TITLE: I've Got You Under My Skin
AUTHOR: Jana Kay
EMAIL: jana_kay17@yahoo.com.au
DISCLAIMER: All Angel and BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and fellow associates, and Roswell characters belong to others. I don't know who.
RATING: R
CLASSIFICATION: Angel/Cordelia
SPOILERS: Up through to the end of S1 for A:tS, and the end of S4 for BtVS as well. Spoilers up through to 'Crazy' for S1 of Roswell also.
SUMMARY: An Angel/Roswell crossover, where Agent Topolsky's character on Roswell becomes a vessel for Darla's demon, brought back from Hell in the Angel season finale.
NOTES: The prologue takes place just *before* 'To Shanshu in LA' for _Angel_, and just *after* 'Crazy' for _Roswell_ .

*****

PROLOGUE


Kathleen Topolsky kicked and punched wildly at her assailants as she was bodily dragged out of the government car she'd been shoved into. She gave up after a heavy punch landed in her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She groaned in pain as she was sandwiched between two burly guards, and marched into the dark underground facility used by the government and FBI, situated just outside Roswell, New Mexico. The infamous Area 51.

She was lifted off her feet as they continued walking, swaying almost comically between the two guards as their heavy footsteps resonated on the hard concrete floor. It was as though she weighed nothing. She wasn't hampering their movements in the slightest.

She started struggling again, only to be promptly shaken so severely, her teeth were chattering by the end of it and her head was spinning wildly. She looked around her in a daze, knowing that above all else, she had to keep her head. She had to memorise the details and somehow get word to the others. She wasn't the first. And she wouldn't be the last. She had to get away somehow and warn the kids.

And if she didn't get away...

She didn't linger too much on that thought, but she knew that if she didn't get away, she had to hope that they trusted her enough to take her advice.

What they were going to do to her was nothing compared to what they'd do to Max, Michael and Isabel. Not to mention their friends and the sheriff.

They'd stop at nothing.

She was carried past white washed walls lined with computer banks, printers and all other items of technology they could possibly need. A large screen covered one wall, and chairs littered the area around them. Obviously, this was the main communications room. She smiled grimly. The place was empty now, probably because they didn't want her to see any of their faces, but she'd bet her life that they'd been holding a meeting in here just recently. More than likely about her too. She wondered what they'd done with the orb she'd been holding when they caught her.

They'd probably ensconced it safely back in the vaults.

Or were currently using it to trap the kids...

This time when she started struggling, she managed to get in a good kick to the shins on either side before she was thrown down on the ground and kicked viciously in the stomach and ribs.

Her cry of pain was shrill and aching. She struggled to wrap her arms around her middle to try and make the sharp pain go away, but she was swiftly grabbed by her hair as one of the guards sneered then began dragging her forward again. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the tears from forming, and she was sobbing by the time they finally let go of her.

She fell backwards with another cry of pain, her tears streaking her cheeks, washing away the mascara she'd been wearing in rivulets of black on otherwise pale skin. Her hair was in disarray.

When she finally managed to get some semblance of control, she realised she was in a small, dark room that she'd never seen before. She was lying in the centre of the room, but around her she could make out several shadows. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying again.

The finality of the situation she was in came crashing down around her ears. She'd been deluding herself all along. There would be no escape. There was never going to be an escape. Her wild thoughts of having Max, Isabel and Michael take her with them were ludicrous.

No one was going to save her.

And they'd never been going to.

It was then that one of the shadows stepped forward.

Pierce.

She felt the bile rise in her throat at the smile he held on his face.

He would enjoy this.

And she could do nothing to stop it.

But she could maintain her dignity.

She watched him with wide eyes, struggling to maintain her outward composure. Slowly, she picked herself up off the ground, wincing as pain from her ribs shot through her. The guards had broken something.

Once she was steady on her feet, she raised her hands carefully and wiped at the drying tears on her cheeks and chin. She knew she'd probably smudged the mascara even more, but that was unimportant. She didn't care about her appearance anymore. Now she just cared about her life.

Pierce's grin grew wider at her display and he took a step forward.

At that, Kathleen had to fight to stop herself from taking a step back.

He stared at her a little longer until her skin was starting to itch, and as it did, he shook his head slowly from side to side. "Tsk, tsk. You've been going against us Agent Topolsky. A traitor."

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, he raised his hand and silenced her.

"I don't want to here it Topolsky. I've killed men for less." He paused then and smirked. "But you already know that, don't you?"

Her mind replayed images of Agent Stevens, and she finally nodded her head slowly. "Yes sir."

He smiled widely. "Good."

He paused again and studied her critically. "Do you think I'm going to kill you Kathleen?"

She straightened her spine a little and raised her head, locking gazes with him. "Well you're a murderer, so yes, I do think you're going to kill me."

Pierce's face darkened slightly. "You know Kathleen, I had planned on killing you when you first got away, I won't lie. But a lot can happen in three days."

He smirked at her as he tilted his head.

"Actually, after careful discussion, I think this will be a much better punishment for your transgressions anyway. In addition, our little branch is going to be making a lot of money out of this. And in these revealing times, we can use all the money for surveillance that we can get."

Kathleen stared at him in hatred, his meaning not lost on her. She'd inadvertently led him to the kids, and now they were going to use the money from whatever they did to her to spy on them. Then once they had the proof they needed, which they'd undoubtedly get, they'd swoop in for the kill. Literally.

"So. If you're not going to kill me, what are you going to do?" Her eyes glittered angrily.

Pierce laughed out loud. "We're going to sell you."

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Sell her? To who? How? They couldn't possibly get away with that, especially if she was still alive... unless they were going to cut her up into pieces and sell her body parts on the black market.

Pierce watched her jovially.

"That's right Kathleen. In two days time, you'll be working exclusively for Wolfram & Hart. Of course, you won't quite be yourself, but hey. That's not our concern."

She looked at him as though he'd gone crazy, which he probably had. At the same time, she fought to stop the tide of panic from overwhelming her. Death would have been easy. Simple and final. But being sold? What was she being sold for? And who were Wolfram & Hart? And how were they going to get her to keep quiet? Surely they must know that she'd never let herself go quietly.

At that moment, two other men stepped out of the shadows on either side of Pierce.

She watched them carefully. These must be the people she was being sold to.
One man was middle aged, dressed in an expensive grey suit and classy tie. His white shirt looked crisp and clean, and his receding hairline was brushed back neatly. He stood with his hands gently clasped in front of him, and though he looked harmless, he had an air of power and confidence about him, making her see straight away that he wasn't all he appeared to be. She glanced into his eyes for a moment, and the iron grey that she saw there made her quickly look away.

The other man was similarly dressed, only in a navy suit, and he was young. Brown hair flopped slightly over his forehead, and she could see the blue in his eyes even from here. He was holding a briefcase in front of him with both hands, and she could sense the same air of power and confidence around him as on the other man. However, this man also seemed to exude an air of arrogance and cockiness. Tell tale signs of his youth.

As she suspected, it was the younger man who started to talk.

"Miss Topolsky, I'm Lindsey MacDonald. I'm a junior partner with the law firm Wolfram & Hart, situated in LA. We're glad to have you on board."

He smiled at her as he ran his eyes over her body, as if assessing her for some unknown reason. Goosebumps broke out over her flesh as she tried to restrain her growing panic.

"A law firm? What would I do at a law firm."

Lindsay smiled smugly. "You'll become one of our clients."

"And what make's you think I'll go along with being your client?"

The older man spoke up this time. He smiled indulgently at her, like a father would to an unruly child. "Oh I expect you won't Miss Topolsky. At least, not at first. But in two days time, I think you'll be quite willing. Quite."

She felt a shiver race up and down her spine at their words. "What's happening in two days time that'll change my mind?"

The older man smiled even more indulgently now. "It'll just upset you if you know dear. It's better if you don't. But you will live, so there's no need to worry about us killing you. We need you alive, not dead. And soon, I think you'll find yourself to be quite happy."

She glared at him furiously. Her freedom was being taken away from her, she'd lost her job, and now she was being sent into a new life she had no inkling of, and this man was worrying about upsetting her?

"I won't break. Tell me what you want with me, and why I'm going to change my mind," she snapped.

Pierce spoke up again. "Agent Topolsky, I'd be wary if I were you. These people won't tolerate the type of behaviour you just exhibited. They may find yet that you are of no use to them, as you have proven to be here."

By this time, Kathleen was quivering in anger and fear. But the spasming of her muscles was sending shooting pain through her ribs, and she gave a gasp of pain as she brought one hand up over them.

At her exclamation of pain, the older man moved swiftly forward. He rested a hand on her back as he leant over her bending form. "Are you okay, dear?"

Her rib bones rubbed together underneath their veil of skin, and she let out another groan of pain. She couldn't seem to make herself stop shaking so the pain would recede.

"Are you hurt?"

She nodded her head slightly as she bit her lip. She was not going to cry. Not again.

The older man straightened and glared at Pierce. "I thought I told you not to hurt her. She's too important."

Pierce gaped at the man. "I-I told the guards not to hurt her. It's not my fault if they did. I gave them explicit instructions. From the car to this room, and no damaging her."

The man's voice was cold. "Bring them in here."

Kathleen straightened herself again, finally managing to bring her quaking body under control as Pierce went outside. Turning her head, she saw the two guards come in and position themselves on either side of the door, as Pierce continued back to his spot next to Lindsey.

Turning again, Pierce glared sternly at the two guards. "Did you hurt Agent Topolsky, men?"

Their faces paled slightly as they realised their transgression had been discovered.

"Well did you?"

One of the men finally spoke up, his voice trembling ever so slightly. "We only hit her when she kicked us, sir."

"I thought I gave you explicit instructions, men. Explicit."

"Y-You did, sir."

"Then why did you hit her?"

There was another pause.

"W-We're sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

The older man spoke up from next to her. His voice was icy cold. "No it won't gentleman. It won't ever happen again."

He waved his arm, and suddenly a creature flew from out of the shadows at the two guards. Before they had time to react, it had ripped the head off of one, and had then slammed its hand through the other's chest and ripped out his heart.

Kathleen froze in terror as she watched the sudden display of death. Blood had spattered over parts of the walls and carpet, and was pooling heavily underneath the two collapsed bodies. The severed head lay nearby on the floor, lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling. The creature breathed harshly, then slunk back into the shadows again, slowly slurping at the human heart it was holding as it went.

She turned around again, and just had time to see the fright on Pierce's face before she fainted.


End prologue.