Angel ran into the alleyway, sword in hand, looking around as the rain poured down. He looked around trying to see if anyone was here. He was aching all over, his fight with Hamilton still taking a toll.

"Boo!" said a British voice from the shadows. It was Spike. He was cut up, bloody, and weaponless but he was alive, for the moment.

"Anyone else?" asked Angel.

"Not so far," answered Spike. He looked down the alley and swallowed nervously. "You feel the heat?"

"It's coming." Angel said simply. They both knew what "it" was. It was the army of Hell.

"Finally got ourselves a decent brawl." said Spike. Angel was about to answer when another voice was heard from down the alleyway.

"Damn," it said. "How did I know the fang boys would pull through?" Gunn kept running but he started to falter. He was weak, Angel could tell but he was still kicking. "You're lucky we're on the same side dogs' cause I was on fire tonight." Angel and Spike helped him sit down on a box. Spike looks at Gunn's wounds. He had a huge cut in his stomach and Angel was pretty sure he stomach had been cut open. More notice, however, was given to a low rumbling that was growing steadily louder.

"You're supposed to wear that red stuff on the inside Charlie boy." said Spike.

Gunn pressed a hand to his side and when he pulled it away it was bright red. "Any word on Wes?" he asked. He was answered by the arrival of another of the group. Illyria jumped down off of a fence behind Angel.

"Wesley's dead." she said. The mere words made Gunn cry and Spike and Angel hang their heads. Wes had been with Angel since the beginning and his death was going to way heavily. "I'm feeling grief for him, I can't seem to control it" she went on. "I wish to do more violence." The noise that had been growing since Gunn's arrival was making itself more known and Angel could just make out movement on the horizon

"Well wishes happen to be horses today," said Spike looking down the alleyway.

"Among other things," said Angel.

An army of demons was closing in on them. Demons of all shapes, sizes, and sorts were bearing down with one thought in mind. Kill them.

"OK," said Gunn standing up, raising his axe with increasing difficulty. "You take the 30,000 on the left."

"You're fading," said Illyria. "You'll last ten minutes at best."

"Then let's make 'em memorable." He answered.

Angel stood there and time seemed to stand still. Ever since 1898 he had been trying to seek redemption for his acts as Angelus, he didn't believe it was possible until, Wesley had shown him the Shanshu Prophecy. It said that the vampire with a soul would shanshu if he prevented the coming apocalypse. He thought that that apocalypse was the incident with Jasmine and when he found it wasn't he stopped believing. This was it though he realized. Everything that he had done was to prepare him for this fight. He, another vampire, a human, and an Old One were against an army of demons sent by the senior partners of Wolfram& Hart to punish Angel. But even despite of the overwhelming odds he smiled.

"Any thoughts in terms of a plan?" asked Spike as the demons drew nearer.

"We fight," said Angel, standing in front of all of them ready for the hammer stroke. A dragon flew overhead and roared. The demons in front were human sized with some nasty looking insect like things with them. To the back there three huge troll like monsters and Angel saw the outline of one as big as the Hyperion.

"Bit more specific?" asked Spike.

"Well personally," said Angel. "I kinda want to slay the dragon." The demon horde screamed and ran forward, weapons swinging. "Let's go to work." Angel swung his sword and slashed the first demon down. He swung his sword like a baseball bat, killing two more. By then he was surrounded by demons, slashing away at any part of his they could reach. The steel of their weapons dug into his skin. They were landing blow upon blow on him and for everyone he killed at least three took its place.

Spike wasn't faring much better. He didn't have a weapon but his hand to hand was nearly unmatched. He was vamped out and stronger than any of the demons attacking him but the sheer numbers were making it hard to fight any enemy at one time. He was already bloodied by his fight with the Fell Brethren but the claws and horns of the attacking demons were turning him redder by the minute.

Gunn who was already half dead was having the worst time. It was hard for him to use his axe to its full potential but the street kid wasn't going down without a fight. The demons hitting him were large, nine and ten feet tall with huge steel weapons and enough strength to punch through a concrete wall. Gunn swung at their legs and chest and managed to fell three of them before they literally jumped on him. All Angel saw was a flash of steel and a monster head rolling before hearing Gunn's last scream.

Illyria was defending herself easily. Her power as an Old One was fading but she still had strength that only Hamilton could overcome. Her punches and kicks sent the demons flying into the walls around them but, like the others, the numbers were too overwhelming and soon she was backed against the fence, screaming with rage and pain until finally her head was taken off and the demons now brought down the full force of their strength on Angel and Spike.

The two soul full vamps were back to back kicking and slashing at demons. They were both cut up and blood was flowing out of them as heavy as the rain. The demons had finally realized what they were and were now thrusting at them with wooden pikes. The first few pikes were knocked away until finally one was thrust through Spike's heart and he exploded in a ball of dust.

"SPIKE!" yelled Angel. Angel vamped and began clawing and biting at anything he could get his hands on. He lunged at one demon but the demon raised his weapon, a wooden stake, and Angel impaled himself on it. He saw the world grow red, then purple and finally black.

Angel thought it was the end, he thought that for sure he was heading to Hell, Spike along with him, but when he opened his eyes he found himself in a place he hadn't been for years.

"So it is true sister," said a voice. "He did sign away his Shanshu."

"And the other?" a female voice said.

"He gave up his destiny."

Angel looked to his side and saw Spike, looking as bewildered as he was.

"The Oracles." whispered Angel.