Chapter 2

Everyone looked at the portal that Angel just went through. Buffy looked at Giles.

"Why does only Angel get to go through it, again?" Buffy asked.

"Because with this spell a portal can only be used twice both ways and it's only big enough for two average adults. Unless you want to leave someone behind, Angel's our only chance."

"I could've gone." Buffy pouted.

"Yes, well, so could Spike, Illyria or Gunn. It doesn't matter now."

"When I possessed my former greatness, I could move worlds as I pleased. I had no use of such trivial spells created by lower beings." Illyria said.

"Well, guess what" Spike said, "you don't have 'em anymore. It's been five years since you haven't got 'em so get over it." Illyria said nothing to this and the group once again silenced.

"Um, Giles. Do we actually have to stay in our places?" Xander asked.

"Oh? No. You can move now, sorry." Giles answered.

"Oh, cool." A small pause passed before he said "Anyone for Scrabble?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Ok."

"Why not."

"…?"

Angel slowly made his way to the street. It looked like L.A., but it was so much worse. The first thing Angel saw was the sun. It was up but the day wasn't any brighter; It was possible to say that it shared no light with the world. It was closer than it should be, so close that you could see the flickering fires and the burning gas. Angel didn't burn up in flames, but the intense heat coming off in waves was murderous on its own. Parts of the street were actually boiling and molten lava was seen spewing and bubbling from a few potholes.

Not one building stood erect. They were either partially or completely destroyed, some due to the falling balls of fire that came as constant as rain and were also creating small craters in the ground.

Angel moved further on, carefully avoiding the stray fireball and hot tar. Then ahead of him he saw a figure sitting on the ground, leaning against a building, his vampire hearing picking up the shallow breaths of a man barely alive. Giles was half right, Angel thought, he was the only one there – the only one there alive.

Angel tried avoiding looking at the dead bodies of humans and demons alike, which was difficult since they covered almost every square inch of the ground.. He was grateful he didn't need to breathe so he didn't have to smell the horrible stench of corpses.

Angel reached the man at last. He could smell blood on him; his own among others. He was wearing tattered clothes beneath his dirty cloak, a hood covering his head. His eyes were downcast and he didn't seem to notice Angel's presence. Angel thought he looked exhausted to the point of death, which by the looks of it didn't seem too far from the truth. Angel crouched down to the man's level.

He felt… something.

Something – although he couldn't see his face – he couldn't explain when he looked at him. A sense of – familiarity? – to this stranger he had never met. He had to get him out of here now.

Angel picked the man up, surprised at how light he was and how he gave no sign protest. He was ready to die, Angel realized. Carefully he made his way back to the warehouse, thankful that the portal was still there. Without looking back, Angel walked through it to return back to his world.

"Evil followers trying to revive their leader who will raise its army and try to take over the world? You see what I'm getting at? Don't any of you sense a little bit of déja vu here?" Spike said as he took a puff from his smoke. His audience – namely Giles who was the only one who could put up with his prattling – stole a quick glance at Illyria which she took no notice of as she watched Xander add the letters I, A and L to 'DEN'. "It seems like a bloody cliché to me."

Before Giles could add anything to that, a big gust of strong wind blasted from the portal opening, blowing everyone off their feet and throwing them to various parts of the lobby. Two figures came out of it: Angel flew across a few feet while the hooded man simply fell next to the portal which closed immediately afterwards.

Slowly everyone stood up, temporarily disorientated by the blast. Then they saw him.

"Is that him?" Buffy asked Angel who was a few feet in front of her.

"Yeah."

"Oh, my" Giles said, wiping his glasses. "Is he dead?"

"This pitiful being is the one who will save the human race? He is but barely alive."

But as soon as Illyria said her words the figure started to move and slowly, as if in pain, he stood up. As he did, more blood flowed freely to pile on the floor from open wounds.

Gunn started to say "Hey, man. I don't think you should be" but suddenly the man took out a crossbow from the confines of his cloak – that Angel swore later that he hadn't felt when he picked him up – and pointed it to the general direction of the group.

"You won't have me." The man said in soft but ragged shallow breaths. "I swear to god I'll kill you if it takes my last breath."

"Hey, whoa. Nobody wants anybody to die here." Angel said. In a calmer voice he said, "We need your help."

They waited for the man to say something but he gave no response, instead standing there like a still statue. The awkward silence stretched so Angel started to speak again.

"You see, there's a prophecy. It says that"

"Shut up."

The quiet but surprisingly strong order came suddenly from the man and surprised, Angel did. The man lowered his crossbow and turned slowly in a circle, looking as if he was surveying the Hyperion clearly for the first time, before looking at every member of the group and finally laying his eyes upon Angel. Then he dropped his crossbow carelessly onto the floor and took down his hood. Some of the party gasped at the person they saw, but everyone was clearly surprised.

"Angel." whispered the man.

Angel caught him before he could drop to the ground when he fainted. Angel couldn't think straight; his head was racing with a million different thoughts and was blank at the same time.

Oh my God! Angel thought. It's Wesley!

(Author's note: yeah, yeah. We all knew it's him.)