AN ~ I do not own anything from the world of Angel only OC are mine.

CHAPTER TWO

Flash!

Searing pain!

Someone screaming… 'that would be me'.

Flashing lights. Feelings; fear, pain, heartache. A clock face reading quarter past nine. Taste; bitter, intense,…Some sort of alcohol…Scotch? Sounds; Laughing, music, tinkering of glass…A bar! The images blend together. A girl with golden hair, a dark shadow lurks behind her, a bright green poster advertising happy hour. A knowing of impending danger.

"God I really hate visions!" Cordelia thought with a huff as Angel helped her back to her feet. Not for the first time she had wished Doyle hadn't passed them onto her, but she quickly rid her head of that thought. At least she still had a part of him. One no one else would ever have. The two of them as well as Gunn, Fred and Wesley were in the Hyperion hotel, their base for Angel Investigations. It was a bight sunny morning, as it usually was in L.A. The kind Angel really hated but the other all loved.

"What did you see?" Angel was quick to ask, as he helped her back into a seat.

"I'm fine, by the way." Cordelia said, massaging her temples with the balls of her fingers and glaring at him in annoyance. Angel stammered trying to rectify his carelessness but was cut off when Cordelia continued. "A girl…blonde, she's going to be in a bar across town in a couple of hours. Something's after her, I couldn't see what."

"That's it?" Angel inquired.

"That's it." Cordelia confirmed. "The P.T.B weren't to big on the particulars, but she's in trouble. I got the feeling that if we don't get to her soon she's going to be dead."

Angel looked out despairingly into the sun drenched street outside. "It's still daylight." Angel said, more to himself than the others.

"It's okay, we just need to persuade her to come here." Cordelia said. "We can go."

"What about this things that's trying to kill her?" Angel asked, concerned with letting his team go to face the danger alone. "We don't even know what we're dealing with."

"Whatever it is, it's not in the bar." Cordelia told him. "Plus she's scared…and blonde, so you should probably keep your distance." she added pointing an accusing finger at the vampire.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angel asked as Cordelia grabbed her bag. She rolled her eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he repeated louder, but this time she ignored him and followed the other who where already heading up the steps towards the door. Out into that deadly light that forbid him escorting his team, his friends, his link to his humanity. His folded his arms across his broad chest, 'I hate it when that happens.'

…

Babe got her drink and sat down in a booth, alone in the corner. She stared into the bronzed interior of he scotch, as if hypnotised. She had needed a good strong drink to calm her nerves, so she had headed to the local bar, plus she really didn't want to still be in the apartment when Stan got back from wherever it was he went every night. She didn't want to see that cold, hard hate that now filled his once loving eyes whenever he took the time to look at her. Didn't want to feel the pain inflicted by his hand anymore.

When she had came to in their apartment she was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Dumped there like a piece of litter. According to the clock hanging on the wall she had been unconscious for three hours. The wound on her thigh had stopped bleeding but was now joined by a second. They both had left dried stains down her legs and stung painfully as she moved.

Suddenly she looked up, as if she had been startled. She sensed someone watching her. She stared all round the crowded bar suspiciously, but whoever her eyes fell everyone seemed engrossed in their own conversations. She knew that feeling and she was rarely wrong…But maybe this was one of those rare times. They had been happening more and more recently. With a sad sigh she dismissed the feeling, scolding herself for being paranoid and on edge and returned her focus to her drink. Letting the smooth shimmering of the ice floating within the liquid hold her attention.

However she was right across the sparse bar the Angel Investigation team watched cautiously.

"Is that her?" Wesley enquired in a hushed whisper, nodding his head in the direction of the solitary blonde that Cordy was staring at. She ignored him. "The one you saw in your vision?…Cordy!" he hit her lightly on her arm.

"Ooww! What?" she looked up at him. Anger plastered on her beautiful face.

"Is that her?" Wesley repeated, pointing towards the girl. Judging by Cordy's focus it most likely was, but knowing Cordelia it was just as possible that she was simply admiring the girls blouse.

"Yes." Cordelia said turning her attention back across the bar.

"You were right, she is pretty." Wesley said with a nod, briefly stealing a glance at Fred out the corner of his eye.

"We're on a case. Not on the pull!" Cordelia reprimanded him with a grin, having spotted the look. Wesley was quick to look at his toes, to hide his embarrassment.

"Does she look nervous to you?" Fred asked. The blonde wasn't acting normally. She kept on looking around her and she was fidgeting too much.

"Yeah sure, that she notices, but she cant see what's under her own nose. For a smart girl she's not so bright." Cordelia thought.

"Oh yeah that girl has got victim written all over her." Gunn agreed. "Even without the vision you could have spotted her a mile off."

"Well if it's that easy how about next time we just send you out cruising the bars. Save me the headache." Cordelia said.

"Come on, we better go and speak to her." Wesley said raising from the table and heading towards Babe, the others hastily followed.

As they approached her table Babe looked up. "Can I help you?" she asked defensively. There was a weakness to her voice, as though she was in shock.

"Hi." Cordelia smiled, oblivious to Babes discomfort. "Are you in need of rescuing?"

She was serious Babe could tell, but she didn't understand. What was this woman talking about? Could she know about Stan? There was no way she could. Was she mad? Babe didn't think so.

Wesley interrupted before Babe could respond. "Cause that's what we do. We help people."

"Yeah, and only for a low fee." Cordelia added, still smiling. Wesley gave her a harsh look.

"What makes you think I need to be rescued?" Babe asked them, looking at each of them in turn. She could tell there was more to them than met the eye and until she know what that something was she choice to remain courteous.

"We have our reasons." Wesley answered and then quickly tried to change the subject. "I'm sorry I'm being rude, I'm Wesley Windon-Price and this is Cordelia, Gunn and Fred."

"I'm Babe." she said smiling for the first time in weeks, but it faded quickly as she shock Wesley's extended hand. He was worried about her, she could sense that yet she didn't know why. It unsettled her. "I don't need any rescuing, thank you." She said.

"Well, should you ever, call us." He took a business card out of the breast pocket of his shirt and handed it to her, it showed an image of an angel and a phone number as well as the name "Angel Investigations".

"Thanks I will." Babe told him, though only to jettison them. They said their goodbyes and went on their way, leaving Babe with her scotch. She twisted the card over in her fingers a couple of times, looking at it. Some how a sense of warmth and comfort came from it. She slipped it into her purse. It would be another five days before she used it.

"That didn't go to well." Fred said the moment they step out onto the sunny street.

"I think we scared her." Gunn said, disappointment showed on his face.

"I think she was already scared." Cordelia said to them.

"She took our card though." Fred said, ever trying to be perky.

"We'll keep an eye on her, but we cant force her to come with us." Wesley said.

"I can stay. Scope out the place." Gunn offered. "Trail her."

"Good idea, but keep out of sight. We don't want to worry her more."

"Why not? She already has reason to be paranoid." Cordelia observed. "Probably be good to get her to watch over her shoulder for a while."

"Did your vision give you any indication when this, whatever it is, is going to strike?" Wesley asked her.

"No, just some fuzzy thing behind her." Cordelia told him.

"So it could already be with her? Maybe something mystical?" Wesley questioned.

Cordelia shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Right, Gunn I don't want you staying alone, just in case it's already here." Wesley said taking charge.

"I'll stay." Fred offered.

Although he didn't like the idea, Wesley couldn't think of a reason for it not to be Fred who stayed behind, so he was glad when it was Cordelia who came to his rescue.

"No I'll stay. More might come to me if I'm here. Plus I'm guessing the others get research detail and I don't think my head could handle it at the moment."

AN ~ Please review.