Giles agreed with what Fred said; they weren’t there to discuss their personal lives but he still couldn’t help but to smirk at the confused look on Angel’s face. He was pondering if he had to draw the vampire a picture when Angel slid a folder over to him.
“It’s everything we have on Dana. Background and all. Ever since her family was killed, and she was kidnapped, she been a little out of it. We tried to approach but it didn’t help. She wouldn’t even listen to me so I don’t what else we can do,” Angel said.
“Of course you didn’t since you weren’t shagging her or protecting her after she almost killed your ex-girlfriend and tortured your best friend,” Giles merely said as he flipped through the file. A few minutes in the same room as Angel had already made him grumpy.
“When is all of this going to stop being about Buffy?” Angel asked with a sigh. “I’ve moved on and maybe you should too.”
“Yes, you’ve moved on quite nicely, haven’t you?” Giles asked as he looked over at the vampire. “The Powers must be so proud at how fast their champion turned evil. What sort of benefit package do you get here? A virgin every Friday for you to rape and eat?”
“That’s enough!” Angel said as he stood from his seat.
Giles closed the folder and glanced at Angel. “Do sit down before I force you to sit down,” he growled. He then turned to the rest of them. “I believe Fred and I can handle getting Dana on our own. Then we’ll take her back to England and have the Council help her.”
Fred looked over at Rupert in surprise when he suddenly went off on Angel. She knew that he had problems with him and didn't like him much, but she had hoped that he would at least be civil, especially given the reason they were there. Shifting in her seat, she saw Charles suddenly shoot up out of his seat when Rupert told Angel to sit down and told them they would take care of Dana themselves.
"You are so out of line, man!" Charles said, sounding more like his old self. "I don't know where you think you get off. Fred, tell him--."
"What?" Fred interrupted, raising her eyebrows. "Rupert is right that Dana is the Council's responsibility, and we should be the ones helping her, not Wolfram and Hart."
"Wolfram and Hart can help her too - and we can help her faster," he told her. "We have state of the art medical facilities. We just need you to help us figure out how to get her to come in. If you try to take her on your own, we could file a court injuction to keep you from taking her out of the country, you know."
"A court injunction? What happened to you?" Fred asked him, staring at him in disbelief and feeling sick that Charles had even threatened that. He sounded like a lawyer! "You're not the same Charles Gunn I knew before. What happened to helping the helpless the best way for them?"
"What happened to you? I thought you were our friend." With that, Charles left the boardroom, slamming the door behind them.
"I should...go see if he's all right," Lorne said. With a glance at Fred that she wasn't completely sure how to read, he hurried out of the room, leaving them alone with Angel.
When Gunn laid in on Fred, Giles turned toward him to tell him to shut his mouth, but before he could get a word out, Fred was defending herself. He sat there and listened to Gunn threaten them with an injunction. Giles balled his fists up, ready to strike back but didn’t have the chance to since Gunn left the room.
“The Council will mop the floor with you, Angel so I suggest you call off your newest lap dog because if he files an injunction, then your unlife will be over, understood?” Giles asked as he looked over at Angel. “And I’ve noticed you haven’t sat down yet.”
“Why does the Council have to have their noses into everything? I only called you here to help capture her and bring her in so Wolfram and Hart can help her,” Angel said with a small scowl. He started to walk toward the door but Giles quickly stood and grabbed Angel before pushing him against the wall.
“You will not take the Slayer. You will not capture her for she’s not a wild animal,” Giles hissed at Angel. The vampire quickly pulled away and went to the door and left. Giles turned and looked at Fred for a moment before picking up Dana’s file. “Fantastic friends you have, love.”
Fred found herself cringing when Rupert and Angel continued to fight - she knew she hadn't helped things with her reaction to Charles, but she still didn't like this. These people had been her friends, no matter where they were working now. And she had never seen Rupert acting this way before, especially when he grabbed Angel and pushed him against the wall.
Quickly, she was on her feet, but before she could say anything, Angel had thrown off Rupert's hold and left the boardroom, leaving them alone. She looked at her husband in disbelief, his little lob at her about the fact that they had been her friends stinging.
"My friends...? Rupert, what the hell was that all about?" she asked, indicating the door that Angel had just left through. "I--I know that you don't like Angel, and I don't blame you for that, so I didn't expect you two to be all chummy and friendly when we came here, but I at least thought--I was hoping that things would at least be civil until we could find out exactly what the story was with Dana, especially since yes, they were my friends. But instead, you come in here and attack Angel, and now instead of working together to help this girl, we're turning it into, I don't know, a...a competition or something! How does that help her?"
Giles listened to Fred and took a few deep breaths. Granted he had attacked Angel first but he stood by what he did. If he didn't strike first, then Angel would've taken control and nothing would've been accomplished. Now all of them knew that the Council was in control of the Slayer, and not Wolfram and Hart.
"Look, Fred," he began, trying to keep his voice even. "It was necessary for me to take control. This place… it's obviously changed your friends, and not in a good way. I don't understand why they want to keep her. The last time this firm got a hold of a Slayer, they tried to get her to kill Angel and she almost killed Wesley!" He hadn't realized his voice had started to rise, he was still a bit shaky from his confrontation with Angel. Taking another deep breath, he stepped away from her. "You heard what that one bloke said about the injunction. All of them are prats and I'm happy you didn't come here. Do you want to turn out like them?"
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Nothing seemed to be coming out right and he didn't want to hurt Fred because of Angel. "Fred… god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be saying these things to you," he quietly said before taking a small step toward her.
As Giles talked, Fred looked out through the windows into the reception area outside the boardroom. She could see Angel and Charles standing near the steps, talking to each other, both of them throwing furtive glances in their direction. He was right - they had changed. She had never thought Angel would ever think that Wolfram and Hart was the best choice for anything, especially when it came to a Slayer. And Charles...she couldn't even tell who he was anymore, wearing clothes that had never been his style and speaking as though he was the firm's legal expertise.
She looked back over at her husband as he sighed and apologized for what he had said to her. When he stepped forward, she practically ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
"I know," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. "You're right, though. I was just hoping that we'd be able to keep this civil, that maybe they hadn't changed as much as I feared, but he talked about capturing her, and now they're out there, and..."
She sighed and looked up at him. "Angel and Charles...they used to hate this place and everything it stood for and would have done everything they could have to make sure that no one was touched by their evil. Now...I don't even think I know who they are anymore."
Stepping away from him, she took his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "You're right that we need to do this ourselves. We'll find Dana and take her back to England and get her the real help she deserves."
Hearing Fred talk about how she'd hoped things hadn't changed with her friends made Giles frown. He was being a complete prat and making this about his feelings about Angel, and forgetting that all of these people had once been her friends. "Come here," he whispered, pulling her toward him again.
Giles wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Fred. This has to be rough on you… seeing your friends like this. And I'm quite sure I didn't make matters any easier. I promise to behave from now on," he said. He bent down to kiss her but was intruppted when the door opened again.
"I heard you made Angel cry, Giles and they you got hitched!"
Giles' body tensed at the sound of the familiar voice behind him. It couldn't be. He felt the blood from his face drain as he turned around and came face-to-face with Spike. "Spike. I thought you were dead," he said.
"Nope. That amulet saved me. Then I ended up here, all ghosty but now I'm solid again," the vampire said before looking at Fred. "Who's the bird?"
"This is my wife, Fred. Fred, this is Spike. The other vampire with a soul."
When Rupert pulled her back into his arms, Fred felt herself melting against him, just wanting to hold him. She knew he was worried, and she knew that this weekend hadn't gone at all like they had planned. They were supposed to be in Bath, celebrating their wedding with their family, not here in Los Angeles, fighting with the people who had once been her friends. At least they weren't fighting anymore. She didn't like fighting with Rupert.
Their lips had just brushed together for a kiss when someone else entered the room. Fred dropped down slightly and looked around her husband to see a man who looked like he had taken fashion tips from Billy Idol walking into the room. Obviously, he knew Rupert from the way he was talking to him.
Spike? This was Spike? She had heard his name mentioned a few times here and there. Willow and Xander had said something about him when they had told her about the battle with the First Evil in Sunnydale. They had made it sound, though, like he had been dusted during the battle.
"It's, uh, nice to meet you," Fred said, not sure whether to shake hands with him or what but deciding not to, given everything about this place. "That...that must have been some amulet. I heard you caught on fire."
"And it bloody hurt too, but here I am, good as new," he said, holding his hands out. "Gotta say, I didn't actually believe it when I heard Peaches and Cueball talking out there, but damn if you didn't really go and get married. Sounds like they know you too, pet. Wait, you're not the bird that decided not to come work here are you?"
She nodded. "Actually, I am. I worked with Angel Investigations for a couple of years before...before I decided not to stay on. Ended up working for the Council instead."
"Yeah, they mentioned you guys had restarted the whole kit-n-kaboodle after what happened." He looked back over his shoulder, snickering when he saw Angel and Charles trying to act like they were trying to figure out what they were talking about. "You two so need to come 'round here more often. I haven't seen Angel this off-kilter since the day I popped out of the amulet in the middle of his office."
Giles chuckled at the thought of Spike popping out of the amulet in the middle of Angel's office. He knew that Angel and Spike didn't always get along, especially with their recent relationships with Buffy. Giles knew both vampires had hurt people he loved but he would want Spike on his side before Angel. He just couldn't bring himself to trust Angel again.
"How did this whole amulet thing work then?" Giles curiously asked.
"Well, I popped out, was a ghost and then Knox, he runs the chemistry lab around here, tried to make me corporal but it didn't work. Then one day a box came for me and there was a big flash of light and I was fixed," Spike said with a grin. "Now I'm all noble like and savin' the helpless. Sorta like Angel used to do. Ya here to find that Slayer?"
"Yes."
"Saw her the other night. She likes the docks for some reason. Could show you tonight where I saw her. I don't think Angel should keep her here. The firm will bloody ruin her," Spike said.
"Thank you, Spike," Giles said as the door opened. He watched Gunn and Angel walk in.
"Look, I know we got off to a bad start but Gunn and I discussed it and anything we have at the firm you can use to find Dana. Deal?" He asked Giles as he held out his hand.
"Deal," Giles said without shaking Angel's hand. He glanced out the window and furrowed his brow. "What's Rutherford Sirk doing here?"
"What?" Angel asked, turning around. "Oh, that's the head of our research department. You know him?"
"Yes, I do," Giles said, going for the door. "He used to work for the Council and had a hand in telling the Bringers where the potentials were." Giles glanced back at Fred. "I'll be right back. I need to have a word with Mr. Sirk." And with that, Giles walked out of the room.
Once Rupert left the room, Fred glanced over at Angel and Charles, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable with the way they were looking at each other. They had offered their help in finding Dana, but the only person she actually felt like she could trust in the room was Spike - and she had just met him.
"Fred," Charles said, giving her a smile that was more like the Charles Gunn she had known although still not totally him, "I was wondering if you'd like to see the science lab. It's probably one of the most advanced labs you'll ever see."
Perking her eyebrow, she almost told him that she did work in one of the most advanced labs in the world but decided not to. They were up to something, she could feel it, but for now she'd play along, maybe get some more information on what was going on here, and see if her friends had really changed as much as she feared.
"That would be nice," she told him.
"Maybe you can give ol' Knoxious a few pointers while you're at it," Spike said as Charles opened the door for her.
When they went out into the reception area, Fred glanced over to see Rupert in one of the offices, speaking to another man. He didn't look pleased at all, and given what he had said, she didn't blame him. She reluctantly turned and followed Charles up the stairs to the upper level and down a hallway to a set of double doors. He gave her another smile and pushed the doors open.
"Here we are."
Fred walked into the lab, her eyes widening as she looked around. She adored her lab at the Council, knew that they had equipment that most other labs only dreamed of, but this...she wasn't sure she even recognized some of the things she saw in there.
"Gunn?" a voice said from the other side of the room. She looked over to see a sandy-haired man in a lab coat standing at the top of a set of stairs leading into what loooked to be an office. "Who's this?"
"Knox, I'd like to introduce Winifred Burkle. She almost was your boss."
"Actually, it's Winifred Giles," she said as the man came down to greet her. "And I'm just an old friend. Charles just wanted to show me the lab while I was visiting." She stepped closer to one of the machines, her brow furrowing as she looked at it. "I've never seen anything like this before. What is this? It looks like a spectrophotometer, but...not."
"Very good eye, there. It's actually an experimental type of spectrophotometer. We use it to measure light wavelengths on the astral plane. It was one of the things I used when I was trying to make Spike corporeal again."
She looked at the dials on the machine. "What do you have to do - put the machine out of phase with reality so it can take its measurements?"
"Yeah, that dial allow you to set it to phase out for anywhere from thirty seconds to an hour." Knox watched her for a few moments as she bent over the machine, examining it, then looked over at Charles, obviously impressed. "Why did you guys let her get away? We would have loved having her here."
He shrugged, crossing his arms. "Wasn't our decision, unfortunately. But you know, Fred, you could always still come and work--."
Putting up her hand, she backed away from the counter and shook her head. She should have "No, don't even go there, Charles. I'm happy where I am now. I have a good job and a good life and an amazing husband, and I think--I'd better go find him and see what our plan is with finding Dana." She glanced over at Knox. "It was nice to meet you. Your lab is very impressive."
Without even waiting for Charles, she walked back to the lab doors and walked out into the hallway, taking a deep breath once she was out of there before leaning against the wall. She was glad she had refused to come here with the others back several months ago - she wasn't sure even she would have been able to say no to all that.
“It’s everything we have on Dana. Background and all. Ever since her family was killed, and she was kidnapped, she been a little out of it. We tried to approach but it didn’t help. She wouldn’t even listen to me so I don’t what else we can do,” Angel said.
“Of course you didn’t since you weren’t shagging her or protecting her after she almost killed your ex-girlfriend and tortured your best friend,” Giles merely said as he flipped through the file. A few minutes in the same room as Angel had already made him grumpy.
“When is all of this going to stop being about Buffy?” Angel asked with a sigh. “I’ve moved on and maybe you should too.”
“Yes, you’ve moved on quite nicely, haven’t you?” Giles asked as he looked over at the vampire. “The Powers must be so proud at how fast their champion turned evil. What sort of benefit package do you get here? A virgin every Friday for you to rape and eat?”
“That’s enough!” Angel said as he stood from his seat.
Giles closed the folder and glanced at Angel. “Do sit down before I force you to sit down,” he growled. He then turned to the rest of them. “I believe Fred and I can handle getting Dana on our own. Then we’ll take her back to England and have the Council help her.”
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"You are so out of line, man!" Charles said, sounding more like his old self. "I don't know where you think you get off. Fred, tell him--."
"What?" Fred interrupted, raising her eyebrows. "Rupert is right that Dana is the Council's responsibility, and we should be the ones helping her, not Wolfram and Hart."
"Wolfram and Hart can help her too - and we can help her faster," he told her. "We have state of the art medical facilities. We just need you to help us figure out how to get her to come in. If you try to take her on your own, we could file a court injuction to keep you from taking her out of the country, you know."
"A court injunction? What happened to you?" Fred asked him, staring at him in disbelief and feeling sick that Charles had even threatened that. He sounded like a lawyer! "You're not the same Charles Gunn I knew before. What happened to helping the helpless the best way for them?"
"What happened to you? I thought you were our friend." With that, Charles left the boardroom, slamming the door behind them.
"I should...go see if he's all right," Lorne said. With a glance at Fred that she wasn't completely sure how to read, he hurried out of the room, leaving them alone with Angel.
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“The Council will mop the floor with you, Angel so I suggest you call off your newest lap dog because if he files an injunction, then your unlife will be over, understood?” Giles asked as he looked over at Angel. “And I’ve noticed you haven’t sat down yet.”
“Why does the Council have to have their noses into everything? I only called you here to help capture her and bring her in so Wolfram and Hart can help her,” Angel said with a small scowl. He started to walk toward the door but Giles quickly stood and grabbed Angel before pushing him against the wall.
“You will not take the Slayer. You will not capture her for she’s not a wild animal,” Giles hissed at Angel. The vampire quickly pulled away and went to the door and left. Giles turned and looked at Fred for a moment before picking up Dana’s file. “Fantastic friends you have, love.”
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Quickly, she was on her feet, but before she could say anything, Angel had thrown off Rupert's hold and left the boardroom, leaving them alone. She looked at her husband in disbelief, his little lob at her about the fact that they had been her friends stinging.
"My friends...? Rupert, what the hell was that all about?" she asked, indicating the door that Angel had just left through. "I--I know that you don't like Angel, and I don't blame you for that, so I didn't expect you two to be all chummy and friendly when we came here, but I at least thought--I was hoping that things would at least be civil until we could find out exactly what the story was with Dana, especially since yes, they were my friends. But instead, you come in here and attack Angel, and now instead of working together to help this girl, we're turning it into, I don't know, a...a competition or something! How does that help her?"
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"Look, Fred," he began, trying to keep his voice even. "It was necessary for me to take control. This place… it's obviously changed your friends, and not in a good way. I don't understand why they want to keep her. The last time this firm got a hold of a Slayer, they tried to get her to kill Angel and she almost killed Wesley!" He hadn't realized his voice had started to rise, he was still a bit shaky from his confrontation with Angel. Taking another deep breath, he stepped away from her. "You heard what that one bloke said about the injunction. All of them are prats and I'm happy you didn't come here. Do you want to turn out like them?"
Giles pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Nothing seemed to be coming out right and he didn't want to hurt Fred because of Angel. "Fred… god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be saying these things to you," he quietly said before taking a small step toward her.
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She looked back over at her husband as he sighed and apologized for what he had said to her. When he stepped forward, she practically ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.
"I know," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment. "You're right, though. I was just hoping that we'd be able to keep this civil, that maybe they hadn't changed as much as I feared, but he talked about capturing her, and now they're out there, and..."
She sighed and looked up at him. "Angel and Charles...they used to hate this place and everything it stood for and would have done everything they could have to make sure that no one was touched by their evil. Now...I don't even think I know who they are anymore."
Stepping away from him, she took his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "You're right that we need to do this ourselves. We'll find Dana and take her back to England and get her the real help she deserves."
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Giles wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Fred. This has to be rough on you… seeing your friends like this. And I'm quite sure I didn't make matters any easier. I promise to behave from now on," he said. He bent down to kiss her but was intruppted when the door opened again.
"I heard you made Angel cry, Giles and they you got hitched!"
Giles' body tensed at the sound of the familiar voice behind him. It couldn't be. He felt the blood from his face drain as he turned around and came face-to-face with Spike. "Spike. I thought you were dead," he said.
"Nope. That amulet saved me. Then I ended up here, all ghosty but now I'm solid again," the vampire said before looking at Fred. "Who's the bird?"
"This is my wife, Fred. Fred, this is Spike. The other vampire with a soul."
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Their lips had just brushed together for a kiss when someone else entered the room. Fred dropped down slightly and looked around her husband to see a man who looked like he had taken fashion tips from Billy Idol walking into the room. Obviously, he knew Rupert from the way he was talking to him.
Spike? This was Spike? She had heard his name mentioned a few times here and there. Willow and Xander had said something about him when they had told her about the battle with the First Evil in Sunnydale. They had made it sound, though, like he had been dusted during the battle.
"It's, uh, nice to meet you," Fred said, not sure whether to shake hands with him or what but deciding not to, given everything about this place. "That...that must have been some amulet. I heard you caught on fire."
"And it bloody hurt too, but here I am, good as new," he said, holding his hands out. "Gotta say, I didn't actually believe it when I heard Peaches and Cueball talking out there, but damn if you didn't really go and get married. Sounds like they know you too, pet. Wait, you're not the bird that decided not to come work here are you?"
She nodded. "Actually, I am. I worked with Angel Investigations for a couple of years before...before I decided not to stay on. Ended up working for the Council instead."
"Yeah, they mentioned you guys had restarted the whole kit-n-kaboodle after what happened." He looked back over his shoulder, snickering when he saw Angel and Charles trying to act like they were trying to figure out what they were talking about. "You two so need to come 'round here more often. I haven't seen Angel this off-kilter since the day I popped out of the amulet in the middle of his office."
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"How did this whole amulet thing work then?" Giles curiously asked.
"Well, I popped out, was a ghost and then Knox, he runs the chemistry lab around here, tried to make me corporal but it didn't work. Then one day a box came for me and there was a big flash of light and I was fixed," Spike said with a grin. "Now I'm all noble like and savin' the helpless. Sorta like Angel used to do. Ya here to find that Slayer?"
"Yes."
"Saw her the other night. She likes the docks for some reason. Could show you tonight where I saw her. I don't think Angel should keep her here. The firm will bloody ruin her," Spike said.
"Thank you, Spike," Giles said as the door opened. He watched Gunn and Angel walk in.
"Look, I know we got off to a bad start but Gunn and I discussed it and anything we have at the firm you can use to find Dana. Deal?" He asked Giles as he held out his hand.
"Deal," Giles said without shaking Angel's hand. He glanced out the window and furrowed his brow. "What's Rutherford Sirk doing here?"
"What?" Angel asked, turning around. "Oh, that's the head of our research department. You know him?"
"Yes, I do," Giles said, going for the door. "He used to work for the Council and had a hand in telling the Bringers where the potentials were." Giles glanced back at Fred. "I'll be right back. I need to have a word with Mr. Sirk." And with that, Giles walked out of the room.
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"Fred," Charles said, giving her a smile that was more like the Charles Gunn she had known although still not totally him, "I was wondering if you'd like to see the science lab. It's probably one of the most advanced labs you'll ever see."
Perking her eyebrow, she almost told him that she did work in one of the most advanced labs in the world but decided not to. They were up to something, she could feel it, but for now she'd play along, maybe get some more information on what was going on here, and see if her friends had really changed as much as she feared.
"That would be nice," she told him.
"Maybe you can give ol' Knoxious a few pointers while you're at it," Spike said as Charles opened the door for her.
When they went out into the reception area, Fred glanced over to see Rupert in one of the offices, speaking to another man. He didn't look pleased at all, and given what he had said, she didn't blame him. She reluctantly turned and followed Charles up the stairs to the upper level and down a hallway to a set of double doors. He gave her another smile and pushed the doors open.
"Here we are."
Fred walked into the lab, her eyes widening as she looked around. She adored her lab at the Council, knew that they had equipment that most other labs only dreamed of, but this...she wasn't sure she even recognized some of the things she saw in there.
"Gunn?" a voice said from the other side of the room. She looked over to see a sandy-haired man in a lab coat standing at the top of a set of stairs leading into what loooked to be an office. "Who's this?"
"Knox, I'd like to introduce Winifred Burkle. She almost was your boss."
"Actually, it's Winifred Giles," she said as the man came down to greet her. "And I'm just an old friend. Charles just wanted to show me the lab while I was visiting." She stepped closer to one of the machines, her brow furrowing as she looked at it. "I've never seen anything like this before. What is this? It looks like a spectrophotometer, but...not."
"Very good eye, there. It's actually an experimental type of spectrophotometer. We use it to measure light wavelengths on the astral plane. It was one of the things I used when I was trying to make Spike corporeal again."
She looked at the dials on the machine. "What do you have to do - put the machine out of phase with reality so it can take its measurements?"
"Yeah, that dial allow you to set it to phase out for anywhere from thirty seconds to an hour." Knox watched her for a few moments as she bent over the machine, examining it, then looked over at Charles, obviously impressed. "Why did you guys let her get away? We would have loved having her here."
He shrugged, crossing his arms. "Wasn't our decision, unfortunately. But you know, Fred, you could always still come and work--."
Putting up her hand, she backed away from the counter and shook her head. She should have "No, don't even go there, Charles. I'm happy where I am now. I have a good job and a good life and an amazing husband, and I think--I'd better go find him and see what our plan is with finding Dana." She glanced over at Knox. "It was nice to meet you. Your lab is very impressive."
Without even waiting for Charles, she walked back to the lab doors and walked out into the hallway, taking a deep breath once she was out of there before leaning against the wall. She was glad she had refused to come here with the others back several months ago - she wasn't sure even she would have been able to say no to all that.
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