...is a promise.

[angelbuffy]

It was amazing that I was able to get this far when it comes to Giles. I knew that he didn’t want me even a plane ride away from Angel and his crew over at Wolfram and Hart, and to be honest, a few months ago, I didn’t want to be either. Something drastically changed my mind, and even I didn’t know what exactly it was. Maybe it was this sort of

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[angelbuffy]

I sat back, because I knew what was coming, and I had heard all of this before, but it had been a while since I had even brought up Angel and Spike. It was only yesterday that I told him, and I thought he had accepted the fact that I was. Apparently, though, he was in denial.

"Buffy, Angel and Spike have made their beds. Wolfram and Hart represents some of the most prolific evil that the world has seen. They have been seduced by it, sucked in by it. They have lost Cordelia and other friends, and are still there. I doubt that even you can convince them to turn their back on the place, and the only way that they will be receiving aide from the Watcher's Council is if they do, in fact, close up shop there..."

I wasn't looking at him in the eye this way, I looked to the side, waiting for him to finish.

"Buffy, I am deathly afraid of your attraction to both of them clouding your judgment. I do not want to see you pulled in by the mischieviousness, by the utter malevolence of that lair, that death factory, and furthermore, it is a horrific example to be setting for the new slayers..to see you, the leader of the slayers, go to aide a place of evil..."

I was afraid of that line. I had only a half an hour to convince Giles that what I was doing was the right thing, to make him see what I saw. Which, to be honest, I wasn't even sure of. I had been on Giles' side when it came to Angel and Spike. For the most part, he was right, but he was convinced that things couldn't be changed, and that's where we differed.

"Giles, I know. I'm by no means saying that they are right in what they're doing right now. In fact, they are digging their own graves, and they have been since Angel and crew took the offer. As much as you don't believe it though, I think I can turn them around and make a difference. They aren't soulless, Giles. It'd be a completely different story if they were. But they aren't, and that means that I can set them straight, that I can convince them they are on the wrong path."

He was sighing, and giving me that Giles look. I hated that look, because it usually meant he was going to top what I was saying. Giles was Giles. I'd known him for years, and he was never going to change.

"You're right. But don't worry. I'm not going to get pulled in by Wolfram and Hart. I don't have clouded judgment. And the slayers don't have to know. Not now anyway. At least until things change. And they will."

That damn look again.

"Giles I'm going. You're just going to have to trust me."

[backintweed]

I looked around. Dawn was in class, and I wa ssure that Buffy had already told her this immutably insane plan. Xander was out with a couple of the girls patrolling areas that would need patrolling. Those two girls, Selena and Natalia, were new and Xander was going to show them the ropes. Andrew was elsewhere, although he was supposed to be here, as his charges were many, focusing mainly on the orient. He was set to fly to Sydney, in fact, later in the week.

I was glad that this happened to be occurring alone. Buffy was no child. She had amassed tremendous credentials, had cheated death and had saved the world far too many times to be chastized in front of others.

Still, I hurriedly made my way to the open study door at the estate, and closed it, just in case.

"Giles, I know. I'm by no means saying that they are right in what they're doing right now. In fact, they are digging their own graves, and they have been since Angel and crew took the offer. As much as you don't believe it though, I think I can turn them around and make a difference. They aren't soulless, Giles. It'd be a completely different story if they were. But they aren't, and that means that I can set them straight, that I can convince them they are on the wrong path."

I knew very well how they were. Spike would always be soulless and would always be a pain in the derriere. Angel wasn't soulless, but could always become that way, and I always had the reminder of Jenny to make that point a sticking bullet in my head, whenever I thought about Wolfram and Hart and Angel being the CEO of the Los Angeles branch.

"You're right. But don't worry. I'm not going to get pulled in by Wolfram and Hart. I don't have clouded judgment. And the slayers don't have to know. Not now anyway. At least until things change. And they will."

She was planning on doing this in secrecy, and I certainly wasn't opposed to that part of it. I just wished irrefutably that there was no need for secrecy and that she would reconsider this drastic and abundantly dismal course of action. She sensed my yearning to speak and beat me to the punch again, with her trademark with and speed.

"Giles I'm going. You're just going to have to trust me."

"I have never had a problem when it comes to trusting you, Buffy. You know that." I looked at her with caring eyes, probing, trying to reach her. "Buffy, I know that you care about their plight, but I must warn you before you go, that the signs have pointed to something cataclysmic happening in Los Angeles concerning that dreadful law firm. I am not telling this to you now to scare you, for I know that it would only further motivate you to go help your demon friends. I'm just not immersed with this idea. The danger could be truly high, even for the likes of you, and especially alone..."

I'd been considering forming a party to travel to Los Angeles, although, not to help Angel, Spike or Wesley. This was about protecting innocent persons, even in a city that seemed to not have a soul in it's own right. I couldn't stop Buffy once she had made up her mind, but I could consider other sources of action with the power that I had at my disposal. Buffy wouldn't know about it, though, especially if she was going without my approval, or acclaim.

[angelbuffy]

"Buffy, I know that you care about their plight, but I must warn you before you go, that the signs have pointed to something cataclysmic happening in Los Angeles concerning that dreadful law firm. I am not telling this to you now to scare you, for I know that it would only further motivate you to go help your demon friends. I'm just not immersed with this idea. The danger could be truly high, even for the likes of you, and especially alone..."

When he said that, he was right. It did motivate me more to try to get there as fast as I could. I wasn't going to deny that I was a bit angry for not telling me about this earlier. I could understand why he didn't though. If he had when he had first found out, him and I both know I'd be on the first flight out of here. I could see the depth of care in his eyes when he was telling me this, and basically pleading for me not to go. It wasn't going to change my mind about going, but it did change my mind about getting into an argument for his filtering of problems in Los Angeles from me. I knew he was only trying to help, and I could understand that.

"It's all the more reason for me to go now. I need to help them."

I sighed. That seemed a little to much like I was going only to help them. Even though they were a huge part of my reasons, I had a weird feeling about it over there anyway. I didn't know what I was going to do when I got there if Angel and Spike were really as far off the wall as everyone thought. I did know that I was going to do some good there even if it wasn't what I had originally planned. I would only know when I got there.

"If there's something that bad going on, then someone that has the power and the will to stop whatever it is should be there. And it might as well be me."

I looked at the clock, then progressed over to Giles. I was going out on a limb here, but it didn't hurt to mention it.

"You know, I don't have to go alone. But I am going with or without anyone."

[backintweed]

I probably could have chosen a better, more fertive argument to persuade Buffy not to go. I realized that I had let my rather large mouth get in the way of my, at the moment, rather small brain when bringing up the conversation that I had heard from a colleague in California earlier with Buffy.

"It's all the more reason for me to go now. I need to help them."

"If there's something that bad going on, then someone that has the power and the will to stop whatever it is should be there. And it might as well be me."

Here was the point where I was rather challenged to come up with words. I did not want her to take that flight to Los Angeles. But, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to convince her to stay. At the same time, I didn't want to inform her that she actually wouldn't be alone when over there, even though I hadn't considered who I was sending as of yet to assist. It wouldn't be Faith. I needed her to be ready to assist some of the other girls if Buffy was indeed going to Los Angeles.

Kennedy was on a sabbatical with Willow, otherwise, I would have been immediately contacting her.

I would formulate a strategy and it would be executed. i just wished that Buffy wasn't involved, that she wasn't going. I had planned on intervening without her knowledge. Andrew was the only other that knew it at the moment, though.

"You know, I don't have to go alone. But I am going with or without anyone."

She was resolvant, and no act of man or god would change her mind at this point.

"If all of the signs are correct, Buffy, you may very well find nothing there to go to. Maybe, you should reconsider this and as a unit, as the Council, we can examine how we want to go abou..."

I stopped because I had just admitted to her that what I had heard very much intimated that Spike, Angel and all there would be dead within the end of the next day or two. I had indeed tried to contact Wesley to inform him, not that it would do any good, but I hadn't been able to reach him.

Buffy's eyes became steely as she realized the true weight of the words that I had just dropped on her ears. I truly despised being nefarious about withholding information, but as I had once said to her, a general had to pick his battles.

[angelbuffy]

My eyes kept going back and forth from the clock to the frustrated eyes of Giles. I needed to get out of here soon. The plane was leaving, and I wasn't going to miss it, especially with the information that he had just told me; that there was some event that was going to happen having to do with Wolfram and Hart.

I needed to get on that plane. I knew I was going alone here. I clenched the rather heavy bag in my hand. I was about to take another step forward when Giles let something slip that made me hold my breath and made my heart nearly stop beating.

"If all of the signs are correct, Buffy, you may very well find nothing there to go to. Maybe, you should reconsider this and as a unit, as the Council, we can examine how we want to go abou..."

Immediately after the words had slipped his mouth, I knew he regretted them. I suddenly felt cold, and worried at the same time. This wasn't just going to be cataclysmic, this was going to be complete destruction if the 'signs' were telling the truth.

I didn't have time to yell at Giles, and I didn't have time to argue anymore. All that was left for me to do was hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and get on that plane. My plan had changed. Drastically. My original plan was to put Angel, Spike, and Wesley on the right track. To, prove to them that they were on the wrong one, to maybe help them to destroy Wolfram and Hart.

Now, it was potentially to find them alive first. I choked back my words, and started for the door. I was glad that Dawn knew this plan, but I had a feeling that I might be gone longer than we both thought.

I looked at the wood on the door, as my hand clenched the knob.

"I need a ride to the airport."

[backintweed]

There were very few times in my life when I was worried about Buffy cold-cocking me, but now was one of those times. Her eyes hardened and her features quickened upon hearing my words.

Once again, I wanted to congratulate myself for opening my mouth and spilling things that she didn't need to know. Then again, she was going. Nobody was going to stop her once her mind was made up.

After a terse few moments of angry silence, she spoke up and put me in a position where I knew that I was going to be the party helping her with ehr request.

"I need a ride to the airport."

Bloody going to Heatthrow at this time of the day was like having a colonoscopy. Not digressing into that topic, especially with Buffy waiting expectantly for me, but having one of those, which I have now had two....well, I would rather face a vampire without a weapon of any kind.

"Very well, Buffy, I shall drive you."

Wordless, we made our way out of the estate and into the BMW 740 in the driveway in front of the rather immense garage. We headed out of the estate and onto the roads that would lead to the outskirts of town in only mere moments.

Those moments passed quickly and silently as well and I knew that I had to say something. "If it's any consolation, Buffy, I had planned on getting involved in this, only I wasn't intending on using yourself or Faith because of your relationships with Angel, Wesley and Spike..."

I pulled up to the logjam of traffic and looked at her as we moved closer to the front entrances to the very substantial hub of an airport. She was ticked at me to a power that was exponentially high, but I had to say something to the girl who had come to be the daughter that I had never had, who was deservedly perturbed with me.

"Buffy, every decision that I make is to protect you and the others and always has been. I'm sorry. Still, what do you plan to do over there? The devastation could be extreme. You won't be gung-ho and cavlier about the doling out of punishment, will you?"

She absorbed the words, looked at me, said nothing, got out, grabbed her bag off of the backseat and left me in her wake; left me in her wake with worry and despair.

She truly wouldn't be alone over there. Again, those that were there, would keep themselves shielded from her. I refused to let Buffy know that I was keeping tabs on her. Still, it was Buffy. She was more capable then anyone that I had ever met, but how could I not watch for her?

A horn blared at me repeatedly from behind me as I watched her disappear through the door. I didn't immediately leave, but eventually did, knowing that I had to formulate a strategy to help her and had to get the girls that I wanted for this task and discuss with them what they were to do.