gaining

Outside Influence

Disclaimer: Characters and Premise are borrowed from the show "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel".

"Willow, Xander and…" Wesley said in surprise, then trailed off.

"And Spike" Cordelia supplied glaring daggers at the blond.

"This is a surprise," Wesley continued. "What brings you to LA?"

"We thought you guys could use a hand finding Angel," Willow said. "I've got this great tracking spell I've been dying to try out."

"I'm just along for the ride," Spike announced. "Be a good host and tell me where Angel keeps the blood."

"We don't want you here so I don't have to be a good host," Cordelia shot back.

"Sure, just leave the vampire hungry, now that's a plan," Spike replied.

"Fine, it's in the kitchen, that way," Cordelia said pointing.

"We're quite capable of taking care of things ourselves," Wesley began only to be interrupted by Cordelia.

"Fred's missing too," she said. "They've been gone at least a week, maybe longer. We filed a missing persons on Fred. If Angel's gone nuts again or something we didn't want to send police after him."

"You didn't have to come," Wesley said. "We just called to be sure Angel wasn't simply visiting Buffy's grave."

"Buffy wanted us to come," Willow replied. "I mean… would have wanted us to come."

"And we appreciate the help." Cordelia said. "Don't we Wes? We haven't found a trace of either of them."

"Well I need a person object for the spell," Willow said.

"Upstairs," Cordelia replied leading the way toward the stairs. "Both Fred and Angel have rooms on the second floor. The elevator's broken, we're waiting for the next paying client to look into repairs."

"I'll take a look at it," Xander volunteered. "Gives me something to do while Wills is doing the bibity-bobity-boo bit."

"Thanks," Cordelia replied.

Once the girls got up to Angel's room, Cordelia asked, "What sort of thing are you looking for?"

"Something that's his, that has meaning to him," Willow explained. "I'll know it when I see it. Things get an aura if people infer them with meaning."

As Willow wandered around the room, picking up and discarding various items, she asked. "You said Angel might have been gone for longer than a week? How much longer could he have been gone?"

"Maybe another six days, no longer than that," Cordelia said.

Willow spun around to stare at her former classmate. "Angel could have been missing for a week before you guys noticed? How the hell could you not notice, it's not like we're talking about a spare set of keys here!"

To Willow's surprise Cordelia sank into the big leather armchair and pulled her knees up to her chest. "We screwed up. Fred's wanted to see us in pieces since before Angel's last trip to Sunnydale and Angel's a mess. He won't talk to us or even stay in the same building unless it's case related. He's working himself to death, Willow. It's our fault, we freaked and things got all out of hand," Cordelia's vice shook as tears began trickling down her cheeks. "I'm scared that he's already dead, maybe Fred too and it's our fault. It's all our fault."

Xander stuck his head in the door. "I know what's wrong with the elevator," he announced.

"Not now," Willow hissed.

"I think it's relevant," Xander insisted.

"How?" Willow asked.

"Well, it's gone," Xander explained. "What you've got is an empty shaft and some dangling cables but the actual elevator is gone. Vanished into thin air."

"Which is definitely an occurrence of the weird," Willow said. "When did it breakdown?"

"A week and a half ago," Cordelia answered sniffling.

"That's within the right window of time," Willow said. "I think we need to find that elevator.

_____________________________________________________________________________

"Fred, you really can't take us back?" Angel asked.

"No," Fred replied.

"Okay, we've got a real problem. I thought, maybe I wouldn't need blood here," Angel began. "I'm so much more human, I thought your kind of food would be enough. It's not."

"Okay, you need blood," Fred said matter of a factly.

"You don't understand; I've waited too long, even if I could managed to catch and kill some sort of animal in this form, I'll change when I taste blood. I won't be able to help it," Angel explained nervously.

"Then you'll change back afterwards," Fred replied easily.

Angel grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "I can't control that thing. I could hurt someone; I might hurt you! Don't you get that?"

"You didn't hurt the Grooselog because you chose not to," Fred replied. "You won't hurt anyone. You'd never hurt me."

"How can you believe that?" Angel demanded.

"Why shouldn't I?" Fred asked. "You're you, you won't hurt me."

Angel stared down at Fred, marveling in her faith in him. "You're crazy, you know that don't you?" he murmured pulling her close. "And I love you for it."

Fred beamed up at Angel.

He bent his head to brush his lips across hers. "I love you," he rephrased.

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