"You think this has an evil lawyer ring to it?" Gunn questioned.
"It wouldn't be the first time they've pulled something on us. We need a place to start in any case." Cordelia prepared herself to leave.
"We'll come with you." Fred told her.
"No-" Cordelia started, but she was interrupted by the arrival of a worried looking man. He looked about thirty and his dress was smart, but casual.
"Is this Angel Investigations?" He held up a flyer. "I need some help."
"Yes, of course, that's what we do. Fred and Gunn here will take care of you, whatever the problem is." Cordelia flashed the man a sympathetic smile.
He looked doubtful, "Well, I warn you, it is a bit weird."
"That's our speciality." Her two friends looked at her, unsure. Cordelia pulled them to one side. "Guys, you're not exactly inspiring much confidence."
"But Angel-" Fred started.
"I'm on it, you deal with the client. We have to keep the business running, stick to the mission, whatever happens. People still need to be helped."
"Cordy, you shouldn't go out alone."
"I can take care of myself, call me on my cell phone if you need me." She wondered when she had changed into a new set of clothes and picked up a bag that contained her cell phone. It was going to take a lot of getting used to. "I'll be fine." She seemed to be assuring herself more than the others.
Before they could protest, she was already on her way out of the hotel.
"When did Cordy become the boss?" Gunn mumbled.
"We weren't doing much good on our own, Charles." Fred reasoned.
Gunn called out to the client who looked like he was about to follow Cordy out of the door. "What's your problem, then?"
"Excuse me?" The man was shocked by Gunn's unfriendly tone.
"What do you need our help with?" Fred gave Gunn a sharp look.
"Oh, right." The man looked relieved. "I think my wife is being stalked."
Fred looked confused. "What's so unusual about that?" She realised what she had just said. "Well, obviously, it's not normal, but you said there was something 'weird' about it."
"Whatever it is that's following her, it doesn't seem to be, well, human." He looked as if he did not even believe what he was saying.
"What makes you so sure?"
"She's never seen him clearly, just a figure in the distance. But the way he moves, it's so fast. He jumped really high, abnormally high. You don't seem shocked by what I'm saying. Have you seen something like this before?"
"Not exactly, but similar." Gunn sighed. "There are a lot of weird things in LA."
***
It was dark when Cordelia arrived at Lilah's apartment. This was the last place that she wanted to be, but she had to do this, had to find Angel. She knocked on the door, taking a deep breath.
"Cordelia, what a nice surprise! You stopped by for a chat of course." Lilah accompanied her sarcastic tone with a visibly fake smile.
"I'm really not in the mood for a bitch fight with you." Cordelia folded her arms across her chest.
"Straight down to business then? Angel not with you?" She smiled, "no, of course he isn't."
"What do you know?" Cordelia demanded.
"You don't know where he is?"
"Do you?" Cordelia's eyes started to glow. Lilah looked slightly taken aback.
"I honestly don't. But I think I know someone who might. Someone who's in a pretty low place right now."
Cordelia looked puzzled for a second, then she realised who she meant. "Wesley?" Lilah grinned. "Don't even think of taking advantage of him."
"I didn't have to."
"Are you saying Wesley did something to Angel."
"I'm not saying anything." Lilah chuckled to herself as Cordelia stormed off.
As Cordelia made her way over to Wesley's apartment, lists of possibilities ran through her mind. At first she dismissed all thoughts that Wesley could have done something to Angel, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The others had told her that Wesley had been acting crazy when he had found the prophecy, but they had been too wrapped up in themselves to notice the severity. This had probably just made it worse.
She regretted deeply that she had been away when he had taken Connor, that she had been unable to help and oblivious to what was going on. She could not imagine what had gone through his mind when Justine had attacked him and taken the baby, or when Angel had tried to kill him in the hospital. Even so, she could not begin to justify him if he had taken some vengeful action against Angel.
When Cordelia arrived at Wesley's, she calmed herself down and tried not to jump to conclusions. She knocked on his door. He took a while to answer, she was almost ready to turn away when the door opened. He looked genuinely shocked to see her.
"Cordelia, what a nice sur-" He was cut off by Cordelia's question.
"Wesley, do you know where Angel is?"
"I'm fine thank you, feeling quite betternow." Wesley's tone angered Cordelia, she could no longer contain her emotions.
"What did you do to Angel?"
"How dare you come here and accuse me! How could you think that I would do anything, after all we've been through?" He stared her in the eyes and she stared straight back. Once again her eyes had started to glow with bright white light as she experienced a range of emotions. Wesley did not even move, he did not react at all to this strange display. As Cordelia stared into the darkness of his eyes she saw nothing, not even a reflection of the pure white light that shone brightly in the dim room. She was shocked, even Lilah had reacted to a similar demonstration and she was an evil bitch. It was like he was empty, there was only darkness left, that destroyed all feelings and emotions.
"Wesley, I'm sorry, I-"she choked as Wesley continued to stare at her, vacantly.
"Please leave now," he said, tonelessly.
"But-"
"Goodbye."
***
As the night progressed, Steven wandered through the streets of LA, not knowing where he was and not caring. He was still mourning the loss of his father and he was too confused to know what he wanted. When he had heard Justine say that she had killed him, every bone in his body wanted to pound her, make her suffer for what she had done. But he couldn't do it, he didn't know what to do anymore. So he had turned around and ran away. He stopped after awhile, when he was far away from anything that he recognised.
He knew that he would have to go back, he could not live with himself if he simply did nothing. He had to know the truth, had to know why his father had died. He knew who he had wanted to go and talk to, the one he found that he could relate to. The one who knew hate, confusion and dispair, the one his father had told him about. The one who had turned against the vampire and taken away his son, the one with the strange accent.
TBC...
"It wouldn't be the first time they've pulled something on us. We need a place to start in any case." Cordelia prepared herself to leave.
"We'll come with you." Fred told her.
"No-" Cordelia started, but she was interrupted by the arrival of a worried looking man. He looked about thirty and his dress was smart, but casual.
"Is this Angel Investigations?" He held up a flyer. "I need some help."
"Yes, of course, that's what we do. Fred and Gunn here will take care of you, whatever the problem is." Cordelia flashed the man a sympathetic smile.
He looked doubtful, "Well, I warn you, it is a bit weird."
"That's our speciality." Her two friends looked at her, unsure. Cordelia pulled them to one side. "Guys, you're not exactly inspiring much confidence."
"But Angel-" Fred started.
"I'm on it, you deal with the client. We have to keep the business running, stick to the mission, whatever happens. People still need to be helped."
"Cordy, you shouldn't go out alone."
"I can take care of myself, call me on my cell phone if you need me." She wondered when she had changed into a new set of clothes and picked up a bag that contained her cell phone. It was going to take a lot of getting used to. "I'll be fine." She seemed to be assuring herself more than the others.
Before they could protest, she was already on her way out of the hotel.
"When did Cordy become the boss?" Gunn mumbled.
"We weren't doing much good on our own, Charles." Fred reasoned.
Gunn called out to the client who looked like he was about to follow Cordy out of the door. "What's your problem, then?"
"Excuse me?" The man was shocked by Gunn's unfriendly tone.
"What do you need our help with?" Fred gave Gunn a sharp look.
"Oh, right." The man looked relieved. "I think my wife is being stalked."
Fred looked confused. "What's so unusual about that?" She realised what she had just said. "Well, obviously, it's not normal, but you said there was something 'weird' about it."
"Whatever it is that's following her, it doesn't seem to be, well, human." He looked as if he did not even believe what he was saying.
"What makes you so sure?"
"She's never seen him clearly, just a figure in the distance. But the way he moves, it's so fast. He jumped really high, abnormally high. You don't seem shocked by what I'm saying. Have you seen something like this before?"
"Not exactly, but similar." Gunn sighed. "There are a lot of weird things in LA."
***
It was dark when Cordelia arrived at Lilah's apartment. This was the last place that she wanted to be, but she had to do this, had to find Angel. She knocked on the door, taking a deep breath.
"Cordelia, what a nice surprise! You stopped by for a chat of course." Lilah accompanied her sarcastic tone with a visibly fake smile.
"I'm really not in the mood for a bitch fight with you." Cordelia folded her arms across her chest.
"Straight down to business then? Angel not with you?" She smiled, "no, of course he isn't."
"What do you know?" Cordelia demanded.
"You don't know where he is?"
"Do you?" Cordelia's eyes started to glow. Lilah looked slightly taken aback.
"I honestly don't. But I think I know someone who might. Someone who's in a pretty low place right now."
Cordelia looked puzzled for a second, then she realised who she meant. "Wesley?" Lilah grinned. "Don't even think of taking advantage of him."
"I didn't have to."
"Are you saying Wesley did something to Angel."
"I'm not saying anything." Lilah chuckled to herself as Cordelia stormed off.
As Cordelia made her way over to Wesley's apartment, lists of possibilities ran through her mind. At first she dismissed all thoughts that Wesley could have done something to Angel, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. The others had told her that Wesley had been acting crazy when he had found the prophecy, but they had been too wrapped up in themselves to notice the severity. This had probably just made it worse.
She regretted deeply that she had been away when he had taken Connor, that she had been unable to help and oblivious to what was going on. She could not imagine what had gone through his mind when Justine had attacked him and taken the baby, or when Angel had tried to kill him in the hospital. Even so, she could not begin to justify him if he had taken some vengeful action against Angel.
When Cordelia arrived at Wesley's, she calmed herself down and tried not to jump to conclusions. She knocked on his door. He took a while to answer, she was almost ready to turn away when the door opened. He looked genuinely shocked to see her.
"Cordelia, what a nice sur-" He was cut off by Cordelia's question.
"Wesley, do you know where Angel is?"
"I'm fine thank you, feeling quite betternow." Wesley's tone angered Cordelia, she could no longer contain her emotions.
"What did you do to Angel?"
"How dare you come here and accuse me! How could you think that I would do anything, after all we've been through?" He stared her in the eyes and she stared straight back. Once again her eyes had started to glow with bright white light as she experienced a range of emotions. Wesley did not even move, he did not react at all to this strange display. As Cordelia stared into the darkness of his eyes she saw nothing, not even a reflection of the pure white light that shone brightly in the dim room. She was shocked, even Lilah had reacted to a similar demonstration and she was an evil bitch. It was like he was empty, there was only darkness left, that destroyed all feelings and emotions.
"Wesley, I'm sorry, I-"she choked as Wesley continued to stare at her, vacantly.
"Please leave now," he said, tonelessly.
"But-"
"Goodbye."
***
As the night progressed, Steven wandered through the streets of LA, not knowing where he was and not caring. He was still mourning the loss of his father and he was too confused to know what he wanted. When he had heard Justine say that she had killed him, every bone in his body wanted to pound her, make her suffer for what she had done. But he couldn't do it, he didn't know what to do anymore. So he had turned around and ran away. He stopped after awhile, when he was far away from anything that he recognised.
He knew that he would have to go back, he could not live with himself if he simply did nothing. He had to know the truth, had to know why his father had died. He knew who he had wanted to go and talk to, the one he found that he could relate to. The one who knew hate, confusion and dispair, the one his father had told him about. The one who had turned against the vampire and taken away his son, the one with the strange accent.
TBC...