Part 9
Angel landed hard, rolled and jumped to his feet fully alert. As he adjusted his eyes to the darkness and cautiously moved forward, each step brought memories of his last visit, leaving a vile taste in his mouth. The smell of sulphur and brimstone mixed with hopelessness and despair was terrifyingly familiar, Angel swallowed the fear and moved on.
He found himself being led along a series of tunnels, almost by an invisible thread, Buffy was close. Angel could feel the weak beat of her heart calling out in the darkness. He could feel the presence of her soul, lost and alone in this heathen infested dimension; but more than anything, Angel could feel her utter despair. Quickening his progress, he sped toward the source of his quest.
The hideous stone gargoyles that marked the entrance to the devil's lair glowed like a beacon in the darkness. Angel remembered their faces only too well. This was the place that had nearly succeeded in breaking him; hundreds of years of torture had left him almost animalistic. Only the thought of one person had stopped his soul from going insane. Angel cast his eyes warily in both directions and entered the lion's den.
******
Buffy was hung, heavily chained to the furthest wall, like a gruesome prize trophy. Her head was dropped forward like a broken doll causing her long, dirty, hair to cover all of her face.
Angel growled in anger at the sight of the Slayer, he ran across the cavern without a second thought for his own safety. Crouching in front of the small girl, he gently moved her hair to one side and felt relief on finding her face relatively unmarked. Softly caressing the hot dry skin of her cheek, he pressed his mouth to her ear.
" Buffy?...Buffy?" Angel tenderly patted her cheek in an attempt to awaken the unconscious girl. She murmured softy and rubbed her face into the palm of his hand.
" Angel" Buffy whimpered this dream was so real she could almost smell him. The cool relief of his hand on her hot skin felt wonderful.
Angel shook her a little harder, this time her head moved and bloodshot eyes slowly opened.
Buffy flinched back in terror as her disoriented eyes focused on the dark figure in front of her.
" Hey! It's me..Buffy, It's Angel" he quickly reassured her by stroking her hair.
" Angel?" Buffy's first word was nothing more then a croak. Angel moved slowly forward until she could see him fully in the dim light. He lowered his lips to her head and softly kissed her skin. Buffy knew that touch anywhere, this was no dream, this was her soulmate. She tried to move her arms to his neck but they were heavily chained to the wall preventing any movement. Angel took hold of the chains and tried with all his strength to break them, without success.
" I'll have to find something" he started to move away looking for anything that would break the chains.
"No! " Buffy cried out in alarm " Don't leave me" her panic filled eyes pleaded not to be left alone again.
Angel was torn, he hated the pain he saw in Buffy's eyes but knew realistically that they had to get out of there as soon as possible, the fact that he had got so far undiscovered was a miracle in itself. Angel looked back at her frightened face and realised that the Slayer was close to breaking.
" Okay" he smiled softly and tried to pull on the chains again. The rock they were imbedded in was almost like iron. Angel knew even with his strength he could never hope to break it on his own, Buffy looked far too exhausted to help.
" I still can't believe you're here... Why, Angel? After everything I said to you, why would you risk coming after me?" Buffy small voice sounded so confused, she'd spent hours and hours dwelling on their last conversation, regretting the pain she'd put them both through. Being chained to the wall in total isolation gave her little else to do, the devil didn't need to physically torture her, he'd played on her insecurities and Buffy had tortured herself.
" In the cemetery you were wrong, Buffy. I never lied about my feelings for you; I'd die for you without hesitation....I never stopped loving you, *I* never forgot anything, I just buried it deep inside my heart so it wouldn't torture me 24/7" Angel told her truthfully, now was not the time for lies and misunderstanding. Turning away from her bewildered eyes, Angel tried again to pull out the chains.
" Angel?"
He turned his head back slightly.
" I'd die for you too" Buffy whispered through dry lips, her eyes brimming with tears.
" Sssh, we're getting out of here. I promise"
A low evil chuckle sent icicles through Buffy's heart.
"Oh God, no" she trembled in real fear, more for Angel's safety than her own.
" Hope not ever to see heaven, I come to lead you to another shore, into eternal darkness, into fire and into ice...ANGELUS...Don't you just love Dante? He got it so right...Welcome home my boy...I've been waiting a long time for you..."
Angel stood protectively in front of Buffy as the devil's presence moved closer. No longer bothering with human formation, this appearance represented pure evil in its most repulsive form.
" You wouldn't be trying to release my pet slayer now, would you Angelus? "
Angel's eyes followed every movement, he knew from experience that attack could come from any corner, he was wrong, attack came from *every* corner.
Buffy screamed as Angel was surrounded and eventually smothered beneath a swarm of the devil's most vicious minions. Although he fought with every ounce of strength he possessed the vampire was seriously out numbered.
Buffy cried out at each blow her ex lover suffered. She shook the chains that were holding her wrists until a stream of blood ran down her arms.
Once Angel was overpowered, the devil moved majestically into full view of his court.
" I wasn't quite sure how I was going to torture the Slayer, but I think that question has just been answered. She loves you with all her pathetic soul, I can feel it, so her pain will be watching you suffer a millennium of torture. You remember the pain Angelus, the never-ending agony. This time I will break you and then I'll finish breaking her. The hatred in the devil's voice left no doubt to the validity of the threat.
" It's not gonna happen, I'll kill him before I let you hurt him again" Buffy's eyes glared in defiance, she was already feeling slightly stronger. If he wanted to scare her he had definitely hit the wrong button. Threatening Angel had always been her enemies' biggest mistake.
" Kill your own lover? Spend the rest of eternity in his place? You haven't got it in you, little girl" the devil laughed ** This child's delusions of grandeur were really too funny**
Buffy looked towards Angel, her eyes softening for a second.
" You evil people are really bad when it comes to doing homework. I killed him once to save the world, I would certainly kill him to save his soul" Buffy twisted her wrist again ignoring the pain as the manacle cut further into her skin. But this time she felt the chain loosen and small flakes of rock slid unnoticed down the wall.
" And you're prepared to spend the rest of your existence in Hades without him? Because believe me slayer, you're never getting out. NOT EVER"
Buffy looked up at the devil and stared deeply into his evil flame filled eyes making sure there was no mistaking her meaning.
" I've been in my own hell for the last two years, In fact, ever since the day I first lost him. How much worse can it possibly get?" she demanded releasing all the pain and bitterness she'd saved in her heart since the day Angel first left her.
The devil just laughed at her pain. He walked closer and transformed into a more physical being, he raised his fist and brought it across the slayers face causing her head to snap back.
" It gets worse, believe me it gets much worse" came the sadistic laughter.
" Buffy" Angel screamed his eyes glowed amber and the ridges on his forehead protruded as he changed into his demonic face. Even with this added strength he was still unable to free himself.
Buffy watched the anxiety in Angel's eyes and knew he would endure the pain forever before he allowed the devil to touch her again, sadly that's exactly what the devil wanted, that way they would both die a little more each day.
"Strip him" the command was given and Angel's duster was ripped from his back followed by his shirt. The devil laughed as he watched the vampire twist and turn to free himself
" If he breaks free do the same to her" As expected, the struggling stopped.
Buffy watched as a bullwhip was brought out and cracked threw the air cutting a long crimson line across Angel's pale skin. Angel gritted his teeth as his body jerked in pain.
" Still enjoying your visit, Angelus?"
Angel turned his face slightly and caught Buffy's eye's, he silently begged her to look away. He knew what was coming next; he had suffered this all before and although he would hold out for a while, eventually he would be screaming as they stripped the flesh from his body.
The second crack was followed quickly by a third. Each time Angel bit down and screamed inside.
" A thousand will do for starters" the devil turned his back as the fourth and fifth rained down.
With each red stripe that flashed across Angel's back, Buffy pulled harder on her chains, every grunt of pain fed her anger and her anger gave her strength.
As Angel's back took another lash, Buffy poured all of her hatred into one final surge and ripped the chains from the wall. She moved across the cavern like a person possessed. Using the remnants of her chains as extensions to her arms, she decapitated every demon in sight. In the confusion that followed, the demons holding Angel turned their attention to the rampaging slayer and allowed Angel to take full advantage of the situation. He freed his hands and cracked the first two heads he reached. One by one the Devil watched his minions fall or flee. He raised his fist and a fire bolt crashed out towards the vampire, Buffy's warning allowed him to spring free and the three demons on his left were fried in his place.
"Buffy" Angel indicated to the entranceway, she nodded she understood and ran straight for it. Another flash of fire just above her head caused a rockslide, Angel threw himself at the Slayer and, using his body as a shield, he sheltered her from the rubble. Buffy felt him flinch in pain as the rocks fell on his badly slashed back. Throwing off the debris, Angel pulled Buffy to her feet and looked around. Fallen demon's lay everywhere but the entrance was now completely blocked. The only other being left in the cavern was the Devil himself, standing grinning in the corner.
" You can run but where do you intend to hide" he laughed. Buffy turned to Angel.
" Can you see my duster?" he whispered searching around in the darkness. Buffy didn't understand why the duster was so important but accepted Angel's need to find it.
" How many times are you going to die for this mortal, vampire?" The disgust in the devil's voice was obvious. Angel's eyes indicated for Buffy to carry on looking for his duster.
" As many time's as it takes, I don't keep count" he replied trying to keep the devil occupied
" You are a weak fool, Angelus. To give up your chance of humanity, not once but twice"
Buffy's head turned back, her eyes full of confusion.
" I haven't given up on anything" Angel muttered silently cursing the information the devil had just handed to Buffy. His attention was then called to a loud crashing sound outside the cavern as the landslide was slowly broken down.
" But you already have, you gave up a day, Angelus. Remember, of course you do. But she doesn't, does she. I can give her back her memories, what do you say Buffy, do you want to witness the real powers of hell... I can show you how your hero here dumped you a second time...I can show you how all your dreams were erased"
Buffy scrambled to Angel's side dragging his duster with her.
" I don't understand" her eyes pleaded with Angel for answers. Angel just hugged her to him.
" He's just trying to frighten you"
"It's working. What day, Angel? How can you have given up a day?"
" Shall I tell her or will you?"
The devil moved closer as did the demons breaking through on the other side.
**You don't have to understand, Angel. You just need to believe. Do you trust me?**
Angel closed his eyes as Tara's voice filled his head.** when the time is right the powers will flow**
Keeping his eyes closed he felt Tara's essence flow through his body, funnelling a powerful energy in to every dead cell. Slowly rising to his feet Angel faced the devil.
" White magic" he sneered in disgust knowing it couldn't possibly harm him.
Angel found himself reciting Latin, he recognised some of the words from his childhood but the spell he was reciting came from Tara's essence not his. Tara was calling forth the might of Mother Nature and channelling its force through Angel.
The devil continued to watch the show in amusement.
"Asa sa fie! Acum!"
(Let it be so! Now!)
Angel finished and felt Tara's essence leave his body. The devil clapped his hands slowly in mock applause.
" And now it's my turn.." he smiled for a moment but then his head turned as the sound of crackling caught his attention. Slowly a white frost covered the walls of the cavern spreading rapidly across the floor.
" What the fuc...????" the white carpet touched his feet and seeped into his whole being, slowly freezing it's essence into a block of solid ice. The temperature quickly fell to below freezing and the devil was left standing in the middle of the cavern like a hideous ice sculpture. Angel wrapped Buffy in his duster pulling her body towards him.
" Are you all right?" he asked anxiously into her eyes
" I'm cold but..." Buffy couldn't understand any of this. The hottest part of hell had just turned into the Antarctic yet she and Angel were untouched.
" It's white magic, Buffy. It only freezes the purest of evil." Angel finally understood what Tara had told him about trusting her. Buffy moved carefully, trying not to slip on the ice beneath her feet. She stared up at the horrifically distorted features of the devil and shivered.
" What's that old saying about a cold day in hell?" she asked quietly
Angel walked over and wrapped his arm around her slight shoulders as he looked up to follow her gaze, he then noticed a small drop of water fall from the ice. It had already started to melt.
" Tara also told me this is only temporary, we really have to get out of here" Angel reached into his duster pocket and pulled out the key.
He held two small glints of silver in his hand.
" My ring" Buffy couldn't believe what she was seeing. The delicate claddagh ring that she had lost so long ago lay in the palm of Angel's hand next to a larger version she knew was his.
"I don't know how this is going to work, but Tara said somehow it's the key. I think this is what brought me home before" Angel picked up the larger of the two rings and slipped his on to his finger, he then looked at Buffy. She gingerly lifted the small silver band and moved it to her own finger, following Angel's lead, she slipped it on with the heart facing in and waited......and waited...and waited...Nothing happened.
TBC
Angel landed hard, rolled and jumped to his feet fully alert. As he adjusted his eyes to the darkness and cautiously moved forward, each step brought memories of his last visit, leaving a vile taste in his mouth. The smell of sulphur and brimstone mixed with hopelessness and despair was terrifyingly familiar, Angel swallowed the fear and moved on.
He found himself being led along a series of tunnels, almost by an invisible thread, Buffy was close. Angel could feel the weak beat of her heart calling out in the darkness. He could feel the presence of her soul, lost and alone in this heathen infested dimension; but more than anything, Angel could feel her utter despair. Quickening his progress, he sped toward the source of his quest.
The hideous stone gargoyles that marked the entrance to the devil's lair glowed like a beacon in the darkness. Angel remembered their faces only too well. This was the place that had nearly succeeded in breaking him; hundreds of years of torture had left him almost animalistic. Only the thought of one person had stopped his soul from going insane. Angel cast his eyes warily in both directions and entered the lion's den.
******
Buffy was hung, heavily chained to the furthest wall, like a gruesome prize trophy. Her head was dropped forward like a broken doll causing her long, dirty, hair to cover all of her face.
Angel growled in anger at the sight of the Slayer, he ran across the cavern without a second thought for his own safety. Crouching in front of the small girl, he gently moved her hair to one side and felt relief on finding her face relatively unmarked. Softly caressing the hot dry skin of her cheek, he pressed his mouth to her ear.
" Buffy?...Buffy?" Angel tenderly patted her cheek in an attempt to awaken the unconscious girl. She murmured softy and rubbed her face into the palm of his hand.
" Angel" Buffy whimpered this dream was so real she could almost smell him. The cool relief of his hand on her hot skin felt wonderful.
Angel shook her a little harder, this time her head moved and bloodshot eyes slowly opened.
Buffy flinched back in terror as her disoriented eyes focused on the dark figure in front of her.
" Hey! It's me..Buffy, It's Angel" he quickly reassured her by stroking her hair.
" Angel?" Buffy's first word was nothing more then a croak. Angel moved slowly forward until she could see him fully in the dim light. He lowered his lips to her head and softly kissed her skin. Buffy knew that touch anywhere, this was no dream, this was her soulmate. She tried to move her arms to his neck but they were heavily chained to the wall preventing any movement. Angel took hold of the chains and tried with all his strength to break them, without success.
" I'll have to find something" he started to move away looking for anything that would break the chains.
"No! " Buffy cried out in alarm " Don't leave me" her panic filled eyes pleaded not to be left alone again.
Angel was torn, he hated the pain he saw in Buffy's eyes but knew realistically that they had to get out of there as soon as possible, the fact that he had got so far undiscovered was a miracle in itself. Angel looked back at her frightened face and realised that the Slayer was close to breaking.
" Okay" he smiled softly and tried to pull on the chains again. The rock they were imbedded in was almost like iron. Angel knew even with his strength he could never hope to break it on his own, Buffy looked far too exhausted to help.
" I still can't believe you're here... Why, Angel? After everything I said to you, why would you risk coming after me?" Buffy small voice sounded so confused, she'd spent hours and hours dwelling on their last conversation, regretting the pain she'd put them both through. Being chained to the wall in total isolation gave her little else to do, the devil didn't need to physically torture her, he'd played on her insecurities and Buffy had tortured herself.
" In the cemetery you were wrong, Buffy. I never lied about my feelings for you; I'd die for you without hesitation....I never stopped loving you, *I* never forgot anything, I just buried it deep inside my heart so it wouldn't torture me 24/7" Angel told her truthfully, now was not the time for lies and misunderstanding. Turning away from her bewildered eyes, Angel tried again to pull out the chains.
" Angel?"
He turned his head back slightly.
" I'd die for you too" Buffy whispered through dry lips, her eyes brimming with tears.
" Sssh, we're getting out of here. I promise"
A low evil chuckle sent icicles through Buffy's heart.
"Oh God, no" she trembled in real fear, more for Angel's safety than her own.
" Hope not ever to see heaven, I come to lead you to another shore, into eternal darkness, into fire and into ice...ANGELUS...Don't you just love Dante? He got it so right...Welcome home my boy...I've been waiting a long time for you..."
Angel stood protectively in front of Buffy as the devil's presence moved closer. No longer bothering with human formation, this appearance represented pure evil in its most repulsive form.
" You wouldn't be trying to release my pet slayer now, would you Angelus? "
Angel's eyes followed every movement, he knew from experience that attack could come from any corner, he was wrong, attack came from *every* corner.
Buffy screamed as Angel was surrounded and eventually smothered beneath a swarm of the devil's most vicious minions. Although he fought with every ounce of strength he possessed the vampire was seriously out numbered.
Buffy cried out at each blow her ex lover suffered. She shook the chains that were holding her wrists until a stream of blood ran down her arms.
Once Angel was overpowered, the devil moved majestically into full view of his court.
" I wasn't quite sure how I was going to torture the Slayer, but I think that question has just been answered. She loves you with all her pathetic soul, I can feel it, so her pain will be watching you suffer a millennium of torture. You remember the pain Angelus, the never-ending agony. This time I will break you and then I'll finish breaking her. The hatred in the devil's voice left no doubt to the validity of the threat.
" It's not gonna happen, I'll kill him before I let you hurt him again" Buffy's eyes glared in defiance, she was already feeling slightly stronger. If he wanted to scare her he had definitely hit the wrong button. Threatening Angel had always been her enemies' biggest mistake.
" Kill your own lover? Spend the rest of eternity in his place? You haven't got it in you, little girl" the devil laughed ** This child's delusions of grandeur were really too funny**
Buffy looked towards Angel, her eyes softening for a second.
" You evil people are really bad when it comes to doing homework. I killed him once to save the world, I would certainly kill him to save his soul" Buffy twisted her wrist again ignoring the pain as the manacle cut further into her skin. But this time she felt the chain loosen and small flakes of rock slid unnoticed down the wall.
" And you're prepared to spend the rest of your existence in Hades without him? Because believe me slayer, you're never getting out. NOT EVER"
Buffy looked up at the devil and stared deeply into his evil flame filled eyes making sure there was no mistaking her meaning.
" I've been in my own hell for the last two years, In fact, ever since the day I first lost him. How much worse can it possibly get?" she demanded releasing all the pain and bitterness she'd saved in her heart since the day Angel first left her.
The devil just laughed at her pain. He walked closer and transformed into a more physical being, he raised his fist and brought it across the slayers face causing her head to snap back.
" It gets worse, believe me it gets much worse" came the sadistic laughter.
" Buffy" Angel screamed his eyes glowed amber and the ridges on his forehead protruded as he changed into his demonic face. Even with this added strength he was still unable to free himself.
Buffy watched the anxiety in Angel's eyes and knew he would endure the pain forever before he allowed the devil to touch her again, sadly that's exactly what the devil wanted, that way they would both die a little more each day.
"Strip him" the command was given and Angel's duster was ripped from his back followed by his shirt. The devil laughed as he watched the vampire twist and turn to free himself
" If he breaks free do the same to her" As expected, the struggling stopped.
Buffy watched as a bullwhip was brought out and cracked threw the air cutting a long crimson line across Angel's pale skin. Angel gritted his teeth as his body jerked in pain.
" Still enjoying your visit, Angelus?"
Angel turned his face slightly and caught Buffy's eye's, he silently begged her to look away. He knew what was coming next; he had suffered this all before and although he would hold out for a while, eventually he would be screaming as they stripped the flesh from his body.
The second crack was followed quickly by a third. Each time Angel bit down and screamed inside.
" A thousand will do for starters" the devil turned his back as the fourth and fifth rained down.
With each red stripe that flashed across Angel's back, Buffy pulled harder on her chains, every grunt of pain fed her anger and her anger gave her strength.
As Angel's back took another lash, Buffy poured all of her hatred into one final surge and ripped the chains from the wall. She moved across the cavern like a person possessed. Using the remnants of her chains as extensions to her arms, she decapitated every demon in sight. In the confusion that followed, the demons holding Angel turned their attention to the rampaging slayer and allowed Angel to take full advantage of the situation. He freed his hands and cracked the first two heads he reached. One by one the Devil watched his minions fall or flee. He raised his fist and a fire bolt crashed out towards the vampire, Buffy's warning allowed him to spring free and the three demons on his left were fried in his place.
"Buffy" Angel indicated to the entranceway, she nodded she understood and ran straight for it. Another flash of fire just above her head caused a rockslide, Angel threw himself at the Slayer and, using his body as a shield, he sheltered her from the rubble. Buffy felt him flinch in pain as the rocks fell on his badly slashed back. Throwing off the debris, Angel pulled Buffy to her feet and looked around. Fallen demon's lay everywhere but the entrance was now completely blocked. The only other being left in the cavern was the Devil himself, standing grinning in the corner.
" You can run but where do you intend to hide" he laughed. Buffy turned to Angel.
" Can you see my duster?" he whispered searching around in the darkness. Buffy didn't understand why the duster was so important but accepted Angel's need to find it.
" How many times are you going to die for this mortal, vampire?" The disgust in the devil's voice was obvious. Angel's eyes indicated for Buffy to carry on looking for his duster.
" As many time's as it takes, I don't keep count" he replied trying to keep the devil occupied
" You are a weak fool, Angelus. To give up your chance of humanity, not once but twice"
Buffy's head turned back, her eyes full of confusion.
" I haven't given up on anything" Angel muttered silently cursing the information the devil had just handed to Buffy. His attention was then called to a loud crashing sound outside the cavern as the landslide was slowly broken down.
" But you already have, you gave up a day, Angelus. Remember, of course you do. But she doesn't, does she. I can give her back her memories, what do you say Buffy, do you want to witness the real powers of hell... I can show you how your hero here dumped you a second time...I can show you how all your dreams were erased"
Buffy scrambled to Angel's side dragging his duster with her.
" I don't understand" her eyes pleaded with Angel for answers. Angel just hugged her to him.
" He's just trying to frighten you"
"It's working. What day, Angel? How can you have given up a day?"
" Shall I tell her or will you?"
The devil moved closer as did the demons breaking through on the other side.
**You don't have to understand, Angel. You just need to believe. Do you trust me?**
Angel closed his eyes as Tara's voice filled his head.** when the time is right the powers will flow**
Keeping his eyes closed he felt Tara's essence flow through his body, funnelling a powerful energy in to every dead cell. Slowly rising to his feet Angel faced the devil.
" White magic" he sneered in disgust knowing it couldn't possibly harm him.
Angel found himself reciting Latin, he recognised some of the words from his childhood but the spell he was reciting came from Tara's essence not his. Tara was calling forth the might of Mother Nature and channelling its force through Angel.
The devil continued to watch the show in amusement.
"Asa sa fie! Acum!"
(Let it be so! Now!)
Angel finished and felt Tara's essence leave his body. The devil clapped his hands slowly in mock applause.
" And now it's my turn.." he smiled for a moment but then his head turned as the sound of crackling caught his attention. Slowly a white frost covered the walls of the cavern spreading rapidly across the floor.
" What the fuc...????" the white carpet touched his feet and seeped into his whole being, slowly freezing it's essence into a block of solid ice. The temperature quickly fell to below freezing and the devil was left standing in the middle of the cavern like a hideous ice sculpture. Angel wrapped Buffy in his duster pulling her body towards him.
" Are you all right?" he asked anxiously into her eyes
" I'm cold but..." Buffy couldn't understand any of this. The hottest part of hell had just turned into the Antarctic yet she and Angel were untouched.
" It's white magic, Buffy. It only freezes the purest of evil." Angel finally understood what Tara had told him about trusting her. Buffy moved carefully, trying not to slip on the ice beneath her feet. She stared up at the horrifically distorted features of the devil and shivered.
" What's that old saying about a cold day in hell?" she asked quietly
Angel walked over and wrapped his arm around her slight shoulders as he looked up to follow her gaze, he then noticed a small drop of water fall from the ice. It had already started to melt.
" Tara also told me this is only temporary, we really have to get out of here" Angel reached into his duster pocket and pulled out the key.
He held two small glints of silver in his hand.
" My ring" Buffy couldn't believe what she was seeing. The delicate claddagh ring that she had lost so long ago lay in the palm of Angel's hand next to a larger version she knew was his.
"I don't know how this is going to work, but Tara said somehow it's the key. I think this is what brought me home before" Angel picked up the larger of the two rings and slipped his on to his finger, he then looked at Buffy. She gingerly lifted the small silver band and moved it to her own finger, following Angel's lead, she slipped it on with the heart facing in and waited......and waited...and waited...Nothing happened.
TBC