Roomies

Disclaimer: The characters of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series Universes (Angel, Cordelia, Spike, Xander, Doyle, etc…) are the creation of Joss Whedon and are, therefore, the property of him, Mutant Enemy (Grr, Arg), and 20th Century Fox (and all other affiliated parties). No money is gained from this work as it is created purely for the enjoyment of others. Please do not sue.

AN: Constructive criticism and friendly fedback are always appreciated. Flames will be used to warm my toes.


~Part 29: And Behind Door Number One…~

“It's called a Mohra demon. They're pretty powerful assassins. Soldiers-uh-darkness kind uh thing. They take ou’ warriors fer our side like you an’ Buffy.” Doyle looked away from the book he was holding so that he could pull out a chair and sit down. Once he was comfortable he spent a moment or two to find where he left off. As he skimmed the section he said, “ ‘Needs vast quan’ities uh salt ta live.’ … ‘Veins run wi’h th’ blood ah eternity.’ Its blood ‘as regen’rative properties.”

Angel paced back and forth in front of the desk slowly rubbing his chin. After a moment he stopped and put his hands on the desk and leaned forward to get a look at the descent sketch the book had. “Yeah, that’s it… something doesn’t feel right about this, Doyle.”

“Well, hey, wha’ diff’rence does i' make, man? Th’ demon's dead,” Doyle said as he snapped the book closed. “Xander made wi’h th’ demon slaughtering. It's happy-fun time.”

“Okay, you said that its blood has regenerative powers,” Angel said as he began pacing once again. “How strong a regeneration is it? I mean, ‘the blood of eternity’ sounds pretty strong.”

Doyle sighed and opened the book again. “I don’ understand why ev’rythin’ always ‘as ta be so doom an’ gloom wi’h yah, man. Th’ demon’s dead, why c’n’t we leave i' at tha’?”

“It prophesized what sounded like an apocalypse, Doyle.” Angel ran both his hands through his hair making it stand up on end and asked, “How else am I supposed to interpret a demon talking about an army and the end of days?”

Doyle leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked down at the table and said, “I don’ know.”

Angel studied Doyle for a moment before saying, “How come I keep getting the feeling that you're not telling me everything.”

A long sigh escaped Doyle’s chest. “’Cause 'm nawt.” He stood up and circled the desk as he said, “We're bo’h on a need-ta-know basis ‘ere.”

“Well, I need to know about this,” Angel stated plainly. “I want to speak to the Powers That Be.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Tha's easier said th’n done, bud,” Doyle said as he took a step closer to Angel. He took a deep breath and began to explain, “Th’ Powers Tha’ Be don' live in our reality. Yah ‘ave ta approach them through channels… Dangerous channels.”

“Yeah, you know what? Start approaching,” Angel stated in a firm tone.

Doyle studied Angel’s expression for a long time before finally shrugging. “All righ’. All righ’. Maybe we cou’ try th’ Oracles. Bu’ hey, if they turn yah inta a toad don' say I didn' warn yah.”

~~~

“'The gateway for lost souls…'” Angel read from the symbols etched into the stone above a large archway. The archway looked as though it should have been a doorway except that the entire thing was solid, white stone. He ran a hand along the edge of it and frowned.

Spike shoved his hands deep inside the pockets of his duster as he leaned against the wall furthest away from the archway. He was itching like crazy for a cigarette. “It’s under the post office?” he couldn’t help but ask.

Xander, who was helping Doyle mix the many herbs that they needed together, looked up at the blonde. “It makes sense,” he said as he dusted off his hands and stepped but from the stone dish thing that Doyle was throwing all the herbs into. “If you think about it really hard, it makes all kinds of sense.”

“Okay,” Doyle said as he added the last few bits of herbs. He looked over at Angel and said, “Now lis’en, th’ Oracles are finicky an’ unpr’dictable. Yah get in, don’ dillydally. Jus’ ask yer questions an’ get ou’. Got it?”

“Yeah,” Angel said. He paused for a moment before asking, “Wait, you aren’t coming with me?”

“Nawt allowed. 'm jus’ a lowly mess’nger. Yer a warri’r. If yer heart is pure an’ I do this righ’--'We beseech access ta th’ knowing ones'--We may jus’ survive,” Doyle explained. He pulled out a lighter and lit the herbs. The herbs caught aflame with a whoosh and all the air in the room seemed to rush towards the archway, which glowed a brilliant white. “Yer in!” he called out as he pushed Angel towards the doorway.

The trip across the threshold was like nothing Angel had ever experienced before. He felt like every part of him was being pulled into a different direction while his entire body was being soaked by sunlight. Once he was finally through, his vision lost focus and the room seemed to dip and sway.

He was greeted by the sight of two small beings. One was male and the other female. They wore dark cloths that were wrapped around each of them like togas while their hair looked like styles straight out of a Caesar documentary. Across their skin were bright blue runes starting around their eyes and down their shoulders. Both were standing in front an archway similar to the one the Angel stood in front of only it led to a long tunnel and an unceasingly bight light. He glanced over his shoulder only to see that the archway behind him had turned back to solid stone.

“Come before us, warrior, lower being,” the male said softly from across the room. His voice echoed across the chamber in a way that seemed odd for such a small chamber.

Angel frowned and took a step closer. At his side, Xander followed him. He glared at the boy who couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of the Oracles. Respectfully, Angel lowered his head in a sign of submission.

“Uh… not to make you hit me or anything, Deadboy, but I so totally do *not* remember walking through that doorway,” Xander stage whispered as he continued to stare straight at the Oracles.

“What have you brought us?” the female asked serenely.

Cursing silently, Angel asked, “Was I supposed to—“

“You call us forth and bring no offering?” the male interrupted. His voice remained cool and somewhat detached even as Angel got the sense that he was very irritated.

After a moment, Angel took off his watch and held it out. “I brought you this,” he said.

The female held out her hand and the watch flew to it. Once it reached her she began to study it closely. After a moment she smiled and said, “I like time. There's so little and so much of it.”

The male turned his attention to Xander. “Well?”

With a startled gasp, Xander tore his gaze from the Oracles as he began patting down his pockets. After a minute or two he held out an unopened bar of chocolate. “Uh… is this okay?”

The candy flew from his hand and over to the male Oracle’s who handed it to the female.

“I-it’s chocolate,” Xander said uncomfortably. “Hershey’s. The best there is.”

The male sighed and rested his gaze back on Angel. “What is it you have called us forth for, warrior?” he asked as he and the female began walking closer.

“It’s about the Mohra demon,” Angel said slowly.

The female’s eyes grew large for only a moment before she said, “It's true then, brother.”

“He is still a warrior,” the male said disdainfully. “This lower being has affected things greatly.”

Angel frowned but decided to go on with the questions he had originally intended to ask. “The Mohra talked about an army and an end of days. It said that more will come. I need to know if Xander killing it prevented its prophesies.”

The male seemed to glare at Angel without his expression changing at all. “You faced a Mohra demon.”

“Life goes on,” the female said as she crossed in front of him. She paused as she came to Xander. “Ask your questions, lower being.”

Xander seemed at a loss for what to say. He glanced over at Angel momentarily before facing the female again. “W-why do the Powers want me to work with Angel. Did they want me to be a warrior?”

“The Powers That Be expect *you* to be a warrior?” the male asked as he continued to walk back and forth in front of him. “Will you save humanity? Avert the Apocalypse?”

Cowering back from the male, Xander simply shrugged.

“You are, but a replacement,” the female stated. “The auguries are… unsure what you real purpose may be. Though, if it has happened…”

“It was meant to be,” the male stated.

The female smiled and took a step closer to Xander. “You are at the warriors side, as you should be, as you will continued to be.”

“So my life as a sidekick…” Xander asked, “will go on as usual?”

The male paused before saying, “From this day, you will live and die as any mortal man in the service of the Powers That Be.”

“Privy to all the attendant pains… and pleasures,” the female said close to his ear.

“That which we serve is now that which you serve,” the male stated. “Your fealty will be to no other.”

The Oracles turned and began walking towards the tunnel opposite Angel and Xander.

“That's it?” Xander asked, his voice finally taking on some strength. “I’ve no say in the matter?”

The male simply raised his hand and a gush of wind threw both Angel and Xander backwards. They landed in a heap on top of Spike and Doyle. Xander groaned as his funny bone came into contact with a hard bit of stone.

“You bloody idiot!” Spike was saying as he helped Xander to his feet.

Doyle did the same for Angel and asked, “Angel, it didn' w’rk?”

“Yes, it did,” Angel muttered as he went about fixing his hair as best he could.

“But, you just went in,” Spike said, “figured, Zapper, ‘ere messed it up by going in with you.”

“What?!” Angel asked. He tugged at the sleeves of his jacket and glared as he spotted a stain on one of the lapels.

“Look at yer watch,” Doyle was saying. “Yah jus’ went in this inst’nt.”

“I can't do that, Doyle. Next time remind me to bring a gift.” Angel paced the length of the room, his expression unreadable other than the fact the something was not good.

“I knew I fergot somethin’,” Doyle said softly. He went over to Xander and his hands fluttered around nervously before one settled down on Xander’s shoulder. “So wha’ ‘appened? Wha’ did they say?”

“They're a little confusing,” Xander said. He gave Doyle a brief smile before his features became more serious. “The gist of it is, though, that the demon wasn’t just spouting pretty poetry.”

Angel nodded in agreement with Xander. He met each of their eyes for a long moment before saying, “There’s something coming. Something very bad.”