Buffy stood just outside of the door the sound of voices not quite raised drifted through the air. She paused a moment becoming perfectly still as she began to make out words.
"I didn't think anyone would get hurt." Through the little window in the door Buffy watched Gunn's hunched body language.
"Nothing from Wolfram & Hart is ever free. You knew that." She watched as Wesley stepped into view.
"I couldn’t go back to being just the muscle. I, I didn’t think it would be one of us. I didn’t think they would try with Fred." The man was crying Buffy could hear the tears in his voice.
Wes walked closer to Gunn and Buffy felt her throat tighten at the obvious intent showing itself in his manner.
"I understand not wanting to go back not wanting to be who we were. I understand it. And I can forgive it." She watched him look at the instruments on the table near them. "But you knew what was happening. You knew who was responsible and you didn't say anything. You let her die. I'm less forgiving about that." Buffy strode through the door her hand reaching for his arm as the last words were spoken, stilling the scalpel in his hand. He looked at her face his eyes dark and clouded. She shook her head at him.
"Stop Wes and think. Is this really what Laura would have wanted? For you to hurt your friend."
"It doesn't matter what she would have wanted. She's dead." The coldness in his voice was like ice water running over her skin.
"Then do you think Fred would want this? She's still here Wes. Think of her." His eyes lowered.
She could feel the intensity of Gunn's eyes on her and she looked at the man tears still streaking his face.
"Go home Gunn." He seemed unable or unwilling to move. "Go. I need him right now and he's not going to be able to do anything if he's concentrating on what you did. Let alone what the others are going to do."
He hung his head a slight nod barely perceptible in his hunched position. He walked past her and out the door.
********
"What the hell were you thinking?" Buffy winced at the yelling coming from a normally quiet vampire. She was only used to the yelling from Spike.
"I wasn't alright. I did what I had to do."
"I don't remember seeing attack Gunn on the agenda this morning. What if Buffy hadn't shown up when she did?" She didn't remember him ever being this physically upset.
"She did and nothing happened." Wes bit back defiantly.
"Is that supposed to make it okay?"
"No. It's not going to be okay. Laura's soul..." He paused the pained expression on his face causing him to age in front of her. "Her soul was destroyed resurrecting Illyria."
Angel backed away from Wesley then his anger dissipating into the air.
"Are you sure?" Wes gave him a curt nod. "What about Gunn?"
"He let the sarcophagus into Wolfram & Hart. What he knew, when he knew it, it doesn't change what happened. He let her die."
"So did I." When Wes looked up at Angel he continued. "At the well in England, there was a way to save her but only if thousands of others died in her place. I couldn't let that happen. I need you to focus Wes. I need you to put this aside and do what needs to be done."
He gave a deep sigh. "Illyria."
"We need to stop her before-"
"She makes a lot more available parking space in downtown?" Spike asked coming in the door.
"What did you get?" Buffy asked.
"A name. Vahla ha'nesh."
********
She was once again sitting in Angel's office wondering if she would ever be able to get some sleep. She was running on fumes and knew they were a long way from being done. The thought of a potential big battle with a god of all things was not helping her at all. She just hoped the others were doing better then she was.
Watching as Wesley opened a book and rested it on the desk she finally made herself get up and take a look. Staring blankly at the pages she could make out a building of sorts in the drawing.
"It's her temple where she was supposed to be resurrected."
Angel pointed at the crude drawing of some kind of demony thing.
"That's Illyria?"
"In its native form."
"What are all the smaller bits?" Spike asked.
"Her army of doom." Wes deadpanned.
"Why can't it ever be an army of bunnies or kittens? Always with the doom."
The others ignored her.
"They were entombed with her."
Wes nodded to Angel. "Waiting for her return."
"To Los Angeles?" Spike raised an eyebrow.
"This is where her temple was millions of years ago. And it's still here."
"You'd think I would remember seeing something like that next to the Ralph's."
"It's out of phase with our time stream. She's the only one who can open the gateway."
"Any idea how we stop her?"
"Well I did find this." Fred handed a polished gem to Angel. "It came from the sarcophagus."
"May I?" Wes asked Angel and he handed it to him. Turning the stone in his hand Wes nodded slowly. "That might work." He handed the stone back to the vamp.
"We ready to go then?" Spike asked as he rocked forward on the balls of his feet.
Angel walked over to the weapons cabinet on the wall. Opening the door he grabbed a sword and tossed it over to Spike. He grabbed a second one for himself.
Curious as to what he had stashed in there Buffy walked to him and peered inside. Her eyes passed over the collection lighting in appreciation on the spectacular assortment. Searching from right to left she glanced at the remaining sword and a couple of battle axes moving to the corner she spotted a crossbow and a very sharp looking katana. Underneath those she saw something smallish wrapped in a burgundy cloth. She couldn't help herself and reached out to draw back the corner of the material.
She gasped as it fell away exposing the silver blade. It shone in the low light of the office fluorescents glinting on a blade broken by ebony scrollwork. Inset in the handle were three small red stones that were surrounded by silver coils wrapping around each in a design that reminded her of a Celtic knot.
Tearing her eyes away from a dagger that before now had only existed in her sleeping mind she looked imploringly at Wes.
He moved to stand just behind her shoulder bringing the weapon into his field of vision. His eyes darted from the dagger to Buffy and then back again. Slowly reaching a hand out his fingers gently brushed the handle before pulling it out of the cabinet.
She could feel the tightening in her chest as the reality of the moment finally hit home. The thing was real. The dagger she had held and wielded so ineffectually in her dream over and over again was real. And she knew that if the dagger was actually real something tangible in this realm then the images she saw and so desperately wished away could possibly be real. It wasn't like the thought hadn't occurred to her before, not when she had had as many prophetic dreams as she had, but it was easier to tell herself that it was harmless that it was only a dream when there was no proof of its existence.
Now she could only watch helplessly as Wesley walked over and gently laid it in the center of Angel's desk. He murmured a few words to the book he had left sitting on the desk and opened it.
The room was silent and she could feel everyone’s eyes moving back and forth between Wesley's quiet perusal of information and the expression on her face that she could not seem to control. To her it seemed like eons had passed when only a few seconds had ticked by. When he lifted his eyes from the book to look at her she knew.
"Tell me it's not the one." The words were a whispered wish the last vestige of hope she had left.
Either Wes hadn't heard her or he didn't know how to answer her because the words were never spoken.
Angel eyes darted from Buffy to Wes then to the dagger, his brow furrowed in thought. He brought his eyes back up to center on Wesley.
"The one what?"
His eyes seemed to settle on only her not knowing how much he should say in front of the others.
"Buffy asked me to research this particular dagger."
"Why?" He turned to face her.
She sighed deeply. "I had a Slayer dream and the dagger was in it. Seemed like it was important so I asked Wes if he could get all watchery and do a little research."
Angel's arms folded over his chest. "And what exactly happens in this dream?"
"As much as I would love to continue this discussion don't you think it would be better if we took care of the Illyria situation first?" She really didn't want to talk about it right now.
The glare from Angel suggested to her that he was not okay with that at all.
"Fine. I promise I'll tell you all about it when we get back okay. I really just want to go and stop her before she takes out all of Los Angeles."
He gave her another hard look and she turned away to glance at Wesley who gave her a small understanding smile. He could appreciate the fact that she was uncomfortable about all of this. Only he didn't know the real reason.
The time it took for Angel to turn that phrase around in his mind seemed an eternity to her as she tried to keep the emotions running through her system in check. This was no time for her to have a breakdown it just wouldn't do.
"I-"
"She said she'd explain later Peaches." His low growl of words seemed to take Angel aback for a second. Buffy recognized the sound for what it was. A warning, one demon to another, to back the hell off.
The dark vamps looked from her to Spike and then back to her. A look of defeat seemed to pass through his dark eyes.
"Alright but I want a full explanation of what this is all about the second Illyria isn't a threat. Clear?"
His tone made her bristle and she fought to control it. She was already wound tight enough as it was he didn't need to be helping. Burying the anger she felt rising she refused to answer him.
"Let's go." She addressed the others in the room.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Hey!!! I'd like to thank all of you for the terrific reviews. I just can't stand how happy I am that you like this story. So an immense thanks! And just cause I haven't said it in awhile any dialouge from Shells belongs to Stephen DeKnight. We're getting ready to swerve off canon again so please keep letting me know what you think I appreciate it soooooo much!!
Thanks again.
Thanks again.