PART 3

Buffy returned to the living room with the Scooby gang in tow and saw the look of shock on her father's face and secretly wondered what Spike had been telling him.

"Dad… these are my friends..." she told Hank introducing them hoping to take Hank's mind off anything Spike had said.

They all sat down and Hank began retelling his story, he was up to the part when he'd warned the PI when Dawn came home and Buffy rushed up to greet her and stop Dawn from making a scene in front of everybody.

"Buffy… why are you hanging around the door?" Dawn asked as she entered the house. Buffy hadn't hung around the door waiting for her since senior year, except when something had happened… something Dawn wouldn't like. She searched her sister's face and groaned. "Please tell me he left?" she begged.

"Well…" Buffy began.

"BUFFY! I want him gone" Dawn told her.

She tried to march past her, but Buffy grabbed her arm. "Dawnie, he's in trouble."

"So? Let him be," Dawn replied, "You can't save everyone and some people don't deserved to be saved anyway."

"He's still our father" Buffy argued.

"No, he's the biological donor… as far as I'm concerned Giles is our dad," Dawn said rushing up the stairs not looking back.

Buffy stood there looking at the empty staircase for a moment and headed back into the living room and found everyone sitting there in silence.

"What's wrong now?" she asked her patience growing short.

The gang looked at each other and Willow whispered, "Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"Who the PI is that Hank hired?" Xander asked.

Buffy looked at her friends and said, "I didn't ask. Why?"

Spike cracked up laughing and replied, "This is too good. Fluffy has no bloody idea."

"What?" she asked looking directly at Giles.

Giles shifted uncomfortably in his seat and tried to think of a way to tell Buffy the news. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for Buffy, Anya was the one to tell her.

"It's some guy called Angel. Heard you bonked him until he was evil once," Anya told her.

Buffy went pale and sank to the floor in shock. Angel… after all this time he was back in her life and there was no way she avoid dealing with him or any of the issues he brought up. Since all of their attention was on Buffy, no one noticed when Spike slipped away from house and disappeared into the night.

Angel sneaked through the cemeteries of Sunnydale patrolling, but not once did he catch sight of Buffy. He couldn't pretend that this was good because as much as he wanted to avoid her, he also wanted to see her. Even after all this time he couldn't get the last haunted look she'd shot him across the yard just before he walked out of her life, leaving her alone just as he promised he never would do. He could tell himself a million times that he was only here in Sunnydale to protect Hank, but the truth was he was really here to see her… to protect her from harm. After a few more minutes he headed back to the mansion to sleep, prepare for the coming trouble and to protect not only his client, but also those near and dear to him. He was about halfway there when he felt a familiar but annoying presence.

"Spike!" he said turning around and facing the angry vampire.

"Bloody hell Peaches, yer human. First the poofy soul and now this, 'ave yer no shame?" Spike asked staring at Angel like he was some sort of freak.

"If I'd wanted to discuss my lifestyle with you, I'd've called. What do you want?"

"Keep away from Fluffy and the Niblet… they don't need yer hangin' around," Spike told him.

Angel looked at Spike and saw something in his eyes. "Why?" Angel pressed trying to crack Spike's veneer, "I marked her, and it’s my right to do what I please with her."

"Because… yer… well…" Spike didn't know what to say, "Bloody hell, and just keep away."

When Spike turned and started to walk away realisation dawned over Angel.

"You're in love with her" he yelled after Spike.

Spike suddenly turned around and rushed at Angel knocking him down. "So what? It doesn't matter, no matter what I do… how I'm there… she still wants you!" Spike said pounding his fist into Angel's nose. "I was the one who helped when Joyce was sick, I was the one who looked after the Niblet when evil attacked, I was the one who helped organise the damn funeral and what do I get… nothin'. She still wants you!" Spike climbed off of Angel and continued his tirade. "I'm sick of it… now you turn up all poofy human and I'm out of the runnin' again, not that I was ever in it. You make me sick!" he told him as he walked away.

Angel lay there for a few minutes trying to absorb the information. Spike was in love with Buffy, Angel couldn't help but feel sorry for his former grand-childe, and he of course knew how unrequited love could eat at you from the inside. And Joyce had been sick… and died? He hadn't known, if he had he would've been back there instantly at her side to help both her and Dawn through it. Angel climbed to his feet and hobbled back to the mansion for a deep brooding session.

Buffy creped downstairs the next morning and was relieved to find that everyone must still be asleep. She'd skipped patrol and hidden out in her room all night after the incident and even after hours of intensive thought she couldn't deal with the fact that out of every PI in LA her dad had to help Angel. She started to make breakfast for her, Dawn and their dad and a few minutes later Dawn joined her in the kitchen.

"Buffy? You're okay aren't you?" Dawn asked worriedly. She'd never seen Buffy look like she had the night before and it had scared the heck out of her.

"Fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Buffy continued cooking.

"Buffy?" Dawn pressed.

Buffy took the bacon off the pan and then turned around and faced Dawn. "What do you want me to say? That I'm glad he's back or something? Because I'm not sure how I feel about all of this," Buffy told her. "I'm not sure I'm supposed to feel anything… it's been ten years."

Dawn looked at Buffy in amazement, "Oh My God… you're still in love with him."

"Don't be stupid Dawnie. The guy took my heart and tore it into shreds. Why would I love him?" Buffy said turning back to the bacon and slapping it into a sandwich.

"Because he's Angel," Dawn told her coming up behind her and hugging her.

Neither of them heard Hank walk in until he spoke. "So you do know that Angel-guy, huh?" Hank questioned wondering what circles Buffy travelled in to meet all of these strange people.

"Nah, Hank. She looks like she did last night all the time," Dawn told him sarcastically. She'd accepted that they had to help him, but it didn't mean she had to be nice to him.

Buffy handed Hank his breakfast and said, "We dated once."

"Really?" Hank asked all though he wasn't really interested.

Dawn saw the interest leave Hank's face and realised that she needed to shake him up a bit. "Yeah, he was the first boy Buffy… uh… slept with," Dawn announced.

Hank choked on the bite of his breakfast and while Buffy rushed over to help him, Dawn happily left the room whistling a merry tune.

"So… Spike's in love with Buffy?" Cordy asked Angel for the millionth time that morning.

"For the last time, yes!" Angel replied wishing that Doyle could keep his mouth shut and not tell Cordy everything he hears in confidence.

"Wow. Ten years later and she's still head-lining the freak show," Cordy muttered to herself.

Angel was just about to kill her, when Doyle entered the room with Rick. "Hey Ricky-boy. Go to yer Uncle Angel, while I kiss yer mommy," Doyle told his son.

Rick did as he was told and Angel picked up his beloved Godchild, the closet thing he expected to get to have a child of his own. He watched Cordy and Doyle together and for a moment wondered what it would've been like if he'd come back to Sunnydale after his shanshu. To break the train of thought he said, "I'm going over to check on Hank after breakfast."

Cordy turned to Doyle and said, "See less than a day and he's already heading straight to Buffy."

"Uh… princess, she's probably at work," Doyle replied hoping to avoid an argument between Angel and Cordy.

"Unless she's now an unemployed freak?" Cordy said.

When Doyle saw the look in Angel's eyes he said, "I think it's a good idea… why don't yer go now." Angel took his friends suggestion and put his Godson down before leaving the mansion in a swirl of his black duster. "He's still an attractive man," Doyle muttered, earning him a smack from Cordy as they carried on with their meal.

Hank was sitting on the couch watching Days of Our Lives, recovering from his earlier shock and trying to ignore the loud snoring coming from the basement when it first attacked. A dart of some sort whizzed past Hank's head and hit a photo of his late ex-wife right between the eyes; this caused Hank to duck down near the couch. He wondered what was attacking him and how it had found him so quickly; his thoughts were interrupted as another dart impaled the TV screen. Hank snuck a look over the couch and saw nothing, and then he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up. Whatever it was it was hanging from the ceiling, poised for its next attack, Hank got up and tried to run but it pounced on him. This knocked him down and Hank let out the biggest scream ever heard in Sunnydale.