"Stop fidgeting!" Cordelia said to Xander as the foursome stood outside the gallery. They were waiting by a grungy looking building that Cordelia swore looked just like an art gallery.

"I don't like suits," Xander whined. "They're uncomfortable."

Oz reached a hand up to stroke soothingly on Xander's neck. The Raphe leaned back a little and calmed a bit, no longer pulling at his tie.

"When was this supposed to start?" Wesley asked a bit nervously. He was a bit uncomfortable just standing on the street, and he we would have thought that the college students who were supposed to be attending would have shown up by now.

"Half an hour ago," Cordelia replied a bit impatiently. "This is ridiculous. Let's go." She stomped her way to the door of the gallery and burst in, the others right behind her. "What the-"The young woman's statement was cut short by a vision graphic enough to interrupt her speech. "Oh boy," She murmured, looking over at the others. "We've been had."

"We have so been had," Xander reiterated, obviously having a vision himself. "We need to get out of here right now!" Wesley and Oz looked around, seeing demons surrounding them in the otherwise empty building. They looked for an alternative exit to the now-barricaded entranceway. Seeing none, they turned to push their way out.

"Move!" Cordelia shouted. "These demons are going to-"

All of a sudden, everyone froze in horror as every mistake they had ever made was thrust into the front of their minds. Xander doubled over, falling to the floor. Oz had to shake himself hard before he was able to reach down to help the Raphe, who was shaking uncontrollably, his stripes beginning to show. Wesley and Cordelia weren't in much better shape.

Xander tried to get up, to move, or at least support himself. Every time he even considered it, though, the mental torture got worse. He flinched as rather graphic memories of Faith trying to kill him replayed in his head over and over, each time emphasizing a slightly different thing he'd done wrong-something he said or did to provoke her. Xander could tell Oz was near him, but that was about it. Not only was the Raphe enduring his own memories, he was also feeling all the pain coming from the people surrounding him. He knew it was too much-he wouldn't be able to stay conscious for very much longer.

The investigators were so caught up in the Eraen demons' manipulations that they didn't even notice when their attackers began to pick them up until they were headed for the door. Cordelia struggled, scraping her feet along the floor in an attempt to slow them down. Oz punched and kicked, although his blows had little force due to the mental distractions he was suffering. Still, he managed to knock one demon against the doorway hard enough to cause damage.

After that the mental pain got much worse, to the point that Xander passed out. The others were reduced to paralyzed masses of flesh, which the demons piled into the back of a nondescript van. Less than a minute later, they were gone.

���...�...�...�...���

"Wha-" Cordelia groaned as she was unceremoniously dumped onto a cold concrete floor. Her voice was cut off by a whoosh of air forced out of her lungs by the impact of the fall. A moment later Wesley came down beside her, landing hard. Xander and Oz were also pitched out of the back of the van, falling roughly on the floor. Cordelia tried to stand up but found she was still weak and woozy from the Eraen demons' attack on them.

Wesley had also regained consciousness and was attempting to gain his footing, but the demons returned to deal with the investigators before anyone could actually make it up. The foursome was pulled up and dragged over to a support column, which was used to support them as they were bound tightly. Xander woke during the ordeal but a sharp mental jab from one of the demons knocked him out again.

"Wes?" Cordelia whispered once the demons were gone. "You awake?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Wesley replied groggily. "As is Oz, although Xander seems to be unconscious still. Do you have any idea where we are?"

Cordelia looked around their prison. "I think it's a warehouse," She answered after a moment. "There are some boxes over there, but I can't read them."

"Shh," Xander hissed as he regained consciousness once more. "Talking loud."

"Xander?" Cordelia whispered. "How are you?"

"Bad," Xander replied, unable to muster his usual level of witty reply. "You?"

"Not good. I can't get out of these ropes," Cordelia said. She'd been trying, but between her own exhaustion and the superior knots the demons had used, she was immobile.

"What did you see?" Wesley asked the seers. They hadn't gotten a chance to tell anyone about their visions before they were attacked.

"Kids, lots of them, bleeding and screaming," Cordelia said shakily.

"Adults too," Xander added after a moment. "The same thing that happened to us."

"And you had a vision about it." Wesley began. "Perhaps that's why we were tricked into going to the gallery. With you out of the way, Angel and Wil wouldn't know to try to stop them."

"Yeah, picked that up from the whole vision thing," Xander snarled. "So, how long do we get to wait before the big show starts?"

"I wouldn't think very long," Wesley said, looking around the warehouse. "Xander, could you.do you think you could sense anyone outside this building?"

Xander thought for a moment. "I doubt it. I'm pretty well fried from earlier. Besides, what good would it do? We can't contact anyone."

"True, but we may be able to determine what the demons' plans are," Wesley replied.

"We know what their plans are-hurt a bunch of people!" Xander shot back angrily.

"Yes, the visions showed that, but." Wesley's voice faded slowly as he began to recall his experiences in the demon dimension. "I believe we may be about to find out just what the demons have planned," He managed to say as the visions overtook him.

���...�...�...�...���

Angel, Wil and Lorne had to park several miles from the theme park, since police, state patrol, National Guard and Army personnel blocked all the access roads. The demons took off at a run, quickly covering the terrain between where they'd abandoned the car and the park. The main gates were, of course, swarming with uniformed officers, so Angel led them around to a service entrance. It too had people all over it, but there weren't quite as many. The threesome managed to sneak in between two groups of patrolling guards.

"How are we supposed to find them?" Lorne hissed under his breath. "This place is huge!"

"We can't split up, not with this many people wandering around," Angel replied. "We'll just start here and work our way around. Wil and I will be able to sense them if we get close enough."

"What if they've already been found?" Lorne asked quietly.

"Then we'll get them out of wherever they are," Wil replied flatly.

The first hour produced nothing; nor did the second. It was a slow search-avoiding all the armed guards took up much of their time. Granted, most of the people in the park were preoccupied with evacuating all the comatose people lying around. Still, darting between rides and displays was eerie in the dark. "They're here," Wil said as they sidled up next to a warehouse near another service entrance.

"Are you sure?" Lorne asked, looking around. There weren't many guards at this end of the complex.

"Yes," Wil replied, easing one door open. "Come on."

Angel followed Wil into the warehouse. It didn't take long to find their friends. The foursome was tied up on the floor, slumped over unconscious. Blood ran from their ears and noses, pooling on the floor. Angel pulled out a knife and freed their friends while Wil checked for signs of life. "How are they?" The dark vampire asked softly.

"Alive," Wil replied. "How are we going to get them out of here?"

Angel looked around. He hadn't really thought about that yet; carrying them was risky due to all the guards and they had no transportation. "Aren't there tunnels below this place?"

"Yeah, but they don't connect to the main sewer system," Wil replied.

"They don't have to-so long as they get us out of the park and away from all these people," Angel said in reply. "Get Lorne and we'll find a way out of here."

Lorne was close by and immediately began to look for a way to access the maintenance tunnels Angel was sure existed. As the vampire had suspected, tunnels did run underneath the park-and Lorne found a stairwell leading right down to them. Angel hefted Oz and Cordelia into his arms, while Wil took Xander and Lorn carried Wesley. The access tunnels were better lit and much drier than sewers, so they were slowed down little by that. Of course, carrying four bodies was a strain in and of itself.

"Do you know where we're going?" Lorne asked after several minutes.

"Out of the park," Angel replied.

"And you know where that is how?" The green demon queried.

"The signs say we're going toward the north end of the park, which is where we left the car. It doesn't matter how far we get outside the place as long as we're not in the middle of a bunch of trigger happy soldiers," Angel answered.

"Because two vampires and a green man carrying around four bodies tend to arouse suspicion in even the most calm and rational police officer," Wil added. "If we're lucky they'll just shoot at us."

"Be quiet," Angel hissed, hearing footsteps above them. The others fell silent, glancing up at the ceiling as they continued. Half an hour later, Angel paused at a sign indicating that they were near the service entrance they'd started at. "Ok, once we're past this, start looking for a way out."

It took another twenty five minutes before Wil spotted a ventilation shaft in one wall. "Angel?" Wil whispered, cocking his head toward the shaft. "I know it only works in the movies, but."

"I'm game," Lorne said, peering into the tunnel. "Maybe one of us should go on ahead and check it out." Wil nodded and placed Xander carefully on the floor before scurrying up the shaft.

"It's clear," Wil said as he climbed back out a few minutes later. "I took the grate off and left it outside. We should probably get going, though."

Wrestling the unconscious investigators through the ventilation shaft was slow, difficult work. Xander's arms kept catching on the walls and Lorne couldn't help but bump Wesley's head now and then. Once they were all outside, Angel ordered them to rest for a moment. "We still don't know how far we are from the car," He said, looking around. They still had maybe three hours before the sun started to come up, which was pushing it.

"I don't suppose we can call a cab, can we?" Lorne griped as they started moving a few minutes later. A noise off to their left stopped Wil's snarky comeback. "Soldiers!" Lorne hissed.

Angel peered into the darkness, seeing that a group of soldiers was heading toward the ventilation shaft. Shit! There must have been sensors attached to the thing. If they got caught. He took off at a dead run, moving faster than any human could despite his burden. Wil and Lorne kept up, although it was a strain for the green demon. He wouldn't be able to maintain that pace for very long.

Fortunately for them, they were a lot closer to the car than they'd thought. Angel had led them over two low rises and through some shrubbery until the highway appeared in front of them. They were perhaps two hundred yards from Angel's car. He backed them up into the low trees by the road and began to jog toward the car.

"Can we go home now?" Lorne asked as they piled everyone into the car. Due to space restrictions, three of the four comatose people were piled in the back, propped against each other for support. Lorne was back with them, making sure everyone was breathing. Wil and Angel were relatively more comfortable in the front seat, with only Xander between them. They looked a lot like the end result of a bachelor party; most were passed out and the ones that weren't looked about ready to fall over.

"Yeah, home's a good idea," Angel said, starting the car. He tossed his cell phone to Wil. "Call Gunn and Fred. They need to come back."

Wil shuddered. How did one tell a person that their lover was.well, comatose? "Fred?" Wil asked when someone finally answered the phone.

"Yes?" Fred said, wondering why Wil was calling. They'd had their usual check-in a few days ago.

"You and Gunn need to come back to L.A. as soon as possible," Wil replied.

"Why?" Fred asked, nervous.

"Cordelia, Wesley, Xander and Oz were hurt. We're taking them back to the hotel now, but you should be there as well," Wil explained.

"What happened?" Fred demanded angrily.

"They were attacked by Eraen demons, and it messed with their minds. We're going to get them fixed, Fred, but you need to calm down and get Gunn and yourself back to the Hyperion," Wil said firmly. After another moment or two of discussion, he hung up.

"That went well," Angel commented.

"And you could have done better?" Wil snapped. "Sorry, it's not easy breaking bad news."

"I know," Angel murmured.

���...�...�...�...���

Angel and Wil had just gotten the last body into the hotel and situated in a bed when Gunn and Cordelia arrived. "What the hell happened?" Gunn demanded, advancing on Wil. The blonde stepped back, raising his arms in defense.

"Eraen demons, gallery, Disneyland," He murmured desperately.

"What?" Fred asked, confused.

"They went to a gallery opening by some Eraen demons. It was a setup; they were kidnapped and taken to Disneyland, where-" Angel was cut off by Fred.

"The nerve gas?" Fred whispered, having heard about it on the news.

"It wasn't nerve gas; it was the Eraen demons. They feed on emotional pain," Wil explained. "They tortured all those tourists to feed."

"And why did you let them go to a gallery full of these demons?" Gunn demanded.

"First, they wanted to go, I didn't," Angel grated out, angry at being accused of negligence. "Second, there were supposed to be others there-a class full of UCLA students. What was I supposed to say, 'No, Cordelia, you can't go out like a grown-up would, because you can't take care of yourself?' Gunn, she goes to places full of demons all the time-including ones much more dangerous than Eraen demons."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?" Fred inquired calmly. It didn't add up-they hadn't angered any Eraen demons lately, not that she knew of.

"Wolfram & Hart were involved," Wil said coldly. "They probably recruited the demons, or paid them, or something. Lilah knew about it and them."

"And she tried to kill us," Angel added.

"No, she didn't. Lilah can't kill us-you're obviously too important alive," Wil reminded him. "She did want us to suffer a bit, though."

"What about Delia and the others?" Gunn demanded.

"Time," Lorne said from the entrance to Caritas. "It's the only way for them to heal. Once their minds have gotten over the worst of it, they'll wake up again."

"How long will that be?" Fred asked worriedly.

Lorne shrugged. "A few hours, a few days.It depends on how hard they were hit-and it looks like they took a beating, especially Xander. Empaths and Eraens shouldn't mix."

"Great. We can't do anything but wait until the just wake up?" Gunn summarized.

"Looks that way," Wil replied softly.

*****
Part 39:

Five minutes of Gunn staring holes in his forehead was more than Wil could take. Muttering a vague farewell, the vampire took to the stairs at a run. He couldn't handle the accusations, the guilt and the outright hatred that furious glare evoked.

Angel watched Wil run away, knowing that it was his human friend's anger that sent him upstairs. "Happy?" The dark vampire asked Gunn, who looked away. Angel walked away from the others and ascended the stairs, not waiting for a reply.

By the time Angel got to Wil's apartment, the blonde was slumped on the floor, staring at the carpet. He'd walked in expecting rage or tears, but instead he found a motionless, brittle creature lying on the floor. "Wil?"

"Go away," Wil murmured, not looking up. Angel frowned and walked over to the vampire. Wil didn't acknowledge him in any way-at least, not until Angel tried to touch him. Then the blonde shied away from his hand, flinching as though it hurt to be touched.

"Wil," Angel began again. "This is not your fault."

"No?" Wil spat, curling his hands into fists. Angel could smell the blood welling out of the tiny cuts his fingernails made in the palms of his hands. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"I'm the one who didn't want to go to the art gallery," Angel replied softly.

"I could have gone, though. And it was me that asked Gunn and Fred to go to Sunnydale. You know they wanted to stay here, with Cordelia and Wesley," Wil said.

Angel shook his head sadly and reached down to pick up the vampire. As soon as he had Wil up, though, the blonde became a flurry of movement. One second he was catatonic, the next he was striking out with supernatural strength, fangs bared in a feral grimace. Angel struggled to hold him, succeeding only in getting himself scratched and bitten. "Let me go," Wil hissed, trying to break Angel's hold on him. "Damn it-"

Angel tripped the blonde, sending both of them to the floor. Once they'd landed, he rolled over until Wil was pressed face down into the carpet, with his hands pinned underneath his body. Angel kept his legs pressed against Wil's so that the blonde couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried. "Listen to me, Wil. There was nothing you could have done. They're adults, and they've got the ability to take care of themselves. You can't hold yourself responsible for everything that happens to them. It will just kill you to do so," Angel said harshly. "They stay with us and are involved in our battles by choice, Wil. Both Cordelia and Xander could ask The Powers to take their visions-or simply pass them on to someone else, and be out of this situation at any time. The others can just walk away. They made their own decisions."

"And what about my decisions?" Wil whispered. "I make my decisions and everyone else has to live with them."

"And what other way is there?" Angel spat. "Would you rather not make them? Pass responsibility to someone else? Simply follow orders? They look up to you because you're a wise person, Wil. So far, you haven't let them down. But even the wisest, most experienced person cannot know everything."

"Don't you feel anything about this?" Wil asked incredulously.

"Don't I feel." Angel began. His eyes flashed in anger. "What kind of monster do you think I am, Wil? Of course I feel! Four of my closest friends are lying gravely injured in this hotel. I can barely think because I feel so much. But killing myself isn't going to help them."

Wil remained silent for a long time. "Don't want to die. I just want to suffer. Like they suffered."

Angel stared down at his childe. From his first days as a vampire, Wil had always equated pain, both physical and emotional, with guilt. When he did the wrong thing, Angelus and Darla hurt him somehow. It didn't take very long for the fledgling vampire's twisted psyche to equate pain with wrongdoing-if he broke the rules he hurt, so if he hurt then he must have done something wrong. Now, more than a century later, that twisted logic was resurfacing. Wil was in pain because of the attack on their friends, so it must have been his fault. The amount of pain Wil felt wasn't equal, in his mind, to the enormity of his perceived failure. Therefore, he needed to hurt more. Angel was truly afraid that if he let Wil go now, he wouldn't survive anything he did to himself.

Once Angel was sure that Wil wouldn't bolt if he stood up, Angel removed himself from on top of the blonde and pulled Wil up with him as he stood. Wil remained frozen in place, staring at the floor, while Angel looked him over. Perhaps it was time for a little Sire/childe bonding. If Wil was regressing to earlier times, perhaps he would respond to the authority his younger self was accustomed to. "Childe."

Wil's head snapped up at the single word. He looked right at Angel, waiting for a command. "Come here," Angel said. Wil quickly complied, taking the three steps needed to close the distance between them. Angel waited for a moment before continuing. "You attacked me."

"I-I." Wil began, staring hopelessly at Angel.

"That is unacceptable. Why did you do that?" Angel asked calmly.

Wil shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I was angry."

"With me? Why? Have I wronged you?"

"No! I was angry at myself," Wil replied quickly.

Angel sighed. "And why is that?"

"I let them get hurt," Wil answered softly.

"Ah. I see," Angel said. "So you knew what was going to happen to them and you just let them get hurt?"

Wil shook his head. "No, but I let them go out by themselves. I could have accompanied them."

"Are you immune to the effects of an Eraen demon?" Angel asked.

"No, I am not, but-" Wil said, but was cut off.

"So you think that it would have been easier for Lorne and I to get five people out of that warehouse, as opposed to four?" Angel demanded. "Or perhaps you consider yourself your friends' surrogate parent, who must watch them cross the street? Do you normally accompany them everywhere they go? To the library, the mall and the bank?"

Wil flinched. "No, I don't do that."

"Do you consider yourself some sort of god, who has the power to determine life and death, and now you feel bad for choosing one over the other for your friends?" Angel pushed harshly.

"No," Wil whispered. Angel sighed again, wrapping his arms around Wil to draw him close. The blonde stiffened momentarily before relaxing. Angel drew him closer, until most of the blonde's weight was leaning on him.

"Then why hold yourself responsible for this outcome?" Angel asked softly. "You had nothing to do with it." Wil tensed, as though preparing to struggle, but stopped. He was still submitting to his Sire's authority, which did not include the latitude to fight in times like this. After a couple more minutes, Angel guided Wil back toward the bed. Once they had reached it, he began to remove the blonde's clothes, taking the time to caress each bit of skin he uncovered. When Wil reached up to return the favor, Angel stopped him.

Once Wil was naked, Angel pulled back the covers on the bed and laid Wil between them. The younger vampire obeyed passively, lying on the bed like a corpse. Angel stripped himself down and climbed in after Wil. He drew the blonde into his arms, resting Wil's head on his chest and intertwining their legs and arms. Wil remained tense for a minute or two before giving up and relaxing his muscles to lie comfortably against his Sire.

���...�...�...�...���

Wil was awoken by the pleasant sensation of someone softly caressing his back. He knew instinctively that it was Angel running his hands up and down his spine as though counting his vertebrae. When Wil began to speak, Angel stopped him with a glance. Wil closed his mouth and was rewarded with a smile. Angel increased the pressure of his caress slightly, making Wil's eyes close with pleasure.

Once he was sure Wil wasn't going to try to get away, Angel rolled the blonde under him, shifting his hands from Wil's back to his chest. Wil arched slightly as Angel pinched his nipples and moaned when the older vampire ran agile fingers over his ribs. Angel began to trace Wil's face with his lips, dragging soft flesh over sensitive cheekbones and eyelids. Wil tried to capture that elusive mouth, but Angel wouldn't let him.

"What do you feel, Childe?" Angel whispered into Wil's ear. Wil gasped as the breath from Angel's question brushed his skin.

"What?" He replied softly, not understanding.

"What do you feel?" Angel repeated.

Wil closed his eyes, wondering why his Sire was doing this. "I feel your hands on me, the weight of you pressing me down. I feel your mouth touching my jaw. I feel your cock against mine."

"What do you feel?" Angel repeated a third time.

Wil almost snarled in frustration. "My skin tightens wherever you touch it and my muscles tremble waiting for you to continue," He said in a near-snarl.

Angel chuckled silently. This was going to take a little while. He suspended the questioning in favor of continued touching. Now, though, he moved with more purpose, slicking up his fingers and circling them around Wil's tight hole. The blonde pushed against him, trying to impale himself. Angel pushed one finger deep inside, loving how Wil arched and flinched and relaxed himself to take more in. The dark vampire was soon able to ease a second and then a third finger inside his lover, stretching him wide open.

Wil thrust himself against Angel's hand, trying to rub those fingers against his prostate. Angel seemed to be avoiding that lovely spot, something that frustrated the blonde to no end. "What do you feel?" Angel asked. Wil's eyes shot open as he stared disbelievingly at Angel.

"What do I feel?" Wil spat, hating the look of amusement in Angel's eyes. "I feel three of your bleedin' fingers in my arse, that's what I feel!"

"Then I must be doing something wrong," Angel replied as he withdrew his fingers. Wil made to protest the loss, but before he got a word out, Angel had replaced those fingers with his cock, pressing deep inside Wil and splitting him open. Wil almost choked as Angel kept pushing further in, slowly seating himself to the hilt. Once he was all the way inside, Angel pulled out slowly, and then thrust again, holding Wil firmly to keep him from bucking.

"What do you feel?" Angel asked as Wil thrashed under him, clenching his muscles around Angel's cock.

"You, inside me," Wil replied brokenly. Where he had once been avoiding Wil's sweet spot, now Angel was aiming for it, rubbing the swollen head of his cock over that bump regularly.

"What do you feel?" Angel repeated, running his tongue down Wil's neck, pressing into the depression at the base of his throat.

"Lightening running through me whenever you do *that*," Wil answered, shaking.

"And why do I do *that*?" Angel asked as he thrust again, nipping on Wil's ear.

"To torture me!" Wil growled, trying to move out of Angel's grasp.

Angel pressed his lips to the skin just in front of Wil's ear before replying. "Do you really think that? That I make love to you to torture you?"

Wil shuddered violently. Why was Angel doing this to him? "No. You don't torture me."

"Then what do I do? Does this displease you?" Angel pushed, rolling his hips cruelly.

"No!" Wil barked, arching to meet Angel now that the dark vampire had given him a little freedom. "You drive me out of my mind."

"That doesn't sound good," Angel replied, frowning against Wil's cheek.

"With pleasure," Wil bit out. He was having a hard time finding words. The middle of sex wasn't when he usually held meaningful conversations.

"And why would I want to do that?" Angel asked, knowing that they were getting nearer to his goal.

"Because you want to," Wil guessed, not completely sure of what he'd just said. If only Angel would move a little faster.

"Why would I want to bring you pleasure?" Angel demanded harshly.

"I don't know!" Wil pleaded, tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

Angel looked down at the distraught vampire. "Look at me, Wil." Once Wil opened his eyes, Angel continued. "Why would I want to bring you pleasure?"

"I don't." Wil started, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"How many reasons could there possibly be for me to want to make love to you, to bring you pleasure, to hold you, every day of my life?" Angel asked Wil softly, whispering to him like a lover should.

Wil's eyes shut, unable to bear looking at Angel anymore. "You."

"I what?" Angel pressed softly, continuing to move within Wil's body.

"L-love." Wil stuttered, unable to finish.

"What do you feel?" Angel asked, thrusting faster now and letting Wil rise to meet him.

Wil would have answered, but Angel stroked against his prostate again and he began to climax, tear-filled blue/gold eyes staring blindly up at Angel. The sight was more than Angel could take and he came as well, crying out softly as he poured himself into his lover.

"What did you feel, Wil? Pleasure?" Angel asked, hope evident in his voice. Wil nodded slowly, still recovering. "I love you, Wil, and strive to bring you only pleasure. You are part of me. When you hurt, I hurt."

"I know," Wil said sadly, pressing his face against Angel. "But."

"But nothing, Childe," Angel said firmly. "You did nothing wrong, so you cannot hurt yourself. I will not allow this. There will be no suffering here, where we are together." Wil nodded weakly, unable to refuse his Sire this right. Angel cleaned them up with a hand towel and pulled the covers back up from where they had slipped down. Wil curled up into Angel's embrace as the dark vampire soothed him to sleep. It hadn't fixed everything, but at least for now Wil was calm and in no danger of harming himself.

*****