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Aghhh… I can't-

I've just watched the ending of season four of Angel. So many tears…. I feel rather emotionally numb so here's a chapter.

Chapter Three – The Phoenix

Fire flared in his wrist as he attempted to twist to the right erecting a low moan from the vampire. His head was pounding, the sound of the drums drowning out any and every incoherent thought. It pounded a long with the twin pulses of Robin and Jonno's hearts.

His body pitched to the right again and the blaze in his wrists burst into life with new agonising fervour. It was nothing though, to the fire in his heart; warmth that had long since deserted him was singing a bloody song of pain to his heart. A raging fire searing and burning away at his porcelain flesh.

He gave a whimper and felt a cool hand stroke his cheek.

"You poor baby…" Maja-Keht removed her hand from the vampire's cheek and rose from her spot crouched beside him. She glanced at the vampires around her with sharp yellow clandestine eyes. "This ritual has to be done now." Her eyes darted to the Chosen One's writhing form. "Any longer and your precious chosen one will be dust."

From the corner of her eye she noted the two breathers' they'd bought to sate the newly revamped Chosen One shot each other anxious looks.

She drew out a ruby and placed it in the centre of the room. The crimson jewel glittered ominously.

Plink, plink, plink. The headache faded to a dull hammering and Vlad was able to hear the sound of dripping through the fog. His noise picked up the faint scent of human blood and a voice.

Words of a language he couldn't understand floated through the air, empowered by the dull monotone of the vampire's chants.

The hair on the back of his neck tingled as the air became supercharged and the fire grew cold.

It started in his heart and the ice spread. The fever in his veins cooled and his senses began to unclog. Scents new and familiar tickled his now-unblocked nose including the overpoweringly sweet scent of slayer and breather.

Maja-Keht stepped closer to him. He couldn't see it but he heard it, and he felt her soft footfall reverberate through the floor to him.

Everything was so clear again, even more so than before. His body had forgotten the strength it bore before the breather cold hadn't taken hold and this return of power was familiar yet new.

And stronger.

He'd never felt this physically impervious and his limbs that had been deadened by the fire no longer felt like they were chained to the floor.

Maja-Keht eyes studied the Chosen One's stationary form and her palm tightened around ruby as she snatched it from the floor.

She threw it at the Chosen One with every ounce of strength she could muster.

Jonno and Robin watched in horror as the crimson jewel flew at their unconscious friend with the speed and strength of a bullet. They didn't know what would happen if the gemstone came into contact with the vampire but Jonno feared a fully undead Vladimir Dracula.

The ruby stopped: clenched stiffly in Vlad's pale fist.

The vampire looked from Maja-Keht to the jewel in his palm in confusion. He looked thoroughly discombobulated and was glancing around and frowning as if he couldn't remember how he got upright again.

The yellow eyed mystic's smile widened.

The ruby clattered to the floor and Vlad was shuffling backwards, pressing his back into the jagged rock walls. He was also shaking violently.

"Give him a day or two to recover." Maja-Keht ordered, her eyes glittering maliciously as she analysed Vlad. "He's got a lot to adjust to." She gave Vlad one final devious smile before departing from the dungeon, a trail of vampires in her wake.

Jonno's eyes followed her exit before his gaze turned to where Vlad was shivering away. He couldn't understand why, it seemed like he'd just been cured of whatever his cold and was looking healthier than he'd been the whole time Jonno had seen him.

"Vlad?" The vampire slayer asked, unsure if he would receive an answer. The curled up vampire shuddered.

"Here." Vlad murmured hoarsely, his voice was dry, as if he hadn't had a drink in a year.

"What the heck just happened?" Jonno glanced at Robin before turning his gaze back to Vlad.

The vampire shook his head scrunching his eyes shut and pressing a palm to his head. "They—" He frowned at the ceiling. "They cured me… I think…"

"You think?" Robin asked but Vlad ignored him.

"But everything's so loud," Vlad put his hands on either side of his temple. Robin and Jonno exchanged concerned looks. "And I'm thirsty…" He turned away from them, hands over his ears. "So so thirsty…"

The worried looks between Robin and Jonno continued.

"Maybe we should actually try and escape!" Robin suggest giving the bars of his cell a good rattle again.

"Yeah," Jonno responded sarcastically. "Let's escape just so the vampires upstairs eat us!" He glanced at the vampire. "He doesn't look like he's in any state to go anywhere anyhow."

Vlad hadn't moved since he'd last spoken and was still huddled in the corner of the cell. Jonno had no idea what they'd done to the Chosen One but it seemed it was almost more than he could handle as the vampire was utterly stiff aside from the odd convulsion. His cold was obviously gone though, as were the sharp breaths that Vlad had previously been choking on.

Jonno and Robin didn't speak much more and Vlad gave the odd whisper but other than that the dungeon was silent.

An hour later a vampire turned up with no food for Jonno or Robin but a bag of blood for Vlad. It was nudged through the gaps in the bars and hit the vampire's leg. Vlad's eyes instantly darted to the crimson plastic.

Jonno was taken aback by the look in Vlad's eyes, it was unfamiliar to him as the vampire had always excelled at controlling him emotions but this was wild and insatiable.

This was hunger.

I have some bad news…

My laptop seems to be screwed.

My dad is going to get it looked at but this may mean it will be out of action for a little while.

This doesn't mean I won't be writing! I just may have trouble updating.