Title: The Ring Of Blacknar

Category: Lord of the Rings/Angel/Buffy Crossover

Author: Boredom, and my imaginary friend. Who else?

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss and Mr. Tolkien are the sole creators, and evil geniuses that own the best works known to man. Well, maybe just me. Anyway, I don't own anything.

Summery/Explanation: It's always bugged me, ever since I finally saw the episode, about what happened to the Ring of Blacknar. The one that Angel took from the Senior Partners. Or at least, I think that's the name. Oh well. So this is a Lord of the Rings and Angel crossover, explaining what ever happened to the ring, after Darla took it. Of course, we had to get some Buffy people in here, so I hope you like!

And I think I thought this up during band class, so if it sounds sorta.... off kilter, that's why.

Oh, set in season six of Buffy, and...fourish(?) of Angel. Maybe end of three...Connor's currently living at the hotel.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~

He was in the basement. He couldn't sleep, and needed something to do. Cleaning out the basement sounded like such a non-fun thing to do. Sorting through boxes of knick-knacks, and stuff he had collected through the years, he found a box shoved into a corner labeled Darla. Written beneath was "To my darling boy." In Darla's distinct writing. The box was sealed, and heavy.

Angel shrugged, and hefted the box.

"Connor." He said, knocking on the door once, before leaving the box outside. Connor came out, and looked around to see Angel's retreating back. He saw the box, and the label. He picked up the box and closed the door behind him.

The first thing inside the box was a letter, scented faintly of perfume.

My darling Boy,

If you are reading this, then you are all grown up, and I am long gone. I am sorry I never got to know you, but it's better this way. Angel will have taken good care of you thus far. He may not love me, but he used to, at one time.

I love you very much, my baby boy, and I wanted you to get to know me, if even through things of my past, and not by the lies Angel might tell you.

I love you,

Darla.

Connor set the letter aside, and went through the box. Some clothes, and pictures. Pictures of a petite young blond. Some were little more than paintings, drawings; some in light pencil, some charcoal. She was sleeping, she was awake, she was vamped, she was eating. He didn't care her pose or attire, he thought her beautiful.

The next items seemed to be souvenirs. Budapest, France, Paris, Dublin. Cyro. She had been everywhere.

Beneath a gauzy dress, he found a small book. He opened it, and began to read. Dear Diary.

I am now working at the tavern. Only the most buxomy of girls are accepted. It was frightening at first, knowing full well what was expected of me, but it gets easier.

The work is really not so bad, on occasion, I get free drinks, from a patron, and then the work that comes after is always pleasurable, and pays well.

Connors set the book aside. He did not want to know his mother that way. The box was now empty. A flash of gold caught his eye and he picked up a gold ring.

It was a plain gold band, almost like a wedding ring. It was lightly feminine, and no man in his right mind would hear such a ring, unless he was very confident in himself, or if he just didn't care. Connor was the latter.

He slipped the ring onto his right ring finger. He felt funny for just a moment, before deciding to learn more about his mom. But not by her diary, it was too personal even for him to read. No, he would ask the person that knew her the best.

"What was my mother like, before she was sired?" He asked, standing in the doorway to Angel's office.

"Connor? Is that you?" Angel craned his neck to see his wayward son.

"I'm right here." He said, put out.

"Where?"

"In the doorway." He waved his arms.

"I can hear you, sense you, smell you, but I can't see you." Angel thought out loud, puzzled.

"Yo, Angel. Got a minute." Gunn asked, coming into the doorway, and running into Connor. "Yo, watch it!"

"Hey!"

"Connor? Is that you?" Gunn asked, feeling for the kid.

"Hey, hand's off."

"What's going on?" Gunn turned to Angel.

"Not sure yet."

"You guys can't see-" Connor's vision was suddenly filled with a huge burning eye. "AGH!" he dropped to his knees, the ring slipping off his finger and rolling across the floor.

Connor appeared out of nowhere.

"Damn." Gunn muttered.

"What's that?" Angel asked, now standing, leaning over the desk, looking at the gold band on the floor.

"It was in the box."

"Of Darla's things?"

"Here we go again." Gunn said, remembering Angel's obsessed phase. He threw up his hands and left.

"Yeah."

"The band of Blacknar." Angel said, picking it up. He hadn't realized it was missing until just now.

"And?" Connor asked, slowly getting up.

"I took it from a senior Partner, coming for a review. Took me to the Home Office. Darla must have taken it after...." Angel was suddenly lost in a memory.

"What?"

"Huh?" He shook himself.

"After what?"

"Not important. So, you were wearing it when you were . . . invisible?" He asked, lacking for a better term.

"Yeah."

"I don't remember that being the Blacknar's power." Angel was already deep in research mode. He set the ring on his desk, and went to start going through books.

Connor sighed and turned to leave, before remembering the ring. He turned back to the desk to pick it up-

"Leave it."

"Why? It's mine."

"Because it's dangerous. You'll get it back once I'm done researching."

"Fine." Connor left.

Angel exhausted his resources there in the office, and yet he still found nothing. He picked up the ring gingerly, and decided to do a little test.

But how was he supposed to know if he became invisible or not? He didn't have a reflection as it was.

"Cordy?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to do an experiment. I need you to tell me what you see."

"Ok." She was wary of the instructions.

He slid the ring on, and it seemed to change in size to fit his finger. They both gasped, Cordy's of shock, his of pain. He slid to the ground, and the ring grew larger, and fell off.

"Run." He croaked, holding his chest in agony.

"What?"

"RUN!" He yelled, collapsing. Terrified, she did so.

"Whoa, what's with all the yelling, honey bunch?" Lorne asked, coming form the kitchen.

"Angel. I-I don't know! Ag!" Big headache. And then a woman being killed. By a tall, dark, normally broody vampire. Angel.... us. "Oh, god! We've got to get out of here!" She cried, running for her car.

"What'd you see?" Gunn asked, catching her arm on her way out.

"Angelus. Get everyone out!"

~ * ~

"Coming!" Dawn called. The phone was ringing. "Hello?"

"Dawn!"

"Cordelia?"

"Is Buffy there?"

"No."

"Is Willow? Giles, or even Xander? This is important."

"No."

"I really need to talk to Buffy."

"Wanna leave a message? I'll make sure she gets it."

"It's not exactly a message you leave with the little sister, Dawn. I mean, how can you soften the blow that her ex has gone psycho again?"

"What?"

"Damn it. Sorry, Dawnie. Can you have Buffy call me ASAP? I'm on my cell phone. 178-3362."

"Yeah, sure." Cordy hung up without a goodbye.

~ * ~

"Giles! We have to do something! Angelus is loose!"

"Last time you could bearly kill him. Could you do it a second time?"

"Are you afraid I'll see this as a way out? I died for the world. I will do what has to be done."

"Will you?" Giles was still bitter about the torturing and her betrayal a few months later on the matter of his return, all those years ago.

"I died to save the damn world, Giles! I sent my lover to hell! I've lost everything, but still I have to keep giving. I have nothing left to give, so I will do whatever it takes, because that's all I can do." She told him. He was silent.

~ * ~

"Dawn, Will and I are going to LA ok? Tara will be here when you get back from school, and Spike will be here at sunset."

"I'm not a little kid."

"I love you, Dawn. Be good."

"Yeah, yeah." She said, leaving for school.

~ * ~

Willow showed up in Xander's car at ten, the back seat filled with books from Giles'. Buffy hopped in, carrying a simple gym bag, stuffed with a week's worth of clothes, and enough weapons to equip a brigade.

On the way to L.A, they were silent, lost in their own thoughts. Willow's were centered on her guilt about ripping her best friend from heaven, getting in that car accident, and loosing Tara. She wasn't supposed to do any magick, but if they needed to re-curse him, then she would have to. No one else could.

Buffy's thoughts were on the last time Angel had lost his soul. The torment she had gone through. She had loved him so much. Still did. But they were over, and they both had moved on. And this wasn't about saving her lover, or even her friend, because they weren't. This was about doing her job so no one else got hurt.

They pulled up to the address given; Buffy was surprised to see a majestic hotel. Willow, who had been there before, stared in terse silence.

They hurried to get inside. It was dark.

About half way to the door, a figure came out of the shadows.

"Well, it's Buff, and the witch. Come to save the day? It's too late."

"Get inside!" Buffy pushed Willow towards the door.

Willow rushed inside, throwing a cross to the black man, and incense to Wesley. "Incense, light! Cross, hang!" she ordered, trying to find the right page. They did as they were told, and she began to read.

Buffy leapt inside, and Angelus tried to follow, but was stopped.

"Sorry. Changed the locks." She slammed the door in his face, reminded of the last time she had said those exact words.

"Industrial strength." Willow piped up.

"But how..." Wesley asked, looking over the spell.

"Few extra words here, few changes there." Willow shrugged. "Your motto is helping the helpless, right? Angelus won't feel helpless for a while, hopefully. He's just been freed."

"Besides, people live here, right? I saw the lights." Buffy explained her question.

"Oh, Connor. He doesn't know...." Cordy trailed off.

"Um, introductions would be nice." Buffy said to fill the silence.

"Gunn." The black man said. "And you're Buffy...Buffy Summers, right?"

"How'd you know?" Buffy asked, wondering if she knew him, trying to place him.

"Beside these guys going on about you? We went to Hemery together. Every lower classman knew of you, always getting recognition for something or other. Until I dropped out, that is."

"Oh? I got kicked out. Burned down the gym." She said in an off hand way.

"Serious? Mall rat like you?"

"Yeah. I also got expelled junior year, too. From Sunnydale High."

"Wow. I'm sorta impressed."

"A-and then we blew up the school during graduation." Willow said.

"The mayor was making a speech. He had to be stopped." Buffy said in mock outrage.

"Excuse me?! Angelus, scourge of Europe? Terrorizer of the Old World? Ringing any bells?" Wesley asked.

"Stodgy fuddy duddy." Willow muttered.

"He's right. Gunn, this is Willow." Buffy introduced them, "How'd this happen?" She asked, though she really didn't want to know.

"This." Cordelia held up the ring, and both Wesley and Gunn took an unconscious step back.

"But how?" Buffy asked. "It looks normal enough." Buffy moved to inspect it.

"It made Connor invisible." Gunn said.

"Who's Connor?" Willow asked.

"I am." The two newcomers looked to see a 18-ish boy standing at the top of the stairs. "What's going on?"

"Angelus." Wesley told him.

"Don't worry, Connor, we'll get him back." Cordy assured.

"Who said I wanted him back?"

"He's your father!" Cordelia momentarily forgot the two Sunnydalers.

"He sure as hell doesn't act like a father." He stalked off.

"Whoa. Whoa. Time out. Connor is who?" Buffy asked, as Willow tried to soothe the slayer.

"Angel can explain. First we need to get him back. You brought the stuff, right?"

"How do you know it'll stick?" Gunn asked.

"Precisely. The texts were lost long ago and..."

"Hey! Not feeling the love in this room!" Willow complained.

"You are looking at the only living curse-er of a vampire's soul." Cordy said, looking at Willow. "She did it last time, why can't she do it again?"

"Um, well...." Willow started, but Buffy cut her off.

"Ok, let's hurry, before Angelus figures out how to get around our de- invitation spell."

"Ok, I just need..."

~ * ~

They all sat around the circle. Candles within the circle surrounded the Orb, and Cordelia once again, stood to one side, waving an incense stick over the circle. Wesley stood to the other side of the powerful witch, holding a book. Willow sat in the middle of the circle, the printout of the curse in her lap.

"Quod perditum est, invenietur." Wesley read.

"Not dead, nor of the living. Spirits of the interregnum, I call. Gods, bind him. Cast his heart from the evil realm. Return. I call on..." Like the only other time she had done this curse, Willow felt herself become possessed, and words started spilling from her mouth.

"Te implor, Doamne nu ignora aceasta rugaminte. Nici mort, nici al fiintei. Lasa orbita sa fie vasal care-I va transporta sufletul la el. Asa sa fie! Asa sa fie! Acum!"

The orb glowed brightly, and then went dark. Whatever had possessed her let her body free, and Willow looked around her surroundings. Old friends, and one new one. She knew she was safe. But this set her back. Big time.

~ * ~

Angelus ran. He knew this feeling. And he knew that he couldn't out run it, but maybe he could kill the witch responsible.

This time, he was allowed into the building. He certainly felt helpless enough.

Buffy jumped up from her seat on the round couch, taking the offensive. As he stumbled down the stairs, Willow finished the spell. He dropped to his knees, and a light flashed in his eyes. Fireish.

"Uh." He moaned, pinching his eyes closed. He eventually opened them, to be staring at an unmentionable spot. He averted his gaze upwards to look at her face, into her eyes.

"Buffy?" He was puzzled. "Everything's so....muddled. I don't understand...what are you doing here?"

"You will in just a minute." She turned from him to Willow. "You ok?" She asked her red headed friend.

"Yeah. Just on a bit of a buzz is all." She nodded, and turned back to Angel.

"Who's Connor?"

~ * ~

"I think we are all clear. It must be destroyed." Wesley said. Buffy grabbed the ring and chucked it with all her might at a brick wall. Good sized hole, but not a scratch on the ring.

Willow went and picked up the ring, then dropped it. "Whoa!" She said, rising unsteadily to her feet.

"You ok?"

"I thought that doing a spell was a power rush..." Buffy was concerned. Willow had been doing doing well, but now....

"How can we destroy something that's so powerful?" Cordy asked as Buffy went and stomped on the ring.

"The hellmouth." Willow muttered.

"What?"

"The hellmouth. Throw it into it, and the fires should melt it."

"What if it's thought of as a sacrifice?" Buffy asked.

"I have no idea on this type of thing." Wesley said, scratching his head.

"That's a first."

"Well, what have we got to loose?" Gunn asked.

"The world?" Buffy pointed out.

"Oh, besides that. Bad idea then."

"But what else have we got? That thing can't be turned, used for good. It's pure, undiluted evil." Willow said, shaking in her chair, which she returned to a few minutes earlier.

No one could argue with that.

"So, feed it to the hell mouth?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." Everyone agreed.

A few hours later, they stood in the burned down school, in what used to be the library. They all stood in a semi circle, Buffy in the middle. She stood behind the crack in the cement, where a few years before three demons had tried to sacrifice themselves.

She took a deep breath and stepped up to the crack, and threw the ring in. The ground shook, but then all was silent from the mouth of hell.

"Well, we're done here, right?" Cordy asked, shaking Wesley's grip from her arm, where he had grabbed to steady himself.

"Hot date?" Buffy asked snidely.

"No, I have to get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be one long day." She said, turning from the group.

"Vision?" Gunn asked, and Buffy heard. Everyone but Buffy and Angel followed Cordelia.

"No, just a feeling." Cordy told him.

"I second that." Willow said. "Back to cold turkey for me." She said, sighing.

Buffy and Angel stood there a moment, looking at the crack.

"Your employees are leaving." She said at last.

"They can't get far. I have the keys."

"Oh." They were silent a bit longer.

"So, how are you?"

"Good, considering."

"I bet." Angel took a step closer to her. She stepped away.

"Things between us are not ok, Angel. I know that I don't share every detail of my life with you anymore, but..."

"Finding out about Connor threw you for a loop."

"Just a big one. Coming back, trying to get my life back on track, this was not what I needed, Angel."

"I know. I'll go." He said, turning.

"It was nice seeing you again."

"You too. You look great." He turned and left.

~ * ~

"NO!" Sauron screamed.

Unbeknownst to the meddling Fellowship, when that fumbling hobbit had thrown the ring into Mount Doom, a dimension-hopping demon ended up saving it, and then gave it to it's Master. Sauron had been trying to track it down ever since, through multitudes of demonic dimensions. Now, after all these years of searching, only to have it destroyed at the hand of a mere human. A woman, no less.

There would be little that could comfort his grief as he felt his life force waning, and he slipped into mere memory.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *~ ~*~ ~ * ~ * ~

So, what do you think? This is the end, so please review.