Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe, Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize

Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.

This one will mostly be the same as canon with some changes, hope you enjoy.

Chapter 9- Day no more

Angel sat in his room, sketching an image of baby Connor sleeping, while watching baby Connor do just that. He had tuckered himself out with all of his crawling and playing.

And after Matt's departure and the visit from the first, all of them needed some playtime with the baby to cheer themselves up.

Lorne then entered with a tray.

"Room service. Hey. Got you some nice O here. Freshly nuked for that "right out of the jugular" taste."

Angel told Lorne. "Just put it on the table."

Lorne set the tray down and looked at the drawing. "Hmm… good likeness. You wouldn't mind if I cooed over him, would you?"

Angel chuckled as Lorne noticed he had made some other sketches and kept them nearby, and these ones were of the Beast, as well as Abaddon, and also half-Matt, half-Abaddon, which had been visible when Matt had snapped his fingers.

"Huh? You know how to pass your time", Lorne quipped as Angel sighed.

"There's nothing on him, Lorne", Angel muttered sadly. "I fought him once and he nearly decapitated me with my own stake, really, there's not much I can do right now. Research doesn't say anything either."

"Well, we are researching what the other Big Bad told us about, that ought to do it, what do ya say Angelcakes?" Lorne inquired.

"It says a lot that now we need another bad guy's advice to help us out", Angel groaned.

Gwen Raiden made her way through the dark among the churning oil derricks. She stopped and looked around as if expecting someone but no one was there. She turned around and looked behind her.

"Miss Raiden."

She turned a man clothed in African tribal dress, wearing dark sunglasses, where there was no one moments before.

"Mr. Ashet. It's an honor to finally meet you."

Ashet responded to her. "Yes, I suppose it would be."

Gwen then said in a formal regretful tone. "I apologize for your long journey when I can't offer better news."

"You haven't changed your mind?" Ashet inquired.

Gwen tried to assure she did understand the situation. "Mr. Ashet, I understand the amulets you want acquired are very valuable."

"Yes, that's because they are extremely rare and powerful protective amulets."

Gwen started. "Yeah, and considering the holy-roller Revelations party that seems to be going on lately, I can see why you might want them. But as juicy as the commission is… I've got this problem wherein…"

He took off his glasses to reveal a set of inhuman eyes. They bore into her. Gwen faltered, then continued. "I'm very respectfully going on vacation to Tahiti, sir."

Ashet simply asked. "You have no idea who I am, do you, Miss Raiden? Or of the dire importance of recent events."

Gwen pointed out. "I know enough to go to Tahiti."

"Well said. Perhaps then I won't kill you for your—"

Ashet suddenly screamed and Gwen stumbled backward as a massive fist punched through Ashet's chest from behind.

Gwen looked up to find the Beast towering over her. It smiled at her before hitting her with a blow that hurled her 50 feet away. She landed on the ground in a crumpled heap and watched as the Beast rips its hand back out of Ashet.

Brilliant white light streamed from the gaping hole in Ashet's chest as he collapsed to the ground. The Beast kneeled down over him, reached into the blindingly bright hole and removed a small metallic object from inside Ashet.

Holding the object in one hand, the Beast looked up at Gwen who removed her gloves, preparing to battle.

Electricity arced between her fingers but when she got to her feet, she found the Beast is gone. Only the crumpled body of Ashet remained.

Cordelia woke up at the Hyperion, the taunts of the First still fresh in her mind, as she clutched her fists.

"Rich coming from you."

"Games, we love them, you, me, all."

"Just different sides, you, me, them."

"Funny you think it's the Beast you need to worry about."

"Oh, and as a parting gift, not a seizure inducing kiss this time."

Cordelia remembered all of those, and Matt rejecting her, then leaving, and with a growl, threw a framed picture of Matt and herself into the wall.

Suddenly, her eyes went white and she saw a flash of the Beast with screams of terror and agony in the background.

Downstairs, Gunn was saying. "'The answer lies among you?' Is it Connor or something?"

"Charles, its literally called 'the First Evil'!" Fred pointed out. "Its not be trusted."

"I'm not blaming Connor, just saying, it hatched out of where he was born", Gunn told her.

"Yes, there might be a connection, or perhaps just a coincidence", Groo agreed.

Fred shrugged. "It was probably just some mind game to mess us all up."

"I hate it when bad guys help", Gunn muttered.

""The answer is among you." Have I mentioned I hate cryptic messages?" Fred asked them all.

Wesley then walked in and told them. "Well, there's one thing I can decrypt. My sources have already confirmed that without the little girl, the earthly contingent of Wolfram Hart is cut off from the Senior Partners. Effectively neutralized." He then revealed more about her. "However, it appears that was not her only function. I've just found an entry in Rhinehardt's Compendium for that same little girl— or rather the entity presenting itself as one. Her name is Mesektet."

Fred quipped. "Hmm… I figured Tiffany or Brandi."

Gunn inquired. "So you mean Wolfram Hart was just a day job?"

"Sort of", Wesley confirmed. "You see, Mesektet was one of five enormously powerful beings which are linked to an embodiment of the ancient god Ra."

Fred was excited now. "Which makes them totems, right? Symbolic manifestations."

Wesley agreed and explained. "Yes, totems which together form an order called the Ra-tet, which is what the First told us about, this was the connection."

Gunn noticed how Fred immediately opened up to Wesley when they brainstormed together. He stepped over and put a possessive arm around her.

"Must be big. Never heard of 'em before the First."

Wesley said. "That's because their origins have been shrouded in mystery since the dawn of time. Only the totems themselves know their true purpose. And perhaps the First, since it has been around from the start too."

Fred ran over to the computer. "So maybe he killed this Mesektet for another reason. I'll hit the net. Charles, you want to update Angel?"

"Guess I'll have to", Gunn realized.

The door opened and Lorne entered. "Bad news, munchkins. Rumor mill has Dr. Feelbad attached to another slice-and-dice yesterday."

Fred asked. "Who was it?"

"Lovely woman. High and mighty white magick shaman type. But that didn't even faze the Beast. Tore her poor heart right out of her chest."

"Hmmm, strange", Wesley muttered. "Or it could be something else."

Fred inquired. "Lorne, you didn't happen to catch a name, did you? Like Ma'at?"

Lorne was surprised Fred knew the name. "Yeah, that's the lady."

Fred now realized. "Another member of the Ra-tet."

Gunn noted. "He's taking them out, one by one."

Wesley pointed out to him. "We can't assume that yet. This Beast has killed hundreds of people with his bare hands. You throw in the storms and earthquakes that accompanied the rain of fire, you could put the death toll in the thousands."

Fred agreed. "Wes is right. Statistically it's still a coincidence. Two points—"

"—make a line, not a pattern."

Gunn noted the way Wesley finished Fred's sentence for her, the way they seemed to be on the same wavelength.

They all looked up as Cordelia walked downstairs.

"Hi, guys."

"Oh, hey, Cordy", Lorne greeted back.

Gunn asked. "What's up, Cordy?"

She just stared at them for a beat, then took a deep breath.

That was when Angel walked down.

"Oh, hey Angel", she greeted.

"Angel", Wesley showed him a picture of Mesektet. "Was that the white girl from Wolfram and Hart?"

"Yes, it is her", Angel confirmed.

"The Ra-tet are five powerful beings linked to an embodiment of the Egyptian Sun God Ra", Wesley explained to him. "And the Beast killed another one of them."

"So its after them?" Angel asked.

"There is a chance it might be", Fred confirmed.

"I had a vision", Cordelia then said as all looked at her.

"What did it say?" Groo inquired.

Cordelia explained to them all. "It was… different from any other. I felt like I was inside someone else listening to the demon talk but I couldn't tell if it was in the past or in the future or even where we were exactly."

Angel asked her. "Who was it you were inside?"

Cordelia confessed to him. "I couldn't tell. But I did feel like there was more I wasn't getting, like I was just scratching at the surface of something. Maybe it'll come to me."

Angel then asked her. "So what did the demon say?"

"Don't know. All I got was the visual."

"Not much to go on, Cordy", Angel pointed out.

Cordelia made a point of her. "But it's something! And a vision means the phone lines between us and the Powers That Be are still open. Maybe they'll send us a clue."

Angel wasn't a huge fan of the Powers. "As if there's somebody up there watching."

Cordelia reminded. "I was. But I'm back now so we'll have to deal with it because things are going to hell and … and you're the leader. So lead."

Angel realized she was right about this, he had to lead, because he was the leader.

He wasn't Steve Rogers, that guy was on another level, but he was still a good one, and he was going to prove it.

The whole group was gathered currently- Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Lorne, Fred, Gunn and Groo.

So he began. "The Powers are sending us a wake-up call, people. Sure, we've been— I don't want to say "demolished"— beaten. And sure it's slightly demoralizing but from here on out, we're on the offensive. We're going to take on this thing, and take it down."

He looked at each and every one of them. "We may not have the Avengers, the Sorcerers or the God of Thunder, but we still have powerful reinforcements on the way, and together, we will win."

His speech seemed to have ignited a fire in all of them.

Angel suddenly looked past him to the front door, a surprised look on his face and everyone followed his gaze.

Gwen stood framed in the doorway, wearing a short black half-shirt and a red leather pants. Cordelia eyed her skeptically.

"Gwen?"

She stepped down into the room. "Hi, there. Long time no hand-to-hand." She turned to Gunn. "I remember you."

Fred stood protectively in front of him. "The guy you killed? Yeah, that's him."

Gwen reminded her. "Kicked you in the face, too, didn't I, cherry? Sorry about that. I really do try to avoid contact." She looked at Angel. "Mostly."

Angel started introductions. "Cordelia, this is—"

"I know who she is", Cordelia spoke to Gwen. "Caught your little show on the omniscient higher-plane channel, thanks."

Gwen realized who she was. "So you're the girl who makes his heart go pitter-pat. Figuratively, at least." She turned to Angel. "You must be so happy."

Angel shrugged. "I am. Not having the best week, to be honest."

"Tell me about it. I mean, really. Tell me. Freak to freak. Is the world about to end or what?" Gwen asked Angel.

"Something happen to you?"

Gwen revealed. "Met with a client last night, in the oil fields, which is odd because I've bagged for this guy six years, big money, and he never wanted to meet before."

Cordelia wasn't in the mood. "Fascinating as these details must seem to you, we're dealing with much more important stuff right now. Apocalypse. End of the world."

Gwen then gave the main details. "Also, while we were talking, he got his chest punched out by a big demon with a head made of rock."

She suddenly had the rapt attention of Wesley, Lorne, Gunn, Groo and Angel.

"Demon, okay? The whole nine: cloven feet and horns and teeth and…" She saw Lorne, "he wasn't wearing lamé, though."

Lorne quipped. "Yeah, the evil ones can't pull it off. It gets camp."

Wesley inquired to her. "This client of yours, was anything removed from the body?"

"Didn't see", Gwen turned to Angel. "But you are hands down the weirdest person I know, outside of my old school that is, but don't stay in tough, so I figured I'd ask you what's going on."

Fred picked up the ancient book on the Ra-tet and approached Gwen. "Excuse me, not that I don't still bear a grudge against you, because I do, but your client didn't happen to be a skinless saber-toothed tiger or composed entirely of light, maybe?"

Gwen remembered. "The light… it came out of his chest. How did you know?"

Gunn turned to Wesley. "You wanted a pattern. That makes three."

Fred realized. "He's killing the Ra-tet."

Gwen asked. "What's a Ra-tet?"

Wesley explained to her. "A mystical order. Each totem representing a stage in Ra's journey across the sky." He pointed to the characters in the book. "Here's your client. Two others— these— are dead."

Cordelia noted. "That means there's two totems left: Manjet and Semkhet."

Fred told the rest of them. "The last sighting of Manjet was rumored two years ago in Belize and Semkhet is said to live in a cave in Death Valley."

Angel shrugged. "Then that's easy. All we have to do is find Semkhet and protect him."

Lorne turned the page and found a woodcut of a little girl standing with her arms around a prehistoric great cat. "Yeah, well won't that be hoot. Looks like Semkhet is puddy-tat to the world's scariest six-year-old."

Cordelia agreed. "It could be dangerous."

"I'll take Gwen", Angel shrugged.

Gwen quipped. "Gee, I feel all warm inside."

Cordelia asked. "Well, shouldn't we all go? It might—" Angel grabbed his satchel and lead Gwen to the door.

"We can handle it. Superpowers. I'll catch her up on the drive."

Cordelia pointed out. "But it's a four-hour trip. Both ways."

Angel wasn't concerned. "I'm sure we'll find something to talk about.

Angel and Gwen climbed down a steep cliff face toward the entrance of Semkhet's cave. Angel's foot slipped and Gwen shushed him. "Jeez! Where were you when they taught stealth in superpower school?"

"My friend does it better", Angel shrugged as she started to climb down after him and lost her balance, tumbling off the side.

Angel caught her in his arms and smiled ironically at her.

Gwen tried to save face. "I did that on purpose."

"That's pretty pathetic."

Gwen asked. "If it's a lie or if it's the truth?"

A stealthy sound came from within the cave and they both cautiously made their way inside.

Angel drew his sword, seeing candles line the walls.

Gwen then asked. "I thought we were here to protect this thing?"

Angel responded. "We are… unless it's evil. So if it is, we prevent the Beast from killing it by killing it ourselves."

They rounded the corner and found Semkhet, a human-like cat, lying on the cave floor, eviscerated.

Gwen quipped. "So much for protecting it."

Angel looked at the body. "Looks like it was ripped apart. Charring around the edges… this was definitely our guy. The Beast is systematically executing these totems. I just don't know why.

"I do."

Angel and Gwen look up to find a short dumpy man in a loud Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat, peering around the corner.

"He's going to turn out the sun."

Angel looked the man over warily as he approached and looked down at Semkhet.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

'Standing in the remains of my fallen brethren, trying not to have an anxiety attack. Who are you two?"

Angel made introductions. "I'm Angel, that's Gwen. You got a name?"

The man revealed who he was. "I am Manjet, Sacred Guardian of the Shen, Keeper of the Orb of Ma'at and Devotee of Light. Off hours I like Manny."

Angel was dubious. "You're Manjet?"

"Right."

"The last totem of the Ra-tet?"

"Right."

Gwen noted. "I thought you were in Belize."

Many explained to them. "Was till I heard Mesektet got whacked. Never liked that chick. Evil right down to her Mary Janes but… family. What are you gonna do?"

Angel remembered his earlier statement. "What did you mean before? "The Beast is going to turn out the sun." Is that some kind of metaphor?"

Manny revealed he was being literal. "Sorry. I don't speak "college boy". I said what I meant. This Beast you're talking about? He's looking for a way to put an end to daylight. He wants to blot out the sun permanently."

Angel realized. "You're saying once the totems are dead, the sun disappears?"

Manny explained further. "Not disappears, exactly. And it's not just killing us, either. There's props and a ritual and a chant and a thing and a… suffice to say, it ain't easy. And folks in the Ra-tet, they got some serious juice which is why I never felt worried before."

Angel noted. "But you're worried now."

Manny pointed out. "Well, four out of five down… let's just say I'm not looking forward to my retirement in Boca."

Gwen asked. "So the lights go out. Then what?"

Manny told them the worst-case scenario. "The city sinks into never-ending darkness, that's what. Vamps, creepies, crawlies, things that go bump in the night are suddenly bumping 24/7. The whole of Los Angeles turns into a…"

"Demon playground."

"Bingo. And that's before it starts to spread. California… North America… eventually, hello global blackout. The world is the devil's oyster."

Angel declared. "Well, we gotta stop him."

"Yeah, you sure do and good luck with that." Manny turned and headed for the cave entrance.

"Whoa, whoa… where do you think you're going?"

Manny told the two. "Look, it's probably just a few hours till this guy catches up with me. I want to spend my last moments with my oldest, dearest friends down at the Pink Pony Lounge. " He turned to Gwen. "I'll buy you a lap dance if I can watch."

Angel told him. "Forget that. We can take you somewhere safe, Manny. We can protect you."

Manny was dubious now. "Right. Superhunk and Spandexia. This thing takes out Mesektet and you two are going to protect me?"

Angel pointed out. "I don't see anybody else lined up for the job."

Manny hesitated, then leaned over to Angel, conspiratorially, asking about Gwen. "You think she'd give me a lap dance?"

Angel, Gwen and Manny entered Hyperion through the front door as Angel asked. "Any movement from the Beast while we were gone?"

Gunn shrugged. "Not a peep. Just wasting time trying to find ways to kill it— which, by the way, there aren't any."

"And if there are, I do not think we have those", Groo added.

Fred looked at Manny dubiously. "That doesn't look like Semkhet…"

"Semkhet's not available, sweetheart. Slight case of being ripped open to death in a cave. Don't suppose I could interest you in a short, stocky orb-keeper?"

Angel made the introductions. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Manny, the last totem of the Ra-tet."

Wesley didn't look convinced. "This… is a being of supreme power?"

Manny shrugged. "You ought to see me in my Armani."

Lorne asked. "What happened to the second-to-last one?"

Gwen informed. "Somebody already ripped out the toy surprise."

Angel then revealed the new information. "Good news is, we've discovered the Beast's plan."

"Which is?" Gunn asked.

"To blot out the sun for all of eternity." There was a beat. "You guys got a john?"

"Right back there."

"Thanks, pal." Manny headed off down the hall, stopping to pick up several newspapers off the counter first.

Cordelia then asked them. "Why did the smelly yucky man say that? He's joking, right?"

Angel said it wasn't a joke. "No, apparently there's a ritual using members of the Ra-tet to change day into night… forever."

Wesley commented. "As far as evil plans go, it doesn't suck."

Angel then told them his plan. "He's killed four of the five so far. I figure we keep Manny safe, the lights stay on long enough, and we find a way to defeat this thing, or Matt gets his Devil and he does it."

Fred then asked him. "But where are we going to hide him? We need a small controlled space."

Angel gave orders. "Secure the perimeter. Guards on duty at all times."

"I will be on duty", Groo assured.

Gunn shrugged. "Kitchen's got a meat locker."

Wesley was sarcastic. "Brilliant. Let's store the one thing that will stave off perpetual darkness in the home of the only people we're sure the demon knows."

Gunn got annoyed again. "You know what? You got a better idea, Einstein?"

After a beat, Wesley said. "Give me time."

Gwen stepped forward. "I know a place."

Cordelia said sarcastically. "Great. As long as it's not some non-descript tenement downtown, with discarded boxes in the stairwells and peeling plaster and…"

Gwen lead them into a non-descript tenement downtown, with discarded boxes lining the stairwell as Cordelia continued. "…the faint odor of dead people."

Angel told her. "You know, you didn't have to come, Cordelia, if you didn't want to."

Cordelia sounded innocent. "But what if I have another vision? Better that I be with you, right?"

Gunn shrugged. "Rather here than back at the hotel plowing through them annoying books with the symbolic manifestos and the "Brilliant!" No idea why Groo is doing all that, not his thing."

Manny advised the group. "Never trust the books or the bookies, kid. Real juju takes place on the q-t. That's why you can't find this Beast. He's too powerful. I mean, taking out the Ra-tet…"

Gunn cut him off. "Yeah, speaking of, ain't you Tet folks supposed to be all mighty and colossal?"

Manny explained. "The midday totem is man, the neutral totem, the potential of every human soul."

Cordelia asked. "So you're just a guy, then?"

Manny told her. "Well, there's more to me than meets the eye. For example, I'm immortal. Unless I'm ritually murdered, of course."

Cordelia quipped. "Oh, well it's too bad we came here, then." Gwen stopped before an iron door in a particularly seedy hallway and placed her bare hand on the lock. With a flash of blue electricity, the lock released and the door started to swing open. "…'cause if you're going to be ritually murdered it's probably going to be in a hellhole like…" Gwen stepped inside and flipped on the lights to reveal a lavish and spacious apartment. "…this."

Gwen beckoned them. "Come on in."

Cordelia and the others entered and look around in wonder as Gwen explained. "My butler's already in Tahiti so we're on our own here. I'll hit the kitchen for supplies later if I can… well… find the kitchen." She shut the door and disappeared down a long hallway."

Angel then turned to Cordelia. "The Axis of Pythia— the thing I used to find you on the higher plane— it's worth $33 million. I gave it back to Gwen when I was done."

Gwen returned and opened a set of double doors, telling Manny. "Let's get you set up in the study."

They followed her into a spacious library with walls lined with bookshelves. She crossed over to one of them and pulled a book out. It triggered a hidden panel which slid back revealing a steel vault door.

"Can never pass up a good cliché." Gwen used her power to activate the lock and the door slid back into the wall revealing a small closet-like room. "It's equipped as a panic room, too. Twelve inches of solid steel, it's own ventilation system…"

Cordelia commented. "Homey."

Gwen assured Manny. "You should be safe here."

Manny shrugged. "Don't worry. I ain't expecting any miracles."

Gwen then asked Angel. "So guard duty, what do you think? You and me, first shift?"

Cordelia pointed out. "Wouldn't it make more sense to split up? One superpower per shift. That way if horn-boy shows up, we mere mortals might stand a chance."

Gunn agreed with the logic. "Makes sense to me."

Gwen didn't mind the logic. "Okay, then. I'll take Denzel."

Gunn told her. "Actually, it's Gunn. Not that I mind the freakishly accurate comparison but you will keep your hands to yourself."

Angel gave the instructions. "Four hours on, four hours off. Bunk down off duty. Get as much sleep as we can. We're already tired. Got a long few days ahead of us." He turned and headed for the door. Cordelia shot a dirty look at Gwen and followed.

Manny poked his head out of the panic room with a smile. "Hey, Gwen. Don't suppose this joint's got Skin-emax?" She just smiled and shut the door, sealing him in.

Gunn sat in a chair while Gwen paced, telling him her life story. "So then after the second gardener and the fourth nanny, I got sent to Xavier's Academy."

Gunn stared straight ahead, staring into the distance.

"Something tells me my origin story isn't enough to fascinate you."

Gunn told her. "Oh, no. It is. I was just… just thinking."

Gwen sighed. "Gunn, I already apologized for killing you. What more do you want? A wake?"

Gunn said. "It isn't that."

"Then it's the English guy, isn't it?" Gwen said the rest off his look. "I saw the way he looked at your girl. A good thief is a master of body language."

Gunn immediately said. "He starts talking with his body, he's going to have serious problem."

Gwen confessed to him. "I'm surprised. A few months ago she was ready to wear sackcloth and ashes for you. When did the landscape change?"

"Long story", Gunn said. "Just waiting for Daredevil to show up and do something."

"So you're friends with him, huh?" Gwen asked and got a nod. "How is he?"

"Badass, kicked Angel's butt too", Gunn revealed, surprising Gwen. "He says he has a way to stop the Beast."

"Well, hope he does it soon or I'll lose more clients", Gwen quipped.

The door opened and she looked up as Angel and Cordelia entered.

Angel asked. "How's Manny?"

Gunn informed him. "Fine. Gave him some magazines about a half hour ago to keep him occupied."

Gwen added. "Swimsuit edition. He's occupied." She turned to Gunn. "Come on. I'll show you where you can crash."

Gwen and Gunn left Cordelia and Angel alone. Cordelia sat down and took a sip of her coffee. Angel sat across from her, a tall glass of blood in his hand.

The two of them sipped their drinks in silence.

Angel started awake to find Gwen shaking him. "Please… I'm awake!"

"What the hell are you doing falling asleep on watch?"

"I wasn't—"

"What's happening?"

Gunn knelt beside Cordelia who was groggily coming around as well.

"—asleep." Angel saw Gunn's look. "Manny!"

He leapt up and ran over to the vault door. It slid open to reveal Manny's butchered body. Great swaths of blood and gore covered the walls.

Angel realized. "It got him."

Cordelia groaned. "Ugh. You think?"

Gwen paced while the others inspected the carnage. "Was that part of his powers? Extra blood and guts? I mean, that's… that's a lot of blood and guts in there. No way all that Stephen King came out of a normal guy."

Angel realized what it was. "It was the Beast. It was looking for something Manny had."

Gunn asked. "How do you know?"

Angel held up Manny's hat. The center had been punched out of it. "Emptied out his head to find it."

"Ugh."

Gwen reminded them. "Wait. Manny said he was an orb-keeper, right? Maybe he kept an orb."

Cordelia was sarcastic. "In his head?"

Gwen asked. "Where do you keep yours?"

Angel agreed. "Hold on a second. She's right."

"Of course."

Angel turned to Gwen. "Semkhet— the demon in the cave— you said someone already pulled out the toy surprise."

Gwen was coy. "Did I?"

Angel realized. "The Beast is pulling something out of these totems."

Gunn turned to Gwne. "And you knew that."

Angel asked Gwen. "Something you're not telling me, Gwen?"

Everyone stared at her, especially Cordelia, and she finally confessed.

"All right. My client— the Beast grabbed something out of him, too. A little metal boxy thing."

Cordelia wasn't pleased. "And you neglected to mention this fact."

Gwen explained her reasoning. "I don't know, I thought the box might be worth something. Look, the apocalypse was coming, there was a giant killer demon. I panicked. And oh, by the way, I'm still a thief and as a rule, we don't share information."

Gunn then asked. "Okay, what about this cave demon? You think the big ugly went treasure hunting inside of him?"

Angel agreed. "It's definitely possible."

Cordelia then added. "Yes! But what's impossible is thinking that somehow, some way, the Beast found where we were hiding, spiked the drinks we made ourselves, snuck through this unreasonably large apartment on the tippy-toes of his cloven feet right up to the vault and killed poor Manny unseen and unheard."

Gunn shrugged. "Maybe whoever did it didn't have cloven feet."

Gwen sighed. "This is impossible."

Cordelia groaned. "Yeah, I thought we were pretty clear on the whole impossible issue."

"Unseen and unheard…" Gwen realized. "Security cameras." She walked out and into the next room. Angel and Cordelia followed.

Gwen told them. "Got them in every room. We just gotta rewind the tapes."

Angel told Gunn. "Okay. In the meantime, call the hotel. Tell them about Manny. Tell them about the toy surprises, too. Let's see if we can find out what they're for and how we can stop the Beast from using them."

He headed for the security room as Gunn took out his cell phone and dialed.

At her apartment, Gwen stared at a bank of monitors filled with static snow.

Cordelia asked her. "What's that?"

Gwen sighed. "That's nothing. The tapes just go blank. It's like the electrics got cut. Let me check the systems log." She pushed a button and a keyboard slid out.

Gwen said after a bit. "I've got the origin of the blackout. It kicked off in a small subset of the municipal A-14 grid. That's the one under this block. About 10 minutes before your watch."

Cordelia asked her. "What does that mean?"

Gwen told them. "It means that somebody knew when you were going to take over that watch and somebody knew whose drinks to spike. You ask me, this is an inside job."

Cordelia accused Gwen subtly. "Funny how you were inside at the time."

Angel wasn't in the mood. "Look, enough. Let's just focus on the guy trying to blot out the sun. We'll point fingers later."

Angel, Gwen, Cordelia and Gunn arrived back at the hotel as Gwen said. "I'm just saying, it never would have happened on my watch."

Cordelia scoffed. "Gosh, no! Because you're supertramp."

Angel went over to the counter where Lorne and Groo were researching and took Connor, rocking him. "What's the latest?"

Lorne informed Angel. "I checked out the ritual like you asked. Looks like there's some assembly required." He opened a book and pointed to a diagram of a winged figure. "Turns out these three pieces were inside the totems. Beast kills the totems, yanks out the pieces and builds himself a big old light switch."

Angel asked about the remaining info. "Well, what about the other two? What did he take out of them?"

Lorne told him. "Well, I know he sucked the energy out of the little girl and he ripped the heart out of the shaman but what's not clear is how he's going to use them."

Gwen asked them. "These wings… they're metal, right? Get me close enough and I can melt them. That'll slow him down."

Cordelia pointed out. "If we find him in time. Need I remind everyone that he's already got all the pieces plus we don't even know where he's going to perform this ritual."

Gunn said. "Sun or no sun, I'm not worried about slowing him down. I'm worried about taking him out. Especially without Matt."

Wesley and Fred entered as the former said. "We may have a solution for that."

Fred continued. "We've done a lot of research and we think we found a way to get rid of the Beast. A portal."

Gunn shook his head. "Figures."

Wesley told them all. "We've tried conventional methods: firearms, the usual weaponry. None of which seem to work. And we do not really want Matt to unlock the Devil just for us."

Angel realized. "So if we stand against it long enough to find a way to corner it, maneuver it into position…"

Lorne finished. "Then maybe we can send this thing back to the hell-sweet-hell it came from."

"We just need to fight it for a while and time it right", Groo said.

Gunn stalked over to the weapons cabinet and puts away his things, obviously upset. Fred went over and tried to calm him down. "I know what you must be thinking."

Gunn asked her. "That we should have learned our lesson?"

Fred told him. "Wesley and I have decided this is our only option."

"I know. But I don't got to like it." Gunn walked over and joined the others."

Angel then told all of them. "Okay, so we've got everything we need to stop the ritual. Let's clear out of here and try and locate the Beast."

As he started packing up the books, Cordelia's eyes went wide and she gasped as she received a vision of a medieval battlefield strewn with bloody and broken corpses. The Beast stood above it all, watching the dead and dying.

"Oh, my god…"

Angel immediately asked. "Another vision?"

Cordelia confessed to him. "Same one. Only there was more of it. A massacre. So many people on the ground… dead, dying… the screaming was so loud."

Angel asked the important part. "Could you hear the demon?"

Cordelia told him. "No. But whoever it was talking to, they felt familiar. Like someone I know."

Suddenly, the Beast crashed down through the ceiling, shattering it, and slammed his fist onto the floor, sending all of them back with a shockwave, though Angel held Connor tight to prevent him from getting hurt.

The others were all sent to the ground as the Beast held up the combined totems— two metallic gold wings topped with a glass orb— and blew a murky black energy cloud from its mouth into the orb.

The orb turned dark and the Beast set it down in the center of a runic diagram on the floor, then started chanting.

"Ket sahv Ma'at. Ket sahv Mesektet."

It held a human heart up and directly over the orb and squeezed the blood out so that dropped onto the obsidian orb.

"Ket sahv Ma'at. Ket sahv Mesektet."

The orb briefly glowed a fiery red, then faded back to black.

They recovered as Angel handed Connor to Lorne. "Take him and go!"

"What abou-"

"Go!" He turned to Cordelia. "You too."

"Good luck", Cordelia said as she and Lorne ran out, holding Connor.

Wesley and Fred immediately ran to the side, chanting as Gunn charged the Beast but was sent crashing to the floor in a heap.

Gunn tried to strike but the Beast blocked and threw him down again as Angel tried to do the same but was also knocked down.

Gwen ran to the combined totems but the Beast hit her with a table, shattering it as she went down while the idol broke into 3 components.

"The orb! Don't let it-"

The orb rolled under the Beast, who looked down on Angel with a predatory smile.

Cordelia looked up at the Hyperion with Lorne before getting the same vision from before.

The Beast said in her vision. "You are worthy adversary."

Now Cordelia knew who it was talking to as she looked up in horror. "Oh no.."

The Beast noticed Wesley and Fred when Groo jumped on its back and grabbing its horns, pulled hard.

The Beast stepped back a little and pulled Groo off, stomping on his chest. Groo desperately tried to lift the foot off with little success as the Beast kneeled in the center of the runic diagram and chanted.

"Ahmun Semkhet. Vesh ra'an Manje."

A shimmering energy formed around it.

"Angel", Wesley called out.

"Yeah, I got it, everybody get ready", Angel ordered them all.

Outside, Lorne asked. "All gets dimmer when you pass out, right?"

Cordelia was distracted by her vision. "What?"

She realized things were getting dimmer. They looked up to see dark tendrils crawl across the sun, blocking the light from it.

Angel watched energy form around the Beast.

"Kel Mesektet."

"Now or never."

Angel and Gunn together struck, Gwen rolling and kicking the Beast too. Gunn struck as it blocked and then Angel leapt and kicked it into the energy field where it disappeared, Groo now free at last as he staggered up.

Gwen smiled. "We did it. Didn't we?"

Outside, the sky got even darker than before as Cordelia's vision came back and now she saw it all.

"But our strength is useless divided", the Beast said to whoever it was facing.

The group looked outside the window, noting it was still getting dark as Fred asked. "Why is it still getting dark?"

"I told you once…" They all spun around to find the Beast behind them, striding into the room. They backed away from it in shock. "…you need not be my enemy."

In the vision, the Beast said. "Join with me…" Angelus stood before it, bruised and bloody.

In present day, the Beast called out. "…Angelus."

Cordelia stared at the ground in shock. "The answer is among you…"

Angel stared in stunned silence as the Beast picked up the orb and swallowed it, then said. "We'll meet again… soon." Then it leapt out the window and was gone.

Wesley was horrified. "My God…..the sun. It's gone. Completely obliterated."

The group walked out of the hotel as Cordelia and Lorne came to them, Connor crying as Lorne sang to him to calm him down. "Hush little baby don't say a word…."

Cordelia immediately said. "Angel, we have to talk."

"I can't believe we lost the sun", Fred said in horror.

"Now we are in the darkest night", Groo realized grimly.

Cordelia then said. "Angel, I think I figured it out."

Angel nodded. "So have I. The Beast knows me."

Cordelia revealed to Angel. "No, it doesn't. It knows Angelus." At the mention of that name, Angel looked around uncomfortably as everyone stared at him.

Cordelia asked him. "Am I right? While you were in there, it came to me. I wasn't having a vision of the demon. I was having a memory of it."

Gwen inquired. "How's that again?"

Cordelia ignored her. "I told you, when I was a higher being, I'd experienced everything you'd ever done as Angelus. But since I've been back, my memory's been fading until the Powers decided to… jog it, I guess. Angel, I saw you, long ago, standing in a field of bodies with the Beast."

"So you know this creature? Why did you not say?" Groo inquired.

"No!" Angel snapped, then pointed out. "I couldn't come up against something like that and not remember."

""The answer is among you"", Gunn remembered. "That's what the First meant, isn't it? This was never about Connor. It's about…"

"…Angelus", Fred finished for him.

Angel defended himself. "I'm telling you, I don't know this Beast. I'd remember."

Cordelia reminded him. "Like you remember falling asleep before Manny got killed?"

"What?"

Gwen pointed out. "An inside job."

Angel was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wesley told Angel what this meant now. "It means you're a suspect. If Cordelia's right, we should admit the possibility that this Beast may have some sort of power over you. To make you do things. To make you forget."

Cordelia added. "And it has a plan. The rain of fire, taking down Wolfram & Hart, even blotting out the sun… I think now those were only the first steps to something bigger."

Angel snapped. "Well, I don't know what to tell any of you because I don't know what the plan is!"

Wesley revealed. "No… but Angelus might. There's only one way we're" going to defeat this Beast."

He then said something that chilled all of them.

"We need Angelus."

And the end of this one, thanks a lot to Brainstorm Sorcerer for some help again.

So first Buffy 7x12, then next episodes of Angel Season 4 as Angelus returns.

Hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.