Wesley shook his head as he walked beside Gunn. Fred was falling behind, a large axe over her shoulders. "I'm convinced I've seen that man before."
"You know a lot of crazy seers, do you?" Gunn replied.
"Crazy seers...." Wesley looked frustrated. "That sounds familiar too. I just need to figure out where I know it from."
"Well, figure it out. It would be nice to know where this guy comes from, especially if he's supposed to be Angel's new source. But first let's save these kids."
"Didn't Lorne seem a bit uh... too enthusiastic when we left him behind? I didn't think he enjoyed babysitting all that much?"
Gunn snickered at Fred's description of their friend's behavior. Enthusiastic was putting it mildly. When they'd left the room Lorne had practically been plumping their guest's pillow before letting him sit down.
Wes gripped a stake in his hand.
"So, did this William tell you exactly what we'll be facing?"
"Uh, ..." Gunn started going through his pockets. "I know I wrote it down somewhere, now where did I..."
"Something called cravatte goths or something like it..."
He tried for his backpocket once more.
"Yellow scales, no horns, with claws... That tell you anything?"
"Kavrath me Gogh's you mean?"
"Yeah like I said."
"Are they bad?" Fred asked nervously. "Do we have enough firepower?"
"A few axes should do the job. They're generally a simple slice and dice sort of assignment. Are you sure you couldn't reach Angel?"
"I can try again." Fred pulled out her cell-phone, dialing. She frowned after a moment.
"He has it turned off."
"Damn."
"Just the three of us then uh..."
Gunn smiled, remembering when it had been just him, Wesley and Cordelia, simpler times... God how he missed them. No matter the pain then, things had just been… easier.
Fred slipped her phone back into her pocket.
"I keep on having bad thoughts. Like maybe C-Justine sunk him to the bottom of the ocean again."
She shook her head quickly. What was that? It was a strange slip of the tongue.
"Nah, he's probably just enjoying the high life. Sitting in a bar, drinking a bloody Mary and completely forgeting to check his phone at least once an hour
"Charles! Angel wouldn't do that. He's probably out saving someone."
"Yeah, the rich and the powerful. Glad to know we've changed the mission." Gunn grunted.
"We shouldn't jump to any conclusions," Wesley said calmly. "We'll speak to Angel when we get back to the office."
"If we can find him," Gunn added bitterly.
"Gunn... Don't... We have a job to do.."
*******
He'd stayed put at first, staring at the green demon that dressed like Liberace.
"Anything I can get you, Crumpet?" the demon asked, giving him a great big smile.
Dru had teaparties. His beautiful princess. They had crumpets and other sweets.
Little sweets, god no...
He got up, looking for a place to hide. If he stood still would they know he was real, would they go past him, invisible.
If he didn't see them, would they see him? The shadows saw him, always did...
There were shadows on the corners, in the closets in the room. Shadows of death, sniffs of blood spread through the mortar, death sniffing at him, creeping closer.
The green guy, the shadow that couldn't possibly be real left him. Nice shadow, big enough to touch.
Everything was so strange, weird, not common place. Like his mother's parlor in his mind. Bearing crumpets, easy words. Sing a lullaby.
All thoughts ended with one, cold word. It sounded so familiar, where did he know it from?
"Spike."
Came it from beside him, came it from below? He didn't know.
Rhyme
Who's the dark shadow in the light? Dressed in black, dark knight.
He was grabbed by the shoulder, roughly, too roughly. "Spike. Talk to me." There was a snarl to the voice.
"Buffy said you were dead."
Buffy.... Buffy.... He could never forget that word.
"Buffy."
****
Angel's first connected with Spike's face, sending him backwards. Spike brought a hand to his mouth, blood sliding down his lip
"You're not real." Spike muttered.
Angel growled, coming at him again. With every word, he gave another blow.
"Angel no!" Fred ran in, grabbing his fist. "Don't!"
"This is Spike!" Angel snarled.
"Spike.... Of course. That's why he seemed so familiar." Wesley shook his head.
"But.... Angel.... Isn't Spike a vampire."
Angel's let his anger towards Spike recede. He focused on the man ranting in front of him, who licked the blood from his fingers. He concentrated... There was the heartbeat.... The working lungs....
"Spike.... You're.... Alive."
tbc
