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Chapter Eleven

"SHIT!" Lindsey threw his half-filled drink, glass and all at the office door, Lilah had just exited. She had enjoyed taunting him with her string of successes, and his inability to cinch even the easiest of assignments. He wasn't stupid, and even if he was, Lilah's wicked smirk was a dead give away. She was sabotaging his projects. If he didn't stop her and soon, he was as good as dead.

It wasn't the thought of his death that angered him, but the thought of losing. He hated to lose, and that was all he had been doing ever since Angel came to LA. Up until then everything had been going smoothly. Sure he had a few accomplishments, but on the over all score card he was way behind.

Lindsey ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He needed to stop Lilah. But first he needed to find out how, or who she was getting information from. He stopped keeping anything in his office. Darla told him about Lilah's mid-afternoon visits. He knew he was always being watched, so that was a given. Lilah must have one of her own following him.

If Lilah wasn't enough of a problem, he was still waiting to hear back from the incompetent fool he hired to get that damned book for Darla. He had no idea why she wanted it, and that alone made him wary. Plus that nut job, Dru, kept mumbling incoherent words that basically gave Lindsey one huge headache. He needed to get rid of these interferences. Sooner the better or they'd be the death of him, literally.

He could give Angel knowledge of where to find his sire and childe. Let him take care of his own domestic problems. Narrowing his eyes, he thought of Angel's other family, the one that owed Lindsey big. He could use them to help take Lilah down.

He had wanted to use them to hurt Angel, but there were bigger things at stake here. Like beating Lilah at her own game. He sauntered over to the bar, feeling more in control.

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ďż˝YOU WHAT?ďż˝ Angel roared at the two females sitting on the crimson couch in front of him. His face morphing into his demon. Douglass, having already seen Spike's game face wasn't too surprised by his change. It was the anger that seeped off him that made her uncomfortable. Willow may have all the confidence in the world that Angel wouldn't harm them. Douglass was having some serious doubts.

"How could you have put yourself at such risk Willow? Did you really think I would have wanted you to do something so damned stupid?" Angel crouched in front of Willow controlling the urge to shake some sense into the redhead. "It was my job to protect the group, I screwed up. I was in Hell for a reason."

"You didn't deserve to be there Angel. It was Angelus that should have been frying down there, not you. I couldn't stand by and let you remain in Hell when there was a way to help you." Willow had expected Angel to get angry. The chaos he had been living through the last couple of months was her and Douglass's fault. She hadn't expected him to be angry at the danger she put herself in. How many times had they fought side by side? She could have died numerous times; so far luck had been on her side.

Angel could only stare at the redhead. She wasn't listening to a word he was saying. The thought of her endangering herself to save him made him repulsed. So much could've gone wrong. He might not have been strong enough to escape. Then what? Half her soul would have been taken? How was that even possible? How did a human live with half a soul? He analyzed the last couple of months; his demon had been more in control of his actions. Allowing him to do some pretty horrible things. What would Willow had been like without her entire soul? Surely not the loving and beautiful girl that sat in front of him.

Still crouched in front of Willow, he looked over at Douglass. "What about you? Why did you put yourself at risk for a stranger?"

Douglass glanced at Willow. The truth was she knew that Willow had loved the vampire. That the redhead placed the blame on herself for Angel going to hell. On top of that her friend Buffy ditched town, making it even harder on Willow. There was no one else she could talk too about the Vampire. Xander had always hated him. Cordelia and Willow hadn't really been friends. Then there was Giles, who had been tortured by Angelus, so he wasn't ready to mourn Angel's passing.

To be honest, Douglass didn't even think the spell would work. She had helped look for the spell, and was shocked they were able to locate it. When Willow asked her to come to Sunnydale, Douglass agreed only because she wanted to check in on her friend. Performing the spell only to humor Willow. Who would have thought it would work.

Even though Douglass was from a long line of witches and healers, she had never been formally trained. In fact it wasn't until after her mother's death that Douglass started to tinker with her family given talents. Her mother hated anything to do with magic. Douglass had been shocked when her Mother given her a book that had been handed down in their family for generations. Telling of how their family had once been powerful healers and midwives. Her Mother explained that the book was a family legacy, and though they didn't practice, it still needed to be passed on.

When her mother handed her the book, Douglass had felt tingles go up her arm. Her Mother said something in Scottish, and walked away. It had taken her months to read the book, but she had loved ever second of it. It was filled with the writings of her early ancestors, and their thoughts on healing and midwife practices. There have only been a few spells, nothing too serious.

So caught up in her own thoughts, she forgot that Angel was waiting for an answer. He cleared his throat to get her attention. Douglass snapped out of her trance. "I did it for Willow."

Frustrated with the two young women Angel stood and sat down on the opposite couch. "So, now what?"

"Oh! We forgot." Willow started, "We found a spell to anchor your soul...not only would it get rid of that pesky happiness clause, but after our deaths your soul would stick." Angel froze, and looked at Willow. `Did she just say she had found an anchoring spell?' "So that's why Spike and went to Denver. Douglass couldn't get out of work to come to Sunnydale...Plus just getting away sounded like heaven...Not like I was really needed there anyways." She mumbled.

No clause kept repeating through his mind. What would life be like with out that damn clause? Most likely not all that different. He'd still be repenting his past. Fighting the never-ending battle against evil. There wasn't anyone in his life that he had a relationship with on that level. If it weren't for the fact that two very irresponsible witches did a spell, he wouldn't need it.

"Ah... Angel that was good news. You know, someday be with Buffy equals good news." Willow was sickened at the thought of Buffy and Angel together again, but it was what would make him happy. She had been living too long in her daydreams with the gorgeous vampire. It was time to check back into reality. "Only, as always in our sad little world, there's bad news. You know about Douglass, her getting....hurt. Well she had the spell, and it's missing."

"Of course it is." Angel rubbed his hands over his face.

"But Douglass and I are going to find the spell, or another that will work. We'll do the spell...well maybe not Douglass if her powers don't come back-."

"They'll come back. I told you it was just the shock from everything." Douglass defended herself.

"Of course," Willow tried to pacify her friend. "They'll come back again."

"Are you saying that she's lost her powers?" Angel interrupted.

"NO!" "Yes." Both girls answered at once.

"Can we talk about something else please?" Douglass requested.

Angel nodded, knowing that the witch was uncomfortable with the possibility of never being able to cast again. "We'll start to look for a new spell. I have some stuff here I'll look through. I'm sure you two have enough resources at your place to research."

"Why do I get the feeling that we're not going to work on this together?" Willow questioned Angel.

"Because we're not. Willow I need to work through some things on my own, before I face the group again. Plus I still have a small problem I to fix. I need to stop Darla and Dru. I'm sure that you're all doing fine without me."

Willow snorted, "You think Darla and Dru are a little problem? They're a huge problem you should've gotten rid of long ago. Instead, you're playing some stupid cat and mouse game with them." She hated this, he always doing this. He pushed people away, refusing to let anyone near him. God forbid anyone be able to cheer him up, or help him through one of his self-pity parties he was so famous for. And what was this thing with Darla and Dru? He sure didn't have a problem dusting Darla years ago when she threatened Buffy. Why was he stalling? He couldn't still have a thing for the blonde vamp...could he?

Angel glared at the tiny witch. Since when did shy little Willow Rosenberg start talking so bluntly? Who was this creature in front of him? It sure wasn't the girl he left in Sunnydale. No, that girl could barley have a conversation with him without a blush creeping up her throat to her face. Or utter a sentence without a slight stutter. She had been his little champion, defending him when everyone else wanted to exile him. What happened to the crush she once had for him? He knew of her feelings, and had been flattered by it. Even when she dated the wolf he knew she felt something for him. Was there someone else? She did come here with...No there was no way. Not Spike. He suppressed a low growl.

Douglass suppressed the need to laugh. Willow was working herself up into a fit, and any moment she was going to explode. Angel didn't look any better. Both looked ready for war.

"Willow, I don't need advice from some little girl, on how I should handle Darla and Dru. It's none of your business." Angel growled at Willow.

Willow launched herself off the couch, stopping two feet from the vampire. "Really? Because from here it doesn't look like you're doing anything, but sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. Or is that the plan? Let those two run around killing people, until you're ready to get off your ass, and then get rid of them. Because if it is, you're doing a great job. Maybe this *little* girl should do something about them."

"This is my town Willow, if you-."

"No Angel, this isn't your town. This is the place you ran away to." They were inching toward one another. Willow's cheeks were flushed. The muscle in Angel's jaw twitched.

"I didn't run away. I left."

"You didn't say goodbye. That's running away."

"Really? So did you say goodbye to your friends? Or did you send Spike there to get your stuff?"

Willow gasped. `How did he know?' She glared at him. "Totally different circumstance. And you know that."

A shrill whistle interrupted Angelďż˝s growl. The arguing pair turned toward Douglass who was smiling at them. "Are the two of you done tearing each other to shreds? Because there's a few things we need to figure out first." Douglass hands on hips looked at them with apparent amusement.

Willow and Angel returned to their seats, fighting to control the feelings flooding through them. Neither would look at one another. Douglass wanted to laugh at loud. Getting the two of them together was going to be easier than she thought