Chapter 2
Serena studied Angel's face as he drove. When she looked into his eyes after leaving the karaoke bar, she saw a spark of something she had never seen before in his eyes. Hope. Hundreds of thoughts ran through her mind. What was her role in helping Angel receive humanity? Would she have to die for him? She shook her head and stared at the road.
"What are you thinking about?" Angel's voice cut through the hum of the accelerator and the sound of the tires. His eyes never moved from the road.
"How did you know I was thinking about anything?" She replied, running her fingers through her long dark hair.
"After what we found out, there's nothing else you would be thinking of." Angel glanced at her. She looked in his eyes. He noticed the worry in her eyes.
"What are you worried about?" He asked, looking back at the road. "Before you say a word, it's written all over your face."
Serena laughed quietly. Ever since the day she met him, he had an uncanny way of knowing what she was thinking. It made her feel uncomfortable at times, to feel like he was somehow reading her mind. But she dismissed it. She had no one left in the world except her little sister, Dawn, who was living with Giles. Serena's mother and sister died only a short time ago, and Giles was Buffy's, her sister's, Watcher. Buffy was the Slayer, and when she died, she passed the gift on to Serena. Serena felt very alone when she came to find Angel, and when she learned of her sister's and mother's death, she felt even more alone. Somehow, she found a comfort in Angel, knowing he was lonely too. Now, she felt like she had a purpose, saving the innocent from the darkness many were oblivious of.
Serena sighed. "I guess I'm worried about my role in your redemption." She paused. "I mean, I know I'm supposed to help you get it, but what am I going to have to do? Am I going to get killed? What if this never happens? Those are some of the questions repeating themselves over and over in my mind."
"I don't know what to tell you because I don't have answers myself. Some of those same questions were running through my mind." He smiled at her.
"You're excited about this, aren't you? I don't think I've ever saw you excited before." Serena commented.
"Its definitely a feeling I'm not used to. Anticipating a battle, that's different." He shook his head, as if to clear it. "In all of my 245 years as a vampire, I've done some pretty bad things. Torture, mass murder, just to name a few. I've had my ups and downs, like any person. But the last century or so, I've worked for redemption. I tried to make up for all of the destruction I caused as Angelus. Now, for it to actually come true." Serena touched his arm.
"I can't even imagine how you feel right now." Angel pulled in front of the hotel. Her grip tightened, fingers burying into his arm. "But Angel, the psychic guy was right. We can't lose perspective, or we'll lose your redemption instead. We have to do what we do best, and that's kill evil stuff. Don't let all this humanity talk get to your head."
Angel smiled at her wearily. "I know, Serena. Trust me, I know." Gingerly, she let go of his arm.
"I'm beat. Let's go inside." Angel suggested. "The sun's going to come up in a couple of hours and I need sleep. Are you coming?"
Serena nodded, stepping out of the car. She took Angel's outstretched hand and walked into the hotel.
Angel swung her into his arms and gently brushed her lips with his. Her heart pounded in her ears as the kiss became deeper. She pulled him close, enjoying the feel of his body against hers.
Someone cleared their throat. Angel broke this kiss and they both looked uncomfortably at the intruders. Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia. There was an uneasy silence.
"Uh, well. I won't say anything if you won't." Wesley reasoned.
"Y'all need to do that kinda stuff in places where people won't walk in on you." Gunn muttered in disgust.
"What are you guys doing home so early?" Angel asked, ignoring the comments.
"Oh, yeah. I had a vision." Cordy said matter-of-factly. "You know, I was drinking a little, a guy was hitting on me, and then a vision decided at that moment to hit. You should talk to The Powers That Be about their timing."
"Cordy, the vision?" Angel asked impatiently.
"Oh, right. The vision. A young woman in an alley with a few vamps, behind a restaurant." Cordelia described.
"Oh, wow, that narrows it down to only 2,000 restaurants in the Los Angeles area." Serena remarked dryly.
Cordelia shot her a dirty look. "It was behind the old Chinese restaurant on Forsyth Street." Angel nodded at Serena and Gunn. Serena grabbed her sword and followed Gunn and Angel to the car.
*****
The muffled screams told Serena they were in the right place. Needing no invitation, she, Angel, and Gunn walked up to a group of vampires just as one was about to bite the young woman. Serena used her power to shove the vampire away from the woman. She turned to the lady. "Go, get out of here." The woman screamed and ran from the alley.
"Hey, that was our dinner!" A vampire with rainbow clothing snarled. "Guess you'll have to do."
"Can I make one suggestion?" Serena asked sweetly. "Take a look in a mirror. You need to get some new clothes." She spat, and kicked the grinning vampire in front of her in the face. It staggered back and she quickly decapitated it. She glanced at Angel and Gunn. They were busy fighting their own ugly vampires. Another vampire lunged at her and knocked the sword from her hand.
"Okay, I didn't need that anyway." She pulled a stake from her jacket and buried into the chest of the vamp in front of her. It exploded into dust. She slipped the stake back into her pocket and picked up her sword, and slid it into the sheath. She looked over at Angel and Gunn. They were wiping the dust and ash from their clothes.
"All done here." She called. Out of the corner of her eye, there was a flash of movement. She whipped around and scanned the long path. There was nothing there. All of a sudden, she saw it again. She peered at it, not quite believing her eyes. It looked like a shadow of a large cat. When it walked into patches of darkness, it disappeared. When it walked under a light, it was black, and seemed never ending, like a black hole. She shook her head. It disappeared.
"Did you guys see that?" she asked, turning towards them.
"See what?" Angel asked, walking up next to her and gazed down the long alleyway. "I don't see anything."
"It's gone now." Serena retorted. Serena sighed.
"Let's get back to Wesley and Cordelia. Then you can tell everyone what you saw and maybe Wesley will know what it is." Angel put an arm around her and led her back to the car.
*****
"Describe what you saw." Wesley told Serena gently, pen and paper in hand.
"Okay. Just give me a second." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was like a shadow. It looked like a large cat of some sort. But it was weird. Under some light, you can make it out. It seemed dark and bottomless, like the bottomless pit or something. But as soon as it walked into darkness, it seemed to blend in and disappear." Serena described.
"So it was a bottomless, dark, shadow creature." Wesley said, eyeing her.
"Yes, that's pretty much." Serena glared at him. "You don't believe me, do you?" "I never said that." Wesley objected.
"No, but your look said it all." Serena said through gritted teeth. She stood. "I know what I saw. You don't have to believe me; I don't care. But all I know is that when I looked at it, I could feel its evil. And I'm going to stop it, with or without your help." She turned and stormed up the stairs.
Gunn glanced at Angel. "The girl isn't exactly dealin' with a full deck, is she?"
Angel just stared at the floor.
Serena studied Angel's face as he drove. When she looked into his eyes after leaving the karaoke bar, she saw a spark of something she had never seen before in his eyes. Hope. Hundreds of thoughts ran through her mind. What was her role in helping Angel receive humanity? Would she have to die for him? She shook her head and stared at the road.
"What are you thinking about?" Angel's voice cut through the hum of the accelerator and the sound of the tires. His eyes never moved from the road.
"How did you know I was thinking about anything?" She replied, running her fingers through her long dark hair.
"After what we found out, there's nothing else you would be thinking of." Angel glanced at her. She looked in his eyes. He noticed the worry in her eyes.
"What are you worried about?" He asked, looking back at the road. "Before you say a word, it's written all over your face."
Serena laughed quietly. Ever since the day she met him, he had an uncanny way of knowing what she was thinking. It made her feel uncomfortable at times, to feel like he was somehow reading her mind. But she dismissed it. She had no one left in the world except her little sister, Dawn, who was living with Giles. Serena's mother and sister died only a short time ago, and Giles was Buffy's, her sister's, Watcher. Buffy was the Slayer, and when she died, she passed the gift on to Serena. Serena felt very alone when she came to find Angel, and when she learned of her sister's and mother's death, she felt even more alone. Somehow, she found a comfort in Angel, knowing he was lonely too. Now, she felt like she had a purpose, saving the innocent from the darkness many were oblivious of.
Serena sighed. "I guess I'm worried about my role in your redemption." She paused. "I mean, I know I'm supposed to help you get it, but what am I going to have to do? Am I going to get killed? What if this never happens? Those are some of the questions repeating themselves over and over in my mind."
"I don't know what to tell you because I don't have answers myself. Some of those same questions were running through my mind." He smiled at her.
"You're excited about this, aren't you? I don't think I've ever saw you excited before." Serena commented.
"Its definitely a feeling I'm not used to. Anticipating a battle, that's different." He shook his head, as if to clear it. "In all of my 245 years as a vampire, I've done some pretty bad things. Torture, mass murder, just to name a few. I've had my ups and downs, like any person. But the last century or so, I've worked for redemption. I tried to make up for all of the destruction I caused as Angelus. Now, for it to actually come true." Serena touched his arm.
"I can't even imagine how you feel right now." Angel pulled in front of the hotel. Her grip tightened, fingers burying into his arm. "But Angel, the psychic guy was right. We can't lose perspective, or we'll lose your redemption instead. We have to do what we do best, and that's kill evil stuff. Don't let all this humanity talk get to your head."
Angel smiled at her wearily. "I know, Serena. Trust me, I know." Gingerly, she let go of his arm.
"I'm beat. Let's go inside." Angel suggested. "The sun's going to come up in a couple of hours and I need sleep. Are you coming?"
Serena nodded, stepping out of the car. She took Angel's outstretched hand and walked into the hotel.
Angel swung her into his arms and gently brushed her lips with his. Her heart pounded in her ears as the kiss became deeper. She pulled him close, enjoying the feel of his body against hers.
Someone cleared their throat. Angel broke this kiss and they both looked uncomfortably at the intruders. Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia. There was an uneasy silence.
"Uh, well. I won't say anything if you won't." Wesley reasoned.
"Y'all need to do that kinda stuff in places where people won't walk in on you." Gunn muttered in disgust.
"What are you guys doing home so early?" Angel asked, ignoring the comments.
"Oh, yeah. I had a vision." Cordy said matter-of-factly. "You know, I was drinking a little, a guy was hitting on me, and then a vision decided at that moment to hit. You should talk to The Powers That Be about their timing."
"Cordy, the vision?" Angel asked impatiently.
"Oh, right. The vision. A young woman in an alley with a few vamps, behind a restaurant." Cordelia described.
"Oh, wow, that narrows it down to only 2,000 restaurants in the Los Angeles area." Serena remarked dryly.
Cordelia shot her a dirty look. "It was behind the old Chinese restaurant on Forsyth Street." Angel nodded at Serena and Gunn. Serena grabbed her sword and followed Gunn and Angel to the car.
*****
The muffled screams told Serena they were in the right place. Needing no invitation, she, Angel, and Gunn walked up to a group of vampires just as one was about to bite the young woman. Serena used her power to shove the vampire away from the woman. She turned to the lady. "Go, get out of here." The woman screamed and ran from the alley.
"Hey, that was our dinner!" A vampire with rainbow clothing snarled. "Guess you'll have to do."
"Can I make one suggestion?" Serena asked sweetly. "Take a look in a mirror. You need to get some new clothes." She spat, and kicked the grinning vampire in front of her in the face. It staggered back and she quickly decapitated it. She glanced at Angel and Gunn. They were busy fighting their own ugly vampires. Another vampire lunged at her and knocked the sword from her hand.
"Okay, I didn't need that anyway." She pulled a stake from her jacket and buried into the chest of the vamp in front of her. It exploded into dust. She slipped the stake back into her pocket and picked up her sword, and slid it into the sheath. She looked over at Angel and Gunn. They were wiping the dust and ash from their clothes.
"All done here." She called. Out of the corner of her eye, there was a flash of movement. She whipped around and scanned the long path. There was nothing there. All of a sudden, she saw it again. She peered at it, not quite believing her eyes. It looked like a shadow of a large cat. When it walked into patches of darkness, it disappeared. When it walked under a light, it was black, and seemed never ending, like a black hole. She shook her head. It disappeared.
"Did you guys see that?" she asked, turning towards them.
"See what?" Angel asked, walking up next to her and gazed down the long alleyway. "I don't see anything."
"It's gone now." Serena retorted. Serena sighed.
"Let's get back to Wesley and Cordelia. Then you can tell everyone what you saw and maybe Wesley will know what it is." Angel put an arm around her and led her back to the car.
*****
"Describe what you saw." Wesley told Serena gently, pen and paper in hand.
"Okay. Just give me a second." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "It was like a shadow. It looked like a large cat of some sort. But it was weird. Under some light, you can make it out. It seemed dark and bottomless, like the bottomless pit or something. But as soon as it walked into darkness, it seemed to blend in and disappear." Serena described.
"So it was a bottomless, dark, shadow creature." Wesley said, eyeing her.
"Yes, that's pretty much." Serena glared at him. "You don't believe me, do you?" "I never said that." Wesley objected.
"No, but your look said it all." Serena said through gritted teeth. She stood. "I know what I saw. You don't have to believe me; I don't care. But all I know is that when I looked at it, I could feel its evil. And I'm going to stop it, with or without your help." She turned and stormed up the stairs.
Gunn glanced at Angel. "The girl isn't exactly dealin' with a full deck, is she?"
Angel just stared at the floor.