{"id":10461,"date":"2016-11-14T11:17:32","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T11:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/?p=10461"},"modified":"2016-11-14T14:57:48","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T14:57:48","slug":"season-of-solace-128","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/2016\/11\/14\/season-of-solace-128\/","title":{"rendered":"Season of Solace. 128"},"content":{"rendered":"
128: \u00a0 \u00a0 Late Afternoon, Crawford Street Mansion<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Cordelia had never seen anyone so upset about the disappearance of a rock. Their new watcher guy was pacing and saying things that were supposedly English, but sounded more like gobbledygook. Frankly, she was getting tired of hearing about it.<\/p>\n

No one was going to turn her into a sacrifice. End of story.<\/p>\n

With the exception of Spike and Drusilla who were still in their room, everybody else had gathered in the study to prepare for Willow\u2019s mojo. Cordy curled up in one of the chairs having kicked her shoes off. She was eating the scrambled eggs and toast that Angel had whipped up for her after they came downstairs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMmm, these are so good,\u201d she smiled up at him as he sat next to her on the arm of the chair. \u201cWant some?\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel brushed at his pant leg. \u201cWatch the crumbs.\u201d He smiled, continuing to watch her eat and dividing his attention to listen in on the watchers\u2019 conversation.<\/p>\n

Sitting in front of the fireplace, Buffy looked somewhat disgusted at the sight of her shoveling the eggs in. \u201cWhat? I\u2019m starving.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGuess that workout earlier really revved up your appetite.\u201d Faith winked as she walked by. She stopped at Xander\u2019s side where he was sprawled across the couch, sleeping with his mouth hanging open. Stretching, she whined a little jealously, \u201cGod, I could use a good workout.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia swallowed the bite of toast she had been chewing. Looking back and forth at Faith and Xander, she realized what her friend was suggesting. She was surprised by the lack of possessive feelings about her former boyfriend. There was just a strong sense of weirdness that Faith might actually want him that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

Faith answered with a frustrated little shrug. \u201cActually, I think I\u2019ll head downstairs to the basement. It\u2019s the only place I seem to get any action around here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWait up,\u201d Buffy jumped to her feet. \u201cThis could go on forever and Will doesn\u2019t need me for the spell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust so you know I\u2019m in the mood to kick your ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a coincidence. Me too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though sparring with Buffy was not exactly the workout Faith had in mind, both of them would welcome the escape from all of this prophecy talk. Tuning back in to what Wesley was telling Giles, Cordelia saw they had not missed a beat. The two of them were still hunched over the documents scattered across the desk.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout the obelisk, it may be impossible to interpret the rest of the symbols,\u201d Wes held up one of the rubbings for Giles\u2019 examination. He pointed to one shaped like a bunch of wavy lines. \u201cThis one represents change. Perhaps a change from one state of being into something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giles had noted that symbol before, he said, but was not certain of the translation. It was a surprise to Cordelia that there was stuff the new guy could figure out that had stumped Giles. His words caught her attention.<\/p>\n

Suddenly concerned, she asked, \u201cWho\u2019s changing into what?\u201d<\/p>\n

Both watchers turned toward her, staring at length as if searching for an answer that was out of reach. Finally, Giles gave Wes the nod to go ahead. The way he started to stutter made her nervous. It could not be a good sign.<\/p>\n

\u201cW-w-well actually\u2026the problem is\u2026we don\u2019t really know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, well, that\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Cordelia sighed. \u201cI thought you were going to tell me that all of the potential sacrifices were supposed to change into something weird. Y\u2019know, demony.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wesley and Giles did that creepy exchange of glances again where they looked like they were reading each other\u2019s mind. Again, not a good sign. Oh, crap.<\/p>\n

Sensing her concerns, Angel squeezed the bare thigh his hand had come to rest upon. More distracting than comforting, his voice seemed a little far away. \u201cThere must be a better interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, there are many interpretations,\u201d Wesley scrolled the obelisk rubbings into a single roll and set it down upon the desk. \u201cThat last symbol is the key. It is too smudged to be certain. The human sacrifices play a key role in the Rites of Tavrok. A change occurs, but it is unclear whether the people themselves change or they effect some form of change upon something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cordelia looked up at Angel. \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about it,\u201d Angel assured her that she was safe. His tone darkened as he looked up at Giles and Wesley. \u201cYou will figure this out. There are answers out there somewhere. Find them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind them, Willow cleared her throat. \u201cI\u2019m ready when you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the sound of her voice, Xander woke up. \u201cWhat\u2019d I miss?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re in charge of the stinky herbs,\u201d Cordelia told him and then scooped another bite of scrambled egg into her mouth.<\/p>\n

Willow\u2019s spell took more time to set up than it did to cast. She needed the pictures of Isobel, which Angel provided, a map of Sunnydale, a charm that looked like a cheap bauble, and the requisite herbs. Wesley came up with the words for the spell from an old book he brought with him from England.<\/p>\n

The spells in that book, he explained, could be performed by anyone knowledgeable enough to interpret and pronounce the words. However, the effectiveness when those with an innate talent for magic cast the spell was significantly increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been practicing,\u201d Willow assured them. \u201cSome of the words are kind of tricky. I can do this, though. I think. Pretty sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, show a little confidence.\u201d Cordelia reminded her that she had managed to re-curse Angelus. \u201cThis should be a cinch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willow looked more intimidated than inspired. \u201cEveryone gather around the desk. I\u2019ll start the chant, but I need everyone to look at the drawings and think about Isobel. This spell works by focusing our positive energy upon the person or object we seek.\u201d<\/p>\n

Think about Isobel? Ugh. Cordelia could not imagine much else that would cause her positive energy to turn negative. Just looking at the drawings made her want to rip them up into tiny shreds.<\/p>\n

The chanting went on for a minute while Willow held her charm above the Sunnydale map, a crystal bauble dangling from a thin red string. Cordelia waved her bundle of stinky herbs in the air as instructed, keeping a hand over her nose to block out the scent. Suddenly, the crystal went from its gravity-dependant position to being pulled at an angle as if by an invisible force. The red string snapped, leaving the glowing crystal charm spinning atop one spot on the map.<\/p>\n

Leaning in close, they all looked at the place the spell revealed they could find Isobel at that particular moment. \u201cThat can\u2019t be right,\u201d Cordelia saw that the crystal was pointing to City Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mayor\u2019s office? And in the middle of the day?\u201d Willow gleeped in dismay. \u201cBut I did everything I was supposed to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wesley scratched his head. \u201cI saw nothing wrong with your spell. Did anyone\u2019s focus lapse? Your thoughts stray to something other than Isobel?\u201d<\/p>\n

Raising her hand, Cordelia admitted, \u201cMaybe the vibiness of my positive vibes wasn\u2019t as positive as it could be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, to her surprise, Giles also spoke up. \u201cPerhaps the City Hall connection is my fault. Though I don\u2019t believe I was thinking about it now, I was concerned about Fa\u2014about some outstanding issues that have been left unattended recently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike what, unpaid parking tickets?\u201d Xander shrugged. \u201cTalk to my Uncle Ernie. He can tell you how to get out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Xander. More important issues. However, none which concern this situation,\u201d Giles told them.<\/p>\n

Cordelia watched the crystal go dark and fall topsy-turvy to the map. \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means that if Isobel was at the mayor\u2019s office, she\u2019s no longer there,\u201d Willow said.<\/p>\n

Angel swiped at the papers on the desk sweeping the map, drawings and crystal to the floor. An angry expletive followed. \u201cCan\u2019t any of you get a goddamn thing right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI-I\u2019m sorry, Angel.\u201d Willow was shaking visibly. \u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d Cordelia whacked Angel on the arm. \u201cStop being an asshole. She did her best. That might not be good enough, but she tried.\u201d<\/p>\n

He crowded her against the desk, still looking like he wanted to take someone\u2019s head off. A nasty tone sounded in his voice. \u201cDefending Willow now?\u201d<\/p>\n

Placing her hands on his chest, Cordelia moved them in a soothing motion hoping to calm him down. She saw the conflict in his eyes. The hints of gold that glinted amid the brown showing that the demon within him was wrestling for greater control. No matter that his soul was secure, she was learning that those demon aspects were still part of his nature as a vampire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll find Isobel and her cronies,\u201d she promised him. \u201cMaybe we\u2019ll have to settle for the old fashioned way instead of the mojo.\u201d<\/p>\n

Angel bent forward to rest his forehead against hers, his arms circling around her. \u201cI want this over with. I\u2019ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scene 129<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

128: \u00a0 \u00a0 Late Afternoon, Crawford Street Mansion Cordelia had never seen anyone so upset about the disappearance of a rock. Their new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-to-be-continued-fic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10461\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goteamfiction.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}