A brutal Santa Ana wind blew down from the Hollywood hills. Hot air carried the scent of blooming jasmine as Lilah entered the Hyperion's outer courtyard. Wesley and Angel faced off in the center of the space, enough weapons on the ground between them to fortify a small army. The Englishman's voice carried. "What is it we're waiting for?"

"Oh my," Lilah said, "I do believe that's my cue." Six faces turned to her: Cordelia scowled; the girl called Fred turned a puzzled look on Charles Gunn, who shrugged; a man she had never seen, who must have been the Pylean prince Groosalugg, gave a broad smile and waved cheerfully. Angel's face, as usual, betrayed nothing. Wesley's jaw tightened visibly, and he was the one to speak.

"What's she doing here?" His knees bent, and his hand came up with a heavy sword. .

"I had an invitation," said Lilah.

"I hardly think that's likely." Wesley jutted his chin toward Gunn. "Get her out of here."

"I invited her," said Angel.

"To kill her?" Cordelia sounded more than hopeful.

Wesley pulled off his glasses, and looked at Angel. When the vampire showed no change of expression, Wesley rubbed the lenses, put them back on, and looked around at the others. "Is anyone else waiting for the punchline?"

"She's just here to observe," said Angel.

Cordelia stepped toward Lilah, arms crossed. "Observe what?"

"The ritual," said Lilah. "On behalf of my firm. I've offered assistance in protecting Connor, once -" She nodded at Wesley - "he's safely back among friends."

"She's offered?" Cordelia looked at Angel now.

"And I accepted." Angel looked directly at Lilah for the first time since she arrived. "If she makes a false move, I'll kill her, and she knows it."

Wesley turned slowly to Angel. "Her too? Here I thought I was special."

Angel pointed to the cement pavement of the courtyard. A red chalk circle had been drawn, with three hash marks dividing it into thirds. "Just do the spell, Wes."

Wesley looked away from Lilah and took on the air of a rather fussy professor, directing his lecture to no one in particular. "We're going to open the Qortoth," he began. "The darkest of the dark worlds."

Lilah interrupted. "My people said it couldn't be done."

"Maybe your people just aren't as good as I am," Wesley retorted. "Or maybe, since they only work for a paycheck, they aren't as committed as they otherwise might be."

"Oh no," said Lilah. "They get killed if they screw up, too."

"That's not what I meant," Wesley grunted. He switched back into officious lecturer mode. "As Lilah has pointed out, it's not strictly possible to open a portal to the Qortoth. Fortunately, that isn't necessary. The dimension is actually in continual existence just below the surface of our own. A sort of darkness invisible, if you will. What this ritual will accomplish, to put it in layman's terms, is actually to create the Qortoth anew, complete with everything that was there the last time it opened - including, in theory, Holtz and Connor. The key to this is language and -" He nodded now as Fred, "as Fred helped me to discover, mathematics. Specifically, this spell is brought to us by the Gashundi letters Quire, Tekhmah, and Thonte. And the number three."

"Like an episode of Sesame Street," chimed in Fred.

Wesley looked slightly pained but said, "Somewhat. There is a certain amount of conjecture involved, but the general idea is that language and names are inseparable from the act of creation. That to name something is to control it ." He nodded at Angel, Gunn, and the Groosalugg. "The key to the spell is that three must enter. So - Groo. Charles. Angel -- Once you three arm yourselves, I will recite the incantation, you'll step into the circle and, based on Fred's calculations governing the precise circumference -" He pointed at the chalk on the pavement - "you should be able to arrive at approximately the time and place where Holtz got there with Connor. In fact, to him, the sequence of events should seem almost immediate. He may in fact be disoriented, and that's something you can take advantage of. Then --"

"Then we get the baby," said Angel. "We kill Holtz if we need to, and we come back."

"A little fighting, a little spelling, a little math," laughed Gunn. Fred nudged him and he said, "Okay, a lot of really hard math. Nothing to it." He leveled his eyes at Lilah. "Maybe if your crew would work together and not spend so much time stabbing each other in the back -"

"Oh," Lilah smirked. "I think there's a little more to it than that. You want to tell them, Wes, or should I?"

Angel, who had been shifting his feet impatiently during Wesley's monologue, looked up. "What?"

"Creating the Qortoth?" Lilah repeated. "Calling into existence the darkest of the dark worlds? Isn't this the sort of thing the Watcher's Council usually frowns upon as, I don't know, the most forbidden of dark magicks?"

The others stirred. Fred asked, "Is that true?"

Wesley looked at Fred as he answered, but he spoke to all of them. "I had much the same conversation last night with Rupert Giles. Giles said much the same thing as Lilah. I responded then, and I will tell you now, that when we refuse to explore or consider certain avenues of mystical knowledge, because we fear where they might lead, then we are essentially conceding the field - " And now he looked pointedly at Lilah - "to those who would use them for evil ends. Yes. There is danger. Yes. There may well be a cost. And if anyone wants to leave, he or she should feel free." His eyes stopped on Fred.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said firmly.

"Good." He gave a weak smile. "As I say, there are risks, but if we take this action with pure intent, with a view only to save Connor, with the best motives and -" He turned to the Angel. "I'm sorry, but why is Lilah here? Have you forgotten that this woman fed you your own son's blood?"

"No," said Angel. "I also haven't forgotten that you took my son and allowed my sworn enemy -"

"Allowed?" Cordelia stepped between them, putting a hand on each man's chest. "Angel, it's not like that was Wesley's plan."

"No." His eyes stayed on Wesley. "The plan was to take my son and disappear and - tell me, did you actually have a plan after that? Or were hoping Connor's fairy Godmother would show up and thank you for doing the right thing?"

"Angel -" Wesley began, as though he were going to say more, but dropped his eyes.

Fred spoke up. "Wesley was trying to help." But Lilah saw Gunn's hand go to her shoulder, and caught a subtle message for her to stay out of it. So all wasn't well even within the united front at Angel, Inc. Charles Gunn might not be ready to pick a side; something to file away for future reference.

The Groosalugg, apparently oblivious to subtle body language, said cheerfully, "Fred is correct! Wesley's actions were noble, and the Powers Which Are have confirmed this by sending my princess a vision."

"That's right," said Cordelia, and it was a good thing her champion he was oblivious, because that smile was definitely strained. She moved now toward Wesley and put an arm on his shoulder. "It's all right, Wes. Angel's just under a lot of pressure." She glared at Angel, squeezed Wesley's arm, and kissed his cheek. "You're gonna do great."

Lilah snorted. "Get a room, already."

"Us?" said Cordelia. Wesley turned his head, embarrassed, while Cordelia pulled herself up straight. "That's a revolting suggestion." Before Wesley could look too indignant, Cordelia elbowed him. "You know what I mean. She has to make everything an innuendo. For your information, Lilah, the Groosalugg and I are in a very happy relationship."

"Ahh." Lilah took another quick look at Fred and Gunn, and it wasn't hard to do the math there. "Sorry, Wes. I didn't realize. I'd be in a bad mood too if I was the only one in the room not getting laid." This time, only five pairs of eyes turned to her. Angel looked at the ground. "What, sweetheart?" said Lilah, moving to stand beside him. "Are we not telling your friends? I told all my friends. I think it's only fair."

Groo looked at Cordelia and nodded knowingly. "The lawyer is Angel's concubine."

"She's not -" Angel began -

"My God," Cordelia stepped closer to Lilah. "Does that explain your hair? Angel, that had better not explain her hair." To Groo, she said, "Angel has this thing about blondes. I'll tell you later."

Underneath the conversation came a low wheezing sound, almost like sobbing. Lilah must have heard it first, but then Angel turned and soon they were all looking at Wesley. He stood in the center of the courtyard, doubled over, hand to his mouth, and when he finally lifted his head, he was wiping away tears of laughter. "This -" he said. "You!" to Angel. "Her! This - " He collapsed into another spasm, then collected himself sufficiently to look Angel in the eye and say, "This is absurd. I've understood your anger, your bitterness, your deep resentment toward myself but until now - Angel, do you actually hate me this much?"

"Ease off, ego boy," Lilah said. "Why would this be about --?" Then Angel stepped toward Wesley, and their eyes met, and Lilah stopped. "Oh," she turned to the person closest to her, who happened to be Gunn.

"Yeah," Gunn said softly, almost sympathetic toward her. "It's kind of been like that around here." Lilah felt an odd stab of betrayal, and right away, she knew it was stupid. Whatever she and Angel had done, she knew from the start it was not about her.

"Please tell me, Angel," said Wesley. "How you can -" He struggled for words. " - consort with that woman, who bears a great deal of the responsibility for Connor's fate. And yet for me, you won't - you can't -"

"Lilah's shown what she's willing to do for me, Wesley. Now it's your turn."

Angel's words seemed to release him. "Very well." All of Wesley's bravado collapsed and it even seemed as though his muscles lost the will to support him. Legs folded under him, he sat in the center of the circle, and looked up and around at the others. "What are we waiting for?"

Gunn, Angel, and the Groosalugg got into position around the circle.

Cordelia and Fred sat back to back on a stone bench. Fred held Wesley's jacket, wringing the suede fabric in her hands. Lilah paced near them, one eye on the ceremony.

Fred squeezed Cordelia's arm, and spoke in a forced steady voice. "So tonight we either get Connor back, or -" she swallowed "we lose all four of the guys."

Wesley looked up at Fred. "There's almost no chance this will go wrong," he said earnestly.

Lilah let out a harsh laugh. "Right. Dark magicks always work out great. I might as well have stayed at the office." Then she registered Fred's comment and took a hard look at Wesley. "There's a risk to the spell caster, too."

"Only death," said Cordelia.

Wesley started to open the book. "It's not that bad," he said shortly.

Fred looked at Lilah and rolled her eyes. "Listen to him being brave. Mild death."

"We've all reviewed our roles, in detail. And the risk is only," Wesley continued, "if, once the spell is begun, it's interrupted in some way. Or -" He looked at the three men around the circle, "if the people who go in don't come back"

"And no chance of that," said Fred, wringing her hands. "They're just going to hell."

"It will be fine." Wesley smiled weakly and asked, "Ready? "

The three men raised their swords and joined them above Wesley's head. Fred jumped impulsively up, ran to Gunn, and gave him a long deep kiss. "Good luck!" she said, moving back.

Cordelia followed and, with slightly more restraint, touched Groo's lips. "You can do it, sweetie."

Lilah met Angel's eyes. The vampire looked away.

Wesley then tilted back his head and began to chant the letters, sending his rhythmic voice to the night sky like a mantra..

"Quirot. Tekhmah. Thonte. . ."

As he spoke, the timbre of his voice gradually grew deeper, echoing through the courtyard.

"Thorot. Tekhte. Quirah. . ."

Soon it wasn't Wesley's voice at all, but something hollow, mechanical, reverberant.

"Quirah. Tekhat. Thorah. Quire. Qortoth. Qortoth. Qortoth."

The air inside the circle began to shimmer, the deep orange of an outdoor fire. As they watched, the glowing air transformed into a huge fiery hand. The flame wrapped around Wesley. His body began to tremble, and, then, interspersed with the mantra, more words flowed from him in an inhuman voice. "Blood. Quirah. Flesh. Bone." As he spoke, Groosalugg's body began to shimmer a deep shade of blue. "Tekhat. One. One. One." On the last repetition of the number, Groo vanished in a flash. Cordelia covered her mouth and stifled a scream.

"That means it's working," said Fred. "It's working, it's working."

"Thorah. Tekhat. Quirah. Two. Two. Two." The same process repeated now, and Gunn disappeared. Fred whimpered and her knees seemed to give, as she sunk against Cordelia.

"Two down," said Lilah. She watched Angel's body begin to glow. "Quirah. Tekhmat. Thonte. Three. Three. Thr -" But on the last repetition of the number, a pulse of light flashed through Angel, knocking him and Wesley both to the ground. Cordelia screamed again and ran to Wes. Fred knelt before Angel. Lilah moved more slowly and stopped just outside the circle.

"Something's wrong!" Cordelia cried. When Wesley started to sit up, she got to her feet and lunged at Lilah. "You!" She put her hand on Lilah's throat. "You did this! You --!"

"Get off me!" Lilah smacked her, then the deep voice rose out of Wesley again. He rocked back and forth, saying, "The blood must live. The blood must live. The blood must live."

Angel stumbled to his feet, clutching his sword. ""Hell dimension sets its own rules," he grunted. "This one says, no vampires allowed."

Cordelia grabbed Angel's arm. "I have to go in there," she said.

"No." Angel tightened his grip on the sword.

"Someone has to! Or we'll never get them back. And look at Wesley!" His chin pointed almost to the sky as his body shook with the convulsions of the spell. "I swear to God, if this kills him -"

"We'll never get Connor back," said Angel.

"Or Groo. Or Gunn. Or Wesley. Jesus, Angel! How about you get your head out of your ass, and realize we're all in this together, and you need to accept some help?" Cordelia tugged on the sword. "You've trained me to fight. Maybe this is what I was training for. You have to send me!"

"No," said Angel. "I mean yes. You're right, I need to accept help. But not from you. "Fred. Wesley's got a Glock holstered under his jacket."

She scrambled for the gun and called, as she did. "He's right, Cordelia. I used to shoot one of these a little bit back home and, well, I have more experience with other dimensions, and it can be really disorienting when -"

Angel took the gun from her, and handed it over to Lilah.

"What the fuck?" said Cordelia and Fred together.

"Unless Billy Blim was a fluke," said Angel, "you know how to use this thing. And more importantly, you've been in a standoff with Holtz. You know how he thinks."

Lilah just managed to turn her own What the fuck? into, "Yes." When fear does you no good --

Angel looked into her eyes. "You're really committed to bring this child back alive."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes."

"And you'll do what it takes."

"Yes." Then, without giving it thought, Lilah leaned in and met his mouth for what would be their first kiss. She let her lips linger, then looked up at Fred and Cordelia, who stared but didn't move. Finally, Lilah caught the eye of the convulsing Wesley and stepped inside the magic circle.