Angel the series belongs to and was created by the great Joss Whedon. I'm just a humble writer, barely surviving on Ramen and Pixie Stix.
Bonus Note-This story will be told in several, and I do mean several, parts. Think of it as watching the show and the waiting between the parts are the commercials.
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SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
(part one)
By Lamech
Another Tuesday, another dozen doughnuts. Wesley stared at the brief line ahead of him as he waited patiently in the bakery. It was the same thing he had done last Tuesday and the Tuesday before that one. The day had rolled around and it was his turned to get the morning doughnuts for the office. Half glazed, a quarter with sprinkles and a quarter jelly with cherry filling.
How long have I been doing this? Weeks? Months? Or has it even been years? Wesley knew it could not have been years but time still made him feel that way. He folded his arms as he looked at his feet. How long has it been since I arrived to America? He couldn't remember. All he could recall was that the endless rows of palm trees; the slew of bleached plastic blondes and that God-awful Californian accent that everyone talked in had always been there. He tried to remember about his ex-flat back home in Britain. Yes. I remember it very well. Drafty, cramped and old, but it had a lovely view into the streets. Green grocers and merchants would always line those kerbs from dusk to dawn. And I could simply walk down there and purchase an apple without worrying whether or not had it been organically grown or been picked by almost slave labour migrant workers. An apple was just an apple.
The young man sighed. Would he ever see home again? He wondered if he pawned all of his possessions would he have enough money to get a ticket back home. Probably not. And even if he did what was waiting for him there? He couldn't rely on his family forever. No, he would probably wind up staying in an even smaller flat than the one he had before and on the dole.
He thanked God that he had Angel and Cordelia to keep him company. In many ways they made life in L. A. bearable. And at least basic television is free here. Even if PBS only shows just the reruns of "Neighbours."
"'Morning, Wes," the girl behind the counter chimed when it came to Wesley's turn to order. She smiled and pulled the few stray strands of red hair away from her eyes. The nametag on her shirt read "Sally". "Will it be your Tuesday ritual, again?"
Wesley smiled back. "Yes, please. But today I also would like for you to throw in one of those chocolate chip biscuits as well," he said as he pointed at a plate of wrapped deserts.
"Chocolate chip biscuits? Now, Welsey, what did I tell you about using British words in my American bakery?" The girl smirked as she folded her arms.
Rolling his eyes, Wesley sighed. "Please don't make me say it."
"C'mon," Sally cooed as she waved her hands as if trying to draw out the word from within the man. "You're in the U.S.. And you have to use U.S. terms. Just say it. Coo-coo-…"
Wesley rolled his eyes and grunted. "Fine. Would you please also throw in one of those chocolate chip…(sigh)…cookies as well."
The girl grabbed a huge cookie off the platter and tossed it in a cardboard pastry box. "Done and done. Now that wasn't brain surgery, was it?"
The young man answered Sally with another grunt. "I honestly don't see how a grown man can say the word "cookie" and not feel like a three year old again."
Grabbing a sheet of wax paper, Sally turned her attention to the rows of doughnuts that lined the shelves behind her. "You're such a Brit, Wes."
"So you are British," a voice spoke from behind the young man.
Wesley turned around and found that he was standing face to face with one of the most angelic faces he had ever seen. A young woman with olive skin and light brown hair stared sincerely into his eyes. The scent of paprika and vanilla poured off her skin and lofted around Wesley's head. He couldn't help but take it in.
The woman blushed. "Oh, I hope I wasn't being rude."
Wesley noted that she rolled her R's. And she has a rather thick accent. Eastern European? Hungarian? Turkish? What ever it is, it's lovely. He felt himself return her blush with one of his own. His hands dug deep into his pockets. "No. No. Uhm…you weren't being rude at all."
"Thank you very much," the woman smiled as the fingers of her right hand glided up to her hair and began to fidget with a couple of strands. Her light green eyes scanned the floor. "It is just I've been in America for about a month and you are the first non-American I've met. It's nice to meet someone from back home as well."
Wesley shifted his weight from one foot to another. He was fidgeting as well. "Yes, back home." His mind was scrambling for clever things to say. All that he could come up with was, "So…" I swear, Cordelia is right, I am an idiot sometimes.
"So," the women said as she continued Wesley's sentence, "Which part of Britain are you from? You sound like a cross between a Londoner and someone from Manchester."
"Ha. You are correct on both parts. I lived in Manchester for half of my life and in London for the other half. Well, up to now." He looked around the bakery. Now I'm stuck in this lovely little cesspool that the locals jokingly call "The City of Angels." "And how about yourself? I believe that is an Eastern European accent, correct? Hungarian, maybe?"
"From Budapest. Very good."
There was a brief pause. Wesley licked his lips and looked back at Sally. What is taking so bloody long? The girl was picking up a glazed doughnut with a pair of tongs in slow motion. She glared at the young man and motioned at the woman next to him. She mouthed something.
Wesley shrugged his shoulders. He didn't understand why she was going so slow and what she was mouthing.
The girl rolled her eyes and whispered, "Name. Ask name."
The young man's mouth formed a large "o" as he nodded. Sally was playing cupid.
Lovely."Uhm," Wesley began as he turned back to the woman. He forced a hand out from his pocket and stuck it out before him. He hoped that it wasn't sweaty from his nervousness. "My name is Wesley. Wesley Wyndhm-Price. Nice to meet you."
The woman took it. "Anna Borsos. And it is nice to meet you too." She smiled again.
Good Lord, her smile just brightens up her whole face.
Wesley rubbed the back of his neck. He felt like he was a first year student in Secondary school again. Just fresh off the boat and meeting all the co-eds. He remembered that he acted like a fool back then when it came to women as well."Wesley's a private eye!" chirped Sally as she placed the doughnut box on the counter top.
Wesley swung around and glared at the girl as if to say butt out. Sally smirked. She all but ignored his grimace. "He does all sorts of cases. Kidnappings, black mailing, spying…like I said all sorts. Go on, Wes; show her your business card. It's really cool. It has this drawing on it. It's supposed to be an angel but I thought it was some sort of fancy writing at first. Still it's cool."
Closing his eyes, Wesley wished that he could be anywhere but there. If and when his cheeks stopped burning he was going to seriously scold Sally.
"I'm looking for someone."
Thoughts of boxing Sally's ears suddenly vanished from Wesley's head. Eyes snapped open. The woman before him was no longer smiling. In fact her whole small frame drooped from her bird like shoulders. Her eyes were cast down. Her hands were rubbing each other until they were red. The woman's entire stance screamed of helplessness.
Wesley felt his hands gently stroke her shoulders. He didn't remember putting them there but it felt like the right thing to do. "Who are you looking for?"
"A monster." She dropped her head even lower. "But you wouldn't believe me even if I told you the truth. No one believes me."
A sincere smile graced the young man's face. "Trust me," he hummed in his soft accent, "There are very few things that I don't believe now a days."
Anna looked up. A hint of tears misted up her green eyes.
"I can help."
Anna smiled as if she had heard that sentence before repeated in different voices. "Very well, Wesley." Her brow scrunched up as she fought to muster up the courage to continue. "I am looking for the man who murdered my husband. Only…this killer is not human. He is a vampire."
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Angel wandered into the office from his apartment. His skin was still not quite dry from his morning shower and it was making his black shirt a bit damp. The scent of Irish Spring soap covered his flesh. He liked the aroma of it but in no way did it smell like the water in Ireland. Doyle used to joke that the springs in Ireland all smelled like Guinness. Wishful thinking, Angel thought. God, he missed Doyle.
The vampire wandered over to the Mr. Coffee. He didn't even notice Cordelia sitting on her desk with her arms folded tightly across his chest. But then he didn't notice much without his morning cup of coffee. Carefully he poured the hot liquid into a paper cup, added the cream and sugar and smelled it. Usually just the odor of the drink was enough to awaken his sense but today the coffee had an odd scent to it. Probably the coffee filter. Wesley has yet to make a bad pot.
Turning around and leaning against the file cabinet, it was then that Angel noticed Cordelia. She was glaring at the entrance as if she was trying to open it with her mind.
The corners of her mouth were pushed down in a way that Angel knew she was ticked for one reason or another. What ever it is I know better not to stick my nose in it. I didn't survive over two hundred years by being stupid. He sipped his drink.
A split second later he spat it out.
"Gee-zus!" he hissed in between chokes. He had never tasted anything so foul in his life. Holding the cup out as if it were a bomb, he searched for the trash can. When he found it, in went the cup with drink and all. Quickly he looked for something to take away the horrid taste that coated his tongue. Doughnuts. Sugary doughnuts. The pastries were no where to be found.
What was going on here?
"Wesley?" Angel called out as he took another cup, filled it with water and swigged it down. No one answered. "Wes!"
"He's not here," answered Cordelia without inching from her spot.
Another cup of water went down. The taste was slowly dissolving. The vampire filled up the cup for the third time. "Where is he then?"
The young woman shrugged her shoulders. "You're guess is as good as mine."
"He didn't come in?"
Cordelia shook her head. "I tried to call him but he didn't answer and he doesn't have an answering machine. I ask you, who in the twenty-first century does not have an answering machine? What is he? Amish? Really." The woman stood up and began pacing. Her heels clicked as she walked. "And he left no message on the office's machine. No fax. No page. No note. We're talking a big fat goose egg here."
The fourth cup of water went down. The coffee taste was putting up a brave front. "So, I take it you made the coffee."
"Yes and don't you dare start with me, dead boy."
Angel took a step back. He looked at his empty cup and went for his fifth drink. "Cordy," he began as he sipped at the water. "Wesley probably has a good explanation to why he's a little late."
The girl's eyes narrowed as she glared feverishly at the door. She pulled nervously on the edge of her frayed white shirt. "Three hours late."
"Three hours?" Angel realized he had over slept. He wondered if that was what happened to Wesley as well. Most likely. He crumpled up the paper cup and tossed it away. Then, gingerly, he sat next to the girl and gazed at the door. "He probably over slept. It happens. Or maybe he is stuck in traffic. You know how it is around here. One accident on the freeway can cost you your entire day."
The girl's eyes traveled up to his. She let out a disgusted, "hmmp," as if to point out how clueless the vampire really was.
Rolling his eyes, the vampire threw his hands in the air, "It's Wesley, Cordelia! Just Wesley. What could go wrong?"
"Oh, I don't know-" the girl began. By the tone of voice she was using Angel knew he was about to get an earful. "Maybe you are right. What could go wrong with a man who used to be the Watcher for not one but two, count them, two Slayers. Then later on turns into a demon hunter, himself. And now works with a vampire that has been known to do a little slaying, himself. Not to mention is also on the hit list of the city's and possibly the country's most powerful law firm who, themselves, have been known to kill in order to make sure that their cases are won." She looked at the vampire with a deadpan stare, "Gee, Angel, maybe you're right. What possible trouble could Wesley be in?"
Angel stared at the floor for a moment as Cordelia's words sunk in like a lead weight. He hopped off the desk. "The tunnels to his place are under construction. We're going to have to take the car there." He walked over to the file cabinet, opened it and retrieved the Plymouth's keys. "You have to drive. Can you manage stick?" He tossed the girl the keys.
Cordelia caught them. "No, but I'm a fast learner." She went around her desk and started to straighten out things.
Angel headed back to the elevator. "You close shop while I get my coat."
"Will do."
Suddenly Angel froze. Cordelia asked what was the matter only to be hushed by the vampire. She listened closely and caught a faint sound. Talking. Two people talking.
One of them was male and the other was female.
"Wesley," whispered Angel.
The woman nodded. Going around the desk she went back to her sitting spot. The voices were becoming louder and talking was being interrupted by laughter. Wesley was okay. Half of Cordelia was relieved and the other half wanted to strangle the living snot out of him for nearly scaring her out of her skin. She folded her arms and scowled, "Oh, he's in for such a severe glaring."
Angel agreed and followed suit.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Down the hallway Wesley walked with Anna right beside him. "And what did he do next?"
"He flipped the guard off," Anna laughed as she stopped at the office door.
The young man laughed as he took hold of the doorknob. He paused, as he wanted to hear the rest of the story before going in. "And what did the guard do?"
"What could he do? He threw Johnson in the cell along with Cranson brothers."
"He was in with Cranson brothers all night?"
"Actually he was in there with them for three days. Jules didn't return until Sunday."
Wesley leaned against the door as he laughed even harder. "How completely brilliant! And I would wager he never tried to steal wine from that monastery, again."
"And you would win that wager," Anna said as she returned his smile.
Wesley turned the knob, "Well, we're here. You are going to really like Angel and Cordelia. They are really good people."
"If they're anything like you I like them already."
Welsey turned away to hide his blush. He walked into the office and held the door for the woman. She followed him in and spotted the couple sitting on the desk. "Oh. You must be Angel and Cordelia."
Wesley looked up; "Yes-" He took one look at their faces and cringed. Oh. Bloody. Hell. I'm dead. Forcing a smile he continued his introductions. "This is Angel and Cordelia. " Quickly he walked around Anna and stood next to the two. The girl and the vampire were still coldly staring at him. "Angel, Cordy, this is Ms. Anna Borsos."
Codelia held her icy stare at Wesley for a moment and then turned to the woman. Instantly her face lit up with the warmest smile Welsey had ever seen. She put her hand out for Anna to shake. The woman took it.
Cordelia then switched her attention to Wesley all the while still smiling. "Tell me, Wesley, where have you been? Angel and I were getting a bit worried." As sweet as her face was, the young man could feel the venom in her voice.
The young man suddenly produced a box of doughnuts. "I went to the bakery. There's a chocolate chip biscuit in there for you, Cordelia."
The girl took the box, lifted the lid and retrieved the cookie. She then shoved the box into Angel's direction. He rummaged through it, pulled out a glazed and settled the box behind him. His face still held a sour scowl.
Wesley let out a nervous cough as he walked behind Anna. "I met Anna there."
"Yes," Anna said as she looked in Angel's direction. "Wesley told me you can help me. That you are a detective."
The vampire looked up from his untouched doughnut. "You're from Hungary."
"Yes, I'm from Budapest. Have you ever been there? Wesley was telling me that you have traveled throughout the world."
"Well, hasn't Wes been the chatty Cathy," Cordelia snapped as she tore a hunk of cookie off and stuffed it into her mouth.
Wesley returned the comment with a dirty look. Angel rolled his eyes. The two of them were starting the fighting sibling act again. It was his turn to take control.
"I have been to Budapest but that was a long time ago." Visions of drunken nights with Darla at his side danced through his head. He pushed them back. "Wesley said you needed our help?"
Wesley pulled a chair for Anna and himself. The woman settled in as Wesley went to the Mr. Coffee. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sipped it. A moment later the half-swallowed coffee was all over the place in a quick choke. He coughed as he turned away from the others and took a cup of water. Turning back around Angel was right there shaking the box of doughnuts out in front of him. The young man smiled weakly and picked up a glazed. He sat at Anna's side and took a small bite from the pastry.
Angel continued without missing a beat, "What is it do you want us to do?"
"Uhm," she said as she gazed in the vampire's eyes. Her own narrowed as if she was trying to look past him rather than at him. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. "Wesley told me you handled unusual cases."
Cordelia piped up, "How unusual are we talking about? Missing children? Stalkers?"
"I'm looking for a vampire.""That's us."
Anna gazed up at Angel. Her green eyes narrowed with the same distant gaze. "This vampire killed my husband. And he didn't do it out of hunger he did for sport. Ever since that night I've been searching for that monster so I can have my revenge. Unfortunately, I only got a glimpse of him and I have no name. For years I've been grasping at straws and hitting dead ends. But through God's wonders I've managed to track him to here, Los Angeles. My problem is this is a large city and I feel that if I don't act quickly I could lose him again. Please help me. Wesley told me that you know the city like your own skin and that you have connections with everyone. Again, please, I need to find him."
Angel placed the doughnut that was in his hand back in the box. Suddenly he didn't feel like having anything sugary. "And what will you do with him once you find him?"
"Kill him."The room became silent. No one knew what to say to next. Cordelia stared at her cookie with a blank face and took another huge bite from it. Wesley looked towards Angel's direction. He already knew what his answer was but wanted to hear the vampire's before he said anything. Angel let out a sigh, "Alright, Ms. Borsos. Tell me what you have."
Cordelia hopped off the desk and scurried around to her paperwork. They had a new client. The good news was they were finally going to be able to get some bills paid. The bad news was it was more paperwork for her.
Anna rose to her feet and took hold of Angel's cold hand. Her eyes were misting up. "Thank you, Angel. And, please, call me Anna."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
What Anna had was not much.
She had witnessed the whole messy act of murder but it had happened so fast that the details were blurry. She was to meet her husband, Peter, at a restaurant. When she turned around a street corner that was on her path, she found herself looking down an alleyway. At the end she saw Peter and a vampire. Her husband was in his arms, dead. She could see that his throat had been clearly slashed. Blood was smeared on the vampire's face. Another vampire came up to him telling that they had to leave now because the constables were coming. And they were gone. They had taken her husband's body along with them. Three days later Peter's body had been found propped up in a church as if he was praying. An amusing little joke on the vampire's behalf.
The local administration made Anna behead her husband and bury him at the edge of the city at the crossroads. He wasn't allowed to get a proper burial. The church declared his soul damned and there was not anything they could do about it.
And ever since then she has been on the hunt. She felt, no, she knew that if she killed the vampire that murdered her husband, Peter's soul would be saved.
Angel sat in a chair from across the woman. He was sketching a composite of the vampire. He was European by his accent. Most likely from Great Britain. Anna's English was a little vague back then but she recognized the language the two were speaking and could somewhat understand what they were saying. He was tall and on the youngish side. Not a child but not quite in the age of full manhood.
Angel smudged the pencil drawn lines with the tips of his fingers. "Hair and eyes?"
Anna paused. "His eyes were yellow. Like an animal's. But his hair was…. blonde." She looked at Angel as she said this. Her eyes gazed along his hairline. "And it was long. He had a ponytail."
"A ponytail?" Cordelia sneered as she looked up from her paperwork. "Great a yuppie wannabe vampire." She went back to her work.
Wesley was next to her working on the computer. He had been cross-referring with past police bulletins to see if the vampire had left a trail of bodies. But Anna doubted there would be.
The day waned on. Anna was right. There were no recent murders or even reported attacks that had smelled of vampirism. Tired and frustrated with his futile results, Wesley took a break and ordered Chinese for everyone though Angel said he was not hungry. He had spent most of the day on the phone calling every two-bit hustler that owed him a favor. Still the trail was cold.
Angel didn't understand it. Everyone left tracks behind, even ghosts. How come he couldn't find a thing about the vampire that fit Anna's description? A feeling of uneasiness was clawing at Angel's gut. There was something amiss here. But what could it be. Could Anna be lying about the whole thing? That thought came out of no where and almost shocked him. Why would she lie? Why would anyone lie about something as horrible as that?
Angel scratched his forehead and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked up at the woman who was eating the Chinese leftovers with Wesley. She didn't look like she was hiding anything. But you know very well that nothing is as what it seems. Wesley laughed and then Anna laughed. Angel could hear them talk about British politics. Tony Blair on paternity leave or something on the lines like that. Angel scrunched up his brow in confusion.
"Look at them," whispered Cordelia as she settled a pile of paperwork in front of the vampire. "Talk about a flirt fest. They're gabbing all about Manchester United or some football group. I didn't even know England had a football team. Can you just see it? Pig skins and crumpets." She took a seat next to Angel while a grin played on her face.
Angel smirked. "Football is what they call soccer over there.""Oh." The girl paused and then snorted. "Then why don't they just call it soccer? It's very confusing to me. Europeans." She patted Angel's arm. "Say, Angel, you're European. Maybe you can tell me what the whole deal is?"
The vampire sighed as he watched the couple from across the room. Their accents played around in his ears. The way they moved with their hands reminded him of the merchants from the mainland from when he worked in his father's shop. Very expressive. Very loud. A telltale sign that they were not American. Even the color of their skin gave them away. Their skin was washed out. The two of them were pale, even Anna with her olive tint. Americans glowed. Probably from all the vitamins that they pump into their food and the chemicals they slap onto their faces. Angel knew that if he were alive his skin would probably have that American look to it.
He sighed. "Cordelia, last time I was in Europe for more than three months, neither world wars had even begun, women didn't have the right to vote here and the Wright Brothers were still a couple of years away from taking their historical flight."
"Thank you, grandpa."
Angel raised his eyes brows. To which Cordelia sighed and murmured how her jokes were always lost on him. She picked up her purse. "It's a quarter to eight. Can we call it a day, Angel? If I have to phone one more guy named Joey or Sal in order to get some inside information, I swear, I'm going to scream."
Looking at his watch, Angel wondered where the day went. He nodded. It was time to call it quits for now. His mind was tired and he wanted to do a little investigating on his own. I want to see what I can find about Anna. He called out to Wesley who was lost in his own little world that contained him and Anna. The woman gingerly brushed the young man's arm to make him realize that Angel was calling out to him.
"Wes, it's almost eight. I think we're finished for today. Looks like nothing else is going to turn up for a while."
Anna looked at her watch. Her eyes grew. "Oh, my, I didn't even realize the time. Here I am enjoying Wesley's and everyone else's presence so much so that I didn't even notice that the day has disappeared." She arose to her feet as Wesley handed her purse to her. "I know we haven't found much in the way of information today but I feel that I am just right around the corner. I know it." She stuck out her hand to which Angel took it. Her flesh was so warm. "Again, thank you for everything."
Angel nodded rather than say, "welcome." He was still uneasy. Especially the way Anna looked at him. It was still as if she was looking through a window. Never in his life had he wanted anyone out of his sight without a valid reason. The urge to yell was growing in him like a virus. "Uhm," he stammered as he looked at Wesley and Cordelia, "I want you guys to come in around…nine. Ok?"
With confused eyes, Cordelia just gazed at the vampire. Angel was upset about something. But what? She shrugged. Work was over. She was tired. Plus Angel was always upset about one thing or another. Nothing was new there. "Sure."
Wesley's eyes were still on Anna. He nodded. He wasn't really sure what Angel had asked but was pretty sure that a nod would please the vampire. "Anna, I gave you a ride this morning to here. Would it be too foreword of me to give you another ride to your hotel?"
Smiling the woman reached over and took Wesley by the arm. "Wesley. I was about to ask you if you could give me a ride. I was never quite good at finding my way around by bus even back home."
The two of them walked out of the office without saying good-bye to the others. Deep in a discussion about the latest episodes of "Neighbours", they were oblivious to the two other beings that were Angel and Cordelia. The girl and the vampire stood in the dark. Wesley had hit the lights as he left. Something he did every night on his way out.
Cordelia pressed her tongue against the lining of her cheek. She didn't find any of what had just happen amusing.
"Europeans," she groaned.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Wesley had pulled his bike to the side of the hotel. The place was not all that ritzy. It was one of those tourist type hotels that would stuff Bibles into the dresser drawers and nail everything in the room down. Still it was nice place to rest your head.
Anna climbed off the bike. She commented on how that was the fastest she had ever gone in her life. She smiled and thanked the young man for the thrill.
"Would you like me to pick you up in the morning?" Wesley said as the two of them started to walk towards the entrance.
"Would you really?" Anna said softly, hardly believing the generosity of the young man. "It is not a bother for you?"
"Not even in the slightest."The two of them stood in silence. Neither of them was sure of what to say next. Wesley could feel his heart in his throat. He was wondering what he was doing. Why was he being so forward? He looked at Anna. Those green eyes. Like the forest behind my old house. Like home. He suddenly found himself taking a step back as a new train of thought raced through his mind. She's a client, Wesley. And when she done with the vampire business she will be gone. You best remember that.
"Wesley."The man shivered out of shock. He blinked. "Huh?" He focused to see Anna gawking at something behind him. Her face was twisted in horror. All color had vanished from her skin. "Anna?"
"That man…" she breathed taking Wesley's right arm and holding it tightly.
Wesley looked over his shoulder to see a man nuzzling at the neck of a woman. By the way she was dressed with a fake leather mini skirt, filthy halter-top and five-dollar heels, Wesley guessed she was a hooker and the man was her John. But in the manner he was kissing her on the throat, it was coming across as too forceful to be a trick. The hooker's mouth was opening and closing with a jerky motion. She looked like a bass. A screaming fish. Her hands were curled up into fists so tight that her knuckles were white. The man had them tightly pinned to her sides. Wesley could tell that the woman wanted to move. Her whole body was jerking slightly like the way a human's does when pain becomes too unbearable.
The skin on Wesley's arms began to crawl. He pushed Anna back, "Hide."
The woman pulled on Wesley's arm, "No. Don't. You'll get yourself killed."
Dragging the woman behind a parked car, the young man hushed Anna. "I can't just ignore it." Anna was still holding tightly onto his arm. Her face had become soft like that of a scared child. Her eyes were on the borderline of crying. Wesley uncurled each of her slim, warm fingers from his sleeve. "I've done this before, Anna. I know what I'm doing."
The woman sunk to her feet as Wesley looked over his shoulder again. The hooker and the "John" were still there. A twisted thought played in the young man's mind. Look on the bright side, Wesley. Maybe it's not a vampire after all. Maybe it's just a common psychopath.
Quickly from the saddlebag that was on his bike, he withdrew a stake and a vile of holy water. Cordelia told him once to always have them at hand just in case. Clever girl. He looked back at Anna who was still hiding behind the car. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she watched the young man storm down the street.
"Hey!" Wesley yelled at the John.
The man looked up. Wesley winced.
No, definitely not a psychopath.
The vampire dropped the hooker. Her body hit the dirty pavement and didn't move. Tensing his body like a cobra ready to strike, the vampire stood his ground. With a quick swing of his arm, Wesley sprayed the creature with all the water that was in the vile. The creature gasped out of shock as the liquid made his skin bubble and boil. The smell of cooked meat rose in the air. Wesley raised the stake in his hand above his head as the vampire tried to regain his senses. He looked up at the man before him, the man with the stake ready in his right hand and wailed. The ear piercing howl struck Wesley's head like a spear. He almost dropped the stake in order to cover up his ears. He looked back at the vampire just in time to see the creature run around the corner. The young man took foot. But as fast as he ran he realized that it was a waste of precious energy. The vampire was gone. He had screamed like a scared little girl and slipped Wesley's grasp because of this.
The young man groaned. He knew exactly what Cordelia was going to say to him when she found out. Pathetic.
A minute passed when he realized that Anna was still waiting for him to return. Wesley sucked some air into his lungs and began to run back. He hoped she had not been too frightened. Anna was no longer hiding behind the rust worn beetle. Instead, she was on her knees before the hooker with her fingers gingerly brushing the girl's face. From a distance Wesley could see tear tracks on Anna's cheeks. He slowed down.
"Anna." He walked up to the woman and the girl.
The hooker's body was limp and her head hung to one side. The gash on her neck was already collecting flies. The woman swatted them away with a disgusted bat of the hand. It was only now that Wesley could see the girl's face. Soft and baby like. She couldn't have been a year or two older than Cordelia. Her eyes were still open with a gaze that was vacant and long. Gingerly, Anna closed them and crossed herself. Wesley paused at the religious gesture and crossed himself as well. Something he had not done in years.
"We should call the police," Wesley whispered as he offered his hand to the woman.
Anna took it and rose to her feet. She had not heard a word the young man had said. Staring at the street behind Wesley, she grabbed his sleeve once more and held it tight. Her eyes were already beginning to tear up again and her body shook like a leaf.
"Wesley. That vampire. That was him."
END OF PART ONE