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chapter sixteen – fred in paradise

Fred pushed the door open and peered into the sun-drenched living room of Angel's penthouse apartment. “Spike?” she called from the doorway, craning her neck, trying to spot the vampire amidst the blinding brightness. She took a purposeful step into the room, squinting against the glaring sunlight, her duffle bag clenched in her fist. “Spike, are you here?” She called again.

With her eyesight still adjusting to the light, Fred tried to find the big red sofa she knew was located in front of the giant floor-to-ceiling windows. She recalled that it was near Angel's absurdly long mahogany weapons chest as she noticed the sun's rays producing a brilliant reddish brown reflection in a small corner of the room. Had to be the chest, she figured. Exhaling the breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding, Fred stepped further into the room. Now, she could see that Angel's apartment had remained untouched by the Noise, unlike the rest of Wolfram and Hart with its debris-littered hallways, abandoned offices and vacant elevators. This room bore no resemblance to that dark, barren hole of destruction.

“Spike, damn it!” she exclaimed, startled by the sudden appearance of the vampire who now stood stiffly in front of the specially treated windows, his back facing her. Bathed in red and orange sunlight, a brilliant assortment of colors surrounding him, Spike had blended in with the rainbow effect of the sunlight's magic on the room. Could be why she hadn't seen him at first, she decided.

“Spike,” she whispered, relieved.

Still he didn't answer. Compulsion and fear propelled her quickly across the room. Fred ran around the sofa she could now see to the other side of the weapons chest and stopped inches in front of Spike's face. “Please, look at me,” she begged, hesitating for only a second before placing one hand gently on his shoulder.

Turning slowly, he faced her. Soothingly, she smiled into his eyes as their gazes locked. Then Fred gasped, and recoiled, stumbling backwards fearfully. His eyes were empty, dark and barren black holes.

“Oh my god, what's happened to you?” she cried.

He did not answer. Fred continued to move further away from him until she felt the weapons chest against her butt.

“Has Buffy been here?” Fred dropped the duffle bag to the floor.

“No, But I'm here now,” said Buffy from the doorway.

”Buffy,” Fred swallowed as she turned quickly toward the slayer who stood legs apart with a long thick sword held firmly in her hand. Gulping down her panic, Fred worked to keep expression calm. No point in screaming, she thought. She's here. Too soon, but here nonetheless.

“Something's wrong with Spike.” Stalling, she decided chatter might be her best defense. “He's not talking. He won't talk. And his eyes, his eyes, they're gone, Buffy. You've got to help him.”

Buffy strolled leisurely into the living room, and stopped in what was the ideal spot to block Fred's exit though the front door. Even though Fred realized she had little chance in a fight against Buffy, she still didn't like the idea of being trapped in a small corner next to a weapons chest. Wow! If she'd been in a cartoon, there would be a light bulb over her head about now, she guessed. If she could just move fast enough to lift the damned lid and grab the first weapon she could lift, she might be able to...no; she wasn't fast enough, not against a slayer. What could she do? Whatever it was she had to do it soon. Or maybe, Spike would wake up!

“I saw Angel,” Fred was trembling. It was getting more difficult to hide her nervousness. “We met in the Zek dimension. He's one of us, you know. But Lilith let me leave to come here, to find you, and bring you back with me.”

Fred glanced back at Spike. Damn, he was still motionless, his black eyes staring blankly at nothing. No help there, she groaned. “Angel... told me to get back here to you...to help you, Buffy," she continued. The sun was sliding deeper into the horizon and the colors in the room weren't as blinding. The rainbow was fading away. But Buffy just stood resolutely, her eyes locked with Fred's eyes. She hadn't even glanced at Spike. She just kept glaring at Fred.

“He gave me the ring.” Fred raised her hand, wiggling her finger to show off the band. Buffy tilted her head and glanced at it.

“Doesn't work,” Buffy said. “Only worked with the vampires.”

Slowly, Buffy stepped closer to Fred, her outstretched arm holding the sword menacingly in front of her, sharp end pointed at Fred.

“Buffy, why aren't you the same as the rest of us?”

“What do you mean?” Buffy asked, incredulous.

“I am Charm, but I am still Fred. I can't hurt you or Spike, or Angel. How can you hurt us? Why are you only Color?" Fred was pleading. Nearly shouting now, her panic-stricken face eyed Buffy's sword.

“I'm a slayer. It's what I do. No matter what dimension,” said Buffy as she pulled back the sword, and shoved it through Fred's chest.

“Ohmygod!” She screamed.


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Angel landed on his feet, facing a creature he hadn't seen for nearly eight years – earth time – a millennium in the Zek dimension. He'd dropped easily through the Kaluptein Ranza, the Zek's special portal had apparently lost some of its punch and teeth and screeching voices. No longer sucking the life force out of its snacks, the portal simply deposited Angel in front of its god.

“The Truth arrives,” announced Lilith. “Finally.”

“Hey, Angel,” said Willow. “How ya doin'?”

“Been better, Willow…but thanks for asking.” Angel, ignoring Lilith, looked at Willow. He almost expected her to give him one of her patented little hand waves, and a shy grin. But the haggard look on her face belied her easy words of greeting. Willow was floating above the dirt nearly as high as Lilith. Angel was impressed. He had no doubt about the magnitude of the internal battle she was waging against Lilith. No matter the dimension, these two sister witches were rivals. They'd never gotten along in Zek. No reason anything should be any different in the Earth's dimension, reckoned Angel.

“Don't mind Lillie over there, she stopped talking a while back,” Willow was saying. “I think our goddess took the soul right out of her.”

“She'd served her purpose, and was no longer necessary,” Lilith glared at Willow and then looked back at him.

“How's this going to work, Lilith?” Angel began. “I won't let you destroy this world."

"How will you stop me?" Lilith asked.

"I will," he assured her. "But for the sake of argument...even if the seven are united...what's the point? You'll destroy this dimension for what? You'll return to Zek? The war between the Zeks and the L'Quaratong ended thousands of years ago. There's no one left in Zek, Lilith."

"Yeah, Sis," added Willow. "What's the point?"

"The point?" Lilith replied. "That's easy. I never wanted the Seven Wiccas united. That's what your Zeklar demon wanted, Angel. It knew that our coming back together would end this world."

“So what do you want?” He asked.

“I want her to suffer for what she took from me.”

"Who her?" said Willow, looking quickly from Angel to Lilith and back again. “Me?”

“No,” chuckled Lilith. “I have you, and Lillie and Fred. I came for the other one.”

She and Angel spoke at the same time. "Buffy?"

Willow stammered. "Th-This is about Buffy?"

"Yes, and no," Lilith smirked. "I told you as much when you were in the portal on your way here to me.”

Willow recalled the words of the voices she'd heard while spinning down to hell. In the darkness, we are a hero, journeying through time. Brilliance and magic are our guides. We avoid the unbelievable and understand our purpose as we wait for her. She is our spirit. She will help us find beauty, which leads to truth, our only love. We are prepared to cast aside what we are for what we must become.

"She took away my Truth, my Angel," said Lilith. "I will take from her what she stole from me."

"She didn't steal me away," said Angel. "I was released from Zek through no choice of my own, Lilith."

"If she hadn't let go of your love by dropping the ring, you would not have been released."

"I don't understand. If you wanted me, why didn't you just come after me?" protested Angel, angrily. "There was no need for this multiple body swapping business."

"Truth, you are absolutely correct," Lilith was nearly giggling. "It's magic. Remember, we're Wiccans. You forgot what it is we do. We. Cast. Spells."

"What do you mean?" whispered Willow.

Lilith moved like lightening from her spot at the point of the star, grabbed Angel around his waist, lifting him up away from the ground, and held him rigidly in her arms. He couldn't move. He didn't say a word. Then Willow watched as they disappeared.


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Spike dragged his hands roughly through his hair as he paced from the bedroom to the living room of Angel's apartment. He was desperately trying to piece the puzzle together in his mind. Had to have been some kind of spell, he decided. Definitely, magic at work. He'd seen Fred in front of him an instant before. She was talking about Angel. She was talking to Buffy. Then they both disappeared.

He hadn't been able to talk. He'd been frozen in between dimensions. He'd traveled back in time, too, he believed. There, he'd met Beauty as he journeyed through the Zek dimension. He learned that for centuries, Beauty had fought along side his brother Truth against millions of Zeklar demons and gods. Truth had called Beauty his anchor. Solid, strong, and powerful. A wickedly single-minded warrior, Beauty could not be diverted from his mission and could not be warded off from his prey. He battled recklessly, passionately and absolutely. The way he fought was the same way he loved Color and the same way Spike loved Buffy – completely.

“Damn, multi-dimensional puzzles,” Spike complained. “Really don't like this bloody shite, at all.”

Spike stomped through the rooms of the apartment, stopping in front of the wall-sized windows, the sunlight beating onto his face. “What the bloody hell is going on!?” he shouted. “Damn it Fred, a little less mystery and a little more plot, would help a bloke out here.”

Beauty, Charm, Color and Truth. Physics or magic? What else had Fred said? Spike turned abruptly from the window, stepping around the weapons chest. Then it struck him that Fred also said the Zeklar made it possible for him and Buffy to be together that first night by warping time and altering space.

“It warped time?” Spike growled. Maybe this isn't about science, maybe–maybe, Spike wondered, it's just magic. And if it's magic, we can stop these other worldly Wiccans. "I've got to find Willow."

Spike ran out of the apartment, and straight into the jaws of the Kaluptein Ranza portal.

to be continued...





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