Chapter 6
Angel tapped his finger on the table impatiently as he waited by the phone. It had been over two hours since Serena called him and he was beginning to get nervous. He was worried that she was jumping headlong into something she didn't even have a clue about. He heard footsteps in the lobby of the hotel, and someone welcome that person. He walked out, curious, and found Serena standing there, stone-faced.
"Serena." He called. She turned to him.
"Cordelia, I need you to run a search on Christian Edwards. Tell me what you come up with." Cordelia looked puzzled.
"But why-," Cordy asked.
"Because there's something going on." Serena cut in. "Something a lot bigger than we think. Something more than shadow creatures attacking people for no reason that we know of. Well, I'm going to find out that reason."
Angel looked at her curiously. While Cordelia got to work on the computer, Serena explained what happened. "I'm sorry I couldn't call. I was just doing major investigation." She said when she finished her story.
"So what do you make out of this crypt?" he asked, mentally trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"I think there's something in the crypt that he didn't want me to see." She confided. "I also don't think he's really a medical examiner or there's a dead body that he's studying. It's something darker than that."
"How do you know?" Angel asked, surprised by how serious she was.
"I could just sense it, I guess." She shook her head. "It seems like there's something about him that doesn't add up. I have this weird feeling that this has something to do with the prophecies about you becoming human." She stared off into space.
He gazed at her face. He pulled her into his arms. "I was worried about you." He stroked her silky hair and enjoyed the feeling of her in wrapped in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and gripped him tightly.
"It was really creepy." She said against his neck. She shuddered. "I'm just happy to be back here." She buried her head in his neck and closed her eyes, welcoming the warm waves of pleasure that washed around her. He was worried about her and that felt so good to her.
He just held her. Even though he couldn't say what he felt, what she knew he felt, he could still show it. This was his one way of showing it. He loved holding her like this and he never wanted to let go.
"Um, Serena? I hate to interrupt the moment, but you better come look at this." Cordelia called urgently.
Serena gazed at Angel, and kissed him warmly, then went over to Cordelia. "What did you find?" she asked. She looked over the report in front of her. "Oh my gosh!" She couldn't believe her eyes.
"What?" Angel asked, striding over to the girls.
"Edwards is on probation for manipulating people and starting a cult. A cult?" she asked quizzically. "Hmm." She thought, tapping her lip with her finger. She snapped her fingers.
"So, Edwards is a cult leader. In the prophecies, you can kill whatever he's worshipping, right? So he may want to get rid of you first by using shadow creatures." Serena said triumphantly.
"Why would they come after you?" Angel asked, confused. "If you haven't noticed, they aren't just coming after me." Suddenly it dawned on him. "You help me regain humanity. You are the key. If something happens to you, I get weaker, and they can kill me!"
"Right. When you turn human, you will be strong. Edwards doesn't want that." Serena agreed. "I think we need to hit the streets, to find whatever we can on Edwards, his cult, and his.whatever he's worshipping."
"Guys, it says here that Edwards has an interest in magick. While he was in jail for a short time, some of his friends, who I'm betting are members of his cult, brought him magick books. That explains the shadow creatures." Cordelia informed.
"Wesley, try to find anything you can on Edwards and his cult and what the hell he's worshipping. If you find anything, call the cell phone." Angel instructed. "Gunn, Serena, come with me. We might have to hurt people to get information out of them." Serena, Gunn, and Angel strode out of the hotel.
*****
"Hiya, Eddie boy!" Serena chirped. She sat on the bar stool, glaring at Ed. Ed was a demon bartender that had connections, and whenever the price was right, he would gladly give up the information. He didn't look happy to see the Slayer.
"What do you want?" He asked, wiping the counter off.
"Oh, a Coke and maybe some info to go with that." Serena said nonchalantly. She looked around. "Slow night." She commented.
"Thursdays usually are." Ed agreed, avoiding the subject of the information.
"Hey, Eddie, my man, let's go out back and chat. Do some catching up!" Serena bit, growing impatient.
"Listen," Ed leaned in close, whispering, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Just make it look real ugly, like I don't wanna tell ya." Ed began to wipe the counter down again. Serena hopped over the bar and punched Ed in the face. He keeled back, nose bleeding. He touched it, finding blood on his fingers.
"Damn! I was talking about acting, not the real thing!" he spat. He glared at her angrily.
"Sorry, I'm not in the acting mood. Just tell me what I want to know." Serena told him, tapping her foot. "His name's Edwards, Christian Edwards. Runs a cult. You know him?"
"Edwards, Edwards." Ed mumbled to himself, staring off into space. He snapped back into reality. "Nope, don't know him. Now can you please leave?" Ed looked around nervously, his eyes shifting, not meeting hers.
She used her power and threw him up against the wall. Glass shattered and a table broke. "I don't like that answer, Eddie. I think you're lying to me, and you know how much I hate liars." Anger sparked in her eyes. She stood over the fallen bartender menacingly. She lifted him up by the collar, cutting off his air supply. Ed began to wheeze and turn purple.
Ed waved his hands weakly. Serena kindly loosened her grip to let him take in a breath. "Come on, Ed, what do you know?" she prodded.
"Okay, okay. Could you just let me go?" Serena gave him a hateful look, but, against her better judgement, she set him on his feet. She towered over the small demon.
"Okay, this guy, Edwards, he worships this snake demon guy, by the name of Machida, I think. This Machida is a soul-stealer. He consumes children's souls. After the consuming, from what I've heard, things get chaotic."
"How?" Serena demanded, trying to get all of the information she could out of Eddie before he went stale.
"I don't know." He held up his hands, as if to defend himself. "I'm telling the truth. I swear."
She looked at him hard, and decided that he was, in fact, telling the truth. "Go on."
He slowly put his hands down, surprised she didn't attack him. "Okay, according to the prophecies, Angel, once he regains his humanity, can kill this guy's god. So I heard that this Edwards guy wants to kill you and maybe Angel to protect his god before the ceremony. Killing you would weaken Angel." Ed looked around the bar. All of the demons that were there had left. "You scared away all of my business!" He glared at her.
"You have bigger problems to worry about Ed." She balled her fist, ready to strike again for his remark, but let it slide. "When is the ceremony?" She asked.
"How should I know?" Ed shrugged.
Serena shrugged too, and grabbed his neck and threw him across the room. Ed landed on his head. "Ed, you know everything that's going on. You know when the ceremony is." She picked him up and prepared to punch him.
"Wait! The ceremony is in exactly two weeks from today." Ed blurted out. "Just don't hit me."
"So you're saying, that is, if you're telling the truth, which you better be," Serena gave Ed a look. He put on his innocent face, "Angel will receive his humanity within a few weeks."
"I guess so. But you heard none of this from me." Ed said, looking at the damage in his bar. He turned back to Serena, but she had disappeared. He cursed her. He found a twenty dollar bill lying on the bar. He stuffed it in his pocket and began to clean up his bar.
Angel tapped his finger on the table impatiently as he waited by the phone. It had been over two hours since Serena called him and he was beginning to get nervous. He was worried that she was jumping headlong into something she didn't even have a clue about. He heard footsteps in the lobby of the hotel, and someone welcome that person. He walked out, curious, and found Serena standing there, stone-faced.
"Serena." He called. She turned to him.
"Cordelia, I need you to run a search on Christian Edwards. Tell me what you come up with." Cordelia looked puzzled.
"But why-," Cordy asked.
"Because there's something going on." Serena cut in. "Something a lot bigger than we think. Something more than shadow creatures attacking people for no reason that we know of. Well, I'm going to find out that reason."
Angel looked at her curiously. While Cordelia got to work on the computer, Serena explained what happened. "I'm sorry I couldn't call. I was just doing major investigation." She said when she finished her story.
"So what do you make out of this crypt?" he asked, mentally trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"I think there's something in the crypt that he didn't want me to see." She confided. "I also don't think he's really a medical examiner or there's a dead body that he's studying. It's something darker than that."
"How do you know?" Angel asked, surprised by how serious she was.
"I could just sense it, I guess." She shook her head. "It seems like there's something about him that doesn't add up. I have this weird feeling that this has something to do with the prophecies about you becoming human." She stared off into space.
He gazed at her face. He pulled her into his arms. "I was worried about you." He stroked her silky hair and enjoyed the feeling of her in wrapped in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and gripped him tightly.
"It was really creepy." She said against his neck. She shuddered. "I'm just happy to be back here." She buried her head in his neck and closed her eyes, welcoming the warm waves of pleasure that washed around her. He was worried about her and that felt so good to her.
He just held her. Even though he couldn't say what he felt, what she knew he felt, he could still show it. This was his one way of showing it. He loved holding her like this and he never wanted to let go.
"Um, Serena? I hate to interrupt the moment, but you better come look at this." Cordelia called urgently.
Serena gazed at Angel, and kissed him warmly, then went over to Cordelia. "What did you find?" she asked. She looked over the report in front of her. "Oh my gosh!" She couldn't believe her eyes.
"What?" Angel asked, striding over to the girls.
"Edwards is on probation for manipulating people and starting a cult. A cult?" she asked quizzically. "Hmm." She thought, tapping her lip with her finger. She snapped her fingers.
"So, Edwards is a cult leader. In the prophecies, you can kill whatever he's worshipping, right? So he may want to get rid of you first by using shadow creatures." Serena said triumphantly.
"Why would they come after you?" Angel asked, confused. "If you haven't noticed, they aren't just coming after me." Suddenly it dawned on him. "You help me regain humanity. You are the key. If something happens to you, I get weaker, and they can kill me!"
"Right. When you turn human, you will be strong. Edwards doesn't want that." Serena agreed. "I think we need to hit the streets, to find whatever we can on Edwards, his cult, and his.whatever he's worshipping."
"Guys, it says here that Edwards has an interest in magick. While he was in jail for a short time, some of his friends, who I'm betting are members of his cult, brought him magick books. That explains the shadow creatures." Cordelia informed.
"Wesley, try to find anything you can on Edwards and his cult and what the hell he's worshipping. If you find anything, call the cell phone." Angel instructed. "Gunn, Serena, come with me. We might have to hurt people to get information out of them." Serena, Gunn, and Angel strode out of the hotel.
*****
"Hiya, Eddie boy!" Serena chirped. She sat on the bar stool, glaring at Ed. Ed was a demon bartender that had connections, and whenever the price was right, he would gladly give up the information. He didn't look happy to see the Slayer.
"What do you want?" He asked, wiping the counter off.
"Oh, a Coke and maybe some info to go with that." Serena said nonchalantly. She looked around. "Slow night." She commented.
"Thursdays usually are." Ed agreed, avoiding the subject of the information.
"Hey, Eddie, my man, let's go out back and chat. Do some catching up!" Serena bit, growing impatient.
"Listen," Ed leaned in close, whispering, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know. Just make it look real ugly, like I don't wanna tell ya." Ed began to wipe the counter down again. Serena hopped over the bar and punched Ed in the face. He keeled back, nose bleeding. He touched it, finding blood on his fingers.
"Damn! I was talking about acting, not the real thing!" he spat. He glared at her angrily.
"Sorry, I'm not in the acting mood. Just tell me what I want to know." Serena told him, tapping her foot. "His name's Edwards, Christian Edwards. Runs a cult. You know him?"
"Edwards, Edwards." Ed mumbled to himself, staring off into space. He snapped back into reality. "Nope, don't know him. Now can you please leave?" Ed looked around nervously, his eyes shifting, not meeting hers.
She used her power and threw him up against the wall. Glass shattered and a table broke. "I don't like that answer, Eddie. I think you're lying to me, and you know how much I hate liars." Anger sparked in her eyes. She stood over the fallen bartender menacingly. She lifted him up by the collar, cutting off his air supply. Ed began to wheeze and turn purple.
Ed waved his hands weakly. Serena kindly loosened her grip to let him take in a breath. "Come on, Ed, what do you know?" she prodded.
"Okay, okay. Could you just let me go?" Serena gave him a hateful look, but, against her better judgement, she set him on his feet. She towered over the small demon.
"Okay, this guy, Edwards, he worships this snake demon guy, by the name of Machida, I think. This Machida is a soul-stealer. He consumes children's souls. After the consuming, from what I've heard, things get chaotic."
"How?" Serena demanded, trying to get all of the information she could out of Eddie before he went stale.
"I don't know." He held up his hands, as if to defend himself. "I'm telling the truth. I swear."
She looked at him hard, and decided that he was, in fact, telling the truth. "Go on."
He slowly put his hands down, surprised she didn't attack him. "Okay, according to the prophecies, Angel, once he regains his humanity, can kill this guy's god. So I heard that this Edwards guy wants to kill you and maybe Angel to protect his god before the ceremony. Killing you would weaken Angel." Ed looked around the bar. All of the demons that were there had left. "You scared away all of my business!" He glared at her.
"You have bigger problems to worry about Ed." She balled her fist, ready to strike again for his remark, but let it slide. "When is the ceremony?" She asked.
"How should I know?" Ed shrugged.
Serena shrugged too, and grabbed his neck and threw him across the room. Ed landed on his head. "Ed, you know everything that's going on. You know when the ceremony is." She picked him up and prepared to punch him.
"Wait! The ceremony is in exactly two weeks from today." Ed blurted out. "Just don't hit me."
"So you're saying, that is, if you're telling the truth, which you better be," Serena gave Ed a look. He put on his innocent face, "Angel will receive his humanity within a few weeks."
"I guess so. But you heard none of this from me." Ed said, looking at the damage in his bar. He turned back to Serena, but she had disappeared. He cursed her. He found a twenty dollar bill lying on the bar. He stuffed it in his pocket and began to clean up his bar.