Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Chp.26

What to do

Info: 1st chapter

Angel, Gunn, and the Scooby gang, plus a few, all watch as the witch makes her way down the large staircase. Her expression one of confusion, and not a little disappointment.

They all notice that her head hangs, low her chin brushing against her chest. By her demeanor they can tell that the outcome wasn't what they'd all been hoping for, but they were known for being wrong on occasion. Willow could be just playing some sick joke on them, and Buffy would come bouncing down the stairs behind her in a few moments.

Except that Willow had been up there for more than three hours, the expression could just be from being weary because of the long session. They could all hope that was the case, couldn't they?
**********

As she steps from the last step, onto the landing to the lobby, she surveys the group gathered in the room. With her eyes in Xander’s, she lifts a corner of her mouth slightly, then looks to the apprehensive stare of Giles, and shakes her head in defeat.

Seeing the defeat on her face, Giles walks to her, and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “What happened, Willow?” He looks into her sad, green eyes. “Did the spell work?” He knows that something had happened up in that room, he just couldn’t place his finger on what had the red head so down. Unless. He takes his glasses off, rubbing them furiously as the thought crosses his mind. Not voicing his suspicion. He decides to let the witch explain what had happened.

“Yeah.” She sighs, tiredness evident in her tone. “The spell worked, but there was nothing.” She dazedly gazes around the room at all of the people awaiting her news.

“Whatever, do you mean?” She hears Giles ask beside her, still rubbing his glasses on his dirty and grimy shirt tail.

“I was in her head. But it was like everywhere I turned, there was a wall. Like maybe somehow she’d put up a blockade, or she may not have even been in there. I don’t know.” Her voice was cracking, and she felt the lone tear slide down her face, as she looks at the Scooby’s. “It’s like a total void in her head. There wasn’t anything but blackness. No memories or anything. I tried to get through the barrier, but it was like impervious. It was sort of like trying to punch through latex, or some other kind of stretchy substance.” She finishes her explanation, as she watches Kennedy approach her.

Slowly approaching her distraught girlfriend, Kennedy makes it up the landing, to her side, and tentatively wraps her in a hug. “It’s okay, Red.” She whispers in Willows ear. “You’ll figure it out. I mean you guys haven’t made it this far, without some set backs, and you always figure it out, don’t’cha?” She asks, after she lets the red head out of the embrace and faces the rest of the group. “From what I’ve seen, that’s what’cha guys do.” Placing her hands on her hips, “You all don’t give up, never quit, so don’t quit now.” She encourages, as she grabs Willows hand, and squeezes it comfortingly.

Standing by the huge, front desk, Angel loudly clears his throat. In turn gaining everyone’s attention. Looking over the bed-raggled group from Sunnydale. “I know someone. He might be able to tell you what needs to be done. He’s not your typical person, per se, but he can read aura’s and give you some incite, or advice as to where you can get what you need to get what needs to be done, done.” He finally says, looking from the group to Gunn, who had taken sentry duty, beside him.

Seeming to be thinking about the situation, and the one that Angel had just talked about, Gunn looks to the dour face of the vamp. “Do you think it’s a good idea, to introduce a bunch of slayers, and their friends to a demon?” He asks, straightening to his full height as he talks.

“We need to do something, Gunn. We can’t leave her in this state.” Angel angrily slams his fist down on the desk. Hitting it hard enough to break a sizeable chunk off of the edge.

“Damn, man. I knew you had feelings for the girl, but I had no idea that it went as deep, as it seems to be.” His eyes fall on the foot long piece of the desk lying on the floor in front of his feet. “Look, the only reason I even brought it up. I have a few issues with sending the big, green guy into the lion’s den. Think about it, they kill demons Angel. He could walk in and they might think it’s an attack and slay the guy.”

Angel listens intensely as the black man voices his concerns, and takes all he’s said into consideration. “Gunn, they don’t slay demons that help them.” Is the only excuse that he can come up with that seemed to make sense, at least to him it did.

“Yeah, but if he comes in here alone, they won’t know that he’s here to help them.” Gunn argues further, trying to get the point across. “They could slay him, and then ask questions later.” He says, driving his point home.

“That’s why I’ll be here when he shows.”

“Okay. Just wanted to make sure, dog.” The man slips back into his street slang, as he’s reassured, and slaps the vampire on the shoulder. He smiles. “So you want me to call, and get his green ass over here?” He asks, looking over to the brown scowl of the broody vamp.

“Yeah.” Angel sighs. “We need to find out what’s up with Buffy, I’ll fill them in on the situation, and Willow has to figure out what she’s goin’ to sing when he gets here.”

At the mention of her singing, Willows eyes fly up catching the vampire in a resolve look. “Oh, no, no. I don’t sing. Singing and me are really unmixy things” She shakes her head, the look in her eyes becoming more of the deer-caught-in-headlights look than the resolve look she’d had a few moments ago.

Backing away from the vampire and towards the door. Willow seeks the safety of the sun. She stops as Angel looks at her, a glint in his eyes, stops her from completely running out of the door.

“Willow?” He slowly, and cautiously approaches the powerful Wicca. “The only way that Lorne can help you is for you to sing.” He explains, taking the last step to her, catching her arm in his hand, to keep her from changing her mind, and opening the door to escape.

Her insecurity getting the better of her she tries to get away, but Angel’s hold is firm. She looks up into his eyes, seeing that his resolve is stronger than hers. “Wh-why do I have to sing? I mean he can’t just look at me a say ‘you need to go here, or get that?” She asks imploringly, her eyes becoming glassy, as she struggles with the whole decision of having to sing. “I really don’t want to sing.” She finally squeaks out in defeat. Her shoulders slumping up against the door, she resigns to the idea of having to sing.

Angel gives her a small smile in thanks. When he knows she’s given in, “I had to sing for him too.” He admits, making her smile. “There’s more to it though. He can look at you, and tell you certain things, but when you sing for him, he can tell you so much more.” He sighs, dramatically. “It would be better for Buffy to sing, but she can’t, and you’re the one that’s been nearest to her. You were also the one that went inside her.”

Everyone looks at the two by the door, most with strange looks on their faces, the others smirking or laughing.

Xander really wants to crack on that last remark. God it was so difficult, not to spout out a really good one liner.

Giles turns his head, whipping his glasses from his face, and wiping them furiously with the cleanest part of his shirt. Trying not to laugh, but with a smirk, and slight glint in his eyes.

Willow blushes brightly, her heated face turning redder by the second.

Kennedy looks at the vampire with venom in her eyes, but can’t seem to keep the smile from her face, as she starts to chuckle.

Andrew looks at the dark vampire, finally getting what had slipped from his mouth. His eyes brighten up. “Uh, I don’t think Buffy was like that, I mean she didn’t seem like she went for that kinda thing, anyway.”

At Andrews comment, Dawn can’t help but start to laugh. Spluttering. “No, I think that she went more for the Spike part of that kinda thing.” She had totally forgotten that present company would likely not like her comment.

The loud growl stops everyone’s laughter. “As I was saying.” Angel says through his clenched teeth. “Lorne gets more out of you singing for him. Since Willow is the one that went into Buffy’s mind, she can’t sing, so you’re the one that gets the honor.”

With her resolve, Willow looks defiantly into Angel’s eyes, again. “Okay, but it’s only because it’ll help Buffy. I’m still protesting it though.” She heads up the stairs to her left, instead of out the door. Thinking that she should make up signs, and picket against her having to sing. Oh, god what am I gonna sing, is her last thought as she turns the corner to go back to Angel's room and see if there's anything else she can think of to help Buffy, before she actually had to go through with this really bad idea.

(Woohoo! I noticed that I now have over 200 reviews. Thanks guys, it’s so cool. Sorry about the no update Monday. My internet wasn't working, then for some reason my keyboard went out. I swear if one more thing goes wrong with this contraption it's getting thrown out the window.)