Chapter 2 – Should We Save Him?

Angel stormed into the hotel's lobby; the mysterious box secure in his arms. It was surprisingly light given its material and size. Very light given the fact that an - all be it small but - fully grown man was inside.

The vampire had sprinted all the way from the warehouse, just beating dawn's first light in his race for home. If he had the need to breathe, Angel would surely be gasping for air as he franticly searched for his watcher.

"WESLEY, GET DOWN HERE!" His voice bounced off every wall and window, booming down each corridor until it found its mark.

The watcher ran as fast as he could, Cordelia and Gunn following quick on his heels. "Is that it?" He called out as soon as his foot reached the bottom step.

Wesley wanted to grab the box as soon as he saw it and the strange markings that detailed its frame. But he hesitated and quite wisely too, for no one had any idea what this item could do. "Any clue as to its purpose?"

"Yes and no, I need your help reading this writing. It may be the only way to save Lindsey."

The three humans gasped simultaneously.

"Lindsey?" Cordelia asked.

"Yeah," the vampire sighed, his hand then grasping the base of his neck to scratch the non-existent itch. "You see, this strange man wanted to trap me inside that thing but Lindsey pushed me out of the way, and then..."

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"Well, I wasn't expecting that." The mysterious man mentioned before shaking his head in disappointment. He continued to stand tall with the cane hung neatly on his arm, his grace and manners still polished despite his plan falling through. "No bother, it may actually help us get young Lindsey back to us, once he's suffered a bit for his betrayal that is."

Angel's mind went straight to that roaring sound he heard right before the box closed. "What did you do to him?"

"He's safe, and he will be back with us soon. As long as my bosses so wish it." The man walked forward, ready to collect the box. However, using his supernatural speed, Angel beat the stranger to the cursed object, sharp fingernails snatching it swiftly from under the man's grasp. "You don't know what you're doing, Vampire. We can get Lindsey out of there safely, but you?" He shakes his head in pity. "Who knows what will come out if you attempt to rescue him."

"I don't care, we're getting him out and away from you, whatever it takes..."

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"But I have no idea how to get Lindsey out of there." Angel's shoulders slumped and his eyes fell to the wooden artefact.

Wesley looked at the box where Angel had set it on the floor. He noted the markings and what language they used, combining that with what the vampire had told them; he had some ideas.

"It may take me some time, but I think I can work this out."

Some time was an understatement.

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In the end, it took the watcher almost six hours to figure out the inscription, and a further three to work out the reverse chant. But by the end, he still needed to discuss some factors with the team.

Sitting around the lobby, Angel, Cordelia, Gunn, and the newly arrived Lourne, waited patiently for an explanation from their resident watcher. In the centre of their little group, sat the box in all its corrupt glory.

At only a couple of feet tall, something about the cursed object set each of their teeth on edge, like it gave off an aura of turpitude that had their skin crawling just from being in its presence. Cordelia was physically scratching the top layer of flesh from her arm as if it was infected until Lourne quelled her movement. Each one of them just wanted Wesley to get this over with so they could get rid of the thing for good.

Once everyone was settled, the watcher began to speak.

"From what I can understand, this box has the power to take a person and revert them to any point within their timeline. For example, say if you were sick, you could use this box to go back before you were sick and prevent it from happening."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" Cordelia questioned.

"It could be, yes."

"Then why does it feel so, yucky?" Probably not the most adequate of phrasing, but it got her point across. This box felt evil, nothing good could from that.

"That's probably because it's been used for ill-content. In fact, the enchantment has a sub-clause that says 'whoever enters into this box will suffer immense pain until they are released.' It was probably meant as a punishment for people who had betrayed the original creator. Taking them back to a point before they had digressed from their path in the most painful way possible."

"And somehow Wolfram and Hart got their hands on it."

"Yes, it is my belief that the original plan was to trap Angel inside and then release him as Angelous."

"What are we waiting for then?" Gunn stood up from where he'd been fixing a crossbow. His hands itching to burn or blow up the cursed item that threatened his friend. "We need to destroy this thing, pronto."

"Not without saving Lindsey first." The vampire growled, long fangs protruding as he lost control of his emotions. He knew it sounded strange; he'd been the one that condemned the lawyer on more than one occasion, but something just didn't sit right with him. What did the man mean when he called Lindsey a pet?

"You can't be serious man. Lindsey is evil. If we can get him out of the way as well, that's a double win for team Angel." He topped his statement off with a little victory dance.

"We're not killing him, and that's final... Do you know how to get him out of there?" He directed the question at Wesley.

"From what I found, yes..." He hesitated, although he couldn't condone killing the lawyer, he wasn't sure if freeing him was a good idea either. Still, he had his orders. "It stands to reason that we can get Lindsey out, but we have to make some decisions."

"What do you mean?" Angel's eyes squinted at the watcher. Was he actually suggesting they just leave Lindsey in there to fight whatever that creature was?

"I mean, do we want Lindsey to come back as he is now when he's still trapped by Wolfram and Hart? Or do we bring back a previous version, from before the law firm got their evil little claws into him?"

"We can do that? Get Lindsey back and free from his contract?" Free from whatever hold Mannors has on him, this so-called master/pet relationship they have. Could it actually be possible? The stranger had spoken as if it was extremely difficult to use the box correctly as if one wrong move could kill the lawyer... or worse. "Is it safe? I mean, are you sure you can get Lindsey at the right point?"

The watcher pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. "From what I have read it's pretty simple actually. It's a bit like making a wish, you need to focus your mind on the version of Lindsey you want. In our case, focus on getting Lindsey before he joined Wolfram and Hart. Keep that thought strong enough and the magic chant does the rest"

"That's Great!" Angel launched himself off of the sofa, his nervous excitement almost overshadowing the others' hesitations. "What are we waiting for then? You said it was just the chant we needed, right?"

"Yes... That's if everyone agrees to do this. We all need to be on the same page if this spell is going to work." Wesley turned his attention to Gunn who had his arms folded tightly across his body in a stance of defiance.

"I don't know what you're staring at me for." The man turned away in disgust. "I've told you what I think and I'm not helping you get that creep out of there. He made his own bed and now he can damn well lie in it." He grunted as he stood up and stomped his way to the door.

"Do we need him? Is there a certain amount of people you need to complete the ritual?" The vampire asked as he glared at the retreating figure. He would gladly hunt Gunn down and force him to participate if it meant getting Lindsey back to safety. He could understand the other man's reservations, if Angel hadn't heard and seen what he did, he would probably reconsider himself. But he couldn't forget that sound or the way he felt when the lid finally closed. Lucky for him (and even luckier for Lindsey) the rest of the team would follow him whatever, even if it was a little reluctantly.

The watcher shook his head as he started to place people into their positions. "No, it's just easier the more people you have. We should be fine with the four of us." He stated after moving to the final spot in the circle.

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The room was dark with all the curtains drawn and the lights turned off. Their only remaining light source was just an assortment of wax candles that lined the room, creating a soft but ominous glow. In the centre of the space, Angel, Cordelia, Wesley and Lourne all sat circling the box, each of them planted at the furthest edge of a roughly sketched rune. The vampire thought that it reminded him of some of the Pagan rituals he'd sat in on in the later years of the 18th century, although, he'd have to admit, this was a lot cleaner. For example, the outline had been sketched with chalk this time, so as not to ruin the woodwork, whereas in the past they used whatever nature had to offer, be that mud, flowers... pig excrement. Angel repressed his shudder; no this was much nicer than before. They didn't even need to go outside to retrieve the blessing of the moon this time, thanks to some crystals that Cordelia had charged up ready for them. These stones were placed in front of each of them, so they could make contact when the time was right and draw in the needed power. The last piece of the puzzle, before the scene was set, were some burnt leaves that apparently came from the same type of tree that the box was originally carved from. The odour they gave off when lit made the vampire want to reconsider the excrement, but according to Wesley, they were vital for completing the spell.

Once the room was cleansed and prepared ready for the ritual, the watcher took his position and started to chant. It wasn't in any language the others recognised, and if they hazard a guess, Angel would probably suggest some ancient form of Galic because of the overabundance of consonants. Some words were so long, they were practically their own sentences.

He spoke the mystic words in a low and dulcet tone that softly vibrated in each of their chests like bass notes. The melody of his voice had Cordelia literally swaying along to the steady beat, as she fought hard to remember why they were there. But it was hard to concentrate on the plight of Lindsey when that chant took you places you never thought you would go. Like to thoughts of Wesley and his smooth voice, sounding so confident as he took charge. No! She shook her head out and willed herself to focus on the task at hand, pushing all thoughts other than the lawyer aside.

At some point, the box started reacting to the chant.

It began with an eery green glow that lit up the gold detailing on its sides, almost like a neon sign in the deep darkness of their current room. Some of the phrases carved into the wood stood out as similar to those that were in the chant, if not the same. And the illustrations that adorned it depicted imagery of time passing forward and back as well as warnings of immediate suffering.

As the spell progressed further, the box started to rock on its bottom for corners as if something inside was trying to escape. I hope it's Lindsey and not that... other thing. But although the movement was quite violent and grew bigger with each second, the item remained in the centre as the magic contained it to its spot.

Like before, a pure back smoke seeped out of the still closed lid, so dark that it engulfed the candlelight as if it never existed in the first place. Spreading thick and heavy across the floor, the cloud then slowly wrapped itself around each of their legs, climbing like ivy past their knees and up to their waists. Soon the team Angel was trapped, fighting against fear and a whole world of other emotions.

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Cordelia

Oh my God!

It's in my lungs, I breathed in the evil juju and now it's in my lungs, infecting me with that bad stuff. Why did I agree to this? I know Lindsey's cute, for an evil lawyer that is, and that he saved Angel's soul most probably. But is it worth it, really? I don't like how that box makes me feel, I just want to burn it and throw the ashes into the deepest ocean I can find. Screw Lindsey, he had this coming anyway.

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Wesley

I'm such an idiot.

Why did I think I could do this? This type of ritual is way beyond my understanding, I should never have told Angel I could do this. They're just too many risks that we don't even know about. What if the new Lindsey we get is even worse than the old one? Who knows what he was like before joining Wolfram and Hart? What kind of man actually chooses to sell his own soul for the chance of a corner office?

We need to stop this now before it's too late.

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Lourne

Lindsey Darling, what have you got yourself into this time?

There was always something off with that boy, for some reason I could never read him. It was like I was looking at someone else through Lindsey but it was never him. I just for once wanted to see the real man behind the honey-smooth voice, but what if there was a reason that I never got a peek? What if the man is just more of the corrupted soul that he portrayed himself as?

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Angel

Why am I putting my friends in danger for a man that's been my enemy? What if this was his plan all along? To get us to cast this spell as a group and watch it blow up in our faces when he's tucked safely away in that box. It's not like Wesley has never misinterpreted stuff before. I bet, that as soon as we finish this spell, Wolfram and Hart will come charging through that door and rescue Lindsey themselves. He may even get another promotion.

That's it, I'm calling this thing off.

…

Cordelia, Wesley, Lourne & Angel

NO DAMN IT!

We can't leave Lindsey in there.

You hear me box?

We want Lindsey McDonald back, and to the time before Wolfram and Hart got their claws into him!

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The smoke was pouring out faster now, like waves from an ocean cascading over the sides like a waterfall. The box's lid kept opening a tiny bit and then falling shut as if someone was pushing it but the wood was too heavy. As the cloud grew bigger, the group continued to spread thoughts of Lindsey safe and away from Wolfram and Hart, ignoring the dark taunts coming from deep within the box's consciousness.

Soon the entire room was enveloped in smoke, with that green glow pulsing as their only light. They could hear the lid still rattling, as it thought against the magic to stay closed, but they could tell by the creaking sounds that it was a losing battle. The wood groaned as it tried to hold onto its captive, begging the team desperately to stop and not let its charge escape. But its pleas fell on deaf ears, as in the end, the box flew open and the light died, leaving the team in complete darkness.

"Will someone turn on a light or something? Some of us don't have night vision you know."

At Cordelia's request, Angel pounced toward the light switch, flicking it on and illuminating the room. It was a bit of a shock at first, after being in that thick black cloud for so long, the kind of forgot what light actually looked and felt like.

"Did it work?" Angel asked. "Did we get Lindsey back?"

The watcher shrugged as they all paced nervously up to the box. They moved a lot slower than they should, anxious about what they may or may not find. Angel couldn't understand it, the box was far too small to have a fully grown man inside unless he had somehow contorted himself like a circus act.

As they reached the centre of the room, each of them took one side of the wooden frame before giving each other permission to look inside.

"What The Hell!"