"Damn! Girl! Please, stop, breathe. Open that hole of yours when you can say a one-syllable word in *one* syllable."

Angel gave Faith a dirty look. "Faith, give Fred a break. She's excited."

Faith smirked at Angel. "She's always excited when you're around."

Angel lost his composure for a second as he glanced at the girl who stared at him adoringly. "Faith," he warned in a low voice.

Faith deepened her smirk and swung her legs over the arm of the chair she was lounging in. "Alright, alright, Angel. You listen to that stutter until you're ready to pull an Angelus and snap her neck. I'll just watch in amusement while you play patient."

Angel rolled his eyes in exasperation and turned back to Fred, trying to be as calm and understanding as he knew how to be. "Fred, I know I promised I'd go to the Physics of Metaphysics workshop with you, but Faith and I have to go fight this monster. You heard Wesley say how strong it was, right? Faith and I are the only ones who can do it. We have to go."

Fred's smile wavered and her gaze fell, but she nodded rapidly. "I understand, Angel. Big ugly demons that hurt people need to be killed. That's your job. I know. You and Faith. You kill things that hurt people like me who can't defend ourselves." She quieted and turned to look longingly out the window. "I guess I'll just go back upstairs to my room-"

Angel cut her off. "No!" She looked at him in surprise and he scrambled for something to say. "You don't need to go to your room, you could..." He trailed off, looking at Faith helplessly.

Faith looked thoughtful for a moment. "You could take Wes," she suggested. "That boy is way too stuck in paranormal-ville. Get him interested in something that has an organic explanation."

Angel smiled a relieved thank-you at her, turning back to Fred. "That's a good idea, Fred. Why don't you take Wesley with you? I'm sure he'd enjoy an intellectual conversation that has nothing to do with the supernatural."

Fred flushed slightly and shook her head, her eyes widening. "Oh, oh no. I couldn't do that. Ask him? No. No, I'll just go upstairs, and, and, well, I'll work on my theorems." She nodded to herself, relieved to find an excuse. "Yeah. Yeah, that's it, I'll work on my theorems."

Faith stood quickly and extended a hand. "Fred, you're going to the damn physics workshop. I'll ask Wes for you if you won't."

Fred's gaze flew up, her eyes focusing on Faith in a panic. "No! Faith, no, it's alright. I don't need to go."

Faith dropped her hand, putting it instead on her hip and staring at Fred speculatively. "How `bout Gunn or Cordy?" she asked casually.

Fred shook her head. "No, s'okay," she said shyly. "I know Cordy's not the physics type, neither's Gunn."

Faith looked to Angel in exasperation, who stared back at her with his hands raised in a helpless gesture. "Fred, how bad do you want to go?" Angel asked softly.

Fred smiled tremulously. "Oh good gosh, Angel, I couldn't even tell you," she said softly, reverently. "I haven't been to one in six years. I just know nothing could make me happier. `Cept for being here," she added shyly.

Faith nodded, a determined look on her face. "Then you're going," she said with finality. She took Fred's hand and tugged. "Let's get you ready, put on your favorite glasses and find a pocket protector or something, and we'll figure out who's going with you later."

Angel smiled as Faith led a protesting Fred from the room. He'd been concerned when Faith showed up, solitary bag in hand and a hopeful, apologetic, wary expression on her face. Fred had been skittish enough as it was; she didn't need the introduction of a volatile person like Faith in her life. Faith, however, had developed a fondness for the girl who was older in years but younger in life experience. She was protective of the fluttery, nervous girl who talked too much when she was excited and not enough the rest of the time.

Angel shook himself from the memories of Faith's return and left the room to seek out Wesley. He found him sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book on...Angel peered closer at the book's cover, unable to read the title. He broke into a grin when Wesley shifted and he saw that the book was on Newton's laws. Maybe Wesley would be more than happy to accompany Fred to the physics workshop.

"Good book?" he asked nonchalantly as he came into the kitchen.

Wesley hardly looked up from the text. "It's fascinating, really," he said as his eyes quickly passed over the words in front of him. "I've always understood Newton's laws, naturally, but I never really took the time to understand how they came about and look at the evidence that supports them."

Angel grinned. "Come on, Wes, you're not fooling me. You couldn't be any less interested in Newton's laws than in listening to Cordelia babble about Prada versus Versace, could you?"

Wesley dropped the book and sat back. "It's so bleeding boring!" he exclaimed. "I mean, really, Angel. I considered myself a rather educated man, but one chapter of this book has me screaming for something a little less painful, like repeatedly stabbing myself with a fork."

Angel blinked. "A whole chapter? You made it through a whole chapter?"

Wesley nodded. "I attempted to force myself to understand it, as I would like to understand Fred. But this is just too much to ask."

"Then I take it you probably won't want to accompany Fred to her physics workshop?" Angel remarked off-handedly.

Wesley looked up at him. "What do you mean?" he asked in puzzlement. "I thought you were to take her to the workshop."

"It's tomorrow. The same day that the Quagnar demon you researched is supposed to arrive at Wolfram and Hart," Angel reminded him. "Faith and I have to be there to take care of it, and we have no idea when it's going to show up. I can't afford to be following Fred around at a physics workshop. Faith and I were hoping you'd be willing to take her, because she won't go by herself. And you know exactly how Cordy or Gunn would react if we asked them."

Wesley smiled. "Yes, I can quite imagine the horror on Cordy's face or the blank look Gunn would give us." He thought about it for a second. "I suppose it wouldn't be so terrible to go. I'd like to be able to put a smile on Fred's face. Lord knows she hasn't done nearly enough of it since she's arrived here. And as long as it isn't a three-hour lecture on the origination of Newton's laws, I believe I might even enjoy it."

Angel smiled in relief. "Good. She was so disappointed when I told her I couldn't go. Of course, she pretended like she wasn't, but she was. And she's so fragile, I hate to disappoint her too often."

"It's the nature of our profession, Angel," Wesley reminded him quietly. "How many times are you going to make promises that you'll inevitably have to break? I would advise against making too many promises to Fred. The rest of us understand when plans change, but she doesn't yet. Eventually she'll stop trusting you at all if you continue to break your word about the little things."

Angel nodded slightly. "Which is why I found a replacement for me. So I didn't have to break my word." He stood up and started to leave the kitchen. "Thanks, Wes."

Wesley watched as Angel left, a slightly bitter look crossing his face and then morphing to a wistful one. "Replacement, indeed. What has changed?"

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