Disclaimer: I own nothing of Tolkien's works, however all original characters and story concepts solely belong to me. The Grigori and all documented characters associated with them belong in the public domain. Any references to the original book, The Serpent and the Peacock are copyrighted to A Selby. Any references to the world created by Joss Whedon belong to him.
Author Note: Thanks so much for the reviews. In the quote below Holland Manners does of course work for the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart, aka Wolfram and Hart, aka the Senior Partners.
ooOoo
" Angel: You're not gonna win.
Holland Manners: Well... no. Of course we aren't. We have no intention of doing anything so prosaic as "winning." [laughs]
Angel: Then why?
Holland Manners: I'm sorry. Why what?
Angel: Why fight?
Holland Manners: That's really the question you should be asking yourself, isn't it? See, for us, there is no fight. Which is why winning doesn't enter into it. We go on, no matter what. Wolfram and Hart has always been here on Earth... in one form or another. The Inquisition. The Khmer Rouge. We were there when the very first cave man clubbed his neighbour on the head with a rock for stealing his dinner. See, we're in the hearts and minds of every single living being. And that, friend, is what's making things so difficult for you. You see, the world doesn't work in spite of evil, Angel. It works with us. It works because of us."
- Angel the series
ooOoo
The Hellmouth
Chapter 10 – An unexpected gift
A few hours earlier...
Kiril felt nervous despite the presence of his old acquaintance who was definitely at home in this house of light. Despite the absence of Eönwë the house still reeked of light and purity, probably from the half Maiar children who Kiril knew were still asleep upstairs and the quiet vigilance of the two Elves who stood quietly in the kitchen while he collected himself enough to say why he was there.
Damn it. He thought frantically to himself. Elves really do bloody well glow!
His thoughts were distracted and not least because of the small package currently secured deep in his inside pocket. His instructions had been clear... he was to take it to the Herald of Manwë who was currently in human form as the General Officer Commanding Four Division in Aldershot and give it to him and no-one else. Those instructions had been given to him by the emissary of three of the most feared of demon-kind... but they were not demons. In fact nobody really knew what the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart actually were, but nobody from the supernatural world crossed them; not if they wanted to remain alive and kicking or in the case of vampires...undead and kicking.
He shuddered then caught the calm gaze of the Elf with the long, very light blond hair, Haldir? Yes Haldir. Haldir with the pale blue eyes like chips of ice in his eye sockets and who was beautiful in the way of all of his kind. Kiril had no doubt that if he made any kind of move that Haldir or the dark haired Elf perceived was dangerous he would be sent into that final death without hesitation and if he was being honest with himself, if the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart were involved with this latest débâcle, he almost found the idea appealing.
However, be that as it may, there it sat, burning a hole in his pocket; an innocent looking small package.
"Take it to the Herald of Manwë." The emissary had drawled. "Tell him it's a gift from the Senior Partners." Then he had leaned in close to Kiril. "And make sure nobody, other than him is foolish enough to open it. My bosses went to a great deal of trouble to obtain it."
The Herald's wife leaned forward across the table and interrupted his chaotic thoughts. "You say you have an urgent need to see my husband, but unfortunately he isn't here. He's had to travel up north... to Scotland. If you give me your message I can see that he gets it."
Kiril shook his head. "Not just a message my Lady. I am deliver him a small package."
Maksim shrugged elegantly. "You could leave it with Lady Kim Kiril. She will make sure he gets it."
"No." The reply was polite, but peremptory and final.
Maksim stiffened. "No? Kiril, you are hardly in a position to dictate at the moment. What can be so important about a package that you cannot tell either Lady Kim or myself?"
"What is in the package?" The dark haired Elf spoke for the first time. Kiril absently thought that he had never heard anything as musical as the voice of the Elf in his entire life.
He shook his head. "I know not. I only know that my instructions were to deliver it into the hands of the Herald of Manwë."
Kim raised an eyebrow. "Instructions? Instructions from who?"
Kiril looked her straight in the eyes and she could see some of his great fear lurking at the back of them. "Lady, do you know who the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart are?"
Kim and the Elves just looked confused but Maksim had really stiffened now and Kim noticed that his hand was gripping the table edge so tightly that his knuckles were bone white.
"What do they have to do with this?" Maksim ground out between his teeth. Kim could see a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.
"Who are they?" She whispered, looking at Maksim, but Kiril knew the question was aimed at him. He licked his dry lips.
"Would it be possible to... er... perhaps some water?" He said.
The dark haired Elf poured him a glass of cold water from the dispenser on the front of the fridge. He nodded his thanks, gulped it down almost in one go and leaned back in the chair.
"They are very powerful demonic presences Lady." He finally said. "They operate in many dimensions, including the one this world... earth... is in. They control much of it and even though humans believe that they run things, they do not. Here on earth they are known as the Senior Partners. You may have heard of their law firm, Wolfram and Hart? There are many branches in all the major cities here on this planet and from there they run their operations here. They are greatly feared by all supernatural beings and also those humans who are in league with them."
Kim frowned. "That still doesn't explain why you are here with a package for my husband. He doesn't know these wolf, ram and hart people, or whatever they are."
The dark haired Elf started to busy himself with putting a kettle on and gathering tea things together. Kiril watched as he went to the smaller refrigerator and got out a bottle of blood and also two mugs from the kitchen cupboard. Eventually when the cups and the gently steaming teapot were on the kitchen table and a mug of warm pig's blood was placed in front on him, Kiril eventually answered Kim.
"I don't believe that your husband has actually met the Senior Partners in person Lady Kim. It is unlikely that one of the beings of light from the Timeless Halls, as your husband is, would be afraid of them or would have cause to meet with them, and they would definitely be wary of him and his light." He took an appreciative sip of the blood. "In any case, the last time they appeared in person on earth, every single supernatural being felt their fell presence. They are wholly evil; darkness personified. On that occasion they waged a bloody and vicious war for this planet with the creatures who had inhabited it after the Old Ones had left or been imprisoned; creatures like vampires, werewolves and other half demons. Any humans who were caught up in it were slaughtered without mercy. As it happened, at that time there was also another one who also claimed Lordship over earth. He was known as the First Evil and the Elves knew him as Morgoth or Melkor. Eventually the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart made a very uneasy truce with Melkor and left, although many of the supernatural beings were left behind. Creatures like Maksim and myself, werewolves, shape-shifters, half-demons and of course humankind. Eventually they did return after Morgoth was taken by your husband and imprisoned in the Void and they established their own reign here. No, the Senior Partners would not stoop to bringing messages, but they do have various emissaries or liaisons, the most recent of which is one of Wolfram and Hart's former employees, an American called Lindsey McDonald. I do believe you husband has met him, on at least two, if not more, occasions."
"And he was the one who came?" Maksim asked.
Kiril nodded. "Four nights ago he came to the postern gate of the stronghold. The guards did not wish to admit him, because they perceived the fires of hell in his eyes and the sulphurous stench of the Void around his person. They denied him, but he struck them down senseless with a mere wave of his hand and came up to the Great Hall. He explained who he was and who had sent him and then gave me the message and the package with the instructions to give them to your husband and none other than him. He stressed the importance of this."
Kim sighed and shook her head. "I do believe you Kiril, but it could be a bomb or anything. I really think we should take a look at what is inside before giving it to Eönwë, in fact I think that military security and the Chief of Staff would insist on it..."
Kiril jumped up in agitation before she could finish, causing Haldir, the dark haired Elf who was called Erestor and Maksim to immediately go for their weapons. "We cannot." He hissed and his great fear was very apparent. "The instructions were precise and believe me the consequences of disobeying the Senior Partner will be dreadful to behold if I was to allow the package to be opened. I must give it to the Herald himself! Intact."
He sank back down in the chair and dragged his fingers through his hair agitatedly.
Maksim shot a look at Kim. "You need to call Eönwë Kim. Explain this situation to him. We cannot make this decision."
Kim pursed her lips and left the room, presumably to make the phone call to her husband. They all sat in silence sipping their tea and the vampires their blood whilst listening to the clock slowly tick the minutes away until her return about twenty minutes later.
"He says to send Kiril and the package up to Thistle Manor which is just outside the town of Loch Mairie. He's going to email directions and we're to lend Kiril a car if necessary." Kim sat back down at the table.
Kiril shook his head again. "That will not be necessary. I can move faster and in more secrecy than with a car."
The blond haired Elf, Haldir, spoke up for the first time. "This package, are we permitted to see it?"
Kiril looked doubtfully at him for a moment but then put his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled an a very innocent looking, quite small package wrapped in plain brown paper. Maksim picked it up and examined it There was nothing on it; no marks and no writing. All in all, it was a rather disappointing anticlimax. He put it in the centre of the table and they all stared at it for a moment, as if expecting it to suddenly explode or do a little dance or even set itself on fire but it just sat there.
"What a disappointment." Kim said. She picked it up and poked and squeezed it while everyone else looked on in varying degrees of alarm and trepidation. Both Elves held their breath and it's certain that both Maksim and Kiril would have done so as well had they actually breathed at all. "It actually feels like a piece of jewellery in there. Only I have no idea why these people would send Eönwë jewellery." She finally announced after her poking and prodding was done. She placed it back on the table, much to the immense relief of everyone present.
"I would not wish to even hazard a guess, but I'm sure you could be right." Kiril said. hastily putting the package away back in his pocket. "Nevertheless I will be happier when it is in your good husband's hands Lady Kim."
Kim nodded and gulped her tea. "Ugh, it's a bit cold now." She took it over to the microwave and began to heat it up. "Oh by the way, someone called Dawn Summers just emailed me with directions for you to get to Thistle Manor, I printed it out for you."
She reached into the pocket of her jeans and handed Kiril a scrap of paper. Kiril examined it and saw that the directions were extremely comprehensive and that there was even a little map of the location.
He nodded briskly and stood up. "I think perhaps I should be on my way. I have a way to go and I wish to arrive tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
"Do you need me to drop you anywhere Kiril?" Maksim asked quietly.
Kiril smiled at his former warrior. "That will not be necessary, but if you would be so good as to walk me back to the gate, I would be grateful of a few private words with you." He bowed to Kim and the two Elves. "Thank you for your hospitality Lady Kim, I am most grateful that you were able to help me in this matter." He nodded at her and the two Elves and left through the back door, the way he had come in. Maksim followed him out.
"I'll be back in a moment Kim."
They walked down the long gravel tree-lined drive towards the gate. A pale watery moon peeped out from some high ragged clouds and painted everything with a fitful light. Beyond the birch trees lining the drive Kiril could see more trees, tall pines this time. The whole area seemed deserted, but both vampires could clearly sense humans nearby.
"The guard." Maksim explained briefly when Kiril glanced at him in query. "This residence is in the main Garrison and the military guards do stags around here."
Kiril nodded. "Yet they would prove to be highly inadequate if anything of a supernatural nature were to attack." He said mildly.
Maksim grunted in assent. "There will be more of us soon. Thranduil, Elrond and the others should be returning in a couple of weeks."
They were only about a hundred yards from the gates of the residence and Maksim could see two of the soldiers who were on guard standing to one side of the gate and chatting to each other. He stopped suddenly and grasped Kiril by his arm.
"What is this about Kiril? We all know that the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart are not good bedfellows. Where they are evil and darkness follow. What are they to do with all of this?" His sharp eyes pierced Kiril's face as if he was trying to read his thoughts.
To give Kiril his due, he stared him straight back in the eye. "Maksim, I know nothing other than I have already told you. However what I will say to you is this; if these things you and the Herald and his people are involved in are anything at all to do with the Senior Partners, then you must beware. They are not known for their altruism. Any assistance they give directly must be taken with more than a pinch of caution. For as much as they give, they also demand much more in return and as you say, they make uneasy bedfellows. A pound of flesh to them is often exactly that. They have an agenda my friend and I have a feeling that this all does not bode well for any of us."
Maksim dropped his hand. "Then you must ensure that these warnings are also given to Lord Eönwë when you see him."
Kiril smiled, but it was a smile entirely without humour. "I will indeed. Look after yourself and your charges well my friend, but I beg of you, be very vigilant. I suspect we have not heard the last from the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart."
He turned, sped off away from the drive at a speed only a vampire could use and was swallowed up in the darkness of the trees. Maksim stood for a moment looking through the trees, then he turned and headed back to the house.
ooOoo
Thistle Manor, Loch Mairie...
Eönwë, Giles and the others listened quietly while Kiril recounted his conversation with both Lindsey McDonald and Kim and the others down in Aldershot. Eönwë sat for a while after the vampire had finished his tale with elbows resting on the large wooden library table and hands steepled under his chin; his eyes were closed and everyone waited for him to speak.
"I do agree that anything given to us by the Senior Partners is potentially suspect and we must be cautious. And where is this package?" He asked after a fairly long while. Everyone who was not seated around the table came closer, including Melkor who was most curious to see what the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart had sent to the Herald of Manwë.
Kiril reached into his pocket and placed it carefully on the table in front of Eönwë who observed it for a moment.
"Normally, the giving of presents is a good thing, but I'm thinking not in this case." Buffy observed.
"Does something given by creatures straight from Hell even qualify as a present?" asked Xander.
Eönwë looked up at Kiril. "The emissary told you that it was something to aid us in our efforts, and remember that the Senior Partners are as much at danger here as everyone else. If this is an attempt by one of the Ainur to take power, then they will not spare the likes of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart no matter how powerful they may think they are. One of my own kind gone rogue is an extraordinarily dangerous situation for all, as I am sure Melkor will attest. The Wolf, the Ram and the Hart are certainly not helping out of altruism, but they are trying to see to their own survival and that is the strongest instinct of all."
"He...the emissary said that they had gone to a great deal of trouble to obtain this... whatever it is." Kiril sighed. "He said that it was obtained from one of the circles of the Timeless Halls, so I must assume that whatever it is, it is imbued with celestial power, a power great enough to be of use."
"So are we going to open it?" enquired Dawn. "Or are we just going to sit and look at it until the cows come home?"
"I vote we open it." Xander agreed.
Eönwë looked and Giles and Osse who both looked hesitant.
"Well if we're all just going to sit here and look at it, we'll never know will we?" Buffy said stubbornly. "I vote with Xander and Dawn. Let's open it and see what we have. I mean it can't make things any worse can it. Can it?" She looked pleadingly at Giles who shook his head.
"Oh no, I'm not making any kind of statement about that." he demurred. "If it turns out to be bad you'll all blame me. This is Eönwë's call, not mine."
Eönwë took up the package and made a small tear in it with the sharp end of a paper knife. Everyone immediately withdrew back to a good few feet away from him and he laughed. "Thank you for the vote of confidence people." They all grinned back at him sheepishly. He made the tear bigger and finally with a tinkling clunk a heavy tarnished silver ring with a dull grey stone set into it dropped onto the table.
Everyone, including Kiril, held their breath, but the ring just lay there on the table.
"It's a ring." Xander sounded immensely disappointed.
Faith chuckled. "Way to state the obvious Xander!"
"A very ugly ring." commented Willow.
"Oh for the sake of the Valar, are we never to be done with damn rings?" Celeborn muttered. "Why does it always have to be a ring?"
"I can already tell you that I have absolutely nothing in my wardrobe which will go with that." Buffy stated firmly.
Melkor gave a snort of laughter which made everyone else stare at him accusingly.
"What?" He sounded hurt. "Rings weren't my thing. If you want to accuse people about rings then Giles over there is probably your man."
"It's absolutely nothing to do with me." Giles said defensively before he could stop himself rising to the bait. "Anyway, at least my ring was a classic plain gold band, not an ugly looking silver thing with that hideous stone."
Elladan glared at him. He knew exactly who Giles had been, since Ereinion had filled him in on the situation soon after they reached the Manor. "Yes, a nice classic plain gold band with all of your malevolence poured into it..."
Finrod put a soothing hand on his arm and shook his head at Elladan who reluctantly subsided. However whatever diatribe he was about to let fly at the hapless and now very embarrassed Giles was interrupted anyway because Buffy burst into peals of laughter.
"Malevolence? Giles?" She giggled in disbelief and then looked at Willow. "What does malevolence mean?" She whispered to her.
"Extreme malicious evil." Willow whispered back.
"There you are... Giles is totally not capable of extreme evil. Itty bitty evil perhaps, but nothing extreme." Buffy folded her arms and glared at Elladan. Melkor gave another crow of laughter and she glared at him as well.
All Giles could do was hold his breath and hope that Buffy wasn't about to ask Elladan to elaborate on his statement and she didn't, she was too busy glaring at Melkor and he was too busy smirking back at her.
Eönwë decided to take action before the whole afternoon turned into one of those exhausting and pointless circular arguments that were apparently the norm here at the manor. He picked up the ring and turned it over in his hand.
"Does it feel magicky?" asked Willow coming to stand beside him.
Eönwë frowned at her. "Magicky?"
"Yes, you know, magic gives off vibes and auras. If you're attuned to the magicks then you can often feel them." She held her hand out for it and Eönwë reluctantly dropped it into her palm. After a few seconds of concentrating, she handed it back. "I can feel something, but I'm not sure... sort of a life force of some kind, like there's something trapped in it."
Buffy was immediately alert. "Something? Maybe something evil?"
Willow shook her head. "I don't think so Buffy. It didn't feel evil or good, I'm probably wrong, it was just a fleeting sensation."
"It sure is an ugly thing." Faith said from the depths of one of the armchairs by the fire. "And unless it shoots out death dealing rays like a ray gun designed to kill Big Bads, evil monsters and demons, I can't see how it's going to help us."
Buffy came to stand at Eönwë's other side and peered closely at the ring in the centre of his palm. She shrugged. "Hmm... maybe you have to wear it. You know, like the Ring in Lord of the Rings? Didn't that ring make you invisible or something? Or...or...if it is a ray gun whatchamacallit, then perhaps you have to wear it to make the ray thingies shoot out. Now that would be pretty cool."
"Well whatever you do, don't give it to Rupert to put on." snickered Melkor. Everyone ignored him, much to Giles's relief.
Eönwë held the ring between his thumb and forefinger, then he slid it onto the middle finger of his left hand.
"Oh crap... that's done it." muttered Xander and Jim at the same time.
"Nothing's happening." remarked Finrod.
"It's glowing a little bit." Dawn commented from behind the safety of the armchair Faith was sitting on. "Can you feel anything?"
Eönwë shrugged. "A little tingle perhaps. There is some residual power here, but obviously something else is needed to trigger..."
Whatever he was about to say, never got said because the faint glow that Dawn had noticed suddenly blossomed into a bright light which completely enveloped the Herald.
Celeborn, Earendil and Finrod immediately all leaped forward but were stopped by Osse. "Leave him, do not touch him."
"But if he's hurt..." squeaked Dawn. "He may need help, we have to do something!"
Osse's eyes suddenly glazed over indicating to those who knew about mind-speaking that he was in communion with someone. After a second his eyes cleared. "He's fine. This is why they said only the Herald could open it and withstand the power held inside."
"Oookay..." Buffy sounded very doubtful. "So you wear the ring and it gives a glowy blinding light all around you. We're going to blind all the demons and monsters out there to death?"
"Or maybe blind 'em long enough for us to slice and dice 'em into Julienne demon B." Faith added cheerfully.
Buffy nodded. "There is that... We could make a tag team. He blinds 'em, we slice 'em."
"And Willow does a spell which turns 'em all to mush." Xander continued.
"Ew... why I do I always get the icky job?" Willow complained.
"Well it's a nice light show and all that." Dawn commented, ever practical. "But not much use really. Shouldn't we try to get him to come back or something?" She asked Osse.
"Wait... something is happening." Ereinion stepped closer to the glowing Herald. "There are other shadows within the light."
The Elves, Earendil, Jim and Osse immediately moved closer as well, as did both Buffy and Faith, all ready to tackle whatever might be ready to pop out at them.
The glowing ball of light brightened and then started to fade, only to brighten once again. The tall figure of the Herald became visible through the fluctuating bright glow and he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when the two vague shadows which seemed to be tussling inside the light also became more visible.
"...bloody hell! Get your bloody great elbow out of my ribs you great poofter.."
"Dammit Spike... "
Buffy went as pale as death and stepped forward. "Spike? Angel?"
ooOoo
There was a moment's aghast silence, then Buffy stepped forward and socked Angel with a roundhouse punch that sent him spinning into Celeborn's arms. The Elf kindly set him on his feet while he rubbed his jaw gingerly and gave Buffy a hurt look.
"What the hell was that for?"
Xander was the first one to find his voice. "This... this is heaven's secret weapon against the bad evil angel? Dead boy and his trusty sidekick? Well, I've really misjudged the Powers all this time. I see my mistake now ... I never credited them with a sense of humour!"
"Oy! Less of the sidekick. I'm nobody's bloody sidekick, least of all Captain Forehead 'I'm never done with the brooding' over there." Spike brushed down his leather coat and straightened his shoulders before Dawn leaped over to him with a scream of joy. He was nearly bowled over, but hugged her back as fiercely as she was hugging him, then he set her on her feet and took a critical look. "You've grown, lil' Bit. In fact you've grown into a beautiful woman."
"I hear he's just going by Angel now Spike." Faith grinned. She walked over to Angel and enveloped him in a bear hug. "When we got the word from LA, we heard you and the others didn't make it." Her voice was now husky with emotion.
Angel hugged her back. "We didn't make it Faith." He said gently. "None of us made it, except for maybe Illyria and if she was destroyed then she wasn't sent to the same place we were."
"Wes and Gunn?"
Angel pulled a sorrowful face. "Not where we were either, but I did ask one of those grim looking sentinels if he... she or whatever they are... could find out. Apparently we were being held in the seventh circle of the Timeless Halls, wherever that is, until judgement. Wes and Gunn went to somewhere called the Halls of Waiting or something."
"So no Shanshu?" Giles asked quietly. (1)
Both Osse and Eönwë turned around and looked at him, then at each other. "I thought the Shanshu was scrapped a couple of ages ago." Osse said softly.
Eönwë nodded. "It was. The Scrolls of Aberjian, where the prophecy was eventually found, were actually fakes, planted by the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart in order to fulfil their own plans. "
"Wait...I did all of that for nothing?" Angel asked.
Eönwë smiled at him. "Not for nothing Angel. You are here are you not? And at the behest of the Timeless Halls. Your return was the will of Eru Iluvator."
"But... the Shanshu..." Angel sounded utterly bewildered and the emotion of the moment was utterly buried underneath Spike's shout of laughter.
"So neither of us get to be a real boy? Oh that is bloody priceless... and utter bollocks at the same time come to think of it." He collapsed into the nearest chair, still chuckling to himself. "So I've been resurrected again have I? This is starting to be the recurring story of my life.. or death... or whatever." He patted his leather duster cloak, obviously looking for something. "Anyone got a smoke?"
"I like him." Finrod said conversationally to Celeborn and Earendil, who both laughed.
Buffy had been silent since punching Angel out. Her expression was both furious and bitter at the same time. Angel broke free from Faith's embrace and went up to her. He put both hands out in appeal, but she blindly waved him back.
"You didn't think to call?" Her voice broke and Angel could see the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes.
"I..." He couldn't think of anything adequate to say.
She pushed him hard and he bumped up hard against the table; the pain made him wince a little. "I thought you were dead." She pointed at Spike. "I thought he was dead, you just.. just let me think..." Finally the emotions were too much for her and she stood there trying to get her breath and them under control.
"I was...I am...well, I'm not at the moment." Angel stuttered. "Well actually, I'm not really sure what I am... what we are."
Buffy glared at him. "We could have helped. Why didn't you call and ask us for help?"
"Oh yeah." Angel's tone was bitter. "And that went down so well with you guys when we did call and ask for help."
"Hello? Working for an evil law firm and all that?" Xander interrupted and then wished he hadn't.
They both turned on him. "Nobody asked you!"
Xander backed away. "Hokie dokey. This is me backing off now. Geez, can't a guy have an opinion?"
"Not when it's inappropriate and undiplomatic Xander." Giles commented dryly. "Buffy, that was my fault, I made a decision about that at the time which I admit may have been a bit harsh, but in my defence, at the time we had no idea why Angel Investigations had thrown its lot in with Wolfram and Hart..."
"We didn't..." Angel began to protest, but Giles waved him down.
"Angel, you have to admit that at the time it didn't look good and what with a rogue and mentally deranged Slayer on the loose, I had to make a command decision on it. If Wolfram and Hart were pulling your strings there was no way we could leave her in your hands."
"Oh and the bleedin' autopsy begins! Someone please stake me!" Spike rolled his eyes dramatically.
"You got a lot of volunteers here." Xander retorted with narrowed eyes.
Eönwë and Osse looked at each other and silently agreed that the whole thing was becoming quite painful, especially considering that they had a bad situation on their hands which wasn't being helped by everyone getting over-emotional.
"That's enough." Eönwë spoke quietly, but the tone of his voice brooked no disobedience from anyone. Buffy and Angel stopped dead in the middle of their argument and stared in shock at him, Giles and Xander immediately went silent, Spike looked at the Herald in complete surprise and Faith laughed. "In case it has escaped your notice we have rather a disturbing and very dangerous situation on our hands here and this is why you are both back in the land of the living..." He addressed this to Spike and Angel who both had the grace to look embarrassed.
"There are things that need to come out and be discussed..." Buffy blurted out, but was stopped short by Eönwë.
"Those things are in the past Buffy. They are done with and the situations can never be redeemed or made good. I know that there are things in your past that perhaps you need to iron out, but this is neither the time nor the place. Er... well it's certainly not the time." Osse and Melkor both laughed at this juncture and the Herald glared at both of them.
"What the hell do you know about what went on?" Buffy spat out, furious at being told what to do by someone who had no idea what any of them had gone through. She stabbed a finger at Eönwë regardless of Giles's frantic silent efforts to get her to quiet down. "What do you know about any of the stuff we went through. The deaths of innocent people... my mom...Jenny...Tara. You were too busy sitting on your ass on your stupid cloud along with the rest of the time wasters that call themselves the Powers That Be. Don't..."
Eönwë interrupted her again. She took a step back since he seemed to have grown considerably in stature, although his dark blue eyes were still kindly. "Child, I know exactly what is is you all went through. I was there for every single oath that any of you ever made and many were made during your long fight with evil. I recorded them all." He held out his hand and a large book and quill pen materialised out of thin air. "I am the Oath-keeper of Eru."
"All of them?" Dawn and Xander both said in dismay. Spike went off into fresh guffaws of laughter and even Angel grinned weakly. For once Melkor was quiet, he hadn't known about Eönwë's task as given to him by the One and he was mentally going over every oath he had ever made.
"Wow... that was so neat." Willow enthused, more entranced by the ease of the magic Eönwë had apparently just done rather than whether she'd made any oaths she might have regretted. "How did you do..." She then noticed that everyone was looking at her and blushed to the roots of her hair. "Not that I need to know... no sirree, not me. I really don't need to know how you conjured the book and the pen... and... you're not a witch as well as an angel are you?"
Xander sighed and put a finger against her lips. "Willow, enough of the babbling, you're scaring the nice Elves and Angels."
Buffy was silent. She had seen the compassion in Eönwë's eyes and she knew he was speaking the truth. There was nothing she could say. The wind had been totally taken out of her sails and she slumped down onto the nearest chair. Angel made as if to go to her, but Eönwë shook his head, so he stayed where he was. It was Giles who went to comfort his slayer.
"So now we are all quiet, perhaps Osse and I can go over our plans and fill Angel and Spike in as we go." Eönwë turned to Angel. "I understand that both you and Spike have been to the Deeper Well?"
Angel nodded. "We have bad memories of that." He said quietly. "It didn't end well for any of us, especially Fred."
Eönwë gently gripped his shoulder in sympathy. "You must not grieve for her or your friends, Wesley and Charles Gunn, they are both reunited with Fred in the Halls of Waiting. Lord Namo was gracious enough to allow Fred to wait there for them. When we have sorted out this mess here, they will go on and be judged by the One in the Timeless Halls and then they journey beyond the Circles of the Earth."
"I kinda thought I might like to have gone with them." Angel sighed.
"Your time will come child, but for now, your path lies a different way to theirs, as does Spike's."
Spike got up and wandered restlessly around the room, aware that Buffy's eyes were following him and that despite anything the big impressive and quite scary looking Power said to her, he knew full well she would find him and yell at him. Finally he turned to Eönwë and grinned.
"So... I'm guessing we got another Big Bad to fight. Am I right? So what are we here to fight. Demon? Demi-god? Hell-beast? No... it must be one of the Old Ones. No other reasons for heading to the Deeper Well is there?" His lips twisted into a smile of what could only be described as manic glee. "Nothing like a good fight for getting the circulation moving."
"Bit difficult since you don't have a circulation." Xander muttered.
Angel looked at Eönwë. "Maybe you'd like to fill us in on the situation. Nobody bothered to tell us where we were going or why when we were suddenly in that small force field together. Wasn't a pleasant position to be in...especially with him." He jerked his thumb across at Spike who immediately bristled.
"Yeah? Yeah? Well if you weren't such a bloody Nancy boy with the poofy hair and the poofy hair gel there might have been more room..."
"QUIET!" Eönwë thundered and both of them immediately subsided. He pointed at Angel. "You are with me... Spike, you will go with Osse and the Slayers to the Deeper Well. We will explain when we get there, we have no time to indulge in foolish and childish arguments." He glared at everyone else. "Does anyone need reminding of their task in this?"
There was a mad scramble of people rushing for weapons and packs. "No no... no reminding for me." Willow said brightly. She pointed at her bag all ready beside her. She reminded Eonwe of his daughter looking for approval and a gold star. "All the ingredients for my spells are right here Captain...um whatever you are."
Eönwë watched as everyone fell over each other in their efforts to be all present and correct, while Osse and the Elves stood also watching bemusedly with Melkor sniggering to himself. This was better entertainment than anything he'd had in...oh...at least a few thousand years.
Eönwë shook his head in despair. "The earth is clearly doomed."
Giles shot him a wicked smile. "Stop pinching my lines Eönwë!"
ooOoo
The Shanshu Prophecy... is a prophecy that appears in the fictional universe of the television series Angel. Contained in the Scrolls of Aberjian, the prophecy first appears in the episode "Blind Date" and is more fully revealed in the season finale of the show's first season, "To Shanshu in L.A.". The Shanshu Prophecy foresees the restoration of a vampire with a soul into a mortal human being.
Angel... is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series was created by Buffy's creator, Joss Whedon, in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999. Like Buffy, it was produced by Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy.
The show details the ongoing trials of Angel, a vampire whose human soul was restored to him by gypsies as a punishment for the murder of one of their own. After more than a century of murder and the torture of innocents, Angel's restored soul torments him with guilt and remorse. During the first four seasons of the show, he works as a private detective in a fictionalized version of Los Angeles, California, where he and a variety of associates work to "help the helpless" and to restore the faith and save the souls of those who have lost their way. Typically, this involves doing battle with evil demons or demonically allied humans, primarily related to Wolfram & Hart, a demonic law firm, which, ironically, in later seasons they work "for". He also has to battle his own demonic nature.
Angel played Buffy's first love interest in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.
Spike... was originally an unsuccessful aspiring poet in the Victorian era. Sired by the vampire Drusilla , William became "William the Bloody", an unusually passionate and romantic vampire. Alongside Drusilla and Angelus, William acquired the nickname Spike for his method of killing; in time he became noted for killing two vampire Slayers. In the 1970s, Spike acquired his trademark bleached blond Billy Idol haircut and leather duster. In 1997 Spike comes to Sunnydale hoping to kill a third Slayer, Buffy Summers, with whom he later forges an uneasy alliance. Over the course of Buffy, Spike falls in love with the Slayer and acquires a soul to prove himself to her, dying a hero in the Buffy series finale before being resurrected in the fifth season of spin-off series Angel.