Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

New York City

Matt was packing up his stuff as Faith stood there, conflicted, clearly wanting to come with him.

"Look, you're not doing anything wrong by staying here", Matt assured Faith. "Angel won't hold it against you, he's reasonable, he'll understand why I came and you stayed."

Faith sighed and nodded. "I know, its just….Angel saved me when no one else did, so I wanna come with you, and save him."

"Yeah, but the city still needs Daredevil", Matt pointed out. "And with me not around, you're it. Angel's missing, and so is Cordy, I must find them, I can track them easier."

"Yeah", Faith agreed. "Good luck, but if there's any trouble, call me, because I won't be staying then."

"Noted", Matt said as the two shared a passionate and loving kiss, then parted as Matt walked out of the apartment, leaving Faith behind who decided it was time to be Daredevil again while Matt looked for Angel and Cordelia.

They had gotten the call just 2 days after Mephisto had made his presence known, and but Fred, Gunn and Groo had assured they would find the two, but it had been a good while now and nothing had turned up, so now Matt had decided it was time for him to go.

Plus, Drusilla, the Vampire who had sired Spike and had been sired by Angelus and Darla after they had completely broken her, was also confirmed to be in town, with minions.

Matt knew Drusilla's appearance and the disappearance of Angel and Cordelia at around the same time was no coincidence. So Team Angel, which only had 3 members currently, had to look for Angel and Cordelia, while also trying to protect themselves from Drusilla and her army.

At least with Matt now going, he'd be able to help them out and find Angel and Cordelia. Faith hoped he could, if he didn't, she was going to help him out.

Later, Los Angeles

Matt, now in his Demon-Slayer Daredevil suit, was on top of a rooftop, trying to find where Angel had been before he had disappeared. He had called Team Angel, or what was left of it that is, and let them know what he was doing, so they had decided to leave Angel to him for now at least, hoping he could succeed where they had failed.

Of course smelling would be difficult, since there were a lot of Vampires in Los Angeles, and Ensouled Vampires did not give out any different kind of smell. Matt hoped they did because that would make Angel a LOT easier to find than he was currently.

But of course it wasn't much of a biggie either, Matt could use his senses and find something at least, which would help him in narrowing it down and finding out where Angel was.

As he came near an alley, he smelt something familiar here. Ah! This was quite familiar, he followed that smell to where it was strongest, and came to the back of an alley, the smell was strongest here. And it wasn't that strong, it was quite weak since it had been a while, but it wasn't as weak as it was at other places.

And Matt knew just what this smell was- the product Angel put in his hair! Oh yeah! That made him quite easy to track compared to other Vampires, and Matt had spent enough time with him to know just what he put in his hair.

Angel's reaction on realizing this is how Matt had tracked him down would be quite hilarious, and Matt knew he would find Angel, because he wouldn't rest until he did.

And he knew he won't be doing it alone either.

"You can come out now", Matt called out to the shadows. "I know you're there, and you know it too."

Matt turned around as out of the shadows walked Wesley, still looking as rugged as the last time he and Matt had met. He had a light stubble now, and carried himself quite seriously.

No longer was he the arrogant Watcher who had failed Buffy and Faith and made a fool of himself, he was a battle-hardened warrior himself who had lost a lot in battle, including most of his friends, and his sense of humor.

And that was proven when there were no humorous greetings between the two of them. Wesley immediately got down to business. "So, what did you find here?"

"Angel was here a good while ago", Matt said, not knowing this was the very alley where Drusilla and her mind-controlled followers had captured Angel. "I can track this and find him."

"Let's go then", Wesley said as the two of them moved away.

Matt could tell how much Wesley had changed, but the fact that he was here proved that he still did care about the team in spite of all that had happened between them, and Matt hoped broken bridges could be rebuilt once Angel was saved.

Same time, Cordelia's apartment

"Nothing here?" Gunn asked Groo as the two went through the place, with Fred nearby minding Connor, rocking him while whispering.

"No, there is nothing", Groo informed him. "Nothing to indicate if anything happened to the Princess."

"Well, her car never made it back here", Fred pointed out. "Though yeah, if someone was after her they could have tried to do something at the place too."

"Would Dennis know?" Gunn wondered.

"Who is Dennis?" Groo asked as a chilly wind hit them all.

"That's Dennis", Fred said. "You know anything?"

A page was suddenly ripped out of a nearby notebook as a pen wrote on it, and then it was held up- 'She never returned, and no one came to the house either. I don't know.'

"Looks like he does not", Groo said as all three exchanged regretful looks.

Connor stated crying as Fred rocked him. "No, nothing's wrong, Connor, go to sleep, we are just being silly." She rocked him while singing a little lullaby slowly, and Connor's crying eventually reduced as he went back to sleep.

"You're amazing, you know that?" Gunn asked as he and Fred smiled shared a kiss.

"Thank you, Charles", Fred said as nearby, the ghost of Stick watched the whole thing, unseen by all but Dennis.

Dennis then blew in his ear as Stick said. "I know, I know, nothing here, was just trying to figure out if there could be."

There was another blow in his ear as Stick assured. "Don't worry, windy ghost, I'll let the people who can handle this job know about it, they are much more qualified for this shit than you or me."

He then said. "And besides, why don't you make yourself a visible form? Can't, I guess, huh boy?"

Another wind blew in his ear and Stick shrugged. "Never mind, I'll be leaving now."

With that, Stick dissipated from the area, deciding to inform the person he could while Fred, Gunn and Groo did not find a thing about Cordelia's disappearance here at all, no clue and no sign.

Whatever had happened, her own home was far away from it, and so there was no way of finding anything here, and Angel, who could have found something if he had been here, and Matt was the one who would find him.

New York Sanctum

"I think whoever took Princess timed it just right", Stick told Strange, who seemed quite stressed out. "The Devil came to visit Matty, the two of us got distracted by that, and whoever it was, probably the armored bastard Skip, took the opportunity and scooped her away."

"I think you are right, Stick", Strange agreed with a nod. "Which means I will have to somehow track down the Dimension where she is being held, and get her out of there."

"You look like you haven't slept in a week, Doc, is there a problem?" Stick asked him.

"Well, yes", Strange confessed. "There's this entity called Nightmare who is coming after us Mystics and stealing our energy while we sleep."

"Well, shit", Stick realized. "So you have all become weaker, haven't you?"

"Yeah", Strange nodded. "Which is why I'm trying to deal with him as soon as humanly possible, because trying anything powerful while weak, well, you know-"

"It can lead to a 'kaboom', I know", Stick nodded. "Just be careful Doc, we are being attacked by different enemies from all sides- Mephisto, whoever Skip works for, this Nightmare guy, and I know something really bad is coming, I can feel it. From beneath you it devours."

"Yes", Strange agreed grimly. "Something evil is coming from beneath us, and it is quite hungry as well."

Same time, Los Angeles

"Well, he was near the water", Matt finished saying as he and Wesley stood near the water, this was where they had been led to after Matt had tried tracking Angel with his enhanced smell.

"I believe it is not an unreasonable assumption that whoever took Angel threw him into the ocean", Wesley realized. "Probably at the bottom, and made sure he stays there."

"Well", Matt said as he sensed a boat nearby, with the owner not around. "Have you ever gone on a boat ride?"

Wesley looked at the boat, then at Matt, and knew what the other man was thinking. "Not really for a good while, but I imagine a first experience after a time would do us all good for sure."

A while later, Wesley steered the boat as Matt stood with him, with Wesley flipping a switch and trying to get a readout. "No contact here, we will have to try the next grid from this one."

"Yeah", Matt nodded before asking. "So, how are your days?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do you pass the time now?" Matt asked as Wesley turned to him.

"Well, I do not have much to do considering I made my friends abandon me", Wesley sighed. "Other than…never mind."

"I know what you were going to say", Matt said as Wesley turned to look at him in surprise. "I sniffed her all over you last time we met, just didn't say anything because well, not much point to it." He then assured. "And I still don't care much about it if that's what you're worried about."

Wesley was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded. "Thank you." He didn't say it, but he did want acceptance from his old friends once more, and Matt not judging him made him feel better about himself. Not by much, but it did, and for that, Wesley was grateful to Matt.

"After the whole situation where we had to protect Connor with Blade's help, Lilah actually tried to win me back", Matt revealed with an amused smirk as Wesley continued steering the boat around to reach their destination.

"Really?" Wesley asked, smirking himself, now slowly starting to feel normal.

"Yes, she sent me naked and sexy pictures of herself doing erotic poses to test if I was really blind or not", Matt said and both men burst into laughter at that, Wesley remembering last time he had laughed like this was with Angel when he'd come to believe the fake prophecy was a false one after all.

He had never thought he would laugh like that with anyone ever again. Well, leave it to Matt to prove him wrong, he did that with a lot of people to be fair though.

"I imagine she was disappointed", Wesley said.

"A lot more", Matt revealed. "Because it was Faith who found them. Boy, was she angry."

"At you?" Wesley asked.

"No, at Lilah, and she scratched out Lilah's face from all of the photos, I think its best if Lilah and Faith don't encounter each other after this", Matt said, and the two shared a laugh again, Wesley now feeling a sense of normalcy around his friend once more after a good while.

He just hoped it could be like that with the rest too, as impossible as it sounded, maybe things could get better.

"What happened to Justine?" Wesley then inquired, wishing to pay her back for slicing his throat and taking Connor away from him.

"Mephisto got to her", Matt revealed, surprising Wesley who turned to look at him once more. "He owed us a favor so she, Sahjhan and Holtz are now permanent guests in Hell."

Well, that was a good thing, all three deserved it for trying to ruin the life of an innocent child for varying reasons.

"Good", Wesley said coldly, then continued steering the boat up ahead as the two were silent once more, thinking about the important stuff, like where to find Angel.

Hyperion Hotel

Fred, Gunn and Groo with baby Connor in Fred's arms arrived back at the hotel, walking inside as Gunn said. "Hope Matt has more luck than we did."

"He will, he succeeds where we fail, I mean, he is part of the reason why Thanos' snap was undone", Fred reminded, and Gunn had to concede to that.

Then, Groo's ears perked up as he looked up, alert, and Gunn asked. "What's the matter, man?"

"Go inside, act like nothing is happening, put the child away", Groo whispered, and without acting like they'd acknowledged him, both Fred and Gunn walked inside, Fred deciding to get baby Connor in his room quickly.

That was when Groo spun around and caught a knife being hurled at them, as Holtz's men sprang out of bushes.

"You people", Groo sneered as he threw the knife back, getting one man in the chest, and quickly shut the door just as Fred and Gunn came down. "It is Holtz's men, barricade the door."

"On it", Fred said as she and Gunn picked up various desks and chairs and put those in front of the door as the men tried to break through from the other side.

"Won't hold them for long", Gunn said grimly.

"Enough time to get ready", Groo told him as he rushed to the weapons cabinet and opened it, taking out a sword, while he tossed Fred another, and Gunn got his ax, just as the doors burst open.

Holtz's men charged as Groo struck first, slicing down one, then kicked another away by many feet before tripping a third, while Gunn struck another down and blocked the next one's blow, then kicked him back as Fred held her one against another, blocking his blows while backing off, then managed to get through his defenses and slice his abdomen, sending him to the ground.

But they were too many, and some of them managed to get past the three and run up the stairs, while the three were busy holding the rest of them back.

Groo picked another by the throat and hurled him away into another, then elbowed another out in a spin motion before stabbing one more.

Gunn got behind one and knocked him down with a blow from his ax, then blocked the next one's blows before pushing him away, and then knocked him down.

Fred barely ducked a thug's swing and stabbed him in the side, taking him down too.

They made to follow the ones who had gone upstairs but more kept coming, and then walked in Drusilla, dropping their jaws. None had really seen her before, but her presence was enough to make a chill run down their spines.

"Who are you?" Groo asked, pointing his sword as more men came in.

"I am Connor's grandmum, bad people, stopping me from seeing him", Drusilla said, clapping hysterically with a crazy smirk.

"Drusilla", Gunn realized as the men attacked again, and the three held them back.

Matt and Wesley stopped their boat over a portion of the water as Wesley asked. "So, you're going to do something."

"Radar sense, that's what I had all along, didn't realize it till recently when I learnt to master it", Matt explained as he stood at boat's edge, and his brain generated electromagnetic waves which traveled outward, into the water.

A while later, they bounced back and he felt the shape of what was down at the seabed, and also the lingering smell of the product he had sniffed up until here, and that confirmed his findings so far.

"Angel is down there", Matt said with firm conviction in his voice. "Locked in a box."

"I'll get him", Wesley assured as he put on a diving mask.

A while later, the beam of Wesley's flashlight looked around in the water, before eventually finding the lid of Angel's coffin, illuminating his pale and cracked face, and making him blink.

Later, Matt and Wesley stood as the ship's hoist slowly hauled the coffin aboard.

Wesley then lit a blowtorch and burnt through the welds securing the sidebars. "Matt, come on."

Wesley slid the bars out and then he and Matt lifted the lid off the coffin. Wesley then cut the steel cords holding Angel immobile.

Matt started. "He looks weak, I think we-"

Angel's hand suddenly shot up in the direction of Wesley's throat but Matt grabbed it before it could touch his throat, before pulling it away, Angel letting him as it was laid back down on his chest.

"You are right, he is weak", Wesley agreed as lay Angel down on the table in the main cabin, then pulled some glass jars filled with dark liquid.

"Animal blood", Matt realized as Wesley lifted Angel's head and tried to get him to drink some of the blood. "A Vampire can exist indefinitely without feeding, but the damage to the higher brain functions from prolonged starvation can be catastrophic." Angel started to cough. "Slowly."

Angel still didn't seem healthy enough as Matt said. "He's been down there for a while, he might need more than pig's blood."

Wesley then pulled out a knife, and Matt offered his hand, but Wesley cut the inner side of his left forearm instead. "It's the least I could do", he told Matt, then turned to Angel.

Wesley then held the cut down over Angel's lips. Angel's hands came up and he held Wesley's arm in place as he drank, but he didn't morph into his Vamp face.

Same time, Wolfram and Hart

Lilah was alone in the meeting room. She stood behind Linwood's chair and caressed the headrest. The doors opened and Lilah moved down to a place about halfway down the table as people moved to take their seats.

Linwood then started the meeting. "Alright, we've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get right to it. Let's talk about Lilah. Everybody had a chance to review her file?" He nodded around the table. "Good. Recommendations?"

Lilah raised a hand. "If I could just have a few minutes to explain..."

Linwood cut her off. "Your record says all. Volumes. Your failures at Wolfram and Hart outstrip your successes by and uncomfortable margin. Perhaps you would fair better at a less central office."

Lilah whispered. "I'm sorry."

"What was that?"

"I said, I'm sorry. I've made mistakes, but fear was never one of them", Lilah spoke to them all, defending herself.

Linwood asked. "Is there something you would like to share?"

Lilah pointed out with a question of her own. "Why haven't we contained the Vampire offspring for study?"

Linwood shrugged. "We're assessing that situation."

Lilah wasn't convinced. "The same way you're assessing Angel? Then why aren't we trying to pinpoint Angel's location?"

"Lilah, this is my corner of the sky. I decide when the sun rises and when it sets", Linwood boasted. "Lack of long-term vision has always been one of your shortcomings."

Lilah stood up, holding a Palm-pilot and stylus. "And lack of courage has always been one of yours. You're afraid - of Angel and his son, a baby. Matt too, but that's understandable. But this all is the reason for your daring strategy of 'wait and see', isn't it? You're afraid. And fear breeds weakness."

Linwood said. "Oh. I'm hurt. Is that really what you think of me?"

Lilah nodded. "Yes. And Mr. Suvarta agrees with me."

Linwood was now angry. "You spoke to a Senior Partner?"

Lilah told him. "He was really very helpful. He had some great hints on office furniture."

Linwood snapped. "This is outrageous! Are you actually telling me that you went over my head?"

Lilah touched her stylus to the palm-pilot in her hand. There was an electronic beep - then a blade whipped out of the backrest on Linwood's chair slicing quickly and neatly through his neck. "Just under it, actually." Linwood's head, staring eyes fixed, slowly tumbled forward and rolled down the table.

Lilah told the rest of them. "Mr. Suvarta didn't think Linwood's sky was sunny enough. You're all reporting to me now." She sat down. "Get out."

Everyone quickly and quietly got up and filed out the room.

"Someone, please remove that."

Lilah gave them a slight smile, then indicated the decapitated head with her stylus. "And do it right now."

The others all gave nervous smiles at that.

Same time, Hyperion Hotel

Gunn knocked another man away, but was hit from behind by another one, being thrown down, while Fred was disarmed as two men pinned her to the wall, while the ones who had gone up came down, carrying Connor in their arms.

"NO!" Fred screamed but was restrained still as Groo raised his sword to attack Drusilla but she looked into his eyes as he was hypnotized and froze in place.

The man then handed baby Connor over to Drusilla as she looked at him with a creepy smile, and he opened his eyes, seeming afraid.

"Oh hello there, I am your grandmum", Drusilla put a hand to her chest, then laughed crazily. "We haven't met before, but that's because your daddy burnt me, and your mum left me alone." Drusilla looked like she was going to cry. "You are alone too, the only one like you is not here", she laughed crazily and took Vamp face. "Now we can be together, my child. Grandmum will take good care of you."

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Fred screamed but Drusilla ignored her, caressing Connor's face with a smirk.

Then suddenly one of the guys holding Fred got a knife through the throat, and fell down, dead. Before anyone could react, the next one was impaled, and then shoved down to reveal Spike.

"Ello luv", Spike turned to Drusilla with a smirk, greeting her.

"Spike", Drusilla snarled angrily as she turned and fled as Spike tried to run to her. One minion attacked but Spike snapped his neck, then kicked the next down before spin kicking a third, then struck the next multiple times, knocking him down as well, before leaping and kicking the next one away.

Drusilla had reached the door when Fred picked up Gunn's crossbow and fired, getting her in the back as she gasped, but still ran off as Spike punched another guy in the gut, taking him down as well.

"These are like bloody cockroaches", Spike snarled as he rushed out the door after Dru.

That was when Matt and Wesley came in, supporting Angel.

"I believe you're looking for this", Wesley said as Angel raised his head and looked at them.

"Angel", Fred said, now having a smile as she, Gunn and Groo hurried towards them.

"Is he gonna be all right?" Gunn asked.

"In time", Wesley assured as the three took over.

"Do not worry Angel, you will be all right", Groo assured him.

Wesley then turned to leave as Matt called out. "Wes?"

Wesley turned as Matt said. "Thank you."

Wesley nodded and walked off as Matt told the rest. "Angel will need more blood." He then sensed the scattered items and bodies and asked. "What happened here?"

"Dru", Gunn revealed as Fred started feeding Angel more pig's blood. "She took Connor."

Matt's face turned grim as Fred added. "Spike went after them."

"Spike?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, he was here, guess he heard his ex was in town and came to finish the job", Gunn realized and Matt nodded.

"Take care of him, I'm going after them, you can follow me once he's up", Matt said before he ran out himself, and then he jumped onto a rooftop, following the trail.

It wasn't that hard for him, he'd get them.

Drusilla looked at a baby crib which was made from iron bars with spikes on the top, and put Connor down on it, looking down at him crazily. "We will live together now, forever. We won't be alone anymore." Connor began to cry as Drusilla whispered to him. "Don't cry, we'll be together."

That was when the door burst open and Spike stood there, blood over him and his sword.

Before he could make a move, he was suddenly dogpiled by multiple Vampires, and started struggling with them as Dru pointed to her head. "Head." She pointed to the Vamps. "Mine." She laughed. "Not just humans. Us too."

Spike, who had spent years with her, knew what she was implying, and snarled. "So you can make anyone you want your good little puppy, eh love?"

Spike's sword had fallen off during the struggle and Drusilla picked it up, holding it under his chin as he was restrained by the other Vampires. "A new mummy and her baby will need a daddy."

"Sorry, luv," Spike smirked. "I'm spoken for."

Drusilla frowned and kicked his face, sending him falling down.

That was when they heard sounds of fighting outside.

Spike took the opportunity and pushed the Vampires off of him before grabbing the sword and snatching it while decking Drusilla's face, sending her back as she picked herself up and fled.

Spike then chopped off one Vamp's head before kicking another's face, and then staked a third before chopping off a fourth one's head.

Daredevil staked a Vampire, then leapt onto a wall to avoid the next and leapt down, staking that one too, then shot his foot backwards as a human was kicked away, before he spun and tripped the next one, then threw his stake, staking another Vampire in his way.

As a human attacked, Daredevil broke his arm and punched his face and chest, knocking him down.

During the same time, in another hallway, Team Angel were fighting too, having arrived via car, Angel now good enough to stand and fight.

Angel chopped off the heads of 2 Vampires in a spin motion, dusting them both as Gunn blocked a guy's strike and knocked him down, with Groo slicing two guys simultaneously, and Fred staked another Vampire.

Angel sniffed and went ahead, knocking a guy to a corner and throwing a stake at another Vampire, getting that one and then spinning to chop off another Vamp's head.

He then held out his hand, catching Drusilla just as she appeared in his way, and turned her to face him. "Where's my son?" He roared at her face.

Suddenly, Angel convulsed and fell down, Drusilla having tasered him again, and then she turned to flee, only to run into Spike, now standing in her way as he wrapped his arms around her.

Drusilla smiled, realizing her Spike had accepted her once more, and she was happy to be with him as she wrapped her arms around him as well.

Then suddenly Drusilla gasped and backed away, shaking, while Spike stood in place, unmoved.

Drusilla backed a little more and looked down at the stake in her heart, then looked back up at Spike.

"My Spike."

Drusilla, the second youngest member of the Whirlwind, and the only remaining one without a soul, turned to dust with the stake, the world freed of her terror at last.

Spike continued staring at the speck of dust and shook his head.

"Not yours. Not anymore."

Angel groaned as Spike walked to him and held out his hand, and Angel took it begrudgingly. Spike gestured to the direction he'd come from. "Your boy's over there."

Angel nodded and said. "Thanks."

He moved off as Spike shrugged. "Don't think of it, mate. Just remember, it was William the Bloody who helped save your boy."

Angel shook his head. Some things just never changed.

He then then arrived at the room and saw Connor in the crib, now silent. Angel's heart would have skipped a beat if it did beat.

Holding out his hands, he carefully picked up his son from the crib, and looking down at him, smiled, rocking him gently as he kissed his forehead. "Hey, buddy, you miss Daddy? Daddy missed you."

Later, Hyperion Hotel

"Well, my job's done, Buffy would stake me if I'm late", Spike said as Matt chuckled, and the two shook hands before sharing a friendly hug. "Nice seeing ya again, mate. We'll meet again."

Angel looked infuriated at Spike being buddy-buddy with Matt as Spike looked at him and waved before walking off. "See you around, mate."

He was gone as Fred told Angel. "Nice to have you back."

"Yeah", Angel nodded, rocking Connor in his arms again. "But I need Cordy." He looked at the rest of them. "Now." He declared to them all. "Wherever she is, whatever she's going through, we have to find her."

"I can try to find her", Matt offered when suddenly he heard someone walk up next to him, and sighed.

"No can do, Matty", Stick said as Matt turned to him.

"What's the matter?" Matt asked Stick, as the others were confused, since Matt appeared to be talking to thin air to them.

"Has he gone mad?" Groo asked.

"Remember when Mephisto came to visit you?" Stick asked and Matt nodded.

"What about that?" Matt asked him.

"Well, during that time, someone took a chance and absconded with Princess, I don't think she's in this Dimension anymore", Stick revealed as Matt's face turned grim. "And the Mystics are dealing with some Nightmare guy who's stealing their power so Strange can't find her yet."

Matt looked down as Stick said. "I'm sorry, Matty."

He then disappeared as Matt turned to the rest. "It was Stick."

"Ah, your mentor's ghost", Fred realized and got a nod.

"So, no crazy yet", Gunn told Groo.

"What happened?" Angel asked.

Matt sighed regretfully and told the rest. "When Mephisto had come to visit me, some being absconded with Cordelia to another Dimension, and the Mystics are dealing with this Nightmare guy who is stealing their power, so Strange can't find her right now." He told them sadly. "I'm sorry guys."

Angel, Fred, Gunn and Groo shared sad and shocked looks as Connor, sensing something was wrong, began to cry.

There was a panorama of glowing, heavenly clouds. And then there was a bright, white light. Cordelia's face became visible in the center of it.

"God, I am so bored."

Chapter Text

New York City

Matt returned home, sharing a kiss with Faith as she asked. "So, Angel's fine now, right?"

"Yeah", Matt nodded, having told her over the phone where she had also talked to Angel, though he sounded weakened, but that was understandable considering what he had gone through. "He needs to nourish himself with more blood for the time being, but he will be good in a bit."

Faith nodded, sighing in relief that her best friend would be fine after all, and then she asked. "And there's nothing about Cordelia, right?"

"No", Matt shook his head grimly. "We know nothing, other than some higher being took her away, we don't even know what for, bad, or not so bad."

"And Strange can't help because of the Nightmare guy", Faith noted and Matt nodded.

"Yeah, he can't help because of Nightmare", Matt said with a sigh as he sat down. "So it is up to us to find Cordelia. Angel and his team are going to be on it once Angel's fully healthy again, hope they have more luck than I did in that department, since I went to the area where her car was found, but got nothing."

"Well, she's not in this Dimension so I don't think much would be found", Faith sighed, and they sat silently for a few minutes, thinking about the whole thing and wondering where it could go from there.

"Well, until we get something, I guess its best to live our lives normally, as normal as they are, Cordy would want us to", Matt finally told Faith.

"Yeah", Faith nodded, not disagreeing with Matt one bit, because the high school bitch persona of Cordelia was just a front now, and behind it, she cared for other people a lot more than she cared for herself. "In that case, I think I should find a job or something, don't you think? And I don't need to be your secretary, Karen's got a handle on that, two secretaries would just overstuff it all, don't you think?"

"Yeah, not wrong about that, 2 secretaries would be too much, so, what do you think?" Matt asked, and Faith thought about it.

"Well, being a vigilante, I'm doing analytical thinking more, so now its not just fighting and staking, I use my brain, think stuff, and plan accordingly, maybe my mind's skills can come in handy somewhere", Faith suggested.

Matt thought about it for a few seconds and asked. "You wanna be a PI or something? I imagine you would have good detective skills. Maybe you should work with Jessica or something?"

"Let's see….." Faith wondered as both of them thought about what could happen in a scenario such as the one Matt had just mentioned.

"So, what's your problem?" Faith asked the woman who had just arrived.

"My dog went missing", the woman told the two of them. "I think aliens took it."

"Good God woman, get out of here!" Jessica snapped, annoyed by her story. Clients with silly alien stories always annoyed her.

The woman gasped at Jessica's rudeness.

"Maybe they did take it though", Faith suggested, trying to be reasonable. "I mean, we do know aliens exist."

"And what would they want with a fucking dog?" Jessica then asked Faith.

"Well, maybe the dog's just missing and she thinks aliens took it", Faith suggested. "Either way, we should help her."

"I don't help clients with shitty stories", Jessica shrugged as she took a sip from her flask.

"I'm saying there's a grain of truth in the story", Faith pointed out.

"Peck it out yourself", Jessica said, now getting into Faith's face. "Don't make me run on a goose chase."

"Oh yeah? And you call yourself a PI", Faith snarled, getting into Jessica's face, as the woman just sighed and walked off, saddened.

"Yeah, not a good idea", Matt said and both nodded in agreement.

"Yep, let's just leave it at that", Faith said too, agreeing with Matt there.

"So, what else do you want to do?" Matt asked.

"Well, I could work in Luke's club", Faith suggested. "Not sure I'd like to be a waitress or bartender though, you know how things can go wrong there….."

Faith made a drink and handed it over to the guy. "Here."

"Thank you", he said before walking off, and then another arrived, looking her up and down.

"Can I help you?" Faith asked, though she already didn't like the look he was giving her. She had seen it on many men. "You want a drink?"

"Yes, I want to drink you", the man said with a lecherous smile, infuriating Faith, though she was going to control herself right now.

"I'm sorry, I'm not on the menu", Faith said in a forced polite tone, only for the man to reach over the counter and grab her arm.

"I heard this place gives the best service, don't deny me what I want", he said.

Faith grabbed his arm, twisting it, making him scream in pain, and then decked his face, sending him falling to the ground as all attention was attracted to them now.

"Psycho bitch!" The man screamed, pointing at her. "The bitch attacked me!"

Before Faith could say anything, various people now raised their guns here and there to fight, as the man was part of a gang.

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke groaned at things getting this out of hand while Faith sighed.

"Yeah, very wrong, very, very wrong", Faith finally told Matt. "And you know I don't do diplomacy well, no matter what my state of mind is."

"Can't disagree there either", Matt said with a sigh. "So, what do you think you should do?"

"I think we can figure it out together, hopefully", Faith said and Matt nodded, the two kissing each other on the lips before walking off to do their part of the work in the house, and at night, they would go out as vigilantes again to take out crime in the city.

Night time

Matt and Faith jumped down between the thugs, and before they could raise their guns, Matt hurled his Billy club, disarming one, while Faith kicked the table, hitting them as they fell down, now all of them disarmed.

As the thugs tried to get up, Matt grabbed one's arm and twisted it before elbowing him out while Faith flipped another down and kicked him away into another, taking down both of them quite easily.

Matt flipped to avoid another one trying to strike him from behind and ended up behind him, giving him a push kick which sent him staggering forwards, and then Matt spin kicked his head, taking him out easily.

Faith spun and elbowed one thug in the gut, taking him out, then raised her foot, kicking another right on the throat as he was taken out too, and then grabbed another by the head and threw him off into a corner as he was taken out as well.

One managed to take out his gun but Matt flipped and kicked it out of his hand into the air, and then leapt and kicked him hard on the head, taking him down as well.

He was the last one that the two of them had taken out together here, and then Faith asked. "Maybe I can be a fight trainer, what do you think about that?"

"Oh yeah, how could we not realize it? Plus, Colleen reopened her dojo a while ago, I think she can have you around", Matt suggested, and Faith nodded at that.

Next day

"Well, work hours are flexible, it can be whenever you are free to go", Colleen shrugged. "And when you want, we can begin it, not to worry, the place is new, its not going to run smoothly yet."

"I'll take it", Faith said firmly.

"All right", Colleen said as she held out her hand. "We're in business, and there's nothing legally binding, if you want to leave, you are free to do so."

"Thanks", Faith smiled as she held out her hand and shook it with Colleen.

Later

"Well, that went well", Faith told Matt as they ate lunch together. "Now I have a job, hell yeah!"

"Congratulations", Matt said as both of them smiled at each other, and then ate in silence for a while, at least now one mess had been solved.

"I think I should do something more though", Faith then said.

"Like, more than one job at once?" Matt asked.

"No, I meant more in the sense of education", Faith clarified to Matt. "Like, there would be online college courses, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, but what kind do you want?" Matt then asked her. "There's a whole lot of stuff you can study, from science, to even legal, you know, then you don't have to be my secretary, then we can actually be partners in our firm, and change the name to 'Lehane, Nelson, Murdock and Page'."

The two of them laughed at imagining the whole thing, and how long the name of the firm would be in a case like that as well, and then Faith said. "Yeah, that would be fun, but after you made me read Tolkien, I wanna read more literature."

"Oh, sure, there would be courses for that too", Matt shrugged. "You can do some stuff after that's done as well."

"Well, I'd love trying my hand at a book of my own", Faith said with a smile, and Matt nodded. "What? I thought you'd laugh."

"When I first met you, I would have. Now? No", Matt shrugged and shook his head.

"Well then", Faith shrugged.

And with that, Faith registered for a college course about Shakespeare and his plays.

Faith looked around at the place, which she didn't seem to recognize, though it looked familiar, and then hearing sounds of fighting, went down below, and her jaw dropped at what she was witnessing.

Buffy, Spike, Peter, and various girls she didn't recognize at all were in battle against a huge army of creatures, and she couldn't exactly make out what they were.

Then she heard grunting behind her and turned to see Matt shaking violently, and before she could do a thing, he transformed into Abaddon and let out a loud roar before flying into the battle.

"Oh, hey Faith."

Faith turned to see the Mayor standing there, and he waved to her. "How do you do? Not too bad I hope. In relationship with the Devil himself, and a job and a college course as well, daddy approves."

"Don't need it", Faith shook her head, as the Mayor chuckled, sounding mirthful, like he always was, even in the worst of situations.

"Well then why are you there and not here, huh?" The Mayor asked, gesturing to the great battle.

Faith woke up with a gasp, looking around and panting, and Matt sat up next to her.

"What is it?" He asked gently. "Any problem? Nightmare?"

"Yeah", Faith nodded with a sigh. "Some great battle, and I wasn't helping."

"It was just a dream", Matt assured.

"Could be, but it felt too real", Faith told him. "No idea about it though."

"Not to worry, Faith, if there is something we'll deal with it", Matt assured. "After we find Cordy that is."

"Yeah, I'm guessing Angel and his team would be on it", Faith commented and got a nod in return. "Hope they can find her, at least Angel's fine and with his boy again."

"Yeah, that's a good thing, and Drusilla's gone too", Matt told her. "Let's just hope they can do it, and if they can't, we shall go help them out."

"Yup", Faith nodded as they kissed and lay back down again, but for reasons neither of the two could tell right now, they had a feeling that the dream Faith had was a lot more than just a dream.

Soon, they would realize that their feeling was right, like usual.

Next morning

Matt and Faith were preparing to go out when Matt got a call on his cell, and picked it up. "Yeah?"

Faith looked at Matt as he continued talking for a few minutes, his face turning grim with each passing minute, and he nodded grimly. "Okay."

He cut the call and Faith asked him. "What's the matter?"

"It was Angel", Matt told Faith. "He used something called the Axis of Pythia to track down the Dimension where Cordelia is."

"And?" Faith asked.

"She works for the Higher Beings now, Angel said she looked happy", Matt said. "So there's no conspiracy or anything." Matt looked down sadly. "She's not coming back."

Both of them felt their hearts break at this news, as Faith walked to Matt, and both of them held hands, trying to comfort each other at the loss of Cordelia.

Up in the clouds, Cordelia watched both Angel and Matt and called out. "What are you two?! Deficient? Get me out of here!" She then saw Strange too and added. "And you! Why the hell haven't you tracked me yet! Help!"

Chapter Text

Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel

"Where's Winnie? There she is!" Fred said, playing peek-a-boo with Connor, as he laughed, and she gave a smile.

Fred continued playing as the door then opened and in came Angel and Gunn, holding a sword and ax respectively, both covered in green gut slime, making Fred cringe.

"So I'm guessing you won", Fred commented.

"Yeah, but damn this is….eeeugh!" Gunn said, putting his ax back in place. "Man, I'm exhausted."

"You're not wrong, we've been trying to hold up the fort for a while, and it's been really hard", Fred agreed with a nod. "This is getting tiresome."

"How about a retreat?" Angel finally suggested. "I mean, Groo just took a holiday of his own, didn't he? I think that would be a good thing for us all too, what do ya say?"

"So, where are we going? Like some spiritual journey?" Fred then asked.

"Yeah, like when Willow stayed at that Sanctorum to control her magic?" Gunn asked as well.

"Exactly like that", Angel said as he patted their shoulders and walked off.

New York City

Matt got a call and asked. "Yeah, Angel?"

Faith looked at him as Matt nodded. "Oh! All right, yeah, that'd be good."

Matt cut the call as Faith asked. "What happened?"

"Angel has suggested a retreat", Matt told Faith as he put the plates away.

"What, some spiritual journey?" Faith asked, as she'd love to come to that one too.

"No, it's a trip to Las Vegas to meet Lorne, and you know I can't say no to that", Matt pointed as Faith's eyes widened in realization and she nodded.

"Right", she said. "Of course, he's your singing buddy, definitely can't say no to that for sure."

"So, you're coming?" Matt then asked her.

"Nah", Faith shook her head. "Vegas ain't my thing nowadays, would have been 4 years ago though. But anyway, I will still come till LA, I can babysit Connor. He needs to know his fun aunt Faith."

The two chuckled as Matt said. "Sure."

He then walked off to his room and felt Stick appear next to him. "Hello Stick."

"Vegas, eh? Have fun there. Strange is still at it with Nightmare", Stick informed Matt who simply gave a nod.

"Can you watch over Faith and Connor for me?" Matt then requested.

"Oh bloody hell no!" Stick immediately shook his head. "I ain't a babysitter."

"Aw come on Stick, it'll be fun, I mean, you enjoy kids", Matt accused him playfully.

"No I don't, get these illusions out of your head, Matty", Stick told him with a growl.

"I can't get illusions, I can't see", Matt pointed out. "Come on, its not for too long, just a little."

"No!"

"Please?"

"Okay fine, you owe me for this", Stick said with a scoff as Matt chuckled at that.

Later, Hyperion Hotel

The doors opened as Matt and Faith walked in. "Hey guys."

Angel hugged both Matt and Faith, then his nose twitched as he sniffed them. "You two…" He trailed off, now getting uncomfortable as he realized what they had done.

"Well, it was a 3 hour flight, we got bored", Faith said with a shrug as Matt chuckled and Angel groaned, and she walked off, sharing a hug with Fred.

"There they are", Gunn said as he walked down with baby Connor in his arms, and Faith took the baby from him.

"Hey there little kiddo", Faith said, cooing at him. "Today you get to know your fun aunt Faith", she then raised her eyebrow and said in a mock threatening tone. "You better like her."

"Good luck", Faith then said to them all.

"Thanks", Fred said to him with a smile as she, Angel and Gunn picked up their bags. Matt already had his.

"Have fun", Faith said to them while sharing a kiss on the lips with Matt.

"We will, and you have fun too", Matt said as the four walked out, waving to Faith, and Faith also lifted baby Connor's hand to give them a cute little wave.

Later

The group soon reached Las Vegas on their drive, Angel having revealed he had been here before and cryptically adding that he wanted Lorne to set him on his destiny once more as well.

As they went further into the city, Fred and Gunn looked around, awed by the sight of the place, it was even better than what they had imagined, and being part of it would be even more fun for sure.

"I can hear the neon", Matt commented as he turned his head here and there. "A lot of it."

"Who the hell hears neon?" Gunn asked at that point.

Matt said with a smirk. "Luke actually asked that once."

"No way!" Gunn went fanboy briefly for that moment.

"Oh God", Fred groaned before telling them. "The place Lorne is singing at is called the Tropicana."

Gunn was surprised to hear that. "The Tropicana? The Tropicana? That can't be right."

Fred was confused at Gunn's reaction. "Why not?"

Angel explained to her. "Ah, the Tropicana is a pretty high profile casino, not some low-key, out-of-the-way dive."

"Yeah", Matt added with a nod. "It's not a place one would expect to see supernatural stuff, because in that case it would be exposed to the whole world."

Angel then finished. "And looking the way Lorne does, you have to go some place a little more, you know, discreet."

Fred focused on something up the road. "Uhm, how discreet, exactly?"

Angel stopped beside a huge billboard advertising Lorne, the green, velvet fog and his exclusive engagement at the Tropicana.

"Definitely not that much", Gunn said lamely.

There was applause as scantily clad girls in green makeup and red horns pranced across the stage fluttering huge fans made out of fluffy white feathers. They put the fans together and Lorne slowly rose up out of the middle of them.

Matt, Gunn, Fred and Angel were sitting at one of the tables just off the stage stare as Lorne began to croon.

"It's not that easy being green. Having to spend each day the color of the leaves. When I think it could be nicer being red or yellow or..."

Gunn noted to the rest of them. "No one seems to be bothered by the fact that he's a demon."

Fred was grinning: "They must think it's all makeup - like the blue man group." She then turned to Matt and Angel. "You don't think the blue man group..."

Angel supplied to her. "Only two of them."

"Yeah, guessing Demons here can blend in by using makeup as an excuse", Matt agreed with a nod.

"Oh, but green's the color of spring, and green can be cool and friendly like. Oh, and green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree. Oh, when green is all there is to green it could make you wonder why, but why wonder why wonder. I am green and it'll do fine. It's beautiful and I think it's what I want to be."

"This is great, his singing is still as amazing as before", Matt said as the whole crowd applauded, Team Angel included, though Angel joined somewhat hesitantly.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! You know, I got to tell you folks, I got to tell you, you are by far the kickingest crowd that I had the privilege of performing to here at the Tropicana."

There was even more applause.

"Yes! Yes, that's right. Give it up for your sweet selves. Alright!" Lorne then loosened his tie. "Now, you know what? Just for you guys, I think it's time we cranked things up a notch. What do you say?" There was cheering. "Here, you go, honey." Lorne dropped his tie down into the crowd. "Yeah. Maestro, give me some drums, si'l vous plait." Drums played. "Ah, that's it! That's it! Paco, give me a little bass! Ah, merci, merci! Now all I need is a little help from my Lornettes!"

The stage curtain opened to reveal the dancing girls from earlier, and the crowd cheered. "Yeah! Strut it, girls! Yeah. Come on girls!" Lorne jumped off the stage launching into "Lady Marmalade."

Fred let out a scream and clapped wildly. Gunn and Angel turned to stare at her. Fred brushed her hair back behind her ear. "He's very good."

They all turned back to watch Lorne perform, though Matt now had a frown on his face, because he could Lorne's heartbeat, and it was beating really fast, as if he was scared.

Why?

At one point Lorne held the mic in front of a guy wearing a suit, who complied by singing the next line, and Lorne's heartbeat rose at that in panic.

The crowd cheered.

A little while later Lorne offered the mic to a middle-aged lady to sing another line as he worked his way through the crowd, and his heartrate rose at that once more.

Fred then said excitedly. "Oh, here he comes! He's gonna plotz when he sees us."

"Huh-uh", Gunn nodded before adding a warning. "He better not stick that damn mic in my face. Best to do it to Matt."

"Oh, come on, Charles. It's all in fun. Besides, you have a nice voice", Fred assured him. "Though yeah, Matt's is much better, right Matt?"

Matt didn't respond as Angel commented. "He's gone."

Lorne walked right past them, never even so much as glancing in their direction as Matt heard Lorne's heart beat a LOT faster than it had so far when he had briefly glanced at the four of them.

Something just wasn't right here, and now they all needed to find out why.

Fred, not having Matt's senses, was disappointed. "He just went right by."

Gunn was relieved that he didn't have to sing. "Oh. Well - good."

Lorne offered the mic to a cute young lady in a light blue dress and she sang the next few lines before he asked with a laugh. "All right! Well, you're just a tickle-me cutie! What's your name, peach pie?"

The girl introduced herself. "Vivian."

Lorne noted. "Oh, Viv, looks like you got a little celebration going on here."

Vivian revealed to him. "Ah, well, a going away party actually."

Lorne asked as a joke. "Going away? Honey, we just met! Where are you going?"

Vivian said. "Paris. I was just accepted to a culinary school there."

"Oh, well, isn't that great? How about sending a little goodwill to our chef of the future?" The crowd cheered. "Ah, yes, marvelous. Thank you honey." He fake kissed Vivian. "And Vivian, I only have one thing to say to you..." With that Lorne launched into the rest of the song, walking back up onto the stage.

Gunn and Fred were watching and smiling, but Angel looked less enthusiastic, and Matt even less, considering how much Lorne was panicking on the inside while talking to Vivian.

A while later Matt, Angel, Fred and Gunn were waiting among a group of other fans at the backstage entrance as Fred said excitedly. "This was just - wow! Wasn't it? I-I mean the laser lights, the Lornette girls, and hello! Thirty piece orchestra?"

"Yeah, but I still don't know why he dissed us during the sing-a-long", Fred gave Gunn a look. "It's just nice to be asked, is all."

Angel said with a shrug. "Ah, I don't know. I thought it was a little over produced for my tastes. It's like I told Sammy Davis at the Sands: 'when you, Frank and Dean are the meal, you don't need the trimmings.'"

Gunn was surprised once more. "Hold on. You knew the rat-pack?"

Angel revealed. "Know them? No. I met them - once. Twice. For drinks. Maybe it was three times. I did have a life before you guys came along."

Matt so far hadn't responded and told the team. "Lorne was scared."

"Scared of what? Us? Regular folk terrify him from up there or what?" Gunn asked as Matt sighed.

"It's not that Gunn, I've heard the guy's heartbeat enough to know when he's calm, nervous and fearful, and he was really scared right now", Matt told them all. "And when he approached people to sing, it got worse, and when he glanced at us briefly, it was even worse. Something is going on."

Lorne then stepped out of the stage door and the crowd in the hallway begins to cheer and shout.

"Hi! How are you?"

Fred called out to him. "Lorne! Lorne, it's us!"

Lorne signed some autographs for people in the front, but never really looked at any of the gang. "Hey! Love ya."

"We love you t... Wait." Fred then turned to Gunn. "That was him being superficial, wasn't it?"

Lorne turned away towards his dressing room, flanked by two security guards. Angel tried to follow. "Hey, Lorne, wait."

Two more security guards stopped Angel. "Whoa. Easy, okay? I know him. I just wanna say hello."

"You and everybody else, pal."

"Like I said, something is wrong", Matt said again, having heard Lorne's heartrate rise into a panic again when Fred had called out to him.

A while later, the four of them were sitting at the blackjack table as Angel told them. "I'll see what I can do, try to get him a message."

Fred was winning constantly, and Gunn stayed silent, while Matt nodded as Angel got up to do what he'd said.

His senses then picked up something else- the people here around the casino were really monotone. All they did was play the slot machines, that was it. Their heartbeats were dull and slow, and they smelt like some of them hadn't showered, or brushed their teeth, or even ate, in weeks.

He got up and told the two. "I'll be back."

With that, he walked off, turning his head here and there as he felt the people around. First Lorne being afraid, and now these monotone people, he had to find out what was going on here real soon.

He also heard the woman from before, Vivian, being admitted to the 'Spin to Win' game, and then he realized 2 bouncers were following him.

So he held out his hand a little to add to the act that he was a blind man, only to hear Angel being dragged out by 2 more of them.

At that moment, he walked off into a small crowd, losing the bouncers in the process because when they walked into the crowd, he was gone.

Outside, the guards were beating on Angel when Matt, now in a mask, leapt behind them and kicked both of them on their heads, sending them falling forwards as Angel rolled out of the way to avoid, and as they fell, he stomped on both of their heads, knocking them out at last.

Angel then got up and asked Matt. "You always carry a mask?"

"Never leave home without it", Matt shrugged.

"This place was so much friendlier when the mob ran it", Angel quipped as Matt took off his mask, and then he heard Vivian walking on the street, to a taxi driving past.

Angel grabbed hold of her and swung her out of the car's path as the driver yelled. "Idiot!"

"You all right?" Angel asked Vivian.

"Fine", she muttered.

"Where were you trying to go to?" Angel then inquired.

Vivian simply held up a big plastic cup. ""I've ran out of quarters. I need more quarters. Have to play to win."

She walked off as Matt walked next to Angel said. "The people in there, a good number of them have been doing nothing but playing 'Spin to Win' for weeks, we need to find out what's going."

"Right", Angel said in agreement as they walked in. "You get Lorne, I'll see about this game."

"Good plan", Matt agreed as they split up, and Matt walked to Fred and Gunn. "Come on, we're going to get Lorne."

"Sure", Gunn said as they got up and managed to reach the hallway from before, Fred and Gunn hiding.

"So, what's the plan?" Fred then asked Matt. "Beat up the guards or something?"

"Something like that", Matt said as he put his glasses back on and walked out into the hallway with his cane, holding out his hand.

The guards were confused as Matt said. "This doesn't feel familiar. I think I'm lost."

The two guards exchanged a look and walked to Matt as one asked. "Sir, where were you go-"

Suddenly, Matt head-butted him, breaking his nose as he screamed, and then he stomped on the other's foot with his cane, making him scream too, then whacked him out with his cane, and then tripped the other before kicking his face, taking him down too.

"Nice moves", Gunn commented from where he was as Matt walked to the door and opened it, then getting inside, closed it.

Lorne barely stopped swinging the whiskey bottle he'd been about to throw at the door, and his eyes widened before he shot out of his couch and rushed to Matt, hugging him really tightly while almost weeping tears of joy.

"Oh my Guardian Devil!" Lorne said, his hug getting tighter. "I could just kiss you right now!"

"Maybe later", Matt said with a shrug as Lorne let go. "We didn't know anything was going on, but we came here, and I felt you were really scared, and the people at the game are like zombies, having been playing continuously for weeks."

"Yeah, it's been a real Hell for me, of course you've been to the actual one, but you know what I mean", Lorne said, sighing.

"Who is keeping you prisoner here?" Matt inquired to him.

Lorne explained to him with a groan. "Oh, the creep who owns this place, Lee DeMarco. He used to be some second rate lounge magician until he got his hands on something legitimately mystical. Now he's a first rate psychopath and he's using me to destroy people's lives."

"Using you how?" Matt asked.

"Well, you know how people are just playing the game there?" Lorne asked and Matt nodded. "Well, he uses me to read people's destinies, anyone with a bright future is lured into the game, and they never win, their destinies get stolen away."

"Oh boy!" Matt groaned as he got up and opened the doors to reveal the two unconscious guards, and quickly dragged their bodies inside. "Can't even go to Vegas without getting in trouble."

"Tell me about it", Lorne agreed with him as they started walking out while Matt smashed the guards' communication equipment, then shut the door.

"Hope Faith is having fun babysitting", Matt told Lorne.

Same time, LA, Hyperion Hotel

Connor was looking around with his wide big blue eyes as Faith sat next to him, having just finished reading the story. "And so the wolf drowned, and they all lived happily ever after." She closed the book and smiled at Connor who let out a sound, then drifted off to sleep as Faith smiled. "Works like a charm."

Stick leaned against a wall invisibly and groaned. "God, I'm so bored."

Same time, Las Vegas

Matt, Lorne, Fred and Gunn were making their way when Angel was spotted in front of a one-armed slot machine, and they walked to him as Gunn asked. "Angel, where have you been?"

Angel pulled the lever. "Here", he then pointed. "I was there before. Now I'm here."

"He is not himself, the Spin to Win roulette has got to him too", Matt revealed to their horror.

"Oh no Angelcakes, please don't lose your destiny, its important to us all common folk too, ya know?!" Lorne asked Angel, shaking him by the shoulders.

"What do we do now?" Fred asked.

"You three, go", Matt said, surprising them all.

"Look, Devillicious, we aren't leaving you behind", Lorne said.

"It's all right, I have a plan", Matt assured, and Lorne's eyes widened as he realized it.

"Oh, in that case, be careful Rocky, I ain't losing ya today", Lorne said as Matt nodded, and then the three went off as Matt headed to the direction of 'Spin to Win'.

"What's he doing?" Fred asked Lorne.

"Whatever it is, here's to hoping it works", Lorne simply said.

DeMarco saw Matt on the monitor and squinted, recognizing who he was due to having seen the news. "Things just became interesting."

Matt entered the 'Spin to Win' room, holding out his hand again as he played the blind man. "Excuse me, I think I'm lost, I don't know this place."

Before the croupier could reply, DeMarco appeared and assured Matt. "It's okay, not a problem." He grasped Matt by the arm and said. "I watch the news too, aren't you the lawyer who did the Punisher case?"

"Uh, yes I am", Matt said with a nod. "Why?"

"In that case, you are allowed to play here", DeMarco said, Matt acting dumb as he was led to the table, and a chip was dropped into his hand. "Here, try your luck sir."

"Sure", Matt nodded as he rolled the chip across his fingers, and the side of the chip briefly flashed the same inverted pentagram symbol from Matt's chest, and then he tossed it onto the table.

DeMarco smirked as the wheel spun, but it turned into a frown as the wheel slowed down, because Matt's chip flashed the Hell-Mark symbol again, and the whole roulette erupted into flames.

In DeMarco's room, the glowing sphere that held the people's destinies also erupted into flames, freeing the people.

All the people who had been playing, including Vivian, looked around in shock, now back to their senses, and started leaving.

In the 'Spin to Win' room, all but Matt and DeMarco scattered due to the table burning into a crisp, and DeMarco stared at the fire, confused, only for Matt to sucker punch him to the ground, knocking him out.

"Mephisto is kind of possessive", Matt quipped with a smirk as he straightened his tie and walked out where all were back to their normal selves and scattering here and there.

Then he heard the click of a gun behind him as he realized it was the guard, Spencer, but then the recovered Angel knocked Spencer out from the side, as the two turned to face each other.

"Enjoying yourself?" Matt inquired.

Angel shrugged. "Well, what happens in Vegas, stays I Vegas."

Later

The whole gang, now Lorne joining them as well, drove back to LA as Gunn asked. "So, how did you burn the table again?"

"Me and Abaddon are a package deal, no way in Hell would Mephisto let some low life magician have any control over what he considers his favorite spawn", Matt said with a shrug.

"Well, that's nice, plan worked", Fred smiled.

"How did you know?" Angel asked, and Matt was silent for a bit.

"I was running off a hunch", Matt finally admitted sheepishly.

"Some hunch", Gunn commented.

"Don't forget, this is our good and handsome Devil", Lorne told them all. "Luck be a Devil."

All chuckled as they soon reached Hyperion, and Faith came out to greet them, holding baby Connor in her arms.

"Oh there he is", Angel said, taking him from her as he cooed at his son, and he and Faith shared a hug. "Thanks for taking care of him."

"No problemo, boss", Faith assured as they parted and then she shared a kiss with Matt.

"How was Vegas?" Faith asked.

"Well, interesting", Matt said with a shrug, before she noticed Lorne was back.

"Oh hey, didn't expect to see you back here, how you been?" Faith asked as she and Lorne shared a hug too.

"Vegas, not what I expected", Lorne told her.

"Yeah, but at least we've visited it", Fred said.

"Yup, once was enough", Gunn shrugged, and they all walked inside when Matt's face turned into a frown.

"Oh boy", he muttered.

"What's the matter?" Faith asked as they stepped into the lobby, and now in front of them stood Cordelia Chase, with her back to them.

"Cordelia?" Angel called out in shock, speaking for everyone.

Cordelia turned around and looked at them.

"Who are you people?"

Chapter Text

Angel was overjoyed as he walked to Cordelia. "My God! It's you. You're back."

Cordelia backed away as Angel asked. "Don't you remember?"

Angel then turned to Matt, Faith, Fred and Gunn. "Um, you see her too, right? I'm not just –"

"I don't, but I hear her, I know its her", Matt said.

Gunn added. "It's real."

Angel assured Cordelia. "It's OK. We're friends. You know us. Matt. Faith. Fred. Gunn. You're dazed or something must - Thank God you're back."

"So we know each other?" Cordelia asked, and got nods.

Angel nodded. "Yeah, really well."

"OK, um... who am I?"

Angel then inquired. "What do you remember?"

Cordelia was confused. "I don't know. Numbers. Animals. Flossing."

"But not us", Angel realized.

"Or me. I don't remember me."

Angel tried to explain to Cordelia. "You're Cordelia Chase. You work here. With us. You've been gone for a while, but you're safe now." He stepped toward her, but she stepped back, and his still heart ached a little. "It's OK. We-we're friends. We're here to help you."

Cordelia asked him. "I've been gone?"

Angel told her. "What's important is that you're back."

Cordelia then wondered. "Are there other people here?"

Fred then spoke up. "Um, not to sound all "Movie of the Week", but I think you might have some kind of amnesia. Like maybe you fell or banged your head."

"Yeah, I got that, she clearly doesn't know any of us but we know her", Faith shrugged. "So, no memory obviously."

Gunn then asked. "Should we take her to a hospital?"

"Hospital? I don't need a –" Cordelia turned polite. "Not yet, maybe later."

Fred whispered to the rest. "I don't think seeing a doctor will solve her problems."

"Definitely not, considering she was in another Dimension", Matt whispered at a volume where Cordelia wouldn't hear him.

Angel saw Lorne approaching from the garden, and whispered to Fred and Gunn. "Neither will seeing green." He turned to Cordelia. "You wanna know what might help you remember? Seeing some of your things." He then asked Gunn. "You wanna check for her things out in the garden?"

"Checking away."

Outside the door, Gunn pushed Lorne out of sight before Cordelia saw him, and Angel asked the other three. "Hey, you wanna help me look in the office?"

"Sure", Fred said as she told Cordelia. "Excuse us."

"Come on", Matt held out his hand to Faith, and she realized he was going to act like an actual blind man so as to not make Cordelia suspicious.

"Oh, right, yeah", Faith said as she held Matt's hand, and the two walked to the office.

Getting into the office, they closed the door as Angel told them all. "That could've been a disaster. Hi. Welcome back, you're safe. By the way, there's a green demon right behind you."

Fred asked Angel. "Don't you think we should tell her? I mean we do live in a world of demons and icky things. She's bound to find out."

"Yeah but right now she doesn't remember a thing, best to let her remember slowly or this will just freak her out", Matt pointed out to Fred, who conceded.

"Yeah, I want her to remember who I am before finding out I drink blood", Angel added with a nod while rifling through papers on his desk.

Faith said. "I wonder why she's back though, they just let her come back or something?"

Angel stopped. "I hadn't even - I was just so happy to see her. Why is she back?"

Fred sighed. "I don't know. But if Cordy's been where I think she has, anything's possible." She, Angel and Faith then looked at Cordelia through the window as Matt listened to her.

Cordelia saw the three looking at her and they waved. "Okay, that's creepy." She saw a bladed weapon on the floor. "And so is that."

The four came out of the office as Angel said. "Couldn't find anything of yours in there."

Cordelia stepped back. "That's okay." The phone rang. "Shouldn't someone answer that?"

Angel walked to her. "The machine'll get it." There was a beat. "You really don't have to be afraid."

"Easy for you to say. I don't know that. Don't know you, this place..."

"Hi. You've reached Angel Investigations. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number, we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks! And wait for the beep."

There was a beep as Cordelia's eyes widened in recognition. "But that voice - Oh, my God! It's me. I work here."

"Yeah, you did, but don't remember yet", Matt said, holding up his hand.

A man's voice was then heard on the phone. "Uh, yeah, this is Murray, down at the spa. Listen, it's after midnight, and uh, you better get down here. That demon broad came back. Looks like she's gonna try and hatch her blood-sucking little –"

Angel coughed and gestured subtly that Fred should get the phone before Cordelia heard too much and got frightened, so Fred grabbed the phone. "We're here. Uh-huh. OK. We'll be right there."

Cordelia was confused. Did - he say "demon broad"?"

"Yeah. His, um, wife. It's an ugly divorce case thing. You know, private eye stuff", Fred turned to Angel. "I should get Charles and terminate it before the situation multiplies."

Cordelia turned her head to Faith, Angel and Matt, and Fred mimed giving birth, trying to explain what was going on for Angel without letting Cordelia know.

Angel sighed. "OK. I'll just stay here and help Cordelia settle in."

"Yep, the two of us will do just that", Matt agreed with a nod.

"I can come with you to fix the whole problem", Faith suggested to Fred.

"Ok", Fred nodded as Faith tapped Matt on the shoulder, and he nodded at her as Faith and Fred walked out into the garden.

Cordelia's expression showed suspicion, like she knew there was more going on than they were telling her.

"So–"

"I wanna go home. Know where I live?"

Angel opened the door to one of the rooms at the hotel and flipped on the light. All of Cordelia's belongings had been stored here, boxed up. Cordelia walked in. "This is it? Everything?"

Matt and Angel stood near the door as the latter told her. "Fred and Gunn, they moved everything over from your old apartment after you –" Cordelia picked up a strappy shoe from one of the boxes. "You remember that? You wore it when we went to the ballet."

"The ballet? For real? You and me?" Cordelia asked in surprise.

"We all went", Angel gestured to Matt too, "but yeah." There was a beat. "Pretty special."

Cordelia walked around room as Angel said. "I thought maybe you'd remember because... It's too bad. We had, uh, a really good time. Working together too."

Cordelia picked up the teddy bear. "I wish I could remember."

Angel walked to her. "Me too. I wanna help you get those memories back."

Cordelia sat down. "Great." There was a beat. "But not tonight."

Angel backed towards the door. "I-I understand. If you need any –"

"I will."

Angel assured. "You really are among friends."

"There are photos here, maybe looking at them will help you remember", Matt suggested. "There are some here."

"Huh? That's a good idea, thanks", Cordelia said as Matt nodded and they closed the door.

Cordelia was changed into black pants and a scoop-necked long-sleeved olive green shirt. She was looking at herself in a large oval dressing mirror while sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Cordelia." She tried to sound chipper. "Hi. I'm Cordy. I'm Cordelia Chase. I'm - Just breathe. Just breathe." She sighed, walking to a nearby table. "Sunnydale."

She opened the yearbook, seeing a picture of herself as cheerleader. "OK, popular. No real surprise there." She flipped to messages written by classmates and read. ""Cordelia, homeroom was fun. Too bad it burnt to the ground." What?" She read more. ""Hey, how 'bout that giant snake."" She was weirded out now. ""Dear Cordelia, thanks for the flaming arrows."" Flaming arrows?

Cordelia walked to box with pictures, flipping through. They were all pictures of her. "That's cute. Cute. Hot. Yikes. OK, out from the mental ward. Cute again. Was I a spy?" She saw picture of her holding baby Connor standing with Angel. "Whose - ?" She then saw another picture of herself and Matt where both were laughing, she was wearing his glasses, and he was kissing her on the head. "That looks cozy."

Cordelia walked out of her room and into the hallway. Walking down the hallway, she heard noises from a nearby room. She stopped to listen. It was a voice singing. She followed the sound.

"Sugar, sugar, bah bah bum bum bum. You are my candy girl."

Lorne's voice replied to him. "OK, OK, jug head. That's enough. That's enough. Look, I'll make this simple." Cordelia listened at the door. "You, you have an addiction. You know it and I know it. Now if you don't stop snacking on you-know-who's you're gonna end up on the wrong end of you-know –"

Cordelia left as Lorne made to the door.

She found her way back to the lobby. "Hello? Somebody down here?" Out of sight, Angel was moving large mugs of blood off of the counter. A small drop was left on the counter but Matt wiped it quickly before leaving.

Cordelia came down. "Hello?"

The door opened and startled, she did behind the counter as Faith, Fred and Gunn returned, disheveled.

Gunn asked. "How much do I hate those little babies?"

Fred agreed. "Tell me about it. I couldn't squish-squash fast enough."

"I know we get paid to do it, but that's the kind of mayhem I would do for free." They lay their weapons on the countertop, right above Cordy's head.

Then Faith sensed Cordelia under the counter and said. "Yeah, those roach babies are so, so annoying, good God."

Fred and Gunn were confused but Faith subtly gestured under the counter, and they realized what she meant, but a drop of blood from their weapons was forming right over Cordelia's head. She had to jump away to avoid it itself.

The three turned to see her. She ran away, backing into a weapons cabinet, causing lots of exotic weapons to fall on the floor.

Faith started. "Cordy….."

Cordelia freaked, and ran, but Angel was in her path.

"I can explain."

He grabbed her, but she recoiled. She ran out into the garden.

Cordelia was then grabbed by 2 men in black. She kicked one away and ducked the other's blow as Angel leapt and knocked the previous one out. Cordelia grasped and kicked the other before pushing him into Angel who punched him out.

Matt, Faith, Fred and Gunn then arrived.

"Wow. How did I - ?" Cordelia wondered. "I am a spy." Angel sighed. "I get it now. You're all spies. Probably all Russian. And you've brainwashed me, and want me to believe we're friends so I'll spill the beans about some nano-techno-thingy that you want."

Gunn seemed a little offended. "So... I look Russian to you?"

"Black Russian."

"That's a drink", Angel corrected.

"Says the head spy", Cordelia scoffed before turning to Matt. "And you're what? My lover?"

Matt and Faith looked awkward as Matt trailed off. "Ummm…"

"Nobody here is a spy. Those two guys are lawyers - weird as that may seem - from Wolfram and Hart", Angel said, gesturing to the knocked out men."

"Not that weird to me", Matt said cheekily in a way that Cordelia wouldn't know.

Angel told Cordelia. "They must know you're back. We'll have to keep her in the hotel so she's safe –"

"Safe? Is that some kind of joke?" Cordelia pointed at Faith, Fred and Gunn. "Your friends here were just talking about killing roaches with weapons. And there's-there's-there's singing and blood and-and pointy things. And did I mention the singing? I mean, what the hell is going on here, Angie?"

"Angel."

"Whatever."

"I know things seem weird. Maybe even scary. But you have to believe me when I tell you we're trying to do everything we can to help you get through this difficult time. The Cordelia that we know - the person who you're trying to remember - is very much at home here, bizarre as that may seem. So I ask you to look inside, to believe me when I tell you that you're safe and you're among friends who only want the best for you."

After some thinking, Cordelia said. "I believe you."

Angel smiled.

Cordelia was sitting on her bed, talking to Angel who was standing in the doorway.

"So, I'm not a spy?"

"No."

"Am I a mom?" Angel walked forward, and she handed him a picture of baby Connor.

"That's my son. That's Connor. But no, you're not his mother."

"So, we weren't a happy family?"

Angel sat next to her. "Not like that. Cordelia: And you and me? We weren't –"

"Weren't..."

"Together?" She leaned in for a kiss.

Angel leaned in too. "Well, we were, but not for too long, it started and then-"

Cordelia suddenly pulled back. "Oh! I thought for a while I was a nun."

"What? Why?" Angel asked.

Cordelia reached over to a box next to her. "I was going through my stuff", she grabbed a handful of rosaries, "and I found all these –" She put numerous rosaries adorned with crucifixes in Angel's hands, causing him to vamp out uncontrollably. He growled, and she screamed.

Then she ran out of her room and down the hallway frantically escaping vamped-out Angel. She ended up in the lobby and ran into Lorne. They fell down, with him on top of her. They were face to face. When each realized who/what they were looking at, they both screamed.

Cordelia started beating on Lorne's chest and pushed him off. "Get off me." She stuttered while she beat on him.

"I'm getting. I'm getting. Just stop the clobbering", Lorne told her.

Angel ran in to the lobby, and grabbed Cordelia. "Cordelia, stop. Stop. It's OK. It's OK. He's with us."

Lorne told her. "Hey, if this was about that missing lingerie, that was for a friend."

Cordelia begged Angel. "Tell me that this is Halloween, and he isn't what I think he is."

"Trick or treat."

Matt, Faith, Fred and Gunn entered the lobby, and went to Lorne as Fred asked. "Don't you remember Lorne? You two are old buddies."

Gunn added. "Yeah, you, uh, wanna know why we call him Lorne?"

Cordelia now demanded. "What I want is answers, and I want 'em now, mister!"

"I think she's right, we should tell her, best to clear the air", Matt said with a nod.

"Besides, lying is gonna cause a mess, and she'll distrust us", Faith added.

"Yeah, you're right, our mistake", Angel nodded at the two before turning to Cordelia. "So we'll come clean, about everything."

Cordelia was sitting down on one of the chairs in the lobby, with everyone else facing her. "That's... everything?" She sighed. "It all makes perfect sense now." She stood and paced. "I was a cheerleader, a princess and a warrior, and lover to two of the men in this room." Matt, Faith and Angel groaned awkwardly as she had made it sound polyamorous. "And I have visions and super powers and I'm the target of an evil law firm because I've spent the last three months living on a higher plane, fighting for the forces of good, who wage a battle against", she counted on her fingers, "demons and evilies and squishy bug babies, 'cause all that stuff's real and that's the world I live in. And I think I know why I don't remember any of this 'cause, hey - who'd want to!"

"Um", Lorne offered his glass to her, "sea breeze?"

Angel said. "I know it's a lot to take in."

"Says the vampire with a soul and his wacky gang of sidekicks."

Gunn raised his hand. "Um, not a sidekick."

"And I work separately, just hang here for a bit", Faith added. "I'm the Chosen One after all."

"Right", Cordelia nodded.

"I'm just their lawyer", Matt shrugged.

Angel had an idea. "I think there's a way we might be able to sort this out. Pick a song."

"Yeah - What?"

Fred clarified. "So Lorne can read you."

Gunn explained the whole thing. "You sing, he sees your future."

"Hopefully he'll be able to explain what's happened and how we can get your memory back", Angel told her.

"I can't just sing. I-I don't even know if I'm even musical. Am I?"

Gunn was confused. "Sure? You remember any songs?"

"W-well, there's so many. How do I pick?"

"It doesn't really matter", Angel then added softly. "I'm kinda a ballad man myself, but, uh... just pick anything."

Cordelia sang poorly. "Because the greatest love of all is happening to me. I've found the greatest love of all inside of me. The greatest love of all is easy to achieve. Learning to love yourself –"

Matt started massaging his head at the terrible singing as Faith covered both his ears for him discreetly.

Lorne looked shocked and upset. Fred whispered to Gunn. "Does he look a little green to you... I mean, more than usual?"

Matt sensed Lorne's heart beating fast in fear as he interrupted Cordy. "Uh, great, enough. OK! You were great." He backed toward the door. "You were great. E-everything's great. We're all just, uh... I see, uh, a very, very, um..." He left the room.

Cordelia asked. "Was I really that bad?"

"I think there was some other reason", Matt said, knowing Lorne had read something from her.

Angel said. "It reminds him of….." He trailed off and followed Lorne.

Cordelia groaned. "Oh, come on! You guys aren't even good liars. This is ridiculous." She walked towards the door.

Gunn asked. "Where you going?"

"Out. Away. Does it matter?"

Fred pointed out. "But it's not safe."

"Oh, right, 'cause of evil ninja law firm."

Gunn offered. "We'll come with, just in case."

"You keep telling me I was a higher being. Don't make me turn you into a rat", Cordelia slammed the door.

Gunn wondered. "Can she do that?"

"Um….come on", Fred grabbed Gunn and they walked out.

Matt then heard Lorne's client sneaking around and told Faith. "That drooling client of Lorne is sneaking around."

"You think he's up to no good?" Faith asked.

"Let's find out", Matt said, and they got up, walking out together to hunt.

Angel knocked on a door. "Lorne. Talk to me. What'd you see?"

"Go away."

"If it's that bad, I need to know."

Lorne opened the door. "It's that bad. G'night." He tried to close the door, but Angel stopped him.

"I need details."

"I got none. Just a splitting migraine, a tummy full of rattlesnakes, and a strong suspicion I'm gonna lose my lunch again if I don't start drinking myself silly", Lorne tried to shut door again, Angel stopped him.

"C'mon, Lorne. You gotta give me something."

Lorne sighed. "Do the words "slouching towards Bethlehem" ring a bell? Or how about despair, torment, terror? And I'm not referring to little missy's choice of song, either, although that was horrifying in its own right. What I saw was jumbled. It was pieces, flashes. It was enough to make my skin crawl away and scamper under the bed. Evil's coming, Angel, and it's planning on staying.

Wesley and Lilah were in his bed together as she cuddled up to him.

"It's not a secret."

"What isn't a secret?" Wesley asked her.

"Us. The firm knows that we're... doing this."

"Isn't it their job to know this sort of thing?" Wesley pointed out. "The sordid details of their employees' lives."

"Mmm... Yeah, I just thought I should tell you. Sordid", Lilah smirked. "Rrreow." She then added. "Angel knows too."

Wesley shrugged. "I don't work for Angel anymore. And I could care less what he thinks."

Lilah reminded him. "You faker. That's what you said when he was sleeping with the fishes. We both know how that played out."

"That was different", Wesley said. "So Angel knows about our relationship. Big deal."

Lilah climbed on top of him, wearing a slinky red nightgown. "A dollar. You owe me a dollar."

Wesley realized. "Oh, damn!"

"You called this a relationship." Lilah kissed his forehead. "You lost the bet."

Wesley grabbed his wallet off the bedside table.

"You said it first."

Wesley handed her a dollar.

"Sign it first, as proof."

Wesley asked. "Proof of what?"

"Of now. Of this."

Lilah nuzzled his nose and they kissed.

Cordelia was wandering through the halls of the hotel when suddenly a person stepped out from the shadows, and it was that guy who was singing for Lorne earlier.

"You smell good."

His mouth opened and another mouth came out of it, full of sharp teeth and drool. He made a strange growling roaring sound, and Cordelia screamed and ran away, into the lobby.

The Drooling Guy followed Cordy, and landed right in front of her. She stopped, frightened stiff.

"What do you want?"

"A snack."

"Eat this."

He turned around and Matt, now not wearing glasses, smacked his face with his cane, sending him off, then spun and struck his abdomen, making him grunt, before leaping while climbing on him and flip kicked his chin, sending him flying off to the ground.

He staggered up but Faith grabbed him from behind and sliced his throat with a knife, killing him.

Cordelia was in shock as she pointed at Matt. "You…you can see!"

"Ummm…actually no, I have superhuman senses so I can hear, taste, smell and feel better, but not see", Matt told her.

"Liar", Cordelia snarled.

"Wait!" Matt held up his hand. "I'm Daredevil!"

"What?" Cordelia asked. "That guy from Hell's Kitche-"

Fortunately for Matt, the Demon had chased Cordelia right next to the room where he kept his suit in the hotel, and walking in, he opened the case, and brought out the mask, holding it out to her, and Cordelia's jaw dropped.

"See?" Faith said with a shrug. "And now you know pretty much everything there is to know."

"I dated a superhero?" Cordelia now said out loud.

"Well, yes", Matt nodded.

"And then a Vampire with a soul", Cordelia realized. "God I have an interesting romantic life."

Angel arrived and asked. "What happened?"

"Don't worry, its fixed", Faith assured him.

In bed together, Lilah and Wes were sleeping, not entwined. Lilah's cell phone rang. Still wearing the slinky red nightgown, she turned the bedside light on, and answered the phone.

"Yeah", she looked at Wes, sleeping beside her. "Hold on."

She got out of bed and went out to the hallway, partially closing door behind her. "Yeah."

In bed, Wes's eyes were open. "The Groosalug is back from holiday? And you have got him in the Aon building? Okay then, just keep him in there." Wes was listening at the door.

"Uh-huh. I'm on my way." She hung up and came into the room to dress.

Wes turned over as if just waking. "You're leaving."

"Huh. No rest for the wicked. You should go back to sleep."

Wesley asked. "Do you really have to go?"

Lilah walked to him. "Why? You missing me already?" She kissed his forehead, then picked up her keys and her purse from the bedside table, and the signed dollar bill Wes gave her fell to the floor. She took her jacket and walked out the door.

At Hyperion, all but Cordelia had gathered when in walked Wesley. "I have some information for you."

They turned to him as he said. "Groosalug is back in town, but Wolfram and Hart have him at the Aon building, it belongs to them, they took him there."

"And you have this on good authority?" Angel asked him.

"I think he does", Matt told him.

"How do you know that?" Faith asked.

"I have a source", Wesley simply said, because even if the rest knew about him and Lilah, he had no desire to mention her to Faith for obvious reasons.

"Let's go then", Angel said.

A while later, all reached the building, going in from different sides, but Matt didn't hear any heartbeat at all, other than Groo's himself. "This is weird."

He and Angel eventually arrived where Groo lay on the ground, knocked out, and they shook him. "Groo."

Groo's eyes opened as he groaned. "Something strong took me out."

"There's no one here, why?" Angel wondered, then the two had a horrifying thought.

"Let's get back quickly", Matt told him.

Wesley drank in his place before picking up the signed dollar as he sat down, not looking happy as he realized something.

The others returned to Hyperion, supporting Groo, as Matt heard something from a room, and so did Angel, and they busted in to find Lorne tied and gagged. There was a large bleeding hole in his head and he was passed out.

"Lorne!" Matt rushed to him and he and Angel started untying him.

Fred asked. "Is he alive?"

Angel inquired. "What happened? Who did this?"

Lorne was too weak to speak. "W..."

"Wesley? Not again", Gunn groaned.

Lorne shook his head "no".

"I think we know what starts with a "W"", Faith told the rest.

"Wolfram and Hart", Angel realized Lorne nodded his head "yes".

"So that's why they took Groo", Matt realized. "They knew Lorne had read Cordy, and came here to get it out."

"We fell for it like a bunch of rookies", Faith groaned.

Matt dabbed Lorne's wound with a cloth as Angel asked. "How much? What'd they get?"

Lorne told them. "They had - they had a demon. I-I wouldn't talk. And the thing burrowed... inside. And took Cordy out."

"Lorne, how much did they get?" Matt asked.

"All of it."

"They didn't go after Cordy or Connor", Matt muttered, hearing them sleeping in their rooms. "Guess they only wanted what Lorne had."

Fred sighed. "They tricked us."

Gunn asked. "Wolfram and Hart or Wesley. He's the one who showed up with the hot tip about the hunk. How do we know he's not the one playing us?"

"Because he's not, he thought the info he had was right", Matt told the rest of them.

"But now they know more about the doom and gloom Cordy had than we do", Angel sighed.

There was a knock on the door. Lilah looked to see who it was, then opened the door. It was Wesley.

"Ooh. A drop-by. That's a surprise."

"Is it?"

Lilah quipped. "Well, that it took you so long, yeah."

Wesley walked inside and accused. "You played me."

Lilah pointed out. "You played yourself."

Wesley reminded. "On the phone, you wanted me to hear that so I would tell Angel."

"Free will. Look it up", Lilah shrugged.

"Lilah..."

"I was just doing my job. You're the one who decided to take what you overheard and give it to the good-n-plentys. So before you go all righteous fury, figure out who you're really mad at here."

Wesley sighed. "What was the real plan?"

Lilah pointed out it could have been worse. "Let's just say, I could've had Lorne's brain in a jar, but I left it in his head 'cause he's a friend of yours. And we left Cordelia and the kid too."

Wesley asked. "What's that supposed to do? Lull me into trusting you again?"

Lilah told him. "If I'd thought you'd ever trust me, I would've never played you like that."

"It's never simple, is it?"

At Hyperion, Angel walked past Cordelia's room, the door slightly open, and he peeked in to see her asleep for a few seconds, then walked off to the room where he lived with Connor.

Chapter Text

Harlem's Paradise

Luke Cage was cleaning up at the place, since it wasn't time to open the club yet, which meant not much to worry about, as he would be done with cleaning the place by the time he was supposed to open it up.

He put the glasses in their place, as well as the bottles, and then arranged the tables and chairs too.

"Well then, what now?"

KABOOM!

People all watched in horror as Harlem's Paradise was destroyed by the explosion, fire and smoke rising everywhere, the debris of the building now strewn all over the street as many of them took out their phones and started recording, while one person called the police.

Some debris was then moved, and thrown off, to reveal Luke Cage who stood up, singed at various spots, and burning too, but due to his indestructible skin, he was unharmed, though his clothes were in tatters.

He ripped off his shirt, throwing it down, now standing shirtless, his abs and muscles as clear for the people to see as his enraged face.

Luke clutched his fists and snarled. "Who did this?"

His phone, which had been unharmed due to being in his grip, then went off, and he picked up. "Who is this?"

"Luke Cage, you don't know me, you're about to."

The call was then cut.

From a rooftop nearby, the culprit watched and walked off calmly, jumping onto another rooftop and disappearing in the night.

Next night

Jessica was drinking some booze while talking to Luke on the phone. "Yeah sure, you can crash here if you want, sorry about the club, that was fucked up, so I'll be waiting. Oh? They are coming too? Well, nice of them to help, considering the world is a shithole."

With that, she cut the call before suddenly she started coughing, feeling a sharp pain in her chest and stomach, and then dropped her booze, realizing someone had put something in it.

"Whoever you are, you made the biggest mistake of your life", Jessica snarled, looking here and there, before someone tapped her shoulder, but when she turned, there was no one there, and then as she turned, she was decked on the face, sending her back and to the ground, shattering a table in the way.

"Fuck you asshole", Jessica snarled as she staggered up and threw a punch but the guy, who was wearing dark clothes and a mask to hide himself, dodged and grasped her elbow, smacking it, then flipped her to the other side.

Jessica's movements were slow and sloppy due to what had been put in her drink, and as she staggered up again, the guy rushed to her and gave her a dropkick, sending her flying off, as she crashed through the window and fell to the ground, groaning in pain and bleeding.

"Jessica!" Luke called out as he rushed to her, Matt, Faith and Colleen right behind him as they kneeled over her.

"Who did this?" Faith inquired.

"Up there", Jessica said as she pointed at her apartment, the glass now broken, and then she coughed before passing out as Matt and Faith rushed inside, with Luke and Colleen staying with Jessica.

"I'll call 911", Colleen said before moving to a distance to do so.

"Jess, Jess?" Luke called out, and got no response, then checked her pulse, and to his relief, she still had one.

"Ambulance is coming", Colleen said as she walked next to Luke, while Matt and Faith returned. A small crowd had gathered by now.

"Whoever did this is gone now", Matt told the two grimly as cops arrived too.

"The guy who blew up my club did give me a call last night, thought it was probably a burner cell", Luke told the three of them. "I think this guy is after all of us, he first blew up my club, then went after Jessica."

"We better be careful then", Faith realized grimly.

"Yeah, we'll have to find this guy soon", Matt sighed.

Next night

Faith and Colleen had finished their first lesson as self-defense instructors, and the students were all gone.

"Thanks for helping out, Faith, it means a lot", Colleen told Faith in appreciation as Faith picked up her bag and put it behind her.

"Not as much as it means to me that you let me have this job", Faith told Colleen in appreciation as she turned to her. "So, see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, tomorrow will be good", Colleen agreed with a nod as they shook hands and then Faith walked out, passing a guy by her as she did so.

The guy walked inside, and called out. "Miss Wing."

"Yes?" Colleen asked, not turning around to face him.

"When will be the next class?" He asked her.

"Tomorrow."

"And when can I join up?"

"Well, there are no classes on Saturday and Sunday, so you can join up on Saturday, and we can get started on Monday", Colleen explained to him while putting her stuff back inside.

"All right, thank you, I was told about your classes by my old boss…Bakuto!"

Colleen instantly whipped around, but there was no one there at all, she was alone, or at least it looked like she was.

But she knew she was not alone, this person was in the building with her. Then suddenly, the intruder leapt at her but she barely avoided by jumping back, and was now face to face with him, a tall man in a suit, and he smirked smugly at her.

"Who are you?" Colleen asked him as they circled each other.

"You are about to find out", he taunted her as she threw a kick which he blocked, then threw his own which she blocked too, then ducked to avoid a punch and decked his face.

She threw some more kicks which he blocked, and then he backed to avoid a spin kick, before kicking her foot, staggering her back.

Colleen then threw another punch which he blocked and then she blocked his punch too before trying to kick but he lifted his foot to avoid, only for Colleen to spin kick the man in the chest, staggering him back.

He recovered just as she kicked again, which he blocked, and then he blocked some more punches before being punched, then he leaned back to avoid a spin kick before she grabbed him and kneed his gut.

Colleen tried to do it again but the man elbowed her and pushed her off of him.

He then blocked a kick before trying to spin kick her but she avoided it. He then charged but she kicked his foot and punched his face, dazing him, and then she swept his feet from under him, making him fall down.

She then tried to stomp her foot on his face but he rolled away to avoid, and as she tried to kick, he grabbed her foot and flipped her down.

The man charged but Colleen kicked his abdomen, sending him back, and got back up, trying to spin kick which he ducked to avoid, and then she threw some punches which he blocked, while she blocked his kick, then decked his face and spin kicked him back again.

He tried to hit her again but she blocked and kneed his gut, then wrapping her legs around his neck, flipped him to the ground.

As the man staggered up, Colleen charged but he lifted her up and threw her down to the ground.

Colleen got back up and as the man charged, she kicked him back. He leapt and gave her two kicks which she blocked, and then ducked to avoid a punch, and getting behind him, kicked his back, staggering him away again.

She then turned and punched his abdomen before kicking his face, then punching him, and then kicked him into a wall. She then ran up the wall and leaping, kicked his chest, staggering him back again.

She then threw some kicks which he blocked and then he dodged another. He then blocked another blow and decked her abdomen before punching her face, and he tried to kick but she grabbed his foot and elbowed it before slamming him into the wall.

He elbowed her and freed himself from her grip, then grabbing her hand, elbowed her again before kneeing her gut and sending her to her knees, but she elbowed his gut, and then punched him between his legs, making him stagger back as he held his thing with a pained grunt.

She then got up and head-butted him, dazing him again, and leaping, grabbed his head between her feet and flipped him to the ground hard.

They got up and she avoided his attack, before grabbing his abdomen and flipping them both to the ground, and then she kneed his abdomen twice, before wrapping her feet around his body and grabbing his neck as both struggled while he stood up.

He then moved back, slamming Colleen's back into a wall, loosening her grip, and grabbing her hand, the man flipped her to the ground. As she tried to stand up, he kneed her in the abdomen twice before punching her abdomen twice too, and then her face twice as well.

Then he kicked her chest, sending her crashing through a door and onto the ground.

Colleen groaned, bleeding all over, and as she staggered up, the man rushed in and flipping in the air, kicked her chest, sending her crashing into a wall again.

Colleen glared and charged but was blocked and got an elbow to the face before being kneed in the gut, and then the man flipped in the air and spin kicked her face, sending her falling to the ground again.

This room had weapons stashed though, and rolling away, Colleen got a sword, ready to use it.

"This isn't a street fight", Colleen told the man, before swinging her sword twice as the man dodged both times, then kicked her hand, though she wasn't disarmed.

Colleen tried to strike with the sword in a spin motion but the man rolled away to avoid, and then he backed to avoid another strike as a flower-pot was broken.

He then picked up a box and used it to block two strikes, though the second one chopped it into two. He then struck with one half of the box which Colleen blocked as the half fell down.

With that, he spin kicked Colleen, staggering her again. She swung her sword again but he ducked first, and then jumped back onto a table to avoid the second time, lying on the table now.

He then rolled away as she brought her sword down on him, and dodged another swing before picking up a staff from her stash.

"Using my weapon to fight me, huh?" Colleen asked.

"Just because its yours doesn't mean others can't use it", the man said with a shrug.

She struck with her sword as he blocked twice and hit her with the staff, before swinging in a spin motion but she ducked to avoid, and they clashed twice before he swept her feet from under her with the staff, sending her falling down.

She rolled away to avoid as he brought it down on her and kicked it out of his hands. "Others can't use it better than me."

Colleen then got up and swung her sword twice, which the man avoided both times, and then he avoided again before trapping her hands, and elbowed her face, before spinning and snatching the sword from her, and sending her falling to the ground as well.

As Colleen got up, she was stabbed in the abdomen, making her gasp as blood poured out of her mouth. He pulled the sword as Colleen's fist glowed, and she tried to use her Iron Fist but he kicked her on the wound, making her moan as she was sent falling to the ground.

Colleen clutched her wound as the man raised his sword to finish her off, but was kicked away by Faith who burst into the room, sending him flying off and crashing through a wall.

Faith then looked at the bleeding Colleen, then turned back to the man, but he was already gone. Groaning, she kneeled to Colleen, putting pressure on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. "You'll be okay Colleen, all right?"

"Th-the…Hand….." Colleen gasped out before passing out, as Faith's eyes widened in horror.

Later

Colleen was taken away to surgery as Faith stood in the waiting room, and then turned to see Luke and Danny arrive.

"We came as soon as we heard", Luke said.

"Is she okay? Did her hurt her too bad?" Danny asked in concern.

"She was stabbed in the abdomen, they are operating on her right now", Faith informed them both, as Danny involuntarily sat on the chair, and Faith patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Luke too stood with folded arms, looking concerned.

"The Hand", Danny said with a snarl as he got up and prepared to move out, but both Faith and Luke held him back. "Let me go!"

"This is what they want, man", Luke pointed out to Danny. "For us to lose control and go after them."

"And then they can ambush and take us down", Faith pointed out. "As someone who is impulsive and reckless, I'm telling you to not do this."

Seeing their concerned looks, Danny relented and sat back down.

At his apartment, Matt was gearing up in his suit when Faith walked in. "Let's go."

"No, I'm going", Matt told her, and now Faith was shocked.

"Why?" She asked. "I am not as skilled, but I'm stronger and faster, and I still do have skills."

"Jessica was stronger and faster, he took her out", Matt pointed out as he picked up his Billy club.

"By putting poison in her booze to slow her down", Faith pointed out to Matt as well, getting slightly angry. "Why do you not want me to help you?"

Matt turned to Faith and explained. "This guy is going after the Defenders, hitting us where we hurt. Even the Hand didn't know who I was under the mask, it's my only advantage. It means you, Foggy, Karen, and my mother are safe." Matt closed the case holding his suit, holding the helmet in one hand, and stood in front of her. "This war with the Hand started with me, and it will end with me."

Unseen to Faith, Stick was there too as a ghost, watching them both, and Faith saw the resolve in Matt's eyes while hearing the conviction in his voice, realizing in that moment that no matter what she said or did, he won't back down from his stance.

"Fine, go", Faith finally conceded, stepping aside as Matt walked out.

"Thank you", he said when she grabbed him by the face and kissed him passionately, and he kissed back before they parted.

Then she told him. "I order you to come back, if you don't…."

She trailed off but the implications were clear, and Matt assured her. "I will."

He then walked off as Faith decided to go back to the hospital in case the man tried to attack any one of Jessica, Luke, Colleen or Danny over there.

Later

Matt ended up in the same warehouse where he had first fought Nobu. He wasn't sure the guy would show up here, but considering the Hand loved being poetic, he had a feeling he would meet the guy right here.

There was a table on the side of the room, it was the same as before really, and then Matt was proven right as the man arrived at last, wearing black and yellow robes which resembled Nobu's red ones from back then.

"Fitting you chose the battleground of your first duel against our order to be your final resting place, Akuma-san."

"Why are you doing this? The Hand is gone, it's leaders are all dead, their resources washed up, and their power extinguished, yet you remain to pick up the pieces, why?"

"It was the Hand who found me, fed me, clothed me, gave me purpose, even my own name is given to me by them, Ikari, the Fury of the Hand. I would have killed you myself had the Hand not entrusted me with my mission."

"Which was?"

"Wipe out any demon who dared to interfere with our goals. Vengeance would have come sooner had I not turn to dust."

The talk was now over, as Daredevil shifted to the important part.

"You hurt my friends."

"I will do worse after I end the Devil of Hell's Kitchen."

"No, you won't."

With that, the two charged each other but Matt was faster and grabbing Ikari, did a double leg takedown, and then picking Ikari up, punched his face and slammed him into a pillar.

Then Matt slammed Ikari into the wall and punched him in the abdomen and chest multiple times. They struggled before Matt flipped Ikari down to the ground.

Then he picked Ikari up but Ikari head-butted him, staggering him back, and then did a helicopter kick, sending Matt crashing to the ground.

Matt staggered up as Ikari hit him with two tornado kicks, sending him flying back and crashing again.

Matt staggered up as Ikari kicked him back, then punched him twice and kicked him too, before kneeing his gut and flipping away onto the table. He punched Matt before picking him up but Matt freed himself and spin kicked Ikari back.

He then decked Ikari twice and kneeing his gut, pushed him away before kicking him back again as he fell down.

Matt walked to Ikari but Ikari swept his feet from under him. Both of them then got up and circled each other.

Matt leapt with a kick but Ikari blocked, then dodged a punch before blocking 2 more blows, and then Matt threw two spin kicks which were dodged too, and Ikari swept his feet from under him, but Matt flipped back up.

He then charged with some spin kicks and punches but Ikari blocked or dodged them, and then Ikari spin kicked Matt's face twice, sending him staggering back too.

Matt leapt with two kicks but both were blocked before Ikari grabbed his arm, but Matt grabbed him too, and both ended up on the ground.

As Matt got up, Ikari flipped in the air and kicked his face, sending him crashing into the table and shattering it.

Matt staggered back up but got a kick, though he avoided the next one, and kicked Ikari, and tried to do it again but his foot was grabbed.

Matt lifted his other one and trapped Ikari's head between his legs, flipping him into a wall which shattered as Ikari groaned.

Both got back up as Ikari charged but Matt blocked his blows and a kick too, then tried to spin kick which Ikari avoided, and as he raised his foot, Matt grabbed it and punched his chest before pushing him back.

Matt then rushed at him and running up the wall, flip kicked Ikari's face, pushing him off again.

Matt then blocked 2 kicks from Ikari and some punches before being punched back. He then kicked Ikari and was kicked back in return too.

Matt then punched but Ikari blocked and decked him twice, and then grabbing his arm, tried to flip him but Matt punched his shoulder from behind. Ikari managed to elbow him back and flipping, kicked his face, sending him down again.

Both got up as Ikari tried to flip kick but Matt dodged it, and then Matt blocked a kick before decking his face, and flipped him into another wall, dazing Ikari. Ikari tried to strike again but Matt blocked and punched his face thrice.

Then he decked him again and kicked Ikari back. Then Matt rushed Ikari and leaping in the air, kicked him hard, sending him crashing out through the window like he had done to Jessica.

There was a splash as Matt realized he'd kicked Ikari into the water, and he rushed to the broken window, but got nothing, no scent, and no heartbeat. Ikari had escaped!

Later, Matt, now in his normal suit, walked to the hospital where Faith, Luke and Danny were, as Faith informed him. "Colleen and Jessica will both be fine."

Matt sighed in relief at that. "Thanks."

"What happened to the guy who came at us?" Danny inquired.

"He escaped, but I did beat him badly, so he won't return for a while", Matt assured the two of them.

"That's good enough for now", Luke said as all four of them stood there, knowing this wasn't over yet.

Ikari limped to his base, where there were various pictures of the Defenders and their loved ones- Jessica, Trish, Malcolm, Luke, Misty, Claire, Danny, Colleen, Ward and Joy.

The images of the loved ones were all pinned with daggers.

For Daredevil though, there was a picture of him in a suit, and that was it. There was no one to connect him too due to the mask he used to protect his identity, so the only ones connected to him were the other Defenders.

Ikari removed his mask, revealing himself to be a man of Asian descent, and wallowed in defeat, feeling every cut, bruise and broken bone from the fight against Daredevil.

He roared in rage before throwing a dagger at Daredevil's picture, pinning the dagger on it.

Then slow clapping came from behind him, and he turned as a woman appeared, dressed in a black and white suit with a bullseye on her shoulder and thigh on the white sections of the suit.

"So, you were defeated?" Ikari remained silent, observing the intruder. "What if I told you I have an offer that can wash away the stink of failure?"

Ikari was silent for a whole minute, staring right at the woman, no emotion showing.

"What offer?"

Chapter Text

Matt, Foggy and Karen walked out of the courthouse, smiling victoriously as they had won their latest case, and Foggy did a small victory dance right there.

"Thank God I'm blind", Matt quipped, making Karen laugh out loud.

"Hater!" Foggy snapped playfully as he continued to do his victory dance.

Nearby, a woman dressed in a lawyer's garb, wearing glasses with her hair tied in a bun, was watching the three of them, and none of them were aware of who she was.

As they walked off, she discreetly followed them down the streets.

Later, Josie's Bar

Matt, Faith, Foggy and Karen sat together, raising drinks with a 'cheers' and then drinking together as they heard a familiar voice call out. "Hey assholes!"

They turned as Jessica walked to them along with Luke, sitting down next to them.

"So, how are you?" Matt asked Jessica.

"Little better, but still shitty", Jessica quipped.

"Yeah, plus I think the doctors would need treatment if they kept her in for one more day", Luke told the rest as chuckles went all around. "So, what was the case about?"

"A man was wrongfully arrested on charges of assault and theft, we got him off, and he had a well-paying job", Karen told the two of them. "You can guess the rest."

"Let's play", Foggy said as he held up his drink and walked to the pool table, the others following, holding up their own drinks as well, and they soon played, with Foggy dunking the white ball, while Faith hugged her arms around Matt's chest, her head on his shoulder.

"There ya go!" Foggy said as he handed the stick to Matt.

"Here", Matt handed it to Faith to do it for him instead.

"So, how does it work here?" Faith muttered playfully.

"Well, I tell you, you dunk", Matt shrugged.

"And what do I get for the dunking?" Faith asked with a wink as both of them laughed, and the rest rolled their eyes at the cozy couple, both smiling and laughing at their own playful actions.

As Faith dunked the white ball, Jessica chugged down her whiskey and winced a little, which Luke noticed. "You all right?"

"I will be when the shit that ninja bastard roofied me with clears up", Jessica told Luke.

Ikari's poison had slowly stripped of her powers while also making her slow and groggy after drinking it. Danny had his connections get them help to identify and deal with the poison, but it was slow work, and Jessica's full strength and healing was still coming back.

Faith made a little quip with a nudge. "All bark, no bite now, huh boozey?"

"Still enough to kick your ass, bitch."

Some more laughter went around at that.

As the others continued playing and drinking, Matt and Luke separated from them as Luke inquired. "Any luck?"

Matt knew what Luke was talking about, and shook his head 'no'. He had searched all of the known old bases and residences of the Hand, but there was no sign of Ikari anywhere, it was like he had come into existence, and then vanished into thin air.

"He disappeared without a trace, and he can fight like the best of them. Ikari was their elite, now he wants payback."

"If only the ninja would get it over with already", Luke complained as he took a swig of his drink.

Matt asked Luke about their one friend who was still not discharged from the hospital yet. "So, how's Colleen?"

"She'll be throwing flying kicks by the end of the week. The glowy hand healing is pretty handy."

Matt nodded, feeling relieved that Colleen would be fine at least after what had happened to her earlier with Ikari stabbing her. Faith was taking the self-defence classes alone in Colleen's absence, and was good at it too from what he had heard at least.

Of course she was good, she had gotten her life on track now.

At the end of the bar, the woman from earlier watched all of them with unseen glances, paying particular attention to Matt as well as Faith.

Matt tilted his head, feeling something off, though what it was, he couldn't tell yet.

Next day, Colleen's dojo

A student had Faith in a rear naked chokehold as she explained to the rest. "So in this position", she grabbed the student's arm and pulled it down, "you grab their arm and pull it down", she stepped forwards a little, "then you step forward", she then flipped the student down halfway, "and you can pull them over your head and take them down."

She let the student go who walked back to his place as she asked the rest of them. "So, any trouble following so far?"

All of them shook their heads, having understood this move perfectly.

"Now try it", Faith said as they did, and she walked around, correcting one's posture. "No, you're supposed to move that arm."

She then walked back to her position as the students executed that move. "Now reverse positions and try it again."

They did, and Faith again looked around, this time all of them seemed to have their postures correct, and she gave a nod as the students again executed that move, managing to do it decently. "Nice going."

A while later, Faith brought out a dummy and explained. "So, the basics of this kick are the same as a spin kick, but you have to go further than that here, since it's a more complex move than that."

She then gave the dummy a tornado kick, controlling her strength, as it tilted away and fell down, and then she picked it up. "You need to pivot your body 360 degrees, because if you jump too soon, you'll look like this", she then tried to do it again, jumping before her body had pivoted 360 degrees, and the dummy was hit but didn't move (of course if she'd used her strength it would still go down).

Faith demonstrated again. "So I have the foot forward", she put it forward, "I turn around", she did that, "and I turn around 360 degrees and lift my knee", Faith did that, "and then kick", and she did that, sending the dummy falling down again. "You get me?"

"Yes ma'am", the students said.

"Try it out", Faith shrugged as the students did one by one, and none of them got it right in the first try, and many did not get it right at all, though a few of them managed to get it right at the 5th time.

"Not to worry, it's a pretty difficult one to do, you might take about 2 days to learn it", Faith assured the students. "So this is it for the day, we'll meet tomorrow."

The students all thanked her and walked out one by one as Faith got a call on her phone and put it to her ear. "Hey babe."

"Hey, I'm going to visit Colleen right now, she might know if there are any more Hand safehouses for me to search", Matt said to her from the other end.

"All right, good luck", Faith wished him luck.

"So, how goes your career as a solo teacher?" Matt asked playfully.

"Things are good, and getting better", Faith shrugged, happy with her life now. "Oh, and you-"

"Made sure your laptop was fully charged before leaving the apartment. Aren't I a great boyfriend?"

"The best. Love you, babe."

The call was then cut as Faith decided it was time to close up now.

Matt walked into the hospital room, where Danny was waiting for him, and Colleen was asleep right now. "She good?"

"Yeah", Danny nodded before gesturing outside. "Come on."

Matt and Danny walked out and walked off, entering an empty room as Danny said. "So, she gave out names of 5 more bases to me, I'm thinking we can go around and check those out, would work for us, maybe this Ikari guy is hiding in one of those."

"Works for me, so maybe I can take 2, you can take 2, and if none of them have Ikari, we can check out the last one together", Matt suggested and Danny nodded as he gave Matt the names of all the bases.

At the same time, the woman, now dressed as a nurse, stood in the hallway. She had seen Matt and Danny walking out of the Colleen's room into the hospital, and slowly made her way towards that room, and opened it, only to find no one.

She frowned and closed the door, then saw the two of them walking up the stairs, and discreetly followed them to the upper floor, which was deserted, and she walked down the hallway, though she found no trace of either of the two for whatever reason.

Then she felt a presence behind her and turned to see Matt and Danny standing there, Matt having ditched his glasses and cane in a corner as this floor had no cameras due to being deserted.

"I'm guessing you're not a nurse here", Danny quipped.

"Evidently not, considering she was a lawyer yesterday", Matt told him as she glared at them.

"So you caught on to me, won't help you much though", the woman told them while tilting her head.

"Who are you?" Matt asked.

She smirked and the space in the area distorted as various Yakuza thugs appeared.

"Someone who wants to spread the love."

The Yakuza charged as Danny ducked one's kick and blocked the other's blow before kicking them both away in quick succession.

Three of them jumped at Matt who ducked and slid underneath them to avoid, and got up as they faced each other.

Danny ducked to avoid another's spin kick and blocked his blow before striking his abdomen as he was sent back and then he avoided the next one's strike too.

Matt spin kicked one down and then kicked another away.

Danny ran up a wall and spinning in the air, kicked another Yakuza hard on the face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Matt kicked another Yakuza away, and one tried to strike with a staff but he grabbed it and spinning, elbowed that Yakuza on the face, sending him down as well.

Danny did a cartwheel as Matt spin kicked another Yakuza to the other side.

Danny then leapt high into the air and pushed his feet forwards, kicking away 2 Yakuza running at him as they were both knocked out by him.

Matt grabbed another one's spear while grabbing his head and spinning him, threw him to Danny who hit his neck with a karate chop, taking him out too.

Matt threw the staff away as Danny walked to the woman, and then charged as she kicked and he blocked before trying to kick as she dodged.

He then punched but she grabbed his hand with both of hers, and tried to twist but he resisted, as she spun, trying to flip him over, but he freed his hand and punched as she blocked with her raised arm, and they glared at each other.

Danny then leapt and pushed his arm out, managing to push her back before she stopped herself.

Then they exchanged hits again as Danny ducked to avoid her swing, and she ducked to avoid his, and then they exchanged some hits before she leapt into the air and spun, landing on a medical cart, and she leapt to its other side.

She then kicked it in Danny's direction but he flipped on it and landed on the other side, ready to fight her some more.

She then pulled out a handle which glowed and became a sword, and then she swung it as Danny dodged her strikes.

She thrust it forwards and Danny backed to avoid again. She then tried to chop him with it but Danny leapt away to avoid as the medical cart was cut instead.

Matt dodged the Yakuza leader's blows and managed to kick him down. He got back up while picking a wakizashi and charged Matt again who had to dodge his blows.

Danny dodged the woman's swings while flipping and spinning in the air as she cut the medical cart again. Danny then avoided more swings and dodged another as she cut a curtain with her sword.

She then swung again as Danny cartwheeled away, but noticed part of his jacket had been cut by her. She charged again as he grabbed her hand and pushed back, and dodged and ducked more blows before ducking and leaning on a chair, and deflected the sword with his shoes before leaping away as she chopped off the chair.

Matt struck a staff on the ground with his foot, managing to get it in his hands, and struck the Yakuza leader, managing to send him back.

Their fighting continued as Danny continued blocking or dodging the woman's swings, and ducked to avoid another but it cut some portion of his hair.

He then leapt off to avoid another swing and jumped to her other side as she turned and continued to fight him.

Both of the fights continued as Danny blocked a strike but was kicked back.

Matt hit the Yakuza leader with the staff, sending him back, then ricocheted it off the wall as it went into Danny's hand, who lifted it to block the sword and battled the woman, their weapons clashing.

They jumped onto opposite sides of the hallway, then leapt at each other and clashed weapons, managing to strike a window nearby simultaneously as it shattered.

Danny spun in the air to strike as she blocked, and then he dodged a strike while rubbing the staff against her sword, and pushed her back, and then he channelled his chi into the staff, which glowed.

He then pushed and the sword was cut into two, and then Danny kicked the woman away while Matt grabbed the Yakuza leader's head and brought it down on his knee, taking him out too.

The two then walked towards the woman, having cornered her, and she crawled back before the space distorted and she was gone.

"Damn it!" Danny said as the two groaned.

Faith was locking up the dojo when she sensed a presence behind her and turned to see the woman had now appeared in front of her.

"Who are you?" Faith asked, immediately getting on the defensive.

"Like I said before, someone who wants to spread love", the woman shrugged as both raised their fists and charged each other.

At the last moment, Faith kicked the woman's abdomen instead, making her double down, and then she kicked her face, sending her staggering back.

The woman recovered and spin kicked Faith's face, sending her back as well.

Faith then charged, blocking and dodging her blows, as the woman did the same, both of them trying to kick the other, and as the woman charged, Faith side-stepped and grabbing her, pushed her off, sending her down.

She marched to the woman who rolled away and got behind Faith, grabbing her in a chokehold, but Faith freed herself and pushed the woman to her front, grabbing her in a chokehold instead, and then threw her down to the ground as she groaned.

The woman charged but Faith dodged a punch and blocked the next before sending her back with a punch instead.

Faith then punched her multiple times. The woman tried to throw a punch but Faith blocked and kicked her knee, then lifting her up by the hand, hurled her to the other side of the room, sending her crashing down as she groaned in pain.

Faith then marched to her but the space distorted and the woman was gone once more as Faith sighed.

Later

"So she attacked you too", Matt noted as he and Faith sat down on the bed together, now in their clothes.

"Yeah, but she wasn't prepared for me", Faith said with a smirk and shrug as the two chuckled.

"The Yakuza with her were arrested by the police, but they don't remember a thing, for whatever reason", Matt told her. "No idea why, maybe she had them under some sort of spell."

"Well, she could teleport away, or whatever it is, maybe she has some powers", Faith shrugged. "We'll think more about it tomorrow."

"Yeah", Matt agreed as they kissed and made love once more.

Two demonic eyes belonging to some giant creature opened.

Something punched its way out of the ground. It was a very rocky hand.

Angel, Wesley, Lorne, Gunn and Groo fought the creature, which seemed to be made of rock.

Fire rained in the sky.

Angel was stabbed between his shoulder and neck and lying on the ground, blood pouring out of his mouth.

The creature stood in all of its rocky glory.

A dark-haired girl was running through the arched hallway, looking over her shoulder and panting from the exertion of running so fast. She slipped down an embankment. She was being chased. A man on the street saw her through his front door, and closed it rather than help her.

Two people in hooded cloaks were chasing her. After trying various alleys looking for an escape route, she found herself trapped in a dead-end. She saw a drain pipe next to her and decided to use it to scale the building.

The people chasing her grabbed her foot, but she managed to escape their grip and easily climbed up to the roof. There, another hooded figure was waiting and pushed her off the building. She screamed, but she landed on the ground alive, on her back.

Two hooded figures held her down, and she fought back with all her might. A third figure raised an arched, shiny, silver dagger and thrust down at her.

A girl was running and looked scared. She had hot pink hair with black bangs at her forehead, a nose ring, and a metal collar. She was wearing all black, with a skeleton shirt, long pants, a leather jacket and boots.

She went through an interior door and jumped down to the next level. Two people were chasing her, hooded and cloaked.

She ran out through an exterior door and proceeded to scale down the building. Finally, she thought she was safe when she went through a doorway to the outside near a crowd of club patrons, but she was pushed back inside by her pursuers. They closed the door behind them and started to fight with her.

She was knocked to the ground, lying on her back. Finally, one of the robed people pulled out a curved silver dagger and tried to stab her, but she blocked his move.

The other robed person also had a dagger though and stabbed her. She winced, and the men resheathed their daggers and left.

After the girl appeared dead, she turned her head and spoke in a low, unnatural sounding voice. "From beneath you, it devours."

Matt and Faith, both naked other than the bedsheets, woke up at the exact same time with gasps, then turned to each other.

"What's the matter?" They asked each other at the same time, then realized both had nightmares.

"Some rocky creature, it fought Angel and the rest and beat them, then fire was raining", Matt said, sounding confused.

"Girls chased by men in robes and killed, and one of them said 'from beneath you, it devours'", Faith told Matt of her own dreams, sounding just as confused.

"What does this mean?" Matt wondered. "I don't think this was just a dream."

"Me neither", Faith said grimly, both of them seeming unnerved.

Next day, park

Matt and Faith had decided to spend some time here to get their minds off of their unnatural dreams, and Faith was reading a book, with Matt having laid down, his head in her lap, both content and happy.

Suddenly, Matt's head perked up as he heard metal and tasted it in the air. A dagger had been drawn from its sheath.

"Get down", Matt ordered as Faith immediately ducked, avoiding a swing from a man behind her, and Matt jumped off, and "saw" the evil emanating from Faith's attacker.

Faith noted he looked quite unnatural. As he swung again, she grabbed his hand and twisted it, making him drop the dagger as Matt kicked leapt over the bench and kicked him hard, sending him flying off.

The man got up and immediately bolted, and fortunately, no one had noticed it as they were far off.

Faith then looked at the dagger and picked it up, narrowing her eyes before they widened in horror. "Oh no!"

"What's the matter?" Matt inquired.

"The dagger…..the people who killed the girls in my dream used the same one", Faith revealed, now shocking Matt as well.

Later

Faith had packed up and said. "Look, I don't want to leave, but this is important, something's about to go down in Sunnydale, and I think I'll be needed there."

"I get what you mean, especially since Slayer dreams are supposed to be prophetic, according to you, and this guy had the same dagger as the people in your dreams", Matt pointed out and nodded in agreement. "Besides, I think my dreams were also more than just dreams, so I'll be heading over to LA. Something's going down there, and I'll be needed."

They realized it was time to part now, and Matt cupped Faith's face. "There is never anywhere too far for me to be there for you, remember that."

The two kissed each other passionately and lovingly for 2 minutes, and then parted as Faith waved to Matt and he waved back, and she left.

Matt decided to pack up himself to go to LA.

The woman was now at her base as Ikari quipped. "So you failed to defeat them too, interesting. And here you were trying to make me think you're better than me, Maki."

"This wasn't about killing the Defenders, Ikari", Maki said while rolling her eyes. "And if you want another chance at the Devil, and his real name, learn to be patient."

Ikari scoffed and walked off, and then a deep, demonic voice rang out at the place. "What were you trying to do?"

Maki was terrified, and tried to explain. "I was trying to gain a perfect donor for your birth, master, and eliminate the Slayer, who would be a threat to you and your plans."

"You nearly ruined it all by getting captured", the voice scolded her, not in the mood to hear out her defense. "Besides, killing the Slayer would only complicate matters, she is off to join the other Slayer at Sunnydale anyway. You stay here, and await further instructions, and keep your friend on a tighter leash."

"Yes master", Maki nodded with her head lowered. "But what about the Devil?"

"Oh I made sure he'll come to Los Angeles soon."

Chapter Text

Hyperion Hotel

Gunn grabbed a battleaxe in the lobby as Groo grabbed a sword while Angel was walking down the stairs, holding Connor, with Lorne following him, talking emphatically.

"No", Angel immediately said.

"Why?" Lorne asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"I said no."

"I said why", Lorne then made a suggestion for further conversation. "Now, let's meet in the middle with a "why no?""

"It's too soon", Angel walked to the front desk.

"But she got her memory back. Aren't you a weensy curious if Cordy remembers anything about her little stint as a Miss Higher Power?" Lorne inquired, and it was a legit question. "Oh, say, maybe something about the thing-a-ma-bad that Wolfram and Hart sucked outta my noggin."

Angel was more concerned about her mental condition. "We need to give her time to adjust before we start coming at her with a million questions."

"How 'bout one? One's good", Lorne gave a compromise.

"In a couple of days when she's more herself", Angel assured.

Lorne turned to Fred, Gunn and Groo. "Chime in any time."

Fred, Gunn and Groo were at the weapons cabinet, picking out weapons.

"Love to", Fred shrugged.

"Really", Gunn added.

"We have a case from a client", Groo finished.

"Need some backup?" Angel asked her.

"Nah. Woman out in Hancock Park's hearing spookies in her pipes. I don't know whether to bring my axe or a plunger", Gunn shrugged.

"Maybe you should try reading her again if you want answers so much?" Angel suggested to Lorne.

"As long as I get some painkillers, sure", Lorne said with a shrug.

"Don't know about painkillers," They all looked to the door as Matt walked in with his cane and case, "but what about a duet?"

"Jumping Jehoshaphat! Matt!" Lorne ran to embrace him, "Oh my sweet Devil, I missed you," and then they pulled back, "and may I just say you are glowing? Are you pregnant?"

"Not that I can tell."

"Shame, it'd be a cutie like the little nibber here", Lorne gestured to Connor as Gunn and Fred came over and hugged him, while Groo shook his hand.

Angel approached last, handing Connor to Fred as he hugged his best friend, before Fred offered the baby to him, "Say hi to uncle Matt."

Matt took the baby and rocking him said. "Hi kid, you're getting bigger, I think you're going to outgrow us all soon."

They all chuckled as Matt handed Connor back to Angel and inquired. "How's Cordy?"

"Well, her memory is back", Angel revealed, surprising Matt at that.

"Really?"

"Really", Angel nodded. "But she is in shock I think, trying to adjust."

"I get it", Matt assured.

"And how's Faith?" Angel then asked Matt.

"She's fine, though she went off to Sunnydale over some Slayer stuff at the same time I decided to come here", Matt informed Angel. "And some remnant of the Hand attacked us all. Jessica was poisoned and Colleen was stabbed but they're fine now. And Luke's club got blown up. But you know him."

"He's fine, he's Luke Cage after all. I pity the fool who blew up the club when he finds him", Gunn then said, fanboy believing in his favorite hero. And then he moved on. "Not that we don't love having you here, but what's up Matlock?" Gunn asked for all of them.

Matt lost his good mood. "We need to talk."

"Okay, we'd love to stay here for it, but there's a job, guys", Fred reminded Gunn and Groo.

"Right", Gunn realized.

"You three can be told of this later", Matt assured as they nodded and walked out to do the job.

"So, what is it?" Angel asked as he, Matt and Lorne sat down.

"Well, I had a dream", Matt explained to the two of them. "Some kind of monstrous creature punched its way out of the ground, I think it was made of rock. It fought all of you and injured you", Matt gestured to Angel as he said that. "And then fire rained in the sky."

"Okay, that is horrible", Angel said, sharing a concerned look with Lorne.

"Maybe I can sing for you?" Matt both asked and suggested.

"Oh yeah, works for me", Lorne said as he clapped his hands, preparing to listen to what Matt was going to sing.

And so Matt began with a deep breath- "All around me are familiar faces. Worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races. Going nowhere, going nowhere. Their tears are filling up their glasses. No expression, no expression. Hide my head, I wanna drown my sorrow. No tomorrow, no tomorrow. And I find it kind of funny. I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying. Are the best I've ever had. I find it hard to tell you. I find it hard to take. When people run in circles it's a very, very. Mad world, mad world…."

And then Matt was done as Lorne looked concerned, but also impressed by the singing at the same time, though the concern overpowered it.

"Well, I want to say thank you for the show, but I feel like that would set the wrong tone. It's a shame that such an experience is hampered by such apocalyptic messages", Lorne finally said with a sigh.

"Apocalypse, again? How many is that now?" Angel wondered.

"What did you see?" Matt inquired.

Lorne looked at them all grimly and told them just what it was.

"Something is coming, guys. And I mean right now, he's punching his way to LA. The city will be feeling it soon enough, hell, I think it already is."

"And the demon?"

"Never seen anything like it. What I can tell you, it is about as friendly as Taylor Swift is to her latest ex", Lorne made a quip, but it was dead serious, and then he inquired. "But why would you getting these visions?"

"What do you mean?" Matt was confused. "I thought it was because of Abaddon and the Hell-Mark."

"You got sent nightmares by Mephisto about Abaddon, and don't make me recall feeling that part, but these were sent to you, and I don't know how, or why."

"One mystery followed by another, yep, we got an apocalypse coming." Angel finally said.

If this wasn't Mephisto, then what was it?

Matt knocked, and Cordelia opened the door, surprised to see him. "Matt?"

"Hey Cordy", Matt said as he walked in, holding some food. "Got some for you."

"Thanks", Cordelia said happily, taking it from him and putting it on the table.

"So you remember?" Matt inquired.

"Yes, I remember everything", Cordelia confirmed with a nod. "Well, expect about when I was in the Higher Dimension."

"Well, that's too bad, could have helped us out here", Matt said with a sigh and she agreed with him there.

She seemed different though, he didn't know why. Perhaps because she had been a Higher Being all this time and now had her memories back, something had changed about her? That could be it.

"I remember us too", Cordelia then said, rubbing his arms, confusing Matt, why was she doing this now?

"Cordy….."

"It was a nice time, among the happiest of my life", Cordelia continued, now cupping Matt's cheek while moving closer to him and holding him. "I wish we could just go back to that time, you know?"

"Yeah, but things change", Matt said, gently putting her hands away, weirded out by her behavior. But then Matt remembered Cordelia had just gotten her memories back, and she was behaving like she had a little while after her breakup.

Her thoughts and memories were probably jumbled right now.

"So, you can eat, and I'll let you know if anything happens", Matt said, walking down, not noticing the ominous gaze behind him.

As he walked down, he heard the phone ringing faster than Angel or Lorne could answer them, and asked. "You want me to take any of them?"

"No, just take care of my son", Angel said, gesturing to Connor in his crib as Matt walked to him and lifted him up.

"Hey kid, how are you?" Matt asked as Connor made a funny sound.

"Oh, okay", Matt shrugged as he sat down with him. "Well, daddy is too busy with phones so you're stuck with me for a bit."

During that time Fred, Gunn and Groo returned as Angel asked. "How did it go?"

"Bad", all three said together, and then Gunn and Groo walked off, while Fred walked to Matt, deciding to play with Connor, when he suddenly heard Cordelia gasp upstairs.

"Cordy!" Matt immediately said as that got their attention, and so Fred took Connor from him while Matt and Angel rushed upstairs, with Lorne staying on the phones.

They opened the door, and Cordelia looked frightened as Angel hugged her. "It's okay Cordy! I'm here, we're all here!"

A while later, Cordelia was sitting down as Angel tried to touch her but she shifted slightly, and he inquired. "Did I do something or…..?"

Cordelia assured in that moment. "Oh, Angel... I love you. I always will. You know that."

Angel said. "I don't suppose we could stop there."

"I wish we could - more than anything - but I can't", Cordelia now shifted to face Angel. "When I got my memory back, everything came rushing in. Sunnydale, moving to Los Angeles, meeting you again. I wanted to tell you, but it was just too much."

"Tell me what?"

"What I remembered when I was a higher being. I remember seeing you - your past - when you were Angelus", Cordelia finally revealed to him.

Angel pointed out. "I never tried to hide who I was or what I've done. You already knew."

Cordelia made a point of her own. "Knowing's different than living it. When I was up there, I could look back and see everything you ever did as Angelus - more than see, I felt it. Not just their fear and pain. I felt you and how much you enjoyed making them suffer. I love you, Angel", she touched his face, "but I can't be with you. It's just too soon. Maybe if we just give it a little time... Cordelia started hyperventilating, convulsing, and her eyes turned white. Angel and Matt grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Cordy!"

"He's coming. He's coming now."

Later, Cordelia was lying down on the bed.

Angel was beside her with Matt on the doorway when Fred came, holding Connor. "I'm going out with Connor, because I don't want to be here, and I don't think anyone here can look after him right now with what's going on. I'm telling you because of what happened last time someone went off with him."

They groaned, remembering Wesley's stupidity as Angel assured Fred. "I trust you. Take care of him." He walked to Connor and kissed his forehead. "Be good to Aunt Fred, she loves you."

Fred smiled and then left with Connor, as Angel turned to Cordelia. "You still have your visions. I thought they weren't supposed to hurt anymore."

"This wasn't normal", Cordelia sighed as Angel sat down on the bed beside her. "If that word actually applies to anything that ever happens to me. The visions are usually like a lawn sprinkler. This was like Niagra."

"Maybe you should rest", Matt suggested to her.

"No, I'm okay", Cordelia assured.

Angel asked. "What else can you tell me?"

Cordelia informed him. "Big, powerful, clawing its way up through the bowels of the earth to slaughter us all. Yeah, that pretty much covers it."

"Must be what I saw", Matt realized.

"Did either of you see anything that could give us a location?" Angel asked, but Matt shook his head.

Cordelia was the same. "No, just the big beastie", she sat up in the bed. "It's coming, Angel, and it won't stop - not until we're all - It won't stop."

Angel suggested. "Matt's right. You should probably get some sleep."

Cordelia was sarcastic, like usual. "Yeah, because impending doom - almost as good as warm milk."

Angel stood up. "Whatever's coming, I'll figure out a way to stop it." He turned to Matt. "We both will."

Cordelia wasn't so sure. "It'll be too late. I can feel it. There's something - I don't know. I think I know more about this thing - or, I knew more when I was all high and mighty, but I just can't get at it."

Angel again made a suggestion. "Maybe if Lorne read you again."

Cordelia scoffed. "You think he would after what happened the first time?"

Angel quipped. "I could hold him down."

"Angel, we need to know more. I need to know."

Angel started walking off as Matt walked after him. "So, where are you going?"

"Well, the one place which would have the answers", Angel said, and Matt realized where.

"Go, good luck", Matt said, tapping his shoulder.

"Thanks", Angel nodded and walked off.

Matt then walked back to the room and told Cordelia. "You're wrong."

Cordelia was now standing near the window, and turning to look at him asked. "About what?"

Matt told her exactly what.

"Angelus was a soulless Demon, that only brought death, destruction, misery, and pain. But Angel, he is someone else entirely. He has a soul, he's a good man, one of my best friends. I refuse to believe that they are both the same."

Before conversation could go any further, Matt heard wings beating fast, and quickly pulled Cordelia away from the window as a sparrow slammed into it.

"What the hell?" Cordelia wondered as more slammed into the window, and he pulled her into the hall before going down himself, where a whole flock was slamming outside on the glass, with Lorne, Gunn and Groo just as shocked as them all.

In a few seconds, it stopped as Gunn commented. "I'm guessing this isn't a good sign."

"Yeah, as far as harbingers go…not so much", Lorne agreed there.

"These are strange happenings", Groo muttered.

"Tell me about it", Matt agreed before going back up, but then found Cordelia leaving.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked her.

"I'm getting a stronger feeling", Cordelia revealed.

"About the vision", Matt realized.

Cordelia nodded in confirmation. "Yeah. Flashes, images, tugging at me, pulling."

"Where?"

Cordelia shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe where this thing's gonna jack-in-the-box."

Matt noted. "So you were gonna go face it by yourself."

Cordelia groaned. "All right. I was a higher being", she started to walk off.

"Was."

Cordelia stopped.

"You're not anymore."

Cordelia agreed on that too. "No, I'm not. I remember wanting to come back home, to be able to touch, to feel", she finished it all, "to be human again."

Matt assured. "You are."

Cordelia then told him the catch. "But I can't remember how. Am I on vacation? Did I go cosmic AWOL? Did I do something to piss off the Powers That Be and get kicked out? Why am I here?"

Matt told her genuinely. "Because you're important."

"Oh, yeah. The world's really stopped turning without me."

"Well... you're important to me, and Angel, and the rest of us."

Cordelia smiled. "You and Angel are always good with words."

Matt chuckled as she said. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I was sent back because I'm important or needed - for this, to stop whatever's about to happen. I have to find out if that's why I'm here." She started walking off.

"And I have to go with you", Matt said as he walked alongside her.

"Just like that?" Cordelia asked, as she'd thought he'd try to get her to stay.

"I never could talk you out of anything", Matt reminded as both chuckled and walked off.

Soon, Matt and Cordelia were in a warehouse in LA, walking beside each other amid boxes and such.

Matt inquired. "Sure you know where you're going?"

"Exactly? No. But, for the first time since I've been back, I feel like I have a purpose, like a reason for being here. Before, all I felt was empty - like I was waiting for my life to start", Cordelia told Matt with a sigh.

Matt knew the feeling. "I know how that feels. Not knowing why you're here, what your place is in this world...When I first lost my eyes and my dad, I felt the same."

"I'm sorry", Cordelia said as they continued walking, and soon reached an alley in the city, from where Matt could hear the events going on in the city, and it did feel like an apocalypse and birds were behaving strangely, and people were arguing.

Both of them stopped.

Cordelia noted. "This place. I've been here before."

"I think so too", Matt said before remembering, and so did Cordelia.

"Oh, my God. Darla", Cordelia spoke first.

"She died here, Connor was born here", Matt finished for her

Then he suddenly felt something shaking in the ground and pulled Cordelia back. "Stay back!"

Something burst up from the ground in front of them, surrounded in red light. It had got two enormous horns on top of its head, and it was a hulking beast - the one Matt and Cordelia had both seen.

The Beast was huge, and he cast a horned shadow on the moist pavement.

Matt used his sense, and could tell that the Beast's hide was tough like stone, but the eyes were vulnerable.

So he immediately took out his Billy club from his back and threw it at the Beast's head, but it was deflected and fell off, and then the Beast picked Matt up and threw him off, his back hitting a dumpster which got dented from it.

"Matt!" Cordelia called out as the Beast marched to her.

Matt quickly got back up and unsheathed his arm blade, and then rushed the Beast, which tried to smack him away but he dodged while slicing its palm, though it was unaffected.

It tried to hit again as Matt flipped over it and tried to stab it but it was still unaffected. He then sliced its leg but nothing happened still.

The Beast again tried to strike but Matt rolled away and getting up, tried to stab the eye but Beast grabbed his hand and broke the blade off before stabbing him on the shoulder, making Matt gasp as the Beast threw him into a wall, breaking it as Matt fell down, groaning.

The Beast then grabbed Cordelia by the throat and lifted her several feet into the air to its eye level and stared into her face, though she didn't scream or trash, just stared back, looking a little frightened.

Suddenly, it was hit by a ball of Hellfire, making it stagger back with a grunt of pain, dropping Cordelia, and both turned to see Matt staggering back up, having taken the blade out of his shoulder, and now his eyes were glowing a fiery red, the Hell-Mark blazing too, visible underneath his shirt, and his fists were alight with Hellfire.

"Round three!"

And with that, Matt leapt and punched Beast's face, staggering it back, and then he ducked to avoid a strike and decked its gut twice, making it snarl again, before it hit Matt on the face, sending him flying back onto the ground, and Matt spat out some blood.

He immediately got back up and rushed Beast, again dodging a strike before leaping and punching its chest, staggering it back, and then he dodged another strike and punched its arm so hard some of its stone skin melted off, making it scream in pain.

Matt tried to punch again but this time Beast grabbed both of his hands. Matt grunted, enduring the pain, as Beast kneed his ribs, and he gasped in pain, before the Beast punched his face hard twice, sending him falling down once more as he spat out blood.

The Beast then looked at them both, and laughed, and then with a single effort, jumped up to the top of a nearby five story tall building.

When it was gone, Cordelia crawled to Matt, who was hurt and bleeding.

"Come on, Matt, let's get you back", she said, helping him up.

Gunn was talking on the phone in the lobby, and so was Lorne is also on the phone, and Groo too.

When they were done, Wesley had just come in through the front doors. "It is a bit ripe in here. I'd suggest opening a window, but –"

"Fred's not here", Gunn immediately said.

"Didn't ask."

"Didn't have to.

Wesley decided to ask now. "Since you brought it up, where is she?"

"Not your business."

Lorne intervened before things could get even worse. "Hey, uh, call me kooky-pants, but maybe we could save the three rounds until after the Chuck Heston Plague-A-Thon cools off."

Wesley inquired. "You've noticed the increase in paranormal activities?"

"The birds outside for one", Groo pointed out.

Lorne added. "And the Ghostbuster lines have been ringing off the hook."

"I've been tracking similar reports", Wesley sighed and made his offer. "Maybe if we pool our data –"

"Go pool yourself. I'm gonna find my girlfriend", Gunn started to walk away, when Angel interrupted him.

"No you're not. If we don't' stop what's coming, it won't matter where Fred is, or any of us", Angel said firmly, not wanting to argue on this. "And where's Matt?"

"He left with the Princess", Groo informed, and Angel nodded.

"In that case, she's safe."

Later, Lorne was sitting down, looking at papers that were spread across the coffee table. The papers were completely covered in mystical symbols, and there are hundreds of these sheets of paper.

Angel was pacing. Wesley was sitting on the couch next to Lorne. Gunn and Groo were sitting on the couch across from them.

Angel told all of them. "That's everything Wolfram and Hart could decipher from what they took outta Lorne."

Wesley was grateful for the information, but confused too. "They just handed these over?"

"Lilah - she can be very giving", Wes looked at Angel out of the corner of his eyes.

Gunn inquired. "You trust her on this?"

Angel gave his reasoning. "No, but she's got an interest in stopping the end of the world before it ruins Wolfram and Hart's end of the world, so..."

"OK, what's the plan?"

"You're holding it", Angel sat next to Gunn and Groo. "We figure out what all this means, then do something large and violent."

"The deciphering is what is difficult", Groo sighed.

Wesley commented. "I see you've given it considerable thought."

Lorne held up some of the papers. "So all this came out of my head? No wonder it made me greener."

Angel pointed out. "If Wolfram and Hart hadn't extracted it, you'd be a paler shade of dead.

"Yeah, well, remind me to send 'em a fruit basket", Lorne sipped his cocktail when the phone rang. "Mm. Saved by the continuous bell." He stood and walked to the front desk.

Angel asked. "You've been logging the calls?"

"Every last squishy one."

Angel immediately gave an order as he got an idea. "Grab a map, start marking the locations. See if they're concentrated in any one area." He turned to Wesley, Gunn and Groo. "Whatever's happening, whatever Matt and Cordy have seen, the answers are in these pages. We need to figure this out.

A while later, they were still on the couches, trying to decipher the data contained in the papers on the table in front of them.

Gunn sighed. "We're never gonna figure this out."

Angel said. "We have to keep trying."

Wesley's response was surprising. "Normally I'd agree, but this is a waste of time."

Angel pointed out. "It's all we have."

"Does not seem like all of it", Groo said.

Wesley agreed. "We must be missing something. This is gibberish. Bits and pieces of glyphs, archaic languages, symbols - all jumbled together."

Angel asked. "Do you recognize any of them?"

Wesley took a look. "Uh, heat, fallen, shrine, flesh...none of it makes any sense."

Angel told him. "Ah, we gotta keep at it until it does."

Gunn stood up. "You know, maybe we should just take a step back." He walked around.

Angel said. "We don't have time. Cordy said whatever's happening is going down right now."

"Then perhaps you should have addressed this earlier", Wesley flipped through the pages. "We could sift through this muddle from now 'til doomsday, whether that's tomorrow or a thousand years from now –"

Gunn was standing behind Wesley now. "Wait, go back. The last sheet, flip it back."

Angel stood and walked to look. "What is it?"

Wesley's eyes narrowed. "I don't see anything."

Gunn revealed. "'cause you're looking too close." Gunn lined up two of the papers, showing a triangular symbol that's completed when they were lined up properly. Plus, the pattern of the symbols and glyphs weren't nonsensical after all.

There were areas that were more densely written on than others. Gunn grabbed a stack of the papers from Wesley, pushing the coffee table out of the way, and started arranging the papers on the floor, matching up the denser areas which started to form lines.

"OK. So what the hell is it?"

When arranged properly, the papers formed a symbol that looked like a square with diagonal lines connecting opposite corners, forming an "X" pattern within the square).

Angel, Wesley, Gunn and Groo stood and stared at it.

Angel noted what it was. "The Eye of Fire."

Wesley explained. "Ancient alchemical symbol for fire."

Angel added. "And destruction."

Gunn commented. "You had me at fire."

"Perhaps we shall get both, fire does cause destruction", Groo pointed out.

"Um, boys?" Lorne held up the map. "I hate to be the little demon that cried apocalypse nowish, but uh..." Lorne gestured to the map with a marker. He'd plotted the locations of the disturbances with a red dot for each call, and the dots had formed a square.

At the diner, Fred was rocking baby Connor, who was asleep now, and the waitress inquired. "So, what about you?"

"Huh?"

"You and your man, you ever thought about having one?" The waitress inquired. "And I noticed he isn't here."

"Yeah, stuff happened", Fred told her.

"Well, as long as you have such adorable company, won't be too bad, so cheer up", the waitress said as the women smiled at each other.

Then the building shook as there was an earthquake, and Connor started crying as Fred held him close, and got out of the booth, crouching down, and pulled the waitress beside her. "Get away from the window."

Angel was drawing diagonal lines, connecting the corners of the square formed on the map when Lorne plotted the incidents. Angel pointed to where the lines crossed. "That's it."

"What?" Lorne asked.

Wesley noted. "The focal point of the disturbances. The building shakes like there's an earthquake."

Angel realized. "Whatever's coming, that's where we'll find it."

Gunn told them both. "I know that area - the old Kimball building's down there. They did a retro on it, put a club up on the roof. The, uh, Sky Temple or something."

Lorne nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard of it. Watering hole for the tragically hip. Actors, models, all the hot mamas and yamas."

"So this thing is going to do something evil and huge up there", Groo realized.

"A shrine of the flesh", Wesley looked at Angel.

"So, who's thirsty?" Angel walked to the weapons cabinet.

"Let's do it", Gunn followed Angel.

"We shall end this threat", Groo agreed, following Angel too.

Lorne was still sitting at the desk. "Hey, I know location's everything, but, um, maybe we should hold off on the down-payment 'til we know what we're dealing with or how to stop it."

"If it's alive, we kill it. If it's not, we bury it", Angel threw the crossbow to Wesley. "You in?"

At the sky temple of the Kimball Building Roof- Angel, Wesley, Lorne, Gunn and Groo walked up to the club entrance armed and ready to fight, but when they saw the Beast, they stopped dead in their tracks.

The Beast chuckled at them. It was standing inside a square made from human bodies that had been laid out in formation.

At the center of the square, the Beast was holding a man in the air, dangling him by the foot. The way the body hung, it formed sort of an "X" shape.

Lorne quipped. "Ooh, uh, I'm gonna need a bigger arrow."

The Beast threw the man he was holding across the room before focusing his attention on Angel's gang. Angel hoisted his sword and ran toward the Beast. Gunn and Groo flanked him on the right, while Wesley and Lorne were on the left with crossbows aimed.

Angel swung the sword at the Beast, but it had no effect - when the sword contacted the Beast's skin, there was a pinging sound, but it didn't cut or penetrate the skin.

He blocked and dodged strikes, then struck again, but was disarmed and thrown into a column which shattered into pieces.

Gunn hurled the battleax at the Beast, but the Beast caught it easily, bending the blade in half and throwing it back at Gunn who took cover to avoid.

Groo tried to strike with his sword twice but the Beast blocked both times and kicked him away, shattering a table as Groo fell down.

Angel got up with 2 smaller axes, dodging the Beast's blows and striking him, but he blocked his attacks and pushed him back.

Wesley and Lorne fired from their crossbows but the Beast deflected their projectiles at Angel, who dropped his axes and doubled over in pain. The two loaded their crossbows again but the Beast threw Angel at them, knocking them all down.

Groo then charged again, kicking the Beast, and then punching its stony gut, and then tried to strike again but Beast grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the other three, taking them down again.

Gunn leapt back out with a sword and tried to fight, the Beast unaffected as he grabbed Gunn by the throat and threw him across the room.

Wesley took out 2 automatic handguns, firing them at the Beast who was unaffected. He ran out and took out a shotgun, firing that instead as the Beast went on his knees, and Wesley walked closer, about to fire again when the Beast looked up with a smile and pushed the shotgun away, hurling Wesley across the room.

The Beast chuckled.

"Might wanna hold the gloat, chuckles", Angel pulled the arrow out. "We're just getting started."

He charged the Beast, blocking and dodging his blows while knocking him with punches and a spin kick. He blocked a punch but then got an uppercut which sent him upwards, so he flipped and landed on the awning, now in Vamp face as the Beast sneered back.

Angel leapt back down, avoiding punches as he knocked the Beast with his punches, including 2 spinning ones. He ducked to avoid a blow and punched him twice before leaping and kicking him, then brought him down on his knees with a punch. Angel pulled out a dagger to stab his eyes but he grabbed his hand, then snatching the dagger, stabbed Angel's neck who gasped in pain as blood poured out of his mouth while he morphed back into human face.

"Do you really think they are safe with each other?" The Beast taunted before hurling Angel out into the city, as Gunn stood and screamed. "NO!"

"ANGEL!" Groo screamed at the same time as he stood too.

Lorne looked panicked. The Beast kneeled on one knee, punching the floor at the center of his human square, sending a trail of fire out along the floor in the shape of the Eye of Fire symbol. A shock wave emanated from the area, knocking everyone back a few feet.

Wesley, Gunn and Groo were knocked back as Lorne was thrown back, but landed on a glass skylight and fell into the room below.

The fire was tall now, taller than the Beast. Wesley sat up in time to see the Beast leap straight up into the sky, riding the fire that he created.

Wesley and Groo went over to Gunn, who was lying unconscious on the floor.

Lorne was conscious now.

Wesley and Groo carried Gunn away from the fire.

Angel lay somewhere on the street, and rolling over, pulled the dagger out, gasping, while looking at the fire in the sky as he convulsed.

Matt and Cordelia had returned to Hyperion shortly after Team Angel had left, and so they had been unable to communicate their findings with each other.

Cordelia then watched as a shaft of fire that was shooting straight up into a red circular cloud in the sky right over downtown. The column of fire was sucked up into the cloud where it disappears and the clouds closed.

Still glowing, the clouds now rained tiny fireballs all over the city. She stared in disbelief.

"I can feel it", Matt grunted from the bed. "I saw it, and I couldn't prevent it. I should have tried harder."

"It's not your fault", Cordelia assured Matt. "It was all just too strong."

"What if it is?" Matt wondered.

"No, it's not", Cordelia assured, moving closer to him. "I know it in my heart."

She touched his face and brushed his hair away, and then pulling his face closer, kissed him passionately and tenderly.

Only, instead of kissing back, Matt pulled back. "No."

"No?" Cordelia asked, shocked. "Why?"

"You're not in the right state of your mind, I'm hurt, you're in shock, the world might end, this is not the time for this", Matt said, and then declared. "I love Faith. I will always love you too, Cordelia, but that relationship is over. I don't know what happened to you in that other dimension, but I hope you get over it soon."

Then he got up and limped away to his own room to start his meditation, thinking the return of memories had still made Cordelia fuzzy, and he did not notice her infuriated look behind him.

At the Kimball building, from the office in which he landed, Lorne watched through the window in horror as fireballs rained down on the city.

Wesley and Groo, holding Gunn's limp body in their arms, also watched the sky.

Fred watched the fire rain down too from inside the diner, with the waitress and other patrons freaking out. Fred tried to call someone on her cell phone but didn't get through so she hung up and continued staring, trying to soothe the crying Connor.

At her office in Wolfram and Hart, Lilah too watched fire rain down as she wringed her hands nervously, then rubbed her upper arms as if shivering.

Stick too saw the rain of fire from a window in Hyperion, and he had also noticed Cordelia's strange behavior. "Something's wrong with the Princess."

He quickly willed himself to go to the New York Sanctum, but to his shock, the Mystics were all asleep, and he saw Strange in a meditative position, grunting and twisting his head, as if in a fight.

"Strange?" Stick called out but got no response, as Strange was suddenly hurled through some glass and fell down, cuts all over him, but he still didn't open his eyes, and sounded like he was in a fight.

"Must be Nightmare", Stick groaned. "They're on their own now."

Chapter Text

The Los Angeles night sky was filled with flaming meteors as they plummeted to Earth.

At Hyperion, Fred sat at the counter listening to the radio reports of the supernatural events occurring all over the city, holding Connor in her arms, and Cordelia was nearby too, listening alongside her while sulking.

"A series of earthquakes and what authorities are now calling "meteor showers" have ravaged the Southland tonight, igniting fires and explosions throughout the L.A. basin. As fire and rescue teams assess the ongoing threat, government officials are asking people to stay in their homes and off the street."

The telephone rang and Fred snatched up the receiver. "This is Fred. No, that's right. Yes, ma'am. Angel Invest— I know. It is scary but… if she's only an hour late… I'm just saying maybe it's a bit early to panic. A little fire falling from the sky doesn't necessarily mean the end—"

She looked up as Wesley, Lorne, Gunn and Groo entered, bruised, bleeding and battered.

"Oh boy!" Cordelia said in horror, looking them up and down.

"Oh, my god…" Fred dropped the phone and handing Connor to Cordelia, ran to Gunn, throwing herself into his arms.

"I thought you were dead. I got back here and it was empty other than Matt and Cordy and I panicked and the radio and the fires…"

Wesley walked past and eyed Fred's embrace of Gunn with a sour look.

Gunn assured Fred. "I know, baby, I know. Me, too. It was like the end of the world out there and all I wanted was you."

Fred assured. "You're safe now. All of you."

Wesley was deadpan. "Yes. All safe. Where's Matt?"

"Upstairs in his room, meditating, rock boy really messed him up", Cordelia revealed, as now they exchanged shocked looks.

"So you two met that creature too?" Groo asked Cordelia.

"Looks like you guys met it as well", Cordelia realized.

"Yeah, he's Rocky, literally, really hardcore too", Lorne agreed with a nod there.

Fred then inquired. "What about Angel? Where's Angel?"

Gunn told her. "We got separated. I'm sure he'll be here soon. What about you? You okay? Both of you?"

"I'm fine. I just needed some air. I didn't know I'd be gone so long", Fred said before turning to the diagram on the floor. "Looks like there's some other things I didn't know, either."

"Yeah, what is this?" Cordelia asked too.

Gunn shrugged. "Plenty of time for updates later. Right now we need to regroup, think about getting back out there and mixing it up with that demony thing."

Matt then walked down, buttoning his shirt, and they saw the bruises and wounds on him as Groo said. "Those are quite the wounds."

"I know you met him too", Matt noted.

"At least we got out alive, Devillicious", Lorne sighed.

"Barely", Matt noted grimly.

"Going after it is not what Angel would do", Wesley immediately said.

Gunn was annoyed by him due to various reasons, like wanting to take his girl. "Thanks for your opinion and I don't remember asking."

Fred wondered. "Was that the pain and suffering and despair thing you saw when you read Cordelia, Lorne?"

Lorne sighed. "'Fraid so, peanut. And if there was ever truth in advertising…"

"I'm glad I don't have that in me", Cordelia now muttered.

Fred suggested. "Charles, if he's really that big and bad, maybe we should wait for Angel. I mean, if he couldn't stop him…"

"Neither could I, not with what I had", Matt said regretfully.

Gunn asked. "So we just wait because we don't know what Angel would or wouldn't do?"

Angel entered through the front door.

"Would I do what?"

Fred exclaimed. "Angel, you're hurt!"

Angel assured. "I'll be…fine."

He took Connor from Cordelia. "Hey buddy, you okay?"

Connor made a sound as Angel said. "Gotcha!"

He put Connor on the reception table and told the rest. "Well, this thing has clearly got us all beat."

"Tell me about it", Matt muttered. "I couldn't stop him either, and looks like neither could you guys."

"Yeah, almost stabbed his eyes but he stabbed me instead", Angel groaned.

"Me too", Matt said, and then Fred looked at something behind Angel.

"Angel, look!" She said with a smile.

They all turned to see what she was pointing, and other than Matt, all of their eyes widened in joy.

Connor was crawling on the table!

Matt could hear it too.

"Oh my God!" Angel smiled, walking beside Connor, seeing him crawl. "Connor, you're crawling."

"I'm getting this", Gunn said as he lifted his phone up and started recording, with everyone else watching too.

"Well, ray of hope in the dark night and fiery skies", Lorne quipped. "Have I said how much I love little nibber there?"

"He's so cute doing that", Cordelia said with a smile of her own.

"Yes, something good happened this night", Wesley agreed with a nod.

"The child crawls quite well, better than I did then", Groo noted too.

"Congratulations kiddo, now you have levelled up", Matt said as all of them chuckled.

"He's so sweet", Fred smiled as Angel finally picked Connor up.

"Hey buddy, daddy is proud", Angel said in his childish tone as he took Vamp face, making Connor laugh, and then rocking him, put him back down in the crib.

This was a horrible night, but something good had happened at least for all of them.

Next day

Wesley sat on the couch, researching the material from Wolfram & Hart. There was knock at the door. He got up to answer it to find Lilah waiting for him. When she saw him, she sighed and smiled.

"Okay, I was just checking."

Wesley assured her. "I'm alive."

Lilah looked him up and down and commented. "Not by much from the looks of it." She walked in and hugged him.

She then reminded him. "I left you a couple hundred messages last night. Don't feel obligated to return any of them."

Wesley inquired. "And you're all right?"

"I'm fine. Slept at Wolfram & Hart", Lilah assured, then gave a tip. "FYI— safest place to be in case of an apocalypse." Then she made an offer she knew Wesley couldn't resist. "You, on the other hand… bet I can make you feel better."

She leaned in to kiss him but he turned his head aside and moved away from her. That was enough to make Lilah concerned.

"You know, it's weird. Rain of fire, whole city burning… why do I feel a chill?"

Wesley finally confessed. "I can't do this anymore."

Lilah smiled, not thinking it'd go very differently this time than before. "Yeah, yeah. I heard it a million times, cowboy. We both know how this song ends. You. Me. Broken furniture."

"It's over, Lilah."

Lilah looked at him for a beat and saw something in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"You're serious", she finally realized.

Wesley told her. "After what I saw last night, I believe a day of reckoning has arrived."

Lilah asked, feeling hurt. "And you just reckon you'll toss in with the good guys?"

Wesley said. "I'm choosing a side."

Lilah pointed out. "And the girl of your dreams just happens to be on it. What are the odds?"

Wesley said. "This isn't about Fred. Or anyone else, for that matter. It's about right and wrong."

Lilah quipped. "And you have such a clear grip on those concepts."

Wesley said. "I've made mistakes."

Lilah told him. "You're making a big one now." She thought, then walked up to him and put her arms around him seductively. "I could wear the glasses again."

Wesley said. "Don't embarrass yourself." She finally realized he meant it and stepped back.

Wesley told her. "There is a line, Lilah. Black and white, good and evil."

Lilah nodded. "Funny thing about black and white… you mix it together and you get gray. And it doesn't matter how much white you try and put back in. You're never going to get anything but gray. And I don't see your Texas gal-pal wearing that color. Come to think of it, she prefers black."

Lilah turned and walked out, leaving Wesley behind.

Hyperion Hotel

Angel watched Connor sleep as Matt and Cordelia entered behind him.

"Hey", Cordelia greeted.

"Hey", Angel greeted back.

"There's something we need to tell you", Matt then said as Angel turned to them.

"What?"

"Uhh, the Beast, he popped out of the ground at the same spot Darla died", Cordelia revealed, and noted Angel's look of surprise. "And yes, same spot where your baby was born too."

"So what? Connor's connected to all this?" Angel wondered in surprise.

"No, I don't think he is, but I just wanted to let you know, maybe it popped out of there for a reason", Matt suggested to Angel, who did start considering it.

"What are you gonna do?" Angel then asked Matt.

"I'm thinking about it right now", Matt told him.

Lilah was sitting at Wolfram and Hart now, still sour about her breakup with Wesley, and to top it all, she had now been asked to cut a deal with the Beast.

Well, she had to try, it would save a few bucks for sure.

Suddenly, the lights went out and the building trembled on its foundations. Lilah quickly dialed security, but the line was dead.

She sighed, realizing it was bad, and reaching into her desk drawer, removed a semi-automatic pistol, slapping in a magazine and chambering a round.

Downstairs, people were thrown around as various bodies lay on the ground, broken and bleeding, and the Beast held up a severed head.

A blonde female lawyer punched the call button repeatedly as people were all going around in terror, and finally she decided to head for the stairs.

Lilah strode out into the chaos, and seeing everyone running around, walked back inside.

The people were in a mass exodus from the building when a guy was violently thrown down on others, and the Beast pushed 2 guys backwards, the door closing as he dealt out death.

People ran as one guy was yanked backwards and killed.

The Beast then strode around before deciding to pay the boss a visit.

Lilah was in her office when the door broke open to reveal the Beast, and she backed away, firing at it, but it didn't even flinch. She emptied her magazine as the Beast strode forwards, lifted her by the throat and slammed her to the table.

Lilah now tried to make a deal. "I can help you…..anything you need."

It ignored her and sank one claw into her abdomen as she gasped in pain. He tossed her aside and turned to another lawyer crawling away nearby.

The Beast walked to that one as Lilah took the opportunity and staggered down the corridor, holding her bleeding belly.

Lilah staggered down the dark corridor as the Beast strode behind her. As she passed a shattered office, hands yanked her inside.

It was Wesley, who closed the door as Lilah trailed off. "I don't understand….."

She almost fell over but he caught her. "Why are you here?"

"I have a man on the inside", he revealed.

Rhythmic thumps resounded through the building as Wesley asked. "What's that?"

Lilah gave an ironic smile. "That's the fat lady singing." She started to swoon again.

"Lilah!"

"The building automatically shuts down under full-scale attack", Lilah finally revealed.

"When you say "shuts down"…?"

Suddenly a massive steel shutter slammed down over the window in the office behind them.

"All windows, doors, air vents… nobody gets in—"

And then the office door slammed on its hinges too, revealing the Beast but Wesley carried Lilah bridal style out of a side-door to a corridor.

"Stay with me! Come on, Lilah, there must be a way out for someone like you. Think! A back door, something."

The Beast strode out into the corridor behind them as an unconscious lawyer started to come to and stand up.

Lilah told Wesley. "Around the corner, supply closet."

The Beast seized the hapless man and started ripping him to pieces.

Wesley ducked around the corner and set Lilah down, then reached into his supply bag.

Lilah inquired. "What are you stopping for?"

Wesley held up a fragmentation grenade.

"You've gotta be kidding me."

He pulled the pin and tossed the grenade at the feet of the approaching Beast. The creature looked down at it curiously as the grenade detonated with a tremendous blast.

Wesley draped Lilah's arm around his shoulders and they staggered off down the corridor.

Lilah asked. "Will it kill him?"

Wesley said. "No, but it might distract him for a moment."

They came to the supply closet and Lilah said. "It's in here."

He dragged her inside the small room and shut the door as the Beast strode out of the wreckage further down the corridor.

Lilah frantically pulled paper, pens and rolls of toilet tissue off the shelves, searching for something. "Come on, where is it?"

Wesley asked her. "You sure this is the right closet?"

"Yeah, third floor and lobby."

Wesley joined in, yanking everything off the shelves.

Lilah finally found what she was looking for: a steel handle set into the wall.

"Okay, here it is."

She twisted the handle and a metal panel slid back, revealing an escape chute.

The Beast ripped the door from its frame only to find the closet empty. It looked around for a beat, then moved on with a menacing snarl.

Wesley and Lilah tumbled into the storm sewer from an overhead duct. They landed in a crumpled heap, moaning and gasping pain, then slowly got to their feet.

Lilah asked. "Now what?"

Wesley immediately told her. "Now you disappear. You get patched up and leave town."

Lilah knew what he meant. "Turn tail and run?"

Wesley pointed out. "That thing won't quit until everyone at Wolfram & Hart is dead." He gave suggestions. "Go underground. Change your name. Don't make its job easy."

He started to walk away.

"Wesley!"

He stopped and turned. She looked meaningfully at him for a moment but he just stared back, his face a blank mask.

"Thank you."

Wesley stared at her for a beat.

"You're welcome."

Lilah smiled at him and nodded. Wesley hesitantly did the same and then headed off into the night.

After a moment, Lilah turned and limped away in the opposite direction.

At Hyperion, Matt was in his room when he sensed Stick and asked. "You got anything for me?"

"That's the problem, Matty, I got nothing for you", Stick sighed sadly. "When fire rained, I went to Strange."

"And?" Matt asked, a pit of dread forming in his stomach.

"They are at war with some douche called Nightmare, all the Mystics are magically asleep, and Strange is fighting the thing in his dream, so you're on your own now", Stick said regretfully, and Matt looked disappointed.

"Thanks for the heads up", Matt finally told Stick. "I appreciate it."

"Not to worry, kid", Stick assured him. "So, what will you do now?"

"Well, I still have one more option", Matt said as he walked past Stick. "You'll see."

"Be careful, Matty", Stick warned him.

"I will", Matt assured.

"And the Princess", Stick then told him. "Something doesn't feel right about her."

"Yeah, I know, just hope she gets over it", Matt sighed, neither of them aware of what was really going on with her.

Angel, Cordelia, Lorne and even Groo poured over the books, researching. Fred worked on her computer while Gunn sat nearby reading and nervously tapping a pencil on his book.

Fred then asked Gunn. "Can you not do that?"

"Oh!" Gunn realized he was annoying the others. "Sorry, it helps me think."

Fred realized she'd overacted. "Didn't mean to snap."

Cordelia shrugged. "I'm ready to crackle pop myself. The last 24 haven't exactly been normal. We're all tired."

Angel was pointed in tone. "Wonder why?" He kicked Lorne, who started awake and sat up on the settee, disoriented.

"Just… just meditating on the problem. Yeah, asking the inner Lorne for a little backup."

Gunn told the rest. "We're assuming it's a big connect-the-dot that Connor and the devilly guy have this alley in common but isn't this alley right behind Caritas— or at least what's left of it?"

Lorne nodded. "Yeah, that whole block is a big fat interdimensional happenin' hot spot."

Cordelia pointed out to them all. "Except this thing didn't emerge from a portal so much as a pothole."

The door opened and Wesley entered.

Gunn sighed. "Oh, good. More bad news."

Fred requested Gunn. "Can you just try to get along? He was your friend."

Gunn pointed out. "Heavy on the "was"."

Wesley walked down the stairs and into the lobby.

Angel realized. "You know where it is. The Beast."

Wesley told Angel immediately. "Inside Wolfram & Hart."

Gunn shrugged. "That answers a lot of questions. They're probably having a big sit-down, breaking bread."

Wesley revealed. "It's killing everything that moves in there."

Matt came down in that moment with his cane and case as Gunn was still unmoved. "I've heard worse news."

Matt had heard and walking to Wesley, asked in a whisper. "She all right?"

"Yes, she's safe", Wesley assured Matt and he nodded.

"Well, the big bad wolf has now killed all of Wolfram and Hart too", Gunn commented. "So how the hell are we supposed to beat it?"

"It's going to take a force far stronger and smarter than us to defeat it", Wesley agreed there.

"But where are we gonna get some, eh? I mean, one of the most powerful and skilled Vampires ever, who happens to have a soul, the Devil of Hell's Kitchen with a lovely voice from whom all Demons run, a former Higher Being, a street smart fighter with lots of experience, a really intelligent scientist who can come up with anything, a former Watcher who, again, has lots of experience, the former ruler and undefeated Champion of Pylea, and little old me", Lorne summed up the whole team. "And none of us were able to take it down."

"Now that you put it that way", Cordelia trailed off. "Yeah, what are we supposed to do?"

"I cannot think of anything, and my strength was not enough to defeat that creature either", Groo said sadly.

"So, where do we get this force?" Angel asked them all.

"I know where", Matt said as all looked over at him in that moment. "I am going to do what no Murdock has ever done in the 300 years since the Devil's curse was placed on our family."

Their eyes widened as they realized what Matt was implying.

"I am going to ask Mephisto to unlock Abaddon's power."

"What the hell? Have you gone completely mad?" Cordelia asked Matt, shaking him by the shoulders. "Think about what you're saying? You're asking the Devil to unlock the mini-Devil!"

"Yeah, this is too much Rocky, I mean, yeah, you've gone the distance before, but this time I fear you may not be able to", Lorne agreed with Cordelia about that.

"Don't do this", Angel requested. "We'll find some other way."

"It might be too late by the time you do", Matt pointed out to him grimly. "So far, it has been unbeatable, and only I managed to hurt it a little with my powers. Cordelia!"

Cordelia sighed and relented. "Yeah, I was there. Matt did damage the thing a little with his powers."

"So it seems like the Devil is our only option in that case", Wesley said sadly. "Nothing else was able to damage it."

"But its too risky man", Gunn said. "I mean, what if the Devil wants to kill you for not turning evil?"

"Or, I don't know, torture you for all eternity?" Fred asked too. "Like, cook you in a vat or something?!"

"He will be angry at you, that is for certain, due to him not being able to turn you", Groo agreed with the rest.

"Which is my only chance, I will get him to unlock my powers by suggesting it might turn me fully evil this time", Matt spoke his plan. "That's the only way this can be done."

"I doubt it", Angel said. "He's the Devil. Nothing's ever that simple with him."

"You got anything else?" Matt asked, and there was silence.

"I am weakened right now so I can't tap into the Hell-Mark by myself, so going to him is the only choice I have", Matt sighed, and then informed them all. "And Stick told me Strange and the Mystics are in battle with a powerful entity called Nightmare, who has put all of them to sleep magically, with only Strange fighting him in the dream world."

Now that horrified them even more as Gunn said. "Why does everyone have crap thrown at their way at the exact same time?"

"Yeah, this is one big and horrible coincidence", Cordelia agreed with a scoff.

"Bottom line, we are on our own", Wesley summed it up for them.

"So, with Strange not an option, who will you go to?" Angel inquired.

"Sunnydale", Matt revealed. "To Willow and Tara."

"They can't fight Mephisto", Angel said grimly.

"They don't have to fight him, just call him up for me", Matt explained to him.

Matt started walking off when Cordelia grasped his hand, looking and sounding desperate. "Don't go, please!"

"I have to", Matt said as he pulled himself free from her grip.

"Guess we have to trust in you then", Fred realized.

"Just be careful", Groo spoke up.

"Yeah, take care of yourself, Matt", Angel requested him.

"I will, and you guys do the same", Matt told Team Angel before walking off. "I'll be back, and when I am, the Beast will meet the Devil."

With that, he was gone.

"Well, what should we do now?" Gunn asked.

"I believe we should try to find out more", Wesley shrugged. "That's all we can do."

"Looks like it", Angel agreed.

"Oh yeah, if it's a fight you want, get someone else to do it, you lot got your collective arses handed to ya's."

Angel and Cordelia were both shocked by the voice, and all looked up as Allen Francis Doyle walked into the room, looking at the whole Team Angel.

"Doyle?" Cordelia asked in shock. "But you were…"

"Dead, right?" Doyle shrugged.

"How….?" Angel trailed off, in complete disbelief. "I saw you die."

"Yeah, the good fight, right?" Doyle asked with a shrug and smile.

"I'm sorry, Doyle, I'm so sorry, it should have been me", Angel said, looking like he was going to break down.

"We missed you", Cordelia said sadly, but then Lorne's eyes widened in horror as he finally felt the aura from 'Doyle'.

"That's not Doyle!" Lorne immediately shot out of his couch, pulling Angel and Cordelia back. "Stay away from him!"

"What? What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked Lorne.

"What is he then?" Angel asked.

"I never knew Doyle, but I do not believe he would look at us like that", Wesley commented, as they now realized 'Doyle' looked…..evil?

'Doyle' let out a laugh, one that chilled them all to their core, especially Angel and Cordelia. "Was wondering when you lot would figure it out. Too bad you wouldn't have if not for your green singing Demon friend, you found one to replace me, didn't ya? Or is it the ex-Watcher?"

"You're not Doyle", Cordelia snarled angrily, now clutching her fists. "Don't act like you are!"

"But I know all about him, and his relationship with you lot, including how he died for the good fight", 'Doyle' shrugged as a he paced around. "One can say I AM Doyle!"

As he walked around, he morphed into Buffy instead. "Or I can be whatever you want me to be." 'Buffy' looked at Angel and winked flirtily. "You want this, Angel?"

"Oh, it's you", Angel realized finally. "The First."

"Got that right", 'Buffy' said as she pointed a finger at Angel. "Guess that decayed brain is good for something."

"The entity that tried to make you commit suicide back in Sunnydale, is that right?" Wesley asked Angel, and he got a nod in response.

"Whoever you are, we have a huge Beast to deal with already, we don't have time for your bullcrap", Gunn said to the First, annoyed.

"Maybe you would if I said that", 'Buffy' morphed into 'Alonna', taking Gunn back as he now stepped back involuntarily. "I have information you people would love."

"No…." Gunn trailed off, tears welling in his eyes as Fred rubbed his back.

"It's not her", Fred assured, holding Gunn. "It's not her."

"Still reckless as ever, brother, you don't deserve her, no idea why she puts up with someone as dumb as you", the First mocked Gunn.

"Shut up!" Fred sneered as the First morphed into Spike.

"Hello there, mate, want to break a drink, like old times, drink of blood?" 'Spike' asked Angel with a chuckle, as Angel just glared.

"Just say what you want to", Angel snarled.

'Spike' morphed into Angelus at that point. "Just say what I want to? Where's the fun in that? We need some speeches, you know, big bad? Looking down on the moralists standing up to it, what do ya say, Angie?"

"You think your tricks terrify us? They don't!" Groo snarled, as the First chuckled again, now becoming Drusilla instead.

"You were courageous against me too, could not save your mind from mine", 'Drusilla' taunted Groo, pacing towards him slowly as he actually backed off.

"So, what, you're just here to play games?" Cordelia asked the First.

"Games, we love them, you, me, all", 'Drusilla' said to Cordelia, giving an ominous smirk as Cordelia glared back, realizing what it was getting at. "Just different sides, you", 'Drusilla' pointed at Cordelia, "me", 'Drusilla' pointed at herself, and then she gestured to the rest. "Them."

Due to how crazy Drusilla was, no one paid any heed to this, not realizing the significance.

"So, that's the info, two sides?" Lorne asked. "Not very useful."

'Drusilla' turned into 'Darla' at that point, and looked at Angel with a smirk as he looked back, not showing any emotions. "Still more useful than you, Angel." 'Darla' shook her head. "You couldn't even save our son from Holtz, your Devil friend had to do it for you."

"Its my fault, not his", Wesley said to 'Darla'.

"Yes, it is", 'Darla' agreed and turned to Angel. "You should kill him for it, he's a traitor."

"He has paid for it", Angel simply shrugged.

"Your goodness disgusts me", 'Darla' sneered.

"And you pretending to be who you aren't disgusts me", Cordelia sneered at the First.

"Rich coming from you", the First said and let out a laughter, making Cordelia pale for just a second, and the First was satisfied it had gotten through her skin for a bit.

"What do you want to tell us?" Angel finally asked.

"Well", 'Darla' morphed into 'Buffy' again. "I'm here to help. Let's beat the bad guy, the Beast thing."

"Right, you want to help us", Wesley said sarcastically.

"If it succeeds, I fail", 'Buffy' told them. "Which is why you get my help."

"Funny how the First Evil is dumber than a Beast", Cordelia mocked it.

"Funny you think it's the Beast you need to worry about", the First said with a smirk, shutting Cordelia up, though the rest thought it was referring to itself. "The Beast killed everyone at Wolfram and Hart, including the girl in the white room."

"Oh!" Angel said, remembering her. "All right."

"And, if you want to find out more", 'Buffy' looked between all of them. "The answer lies among you."

'Buffy' morphed back into 'Doyle', and told them all. "Oh, and as a parting gift, not a seizure inducing kiss this time", 'Doyle' looked at Cordelia with a wink, "look up the Ra-Tet, might find it an interesting read. Especially when it involves evil, little girls in white rooms, wouldn't you say, Angel?"

With that, the First walked off, leaving the shaken and dumbfounded Team Angel behind.

Stick was looking down on the city when 'Elektra' appeared next to him. "Here you are, counting your days I imagine."

"Don't need to", Stick shrugged.

"I mean, one wrong move, and you end up in one of many Hells for all that you did", 'Elektra' taunted him with an infuriating smirk, as Stick turned to her. "Then there's the fate of all the students you like, like me", a wound appeared in her gut, and she repeated in a whisper. "This is not the end."

Stick seemed unmoved as 'Elektra' said. "Then there's Matt, having a Devil inside of him, none can fight me."

Stick instead let out a laugh, confusing her.

"What's so funny?"

"Funny you should mention the Devil, because it proves you are a runt when it comes to actual evil", Stick taunted 'Elektra', and continued. "Compare yourself to Mephisto, Satan, Belasco or anyone else, you ain't got shit."

'Elektra' now looked at him as Stick continued. "You can say as much as you want about Matty, but he'll teach you a lesson in the human spirit and pure stubbornness. And Abaddon can just kick your ass."

'Elektra' looked spooked at this point as Stick mocked. "Ooooh, the First Bitch is scared. This is going to kill with Matty and the others."

The First glared and faded away as Stick said to his absent boy. "Be careful out there, Matty."

Chapter Text

Angel sat in his room, sketching an image of baby Connor sleeping, while watching baby Connor do just that. He had tuckered himself out with all of his crawling and playing.

And after Matt's departure and the visit from the first, all of them needed some playtime with the baby to cheer themselves up.

Lorne then entered with a tray.

"Room service. Hey. Got you some nice O+ here. Freshly nuked for that "right out of the jugular" taste."

Angel told Lorne. "Just put it on the table."

Lorne set the tray down and looked at the drawing. "Hmm… good likeness. You wouldn't mind if I cooed over him, would you?"

Angel chuckled as Lorne noticed he had made some other sketches and kept them nearby, and these ones were of the Beast, as well as Abaddon, and also half-Matt, half-Abaddon, which had been visible when Matt had snapped his fingers.

"Huh? You know how to pass your time", Lorne quipped as Angel sighed.

"There's nothing on him, Lorne", Angel muttered sadly. "I fought him once and he nearly decapitated me with my own stake, really, there's not much I can do right now. Research doesn't say anything either."

"Well, we are researching what the other Big Bad told us about, that ought to do it, what do ya say Angelcakes?" Lorne inquired.

"It says a lot that now we need another bad guy's advice to help us out", Angel groaned.

Gwen Raiden made her way through the dark among the churning oil derricks. She stopped and looked around as if expecting someone but no one was there. She turned around and looked behind her.

"Miss Raiden."

She turned a man clothed in African tribal dress, wearing dark sunglasses, where there was no one moments before.

"Mr. Ashet. It's an honor to finally meet you."

Ashet responded to her. "Yes, I suppose it would be."

Gwen then said in a formal regretful tone. "I apologize for your long journey when I can't offer better news."

"You haven't changed your mind?" Ashet inquired.

Gwen tried to assure she did understand the situation. "Mr. Ashet, I understand the amulets you want acquired are very valuable."

"Yes, that's because they are extremely rare and powerful protective amulets."

Gwen started. "Yeah, and considering the holy-roller Revelations party that seems to be going on lately, I can see why you might want them. But as juicy as the commission is… I've got this problem wherein…"

He took off his glasses to reveal a set of inhuman eyes. They bore into her. Gwen faltered, then continued. "I'm very respectfully going on vacation to Tahiti, sir."

Ashet simply asked. "You have no idea who I am, do you, Miss Raiden? Or of the dire importance of recent events."

Gwen pointed out. "I know enough to go to Tahiti."

"Well said. Perhaps then I won't kill you for your—"

Ashet suddenly screamed and Gwen stumbled backward as a massive fist punched through Ashet's chest from behind.

Gwen looked up to find the Beast towering over her. It smiled at her before hitting her with a blow that hurled her 50 feet away. She landed on the ground in a crumpled heap and watched as the Beast rips its hand back out of Ashet.

Brilliant white light streamed from the gaping hole in Ashet's chest as he collapsed to the ground. The Beast kneeled down over him, reached into the blindingly bright hole and removed a small metallic object from inside Ashet.

Holding the object in one hand, the Beast looked up at Gwen who removed her gloves, preparing to battle.

Electricity arced between her fingers but when she got to her feet, she found the Beast is gone. Only the crumpled body of Ashet remained.

Cordelia woke up at the Hyperion, the taunts of the First still fresh in her mind, as she clutched her fists.

"Rich coming from you."

"Games, we love them, you, me, all."

"Just different sides, you, me, them."

"Funny you think it's the Beast you need to worry about."

"Oh, and as a parting gift, not a seizure inducing kiss this time."

Cordelia remembered all of those, and Matt rejecting her, then leaving, and with a growl, threw a framed picture of Matt and herself into the wall.

Suddenly, her eyes went white and she saw a flash of the Beast with screams of terror and agony in the background.

Downstairs, Gunn was saying. "'The answer lies among you?' Is it Connor or something?"

"Charles, its literally called 'the First Evil'!" Fred pointed out. "Its not be trusted."

"I'm not blaming Connor, just saying, it hatched out of where he was born", Gunn told her.

"Yes, there might be a connection, or perhaps just a coincidence", Groo agreed.

Fred shrugged. "It was probably just some mind game to mess us all up."

"I hate it when bad guys help", Gunn muttered.

""The answer is among you." Have I mentioned I hate cryptic messages?" Fred asked them all.

Wesley then walked in and told them. "Well, there's one thing I can decrypt. My sources have already confirmed that without the little girl, the earthly contingent of Wolfram & Hart is cut off from the Senior Partners. Effectively neutralized." He then revealed more about her. "However, it appears that was not her only function. I've just found an entry in Rhinehardt's Compendium for that same little girl— or rather the entity presenting itself as one. Her name is Mesektet."

Fred quipped. "Hmm… I figured Tiffany or Brandi."

Gunn inquired. "So you mean Wolfram & Hart was just a day job?"

"Sort of", Wesley confirmed. "You see, Mesektet was one of five enormously powerful beings which are linked to an embodiment of the ancient god Ra."

Fred was excited now. "Which makes them totems, right? Symbolic manifestations."

Wesley agreed and explained. "Yes, totems which together form an order called the Ra-tet, which is what the First told us about, this was the connection."

Gunn noticed how Fred immediately opened up to Wesley when they brainstormed together. He stepped over and put a possessive arm around her.

"Must be big. Never heard of 'em before the First."

Wesley said. "That's because their origins have been shrouded in mystery since the dawn of time. Only the totems themselves know their true purpose. And perhaps the First, since it has been around from the start too."

Fred ran over to the computer. "So maybe he killed this Mesektet for another reason. I'll hit the net. Charles, you want to update Angel?"

"Guess I'll have to", Gunn realized.

The door opened and Lorne entered. "Bad news, munchkins. Rumor mill has Dr. Feelbad attached to another slice-and-dice yesterday."

Fred asked. "Who was it?"

"Lovely woman. High and mighty white magick shaman type. But that didn't even faze the Beast. Tore her poor heart right out of her chest."

"Hmmm, strange", Wesley muttered. "Or it could be something else."

Fred inquired. "Lorne, you didn't happen to catch a name, did you? Like Ma'at?"

Lorne was surprised Fred knew the name. "Yeah, that's the lady."

Fred now realized. "Another member of the Ra-tet."

Gunn noted. "He's taking them out, one by one."

Wesley pointed out to him. "We can't assume that yet. This Beast has killed hundreds of people with his bare hands. You throw in the storms and earthquakes that accompanied the rain of fire, you could put the death toll in the thousands."

Fred agreed. "Wes is right. Statistically it's still a coincidence. Two points—"

"—make a line, not a pattern."

Gunn noted the way Wesley finished Fred's sentence for her, the way they seemed to be on the same wavelength.

They all looked up as Cordelia walked downstairs.

"Hi, guys."

"Oh, hey, Cordy", Lorne greeted back.

Gunn asked. "What's up, Cordy?"

She just stared at them for a beat, then took a deep breath.

That was when Angel walked down.

"Oh, hey Angel", she greeted.

"Angel", Wesley showed him a picture of Mesektet. "Was that the white girl from Wolfram and Hart?"

"Yes, it is her", Angel confirmed.

"The Ra-tet are five powerful beings linked to an embodiment of the Egyptian Sun God Ra", Wesley explained to him. "And the Beast killed another one of them."

"So its after them?" Angel asked.

"There is a chance it might be", Fred confirmed.

"I had a vision", Cordelia then said as all looked at her.

"What did it say?" Groo inquired.

Cordelia explained to them all. "It was… different from any other. I felt like I was inside someone else listening to the demon talk but I couldn't tell if it was in the past or in the future or even where we were exactly."

Angel asked her. "Who was it you were inside?"

Cordelia confessed to him. "I couldn't tell. But I did feel like there was more I wasn't getting, like I was just scratching at the surface of something. Maybe it'll come to me."

Angel then asked her. "So what did the demon say?"

"Don't know. All I got was the visual."

"Not much to go on, Cordy", Angel pointed out.

Cordelia made a point of her. "But it's something! And a vision means the phone lines between us and the Powers That Be are still open. Maybe they'll send us a clue."

Angel wasn't a huge fan of the Powers. "As if there's somebody up there watching."

Cordelia reminded. "I was. But I'm back now so we'll have to deal with it because things are going to hell and … and you're the leader. So lead."

Angel realized she was right about this, he had to lead, because he was the leader.

He wasn't Steve Rogers, that guy was on another level, but he was still a good one, and he was going to prove it.

The whole group was gathered currently- Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Lorne, Fred, Gunn and Groo.

So he began. "The Powers are sending us a wake-up call, people. Sure, we've been— I don't want to say "demolished"— beaten. And sure it's slightly demoralizing but from here on out, we're on the offensive. We're going to take on this thing, and take it down."

He looked at each and every one of them. "We may not have the Avengers, the Sorcerers or the God of Thunder, but we still have powerful reinforcements on the way, and together, we will win."

His speech seemed to have ignited a fire in all of them.

Angel suddenly looked past him to the front door, a surprised look on his face and everyone followed his gaze.

Gwen stood framed in the doorway, wearing a short black half-shirt and a red leather pants. Cordelia eyed her skeptically.

"Gwen?"

She stepped down into the room. "Hi, there. Long time no hand-to-hand." She turned to Gunn. "I remember you."

Fred stood protectively in front of him. "The guy you killed? Yeah, that's him."

Gwen reminded her. "Kicked you in the face, too, didn't I, cherry? Sorry about that. I really do try to avoid contact." She looked at Angel. "Mostly."

Angel started introductions. "Cordelia, this is—"

"I know who she is", Cordelia spoke to Gwen. "Caught your little show on the omniscient higher-plane channel, thanks."

Gwen realized who she was. "So you're the girl who makes his heart go pitter-pat. Figuratively, at least." She turned to Angel. "You must be so happy."

Angel shrugged. "I am. Not having the best week, to be honest."

"Tell me about it. I mean, really. Tell me. Freak to freak. Is the world about to end or what?" Gwen asked Angel.

"Something happen to you?"

Gwen revealed. "Met with a client last night, in the oil fields, which is odd because I've bagged for this guy six years, big money, and he never wanted to meet before."

Cordelia wasn't in the mood. "Fascinating as these details must seem to you, we're dealing with much more important stuff right now. Apocalypse. End of the world."

Gwen then gave the main details. "Also, while we were talking, he got his chest punched out by a big demon with a head made of rock."

She suddenly had the rapt attention of Wesley, Lorne, Gunn, Groo and Angel.

"Demon, okay? The whole nine: cloven feet and horns and teeth and…" She saw Lorne, "he wasn't wearing lamé, though."

Lorne quipped. "Yeah, the evil ones can't pull it off. It gets camp."

Wesley inquired to her. "This client of yours, was anything removed from the body?"

"Didn't see", Gwen turned to Angel. "But you are hands down the weirdest person I know, outside of my old school that is, but don't stay in tough, so I figured I'd ask you what's going on."

Fred picked up the ancient book on the Ra-tet and approached Gwen. "Excuse me, not that I don't still bear a grudge against you, because I do, but your client didn't happen to be a skinless saber-toothed tiger or composed entirely of light, maybe?"

Gwen remembered. "The light… it came out of his chest. How did you know?"

Gunn turned to Wesley. "You wanted a pattern. That makes three."

Fred realized. "He's killing the Ra-tet."

Gwen asked. "What's a Ra-tet?"

Wesley explained to her. "A mystical order. Each totem representing a stage in Ra's journey across the sky." He pointed to the characters in the book. "Here's your client. Two others— these— are dead."

Cordelia noted. "That means there's two totems left: Manjet and Semkhet."

Fred told the rest of them. "The last sighting of Manjet was rumored two years ago in Belize and Semkhet is said to live in a cave in Death Valley."

Angel shrugged. "Then that's easy. All we have to do is find Semkhet and protect him."

Lorne turned the page and found a woodcut of a little girl standing with her arms around a prehistoric great cat. "Yeah, well won't that be hoot. Looks like Semkhet is puddy-tat to the world's scariest six-year-old."

Cordelia agreed. "It could be dangerous."

"I'll take Gwen", Angel shrugged.

Gwen quipped. "Gee, I feel all warm inside."

Cordelia asked. "Well, shouldn't we all go? It might—" Angel grabbed his satchel and lead Gwen to the door.

"We can handle it. Superpowers. I'll catch her up on the drive."

Cordelia pointed out. "But it's a four-hour trip. Both ways."

Angel wasn't concerned. "I'm sure we'll find something to talk about.

Angel and Gwen climbed down a steep cliff face toward the entrance of Semkhet's cave. Angel's foot slipped and Gwen shushed him. "Jeez! Where were you when they taught stealth in superpower school?"

"My friend does it better", Angel shrugged as she started to climb down after him and lost her balance, tumbling off the side.

Angel caught her in his arms and smiled ironically at her.

Gwen tried to save face. "I did that on purpose."

"That's pretty pathetic."

Gwen asked. "If it's a lie or if it's the truth?"

A stealthy sound came from within the cave and they both cautiously made their way inside.

Angel drew his sword, seeing candles line the walls.

Gwen then asked. "I thought we were here to protect this thing?"

Angel responded. "We are… unless it's evil. So if it is, we prevent the Beast from killing it by killing it ourselves."

They rounded the corner and found Semkhet, a human-like cat, lying on the cave floor, eviscerated.

Gwen quipped. "So much for protecting it."

Angel looked at the body. "Looks like it was ripped apart. Charring around the edges… this was definitely our guy. The Beast is systematically executing these totems. I just don't know why.

"I do."

Angel and Gwen look up to find a short dumpy man in a loud Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat, peering around the corner.

"He's going to turn out the sun."

Angel looked the man over warily as he approached and looked down at Semkhet.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

'Standing in the remains of my fallen brethren, trying not to have an anxiety attack. Who are you two?"

Angel made introductions. "I'm Angel, that's Gwen. You got a name?"

The man revealed who he was. "I am Manjet, Sacred Guardian of the Shen, Keeper of the Orb of Ma'at and Devotee of Light. Off hours I like Manny."

Angel was dubious. "You're Manjet?"

"Right."

"The last totem of the Ra-tet?"

"Right."

Gwen noted. "I thought you were in Belize."

Many explained to them. "Was till I heard Mesektet got whacked. Never liked that chick. Evil right down to her Mary Janes but… family. What are you gonna do?"

Angel remembered his earlier statement. "What did you mean before? "The Beast is going to turn out the sun." Is that some kind of metaphor?"

Manny revealed he was being literal. "Sorry. I don't speak "college boy". I said what I meant. This Beast you're talking about? He's looking for a way to put an end to daylight. He wants to blot out the sun permanently."

Angel realized. "You're saying once the totems are dead, the sun disappears?"

Manny explained further. "Not disappears, exactly. And it's not just killing us, either. There's props and a ritual and a chant and a thing and a… suffice to say, it ain't easy. And folks in the Ra-tet, they got some serious juice which is why I never felt worried before."

Angel noted. "But you're worried now."

Manny pointed out. "Well, four out of five down… let's just say I'm not looking forward to my retirement in Boca."

Gwen asked. "So the lights go out. Then what?"

Manny told them the worst-case scenario. "The city sinks into never-ending darkness, that's what. Vamps, creepies, crawlies, things that go bump in the night are suddenly bumping 24/7. The whole of Los Angeles turns into a…"

"Demon playground."

"Bingo. And that's before it starts to spread. California… North America… eventually, hello global blackout. The world is the devil's oyster."

Angel declared. "Well, we gotta stop him."

"Yeah, you sure do and good luck with that." Manny turned and headed for the cave entrance.

"Whoa, whoa… where do you think you're going?"

Manny told the two. "Look, it's probably just a few hours till this guy catches up with me. I want to spend my last moments with my oldest, dearest friends down at the Pink Pony Lounge. " He turned to Gwen. "I'll buy you a lap dance if I can watch."

Angel told him. "Forget that. We can take you somewhere safe, Manny. We can protect you."

Manny was dubious now. "Right. Superhunk and Spandexia. This thing takes out Mesektet and you two are going to protect me?"

Angel pointed out. "I don't see anybody else lined up for the job."

Manny hesitated, then leaned over to Angel, conspiratorially, asking about Gwen. "You think she'd give me a lap dance?"

Angel, Gwen and Manny entered Hyperion through the front door as Angel asked. "Any movement from the Beast while we were gone?"

Gunn shrugged. "Not a peep. Just wasting time trying to find ways to kill it— which, by the way, there aren't any."

"And if there are, I do not think we have those", Groo added.

Fred looked at Manny dubiously. "That doesn't look like Semkhet…"

"Semkhet's not available, sweetheart. Slight case of being ripped open to death in a cave. Don't suppose I could interest you in a short, stocky orb-keeper?"

Angel made the introductions. "Guys, I'd like you to meet Manny, the last totem of the Ra-tet."

Wesley didn't look convinced. "This… is a being of supreme power?"

Manny shrugged. "You ought to see me in my Armani."

Lorne asked. "What happened to the second-to-last one?"

Gwen informed. "Somebody already ripped out the toy surprise."

Angel then revealed the new information. "Good news is, we've discovered the Beast's plan."

"Which is?" Gunn asked.

"To blot out the sun for all of eternity." There was a beat. "You guys got a john?"

"Right back there."

"Thanks, pal." Manny headed off down the hall, stopping to pick up several newspapers off the counter first.

Cordelia then asked them. "Why did the smelly yucky man say that? He's joking, right?"

Angel said it wasn't a joke. "No, apparently there's a ritual using members of the Ra-tet to change day into night… forever."

Wesley commented. "As far as evil plans go, it doesn't suck."

Angel then told them his plan. "He's killed four of the five so far. I figure we keep Manny safe, the lights stay on long enough, and we find a way to defeat this thing, or Matt gets his Devil and he does it."

Fred then asked him. "But where are we going to hide him? We need a small controlled space."

Angel gave orders. "Secure the perimeter. Guards on duty at all times."

"I will be on duty", Groo assured.

Gunn shrugged. "Kitchen's got a meat locker."

Wesley was sarcastic. "Brilliant. Let's store the one thing that will stave off perpetual darkness in the home of the only people we're sure the demon knows."

Gunn got annoyed again. "You know what? You got a better idea, Einstein?"

After a beat, Wesley said. "Give me time."

Gwen stepped forward. "I know a place."

Cordelia said sarcastically. "Great. As long as it's not some non-descript tenement downtown, with discarded boxes in the stairwells and peeling plaster and…"

Gwen lead them into a non-descript tenement downtown, with discarded boxes lining the stairwell as Cordelia continued. "…the faint odor of dead people."

Angel told her. "You know, you didn't have to come, Cordelia, if you didn't want to."

Cordelia sounded innocent. "But what if I have another vision? Better that I be with you, right?"

Gunn shrugged. "Rather here than back at the hotel plowing through them annoying books with the symbolic manifestos and the "Brilliant!" No idea why Groo is doing all that, not his thing."

Manny advised the group. "Never trust the books or the bookies, kid. Real juju takes place on the q-t. That's why you can't find this Beast. He's too powerful. I mean, taking out the Ra-tet…"

Gunn cut him off. "Yeah, speaking of, ain't you Tet folks supposed to be all mighty and colossal?"

Manny explained. "The midday totem is man, the neutral totem, the potential of every human soul."

Cordelia asked. "So you're just a guy, then?"

Manny told her. "Well, there's more to me than meets the eye. For example, I'm immortal. Unless I'm ritually murdered, of course."

Cordelia quipped. "Oh, well it's too bad we came here, then." Gwen stopped before an iron door in a particularly seedy hallway and placed her bare hand on the lock. With a flash of blue electricity, the lock released and the door started to swing open. "…'cause if you're going to be ritually murdered it's probably going to be in a hellhole like…" Gwen stepped inside and flipped on the lights to reveal a lavish and spacious apartment. "…this."

Gwen beckoned them. "Come on in."

Cordelia and the others entered and look around in wonder as Gwen explained. "My butler's already in Tahiti so we're on our own here. I'll hit the kitchen for supplies later if I can… well… find the kitchen." She shut the door and disappeared down a long hallway."

Angel then turned to Cordelia. "The Axis of Pythia— the thing I used to find you on the higher plane— it's worth $33 million. I gave it back to Gwen when I was done."

Gwen returned and opened a set of double doors, telling Manny. "Let's get you set up in the study."

They followed her into a spacious library with walls lined with bookshelves. She crossed over to one of them and pulled a book out. It triggered a hidden panel which slid back revealing a steel vault door.

"Can never pass up a good cliché." Gwen used her power to activate the lock and the door slid back into the wall revealing a small closet-like room. "It's equipped as a panic room, too. Twelve inches of solid steel, it's own ventilation system…"

Cordelia commented. "Homey."

Gwen assured Manny. "You should be safe here."

Manny shrugged. "Don't worry. I ain't expecting any miracles."

Gwen then asked Angel. "So guard duty, what do you think? You and me, first shift?"

Cordelia pointed out. "Wouldn't it make more sense to split up? One superpower per shift. That way if horn-boy shows up, we mere mortals might stand a chance."

Gunn agreed with the logic. "Makes sense to me."

Gwen didn't mind the logic. "Okay, then. I'll take Denzel."

Gunn told her. "Actually, it's Gunn. Not that I mind the freakishly accurate comparison but you will keep your hands to yourself."

Angel gave the instructions. "Four hours on, four hours off. Bunk down off duty. Get as much sleep as we can. We're already tired. Got a long few days ahead of us." He turned and headed for the door. Cordelia shot a dirty look at Gwen and followed.

Manny poked his head out of the panic room with a smile. "Hey, Gwen. Don't suppose this joint's got Skin-emax?" She just smiled and shut the door, sealing him in.

Gunn sat in a chair while Gwen paced, telling him her life story. "So then after the second gardener and the fourth nanny, I got sent to Xavier's Academy."

Gunn stared straight ahead, staring into the distance.

"Something tells me my origin story isn't enough to fascinate you."

Gunn told her. "Oh, no. It is. I was just… just thinking."

Gwen sighed. "Gunn, I already apologized for killing you. What more do you want? A wake?"

Gunn said. "It isn't that."

"Then it's the English guy, isn't it?" Gwen said the rest off his look. "I saw the way he looked at your girl. A good thief is a master of body language."

Gunn immediately said. "He starts talking with his body, he's going to have serious problem."

Gwen confessed to him. "I'm surprised. A few months ago she was ready to wear sackcloth and ashes for you. When did the landscape change?"

"Long story", Gunn said. "Just waiting for Daredevil to show up and do something."

"So you're friends with him, huh?" Gwen asked and got a nod. "How is he?"

"Badass, kicked Angel's butt too", Gunn revealed, surprising Gwen. "He says he has a way to stop the Beast."

"Well, hope he does it soon or I'll lose more clients", Gwen quipped.

The door opened and she looked up as Angel and Cordelia entered.

Angel asked. "How's Manny?"

Gunn informed him. "Fine. Gave him some magazines about a half hour ago to keep him occupied."

Gwen added. "Swimsuit edition. He's occupied." She turned to Gunn. "Come on. I'll show you where you can crash."

Gwen and Gunn left Cordelia and Angel alone. Cordelia sat down and took a sip of her coffee. Angel sat across from her, a tall glass of blood in his hand.

The two of them sipped their drinks in silence.

Angel started awake to find Gwen shaking him. "Please… I'm awake!"

"What the hell are you doing falling asleep on watch?"

"I wasn't—"

"What's happening?"

Gunn knelt beside Cordelia who was groggily coming around as well.

"—asleep." Angel saw Gunn's look. "Manny!"

He leapt up and ran over to the vault door. It slid open to reveal Manny's butchered body. Great swaths of blood and gore covered the walls.

Angel realized. "It got him."

Cordelia groaned. "Ugh. You think?"

Gwen paced while the others inspected the carnage. "Was that part of his powers? Extra blood and guts? I mean, that's… that's a lot of blood and guts in there. No way all that Stephen King came out of a normal guy."

Angel realized what it was. "It was the Beast. It was looking for something Manny had."

Gunn asked. "How do you know?"

Angel held up Manny's hat. The center had been punched out of it. "Emptied out his head to find it."

"Ugh."

Gwen reminded them. "Wait. Manny said he was an orb-keeper, right? Maybe he kept an orb."

Cordelia was sarcastic. "In his head?"

Gwen asked. "Where do you keep yours?"

Angel agreed. "Hold on a second. She's right."

"Of course."

Angel turned to Gwen. "Semkhet— the demon in the cave— you said someone already pulled out the toy surprise."

Gwen was coy. "Did I?"

Angel realized. "The Beast is pulling something out of these totems."

Gunn turned to Gwne. "And you knew that."

Angel asked Gwen. "Something you're not telling me, Gwen?"

Everyone stared at her, especially Cordelia, and she finally confessed.

"All right. My client— the Beast grabbed something out of him, too. A little metal boxy thing."

Cordelia wasn't pleased. "And you neglected to mention this fact."

Gwen explained her reasoning. "I don't know, I thought the box might be worth something. Look, the apocalypse was coming, there was a giant killer demon. I panicked. And oh, by the way, I'm still a thief and as a rule, we don't share information."

Gunn then asked. "Okay, what about this cave demon? You think the big ugly went treasure hunting inside of him?"

Angel agreed. "It's definitely possible."

Cordelia then added. "Yes! But what's impossible is thinking that somehow, some way, the Beast found where we were hiding, spiked the drinks we made ourselves, snuck through this unreasonably large apartment on the tippy-toes of his cloven feet right up to the vault and killed poor Manny unseen and unheard."

Gunn shrugged. "Maybe whoever did it didn't have cloven feet."

Gwen sighed. "This is impossible."

Cordelia groaned. "Yeah, I thought we were pretty clear on the whole impossible issue."

"Unseen and unheard…" Gwen realized. "Security cameras." She walked out and into the next room. Angel and Cordelia followed.

Gwen told them. "Got them in every room. We just gotta rewind the tapes."

Angel told Gunn. "Okay. In the meantime, call the hotel. Tell them about Manny. Tell them about the toy surprises, too. Let's see if we can find out what they're for and how we can stop the Beast from using them."

He headed for the security room as Gunn took out his cell phone and dialed.

At her apartment, Gwen stared at a bank of monitors filled with static snow.

Cordelia asked her. "What's that?"

Gwen sighed. "That's nothing. The tapes just go blank. It's like the electrics got cut. Let me check the systems log." She pushed a button and a keyboard slid out.

Gwen said after a bit. "I've got the origin of the blackout. It kicked off in a small subset of the municipal A-14 grid. That's the one under this block. About 10 minutes before your watch."

Cordelia asked her. "What does that mean?"

Gwen told them. "It means that somebody knew when you were going to take over that watch and somebody knew whose drinks to spike. You ask me, this is an inside job."

Cordelia accused Gwen subtly. "Funny how you were inside at the time."

Angel wasn't in the mood. "Look, enough. Let's just focus on the guy trying to blot out the sun. We'll point fingers later."

Angel, Gwen, Cordelia and Gunn arrived back at the hotel as Gwen said. "I'm just saying, it never would have happened on my watch."

Cordelia scoffed. "Gosh, no! Because you're supertramp."

Angel went over to the counter where Lorne and Groo were researching and took Connor, rocking him. "What's the latest?"

Lorne informed Angel. "I checked out the ritual like you asked. Looks like there's some assembly required." He opened a book and pointed to a diagram of a winged figure. "Turns out these three pieces were inside the totems. Beast kills the totems, yanks out the pieces and builds himself a big old light switch."

Angel asked about the remaining info. "Well, what about the other two? What did he take out of them?"

Lorne told him. "Well, I know he sucked the energy out of the little girl and he ripped the heart out of the shaman but what's not clear is how he's going to use them."

Gwen asked them. "These wings… they're metal, right? Get me close enough and I can melt them. That'll slow him down."

Cordelia pointed out. "If we find him in time. Need I remind everyone that he's already got all the pieces plus we don't even know where he's going to perform this ritual."

Gunn said. "Sun or no sun, I'm not worried about slowing him down. I'm worried about taking him out. Especially without Matt."

Wesley and Fred entered as the former said. "We may have a solution for that."

Fred continued. "We've done a lot of research and we think we found a way to get rid of the Beast. A portal."

Gunn shook his head. "Figures."

Wesley told them all. "We've tried conventional methods: firearms, the usual weaponry. None of which seem to work. And we do not really want Matt to unlock the Devil just for us."

Angel realized. "So if we stand against it long enough to find a way to corner it, maneuver it into position…"

Lorne finished. "Then maybe we can send this thing back to the hell-sweet-hell it came from."

"We just need to fight it for a while and time it right", Groo said.

Gunn stalked over to the weapons cabinet and puts away his things, obviously upset. Fred went over and tried to calm him down. "I know what you must be thinking."

Gunn asked her. "That we should have learned our lesson?"

Fred told him. "Wesley and I have decided this is our only option."

"I know. But I don't got to like it." Gunn walked over and joined the others."

Angel then told all of them. "Okay, so we've got everything we need to stop the ritual. Let's clear out of here and try and locate the Beast."

As he started packing up the books, Cordelia's eyes went wide and she gasped as she received a vision of a medieval battlefield strewn with bloody and broken corpses. The Beast stood above it all, watching the dead and dying.

"Oh, my god…"

Angel immediately asked. "Another vision?"

Cordelia confessed to him. "Same one. Only there was more of it. A massacre. So many people on the ground… dead, dying… the screaming was so loud."

Angel asked the important part. "Could you hear the demon?"

Cordelia told him. "No. But whoever it was talking to, they felt familiar. Like someone I know."

Suddenly, the Beast crashed down through the ceiling, shattering it, and slammed his fist onto the floor, sending all of them back with a shockwave, though Angel held Connor tight to prevent him from getting hurt.

The others were all sent to the ground as the Beast held up the combined totems— two metallic gold wings topped with a glass orb— and blew a murky black energy cloud from its mouth into the orb.

The orb turned dark and the Beast set it down in the center of a runic diagram on the floor, then started chanting.

"Ket sahv Ma'at. Ket sahv Mesektet."

It held a human heart up and directly over the orb and squeezed the blood out so that dropped onto the obsidian orb.

"Ket sahv Ma'at. Ket sahv Mesektet."

The orb briefly glowed a fiery red, then faded back to black.

They recovered as Angel handed Connor to Lorne. "Take him and go!"

"What abou-"

"Go!" He turned to Cordelia. "You too."

"Good luck", Cordelia said as she and Lorne ran out, holding Connor.

Wesley and Fred immediately ran to the side, chanting as Gunn charged the Beast but was sent crashing to the floor in a heap.

Gunn tried to strike but the Beast blocked and threw him down again as Angel tried to do the same but was also knocked down.

Gwen ran to the combined totems but the Beast hit her with a table, shattering it as she went down while the idol broke into 3 components.

"The orb! Don't let it-"

The orb rolled under the Beast, who looked down on Angel with a predatory smile.

Cordelia looked up at the Hyperion with Lorne before getting the same vision from before.

The Beast said in her vision. "You are worthy adversary."

Now Cordelia knew who it was talking to as she looked up in horror. "Oh no.."

The Beast noticed Wesley and Fred when Groo jumped on its back and grabbing its horns, pulled hard.

The Beast stepped back a little and pulled Groo off, stomping on his chest. Groo desperately tried to lift the foot off with little success as the Beast kneeled in the center of the runic diagram and chanted.

"Ahmun Semkhet. Vesh ra'an Manje."

A shimmering energy formed around it.

"Angel", Wesley called out.

"Yeah, I got it, everybody get ready", Angel ordered them all.

Outside, Lorne asked. "All gets dimmer when you pass out, right?"

Cordelia was distracted by her vision. "What?"

She realized things were getting dimmer. They looked up to see dark tendrils crawl across the sun, blocking the light from it.

Angel watched energy form around the Beast.

"Kel Mesektet."

"Now or never."

Angel and Gunn together struck, Gwen rolling and kicking the Beast too. Gunn struck as it blocked and then Angel leapt and kicked it into the energy field where it disappeared, Groo now free at last as he staggered up.

Gwen smiled. "We did it. Didn't we?"

Outside, the sky got even darker than before as Cordelia's vision came back and now she saw it all.

"But our strength is useless divided", the Beast said to whoever it was facing.

The group looked outside the window, noting it was still getting dark as Fred asked. "Why is it still getting dark?"

"I told you once…" They all spun around to find the Beast behind them, striding into the room. They backed away from it in shock. "…you need not be my enemy."

In the vision, the Beast said. "Join with me…" Angelus stood before it, bruised and bloody.

In present day, the Beast called out. "…Angelus."

Cordelia stared at the ground in shock. "The answer is among you…"

Angel stared in stunned silence as the Beast picked up the orb and swallowed it, then said. "We'll meet again… soon." Then it leapt out the window and was gone.

Wesley was horrified. "My God…..the sun. It's gone. Completely obliterated."

The group walked out of the hotel as Cordelia and Lorne came to them, Connor crying as Lorne sang to him to calm him down. "Hush little baby don't say a word…."

Cordelia immediately said. "Angel, we have to talk."

"I can't believe we lost the sun", Fred said in horror.

"Now we are in the darkest night", Groo realized grimly.

Cordelia then said. "Angel, I think I figured it out."

Angel nodded. "So have I. The Beast knows me."

Cordelia revealed to Angel. "No, it doesn't. It knows Angelus." At the mention of that name, Angel looked around uncomfortably as everyone stared at him.

Cordelia asked him. "Am I right? While you were in there, it came to me. I wasn't having a vision of the demon. I was having a memory of it."

Gwen inquired. "How's that again?"

Cordelia ignored her. "I told you, when I was a higher being, I'd experienced everything you'd ever done as Angelus. But since I've been back, my memory's been fading until the Powers decided to… jog it, I guess. Angel, I saw you, long ago, standing in a field of bodies with the Beast."

"So you know this creature? Why did you not say?" Groo inquired.

"No!" Angel snapped, then pointed out. "I couldn't come up against something like that and not remember."

""The answer is among you"", Gunn remembered. "That's what the First meant, isn't it? This was never about Connor. It's about…"

"…Angelus", Fred finished for him.

Angel defended himself. "I'm telling you, I don't know this Beast. I'd remember."

Cordelia reminded him. "Like you remember falling asleep before Manny got killed?"

"What?"

Gwen pointed out. "An inside job."

Angel was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Wesley told Angel what this meant now. "It means you're a suspect. If Cordelia's right, we should admit the possibility that this Beast may have some sort of power over you. To make you do things. To make you forget."

Cordelia added. "And it has a plan. The rain of fire, taking down Wolfram & Hart, even blotting out the sun… I think now those were only the first steps to something bigger."

Angel snapped. "Well, I don't know what to tell any of you because I don't know what the plan is!"

Wesley revealed. "No… but Angelus might. There's only one way we're" going to defeat this Beast."

He then said something that chilled all of them.

"We need Angelus."

Chapter Text

People all over the city looked up fearfully at the roiling black cloud covering the sun and blocking its light.

A group of people had been cornered by a gang of biker Vampires as they got off their bikes, marching to the terrified crowd.

The leader smacked his lips disgustingly. "Well, what do you know, boys, all you can eat!"

But the leader then got pulled back as a cable wrapped around his neck, and he lost his head and turned to dust in that moment, the other Vampires looking around in shock.

Then Daredevil dropped down on his knees amongst all of them as they stared at him. Daredevil then slowly stood up as some of the Vampires ran away in fright, but a handful stayed to take on him, thinking they could take him out if they tried hard enough.

Daredevil pulled out a sharpened wood baton as the first charged but was push kicked into another Vamp as both fell.

Another one came at him but had his feet swept from under him, and was staked mid-air. Matt then moved his head away from a swing from the third and smacked the Vamp's face with the baton before side kicking him away.

The fourth one threw a haymaker Matt caught, then hip tossed him to the ground before staking him too.

He then threw the baton behind him without even looking, dusting the first from before, and so his friend charged.

Matt kicked his crouch, making him keel over and clutch his nuts. Daredevil then kicked his knee, making him kneel, then stabbed his neck with his arm blades and decapitated him, ending these Vampires at last.

Turning to the people, he ordered. "Go into your homes, stay there, and lock the doors. And do not invite anyone inside."

The people simply dispersed as Daredevil scaled up a building and made it to the top of that one, and stood there, listening to all of the chaos prominent in the city now that the sun was gone, allowing Vampires and other creatures of the night to wreak havoc 24/7.

He was going to catch up with Angel and the rest to let them know it had worked, but decided the people of this city needed him first, so he better get to work.

With that, he leapt away.

At Hyperion, Gunn clicked the TV off as he, Cordelia, Fred and Groo cleaned up the mess the Beast had made in the hotel. "I'll tell you what it means. Soon as vamps everywhere realize this town's open for business 24/7, there's going to be a huge rise in undead tourism."

Cordelia pointed out. "We just gotta find a way to bring back the sun."

"Working on it", Fred said before adding. "Failing miserably but working on it. I could really use some help deciphering some of these symbols… or all of them, really." She sighed. "I need Wesley." Then she noticed Gunn's look. "His expertise."

Gunn groaned. "Yeah, well rogue warrior took off without a word right after Electro-Gwen decided to skip town when the going got tougher. Not big on the teamwork, either one of 'em.

Cordelia sighed. "And the only one who might know anything is Angelus, and we don't want him around."

"Me neither", Gunn said, but he decided there may be a point in bringing around Angelus. "But I'm starting to think maybe it's time we did. Maybe Wes is right. Big beastie has got to be stopped and I'm fresh out of ideas. Matt ain't around yet. If there's even a chance Angelus could have inside info we could use—"

"And you think he's willingly going to turn it over?" Cordelia asked.

"I think it's worth a try", Gunn shrugged.

"It is too risky though, and besides, who can do it?" Groo wondered.

"Sucks that the perfect happiness thing is gone, and the magic doc is out of commission, he could have taken the soul easily, put it back in, and taken down the Beast", Gunn sighed, feeling bad about this whole mess.

"Even if it wasn't gone, don't think there is any happiness around here", Cordelia commented.

Angel looked at Lorne questioningly after finishing his singing, if one could call it that. "You're sure?"

Lorne told him. "Sorry, bucko. I got nothing. Although your choice of The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia might have thrown me a wee. I'm personally not huge with the Vicki Lawrence love. And even if I was, I'd prefer my Devil Man sing it."

Angel was still just confused. "It doesn't make sense. I remember everything Angelus did— I did— every family butchered, every child slaughtered, every throat ripped out. I remember every detail of all of it."

Lorne was as confused as he was. "So how come you don't have a smidge of any recollection of a giant magma demon with ram horns and goat legs? Hey, all I can tell you, stud, is if it's in there, it's buried deep. Deep inside Angelus."

Angel shrugged. "Then that's where it stays. Even if I wanted it, there's no way to bring Angelus back right now."

"We have to hold out until Matt returns though", Lorne pointed out. "I'm sure he is gonna let the Devil out."

"Assuming it worked", Angel told him, and Lorne had to concede to that too.

A man in ceremonial hood and robes kneeled on a floor of a monastery, chanting over a mystical symbol and precisely placed talismans while there was fighting and crashing outside.

A man flew through a beaded curtain and landed at the center of the hooded man's spell, as Wesley arrived, wiping blood off his knuckles.

"Rumor has it you possess certain skill I require. I need a soul extracted."

Cordelia came down stairs just as Angel and Lorne emerged from the office as Cordelia asked. "Did Lorne help you remember?"

"No."

"Anything at all?"

"Nothing", Angel turned to Fred. "So what have we got?"

Fred sighed. "A puzzle with missing pieces and some cryptic gibberish. Angel, whatever power this device had got swallowed up by the Beast. It won't bring back the sun. Without the orb, it's as useless as—"

"Us", Gunn said as they turned to him. "Face it, man, we're losing ground. Pretty much the only victory we can claim is that we're not dead yet."

Angel looked around at the defeated expressions on the faces of the people around him. "Okay, look, I know things haven't been going our way lately but things change and we're not down for the count yet. Look, the Beast is not our only concern right now. Until we figure out how to end eternal darkness, it's a devil's playground out there."

"I know", Groo agreed as he walked to the weapons' cabinet and took out a sword and an axe. "So unless you have a way of bringing the sun back, I shall head out and take out any evil creatures."

Angel started. "Look Groo, you are strong and a warrior, but these are-"

"I am prepared to face them", Groo declared firmly. "I will protect this city while it stays like this."

"Offer's appreciated, Mr. Muscle, but yeah, this would be too much for you", Lorne agreed with Angel.

"Lot of things were too much for me, I took them down", Groo shrugged as he took out some stakes too.

Angel realized he couldn't be talked out and sighed. "All right, go. And good luck."

Groo nodded as Cordelia told him. "Be careful."

"It should be them who has to be careful", Groo replied as he walked out of the hotel.

"Well, now we need a plan", Fred muttered.

"Here's one."

All eyes turned as Wesley entered with the mystic. "Him."

Angel immediately asked. "Who is he?"

"Wo Pang. He can deliver Angelus to us with his magic."

Gunn turned to Cordelia. "Thought you said—"

"Me, too."

Wesley asked Fred. "Fred, would you mind brewing some tea for our guest?"

Fred was puzzled. "Sure." She motioned for Wo Pang to follow her.

Angel walked over and took Wesley by the arm and pulled him into the office as Fred led Wo Pang. "Right this way, Mr.… Pang. Any special tea you…"

"How about Orange Zinger?"

Fred was taken aback. "Okay…."

Angel stared hard at Wesley. "What do you mean "deliver Angelus"?"

"Wo Pang's a shaman— order of the Kun-Sun-Dai."

"Dark mystics? You brought a dark mystic here without talking—"

"Claims he has the power to extract souls."

"Claims?"

"He is from the same order as that mystic Rupert Giles hired 4 years ago in Sunnydale to pretend to remove your soul", Wesley revealed, surprising Angel with that information. "More importantly, he can restore them. Once we learn what it is Angelus knows about the Beast—"

Angel was still reluctant. "We're not bringing Angelus."

Wesley pointed out to him. "You don't have a choice."

Angel didn't want it. "Actually, I do. That was it. You want to hear it again? Not with the bringing."

Wesley requested. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, Angel. There's no Plan B as Matt isn't back and we're running out of time. People are in serious danger."

Angel made his own point. "Then unleashing Angelus is the last thing that we should do. If he's here, I'm not. I won't be able to protect anyone from the Beast… or from me."

Wesley assured Angel. "It's only temporary. We'll take all the necessary precautions in the interim. Contain you. I'm not blind to the risks. I know what Angelus—"

"You have no idea what Angelus is, Wesley. All you know is what you've read in books. You've never had the pleasure of his company and you're not going to. Well, there was that one time Rebecca Lowell, but that was just the preview, you don't want the whole film", Angel warned Wesley, and gave his final order. "Get rid of the shaman."

Angel turned and walked back out into the lobby, past all of his stunned friends, and out into the solarium. After a moment, Cordelia followed.

At the Solarium, Angel silently stared up at the black sun as Cordelia came out and sat beside him. "They're all going to die. The flowers, plants, trees. Without sun. Just realizing."

Angel said nothing and moved away from her.

"I just came to say that… I'm on your side. Angelus is the jumbo family-size bad of bad ideas. He'd be a danger to all of us. You made the right call. Wesley, the others… they don't get it."

Angel noted. "But you do."

Cordelia reminded Angel that she had the pleasure of Angelus' company before. "Well, if I didn't when Angelus was loose and killing in Sunnydale, then reliving his past horrors in virtual wide-screen sensurround during my tenure in Floatyville, pretty makes me an expert."

"Right", Angel realized before asking. "Do you think that I'm being used by the Beast without even knowing?"

"No."

"Are you just saying that?"

"Yes. I don't know, Angel. It's possible."

Angel noted. "Well, if I am, then I'm already a danger to you. All of you."

Cordelia pointed out to him. "Well, not like Angelus would be. I mean, he's… he's smart."

Angel was offended. "Excuse me?"

"Well… you know what I mean."

To Angel, it sounded like she'd insulted his intelligence in favor of his evil counterpart. "You're saying Angelus is smarter than me."

"No! You're smart. He's just…"

"Ingenious."

Cordelia added why. "But in that twisted, sadistic, ruthless kind of way."

"Like the Beast", Angel realized.

Cordelia agreed with him there. "Yes, exactly. They think alike. Always a step or two ahead of us. I mean, what is it about evil that jacks up the IQ points? It's like whenever…" She noticed his look. "What?"

Angel abruptly stood up and went back inside.

"Angel?"

Angel strode purposefully into the lobby. "We're going to need a cage."

Lorne inquired. "A cage?"

"Strong one, about 10 x 12, steel-reinforced, two-inch bars. Maybe three. I'll make some calls."

He went in the office and closed the door while taking baby Connor.

Gunn was confused. "What? He thinks something like that's going to hold the Beast?"

Wesley knew why though. Angel had made up his mind.

"It's not for the Beast. It's for him."

Before starting the call, Angel held Connor looked into his eyes. "Hey buddy, daddy is gonna go away for a bit, you will see someone else, who looks like him, but its not daddy, okay?"

He rocked Connor and kissed his forehead, then walked out and called out. "Lorne!"

"Yes Angelcakes?" Lorne turned to him, and Angel handed baby Connor to him.

"No matter what happens, do not bring Connor anywhere near me once its done. Let the others know too."

Groo, a gash on his forehead, dusted a Vampire, then spin kicked a huge Demon away before dodging another Vampire's strike and decapitating him, and then he drove his sword through another Demon, taking that one out too.

Two Demons then grabbed both of his hands and he struggled with them, while a Vamp grabbed him from behind in a chokehold, the three disarming him and forcing him to his knees.

Suddenly, the Vampire turned to dust as Daredevil swung down, kicking one Demon away, and Groo used the opportunity to deck the other and toss him down, before picking up his sword and killing it.

With that, they continued fighting as Groo punched 2 Demons down and flipped another down, falling with him. A Vamp rushed him but Groo threw up a stake, dusting him.

Matt grabbed another Demon and running, hurled into another, throwing them both down. One took out a knife but Matt grabbed his hand and twisted, snatching the knife and hurling it at another Demon, taking it down. He then struck that Demon on the throat and flipped him down.

Groo blocked a Demon's strike and flipped him down. Another picked up a rod to swing at him but Matt flipped at it from behind, spinning and flipping it down to the ground.

He then got up and kicked another away as the Demon got up and swung at him instead with a knife but he dodged two times and blocked the third time and punched his face. He dodged again and side-stepped as the knife got stuck in a wall, and he kneed the Demon before slamming his head on the wall.

Matt then spun, snatching the knife, and sliced the Demon's knee, making him scream in pain, and kicked his face into the wall, then drove his baton into his heart, finally taking him out.

"You finished?" Groo asked Matt.

"Yeah", Matt nodded. "Come on."

They walked together as Groo inquired. "So you were fighting out in the city this whole time?"

"I was", Matt confessed with a nod.

"And did it work?"

"It did."

Groo's eyes widened as he asked. "So you can now-"

"Yep", Matt confirmed. "How are things here?"

"Well, as you can see, it is darkness forever", Groo shrugged.

"A city in the dark. Welcome to my world", Matt quipped with a chuckle.

"And the Princess had a vision in which the Beast met Angelus many years ago, but Angel does not remember the Beast", Groo said, and Matt was puzzled by that.

"How?"

"I do not know, but before I left, Wesley brought in a dark mystic who shall remove Angel's soul and bring back Angelus to give us information about the Beast", Groo revealed, and now Matt was shocked.

"Are they serious?"

"I believe they are."

"We have to get back now!" Matt said. "First, I must go to the hotel nearby to get my stuff, then we go back!"

"All right", Groo said as they first rushed to Matt's hotel.

Matt and Groo entered Hyperion, which was empty, and Matt could hear baby Connor asleep in his room as well.

Everyone was in the basement, and Matt could hear a man he did not know chanting in an unknown language, and knew what he was doing.

"Come on", Matt said as the two walked over to the basement and there stood Cordelia, Wesley, Lorne, Fred and Gunn outside a cage, in which Wo Pang was chanting over the bound Angel.

He then turned to Wesley and said. "It is done."

A small smile played across Angelus' face and he turned his head to look out at Cordelia and the others. Cordelia looked into his eyes and knew. "Angelus…"

On the table behind her, Angel's soul glowed a milky white inside the glass receptacle.

Angelus watched them from inside the cage and then his eyes fell on the shocked Matt. His smile became a chuckle, then turned into malicious laughter which continued for a while.

In that moment, Matt knew that his friend was gone.

Angelus had returned!

Matt grasped Wesley by the shoulder and dragged him out before slamming him onto the wall. "Have you lost your mind? Bringing Angelus back?!"

"We had no other choice!"

"My plan worked! Mephisto unlocked the Devil!"

"Not before we lost the sun!" Wesley snapped back at Matt, who let him go. "Angelus has information about the Beast that can aid us, we will be wise to use it."

"And if he comes after us?" Matt inquired.

"What do you think the cage is for?" Wesley asked back. "And we have various other plans in mind to keep Angelus inside."

"You're walking on thin ice, Wes, this is too much", Matt warned him.

"I know, which is why I shall be the one to talk to him", Wesley revealed.

A while later Matt, Fred, Lorne, Gunn and Groo stood as Cordelia held the glass receptacle containing Angel's glowing soul and Wesley opened the wall safe in the office.

Fred commented. "Seeing Angel's soul all floaty like that kinda makes me crazy."

Lorne assured her. "It's not forever, sugarplum. We're just borrowing it."

"Borrowing alone is very risky", Matt pointed out.

Wesley finished dialing the combination and opened the safe. He turned and held out his hands for the receptacle. "Cordelia…"

She slowly reached out and handed it to him. "Don't drop it."

Wesley took the jar and carefully set it down inside the safe, then closed the door and spun the lock. "Angel is gone."

"Angelus is here", Matt muttered.

Cordelia was in disbelief. "I can't believe… it's done."

Gunn hoped. "Taking out Angel's soul… putting it in a jar… I hope we know what we're doing."

"I do not think any of us know anything at this point", Groo told the rest.

Wesley told them all. "If Angelus knows how to destroy the Beast, it's all we've got."

Lorne agreed. "Yeah, otherwise, permanent midnight."

Cordelia assured the rest of them. "He's dangerous, I know. I've seen it. But we're doing the right thing."

Wesley told them all. "As long as we're very careful. Before Angelus was ensouled, his viciousness was mythic. You all know his history."

Cordelia counted. "Killing, maiming, torture…"

"Puppies nailed to walls— thank you, Cordelia, for that lovely image— but I think that brings us up to speed", Lorne told them.

Wesley then told them. "There's only one thing Angelus will be focused on: getting free so he can slaughter us."

Cordelia pointed out. "We're Angel's only link to humanity. Angelus will hate us for that. He'll want to make us suffer."

Wesley warned them. "Watch the monitor when I go down. Pay attention to everything he does, everything he says. He'll try to confuse you, to play on your emotions so you'll drop your guard. If he succeeds, even for an instant, we're all dead." There was a beat. "I've spent my life training for this and I'm still not ready. He's smarter than I am and a great deal more focused. He'll exploit everything Angel knows about me and go for the jugular. Whatever he's got, I'm not going to see it coming."

Matt scoffed and said. "I'm going out. Someone needs to keep this city safe."

"But Wes said to watch the monitors", Gunn reminded.

"Can't do that", Matt said as he walked out, wanting to clear his head over the fact that his friend was gone and Angelus had come. "Groo?"

"I shall accompany you", Groo agreed and walked off with Matt, leaving the rest.

Lorne rocked Connor in his arms as Wesley said. "I shall go down."

Angelus watched silently as Wesley descended the stairs and stood before the cage.

"Angelus…"

Angelus greeted him jovially. "Wes. Why the long face? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Should I be?"

Angelus pointed out. "Well, if it wasn't for you and your shaman friend, I wouldn't be here. I'm feelin' the love."

"The choice was Angel's."

Angelus mocked his alter-ego. "Angel-schmangel. You're the man with the brain."

Wesley tried to make small talk. "You're comfortable?"

Angelus shrugged. "Nice acoustics. Wouldn't hate a chair."

Wesley pulled a chair over and sat down on it, just outside the red perimeter line on the floor. He rested a loaded crossbow on his lap.

"You'll have to forgive the accommodations. The last time you were free, you terrorized Sunnydale."

Angelus remembered Buffy and told Wesley. "That Slayer… she's a pistol."

Wesley told him. "I've imagined this moment many times. Years of study… research. I've read everything ever written about you."

"Stop. I'm blushing."

"To be one-on-one with the legendary Angelus… as a former Watcher, it's a high point."

Angelus knew what Wesley was trying to do. Being a master manipulator himself, not much got past him. "Buttering me up, getting me all relaxed… not the most innovative interrogation technique but… okay, I'll play."

Wesley inquired. "Is it a game?"

Angelus shrugged. "Hey, open book. Anything you want to know. How sweet that virgin gypsy tasted, the special smell of a newborn's neck. My first nun— now that's a great story."

Wesley simply said. "We could start there."

But Angelus was just starting to play. "Don't be coy, Wes. You're just dying to know about the big beastie. Fire away."

"All right. Did you know the Beast?"

Angelus was back to his mocking ways. "Well, now that's a question. Not a great question. Not even an insightful question. Not a Wyndam-Pryce-worthy question."

Wesley then asked a Wyndam-Pryce worthy question. "If you knew the Beast, why wouldn't Angel remember?"

Angelus shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he doesn't remember the good times. Maybe he won't let himself. So like him." There was a beat. "Here's one for you. What's the deal with Angel and the little nibber?"

"Connor?"

"Seriously, 'you're this', you're that', all that thing does is cry and piss. What? He crawled? Big WOOHOO!"

"He is a baby, they do that", Wesley simply shrugged.

Up above, all watched Angelus on the cam, glancing to baby Connor in Lorne's arms when he was mentioned.

"Yeah, babies just want some attention", Angelus agreed there. "We all want something, Wes. It's the way of the world. Everybody's got an agenda."

"And you're going to tell me mine."

Angelus started. "You want to come down here, get your vital stats on Lava Boy, play the big hero…"

"I want to know how to kill the Beast. It has nothing to do with being a hero."

Angelus told him. "Sure it does. But why now? Can't be because there's an apocalypse coming. Always one of those around the corner."

"Enlighten me."

"Foul rag and bone shot to the heart. That's where you live."

"Meaning?"

Angelus knew he was on camera, and was going to reveal the whole thing to all now. "You want to impress the girl. Move in, get her to love you. After a couple of days of chocolate-covered cherries…"

He slammed his hands against the bars and Wesley raised the crossbow.

"…you'll bend her over the kitchen counter and—"

"Is that supposed to rattle me?"

Angelus shrugged. "Kind of bony for my taste but… different strokes."

Wesley tried to get the conversation back on track. "The Beast called you an adversary."

But Angelus had latched onto the love triangle of Wesley, Fred and Gunn, and wasn't going to let go. "I bet he loves to rub that shiny bald head against her soft milky skin. Mmmm… good."

Wesley looked up at the camera, worried.

The others just watched Angelus and Wesley on the monitor.

"Come on, Wes. It's not like your schoolgirl crush is a secret."

Fred was nervous. "Charles, remember. We can't believe anything Angelus says."

Gunn pointed out. "How about the stuff that's true? Can we believe that?"

Cordelia explained. "He distorts everything. He lies with the truth. It's part of what makes him so dangerous."

Lorne agreed and told Fred. "Yeah, don't let him get to you, kiwi."

Gunn sighed. "He's not the only one that's gettin'."

"Charles…"

"I know, I know."

Fred assured him. "It's just words."

Wesley said to Angelus on the camera. "You found a vulnerability and exploited it. Well done."

Angelus laughed. "I'm just getting started. I'll tell you this. All that digging you've been doing on the horny giant? Wrong place."

"And the right place?"

"I could tell you… but it wouldn't be sporting."

Wesley reminded Angelus. "But you were adversaries, you and the Beast."

Angelus shrugged. "A guy like me… friends, enemies… hard to keep track."

Wesley pointed out. "If he was an enemy, I'd be doing you a favor by destroying him."

Angelus now went personal. "You know, you're not fooling anyone. Get some new clothes, cool haircut, hit the gym… you're still the same loser none of the other kids wanted to sit with at lunch."

Wesley shrugged. Yet you're locked in that cage and I'm out here."

"So? You got no leverage. What are you going to do? Kill me?"

Wesley was firm. "If I have to."

Angelus laughed again. "Wait till they drop, Wes, then try that line again."

Wesley knew one threat could still work. "I'll put your soul back. You won't talk? No problem. We'll bring Angel back and be no worse off than we were."

Angelus pointed out this plan would fail still. "Making you a failure again."

"You want to waste my time, you can rot down here." Wesley turned to leave.

Angelus used this as an opportunity to bring up the love triangle again. "Nice stamina, Wes. No wonder Fred's not interested."

Wesley was unmoved. "Whatever your connection to the Beast, clearly you don't know anything that can help us."

Angelus knew the tricks well. "Is this the part where I get defensive, start talking to prove you wrong? What else you got?"

Wesley paused on the stares and turned back toward the cage. "You must hate it. That Angel fights evil."

Angelus turned it around on Wesley again. "Eats you up inside, doesn't it? Seeing all those idiots flock around him, calling him a champion. And the blind Devil bastard too, oh he loves taking up all the attention from the idiots. I mean, blind, fighter, Devil, what's not to like? Anyone ever call you a champion?"

"I do my part."

Angelus pointed out the mistakes of his part. "Right. Like letting Lilah suck Lorne's brain. Or here's an oldy but a goody… Faith. Good job being her Watcher. She turned out to be a peach."

Wesley tried to turn it around himself. "And you managed to get your soul back, not once but twice, saving the world several times in the process. Nobody's perfect."

Angelus brought up the worst wound. "Then there's kidnapping the fruit of my loins. Smooth."

"He survived and is still here."

"I guess you just can't understand that special bond between dad and son, given that your own father's ashamed of you."

Wesley then started the important part. "In Cordelia's vision, you and the Beast were standing on a field—"

Angelus now had another topic. "Oh, god, yeah! Let's talk about Cordy, shall we? Huh? Now there's a rack to write home about. Too bad about the personality, though. Yap, yap, yap, yap."

Cordelia stared at the monitor as Angelus mocked her. ""Oh, god… Angel. Oh, Angel… we can't. I love you but you were so bad. You ate babies." Chicks…"

Lorne assured Cordelia. "Sticks and stones, sweet potato."

Gunn reached out to turn down the sound. "We don't have to—"

"No, I'm okay."

Fred reminded Cordelia of her own words. "Like you said, just little bitty bits of truth twisted all up into lies."

"Which failure do you think is worse, Wes? Turning Faith into a psycho or stealing my kid? You failed as a Watcher, you failed as an uncle, both times others had to step in to fix your mess. But at least you thought you were doing the right thing. Hey, who's a guy gotta kill to get a drink around here, huh?"

Wesley then returned in a minute. "He wants blood."

Fred quickly said. "I'll get it."

"Me, too", Gunn added.

Fred and Gunn descended the stairs. Fred carried a glass of blood while Gunn brought a loaded crossbow.

Angelus returned to talking. "Othello and Desdemona. My favorite couple. Oh, wait. Desdemona wasn't in love with the other guy. So much for "stand by your man". Then again, you probably like her on her knees."

Gunn pointed the crossbow at Angelus while Fred got a wheeled cart and set the glass on it. She pushed it over to toward the cage.

Gunn told Angelus. "Keep talking. I'll sweep out the cage when I'm done."

Angelus mocked his strategy too. "Oh, provocative! Get me all riled up. You think that's what your boss would want?"

"Don't have a boss."

"You might want to tell Wesley that", Angelus turned his attention to Fred. "Ah, Fred… you look all fresh and sweet but I hear you at night in your room with Gunn. The things you say… I'm lying there, listening, hands under the covers… I can't help myself. It's so… gripping."

Fred sneered. "You're a pig."

Gunn raised the bow. "Step back."

Angelus chuckled and raised his hands, stepping backward a step. Fred pushed the cart forward, past the red line. Angelus stared at her like a predator, then reached out and picked up the cup of blood.

He held it for a beat, a small smile curling his lip, then he viciously kicked the cart, sending it slamming into Fred's legs. She fell forward onto it and he pulled it back toward the cage.

He seized her by the neck and held her against the bars in front of him.

"No!"

Angelus quipped. "Well, got some with a pig?"

Fred struggled desperately but couldn't get free.

"I like the way you move Fred. Do it just a little to the left…."

"Charles!"

Gunn dropped the crossbow and rushed forward, trying to pry Angelus' fingers from Fred's neck. "Get off her!"

"Come on, Charles, save her! Come on, save her, Char—"

Angelus looked down in surprise as a trank dart slammed into his arm. Wesley was on the stairs with a rifle. He ejected the casing and loaded the next dart as Angelus' grip on Fred loosened and Gunn pulled her free.

Angelus stared at Wesley as he fired again. The second dart struck Angelus in the chest. He wavered a moment before his eyes closed and he collapsed to the floor.

Gunn asked Fred in concern. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

Fred gasped. "No, I'm sorry… that was so stupid… I should have…"

Wesley assured them. "It's not your fault. Angelus is unpredictable. He'll take any opening no matter how small. It's understandable but you played right into his hands." He turned to Gunn. "Never drop your weapon."

Wesley looked down at Angelus' unconscious form then headed back upstairs.

Fred told Gunn. "I was… thanks."

"So you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just glad you're here."

Wesley paused at the top of the stairs and watched as Fred embraced Gunn.

Later, Fred entered the office where Wesley was looking though some old books. "Hey."

"Hey."

He shrugged and set the book down.

"I wanted to thank you. If you hadn't have come in when you did…" Fred glanced nervously out into the lobby. Wesley noticed.

"He's not there."

Fred was nervous. "It's… Charles heard what Angelus said. The stuff about—"

"Me."

"Yeah, and—"

"How I feel about you."

Fred nodded. "Yes. Which is very sweet. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Yes, there is."

Wesley suddenly stepped forward and kissed Fred passionately. She didn't resist. In fact, she responded, wrapping her arms around him. She suddenly broke off, guilty, as Gunn walked in from the lobby. Wesley turned back to his books.

"Hey, who's watching the monitor?" Gunn noticed their looks. "What's going on?"

Fred was evasive. "Nothing."

But Gunn wasn't fooled. "Did he just—"

"Of course not. Charles, let's… you're right. The monitor."

Gunn now demanded. "You better tell me what the hell I just walked in on."

"We were just…"

Gunn was sarcastic. "What? Researching?"

Wesley then spoke up. "You want to do this, deal with me. Leave Fred out of it."

Gunn stalked over to Wesley, furious. "You ought to be leaving Fred out of it!"

Fred reminded them. "Hello? I'm here."

Gunn asked Wesley. "You think I don't see the way you look at her?"

"Charles, please…"

Gunn turned to Fred. "And you, running off to him every time you need help, like I'm not good enough."

Fred was desperate. "No! That's not… this isn't the time."

Gunn turned to Wesley. "I'm telling you, stay away from her."

At the basement, Angelus came around and listened to the argument drifting down through the floorboards with a wicked smile. He laughed.

"That was fast."

"….a long time since you were out for anyone but yourself."

Wesley shrugged. "I owe you nothing. Not anymore."

Gunn lunged at Wesley but Fred pushed him back out into the lobby. "You just take what you want, huh? Don't matter who it belongs to."

Wesley followed them out, refusing to back down. "I didn't realize Fred came with a deed."

Fred knew this was out of hand. "Stop it! What's wrong with you?"

Gunn sneered at Wesley. "You don't realize a lot of things, like the fact that nobody wants you here!"

Wesley was calm. "'Cause you do such a bang-up job without me."

The shouting drew Lorne and Cordelia as the former said. "Hey, hey, come on, guys. Let's not say anything we—"

"Shut up, Lorne!" Gunn snapped at Wesley. "Great idea, Wes. Stealing Angel's kid. Oh, was losing him a part of your plan, too?"

Wesley shrugged. "Go ahead. Throw some more blame around. It's what you're best at."

"You want to say that again?" Gunn took a menacing step toward Wesley.

"Oh, god…"

"Face it, Gunn, you can't give her what she needs."

Gunn decked Wesley.

"Charles!"

Wesley held his mouth, then Gunn lunged again. Wesley ducked the blow and landed two of his own to Gunn's abdomen. Gunn pushed him up against the counter but Wesley freed himself and they grappled and traded punches.

Fred hadn't meant for it to go so far. "Stop it! This is insane!"

Cordelia tried to point out. "You're doing exactly what Angelus wants!"

Lorne tried to stop them. "Oh, for the love of Mike Tyson!"

Gunn pushed them back, then hauled his fist back, getting Fred on the mouth. She collapsed to the floor, holding her bloody mouth.

Cordelia and Lorne kneeled next to her and helped her up. Gunn stared at her and realized what he'd done.

"Fred…"

Cordelia looked up at Gunn, then looked behind him to see Matt and Groo walk back in.

Matt looked quite grim, as he had heard the whole thing. Groo simply put his sword away as Matt took off his helmet.

He then wiped some blood from his lip and ran a hand through his long hair, his blind eyes seeming to pierce through them all.

Making a decision, Matt placed his helmet on the counter and walked downstairs, standing face to face with Angelus himself.

"Angelus."

"Oh hey Devil-boy, I so wanted to meet you, you are such a big deal. I mean, you beat pathetic and pitiful Angel, they say you can beat up a Slayer too."

Matt didn't respond as Angelus continued. "Boohoo! Poor me! I have a Devil inside me, I'm cursed! I'm evil!" Angelus laughed. "You should see me. Oh wait, you can't!" Angelus chuckled again. "Maybe hearing is better, you can imagine the sight in your mind." Angelus then asked. "How did it go with Mephisto anyway?"

"You tell me how it went with the Beast back then and I'll let you know", Matt simply offered.

"Ooooh, dear old Wes tried that trick, didn't seem to work", Angelus chuckled. "How about you tell me how it went with Faith? Hmm? And Cordelia? And Lilah? There is a lot of stuff I'd love to do to those…..you'd know a lot, wouldn't you?"

"Don't think they'd appreciate a tattletale for a boyfriend", Matt responded.

"All righty then, Elektra!" Angelus said, and Matt had some emotion on his face at her mention as Angelus now latched onto it. "All your skills, all the terror you exude to make people run from you, and you couldn't save the woman you loved. She died…..twice! What kind of Devil are you? Definitely not the one who can get what he wants, because you have nothing! Faith is just a replacement, isn't she? Bet she'd love that when she finds out after she stops looking at you with rose-tinted glasses. How does it feel to have so much power and still be a failure?"

Instead of looking terrified, Matt smirked. "How does it feel? All that evil, locked away, useless, and see through the eyes of someone else as you do good. Help people, save people, Angel even helped save the Universe, same one you couldn't suck into Acathla's Dimension."

Matt had now crossed over the perimeter.

"How rotten does that feel?"

Angelus lunged through the bars in a rage.

"STOP!"

The Hell-Mark glowed through Matt's suit as his eyes lighted up, and now Angelus froze, his face tense as he tried to resist but failed.

"Now back away."

Angelus did until he was in the middle of the cell.

"Now", Matt said in his normal voice as he sat down and then commanded again. "Tell us about the Beast."

"1789", Angelus began, glaring hatefully at Matt but unable to resist his power. "I was in Prussia, felt like someone was watching me."

As Angelus moved across a field in the dark of night, he came across hundreds of corpses, torn to pieces, littering the ground in all directions.

"There were troops around. I had run into them now and then. Not as sweet as the girls, by the way. But the little massacre I ran into— seriously lacking in military precision. Bodies, bodies everywhere and not a drop to drink."

Matt listened as Angelus continued.

"And so I followed the trail and there was your friend, the one you so cleverly call the Beast."

Angelus watched as the Beast held a man up by the throat, strangling him, then tossed the body aside.

"We had a lot in common."

Angelus stepped up to the man's body and violently snapped his neck.

"But he already knew that. He'd been watching me. He staged the carnage to impress me."

Matt asked. "So he sought you out. Why?"

"Girl trouble. Thought I might be able to help him with a situation."

"How? Tell me."

"You heard of the Svea Priestesses? Very powerful. Big into banishing. The Beast was next on their list. He couldn't touch them. Some kind of mojo. But a Vampire could."

Matt realized what had happened. "So he wanted you to kill them."

Angelus told him the details. "We had it all worked out. I'd scratch his priestesses and he'd scratch my back somewhere down the line— a limited partnership."

"You need not be my enemy. Join with me, Angelus."

"And?"

"I declined."

The Beast's clawed fist slammed into Angelus' face and he collapsed to the ground.

"He didn't ask twice. I probably could have been more diplomatic with my refusal but I'm not big with teamwork."

Angelus lay on the ground, moaning in pain, as the Beast leaned down to finish him off.

"Thought that was going to be the end of me but, like I said, girl trouble."

The Svea Priestesses appeared across the field, dressed in blue cloaks and carrying long staves topped with glowing crystals.

"So they just started up the whammy and… there you have it."

"The Beast was banished", Matt noted before asking. "How?"

Angelus confessed. "Don't know. I was busy with the passing out."

Matt smirked and walked off. "Thank you for cooperation."

Angelus sneered in anger. "Well played, Devil boy, well played."

Everyone was going through the books, looking for information on the Svea Priestesses as Cordelia read. "Slarf demons, spell mantras, Srail'gong technique… but nothing on—"

"The Svea Priestesses— also known as The Svear— a mystical order, all descendants of a powerful Nordic priestess Svea", Fred read out.

"Nothing about the Beast though", Matt said grimly.

Gunn tried to look over Fred's shoulder at the book. She looked at him awkwardly, then handed it to Wesley. Gunn shook his head and moved away from her to the other side of the office while Wesley studied the ancient text.

"Same region. Approximately the same time period."

Fred added. "I'm shaky on Freyan runes but it kinda seems like it's only a general idea of who or what got banished."

"Translation… something like big, hard thing", Wesley translated it.

"Sounds like our guy", Cordelia realized.

"Which means we must find these Priestesses and take him out", Groo noted.

Lorne asked. "So where do we find these banishing babes and how fast can they get to L.A.?"

Gunn slammed the Yellow Pages down on the table in front of them. "About 25 minutes, depending on traffic. They're in Pacoima."

Cordelia, Wesley and Groo headed up the front walk of a small house in a quiet neighborhood. Matt had gone off to protect the city again, while Lorne, Fred and Gunn stayed back.

A small sign next to the door read: SVEAR MON. – FRI. 11AM – 4PM

Wesley rang the bell and they waited but no answer came.

"Are they here?" Groo wondered.

Wesley knocked loud on the door, then tried the knob. "It's open." He swung the door inward and they entered the darkened home.

Wesley called out. "Hello? Anyone home? Hello?"

Cordelia called out too. "Nordic priestesses?"

All three spread out and looked around. Groo saw a set of family pictures on the mantle showing a husband, wife and their children.

Cordelia examined some bills spread out on the dining room table, then sniffed the air. "What is that?"

She looked into the living room and stared in shock. Wesley and Groo saw her expression and followed her gaze. The entire family had been slaughtered, parents and children alike. They lay strewn about the living room, their clothes smeared with gore.

Wesley moved into the room and stared down at the remains. "We're too late. Again."

Cordelia wondered. "How does the Beast know exactly what we're going to do? It's like he's psychic."

Wesley sighed. "Maybe he is."

"Or perhaps he has a way to watch us", Groo commented.

Wesley kneeled down to check the body of the nearest victim, an 8-year-old boy.

Cordelia suggested. "Angelus could have sent him a message. Some kind of demon Morse code."

Wesley knew better though. "No, these people have been dead for a few days. Angelus had nothing to do with this."

Cordelia realized. "Which means by the time the shaman was going all chanty on Angel, it was already too late."

Wesley sighed. "Let's have a look around, see if there's anything useful. Then we should call the police."

Wesley step[ed over to a desk and picked up a narrow piece of parchment. "A banishment incantation. At least, I think it is."

Cordelia knew why they had it. "Then they were trying to get rid of the Beast."

Wesley agreed. "It seems so."

At Hyperion, the door opened and Cordelia, Wesley and Groo entered. Matt had returned shortly before them.

Gunn asked. "What happened?"

"The Beast slaughtered the family", Wesley sighed.

Fred was shocked. "Guess he found a way to kill them after all."

Gunn groaned. "So much for our big priestess rescue."

Fred asked them. "Are we sure Angelus doesn't know anything more? I mean, maybe we should talk to-"

"No", Matt vetoed that thought. "Under the Hell-Mark's influence, he would have told us all he knew."

Gunn realized what the meant. "Which means our last-ditch plan, turning Angel into a soulless monster, it's a bust." A beat. "If Angelus can't help us…"

Cordelia finished him for him. "It's time to bring back Angel."

"Yes, then at least we shall have our leader back", Groo sighed.

Wesley told the rest. "We'll need the shaman."

Cordelia descended the stairs and stood before Angelus who quipped. "Here I thought you'd be halfway to Georgia by now."

"I'm not afraid of you", she said.

"How'd the little field trip turn out? Priestesses still feisty?"

Cordelia told him. "We found a little boy, his sister, mom, dad, grandma… all dead."

Angelus quipped. "Oh, god. I'm always missing the fun stuff."

"The Beast butchered them."

"So? Did you bring me back a souvenir? Maybe a stray baby toe? Or you can bring me my kid's" He noticed her look. "Come on, Cordy! Where's your sense of humor?"

"Guess I lost it."

Cordelia then told him. "So now we're putting your soul back."

Angelus chuckled. "Not gonna happen."

Cordelia responded to him. "Oh, but it is. Just in time for the primo apocalypse that's coming. Too bad. I know how you love those."

"Been looking forward to it all day. Still am."

Cordelia declared. "Thing is, you're never coming back. Angel's going to make sure of that."

Angelus was unphased. "We'll see."

Cordelia took a step closer to the cage. "What you don't get, Angelus, is that you're nobody. Just a disease. And Angel can't wait to be rid of you."

Angelus looked her up and down lasciviously. "I think I'll start with the twins. I just love a woman with nice ripe thighs." His arm shot through the steel bars, his fingers a mere inch from Cordelia's throat. She just stared impassively at him, not so much as a flinch.

"Not even close."

Angelus' calm façade cracked for the second time since Matt as Cordelia turned and headed for the stairs.

"The more you piss me off, the longer I'll keep you alive", Angelus said to himself. "Something tells me she's a screamer."

Cordelia walked into the office where the others were waiting. "Okay, let's—" She broke off when she realized they were all staring at her.

"What?"

"Angel's soul… it's gone", Fred revealed.

Cordelia stared in shock at the empty safe.

Chapter Text

Wo Pang sat cross-legged on the floor before a circle of votive candles. The sounds of fighting came from outside. A moment later, Wo Pang's guard flew through the beaded curtain and landed unconscious on the floor in front of him.

Cordelia, Wesley and Groo stepped through after him, grim expressions on their faces.

"Must acquire better guards."

Wesley informed him. "Angel's soul has been stolen."

"I have no need for the Vampire's soul."

Groo inquired. "Then where would it be?"

Wo Pang cast a handful of bones into the circle in front of him and read the message contained within their pattern.

"That I cannot discern but it is still viable within the muo-ping."

"What is this muo-ping?" Groo asked.

"It's still safe in the container."

Cordelia quipped sarcastically. "Angel's soul has been misplaced. I bet that sort of thing happens all the time. What do you have as a back-up plan to re-ensoul somebody?"

"There is no other way known to me. Without the muo-ping… you're screwed."

"And what happens if the muo-ping breaks or gets opened?" Groo then asked.

"Then like all things, the soul can be returned or destroyed."

A sharp wind blew through the ceremonial chamber, extinguishing the candles around them.

Daredevil panted and pushed himself off a wall he was leaning on, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth. There was some progress, but it was still bad.

He rushed forwards and crashed through a window into a garage where people were trapped in a cage, with Demons and Vampires turning to him.

One charged as Matt grabbed his wrist and elbowed him thrice, throwing him down, and stomped on him a few times, taking him out, and as the next one charged him, Matt flipped him to the other side before taking out a stake in time to dust a Vamp charging him.

He then threw his club and it deflected off the wall before hitting another Demon, taking that one out as well.

Matt then jumped on top of a car and as a Demon tried to kick, he grabbed its foot and threw it off, and then another climbed up, trying to punch but Matt ducked and kicked his feet from underneath him, making him fall down.

Matt got down and grabbing the Demon by the foot, threw him off too. The next one attacked but Matt blocked his punch and decked his chest before lifting him and throwing him over the car's hood.

One more tried to kick him but Matt opened the car door and closed it on his foot, making him scream in pain before he slammed his head on the car and kicked his other knee, taking him out.

The next struck with a bat but Matt grabbed him and flipped him onto the car as the bat dropped. One more came at him with a knife but Matt grabbed him in a chokehold alongside his knife hand and pushing him off, kicked him away.

The next tried to attack but Matt decked his knee, making him fall, then punched him twice and grabbing his head, slammed him to the ground.

A Vampire charged but Matt kicked his knee, sending him down, and leaping, kicked his face, throwing him down before staking him as well.

One more Demon tried to kick but Matt grabbed his foot and threw him down hard, taking him out. He charged as the next tried to kick but he spun and grabbed his foot, throwing them both down while elbowing him out.

He then threw down a shelf on two Demons charging him, taking them out too. The next one tried to punch but Matt blocked and slammed him onto another shelf, then blocked the next one's punch and twisted his arm before kicking the back of his knee and throwing him off.

One more tried to kick but Matt kicked that one down and out first. As the next tried to kick, Matt grabbed his foot, then got behind him and pulled him back before taking him out.

Another grabbed him from behind but Matt elbowed his gut and face, freeing himself, and then elbowed his throat, knocking him out too. The next one tried to punch but Matt blocked and elbowed his head before throwing him down.

One more attacked but Matt blocked and kicked his chest, then flipped him down with his feet and broke his arm. As the next charged, Matt blocked and pushed him off before elbowing him, and then punched him multiple times on the chest and face, the crosses on his knuckles burning this one up as it was a Vampire.

He then kicked that Vampire against the railing, and finally staked him.

Matt then dropped himself down on the steps, sitting on them and collecting himself, panting as he recovered from the exhaustion and damage.

He then picked himself up and unlocked the cage, freeing the terrified but awed people. As they went off, the tired and injured Daredevil went outside, knowing he had to save the city still.

He had made enough progress to scare Demons as some didn't come out, but he needed to deal with others. With renewed determination, Daredevil went back out into the sunless city.

Angelus called out from his cell in the basement over the video monitor on the lobby counter while Fred researched and Gunn put the finishing touches on a homemade flamethrower.

"Awfully quiet up there. I've had time to think and I've realized something important. Being evil is wrong. I want to be good. I want to be Angel again. You hear me? I'm ready."

Gunn sneered. "I'm ready, too, fangboy." Gunn shot a gout of flame across the lobby, unnerving Fred.

"He knows, doesn't he? That his soul is missing."

Gunn shrugged. "Probably knew before we did."

Fred sighed. "I hope that shaman can help us."

"That shaman should have never been brought here. Now instead of just worrying about the big bad rock-eater, we got Darth Vampire living in the basement."

Fred pointed out. "Bringing Angelus was our best chance."

Gunn asked. "That you talking or Wes?"

Fred reminded. "You were pushing for it, too, Charles."

Gunn regretted that. "Then maybe I did the wrong thing."

Angelus could hear it all. "Like smacking your girl around? I bet you Wes would never hit her. He's all proper and English. And that accent— oh, chicks just love a good accent. Makes 'em all buttery in their nether regions. Isn't that right, Fred?"

Gunn stared at Fred but she said nothing.

"You know, I had a bit of an Irish brogue back in the day. If you like, I can use it on you when I rape you to death. Or—"

Gunn yanked out the power cable. "Son a bitch."

Fred tried to assure him. "He's just… it's just words."

"Yeah."

"And that's the only way he can hurt us. He knows he's never getting out."

A grate in the rear of the basement room slid open. Angelus turned around and smiled as Lilah stepped out of the shadows with a crowbar in her hand, limping due to her wounded abdomen.

She was filthy, her clothes ripped and torn. "The great Angelus…"

"Oh, come on. You can do better than that, huh? Try playing up the awe and the reverence a bit", Angelus acted dramatic. "The great Angelus."

"Great… being locked in a cage."

Angelus mocked Lilah's current condition. "Yet managing to display better grooming habits than you. Look at yourself, Lilah. All these years wanting to meet me… you couldn't run a comb through your hair, maybe slap on a little lipstick? Evil doesn't have to mean sloppy."

"Stop it."

"Oh, feeling touchy, are we?"

Lilah wasn't talking about the taunts. "The Beast. I want you to stop it."

"Oh", Angelus started talking again. "Not sure I really want to. Don't get me wrong— I'm not a big fan of the horn job. Although he did bring on permanent midnight. Gotta give him props for that."

"Can you do it or not?"

"Hmm… why is your thong in such a bunch, counselor? You're a professional."

Lilah laughed out loud. "Workin' the sewers. Beast took everything. Killed 'em all."

"Saw the damage. He does have a flair for it.

Lilah revealed what had happened. "Not just at the office. Everybody. Field ops, liaisons, people out sick that day… but not me. Not yet."

Angelus watched Lilah's feet inch closer to the safe line on the floor. "Why is he picking on us? We're the bad guys!"

"Apparently not bad enough. But there is a bright side. You have a devoted boyfriend who loves and cares for— oh, wait. You don't", Angelus laughed. "Your life really is crap."

Lilah quipped. "And yet I'm not the monkey in the box." She made her offer. "I want that thing destroyed. You're the only one who can do it."

"Maybe… we can work something out."

Gunn started. "What Angelus said about me… I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never do that."

Fred did agree there, but she had other issues. "I know. I just can't help but think if you didn't attack Wes—"

"Attack?" Gunn was angry. "That's how you see it? I attacked him? What do you call what he was doing in the office before I walked in?"

"I don't know what—"

"He was kissing you! Don't lie to me. It's the one thing you're not good at."

Fred couldn't deny it. "It just happened."

"Because you let it", there was a beat. "I've never felt so much for anyone. I would do anything for you but it's not enough, is it?"

"Charles, I—"

"I can't do this anymore, Fred. I'm tired of you looking everywhere but at me."

Fred looked up as the front door opened and Wesley entered, followed by Cordelia and Groo.

"Like that."

With that, it was over.

Gunn walked off as Wesley approached and saw Fred was upset.

"What is it?"

Fred shook her head and covered. "I just… can't make heads or tails of this banishing text. You guys have any luck?"

"The shaman didn't have the soul. Doesn't know who took it. Doesn't know how to find it", Groo informed.

Cordelia said sarcastically. "Other than that, everything's peachy. Any word from Lorne and his contacts?"

Fred shook her head.

"Damn it!"

They all turned as Gunn ran for the basement door. On the monitor, Lilah approached Angelus' cage with the crowbar. They all followed Gunn down the stairs.

Lilah turned as Gunn and the others dashed down the stairs toward her. As Angelus reached out through the bars to grab her, Gunn fired a trank dart into him. Lilah dropped her crowbar and ran across the room, ducking back into the sewers.

Gunn kept the rifle trained on Angelus and told the rest. "Lilah. Ran off into the sewers."

Wesley and Groo headed after her as Angelus collapsed to the floor.

"Groo, wait. You should stay here and make sure it isn't a setup. There might be others."

Groo nodded and started searching the dark corners of the basement.

Lilah ran through the tunnels, holding her wounded belly with Wesley in pursuit. She came to the end of the tunnel and climbed up a ladder, Wesley right at her heels.

Gunn kept the rifle trained on Angelus' still form and motioned to Groo. "Check the locks." Groo shook the door to the cage. It was solid. He kicked the crowbar away from the cage and across the room. Gunn finally lowered the rifle.

"What kind of brain fart made that witch try and let Angelus out?"

Cordelia wondered. "I want to know how she even knew he was here."

"Perhaps she stole the soul", Groo suggested.

Gunn agreed. "She's a mucky-muck at Wolfram & Hart. It's her job to know."

Fred remembered. "I thought the Beast killed everyone at Wolfram & Hart."

Gunn shrugged. "Maybe she cut some kind of deal with it.

"So we must see if they're connected", Groo realized.

Wesley threw himself against a door, cracking it open. He entered an antechamber and Lilah leapt out of the shadows, swinging an iron pipe. But her wound made her sluggish and Wesley easily dodged the blow and disarmed her.

"You're a son of a bitch, you know that?"

She walked over to a stool and sat down.

Wesley started. "When I said go underground, I didn't think you'd—"

He noticed her abdomen was still bleeding, soaking through her shirt.

"Is that where the Beast…"

"Can't make it stop."

Wesley offered. "I could take a look at it."

Lilah was still too proud. "No, I'm fine. Some Demons found me in the sewers but the horn-headed do-gooder showed up."

Wesley realized Daredevil, whom Lilah still didn't know was Matt, had saved her, and inquired. "How did you know we had Angelus?"

"Big magick, taking a champion's soul. Makes ripples. I still know some people who like ripples. It was your idea, wasn't it, to bring him?" Wesley looked away. "Great minds…"

"…aren't foolish enough to release him."

"I wasn't."

"So the crowbar…?"

Lilah revealed her act. "I had to make him believe I was desperate."

"Not much of a stretch, really, is it?" A beat. "And you always wanted Angelus."

Lilah pointed out the true state of things. "No. Wolfram & Hart did but it doesn't matter anymore. I just… I just want my life back. All my pretty things… I'm selfish that way. That's why we wouldn't have worked out."

Wesley told her. "There are many reasons we wouldn't have worked out, Lilah."

They stared at each other for a beat and Wesley finally looked away. He spotted a book lying on a dirty cot in the corner and picked it up, curious. "Rhinehardt's Compendium?"

"I need to find a way to make it pay."

He flipped through the book. "I've already checked. There's nothing in here that even remotely describes… him." He stopped on a page with a prominent drawing of the Beast. Puzzled, he flipped quickly through the book again.

"It's identical to my copy except for this passage. How's that possible?"

Lilah revealed to him. "It's not a local copy. Pulled some favors, got it on the pan-dimensional black market."

"But still… it should be the exact same text", Wesley considered. "Unless…."

"Unless what?"

Wesley realized something was off. "Well, we'd have to check more books from other dimensions but what if there were other references to the Beast at one time that had somehow been removed? But what would something that powerful need to hide?"

Angelus lay unconscious in the cage while Gunn paced the basement. "Lilah or not, someone is doing the Beast's dirty work."

Cordelia agreed. "That would explain how giant lava-boy could tiptoe past us to take out Manny."

Groo added. "And butcher that family, those priestesses."

Fred, to her surprise, defended Lilah by pointing out some facts. "Even though Lilah's evil, I don't see her hacking up all those people."

Gunn shrugged. "Okay, maybe it's not just her. Maybe the big bad Beast has minions doing his dirty work."

"Morons. The big rock doesn't have minions. It is the minion."

Angelus sat up, still a bit groggy from the drug.

Fred denied it. "No, it's not. We've seen what it can do."

Angelus smirked. "You've just seen the warm-up act."

"What are you saying?" Cordelia asked.

Angelus told her. "I'm saying, there's something bigger. Something worse."

He looked up at Cordelia.

"The Beast… has a boss."

Angelus got to his feet and faced the confused looks from those outside the cage.

Gunn wondered. "Worse than the Beast?"

Cordelia was in disbelief. "That's… that's not possible."

"How did you survive this long being so retarded?"

Gunn snapped. "Cut the Fu-Manchu. What do you know?"

Angelus went back to taunting mode. "Quite a bit, bright boy. Maybe I'll fill in the blanks sometime."

Groo inquired. "How do you know there's something worse than the Beast?"

"'Cause I've got a brain, brawny. The Beast I knew was big on the smash and slaughter. Had the brawn to be really good at it, too. But the big picture? Not his strong point. But whoa… flash forward. Now he's all rain of fire, destroying the Ra-tet, blotting out the sun… big moves for a guy whose head's made out of rock."

Cordelia suggested. "Maybe he got smarter."

Angelus at this point beat her in sarcasm. "And maybe I'll sprout some wings and flutter away. There's something else out there. More powerful, more vicious… pulling all the strings." He shuddered. "I don't know about you but I'm just dying to find out what it is."

Matt lay on his back, panting, looking beaten up, and surrounded by bloodied Demons and piles of dust. He slowly sat up and groaned from all of his injuries, ranging from bruises to even fractured bones.

He then got on his knees and sensed a Demon next to him getting up, so he grabbed it by the face and started smashing it on the ground brutally, and then staggering up, did a flip, stomping on its chest and taking it out.

He then got to his feet and limped away, using his hand to steady himself against a wall, while thinking it would be handy to have some Demon healing right now.

In that moment, his Hell-Mark flashed and he felt his wounds fade away, as his bones mended too.

Matt realized that he needed to gain better harmony with Adam if he wanted to use more of those abilities as a human.

Matt returned to the hotel but heard Lilah there with the rest, and wondered why she was there, so he climbed up and came into his room through a window, then quickly changed his clothes, keeping the suit away, and was back with his lawyer suit and cane, though no glasses, and he walked downstairs.

"Hey guys", he greeted them all. "Any improvements from before?"

"Well, we believe the Beast has a master now, and this master has erased all traces of the Beast from this Dimension, which is why Angel didn't remember it, and my version of the book did not have a passage on the Beast, while Lilah's does", Wesley revealed to Matt.

"Lilah's here?" Matt asked.

"Oh don't act innocent, I've seen what you can do, you have that mark on your chest you bastard", Lilah sneered as Matt chuckled. "And I saw you become that Demon thing too."

"Got it", Matt said, realizing she thought he could do special stuff and become the Devil due to his Hell-Mark, but did not know he was Daredevil. "And how does Angelus remember?"

"He wasn't around when this wipe was done", Fred pointed out. "Angel was."

"Right", Matt nodded.

Groo started. "Does Abaddon-?"

"Adam", Matt interrupted him. "His name is Adam."

There were surprised looks by all as Wesley noted. "It seems things have changed between you two."

"They have", Matt agreed. "I gave this name to him."

Groo then put up his question again. "Does Adam know the Beast somehow?"

"No, Adam has only known humans since he was trapped among the Murdocks since his creation", Matt pointed out.

"What are you talking about?" Lilah asked, not knowing about this deal fully.

"Sorry, members only", Lorne said, some bitterness in his voice as he held Connor away from her, and Connor started crying. "It's true what they say, babies truly can sense evil."

Lilah simply rolled her eyes at that as Lorne sang a little to calm the baby down. "I have climbed highest mountains. I have run through the fields-"

"I shall be going out again to protect the people", Groo then spoke up as he prepared to go, but Cordelia stepped in his way.

"Come on Groo, you need to rest, you can't keep doing this", Cordelia told him.

"I am the Groosalugg, the brave and undefeated. Who else but I to defend the weak and innocent?" Groo asked selflessly with a smile as he went out to protect the people once more.

"He seems nice", Lilah spoke up before adding. "In the boring good boy kind of way."

"Your people took him once, you'd know", Fred sneered at her.

"I'm going to my room to meditate", Matt told them as he went up too. "Let me know if something happens."

"Why does he need to meditate?" Lilah asked but got no answer.

Fred and Wesley reviewed their research. "This is hopeless. The Orb of Thesulah is the only way I can find to restore Angel's soul but that only works if it's moved on to an afterlife or something, not floating in a jar somewhere."

Wesley assured her. "We'll find a way to bring Angel back."

"How?"

"The way we always do. Skill, perseverance… luck."

Fred smiled. "Not a lot of that going around."

"We'll be all right."

Fred's tone was pointed. "As long as we stick together."

Wesley now decided to bring something up. "Fred, what happened between me and Gunn… I didn't mean… that's not what I wanted. Could you tell him that?"

Fred sighed sadly. "I don't think he'll listen. We're not… we're not together anymore."

Wesley was taken aback by the news. "Oh. Not because of what I did?"

Wesley was a reason, but not the only reason. "Things just haven't been right. Not for a while."

Wesley moved toward her. "I think this is part where I'm supposed to say I'm sorry. And I'm really trying to be but…" He leaned in as if to kiss her but Lilah and Cordelia entered, interrupting.

Fred turned away, back to the books as Lilah asked. "Any progress?"

If Fred got the double meaning, she didn't show it. "Not really."

"Pity."

Wesley told the two ladies. "I made some headway cross-referencing but there's no telling how long it'll take to get anything definitive."

Cordelia asked. "But you have made some progress?"

Lilah smiled. "Sure looks like he's trying." She glanced at Fred who looked away, embarrassed.

Wesley said. "I'll relieve Gunn, see if I can get anything else out of Angelus."

Lilah asked. "So what now? Ouija board?"

The front door opened and Fred's eyes lighted up as Lorne re-entered.

"Lorne! Did you find out anything?"

"Zip, zilch", Lorne told her. "And talked to every contact that hasn't beat it for higher ground. Nobody's heard bo-peep about Angel's soul."

Lilah gave her own suggestion. "Forget about the goody-goody. You want to kill the Beast and give his boss a run for his evil? The answer's downstairs in a cage. Sic Angelus on him."

While Angelus could do that, the risk was too high, and Cordelia pointed it out with a question of her own. "Do you know what Angelus would do if we let him out?"

"Kill you all in a bloody shower of violence… but, hey, greater good."

"We'll find another way. I'm sure if we just all—"

"What? Hold hands and sing a hymn? That might be a little hard when the Beast is ripping your guts out", Lilah headed for the stairs with a pronounced limp.

Cordelia started. "Lilah, I know things look grim right now…"

"Don't go Watchtower on me, Saint Cordelia. I don't think I could stomach it."

"Man, I'd love to punch your face in."

Lilah stopped and turned with a smile. "Are you trying to turn me on?"

Cordelia shook her head. "You know what's sad about people like you, Lilah? It all comes down to fear."

"Fascinating. Now that we've got that settled…" Lilah turned back to the stairs.

"You're too scared to believe in anything because you're too scared to hope. You won't even open your eyes to the possibility."

Lilah let out a laugh. "You don't get it, do you, twinkie? I'm what I believe in. And you think I got this far by sticking my head in the sand? The Beast that eviscerated me has a boss and that boss is going to end life as we know it and nobody is coming to save us! Not Angel, not the Powers That Be, not the Avengers, not Daredevil, not Spider-Man and not the Forty-damned-second Cavalry! So if anybody has scales on their eyes… "

Cordelia's head rocked back and when she looked at Lilah again, her eyes had gone a milky, opaque white.

"…it's you."

Cordelia immediately spoke up. "I can bring him back. I know how to re-ensoul Angel."

Wesley stood guard over Angelus with a crossbow. They both looked up as Fred descended the stairs.

"Hey, we were just talking about you. At least I was, anyway."

Wesley inquired. "What is it?"

"Cordelia had a vision. She knows how to put his soul back."

Angelus laughed. "I guess the Powers saw how bad you guys suck."

"Doing better than you."

"Fred…"

"Oh!" Angelus began his mocking again. "She really has put on the spunk, hasn't she, Wes? Not the same shy bitch-cow we pulled out of Pylea."

Fred responded. "There's only one bitch here and I'm looking at him."

Angelus wasn't done yet. "Oh, come on. We all know it's for the best. Now you can go for the real prize. Mmm… man, I'm telling you, if I swung that way… look at him. All rugged and handsome. And brains! Man, he's damn near perfect."

"Thank you." Wesley and Fred turned to go.

"Except the part about banging Lilah for the past few months. That kinda takes the shine off."

Fred stopped and stared at Angelus, incredulous, then noticed Wesley's expression.

"Fred…"

"No, it's… it's none of my business. I should…" She turned and ran up the stairs, Angelus chuckling in the background.

Matt and Gunn later dug a large hole in the woods as Gunn asked. "So, how are you and the Devillish side doing?"

"Well, there is some difficulty in uniting the human and Devil halves to bring out Adam", Matt informed him before sensing something. "We're about to reach the coffin."

They found the wooden box and Gunn used a crowbar to pry it open, when a clawed hand shot out but Matt commanded. "Stop!"

The soul eater stopped as Gunn used his ax to chop off the head and told Matt. "Damn! That thing is handy!"

"Tell me about it", Matt quipped.

Lorne and Wesley sat at the counter as Cordelia and Fred entered carrying strangely formed conglomerations of wood, bone and feathers.

"Seven talismans, built to spec."

Fred commented. "Sometimes I hate this life."

"Dumpster-diving for week-old buffalo wings? Definitely not in the job description."

Fred responded. "Try de-clawing scavenged road-kill for three sacred talons."

"Never do I have the happy frolicking puppy visions. Always bones and death and… "

Matt and Gunn returned with the soul-eater's head.

"We got the skull of the soul-eater", Matt set it down on the counter with a nauseating squelch."

Cordelia started. "I'm just saying…"

Wesley noted. "It looks… rather fresh."

Gunn shrugged. "We moved up its expiration date." Matt and Gunn shared a chuckle.

"Cordy?" She shut her eyes and concentrated.

"I just see the skull. It doesn't have any… you know, parts."

"Right", Wesley turned to Gunn. "Take it to the kitchen and remove the flesh and soft tissue."

Gunn picked the head up with a sigh and went off to do as told with Matt while Lilah came down the stairs. "It's just like being at work except suits by Liberace."

Lorne wasn't in the mood really. "Wesley, would you please warn this walking infection that I haven't forgotten how she poked my head open like a Capri-Sun and while my love for humanity allows me to tolerate her presence, if need be I will smack her down! Be a doll, Thanks."

He got up and left the room also, leaving Lilah and Wesley alone.

"In all the excitement, I thought you would have escaped by now."

Lilah shrugged. "Well, I would have but it's Thursday, which means everyone who should be in the weekly briefing is… dead."

"So you have nowhere else to go."

"Just waiting to prove that your Powers That Be are all hat and no cattle. And if they do pull it through, well then, braid my hair and call me Pollyanna. The upside of being in it for yourself, Wes? You always end up on the winning team."

Fred came out from the back, looking for Wesley. She stopped when she saw him with Lilah.

"Wesley?" A beat. "Cordy had a… a question." She looked away, then walked out.

In the basement, Wesley set the skull down in the center of a ritual circle on the floor in front of Angelus' cage. Matt knelt to Wesley's right while Fred lay down sticks in a runic pattern across from him. Cordelia, Gunn, Lorne and Lilah stood nearby watching.

Angelus asked them all. "Have you all lost your minds? You're going to use black magick to restore my soul. People, this never goes well. Am I the only one paying attention?"

"Ten-to-one, the entire hotel gets sucked into a hell dimension", Lilah shrugged.

"Well, us losing our minds is still preferable to you losing your soul", Matt shrugged.

Angelus quipped. "Talk about eleventh hour desperation. Face it, you're grasping. No jar, no soul."

Matt noted. "You sound pretty desperate yourself."

Cordelia asked Wesley. "Do you have the vial?" He handed her a small glass tube. "Let's be realistic. Even if your precious champion makes another guest appearance, you can't stop the apocalypse. Bottom line is, you're going to lose."

Cordelia held the vial over the center of the circle and poured blood onto the skull.

"The last thing you smell will be each other's blood."

Fred shrugged. "That's your opinion."

Lilah agreed. "You tell him, honey."

"You shut your fat mouth." Lilah rolled her eyes and Angelus chuckled.

Angelus mocked them. "Look at you. Heroes. So tangled up in your own crap, you can't even find the world to save it."

"You want to shut up or do I make you?" Matt asked, and that made Angelus shut up.

Cordelia asked. "Does everyone have their talismans?"

Everyone held up the bundles of bones and feathers. Cordelia went over to the cage and stood before Angelus.

She threw a handful of sand on him to initiate the spell and Angelus was hurled across the cage and slammed into the wall. He struggled to his feet, gasping, as Wesley started the incantation.

"In degara…"

"Don't kid yourselves…"

"Fortis murus…"

The flames on the candles shot high into the air.

"I'll still be around long after your corpses rot."

"Kesta sartuum…"

The entire hotel shook and creaked around them.

"Mundi ethericon…"

Angelus screamed and doubled over in pain as a glowing wispy-white cloud rose from the center of the circle and snaked toward him.

"I promise you, this isn't…"

"Chimera nihilo…."

"…the end!"

The cloud encircled Angelus and lifted him off the floor. He moaned in pain as the glowing energy enveloped his body. The soul-eater's skull exploded and the energy disappeared. Angelus dropped to the floor, stunned.

Cordelia called out. "Angel?"

Angel looked up. "I'm so sorry."

"It worked", Lorne realized.

"Maybe", Matt noted.

Angel called out. "Fred?"

Fred asked. "What?"

Angel remembered guiltily. "You came down the stairs. You had blood and I grabbed…"

Fred assured. "I'm fine."

Cordelia realized. "The spell, it worked. I feel it."

"I don't sense evil", Matt told the rest of them.

Wesley pointed out. "We have to be sure."

Gunn suggested. "Get Lorne to read him."

"Angel? Are you aware of what's happened?" Wesley inquired as Angel struggled to his feet.

"I'm back. There's… something else. Something worse than the-"

"The Beast, yes. And we need your help to fight it. But first you have to sing for Lorne."

Angel was confused. "I…"

"To prove it's really you."

"Oh, right", Angel cleared his throat and sang. "Raindrops keep falling on my head…" He kept humming the tune as Lorne broke into a huge smile.

"Oh, yes. Yes! Sweet fancy B.J. Thomas, it's him. It's Angel."

Gunn asked. "You sure?"

"Yes, yes! The aura's totally changed and the vibe screams "soul"", he turned to Cordelia. "Oh, bless you and your beautiful landline to the PTB, honey."

He hugged Cordelia and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Good to have you back, Angel", Matt said with a smile.

"Sorry about all I said earlier", Angel said regretfully.

"It wasn't you", Matt assured.

Fred suggested. "We can let him out."

Angel didn't want to go. "No. I'm staying in here. I'm doing what's best for the group."

Cordelia wondered. "Since when is locking up the leader what's best for the group?"

Angel made a point. "Since when does your vision come with a guarantee? For all we know, this spell… it's only temporary. And god forbid…" He sighed. "I can give orders from down in here and the new ones are: no more back-biting, fist-fighting, fraternizing or vengeance. From now on you focus on one thing: making it out alive. I haven't and will never give up on you. We'll get through this thing… together."

Lilah shook her head in amusement. "I can't believe we didn't crush you people years ago." Angel ignored her.

"Wes, you and Fred get back to Lilah's books. We need any new information we can get on this new player. Lilah, make some coffee. Earn your keep around here. Lorne, I want you out working low-pro real estate. If this thing is bigger than the Beast, it's going to be laying down roots and it'll need square-footage."

Lorne nodded. "Good to have you back, boss."

"In the meantime, Matt, Gunn, work damage control. Sweep the surrounding blocks for civilians. Save who you can."

Matt nodded and told Angel. "You can come out, you know?"

"No", Angel shook his head.

"Talk some sense into him", Cordelia said to Matt.

"I will once I come back", Matt assured as he walked off to do some work as Daredevil.

A while later, Matt as Daredevil beat down the latest Demon when he got a call. "Yeah." He was shocked by that, it hadn't worked? Really?

"What? How?"

It didn't matter, he had to get back. "I'm coming back."

The group was gearing up, with Matt outside to avoid Lilah from knowing he was Daredevil, as they were taking weapons from the cabinet and arming themselves. Gunn told the rest. "Matt's on point, three-party follow-up. Me, Wes and Fred in the truck."

Cordelia sat on the couch holding an ice pack to her head. Gunn looked over at her concerned. "Cordy?"

"I don't understand how the spell didn't work."

"Dud ex machina. There's a surprise", Lilah shrugged.

Cordelia told them. "We'll be fine. Go. He'll want to feed. A lot."

Wesley explained to the rest. "Our only advantage is Angelus might think we want to capture him. But we will have our friend freeze him and then get his soul back."

Gunn agreed. "Angelus is on the loose because we brought him in this world. It's our job to take him out of it."

Lilah loaded and cocked her semi-automatic pistol.

The others left, leaving Cordelia and Lilah behind.

Fires burnt everywhere but there were no people around, only piles of dust and beaten and bloodied Demons.

"No fun, this sucks", Angelus groaned.

Cordelia sat on the sofa, dejected, the ice pack pressed to her head. "And he let me think I was talking him into it."

"Those evil geniuses… get ya every time", Lilah quipped.

Cordelia agreed. "The Beast and then Angelus and now there's something worse… I thought the spell was—"

"Divine intervention? Trust me. You have more chances of winning the lottery six times in a row. I had the numbers done."

Cordelia started. "It just makes me question—"

"What's it all for, huh? I would, too, if I were about to die."

Lilah and Cordelia looked up at the balcony and reacted as Angelus leapt off of it toward them. Lilah raised her gun and fired as Angelus somersaulted to the floor. He was too quick and the rounds impacted harmlessly against the far wall.

She dropped the empty gun in frustration as Cordelia raised her crossbow and fired. Her aim was true and the bolt flew directly at Angelus… but he caught it in mid-air.

"This time…" He whipped the bolt back at her and it embedded itself in Cordelia's thigh. She dropped to the floor with a scream. "…you stay down!" He turned to Lilah. "As for you, luscious thing, I mean, you were going to let me out of that cage so, let's see, I'll give you a 10-second start? Ten, nine…"

Lilah didn't hesitate. She bolted down a side corridor and out of sight.

"Now there's a girl who takes advantage of her opportunities."

Gasping in pain on the floor, Cordelia reloaded the crossbow and fired. This time the bolt went wide and slammed into the wall next to Angelus' head.

"Don't be jealous, kitten. She's just the warm-up. I'll save the good stuff for you."

He smiled wickedly and walked off down the hall.

"Eight, seven…"

Gunn's truck moved slowly down the ravaged street with Matt running out front in the lead. He used the scent from Angel's hair product to track him but due to the fire, smoke, ash and blood all over the city, it was harder.

He came to a stop and the others got out and met up with him.

"It doesn't make sense.

Wesley asked. "What doesn't?"

Matt informed them. "Angelus would want to feed but his scent ends here and it's not a highly-populated area."

Gunn was shocked. "It ends here? Somebody pick him up?"

Matt pointed out. "He would go to the place where he could wreak the most damage."

Wesley realized. "Which doesn't necessarily mean highly-populated."

Fred made the full realization. "He doubled back." They all ran for the truck.

Angelus stood over Connor's crib. "So sweet, so small. I don't know whether to hug him or bite him. Maybe I should raise the little bastard, teach him the craft, father and son!...but I don't do diapers."

Then he turned to see Lilah and she ran. Angelus looked down at the now crying Connor, and shrugged. "You ain't going anywhere."

Then he went after Lilah.

Lilah ducked into the shadows as he moved past further down the hall. She waited until he was out of sight, then came out of hiding and limped in the opposite direction.

Angelus popped up behind her from around a corner.

"Boo!"

She raised her axe to strike but he easily wrenched it from her grasp and knocked her to the floor.

Suddenly, Groo rammed into Angelus, sending both of them falling over the railing of the stairs and onto the ground. All the fighting had weakened and wounded Groo so he wasn't in top form.

They staggered up as Angelus said. "I've been waiting a long time to do this again."

With that, he kicked a table at Groo which he stepped back to avoid, and Angelus leapt over the table, kicking him away.

As Groo got up, Angelus landed 3 punches to his face and as Groo tried to strike, Angelus grabbed him and pushed him the other way, damaging a pillar.

Then Groo punched Angelus once on the face, and then gave him two uppercuts, the second sending him flying off and crashing to the ground.

Groo walked to him but Angelus got up and decked his face, then chest, and tried to strike again but Groo blocked and decked Angelus' face, then his stomach twice, and tried to hit again but Angelus blocked and punched his face before giving a strong kick to his chest that sent him back.

Angelus then grabbed Groo by the waist and slammed both of them down to the ground, shattering a table. They struggled and got up as Groo kneed Angelus' gut, freeing himself.

He then tried to strike twice as Angelus dodged, and they stood ready to fight, Angelus dodging another blow. He then blocked another and spinning, elbowed Groo's chest, punched his abdomen, and kicked his foot.

He then punched Groo's face and elbowed him, sending him back again. Groo then tried to punch as Angelus dodged and kicked his knee twice.

He then tried to punch but Groo blocked and also blocked a knee from him, and then Groo punched Angelus twice, before staggering him back with a punch to the abdomen.

Angelus tried to punch again as Groo blocked and punched him back. Angelus struck once more but Groo grabbed him and head-butted him, dazing him, and lifting him up, slammed him to the ground, breaking the concrete too.

"I shall put you back in your cell", Groo said as he staggered up. But Angelus wasn't done, and taking the opportunity, leapt up and dropped a ceiling light on Groo's head hard, shattering it and finally knocking the former undefeated warrior of Pylea out.

"Well, I defeated the undefeated, that was fun", Angelus quipped but heard the others coming back so he leapt out the window while Lilah ran down to Groo.

"Come on, wake up you dumb piece of muscle and protect me!" She snapped, shaking him as Cordelia walked behind Lilah, slowly raising a dagger, ready to stab Lilah in the neck, but Groo opened his eyes and got up in that moment, making Cordelia put the knife away and make it disappear into thin air as the rest returned.

Later

Matt stood over Connor's crib. Angelus hadn't been able to kill Cordelia, Lilah or baby Connor, thanks to Groo, but Cordelia was wounded, and Angelus was still out there, and still a threat.

Groo himself was wounded too, and settled on a bed to recover from all his fighting and the battle with Angelus.

Matt smiled at all the little movements baby Connor made in his sleep, and then got serious as he pressed a number, and the call started before it was picked up.

"Hey." He exhaled before saying. "We have a problem." A little pause. "It's Angel...he lost his soul."

Another pause as they reacted.

"It's a long story, but we're short staffed at the moment, and not all of us are at a hundred percent. We need you. I need you."

Matt smiled.

"See you soon. I love you."

Then he ended the call and picked up baby Connor.

"Guess who's coming to save daddy?"

Chapter Text

Wesley, Lorne, Fred and Gunn rushed inside to discover Groo injured with Lilah over him as Cordelia lay in a corner, moaning in pain too.

"Check on Connor!" Wesley ordered Lorne and Fred and they ran off to do as ordered.

"Come on", Gunn said as he helped Groo up and helped him to his room, while Wesley looked down on Lilah.

"You all right?" Wesley inquired.

"Yeah", Lilah said with a nod.

"I'm glad", Wesley told her.

"Really?" Lilah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Really."

Matt had come into the hotel from a window to prevent Lilah from seeing him and changed into normal clothes.

Now he helped Gunn as the two settled Groo on his bed as he groaned. "I'm sorry...Angelus, he..."

"We know." Matt told him before assuring. "It's not your fault, Groo."

"You did everything you can and then some. All that overtime has got you beat, literally in this case." Gunn gave an add on.

Lorne and Fred then walked in with Connor in her arms, rocking him to calm him down.

With Connor asleep, Cordelia recovering and Groo also on bed, the rest gathered as Lorne made his suggestion. "Birth of a notion, kids. We use the sanctuary spell. That anti-demon violence charm I used down at Caritas. It won't keep Angelus from making a house call but it should keep carnage down to a minimum."

Gunn inquired. "That takes some doing, doesn't it?"

Lorne shrugged. "Well, I could put a call in to the Furies. Maybe they could tech-support me through a quickie version."

"You have anymore of that diluted Mohra blood you used to help me out when I was first in this city?" Matt inquired to Lorne.

"Sorry, my lovely Rocky, hate to disappoint you, the stuff is costly, and I don't have the funds I had back at Caritas", Lorne told Matt. "And the supplier was Ma'at."

"Got it", Matt said with a nod.

"So, what now? What do the forces of good have up their brain banks?" Lilah inquired with a smirk.

"We need a breather right now", Matt said as Wesley walked in.

"Matthew is right", Wesley nodded in agreement. "First we establish the safety of our hotel, then we make our move."

"It's my fault, I let Angelus out", Cordelia said sadly.

"It's nobody's fault", Fred assured.

"It's all of your fault, falling for an act, I wouldn't fall for it", Lilah simply shrugged.

"Good going Lilah, we appreciate your experience", Wesley simply said as she chuckled. "Let us go to work."

Matt stood over the recovering Groo, then got an idea as he turned to Fred, gently taking Connor from her. "I'll put him down and take care of him as the rest prepare the spell. Wouldn't be much help with the spell anyway."

"Thanks", Fred said with a smile. "I'll watch over Groo."

With that, Matt walked off.

The bar was taken over by demons and vampires and was one of the few places Matt or Groo hadn't come to yet.

The screams of humans could be heard in the background as the Vampires fed on their prey.

Angelus entered, shouldering his way past a burly demon and whispered in the ear of a vampire. Across the room, 2 Vampires called Paco and Karl looked up from their game of pool.

Karl said to Paco. "Hey, isn't that…?"

"Yeah."

The Vampire by the door pointed to the bar and Angelus strode to the center of the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing at the sight of him.

"That's right, brothers and sisters. The rumors are true. Angel has left the building and I am back. And I shall deal with Daredevil. Also, I beat the crap out of the strong muscle warrior who is hunting us."

The demons and other creatures clapped and cheered and welcomed him back into the fold.

"But hey, I'm no different than the next guy. I put my victim's skin on one leg at a time."

He headed for the bar but was intercepted by Rosaria, a blonde vampire, who ran up to him with a leering smile.

"Angelus! Remember me?"

"Not really."

"Oh, come on! A little town outside Tuscany— 1845, give or take? Rosaria!" She tried to remind him.

Angelus was just annoyed. "Rosaria, right."

"Yeah! Flew in with some of my friends when we heard about the permanent midnight. Though Daredevil and muscle man are making it hard to enjoy."

Angelus surreptitiously grabbed a pool cue from someone behind him and snapped it in two.

"Hey, a bunch of us are gonna raid a pre-school later. Want to join us? Have a little kiddie cockt—"

Angelus jammed the pool cue through her heart and she died with a lingering scream. "Everybody wants a piece of you." He dropped the cue and headed for the bar, standing next to a massive horned Demon with wavy jowls.

"I'm looking for the Beast. Guy over there told me you might know where he hangs his horns."

The Demon was awed to meet him. "Whoa! You're him. Talking to me. Not usually impressed by Vampires but this is such an honor. Hey! Could sign a little something for my hellspawn? Make it out to Ashley. She's a beautiful little—"

Angelus took the offered pen and impaled the demon's hand with it, then seized him by the throat. "Maybe some other time, huh? Where is the Beast?"

The Demon moaned. "I don't know. I swear!"

"I've seen him", Paco spoke up. "The Beast. Seen him a couple times. Down by the buildings by the wash."

Angelus released the demon and walked over to Paco and Karl.

"Show me."

Lilah was sitting in a room, and saw Wesley looking at her from the doorway.

"Why so glum? Because I'm not out of the picture? It would make your life simpler, wouldn't it? Cleaner?" Lilah asked with a smile, trying to get a rise.

"I do not want that", Wesley confessed.

Lilah shrugged and got up, limping slightly. "Come on, what are you worried about, Wesley? You hated yourself for being with me. Or maybe, you just hated yourself for loving being with me. Hey, semantics. In any case, we both know sooner or later it would come to a messy end. Didn't happen now, but it will one day."

She walked around behind him. "So ease up on that furrowed brow. You're free now. No longer encumbered with the secret shame of our relationship, because it was finished."

"It wasn't a relationship", Wesley told her sadly.

Lilah pointed out. "There's a signed dollar bill in your wallet I think proves different." A beat. "You knew how I felt."

"You don't feel."

"The only true thing I ever—"

He turned away.

"You didn't love me!" Wesley turned back to look at Lilah. "You couldn't."

For a second, she looked…hurt? But then she schooled her expression.

"Well, we'll never know, will we?" Lilah asked, stroking Wesley's face a little, as they were inches apart now, and the pent-up feelings they had came to the surface again, as they crashed their lips into each other, with Wesley lifting up Lilah and putting her on the bed.

"Ouch!" Lilah winced in pain due to her wound.

"I'm sorry", Wesley apologized.

"Oh no", Lilah rose up and bit his ear. "Carry on."

With that, they carried on.

Angelus walked beneath a highway overpass with the other two vampires.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is the place", Paco asked Karl. "This is the place, right?"

Karl reminded. "Hey, man, you saw the thing. I didn't."

Angelus just asked. "Where was the Beast headed?"

"I can't remember, man."

Angelus seized Paco by the shirt and yanked him close. "Try remembering harder, Paco."

"Okay! I was just trying to steer clear of the mammoth, all right. You know what I'm saying."

"Listen to what I'm saying. I don't have time to—" Angelus suddenly stopped as he heard a voice in his head.

"I am here, come to me."

Angelus released Paco and walked off into the night.

Paco inquired. "Hey, man, you want we should come with?" No answer. "All right, we'll just stay here." He turned to Karl. "Man, you made him nervous!"

"Me?"

"Damn!"

Fred and Gunn entered, their arms full of spice jars, while Lorne talked on the phone with the Furies and took notes. "Yeah, okay. All right, not so fast, girls. One at a time. Okay, "violence restrained"… uh-huh. Go on."

Fred told him. "That's everything we could find."

Lorne said. "They say we need bloodroot."

Gunn was a bit annoyed. "Bloodroot? Man, we just raided the spice rack in the kitchen. Ain't no bloodroot in there."

Lorne said into the phone. "Eighty-six on the bloodroot, ladies. Anything else we can— well, yeah. I have paprika, ginger, all-spice, cloves. Cloves? That'll work? Got it. Beautiful. Hey, as soon as FTD's delivering in the city again, expect a big thanks-a-bunch bouquet from me, girls. Ciao. He hangs up the phone."

Cordelia walked to them and said. "Sounds like we got our home security spell."

"Right you are, missy. As soon as we sprinkle burnt clove dust around the perimeter, light a few candles, incant a few choice phrases, we'll be all good", Lorne said happily.

Matt arrived, putting baby Connor on the counter as Lorne wondered. "Would it work on you too, Devillicious?"

Matt turned to him as Lorne explained. "Probably because of the growing unity between you and Abad-Adam, I mean. Pretty soon, the two of you will be so close, you'll be like Zack and Cody, can't tell which is which."

Matt simply nodded and said. "May take awhile. I'm trying to find the right middle ground to become Adam."

That was when Wesley came down, having finished dressing up, but Matt sniffed Lilah over him and shook his head in amusement. These two had genuine feelings for each other, which had been reignited due to Lilah almost dying at Angelus' hands, Matt could tell.

And these two would act on those feelings too, but would never be able to stay together forever in a healthy relationship because of their different morals and the fact that at day's end, they were on different sides.

Matt just wished the best for both of them, yes, even Lilah.

"We have to stop Angelus, but not kill him, and before that, we need to find his soul", Wesley said, talking strategy with all of them as he turned to Matt. "I believe your Hell-Mark can stop him long enough."

"It can", Matt confirmed. "And, I called backup."

"Who?" Wesley inquired with narrowed eyes.

"You'll see", Matt said with a smirk.

Angelus moved among the stacks of barrels and crates, searching. He whistled, calling out into the darkness. "Is this how you treat an old friend? Lure me here with a voice in my head?"

He came across the Beast's dagger, resting on top of a crate.

"We were never friends, Angelus."

The Beast stepped out of the shadows and towered over Angelus. He was not intimidated in the least, however.

"I know. But calling you a "big dumb hunk of rock" seemed a little on the nose. Come on, man! I'm teasing. It's been what? A couple of hundred years? You still want to kick my ass?"

The Beast revealed to him. "It's true I long to crush your skull but I didn't bring you here to fight. That wasn't my instruction."

"Your instruction?" Angelus knew he was right about the Beast having a master.

"My master has requested you."

"Your master?" Angelus inquired before commenting on the dagger. "Nice workmanship. Did you make this in shop for daddy?"

He reached out for it but the Beast stopped him. "Don't touch that."

Angelus laughed. "Sorry. I can see you put a lot of yourself into it. So… the attack on Angel Investigations, rain of fire, blotting out the sun—"

"Stealing your soul. All designed by my master to bring forth and keep Angelus."

Angelus had to agree that the plan was something, he was proud of it, even if he hated it. "Well, hell of a plan. Real big-picture thinking. So when can I meet the big brain behind my liberation?"

"In time. For now you will take your orders through me."

That's where Angelus drew the line.

"Or here's a better idea. No. I won't. Tell your boss I'm grateful for the attention but I don't take grocery lists from the messenger boy."

The Beast was furious now. "I will teach your respect!"

"Look, you may have played those suckers at Angel Inc. but I don't like having my strings yanked. And I don't like being kept in the dark! Figuratively, anyway. And if your boss was half as smart as he thinks he is, he knows I won't take orders from a lackey."

The Beast glared at him, barely restrained. Angelus taunted.

"What? You don't like lackey? Well, how about toadie? Or lickspittle? Lickspittle's nice. Oh, wait. I've got it. Flunky. That's it. You're just a big, stupid, butt-ugly—"

The Beast lunged at Angelus, throwing a punch but Angelus ducked and backed up, "slow-moving flunky!"

Angelus deflected another blow and dodged two more. "Come on, rocky, if that's all you've got, you better throw in the towel and call it a night."

Angelus dodged two more blows, then leapt high up into the rafters, landing on a catwalk far above.

"When the Beastmaster is ready to peek out from behind your skirt, have him give me a call."

Angelus ducked out through a panel in the roof, leaving the Beast fuming.

"Well, you handled that brilliantly."

Cordelia stepped out from behind a stack of crates and walked over to the Beast.

"He is not to be trusted", the Beast then gestured to two figures above. "Neither are they."

Cordelia slapped him in the chest. "What about you? Letting him bait you into a fight like that. I haven't spent all this time and energy so you can mess it all up with your petty jealousies. You know Angelus is crucial to my plan."

"My apologies, my master", the Beast apologized.

"You need patience. He'll come around… when he sees what I have to offer. And if he doesn't, you can pull off his head and tear him to bits", Cordelia said with a smirk.

Up above, one of the two figures, a male, lost patience and walked off. "This is worthless!"

But the other figure, woman grabbed his arm. "Do not be stupid! If you want to kill Daredevil, this is the way!"

"She is right, you know? Why are all the guys other than Angelus so dumb around here?" Cordelia asked with a groan as the male fumed.

A gang of demons marched down the street, like they owned the place, and then they saw a couple trying to run across the street.

"Lets have ourselves a dance." The lead Demon said lecherously as he eyed the girl.

"HEY!"

They turned around as a figure stood in the dark, and only when he stepped into the light of a street lamp, did they see the Skull Vest on him.

"I'll dance with you."

Then Frank Castle unveiled his assault rifles and unleashed a storm of lead into the demons as he roared.

Faith Lehane drove to Los Angeles in a car, looking around at the city. Due to the efforts of Matt and Groo, it wasn't as bad as it could be, but still bad enough.

"Looks like a Vampire/Demon free for all", Faith commented as she stopped the car for a bit due to some debris in the way, and knew she had to drive around it.

A Vampire suddenly yanked her out the window by her hair and dropped her onto the pavement. Faith freed herself and decked the Vamp.

Another one then came to attack her, and she fought them both like Hell's own fury.

Faith ducked the Vamp's blow and decked him before taking out a pair of stakes, holding one in each hand. And then she slammed them home, killing both Vampires instantly. She watched the dust cloud settle as she caught her breath.

A third Vampire had tried to attack her but seeing the way she fought, knew she was a Slayer and had run off.

"Just like riding the Devil."

With that, Faith got back into her car and drove around the debris towards the hotel.

At Hyperion, the spell was done as Lorne said. "Oh, relax, boys, the spell is working."

Gunn, who was pacing nervously said. "Yeah, maybe so but if Angelus shows up, I want to be ready."

"Well, now we are."

They all turned as Faith walked inside, looking at all of them approvingly.

She then walked to Matt and they shared a kiss on the lips as she said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, I needed you here", Matt told her.

"Now you have me", Faith said with a smile.

"These two bunnies just make me feel all gooey inside", Lorne said with a smile. The reading he got from them, the love they had, just made him happy.

Faith then saw Connor and picked him up, shaking him. "Hey there my favorite little guy. Remember fun aunt Faith?"

Connor looked at her as she told him. "We'll have some more fun after this is done."

"He can crawl now", Fred informed as Faith smiled.

"Awww, you are so growing up, aren't you?" Faith shook him again while doing a childish voice, then put him back down.

She then turned to them all and said. "Time for work."

"You sure you can handle this, Faith?" Cordelia inquired, looking at Faith a bit disapprovingly. "It's pretty bad."

"After Magus, stuff doesn't seem as bad", Faith shrugged as they chuckled.

"She's not wrong", Matt agreed.

"Good to have you here, Faith", Wesley said genuinely as she nodded.

Faith looked around and took stock of the situation. "Okay, let's get down to it. We're gonna keep this hunting party tight. Gunn?

"Yeah", Gunn walked to her.

"You're with me, Wes and my Devil Knight in shining armor", Faith told him as chuckles went around at Matt's nickname.

She then said to Gunn. "Arm yourself how you like but I want you to carry the trank gun. If I can't take him down, I want you to be ready to take the shot, yeah?"

Gunn nodded, liking her style, like always.

"In case anyone has any other ideas, this is a salvage mission, not search and destroy. Okay?"

"We get it", Matt assured her. "Besides, with my new power I think we can get him."

"Sure can", Faith said with a smirk, then her eyes narrowed. "And one more thing-"

She grasped Matt's hand and walked up with him. "Come on."

"Right", Matt realized, but then Faith noticed Lilah in her room and her eyes narrowed.

"Why is she here?" Faith asked.

"Beast killed everyone at Wolfram and Hart but she survived, so now we keep her here, she had some info that helped", Matt informed Faith.

She loved and trusted her guy, but not the bitch from Wolfram and Hart.

Lilah saw Faith and paled as the Slayer marched to her.

"Okay look, we can talk about th-"

Lilah was cut off as Faith pushed her against the wall and lifted her up by the throat.

Wesley and Lorne had arrived there too, and Wesley was concerned for Lilah right now.

Wesley then whispered to Matt. "She wouldn't kill her, would she?"

Matt hesitated before answering, then shook his head. "No, she wouldn't." Then a pause again. "I think."

Faith told Lilah with a sneer. "I've changed a lot from the last time we met, have my life on track, with a great boyfriend over there", she gestured to Matt, "I study literature on an online college course, and I have a job as a self-defense instructor. But one thing is still the same."

Faith now glared daggers into Lilah.

"I'm still the same bad bitch when I want to be. Ever come near my boyfriend again, and I'll show you how bad I can be."

Lilah nodded fearfully as Faith let her go.

Lorne then commented to Matt. "Got yourself a winner there, Casanova."

"Don't I know it."

Then Faith grabbed Matt and very publicly kissed him, so much so that the others had to look away, but it sent the message to Lilah for sure.

After the kiss was done, Matt said breathlessly. "Never knew you were so jealous."

"I protect what's mine."

"So I should avoid mentioning the girl at Starbucks."

"What girl?"

"Never mind." Matt then laughed, showing he was just joking, and Faith glared before chuckling with him.

A terrified young woman raced down the street, pursued by two Vampires. As they gained on her, she ran right into the arms of Angelus.

"Help me!"

Angelus assured her. "It's all right now. I've got you. Shh…"

When the two vampires saw Angelus, they stopped and started to back away, keeping their distance.

"I don't know how to thank you."

"I do."

Angelus' face shifted and his fangs descended.

"Scream for me."

She looked up into his terrifying visage and did just that. He was about to bite her when he heard the other vampires talking.

"The Slayer and the Punisher? Are you sure?"

"Just got word. Both are in town separately. Man, first the Devil and muscle man, now these two, we can't even enjoy eternal night in peace."

Angelus released the woman as a smile played across his face. He didn't care much about the Punisher, though it would be fun to meet him, but he'd love to meet the Slayer, no matter which one it was.

At a phone booth, Angelus picked up the receiver and dialled a number from memory. "Hi, Dawn. Yeah, it's me. Is your sister home?" A beat. "She is?"

He hung up the phone and sighed, but was going to have some fun either way.

"It's the other one."

Matt, Faith, Wesley and Gunn had taken a little detour to stake some Vamps, and Matt and Faith staked the final ones each, and then Matt heard a very familiar roar nearby, smirking.

"What you smiling about?" Gunn asked.

Matt, still smirking, told them all. "Backup."

Then they left.

Matt, Faith, Wesley, and Gunn made their way through the shadowy back streets, searching for Angelus. They carried weapons. Faith had a loaded and modified crossbow held at the ready.

"I know he's here nearby", Matt said, having tracked Angelus here due to the hair product.

They moved slowly through the darkness aware that Angelus could be hiding anywhere. Faith ordered. "Eyes and ears peeled. Watch the periph."

A Vampire leapt out in front of Matt and he instantly staked it. "I knew it wasn't Angelus."

"I know", Faith shrugged.

Matt then titled his head and listened, getting multiple uneven breath patterns along with cold, dead bodies.

Vampires!

There was the Beast too, he could sense it, and a human heartbeat- the woman who had fought him and Danny and then Faith.

"Remember that woman who came after us and fought you at the dojo?" Matt asked Faith.

"Yeah?"

"She's here with them too", Matt said, confusing Faith whose eyes widened.

"Honestly, I thought she worked for the First", Faith said, now in disbelief.

"There are Vampires around the perimeter, Gunn, can you take them?" Matt asked Gunn.

"Sure", Gunn said as he de-cocked his rifle and handed it to Wesley, then walked off to take on Vampires.

"Come on." Wesley, Matt and Faith emerged onto the roof of a gloomy warehouse, looking around carefully with each step.

Wesley asked. "Do you know where we're going?"

Matt told him. "Yes I do."

They rounded the corner to find a huge banner hanging from the far wall emblazoned with 'WELCOME FAITH'

Wesley groaned. "So much for the element of surprise."

He then suggested. "We'll have to come at them from two sides."

Faith's voice was distant. "You take low." Wesley looked around to find Matt and Faith had run the length of the roof in the blink of an eye.

As he watched, they leapt from one ledge to another, an amazing display of their agility. Matt responded as they went off. "We'll hit them high."

Wesley watched them until they disappeared in the darkness then continued on. A fist suddenly flew out of nowhere, connecting with his chin. He went down and the rifle skittered away.

It was Paco who leered at Wesley as he got to his feet. "Pretty ballsy, mister, creeping around my buddy Angelus. Come on, pretty boy!"

Wesley extended his arm and a collapsible sword popped out. Wesley slashed the blade at Paco's chest and he staggered backward with a cry of pain.

Then a boot slammed down on his sword, pinning Wesley. He looked up at Karl.

"Our buddy."

Matt and Faith dropped down from the rafters and took in their surroundings, senses on high alert, Matt's included.

Angelus called to Faith, his voice echoing throughout the vast building. "Hey, Faith. Nice to see you again. You're looking choice as ever, especially with your Devil boyfriend there. Oh, that's right. We've never really met, have we?"

Faith challenged. "So what are you waiting for? Come out and give me a kiss." She then added. "After you take on my boyfriend."

"Yeah, you wanna come out? Come out", Matt told Angelus.

"No, no, no. You two come to me. That's it… getting warmer."

Matt and Faith came to a metal ladder and descended into the lower level of the warehouse. Now Angelus' voice was a lot closer.

"Warmer… warmer… you're smokin' hot Faith, and your guy is just dripping fire and smoke with his hotness." Angelus stepped out from behind a large crate and smiled. "But then again, you two probably knew that."

Angelus called out. "Honey, I brought a guest home for dinner."

Matt and Faith turned around as the Beast appeared on the opposite side of the room. Angelus grinned at Matt and Faith and chuckled. "Let's eat."

The Beast looked at Faith, perplexed. "What is this, Angelus?"

Angelus replied. "This is a Slayer. Say hi to the nice Beast, Faith."

The Beast asked. "You dare to bring a Slayer here? I handled Daredevil, but this is a Slayer."

Angelus pointed out. "Hey, doing you a favor, Stonehenge. She's here to seriously mess up you and your boss's plans. So the question is, what do you do, hotshot? What do you do?"

Matt stepped up to fight when all of a sudden, Ikari rammed into him, sending them both rolling away. He had managed to hide his heartbeat and scent till the last moment.

Matt got back up, perplexed, and he asked Ikari with a glare. "You're working with Demons now? You were the head Demon Hunter for the Hand."

"Anything to kill you Akuma-san", Ikari said with a sneer. "I do not want to do this, but this is the only way now."

"Besides, some love shall be spread this way too", Maki added as she stepped up besides Ikari. "All of us just want the world to love each other forever."

Ikari then charged Matt with a kick and punch that he avoided but was kicked back by Maki as Ikari kicked his chin and Maki got behind him, punching twice and then Ikari jumped and punched his face as Maki punched it too, turning it the other way.

The Beast stalked towards Faith. She raised her crossbow and fired but the bolt glanced harmlessly off the Beast's rock-like chest. She kicked it, then punched it, to little effect.

The Beast seized Faith by the throat and lifted her off the ground. Angelus quipped. "Smile, Faith. I thought you'd enjoy a threesome." "Sure…" She elbowed him back and broke free of the Beast, putting some distance between herself and her opponents.

"…let's get it on." Faith attacked the Beast with a roundhouse kick followed by a flurry of punches to its chest followed by the face. The Beast staggered back a step but the blows didn't hurt it at all. Angelus taunted. "Whoo-ee! Watch yourself, big guy. The girl's on fire."

He then noticed the other fight and said. "This place is gonna be burnt down with this much fire."

Matt blocked both of their blows at the same time, then blocked a punch from Maki before kneeing her and pushing his foot back, kicked Ikari back too.

He then ducked to avoid a punch from Maki and punched her gut before punching her face and leaping up, kicked her face twice, sending her to the ground.

Ikari then charged and gave a flip kick which Matt ducked to avoid, and then Ikari tried to sweep his feet from under him which he backed to avoid too.

Ikari tried to kick again which Matt avoided and kicked him back. Ikari then spin kicked but Matt blocked, and he blocked some more punches and kicks before grabbing Ikari's foot and elbowing his face in a spin motion, and then threw him down. He then decked Ikari's face hard.

Faith gave 2 more punches to the Beast's face, then spun and punched again. The Beast sent her flying into some crates with a punch, covering her in debris.

Angelus winced. "Oh… that's gonna sting in the morning."

The Beast stalked forward and hauled Faith out of the crate's wreckage. Faith ducked a punch, then punched back and kicked its face with a flip before kicking it again, staggering him back.

Angelus quipped. "Nice!"

The Beast blocked her punch, then took her down, then swung her into a stack of steel conduit with tremendous force as Angelus laughed.

Wesley swept Karl's feet from under him before trying to punch Paco who ducked and decked him. Wesley now picked up a dustbin lid and blocked their blows, smashing it into their faces as they were sent back. Paco then attacked with a chain as Wesley blocked and managed to get Paco on his other side.

Maki leapt and managed to kick Matt back. She charged again as Matt avoided and she jumped up the wall before decking his face hard. She tried to kick again but Matt dodged and as she tried to kick again, Matt grabbed her foot and decked her, and then blocked some blows before getting two punches.

He then ducked to avoid a spin kick but got kicked back, only to avoid another spin kick, and he punched Maki's face again before spin kicking her gut as she was sent to the ground.

He then turned just as Ikari flipped and kicked his face, staggering him back. They exchanged some blows as Matt got a punch, and then Ikari got one, and he punched Ikari multiple times before spinning and kicking Maki back down.

He then grabbed Ikari's arm and kicked away the charging Maki again before flipping Ikari to the ground, but he flipped in the air to stay on his feet, and tried to spin kick Matt who ducked to avoid and punched him.

Ikari managed to kick him back and tried to spin kick Matt's head which he avoided but got hit on the chest and was sent back.

Matt then blocked some blows and gave Ikari an uppercut before elbowing his face while grabbing his arm and lifting him up, slammed him to the ground.

Maki then jumped with a flip and kicked Matt's back, staggering him forwards.

Matt growled and charged as Maki blocked and decked him twice, and kicked him back before spin kicking his face. He blocked the next blow and avoided a kick before punching her face twice and then decked her abdomen thrice before giving her a hard left hook that made her spit out blood.

Matt then spun in the air and kicked Maki's face, sending her crashing to the ground.

Ikari then came back up and kicked Matt's face twice before trying to spin kick as Matt avoided and punched his back, his chest and kicked his knee before spin kicking his face, sending him falling to the ground.

Faith was on her knees now. The Beast pounded her, one massive blow to the head after another. Her face was bruised, bleeding. The Beast brought one its cloven hooves down on her back, crushing her.

Angelus taunted. "Come on, Faithy! You're not even trying."

Maki got back up and wrapping her legs around Matt's feet, flipped him to the ground and elbowed him twice, but Matt freed himself at the last moment and managed to kick her off of him.

As he stood up, Ikari charged but was punched in the gut, and Matt punched his face before spin kicking him down, and then flipped in the air just as Maki charged, kicking her face and sending her down too.

Ikari came back up with a kick as Matt dodged and punched his gut and face, then spinning, kicked the charging Maki away.

Ikari tried to hit again but Matt grabbed his hand and flipped him to the ground, and leaping, kicked Maki away hard while falling on Ikari's back, slamming his face to the ground as he grunted.

Ikari and Maki were both out.

The Beast yanked Faith to her feet and she spat blood into its face. Enraged, it lifted her above its head and slammed her down on the floor with bone-crunching force, then kicked her across the room.

Matt heard Faith in pain, and it awoke a fire within him as he turned to the scene. Angelus shook his head in mock sympathy and told Matt. "Ouch! You know, if someone did that to my girl-"

Angelus couldn't finish before Matt started growling and his eye lenses glowed red, then he punched the Vampire away without looking.

Unstrapping the helmet, Matt tossed it aside and stood protectively in front of Faith.

In a tornado of hellfire, Matt's body was surrounded in flames as he felt the change.

Angelus, Faith, and the Beast had to shield their eyes from the shining pillar of fire, until a wave of power spread around it.

Faith and Angelus were thrown back along with the unconscious Ikari and Maki, but the Beast was forced backwards, landing on it's back.

The tornado died to down to unveil the creature within.

There, in all his hellish, red skinned glory, monstrous wings spread him back, black and razor sharp claws for nails, blazing red eyes, and a glowing Hell-Mark upon his chest, was Adam Murdock, better known as the Spawn of Mephisto, the Heir to Hell, the Destroyer, Abaddon.

Faith crawled to the center of the room, her face contorted in pain as she watched, and so did the now terrified (yes, terrified) Angelus from the corner.

Adam and Beast glared at each other, then charged as Beast grabbed Adam and spun him around, pushing him against the wall, and delivered punch after punch, turning Adam's head the other way the first few times.

But each punch was less effective than the last one, and then one punch simply just bounced off Adam's skin. The Beast now backed away, his eyes widening in horror.

Adam then spread his wings and hovered above the Beast before dropping down onto him, driving him into the ground, and then he threw the Beast across the warehouse, through boxes and walls as they all shattered.

The Beast staggered up, only for Adam to breathe hellfire on him, and the Beast screamed in agony as he felt his rocky skin melt from the hellfire, which was too much for him.

Adam walked closer to the Beast, stopping the hellfire, and punched his face, staggering him back. With that, Adam continued wailing on the Beast's face with punches, each punch breaking off some rock.

Then one hard punch even broke off a horn, making the Beast scream in pure agony.

Adam then slowly pushed the Beast back, forcing his hands and claws into the Beast's chest, and his chest began to glow from the inside as hellfire entered his body, the Beast even coughing some out.

Adam slowly forced the Beast on his knees, and punched his abdomen hard, doubling him over. Adam then kicked his feet out from under him, making the Beast kneel.

He then pulled back his head, and breathed hellfire down the Beast's face and throat, causing a huge explosion of light and shockwave, as the light became a coherent beam and shot out into the sky,

Wesley knocked his opponents back as the beam slammed into the mysterious cloud obscuring the sun and annihilated it.

Sunlight instantly blazed forth, bathing the city in a golden glow. Wesley shielded his eyes as the sunlight poured down onto the roof of the building.

Paco and Karl looked at each other for a brief moment, horrified, before they both exploded into flames and disintegrated.

"Matt, Faith…" Wesley ran off to find them.

Gunn had staked a Vamp when the next one exploded into flames as disintegrated as the sun came up, and Gunn looked up with a smile. "Good going there, guys."

Frank looked up and saw the sun too, and putting away his guns, nodded in respect. "Good job, Red."

Frank then walked away, his long coat flowing behind him.

Angelus looked up at the sky in disgust. "Aw, crap! You mean killing the Beast really does bring back the sun? I thought that was Angel's retarded fantasy. Good thing I didn't do it like I planned to, then. Oh, well… what are you gonna do?"

He fled as Ikari and Maki got up and seeing the sun, and then Adam, bolted away in fear too.

Adam knelt next to Faith and cradled her body to him.

"Faith." He said gently, which was surprising given his appearance.

Faith looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, big guy."

She then cupped his cheek and he receded, the wings and hellfire all slowly fading away as Matt was back, and he cradled the wounded Faith in his arms.

Lorne and Fred stood in the courtyard looking up at the blue sunlit sky, the latter holding Connor.

Lorne said happily. "Well, ding-dong, the Beast is dead!"

Seeing the sun after thinking she might never see it again, Fred found it even more beautiful than usual. "I've never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. The others would see it too."

Connor actually let out a smile and laugh as Fred said with joy. "Yes Connor, the sun is back."

Groo's eyes opened as he saw the sun in the sky and whispered. "Our efforts were not in vain."

Lilah saw the sun and quipped. "Guess the good guys are not good for nothing, huh? Still pathetic."

In her room, Cordelia watched the sun, looking enraged as she clutched her fists hard. This was going downhill.

Ikari and Maki would still help her, even if the former was a bit out of control, and Angelus needed to be put in line.

Chapter Text

At Hyperion, Faith stood before a chair silently, blood dripping off her and spattering on the floor, with Matt gently pressing ice wrapped in a towel to her split lip.

"Hold this."

Faith held the ice pack to her split lip while Matt checked her face for other wounds, then said. "I'll get bandages."

"No drama, I'm good."

"You were nearly killed."

"I could use a shower."

"So could I."

The two slowly stepped into the bathroom as Faith stared at her beaten and bloody reflection in the mirror, then Matt took off her jacket for her, as Faith undid her boots, and then Matt slowly pulled up her shirt, helping her take it off, while she undid her top, and her trousers and panties too.

Faith then slowly stepped into the shower as Matt undressed himself. Faith's body was one big bruise, with scrapes and cuts covering her from feet to head.

Matt turned the shower on, and Faith washed herself for a bit, the water sluicing down her body, washing away the blood, turning into a crimson swirl as it circled the drain.

She then grasped Matt by the hand and pulled him into the shower with her, as the two of them kissed, and then just held each other.

"I was so scared I'd lose you", Matt confessed to her finally.

"Five by five, babe, I'm not going anywhere", Faith assured him.

They connected their foreheads as the water sluiced down their bodies.

A while later, both exited the shower, now dressed again, and Matt heard Fred playing outside with baby Connor in the sun.

Wesley, Lorne, Lilah and Gunn stood together with the two of them as Gunn noted. "So the Beast is dead then."

"Yeah", Faith confirmed with a nod.

"So, what would the big bad Beastmaster do now?" Lorne wondered. "I mean, the big bad pawn is gone, ya know?"

"Not much it can do", Wesley noted. "Even if it does hatch another scheme, Matt and Adam can quickly dispatch whatever comes our way."

"I'm not so sure." Matt revealed. "When I heard Faith in pain, it stirred something in me, in us. It made me want to stop the Beast before..." Matt trailed off and looked away.

"Before I died, like Elektra." Faith finished for him.

Pain crossed Matt's face but he nodded. "I didn't want let someone else I love die because I wasn't strong enough."

Faith walked over to him and took his face in her hands. "You are the strongest man I know, and I'm okay, in more ways than one, thanks to you."

Lilah then ruined it. "Great, now if the romance portion of this show is over-"

"Another word and I will gladly rip out your spine." Faith snarled at her.

"You know, Lilah, I would listen to her." Wesley told Lilah as she simply rolled her eyes.

"Girl ain't one to bluff." Gunn added.

"So, anyways, I have some equipment back home, I believe you and I could get some here together", Wesley suggested to Faith.

"Sure, no worries", Faith agreed as she and Matt held hands, then she walked off with Wes.

"Bring some for me too", Lilah spoke up.

"Nope."

Lilah just chuckled at her own behavior.

Demons and vampires shared drinks and shot pool in the bar while Angelus regaled several lesser vampires with tales of his recent exploits. A vampire waitress walked over and set a glass of blood down in front of him. "Compliments of the lady."

He turned around to find a female vampire waving to him from the bar. He waved back, then turned back to his tablemates with a grimace. "Yeah. As if", he told the Vampires. "Anyway, I couldn't believe how easy it was luring Daredevil and the Slayer into my little "welcome home" party."

"Wish I could have been there when they saw the Beast", one Vampire said.

"The guy wasn't going to win any personality contests but he put on a good show. Slapped them around real nice."

"Like little bunnies?"

Angelus smiled. "Bloody, whimpering bunnies. Once she was tenderized, Devil boy got pissed off and turned Devil, and turned rocko into small stones."

One Demon spoke up. "Yeah, soul-boy, nice job pissing off the Devil enough to bring the sun back."

Angelus looked over to the bar where Francis, a horned demon with one horn sliced off, quickly turned back to his drink. Angelus smiled and stood up.

Francis pretended to be surprised to find Angelus standing behind him. "Oh, hey, Angelus! Buy you a warm one?"

"Maybe after."

"After what?"

"After I rip out your windpipe till it stops making that annoying talky sound."

Francis was nervous now, regretting his earlier jab. "Wait, I have a condition. Whoop! Goh-boy! Dirty bitch! Tourette's. You've heard of it, right?"

"Yeah, causes uncontrollable impulses. Like yanking out throats", Angelus seized the creature by the neck and started squeezing.

As the demon choked and gasped, a disembodied voice called out to Angelus, deep and resonant.

"Hello again, Angelus. It's time we had that talk."

Angelus looked around, confused, searching for the source of the voice that only he could hear. "Where are you?"

Francis choked. "Wherever you want me to be, buddy!"

"I'm where it's warm and soft…"

Angelus dropped Francis and walked out into the center of the room, talking to the ceiling. The other demons looked at him like he'd gone nuts.

"Hide-and-seek, huh? Okay. I'll play."

"Playtime's over. You've been a bad boy. My favorite pet is dead."

"Hey, it ain't my fault you decided to mess with Mephisto's own version of the Hulk!"

Angelus looked around and saw the stares of the other vampires and decided to take the conversation to a more private area.

So he went to a shadowy back room where vampires lounged in drug-induced stupor with their human prey draped across them.

"You don't need to worry. I've had my eyes on you for some time."

A junkie girl wrapped her arms around Angelus and smiled dreamily. "Hey, baby, how about a hit?"

Angelus tossed her aside with hardly a thought, concerned only with the voice in his head.

"You like to watch, huh?"

"One of the many things we have in common."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy." He walked over to a vampire who was feeding on a willing young girl and yanked him to his feet.

"Scram!"

The vampire ran off and his food followed him.

"Okay, come on. You got a pair or the wind you're blowing up my tailpipe's all you can muster? Hey, here's a kooky idea. Now that your little pet rock is dead, how about a little face-to-face, huh? Assuming that you've got one."

"Don't—"

Cordelia sat on her bed, her eyes a milky, cataract white, talking to Angelus through a glowing red charm in her hand. On this side of the conversation, her voice was normal, her own. "—worry. We'll meet. When you're—"

"—ready."

Angelus was annoyed. "Oh, come on. Why the stall, huh? You whipped up a rain of fire, blotted out the sun, earthquakes… all to maneuver the Brady Bunch into releasing Angel's inner me. Don't you want to kick the tires?"

"So beautifully—"

"—vain. But the Whirlwind doesn't always revolve around you. Destruction sometimes is its own—"

"—reward."

"Hey, you're preaching to the guy who ate the choir. But wait… it was you, wasn't it?" Angelus now had a realization. "You just pulled the wrong strings to make them think it was their idea. Got them to yank that white, fluffy soul and stuff it in a jar and then gone, baby, gone!"

"Couldn't risk them—"

"—putting it back in you. I have wonderful plans for you, my—"

"—sweet boy."

Angelus still wasn't going to be a whipping boy. "Oh, yeah. But the thing is, as far as plans go, I make my own so, you know… thanks for stopping by my head."

He turned to walk out.

"You would dare to defy me?"

"Defy who? A big, scary voice? Whoa! Hey, I've got one of those, too. You want to hear it?" Angelus put his hands over his mouth. "You can kiss my Vampire ass!" His voice turned normal. "That do anything for ya?"

A while later, Fred put baby Connor back in his crib and kissed his forehead. "Good night Connor."

She then walked to the office, setting down a trank gun, and searched the bookshelves for a reference guide.

"If I were a runic transcription guide, I would be…." She found the book. "…shelved wrong."

"Talking to yourself, Fred? A lot of that going around."

Fred spun around to find Angelus standing behind her smiling.

"You can't hurt me. We did a no-demon-violence thingy."

"Oh, the sanctuary spell. Shucks. Oh, wait a minute… I think I…" Angelus took a golden pendant out of his pocket and twirled it on his thumb. "Oh, yeah. Kinda thought you pesky PI's would be humming that old tune so I picked up a little somethin' somethin'. Lets me be as demony as I want to be."

Fred tried to be brave. "I don't believe you." Angelus took the book from her and slammed it into the wall inches from her head with enough force to shake the building. She gasped in terror.

"How about now?"

Fred was trembling. "What do you want?"

"Maybe I just miss you." A beat. "Well, since you brought it up… let's talk Beastmaster. What do you got?"

"Nothing."

Angelus wasn't so easily fooled. "Come on, Fred. All this raw material, brainiac like you… you must have a theory."

Fred retorted. "If I did, you're the last person I'd tell."

Angelus smiled. "Well, all right, then. I'll just have to figure it out myself, huh?" He started to gather up all of Fred's books, diagrams and research on the Beast.

"Let's see… these… this… thanks for nothing!"

Fred then decided to stand up to Angelus. "I do know one thing. You're out of your league. What you're up against? He'll make you his bitch, just like the Beast. And Matt will make both of you his bitches. So if you're going to kill me, just get it over with."

She glanced down at Angelus' little charm and saw an inscription on the back. ""Made in China"?"

Fred lifted a glass pitcher off the shelf and shattered it against Angelus' head, sending him reeling backward. He dropped the charm as she snatches her trank gun from the table and fired. Angelus ducked at the last moment and the dart thudded into the map of L.A. behind him as he dashed out into the lobby.

Lorne walked in as Angelus charged directly at him and Fred fired again. Her aim was off and the dart hit Lorne in the chest, dropping him like a sack of concrete.

"Lorne!"

Angelus leapt from the floor up to the balcony level and turned, using the book as a shield as Fred fired her last dart. The trank hit the book and Angelus grins down at her.

"Can't beat a good book."

Fred fired again but her gun clicked empty.

Angelus laughed. "Too bad. I was just starting to have fun."

"Why stop now?"

Angelus turned as Lilah fired a trank gun at him but Angelus used the book to deflect and was in front of her in a flash, slamming the gun with his book as she was disarmed.

"Let her go!"

Angelus turned and saw Matt now standing face to face with him, the two now facing off against each other.

Matt didn't make a move yet, waiting for Angelus to make a move first. And he did, with his mouth.

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Hit me! Command me, "thou shall not kill!" Thus sayeth the Lord!"

Hearing Angelus' words, Matt faltered as Angelus had touched a nerve.

In that moment, Groo arrived and charged Angelus but as he came close, the spell worked and all of them were blown away by a good bit, falling over the railing on the top of the stairs, with Matt falling on the ground and covering his ears as the feedback affected him, causing a massive migraine

Wesley and Faith entered the front courtyard, heading for the hotel.

"We track him, we find him, we—"

"Get your asses kicked? I don't know… wild guess!"

Faith looked up in shock as Angelus walked down the sidewalk toward them, having gotten what he wanted.

She dropped her gear bag, ready to fight as Wesley raised the trank rifle. Faith attacked but Angelus parried, then punched back, sending Faith into Wesley who dropped his rifle into the bushes.

Angelus rushed forward and yanked Wesley to his feet, then held him as a shield, his hand wrapped around Wesley's throat. "Sucky spell, huh? You think it'd at least go to the sidewalk."

Faith snarled. "Let him go. This is between you and me."

Angelus retorted. "It's never just between you and me, Faith. Wes will always be in the middle."

She hesitated, unsure.

"That's it. Do the math. Can you get to me before I snap his neck? You still that fast? Wes is just dyin' to find out, aren't ya, Wes?"

Wesley gasped to Faith. "Do it!"

"That's it! Come on, do it! Take your shot and save the world. Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Faith stood there, helpless, as Angelus tightened his grip.

"It's all about choices, Faith. The ones we make and the ones we don't… oh, and the consequences. Those are always fun, huh? Don't worry about good old Wes. What's one more dead body to us? Come on… where's my girl?"

"Faith!"

Faith spun and caught the rifle Gunn tossed to her as he ran out of the hotel, pistol raised. Angelus hurled Wesley across the courtyard directly into Gunn, sending them both to the ground.

Faith raised the rifle and fired but Angelus leapt up and over the outer wall of the hotel, disappearing into the night. Gunn got up and ran out to the street as Faith helped Wesley up.

He choked. "Go!"

She headed after Gunn but stopped when Gunn turned back inside. "He's gone."

Faith stared out into the darkness, troubled.

Lorne snored blissfully away on the sofa as Gunn came back in from outside. "All I'm saying is he tries dancing in here and pulling a Dark Shadows again, he's gonna get a dart up his evil ass."

Fred sighed. "Well, his ass moves pretty quick. He got the book and the Wolfram & Hart papers.

"Not your fault", Gunn assured.

"If I don't get that book back, you'll have to pay for it", Lilah told Fred with a smirk. "In blood."

"How about yours?" Gunn shrugged.

"I wouldn't have fallen for the trinket", Lilah spoke up.

Wesley racked a shotgun and brought his 12-gauge into batter as Faith asked. "What are you doing with that?"

"Changing the game."

"I thought we weren't going for the kill?" Faith asked.

Wesley assured her. "We're not. But if we get another chance, I want to slow him down long enough to trank him."

Matt started. "You have me for th-"

"We do not want to rely on you all the time", Wesley pointed out.

Gunn asked Wesley. "You need someone to help with that?"

Wesley handed Faith a trank pistol then turned to Gunn and Groo. "No, I need someone I trust to watch the hotel. Someone who can actually hurt Angelus."

Gunn assured. "Oh, I'm all over that."

"I cannot hurt him but I shall protect the rest from him", Groo added.

Wesley told Fred regarding the trinket. "Be careful. Next time he shows up, he might be packing the real thing."

He turned to Lilah and said. "You be careful too."

"Yeah, you too Wes, given who you're after", Lilah told him.

Wesley smiled tentatively at Lilah, then at Fred, then headed for the door with Faith as Matt ran upstairs, putting his suit on.

Outside, Daredevil joined Wesley and Faith as he asked them. "So, where are you two headed?"

"Well, I have a lead", Wesley shrugged.

"I shall accompany him there", Faith added.

"I'll sweep the city and try to find him, if you get anything tell me, and if I get anything, I'll tell you", Matt made the plan for them all.

"Sounds good", Faith agreed as she and Wesley walked off and Matt leapt away.

Angelus sat in a wide leather wing-back chair before a warm hearth reading through the material he stole from Angel, Inc. and wearing a set of half-lens reading glasses. He took off the glasses, frustrated, and threw them at Reg, the shop's proprietor and owner of the glasses. Reg cowered on the floor, terrified.

"These aren't helping! Half of this crap is written in some archaic proto-demon cuneiform and I don't want to be rude but I think the other half— they just doodled."

He kneeled in front of Reg and jammed his finger through the man's testicle. Reg cried out in agony.

"Now don't make me puncture the other one, Reg. I just want to get some intel on this Beastmaster fella. I mean, this is an occult shop, right? Like your job is to help me."

Reg gasped. "I… I don't know…"

"Sure you do. Has a penchant for rains of fire, blotting out the sun, hmm?" He punctuated his words with blows to the man's head. "For… getting… inside… your… head!"

"Angelus!"

Angelus turned around to see Ikari and Maki and quipped. "Ah, the ninjas who work for the Beastmaster!"

He turned to Ikari. "It burns, doesn't it? Working for the very thing you swore to destroy?"

"I work for no one!" Ikari snapped.

"Ah, really? What do you call coming to me like a lapdog?" Angelus quipped.

"You seek out our master again and your insolence will punished, ten-fold", Maki snarled at him.

"Yeah? What's she gonna do? Give me a migraine?" Angelus laughed. "These ethereal types with their big swinging omniscience… when push comes to shove, though, they gotta send some overgrown slag heap or ninjas from the shadows to do their dirty work. Oh, that's real spooky."

He turned back to Reg only to find him gone.

"Oh, that's great! You two made me lose my shopkeeper."

"In spite of being a Vampire, you lost him, I would make sure he doesn't get away", Ikari said in a taunting manner.

"Yeah I get it! You big Hand ninja types just don't let anything get past ya! Other than your hypocrisy!" Angelus taunted Ikari over working with and for Demons again.

"We should be friends", Maki suggested.

"No. And I'll tell you why. One, because, you know, I'm evil so the friends thing, that's out. And two, if I did have any friends, they sure as hell wouldn't be living inside my head! And definitely won't be human ninjas!"

"Living inside heads, like you live inside Angel's?" Maki inquired to him. "Because you're the voice in there, aren't you? Just beneath the surface. Buried under all that goodness. Fully conscious, fully aware… but trapped. Unable to move or speak. Powerless to act on your desires. So thirsty, so helpless. It must be agony."

This got to Angelus, hitting home. He turned to leave.

Maki told Ikari. "See? A little psychology helps."

"I am not interested in that", Ikari simply snarled.

Angelus told them. "I'm getting real bored with this game."

"This will interest you", Maki said, and Angelus turned around to find that a glass container containing a swirling mist had appeared on the reading table next to the hearth.

"Our master has your soul", Maki smirked.

Angelus reached out to snatch the jar but his hand passes right through it. It was just an illusion. "More smoke and mirrors."

"This was a glamour, but our master has the real thing, and if you don't listen to us, Angel will be back and you will be buried inside him so deep you won't be able to claw your way out", Maki taunted Angelus.

"So, now you work for Demons too", Ikari taunted as Angelus realized he was trapped.

"All right. So what should we do?"

"We have to end Daredevil and the Slayer", Ikari spoke to him.

"Well then, here's the plan, Daredevil, even if he doesn't transform, he can use his power on me to make me stop, so best bet, split them up, you two draw Daredevil and beat him, I'll take care of the Slayer", Angelus gave the plan and smirked. "Sound good?"

Faith slammed Francis' head down on the bar.

"Come on! I bruise easy."

"Gee, I wonder what color you'll be when I'm done?" Another head slam onto the bar.

A Vampire stood up and moves threateningly toward Faith. Wesley instantly had the shotgun up and pointed point-blank at the creature's head.

"Let's not, shall we?"

The Vampire instantly backed off.

"It's cool, dude. No worries."

Francis spoke up. "I don't remember anything. I was drunk. I thought she was 18."

Faith sighed. "I'm gonna work real hard on the not understanding that, lumpy."

"Francis!"

She slammed his head again.

A Vampire laughed. "Break his head open! See if there's any candy."

Francis was offended. "Hey, what do I look like? A piñata?"

Faith wasn't averse to the suggestion. "Oh, let's find out."

"Whoa, whoa! Ease off the contusion. What do you want to know?"

Wesley asked. "Where's Angelus?"

"Who?"

Slam!

Faith said. "We've been breathing stale beer and blood half the night in piss-holes like this."

Wesley added. "Guess where it led us."

"Look, I'm telling you, I don't know nothing. On my mother's tumor." Out of the corner of his eye, Francis saw a demon creeping up behind Wesley with a raised pool cue.

"And even if I did, I'd never yak to a couple of flesh bags that are about to get their internal organs sucked out of their—"

Wesley flipped the shotgun around and fires into the head of the demon without even looking, nearly decapitating the Demon.

"Strom demon. Face should grow back. Eventually." Wesley racked the gun and levelled it at Francis.

"Think yours will?" Faith asked.

Francis was quick now. "Oh, that Angelus! Yeah, in here all the time. Running his mouth. "Look at me. I'm so evil." Real jackass. Never liked him. I'm on your side."

Slam!

Wesley asked. "Where is he?"

Francis rambled. "I don't know! I swear. He was in here earlier, giving us the blah blah blah and then he started mumbling to himself like a big, pretty freak and then he slipped into the back."

"Back where?"

Faith made her way slowly through the back rooms, pistol at the ready, with Wesley following. Humans and Vampires lay around, limbs entwined, in catatonic drug-induced stupors. Used syringes and other drug paraphernalia littered the tables and floors.

Faith couldn't believe her eyes: humans allowing themselves to be used as food like this. She remembered Riley had gone to Vamp whores too and wondered if he hadn't been caught, would he have ended up like this too just because he didn't feel needed enough by Buffy?

"What the fuck—"

They were both suddenly tackled from behind by a large hulking Vampire. Wesley tumbled to the floor and it grabbed Faith's throat but she sent it down next to Wesley with some punches.

Wesley quickly rammed a stake through his chest before he could recover and the creature disappeared in a cloud of dust.

"You okay?"

"Dandy."

Matt was crouched on the rooftop, having interrogated a few Demons himself about Angelus, when he suddenly sniffed a lot of blood from one area.

What was going on?

Realizing it could be something, Matt made his way there.

Faith shook a delirious young blonde girl, trying to rouse her to consciousness. "Hey, we're gonna get you out of here."

"Faith…" Wesley held up a hypodermic syringe full of drugs.

Faith asked the girl. "Can you walk?"

"No, but I can fly!"

Faith asked Wesley. "What'd they do to her?"

Wesley explained. "She did it to herself. They shoot up, the Vampires feed, use them like a filter. I've read the effects can be quite intoxicating… for both of them."

The girl said to Faith drowsily. "Hey, you're pretty. You wanna make out?"

Faith shook her head in disgust and hauled the girl to her feet, slamming her up against the wall. "There was a Vampire in here earlier. Tall, dark hair— listen!"

She slammed the girl harder when her eyelids started to close.

"Okay! God, what's your issue?"

"Tall, dark hair, talking to himself."

"Let go."

Faith decked her. "Did you see him?"

"No, I didn't! Stop it, you're hurting me."

Faith stared at her a moment, then let her go and headed for the door. "I think this is more your territory."

Wesley nodded and walked over to the girl. He took out his knife and rammed it through the girl's shoulder. She shrieked in agony as he inquired. "Tracks on your arms, you've been here, what, two or three days straight? Answer me!"

He twisted the knife and the girl melted under the pain. "Yes… oh, stop!… yes… four… four days."

"Then you must have seen the Vampire we're looking for."

The girl nodded. "Angelus. I saw him. He's…"

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

Wesley slammed her hard against the wall, using the knife as leverage. "I don't know! Please, stop!"

"They said he was talking to himself. What was he saying?"

"I don't know… it was like he was talking to someone else. It was all a rain of fire and pulling strings and a soul. That's all I heard. Please, stop. It hurts!"

Wesley yanked the knife out and the girl dropped to the floor, sobbing. Faith ran over to her and started bandaging the wound while Wesley cleaned the blood off his knife.

While Faith was uncomfortable at having witnessed the torture, months of crime fighting alongside Matt had taught her sometimes hard choices needed to be made, including torture, as Matt had done some of it himself.

So she knew what Wesley had done was a necessary evil.

Matt made his way to a torture chamber of bodies, which is where the blood had come from, but he did not here any uneven breath patterns that he'd get from Vampires, uneven because Vampires didn't need to breathe, they just did so out of habit.

But he did find a familiar person there, make it two!

Ikari and Maki were there, waiting for him.

"Why did you lead me here?" Matt asked.

"To end you, Akuma-san!" Ikari sneered. "This shall be your burial ground."

"And what about you?" Matt asked Maki.

"You are a threat to the Master, you must be taken out", Maki simply shrugged. "Then the master will come and make this world better."

"Who is this master?" Matt asked.

"I'd tell you, but wouldn't matter, you'd be dead", Maki shrugged.

Ikari then struck with a sword as Matt avoided and then Maki tried to strike too as Matt avoided, then ducked and spun away.

He then kicked Maki's face, sending her off and dodged 2 strikes from Ikari before grabbing his hands and flipping him to the ground.

Maki got back up and charged with her sword as Matt dodged 2 strikes and grabbing her hand, spun around but she managed to free herself as Matt backed to avoid both his opponents.

Wesley and Faith entered a vast vaulted building. Multiple levels surrounded a central atrium with balconies looking out across the marbled floors. The place was under construction with scaffolding rising up from the floor to the upper levels.

Faith followed Wesley up a wide staircase to an open area with office equipment arranged haphazardly around the room. "Even if he got the fake hoodoo from this Maury guy, why would Angelus hang around?"

Wesley said. "He wouldn't. But this Maury that Lorne knows may be able to help us find where Angelus is hiding."

They approached a desk scattered with occult trinkets only to find Maury lying on the floor on the other side, his throat ripped out.

"No… but I can."

They turned to find Angelus smiling wickedly at them from the shadows.

Angelus smiled at Faith. "A little birdie in my head told me you'd be here." He shivered. "Exciting!"

Faith strode forward and shot at him with the trank gun. He ducked aside and the shot missed, then kicked Faith backward into a stack of boxes as she reloaded.

Wesley chambered a round in his shotgun and opened fire. Again, Angelus' demonic reflexes allowed him to evade the gunfire. "You gotta do better than that, Wes!"

Wesley fired and missed again. "Come on! I'll give you one more."

Wesley racked the shotgun but before he could fire, Angelus grabbed the barrel, knocking it upward and the shot went into the ceiling.

"Strike three!"

He wrenched the shotgun from Wesley's grasp and hurled him over the balcony and into the scaffolding. Wesley crashed down through the scaffolding to the level below where he landed unconscious among the debris.

Faith bolted for the stairs at a dead run but skidded to a halt when Angelus racked the shotgun and levelled it at her. "Uh-oh! Vampire with a gun."

He opened fire repeatedly and Faith dove down the stairs, the buckshot barely missing her. "I see why he likes this thing!"

Faith tumbled to a stop at the bottom of the grand staircase and looked up to find Angelus standing right over her, the shotgun's barrel inches from her face. "Wow… you really have gone soft, now haven't you? Hey, you remember that time you tried to get Angel to kill you because you felt all weepy over being such a bad little girl? Do you still feel that way? Do you still want to die?"

Faith whispered. "No…"

"What's that?"

"No."

"I can't hear you!"

Faith screamed. "NO!"

Angelus racked the gun and Faith winced, anticipating the killing blow. "Too bad… 'cause you're gonna." He racked the gun again and again, ejecting all the shells. "But not like this."

Faith seized the opportunity and kicked her legs up, knocking the shotgun from his hands, then tried to sweep his feet from under him as he leapt and she was up, trying to kick as he grabbed her foot but she decked his face, sending him back, before punching him again. "Whoa! Looks like we got a live one…"

He blocked her kick, then dodged some punches before wrenching her arm backwards, and punched her face, stunning her ".…for now."

Angelus punched her back, then spun around, throwing a roundhouse kick to Faith's head and she collapsed to the floor. "Little tired, sweetie? Want to take a break?"

He yanked Faith to her feet and punched her in the gut, then pounded her to floor again, kicking her hard enough to send her skidding across the floor to the other side of the room.

She lay on her back, gasping in pain. She rolled over and blood dripped from her mouth onto the floor.

"Now this is disappointing. You never used to bleed so easy."

Faith snarled. "Screw you."

Angelus quipped. "Hmm… maybe after. I like my girls to lie still."

Ikari and Maki struck together at Matt's foot but he lifted it to avoid and kicked Ikari back before kicking Maki down.

Ikari struck again as Matt backed to avoid and spin kicked his face hard, then spin kicked him again, sending him down to the ground.

Maki charged next as Matt dodged and ducked, then dodged a kick before kicking her back. She tried to strike again but he grabbed her arm in a hold and twisted before striking her throat and then kicking her foot, sending her down and before she could get up, he spin kicked her out.

As Faith held her broken ribs and struggled to her feet, Angelus looked up at the scaffolding where Wesley fell. Inside, lying among the shattered boards and paint cans, Wesley started to come around.

"Hey, buddy! How's it going in there?" He turned to Wesley. "Good old Wes… you can always count on him to tackle a bad situation and make it worse. I mean, hey, look how you'd turned out. But then again, I guess he didn't really have much to work with, now."

Faith laughed through the blood and the pain. "Save the head-trip, GQ. Wes told me you'd try to get under my skin, give me just what I need to scratch you out."

"Oh, don't tell me!" Angelus mocked. "The rousing stiff upper lip speech. Rah rah! Good over evil! Do what must be done! Hang in there, kitten, it's almost Friday! Is that what the scraggly little ponce armed you with to fight the big bad bogeyman?"

"Yeah. And this." Faith slipped a dagger out from inside her jacket and whipped it at Angelus, impaling him through the chest.

In an instant, she was on her feet, punching him many times, then blocking his punch and hitting him again. She ripped the knife out of him and send him back with a roundhouse, then slashed at him but he dodged and weaved, grabbing her hand, only to get decked, before dodging another swing as he grabbed her hand, then kicked the knife from her hand.

The knife flew up through the air as Faith beat Angelus back, then snatched the knife out of the air as it came back down and raked the blade across Angelus' chest before hitting him.

He hissed in pain as she tried to do a roundhouse but he kicked her backwards, then leapt straight up into the scaffolding 30 feet overhead. "That hurt, baby. Kinda liked it." He laughed. "How about you? There's my girl. I knew she was in there somewhere, dying to come out and play again."

"Shut up." Faith walked among the metal gridwork in the atrium, scanning the upper levels for Angelus.

His voice echoed throughout the marble building making it hard to pinpoint him.

"I know how it feels. Forced to be someone you're not. Hurts to the bone. You try to bury the pain but you can't get the hole deep enough, can you? No matter how much you dig, it's still there. Broken shards stabbing every time you breathe, cutting you up inside. You know, there's only one way to make the pain stop… hurt someone else."

Faith spun, dagger raised to strike but Angelus seized her arm, stopping the blow. He brought her arm down on his leg, then kicked her violently and she flew up and onto one of the scaffolding grids, her dagger skittering away across the room.

A moment later, Angelus leapt up next to her and attacked. She dodged him, using the metal latticework to avoid his blows while trying to land some of her own. They danced across the scaffolding, dodging and weaving, their movements a kind of obscene ballet.

He kicked her off. Angelus jumped down and landed next to her as she kicked him down, then punched him down, and then used his back to leap up top.

Faith then tried to go up but Angelus followed and hurled her down, leaping next to her. "Come on, Faith, you're not even trying."

Angelus kicked Faith in the head, then blocked her punch and beat her down to the floor again. "Or is that why you really came back? Not enough to punish yourself in prison. Is that it? Still looking for someone to help beat the bad out of you? The Devil didn't do it? Too disappointing. Thought he'd have done it over a 1000 times by now."

He double punched her to the head. She staggered, stunned.

Ikari got back up and struck Matt as he dodged a few times. Then Ikari tried to strike again as Matt spun and grabbed his arms, slamming his head into a pillar and twisting his arms, disarming him of the sword.

He then pushed Ikari back and kicked his chest before decking his face hard, sending him back, and with a leap, kicked him down.

Ikari and Maki both groaned before Ikari sneered. "While you are busy fighting us, Angelus is taking on the Slayer."

Now Matt looked shocked as Ikari staggered up and shrugged. "Maybe they will kill each other, it will save me the trouble."

He then backed off as Matt growled, slowly transforming while Maki struck him from behind but her sword shattered on his skin, horrifying her.

Ikari backed off and fled as Adam appeared on the spot, and turned to the horrified Maki. She ran off but next moment, he was in front of her and punched his fist through her chest and out back. He then pulled his fist out as Maki's corpse fell down.

Adam then fluttered his wings and flew upwards, shattering the roof, and flew off towards the museum.

"You know what the funny part is, darlin'? I could beat you to death and it wouldn't make a difference. Nothing will ever change who you are, Faith." Angelus kicked Faith down. "You're a murderer…" Another vicious blow to the head. "…an animal…" He seized her by the hair and wrenched her head backward. "…and you enjoy it. Just like me!"

With a strangled cry of rage, Faith leapt to her feet and delivered a stunning uppercut to Angelus' jaw, rocking him backward. He punched back but she followed with a roundhouse kick to his chest, before leaping and kneeing his chest, then pounded him, and roundhouse kicked him to the floor.

Her fury was like a living thing now and she leapt on Angelus, rolled him over and pounded him, one devastating blow after another.

His head snapped back, then forth, his eyes losing more focus with each shattering punch.

But Faith suddenly caught herself, stopped, and backed away. "No!" She looked down at him, bleeding and panting with adrenaline. "You're wrong. I'm different now. I'm not like you."

Angelus' feet shot out, sweeping her legs out from under her. He yanked her up by the hair and wrenched her head backward, exposing her neck.

"You will be." His face shifted and the Vampire within rose to the surface. A strangled cry escaped Faith's lips as Angelus sank his fangs into her neck and began to drink.

Chapter Text

A strangled cry escaped Faith's lips as Angelus sank his fangs into her and began to drink when suddenly the roof burst open and Adam flew in, and grabbing Angelus, he ripped the Vampire off of Faith, throwing him through a wall as Faith fell down, gasping.

Angelus groaned in pain but didn't get a second to rest before he was pulled by the leg, and then slammed on the ground multiple times.

Adam stopped for a second, then slammed him a few more times before throwing him up onto the ceiling, and then Adam flew up and slammed Angelus against the ceiling before throwing him down, making a crater.

Adam landed, growling as he flew down and grabbed a battered Angelus from the ground by his throat, and reared his claws back, erupting with Hellfire.

"Don't", Faith stepped in his way. Adam heaved like an animal, the rage still clear in his eyes, even as he moved his gaze towards Faith.

"It may be Angelus, but its still Angel's body", Faith reminded him.

"Kill him", Wesley said as he staggered up, still in pain, "and you kill any chance we have of returning Angel's soul. Kill him, and you kill your friend."

Adam looked between the two of them, then the still Angelus, unable to move due to the pain. Then he snarled one last time as the Hellfire around his claws extinguished, and he carelessly dropped the Vampire to the ground.

"Sleep", Adam commanded as the Hell-Mark glowed, and Angelus' eyes closed as he followed the command.

He then started transforming back but to his horror, nothing happened.

"Kicked his ass", Faith muttered about Angelus, as she had won the fight, Angelus just caught her off-guard after that to drink.

Adam growled and picked up Angelus, then Wesley and Faith in the other arm, and fluttering his wings, flew off.

Fred was reading an old book at the counter when suddenly the ground shook, and then the door slammed open as Gunn and Groo entered, dragging an unconscious Angelus.

"Oh my God!" Fred said with wide eyes.

Angelus wasn't bound as Fred asked. "Why is he not bound?"

"Matt commanded him to sleep", Gunn revealed. "I think he'll follow."

Lorne walked out and started. "Well, what is all th-Oh! Angelus! He is in the hotel!"

"We need to get him back inside his cell quickly", Groo urged, as he and Gunn together took Angelus down into the basement to where his cage was, with Groo opening it as Gunn dragged Angelus inside.

"Where's Matt?" Fred asked back upstairs as Wesley and Faith.

"Uhh, yeah, he has a little problem", Faith said with a cringe as Adam kneeled down and stepped inside, barely avoiding the ceiling, and stood as straight as he could while kneeling.

"He cannot transform back into Matt", Wesley revealed.

"Stuck", Adam growled.

"Uhhh, sorry about that buddy", Lorne assured him while holding up his hands.

Cordelia was in her room, knowing Angelus had been captured now, and knew the others would try to re-ensoul him.

Her injury still gave her an excuse to stay here in her room with none the wiser as to what she was up to.

And she had cast a spell to prevent her sound from going out of the room, and not even Matt could hear her.

Her was stuck in his Devil form right now so he would be focused on trying to come back to normal anyway, which would mean she could make a plan on how to salvage this for sure.

Gunn locked up the cage as Groo said. "I hope he stays there until we find a way to get his soul back."

The year was 1902. The city was New York. Steamer ships disgorged immigrants by the hundreds. They stood in lines, hefting everything they own, waiting to be processed into the United States.

Filthy and disheveled, Angel made his way through the teeming throngs. Suddenly Angelus was there, standing right in his path dressed as he was in 21st Century Los Angeles.

Angel took no notice, however, and passed right through him. Angelus turned around and watched Angel walk off, confused and angry.

"Hey! What is that about?"

He saw Angel walking among the whole crowd and was disgusted. "The whole way over here he crouched in the filth of the animals just to avoid human temptation. This isn't my life. It's his!"

Why was he being made to witness this?

"It annoyed the crap out of me the first time around. This sucks."

Now the year was 1922, and the city was Chicago. A pair of dice rolled across the sidewalk as a couple of old bums played craps.

"Even odds, one over."

Angelus walked past the craps players and looked around at the bustling street outside of a blues club. "Early 20s by the cars. What is this? Chicago?"

He saw Angel sitting on a bench across the street. He was cleaned up now but stared vacantly into the night, obviously haunted by something.

"Oh, no. I remember this. I remember this place. I gotta get out of here."

Tires screeched as a car rounded the corner. "It's coming….again. I can't do it again. I won't."

Suddenly Angel bolted off the bench right in front of the oncoming car. He zipped in front of the car and scooped up a small puppy from the road just in time to save it from being run down.

Angelus winced. "Ah, no!"

A pretty young flapper girl ran out of the club and over to Angel, smiling happily at the sight of the puppy.

The girl took the dog from Angel's arms and smiled at him invitingly. "Oh, my stars! You saved him, mister."

Angelus groaned. "I'm in hell. This is hell and I'm in it."

"Oh gee big fella, how can I thank you?"

Angelus urged Angel. "We haven't fed on a human in decades. She's beggin' for it, you moron!"

Angel told the girl. "Get lost."

"Beg pardon?"

"Take a hike, Betty. Scram."

"Well, pound snow, you mook!" She glared at him and walked back into the club with the puppy.

"Why am I reliving his good deeds?" Angelus groaned before growling. "Devil Boy! His command to sleep put me in here! I hate him! I hate this!"

Lorne was hanging with Adam, taking a drink as he sang a little to cheer the Devil. "Rock your body right. Backstreet's back alright!"

"Lorne. Friend."

"Oh hell yeah, I'm your besty", Lorne said happily.

Wesley found a letter from Lilah, who he had been told had left shortly after he, Faith and Matt had gone out to track Angelus.

"Hey Wes, not bothering with the proper syntax here as I just wanted to leave a message for you. As you can see, I'm gone now. Can't stand those whiny do-gooders.

And you know me, can't live without doing the evil work at night. I know the firm is gone, but the Partners are still here, and no, I don't think they care about me.

But I'm the only living member of the LA branch now, and I am valuable to them, so I just have to play my cards right to get back on top of the game, you know how much I love it there.

As for this Beastmaster, its too busy with you to care about me, best to keep it that way till I'm back on top. You be careful though, try not to die or get maimed…too much.

I'll see you around."

Wesley smirked and shook his head, keeping the letter back down. So much like Lilah, caring only about herself and wanting to get back on top while staying alive.

But he'd read between the lines and knew she did care about his well-being, and wanted him to be all right too.

A while later Wesley, Faith, Fred, Gunn and Groo were at the counter with Adam and Lorne a little away, still hanging out.

"There is only one thing we can do now", Wesley said before turning to Faith and looking at Adam. "Finish what you two started."

"You mean re-ensoul Angel", Fred noted.

"Is it possible still?" Groo wondered. "We do not have the jar with the soul."

"It's not that simple, Groo, I've been doing some research", Fred told him.

"Yeah, it was a hell of a fight to take him out, I want him saved, not killed", Faith agreed. "So we save him."

"Only problem is the pesky little soul with the jar has floated away somewhere", Lorne spoke up grimly.

"Save Angel", Adam growled from next to him.

Gunn wanted to save Angel, but things weren't looking very good yet. "There's no way to find his soul, or who took it. We just can't find a way to restore Angel. I hate to think of this, but we may have to enact his last wish. We may have to kill Angelus."

"I don't think so."

They all turned to see Willow and Tara standing at the door.

"I think you need a couple of Witches", Tara finished for her girlfriend, as the two Witches walked in and set their bags down.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Willow asked,

Wesley was surprised. "Willow? Tara?"

"You're Witches?" Groo asked in surprise.

"Yes, hi", Tara greeted him as she held out her hand. "You must be Groo, right?"

"I am the Groosalug, former champion, undefeated Champion and ruler of Pylea, now honored member of Team Angel", Groo introduced himself as he shook her hand and kissed it, and then did the same with Willow.

"I am honored to meet you two, Witches, and since you two are here to help my friend, I shall serve your every need."

Willow and Tara shared a touched look at how sweet Groo was in spite of his size and stature as Tara told him. "Your heart is as big as your muscles, you know that?"

"Thank you for your praise", Groo said with a flattered smile.

"Hey Faith", Willow greeted her friend with a hug.

"Red", Faith smiled happily as she then hugged Tara. "Tara, nice to see ya two here?"

"You all right?" Tara asked.

"Yeah, I am", Faith assured.

Fred then smiled. "Hi, Willow! Hi, Tara!"

"Hey, Fred. It's good to see you", Willow greeted her for them both before seeing Wesley. "Oh, and it's the Marlboro Man. Or at least his extra stubbly, mentally unstable, insomniac first cousin of-oh, for the love of Hecate somebody stop me."

All chuckled as Fred assured. "It's okay. I'm a yammerer from way back."

"So we've 3 adorable ladies here", Faith quipped, looking at Willow, Tara and Fred as they smiled, flattered.

Wesley asked the 2 Witches. "Are there forces gathering? Did the call of magick draw you two here?"

"Oh, no. More like the call of Fred", Willow clarified to him.

"Of course", Wesley realized. "Bring in the only living person to ever re-ensoul Angel, and another powerful Witch who is connected with her to make it easier."

Fred told him. "They have fresh brains. I thought they might see some things we missed."

Willow praised Fred. "Well, hearing the thoroughness of your research methodology, I don't think that's possible."

"Yeah, you have done a lot of legwork already", Tara agreed there.

Fred smiled. "Oh, go on."

Then the Witches saw Adam in the corner with Lorne who had baby Connor in his arms and their eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah, uhhh, he took that form to take out Angelus and some others, now he is stuck in it", Faith told the two Witches what had happened.

"Oh….right….." Willow said weirdly. "We'll do something about that after we're done with Angel."

They knew about the Devil yes, but had never seen him up this close. It was terrifying! But also intriguing!

Then Tara approached him, and Adam tilted his head and stared at her curiously like he did with new people.

"Hello." Tara said with a smile. The act caused Adam to try and so the same, curling his lips trying to smile in return, but it just looked weird as he flashed his golden fangs.

Groo informed Tara. "His name is Adam."

"Hello Adam." Willow said this time as she joined Tara's side.

"Tara." Adam spoke the name for the first time. "Willow."

He then grinned again. "Friends. Come to save Angel."

"Yes, we have", Willow assured Adam.

"Well then, hope you succeed ladies", Lorne said with a smile and they saw the baby in his arms.

"Awww, is that Connor?" Tara asked and Lorne nodded, handing him to her.

"Hello Connor, I am Tara", Tara greeted him with a smile as she rocked, cooing at him. "We're here to save your daddy."

Willow took Connor from Tara, rocking and cooing at him too. "I'm Willow, and yes we are. You just sleep tight till then, daddy will wake you up."

"He can crawl too", Faith added. "I didn't see it yet, but it can."

"That is so nice, you are going to be so great when you grow up", Tara said in a childish tone, tickling him a little as he let out a laugh.

"He is so, so adorable, if I didn't want to re-ensoul Angel before, which I did because he's my friend, I would after seeing his cute son", Willow said as all chuckled, and she handed him back to Lorne.

"Good luck", Adam wished the two Witches.

"Thanks", Tara spoke for both of them.

"Oh I know they can do it, these two are something else", Faith assured Adam.

Willow then finally got down to business. "We should probably start the debriefing. Where's Cordy?"

Gunn sighed. "Yeah, Angelus shot her with a crossbow, and she is not up for visitors."

Wesley told him. "I think she'll want to see Willow. After all, she's travelled a long way with Tara and they have a history together."

Cordelia sat propped up in bed. A knock at the door and Groo entered, leading Willow inside. "Hi there."

Cordelia smiled. "Been a while."

Groo walked out as Willow sat down on the bed with a smile. "How have you been?"

"Higher power. You?"

"Fighting some evil."

Cordelia asked. "You heard about Matt?"

Willow noted. "Yeah, stuck in Devil form."

"What about Angelus? Did you go down and see him yet?"

Willow told her. "I'm way avoidy. Too many memories. I'm just glad I don't have to be in the same room with him when I re-ensoul him with Tara."

"You really think you two can pull it off?" Cordelia asked as her hand slipped beneath the covers and closed around a butcher knife.

Willow asked. "Putting his soul back? It's the first spell I ever learned. Not gonna forget that."

Cordelia asked. "What about the muo-ping?"

Willow agreed it was a problem. "The jar holding Angel's soul? Therein lies our boneage."

Cordelia pointed out. "Stolen right from our safe. And if we can't get the soul out of the jar, we can't put it back in Angel."

Willow agreed. "Yeah, the question is, how do we get the soul out if we don't know where the jar is?"

Cordelia added. "And apparently the thing's impervious to magick."

Willow revealed. "I know. I already tried a standard locator spell but zero joy."

Under the covers, Cordelia's hand loosened on the knife. Willow was apparently not a threat after all. She said. "Right. Plus Wesley's shaman says there's no way to extract a soul from a distance."

Willow sighed. "Soul trapped in a glass jar, impervious to magick, it is complicated."

Cordelia quipped. "Tough nut to crack."

Cordelia's words sparked an idea in Willow. Cordelia saw her expression and her grip tightened on the knife again.

Willow asked. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Cordelia replied. "I doubt it."

Willow suggested. "We just break the jar!"

Cordelia indicated a glass of water on the nightstand. "Can you hand me that drink?"

Willow was caught up with inspiration and Cordelia's question didn't seem to register. "That way we don't have to magick the soul out, we just break the glass around it."

Cordelia seethed. "Great idea. I'm really thirsty."

Willow continued. "And then Angel's soul is still released into the ether and there's something called Delothrian's Arrow. We don't even need to know where the target is. Cordy, this is fantastic! We're going to get him back."

She turned and ran out, closing the door behind her. An instant later, the butcher knife slammed into the door right where Willow's head was a moment before.

Cordelia sat in her bed, seething.

Adam was now in a room, still wondering how to go back to normal as Lorne assured him. "It'll be all right, buddy. I know you'll pull through and find a balance."

He then sang to cheer Adam up. "There'll be another song for me. And I will sing it. Oh, there'll be another dream for me. Someone will bring it."

Angelus saw Angel trying to calm down baby Connor after he had first been born.

Angel made a face and silly noises. "Do you like that?" The baby continued to scream. "Well, obviously. Okay. How about this one?"

Angel pulled on his ears, made another face and silly noises. The baby continued to scream. "Okay. I only got one more in me."

Angel sighed and morphed into vamp-face. The baby looked up at him, stopped crying and after a moment his eyes start drooping. A big smile spread over Angel's face.

"Yeah, that's my little guy! You like that, don't you? A bootchee-wootchee..."

Angelus was breaking down at this point. "That face terrified ALL OF EUROPE! Now it's being used to-I can't even," it was all too much for the Vampire as he turned away and was nearly in tears.

Now it was 1973 in Houston in a donut shop. Angel walked into the empty shop, his hair long, his clothes typical 70s attire. MacArthur Park played on the jukebox as the cashier wiped down the counter.

Angel headed for the jukebox and took out some coins as Angelus watched from the corner. "Bring on the pain!"

Angel made a selection on the jukebox and a Barry Manilow ballad started playing. He closed his eyes and sighed. Disgusted, Angelus sat down in booth, then heard a buzzing near his head and swatted at the air. "This sucks. The concerts are even worse."

A man and a woman emerged from the back and head for the door, holding hands. Angel watched them, unable to help the bloodlust within him. When they were gone, he sat at the counter, his head in his hands.

"You know what that's like? Every time you get close, I feel it. Wanting to tear their flesh apart the hunger. It's like a blade in my gut!"

A robber walked in as the cashier asked. "Hi, can I help you?"

The robber pulled a gun and fired at the ceiling. "Give me your money! Give me the cash in the drawer."

"O-okay."

"Open it! Now!"

"All right, all right-I-I just have to-" The cashier reached in his pocket for the key to the register and the robber shot him through the chest.

As the cashier dropped to the floor, the robber glanced over at Angel, then bolted from the diner.

Angel got up and went around the counter to help the cashier who was gasping and choking, a bright bloom of blood on his white uniform.

"It's gonna be okay. I'll get you to a hospital. You're gonna be okay. Everything's-"

"It hurts!"

"Yeah, I know."

Angelus mocked. "Doc, I think we're losing him! God, I love this episode." He swatted at the air again as the crackling sound returned.

"What is that buzzing?"

Cordelia sat on her bed, a glowing red charm resting in her palm. "Hear me, Angelus. Heed my warning. Awaken at once. Return from the darkness."

She waited a beat. Nothing happened.

"Or just lay there and let the red-headed and brown-headed meddlers put your soul back. Whichever."

Tara dropped some herbs into a jar filled with red liquid and it started to smoke as she told Wesley. "It works."

Wesley didn't quite get it. "I thought Delothrianís Arrow was used to protect good magicks."

Willow agreed. "It is."

"So how can you use it to break the jar? The muo-ping is a sacred object. It's holy."

Willow explained to him. "It's glass, therefore crunchable."

Tara then pointed out. "The sacred is what's inside."

Wesley realized he had missed this. "Oh! The heart of all life. You two have studied the Daharim."

Willow then told him. "It had to be something specific. There's lots of jars in the world. Can't shatter 'em all. Well, I mean, you could but good things come in jars. Peanut butter, jelly, those two-headed fetal pigs at the natural history museum", she saw Wesley's look. "Come on! Everybody loves fetal pigs."

"Sorry. I think my sense of humor is trapped in a jar somewhere."

"Yeah, you seem….different", Tara said, looking concerned.

Wesley sighed. "A lot's happened. Not just Angelus. I've been…I've changed. I've seen a darkness in myself." Wesley turned to Willow. "Of course you would know."

Willow agreed. "Yeah, darkness. Been there."

"But neither of you let it define you", Tara pointed out to the two of them. "Willow is good again, and you are here with the good guys, if you were so dark, would you be here trying to help them?"

Wesley realized she had a point and nodded. "Thank you." Tara really knew how to comfort people with her heartfelt words. Willow was so lucky to have her.

Willow then asked him. "So, Fred, what's her story?"

Wesley looked away, then did a double take.

Angel comforted the cashier as his last breath slipped away. "God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The cashier went limp in his arms. Angel looked down at the blood on his uniform, then scanned the shop for witnesses. He stood up and backed away, fighting the urges within him.

"Now who's the villain, Angel? Now who's the villain?" Angelus taunted him.

Angel shook his head and moves toward the door but hesitated, looking back at the dead cashier. Angel pulled the door shut and locked it, then went back to the cashier's body.

"I'm deep in. Soul or no soul."

Angel's face shifted and he sank his fangs into the cashier, drinking deeply.

Angelus smirked as Angel raised his head from the cashier's neck with a tormented scream.

Holding a white candle, Fred walked through the lobby ringing a small bell while Willow watched. As Fred passed by, Willow corrected her posture, lifting Fred's chin. "You're good. Good bells."

Fred laughed and continues on while Willow went over to the counter where Tara, Faith, Gunn, Groo and the rest of the spell ingredients were waiting. She smiled at Tara and held up a small silver sphere about the size of a pinball.

"Okay, time to the spirit world, harness the Delothrian ebb, focus it through my little marble of doom here and we'll restore the muo-ping's entropic equilibrium."

Gunn asked. "Jar go smash?"

Tara replied for Willow. "Smash-o-crash."

"All I need to know", Gunn looked over at the monitor and Angelus lying inside the cage.

"I'll be downstairs in case the prince of darkness wakes up", Gunn said.

"Matt did put him to sleep though", Faith pointed out.

"Still, can't be too careful", Gunn shrugged as he walked off.

"He does have a point", Groo agreed.

"In the meantime, I'll try to help out Matt", Tara said as she walked to Adam and Lorne.

"So, soul work's done?" Lorne asked.

"Mostly", Tara confirmed before calling. "Hey Adam!"

Adam turned to her as she said. "Well, uhh, try to focus on your other half, it will help."

Wesley entered and asked Willow. "Are you ready?"

Willow nodded. "Should be a snap."

A bright flash of red energy suddenly erupted in front of Willow and hurled her across the length of the lobby.

"Stay your hand, Witches!"

"Willow!" Tara ran next to her to support her as Adam, Faith and Groo looked around, scanning for threats.

Cordelia held the glowing red ember in her hands again and stared deeply into it. "You two will not interfere with what must come to pass."

Tara helped Willow to her feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah", Willow nodded before chanting. "Invadoria disparu!"

"You think to banish me?"

"There's someone in my head", Willow growled.

"Come on, let's take it out together", Tara said as she and Willow held hands, trying to fight it with their combined power.

Cordelia had the muo-ping with Angel's soul in her room. "As long as the soul is under my protection, it will never be freed."

Willow and Tara looked up at the ceiling and combined their powers to fight it together. "Vetsche invadoria disparu!"

The glowing charm in Cordelia's hand disappeared with a small flash of energy, snapping Cordelia's head backward. She looked up in surprise. "Oh. I bid my thongue."

Willow ran to the corner of the room and retrieved the small silver sphere as Wesley warned her. "He's enormously powerful. It's the dead Beast's master. He contacted Angelus the same way."

Fred noted. "He wants to stop us from getting the soul."

"The Beast is down, the lady is down, so that leaves the Hand Ninja Ikari and Angelus, definitely doesn't want to lose either of them", Faith noted. "Well, don't think it can fight our 2 lovely Witches."

Willow held up her hand, the sphere resting in the center of her palm as Tara held her hand to boost her, and they began the incantation. "Open the window, fill the stone. Inside, outside, two made one." A glowing field of crimson energy surrounded the sphere and it rose up off Willow's hand, hovering in the air.

Cordelia's gaze turned cold. "You two want to go? Fine." She whipped her hand forward, sending a massive burst of energy down toward the lobby.

Willow and Tara both shrieked in agony and doubled over as Groo asked. "Are you two all right?"

"This is like another apocalypse inside the hotel!" Lorne snapped, wondering what to do as baby Connor started crying and Lorne started calming him down.

"Witches more powerful", Adam said confidently.

Willow and Tara stood back up, their hands splayed out to their sides, their eyes glowing now. "Ahlesh ashtoreth!"

The lights dimmed, a low rumbling reverberates through the building and the entire hotel shook to its foundation.

Wesley was dry. "I think they can hold their own."

A gale force wind sprung up in the lobby, blowing Willow's and Tara's hair back.

"Semsa nahl! Eresh aílahm!"

Angelus saw Angel in an alley and groaned as Angel grabbed a rat and ate it.

Angelus was angry as he paced around. "Twenty years after that stupid donut shop, and your fingers never smelled of anything but rat! "I'm so sorry. I give up. I'm gonna live in a sewer!" Why do I have to go through this again?"

"Maybe 'cause it's not about you", Angel stood up as Angelus spun around to face him, "jackass."

The hotel stopped shaking but the rumbling continued, growing louder and more ominous.

Wesley asked. "Do you feel that?"

Groo noted. "There's something evil rising in the hotel."

"Yeah, the Beastmaster", Faith sighed.

Cordelia stared at the muo-ping, her eyes a blank whiteness. "Seiza jai níhast engaiÖ Seiza jai níhast engaiÖ."

Gunn looked up at the ceiling, apprehensive, as the rumbling and groaning within the walls got louder.

A huge demonic head appeared in the air over the lobby, snarling, eyes glowing with white-hot light as Adam growled back at it.

"Ignore it!" Tara told Adam before she and Willow continued. "Find your target, leave our side!"

They thrust their arms forward and the glowing red orb shot away like a bullet. Almost immediately, the demonic apparition disappeared.

Her eyes back to normal, Cordelia realized her spell did not work. "Okay, then. Huge floaty head not enough to scare you? Then why don't we try-"

The sphere suddenly whipped into the room and shot straight toward the muo-ping. Cordelia's hand flew up and she stopped it inches from the glass jar. She held her hand out palm-first and the sphere hovered in place, straining to get to the jar but held back by Cordelia's force of will.

"And now they are on my last nerve!" Cordelia summoned her energy and pushed the sphere away from the muo-ping.

Willow and Tara fought back, using their own formidable powers to counter-act Cordelia's spell.

"Maybe we should use a little more", Tara suggested.

"Right", Willow agreed as they held hands and Eldritch energy poured out of their hands. "Geth na haroth, Castellum tol! Break the glass!"

The Eldritch magic from both Willow and Tara was not something Cordelia was prepared for as the sphere slammed into the muo-ping, shattering it and releasing Angel's soul.

Cordelia stared at the broken jar in shock. "Oh shit!"

Angelus was outraged. "I don't believe this! You're the one behind this whole true-Hollywood sob-story?"

"Yes."

"I'll finish you off!"

Both Angel and Angelus declared at the same time. "I've been waiting a long time for this."

Angel and Angelus started fighting. Angel knocked Angelus down but he got back up.

Angel kicked Angelus who blocked, then dodged some blows and grabbed Angel by the neck. "Always so concerned with the human condition", he threw Angel down the alley. "It's no big mystery, man. They suffer, they die. That's what they're there for."

Angel lunged at Angelus, tossing him down and throwing him into some trash cans.

Angelus snarled as he decked Angel twice, then threw him across the alley. "This is for the Barry Manilow concerts, you son of a bitch!"

A rip appeared in Cordelia's room and now Ikari was there. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Do you want to kill Daredevil?" Cordelia asked and Ikari nodded. "Well then, kill Angelus who is downstairs in the basement."

"Then what?"

"I can give you Daredevil's name."

At this point, Ikari had no choice but to swallow his pride, and so he nodded. "Fine."

He then quickly walked out of the room, doing his best to avoid detection."

The Orb of Thesulah rested on the counter surrounded by candles within a sacred circle. Wesley stood to one side and waved burning incense over the orb. Fred stood on the other with an open book of spells. "So now Angel's soul is just floating around out there?"

"Yeah, until we can channel it into the Orb of Thesulah", Willow explained and turned to Tara and Fred. "Ready when you two are."

"Come on", Tara said as she chanted. "Give me power, allow me to protect, let me scour, and there be no disconnect!"

A mystical barrier appeared around Willow to protect her from any more attacks as Tara urged. "Do it! Now!"

Fred nodded and started to read. "Quod perditum est, invenietur."

Willow chanted with her. "Nici mort, nici al finitei, te invoc spirit al trecerii."

Angelus threw Angel away and kicked him into trash cans.

Angelus then picked up Angel, only to be punched twice. Angel dodged a punch, then knocked Angelus down.

Angelus knocked Angel down with a trash can, annoyed. "You disgust me!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth", Angel sneered.

Willow continued with the incantation. Her eyes were obsidian now, the power flowing through her, building. "Te implor, Doamne, nu ignora aceasta rugaminte. Lasa orbita sa fie vasul care-i va transporta, sufletul a el."

A cut appeared on Tara's cheek as the Beastmaster was now trying to get through her to stop Willow.

"I'm fine! Carry on!" Tara urged when suddenly Adam started roaring while grabbing his head.

"What's the matter?" Faith asked him.

"Help…..Witches!" Adam said with a growl, trying to find a balance.

Angel blocked Angelus' blows and tossed him away, knocking him down and said. "I drunk, it doesn't get much worse than that. But my time is never up, know that."

"Oh save me the redemption talk", Angelus scoffed as he got back up.

The orb began to glow as Willow chanted. "Este secris aceasta putere. Este dreptul poporuil meu de a conduce."

Cordelia did a motion with her hand again to try to get to Willow.

Another small cut appeared on Tara's cheek as she defended Willow with her power, while Adam staggered around.

Faith though she heard something from the basement and without a word, rushed downstairs.

Gunn was standing guard when he suddenly turned to see Ikari, and before he could react, Ikari knocked him out.

Angelus knocked Angel away with a metal pipe twice before Angel kicked him back.

The orb glowed brightly like a miniature son as Willow chanted. "Asa sa fie, acum."

Angelus and Angel started to glow and combine into one being.

In the basement, the chained Angel was mumbling to himself with Ikari kneeling over him. "I will keep you away forever."

"I will do that for you", Ikari shrugged as he lifted his sword to decapitate Angel.

Faith grabbed Ikari's wrist from behind, stopping him from killing Angel.

"Break me off a switch, son", she threw Ikari against the cage wall. "There's about to be a whoppin'."

Ikari punched Faith, and she elbowed his face before tossing him out of the cage as the sword dropped. He rushed her but she grabbed the cage's top and kicked him back.

He then got back up as they faced each other. "A Slayer."

"You sound scared."

"Trust me, I'm not." Ikari calmly rebuked her, circling around, but Faith matched his movements.

"Over the years, Slayers have come and gone like leaves in the wind. Some have even been welcomed into our order."

"Slayers working for you crazy ninja bastards? I knew they weren't the most independent gals, but seriously?"

"There were few of note that did not fall under the Watcher's thrall, even fewer shown the hard path of the Chaste, and the rare few, the enlightened, taken into the grasp of the Hand, to obtain a gift no Slayer has ever known before...immortality."

Faith remained silent as they continued to circle one another, Faith ready to pounce, but Ikari seemed relaxed, too much so for her liking, he hadn't even turned his body to face her yet.

"Lady Alexandra enjoyed having a Slayer by her side. She grew...close, to those who joined us, but they never lasted, as Murakami-sensei often told her."

Ikari finally stopped and turned to stare at the latest Slayer.

"Thanks for the history lesson, but never was interested in the olden days."

"I figured you would enjoy information of your past lives, before you join them in death."

And then Ikari threw some punches that Faith blocked as he blocked a kick and tried to punch but she ducked and got on his other side and they both deflected each other's kicks.

Faith blocked two more strikes and kicked Ikari's chest, sending him down but he got back up. She threw a punch, then spun to kick which he dodged and tried to spin kick but she blocked and decked his chest before hitting his face and tried to kick again as he got on her other side.

She tried to punch but now he grasped her arm and decked her face, but she blocked the next two and elbowed him in a spin motion.

She then grabbed him and kneed him thrice before he grasped her knee and flipped her down, but she rolled away to avoid his kick.

She got up and blocked some blows before giving an uppercut and kicked him away. He rolled and got back up, blocking 2 kicks and now giving Faith an uppercut and a punch.

Faith dodged two more blows and grabbing his face, kneed his chest twice before he freed himself with a flip, surprising Faith at how he was keeping up with her, a physically stronger and faster opponent, a Slayer, with simply his skill and experience.

Faith tried to punch but he side-stepped, grasped her arm, decked her chest and face and then kicked her away with a flip, sending her down to the ground…..right at the feet of Matt!

She stood up, seeing Matt was back, in his Daredevil suit.

"You're back?" She asked, overjoyed.

"We found a balance", Matt assured as they shared a kiss, and he turned to Ikari, who was ready to fight more.

"Shall I kick his ass for you?" Faith asked.

"I'm sure you can do it, but I think I have to do this", Matt pointed and Faith nodded, conceding, since it was his duty to take down the Hand.

Faith then stepped back as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and the Fury of the Hand squared off, with the top door opening as Lorne ran in with Wesley, Fred and Groo. "They just came here! And….its the Hand guy!"

"Stay back, its his fight", Faith told them all.

Matt wasn't going to let Ikari's hypocrisy slide here.

"You betrayed your own code by fighting with demons. Why? Nobu was a man of honor, even if he was a member of the Hand. He would never betray their code like this."

"Do not speak to me of the Hand! You know nothing of us. Of me." Ikari said emotionally, and showed that his loyalty to the Hand was more than just blind devotion or brainwashing. He was loyal to the people who raised him. "I was promised your name, and a means to destroy you, and your allies. I would have vengeance for my masters."

"The Hand is dead. As is the Chaste. The war is over."

"Not while one of us still breathes."

Then Matt unstrapped his helmet, and finally shows his face to a wide eyed Ikari.

"The Old Man of the Chaste." He muttered to himself, since he'd done his research around the Defenders, and knew of Matt Murdock's involvement and friendship with them, but he never imagined a blind lawyer was Daredevil, he just thought Matt was there to help them legally.

"So, the blind warrior had a disciple all this time, in the form of their greatest adversary. How poetic it has come to this."

Ikari took off his own mask, both men's faces now exposed.

"Now, let us begin."

And he entered his stance.

"No, now it ends."

The two charged and circled each other as Matt punched Ikari's face, sending him back, then tried to punch but Ikari blocked, and he tried to punch back as Matt ducked and spun away to avoid a kick before trying to kick which Ikari blocked.

Matt threw 2 more punches that were blocked and then Ikari grabbed his arm and kicked his abdomen, but Matt freed himself and decked Ikari's abdomen before getting a punch to the chest and face in return.

Matt then elbowed Ikari's knee and elbowed him back before trying to punch and spin kick which Ikari dodged and punched Matt twice before spin kicking his chest as he was sent back.

Matt now charged with a few more punches that Ikari blocked and punched back before kicking, and then he tried to spin kick but Matt backed to dodge it and blocked 3 kicks before ducking and spinning to avoid a spin kick.

Matt then tried to punch but Ikari blocked before Matt blocked one too, and Ikari punched his face before being kicked back. Matt tried to spin kick but Ikari avoided and spin kicked his face, sending him back.

Willow and Tara now arrived to look at the whole scene too as the fight continued.

Ikari leapt with a spin kick which Matt blocked, then decked Ikari's chest and face before being kicked back again. Ikari then kicked Matt's chest before being decked on the face. They grabbed each other as Ikari kneed Matt thrice but Matt did a flip and pinned Ikari to the ground, punching him twice.

Ikari freed himself and pinned Matt down, punching his shoulder but Matt elbowed him back and tried to get up when Ikari leapt at him and grabbed him in a chokehold, the two struggling.

Matt then threw them both down as Ikari's back hit the ground, and Matt elbowed him twice before rolling up and punched his chest many times before being kicked back.

Ikari flipped up and charged Matt and just as he got up, Ikari spin kicked his face, sending him flipping to the ground again.

Matt rolled and getting up, tried to kick but Ikari dodged and decked his abdomen, and then his face, sending him down, and stomped on his back with his foot.

Matt tried to get up as Ikari grabbed his face and picking him up, hit his back multiple times before Matt spun and both of them were on the ground.

Matt then punched Ikari's chest twice but was blocked the third time and sent away. Ikari then got up and charged with a kick but Matt blocked and punched his feet twice before getting up and getting an elbow.

Ikari then decked Matt's abdomen and getting behind him, elbowed his back and kicked him away. Matt turned back to Ikari, blocking and dodging some blows, then elbowed his abdomen and punched his face twice before blocking his blow and punching his abdomen twice. Matt then tried to spin kick which Ikari ducked to avoid but Matt punched his abdomen and face and kicked him back, then with a spin kick, knocked him down.

Angel had gotten back up during that time, and staggered up, seeing the whole thing and the reactions of the others as he told them. "This is why the Hand were so feared. Their warriors were unrelenting, they feared nothing, and they had one focus, kill whatever their masters bid."

Matt then flipped up and as Ikari staggered up, Matt leapt and kicked his chest, sending him back again. Ikari tried to punch as Matt blocked and punched his face, then his chest and then his face again, sending him away.

He then growled, ducking and backing to avoid a spin kick from Ikari, and then punched his face twice before giving him an uppercut, and kicked his chest, sending him back again.

Ikari tried to throw a kick but Matt blocked and punched him back, then dodging 2 more punches, punched his side, and gave two punches to his face before punching him so hard he spat out blood. Before he could recover, Matt flip kicked him down.

Matt was then top of Ikari, an arm blade prepared to stab down. Ikari stared back defiantly, prepared for his end, but what happened next shocked and angered him.

"I won't kill you." The arm blade retracted and Daredevil got up and walked away.

Ikari made a move to attack, but stopped when his own sword stabbed him all the way from the back.

"But that doesn't mean I have to save you."

The blade was pulled out. Ikari fell to his knees as Faith raises the sword, he looked up at her, then she beheaded him with his own sword.

Faith then smiled at Matt as they approached each other, and she cupped his cheek as they kissed and embraced.

When they separated, Matt heard Stick's voice say. "Good job, Matty."

At last, the last member of the Hand had been defeated by the last member of the Chaste.

Matt and Faith then turned to Angel who looked at them happily and with some remorse, and then the Devil and Slayer reunited with the Vampire in a joyful embrace.

"Look, daddy is here", Lorne said as he walked down with baby Connor, handing him to Angel who looked at his son with a smile.

"Hey buddy, daddy's back."

Faith and Matt came outside to talk to Angel. "Hey."

Angel asked. "How're you two feeling?"

Faith quipped. "Like I did mushrooms and got eaten by a bear."

"Like I was trying to find a balance with the Devil", Matt shrugged.

Angel agreed. "That about sums it up."

"Yep."

Inside, Tara was grim as Willow, who was cleaning and covering her wounds, asked her. "What happened?"

"When I used my energy to protect you, I also used it to try and track down where the Beastmaster was coming from", Tara revealed, and Willow's eyes narrowed.

"And?"

"It succeeded."

Willow was surprised as she asked Tara. "Where did it come from?"

Tara looked up at Willow and with a deep breath, revealed. "Cordelia's room."

As Angel, Matt and Faith walked in, Willow and Tara turned to them as Willow called out. "Hey guys!"

"Yeah", Angel asked as the three walked to the Witches. "Thank you for what you two did for me, I can't even-"

"Oh don't mention it", Tara assured before turning grim. "I tried to track down the Beastmaster's power."

"Did you?" Matt asked.

"It came from Cordelia's room", Tara revealed, shocking all three of them.

"What? What do you mean?" Matt asked. "Cordelia is….how can it be?"

"Yeah, that's impossible", Faith agreed.

"It's not Cordelia, I sensed it, something is possessing her, its dark and evil, and it seems like it has been on her for a long time", Tara revealed, now shocking all three of them.

"It…..it makes sense", Angel realized. "She was with us the whole time. She stole my soul, and from within the room, she can do whatever she wants while using her wound as an excuse."

"And she used some magic to prevent me from listening", Matt realized.

"So, she's possessed, we can save her, right?" Faith asked.

"We'll try our best to get into her head and save her", Willow agreed just as "Cordelia" walked down and they all turned to look at her.

"Cordelia" saw the looks Matt, Angel, Faith, Willow and Tara were giving her and asked. "What? My leg got better now!"

Faith slowly inched towards the weapons cabin as Lorne asked the five. "What is it? You seem grim?"

"She's possessed!" Matt called out to the rest of them. "The Power possessing her is the Beastmaster! Tara read her aura, she knows!"

"Cordelia's" smug expression fell as now she got angry. "Oh crap, didn't realize that Willow's girlfriend was a soulreader. I really don't have time for this anymore."

She raised her hand as Matt and Faith were blown backwards.

"Bloody hell!" Wesley said in horror as he turned to Fred, who had Connor in her arms. "Keep him away!"

Fred nodded and backed off as Gunn and Groo charged "Cordelia" but were sent off too, when Willow and Tara held hands and chanted, glowing with Eldritch energy as a fireball hurled by "Cordelia" was dissipated.

Angel rushed her but she withdrew a bottle of holy water, smashing it in his face as he was forced back.

Wesley withdrew a gun in case things got too out of hand but a simple gesture made his hand hit the wall nearby, dropping gun as he was thrown back too along with Lorne.

Willow and Tara chanted together, Eldritch whips coming out of their palms and binding "Cordelia" as she was forced to her knees, while the rest recovered.

"What do we do now?" Faith asked as she, Willow, Tara, Matt and Angel made their way to the bound "Cordelia".

"We will have to get into her mind", Tara suggested as she and Willow held hands and put the other ones around the possessed woman's head, chanting again, with Matt, Angel and Faith near them.

Suddenly, a bright glow enveloped the Wicca couple, Vampire, Slayer, Devil and the Beastmaster and when it was gone, all six of them were unconscious.

"What happened?" Fred asked as Wesley, Gunn and Groo ran to the six.

"They're alive", Gunn assured as he checked their pulses.

"And?" Lorne asked.

"I believe they are doing something", Wesley assured them all.

"Something to save Cordelia from what is possessing her", Groo said firmly with a nod.

Willow, Tara, Matt, Faith and Angel found themselves in a different Dimension, it glowed dark, clearly the home of this Power.

Matt then heard a familiar voice and called out. "Cordelia?"

"Where is she?" Angel asked as Matt followed the whispers and all of them came across Cordelia.

"Cordy, its us!" Willow called out but she didn't register their presence, she was just looking around fearfully and muttering nonsense to herself while hugging her knees to her chest.

"Cordy", Angel slowly walked to her.

"She can't hear you!"

They turned around to see a beautiful dark-skinned woman with an evil look in her eyes marching to them. "Because her spirit belongs to me now, as does her body."

"Who are you?" Faith asked, prepared to fight.

"Oh honey, I am the Beastmaster!"

Chapter Text

"So its you", Angel snarled at the Beastmaster, who just smirked calmly. "What are you?"

The Beastmaster paced around, her hands raised. "I am what you people call a 'Power That Be', or I used to be."

That came as a surprise as Matt asked. "You were a Power before?"

"I decided to leave those pitiful cowards and bring about peace on Earth", the Beastmaster revealed.
"They didn't like it and my power was reduced."

"Peace on Earth? And using the body of an innocent woman, unleashing a Beast and a rain of fire, unleashing Angelus, that's your idea of peace?" Tara asked, feeling anger and disgust at this thing, which was rare.

"That's all part of my plan for the greater good", the Beastmaster shrugged. "I first conquered a different Dimension as a rehearsal, they were pitiful and weak, and then I watched all of you for a long time, to use something to my advantage."

"And I'm guessing you found something", Willow realized as the Beastmaster smirked.

"I can have some minor influence even from here, one of my followers told Sahjhan about the prophecy that a child born of 2 Vampires shall be his head", the Beastmaster dropped a revelation.

"So that's how he knew", Angel realized. "Why? What did my son do to you?"

"He was part of my plan, but you ruined it", she turned to Matt, "when you brought him back, so I had to change some things, but you still ruined it."

"So, what is your plan now?" Faith asked her.

"As you can see, Cordelia's body has become a portal between my Dimension and Earth", the Beastmaster pointed out to them.

"Yeah, that's why trying to get into her mind brought us here", Tara noted grimly.

"So I shall use this Dimension's energy and flood Cordelia's body with it, destroying that and her soul, and that shall allow me to have a physical form in your Dimension, where my allure and mind control works, and then humanity shall fall before me, and we will have peace in our time."

All of them exchanged horrified looks at her plan as Angel, shaking in rage, sneered. "You…you used Cordy to do things she'd never even….you're going to pay."

"Who's going to do that? You lot? I may not be a Power anymore, but none of you can stand against me, and besides, you are in my world now", the Beastmaster shrugged as she fired a blast of magic but Willow deflected it in time, and her eyes glowed.

"Let's test that", Willow smirked as she fired a blast of magic and the Beastmaster put up a barrier to block, and both gritted their teeth, trying to overpower each other before there was a blast as both parties staggered back a little.

Matt growled, trying to transform, as some Hellfire erupted from him, but he failed to transform, to his shock.

"I thought you two had found your balance", Faith said in surprise.

"It's not him, its me, you're in my Dimension, you think I wouldn't take care to cut you off from your power if I brought you here?" The Beastmaster asked with a taunting smirk.

She fired a fireball but Tara conjured a white light of magic and hurled it back as the two balls destroyed each other.

"I'll handle her, go help Matt", Willow told Tara.

"You sure baby?" Tara asked her.

"She's not alone", Angel assured as he and Faith stepped up next to Willow.

"Go", Faith assured as Tara walked to Matt, grasping his shoulder, trying to read his aura to see what exactly she could do to coax Adam out of him here.

Angel then flipped at the Beastmaster, coming up in front of her, and threw two punches, which slightly affected her, but she was still a lot more powerful as she lifted Angel by the throat and threw him off.

Next moment, Faith slid up to her, kicking her feet as she staggered, then kicked Faith away as well, and in that moment, Willow fired a powerful blast of magic at her.

Angel and Faith had just been distractions.

The blast was powerful enough to hurl the Beastmaster away by many feet as she fell to the ground, groaning and growling, before getting back up, glaring at them all.

"Guess we can fight you", Willow shrugged.

"Same trick won't help you twice, insects", the Beastmaster snarled as she raised her hands, and then figures of darkness appeared all around them, snarling and staggering, and then they rushed at them all, their intent clear.

"Can you take on her alone?" Faith asked Willow.

"I can try", Willow assured.

"We'll deal with them, you deal with her", Angel said and Willow nodded.

With that, Angel backhanded one of the minions before kicking another back, and blocked a third's blow before decking his face and sending him off too, as Faith swept one's feet from under him and then spin kicked another away, and flipped a third one to the ground.

"Come on Adam, you're needed", Matt growled, trying to reach through to him.

Tara put her hands on either side of his head and tried to look for Adam. "He is inside, struggling to break out, you two need to be in phase, and then different Dimension won't be much of a problem."

"I'm trying", Matt assured as both of them continued trying.

In the meantime, Angel was grabbed in a chokehold by one minion but elbowed him away, then grabbing another, smashed him to the ground and slammed his head multiple times.

Faith slid behind one and kicked him away before doing a cartwheel to avoid the next, and kicked his feet, taking him down as well before elbowing another on the face in a spin motion.

The Beastmaster raised her hands as powerful winds blew all around, staggering them all away and she snarled. "Like I said, you're in my world, so here we play by my rules."

At Hyperion, Team Angel had laid the unconscious bodies of Willow, Tara, Matt, Faith, Angel and Cordelia on the ground of the lobby as Fred noted. "Wherever they are, it must not be very good."

"They are trying to battle the Beastmaster itself, good is not an option", Wesley sighed.

"So, what do we do till then?" Gunn wondered.

"I believe looking after their bodies is the best course of action until they succeed in taking down the Beastmaster", Groo suggested.

"Yeah, not much else we can do, we're not good enough at magic to go wherever they went", Lorne sighed. "At least we know how the big bad has been one step ahead of us this whole time."

"It was in Cordelia all along", Wesley sounded angry at how it had tried to use her. "Using her for it gain, Cordelia would never betray us like this. This Beastmaster, whoever it is, he needs to pay for what he has done to her."

"It's a she actually."

They turned to see a giant Demon in bronze armor suddenly appear in the lobby. "Skip, powerful Demon, at your service."

"Cordelia's guide", Wesley remembered the name. "You've been in on this from the start, haven't you?"

"Huh? Here I thought you were all dupes", Skip said before suddenly unsheathing a dagger from his wrist. "Too bad, you're all gonna be bloody goops."

He knocked Lorne away first, sending him to a corner before charging with his blade.

"Protect the bodies! And Fred, keep Connor away!" Wesley ordered as he, Gunn and Groo rolled away to avoid while Fred ran off to a corner with Connor in her arms.

Groo and Gunn then picked up a sword and ax respectively and charged but the weapons deflected off of Skip's armor as he knocked Gunn away and tried to strike Groo who dodged but struck again, only to be kicked away.

Wesley then took out a sword and struck but Skip was unaffected and knocked Wesley away as well. He then took out his gun and fired but Skip, instead of dodging, made a show of deflecting the bullets with his armor.

"Do those things ever work?" Skip asked before turning to the unconscious bodies, ready to kill all but Cordelia to help his master, when suddenly Groo rushed him and rammed into him with all of his strength, sending them both rolling away.

Groo was then top of Skip and punched him multiple times but Skip was barely phased and kicked Groo away.

"You know, you people are really annoying. Which is gonna make this even more fun", Skip snarled as he brought his dagger down on Groo but he rolled away to avoid, and he rolled away to avoid again before Gunn struck him from behind with his ax, though he was still not affected at all.

Skip turned to Gunn, annoyed, and lifted him up by the throat. "You know? I'm trying to work here."

He threw Gunn off and turned back to Groo who had stood up again, ready to face him.

The Beastmaster raised her hands as tendrils suddenly sprouted from everywhere and trapped Willow, tying her hands and feet and holding her up as she struggled to get free but failed.

"It doesn't need to be like this", the Beastmaster said as she marched to them. "The world can be at peace, some have to be sacrificed, but there will be no wars, not even any arguments, under me. Why are you destroying this chance?"

Angel and Faith were trying to fight off her minions but there were too many and they were getting overwhelmed slowly.

"You are all humans, you cannot rule yourselves, you make matters worse, let me guide you to Paradise", the Beastmaster offered. "And the world shall live happily ever after."

Willow struggled but failed when Tara took a break from helping Matt and called out to her. "Willow, don't use your head, use your heart!"

And so Willow did, flashing through many happy memories-

Willow hung out with Xander and Jesse as kids.

Buffy befriended Willow.

Buffy, Willow and Xander talked about how messed up their romantic lives were going to be.

Oz told Willow she kissed him back in his fantasy, and she fell in love with him in that moment.

Willow kissed Oz as they started their relationship.

Buffy and Willow jokingly traded insults after Buffy came back.

Willow and Oz got back together on Christmas.

Buffy, Angel, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Oz, Giles and Wesley all together at the prom.

Willow slept with Oz.

Willow and Tara used their combined power to save themselves from the Gentlemen.

Tara told Willow she was hers.

Willow told Tara she was with the person she loved- Tara!

Willow and Tara played with Miss Kitty Fantastico.

The Scooby Gang drove Tara's abusive blood kin away after standing up for her.

Willow and Tara hover-danced together at the Bronze.

Wong trained Willow in using magic, helping her come to terms with it.

Willow reunited with Tara during the Battle of Earth.

Tara sang 'Under Your Spell' to Willow as they made love.

Buffy, Willow, Tara, Dawn, Spike, Matt, Peter, Giles, Faith, Xander and Anya at the latter two's wedding.

Willow now clutched her fists as the energy of the Power Stone flowed through her, and then some energy of the Space Stone emanated from her, spreading around the Dimension as the Beastmaster looked around in shock.

Glowing with purple energy of the Power Stone, Willow snarled. "You should not have taken over my friend's body and made her do things she would never even dream of."

And then her power destroyed the tendrils around as she flew at the Beastmaster, using her enhanced strength to grab her by the throat, and they rammed through a structure, with Willow roaring as she punched the Beastmaster's face with her glowing hand, destroying some portion and revealing her face was filthy and infested with maggots.

She then punched the Beastmaster again, ramming her into a structure, and pinned her there, hitting her a few more times.

Angel and Faith were slowly getting overwhelmed when Matt got an idea. "Faith!"

"Yeah?" Faith called out.

"The Beastmaster in Cordelia's body tried to kiss and have sex with me", Matt revealed, shocking both Faith and Angel.

"And that didn't tip you off?" Angel asked.

"I thought her mind was jumbled due to her memories just returning", Matt defended himself, and Angel realized he couldn't blame Matt there.

Matt then told Faith. "I rejected her of course, because I love you, but she did try to come onto me."

"The bitch", Faith snarled in rage, and punched one minion so hard he was sent flying off by many feet, and then kicked another away in a spin motion before grabbing another by the neck and snapping it.

As one more charged her, she spun, grabbed its arm, and flipped it over her shoulder at 3 more of them, taking them all out.

One more charged her but Faith leapt up and did a bicycle kick, sending it flying off into two more as they were all down while she landed.

"Well, they're dealt with", Tara shrugged about the minions.

Angel took Vamp face and punched another minion away before backhanding another in a spin motion, and leaping at one, jumped from that one and kicked another one away before taking that one out by snapping his neck.

Willow and the Beastmaster were still battling while flying around as Willow punched Beastmaster back, destroying another structure, and they continued struggling before Beastmaster managed to land one blow, sending Willow back too.

She punched again and Willow was sent to the ground as Beastmaster turned into dark energy to come at her when Willow fired Space Stone energy and it destroyed the Beastmaster's energy form, turning her back to normal as Willow flew at her and their airborne battle continued.

"It's coming", Matt said. "Keep going Tara."

Tara chanted as Matt's muscles expanded a little while his teeth started turning into fangs, and claws came out of his fingers, and his eyes and Hell-Mark glowed with the power as well.

Willow punched Beastmaster twice, and drawing this own Dimension's energy towards her, held out her hands as the shockwave sent the Beastmaster flying off and crashing to the ground.

"Using my own Dimension's energy…..you", Beastmaster roared angrily as she turned giant suddenly, to everyone's horror, and tried to stomp onto Willow, but she used the Power Stone's energy to enhance her physical strength and held up her hands, stopping the foot and holding it back while gritting her teeth, as the two struggled against each other.

"Come on Matt, it's close, just about to burst out", Tara told him as Matt continued growling.

Suddenly, Eldritch energy hit the Beastmaster from both sides, making her scream in pain as she staggered back, and then dark red metallic bands were conjured than grabbed her by the neck and pulled so hard she fell down, shaking the whole Dimension from the impact.

All looked up to see Stephen Strange had arrived, and he hovered down next to Willow.

"Strange!" Willow greeted him happily, and tried to hug him, but then went through him.

"This is just my astral form, Willow", Strange told her.

"What happened to your body?" Faith asked as she stomped the face of another minion with her boot.

"I am sure you all have been told that I was facing something called Nightmare", Strange reminded and they nodded. "Well, in a battle against it, I lost a lot of my power and now my astral form is going from Dimension to Dimension, trying to regain my power before I take Nightmare out."

"So, how strong are you right now?" Angel asked as he snapped another minion's neck while hurling it away into a corner.

"Well, at my full power, this Beastmaster is a joke, like her final goal", Strange quipped. "But as I am right now, I cannot defeat her by myself, all of must take her out together. Come on."

The Beastmaster, back to normal size, staggered up and snarled. "Sorcerer Supreme! I shall end you here so you do not interfere with my plans later."

"Even if it succeeds, it won't last, the Asgardians are immune to you, Thor Odinson will destroy you either way, and without any Mystics, Dormammu is free to come to Earth, and you don't stand much of a chance against him, some brains you have for a Higher Power. Oh wait, they're all dumb, and you're the dumbest of all", Strange shrugged as Beastmaster roared in anger and charged him.

Strange and Willow chanted together, pulling the Dimension's energy towards themselves with their powers before manipulating it into pure Eldritch energy, and hurled powerful blasts of magic at the Beastmaster together, making her scream in pain as she was sent flying back and crashing to the ground, and then rolling away.

Strange then flew to her and as she staggered up, he decked her face. "Other beings like you can still feel me even when I'm out of my body."

He then elbowed her in a spin motion before kicking her side, and she staggered away before grabbing his face and throwing him off, but Willow used the opportunity to hit her with Power Stone magic, sending her crashing away again.

As she staggered up, Willow used Space Stone magic to try to bind her as the Beastmaster screamed in pain from the agony this amount of power was causing her.

The Beastmaster eventually let out a scream and then another tendril appeared behind Willow, trying to hit her and she used her power to destroy it, but the Beastmaster used that opportunity to get free.

Groo kneed Skip in the gut but he was unaffected and sent Groo flying off, as Lorne woke up. "Good Lord, something in bronze hit me."

"It's there", Fred said as she pointed and Lorne watched in horror.

Gunn tried to hit with his ax again and was sent flying off, and then Wesley fired with his shotgun but Skip was still unaffected and he kicked Wesley away.

Then he walked to Matt, raising his dagger. "Goodbye Devil, even you couldn't stand against a Higher Power."

In that moment, Skip was sent flying off and crashed to the ground, then looked up and was shocked to see who was standing in front of him.

"Unfinished business, skullshit." Stick cracked his knuckles while Skip stood back up.

"Bring it on, gramps."

"Who are you?" Wesley asked Stick.

"Name's Stick."

"Matt's mentor?" Gunn asked.

"Attaboy."

Skip charged but Stick flipped up and getting behind him, used his energy in his kick to hurl Skip to the other side as he crashed again, and as he staggered up, Groo grabbed onto him, the two struggling before Skip threw him off.

"Oh you goddamn ghost I'm going to-"

Skip was cut off when Stick rammed into him again and he was sent down, groaning.

"Okay, you can continue hitting me, but in that form, it's impossible for you to kill me, you know that, right?" Skip asked Stick as he staggered back up.

"Well, let's see about that", Stick shrugged as Skip charged him but got an uppercut, and then a flip kick right to his chin which sent him hurling up into the air before crashing back down as Stick cracked his neck, then punched Skip away again as he staggered back up.

"For someone looking like that, you go down easy", Stick shrugged as Skip roared in anger and charged again but was sent back when Stick started fading away.

"Oh crap!" Stick groaned.

"Well, this is gonna go on forever with old Casper right there", Lorne quipped.

"As long as Skip is on the losing side, fine with it", Fred shrugged. "Though it looks like Stick is fading."

"What's happening?" Gunn asked Stick.

"The enchantment to protect me is weakened as Doc is in a cinch, I'm fading away", Stick said as Skip got back up, slowly marching to him.

"I have an idea", Wesley then spoke up.

"What is it, Watcher?" Stick asked.

"Possess me", Wesley said as Stick turned to him in surprise. "You are a skilled ghost. I am a skilled human. If you possess me, my strength will increase, you won't have the danger of fading, and we can together kill Skip, what do you say?"

"Give you all my years of kicking Demon ass", Stick muttered, and seeing he was fading, did not say another word and flew into Wesley, now possessing him as 'Wesley' cracked his neck and knuckles.

"What more do you have, skullshit?" 'Wesley' asked in a challenging tone as Skip charged him.

'Wesley' charged and leaping, gave Skip a flip kick which sent him crashing back, and then he got up, trying to strike with his dagger, but 'Wesley' side-stepped and grabbing the dagger, broke it off before slicing Skip's wrist, then his thighs, and then his abdomen very fast as Skip screamed in pain.

Then leaping up, 'Wesley' drove the dagger through the roof of Skip's mouth, and he bled before Wesley pulled the dagger out and jumped down, as the bronze armored giant Demon fell to the ground, making the building shake from the impact.

Skip was dead!

"You two did it", Groo said as Stick came out of Wesley, and Wesley staggered back, gasping, and then noticed Skip was dead.

Looking at Stick, the former Watcher said. "Thank you."

"I used to think you Watchers are blind bookworm cocksuckers", Stick quipped as he looked at Wesley. "You're not."

Looking at them all he said. "Time to go."

And with that, he disappeared from there as without Strange's enchantment protecting him, he couldn't stay at one place for too long.

"Well, the flunky is dead", Gunn sighed.

"And that'd leave the big bad Master", Lorne noted as they looked at the unconscious bodies.

Willow and Strange used their power to defend themselves from the Beastmaster, and then Willow blasted the Beastmaster back with her power.

As Beastmaster staggered up, Strange used an Eldritch whip, pulling her slowly to her knees before she used her powers to destroy it as Strange hovered in the air, knowing he and Willow just had to hold the Beastmaster back long enough for-

"It's done", Tara then said as Matt transformed into Adam in a tornado of Hellfire, and now all of the Beastmaster's minions froze in fear at the sight of him.

Taking advantage of their fear, Faith and Angel together beat down many more, killing most of them.

"Thanks, Tara", Adam thanked the Witch.

"You're welcome", Tara told him with a smile as Adam turned to the Beastmaster, whose eyes were now wide in horror.

Then, in a parallel to the Beast, Adam kneeled to the ground and slammed his fist. Only, instead of raining fire, the Dimension slowly turned into an actual Hellish Dimension, killing all the minions, horrifying the Beastmaster even more.

"No! NO!" She screamed. "This is impossible! This is supposed to be my Dimension! How could you-"

"There's always bigger fish", Strange shrugged to her. "In this case, its him."

Adam then grabbed the Beastmaster by the throat and with a roar, flew with her through Dimensions.

"Where did he go?" Faith asked Strange.

"To give her what she deserves", Strange said before he turned to the four of them. "Well, since she is taken out, its time for me to go."

"Thanks for the help", Willow told him gratefully as he nodded.

"Hope you get back in your body soon", Tara added.

"I will", Strange assured her.

"What about Cordy?" Angel inquired.

"I am sure you can bring her back", Strange assured Angel. "Not everything's about power, some things are about love."

And with that, he disappeared as all realized it was time to save Cordelia now.

"Abaddon, my boy! Oh how I have missed you! And you come home with a gift," Mephisto clutched the space where a human heart would be as Adam stood with the Beastmaster in his grip, "I'm getting that proud feeling again."

"Not Abaddon. Adam now." Adam told him as he threw the Beastmaster to his "father's" feet. She looked up at the infinitely more powerful Devil, whose usual malicious smirk turned even more dastardly before snapping his fingers, making her disappear.

"Meh, tomato, tomahto, you are still my son, no matter how much you or that human try to deny it."

"Human. Brother." Adam spread his wings and flew through dimensions.

Mephisto sighed disappointedly before turning to his latest torture edition, the Beastmaster, now chained to two pillars, making her limbs spread in an "X" shape.

"I at least have to give it to my boy, he does bring the most spectacular new victims. Now," Mephisto's smirk widened even further that it threatened to expose his true demonic appearance, and scared the immortal existence out of the Beastmaster. "Where shall I begin?"

And then the Beastmaster screamed in agony like she had experienced never before as her eternal torture in Mephisto's Dimension began, and since she was a former Power That Be, it was even sweeter for the Hell Lord.

Adam flew back into the Beastmaster's Dimension, turning back into Matt as Tara asked. "Beastmaster?"

"Mephisto's permanent guest", Matt shrugged as they sighed in relief.

"We did it", Faith smiled as she and Matt kissed.

"Yeah, we all did", Matt agreed as then they walked to where Cordelia was, still unaware of their presence as she hugged her knees and whispered fearfully to herself.

"Cordy. - Do you remember me?" Angel squatted down beside her. "Angel?"

Cordelia looked up and scrambled away from him on all fours. "No. I'm afraid."

Cordy went to cower in a corner. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid."

Angel slowly walked over to her "Shh. Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

"I'm fine. Fine. One seven one. One seven one. You'll see. You'll see, one seven one. My head doesn't hurt." Cordelia held her head in her hands. "My head doesn't hurt. Now I'm warm. My head doesn't hurt."

"You don't remember me, do you?" Angel asked sadly.

"I was there. I wanted to die. But - but I was - was afraid to die. So afraid to die. One seven one." Cordelia repeated the number over and over.

"Shh, Cordy, it's okay. Everything is gonna be okay."

"It was my fault. I was there. I couldn't do anything. There was nothing I could do."

"Everything is gonna be okay."

Remembering Strange's cryptic advice, Angel leaned in and softly kissed Cordelia on the mouth, and that seemed to snap her out of it as she closed her eyes and kissed back, leaning into the kiss.

A bright light then surrounded them all.

Matt, Angel, Faith, Willow and Tara all woke up with gasps, and staggered up.

"What happened?" Wesley asked as he rushed to them first. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah", Angel assured. "We're good."

"The Beastmaster?" Fred asked.

"I say it again, permanent guest of Mephisto", Matt said with a shrug.

"Oh, well, fiery hell for the rain of fire, huh?" Lorne noted.

"What about Cordy?" Gunn asked as they turned to look at Cordelia who was still unconscious.

Matt kneeled near her and said. "She's alive."

"Her spirit is weakened from the possession, it will take time to repair itself", Tara sighed sadly as she read Cordelia's aura.

"But she's fine, right?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, I can't tell when she'll wake up, but she's fine", Tara assured him.

"Thank you", Angel said as he looked at the Witched, Devil, Slayer and his team gratefully. "We all did it, we defeated the Beastmaster."

"And your mentor showed up to help defeat her minion", Groo told Matt as he gestured to Skip's body nearby.

"Whoa! Who's bronze fellow there?" Faith asked.

"Skip, Cordelia's guide, but he was also manipulating her for his master", Angel realized.

"Thanks Stick", Matt said with a grateful smile that his mentor had helped out too.

"Well, the big threat on this side is over then", Willow noted. "All of us took it down."

A while later, the now comatose Cordelia had been put on bed as it was time for goodbyes now.

"I don't know how to thank any of you", Angel said as he looked at Matt, Faith, Willow and Tara.

"You don't have to, we're all friends", Willow assured as she and Angel shared a hug. "Besides, now we got a Slayer and the Devil out of the deal, so we're even steven."

"Well, once we take care of some stuff here, you'll have us too", Angel assured as he shared a hug with Tara then.

"Good luck and come soon", Tara wished as Angel smiled.

He then shared a hug with Matt. "We'll meet soon."

"I know", Matt said as Angel then hugged Faith.

"Thanks."

"Thanks."

Then they parted and Matt, Faith, Willow and Tara walked out of the Hyperion, waving to the whole team as they left.

"So, what now?" Wesley asked Angel.

"Well, take care of some stuff here and we go after them", Angel shrugged.

Chapter Text

"Cordelia, hey", Angel sat near Cordelia on her bed. "Well, at least the thing using you is gone now, so is Skip, who was working for it all along, so, no one will use you now."

Angel sighed and then said. "I'm sorry, I should have seen it sooner, the thing possessing you wasn't acting all that much like you, but I…..I ignored my instincts, and you paid the price. I'm sorry."

Struggling not to break down, Angel kissed her forehead and whispered. "Come back to me. We need you."

Sitting back up, Angel looked at her sadly and added. "I need you."

"Angel."

"Yes Wesley", Angel asked as he turned around to face his friend, schooling his expression so as to not let Wesley see how he was feeling.

"Gwen Raiden is here", Wesley revealed.

"Why?" Angel asked.

"Well, she needs someone to help her in a jam", Wesley shrugged as Angel got up to face him.

"I'd love to help but-"

"Not you, she wants Gunn, he went with her", Wesley told Angel, who seemed surprised, but then shrugged.

"Well, hope he manages to help her out", Angel assured as he turned back to the comatose Cordelia.

"She will pull through Angel, she has always been the strongest us of all of us", Wesley reminded him. "She has been through things neither of us ever have."

"I know", Angel whispered. "She'll come back to us."

At Gwen's apartment, Gunn picked up a small jade tiger figurine from a table and examined it. "So why me?"

"I told you, I need a suave guy in a tight spot."

Gunn laughed. "Suave." He asked about the tiger. "You been collecting these for a while?"

Gwen replied. "Yeah, I get one each trip. Just brought the dolphin back from Tahiti." She then asked. "You collect anything when you travel?"

"Umm… yeah. I got a big old scar on my thigh from Boyle Heights, a piece of vamp stake I picked up a while back in Alhambra and a couple of burn marks on my hip from Encino. Yep, name a town, I'll show you the souvenir", Gunn shrugged.

"I didn't mean to—"

"Nah, I'm not complaining. Hell, I've seen more here than most people seen traveling around the world. Someday, maybe. So what's so big and bad that Electro-Gwen needs my super-suave assistance? Something about a girl in trouble? " Gunn reminded Gwen of her words when she had first come to them.

Gwen now gave him the relevant information. "Yeah, I did a little black bag dealio for this corp. Happens all the time. Company A hires me to make sure Company B's thingamabob doesn't so much bob as bust."

Gunn realized. "And Company A gets a multi-million dollar payday."

"Right. But this time Company B fought back. They kidnapped this girl." Gwen handed Gunn a photo of a young Asian girl.

"Her name's Lisa. She's the daughter of the guy who hired me to do the dirty work."

"And nobody can go to the cops 'cause—"

"Of what I did", Gwen cleared it up. "So you see? It's my fault. I have to save her and I can't do it alone."

She took out some papers and handed them to him. He looked at her curiously when he saw the edges were scorched and burned.

"Don't ask. This is everything I could get on the man who's holding her. His name is Takeshi Morimoto. He's the head honcho of the company I tanked. He's promised to kill the girl if Company A doesn't come clean about what they did."

Gunn knew who this guy in the picture was. "This dude's a serious player. Chairman Emeritus, honorary degrees, all kinds of charity work. Cancer research, wildlife preservation… the zoo committee? Whoa, bank fraud, smuggling, money laundering…"

"And now kidnapping."

"This guy know about you?"

"Nope. That's why I think we have a shot at getting to the girl", Gwen took out a set of blueprints and spread them out on a table. "They're keeping her at his compound. It's gated, armed guards, infrared surveillance, dogs, the works. If we're going to have half a chance…" She saw him smirking. "You're gonna have to stop grinning like that and share the joke with the entire class. You think this is impossible?"

Gunn replied to her. "No, I think it's fantastic. Listen, I've spent most of this year trapped in what I can only describe as a turgid supernatural soap opera. The fact that I have the chance to go out and really help somebody, well, it feels good to be doing good. So how are we breaking in to Fort Knox?"

Gwen's answer took him by surprise.

"We're walking in the front door."

A sleek black limousine pulled up and Gunn stepped out in a tuxedo, then reached in for Gwen who was dressed in a formal red dress in the style of the Japanese geisha. They joined a group of other similarly attired guests and made their way into the mansion where a formal party was being held.

Gwen asked. "How are you doing?"

Gunn shrugged. "You tell me. I'm thinking James Bond never looked this fine."

Gwen agreed. "I'm thinking you're right."

"Of course, I'd feel better if we were packing some of his secret weapons."

Gwen pointed out. "Charles, we are the secret weapons."

They moved into line behind the other guests passing through a security screening.

"Nervous?"

"Nah, I've gotten into clubs with tighter security than this."

They walked in and first Gwen, then Gunn passed through a device shaped like an airport metal-detector. An operator nearby tapped commands into a keyboard, then watched a monitor as an infrared scan of their bodies appears on the screen.

They both passed through with no problems as Gwen said. "One down, one to go."

Gunn then inquired. "Hey, how's your electro-thing gonna do with these metal detectors?"

"Piece of cake."

They stepped forward and two security guards waved wands over their bodies, looking for concealed weapons. Finding nothing, the guards waved them forward. They stepped inside and handed their invitation to a man sitting behind a desk. He took it and scanned it with an optical reader.

Gunn started. "Now if we can just get out as easily as we got in—"

The computer emitted a shrill alarm when it scanned the invitation and Gwen and Gunn suddenly found themselves surrounded by security guards.

"Why did I even say that?" Gunn then asked. "What seems to be the problem?"

The head security guard regarded him coolly. "The electronic imprint on your invitation's been altered."

"I can explain that. I was struck by lightning", Gwen saw the guard's look. "Really." She turned to Gunn. "See how my life sucks?"

"Step this way, please", the guard noted Gunn's look. "Please don't make a scene."

Gwen started. "Little late for that, isn't it? What with the beeping and batons…"

Gunn sighed to her. "Maybe it's not our night."

Gwen shrugged. "Then we make it our night. This is my one shot, Gunn, and I'm not leaving without you-know-who."

Gunn spotted Morimoto making his way among the guests across the room.

"And if that means we do it the hard way…" Gwen started to remove her gloves.

"Uh-uh. Keep your mittens on, sparky", Gunn then called out. "Morimoto-san!"

Morimoto looked over and acknowledged him and Gunn bowed and greeted him in Japanese. Surprised, Morimoto rattled off a rapid-paced Japanese response.

Gunn smiled. "Sorry, didn't follow that last bit. Shot my entire Japanese vocabulary when I said hello."

Morimoto assured. "The gesture is still appreciated." He turned to go back to his guests.

"Mr. Morimoto, I'm Charles Gunn. We met at the zoo benefit last year?" Gunn continued off Morimoto's look. "You don't remember me, do you? Your wife held that monkey right after my girlfriend did. Ugly little gray thing— the monkey, not my girl." Gunn laughed, bringing Gwen forward. "Gwen, you remember Mr. Morimoto. We met him at the zoo benefit."

Gwen smiled and bowed. "How could I forget?"

"Mr. Morimoto, in case we don't have the opportunity to speak later, please do me the honor of accepting this humble gift", Gunn reached into his jacket and removed a small gift box, then held it out to Morimoto. "To thank you for inviting us into your beautiful home."

"You're too generous."

"Please, it's just a trinket."

Morimoto hesitated, then took the box and opened it. Inside was the jade tiger figurine from Gwen's apartment. Gwen shot Gunn an angry look.

Morimoto was surprised. "It's beautiful."

"Well, I read somewhere you love tigers."

"Truly exquisite. Thank you", Morimoto nodded and walked off, leaving Gunn and Gwen with the security guards.

The guard told the two. "If you'll follow me, please."

Gwen muttered to Gunn. "Okay, we tried it your way."

"Hang on."

"This way, please."

Gunn watched as Morimoto stopped about 20 feet away, then motioned them inside.

"All right. Go ahead."

The guard opened the velvet rope and let them in.

Wesley was looking over Lilah's letter again as Fred arrived and saw a little of it, but didn't read it as it wasn't for her, but was still dejected as she sat next to Wesley.

"Hey", she greeted him.

"Hello", he greeted back.

"Reading it again?"

"Yeah."

"How did it even happen?" Fred asked Wesley. "I want to know."

Wesley sighed, realizing that considering how their own thing had gone, he should tell her.

"We were both lost… lonely."

"No matter how lonely I was, I would never—"

"Things happen, Fred. When you're alienated from the people who care about you… you start to look other places", Wesley explained how it had happened. He hadn't realized it then, but he had started falling in love with Lilah.

"So…."

"We were fighting on opposite sides but it was the same war."

Fred was a little angry. "But you hated her." A beat. "Didn't you?"

Wesley told her not all relationships were about becoming into a lovey-dovey kissy-kiss-kiss couple. "It's not always about holding hands."

"But she is still going to remain the same, so are you", Fred pointed out, sounding concerned. "You really want to carry on?"

"I know neither of us will change our values, but well, I almost lost her…so I believe I do want to see it", Wesley sighed, hating that he had hurt Fred.

Fred looked disappointed, but she was mature enough to accept Wesley's choice. He had not thrown a fit when her and Gunn had first gotten together, had he?

Sure he had tried to make some moves on her right now but it wasn't like she herself was innocent in this matter, as she had drifted towards him when hers and Gunn's relationship had started falling apart piece by piece.

"Well, I am not going to question you or stand in your way, just, knowing what kind of person she is, be careful Wesley", Fred told him. "Please, I care about you."

"I know, thank you", Wesley said with a nod. "I will keep your advice close to my heart."

They shared a sad and bittersweet smile at that before turning away from each other.

Gwen and Gunn mingled among the party guests. "So when did you become Mr. Japanese Ambassador?"

Gunn shrugged. "Well, you watch enough samurai movies, you learn a couple of things about the culture. The first is reishiki, which is a fancy way of stressing proper etiquette at all times. The other is never underestimate the value of a thoughtful gift."

Gwen was still pissed due to that. "You mean that gift you stole."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Hope it wasn't too valuable."

"Let you in on a little secret?" Gwen opened her pocket to reveal the jade figurine resting inside.

"You stole it back?"

"It's not like 18th Century jade's falling off trucks."

Gunn chuckled, then noticed something had caught Gwen's attention. "What?" He followed her gaze across the room where a young Asian girl stood surrounded by burly security guards. "Is that her? Shouldn't she be tied to a chair or something?"

Gwen told him. "Tied up or dressed up, she's a prisoner. Look at the muscle around her. I'm going to go see if I can get a better look."

Gunn moved to follow her but she stopped him. "No. Keep an eye on Morimoto." She moved off into the crowd and Gunn turned back to watching the little girl.

A while later, Gunn stood with Morimoto and several party guests, listening as a woman with far too much jewelry went on about the recent supernatural events. "Meteor showers, earthquakes, that strange thing with the sun… I find it an exciting time to be in Los Angeles."

Morimoto agreed. "I couldn't agree more. I can't help but feel something wonderful's coming. Don't you, Mr. Gunn?"

"Well, something seemed to be coming, all right. Not anymore though. And won't call it wonderful", Gunn subtly referred to recent events.

Morimoto laughed as Gwen tapped Gunn on the shoulder. He said to Morimoto. "If you'll excuse me. Gwen, you're not gonna—" He saw Gwen's look. "What is it?"

"They're going to kill her— tonight."

Gunn was firm. "Not gonna happen."

Gwen told him. "We have to act fast. You need to get Lisa and get out."

"You mean we need to?"

Gwen told Gunn the proper plan. "No, I mean you. I'm going over to the other side of the room to create one hell of a distraction. By the time they figure out what hit 'em, you'll have her halfway to my place. This is our one shot."

"Like I said when I signed up— feels good to be doing good."

Gwen agreed. "Okay, work your way over there. Wait for my signal." Gwen crossed the room and stood with her back to a table covered with cups and dishes. Gunn circled around the room and positioned himself behind the guards and the little girl. When he was ready, he nodded at Gwen and she nodded back, then tipped the table over.

The dishes shattered on the floor with a tremendous crash, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Gunn ducked out from behind a support column and snatched the little girl with a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming and ducked back down the corridor with her.

Across the room, Gwen pulled a security guard aside and points at Gunn. "Oh, my god. Somebody's trying to hurt that little girl."

The guard informed the rest. "This is Bravo 9, we have a situation in progress."

The guard ran off after Gunn, gathering up the other bodyguards as he goes. Gwen smiled and moved off in the opposite direction.

Gunn ran down the corridor with the girl in his arms and ducked into a library. He set the girl down and slid the doors shut. "Hang in there. We're almost out."

A wooden staff suddenly slammed into his head from behind and he dropped to the floor.

Several of Morimoto's security men now stood over Gunn, staves in hand. He struggled to his feet and felt the back of his head, then confronted his attackers.

"Now you did it. I'm gonna have to get your lame-ass blood all over my sweet new suit."

One guard attacked as Gunn dodged or blocked, then punched his gut and took the staff, knocking him back before kicking him down. Gunn then used the staff to parry blows from the rest, knocking them away, taking one down in a spin motion, and then parried another one's sword.

He took 3 down in quick succession before one with a samurai sword knocked him down. Gunn took that one down in a spin motion as well as the next.

Gunn then faced 3 remaining ones. "You know, I spent the last couple of weeks whackin' on a giant lava demon and more vamps than I can count. Almost forgot how good it feels to just let off a little steam." Gunn then took 2 down quickly before using the staff to leap and kick the last one back.

He tried attack again but Gunn used the staff to flip him over his head, dropping the staff and calmly fixing his tie as the guard was knocked out.

Then Gunn turned to the little girl cowering in the corner. "All right, let's get you out of her." She looked scared. "It's okay. I'm here to take you home."

She revealed. "I am home."

Gunn was confused. "No, you've been kidnapped."

Now she exclaimed. "Get out of my house!"

Gunn now realized it all. "Your name's not Lisa, is it?"

She crossed her arms, defiant. "I'm Aiko Morimoto and when my daddy finds out you tried to hurt me, he's gonna kill you."

A frustrated Gunn moved away.

Gwen stood before a large wall safe, slowly turning the dials and listening to the tumblers through a microphone/earpiece device. A hand fell on her shoulder and she jumped. She turned to find Gunn standing behind her.

"It's you."

"It was the scanners, wasn't it? Why you wanted me— Angel, no heartbeat."

Gwen 'fessed up at last. "Security scan of a dead guy might have raised a few eyebrows."

Gunn was disappointed. "You know, for about five seconds I thought you might actually care about something."

Gwen then pointed out she had done some good for Gunn in spite of tricking him. "Okay, so what if I didn't tell you about my plan? And so what if I set you up for a fall? When's the last time you had this much fun? I saw your face out there. You were having a great time."

Gunn responded. "That's 'cause I thought I was doing good."

"You were! Just not the kind that involves saving a fairy princess from an evil king."

"So Lisa doesn't exist", Gunn noted.

Gwen revealed. "Yes, she does. And I'd have liberated her from this steel tomb by now if you'd stop yappin' for half a sec", she explained off his look. "It's a military acronym: localized ionic sensory activator. L-I-S-A."

Gunn was surprised. "A weapon? LISA's a weapon?"

"Not a weapon. A covert device worn by black ops. Regulates body temp, heartbeat, body chemistry. Morimoto's company designed it and I've been hired to steal the beta test."

Gunn sighed. "God bless America."

"Actually, China or North Korea. Not really sure. Morimoto's selling it to the highest bidder."

"And who are you stealing it for?"

"Look, there are two things that make me a good thief. I steal what I'm paid to steal and I don't ask too many questions."

"Well, good luck with that", Gunn turned and headed for the door.

"Nothing's changed, you know. Morimoto's still a bad guy. You're still a good one."

Gunn told her. "You know, I can't believe I actually did this between two apocalypses."

Gwen pointed out to him. "Even the Prez takes vacations. Besides, they need you, they'll call", Gunn hesitated. "Come on, we started this together, let's finish it the same way."

Gunn shook his head and went for the door again. "It's not the same."

"You can keep the suit."

That did it. Gunn nodded and walked back to her.

Gwen then dialled the final combination and turned the handle on the safe. It clicked open only to reveal another door sealed by an electric keypad.

"Crap!"

"Nah, this is the easy one", Gwen peeled off her glove and pressed her palm to the keypad. A bright flash of energy shorted out the pad and the door slid open. Gwen reached in and took out a small credit card-sized box. She opened it to reveal a thin hi-tech computer wafer. "We're outta here."

They turned and headed for the door. "We should split up in case they—"

"Oh, no. We're not doing that again. Either we both make it out or— "

"Neither of us do."

He turned around to find Morimoto and four of his men blocking the exit.

"Put that on the desk and step away."

Gwen didn't move.

"Set it down now."

"No."

"I don't think you realize who you're up against."

Gunn looked at the guards. "If it's those two girls, I already kicked their ass once." The two guards drew pistols and aimed at Gunn. "But when you put it like that…" He turned to Gwen. "Maybe we should."

"I won't give it back. I can't."

"I can. I'm not dying for this."

Gwen was desperate. "I'm finishing the job!"

Gunn pointed out. "Gwen, it's too late. We're busted."

Gwen was determined. "I'm not leaving without it."

"Then you're not leaving at all", Morimoto told his guards. "Finish it."

"Gwen, give it to him."

"No! I need it."

"I said finish it!"

"It's mine!"

Massive bolts of electricity leapt from her hands and arced across the room. They slammed into Morimoto and his guards, electrocuting them where they stood. The men jerked and writhed as the power coursed through their bodies.

Gunn watched in shock for a moment, then tackled Gwen to the floor, cutting the circuit between her and the men. They dropped to the floor, as Gunn cradled Gwen in his arms.

Gunn then helped Gwen to her feet. "Liar. You're not stealing it for someone else. It's for you. You think it'll fix you."

Gwen told him. "When I was at Xavier's, they made something to fix me. When I ran off, I left it there, didn't want to owe them. Big mistake."

And then she walked out.

Now back at Gwen's apartment, Gunn set the jade tiger back in its place among her collection. "Back where he belongs. I gotta give you credit. You are stubborn."

Gwen told him. "I know what I want."

"I get that. At least I used to. Things aren't always so clear anymore."

Gwen pointed out. "You seemed pretty clear tonight."

"Adrenaline rush. When I was trying to save that girl."

"I meant when you were saving me."

Gunn shrugged. "Hey, I'm just the muscle."

Gwen told him in a flirting tone. "Don't knock the muscle, buddy. Makes the girls go all knocky in the knees." She then pointed out. "But if that's all you were, we never could have gotten into that party tonight."

"Oh, you would've gotten in. Of course, the damage would have been significantly higher."

"Thanks to your brains-over-brawn approach…"

"Not so much brains as too many movies."

Gwen noted Gunn didn't think too highly of himself. "Man, they have done a number on you. You really believe this "I'm the muscle" crap."

Gunn asked. "This your version of a pep talk?"

"Could be. Need one?"

"Nah."

"Good. It's not my area of expertise." Gwen inquired out of curiosity. "So why do you stay if that's all they see in you?"

"I'm a fighter, born and raised. You love being a thief?"

Gwen held up her hands. "I'm a freak. Being a thief makes me a part of something and not a part at the same time. Tonight? Yeah, kinda loved it."

He held up the LISA case. "You know for someone loving life, you seemed awfully willing to die for this."

"What you saw tonight, that's as bad as it gets but even at its best…" There was a beat. "That thing might let me be, well, not normal but… hold hands, maybe. So yeah, guess I was willing to die or even… you wouldn't understand."

"Sure, I do. Brainy, remember? You want to show me how this thing works?"

A while later, Gwen approached the bed and dropped her kimono. She was nude from the waist up and she lay down on her belly. Gunn sat next to her, opened the case and took out the device.

"How do you fire it up?"

"It's not an X-Box. Just put it on."

He reached down to set it on the small of her back. "Careful."

Gunn hesitated, then touched the tip of his finger to her skin. A bolt of electricity shocked him painfully.

"Like I said."

He set the device on her back right over her spine.

"It's chilly."

A small LED screen sprang to life with scrolling data as wire circuits extended from the casing and burrowed into her body.

"What's it doing?"

"You ever see one of those body-snatcher movies?"

The wire filaments disappeared beneath her skin.

"You feel any different?" Gunn asked. "Yeah", Gwen said after a beat. "Not so much." Gunn tentatively reached out and placed his hand on her back. Nothing happened as she said. "I think it worked."

He ran his hand down her back as she said. "It feels good."

Gunn realized. "So if you couldn't touch, I guess that means you've never…"

Gwen sat up, covering herself, nervous. "Nope… nope. Anyway, thanks for turning me… off again."

Gunn replied. "Anytime. Thank you."

Gwen asked. "For what? The guards? The suit? The almost dying?"

Gunn revealed. "The most fun I've had since…" He leaned close and their lips met in a kiss.

She suddenly drew back, flustered. "You know… that… device, it's a prototype. It might not hold."

Gunn reminded. "Well… you already killed me once. If it happens again, you know where my battery is."

Gunn kissed Gwen again and this time she didn't resist.

Later, Gunn returned to the rest of the team who were together in the lobby as Fred asked. "How did it go?"

"Quite satisfactory business", Gunn said with a wistful smile, then asked. "So, what do we do now?"

Angel started. "Well, a few of us can stay, the rest of us have to go to Sunnydale."

"What's the hurry?"

They all turned and were shocked to see Lilah walk in with a smirk.

"Lilah", Wesley greeted.

"Wesley", Lilah greeted back.

"Why are you here, to drill someone's skull again?" Lorne asked.

"No", Lilah shook her head. "I'm here to give you all the offer of a lifetime."

Chapter Text

"What's your game, Lilah?" Angel asked her.

"No game. In fact, game over. Guess what? You win. Which is why I'm here. I have been authorized to make you kids an offer."

Fred, while a bit more accepting of Wesley and Lilah, knew where woman's loyalties lay at day's end. "You can't possibly think there's anything we'd want from you."

"Not so sure about that", Lilah looked at Wesley with a smirk, then turned to them all. "I don't think you'll want it… but you'll take it. Because this is the offer of a lifetime."

A while later, Lilah sat on the sofa, waiting, a look of expectation on her face. Everyone else stared at her, more or less frozen in place. No one spoke for a very long beat.

Finally, Gunn broke the silence. "You want to run that by us one more time?"

Lilah casually asked. "What was unclear?"

Fred pointed out what she was saying. "I think the part where you offered us Wolfram & Hart."

"Just the L.A. branch."

""Just the L.A. branch"", Lorne repeated before telling her. "Hi, from another dimension. What the hell does that mean?"

"It means we give up. You win. We're moving out. Well, I'll be there, but not at the top. The Senior Partners are ceding this territory to you and to prove it, they want to give you controlling interests in our L.A. office. You get the building, assets, personnel, letterhead, paperclips, all of it. It's yours to do with as you see fit."

The whole team was still dumbfounded.

Fred then spoke up. "But… there is no Los Angeles office of Wolfram & Hart. The Beast destroyed it."

"Not the first time the Los Angeles was destroyed", Angel said as he, Wesley, Lorne and Gunn thought back to when Johnny Blaze as Ghost Rider had destroyed the whole building too.

"Yes, it's back. Re-staff and all that. We're bigger, better and shinier than ever. And we want to give it to you."

Gunn was still in shock. "You want to give us your evil law firm? We ain't lawyers!"

"Or evil", Fred added and there was a beat. "Currently."

"What we're offering you is a turn-key, state-of-the-art, multitasking operation. What you do with it… well, that's up to you."

Angel finally asked. "Why?"

Lilah shrugged. "I thought that was obvious. You've earned it. Think of it as a reward."

Gunn asked. "Reward for what?"

"Preventing so many apocalypses", Lilah shrugged. "I mean, our bosses have their own one scheduled for sometime, all of these other apocalypses, they do put a dent in their plans. But now because of you, our apocalypse can come some time."

"So we helped you?" Groo asked in surprise. "That is what you are trying to say?"

"In a way at least, let's see- Thanos snapped his fingers, half of all life died, we lost a lot of staff, your team played a part in helping fix it, Magus attacked, he could have destroyed us all, your team was part of the fight against him, and now you stopped the Beastmaster from taking over. That's more than we have done against any apocalypses threatening our own", Lilah explained to the group before standing up. "Anyway, I'm running late. Think about our proposal. If anyone's interested and wants the grand tour, there'll be a limo waiting outside just before dawn. And hey… good job."

She flashed them a thumbs-up and left.

A long beat of silence.

Fred finally said. "We ended a nefarious global domination scheme, we did not help them in anyway, right?"

Angel looked over at Cordelia sadly, thinking of all the recent events with Angelus and the Beastmaster. He couldn't believe she had been taken over by something evil and had tried to rule the world.

But then again, Angelus was pretty bad too. And he realized the First Evil had subtly warned them of what was going on with Cordelia, but none of them had taken it seriously due to it being a Big Bad itself.

Sighing, Angel went to Connor's room, seeing him sleeping, and thinking about how innocent he was. What would have happened to him if either of he or Cordelia were still evil?

"How you feeling, amigo?" Lorne asked as he walked to Angel.

"I've been better", Angel sighed. "I didn't catch the signs in time, Lorne, in spite of warnings. Now she's in a coma and I don't know when she's going to wake up."

"Give it time, Angelcakes. She'll find her way back to you."

Fred crept downstairs, leaving the hotel and crossing the garden, reaching to the gate to see the limousine before her. She sighed, wondering if she was doing the right thing. Suddenly, Gunn appeared beside her.

"I'm wondering if I should be doing this or not."

"Well, one way to find out," Wesley said, also suddenly appearing.

"Here goes," Fred said.

"Ah, what the hell," Angel said, "We can check it out and still say no."

He had been leaning outside the gate, holding baby Connor, and gave his friends a small smile, before opening the back door, all four getting surprised looks on their faces when they saw Lorne and Groo sitting at the door, laughing and smiling. They then turned towards the open door and moved aside to make some room.

"Come on and join in."

"It is quite the place."

Angel, Wesley, Fred, Gunn and Connor got into the limousine, as it started up and drove away from the Hyperion, reaching Wolfram and Hart, as the group got out and headed inside, getting another surprise, in the cases of Fred and Groo that is.

There was activity in the building, as lawyers and other workers moved about in their jobs, answering phone calls and talking business with each other. Angel's jaw dropped. Angel, Wesley, Lorne and Gunn weren't too surprised considering they had seen something like this before.

Angel's attention was then turned to Lilah as she headed towards them with a large smile on her face, getting followed by several people.

"Nice to see you guys here," she said, "Now, we all have a position for you guys and also a tour guide for you each."

"Divide and conquer, huh?" Angel said, rocking Connor.

"Oh, you're so cynical," Lilah smirked, "We have a whole heap of weapons here if it will make you feel comfortable."

A trolley had arrived with an assortment of firearms. Fred instantly grabbed the large semi-automatic machine gun, as a man in a lab coat approached her.

"Fred Burkle, meet Knox, head of the Science department," Lilah said.

Fred and Knox shook hands, before heading off, as a man approached Lorne.

"If you're interested, there's the Entertainment division," the man said.

"No way, hosay, I'm not…ooh, that's a nice contact list."

Lorne grinned and left, as a man approached Groo.

"He shall show you what you have to do as head of security", Lilah said as Groo was led away.

"I thought I would be that", Gunn said as a dark-skinned woman approached him.

"We have something more interesting lined up for you," Lilah said.

Gunn grinned at the woman, checking her out, before following after her, as a middle-aged and aristocratic man approached Wesley, who seemed to know him.

"Rutherford Sirk, I think you two will find out you have a lot in common", Lilah told Wesley, who glared at Sirk and they left together as Angel glared at Lilah.

"Oh, look at that, it's just you and me. Come on, Angel and Angel junior."

Seeing that he had come all this way, Angel decided to follow after Lilah, as she led him to a large office and grinned.

"By the way, we've got a little something for you. Guess Sunnydale's in short supply. Or not."

Lilah handed Angel a folder and a gold amulet. He took one look at them, before placing them on the desk.

"Buffy can handle herself. They have some Avengers, SHIELD Agents, two Witches, and now Matt and Faith."

"She's still gonna need that."

"She'll be fine, like she always is, all of them will be."

"Well, okay then, Angel, let's move on. This is your office here," Lilah said, "We've tailored it to your needs."

She opened the curtains, as the early morning sun shined through the windows and upon Angel. He cried out, shielding his and Connor's eyes, before realizing that the sun wasn't burning him.

Intrigued, Angel put his son down, before heading over to the window, as Lilah smiled at him.

"Necro-tempered glass. Prevents Vampires from burning up, like yourself. Need to look after our new boss here."

"I'm not interested," Angel said.

He picked Connor up and went to leave, as the phone rang. Lilah answered it, spoke for about ten seconds, then hung up.

"They want you to see everything before you decide," she said

She then pressed a button, as a large TV appeared in the cabinet and was turned on, showing a game of ice hockey, as Angel's eyes widened.

"Whoa, is that hi-def?"

"Sure is"

"So, what about Cordelia? And Connor?"

"If Cordelia wakes up from her coma, there's the Special Projects division. As for Connor, he'll have a playhouse that'll make her the envy of every toddler, as well as a twenty-four hour babysitter."

"Why should I take it?" Angel asked.

"Well let's see, we can take care of Cordelia, make sure her recovery takes a lot less time than it usually would, and for your friends in Sunnydale, well, even if they have all that, it's a Hellmouth there, you think this would be the end?"

"What do you mean?" Angel asked her.

"Think about it, friend, sure they defeat the Big Bad today, but at a Hellmouth, evil is always present in bigger capacity than everywhere else", Lilah pointed out to him, then pointed at the folder and amulet. "That, can take care of it."

"And?"

"Are you gonna agree and sign on as CEO of Wolfram and Hart?"

"That all you got?"

"And I did mention our own apocalypse, didn't I?" Lilah reminded as Angel now narrowed his eyes. "Well, if you work here, reckon you'd be able to keep a closer eye, wouldn't you?"

"Or be distracted by what you make us do."

"Still, I have a point, you can't deny it", Lilah pointed out to Angel. "Even if we distract you, the closer you are, the better eye you can keep, you can stop our apocalypse if you're here."

Angel considered as Lilah added. "And of course, we have the resources to make Cordelia's recovery easier, and there's the matter of the Hellmouth at Sunnydale. World works by compromise, you know that as well as I do. It's not black and white, you are not a knight in shining armor, and we are not the evil Dragon. If you want to change the world, this is your chance."

Lorne was singing 'Something's Coming from West Side Story', all thrilled, ecstatic and reveling in the lobby's acoustics. "Could be… who knows… There's something due any day. I will know, right away, Soon as it shows. It may come cannon-ballin' down from the sky, Gleaming inside. Welcome back, Fred…"

Fred walked across the lobby toward him, a huge smile on her face as well. Lorne took her hand and danced with her. "Hi! Let me tell you, when this cruise ship sets sail, I will be on the lido deck. I mean, it's unbelievable. Secrets of the universe. Like Siegfried, evil. Roy, not so much. Oh, and balance? Very, very important."

Lorne spun a bemused Fred, releasing her right into Wesley. "Oh! I guess we're all straggling back."

The elevator doors slid open and Gunn stepped out, striding purposefully toward his friends. There was a subtle difference in him. A quiet confidence. And he was a little colder. "You look… did they make you taller?"

Gunn was firm in voice. "I'm doing this. Hope it's not just me but if it is… that's all right, too."

Fred glanced at Wesley who didn't seem so surprised by Gunn's revelation.

Groo then returned, looking at them all. "They have good resources, but I shall only take it if you all do. I go where you go, I stay with you."

Wesley sighed and told them. "As much as it pains me to admit it… there's probably a great deal we could accomplish with the resources available here."

Fred was in disbelief. "I can't believe it. Are you saying we should take the deal?"

"I already took it."

Angel appeared behind them with baby Connor, looking a bit conflicted, but determined.

Wesley noted. "You took the deal."

"Executive decision."

"I didn't think you'd—"

"Know a silver platter when he's handed one?"

Lilah appeared with the Sunnydale folder and amulet in hand. She and Wesley locked eyes. Then she looked at the rest and quipped. "I'm impressed by the lot of you. Team Angel, all growed up."

She then looked at Wesley as they walked to a corner.

"I believe we shall be seeing more of each other now", Wesley commented.

"Yeah, same side now", Lilah smirked.

"Do not delude yourself", Wesley told her.

"I think you're the one doing that", Lilah shrugged, and then they kissed each other, silently agreeing that they were going to continue this relationship and see where it went.

The two then walked back to Team Angel as Lilah told them. "Well, one apocalypse is prevented, there's another one, and you don't have to start immediately."

Her hint given, she walked off as Groo asked. "What did she mean?"

"Like I said, we have somewhere to go after our business is cleared up", Angel told his whole team firmly. "We're going to Sunnydale."

Chapter Text

Angel decided he and the rest should take a small break and have some fun before they began running Wolfram and Hart.

And so he had decided to have a picnic outside LA with the rest, in daytime! Strange had finally managed to regain his power, get back into his body, defeat Nightmare and wake up the other Mystics, at around the same time the Hellmouth at Sunnydale had been closed.

So on Angel's request, Strange had cast a spell to prevent the particles of sunlight harmful to Vampires from coming down on Earth for a day, which was why both Angel and Spike could go out in the morning and have fun without worrying about bursting into flames.

Quite a good number of people were outside there on various mats- Matt, Faith, Wesley, Lorne, Fred, Gunn, Groo, Buffy, Willow, Tara, Spike, Dawn, Xander, Anya, Giles, Peter, May, Felicia, Steve, Natasha, Bucky, Sam, Fitz, Simmons, Bobbi, Hunter and some of the other Potentials like Amanda, Vi and Satsu.

Blade had been invited as well but he had left and gone off after a short goodbye as he wasn't much of a people's person.

Angel walked to the rest of them with baby Connor in his arms and sat down with a smile on his face as he raised a glass and tapped it with a spoon.

"Ah, big man has a speech coming", Spike said with a smirk.

"Come on, let's all hear it", Buffy said.

"So, the last few years, they have been quite hard for all of us", Angel started, looking at all of them. "And I know it's not gonna get any easier for a long while, considering the new job me and my team have all taken."

Everyone knew which job Angel was speaking of as he continued. "But for today, let's all just not think of any of it, and have some fun with our lives. Even we people deserve a break, a short one, but we deserve it, for all we have done."

Some claps went around as Steve said. "That was a good speech, Angel, and you're not wrong."

"Aha, the Cap is thinking of a break", Natasha said with a naughty smile.

"No, I was thinking of everyone else taking one", Steve shrugged as all chuckled at how noble he truly was.

"Cheers", Angel raised his glass as some others did the same (not the teenagers though) and then drank a little, happy to be here, alive and well and with each other too.

"So, Angel", Anya called out. "Since you're CEO of a huge firm, can you find a nice, high paying job for your friend's wife he-"

"Come on An, we'll get something", Xander assured her, as she groaned.

"You're welcome to work if you want-" Angel started.

"No!" Xander said. "Nope, not working there at all."

"Fine", Anya groaned while rolling her eyes.

"I am sure there are other high paying jobs that do not involve big law firms", Matt suggested. "You can find some work there."

"Maybe Stark Industries can hire you", Bucky spoke up. "What do you think?"

"Huh? Will have to work there then, maybe I can be a billionaire too", Anya said happily.

"Didn't you said you hated products of corporate greed?" Peter asked, as Anya shot him a glare.

"Yeah, well I'll do charity, so no corporate greed here, I have the well being of everyone at heart", Anya raised her hands with a smile.

"You know, money rhymes with bunny", Dawn smirked, and now Anya paled.

"You little brat, I'm gonna-"

"What?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing", Anya said as Tara and Dawn shared a smile.

"Either way, what are you lot going to do after this, since your small town is gone now?" Wesley asked the residents of Sunnydale.

"Well, we're thinking of heading back to New York", May said, exchanging a look with Peter. "School was almost over anyway."

"Yeah, time to go to college now very soon", Peter said with a nod, sharing a look with Dawn, as she would go with him too.

"I wanna go to college too", Felicia raised her hand. "Well, sort of, but you kn-"

"We will talk to Tony, get you set up with the proper finances", Steve assured them.

"Thank you", Dawn said with a smile.

"So Peter, Dawn and Felicia off to college after remainder of school's done, what about you guys?" Sam asked the other ones.

"Well, there is a Hellmouth in Cleveland too", Giles said while taking off his glasses.

"You wanna move there?" Fred asked and got a nod.

"I had a different plan though", Buffy said, surprising Giles and the rest.

"What is it, Buffy?" Willow asked her.

"I was thinking of", Buffy looked at Steve, "joining you guys instead."

"You wanna go from Slayer to Avenger? Slayer-Avenger? Slay-venger?" Lorne asked in surprise. "Moving up, eh?"

"Well, I think it would be good for you", Faith told Buffy with a genuine smile.

"You sure about this, Buffy?" Natasha asked her.

"Our work is different from yours, we do fight threats others can't", Steve explained to her. "But its not just supernatural. If it calls for it, we have to take out humans too. Can you do that?"

Buffy seemed a bit reluctant, but realized if she wanted to be an Avenger, she had to play by different rules from before. "I can try."

"In that case", Steve held out his hand. "Welcome to the Avengers."

"Honored to be a member, Cap", Buffy said, shaking his hand with a smile.

"I go with her", Spike simply shrugged. "So you better have me as well."

"You can only go out at night though", Natasha pointed out.

"Still, you can have me", Spike shrugged.

"You're welcome too", Bucky assured him.

"Well, congratulations, you both became Avengers", Matt said, raising a glass again as all raised it with him.

"Yeah, congratulations guys", Angel said to both Buffy and Spike, getting nods.

"If you two are with the Avengers, who should I have?" Giles wondered.

"I'll come with you", Amanda assured Giles as he turned to her. "I'm ready to be a new Hellmouth's protector."

"So am I", Vi added.

"You can have me too", Satsu shrugged.

"Thank you, girls", Giles smiled.

"Well, new Hellmouth gets more than one, good for it", Gunn smiled.

"We can help out too", Tara told Giles as she and Willow exchanged a look. "We'll find the other Potentials all over the world."

"To train them?" Simmons inquired.

"We'll first see what kind of people they are", Willow explained. "And if they are good, we will activate them, with their consent."

"If they don't consent to it, they can go on living normal lives", Tara finished for her.

"Sounds like a good plan to me", Fitz agreed.

"I'm thinking me and An can open a business together", Xander said, sharing a smile with An. "What do you say?"

"Well, you brought us some good money, so we can open one, you're the best", Xander and Anya kissed again.

"In New York itself", Xander added.

"Well, its decided for all of you then", Groo realized.

"Good luck with all of your new lives", Angel said.

"Yeah, good for all of you", Faith smirked.

"Come on, cake now", Fred begged as some chuckles went around.

"We've been waiting for that ourselves", Bobbi chuckled.

"Come on, bring it on", Hunter said as the cake was opened, and cut into equal pieces for all to share.

Angel, feeling mischievous, put some cream on his fingers, and smacked it on Spike's nose.

"Bloody hell", Spike glared at Angel. "You're gonna-"

"So we have Spikecakes now", Lorne quipped as all laughed again.

"Sounds accurate", Peter chuckled.

Then Connor started fussing where he was, and Spike took him, and started rocking. "Don't cry babes, uncle Spike is here for ya!"

And, to everyone's surprise, the baby stopped fussing and went off to sleep, as Spike smirked and glared at Angel.

"Wow! You did it!" Dawn said as all chuckled and Spike handed Connor back to a shocked Angel.

"The sun is not big enough for your ego", Angel quipped, everyone rolling their eyes at the antics of the two.

"Really? Its not even big enough for your forehead", Spike quipped as all burst into laughter.

"Come on, let's all have a little chance with the baby", Buffy suggested, and all agreed, with everyone but Kennedy, especially the women, passing baby Connor around and fawning over him.

A while later, the others were talking and laughing as Matt led Faith away into a corner.

"What is it, Matt?" Faith asked her boyfriend.

"Just, something I wanted to say", Matt told his girlfriend. "A bit privately."

"Ah, okay, sure", Faith gestured him to carry on, not sure where he was going with this.

Matt took a deep breath and began.

"My history with relationships has been...spotty. There were few women who I could relate with, or be willing to give all of myself to them. With you, Faith, I want to give you everything. My heart, my soul, my love."

Faith's eyes narrowed. "I want to do the-"

She was cut off when Matt continued.

"I never really did this before, but there is no one who I would rather spend the rest of my life with."

Matt pulled out a ring and kneeled.

"Faith, will you marry me?"

Faith had tears of joy in her eyes and whispered. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"YES!" Faith let out as she held out her hand, letting Matt slip his ring on her finger, and he stood up as they kissed happily. "I can't wait for a second longer now, I wanna give you everything of mine too, heart, soul, love, anything else, I wanna spend the rest of my life with you, forever, okay?"

"I love you Faith."

"I love you too Matt."

They kissed happily again for about a whole minute before parting breathlessly.

"Guys, its done, you can come out now", Matt then called out, and he and Faith turned as she saw everyone else had been hiding and watching. Matt knew but decided to roll with it as they planned to share to anyway.

Other than Spike and Anya, all looked a bit sheepish at being caught.

"Congratulations guys", Angel walked up to them, hugging them both as he shared a kiss on the cheek with Faith, then told Matt. "You hurt her-"

"And you'll kill me, we've been over this", Matt shrugged as they chuckled.

"Congrats", Willow called out as she, Tara and Dawn were the next to do the hugging.

"We're all happy for you", Tara told her as she and Willow shared kisses on the cheeks with both Matt and Faith.

"We're invited, right?" Dawn asked them.

"Sure you are, kiddo", Faith said, patting Dawn's head.

Some more hugs and congratulations went around for the newly engaged couple when Angel got a call. "Yeah?" His eyes widened. "What?"

Angel walked into the hospital room, holding baby Connor, and made his way to the bed, as Cordelia now sat on it, looking the other way.

"Cordy….."

"Angel…." She turned to look at him. "I….I remember all of it…I was in…."

"It's not your fault, that thing used you for its purposes, you were never in control", Angel told her, kneeling next to her, and held out his baby to her. "Look who's here to meet you."

"Hey Angel Jr.", Cordy smiled and took Connor from Angel, kissing his forehead as he made a happy squealing sound, probably recognizing Cordelia's touch, as she was the closest the baby had to a mother after Darla had sacrificed herself for him.

"Cordy I…."

"You saved me", Cordelia turned to look at Angel. "I remember it all….I was…crazy and you….you brought me back."

"And I'll always be there for you", Angel assured her as they held hands. "I am lost without you, Cordy."

Taking a deep breath, Angel confessed. "I love you, Cordelia."

"I love you too, Angel", Cordelia confessed with a wistful smile, and then the two lovers shared their first deep and loving kiss, letting their feelings for each other out.