Over The Next Horizon

Email: karen@klewis91.fsnet.co.uk

Disclaimer:  Not mine and never will be.  Just the story I’m afraid.

Feedback:  Yes please.

Pairing: A/C, W/S, Fr/Gu,

Timeline: After season six

Spoilers:  Season six

Archiving: If you want it take it just tell me where it ends up.

Synopsis:  Three months after Angel has been rescued from the deep, Cordy has floated back down and Spike has been souled; Cordelia, Willow and Fred are faced with a difficult choice.  The lives of the people they love or working for the dark side and life on the run.  Guess which one they choose?

Rating: Overall an R I think?

Spoilers: Seasons 5/6, Angel 2/3

Summary: Humour, Angst, Romance and lots of bloody bits of other people’s bodies if Spike gets his way. (Let’s face it he will.  Who could refuse that man anything?)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 

~Part: 1~

Cordelia froze as she felt something cold and hard jammed against the skin of her back and ground in. And she was fairly sure it wasn’t the usual cold, hard thing she spent a lot of time fantasising about either.

“Don’t move.”

“Ok.”

Her voice was calm and controlled and she relaxed against the wooden door waiting for further orders.  She moved her head back slightly as a glossy picture was thrust beneath her nose and she squinted to focus on it

“Come with us and don’t pull anything and your friends get to live another hour.”

Cordy sucked in a breath as she realised that she was looking at Willow Rosenberg and Fred tied spread-eagled to the ground in nothing but their underwear.  She made to turn and grunted as she was shoved hard against the door and cracked her head on the wood

“I said don’t try anything.  Put your hands behind your back and don’t even think about powering up Tinkerbell.”

Cordelia frowned and the first stab of real fear went through her.  They knew her and they knew her power and it seemed they also knew enough to take hostages to ensure her cooperation.  Shit!  She took a deep calming breath and spoke in a firm voice

“Look, buddy, there is no way in hell I’m gonna do what you tell me on the basis of one badly focused photo.  Let me talk to them and then I’ll do whatever you want.”

She held her breath and waited and then she heard a click and the unmistakeable sound of buttons being pressed on a cell phone.  She kept her eyes fixed on the door in front of her as the man behind her spoke

“She wants to talk to them.”

There was another pause and then the phone was slammed against her ear and she heard Willow’s trembling voice

“Co…Cordy?”

Cordelia groaned silently and then said

“Willow, it’s me.  Are you hurt honey?  Where are you?”

“I…I don’t know. I can’t see.  I…I’m ok, just cold.”

Cordelia clenched her fists at the sound of fear in Willow’s voice and then said soothingly

“Ok, Will.  It’s ok, I’m coming.  Is Fred there? Is she hurt?”

Her eyes blazed as she heard Willow cry out and then Fred spoke

“Cordelia?”

“I’m here Fred.  Are you ok?”

The young Texan sounded surprisingly calm and although her voice shook Cordelia was unsure whether it was cold or nerves

“I’m fine.  They keep hurting Willow though and callin’ her names and stuff.”

“What kind of names?”

“Witch and…other things.  Cordy, they’ve covered my eyes and I can’t see where we are.”

The young girl’s voice rose in panic and then Cordelia heard another woman’s voice over the phone but this one was in control and just a tiny bit smug

“Cordelia.  Your friends don’t have long.  My men will bring you to them but you only have an hour.  If they don’t reach here by then, intact and with a full complement of men in the unit, I will turn your friends over to my friends and it will all get very unpleasant.  Do we understand each other?”

Cordelia gritted her teeth and spat

“Lilah!”

A light chuckle came through the phone in answer and Cordy squeezed her eyes shut in rage and spoke in a viciously hard voice

“I’m coming Lilah and if they’re not alive and in one piece when I get there I will kill you.”

“I’m human, darling.  Not exactly cricket is it?”

“Ask me if I care.”

She jerked her head away from the phone and thrust her hands behind her back

“Let’s go.”

Fifty minutes later and Cordelia felt the car she was travelling in come to halt.  The car door opened and she was yanked out to land on her knees on a hard stony surface.  The blindfold around her eyes was completely fitted over her eyes and not a chink of light could pass through it to help her get her bearings.  She kept her face blank as she climbed to her feet with minimal difficulty silently congratulating herself on keeping up the training with Angel after she had returned to her own dimension.  No doubt about it three hours of martial training a day did wonders for her motor skills.  A hand grabbed her arm again and she allowed herself to be pulled forward along the uneven surface.  She had the impression of entering some kind of shelter as the light wind that cut through her peasant top ceased and then her arms were freed and she was blinking in the light as the blindfold was pulled roughly away along with a chunk of her newly brown hair.

She took a moment to gather herself and then looked slowly around her at a rough wooden shack and at least ten men in commando gear standing with very large guns trained on her.  She glared at them and then looked to the floor where her two friends still lay exposed to the elements and the stares of the men around them.  She moved forward and dropped to her knees and laid a hand on each girl’s arm her stomach clenching at the whimpers of fright at her touch

“It’s ok.  It’s me.  Hold still while I untie you.”

She reached for the ropes biting into Fred’s flesh and then paused as Lilah’s voice came from behind her

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Cordy glanced back over her shoulder and shot the older woman a venomous look and then calmly began to pull at the thick rope

“Yeah? Well I wouldn’t wear that suit with those butt ugly shoes and lipstick so that just proves how much you know.”

She freed one arm and then freed the other helping Fred sit up and remove her blindfold and then turned to free Willow.  The red headed witch had purpling welts all over her body and her bonds were tighter than Fred’s and were stained with fresh blood.  Cordelia’s mouth firmed in a straight angry line but she kept a tight rein on her temper and concentrated on freeing her friend and getting them all the hell out of there.  She consoled herself with the thought that there would be plenty of time later to dish out some good old fashioned whup ass retribution.  When both girls were sitting up and untying the rope that bound their feet she stood and placed both hands on her hips to stare disdainfully at the tall woman before her

“Well you look much less bloodied and battered than the last time I saw you.  No one try and kill you recently?”

She grinned as she saw a muscle twitch in the woman’s jaw at the reminder of the first meeting they had shared.  Lilah glared at the young woman before her and kept a tight lid on her temper at the casual way the little bitch insulted her and concentrated on the reason she had had the girls brought to her

“I think I’d be more concerned about my own health in your position Cordelia.”

“Yeah? Well you’re not me are you?  So fill me in on your latest little scheme and I’ll get busy doing what I do and blow it out of the water.”

She paused and glanced behind her at her friends

“And give them their clothes back before you really piss me off.”

Lilah nodded and a man stepped forward handing a bundle of clothes to each girl.  Willow snatched hers and began to pull them on all the while sneaking amazed looks at the woman that the former Queen Bitch of her high school had evolved into.  In the three almost four years since Cordelia had left town she had spoken to her former nemesis cum sort of friend a few times on the phone and over e-mail but only seen her that once when she was in LA to deliver the news of Buffy’s death and she’d been kind of preoccupied at the time.

Now the glossy black mane of hair had gone as had the ‘come screw me’ skirts and instead she sported a swinging light brown bob, casual jeans and pretty top and from what Willow could see minimal make up.  She held herself tall and at ease in the centre of the room fingers curled loosely at her sides and with a start Willow realised that she had seen Buffy adopt that self same pose hundreds of times before a fight and Cordelia positively radiated confidence and self assurance despite the heavy artillery aimed at her.  Obviously Willow wasn’t the only one that had undergone a dramatic lifestyle renovation since high school.

She glanced at the girl besides her pulling on jeans and a baby tee that had shared her ordeal with her.  Small and ultra skinny with a mass of black wavy hair and huge dark eyes, her skin was flushed with shame as she covered herself and as she met Willow’s eyes she gave a tremulous smile that the red head returned.  Fred’s head turned and she stared around the room and then she swallowed and went to stand at Cordelia’s back her eyes sweeping the room where the seer couldn’t watch.  Willow felt a quick tug of recognition at the dark haired girl’s instinctive move to cover Cordelia’s back and she thought grimly of Buffy back home and her friend’s reaction to her best friend sudden disappearance.  She really hoped poor Willie wouldn’t get his bar trashed again when Buffy and Spike hit it for information.  She finished tugging on her boots and went and stood at Cordy’s other side grinning as the taller girl said

“Just like old times”

“Except for the whole screaming and praying frantically to any God that’ll listen part.”

Cordy laughed and replied

“At least when I came to your rescue this time you weren’t sucking the face off my boyfriend and I haven’t got a natty new body piercing.”

Willow rolled her eyes and couldn’t help but to giggle despite the graveness of the situation

“Cordy let it go, that was high school! And kinda batting for the other team now.”

Cordelia smiled and then glowered at Lilah as the woman said coldly

“Well as interesting as this little reunion is do you think we could get back to the little matter of your impending dooms?”

Cordelia reached back to touch Fred’s hand as she felt the other girl shiver against her and sneered

“Right Lilah.  Drop the bargain basement femme fatale act and tell us what you want.  And make it quick because a Slayer and a vampire with soul will be coming knocking any minute now.”

She folded her arms and tapped her low-heeled boot impatiently staring fearlessly into the lawyer’s eyes.  Lilah smiled and pushed her hair away from her face and then glanced at her bright red nails.

“You just don’t know when to give up do you?  So confident that your little shield of light and morality will protect you against anything I throw at you.  Well Ms Chase have a little chew on this conundrum.  In six months a major new demonic power will rise helped of course by my company and we will oversee all sacrifices and rituals to achieve it’s successful rising.  The only thing we are missing is a certain artefact to ensure it’s continuing existence in this dimension when the ritual is complete.  That’s where you come in.  The Light of Rumen is kept in a heavenly dimension that only a warrior of the light can enter safely.”

She smiled complacently as Cordelia started in understanding and continued

“Oh it gets better.  The doorway to this dimension can only be opened with specific rituals and incantations that have yet to be found and translated by anyone.  That’s where they come in.”

She nodded to Willow and Fred as both girls turned to look at her before glancing uneasily back to the men watching them

“We have a lead on the first part of the trail but the Powers actually thought things through this time and we’ve been blocked at every stage by the need for a warrior of the light.  Are you understanding me now?”

Cordelia gave a short nod and tried to calm the sudden frantic racing of her heart as she waited for Lilah to finish

“We need a team that’s pure in motive and in heart and that has a strong background in warfare, magics and logic and by happy coincidence we had you three on our radar.  How’s that for lucky?”

Cordelia swallowed

“Why me?  The whole ‘blackmailing Angel with someone he loved’ ploy worked so well last time why do not it again?”

Lilah’s smile widened until Cordelia fully expected the top of her head to fall clean off.

Powers, if you’re watching; that’d be great right about now!

She sighed as the bitch ho’ from hell’s head stayed stubbornly attached and the woman said cheerfully

“There’s the kick in the ass. As soul having as your boy is he’s still a demon and therefore not pure.  And this heavenly dimension the Light is in? Only women can enter.  Women with a direct link to the Powers.  Women warriors with a direct link to the Powers.  Catch my drift?”

She waited a beat and then practically purred

“And as much as I hate to dwell on it I can testify first hand that Angel, despite the girly name, is definitely equipped in the penis department.”

Cordelia’s face twisted with revulsion and she eyed the woman scornfully

“And I thought Darla was a skanky ho’.”

Lilah’s face twisted with rage and she took a step forward before she remembered herself

“Really?  Well I obviously have something babe.  Your Watcher friend turned out to be even more of an animal than your demon boss.”

This time Fred turned and joined Cordelia in the disgusted staring

“Fred…”

“Way ahead of you Cordy.  When we get back I’ll book them both in for a full medical.”

Her eyes ran up and down Lilah’s lush figure and the Texan smirked before adding

“And an industrial strength pesticide spray.”

Lilah glared around the room furiously as several laughs were choked off and she spat

“Little girl I’d be a bit more careful who I go around insulting if I were you.  The nice men with guns are being paid by me and if I say shoot they will.”

Fred rolled her eyes but stayed silent.  Cordelia took a step forward and ignored the nervous flinching of several of the hired guns

“Get on with it Lilah.  What makes you think we’ll trot merrily off to do your dirty work for you?”

Lilah smiled again

“Well there’s the little matter of the Curse of Saynamen for a start.”

Willow gasped and felt the blood drain from her face.  Lilah’s smile widened

“See that’s why I knew your friend would be the best witch for the job.  Incredible knowledge of the blacker arts.”

Cordelia frowned

“The Curse of what now?”

Willow swallowed and wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans

“The Curse of Saynamen.  It’s the blackest of the black arts Cordy.”

The seer felt her heart drop like a stone at the fear in Willow’s voice but kept her eyes level on Lilah’s as she said

“What does it do?”

Willow felt a lump rise in her throat but swallowed again and managed to say

“It was used by a black magician back in the fourteen hundreds when he tried to take the seat of power from a rival.  The rival needed to reach his brother who lived three months travel away and the help was needed immediately.  The rival magician used magic to bring his brother to him but he didn’t know that the black magician had already bespelled him and when he cast his spell and brought his brother before him his brother exploded into flames and died.”

Cordelia felt her mouth go dry and then honestly thought her heart would burst from her chest at Willow’s words

“That wasn’t the end of it.  The curse brought back the brother and the same thing happened over again.  And again and again until the mage that had cast the spell finally died over a hundred years later.  The two brothers had activated the curse when they were together and never managed to find away to break the spell.”

Cordelia swallowed the bitter taste of fear in her mouth and forced away the dizziness that swamped her as Willow told the grim tale.  Lilah pushed a hand through her hair casually and stroked a red taloned hand down over one hip

“Of course the curse loses some of it’s potency when it’s cast over so many people but there’s enough juice in it to ensure that they all die pretty horribly at least once.”

She gestured behind her and a screen lit up and one by one the faces of their loved ones came up.  Buffy, Angel, Xander, Giles, Gunn, Wesley, Spike, Connor, Dawn, Anya and even Lorne were shown in close up vivid detail.  The three girls were silent as the beloved faces were shown and then softly Fred began to cry.  Lilah waved a hand and the light faded from the screen leaving just her cold face staring stonily at them

“Get me what I need and I’ll have the curse lifted.  Don’t or get some clever ideas about filling your friends in on the plan and they’ll go up quicker than a firework on Independence Day.  Are we clear?”

Cordelia kept a grip on her temper but only just.  She took a moment to ensure she had all her power under control and a small bit of it didn’t slip away from her and blow Lilah all the way to hell and said

“What makes you think they aren’t going to notice us all sneaking around and generally behaving like second rate Charlie’s Angels?  They’re champions of humanity not Joe Deafdumbandblind from Stupidville.”

Lilah took a deep breath and felt the satisfaction rush through her at the thought of the pain she was about to cause so many people.  This was what made the job worthwhile.  Forget the money and the power the little moments of pure, malicious evil were what got her out of bed in the morning

“Well it’s kind of hard to spot what’s going on under your noses when the thing you need to spot isn’t there.”

The three girls frowned at her in confusion

“You leave tonight.  You all write one short simple little note, under my strict supervision of course, explaining how you just have to get away or that you just can’t take it anymore, whatever, and then just get in the truck outside and leave town and you don’t call or write or astral project any little funky SOS messages.  You just disappear.”

Cordelia laughed

“You’ve gotta be kidding me right?  This is Angel we’re talking about.  If we don’t show up tomorrow he’s going to be on our trail so fast you won’t even see him move.  Do we remember the fun party times over Darla?”

She jerked a thumb back to indicate Willow

“And her best friend is the Slayer.  You know the one girl in all the world most likely to tear this country apart and kick your sorry ass all over town to get to her friend.  And that’s before she’s had her breakfast.   Have you actually thought this through at all?”

Lilah smirked

“Oh yeah I’ve thought it through.  See you not only have to get the Light before the new power arises but you also have to keep your friends in the dark.  I know that Angel and the others will want to come after you if they think there’s even the slightest hint that something’s off but you have to make sure they don’t.  Whatever you put in your little goodbye notes ladies make it good because you need to make them really hate you.”

Fred and Willow exchanged horrified looks behind Cordelia’s back and then moved in unison to stand shoulder to shoulder with their friend.  Cordelia moved her hands so the tips of her fingers just brushed the two girls on either side of her

“And if we don’t write these notes?  If we say no to your stupid little plan?”

Lilah shrugged

“Then I say the word and they die tonight.”

~Part: 2~

Las Vegas.  One month later.

Lorne was having a blast.  Centre stage and firmly in the centre of the spotlight and best of all not a brooding vampire and his ‘blowing up every damn thing in sight’ friends to be seen.  He threw back his head as he hit the high note in the chorus of ‘Thriller’ and rolled his hips happily.

Life was great. He was a headliner for an honest to goodness Vegas show and pulling in crowds of up to seven hundred a night.  Ok, so it was a Vegas show that wasn’t exactly mainstream what with the crowd being ninety percent other than human and it was definitely hidden from most human eyes courtesy of a major league glamour but still…Vegas!

He grinned as the audience broke into enthusiastic applause and waved to some select members of the audience

“Thank you, Thank you.  Always a thrill.  Now while I take a well-earned break and do a little schmoozing put your hands together for someone very special…Angel’s Bane!”

He turned to his left and led the applause as a young man walked onto the stage clutching a guitar and wearing denim and a scowl.  He stood alongside Lorne as the audience applauded loudly and gave a halfhearted smile whilst he hissed out of the side of his mouth

“Will you stop calling me that?  They’ll think they’re here to see David Lee Roth.  Tell them my goddamn name.”

Lorne threw an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders and grinned widely

“Lindsey, darlin’, don’t you want a bit of mystery?  A little bit of ambiguity never hurt anybody.  Look at the ladies, practically wetting on the upholstery.”

Lindsey obediently looked to the front row where three ghouls waved excitedly at him and oozed some kind of green fluid as his gaze roved over them.  He swallowed nervously

“Oh Christ.”

Lorne laughed and stepped backwards leaving the spot light to the now vaguely nauseous lawyer.  The kid would be fine but just to make sure he might have a little word with security and get them to keep an eye on the ghouls.  The last lot they’d had in had become so hot under the collar one of their hands had fallen off and in a moment of sheer ecstasy they had thrown it onto the stage.  He was fairly sure the audience had believed that Lindsey’s high-pitched scream had been an attempt for a high note especially as the lady had chosen to throw her appendage in the middle of a particularly down and dirty rock number but he didn’t want to take the chance of it happening again.

He made his way through the club smiling and waving, stopping at some tables to exchange more personal greetings and then finally made the bar

“Ricardo, Seabreaze if you will hon.”

The werewolf behind the bar grinned and obligingly ignored at least three paying customers to pour a large measure of Lorne’s favourite tipple.  The demon took it with a sigh and sipped rolling his eyes in appreciation

“Ricky, sweetie, one of these days I may have to snatch you up and lock you away and keep your talented hands all for myself.”

The dark haired man winked and batted his eyelashes

“Just say the word Lorne and I’m all yours.”

Lorne laughed and blew the man a kiss as he moved away

“Promises, promises cupcake.”

He smoothed the sleeve of his purple silk suit and glanced idly around the club his red eyes taking in everything.  Lindsey sat on stage singing his little heart out eyes down on his guitar strings trying desperately to tune out the increasingly drunken offers from the front row.  Lorne frowned and then saw the two female vampires who were providing that nights security moving swiftly through the closely packed tables and relaxed secure in the knowledge disaster had been averted.  The rest of the clientele were either focused on the human on stage or quietly chatting amongst themselves making merry with the champers and smokes.  Lorne smiled as he turned to see his boss cum friend appear by his side

“Ellie, honey, packed house again.  You must be floatin’ on a sea of joy tonight.”

The nine-foot Toframe demon nodded his massive head and ran a four clawed hand through his yellow, Elvis style quiff

“Thanks to you and the kid.  Door sales have gone up fifteen per cent since I put you two on top billing.”

Lorne grinned and ran a nonchalant hand over his own immaculate coiffure

“Oh stop.  You’ll make me blush.”

Ellie laughed and gestured to the dimly lit cavern draped in red velvet with gold candelabras flickering on every wall

“Believe me, doll.  Before you two arrived I was seriously considering offering a ritual sacrifice every night just to fill some seats.  Nothing like a captive audience.”

Lorne cleared his throat and looked nervously at his friend

“Right. Well, thank the Powers that wasn’t necessary.”

Ellie grinned

“Yeah.  Anyway, got some people I need you to meet.  Want to give you a few bars if you know what I mean.”

Lorne resisted the urge to roll his eyes and gave a wide smile

“Of course hon. Lead the way.”

He followed his friend through the smoky atmosphere and allowed himself a small grimace.  Before he came to the desert he had honestly believed that Angelcake was the only being undead who could murder Manilow so comprehensively but he had learned to fear the nightly readings that were a part of his contract.  He saw the two humans waiting uncomfortably by the curtained alcove where he gave out his advice and winced.  He was afraid, very afraid.

Ellie held the curtain aside and Lorne swept through with the two humans following him.  The green skinned demon made himself comfortable on the red velvet lounging chair and smiled warmly up at the two knuckle draggers before him

“Well sweeties, what can I do for you this evening?  A little advice on the sweet mystery of love perhaps?  Reveal the mystery of the fairer sex?”

The older of the two men, an overly muscled brute with a grey buzz cut and a faded tattoo of a rat on his neck, glared at the being before him and growled

“Cut the Gypsy Rose Lee crap.  We’re tracking some prey and we need to find it.  Now tell us what we have to do and let’s get on with this.”

Lorne kept the wide smile on his face

And did we mention the ‘tudes sucked as much as the singing?

“Ok, reading the ‘move it or lose it’ vibe loud and clear.  Hum me a few chords and lets see where your pesky little critter is hiding.”

He flinched slightly as the man mangled Doh Ray Mi

How is that possible?  Three notes for cripes sake!

And then froze as Cordelia and Fred together with another girl he didn’t know appeared in his mind.  He watched as they battled a group of humans and caught the scent of fear and desperation wafting off the three as they ducked and swung.  A motel sign behind them flickered in red letters against the sky showing the words ‘Vermont Inn”.  He focused on the men before him and read their intentions of finding and capturing his girls.  They had no idea who was employing them, just a pick up point to leave the girls and collect the money.  He started as Cordelia’s head snapped up suddenly and she stared wildly around her as though sensing his presence and then he was thrown back by the most powerful force he had ever sensed in his life and came to gasping for breath with Ellie worriedly fanning him with that night’s programme.

“Jeepers creepers that’s some powerful mojo your prey has going on.  Nearly took the top of my head clean off!”

Lorne played up the sense of exhaustion he was feeling as he lay limply on the chair whilst his mind raced.  What the hell was going on?  Why were these creeps tracking Cordy and Fred and where the hell was Angel?  And what the hell were they doing in Vermont? Vermont for chrissakes!

He looked up at the men before him

“They’re in Canada.  Winnipeg.  You need to hurry they’ll be going further north soon.”

He watched as the men threw down a grimy roll of bills and then grabbed Ellie’s arm as soon as he felt them exit the club

“I’m going to my dressing room.  Get Lindsey off stage and send him to me as quick as you can.  Move!”

He watched as the other demon left him and then drained his Seabreeze in one hasty gulp

“What the hell is going on?”

~~~*~~~

LA.

Angel followed Connor into the hotel lobby and resolutely kept his eyes away from Cordelia’s empty desk.  One month since she’d left him and he was still no closer to finding out what the hell had driven her to leave so quickly.

Ok, so he hadn’t exactly been in a place where he could pick up and carry on where he’d left before he’d got dropped in the ocean but still…taking off without talking to him and just leaving a cold little note?  And hello?  It’s not like he had a choice in where he’d spent his summer unlike little Miss Higher Being.  Swanning off to play god in some other dimension.  It was pretty obvious that being made a queen paled in comparison and that a lowly demon just wasn’t good enough anymore.  He scowled and slammed his axe into the wooden doorframe of his office and went to pour himself a large whisky.

And the sacrifices I made for that woman!  Bitch.

Connor stood to one side of the door and watched his brooding father.  Angel and he had just started to find some common ground before Cordelia had disappeared and now it felt like they were right back to where they started.  He felt the loss of the seer’s presence keenly and missed the comfort of knowing that Fred was always in the hotel to act as a buffer between him and Angel. He just couldn’t understand why Gunn and his Dad moped around all the time instead of looking for the missing girls.  Was he the only one who thought something was off about the whole situation?  And these people called themselves hunters.

He turned as he heard footsteps behind him and saw the young black man stomp into the hotel

“All demons dead and gone.  I’m goin’ on home.”

He threw a signed off work order onto the hotel desk and turned to leave his now habitual scowl deepening as the phone began to ring.  Connor backed away from it slightly with nervous eyes.  Despite living around modern technology for some months he remained uneasy about it and definitely seemed to have inherited his father’s touch when it came to anything electronic.  Two cell phones, one laptop and a hairdryer had fallen victim so far to his ham handed touch and Gunn had eventually banned him from anything electrical.

The older man sighed and glanced in at Angel who, without taking his eyes off the glass in his hand, picked up a stone figurine from his desk threw it at the door slamming it shut.  Gunn rolled his eyes irritably and snatched up the phone

“Yeah?  Angel Investigations.”

“Gunn, sweetie, is that you?”

Gunn raised his eyebrows

“Lorne?”

“The one and only, my little drop of black magic.  Where’s Angel?”

Gunn glanced over his shoulder and muttered

“In the office on the fast track to Deaddrunkville.  Again.”

Lorne sighed impatiently and snapped

“Well, tell him to get his undead ass out there and put me on speaker.  We have a problem.”

Gunn frowned at the receiver in his hand and then put it back to his ear

“We do?  Listen Lorne I really don’t think I should go in there.  He’s pretty cranky at the moment…”

He broke off as Lorne interrupted

“I don’t care if he’s cranked all the way to snapping and then some.  Get him out of that office and over to this phone!  Our girls have some major league crappola raining down on them and they need our help.”

Gunn froze and whispered hoarsely

“Fred?  You’ve seen Fred?”

Lorne hesitated at the other end of the phone and then said slowly

“In a manner of speaking.”

His voice became considerably more impatient and he snapped

“And no one told me they were no longer fightin’ the fight in the City of Angels because?  Jeez, you move a few miles down the road and suddenly the loop vanishes and leaves you to discover two of your best little honeys are fighting for their lives through the readings of some Neanderthal with a bad hair life.”

Gun frowned in confusion and opened his mouth to reply then turned as the phone was taken from him and Connor stared up at him

“Go and get Dad.  Now.”

The older man hesitated and then nodded and Connor lifted the phone to his ear and said carefully

“Lorne?”

There was a long pause at the end of the line and then Lorne spoke

“Connor?  Is that you?”

“Yes. I…Do you know where they are?”

“Sweetie, all I know at the moment is that they’re alive and kickin’.”

Connor took a deep breath and closed his eyes as sweet relief washed over him and then said quietly

“Will you come home?  They’ll need your help and I can stay out of your way and go and sleep at Cordelia’s apartment.”

Lorne frowned at the other end of the phone and said slowly

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes. You need to come home and help them.”

“No, cupcake.  Do you want to leave and sleep in the apartment?  Cuz I gotta tell you I don’t think your Dad will wear it.”

Connor frowned at the mental picture of his father trying to wear an apartment the way he’d wear one of his many leather jackets and then said

“I thought it would be more comfortable for you if I wasn’t here so much.  After…the last time.”

Lorne laughed and said affectionately

“Cuddlepie, you’re a sixteen year old boy.  If you weren’t awash in resentment and hormones I’d be worried.  Now go and make up a bed for me and put your father on.  Uncle Lorne’s on his way and I’ll help your Dad find them and bring them safely home.”

I hope.

Connor turned and stared into Angel’s eyes and then wordlessly handed the phone over to him.  Angel looked back at his son for a moment and took the phone flipping the switch for speaker and replacing the receiver

“Lorne, how are you?”

“Cut to the chase, Angel. What’s been going on there?  I leave town for a few months and it all goes to hell in a hand basket.”

Angel closed his eyes for a moment and then began to tell Lorne everything he knew.

~~~*~~~

Just outside Vermont
 

So lately, been wondering

Who will be there to take my place

When I’m gone you’ll need love to light the shadows on your face