Will you help me with this? Wilma asked Doyle, getting the heavy roller blinds down. It's been a while since there was last a vamp here, and this blind seems to be stuck.
Doyle jumped up and started tinkering with the blind. When it came down, so did a considerable amount of dust. Doyle sneezed, and then, out of pure habit, shook his head. Whoah, you could say that again. Has Spike deserted you lately?
Wilma looked at him in a very funny way, then smiled and said: Well, he hasn't needed my protection much, that's for sure. Thank you for your help, now I can take care of the rest. Why don't you just entertain me while I work, tell me an anecdote or something.
He did as she told, and was well into a story from his slacker years when the granddaughter's entered the room. They stopped short and stared at him.
Oh my God, said Janie. And I thought you couldn't get any better.
Kitty shook her head, fascinated. What is that, porcelaine?
Unicorns look like that, Janie pointed out. That paleness with slight shades of blue in it.
Doyle suddenly realised what it was that they were saying, and looked down at himself. He looked human. Even while he stared at his hands in disbelief they turned back to demon. He raised his head and looked quizzically at Wilma. She smiled at him.
Twenty minutes and you didn't even notice, she said.
They're coming now, Janie said. I saw the car.
And quite right, shortly afterwards the doorbell rang.
Angel, with a few comments from the others, explained what they had come up with, and then a discussion rose on how to plan the attack. They still didn't know the exact location of the altar, but the books found in Elil's place helped them cut possibilities down to a few likely locations. During the discussions, Doyle looked thoughtful, and when there was a moment's silence, he asked:
What about me?
Heads turned in his direction.
I mean, is there anything in there that tells what is going to happen to me once the power is broken? Will nothing happen to me, or will I go back to being dead?
You could have cut the silence with a knife. Nobody had even thought about it.
I don't know, Angel finally told him.
Doyle licked his lips and nodded. Never mind. It has to be done, so we'll do it. Okay, so who will be doing what?
Angel and friends dived into this question and came up with a few basic strategies. The resident ladies were long ignored, but finally Angel's eyes set on Wilma, and he raised an eyebrow, implying an unsaid question. She noticed the look and shook her head with a smile.
I'm too old to get into fights. Unless of course, you want to ride
We could use your car? Xander asked, and got another smile from her.
'I got no car and it's breaking my heart' she said, frowning for a split second as she realised she'd taken on her granddaughters' habit of speaking in quotes. No, I meant to ride, literaly. If you think a horse could be handy and you know how to ride one, I'm willing to fight as a horse. Even an old horse is a whole lot stronger than an old lady.
Anything weighing half a ton and with hoofs will be handy, Angel said. And yes, I can ride. I haven't done it in quite some time, but I think I remember how.
Buffy nodded. She could add to your backwatching abilities when Doyle and I deal with the altar. There's a whole lot of 'if's in this plan, but we've been through worse. So, if we're done
Wait a minute, Janie said. What about us?
Kitty hurried to back her up. Yes. We want to help, too!
This isn't for children! Wilma said impatiently.
We're no younger than they are! Janie protested.
They're right, Buffy said suddenly. Can you two get along in a fight then? If you're just going to get yourself killed we won't have much use of you.
Janie can call unicorns, Kitty said. They're even more lethal than horses.
If this impressed Buffy, she certainly didn't show it. Instead, she nodded her approval and turned to Kitty to continue the interrogation:
And what do you have to offer us?
Kitty blushed. Well, I missed out on the unicorns, I'm afraid, and my faith skills aren't all that good But I do know my way with stakes, knives and hockey sticks.
She seemed a little embarrassed, and didn't quite understand what made the Slayer grin.
That's quite enough, Buffy said.
**********
Once again they approached the training camp, but this time they could never pass as volunteers. They stepped out of the car, and Angel got off Wilma-the-horse, and all of them prepared for a fight. As they entered, they were surprised to find th place empty.
Looks like the guys have done a good job, Xander remarked.
We owe them big time, Buffy said and pointed to a door some distance away. Okay through there we will eventually come to a tunnel that leads us to some temple. That's our first destination. She turned to Janie. Now would be a good time for those unicorns.
The girl closed her eyes and concentrated, softly striking the air in front of her. She frowned a bit when the animals took time to come, but finally a slender mare and her foal appeared.
They don't like it here, Janie mumbled. She'll be hard to ride.
Xander was fascinated. How did they get here?
I believed in them, so they came to existance, Janie said shortly. The mare was uneasy, and she had little chance to chat.
Can anyone do that? Xander persisted.
Janie was too busy calming the unicorns to answer, but Kitty said with an attempt to replace her fear with mischief:
Don't you know the qualifications to approach a unicorn?
Okay, enough of this, Angel interrupted and led them to the door. Doyle had to swallow hard, he remembered what was behind it. His body was strong now, but it trembled when they walked past the whips and iron of persuasion.
The back door was locked, and Angel rose Wilma to her hind legs, leading her to kick it down. Behind it lay the tunnel, and their first opponents in battle. A small bunch of guarding demons lined up to fight them, but it was quite obvious that the line-up and the kill was not as disciplined as it had been. The effects of the dividing spell were still very clear. Three pair of hoofs cleft demon heads like coconuts, and Angel on Wilma's back showed that he had certainly not forgotten how to ride a horse, holding onto her back with his legs only while he used his arms in battle. The do-not-kill-rule didn't apply anymore, if they didn't succeed now there wouldn't be a second chance. Fortunately, every slain demon meant less attention from those members of his own team who were thieves or cannibals, and who gathered around every corpse. Knives had been given to everyone, and even if Buffy and Doyle were pretty decent in a fistfight, that was what they used. It didn't take long to come through and they hurried through the tunnel, leaving the remaining demons incapable or uniterested of following them.
Buffy had time to pant: to Cordelia, and the other girl nodded in return. She still had it. Keeping the ball safe and getting it to the destination was their top priority.
More demons, more fighting, but their opponents were now clearly fighting as much between themselves as with their actual opponents. They entered the temple, but soon realised that this was not the correct place. It was full of ritual tokens, but no altar. A curse escaped Buffy's lips, but after all, this was only the first try.
Someone grabbed her, and she spun around with the knife ready, but put it down again.
she said.
I'm glad to see you too, the demon replied. Is this the final battle, then?
If we can get to the altar, Angel said. Do you know
Ord interrupted him. It's not here, it's in the Hall of Niflheim Rites.
They knew the location of that hall, it was another one of the places they had intended to try. The way leading there was not full of demons, fortunately, but as they got closer the unicorns became very restless. When demons actually showed up, the unicorns fought them, but they didn't like it much, and soon Janie flew through the air while the unicorns panicked and disappeared. She landed almost on top of a demon that would have killed her instantly if Xander hadn't had his knife ready.
Not the perfect time to fall off, he said and handed her an extra knife.
I'm not as good at this as I'd like to be, she answered and accepted the weapon.
Her sister may not be any good at extraordinary stunts, but when it came to average fighting she was well in class with the slayerettes. Our warriors slowly moved forward to their destination as a semi-human arrowpoint, with Angel riding in the front, followed by Buffy and the two demons, and the rest covering the back. If the demons had been at their previous strength the human parts of this arrow would not have survived long, but the fake recruits had done their job well, and it was every demon for himself.
**********
Near the Hall, the demons were fewer, but their efforts were more connected. This was the elite, no question about it, and progress went a lot slower now. Finally getting near the big metal doors, demons were pushing from all sides.
Alright girl, Angel mumbled to Wilma, almost forgetting that she wasn't an authentic horse, give it all you've got.
Wilma did as he told her, with some effort. Taking small steps around in a circle, she managed to shake off enough demons to concentrate on the door, and the heavy hoofs fell on the metal. It didn't buckle completely, but enough to let the stronger half of the bunch push it open with their bodies.
They barely got a glimpse of the huge demon known as 'sir' before they got worse problems than the warrior demons they had left behind. Flaming holes opened in the ground, snakes fell from the roof, Indiana Jones meets the Apocalypse. The only thing surprising with having this kind of spells shoved into their faces was that it hadn't happened earlier. All of this at once indicated that the 'sir' was getting desperate, and that was a good thing, but it also meant that although the altar was within sight, they couldn't get to it. Angel turned around on the horseback and grabbed Cordelia by the waist, lifting her up so she stood in front of him on Wilma's back.
, he said, and hoped she would have a good aim.
Cordelia took out the ball and looked as steadily at the altar as she could with everything going on around. Then she threw the ball away like a pitcher on a baseball field. Angel had no need to worry. Cheerleading, tennis and fighting evil all require good coordination. The ball hit the altar and burst into millions of pieces, the holy water forming a growing puddle. The Virgin Mother lay smiling among the splinters.
Ei tis eis aichmalosian, Angel started to shout, and the others joined him in the incantation, eis aichmalosian hypagei, eis tis en machairei apoktenei, dei auton en machairei apoktanthenai. Hode estin he hypomone kai he pistis ton hagion.
The Industrial Light and Magic show disappeared in an instant, and Buffy and Doyle hurried to the altar, taking hold of the flat top stone and knocking it over. As they did that, a voice called for the 'sir' in a series of foreign syllables, and the huge demon roared in pain as his true name was said and cursed. He was called back to face his destiny.
It didn't take a flash of lightning. Suddenly, it just ended, and the calm falling over the Hall was such a contrast to the previus noise that it resembled a silent movie. Cordelia slid down from the horse's back, moved towards the broken altar and said what at this moment was the most important thing to her:
You're still here.
She met Doyle's eyes and repeated her words. You're still here.
His face lit up in an astonished smile. Looks like it, Princess.
Her voice sharpened. How about this time you stay alive long enough for us to start dating? Because right now I don't know what the hell I want with you, and I want to find out exactly that, I don't care what your face looks like.
Doyle smiled at her.So you don't prefer, say Slowly, concentrating on everything he had learned, he turned human. this one?
She stared at him for a second, and then her palm hit his cheek.
Allen Francis Doyle, if you're not the lowest form of lowlife
Hey! Hey, Buffy said, trying to calm Cordelia down. We won!
The truth of this dawned on everyone, and the first attempts of laughter burst through.
It's unsure who first noticed, but the laughter weakened as they realised that Ord was hurt. Not just a little, like most of them, either.
It will heal, he said irritably.
Yeah right it will, with a spearpoint stuck in it, Doyle said, now in demon form again. And you know as well as I do that if we pull it out you'll bleed to death before you can heal yourself.
We can't take him to a hospital, Buffy mumbled.
, Kitty said suddenly.
Janie lit up and nodded violently, while the others looked like living questionmarks. Wilma trotted up to Ord and pushed him gently with her muzzle.
Xander asked.
Granny's friend. He's a doctor. He can help, Kitty said, trying to get Ord up on her grandmother's back. Angel helped her out.
Okay, take us there.
**********
Jacob Meyer, retired M.D., took one look at Ord and brought him in without any questions. The others were of little interest to him, and it almost seemed like he didn't notice them.
I will cool down your body and then take the spear out, he explained to Ord, putting ice boxes around the womb. My bathrobe is in the closet, take it out for Wilma. Okay, here it goes. It'll hurt a lot, but I know what I'm doing.
It certainly seemed like he did, and after a while Ord's torso was wrapped up in bandages and his face colour was a little more normal, that is, still green. Everyone sat down around him, Wilma now back to human and wearing the bathrobe, and conversation started while Jacob took care of the minor wounds of everyone else.
I don't know what happened to the others, Ord said sadly. We were separated a long time ago, I can only hope they got out alive too.
I hope so too, Angel answered. I don't know how to thank you for what you did.
Doyle relaxed his muscles like he had been taught. Now that all the adrenaline started to leave his system, he felt a little sleepy. Obviously he wasn't the only one, because Cordelia came up to him and asked:
Can I share that armchair with you? It looks so soft.
He nodded his agreement and she sat down by him. They were both thin, but not quite thin enough, so most of her was actually in his lap. It felt good being so close to her
The next thing Doyle knew was Jacob wrapping a blanket around the two of them. He looked up and noticed people sleeping all over the room. Buffy and Xander lying on a mattress, Wesley on the sofa bed next to the Kincaid girls.
Where's Angel? he mumbled.
In the bedroom with Ord. Less light. Jacob wasn't exactly talkative.
Cordelia moved, and it occured to Doyle that he was in demon form. Maybe he ought to change it - but he was too tired to remember how.
Not that Cordelia thought any change necessary. Sharing chair with Doyle felt like the most natural thing in the world. She glanced between half-closed eyelids at Jacob softly rousing Wilma to give her a more comfortable position. Were the two of them lovers, she wondered, or just friends? But there was no such thing as just friends. There had been times when she was jealuos of the great passion Angel had shared with Buffy, but most of the time she was happier being herself. But to touch someone the way these two old people touched She leaned down towards Doyle's spiny neck and kissed him there.
What was that for? he asked in a low, sleepy voice.
For being my best friend.
He chuckled. I thought I was your true love.
We'll see about that. She sat silent for a while.

Do you want to move in with me?
He opened his eyes, that were full of laughter. We're not quite at that point in our relationship, are we?
Not quite, she admitted, but I don't want you to be alone.
Look around, he said, teasing her a little. The solitude is overwhelming.
That's not what I meant. She couldn't find the right words. She, Cordelia Chase, was at loss for words. Incredible. This wasn't really about the two of them, not even about having people around. There were things she had learned about what people would do to other people that she wished she didn't have to know. But she only knew them with her mind, he knew them with his flesh. What she finally said came out all wrong.
What did they do to you?
She could feel his body go tense next to her.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
No, it's okay. Part of me wants to talk about it, but Cordy, do you really want to hear?
No, she thought. No, I don't.
So he told her. In a low voice not to wake anyone else, painfully objective, he tried to explain, and she couldn't help wishing she hadn't mentioned it.
and since my demon body heals better than the human one, they didn't have to worry about leaving me fit for battle. They knew I would be, once they had broken my mind. You know, I've always been a coward. Pain? No way, leave me out of it. There were times when I thought 'this is it, I give up, I'll join them and have it over with'. But I couldn't. I don't know why, it just wasn't an option. So finally, they marked me.
He silenced.
Cordy, it's no use. I can't talk about that.
Her face was full of the tears he hadn't cried. Will it ever be alright again?
He smiled a little and put her hand on his chest. Feel this.
His heartbeat pounded under her palm.
I'm alive, and I'm with you, and I have friends all around me. That's better than alright. Now, try and get some beauty sleep, will you? There will be work to be done tomorrow as well.
Oh yeah, she thought right before going to sleep, he will coming back to work. Isn't that nice
**********
It doesn't matter how difficult it is to save the day, once you've done it, things will eventually get back to normal. The people of Angel Investigations didn't mind that a couple of slow weeks followed the downfall of the cult. The evident confusion among the demonic population caused a bit of draught in their bank accounts, sure, but even Cordelia thought it was worth it. So when they spent a late night at the office, it was merely to get some routine work off their hands.
Someone knocked on the door, and when Wesley went to open, it turned out to be Kitty.
she said. I'm not disturbing you, am I?
Not really, Wesley admitted and let her in. What are you doing here at this time of hour? No trouble, I hope?
Absolutely not! she said cheerfully. I'm going to the midnight movie theatre to see 'The Philadelphia Story' with Clifford, and then when I passed by, I thought I'd see how you all were doing.
Her eyes turned to Doyle. Humanity works for you, I see.
Yeah, I actually like it a lot, he answered casually.
The interruption was not unwelcome, and it certainly gave space for some lightweight conversation, even if Kitty's visit was by necessity brief. She was just about to leave when the phone called. Angel picked it up, and then handed it to Kitty.
It's for you.
Surprised, she took the phone. Hello? Oh, hi Clifford, how did you know I was here? Okay What!? No, that is *not* okay! The movie starts in twenty minutes, I can't even return the tickets You little sod, I'll personally remove your lying tongue She sighed, and now seemed more disappointed than angry. Well, yes, I hate you forever. Take care.
Hanging up, she turned to the others, who tried to look as sympathetic as possible.
she said, seeming to take every one of them in consideration. Finally, she settled for Angel. You look like you could use a fun movie, are you willing to comfort a girl who has just been stood up?
Angel frowned. I'm not so sure
said Doyle, and Cordelia and Wesley agreed. Kitty gave him her sweetest smile - which didn't make her look any less like Tank Girl - and he agreed.
A couple of hours later, leaving the movie theatre, he had to admit he had enjoyed himself.
I liked it, he said, and wished he hadn't sounded quite so surprised. I was surprised of the ending, though, I thought she would take the reporter.
Are you telling me you've never seen this film before? Kitty sounded shocked. What have you been *doing* for the past sixty years? I'm only nineteen, and I hold on! She stopped short and stared at someone on the other side of the street. When Angel followed her glance, he saw a young blonde who had apparently tired of the drunken guy who tried to approach her, because she kicked him flying into the wall.
Kitty asked. When the blonde turned around Kitty started to cross the street, and Angel followed her. I almost didn't recognize you. You've altered the shape.
Hello, Kitty, Torun said with a hearty smile, immediately forgetting all pushy men. So have you.
Angel could feel a faint smell of demon around the woman, and he asked Kitty: A friend of yours?
Oh, I'm so sorry! Angel, this is Torun, a friend of the family. Torun, this is Angel.
Torun immediately turned serious. *The* Angel? She sought confirmation from Kitty, and, getting it, bowed her head slightly like an ancient noblewoman. We all owe you a lot. My kinsman Haren told us what you have done for us.
Angel felt the gratitude flowing through his body. Then he survived?
He did. His brother did not.
Angel closed his eyes for a second. Damn. What about the woman - Veta? he asked, dreading the answer.
I have heard that both the Brachens are still alive, Torun said.
That's good, Angel said sincerely. Thank you for telling me, I was worried. And tell your family that Halvor fought well. I'm sorry to hear that he is dead.
I will tell them, Torun promised. She said her goodbyes and returned to the crowd to enjoy the advantages of her present shape.
Angel was silent on the ride back, and Kitty tried to comfort him.
Three out of four isn't that bad, considering the odds, she said. Think about everyone who are safe now! Think about Doyle!
Angel nodded slowly, and a flicker of a smile came upon his face. He thought about Doyle, and he thought about second chances in people's lives and unlives. Everything considered, things weren't all that bad.

THE END

For the great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad
For all their wars are merry
And all their songs are sad

-G.K. Chesterton, from The Ballad of the White Horse