"Dear Lord" Giles stuttered under his breath in fear.
"Now Rupert, that's no way to greet an old friend is it" Angelus smiled, pulling the watcher up by his shirt, he launched him across the room. He collided with the desk with a crash and slumped obliviously to the floor. "I think I'll have some fun with you later" the vampire laughed. He turned suddenly back to the second watcher grabbing the wrist of the hand that he was aiming a crossbow with.
"Now there's no need to fight" Angelus twisted the watchers arm cruelly and Wesley stifled a cry dropping the crossbow in his grasp. "What's the matter Wes?" He squeezed tighter and twisted violently, Wesley felt his bones crack and break, pain filled his mind and he struggled to fight unconsciousness.
"What's wrong, you lost your voice?" Angelus laughed applying more and more pressure to his wrist, drawing blood. Wesley tried to speak, but his throat was frozen in agony.
"Come on Wes, where's that watcher initiative?"
"Here" A voice came from behind the vampire and he turned, keeping hold of the watcher's arm. He barely saw the bat before it slammed into his head. He fell sideways, knocked out cold releasing Wesley's arm. The watcher looked up to see the welder of the baseball bat.
"Giles" He stuttered, his voice straining to talk, "Thank you." He took a quick look at the older man's face which was streaked with blood from a fresh and deep gash.
"Let me see that arm?" Giles said, placing the bat close by.
"No" Wesley cried looking down at the unconscious vampire, "We need to get out of here" he looked back up at Giles, "Now. We don't know how long he's going to stay like this"
"I think my car is here" Giles went to the kitchen and fished in the draws, "Aha" he held up a set of keys, "Wait there" he disappeared down the corridor and appeared moments later with a first aid box. "We'll sort you out"
"Don't worry about me" Wesley cried, cupping his arm with his other one. "Lets just get out of here" Giles headed for the door but took a second to look at Angel. For a moment he considered staking him, but the truth was, no matter how much pain the demon had caused him, he just couldn't do it.
"Come on" Giles helped the other watcher along, Wesley hissed in pain as his arm jolted. They made it outside to the old Citron which was handily parked there. Wesley collapsed into the passenger seat and Giles got in the driving seat starting the engine.
"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Wesley stuttered through gritted teeth, the pain was making his head ache and dizziness was beginning to hold.
"Not really" Giles slammed his foot on the accelerator and the car spun into action. "But I have an idea of who might be able to help us with re ensouling Angel."
>> >>
"This is isn't happening" Buffy cried finding herself on her knees, "They can't be gone, we need them"
"Sorry Buff" Xander tried to sound reasonable but it was hard, "We can't just conjure another portal up just like that" he paused, "Can we?"
"No" Buffy looked up, "No we can't..." She trailed off unable to find anything to say, the watchers were gone, trapped in the other dimension. This was just not happening, not now, not when the Master had just risen into their world. The slayer remained on the spot, silenced by grief.
"They'll be ok?" Cordelia chimed "Right?" she was trying to convince herself more than the other two.
"Well the Master's not there anymore" Xander considered, "And you killed Vamp Giles right, so there shouldn't be too much to handle, nothing to Watchers can't out think." Tears began to stream down Buffy's cheeks.
"Xander's right" A different voice caught there attention and a figure stood in the doorway, "Right now the hellmouth is opening and the Master is rising into this world, we have work to do"
"Willow!" Buffy stuttered out climbing to her feet and running to her. The young Wiccan stepped back in hesitation as the slayer wrapped her arms around her best friend.
"Careful" Willow took a short intake of breath.
"Sorry" Buffy stepped back. By now, Xander and Cordelia were by her side and Xander had his arms around the witch in seconds.
"Willow how?" Buffy cried wiping her eyes to try and hide the tears gathering there.
"I woke up a couple of hours ago2 Willow smiled, "The doctors didn't want to let me go so I rang your home to tell you that I was ok, your Mum filled me in on the rest, I'm so sorry about Angel"
"Don't be" The slayer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "It's not your fault"
"If I had been there, I could have helped stop Angel get captured and the he would still have a soul and then Wesley wouldn't have got hurt when he went to the magic shop and Giles wouldn't have been poisoned and all this would never have..."
"Will" Buffy stopped her, "It's not your fault, its past, and we can't change what's happened"
"Yes we can" Willow answered, smiling at the slayer, "I can bring Angel back, give him his soul back, and then we can open a portal and get Giles and Wesley back"
"We can't bring Angel back" The slayer sighed, "The vamps that shot you took all of Giles notes on the prophecy and the restoration spell."
"I have the full incantation at home" Willow said, "All we need is an orb of Thessala."
"I dunno Will" Xander cried, "Remember what happened last time we tried to give Angel his soul back"
"I can do this" Willow looked to Xander then Buffy and Cordelia, "Please let me do this." The three of them looked at each other.
>> >>
"Wes stay with me" Giles shook the other watcher one handed as they sped down the road. "I'm going to get you some help" Wesley's head was lulled back against the seat his eyes closed tightly in agony. He stuttered through gritted teeth, "We... need to... get... Angel back"
"We will" Giles drew the car to a halt and jumped out, "Stay here, and don't move I'll be back in a moment." Wesley opened his eyes to see Giles rush into the ER, he sighed loudly. They didn't have time for this they needed to get Angel's soul back. His head was spinning wildly. If he didn't concentrate he was going to vomit.
Giles rushed through the overcrowded Emergency department, ignoring the calls of nurses and doctors alarmed by the sight of his ugly bleeding head wound. He'd been to ER enough times before, he knew exactly where to find what he was looking for. After brushing off the cries of the staff and managing to sneak out of sight he found what he was looking for.
Wesley remained in his seat for a while, fighting against the urge to close his eyes, his head was throbbing and his arm was burning fiercely. He looked back up to the hospital entrance. What was Giles playing at?
"Are you alright sir?" A medic appeared at the car window next to the watcher. Wesley looked up at the man, and smiled. He actually hadn't seen himself in a mirror lately but by the state Giles looked in and the expression on the medics face he guessed he didn't look too great. He nodded not trusting his voice to give away his pain.
"Are you sure sir?" the medic insisted, "Maybe we should take you inside and check you over, you may have fractured you nose and your arm" The man pointed at his already bruising skin. Wesley sighed, he was not about to get out of this one was he? Suddenly Giles appeared next to the man.
"Can I help you?" he was holding a small brown paper bag. The medic turned around, taking in the second watcher in the same expression he had Wesley.
"Sir, I think you and your friend need to come inside to be checked out"
"I'm sorry" Giles fiddled to find the car keys in his pocket, "I'm afraid my friend and I have a prior appointment." He went around to the other side of the car and into the driver's seat. Turning the key in the ignition.
"I'm afraid we can't stay" The medic continued his plea as the car sped away down the road.
"Where are we going?" Wesley looked around at the rushing houses through the car window.
"Sunnydale high school" Giles said, "If it's still there." He added thinking of the state of the town already. Wesley didn't ask, he watched out of the window until the car came to a halt once again. The familiar surroundings of the high school car park outside. Giles opened the bag on his lap and took out a syringe and needle and began filling it with a liquid from a vile.
"What are you doing?" Wesley looked over at him wide eyed as he measured out a dose in the syringe.
"Giving you some pain relief. Hold still." Giles lent forward pulling Wesley's good arm out and placing the needle across his skin finding a vein. Wesley squeezed his eyes shut as the needle went under his skin and the contents of it disappeared. Within moments his head began to clear and his pain suddenly eased.
"Whoa" Wesley looked up his eyes suddenly clear, "What is that stuff?"
"Morphine" Giles said, retrieving a sling out of the bag and placing it on the other watcher tying it tightly to him.
"You stole morphine" Wesley cried, "Giles that's a class A drug"
"I've done worse," Giles smiled back at him, "I need you to be able to fight, I don't think we're through fighting already and anyway I owe you for saving my life." He took out a couple of antiseptic wipes, handing one to Wesley he cleaned the blood from his face with the other.
Wesley smiled back feeling a little embarrassed. "It's nothing" he answered, "nothing that you wouldn't do in the same position" He looked around at the near empty car park they were in. Giles handed him a spare crossbow that seemed to have been left in the car. "So why have we come here?"
"To find the only person that I know, that may be able to ensoul Angel" Giles said looking around in the darkness, his eyes narrowed and Wesley thought he saw a flash of pain in them. "Jenny Calendar."