Title: Your Enemies Closer
Author: Syn
Posted: 05-06-2002
Rating: R
Email:
Content:
Summary: AU FIC! "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Sometimes, you can't tell which is which." (I just couldn't summarize this fic well, sorry)
Spoilers: Up to The Price I guess, but Connor never came out of the rift.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution: Take it, spread the love.
Notes: I wanted to write a seriously AU fic where everything was as fucked up as possible, yet still coherent. Beware: This is a bit angsty and a bit dark, with some lighter moments thrown in. I hope I do a good job of balancing the two. If not, feel free to flame. I can take it.
Feedback: is not only welcome, it's encouraged.
Prologue
Setting---A dark alley, Los Angeles 2005
For one quick moment, he wondered why every big moment in his life happened on a dark and stormy night. He wondered that, pondered that for just one moment before he felt the pain surge in his stomach and he looked up at the woman before him.
Her hair was plastered across her eyes, her chest heaving, rain slicking down her face. Her lips were crimson and drawn into a frown, fingers bloodied and bone-white as they clutched the wooden object in her hands. His heart lurched, his guts twisted, clenched around that impossibly sharp weapon in her fingers.
Then he looked down, down at the bloody wound in his stomach. His white shirt was stained bright red, his fingers trembling. Looking back up into that pale, dark-eyed face, he swallowed hard and tried to find words. None came.
"Oh. Fuck. Oh Jesus. Oh Fuck." She muttered, nearly moaned before she wrenched the stake out of his gut. He cried out and collapsed to his knees in a puddle thick with the ashes of the vampire he'd just dusted. Cold seemed to spark along his spine and seep slowly across his heart.
"I..." His lips moved and words were whispered through his clenched teeth. She bent, reaching for him like she could help if she could just touch him. Like she could make it all better with a brush of fingertips across his forehead.
Her movement was stopped by a gloved hand on her wrist. She jumped and leapt away from him, staring back into the eyes of the shorter red-haired woman.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" The other woman asked, taking a drag off of her cigarette before flicking it down into the puddle he was slowly sinking into. Her green eyes trailed over the sodden, ripped state of his clothing and the blood seeping from between his fingers. She half-smiled and looked back up at her new recruit.
"I...he just came out of nowhere..." That was all she could say through her trembling lips. She grimaced as a droplet of blood trickled down the stake to her wrist. The stake was quickly dropped from her nerveless fingers with a clatter. "We have to..."
"Go. We gotta get out of here. Where he is, the rest of those bastards are and we don't need to deal with them right now. Come on." The redhead jerked her thumb in the direction of the big black van parked alongside the alley before turning on her heels.
"But...we can't just..." Shock was so complete, she couldn't find words for the conflicted emotions she was feeling.
"We can. We are. You coming or not?" Green eyes blazed as the woman wheeled on her. She looked and saw the reluctance in the taller woman's eyes. She wavered, teetered on just walking away and doing the right thing. She opened her mouth to speak.
Suddenly, a shout rang out, the call of a name she knew only too well echoing off the brick walls. The redhaired woman started, reached blindly for her wrist and dragged her through the alley with as much force as she could muster.
The young woman spared a glance back to the man in the puddle, his face as pale as the lightning flashing above them, his shirt soaked with rain and blood. Memories of old sprang to her mind and she closed her eyes against the pain, wondering why the hell she cared so much.
He'd gotten in her way. It wasn't her fault. That's what she kept telling herself as the van door was slammed, hiding the sight of that fallen, bleeding figure from her eyes.
She realized she was crying.
In the alley, the man heard his name being called and lifted his head out of the puddle long enough to shout an answer. He layed his head back down, his muscles feeling weak and aching. He took deep, pain-filled breath and felt his gut seering, the air from his nostrils rippling the water beneath his cheek.
Darkness crept up around him and he felt himself sinking into a deep, impossibly quiet embrace. He lingered on her brown eyes and wondered, pondered her existence.
Wesley passed out just as Gunn found him, thoughts of Faith on his mind.
Part 1
Setting---Wolfram & Hart
"She's out of prison. We thought you'd like to know." Lilah Morgan stared across her desk, somewhat nervously. Quick hazel eyes mapped her face, lingered on the hollow below her ear and swept across her collarbone. An amused quirk at the corners of the ruby red lips didn't seem to match the hungry eyes and Lilah stifled a shiver.
"She is, is she? Now that is interesting...." The cocky male voice came from behind her and Lilah forced down her nervous fear with a tight lipped smile.
"Well, considering she's The Slayer, yes." She answered, swiveling in her chair to meet the dark eyes and the smirking grin haphazardly strewn across the handsome, deadly face before her. "Well?"
"Well what? She's not a problem." The female leaned back against the plush leather cushions and propped her long, smooth legs on the edge of the lawyer's desk.
"And why not, pray tell?"
"Oh yes, tell her baby. I love it when you explain things."
A quick, impossibly bright smile was shot in his direction as the dark-haired female swung her legs off the desk and leaned forward. "Because we've got a plan. A good plan. A full-proof plan that doesn't involve the Slayer. Or the Hunters or Connor Investigations. It does, however, involve you."
A raised eyebrow was all she sent in questioning and the brunette narrowed her eyes.
"Come on, tell her." Another prideful prod from the tall, dark-clad male in the corner and she continued, her eyes bright as she fixed them on Lilah's square face.
"We know about the prophecy. The one you're so keen on keeping hidden from us. By the way, good work with keeping that a secret." Lilah's eyes widened and she opened her mouth, jaw almost unhinging. How did they know?
"How did you know?" She echoed her own thoughts and sat back in the chair, reaching for the hidden button beneath the desk.
"Killed a guy in your mailroom: boy was he pissed at you. Told me everything before I ripped his throat out." His voice was hard and rough in her ear and she tightened her grip on the edge of the desk, ready to press the button at any moment.
"So? Now you know everything. What the fuck are you going to do about it?"
"No, the question is, what are *you* doing about it?" The female asked and turned a wicked smile on Lilah.
"We're trying to stop it of course. No one wants a Cataclysm before we're ready for one." Lilah bit back, her eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them. He moved up beside his lover and wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders.
"You hear that? She wants to stop the world from ending too soon! We can't have that, now can we, baby?" He whispered in her ear as she leaned back against the cushions, fingers snaking up into his own.
"Of course not." She tilted her head up to kiss him, tongue languidly trailing across his lips before she pulled back and shot Lilah a deadly glare, a smile spreading across her crimson lips. "Get your fucking hand off that button or I'll rip your fingernails off."
Lilah's hand snatched away from the button and she drew her hands up into the open. She eyed the demoness before her and drew a deep breath. "So, what are two going to do?"
"We're going to end the world. And you're going to help us." She answered lightning quick, her fingers still curled around the vampire's pale digits.
"Sorry. Against company policy to end the world without their say-so." Lilah smirked, her eyebrows quirking
"Oh? Perhaps I can change your mind?" As he spoke, his visage melted, eyes going from dark brown to glittering gold and his teeth descending onto his ruby lips. "Whatya say? Do we have a deal?"
A chill once again went up her spine and she knew he wasn't kidding. Not this time and not now. "A deal for what?" Lilah asked, eyebrow arching again.
"We'll let you know. Until then, leave it all up to us." The demoness spoke, rising up out of her seat, quick eyes flicking over Lilah's face once more. She smiled again and Lilah was nearly blinded by the light coming off of her in waves. "And whatever you do, don't tell your little bosses about what we're doing, or I'll just have to kill you. And I hate that."
The light faded, Lilah's skin slightly pink from the scorching heat of the woman before her.
"I understand. Cordelia." She answered, blinking away spots. Another smile and the demoness looped her arm through the vampire's. They turned as one and he reached for the door handle. "Oh, and Angelus?"
"Yes, Miss Morgan?" Angelus turned, a smirk on his lips once more.
"What about the Slayer?"
"I killed the last one didn't I?" Was all she heard as the door slammed behind them. She let out a deep breath and licked her lips.
"I hate those two!" Lilah growled into the empty air and rubbed her temples. This was going to be a pain in the ass, not to mention the mound of paperwork. Did she mention she really hated those two?
***********
Setting---Connor Investigations, two days later
Anne was tired and her head was swimming. Pictures of demons and their descriptions were burned into her bright blue retinas and she blinked rapidly to clear their shadows away. Research was admittedly not her forte, but as there was no one else around to do it, she had to take up the slack.
"What the hell is a Tarvlak demon?" She mused out loud, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face distractedly.
Just then, the front doors of the Hyperion swung open and in walked the one man she'd been waiting all day for.
"Thank God you're back!" Anne called, her elfin face scrunching up as she struggled to her feet. She dropped the stack of papers in her hands and waddled over to him, her giant belly swinging as she went. Wesley smiled at her and pressed his hand against her belly. "I was so worried!"
"Well, I'm here and you don't have to worry anymore." Wes smiled and shrugged his shoulders, trying to ignore the ripple of pain that spread across his own belly. The stitches pulled taunt and then went slack as he stopped his movements.
"But, you're going to be okay...?" He opened his mouth to answer her question, but he was interrupted by a booming male voice.
"Hey! Get your hands off my wife!" Wesley swiveled in place and met the smiling eyes of Charles Gunn. The black man descended the front steps of the hotel and dropped the huge duffel bag in his hands onto the floor.
"Sorry, but she's so beautiful when she's pregnant." Wesley grinned as he brushed a kiss across Anne's smooth, glowing cheek. At Gunn's narrowed gaze, Wesley threw up his hands and backed up a pace, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah, she is, isn't she?" Gunn moved up and placed a moist kiss on his wife's lips, his fingers spreading out across the bulging belly. "How's the squirt?"
"Kicking like the dickens. And how is his father?" Anne asked, tracing a line across Gunn's jaw with one pale finger.
"Tired, dirty and annoyed at English over there." A jerk of his head was sent in Wesley's direction and the Brit looked up.
"What did I do this time?" Wesley murmered, picking up Anne's dropped files and flipping through the thin parchment.
"Hmm...where do I start? First you go off on a patrol, when you should have been back here resting. THEN you get yourself stabbed by someone named Faith. And THEN you refuse to stay in the hospital, against the doctor's wishes! Not to mention you're just an uptight English asswad, but we won't get into that now..."
Wesley glanced up at him over the rim of his glasses and sighed heavily, ignoring the pain in his stomach. "That all?"
"Well, you bled on my new shirt."
"My apologies." Wes said dryly, putting the file back down and looking around the wide lobby, as if he expected someone to jump out at him Usually, that was the case; today was a slow day.
"So, who's Faith?" Anne asked, waddling back over to the couch and sinking down onto the soft cushions. Gunn sat down beside her, his eyes curious as he looked up expectantly up at the boss of Connor Investigations.
"She's a Slayer. THE Slayer actually." Wesley said, painfully remembering the fact that she was the only one left of his two failures.
"I know that, Wes. And you were her Watcher, right. She, um....tortured you, didn't she?" Gunn asked, his his hand slipping into Anne's and squeezing hard.
"Yes, she did. And then she went to prison and I have no idea why she's out and I don't care so let's just move on to other business, shall we?" He said in a rush, slamming his blue eyes shut as he remembered the pain and fear in those dark brown pools. Then he remembered the pain, as if he could ever forget it, and he sneered, pushing the image away from himself.
Anne exchanged a glance with Charles, but neither one opted to comment on his avoidance of the subject. When Charles finally spoke up, he did so with a soft voice. "She was working with Justine and the Hunters. Is that why you're not concerned?"
"I didn't say I wasn't concerned. I just don't want to talk about it. She's obviously working for them and that's a good thing; the Hunters do good around this city, as you two well know. As long as she leaves us alone. Her and Justine." He spat the last name and groped along his throat to the old scar across his jugular.
"Yeah they do some good, which is the reason Anne and I both joined them after...well after things went to shit around here. But bro..."
"Charles, drop it." Anne said, glaring at her husband and digging her fingernails into his palm. He winced and nodded his head, blowing out a tense breath. None of them liked to be reminded of the incidents of two years ago, it brought back too much pain.
Anne looked beyond Gunn and eyed her friend. She admired the strength in him and the deep longing to help the world that ran through him. Admired and hated him for it because that longing was killing him. Slowly but surely, it was killing him.
Looking him up and down, she could see he wasn't the same man she'd met four years ago. Now he had a careworn, haggard appearance to his scarecrow frame. Wide streaks of white hair colored his temples, fading back into the dark bramble of his hair. His hands were scarred and callused, his mouth lined with frown lines. He looked old, and not from the lapse of time.
"You look like hell, Wesley. Why did you do it again?" Anne asked, her eyebrows drawn up in concern. Wes looked up and regarded her with a cool, impassive stare.
"I did what I had to." He clipped, stalking off into the dark confines of his office. She watched as the light went on and the door slammed.
"You're right. He is an uptight English asswad." She said, sighing heavily and placing her head on Gunn's broad shoulder. He kissed her cheek and grunted in agreement. "Next time he tries to go to that shaman, stop him. Do whatever it takes; knock him out, whatever. Just don't let him go."
"You know that won't stop him, baby. He'll just find a way to do it himself and he won't stop until he's gotten enough power stored." Gunn answered her wearily, his chocolate brown eyes fixed on the office door.
"Maybe, but at least try next time. It's killing him."
"He knows that and he doesn't care." The new voice made Charles swivel his head and he regarded the green demon with a concerned expression.
"You read him?" Gunn asked, eyebrow arching as Lorne collapsed in the big orange couch across from them. The demon's one good eye glinted at them, his spikey hair unkempt and the sleeves of his torn shirt rolled up in an effort to hide the blood stains on the material.
"Didn't need to. His aura is screaming it." Lorne said, doggedly running a hand through his hair and grimacing as he felt it crackle with dried blood.
"Why is he doing this to himself?" Anne asked the anagogic demon, her hand smoothing over her round belly. Lorne leaned forward and placed a lime green hand over the bulging skin, a smile playing at the corners of his thin red lips before he let it slide off and he went serious again.
"Because it's the only way to make everything right again." At Anne's look, he waved his hand and sank back against the soft cushions and put a thumb in his mouth. He didn't feel like explaining the finer points of redemption at the moment. Not when he'd just had a bad session.
"So...uh...how is she?" Gunn asked, changing the topic and glancing up the stairs. Lorne followed his gaze and heaved a heavy sigh.
"That mandrake powder Wes got her worked. She's out like a light, poor thing."
"And the blood?" Anne raised her eyebrows and bit her lip, praying it wasn't what she thought it was.
"Her nose again."
Anne's face fell and she felt tears springing to her eyes. "This is killing her."
"There's a lot of that going around lately." Lorne answered, his cycloptic visage darkening with sorrow. His heart ached to think about the loss of his brightness, but he couldn't help but feel that he'd already lost her. Damn the Powers for doing this to her.
And damn Cordelia for letting them.
***********
Setting---A warehouse somewhere in Compton
"You didn't tell me about Wesley." Faith growled, her arms crossed over her chest, a strand of dark brown hair across her eyes. She flicked her head to dislodge it and peered at the redhaired woman before her.
"Yes I did." Justine insisted, not looking up from her perch on a battered chair where she was sharpening a stake.
"No you didn't. You only said we were going to kill some vampires. You never mentioned Wesley." Faith said, her eyes shifting back and forth in their sockets as she wondered how fast she could move so that she could rip the bitch's head off. Pretty damned fast.
"How do you know him?"
"Ex-Watcher. I tortured him." Faith said mechanically, her emotions far removed from the past. She'd long ago numbed herself to the wrongs she'd done. She was a different person now; but it wasn't like that mattered now. Her past had found a way to come back and bite her in the ass, it seemed.
"Really? I knew there was a reason I liked you." Justine glanced up at her and smiled, but Faith only returned a hateful glare.
"The feeling isn't mutual. Why do you hate Wes?"
"You want a list?" Off Faith's look, she continued, "He runs an investigations agency out of some old hotel and he tends to get in my way. Plus, he stole a couple of my recruits a few years back. Oh, and I slit his throat once; really he's just a fucking asshole."
Faith was silent a moment, letting the informations sink into her brain. Finally she spoke up, her voice low and thick. "This big daddy vampire you want me to kill, what's his name?"
"Angelus. Why?" Justine said automatically before her eyes went knowingly bright. "Oh, you would know him, right? After all, he and Pryce were pretty chummy there for a while. That didn't last too long..."
"What happened?" Faith asked, sinking to the dirty floor of the warehouse. Behind her, she could hear the other recruits training. She blocked out the sounds and turned her attention to the leader of the ragtag army that called themselves the Hunters.
With a smile, Justine told Faith everything that had happened. Faith listened raptly, things falling into place where there had been gaping holes before. Now she knew why Angel had abandoned her in prison, why she'd believed he was dead and not just his old self again. It all fell horribly into place and she shuddered.
"So, this Holtz guy, he stole Angel's son?" Faith ended, running her thumb along her lower lip in thought. She saw Justine's hard eyes soften at the mention of the man's name and she smiled longingly into space.
"Yeah. He did." Justine said, her eyes far away for a moment before she snapped back to the present. "This is his legacy I'm carrying on. His goal was always to kill Angelus and I'm not stopping until I do. I don't give a fuck who gets in my way. Connor Investigations or even you."
Faith's gaze snapped up to the older woman's hard face and she smiled widely. "Don't worry about me. I'll kill Angelus for you."
"And Wyndham-Pryce?"
"Fuck him. He won't be a problem." Faith said, lifting her chin pridefully. Justine smiled.
"Good to hear it." Justine stood and walked away, shouting out orders to the sparring men and women spread out across the wide floor of the warehouse.
Faith watched her go for a moment and then she stood and grabbed for her sword. She jogged to the door, slamming it shut behind her. As she walked out into the night, heading toward the Hyperion, she whispered to the wind, "He won't be a problem at all."
Part 2
Setting---Angelus and Cordelia's mansion
It was quiet here for midnight. Everywhere else teamed with nightlife, but here, it was quiet. No gangs, no gunfire and no police sirens wailing. No, here it was quiet and she didn't like that sometimes.
The quiet left no room for forgetting and she would linger in the past and mourn a thing she'd never thought much about. She didn't want to, because she didn't care it was gone. But...she did, no matter how much she tried to fool herself. She did. There was a tiny sliver of memory inside of her that remembered what it had been like back then.
Back when she had a mission. Back when she still had a soul.
Her eyes closed, breath shuddering in her lungs and the crush of a cold body against her back keeping her in place on the wide, satin-sheeted bed. She let her mind drift.
How long ago had it been? She counted up the years since Connor had been stolen and everything had gone to hell, her along with it. Three years since that night with Angel. Two years since that night she'd lost it all. It still hurt to even try to conjure up images of her family sprawled in pain, but they came anyway, unbidden and sharply detailed. Blood, Fred screaming and a large, gaping hole in her heart that had been painful and absolute for one moment before something had taken her over and driven everything out.
One solitary tear leaked down her pale cheek and she let it spill onto the red satin, watching the material turn dark crimson where it fell. Everything inside her hurt, longed with certainty for those times, but she knew she couldn't have them. She'd fucked up and lost everything.
A restless movement at her back made her smile, despite the leaden feel of her heart in her chest. His lips were moist along her skin and his body was solid, a wall against the pain. As she always did, she let herself believe he could stop the hurt and make her feel something besides that pain. He loved her. It was enough sometimes to make it all fade.
"You awake?" Cordelia asked, shifting on the bed and feeling him nuzzle her neck with his nose. A shiver ran down her spine and circled back up her stomach, settling in the place where her heart had been.
Angelus smiled against her skin and she felt his hands snake their way up her smooth legs to her stomach. His cold fingers kneaded into the skin and flicked playfully back into the folds of her silk gown. "You're thinking too loudly. What's up?"
"Faith. She could be a problem." She lied, running from the thoughts of the past and focusing on the future. The one she hoped to end.
"Never. Killed Buffy didn't I?" He smirked and her shoulders stiffened automatically. "Sorry." He amended immediately, pressing his moist lips against her throat.
"It's okay. But Faith is different from...the other Slayer. She's unpredictable and wild." Cordelia said and turned in his arms, a long strand of brown hair falling across her cheek. He lifted a hand and swiped it away, his dark eyes serious.
"I know that. She's going to be a challenge."
"Since when has that ever stopped you?" Cordelia teased him, her leg tangling with his as she drew him closer.
"Never, I love challenges. That's why I still love you; you challenge me to stay sane and to not kill you every other minute." Angelus said, his fingers sweeping against the swell of her breasts. She smacked his questing fingers away and grinned at him.
"You're not just saying that?"
"Why would I do that?" He muttered and then crushed his mouth to hers, drawing her up into his arms and pulling her gown off with his free hand. As he pressed his lips against her skin, thoughts of what could have been flitted out of her mind. Now was the only thing she needed. Now until she ended it all.
Now...until she made all the pain stop. And then, a quiet so deep even she could forget.
***********
Setting---Connor Investigations, the Hyperion Hotel
"Damn it!" Wesley growled for the hundredth time that night, slamming the file in his hands back down onto the desk. His mind wasn't anywhere in the vicinity of where it should have been and he knew it. And considering he'd just read the same paragraph twenty times and had yet to figure out he was reading the cellphone manual, his mind was definitely elsewhere.
He knew where and it pissed him off, made his guts lurch and his heart to...well he didn't want to think about that. What he wanted was to make those damned rain-soaked brown eyes to go away and leave him in peace for five minutes.
Heaving a huge sigh, he leaned forward, resting his head on the edge of the desk and feeling the cool surface of the wood against his skin. Outside the office, he could hear Gunn and Anne leaving, heading back to their quaint little apartment a few blocks away. Lorne, he knew, would head back upstairs and wearily curl up on his bed, resting before he had to get up and go back to the losing battle he fought every night.
Wesley hadn't missed the conversation about her health, in fact, he'd had his ear pressed to the door, listening to every word they'd said. He felt sick to his stomach at the news because he knew her time was running out. Lorne knew it too and it was breaking his heart. The visions were going to kill her and it was all his fault.
"Fuck." Wes cursed under his breath, feeling the weight of the world settling heavily on his shoulders once more. This was all getting too much. First Angel and then Cordelia...and now...well they were all going to hell. And this thing with Faith? It was too much.
Another deep sigh and he lifted his head up, his eyes widening as he stared into the very pair of brown orbs he'd been trying to forget. She was seated, sprawled in the chair opposite him, her legs crossed her and hands folded primly in her lap. He hadn't even heard her come in and he marvelled at her stealth.
"Faith...?" He began after a long, heavy silence that seemed to stretch for ages. A silence she didn't even begin to disrupt. She looked him up and down, her sharp gaze lingering on the white streaks in his hair and the general state of disarray his clothing was in. One eyebrow arched and then she smiled.
"Hey Wes." Faith let the smile take over her face, but it wasn't friendly. It was sharp, full of razors and hidden pitfalls that he didn't want to traverse.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out killing vampires for Justine?" He forced himself to say the name and watched as she grimaced visibly. "She doesn't like her recruits to contact me."
"Fuck her. I'm no one's fucking recruit." She answered, the smile still there, but a scowl was trying to edge it's way in slowly.
"Good to know your vocabulary has improved." Wes said dryly, crossing his arms over his chest and wincing when the stitches pulled. She caught the faint flicker of pain in his eyes and shifted in her seat uncomfortably.
"Fuck off."
"Why the hell are you here?" Wesley interrupted, leaning forward and peering at her with dark eyes.
"I came here to kill you." She answered bluntly, lifting a sword out from beside her chair. Wesley started, reaching for the gun he kept strapped to his ankle a second before she threw the sword across the room. It imbedded itself in the wall to the hilt, quivering like a tuning fork in the plaster for a long, silent moment. When she spoke again, he turned his attention back to her with wide eyes. "But I'm not going to."
"I see...and why is that?"
"Because, you look like killing you would be doing you a favor. And I'd never do you any favors." She smirked and leaned back in the chair, that sardonic eyebrow rising and hovering just above her right eye.
"Good to know." He commented, his hand lifting from the cuff of his jeans and spreading flat against the surface of the desk. "So, you're working for the Hunters. They do good in this city."
"And they hate you. Big surprise, eh?"
"Not really, no. Justine and I have an...interesting past." Wesley said, his hand lifting to his throat before he could stop it.
"She slit your throat, stole Angel's kid and left you for dead. Right?" Faith leaned forward, her fingers dipping into the candy dish on the edge of his desk and popping Skittles into her mouth nonchalantly.
"That's pretty much it, I suppose."
"She's a fucking bitch."
"Yes, I've come to that conclusion myself. On many occaisions." Wesley half-smiled and let his gaze walk over her face. Five years hadn't softened her at all. She looked as hard, yet as breakable as glass still. There was a sad glint in her eyes that had previously been hidden, but now had free reign with her expressions. That sharp smile was still in place, but it seemed false, like he was looking at her mask. And he probably was, he reckoned.
"So...? You run Angelus's business now?" He didn't miss the two extra letters at the end of the name, or the fact that she had turned those sad, hard eyes up to his, questions and answers running between them.
"Yes I do. My collegues and I."
"And Angelus?"
"On the list of things to do." He sighed wearily and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb. She smirked again and nodded her head.
"Mine too. I believe some demon chick is also on that list. What's her name again....?"
Wesley's blood ran cold and he stared at her stonily. "Her name is Cordelia."
"Oh yeah. That's the name! Sounds vaguely familiar....hm...."
"Cut the shit Faith." Wesley said sharply, standing up and glaring down at her. Hurt blossomed up over his heart in spasmic waves and he felt the stitches shift with him. Faith glared up at him for a second and then popped another Skittle in her mouth.
"I'm going to kill them." She smiled, nodding her head and chewing thoughtfully.
"I have no doubt about that. Is that what you came here to tell me?"
"Yes. And to tell you and your PI's to stay out of the way." She countered, still seated.
"Sometimes we have to get in the way. It's....necessary." His gaze travelled from her pale face to the ceiling, imagining what was upstairs, sleeping blissfully without dreaming.
"And sometimes people get hurt. How's the gut wound, by the way?" Faith asked, her eyes trailing down his body to the soft lump at his side where the bandages bunched.
"Painful."
"Just so you know, I didn't mean to. I thought you were...well not you, that's for damned sure." She shrugged and he guessed that was her form of apology.
"Apology accepted. Now get the hell out of my hotel." His eyes were as hard as her smile and she flinched at the unbridled anger in his voice.
"I.."
"Now." His voice was a growl and she flinched again. A deep sigh and she stood, her body moving cat-like across the office. She looked back over her shoulder and stared him up and down, the brown, pain-filled eyes searching his for a moment before the mask slid down into place.
"You know, you shouldn't piss me off." She stated, her eyes flicking back and forth.
"I'm aware of that and I don't actually give a shit. Leave." He countered, his mouth set in a grim line. She regarded him with an impassive glare for a moment.
Then, before he could move, she launched herself at him, shoving him roughly back against the wall. His back hit the hard surface and his breath spiraled out of his lungs at the impact. Her hands were strong and pressed painfully against his chest, pinning him there in a state of shock. She leaned in, standing on tiptoe to stand nose-to-nose with him, and spoke in a whisper.
"You *really* shouldn't piss me off. Get in my way again and you'll find that out the hard way."
For his part, he just glared back down at her, daring her to do what she promised. He ignored the pull of his stitches and the trickle of blood spreading from the wound. "I have a feeling I'm going to end up finding out, because I tend to get Justine's way."
She released him and took a step back. "Screw Justine. I don't care about her. I'm talking about you and me, Watcher."
"I'm not your Watcher. I doubt I was ever that in your eyes."
"You're right. You were a joke. And you still are."
"Get the fuck out. Now."
She glared at him for another long, tense moment and then shrugged, turning on her heel and walking away. He watched as she walked by the sword buried in the wall, wrenching it out with one smooth, even stroke. As she reached the door again, he called out to her.
"Faith?"
"Hmm?" She turned, that razorblade smile back on her pale face once more.
"Do me a favor and don't ever come here again." Wesley said, sitting back behind the desk and clutching his hand to his bleeding stomach. Her eyes flickered from his face to the wound again and the mask slipped.
Then, a genuine smile smile stretched across her crimson lips and she turned on her heel and walked out the door.
Wesley watched her go and found himself smiling, despite the pain. He had a feeling she'd be back and he didn't know why that thought excited him. And scared him.
***********
When Faith walked out, she did so with shaking legs. That had been intense and it totally hadn't went the way she'd planned. Her intentions of killing him had, at the very best, been half-hearted and rooted in her anger. She didn't need the complications Wesley presented.
Here he was, the object of her last great sin and she'd hurt him again. She wanted to be good, despite the feeling in her heart that she'd never be -quite- a white hat, and he was throwing it in her face what she'd been. So she'd reacted, like she had always done, with anger, showing him that mask she'd cultivated in prison and slipping into the role she'd been designated by him and everyone else from Sunnyhell.
And, still smarting from the news about Angel, she'd threatened him.
"Fuck." She cursed under her breath, running a hand through her long dark hair and sliding the sword into it's loop on her belt.
No, this wasn't what she'd planned.
"Have a nice chat?"
Faith spun on her heel, the sword wrenched out of it's loop and pointed directly at the owner of the voice. Justine jumped back against the chain link fence, her eyes wide, but her mouth set in a grim scowl. The sword point touched her breast and stayed there, unwavering as Faith glared at her.
"You followed me?" Faith asked with slitted eyes and gritted teeth. Justine met her glare and smiled nastily.
"Didn't have to. I knew where you were going." She countered, pushing the sword away from her chest with one extended thumb. Faith lowered the sword and placed the point on the ground.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"Stop you? Even I'm not that thick. You can see Asshole Pryce all you want, personally I don't fucking care. He's not my concern these days."
"Angelus?" Faith asked, her eyebrow arching as she started to walk away from the fence and down the street. Justine followed her, keeping a respectful distance at her side.
"And his demon bitch. He didn't talk you out of it, did he?" Justine jerked her head back in the direction of the hotel and Faith half-smiled.
"Naww...gave me his blessing. So when are we going to get his ass? I'm itching for a good slay." Faith said, turning the subject from Wesley once again.
"Tomorrow night. You up for it?"
"Always." Faith answered, turning onto a side street and speeding up her steps. Justine followed quickly, her shorter legs pumping to keep up.
"Good. I knew recruiting you was the best thing I ever did." Justine said in a soft voice. Faith snorted and turned on her.
"Besides Holtz you mean?" Justine stared at her for a moment and then her eyes went hard. She stopped dead in her tracks and Faith stopped too, wondering if she'd said the wrong thing and not much caring if she had.
"It wasn't like that." Justine growled, her green eyes flashing.
"I'm sure it wasn't or else you wouldn't be acting like you hadn't gotten laid in ten years. Let's go." Faith shrugged her shoulders and kept walking, leaving the redhead standing there, glaring after her.
Yep. Probably the wrong thing to say, but fuck, what did she care?
Part 3
Setting---Outside Angelus and Cordelia's mansion, 8:01 p.m.-the next night
Eric's voice crackled over the cellphone in Tor's hand. Justine waited impatiently for the news, crouching on her knees next to her second-in-command in the wooded park across from Angelus and Cordelia's sprawling mansion. Finally, Tor snapped the cellphone shut and turned to her.
"The beast and his bitch are getting into the car..." Tor relayed, his dark brown features shadowed by the leaves of the manzanita bush he was crouched under.
"Good. We can attack his minions if he's not there." Justine explained as her recruits gathered around her. She noticed Faith hovering in the back, her face shadowed by a mass of dark brown hair, her eyes burning holes in Justine.
"What? We're not going after Angelus and Cordelia?" Marie exclaimed excitedly, tossing her spiky pink head, piercings jangling as she moved. Justine smiled in her direction and spoke up.
"That's not the plan. Faith---" She gestured Faith forward with one callused hand and then continued, watching the Slayer pick her way through the crowd, a scowl on her face. "She'll take care of the beast and his demon."
Marie didn't look convinced as she stared at Faith, a nasty smile crossing her sharp, ferret-like features. "Right, and who'll be picking up the bitch's corpse?"
Quick as lightening, Faith spun around and brought her foot up, the steel toe hovering an inch from Marie's throat. Marie's eyes widened and she slammed her mouth shut. Her eyes got even wider as Faith flexed her toes and a stake slid out from the heel of her boot, pressing into the flesh on Marie's throat. "Watch your mouth, or I'll break your fucking neck. Got it?" Faith spat at the taller girl.
"Got it." Marie answered breathlessly, her eyes nearly popping out their sockets. With that, Faith lowered her leg, the small stake sliding back into her boot heel as she went.
Justine chuckled and smirked, then turned and motioned for the other's to follow her. Faith watched them go and then hopped in one of the gang's vans parked alongside the street. As she revved the engine to life, Justine tapped on the window.
Faith rolled it down and stared icily at the older woman, her eyebrow quirking slightly. "They change you, I'll kill you where you stand." And before Faith could answer, the redhead spun on her heel and stalked back into the shadows.
Faith spat out the window and then rolled down the street, her eyes glued to the taillights of Angelus's car. She wouldn't give them the chance to even touch her.
***********
Setting---Under Ravina Boulevard, 9:30 p.m.
Pain like fire licked up the side of Elda's face, her eyes slamming shut and her nubby teeth grinding hard beneath the elegantly manicured nails of the woman before her. Blood seeped from the long slice that ran from her chin to her eye, dripping down onto the woman's white blouse like oily drops of black paint. Elda shook visibly and saw the demoness's companion lick his lips, his eyes flitting back and forth between hard gold and chocolate brown.
"I swear...I don't know..." Elda said again, her voice shaking despite her attempts at schooling it. The woman clucked her tongue and lifted her fingers to shred the other cheek. Elda jerked her head back, and felt a rough male hand sink into her clumpy black hair, the strong digits digging into her scalp.
"What did I say about lying to us?" The vampire said, his voice hot in her ear. Elda heaved a heavy sigh and stood very still.
"Now tell us what we want to hear. Please." The please was laced with a wide smile as the woman placed her fingernail on Elda's other cheek. An audible gulp and Elda opened her mouth.
"Okay, I'll tell you." The finger never wavered from her cheek as the woman's hazel eyes locked onto her black ones, the strong fingers in her hair gripping tighter in anticipation. "An associate of mine might be able to help you."
"And your friend's name?" Elda felt the cold, moist touch of lips on one pointed ear, a tongue sliding along the curve of her lobe. She shivered against the feel of the vampire's tongue on her skin, fear creeping into her chest. Demon or no, she was fair game and she knew it.
"Ordal. He's...he's an Oshet Mar." Elda explained, the spines across the top of her breasts flattening in fear. From the deep frown on the woman's face, Elda had a feeling she knew what an Oshet Mar was, and it didn't make her happy.
"And where does Ordal live?" The vampire asked once more, his hands digging deeper into her scaly scalp.
"Last I knew, a tank under the Beverly Center. But he may have moved, I don't know...we're kind of on the outs." Elda supplied, her oil-black eyes blinking rapidly under the dank lights.
"The outs?" The woman asked her, head tilted so that a long strand of dark brown hair fell across her flawless face.
"Ex-boyfriend." The woman wrinkled her nose and lowered her finger as if Elda's skin was poisonous.
"Ew."
"Tell me about it." Elda said, a nervous laugh escaping her throat as the woman shuddered, her tongue lolling out in what was obviously disgust at the visual. "So...umm...is that all? You..you're not going to kill me...are you?"
"No. Let's go Angelus." Another wide smile and the woman turned on her stylish heels and clacked her way toward the exit. The grip in Elda's hair loosened and she felt the cold wall of marble that had been the vampire leave her back. She sighed heavily and lifted her nubby fingers to her sliced cheek as she watched the demoness walk away.
"Cordelia?" A slight whine was in Angelus's voice as he walked past Elda, his dark features scowling after his partner. Cordelia turned on her heel and rolled her eyes, then leaned against the slimy brick wall of Elda's lair.
"Fine, you big baby." Cordelia sighed, "Kill her."
Elda started, backing away from the vampire as he turned on her, wide smile pasted to his lips and a bounce in his step. His forehead grew rigid as he walked and she gulped back a scream.
"But...you said you wouldn't...I told you what I knew..." Elda protested, her back slamming into the wall behind her, black eyes wide as the vampire lunged at her. He grabbed Elda's short neck in his arms and twisted until something popped and fire laced through her spine. Then he grabbed for other spine and twisted it hard enough to make it creak loudly in protest, but not break it. Elda screamed and looked up through pain-filled eyes at the woman before her.
"So I lied." Cordelia said as she came closer to watch, smiling that wide smile once more as she eyed Elda over the vampire's shoulder. "Besides...doesn't he look adorable when he's all bumpy?"
And then, before Elda could even think of a retort, Angelus twisted her second spine once more, snapping it in three different places. The world spun away from her and she collapsed at the vampire's feet.
"Well. That was fun." Angelus said, looking up at Cordelia as she sighed heavily and grabbed for his arm.
"You and your mayhem. What am I going to do with you?"
"Something naked, I hope." His jagged features were so hopeful, she couldn't help but laugh as she lead him out of the dead demon's lair.
Her laughter stopped as something slammed into her side and knocked her face down on the hard brick.
"Hello Cordelia." A familiar voice said.
***********
Setting---The Hyperion Hotel, 9:00 p.m.-earlier
Gunn looked up as a scream pierced the hotel's quiet existence. For one second he stood there, his eyes squeezed shut, gripping the handle of the ancient ax he had been sharpening before he dropped it and joined Wesley on the stairs. The boss of Connor Investigations puffed along beside him as they ran up the stairs, one hand pressed to his wounded gut, the other on the rail for support.
As soon as they reached the upstairs hallway, they heard Anne call from down below.
"I'll get the needle!" Gunn waved a hand in his wife's direction and followed Wesley into the shadowed room at the end of the hallway.
They entered the cave-like room and adjusted to the dim light as quickly as they could, feeling their way through the room to the figure in the middle of the floor. Lorne was already there, his hands full of the screaming, wailing girl.
"Fred, Fred...please look at me baby. Please baby....please!" Lorne begged, his one good eye filling with tears, hair mussed and unshaven face lined with shadows so thick he looked emaciated. His hand smoothed over Fred's bare shoulders as he pleaded with her.
Gunn dropped to one knee and took the girl's other hand in his own, trying to force some of his strength into her body. "Fred...honey...calm down..."
"They...they're everywhere...little things...and they scream like pennies in the sky, dropping on the babies and the babies....oh God...the babies, I tried.....it hurt and I tried...." Fred babbled, her eyes glazing over, her breath heaving in her chest. Suddenly, thick, red blood dripped from her nose in a steady stream, trailing over her lips and staining her teeth as she spoke.
Gunn hung his head as Lorne let out a low moan, his face buried against Fred's hair, his hands sweeping back across her shoulders to cradle her against him.
"Wesley..." Gunn said, voice low and thick, his tear-filled eyes turning on the man standing in the middle of the room, completely frozen in place. "Wes...? We have to do something..."
Finally, Wesley fell to one knee in front of the little Texan and he lifted her pointed chin with one hand, unmindful of the blood dripping down his fingers. "Fred....what did you see?"
"What? Is that all you care about?" Lorne asked in a harsh whisper, his eyes boring into Wesley's as he pulled away from Fred. Wesley turned a blank stare in his direction.
"It isn't and you know it. But the Powers sent her a vision for a reason and I'm not going to turn my back on an innocent." He answered icily, then turned his attention back to Fred, who was whimpering in Lorne's arms, half of her face bright red with her blood. "What did you see, Fred?"
"Two! Two there's always two and they're looking for something...something I don't know. 6+7 is 13. 13-6 is 7. Somewhere between...and...and I don't know the formula for pie anymore. I used to know it and now it's all gone....all gone and I...I...." Her voice trailed off in a whimper and she looked up at Wesley, her body shaking.
"What did you see?" Wes insisted, his blue eyes boring into hers. Lorne closed his eyes at the calluse tone in his voice. When she didn't answer, he tried again, his voice even harsher, his hand finding her wrist and squeezing hard. "Answer me, Winifred!"
"Ow!" She squealed, trying to twist away from him. "Lorne...." She turned her big brown eyes on the demon and reached for him with her free hand. Lorne captured it in his own and held it to his lips, kissing it as if it were made of glass.
"Tell him baby. Tell him and the voices'll stop....tell him..." Lorne whispered, his eyes harsh on Wesley's face as the Englishman squeezed a little tighter on Fred's wrist.
"Angel and Cordelia. They like the blood and this time it's black. Black and there's...... something's broken. Something hard and it's not nice and I see her! She's got brown eyes and she's hard and she's screaming and she's a killer but not a killer....always killing but she hates to...she hates to....oh God she's gonna die..."
At the mention of the two names, the three men hitched in their breaths, glancing around at each other as Fred babbled on, her head lolling around on her long neck, curling brown hair slowly matting with blood and sticking to her face in dark slashes.
"Where at, Fred?" Gunn asked gently, wiping at her cheeks with his thumb. Fred turned toward Gunn and smiled at him wearily.
"Why did you leave me?" She asked wistfully, her trembling fingers lifting to swipe along his own cheek. Gunn stiffened and leaned away from her touch.
"Where at, Fred?" Lorne insisted, his face clouded at the exchange between the two of them. Fred turned her calf eyes back on Lorne and looked down at his hand her shoulders.
"Ravina Boulevard...8...under the 8....." She whispered, her body giving out on her as the last bit of information fell from her red-stained mouth. Lorne supported her, the sleeve of his shirt pressed against her nose to soak up the blood that seemed to be endlessly streaming from her nose.
"I've got the morphine...." Anne said, waddling into the room, her voice soft and lilting. She stooped before Fred, her back protesting and tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she looked over her friend's face. "Oh God...."
Wesley took the syringe from Anne's trembling fingers and tapped it with one finger, then he jabbed it unceremoniously into the crook of Fred's arm. She whimpered and leaned against Lorne further, but didn't jerk away from the needle. When the dosage had been injected, Wesley pulled it out and handed it to Anne.
Almost immediately, Fred relaxed, her mouth moving against Lorne's chest, nonsensical words spilling out into the air. But the thrashing ended as the medicine took effect and the blood slowly stopped it's never-ending trickle.
"We should go. Take care of her Lorne." Wesley said stonily, standing and wincing as the stitches pulled once more. Gunn stood too and helped Anne up, his eyes roving down over the sprawled forms on the floor. A sudden pain went through his chest at the sight of Fred in Lorne's arms and he rememberrd a time long ago.
His gaze guiltily swept back to Anne's face as she touched his arm, tears blurring her big blue eyes. A small smile and he wrapped her up in his arms, his heart touching hers for one moment before Wesley's business-like voice jabbed through his world.
"Charles. We have to go."
"Take care of them both, baby." Gunn said, kissing her forehead with a tender brush of his lips.
"Be careful. I heard her out in the hallway...just...be careful." Anne said, her eyes full of Gunn's face for a moment before she let him go and hung her head.
"I will baby. I will." Gunn said, walking away from his whole world and heading for the old one that still haunted him.
Part 4
Setting---Under Ravina Boulevard, 9:35 p.m.
"Hello Cordelia." Faith said as the demoness sprawled on the slick brick tiles before her. Then, before Angelus could recover from the surprise attack, she spun around and cracked him across the cheek with the heel of her boot.
Angelus staggered backward a step and then smiled widely, his vampiric visage rippling and melting from his features as he looked her up and down.
"Faith. Good to see you. When did you get out?" He said amiably, his eyes flicking back and forth between Cordelia and Faith. The demoness climbed to her feet, hand held to her cheek, eyes ablaze with anger.
"Cut the shit, Angelus." Faith said, her eyebrow quirking as she lifted a crossbow in his direction. His smile got wider as he looked down the shaft of the wooden arrow. "You know why I'm here?"
"To kill me, I imagine." Angelus said, eyes bored as he stared at her.
"And her." Faith motioned to Cordelia with a flick of her head, her free hand suddenly producing a second crossbow and pointing it directly at the demoness before her.
"Angelus...." Cordelia warned, her hazel eyes widening as the crossbow was leveled at her evenly.
"Don't worry Cordy. She's not going to kill us."
"Justine put you up to this?" Cordelia piped up, inching closer to the dark-haired Slayer, her lips pursed in thought.
"Fuck Justine. This is my fight."
"Oh really? You have some personal vendetta against the two of us?" Cordelia said, the corners of her crimson mouth curling up into a wicked grin.
"Yeah. I don't like bitches. Now wipe that fucking smirk off your face, demon, or I'm gonna rip it off and feed it to him." Faith hissed, her finger squeezing down on the crossbow trigger and lifting the bow a little higher.
"You wouldn't dare." Cordelia goaded her, the confident smirk taking over her face.
"Oh no?" Faith said, her finger squeezing down on the crossbow trigger. The first arrow launched itself across the room, burying into Angelus's shoulder and dropping him onto the bricks. Before the dark-haired demon could move, she shot the second bow and watched as Cordelia stood stock-still and flashed another smile in her direction.
For one moment the arrow continued it's journey through the damp air before it suddenly stopped, hovered in the air before it was suddenly caught in a brilliant flash of light emmitted from Cordelia's skin. The wooden shaft flew apart, splinters catching in Faith's skin and making her stumble backward.
Blinded by the harsh glare, Faith didn't see Angelus as he leapt on her, his fist connecting solidly with her face and his teeth sinking into her skin.
***********
Setting---Ravina Boulevard 9:25 p.m.
"So, this is Ravina Boulevard, but where the hell are we supposed to go?" Gunn piped up from beside Wesley on the seat of the car. Wesley glanced over at his companion and sighed, his bespectacled eyes roving the wide avenue for a moment.
"She mentioned numbers, didn't she? I'm sure she did..." He remarked, his mind searching back through the spattering of nonsense the Seer had babbled. It was getting harder and harder to understand what she was saying these days.
"She's Fred. She's always mentioning numbers." Gunn reminded him, rubbing a strong brown hand over his chin.
"Dammit. This is getting hard to do these days. If only Fred..."
"Leave it be, bro. We can't change what's happening to her so don't even wish it." Gunn told him, interrupting his thoughts before he could linger too long in the "should be's".
"Yeah." Wesley nodded and hopped out of the car, his sword jammed into his fist and his head heavy with useless thoughts. Gunn joined him as they walked quickly down the street.
Suddenly, Wesley stopped dead in his tracks and stared up at the building before him. Gunn stopped beside him and peered up at the large yellow sign.
"Under the eight...." Wesley muttered, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared up at the Super 8 motel sign.
"Okay...so we have the place..now how do we get under it...." Gunn said, jogging forward and surveying the perimeter with sharp eyes...
Wesley's brain went a mile a minute as he walked along behind Charles, his thoughts echoing with Fred's haunting voice. "6 plus 7 is 13.....13 minus 6 is 7......"
He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the room numbers on the open-faced motel facade. His eyes quickly spotted room number 13 on the second floor, the second from the end. His gaze trailed below to room number 7, on the very end of the row on the first floor. "Somewhere between...."
"Wes?" Gunn called as the older man walked forward and stood in the spot between rooms 6 and 7, his gaze quickly going upward to room 13 above him.
"It's here...help me find a way down...." Wesley said, his hands hitting the stucco side of the building and pressing firmly into the concrete below with his boots. Gunn followed suit and trailed his fingers over the wall. After a few minutes of searching desperately, his flat fingers suddenly found a tiny crease in the wall and he tugged as hard as he could.
A door swung open and Wesley looked down into a dark crack in the building. It was pitch black and narrow and seemed to lead downward.
"Uh....you first."
Gunn snorted and motioned him forward. Wesley went, grumbling as he entered the tiny door and wondering what he'd find at the end of that long tunnel.
He had a feeling he wouldn't like it.
***********
Setting---Under Ravina Boulevard 9:40 pm
Little red sparks of light danced across Faith's vision as Angelus sunk his teeth into her throat, tearing and ripping, sucking greedily.
"Mother fucker..." She grunted, twisting in his grip, his jagged fangs tearing an even deeper wound in her throat. A fist followed her twist and Angelus was caught in the eye; he stumbled, sprawled against the curved sewer wall.
Blood flowed freely down her neck, trickling between her breasts and turning her blue shirt a dark maroon. Fuck, this was bad. Blinking the pain away, she whirled, eyeing Cordelia, wondering why the demon wasn't attacking her yet.
She had her arms crossed over her chest, lips curled appraisingly. "What?" Faith snapped, unsure of this new animal. The Queen C she knew was vastly different from the cruel, unaffected creature before her. There was something primal beneath the cool facade, beneath the smile that rubbed at all of Faith's edges, making her want to arch her back and hiss like a cat.
What had happened to change her so much? Sure, Cordelia had always been a bitch...but this...
"Just thinking about how much you've changed." Cordelia replied, the smile still superior, knowing.
"Same goes for you. When did you lose your soul? The visions? Angel?" Faith spat, eyeing Angelus, who had leaned up from his sprawl against the wall, rubbing at his stubborn chin with a bloody hand. Black blood. Faith noticed it for the first time. Who had they killed and why?
Swiveling back to Cordelia, she saw the demon visibly wince. Sore spot? She didn't have time to ponder the moment because it was gone in a second, the cool mask back in place. "What about you? When did you join the good fight? And here I thought you were a bad girl, Faith."
"What do you know about me?"
"More than you'd guess, Faith. I know about that darkness in you; the one you're trying to fight. I could help you with it....purge it out....or make it scream and you along with it." As she spoke Cordelia's eyes blazed white, her fingertips lighting slightly.
Faith felt a tremble go through her. What did Cordelia mean? Make it scream? Could she do that?
Faith didn't know, but the urge to touch the demon was growing and she fought against her rebelling muscles, fighting the steps that were bringing her closer and closer to the demon.
From far away, she heard Angelus chuckle and she made no move to look at him, to guess his location and strike out. All she wanted was to accept whatever Cordelia had for her. Darkness or light...she didn't care. Either one was better than the war she was fighting within herself.
Just as she reached out a hand to touch the light-shrouded fingertips before her, something large and heavy slammed into her, knocking her onto the floor.
The wound on her neck ripped more, sending her spiraling away in a bruising agony of pain. As darkness crept up on her, she stared into a familiar pair of eyes and sank into the blue depths, welcoming the bliss they brought.
Part 5
Setting---Under Ravina Boulevard 9:40 pm
The small doorway in the wall of the motel led down into a brick-lined sewer tunnel that was dark and musty smelling. Wesley stepped carefully, boots crunching over broken bones. The smell of decay was strong and he paused, bending and nudging a soft lump.
"Dead rat." He commented to Gunn, who had stooped behind, him peering into the darkness at the object on the ground.
"Yuck." Gunn commented, prodding Wesley in the back with his thumb. The Englishman stood and shifted his weapons in his hand before starting off again. They had walked a few steps when suddenly the sounds of voices were heard, distant, but echoing clearly off the rounded sewer walls.
"Come on!" Wesley said, bursting into a run, Charles on his heels. About halfway there, he heard a familiar voice and nearly stopped in his tracks. She was here. Dammit. He slowed down and motioned for Gunn to do the same. Together they crept along the sewer tunnel to the brighter end before them.
"What do you know about me?" Shivers ran up Wes's spine as he heard the deep challenge in Faith's voice and he spat in fury. No backup, in a blind tunnel against Cordelia and Angelus? What was she thinking? When he got a-hold of her he'd....what? He wasn't her Watcher anymore and hadn't been in a long, long time.
"More than you'd guess, Faith. I know about that darkness in you; the one you're trying to fight."
"Fuck. Cordelia." Gunn muttered in a rough whisper, eyes wide. Wesley shushed him with violent eyes and turned back to listening. His blood ran cold when he heard Cordelia continue.
"I could help you with it....purge it out....or make it scream and you along with it."
Light suddenly flooded the tunnel and the two men hiding in it's previously impregnable darkness hid their eyes from the brightness. Wesley knew what and whom was causing it and he cursed again, realizing the danger Faith was in.
Blinded, he ran the short length of the tunnel and jumped into the lighted room at the end. He hit the first thing he found and realized it was Faith. Breath whooshed out of her lungs as they collided and he saw blood smeared across her neck. For one fleeting moment their eyes met and a small smile quirked the corners of her full lips.
And then the light dimmed in her brown eyes and she passed out, slumped against the damp brick beneath him.
"Jesus Wesley. I know you're desperate, but dry-humping an unconscious Faith? Now that is just sick." Wesley bristled at the sound of the voice and quickly rolled off Faith's fallen form. Her blood was thick on his hands and he grimaced as he looked down at her and the vicious wound on her neck. Pain laced across his heart and he balled his bloodied fists, his eyes turned right toward Angelus.
"How long has it been, Angelus?"
Angelus looked pensive for a moment, glittering yellow eyes flitting from side to side as he searched his memory. "A year. Gunn's wedding, I believe. That was a blast, let me tell you."
"You would think that, wouldn't you?" Wesley spat, eyebrow arching and knuckles cracking under the force of his anger.
"Hey, you should've invited us in the first place. By the way, how's Lorne's eye?" Angelus smiled toothily and sidled up next to Cordelia, who was scowling at Wesley, her arms crossed over her chest. Wesley knew that look and felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle.
"Enough with the chit-chat." Wesley clipped, quite tired of the two of them. On cue, Gunn burst into the room, sword flashing and his eyes intense.
Angelus whirled and caught the tall black man in the neck with the heel of his boot. Then he flipped around and caught Wesley on the backswing with his fist. Another kick sent Gunn toppling and a followup punch slammed Wes into the brick tiles. As Wesley reeled from the blow; he had to give the vampire credit. He was damned good. But Wesley had other things up his sleeve.
"Flamis!" Wesley shouted through a mouthful of blood.
Cordelia, who had taken a step toward Faith's unconscious form, was suddenly caught in a whirlwind of blue fire that licked at her face and left wet looking scorch marks on her skin. Her scream of rage was high-pitched and pain-filled.
And then, the next second, her skin glowed, shining like a star and dissapating the mystical flames that surrounded her. The effort obviously cost her though, and her hazel eyes rolled up in her head.
She collapsed next to Faith, dark hair scorched and blackened as it lay across her bright red skin.
"You're going to pay for that, Pryce." Angelus growled low in his throat, leaping at the taller man, hands curled into claws. Wesley was slammed against the wall with a bone jarring force.
"As I recall, Angel was always slinging that particular threat around too. He was as ineffectual as you are." Wesley said, voice full of gravel and glass. He was pushing it and he knew it. His eyes flicked to Gunn, who was climbing to his knees, neck already bruised a purple so dark it looked black.
"Don't say that name." Angel growled again, spittle flecking his lips.
"Hey, Angelus? Lose something?" Gunn called, picking Cordelia up by her hair and slapping her face with his palm. Angelus turned and saw what he had in his hands.
"Put her down, motherfucker." Wesley was surprised to see fear in the golden eyes so close to his own. Angelus was afraid....for someone else? That was new.
"Umm...no." Gunn smiled and turned the limp Cordelia in his arms and then slapped her full in the face hard enough to split her lip. "That's for ruining my wedding." He hit her again. "And that's for fucking up my family in the first place."
"Put her down or I'll..."
"Do what? Kill me?" Wesley interjected, his spider-like fingers gripping Angelus's strong forearms. Angelus turned back to him, growl rumbling in his throat, sharp teeth stained with blood. Wesley's eyes flashed as he realized whose blood it was.
"How about you put Wesley down and then we can fight this out like men? Huh?" Gunn offered, gently slapping at Cordelia's face with an upbeat rhythm.
"Fine." Angelus said, spinning Wesley in his grip and throwing him at Gunn. Wesley stumbled and bit down on his tongue as he hit the demon and his friend. Sprawled in a heap, he reached for Gunn's forgotten sword and brought it up in time to catch Angelus on the arm, feeling the point go to the bone. The vampire grunted and rolled, scooping up Cordelia's burned form and then leaping to his feet again.
He opened his mouth to speak and suddenly a booted foot was brought up into his back, throwing him into the tunnel along with Cordelia. Wesley saw a small stake buried between the folds of Angelus's leather duster, too small to reach the heart, but large enough to cause him pain.
"Get the fuck out of here Angelus." Faith snarled, her eyes clouded with pain, but on her feet. Wesley was impressed. Angelus looked from Gunn and Wesley to Faith and back again.
"See you all real soon. We'll do lunch." And with a sneer, he was gone, disappearing into the darkness with Cordelia slung over his shoulder. Faith sighed in relief and sank down onto the bricks again.
Gunn struggled to get up, but Wesley stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "No. Let them go."
"Why?" Gunn snapped, pushing Wesley off his legs and standing, wincing as his throat throbbed in time to his heartbeat.
"Because....I....just let them." Wesley said defeatedly, biting down on his lower lip. Gunn looked him full in the face and sighed.
"You still think they can be saved, don't you?"
"I don't know what I think, but for now I think we should just---"
"Let them go so that they can kill innocent people, all because you think that everything can be put back together if you got Connor back? Fuck, Wes....it's a pipe dream and you know it. Give it up bro."
"Charles..."
"Don't Charles me. I'm tired of it. We should have done it long ago, back when we knew he'd lost his soul. Maybe then Cordelia wouldn't have done what she did!"
"It's not Cordelia's fault. What happened, it was--"
"Her fault. She's the one who---"
"Jesus, keep it down, some of us are trying to bleed to death over here." A husky female voice cut through their arguement. Wesley started, suddenly remembered their damsel in distress who was anything but. He turned toward her and bent, holding out a hand to her. After a second of staring at it, she took it, her pale digits wrapping around his wrist and using him to help herself to her feet.
"Faith...I....are you alright?" Wesley was unsure of what to say, and he felt a chill wrap around his spine as he looked at the deep bite marks on her neck. His fingertips gingerly touched the warm, abused tissue around the ripped wounds. Faith's gaze flickered to his as she felt his touch, eyes haunted and far away.
"Five by five." But she didn't look it as she swayed, leaning against him with all her weight.
"Charles?" Gunn stepped forward and looped one arm around her waist, supporting her weight on one side as Wesley did the same on the other side.
Together, they walked out of the sewer.
*********************
Setting---The Hyperion Hotel, the next day
It was quiet, which was a miracle, at least in Lorne's opinion. In his world, there was always noise and pain, blood and hypodermics, and a pair of brown eyes that were slowing driving him insane as she slipped into uncontrollable madness.
His heart was heavy, his arms the same as he curled up around Fred's shivering form like he could protect her from the Powers with just his presence. He'd been by her side long enough to know that wasn't true, but he still liked to fool himself into thinking that he was strong enough for her.
His one good eye roved around the room, reading little passages she scratched onto the walls.
Can't listen, can't listen, can't listen and formulas were written in thick black marker and others were scratched into the paint by a pair of desperate hands. She thought sometimes that if she could just write it down, it wouldn't all be in her head.
Lorne knew better.
In times like this, he let his mind drift into the past, when sense, however nonlinear it was, had flooded her eyes. Back before the visions, before hell had rained down on them.
~*~
Setting---Fall 2002, the past
"Cordelia! Stop! Please!" Lorne pleaded, reaching for the demoness's arm. Cordelia turned her head in his direction, skin aglow, short blonde hair falling in pale slashes against her cheek.
"I have to try Lorne." Her voice was mechanical, her aura black. Lorne knew this was bad, very bad.
"And if the Gatekeeper kills you, or worse?" He'd insisted as Fred and Gunn looked on, hugging each other tight in a way that made him almost jealous. They didn't know what to say to stop this, but they were counting on Lorne to know. Why him? He was just an aura-reader, not even part of the group, and yet the duty had fallen on his shoulders to stop the heart-broken Seer.
"I don't care! I have to take the chance, Lorne. Death would be better than living without Angel. I can't do this anymore..." Cordelia's voice wavered as she gulped back unshed tears. The glow continued, filling the room with light.
"There are other ways...we can get back his soul!" Lorne, red eyes intense as he tried and failed to reach out for her aura, to read it fully and see what she'd been keeping from him. Only now could he sense it. How had he missed something so jarringly obvious?
"But Willow's dead....she's the one who knew how! Oh God...Buffy...they're all dead..."
"But we're not. We can stop this...we just need to think of a plan. We don't need the Gatekeeper for this. It's practically suicide, pixie cat." Lorne plucked at the strings of her soul and found that horrified part of her that she'd locked away from all prying eyes, including his. And especially hers.
"I deserve it. It's all my fault!"
"Your fault?" Gunnn spoke up, disengaging himself from Fred's grip and stepping forward. His eyes burned into Cordelia's, unblinking despite the brightness she threw at him.
"I...we...oh god...I didn't want to remember...." Cordelia turned to Lorne and he nodded. She knew he knew and she let the tears roll down her cheeks. "I tried so hard to forget..."
"You slept with him and he lost his soul. That's how it happened, didn't it?" Fred's voice was soft and full of acceptance, as if she was finally letting herself believe it. She'd guessed it long ago. Gunn let a mad hiss of air.
"It's all my fault. I killed Angel." Her lip trembled and a solitary tear trailed its way down her cheeks.
"He's not dead sweetie. Not yet. But you will be if you do this. There's another way." Lorne said softly, once again reaching for Cordelia. She stepped away from his touch like his green skin was acidic.
"Not for me there isn't." And with that she turned and raised her hands, shouting to the vast ceiling of the hotel the words to call the Gatekeeper.
And then, time stood still. For how long, no one but Cordelia knew.
When it resumed, Lorne blinked to see the Gatekeeper's terrible visage hovering before them all. Cordelia had her eyes closed and tears were streaming down her cheeks. She looked exhausted and the edges of her white shirt were blackened. What had she just done?
"Mine." The Gatekeeper rumbled before any of them could move, one large, gnarled and diaphonous hand reaching out and burying itself in Cordelia's chest. The Seer screamed out, her head going back and her body spasming, lifting off the ground a foot before it was slammed back down. The Gatekeeper withdrew it's hand and Lorne saw something bright and glowing in his palm.
His heart stopped in his chest as he realized what it was.
"The price has been payed." The Gatekeeper's water-filled voice sounded and then he disappeared in a cloud of angry smoke.
The remnants of Angel Investigations stood there for a moment, staring at Cordelia. Fred was the first to break the silence, running over to Cordy and falling to her knees. She cradled the Seer's blonde head in her lap and looked beseechingly up at Gunn and Lorne when her eyes refused to open.
"What happened?"
And then, it did happen, something horrible and haunting.
Light filled the room, but it wasn't coming from Cordelia. No, this light defied a source, it was all-encompassing and absolute. And out of the depths of that white hell there came a tall, strong, armoured figure with kind red eyes and a grim smile.
"Who...?" Someone said; Lorne wasn't sure who.
"She's unworthy of her gift." The demon said, holding out his hand over Cordelia. Fred's eyes widened as she looked into the demon's eyes. "Damn. And I really liked her too."
And suddenly, the world tilted and Fred was screaming, her mouth wide, Cordelia's eyes fluttering open and her mouth also opening. A blue orb passed her lips, stealing her breath and flying into Fred's mouth.
The Texan kept screaming and screaming and screaming as Cordelia stared in horror....and then....nothing. Nothing but cool rage.
"Fuck you Skip! I've done everything They asked of me! Fuck everything!" Cordelia growled, floating to her feet as if she were hooked to wires. And with that, she ran out of the hotel and didn't look back.
Lorne's heart sunk. They'd taken it from her and now...now she was empty inside. Nothing but that rage against the world for taking the only things she'd ever loved.
Her visions, her mission, her soul and her Angel.
~*~
Setting---2005, the present
Lorne tore himself out of the past and swiped at his eyes, realizing he was crying. Beside him, Fred stirred and he kissed her cheek gingerly. He often wondered, if things hadn't gone so wrong, where they'd all be. But Lorne wasn't a demon who dwelled and he sat up, tucking the blankets around Fred's thin shoulders.
Walking downstairs, he spotted Anne in the lobby, her hand spread over her belly and a cellphone in her hands. She hung up just as he reached the bottom step.
"What's the haps? Are they okay?" Anne looked visibly relieved as she answered, but there was a worried glint in her eyes.
"They're fine. And they're bringing someone with them."
Continue on...