Title: The Road Not Taken Author: Lynn the Wicked (per other fic not posted yet) Feedback: WELCOME AND NEEDED LIKE A DRUG... but be kind. Distribution: Just let me know if you post it somewhere that is 'else' Spoilers: Hero - the evil episode. Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine except the 'mystery being'. Somebody's gotta bend the laws of time and space to save our Doyle! Rating: G - Nice and relatively safe. but way too much talking I think. Summary: Reading is believing.say it with me. Doyle's not Dead, Doyle's not Dead, Doyle's not Dead, Doyle's not Dead, Doyle's not Dead, Doyle's not Dead. ***Prologue*** "No." "This is wrong." "It cannot be this way." "We won't allow it." *** The Story *** Bright light flooded the freighter deck, just short of being blinding. The silhouette of the dark-haired Brachen convulsed in pain as the light bathed him, his skin burning away instantaneously. Suddenly with him on the dais was a new light, softer and gentler, merely a glow, rather than the searing light of the demon bomb. His face was only muscle stretched over bone, but Doyle managed to look up and into the new light. It came towards him, beckoning and encouraging, the ravages of his body no longer pained him. "Wha' is this?" Doyle actually spoke the words aloud, then suddenly he realized that the skin on his lips was regenerating. The light phased in front of him, separating him from the demon bomb and where it touched him, new skin grew and knitted together. His body was now healing faster than it was breaking apart. A mute joy suffused his senses and for a moment Doyle thought he heard singing. Immediately he was falling, hitting the floor with a solid and very painful thud. Hauling himself up to his knees, Doyle squinted about, wincing as his body rebelled against the sudden movement. "Wh-" was all he managed to say. Turning, he saw a young woman lying at his side. She was unconscious and on her face was frozen a look of horrific pain. Feeling a pressure at his shoulder, Doyle clamored to his feet, fists at the ready. Angel stepped back, hands in the air. "Whoa, just checking on you. God, Doyle, what were you thinking? That could have killed you!" Doyle looked back down at the woman, then knelt down for a closer look. Her hair fell over her shoulders, but a small space of skin was showing, a small golden tattoo sparkled there a moment, then was gone. "No man, it should've." Still staring at the woman, Doyle rocked back on his knees. Angel knelt down, as though seeing her for the first time. Doyle turned his attention back to the woman. "I didn't think they existed. I mean, she can't be." Angel looked at Doyle concerned. "She can't be what?" Doyle slowly reached down and tentatively touched her shoulder, quickly drawing his hand back when he realized she was solid. real. "I know this may be hard to b'lieve, but I think she's an angel." *** "Alright Doyle, spill it." After laying the girl on the couch, Angel gave his friend a stiff shove into his bedroom. He was still angry over the stunt that Doyle had pulled. Sure, he had saved their lives, but Angel had never asked him to take that risk. For some reason, Angel felt enraged at Doyle for all of it, and he didn't know why. Doyle looked at him incredulously. "Look, all I know is that I was burnin' up. a semi-human torch if you will. And then all of a sudden, the pain was just gone. Nothin' but light, an' then I'm hurtling t'ward the ground at high speed. 'Twas quite the sobering influence if you know what I mean. I don't know what happened up there, an' frankly, I'm not sure I wanna know." Doyle shoved his hands in his pockets. Angel sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Isn't there anything you can tell me that might shed some light on this?" Doyle shook his head and shrugged. "Nothin' really, 'cept for maybe." Doyle paused and looked sidewise at Angel, embarrassed. "When I was up there, there was this ... light." Angel sat on his bed. "That was the demon bomb." Doyle shook his head emphatically. "No way, this was different. Now I'm not a religious man. Hell, if I were I certainly wouldn't have the colorful past that I do. But I swear, there was a light and a sound like... singing." "Singing." Angel looked at Doyle as though he were drunk. "Yes, singing." Angel cradled in head in his hands. "Doyle, do you realize how crazy this all sounds?" "I know, but Angel. doesn't it stand to reason that if there are demons and minions of Hell everywhere, that there are.well. yes, it does sound like I'm lit, doesn't it?" *** "An angel." Cordelia shook her head annoyed and heavily paced back and forth in Angel's living room. "When you fell from the demon bomb, you hit your head harder than I thought." She pointed at the woman lying motionless on the couch. "She's human, she just happened to be underneath you when you fell and was unlucky enough to be knocked unconscious by a falling half-demon." Cordelia glared at Doyle as he stared at the girl, not paying much attention until she had uttered the word 'half-demon'. Looking hurt, he glanced back at her momentarily and her gaze dropped to her feet. She had hoped the word would sting, but didn't expect to feel guilt over it. She was pulled from her introspection as the girl stirred. She moaned slightly, then her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes met Doyle's and she smiled. "Doyle." she murmured. Doyle sheepishly turned his eyes away momentarily, the tips of his ears flushing red. In a moment, the girl's smile melted away as she sat bolt upright on the couch. Angel grasped her arms gently. "Don't be frightened. You're alright, you're safe here." She looked at Angel, the corners of her mouth turned downward. Angel and Doyle looked at each other as Cordelia rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen. "Do you feel alright?" The girl looked from Angel to Doyle, smiling broadly as her eyes came to rest on him. He felt as though she were looking right through him. She said nothing, only nodded. *** Angel looked the girl over. "Where did you come from?" She smiled and pointed to the ceiling. Angel looked at Doyle whose eyes were wide and giving Angel an 'I told you' look. Angel tried again, this time speaking slowly and enunciating. "Where - did - you - come - from?" He waved his arms about, trying to indicate an undefined place. The girl's brow furrowed. "I - came - from - the - Other - Place." Doyle felt the tiny hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Angel looked around the room in thought. "Where - is - this - other - place?" Again, the girl pointed upwards. Doyle shook his head vehemently. "I don't think she understands." Angel waved the comment away. "Doesn't matter, we have to get to the truth, we need answers." The girl cocked her head to one side. "Truth? Answers? You won't understand." Angel looked stunned. The girl shrugged. "You asked for it. I am Iya. I come from a trans-dimensional fissure, created by the Powers That Be. This enables me to move in and out of infinite realities for the purpose of preventing any inter-dimensional vortices from forming which would in turn loose all existing demons upon the Earth, inevitably leading to the end of this world as you know it." Doyle looked at Angel. "I think I liked the pointing better." Angel ignored the remark. "So your job is to prevent the demons from getting to Earth." The girl looked somber. "It was. now that I'm fully in this reality, I cannot go back. We cannot interact with this reality physically without losing access to the fissure. It is like an anchor, firmly rooting us here. That is why none of us come here to help. Maintaining the boundary requires all our attention. Others will try to take my place in an attempt to fill the void." She shrugged sadly, "We all have our parts to play. You fight the Evil here, my kind fights elsewhere." Doyle's mind grasped onto what seemed a minor point, but he had to mention it anyway. "So why did you come here? Not that I'm not grateful, but there has to be a reason for savin' me." She looked at him, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. "There are many of us who have wanted to help the mortals for a long time. We believe that there is more we can do than just stand watch over the border. A chosen few saw your plight and worked to bring you back. "So you are an angel." Doyle murmured awed. Iya smirked. "As in those winged babies depicted in ancient Earth paintings?" She giggled, "Hardly." Doyle looked puzzled. "But I felt it. I saw the light. and the singing." Iya grinned, "When the fissure opens it can wreak havoc on a mortal's senses. Some see light, some see spots," she looked at Doyle smiling, "some hear music." For a moment her brow furrowed, as though mulling over a complex problem in her head. "What has happened here is but one reality among many. To you, this is the one and only world." She paused, breathing deeply, her gaze at Doyle was sorrowful. "There are realities in which you are no longer among the living." A chill went down Doyle's spine. "You mean I'm dead?" The girl shook her head. "Not here.. Elsewhere, but not here. I'm not the only one who plotted to save you, there are others, each have their own method, though hopefully not the same as my own." Angel broke in. "Why not?" The girl stared at Angel glassy eyed. "Because to do so would leave the boundary vulnerable. For too many of us to come to Earth would make it easier for the demons to break free." Angel and Doyle looked at each other. "The end of days.. The Moray Demon told me about it." "We should have known that we couldn't meddle in Fate without bringing disaster." The girl held her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. "If you knew this was coming.. it has already begun."