A/N: Last chapter. Should be all wrapped up .. Or is it?
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Connor!" Angel longed to run to his son, but the boy lay flung out in the sunshine. Cordelia gave the vampire one last hurried look, and threw herself forward to get to Connor, followed by the others. Angel waited in the shadows impatiently, his face vamping out in annoyance.
"Connor?" He blinked, opening his eyes, and seeing Cordelia bent over him. He coughed, and sat up, wincing.
"I'm okay," he said, shaking her off. "They got Jane."
They helped him into the hotel, and sat him down on the couch. He sighed, and leant his head back.
"Who took her, did you see them?" Starr demanded, her voice rising. Wesley looked at her with concern, and whispering something in her ear, led her away, and into the office, closing the door.
Connor looked up at his father.
"I didn't get a good look. She's still alive though. They gave her something, knocked her out .. " he sighed again. "They jumped me. Didn't even see them coming."
He sat back, turning his face away from them.
Starr and Wesley re-entered the room, Starr's eyes were red, and she was snuffling, but looked considerably less frantic.
"We were thinking," Wesley announced. "I've heard of a spell, calling up a guardian, to find someone. If we used it, it would take us to Jane, wherever she is. As she's still alive, the spell would work."
Angel and Cordelia exchanged looks, and nodded.
"Do it. I have a call to make," Angel replied shortly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lindsey's hands were folded behind his head, and his posture led one to believe he was relaxed. The ex lawyer was anything but. Whenever he closed his eyes, pictures of Lauren surged, her shy smile as she peeked around the table playing hide and seek, or her laugh replayed in his ears, high and sweet, a gurgling little giggle.
Or the way she looked when she was dead. Either way, Lindsey hadn't slept much.
The 'phone sat beside the bed in his dingy room rang. He sat up. Only one person had his number. Angel. He grabbed for the phone, fingers fumbling.
"Hello? Lindsey," he answered, his voice rough with tiredness.
"Angel. We've found a way to get to the people who killed Lauren."
Lindsey hung up the phone, and snatched his jacket.
* ~ * ~ * * ~ * ~
The tiny pin prick of blue light danced in front of their eyes, as the eight watched, grimly. Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Connor, Faith, Lindsey, Wesley and Starr, holding their weapons in their hands were ready to follow.
The blot of light shot off, and the car followed immediately, chasing the light through the streets. They'd waited till after dark, on tenterhooks, as it would give them the upper hand, and meant that the vampire would be able to fight.
The tyres squealed as they took another sharp corner, but nobody commented. The one thought was to find the damn place.
Running through traffic lights, screeching around bends, and then they were out, down a private road, and outside a large, tall building. The light flickered, then moved inside. They jumped out, and chased it.
The guard's eyes were hurting. He'd been on a twenty-four hour shift, and it wasn't like anyone was coming down here, it was too damn out of the way. He allowed them to close, but opened them again. Falling asleep on the job was not an option, with that short guy in charge.
The glass doors smashed, large shards of glass crashing to the floor as a man hurled himself inside, followed by others, handing each other through, an artillery of weapons clutched in their hands. He rose in his chair, but the lead man growled, and turned, flashing him a gruesome face, filled with fangs, and ridges. He sat back down again helplessly, as they ran for the stairs.
"Angel, look," Cordy pointed out, as they ran up the stairs. He turned. There was no way to miss it. The distinctive Wolfram and Hart logo on the wall. He growled, and continued running.
The light stopped on the top floor. Steel grey carpet was below, and the walls were painted pristine white. A door handle was set into the wall. They stopped, some panting, and Angel turned the handle.
They were in a small room, filled with monitors. Looking around, and up at them, Fred spotted Jane, struggling in restraints, and yelled. There was only one way to go. Forwards. Opening the second door, the AI team pushed through.
The room was huge, the same plain white, with a huge pyre built in the centre. Suit clad Wolfram and hart associates stood at intermediate points around the room. A man in a hooded robe was bent over Jane, in the centre of the room, a knife held in his hand. But that wasn't all. Demons of various breeds were everywhere, blocking their way forward to the little girl. And Gavin Parks stood in front of them, a friendly smile on his face.
"Welcome!" he announced. "Don't bother closing the door behind you. It's taken care of." They looked around. A nasty looking demon, covered in purple spines smiled back, blocking their escape.
Angel looked straight at Gavin.
"Tell me why I'm not snapping your neck," he demanded. Gavin's smile broadened.
"The great Angelus. Because the minute you do, she," he pointed to Jane, " Dies. Oh, she'll die anyway, of course, but your way, it'll be painful." His eyes sparkled.
"Angel, don't," Cordelia warned. The vampire's grip tightened on his battleaxe.
"Why are you trying to kill her?' he asked. Gavin looked satisfied.
"Finally. The question. The reason is there's a little ritual taking place. You took something of ours a while back, and we want it back. And it requires the blood of three children. So we used yours." Gavin shrugged, then looked straight at Lindsey. "Oh, if you're wondering, yes it *was* personal. I don't like you," he stage whispered. Lindsey's jaw tightened.
"So why not kill Jane at the hotel? Why kidnap her, and go to all this trouble?" Angel asked. Gavin grinned this time.
"Clever boy," he announced. "Because, the last blood has to be cast on the fire while it's still warm. You were so *attached* to the little one," he glanced back at Jane, who squeaked with fear, the robed man's hand over her mouth, "We used her."
Cordelia looked at the fire, and blinked. It was familiar, a large banked fire, and ..
Visions of blood, and fire, and a pair of white hands dipped in blood, a voice screaming, Three! Three!'
She glanced at Starr. The young woman was deathly pale, the same realisation crossing her face.
"I don't get it," Cordelia said aloud. "What did we take from you?"
"You'll soon see," Gavin said. "Now, guys, take care of them." He turned back to the fire as the demons walked forward, menacingly.
Simultaneously, AI drew weapons, and spiralled into action. Faith ran at the nearest demon, fist connecting with skill, legs flashing around in a roundhouse kick, that knocked him down. Angel's axe flashing, slicing through one demon, and into another. Cordelia and Fred, crossbows and bolts flying into the fray as they fought towards them. Connor lashing out at everything, Gunn, Starr and Wesley, smashing on demons, taking out as many as possible. Lindsey chased after Gavin, grimly, as he cornered the small man.
The fight was tough, blood smearing the faces of the nine fighting their way forward. Tens of demons moving forwards relentlessly, trying to crush them back. Angel managed to catch Jane's eyes. The little girl was watching him patiently, her eyes focused in a steady gaze, settled on him, full of hope. He turned away, and slashed at the demon in front of him viciously.
Lindsey found the way forward to Gavin blocked by a tall demon, and fell back, lifting his weapon. The lawyer himself was stood in front of the pyre, surveying the damage.
"You've got to do it now," he hissed to the man with the knife. "They're gaining forwards. We can't risk it. We have to do it now!"
The man nodded, and bent over the girl, who squirmed against the restraints, panicked once again.
Cordelia saw them lean forwards, intent in their eyes, and pushed forward with more strength than she knew she had.
"Angel!" she screamed. The vampire whipped around, to see the knife lower to Jane's neck. He moved with supernatural speed, and knocked the knife out of the robed man's hand, just as it nicked the little girl's neck.
Angel saw the blood droplet gleam on Jane's neck, and lifted his head, in full vampire visage, to look at the robed man.
"I'm gonna kill you for that," he said calmly. The man ran.
The demons were slowly dying. Where once where tens were only a few, vicious and brutal.
Gavin dived for the knife, lifting it to the little girl, Angel turned from pummelling the man to see, helplessly, as it slid closer towards the girl, no-one able to help her.
The pyre flared, and then, complete darkness fell over the group. The demons dropped to the ground, what few of them there were, and left the AI crew standing in the room, as a cloud of light appeared over the now extinguished pyre, the trickles of dark red blood seeping out onto the granite coloured floor.
They dropped weapons, and stared, as a well known face appeared in the cloud, hazy, and dream-like.
"Darla?" Angel asked, his voice astonished. She laughed, its familiar rise and fall bittersweet to Lindsey's ears.
"Yes," she answered. "I'm still dead, Angel. Don't worry." She smiled at them, and cocked her head on one side.
"I didn't think you'd make it, but you did. You delayed them long enough- If you hadn't, I'd be here, but this would be different," she said vaguely. No one noticed as Starr slipped to the floor.
She looked at them, no laughter now in her eyes.
"They wanted me alive," she paused, "well, dead, actually. Just walking. If you hadn't stopped the ritual, I would be, and there'd be something bad on your hands. But I haven't got much time. It took so much to appear, do whatever the hell this is. All the prophecy tricks, they couldn't deal with it, over-riding it was hard.I'm sorry for the pain, the bloodshed," her eyes softened as she looked directly at Lindsey, "I couldn't stop it. But something far worse is coming. Something that'll divide you down the middle, and rip your hearts out. You have to fight it. You have to win. Or the way you know things will change." She smiled sweetly, and sadly, and then the light flickered out, leaving them there.
Lindsey fulfilled his emotions by grabbing hold of Gavin, who was still frozen to the spot nearby, in disbelief, and punched him, hard. The lawyer fell to the floor like a stone.
Angel stepped across Parks' prone body, and helped Jane out of the restraints, and lifted her up in his arms.
"Time to go home," he announced, as they all shook off the tired muscles, and limped towards the exit.
Only Starr stood there still, in the centre of the room, having clambered her way up. When she spoke, her voice was uncertain, and shaky.
"Hate to spoil the celebrations, guys, but," her voice quaked with bewilderment. "I'm blind."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: The end. Watch out for the sequel, 'the Academy' coming soon!
(mwahahahahaha)
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
"Connor!" Angel longed to run to his son, but the boy lay flung out in the sunshine. Cordelia gave the vampire one last hurried look, and threw herself forward to get to Connor, followed by the others. Angel waited in the shadows impatiently, his face vamping out in annoyance.
"Connor?" He blinked, opening his eyes, and seeing Cordelia bent over him. He coughed, and sat up, wincing.
"I'm okay," he said, shaking her off. "They got Jane."
They helped him into the hotel, and sat him down on the couch. He sighed, and leant his head back.
"Who took her, did you see them?" Starr demanded, her voice rising. Wesley looked at her with concern, and whispering something in her ear, led her away, and into the office, closing the door.
Connor looked up at his father.
"I didn't get a good look. She's still alive though. They gave her something, knocked her out .. " he sighed again. "They jumped me. Didn't even see them coming."
He sat back, turning his face away from them.
Starr and Wesley re-entered the room, Starr's eyes were red, and she was snuffling, but looked considerably less frantic.
"We were thinking," Wesley announced. "I've heard of a spell, calling up a guardian, to find someone. If we used it, it would take us to Jane, wherever she is. As she's still alive, the spell would work."
Angel and Cordelia exchanged looks, and nodded.
"Do it. I have a call to make," Angel replied shortly.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lindsey's hands were folded behind his head, and his posture led one to believe he was relaxed. The ex lawyer was anything but. Whenever he closed his eyes, pictures of Lauren surged, her shy smile as she peeked around the table playing hide and seek, or her laugh replayed in his ears, high and sweet, a gurgling little giggle.
Or the way she looked when she was dead. Either way, Lindsey hadn't slept much.
The 'phone sat beside the bed in his dingy room rang. He sat up. Only one person had his number. Angel. He grabbed for the phone, fingers fumbling.
"Hello? Lindsey," he answered, his voice rough with tiredness.
"Angel. We've found a way to get to the people who killed Lauren."
Lindsey hung up the phone, and snatched his jacket.
* ~ * ~ * * ~ * ~
The tiny pin prick of blue light danced in front of their eyes, as the eight watched, grimly. Angel, Cordelia, Fred, Gunn, Connor, Faith, Lindsey, Wesley and Starr, holding their weapons in their hands were ready to follow.
The blot of light shot off, and the car followed immediately, chasing the light through the streets. They'd waited till after dark, on tenterhooks, as it would give them the upper hand, and meant that the vampire would be able to fight.
The tyres squealed as they took another sharp corner, but nobody commented. The one thought was to find the damn place.
Running through traffic lights, screeching around bends, and then they were out, down a private road, and outside a large, tall building. The light flickered, then moved inside. They jumped out, and chased it.
The guard's eyes were hurting. He'd been on a twenty-four hour shift, and it wasn't like anyone was coming down here, it was too damn out of the way. He allowed them to close, but opened them again. Falling asleep on the job was not an option, with that short guy in charge.
The glass doors smashed, large shards of glass crashing to the floor as a man hurled himself inside, followed by others, handing each other through, an artillery of weapons clutched in their hands. He rose in his chair, but the lead man growled, and turned, flashing him a gruesome face, filled with fangs, and ridges. He sat back down again helplessly, as they ran for the stairs.
"Angel, look," Cordy pointed out, as they ran up the stairs. He turned. There was no way to miss it. The distinctive Wolfram and Hart logo on the wall. He growled, and continued running.
The light stopped on the top floor. Steel grey carpet was below, and the walls were painted pristine white. A door handle was set into the wall. They stopped, some panting, and Angel turned the handle.
They were in a small room, filled with monitors. Looking around, and up at them, Fred spotted Jane, struggling in restraints, and yelled. There was only one way to go. Forwards. Opening the second door, the AI team pushed through.
The room was huge, the same plain white, with a huge pyre built in the centre. Suit clad Wolfram and hart associates stood at intermediate points around the room. A man in a hooded robe was bent over Jane, in the centre of the room, a knife held in his hand. But that wasn't all. Demons of various breeds were everywhere, blocking their way forward to the little girl. And Gavin Parks stood in front of them, a friendly smile on his face.
"Welcome!" he announced. "Don't bother closing the door behind you. It's taken care of." They looked around. A nasty looking demon, covered in purple spines smiled back, blocking their escape.
Angel looked straight at Gavin.
"Tell me why I'm not snapping your neck," he demanded. Gavin's smile broadened.
"The great Angelus. Because the minute you do, she," he pointed to Jane, " Dies. Oh, she'll die anyway, of course, but your way, it'll be painful." His eyes sparkled.
"Angel, don't," Cordelia warned. The vampire's grip tightened on his battleaxe.
"Why are you trying to kill her?' he asked. Gavin looked satisfied.
"Finally. The question. The reason is there's a little ritual taking place. You took something of ours a while back, and we want it back. And it requires the blood of three children. So we used yours." Gavin shrugged, then looked straight at Lindsey. "Oh, if you're wondering, yes it *was* personal. I don't like you," he stage whispered. Lindsey's jaw tightened.
"So why not kill Jane at the hotel? Why kidnap her, and go to all this trouble?" Angel asked. Gavin grinned this time.
"Clever boy," he announced. "Because, the last blood has to be cast on the fire while it's still warm. You were so *attached* to the little one," he glanced back at Jane, who squeaked with fear, the robed man's hand over her mouth, "We used her."
Cordelia looked at the fire, and blinked. It was familiar, a large banked fire, and ..
Visions of blood, and fire, and a pair of white hands dipped in blood, a voice screaming, Three! Three!'
She glanced at Starr. The young woman was deathly pale, the same realisation crossing her face.
"I don't get it," Cordelia said aloud. "What did we take from you?"
"You'll soon see," Gavin said. "Now, guys, take care of them." He turned back to the fire as the demons walked forward, menacingly.
Simultaneously, AI drew weapons, and spiralled into action. Faith ran at the nearest demon, fist connecting with skill, legs flashing around in a roundhouse kick, that knocked him down. Angel's axe flashing, slicing through one demon, and into another. Cordelia and Fred, crossbows and bolts flying into the fray as they fought towards them. Connor lashing out at everything, Gunn, Starr and Wesley, smashing on demons, taking out as many as possible. Lindsey chased after Gavin, grimly, as he cornered the small man.
The fight was tough, blood smearing the faces of the nine fighting their way forward. Tens of demons moving forwards relentlessly, trying to crush them back. Angel managed to catch Jane's eyes. The little girl was watching him patiently, her eyes focused in a steady gaze, settled on him, full of hope. He turned away, and slashed at the demon in front of him viciously.
Lindsey found the way forward to Gavin blocked by a tall demon, and fell back, lifting his weapon. The lawyer himself was stood in front of the pyre, surveying the damage.
"You've got to do it now," he hissed to the man with the knife. "They're gaining forwards. We can't risk it. We have to do it now!"
The man nodded, and bent over the girl, who squirmed against the restraints, panicked once again.
Cordelia saw them lean forwards, intent in their eyes, and pushed forward with more strength than she knew she had.
"Angel!" she screamed. The vampire whipped around, to see the knife lower to Jane's neck. He moved with supernatural speed, and knocked the knife out of the robed man's hand, just as it nicked the little girl's neck.
Angel saw the blood droplet gleam on Jane's neck, and lifted his head, in full vampire visage, to look at the robed man.
"I'm gonna kill you for that," he said calmly. The man ran.
The demons were slowly dying. Where once where tens were only a few, vicious and brutal.
Gavin dived for the knife, lifting it to the little girl, Angel turned from pummelling the man to see, helplessly, as it slid closer towards the girl, no-one able to help her.
The pyre flared, and then, complete darkness fell over the group. The demons dropped to the ground, what few of them there were, and left the AI crew standing in the room, as a cloud of light appeared over the now extinguished pyre, the trickles of dark red blood seeping out onto the granite coloured floor.
They dropped weapons, and stared, as a well known face appeared in the cloud, hazy, and dream-like.
"Darla?" Angel asked, his voice astonished. She laughed, its familiar rise and fall bittersweet to Lindsey's ears.
"Yes," she answered. "I'm still dead, Angel. Don't worry." She smiled at them, and cocked her head on one side.
"I didn't think you'd make it, but you did. You delayed them long enough- If you hadn't, I'd be here, but this would be different," she said vaguely. No one noticed as Starr slipped to the floor.
She looked at them, no laughter now in her eyes.
"They wanted me alive," she paused, "well, dead, actually. Just walking. If you hadn't stopped the ritual, I would be, and there'd be something bad on your hands. But I haven't got much time. It took so much to appear, do whatever the hell this is. All the prophecy tricks, they couldn't deal with it, over-riding it was hard.I'm sorry for the pain, the bloodshed," her eyes softened as she looked directly at Lindsey, "I couldn't stop it. But something far worse is coming. Something that'll divide you down the middle, and rip your hearts out. You have to fight it. You have to win. Or the way you know things will change." She smiled sweetly, and sadly, and then the light flickered out, leaving them there.
Lindsey fulfilled his emotions by grabbing hold of Gavin, who was still frozen to the spot nearby, in disbelief, and punched him, hard. The lawyer fell to the floor like a stone.
Angel stepped across Parks' prone body, and helped Jane out of the restraints, and lifted her up in his arms.
"Time to go home," he announced, as they all shook off the tired muscles, and limped towards the exit.
Only Starr stood there still, in the centre of the room, having clambered her way up. When she spoke, her voice was uncertain, and shaky.
"Hate to spoil the celebrations, guys, but," her voice quaked with bewilderment. "I'm blind."
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A/N: The end. Watch out for the sequel, 'the Academy' coming soon!
(mwahahahahaha)