---------------------This is a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Challenge. Thank you for reviewing in advance :D.----------------------------
Angel sat behind the desk, humming 'Mandy' under his breath. Or, his not-breath as Cordy
put it. Cordy. It was hard to believe that she wasn't around. Sometimes, he turned his
head and he'd be sure she was sitting on the desk, doing her nails.
Other times he'd hear a voice and be sure it was hers. But it never was.
Wolfram and Hart was affecting him, he knew that it was pretty evil and
sometimes he felt like giving it up, but he could do too much good here to leave.
It wasn't that he didn't enjoy being the boss.
It just felt like although his intentions were good, this law firm had intentions of
its own.
Just then, Lorne strolled in. "Heya Angelcakes," he grinned as only Lorne could grin.
"Listen buddy, we've got a problem on level two. Usually I wouldn't be dealing but Fred's
down in the lab and Wesley's up there keeping the employees quiet."
"He's fighting a losing battle there," said Angel. "What's our problem?"
"Some guy with a big stick threatening to open a portal of some kind.....
you know, that old chestnut."
"Hmmm. Do we know this guy?"
Lorne nodded. "Oh, yeah. He works in the elemental magic department.
He's asking for you, sweetie. We're just holding back the crowds til you come,
he's a pyscho."
Angel groaned as he stood up. "I guess I'm needed, then?"
****************
Wesley held the crossbow directly at the man's heart. "If you try anything, I'll shoot."
The man laughed dryly, twirling the oak staff in his fingers.
"You sound like you're from an old gangster movie," he chuckled.
"I won't do a thing til Angel gets here."
Wesley shifted the crossbow onto his shoulder, still aiming it carefully.
"You won't do anything when he gets here, either."
The man stretched out his arm. "You guys are serious about security here, aren't you?
My beef isn't with Wolfram and Hart. It's with the big man himself."
"Who, Santa Claus?" asked Lorne as he and Angel stepped out of the elevator.
The man glanced at Angel, who frowned at him.
"What are you planning to do? Are you for real, or have we got another joker on our hands?"
The man shook his head. "I'm just the messanger, man."
He threw the arm out holding the staff and held it steady.
"GIGIM BARRA ALAL. TELAL BARRA MASQUIM. UTUQ XUL EDIN NA ZU! ZI ANNA KANPA!
ZI KIA KANPA! NAMTAR ASHAK! MASQIM ALLIE EDIN NA ZU!"
Angel stepped forward. "Hey!"
"KEIGALAL BARRA. MULLA XUL EDIN NA ZU. LILITU BARRA!"
There was a bright light and they were all thrown backwards,
including the man holding the staff- but he left the staff behind. It was floating in
the air, and at the top a swirling green vortex had begun to appear. It grew bigger
and bigger, until it could stand alone and the staff dropped to the ground.
Angel got up. He grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck.
"What did you just do? What happened?" he growled.
The man's eyes grew wide and frightened as he saw Angel's demonic side.
"I didn't know it was so powerful, I swear if I'd known it was this... big,
I wouldn't have taken the job!"
"Job? So working at Wolfram and Hart isn't good enough for you, eh?
You wanted a job on the side?"
"Please don't hurt me!" the man wailed.
Angel put him down but kept his hands on the man's shoulders, and looked into his eyes.
"Who do you work for?"
"I'm innocent! I swear!"
"WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?"
The man trembled as Angel shouted down his ear.
"Please sir, I don't know! They sent me a letter, would I like a job for five
hundred bucks. Told me how to say the words and everything.
But it didn't have a reply address or nothing. Just told me I'd be paid."
Angel let go of the man angrily and turned to the swirling portal.
Wesley was looking into it.
"What do you see?" Angel asked him.
"Nothing," he replied. "Just fog. Dirty fog."
Angel approached the portal. "Hello?" he tried. "Anyone there?"
Lorne picked up a piece of paper from a random table, scrunched it up and chucked
it in. "Just to see where it goes," he said.
Almost immediately, it flew back out again. But this time, it was followed by a dark shadow.
It flew out of the portal and landed hard on the floor beside the three.
It was a human shape. They moved to investigate.
"Are it alive?" asked Wesley.
Angel sniffed the air. "Yes. Let's check them."
He turned over the body and found a man of about his height and build,
black hair and a thick jaw. He was wearing a cotton shirt and trousers.
His eyes flickered. "This one's conscious," said Angel,
and the two others squatted down next to him.
The man groaned, then opened his eyes. "Who-?"
Lorne looked at the man and then at Angel, then back to the man,
then back to Angel, recognition setting in. Angel, too, was frowning at the man that lay
in his arms, brow furrowed in thought.
Wesley touched the man's shoulder.
"What's your name?" he asked quietly, as he started to see the resemblence too.
"My name?" said the man in a croaked Irish accent. My name's Liam."
Angel sat behind the desk, humming 'Mandy' under his breath. Or, his not-breath as Cordy
put it. Cordy. It was hard to believe that she wasn't around. Sometimes, he turned his
head and he'd be sure she was sitting on the desk, doing her nails.
Other times he'd hear a voice and be sure it was hers. But it never was.
Wolfram and Hart was affecting him, he knew that it was pretty evil and
sometimes he felt like giving it up, but he could do too much good here to leave.
It wasn't that he didn't enjoy being the boss.
It just felt like although his intentions were good, this law firm had intentions of
its own.
Just then, Lorne strolled in. "Heya Angelcakes," he grinned as only Lorne could grin.
"Listen buddy, we've got a problem on level two. Usually I wouldn't be dealing but Fred's
down in the lab and Wesley's up there keeping the employees quiet."
"He's fighting a losing battle there," said Angel. "What's our problem?"
"Some guy with a big stick threatening to open a portal of some kind.....
you know, that old chestnut."
"Hmmm. Do we know this guy?"
Lorne nodded. "Oh, yeah. He works in the elemental magic department.
He's asking for you, sweetie. We're just holding back the crowds til you come,
he's a pyscho."
Angel groaned as he stood up. "I guess I'm needed, then?"
****************
Wesley held the crossbow directly at the man's heart. "If you try anything, I'll shoot."
The man laughed dryly, twirling the oak staff in his fingers.
"You sound like you're from an old gangster movie," he chuckled.
"I won't do a thing til Angel gets here."
Wesley shifted the crossbow onto his shoulder, still aiming it carefully.
"You won't do anything when he gets here, either."
The man stretched out his arm. "You guys are serious about security here, aren't you?
My beef isn't with Wolfram and Hart. It's with the big man himself."
"Who, Santa Claus?" asked Lorne as he and Angel stepped out of the elevator.
The man glanced at Angel, who frowned at him.
"What are you planning to do? Are you for real, or have we got another joker on our hands?"
The man shook his head. "I'm just the messanger, man."
He threw the arm out holding the staff and held it steady.
"GIGIM BARRA ALAL. TELAL BARRA MASQUIM. UTUQ XUL EDIN NA ZU! ZI ANNA KANPA!
ZI KIA KANPA! NAMTAR ASHAK! MASQIM ALLIE EDIN NA ZU!"
Angel stepped forward. "Hey!"
"KEIGALAL BARRA. MULLA XUL EDIN NA ZU. LILITU BARRA!"
There was a bright light and they were all thrown backwards,
including the man holding the staff- but he left the staff behind. It was floating in
the air, and at the top a swirling green vortex had begun to appear. It grew bigger
and bigger, until it could stand alone and the staff dropped to the ground.
Angel got up. He grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck.
"What did you just do? What happened?" he growled.
The man's eyes grew wide and frightened as he saw Angel's demonic side.
"I didn't know it was so powerful, I swear if I'd known it was this... big,
I wouldn't have taken the job!"
"Job? So working at Wolfram and Hart isn't good enough for you, eh?
You wanted a job on the side?"
"Please don't hurt me!" the man wailed.
Angel put him down but kept his hands on the man's shoulders, and looked into his eyes.
"Who do you work for?"
"I'm innocent! I swear!"
"WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?"
The man trembled as Angel shouted down his ear.
"Please sir, I don't know! They sent me a letter, would I like a job for five
hundred bucks. Told me how to say the words and everything.
But it didn't have a reply address or nothing. Just told me I'd be paid."
Angel let go of the man angrily and turned to the swirling portal.
Wesley was looking into it.
"What do you see?" Angel asked him.
"Nothing," he replied. "Just fog. Dirty fog."
Angel approached the portal. "Hello?" he tried. "Anyone there?"
Lorne picked up a piece of paper from a random table, scrunched it up and chucked
it in. "Just to see where it goes," he said.
Almost immediately, it flew back out again. But this time, it was followed by a dark shadow.
It flew out of the portal and landed hard on the floor beside the three.
It was a human shape. They moved to investigate.
"Are it alive?" asked Wesley.
Angel sniffed the air. "Yes. Let's check them."
He turned over the body and found a man of about his height and build,
black hair and a thick jaw. He was wearing a cotton shirt and trousers.
His eyes flickered. "This one's conscious," said Angel,
and the two others squatted down next to him.
The man groaned, then opened his eyes. "Who-?"
Lorne looked at the man and then at Angel, then back to the man,
then back to Angel, recognition setting in. Angel, too, was frowning at the man that lay
in his arms, brow furrowed in thought.
Wesley touched the man's shoulder.
"What's your name?" he asked quietly, as he started to see the resemblence too.
"My name?" said the man in a croaked Irish accent. My name's Liam."