Part 14
Gwenelda smiled as she watched Astrote getting ready to meet his 'Cinderella'. Very few people realized that the original Grimm fairy tales were not all sweetness and light. Some could be quite dark. She loved to twist the tales to her purpose and it had been a long time since she had been able to escape the mirror, she wasn't going to waste any more time.
"Have you begun the 'Sleeping Beauty' idea with the one that was lost in the other dimension?"
Gwenelda smiled, "That one is easy. Her curiosity will get the best of her. I have planned something special for her and her warrior. Remember once the Seer is trapped she will be sent to the other realm. You must make sure she is in the carriage by midnight."
"I will, don't worry so much. Once that is accomplished and the 'Sleeping Beauty' is in motion that leaves only the Watcher for you. What are your plans for him?"
"That one is simple. I'll conjure up the wolf from Red Riding Hood. Once he's finished with the Watcher he can shapeshift into him and no one will know that he is missing. He can also begin his assault on Angel which should make your fight with the witch even easier."
~~~~
Fred had gone upstairs after she and Gunn has seen Cordy leave for her big date. She hadn't wanted to say anything to Gunn but she had been worried that Cordy hadn't said anything to them as she left. Even if she had been nervous about her date she would have at least acknowledged them.
She was going to ask Willow or Angel if they had noticed anything different about her but standing outside their door she heard laughter. Not wanting to interrupt them she continued on up to her and Gunn's room.
Fred suddenly stopped in the hallway and listened. She thought she heard a noise but she hadn't been sure. Cocking her head to the side and listening intently she waited.
It sounded like it came from the unused third floor. Curious as to what could have made that sound she slowly made her way up the stairs.
Following the sound to the end of the hallway she opened the door and peered inside. The room was full of cobwebs, dust and furniture with moldy upholstery. Just as she was getting ready to close the door and leave she heard the sound again.
Cautiously going into the room she noticed that the sound was coming from what she thought was the closet. Grabbing a piece of wood she saw lying nearby she took a deep breath and opened the door with a flourish.
Laughing at herself when she saw there was nothing in the old walk-in closet except for old trunks and some pieces of furniture. Wondering what was in the trunks she knelt down by the nearest one. Pulling hard on the lid that had been sealed shut through time she finally got it open.
With a gasp she saw beautiful homespun yarn. Thinking back to the time her grandmother had showed her how to spin on their old tabletop spinning wheel, Fred lovingly caressed the yarn.
She stood and began to look through the closet more thoroughly. If there were homespun yarn still kept here maybe there would be a tabletop spinning wheel. The thought of spinning again made her smile; it would be a small connection to her life in Texas before her journey to Pylea.
Moving a piece of furniture out of her way she gave a gasp of delight, there was a spinning wheel. It needed repair but she thought it looked like it would work once some pieces were fixed.
Running her hand gently over the wheel and other parts she gave a yelp when she pricked her finger on the still sharp needle. Sucking on the offended digit she bent down to lift up the wheel when a wave of dizziness overcame her. Dropping the wheel she crumpled to the floor and the last thing she heard was a soft voice in her ear whisper, "sleep".
~~~~~
Gunn had just returned from killing a demon downtown. He was filthy and tired and all he could think about was a nice hot shower and seeing Fred.
Wearily Gunn returned the axe to the weapon's case and looked around the lobby wondering where everyone was. Normally, if Fred didn't go with him on a case she was anxiously waiting his return.
"Fred?" "Angel?" "Red?"
The lobby and hotel were oddly quiet. Seeing a light on in Angel's office he went to investigate. Smiling softly he saw Wes with his head down on the desk and the scrolls scattered all over. Softly clicking off the light and closing the door he left Wesley to his sleep.
Hearing the lobby door open, Gunn turned to see Angel and Willow come through laughing and arm in arm.
"Hey, Gunn. You get that Gorok demon killed?"
"Yeah." Looking down and pointing to the goo that still clung to his clothes. "Just on my way upstairs to wash Gorok goo off. Have you seen Fred?"
Willow frowned in concentration, "Not since you left and that was a couple of hours ago."
"Maybe she was tired and went upstairs to wait." Gunn said as he made his way toward the stairs. "See you guys later."
~~~~
Gunn hadn't seen Fred as he went to take his shower but figured maybe she was in one of the rooms going over one of her many Quantum theories. He smiled as he thought of all the ways he could distract her from her thoughts.
Quickly slipping into some sweats he made his way down to the room she normally holed up in. Quietly opening the door as to not disturb her, he frowned as he noticed she wasn't there.
Now, he was getting concerned. It wasn't like Fred to just leave without telling anyone or at least leaving a note. Turning around he went back towards the lobby.
Before he could get a few feet he thought he heard a noise. He stopped and waited to see if he'd hear it again. Very faintly he thought he heard it again and it seemed to be coming from the third floor.
Making his way up the stairs he softly called out, "Fred?"
Not getting a response he yelled louder. Following the creaking noise he opened the door to the room it seemed to be coming out of.
He started in surprise at what he saw. A vine with large thorns seemed to have covered much of the room. As he stepped inside he heard the door slam behind him. Turning to see what caused it, he saw the vine had now completely covered the door.
With grim determination Gunn yanked on the doorknob. It wouldn't move, he was well and truly stuck in the room. "Great, just great", he mumbled.
Turning back to try to make his way to a window he noticed a door slightly ajar to his left. Just as he started walking that way the vine's growth pushed him back and the door further open.
"FRED!"
Lying on the floor of the walk-in closet was Fred. The vine that had completely surrounded her was larger and had more dangerous thorns than the vine in the room.
Before Gunn could try to tear his way through the vine he felt a tug on his legs. Looking down in horror he saw that the vine was entwining around his legs and pulling him toward the nearby wall.
Struggling even harder now, Gunn desperately tried to break free. Unfortunately, the harder he struggled it seemed the tighter the vine wrapped around him until he found himself completely wrapped and trapped against the wall.
Just as he was opening his mouth to yell for Angel the vine sent a tendril across his mouth effectively shutting him off mid-shout.
~~~
Wesley awoke with a start and looked around the office. With a mental shake to clear the cobwebs he slowly stood. He had dreamt he had been in the woods with a wolf chasing him. Must be my subconscious trying to tell me that I'm working too hard he thought.
Nevertheless he quickly scanned the office looking for anything out of the ordinary. Not seeing anything, he gathered his scrolls and prepared to retire for the evening.
Just as he picked up the last one he thought he heard a growl behind him. "Angel?" he asked as he slowly turned.
Shock made him stand perfectly still, next to the chair he had just vacated was a wolf. Wesley watched helplessly as the wolf gave a leap straight towards him. Lifting his arms in protection, the last thing he saw was the wolf with his mouth open wide.
Falling to the floor the wolf gave a shudder and slowly rose. Turning toward the mirror he watched as his wolfish features morphed into the English Watcher's. Smirking, he gathered the scrolls and continued into the lobby.