DISCLAIMERS ETC IN PART 1.
TIMELINE: AFTER "ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN" AND BEFORE "FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
ONCE UPON A TIME... NOT SO LONG AGO - PART 10
"Angel!" Wesley burst in to the room, waving a paper. Angel let go of Buffy and wiped his tears quickly.
"I found the cure! It's right here!" He showed Angel the paper.
"Okay, I think I know where to find the contents." Angel said quietly.
"I don't want you to-" Buffy started saying, but Angel cut her out.
"I'm sorry Buffy, you'll have to find another day to die." He said and gave Wesley back the paper.
"Downtown Hollywood. Denver's bookstore. He supplied me with the stuff to rid the hotel of the Thesulac demon. Tell him I sent you."
Angel paced restlessly like a caged animal in the lobby. Cordelia walked down the steps and approached him.
"Everything okay?" She asked him.
"Why is it taking him so long?" He asked.
"Buffy talked to her mother finally. She also talked with her sister and friends." Cordy told him.
"Good. That's good." He said.
"I don't know… sounded like a goodbye to me." Cordy wrinkled her nose.
Angel sighed, fidgeting with his hands. "That's uh, good too… I suppose."
"You'll be okay?" Cordelia asked. "I got um, an audition…"
"You can go. Wesley should be here any minute now… and then when Buffy is cured we can all go to some restaurant and celebrate."
"Can I choose the place?" Cordy flashed a smile.
"Sure." Angel smiled back. Then he saw Wesley entering the lobby with a big pot.
"You have everything?" He rushed over to him.
"Yes, all the components are here. We just need to concoct it all together and let her drink it."
"And are you sure it's going to work?"
"That's what the book says."
"Okay, let's do it now." Angel smiled widely.
Wesley put the pot on the desk and took out a paper bag with all sorts of stuff in it.
Cordy gave it one look and shuddered. "That's gross. I think I'll go to the audition. I'll see you later."
Both men were too occupied to take notice.
Angel followed Wesley to the kitchen.
"This better work…" Angel whispered as Wesley put the pot on the oven and started stirring the mixture.
"It should work." Wesley said, adding some powder to the blend.
The liquid turned red and started to bubble.
"I think it's ready." Wesley said.
"Okay, what are you waiting for?" Angel was impatient.
"Buffy, sit up." Angel rushed over to Buffy who cuddled in his bed. "We have your cure ready." He told her excitedly.
She sat up. "I feel so weak…" She whispered.
He supported her shoulders, letting her lean on his arm. With his other hand he brought the steaming cup filled with the red liquid to her mouth.
She took a sip hesitantly.
"Drink more," Angel encouraged her.
"I can't taste that but I have a feeling that's a plus…" Buffy mentioned.
"Come on, drink up."
"Are you feeling a difference?" Wesley moved closer.
Buffy shook her head. "Still blind and numb…"
"Maybe we should have put two tentacles instead of one…" Wesley pondered out loud.
"Ugh, still not deaf here!" Buffy was disgusted.
Suddenly she gripped Angel's arm.
"What is it?" He asked, hopeful.
"Something is wrong…" She whispered.
"Buffy?" Angel became alarmed.
She started convulsing and Angel grabbed her arms. "Buffy!" He gasped.
The convulsions ended after a long moment. Buffy sank back in Angel's arms.
"Buffy?" Angel tried to shake her.
"Is she alive?" Wesley asked.
"Buffy, wake up…" Angel shook her again before laying her on the bed.
He stroked her hair, removing a lock of stray hair from her forehead.
"I don't understand what ha-"
Wesley didn't finish his words. In an outburst of rage, Angel grabbed him by his throat and slammed him against the wall. "What did you let her drink?" Angel gritted his teeth.
"Angel… you're choking me…" Wesley tried to release Angel's grip.
Angel released Wesley. "Fix it."
Wesley wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I'm pretty sure I did exactly what the book said."
"She's in coma." Angel said when Wesley got back to the room carrying the book.
"The book coded itself again." Wesley said opening the ancient book again. He took out his dagger again and reopened his wound, not even flinching.
After a few moments the book started to glow red again and the letter rearranged themselves.
Wesley looked at the book. Then at the paper. "What the hell…" He whispered.
"What is it?" Angel asked.
"It's not what I read the first time!"
"What do you mean?"
"It translated differently."
"How can it be?"
"I don't know." Wesley closed the book and opened it again at the same point. The book was back to his coded version.
He smeared his blooded hand on the page again.
They waited to see what happens and the red glow appeared again.
Wesley blinked his eyes in amazement. "It's different again…"
"What is it a prank?"
Wesley rubbed his forehead. "I told you the only human that ever tried to translate the book was driven insane. This book is demonic."
Angel looked over at Buffy. "We have to get her back."
TBC....
TIMELINE: AFTER "ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN" AND BEFORE "FIRST IMPRESSIONS"
ONCE UPON A TIME... NOT SO LONG AGO - PART 10
"Angel!" Wesley burst in to the room, waving a paper. Angel let go of Buffy and wiped his tears quickly.
"I found the cure! It's right here!" He showed Angel the paper.
"Okay, I think I know where to find the contents." Angel said quietly.
"I don't want you to-" Buffy started saying, but Angel cut her out.
"I'm sorry Buffy, you'll have to find another day to die." He said and gave Wesley back the paper.
"Downtown Hollywood. Denver's bookstore. He supplied me with the stuff to rid the hotel of the Thesulac demon. Tell him I sent you."
Angel paced restlessly like a caged animal in the lobby. Cordelia walked down the steps and approached him.
"Everything okay?" She asked him.
"Why is it taking him so long?" He asked.
"Buffy talked to her mother finally. She also talked with her sister and friends." Cordy told him.
"Good. That's good." He said.
"I don't know… sounded like a goodbye to me." Cordy wrinkled her nose.
Angel sighed, fidgeting with his hands. "That's uh, good too… I suppose."
"You'll be okay?" Cordelia asked. "I got um, an audition…"
"You can go. Wesley should be here any minute now… and then when Buffy is cured we can all go to some restaurant and celebrate."
"Can I choose the place?" Cordy flashed a smile.
"Sure." Angel smiled back. Then he saw Wesley entering the lobby with a big pot.
"You have everything?" He rushed over to him.
"Yes, all the components are here. We just need to concoct it all together and let her drink it."
"And are you sure it's going to work?"
"That's what the book says."
"Okay, let's do it now." Angel smiled widely.
Wesley put the pot on the desk and took out a paper bag with all sorts of stuff in it.
Cordy gave it one look and shuddered. "That's gross. I think I'll go to the audition. I'll see you later."
Both men were too occupied to take notice.
Angel followed Wesley to the kitchen.
"This better work…" Angel whispered as Wesley put the pot on the oven and started stirring the mixture.
"It should work." Wesley said, adding some powder to the blend.
The liquid turned red and started to bubble.
"I think it's ready." Wesley said.
"Okay, what are you waiting for?" Angel was impatient.
"Buffy, sit up." Angel rushed over to Buffy who cuddled in his bed. "We have your cure ready." He told her excitedly.
She sat up. "I feel so weak…" She whispered.
He supported her shoulders, letting her lean on his arm. With his other hand he brought the steaming cup filled with the red liquid to her mouth.
She took a sip hesitantly.
"Drink more," Angel encouraged her.
"I can't taste that but I have a feeling that's a plus…" Buffy mentioned.
"Come on, drink up."
"Are you feeling a difference?" Wesley moved closer.
Buffy shook her head. "Still blind and numb…"
"Maybe we should have put two tentacles instead of one…" Wesley pondered out loud.
"Ugh, still not deaf here!" Buffy was disgusted.
Suddenly she gripped Angel's arm.
"What is it?" He asked, hopeful.
"Something is wrong…" She whispered.
"Buffy?" Angel became alarmed.
She started convulsing and Angel grabbed her arms. "Buffy!" He gasped.
The convulsions ended after a long moment. Buffy sank back in Angel's arms.
"Buffy?" Angel tried to shake her.
"Is she alive?" Wesley asked.
"Buffy, wake up…" Angel shook her again before laying her on the bed.
He stroked her hair, removing a lock of stray hair from her forehead.
"I don't understand what ha-"
Wesley didn't finish his words. In an outburst of rage, Angel grabbed him by his throat and slammed him against the wall. "What did you let her drink?" Angel gritted his teeth.
"Angel… you're choking me…" Wesley tried to release Angel's grip.
Angel released Wesley. "Fix it."
Wesley wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I'm pretty sure I did exactly what the book said."
"She's in coma." Angel said when Wesley got back to the room carrying the book.
"The book coded itself again." Wesley said opening the ancient book again. He took out his dagger again and reopened his wound, not even flinching.
After a few moments the book started to glow red again and the letter rearranged themselves.
Wesley looked at the book. Then at the paper. "What the hell…" He whispered.
"What is it?" Angel asked.
"It's not what I read the first time!"
"What do you mean?"
"It translated differently."
"How can it be?"
"I don't know." Wesley closed the book and opened it again at the same point. The book was back to his coded version.
He smeared his blooded hand on the page again.
They waited to see what happens and the red glow appeared again.
Wesley blinked his eyes in amazement. "It's different again…"
"What is it a prank?"
Wesley rubbed his forehead. "I told you the only human that ever tried to translate the book was driven insane. This book is demonic."
Angel looked over at Buffy. "We have to get her back."
TBC....