Disclaimer: I own nothing, Angel belongs to Joss Whedon and whoever else who owns Angel.

Skip stayed behind at the Hyperion while the members of Angel Investigations hunted down a nearly ancient demon sorcerer who, if given the chance, could kill them all with just a little bit of magic. That was why they had to be quick and prepared. The plan was to go to where Skip said Vail lived, get semi-close to Vail, have Wes perform a spell that could—at the very least—keep Vail from using magic for a mere few seconds, and then have Angel rush forward in Vail's moments of vulnerability and use his sword to decapitate Vail, because surely that had to kill him, right?

Okay, it wasn't a perfect plan. So many things could go wrong. But they didn't have a lot of time to deal with, and Angel was in a hurry to get his son back as soon as possible. They had to take risks in this situation. Gunn, Fred, Wes, and Lorne were to be Angel's back up in case the original plan didn't work (Lorne was really hoping that Plan A would work, he didn't exactly want to go running into a fight with a powerful sorcerer when he knew he wouldn't be much help).

It was late when they arrived where Vail's home was. It was already late to begin with, and Angel was realizing just how long of a day it had been. In the span of below twelve hours he'd found out he was destined to kill his son, he'd given his son away, his son had been taken to another world, and he found out all their actions were being influenced by a powerful sorcerer.

The sun should be rising in a few hours, he realized. They needed to kill Vail and get Connor back before then, because Angel wasn't going to go back home without his son.

It wasn't a surprise to find Vail's home had guards, minions who worked under his commands. Fortunately for them, none were tough enough to the point where they caused any real problems for Angel investigations. They all killed a couple demons (Lorne fought, but needed help) and made it where to they thought Vail would be. They weren't worn out, and they decided they should rush in as quickly as possible. Wes found a spell he thought would work, told Angel he was ready, and then they burst in to Vail's sleeping quarters.

Instantly Wes began chanting the spell, but stopped when he took a quick glance around the room to see Vail was noticeably absent.

Angel, whose plan was to immediately attack, also saw the Vail was gone. He shook his head, angry. Their entire plan relied on them killing Vail, and he wanted to complete that tonight. Where was he? How could they be so unlucky that he wasn't here?

"Great," Angel rolled his eyes. "Where the hell is he?"

"Actually, this might be for the best," Wes informed them. Angel didn't seem to understand what he meant. "Vail isn't here, obviously. That gives us opportunity."

"An ambush," Fred realized what Wes was considering.

"Exactly. He won't be expecting us. The element of surprise is in our favor, which is actually probably for the best. We're better off since he isn't here."

Angel frowned. But then he thought that Wes was right. Vail wouldn't be gone forever, he'd come back eventually. And when he did, they'd be ready for him.

Vail wasn't far behind. He'd decided that in order to make the decision, he had to talk with Angel and his friends. They'd know what they'd want to do. He couldn't just go up to them and talk to them, though, without seeming insane. So, he decided he'd hurry home real quick to grab the urn that held Sahjhan to prove he was on their side.

It didn't exactly take long for him to notice something was amok. His guards, they were all gone. No matter where he looked around, he found nobody. He wasn't immediately sure what was going on. Where were his guards? Didn't they have a job to be doing?

There weren't many instances where Vail's home had actually been invaded, so that wasn't his first thought. Who would attack him, anyway? Other than his "battle" with Jasmine right now, no one else was stupid enough to try and mess with him, meaning he didn't really consider the possibility that his guards had been attacked.

Vail entered the building. He didn't see anybody at first.

Then there was a low, mumbling voice. Vail turned his head, seeing someone off to the side with a book in hand, chanting the words.

Wesley's magic wasn't fast enough or powerful enough to hold up Vail.

Instinctively, Vail used his telekinesis as fast as he could, sending Wesley flying across the room before he even looked at his face to see who the intruder was. Then off to the side there was shuffling as someone came running towards him. He turned, and was about to attack, when he saw the person rushing at him was Angel.

Vail froze. What was Angel doing here?

Angel raised his sword and was swinging it when Vail snapped out of it. He blocked the sword and sent Angel flying as well.

At the same time, Wesley stood up and Vail saw him. The rest of the members of Angel Investigations came out of their hiding places and were looking ready to charge at Vail. Vail was fully ready to fight—he knew he could take all of them down without breaking a sweat—but then he knew fighting wasn't his goal. Angel and his pals were attacking him for some reason when Vail had just had the intent to help them get Connor back.

"Stop!" he shouted, hating how desperate he sounded. He was an immensely powerful sorcerer that could stop them easily, so why did he have to tell them to stop and just wait to see if they'd listen?

Angel stood up, gripping his sword. Everyone else had stopped in their places, unsure what to do. They just saw Vail take down both Wes and Angel with little effort, so they had grown wary of any attacks they could try.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Vail yelled angrily. The last he knew nobody even knew he existed.

Angel stepped forward bravely, pointing his sword at Vail despite being too far away to attack. "Where did you send Connor?" Angel asked, knowing this situation wasn't good. Their plan had generally failed, and he figured he needed to keep Vail talking until he could think of another approach.

Vail frowned. "Connor? Your son? I have done nothing with him."

"We know you sent him to another dimension," Fred spoke up for Angel.

"We know you've been influencing our actions for a great amount of time," Wes defended Fred. "Probably longer than we even know."

This information, though new to Vail, was not very shocking. He realized that he should've been expecting something like this. After all, it wasn't he that was influencing them, but a very different power. A power that was willing to do anything to achieve her goal, and now her goal was to get rid of the only demon trying to prevent what she was doing.

"And, ah, where did you acquire this information?" Vail questioned.

Everybody was hesitant to answer. What were they doing here, making small talk? They were here to kill Vail.

"That doesn't matter," Angel brushed the question off. "All that matters is that you've sent my son somewhere he doesn't belong. Now, bring him back. If you don't, we'll have to kill you."

Unable to control himself, Vail laughed. "Kill me? Really? I'd like to see you try." Then he remembered his goal in all of this, and became conscious of the fact that he shouldn't be taunting them. "Look, you've got it all wrong. Someone has lied to you. I am not your enemy. In fact, you should be thanking me. I want to get Connor back as much as you do."

"You really think we'll believe that?" Gunn responded.

"If not, then you're all much bigger fools than I gave you credit for."

Wes saw something the others didn't see. Vail was supposed to be some evil bad guy—and he was. But so far, Vail hadn't pretended to be something he wasn't. He had threatened them and called them fools so far. If he was trying to deny their claims, why would he taunt them like that?

"Why would you want Connor back?" Wes decided to ask.

The words "to prevent my demise" were on the tip of Vail's tongue, but he decided against saying them because he could not imagine that going over well.

"To stop the greater force at work here," he decided on saying. "As I've said, you've all been deceived. To think that I am the one influencing you is moronic. That is just what Jasmine wants you to believe."

"Jasmine?" Angel couldn't help but ask.

"Well, that is not her true name, but it is the name you all will give to her in the future."

"The future?" Fred gasped. "I didn't think time travel was possible."

"It's not," Angel reassured her. "He's lying."

"Okay, wait," Vail stopped them. "This is horrid. Allow me to start from the very beginning before you make up your mind about who is lying to you and who is telling the truth."

Angel didn't want to listen to him talk. But…he didn't really have another choice right now. "Okay. Go."

Vail wasn't going to start at the very beginning. The sheer information that this all started from him not wanting to die might start them on an even more wrong foot.

"This force, Jasmine, she wants to take over the world. Right now, she has no physical form. In order for her to gain a physical form, she must be born as Connor's child. She sent him to another dimension so he would age rapidly by Earth's time standards. If I—we—do not interfere with this, the next time you see Connor he will practically be an adult, no longer a child."

"So you want to stop Jasmine," Wes summarized.

Vail nodded. "That is why she used one of her minions—Skip, probably, I'd be willing to bet—to try and get you guys to kill me."

"What if you're lying?" Angel shook his head. "We have no reason to believe you. But Skip we know, he's helped us. We have plenty of reason to believe him against you."

Vail slowly stepped over to a shelf that held the urn that held Sahjhan. He picked it up and showed it to all of them. "This is my proof. The enemy Sahjhan is in here. I trapped him in here because he wanted Connor gone as well. You see, Angel, the prophecy about you killing Connor is completely false. Sahjhan created it because the true prophecy states that Connor will kill him."

This news was enough for Angel to waver. He lowered his sword. Could that really be true? The prophecy was a lie? Angel had to believe what Vail was saying because he knew that that was the urn that could trap Sahjhan.

"Why would I trap Sahjhan in here to save Connor if I wanted him gone?" Vail continued. "It is rather…unfortunate…that Jasmine got to him anyway."

Angel thought for a few seconds. "So if Jasmine wants Connor, he'll be back. He'll come back to Earth whenever she wants him to."

"Yes. But that does not matter. If we do not rescue Connor tonight, before he ages too much, we'll never stop Jasmine from coming to Earth in a physical form."

"Why do you want to stop her so badly? Why interfere with this plan of hers? Wouldn't it be easier for you to just fight her once she gets on Earth?"

"It's complicated." Vail saw by the looks on their faces that that wasn't enough. They needed an actual explanation. "It's sort of a chain of events, you see. If Jasmine gains her physical form and comes to Earth, then I will die." He saw their expressions didn't change. They didn't care whether he died or not. But they would care if… "And all of you will die too."

"All of us?" Lorne echoed.

And Vail saw it. Manipulation. This was the key to getting them to listen to him rather than Skip.

"Well, most of you. It will start with your precious Cordelia. She will die nothing more than a pawn in Jasmine's cruel game. Then, soon after, Winifred will die. And then Wesley. More of you may die, but I do not know any further. So, you see, Jasmine must be stopped. Now."

"H-how will I die?" Fred stuttered. It was a terrible question, one she knew she probably shouldn't ask, but she couldn't help herself.

"You will fall because you meet a man named Knox, a man who you may not meet if Jasmine never comes to Earth. Knox brings an ancient demon that will inhabit your body, completely destroying your mind and soul."

"And me?" Wes asked.

Vail gulped. He had to admit, this was difficult. Did he tell the truth about Wes?

He had to tell the truth. It would show them that he was not lying about anything.

"I kill you."

Everyone froze. No one really knew how to react to that information.

Wes frowned, trying to think of what that meant. According to this demon, if they didn't stop Jasmine, Cordelia and Fred and he would die. He glanced over at Fred. There was no way he could let her (or anyone else) die. If Vail was telling the truth, then they had to listen to him.

"Look, I'm telling this to you as a courtesy," Vail spoke. "I could lie, but I do not. What matters right now is Connor. If you have any other questions, they can be answered later, but we must have our priorities set."

"We need to talk about this," Angel said, referring to him and his friends.

They gathered on the opposite side of the room, away from Vail to discuss everything he had said.

"What if he's lyin'?" Gunn instantly suggested.

"I don't know," Wes shook his head. "He's incredibly knowledgeable. Plus, he knows about Skip. How would he know about Skip if he were lying?"

"How does he know about…us?" Fred questioned. "Our…our deaths. How does he know about the future?"

"Well, he's a powerful sorcerer, right?" Lorne spoke up. "Maybe he can see into the future."

"It doesn't matter," Angel shut them off. "All those questions, he said we could ask him later. Like he said, right now all that matters is Connor. And I have a plan to deal with that. Follow my lead."

Angel turned away. Wes wanted to stop him, ask him what his plans were so they weren't going into this partially clueless, but it was too late.

"What's your plan to get Connor back?"

Vail grinned. "Connor was sent to a world called Quor'toth—the darkest of dark worlds. I believe I can reopen the portal, given that it doesn't spiral out of control and envelop a lot more than planned. Anyway, if someone were to go into that portal and rescue Connor…"

He trailed off. The rest was a given. Go into Quor'toth, rescue Connor, and then get out. Albeit, a place he referred to as "the darkest of dark worlds" didn't sound like a fun place to go.

Angel nodded. "If you open the portal, I'll go in."

What? Fred thought to herself. That seemed like an awfully big risk, considering they didn't even know if Vail was telling the truth! Was this Angel's plan? Just to go after Connor, no matter what?

"I'll come with you," Wes told Angel. "It's partially my fault he's there in the first place, even if I was influenced."

""I'll come to," Gunn backed him up.

Fred didn't exactly want to go into another world so soon after escaping Pylea. But what the hell? She had to help Angel. "Me too."

"I-I guess I will too," Lorne said with a sort of sad chuckle. Boy, this was not going to be fun.

The six of them returned to the point where the portal had originally opened. It was ominous here, in the dead of night. Not a creature seemed to be astir.

Wes held Fred's hand all the way here. She was worried about jumping into the portal, Wes knew, and he wanted to try and comfort her as much as possible. He wished he could hug her, tell her it was all going to work out okay, but they were already short on time. So, he settled for just holding her hand and being close to her.

He thought about their possessions at the ballet. If Vail was telling the truth and he hadn't influenced their decisions, had the mysterious Jasmine caused them to be possessed? It was just another question that still remained unanswered.

On the walk to the correct spot, Vail thought about everything he told them. It was truthful, for the most part. All he did was omit a few (important?) details. Hopefully those details wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass.

"Okay," Vail stated once they arrived. "Back up a few inches."

They listened to his commands. Vail's back was towards all of them. He needed his space so that he could do the magic on his own to reopen the portal. At this point, he was really hoping that it wouldn't go out of control when opened for a second time, like some portals could. If the portal to Quor'toth were to spiral out of control, well…it wouldn't be good, to state it mildly.

He started the spell. A harsh wind suddenly appeared, chilling everyone.

It happened relatively quickly—as abruptly as it had appeared the first time, both Wes and Fred remembered. The portal started opening.

In the beginning it was nothing but a small hole with magnificently dark colors like red and black swirling around each other. Then it grew rapidly, almost out of control. Bigger than Vail, bigger than all of them put together. Wes couldn't help but fear that soon it would be bigger than anyone could manage.

Vail was struggling. The portal, it was incredibly rich with power, a power so great it was hard for even him to control.

Feeling decrepit, Vail fell to his knees. Oh, jeez. He had to be able to do this. He had to gain more control. He chanted and chanted and used magic he could only hope would work and…

The portal stopped growing. It was already absurdly large, and he didn't know how long he could hold it. If he were to let go, he didn't know if it would continue to grow or close.

"Come! Now!" Vail shouted to the group behind him. He needed them to hurry.

They all started grabbing each other's hands. Like they'd gone into Pylea, there was a possibility of them being separated. Unlike Pylea, this time there was no time to get a car so they could stick together. Hopefully holding hands would do the trick.

All of them were about to walk forward when Angel broke their chain, held out his arms, and stopped them.

"What-"

Wes started, but Angel cut him off with a hand movement. Then Angel ran forward, as if he was heading into the portal all by himself.

Vail felt a pair of hands on his back that, for some reason he could not place, frightened him. Then he was being lifted.

Vail was never frightened. Why should he be? He was Cyvus Vail. He was one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world. And yet, in this moment, he knew what was happening, and it scared him in a way he could never imagine. He knew that he should've seen this coming.

Angel threw Vail into the portal, and it snapped closed right behind him.

The rest of the group stood behind in shock. What had just happened? Each of them had thought…

"That was your plan?" Wes asked incredulously.

Angel shrugged. "If he's telling the truth, he's willing to do anything to get Connor back, and that's what he'll do in Quor'toth. If he's lying, he'll come back without Connor. Or he'll die in Quor'toth. Whatever happens, it's a win for us."

The group smiled, thinking. Angel's plan was smart. And so far, it had worked.

But now that Vail was gone and he had claimed Skip was working for an evil higher power, what were they supposed to do?

The unfortunate thing was they could do nothing but wait.