CHAPTER 10
Clouds and thick fog slowly embraced the night. The stars had disappeared, vanished from the sky, leaving the blurry glow of the moon to light the night. Raindrops lightly fell, barely making a sound, as they bounced off the street.
Lilah stiffened and tightened her jaw at the sight of Angel. What stood before her eyes momentarily froze her. There, standing before her, icy stares in their eyes were Angel, Cordelia, Alessia and Skip. The quartet formed a perfect line in the middle of the street, almost reminiscent of the powerful force they represented. Angel, dressed in his usual black duster, glared at her with an emotionless expression on his face. His fist tightened and he had to mentally restrain himself from leaping forward and killing her on the spot. Right by his side, Cordelia, who usually served as his reasonable calming force, now shared a common darkness with the vampire. Lilah took her time to observe the seer. The denim jacket fitted her perfectly, and her shoulder-length hair masked the threatening traits on her face. The lawyer quickly spotted the crossbow that was attached to the woman's back before her eyes shifted to the person standing next to Cordelia. Wearing a similar bloodstained jacket (or the same), Alessia stood tall beside her future mother. The similarities between the two were not lost on Lilah. Those eyes, that icy stare, the posture…in each of the women's hands were large swords, waiting patiently to defend a future that seemed inevitable at that point.
Finishing the row of pissed off warriors, Skip stood with a stoic expression on his face. His glare was less threatening than the others'. He seemed determined, but also mournful. Behind them marched an impressively large crowd of men, women, demons, warriors…all ready for the fight of their lives. The looks on their faces foretold how they were aware of their fate.
Some would live. Many would die.
Yet, this overwhelming force, translated by sheer determination and acceptance of their fate, emanated from all of them. Armed, ready and dangerous, they all stood behind Angel and Cordelia, filling the street rapidly. Some faces Lilah recognized; many she didn't. She hugged the indestructible book to her chest and noticed how Groo had managed to hide himself behind the crowd of demons hired by Wolfram&Hart. She then turned to look the other way and noticed another crowd circling them from the perpendicular street.
Leading the pack was a muscular Gunn, a motionless Wesley, followed by Fred and present Groo. When they had suggested enlisting Groo's help, who had been staying with a friend of Lorne's since his relationship with Cordelia had ended, Alessia had stayed silent. In true Chase fashion, she had cracked a joke and some witty line, flashing a bright smile, but Angel saw the hidden sadness in her eyes. Initially, Alessia felt a little fear in her stomach, but soon replaced it by relief. The Groosalug that Angel and Cordelia knew wasn't the same she had grown up to know. And she had just smiled, looking at Angel with a little nod.
Trailing behind Gunn was his entire crew, street kids, all impatiently waiting to kick some demon ass themselves. Mixed with Gunn's former gang were dozens of Pylea's greatest warriors and demons, who clutched their own weapons. All divided by lifestyles and worlds…all joined in the same purpose.
To right a wrong.
In this one instant, it didn't matter who the person was beside you, or whose back you were covering. All that mattered was this. Their beliefs in a better place….a better future.
The excruciating silence seemed to last a lot longer than it actually did. Minutes? Or maybe just seconds…but during those seconds, the world stood still, waiting with bated breath for its fate to be determined.
"There's nothing you can do now, Angel…" Lilah spoke while several demons surrounded her and the other lawyers to protect them.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you." Angel replied through his teeth.
"You can't stop us. This is suicide and you know it." Gavin replied from behind Lilah.
"Is it?" Angel faked innocence.
"You leave us no choice then…we can't let you stop this…" Lilah sighed as various demons and vampires walked towards Angel and his crew.
One of the demons, who led the pack, stopped a couple of feet in front of them, staring at Alessia. He smirked as he looked back and forth between Cordelia and Alessia. His wildly evil smirk grew into laughter and he shook his head.
"Foolish little girl…" he growled at Alessia. Alessia just smiled while Angel and Cordy looked on. "You think you can take me on?" he laughed again. "You have no idea what's coming at you…"
Alessia paused, her eyes never leaving the demon and she grinned.
"Bring it on." She let out, holding up her sword.
It didn't take much more to convince the demons. Cordelia fended off the demon that threw himself at Alessia, while Angel beat up a couple of vampires on his own. Soon enough, everyone was engaged in fighting.
"Cordelia! Behind you!" Skip shouted, seeing Cordy turn around just in time to avoid one of the vampires.
All around them, people who had once come to them for help were now the helpers. Young men and women grabbed their weapons and threw themselves into battle. Things seemed to happen so fast that Angel barely had the time to realize what was happening. Bodies fell to the ground, screams were heard into the night, blood was shed…People he had once saved were thrown in the air and left to die on the sidewalk, while the rest of them struggled.
While the battle raged on, future Groo managed to escape. He stood in the alley nearby and watched the scene before his eyes before disappearing into the shadows.
"The book, Angel!" Cordelia shouted, pointing towards Lilah, who was running in the other direction.
Running through demons and humans, both alive and dead, Lilah made her way to the middle of the park, on a platform, where a large circle had been drawn. She threw herself on her knees and opened the book quickly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw how some of her demon guards had stopped Angel and Cordelia from getting to her. She didn't have much time, so she hurried.
Skip was hit over the head with a large metallic object and before he knew it he had been thrown in the air. His body fell helplessly onto the ground, making a loud resounding noise. He opened his eyes in pain and gasped at what he saw.
Things were going in slow motion…he saw the faces…he saw them all…and tears welled up in his eyes. The horror of what he was seeing made him ache inside, as memories from his future came back to haunt him.
There, a few feet in front of him, he saw Wesley throwing a sharp knife into a demon's stomach, letting out a loud gasp.
[I][b]2012[/b]
Moving at a frightening speed, Wesley jumped over the car and stood in front of Angel and Cordelia.
Wesley's face quickly changed, fangs appearing and yellow eyes glowing into the darkness. With his vamp face on, he leaped in the air, aiming for Connor and Alessia, who sat, bundled up on the floor. Cordy's scream rang into the night and she threw herself in front of Wesley. Angel grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him onto the ground. A battle ensued…one, which Angel found himself losing rapidly. Just as Wesley was about to snap Angel's neck, a tearful Cordelia swung a stake in the air and staked Wesley.
Wesley turned to her, his face now human, and Cordelia fell to her knees as he turned to dust in front of her.
[/I]
Fred rushed over to help Wesley, smashing one of the vampires' head with a piece of wood, and Skip stared with tears in his eyes as the images plagued him again.
[I][b]2014[/b]
The sharp and pointy sword pierced through Fred's stomach several times before the girl fell to her knees, helplessly. Her face hit the sidewalk as she was stabbed one more and a painful scream escaped her throat. Her fist tightened around the material of her sweater while blood covered the ground, and there, into the night, she was left to die.
[/I]
Skip couldn't move. Everything was happening so fast, yet so slowly in his mind. His eyes moved to Angel, who now had both hands around Lilah's throat. Two vampires threw themselves at him, pulling him off of Lilah's weakened body and punched him to the ground. Skip noticed Cordelia rushing to Angel's side, helping him up. Skip saw her lips move as if she was desperately shouting something at Angel, but he couldn't hear. All he saw was the slow-motion horror movie before his eyes.
Lilah got herself up and grabbed Cordelia from behind, shoving her against a huge decorating rock and pulled a gun on her. Angel, who had been stabbed several times, looked up with tears in his eyes as Lilah threatened to shoot Cordy.
[I][b]2015[/b]
Tears ran down Cordelia's face as she wrapped her arms around Angel's bleeding body. She tried to lift him up but she couldn't, falling to her knees on the Hyperion lobby floor. She buried her face in Angel's neck, holding on to his lifeless body for dear life. Angel's blood covered the floor, and now her, as she cried his name quietly several times. The place was almost destroyed, and all that was left was her, cradling Angel's body in her trembling arms, while a horrified Alessia kicked and screamed to get passed Gunn and Willow and run towards the scene.
[/I]
Moving at a speed that would have made Angelus proud, Angel knocked the gun out of Lilah's hands and threw her down on the floor. Cordelia got up and reached out for the gun when she saw Angel struggling to retrieve the book from Lilah and her goons. Skip saw Cordy hesitate for a mere second and then a loud resounding gunshot was heard in the night.
Time seemed to stop and Skip gasped, seeing the scene in painful slow motion.
Lilah's body crashed down onto the grass, motionless.
Angel leaped over the body and rushed to Cordelia's side as rain poured on them. Skip saw them exchange a few words from afar and witnessed the tears in the young seer's eyes as she hurried the vampire to grab the ritual book. Angel reluctantly let go of her arm and began chasing the demon who now had the book in hands. Angel tackled him and the two of them fell to the ground in an intense and deadly struggle.
Meanwhile, Cordelia felt a hand quickly grab her shoulder and she spun around to see Alessia standing beside her, sword in hand, small cut on her cheek, looking worried.
Skip felt a lump in his throat as he saw the two young women stare at each other.
[I][b]2020[/b]
The baseball bat smashed onto Cordelia's head savagely and she fell down upon her knees. She could taste the blood on her lips as four masculine hands grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her out the door screaming. Cordelia barely had time to glance one last time at the closet door where Connor and Alessia were hidden before she felt a punch in her stomach. The next thing she knew she was outside, being dragged like an animal in the pouring rain. They shoved her into a car and before they could close the door, Cordelia looked up, seeing the painfully panicked little girl banging on the window with tears in her eyes. Alessia.
[/I]
Skip managed to lift himself up on his knees and saw Alessia being thrown to the ground while Cordelia struggled to get the vampire away from her. Wesley, Gunn and Fred ran towards them and managed to pull the vampire away from Alessia just before he could bite her.
Alessia got back up and shouted something that Skip assumed was "Mom!", and threw a stake in the air. Cordy grabbed the piece of wood and stuck it into the vampire's heart, instantly turning him to dust.
It's at that moment that Skip saw Alessia grab her chest in pain and fall down on her knees. This time, there was no demon except her own. Her past. Cordelia and Wesley rushed to her, all speaking at once and Skip swallowed painfully from a distance as he saw the glowing bracelet around her wrist. Gunn and Wesley had to restrain Alessia as she began to convulse and shake on the grass. Skip saw the tears in Cordy's eyes as she tried to talk to the girl, holding her face between both of her hands.
[I][b]2025[/b]
On the other side of the dark room, Connor laid down on the floor in pain, while Alessia leaned over his body with tears in her eyes as she tried to stop the bleeding of his neck with her bare hands.
Buffy turned around and saw the heartbreaking scene and tears sprung from her eyes. The pounding on the door kept pressing them. Gunn immediately went to a drawer and took out an enormous book and some crystals, which he handed to Buffy immediately. Connor was fighting to breathe and Alessia was fighting to stop the bleeding.
"No…no…" Alessia breathed through her tears. "Not you too….not now. Look at me…stay with me. Don't you dare die on me now…" she cried.
"A…Ally…" Connor managed to speak as blood leaked from his wound like a fountain. "Ally…" Connor whispered again.
She looked into his helpless, dark eyes as he spoke to her.
"Don't give up…" he told her out of breath. "Make this right…you can make this right…" he begged of her, drawing his last breath.
[/I]
The present and the future struggled against one another in Skip's mind and all he could do was stare at the painful scene.
Angel ran towards them with the indestructible book in hand as Alessia began to calm down. Skip joined them, barely able to stand up.
"I got it!" He spoke, looking down at the young girl in pain. "Let's get her away from here and back to Lorne and Connor before…" he said as Gunn, Groo and Wesley helped Alessia get up.
"Put the book down." A loud, familiar voice was heard from behind them.
In that instant, all fighting stopped. Demons and humans alike just stood still and stared, horrified, as Angel slowly turned around. He firmly held on to the book as he stared at the man before him.
When her eyes met his, Cordelia gasped, in fear and disbelief. Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, especially Groo, who stared with an open mouth at none other than himself.
"Oh my God…" Cordelia barely whispered, out of breath.
There, in front of them, stood future Groo, holding a knife to Connor's tiny little throat while a beat up Lorne sat tied up on the floor. Groo placed the blade of the knife even closer to Connor's infant head as he repeated his words.
If Angel's heart had been beating, it would have broken into millions of pieces. His eyes went back and forth between Lorne and Connor and he felt Cordelia's hand grab his arm, probably trying to keep her balance.
"Angel…" Cordy whispered, her voice sounding as frightened as he felt.
"I'm so sorry…" Lorne's weak voice was heard in the night. "They just came in before the furies could finish the spell and…" he had trouble breathing and talking and his voice trailed off into the stormy night.
"I said… Put. The. Book. Down." Groo spoke again in a threatening tone as he stared into Angel's dark eyes. "Now."
The quiet sound of the rain crashing down to earth was the only sound that followed those words.
Clouds and thick fog slowly embraced the night. The stars had disappeared, vanished from the sky, leaving the blurry glow of the moon to light the night. Raindrops lightly fell, barely making a sound, as they bounced off the street.
Lilah stiffened and tightened her jaw at the sight of Angel. What stood before her eyes momentarily froze her. There, standing before her, icy stares in their eyes were Angel, Cordelia, Alessia and Skip. The quartet formed a perfect line in the middle of the street, almost reminiscent of the powerful force they represented. Angel, dressed in his usual black duster, glared at her with an emotionless expression on his face. His fist tightened and he had to mentally restrain himself from leaping forward and killing her on the spot. Right by his side, Cordelia, who usually served as his reasonable calming force, now shared a common darkness with the vampire. Lilah took her time to observe the seer. The denim jacket fitted her perfectly, and her shoulder-length hair masked the threatening traits on her face. The lawyer quickly spotted the crossbow that was attached to the woman's back before her eyes shifted to the person standing next to Cordelia. Wearing a similar bloodstained jacket (or the same), Alessia stood tall beside her future mother. The similarities between the two were not lost on Lilah. Those eyes, that icy stare, the posture…in each of the women's hands were large swords, waiting patiently to defend a future that seemed inevitable at that point.
Finishing the row of pissed off warriors, Skip stood with a stoic expression on his face. His glare was less threatening than the others'. He seemed determined, but also mournful. Behind them marched an impressively large crowd of men, women, demons, warriors…all ready for the fight of their lives. The looks on their faces foretold how they were aware of their fate.
Some would live. Many would die.
Yet, this overwhelming force, translated by sheer determination and acceptance of their fate, emanated from all of them. Armed, ready and dangerous, they all stood behind Angel and Cordelia, filling the street rapidly. Some faces Lilah recognized; many she didn't. She hugged the indestructible book to her chest and noticed how Groo had managed to hide himself behind the crowd of demons hired by Wolfram&Hart. She then turned to look the other way and noticed another crowd circling them from the perpendicular street.
Leading the pack was a muscular Gunn, a motionless Wesley, followed by Fred and present Groo. When they had suggested enlisting Groo's help, who had been staying with a friend of Lorne's since his relationship with Cordelia had ended, Alessia had stayed silent. In true Chase fashion, she had cracked a joke and some witty line, flashing a bright smile, but Angel saw the hidden sadness in her eyes. Initially, Alessia felt a little fear in her stomach, but soon replaced it by relief. The Groosalug that Angel and Cordelia knew wasn't the same she had grown up to know. And she had just smiled, looking at Angel with a little nod.
Trailing behind Gunn was his entire crew, street kids, all impatiently waiting to kick some demon ass themselves. Mixed with Gunn's former gang were dozens of Pylea's greatest warriors and demons, who clutched their own weapons. All divided by lifestyles and worlds…all joined in the same purpose.
To right a wrong.
In this one instant, it didn't matter who the person was beside you, or whose back you were covering. All that mattered was this. Their beliefs in a better place….a better future.
The excruciating silence seemed to last a lot longer than it actually did. Minutes? Or maybe just seconds…but during those seconds, the world stood still, waiting with bated breath for its fate to be determined.
"There's nothing you can do now, Angel…" Lilah spoke while several demons surrounded her and the other lawyers to protect them.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you." Angel replied through his teeth.
"You can't stop us. This is suicide and you know it." Gavin replied from behind Lilah.
"Is it?" Angel faked innocence.
"You leave us no choice then…we can't let you stop this…" Lilah sighed as various demons and vampires walked towards Angel and his crew.
One of the demons, who led the pack, stopped a couple of feet in front of them, staring at Alessia. He smirked as he looked back and forth between Cordelia and Alessia. His wildly evil smirk grew into laughter and he shook his head.
"Foolish little girl…" he growled at Alessia. Alessia just smiled while Angel and Cordy looked on. "You think you can take me on?" he laughed again. "You have no idea what's coming at you…"
Alessia paused, her eyes never leaving the demon and she grinned.
"Bring it on." She let out, holding up her sword.
It didn't take much more to convince the demons. Cordelia fended off the demon that threw himself at Alessia, while Angel beat up a couple of vampires on his own. Soon enough, everyone was engaged in fighting.
"Cordelia! Behind you!" Skip shouted, seeing Cordy turn around just in time to avoid one of the vampires.
All around them, people who had once come to them for help were now the helpers. Young men and women grabbed their weapons and threw themselves into battle. Things seemed to happen so fast that Angel barely had the time to realize what was happening. Bodies fell to the ground, screams were heard into the night, blood was shed…People he had once saved were thrown in the air and left to die on the sidewalk, while the rest of them struggled.
While the battle raged on, future Groo managed to escape. He stood in the alley nearby and watched the scene before his eyes before disappearing into the shadows.
"The book, Angel!" Cordelia shouted, pointing towards Lilah, who was running in the other direction.
Running through demons and humans, both alive and dead, Lilah made her way to the middle of the park, on a platform, where a large circle had been drawn. She threw herself on her knees and opened the book quickly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw how some of her demon guards had stopped Angel and Cordelia from getting to her. She didn't have much time, so she hurried.
Skip was hit over the head with a large metallic object and before he knew it he had been thrown in the air. His body fell helplessly onto the ground, making a loud resounding noise. He opened his eyes in pain and gasped at what he saw.
Things were going in slow motion…he saw the faces…he saw them all…and tears welled up in his eyes. The horror of what he was seeing made him ache inside, as memories from his future came back to haunt him.
There, a few feet in front of him, he saw Wesley throwing a sharp knife into a demon's stomach, letting out a loud gasp.
[I][b]2012[/b]
Moving at a frightening speed, Wesley jumped over the car and stood in front of Angel and Cordelia.
Wesley's face quickly changed, fangs appearing and yellow eyes glowing into the darkness. With his vamp face on, he leaped in the air, aiming for Connor and Alessia, who sat, bundled up on the floor. Cordy's scream rang into the night and she threw herself in front of Wesley. Angel grabbed him by the shoulders, throwing him onto the ground. A battle ensued…one, which Angel found himself losing rapidly. Just as Wesley was about to snap Angel's neck, a tearful Cordelia swung a stake in the air and staked Wesley.
Wesley turned to her, his face now human, and Cordelia fell to her knees as he turned to dust in front of her.
[/I]
Fred rushed over to help Wesley, smashing one of the vampires' head with a piece of wood, and Skip stared with tears in his eyes as the images plagued him again.
[I][b]2014[/b]
The sharp and pointy sword pierced through Fred's stomach several times before the girl fell to her knees, helplessly. Her face hit the sidewalk as she was stabbed one more and a painful scream escaped her throat. Her fist tightened around the material of her sweater while blood covered the ground, and there, into the night, she was left to die.
[/I]
Skip couldn't move. Everything was happening so fast, yet so slowly in his mind. His eyes moved to Angel, who now had both hands around Lilah's throat. Two vampires threw themselves at him, pulling him off of Lilah's weakened body and punched him to the ground. Skip noticed Cordelia rushing to Angel's side, helping him up. Skip saw her lips move as if she was desperately shouting something at Angel, but he couldn't hear. All he saw was the slow-motion horror movie before his eyes.
Lilah got herself up and grabbed Cordelia from behind, shoving her against a huge decorating rock and pulled a gun on her. Angel, who had been stabbed several times, looked up with tears in his eyes as Lilah threatened to shoot Cordy.
[I][b]2015[/b]
Tears ran down Cordelia's face as she wrapped her arms around Angel's bleeding body. She tried to lift him up but she couldn't, falling to her knees on the Hyperion lobby floor. She buried her face in Angel's neck, holding on to his lifeless body for dear life. Angel's blood covered the floor, and now her, as she cried his name quietly several times. The place was almost destroyed, and all that was left was her, cradling Angel's body in her trembling arms, while a horrified Alessia kicked and screamed to get passed Gunn and Willow and run towards the scene.
[/I]
Moving at a speed that would have made Angelus proud, Angel knocked the gun out of Lilah's hands and threw her down on the floor. Cordelia got up and reached out for the gun when she saw Angel struggling to retrieve the book from Lilah and her goons. Skip saw Cordy hesitate for a mere second and then a loud resounding gunshot was heard in the night.
Time seemed to stop and Skip gasped, seeing the scene in painful slow motion.
Lilah's body crashed down onto the grass, motionless.
Angel leaped over the body and rushed to Cordelia's side as rain poured on them. Skip saw them exchange a few words from afar and witnessed the tears in the young seer's eyes as she hurried the vampire to grab the ritual book. Angel reluctantly let go of her arm and began chasing the demon who now had the book in hands. Angel tackled him and the two of them fell to the ground in an intense and deadly struggle.
Meanwhile, Cordelia felt a hand quickly grab her shoulder and she spun around to see Alessia standing beside her, sword in hand, small cut on her cheek, looking worried.
Skip felt a lump in his throat as he saw the two young women stare at each other.
[I][b]2020[/b]
The baseball bat smashed onto Cordelia's head savagely and she fell down upon her knees. She could taste the blood on her lips as four masculine hands grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her out the door screaming. Cordelia barely had time to glance one last time at the closet door where Connor and Alessia were hidden before she felt a punch in her stomach. The next thing she knew she was outside, being dragged like an animal in the pouring rain. They shoved her into a car and before they could close the door, Cordelia looked up, seeing the painfully panicked little girl banging on the window with tears in her eyes. Alessia.
[/I]
Skip managed to lift himself up on his knees and saw Alessia being thrown to the ground while Cordelia struggled to get the vampire away from her. Wesley, Gunn and Fred ran towards them and managed to pull the vampire away from Alessia just before he could bite her.
Alessia got back up and shouted something that Skip assumed was "Mom!", and threw a stake in the air. Cordy grabbed the piece of wood and stuck it into the vampire's heart, instantly turning him to dust.
It's at that moment that Skip saw Alessia grab her chest in pain and fall down on her knees. This time, there was no demon except her own. Her past. Cordelia and Wesley rushed to her, all speaking at once and Skip swallowed painfully from a distance as he saw the glowing bracelet around her wrist. Gunn and Wesley had to restrain Alessia as she began to convulse and shake on the grass. Skip saw the tears in Cordy's eyes as she tried to talk to the girl, holding her face between both of her hands.
[I][b]2025[/b]
On the other side of the dark room, Connor laid down on the floor in pain, while Alessia leaned over his body with tears in her eyes as she tried to stop the bleeding of his neck with her bare hands.
Buffy turned around and saw the heartbreaking scene and tears sprung from her eyes. The pounding on the door kept pressing them. Gunn immediately went to a drawer and took out an enormous book and some crystals, which he handed to Buffy immediately. Connor was fighting to breathe and Alessia was fighting to stop the bleeding.
"No…no…" Alessia breathed through her tears. "Not you too….not now. Look at me…stay with me. Don't you dare die on me now…" she cried.
"A…Ally…" Connor managed to speak as blood leaked from his wound like a fountain. "Ally…" Connor whispered again.
She looked into his helpless, dark eyes as he spoke to her.
"Don't give up…" he told her out of breath. "Make this right…you can make this right…" he begged of her, drawing his last breath.
[/I]
The present and the future struggled against one another in Skip's mind and all he could do was stare at the painful scene.
Angel ran towards them with the indestructible book in hand as Alessia began to calm down. Skip joined them, barely able to stand up.
"I got it!" He spoke, looking down at the young girl in pain. "Let's get her away from here and back to Lorne and Connor before…" he said as Gunn, Groo and Wesley helped Alessia get up.
"Put the book down." A loud, familiar voice was heard from behind them.
In that instant, all fighting stopped. Demons and humans alike just stood still and stared, horrified, as Angel slowly turned around. He firmly held on to the book as he stared at the man before him.
When her eyes met his, Cordelia gasped, in fear and disbelief. Everyone seemed to freeze for a moment, especially Groo, who stared with an open mouth at none other than himself.
"Oh my God…" Cordelia barely whispered, out of breath.
There, in front of them, stood future Groo, holding a knife to Connor's tiny little throat while a beat up Lorne sat tied up on the floor. Groo placed the blade of the knife even closer to Connor's infant head as he repeated his words.
If Angel's heart had been beating, it would have broken into millions of pieces. His eyes went back and forth between Lorne and Connor and he felt Cordelia's hand grab his arm, probably trying to keep her balance.
"Angel…" Cordy whispered, her voice sounding as frightened as he felt.
"I'm so sorry…" Lorne's weak voice was heard in the night. "They just came in before the furies could finish the spell and…" he had trouble breathing and talking and his voice trailed off into the stormy night.
"I said… Put. The. Book. Down." Groo spoke again in a threatening tone as he stared into Angel's dark eyes. "Now."
The quiet sound of the rain crashing down to earth was the only sound that followed those words.