A/N- I'm sooooo sorry that it's taken so long to get this up! A month! I
left this thing for a month! But, it's not like that many people missed me.
*sniffle* ^_^ I'm doing these fics in what itty-bitty time I have left to
myself in between homework, schoolwork and part time job work. (Which
really isn't much) so if they seem rushed or shortened its not so much my
fault as it is the lack of time I possess. Now, with that said, you *have*
to tell me your opinion! The more u review, the more inspired and intent I
will be to write out at the best quality that I possibly can.(And that
didn't really make sense, but you should know what I mean…) So- REVIEW THE
DAMN FIC! You guys have been so excellent up 'til now, so it's just a
friendly reminder. ^_^.
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You know the good ole' 'good cop, bad cop' routine? It doesn't work. I played 'bad cop' (which was *sooooo* fun by the way) and Angel was 'good cop' and we got nothing out of Damien. So then we switched roles. Still ended up with pure zilch. I don't really know what we were looking for to be honest but, whatever it was, we never found it.
So now I sit in the basement of the Hyperion, my eyes glued to the evil creature currently broken and bound, chained up in shackles on the wall. I have to remember to ask Angel when he had the shackles put up, 'cos I doubt that they were there *before* AI took over. Pretty nifty contraptions… I knew Angel was old fashioned, but *Shackles*? It's quite funny, really. That even as the vampire with a soul living in the 21st century, he tries to find the most old-fashioned way of torturing people.
Angel stalks over to me. "I don't get it," he begins, "We've both tried killing the guy…almost succeeded…but he hasn't said anything." He sits down on the stairs next to me.
I sigh and glance over at him. I notice just how tired he looks. "You should go to bed. Get some sleep. I'll keep watch and we'll swap shifts later." Great, more cop analogies. I look him in the eyes, determined to make him agree. "Okay?"
He stands up with a great deal of hesitation and falters as he reaches the door to the lobby. "Thanks. I know I've said that a lot to you but-"
"You're welcome." I breathe. After he's gone I set my gaze back onto Damien. "So…you're not gonna talk, huh? That's too bad. I was sooo looking forward to a little heart-to-heart. Oh, well…" I pull myself from the step and slowly walk over to our captive. "I'm sure there's a lot you can tell me without speaking. See, I can also read minds," I pause, I'm bluffing, but does *he* know that. Looking him over and noting a tiny speck of uneasiness in his glare, I decide that he doesn't. Lets see how far I can take this *before* he discovers the truth. "I think it's time I read yours."
He blinks. "You're bluffing." That would have to be the first time he's spoken since I flattened him upstairs. And he doesn't sound that convinced, either.
I raise my eyebrows at him knowingly. "Am I?" A wave of doubt crashes over him and I decide to add some more. "You've already seen my teleporting and telekinesis, not to mention my super-human reflexes and stuff…what else do you think I can do?" When he doesn't reply, I push again, fanning the flame of doubt even more. "Hmm? Come on tough guy. Mr. 'I'm all high and mighty'. How many more talents do you think I have? Are you sure that I can't read your mind if I want?"
"I'm not telling you anything." He hisses, subtly trying to push himself into the brick wall behind him.
Oh…yeah…that's gonna work. Not.
I'm pretty lucky to have honed my 'people reading' skills back home. There are certain things you can tell just by watching someone, no matter how blank they seem. Just the way they hang the head, or hold themselves up is enough to decide what they're thinking of. Tiny gleams in their eyes of hidden emotion…it's all there. Put it with the stuff you already know about them and voila!
Maybe, because I used to be able to read people before, my skills on that are heightened too…like everything else. That would mean that I almost *can* read minds…sorta. I'm going to put it into practise now. After all, what can I lose?
I look into his eyes and he clamps them shut. A good sign for me. Haughtily, I start to pull my punches. "You know…you did have a thing for Nicola. I'm almost sorry that it didn't work out. The way she went and betrayed you is a bit sad...Then again, 'cos you're all evil and all; I can see why she did. But still-"
"SHUT UP!" He screams, thrashing against the wall. I smirk. I knew it'd work. Put the fact that he's got a soft spot for Nicola together with the whole 'you betrayed me' thing he had going for him and its just sooo obvious which buttons to press. He opens his eyes and tries, once again, to stare me down. "Just Shut Up."
"I'm sorry…did I say something wrong?" I ask him in mock innocence before straightening up and becoming solemn. I look straight back into his eyes with cold hard determination. "Here's the deal. You tell us what we wanna know, and I wont dwell so much on the 'betrayed by a lover' thing." I lighten again, a cruelly smug tone still very evident in my voice. "Don't worry…it happens to most bad guys…the whole karma bit is quite common in-"
"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Are you gonna talk?"
Silence.
If there's anything I've learnt from my Legal Studies teacher it's that 'Silence does not constitute acceptance.' (See…I listen in class…really.) I'm losing whatever shred of patience I had to start with and I thrust my hands at him, causing him to shake violently, a pained expression on his face. "Will. You. Answer. My. Questions?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bleeding pretty badly, Damien lets his head drop in exhaustion. I came down stairs an hour ago to join Angel and we've gotten a few things straight. Things that don't exactly make me feel much better.
For one thing, this ex of his…my twin, Nicola, well…she wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world. A far cry from it to tell the truth. She was his sidekick in evilness, and was apparently quite good at it.
When I first got that out of him, I thought 'Holy Shit! My mum! My friends! I need to get home!' But he went on to pour out his puny evil heart.
Yes, Nicola was evil, but she couldn't develop any powers/abilities/whatever for love or money. After a while, she started doubting her abilities to help Damien in his quest at taking over the underworld. That's when things started going wrong for him. She got slack and they started fighting. A tension started to form between them and before he knew it she had turned and run to the side of good, explaining in avid detail every aspect of his masterminded schemes. (Schemes that *she* had concocted, by the way. Talk about conforming to the saying 'Behind every great man there is an even greater woman'…)
As you can imagine, Damien was crushed. His true love (if that's even possible for evil) had just turned him over to the enemy. He had to retaliate. Show her who was boss. Make her atone for her mistake. So, he sent his 'biggest and baddest' after her. She had always had brains, but never brawn. Her death, as much as it apparently pained him, would be quick and easy, and would show everyone else on his team just how far betrayal got you. But, as the story goes, his plan to kill her was changed along the way. Now she's in *my* dimension, *away* from her homicidal boyfriend. And in her place is me.
In a way, I almost felt sorry for Damien. He kinda even reminded me of Spike at one stage (except far less good looking and not as entertaining). His love interest had up and left him for a seemingly less-superior player, just like Dru had left Spike for the chaos demon. And every attempt he made to get her back, or do permanent damage to her was foiled, once again like when Spike tried to curse Dru or perform a love spell on her. I wondered what else Damien had to share.
I asked him why he still came after me, even though I wasn't the girl he wanted. (Stupid question, really. Considering that he's *evil* and all…) But his answer was more logic than pure evil.
If I *had*, as he thought, gotten into her body or magickally traded places with her and if I were to be killed, then she could never return. Therefore, almost as good as killing the real thing…for him anyway. A *tiny* bit worse for me. I still don't want to die.
"Angel?" I almost jump at the voice, stopping my pacing and ceasing my thoughts.
"Yeah?" I reply, turning to face the ensouled vampire, a small smile on my face. I've still got the hots for him. I'm just learning to control it and ween myself away. "You called?"
"Yeah… that I did. Its great that we know more about this Nicola girl…but I think he's got more useful information than just that." He tells me, glaring at the now unconscious bad-guy hanging on the wall. I look back at him as well, and regret it.
It's a sad site. There is blood dripping from numerous cuts on his face and body and he's *really* bruised. I think we even broke a lot of his bones… Oh well, he heals quickly…So no problem there.
"Like what?" I ask, diverting my gaze back to Angel. "I don't know what we're s'posed to be finding out here… You wanna let me in on your plan, or what?"
"Its just that Cordy got a vision leading us to you…er…Nicola…whoever. And that usually means it's more than just a 'save-an-innocent' thing. It's more like a boost to our newest 'big bad' that has all this meaning or whatever…like apocalypses and crap like that. Somehow, I doubt that your switching places with his ex right before they kill her, travelling into our dimension, developing all these mystical ass-kicking powers and leading us to a guy that was trying to take over the underworld was just a freak accident. Especially if the PTBs were clued in on it."
I hit my forehead in self-frustration and start to pace. "That makes sense!" How could I have missed it? I'm usually Little Miss 'Spends way to much time watching TV, but gets most of the plots figured out before they happen'! And I missed the totally obvious! If I had been watching this on an episode of Angel or Buffy, I'd have said from the beginning that it was soo predictable… PTBs involved being the biggest hint. But I missed it. "I'm an idiot…You're sooo totally onto something. I'm sure of it." I stop, look back over at him and cock my head to the side. "Have you run this by Wes yet? He'd be able to put the pieces together…I'm sure of it. There's something we're missing. Something I'm sure he'll get."
Angel shakes his head and glances back over at the bad guy, still hanging on his basement wall. "No…not yet. I wanted to see what he knew first."
"Well…as much as I hate suggesting this, we should let him rest. Or, you can stay here whilst I teleport up to Wes and run your idea past him…kay?" When he doesn't reply and avoids looking at me I gently ask again, "Okay?"
It takes a while for him to tear his gaze from Damien and the prospect of tearing him limb from limb, but when he does he looks me in the eye and nods. "Yeah… I guess you're right."
"I know I am." I reply in mock smugness. "And if that's not something that Cordy would say I don't know what is."
He chuckles a little. "She really is a bad influence on you…Not that being like Cordelia is a bad thing…Oh God! She's got me babbling now. This is bad. Very, very bad."
I laugh with him as we walk up the stairs. "Damn." I say as we near the top. "I didn't get to practice my orbing."
"Uh…See, I'm beginning to think that you shouldn't do that around me…at all." He replies, that tiny invisible smile on his lips.
I feel my face redden upon thinking of my little 'party trick' last night. "I-I explained that l-last night." I stammer. Hang on…*I stammer*? Since when do I *stammer*? Trying to keep my cool and *not* sound like a complete idiot, I add " And no matter how much I regret saying this…I don't ever want to end up like that again. With you. I mean… Oh crap. Now I'm babbling again. Good one Angel."
"What did I do?"
"Not you. Me. I was addressing myself."
As we enter the lobby I sigh. I'm really starting to love this place. I'm getting attached to everyone and everything in this dimension. Although I really miss my family and friends back home, a part of me doesn't want to leave, but another part knows that the time is coming. After we tell them Angel's theory and Wes gets everything together it's all gonna be over. I know it but I *really* don't want to go. Not now. Not after everything I've been through here. Not after meeting everyone for real. And there's so much I haven't done. I haven't met *any* of the Btvs gang (except Willow, bless her wiccan soul). I haven't really helped them with any cases and I… I just don't want to leave. I like being here. I like the way everyone has accepted me. I like the feeling I get when I think of the fact that I'm one of the AI gang. And to think I've only been here for a few days.
"Wes!" Angel calls when we near the offices.
The ex-watcher pokes his head around the corner and offers a hearty "Hmmm?"
"We've got a theory…"
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A/N- well, it was shorter than usual and not as interesting, but u still gotta review. And you know that the more reviews I get, the faster I'll be at uploading these things! Ta.
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You know the good ole' 'good cop, bad cop' routine? It doesn't work. I played 'bad cop' (which was *sooooo* fun by the way) and Angel was 'good cop' and we got nothing out of Damien. So then we switched roles. Still ended up with pure zilch. I don't really know what we were looking for to be honest but, whatever it was, we never found it.
So now I sit in the basement of the Hyperion, my eyes glued to the evil creature currently broken and bound, chained up in shackles on the wall. I have to remember to ask Angel when he had the shackles put up, 'cos I doubt that they were there *before* AI took over. Pretty nifty contraptions… I knew Angel was old fashioned, but *Shackles*? It's quite funny, really. That even as the vampire with a soul living in the 21st century, he tries to find the most old-fashioned way of torturing people.
Angel stalks over to me. "I don't get it," he begins, "We've both tried killing the guy…almost succeeded…but he hasn't said anything." He sits down on the stairs next to me.
I sigh and glance over at him. I notice just how tired he looks. "You should go to bed. Get some sleep. I'll keep watch and we'll swap shifts later." Great, more cop analogies. I look him in the eyes, determined to make him agree. "Okay?"
He stands up with a great deal of hesitation and falters as he reaches the door to the lobby. "Thanks. I know I've said that a lot to you but-"
"You're welcome." I breathe. After he's gone I set my gaze back onto Damien. "So…you're not gonna talk, huh? That's too bad. I was sooo looking forward to a little heart-to-heart. Oh, well…" I pull myself from the step and slowly walk over to our captive. "I'm sure there's a lot you can tell me without speaking. See, I can also read minds," I pause, I'm bluffing, but does *he* know that. Looking him over and noting a tiny speck of uneasiness in his glare, I decide that he doesn't. Lets see how far I can take this *before* he discovers the truth. "I think it's time I read yours."
He blinks. "You're bluffing." That would have to be the first time he's spoken since I flattened him upstairs. And he doesn't sound that convinced, either.
I raise my eyebrows at him knowingly. "Am I?" A wave of doubt crashes over him and I decide to add some more. "You've already seen my teleporting and telekinesis, not to mention my super-human reflexes and stuff…what else do you think I can do?" When he doesn't reply, I push again, fanning the flame of doubt even more. "Hmm? Come on tough guy. Mr. 'I'm all high and mighty'. How many more talents do you think I have? Are you sure that I can't read your mind if I want?"
"I'm not telling you anything." He hisses, subtly trying to push himself into the brick wall behind him.
Oh…yeah…that's gonna work. Not.
I'm pretty lucky to have honed my 'people reading' skills back home. There are certain things you can tell just by watching someone, no matter how blank they seem. Just the way they hang the head, or hold themselves up is enough to decide what they're thinking of. Tiny gleams in their eyes of hidden emotion…it's all there. Put it with the stuff you already know about them and voila!
Maybe, because I used to be able to read people before, my skills on that are heightened too…like everything else. That would mean that I almost *can* read minds…sorta. I'm going to put it into practise now. After all, what can I lose?
I look into his eyes and he clamps them shut. A good sign for me. Haughtily, I start to pull my punches. "You know…you did have a thing for Nicola. I'm almost sorry that it didn't work out. The way she went and betrayed you is a bit sad...Then again, 'cos you're all evil and all; I can see why she did. But still-"
"SHUT UP!" He screams, thrashing against the wall. I smirk. I knew it'd work. Put the fact that he's got a soft spot for Nicola together with the whole 'you betrayed me' thing he had going for him and its just sooo obvious which buttons to press. He opens his eyes and tries, once again, to stare me down. "Just Shut Up."
"I'm sorry…did I say something wrong?" I ask him in mock innocence before straightening up and becoming solemn. I look straight back into his eyes with cold hard determination. "Here's the deal. You tell us what we wanna know, and I wont dwell so much on the 'betrayed by a lover' thing." I lighten again, a cruelly smug tone still very evident in my voice. "Don't worry…it happens to most bad guys…the whole karma bit is quite common in-"
"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Are you gonna talk?"
Silence.
If there's anything I've learnt from my Legal Studies teacher it's that 'Silence does not constitute acceptance.' (See…I listen in class…really.) I'm losing whatever shred of patience I had to start with and I thrust my hands at him, causing him to shake violently, a pained expression on his face. "Will. You. Answer. My. Questions?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bleeding pretty badly, Damien lets his head drop in exhaustion. I came down stairs an hour ago to join Angel and we've gotten a few things straight. Things that don't exactly make me feel much better.
For one thing, this ex of his…my twin, Nicola, well…she wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world. A far cry from it to tell the truth. She was his sidekick in evilness, and was apparently quite good at it.
When I first got that out of him, I thought 'Holy Shit! My mum! My friends! I need to get home!' But he went on to pour out his puny evil heart.
Yes, Nicola was evil, but she couldn't develop any powers/abilities/whatever for love or money. After a while, she started doubting her abilities to help Damien in his quest at taking over the underworld. That's when things started going wrong for him. She got slack and they started fighting. A tension started to form between them and before he knew it she had turned and run to the side of good, explaining in avid detail every aspect of his masterminded schemes. (Schemes that *she* had concocted, by the way. Talk about conforming to the saying 'Behind every great man there is an even greater woman'…)
As you can imagine, Damien was crushed. His true love (if that's even possible for evil) had just turned him over to the enemy. He had to retaliate. Show her who was boss. Make her atone for her mistake. So, he sent his 'biggest and baddest' after her. She had always had brains, but never brawn. Her death, as much as it apparently pained him, would be quick and easy, and would show everyone else on his team just how far betrayal got you. But, as the story goes, his plan to kill her was changed along the way. Now she's in *my* dimension, *away* from her homicidal boyfriend. And in her place is me.
In a way, I almost felt sorry for Damien. He kinda even reminded me of Spike at one stage (except far less good looking and not as entertaining). His love interest had up and left him for a seemingly less-superior player, just like Dru had left Spike for the chaos demon. And every attempt he made to get her back, or do permanent damage to her was foiled, once again like when Spike tried to curse Dru or perform a love spell on her. I wondered what else Damien had to share.
I asked him why he still came after me, even though I wasn't the girl he wanted. (Stupid question, really. Considering that he's *evil* and all…) But his answer was more logic than pure evil.
If I *had*, as he thought, gotten into her body or magickally traded places with her and if I were to be killed, then she could never return. Therefore, almost as good as killing the real thing…for him anyway. A *tiny* bit worse for me. I still don't want to die.
"Angel?" I almost jump at the voice, stopping my pacing and ceasing my thoughts.
"Yeah?" I reply, turning to face the ensouled vampire, a small smile on my face. I've still got the hots for him. I'm just learning to control it and ween myself away. "You called?"
"Yeah… that I did. Its great that we know more about this Nicola girl…but I think he's got more useful information than just that." He tells me, glaring at the now unconscious bad-guy hanging on the wall. I look back at him as well, and regret it.
It's a sad site. There is blood dripping from numerous cuts on his face and body and he's *really* bruised. I think we even broke a lot of his bones… Oh well, he heals quickly…So no problem there.
"Like what?" I ask, diverting my gaze back to Angel. "I don't know what we're s'posed to be finding out here… You wanna let me in on your plan, or what?"
"Its just that Cordy got a vision leading us to you…er…Nicola…whoever. And that usually means it's more than just a 'save-an-innocent' thing. It's more like a boost to our newest 'big bad' that has all this meaning or whatever…like apocalypses and crap like that. Somehow, I doubt that your switching places with his ex right before they kill her, travelling into our dimension, developing all these mystical ass-kicking powers and leading us to a guy that was trying to take over the underworld was just a freak accident. Especially if the PTBs were clued in on it."
I hit my forehead in self-frustration and start to pace. "That makes sense!" How could I have missed it? I'm usually Little Miss 'Spends way to much time watching TV, but gets most of the plots figured out before they happen'! And I missed the totally obvious! If I had been watching this on an episode of Angel or Buffy, I'd have said from the beginning that it was soo predictable… PTBs involved being the biggest hint. But I missed it. "I'm an idiot…You're sooo totally onto something. I'm sure of it." I stop, look back over at him and cock my head to the side. "Have you run this by Wes yet? He'd be able to put the pieces together…I'm sure of it. There's something we're missing. Something I'm sure he'll get."
Angel shakes his head and glances back over at the bad guy, still hanging on his basement wall. "No…not yet. I wanted to see what he knew first."
"Well…as much as I hate suggesting this, we should let him rest. Or, you can stay here whilst I teleport up to Wes and run your idea past him…kay?" When he doesn't reply and avoids looking at me I gently ask again, "Okay?"
It takes a while for him to tear his gaze from Damien and the prospect of tearing him limb from limb, but when he does he looks me in the eye and nods. "Yeah… I guess you're right."
"I know I am." I reply in mock smugness. "And if that's not something that Cordy would say I don't know what is."
He chuckles a little. "She really is a bad influence on you…Not that being like Cordelia is a bad thing…Oh God! She's got me babbling now. This is bad. Very, very bad."
I laugh with him as we walk up the stairs. "Damn." I say as we near the top. "I didn't get to practice my orbing."
"Uh…See, I'm beginning to think that you shouldn't do that around me…at all." He replies, that tiny invisible smile on his lips.
I feel my face redden upon thinking of my little 'party trick' last night. "I-I explained that l-last night." I stammer. Hang on…*I stammer*? Since when do I *stammer*? Trying to keep my cool and *not* sound like a complete idiot, I add " And no matter how much I regret saying this…I don't ever want to end up like that again. With you. I mean… Oh crap. Now I'm babbling again. Good one Angel."
"What did I do?"
"Not you. Me. I was addressing myself."
As we enter the lobby I sigh. I'm really starting to love this place. I'm getting attached to everyone and everything in this dimension. Although I really miss my family and friends back home, a part of me doesn't want to leave, but another part knows that the time is coming. After we tell them Angel's theory and Wes gets everything together it's all gonna be over. I know it but I *really* don't want to go. Not now. Not after everything I've been through here. Not after meeting everyone for real. And there's so much I haven't done. I haven't met *any* of the Btvs gang (except Willow, bless her wiccan soul). I haven't really helped them with any cases and I… I just don't want to leave. I like being here. I like the way everyone has accepted me. I like the feeling I get when I think of the fact that I'm one of the AI gang. And to think I've only been here for a few days.
"Wes!" Angel calls when we near the offices.
The ex-watcher pokes his head around the corner and offers a hearty "Hmmm?"
"We've got a theory…"
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A/N- well, it was shorter than usual and not as interesting, but u still gotta review. And you know that the more reviews I get, the faster I'll be at uploading these things! Ta.
