Pt. 2 - the story continues.

The doctor pulled Connor aside. "I think we should stop for today," he said, taking a quick glance behind them.

Connor was going to object but after looking back and seeing a very tired and worn out pregnant woman gamely trying to continue, he agreed. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Take a break while I scout ahead and find us some shelter."

"Thank you."

Connor gave the doctor a nod before taking off.

~ooAIoo~

"Those are indeed some nasty burns," commented Giles as he applied a salve. "You should have been more careful when handling the stone."

"Well, I would have if someone wouldn't have given me bad information," grumbled Spike, glaring at Lindsey.

"I told you not to touch the stone," Lindsey said, trying to hide a smile as he watched Spike...pout. Yeah, Lindsey thought, pout was the right word.

"I wasn't talking about the sodding stone, you git. There was a gorack demon living in your little secret room. You know, the one where NOTHING could live because it would be vaporized."

Lindsey shrugged. "Guess they did change the protocols, afterall."

"Guess they did change the protocols," mimicked Spike, clearly not happy with the day's events.

"This would go a lot quicker if you'd hold still," scolded Giles.

"He started it," complained Spike.

Lindsey rolled his eyes and couldn't help the small snort that escaped. Angel cleared his throat, hoping to derail the oncoming argument. Everyone in the room focused their attention on the vampire.

"Any luck with the book?"

"Haven't had a chance to look at it too closely," admitted Lindsey. "I was ordered to report here first, remember?"

Angel didn't have a comeback but luckily Giles interupted.

"Alright, Spike. That should do it. Just take it easy with that hand. Lindsey, you're next."

Lindsey gave a frustrated sigh but knew better than to argue with both Angel and Giles.

"Faith indicated it was your ribs you injured?"

"I really think they're fine."

"I'm sure they are," Giles replied. "Now, let me check them." He waited expectantly.

Deciding not to prolong the inevitable, Lindsey started unbuttoning his shirt.

~ooAIoo~

"So the others never left the building?"

"They didn't even go outside. It was really boring," whined Harmony.

Gunn gave her an indulgent smile. "I'm sure it was but thank you for doing as I asked."

Harmony perked up at Gunn's praise. "What about your day? Where did they go?"

"Wolfram&Hart."

Harmony turned up her nose. "Why go there?"

"That, my dear, is the million dollar question. They talked about a stone and some book."

"For what? Did they say?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Had to be something special to go back to that place. It gives me the creeps and I'm evil."

"I can think of only one reason...they've found a way out of hell. The question is if that includes all of LA or just themselves. If it is all of LA then great but if it is just for themselves, then we have a problem. We need more information."

"How do we do that? I don't think they're going to be willing to share."

"I'd wager it's the last one." Gunn ignored Harmony. "They've found a way to open a portal...a door...something of that nature."

"So if it is a portal-"

"Then we need to be there when it opens," finished Gunn.

"Again, how? They aren't going to invite us into their club."

"Then we make it so they can't refuse to take us along."

Harmony smiled. "I love it when you get all evil mastermind. Do you have a plan?" Harmony was anxious to hear it.

"I have a few ideas," remarked Gunn. "Of course this means our plans of revenge will have to be put on hold for the time being."

Harmony was OK with that. She wasn't thrilled with the revenge plan anyway. Angel always seemed to come out on top of those plans. She wasn't going to tell that to Gunn though.

~ooAIoo~

"So, how are your patients?" asked Faith.

"Grumpy," Giles replied as he sat down at the library table and opened the book Lindsey brought from Wolfram&Hart.

"Imagine that."

Giles smiled at Faith's sarcasm. "Indeed." After a pause, Giles added, "I sent them to their rooms."

Faith laughed. "I bet that went over well." She was enjoying this so much that she almost felt bad for them...almost.

"I told them it was their rooms or I was confining them to the infirmary."

"And they bought that?"

"Well, it helps to have a big, brooding vampire backing you up," Giles sheepishly admitted.

Faith laughed harder.

"Well, well. What's this?" asked Lorne as he entered the room. "Such mirth should be shared."

Faith was about to fill Lorne in when Angel entered the room. Giles and Faith tried to maintain their composure but both burst out laughing.

"What?" asked a confused Angel.

Lorne shrugged.

~ooAIoo~

Several hours later, Lorne was asleep on the couch and Faith was curled up in one of the chairs. Giles still sat at the table studying the book; yawns coming more frequently as the night progressed into dawn.

"You should rest," said Angel. He was standing at the window, looking out into the darkness. The tint of red in the distance drew his attention. Angel wondered about the red glow. It had appeared after the last level-drop and had yet to go away. Even in the daylight hours, he could just make out the continued glow. It worried him. Angel drew his attention back to the library. Giles hadn't even acknowledged his suggestion. "Giles."

"Hmm?"

Angel turned from the window and gave Giles a closer look. The man was pretty much on auto-pilot. Angel doubted the watcher remembered any of the pages he had read in the past two hours. Walking past the sleeping figures, Angel made his way to the library table. Leaning across it, he pulled the book from Giles' hands. The watcher snapped awake.

"Angel?" Giles tried to suppress another yawn but failed.

"Get some sleep, Giles. The book will still be here when you wake up."

"We aren't really guaranteed that we will all still be here. I need to keep reading." Giles held out a hand for the book.

"I'll give you the book if you can tell me anything of what you've read in the last hour," challenged Angel.

Giles started to reply but Angel stopped him with a hand gesture. "Be honest. You know I can tell if you're lying."

Giles cleared his throat. "Maybe a short break is in order."

Angel nodded his agreement. Giles got up from the table and shuffled slowly from the room, suddenly feeling very tired.

Angel turned to his two sleeping friends. Taking care not to wake them, he covered each with a light blanket then, after turning the lantern down, he left the room and went to find his own bed.

~ooAIoo~

"You're up early," noted the doctor.

"That's kind of pot and kettle, isn't it, Doc?" Connor shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Something's troubling you?"

"Just got this feeling we need to hurry."

"Hurry where? And why?"

"Man, Doc, you're just full of questions this morning. Don't have any answers for you. Sorry."

The doctor was silent for a moment before speaking, "This urgent-"

"Doc," interupted Connor, losing his patience with all the questions. "I just...I'm having these dreams, okay? They're really vivid when I'm asleep but then I wake up, they fade. All except this feeling that we need to keep moving."

The doctor nodded slightly. "Alright. Then I guess we best get moving." The doctor got up, patting Connor's shoulder as he walked past. "We'll be ready in ten."

"Thanks, Doc." Connor returned his attention to the horizon. "You'd better not be leading me astray, Cordy."

"Listen here, you-"

"Cordelia, he can't hear you," admonished Wesley. "We're ghosts."

"We aren't ghosts," argued Cordelia. "We're those watch-a-ma-call-its...you know."

Wesley sighed. "We are not the Gatekeepers as we are not at the Gates."

"Yeah, whatever," griped Cordelia. "I don't like this."

"At least we have a chance to help."

"Fat lot of good that does. The only one that even sees us is Connor...and that's only in his dreams which he can barely even remember when he wakes up. And why is that?" demanded Cordelia. "I mean, if the Powers want us to help wouldn't you think it would be a good idea if the people we are trying to help could actually see and hear us? Duh! How hard is that to understand?"

"My God, I'd forgotten. You haven't changed a bit," remarked Wesley.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Cordelia turned her glare on the watcher. "What's wrong with the way I am?... Well, except the whole ghost part, I mean."

Wesley shook his head. "I never said it was wrong," he retorted as he slowly faded away.

"Hey, don't you be pulling that disappearing act on me, buster." Cordelia followed Wesley in fading away.

Connor shook his head, glad that the buzzing in his ears finally stopped. He really didn't need another thing to worry about.

~ooAIoo~

Lindsey woke early. He was happy to find that his ribs pulled only slightly. Obviously it was only bruising and not broken as Faith had thought. Pulling his boots on caused a painful tug but he'd had much worse. As he dressed to leave, everything seemed quiet but then things pretty much always were in this wing of the building. Light was filtering in thru the windows so Lindsey left the lantern in his room.

Walking thru the building, no one was about. Lindsey made his way into the library, not surprised to find Angel reading.

"Do you ever sleep?"

Without looking up from his book, Angel smiled.

"It's kind of creepy, you know," added Lindsey.

"Vampire."

"No kidding."

"You're up early," commented Angel.

Lindsey shrugged. "Thought I'd find Giles here."

"Was here most of the night."

Lindsey still wasn't comfortable when it was just the two of them in a room. He was trying to decide his next move when Angel spoke.

"Book's on the table if you want to take a crack at it."

Lindsey nodded. "Where's the stone?"

"Giles has it."

As Lindsey walked further into the room, he could see Lorne's sleeping form on the couch. He also saw a throw lying haphazardly in the chair across from the sleeping demon.

"Faith was here but headed to her room a couple hours ago. Couldn't wake Lorne, so she left him there."

"Okay," smirked Lindsey, not having asked for an explanation.

Angel shrugged. "You looked curious."

"I wasn't," lied Lindsey as he settled at the table.

"My mistake." Angel knew Lindsey wasn't being truthful but didn't call him on it. He was sure the former lawyer was aware he wasn't fooling the vampire. They could both keep up appearances.

~ooAIoo~

Harmony and Gunn lay cuddled together in their bed. Harmony was tracing circles on Gunn's bare chest.

"So, Boss. What's on for today?"

Gunn smiled at Harmony's seductive voice. "What did you have in mind?"

Harmony giggled as Gunn tickled her. "I thought we could spend all day right here."

"As tempting as that sounds, we have some things to take care of."

Harmony's lower lip came out in a pout.

"However," added Gunn, "those can wait a couple hours at least." He pulled the blanket over their heads. Harmony squealed as they wrestled under the covers.

~ooAIoo~

Giles walked into the library, finding Lindsey reading at the table and Angel reading in one of the chairs.

Angel looked up. "You look better."

"I do feel better having rested. Perhaps you should try it. If I'm not mistaken, I left you in here last night...or should I say earlier this morning."

"Vampire," Lindsey said without looking up from his book.

Giles threw a questioning glance Lindsey's direction as Angel smiled.

"I'm fine, Giles," assured Angel.

"Uh, guys? We've got a problem," Lindsey said as he looked up from the book.