Room 406, Late at night, NFB

[izzyalienqueen]

After a rather disturbing conversation earlier in the evening, Parker and Isabel had returned to Isabel's room to dreamwalk Bel.

Parker took a seat on Xander's old bed, her feet curled up beneath her. "You're sure about this?"

"I'm sure," she nodded.

Isabel stretched out on the bed, last year's yearbook open to a picture of Bel, and placed her hand over the image. Too keyed up about what she might find, it took a long while for her to fall asleep. But eventually she did.

	On the floor above, the Source slept. Being evil was tiring work. Inside him, what remained of Bel's battered spirit slept as well, bound in chains that bruised and cut his flesh. It was to his dreams that Isabel came, but the dreams matched the reality. He was on his knees, bloody and broken, thick chains binding him to a stone wall. He looked up as Isabel approached. "Isabel?" he said weakly. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!"
	Isabel wasn't sure what she expected to see. But it wasn't this. "Christ Bel," she exclaimed, dropping to her knees next to him. "What's going on?"
	"Get out of here, Isabel!" Bel said urgently. "He'll kill you and I can't stop him!"
	"Who's he?" Isabel asked, studying the chains and wishing like hell she could actually do something. "What's running around wearing your face?"
	"The Source," Bel said, and pain stabbed his head. It still hurt even now to try to say it. "The Source of All Evil," he finished in a whisper. "My former liege."
	"You can never do things simply. Why couldn't it have been a nice simple little ghost or something?" It sounded flip even to her own ears, but it mostly just a sign of how nervous she was. Isabel remembered what little Bel had told her about the Source. "Okay, I"m not leaving you here like this. So how do we get you to be the one in charge?
	Bel wearily shook his head. "It's too late. I'm not strong enough to stop him," he said. "You have to get out of here. If he finds you here, he'll kill you."
	"Bullshit. You're strong enough. What's going to happen if you don't stop him?" she asked. "What do you think he'll do to Phoebe? To all your friends."
	"He already has hurt them," Bel said bitterly. "And I couldn't stop him then. He's too strong."
	"So what am I supposed to do? Just walk away and leave you here?" Frustrated, Isabel banged her fist against her leg. "And how are we supposed to stop him?"
	"You can't," Bel said miserably, already defeated. "He's the most powerful demon the Underworld, and now I am him."
	"No you're not. If you're here like this, it means he's out there. There has to be way to separate the two of you. Think damnit." She closed her eyes, trying to think of something.
	"The only way to stop me is to kill me," Bel said. "He's not at full power yet. He needs to do rituals to do that, and to destroy what's left of me here." He tugged uselessly at his chains. "It's too late for me, Isabel. I'm dead already. But you can save yourself."
	"So I'm just supposed to go and kill you? And then tell your girlfriend that gee, sorry, he was possessed by the Source of All Evil? Yeah, that'll be a fun conversation." But that made her think. Maybe if she got Phoebe? Brought her into Bel's dreams with her?
	Bel winced at the mention of Phoebe. "You have to," he said. "I can't control what I'm -- what he's doing. Get Angel. Get Piper. Anyone with power. Before it's too late. You don't know what I've already done...."
	"I know some," Isabel said, thinking of Anders and whatever the hell was going on there, then she remembered some of the other weird events of the last few weeks. "Oh my god, whatever it was that kidnapped Angela, that attacked Buffy? Cally? That was him?"
	Bel dropped his gaze. "And Dr. Wilson. And Piper, Veronica, and Cam. And he's going to do much worse."
	"Then I'm going to leave and I'll get help and we'll figure out a way to stop him," she promised. "And get you out in the process. Because I don't leave my friends behind."
	"You can't save me, it's too late," Bel said, shaking his head. "He's right." The voice was Bel's, but this time it came from behind Isabel.
	"Oh crap," Isabel muttered. In the movies this would be the part where the heroine stayed and traded witty banter with the bad guy. But this wasn't the movies and Isabel was going to get the hell out of there. "I'll be back," she promised Bel quietly, before concentrating on waking the hell up.
	"You're not going to get away that easily," the Source snarled, making a grab for Isabel. But she was gone. No matter. He could find her easily enough.

Comments

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker had been watching Isabel carefully, her eyes moving behind her eyelids faster and faster, until Isabel sat up with a gasp, looking around wildly.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Parker leaned forward, putting on hand on her arm. "You're here, Isabel, you're safe."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"We are so screwed," Isabel said quickly. "We need back-up. Powerful back-up. Fast." Her hand reached out and her phone flew across the room into it. "We need Angel, we need Phoebe, we need the goddamn calvery!"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Oh crap. What, who did you find in there?" Parker demanded as Isabel started to dial. "And did he see you? Damnit!"

[demonbelthazor]

Bel flamed into the room. "Me," he said, lifting his hand and using telekinesis to bat the phone out of Isabel's hand, sending it across the room.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Shit!" Parker looked around wildly for a weapon, and picked up a lamp to throw at him, taking a deep breath to scream.

[demonbelthazor]

Bel conjured up a fireball and drew back his arm, aiming at Isabel. "Scream and she dies," he said to Parker.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I don't think so," Isabel said, scrabbling off to the bed to stand next to it, and tossing up an energy sheild.

[demonbelthazor]

"You realize," Bel said, bouncing the fireball in his hand, "that I can't let you ladies tell anyone what you know. Make all the noise you want, it's not going to stop me."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker's fingers tightened around the lamp, but then her brain caught up with her instincts. "You kill us, or hurt us badly, and you will buy yourself more trouble than you can handle. Whoever the hell you are." She bared her teeth at him. "This is all written down elsewhere. I disappear, Isabel gets hurt, and a lot of people will get e-mails with all the details."

[demonbelthazor]

The Source knew Belthazor had foolishly confessed the knowledge of how to vanquish him to Parker, and while he didn't know for certain what effect the potion would have on his current form before the rituals were done to fully vest him in his power, he didn't want to risk it. However, there were other ways of dealing with the situation.

"I'm not afraid of you, Parker," he sneered. "You may have cowed Belthazor, but not me."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Just proves how stupid you are. Disappearing off the roof. Screwing around with Anders. How many people have found out now? Five, six?" She took a breath, stalling, hoping to think of a way out of the stalemate. "You have no idea what I might have recommended as a course of action against you. There's more than one way to vanquish a demon, and I used to go into Special Collections for fun. Insurance policies are reflex for me."

Think think think there had to be a way out that wouldn't won't get us killed he doesn't dare think damnit think

[demonbelthazor]

"Anders only told me you knew about us," Bel said, "but I'm certain if he's told anyone else, I can force that information out of him as well. You have no idea who you're dealing with anyway. And you'll just be two more bodies added to my list. I'd planned to take you out soon enough anyway." He glanced over at Isabel. "You, you might've survived. But your nosing around has taken that possibility away."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel shook her head, "And what happens after that? When someone else turns up hurt or dead? You think the people at this school are just going to let that keep happening? Someone's going to find out. And then it'll all be over." Or maybe she could end it right here. A flick of her hand and the glass on the desk shattered, the shards flying towards the thing wearing Bel's face.

[demonbelthazor]

Bel threw the fireball at the incoming glass, intercepting it before it could hit him. "I'm only here long enough for the necessary rituals to take place," he said. "After that I claim my throne. And I'm not going to allow either of you to interfere with my plans."

But two more bodies would draw attention, as would Parker's safeguards. And Belthazor's struggles were taking on new life.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker's eyes narrowed on him, and she took a deep breath of relief. "You can still be stopped. But you can't do anything permanent to us. Time's running out for you." She kept her eyes on him, her jaw setting. "No taking us to the Underworld. You run now, and we'll come after you. And don't you force Anders to tell you things again, damnit! What is he, your sacrifice, or your sex toy?"

[demonbelthazor]

"Possibly both," Bel said, smirking. "Human sacrifices are necessary for my coronation, and they don't have to be virgin."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Oh you son of a bitch!" Isabel sputtered. "Leave him alone."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker finally threw the lamp that she'd never put down at the Source, vision going red. "Like Hell!"

[demonbelthazor]

Another fireball took care of the lamp. "I'm really tired of the sound of your voice, Parker," Bel said. His eyes turned to flame, then pitch black. "Silentium!" he said.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel opened her mouth to yell...something. But no sound came out. Oh crap! was her first thought.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker knew enough Latin to be horrified. And it was probably just as well that the string of Italian swear words weren't audible.

You bastard! she mouthed at Bel, then shook her head. Not enough! We'll figure something out!

God, she'd hated that weekend with the Gentlemen.

[demonbelthazor]

"I think I've just achieved a fantasy with you, Parker," Bel said. "You, unable to say a word." He smirked again, twisting the metaphorical knife deeper. "You can't even warn anyone about what I'm going to do next -- which is bring an old friend of ours back."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker got it immediately, and she screamed. Or tried. Angelus? NO!

Frustration made her stamp her feet and pick up another lamp to decimate in an attempt to brain him.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

It took a second for Isabel to realize who he meant. And what that would mean for a lot of people. Frantically Isabel looked about for a weapon.

[demonbelthazor]

"Belthazor's still rather attached to him," the Source said. "And I can use an ally like Angelus. He's been bound by that soul for far too long. Fortunately, I can take care of it."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker threw the lamp, then grabbed her purse, yanking out her phone and dialling in Angel's number. Before it even rang, she realized it wouldn't work. Damnit!

Then she tried to type in a text message:

ASLKDURLKMCEUR!!$#$45K FTJLIUJPODSF/?

...the hell?

[demonbelthazor]

Bel chuckled, highly amused by the flailing. "You'll find you can't communicate at all," he said. "The spell silences more than your voice."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel was already backing towards the door, somehow they'd figure out a way to get the alarm out.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

If they could still think about it, there had to be someone who could reverse it. Parker snarled soundlessly at Bel, then threw a chair at him before rushing toward Isabel and the exit.

Screw him! He's stupid, he fucked this up, there has to be a way--

[demonbelthazor]

Bel ducked the chair. "Not so fast," he said. "Sopor!"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel's hand was on the doorknob when she suddenly slumped to the ground unconscious.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker's legs went out from under her before she reached Isabel, and she didn't have time to think more than No-- before she was sprawled on the carpet, already asleep.

[demonbelthazor]

Bel prodded the unconscious women's bodies with his foot. The spell would keep them sleeping for several hours. Definitely time enough for him to make his preparations for LA.

He blazed out of the room.