SACRIFICE

Summary: Would you sacrifice your soul mate to save the world? Lorne-centric.

DISCLAIMER: All Angel characters and parts of scene content from season 5 belong to Joss Whedon & Mutant Enemy.

A/N: Set in season 4 to begin with then in season 5.

PROLOGUE

Lorne zipped up his suitcase and looked around his room to see if he had forgotten anything.

The door opened and his girlfriend Abigail Williams walked in carrying some more clothes that had come from the dryer. She folded them and placed them neatly in her own suitcase. She zipped it up. " All packed?" Abigail asked him, putting on her coat, " the bus leaves soon."

" Yep. I'm going to miss Angel and the others. I can't believe we're really going." Lorne said wistfully.

" Not having second thoughts are you?"

" No. I'm finished with all this." He picked up his suitcase," Let's go before I change my mind."

" Remember, no goodbyes." Abigail said firmly. Lorne nodded and they went downstairs. Nobody was about so they left the hotel.

There's no turning back now. Lorne thought.

THREE MONTHS LATER

Lorne sat down on his couch still feeling winded after Lee's henchman had punched him the stomach. He was also getting a splitting headache, probably due to tiredness. His next show was in an hour. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes.

Great idea Lorne…go to Las Vegas to start a new life with your girlfriend and end up being held against your will by an evil psychotic. And to make things worse, he hadn't seen or spoken to Abigail in three months. They kept her locked up somewhere else. They haven't killed her-yet. Lorne missed her dreadfully.

He has tried several attempts to give Fred and Gunn some SOS messages every time they called him. So far they haven't worked. They were too occupied in trying to find Angel and Cordy, something has happened to them on the night he left.

Why did I leave? He asked himself, if I hadn't, then Abigail would be safe and maybe Angel and Cordy as well. He heard footsteps outside his door and he grabbed a bottle. If it was Demarco, he was ready for him.

Fred walked into the room, looking around nervously. As she walked by him, Lorne swung the bottle down but catches himself just before hitting her in the head.

" Oh, I'm sorry, peach pie. I thought you just might have been-"

" Your diddle buddy?" Fred demanded.

" My what-le what?" Lorne stared at the Lornette and he suddenly recognised her. " Oh, F-Fred? Winifred? Oh, hey, hallelujah!" he grabbed her in a hug, "Oh, sweet cheeks, you don't know the hell I've been through." He told her. He felt so relieved.

Fred looked around his luxurious suite dubiously. " Uh-huh. It looks like real torture."

" Yeah, well it took you heroes long enough to rescue me." Lorne protested and they sat on the couch.

" Frankly, Lorne, we weren't aware you needed rescuing." Fred replied.

" Weren't aware? I told you."

" When?"

" Well, every time you called me, I kept asking about Fluffy." He reminded her.

" Oh, I thought you were just using some sort of show-business catch phrase I wasn't hip enough to get. Who's Fluffy?"

" Fluffy. Fluffy the dog. The dog you don't have. The universally recognized code for "I'm being held prisoner. Send help!"

" Oh. OK. I'm hip now. Who's holding you prisoner?"

" Oh, the creep who owns this place. Lee DeMarco. Well, he used to be some second-rate lounge magician until he got his hands on something legitimately mystical. Yeah now he's a first-rate psychopath, and he's using me to destroy people's lives."

" Using you how?"

" He gets me to sing in front of an audience and afterwards I tell him who's going to be successful, powerful and rich in the future." Lorne said.

" And where's Abigail?" Fred asked.

" They keep her somewhere else. I haven't seen her in three months." Lorne sighed.

Fred stood up then, " Let's get out of here."

" What do we do?"

" Something…we need to lock up those guards outside…"

Lorne, Fred and Gunn are bought to the control room after getting caught trying to save Angel.

" Lorne! I am so relieved. I was afraid that something terrible might have happened to you. Missing your second show like that. All those poor, disappointed people. All I could do was refund their money and comp their rooms for the inconvenience. And, my, my, what an inconvenience it was for all of us."

" Yeah, yeah, OK, Lee. OK. White flag's up. You got me. Grind your organ, I'll be your monkey. But you'll get nothing from me if you hurt anyone else. I swear it." Lorne glared at him, " Where's Abigail?"

Lee gestured and Lorne turned to see a security guard bringing in Abigail. " Abigail!" Lorne exclaimed, " Are you all right? You're not hurt?"

She shook her head at him and the guard forced her over to the group.

" Lorne, sweetie. You worry too much. I promise, you will be the only one hurting. Your friends will be dead so quick they won't feel a thing." He turned to the guards, " Make sure you kill him last. I want him to watch."

Angel is brought in then and after a confrontation, he starts a fight. Meanwhile, Lorne spots the mystical ball Lee has been using and makes a beeline for it.

" Lorne, no!" Lee pleaded, " Don't-"

" Duck," Lorne said grimly and smashed the glowing ball with such force it knocked him into Fred and Gunn. Lee falls to the floor, dead.

" Everybody ok?" Angel asked his friends. " Then let's go. Now."

" I'm fine Lorne. Really." Abigail protested as they arrived home to the hotel.

" Where did they keep you?" Lorne demanded.

" In a cell. It had been hell, but its over. I just want to forget it." They had gone upstairs and were busy unpacking.

" Forget it? We were being held prisoner against our will. It's going to be hard to forget." Lorne pulled her into his arms, " It was torture, not being able to see you. I've missed you."

" I've missed you too. But I really do want to forget it all. Its over."

Lorne kissed her gently but still felt trouble. He knew their troubles were far from over.