Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of Joss Whedon. The original plot is the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter 03

Six hours later, Angel and his team were no closer to finding any answers than they were when Cordelia had had her vision. Gunn called a little while ago, saying that Lorne hadn't heard anything about new groups of doctors—human or otherwise—that were running around California. He couldn't promise that there were none around the world, he'd said, but no renegade docs close by.

"I think I've read that one already," Cordelia said with a sigh and closed the book she was holding. She stood up to return the book to its shelf when another vision suddenly hit her, making her stumble and nearly fall to the floor.

Angel got to her before she could hit the hardwood.

"Ground shaking," Cordelia murmured. From past experience she knew that sharing the vision as it came helped her cement details in her memory. It was usually fragmented, but it was better than running the risk of forgetting something important. "Demon, ew. Green face, seriously bad hair. Horns. It's in a…graveyard? Yes, inside a mausoleum. It's taking something. Bones. Small ones. A symbol of some kind." She blinked, breathing heavily as the headache began pounding even before her vision cleared. "Give me a pen."

Wesley held out a pen and a piece of paper, and she began scribbling something on it.

"This is the symbol I saw at the end. I think it has something to do with the demon." She turned the page around to show the drawing to the men.

"It looks familiar," Wesley said, tilting his head to the side as he sifted through his memory. The sketch reminded him of a letter from the Greek alphabet—a psi—but Cordelia drew it with some additional embellishments unrelated to the letter. "I'll be right back," he said, standing up. "I think there's a book about Greek medals and charms in the library that might be helpful."

"While he's working on that, try to describe the demon to me," Angel asked Cordelia as he offered her two tablets and a glass of water. He had taken into a habit to keep some painkillers nearby for just such an occasion.

Drug lord in the making. Angelus snickered. There just might be some hope for you yet.

Angel ignored him.

"Thanks." Cordelia swallowed the pills and closed her eyes for a moment. It was hard to concentrate on what she'd seen while suffering a splitting headache. "It was kind of greenish. Three horns in the middle of its forehead. His, well, hair, I suppose you'd call it, looked like thick ropes held together by its skin. Lots of teeth. Pointy nose. Oh, and it had no eyebrows, which didn't add to the overall appeal whatsoever, let me tell you."

Sounds like a whole bunch of demons I can think of, Angelus piped up, rolling his eyes as the vague description.

Angel silently agreed. "Any idea on size?"

"I think it was big." She frowned. "But then again, it could be that the mausoleum was just small."

Like your brain?

Shut up, Angel ordered.

Angelus gave a mental shrug, not caring and still snickering.

Deciding that ignoring Angelus would be best, Angel took another sheet of paper and picked up a pencil. He began to draw a general shape of the head. He added the horns in the center of the forehead, sharpened the end of the nose, and drew the strand-like hair Cordelia had described.

She gave him a few more pointers, and he refined the sketch accordingly. After a few more touch ups, she declared it close enough to what she'd seen.

They'd been working in tandem—Cordelia describing what she saw, and Angel making the sketch based upon her words—since the first time Cordelia had tried to draw a demon she'd seen in her vision and came up with little more than stick figures. Angelus had used this particular talent to torment Buffy when he was free, so Angel viewed it as a way of making amends to put his skills into identifying what Cordelia saw.

Can't fucking believe I'm demeaning myself into sketching ugly-ass demons, Angelus grumbled. From sexy, naked Slayer to obnoxious Vahrall demons. Just stake me!

I would if I could, Angel replied.

Oh, I know. Angelus reverted back to snickering. He really enjoyed getting on the soul's nerves, especially since there was nothing Soul-Boy could do about it. Too bad you're not likely to fall on a stake any time soon.

Angel sighed inwardly. It was useless to argue with Angelus, and he knew it, but sometimes he just couldn't help answering him. You do realize that if I met the sharp end of a stake, it would be the end of you, too, right?

Well, there's little entertainment where I'm at. Angelus gave a mental shrug. Unless…

Angel nearly groaned out load when Angelus brought up memories from their past. It was of Angelus' early years with Darla.

Now, that woman knew how to entertain a vampire. He was almost smacking his lips at the images he was conjuring.

She was almost as crazy as you are, Angel accused. Perhaps crazier.

Which is why we staked her ass, Angelus replied, unoffended.

"I think I know what demon this is," Angel said aloud to Cordelia just as Wesley walked back into the room. He stood up and searched the pile they'd gone through before, containing books on humanoid demons. Picking up a book, he leafed through it until he found the relevant page. "A Vahrall demon."

"Extremely strong, very intelligent, and very large species," Wesley commented after skimming the written description.

Cordelia snorted after reading the same paragraph. "Nine feet and three inches on average and topping at three hundred pound is not very large, Wesley. That thing is huge!"

"Yes, it is." Wesley placed the book he'd carried in on top of the one they were looking at. "Add the Word of Valios, the bones of a child, and an earthquake, and you got yourself an apocalypse."

"Another one?" Cordelia groaned. "Well, they don't call it Sunny-hell for nothing, I guess."

Angel allowed himself a slight smile as she slumped against the back of the chair and pouted. He decided not to tell her that the only people calling Sunnydale by that nickname were she and Spike. She'd hardly appreciate the association.

Oh, she would just love a comparison to William, Angelus agreed. And I'd love to have a tête-à-tête with that bastard grandchilde of mine. Owe him a few days' worth of torture.

Angel tried to push aside the memories that comment had brought up. It wasn't time to rehash the days when Spike had paid a visit to Lost Angeles at the end of the previous year. The blond vampire had been convinced that Angel had stolen the Gem of Amara and therefore was determined to torture his sire into revealing where the latter was hiding it. Angel had tried telling the idiot that the gem was nothing more than a myth, but it took over three days of torture before Spike was finally willing to concede that Angel didn't know where the gem was.

He's probably still chasing his tail looking for the stupid ring. Angelus was none too pleased by that torture session, though he did approve of the advance of his protégé in the art of making one talk. He was the grand-sire, and he should have gotten more respect than that. He knew exactly whom to blame for that lack of respect.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the bane of your existence, the thorn in your side, the blemish on your record…

The asshole who wouldn't shut up? Angelus offered.

No, that would be you, Angel retorted. "I guess it's good that we're on route to Sunnydale as it is, then."

"Sunset is in two hours," Wesley said after glancing at his wrist. "Gives us just enough time to try to figure out how the Vahrall demon is going to go about ending the world."

Oh, how to end the word, let me count the ways...

"The Word of Valios talisman is supposed to be used as part of a ritual called the Sacrifice of Three," Angel said. "Once performed, it is supposed to bring hell on earth."

"How do you know this?" Cordelia looked at him in amazement.

"I've come across the ritual a while ago."

You mean, I came across the ritual, Angelus corrected. Acathla was easier to obtain and a bit more impressive than simply opening the Hellmouth.

"The ritual requires the blood of a human male, the bones of a child, and this talisman," Angel continued quickly before anyone could ask him exactly how he'd come to know so much.

"All but the talisman are easy to come by, especially in Sunnydale," Wesley said. "I'd say the best way to stop this apocalypse is to prevent the demon from finding the talisman."

"And if we can't, at least we know where to meet him when he tries to open the Hellmouth." Cordelia sighed. "It's never good to be going back to high school unless it's for a ten-year reunion, and even then, you're in for a disappointment."

"I wonder…."

"What, Wesley?" Angel asked when the former Watcher just trailed off without saying anything else.

"Well, I'm trying to think if there is a connection between this apocalypse and the doctors Cordelia saw in her previous vision."

"Don't really see how," Cordelia admitted. "You'd think the Powers would not give me another vision before we figured out the one before unless the two are related, but they do whatever the hell they want and screw with the rest of us."

Wesley stared at her, uncomfortable at the fury in her voice. They all knew that the visions weren't easy for Cordelia to handle, but he hadn't known it was this bad. Or perhaps her anger had nothing to do with the visions, he thought and hope sprang inside him.

Angel decided that a break was in order. Recalling that none of them had anything to eat in hours, he suggested, "I think we've been going at it long enough. Why don't I cook some dinner for you and Wesley before we leave for Sunnydale?"

Her eyes closed, Cordelia nodded. "Sounds good."

Angel stood and looked at Wesley, signaling for him to follow. He could see that the painkillers still hadn't made much difference with Cordelia's headache, and he knew her well enough by now to understand that she needed a few minutes alone.

o.O.o

In the kitchen in his apartment, Angel began taking out the groceries needed for a meal. It was a first for him to have things like spaghetti, tomatoes, and eggs stocked regularly. There was still the usual pig's or cow's blood in opaque plastic containers in his refrigerator, but the bottom drawers now held vegetables, and milk and orange juice cartons were found on the top shelves. He'd also discovered that he enjoyed the process of cooking, even if he didn't eat any of the final results. Cordelia and Wesley did, and sometimes Gunn joined them as well, and Angel found that it was a good way for them to unwind and spend time together that didn't necessarily involve the supernatural.

"I'm worried about her," Wesley said as he watched Angel fill a pot with water and place it on the stove. "The headaches aren't getting any easier, and I suspect that the painkillers are doing less and less for her."

Angel sighed. "I agree. I…"

"What?"

Not looking up from the cutting board where he began chopping tomatoes for the sauce he indented to make, Angel said, "I don't think that the visions were meant to be handed over to a human."

Having heard the story of how Cordelia came by the visions, Wesley knew that the previous owner was partially demon. "I don't think that the Powers That Be would have allowed—"

"Screw the Powers!" Angel snapped. "They don't give a damn about whose lives they're messing with, and they wouldn't care that a human might not be able to handle the burden. All they care is that they get what they want in the end."

Way to go, Soul-Boy, Angelus cheered. Now let's bite the annoying ex-Watcher and be done with it.

Angel merely gave a mental eye roll at his demon's suggestion. Cow's blood for us for dinner, Angelus, and you know it.

Leaving Angelus to grumble, Angel took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. Touchy subject."

Wesley examined Angel's expression. He wondered if Angel was aware that his eyes were tinted with gold. "I'm a good listener," he offered.

Finished with the tomatoes, Angel put down the knife. He couldn't tell Wesley everything, but he could offer him something. "I had a visit from Whistler."

"Whistler?"

"He's a messenger for the Powers. Pissed me off."

"He said something about Cordelia?" Wesley asked, glancing at the doorway to make sure Cordelia wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation.

"No." Angel added salt to the water in the pot and began to work on chopping the onions. "He wanted me to go back to Sunnydale."

Wesley remained quiet as he watched Angel work the knife in precise, methodical movements.

"He said that Buffy's life was in danger."

Deciding that mentioning that a Slayer's life was always in danger would do little but piss the demon off further, Wesley said, "Angel, we'll do everything we can to help her. I just hope she'll let us. I haven't exactly made the best of impressions on her the last time I was there."

"She won't turn down your help, Wes," Angel reassured him. He took out a pan, poured some oil into it, and placed it next to the boiling pot. "Buffy is…"

Sexy as hell? Angelus offered. Powerful, strong, and absolutely delicious? And I'm talking about both her blood and between her thighs.

Growing hard at the thoughts Angelus was pushing over him, Angel took a deep breath to try to clear away the heat of desire. "She's very forgiving, and she won't turn down help averting an apocalypse when it's offered."

"I guess not." But Wesley was still concerned. He'd made a mess of things twice. Once it had nearly cost the life of a Slayer who was now in a coma, and the second time it came close to costing the life of a man he came to think of as a true friend. "I'm sorry, Angel. I realize I never apologized for not trying harder when you were poisoned."

"No apology is necessary," Angel said, turning to look at him. "I can't blame the Council for not wanting to help a vampire, and you're not the same man you were when we first met. I understand perfectly, but…if you need forgiveness, it is yours." He of all people knew just how much forgiveness was necessary sometimes.

"Thank you."

Angel nodded. He added the chopped onion to the pan where the oil was now sizzling. "I think that once we are back here in L.A., we should look into what we can do for Cordelia."

Accepting the change of subject, Wesley nodded. He knew that Buffy and forgiveness were always hard to speak of for Angel. "I'll go check up on her. We'll be down in a few minutes." There was one more thing Wesley thought was worth looking into, and he wanted to speak about it with Cordelia.

When he reached the office, Cordelia was looking better, though she was still a bit paler than her usual self. "Cordelia?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Hey, Wes. Sorry, the headaches are a bitch. Is Angel done with dinner already?"

"No, not yet." He sat down on the table next to her. "There was something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" She gave him a onceover and smirked. "Must be something good if it's making you this nervous. You're not going to ask me to marry you, are you?"

Wesley chuckled, relaxing. "No, I do believe that once was enough. And might I remind you that I was quite drunk at the time?"

"Still can't believe Lorne let you drink so much." She was shaking her head at the memory.

"I think Lorne was paying me back for being a pompous ass the first time I met him." Before she could protest, he added, "I totally deserved it, so no arguing. Anyway, this isn't what I came here to talk to you about. It's Angel. I want to do something for him."

Cordelia gave him an amused look. "I'm pretty sure that our Angel isn't batting for the other team, Wes."

The headache definitely hadn't affected her sense of humor, Wesley thought. "You know, if I were batting for the other team, as you've so eloquently put it, I think I might have gone after Angel. Those leather pants really do make you think…"

She stared at him in shock.

Wesley laughed heartily. "You should have seen your face!"

"Evil!" She hit him in the arm, laughing as well. "I do agree with you on the leather, though."

Growing serious again, Wesley glanced down at his hands. "Angel has done so much for me, for us, and I'd like to see if we could do something for him. I've been looking into this myself for a while now, but I need help, and I thought you'd like to be on board as well."

"What are you talking about?"

"I want to see if we can bind Angel's soul," he said. "It would give him some peace to know that Angelus can never be released again, and I think that Angel deserves as much peace as we can give him. I don't want to bring this up with him just yet. No point in raising his hopes prematurely, and you know Angel…"

"He'll find a way to reason out why he doesn't deserve this," Cordelia finished, in complete agreement with the sentiment. "You've come a long way since I first met you, Wes." She offered him a smile. "I like this new Wesley. And of course I'll help. Wanna show me what you've got so far?"

Wesley nodded and began telling her everything he found out so far.


Thank you for reading,

Alley Cat.