Sing the Spell as I Wrote It
Alaric and Ariel regarded Lindsey carefully. They certainly couldn't trust him, but he was the closest thing they had to an ally, friendly face, what have you. A sympathetic jailer if nothing else.
"Even if Uncle Angel does whatever they want, they're not going to give us back to mummy and daddy, are they?" Ariel asked.
Lindsey shrugged. "They haven't let me in on all the details, princess, but my best guess would be no."
"Are they going to kill us?" Alaric's voice was equal measures of horror and excitement.
"Maybe." Lindsey refused to commit himself on this one, although reason told him that it was the likeliest of the possibilities.
"Why can't we read minds?" Ariel spoke first, but both twins were suffering at being cut off from each other's mind. "Did they cast a spell on us?"
"A drug," Lindsey admitted. He wasn't actually feeling guilty, but he did kind of like these kids. And besides, what harm would it do for them to know?
"When will it wear off?" Alaric glared at Lindsey as if daring him not to answer.
Lindsey shrugged. "Since there wasn't anything in it that could hurt anybody," he replied. "I was told to give you a massive dosage. I honestly don't know when or if it will wear off."
"If?" Ariel echoed, looking positively stricken. The mere notion of being completely cut off from her sibling's thoughts for the rest of forever panicked her.
Lindsey looked at least a little ashamed. "It's fairly new and hasn't been tested extensively." The ashamed look was replaced by one of self-satisfied guile. "Right out of Wolfram and Hart's own labs." He sobered up. "Your turn to share now. Just who, or what, is your mother?"
&&&&&&&
"Before we carry on this rather fruitless discussion," Wesley shouted. He had to shout in order to make himself heard. "Perhaps we should have Corinna translate the phrase more fully," he continued in normal tones, now that he'd gotten everyone's attention. He looked around. "Where is she?"
Angel looked ready to sink through the floor. "She left," he admitted sheepishly. The connection between Corinna and the spell had escaped him when she'd announced her departure. "About fifteen minutes ago."
"When we all started yelling," Gunn remarked.
"What about security?" Fred asked. "If she had to take a cab home, they might have seen which cab company picked her up. They might even have called it for her."
"It's worth a shot, I guess," Angel muttered, pulling out his cell phone and heading for the door. "Right now, I guess it's almost the best we've got."
&&&&&&&
Corinna took out the spell and perused it carefully. She wanted to make absolutely sure that it said what she thought it said. She'd managed to collect everything she needed from various locations in the building, locks being no obstacle to her.
She stopped to listen. So far, so good. The lobby still remained deserted. She had deemed it an appropriate location. Besides, if she didn't do it here and now, she might not get another chance.
First a magic marker traced out an intricate design on the floor. Then, she lit a small brazier and started feeding it with a mixture of herbs and spices liberated from the kitchen. For the last of her preparations, she gave a sigh and changed the color of her dress from honey-gold to orange. She was ready to begin.
&&&&&&
"Damn, damn, damn." Angel barely resisted the urge to smash his cell phone into the nearest wall just for the miniscule bit of pleasure he'd get from watching it smash to bits.
"And that would translate into what?" Wesley asked dryly.
"Security said she hasn't left the building," Angel said grimly. "But for some reason, they can't tell where in the building she is."
"She must be using some kind of spell to keep the security cameras from seeing her," Fred suggested.
"It would have to be a pretty kick-ass spell," Gunn put in. "Those cameras are supposed to be proof against most concealment spells."
Wesley was furiously going through the papers in his hands. It looked like it wasn't the first time, and he was starting to look sick. "She's taken the spell with her," he said quietly. "And it was the only copy."
"What?" It was a full chorus.
Spike was looking like he really wanted something to hit, when he noticed that something else was missing. Something very near and dear to him. "Where'n hell did Rose get to?" he snapped. But he was starting to look sick too.
&&&&&&&
"Wait for me," Rose ordered the cab driver sternly as she got out in front of a dress shop. "I won't be a minute."
"Lady, you can take all day as long as the meter's running," the cabbie assured her.
True to her words, though, Rose was out in a remarkably short time, and already wearing her new purchase.
A dress in a virulent orange.
&&&&&&&
"Stop fidgeting, Richard," the old man admonished. "It really won't be much longer. They will have no choice but to accede to our demands." He eyed the children, and Lindsey, who, though he had made no move against his employers, appeared to have switched sides and joined the enemy camp. "I find that humans tend to be sentimental beyond the bounds of reason where children are concerned."
"I'm human," Richard said. And yet, there was a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that said otherwise.
"Not entirely, my son," the old man muttered. He looked somewhat embarrassed. "You have an old and proud lineage. It goes back, so it is said, to he who vanquished the first Slayer."
Richard was having trouble coordinating his body and mouth and brain all at once. A few helpless hand gestures, his mouth, opening and closing. He sat down with an audible thump. "But I know who my father is," he protested weakly.
The ancient shook his head. "No, my boy. He was only your foster-father. I am your father."
Richard giggled hysterically. "Are you going to tell me to embrace the dark side now?"
"I don't need to." The allusion was totally lost on the elder. "You have done that of your own accord."
"So that makes me half-human, and half- what?" Richard demanded.
The old man's eyes glistened and it looked almost as though flames would leap from them. "Pestilence demon," he hissed.
&&&&&&&
Alaric shrugged. "She's our mum," he replied casually. "What else do we need to know?"
Lindsey cocked an eyebrow at him. "You guys are trying to tell me that you can read minds but you don't know everything there is to know about one of your own parents?" He shook his head disbelievingly. "Somebody else might buy that, but I won't."
"But they're old," Ariel protested. She just skipped the part about how old, especially her mother. "It's hard to see back more than a year or so unless someone's thinking about something that happened a long time ago." She saw that Lindsey saw the gap in her logic and was about to jump on it, so she hastily filled in. "And, of course, you have to catch them thinking about the right thing at the right time."
"And they've gotten real good at being careful what they think around us," Alaric supplied. He got a devilish grin. "At least, most of the time."
"You'll shuck and jive me on this until I die of old age, won't you?" Lindsey asked.
"Well, we're sure as hell not going to tell you anything," Alaric shot back, mildly surprised that his sister hadn't stepped in to reprimand him for swearing, since their mother wasn't there to do it."
"You are one of the bad guys," Ariel reminded him. "And we're not stupid."
Lindsey grinned ruefully. "No, princess," he agreed. "You're not stupid." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe I'm the one that's stupid."
&&&&&&&&&
"Right there," Rose said softly. Before the cab had come to a complete halt, she was thrusting a couple of bills at him and reaching for the door handle. "Thank you." She hardly noticed he was there.
"Here?" asked the cabbie. "There ain't nothing here, lady. And it's not really a good part of town for a woman to be alone in."
"I won't be alone long," Rose replied serenely. She knew that for a fact. Someone was already on the way to meet her.
Before the cab driver could say anything else, his radio began to squawk, and it sounded like a demand for his current location. He was about to comply, when Rose caught his attention and held a finger to her lips.
"Stall them," she said. "It doesn't have to be for long. Half an hour or so. Fifteen minutes if you're hard pressed. But I need the head start." In answer to his scandalized look she said, "I haven't broken any laws, nor am I about to. Nothing that could reflect on you or get you into any trouble." She tucked another bill into his hand.
"I'll give you your fifteen minutes, lady," he mumbled. "But after that, you're on your own."
Rose watched as he drove away. "I'm on my own now," she whispered. But she'd noticed Corinna's departure, and knew that they couldn't put their faith in the sealing spell. And someone had to be there for her children. She was sure that Spike would understand.
&&&&&&&
"Lindsey!" The old man's voice brooked no argument, and yet, there were heavy undertones of glee.
"Yeah?" Lindsey slouched over, seemingly uncaring, but alert, aware that a wrong move could well be his last.
"Go to the meeting place," the ancient ordered. "The sacrifice will meet you there."
The twins exchanged a look, but remained calm. From the amount of chatter that had been going on, they knew who the sacrifice was.
Lindsey turned and shared a long, thoughtful look with the children. He was wondering what exactly Angel was up to, sending Rose here. It wasn't his style at all.
&&&&&&
Angel was busy chewing out the head of security, but finally, the man got his attention and got a word in edgewise.
"But Mr. Angel," he said in soothing, talk them down from the ledge tones. "You didn't ask about Ms. Powers whereabouts. Just the temporary secretary. If you had asked, I could have told you that she left." He saw from the upset looks on the faces of two vampires that that wasn't going to be enough. "If I had known, I could have prevented her from leaving the building. And I sure wouldn't have called her a taxi."
"Which company?" Spike and Angel, in perfect sync.
"Hollywood Cab Company," the man muttered. He was feeling picked upon. He'd just done his job, and here he was, a victim of a major inquisition.
Angel picked up the nearest phone. Not his cell, because he intended to let someone else waste their time with the underlings. "Get me the head person at the Hollywood Cab Company, and get them now," he ordered.
&&&&&
"Fancy meeting you here," Lindsey remarked as he opened a car door for Rose. "So, where's your back-up?" He flung himself into the driver's seat.
Rose gave him a long, cool stare. "I know who you are and what makes you tick, Lindsey McDonald," she uttered calmly. "And I'm telling you that you'd better make sure that they uphold their end of the bargain and get my children out of there."
"Do you really think they'll let me?" Lindsey asked reasonably. "And, no offense, ma'am, but you're not going to be in much of a position to enforce any bargain you and I might make."
Rose fixed him with another penetrating stare. "You just do it," she snapped. "This isn't part of any deal. I'm telling you to do this. And you will."
Lindsey stopped the car and returned the stare. "Who are you?" he asked softly.
"Someone who could end your existence with a thought, Lindsey," Rose replied with a grim smile.
&&&&&&
"What'n hell?" Spike muttered as they neared the lobby. "Sounds like someone singing."
"It can't be the blossom," Lorne said, half to himself. "She'd insist on seeing that the munchkins are safe, first."
"Besides," Fred put in. "We know that Rose left the building. But security never did manage to trace..,"
"Corinna," Angel finished. "It's got to be her. But what is she doing?"
The impromptu posse burst into the lobby to see Corinna, clad in orange and wreathed in spicy smoke, standing in the middle of a magic circle and singing.
"I have a real bad feeling about this," Gunn mumbled.
It was then they heard the rumbling that sounded as though it emanated from the depths of hell itself.
&&&&&&&&
"Mummy!" The twins swarmed over Rose as soon as she broke through the portal.
Rose, too choked up to say anything, just hugged and kissed them fiercely, tears of relief streaming down her face.
Surprisingly enough, no one made any move to stop the family reunion. The old man didn't care, he had his sacrifice, a few moments more or less didn't matter. Richard was still in a state of shock over the news of his ancestry. Lindsey wasn't sure just what to believe about Rose, but he was feeling a certain apprehension at the thought of pissing her off.
Finally, Rose brushed the tears asked, and herded the children towards Lindsey. "You remember what I told you, Lindsey McDonald," she warned him. "You take them right straight to Wolfram and Hart."
"But mummy." Alaric and Ariel both began the protest.
"Hush, my darlings," Rose said softly, giving them one last squeeze. "You go with Lindsey. He'll take you home." The look she shot Lindsey suggested that he'd better not think of doing anything but that.
"C'mon, guys," Lindsey said, holding out his hands to them. "I'll take you to..," He stopped and swallowed, fighting off a sudden surge of nausea. "Your Uncle Angel."
&&&&&&&
"Don't interrupt her," Wesley cautioned. "The results could be disastrous if we did."
"Is that the hellmouth spell or the sealing spell?" Angel asked.
Wesley listened intently for a moment. "The sealing spell, I believe," he answered. "But why should she be performing it?"
"If this goes off like she said it would we're not going to get a chance to ask her," Lorne pointed out. "Remember the whole willing sacrifice thing?"
"Which had us all arguing so much that we never noticed either her or Rose leave," Oz added. "I don't think even Angel would have noticed her leaving if she hadn't said good-bye to him."
Angel remembered also the feeling of finality when Corinna had said good-bye to him. Now, he understood why.
"Well, if Corinna is doing the sealing spell..," Gunn started.
"Then we'd better hope she has enough of a head start to finish it before Rose sings the summoning spell," Wesley interrupted.
Spike was suddenly staring very intently at the woman in the middle of the circle. "Sing faster, pet," he whispered in pleading tones. "Sing faster."
&&&&&&&&
Rose waited until Lindsey disappeared through the portal with the twins, then turned to the remaining pair. "Richard," she greeted him coldly. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"No friend of mine," Richard vowed, still showing traces of hysteria. "Dad." He put a hand on the old man's shoulder. "Meet Rose. Helluva girl. Would have made an outstanding first lady."
Rose looked askance at him, but didn't pursue the matter. If Richard had gone mad, it was no more than he deserved. Instead, she turned her attention to the room's other occupant, and then, some of her pre-human memories chose to kick in.
"I know who you are," she exclaimed. "I should have known, too." She looked disgusted. "No more than I've come to expect of you, Claus."
The old man glared at her. He'd used hundreds, maybe even thousands of human names over the centuries. But that one had been more trouble and caused him more grief. He now took great pains to keep it under wraps. So how did this chit of a girl know it? His curiosity was piqued now, far overriding his desire to see the fulfillment of his plans. "Who are you?" he demanded hoarsely.
Rose smiled, a little sickly, now. The enormity of it all was beginning to sink in. "I'm your sacrifice, old man. That's all you need to know."
Santa smiled back, but his expression was a vicious one. He gestured her to the center of the room where a circle which was similar, but not identical to, Corinna's was waiting. "Sing," he invited. He glanced at the last of his offspring, but Richard sat staring into space, the vacant look of a mindless moron on his face. He sighed. Human genes did so weaken a bloodline. He'd have to father a new horde of offspring to do his bidding. But first things first. "Sing," he ordered Rose again.
&&&&&&
The whole group watched as the lobby floor began to crack and buckle. Everywhere except where the circle was drawn. It was an island amidst a sea of destruction.
"What's the deal, Watcher?" Spike asked nervously. He really didn't want to see this bird die. Nothing against her. But rather her than his beloved. Not to mention not opening another hellmouth. He didn't even consider his own well-being in the equation.
"Just as in the other spell," Wesley whispered loudly. "Hramaas will appear and devour the one singing the spell. But his acceptance of this sacrifice also ensures that he will never again return to this plane of existence."
They all stood there in horrified fascination, awaiting the arrival of a demon that could cause so much fear, dread and destruction. Possibly the end of the world. Seeing the reality was a bit of a surprise to them all.