Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the original characters, Joss and Mutant Enemy are the lucky ones.

Summary: Angel and his group took out the Thorn, but they opened up a whole new can of worms.

Pairings: Spuffy, Fresley, D/OC. Others might present themselves.

Warning: There will be cursing, violence and a smidgen of sex in this story.

A/N: Be advised, the format might shift a little as the story goes, I'm still learning how to write in this style, I'm use to doing everything in a screen-play format.

Chapter Two: It's the landing that's hard

Nowhere

"Am I dead?" This wasn't a stupid question in Angel's eyes. He knew he'd just fallen smack dab into the Hyperion's roof, so even unconscious he should feel like shit; even with Spike taking the brunt of the impact. "No, your not dead; but you should be; pulling a stunt like that!". Suddenly the blackness that enveloped him gave way to a blinding white. "Awwww!" Angel immediately clenched his eyes shut against the harsh light. "Cordelia?" Angel ventured upon feeling a presence directly in front of him. "Duh! You'd think after eight years you wouldn't need to ask, jerk" Angel cautiously opened his eyes, ready for the sharp whiteness. Instead he found himself in the lobby of the Hyperion; but instead of a run-down cobweb infested area; it was just the same as they'd left it last year.

Cordelia stood in front of the circular sofa seated in the middle of the room. Her head cocked slightly forward, eyebrow raised, arms crossed; and her hips pushing out to one side as her foot tapped impatiently on the granite floor; he'd never seen her more beautiful. "Well!" she bit out, head bobbing like one of those little toys people bought of different celebrities.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself!" Her hands came out in an upward gesture, bending forward to glare at him. "Hi?" Angel replied, not quite sure how to approach her.

"Hi? HI? That's the best you can come up with?" Angel thought for a moment, trying to think of what to say; hopefully something that wouldn't cause her to turn up the heat on her glare; afraid it might very well burn a hole through his head. "How you been?" He knew the second it reached her ears, because she recoiled as if slapped, or someone had just said her outfit looked cheap. She marched up to him, and proceeded to start smacking him across the chest and arms. Not hard enough to hurt, but definitely enough to get his attention.

"You stupid, insensitive, lovable..." she paused as she thought of something witty to end with "...SCHMUCK!" Angel grabbed her wrists, stopping the barrage of blows. "Cordelia!...do you even know what meas?" She tried to wrench her hands free, ready to start slapping him again. "I don't have to know what it means to know it sums you up perfectly!"

"Cordelia!" Angel yelled, tired of the exchange...well not really, seeing her again warmed his dead heart, but he had to get back to the fight. "I don't have time for this! As you and I bicker, Wolfram and Hart are raining hell down upon us!" He dropped her hands, tired and frustrated. Cordelia crossed her arms again giving him another glare. "Don't worry, you're not missing anything, I paused time." She said evenly, as if she was talking about painting her toe-nail's. "You can freeze time?" Angel said disbelievingly. "It's one of the many perks of being a higher being!" she forced out with fake cheer.

"You're a higher being again?"

"Not again, for real this time, what Jasmine did to me was party tricks compared to this." He smiled reluctantly, "Well, you earned it."

"Damn right I did, getting invaded by a goddess, forced to watch as I hurt and kill people, not to mention have sex with my surrogate son..." Angel visibly flinched at the reminder of her and Connor's tryst. She sighed, ready to discuss it; Angel spoke up before she had the chance. "It's fine, I mean it's not fine...but I know it wasn't you, not really."

His statement seemed to stall their conversation, Angel ventured a question. "Not that I'm not happy to see you Cordelia, but why are you here? The last time I saw you, you made it seem like the last time we'd see each other."

Cordelia walked toward the office; stopping and addressing Angel all business. "It was suppose to be, but when I saw how bad thing's were going, I pleaded with them to let me intervene. Of course, they said my love for you and the gang was clouding my judgment. I told them to kiss my non-corporeal butt. They actually laughed at my insult, can you believe that?" Angel's head dropped as it shook from side to side. "I can't believe a lot when it comes to the PTB." Cordelia took a moment to look at Angel, she knew this wouldn't be easy, nothing was when it came to them. But seeing him so beaten, so tired of his struggle for redemption, it explained his death wish. "I never thought I'd see you give up." The sadness she felt poured out with this.

Angel raised his head, his face not showing any signs that he disagreed with her statement. "I took out the circle, Wolfram & Hart won't be able to just bounce back from that. Do you think I would have gone to the trouble of all that if I'd given up." He raised his voice slightly as he continued. "Isn't that what you wanted? isn't that what the little slide-show in my head was all about?" "No Angel...I mean yeah, but you weren't s'pose to just wait around for them to come after you. I figured you'd get everyone somewhere safe, regroup and keep fighting. Not just run out in a blaze of glory like Butch and Sundance.!" Angel looked at her, a smirk on his face "I didn't figure you..."

"Xander made me watch it once."

"Oh, so what do you want me to do? It's a little too late to just pack up and get outta dodge." Cordelia just shrugged, "Why?"

Angel debated internally. 'Why? why? well...' but honestly, he couldn't come up with an argument good enough. They'd won a major victory, even if the cost was too high. They should quit while they were ahead. Why couldn't he just let it go?

'Cause you're fed up, all there is anymore is pain, you just wanna drop that redemption torch, and float on the wind, literally.'

"I can't do it Cordy, There's just no reason good enough anymore. I don't care what that says about me." He sat down on the sofa and let his shoulders slump. Cordelia walked over and bent down at the knees, reaching under his chin and bringing it level with hers. Tenderly she pressed her lips to his, conveying what words could not. She pulled away and whispered to him. "Do it for me" she pleaded, "Do it for Doyle, we didn't spend all that time fighting just to help the helpless...we did it to help you." Angel seemed to frown at this, feeling guilty at willing to forsake what him and the gang had spent so long working towards. He wanted to put on his resolve face, march back out there, and be the champion everyone had built him up to be. But he had truly given up, just like Cordelia said.

"No." Cordelia didn't seem surprised that he'd said it, disappointed, but not surprised. She bounced up though, still determined to convince him that he needed to keep on going.

"Angel, you get off your ass, you go out there; and you salvage what's left of our family, cause so help me gods; if you don't, I will kick the ever loving shit out of you!" Angel immediately jumped onto his feet and backed Cordelia right into the wall attempting to stare her down, but her back stayed ram-rod straight.

"Everyone I love and care about is dead, or dead to me! Doyle, you, Fred, Wesley, my son isn't my son anymore, and Gunn won't even make it to a hospital in time. So why does it matter in the big fucking grand scheme of things if I let them stake my sorry ass?"

Angel was huffing by the end, the venting of his frustration freeing some of the weight pressing upon his soul. Cordelia spoke softly, any hint of sarcasm wiped from her voice. "Because now it's about more than you Angel, if you don't do something, the entire world will be swallowed by evil." Angel felt as if he'd been staked. "How? why would the entire world be in danger because of what we did." He didn't wanna say what he was really thinking, than again he didn't have to. Cordelia confirmed his silent suspicion without being asked.

"Because this is it Angel, the end of days; you taking out the Circle is what starts the last apocalypse."

Hyperion back alley - Earlier

"What?" Gunn nearly passed out from the pain yelling like that caused, but it had become near impossible to hear Illyria over the scream's of her victim's. His back against the wall, watching her dismember and decimate any and all demons within range of striking at him. She backed up to stand in front of him, kicking and punching at everything and anything. He had asked her earlier in the night why she hadn't grabbed a weapon, she had simply said

"Mere steel can not deliver my fury at this time."

Phrases like that are what made him glad she found him 'Not unpleasant to her eye's.'

"If Angel and Spike do not return soon, I fear we might lose this fight!" Gunn felt as if he was talking to someone else, cause bad-ass demon chick never used anyone's given name, mortals and half-breeds didn't deserve the respect to be addressed casually.

"Well if you're fearing, I'm scared shitless." The demon god laughed at this statement, and not a mighty bellow as he would expect, more like the laugh a cute brown haired physicist from Texas might make. He was in too much pain to make anything of it though, Gunn looked up as he heard the sound of the dragon coming back, he prayed he would see his boss and friend riding it. As it passed over the alley a figure jumped from the roof, barely landing on it's wing.

"Must be Spike, Angel ain't gonna like him taking his dragon." Illyria simply stated, "If he still lives." Gunn didn't wanna think about what it would mean for them if Angel had been killed by the dragon. Personally, it would mean the loss of the only other member of the semi-original gang; a guy he'd die for, as shown by the wound in his gut. It would also mean they truly had no chance in hell of stopping what the senior partners had planned for them now. They needed Angel, and they needed him now. Everything stopped at the sound of something crashing into the top of the hotel. As Gunn turned his head to survey what had caused it; time froze.

Nowhere

Cordelia had probably seen Angel brooding more than any other living being; this was not brooding, there wasn't a term that described what he was doing; well there was, she just didn't think she'd ever seen it, Angel was crying. He wasn't sobbing, or hiccuping; he wasn't moving at all. He simply sat there, his hands resting on his knees as tears came down. Ever since her little confession, almost ten minute's ago in this realm; Angel had simply stared off into space; tears coming slowly but steadily; she didn't think vamps actually had that much moisture in them. How could they dust with all that water still inside? It must be one of those demon physiolo...

"I thought I was taking charge." Cordelia almost jumped as Angel finally spoke, his voice deep and husky, but not in a 'Oh my god that is so hot!' way, more of a just had his vocal chords rubbed with sandpaper way.

"I thought that by killing the circle, and signing away the Shanshu; I was telling the senior partners and the PTB that they didn't own my destiny. That my choices were my own."

Cordelia was hesitant in her response, afraid of fraying his already fragile state. "They are Angel, no one made this choice for you."

Angel stood up and walked around the sofa, keeping his eyes directly on her. "Some seer thousands of years ago says I'm gonna start the apocalypse, and it just happens to come true, so someone is pulling the strings." Cordelia shook her head, dismissing Angel's argument.

"The thing about seers and prophecies Angel, is sometimes what you see is affected by your involvement. Whoever wrote the Shanshu saw you going down this path, so he wrote a prophecy detailing what would happen. Not understanding that by writing the prophecy, he was forcibly pushing you towards this end." Angel looked towards the heavens, his weary mind trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"So, what your saying is, things might not have turned out like this?" Cordelia nodded her head to the affirmative.

"They saw a possible outcome of choices you and others would make, that's why there's nothing about Spike in the prophecy. Or why Buffy didn't stay dead when she was suppose to after the Master killed her. You still have the power to change what's happened; you just have to believe." Angel looked at her and swallowed allowing his dry throat to moisten.

"Believe in what?" He asked honestly, "Believe in yourself." Cordelia looked like she had just finished prying someone away from a cliff, signaling to Angel that their time together was almost up.

"I thought you froze everything?"

"Technically yes, time won't move forward back home while were here, but it's still flowing everywhere else. And they're saying it's time to move on. It's your choice to make Angel; remember that."

"Will I see you again?" He couldn't look her in the eye, afraid of what she would say. "Maybe, I've learned to not make promises I can't keep."

"What if I go back, I try and stop this, and end up failing?"

"You won't, and if you do, at least you tried" she promised.

"Good-bye Cordelia"

"Not good-bye silly!" she started tearing as she said it, walking up to stand in front of him. "At least I hope not." She smiled while grabbing his hands, both of them gripping tightly.

"And I'm Sorry." Angel questioned her with his eyes, but all she did was kiss him. As he closed his eyes he asked. "Sorry for what?"

"For this."

Angel awoke with a gasp, pain radiating from every cell; but with a renewed vigor, Cordelia had pissed him off; than she'd turned his world upside down. He couldn't imagine her doing anything else. He stood on less than stable legs, looking for the flash of white that would indicate Spike's presence. He lay on the floor, sprawled out, unmoving.

As he walked over to check on his childer, he looked at the spot where they'd broken through the roof, apparently Gavin had been right about those structural problems, if Angel had actually taken the time to have the roof fixed, they would have just went splat. As it was they'd gone straight through the roof, and had landed on a four-poster queen size bed, judging from the fact that the frame had buckled and collapsed. Angel thought it would have been typical of his luck if he'd landed right on one of the post. Angel(us), member of the Aurelius line, and one fourth of the Scourge of Europe; dusted by furniture.

He bent down next to Spike, checking him for injuries. The boy had done something very brave, and incredibly stupid, no surprise there. Angel's added weight had crashed into Spike, breaking several ribs, there was definitely internal damage as well though he couldn't see it. Spike suddenly shifted, immediately moaning in pain. "Stay still Spike, you've broken quite a few bones." Angel placed his hands on Spike's shoulders keeping him immobile. Spike lifted his head and checked their surroundings. "Is Buffy here?" Spike croaked. Angel thought Spike was delirious from pain, so he said chastisingly. "No William, Buffy's not here; why do you ask?" Spike's head fell back to the ground.

"Cause the only other time I've felt like this is when the bird dropped an organ on me." Angel laughed, if Spike could still joke, he'd be alright. "Stay here, I'm gonna get Gunn and Illyria, than were getting the hell out of here!"

"S'bout bleeding time mate!" Angel squeezed Spike's shoulder in reassurance. "Thanks Spike."

"No thanks needed Poof, just didn't want the slayer staking me cause you got turned into a pancake!" Angel didn't bother to respond, they were running out of time; if they hadn't already.

Hyperion back alley

Illyria paid no heed to the crash in the background, too entrenched in the destruction she brought upon these lesser beings. In her true state, with her powers fully restored, she would have dispatched them in the blink of an eye. But for once she did not mourn the loss of her once great form; because she could not have taken the time to fully enjoy their pain. Instead she found herself mourning the adviser she had found in this strange new world. She could not comprehend where it had happened; but she had thought of Wesley as more than just a mere mortal. He could never truly be her equal; not in the ways of battle.

'Wesley was more capable than you'll ever know.' The old one used a Stoar'tak demon to bat the surrounding demon's away, giving her a moment to chastise the shell.

'Winifred Burkle, I will not suffer your musings any longer.'

'What are you gonna do about it Illyria? This was my body first; you just stole it from me!' Another round of demons came forward, thirsty for blood.

'And yet you have waited until now to make your presence known!'

The Stoar'tak came back, this time not willing to be tossed around. It used the 4 inch talons on it's hands to swipe at Illyrias mid-section. Illyria grabbed it by the forearm, yanking on it and tearing it off at the shoulder. The demon now enraged; attempted to grab her with it's other hand, but she used the severed arm to beat him down to the ground, raising her leather clad boot, and digging it directly into it's sternum. Raising it, she found the corpse stuck. She kicked out with all of her might, dislodging the body and sending it hurtling into two demons directly in front of her, the force throwing them in and through the wall behind them.

'I didn't even know where I was until I saw Wesley dying you demon bitch.'

'This is not possible, the host was not suppose to remain.'

'The host is right here thank you, and she'd like her body back.'

'That will not be permitted, I have use for it.'

'I wasn't asking you blue toned skank!'

'If you believe you can take back control of this shell, you are delusional!'

Illyria looked at Gunn, seeing his strength failing; in a few minutes he would succumb to the wound's he had sustained. The sky had turned pink as the sun began it's ascent over the horizon. "Charles, we must retreat." she said as she rammed her hand through the chest of an uber-vamp, pulling out the black heart, and smashing it through a nearby stack of crates, the wood piercing the organ; causing it to dust. Gunn forced a laugh at this, bringing up a cough of blood. "You finally getting tired?" Illyria dared a look at him ready to dress him down for his insolence. But Gunn cried out in pain, falling to his knees and clutching his side.

She rushed over to help him, forgetting the demon's flanking them at all sides. One of the ogre like demons rushed forward attempting to finish them off. Gunn saw this, unable to warn her through the haze of pain. As the demon bared down it lifted it's sword, ready to split her in two; Angel dropped down from the open window he'd just jumped out of, landing directly in front of the demon. He punched the ogre in the face, then swept his foot out, dropping it to the ground. He seized the sword and stabbed it right in the face. He showed his true face to the army as he smiled.

"Miss me boys?"

Angel kept his sword pointed out as he spoke. "Illyria, grab Charles, were going." Illyria didn't argue, just put an arm under Gunn's shoulder and got him to his feet.

"They will not just let us leave Angel." Illyria looked out and saw what was left of the army sent to kill them this night; possibly a hundred demons, all crowding around them; there was no escape possible. Than a great roar was heard from over head, the dragon stopped circling the hotel, and began preparing an attack run of the alley. The demons began to recede, as if Moses had raised his staff and cast it upon them.

"I was beginning to think that thing was defective, apparently it was just suppose to keep us from running. Unless of course someone got the bright idea to attack it."

The dragon barreled through the alley, rearing it's head back about to rain fire upon them.

'Should have known this wouldn't work.' Was Angel's only thought as he closed his eyes, expecting to feel the heat of the dragons breathe incinerating him.

"This is for throwing me off you fucking pillock!" Angels eyes snapped open as Spike leapt from the window of the room where he left him; a cigarette in his lips, wielding a small axe.

'Must have forgot it in the move.'

As Spike flew past the dragon, he swung the axe, slicing it's throat. The wound sprayed forth a yellow liquid, barely missing the three heroes; but drenching the demon army before the dragon crashed into the wall at the end of the alley. Spike's little stunt was costly though, because, unlike that prissy bastard Dracula, he couldn't fly. He hit the wall, bouncing off and tumbling to the ground. Angel rushed over; Spike was slipping into unconscious, and didn't look like he'd be getting up any time soon.

"Look's like I'm the dragon slayer." he uttered as his eyes rolled back and his head fell to the pavement.

The demons rushed forward, no longer fearing being roasted by the dragon. Angel picked up the still burning cigarette butt and flung it at the ground in front of them, right into the pool of accelerant the dragon used to breathe fire.

"Go to hell." Angel growled; the second the ember touched the liquid, the fuel lit up, burning the remaining demons alive. Angel went to Spike's side; lifting him into his arms. He walked over to where Illyria held Gunn.

"He is not breathing Angel." Illyria declared, a hint of sadness in her voice. Angel motioned down the alley with his head.

"There's a hospital a few blocks away, we might be able to make it before the sun gets us."

They sprinted down the alley, hoping to outrun the sun. They paused though as a wind began blowing all around them, coming from the still burning alley.

Angel looked back as a figure walked through the fire unscathed; as it cleared the flames Angel recognized his second in command.

"Wesley?"

Illyria seemed to convulse at seeing him, the relief she felt at seeing him immense. Than another feeling welled up inside her; as if she was being pulled down into a great ocean.

'What is happening?'

'The shell want's to see her boyfriend you god-damn smurf!' Fred screamed.

'No, I will not let this happen, you are nothing compared to my greatness.' Illyria's body jerked as she fought to hold control.

'Apparently you're not as great as you think.' Fred deadpanned as their body transformed to take her shape. Surprisingly she did not fall under the weight of Gunn's body, still possessing Illyria's strength. She walked toward Wesley, her grief vanishing as she saw him alive and unharmed. Angel grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"It's not Wesley." Angel choked up as he shook his head.

"Very observant vampire, I forgot how attuned your senses are." Vail said, his voice Wesley's, but with a hint of something malicious.

Angel stepped forward raising his sword, ready to attack. "Get out of his body now!"

Fred's heart broke, she looked between the two, trying to ascertain what was happening. "But how..." Vail interrupted, knowing where her line of thought was.

"How did I take command over your friend's body? Not easily I must say, human's are so hard to possess, like trying to match Rolex parts with a Casio watch. Not as advanced as the way Illyria took command over yours" Vail directed at Fred.

Angel gazed at Fred, reaching out with his senses; she still smelled somewhat like Illyria, but it was definitely her behind the wheel. "Fred?"

"It's me Angel." Angel started towards her, getting in between her and Vail. "Whatever you're gonna do Vail, go for it."

"I had considered merely crushing you; with this new body my power is back at full strength. It was suppose to be a quite large demon that was to house me; but seeing the misery upon your faces, I think I'll keep it. Instead I decided to make you suffer Angelus, I will take something from you which you have guarded for so long; your precious city of angels."

"Over my dead body!" Angel growled menacingly.

Vail shrugged, expecting some last biting retort. "That was kind of the idea."

Vail raised his hand, chanting something which sounded Sumerian, possibly an archaic Latin. A great whirlwind formed behind Angel, a vortex with a greenish tint. The force with which it pulled immediately plucking Angel and Fred off the ground; along with the cargo they held.

The last thing Angel saw before the vortex enveloped him was "Wesley's" smiling face.

A/N: Well, what do you think? I wanted to make sure and give the battle a good end, not just have slayers come running in to save the day. Any ideas or comments are more than welcome. I don't have a beta or proofreader, so if you see any problems let me know. I decided to add the A/C cause their last goodbye(?) just didn't quite do it for me; to be continued.