Author's Note: Although I mentioned it at the end of each chapter, I feel it is necessary to mention MysticWolf1's contribution to this story. With their help I've seen errors in my work (and endeavoured to correct them) so hopefully this story will be much better than it was. As with requests – love interests might make their way in somehow, I'll just have to see. This chapter crosses back to present-day Wolfram and Hart where Fred, Gunn and Lorne are left behind.
Chapter Seven
Fred casually strolled into Angel's office; Gunn and Lorne in tow. As each entered the room they began looking around for Angel.
"Where's the big man?" Lorne asked.
"Did he have any meetings today?" Gunn replied with his own question.
"No, he would have told us if he wasn't gonna be in." Fred answered them both. "Wouldn't he?"
"There's nothing to worry about Freddikins, I'm sure he's just out doing business. Gotta keep this place running." Fred sighed.
"All right; I'll just leave my findings on his desk and he can talk to us all whenever he gets back... from wherever he's gone." Fred approached the desk and noticed an odd-shaped silver ball sitting on several papers. She stopped and looked at it closer.
"What is it Fred?" Gunn asked, making his way over.
"What do you suppose this is?" She asked.
"Fancy-looking paperweight?" He offered jokingly. Fred eyed him lazily. "What?" He protested to the remark.
"I think we should get this to Wesley..." Fred suggested.
"I haven't seen that man all day." Lorne commented. "He and Angel sure are busy little bees now they've taken up such important jobs here at Evil Enterprises."
"Lorne, we all got something out of the move to Wolfram and Hart." Gunn replied. I got a brain upgrade with all the knowledge of the law and more; Fred is head of the Science Department and runs her own lab; Wesley is Mr. Research; Lorne has connections with every superstar in the biz and Angel is in charge of it all. "That gives us all something important to do."
"I know Charles, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if we should have thought this through a little more before we decided to move here."
"We knew what we were getting into Lorne." Gun replied sharply. "We all did."
"Yes, I said I know, Charles." Lorne replied impatiently. "I'm just not so comfortable with the idea of meeting more and more evil characters; most of them are very unpleasant."
"It's all a part of the job, Lorne."
"Come on Lorne, do you really hate this job as much as you think you do? Look at where it's gotten you?" Fred offered.
"Well, I have got to meet some of my idols." Lorne said proudly.
"Well good for you." Fred smiled. "See, this place ain't so bad."
"I guess."
"Come on, let's go find Wesley." She picked up the silver ball from on Angel's desk, grabbed Lorne's hand as she walked past and led him down the hall to the elevator. Gunn watched the two leave; smiling at how happy Fred looked being here. The move was a good idea after all; he kept saying that to everyone.
"Wesley?" Fred called as they approached Wesley's office. "Wesley? Are you here?" There was no reply.
"Maybe he and Angel are out somewhere together." Lorne suggested.
"It's possible." Fred looked at the object in her hands and saw the inscription on the top. She tilted her head and squinted, looking at it funny. Lorne saw and wondered what was so interesting.
"What is it Freddikins?" He asked.
"This inscription... I've seen it before." She explained.
"Seen it where?"
"In Pylea. There was one of these objects in the home of the woman I worked for." She placed it on the table carefully so as not to set it off; she knew what it did. "I think I know what might have happened to Angel."
Lorne stared blankly. "Care to share with the other kiddies?"
"This object is a time travel device." She began explaining. "When somebody reads the inscription on the top here, they are transported back in time to a milestone in their life." She pointed to the writing on the flattened top. "We found this on Angel's desk, so it's highly possible that he read the inscription and was transported back in time."
"Wait," Lorne looked at the writing. "I can't read that." He pointed out. "Can you?" Fred shook her head. "Then how could Angel read it?"
"I don't know, but maybe he had help from Wesley." She gasped. "If so, then Wesley is with Angel!"
"Fred, slow down there just a second. How on God's green and verdant Earth does this thing work? You said that Angel must have read the inscription, but it's not in English. And you say it took both Angel and Wesley back in time?"
"Yes. I don't know how they managed to do it all; how they deciphered the text and how both of them ended up in the same place. I've seen it work once, but with only one person. I was outside and I watched through the window. She read the inscription, a light flashed and she was gone. I looked it up in some of her books while she was gone and found out what it did. I don't know where she went, but it was important. Wherever Angel is, it's an important time in his life."
"Lots of important things happened in Angel's life, sweetie." Lorne replied. "There was him meeting Buffy, when he met Darla, when he killedDarla... That's it! Maybe he was supposed to go back in time and not kill Darla?" Lorne offered.
"I think there must be something a little bit more important that happened in Angel's life than killing Darla." Fred answered gently. "Anything else?"
"Uh... maybe when he sired Drusilla?" Fred gasped.
"Oh my God..." She moaned. "I know where he is?"
"Where?"
"When he got sired. The year... what was it?" She glared impatiently at Lorne.
"Um... I..." He thought for a moment. "Hang on..." Biting his lip Lorne worked out the year Angel became a vampire. "Oh! 1753!"
"That's where Angel and Wesley are." Fred concluded. "And we have to get them back."
A/N: A little short but I'm trying to find a new direction to take this in. It was moving a little slow, but now I have somewhere to go with this. Reviews are welcome as is constructive criticism.
