Instantly, Angel rolled out of the way. He felt a sudden swish of air as the makeshift stake plunged down toward his heart. He jumped to his feet, but Kendra was on him again in a flash. Willy raced for the exit and disappeared.

There was no holding back now. As Angel and Kendra fought savagely, they moved through the main room of the club, battling their way toward the rear. The bar's storage area was basically a floor-to-ceiling metal cage where expensive liquor was locked away, and as the two of them crashed inside, bottles shattered everywhere.

Kendra glared at Angel's face. He'd transformed into a vampire now, and his eyes were full of rage. He took up a broken bottle, thrusting it at her to fend her off, and for a split second Kendra hesitated.

"Who are you?" Angel growled.

Kendra backed out of the storage area. Her eyes were wary and she was breathing hard, yet there was an unnerving coolness about her.

"I won't hurt you," Angel promised, "if you tell me what I need to know."

And then, unexpectedly, she smiled.

Angel was incredulous.

"You think this is funny?" he demanded.

Without warning, the door of the storage cage slammed shut.

He watched in disbelief as Kendra bolted it.

"I think it's funnynow," she mocked him.

Angel leapt to the door, shaking it viciously, trying to break the lock.

"That girl," Kendra said. "The one I saw you with before-"

"You stay away from her!"

"I'm afraid you are not in a position to threaten."

Angel pressed his face to the metal gate. "When I get out of here I'll do more than threaten-"

"Then I suggest you move quickly," Kendra replied, glancing at a row of high windows that ran along one wall of the storage cage. Uneasily, Angel followed her eyes.

"Eastern exposure," Kendra explained. "The sun comes in a few hours." A smile touched her lips.

"More than enough time for me to find your girlfriend."

Frustrated, Angel watched her go.

He threw himself desperately against the door of the cage-and then again and again.

But the lock held fast.

And night crept steadily on toward morning.

CHAPTER 10 Giles wasn't sure what time it was.

He only knew that it was somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, and that he hadn't left the library since yesterday.

Bleary-eyed and rumpled, he talked on the telephone now while riffling through yet another book.

"Xander? No, I still haven't heard from Buffy. I think you should go to her house and check on her . . ."

His voice trailed away as he noticed something on one of the pages.

Something important.

"Right away," Giles replied as Xander rattled on. "I don't know . . . get Cordelia to drive you."

He hung up. Quickly he moved over to the table where Willow had fallen asleep at the computer.

Giles shook her gently. Willow woke with a start, her voice shrill as she cried out.

"Don't warn the tadpoles!"

Giles stared down at her, startled by her outburst.

"My goodness," he frowned. "Are you all right?"

"Giles? What are you doing here?"

"You're in the library, Willow. You fell asleep."

"Oh . . . I . . ."

"'Don't warn the tadpoles'?" Giles lifted an eyebrow, and Willow's expression turned sheepish.

"I-I have frog fear." Seeing the amusement on Giles's face, she added, "I'm sorry . . . I conked out."

"Please," Giles reassured her. "You've gone quite beyond the call of duty. And, fortunately, I think I've finally found something."

"You did?"

He nodded, holding up his book. "I had to go back to the Lutheran Index. But I found a description of the missing du Lac manuscript. It's a ritual, Willow. I haven't managed to decipher the exact details, but I believe the purpose is to restore a weak and sickly vampire to full health."

Willow's eyes widened. "A vampire like Drusilla?"

"Exactly."

"What does that have to do with the Order of Taraka? The assassins?"

"I would imagine Spike called them here to get Buffy out of the way," Giles replied. "I'm sure he wants nothing to come between him and his plans to revive his lady love."

Willow looked pleased. "So this is good. We know what the deal is."

"I wish I could agree," Giles sighed. "But all we know is the goal of the ritual. We don't know where it will take place or when . . . we don't know what it entails-"

Willow's face fell. "So this is bad."

"No. No. We just have more work to do."

He tried to smile encouragingly, but Willow gave him a strange look.

"Then why are you all pinched?" she asked tentatively.

Giles stared at her, more worried than ever.

"By George, I think he's got it."

Smiling triumphantly, Spike watched as Dalton closed the du Lac manuscript. With the transcription complete at last, he took the sheet of paper and swept over to Drusilla.

"The key to your cure, ducks!" Spike announced.

He gazed at her adoringly-the pale, consumptive wraith that was Drusilla. She was propped up on a velvet couch, her Tarot cards laid out on her lap, and Spike pressed close to her.

"The missing bloody link!" he went on. "It was-"

"Right in front of us," Drusilla added.

Weakly she took his hand. She led it to one of the cards.

The image Spike saw there was of an angel. But an angel that was falling, plummeting through the sky to an all but certain doom.

Drusilla raised her strange, dark eyes.

"The whole time," she finished.

CHAPTER 11.

The neighborhood was just beginning to waken.

It was still very early, but Xander and Cordelia were already parked in front of Buffy's house, making their way up to her porch.

"I can't even believe you." Cordelia's shrill voice shattered the morning's tranquility. "You drag me out of bed this early for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?"

Xander knocked loudly on the front door. "That's what a lot of the guys say. But it's just locker-room talk. I never pay it any mind."

"Great. So now I'm your taxiand your punching bag."

"I like to think of you more as my witless foil, but have it your way." The door was locked, so Xander began trying windows, searching for a way in. "Come on, Cordy. You can't be a member of the Scooby Gang if you aren't willing to be inconvenienced now and then."

He found what he was looking for. Unlatching the window, he climbed inside.

"Oh, right," Cordelia rolled her eyes. "'Cause I lie awake at night hoping you tweekos will be my best friends. And that my first husband will be a balding, demented, homeless man-"

She broke off as Xander opened the door.

"Buffy could be in trouble," Xander said seriously.

"And, what, exactly, are you going to do about it if she is?" Cordelia asked. They were standing in the living room, and Cordelia scanned the furnishings with a practiced eye. "If you hadn't noticed-you're the lameness.She's the superchick or whatever."

"At least I'm lameness that cares. Which is more than you can say." Xander wasn't kidding now. He turned away from her and headed in the other direction. "I'm going to check upstairs."

Pouting, Cordelia stayed behind. She started to take another quick inventory of Buffy's living room when she was startled by a knock on the front door.

Looking out the window at the top of the door, Cordelia saw a bland, balding salesman, who tipped his hat and held up a briefcase for her to see.

Blush Beautiful Skin Care.

That was enough for Cordelia. She opened the door at once.

"Good day," he said politely. "I am Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics. I was wondering if I might interest you in some free samples?"

"Free?"

Cordelia hesitated. This wasn't even her house, but the offer was just too tempting to resist.

She stepped aside so Mr. Pfister could come in.

And then she closed the door.

In the back storage area of the bar, the first glow of morning light was just beginning to warm the windows.

In human form once again, Angel could feel the dangerous prickling along his skin, could feel the faint throb of panic rising inside him.

Desperately he tried to tear the metal door from its hinges.

He was running out of time.

Angel's apartment was a cool, dark tomb.

A haven from the waking world.

Buffy still lay in Angel's bed, her body curled among his blankets, her arms wrapped tightly around his pillow.

A smile touched her lips.

Now, for the moment, she was safe . . .

Safe and loved in Angel's phantom embrace.