Fallen AngelsBy Kristi
Preparations
@--Angel--@
I leave Buffy sleeping in bed. She needs the rest more then I do. I shower and change quietly and slip downstairs. Everything is sore and tender but I’ll live, even the long cut Buffy insisted on putting a band aid on is gone.
Wes, Willow, Giles and Fred are already hard at work downstairs, trying to come up with anything that will help.
“Morning, Angel. Are you feeling better?” Willow asks with a bright smile on her face.
“Much, thank you. I’m hoping your good mood means you have some information for me?” I take a bag of blood out of the refrigerator, drain it into a mug and put it in the microwave.
“Some, first of all,” she holds up a rather innocent looking, cheap pendant necklace. “I had to use what I could find, but this should glow kind of a reddish light when you get close to Dawn. I’ll let Wes and Giles tell you their news. I don’t wanna be a news hog.”
Wesley frowns and looks down at his book. “I’m not terribly sure the news is good, but it’s more then we had. There is a particular alignment of stars in the Andromeda galaxy. The alignment only happens once every five hundred and eighty four years. It will allow the portal to stay open longer without collapsing on itself. And it happens tonight.”
“That doesn’t give us much time.” I grumble.
“I think that was rather the idea.’ Wesley says.
Giles clears his throat. “I think it might be rather beneficial to bring in another slayer. I can have Faith here in a matter of hours.”
I nod. “I don’t know how Buffy will feel about it, but I think it’s a good idea.”
“Buffy will feel great about anything that gets Dawn back.”
I look up. Buffy is coming down the stairs in her flannel cow print pajamas.
“Faith and I have had our problems in the past, but that’s water over the bridge, under the bridge, I don’t know but there’s water and a bridge. She’s a good slayer. She can help us get Dawn back.” She curls up on the couch next to me.
“Very well then, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Giles stands up and walks out to his car.
“So, what’s the plan?” Buffy asks.
No one says anything.
“We do have a plan, right?” Buffy looks to me for answers. I wish I had them for her.
“I’m working on one. Willow made a charm. It will glow when we get near Dawn.” I try to sound optimistic.
“That doesn’t get her out of Wolfram and Hart’s hands.”
“No, but we will get her. I promise you that, Buffy.” I kiss the palm of her hand and look into her eyes. She nods, complete trust in her eyes.
“I assume they want to use Dawn to open Acathla, like Glory did.” Buffy says.
Wesley nods. “Yes. It the same ritual Angelus used. They use Dawn’s blood to open him, and only Dawn’s blood will close the portal once it has opened.”
“Why does Wolfram and Hart want to suck the world into hell?” Buffy asks.
“I don’t really think they intend to let it go that far. Acathla is the only known portal to that dimension of hell. I think they want to bring something, or someone through. After they have what they want, they’ll close the portal.” Wesley explains.
Buffy bites her bottom lip and fights the tears that spring to her eyes. “But that means sending Dawnie to Hell.”
The silence is deafening.
Buffy gets up and runs up the stairs. I can hear the sobs that she’s fighting to hold back. I stand up and follow her.
@--Buffy--@Angel shuts the door quietly behind him. I’m lying on the bed crying. He picks me up and folds me in his arms.
“Angel, we have to save her. She’s my little sister. I can’t watch her die. She’s a part of me, the monks made her out of me, my soul, my blood. She supposed to have all the things I can’t ever have, she has to graduate high school and college. She has to get married to someone she loves as much as I love you. She has to have the house with the picket fence and 2.3 kids. She has to grow old with the love of her life. Somehow, if she gets all that, it’s like I get it too.” I can hardly talk between my sobs and I know I’m not making any sense. “I died so she could have those things. That has to mean something.”
“We will save her, Buffy. I won’t let Dawnie die. I promise.”
I sob in his arms until I’m completely dry. I wipe at my face and sit up. “We’ve got to get Xander back for Willow and I know they have Cordy and Gunn too.”
“We’ll get them. Now rest. You’re going to need it. I’ll wake you up when Faith and Giles get here.” Angel orders.
I can only nod and lay down in the coolness of our bed. He tucks the blankets around me and places a kiss on my forehead.
“I expect you to make it out of this too. I’m going to marry, Buffy Summers.” He smiles at me.
“That goes double for you,” I tell him, feeling the tears collect in my eyes again.
@--Dawn--@
I don’t know where I am. It looks like a hotel suite, but the windows are all blacked out, so I don’t even know what time of day it is. There are two thugs in suits here with me. They have stun guns attached to their belt. I tried to get out earlier when they brought me food. That’s how I know about the stun guns. I don’t even know if they can talk. I’ve asked over and over where Xander, Cordy or Gunn are. They never answer me. In fact, no one has really come to talk to me. I don’t even know why they want me.
I’m sitting on the couch watching Passions when the door opens. I can see there are two more thugs outside the door. A pretty woman dressed in a black suit walks in. Her neck is covered with black and blue marks. She smiles at me, like she has nothing to do with the kidnapping.
“Hello, Dawn. I’m Lilah.” She sticks her hand out to shake mine. I give her a dirty look and turn my attention back to the TV.
“Well, I can see manners weren’t a priority in the Summers’ household. Come on, get up. It’s time for a bath and I’ve got fresh clothes for you.”
“I don’t want anything from you. Let me go before my sister finds out you’ve got me.” I glare at Lilah.
“Oh, the slayer, she already knows.” Lilah sits down on the edge of a chair.
“I figured. I like your necklace.” I smirk at her.
Lilah clears her throat and rubs a hand across her neck. “We don’t have a lot time. Ritual bath and new clothes get up or I’ll have to drug you and we don’t really want that, do we?”
I shrug and maintain a sullen look at the TV. “I told you, I don’t want anything from you.”
“That’s not the point, Dawn. We want something from you.” Lilah stands up and puts her hand in her pocket. I’m on my feet immediately, backing away from her.
“Buffy killed a Goddess last time to save me. You think a bunch of lawyers are going to stop her this time?” I scream at her.
“See that’s the problem with society today, everyone underestimates lawyers. Never underestimate an education Dawn. It’s so important. Of course you won’t actually live to get one.” Lilah steps closer to me.
I kick her in the shin.
“Little bitch.” She shrieks.
I’m grabbed from behind by thug # 1 and thug # 2. I kick at Lilah when she comes closer to me. I scream as loud as I can, hoping someone will hear me. I get electrocuted in the side by a stun gun. I kind of go limp. Lilah slides a needle into my skin and everything goes very black.