Chapter 9
The elevator doors parted and Wesley stepped onto the fifth floor. He had pretended to be an emotionally distraught family member to find out where Aubrey had been taken after being admitted through the Emergency Room.
Wesley grimaced as he breathed hospital air. He hated hospitals; the smell, the overly bright lighting, the deceptively cheerful pastel-colored walls.he hated it even though he had his share of hospital time himself.
He casually strolled around the corner toward the reception desk, trying not to look out of place, and saw a bit of commotion going on. A doctor and some nurses were fussing about a patient in the hall.
"Thank you, I'm feeling much better now," Wesley overheard the woman say as he came a little closer. "So, are you married?"
Wesley knew that voice.
"I just don't know what the problem could be. Maybe the PEZ diet isn't for me, but Gwyneth swears she lost."
Cordelia, Wesley thought, rolling his eyes. So, Cordy's the distraction. He laughed to himself.
He was about to call out her name when she caught sight of him. Wesley smiled and she made a horrible face in reply. It looked as though she were having some kind of seizure until he realized that she was shaking her head no. Being the sharp character he was, Wesley guessed that she wanted him to stay away.
He watched as she suddenly went rigid.
"Oh," she exclaimed, as she fell back into the arms of a man Wesley believed to be a doctor, though he seemed a bit young.
The commotion began all over again. Wesley noticed that while Cordy was flailing her arms about, she pointed several times down the hallway behind him.
She caught his eye again and gave him a quick wink. The doctor and nurses were helping her back into her seat. The doctor was checking her heart rate with a stethoscope and talking about tests.
Wesley headed down the hall in the direction she had pointed. He shook his head and smiled as he peered into various rooms looking for Angel or Serena. How anyone can buy her act as anything more than a bunch on nonsense is beyond me.
Wesley found Serena sitting in a chair outside a room, head in her hands. She directed him inside, where he saw Angel sitting with June Bentone next to Aubrey's bed. He tapped on the doorframe to catch their attention. It looked like they were standing watch over the little girl, mother on one side, Angel on the other. Each held one of the child's hands in theirs.
"Excuse me, Angel?"
Angel gently set the girl's hand down.
"Wesley." Angel motioned him to come closer to the hospital bed. The woman looked from Angel to Wesley, back to Angel. Serena walked into the room, looking around, puzzled.
Angel introduced Wesley to June politely. June looked as if she had been through hell, but here was something in her eyes----a spark. It was a glimmer of hope. Wesley had seen that look before, in the eyes of others to whom Angel offered his assistance.
"I'm sure we'll be doing everything in our power to help her."
"Thank you," June said, as she lovingly stroked her daughter's arm.
Wesley took Angel by the shoulder. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Ms. Bentone?"
She nodded and turned her attention back onto her daughter as the two men and the Slayer moved into the corridor.
"I went to the house as you asked." Wesley began, speaking in a hushed whisper so the child's mother wouldn't hear.
"Did you find anything?"
Wesley appeared nervous as he reached into his pocket. "Yes, and I found something and I don't like the looks of it one bit." He placed the glass vial in Angel's palm. "I found it on the floor of the girl's room. I seriously doubt it belongs to anyone in the household."
Angel studied the vial.
"The symbols appear to be demonic by nature." Wesley leaned close to Angel and gripped his arm. "With all my heart, I hope I'm wrong, but I think know what's happened to her."
Serena finally spoke up.
"What?"
Wesley looked past Angel into the hospital room, at June and her daughter. June still sat with Aubrey's lifeless hand in hers. Her eyes were closed and her mouth moved silently. Wesley guessed she was praying. He looked back at the vampire and the Slayer.
"The girl's life force is missing." Wesley leaned back against the doorframe and sighed. "I think somebody's taken her soul."
Angel walked back in, seriousness cloaking his face. He touched the mother's arm. "June. I need to know if there was anyone who might want to hurt your daughter. A friend of the family or family member, maybe?" Angel asked bluntly.
June's eyes widened as the meaning of his question became clear. "What do you mean? Do you think somebody did this to Aubrey, someone who we knew?"
Serena put a comforting hand on the broken woman's shoulder. "We just need to consider every possibility." Serena said in her most soothing voice. "Is there anyone, family or friend, that could've had access to your house, maybe someone you were fighting with?" She recalled Wesley saying something about a folded picture.
June twisted a tissue in her hands. "Just my ex, David. We had it out a few weeks back about child support, but." She shook her head empathetically. "No. No, he's a lowlife but I don't think even he'd sink low enough to hurt his own flesh and blood."
Angel handed June a business card. "We're going to continue with the investigation on our end. If you think of anything that may be useful to the case, please don't hesitate to call us anytime."
She took the business card from him. "But we haven't even talked about your rates. I mean, how much does."
"I want to help," Angel interrupted her. "We all do. If you can afford to pay, fine. If not.I want to help."
June's mouth just opened slightly, but she had no words to express the gratitude that blossomed on her features. After a moment, she glanced away, overcome with emotion.
Angel stared good and hard at the little girl, absorbing the sight into his memory. He knew that there was a good fight ahead, but he wanted to make sure that he knew what he was fighting for. He turned around to find Serena staring at him thoughtfully. She let out a long sigh and turned.
"So are we forgetting anything?" Wesley asked. Just then, Cordelia Chase's voice rang out.
"I really don't think so, Phil. A couple of Advils and a good night's sleep and I should feel daisy-fresh."
She was being pushed in a wheelchair down the hallway by a good-looking young doctor.
"I'm very concerned about these dizzy spells, Miss Chase. We'll have some blood work done and then."
Cordelia saw Serena, Angel, and Wesley and smiled. "Hey guys."
Wesley began to clap. The doctor eyed him suspiciously. "A brilliant performance, Cordelia. I saw a bit of it as I came in."
Beaming, she got up from the chair without so much as a hint of a problem. "You think so? So, what's up?"
The doctor was confused. "Miss Chase? Maybe you should sit down before."
She turned away from the gang for a moment and smiled radiantly at the doctor. "That's okay, Phil, I think I'm feeling much better now."
She returned her attention back to her friends. "So did you find anything out? What's wrong with the little girl?"
"That's something we all have to research. What I'd like you to do is talk to the girl's mother," Angel pointed to the room down the hall. "See if you can get us anything on the people they have contact with from day to day."
Cordelia nodded. "Check."
"Be sure to ask about her husband." Serena added. "I have a weird feeling that she may have more to do with him than she's letting on."
The doctor cleared his throat, annoyed. "Miss Chase, the tests?"
Cordelia smiled at him again. "I'm suddenly feeling fine, Phil. Looks like I'm cured."
She proceeded down the hall toward Aubrey Bentone's room.
The four watched her go. The doctor glared at them.
"It's a miracle!" Serena exclaimed, throwing up her hands overdramatically.
Angel, Serena, and Wesley left Phil standing with his empty wheelchair and walked to the bank of elevators. The look on the young physician's face said he still wasn't sure what had just happened.
Angel turned to Serena, a grim expression on his face. "Your pal Ed seems to know a lot of stuff." He started.
She sighed. "Give me the vial. I'll go pay a visit and be back later." She held out her hand expectantly. "Oh, and a little money to pay him for his services."
Angel gave her a weary look and handed her the vial and a $50 bill. The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened. "Thank you very much!" she exclaimed, kissing the money and leaving the two men on the elevator, wondering what had gotten into her.
*****
Serena had Ed pinned up against the wall with one hand, and was checking her nails on the other hand. She yawned, and turned to glare at Eddie.
"Come on, Eddie. Don't you get tired of playing these games?" She asked, beginning to crush his windpipe. Ed made a big mistake of trying to hit the Slayer. She quickly taught him a lesson by planting her foot nice and hard right in his midsection, making his face turn blue. "A little girl's life is on the line. I'm not going to stop until you tell me what I need to know. You know that. So make it easy on yourself and tell me what this is," she said, holding up the vial, "and I'll be on my way."
Ed made a motion with his hands and she dropped him to his feet. She let him catch his breath. "Can I see it?" he asked cautiously. Still glaring, she, against her better judgment, handed Ed the vial.
Ed studied the vial carefully. He opened the vial and sniffed. "Interesting," he muttered in a low voice, "It hasn't been used."
"What's it been used for?" Serena asked impatiently, leaning in to study the vial herself.
Eddie sighed and handed the vial back to Serena. "Nasty business. It's used as a receptacle for a soul." He shook his head and headed back to his counter. Serena followed. "It hasn't been used yet, or it would have a funky smell. Kind of like lilac and cinnamon with a little bit of nail polish remover thrown in for a good measure.if what I'm told is true."
Serena slipped the vial back into her pocket. "Fill me in. What are souls used for?"
Ed scratched his head. "Let me see." Eddie was a supernatural fanatic, reading all books on everything. Since his wife mysteriously disappeared 20 years before, Ed vowed to bring her back. 20 years, and he still hadn't succeeded. He began to name off some uses for souls. "Some heavy-duty spells require for completion. And from what I remember telling you last time, sounds like a soul-hungry demon out on the loose."
"One of my friends had a vision about this little girl. Whoever captured her soul was someone familiar to her. It most definitely wasn't a demon." Serena countered.
"That's all I know. There are some drugs out that call for souls. Its relatively new, called Uforia. Most demons would trade in their own mothers for the taste. This drug makes them feel fearless, I hear. Not a care in the world."
Serena decided to recap, making sure she remembered everything. "Okay, souls for spells, food, and drugs."
"Right." Ed nodded. "Is that all?"
Serena scowled, but decided that was all the information that she could get out of him. For now. She threw the $50 bill on the counter. "Thanks for the info, Eddie. Keep the change." He picked up the bill, turning toward his register. He turned back around, maybe a second later, and she was gone.
Galaway, 1752
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."
Liam watched his little sister, Katherine, as she whispered her bedtime prayers. She knelt by her bedside, hands folded, head bowed.
"If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."
In her white nightgown, she looked like an angel. He watched the beautiful young girl bless herself, completing her bedtime ritual. Liam clapped his hands together.
"That's it, then." He said, pulling back the covers. "Time fer sleep."
He had been on his way out the door to town when she asked him to listen to her prayers and tuck her in. It did take valuable time away from his carousing at the pub, but how could he turn the sweet thing down?
She giggled happily, sliding beneath the covers.
"What's a soul, Liam? What is it really?"
He pulled the heavy blanket up to her chin and tried to think of a proper answer. He fumbled with the memory of what he had learned in catechism so long ago. "It's the most wondrous thing, Kathy. A soul makes us who we are. It's what the Almighty saw fit to separate us from the beasts."
Katherine's eyes twinkled. "What does it look like?"
Liam put a hand on his chest for dramatic effect. He pretended to be overcome with emotion. "A soul's the loveliest thing you'll ever see. It's made up of all the colors of the rainbow and some that haven't even been thought up yet. To look at one, why, the beauty of the thing'd make you cry with sheer joy."
She sat up, a broad smile on her face. "Is that what my soul looks like? Is it lovely too? Is it?"
He made her lie back and tucked the covers under her chin again.
"Your soul, my sweet darling, puts all others to shame."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her tiny arms shot out from beneath the covers and wrapped themselves tightly around his neck.
"Don't go tonight, brother. I don't want the Devil to take your soul."
Liam gently pulled away from the child's embrace.
"Now, what makes you think that old Scratch could have the soul of a chaste man like meself?" He ruffled his sister's hair, smiling down on her.
Katherine was deadly serious. She stared up at her big brother with eyes filled with concern. "Da says that yer already on the road to damnation with the way you carry on each night. He said that it's only a matter of time before the Devil takes his due."
Liam's anger flared as it so often did with any topic having to do with his father. He lived life to its fullest and his father disapproved of his only son's carefree lifestyle. The two despised each other. No matter what he said or did, Liam could not elicit from his father the kind of respect he felt he deserved. His father said he was nothing but a layabout and a scoundrel who wouldn't amount to anything. And wanting so to be the perfect son, Liam did everything in his power to live up to his father's expectations.
"Don't you be worryin' about yer big brother now," he said, pushing aside the rage that he felt over his da's hurtful words. "My soul may be a bit tarnished in places, but I'll be damned if I'll let the Devil have the tiniest piece of it."
He kissed her on the head again. "Now go to sleep and have only wonderful dreams."
He blew out the flame of the candle by his sister's bedside and walked to the door. "I'll see you in the mornin'," he said, as he gave her a wave and gently shut the door.
Outside his sister's bedroom, he adjusted his collar and smoothed his sleeves. Now he was ready to go out into the night and prove his father right again. A night of debauchery awaited for him, or so he hoped.
Anna, a servant in the household, walked toward him, carrying a stack of fresh linens to his parents' room at the end of the hall.
The pretty young thing looked at the rakish Liam and smiled.
"Goin' out tonight, young sir?"
Liam watched her backside as she passed and a devilish grin spread across his face. "Aye, Anna, I've got an overpowerin' urge to dirty up me soul."
*****
Liam. It was a name no one had called him in over two centuries, but he could still hear it lovingly flow from his sister's lips as if it were yesterday. Angel ran his thumb thoughtfully along the archaic symbols etched into the surface of the vial, the memory painfully fresh.
As if reading his mind, Serena gently touched his shoulder and smiled rigidly at him. Even though she was still hurt by his words, Serena could sense that Angel was going through something tough, and the least she could do was be there for him. There was plenty of time to be mad at him later.
Gunn stared at them, thinking. "You know, I heard about this drug a while back.its made from souls or something. I never really believed it." Gunn waited for a reaction.
"I have this gut feeling that it's got something to do with Machida. Did anyone find out anything on it?" Serena asked.
Wesley pulled out a pad of notes. "Ah, yes, Machida. Its an ancient being, absorbs souls." Wesley scanned his notes. "Ah, yes, here it is. A worshipper of this being is to collect two hundred souls for the ceremony, at least. I see that the collection has started in the Los Angeles area." Wesley threw the pad onto Cordelia's desk in disgust, scattering papers everywhere.
"Hey!" Cordy screeched. "Look what you did!" She stared at her desk, horrified. She pointed a finger at Wesley, glaring at him. She threw her hands up with exasperation. "Now I'm going to have to reorganize my desk. I had everything where I wanted it, and now you messed it up!" She kept on sputtering under her breath as she picked up papers off of the floor.
Serena left the office, feeling cramped and uneasy. The image of that little girl lying in that hospital bed burned into her brain. In many ways, she wished her mother was still around to stand by her side when Serena needed her. She wished she were a little girl again and that she could run into her mother's arms and never let her mother go. Tears ran down her face. She could never have that, ever. She was alone.
The elevator doors parted and Wesley stepped onto the fifth floor. He had pretended to be an emotionally distraught family member to find out where Aubrey had been taken after being admitted through the Emergency Room.
Wesley grimaced as he breathed hospital air. He hated hospitals; the smell, the overly bright lighting, the deceptively cheerful pastel-colored walls.he hated it even though he had his share of hospital time himself.
He casually strolled around the corner toward the reception desk, trying not to look out of place, and saw a bit of commotion going on. A doctor and some nurses were fussing about a patient in the hall.
"Thank you, I'm feeling much better now," Wesley overheard the woman say as he came a little closer. "So, are you married?"
Wesley knew that voice.
"I just don't know what the problem could be. Maybe the PEZ diet isn't for me, but Gwyneth swears she lost."
Cordelia, Wesley thought, rolling his eyes. So, Cordy's the distraction. He laughed to himself.
He was about to call out her name when she caught sight of him. Wesley smiled and she made a horrible face in reply. It looked as though she were having some kind of seizure until he realized that she was shaking her head no. Being the sharp character he was, Wesley guessed that she wanted him to stay away.
He watched as she suddenly went rigid.
"Oh," she exclaimed, as she fell back into the arms of a man Wesley believed to be a doctor, though he seemed a bit young.
The commotion began all over again. Wesley noticed that while Cordy was flailing her arms about, she pointed several times down the hallway behind him.
She caught his eye again and gave him a quick wink. The doctor and nurses were helping her back into her seat. The doctor was checking her heart rate with a stethoscope and talking about tests.
Wesley headed down the hall in the direction she had pointed. He shook his head and smiled as he peered into various rooms looking for Angel or Serena. How anyone can buy her act as anything more than a bunch on nonsense is beyond me.
Wesley found Serena sitting in a chair outside a room, head in her hands. She directed him inside, where he saw Angel sitting with June Bentone next to Aubrey's bed. He tapped on the doorframe to catch their attention. It looked like they were standing watch over the little girl, mother on one side, Angel on the other. Each held one of the child's hands in theirs.
"Excuse me, Angel?"
Angel gently set the girl's hand down.
"Wesley." Angel motioned him to come closer to the hospital bed. The woman looked from Angel to Wesley, back to Angel. Serena walked into the room, looking around, puzzled.
Angel introduced Wesley to June politely. June looked as if she had been through hell, but here was something in her eyes----a spark. It was a glimmer of hope. Wesley had seen that look before, in the eyes of others to whom Angel offered his assistance.
"I'm sure we'll be doing everything in our power to help her."
"Thank you," June said, as she lovingly stroked her daughter's arm.
Wesley took Angel by the shoulder. "Would you excuse us for a moment, Ms. Bentone?"
She nodded and turned her attention back onto her daughter as the two men and the Slayer moved into the corridor.
"I went to the house as you asked." Wesley began, speaking in a hushed whisper so the child's mother wouldn't hear.
"Did you find anything?"
Wesley appeared nervous as he reached into his pocket. "Yes, and I found something and I don't like the looks of it one bit." He placed the glass vial in Angel's palm. "I found it on the floor of the girl's room. I seriously doubt it belongs to anyone in the household."
Angel studied the vial.
"The symbols appear to be demonic by nature." Wesley leaned close to Angel and gripped his arm. "With all my heart, I hope I'm wrong, but I think know what's happened to her."
Serena finally spoke up.
"What?"
Wesley looked past Angel into the hospital room, at June and her daughter. June still sat with Aubrey's lifeless hand in hers. Her eyes were closed and her mouth moved silently. Wesley guessed she was praying. He looked back at the vampire and the Slayer.
"The girl's life force is missing." Wesley leaned back against the doorframe and sighed. "I think somebody's taken her soul."
Angel walked back in, seriousness cloaking his face. He touched the mother's arm. "June. I need to know if there was anyone who might want to hurt your daughter. A friend of the family or family member, maybe?" Angel asked bluntly.
June's eyes widened as the meaning of his question became clear. "What do you mean? Do you think somebody did this to Aubrey, someone who we knew?"
Serena put a comforting hand on the broken woman's shoulder. "We just need to consider every possibility." Serena said in her most soothing voice. "Is there anyone, family or friend, that could've had access to your house, maybe someone you were fighting with?" She recalled Wesley saying something about a folded picture.
June twisted a tissue in her hands. "Just my ex, David. We had it out a few weeks back about child support, but." She shook her head empathetically. "No. No, he's a lowlife but I don't think even he'd sink low enough to hurt his own flesh and blood."
Angel handed June a business card. "We're going to continue with the investigation on our end. If you think of anything that may be useful to the case, please don't hesitate to call us anytime."
She took the business card from him. "But we haven't even talked about your rates. I mean, how much does."
"I want to help," Angel interrupted her. "We all do. If you can afford to pay, fine. If not.I want to help."
June's mouth just opened slightly, but she had no words to express the gratitude that blossomed on her features. After a moment, she glanced away, overcome with emotion.
Angel stared good and hard at the little girl, absorbing the sight into his memory. He knew that there was a good fight ahead, but he wanted to make sure that he knew what he was fighting for. He turned around to find Serena staring at him thoughtfully. She let out a long sigh and turned.
"So are we forgetting anything?" Wesley asked. Just then, Cordelia Chase's voice rang out.
"I really don't think so, Phil. A couple of Advils and a good night's sleep and I should feel daisy-fresh."
She was being pushed in a wheelchair down the hallway by a good-looking young doctor.
"I'm very concerned about these dizzy spells, Miss Chase. We'll have some blood work done and then."
Cordelia saw Serena, Angel, and Wesley and smiled. "Hey guys."
Wesley began to clap. The doctor eyed him suspiciously. "A brilliant performance, Cordelia. I saw a bit of it as I came in."
Beaming, she got up from the chair without so much as a hint of a problem. "You think so? So, what's up?"
The doctor was confused. "Miss Chase? Maybe you should sit down before."
She turned away from the gang for a moment and smiled radiantly at the doctor. "That's okay, Phil, I think I'm feeling much better now."
She returned her attention back to her friends. "So did you find anything out? What's wrong with the little girl?"
"That's something we all have to research. What I'd like you to do is talk to the girl's mother," Angel pointed to the room down the hall. "See if you can get us anything on the people they have contact with from day to day."
Cordelia nodded. "Check."
"Be sure to ask about her husband." Serena added. "I have a weird feeling that she may have more to do with him than she's letting on."
The doctor cleared his throat, annoyed. "Miss Chase, the tests?"
Cordelia smiled at him again. "I'm suddenly feeling fine, Phil. Looks like I'm cured."
She proceeded down the hall toward Aubrey Bentone's room.
The four watched her go. The doctor glared at them.
"It's a miracle!" Serena exclaimed, throwing up her hands overdramatically.
Angel, Serena, and Wesley left Phil standing with his empty wheelchair and walked to the bank of elevators. The look on the young physician's face said he still wasn't sure what had just happened.
Angel turned to Serena, a grim expression on his face. "Your pal Ed seems to know a lot of stuff." He started.
She sighed. "Give me the vial. I'll go pay a visit and be back later." She held out her hand expectantly. "Oh, and a little money to pay him for his services."
Angel gave her a weary look and handed her the vial and a $50 bill. The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened. "Thank you very much!" she exclaimed, kissing the money and leaving the two men on the elevator, wondering what had gotten into her.
*****
Serena had Ed pinned up against the wall with one hand, and was checking her nails on the other hand. She yawned, and turned to glare at Eddie.
"Come on, Eddie. Don't you get tired of playing these games?" She asked, beginning to crush his windpipe. Ed made a big mistake of trying to hit the Slayer. She quickly taught him a lesson by planting her foot nice and hard right in his midsection, making his face turn blue. "A little girl's life is on the line. I'm not going to stop until you tell me what I need to know. You know that. So make it easy on yourself and tell me what this is," she said, holding up the vial, "and I'll be on my way."
Ed made a motion with his hands and she dropped him to his feet. She let him catch his breath. "Can I see it?" he asked cautiously. Still glaring, she, against her better judgment, handed Ed the vial.
Ed studied the vial carefully. He opened the vial and sniffed. "Interesting," he muttered in a low voice, "It hasn't been used."
"What's it been used for?" Serena asked impatiently, leaning in to study the vial herself.
Eddie sighed and handed the vial back to Serena. "Nasty business. It's used as a receptacle for a soul." He shook his head and headed back to his counter. Serena followed. "It hasn't been used yet, or it would have a funky smell. Kind of like lilac and cinnamon with a little bit of nail polish remover thrown in for a good measure.if what I'm told is true."
Serena slipped the vial back into her pocket. "Fill me in. What are souls used for?"
Ed scratched his head. "Let me see." Eddie was a supernatural fanatic, reading all books on everything. Since his wife mysteriously disappeared 20 years before, Ed vowed to bring her back. 20 years, and he still hadn't succeeded. He began to name off some uses for souls. "Some heavy-duty spells require for completion. And from what I remember telling you last time, sounds like a soul-hungry demon out on the loose."
"One of my friends had a vision about this little girl. Whoever captured her soul was someone familiar to her. It most definitely wasn't a demon." Serena countered.
"That's all I know. There are some drugs out that call for souls. Its relatively new, called Uforia. Most demons would trade in their own mothers for the taste. This drug makes them feel fearless, I hear. Not a care in the world."
Serena decided to recap, making sure she remembered everything. "Okay, souls for spells, food, and drugs."
"Right." Ed nodded. "Is that all?"
Serena scowled, but decided that was all the information that she could get out of him. For now. She threw the $50 bill on the counter. "Thanks for the info, Eddie. Keep the change." He picked up the bill, turning toward his register. He turned back around, maybe a second later, and she was gone.
Galaway, 1752
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."
Liam watched his little sister, Katherine, as she whispered her bedtime prayers. She knelt by her bedside, hands folded, head bowed.
"If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."
In her white nightgown, she looked like an angel. He watched the beautiful young girl bless herself, completing her bedtime ritual. Liam clapped his hands together.
"That's it, then." He said, pulling back the covers. "Time fer sleep."
He had been on his way out the door to town when she asked him to listen to her prayers and tuck her in. It did take valuable time away from his carousing at the pub, but how could he turn the sweet thing down?
She giggled happily, sliding beneath the covers.
"What's a soul, Liam? What is it really?"
He pulled the heavy blanket up to her chin and tried to think of a proper answer. He fumbled with the memory of what he had learned in catechism so long ago. "It's the most wondrous thing, Kathy. A soul makes us who we are. It's what the Almighty saw fit to separate us from the beasts."
Katherine's eyes twinkled. "What does it look like?"
Liam put a hand on his chest for dramatic effect. He pretended to be overcome with emotion. "A soul's the loveliest thing you'll ever see. It's made up of all the colors of the rainbow and some that haven't even been thought up yet. To look at one, why, the beauty of the thing'd make you cry with sheer joy."
She sat up, a broad smile on her face. "Is that what my soul looks like? Is it lovely too? Is it?"
He made her lie back and tucked the covers under her chin again.
"Your soul, my sweet darling, puts all others to shame."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. Her tiny arms shot out from beneath the covers and wrapped themselves tightly around his neck.
"Don't go tonight, brother. I don't want the Devil to take your soul."
Liam gently pulled away from the child's embrace.
"Now, what makes you think that old Scratch could have the soul of a chaste man like meself?" He ruffled his sister's hair, smiling down on her.
Katherine was deadly serious. She stared up at her big brother with eyes filled with concern. "Da says that yer already on the road to damnation with the way you carry on each night. He said that it's only a matter of time before the Devil takes his due."
Liam's anger flared as it so often did with any topic having to do with his father. He lived life to its fullest and his father disapproved of his only son's carefree lifestyle. The two despised each other. No matter what he said or did, Liam could not elicit from his father the kind of respect he felt he deserved. His father said he was nothing but a layabout and a scoundrel who wouldn't amount to anything. And wanting so to be the perfect son, Liam did everything in his power to live up to his father's expectations.
"Don't you be worryin' about yer big brother now," he said, pushing aside the rage that he felt over his da's hurtful words. "My soul may be a bit tarnished in places, but I'll be damned if I'll let the Devil have the tiniest piece of it."
He kissed her on the head again. "Now go to sleep and have only wonderful dreams."
He blew out the flame of the candle by his sister's bedside and walked to the door. "I'll see you in the mornin'," he said, as he gave her a wave and gently shut the door.
Outside his sister's bedroom, he adjusted his collar and smoothed his sleeves. Now he was ready to go out into the night and prove his father right again. A night of debauchery awaited for him, or so he hoped.
Anna, a servant in the household, walked toward him, carrying a stack of fresh linens to his parents' room at the end of the hall.
The pretty young thing looked at the rakish Liam and smiled.
"Goin' out tonight, young sir?"
Liam watched her backside as she passed and a devilish grin spread across his face. "Aye, Anna, I've got an overpowerin' urge to dirty up me soul."
*****
Liam. It was a name no one had called him in over two centuries, but he could still hear it lovingly flow from his sister's lips as if it were yesterday. Angel ran his thumb thoughtfully along the archaic symbols etched into the surface of the vial, the memory painfully fresh.
As if reading his mind, Serena gently touched his shoulder and smiled rigidly at him. Even though she was still hurt by his words, Serena could sense that Angel was going through something tough, and the least she could do was be there for him. There was plenty of time to be mad at him later.
Gunn stared at them, thinking. "You know, I heard about this drug a while back.its made from souls or something. I never really believed it." Gunn waited for a reaction.
"I have this gut feeling that it's got something to do with Machida. Did anyone find out anything on it?" Serena asked.
Wesley pulled out a pad of notes. "Ah, yes, Machida. Its an ancient being, absorbs souls." Wesley scanned his notes. "Ah, yes, here it is. A worshipper of this being is to collect two hundred souls for the ceremony, at least. I see that the collection has started in the Los Angeles area." Wesley threw the pad onto Cordelia's desk in disgust, scattering papers everywhere.
"Hey!" Cordy screeched. "Look what you did!" She stared at her desk, horrified. She pointed a finger at Wesley, glaring at him. She threw her hands up with exasperation. "Now I'm going to have to reorganize my desk. I had everything where I wanted it, and now you messed it up!" She kept on sputtering under her breath as she picked up papers off of the floor.
Serena left the office, feeling cramped and uneasy. The image of that little girl lying in that hospital bed burned into her brain. In many ways, she wished her mother was still around to stand by her side when Serena needed her. She wished she were a little girl again and that she could run into her mother's arms and never let her mother go. Tears ran down her face. She could never have that, ever. She was alone.