~~~~~~~~~
"Dang!"
Cordelia heard a door slam and then another curse from the hallway. "Alex, what happened?"
She looked up from the computer to see what was wrong.
"Its nothing." Her back was to Cordelia.
"Its always something with a tone like that."
She spun her around and came face to face with vamped Alex. "My god..."
"I said it was nothing." Alex snapped.
"What did you do?" Cordy asked after getting her bearings back.
"Nothing." Alex said.
Cordy stared at her exposed neck and arm burns. "They're healing."
Alex looked at her hand and saw she was right.
"Now, can you control that face thing?" Alex's face went back to normal.
"Sorry." Alex apologized. "I'll be upstairs in case you need me."
~~~~~~~~~
"Wesley, I've found a spell I want try, but I'm having trouble translating..."
Alex was half way down the steps, when she realized they weren't alone a few hours later.
"Alex." A tall man with salt and pepper colored hair, was leaning on the counter.
"Seth." she growled backing up onto the steps.
"Is that anyway to speak to your grandfather?" His dark brown eyes stared at her.
"Go away." she snarled at the men moving towards her.
"She'll be coming with us now." Seth told Cordelia and Wesley, pulling out a small six shooter pistol and pointing it at them.
"You're a rouge vampire hunter. Since you have no watcher, I'm afraid I have to take you back to London with me."
Alex turned towards the balcony and broke the arm of the man standing in her way.
"Glac!" She hollered as they began to give chase.
The book and papers she had been holding went flying through the air and Seth caught them.
~~~~~~~~~
Wesley speared Seth and tried to knock him out, when the revolver's safety was clicked off.
"Let go or I'll shoot." He stopped.
~~~~~~~~~
The men pulled a small needle from inside their black suits.
Two needles went into her arm as she pushed herself against the rail.
Alex vamped out, and when one black suit charged at her, they both went over and
fell to the ground.
The other two, were left with a meeting of the minds and then thrown down the stairs.
"See you next fall." joked Angel stepping over them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alex got up and walked towards Seth. "Whatcha gonna do now? Shoot me?"
Three bullets left the gun and hit her in the chest, shoulder and leg.
"Alex. Back off!" Angel yelled at her as another bullet hit her in the arm.
"She's not in right now, but I can leave a message..."
A vamped Alex snapped, grabbing the gun from Seth's hands and tossing it at Wesley.
"Who are you?"
"Aricia." She replied, stepping back towards Angel and returned to normal as the pings of four bullets hit the floor.
"Could you excuse us?" Alex asked Angel, Cordelia and Wesley.
Reluctantly they agreed.
"I refuse to let you stay here, I'm the only family you have." Seth told her as everyone began to file out.
"No, what you want is to control me before I reach ascension age!"
~~~~~~~~
"I don't think leaving them alone was a good plan Angel." Cordelia said as Seth's voice got louder.
"I agree." Wesley spoke up.
"I don't intend to leave them alone long." Angel told them.
"She's not said a word to him, since we left." Wesley noted as an eerie silence
followed the shouting. Wesley was out the door and being followed by Angel.
~~~~~~~~
In the heat of the moment, Seth had slapped her in the face, then slugged her in the jaw, knocking her off balance.
Wesley walked right past her and as he was ready to slap Seth in the face, Alex grabbed his hand.
"No."
"I think you should leave." Angel said escorting Seth out by the arm.
~~~~~~~~
Alex had made herself scarce for the next few hours, but as soon as the sun went down, she headed for the roof.
~~~~~~~~
"Is she still on the roof?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes." Wesley responded. "I think..."
"I was just on my way to check on her." Angel said climbing the stairs.
~~~~~~~~
Once on the roof, Angel found Alex standing on the ledge. "Hello Angel."
"What are you doing?"
"Finding my balance." she said doing a forward roll on the ledge.
"I'm fine. What's the next question?"
"Why did you let him hit you?"
"You're the detective why don't you tell me." She was halfway through a cartwheel, when Angel grabbed her off the ledge.
"You're afraid of him and I think it has something to do with your father." He told her.
She stood there staring at him in silence.
"You promised your father, that you wouldn't hurt him."
"Right. And now you're probably wondering why I'm afraid of him." she said sitting down on the roof, lighting a candle and closing her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sure Rye began the story."
Angel nodded. "Three years ago, with Rye's help I was able to return to Scotland, I was only there for a month before I had to leave.
They, the council and Adern's followers knew where I was, and they tried to invade the castle. I got out and headed for Canada."
"From there I headed to New York, and just as I reached the city limits, a van pulled up beside me and pulled me inside.
I can remember very little, except a few feelings of anger and a voice that kept insulting and telling me that he would bleed me dry. The voice was my grandfathers. "
Angel listened intently and then asked, "How did you escape?"
"I really don't remember, but what I do remember was waking up some where and someone named Father, telling me I was safe.
Father told me, that I had lost almost half of my body's blood and my system was on the verge of giving out."
"He never found you?"
"No, I was in an underground community, people had made their homes in old tunnels.
It was wonderful, I don't think I would have left."
"So why did you?"
"He found the tunnels, somehow." She moved her hand over the flaming candle.
"As soon as I heard that, I left while they slept, well except Mouse.
He met me at the entrance to go above and gave me a modified crossbow, special arrows, some stakes and few other gizmos, that have gotten me out of sticky situations.
Seth's a very influential man, he could find a needle in a haystack."
~~~~~~~~~
"Dang!"
Cordelia heard a door slam and then another curse from the hallway. "Alex, what happened?"
She looked up from the computer to see what was wrong.
"Its nothing." Her back was to Cordelia.
"Its always something with a tone like that."
She spun her around and came face to face with vamped Alex. "My god..."
"I said it was nothing." Alex snapped.
"What did you do?" Cordy asked after getting her bearings back.
"Nothing." Alex said.
Cordy stared at her exposed neck and arm burns. "They're healing."
Alex looked at her hand and saw she was right.
"Now, can you control that face thing?" Alex's face went back to normal.
"Sorry." Alex apologized. "I'll be upstairs in case you need me."
~~~~~~~~~
"Wesley, I've found a spell I want try, but I'm having trouble translating..."
Alex was half way down the steps, when she realized they weren't alone a few hours later.
"Alex." A tall man with salt and pepper colored hair, was leaning on the counter.
"Seth." she growled backing up onto the steps.
"Is that anyway to speak to your grandfather?" His dark brown eyes stared at her.
"Go away." she snarled at the men moving towards her.
"She'll be coming with us now." Seth told Cordelia and Wesley, pulling out a small six shooter pistol and pointing it at them.
"You're a rouge vampire hunter. Since you have no watcher, I'm afraid I have to take you back to London with me."
Alex turned towards the balcony and broke the arm of the man standing in her way.
"Glac!" She hollered as they began to give chase.
The book and papers she had been holding went flying through the air and Seth caught them.
~~~~~~~~~
Wesley speared Seth and tried to knock him out, when the revolver's safety was clicked off.
"Let go or I'll shoot." He stopped.
~~~~~~~~~
The men pulled a small needle from inside their black suits.
Two needles went into her arm as she pushed herself against the rail.
Alex vamped out, and when one black suit charged at her, they both went over and
fell to the ground.
The other two, were left with a meeting of the minds and then thrown down the stairs.
"See you next fall." joked Angel stepping over them.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alex got up and walked towards Seth. "Whatcha gonna do now? Shoot me?"
Three bullets left the gun and hit her in the chest, shoulder and leg.
"Alex. Back off!" Angel yelled at her as another bullet hit her in the arm.
"She's not in right now, but I can leave a message..."
A vamped Alex snapped, grabbing the gun from Seth's hands and tossing it at Wesley.
"Who are you?"
"Aricia." She replied, stepping back towards Angel and returned to normal as the pings of four bullets hit the floor.
"Could you excuse us?" Alex asked Angel, Cordelia and Wesley.
Reluctantly they agreed.
"I refuse to let you stay here, I'm the only family you have." Seth told her as everyone began to file out.
"No, what you want is to control me before I reach ascension age!"
~~~~~~~~
"I don't think leaving them alone was a good plan Angel." Cordelia said as Seth's voice got louder.
"I agree." Wesley spoke up.
"I don't intend to leave them alone long." Angel told them.
"She's not said a word to him, since we left." Wesley noted as an eerie silence
followed the shouting. Wesley was out the door and being followed by Angel.
~~~~~~~~
In the heat of the moment, Seth had slapped her in the face, then slugged her in the jaw, knocking her off balance.
Wesley walked right past her and as he was ready to slap Seth in the face, Alex grabbed his hand.
"No."
"I think you should leave." Angel said escorting Seth out by the arm.
~~~~~~~~
Alex had made herself scarce for the next few hours, but as soon as the sun went down, she headed for the roof.
~~~~~~~~
"Is she still on the roof?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes." Wesley responded. "I think..."
"I was just on my way to check on her." Angel said climbing the stairs.
~~~~~~~~
Once on the roof, Angel found Alex standing on the ledge. "Hello Angel."
"What are you doing?"
"Finding my balance." she said doing a forward roll on the ledge.
"I'm fine. What's the next question?"
"Why did you let him hit you?"
"You're the detective why don't you tell me." She was halfway through a cartwheel, when Angel grabbed her off the ledge.
"You're afraid of him and I think it has something to do with your father." He told her.
She stood there staring at him in silence.
"You promised your father, that you wouldn't hurt him."
"Right. And now you're probably wondering why I'm afraid of him." she said sitting down on the roof, lighting a candle and closing her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~
"I'm sure Rye began the story."
Angel nodded. "Three years ago, with Rye's help I was able to return to Scotland, I was only there for a month before I had to leave.
They, the council and Adern's followers knew where I was, and they tried to invade the castle. I got out and headed for Canada."
"From there I headed to New York, and just as I reached the city limits, a van pulled up beside me and pulled me inside.
I can remember very little, except a few feelings of anger and a voice that kept insulting and telling me that he would bleed me dry. The voice was my grandfathers. "
Angel listened intently and then asked, "How did you escape?"
"I really don't remember, but what I do remember was waking up some where and someone named Father, telling me I was safe.
Father told me, that I had lost almost half of my body's blood and my system was on the verge of giving out."
"He never found you?"
"No, I was in an underground community, people had made their homes in old tunnels.
It was wonderful, I don't think I would have left."
"So why did you?"
"He found the tunnels, somehow." She moved her hand over the flaming candle.
"As soon as I heard that, I left while they slept, well except Mouse.
He met me at the entrance to go above and gave me a modified crossbow, special arrows, some stakes and few other gizmos, that have gotten me out of sticky situations.
Seth's a very influential man, he could find a needle in a haystack."
~~~~~~~~~