Part Two

The guard took Doyle back to the cells. They stopped in a different doorway to the one the half demon had collapsed in - they must have just shoved the next prisoner into that one when Doyle was shuffled off to the hospital wing. They were now on the gangway the next level up, and the narrowness of the walkway, the steepness of the stairs, and the height they were at were all making Doyle's head spin. They stopped outside one of the cells and the guard took out his keys and began to unlock the door. 'Please, I'm tellin' y', I need to make a phone call - it's an emergency', Doyle pleaded one last time. For the first time the guard turned and actually looked at him. The Irishman decided to press his case. 'It's really important, I have to call someone.'

It was a mistake. The guard lunged at him, and he found himself pressed up against the wall, the length of the guard's forearm cutting into his neck, choking off his breath. 'Oi need t' make a phone call.' the guard parroted, copying Doyle's accent in a derisive way. 'Listen, Mick, you don't need to do anything here unless we tell you you need to do it. You don't blink, you don't sneeze, you don't go to the john unless we say you can. You don't leave this cell and you don't tell us what you need to do. You'll get your phone call when we're good and ready to give you your phone call and until then I don't wanna hear a peep outta ya. Capiche?' He then used his other arm to deliver a blow straight into Doyle's kidneys. The half demon doubled over, and the guard released him in order to open the cell door - as if he hadn't been interrupted, as if he hadn't just viciously beaten down another human being.

'Now get in there and pipe down.' Doyle was shoved through the doorway and then the door clanged shut behind him.

The cell was small and dark. There was only one window, and that was covered with bars. Underneath the window, was a small sink - and beside that, a toilet. There were two sets of bunk beds just inside the door, one pushed up against either wall. Three of the bunks were occupied, and their occupants were now staring at the new arrival. Swallowing hard, and without making eye contact with anyone, Doyle went and sat on the empty lower bunk. He rested his head against the wall, closed his eyes, and tried to stave off the waves of misery that threatened to engulf him.

Angel dangled in midair, held up by the iron grip of the newly awakened Darla. 'Oh,' Drusilla breathed in delight. 'Baby's up from her little nap.' The new vampire glanced towards the woman that had sired her, and Angel used that moment to take advantage of her distraction. He brought his arm down on her extended elbow in a swift chopping motion, breaking her grip on his neck. As he tumbled back to the ground, he threw her headfirst across the room - and then advanced on her, stake raised. Drusilla tackled him, bringing him down. The stake rolled out of his clutch, but he kicked the woman away and got back to his feet. Undeterred by her sire's violence, Drusilla threw him away from herself. He landed heavily on top of the table that Darla had rested on, and the mad seer grabbed the broken shovel handle and made to stake Angel.

He rolled this way and that, avoiding her blows as she tried to stab him through the chest with her makeshift stake. Across the room, Darla got back to her feet and began to make her escape from her birth chamber. As she passed the two battling vampires, Angel managed to kick Drusilla away from himself and grab hold of Darla's wrist, stopping her from fleeing. He pulled her back towards him, but she used the momentum to cause them both to come crashing down onto the table. For a moment they were a wild tangle of limbs, and then Darla pulled free.

'Grandmother?' Drusilla held out her hand, resting it on Darla's shoulder. The newly awakened vampire was stopped in her tracks, confused. After a moment, she tossed Drusilla away from herself and then launched herself back at Angel. They tumbled over and over and then crashed through the glass, landing on the roof outside, under the stars. Drusilla followed them out, jumping through the broken pane of glass, and the new vampire abandoned her boy in order to attack her new sire. In vamp face, for the first time in this incarnation, Darla pushed Drusilla to the floor and began to shake her. Drusilla laughed and laughed, a mad, hysterical cackle of enjoyment; as she witnessed the destruction her grandmother come daughter was wreaking on the rooftop.

She was suddenly freed, when Angel pulled Darla away from her, and threw the new vampire across the roof. Once more he made as if to stake her, but pulled up short when her saw her human features returned to her face. Darla gazed around the rooftop in confusion and then looked up at her boy. 'Angel?' her voice was small, and scared, and Angel pulled his stake back even further, retracting his weapon.

And then Drusilla tackled him once more, and he was pulled away from the woman he had come to save. Darla got to her feet and ran to the edge of the roof. She stepped onto it and peered down. They were many storeys up; the streetlamps twinkled beneath them, like fallen stars - and the cars seemed like toys, their noise muffled by the distance. She glanced back to the roof and saw Angel struggling to get to his feet, ready to stake her once more. It took only a split second to make the decision. She stepped off the rooftop and plunged down to the street below.

Angel rushed to the edge and peered over, but from that high up he could see no sign of his newly awakened sire. He turned back and looked around the roof, but Drusilla had vanished, as well.

He ran back into the lobby of the Hyperion, finding his three associates waiting for him. 'Everybody gear up,' he commanded. 'Grab something sharp, we need to move fast.' He crossed to the weapons cabinet and opened it up, selecting a weapon for himself, his favourite broadsword. 'I'm guessing it didn't got too well, then?' Cordelia asked, watching as the vampire selected another weapon and held it out to her. She hesitated for a moment and then took it. 'They're out there,' he told her, 'both of them.'

'So where are they now?' Wesley wanted to know. But Angel shook his head. 'I don't know', he admitted, handing Gunn an axe.

'But you know exactly where they're going to be?' Cordelia clarified.

'Not exactly.' He threw Wesley a crossbow and Wesley caught it. The watcher hefted the weapon in his hands, feeling the weight and balance of it. 'But yet you have your suspicions?' he said.

'Actually I don't.' Angel handed the quiver of crossbow bolts to Wesley, and the Englishman took them, raising his eyebrows in surprise at what he was hearing.

'So it's more like a hunch?' Cordelia suggested hopefully.

'Wouldn't say hunch.' He eyed the sword in Cordelia's hand and then took it off her, swapping it for a stake. She accepted her new weapon without a word, resting her finger against the end of it to test its sharpness. Then she looked back up at her boss. 'Would you say inkling? Please tell me that you would at least say inkling.'

'For the moment, anyway, they're separated. If we can find one of them before they meet back up then there's a chance that we can stop something really ugly from happening.' He sheathed his sword and began to walk towards the exit. The others didn't follow him. 'Angel', Wesley tried to sound reasonable. 'I don't think the four of us driving around a city of four million people in one car is likely to yield results.'

'I know that. That's why we'll follow the one concrete lead we have - Wolfram and Hart.'

Cordelia and Wesley exchanged exasperated looks. Angel turned to leave once more, but his secretary put out her hand to stop him. 'Hitting the pause button', she said, 'Wolfram and Hart? As in vampire detectors, crack security systems and armed guards? Nice plan General Custer.'

Angel took a deep, oxygen free, breath to try and summon up his reserves of patience. 'Drusilla is insane,' he explained, 'she's deadly and not in a good mood. Darla needs to feed soon okay? And once she does she'll be that much stronger. Now, we've got two options. Either we go back to the people who brought them both here in the first place. Or we sit here - and wait for the bodies to start piling up. I've decided not to wait. Anyone wants to join me - my car is outside. If not, that's fine too.'

There was a moment's silence in the lobby as all four of them looked at each other. Then - 'you had me at 'everyone gear up',' Gunn declared. Angel nodded. 'Let's go.' He turned and walked towards the door. 'Where is Doyle?' he asked as he strode out.

Inside the lobby, Cordelia and Wesley exchanged one final glance, heavy with significance, and then they too followed the vampire out into the night.

Holland walked into Lilah's office. The young attorney was in there, working away - even though it was a Saturday night. 'Lilah,' he said. 'I thought I'd find you here...I trust you're still on for my little soiree tonight? Not working too hard to enjoy yourself, once in a while, I hope. I'm uncorking a case of 1928 Chateau Latour.' Lilah looked up from her desk and smiled, pleasantly. 'I'm looking forward to it,' she said, 'but…' she nodded into one of the gloomy corners of her office and, as Holland turned to look, Drusilla stepped out of the shadows. 'I had Chateau Latour once,' the mad woman said. 'It tasted like lion's blood.'

'Drusilla,' Holland said, glancing at Lilah, 'my apologies. I didn't realise you were here. I trust everything went as planned?'

'I'm worried about grandmother,' Drusilla pouted, 'the building was very tall.'

'I'm sure she'll be fine,' Lilah said, dismissively. She had had enough of these vampire women, she wanted them out of her hair, gone. She had heard, through her connections at the police department, that the half breed had been arrested the day before - and that he was currently languishing in the county jail awaiting a bail hearing. She wanted to take the time to really enjoy the moment, to gloat, to imagine the misery the little mongrel was suffering and think through all the nasty little things that might befall him in prison. But she couldn't do that when she still had to concentrate on Angel's harem of demon women.

'Angelus wasn't happy in the least,' Drusilla was telling Holland. The senior attorney looked between his associate and the vampire. 'Angel found you?' he asked, sharply. Then he seemed to reflect for a moment. 'Ah well - not unexpected. How did he fare?'

Drusilla closed her eyes and began to sway where she stood. 'Angelus is on his way here now.' She gasped and smiled, opening her eyes. 'He's very cross.' The two lawyers looked at each other. 'Well I shouldn't worry about that,' Holland smiled, 'we've taken precautions.'

Drusilla sat down in front of the desk and took out Miss Edith, cradling the blindfolded, porcelain doll on her lap.

'The important thing,' Holland said, looking down at the crazed vampire crooning over her doll, 'is that we reunite you with your baby.' The phone rang, and Lilah reached across her desk to answer it. It was security - there was an untagged vampire in the building. Holland opened the door, to go and look into the matter, and found himself face to face with Darla.

'Oh jeez,' Lilah sighed from her position behind the desk. 'Why do they all have to come to my office?'

Darla looked up at Holland for a moment. 'Darla,' he smiled down at her.

'Holland.' She suddenly pushed him away from herself, sending him flying across the room. Drusilla cackled in delight and held out her arms to her new daughter. Darla grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the chair, dragging her new sire behind her as she left the room, running.

Holland righted himself, picked up the phone and spoke to security. 'Let them leave the building without incident.' Then he glanced down at Lilah. 'Well - now that the two ladies have found each other, let's hope they have a constructive evening.'

The cell door opened. 'Oi Mick,' the guard shouted in. Doyle still sat on his bunk, his knees pulled up under his chin and his head rested against the wall, eyes closed, fighting to keep calm. He didn't even react to the sound of the of the guard's voice. 'Oi Mick, I'm talking to you.'

He felt a sudden blow round the side of his head. 'On your feet when I'm talking to you, Mick.' He realised it was him that was being spoken too. Mick - Irish. Like the other policeman had called him Paddy. He'd have to remember the various names the guards gave him, and make sure he reacted promptly, otherwise he'd cop for a lot more violence.

He got to his feet, and stood up straight, shoulders back. The guard leered down at him. 'You're lucky day, Mick,' the guard said. That was twice in the past 24 hours that he'd been told it was his lucky day - when he had never, in his whole sorry and miserable life, suffered a worse one. 'Governor's decided to let you have your phone call, out ya come.'

He stumbled outwards and onto the gangway, and was led down the two flights of stairs, that were really more like ladders, and out into the main hall. There were three pay phones hanging on the far wall. The guard dug into his pocket and took out a token. 'You'll need this to make a call,' he said handing it over. Doyle took it, silently. He wasn't sure if saying 'thank you' would warrant another blow to the head or not, and decided not to chance it. 'It'll only get you five minutes,' the guard warned, 'so whatever you have to say, say it quick.'

The half demon nodded to show his thanks and understanding, and then picked up the receiver. He dropped the token into the coin slot and then dialled Cordelia's cell number. The guard was close by, well within earshot. Oh well - he'd just have to hear, and think Doyle was crazy. Maybe he'd hit him less if he thought he was crazy.

Angel drove his convertible through the streets like a madman. Gunn sat strapped in the passenger seat, clinging onto the dashboard for dear life. In the back, Cordelia and Wesley were being tossed around like ragdolls. 'There's not much good to be done if we don't get there in one piece,' Wesley called into the front, as he was slammed against the inside of the door.

'There's not much time,' Angel replied veering round a corner. Cordelia was slammed into her door, and Wesley fell on top of her. Her phone began to ring. As Wesley struggled to right himself, and claw his way back to his side of the car, she dug out her cell and flicked it open. She didn't recognise the number, and she frowned as she answered it. 'Hello?'

Hearing Cordelia's voice, for the first time in the most nightmarish 36 hours of his existence, Doyle felt warm tears spring to his eyes and sit there prickling; threatening to fall. His heart beat faster and his throat constricted.

'Hello?' She sounded annoyed.

He blinked back his tears and cleared his throat. 'Cordelia? It's me.'

'Doyle? Where are you? Are you Okay? Where have you been? We've been worried. We needed you.' Before he could answer, he heard her speak to the others. 'It's Doyle, he's finally contacted us.'

'Is he OK?' he heard Wesley ask.

'Doyle is everything alright? Where are you? I miss you,' Cordelia said, speaking into the phone once more. That last bit made the tears stand out in his eyes once more. But he managed to contain them, and when he spoke, he somehow managed to sound reasonably normal. 'Cordelia, listen I don't have much time.'

'But -'

'I can't explain now - I will - later. But now, I've had a vision, there's someone you need to save.'

'Doyle's had a vision,' he heard Cordelia relay to the group.

'Oh please tell me he aint seeing us wrapped around a lamp post,' Gunn groaned. Doyle didn't understand that bit.

'Look, Cordelia, I had it a while ago, and I haven't been able to phone 'til now, so it's pretty urgent...' and he gave her the name and the address of the helpless soul that needed saving. He could see the guard giving him funny looks, but there was nothing he could do about that.

'Did y' get all that?' he asked, anxiously.

'Yeah, but Doyle - what's happened?'

'I'll tell y' about it later - just save that kid for me.' He was about to hang up, when he had a second thought. 'Cordelia?' he said, just catching her in time before she clicked off the call.

'Yeah?'

'I love you.' Then he put the phone down and was taken back to his cell.

'''

Cordelia frowned in confusion when she heard the line go dead. 'Cordelia?' Wesley's voice was gentle. She looked up. 'We need to turn the car around,' she said.

'We're almost there!' Angel protested.

'Doyle said it was urgent. It's in the other direction. Turn the car around.'

'If Doyle was going to have a vision then he should have done it before we left the hotel,' Angel complained, still driving at breakneck speed towards the law firm. 'Angel!' Wesley remonstrated. But The vampire didn't listen. 'It's too late to change now. Maybe it's a false alarm.'

'Angel!' Gunn joined in with the watcher this time. But Cordelia saved her breath. She just pulled out the stake her boss had handed to her back at the hotel and held it up to his back, threateningly, a determined expression on her face. With a sigh of frustration, Angel spun the car around, causing several other vehicles to swerve and blare their horns. Ignoring them all, Angel sped back the way they had come.

Doyle sat back down on his bunk. He didn't have a blanket. He'd dropped it when he'd had his vision and no one had picked it up or thought to give him a new one. He didn't have a toothbrush either. There was no way in hell he was going to use that communal toilet, so he wasn't too worried about the lack of toilet paper, but he wanted a blanket and a toothbrush, and he had no idea how to go about asking for a new set. Especially not at this time of night.

As if to emphasise the point, the lights suddenly went out. It could only be about half past nine. If that. But it seemed it was bedtime. Lack of blanket aside, he didn't mind the early night. He could go to sleep and then it would be tomorrow and he would be a few hours closer to the end of this nightmare - for now, at least.

As he lay back on his cold, hard bed he thought back to something the guard had said to him, and another worry began to enter his mind. 'You don't blink, you don't sneeze, you don't go to the john unless we say you can.' Sneeze. That was the problem. Even worse than the strip searches, and the communal toilet, and the communal shower that awaited him in the morning. What if he sneezed?

He'd been arrested on a Friday, the absolutely worst day to get arrested, as it meant there would be no bail hearing until after the weekend. They'd told him at the station, that morning, before they'd sent him on to the county jail, that there wasn't a slot for him on the Monday so his bail hearing was postponed until Tuesday - the 5th. It was currently Saturday night, and it was mercifully dark. But he still had the whole of Sunday and Monday to get through. He was locked in a 10 foot by 8 foot room with three other men. If he sneezed, at any point in the next two days - and was there any chance that he wouldn't? - then the demon in him would be exposed. And how much worse would this nightmare get, then?

Darla dragged Drusilla down the crowded street, pushing her and shoving her and throwing her to the ground, without thought for the people around her who looked on. 'Did I do something to displease you?' Drusilla wept, from the ground. A man tried to help her up, but Darla tossed him to one side as well, and then ragged Drusilla to her feet, throwing her across a parked car and into the road. She was immediately hit by an oncoming vehicle. The woman driving the car, screeched the brakes on and got out, hurriedly. But when she saw Drusilla, unharmed and getting to her feet looking only mildly irritated, she scurried back into her car and drove off.

Darla came up behind Dru and slammed her once more into a parked car. 'Grandmother!' Drusilla cried out. But Darla hit her again, and Drusilla stumbled once more into the road. This time, the car headed towards her managed to avoid her, but it too screeched to a halt. Darla slammed Drusilla into the side of the car. 'Why?' she demanded.

'For you. All for you. I thought it was what you wanted - to be saved.'

Darla looked at Drusilla for a long moment. A guy in a red pickup, who was held up by their standing in the street, began to honk his horn. The blonde woman slowly took a step back, letting her hands fall from her new sire's shoulders. Drusilla began to cry. 'Alone, all alone,' she wept. 'We've lost our way and the little worm won't dance if he's told to.' Darla reached out and pushed Drusilla's long, dark hair away from her face, staring at her. Then she enfolded the crying vampire in her arms and held her, comforting her.

The guy from the red pick up got out of the truck. 'Hey ladies, you wanna move it out of the street?' The two embracing vampires pulled slightly apart and stared at him. 'Yeah, that's right sweetheart. Why don't you and your girlfriend take the make out session on home?' Darla let her arms drop from around Drusilla and approached the man. 'We've all got lives,' he said, in the same belittling tone he'd used throughout.

'Not for long,' Darla replied, and she grabbed his head and sank her teeth into his neck, draining the blood from him. Once she had gorged herself, and she could feel his warmth and life flowing through her, she dropped his body to the ground and turned back to Drusilla. The dark haired vampire had stopped weeping, and was now positively beaming. 'You're all new again!' she exclaimed.

'Mmm,' smiled Darla, relishing the moment - her first kill in years. 'Let's go shopping.' And, hand in hand, they walked off down the street, leaving the body of Darla's first victim behind them.