He didn't help her.

Seeing the papers burning on the floor, he thought that he had freed her from this horrible place, given her some peace.

He was wrong. The flames that singed his fingers did nothing against papers signed in blood. And she just stood there, with a sad smile on her face as he discovered that contracts with certain law firms were always non-negotiable and completely binding.

She stared into his eyes and let all the unspoken words flow between them; what could have been and what should have been and why it didn't happen. Then she leaned forward and kissed him with cold lips, drinking him in with a desperation she didn't show. He pulled her tightly against him, as if trying to make sure she couldn't escape.

But the kiss finished and she pulled away. She started to walk away from him, and he tried to stop her, but she pushed him away gently. She needed to complete this agreement with Angel, then she was going back to Hell.

From across the hallway he could see the fear in her eyes as she said these words, and they chilled him to the core. She had never been afraid of anything before...And then she had turned her back on him and slowly walked away, leaving him with a pain in the gut she assured him would disappear soon.

Well, it didn't, and now he sits in a luxurious office equipped with any books he might need- and he does need them. He's looking for a spell or a way, or just an idea, because he needs to go and find her and take away that scared look in her eyes.

At this point, he'll do anything. If he needs to plead on her behalf to a higher power, steal away her soul or sell his own, or storm Hell with an army, he'll do it. The fires hadn't consumed her contract, the fires of Hell haven't consumed her; she's probably waiting and suffering for him, hoping against all odds that he'll come and find her.

He's going to be that knight in shining armor, her champion, her defender- the lover he should have been. He's going to get a second chance, because he'll figure out a solution; everything that is a problem has an answer and he knows he'll find it. Whoever took her will never know what hit them; he's going in full force, guns ablazing and blood aplenty. He'll burst into her jail cell and scoop her up into his arms and carry her away to safety and life, and he'll never make the mistake of pushing her away again. She'll cling to him and murmur words of endearment that sound strange coming from her. One day soon, she'll be standing here next to him with a sardonic smile and sharp words that dig into the worst places, but her barbs will never be aimed at him, because she loves him. And they'll live happily ever after in a city of angels that are never around when you need them, but it'll be ok and they'll be happy.

Where there's a will, there's a way, and he definitely has the will, so he'll find a way to make the future possible.

He's going to save her.