I know, I know. It's been a while since my last update. Bad Mad Kat! I'm
really sorry for the gaps between postings but there really doesn't seem to
be enough time for everything at the moment. Thank you to the people who
have reviewed and not given up on me yet!
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"Okay everyone," Angel said softly, "lets all grab hold of each other so we don't lose anybody, then we can try and find out what's going on."
There was some shuffling and grunting but eventually everybody was gathered into a tight circle, clutching hands or linking arms. Buffy wondered who ended up with Merlin's hand but as she had a hold on Angel and Willow there would be no complaining from her.
"Okay, all arranged now?" Wes boomed from nearby in the darkness just off to her left; he and Angel must be linking digits. Buffy grinned, wishing very much that she could see these two kick-ass cool PI guys clutching each other's hands like kindergarteners.
"Yeah, when do we do the Hokey Kokey already?" Xander snickered.
"Do be quiet Xander," Giles mumbled, sounding as if he had a cold.
Buffy grinned, partly at Xander's unfailing ability to goof around and partly at poor Giles - now she knew who got Merlin!
"Okay, so where do we go from here?" Fred spoke up suddenly.
"All in one direction I guess." Buffy supplied helpfully.
"Any take on which way?" Gunn wanted to know.
"Yeah, because getting somewhere soon could be a plan," Oz murmured, "I don't know if it's the full moon time here too, but I'd rather not risk it."
There were murmurs of assent from around the circle and Buffy squeezed Willow's hand sympathetically.
Wesley cleared his throat and spoke up, "Unless I'm imagining the lack of stars and general stillness of the air I'm thinking we're in a cavern of some kind and I think I felt a faint breeze from that direction." He paused and Buffy sensed rather than saw him craning his neck, before he continued, "And does anyone else think that it is slightly less dark off to my far left?"
"Now you mention it yeah, very slightly." Angel agreed, "Okay everybody, lets go."
Buffy felt the faint tug at her wrist as Angel began to move and began to drift in the same direction, stumbling a little as she did so, on the rough rocky ground. To judge by the scuffling and grunting that was going on around her she wasn't the only one finding it a little hard going. How Wes and Angel had managed to differentiate between the pitch black and charcoal grey qualities of light she couldn't quite fathom but now they were closer it did look as if they were right.
As they walked towards the very faint light walls narrowed in around them and the circle led by Wes and Angel was forced to become an oval and then finally a single line shuffling sideways, Buffy smiled as she heard Xander quietly start singing 'Walk like an Egyptian' and was entertained as Lorne and Fred joined in un-reprimanded. It seemed that Wes and Giles had given up on trying to hush people. When the tunnel got almost too narrow - for the larger guys at least, the light began to brighten and Buffy could now see the faint, shadowy shapes of her friends again.
Up ahead it was clear the tunnel was ending and leading out into the clearer darkness outside. Buffy smiled in relief, it wasn't like she was scared of the dark or anything, it was just that she preferred to be able to see - anything at all. Then she was yanked forward and crashed to her knees before falling flat on her face with her left arm grinding almost out of it's socket, Angel's right hand straining in hers. Buffy gripped it tightly wondering what the hell was happening as the rest of the crew crashed to the ground on top of her and around her.
She heard Willow squeak painfully and realised she hadn't released Willow's hand when she fell and was responsible for yanking her down too. Hastily she let go and concentrated on holding Angel, she watched as the shadowy image of Gunn scrambled around her and knelt beside the figure of her boyfriend, as he lay sprawled on the floor too. Buffy gulped, actually she could only see Angel's legs and backside, and besides the arm she held the top part of him seemed to be over a cliff.
And Wes was not in sight.
Buffy found her voice quickly, many years of making snap life or death decisions helped with that bossy streak, "Gunn, grab Angel's legs, make sure he doesn't slip any further, then I can let go of him and pull Wes up."
Gunn was sitting on Angel legs in an instant.
Buffy crawled over the two of them and hung her head and shoulders over the cliff, hoping that that would be far enough, as once she had more of her own body weight over the cliff than on it she would be in the same boat as Angel - Able to hold on, but not able to pull up.
"Hey Wes, let go of Angel with one hand, swing up and grab me. Okay?"
"Alright." Wes agreed, sounding remarkably calm for a man dangling over a cliff edge of indeterminate height.
Buffy extended her arms as far as she could and braced herself, when Wes managed to wrap a hand around her wrist at the first attempt she was impressed. Clearly the bookish Brit was more powerful than she gave him credit for. As she shuffled backward clutching Wes tightly she realised that if it wasn't for the worn smoothness of the rock they were on Wes probably could have dragged himself back up.
Then Wes had his elbows on firm rock and was wriggling his own way up. "Well, that was rather thrilling," he managed to gasp out as he flopped up onto the rock, his feet still dangling over the edge.
Buffy accepted Angel's offered hand to pull her to her feet and somehow managed to snuggle her arms around him despite the tiny space as the rest of the gang crowded up behind demanding to know if everyone was okay.
"Fine, fine thank you" Wesley murmured picking himself up, "there seemed to be some kind of narrow rock pathway out there but when I stepped on it a chunk broke off and I became airborne." He explained defensively, "most of the path is still there, we might be able to make it."
"Personally, I'm not fond of the word might." Quipped Xander, "Too uncertain for my liking, whenever someone tells me we might make it, what they really mean is we won't but they're trying not to make you panic so they don't have to deal with you when you panic."
"No, man there really is a path and it looks solid, it's just a well worn little bit right at the mouth of the cave that broke off." Gunn interrupted as he dangled out of the cave, his head poked out and squinting downwards.
"Ohh, then forget I said anything."
Wes nodded and moved to the edge, "well, shall I try that again?"
Buffy stretched up and pressed a kiss to Angel's mouth before letting go and moving to stand beside Wes, "And I'm right behind you ready to catch." She informed him.
"Probably a good idea," agreed Angel.
Wes nodded and swung out of the cave, this time the tiny pathway down held and one by one the gang shuffled out onto the ledge and began inching their way down.
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"Okay everyone," Angel said softly, "lets all grab hold of each other so we don't lose anybody, then we can try and find out what's going on."
There was some shuffling and grunting but eventually everybody was gathered into a tight circle, clutching hands or linking arms. Buffy wondered who ended up with Merlin's hand but as she had a hold on Angel and Willow there would be no complaining from her.
"Okay, all arranged now?" Wes boomed from nearby in the darkness just off to her left; he and Angel must be linking digits. Buffy grinned, wishing very much that she could see these two kick-ass cool PI guys clutching each other's hands like kindergarteners.
"Yeah, when do we do the Hokey Kokey already?" Xander snickered.
"Do be quiet Xander," Giles mumbled, sounding as if he had a cold.
Buffy grinned, partly at Xander's unfailing ability to goof around and partly at poor Giles - now she knew who got Merlin!
"Okay, so where do we go from here?" Fred spoke up suddenly.
"All in one direction I guess." Buffy supplied helpfully.
"Any take on which way?" Gunn wanted to know.
"Yeah, because getting somewhere soon could be a plan," Oz murmured, "I don't know if it's the full moon time here too, but I'd rather not risk it."
There were murmurs of assent from around the circle and Buffy squeezed Willow's hand sympathetically.
Wesley cleared his throat and spoke up, "Unless I'm imagining the lack of stars and general stillness of the air I'm thinking we're in a cavern of some kind and I think I felt a faint breeze from that direction." He paused and Buffy sensed rather than saw him craning his neck, before he continued, "And does anyone else think that it is slightly less dark off to my far left?"
"Now you mention it yeah, very slightly." Angel agreed, "Okay everybody, lets go."
Buffy felt the faint tug at her wrist as Angel began to move and began to drift in the same direction, stumbling a little as she did so, on the rough rocky ground. To judge by the scuffling and grunting that was going on around her she wasn't the only one finding it a little hard going. How Wes and Angel had managed to differentiate between the pitch black and charcoal grey qualities of light she couldn't quite fathom but now they were closer it did look as if they were right.
As they walked towards the very faint light walls narrowed in around them and the circle led by Wes and Angel was forced to become an oval and then finally a single line shuffling sideways, Buffy smiled as she heard Xander quietly start singing 'Walk like an Egyptian' and was entertained as Lorne and Fred joined in un-reprimanded. It seemed that Wes and Giles had given up on trying to hush people. When the tunnel got almost too narrow - for the larger guys at least, the light began to brighten and Buffy could now see the faint, shadowy shapes of her friends again.
Up ahead it was clear the tunnel was ending and leading out into the clearer darkness outside. Buffy smiled in relief, it wasn't like she was scared of the dark or anything, it was just that she preferred to be able to see - anything at all. Then she was yanked forward and crashed to her knees before falling flat on her face with her left arm grinding almost out of it's socket, Angel's right hand straining in hers. Buffy gripped it tightly wondering what the hell was happening as the rest of the crew crashed to the ground on top of her and around her.
She heard Willow squeak painfully and realised she hadn't released Willow's hand when she fell and was responsible for yanking her down too. Hastily she let go and concentrated on holding Angel, she watched as the shadowy image of Gunn scrambled around her and knelt beside the figure of her boyfriend, as he lay sprawled on the floor too. Buffy gulped, actually she could only see Angel's legs and backside, and besides the arm she held the top part of him seemed to be over a cliff.
And Wes was not in sight.
Buffy found her voice quickly, many years of making snap life or death decisions helped with that bossy streak, "Gunn, grab Angel's legs, make sure he doesn't slip any further, then I can let go of him and pull Wes up."
Gunn was sitting on Angel legs in an instant.
Buffy crawled over the two of them and hung her head and shoulders over the cliff, hoping that that would be far enough, as once she had more of her own body weight over the cliff than on it she would be in the same boat as Angel - Able to hold on, but not able to pull up.
"Hey Wes, let go of Angel with one hand, swing up and grab me. Okay?"
"Alright." Wes agreed, sounding remarkably calm for a man dangling over a cliff edge of indeterminate height.
Buffy extended her arms as far as she could and braced herself, when Wes managed to wrap a hand around her wrist at the first attempt she was impressed. Clearly the bookish Brit was more powerful than she gave him credit for. As she shuffled backward clutching Wes tightly she realised that if it wasn't for the worn smoothness of the rock they were on Wes probably could have dragged himself back up.
Then Wes had his elbows on firm rock and was wriggling his own way up. "Well, that was rather thrilling," he managed to gasp out as he flopped up onto the rock, his feet still dangling over the edge.
Buffy accepted Angel's offered hand to pull her to her feet and somehow managed to snuggle her arms around him despite the tiny space as the rest of the gang crowded up behind demanding to know if everyone was okay.
"Fine, fine thank you" Wesley murmured picking himself up, "there seemed to be some kind of narrow rock pathway out there but when I stepped on it a chunk broke off and I became airborne." He explained defensively, "most of the path is still there, we might be able to make it."
"Personally, I'm not fond of the word might." Quipped Xander, "Too uncertain for my liking, whenever someone tells me we might make it, what they really mean is we won't but they're trying not to make you panic so they don't have to deal with you when you panic."
"No, man there really is a path and it looks solid, it's just a well worn little bit right at the mouth of the cave that broke off." Gunn interrupted as he dangled out of the cave, his head poked out and squinting downwards.
"Ohh, then forget I said anything."
Wes nodded and moved to the edge, "well, shall I try that again?"
Buffy stretched up and pressed a kiss to Angel's mouth before letting go and moving to stand beside Wes, "And I'm right behind you ready to catch." She informed him.
"Probably a good idea," agreed Angel.
Wes nodded and swung out of the cave, this time the tiny pathway down held and one by one the gang shuffled out onto the ledge and began inching their way down.