Cordelia sat on her bed in her room at the Hyperion and smiled at the jar in front of her. The contents shimmered and shifted. It contained all the good of the vampire known as Angel. Without them in place in his mind, his Id would be in full control. No guilt, no remorse, nothing even rudimentarily good or human. Angel would be Angelus, the most feared vampire to walk the earth since Dracula. In only a century and a half, the vampire brought death and destruction to the entire world earning him the nickname "The Scourge of Europe". Human and demon alike he killed, raped, and tortured laughing to the wind. The irony of his name only added to his fearsome reputation. He literally was a beautiful angel craft of darkness. To this day, anyone who knew of him and heard his name shuddered as if their grave had been walked over, and perhaps it had. And now, Angelus was currently located in the basement locked away.
"Mortal fools." Cordelia thought, "I come and try to bring them salvation and the idiots try and destroy it. Angelus was a necessary component to my plan, to keep them diverted while other things are attended to."
She pressed her hand to her now visibly pregnant stomach.
"And now that witch is here to try and restore this to him." She said eyeing the jar. "I don't think so. Angel must not return, at least not yet. I'm confidant I can keep her from performing the spell properly. If not, I have other plans in motion."
There was a knock at the door. Cordelia quickly grabbed the jar and placed it under her bed and immediately changed her demeanor.
"Come in." the former cheerleader said in a chipper voice.
Connor, Angel's son, entered the room and closed the door. He smiled at her and went to sit on the bed next to her. How he loved this woman. She was his. Intelligent, beautiful, and now carrying his child. He smiled at her again, but soon frowned.
"What's wrong Connor?" Cordelia asked feigning concern.
"They're about to do more magick downstairs to try and help Angel. I'm so sick of magick. It got us here in the first place." Connor practically growled.
Cordelia shuffled over closer to him and put her arms around him, "I'm not fond of it either Connor. I'm really not, but it can do good. I've seen it used to help people before. You just have to have some faith. Probably not the best choice in words considering she's in a coma somewhere in the hotel, but you get the general idea."
Connor half smiled.
"You think Faith will be alright? Angelus nearly killed her." Connor asked Cordelia. It was obvious the teenager looked up to the raven haired Slayer, something that sickened Cordelia.
Cordelia smiled and brushed a hand through his hair, "I'm sure she's fine sweetie. She's fine, your father will be fine, and everything will be okay. Unless…"
Connor looked at her quizzically.
"Unless?"
"So predictable." Cordelia thought before speaking, "Unless Willow has another episode. She's in control now, but she's lost it before. If she would lose her mind like she did the last time…she could hurt people Connor. She could hurt our baby."
"She'd never get that chance." Connor quickly growled.
"I know sweetie, but there's always that chance. There's even a chance that Angelus could wake up and get free. Slight as it may be it's there." Cordelia said, smiling inwardly as Connor paled when she made that suggestion.
"I think the best thing you can do now is to go downstairs and watch them. Make sure that nothing goes wrong. If it does then you'll know what to do." Cordelia smiled as she kissed his forehead.
"I'll do it. For us. All of us." Connor said feeling Cordelia's stomach.
"I know you will sweetie. You'll do whatever you can to protect our sweet baby." Cordelia smiled.
"Okay here's what I don't get. If we're going to do a spell to get Angel's soul back from Big Evil, won't he notice when we show up on his radar?" Gunn asked.
"True. It is more than likely that the Beast's Master will notice when we begin." Wesley said handing his ingredients to Willow.
"But luckily for you, you have the most powerful Wicca in the western hemisphere and a Sorcerer Supreme here. Between the two of us we can handle it if he tries anything." Willow said proudly, sprinkling the toad dust.
"For one who has bested Dormammu himself, this should prove relatively easy. Still I am watchful." Doctor Strange said helping spread toad dust.
"Yeah but did you have to take down the sanctuary spell?" Fred asked of the spell that kept demons from doing battle in the hotel.
"Yes he did Fred. The Beast's Master is undoubtedly demonic in nature. Should it put in an appearance, we will need all the help we can get. From Connor and Lorne, or even Angel should we perform the spell before the creature shows." Wesley added.
"Good strategy. You'll need my help." Connor stated as he entered the room.
"Hey, don't sell me short either." Lorne said speaking up.
Willow breathed deep and stepped into the circle drawn in the middle of the room with the dust. She closed her eyes.
"Showtime." She swallowed before she began to chant in Latin.
Upstairs, the jar with Angel's soul shook. Cordelia smirked.
"Uh uh, girlfriend." Cordelia replied as she held her hand over the jar as it glowed red.
"Whoa. Resistance." Willow stated. It was magick as dark as any she had felt. At first she feared she would be overwhelmed. She looked to Doctor Strange and felt sudden confidence as she shirked off the resistance.
"You've been getting good." Cordelia admitted, "But I'm better."
Her hand glowed brighter.
Willow nearly went to her knees as the sudden power flew through her. It was fighting back. And it was strong. She looked to Doctor Strange again and this time felt less confidence. She slumped to her knees, her eyes closing. Why wasn't he helping her? Was he afraid to get his feet wet or something? That made her mad. Her eyes opened a color of solid black.
Cordelia nearly flew off the bed. She however quickly regained her composure. Then she felt it. Her nose was bleeding.
"Okay you little bitch, you want to go? We'll go!" she snarled.
Hideous demonic faces flooded the hotel's lobby, floating about snarling. Everyone was taken back by them, save Doctor Strange. He merely observed them and looked around in wonder. He knew that Willow would eventually defeat the resistance. That much was certain just by looking at her. These faces were merely glamours to throw her concentration off. And the part that Strange found most amusing was that said glamours were leaving an energy trail upstairs. He saw this with his enhanced senses. He didn't even need the Eye of Agamotto to see them. He also saw Willow's energies leaving a similar trail upstairs, presumably to wherever the jar holding Angel's soul was.
"Curiouser and curiouser." Doctor Strange mused as he walked up the stairs. He looked back to see if he would be missed, but everyone was transfixed on Willow fighting for control. He turned again and continued walking.
The energy trails led to a room, and he could feel great evil emanating. The Beast's Master was right under their noses the whole time! Doctor Strange turned the doorknob and saw a pregnant woman sitting on the room's bed over what could only be the jar with Angel's soul.
"Miss, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to stop what you're doing." Doctor Strange stated. She spun to look at him, surprised to see an intruder. The jar burst as she did so. The soul within simply faded away.
"No! You ruined it!" Cordelia screamed.
"It would seem that I did. Now then, you should really surrender." Doctor Strange said a perfect deadpan.
"Oh should I?" Cordelia said sarcastically, "And why pray tell is that?"
"Because you're dealing with a Sorcerer Supreme." Strange replied.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Cordelia said stepping forward.
"No. Merely smart." Doctor Strange added as his amulet sprang to life and an enormous eye of light appeared above him and shined upon Cordelia. She cringed and he was startled, "The Eye of Agamotto has shown me what you truly are, creature. You will leave this woman's body or you will be forced out!"
"Oh I'll leave, soon enough." Cordelia said touching her stomach again with a smile.
"I will not allow that, Jasmine." Strange replied.
"So you know my preferred name? Did Agamotto's stupid eye tell you that? Well then you should also know my intentions. I can save this world. I can save it from the First Evil if you just let me." "Cordelia" or rather Jasmine replied.
"By taking away the world's will? By consuming humans? Not a chance in hell." Doctor Strange stated, with his hands beginning to light up bright yellow.
"That's what you'll have if you don't let me save you all." Jasmine continued.
"Save us by taking away our will? That's not salvation. It is prison. And I will not abide it." Strange said harshly.
"You won't have to." Jasmine replied firing a bolt of energy at Doctor Strange who easily blocked it with a Shield of Seraphim. He then responded in kind with a force blast of his own, pinning her against the wall.
"Leave this woman's body!" Strange ordered.
"No!" Jasmine said reaching out with her mind, "Connor sweetie, please listen to me!"
Downstairs, Connor looked puzzled as he heard Cordelia's voice in his head.
"Cordelia? How are you doing this?" he thought back.
"Nevermind that now, Connor. You have to kill Angelus. The spell's been sabotaged by a strange man in a cape."
"Doctor Strange?"
"Yes, Connor he's going to use Angelus to kill everyone here. That spell Willow's doing will actually free Angelus and make him ten times as powerful! You have to kill Angelus before he does. I'll handle Strange. Go and kill Angelus now!"
That was all Connor needed to hear as he rushed to the basement.
Jasmine laughed at Doctor Strange, "You may hold me for the moment, but soon I'll get the upper hand. Even if you do beat me I have a contingency plan. You're going to lose a lot more than you gain today if you do beat me. Soon, Angelus will be…"
Doctor Strange and Jasmine both looked out in the hall as an athletic looking black haired woman barreled down it towards the lobby. Faith.
Doctor Strange smiled, "You may have some plans in effect, but Slayers tend to throw them into disarray."
"How can she be awake?" Jasmine said aloud as Doctor Strange placed her in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak.
"I'm not exactly sure, but then again I'm not complaining." Strange mused.
Faith leapt off the balcony stealthily as she could, drawing zero attention to her. Willow was here. Cool beans. From the looks of things she was doing some spell, probably to fix Angel. There was no time to catch up on how much they never got along now though. Angel had told her to wake up and protect him in her dream…psychic rapport….coma….whatever a few minutes ago. God she hated comas. Regardless she was heading to the basement as fast as her legs could carry her. And baby, that was pretty damned fast.
There was Angel's kid opening the cage to stake his old man. Not on her watch. Faith grabbed Connor by his' shirt's collar and swung him around, sending a crushing right to his face. Connor staggered and dropped his stake, but soon recovered. He threw a powerful kick at Faith that sent her into the makeshift cage that held Angel's form. He charged her and she moved out of the way at the last second. Connor's head met the cage with a loud clang. He turned and was ready to strike at her when Angel's hands wrapped around his neck restraining him.
"Connor! Connor! It's okay. It's over. It's over." Angel said holding his son fast as he sighed in relief.
"Hey Angel. Nice to see you again." Faith smirked.
"Looking good yourself Faith. Just glad you listened to me and woke up." Angel said to her. He sighed again as his grip on Connor loosened and was broken. "You mind getting me out of these chains? These leather pants Angelus wears are really uncomfortable."
Faith grabbed the keys to his chains from Connor and walked into the cage, smiling all the way.
"Kind of sexy if you ask me." Faith smiled, lustfully.
"Faith!" Angel nearly blushed as she undid his manacles.
"What? Angelus may be a bastard, but he wears nice clothes." Faith said with a wink.
"Well, I suppose…you could be onto something there. I am fairly stylish." Angel said with a chuckle.
His hand struck out and hit Faith right in the nose. Before she could recover he threw her into the concrete wall. Connor roared in anger and rushed into the doorway, met with stiff kick and was then flipped into the small room with Faith. The door slammed shut with a loud slam and locked.
"God, I'm good." Angelus said, loudly chuckling as he picked up the stake and rattled it against the cage bars.
"You tricked us you bastard!" Faith roared as she threw herself against the cage door.
"Sorry darlin', but that's what I do. Plus you Slayers are always so trusting. It's almost too easy. Don't hurt yourself by the way. Reinforced steel tends to bruise flesh. Now let's see, I think I'll go upstairs and see what everyone else is doing, have a drink, maybe two. Don't worry though I won't forget about you. I'll be back and if you're good I'll bring you a present." Angelus smiled evilly, "Maybe Lorne's head. Now you kids play nice while daddy's away. Don't want to get hurt… yet."
Angelus laughed as he walked upstairs. Connor scowled.
"He's getting away!" Connor yelled. He was caught by Faith's fist.
"And if you hadn't come down here to kill him he wouldn't be doing that. He might kill us, but I'm going to enjoy some private time with you before he does." Faith growled popping her knuckles and punching Connor again.
"Alright, everything's set. Now all we have to do is use the Orb of Thessala to store Angel's soul and send it in and…."
Willow was cut off by the Orb shattering into thousands of pieces, cutting her cheek. The culprit, a wooden stake, hit the floor. She turned her head to the direction the stake had come from, as did the others. All eyes instantly went wide as knees went weak from fear.
"Hey guys." Angelus said very chipper in his vampire face, "Wanna fill me in on what I missed?"