xxx
In the Hyperion, chaos ruled supreme.
Angel had slowly been coming to terms with his children's disappearance. The rest of the team were searching for ways to get them back and he was helping where he could. All in all, there were more important things than keeping the Hyperion ship-shape.
Before Angel had calmed down enough to come back out of his room, Lorne had carefully removed all traces of the twins from the office and lobby. He was the only one who could keep himself together enough to even look at those things. For everyone else, it was just too painful.
Wesley had been quiet and withdrawn, spending most of his time searching for any mention of Quor'toth. He was determined to find a way to get the twins back. So far, though, he had had no luck. He was having trouble concentrating.
Neela had been gone for about a fortnight and nobody had mentioned her yet. Wesley was worried. John had seemed to really want to hurt Neela, and as good as she was, even Neela needed backup sometimes. Even with what she had done, he found he couldn't hate her. She'd helped him and he was certain that they could've helped her – if she had let them.
Fred watched Gunn, worried. He had been dejected since he found out the truth about Neela, but he seemed to be getting a little happier. Or maybe she was just getting used to the gloominess that had taken over the Hyperion.
It was the first time in a fortnight that the whole gang had been in the same place with anything resembling a purpose. Lorne had asked to speak to them all. With their current run of bad luck, there was a general feeling of foreboding over the group. What was it going to be this time? Sahjhan turned up again? Flesh eating demons attacking downtown LA?
"Maybe this isn't the best time to tell you this, but I'm thinking of opening Caritas again."
"Lorne, that's great!" Fred cried.
"I thought Caritas was unsalvageable?" Cordelia asked.
"Well, you did blow it up twice," Lorne said. "I was going to find a new place. I've already seen a couple of places on the market that might do."
"And how long before someone blows it up again?" Cordelia joked.
"I'll admit the old system had a few bugs, but the Furies will work them out. Hopefully. Gee, you'd think you guys could be just a little positive."
"I did say it was great," Fred protested.
"It's good," said Angel. "You know, moving on and all that..."
"I'll still be around," Lorne said quickly. "You don't get rid of me that easily, Angelcakes."
"You always think people are going to be around," Angel said, more to himself than to anyone else. "And sooner or later, they're not there anymore. But no matter how long you live, you never get used to losing them."
The gang looked at each other. None of them knew what to say. Cordelia and Wesley shared a look. It was important that Angel didn't lose hope, no matter how bad things seemed. Neither of them wanted him to go back to that strange grey place that he had been in last year, when he wasn't quite Angelus, but definitely wasn't Angel either.
"Angel," Cordelia started. "We will get them back, I promise."
"But are they ok? Are they scared or cold or hungry?" Angel asked, looking at her.
"We'll find them and they'll be fine," Cordelia said firmly. "In fact-"
Her eyes glazed over, turning milky-white. Gunn sat up eagerly.
"Vision approaching," he said. Even Angel perked up at the news.
Cordelia blinked rapidly, clearing off the opaque side effect of her vision. "Ok, there's a young man on the south highway into town and a load of vampires. He's not too badly hurt but he's seriously outnumbered."
Angel stood up, walking to the weapon's cabinet and opening it. He chose the largest broadsword, pleased with its comforting weight in his hand. "Let's go even the odds then," he said.
The rest of the gang leapt up, finding favoured weapons. Angel Investigations was finding its feet again.
xxx
Liam swore extensively in several languages. He had been driving into LA, just minding his business, when a group of vamps had decided to crash into his car and put him on the menu. He really did not have the time or patience to deal with this.
He staked a vamp and kicked another away from him. Liam was a good enough fighter, but for every vampire he killed, there seemed to be three more ready to take its place. A vampire grabbed him around the waist and threw him into his car. Liam fell to the ground and rolled to the side just in time to avoid a foot in his face.
The vampire grinned at him. "I thought Irishmen were supposed to be tough," he said, his fangs obscuring his words slightly.
"Go to hell," Liam shot back, his Irish accent clear.
"That's the best idea I've heard all evening," said another voice, American this time.
A crossbow bolt pierced the vampire's heart. As the creature fell to dust, Liam stared at the shooter. He had seen the young man before, in pictures.
"You ok?" asked Gunn, reaching down to help Liam to his feet.
"Bloody brilliant," Liam replied. "Duck."
Gunn dodged to the side as Liam dived forward to knock a vampire to the ground.
As Liam beat the un-living daylights of his vampire, the rest of the Angel Investigation's team was making short work of the others.
Angel slammed into the vampires, glad to have something to fight. Gunn was helping out Fred and Cordelia was holding her own, a light-weight sword in one hand and a pile of dust in front of her. Even Wesley was enjoying himself, trading blows with a huge vampire. His smaller stature gave him an advantage and Wesley was able to dodge most of his opponent's strikes.
When all of the vampire's were dust, Liam stretched a sore arm and looked at his saviours. There was no doubt about it. These were the people who Neela had spent the last two months working with. He stuffed the anger he felt back into himself. He wasn't here to be some sort of avenging angel. The phrase made him chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Angel asked. Liam knew it was Angel. Who else could have that much pent up aggression?
Liam grinned. "Nothing much. Just seems quite ridiculous to be saved from vampires by a vampire, that's all."
"You know what he is?" asked a man that could only be Wesley.
"Come on. Who could fail to recognise the great Angelus?" Liam said flippantly.
"It's Angel now," the vampire snapped.
"Oh, of course. Guy gets a soul and suddenly thinks that a little bit of good gives him access to the higher moral ground," Liam said. He knew he was being silly and childish, but this guy was really annoying him. It was amazing Neela had never kicked his ass all the way back to hell when she was in LA.
"Do I know you?" Angel asked. "Because I'm getting the impression that you don't like me that much."
"Which is pretty rude considering we just saved your ass," said a woman with short blondish hair. Cordelia, Liam assumed.
"For which I'm grateful, really," Liam told her. "And I'll make it up to you, princess. But, no, we've never met. We just have a friend in common. Well, I say friend, but-"
Wesley interrupted suddenly. "Liam Reilly, am I correct? Neela's friend?"
"Spot on, Mr Wyndam-Pryce," Liam said.
"The Liam that helped out when Cordy went into a coma?" the last member of the group asked. What was her name? Oh, yes, Fred.
"I just shoved Neela in the right direction," Liam replied modestly.
Gunn was looking at him, a strange expression on his face. "You know Neela?"
"Have done for years. Why?"
"And you know what she is?"
Liam bit back the urge to say something really rude. "Yeah. Is there some sort of problem here?"
Gunn looked like he was about to say something else, but Fred caught his arm. Liam glanced at his watch. Time to move this along.
"Look, I don't have a lot of time. I can help you get your twins back, but we have to do it now, basically," Liam said to Angel.
"What?" said Wesley and Angel together.
"The little leprechaun knows something?" Gunn asked nastily.
Liam rolled his eyes. "Leprechauns don't technically exist, smart-ass. I found a spell to reopen the way to Quor'toth." He spoke slowly, as if Gunn was simple. "We do the spell, maybe the kids will pop back through. Get it?"
"Huh?" Angel said.
Liam turned to Wesley. "Can you try?"
"Well, it's quite a shock," Wesley said. "We should get back to the Hotel and discuss this further."
Liam grabbed his rucksack and slung it over his shoulder before picking up a large cardboard box.
"Guys, we have to be ready to roll by quarter to midnight at the latest," he said. "So whatever your issues with me or Neela, get over them. We do not have time." He turned to Angel. "I'm only going to ask this once. Want to get your kids back?"
xxx
Liam had cleared a large space in the Hyperion's lobby and gathered together the other supplies. He was starting to set out the candles when Wesley came out of the office, a copy of the spell in his hands.
"How did you find this?" he asked.
"I didn't. She did," Liam said curtly.
"I thought she wanted the kids gone," Gunn said, coming back into the lobby.
Liam stood up again. "No, the Clan did. She wasn't the Clan, and she made the right decision, aka not to take the kids. Am I the only one to make that distinction?"
"That's hardly fair," Wesley said.
"Well, you know what? Life isn't fair," Liam replied. "Can you pass me another candle?"
Gunn stared coldly at the Irishman and stayed where he was. Unperturbed, Liam fetched the extra candle himself.
"Very mature," he told Gunn. "How many of you are there?"
"Six," Wesley replied.
"And I make seven. Perfect. Anyone know how to draw a regular heptagon? Seven pointed star, I mean?"
"I can," Fred offered.
Liam gave her a disarming smile and passed her the paint and paintbrush. "Thanks," he said. "Oh, be quick, please. We have to ready soon."
"Why is timing so important?" asked Wesley curiously.
For a moment Liam considered making up some tale to keep the truth from them. Then he saw Angel watching him from the stairs and something inside Liam snapped. "This is only half of the procedure to get the children back. We need a huge amount of energy to force a way through to Quor'toth. Neela is getting the energy at midnight and I can channel it through this-" he pulled a heavy piece of jade, hanging from a black cord, out of his pocket. "And into the dimensional wall between here and there. But it's going to take careful timing. The energy that Neela is... procuring can only be gotten once. We have to make it count."
"But how will Connor and Caitlin get through?" Fred asked, still painting the heptagon. "They're just babies."
Liam hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. He couldn't lie, not about this, but as much as he disliked Angel, he had no desire to hurt him.
"What?" Angel said, his voice low and firm.
"Um, everything wants to be in its own dimension. When the tear is made, the children will almost be pulled through, the desire to get back here will be so strong," Liam said, giving another casual smile.
"There's more to it than that," Angel said. It wasn't a question.
"Time moves... differently in other dimensions," Liam said quietly. "Faster, normally. The kids might, might not be kids anymore."
Angel froze, staring blankly at the floor.
"I'm sorry," Liam said, meaning it. "But-"
"How much?" Angel asked.
"What?"
"How much faster does time move there?"
"I don't know. It might be a year there for a day here, or a month or an hour. There's no way to tell," Liam said.
Angel nodded slowly, trying to take in this new information.
"Liam," said Wesley. "It's almost midnight."
Liam nodded, looking around. Fred had finished the heptagon. Everything was ready.
"Guys, everyone grab a candle and light it. Each of you stand at one point of the star," Liam ordered, going to the phone and dialling. Neela picked up almost immediately.
"It's time," he said.
"We'll get started. It should be over fairly quickly," Neela said.
"Be careful. I'll see you soon, understand?"
"Yeah. Good luck."
"You too," he said.
Liam carefully put the phone down, picked up the last candle and moved to take up his position. He looked around at the assorted people. They were a pretty strange bunch – an old street-rat, a physicist, a seer, an ex-Watcher, a green demon and a soulful vampire. No wonder Neela had liked it here, and she had enjoyed herself, no matter how much she might now try to deny it. Liam sighed and tossed the hunk of jade into the centre of the heptagon. From his other pocket, he brought a silver cross.
"What's that for?" Cordelia asked.
"Just a good luck charm," Liam replied.
"What do we do?" asked the demon, Lorne.
"You all saw the doorway to Quor'toth, right? Remember what it looked like, what you saw or heard or felt. Think about what we're trying to do here. Think about those kids."
Liam shut his eyes, searching for the energy burst with his mage's senses.
I will see her again.
Nothing. What was keeping her?
I will see her again.
Still nothing. Liam redoubled his efforts, focusing more tightly. His eyes flew open again as something pricked the edge of his consciousness.
"This might get weird," he warned. "It's-"
Cordelia yelped as his eyes rolled up. Liam was shaking, as was the jade on the floor.
Liam felt his mind being wrenched out of his body, being pulled up out of the lobby until he was floating above the hotel. He turned to face Sunnydale and saw the burst of multi-coloured energy speeding towards him. He smiled and opened his hand, showing the silver cross that he had given Neela years before.
"I will see you again," he whispered and snatched his hand shut as the energy hit.
He was in a clearing, as insubstantial as smoke.
John was standing there, an axe in his hands. Neela was crouched in a pentagram and Spike stood by a tree, the Urn placed next to him.
"Goodbye, little sister," John whispered.
"Live well, big brother," Neela replied. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to prepare herself.
Liam stared desperately from one to the other.
John raised the axe. Liam ran forward and tried to force it from his hands, but he passed straight through John.
"Ducate Granok Jo'Nekra Demonicus," John chanted.
Spike wrenched the Urn open as Neela's hand began to glow red. She screamed in agony. The light gushed from her fingers to the Urn and another scream joined hers. A faint image of a demon shimmered in the air between her and the Urn.
"Neela!" Liam screamed. He knew what this was and what was about to happen.
"No!" roared Jo'Nekra. "I will rule all! I will break the child!"
Neela's eyes snapped open. "Go to hell!" she shouted, her eyes defiant despite the pain.
The demon howled as it was sucked away from Neela to the Urn, disappearing into it.
"Now!" John yelled to Spike. The vampire seized the jar and slammed it into a tree, shattering it instantly.
John brought the axe down as Neela screamed again.
"Liam!" she yelled.
The force of the spell threw Spike halfway across the graveyard.
Liam had instinctively thrown up his ghostly hands to shield equally insubstantial eyes. When he looked again, Neela was lying on her back, unmoving, blood staining the grass around her. Her severed hand was a small distance away.
John scrambled to his feet even as Spike did the same.
"Erin!" John called, crawling forward. "Erin!"
Spike grabbed him, pulling him away. "Go!" he shouted.
"She is my sister!" the young man shouted back, struggling as Spike dragged him back.
"No, your sister is dead and has been for a long time." Spike's tone was blunt. "There is nothing that you can do for her now."
John looked at the vampire, clearly weighing his odds. Then he sighed, picking up the axe and a bag. "Take care of her. Please." He left, reluctantly, looking over his shoulder at the motionless figure.
Liam watched, helplessly, as Spike rushed back to Neela, kneeling by her. The vampire pulled off his jacket, gently covering her with it, and then yanked his shirt off, tearing it into long strips.
"Neela?" he asked, as he wrapped the cloth around her wrist. "Neela, talk to me, love."
Her eyes flicked open. "Uncle..."
"Neela, stay awake! Focus!"
"Not... not..."
"Stay awake!" Spike yelled.
Neela's eyes shut and her head lolled to one side, blood trickling from her eyes, ears and nose.
"Neela!" Liam called. "Neela, wake up!"
xxx
Liam jerked awake, breathing heavily. He was lying on a sofa, still in the Hyperion. Above the heptagon, the air crackled with dark energy.
"Oh god," he muttered. "Oh god. Neela."
"Liam?" Wesley said, coming over. "How do you feel?"
Liam didn't answer but sat up, pushing his hair back out of his eyes.
"Maybe you shouldn't move," Cordelia suggested.
Liam ignored her too and stood up, crossing to the phone and starting to dial.
"How long was I out?" he asked.
"Half an hour," Wesley told him. "Liam-"
Liam held up his hand to stop him and concentrated on the phone at the other end of the line that was ringing.
God, let her answer. Come on, Neela, answer. Just let her be ok.
Finally, someone answered the phone.
"Neela?" he asked. Liam frowned; it wasn't Neela on the other end. "What happened to her?"
The gang, scattered around the lobby, watched as Liam listened to whoever was talking. The Irishman went very pale and Angel could see that he was trembling slightly. The phone dropped from his hand and Liam sat down on the floor with a thud.
The gang exchanged worried looks and Gunn hurried forward to take the phone. He listened for a moment.
"No, that's not possible," he said. "Wait-"
The phone went dead and Gunn hung up. He turned to the others, all of whom were still confused.
"She's dead," he said. "She's dead." It sounded like he couldn't believe it himself.
Numbly, Liam was aware of Gunn's horrified expression, the pain and shock on the faces of the others and Angel staring at him.
It was Wesley that broke the shocked silence. "How?"
"The spell she did," Liam said, forcing himself to answer. "To get the energy. It wasn't meant to do that to her. That's not... not possible."
"What spell?" Fred asked.
"To rid herself of the demon," Liam answered listlessly.
"I thought Neela was just a demon," Fred said.
"No, you bloody idiots, she was just possessed!" Liam yelled. It wasn't the whole truth, not even close to, but it was the easiest way to explain the whole stupid situation.
There was shocked silence. Angel remembered all the times he had seen demonic possession and it fit. It explained everything.
"And she finally found an incredibly risky way to get rid of the damn thing and all of a sudden she was willing to kill herself to do a good bloody deed. Possibly just due to the fact that a vampire decided she was worse than him!"
"Trying to Unmake a Hunter?" Lorne exploded. "Why the hell did you let her do it?"
"It wasn't my decision. She believed she couldn't live with that thing inside her anymore and who was I to argue with her?" Liam shouted, suddenly furious. "After the great almighty Champion threw her out? You think I wanted her to do this? You think I don't care about her? She was determined to get those kids back, God knows why! I would've left the lot of you to clear up after your own mess."
"It was Neela's fault Connor and Caitlin were sent there in the first place," Cordelia said.
"Is that what you all tell yourselves at night to keep the bad dreams away? You all needed someone to blame, so you chose the person that none of you cared about."
"I did care about her!" Gunn said. "She lied to us, remember?"
"About something that you would have killed her for! What the hell did you expect her to tell someone who hunted demons for a living? You see things too damn simply, you idiot! Having a soul does not make you a good person and vice versa. Look at your green buddy here, for God's sake!"
"She should've told me!" said Gunn.
"Why? Did you ever give her a reason to, or even a chance to?"
Liam turned and made to leave the lobby, but Wesley called him back.
"What about the portal?"
"When the piece of jade explodes, the gateway will close itself back up. I'm not sure when that'll be. In an hour, maybe, the hole will be big enough for the twins to get through. It's microscopic at the moment. If you need to close it again sooner than that, I left some instructions in the office. And I hope you burn in hell," he said, looking at Angel.
Liam left, slamming the door behind him. Immediately, Gunn followed, bursting through the door.
"Liam, she can't be dead," he called after him. "You know something that you're not telling."
Liam stopped moving, but didn't turn around. "Neela's dead. She died for you and your stupid boss in a desperate attempt to make amends. I don't know much about you and, frankly, I don't give a rat's arse. But she held you in pretty high regard, which is the only reason I'm not beating you to a pulp right now. I'm asking you to just let her rest in peace. Just go back to your wonderfully simple world with your oh-so-perfect soul and stay the hell away from me."
Gunn stood there, watching Liam as he walked away. Slowly, he turned and went back into the hotel.
Lorne leant against the reception desk, idly tidying up some of Liam's notes. Maybe Wesley would want them. It was strange. Cleaning was Lorne's first reaction to a shock. This had definitely been a shock. Finally Lorne picked up a small envelope, and it was addressed to him. Curious as to what Neela would have left him, Lorne opened it. A low chuckle escaped from his lips.
"Neela sent me the deeds to an old club a couple of blocks away," Lorne explained to a startled Fred. "She must've heard I was looking for a new place."
Gunn was just sitting on the sofa, feeling numb. He couldn't believe that Neela was dead. He realised that he had known hardly anything about her, not really. Neela was dead and the last time that he had spoken to her, all they had done was argue.
Angel shared a look with Gunn. The old street rat looked shocked and a little lost. Not to mention confused. Angel definitely knew where he was coming from. The air above where he was sitting was crackling and rippling and somewhere Neela was lying dead.
Wesley stood up quietly, and took the sheaf of papers from Lorne's green hand. Going into the office, he shut the door behind him. Stupid girl! Why hadn't Neela talked to them about this? There must have been other ways to find the energy for Liam's spell.
Wesley tucked the notes into a drawer. Then he put his head in his hands and let the tears come.
Out in the lobby, the crack in the air spilled opened. The lights across the entire hotel snapped out, plunging everyone into darkness.
Two pairs of feet hit the floor.