Title: State of Mind
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Description: Angel returns to Sunnydale to warn Buffy of impending danger. When things go awry, he and Xander find themselves having to come to Buffy's rescue by entering her thoughts.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a sense of adventure and some stale cheese puffs. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters. It's their playground. I just like to slide!
*******************************************************************************
The last vampire erupted into dust as Buffy drove Mr. Pointy through his evil, undead hear. She glanced around her, her senses taking everything in. She did not relax her stance until she was sure they were all gone. Then, she reached a hand down into a freshly dug grave and helped pull Xander out.
"Sorry, Buff." He said with a grin. "I didn't expect the guy to go all WWF on me."
"Not a problem. I thought we agreed you were gonna stay fray adjacent anyway."
"That was the plan, but one was set to blindside you, and I had to act fast. The next thing I know, I'm down there."
"A little early to be looking at plots isn't it?"
"With the real estate boom here in pleasant Sunnydale?"
She smiled at his humor and began walking back toward campus. Xander walked with her and continued talking.
"So that was five vamps in three hours. Busy night for the Buffster."
"Yeah," she admitted. "I wonder what's got them all so jumpy?"
"Double Latte night at Starbucks?"
"Doubtful. Probably means some big bad is going to surface."
"So what's the prob. We scope the sitch, assemble the scoobies and kick some vamp tail old school style." Xander appeared way too excited.
"Settle down, Action Lad. We don't even know where to start."
"How about with me?" The voice was familiar. Buffy said his name before she even turned to see him. "Angel?"
Xander turned his eyes toward Angel and then rolled them back in his head. "The Return of the Dark ,Brooding, Undead Guy Part Two," he mumbled to himself.
Buffy looked at her former boyfriend skeptically. "Were you following me again?"
"No. I just got here. Promise."
"And to what do we owe the torment?" Xander asked with a smile.
"Cordy had a vision. All she got was that I needed to be here."
"Vague enough?" Buffy asked. "Doesn't she usually give you more to go on?"
"Yes, but... this one was cryptic."
"Cordelia? Cryptic?" Xander looked confused. "We are talking about Cordelia "Never-met-a-Versace-gown-I-didn't-like" Chase, right?"
Angel actually smiled. "The same."
"That, I wouldn't mind seeing." Xander decided. Then he looked at the awkwardness between Buffy and Angel and decided that maybe they should talk alone. "Look, I'll leave you guys to your wistful glances and head on home."
"No," Angel said flatly. "You have to stay. You were in the vision."
"A lot of my old girlfriends have visions about me," Xander said. "Granted... they are usually strangling me in those visions, but...."
"Well, it was vague," Angel said, "but I'd rather you go with us."
"Go where?" Buffy asked.
"The Master's Lair."
"So anyone else getting the maxi-wig?" Xander asked as the sifted through the rubble of what had once been the Master's prison. "Last time we were here, Buffy died. I mean... I got to put my patented liplock on her, so I'm not complaining."
"Since you saved my life, I'll ignore that comment." Buffy shot him a smile. She would always be grateful that he had been there to save her. "What exactly are we looking for, Angel?"
"Cordelia said it's a box with a gold bat on it."
"Isn't that a bit Bela Lugosi?" Xander questioned. "I thought vamps weren't big on the Bram Stoker-ish habits."
"We're not... normally. But bats are the symbol of certain demon clans. They could be related somehow."
"Like the crazy uncle that lets you play with his hearing aids at every family reunion?" Xander got a look from Angel and Buffy. "Just me, huh?"
"Do we know what the box is for?" Buffy asked. "I mean is it a jewelry box... a bread box."
"No, it's bigger than a bread box," Angel said, not realizing the joke.
"Well, I'm not seeing anything box like." Buffy continued sorting through the rubble. "Maybe it's already been taken."
"Maybe."
"Or maybe the box stops here, and we just need to keep looking. This wreck is a place." Xander lifted up a rock that seemed to be covering a large hole. "Hey, guys, I think I found it."
He reached his hands into the hole and pulled out a mahogany box with a large gold-leaf bat on its top. Angel and Buffy ran over to see it.
"That's it." Angel confirmed.
"Now what?" Buffy asked.
"We open, right?" Xander asked.
"It's supposed to house the spirit of Acricon, so I'm voting no." Angel said.
"Sounds like a farmer's convention," Buffy added.
"Acricon, not Agri-con."
"Oh."
"So, it's kind of a freaky Lovecraft jack-in-the box?" Xander asked.
"Well, Cordelia said it would be loose, but it seems we got here in time."
"See." Buffy said in a sing-song voice. "No worries."
"Yeah, deadboy. Give us a smile. Show us a little fang."
Angel shot Xander a dirty look. "Have I told you how much I don't miss you?"
Xander glared back. "Have I told you how little I care?"
"Boys," Buffy said, trying to get them to regain their focus. "If you can't play nice, you'll have to go to your rooms."
They both got quiet. "I'll take it back to L.A." Angel said. "I'll keep it in a safe place there."
"Fine." Buffy said. She turned to lead the way out when a tremor shook the ground beneath them. Angel stumbled with the box and it flew into the air. Xander dove for it, trying to keep it from hitting the stone floor. He missed it by an inch and it shattered everywhere. Beneath him a chasm opened and he began to fall, but Buffy dove and caught him by the ankle. She pulled him up and he fought to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. All efforts ceased, however, when a green mist flowed all around Buffy and finally into her. She turned and faced Xander with green glowing eyes.
"Oh, yeah." Xander said, with fear dripping from his voice. "This is just a red-letter day for Xander Harris."
Angel watched as Buffy picked Xander up over her head and hurled him toward a pile of rubble. Xander hit hard and was knocked unconscious. She turned her attention to him. "Your turn, lover."
"You're not Buffy." Angel said flatly. "You're Acricon."
"Yet still," the creature in Buffy's body responded. "Her thoughts are revealed to me. You once were a prince of darkness. How have you fallen so far?"
"That was the demon... not me." Angel said, with anger rising in his voice. "Now let her go."
"Never," the demon said. It jumped at Angel, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat. Angel was just as fast, though, and managed to block the flurry of punches thrown by the possessed Buffy. He managed to shift his wait and flip her onto her back. It bought him a few seconds, but then she was back again, this time connecting with an uppercut to the jaw which sent him sprawling.
In the corner, Xander came to just in time to see Buffy shattering a crate and taking from it a broken piece of wood for a stake. She was only three feet from Angel who was on the ground trying to shake off her last punch. Xander ran toward her from behind and tackled her. They fell forward into a pile of rubble. The possessed Buffy hit her head on a stone and blacked out.
"Thanks," Angel said as Xander helped him to his feet.
"Don't mention it. Really. Ever." Xander said with a half smile. "What do we do with Apricot?"
"Acricon."
"Whatever."
"Let's take her back to Giles' place. We'll need to research this thing and see if this can be reversed."
"You mean there's a possibility we could be stuck with Linda Blair here?"
"We won't let that happen," Angel replied. "Grab her ankles."
"Good Lord," Giles said, as Angel and Xander placed Buffy on the couch. "What happened to her?"
"She's possessed by a spirit," Angel said.
"And it ain't school spirit, if you get my drift." Xander was joking to hide the worry. He walked into Giles kitchen and got some ice to put on the Slayer's head. She had a contusion there which, though healing rapidly, needed attention.
"What kind of spirit?" Giles walked to his desk and pulled out a first aid kit. He looked to Angel for an answer as he began looking for a bandage. Above the contusion, along her hairline was a small cut. He cleaned and dressed the wound while Angel recounted their experience at the Master's Lair.
"Acricon?!" Giles shouted when he heard the name.
"That's the spirit." Xander said.
"Then Buffy is in worse danger than you realize. Acricon is a Sheb'eroth spirit. The longer he inhabits a body, the less likely he can be evicted."
"The we better act fast," Angel said. "What should we do?"
"Xander, go get Willow and Tara. Bring them as quickly as you can. Angel, in the weapons chest, you'll find some chains. Chain Buffy head to toe, and then put her back on the couch. I'll research the spell we will need."
Xander made for the door and then turned back. "Hey, Deadboy? Mind if I borrow your wheels?"
Angel tossed him the keys and said, "You dent it and I dent you."
"No problem, Overbite. I'll bring it back in one piece."
Less than thirty minutes later, Acricon was awake and screaming.
"You'll all burn in the pit for this effrontery!" It screamed through Buffy's mouth.
Tara held on to Willow's hand. The sight of the possessed Buffy chained and writhing was truly frightening. She turned her head to give Giles her attention.
"So Willow, Tara and I will perform the ritual. Girls, we must focus and not let ourselves be distracted. This spell is risky for those casting. You must put all of your energy into a well of magic that the spell can feed off of."
"What can I do?" Angel was clearly disturbed by Buffy's straining against the chains.
"You are to be Xander's anchor. He must journey through her mindscape and find Buffy. Without you to anchor him and lend him strength, he may accept her mindscape as reality and never return."
"But why can't I go? I mean, Xander can anchor me. Wouldn't I be better equipped to find her in there?"
"No. Quite the reverse actually. Buffy is a Slayer by birth. She has natural defenses at play that would recognize you as a vampire. She would automatically hide herself deeper. Remember this is Buffy's subconscience. It is impossible for you to be anything but a vampire there. It is all instinct. Xander will represent friendship and trust. Her defenses will be less formidable, allowing him to find her more easily and quickly. Besides, it is your strength of will that makes you a natural choice for the anchor."
"So what do I do when I'm in?" Xander asked appearing to be a little nervous that so much was going to depend on him.
"You will find it difficult to distinguish between reality and her mindscape, but you must." Giles said. "Things will be dreamlike and likely, quite different. You will see things the way Buffy interprets them. But just as with a dream, your mind will automatically accept what you experience as reality. That is why you will need Angel. He will be there to keep you from being lost."
"I thought you said he wasn't going."
"He's not. In the dreamscape, you will be solid and able to react to the things around you. You will also see Angel and he will see you, but he will be intangible and cannot see anything but you. That will keep him grounded in our reality."
"Sounds like a plan," Xander said. "Let's roll."
Giles placed his hand on Xander's shoulder. "I feel I must warn you," he said. "If you should buy into the fantasy, you could become trapped there."
"No sweat, mum," Xander said with a phony, pathetic accent. "I'll have Casper here to save me bum." Everyone just stared. "Okay, I know this is serious. I'm scared that I'll screw up. But if I don't chance it, Buffy's toast. It's not like I have a choice here."
Giles nodded and motioned for Tara and Willow to take their places. The three spellcasters joined hands. Giles told Xander and Angel to join hands as well. They both gave him equally dirty looks. He responded with a stern look of his own.
"For Buffy?" Xander said holding out his hands.
"Only for Buffy," Angel responded taking them in his.
The last thing he heard before the room went dark was Xander saying, "Relax, big boy. I don't bite. That's your gig."
Xander felt like he had been hit by a truck. He opened his eyes to find himself still standing in Giles' living room. Angel was still in front of him, but appeared disoriented. There was no one else in the room. He walked across the living room and called out, but no one answered.
"Okay... something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Xander looked Angel over. He seemed to be staring blankly at the space in front of him.
"Xander?" Angel said waving his hand in front of him. "Can you hear me?"
"I'm over here, Deadboy." Xander said, approaching the vampire. Angel didn't respond. Instead his eyes trailed across the room, following the path Xander had taken.
"Xander? Can you hear me?" Angel followed his path. Xander stood still, knowing Angel would eventually bump into him. Instead, Angel went right through him, which caused a chill to run up Xander's spine.
"Okay, think...." He spoke out loud, though he spoke to himself. "Why is this happening? He can't hear me, but I can hear him. Only.... Wait... I'm having a thought. Yep. That's a thought, alright. This is a test of the Xander broadcast system. my theory is that somehow our timing is off. You seem to be about thirty seconds behind me. By the time you'll hear this, I'll be standing to the right of the front door. If you can hear me, look my way."
Xander began counting out the seconds, while he walked to the front door. He positioned himself and watched Angel following nothing across the room and then stopping near where Xander himself had stopped. By the time Xander had counted to 28, Angel turned his gaze right at him.
"Okay. I'm exactly 28 seconds ahead of you. Not too bad. It just makes communication hard. I'm gonna stand right here, for a minute or so, in case you need to tell me anything."
Angel was already halfway to him. When he got there, he looked at Xander and waited. "This is strange," he said. "But it could be worse. Giles didn't mention this could happen, so this is a variable. Go ahead and begin your search. I'll just be 28 seconds behind you. Start with places she would be most likely to go."
"I'm on it," Xander said. "Let's start with her mom's house."
After 28 seconds, Angel responded. "Yeah, that would be my pick too. Just don't run or anything. All I see is blackness around you; and you look like a snowy picture on a television."
"Deal. Oh, and Angel?"
28 seconds took forever to pass. "Yeah?"
"First one to spot her gets the congratulatory kiss."
To Be Continued...
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Description: Angel returns to Sunnydale to warn Buffy of impending danger. When things go awry, he and Xander find themselves having to come to Buffy's rescue by entering her thoughts.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a sense of adventure and some stale cheese puffs. Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Buffy and all related characters. It's their playground. I just like to slide!
*******************************************************************************
The last vampire erupted into dust as Buffy drove Mr. Pointy through his evil, undead hear. She glanced around her, her senses taking everything in. She did not relax her stance until she was sure they were all gone. Then, she reached a hand down into a freshly dug grave and helped pull Xander out.
"Sorry, Buff." He said with a grin. "I didn't expect the guy to go all WWF on me."
"Not a problem. I thought we agreed you were gonna stay fray adjacent anyway."
"That was the plan, but one was set to blindside you, and I had to act fast. The next thing I know, I'm down there."
"A little early to be looking at plots isn't it?"
"With the real estate boom here in pleasant Sunnydale?"
She smiled at his humor and began walking back toward campus. Xander walked with her and continued talking.
"So that was five vamps in three hours. Busy night for the Buffster."
"Yeah," she admitted. "I wonder what's got them all so jumpy?"
"Double Latte night at Starbucks?"
"Doubtful. Probably means some big bad is going to surface."
"So what's the prob. We scope the sitch, assemble the scoobies and kick some vamp tail old school style." Xander appeared way too excited.
"Settle down, Action Lad. We don't even know where to start."
"How about with me?" The voice was familiar. Buffy said his name before she even turned to see him. "Angel?"
Xander turned his eyes toward Angel and then rolled them back in his head. "The Return of the Dark ,Brooding, Undead Guy Part Two," he mumbled to himself.
Buffy looked at her former boyfriend skeptically. "Were you following me again?"
"No. I just got here. Promise."
"And to what do we owe the torment?" Xander asked with a smile.
"Cordy had a vision. All she got was that I needed to be here."
"Vague enough?" Buffy asked. "Doesn't she usually give you more to go on?"
"Yes, but... this one was cryptic."
"Cordelia? Cryptic?" Xander looked confused. "We are talking about Cordelia "Never-met-a-Versace-gown-I-didn't-like" Chase, right?"
Angel actually smiled. "The same."
"That, I wouldn't mind seeing." Xander decided. Then he looked at the awkwardness between Buffy and Angel and decided that maybe they should talk alone. "Look, I'll leave you guys to your wistful glances and head on home."
"No," Angel said flatly. "You have to stay. You were in the vision."
"A lot of my old girlfriends have visions about me," Xander said. "Granted... they are usually strangling me in those visions, but...."
"Well, it was vague," Angel said, "but I'd rather you go with us."
"Go where?" Buffy asked.
"The Master's Lair."
"So anyone else getting the maxi-wig?" Xander asked as the sifted through the rubble of what had once been the Master's prison. "Last time we were here, Buffy died. I mean... I got to put my patented liplock on her, so I'm not complaining."
"Since you saved my life, I'll ignore that comment." Buffy shot him a smile. She would always be grateful that he had been there to save her. "What exactly are we looking for, Angel?"
"Cordelia said it's a box with a gold bat on it."
"Isn't that a bit Bela Lugosi?" Xander questioned. "I thought vamps weren't big on the Bram Stoker-ish habits."
"We're not... normally. But bats are the symbol of certain demon clans. They could be related somehow."
"Like the crazy uncle that lets you play with his hearing aids at every family reunion?" Xander got a look from Angel and Buffy. "Just me, huh?"
"Do we know what the box is for?" Buffy asked. "I mean is it a jewelry box... a bread box."
"No, it's bigger than a bread box," Angel said, not realizing the joke.
"Well, I'm not seeing anything box like." Buffy continued sorting through the rubble. "Maybe it's already been taken."
"Maybe."
"Or maybe the box stops here, and we just need to keep looking. This wreck is a place." Xander lifted up a rock that seemed to be covering a large hole. "Hey, guys, I think I found it."
He reached his hands into the hole and pulled out a mahogany box with a large gold-leaf bat on its top. Angel and Buffy ran over to see it.
"That's it." Angel confirmed.
"Now what?" Buffy asked.
"We open, right?" Xander asked.
"It's supposed to house the spirit of Acricon, so I'm voting no." Angel said.
"Sounds like a farmer's convention," Buffy added.
"Acricon, not Agri-con."
"Oh."
"So, it's kind of a freaky Lovecraft jack-in-the box?" Xander asked.
"Well, Cordelia said it would be loose, but it seems we got here in time."
"See." Buffy said in a sing-song voice. "No worries."
"Yeah, deadboy. Give us a smile. Show us a little fang."
Angel shot Xander a dirty look. "Have I told you how much I don't miss you?"
Xander glared back. "Have I told you how little I care?"
"Boys," Buffy said, trying to get them to regain their focus. "If you can't play nice, you'll have to go to your rooms."
They both got quiet. "I'll take it back to L.A." Angel said. "I'll keep it in a safe place there."
"Fine." Buffy said. She turned to lead the way out when a tremor shook the ground beneath them. Angel stumbled with the box and it flew into the air. Xander dove for it, trying to keep it from hitting the stone floor. He missed it by an inch and it shattered everywhere. Beneath him a chasm opened and he began to fall, but Buffy dove and caught him by the ankle. She pulled him up and he fought to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest. All efforts ceased, however, when a green mist flowed all around Buffy and finally into her. She turned and faced Xander with green glowing eyes.
"Oh, yeah." Xander said, with fear dripping from his voice. "This is just a red-letter day for Xander Harris."
Angel watched as Buffy picked Xander up over her head and hurled him toward a pile of rubble. Xander hit hard and was knocked unconscious. She turned her attention to him. "Your turn, lover."
"You're not Buffy." Angel said flatly. "You're Acricon."
"Yet still," the creature in Buffy's body responded. "Her thoughts are revealed to me. You once were a prince of darkness. How have you fallen so far?"
"That was the demon... not me." Angel said, with anger rising in his voice. "Now let her go."
"Never," the demon said. It jumped at Angel, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat. Angel was just as fast, though, and managed to block the flurry of punches thrown by the possessed Buffy. He managed to shift his wait and flip her onto her back. It bought him a few seconds, but then she was back again, this time connecting with an uppercut to the jaw which sent him sprawling.
In the corner, Xander came to just in time to see Buffy shattering a crate and taking from it a broken piece of wood for a stake. She was only three feet from Angel who was on the ground trying to shake off her last punch. Xander ran toward her from behind and tackled her. They fell forward into a pile of rubble. The possessed Buffy hit her head on a stone and blacked out.
"Thanks," Angel said as Xander helped him to his feet.
"Don't mention it. Really. Ever." Xander said with a half smile. "What do we do with Apricot?"
"Acricon."
"Whatever."
"Let's take her back to Giles' place. We'll need to research this thing and see if this can be reversed."
"You mean there's a possibility we could be stuck with Linda Blair here?"
"We won't let that happen," Angel replied. "Grab her ankles."
"Good Lord," Giles said, as Angel and Xander placed Buffy on the couch. "What happened to her?"
"She's possessed by a spirit," Angel said.
"And it ain't school spirit, if you get my drift." Xander was joking to hide the worry. He walked into Giles kitchen and got some ice to put on the Slayer's head. She had a contusion there which, though healing rapidly, needed attention.
"What kind of spirit?" Giles walked to his desk and pulled out a first aid kit. He looked to Angel for an answer as he began looking for a bandage. Above the contusion, along her hairline was a small cut. He cleaned and dressed the wound while Angel recounted their experience at the Master's Lair.
"Acricon?!" Giles shouted when he heard the name.
"That's the spirit." Xander said.
"Then Buffy is in worse danger than you realize. Acricon is a Sheb'eroth spirit. The longer he inhabits a body, the less likely he can be evicted."
"The we better act fast," Angel said. "What should we do?"
"Xander, go get Willow and Tara. Bring them as quickly as you can. Angel, in the weapons chest, you'll find some chains. Chain Buffy head to toe, and then put her back on the couch. I'll research the spell we will need."
Xander made for the door and then turned back. "Hey, Deadboy? Mind if I borrow your wheels?"
Angel tossed him the keys and said, "You dent it and I dent you."
"No problem, Overbite. I'll bring it back in one piece."
Less than thirty minutes later, Acricon was awake and screaming.
"You'll all burn in the pit for this effrontery!" It screamed through Buffy's mouth.
Tara held on to Willow's hand. The sight of the possessed Buffy chained and writhing was truly frightening. She turned her head to give Giles her attention.
"So Willow, Tara and I will perform the ritual. Girls, we must focus and not let ourselves be distracted. This spell is risky for those casting. You must put all of your energy into a well of magic that the spell can feed off of."
"What can I do?" Angel was clearly disturbed by Buffy's straining against the chains.
"You are to be Xander's anchor. He must journey through her mindscape and find Buffy. Without you to anchor him and lend him strength, he may accept her mindscape as reality and never return."
"But why can't I go? I mean, Xander can anchor me. Wouldn't I be better equipped to find her in there?"
"No. Quite the reverse actually. Buffy is a Slayer by birth. She has natural defenses at play that would recognize you as a vampire. She would automatically hide herself deeper. Remember this is Buffy's subconscience. It is impossible for you to be anything but a vampire there. It is all instinct. Xander will represent friendship and trust. Her defenses will be less formidable, allowing him to find her more easily and quickly. Besides, it is your strength of will that makes you a natural choice for the anchor."
"So what do I do when I'm in?" Xander asked appearing to be a little nervous that so much was going to depend on him.
"You will find it difficult to distinguish between reality and her mindscape, but you must." Giles said. "Things will be dreamlike and likely, quite different. You will see things the way Buffy interprets them. But just as with a dream, your mind will automatically accept what you experience as reality. That is why you will need Angel. He will be there to keep you from being lost."
"I thought you said he wasn't going."
"He's not. In the dreamscape, you will be solid and able to react to the things around you. You will also see Angel and he will see you, but he will be intangible and cannot see anything but you. That will keep him grounded in our reality."
"Sounds like a plan," Xander said. "Let's roll."
Giles placed his hand on Xander's shoulder. "I feel I must warn you," he said. "If you should buy into the fantasy, you could become trapped there."
"No sweat, mum," Xander said with a phony, pathetic accent. "I'll have Casper here to save me bum." Everyone just stared. "Okay, I know this is serious. I'm scared that I'll screw up. But if I don't chance it, Buffy's toast. It's not like I have a choice here."
Giles nodded and motioned for Tara and Willow to take their places. The three spellcasters joined hands. Giles told Xander and Angel to join hands as well. They both gave him equally dirty looks. He responded with a stern look of his own.
"For Buffy?" Xander said holding out his hands.
"Only for Buffy," Angel responded taking them in his.
The last thing he heard before the room went dark was Xander saying, "Relax, big boy. I don't bite. That's your gig."
Xander felt like he had been hit by a truck. He opened his eyes to find himself still standing in Giles' living room. Angel was still in front of him, but appeared disoriented. There was no one else in the room. He walked across the living room and called out, but no one answered.
"Okay... something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Xander looked Angel over. He seemed to be staring blankly at the space in front of him.
"Xander?" Angel said waving his hand in front of him. "Can you hear me?"
"I'm over here, Deadboy." Xander said, approaching the vampire. Angel didn't respond. Instead his eyes trailed across the room, following the path Xander had taken.
"Xander? Can you hear me?" Angel followed his path. Xander stood still, knowing Angel would eventually bump into him. Instead, Angel went right through him, which caused a chill to run up Xander's spine.
"Okay, think...." He spoke out loud, though he spoke to himself. "Why is this happening? He can't hear me, but I can hear him. Only.... Wait... I'm having a thought. Yep. That's a thought, alright. This is a test of the Xander broadcast system. my theory is that somehow our timing is off. You seem to be about thirty seconds behind me. By the time you'll hear this, I'll be standing to the right of the front door. If you can hear me, look my way."
Xander began counting out the seconds, while he walked to the front door. He positioned himself and watched Angel following nothing across the room and then stopping near where Xander himself had stopped. By the time Xander had counted to 28, Angel turned his gaze right at him.
"Okay. I'm exactly 28 seconds ahead of you. Not too bad. It just makes communication hard. I'm gonna stand right here, for a minute or so, in case you need to tell me anything."
Angel was already halfway to him. When he got there, he looked at Xander and waited. "This is strange," he said. "But it could be worse. Giles didn't mention this could happen, so this is a variable. Go ahead and begin your search. I'll just be 28 seconds behind you. Start with places she would be most likely to go."
"I'm on it," Xander said. "Let's start with her mom's house."
After 28 seconds, Angel responded. "Yeah, that would be my pick too. Just don't run or anything. All I see is blackness around you; and you look like a snowy picture on a television."
"Deal. Oh, and Angel?"
28 seconds took forever to pass. "Yeah?"
"First one to spot her gets the congratulatory kiss."
To Be Continued...