Something Unpredictable
Chapter 4: Save Me
By: Rogue-Slayer13
Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon, not myself.
Summary: I decided to rewrite this fic. It goes from Not Fade Away onwards and has a few changes that weren't on the show, mainly, Cordelia gets to stay, Lorne doesn't leave, and Wesley doesn't die fighting Vail.
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"Whatcha up to Giles?" asked Cordelia as she down across the table from the Brit.
"Researching," replied Giles without taking his eyes off the book.
"You do that then." Cordelia got up and went over to the couch.
"It's actually a good idea," said Andrew as he came in with some ice cream. "You know what they say. The best offense is a good defense."
"They also say that Cordelia doesn't miss doing the research thing."
"Is anyone going to clean this up?" asked Fred as she stepped around part of the broken chandelier.
"Willow said something about doing a cleaning spell later," said Dawn from her spot next to Cordelia on the couch.
Suddenly, a loud banging sound could be heard coming from the basement. Everyone turned to look at each other before looking at the door that lead downstairs.
"What was that?" asked Dawn quietly.
"I don't know," replied Cordelia as she slowly got to her feet.
"What should we do?" asked a terrified Andrew as he clung to his bowl of ice cream.
"Angel said not to let anyone in." Dawn to got to her feet.
"I think it's safe to assume that the same goes for anything as well," said Giles.
"What if it let's itself in?" asked Andrew.
"We probably don't want to think about that," said Fred as she came to stand next to Cordelia.
"We have weapons, right? Please tell me we have weapons." Andrew looked around the room and found an axe and a couple of daggers.
"Hand me the axe," said Cordelia.
Andrew took a dagger and handed the axe to Cordelia as the pounding on the door grew louder.
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"I don't know how this place got overlooked," said Gunn as he went through Spike's closet and began to fill the duffle bag he had brought with weapons.
"I guess the Senior Partners had bigger fish to fry," replied Spike.
"Nice place ya got here," commented Faith as she walked around the apartment. "Definitely better then a crypt."
"It's a place to hang my hat," replied Spike with a shrug.
"Wow man, you've got some pretty wicked looking stuff in here," commented Gunn in amazement.
"You okay?" Faith looked at where Spike was standing in the living room with his head cocked to the side. "You've off all night. Spike?"
"We need to go," said Spike suddenly.
"What? Why?" asked Gunn as he zipped up the duffle bag.
"I just have a feeling. We need to go back to the hotel." Spike turned and hurried out of the apartment followed Faith and Gunn.
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Angel, Buffy, and Xander had just gotten done talking with their first connection when Angel zoned out again.
"Angel? Angel? Angel!" Buffy shook Angel's shoulder causing the vampire to look at her.
"Are you okay?" asked the slayer.
Angel shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his brain.
"We should go back."
"Why?" asked Xander. "We've only talked to one guy."
"Something's going on," said Angel as he climbed back into the sewers followed by Buffy and Xander.
"We can tell," said Buffy. "You've been spacey all night."
"I keep feeling like time's slowing down and then speeding back up. That's why I keep zoning out."
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"I know what's messing with me," said Spike from his spot in the backseat of the car.
"What is it?" asked Gunn.
"Magic," replied the vampire.
"Huh?" Faith gave him a confused look.
"Demons, werewolves, vamps, witches, we can all sense magic and anytime a large bunch of it is used at once, it messes with us," explained Spike. "I don't know why I didn't recognize the feeling sooner."
"What would need that much magic?" asked Gunn.
"Any powerful or big spell," said Spike.
Faith turned to look at Spike in dread.
"Like a demon order teleporting into town?" asked the slayer.
"The Hyperion," said all three at once.
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Angel was walking briskly through the sewers with Buffy and Xander following close behind when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it in one fluid movement.
"Hello?"
"Angel, it's me Faith," replied the slayer quickly.
"What's going on?"
"Where are guys?"
"About twelve minutes from the Hyperion. Why?"
"Spike's been feeling weird all night and we think it has to do with a big teleportation spell," replied Faith.
"Fred." Angel's voice was filled with concern.
"Exactly," said Faith. "Look, I'm calling Willow and we're coming to get you guys. We'll all be quicker by car."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Angel hung up the phone and began to almost run through the sewers.
"What's going on?" asked Buffy as she hurried to catch up to Angel.
"Spike's been feeling weird to and it has to do with magic. We need to get back to the hotel."
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Willow took out her cell phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Red, it's me Faith."
"Faith, what's wrong?"
"Something big's going down at the hotel. We need to get over there ASAP."
"Oh my Goddess. Are you sure?" asked Willow.
"Sure enough that we don't want to risk being right."
"We'll hurry over," said Willow as she hung up the phone.
"What's wrong?" asked Lorne.
"Something's happening at the hotel."
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Gunn stopped the car just down the street from the Hyperion. Spike was the first out of the car followed by Angel and then Wesley out of the car next to Gunn's. As Spike approached the hotel he began to pick up pace until he was running, as was Wesley. A wave of fear filled him as he saw the door to the hotel standing wide open. He rushed inside to find the place trashed. Giles was slumped against the wall and a few feet away lay Andrew. Cordelia lying next to the couch and Dawn was sprawled by the office door. Fred was nowhere to be found and Spike went upstairs to look for her. Angel rushed over to Cordelia's side, while Buffy did the same to Dawn.
"Cordy? Are you okay?" Angel looked at the cut that Cordelia had running across your forehead and then to the slight bruise she had on her cheek.
Cordelia looked up at Angel's concerned face and smiled.
"I'm fine." Cordy's smile to worry as she quickly sat up and looked around the hotel. "Where's Fred?"
"She's gone," said Spike sadly as he came back down stairs.
"They have her then."
"Who's they?" asked Buffy as she helped Dawn to her feet.
"These big ugly demon guys. There must've been at least a hundred of them," said Cordelia. "Are they okay?" Cordelia motioned toward Andrew and Giles.
"Just a few cuts and bruises," said Willow.
"They didn't want us," said Dawn. "They didn't even fight us that much. Just got us out of the way and took Fred."
"We 'ave to get 'er back," said Spike sternly.
"We will," said Angel. "We just have to find where these demons took her."
"I'll see if I can do a locator spell," said Willow.
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Cordelia watched as Angel paced from the left side of the room to the right and as Spike went from right to left.
"If you don't stop pacing, we're not going to have any floor left," said Cordelia.
Both vampires stopped pacing and looked at Cordelia.
"I'm not pacing," said the vampires in unison.
"Done!" announced Willow as she came back into the room.
"Where is she?" asked Spike urgently.
"There's this abandoned temple in the woods about twenty minutes from here," said Willow.
"I know where that is," said Angel as he and Spike went over to the weapon's cabinet. "It over looks the ocean."
"I'm going too," said Cordelia as she got to her feet.
Angel was about to protest, but Cordelia stopped him.
"I thought you would've learned by now that the whole, 'but you're just a girl' thing', really ticks me off." Cordelia picked up a sword and weighed it in her hands. "Besides, those guys ruined my favorite shirt by getting blood all over it."
Everyone else proceeded to get weapons and Spike headed for the door.
"Wait!" Buffy got in between Spike and the door. "You can't just go marching into this without a plan. I mean, we don't know anything about these guys."
"Slayer, move or I'll move you," said Spike.
"Look, Fred's important to you, I get that . . ."
"Obviously you don't, other wise you wouldn't be standing in the bloody way," said Spike in annoyance.
Buffy sighed.
"Fine, we'll do it your way," Buffy picked up and axe and followed Spike outside.
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Fred woke up to find herself chained to a large stone slab that stood upright on top of a second slab that formed a type of base. There was an altar a few feet in front of her and torches formed a semi circle around the area.
"Ah, you're awake."
Fred looked to her right to see one of the demons who had taken her approach carrying a large dagger. He was tall, about seven feet and had gray skin. The outside edges of his forearms were covered with red spikes that were oozing an unknown liquid. His eyes were the same colors as his spikes and he had sharp pointed teeth. Several other demons were doing various tasks around the altar.
"Who a-are you?" asked Fred.
"I am one of the Seguicamme dei Quei Antichi, the followers of the ancient ones. Although, I believe, you call them the Senior Partners."
"What do you want with me?" Fred watched as the demon set the dagger down on the altar.
"You already know that. We need your blood, so we can bring forth our masters and finish the apocalypse. Why else do you think we brought Illyria out of its slumber?" The demon looked at her.
"That was you?" The fear in Fred's voice was beginning to mix with anger.
"Surely you didn't think one such as, what was the boy's name?"
"Knox."
"Yes, Knox. Surely you didn't think he was capable of such an act as infusing your essence with that of Illyria."
"Why me?"
"Because you are loved and you will be missed." The demon ran a long nail down the side of Fred's neck. "He loves you so much. He'll practically hand over the apocalypse to us."
Fred was confused at this comment and was about to say something when the demon turned and looked off toward the woods.
"I suppose it's time to get this over with." The demon turned back to Fred with the dagger in his hand.
Fred let out a scream as the demon raised the dagger.
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"Anybody else kinds scared?" asked Xander.
Cordelia rolled her eyes just as a scream ripped through the night air.
"Fred!" Spike took off running through the woods, the others lagging behind.
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"Spike! Help!"
The demon lowered the dagger and looked over his shoulder at the woods.
"The spells ready, sire," said a demon as he bowed his head.
"Good. Be prepared for the vampires and their friends. We don't want anybody screwing this up."
"Bit late for that," said Spike as Faith shot off her crossbow, killing the demon with his head bowed.
"I knew this wouldn't go smoothly," muttered the demon with the dagger.
"Spike, get Fred, we'll handle these guys," called Angel as he sliced the head off a demon.
Spike nodded and hurried over to Fred.
"You all right, Luv?" asked Spike as he began to work on the shackles around Fred's wrists.
"Yeah," replied Fred as Spike got one wrist free and then the other.
Spike helped Fred down from the raised slab just as a demon roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"Fred, run!" ordered Spike as the demon spun him around and slammed him against the stone slab.
Fred did as she was told, but was stopped by the demon who had tried to kill, her earlier.
"Let me go!" Fred thrashed and kicked, but couldn't get the demon to loosen his grip. "Spike!"
"Hold him still," ordered the demon that had a hold of Fred. "I want him to watch."
The demon holding Spike pressed his arm firmly against the vampire's throat, pinning him to the stone. Spike looked from the demon who was dragging Fred over to the altar and then over to the Scoobies and the LA Gang, who were similarly incapacitated as he was. The demon with Fred took the dagger and slashed open Fred's forearm, spilling her blood onto the altar. The demon began to chant in an unknown tongue and the air crackled with lightening. Fred struggled harder as a portal began to open over the altar and the demon raised the dagger above her heart.
"Hold still you silly girl," growled the demon.
With one final tug of her arm, Fred pulled free and began to run away from the altar. The demons holding him and the others seemed confused as to wether they were to go after Fred or continue what they were doing. Spike seized this opportunity and headed butted the demon holding him. The demon staggered back a bit and Spike kicked him onto the altar, where he knocked over an oil lamp and promptly caught on fire.
Angel and the others managed to get loose as well, just as a large clawed hand began to come out of the portal above the altar.
"We've got to close the portal," called Angel as he killed a demon.
"It won't stay open for much longer, unless they have more of Fred's blood," replied Wesley.
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Fred was running away from the altar and almost to the cliff's edge when the demon grabbed her by the neck, lifting her off her feet. Time seemed to slow for Spike as saw the demon raise the dagger. He didn't even realize he was running until he knocked into Fred, causing the demon to let go of her, and the dagger lodged itself in between his shoulder blades. The momentum sent both Spike and Fred stumbling back and over the edge. At the same time the portal closed with a flash of blinding light, causing no one to see Spike and Fred fall.
"Where's Spike?" asked Dawn.
"I don't know," replied Cordelia as she walked toward the edge of the cliff. "He was over here by the edge and now he's gone."
There others came over and looked around the area.
"I don't see any dust," said Andrew.
"Because no one got dusted," came the strained reply as Spike's hand appeared over the edge of the cliff and dug into the soil.
"Holy crap," said Dawn as she leaned over the edge and saw Fred clinging to Spike's waist as Spike used his good arm to hold onto the cliff.
"A little 'elp would be nice."
Angel and Faith leaned down and hauled Spike and Fred up.
"Never a dull day with us," commented Cordelia.
Spike put his good arm around Fred and the two leaned on each other for support.
"I want to go to the hotel and crawl in bed for several days," said Fred as the group headed out of the woods.
"Right there with ya, Luv," replied Spike.
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To Be Continued . . .
I had no intention of making this chapter so long, it just sort of happened. I'm going to go with Angel/Cordelia, Buffy/Xander, Spike/Fred, Wes/Willow, and Faith/Gunn, just so everyone knows what's going on.
Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think!
