I wasn't happy that I didn't finish this so I'm going to whilst I have the chance. My life is going to explode quite soon and I don't think I will be writing much so I've finished this. Hope you like it. I know not many people read Angel anymore but for those few, here it is.

Hope you like it.

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Angel sat looking at his still son with a growing feeling of despair. The only sound in the room was the ventilator which clunked regularly.

Every so often Joe’s hand would move upwards and his eyes opened but then the door slammed shut again. It was like the boy who normally lived there was no longer home.

Cordy came quietly into the room and sat beside him. Angel acknowledged her with a small smile and took her hand. They both continued to stare at the lifeless body of their golden son.

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Joe felt crushed, like there was a weight on his chest and he was struggling to breathe. There was a sound, a constant clunk of a machine and beeping. He opened his eyes and blinked blearily. He looked around and got slowly to his feet. He was in a dark cave and he was disorientated. He was alone and he felt the fear in the pit of his stomach. He tried to remember what had happened. He could remember fighting but not who was with him. Who was he? He couldn’t even remember his name and he realised with a start that he had no one. That didn’t feel right, it was an unfamiliar feeling but he was sure that he was unattached. He had no family or anyone that cared. Part of him thought that was always the way it had been but there were vague memories of the touch of a parent and softly spoken words of love but before he could grab them, they were gone.

‘’So you are awake?’’ The voice was hard and unforgiving.

Joe tried to see where the sound was coming from and he noticed the dark forbidding figure of a man standing in the shadows.

Joe drew himself up to his full height and lifted his chin. He felt the flash of his life force and the man seemed to recoil from him momentarily.

‘’You were not going to allowed to grow to adulthood you know.’’ The man’s voice was smug and it was Joe’s turn to recoil.

He circled the cave defensively but kept his distance from the figure. He had to assess the risk before he did anything. Joe frowned, someone had taught him that and a face flashed in his mind but was gone almost instantly.

‘’He kept you close but just not close enough. You are the strongest, destroy you and the salvation is ended.’’ The figure seemed to chuckle.

Joe just didn’t understand the words but a will to survive began to grow within him. This was to be his destiny if he didn’t stop it and vaguely Joe knew that couldn’t be allowed to happen. Not just for his sake but for something else. Joe just didn’t know what.

He needed to escape from this cave. He moved towards the light and the figure stepped forward with a deep growl that seemed to burst from the bowels of the ground beneath him.

Joe froze with fear as everything around him shook and he felt despair. This thing could snap him in half and Joe was trapped.

He stood waiting and he heard words in his head. The voice was familiar and comforting.

‘’Fight, Joe. Come back to us, we need you. We miss you. Please don’t give up Joe.’’

Joe felt the strength in those words and he decided just to run for the light as fast as he could. He felt for sure that the voice was in the light and the voice was where he belonged.

He put his head down and ran. There was a flash and Joe felt a burning in his chest. He was flying through the air and crashed against the wall of the cave.

He heard the sound of laughter just before the darkness enveloped him again.

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Joe’s body convulsed on the bed and his parents stood and watched in horror as medical personnel swarmed around him. The heart monitor was clearly flat lining and the ventilator had stopped.

Cordy buried her head in Angel’s chest as the chaos continued around them.

‘’Clear!’’ A man’s voice echoed around the room and there was the thud of a defibrillator.

Angel felt powerless and it was not a normal sensation for him but he had to just watch.

‘’Fight Joe. Come back to us, we need you. We miss you. Please don’t give up Joe.’’ He spoke his words under his breath and there was a sudden bleep and the machine began its constant rhythm once again.

Angel raised his eyes skywards and thanked the powers, he just hoped they were listening.

Cordy raised her tear stained face and looked at her little boy. She expected for one moment that he would be moving but the stillness remained despite the activity of the other people in the room.

‘’Come on. Let’s get some air.’’ Angel spoke quietly to her and she allowed him to take her out of the room.

Gunn and Fred stood up from the chairs that they had been sitting in for the last twenty four hours.

They were alarmed by the distress obvious on the couple’s face.

‘’He’s the same.’’ Angel reacted to their concern, he didn’t feel there was any point telling them what had just happened.

‘’Wesley has gone back to the Hyperion, he’s checking the prophecies. He thinks he remembers something.’’ Fred tried to give them some hope.

Angel looked surprised, he had never thought beyond the medical in this situation. He felt some hope, if this is was a spell then maybe they could do something after all.

‘’I never even thought of that.’’ Cordy said Angel’s thoughts.

‘’Lorne is trying to see what he might find out.’’ Gunn wanted to give them even more hope.

Angel felt better suddenly, there was hope and that’s the best they could do for the moment.

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‘’Where’s Angel?’’ Wesley spoke into the phone desperately.

‘’I need to speak to Angel now.’’

‘’Wes, what?’’ Angel’s voice came over the cell.

‘’I found something. It’s a test. The three will be challenged and the strongest will be taken. He will be cast out and only belief will bring him through. That’s what it says.’’ Wesley tried to balance the book and the phone as he spoke.

‘’Can we help him?’’ Angel never disputed that Joe was the strongest, it had been obvious for some time now.

‘’Hold on.’’ Wes read on.

‘’If the chosen one can defeat the power of hate with its opposing element then he will be saved.’’ Wes didn’t know what the words meant.

‘’What does that mean?’’ Angel was impatient.

‘’What is the opposite of hate?’’ Wes said quietly.

‘’Love Wes, love is the opposite of hate.’’ Angel said suddenly.

‘’So Joe needs to believe he is loved. Do you think he does?’’ Wes asked the question although he didn’t want to.

There was silence at the end of the line as every argument and harsh word that Angel had ever said to his son flashed through his mind.

‘’I don’t know.’’ Angel had no choice but admit it.

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Joe sat in the corner of the cave and buried his head in his hands. He was missing something here and he wasn’t sure what it was.

‘’You have a choice you know.’’ The voice wouldn’t shut up.

‘’Do I ?’’ Joe couldn’t see that at all. He was alone and didn’t even know his own name although he was pretty sure he had one.

‘’You could join us. Put your skills to proper use. Work for the people who really matter.’’

‘’I’m a kid. We don’t work, we go to school dumbass.’’ Joe mumbled irritably.

‘’We will educate you. Teach you what you need to know. You will have everything. No one will ever say no to you.’’ The voice made an interesting offer.

‘’What even a fast car?’’ Joe sneered.

‘’Any car you want.’’

‘’I’m not allowed to drive shit for brains.’’ Joe laughed at the figure’s stupidity.

‘’There will no rules for you.’’ The voice tempted Joe and Joe stood up.

‘’Tell me more.’’ He said.

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Lilah watched the discussion between Joe and his jailer in her office at Wolfram and Hart. Gavin loitering at her shoulder.

‘’Angel is not going to be happy about this. He’s our boss now you know and you’re trying to turn his son.’’ Gavin remarked and Lilah growled at him.

‘’Have you gone over to the good guys now then Gavin? Are you going to help make the world a warm and fluffy place?’’

‘’This kid is going to save the world given half a chance so I think we need to remove that opportunity don’t you?’’ She was not having any insubordination in the ranks.

‘’I am working for the senior partners and they want this boy on our side. He is just too strong. I think they are afraid of him.’’ Lilah laid it out how it was.

‘’Are you going to tell them no?’’ Lilah turned to him and Gavin ducked away from her.

‘’I didn’t think so.’’ Lilah watched the flickering figures on the screen.

‘’Lets make this more interesting shall we?’’ She picked up the phone.

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‘’I can show you.’’ The voice made an offer and Joe nodded. Yes, let’s see what this new life would be like.

He found himself by a pool being served drinks and snacks, anything he wanted at the flick of a hand. He moved around the house and his heart’s desire was at his disposal. Hours passed as Joe played and ate to the fullest. He drove a car along a beach freeway and flew in a helicopter over the mountains. He flashed around a lake on a speedboat and watched a baseball game in the hot summer sun.

It felt empty and wrong. Joe constantly looked behind him, waiting for someone to say no and no one did. He felt lonely and abandoned, it was no fun alone.

‘’So do you accept?’’ Joe was in the cave again and he was relieved as he could give his answer.

‘’No, I don’t accept. There’s always a price isn’t there? Why don’t I have anyone? Why am I alone?’’ Joe began to cry and there was a flash of lightening.

‘’You were born alone.’’ The voice boomed.

‘’That is not true. I know it isn’t. I can feel them. I know I have someone.’’ Joe stood up defiantly and screamed his words. As he raised his hand, he heard the voice again.

‘’We love you Joe. Fight and come back to us.’’ It was the comforting voice again and Joe remembered, the wall crumbled in his head and he could see his father’s face.

His hand gripped around the axe that suddenly appeared in his hand.

‘’I don’t like you very much.’’ Joe stepped forward and cut the demon’s head clean off his shoulders.

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Angel sat talking quietly into Joe’s ear. He urged him to fight and told him how much they loved him. Over and over.

Joe’s body convulsed again and Angel pulled away in shock. No, not again, please.

Angel looked over at the monitors expecting alarms but there wasn’t any. Nobody came running, it was not like the last time, not at all. Angel was still alone or so he thought. He turned back and was stunned to be met with his son’s deep brown eyes looking back at him.

‘’Hi dad.’’ Joe’s voice was croaky but it was music to Angel’s ears.

‘’Hi Joey. How are you doing?’’ Angel blinked back the tears.

‘’Okay, I guess.’’ Joe blinked against the bright light.

‘’Your mom is going to be so glad to see you.’’ Angel stood up and kissed Joe’s head gratefully.

‘’And so am I. I love you.’’ He said with a smile.

‘’And I love you dad.’’ Joe smiled back. It was a moment of pure happiness and Angel basked in it.

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So Joe was saved and you can asume that he and his brothers went on to save the world. I like to think so anyway.

Sammie X