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~~~5b~~~

�So did she agree to call?� Wesley waited a full second after Cordelia hung up the phone to ask.

�Yes, after I agreed to go to dinner with them the next time they were in town. Angel *so* owes me for this one.� Picking up her carry-on bag, Cordelia and Wesley joined Gunn at the gate to their second and final airplane.

�Everything cool?� Gunn asked when the two joined him.

�Of course. In about two minutes Angel is going to be getting off the phone with my Mother and will predictably go to Fred for answers.� Cordelia grinned.

�Poor Fred. It�s really too bad we put her in this situation.� Wesley muttered.

�Girl can�t tell a lie to save her life.� Gunn chuckled. �So when do you think we should be expecting Angel?�

Cordelia handed her ticket to the attendant at the gate and waited for the other two to be checked in. �I�d say tomorrow night. I expect that Angel will book a flight out of LA tonight for him, Patrick and Fred. Which will get him to Portland right before sunrise. They�ll have to wait until sunset to head towards Camden.�

�Which by my calculations is about a two-hour drive.� They were walking onto the plane and Wesley tried to seem unaffected by the thought of another plane trip.

�Wes man, you�re sitting in the aisle this time. I don�t care if I have to fold myself up like a pretzel.� Gunn shoved his bag into the overhead compartment. �You almost didn�t make it to the bathroom the last time.�

�I don�t know what you�re talking about.� Wesley scoffed. Placing his and Cordelia�s bag next to Gunn�s.

�I think it was the comment �Get the bleeding hell out of my way before-.�

Wesley cleared his throat to interrupt Cordelia�s poorly executed British accent. �Yes well perhaps I should take the aisle seat.�

~~~*~~~

�Did you pack Patrick�s �banky�, you know the blue on one with the silky stuff around the edges?� Angel asked as he rechecked the suitcases that were ready to be loaded into the car.

�Yes, and I packed extra diapers, his wipes, bottles and his clown pacifier. Angel are you sure you want to do this. Maybe we should just wait for them to get back and do a great job of being surprised.� Fred wrung her hands together, hating that she was the one responsible for ruining the Christmas surprise.

�I want to be there when they see Willow for the first time.� Angel didn�t look up at Fred as he shoved in even more clothing for Patrick. �I really miss her. I was a horrible friend for not being there for her when she really needed someone.�

�If she wanted help wouldn�t she just come here?� Fred wasn�t fooled by Angel�s attempt to hide his guilt. She had become proficient in reading Angel�s moods over the last year.

�No, not Willow. She�s the type that doesn�t want to �inconvenience� anyone when she has a problem.�

�Oh sort of like a vampire I know.� Fred mumbled.

�What?�

�The both of you sound like two peas in a pod.� Fred nervously giggled. �Neither one of you like to ask for help. You�ve both done some bad things in your pasts that you�re ashamed of.�

Angel�s knew that Fred didn�t know Willow except through what was said around the hotel, and he really didn�t want her categorize Willow in the same slot as his demon. �What I did and what Willow did has no comparison. I butchered and terrorized thousands of innocence when I was Angelus--.�

Holding up a hand Fred stopped Angel�s heated denial. �Oh Angel that�s not what I meant at all. I�m talking about your little problem a few years ago. You know your little walk on the darker side of things. Then that whole lying about sleeping with Darla thing.� Fred waved her hands frantically, trying to show the huge disaster that was. �I mean *WOW* I thought Cordy was going to combust she was so angry. And Wes went on for days...you really don�t want to relive all that do you?� Fred looked a little embarrassed over her outburst.

�No, not really. Can�t say it was the proudest moments of my life.� Angel calmed a little, but still didn�t want Fred to get any preconceived opinions of Willow. �I�m going to put the suitcases in the car, if you�ll go up and get Patrick.� Fred nodded and happily hurried up the stairs. Angel waited for a moment pondering on Fred�s odd but effective words. She had pointed out something that he had taken for granted, again. What he put his friends through during his �dark funk period�, as Delia coined it, just outlined how magnificent his friends truly were.

Sure they had been angry over his actions, they defiantly had ever reason to be. Even though his first couple of month�s back after he fired them was rocky at best, that too was understandable. In fact had they just allowed him back with warm fuzzies he would have wondered at their intentions, it wasn�t in a humans nature to just get over betrayal like that. But in the end he had earned their trust again.

But what Willow had been put through was ludicrous. Her *friends* allowed her back into the fold, but never really intended to forgive her for her past crimes. Which made every one of them a hypocrite. At one time or another they had all fallen. Made huge, almost unforgivable mistakes, but they had always been absolved of their particular crimes. With Willow, there was no option for forgiveness, plus the group turned around and asked her to cast �just a little spell�. That�d be like his friends asking him to go just a little evil. It just didn�t make sense.

~~~*~~~

Willow sat back on her heels and let out a long sigh. She had spent most of the day in the dark and moldy smelling basement, cataloging every book she could get her hands on. Rationally Willow knew she was hiding away from Maddy, or actually the question the older lady had Willow asking herself.

What was she going to do? Hide here forever? She defiantly couldn�t return to Sunnydale and her old way of life. Not when she couldn�t even talk about the good times she and her friends once had, let alone the bad ones. Thinking of Xander and Buffy gave her a pounding headache, throw in Anya, Dawn and Spike her stomach would get all queasy. Then top that with the guilt she felt over Amy, it was just enough to send her to the loony bin.

But what about going to LA, joining up with Angel and the rest? Could they forgive her for the terrible mess she created in Sunnydale, or would they treat her with the same contempt? Honestly Willow knew she couldn�t take another rejection like that. To have the people she held closest to her heart treat her like some horrible evil they fought so hard to rid the earth of.

Rubbing her temples, hoping to find some relief. So many what ifs swam around in her already full head. Standing after awhile, she stretched out her cramped limbs. She�d think about what her next step should be after the New Year. Right now she needed to go find Maddy a gift.