Disclaimer: Come on now, use your common sense, boy, for God's sake! Let's just say that if I owned the Angel characters, things would be much different…
Feedback: Yes please! If you don't review, you don't get any more nice story, so there! Oh, alright then, I suppose you can still have it. I couldn't be that mean. Just to clarify, don't worry Ferretgirl, Wesley didn't damage himself in my pond (God knows what he was doing in there in the first place) and everything will be made right. As for Lilah, no, I can't kill her, otherwise there would be no more lovely 'Angel' as we know it. She gets what's coming to her though.
Anyway, I'll stop telling you the plot so that you can get on and read it for yourself. I did warn you last time, this 'un is kinda weepy. Well, I think so anyway. You might disagree. See what you think! :)
PART 11.
"Don't do this."
Whoever that was, they'd better shut up, if they knew what was good for them.
"Wesley, this isn't you. I know you don't mean any of it."
It was Cordelia. Typical. Always had to interfere in everything he did.
What did she know anyway? She hadn't heard the things this woman had said. She didn't know everything that had happened, all of the meaningless things he had done in return for just one ounce of approval or love. He was nothing, but he would show them now. He'd show them all. Lilah would pay.
He hid the turmoil he felt and channelled everything into this fiend he held before him, claiming to be a person, to have a soul. He couldn't find one in there. A soul felt remorse, compassion for the fellow being. A soul had a conscience. Lilah was only interested in herself. Oh, she was sorry now, but only because she was the one that would have to pay. And he hated her for it.
His hold on the others was slipping, and Angel felt the waver of power. He glanced to Cordelia. She was edging forward with as little noise as was humanly possible. She caught Angel's look and tried again with her plea.
"Wesley…Wesley stop. Think about what you're doing. You're angry, you're not thinking straight. Please, just look at her."
His back to her, she could see him shift on his feet. He was listening to her, even if he refused to admit it.
"Look at her, she's bleeding. You're hurting her…"
Daddy, please, you're hurting me.
"What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't stop you from doing this? You'll never forgive yourself if you harm her. Just…let her go."
Lilah squirmed in his invisible grasp, seeing nothing but the dagger suspended before her. A tear fell from her eyes and she blinked the rest away, determined not to show her weakness.
He would not cry. He would NOT. Too late.
Wesley hesitated now, his mind blank. Confusion took hold, and he was unable to control his conflicting emotions.
All his hatred and bitterness was dripping away, vanishing into oblivion, and all he felt now was guilt. It was himself he hated, not her. All these years, the kind words that were supposed to repair the holes eroded away in his soul by the depreciating attacks dealt by his father, and then magnified by himself until they had felt true, had simply covered them up and cushioned him so that he wouldn't have to face his fear. And now, all that repressed feeling had manifested itself into a version of himself that he hated. Released by an ill-meaning woman that he unfairly blamed and a power that he wasn't ready for, he was becoming his father. He couldn't let that happen. He was strong enough to deal with anything his past tried to turn him into and he would no longer let it drag him down. He was his own man, he realised that now.
Deal with it.
What was he doing? This had to stop. He felt so bad.
Angel almost tripped when the restraint he'd been straining against was released, and he let the forward momentum propel him into a dive, taking Wesley's legs with him. They both tumbled forward, coming to an abrupt halt when Wesley's head slammed into the leg of Lilah's desk.
Cordelia let out a stifled gasp at Angel's sudden manoeuvre, but refrained from running over and beating the vampire away. She knew it was for the best. She had to check on the others.
Harris was mumbling something to himself in the corner, Gunn was prodding the dead demon on the floor, just to make sure it was absolutely dead and that he had had good reason to be afraid, Lilah was crying into her hands, the dagger lodged upright in the carpet at her feet, and Lindsey, (yes, it was him,) was curled up behind the door, his arms around his head. What a mess.
Cordelia mused that this bunch would need some serious counselling after this little escapade. The pleasant images of Lilah strapped down in a mental asylum were shattered when frantic cries from the corridor reminded her that they were still trapped inside one of the most evil sky-scrapers on the face of the planet. They were lucky not to have been disturbed this far, but that luck was about to run out.
How would they fight their way out of this one? At least two of them were reduced to vegetables, one was a gibbering wreck and all of them were absolutely exhausted. She decided against matching up names to those descriptions, considering herself to belonging to a least one category at the moment, and instead collected herself and helped some of the more emotionally unstable members of the group.
She hauled Harris to his feet and convinced him to get a grip on himself for the sake of the others, which he did with great difficulty, despite his desire to burn the building to the ground and be done with it.
Angel had pulled a rather stunned and unbalanced Wesley up to lean and slump against him, the blood trickling freely down his head.
"Cordelia, Harris", he called, trying not to drop him, "Can you guys take him between you? We have to get out of here, now. It won't take long for the mob to find out we're in here, and don't think they'll let us go with just a good hand-shaking."
The two of them took one of Wesley's arms each and held him up between them whilst Angel discussed battle plans with Gunn.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"Bring it on!" Gunn answered, holding his blood-encrusted axe up high. The last encounter had spooked him, and he had begun to doubt his composure. Angel smiled at him, seeing his need to reassert his dominance, knowing that he judged his character through his ability to kill without question. Having Wesley nearly take him out must have knocked his ego, though he would never admit it to anyone. And Angel would never mention it. He knew better than that.
"What about him?" Gunn questioned, pointing to the huddled mass hidden behind the door as Angel was turning to leave. "Looks like the demon scrambled his brain."
Angel knelt down and pulled Lindsey's arms away from his face, getting not so much as a flinch in response. His eyes were wide and glazed with shock, and he was staring far into the distance at things no one else could see. Remembering his attempts at redemption and the moderately civil way in which they had parted all that time ago, Angel felt a slight prick of pity.
"We can't just leave him here. We'd better take him with us. You go ahead and lead the others out; I'll be close behind. Head for the elevators, we'll make our way down to the underground parking lot."
Gunn nodded his agreement and motioned for the others to follow, dragging Wesley with them out of the door. Angel picked Lindsey up, making him stand on his own. He managed it, but didn't seem capable of doing anything else for himself, and stood dream-like, swaying slightly when Angel nudged him forward. This was going to take forever. Angel persevered, however, summoning up some patience and being entirely unwilling to abandon him to the wrath of Wolfram and Hart.
He glanced over at Lilah before he left, seeing her hoisting herself up to her desk and reaching out a trembling hand for, what Angel assumed, was an alarm.
"Don't waste your time, Lilah, we'll be long gone before anyone comes up to help you. Oh, and just to be clear, don't ever try anything like this again. If I find any of your people coming back after Wesley, I'll hold you personally responsible."
He gave her a pleasant smile when she looked up at him like a frightened mouse, and gently closed the door behind him.
He put his hands on Lindsey's shoulders and pushed him towards where the others were waiting.
"Why are you bringing him along?" Cordelia asked with disgust, the disapproval plain on her face.
Angel didn't have time to argue with her, but silently urged them on towards the elevators. They rounded a corner, only to be greeted by several of the demon party that had led them to the office in the first place. They were examining the carnage left by Cordelia and Harris' previous journey up, only to find that the answers to their questions had just walked up to them.
One of them stood up straight and faced them grinning.
"We've been expecting you…"
"Really? I was just about to say the same thing about you..." Angel launched himself at the first demon, knocking him flat with all his weight behind him.
"Run!" he shouted, blocking the remaining mob and their arsenal from reaching the others, and Gunn took charge to usher them back the way they had come. If Angel could just keep them occupied long enough, they'd have a chance of making it to the fire escape. The building did have one, right? Surely even evil law firms had a set of stairs in case the elevators didn't work, and besides, they wouldn't risk building code violations by not installing appropriate exits in case of emergences, would they? Gunn hoped not.
He grabbed Lindsey by the arm and bolted, getting in front of the others to protect them against whatever might be waiting for them at the other end of the corridor. He had no disillusions; he knew he wasn't Angel. But he was all they had right now, and he'd be damned if anything was going to give them more grief.
"Stick by me", he cautioned them as they came to a set of promising looking doors.
"Yeah, easy for you to say", Cordelia complained, stopping momentarily to shrug her load up a bit higher. "Come on, Wesley, do us a favour, OK? I can't carry you all the way back."
Harris tried his best to carry a bit more of the weight, seeing that the tall man was dwarfing Cordelia's smaller form. She smiled her appreciation over at him, and he couldn't help but feel hopeful. Everything was going to be fine, especially if she was here. Nothing life threw at her seemed to dampen her spirit, and it was encouraging.
Gunn jerked one of the swing doors open in a less than timid fashion and was relieved to see a staircase. Finally, a break at last. He held it ajar and saw his four charges through, taking a fleeting look over his shoulder in hope of catching some hint of Angel's progress. He could hear the demonic battle cries, the clashing of metal and the occasional wet thud, confirming that it didn't take a vivid imagination to guess what was going on. Angel could handle himself.
What he didn't know as he turned from the scene and fled was that Angel could have used a little help. The situation was getting out of hand, considering that these things didn't seem to want to die. No matter what he did or how hard he did it, they got straight back up again, reattached various body parts, and kept on at him without so much as a limp. Wow, sometimes he really hated his job.
An icy blade shot its way through his undead flesh, leaving a searing gash in its wake. He clutched his arm and growled, releasing those feral yellow eyes once again. Glaring up at his enemies from under his twisted and menacing brow, he felt the thrill of the fight rush through his body, powering him to a new height of frenzy. His vampire's lust for death and carnage remained unquenched, and his weary limbs felt replenished with the need.
He plunged onward with renewed enthusiasm, taking out all of his anger on his foes. The group of demons blanched slightly at the change, some retreating back toward safety. Those that remained spat and cursed obscenities at the extra effort needed to keep up, reverting to an animal state when the more refined methods of battle failed to have effect. They bared their fangs, biting and snapping, lashing out talons that oozed with viscous venom. Their whole physical appearance changed as they abandoned calculated moves, their blood lust leaving them slathering at the mouth.
Angel didn't want to wait around for them to hunch on all fours and start leaping for his throat, no matter how intimidating he felt. His domination of the situation was driving them to extremes, and there was no telling what they might do. He wondered if they even knew that Wolfram and Hart wanted him alive (in the animated sense of the word at least). Thick hairs on the back of their necks were bristling up through their uniforms, and their skin was taking on an unhealthy shade of what could only be described as 'tangerine'. This was not a good sign.
Driving them back with one last slash of his recently acquired length of piping, ripped from the ceiling, he turned on his heels, taking off after his friends. He didn't need to look back to hear the enraged snarls and pounding of feet in pursuit. Taking in a good lungful of air to catch the scent, he followed the route Gunn had taken, pulling an unoccupied receptionists desk over behind him to slow down his pursuers.
With a short moment of hesitation after bursting through the double doors, Angel determined the direction of his quarry. Down, obviously. Well, it doesn't hurt to check. He leant over the railings, assessing the distance down. It was a long way. What floor was he on? It didn't matter. He didn't have time for details. Not giving the beasts on his tail chance to catch up, he grasped the railing and flung himself over, his long coat lingering behind him for a split second before it vanished over the side, obediently following him down.
As graceful as the movement had seemed, Angel was regretting his decision now, his hands burning with the friction as he alternately caught and released each railing of the flights beneath him. Luckily for him, he didn't have to continue for long. The others hadn't gotten far before being intercepted, and Angel swung himself onto their level with a roll. He tried to make it look painless, flipping to his feet in a seamless motion. It was meant to instil a little fear in their adversaries, and possibly a little confidence in his ability to come out of anything unscathed, but everyone seemed way to occupied with their own problems to pay him much attention.
Gunn and Cordelia were beating at another of the bodyguard demons, a litter of similar bodies strewn at their feet. It seemed they had found a way to kill them. Angel moved in to help, and Gunn hurriedly explained their findings.
"They've got some kinda evil goo comin' out their fingers. It's like, poison or something. Stab 'em with their own hands, it seems to work."
Angel didn't need to hear a second opinion. He jumped on the demon and made short work of him, overpowering its own arms and impaling it with the sharp, dripping talons. It wailed and went stiff, keeling over immediately and smacking the concrete hard. Heaving a sigh of relief, they took a look around and realised that their victory was short-lived. The group after Angel was storming down the staircase, baying for their blood. They needed to get out of here, fast.
Angel looked to gather up the rest, ready for their hasty retreat. Wesley was clinging onto the wall for dear life, deathly pale and with blood still dripping down his face. He looked like he wanted to throw up, or pass out, or both. The flight down the stairs had been too much for him, even with the help of the others, and he was threatening to collapse altogether. Angel lifted him back up straight and he responded with a drowsy 'thank you', not really giving the impression that he knew where he was at all.
Gunn prised Lindsey's grip from the nearest railing and directed him towards the new set of swinging doors that led off of the small landing they were stood on, presumably leading to another corridor. He had considered carrying on down, but that route did not look good, now that the commotion had been heard from downstairs and more reinforcements had been sent up towards them. Their only option now was to take the elevators, no matter who was in their way, and get to the parking lot and an entrance to the sewers.
Cordelia ignored Gunn's orders to follow he and Lindsey out, brushing past him instead to where Harris was leaning quietly against the wall. He seemed to be propping himself up more than relaxing against it, and his placid expression was worrying her slightly.
"Are you alright?" she asked him as Angel made his way past with Wesley.
Harris looked up at her and smiled, a sad look in his eyes. He reached out a hand and brushed her hair back from her face, his touch surprisingly gentle for all of his white scales and claws. Something sank in Cordelia's stomach, and she looked down at his other arm, curled around inside his shirt.
"What is it?" she trembled, "Let me see."
He put up no resistance as she pulled his hand away to reveal a deep scrape in his side, the blood flowing down and staining his clothes.
"Oh my God…"
"It's OK", he whispered, "It doesn't hurt. Nothing does anymore."
He smiled again when Cordelia met his gaze, the tears welling up in her eyes. She had almost forgotten him in the heat of the fight, and hadn't even noticed when he had dropped behind. He had warned them about the poison the beasts carried, him being the never-ending source of knowledge when it came to demon species. He had told them how to kill these things without really expressing any fear, which Cordelia hadn't found odd at the time. She should have seen it, and she scorned herself now for not looking out for him like she had promised.
"Tell us what to do", she half sobbed, unable to keep the waver from her voice for much longer, "There must be something, I mean, it's not fatal, right? How do we help you?"
"You can't" he replied without bitterness, a knowing resignation in his tone. "There's nothing that can be done. It's for the best. I'm just tired now, I think I'll just stay here and rest."
He let himself slump down to the floor, and Cordelia joined him, cradling him against her.
"Don't say things like that! We'll take you home with us, Angel can carry you, we'll get you fixed up as good as new, you'll see…"
Harris giggled to himself half-heartedly, ending with a weary sigh that broke Cordelia's heart.
"I think Angel's got his hands full already. And he needs your help. I don't want you to stay here with me; I'll be fine, really. Why don't you go on ahead and I'll catch up, you know, when I feel better."
Cordelia wasn't buying it and she told him so.
"Don't you dare give up on me now! Not after what I told you. I promised, remember? I'm supposed to be here to help you, and that's what I'm going to do."
"You have helped me. And I won't be a danger to anyone anymore. I deserve this, after all. A fitting end, don't you think?"
The tears were flowing freely now, and Cordelia slapped Angel's hand away with passion when he tried to reach for her.
"No", she cried, "Your wrong. I don't believe you. How could anyone deserve this? It's not fair, after everything we've done…"
"Don't be sad. You have to be strong for them now, they need you. You don't need to worry about me. I'm not scared anymore."
Cordelia lifted a hand to her face and saw the blood. It was so red. Like human blood. So normal. She couldn't bear this. It was too cruel. How could the powers do this to her, to him? Did they have no heart at all? Images of Doyle flashed before her eyes and she clutched Harris tighter to her chest. She wasn't going to let it happen again, she couldn't.
Angel could hear the demons closing in on them and knew they had to move fast. He had handed Wesley over to Gunn, telling him to get as far down the corridor as he could with him and Lindsey, and that he and Cordelia would catch up. He didn't kid himself; there was no way that all six of them were going to make it out of here alive.
Cordelia rocked back and forth, her own tears drenching her hair and face, refusing to admit defeat. Harris had closed his eyes and was leaning against her, his breathing slowing and becoming steadier. She had dreaded this. She shook him in the hope of keeping him with her and stopping him from slipping away where she couldn't reach him.
"No, no don't…Harris…"
She became more frantic in her attempts when she got no response, and Angel had to reach down and stop her from breaking down completely. He didn't have the heart to say anything to her, to tell her that he could tell, that Harris was gone. Instead he gently pulled her away, trying to keep her under control.
She kicked and screamed against him, straining to return to her friend's side even as the demon mob descended on them. Angel had no choice but to almost lift her off of her feet and fling her through the doors before the snarling beasts reached them, hurtling down the hallway whilst the walls resounded with her protests of 'NO!'.
To be continued…
(Yeah, I know, how could I? * sniff *)
