Angel continued hurriedly along the corridor, clenching and unclenching his sweaty fists
nervously as he went. Turning to his left, he paused as he read the sign on a door.
"OBSERVATION ROOM," it claimed in a large bold font. Angel crossed his fingers hopefully
as he turned the handle of the door and stepped cautiously inside. The small room was empty
except for a few plush chairs and a circular coffee table. Covering the back wall were large blue
curtains which Angel swept aside restlessly, hope blooming warmly in his stomach. Through a
thick sheet of glass, he could see Buffy's lifeless body strapped to a stretcher that had been
propped up on metal legs.
Without a moment's thought, Angel propelled his fist forwards, smashing the window which
stood between him and Buffy. As the glass shattered, he leapt through, rushing straight to Buffy's
side anxiously. Leaning over her, he pressed his fingers against her neck and smiled hopefully as
her pulse throbbed against his skin. He felt the animal instincts move within him, but he pushed
them aside. Perhaps he *was* a vampire, but Buffy needed him to not be one.
Angel hurriedly began to unbuckle the straps which bound Buffy to the stretcher, flicking them
aside restlessly. Slipping his hands beneath her back, he scooped her into his arms and held her,
pressing a kiss upon her forehead lovingly. Grinning determinedly, he surveyed the room around
him. Darkness poured through a small window, but it was obvious that the pair wouldn't be
escaping through there.
"Angel?" Buffy asked weakly.
"Yeah," he replied, smiling. "It's OK. Everything's gonna be OK." Turning round, Angel stepped
back through the observation room, glass crunching underfoot. Lashing out with his foot, he
kicked the door wide open and entered a section of corridor which was enclosed between two
pairs of swinging doors.
"Eeeny-meeny-miney-mo," Angel muttered. "Left." Pushing through the doors using his side, he
encountered a cluster of scientists. They looked first at him, then down at Buffy. A growl
escaped from Angel, as he morphed into his gameface, but to his surprise the scientists stood
their ground, reaching calmly into their coats and pulling out black crosses which they waved in
his face. Hissing, Angel retreated hurriedly backwards, squeezing Buffy reassuringly as he went.
Backing through the other pair of doors he made his way quickly down the long corridor, almost
smiling at the fact that no-one was standing in his way. But also unaware that the group of
scientists he'd left behind had pressed their security pendants...
"She...uh, she's gone. With a vampire."
"Torch the place. Destroy the evidence...and hopefully her, too."
