Disclaimer –I do not own any of the Characters associated with the Angel or Buffy series and give complete credit to their creators. I have however created the other characters in this novel.
I have decided to rate this story as a PG17 as there is some descriptive and sexual content. I wrote this story two years ago but only recently decided to submit it. It has a lot of different ideas running through it which all connect at the end. I hope that you enjoy reading it and will send back your comments, and I will be encouraged to continue submitting the chapters. Including the preface and the epilogue there are 34 Chapters.
Preface
She sat on the floor, legs crossed, pausing for a few moments, trying to develop an inner strength, knowing what had to be done and dreading the outcome. A gun lay at her ankles, and a few inches ahead, a thin birthday candle waiting to be lit. In turn the candle sat in a wad of tissue paper, which led to a surrounding circle of rags smelling of turpentine. She had to gain strength - the courage to end her own life and take with it the demon that had invaded her body and threatened to seize her very being. The process had to be complete - no chance that the fiend could take possession of a charred body.
She hadn't slept for five days and she could feel her ability to continue diminishing. Her strength was draining, but she knew that to give in to it meant the binding of her own soul and the loss of many more. The only thing this demon hadn't bargained on was that his chosen one would risk going to hell in order to save the countless others.
She said a short prayer, asking for the Lord to forgive her and understand her reasons. She lit the candle and reached for the gun. Suddenly almost like an explosion the door to the dark musty room flew off its hinges hitting the far wall. The broad shouldered image of a man stood for a moment in the doorway - she knew though it was no man, but a demon in its own right. Behind those yellow eyes and extended fangs was the only being who could save her - her only hope for redemption - the vampire they called Angel ... her angel. Almost as if he flew, with his trench coat open and flowing, he crossed the room, grabbing her by both shoulders. With the look of lifting a weightless doll he carried her to an old mattress lying on the floor and in a fluid motion covered her with his own body. This exorcism was not only dangerous for her, but also for Angel as he had to do what he was forbidden - something that could take away his soul and send him to an eternal hell - to become one with a woman.
Chapter One
Two days earlier Susan Quinn Lockwood arrived at the office of "Angel Investigations". Her five foot six inch, medium frame looked like it could collapse under the weight of what must have been the world.
Cordelia, secretary slash superstar hopeful, gasped as she looked up and saw what must be a homeless person - 'totally'. She half expected a noxious smell to radiate from this woman but as she looked a little closer she realized her visitor or possible client was relatively clean, just very out of date and slightly overdressed for another sunny California day.
Almost hesitantly Cordelia asked, "Can I help you?" Not many clients quite fit this description and certainly this one didn't look like a paying customer.
"Your ad says you help the helpless, right?" Susan asked.
"We help the helpless, not the homeless. We have already given all the donations we can handle for this month."
At that moment Wesley walked into the room reading a large, old looking, leather bound book. "Oh, hello there," he said as he looked up.
Susan took a deep breath and appeared to sway just a bit. In an instant Wesley was at her side holding her elbow for stability. It was then that he realized how worn and beaten this woman was. She appeared to be at a point of total exhaustion.
"Come, take a seat," Wesley said as they moved toward a small sofa near the front desk. "Cordy, get a glass of water for our friend."
"You help the helpless?" Susan asked again.
"Well, yes," answered Wesley.
"How helpless?"
"What is your problem? Is someone abusing you?"
"It's worse than that, much worse. I just don't know how to tell you without sounding crazy, although sometimes I'm not so sure I'm not!"
"Oh great, a crazy homeless person," Cordelia muttered almost under her breath as she handed Wesley the glass of water with ice.
"You wouldn't believe the things we've heard, or the people that we've helped. You can trust us," stated Wesley.
Susan noticed the name on the cover of the book, "Incantations and Spells - 1832." Maybe this was the right place after all. "I have a demon inside of me," she blurted out suddenly - almost as if the words may not come out at all if not said quickly.
"Oh..." Wesley said in a drawn out breath, "maybe we best wait until Angel comes back. He shouldn't be long. Can I ask your name?"
"Sorry, I'm not usually so impolite. I'm Susan Lockwood, of no fixed address; although I'm well know at the Sally Ann on Forty Third and Pine. You'll probably want to check me out - make sure I'm not missing from Belleview."
Wesley gave kind of a shy smile. This woman may have an odd problem, maybe one not so reality based, but she certainly seemed clear and understanding. "You can wait in Angle's office, maybe have a rest. It looks like you could use one." He took Susan's arm and led her to a nearby room.
She half smiled a thank you and sat down in the large soft leather chair. The room was fairly dark and very welcoming, although sleep was not, but rather inevitable.
Leaving Cordelia to watch the office, Wesley immediately left to do a little investigating. He wanted to find out what he could about this Susan Lockwood. To the Salvation Army he went to find out just what kind of help this homeless person actually needed.
A quarter of an hour after Wesley left Angel returned to the office, hoping that vanquishing demons was done for the night. It was already almost noon, the sun was high in the sky and time would pass quickly before the scheduled late evening stroll through the busy L.A. streets to find what unusual things may be lurking there.
Cordelia welcomed him with the news that a crazy homeless person was waiting to talk. She has a demon in her", she said while making the motion of drawing a circle around her ear with her finger. Before the image was completed she grabbed her forehead and doubled over in pain as a vision flashed through her mind. "Oh, I hate when this happens!"
"Cordy, are you okay? What is it?" Angle asked as he came to her rescue and helped her sit in a chair. He knew that these visions had to be acted on quickly.
"I've never had one like this before," Cordelia started, "a rather good looking man standing by your office window. Quite handsome if you don't mind the red-eye look in a guy."
Angel rushed to his office door, pushing it open with a bang. Half off of the leather chair was tossed an old looking herringbone coat, a pair of shoes and stockings obviously kicked off, then a dark sweater and a long wool skirt led the eye to Susan standing in a rather flimsy red night gown. She stood looking out the window with the heavy drapes pulled aside. "My it is warm in here," she said turning to face Angel.
Cordelia standing behind her boss gasped. It is hard to say just what caused her surprise - the evidence of bruises and cuts covering every visible inch of skin or the new black bruise covering her left cheekbone and eye - or that maybe that instead of the sky blue eyes of earlier Susan looked now at them with black empty eyes.
"So, why has she brought us here?" She picked up a letterhead from the desk. "Hmm, Angel Investigations ... what's this? We help the helpless. Oh, I guess one last attempt to find help." She bent over laughing but stopped abruptly then continued, "surely she must know by now there is no help. I've never been defeated before, and it certainly won't happen now. You can't work that fast. She will try so hard to stay awake that the next time she falls asleep it will be so deep that she won't be able to climb back out." Suddenly Susan doubled over expelling all breath like someone punched in the stomach. Before she could regain her wind something seemed to straighten her up and slap her across the right side of her face. It was amazing she was still standing.
Angel quickly rushed to her and grabbed hold of both shoulders and with a shake shouted. "Wake up!" but the same empty eyes stared back at him. Suddenly an invisible knife started to cut through her skin - not deep, but a line starting from her left collarbone slowly across her chest toward the breastbone and her heart.
"Wake up!" Cordelia grabbed a pitcher of ice water sitting on a side table and doused Susan with it. Suddenly those blue eyes replaced the black voids. Her body went limp and she would have collapsed had Angel not had hold of her. He swiftly picked her up and carried her to a couch across the room. Whether from fear or the cold water or both Susan started to tremble and with a light sob said, "I can't do this much longer."
Wesley arrived back at the office after a couple of hours. By this time everything had calmed down. Cordelia had taken Susan to Angel's suite in the same building and ran water in the bathtub so she could get cleaned up. Before going back to compare notes with Angel, Cordy left bath supplies and hung a men's velour robe on the back of the door. "You be alright if I go back downstairs?"
"Don't have to worry about me going to sleep again, anyway," was her faint response.
It was very hard to make conversation. "What do you say to a woman with a demon inside of her? Hope you have a nice day? I don't think so!" Cordy thought to herself. Susan added cold water to the steaming bath, a lot of cold water; she couldn't risk drifting off to sleep again. She added some of Cordelia's 'Wild Jasmine' bubble bath, couldn't hurt to help boost her beaten down spirits. It was a slow process to get into the tub. It felt like every bone, every muscle hurt. As she settled into it and relaxed quietly the tears started. Not only was she helpless it seemed to be totally hopeless.
Downstairs Cordelia joined the men.
"How is she?" Wesley asked after Angel had filled him in on the recent happenings.
"Better than what I would be under the circumstances. What was that anyway?"
"That's what we have to find out as fast as possible." Angel said. "What did you find out?"
"Well, it seems that our friend does live at the Salvation Army Shelter when she isn't living on the streets, but it isn't quite the existence one would expect of a homeless person." Wesley continued to tell of his visit at the shelter.
"Do you know a Susan Lockwood?" Wesley asked the man behind the desk. The local Salvation Army was located in what appeared to be an old and once very high classed hotel. A few people milled around obviously poor and in some cases appearing lost, but clean and fed.
"Susy Q.?" The man looked up from behind the desk. Obviously he too had seen better times, but took his job very seriously. "Do you know where she is? She hasn't been here for several days. Everyone is worried about her."
"I need to get some information about her," Wesley said without telling more than he had to.
"You're from the newspapers, aren't you? I knew someday someone would hear about Susy and want to write about her." Wesley didn't correct him feeling he could get a better report this way. "Susy came here probably four, maybe more years ago. Came from someplace up north, said she liked the warm winters here. Susy gives a lot more to us than she gets. Certainly the happiest person I've ever met. She listens to everybody, really listens. When she is not here she is usually at the hospice, or the halfway house, or just on the street, being a friend to everybody. A kid tried to mug her once. She didn't have anything of any real value so she took off this leather jacket some biker gave her ... said the kid could make better use of it. She asked him if he was hungry, and brought him here for a meal. Don't know what happened but after a few days the kid's parents picked him up. Said they hadn't seen or heard from him in over a year. She sits with people who are dying ... doesn't matter what of ... she holds them and comforts their fears. Susy talks about God sometimes ... doesn't preach mind you, just says He loves you, and you'd swear she knows that for a fact."
"You talking about Susy Q?" a young lady asked behind Wesley. "You know where she is? Old lady Hedges has been asking for her ... crotchety old woman. Susy is the only one who can get her to take her medicine. That man take her away from here?"
Wesley took note of that last comment, "What man would that be?"
"Oh some guy Susy's been seeing for a few months ... some sweet taking jerk!"
"You are just jealous she wasn't paying much attention to you the last couple of weeks." The old man slid back into the conversation again. "Seemed like a nice enough guy. Susy wouldn't have been interested in him if he weren't good hearted. Mind you she could give a good tongue lashing if someone deserved it."
Wesley held up his hand, "What about this man? Name or anything?"
"She called him Sol. I guess a good lookin guy. Must have had money, although I know that wouldn't mean anything to Susy. I imagine he must have taken her away, but it's pretty strange that she never even said goodbye. Maybe if you do this report she'll remember us again or someone will know where she is."
Wesley thanked him for the information. "I guess she is just a plain good person." Sounds too good to be true he thought to himself. "Hopefully she'll be back soon." Wesley turned to leave and go back to the office.