Chapter 16
As the summer progressed, the small group began to rebuild Angel Investigations. For Gunn and Wesley, it was
much like the time that Angel had fired them, especially for Wesley whose current relationship with Angel was
filled with animosity.
Gunn coordinated attacks and became their unofficial leader in battle. Even Connor started to take his cues from
him. Willow began to manage the office, even bravely tackling the filing system that Cordelia had left behind.
Wesley returned to research and to reestablishing his contacts. Fred flitted between them, helping where she
could, when she could sit still long enough. Wesley was teaching her about what it was that he did, in the very
real possibility that he would have to leave when Angel returned.
Connor drifted in and out. If he was there when Willow had a vision, he would help them out. Occasionally, he
would have a meal with them. They never knew from one night to the next if he would be sleeping up in his
room or not, but the nights he did slowly became more frequent. Everyone tried not to push him, especially
Wesley, who knew that Connor held the key to finding Angel. The boy was slowly learning, being reconditioned to
the idea of family, and of right and wrong, without him knowing it. He too was becoming part of the new Angel
Investigations.
He was more shocked than anyone else to realize, one day, that he was holding the red-headed witch, on the
floor of the lobby, as she recovered from her latest vision. He slowly stoked her hair in a soothing and curious
manner. Willow lay still in his lap, not wanting to scare him off, and not wanting to jar her head with sudden
movements. Wesley held on to the corner of the wall to keep himself from tearing Willow away and protecting
her. He needed to force himself to see this through. Gunn was once again practical and brought her some
aspirin and water.
Wesley was a little surprised to discover how much he had come to care about Willow in the last few months.
They had spent a lot of time together, and their meetings on the rooftop for coffee had become a regular ritual.
She didn't know many people in LA, and other than the occasionally calls by Giles to check up on her, she had
had little contact with he friends she had left behind in Sunnydale. They had spent many evenings together,
while Fred and Gunn were busy, first, out of mutual loneliness, then out of mutual desire.
When Willow was ready, they all stood and geared up. They headed to the beach, all realizing that there had
been some sort of shift in the dynamics of the group.
**********
Chapter 17
They had fought the nest of Corsalch demons, and were burning the corpses in a beachfront bonfire. Fred and
Gunn were toasting marshmallows in a separate smaller fire and giggling as the sticky confection coated their
fingers and faces. Wesley and Willow were sitting close together, sharing confidences, as they had begun to do
over the last few months. Connor was standing at the edge of the surf, looking out over the horizon, as the
waves lapped at his feet.
Wesley saw the eerie stillness of the boy who was always in motion, and sensed something important was
happening. He excused himself from Willow with a smile, brushing his hand over her hair before joining Connor.
Both were silent as the waves slid in and out. Wesley had learned not to push, and was developing an affection
for the young man he was reconciling to the child he had tried and failed to save. He lent his silent support and
waited for Connor to open up to him.
When Connor did talk, it surprised the hell out of him. "He's out there somewhere. I did that to him. We put him
in a box and dropped him into the water. They didn't have that much water where on Quor-toth. I had never
seen an ocean before.
"My father told me about vampires, that they can't die. Only the sun, or a stake or cutting off their heads would
kill them. He's still alive. We locked him in a metal box and dropped him in there, so that he couldn't get out and
he couldn't die.
"Why didn't I kill him? My father, Holtz, he wanted me to. He died so that I would. Why isn't he dead?"
Wesley didn't know what to do. His instincts were warring to snatch up the boy, and pound him, asking, "How
can you do this? He would have done anything for you. How could you? Where is he? Where is he?" He knew
better. He knew he had to take this slow if he had any chance of saving either of them, both of them.
He took a deep breath. "I don't know.
"Did anyone ever tell you the story of how you ended up with Holtz, and not with Angel, how Holtz ended up
taking you to Quor-toth?"
Connor looked at him in confusion and shook his head. Even his father had only said that he took Stephen to
protect him from the demon who was his actual father.
Willow had wandered near, wanting to lend her support to the man and boy she had come to care for. She
listened carefully, as Wesley began, wanting to learn more about the ache that was tearing him up inside.
Wesley looked out over the ocean for a moment. This was what he had to do. It was part of his penance "...
maybe they'll punish you enough..." the whisper of Willow's voice that day she came to the apartment, flitted
through his head. He must bare his soul and try to mend the riff between father and son.
"We were researching a prophecy, the Tro-clan. It told of the person or being that brings about the ruination of
mankind, or something like that, or so we thought. It was actually a confluence of events. Then Darla showed up
at the hotel.
"She was pregnant, quite pregnant in fact. She was very upset with Angel. She had been trying for months to...
well, it doesn't really matter. But she didn't know any more than we did, how a vampire had managed to
become pregnant, especially by another vampire.
"She started to go into labor, and it seemed that every force in town wanted to get their hands on her and her
child. We were fighting vampires and Wolfram and Hart," Wesley sighed, "and then Holtz showed up.
"Hundreds of years ago, Darla and the then Angelus were being hunted by Holtz, and to torture him, they killed
his family, and turned his daughter. He vowed revenge. He made a deal with a demon named Sahjan, and came
200 years into the future for that revenge.
"Darla, as you know, was a vampire. As such, she was dead. Her body was unable to sustain the process of
giving birth. She was also concerned that, once she had given birth, she would be a danger to you, as well. She
asked Angel to care for you, and then... She staked herself. You were born from her ashes.
"Holtz was there, and for his own reasons, let you and your father survive. This, however, did not stop any of the
groups that were trying to get a hold of you.
"We did what we could to protect you. However, unknown to us, at the time, Wolfram and Hart began mixing
your blood into Angel's blood supply. He began acting strangely.
"In the meantime, I had discovered a prophecy that I believed indicated that Angel would kill you. It wasn't until
after you were gone that I discovered that I was in error. The prophecy was false, planted by Sahjan to prevent
you from killing him, as the true prophecy stated.
"I tried to guarantee your safety. I betrayed Angel and my friends and met with Holtz. He assured me that you
would come to no harm, and he would raise you as his own.
"He betrayed me, as I deserved, and Justine slit my throat and left me for dead.
"Angel caught up with Holtz, as did Wolfram and Hart and Sahjan. Sahjan threatened to suck the world into the
Quor-toth if you were not killed. Holtz took you and ran into the portal. It sealed behind him, stranding you both
in that dimension.
"Angel blamed me for your loss. I took his son from him and gave you to his enemies. All he cared about was
getting you back. He attempted to do so using some dark magics, which resulted in the rift that you eventually
did come through.
"The thing about all of us, the people we are, and the family we have become... We all have things to atone for."
Wesley looked over the small group on the beach, his face softening when he saw Willow listening intently.
"Except, maybe Fred, but she is a special case, with her own demons.
"None of us is perfect, not me, not Angel. We are all just looking for redemption, and maybe a little peace."
Wesley gave a wry little smile and shrugged. "We have only our consciences to guide us, and the idea that the
fight is a good one, necessary."
Wesley stood and brushed off his pants. He stared out into the ocean. "Only you can decide how you will fight
and why. Holtz can't do that for you. Neither can Angel. Nor can I."
Taking his words to heart, he turned away and left the boy to his thoughts. As he walked away, Willow stood and
welcomed him into her arms, tears in her eyes.
**********
Chapter 18
Connor had remained silent for the rest of the night and much of the next morning. Wesley had remained closed
in his office alternately pacing or flipping through various texts, unable to absorb a single word.
He had made some phone calls, tried to get things ready for when the boy came around, but it was fruitless
without the boy's help. He had even worked with Willow to do a locator spell, like she had done for Connor. She
had confessed that she had tried before, with no luck.
She believed as the others did, that he wasn't dead, and if he was in the ocean, he was supposedly still on this
plane. Still, she had no luck in locating him, even with this new information. She had rambled on, trying to
explain away why Angel couldn't be found, but she looked as dejected as he felt.
If he was too far away, or in this case, too far down, it might still be able to locate him, even with Connor's help.
It would also leave them with the problem of raising him from those depths. Wesley slammed his fist on the desk
in frustration.
When Connor finally came to knock on his door, he almost exploded, "Come in!"
Connor looked shaken, but he stood fast. "He... I... We took him on a boat, about ten miles out. He's near Point
Dume. He... We left him at the bottom in an iron box." He shifted nervously. "I want to help you... to get him
back."
Wesley nodded, holding onto his composure and picked up the phone. The number had been memorized late last
night, waiting only on a location. "We're ready," he spoke into the phone. "Tonight, sunset, Point Dume." he
listened to his contact on the other end. "Yes, that'll be fine. We'll be there."
He stood up and walked to the doorway. He placed one hand on Connor's shoulder and called to Willow, where
she was talking quietly to Gunn and Fred. "Willow. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Wes. Is it time?"
"Almost. Gather your things; we meet at sunset.
"Gunn, we're going to need blood. Human, if you can get it. Quite a bit. He... Angel won't have fed in... since
he's been gone. And Gunn, gear up. We don't know what we'll be facing."
Everyone sobered as they realized he meant the starving vampire as well as external forces. Each of them
scrambled to do his or her respective part. Willow prepared the spells she would need. Gunn got supplies.
Connor and Wesley coordinated the rescue with what details the boy could remember. Fred worked on the
logistics of trying to raise the iron crypt from the bottom of the ocean.
Finally, it was time. They all walked together out the front door. It was time to bring one of the lost members of
their family home. Angel would be saved. They would worry about the consequences later.
**********
Chapter 19
Willow roamed the moonlit beach gathering shells, sand dollars and other treasures that had been washed up by
the tide. She grounded and centered, preparing for her part in the rescue, as the others readied the boat.
She had considered that some magic force, or The Powers That Be may be blocking her spell, but realized it was
the ocean itself. When she had tried again last night, she could almost feel the ebb and flow of the tide as it
responded to the almost full moon. The ocean itself was almost a living, breathing entity. The waters of life,
teeming and overflowing in abundance. Magically, it was a great place to hide things. The ocean keeps her own
conscious and hides her treasures well.
Wesley signaled to her, and she made her way back to them. It was time.
He squeezed her hand in reassurance as she boarded the flat boat, and she felt instantly calmer. She made her
way to the back of the barge and sat in the middle of the large flat deck, not far from the end, where the water
broke over the flat edge.
She began to assemble a small altar with a blue and white cloth of washed silk. Her items from the beach formed
a circle on the cloth, representing the circle of life. In the center of this she placed an open silver fan. She
reached into the pouch at her waist and took out a handful of sea salt and white rose petals. She scattered them
in a circle around her, speaking words of protection, of reverence and humility, and of blessing. Then she began
to meditate.
The engine slowed and idled down as they reached the point that Connor had indicated on the map. Willow stood
in the center of her circle and unbound her hair. The others hung back to watch and to wait. Her hair and the
blue robe she wore danced in the breeze and clung to her body in the ocean spray.
She lifted a large conch shell above her head and began. "Ocean Mother, Yemaya, Mother Water, the Star of the
Sea. She who knows the hidden depths and is keeper of the sunken treasures, upon you now I call.
"Come to us, who are in need of your wisdom and guidance. Know that we ask your blessing in love, as children
of your waters, and as seekers of your true wisdom, that we may find that which was lost to us. Come. Stella
Maris, Yemaya. Come."
The winds picked up and Willow's eyes shone bright blue with white clouds dancing through their depths. Storm
clouds rolled in. The shell she held aloft began to glow with a blue light in the darkness, like a beacon. A stream
of blue light shot out from her upraised hands and struck one of the clouds. From it, a strike of lightning flashed,
crashing down into the ocean about fifteen yards northeast of their position and illuminating the night.
Wesley signaled to the captain and the boat slowly idled up, moving toward the spot. The shell in Willow's hands
grew brighter, shifting from blue to white as they moved to the area marked by the goddess.
"Stop!" Willow called out, and knelt on the deck. She placed the shell down in the center of her altar, and the
Captain dropped the anchor. She turned and nodded. "He's here." At her words, the divers donned their
breathing apparatuses and dove overboard.
Everyone seemed to hold his or her breath as long minutes passed. Finally, one of the divers broke the surface
and signaled for the winch. They cried out in relief as the large chain began to unwind.
The diver once again disappeared below the surface. Just as he did, Fred called out and pointed to the yacht
pulling closer to them from the north. Its searchlights were bearing down on them.
**********
Chapter 20
Wesley and Gunn both cursed, as they could see Lilah, Gavin and Linwood on the bow of the yacht that obviously
belonged to Wolfram and Hart. Gunn began unpacking weapons as the yacht pulled up along the barge. Two
men came off the bridge with large swords and stood beside Connor, Fred, Wesley and Gunn. The captain began
retracting the anchor and the barge swayed. Willow did her best to keep it still so that the divers could get to
Angel. Unfortunately, that also made it easier for the men and demons that were trying to board their boat by
the ramp lowered from the yacht.
Connor rushed Justine as she joined the contingent from Wolfram and Hart. Wesley and Gunn were trying to
keep the intruders at bay and the two groups began fighting in earnest. The lawyers hung back and watched the
melee.
One of the divers activated the winch, stopping its descent. The loud grinding noise as the chain stopped,
spurred the group to more furious fighting and jarred the barge so that the ramp broke free. Justine and Connor
were both knocked about at the movement, and she fell overboard. Connor leaped back onto the deck.
One of the demons was coming up behind Wesley. Willow saw a bright Technicolor image of his sword swinging
toward Wesley's head, with the eerie knowledge that this was about to happen. She screamed out his name, and
he reacted instinctively, swinging around toward her voice. He moved out of range as the demon began his
swing and his opponent was beheaded instead.
The winch began to move again, ascending. Wesley and Gunn dispatched the last of the demons just as the iron
box broke the surface. Willow quickly thanked the Goddess and bid her farewell, opening her circle. All that was
left was to escape.
Wesley yelled at the Captain to start the engines and Willow helped pull the divers aboard. Together they
secured the retrieved box. They pulled away as Fred pushed the last man from Wolfram and Hart overboard.
Linwood scowled as his men began to climb back up the ladder to the yacht, but they didn't pursue. Lilah moved
to give Justine a hand as she reached the top of the ladder and pulled her aboard. She smiled in her self-satisfied
way and held onto the young woman's hand. "Welcome to Wolfram and Hart."
**********
As the summer progressed, the small group began to rebuild Angel Investigations. For Gunn and Wesley, it was
much like the time that Angel had fired them, especially for Wesley whose current relationship with Angel was
filled with animosity.
Gunn coordinated attacks and became their unofficial leader in battle. Even Connor started to take his cues from
him. Willow began to manage the office, even bravely tackling the filing system that Cordelia had left behind.
Wesley returned to research and to reestablishing his contacts. Fred flitted between them, helping where she
could, when she could sit still long enough. Wesley was teaching her about what it was that he did, in the very
real possibility that he would have to leave when Angel returned.
Connor drifted in and out. If he was there when Willow had a vision, he would help them out. Occasionally, he
would have a meal with them. They never knew from one night to the next if he would be sleeping up in his
room or not, but the nights he did slowly became more frequent. Everyone tried not to push him, especially
Wesley, who knew that Connor held the key to finding Angel. The boy was slowly learning, being reconditioned to
the idea of family, and of right and wrong, without him knowing it. He too was becoming part of the new Angel
Investigations.
He was more shocked than anyone else to realize, one day, that he was holding the red-headed witch, on the
floor of the lobby, as she recovered from her latest vision. He slowly stoked her hair in a soothing and curious
manner. Willow lay still in his lap, not wanting to scare him off, and not wanting to jar her head with sudden
movements. Wesley held on to the corner of the wall to keep himself from tearing Willow away and protecting
her. He needed to force himself to see this through. Gunn was once again practical and brought her some
aspirin and water.
Wesley was a little surprised to discover how much he had come to care about Willow in the last few months.
They had spent a lot of time together, and their meetings on the rooftop for coffee had become a regular ritual.
She didn't know many people in LA, and other than the occasionally calls by Giles to check up on her, she had
had little contact with he friends she had left behind in Sunnydale. They had spent many evenings together,
while Fred and Gunn were busy, first, out of mutual loneliness, then out of mutual desire.
When Willow was ready, they all stood and geared up. They headed to the beach, all realizing that there had
been some sort of shift in the dynamics of the group.
**********
Chapter 17
They had fought the nest of Corsalch demons, and were burning the corpses in a beachfront bonfire. Fred and
Gunn were toasting marshmallows in a separate smaller fire and giggling as the sticky confection coated their
fingers and faces. Wesley and Willow were sitting close together, sharing confidences, as they had begun to do
over the last few months. Connor was standing at the edge of the surf, looking out over the horizon, as the
waves lapped at his feet.
Wesley saw the eerie stillness of the boy who was always in motion, and sensed something important was
happening. He excused himself from Willow with a smile, brushing his hand over her hair before joining Connor.
Both were silent as the waves slid in and out. Wesley had learned not to push, and was developing an affection
for the young man he was reconciling to the child he had tried and failed to save. He lent his silent support and
waited for Connor to open up to him.
When Connor did talk, it surprised the hell out of him. "He's out there somewhere. I did that to him. We put him
in a box and dropped him into the water. They didn't have that much water where on Quor-toth. I had never
seen an ocean before.
"My father told me about vampires, that they can't die. Only the sun, or a stake or cutting off their heads would
kill them. He's still alive. We locked him in a metal box and dropped him in there, so that he couldn't get out and
he couldn't die.
"Why didn't I kill him? My father, Holtz, he wanted me to. He died so that I would. Why isn't he dead?"
Wesley didn't know what to do. His instincts were warring to snatch up the boy, and pound him, asking, "How
can you do this? He would have done anything for you. How could you? Where is he? Where is he?" He knew
better. He knew he had to take this slow if he had any chance of saving either of them, both of them.
He took a deep breath. "I don't know.
"Did anyone ever tell you the story of how you ended up with Holtz, and not with Angel, how Holtz ended up
taking you to Quor-toth?"
Connor looked at him in confusion and shook his head. Even his father had only said that he took Stephen to
protect him from the demon who was his actual father.
Willow had wandered near, wanting to lend her support to the man and boy she had come to care for. She
listened carefully, as Wesley began, wanting to learn more about the ache that was tearing him up inside.
Wesley looked out over the ocean for a moment. This was what he had to do. It was part of his penance "...
maybe they'll punish you enough..." the whisper of Willow's voice that day she came to the apartment, flitted
through his head. He must bare his soul and try to mend the riff between father and son.
"We were researching a prophecy, the Tro-clan. It told of the person or being that brings about the ruination of
mankind, or something like that, or so we thought. It was actually a confluence of events. Then Darla showed up
at the hotel.
"She was pregnant, quite pregnant in fact. She was very upset with Angel. She had been trying for months to...
well, it doesn't really matter. But she didn't know any more than we did, how a vampire had managed to
become pregnant, especially by another vampire.
"She started to go into labor, and it seemed that every force in town wanted to get their hands on her and her
child. We were fighting vampires and Wolfram and Hart," Wesley sighed, "and then Holtz showed up.
"Hundreds of years ago, Darla and the then Angelus were being hunted by Holtz, and to torture him, they killed
his family, and turned his daughter. He vowed revenge. He made a deal with a demon named Sahjan, and came
200 years into the future for that revenge.
"Darla, as you know, was a vampire. As such, she was dead. Her body was unable to sustain the process of
giving birth. She was also concerned that, once she had given birth, she would be a danger to you, as well. She
asked Angel to care for you, and then... She staked herself. You were born from her ashes.
"Holtz was there, and for his own reasons, let you and your father survive. This, however, did not stop any of the
groups that were trying to get a hold of you.
"We did what we could to protect you. However, unknown to us, at the time, Wolfram and Hart began mixing
your blood into Angel's blood supply. He began acting strangely.
"In the meantime, I had discovered a prophecy that I believed indicated that Angel would kill you. It wasn't until
after you were gone that I discovered that I was in error. The prophecy was false, planted by Sahjan to prevent
you from killing him, as the true prophecy stated.
"I tried to guarantee your safety. I betrayed Angel and my friends and met with Holtz. He assured me that you
would come to no harm, and he would raise you as his own.
"He betrayed me, as I deserved, and Justine slit my throat and left me for dead.
"Angel caught up with Holtz, as did Wolfram and Hart and Sahjan. Sahjan threatened to suck the world into the
Quor-toth if you were not killed. Holtz took you and ran into the portal. It sealed behind him, stranding you both
in that dimension.
"Angel blamed me for your loss. I took his son from him and gave you to his enemies. All he cared about was
getting you back. He attempted to do so using some dark magics, which resulted in the rift that you eventually
did come through.
"The thing about all of us, the people we are, and the family we have become... We all have things to atone for."
Wesley looked over the small group on the beach, his face softening when he saw Willow listening intently.
"Except, maybe Fred, but she is a special case, with her own demons.
"None of us is perfect, not me, not Angel. We are all just looking for redemption, and maybe a little peace."
Wesley gave a wry little smile and shrugged. "We have only our consciences to guide us, and the idea that the
fight is a good one, necessary."
Wesley stood and brushed off his pants. He stared out into the ocean. "Only you can decide how you will fight
and why. Holtz can't do that for you. Neither can Angel. Nor can I."
Taking his words to heart, he turned away and left the boy to his thoughts. As he walked away, Willow stood and
welcomed him into her arms, tears in her eyes.
**********
Chapter 18
Connor had remained silent for the rest of the night and much of the next morning. Wesley had remained closed
in his office alternately pacing or flipping through various texts, unable to absorb a single word.
He had made some phone calls, tried to get things ready for when the boy came around, but it was fruitless
without the boy's help. He had even worked with Willow to do a locator spell, like she had done for Connor. She
had confessed that she had tried before, with no luck.
She believed as the others did, that he wasn't dead, and if he was in the ocean, he was supposedly still on this
plane. Still, she had no luck in locating him, even with this new information. She had rambled on, trying to
explain away why Angel couldn't be found, but she looked as dejected as he felt.
If he was too far away, or in this case, too far down, it might still be able to locate him, even with Connor's help.
It would also leave them with the problem of raising him from those depths. Wesley slammed his fist on the desk
in frustration.
When Connor finally came to knock on his door, he almost exploded, "Come in!"
Connor looked shaken, but he stood fast. "He... I... We took him on a boat, about ten miles out. He's near Point
Dume. He... We left him at the bottom in an iron box." He shifted nervously. "I want to help you... to get him
back."
Wesley nodded, holding onto his composure and picked up the phone. The number had been memorized late last
night, waiting only on a location. "We're ready," he spoke into the phone. "Tonight, sunset, Point Dume." he
listened to his contact on the other end. "Yes, that'll be fine. We'll be there."
He stood up and walked to the doorway. He placed one hand on Connor's shoulder and called to Willow, where
she was talking quietly to Gunn and Fred. "Willow. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Wes. Is it time?"
"Almost. Gather your things; we meet at sunset.
"Gunn, we're going to need blood. Human, if you can get it. Quite a bit. He... Angel won't have fed in... since
he's been gone. And Gunn, gear up. We don't know what we'll be facing."
Everyone sobered as they realized he meant the starving vampire as well as external forces. Each of them
scrambled to do his or her respective part. Willow prepared the spells she would need. Gunn got supplies.
Connor and Wesley coordinated the rescue with what details the boy could remember. Fred worked on the
logistics of trying to raise the iron crypt from the bottom of the ocean.
Finally, it was time. They all walked together out the front door. It was time to bring one of the lost members of
their family home. Angel would be saved. They would worry about the consequences later.
**********
Chapter 19
Willow roamed the moonlit beach gathering shells, sand dollars and other treasures that had been washed up by
the tide. She grounded and centered, preparing for her part in the rescue, as the others readied the boat.
She had considered that some magic force, or The Powers That Be may be blocking her spell, but realized it was
the ocean itself. When she had tried again last night, she could almost feel the ebb and flow of the tide as it
responded to the almost full moon. The ocean itself was almost a living, breathing entity. The waters of life,
teeming and overflowing in abundance. Magically, it was a great place to hide things. The ocean keeps her own
conscious and hides her treasures well.
Wesley signaled to her, and she made her way back to them. It was time.
He squeezed her hand in reassurance as she boarded the flat boat, and she felt instantly calmer. She made her
way to the back of the barge and sat in the middle of the large flat deck, not far from the end, where the water
broke over the flat edge.
She began to assemble a small altar with a blue and white cloth of washed silk. Her items from the beach formed
a circle on the cloth, representing the circle of life. In the center of this she placed an open silver fan. She
reached into the pouch at her waist and took out a handful of sea salt and white rose petals. She scattered them
in a circle around her, speaking words of protection, of reverence and humility, and of blessing. Then she began
to meditate.
The engine slowed and idled down as they reached the point that Connor had indicated on the map. Willow stood
in the center of her circle and unbound her hair. The others hung back to watch and to wait. Her hair and the
blue robe she wore danced in the breeze and clung to her body in the ocean spray.
She lifted a large conch shell above her head and began. "Ocean Mother, Yemaya, Mother Water, the Star of the
Sea. She who knows the hidden depths and is keeper of the sunken treasures, upon you now I call.
"Come to us, who are in need of your wisdom and guidance. Know that we ask your blessing in love, as children
of your waters, and as seekers of your true wisdom, that we may find that which was lost to us. Come. Stella
Maris, Yemaya. Come."
The winds picked up and Willow's eyes shone bright blue with white clouds dancing through their depths. Storm
clouds rolled in. The shell she held aloft began to glow with a blue light in the darkness, like a beacon. A stream
of blue light shot out from her upraised hands and struck one of the clouds. From it, a strike of lightning flashed,
crashing down into the ocean about fifteen yards northeast of their position and illuminating the night.
Wesley signaled to the captain and the boat slowly idled up, moving toward the spot. The shell in Willow's hands
grew brighter, shifting from blue to white as they moved to the area marked by the goddess.
"Stop!" Willow called out, and knelt on the deck. She placed the shell down in the center of her altar, and the
Captain dropped the anchor. She turned and nodded. "He's here." At her words, the divers donned their
breathing apparatuses and dove overboard.
Everyone seemed to hold his or her breath as long minutes passed. Finally, one of the divers broke the surface
and signaled for the winch. They cried out in relief as the large chain began to unwind.
The diver once again disappeared below the surface. Just as he did, Fred called out and pointed to the yacht
pulling closer to them from the north. Its searchlights were bearing down on them.
**********
Chapter 20
Wesley and Gunn both cursed, as they could see Lilah, Gavin and Linwood on the bow of the yacht that obviously
belonged to Wolfram and Hart. Gunn began unpacking weapons as the yacht pulled up along the barge. Two
men came off the bridge with large swords and stood beside Connor, Fred, Wesley and Gunn. The captain began
retracting the anchor and the barge swayed. Willow did her best to keep it still so that the divers could get to
Angel. Unfortunately, that also made it easier for the men and demons that were trying to board their boat by
the ramp lowered from the yacht.
Connor rushed Justine as she joined the contingent from Wolfram and Hart. Wesley and Gunn were trying to
keep the intruders at bay and the two groups began fighting in earnest. The lawyers hung back and watched the
melee.
One of the divers activated the winch, stopping its descent. The loud grinding noise as the chain stopped,
spurred the group to more furious fighting and jarred the barge so that the ramp broke free. Justine and Connor
were both knocked about at the movement, and she fell overboard. Connor leaped back onto the deck.
One of the demons was coming up behind Wesley. Willow saw a bright Technicolor image of his sword swinging
toward Wesley's head, with the eerie knowledge that this was about to happen. She screamed out his name, and
he reacted instinctively, swinging around toward her voice. He moved out of range as the demon began his
swing and his opponent was beheaded instead.
The winch began to move again, ascending. Wesley and Gunn dispatched the last of the demons just as the iron
box broke the surface. Willow quickly thanked the Goddess and bid her farewell, opening her circle. All that was
left was to escape.
Wesley yelled at the Captain to start the engines and Willow helped pull the divers aboard. Together they
secured the retrieved box. They pulled away as Fred pushed the last man from Wolfram and Hart overboard.
Linwood scowled as his men began to climb back up the ladder to the yacht, but they didn't pursue. Lilah moved
to give Justine a hand as she reached the top of the ladder and pulled her aboard. She smiled in her self-satisfied
way and held onto the young woman's hand. "Welcome to Wolfram and Hart."
**********