“And what would like me to tell them?”
“Please don’t kill us,” he replied as the group moved closer to each other.
“I don’t really think they’ll listen,” Cordelia commented.
The group turned and looked at Willow as they heard her begin to chant. Seconds
later, they were covered by a dark blue light, encircling them around the approaching
bunch.
“Now what?” Xander asked as he jumped back as one of the vampires ran up to
the shield and was dusted.
“I can’t destroy all of them,” Willow informed them as she felt the impact of four
other vampires trying to ram through.
Angel looked around him, trying to figure out a way to save them. He looked up at
the sky, seeing the black clouds remain still above.
“Cordelia, move the clouds.”
“What?”
“Your power, move the clouds. The sun will kill them.”
“And you,” Willow added worried, her strength growing weak as ten other
vampires rushed at them.
“He’s protected remember. Cordy, move the clouds.”
“And how do I do that?” she asked confused.
“Will them away,” Willow replied, grunting as five others tried to ram into them.
“Okay, will away.....go away...move!” she screamed up to the sky. “It isn’t
working.”
“Try again,” Willow told her as she fell onto her knees, trying to hold them off as
ten other collided against the shield at the same time.
“How the hell I’m I suppose to move them?” she replied angrily, her fear getting
the better of her.
Then Angel and Xander noticed it. A patch opened in the sky, a small ray catching
three off guard.
“That’s it. Cordelia your anger...”
“It’s moving them...keep it Cordy...,” he encouraged.
“Hurry...” Willow pleaded, as she reached deep inside her for reserves she never
knew existed.
In panic, the demons began to rush against the shield, hoping to eliminate the
threat.
“Cordelia....”
“...hurry...”
.....please!”
She closed her eyes and let the anger and fright over the situation consume her, her
mind trying to push away the clouds in the sky in order to save them.
The shield began to crack around them as Cordelia began to shake. Angel slipped
into ‘game face’, as he saw parts of the shield break apart.
Then it happened - The shield fell as both women fell into unconsciousness, but
not before the sun shined brightly above them.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Cordelia awoke with a throbbing headache. She opened her eyes and almost
shirked as she saw the face hovering over her.
“I love you, too,” he replied as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
“What....what happened?” she asked.
“You moved the clouds,” Xander replied proudly.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you toasted them.”
“And Angel?” she asked.
“He made it. That protection thing worked.”
“Willow?”
“She hasn’t woken up yet. Angel’s with her.”
“I wasn’t too late....right?” she asked worried.
“Angel feels her through the link. She’s weak. Her body shut down to recoup just
like yours.”
“I was so scared,” she confessed as tears began to fall.
Xander pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“I know, I was too, but you were great....I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Cordelia held unto him, her eyes noticing the couple across from them. Willow
was snug in Angel’s arms. She closed her eyes, hoping her friend was fine.
“Come on, Willow, wake up. Remember the promise we made. We aren’t allowed
to leave each other ever...no matter what,” he pleaded with her as he rocked her in his
arms.
He received no response and nearly growled. He looked over and saw Cordelia
awake and worried more about Willow. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the link,
opening it up to it’s fullest, trying to sense some kind of feeling inside her. She was alive,
but that did not help the sense of worry he had. He tried to convey some of his strength to
her, some of the warmness his body had begun to experience go to her. He opened his
eyes, sensing her waking up slowly.
“Hey,” he said with a smile as he looked down at her.
“Hey, yourself,” she replied a bit fogged.
“Thought you were going back on your promise.”
She smiled at him, knowing what he had done through the link.
“A promise is promise,” she replied happily.
* * * * * * * * * * *
They walked for about two hours, trying to find a sense of direction. Angel still
marveled at the feel of the sun on him. His eyes taking in the complete brightness of a day.
“Now you can get that tan you really need,” Cordelia had commented to him.
But the need to find a way out overshadowed his happiness of being able to see the
sun once more.
They stopped once they reached a fork in the road.
“Which way?” Xander asked, his legs tired.
They looked both ways, each having a different theory for each path, one heading
into a meadow, the other into a forest.
“There’s a clue!,” Cordelia exclaimed as she saw a piece of paper in the road.
“I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; On the same spot
I'm always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I?” Xander read it out loud.
"A windmill", Cordelia answered quickly.
The group turned to look at her a bit surprised.
“Hey, I can think too...anyway, I heard it somewhere before...,” she defended
herself.
“We knew you had it in you,” Xander teased, waiting for the smack on his
shoulder from her.
“And where are windmills found?...”
“Meadows...”
“Down the yellow brick road we go,” Xander commented as he turned right and
led the group, only to encounter a large gray brick wall a mile down.
“I really don’t want to walk back,” Cordelia told them as sat down on a log.
“My feet hurt, too,” Willow included as she looked at the wall.
“So we were wrong,” Xander commented to a confused looking Angel.
Before Angel could reply, his eyes caught site of an opening not far down.
“What’s he doing?” Xander asked the group who shrugged at this reply and
walked over to see what the vampire had found.
“Can we get through there?” Willow asked as she saw the two small openings
through the wall. It looked like a rather tight square opening, enough for one crawling
person.
“Let’s find out,” Angel replied as he went down on his hands and knees and began
his journey inside. He didn’t get far, a small wall blocking the passage. What he did find
were small pieces of stones that were a bit out of place. He pressed his hands over them,
making them shift back down evenly with the rest. As much as he tried to cover all the
abnormal stones with his knees and hands, there were some too out of range for him to
reach. He shifted his body, moving to lie on his back, able to reach the stones be would
not before, but not able to touch the others he had. He moved out, figuring out how they
could press them all down and hopefully open the wall.
“Well, what did you find?” Xander asked impatient.
“A way through, I think.”