Witches, Vampires, and Invisible Men part 2
Author: Tazzy (jellicacat1@yahoo.com)
Disclaimer: Don't own them, but wish I did.
Rating: NC-17 (overall, not so much this part)
Author's notes: see part 1 for the rest.

A few hours later, Willow pulled her car into the covered garage attached to the Hyperion Hotel, and stifled a yawn as she followed Spike through the door that lead into the spacious lobby. She heard him mutter something about the lack of security, but didn't pay attention to him as she sank onto one of the plush lounges that were scattered around the lobby. From the lack of threats directed at Spike and friendly greetings for her, she figured that Angel and his employees were out on a case.

she mused, shaking off the drowsy feeling that was trying to envelope her. It was only going on eight pm, but for some reason, it felt much later to her. She could see little signs that stated that Angel Investigations wasn't all divorce cases and missing children: a large case displaying a variety of axes, swords, and daggers, an old book resting on the counter with gold letters spelling out something in Latin, and a couple of sharpened stakes resting in a pencil holder.

Spike tromped back into the lobby holding a mug in his hand and grumbling under his nonexistent breath about "friggin' cow blood" as he flopped onto the lounge next to her. "So now what do we do?"

Willow shrugged. "Wait until they come back from wherever they went," she replied. "Not much else we can do until then." She fiddled nervously with the hem of her shirt as her eyes danced around the lobby again as if just by searching for Angel or Cordelia, they would appear out of the shadows. Since the other girl began working for Angel, Willow and Cordelia had started exchanging e-mails. First, they had been about business, asking questions such as "Do you know a spell for..." or "Is there anything about a demon in Gile's books that...". However, Cordelia being the Gossip Queen she is, began asking about the rest of the gang in Sunnydale as she provided information on what was going on with Angel and the others working with her.

Of coarse, one of the secrets that Cordelia had been able to coax out of Willow was the other girl's crush on Spike. After the mess with Oz and the female werewolf, Willow was wary about getting involved with anyone else and setting herself up for another broken heart. Not like it was possible for Spike to have feelings for her. She was just Willow who was friends with the Slayer and whose spells only worked half the time. Shaking her head at the direction her thoughts were going, Willow stood up and wandered over to the weapon's case to examine the various blades displayed behind the glass.

Before the silence in the lobby could smother Willow under its weight, a familiar voice drifted in from outside. The redhead spun around to face the front doors just as Angel and Cordelia entered the lobby followed by Wesley and an unfamiliar man that Willow assumed was the Charles Gunn Cordelia had told her about. All were covered in a smelly purple goo that clung to their clothes and weapons, and Cordelia continued her chatter, completely ignoring anyone else in the lobby.

"..I can't believe those demons. Why do they always have to explode into purple slime when they're killed? Can't they just quietly fall down and die without the messy explosions?" the brunette girl said, glaring down at her goo-splattered clothes. "At least I don't have any auditions tomorrow 'cause it's gonna take me at least a week to get this stench off of my skin."

"Try a little aloe, luv," remarked Spike, watching the quartet of demon-fighters suddenly freeze. "Groquag demons are smelly buggars, but aloe will take the smell right out."

Angel glared at the younger vampire calmly sitting in the lobby. "Spike, why are you here?" he demanded, his voice bordering on a growl.

"He's here with me, Angel," Willow stated, drawing their attention away from Spike. She grinned slightly and resisted giggling as a clump of purple gunk slid from Angel's dark hair to land with a "plop" on his shoulder. "Why don't we talk after you guys have cleaned up."

Once everyone had a chance to use Angel's shower and change into clean clothes, they converged on the lobby and settled themselves onto the various lounges. Formal introductions were made and Angel folded his arm across his chest as he regarded Willow, curiously.

"So what brings you to LA?" the dark vampire inquired.

The red head frowned at him. "There's this demon that is suppose to be heading for Sunnydale and Giles knew you had a book about it but it was too fragile to be shipped and Spike came along to make sure I got back to Sunnydale in one piece until he told me about a rumor he heard that Angelus might be breaking free which forced me to come tonight because I found a spell that can secure your soul permanently, but it's risky and I'm rambling again, aren't I?" A faint blush stained her cheeks as everyone stared at her in confusion when Spike suddenly growled.

"Here's the deal," he announced, stretching his arms along the back of the lounge and laying his one hand on Willow's shoulder. "There's an idiotic demon that is rumored to be on its merry way to Sunnyhell. The Watcher knows that Peaches has a book about the demon, but that it's too fragile to be mailed. So, he decided that Red here would be the best one to get it. I was sent along to keep her safe, especially since I heard a rumor along the demon underground that Angelus was on his way back." A flicker of pain crossed Angel's face before the brooding mask returned, but Spike continued. "Also, Red 'ere has found a way to keep you broody for the rest of yer bloody unlife."

Every eye turned to regard the fidgeting redhead and Willow twisted the hem of her shirt. "Is it true, Willow?" Angel's voice was barely louder than a whisper, and she looked up to meet hopeful chocolate eyes. "Can you secure my soul permanently?"

"Yes, but the spell is risky," she warned, her manner serious. "It basically melds the demon and the soul into one entity that is perfectly balanced between the two. You won't be consumed by your guilt, but you're not gonna be going out and turning LA into a buffet. Any disruption of the spell once it's begun will make sure that the demon has complete control. Your soul won't go vanishing again, but it will be smothered by the demon and no amount of cursing will be able to return it to control."

Silence descended on the lobby as everyone absorbed what Willow was saying with mixed feelings. Finally, Cordelia stood up and regarded both Angel and Willow with a level gaze.

"Okay, first off, since it appears that I'm the only one willing to voice their thoughts about this, Willow, other than Angel going all grr for good, is there any risk to you with the casting of this spell?" the brunette stated, her voice leaving no room for deception. Willow shook her head, and the seer nodded once. "Okay, Angel. Now that it is known that this won't hurt Willow in any way, are you willing to take the risk and have your soul permanently secured?"

All eyes swiveled to rest on the vampire and he sighed. "Yes, but what if something happens to disturb the spell?" he asked, closing his eyes wearily. "The last thing I want to do is hurt any of you, again, because Angelus got free."

Cordelia nodded again. "Then before the spell is started, we put you in a circle that you can't get out of so if Angelus DOES break free for any reason, he's not going anywhere," she decided. "Then, while Willow is doing the spell, the rest of us makes sure nothing and no one disturbs the ritual." She glanced at the witch. "Will that work?"

Willow frowned as she thought over what the spell required. Both her and Angel would have to stand in one circle since she was the caster, and it would be her melding the demon and the soul, but another circle shouldn't disturb the spell any. "That should be fine. I don't think it will do anything to the spell, but that means that I'm going to have to pick up a few extra ingredients before I can do it."

"Great!" exclaimed Cordelia with a large smile. "There's a magic store right down the block that we use all the time. You can get your ingredients, cast the spell and make sure that fashion reject never terrorizes us again." She spread her hands. "What could possibly go wrong?"

*****************************************

Groaning, Darien dropped his bags on the floor and fell back onto the bed. What had started out as a simple drive from San Diego to Los Angeles soon became anything but. First a major accident occurred just as the van got onto the freeway, bringing traffic to a halt as everyone waited for the emergency vehicles to clear the three car pile-up out of the way. Then, when they stopped for lunch, somehow Hobbes managed to locate the slowest restaurant possible with servers who took hours to bring them their drinks.

I swear the cook must have raised the cow for my burger while we were waiting, decided Darien, rubbing his face tiredly. When they finally managed to get into Los Angeles, it took them another hour to locate a hotel near the Hyperion, and another fifteen minutes of talking to the manager to get two adjoining rooms. Right now, all Darien wanted to do was dive face first into the pillows on his bed and not come up until sunrise, but Hobbes had other ideas.

"C'mon, partner, we got a job to do," announced the shorter agent, checking his ammo before holstering his gun and letting his suit jacket fall over the weapon once more. "The fat man ain't paying us to lounge around a hotel room while Chrysalis is making everyone's lives miserable."

"And the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can get back to that monster movie marathon I promised myself," the ex-thief remarked, trying to convince himself that he had to get moving.

A brief rap on the door heralded Claire's entry and she regarded the still prone form stretched out on the bed. "Aren't we starting the investigation tonight or did the two of you decide to take the night off?" she inquired with one eyebrow gracefully arched.

"No, we're starting tonight," grunted Darien as he pushed himself to his feet. He gestured towards the door with a grin. "After you." Claire sighed and left the room with Hobbes and Darien right behind her.

As they stepped out of the hotel, a cool wind rushed through the buildings to greet them and Darien pulled his jacket closer with a shiver. He had been expecting it to be cooler here than in San Diego but now he was beginning to wonder if a patch of cold air had blanketed the city, making his faded denim jacket seem woefully inadequate for keeping him warm. Several people hurried past the odd trio on their way to someplace out of the chilly air, and Darien fastened the copper buttons up to his throat as he glanced around.

"So now what?" he asked in a soft voice.

Hobbes shrugged as he turned down the street towards the Hyperion. "Simple, you do your stuff, get in and look around while Claire and I watch your back from the street," he stated in a no nonsense tone that Darien was becoming all too familiar with.

"I've got some counteragent in my bag so you should be all right, but don't take unnecessary chances in there," warned the blond, brushing her wind blown hair out of her face. "I only brought so much with me and there is no telling how long this job is going to be." Her cool blue gaze focused on Darien's warm brown one, trying to convey the importance of her warning. But with the threat of turning into a red-eyed monster hanging over his head, he was hardly going to fool around on that deadly precipice without the safety of the calming blue liquid that was his key to sanity. Nodding in agreement, he followed Hobbes down the street, desperately trying to shove all thoughts of quicksilver madness from his mind.

Turning the corner, Darien suddenly found himself standing before the sprawling structure of the Hyperion, stretched across the block like a content cat. Only the lobby was lit with a golden light, offering a false comfort to push back the night. Despite the little bit of light that escaped into the street, the shadows seemed to live in the darkness that clung to the old building like a cloak against the day. Darien nervously ran his hand though his spikey hair and glanced around the deserted street. The asphalt path that dared to caress the Hyperion was devoid of all life, as if nothing living was allowed near the dark structure.

"Well, let's get this over with," muttered the lanky man, glancing at his companions before starting across the street. Hobbes and Claire followed him as far as the sidewalk running before the grand old hotel, allowing them to be close enough if Darien needed them for any reason yet far enough away that they wouldn't attract unwanted attention. Tossing his companions a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Darien turned to face the front of the Hyperion and the warm light beckoning him from the lobby when a group of nearly a dozen young men seemed to appear out of the darkness itself.

At first glance, they appeared to be just a group of friends out for a night on the town, maybe college students looking for a bar, but there was something about the way they moved that screamed "predator" to everyone around them. Dim light flickered off of glowing golden eyes and there were occasional glimpses of sharp teeth. Finally the group drew close enough for Darien to make out the ridges that distorted each face, and he tried to swallow past his heart, which had decided to migrate to his throat.

"Hey boys, lookie here," announced one of the men, catching sight of the trio. "We got ourselves a bite to eat before the fight." A snicker rippled through them as the group spread out, trying to shove the three agents against the unyielding brick wall.

Suddenly, a chill raced down Darien's spine that had nothing to do with the weather or the threatening group approaching him. he silently screamed as the quicksilver flowed over him to render him invisible. Acting instinctively, he reached out to latch onto Claire's arm and sent the sheath of cool silver over her body. He knew quicksilvering them both would cut his time in half, but if one of them could get into the lobby and maybe find help, it would be worth it.

"Run, kid, I'll hold these freaks off!" shouted Hobbes, drawing his gun and aiming it at the closest figure. Needing no further encouragement, Darien tugged on Claire's arm and the invisible couple dodged outstretched arms as they ran for the safety of the lobby. Behind him, Darien could hear Hobbes shouting for the things to stop, but refused to look back.

He was so focused on reaching the lobby that the tall man never saw the loose rock in his path until his foot had already come down on it. With a startled cry, Darien's foot shout out from under him and he lost his grip on Claire as he tumbled to the ground.

"Darien!" cried Claire, unmoving from his side.

He glared up at her glowing form enveloped in quicksilver. "Go Claire, before it flakes off!" he barked even as he climbed to his feet. A twinge arced across the back of his skull, warning him that he was dangerously close to his limit. Ignoring the pain, Darien started forwards again just as one of the things appeared out of the darkness and started towards Claire who had lost her protective coating of quicksilver. Shouting, he launched himself at the twisted man like a bull determined to trample the matador, and he distracted the man long enough for Claire to slip through the doors of the lobby.

"That was a foolish move," hissed the man, his lips pulled back to reveal jagged teeth. Before Darien could reply, the man had grabbed his jacket and heaved him towards the brick wall. Darien's last thought before his head collided with the side of the Hyperion, sending him into unconsciousness, was