The One Who Sees
By Vinya

"I'm gonna do what any man would do about it. Something damn manly."
Xander to Larry

Chapter 5
Angel blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the lighting around him- only a moment ago he had been in the library, listening to that Jonathan boy reading from one of his larger tombs…

No, he could still here it. Voices in the background, as if they were overshadowing the sounds around him. For a moment he could have sworn he really was on the streets of Sunnydale, kids running around him, people scaring each other and laughing about it.

It took a moment for his mind to catch up with him.

"I'm in," he said slowly, testing his words. They were oddly light, and he could barely hear what he was saying- they were like the sounds of the distant voices. "This is… it's strange. It's like I'm really here."

"Where's here?" a stronger voice asked, forcing him back into reality.

It was Giles, though it was only the tone that gave it away. They were all so far off that it was hard to distinguish particular voices. "In Sunnydale- obviously I guess. I'm actually not seeing Xander everywhere. Just people running around in costume."

"It might take a second," another voice said- this one had to be Jonathan. The others wouldn't know. "It's your first time doing the spell, so it won't be so simple as to jump right in."

Angel took a second to look around, following different people and even trying to pick out a few scents. "Cordelia is dressed up like a cat," he said slowly when he found one, "Um… I think I can smell you, Buffy."

His eyes trailed down the street and he began to jog. Faintly he could hear Willow talking… something about finding any of the trio, and the other two wouldn't be far behind. For a moment Angel considered pointing out that this was the future and there really was no way to tell what was going to happen-

But he saw them.

Buffy was dressed up like one of the woman he would have courted in what felt like such a short time, a life time, ago. Willow- and he could only tell that from the scent, was set up under what looked like a bed cloth with the words 'Boo' written across it, and Xander was there as well.

A rifle in one hand, and a set of fatigues to make up his costume.

"I see them," he told the Scoobies, "And Buffy," he added on, "Your costume is gorgeous."

He could hear the delighted giggle in the background, and would have responded if it wasn't for the fact that the golden trio seemed to be splitting up. "You're all going separate ways… I think you all got pushed into bringing kids around for 'treating."

He could hear a groan in the background, and then a shush as Giles obviously told his Slayer off. "I don't think anything is happening here," he told Jonathan, "It was a good trial run, but I think we should go farther into the future."

He was about to leave when something… shifted. There was no other word for it. One moment Xander had been walking around, kids in tow, a bag of chocolate all his own slung over his shoulder- then the real screaming began. Screaming like this he hadn't heard in an age, but you couldn't misplace it. Fifty suddenly terrified people, scattering like rats.

Angel must have shown how startled he was, because questions began to fly from the background. What was going on. Why. How. He couldn't answer them- he was too busy doing his own running. He couldn't be sure, of course, if he was tangable or not here. What would happen if somebody tried to run through him.

All he knew what that all too suddenly little, rather useless Xander had a huge gun in his hands and really wasn't being all to subtle about it. "He's got a gun."

"What?"

The question was unnamamious, and so the Vampire had to finally stop behind a large dumpster and wait for a moment to explain. "Xander. Something happened. People are literally turning into their costumes- at least, that's what it looks like. Xander has a gun."

Then- a tugging sensation. As if he was pulled right up and off of his feet, Angel was gone and the memory of things that hadn't even happened yet had disappeared in a blink of light.

"Let's trying going a little further." a voice mumbled, and suddenly he was standing on a top of an old, abandoned staircase.

The smell of blood was strong.

To be Continued