Chapter 3
Serena arose around 5 'o clock in the afternoon after an interrupted sleep. She checked her reflection before walking downstairs and found dark bags under her eyes and her hair shooting in every direction. She groaned.
'Might as well get dressed and put some makeup on for tonight.' She thought to herself. She grabbed her brush and got ready in 15 minutes. After hair and makeup, she put on a pair of olive leather pants, a black tank top, and a netted top over that, that had a wide neckline (it went to her shoulders) and strung all the way down the her thumb. Her thumbs poked through a whole on each sleeve. She quickly zipped up her leather boots and grabbed her leather jacket, checking to make sure a stake was still in the pocket, and her sheath and sword, and strode downstairs.
"Afternoon!" She called out into the empty lobby. She checked behind the counter, but no one was there. She threw her jacket and sword onto the empty couch and stood in the middle of the giant lobby alone.
"Hello?" She called. Cordelia walked through the door.
"Oh, you're up. Gunn and Angel are out nailing a demon. Wesley's at his place trying to find some info on this demon." Cordelia informed, busying herself behind the lobby counter.
"Hello? Slayer here! Why didn't they ask me to go with them?" She wondered, feeling a slight twang of hurt.
"Angel said he didn't want to wake you. He also said that you went through a lot and needed your rest." Cordelia informed her.
"Yes, I went through a lot, but it's all in the past. I'm dealing with that. As for my mom and sister, it hasn't quite hit me yet." She defended. She sank down into the couch. "I guess I didn't get to formally introduce myself." Serena stood and walked toward the counter.
"No, I guess not, with all the flying around last night." Cordy remarked under her breath, but loud enough for Serena to hear.
"No, I guess not. I hope there are no hard feelings. I just got the wrong impression of everything. I'm Serena." She held out her hand.
"No, there aren't any hard feelings. Just don't do that again." Cordelia smiled at her. "Cordelia." They shook hands briefly. "And don't blame Angel. He is just worried about you. And you should be blaming me. I had a vision and sent them away and really didn't let them argue." She smiled apologetically.
"You have visions?" Serena asked, stunned.
"Yeah, but you would think they would be simple and not painful. Wrong. My head feels like it explodes every time I get a vision. Trust me. Not fun." Cordelia cringed at the thought of it.
"Wow. That sucks." Serena said sympathetically.
"Anyway, the gang should be back soon. And if not, I'll send you out after them." Cordelia winked.
"Well, I'm bored. Do you need any bookwork done or anything?" Serena asked hopefully. "Yeah, you can help me look up the demon from my vision." Cordelia tossed her a book, then came from behind the counter with a stack of books and sat across from her.
Pretty soon, Serena found the demon after using Cordelia's description of the demon to help her nail it.
"Found it! I think." Serena held up the picture for Cordelia to see.
"That's it." Cordelia agreed. "That's ugly." The demon was 10 feet tall, according to the book. It was a Tryclar demon. It looked as if it were make of rock.
"Yeah, it is." Serena scrunched her face. "I would hate to wake up with that face every morning!"
"Let's call up Angel on the cell phone." Cordy was on the phone within a matter of seconds.
"Hello?" Angel's voice boomed from the phone.
"Angel, we found the demon." Cordy's voice had an urgency.
"Wow, perfect timing. So did we." Angel cracked.
"Serena, how do you kill it?" Cordy demanded.
"Umm."Serena skimmed the page. "It says here that you can kill a Tryclar demon by water, fire, or decapitation. I think that's it."
Cordelia relayed the killing ways, and hung up the phone. "Angel said that he's gonna need your help. C'mon, I can drive you."
Serena quickly grabbed her jacket and sword and was out the door behind Cordelia.
"Gunn, watch your back. Its angry and hungry!" Angel called from the abandoned warehouse in South Los Angeles. They both were battered and bruised from the furious demon. Angel didn't know how much longer they could last. He had cuts on his chest and his face.
"So the only way you can kill it is fire, water, or decapitation??" Gunn asked incredulously.
"Yeah." Angel focused on hitting the 10-foot demon in its weak points.
"I vote for decapitation! I mean, where are we gonna get water? It's drier than the Sahara here! And fire? No matches!" Gunn amused himself by going over his options.
"And decapitation? Tried it! Now, I can't get my axe back! The damn thing is stuck in its neck!" Angel shot back, annoyed.
"I don't know! What's your bright idea?" Gunn snapped, dodging a swiping claw.
"We drown it!" a female voice answered.
Both fighters turned towards the huge sliding entrance doors. There stood Serena holding a large fire hose, Cordelia at her side. Angel was suddenly knocked in the back and thrown across the warehouse into a pile of crates. Cordelia went to go help Angel.
"Gunn, you idiot, unless you want a free shower, I suggest you get out of the way!" Serena shouted. Gunn shot her a dirty look and reluctantly took a few steps back. Serena let the water loose and watched with amazement as the demon began to steam and shrivel up, becoming a puddle of brown goo. It was gone within a matter of minutes.
Serena shut off the hose, and ran to go check on Angel. Cordelia was helping him up. Serena took his arm and wrapped it around her neck to help support Angel.
"Everyone goes to check on Angel. No one checks on Gunn." Muttered Gunn. Cordy rolled her eyes and ran to help Gunn.
"You okay?" Serena whispered worriedly.
"I will be. I'm immortal, remember?" he reminded her gently as they limped out into the twilight.
"But you'll be sore." She propped Angel up against the car to check his face. There was a bruise on his left cheek, and his lip was cracked and bleeding freely. Angel licked his lips and groaned. "Ouch. I'll fix you up when we get back to the hotel." Angel nodded weakly.
Back at the hotel, Serena helped Angel up to his room with an ice pack and a wet rag.
"Lemme get changed, okay? Just turn your back or something." Angel requested. Serena just nodded politely and turned her back.
"This is a nice room. You have the whole balcony thing going on. Why don' t I have a balcony?" She asked.
"If you want one, I can give you another room. I have plenty here." Angel told her, his voice slightly muffled.
"No, I'm just pulling your leg. I don't need one." Serena smiled. "Are you decent yet?" she asked impatiently.
"Yeah, you can turn around. I'm good" Angel replied. Then, as she turned as saw that he had his back to her and was naked from the waist up, her heart began to pound. She paused, hypnotized by the sleek taper of the muscles in his back and his arms, the smooth skin at the nape of his neck. A large tattoo of a flying creature rippled on his right shoulder as he moved slightly, and she stirred from her daze and said, "Nice tattoo." He turned and struggled to walk toward his bed.
"Oh, let me help you!" she said to him and helped him into bed. "There." She said as he settled in. She propped up a few pillows for him to lean against. "Now let me see that bruise and those cuts." She used peroxide to clean the cut on his cheek. Angel winced, his face scrunching.
Then she began to bandage his wounds, making sure her complete concentration was on the abrasions. Angel stared at her face, studying it. She really is beautiful. He thought.
"What?" she asked looking in his eyes. He has beautiful eyes. So piercing, so brooding and mysterious. She thought to herself. She shyly diverted her gaze and put her full attention onto his wounds. Her heart was running rampant.
"It's amazing." Angel stated in wonderment.
"What?" she asked curiously, glancing into his eyes for a moment, then busied herself with cleaning his chest wound.
"You look so much like your sister. I see her in you." Angel reached a hand toward her face and lightly cradled her chin with his fingers. They locked into a gaze. His touch felt like electricity, magick. He stared deeply into her eyes. A rush of warmth shot through her; head to toes, she tingled. Her face was hot, her hands were cold. Desire mounted in her with every heartbeat. After a few moments she forced herself to look away and finish bandaging his wounds. Disappointed, he dropped his hand back onto his stomach. The moment was gone.
"There, done." She quickly stood up. "Well goodnight!" She smiled and shut off the light.
"Goodnight." Angel murmured, thinking of her. Her hands on his body had been gentle and careful. He still felt her touch as he drifted off into slumber.
Serena arose around 5 'o clock in the afternoon after an interrupted sleep. She checked her reflection before walking downstairs and found dark bags under her eyes and her hair shooting in every direction. She groaned.
'Might as well get dressed and put some makeup on for tonight.' She thought to herself. She grabbed her brush and got ready in 15 minutes. After hair and makeup, she put on a pair of olive leather pants, a black tank top, and a netted top over that, that had a wide neckline (it went to her shoulders) and strung all the way down the her thumb. Her thumbs poked through a whole on each sleeve. She quickly zipped up her leather boots and grabbed her leather jacket, checking to make sure a stake was still in the pocket, and her sheath and sword, and strode downstairs.
"Afternoon!" She called out into the empty lobby. She checked behind the counter, but no one was there. She threw her jacket and sword onto the empty couch and stood in the middle of the giant lobby alone.
"Hello?" She called. Cordelia walked through the door.
"Oh, you're up. Gunn and Angel are out nailing a demon. Wesley's at his place trying to find some info on this demon." Cordelia informed, busying herself behind the lobby counter.
"Hello? Slayer here! Why didn't they ask me to go with them?" She wondered, feeling a slight twang of hurt.
"Angel said he didn't want to wake you. He also said that you went through a lot and needed your rest." Cordelia informed her.
"Yes, I went through a lot, but it's all in the past. I'm dealing with that. As for my mom and sister, it hasn't quite hit me yet." She defended. She sank down into the couch. "I guess I didn't get to formally introduce myself." Serena stood and walked toward the counter.
"No, I guess not, with all the flying around last night." Cordy remarked under her breath, but loud enough for Serena to hear.
"No, I guess not. I hope there are no hard feelings. I just got the wrong impression of everything. I'm Serena." She held out her hand.
"No, there aren't any hard feelings. Just don't do that again." Cordelia smiled at her. "Cordelia." They shook hands briefly. "And don't blame Angel. He is just worried about you. And you should be blaming me. I had a vision and sent them away and really didn't let them argue." She smiled apologetically.
"You have visions?" Serena asked, stunned.
"Yeah, but you would think they would be simple and not painful. Wrong. My head feels like it explodes every time I get a vision. Trust me. Not fun." Cordelia cringed at the thought of it.
"Wow. That sucks." Serena said sympathetically.
"Anyway, the gang should be back soon. And if not, I'll send you out after them." Cordelia winked.
"Well, I'm bored. Do you need any bookwork done or anything?" Serena asked hopefully. "Yeah, you can help me look up the demon from my vision." Cordelia tossed her a book, then came from behind the counter with a stack of books and sat across from her.
Pretty soon, Serena found the demon after using Cordelia's description of the demon to help her nail it.
"Found it! I think." Serena held up the picture for Cordelia to see.
"That's it." Cordelia agreed. "That's ugly." The demon was 10 feet tall, according to the book. It was a Tryclar demon. It looked as if it were make of rock.
"Yeah, it is." Serena scrunched her face. "I would hate to wake up with that face every morning!"
"Let's call up Angel on the cell phone." Cordy was on the phone within a matter of seconds.
"Hello?" Angel's voice boomed from the phone.
"Angel, we found the demon." Cordy's voice had an urgency.
"Wow, perfect timing. So did we." Angel cracked.
"Serena, how do you kill it?" Cordy demanded.
"Umm."Serena skimmed the page. "It says here that you can kill a Tryclar demon by water, fire, or decapitation. I think that's it."
Cordelia relayed the killing ways, and hung up the phone. "Angel said that he's gonna need your help. C'mon, I can drive you."
Serena quickly grabbed her jacket and sword and was out the door behind Cordelia.
"Gunn, watch your back. Its angry and hungry!" Angel called from the abandoned warehouse in South Los Angeles. They both were battered and bruised from the furious demon. Angel didn't know how much longer they could last. He had cuts on his chest and his face.
"So the only way you can kill it is fire, water, or decapitation??" Gunn asked incredulously.
"Yeah." Angel focused on hitting the 10-foot demon in its weak points.
"I vote for decapitation! I mean, where are we gonna get water? It's drier than the Sahara here! And fire? No matches!" Gunn amused himself by going over his options.
"And decapitation? Tried it! Now, I can't get my axe back! The damn thing is stuck in its neck!" Angel shot back, annoyed.
"I don't know! What's your bright idea?" Gunn snapped, dodging a swiping claw.
"We drown it!" a female voice answered.
Both fighters turned towards the huge sliding entrance doors. There stood Serena holding a large fire hose, Cordelia at her side. Angel was suddenly knocked in the back and thrown across the warehouse into a pile of crates. Cordelia went to go help Angel.
"Gunn, you idiot, unless you want a free shower, I suggest you get out of the way!" Serena shouted. Gunn shot her a dirty look and reluctantly took a few steps back. Serena let the water loose and watched with amazement as the demon began to steam and shrivel up, becoming a puddle of brown goo. It was gone within a matter of minutes.
Serena shut off the hose, and ran to go check on Angel. Cordelia was helping him up. Serena took his arm and wrapped it around her neck to help support Angel.
"Everyone goes to check on Angel. No one checks on Gunn." Muttered Gunn. Cordy rolled her eyes and ran to help Gunn.
"You okay?" Serena whispered worriedly.
"I will be. I'm immortal, remember?" he reminded her gently as they limped out into the twilight.
"But you'll be sore." She propped Angel up against the car to check his face. There was a bruise on his left cheek, and his lip was cracked and bleeding freely. Angel licked his lips and groaned. "Ouch. I'll fix you up when we get back to the hotel." Angel nodded weakly.
Back at the hotel, Serena helped Angel up to his room with an ice pack and a wet rag.
"Lemme get changed, okay? Just turn your back or something." Angel requested. Serena just nodded politely and turned her back.
"This is a nice room. You have the whole balcony thing going on. Why don' t I have a balcony?" She asked.
"If you want one, I can give you another room. I have plenty here." Angel told her, his voice slightly muffled.
"No, I'm just pulling your leg. I don't need one." Serena smiled. "Are you decent yet?" she asked impatiently.
"Yeah, you can turn around. I'm good" Angel replied. Then, as she turned as saw that he had his back to her and was naked from the waist up, her heart began to pound. She paused, hypnotized by the sleek taper of the muscles in his back and his arms, the smooth skin at the nape of his neck. A large tattoo of a flying creature rippled on his right shoulder as he moved slightly, and she stirred from her daze and said, "Nice tattoo." He turned and struggled to walk toward his bed.
"Oh, let me help you!" she said to him and helped him into bed. "There." She said as he settled in. She propped up a few pillows for him to lean against. "Now let me see that bruise and those cuts." She used peroxide to clean the cut on his cheek. Angel winced, his face scrunching.
Then she began to bandage his wounds, making sure her complete concentration was on the abrasions. Angel stared at her face, studying it. She really is beautiful. He thought.
"What?" she asked looking in his eyes. He has beautiful eyes. So piercing, so brooding and mysterious. She thought to herself. She shyly diverted her gaze and put her full attention onto his wounds. Her heart was running rampant.
"It's amazing." Angel stated in wonderment.
"What?" she asked curiously, glancing into his eyes for a moment, then busied herself with cleaning his chest wound.
"You look so much like your sister. I see her in you." Angel reached a hand toward her face and lightly cradled her chin with his fingers. They locked into a gaze. His touch felt like electricity, magick. He stared deeply into her eyes. A rush of warmth shot through her; head to toes, she tingled. Her face was hot, her hands were cold. Desire mounted in her with every heartbeat. After a few moments she forced herself to look away and finish bandaging his wounds. Disappointed, he dropped his hand back onto his stomach. The moment was gone.
"There, done." She quickly stood up. "Well goodnight!" She smiled and shut off the light.
"Goodnight." Angel murmured, thinking of her. Her hands on his body had been gentle and careful. He still felt her touch as he drifted off into slumber.