Title: Fight the Fight Part IV of my series “ Alternations” Author: Maeve E-mail: maevethefair@hotmail.com Spoilers: Hero, of course Disclaimer: Doyle, Angel, Cordelia, those gold oracle kiddos and the multitudinous members of the Buffy Continuum and the Angel Atrium are not in any way shape or form, my own. Doyle *does* spend many a night warming himself by my fire...but that is something else altogether, The Messenger is mine, Male and Female are mine (a bit), emm, yes that does it. Rating: pg for general oddness Archive: If anyone cares to- I urge you (with hot pointy things) to do so but tell me Summary: His benefactor tries her hand at negotiating for his “awakening” Feedback: mmm, feedback, nummy. Resolve was in her blood, it made her more than just a paltry acolyte like the Twins of Fate. They *did* have their own realm, and they did hold sway over the lives of millions, but that was beside the point. She had a purpose for the first time in a millennia, more than guiding indentured souls to rest, now it was for the justice of one who had more to do. Doyle, she had known very briefly during his first time on the Other Side. When the last Messenger, Whistler, approached the end of his service and a replacement was needed. The voice of the Powers That Be had suggested finding a new vision guide from the list of men and women who owed a great debt of atonement. Doyle was plucked from his reality and into the divide between madness and sanity, brought feet first to the afterlife. They pressed him into service as the guide for their newest champion, a vampire named Angel. A vampire, that would be the day. She stood and watched the sky, the body of the dark haired seer at her feet. A glance to the twins and back, it was clean and white, brilliantly so. It knew her intention, and began to rumble and boil. Gillan would need bravery to do this thing, an act that defied her nature of pacifism, and he would never know it was she- the rules were clear enough. Her feet planted steadfast and lifted the shining face to cry in the ancient tongue: “ Fathers and Mothers of time, I Gillan Who Delivers demands council and justice!” Wind picked up and tore at her fine robes, ripping a scarf away and swirling it up into the heavens. Lightning glittered across a darkening sky, thunder rolled overhead and through flickers of electricity a voice broke the storm. “IS THIS NECESSARY?” Even for a divine being, she felt small at that moment, but strong oh so strong. “ I have asked nothing of You for three millennia, done as You have wished and asked no questions, stood no argument. Now I demand council!” A thousand voices surrounded the hillock and swept into her, over the body at her feet. “ So be it.” Dark, all creation begins in dark, then growth, light spiraling up up up, floors of inlaid marble flowed under her feet, tall pillars grew like massive trees up and out of view of the eye. Light, sweet and gold streamed down onto the scene and she was in an expansive hall. It was styled after the Roman courts, with a large circle of columns off setting the throne at due North. Upon the dais there was only light, then focused light and finally bodies, a pair. Male and Female. The lord and lady- judges. Gillan stood alone on the floor, warmth and fear creeping up her legs into her very spine. Perhaps it had been a mistake? The brilliance of the pair’s skin shone like sun and starlight, perfection. He sat on the left, an orb of perfect blue hovering above his pam and spinning slowly. She was at the right, reclined slightly with masses of curls piled atop her head and held in place with stars and opal gossamer. A pale feminine hand lightly gripped the scepter of precious metal and stone, lit with the same incandescent glow. They were handsome, with out being able to be defined. No words could explain for how he and she appeared, but it was beauty. It was She who spoke first, with a whispering clarity. “ We are waiting, little sister.” “Forgive me, please, but are there more of you?” A regal nod from the Male, and a booming reply. “ There are others about, but we are the ones to hear and judge this matter. Our time is brief though. Speak.” The defender gathered herself and began. ‘ Lord and Lady I speak for the demon, Alan Doyle. He has been a link to you and yours for the past year on earth, however only recently to have died a hero’s death.” she lifted her gaze to meet the impassive faces. “ Yet he sleeps in the fields beyond Fate’s Temple, an anteroom to Hell and Heaven. He dreams of what he desires ... what has been left behind... “ I have seen the content of those dreams, and they are of life. His life, his wish is only to continue!” The Female lifted a hand, “ You understand we cannot bring an end to the dreams, it is his ultimate reward after redemption and service....” seeing the emotion on the face of the messenger she softened her tone. “ It goes against the very edict of our One Law.” “Nothing is to be repeated.” the chorus came from the air. Now the Male spoke. “ Gillan Who Delivers, you have not come to us before in this way, why now for a lowly half demon?” “ Why not? None of those who I have brought to this side have dreamt of complacency with life as it had been, without power or fame. He asks for nothing but to be with the young woman, and to help the Warrior again. To be happy.” “He dreams that well enough!” She dropped her head, red faced. “ He does not live it, there is no substitute.” Yes, she does have a point.” muttered the Female, resting the scepter against the dais and leaning to address the Male. Their voices were soft, murmurings and conspiratorial glances brought about a final decision. “ If you are correct, and if you believe all he wants is to live as before, we give him another waking in Real Time, without any of the ties of heroicism, as if nothing had come before. If he can be proven to Us again, we shall let him stay. If not, he will bring himself back to the fields of Elysia permanently.” The young godling sighed with relief and bowed to the pair. “Thank you.” They nodded and the chamber began to fade like far hills at sunset, the massive columns sweeping up like smoke and the floor flowed away. The pair were last to go vanishing without ceremony, only growing dark as if night came over them, and engulfed the entire throne. Standing alone now, Gillan was enveloped by the darkness, it held no boundaries, no depth. She must leave this place, there was work to be done now. A cream white arm lifted and she spun to a crouching position, standing and opening her eyes to see the endless fields and mountains, and the Temple where only moments ago the twins had stood. They were gone now, off on business in the higher courts, leaving only the sleeping man and his future. Her hands were soft, belying comfort, they brushed over his hair, over his face and arms. “Alan,” she murmured, “ Alan, wake now.” Nothing. “Alan, you must wake.” he groaned in his throat and stayed still, eyes still closed. Hands rubbed his face and she repeated the command. “Alan Doyle.” This time he opened his mouth and breathed out hard, eyelashes fluttering. The wind began again, sweeping over the moor and flooding the field, drinking in the pair. It was quiet, but edgy. She said nothing, but watched as he arched his back against the grass and wrenched his face into waking, green eyes flashed with fear. Where was he? Where was- “Cordy?” The golden eyed woman above him shook her head and smiled with pity, she fluttered her hands over his face and only said “Go to her.” Then in a squeezing moment he was sitting up in bed, wound in the sheets still on the mattress. The apartment was dark, and still smelled of the massive amounts of liquor he had drank the night before. The phone was ringing, and at some point in his stupor the tv had been left on. The announcer was prattling on and on about the weather and noon time traffic. The phone was still ringing and his head hurt like hell, and then hell with little demons with ice-skates dancing on his brain. What the hell had he done last night? No no, what had some one done to him? The phone shrieked again, he grabbed the receiver and yelled “WHAT THE FECK IS IT?!” “Ok, ew, who had to much to drink last night.” The pain vanished. “ Mornin’ Princess, missed me?” “Yea, whatever Doyle, were you planning on coming in today or what?” “‘Scuse?” “Tall Dark and Broody has some stuff we have to look up and there is no way I’m doing it all-” He listened to her voice, as if he had not heard it in ages. Funny, why was that? There had been a horrible sewer rat monster thing explosion, and he and Cordelia had gone to clean it up. They had said goodnight and he had walked off to the bar at four, still covered in rat bits. He drank and then... or was it a demon fight, or a vampire thing? She was still talking he registered finally and tuned back in. “... Further more, if you plan on ever being late again, make sure it’s a day when there aren’t heavy things to carry and *I* have to carry them- of course why be late at all?” He laughed “ You’re right, I’ll be right over.” **** From somewhere beyond, the twins watched. Brother and sister standing in a crystalline observatory in a divine place. A scribe at his desk of moon light scratched hurriedly to finish the last line, curled the letters off with a flourish and held the page up to them for approval. Sister’s eyes scanned the page, reading, hearing the words spoken in the air around her. “Lord and Lady I speak for the demon, Alan Doyle. He has been a link to you and yours for the past year on earth, however only recently to have died a hero’s death.” she lifted her gaze to meet the impassive faces. Yet he sleeps in the fields beyond Fate’s Temple, an anteroom to Hell and Heaven. He dreams of what he desires...what has been left behind...” Nodding sagely she looked to Brother and said with satisfaction: “It’s done then, they will be pleased.” “Of course, but will he return?” “He might, but we cannot help anymore.” Closing his dark eyes, Brother put a hand on the scribe’s shoulder. “Bind it and let it be placed in the libraries, we are done with this soul.” **-End-** That’s it, all four parts of Alternations “neatly” tied up and done, how was it?