The morning sun streamed through the high narrow window in the cell. Laurel gazed up at the rays, as they danced and highlighted her miserable surroundings. Her reptilian eyes devoured what little light there was as she remembered a time when she was outside feeling the sun in her hair and meat between her teeth. Before she realised, that because she was joined, she was reliant on the wretches to her left and right!

They had accepted her leadership; it had been simple, their acceptance or their death. She didn’t care that their death involved her own. She hated the world with a vengeance and hungered for its rapid and painful demise!

The serpents arched and writhed in wakefulness seeking out their morning repast. They struck at a blackbird and some rats.

Laurel swallowed and smiled showing even more teeth; the other ensouled part retched at the imagined after-taste of their morning meal. She got to her feet and stood holding the ragged blanket that Angel had given her.

Laurel made great show of smoothing her shining auburn locks and smiling in her "sister’s" direction.

"Someone comes, someone wishing to destroy us." Laurel’s voice hissed unpleasantly; the tone was dry with a reverberation of rock on rock. Her hips swayed back and forth so the others had to follow. She set up a sinuous rhythm, which held them spellbound.

Slowly the blanket slipped from the "soul" triplets fingers as she gave herself to the hypnotic rhythm of Laurel’s dance. She felt Laurel’s soft-scaled palms drift over her nipples and sighed, her eyes closed to the delicious erotic massage. All three pressed closer in their eternal circle and swayed as Laurel informed them of her plans.

"We will prevail. We must procreate. We will vanquish our enemies and crush continents with our army of followers. This pitiful Council of Watchers will be that army. Together we will be omnipotent!" She waited while "the serpents" nodded their consent and "the soul" battled with her conscience.

The electronic gate opened at the wave of Jack’s hand and the party of five entered. "Five for a pentagram" came unbidden to Jack’s mind. He looked at his Slayer. He had never felt so close to her. He wondered at his father’s ability to read their whereabouts and to see the mantraps around the Watcher’s headquarters’.

"They really must get some new ideas," Rupert muttered. Jack led the way with Jenny at his shoulder and Spike to her left. Rose and Gorgon strode side by side to the rear. Rose’s fingertips barely brushed her father’s sleeve to guide him through the wide Laburnum arched drive to the oak entrance door.

Spike scented the air before he entered. "Three guards and another two in a control room down the corridor."

Jenny looked at him incredulously. "How do you know that?"

Spike grinned,"Two in the control room are eating curry." He smiled wider as he saw the ghost of Buffy’s smile on his love’s face. Then he scowled, increasing his pace to the door.

"Sp…William!" Jack cried.

Spike halted and shot a venomous look behind him. "Angel’s in there Watcher. Do you think they’ve invited him for tea?"

"Spike, we get in, do what we have to, and then get out. Understood? We don’t have time to rescue vampires in distress." Jack hissed impatiently.

Jenny left Jack’s side closely followed by Rose and Gorgon; Spike glanced at the group going through the door. "He’s drinking human blood Watcher, I can taste it. You might want to reconsider who needs rescuing."

Jack sighed and eased his shoulders into a more relaxed position, now he understood the references to tension headaches in his father’s Watcher journals.

Angel looked through the toughened glass of the Conference room and saw the approach of a group of five Watchers. One looked like a young Giles and the girl at his side he guessed was the Slayer. His eyes pricked as he gazed at her, younger than Buffy. Suddenly his vampire enhanced vision picked out a second girl to the rear.

"Laurel? No, Willow?" He breathed the names and scrutinised the group more closely. Five Watchers, one looked like Giles, one like Willow, and one like Buffy. "Spike?" He questioned and had his answer as the young man looked directly at him across the distance of a hundred yards.

"Bloody Hell!" He backed away from the window and hurried to the door. The mirrored hall stretched before him. He glanced right then left, and calling upon his demon, he launched his vampiric form with preternatural grace down the hall. Stakes flew at him thudding into the mirrored surface which reflected nothing of his desperate flight to aid the "Scooby gang." He hit the far wall shattering the looking glass and fell into the pit below, twisting his body as his eyes sharply focussed on the lethal stakes lining it. He screamed as three punctured his body one at either hip and the last one plunging through his thigh. His only comfort before he blacked out was one less obstacle for his childe to negotiate.

Jack hurried to catch up with the group. He felt his fathers anger rising and that was dangerous. He’d never seen his father angry while he was growing up and now in the course of a few days he had witnessed his wrath twice.

Spike was drawing ahead of the group. Jack came upon his shoulder and heard him mutter, "Sire" beneath his breath, and then he took after the guards that had scattered in the direction of the mirrored hall.

Their running order was now Spike, Jenny and himself, with Gorgon and Rose at the rear.

The guards were shouting about a vampire shattering the mirrored hall and thoughts of Spike’s safety blinded Jack. He let his father do the thinking and, seemingly unbidden, a spell seared through his mind.

Clear, cold and concise the rapier thought pierced and rearranged reality in the bat of an eyelash. Illusion: Reflection obscure: Vampire invisible.

Jack’s breathing calmed as he rounded the corner into the mirrored gallery. Unbroken glass stretched along the halls length and the Watchers, with stakes drawn, were dumbfounded because they threw no reflection. Spike turned round and round on the spot very confused.

Jack took his arm and dragged him swiftly past the bemused men; Gorgon, Rose and Jenny followed. "We have little time…" Jack waved his hand in front of the far wall "Reveal." The wall disappeared revealing a sheer drop and Angel impaled on the stakes below.

"Spike?" Angel looked up hopefully out of the gloom as his childe peered into the pit. His heart fell as Spike disappeared and a young girl was lowered down into the pit.

"Angel… take my hands."

Angels’ eyes burned as he struggled free of the stakes. The girl was the new Slayer but the tone of her voice reminded him of Buffy. She smiled and his mind reeled as he gripped her forearms. Strength and warmth flooded his body as he remembered so long ago holding Buffy in his arms and carrying her to her home.

"Buffy?" it was half question half prayer. He cried out as he was lifted from the pit into the brightly lit gallery. He sat against the wall waiting precious seconds whilst his body healed enough to allow him to stand.

Spike bent double heaving with unnecessary breath; it had been a long-time since he had to expend so much energy.

Spike looked at Jenny uneasily.

She had moved to Angel’s side. "Can you stand? Do you know where they’re holding Laurel the Gorgon?"

Angel got to his feet shakily and noticed Gorgon and Rose for the first time. "They wanted me to kill someone. They can’t control her or the madman that keeps her alive… Are you here to do the same?"

Rose stepped forward. "I am the one who will kill her, vampire."

Her green-gold eyes were cool on his skin reminding him of Willow in a rage when she had had her fill of Mary Sebastian. "I can help you then, she was in the dungeon, the floor above mine."

"They kept you in a cell?" Spike questioned, "Well, Sire, I had no idea your hankering for bondage had got so strong…"

Angel gave Spike a withering look, "Take care childe you’re not too old to be put over my knee!" With that he walked ahead of the troop and tried not to react to Spike’s "Promises, promises…" aimed at his advancing back.

End of pt.6

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