In Los Angeles, Buffy and her friends pulled up outside the Hyperion Hotel where Angel worked. They knew Wesley worked here as well and Buffy figured this would be the place to drag him out of. She wanted a watcher, and by God she was going to get one. No matter what he wanted. Watchers belonged to the Slayer after all. Really they did. They existed for the Slayer. At least, that's how she saw it.

"Lets go get your Watcher, Buffy," Oz said as they faced the doors.

Xander moved first, trying to act tougher than he was, especially in comparison to what was waiting on the other side of that door.

They stalked up and threw the doors open, trying to look intimidating and as they walked in, they thought they had succeeded because no one was there so they assumed the people were hiding from the power that was The Slayer.

"What do you want?" a cold voice asked from the shadows. Buffy thought it was Angel's but it wasn't warm or hesitant like she was used to his being.

"I need Wesley," Buffy said. "I need a Watcher. Giles isn't coming back.

"You're SOL then, buff," the voice said, still remaining in the shadows. "Because Wesley is not a Watcher anymore and he is most certainly Not going anywhere with you."

"He was my Watcher and I want him, now!" Buffy yelled at the shadows.

Her only reply was a bone-chilling laugh. "You want? Little Girl, I do not Care what You Want. I only care about what He wants and he wants Nothing to do with you," the voice seemed almost taunting in its coldness and Buffy started looking for it.

"Where are you, Angel? Afraid to see me? Afraid I'll just take him from your soul-whipped ass?"

"Soul-Whipped Ass? Well, you know enough about Asses if I'm reading you four right. What's the matter, buff? Can't find one man whose enough to replace me so you have to take a dog, a Bitch and a slut? You can work out later who is what but Oz sniffs ass, Xander licks it and Willow gives it. And what do you do? Oh, you suck, don't you? I wonder if you're as bad in bed to them as you were to me. Do you kiss their asses? No, wait, they kiss yours. Do you get to lay in the middle in the middle of your bed with them crawling all over you? Takes three to replace me huh? I always knew I was too much for a little bitch like you."

"Angel," Buffy whispered as her eyes teared up. Why wasn't he pining for her? Why was he saying such cruel and untrue things about her and her friends? It wasn't right. This didn't sound like her whipped Angel.

"What's the matter, Buffy?" he asked. "Can't take the truth? Aw, I'm sorry. Not!"

"A...¦Angel..." She said piteously. This was her best whining, pouting voice. It always got her what she wanted. Well, this and threats had used to work on Giles all the time. But it didn't anymore and that made her mad. When she got a hold of Giles, After Dawn was 21 and so no longer needing a guardian, she was going to make him pay.

"Angel?" the cold voice asked mockingly as lights began to come up around the hotel lobby and they saw Him standing on the balcony looking down at them with a cold smirk on his face. "I don't know any Angel. What about you guys?"

And there was the sound of crossbows being loaded and blades scraping against blades as it finally registered to Buffy that they were surrounded. She and her group looked back up at who they thought was Angel and Xander paled seeing how he was dressed: Leather pans, velvet shirt opened to reveal the pale expanse of his collar bone and part of his chest. Knee-high boots, ruby teardrop earring and a pendant around his neck. It was set with rubies.

"Nope, no Angel here," Cordelia said as she looked up at Angel.

This group was dressed dangerously and it showed that they would not hesitate to hurt seriously and maybe even kill those who threatened what was theirs.

"English ain't going nowhere with you sluts," a bald black man Willow vaguely remembered was named Gunn said. "English is ours. He belongs with us. Not to mention his mate ain't going to let you touch him."

"His mate?" Buffy scoffed. "Who would mate with that loser?"

"That would be me, Buff," Angelus said as he jumped off the balcony and landed in front of her with his eyes blazing gold but not yet in his game face. He'd moved so fast she was stunned by it and it dawned on her a moment alter that his feet had yet to hit the floor. He was levitating.

"Where did you get this kind of power, Angelus?" Willow demanded.

AND he looked at her and laughed.

"No place you can take it from little girl," he said. "This power is mine and mine alone. Now, you can leave or you can be thrown out. I don't care which. However, my mate is not going Anywhere with you."

"I'm not leaving without Wuss-Boy. I want him as my Watcher."

"This is nothing to do with you, girl," Angelus growled. "You drove Your Chosen Watcher away, you don't get another one. Now, get out. Unless you'd rather my Court and my Childe remove you."

"Figures Spike would come to you," Buffy sneered. "Do you keep him in your bed too? I mean with his chip and all it's not like he's good for anything but being your lap dog.

"Chip?" Angelus said and he smiled in a glacially cold manner. "What chip? Spike doesn't have a chip. He hasn't since a week after he got it."

And the look of horror on her face caused the vampire known as Angelus to laugh insanely at her as his group suddenly moved in on them.

"If they don't leave in the next few minutes, take them to my playroom and show them what real BDSM games are. I have a Mate to get back too."

And he turned away from them and heard as he was levitating back up to the balcony Buffy whining as she was dragged to the doors and ejected. He heard the thuds as the others joined her on the pavement and he laughed with Glee. He did not need them in his family; His Family was here, in this building. And Giles and Dawn and maybe Darius as well. He'd received Tara's letter about what they'd tried to do to Giles. If he were the elder watcher, he would have left too. As it was, if Buffy didn't stop, he was going to pay her back for all the hurt his family had endured at her hands. All of it.