Letting the Bad in with the Good
Part 6
Angel stood and pushed Cordelia behind him. "Angel, why did you do that to me?" Gunn said as he stayed where he was. "That just gives me another reason as to why I should help humanity by killing you." Cordelia was breathing heavily behind him. "Get in the bedroom, away from Gunn." He whispered, but Gunn heard.
"I'm not here for Cordelia. I want to help her too," Gunn began to advance and Cordelia ran into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. "I'll help her by getting rid of you. Then she can have a normal life, like one before you ruined it for her." Angel was trying very hard to fight the urge to rip Gunn's throat out. He knew that it was the force talking, but it was still aggravating.
Every now and again, he peeked at Fred and reminded himself how she would feel if he killed Gunn. Angel wasn't going to hurt her like that. "You don't know enough to say things like that Gunn." Angel said through gritted teeth. Gunn noticed Angel's gaze keep going to Fred. "Are you going to try and get Fred, too? Isn't Cordelia enough, Angel?"
Gunn raised the crossbow. "Fred's mine." He said as he pulled the trigger. Just as the arrow was about to hit, a hand grabbed it. "Lorne?" Angel said. "Whoa, looks like we got a new player," Lorne commented after a quick look at Gunn, who was reloading the crossbow. "Look, that text of Wes' says how to stop this thing, but it needs to be interpreted."
"Just tell me." Angel said as he pulled Lorne out of the way of an arrow heading straight for them. "OK, the force stops if it enters a human with no desire at all." Angel looked at Lorne. "That should be easy to find." Angel said sarcastically. Lorne looked back with a knowing look. "Easier than you think." Lorne said as he looked across the room. Angel followed his gaze.
Connor's crib was right next to the bedroom, right where Lorne was looking. "No way." Angel said firmly. Lorne tackled angel to the ground as more weapons were being thrown their way. "Think about it, boss. A baby has no desire, because it hasn't lived yet." Angel kept shaking his head. "It's the only way." Lorne told Angel.
"Won't it jump out though?" Angel asked, trying to find another way around it. "Only if there's another human close, and we're not human." Lorne reminded Angel. "Cordy is." Lorne shrugged. "Gunn's gotta be almost out of energy...Cordelia can be right after him and we'll just have to wear her out."
"This doesn't feel right, Lorne." Angel said. "Well, everything fits together," Lorne explained. "Wes said he was reading this before Fred came. Then, as all this happens, you have a son. This is Connor's purpose. The prophecy."
"What if it kills my son?" Angel asked. "I can't let that happen." Lorne shook his head and rubbed his forehead. Angel knew he was making Lorne angry, but this was his son. "Connor will die anyway if this force keeps going. So will Wesley, Fred, Gunn, Cordelia, your friends back at Sunnydale, and all of humanity." Angel looked at Lorne for a while. Gunn had managed to get a few good shots in, but nothing fatal.
"Get Cordelia out here." Angel reluctantly said. Lorne ran to the bedroom as Gunn pulled an axe out of the duffel bag and advanced. Angel easily stopped it and brought Gunn down to the floor. Angel pinned him and watched as Gunn fought against him. "That's right," Angel taunted. "Use up that energy."
Gunn's face was contorted in pain as Lorne brought Cordelia out. "Angel, stop!" "Cordy, listen. You've got to be the next one the force takes," Angel said as Cordelia's face showed her fear. "I know it's scary, but it's the only way. Just try and use up your energy as much as you can."
"I don't understand..." Cordelia said quietly. Gunn was fading under Angel's grasp. "Do you trust me Cordelia?" Angel asked her. She slowly nodded. "This is the only way." Cordelia slowly bent down next to Gunn. "No...I won't..." It was the real Gunn talking. Cordelia grabbed his hand anyway, knowing that Gunn didn't have enough strength to get away.
Soon, a bright light filled her apartment, and both Gunn and Cordelia laid on the floor, unconscious. "That's the sign of a transfer." Lorne informed Angel. They waited a few minutes, waiting for Cordelia to wake up. Her eyes flew open and she gasped at the sight of Lorne, then she looked over at Angel and screamed.
"Get away!" She said as she scurried back. She hit the wall and curled herself up into a ball. "I can't take it..." she whispered. "Pain, everywhere." Cordleia looked from Fred to Gunn, back and for the, over and over again. "Look what you did to them...Gunn and...Fred! Poor, poor Fred. What did she do to you?
"Can't take it...too much pain, hurt, suffering...I want to be normal." Cordelia looked up at Angel with wide eyes. "Normal!" she creamed at him.
"Her secret desire." Angel whispered. Lorne patted him on the back. "That's why they're secret," he told Angel thoughtfully. "We'll just let her get through this. As long as she stays here..." Lorne stopped. He could see Angel was upset. "She shouldn't have to suffer like this," Angel said as he looked around Cordy's apartment. At Gunn, Fred, thinking of Wesley in the bedroom, and Connor. "None of them should."
"That's life, boss," Lorne said as he kept an eye on Cordelia. "You gotta let the bad in with the good." Angel leaned against a nearby wall and slumped down to the ground. "Could you just, stay with Connor? I'll tell you when it's time." Angel said. Lorne noticed that his voice was cracking a little. He didn't answer, he did it with no questions asked.
Angel sat on the ground, watching Cordelia shiver and look around herself protectively. Not once, not even for a second, did she look at Angel. He would have rather burned in hell for the rest of eternity rather than out Cordelia, and the rest of his closet friends, through this.
Part 6
Angel stood and pushed Cordelia behind him. "Angel, why did you do that to me?" Gunn said as he stayed where he was. "That just gives me another reason as to why I should help humanity by killing you." Cordelia was breathing heavily behind him. "Get in the bedroom, away from Gunn." He whispered, but Gunn heard.
"I'm not here for Cordelia. I want to help her too," Gunn began to advance and Cordelia ran into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. "I'll help her by getting rid of you. Then she can have a normal life, like one before you ruined it for her." Angel was trying very hard to fight the urge to rip Gunn's throat out. He knew that it was the force talking, but it was still aggravating.
Every now and again, he peeked at Fred and reminded himself how she would feel if he killed Gunn. Angel wasn't going to hurt her like that. "You don't know enough to say things like that Gunn." Angel said through gritted teeth. Gunn noticed Angel's gaze keep going to Fred. "Are you going to try and get Fred, too? Isn't Cordelia enough, Angel?"
Gunn raised the crossbow. "Fred's mine." He said as he pulled the trigger. Just as the arrow was about to hit, a hand grabbed it. "Lorne?" Angel said. "Whoa, looks like we got a new player," Lorne commented after a quick look at Gunn, who was reloading the crossbow. "Look, that text of Wes' says how to stop this thing, but it needs to be interpreted."
"Just tell me." Angel said as he pulled Lorne out of the way of an arrow heading straight for them. "OK, the force stops if it enters a human with no desire at all." Angel looked at Lorne. "That should be easy to find." Angel said sarcastically. Lorne looked back with a knowing look. "Easier than you think." Lorne said as he looked across the room. Angel followed his gaze.
Connor's crib was right next to the bedroom, right where Lorne was looking. "No way." Angel said firmly. Lorne tackled angel to the ground as more weapons were being thrown their way. "Think about it, boss. A baby has no desire, because it hasn't lived yet." Angel kept shaking his head. "It's the only way." Lorne told Angel.
"Won't it jump out though?" Angel asked, trying to find another way around it. "Only if there's another human close, and we're not human." Lorne reminded Angel. "Cordy is." Lorne shrugged. "Gunn's gotta be almost out of energy...Cordelia can be right after him and we'll just have to wear her out."
"This doesn't feel right, Lorne." Angel said. "Well, everything fits together," Lorne explained. "Wes said he was reading this before Fred came. Then, as all this happens, you have a son. This is Connor's purpose. The prophecy."
"What if it kills my son?" Angel asked. "I can't let that happen." Lorne shook his head and rubbed his forehead. Angel knew he was making Lorne angry, but this was his son. "Connor will die anyway if this force keeps going. So will Wesley, Fred, Gunn, Cordelia, your friends back at Sunnydale, and all of humanity." Angel looked at Lorne for a while. Gunn had managed to get a few good shots in, but nothing fatal.
"Get Cordelia out here." Angel reluctantly said. Lorne ran to the bedroom as Gunn pulled an axe out of the duffel bag and advanced. Angel easily stopped it and brought Gunn down to the floor. Angel pinned him and watched as Gunn fought against him. "That's right," Angel taunted. "Use up that energy."
Gunn's face was contorted in pain as Lorne brought Cordelia out. "Angel, stop!" "Cordy, listen. You've got to be the next one the force takes," Angel said as Cordelia's face showed her fear. "I know it's scary, but it's the only way. Just try and use up your energy as much as you can."
"I don't understand..." Cordelia said quietly. Gunn was fading under Angel's grasp. "Do you trust me Cordelia?" Angel asked her. She slowly nodded. "This is the only way." Cordelia slowly bent down next to Gunn. "No...I won't..." It was the real Gunn talking. Cordelia grabbed his hand anyway, knowing that Gunn didn't have enough strength to get away.
Soon, a bright light filled her apartment, and both Gunn and Cordelia laid on the floor, unconscious. "That's the sign of a transfer." Lorne informed Angel. They waited a few minutes, waiting for Cordelia to wake up. Her eyes flew open and she gasped at the sight of Lorne, then she looked over at Angel and screamed.
"Get away!" She said as she scurried back. She hit the wall and curled herself up into a ball. "I can't take it..." she whispered. "Pain, everywhere." Cordleia looked from Fred to Gunn, back and for the, over and over again. "Look what you did to them...Gunn and...Fred! Poor, poor Fred. What did she do to you?
"Can't take it...too much pain, hurt, suffering...I want to be normal." Cordelia looked up at Angel with wide eyes. "Normal!" she creamed at him.
"Her secret desire." Angel whispered. Lorne patted him on the back. "That's why they're secret," he told Angel thoughtfully. "We'll just let her get through this. As long as she stays here..." Lorne stopped. He could see Angel was upset. "She shouldn't have to suffer like this," Angel said as he looked around Cordy's apartment. At Gunn, Fred, thinking of Wesley in the bedroom, and Connor. "None of them should."
"That's life, boss," Lorne said as he kept an eye on Cordelia. "You gotta let the bad in with the good." Angel leaned against a nearby wall and slumped down to the ground. "Could you just, stay with Connor? I'll tell you when it's time." Angel said. Lorne noticed that his voice was cracking a little. He didn't answer, he did it with no questions asked.
Angel sat on the ground, watching Cordelia shiver and look around herself protectively. Not once, not even for a second, did she look at Angel. He would have rather burned in hell for the rest of eternity rather than out Cordelia, and the rest of his closet friends, through this.