Author: ImmatureLittleGirl, immaturelittlegirl@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: Characters are from the TV show ANGEL. I think Joss Whedon owns them. I know I DON'T.
Timeline: About 19 years from now.
Authors Note: Darla is still alive and did not come back after the night Angel's epiphany.
Summary: Angel meets up with someone from the past and learns the results of a mistake he made long ago. A/D
Feedback: Please??? I really appreciate it and it's a great way to get constructive advice. It helps me improve my story so that it's worth it for you to spend your precious time reading it. :)
Mistakes, Repercussions, and Consequences
Her heels clicked rhythmically on the pavement as she walked quickly down the sidewalk. Glancing at her watch again she saw that it was only two minutes till nine. She was going to be late again and the band was going to be pissed. She'd only been on her own now for a few months and she was barely making it with the money she was pulling in at the diner and singing in the band. If the band replaced her she'd be sunk. But that wouldn't happen; she couldn't let it. Failure was not one thing she was willing to except and she sure as hell did not want to go crawling back to her mother.
The club was two blocks away; if she sprinted she could be there in five minutes. Looking down at her stilettos she realized that wouldn't be happening. Okay, so she'd walk and be there in ten minutes. Deciding it best to let someone know she was on her way and would be there shortly, she stopped to pull her cell phone from her small handbag. Dialing quickly she prayed that the guitarist would have his phone on.
"Hello?" A deep, masculine voice answered.
"Johnny! Hi, it's Jocelyn."
"Where the fuck are you? We are on in less than five minutes!" He yelled frantically.
"I know. I'll be there in, like, five minutes, ok? Just tell them I'll be there!" Jocelyn responded, then hung up before he could bawl her out. Shoving the phone back into her bag, she picked up her pace. Maybe she could make it in seven minutes if she walked faster.
Jocelyn came to an abrupt stop as a hand clenched tightly around her upper arm and spun her around with great force. A tall, dark haired man was standing in back of her his hand still tightly clamped around her arm. She stood motionless in silent shock as she waited for the man to say something.
"I told you that if you ever showed your face again in LA that I'd kill you!" the man said in a loud whisper that chilled her to the bone. His cold hands tightened yet again around her arm and she could feel tears beginning to pool in her eyes. She'd never seen the man before in her life and she certainly didn't know what he was talking about.
"Wh-who are you?" she asked as a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek.
The man loosened his grasp for a moment and studied her face. Grabbing her again, this time by the wrist, he dragged her a few feet closer to the street light, then let her go.
"Darla?" He asked as he looked carefully at the girl. Jocelyn's heart stopped suddenly at the mention of that name.
"N-no…" She answered backing slowly away. He took another step closer, still eyeing her suspiciously. "What do you want with Darla?"
"You know her?"
"Who are you?"
"Where is she?"
"Who are you?" Jocelyn asked more forcefully. She wasn't answering any questions until she found out who this man was.
"Is she in LA?" the man continued his interrogation.
"Why should I tell you anything? You just told me you wanted to kill her!" Jocelyn argued then regretted it as the man's face contorted in anger. His eye's tinged yellow and that's when she finally realized that the man was not a man at all; he was a vampire. Never before had Jocelyn felt like crying for her mommy more, in her nineteen years of existence, than at that moment. Going with her gut instinct, she broke out into a sprint in the opposite direction, forgetting her choice of footwear for the evening. Of course she only got a few paces before she tripped over her shoes and tumbled to the ground. Seconds later she was ripped back off the floor.
"Don't anger me girl!" The vampire growled.
She trembled in fear as more tears began to stream down her cheeks. The vampire let her go and took a few steps away to give her some room.
"Just tell me where she is." He said more calmly this time.
"No, I can't. Not if you're going to hurt her. Who are you?"
"I'm Angel. Now who are you?"
Jocelyn paused unsure of what to do or say.
"Don't worry. I don't kill humans. Though if you want me to leave you alone I suggest you start answering questions, little girl." Angel threatened.
"My name's Jocelyn."
"Jocelyn? Is Darla in LA?" He questioned.
"No."
"Where is she?"
"Are you going to try to hurt her?" Jocelyn asked worriedly.
"Why do you care?" The man asked tilting his head and giving her a strange look.
"Because she's my mother…" Jocelyn whispered.
Angel lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "That's not possible!" he finally replied in astonishment. The young women in front of him may have born a striking resemblance to his sire but it just was not possible for a vampire to give birth.
Jocelyn remained still and watched the vampire carefully. After a minute or so a ringing noise began to sound from Jocelyn's handbag. She quickly reached to answer the phone.
"Hello?" She answered in a shaky voice.
"Joss! Where are you?" Johnny practically screamed over the line causing Jocelyn to flinch away from the phone.
"I'm going to be a little late. Circumstances beyond my control. I have to go." Jocelyn hung up and looked over to where Angel had been standing but he was gone. Taking advantage of the opportunity to run, Jocelyn quickly kicked off her shoes and carried them as she dashed down the sidewalk in her bare feet.
*
"Hey, Johnny. Sorry I was late tonight." Jocelyn apologized for the sixth time that night. They had just finished up for the night and were on their way out of the club.
"You don't have to apologize to me. I'm not the one who's ticked off. Kirsten wants you out of the group. She thinks she can play bass and vocals."
"Are you kidding me? She can't sing for shit. And I need this Johnny! How am I gonna make rent? What does Alex think?"
"You know Alex. He's not much with the talk. Look, just try and show up on time. Don't give Kirsten a reason to bitch."
"That's hard. It's all she knows how to do!"
Johnny chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they exited the club.
"Come on. I'll give you a ride home so no creepy men will attack and threaten to kill you, again." Johnny offered as he led her towards his large black van.
"It's not funny Johnny! Seriously! This guy knows my mom. He threatened to kill her." Jocelyn shouted. She had already told him about the terrifying incident from earlier that night, minus, of course, the demony parts.
"I know. Why don't you call your mom when you get home? I'm sure she's fine but you can check up on her and stop worrying. From now on I'll pick you up on the way to the gigs, and you had better not make me late. If you see or hear from this guy again then just call me. This is LA. There are lots of weirdoes around." Johnny warned as he climbed into the driver's seat. Jocelyn climbed in beside him.
"Okay, but if Mr. Weirdo shows up again and kills me then you're gonna get a big ol' I told ya so! Well, if I'm dead, maybe not so much, but ya know what I mean…"
Johnny smiled and shrugged as he headed off in the direction of Jocelyn's apartment building.
*
Angel watched carefully from afar as a young man in his early twenties walked Jocelyn up the front steps to, what he assumed, was her apartment. He'd followed the young woman around all night, watching as she performed at a club that Angel imagined she couldn't have possibly been old enough for admittance. And then following as she was escorted home in the large black van by the man with the jet black hair now standing beside her in front of her building. The young man placed a kiss to her forehead then waited until she was safely inside before heading back towards his van and pulling away.
It was just by chance that he happened to spot her as he was walking back to the hotel after slaughtering a family of dangerous demons. He had seen her hurrying along on the sidewalk across from him, heading in the opposite direction. Immediately, he had assumed it was Darla, and rushed after her, infuriated that she dare trespass on his turf again. However, once he had seized the woman by the arm he had realized that she was human, yet still she had looked so much like Darla. She had the same shade of blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same lips, the same shaped face. If she wasn't Darla herself, she could have been Darla's twin. Darla's daughter on the other hand, now that was impossible! Darla could not have birthed any children. Vampires could not have babies. They were dead for Pete's sake!
Angel stood outside Jocelyn's apartment building staring up at the window that had lit up moments after she had entered. How was it possible for Darla to have a daughter? And how innocent could a child raised by his cruel sire possibly be? Angel decided that until he found more answers he would have to keep an eye on this girl. Turning back in the direction of the hotel, Angel hoped Wesley would be able to shed some light on this confusing situation.
*
Jocelyn hurried over to the phone the moment she was in the door. She checked her answering machine to make sure that no one had left any messages. Without hesitation she immediately dialed the numbers to her mother's apartment in Boston. The phone rang for what seemed like forever.
"Hello?" An irritated voice greeted.
"Mom? It's Joss."
"Jocelyn? What's wrong?" Darla asked. Jocelyn could hear the sudden alertness in her voice.
"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were all right. You are all right, aren't you?" Jocelyn inquired in a failed attempt to sound casual.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask? Is everything okay in California?"
"Everything's fine! Isn't it okay for a daughter to inquire about her own mother's well being?"
"At five o'clock in the morning? Something's wrong, I can sense it. Call it a mother's intuition. Now, tell me what happened." Darla commanded with authority.
"Nothing you should worry about. I just met this guy and he thought I was you and he threatened me, err… you… So I was just calling to see if you were okay because I got scared. But you're okay, and I'm okay, so it's no big deal."
"Who was this 'guy' who threatened you?"
"I think he called himself Angel. He was a vampire." Jocelyn revealed reluctantly.
"I'm leaving for LA as soon as the sun sets. Call me immediately if you see him again." Darla instructed hanging up the phone before Jocelyn had a chance to protest.
Plopping down on the couch she sighed in exasperation. "I can take care of myself!" Jocelyn shouted at the phone, despite the fact she knew her mother had already hung up. Not that arguing with her mother would have gotten her anywhere, anyway.
*
Wesley sat at his desk fiddling nervously with the pens on his desk as he waited for word from Angel. Angel had left hours ago to take care of a simple demon infestation in a warehouse down town and then he was to do a quick routine sweep of the area before coming back to the hotel to check in with Wesley. But no word had been heard from Angel yet and dawn was slowly approaching.
Wesley picked up the phone to dial Angel's cell just as the front doors burst open. Angel strode in through the lobby tossing his black leather duster over the counter.
"Where have you been? Did you take care of the demon nest? I would have expected you back hours ago?" Wesley questioned coming up behind Angel.
"Huh? Sorry what did you say?" Angel asked distractedly.
"Did you get rid of the demons?"
"Oh. Yeah." Angel turned to face Wesley, leaning against the counter. It was clear to Wesley that his thoughts were some place else.
"Was there any trouble tonight? Why were you so late?"
"No, not really. It's strange actually. Have you ever heard a vampire having a child?" Angel asked after a moments pause.
"Hmm… There have been a few recorded incidents of children being sired. They are normally kept as a sort of… pet, I suppose. In most cases they are killed or abandoned by their sires who grow tired of the responsibility. They don't typically survive long without an adult vampire to look after them." Wesley answered.
"I know that. No, I mean can vampires give birth to children?"
"No. That's not possible. When a human is turned, they die. The demon possesses the body but the body is still dead." Wesley answered with certainty.
"I thought so. But…" Angel stopped mid-sentence, again lost in his own thoughts. Pushing off against the counter, Angel continued into the room passing Wesley to stand in front a round sofa.
"But?" Wesley prodded, turning to face Angel's back.
"Tonight I ran into this woman. She was actually more of a girl, maybe about eighteen or so. At first I thought she was Darla, so I followed her. When I approached her I realized that she wasn't Darla and she was human. She claimed that Darla was her mother. At first I couldn't believe that, but she looked so much like her. She had Darla's blood in her. I followed her for the rest of the night and found out where she lives but I still don't know how it's possible." Angel explained as Wesley listened carefully.
"Well, she might have decided to adopt a human child, or more likely kidnap and raise a human child." Wesley offered as an explanation.
"No. She looked far too much like Darla for it to be a coincidence. This girl could have passed as Darla's twin had she been a few years older." Angel turned around, dedicating his attention to Wesley once again.
"I see. Maybe not her twin but… possibly her clone?"
"Her clone?" Angel's face illustrated his confusion.
"She could have given a sample of her DNA. Assuming her DNA has been preserved all these years and had a clone made of herself. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Wolfram and Hart were to have saved something like that. Perhaps, so she could sire it once it was grown." Wesley theorized. Angel thought about the idea for a moment. It was as good an answer as any other at this point but something just didn't seem right.
"Maybe." Angel agreed noncommittally. "I think I'll ask around about this. We should research this. I want to know if Darla or this girl, Jocelyn, are threats."
"I'll see what I can do."
*
TBC