THE END OF ALL THINGS
AUTHOR: AVES
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN IT I JUST LOVE IT
CHAPTER 10
SEARCH
"Blast it!" Giles swore as he continued looking over the texts that he and Andrew, along with a few of the Slayers, had been searching over for hours.
"Still no luck?" one of the girls asked.
"Maybe we should try some jedi breathing techniques." Andrew said. A statement that got him looks from the others like he was from another planet.
"Andrew this is not the time for bloody Star Trek references," Giles said.
"It's Star Wars Giles!" Andrew cried. "Star Wars! Spock, the genius of William Shatner. That is Star Trek! Jedi, Luke, Leia, those cute fuzzy little Ewoks that's,"
"Shut up!" All the Slayers in the room yelled at once.
Andrew went back to his books and pouted. "I'm just trying to help," he muttered.
"Bah!" Giles said. "Wesley must have taken the majority of his texts to Wolfram and Hart. Are we sure this is all?"
Andrew looked up and nodded, "We've cleared off the shelves and checked his desk, nothing about this apocalypse, the Slayer's role, who this third champion is, nothing."
Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his head in frustration, "Blast it! you would think there would be some information on such an impending doom."
"Any luck?" Cordelia asked as she joined the group.
Giles shook his head. "Nothing, why don't the Powers That Be give you the answers?"
Cordelia sighed. "Ever since the Jasmine fiasco the Powers have been very hesitant to interfere in earthly affairs. They feel that any more involvement that necessary will bring about a temptation like Jasmine gave in to. Their role in this was to send me to guide you and to send Marcus to help you fight. Other than that we are on our own."
"Great," Giles muttered. "Well can you at least help us look around more, maybe Wesley has something else stashed somewhere."
"Did you check his desk drawer?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes, one of the girls broke a lock to get it open, but all we found was an old journal." Giles replied.
"Well?" Cordy asked.
"Well what?"
"Did you read it?"
"No."
Cordelia stared at the watcher. "You know for a guy who is so smart you sure can be clueless. Did it ever occur to you we might find out something Wesley wrote in his journal? A journal that he used to write down his thoughts on his research?"
Andrew chuckled, "Yea that would have made sense." Giles gave Andrew a death stare. "Sorry," he mumbled.
Cordy tried to hide her smirk, "Why don't we all take a few pages each and see what we can find."
Giles nodded in agreement. "Yes, at this point I'd look through a Dr. Suess book for the answers, Wesley's journal shouldn't be too painful, hopefully we'll find something. I just pray it will be in time. I don't want to go flying into the final battle blind."
Faith was hanging barely hanging on to the edge of the building. She was the only one who wasn't totally blown off the rooftop, but her grip on the ledge was becoming more precarious. She had tried to get a grip with her other hand but that arm was injured in the battle with the snake like demons, and it was feeling kind of numb. "Hell of a day," she thought to herself.
"Need some help?" a voice called to her from the street.
Faith looked down, "Spike, glad to see you survived that little fireworks show. Where are the others?"
"Don't know," the vampire said. "Let's get you down from there, then we'll find out."
Faith was still rubbing her rear when she and Spike entered the building. "Next time you fall in the dumpster," she growled.
"At least you fell real pretty," Spike chuckled.
A groan interrupted their banter. "You hear that?" Faith asked.
"Yea," Spike replied.
The pair moved carefully through the darkness to the source of the noise. "Marcus!" Faith exclaimed. The warrior was struggling to pick himself off the ground. "You okay?" the slayer asked.
"I'll live," he grumbled as he stood up then nearly fell again.
"Whoa there Marc, take it easy," Spike said as he grabbed him to stop his fall.
"Willow, Angel?" the warrior groaned.
"Over here," a weak voice answered.
"Willow?" Faith called. "Are you ok?"
"Yea," Willow replied as she came into view holding her head. "Angel's over here, he's still out."
Faith moved towards the witch a stake in her hand. "Is he, well you know, still Angel?"
Willow weakly shrugged, "I don't know. I think I stopped the ritual in time but I won't know until he's awake. Let's get him back to the hotel and plan our next move there."
Faith lifted Angel off the ground and looked at Willow. "You okay on your own?"
Willow nodded. "Yea, let's just get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."
"I'm all for that," Spike grinned. "Let's roll."
"Ohhh, all my pretty children, gone, they are gone," Drusilla whined as she entered the building. She had survived the magical explosion but her vampire children had not been so lucky. "Mommy has no more little ones."
"I'll get you more children if you will just please shut up." Hamilton groaned as he tried to stand, his suit was almost burned to a crisp."Find the shaman," he growled, "and fine out if they took Angel."
Drusilla made her way around the room. "The dark man is still alive," she found a second form, "oh and here is Daddy!" she shrieked.
"Excellent," Hamilton said. "Come Drusilla, we are leaving. We must find out if our Angel needs another treatment. We will see Angelus rise!"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Andrew shouted as he read over some of Wesley's notes.
"Does he always act like that?" Cordelia asked.
"Only when he gets really excited, or he has to go to the bathroom," Giles said with a sour face.
"I found something Giles, I found something!" Andrew screeched and handed some papers over to Giles, "Look at this second entry."
Giles took the portion of Wesley's journal Andrew had been looking over and began to read.
Journal of Wesley Wyndam-Price
January 20th, 2000
My research is proving more fruitful and more disturbing. Angel's seemingly further descent into darkness seems to the least of our worries at this time. I have tried to connect the Shanshu prophecy with other texts I have accumulated, and I come to a very troubling hypothesis. I could hardly believe it when I discovered very detailed descriptions of ourselves in a prophecy written by the Sumerians nearly a thousand years before the birth of Christ. Refrences to a vampire with a soul, the carrier of the vision, the fallen scholar, and the honorable warrior. I can assume with a great deal of confidence the Angel, Cordelia, myself, and Gunn are the ones being named in the prophecy. However there is a reference to "the lost one" thatI am mystified by. I pray that I will discover more, but until I do I feel it would be wise to keep this information to myself. Angel with his current obsession with the Senior Partners will certainly just blame them and attack again. Cordelia and Gunn will not know how to react to the fact that more than likely very few of us will survive what is described in the texts as "The battle within the belly of the beast."
"Well that answers a few questions," Cordelia stated as Giles finished.
"Such as?" the watcher asked.
"Well the lost one was surely Fred, we found her during our little trip to Pylea, and the battle within the belly of the beast I would guess be the time Angel spent at Wolfram and Hart."
Giles leaned back in his chair, "I suppose that is logical, but we still aren't any closer to knowing anything about this apocalypse."
"Maybe we do," one of the slayers chimed in. "See if this helps Mr. Giles." Giles took the page from the girl.
May 9th, 2002
Angel's decision to take over Wolfram and Hart has left me feeling quite uneasy. I did agree with the decision however I do not trust the Senior Partners' intentions. I was shown a book that would allow me to see every text Wolfram and Hart has at its disposal, maybe I can find more answers to my questions about the Sumerian prophecy that continues to trouble my mind. Earlier readings told of the vampire with a soul, however I was incorrect. Vampire was plural, so it is vampires with a soul. Is it possible that there is another such as Angel somewhere out there? The further I go into this secret study the more frightening it becomes. I determined some time ago that "the lost one" is my beloved Fred, and the text that describes her as a vessel for the ancient one concerns me. I hope to find more with the resources I have at Wolfram and Hart, but I will keep my journal here as well as my personal findings away from the prying eyes of Wolfram and Hart. Something dark is coming, and I can only pray I can discover what it is before it's too late.
Giles set the page down and rubbed his temples. "So far he has pretty much confirmed what we already now, whatever this prophecy is, it seems to quite accurate."
Cordelia looked at some other pages and she handed them to the watcher. She was obviously troubled. "Giles I think we might have an answer."
Giles took the papers and began to read once more.
November 30th, 2003
The excuse of the trauma of killing the being who was a replica of my father has served as a perfect cover while I continue to reasearch the Sumerian text. I should have know that secrets would be kept from us at Wolfram and Hart. The firm conviently had no information on the Sumerian prophecy, although I doubt their honesty in the matter. Fortunately Wolfram and Hart is not the only place to find ancient texts. Months of searching and calling in old favors has finally paid off and I acquired the full writings of an ancient Sumerian ruler whose name translates roughly to "The Keeper of the Sight." I shall not write my full findings here, however I know that someone, possibly the Senior Partners is planning the end of the world. I can not risk mine or Angel's life until I am truly sure. If something happens to me Fred knows where my journal is. To whomever does read this you will find the full text in the wall behind my bookcase. May its findings guide us to the correct path.
Giles turned around to see two of the slayers already moving the bookcase from the wall with very little effort. Andrew looked around the wall till he found a spot that looked like it had been plastered over. "Um I think it might be behind this spot, ahh!" he screamed as a fist flew by his nose and punctured the wall. Shana, one of the more adventerous slayers smiled at him and then jerked her hand back. She held a very old looking scroll.
"This what you looking for?" she asked.
Giles gave her an amused smile as he took the scroll from her. "Thank you he said as he unrolled the parchment.
"Can you read it?" Cordelia asked.
Giles nodded, "Yes, Sumerian was a required language for all watchers."
Cordy chuckled, "Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Giles smiled, "Since you are now a higher being I doubt anything would, now might I convince someone to put on a spot of tea? I might be reading awhile."
Connor stood at the window looking out, staring as if it would make his father come back faster. Buffy walked up behind him.
"They'll find him," her statement was meant to comfort him but her words just sounded hollow.
Connor didn't turn around as he replied to her, "You know it's wierd, up until a few weeks ago I didn't even know he was my dad. I didn't even know him. I thought I was just a normal guy ready to start college. Now, I remember some things. I know Angel if my real father, but most of my life was spent hating him. I mean I sealed him up in a metal box, and sent him to the bottom of the ocean. I tried to kill him a few times, but now, well now that I know all he did for me, all he gave up," Connor paused and choked up a second. "All I want if for him to be okay."
Buffy put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll survive Connor, he has to."
The youngster turned to face her. "You love him don't you?"
Buffy looked stunned, "What?"
"Dawn told me you two were together, told me just about everything, some of it I wished she hadn't," He looked at her kind of embarassed. "Anyway can I ask you something?"
Buffy shrugged, "Sure."
"Why did you and my dad never work out? I mean I guess I'm glad you didn't because I might not be here if you did, but well what happened?"
The slayer's posture sank, "I really don't know honestly. Angel and I have always been complicated."
Connor smiled at her for a second, but then got serious. "Look I wasn't around for all your drama, so I don't know truly what happened, but I do know one thing, my Dad would do anything for those he really loves. I mean he changed reality for me, so ifyou still love him find out how he feels. After all my Dad is either going to live forever or he could die in this war, either way I don't want him to have any regrets, and you well I don't think you want to have any either."
Buffy smiled at him, "You know, your a pretty smart kid."
Connor blushed and was about to reply when the door to the Hyperion flew open. "It's them!" he cried out as the rescue team returned battered but with their goal accomplished. Spike had his arm around Marcus who looked like he had tried to smother a bomb. Willow followed cuts and bruises adorning her face, she also looked pale and drained. Finally came Faith who was carrying Angel.
"Dad!" Connor exclaimed and ran over to him. The youngster relieved Faith of her burden.
"Thanks kid," she said, "careful he's still out."
Connor nodded, "I'll get him to the infirmary."
"No," Marcus groaned, "We must find a place to secure him."
Connor stared daggers at the warrior, "Are you crazy? He's hurt!"
"Chill kid," Faith intervened, "He's right, we need to take him to the basement, there's still that cage down there. We've got to lock him up until we are sure."
"Sure of what?" Buffy asked, obviously annoyed at the idea of locking Angel up.
"Buffy," Willow began.
"No!" the slayer screamed, "Tell me why you want to lock him in a cage just minutes after you rescue him!"
"Buffy," Willow began again, "We got there and they had some kind of shaman, he was performing a ritual."
"And?" Buffy asked
"Buffy they were trying to take his soul. They wanted Angelus."
Buffy was about to reply when Giles came out of the office visibly shaken. "Giles, what's wrong?" she asked.
The watcher looked at her his face white as a ghost, "I'm afraid we are all quite doomed."
"What the bloody hell else is new?" Spike quipped after hearing Giles' declaration.
Giles looked at Spike his eyes full of worry, "Oh your back, good we can all die together."
"Giles!" Buffy yelled in shock, "Why are we all doomed?"
"Because the Senior Partners don't just want to the rule the world," Cordelia said as she walked out of the office. "They want to totally remake it into their ideal home. They want to turn it into their idea of heaven, which would of course be our own personal hell."
"How are they going to do that?" Buffy asked.
Giles took a deep breath as he answered, "They are going to open all the Hellmouths."
"Not again," was the thought Angel had as he woke up chained to a stone slab. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. The place seemed somewhat familiar to him.
"Daddy's waking up!" he heard Dru's voice.
"Damn," he thought to himself, "I'm really starting to hate this."
He looked up to see Hamilton's smug face now in his view. "I am sorry we had to relocate you Angel, a minor inconvience only. We are now under the old office no one will disturb us now."
Angel smirked as he got a good look at Hamilton's face which was sporting a nasty bruise. "What happened to your face Hamilton?" he chuckled, "you look like hell."
Hamilton's face turned red, "Joke all you want vampire, soon you'll be serving us."
"You think bringing out Angelus guarantees something?" Angel asked. "You know he's not exactly a joiner."
Hamilton gave Angel another smug grin, "Ah, but we are going to make the deal of a lifetime. Angelus will serve as a general in our armies, and we shall provide him with something he has been obsessing over for years."
"What's that?" Angel asked fearing the answer.
"Oh come Angel, you disappoint me, your not that stupid. As soon as we win we will kill all your companions save one. We shall send her to a little demon realm that will be given to Angelus to rule as he see fits, and the first thing he will see will be your precious Buffy, defeated, chained, and naked. She will be his personal toy for all eternity." Hamilton turned to the shaman. "You may continue."
Connor looked at his still unconscius father from outside the cage he now resided in.
"He'll be okay," Dawn said trying to comfort him
"I know, it's just part of me is furious at them for locking him up." Connor replied, his frustration showing. He turned around to face her, "You really think this is it?"
"Is what it?"
Connor sighed and paced a bit. "All this talk about Hellmouths, the apocalypse, well I guess I've been through something like it before. I mean I remember being around end of the world talk, can't sort out the details, but I remember it. This though, this is definately not the normal life I got used to."
Dawn put a hand on his shoulder. "At least you had one, even my fake memories are filled with vampires, demons, and end of the world talk."
Connor turned and faced her, her arm was now around the back of his neck. "I'm sorry," Connor stammered, the decreasing distance between himself and Dawn not going unnoticed.
"For what?" she whispered as he put his arm around her waist.
"For not have a normal life."
"That's ok, normal if boring."
"Yea, boring." Connor agreed as their lips grew closer. The moment was stopped by a groan. "Dad!" Connor said, "Your awake!"
"Damn," Dawn thought. "I'll get some help," she said. As she was about to walk up the stairs she saw Spike standing at the top of the stairs.
"Um," Dawn began her face reddening, "Angel's waking up."
"So I see," Spike replied, a huge grin on his face, "Not all I saw either," he chuckled as Dawn walked past him.
"Uh, I'm going to let Buffy know he's coming too," she said trying to play innocent.
"Good idea," Spike replied, "Don't think leaving you alone with Peaches Jr. would be safe."
Dawn ran out of the room her face burning with embarassment. "They grow up so fast," Spike laughed to himself.
"You ok Dad?" Connor asked as his father sat up.
"Yea," was the reply. "Where am I?"
"Your at the Hyperion. They decided to lock you up since some shaman guy was trying to take your soul."
"Was he now?" the vampire said as he raised an eyebrow. "Well looks like things didn't go exactly as planned".
"Glad to see you up and about Peaches." Spike said as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Connor turned and faced Spike who gave him a smile and a wink. The young man immediately turned back around his face bright red.
"So can I get out of here or what?" the older vampire asked.
"How do I know you aren't Angelus?" Spike asked.
"I only want to punch you not kill you."the vampire joked.
"Well I guess it's okay even if your fooling me there's a whole army ready to stop you," Spike replied. We're about to have a meeting, seems the big bads are getting ready to make their move."
Spike opened the cage door, "So they sent you to get me," his grandsire asked.
"Yea well they figured if you were bad I'd have the least problem staking you." Spike joked. "Come on Peaches we got work to do."
The elder vampire smiled, "I can hardly wait."
Angel continued to struggle against his chains as the shaman prepared the ritual. Drusilla watched with glee at the shaman, and Hamilton talked on his cell phone. "Yes I know we are planning an apocalypse but it's the end of the world not a national holiday, the Boston office stays open as does all of them. Hell will need lawyers" Hamilton close his cell phone as the shaman ceased the ritual. "What is it?" he asked as Drusilla began to whine.
"The evil had been removed," the shaman hissed. "Angelus is not longer inside."
"What?" Hamilton screamed. "How is that possible?"
"The nasty witch took Daddy," Drusilla cried.
"Yes," the shaman agreed. "Our magics could have mixed, two spells combining, opposite intents both acheiving their goal."
Hamilton stared daggers into the wizard, "You mean Angel and Angelus are now two seperate beings?"
"It is possible," the shaman agreed.
"So where the devil is Angelus?" Hamilton demanded.
"Hopefully dead," Angel spat as he tried to shake off the effects of the shaman's magic.
Hamilton took a quick stride to Angel and back handed him."This changes nothing! Nothing! Drusilla I shall go to the Hyperion. I think we can safely assume they have Angelus. I shall take a force to retrieve him. We must have Angelus!"
"But whatever shall I do hansome lawyer man?" Drusilla asked.
Hamilton smiled evily, "Play with our guest however you see fit, then when you get bored kill him."
COMING NEXT CHAPTER
More of the Senior Partners plan revealed, an old friend returns, and Drusilla has some fun with Angel.
