Disclaimer: I do not own Buffyverse or anything else you may recognize
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.
And now finally, the Pylea arc is gonna begin! Not my favorite arc in the show, but definitely the most hilarious, plus its just gonna get more and more dark and gloomy in the next 3 Seasons, so looking back, this arc is refreshing and much welcome.
Only thing I wanna say is Groo should have remained in Pylea. I actually found him a good character but bringing him in just to create another obstacle in Cangel's way was infuriating really.
Chapter 52- Belonging
The Scooby Gang was back in the viewing room once more, in their usual positions as Buffy picked up the remote.
"Final stretch of Year 2, here we go", Buffy said as she turned the recording on.
Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn were eating dinner in a fancy restaurant with an empty 4 th chair, and Cordelia looked around for celebrities, with Angel saying they wouldn't really be visible in public, and it was revealed that it was a mirror being shown as the 4 th chair was occupied by Angel.
"Huh? That got me", Xander commented.
"Imagine if someone sees the mirror", Dawn said as chuckles followed.
"Hopefully the person faints and thinks of it as a dream", Willow said.
Angel was nervous around people, adding they were celebrating Cordelia's good news, though she passed it off as just a commercial but Wesley reminded it was a national commercial as they clinked glasses, but Cordelia said she couldn't drink as she had to be up at 4:30 the next day, so the other 3 could toast and praise.
"That's good for her", Giles said. "She is getting proper work now."
"I don't think I've ever seen a national commercial with Cordy in it", Buffy said, exchanging look with the rest. "Have you?"
"I don't think so", Willow shook her head.
"I guess it's not gonna go as expected", Tara said grimly and all groaned.
"Come on, when can someone give her a break?" Xander asked.
After some talking, Cordelia reminded she couldn't leave them as long as she had the visions, and then said she felt guilty for leaving them in the middle of a case, but they didn't mind as Angel's informant would lead them to the Haklar Demon from her vision. Wesley and Gunn did a fist bump as Angel held out his fist a little too slow so they repeated the gesture with him.
"He's so funny when he's awkward", Dawn said, making them all chuckle again.
"And looks like things are finally back to normal", Buffy said. "They're all good friends once more."
Then they started discussing if they could use a flamethrower on the Demon when Angel noticed a woman with a cape walking through the restaurant and ran to her at Vamp speed, calling her shawl a battle shroud woven from the skin of dead children and calling her a Voltar Witch, but when he saw the markings on the shawl closely, he realized he was mistaken as Cordelia said he was her friend from France and couldn't control himself when he saw beautiful things, apologizing, and pulled him back, Angel using a French accent to say 'Pardon'.
"Well isn't that great?" Xander said sarcastically.
"That was funny, but poor woman, geez", Dawn said.
"Even I'm not that awkward socially", Tara said, sharing a look with Willow.
They sat down as Gunn sarcastically said they could use a flame-thrower to draw more attention and then Cordelia's face scrunched up as she trailed off on 'Moo', Wesley thinking it was a cow demon before she said 'move' and they did as she doubled over, pulling the tablecloth and dishes off the table as she was violently sick. Angel wondered if that'd be taken off the bill.
"Oops!" Willow said as all groaned. "Sucks to have that happen right before a national commercial."
"So the Universe still isn't giving her a break", Dawn said angrily.
"I don't think they need a flamethrower now", Xander said in dark humor.
Next day, Wesley talked to his father on the phone, wishing him a happy birthday and telling him about his position as leader in the team, and that he couldn't be fired, even though he had been once, and eventually he wished him a happy birthday again before cutting the call as Gunn arrived, asking how his dad was and Wesley said it was his birthday so he sent his greetings to everyone in Tinsel town.
"Terrible dad?" Dawn asked, sharing a look with Buffy. "Yeah, we get it."
"Seems like he's not very approving of his son working with a Vampire", Giles noted.
"I don't think he's pleased with him in general", Buffy told him.
"Poor guy", Xander said, relating.
"Yeah, I get the feeling", Tara nodded.
"We all do", Willow agreed.
Angel made his way to where preparations were being made for Cordelia's commercial. He spotted the stage made up to look like a sunlit beach and a girl in a bikini waiting for the shoot to start. He slowly walked out on the beach. The girl gave him a brilliant smile when she saw him coming towards her, but he passed her by without even a look and the smile vanished. He turned and blinked at the fake sunlight. Letting out a deep breath he closed his eyes and turned his head to face the fake sun, a slight smile spreading across his face.
"It has been more than a year since he saw the sun", Buffy said, feeling a bit bad about that.
"So a fake will have to do now", Willow sighed.
Cordelia, in a white bathrobe, arrived, asking why he was here as he said he was getting a tan and not bursting into flames, and then she asked the real reason when the director arrived as she thanked him for casting her. He told her to lose the bathrobe immediately, and she did, revealing a skimpy bikini with seashells. Angel looked over, blinked, took a second look, his eyes widening a little, then looked away. He sneaked another quick glance then kept his eyes on the director. He made Cordelia turn around before having her stand straight again, and asked his assistant when she'd go to makeup, to which she said she'd already been there. The director told his assistant to take her back and get rid of the dark circles under her eyes which made her look like a refugee from an abused woman's shelter. Cordelia brought up her food poisoning but he passed off her eating as a joke, saying he was supposed to want to sleep with the woman.
"Am I supposed to want to punch you? Because I really wanna punch you", Buffy snarled as all glared at the Director.
"Not just punch, I wanna punch and kick him till all bones are broken", Dawn sneered.
"Let's gouge out his eyes as well", Xander spoke up angrily.
"And make his clothes disappear publicly", Tara added.
"Then cover his body in burns", Willow agreed.
"And finally castrate him", Giles finished in a furious tone. "What right does he think he have to abuse someone in a weaker position than him?"
It was like a milder version of the abuse that the Watcher's Council gave to the Slayer.
"He has power, and he loves abusing it", Buffy growled. "Someone should kick him off his high horse."
"You're out of line." The director turned and stared at Angel. "Apologize to her." Director mocked. "Oh, let me guess. Wanna-be rocker or part-time male model. I could go either way on this one." Angel took a step closer to him. "I said apologize to her." "Really?" He said to his assistant. "Get security." Cordelia started. "Angel..." Angel growled. "Who the hell do you think you are, huh?" "I think I'm the director", he mocked before turning to Cordelia. "And I think you're real smart for bringing your unemployed boyfriend onto my set, telling me how to film my commercial. That's really helping your career."
"Rip off his head, don't care what happens next", Dawn said in a growl.
"Not like he doesn't deserve it", Xander scoffed.
Cordelia put her bathrobe back on and stopped Angel as the director left and Angel told her he'd rip the guy's head off, but she said he was ruining her career with this and wanted him to go, but Angel had a silly question about 2 different kinds of Haklar Demons, making her walk off as she said she hated her whole life.
"Did you really stop him?" Buffy asked. "You shouldn't have stopped him."
"She's worried about her career", Willow reminded. "Angel beating up the director wouldn't bode well for it."
"Better self-respect than career", Xander said.
"Right now she's still trying her hand at it", Tara told them. "So she's taking the abuse. I think eventually she'll realize it's not worth it."
"When will the 'eventually' come?" Buffy asked.
"Could be now, or later", Tara shrugged.
"Why did Angel come here with that stupid question though?" Dawn asked.
"I think that was just an excuse", Willow said. "Remember, he loves her."
"So he was here to support her", Giles said in realization, respecting Angel for his dedication to a woman he loved, and also because he wasn't being creepy about it like he had been with Buffy back in Sunnydale. He should have talked to them both respectfully about it instead of letting it happen.
"Really hope something bad happens to the director", Dawn muttered.
At the Hyperion, Wesley and Gunn were discussing the Haklar when George and Rondell arrived, having a situation, and they greeted Wesley too, still grateful to him for taking a bullet for them, and told Gunn they had a situation with Vamps, and now they wanted Gunn's truck. Gunn decided to join in but Wesley reminded him of the Haklar, and Gunn said to page him when Angel came with any info, only for Angel to come with info on where the Haklar lived, Wesley quipping to Gunn to consider himself paged.
"What a timing", Buffy quipped as they chuckled.
"He seems to be conflicted", Willow noted. "Old crew or new."
"Huh, never even thought about it", Dawn realized.
"That was going to be a problem sooner or later", Tara said. "He started out with them, but now he spends more time with Angel Investigations."
Gunn told George and Rondell he had to take this but they'd head out together later, and so they left. Angel started getting weapons for the three and then told them about Cordelia and ranted about how the director had treated her, adding she'd taken it while she never took any crap from them, and also told them about the flimsy swimsuit, making the 3 un-focus their eyes for a bit before they headed out to do some killing.
"Guys", Buffy quipped. "But he's not wrong about Cordy."
"Yeah, she never took crap from me. Me!" Xander reminded. "I'm surprised she took crap from this guy, even if it's for her career."
At Caritas, Lorne was singing 'Superstition' when a portal opened behind him and a gray-skinned monster jumped out, smashing a table, shattering some glass and hit a few patrons before running up the stairs, but Lorne passed it off as part of the show.
"I do not think hitting your patrons is supposed to be part of your show", Giles noted. "He's covering it up."
"Guess he didn't want to cause panic", Willow told him.
At the fake beach, Cordelia was trying to say the line but the director wanted her to bend over more, and he didn't care if she fell out of her top, then he left as she looked down.
"I know why you want her to bend over more, you perv", Buffy snarled angrily. "Jackass."
"She's realizing it now", Tara noted. "She's not going to take this anymore."
"So, no more acting for her?" Xander asked.
"I can't tell, but it sure looks like it", Tara said.
Angel and Wesley arrived at Hyperion after having killed the Haklar, and spotted Cordelia in the lobby where Angel started apologizing but then she said she had embarrassed herself and never wanted to feel like this.
"Looks like you were right", Dawn said, sharing a look with Tara.
"Guess it didn't turn out the way she wanted", Buffy said with a sigh.
"Don't worry, she grew to love helping people more", Willow told her. "I know because I talked with her a lot."
Angel and Wesley told her that Gunn had gone to kill a Vampire crew with his people and then mentioned they had killed the Hakler but one power walker had hit Wesley because they felt killing the Haklar disrespected their culture, Cordelia commenting she hated this town when Lorne arrived, saying he wanted them to kill a Drokken for them.
"What's a Drokken?" Giles wondered. "I have never heard of one before."
"A Demon you don't know about?" Xander asked. "Has Hell frozen over or something?"
"No book mentions it", Giles said.
"There might be a reason for it", Buffy told him.
Lorne said they wouldn't find it in their books because it wasn't from any world they'd heard of.
"Ah!" Giles said in realization. "So that's why I don't know of it."
"Told ya", Buffy said as they shared a smile.
Lorne explained a portal had opened and the Drokken had jumped from there, and their job was to kill it, adding it was hungry now. Two guys were walking down a street at night. The Drokken attacked them, quickly knocked them down and begins to eat, making some real disgusting noises. A blonde woman walked down a sidewalk, used her remote to unlock her car, looked up and saw the Drokken, mouth still smeared with blood and screamed.
"Eeurrghh", Dawn groaned at the Drokken's sight. "That's…that's just the most disgusting thing ever!"
"I don't think anything in our world is that disgusting", Willow commented.
"You forgot that monster in the shape of a…...", Buffy reminded and trailed off.
"Eep! Didn't need to be reminded of that", Willow groaned.
Wesley asked Lorne what the Drokken wanted but he didn't know, and his club and clients had been trashed. Angel remembered violence wasn't possible in Caritas to which Lorne said it had only knocked people over, not killed them, and he finally asked for help again, the team deciding to help. Angel started giving orders but Cordelia reminded him Wesley was the leader so he apologized while she mentioned to Lorne that Wesley was the leader and he congratulated him, while Wesley agreed with Angel's plan.
"I don't think you had come up with your plan", Giles noted.
"He's still not fully in the leadership role yet", Buffy said. "So he's having trouble."
"I think it'll take time, but he will grow into", Willow said hopefully.
Cordelia's face suddenly scrunched up and they thought it was food poisoning again but then she clutched her head as blurry images of a girl wearing a locket taking a book off a shelf and opening it were shown. Suddenly a portal like the one in Caritas opened behind her and she was sucked into it, screaming.
"Fred!" Willow immediately recognized her friend. "That's Fred!"
"The scientist from Angel's team?" Xander asked, remembering Willow had mentioned her a few times.
"Where did she go?" Tara asked.
"She was trapped in a different Dimension for a few years", Willow told them. "Angel and his team brought her out of there."
"Few years?" Buffy asked. "Like, how long?"
"I think she was in there since the year we all met each other", Willow estimated, and everyone was shocked and horrified that Fred had spent that long in a different Dimension.
"Damn!" Dawn said. "Poor Fred. How did she even survive for, like what? 5 years?"
"She's strong", Willow told them. "Very much."
"Why is Cordy getting a vision about her after all these years?" Buffy then asked.
"Perhaps the Powers have a plan regarding all this, which is why Fred was introduced to Angel and his team", Giles theorized.
Angel again asked if she was okay but she was annoyed before she explained what she'd seen, though Lorne wanted them to take out the Drokken first, till Cordelia mentioned the portal, and Wesley decided this was a connection between the vision and Lorne's Drokken, and decided to head to the library. Lorne was happy the Powers had taken an interest in his case and as Angel called to him.
"Guess the Powers did want Fred to meet Team Angel", Buffy said.
"That's one good thing they did", Willow smiled, since Fred was a very good friend.
Gunn arrived at his base and asked Junior where everyone was, but Junior didn't even look at him, and then Gunn found the group standing silently in a room, parting to let Gunn through where he found Rondell laid out on a pallet. George turned Rondell's head to the side, exposing Vampire fang marks, and they didn't know if the Vamps had made him drink. Gunn closed Rondell's eyes and turned his face to the side.
Everyone sighed sadly, another good person lost to the forces of darkness.
"The gang doesn't look pleased with him", Dawn noted grimly.
"In their mind, he has abandoned them for his new friends", Tara pointed out, realizing just how conflicted Gunn truly was.
"I get the feeling a little", Willow said, remembering the time she felt Buffy was ditching her as a friend for Faith, another Slayer, and of course when Xander had started dating Cordelia.
Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and Lorne arrived at the library as Lorne remembered the previous time he and Angel were in one, and then an old librarian ran into them, gasping at Lorne's appearance before thinking he was for the children's reading program, which was next day to which Lorne said he came to get a feel of the place first, and she found his costume authentic, as well as the horns which would be hard to fake.
"If you only knew", Xander chuckled, repeating what Lorne had said.
"It's funny how much that mascot shtick works", Buffy said with a chuckle too.
"Like I said, people make up explanations for the supernatural too", Giles reminded her.
Lorne took a left down the corridor as instructed while Cordelia asked about the girl from her vision, describing her, and then mentioned an apple locket, which made the librarian remember Fred wore one of those, and then mentioned her full name- Winifred. When Angel asked where she could be found, the librarian pulled out a flyer with Fred's photo, mentioning she'd disappeared 5 years ago and never been found.
"Into another Dimension", Willow sighed. "Poor Fred, it had messed her up a lot when she first returned, but who wouldn't be messed up by it?"
"It's definitely a testament to her strength that she survived there for so long", Tara agreed with a nod.
The librarian said Fred had been cataloguing in the Foreign Language Section and then suddenly disappeared, so the three went to check that section, coming to the spot Fred had disappeared from, and Lorne returned too. Cordelia pulled out the book Fred had in her vision and read the title page, all of them noting it had been returned on the same date Fred had disappeared on checking the flyer. Cordelia started reading the language on the book and Lorne began to scream as a blinding light and wind suddenly whipped around them. Angel grabbed a hold of Cordelia and tried to shield her, while Lorne looked straight at the emerging portal as he held that one screaming note.
"What's got him so freaked?" Buffy wondered.
"He knew what a Drokken was", Giles remembered. "Perhaps it is something else from that same world he knows of."
Lorne's scream was joined by a second as a green-skinned, red-eyed, longhaired and armored demon flew headfirst out through the portal, rolled to his feet and drew a sword. Pushing Cordelia behind him, Angel attacked the demon. Ducking the demon's sword he punched and kicked it in the gut a few times then managed to knock the sword out of its hands. Angel grabbed it and pushed it up against of the stacks and for the first time it was clear that it bore a remarkable resemblance in appearance to Lorne, as Lorne called the new guy Landok, making Angel lower his fist.
"They look alike", Dawn commented.
"And Lorne knows him", Tara added. "Guess they are from the same world then."
"So, Fred was sucked into Lorne's world?" Buffy wondered. "That's the only explanation here."
"Looks like it", Willow nodded.
Lorne said Angel could still hit him as Landok called Lorne as 'Krevlorneswath of the Deathwok Clan', but Lorne asked Angel to hit him more, and on Angel's and Cordelia's questioning said he preferred to be called Lorne, or green due to his face as Angel mentioned Lorne Greene and Bonanza, and was then shocked when Cordelia and Wesley didn't get the reference.
"How can you not know?" Giles asked, and then saw the others staring at him. "Oh bloody Hell! You people do not know either!"
Landok was confused as Lorne mentioned they were in LA and introduced his friends, so Landok gave a bow and called himself 'Landokmar of the Deathwok Clan', and Cordelia realized they were related as Lorne said they were cousins, and Landok sheathed his sword, saying Lorne's disappearance had been a mystery to which Lorne said it was an uninteresting story.
"They're….cousins?" Xander wondered. "They don't really seem like they're related, what with one violent and the other peaceful."
"But I guess they are", Willow said. "Really different people then."
"Families can be funny", Buffy quipped.
Landok said he'd hoped Lorne had atoned by forfeiting his life in the sacrificial canyons of Trelinsk, and Lorne said they needed to go, but Landok wanted them both to return together. Lorne wasn't in the mood as Landok said Lorne's mother's burden was terrible as she ripped Lorne's images into tiny little pieces, fed them to swine, butchered the pigs then fed the remains to dogs.
Everyone shared weird and disgusted looks.
"Ummm, that's too funny", Dawn added to what Buffy had said earlier.
"Wow, hardcore", Willow said.
"She hates him that much?" Tara wondered. "What did he do?"
"Guess he was a black sheep", Xander commented.
The others wanted to hear more about these family issues but Lorne mentioned they were hunting a Drokken, making Landok want to join in, and said a weapon dipped in thormite could kill one, but Lorne mentioned this world had none of that, so it would be much more difficult. Landok eventually mentioned he could track it by reading waves of hostility a Drokken left behind, and his people could do it if they trained well. Landok then asked to lead them to where the Drokken had appeared and he'd help them, so they all went off.
"So, they have help, that's good, right?" Dawn asked.
"I just think something is gonna go downhill", Willow said. "Because when does it not?"
"Plus, don't wanna judge, but Landok does seem, well, savage", Buffy said.
"Maybe their people just have a different way of living", Tara pointed out.
Gunn's truck pulled up and Gunn got out. There was old wood furniture in the bed of it. Gunn grabbed a hold of George as he stepped closer and slammed him up against the back of the truck, saying he should have waited for him, and George said they'd waited for him for months. Gunn pushed him to the side and grabbed a chair from the back of the truck to add it to a pile of other broken furniture laid out a little ways away, then stood there staring at it.
"His conflict is getting worse", Tara sighed. "Old crew or new."
"I'm pretty sure he picked the new", Willow commented. "Guess we'll have to see why."
Landok crouched at the foot of the body Drokken had killed earlier, noting it had fed so it was at maximum power. Lorne explained Landok was using his mind to identity Drokken's aura, and he did the same to read people's destinies which made him a freak while Landok used it to hunt and was considered the golden spawn. Angel noted Landok must be a hero at home to which Lorne said. "Talk about screwed up values. A world of only good and evil, black and white, no gray. No music, no art, just champions roaming the countryside, fighting for justice. Bo-ring. You got a problem, solve it with a sword. No one ever admits to having actual feelings and emotions, let alone talks about them. Can you imagine living in place like that?" Angel was lost in thought. "Not really."
"Sounds like a horrible place to live", Buffy agreed, it was almost like the lifestyle a perfectly duty-dedicated Slayer would lead. "Lorne must be special to not be like the rest of them."
"I wonder how he got interested in this kind of stuff if his world doesn't support it", Willow muttered.
"Being an amazing musician while coming from a world without it, that is most impressive", Giles said, once again praising Lorne's amazing singing.
"I guess he is a black sheep because he's more human than his people", Tara noted.
"Good thing for us humans then", Dawn smiled.
"Yeah, because he's fun", Xander nodded.
Wesley said Gunn wasn't answering his pages but Cordelia told Wesley to not go after him since he was shot last time. Cordelia also felt they were missing something and then Landok managed to track the Drokken, making Lorne pass a snippy comment regarding a medal so Landok called him a coward as he didn't hunt or gather. Lorne said he'd been chatting up the senoritas when they were hunting, and Landok snarled his cowardice had extended to the sacred joust, to which Lorne said he couldn't joust someone when he partially agreed with their with point of view.
"Anyone getting any of that?" Xander asked.
"No, and I don't want to", Dawn shook her head.
Landok noted Drokken had gotten more food, which Cordelia realized would be people. Angel's convertible pulled up in front of a warehouse with stacks of wooden pallets forming a veritable labyrinth around it. Landok rose up in the back seat and looked around. Just then the Drokken came into view for a moment, carrying the woman from earlier under one arm. It stopped to growl in their direction then disappeared into the maze. Wesley started making a plan but Landok just charged, and Angel followed too.
"Definitely not going well", Willow said.
"Especially if the Drokken is as dangerous as they saw", Buffy added.
Landok came upon the Drokken and it left the frightened woman to charge him. Landok attacked the monster with his sword without doing any visible damage. After a few swings the Drokken got a hold of him and bit him in the arm and Landok screamed as it threw him aside. Angel came up behind it and kicked it in the side. The two of them fought and seemed pretty evenly matched. Wesley and Lorne come up and see Landok sitting against one of the stacks, his arm bleeding. Lorne realized he'd been poisoned as the Drokken's bite had a venom poisonous to his people and the only antidote was in their world.
"Oh come on! He's a savage but he doesn't deserve to die!" Dawn snapped.
"Maybe they send him back to his world somehow before that can happen", Tara suggested.
The Drokken managed to get a solid kick in at Angel and sent him flying through the air then scuttled off between the stacks. Wesley came up next to Angel as he picked himself back up. Angel started to follow the Drokken. Wesley pulled out a flare and lighted it then followed after. The Drokken jumped from the top of one stack to another, watching them. Angel told Wesley to save the woman so they split up. Landok wanted to join but Lorne said he couldn't even lift his arm. It cut back and forth between Wesley with his flare in hand, and Angel making his way among them in the dark with his sword out, taunting Drokken and calling it a kitty.
Everyone laughed at Angel's tone.
"If that's a kitty, we're never getting one again", Willow said, sharing a look with Tara.
"What happened to your kitty?" Dawn asked. "I mean, I remember that time it accidentally fired a crossbow at Buffy."
Buffy's eyes widened she said. "We were never supposed to bring that up again, young lady!"
"We kind of gave her away to a friend who was a cat lover afterwards to avoid any more incidents", Tara told Buffy.
"Ah, thanks", Buffy nodded. "And sorry, it happened because of me."
"Not a problem, stuff happens", Willow assured her.
"The Vampire Slayer taken down by a kitty", Xander laughed as Buffy's humorless face was back.
"Maybe I should put the kitty on a crossbow and you in front of it", Buffy wondered aloud, and Xander stopped chuckling as Buffy gave a vicious smirk.
Wesley found the woman and tried to help her but she screamed as the Drokken knocked Wesley down from behind. Wesley pushed himself partway up and tried to fend off the Drokken with his flare. The Drokken bit off the top of it and swallowed it, leaving Wesley staring at the bitten off stump left in his hand. Before the Drokken could do anything else, Angel was there, attacking it with feet, hands and sword at a furious speed. The Drokken managed to send Angel flying backwards to the ground but Angel threw his sword as he got back up, and it hits the Drokken's throat dead center, sticking halfway out the back. The Drokken made a gurgling sound then collapsed to the ground. Wesley and Angel looked at each other. Angel glanced over at the woman then back at Wesley, saying it was fun.
"Okay, that wasn't too difficult", Buffy said. "Angel's a great fighter."
"Thank God it got killed before it could anyone else", Dawn sighed in relief.
"What about Landok though?" Giles asked.
Cordelia was reading the book again as Landok asked Lorne to perform the rituals if he died, since he wanted glory, and Cordelia realized the book could send him back if Landok read it where a portal existed. Her vision had told her that's what happened with Fred, so it went both ways. Angel pointed out it could send something else here but she knew it wouldn't, and they piled into Angel's car. Landok wanted Lorne's pledge to do the rituals but he assured he wouldn't die.
"Guess the portal did send someone back- Fred", Willow noted, since she did not know how Fred had returned.
"Yeah, that has to be it", Xander nodded.
Gunn stared at Rondell laid out on the pile of broken furniture. George threw a match and lighted the pyre. The whole gang watched in silence as the flames licked into the night sky.
No one commented, just sighing sadly.
Angel and Lorne supported Landok to Caritas, and then Angel helped him to the stage before taking the book from Cordelia, asking Landok to read. Landok said Angel had to be a great and noble warrior to defeat a Drokken, so he was happy to know him, and with that he gripped Angel's wrist.
"So they do have their code of honor", Tara noted. "Guess they aren't that bad. Lorne just didn't fit."
"Looks like it", Willow sighed.
Lorne and Landok bid farewell as Lorne asked Landok to tell his mother he did sacrifice himself. Landok hoped they'd meet again but Lorne didn't and then Landok read from the book, eventually opening the portal as he was sucked into it before it closed.
"There he goes", Dawn said. "But no Fred."
Angel, Wesley and Lorne decided to forget this ever happened before realizing Cordelia wasn't with them, and so they all looked around.
"Where did she go?" Buffy asked as they all paled.
"Oh no", Willow said as it hit her, and then all of them.
"Oh no", everyone else went too while Giles went 'Oh dear' instead.
Cordelia was lying in a patch of sunshine on the ground. She opened her eyes and got up to look at the wood filled with strange animal noises all around her, then looked up at the sky and saw that there were two suns in it. Then she spotted what looked like stick puppets draped with animal skins a little ways away. "Oh - crap!" The screen went black.
"Goddamn it!" Xander snapped. "Why did it have to suck her in as well? Huh?"
"So they will go through the portal to bring her back, and that's how they meet Fred", Willow said as her eyes widened in realization.
"So, we're gonna see another world?" Dawn asked. "I'm kind of excited."
"Well, 3 more to go, let's see this other world", Buffy sighed.
"I'm up for it", Tara said.
"I would like to expand my knowledge", Giles spoke up too.
"Let's see them then, and how Cordy is saved", Buffy said as she came to the next recording.
And we're done with one more. Now 3 more to go for this Season as the Pylea arc begins properly there. It was hilarious.
Anyway, hope all enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. Stay safe from the coronavirus ya all!