Story: "Expanding Horizons" Part 4 - Ats/Smallville
Title:"Expanding Horizons" Part 4
Author: Guardian
Rated: PG
Fandom: Ats/Smallville
Disclaimer: I own neither shows or any characters.
Summary: Angel wakes up alone.
Angel's eyes opened to pale morning light. Never did he imagine that the joy of being able to enjoy sunlight could be so joyless. He'd missed it for centuries, and now he could enjoy it through patented Wolfram and Hart windows, or as Spike would call it, Evil Inc., and it seemed as lifeless as he felt.
He lay still for a moment, regretting a lot of things he couldn't undo. Regretting last night, and wondering how to face the day.
Things felt wrong even before he sat up, and once he did, he knew why. Spike was gone. Despite the early hour, the bed was vacant. Colder, even. He could detect that even the smell of him had started to fade away, but that might have been his imagination.
Angel lifted himself out of bed and stumbled around the apartment in a quiet but frantic search. Empty bathroom, empty living room, empty kitchen, empty home.
He came to the office hurriedly dressed, his shoe laces barely staying in loose knots. Praying that Spike was there, that this was an odd day or a trick. What a relief that would be. Any joke in a storm was a good one. But there was nothing, no hint of hope, no punch line. He felt almost trapped in a dreamlike state, moving from empty office into a hallway bustling with employees he barely knew. Harmony perked up from her desk as soon as she saw him.
"I got your blood, Bossy," Harmony chirped, hurrying over to hand him a mug. He took it, too distracted to correct her nickname for him. "You've got a nine fifteen with a wizard from New Zealand, and a ten thirty with a tribe of 'Numshoe' demons or whatever they're called. But the ten thirty is already here now, so..."
"Have you seen Spike?"
"No," Harmony said.
Angel sighed softly and walked on, with Harmony quickly shuffling to follow him. "But that reminds me... one of your cars are gone."
"Do we not have security?" Angel wondered aloud, unable to contain his annoyance.
"Well, Spike took it, but he didn't sign it out or anything. Want me to order a man hunt? Or a vampire hunt, actually-"
"You said you hadn't seen Spike," Angel snapped at her.
Harmony's eyes went wide, her mouth opening into a frightened little 'o'. "I didn't see him, Boss. He left last night; I just got the memo."
"I should have been told first. Did he say where he was going?"
Harmony shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Find out, or you're fired."
"You're not serious," Harmony said, but Angel didn't say anything and walked on. The blonde stopped, stunned, and made whining noises. "That's not fair!"
~~
The bridge wasn't difficult to find. Getting to it was a different story.
Fine sports cars weren't much for off-roading, and that was exactly what Spike realized he had to do. He parked as close as possible, which was several yards away, with all of the overgrown foliage. He left the car and went towards the bridge, trying to pick out the best path to get underneath.
"Stop."
The commanding tone, accompanied by several clicks that sounded suspiciously like guns gave Spike a good reason to listen. He lifted his hands slightly and slowly looked around, surprised to find men in black flak jackets coming out from every possible hiding place.
Wolfram and Hart was good.
"This is a restricted area," a soldier said, clearly in charge.
"I'm from Wolfram and Hart," Spike said. "Angel sent me to investigate that little portally doo-dad you lot are guarding over here. Nice work, by the way. Care to point me in the right spot?"
"Sorry, Mr. Spike, sir," the soldier said, apparently aware of who Spike was after all. "He didn't tell us you were coming."
"Well, Peaches has to worry his little head over other things," Spike said. "You mind?"
"This way."
The solider led him to a sort of shaky path down to the riverbed. The river itself was slowed to a a trickling stream. They picked out a path over slippery rocks and steep banking, moving closer to the bridge.
As they approached, Spike began to see it. If not for some green rocks giving him a big hint, he might have missed it. The light seemed to refract in odd ways, making images that just didn't add up. He could see glimmers of something else, like a mirage.
"From what we figure, one man can fit through at a time," the soldier said. He moved closer, and showed Spike exactly where they knew a point of entry was. The shimmer was hard to describe, but it was like dark light suspended in the air, and moving like heat waves.
The solider went through first, to show him how, and then Spike went, having to stoop as he did, nearly crawling over the river rocks.
There was an odd sensation, like weightlessness, and then a sinking dizziness. Spike stumbled forward, finding that the ground had changed from awkward sloping rocks to a flat field. The soldier was ahead of him, looking a little winded.
"Are you alright, Sir?"
"Bit fazzled, but fine. You look a bit green though, mate."
"It's not a pleasant experience," the soldier said, but otherwise remained staunch, as if having to put on a brave face.
"Well, I don't see any hellions," Spike noted. He kicked the ground, thrust his hands into his duster pockets and looked around. "Night time, like Fred said. Looks a lot like our world."
"We haven't been able to explore very much," the soldier said. "Our scout couldn't handle the side effects."
"You can go back, then," Spike said. The soldier didn't budge. "That's an order," Spike added. The soldier put on a good act, but Spike could still tell that there was a deep relief in him. He disappeared back through the portal, like evaporating water.
"Can't wait to see what's over here," Spike said to himself, and to the night sky. He heard normal insect noises, and the rustle of the wind. Aside from a cricket or two, he was alone. He didn't even have the Jaguar anymore.
He'd have to hope this place had cities, because if he had to rough it in the woods for more than a day, he was so going back, broody Angel be damned. But the sun was coming up soon. This place had to have a sun, after all. He needed to find shelter.
Author: Guardian
Rated: PG
Fandom: Ats/Smallville
Disclaimer: I own neither shows or any characters.
Summary: Angel wakes up alone.
Angel's eyes opened to pale morning light. Never did he imagine that the joy of being able to enjoy sunlight could be so joyless. He'd missed it for centuries, and now he could enjoy it through patented Wolfram and Hart windows, or as Spike would call it, Evil Inc., and it seemed as lifeless as he felt.
He lay still for a moment, regretting a lot of things he couldn't undo. Regretting last night, and wondering how to face the day.
Things felt wrong even before he sat up, and once he did, he knew why. Spike was gone. Despite the early hour, the bed was vacant. Colder, even. He could detect that even the smell of him had started to fade away, but that might have been his imagination.
Angel lifted himself out of bed and stumbled around the apartment in a quiet but frantic search. Empty bathroom, empty living room, empty kitchen, empty home.
He came to the office hurriedly dressed, his shoe laces barely staying in loose knots. Praying that Spike was there, that this was an odd day or a trick. What a relief that would be. Any joke in a storm was a good one. But there was nothing, no hint of hope, no punch line. He felt almost trapped in a dreamlike state, moving from empty office into a hallway bustling with employees he barely knew. Harmony perked up from her desk as soon as she saw him.
"I got your blood, Bossy," Harmony chirped, hurrying over to hand him a mug. He took it, too distracted to correct her nickname for him. "You've got a nine fifteen with a wizard from New Zealand, and a ten thirty with a tribe of 'Numshoe' demons or whatever they're called. But the ten thirty is already here now, so..."
"Have you seen Spike?"
"No," Harmony said.
Angel sighed softly and walked on, with Harmony quickly shuffling to follow him. "But that reminds me... one of your cars are gone."
"Do we not have security?" Angel wondered aloud, unable to contain his annoyance.
"Well, Spike took it, but he didn't sign it out or anything. Want me to order a man hunt? Or a vampire hunt, actually-"
"You said you hadn't seen Spike," Angel snapped at her.
Harmony's eyes went wide, her mouth opening into a frightened little 'o'. "I didn't see him, Boss. He left last night; I just got the memo."
"I should have been told first. Did he say where he was going?"
Harmony shrugged her shoulders. "How am I supposed to know?"
"Find out, or you're fired."
"You're not serious," Harmony said, but Angel didn't say anything and walked on. The blonde stopped, stunned, and made whining noises. "That's not fair!"
~~
The bridge wasn't difficult to find. Getting to it was a different story.
Fine sports cars weren't much for off-roading, and that was exactly what Spike realized he had to do. He parked as close as possible, which was several yards away, with all of the overgrown foliage. He left the car and went towards the bridge, trying to pick out the best path to get underneath.
"Stop."
The commanding tone, accompanied by several clicks that sounded suspiciously like guns gave Spike a good reason to listen. He lifted his hands slightly and slowly looked around, surprised to find men in black flak jackets coming out from every possible hiding place.
Wolfram and Hart was good.
"This is a restricted area," a soldier said, clearly in charge.
"I'm from Wolfram and Hart," Spike said. "Angel sent me to investigate that little portally doo-dad you lot are guarding over here. Nice work, by the way. Care to point me in the right spot?"
"Sorry, Mr. Spike, sir," the soldier said, apparently aware of who Spike was after all. "He didn't tell us you were coming."
"Well, Peaches has to worry his little head over other things," Spike said. "You mind?"
"This way."
The solider led him to a sort of shaky path down to the riverbed. The river itself was slowed to a a trickling stream. They picked out a path over slippery rocks and steep banking, moving closer to the bridge.
As they approached, Spike began to see it. If not for some green rocks giving him a big hint, he might have missed it. The light seemed to refract in odd ways, making images that just didn't add up. He could see glimmers of something else, like a mirage.
"From what we figure, one man can fit through at a time," the soldier said. He moved closer, and showed Spike exactly where they knew a point of entry was. The shimmer was hard to describe, but it was like dark light suspended in the air, and moving like heat waves.
The solider went through first, to show him how, and then Spike went, having to stoop as he did, nearly crawling over the river rocks.
There was an odd sensation, like weightlessness, and then a sinking dizziness. Spike stumbled forward, finding that the ground had changed from awkward sloping rocks to a flat field. The soldier was ahead of him, looking a little winded.
"Are you alright, Sir?"
"Bit fazzled, but fine. You look a bit green though, mate."
"It's not a pleasant experience," the soldier said, but otherwise remained staunch, as if having to put on a brave face.
"Well, I don't see any hellions," Spike noted. He kicked the ground, thrust his hands into his duster pockets and looked around. "Night time, like Fred said. Looks a lot like our world."
"We haven't been able to explore very much," the soldier said. "Our scout couldn't handle the side effects."
"You can go back, then," Spike said. The soldier didn't budge. "That's an order," Spike added. The soldier put on a good act, but Spike could still tell that there was a deep relief in him. He disappeared back through the portal, like evaporating water.
"Can't wait to see what's over here," Spike said to himself, and to the night sky. He heard normal insect noises, and the rustle of the wind. Aside from a cricket or two, he was alone. He didn't even have the Jaguar anymore.
He'd have to hope this place had cities, because if he had to rough it in the woods for more than a day, he was so going back, broody Angel be damned. But the sun was coming up soon. This place had to have a sun, after all. He needed to find shelter.