CHAPTER 11

They set out and Doyle had been right, Puck's car had a rather strong aroma of long since spilt beer and entirely too many cigarettes smoked with the windows up but they managed. Puck took them to the shop and told them he'd be right back, going around the corner to his apartment building to see his unsuspecting blood donor and leaving them to select the long list of items.

Angel, Wesley and Giles went down to the docks to see who Angel could rattle into allowing them use of their building for the evening. Apparently this was going to be a large spell and they hadn't figured it could be contained by within the walls of Cordelia's apartment. They'd finally settled on a location when an odd ringing caused them all to look around in confusion – it took Angel several seconds to realize it was his still unfamiliar cell phone.

"Hello." He answered as he pressed it to his ear, only to realize he still had to push the button to accept the call. He growled that he was too old to be learning this type of thing and tried again as Giles smirked. "Yes? Hello?"

"Angel – it's Gunn" said the voice on the other end of the line and he prayed to himself that he wasn't about to ask for a favor. True he owed Gunn a lot for all of his help but tonight was not a good night for repayment.

"Gunn – what can I do for you?" He asked, rubbing his face as he walked a short distance from the others.

"Hey…got some intel a second ago I thought you ought to know about." Gunn began and Angel could hear vampires being ashed in the background. He figured the description of 'a second ago' was extremely accurate which made him instantly worry about what might have drawn such a timely response.

"Shoot." Angel said quickly.

"Well your girl over there – the one that we were watching over at the hospital – does she get visions?" Gunn asked.

"Cordelia – yes, why?" Angel asked quickly.

"Seems your friends at Evil, Inc. are up to something involving her. Got one of the vamps I'm taking down right now to squeal and he said they were looking for her. She's wearing some type of jewelry or something they think they can use to hurt you. These guys didn't know much other than bringing it to Wolfram & Hart is gonna be a serious payday…and Angel…they were told to get it by any means necessary." Gunn told him in a severe tone.

Angel was instantly racing back to his car, waving for Wesley and Giles to hurry up and get in. "Thanks, Gunn." He said, ending the call as he started the engine and peeled out.

How did they know about it? He wondered frantically but realized they'd sent one of their summoned demons to open Cordelia's mind to the suffering of the world just a few days prior. The demon had touched her, had been close enough to sense Doyle's presence. His mind was racing as he dialed. Wolfram & Hart was already on a mission to bring him down and they obviously weren't above performing rituals to bring new enemies for him if that box had been any indication…if they knew what the amulet was…what it could do…they might bring back Doyle to…

He pressed down harder on the pedal.

"That's everything…" Willow said, checking off the list as they went to the counter. "I even got extra ashwaganda to be safe."

"Is this stuff supposed to smell so horrible?" Cordelia asked, turning her nose up at a bag of roots she was carrying and Tara laughed.

"Yes, the stronger the smell, the more potent the magical properties will be." Tara explained and Cordy curled her lip.

"Then these are some seriously powerful…brown…things…" She said, holding the bag away from herself.

"Shouldn't Puck be back by now?" Willow asked as Cordelia paid, looking down at her watch again and frowning.

Puck had managed to coax the demon living across the hall out of a vial of blood like one would borrow a cup of sugar from their neighbor; he thanked him profusely for the help, promised to buy him a brew the next time they were out and avoided explaining what it was to be used for. He'd gotten halfway down the stairs before something leapt onto his back, sending him tumbling the remaining way to the marble floor below. Before he'd even opened his eyes his attackers were punching and kicking him, finally stopping once his head felt like it was going to burst from the pain. He sniffed the air, vamps and there were several others closing in around him.

"You've been helping the one they call Angel, Puck…not such a wise move on your part." A man growled. "Since you've been so cozy with him you're going to tell me what I need to know. The girl, she's wearing a jewel of some sort that is worth a pretty penny to some very influential people. What does it look like and where can we find her?" He demanded, lifting Puck by his throat to a standing position.

"Come on! Pick up!" Angel screamed as he got Cordelia's voicemail again. She'd left her phone in Puck's car accidentally, was too happy about possibly getting Doyle back to be thinking clearly.

"Let me try." Giles offered, pulling a cell phone from his pocket and dialing Willow quickly.

The theme song from Bewitched started and Cordelia smirked at Willow as she pulled her cell free from her purse. "Hey Giles!" She said as they pushed through the glass doors and exited the shop.

"Willow! Thank heavens, where are you girls?" He asked and Angel breathed a small sigh of relief that they'd finally gotten through.

"We're at Trickster's Treasures and Trinkets at…." She looked for a sign. "The corner of Murdock and Goldview…" She heard Giles quickly repeat the location for Angel. "How come?" She asked worriedly.

"Willow, it's just come to our attention that you all may be in rather serious danger – there are dark forces coming after that amulet and…" He rambled but Willow cut him off.

"And by dark forces… would you mean like a pack of vampires all snarly and mean faced?" She asked in a tiny voice as Tara and Cordelia backed closer to her, their paths being blocked now from all sides as a veritable mob closed in around them.

"Yes exactly like – Willow? Are they there now?" He asked and Angel looked over at him fearfully. She managed a terrified, 'uh huh' in response. "Listen to me – you all must stay very close to Puck!" He urged her frantically but all she could manage in response was 'you'd better hurry' before hanging up.

As if answering Giles' request a bloody-faced Puck was hauled before them by his throat, the vampire holding him glared at them menacingly. "Where's the bracelet and which one of you bitches has it?" He demanded.

Cordelia had just started to open her mouth to ask what he was talking about when Willow caught the look on Puck's face and jumped in. She pressed a hand over the mood-stone on her wrist and cast a quick glamour on it. "You'll never get it!" She screamed in a voice that sounded a lot braver than she was feeling in that moment, removing her hand and noting that all of the vampires' eyes went to the now glowing stone.

Puck was thrown to the ground, groaning and clutching his ribs as the vampire smirked. "Really? Willing to bet your life on that?" He asked her as he approached.

Willow's resolve faltered once he was towering over the three of them. "Umm…no…not exactly…" She squeaked.

MUSIC:
"Forest Chase" by Corner Stone Cues

Tara reached past Cordelia who was standing between them and grabbed Willow's hand before the vampire had a chance to react, the two of them unleashing a bolt of power and sending him backward into the crowd. Cordelia stared at the girls in amazement and they grinned.

"But we'd wager a few bucks…" Tara told the vampire who was struggling to get back to his feet.

The vampires all rushed them and Cordelia lost her bearings as the fighting began, Tara and Willow were at her sides letting off orbs of light that had all the force on impact of small missiles but the bastards just kept pushing in around them. She could sense Doyle at her back, could see that dozens of the vampires were being sent sailing, others seemed to be hitting an unseen wall as they tried to approach but there were so many of them…

Finally one got through, it was all it took, gripping Willow by her throat as Tara shrieked and tried to fight him off…

And it was all Puck had needed.

A deafening growl that shook the ground beneath their feet caused everyone – vamp, witch and human alike to freeze. With wide eyes every face turned to find the small and seemingly defenseless Puck at the center of the crowd transforming into something…

BIG.

Wings stretched skyward, so massive they blocked out the streetlights as he grew larger by the second, rising to heights rivaling the buildings around them. He looked like some hellish version of a gargoyle, his grey flesh stretched across an impossibly sinewy and muscular form. His hands and feet were now the size of the attackers themselves; the black talons that graced each of his fingers were razor sharp and tore through the vampires surrounding the women with ease.

Spelled words were leaving him in a booming voice; the vamp still clutching Willow by the throat could only stare in wide eyed terror as the demon pointed at him and snarled. With one final word of damnation a fireball erupted from Puck's palm and was hurled at the offender.

Cordelia and Tara both shrieked and tried to shield Willow…but the flames were cool to them; they had been conjured for one being and one being alone. Agonized screams left the vampire as he fell to ash. Willow collapsed to the ground clutching her throat and coughing as the other two protected her from the violence Puck was unleashing around them.

Angel turned the corner and slammed on the brakes, tires screeching as the car skid to a halt. His eyes bulged as he focused on the winged terror that was blocking the road and hurling fireballs from its hands. "What in the name of…" Angel breathed.

"It's Puck!" Giles called over the sounds of the battle as they all jumped out of the car. "And it's alright, he won't harm any of us – we need to get to the girls!"

"There!" Wesley screamed, pointing past a flaming wreck of a vehicle that had been tossed aside to where the three were huddling together beside a building.

They raced to them, Angel noted the way the girls were shielding Willow and picked her up as she still gasped for air, cradling her to his chest protectively as fear for what had been done to her gripped him. Giles and Wesley grabbed the bags of magic items and shielded Cordelia and Tara from the rubble and debris that were raining down on them. Just as quickly they were rushing back to the car, loading the girls into it.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked, staring at Willow with wide, terrified eyes as he pulled her hand away from her throat looking for punctures or lacerations and she nodded. "Okay – I'm gonna go help Puck…" He stole a glance back down the street and winced as a gas main exploded, sending a massive fireball skyward. "As much as he doesn't seem to need it…if things get bad you get them out of here, got it?" He said to Giles, pointing for him to get behind the wheel in case they needed to make a hurried escape.

"You'll find no argument here." Giles said and watched Angel racing back toward the battle.

Puck was doing just fine on his own. It seemed Angel had only killed five or six vamps before the street was clear of them. He watched in amazement, his jaw hanging open as the beast turned and started toward him, quickly shrinking in size with each step until it was just a markedly nude but otherwise unharmed Puck standing before him.

"Holy shit." Angel breathed, shaking his head and smiling at him. "Someone my age should be able to come up with something more intelligent to say, I'm sure, but that's my reaction at the moment."

"Well put." Puck laughed and went to retrieve the vial of blood from the tattered remnants of his clothes in the street. "You mind lending me your coat so I don't traumatize the girls? My car seems to be…" He said, motioning to one of the flaming wrecks.

"Sure…anything you want after that." Angel laughed in astonishment as he peeled it off his shoulders and handed it over. "So…yeah. What was…" he pointed upwards at the size Puck had just been, "all that about?"

"Sermoporta - gateway demon, remember? Just supposed to be a guardian but in this dimension anybody tries to take a soul out in a manner ain't in the mystical cards I get to stop it. Wasn't Willow's time to cross the threshold. Unfortunately I can't change at will, gotta wait for it to be needed." Puck explained.

"Well I'm glad you're on our side." Angel breathed, clapping him on the back as they returned to the car.

"It's gonna be a tight squeeze…" Puck observed. "Wesley – me, you and Doyle are riding bitch on this one." He said, but noting the confusion on Wesley's face he knocked on the trunk. "Angel – do us a favor and keep it under the speed of light so this thing don't close and knock us unconscious, k?"

"But there'd be enough room in the backseat for one more, I'm sure." Wesley began and Angel arched a brow at him as he opened the trunk.

"Fine, Doyle can sit next to Cordy." He said with a smirk, not waiting for Wesley to come up with an argument before walking around to the driver's side door, waiting for Giles to move over to the passenger seat and climbing behind the wheel.

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