Hey Everyone... sorry for the late chapter. I mean I give myself a week to prepare myself to post these chapters on time, and I was so busy this week, I sorta fell behind. Again sorry. :) But this chapter is longer than the last three, and has a new character that comes to play. Hope you all enjoy. :D Sorry again about the delay, oh and if you're new, I post a new chapter up every Tuesday. ;)
"Angel!" Spike shouted, walking into the building. He sounds a bit agitated over something-- from the goop and blood splattered all over him, it would make since why.
"Yeah." Angel came walking downstairs. He stopped from seeing how ridiculous Spike looked and chuckled quickly catching himself. You could still tell he was trying hard not to laugh. "What happened to you?"
"Hmm, let me think. Oh yeah, you had a vision. This is what I got out of it." From the tone coming from Spikes voice, you could tell he was not pleased. He then headed towards the downstairs bathroom to get a towel to wipe the junk off.
"Hey it's not my fault; the PTB wants us to be prepared for what's coming."
"Yeah, sounds a bit familiar!" Spike shouted back.
"Where's everyone else?" Angel asked noticing Spike to be the only one there.
"They're coming." Spike went inside the bathroom. At that moment Kate walks in excited, G, and Alex along side her.
"Hey, how'd it go?" Angel asked the gang.
"It was great! That was the best challenge the PTB could ever give us. I've been so bored lately. You know with the being in a coma for almost two months, and all… I tell you it's a killer."
"Uh huh… Where's Faith?"
"Oh she's out parking the car. Where's Spike?" Kate quickly asked noticing he wasn't around.
"Here!" Spike's hand suddenly popped out waving. Kate went to help get the junk off his back.
"What happened?" Angel asked G.
"Angel, I wish you were allowed to go. It was incredible."
"Right, we got there and immediately the demons come jumping out ready for attack--
"Excuse me Mr. I'm the watcher of the slayer so I can talk when I want to." G said annoyed over the sudden interruption from Alex.
"Well sorry Mr. I know magic and am almost an official warlock, so better watch your mouth or… What would you do?" Alex asked in a curious tone, forgetting their little argument that they were just having.
"Hey, I never said I'm taking the deal of becoming an official warlock, and I… I don't know what I'd do." G replied calmly, you could tell they were both thinking carefully on this subject. Angel just sat down waiting patiently for Faith to arrive.
"Did you get it all?" Spike asked.
"Yep…all gone." Kate grabbed Spikes jacket. "I'll get this washed." She said looking at all the slime on it.
"Thanks love." Spike gave her a slight hug and headed out of the bathroom, leaving Kate with a smile on her face. Faith suddenly walked inside not looking pleased either.
"Hey Alex!" She shouted. "When I tell you to do something, I expect you to do it! Ever hear of, 'when I say jump, you say, how high?'"
"Faith give the guy a break, he's still a new bee." Angel came in Alex defense.
"Stay out of this Angel! The twerp here almost got us all killed."
"I have to agree with Slayer two here; Alex is the top main reason I'm pissed off at the moment!"
"You always have something to be pissed about Spike." Angel responded raises his eyebrow.
"True!" Spike pointed. "But still--"
"But nothing. Give my man Alex a break; he's just a watcher." G came into his defense.
"Actually Francis, watchers have more knowledge on how to kill a demon than any of us do. We're just the muscle basically." Kate came out with her arms crossed. "No offense Alex."
"I'm taking it as one." Kate patted him on the shoulder giving him a smile.
"Tails has a point. I've met a few watchers in my time, and known two. All I've got to say is, he's made a few more, wrong bloody calls then they ever did."
"I wouldn't say that Spike, Giles and Wesley both had their share in jumping the gun at certain points that weren't needed to."
"Maybe, but nothing to get us killed!" Angel crossed his arms. "Maybe one… or two, alright, maybe it's in the Watchers hand book, to start out as complete sodding idiots." Alex let out an annoyed breath.
"Look, whatever it is… until wannabe watcher kid here, learns how to listen more carfully; he's staying in the car through the missions." Faith spat out. "If that's ok?"
"Of course it's not ok, I'm needed out on the field, tell her Angel."
"I don't know Alex, it's safer if you'd wait in the car for now on, just until we can teach you a few things so you'd be safe." Angel replied.
"So… now that we're off that subject, you have any more visions while we were gone?" Spike asked jumping on the counter after pushing G and Alex aside.
"Why do you keep asking?" Angel asked. "You've been bugging me about it, this whole week."
"He wants to fulfill his prophecy." Alex finally stated, still slightly annoyed.
"Spike has a prophecy?" asked Angel.
"What I can't have a prophecy?" Spike spat out, Angel rolled his eyes. "I told you about it."
"When?"
"Back in 35. Those two sentences below yours."
"Again… we don't know if that's mine. You and I are both, considered Champions-" Angel began to say.
"Oh yea right, considered."
"Considered Champions, with a soul. And I signed it off." Angel finished saying. "So that leaves you at the top of the list."
"Right, whatever mate. Signed off or not, prophecies are prophecies; and you can't throw the book away or sign it off. Once it's yours it's yours and it stays. And I declare that Shanshu yours. Finders keepers mate. That little scroll drew you to it, way before I got a soul."
"Fine, if you don't want it--"
"I didn't say I didn't want it. I said it already chose. As much as I hate to admit it. Any way's I've got my own prophecy turns out."
"So you know what it is?" Angel asks.
"Well, kind of. Spike really has nothing left, except the fact his gift is Eternal, after you're Shanshued." Alex said walking in front of the counter and leaning against it.
"Eternal?" Angel asked confused.
"Let's hope that's not Eternal life." Spike replied.
"But?" Faith asked.
"But… there is something before, a small sentence, nothing really to serious. Not even really sure it's part of your prophecy, it's just one of the pieces on the scroll."
"You don't know that. Come on Angel, how many things have we came across that seemed to be nothing, but turned out to be more?" Spike said after trying to get Angel to back him up.
"You know he's got a point." Angel agreed.
"Thank you."
"Alright, maybe; all it said was, "It will be told by the one who knows." Alex said crossing his arms.
"That's it?" Alex nodded. "Yeah, you're screwed Spike, it doesn't look like nothing's going to happen until my prophecy's complete." Angel finished with a smile.
"Oh, have a vision!" Spike shouted back annoyed.
"Wish granted." Angel winced, grabbing his head, a slight sharp pain shot out as he saw flashes of a young girl in trouble. He staggered backwards and both Spike and Faith grabbed a hold of him. "Ok, guy's." He said shaking it off.
"Is it a test?" Kate asked excited.
"No it's the real deal. Let's go." They all follow Angel out the door.
Angel
Angel, Spike, G, Faith, Alex, and Kate
The Mix
Angel was driving his car while explaining to the gang of what he saw.
"Ok say it one more time?" Faith asked sitting in the back.
"A young blonde girl, running for her life, scared of what's ever hunting her… I saw a vampire and werewolf. I think."
"You think?" Spike asked looking towards him.
"What would a werewolf and a vampire being doing together?" Kate asked confused.
"I don't know but we have to help her." Angel turned towards the entrance he saw. It was inside a park. The vehicle came to a stop. "Ok, Spike and Kate you go left. G and Faith, you two come with me. Alex watch the car." They all left.
"But." Alex sat back down realizing he couldn't do anything.
"Where's the girl Angel? I don't even hear a scream." G whispered following Angel close.
"Shh, it hasn't happened yet." Angel said peeking over a boulder with G mimicking what he just said while rolling his eyes. Faith smacked G in the shoulder.
"Hey!"
"Shh." Angel replied gritting his teeth.
"Do you think we should of left Alex alone in the car?" Kate was following Spike while kicking a small rock on the ground.
"Tails, keep your voice down, remember what Angel saw hasn't happened yet, so they could be anywhere."
"I know, that's why I'm worried about Alex, he's my brother Spike."
"Fine do you want to go check on him?" Spike asked a little annoyed.
"Yes."
"Fine, go, you have my permission." Spike went back to what he was doing.
"No, I don't need your permission, I was just telling you where I'm going." Spike quickly stood up, his jaw tensing up, and Kate quickly rushed off, before Spike could let her have it. He smiled at her walking quickly away then again went back to what he was doing.
"Spike, Kate left. G, Faith, you're with me, Alex watch the car." Alex was saying imitating Angel. "I'll watch the car alright. What's the point of me going to do these blasted tests if I can't even have a part in killing anything? I mean it was just one little mistake, doesn't mean I wont listen anymore." Alex stops his complaining after hearing someone running. "Hello?" Alex asked. "Angel? G? Kate? Spike?" Alex quickly opened the glove department and pulled out a stake. "Faith if that's you I swear, you wont know what I'll do to you."
"Alex!" Kate jumped up from behind.
"Ah!" Alex jumped, back in the car scared to death.
"Sorry, just seeing if you're ok." She said seeing the stake in his hand.
"Oh."
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Trying to control his breathing.
"Ok then." Kate left and Alex sighed. Until he heard another sound coming close to him.
"Now what Kate?" Alex asked, but he noticed it wasn't Kate, he heard a scared whimpering sound coming from the back of the vehicle. Alex grabbed the stake and slowly went towards the back to find a young blonde girl curled up with tarred clothes.
"Oh-- oh dear." Alex kneeled in front of her. He could see from the look on her face that she was frightened over something. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Alex gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Go away." She quickly said getting up from the ground, blood all over her hands and shirt.
"You're hurt." Alex said seeing the long cuts on her back.
"They'll heal, go away. It's not safe." She said walking quickly away.
"I know-- you must be her the young blonde girl, we're here to help you." Alex said grabbing her arm. She quickly pulled away.
"You can't help me, go away, it's dangerous here."
"I know, like I said we're here to help." He said again.
"Go away!" She cut his arm with her bloody nails.
"Ow, you scratched me!" He shouted quickly grabbing his arm in pain.
"I'm sorry." She ran off.
"Alex! What's wrong, G sensed you were in trouble." Angel said rushing over.
"I thought you got rid of that spell." Alex replied remembering that spell that was placed on the two of them during the Hilzar demon they defeated months ago.
"Sorry man, but you're like a brother to me." G replied. While that little chat was going on, Angel smelled Alex's blood and followed the sent.
"Angel!" Faith shouted seeing him heading off.
The young girl was pacing herself, from hearing someone following her. She had the same scared look on her face as Angel saw in his vision. Angel was not far behind, he could smell not only Alex's blood but hers.
"Hey!" Angel shouted seeing the girl ahead, he quickly rushed over. She began to run, the girl turned the corner finding herself trapped with a back of a building blocking her way. She saw a ladder and jumped for it. At the moment she grabbed the bar, Angel jumped in and grabbed her knocking both of them down. Both the girl and Angel stood, pushing each other away.
"You!" Angel said in shock, remembering the painful future visions he's been having.
"Ouch! Be careful she really scratched me good." Alex said, while Kate was wrapping his arm.
"There. You're finished. G, I want you to take him back to the hotel, bandage him up. Spike--"
"Hey Kate! I think it'd be better if you go back to the hotel too." Faith replied.
"Look just because you're one of the historical Slayers from the past, doesn't mean--"
"I'm going to have to agree with Faith on this one, Tails." replied Spike. "Faith and I are going to try and help Angel, we'll meet you back at the hotel." Faith followed Spike as he followed the sent. Leaving behind a slightly annoyed slayer.
"You're not human." Angel said confused by the sent.
"I know what you are. Vampire!" She pulled a broken wood piece out of the trash.
"I'm not that kind of Vampire." Angel back away slightly, still ready for anything.
"Right the next thing you're going to tell me is, you have a soul." She was still ready for anything, tightening her grip on the piece of wood.
"Actually." He kind of gave her a crooked smile.
"That's impossible, there's only one Vampire with a soul."
"Yeah that's me." Angel was trying his best to get her trust.
"You're saying you're… you're Spike?" She asked slowly letting her hand down.
"Spike!?" Angel said in complete shock.
"Wrong answer." She lunged toward Angel, Spike quickly rushed in and grabbed the girl throwing her against a wall. She was to weak to get up from the sudden blow.
"Spike?" Angel was still in shock.
"What?" Spike asked.
The girl knocked out after hearing that last word.
"What is she?" "Don't know." "Not what! Who?" "I can't figure it out." "What's going on?"
The young girl woke up from hearing voices in her head, she found herself locked up in a cage. Frightened, she began rattling it trying to find a way to open it. At that moment the dark room was brightened when a curtain opened, and she quickly blocked the light.
"She's awake." Said Angel walking in. It appeared the cage was the exact one they used when they let Angelus out years ago. But it was moved upstairs near the lobby.
"Where am I?" She said standing in the back of the cage, her arms around her waist.
"Welcome to the Headquarters of Angel Investigations. Hi, I'm Angel." Angel said sitting down, the rest of the team came towards the entrance. "This is my staff. Kate and Alex Anderson. Francis Hart, Faith, and this is Spike. What's your name?" You could tell through the whole introduction, the tone in Angel's voice was tensed.
"Spike? You're Spike?" She asked unsure. "Tell me what you have, how and why, and what your real name is?" she asked, glaring at Angel, thinking he told this man to call himself Spike.
"A soul." Spike said revealing his Vampire self. "And the how and why, is none of your business, as for my name if you mean my human name, it's William. What's yours?" Spike asked with his arms crossed, and back to his normal self.
"Erika, Erika Storm." She replied sitting down, still shaken up. Alex quickly left, everyone other than Erika knew what he was doing, gone to search her up.
"What are you?" Angel asked, still crossed.
"I've been looking for you." Erika kept her head down ignoring Angel and speaking to Spike. "I was told you died, I thought it was hopeless, but then miraculously I heard you were back, I didn't know where, I found out a week ago that you were in LA, after all these years." A few tears rolled down her cheeks.
"What do you want with me?" Spike asked.
"I was sent to you for protection." she replied.
"You have to protect Spike?" Kate asked worried.
"No he has to protect me."
"From what?" Faith asked.
"I don't know." She slightly shrugged.
Spike headed out of the room smiling, Kate, Angel, Faith and G followed after closing the curtains.
"I believe her." Spike said sure of himself.
"I don't. If she was sent to you for protection, how come the person didn't tell her why?" Angel asked.
"Angel's got a good point Spike." Faith mentioned.
"Oh Bollocks! What's wrong with you, she needs our help."
"There's something about her." Angel said looking towards the curtain. "She's hiding something."
"What do you expect Angel. She's locked in a cage, she's known vampires being evil, except… Wait, is that it?" Spike paused realizing what he just said.
"What?" Angel asked confused.
"Is it because she doesn't know you?" Spike pointed to Angel. "Is it because I'm the vampire with the soul she knows, and not you?"
"Spike be serious." Faith crossed her arms.
"Or is because I was chosen to protect her?" Spike asked with a smirk on his face, ignoring Faith's last comment.
"Are you listening to yourself? She's hiding something Spike. Think about it. We don't even know what or who she is."
"A slayer." Angel was interrupted by Alex reading a file.
"What!?" Everyone said in shock.
"Erika Storm, her name sounded familiar to me. It's here in the watcher's hand book. She was filed dead in 96. She was the slayer before…, before Buffy." Alex then closed the book he brought out.
"That was eighty years ago." Kate said in shock. "Shouldn't she look… older?"
"I think Angel's right, she's hiding something." Alex mentioned. Angel couldn't take it, he grabbed his coat and headed toward the sewers for a walk.
"Now where's he going?" Kate asked; everyone shrugged.
"So now what?" G asked.
"Find more information." Spike said, and all five began to look.
"Slayers just seem to be popping up lately." Faith said following the others into the office.
"Have you found anything?" Spike asked closing the book he was looking through.
"Nothing." Alex replied.
"I did." G said. Alex and Spike gathered around the counter with G and Faith.
"Does it mention what she is?" Alex asked curiously.
"No, it's only the information before she was presumed dead. Her name is Erika Eliza Storm, her watcher was Thomas Anthony Jades. He's presumed dead also, she was an only child, no friends, no family."
"That's it?" Alex asked.
"Just that she was gifted, something special about her. It doesn't look like we're going to find out anymore unless we talk to her." G answered.
"Good luck with that." Kate spat out; sitting over by the curtain.
"Change in plans guys!" Angel came walking in with Lorne. "Let's try this again."
The curtain opened and Angel walked in alone, Spike behind him. Angel sat in the chair facing Erika, who was still trembling inside the cage.
"Who sent you to Spike?" Angel asked.
"I don't know, a man came to me and said I had a prophecy to fulfill, I didn't believe him at first. Until about a week later I was attacked… by something. A green demon with this red looking jewel on his forehead." She paused for a moment scrunching up her face.
"Why did he attack you? What was he trying to do?" Angel asked.
"Stop it." She asked angrily looking towards the two.
"What?" Spike asked.
"Stop it!" She said closing her eyes.
"Angel!" Kate shouted out quickly. Angel and Spike ran out.
"What happened?" Angel asked seeing Lorne all shaken up sitting on the chair.
"That's it, I can't handle it, song, that's all I'm sticking with when it comes to reading." Lorne said standing up.
"What happened?" Spike asked.
"That girl in there knew I was looking in her mind. She shot me out." Lorne said grabbing his head.
"What'd you find out?" G asked.
"Not much, but next time I search through someone's brain, cast a protection spell on me."
"Lorne." Angel said getting his attention.
"She has visions."
"You mean like what Angel has?" Alex asked.
"Similar, but not really, you see flashes, she senses them and sees only what she feels. I've never seen anything like it." Lorne said.
"I have." Spike said getting tensed up.
"Dru." Angel replied. "Did you find out anything else, what she is?"
"Yeah, she's a Mix." Lorne finally replied disturbed.
"A what?" Faith asked.
