Disclaimer: At this point, it should be pretty obvious, I own nothing, I get nothing from writing, except enjoyment!
A/N: Okay, it wasn't planned, but, this will be a crossover. Give it a couple of chapters and you'll see it! It will start slow then build. Now, I have some specific notes!
sheshe21: You have been my most loyal reviewer thank you so much! Your notes and encouragement have really helped me really get into the story and the writing.
Lizzytish: I love Wes way too much to have let him go down the wrong path and end up a baddie! Also, no worries on the Reign of Fire thing, there will be NO Jasmine in my story. I get that Joss was upset with Charisma and decided to pull the whole evil thing out, but my thought is he should have just dealt! No ruining a fan fave out of spite! Okay, there's my Joss rant. Really my only one 'cause I love him so much!
Chapter Five
"We are too late."
"We? We are not to blame for this. He left them when he should have protected them."
"He did not know."
"No, events were orchestrated to work against us. The light can not stay there? We need it in our world."
"Yes, but what can we do? We can not interfere with his path, he must find them himself."
Eyes raised from the water to look across at each other, and a smile, wholly unpleasant, formed on the man's face.
"We restore the balance. A false prophecy, for a false prophecy."
They nodded and their hands both danced over the water before they lowered them and sighed.
"Let us hope it is enough."
A
Gunn had come for Fred early and they headed to the hospital to check on Wes. Angel refused to go and so they left alone, hoping if anything they could convince Wesley to stay in hospital and recover once he found out about Cordelia and the baby. They didn't hold out much hope. Wesley had been upset at himself for allowing them all to be taken. He hadn't said it, but he didn't need to, they all saw it in the frown and dark eyes. Lorne too stayed at the Hyperion. Sneaking into a hospital was tricky and if Wesley agreed to stay a few days, he would try it the next day. Besides, the green demon had seen the swirling clouds around Angel and knew full well that he wasn't about to sit still. He wanted them gone so he could do something. When he saw Angel testing the weight of weapons he knew he was right.
"There's nothing to fight, Angel. I've got feelers out to find out about this Quor'toth, you know Wes and Fred will be right on it as soon as they get their little four eyes on those books. There's nothing to fight."
"Yes there is. Holtz was brought back by Wolfram and Hart. No way he got a portal set up on his own. They had to have done it, and they'll do it again."
Lorne felt the chill in Angel's voice and wondered briefly if that was what the infamous Angelus sounded like. He didn't like it and if possible, Lorne went even greener than he had been. Angel was giving off vibes that spiked through his head like spikes. Raising a hand he rubbed at his temple and closed his eyes. When he opened them again Angel had settled on a small battle axe and was heading for the back door. Lorne quickly stumbled after him and grabbed his arm.
"Hold on there Angel cakes! You are just going to get yourself killed."
He was unsure that was going to work and stuttered for a new response.
"What would Cordelia say if she was here?"
He realized as soon as he said it, it was the wrong thing. Hurt flashed through Angel's eyes and they went even darker. Lorne actually took a step back and opened and closed his mouth like a cod fish.
"Cordelia isn't here. She isn't here because someone wanted to hurt me. So if I have to kill a few lawyers to find a way to get her and my son back then that's what I'll do. I'll be back."
With that he turned and headed out. Lorne stood there in shock. Rubbing at the back of his neck he decided then that he was not mentioning the Princess' little surprise until they had a sure fire way to get her back. The only way that would happen is if one of them came up with something before Angel pissed off the Senior Partners. Lorne ran to the phone and called Gunn's cell.
A
At the hospital Gunn was shaking his head, blocking the door to the room. Fred was desperately hanging onto Wesley's arm. By the time they'd arrived he was already dressed, arm in a sling and ready to leave. He had jumped up from the bed the moment he saw the two, assuming they were there to help him get home. The cell went off and Gunn winced, he'd forgotten to turn it off. Stepping to the door he looked back at the two of them.
"Don' go anywhere. I'll be right back, and you English, are stayin'. Doctor said a coupla days."
With that he stepped out and Fred turned her big brown eyes on him. Wes sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Anything to get her hand off of him. He was still uncomfortable being left alone with her. He knew she loved Gunn, you only had to see how she looked at him to know, and to be honest, he didn't want to see it. It was going to take time for his heart to get over his mistake of not telling her how he felt when he had the chance. He offered her a small smile, but it was weary and she knew it. Neither really said much. Fred shifting from foot to foot wishing she knew how to help Wesley, who seemed more and more distant lately. Before she could think of anything to say Gunn came back in and she rushed to his side, something was wrong.
"Gunn?"
"Lorne called. Angel jus' headed t' Wolfram and Hart with weapons. He's plannin' on making them open a portal to find Cordy and the kid."
"Alone? Why didn't he wait for us? I mean, we coulda tried to talk to them, or maybe find out how to trigger the portal or, or, or somethin!"
Wes and Gunn exchanged looks, they both understood why Angel rushed off. The desperation, and how dangerous he really must be right now. With a nod from Gunn Wesley stood back up.
"Well then, it would be best if we were to find out what we can on this portal. Shall we go back to the scene of the crime as it were?"
With that he headed for the door and this time Gunn put an arm around Fred and pulled her to the side to let him pass before following him out. If Wes and Fred couldn't figure it out, they might be without a job again soon. Either because Angel got himself killed, or he went dark and fired them all again. This time, Gunn wasn't sure he could come back from it.
A
Angel hadn't tried to duck the cameras, he hadn't gone through the sewers to sneak in. He had walked straight through the front door and to the receptionist. Flashing a smile too reminiscent of Angelus, he asked to see Lilah. The receptionist visibly paled, but thankfully Lilah had been expecting him. She had gotten quite good at knowing Angel's moves and even though she didn't know that the baby was alive and trapped, she knew he was gone. Angel was disappointed at not having some guards to take his aggression out on. He slammed the door open and stalked in to the office.
"Where is he?"
Lilah turned in her chair and smiled. She never showed the unease that she had every time the vampire came at her. She knew her goal was to push him that much closer to his Angelus persona. Whether by him losing his soul or going dark didn't matter. Only that he switched sides. Her worry was that it would be over her dead body. Literally.
"Angel, how nice to see you. Perhaps if you tell me who you are looking for?"
"You know damn well who! Holtz! He took my son and Cordelia. Quor'toth? Ring a bell. Now someone opened that portal for him, and whoever it was better open it back up for me. Now."
"Hmm, odd. His orders were to kill your team and bring the child to us. We are very curious about him."
To her credit, she only flinched once as his face changed and he growled, yellow angry animalistic eyes. He was over the desk and leaned over her before she could blink.
"I told you to leave my son alone."
"You also said not to touch your seer. Perhaps you should have mentioned that to Holtz?"
"Don't mess with me Lilah. Not right now. I want my family back."
"Sorry, can't help you. Look, technically, we had nothing to do with Holtz. A client of ours brought him back. He was more interested in the kid then you, Holtz was just a way to get to him."
She was usually a little more difficult to get information out of but Angel was on edge, even she could see that and when push came to shove, she'd rather not die.
"What. Client."
Lilah swallowed then her eyes flicked to a file on her desk and back to him. She waited until she saw him do the same. Angel narrowed his eyes and growled, she never saw his fist coming.
A
Gunn was not happy. He held the crossbow and kept looking around, pacing from inside the room to out in the hall. Every once in awhile he'd look over at Wesley and Fred as they searched the room, took notes and muttered to each other. This would be followed with a heavy sigh.
"We are going as fast as we can, by the looks of things no one has been back here since Angel left."
"Yeah well, wouldn' be the first time we were surprised now would it, English?"
Fred began jumping up and down, which caught both of their attention. Gunn walked farther into the room and Wesley went over to her, then readjusted his glasses and grabbed for his notebook quickly, wincing only slightly as he moved too fast for his shoulder.
"What is it? Come on man don't leave a brother in the dark here!"
"Charles, it wasn' a portal! It was a summons! We can do a summons! Portals, well, they're trickier, ya gotta worry about the hot spots and the right energy, plus there's the interdimensional . . . "
"Fred, Fred, FRED! Listen, ya know I love ya, but could ya dumb it down a bit?"
Wesley finished his writing and glanced up at him with a soft smile.
"What Fred is trying to say is that we may be able to summon them back with a spell."
"Wait, ya mean no jumpin' into another dimension and gettin' our heads chopped off?"
"Exactly."
"That's all I needed to know."
Gunn grinned at Fred who was grinning back. Wesley wasn't quite as jubilant but that was because he refused to get his hopes up. He still had a lot of work to do, but it was a solid lead, more than just the idea of going to some dimension. Dimensions existed alongside each other, inside each other, opposite each other, it was tricky, it was always tricky.
A
Angel had poured through the file, pacing through the lobby. He needed answers, he needed his son. He didn't completely understand from the file why this Sahjahn wanted his son. He wasn't familiar, it wasn't someone he had hurt in the past. Even as Angelus. There was nothing to tie them together and that seemed somehow worse. He knew what Holtz problem was, and no matter how much he now wanted the man dead, he couldn't fault him his quest for vengeance. There were some things that were unforgivable and Angelus had done them all. Hell, he'd invented some new ones. Oddly enough there was an address, and a phone number. When he'd called, the sound of an old man wheezing had him confused, and the coughing laugh when he explained who he was had infuriated him, but he was told Sahjahn would meet with him. Lorne left, he wanted to check on Caritas and had an appointment with a client that he hoped would help find them some information on Quor'toth. Angel told him nothing of the meeting.
He'd been pacing, but he knew the moment someone was entering the lobby and turned. Angel blinked and watched a withered old demon enter, complete with an oxygen tank. His incredulous look did not go unnoticed.
"Surprised?"
"Well, yeah. Not that it matters, this just makes things that much easier for me. You're Sahjahn?"
"I am."
"And you know why I called?"
"Of course. Your son, the Destroyer. Don't look so surprised, believe me, I am more surprised to see you still alive than you are about your son's destiny. I was under the impression Holtz planned on killing you. After some torture of course."
Angel shrugged and set the small battle axe on the couch next to him.
"His plans changed. Decided to skip the staking and take my seer and son instead. Why did you call him a destroyer?"
"Ah I see. I underestimated him. He's clever. The human child of two vampires, also known as THE Destroyer. I take it your watcher friend did not read the whole prophecy."
Angel's jaw ticked. He didn't like the idea of his son in some prophecy. So far, he hadn't found a single prophecy that was just good news. Well, the Shanshu thing, but again that was something to work towards, not some free and clear gift.
"Why don't you enlighten me? Then you can tell me how to get them back."
Sahjahn laughed, then coughed, grabbing his mask and taking large gulps of air. Angel stiffened as if worried the man, demon, would drop dead before he got answers, but finally he lowered the mask and spoke.
"There is no getting them back. Quor'toth is a hell dimension, chosen because I am the only one that knows how to traverse that particular dimension. I would be surprised if they were even still alive. Which is fine with me. You see The Destroyer is the one that will kill me. I have traded dark magics for longer than this world has been alive. I can keep myself alive, even as this body weakens. I can traverse dimensions that have been destroyed and ones not yet born. I found the prophecy of The Destroyer and kept it for myself. I have been searching for the child to have him destroyed before he could grow to complete his destiny. He is the only one that can kill me. Believe me, others have tried, and failed. Your son is as good as dead. There is no one that can open Quor'toth to you."
He cackled. As old as he was, as weak as he seemed he knew that he was invincible. Or so he thought. Angel had felt his demon rising since Holtz took his family, since he watched the lights of the portal swallow them. He was closer to loosing control over it than he had been even with Darla and Drusilla in town. Just like that the demon was no longer an issue. The blood lust of vengeance that fed it was gone. All that was left was a cold hard determination of a father to find and protect his family. His hand reached for the axe and he took three long even steps toward the door. Not a word said, no emotion on his face as the axe swung taking Sahjahn's head. The look of surprise frozen on his face as the head went bouncing down the steps and the body stayed still a full three seconds before crumpling to the ground.
The axe still in his hand as Gunn and Fred came through the door, their grins fading slowly as they stopped and stared down at the body at their feet. Fred grabbed Gunn's arm and Wesley, who was looking down at his notes, ran right into their backs. Slowly they all looked down at the body and then up to Angel, still holding the axe.
"Um, somethin' ya need t' tell us man?"
"Um, Angel, who, was that?"
Angel looked at the body then up at his friends. Somehow he felt lighter, better, vindicated. He smiled slowly.
"Just a man selling false prophecies. Hey Wes, feeling better?"
They all blinked at each other and when Angel turned to put the axe back in the cabinet they stepped around the body and into the lobby. Wes raised a brow and walked to the couch needing to sit. Sweat broke out on his forehead, he had pushed it a bit, but he felt finally it was worth it. Gunn followed Angel and took the axe from him, grabbing the cloth kept by the cabinet to clean the weapons.
"Wes wasn' supposed t' leave the hospital, but um, well, "
Wes gave Fred an apologetic smile and Gunn ended up shrugging and answering for them.
"He should probably crash here, start workin' on that spell shit tomorrow. So yeah, the two brainiacs got somethin' for ya, but how about you give us your update first."
It wasn't a secret that they were worried, Angel could go really bad and the truth was Gunn wasn't about to just sit back and watch this time. Wes was injured and Cordy was gone, no one was going to berate or explain to him that they couldn't stake their boss just because he was all evil for a bit. Angel frowned and looked over at Wes. The man was still pale, and he could tell exhausted.
"Yeah, Wes you need to rest. I can help you upstairs. We can go over everything in the morning."
He left Gunn to cleaning and went to help Wes upstairs. Before Wesley could protest Fred was taking his notes and heading off to the office to deposit them. Lifting his good arm over Angel's shoulder they headed for the stairs. Gunn wiped down the blade and put it away then stepped out.
"Hey! What about this guy? What the hell did he do anyway?"
Angel froze and looked back at the body, his eyes darkened then his lips twitched and he looked at Gunn.
"He was wrong."