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Secrets and Lies by angelic_amy
 
Straight to Business.
 
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Chapter 2: Straight to Business.


Buffy examined her palm again, paying no attention to the streets and buildings that whizzed past her window as they drove through downtown LA. Tracing the lines of the scar she found herself slipping into her thoughts again.

The noise of the electric screen sliding down to reveal her driver broke through the haze before she managed to slip in too deep.

“We’re almost there Miss Buffy,” Morty informed his passenger.

Buffy nodded in response and a moment later the visor was back up again.

However before she could lose herself to her thoughts again, a beeping noise sounded from her person, a vibration tickling her hip. Unclasping her pager she reviewed the message.

Missing you already. J.

Guilt washed over her when she realized that she had not thought about him once since she had left London. Banishing thoughts of the deceased, Buffy promised herself to call as soon as she arrived at her hotel room after the debriefing.

~~~

“Are we all clear?” Angel questioned as his gaze scanned his key team,

Buffy’s arrival imminent, he had gathered Fred, Wesley, Gunn and Lorne in the boardroom of his office in preparation.

Fred looked around the room at the other members of the old Angel Investigations crew. She saw similar apprehension reflected in each set of eyes, which bolstered her confidence when she finally spoke up.

“Are you sure it’s best to keep Spike out of the loop like this?” she asked.

Angel’s expression was impassive, which was unsettling.

She continued. “Before he was corporeal all he ever talked about was returning to Buffy, and now that she is going to be here…” Fred trailed off, looking to Wes for back up.

“I agree with Fred,” Wes affirmed simply. “But for different reasons. I understand your hesitation to include Spike in this meeting, but what about Buffy? If she were to find out about Spike’s presence here I’m sure that --"

“She wont find out,” Angel interrupted curtly. “Because no one is going to tell her.”

Lorne frowned in disappointment. He knew that Angel still carried a flame for the slayer, but that didn’t give him the right to decide what she did about Spike. Judging from his readings of the vampire in question to the many conversations he had with him before he became corporeal, it was blindingly obvious that Spike was still very much in love with Buffy.

To hide this from him… well, Lorne didn’t even want to consider the ramifications.

“Angel-cakes we know you’re not a fan of bleached wonder, but he does love Buffy. We all know how desperate he was to return to her before he became meaty again,” Lorne pointed out. “If you hide this from him and he finds out --”

“He won’t,” Angel interrupted for the second time. “Spike will be on assignment for the duration of Buffy’s stay.”

“Assignment?” Fred repeated. “Given the history between the two of you I don’t think he’s going to willingly go on assignment if it’s anything that you want him to do.”

“Yeah.” Gunn snorted, slipping out of his legalese for a moment. “He’d sooner do the opposite to piss you off.”

“That’s why the case will come from one of you.” Angel said bluntly.

The room was stunned into silence. It was one thing for Angel to hide information from Spike, but using them as co-conspirators?

“Good,” Angel decided abruptly. “You can sort that out amongst yourselves.”

“What happens if he shows up whilst we’re in a meeting with Buffy?” Wesley questioned.

“I already have that under control. Harmony has volunteered to assist in distracting him if required.”

“I’ll bet,” Fred muttered under her breath. The blond vampire had not hid the fact that she and Spike had once dated, and Fred knew for a fact that Harmony was lonely. She would jump at the chance for any male company, especially that of the Spike shaped variety.

~~~

The car pulled up in the sub-basement car park of the law firm much too soon for Buffy’s liking. Why Andrew couldn’t take this assignment was beyond her. It was just a retrieval mission; it wasn’t like he had never taken on a task like this before.

The pick-up has never been psychotic and mentally disturbed before…

Cursing Andrew for pulling out when he was informed the particulars of the case, Buffy began to wonder why Giles hadn’t just sent Xander and Faith. Or even Kennedy for that matter. Why did it have to be her?

It wasn’t as if she couldn’t have covered Faith’s classes, and on last check there were no construction-based tasks that needed immediate attention. And it wasn’t like Kennedy would be missed all that much if she were gone, even by Willow. It seemed those two weren’t working out as well as they had been when they had first begun dating.

Kennedy had let the slaying go a little to her head, and she was still as bratty as she had been before she was called. Except now she was more inclined to use force when demonstrating a point. Buffy had never really like the girl, and had always thought that Willow could do better for herself. It now seemed like Willow was starting to come to that realization as well.

“We’re here Miss Buffy,” Morty’s voice sounded through the intercom.

“Thank you,”’ she replied.

A few moments later the door was opened and she was being led towards an elevator. Morty selected the appropriate floor before stepping back.

“You’re not coming?” Buffy inquired.

Morty shook his head. “I have a few errands to run for Mr Angel before I return to deliver you to your hotel.”

With a polite nod and a bright smile, Morty turned away and walked back to the limo. The doors to the elevators slid closed, appropriately annoying elevator music the only noise in the small capsule as it lifted skywards. The trip was too short for her liking, moments later the doors sliding open.

Taking a deep breath Buffy stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. So this is Wolfram and Hart… she thought as she looked around. The lobby was vast, with wood paneled walls and lush carpet. A staircase to her right lifted up to another level, which overlooked the lobby. Walking further into the room she saw brief cased suit wearing lawyers, a pair of people that she guessed to be scientists dressed in lab coats moving towards one corner of the room, and an older man pushing a mail cart from room to room.

Her eyes floated the room, sizing up the occupants and scanning for possible weapons, exits, hiding places. She couldn’t help herself. This place just screamed evil, and she found herself scanning it before she even realized what she was doing. A cursory look thrown over her shoulder in the direction of the elevators brought a big surprise when her eyes fell on a large demon carrying a pair of daggers in it’s clawed hands.

The creature was large, at least two feet taller than her, and covered from head to toe in long tan coloured fur. Thinking about it for a moment, she noted that it kind of looked liked Chewbacca.

Oh dear god I’ve been spending FAR too much time with Andrew…

She pushed the thoughts away when a tingling sensation at the back of her neck identified the beast before her as a threat. Trusting her instincts Buffy approached the demon.

“Hey!” she called. “Pretty blades you got there,” she pointed at the knives in question.

The hairy beast’s mouth curled up in a snarl, a series of clicking and growling noises emanating from deep within it’s gullet.

Buffy titled her head to the side. “I’m sorry, didn’t quite catch that. In English please?”

The beast growled again and took a step towards her, arms waving out at its side.

Taking the movement as threatening, Buffy jumped into action. Flipping onto the staircase she landed and then launched a roundhouse kick at the beast’s head. It snapped to the side quickly, one of the blades clattering to the ground.

“Drop the other one,” she demanded.

The creature began waving the blade in a defensive slashing motion out in front of itself.

Seeing as he wasn’t going to listen, Buffy figured she would have to remove it from him. Grabbing fistfuls of the creature’s mane, she pulled with all of her strength, and threw the beast towards a wall. A loud crashing noise sounded throughout the room, and everyone in the vicinity stopped moving, awestruck by the small young woman who had just thrown a demon that was likely four times her weight halfway across the room.

The noise also garnered the attention of Angel’s secretary. “Oh crap!”

Dialing the number for the boardroom, Harmony tapped her long fingernails on the countertop. She was not going to be the one to try and stop the slayer.

“Harmony… I’m in a meeting right now.” Angel’s gruff voice came through the speaker.

“Ah Angel, just thought you should know that Buffy has arrived.”

“Well send her in.”

“Well you see, she’s kinda beating up one of the gofers right now.”

The line went dead and moments later the door to the boardroom flung open, and Angel walked out followed by the others.

Buffy was currently straddling the large beast, throwing punch after punch into its face. “Drop it!” she demanded.

“Damn!” Gunn whistled as he watched the slayer pound on the creature.

“Buffy…” Angel called as he walked over to her.

Buffy stopped half way fist mid air and ready to strike again. “Angel. Did you know this beast here was just walking around with knives and no one did anything about it?”

Angel shook his head, chuckling.

“What?” Buffy asked slowly as she lifted herself up, snatching the knife away in the process.

“He works here. He’s a gofer for the people in the weapons department,” Angel informed.

Buffy blinked once, before looking back at the creature. “Sorry!” she apologized wide eyed, bending over to offer it a hand up which it rejected, shying away from her in fear.

“Oops!” she said as she turned back to Angel, only just realizing that they had an audience.

A tall bald headed black man, a green demon wearing a very loud suit and a pretty brunette. The only face that she recognized was Wesley’s. “Wes!”

“Buffy,” Wesley greeted warmly.

Stepping forward she embraced the former Watcher, pleased that she knew at least one other face.

“Hi I’m Fred,” the pretty brunette introduced, embracing Buffy in a friendly hug before she had the chance to step away. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Really?” Buffy asked as she shot a look at Angel who just smiled in return.

“Oh all good, I promise,” Fred nodded. “Wesley has informed me of all your adventures back in Sunnydale.”

Buffy snickered as memories of the Wes of old surfaced in her mind. “Well if you ever want to hear stories about him from back in the day, you know where to find me.”

“Charles Gunn,” he shot a hand out for her to shake.

“It’s a pleasure,” Buffy replied as she accepted his hand, shaking it firmly.

“Tight grasp you’ve got there.” Gunn appraised. He looked around the room, noting the gaping hole in the wall where Buffy had thrown the beast, and the broken plaster which was strewn all over the floor. “Wouldn’t want to bump into you in a dark alley.”

Buffy ducked her head shyly, embarrassed that she had attacked first without asking questions. This is an evil law firm… it makes sense they’d have demons on staff.

“Well aren’t you just the cutest little ball of sunshine I ever laid eyes on.”

Dragging her eyes from the floor Buffy found herself swamped in the warm embrace of the green demon. Bewildered by all of the attention Buffy returned the hug before quickly stepping back.

“Your suit is…”

“Loud?” Gunn offered with a grin.

“Believe you me, bright colours are all the rage this season,” Lorne announced with another bright grin. “I’m Lorne, I work in out entertainment division.”

“I never would have guessed,” Buffy said with a wry smile.

Lorne laughed. “Well little lady, I’ve got clients to shmooz and sea breezes a calling my name from the bar. So I’d best be off. If you ever want a reading you know who to holler for.”

Buffy frowned as Lorne strolled off. “Reading?”

“Lorne is an empath demon. He can read a person’s future,” Fred filled in.

“Cool.” Buffy said brightly.

“You have to sing,” Gunn added.

“What?” Buffy blinked. “Sing? Me? Why?”

Fred giggled. “That’s how Lorne reads you. When you sing.”

“Oh.” Buffy said. “OH…”

Guess I won’t be getting my fortune read anytime soon.

“Shall we get down to business?” Angel intervened once introductions had been made.

“Sure.” Buffy said quietly, avoiding his gaze.

The people who worked for Angel seemed nice. Really nice. She didn’t understand how people like that could be seduced into working in a place that had a reputation for being the middle men in every apocalyptic battle in the last three centuries. Possibly even longer.

When Giles had been informed of Angel’s move from the Hyperion to the W&H downtown offices, he had began a vast amount of research into their history. It wasn’t pretty. Known for supporting human sacrifices and making deals with devils from several dimensions, they weren’t the sort of people that Giles would want Buffy, or any of the slayers for that matter, doing business with.

So when reports of this rogue slayer had made their way to London, Giles had deemed it necessary to find and transport her back to England as soon as possible.

“The last thing we need is a slayer working for Wolfram and Hart,” he had said.

“Harmony, hold all my calls,” Angel instructed as he swept past his receptionist headed for the boardroom.

“Harmony?” Buffy repeated incredulously. “As in Harmony Kendal?”

“The one and only,” the blonde replied as she stood up at her desk. “Hello Buffy.”

Buffy’s gaze narrowed and she took a threatening step towards the desk, the vampire visibly flinching backwards.

“Down girl,” Gunn laughed. “Harmony isn’t a threat.”

“Yeah.” Harmony nodded vigorously. The last thing she needed or wanted was a brassed off slayer on her case. “I work for the good guys now,” she added brightly.

“Isn’t a threat?” Buffy mocked. “Works for the good guys now?” She laughed but her body language was tense, her expression closed off. “I still haven’t forgotten how you tried to kill my sister.”

Harmony laughed nervously. “About that, I’m really sorry. But I don’t feed off humans anymore.” For demonstration she picked up her thermos and shook it around. “I’m on otter now.”

“She doesn’t feed off humans, none of the staff do,” Wesley assured. “We conduct random blood tests all the time.”

“She’s clean,” Fred added.

Buffy’s posture relaxed somewhat, but her expression was still as hard as ever. “If she tries anything…”

“She won’t,” Angel interrupted briskly. “Now can we get on to business?”

Without waiting for a response Angel opened the doors he stood before and walked inside.

“Business it is,” Buffy muttered as she followed.



~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Wasn't going to post up chapter two so quickly, so count yourselves lucky! Hope you guys are liking it so far, more will be up on Thursday/Friday.
 
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