As Cordy and Angel walked slowly downstairs, Fred and Gunn came into the lobby, their faces grim. When they saw Cordelia, some of the grimness vanished. Fred grabbed Cordy in a big hug, while Gunn put his arm around her and gave her an affectionate squeeze. They were a bit more awkward with Angel, not knowing quite how to deal with his obvious grief. Lorne came in from the kitchen with a pot of coffee, and Fred went to help him with cups etc. and the gang settled down on the sofas in the lobby to talk.

"How is Wesley?" Cordelia was the first to ask the question that she knew was on Angel and Lorne's mind.

Gunn spoke up, "Pretty bad. Somebody cut his throat but good. He's lucky he's still breathin'. They musta got him to the ER pretty damn quick is all I can say."

"Do we know who did it?" This from Lorne.

"Somebody from Holtz's posse I guess. English ain't in any position to say."

"He can't talk at all?" Cordelia asked.

"Doc says they can't risk damage to his vocal chords. And they got him so doped up he couldn't write worth a damn either."

"But at least he was out of Intensive Care this mornin' so we could see him. And he was conscious, "Fred continued, "The Doctor says he should recover. The cuts weren't very deep."

"Yeah, if they were tryin' to kill him, they didn't do a very good job. Which would make sense if he was workin' for them. I mean why not just kill him?"

Cordelia asked, "Do you all really think Wesley was working for Holtz? Why would he betray Angel? Or hurt Connor?"

Lorne spoke up with a loud sigh, "All I know is that he was singing to Connor as he bundled him up to take him outside, and I read that he was planning to steal the little guy and take him far away. I didn't get much more before he realized what I was doing and clobbered me."

"But what makes you think he was working for Holtz?"

"I also read that he had met with Holtz. Twice. But like I said he didn't sing long enough for me to get to his motives or where he planned to go with the munchkin or anything else."

Cordy turned to Gunn and Fred, "And Wesley wasn't able to communicate anything to you guys?"

"Just the one word he managed to get out to Fred before the Doc cut him off."

"What was that?" Cordy looked at Fred.

"'Sorry.' That's all he said. Just, 'sorry.'"

"Sorry?" It was Angel, the first he had spoken since they had come downstairs, though he had drunk a cup of black coffee. "That's all he can say? Sorry?" Angel jumped up and strode over to his broken weapons case. Gunn ran to intercept him.

"Boss! Angel!" Gunn grabbed Angel as he grabbed a short sword from the case "You don't wanna be doing something stupid that you're gonna regret! First of all it's high noon. And second of all Wesley's in a public hospital surrounded by nurses and doctors, And third and most important, we don't know what happened!"

By this time the rest of his friends surrounded Angel. Cordelia looked him in the eye and took the sword from his hand and put it back into the case, avoiding the jagged broken glass. "This isn't getting Connor back," She said gently, "What we need is a plan."

Angel reluctantly went back to his seat, his eyes dark and flashing. The others gradually settled back down to brainstorm on the best method for finding Connor, if there was a method at all.

"You said that the portal was over by the sixth street bridge, is that right?" asked Fred in her soft voice. She and Gunn shared a loveseat, Lorne had a comfy armchair and Cordy and Angel sat on either end of a long sofa. Cordy looked at the space between them and suddenly remembered Groo again. She really should call him and invite him over for this discussion. Maybe later, she decided. If we need muscle.

"On Spring Street. That's right," said Angel, calm again. "But the thing is, the portal was created by this time travelling demon Sahjhan. So it may not exist there permanently, unlike the Pylean hotspots."

"Now Sahjhan is that dude who brought Holtz back right? The one who has a grudge against you, but you don't know why."

"Holtz had a legitimate beef. But this Sahjhan? I can't remember even seeing him before, no less doing something unforgivable to him. You haven't met him, but believe me…he has the kind of face you'd remember."

"Maybe he didn't always look like that. Maybe that's why you don't remember him." suggested Cordelia.

Fred added, "You say, he's traveled all through time. Maybe he's mad at you for somethin' you are going to do to him in the future, and is lookin' to prevent it."

"Or something Connor was going to do." spoke up Lorne.

"Well he wanted to kill Connor, but his grudge seemed to be against me."

"Do you remember the words he said to open the portal?" asked Fred.

"I don't suppose it was something simple like 'Open sesame.'" ventured Lorne with a sigh, "it never is."

Angel shook his head. "He said it so fast, I didn't know what he was going to do. Just a string of demonic sounding words. And the portal opened up. Took me by surprise. Took us all by surprise."

Gunn spoke, "Now you said that our best buds, Wolfram and Hart, were there too with all those black ops military types. They're big with the surveillance, right? Maybe they have the whole thing on tape or something."

Angel replied, "Gunn, you might have something there. If we could get the words Sahjhan said we might have a chance. I guess that means another confrontation with Lilah tonight. At least I know what bar she hangs out in."

"But Angel, "said Cordy, "Do we really want to involve AlleyCat McBeal? She's not exactly on our side."

"But she does want Connor back. That I know."

"But she don't want him back so she can take him to Chuck E. Cheese." Said Gunn. "W&H just want a new toy."

"I know, " said Angel. "I'll have to give it some thought."

"But you did hear the words that Sahjhan spoke, is that right?" asked the host thoughtfully.

"Yes. Why?" Asked Angel.

"Because if they are in your subconscious, I might be able to read them."

"If I sang, you mean?" Fred, Gunn and Cordy looked at each other and groaned silently.

The host sighed, "Yes. I'm afraid so."

"Well, sure," said Angel. "What should I sing…Mandy again?"

"No." Lorne replied hastily, "Not without music. What we need is something long and repetitive."

"Like Stairway to Heaven? " Suggested Angel.

"No!" rang out in chorus from Fred, Cordy and Gunn.

"No." Echoed the host, "something simpler. Do you know The 12 Days of Christmas?"

Angel shook his head. "I always get the words mixed up, with the drummers and the pipers and the geese and all."

Fred raised her hand, and then self-consciously put it down, "Uh...I have an idea. When I was a young girl in Texas, when we used to go on school field trips we always used to sing this silly song on the bus, 'One hundred bottles of beer on the wall, One hundred bottles of beer, You take one down and pass it around…'"

"Ninety Nine bottles of beer on the wall, "finished Gunn. "Hey I went on field trips too!"

"Me too, "added Cordelia. "I think everybody knows that song."

"Well, I don't." said Angel. "When I was a young lad in Ireland, we didn't have field trips or buses."

"Hmmp!" Said the host. "In Pylea, not only didn't we have field trips or buses...we didn't even have music! Not that I would call that…ditty, music, exactly. Nevertheless, it is just the sort of repetitive nonsense that will reveal the demon's words, no matter how deeply they are buried. So it will have to do."

"Well, okay then, I guess I can sing it. Sounds easy enough." Said Angel.

Lorne sighed again, and went over to the desk for a pad and pencil. "Oh, the sacrifices I make…"

Fred leaned over to Cordelia and said, "While they're doing that, How about you and I going to pick up some lunch? I'm starvin'!"

"Can I come too? " Asked Gunn pleadingly, looking at Fred.

"Charles, we need you here to make sure Angel gets the song right." She gave him a look indicating that she wanted to talk to Cordelia alone.

"Sure, "Gunn muttered. " Guess I can sacrifice too." The girls went out.

Angel turned to Gunn, "So, how does that song go again?"

TBC