Part Six

Los Angeles
Wednesday 10 pm
Buffy stood in an alleyway opposite the Hyperion Hotel, trying to get her breath back while her foul-smelling demon 'tour guide' covered and uncovered its eyes in an attempt to re-acclimatise to the light. Or twilight, as would more accurately describe the time of day. Twilight in shadow, even. Geez, these guys were sensitive.
"Kenjiin," the demon had stated, pointing at the hotel, when they had emerged from the portal.
Buffy assumed that that was the other guy's last known location, and she shuddered at the thought of finding Angel's dust-pile somewhere in the huge art deco building. Fighting back tears again, she took a deep breath and stepped forward. Hrahek grabbed her arm.
"What?" Buffy asked, eager to find this KenJean and kick his butt to kingdom come.
"Here," Hrahek said. "I wait. You return. Bring Kenjiin head."
"Insecure, much?" Buffy questioned, wrinkling her nose. "Isn't it enough that I kill him?"
Hrahek shook his head, wincing as if he had a bad headache. He clasped a metal band onto Buffy's wrist. It was forged solid: Buffy could not find any opening.
"What's this?" she demanded angrily, holding her arm in front of the demon's face.
"I hear," Hrahek told her, but Buffy thought he was being evasive and re-iterating 'here'.
"Fine," she said testily, "but you're taking it off as soon as KenJean is history."
She strode across the road in a break in the traffic, and entered the hotel foyer, heart lurching at its silence. Pushing away Angel-memories, she walked purposefully to the counter and struck the bell. It echoed up the stairs.
"Yo!" a voice called from the office, and a young Afro-American emerged. "Can I help you?"
"Um," Buffy hesitated, not sure what to say. 'I'm looking for KenJean, big demony guy – what room is he in?' Sure. "Um, Angel Investigations?" she asked, figuring it was better to get reinforcements.
"They're gone," the young man told her.
"All of them?" Buffy asked, horrified.
"All of them," came the answer. "What did you …?"
"Can I use your phone please?" the Slayer interrupted, breathing rapidly, and suddenly cold, and longing for home.
The young man nodded, pointing at the apparatus at the end of the counter, and retreated to the office to give her privacy. Buffy grabbed the receiver, and dialled. There was no answer at home. Trying not to panic, Buffy dialled the Magic Shop number.
"Dawnie?" She smiled with relief as her little sister squealed into her ear. She'd cover the whole 'what are you doing there at this time of night' issue when she got home. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm in Los Angeles, at the Hyperion. Are you okay?" Close to tears, Buffy listened as her sister babbled excitedly. "Who's there? Dawnie? Who did you say …?" Buffy's heart leapt as she heard her name, spoken by the one voice she thought never to hear again. "Angel?" she whispered.
Aware that her spidey senses were tingling, but desperate for confirmation that he was alive, Buffy repeated his name. She heard him ask if she was okay, then everything blurred around her and she passed out.
Jayce heard a strange whooshing noise, and returned to the counter. The phone hung over the edge, but the blonde had disappeared. Not hearing the voice calling urgently through the earpiece, he replaced the receiver with a shrug and went back to his seat.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Stunned, Angel held the receiver to his ear even after the line went dead.
"What?" Dawn squeaked. "What? What did she say? Is she coming here? Angel!"
Angel put the phone down and turned to face them all.
"Something's wrong," he said, trying to assimilate what he'd heard. "There was a strange noise, then the phone went dead."
Dawn burst into tears, and he reflexively drew her to him.
"Call her back," Giles said urgently, grabbing the phone before Angel could react and punching in the hotel's phone number.
"Hello?" a male voice answered.
"Hello," Giles said hurriedly. "Giles here, in Sunnydale. We – we were just talking to someone who called from that number …"
"Yeah?"
"A young woman," Giles clarified. "Blonde. Quite petite." 'Sorely missed,' he thought to himself, praying she was alright. "We seem to have been cut off. Is she still there?"
"No, man," Jayce answered, curious. "She just disappeared."
"What?" Giles asked. "Literally? You saw her disappear?"
"Man, what are you on?" Jayce groaned, beginning to wonder if Candid Camera were in the area. "She left. In a hurry, too, by the sound of it."
Gunn took the phone from the Watcher, and identified himself. He quickly ascertained that Jayce had heard the same whooshing noise that Angel had, but hadn't seen Buffy leave. Instructing Jayce to call if Buffy returned, he hung up.
"The portal," Dawn sniffed, realising what they were saying. "The one that took her last week. It sounded like a waterfall." She looked up at Angel, eyes pleading him not to confirm her suspicion. "Is – is that what you heard?"
Angel nodded, pulling her back in his embrace as she sobbed harder.
At that moment, Xander and Anya hurried in, followed by Spike.
"What's the what?" Xander demanded, frowning at Angel and Dawn before joining the group at the table. "I got your beep."
"Right in the middle of dessert," Anya added, grumpily, following because he held her tightly by the hand.
Meanwhile, the blond vampire had hesitated at the door, meeting Angel's eyes with forced bravado. He threw his cigarette out into the street, and sniffed.
"Angel," he said, warily.
"Spike," his sire returned without inflection.
Taking that as a truce, Spike sauntered down the steps.
"What's up with the li'l bit?" he asked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gavin Park watched as Kenjiin stepped through the portal, which shimmered with small electric flashes, then shrank and disappeared. Kenjiin had rewarded him handsomely, both financially and otherwise, for his assistance, and Gavin knew he had a useful ally in the demon should circumstances call for it in the future. He also knew that Lilah's little project was royally screwed, and that gave him even more satisfaction. Smiling, he patted Cyril on the back and left the messenger to clear up the portal's damp residue, which was dripping from mid-air onto the carpet.
"Stage two?" Cyril asked, reaching for the stain remover on the bottom shelf of his post trolley.
"Stage two," Gavin confirmed, heading out the door, and they both smiled at no-one in particular.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Buffy sighed. Irritated beyond words at the Groundhog Day she was having, and angry that she'd been so close to home and blown it, she raised herself yet again from the floor of her cell and looked around her, brushing off the sand. Same walls, same door, same window. Same storm outside. Same nauseating stench …
As if on queue, Hrahek entered from the corridor and regarded her sternly. Buffy returned the glare.
"Getting a little tired of the repetition around here," she stated testily. "Why'd you bring me back? Scared cos I'd blown your story? And how did you do that, anyway?"
Taking a few moments to separate and understand her questions, Hrahek frowned.
"I hear," he told her, grabbing her wrist to indicate the metal bracelet she still wore. "You talk. Others."
Buffy examined the bracelet again, amazed that it could transmit sound although there were no markings to indicate it was anything other than a solid band of metal.
"I figured on reinforcements," she told the demon. "I don't know this KenJean guy – I might not be able to fight him alone, and I didn't know where to find him. My friends could have helped. What's wrong with that?"
"You betray," Hrahek said.
"Not strong on trust, are you?" Buffy countered. "Why would I betray you if you're my only ticket home?"
Hrahek growled. This was achieving nothing. He'd had few dealings with humans – Lilah Morgan being the chief representative of that race – and did not trust them, but he knew this one was the Slayer and therefore different from the others of her kind. She killed demons, and Kenjiin was a demon. She would probably succeed where he had failed many times.
"Come," he said, stepping out into the corridor.
Buffy stood her ground, reluctant to try out that particular merry-go-round again unless it was a one-way ticket.
"Listen," she said firmly. "You can beam me back to LA, but you have to let me call my friends because they can help me get this KenJean guy. I have no weapons, no idea what I'm up against – from a human perspective," she added as Hrahek opened his mouth to supply her with details. "I'm trusting you to deliver your end of the bargain, and let me go when this is over. You have to trust me to do things my way. Deal?"
Confused by her language, which was not as precise or slow as Lilah's, Hrahek paused, filtering out the phrases he recognised and trying to piece them together to make sense. He sensed the girl's honesty, which was an unusual trait as far as he was concerned, and nodded somewhat hesitantly.
Buffy rolled her eyes impatiently, then joined him in the corridor.
"Okay," she said. "Do your 'open sesame' thing and let's get going."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sunnydale
11 pm
In the Magic Box, several small groups worked in solemn silence.
Willow, Tara, Giles and Anya mixed ingredients and double-checked pronunciations for the spell they were creating in order to re-activate the portal that had taken Buffy from them.
Fred, Dawn, and Lorne were using reference books and lexicons to try and work out Kenjiin's message to Angel, and were simultaneously looking for anything remotely referring to Hrahek.
Cordelia was using the computer's search engine to try and find more information to help them, while Wesley called several Watchers' Council contacts for any details of the missing key to Hrahek's dimension.
In the training room, Angel put himself through a rigorous workout in an attempt to rebuild his strength and stamina, or at least to focus his mind on something other than Buffy's unknown fate.
Spike, Xander and Gunn – humans and vampire reluctant to share each other's company but knowing it had to be done – had gone out on patrol, and were expected back shortly before midnight.
"Oh!" Fred exclaimed suddenly, making everyone around her jump. She scribbled something on the pad before her, read it, then sighed another 'oh' as if she should have seen it before. The others waited. "I think …" Fred hesitated when she realised all eyes were on her, then gave a sheepish smile. " 'Heart of beasts'," she said with a little shrug. "I think we heard the wrong thing. If he said hart – h-a-r-t – then we're looking at …"
"Wolf, ram, and hart," Cordelia finished, with a small shiver, remembering the symbolic link they'd discovered in Pylea.
Dawn tried to hide a yawn. It was way past her bedtime, but she didn't want to draw attention to that fact. Research could be dull and boring, but it made her feel grown-up and useful, which was a definite improvement on trying to sleep in a creaky, empty house while everyone else was trying to help Buffy.
"What's the connection?" she asked, puzzled, wondering why Cordelia had named those animals. Then the penny dropped. "Oh, right. Lawyers'r'us."
"Should have known," Fred said, somewhat embarrassed.
"You believe Wolfram and Hart hold the key to the Kravlar dimension?" Giles asked, keen to clarify what they were saying.
"They have extensive vaults," Wesley nodded, "and we know from past experience that they keep rare and valuable documents there." He and Cordelia exchanged looks, remembering the 'shanshu' affair. "It's feasible they have the Kravlar key, although none of my contacts have heard of it being brought into this dimension – it's widely assumed to be lost."
"Might just as well be," Cordelia sighed.
"We have the spell," Willow reminded them, holding up a small sprig of herbs and a jar of insect parts. "We don't need the key."
"The spell will only re-activate the portal," Giles reminded her, worried that the young witch seemed to be placing too much faith in magick. "The key is needed to travel beyond that."
Willow frowned. She was certain the re-opened portal would take them directly to Buffy, and didn't want to waste time on unnecessary complications. Tara smiled supportively at her.
"M-maybe we should keep working on both," she suggested shyly. "You know, erm, kind of back up planning."
"The spell is ready," Willow stated, lifting her chin confidently.
"So we need to get to LA," Angel said, giving them all a start: no-one had noticed him emerge from the training room.
"You really need to start whistling," Anya grouched, unknowingly echoing her fiancé who had made similar complaints long before they'd met.
"Wanna hum something, angelcakes?" Lorne invited, a worried look on his face. He had been uncharacteristically quiet for most of the evening, and his colleagues regarded him quizzically.
"Do I have to?" Angel asked uncomfortably, noticing Dawn's hand-hidden grin.
"Not gonna push it," Lorne raised his hands. "Lord knows we can do without thatt little diversion …"
"You have but-face," Dawn prompted, then realised how it sounded. "I mean," she flustered, "you look like you're gonna say 'but'. Don't you?"
Lorne smiled kindly.
"I do, sweet pea," he said. He looked at Angel, but said no more.
"Oh for god's sake!" Cordelia scraped back her chair, and gently shoved Angel towards the training room. "Go and sing something."
She inclined her head at Lorne for him to follow, and the demon obeyed, talking quietly to the vampire as they closed the door behind them. The others sat at the table for a moment, then all the females tiptoed to the door to listen. Giles and Wesley watched them, shaking their heads in unison.
"Is he really that bad?" Giles whispered.
"Oh yes," Wesley answered matter-of-factly. "Quite, quite bad."
Dawn barely suppressed a giggle, and earned a light slap from Willow as all six females grinned and grimaced at each other, straining to identify the tortured melody on the other side of the door. Suddenly, they all hurried back to the table and had barely composed themselves when Angel and Lorne emerged.
Angel scowled at them, embarrassment mixed with humiliation and irritation at his unseen performance, and worry at what Lorne had told him.
"Well?" Wesley prompted, getting down to business.
"Not much," Lorne replied. "Like I said to Angel, I had a funny feeling about all this. I guess it could be gas, but …"
"What did you see?" Wesley asked with a sigh.
"Buffy," Angel stated, and Lorne nodded.
The others regarded him with both hope and trepidation.
"What else would I see?" Lorne shrugged, still reeling from the strong and emotional aura he'd picked up from the vampire. "Difficult to see through all those slayer images … but Angel will find what he seeks."
Everyone waited.
"Is that it?" Anya asked eventually, wishing she knew what was going on. "He had to 'sing' like that just so you can tell him he'll find her? We already knew that."
It was obvious to the others that Lorne had told Angel far more, but neither demon nor vampire were going to share the details.
"It's not important," Angel told them. "We need to get that key from Wolfram and Hart, and …"
"The spell is ready," Willow repeated. "It will work."
"I don't doubt it," Angel nodded, "and we'll use it as soon as we have the key. From what we've learned of Kravlar, there's no point opening a portal unless we can get around – we'd be as lost as … as Buffy is." He looked at his feet, and sighed. As a vampire he didn't actually breathe, but sighing came naturally to him when he was anxious. Forcing himself to focus on the plan that was enfolding in his mind, rather than the disappearance of the love of his life, Angel looked at the others. "Willow, Tara – I need you to come with me. Giles…"
"To LA?" Willow asked, wide-eyed.
"Gonna need a few spells," Angel nodded, "and some faces that Wolfram and Hart won't recognise. Giles, Wesley - see if you can locate Kenjiin: I'm assuming he's in LA. He and his forces could provide us with some useful back-up. Lorne, I'll need you with me to talk with Kenjiin if I can't get to him. And Gunn …"
"Angel," Cordelia said, beginning to feel left out, "I …"
"I know." Angel held up his hand to silence her. "But I need you here, with Fred, and the others – it's safer."
Cordelia was about to argue, but thought better of it – she knew she could help Angel in Los Angeles, but she also knew he would worry about her if she were to go with them, and he already had enough of that with Buffy being missing, and with his plan to take the two witches with him. However, she was keen to leave Sunnydale, and her displeasure showed in the annoyed sigh she gave in answer to him.
"You'd better get going," Wesley advised the vampire. "With the drive back to LA, there won't be many hours of darkness left."
"Soon as Gunn gets back," Angel nodded. He turned to Willow. "Do you need to get anything for the trip?"
Using Angel's car, Cordelia took the two young women to Revello Drive, where she kept the engine running while they quickly collected clothes and several Wiccan items. When they returned to the Magic Box, Angel was waiting anxiously at the door. Dawn was with him, and she quickly hugged the two witches goodbye. Angel called to Gunn as he took Cordelia's place behind the wheel, and was about to rev the engine a second time when Cordelia placed her hand on his arm.
"Calm down," she said gently, "you're making everyone jumpy."
"Fools rush in," Spike said with a smirk, from the safety of the shop door.
Cordelia spun around to chastise him, but was interrupted by Gunn and Fred, pushing past the vampire to join them at the car. With a last, lingering kiss, the young lovers parted and Gunn jumped into the passenger seat.
"Stay in touch, Angel," Wesley called as the car sped off into the night.
"Hope he remembers to charge his phone," Fred muttered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Los Angeles
Thursday 3 am
Lilah Morgan hugged herself and shivered against the cold night breeze. Ten minutes earlier, she had parked her car around the corner, and walked quickly and quietly along the deserted street to stand in the shadows opposite the Wolfram and Hart building. Apart from a few dim internal lights – illuminating the corridors, for the sake of the security staff – the place was in darkness, but Lilah had a hunch that not everyone had gone home for the evening. She wasn't sure what she would do if her suspicions were confirmed, but she'd been unable to sleep and figured that following her hunch would do no harm.
She hadn't counted on it being so cold, though, and wished she'd worn an extra layer under her light summer coat. Resisting the urge to stamp her feet to get her circulation going, Lilah peered at her watch for the fourth time and shivered again. She was about to turn back when a movement at the far end of the street caught her eye. Pressing herself against the wall, she watched as a female stepped cautiously into the road and waved her arm in the direction of the Wolfram and Hart building. Curious, Lilah looked up at the edifice, but nothing had changed. Wondering what she'd expected to see, she turned back to watch the woman, but the street was empty again.
And at that moment, Gavin Park silently slipped out of the lobby opposite her, and hurried down the steps in the direction she'd seen the woman a few seconds earlier.
"Curiouser and curiouser," Lilah muttered, pleased that her hunch had been correct, but now more inquisitive than she had been before. What was Park doing at work at this time of night? It wasn't unusual to be there – she'd done it herself – but she wanted to know what it was he was doing, which didn't involve her. And who was that woman? Had she cast a spell? Or was she just one of LA's crazy residents, enacting something in her own private world?
Lilah frowned, and headed back to her car.

Angel waited until Lilah was out of sight, then listened until he could no longer hear her car's engine. Satisfied that she was gone, and that Park was also out of the area, he nodded to Gunn and disappeared into the darkness of the alley in which he'd parked his Plymouth. The alley ran alongside and behind the building next to Wolfram and Hart's block, and would give Angel unseen access to the basement parking lot.
Gunn was not happy: he didn't like the idea of Angel sneaking into the law firm's building alone, without backup, but his crew hadn't arrived as agreed, and Angel had insisted that he remain with the two young women in case they needed to make a quick getaway. He sighed, and shifted irritably in the driver's seat.
"It's okay," Willow whispered, leaning over from the rear seat, "I made sure I used the most effective protection spell – he's safe."
"No guarantees," Gunn said quietly, shaking his head, his eyes roaming the dark windows of the lawyers' building. "They have their own magick. And other things."
A soft whistle sounded behind them, and Jayce emerged from an alley further down the street, followed by two of his crew. After whispering apologies for being late – an attack on a vampire nest had taken longer than expected – Jayce listened to Gunn's summary of the evening's plan.
"Theo," Gunn whispered, climbing out of the car, "stay here, be ready to hit the pedal."
Theo jumped into the driver's seat with a smile at the two girls in the back seat, and Gunn led the other two into the alley. Jayce and Donny would stand guard at the two main entrances – front and rear – to the Wolfram and Hart building, while Gunn would follow Angel in case he needed help.
In the back of Angel's Plymouth, Tara started to chant under her breath.
"What's up with her?" Theo hissed at Willow.
"Insurance," Willow answered, holding Tara's hand and giving it a supportive squeeze.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~