Chapter Eight - The Last One to Go

"Angel! Step away from the naked Buffy!" Janice moaned and stomped her feet but it didn't accomplish anything.

"How do you know it's a nude Buffy he's seeing?" Fred whispered to Janice. Janice sighed.

"It's Angel. What else do you expect him to see?" she explained before turning her attention back to the matter at hand. "GET AWAY FROM THERE RIGHT NOW!" she yelled, but he didn't listen.

Angel was in a complete trance as Buffy beckoned him closer. . . and closer. . . suddenly there was a horrible rattling sound and Fred went to peek over her glasses, but Janice pushed them back on her face forcefully.

"Ow."

"Well, keep em' on then." Janice snapped as the rattling sound was heard again. "ANGEL!" Janice called again.

"Why don't you go get him?"

"Cause then my soul would get stolen. It's so much easier to sort through only one soul rather than two and then if you followed me. . . not fun." Janice shook her head gently at Fred, who nodded in understanding.

"What is that rattling sound?" Fred finally noticed it and looked around, keeping the glasses in place by keeping her finger on the nose piece.

"The Soul-Stealer. It's getting ready to suck his soul." Janice sighed sympathetically and shook her head again.

"Angel! Come back!" Fred joined in with the yelling.

"Buffy?" Angel kept walking closer until he stopped. He felt as if someone had attached a vacuum to his belly button and was sucking out more than lint.

That was what really was happening. The Soul-Stealer detached a long vacuum like arm and attached it to Angel's belly button. Something white and shimmery was seen flowing through it and it traveled into the bottle the Soul-Stealer was made of. Angel dropped to the floor and Fred went to rush to his side, but Janice pulled her back.

"Don't even think about it. He's not Angel now." Janice whispered. Mystical chains floated from nowhere and wrapped themselves securely around Angel(us) as we woke up and struggled to get free. The chains made him float in midair and with his vamp face on, he struggled to be free.

The mice returned and lined up in front of Angel as the music began. . .

The most important thing, that we've ever learned,

The most important thing we've learned,

So far as Angel is concerned,

Is never, NEVER, NEVER let

Him near his Buffy Slayer pet

Or better still, just don't go call

The idiotic thing at all.

Never Ever Call her

Never Ever Call her

Ooh, Ooh

Never Ever Call her

she rots his senses in the mind!

she kills Imagination dead!

she clogs and clutters up his mind!

she makes perfect bliss not hard to find!

To find, to find !

He can no Longer understand

A fairytale and fairyland!

A Fairyland a Fairyland!

His brain becomes as soft as cheese!

His thinking powers rust and freeze!

He cannot think he only sees!

He only Sees

He only Sees

Regarding little Angel, dear

We very much regret to hear

We'll simply have to wait and see

If we can get him back his soul.

But if we can't it serves him right."

The mice concluded suddenly and left as Angel(us) was pulled by a mysterious force through a dark tunnel that didn't look like it was there before. Fred watched it leave and then turned to Janice to see her reaction. Her mouth was twisted in a way to show "what a poor man". She patted Fred's back.

"Let's get out of here."

Fred agreed and they left the room. She handed Janice her sunglasses, for they didn't need them anymore, and then just stood there.

"Now what?" she asked sincerely.

"I don't know really." Janice shrugged. "You're the only one left, I'm afraid. No use giving a grand tour to only one person."

"So that's it then? I can just leave?"

"Oh, goodness no! You have to accept your prize!"

"Prize?"

"Yes, for being the last one left, meaning you can face beauty where Gunn failed, stop obsessions where Wesley failed, you can face temptation where Cordelia failed, and you can follow directions where Angel so obviously failed."

"Wow." Was all Fred could think of to say.

"Basically, you have common sense. So, as a prize you get two wishes. Whatever you want, I will grant them for you."

Fred bit her lip and figured this might be the hardest decision she ever had to make. She looked up at the ceiling and then watched some mice scamper by. She thought and thought. Janice was growing slightly impatient, but understood. It would take her awhile too.

Fred could think of nothing she wanted for herself and kept thinking of her friends and of Janice. Did her new friends ever get what they wanted? Did Janice ever get what she wanted?

"I've decided."

"Okay then." Janice pulled out a pen and pad of paper to get ready to write. Darla, the rat, showed up and crawled onto Janice's shoulder ready to deliver the message.

"I've decided that my first wish is that my friends come out of the factory unharmed but. . . but they still have a little bit of what happened to them stay with them for two weeks."

"Uh, huh." Janice scribbled it down quickly and nodded her head. "That was specific. . . and that's good. We don't any orders messed up. And what about the second one?"

"The second one? I'm giving my second wish to you. My second wish is - I wish to give you this wish to do with whatever you please." Fred smiled sweetly as Janice paused writing mid-sentence.

"You're giving. . . you're giving the second wish to me?" Janice lowered the notepad and pointed at herself with the pen.

"Yes. You deserve it."

"Well, thanks. That's great. And I'm not being sarcastic this time." Janice smiled and finished writing. She tore the page out of the notepad and folded it up very small. She placed it in Darla the rat's mouth and placed the rat on the floor.

The rat scampered off down the long hallway and Janice held out her arm to Fred.

"What?" Fred asked.

"Shall I escort you out?" Janice offered. Fred accepted and the pair walked arm in arm down the hallway to the escalator. After making the trip, with their eyes closed, Fred turned to Janice.

"What is so bad that you throw up when you see it."

"Oh. . ." laughed Janice. "It just goes really fast and all these colors swirl around in spirals and make you really dizzy."

"That's all?"

"I guess Angel just had a weak stomach. Twice." They laughed and continued on their way.

(--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Janice didn't venture off of the doorstep and told Fred where to go to meet her friends. Despite what Janice was expecting, Fred gave her a big hug before leaving. Janice, though startled, returned it and the two watched the sun disappearing. A door to the right squeaked open.

"They're your friends. Better go." Janice sighed as she watched Fred skip down the stairs to greet her friends. She sighed again as Darla the rat joined her on the doorstep and they watched Fred leave in the convertible.

The dust settled and the night was still. The stars began to come out and Janice yawned.

"I guess I'm not going to the mall." She stretched and walked slowly back into the factory. Darla the rat stayed outside a little longer, looked to the sky and sang to nobody in particular. . .

Janice Beatrice, Janice Beatrice...

The Amazing Magician .

Janice Beatrice, Janice Beatrice...

Everybody, she's great fun!

She's modest, clever, and so smart,

she can barely restrain it.

With so much generosity,

There is no way to contain it...

To contain...to contain...to contain...to contain.

Janice Beatrice, Janice Beatrice...

she's the one whose magic can't be beat.

Janice Beatrice, Janice Beatrice...

She's a genius who you'd love to meet.

She does stuff that no one does...

The best darn girl with a good cause.

Janice Beatrice there she was!

With that, Darla the rat yawned, found a small hole and ran through.

Fin. . . . . . or is it?