Title: Return All The Way (Part 1/?)
Author: Beatrice-Of-Messina
Rating: PG
Distribution: Yup, just tell me first.
Spoilers: Hero/Heroes, whatever that episode that
never happened was called
Summary: The Powers That Be make a mistake.
:::shocker:::
Notes: Okay, this is *my* warped little version of how
Doyle will return. Because he will return. Soon.

Feedback of the constructive kind is appreciated.

~*~

"Allen Francis Doyle."

The body lay still on the marble floor, face down,
apparently dead.

"Allen Francis Doyle."

Slowly, the figure stirred, emitting a low moan of
pain.

"Allen Francis Doyle!"

He jerked his head up in shock. "What the…?"

"Allen Francis Doyle, we have brought you here because
we witnessed your great bravery. Your act courage of
has greatly outshone your previous sins."

Doyle shook his head roughly in an attempt to orient
himself.

"Um… aren’t I supposed to be dead?"

"You are dead."

"Right. But this ain’t heaven, is it?"

"No. You are among the Council of The Powers That Be."

"Ah… well, it’s always good to put a face to a name…
although I still can’t see any faces…"

He surveyed his surroundings, which seemed to be
nothing but a vast blanket of white. There was no
telling where floors ended or walls began, there were
no doors… it was simply empty space.

"We do not appear in mortal flesh, Allen Fran-"

"If you don’t mind, Doyle would be just fine, thanks."

He almost sensed an amused smile before the voice
continued. "We do not appear in mortal flesh, Doyle,
nor is it necessary. We brought you here because we
have a greater task for you."

"Oh Lord, not another one…"

"Although your bravery was great, and you saved the
lives of many, we did not intend for your time to be
so soon. You still have business to finish on earth.
Your friend Angel will need your assistance in the
times to come-"

Doyle couldn’t help but let his thoughts move to a
different brunette. "What… what about Cordy?"
A light laugh was heard. "She needs someone who can
love her wholly Doyle. Someone with a good soul. And
we know that that person is you."

"Oh… will she uh, love me?"

"You shall have to find that out for yourself. We need
you to return, and continue in your fight with Angel.
He needs you, as does Cordelia. We cannot let your
time be cut so short. Will you return to help them,
Doyle?"

He let out a short laugh. "Do you really think you
need to ask that question?"

"As we thought. You are willing to go?"

A sudden vision of Cordelia flew through his brain,
and he smiled softly. "Of course I am."

"Good. You will return before you left. Nothing will
have changed, except once your old self dies, your new
self will replace it."

"What do you mean, before I left? What ‘new self’? I
don’t-"

A black light encompassed him, and all was silent.


~*~


He returned to consciousness aboard The Quintessa,
standing next to Cordelia, Angel and… himself?

He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but found
himself mute. Shellshocked, he watched the scene
unfold before him. The other Doyle looked as though
the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he was
looking up at Angel with a resigned sense of purpose.

"The good fight, yeah? You never know until you’ve
been tested…. I get that now."

His other self smiled sadly at Angel before punching
him in the face, sending him hurtling to the floor
below. He turned to Cordelia without a word and kissed
her fully, breaking away hesitantly.

"Too bad we’ll never know…" He morphed into his demon
visage, "If this is a face you could learn to love."

Doyle watched himself launch from the platform onto
the genocide machine. He heard Angel’s cries of
desperation and saw Cordelia quietly sob in disbelief.

And then… the light was extinguished, and his other
self was gone. He looked down at himself, and back at
Cordelia, who was now clutching onto Angel as if he
were her only lifeline left in the world. And in a
way, perhaps he was.

"Ssh, it’ll be all right…"

Cordelia angrily raised her tear-stained face to his.
"No! It will *not* be all right, Angel! How can you
say that?! We just watched him die! We watched him
*die*, Angel! Things will never be all right! He’s
gone! And… and I didn’t even *try*…"

Her sobs came again in great gasps, and she sank into
his embrace. Doyle looked on in disbelief. He had
never really seen either of them cry, not properly,
and to see them like this… especially after his
so-called death. But he was standing right there… why
couldn’t they see it, he was standing *right* *there*!

"Cordy…"

He reached out a hand and touched her softly on the
shoulder. She didn’t stir.

"Princess… it’s me. I’m here…"

She continued weeping into Angel’s shoulder.

"Angel, man, can’t either of you see I’m here?!"

Abruptly Angel let go of Cordelia and spun round.

"Doyle?"

Doyle blinked in relief. "Angel, can you hear me,
man?"

"Of course I can hear you, where are you?"

"Dammit, I’m right in front of ya!"

He waved a hand in front of Angel’s eyes and received
no response.

"Angel, what are you doing?"

Angel turned again to Cordelia’s ghost-white face.

"It’s Doyle… I can hear him."

"Angel stop it, he’s dead!"

"No, he’s not, he’s-"

Doyle walked right in front of Cordelia’s trembling
face and placed a hand on her cheek. "Right here."

"He’s what, Angel?"

"He just said… he’s right here."

Tears began to fall afresh down her face. "Angel,
whatever you’re doing, stop it *now*. I-I need you to
be strong, I can’t have you break now… you’ve got to
help me… help me *and* yourself. Doyle’s… Doyle’s
gone. And I want him back just as much as you, but…
but it can’t happen." She swallowed heavily, fighting
a sob. "Please, can we just go?"

Fearfully she held out her hand to his. "Please?"
Shaking his head in defeat, he took her hand. "All
right. I’m sorry. I just could have sworn I heard
him."

Together they walked to the door leading outside,
their souls closed off in an attempt to lessen the
pain. Doyle raced after them in desperation.

"But you did hear me! Angel, I’m right here! Why the
hell can’t ya see me, man?!"

Angel stiffened and shook his head, determined not to
frighten Cordelia anymore.

"Angel, man, I *know* you can hear me! Don’t ignore me
just so ya don’t scare the girl! I need you both now!
If you can hear me, there’s gotta be a way for her to
hear me too!"

The two continued walking in stoic silence.

"Angel, man, come on!"

Nothing.

"I’m here, damn you!"

He watched them continue onwards into the dark.

"Please!"

The shadows enveloped them both, and they were gone.

~*~

The moment Angel reached home after showing Cordelia
to her apartment, he turned on his heels and began
stared seethingly at the space in front of him.

"All right, Doyle, if you’re still here, then-"

Doyle let out a quiet sigh of relief. "I’m here,
Angel."

Angel’s anger was still present, obviously fueled by
disbelief. "Then why can’t I see you?"

"I don’t know."

"Are you dead? Some sort of ghost?"

"I don’t think so. Just before that big tree ornament
went poof, there was this big flash and I was in this…
this room. It was all white like some sort of Star
Trek set piece… turns out I was chosen to hold council
with The Powers That Be. They said something about it
not being time yet, that I’d redeemed myself with an
act of courage, that sort o’ stuff."

"And?"

"They asked me to come back. To keep helping you cos’…
cos’ you needed me. I agreed and the next thing I know
I’m watching another me throwing myself to the lions.
And now I’m here, but-"

"No-one can see you. And only I can hear you."

The two sighed in defeat, neither knowing what was
happening or why. Wearied, Angel raised his head.
"Could you at least tell me where you are? Where
you’re standing?"

Doyle smiled sadly. "I’m right in front of you, man."

"Oh."

Slowly he raised a hand and lay it on Angel’s
shoulder. "Can you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"My hand. It’s on your shoulder."

"No, I can’t feel anything. All I sense is your
voice."

Doyle frowned, the wheels in his head beginning to
turn. "Do you think it’s your vamp hearing?"

"What?"

"Well, Cordy couldn’t hear me… maybe it’s your
vampiric senses that are enabling you to hear me…"

"It’s possible."

"And you can’t feel or see me, cos…" A sudden thought
struck him. "Angel, go vamp on me."

"Go what?"

"You know, your vamp face."

Begrudgingly, he morphed into his natural state. "I
don’t see why-" He hitched an unneeded breath as he
stared ahead.

Doyle grinned knowingly. "You do see, don’t you?"

"Oh my God…"

"Angel?"

"Well, you’re sort of a blur… I can only see you in
parts coming in and out of focus, but… I see you."

Angel regressed back into his human face, and Doyle
raised an eyebrow.

"Now?"

"Nothing."

Suddenly Doyle began to laugh. A rich, deep laugh.

"The Powers! Oh… oh, those morons!" He bent double,
convulsing with mirth. "They screwed up, good and
proper all right…."

Angel frowned at the space he had last seen Doyle in.

"Screwed up…how?"

"When they sent me back…. they didn’t get me there all

the way. They stuck me on another plain. Oh Lord, this

is one for the books."

"Another plain? You mean like something a sixth sense

tunes into?"

"Somethin’ like that, yeah. That’s why you can
partially sense me… cos you’ve got extra vampy sense
and stuff…" He began to giggle uncontrollably. "If I
see those Powers again… or, well, hear them… I am
going to completely rub this in their face. This is
the first cock-up of theirs I’ve ever witnessed. Oh,
Angel man, you have no idea how damn funny this is!"

Angel’s face remained his trademark brooding scowl.

"No. I don’t." He waited impatiently for Doyle’s
hysterics before staring pointedly at where he assumed
he was standing.

How the hell do we get you out?"

~*~

Opinions? Thoughts? FEEDBACK?