Willow gathered the stinky herbs and ignored the worried gazes boring in to her back courtesy of the four men standing behind her. Eventually, she turned to face Giles, Spike, Xander and Connor, her hands on her hips as she attempted to look as defiant as possible.

"I'm sorry guys but I've got to do this."

Giles took a step forward.

"Willow, this could be extremely dangerous. With the strength of the black magics being used out there and the fact it's all a hell dimension…"

He tailed off, not wanting to voice his fears. She understood. Saying them out loud made them real. She simply smiled at him.

"It's Buffy and Angel, Giles. It doesn't matter if it's dangerous."

He simply nodded and stepped back, falling into place in the ranks of her worried audience.

Swallowing hard, she spread the herbs across the charm she had scrawled on the floor. Steadying herself, Willow started the incantations and felt her eyes close, pretending that the danger really didn't matter.

oooOOOooo

Buffy felt the familiar heat rise within her as she explored Angel, rediscovering the curves of his chest and the taste of his kiss. All those things she'd thought she would never experience again.

It took a while for her head to register the change. She wasn't sure what had happened but something wasn't quite right. Angel stiffened beside her and she knew he felt it too. Slowly, they pulled away from each other and looked around.

"Woah…"

The night sky above them had taken on a red hue, glowing ominously as their only light source while the pair surveyed the changes before them.

The hotel itself was gone, a dark shimmering wall in its place. There was something menacing about its presence and Buffy instantly knew there was some bad mojo going on. Her eyes sliced through the darkness, examining what used to be the garden area. It still was, but the plants were all dead and decaying.

Screams pierced the air, accompanied by distant growls and howls. Angel's eyes locked on to hers. Buffy pretended that the look in his eye was just confusion, not fear.

"What the hell just happened?"

Angel raised an eyebrow.

"I think Hell is the operative word here."

A strange whooshing sound above their heads made them look up. An enormous silhouette was passing through the red sky. Angel shook his head in disbelief.

"On the upside, may be I really get to slay a dragon after all."

Buffy glared at him.

"With what exactly?"

He frowned, now even more worried.

"Good point."

She just shook her head, not knowing what to say. A strange glow caught her eye and she turned to look at the black wall that ended the garden. An odd grey shape seemed to be passing through the barrier. Instinctively, Buffy was in a battle ready position, knowing without looking that Angel was doing the same.

The grey blob seemed to falter at the threshold but when it finally broke through, Buffy felt a gasp escape her lips.

"Willow?"

"Oh, hey guys. Good to see you're ok. We were worried."

Angel stepped forward, the shock obvious on his face.

"Willow, are you…?"

"What? Oh, no! This is astral Willow not ghost Willow. I'm still very much alive thank you very much. But I don't know for how much longer."

Buffy's eyes widened.

"Why? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm in a deep trance-like state, but that's not what I mean. Hell dimension instead of planet earth was more what I was going for there. Giles and the others are still doing some research but we have a problem."

Buffy folded her arms, an eyebrow raised in surprise.

"You mean like the entire human race suddenly running around like happy meals on legs for the big uglies?"

"I don' think it's the entire world yet, Buffy. I think it's centralised around here which is why my spells are protecting the hotel for now. I doubt this has spread outside of LA yet, but it's only a matter of time."

"Ok, so turn us into astral thingies and we'll come back in with you and come up with some kind of plan."

Willow, even in her now almost transparent form, seemed to pale slightly.

"But that's just it, Buffy. I can't do that. Your bodies would still be here and vulnerable to the hordes of evil gross slimy things that are probably headed right this way."

Angel's frown deepened.

"How do you know they're coming here?"

"Well, your big battle was in the alley round the corner right? For all those demons to be there, the Senior Partners had to create a rift from the Hell dimension. When Cordelia and The Powers That Be stopped the big fight, they didn't seal the rift. That's what's enabled the baddies to get in. I'm not quite sure how to get them out again yet though."

"Can't we just seal the rift?"

"Well, that would stop any more from getting through but it wouldn't get rid of the ones who've already made it. Not to mention the fact that LA is in the beginning stages of a transformation. Sealing the rift might slow that down but I seriously doubt if it would stop it all together."

Buffy started pacing up and down, trying not to look too much at Willow. The ghost-like image of her closest friend freaked her out.

"Ok, well we're decided that closing this rift is going to be a good thing even if it's not going to end all this. So, find a way to get us back inside the hotel and, like I said, we can come up with a plan. And get some weapons. I'm ready to kill something right about now."

Willow floated a little closer and Buffy couldn't help but back away a little.

"You can't get back in Buffy, neither of you can. The only way that would work would be if I dropped the protection spells but then the hotel would be sucked into this hell creation too. I want you to be safe, you know that, but this is the last hold we have on our own reality."

Angel nodded slowly.

"If the hotel falls, it'll just speed up the process. Plus, it puts everyone inside at risk, including my son. I'm not willing to do that. We're stuck here, Buffy."

Willow's grey form floated slightly above the ground, looking like she was about to cry.

"There is something I might be able to do. Weapons are inanimate objects so I might be able to magic them through. Any requests?"

Buffy shrugged.

"As much as you can give us would be great. Personally, something big and menacing would be right up my alley. Angel?"

"Broadsword. I want my broadsword. And a rocket launcher if you've still got any in stock."

Willow offered up a hopeful smile.

"I'll see what I can do. I'll also try and figure out what you need to close the rift."

Buffy nodded, feeling frustrated and useless but knowing that her friend was doing everything she could to help them.

"Thank you."

Willow automatically stepped forward, arms outstretched to hug her, before it suddenly dawned her that she couldn't. Slightly embarrassed, she floated back again.

"I'll do it as soon as I can."

Angel stepped close, seemingly unaffected by the strange appearance of the young witch. His eyes were sad.

"Could you tell Connor… Just tell him that I'm ok and I'm sorry he got involved in all this. He's made me proud."

She smiled at the vampire, seeing the hurt in his eyes and suddenly she realised he was trying to say goodbye. Willow's smile faded as she nodded at him.

"He's proud of you too, Angel. He's your son and he loves you."

She saw the thanks in his face and quickly disappeared back through the wall without another word, leaving Buffy and Angel just to watch her go, fear twisting their stomachs.

Buffy wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close but she knew it provided little comfort. She looked up in to his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Feeling about as useful as a vat of humus right now?"

He smiled back at her, appreciating her effort at humour.

"Humus?"

"Well, it's not exactly useful is it? Or nice. I hate humus."

He couldn't help but laugh and Buffy felt herself perk up a little, hope coming back to her. She had Angel back. She had hope.

Maybe that is all I need.

A guttural growl sounded in the dark behind them and the pair spun to face it. Seeing the size of the demon in front of them, Buffy swallowed hard as she adopted her ready stance.

Ok, maybe hope and a nuclear weapon…

With a nod from Angel, Buffy went to work.

oooOOOooo

Giles was attempting to research the rift that had caused the arrival of the hell dimension in LA and how to close it. In reality, he was spending more time watching Willow's immobile form cross-legged on the floor in front of him, and casting worried glances at Illyira laid out on the couch. Spike was checking on her, Connor was pacing between the two, his face pale, while Xander was sat right in front of his old friend and staring right at her. Giles glanced to his left to find Oz deep in the pile of old books, making notes on a dusty legal pad by his side.

The old Watcher felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and he immediately knew something magic was going on. Rising from his seat at the counter, he stepped towards Willow just as Xander's eyes widened, his arms reaching out in time to catch her as she slumped forward. Giles rushed to her side as she slowly raised her head, staring around her.

"Am I back? Am I in my body?"

Xander nodded as he yanked her into a massive hug, relief obvious in his eyes.

"Yeah Will, you're back. How'd you feel?"

She smiled into his shoulder.

"A little woozy but I'll survive."

Willow's eyes locked with Giles and she nodded.

"Buffy's fine right now, Giles, but we've got to help them. It doesn't look good."

Willow clambered to her feet, still feeling a little unsteady. Xander propped her up as she stumbled over to the books strewn over the counter, sharing a reassuring look with Oz.

"I have to try and get them weapons, and tell them how to close the rift."

Connor stepped toward, obviously relieved that Willow was ok but still concerned for his father.

"But aren't we just going to get them back in here and come up with something like a plan?"

Willow sighed heavily, leaning on the counter in front of her as she cast her wide, sad eyes on him.

"If I stop the spells to let them in then the hotel will be unprotected."

Connor just shrugged, not understanding what the problem was.

"So? We'll be unprotected for a few minutes until they get back in, what's the big deal? We can defend ourselves."

Giles stepped forward, removing his glasses as he sighed.

"If the spells stop, there will be nothing left to counteract the black magic. The whole city would be gone and it will speed up the spread of evil. Soon, the whole of humanity would fall. I want to see them both safe, Connor, and I understand that it's your father out there, but do you think he really wants you to risk the whole world just for him?"

Connor's voice was small, betraying his young years.

"He would for me."

Willow smiled and hugged him, feeling him shaking slightly in her embrace.

"He's proud of you and he loves you. He's one of the biggest, baddest vampires in history and he's already survived a hell dimension, just like you. He'll be fine out there."

Connor looked up at her, his wide eyes hopeful.

"Really?"

She smiled back at him, praying that it was convincing as she attempted to ignore the ominous feeling of dread growing in her stomach.

"We'll all be fine."

oooOOOooo

Buffy was sent flying through the air, crashing through the gates at the end of what used to be the hotel garden. Jumping back to her feet in the dark alley, she ignored the pain in her left shoulder as she marched forward, to where Angel was ducking and weaving the enormous fists of the eight foot demon in front of him.

Something caught her eye and Buffy paused, looking left and right down the alleyway. Hordes of demons of all shapes and sizes were stalking towards where she was standing. Adrenaline pumping, Buffy swallowed hard and charged forward towards the first evil she had to defeat.

Ducking below the swift punch he swung at her, Buffy extended her leg and swept it round, knocking the demon off balance and giving Angel the chance to pummel its face. Moving round behind it, the Slayer yanked at the demon's arm, twisting it up behind its enormous back and feeling the bones cracking under her fingers.

Angel delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the dark green head and, while it was recovering, Buffy shoved it forwards into the shimmering black wall beside them.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. The demon seemed to just stand there confused with a thin film of the oily substance swirling across his body. Suddenly, the wall began to quiver and the demon looked worried before his body began to shake and convulse. A guttural growl escaped its numerous mouths as red sparks flew from the barrier and the demon just faded away.

Angel turned to Buffy, his vampire features morphing back in to the handsome face she had always loved.

"Ok, so let's not touch the wall…"

He frowned and stepped forward, tentatively reaching out to examine her shoulder. Looking down, Buffy realised that her top was soaked with blood. She turned her eyes back to him, seeing the love and concern in his gaze.

"This is the least of our problems right now."

Angel froze, his eyes scouting the darkness and she knew he realised exactly what she meant. Looking up, the pair of them could see the silhouettes of creatures clambering over the wall and hear them swarming down the alley. His eyes turned back to the love of his life.

"This is it. They're coming."