eyes briefly and sighed. He paused for a moment to thank everyone and everything he could think of that his soul was free of the constraints of the gypsy's curse; if not for that, he'd be Angelus again. Perfect happiness was much less rare in his life than it used to be. Of course, he'd also at some point rethought what perfect happiness meant. When Angel finished being grateful, he opened his eyes and turned to look at Wil.

The blonde vampire was lounging against the wall, looking tentatively content, as though he wasn't sure it was safe to relax, but he really wanted to. Angel knew exactly how he felt. For years now, ever since well before they'd first left Los Angeles, there had been an underlying current of tension in their lives. The only time it seemed to go away, at least temporarily, was in the whirlwind pleasure of sex, when nothing much mattered except pleasure. Angel wagered that Wil would compare his current state to what Sisyphus would feel like if he actually got his boulder to a good resting spot at the top of his hill and was awarded an actual break. What was he supposed to do now, find another rock to carry around?

Angel wanted his lover to feel how he felt; happy. He knew Wil wasn't happy right now. How could he be, when he wasn't sure if he could even let his guard down? Angel knew, though, that he could do something about that. Of all the people in his life, Angel knew Wil the best--and the longest. Not all of their times together had been good--not now that they were both souled, and not when they'd both been horrific killers. That didn't mean that all of their early history had been for naught, however. Many good memories existed under the layers of darkness.

"Lorne?" Angel murmured. The green demon turned to Angel.

"Yeah, Ange?" Lorne asked. He was wondering if he'd be able to open Caritas tonight. The current population of the lobby would run off any customers he got; they all looked like they'd been possessed or something.

"Could you give me a hand?" The dark vampire asked, walking towards the club. Lorne nodded and followed him. No one else paid them any heed; they were all staring around at the floor and walls, wondering what to do.

"And what is with them?" Lorne asked Angel as they entered Caritas.

"Shock," Angel replied. "And you feel it too. Too much weight lifted too quickly."

"It's not like we actually got rid of Wolfram & Hart," Lorne remarked. "They were pretty well... damaged before that, thanks to you guys."

Angel shrugged. "I think it was symbolic, really. Yeah, it did that last bit of damage to knock them down, but... this was a real, physical symbol of all those years of work--on everyone's part, not just ours."

"I know," Lorne said. "Now, what is it you needed?"

Angel smiled. "I just wanted to play some music."

The green demon gestured towards the sound system. "Have at it... you aren't planning to sing, are you?"

"No," Angel murmured. "Actually, I want to play a cd I left here from before..."

"They're all still in there," Lorne promised. "We kept them when we upgraded the equipment."

Angel flipped through the system's screen console until he found one of his favorite cds, buried deep within some little used archive. It figured that no one played it, since it had no lyrics. He cued up the album on repeat and quickly walked back out to the lobby, Lorne trailing behind. The club's doors stood wide open, letting the first strains of music drift out with the vampire.

Wil opened his eyes just as Angel stopped in front of him, one hand held out formally. The blonde cocked his head to one side. Angel waited until Wil recognized the music. "Danz�n," He whispered, eyes widening. Angel smiled softly as Wil pushed away from the wall, frowning. "Why?"

"May I have this dance?" Angel murmured softly, almost in a whisper.

Wil slowly slid his hand into Angel's, letting the dark vampire lead him out into an open area. Quick, fierce violins tugged at him, ordering him to follow Angel as his Sire placed a hand at his waist and swung him in a shallow arc. Blue eyes locked with brown as they completed the first circle.

Then the music got faster, the pace more frantic. Wil pulled Angel closer to him, pressing their bodies together as the raced, floating like pebbles skipping on water, up the stairs. Only vampiric senses kept them going, leaping from ledge to ledge as they spun and waltzed to the second floor. Angel turned them, bending Wil over the balcony railing as the music reached a crescendo. Then Wil thrust forward, knocking Angel back. He caught the dark vampire, swinging him around as they tumbled down the stairs and straight onto the dais in front of the open garden doors.

"Who's leading?" Xander asked no one in particular. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not, but it looked like Angel and Wil were dancing.

"Does it matter?" Cordelia whispered, caught up in the performance.

"No," Wesley said as he reached for Fred. She let him pull her into place and lead them into a more sedate version of Wil and Angel's own dancing, one that didn't have them leaping up the stairs.

"I can't dance like that," Xander murmured, watching as the vampires slipped into a tango when the music changed. He'd seen men dancing together before; hells, he'd seen Wil and Angel dance... but not like this. They weren't really dancing; it was more like watching the music made flesh.

Oz just grabbed the Raphe and proceeded to prove the graceful demon very wrong.

"You know, the longer we stand here, the stupider we look," Dawn commented to the motionless people crowded against the counter. "Willow, let's dance."

"I can't dance," Willow protested.

"That's what Xander said, too," Dawn argued as she grabbed her girlfriend. "And look at him." Willow looked, and was impressed. Xander and Oz, while not Angel and Wil by any means, weren't doing badly at all. And they were smiling. Happy.

Lorne sighed. "Come on," He said to Buffy, holding out his hand. "Gunn, if you don't ask Cordelia to dance, I'll make you sing Englebert Humperdinck."

Gunn took him at his word and reached for Cordelia.

Wil was oblivious to the other couples dancing around him. The only things in his universe were Angel and the music. Deep, whiskey eyes intoxicating him. He was lightheaded, almost giddy with it, unable to look away. They'd danced like this before, not often but occasionally. The first time had been when he was little more than a fledge, crude and untrained. Only his Sire's threat of punishment and a few dredged up memories of his cultured past had gotten him through the first minute of that dance. Then, as now, he fell under Angel's spell. The world fell away as they moved, flew across a polished floor as though on the wind. When they danced like this, Wil felt like he was the only thing Angel saw, the only person he loved. Angelus melted William time and again with the dance, be it a waltz, a minuet or a lively tarantella.

Now, many years later, Angel seduced Wil with that same technique. The music followed them outside, into the garden as they spun through the walkways. Wil caught flashes of light and dark--the moon, a star, a streetlamp. It all meant nothing. The only thing in his existence was this, Angel and the crackling, smooth energy that built between them.

Angel watched the change come over Wil. The tension that kept his child strung taught as a bow, ready to spring into action but unsure if he should, was replaced with a vibrating tightness of a very different kind. Dance was one of the most ancient forms of foreplay, older than flowers and jeweled baubles. Dance was showing one's partner how well two bodies could move together, in any rhythm. And if they moved so well, so synchronous, when simply dancing, what perfection could they reach when the music was gone, when the other dancers faded into the shadows and all that was left was...the driving, racing beat of lust and want and aching love that made it impossible for Wil or Angel to look away.

Cordelia watched as Angel danced Wil back inside and up the stairs again, this time leading the blonde all the way up the hall before turning around to descend again. "This is insane!" She shouted at Gunn, stretching to be heard over the now thunderous music. They were all dancing wildly, to whatever rhythm they wanted. Willow and Dawn glided lazily across the patio, giggling and watching as Xander and Oz raced by at a considerably brisker clip. Gunn spun Cordelia in loopy circles, making sure to keep an eye on the cubs, who had woken up to watch all the madly dancing couples. The five children simply sat on the couch, still-puffy eyes wide. It was the first time that Cordelia could remember them all behaving so perfectly--without any incentive or threat.

Gunn laughed at Cordelia's statement. "So?" He replied with a grin. "Tonight, we dance!" Tomorrow they could worry about the aftermath of Wolfram & Hart's destruction, about the safety of themselves and their children, about what they were going to do with the rest of eternity.

Angel led Wil out into the garden once more, glorying in the vibrant joy he saw in Wil's eyes. If only his childe would look like that forever--if only their world didn't demand worry and give the burden of sorrow to his beloved. Wil's lips parted, soundless moans falling like leaves as Angel drew him up the stairs again. This time they didn't stop and return to the ground, but rather arced and dashed up anther flight and down another hall, again and again as Angel led Wil through the echoing halls of the hotel. They danced until the music pouring forth from Caritas was lost, until all that they could hear was what they felt. They danced until they reached the roof, where the moon hung, dancing in place on a pedestal of tears and starlight.

The music stopped, and so did they.

Wil stood. Angel stood. Less than a sigh separated them. "Why?" Wil asked Angel, reluctantly breaking the perfect silence between them.

Angel smiled. "Tell me, Wil. What is bothering you? Right now, what troubles you?"

The blonde answered instantly, almost without thought. "You are there and I am here and we aren't touching."

"Exactly."

And the music between them began again.

--The End--