Sorry about taking so long between posts. It has taking awhile to post due to my Dad cleaning up files on the computer and me needing to HotSync my PDA; where I keep my story on. I have been working my ass off to tweak the story for ya'll . So with the apologies out of the way, here is the next chapter of the story.
Enjoy.
Part 6,
Illyria was wondering through the halls of Wolfram and Hart like a Specter. The Oracle Tara's words bit at her like an itch she couldn't scratch. She was loosing herself to the concept that she and Fred were becoming one being. How much of her was left from this transformation and how much was not left afterwards. As she ran her hands wistfully by the plants as she waited for them to speak back to her; but there was no response as she moved by the bamboo near the Lobby elevators. This was the twelfth patch of plants in the building as Illyria was getting scared about how much of her powers she had lost when Wesley saved her from exploding. Now it was sinking in, no song of the plants of their desires of the sun, the air, the wind, and the joy of water. That song had been a comfort for her since she had reawakened, the words, if there were such a thing for a plant hadn't changed since she first walked on this planet. Now it was gone. That was when she took notice of Wesley and the Demon Clown Lorne.
"I can no longer hear the song of the green." Illyria said as Lorne and Wesley were standing behind the glass panel that moved from some of the more private offices to the main arboretum area of the floor.
"You think that includes me?" Lorne said to Wesley whose several day old unshaven face showed that he was slowly coming to terms with Fred's death and Illyria baring the face of the woman he had loved as she attempted to find her place in this new Alien world.
"Her powers have been greatly reduced. She still has an unusual level of strength, but is no longer invulnerable or able to alter time." Wesley said watching Illyria's body language as she was still trying to sense the actions of the bamboo as she decided to let her presence known to her two observers that were talking about literally behind her back.
"You revel in my defeat." Illyria said in sadness and anger to her two gawkers.
"Is that how you view it-you've been defeated?" Wesley said attempting to give the once Ancient Demon-God a shoulder to lean on.
"My world gone. My power stripped. How would you define it?" Illyria said in pain, the look in her eyes said it all. She wanted something of her existence back. Something of her's to say: I am Illyria God-Ruler of the Primordium; fear me before I kill you.
"Uh, I don't know, how about... lucky we didn't kill you when you went
Nuclear?" Lorne said attempting to make a joke at Illyria's expense, which turned out a little worse than expected as Illyria entered into full Doom Smurf depression ranting mode.
"This fate is worse than death. Condemned to live out existence in a vessel incapable of sustaining my true glory. How am I to function with such limitation?" Illyria said attempting to look big among the other shrimp in the ocean.
"Well, ever tried a Sea Breeze?" Lorne said chuckling as he held up his glass of the orange fluid that Illyria knew was the slow human poison called Alcohol.
"You attempt amusement at the expense of your better." Illyria said attempting to put the Green demon in place with her presence.
"Illyria. Perhaps you should return to the lab." Wesley said to Illyria attempting to get her mind off of wandering around like a ghost and to becoming a resource that they could use in the future.
"I do not bend to your wishes." Illyria said with distaste towards Wesley's suggestion of where she should go in this layer of the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart.
"I'm not asking you to. Merely suggesting that more tests might lead to knowledge of how to help you function." Wesley said to Illyria as he attempted to find a way to help her transition into the modern world and cope with her current state of being. Illyria just glared back at him in defiance before she headed up the in the direction of the stairs to Fred's old lab.
"I go because it suits me." Illyria said with the sound of thousands of really sour distasteful tones to her current condition in her voice.
"Whew. Ah, so too bad that whirly-jig thing didn't suck the sass out of her." Lorne said wondering if he should be carrying Wes's large particle cannon around with him, just in case Illyria decided to come and rip his kahonies off.
"She's overcompensating. Posturing." Wesley said examining the last few moments in his mind of Illyria's more recent actions. Illyria was attempting
"So she really wasn't gonna snap my stalk?" Lorne said partially worried and partially relived about what Wesley was saying about Illyria and her current state of mind.
"Her powers are weakened, but... she's still unpredictable. Perhaps more so until she learns to adjust." Wesley said to Lorne just realizing how Illyria had become more unpredictable and scared since her decrease in power. Behind them the lobby elevator dinged. "We have to be careful not to agitate her." That was when the elevator doors opened and Fred's parents walk off the elevator into the lobby. With Lorne facing the elevator he saw Fred's Parents and said the one word he wished he didn't say, but did anyway partially as a distraction and as a warning to Wesley.
"Burkles!"
"See? I told you they would remember us." Roger Burkle said as he moved towards Wesley and Lorne with his usual "Howdy old partner, long time no see" Texas bode.
"Guess we do make an impression." Trish Burkle said remembering the last time he had meet Fred's friends. Though strange looking there were decent people once you warmed up to. Folks that any proud Texan would call Friend in a heartbeat.
"Why are you here?" Wesley said gruffly attempting to hide why Fred's parents had shown up but quickly caught him self from telling Fred's parents in the first few seconds that she was dead. Wesley softened up his response and continued to speak with Mr. Burkle. "I mean, what-" Wesley said but was caught off by Roger Burkle.
"Hawaii." Roger said as Trish his wife moved over closer to him and giving him a hug.
"Been savin' up for years." Trish enthusiastically added with a wave of her hand to Wesley.
"Thought we'd take a layover and surprise Fred. Uh, know where we can find her?" Roger said to Wesley and Lorne putting them into an uncomfortable position. How do you state the following: Your daughter is dead, Killed by a demonic entity that has taken over her body and now is walking the halls of this office like a specter. This was going to make the Virginia Price talk look tame. Well they might as well be sitting down when he told this so he motioned to his office and said in a beat.
"Step into my office." With that Wesley pointed his arm in the direction of his archival arsenal of knowledge layer. Upstairs Illyria had stopped to take notice of the action below and started to study the interaction of Wesley and Lorne to the Shell's progenitors. Inside of her head an idea formed of how to learn more about the Shell's former occupant, if these beings learned of her actions to their progeny, they would do whatever in their power to destroy her. She had felt the grief from Wesley and the others. It tasted like rotting flesh and left a feeling of a void. A void she herself was facing, she thought about everything she had lost and what the shell had lost. Was this the event that the Oracles had told her about when she went to visit them? Even if a lie was a lie, it would spare the Shell's; no she had to stop thinking of the Shell by that title now. It had a name, Fred... Fred Burkle's family the sorrow of what had happened to their daughter. Maybe this was a way for her and Fred to merge into one entity. Now it was time to become Fred and do the things Fred would have done in this situation with her parents. She had all the memories, now it was a matter of changing her form to fit the needs for the circumstances.
Illyria moved down the stairs slowly changing her appearance staring with he simple things first such as her facial features and skin tone making them look more human, then taking matters slowly with a technique her people had developed as a measure of camouflage for their own protection and attack strategies; she transformed her battle garment into the clothing similar to the one the Shell had worn during her dying hours and Illyria's rebirth. That of a white blouse and black skirt with black dress shoes. By the time she got to Wesley's office all she had to do was access the shell's memories of how it spoke and the observation of these beings had begun. She only hoped that Wesley her guide would forgive her for her actions.
Inside of Wesley's office Wesley was sitting behind his desk when as she listened for the right moment to enter.
Meanwhile inside of Wesley's office Wesley was chewing over how to proceed hoping to lay this down at the right time, but given how they were admiring the interior of his office and commenting about it; it was getting harder and harder by the moment.
"Gotta say this is a step up from where you boys used to hang your hat." Roger Burkle said seeing the policed mahogany interior walls and bookcases of Wes's office.
"Ooh, a couple of steps." Trish said admiring the lush layout of the Wolfram and Hart offices that looked like something from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. That was when Wesley got up and closed the sliding door to his office.
"Yes, we- " Wesley said but before he continued Roger Burkle headed him off at the pass.
"Uh, you know, we didn't wanna say anything, but we were a little worried about that old hotel." Roger Burkle said to Wesley commenting more about the improvement Angel Inc, had made to their accommodations since their first meeting several years ago.
"Seemed a little run-down." Trish said remembering the old Hyperion Hotel that Angel Inc. used as a base of operations for almost three years earlier.
"But Fred called it home, so we just kept our mouths shut." Roger said commenting on his daughter's headfirst stance in her life. Her late life.
"Girl reaches a certain age, she's earned the right to make her own decisions." Trish said going on about her proud progeny.
"Which with Fred was around 7, wasn't it?" Roger said laying out most of Fred's unique childhood as she let out a laugh to her husband. Wes was going through hell of how much harder was this going to be to say that their daughter was dead.
"Mr. and Mrs. Burkle-" Wesley said in an attempt to regain control of the situation before him.
"Please." Trish said to Wesley in her Texas drawl.
"Roger and Trish." Roger said to Wesley as he held his wife's hand.
"The way she goes on about y'all, well, it feels like we're practically family." Trish said to Wesley commenting about the many phone calls her daughter had made to her parents, some of which Wesley had heard about.
"So where is that prodigal daughter-out saving the world with that nice Angel fella?" Roger said looking around the office wondering where their prodigal daughter was at, after remembering hearing the remarkable tale of their daughter being swept up into a hell dimension. Liberating a colony of humans from Demon rule and returning to this dimension to fight the forces of evil along side of Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Cordilia.
"Roger, Trish. There's something you need to know." Wesley said as he took a deep breath hoping that his next few worlds were able to communicate across what had happen to Fred. The woman he loved. The woman whose last hours he had spent by her bedside in a vain attempt to help her fight off the evil that had taken over her body and was slowly killing her.
"Fred-" Wesley as about to start with the horror story of Fred's last moments stating that Roger and Trish's daughter was dead. But he never got the chance when the word came from behind Fred's parents that he in his heart wished he didn't hear or wished it was heard under better circumstances hadn't Fred had died.
"Mom?" Fred said and Trish and Roger turned to see their normal, perfectly healthy and very human daughter standing in the doorway of Wesley's office.
"Well! There she is now." Roger Burkle said to Wesley and to the entire room that his pride and joy daughter was standing before him.
"Dad! Oh, my God. What are y'all doing here?" Fred said as she ran to hug her parents with great glee as if she had never seen them in her life and wanted this moment to last forever. To be loved by those to you and never let them leave your heart as long as you lived.
"Sweetie." Roger said to his daughter realizing that she had gotten physically stronger since he had last seen her. Man the demon killing must had been doing a lot for her small frame. He was turning black and blue on his arms from the hug she was giving him.
"Sight for sore eyes." Trish said looking at her daughter seeing a little tang of blue along her hairline and the sides of her neck. It was probably something from a battle Fred and recently been through and was probably clearing up.
"Oh, you look great!" Roger said as Wesley stared incredulously at the scene before him. Only he knew the Truth that it was the Demon-god Illyria standing before them wearing their daughter's skin like a costume. Wesley knew that the only way for him to find out what Illyria was up to was to let this play out, but he had to have his guard up. Illyria was more dangerous now than she was when her powers were at full strength. With that he watched "Fred" give her parents the tour of her new work place occasionally pointing out several of the non-human species that roamed the halls of Wolfram and Hart.
That was when they reached Fred's science lab with "Fred" escorting her father by the arm and her mother right behind them with Wesley on his arm.
"I gotta tell ya. Everyone is so dang friendly. I can't get over it." Roger said to his daughter admiring the large office and work area she had. Between the eclectic group of people and creatures his daughter worked with blew his mind. That and how several of the folks including the secretary, who Wesley told him was a Vampire were very cheerful. That and several of the coworkers of the human variety almost threw themselves at their feet opening doors and given them a wide birth to work with. It was as if his daughter was royalty. A far cry from the small girl that grew up in a small Texas town.
"Well, they kinda have to be, daddy. I'm their boss. If they're mean to you, I'll just fire 'em." Fred said jokingly to her father.
"Have we not seen each other since I ran over that bug demon with the bus? How is that even possible?" Trish said remembering the last time they had come to Los Angeles right after Fred was rescued from Pylea and met all of Fred's unique friends. Between Angel the Vampire P.I., Lorne the Singing Empathic Demon, Cordilia the fashion conscious Seer slash actress, Gunn the streetwise Muscle demon fighter, and Wesley the English Gentleman and sorcerer.
"Things have been a bit hectic these last couple...years." Wesley said as he attempted to change the subject away from those times and towards the present. Whatever Illyria was up to it was as if she was exploring this side of Fred and her relation to her parents as part of somehow getting to know whom her shell was and learn of its weaknesses.
"Well, I want to hear absolutely everything, but most importantly, have you got a young lady in your life?" Trish said to Wesley in a non-so blunt attempt to say, "I want you marry my daughter and give me some Grandchildren."
"Mom!" Fred said in embarrassment to her mother wanting to keep her love and sex life private.
"What? I was just asking. Well, can I help it if there's a perfect gentleman hiding in plain sight of my single daughter?" Trish said as she patted Wesley on the giving the not so subtle hint of here is a man, Please marry him so that I can die happy.
"Dad, make her stop." Fred pleaded with her father some more to intercede.
"Knock it off, big mouth." Roger said jokingly to his wife.
"He keeps talking to me like that, I'm gonna keep you for myself." Trish said to Wesley very sexily to make her point across to her daughter.
"Uh, is this whole laboratory yours, honey?" Roger said looking around at the immense space that was Fred's laboratory, between the particle accelerator, the electron microscope and the SL-72 flat min-Cray computer in the corner of the office the place was certainly upscale by anyone's standards. For Fred this was a place that would put NASA's JPL labs to shame.
"Well, technically, it's the company's, but... yeah. I'm in charge of it. Wanna see my office?' Fred said as she ushered her folks into her upstairs office.
"That's it up there?" Roger said to his wife as he pointed to the windowed office at the top of the stairs. "Come on, baby." Roger said to his wife as they started to up the stairs.
"Well!" Trish said reluctantly as she joined her husband heading up the stairs. Behind them Wesley took this advantage of having Fred's parents out of the way to interrogate Illyria about her recent actions by grabbing Fred by the arm and whispering angrily towards her.
"What the hell are you doing?" Wesley's words showed his anger and how upset he was at seeing this masquerade going on.
"Visiting with my folks." Fred said as she attempted to down play Wesley's aggression towards her.
"Illyria-" Wesley said making his point made that he wanted this charade to end now.
"Your grief hangs off of you like rotted flesh. I couldn't tolerate it from them as well. I thought this would be more convenient." Illyria said in her own lower distant sounding voice from inside of Fred's form as if she could sympathize with having something familiar around, something that meant home inside of this strange world she was trapped in now.
"How's it possible?" Wesley said as he studied Illyria's form and appearance as Fred. It was flawless and that was the scary thing about it.
"It's a simple modulation of my form. I appear as I choose." Illyria said in a lower voice so that her Wesley's conversation couldn't be over heard as she cocked her head and looked closely at Wesley in curiosity. "Do you wish me to stop?" She asked as if wanting Wesley to give her to okay to drop the act but they were interrupted before he could say anything about it as Trish Burkle stepped out of the office to see Wesley and "Fred" staring each other down as if some argument had broken out between them that had gone unheard by her and her husband.
"Sweetie, you have got to do a better job decorating. This office is as bare as a bone." Trish said after seeing Fred's office bare of anything personal or connected to her. Heck there were none of Fred's scribbled equations on the walls she used to solve problems with. Her office looked like someone had packed it all up as if Fred had died. That was when she put her hands on her hips and decided to put a stop to the untold argument and fix things between the to youngins.
"Is everything OK?" Trish said putting the question towards them so that she could dig out what was up with those two.
"Everything's fine." Wesley said looking at her as if "Fred" had crossed some line that he didn't like. But there was something going on that a mother's intuition knew was up between those two but it would reveal itself in time.
"Absotively." Illyria said in her attempt to be chipper as Fred but not fully losing the non-human tone in her voice. That was when a voice that neither Wesley nor Illyria wanted to hear come through the door.
"Leery... You in here? It's Lil. Want to play?" A child's voice said as Wesley and Fred turned to see young Lil standing in the doorway of the lab. The young Human-Braken hybrid child was wearing scarlet coveralls, red sneakers and had the sides of her face painted in blue marker. In one of her hands and under one of her arms was a pair of swords made of paper towel rolls as the hilt and a piece of cardboard covered in aluminum foil for the blades. That was when Fred's mom saw the child.
"Hi there, Little one. Are you looking for someone?" Trish said looking at the child as she came down the stairs.
"Yes I am? I'm looking for my friend Lerry. Have you seen her?" The child said looking around the room then to Trish. Trish wondered what this Lerry looked like but she decided to let the child tell her.
"What does your friend Lerry look like? Is she big, small..." Trish said as Wesley and Fred were watching this scene unfold. The child looked like she was chewing over how to describe her friend.
"Well she is big, has blue hair and stripes on her head, wears red." The child said as she let out a sneeze and green porcupine spikes erupted from her face. "Sorry, Allergies." The girl said as she wiped her hand under her nose. "I wanted to show her the costume I made of her. She is alone. I want to cheer her up." The child said staring to get worried, as a grin on her face started to slowly fade.
"Oh, so she looks kinda of like you?" Trish said as Wesley moved over beside her.
"Lil, you should be with your mom." Wesley said leaning over the child.
"I know Mister Wesley, but I heard about what happened to Lerry and how shaken up she was." Lil said looking around.
"Um, Fred why don't you come over here, you might be able to help this little one." Trish said hoping that this child would flesh out why Fred and Wesley were so suddenly despondent to each other. When the girl saw Fred she tilted her head as if to examine Fred's features then she started to speak in a language Trish didn't understand but somehow Fred knew it.
"Lerry is that you? " The child said in the language of the Old Ones. Fred or the Fred guise Illyria was wearing to protect Fred's parents from the grief started to speak in the same language.
"Yes it is, please little one I am attempting to prevent the grief and pain that I brought to Wesley and his friends to happening to these people. " Illyria said in her best tones in Fred's voice.
"So they are part of the girl you are linked to now? " Lil said to the Illyria Fred.
"Yes." Fred said in a said voice. "Yes they are."
"Well as Parents go, they seem nice." Lil said switching back to English. "Do you like my costume, I did it to honor her?" Lil said spinning around to show off her garment. Fred just grinned and hugged the child.
"It looks nice, Lil. I would believe that Illyria would be pleased to see you in it." Fred said as Trish and Roger saw the interaction between her and this little child.
"You look nice as a human. " Lil said seeing through the guise and taking her finger and touching Fred's nose. "A little peach coloring to your face and you look cutie." Lil finished as she moved out of the lab. "Its nice to see that they replaced the glass after the accident that happened in here." Lil said as she moved towards the door.
"Accident." Roger said to his daughter, "There was an accident in here?" Fred had to come up with something quick.
"Yes there was an accident. One of my co-workers decided to raise a demon in here named Illyria, but it had gone all wrong. Wes had to kill him to prevent Illyria from causing harm to everyone in the city. And her powers had become unstable so between the tactical team that was in here and the smashing several beakers the place was quite a mess after her powers had to be diluted by the Neutron emitter Wesley had to use on her." Fred said trying to cover the true events of Illyria. "So they kinda of had to repaint and replace a lot of stuff from that mess."
"So that is why your office is so bare." Trish said with relief. "Well Sweetie I'll buy some stuff from the Longaberger catalog and have it sent here." Trish said looking around the office. "In no time we'll have you fixed up good as new darling."
"Well at least you weren't hurt." Roger said looking at his daughter.
"I was in here when it went down." Fred said to her parents. "Wes is a little concerned about me coming back here with you two so soon after it had happened."
"So the reason that Wesley is acting this way is that he is trying to protect you. Well Well..." Trish said looking at Wesley in a new light. "Fred has always had a strong will, so I would suggest that you let her do what she needs to do." Trish said scolding Wesley.
"I will try Mrs. Burkle." Wesley said attempting to grin his way through it. Well what is next on the tour?
"Well let's take Lil back to her mom before we finish the tour." Fred said as she moved over to Lil and took her by the hand.
"Illyria" Lil said to her older counterpart, "Which form do you like more? Being a human or being that of a Demon? " Lil said wondering about her heritage.
"I don't know? Being human does have some advantages, I feel like I am not alone. I feel like my shell and I are one. But when I am myself, I am alone. Is that part of the merging you had dreams about? " The Illyria Fred said in her voice in an attempt to answer the child's question as they headed out of the Laboratory research wing.
"No, I'm half Demon. I just wanted to know what it was like to be a full demon or a full human like my mom? " Lil said as she turned back to see Fred's mom looking behind them with curiosity.
"I don't know, it depends on who the dominate species is and what you feel safe being. But being true and learning who you are, are big steps to take in life Lil." Fred said in her own voice. "Listen after I finish the tour with the Folks, how about I tell you a story as we search for Illyria. I'll tell you about the Dark Knight, the Sorcerer and the Ballerina. Deal." Fred said seeing her mother grinning.
"You know Fred given how you are acting, I'm thinking you would make a great mother." Trish said as they headed off to Interspecies Resources and dropped Lil off at her mom's desk before heading off to the main lobby of Wolfram and Hart. "My, look at the time Roger if we don't leave now, we'll miss our flight." Trish said after she took a look at the clock on the wall by the elevators. With that Roger pushed the down button to call the elevator as Trish moved to stand beside him. They turned to face Wesley and Fred, realizing how fast the time flew as they visited with their daughter. As long as they knew their child was all right and doing what she loved with her life, then it was okay with them. Hopefully the next time they visited there would be Mrs. in front of their daughter's name.
"Sorry to just drop in on you like this unannounced." Trish said apologetically to her daughter for the unannounced arrival, but it felt good to see their child healthy and well.
"Are you kidding me? I'm just sad y'all can't stay longer." Illyria said as her Fred persona. How much more she could have learned about her joined being of who she was going to be transformed into. To have family, to feel safe, to be whole. These were the things that were taken from her long ago and now she realized what she had taken from Fred those things that made power and strength nothing. It was the sense of the heart and of hope. Two things that could not be killed only hurt and healed.
"Well, the beach is callin'." Roger said looking forward to his vacation in Hawaii with his wife and walking with her hand in hand on the beach.
"Wesley. You take care of our little Fred for us. OK?" Trish said hoping that Wesley would be her future son-in-law.
"Of course." Wesley said knowing that he had failed the Burkles in that regard, but he kept up his facade so that the tragedy wouldn't hit home till later or until he found a way to get Fred out of Illyria permanently.
"Ohhh. I miss you already, and we haven't even gone yet." Trish said as she hugged her daughter tight fearing that she was about to lose her again in some way. But it was the hug that Fred gave back, it was as if someone else was hugging her back unsure how to treat the situation of physical contact with another person. Maybe it was her age and the fact that Fred was growing up. That was when Trish sighed and looked her daughter in the face wanting to know it was really her daughter Fred or some illusion. "You sure you're OK? You seem different somehow." Before Trish could continue the thought Roger stepped in.
"Oh, she's just growin' up, mother. Let her go. You're gonna embarrass her in front of her employees." Roger said knowing that they had caught their daughter off guard when they had dropped in, but Fred was healthy and okay and doing well for herself. Now all they wanted was a wedding for their little one.
"Stop it, daddy, and come here. Give me a hug." Illyria said as Fred as she gave both of Fred's parents a hug. For once Illyria remembered her own mother and her siblings and knew how alone she was now in the world. She said something she wished she could have said to her mother before her death. "I love you guys so much." For a moment she was back in the nest curling next to her mother during the cold night of the first dark moon.
"Oh, we love you, too." Trish said feeling some of her daughter's wish for her to stay just a bit longer to reminisce on good times and bad. That was when Illyria had to let go, she wanted to let this image of reality to stay and no be broken just for a bit longer in this strange world.
"We'll talk soon. OK?" Roger said hoping to call his daughter when they got into their hotel room in Hawaii several hours from now.
"Countin' on it." Illyria said as Fred. Just a bit of time spent taking with these two made the loneliness fade away for a little while. That was when Wesley and "Fred" started to wave good-bye
Wesley and "Fred" wave as Fred's parents got into the elevator to go downstairs and on their trip. After the doors closed in front of the Burkles Wesley leaned over to Illyria and spoke in an angry tone.
"Did you get what you needed from that experience?"
"Yes. It was most informative." Illyria said in her own voice from behind the Burkle persona. The Oracles were correct; Illyria and Fred were mirror images of each other. Illyria was strength, power, knowledge, death and fury, while Fred was Compassion, intellect, love, and life.
"Good. Don't ever do it again." Wesley said angrily as he marched off into his office to pour himself a drink and search for a way to get his love Fred back into this world. Illyria turned to glare at him as he left. She had given Wesley back the woman he loved, what more did he want? If the answer was somewhere inside of her or her shell, Illyria would search inside and out for the answer. But how do you give something back to someone after you have been toughly mixed into it, with no way to get out. That was when she decided to walk around as Fred. Maybe there was some secret Fred had that she could use to convince people that their Fred was active and well but part of Illyria. So a thought got into her head that she should pay Lil a visit but she had to grab Flagellum the bunny, the destroyer of realms from Fred's office.
For an idol made from cloth and cotton stuffing, Illyria felt a close connection to her Shell Fred. Memories of when she was sick or scared Flagellum would protect her from harm. Now Illyria needed to learn that type of safety as she caressed the idol in her hands as she moved through the office to Interspecies Resources and entered.
Harriet who was dealing with a Vegetarian Werewolf that had issues with the Akins diet saw Illyria and knew that the Calvary had arrived.
"Illyria." Harriet called out, "Thank goodness you are here I've been looking all over for you." Harriet said as she took notice of Ilyria's form. "I see that you are exploring the aspects of your Burkle persona." Illyria just looked and tilted her head in her own manner to imply she was.
"Yes I am," she said in Fred's voice as it felt as if she was becoming one with her form. "But you know I feel that Wesley is a little upset that I look like this." In a breath Illyria switched to her lower voice. "It disconcerns me greatly."
"Well you are not the only one having to deal with their human and Demon Natures." Harriet said as Lil came into the room. "Listen Illyria This is Joel Sicily." Harriet said pointing to the Werewolf who was acting a little ancy. "I was going to hold a social get together of sorts and I was thinking if you feel up to it I want you to come." Harriet said waiting for Illyria to answer.
"I don't know..." Fred said as Illyria let this side of her take over. "I'm still trying to sort myself out. Between discovering that I am to be a merged being and living in a strange world, I'm scared."
"Well Joel here is the same way. He is a recent Werewolf and I was going to hold one of my famous mixers so that he can get his feet firmly planted on the ground to his state of being." Harriet said as Lil moved over to Illyria.
"Mind that I bring Wesley along?" Fred said to Harriet.
"Yeah if he is willing, so how does he think of your current form?" Harriet said to Illyria.
"I think I made him Angry. If there was a way for me to let him know that Fred and her soul were still in here with me and that the two of us are trying to figure out what the other is, then he might turn around and accept us as us." Fred said as some of Illyria's shading started to come back.
"Well, I plan to see you at the party. You still Living at the Hyperion?" Harriet said seeing Illyria become a little nervous.
"Yes, We are." Illyria said as Lil tugged at her hand.
"Is that your bunny Rabbit?" Lil said as Illyria knelt down to the child's eye level.
"Um, It's Fred's. But I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it?" Illyria said as the child moved and took the doll and started to cradle the figure in her hands. "Does he have a name?" The young hybrid demon said as she moved to a nearby chair and sat down.
"Flagellum, the destroyer of realms." The Fred Persona said to Lil.
"That's a funny name." The child giggled. "Does he have any powers?" This thought had not crossed Illyria's mind and she started to search through all of Fred's experiences for the Answer but only knew that the creature would create chaos and that was a force within itself.
"To create Chaos upon those who seek to harm him or what he wishes to protect." Illyria said switching to her own voice.
"Kinda of like Bugs Bunny, but without the humor." Lil said.
"I am not sure? Who is Bugs Bunny?" Illyria said as she sat down by the child.
"Well mom is right you do have a lot to learn about this world." Lil said to the once Ancient Demon-God. "Could you tell me a story? I would really like it." Lil said as she leaned next to Illyria.
"I will try but I only have tales of other world of which I have traveled." Illyria said as she started to tell the young demon of tales of worlds filled of smoke and half-truths, intangible to touch. Worlds of Torment, and of Unnamable beauty that Illyria tried her best to at least to surmised to the young child. Opaline towers as high as small moons and the creatures that lived within them. Glaciers that rippled with Incensing lust that moved across a frozen world's landscape. And a world with noting but shrimp which she only had spent only moments there but for the child it was like discovering another world in a pool of ocean water. For those moments of story telling Illyria felt as if being small wasn't a bad thing. It would turn out to be a blessing if she ever got the chance to understand her place in this strange world she found herself in. That was when she made the decision to be Fred If she and her shell were to be one, then she decided that the Illyria persona she had taken would be forever banished. From this day forward the soul of her shell would be returned and she would experience this world as a mortal and become a part of the Soul of Winifred Burkle. After she finished her story with Lil and waved goodbye to the child and her mother and left to head to Wesley's office to tell him of her decision. He wanted Fred back then he would have the woman he loved back.
As she entered Wesley's office in the night she could see him sitting at his desk staring off into space as she walked in as her Fred form. Wesley was still upset about her transformation in front of Fred's parents and she could feel it. She was the pain of grief tasting offal in his mouth.
"Wes? Are you, like... mad at me or something?" Fred said hoping that he would understand. This was a new world for her, Illyria to be in and the more comfortable she was as Fred then so be it, then Fred she shall be.
"Stop it." Wesley said distastefully to Illyria.
"Isn't it what you desire?" Illyria said in her own voice dropping the guise as she felt Fred's heart drop down a beat as she raced in an attempt to prevent this grief from spreading like a plague.
"I mean... you love me, I love you. What's the big deal?" She said in Fred's voice letting the shell speak its own thoughts, its will its true feelings as she stepped away and let the soul speak its mind.
"I loved her." Wesley said seeing through Illyria's changed form.
"You loved this. And part of you still does. I can feel it in you." Illyria said in her own voice as she walked closer to Wesley sensing the feelings within him and how Fred's soul wanted to be with him.
"I... wish to explore it further." She got stuck as if both the soul of Fred and of her self were fighting to gain control of the mouth to speak at the same time.
"Never. You... like this. It sickens me." Wesley said as she stood to face her with hatred and pain in his eyes.
"Oh, lord. We both know that ain't true." The Fred said as it gained control over her mouth and she smiled and walked closer to Wesley to let him know she was in there and had won a battle over her body.
"Stop it!" Wesley said as he leaned away from the Joined body of his love to avoid looking at her in any way.
"Change back. Be blue. Be anything. Don't be her." Wesley said with pain in his voice as he walked to the door. "Don't ever be her." With those words he walked out of his office and towards another bottle of Scotch. For a moment of time Illyria stood there before she leaned her head back and transformed her features back to the blue of Illyria of the Primordium.
"As you wish." Illyria said looking out the window and saw her reflection in the mirror. "Winifred Burkle, I am your servant, guide me to give your life back to you." She said awaiting an answer from the shell's soul, but only heard the crying from a girl from the land of Texas.
TBC
Note:
Angel Season V Episode #108: "The Girl In Question" Transcript of the show was written by Steven S. DeKnight from the website. It's a good site to check out if you are looking to quote from the show.
Next:
Part 7, Loss and the Bloody Battle.