I'm currently stuck at home with the flu.  On the plus side I have nothing better to do than write.

Ch 2 – Déjà vu

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In times like these, it helps to recall that there have always been times like these. - Paul Harvey

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Xander rushed back into the Magic Box and started throwing things all over the place looking for some sign of Buffy or Dawn.

"Xander!"  Oz followed him into the store but had no luck getting his friend's attention.  It wasn't until Oz grabbed him by the shirt and pinned him against the wall. 

"Calm.  Down."

"How can I?  You saw that disaster out there!"
"I know but panicking is the worst thing we could do right now."

Xander seemed to calm down for a second.  "If Buffy and Dawn were taken we don't know where they are or who might've done it.  So what do we do?  "

"I don't know.  What about..."

Xander cut Oz off and nodded in front of him.  Oz turned around and saw Sahjhan standing at the other end of the room.

"Hell of a mess you guys got here.  It's got potential though.  Maybe some spackle and a little dry wall it'll look good as new."

Xander and Oz didn't say anything so Sahjhan kept going.

"That guy that's responsible for your friends missing.  Well that would be me.  See I love this part.  The scene where the good guy meets the bad guy for the first time.  The battles of wits as they go back and forth."

"Where are they?"  Xander told him.

"Or we could just skip it and move on to the boring part."

"Where.  Are.  They?"

"What? No sarcastic monologue? Mr. Harris I'm hurt! You had no idea how much I was waiting for a fellow comedian to engage with! Add to the fact I could probably kill you in a heartbeat you really don't want to make me upset." 

Oz was next to Xander.  He didn't say a word and seemed to be focused completely on Sahjhan.  Then much to his friend's surprise he morphed into his werewolf form.  The wolf jumped out of what was left of Oz's torn clothing and rushed at Sahjhan.

"Down boy!"  The demon backhanded Oz when the werewolf leapt at him.  Oz was knocked to a wall on the other side of the room.  He slammed against a bookshelf and it along with all the books in it fell on top of him.

Xander swallowed.  He quickly grabbed a sword near him, a leftover from when Willow stormed the Magic Box looking for Andrew and Jonathan, then positioned himself between his friend and Sahjhan.

I never asked Oz how he managed to turn into a werewolf in the middle of the day.  I did remember him saying something along the lines of him being able to transform when he lost control of his emotions.  With so much garbage about vampire in movies and T.V. I just assumed he knew more than I did about the subject.  As for this Sahjhan, he reminded me way too much of the Judge...okay the Judge if he were black and wore a robe.  I had just realized how shortsighted I was all those years ago when I only stole one bazooka. 

"How brave."  The demon rolled his eyes.  "Don't worry there's a reason I haven't bothered killing you or Buck the Dog yet."

"You're just too nice a demon?"

"Ha...funny.  See I knew there was potential in you Xander!  Here's the deal.  Your buddy Angel..."

"He's not my buddy crater face."

"Still...you two have a certain relationship..."

"More like mutual hatred."

"Okay grammar police now you're starting to annoy me.  Stop interrupting!  Bottom line he and I have unfinished business to care of."

"What do want with him?"

"Simple.  Revenge.  Go to L.A. and nag him to death to come back here.  Shouldn't be too hard it's what you do best and I do have his ex-girlfriend all chained up...wow I just had the worst mental image.  Well if you had actually grown a spine six years ago and fought Angel for her you'd probably know what I was talking about.  Of course that Anyanka chick probably did that to you a few times.  Nice call dumping her on wedding day."

Xander didn't reply.  He felt his anger boiling over as he tightened his grip on the sword.

"What?  Nothing to say?  Maybe you are a lost cause.  You've got one day before I start torturing the blond ditz.  Now be a good little Zeppo and do as your told."

After the Zeppo comment Xander rushed at Sahjhan.  The demon smirked and disappeared just as Xander swiped at him with his sword.

That was messed up.  If he wanted to get me going the ugly bastard said all the right things.  He brought up Buffy, Angel and that Zeppo comment was a nice touch.  He also gave me this overwhelming desire to separate his head from his neck.

Here's the best part:  that second dream I had came true.  I just hope whoever or whatever is doing this sends me Friday's winning lotto numbers. 

So let's recap shall we?  Buffy and Dawn are being held hostage by a wisecracking demon named Sahjhan who has a problem with Angel and told me in the most antagonizing way possible to bring him to Sunnydale or else.

How was I feeling at this point?  C'mon everyone say it with me!

"Son…Of…A…Bitch…" Xander scanned the room several times looking for Sahjhan.  After a few minutes he conceded the fact that the demon wasn't there anymore.

Oz started waking up.  He shook his head for a second and looked around.  "Xander?"

The young man quickly regained his composure and ran over to his friend.  "You alright?"

"Not really.  What was that thing?"

"I don't know.  But we know someone who does."

"Great.  Uh Xander?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you find me some clothes?"

----

The Hyperion Hotel was the home of Angel Investigations.  However with the disappearance of both Angel and Cordelia Chase the agency hadn't been in working cases for some time. 

Charles Gunn and Winifred Burkel had spent months trying to find their lost friends.  The problem was neither of them knew the truth that Angel's own son Connor was responsible for his disappearance and was working to make sure they never found the vampire.

"I can't believe that so called 'Truth seer' didn't know where Angel was.  He said he knew were Jimmy Hoffa is and he can't even find one vampire."  A demoralized Fred walked into the main lobby of the hotel with Gunn and Connor following her inside.  "I mean where could they be it's been over two months!"

Connor smirked inwardly.  They had no idea where Angel was and he planned to keep it that way.

"Fred?  Fred wait up."  Gunn caught up to his girlfriend and gave her a reassuring hug.  "We'll find them.  Sooner or later they'll show up."

"I hope so."  She replied after a few seconds.  "Anything in the mail."

He let go of Fred and looked through the various envelopes.  "Well let's see.  Bill.  Bill.  Bill.  Oh hey we might already be a winner."  Gunn rolled his eyes and tossed it over his shoulder.

Fred walked behind the counter and looked at the answering machine.  "Hey somebody called."

She hit play as Gunn and Connor walked over. 

"You Have...Nineteen...New Messages."

The three of them all looked puzzled.

"Hi Angel this is Xander.  We've got a problem in Sunnydale and we need your help.  See what happen is..."

*Beep*

"God you have got to have the shortest time limit in the world.  Buffy and Dawn didn't come back from a patrol.  I think they were kidnapped..."

*Beep*

"For the love of...the demon that kidnapped them said he knew you.  His said if I didn't bring you back by tomorrow he'd kill her."

*Beep*

"C'mon you have to be there!  It's been over an hour why haven't you guys got ahold of me!"

*Beep*

"What's with you Deadboy!  This is Buffy we're talking about!  You know your one and only love blah-blah-blah!"

Gunn hit the stop button.  "I don't think we need to hear any more of that."

"Charles didn't Cordelia say she used to date a guy named Xander?"

"I think so.  Sounds like a strange guy."

"Yeah well it's a strange world."  Xander and Oz were both standing in the doorway of the Hyperion. 

Gunn instinctively held up his axe.  "Who the hell are you?"

"The guy running up your phone bill."

"You're Xander?"  Gunn asked.

"Yup the one and only.  This is my friend Oz."

"Prove it."

"Well let's see.  Cordelia probably complains about how big a mistake she made dating me about...oh I'm guessing at least twelve times a month."

"Thirteen actually."  Gunn smirked.  "We had a pool going in the office.  That still doesn't convince me though."

"Wait I know."  Fred blurted out.  "Come with me."

She ran up the steps to the second floor with everyone behind her.  Fred walked into the one of the hotel rooms while telling everybody.  "We had to move Cordelia's stuff in here." 

Fred went rummaging through one of the boxes and pulled out a photo album.  She rifled through it until she found the page she was looking for.  She turned the album around and pointed to an old picture from graduation day with Buffy, Willow, Xander, Oz and Cordelia in it.

"Cordelia showed this to me once."  Fred looked at Gunn.  "These guys went to school with her.  But I'm just wondering what happened to all the photos of you two when you were dating?"

"Um they were destroyed in a fire."

Hey it was close enough to the truth.

Gunn took the album alternately looking at the photo and the two men in front of him.  "Okay so maybe you did know Cordy.  So why are you here?"

"I need to talk to Angel it's really important."

Gunn and Fred looked at each other for a moment.  "Uh...well...Angel's not here."

"So when's he coming back?"  Oz and Xander didn't really understand what Fred was talking about.

"Why don't we go downstairs.  This is gonna take a while to explain."  Gunn told them.

Everyone went back downstairs into the lobby.  Xander crashed on the circular couch and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Okay basically what happened is...I really don't know how to put this but...Angel and Cordelia have been missing for over two months."

Fred jumped out of the way as Xander sprayed the water he was drinking all over himself.  "What?"

"They both disappeared at the same time.  We don't have any idea where they are." 

I had just about been ready to blame this entire incident on Deadboy.  Oz must've done 110 mph to get here but sure enough Angel ups and vanishes before I can convienently make him the scapegoat for all the stress I had felt today.  Typical Angel, huh?

Honestly I was looking forward to being able to dump some of this pressure on him.  I guess I was still alone on this.

"Well you heard that message, right?  Our friends are being held a demon named Sahjhan.  From what he told me those two have some issues they need to work out."

Gunn and Fred both looked worried by what Xander said.  "Did you say Sahjhan?"

"Yeah I did.  You two know him?"  Xander looked at Connor who was in the background just listening to this new stranger.  "And who are you guys anyways."

Fred gave a weak smile.  "My name's Fred.  This is Charles Gunn and..."

Connor finally spoke up interrupting Fred.  "I'm Connor.  Angel's my father."

The two men from Sunnydale looked incredibly confused. 

"Did you say Angel's son?"

"Geese you mean to tell me all these years Angel's been paying child support?"

Gunn sighed.  "This is gonna take a while."

They spent the next twenty minutes going over what had happened with Connor.  How he had been born then stolen by Holtz to a dimension called Quor-toth.  And only a few days afterwards, which was 16 years in Quor-toth, Connor returned.  They also threw in how Sahjhan masterminded the entire thing.  Now I've heard some weird stuff before but this is pushing it.

Oz looked at Gunn.  "So Connor is only a few months old?" 

"Yup."

"Weird."

"No kidding."

"Hey isn't Wesley supposed to be here?  What about him?"

"Yeah I've been wondering where is Wes?"  Xander added.

"We didn't to that part yet."  Fred answered.  "Sahjhan tricked Wesley into kidnapping Connor.  He changed one of the prophecies on the Nyazian Scrolls."

"Ny-aza whats?" 

"Xander they were scrolls we recovered that told us about Connor being born but we lost them just before that.  There was a ton of information about prophecies that involved Sahjhan."

"Well...I mean you guys don't have anything from them?  Any notes?  Anything?"

"Wesley was the one who translated them.  I gave most of them to him with his stuff after Angel kicked him out."

"Well where is he?"

"Not here.  Angel kinda made clear if Wes came back he'd kill him.  We tried asking for his help before but he said no."

"Well can Wesley help us?  Seeing as how Angel is on a hiatus I don't know who else could tell me about Sahjhan."

"That's the thing he made it clear he doesn't want to talk to us."

Xander got up from the circular couch.  "Maybe not you.  He didn't say anything about me."

----

Adam was pacing in the cave Sahjhan was keeping Buffy and Dawn in.  Sahjhan seemed calm as he watched the restless demonoid. 

"Adam relax.  Everything's going according to my plan."

"Your plan?"  Adam sneered.  "I don't care about your plan.  You promised I would have my way with the Slayer if I helped you."

"Give it time.  You have to be patient.  Besides..." He walked over and pulled up the head of the still unconscious Buffy.  "...I don't think I should be letting you two play anytime soon."

"The hell with your plan."  Adam went up to Buffy ready to snap her neck.  Just before he grabbed her Sahjhan intercepted him and stuck his hand into Adam's midsection gripping its uranium battery.

The demonoid felt Sahjhan's hold on its power source and stopped dead in its tracks. 

"Understand this Adam.  I fixed you.  I can unfix you just as easily.  You'll get your precious Slayer just be patient."  Adam sneered as Sahjhan kept his grip on the power cell.  "I've waited for this too long to have you go off half cocked and ruin everything.  Get out of here.  Do something in town I don't care as long as you come back level-headed."

Adam seemed to contemplate that statement for a second.  "Very well.  But if you betray me Buffy won't be the only one who dies."

Sahjhan let go of the hybrid demon.  Adam stormed out of the cave a moment later. 

Dawn had watched this entire seen play out.  She didn't say anything out of fear.  She was afraid of what Adam might do to her sister and to her.  She was still afraid of what this demon Sahjhan might do. 

Once Adam had left Sahjhan turned to her.  "Good help is so hard to find these days.  I'm sorry about butt face.  You okay Dawn?"

"No.  Why are you doing this?"

"Well it's pretty complex.  Let me tell you a little story Dawn.  You like stories?"

Dawn didn't say anything.

"Of course you do!  My race…well there's not really a name for us per se but we're considered bringers of chaos.  War, death, destruction were what we did best and we loved it!  Our sole purpose was sewing chaos across the globe."

"Was?"
"Yes was.  Apparently some higher beings got their panties in a bind and thought we were too dangerous to just leave alone.  They made our entire race non-corporeal.  We couldn't touch anything and objects simply passed through us."

"B-but I don't understand you can touch things!"

"Yeah I have your sister's ex-boyfriend to thank for that."

"Angel." Dawn muttered.

"Got it in one.  And they say the schools aren't helping kids learn.  Now even though some really powerful bastards did that to us it wasn't permanent.  Over the centuries I came across a ritual that could make my entire race corporeal again.  Problem was you needed a *really* powerful source of energy to make it work.  The answer's obvious: the Hellmouth.  But that's where things go wrong again.  I couldn't control something like the Hellmouth I'd blow myself to China trying.  Then sure enough I heard about this bimbo Glory..."

All the color disappeared from Dawn's face.  "You knew Glory?"
"Sure did.  Bitch couldn't suck out my noggin considering she couldn't touch me.  Had one hell of a fashion sense though.  Anyways she tried to focus a source of energy, the Key, to open a dimensional portal.  Then I thought 'Of Course!' using the Key I could focus the Hellmouth long enough to channel the energy needed."

Dawn was all the verge of crying.  Sahjhan was looking full of himself.  With a smile he told the girl.  "Dawn I know what you're thinking.  You're probably telling yourself you're human and not The Key.  Well I got news for you sweetie.  You can sugarcoat it all you want but all you are is a mystical source of energy that does nothing but bring death and destruction to everything you touch."

"I AM NOT!"

"Yes you are squirt.  This ritual's so powerful it'll turn most of Southern California into a parking lot.  Least Vegas'll still be there.  God I love that city."  The demon knelt down until he was eye to eye with Dawn.  "See you're gonna help me do it.  All those deaths, all that carnage it'll all be on your hands."

Dawn started crying as Sahjhan turned away from her. 

"Buffy..." Dawn muttered looking at her sister with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"How many times do I have to say this?  She won't be saving you. Oh but don't worry I'll make sure she's awake when it all happens."

----

"This is the place, right?"

"Well according to Fred's directions it is."

Oz went to knock on the door to Wesley's apartment only to have somebody open it from the inside.

Lilah looked at the two surprised men.  She looked at them and chuckled.  "Wes you've got visitors."

Xander couldn't help but stare at the tall brunette as she walked by them and down the hall.

In that ten second span my opinion of Wesley skyrocketed.  I was expecting the English dork from Sunnydale.  Boy I was in for a surprise.

Wesley walked into view from the doorway as he was putting on a t-shirt.  It was starting to become obvious what he had been doing with Lilah.  "Alexander Harris.  You're quite possibly the last person I ever expected to see at my door."

----

While Xander was meeting with Wesley the group from Angel Investigations went back to what was Sahjhan's chamber.  All the torches were out and thus Fred, Gunn and Connor were searching through the room with flashlights.

Connor looked like he didn't want to be there.  "What exactly are we looking for?"

"A reticulin urn.  Looks like a really ugly vase."  Gunn told him.

Angel's son groaned.  "I don't understand why we're doing this.  This isn't our problem."

Before Gunn could answer Fred yelled, "Over here!"

Gunn and Connor ran over to her. 

"You found it?"
"What's left of it."
Gunn shined his flashlight to where Fred's was pointing.  The Reticulin Urn was shattered. 

"Sahjhan's loose..."

"...and there's no Angel to help us."  Gunn finished Fred's statement.  "The prophecy said the son of a vampire will kill Sahjhan."

They both looked at Connor.  Connor just looked confused.

"Huh?"

---

TBC

Next Chapter:  Wesley gives Xander an ultimatum for his help.  And just how did Sahjhan escape from the urn?