"Voices"

“Listen to the rain fallin' day by day
Listen to the rain fallin' day by day by day
Hey

I hear you calling, voices are here again
I hear you whisper, taking control of me
Watch the dancing shadows run away
All alone once again, afraid

All these faces, changing their shapes on me
Isolated in my own world, will it ever be free?
Haunted figures around me, I want em' to stay
There always there to protect me, this is one thing you can't take away

Listen to the rain fallin' day by day
Listen to the rain fallin' day by day by day
Yeah!

I hear you calling, voices are here again
I hear you whisper in my own mind, will it ever change?
Voices
Voices
Voices
Voices

I hear you calling” Godsmack (“Voices” The Other Side 2004)

The drive back to the Wolfram and Hart offices was tense, filled with hardened gazes and hammering hearts. Do to the excessive speed that Wesley drove they made it back to the massive building in record time.

Through the lobby and up the elevator no one spoke a word. Wesley and Buffy walked in tandem with each other, neither needing to look to see if the other was following. Both were focused on a single thought, find away to cure Spike, stopping Angel was simply secondary.

When Wesley and Buffy reached the conference room they found a similarly tense group waiting for them. They were all quiet, sitting around the large table watching Cordelia pace the front length of the room. Once Cordelia spotted Buffy and Wesley standing just inside the room she let out a heart filled sigh and let her shoulders relax. Maybe, just maybe they could fix everything, without losing any more people that they cared about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conner stood quietly in the center of a grand old hotel. The check in counter and main office stood off to his right while a large elegant staircase rose up before him. There was a small circular couch just off to his left and a set of doors that lead to a hidden garden. Walking to the doors, Conner opened them and silently walked through. A small hint of jasmine filled the air and for some reason the scent caused both a feeling of sadness and nausea. An iron bench sat before a decorative fountain, it’s water gently flowing up and over the structure to settle back in the pool at its base. Conner could not have said why he had been drawn to the old hotel, it wasn’t like he had ever been there before, but something about the place made him feel like he’d found a missing part of himself, he just wasn’t sure what that part was.

Coming a few hesitant steps forward, Conner took a seat on the bench, quietly watching the water in the fountain. Visions of a life he had not lead flashed through his mind, people he knew but did not know and places he had been but did not exist. Conner had no idea why he was seeing and feeling the things that he was. All he knew was that the scenes were important, even though they did not make any sense.

After a few minutes Conner heard a faint rustling sound off to his left. Images momentarily forgotten, Conner raised his eyes and watched as a petite blonde woman slowly made her way to his side. Her hair rested gently on the tops of her bare shoulders, her feet were clad in small comfortable sandals that matched the pretty blue and white sundress she wore. A soft smile lit up her face and her blue eyes glittered with unshed tears. Taking a seat next to him she gently raised one small delicate hand to cup his right cheek. Staring straight into his eyes, her smile widened and with a soft husky whisper, spoke five words that shattered his perception of reality.

“Hello Conner, my beautiful boy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Well?” Buffy asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She, like everyone else in the conference room, was looking at the brunette seer with anxious looks. Wringing her hands Cordelia began to pace around the small area in front of the conference table. Gathering her courage, Cordelia took a deep breath and directed her question towards Buffy.

“First tell me what the Oracles told you because I could be wrong and if I am and we’re looking in the wrong place then Spike could die and…”

“Breath Cordelia, breath.” Wesley said as he interrupted a babble that would have done Fred proud.

Taking a few deep breaths, Cordelia turned anxious brown eyes on an impatient Slayer.

“What they told you is important. We can not be wrong.” Cordelia said. “Please?”

Nodding her head, Buffy quickly relayed all that the Oracles had told her. Watching the expressions on everyone’s faces it was clear to Buffy that there was something that the Sunnydale group was just not getting. Fred, Wesley, Lorne, Gunn, and Cordelia were all sharing looks of understanding. Feeling irritated at being left out, Buffy spoke up, interrupting the A.I group’s private communication.

“What is it and how do I find it?”

“It’s not a what Buffy.” Wesley said, a small smile coming over his face. “And if I’m guessing correctly it’s a who.”

“See Buffy, Xander called.” Cordelia said gaining Buffy’s attention. “He found out how to reverse the spell on Spike. It takes the blood of the Champion, freely given.”

“So when do I do this?” Buffy asked, wondering why they were all still sitting around the table when they could be saving Spike.

“It’s not that simple Buffy.” Giles said gently as he fiddled with his glasses, unable to look Buffy in the eyes. Panic settled in Buffy‘s heart at Giles words making breathing difficult. Eyes widening, Buffy turned to Cordelia praying that she would not give her the answer she feared.

“Please don’t tell me its Angel!”

“No!” Cordelia shouted, trying to calm down the distressed slayer. “We believe the champion is Conner, Angel’s son.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ride up to the white room was made in a tense silence. Hamilton was fuming. The Senior Partner’s carefully laid plans were unraveling. The former A.I group, along with the Slayer and her friends were rapidly putting all of the puzzle pieces together. Hamilton and the Senior Partners had been counting on Angel’s arrogance to help their plans succeed but it seemed that the Powers were actively assisting their champions. It was enough to make Hamilton want to heave.

When the elevator doors silently slid open, Hamilton stepped out of the chamber and into the bright pure white room that housed the Senior Partners agent in this realm.

“You are not living up to your promises.” The conduit said as the figure of a small girl stood before the large man. “Remember what was done to Eve when she failed?

“The Slayer has brought in reinforcements and the agent of the Powers has been released from her mystical coma in order to once again guide her champion.” Hamilton explained, hoping to gain more time.

“Concentrate on Angelus. He is the key.” The Senior Partner’s mouthpiece said and then in a flash was gone from Hamilton’s sight. With a fierce scowl, Hamilton turned and stalked back to the now open elevator. The doors closed swiftly taking Hamilton away from the white room. He never saw the slight shimmer in the center of the room slowly come into focus. Standing in place of the little girl was a tall striking woman with shoulder length brown hair wearing an elegant plant suit of dark navy blue. A smirk grew over her red painted lips as she gave a soft chuckle in the direction of the closed elevator doors.

“Well this should be interesting.”