Chapter 12:
Tied to Family

Deep into the darkest emptiness he had ever known, the void went on forever and he had been here always, or so it seemed. Angel walked thru darkness. He could have been there a week or a moment, he didn't know. To make it even worse, ribbons of swirling voices sung continually in his ears. He thought he would go mad.

His stomach growled loudly. Maybe he should have thought to bring food along, but too late now. Sirius may not need to eat, but Angel felt weak with hunger.

He continued to walk through this complete darkness, hand held out in front of him, staring toward the finger that held the ring, or he thought the ring was there. He could see nothing and not even a flicker of light shone from it.

He sat down and rested his head in his hands, hoping for something, anything…he didn't care. He felt he was fading, becoming part of the darkness himself unable to feel and not even caring. Maybe he would just sit here forever. If this was a nightmare……maybe it was…it had to be a nightmare. He prayed for someone to wake him. His mind was clouding.

Wake from the nightmare……he had to wake up.

He remembered the chain around his neck and ran his hand along it until he found the case, opening it. The amulet glowed white hot. He unzipped Sirius' jacket a few inches and touched the charm to his chest. The hot metal seared his skin. He was still in the nightmare, but now knew this was not a nighttime nightmare, but a waking one. However, he now felt something, it might have been pain, but it was something. And this was sufficient to center him and bring him back enough to begin moving forward again.

Later

Heel-Toe-Heel-Toe

"455……456…….457……458"

Angel walked placing one foot directly in front of the other, kicking his foot out in front of him and snapping it back so the heel hit the toe of the foot still on the ground.

"459……460……….461"

He was counting each step, measuring time, organizing this nothingness. But the voice that was whispering in his ear kept interrupting, causing him to lose count and begin again.

"What? Just tell me what?" He was certain the voice was trying to tell him something; whether an explanation or warning; Angel did not know, but the voice was persistent. He had just about had enough, though. He was not going start over! He put his hands over his ears, trying to block the voice.

But, the voice did not soften, his hands could not block it. The voice was inside him. What kind of place was this?

He wished the voice away and it was gone.

He began walking again….

"1……2…….3….4…."

Later

Tired of counting, Angel quieted his mind. Then he heard it. A heartbeat and shallow breathing. He knew this heartbeat!

"Liam!" he screamed, sprinting towards the source of the noise.

"Don't be an idiot," he said to himself, stopping in his tracks. "Liam?…..Liam?" Liam couldn't be here. …."yet, if I wish hard enough."…..The heartbeat became louder and surrounded him….his skin tingled and the feeling began radiating through him…then hands pulling him away.

What was this place? It seemed that everything within him was being pulled out and mixed with everything on the outside. He couldn't stay here. He needed to keep going.

Revitalized, no longer exhausted, he resumed the pursuit.

Later

He found himself slapping his forehead to the beat of his singing…

…and then he sensed it, a wolf brother. He must be near an exit portal. Heart racing, he started forward. "No idiot, no," he screamed to himself "Run!……Run!" Ripping himself around he darted back into his dark prison, his screeches piercing the air; and then a laugh filled him, an uncontrollable laugh. "I am going mad," he thought as fell to the ground, convulsing.

Later

Walking forward again, sick and weak, not thinking, he covered himself with Sirius' jacket, pulled the collar up over his ears, unrolled the sleeves, unzipped it and, without taking it off, wrapped it around him. It was a kind of comfort but tears began to flow.

"Center Angel…control yourself…." But no longer! Ripping off Sirius' jacket he hurled it onto the ground and screamed, his chest now wet with tears. He wanted to tear that jacket apart. Reaching down to pick it up from the ground, he noticed…

The ring……he could see the ring…..a faint glow was coming from the 'B' imprinted on the stone. When he waved his hand, light trails lingered in the air. Quickly slipping the jacket back on and rolling up the sleeves, Angel prayed this was not again just his imagination.

His heart was racing….pounding in his ears. He was going to find Sirius. The ring glowed brighter with every step he took. And another heartbeat….he heard another heartbeat. A few steps further, the light shone on a face…the face in his dreams….Sirius.

Taken by surprise, Sirius turned away, bounding back into the darkness.

Angel hadn't planned on this, but he should have. If he, Angel was so greatly effected by the emptiness in this short period of time, how much more Sirius, who had endured all these months.

Sirius was still close. The ring shone brightly, but even better, Sirius was startled and a bit afraid. Fear was easy to find. Not wanting the ring to alarm Sirius further, Angel stowed it in his jacket pocket. Again in darkness, Angel turned, taking aim in Siri's direction…….. forward, pelted into him and knocked him over, flat on his back. Pinning Sirius to the ground, Angel sat on top of him. "Hellooooo Sirius!" laughed Angel.

Putting the ring back on his finger, Angel looked into Sirius' face, smiling. "Sirius, I am Angel. Angel, remember. I am Cassie's son. I have come to get you." Angel wasn't sure how much Sirius understood, there was some cognizance, he knew there was. Yet, there was confusion there as well. There was fear, but also the air of relief. Angel could sense all these things.

Sirius seemed to understand that Angel was there to help him. He wasn't fighting. Both men's eyes were wet. Angel ran his fingers through Sirius' hair and leaned down to kiss his forehead, tasting the salt of his own tears.

Sitting again, Angel winked, "OK Sirius. Enough of this. Time we were getting out of here."

"Now how to keep you with me…."

Angel's tee would work nicely. Angel slipped it over his head and then again slipped his jacket back on. He took the tee and began to twist it as if wringing water from it.

Eyes twinkling, Angel held onto Sirius' right wrist. Angel tied one end of the tee to Sirius' wrist and one end to his, Angel's, left wrist. "handcuffs!" Helping Sirius to his feet, he began walking, Sirius right beside him. Angel's heart raced with excitement.

"Exit portal here we come!"

Much Later

Nothing, for hours he felt nothing, no pull of the wolf. Maybe they were walking in circles, never coming any closer, lost forever in the darkness. Sirius was no help. He pulled against Angel, always wanting to walk in the opposite direction. Depression began to set in again, Angel was exhausted. If he didn't feel the pull soon…..

"Yaaaaaaawwwwn.." Angel found himself sitting on the ground, Sirius sitting beside him, not remembering getting there, Angel needed to rest…rest for a very long time. He closed his eyes and thought of Liam….he would stay here and dream….

And then he remembered. Sitting up straight and reaching into his jacket pocket, he took it out, the vial Liam had stowed there….Angel kissed it. "Thank you Liam!" This was exactly what he needed. Angel couldn't find the wolves, but Shadow could. Liam had nicked a bit of the werewolf transformation potion.

Liam didn't quite trust that the Order knew what they were doing. He wanted to make sure that Angel could get out and he didn't quite trust that Angel could find his way out. But he was sure that Shadow could.

Angel needed to get Sirius out as well, and he knew just how to do it.

First, he needed a way to tether Sirius to Shadow. The tee would no longer work, as Shadow would have no wrist to tether Sirius to.

"So sorry I have to do this Sirius, but I can't think of any other way."

Angel untied the tee from his own wrist, took off Sirius' jacket and began cutting it into strips. Twisting the strips together, he now had something strong enough, And there was just enough material to do what he needed to do. He tied one end of the leather cord around Sirius' wrist. He then created a slip knot in the other end and wrapped it like a noose around him, he put his left arm through the loop, but not the right arm. The loop rested on his right collarbone. Once the knot tightened, he would be able to lead Sirius, but not be choked.

He reached over and grabbed Sirius' left hand. Looking into Sirius' eyes and biting his bottom lip, he took the ring off his own finger, he forced it onto Sirius' index finger. The ring was way too tight and Angel had drawn blood, but it would not fall off, and Sirius could not easily remove it. "Sorry Siri," he whispered.

Angel then undressed.

Everything in place, he moved as far as possible from Sirius, opened the vial, put it to his lips and drank……..

Pain…..that familiar pain.. Again his body was shifting, adjusting, becoming the wolf, but this time with his full permission. He was calling the wolf, not trying to keep it inside. He was able to center himself, stay in control of his mind, even during the process of transformation….and then it was over. He pulled against the leather cord and it tightened.

Sirius ran his fingers through Shadow's fur, laughing, tears running from his eyes.

And then Shadow felt it…..the draw…that familiar draw…..it was a wolf, but not just any wolf. It was Moony! Shadow raised his head and howled, the howl echoing, bouncing through the emptiness. He pulled Sirius along as fast as he could, Sirius laughing as he went, an excited, almost mad laughter.

And then, unexpectedly, even though Moony continued to draw him, Shadow felt another creature…..Liam…Liam was near. He also sensed another, quieter voice. All three were drawing him in the same direction, calling him, beckoning him forwards. He had to be close!

Suddenly he was pulled, jerked, sucked forward, Sirius beside him. The blackness turned to grey and then bright light, blinding light that was searing through the back of his eyes, the pain was intense.

The light diminished, he felt someone scratching behind his right ear. He opened his eyes to see Dumbledore. "Well done Angel, well done. Welcome back. You will notice that we are in one of your favorite haunts, the closet of the trophy room." He smiled eyes twinkling, "It is fortunate that I accidentally brought too much of the antidote with me. There is a sufficient amount for both you and Remus. Here, take your potion. There is someone who has been waiting….um…shall we say, not so patiently for your return. I don't think we should keep him waiting, do you?" He opened the vial and emptied the liquid onto Shadow's tongue.

Walking past Liam, he winked, "Liam, I advise you to wait just a few more minutes. Until Angel is quite himself." Dumbledore then want to tend to Sirius.

Moony stood back, far away from Sirius. He was still Moony after all and Sirius had just come of the void. He couldn't get any closer. He needed to center, breathe in, keep control.

He could see Dumbledore joking with Siri.

"Center…center, concentrate Remus," he thought to himself. . But Siri was glowing….glowing red and the scent that was Siri was powerfull "Center Remus, center…"

Sirius looked confused, unable to fathom what had just happened and where he was. "Well, Sirius. You are a site, but really none the worse for wear. It seems you will be all right. We need….."

Moony looked over to see Angel sitting on the floor, Liam's arm around him, feeding him a chocolate frog.

Tired of waiting for Dumbledore to give him the antidote, Moony began to walk slowly towards Siri. Just to welcome him back. Suddenly Moony could see nothing but red and Siri's scent overpowered him, his was well aware of what he was doing, but he no longer cared. A few moments later he heard a voice echoing in the distance and something pulling him backwards.

"Remus!" The voice was coming closer. "Remus, come on……back away!" It was Dumbledore. He was pulling Moony away from Sirius, who had been again knocked to the ground. "Remus…. BACK away," Dumbledore's eyes were now twinkling, knowing full well that Sirius was fine. In fact, Sirius and Moony were wrestling. Sirius remembered Moony immediately and was not worried about the fact that he had no idea where he was or what was happening. Sirius playfully batted Moony away, laughing, knowing well how to play with Moony as Sirius, not Padfoot.

"Professor Dumbledore, that's Moony, not Remus," corrected Liam. But Dumbledore knew better. Moony had not yet transformed back into Lupin, and even though the wolf was still upon Lupin, Dumbledore knew this was not just the wolf. This was Remus coming through, the true Remus, not held back. The Remus who Sirius knew.

Finally separated, the antidote potion given, the lovers sat in each other's arms.

Ginny walked from behind, and up to Angel, who was sitting on the floor. Liam stood up and went to greet Sirius. "The third, gentler call," thought Angel. Ginny kneeled in front of him, eyes wet, and kissed him on the forehead, draping the red quidditch cape with the gold braid around him. Covering him. "You are a greater hero than anyone who has a trophy in the cases. My hero." She then beamed, "You brought him back. No one could do that. You did it. My Angel…….." She stopped and looked a bit puzzled, but then her face cleared.

"Sirius came back…

..on Angel's Wings."