Angel awoke. His vision was slightly blurred... the result of a stake to the side of his head. He lay on the floor, unsure of his surroundings and tried to steady his nerves. The floor was cold against his body... too cold... his shirt was ripped off him and his bare skin was pressed against the cold concrete floor of the basement. His shoes were also taken. The pain around his wrists. What was that? Of course... chains making him one with the wall. The chains were long enough for him to move freely around, but the connections to the wall were placed high above his head.

"Been in this posistion before" he joked to himself. That was the only comfort he could give himself in the current circumstances. His hearing was still intact though; the door above him opened and he felt the rays of a high-intensity light hit him from the upper floor. Footsteps. Down a flight of stairs. Closer to him. Silence.

"I know you can hear me Angelus... but you cant see me. I fed you a drug an old friend made for me... acts as a temporary blindness drug... makes your tear ducts give out chemical liquids... which is why you're a little burnt. I would have used holy water... but being a vampire and all... oh wait... you would know all about what I am... since you made me you bastard" Will came over to Angel, and kicked him hard, three times in the stomach and chest. Angel rolled around on the floor in pain. It seemed as though he was weaker than normal.

"Look... Wes... Will... whatever your name is... I don't know what you're... talking about... I'm not the person who you think I am." Angel struggled to talk. He was in pain.

"Don't lie to me you murdering bastard. I know exactly what you are" Will grabbed Angels face and shouted in his ears. "YOU WRECKED MY LIFE. YOU TOOK IT ALL FROM ME. YOU KILLED ME" Will punched Angel full in the side of the face. "I'm going to take my sweet time over this." Will left Angel in a heap on the floor and casually walked up the stairs, locking the door behind him.

Wes rang the hotel for the fifth time. No answer.

"Damn it, this is urgent where the hell is everybody." He slammed the phone down and grabbed his coat. He was in no state to drive, so he needed to find another way of getting to the hotel to explain to Angel what he had discovered. As he got to the door, someone on the otherside was already knocking.

"Wes, Wes are you there is Gunn" Wes ran to the door and opened it. There stood Gunn and Fred.

"I was trying to call you guys, what... what are you doing here?"

"Get in the car and we'll explain on the way to the hotel" Gunn spoke quickly and to the point.

"Ok, let me just get a few things" Wes ran back to the table and picked up the diary. "Where's Angel?" he asked innocently.

"That's what we need to talk about" Wes had already figured out what was to be said...

*Concentrate. I need to concentrate. The chains are long and are weak. I just need to find one deep ounce of stregnth. This is an exact replica of the hotel back home. So... there should be an air vent and ladder in this basement* Angels eyes were still blurred and ached when he tried to focus. He carefully limped himself up to a standing posistion. He was so weak and beaten. He rolled the long chains around his arms and pulled on them as hard as he could. He grit his teeth together and let out a gasp. No. Not that easy. The connections on the wall didnt budge. Useless. He slumped to his knees.

His wrists were aching and felt as though they were against a really rough material. He felt around his wrists and the cuffs then noticed something odd about them; they were slightly bigger than his wrist. If he squeezed his hands tight enough he could get out of them. He tried. Making his hands as small a shape as he could. No use. One last thing he could try. This would hurt him alot. He knew it. But it was the only way he could escape. He placed the thumb of his right hand on the wall, inbetween the fourty-five degree angle of where the floor and wall join... raised his foot... and bought it crashing down inbetween the joint of the thumb... it was dislocated. He let out a scream. He hadn't felt pain like this in a long time. Carefully... slowly... he slipped his mangeled hand out of the cuff. One hand free. Now the other. He couldn't do the same to the other hand, as this would leave him totally useless. He tried to look for materials around the room to help him out. But he couldn't see anything at all. His vision was still unclear. *Concentrate. Use your senses.* He sniffed the air. To the left of him. a plank of wood. He stuck a foot out. Just reached. Dragged the plank back to himself. This was possible now, as his right hand was free and he was able to swing around. He twisted the plank between the remaining chain linking his left hand and twisted his the chains link to the cuff came loose and snapped. Free.

The room where the diary was found. Wes examined where Angel had been transported to the other world. There was nothing there.

"I think... I think I know whats happening." Gunn and Fred gathered closer to Wes. "At first I thought this was something to do with time. Time travel. That somehow the diary was a link to events that had happened... and we were merely living them out again. But this isn't the case. The events haven't already happened. They are happening now. As we speak." Gunn gave a disapproving look.

"What you mean?" Gunn was not convinced.

"What I'm saying is... that this diary is a link to another world. A parallel dimension, running along side to ours. Somehow Will and I shared events... but not others." Wes thought to himself... an idea.

"Of course... it makes sense. Yes." Fred and Gunn looked at Wes for an explination.

"Want to fill us in Wes?" asked Fred politely.

"Will only shared events with me when we were BOTH in contact with the diary. The diary acts as a key to link us both together... so when we both touch it or write in it... a doorway opens. That explains my vision... I must have touched it the same time as him. This person must be living in a dimension exactly the same to ours. Yes! That's it I've solved!" Wes smiled and let out a triumphant laugh. Fred and Gunn were not amused.

"Yeh but if what you're saying is true" Gunn said.

"Then Will thinks Angel is Angelus and is trying to hunt him down and kill him right now".

Wes' smile decreased.

Angel stumbled across the road. A few parked cars... no people. It was late... but not too late. He had to find somewhere to hide while the effects of the drugs wore off. He couldn't see and was limping on instinct. Another road crossed. Half way across another. He didn't hear the car driving at him. Impact. Angel flew into the air... the last thing he heard was the brakes of the car slamming on. Impact again. The floor. Angel layon the concrete (again) unconcious. The car door opened. Footstepds towards Angel lay on the floor.

"Oh my god" the lady was in shock. Guilt. Fear. She checked his pulse. A slight hint of a pulse. He was still barely alive. She tried to pick him up. Too heavy. She was a slim, petite young female with blonde hair... she wore a lazy trackwear outfit. "Mister... Mister can you hear me? I'm going to pick you up and take you to my apartment not too far from here, then I will call an ambulance. I don't have a phone here" She dragged him to the car and struggled him into the back seat. She got in the car and drove to her apartment.

"Wes this is crazy, Angel has gone in there and now you want to be a cowboy and follow him in as well? This is nuts." Gunn was in full arguement mode.

"Listen, we have to get in there and get him out. He might not be the same in the other world. You remember what it was like when we went to Lornes' dimension? His vampire side was ten times worse. What if he is in danger or causing others danger in Will's dimension? From what the diary has told me it's exactly like our dimension. I have to go in there... with or without your help." Wes picked up the diary and began to write. Gunn left the room mumbling something along the lines of his disaproval. Fred walked to Wes.

"Wes... I know what you're doing is the right thing... but-"

"But what? Is it because I'm not Angel? If it were him doing this, you wouldn't stop him, would you? He's the champion right? He knows best?"

"No Wes, it's not that its just that its dangerous and I care about you... we care about you."

Wes looked down to his lap and calmed down. He lowered the anger in his voice.

"I know Fred. But someone I care about... our champion... my friend... needs my help... and I need to be there for him." Fred looked into Wes' eyes. For a moment it was as if she saw that man that loved her once... in his eyes. So caring. So loving. So passionate. Wes looked away from her eyes and wrote into the diary; *WILL. ANSWER ME. I NEED YOUR HELP*.

Angel lay on the single bed. The bedroom was lit with a candle. It was a dark blue room with few personal belongings in it. A mirror on the back of the door... bright curtains fully drawn. The girl sat next to him. A towel was placed across his eyes where the burns were and another was placed on his forehead. He was beginning to awaken. His words were slurred;

"Where... where am I?" he took his time with every word.

"You're in my home. I hit you with my car. You're safe. My name is Julie Swanson. I tried to call the ambulance but the power is down in this half of the city and well... it seems you're getting better now." She placed the towel over his cheeks. "You should rest."

"No I'm fine." Angel tried to get up.. but the pain brought him down again.

"Woah... easy there. You're really banged up. I didn't know I hit you that hard."

Angel felt his face. He felt the towel around his eyes.

"My face. I cant see through my eyes. Whats going on" He was slightly panicked.

"Nothing I put a towel over them, they were burnt... I guess it would heal the burning"

"Take them off... please." Angel was becoming more and more less secure in his surroundings; his hearing and sense of smell had now totally evaporated. Julie took off the towel. Angel tried to focus his eyes. The vision was getting better. He saw the candle... the blue pain on the wall... then he saw Julie... still slightly blurred. He rubbed his eyes. Slightly more focus. One more rub. Full focus. His eyes were now wide open. His mouth opened slightly with disbelief. Julie looked concerned at Angels expression.

"Something wrong?"

Angel tried to speak the words but they wouldn't come to him. He shook his head and eyes. No. He was seeing what he thought he was seeing.

"Buffy?"

(To Be Continued)