11

Angel parked the GTX outside what was left of the building that housed Wolfram & Hart. The sky above them was clear. Stars winked down on the city for the first time in decades, the city itself covered in darkness only broken by fires not yet brought under control.

"We might not survive the night," Angel said, not looking at his armed companions. "If you don't want to go in there, I won't blame you. It's your choice."

Gunn cleared his throat, choosing his words carefully, "We've had our differences, you and I. Most of them over the last few days. But I trust you. I say we go kick some demon ass and save the world."

Cordelia cast her vote in typical Cordelia fashion. "Yeah, well, I've done this before. Helping to save the world, I mean. So let's just get on with it. And maybe the Powers will give me a break from their head crunching visions if I live through this."

"After you," Wesley agreed, sparing his words for a change.

"Okay, then." Angel walked around the car, opened the boot and started distributing the weapons amongst them.

He handed Gunn a double-bladed ax and asked, "Are you sure you're up to this?"

Gunn took the ax, testing its weight. "Yeah, I'm good. Wesley fixed me up 100 %."

"Let's go already. Time's a-wasting," Cordelia interrupted, grabbing her trusty crossbow.

The group carefully picked their way through the rubble, finding an unblocked stairway leading down to the lower levels of the building.

"This passage has been cleared," Gunn remarked. "You think we might find some traffic?"

Angel tensed suddenly, bringing the team to a halt. One fluid upward swipe of his sword separated the hidden demon from his head. The separated pieces fell to the vampire's feet from its hiding place on the ceiling. "I think we might," Angel answered wryly and started to move again.

*********************

"Why don't you just give it up? You've poked and prodded and yanked and banged on those chains with no result other than driving me up this damn wall!" Lindsey complained. He sat, resting his head against the wall he was chained to, his hands dangling over his knees.

Angelus graced the lawyer with a dirty look and grumbled, continued prying at the lock on the cuff around his wrist. "I'm not going to just sit here, chained like a whipped dog and wait to be tossed into a fucking hole in the ground. That's something my soulful half would do."

Irritation got the better of the chained vampire, urging him to his feet. Nervous energy played across the muscles of his bare chest. He growled, "And where the Hell is he anyway?! Angel and his 'Warrior of the Light' groupies should have pranced to the rescue by now."

"Maybe Angel decided our deaths are worth Hell on Earth," Lindsey smirked. "It's not like he'll have to live to see it. Your death'll end his suffering. Lucky bastard."

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

Angelus and Lindsey jerked their heads to the source of the incredulous voice.

"No way! No! Not a chance!" Cordelia said adamantly, shaking her head. Her dark hair framed her set features. "I am not risking my life to save you. Either of you."

She turned on her heel and started for the exit, but was cut off by Wesley and Gunn fighting off two very large no-neck vampires. Her loud yelp mingled with Wesley's grunt when No-neck Nr. 1 tossed the ex-Watcher into her, knocking them both to the ground.

"Hey! Watch it!" Cordelia shouted angrily while untangling herself from the lanky Brit. She marched over to the laughing vampire and dusted him. "Asshole," she snapped at the surprised vampire as he crumbled into nothing.

Angelus laughed heartily. "Did you see the expression on his face? Priceless. That's my Cordelia."

"I'm not your anything," Cordelia growled, pointing her stake at the immobile vampire.

"Get the hostages," Angel ordered. He was shaking blood and guts off his empty hand, his swordhand and the sword in it also dripping blood. He frowned when his people didn't move to follow his order. "Guys? Is there a problem?"

"I'll say," Cordelia said sarcastically and moved aside to clear the view to the imprisoned men for her boss.

"Hello, Brother," Angelus smirked, totally amused by the little scene playing out before him.

"Oh, BLOODY HELL!" Angel snarled.

Cordelia turned to her Angel and asked hopefully, "Can't we just take the kid? That would interrupt the ritual, right? We can leave them here."

Angel considered it. He was seriously considering it. He sighed, shook his head and said, "We all go or we all stay."

Cordelia knew he was going to say that. They couldn't leave it to chance that the ritual could be completed. But she didn't have to like doing the right thing.

With precision, Angel broke the chains holding the catatonic boy and Lindsey. Cordelia was there to catch the boy's body with Lindsey helping her the instant he was freed. Cordelia glared at him balefully. The repentant lawyer offered her a pleading look and she conceded to him taking the boy from her arms.

"Watch your aim, Brother," Angelus goaded. "I would really miss my arm."

"Don't tempt me," Angel growled, shattering the chain under his blade.

"We've got incoming!" Gunn called urgently from his look-out point at the door. He raised his ax, ready for the demon not yet in sight.

Ma'hlak charged through the door. Gunn swung his ax at the beast's mid section, but Ma'hlak caught the weapon. He flung it across the room, sending Gunn flying too.

Cordelia and Wesley rushed to the crumpled black man, calling to him worriedly.

"Who dares interfere with the Restoration?!" Ma'hlak demanded.

With one last blow, Angel freed Angelus from his remaining bonds. He turned to face Ma'hlak, taking on a fighting stance, his sword at the ready.

"That would be me," he said, slipping into game face and bearing his fangs to his enemy.

The ensouled vampire registered movement in his periphery. Even though his back was turned to his soulless counterpart, he was fully aware of every move Angelus made.

He saw Angelus pick up Gunn's discarded ax and testing it for weight and balance in his powerful hands. He saw Angelus stepping up to his side and take up position next to him.

"And me," Angelus said to Ma'hlak.

Angelus shrugged at the incredulous looks he was getting from all sides. "What? I don't want the world to end."

"Yeah, right!" Angel snorted.

Angelus grinned. He couldn't lie to himself. "Well, not when it's not my idea, that is," he amended and charged into battle with a mighty battle roar.

Ma'hlak swiped at the charging vampire with his massive claw. Angelus, anticipating the move, leapt high over the Raz'lah demon. As his body turned in mid-air, Angelus brought the ax down to bury it in Ma'hlak's back. At the last instant, Ma'hlak shifted. He caught a sidelong blow from the descending blade, but the wound healed immediately.

Ma'hlak howled in fury and lunged at Angelus, who was now at his back. His howl turned to one of pain as Angel sliced open his exposed back with his sword.

Angelus pressed Angel's attack and started hacking at Ma'hlak with his battle ax. Blows rained down on Ma'hlak from both sides, his blood and severed flesh turning the floor slippery and gleaming in the glow of the candles.

The demon sprouted a spiny tail from nowhere and swung it at Angelus, while bringing a fisted claw around to connect with Angel. Ma'hlak roared at the satisfactory sounds of bones breaking and flesh splitting as his dual blows knocked the two vampires off their feet.

Angel and Angelus growled fiercely, leapt to their feet and charged in unison.

Alone, Ma'hlak had found Angel a formidable opponent, but partnered with the equally formidable Angelus, they were deadly.

The demon squared his massive shoulders and planted his feet, claws at the ready to rip the storming vampires' heads off. If he timed it just right, the two would charge right into each other, and he could squash them both once and for all. But they changed course. In the blink of an eye, the vampires' were no longer running at him from his left and right, but side by side in a collision course with him.

Ma'hlak didn't have time to sidestep the tackling twosome. The floor beneath his feet gave way under the combined force of 400+ pounds of unyielding vampire muscle crashing into him. Ma'hlak fell and started to slide in his own gore as Angel and Angelus' momentum carried him.

Ma'hlak dug in his claws, splitting the concrete as he tried to halt his slide. Suddenly the floor wasn't there anymore. Ma'hlak grappled desperately at the edge of the rift that was the opening to the Hellmouth.

The demon managed to hook his claws into the edge of the chasm, effectively breaking his fall. Ma'hlak glanced down to the abyss beneath his feet and closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He flexed his taut shoulders, slowly pulling his bulk up over the edge.

Ma'hlak's head appeared out of the hole, his eyes searching the growing plain for the next attack. His vision was met by two pairs of legs standing before him, one dressed in black leather, the other in cotton. Ma'hlak craned his neck to better see the danger.

Angel and Angelus loomed over Ma'hlak, weapons gripped loosely. They had twin grins of victory on their identical faces.

"Let me give you a hand," Angel sneered. The blade flashed, neatly separating Ma'hlak's claw from his body.

Angelus tightened his grip on the ax, lifting it high. "Next time you will think twice before betraying me, won't you?" Angelus growled and buried the ax in the concrete lip of the Hellmouth, severing Ma'hlak's body from the appendage linking him to the land of the living.

"Then again, I guess you won't," the soulless vampire commented as he watched Ma'hlak disappear into the darkness of the Hellmouth.

Angel turned to meet his friends' worried gazes. They were still huddled into the wall. Cordelia and Wesley were doing their best to restrain Gunn from getting up and joining the fight. They knew better than to get in the middle of a life and death struggle their boss was involved in.

Lindsey was protectively covering the silently weeping boy's body with his own, cooing words of comfort and gently stroking his hair.

"Are you guys alright?" Angel asked, his attention fully on his three employees pulling each other to their feet. He saw the alarm on Cordelia's face. He heard her cry of warning, but was a split second too late to ward off the snap kick Angelus landed in the small of his back.

Angel was propelled forward. He ducked and rolled, coming to his feet and faced off against his soulless self.

"You didn't think I was going to let you walk out of here, did you?" Angelus asked sarcastically, slowly advancing on his Other, swinging the ax in his hand.

Angel growled, vamping out again. The sword was lying just out of his reach and Angelus knew it.

Angelus eyed the sword and grinned, "Oops! Loose something, Brother?"

He swung the ax at Angel's head, who ducked beneath the blade and launched himself at his ax-wielding mirror image.

Angel tackled Angelus, pushing his shoulder into the other vampire's midsection and effectively bowling him off his feet. Angelus grabbed at the vampire pinning him to the floor, roaring loudly, but Angel rolled out of his seeking fingers.

The vampires sprang to their feet, both now armed, murder burning in the twin golden eyes glaring at one another.

Blades flashed and rang out where they met. Muscles quivered on the vampires' gleaming chests as they strained to break the other's hold on his weapon.

Angel relaxed his grip, lifted his sword high and stepped into Angelus, turning as he moved. He brought his elbow down in a crushing blow, splitting Angelus' lip and forcing the soulless vampire back a step. The step was just enough, however for Angelus to gain enough maneuvering room for a return kick by bringing his knee up into Angel's unprotected ribcage.

Angel winced as Angelus broke two of his ribs, but quickly returned the favor, slicing down with his sword. A satisfied grin spread over his vampire features when Angelus' blood coursed freely from the cut over his chest.

Angelus howled in pain, doubling over and grabbing for the oozing wound. His ax clattered to the floor and he stammered back, glaring at his Other with white-hot hate.

A growl grew deep in his chest. His fangs seemed to elongate even more as his snarl pulled his bleeding lip up. His fists hooked into claws over the cut marring his perfect skin. His body tensed, ready to spring.

"You'll pay for that," Angelus growled gutturally and leapt at the advancing Angel.

In movements too fast to follow by mere mortals, Angelus clawed the sword from Angel's hands and rained brutal punches down on him.

Angel returned each blow with matched brutality and speed. The two vampires were equally matched in strength and skill. Slowly, painfully, Angel and Angelus were driving each other to the edge of the pit where they just a little earlier had dispatched Ma'hlak.

Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn and Lindsey could only stare at the two identical vampires beating each other to a bloody pulp.

"You're can't kill me," Angelus stated between a kick and a upper cut. The evil vampire caught Angel by the wrist and pulled him into a neck lock. Angel strained against Angelus' chest, trying to break free. "But I can kill you, Brother," Angelus snarled menacingly in his soulful Other's ear.

Angel felt Angelus' boot finding the small of his back and he knew what was coming. "You will die, Demon, and I will be the one to destroy you," Angel promised his dark self.

"In your next life maybe," Angelus sneered and shoved Angel over the edge of the Hellmouth.

"Angel!" Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn shouted in unison, sprinting for the spot where their friend disappeared.

Cordelia turned hate-filled eyes on the grinning vampire still standing and lunged at him with a stake and a cry. "YOU BASTARD!!!"

Angelus caught the charging Seer easily, laughing. "Sorry, sweetheart. Not here and not today," he grinned, planting a crushing kiss on her lips, bruising them and letting Cordelia drop. Time was running out. Angelus could sense the sun rising and he knew he had to get out of here and to cover before that happened.

"Later!" he called over his shoulder as he disappeared out the door into the last minutes before dawn.