The Call of Fred [for now_ish Anything Goes Week]
I tried to think about everything once more. All the things I was gonna say to explain the situation down here. I closed my eyes for a sec and massaged my temples with my finger tips. My thoughts racing so fast that it was almost hard to keep up with them. Why didn't we think about this before? The answer had been right there, staring right at us, probably laughing at us... well, not literally, but it was there! Right in front of us all this time--- and yet we had chosen to over look this small detail in our haste. Humongous mistake that had been. Oh god... there was so much at stake, but we had to try something. We just had to, other wise we would lose him. I couldn't afford to make anymore mistakes.
This was the only way.
.........
I set the tranquilizer gun down next to me as I search for the bookshelf for a runic transcription guide.
"If I were a runic transcription guide, I would be..." Looking through one of the shelves containing inscriptions on demonic possessions I found what I was looking for.
"...shelved wrong." Hm, it was I wonder we could find an-
"Talking to yourself, Fred? A lot of that going around." I spin around to find Angel standing behind me. For a moment, there is a sudden panic but then, I remember... the sanctuary spell.
"You can’t hurt me. We did a no-demon-violence thingy."
"Oh, the sanctuary spell. Shucks. Oh, wait a minute... I think I... Oh, yeah. Kinda thought you pesky PI’s would be humming that old tune so I picked up a little somethin’ somethin’. Lets me be as demony as I want to be." My eyes go wide and he swing golden pendant out of his pocket and twirls it on his thumb.
"I don’t believe you." I tell him, and I didn't. But then he takes the book from me and slams it into the wall just inches from my head with enough force to shake the building. I don't mean to do it, but I gasps in terror.
"How about now?"
The rest happened so quickly that I didn't even have time to think about anything else but the fear. I always thought I could handle something like this... instead I just broke down like a twelve year old. How could I have been so stupid? Angel shoves some fake do-dad in my face and I just believe him? I coulda had him. I coulda ended it all right there.
.........
"All I’m saying is he tries dancing in here and pulling a Dark Shadows again, he’s gonna get a dart up his evil ass." I don't know what to feel anymore. It's just all my fault he got away.
"Well, his ass moves pretty quick. He got the book and the Wolfram & Hart papers."
"Not your fault." I frowned. He was just trying to protect me again. Always protecting me... even from myself.
"I bet they think it was." I said looking across the lobby where Faith sits with Wesley as he drinks a glass of water and swallows painfully...
Things couldn't go on like this... something had to be done. We were just running around like chickens with our heads cut off now. There had to be something we could do.
.........
"I see everybody still has their necks attached. The sanctuary spell must have done it’s thing?" I try to force a smile but I can't help but feel bad for Lore. He looks a lot less green than usual.
"Yeah, it’s working."
"Hey, one for the good guys."
"And take two away. I let Angelus walk with Lilah’s book and everything Wolfram & Hart suckered out of your brain." I say with a frown.
"I was going to have those framed." And now I just feel even more mad.
"Vampire Moriarty strolls in waving the anti-mojo mojo... anybody would have done the same."
"He had mojo?"
"No-jo. He waved this piece of junk in my face and I went all spinal paralysis." Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Still kicking myself for that one.
"Put the blame stick down, peaches. Maury’s been peddling these to tourists since L.A. had cable cars, honey. It fools the Bermuda shorts off them every single time." Yeah, some supernatural detective I was.
.........
I stared at the number in my hand. I should have done the research sooner, before we even performed the spell on Angel. But I couldn’t look on that now. Now I just needed to work the problem out and look for the best possible solution and there was only one.
Call on the cavalry.
From all that I could pull together, Willow had been the only to re-ensoul Angel successfully. She was the only one with that kind of power and she was only a few hours away from L.A. All we needed was her fresh brains and nifty magicks and we could set things right again.
See? Easy as pie. A bloody almost mushed to pieces kind of pie of the non dairy or edible variety and more of the numerical one.
I picked up the phone and keyed in the number on the keypad. I only hoped she would be able to come. That she could help us. I didn't see why she wouldn't, unless she was busy with world in peril stuff, then that would totally be the worse time to call, but she was my last hope.
Finally after a few seconds a voice on the other end picked up, and I felt... relieved.
"Umm... hello? Can- can I... talk to.. umm Willow? Uh- is she there?"
This was the only way.
.........
I set the tranquilizer gun down next to me as I search for the bookshelf for a runic transcription guide.
"If I were a runic transcription guide, I would be..." Looking through one of the shelves containing inscriptions on demonic possessions I found what I was looking for.
"...shelved wrong." Hm, it was I wonder we could find an-
"Talking to yourself, Fred? A lot of that going around." I spin around to find Angel standing behind me. For a moment, there is a sudden panic but then, I remember... the sanctuary spell.
"You can’t hurt me. We did a no-demon-violence thingy."
"Oh, the sanctuary spell. Shucks. Oh, wait a minute... I think I... Oh, yeah. Kinda thought you pesky PI’s would be humming that old tune so I picked up a little somethin’ somethin’. Lets me be as demony as I want to be." My eyes go wide and he swing golden pendant out of his pocket and twirls it on his thumb.
"I don’t believe you." I tell him, and I didn't. But then he takes the book from me and slams it into the wall just inches from my head with enough force to shake the building. I don't mean to do it, but I gasps in terror.
"How about now?"
The rest happened so quickly that I didn't even have time to think about anything else but the fear. I always thought I could handle something like this... instead I just broke down like a twelve year old. How could I have been so stupid? Angel shoves some fake do-dad in my face and I just believe him? I coulda had him. I coulda ended it all right there.
.........
"All I’m saying is he tries dancing in here and pulling a Dark Shadows again, he’s gonna get a dart up his evil ass." I don't know what to feel anymore. It's just all my fault he got away.
"Well, his ass moves pretty quick. He got the book and the Wolfram & Hart papers."
"Not your fault." I frowned. He was just trying to protect me again. Always protecting me... even from myself.
"I bet they think it was." I said looking across the lobby where Faith sits with Wesley as he drinks a glass of water and swallows painfully...
Things couldn't go on like this... something had to be done. We were just running around like chickens with our heads cut off now. There had to be something we could do.
.........
"I see everybody still has their necks attached. The sanctuary spell must have done it’s thing?" I try to force a smile but I can't help but feel bad for Lore. He looks a lot less green than usual.
"Yeah, it’s working."
"Hey, one for the good guys."
"And take two away. I let Angelus walk with Lilah’s book and everything Wolfram & Hart suckered out of your brain." I say with a frown.
"I was going to have those framed." And now I just feel even more mad.
"Vampire Moriarty strolls in waving the anti-mojo mojo... anybody would have done the same."
"He had mojo?"
"No-jo. He waved this piece of junk in my face and I went all spinal paralysis." Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Still kicking myself for that one.
"Put the blame stick down, peaches. Maury’s been peddling these to tourists since L.A. had cable cars, honey. It fools the Bermuda shorts off them every single time." Yeah, some supernatural detective I was.
.........
I stared at the number in my hand. I should have done the research sooner, before we even performed the spell on Angel. But I couldn’t look on that now. Now I just needed to work the problem out and look for the best possible solution and there was only one.
Call on the cavalry.
From all that I could pull together, Willow had been the only to re-ensoul Angel successfully. She was the only one with that kind of power and she was only a few hours away from L.A. All we needed was her fresh brains and nifty magicks and we could set things right again.
See? Easy as pie. A bloody almost mushed to pieces kind of pie of the non dairy or edible variety and more of the numerical one.
I picked up the phone and keyed in the number on the keypad. I only hoped she would be able to come. That she could help us. I didn't see why she wouldn't, unless she was busy with world in peril stuff, then that would totally be the worse time to call, but she was my last hope.
Finally after a few seconds a voice on the other end picked up, and I felt... relieved.
"Umm... hello? Can- can I... talk to.. umm Willow? Uh- is she there?"