Chapter 24: one energy coming right up.
Title: Reunion time.
Author: Nikka
Author notes: Hi everyone, If you need to know about summary, rate and all the rest it's all in chapter 1 I'll just remind you that English is not my native tongue so you may find some spelling & grammar mistakes, you're more then welcome to let me know about them but remember you may find them while you read the story. Have fun.
Disclaimer: Angel & Buffy's characters are not my creation (wish they were) they belong to Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt. Other characters that are not familiar from the show do belong to me.
Author's remark: My chapters as of ch 12 will no longer be reproof by Sigma due to the fact that I have no internet and I'm asking someone else to post the remaining chapters for me. I want to take this opportunity and thank sigma for all the help. And I hope you will continue reading my story even without the excellent work sigma has done. Thank you again sigma for all your great work.
Giles Handed Cordelia the cup. "When I put down the candle drink it all at once." He said and Cordelia nodded. Then he gave each of the 5 who set around the sand circle a candle, he put Wesley's one on the floor since Wesley was busy reading some book and paid little attention to him. Then Giles asked them to lit them, Fred lit Wesley's who still read. Giles did the same and placed the paper with the spell in front of him on the floor so he'll be able to read the spell and perform the ritual at the same time.
"How will we know what to do?" Fred asked.
"Just follow me." Willow told her. "Do as I do when I do it and you'll be fine." She smiled at Fred who looked scared.
"Are we ready?" Giles asked everyone and looked around the room to see everyone nodding they're heads. He Looked at Wesley who was still reading the book. "For good sake Wesley put the Damn book away, we're ready to begin." Giles snapped at him but Wesley didn't seem to notice him at all. "Wesley?" Giles called his named. He was irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry I was just reading something very interesting." Wesley explained his distraction.
"I don't care, put it away." Giles said trying not to get mad.
"Well you should care because it involves the spell we're about to perform." That caught Giles attention.
"Let me see." He said as he grabbed the book from Wesley.
For a few minutes they both huddled reading the book while Wesley was pointing at various places in the book and Giles nodding his head and rubbing his forehead.
Cordelia was starting to lose her patience. "What's going on?" She asked but got no replay.
"Give them 5 minutes I think they're on to something." Willow said to her.
5 minutes past away and still no answer. "You guys. It's getting late." This time it was Willow. Giles asked for just a few more minutes but when another 5 minutes past away Cordelia lost it. "What the hell is going on?" Cordelia yelled. Both Wesley and Giles stopped talking and looked at her.
"Giles?" Buffy who was getting impatient also looked at him waiting for answers.
"I'm afraid we translated the text incorrectly." Giles said.
"What does that mean?" Cordelia asked.
"When the text said 'human scarifies' it meant the energy of the person not his blood." Wesley explained.
"People have energy?" Xander asked surprised.
"Everything that lives has an energy, so do we. It's a part of who we are." Willow explained.
"Is it even possible to take someone's energy?" Fred asked.
"As far as I know." Willow said. "To take someone's energy is not possible."
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"It's like a soul." Willow tried to explain. "You know how some religions believe that the body is just a vessel and the true, essence of the human being is in his soul?" She looked at Buffy who kind of knew what she meant. "Well an energy of a person is similar to that."
"And what happens to someone when his soul is removed?" Fred asked.
"He dies." Angel said. "At least his human part, right?" He looked at Willow.
"So if a soul and an energy are the same." Fred said.
"Well not the same, but similar." Tara corrected her.
"Then when we remove the energy from a person he will…" Fred knew the rest, everyone knew.
"So what now? What's plan B?" Buffy asked Giles and Wesley.
"We don't have another idea. I'm sorry." Giles said disappointedly.
"Don't be sorry, be productive." Buffy snapped at him.
"Buffy I know you're upset but there is no way and no person who can give his energy, his essence and live. It's not possible." Giles knew it wasn't what she wanted to hear.
"I'll do it." Angel offered.
"No Angel you can't." Cordelia didn't like his idea.
"She's right you can't." Wesley backed her up.
"Why not?" Angel asked.
"Because you need to be alive." Anya said. "And you're not. Not technically anyway."
"Great so we're back to square one." Cordelia said.
"Not necessarily." Buffy said all of the sudden.
"What you have an idea?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, we'll continue as planned." She said.
"Buffy I explained to you we can't…" Giles started to explain again when Buffy cut him off.
"If I'm strong enough to endure blood lost why couldn't I be strong enough to endure energy lost?" She made it sound do simple. But it wasn't.
"That's different Buffy. Blood can be replaced, energy can't be." Wesley explained.
"Angel got his soul back after he lost it. And willow you said that a soul and an energy are very similar." Buffy looked at Willow.
"I know but it took a powerful magic to restore Angel's soul and it wasn't lost forever. You might say it was misplaced." Although Willow liked Buffy's idea she knew it wasn't doable.
"Come on you guys. An energy is like a battery right?" She looked at Giles.
"Buffy it's not exactly true." Giles didn't like the analogy.
"But it can be recharged?" Buffy kept on.
"Recharged yeah. But when the battery is dead you have to replace it." Everyone looked amazed at Xander. His analogy actually made sense and was to the point.
"I can't accept that. There has to be another way." Buffy refused to give up.
"Well there is someone we know who has unlimited amount of energy." Anya said.
"What? Who do you mean? Buffy didn't follow.
Anya looked at Xander who knew were she was heading. "No Anya, no. It's to dangerous."
"Xander what are you talking about? Who is that person who has unlimited amount of energy that we can just barrow…" Suddenly it hit her. She knew whom they were talking about. "No way. Not Dawn." Buffy said firmly.
"No one suggested it." Xander looked at Anya angry.
"What?! I just stated the obvious." Anya said defensively.
"How can Buffy's little sister can help?" Gunn asked confused. Fred was also confused.
"It's a long story and I promise I'll tell it to you later." Cordelia said when suddenly…
"Actually it's not that long." Anya began talking and before anyone could stop her she started rambling about Dawn and the monks and Glory and how Dawn's the key. She kept on and on till she was finished.
"Apparently not as long as I thought." Cordelia said sarcastically.
"It doesn't matter because we are not using her." Buffy said to Giles.
"Of course not Buffy. We wouldn't dream of it." He reassured her.
They set there trying to find another way. Even Spike stayed on and helped research. They knew it was hopeless. It took them hours to find this spell and it could take even longer if ever to find a new one.
"I think I got it." Cordelia said all of the sudden. Everyone raised their heads. "Here in this book, I think I got the answer." She handed the book to Wesley and Giles.
"No Cordelia, this passage refers to channeling your own energy and preserving it, not using someone else's." Giles was disappointed.
"I know, that's why this is our answer." Cordelia insisted.
"Cordelia this can't be our answer unless you plan on using your own energy." Giles snapped at her. "Which is a very… very…" He looked at the book once again. So did Wesley.
"It's a very what?" Cordelia asked.
"It could work." Wesley said to Giles.
"But it's quite dangerous." Giles answered back.
"Not as dangerous as going back to a past life that's not even your own." Wesley had a good point.
"What are you guys talking about? Am I right? Can I use my own energy to perform the spell?" Cordelia felt so proud of herself.
"What?! you want to do what?" Angel lost it. "Are you crazy? Haven't you listened to the warnings? You will die. Do you have a death wish?" Angel was really losing it.
"Cordy got up. "I know what I'm doing. I can use my own energy without losing it. It's possible."
"And I bet it's risky right. Even riskier then the stupid spell." Angel didn't seem to calm down.
"Yes it's risky. So what? It's our only way and it can actually work." Angel just looked angry. "If you don't believe me then ask them." She said and pointed at Giles and Wesley who really didn't want to get into this.
"Is she right? Can her crazy idea actually work?" Angel asked.
Wesley was afraid to answer him, he was so angry. So Giles took the noble role. "Yes she's right, it can work and quite frankly it's our last chance. I don't know how you found this Cordelia but you are right. If we don't do this we can't perform the spell and you won't be able to return to your vision."
"So how does it work? How do you take her energy away from her?" Gunn wanted to know more about this spell.
"The point of the spell is to open an unseen portal." Giles explained.
"A portal." Fred didn't like that word. Gunn held her letting her know she was safe.
"Well not really a portal, more a doorway to her vision, to that woman's life." Wesley tried to be more specific knowing what happened to Fred. "The energy will open that not real portal." He looked at Fred making sure she was fine. He saw Gunn holding her and although he hated seeing them like that he knew she felt safe.
"And how do we extract the energy from Cordelia?" Tara asked.
"We don't, Cordelia will function as a key." Willow explained. "Instead of us performing the ritual on Cordelia she will perform it on herself."
"Do you know what to say and do?" Angel asked Cordy.
"Well no. But they'll write it down for me and I'm sure it will be fine." Angel still looked worried. "Don't worry I'm not alone I have you guys and the PTB's that's a lot of power. I'll be all right, I know I will."
"So you better get cracking on that new spell." Buffy suggested. "How long will it take?" She asked looking at her watch it was past 21:00 and she still hadn't patrolled.
"It might take a while, we have to start all over again. All the ingredients and spells are useless now." Willow answered as she saw Anya frowning; probably because now she knew she has to give more staff away for free for the new spell. Willow smiled.
"Maybe we should stop for tonight and start fresh tomorrow." Buffy suggested and everyone seemed to like the idea except for Giles and Wesley. "Giles we're tired and I still haven't patrolled and Dawn is all alone,"
"And some of us have jobs tomorrow morning." Xander added.
"Come on Wes I'm tired also and if I'm tired I might say the wrong words and open some kind of portal to hell." Fred didn't like Cordy's joke. But Giles and Wesley got the message and decided to stop for the day and Continue tomorrow at noon.
"In the meantime we'll continue to work on the spell." Giles said to Buffy.
"Sure what ever you want, I have to go and patrol."
"Need a hand?" Spike offered and Buffy could see the look on Angel's face.
"No I'm good." She said and grabbed her coat.
"If you don't mind Luv I'll tag along." Spike said and stood by the door waiting. Buffy didn't want to make a scene.
"You know what Buffy I think I'll tag along also." Angel said to Cordelia's surprise as well as Buffy's and Spike's.
"You will?" Cordelia asked surprised.
"You know how it is. I haven't seen action in days, I could use some time out." He hoped the explanation would satisfy Cordelia.
"Fine do what ever you want I'm tired and I'm going to bed."
"Me too." Xander said and Anya gave him a look. "To your bed." He said smiling as he hugged her.
"Are you coming?" Anya asked Fred and Gunn who looked tired also.
"Yeah why not. I had enough excitements for one day." Gunn said.
"Cordy need a lift." Xander offered.
"Sure why not." She took her coat and whispered in Angel's ear. "What ever it is. Deal with it tonight before you come to bed." Angle didn't answer back he got the message.
"Oh wait, I don't have enough room for Tara and Willow." Xander said to Anya.
"It's okay we can walk home." Tara said.
"No way, we can take the van. Right Angel?" Gunn looked at Angel who nodded for agreement.
"Are you sure it's no trouble?" Willow asked.
"It's cool, let's go." Gunn said.
Giles you lock up." Anya ordered, and he ignored her.
"Good night." Tara said as they walked out.
"I guess it's patrol time." Buffy felt really uncomfortable.
"It's been a while Angelus do you still remember the drill." Spike teased him.
"Sure I do William." He teased him back.
"This is going to be a fun night." Buffy said quietly as they walked out, but both vampires heard her.
TBC