About A Girl
Part 2: Possible Destiny
By
Anessa Ramsey
(Disclaimer in the first part)
Los Angeles, California.
May 13, 2000
"Angel?" Gunn called out as he opened the door to the hotel and helped Michael through. Liz was right behind them. Cordelia got up from where she was sitting behind the counter. Seeing the blood on the guy Gunn was holding up, she grabbed the first aid kit. Angel came down the stairs just in time to see Cordy starting to clean the wound on the boy while the brunette girl paced next to them. She finally sat down when the boy said something to her. "Is he going to be okay?" he heard the girl ask. He watched her for a moment. She wasn't more than sixteen or seventeen and her long ash brown hair was perfectly straight. She had an innocent face. She was the girl next door type, not stunningly beautiful, but not homely by any means. She was pretty. There was an aura of power radiating off both of them but he shook off the feeling, willing to try and figure out what it was later.
The guy she was with was not the type of guy he would picture her with, yet they didn't look like they were related. They smelled different which meant that they weren't family. He'd lived long enough to know that girls like her married pretty young men. This guy was far from pretty. His hair was a dark blond color and spiked up. He was wearing a t-shirt that had several holes in it and advertised some band that Angel had never heard of. His jeans were baggy and he had on a pair of combat boots. He looked like he'd spent more than one night fighting for his life. There was this air of defiance around him that almost anyone could spot from a mile away. The only thing that confused Angel was that he didn't smell entirely human.
"What's going on?" he said when he reached the floor. Liz looked up at the question and her breath caught momentarily. This was Angel? He'd been in her drams. Not often, but enough for her to recognize him without the long hair and old, fancy clothes. He still liked dark colors as he was dressed all in black, from his long sleeve button down shirt, that wasn't buttoned all the way up, revealing a bit of his pale chest, to the black pants and shoes that he had on.
"Vamp attack. A couple blocks from the bus station a few blocks off Sunset, near the freeway. You should've seen it Angel. She," he said, pointing to Liz, "broke one of the vamp's nose. She packs a hell of a punch. The guy was bleeding everywhere."
Liz blushed profusely under Angel's scrutiny. She was trying to think of something to say when the phone rang. He answered it quickly.
"Angel Investigations."
"Angel?"
"Giles?"
"Yes. I thought you should know…I was talking to a friend of mine with the Council and just told me…I'm afraid I don't know how to say this…Faith has been killed." Time seemed to freeze for Angel, and Giles seemed to realize this. "She died doing something very valiant. She was trying to stop another inmate from killing a guard when someone shot her. She didn't feel any pain. She died instantly."
He felt so sad. After everything she'd been doing to find her way back from out of the dark, she was killed before she could get there. Or maybe she had. Maybe her last act had been her redemption. "Thank you for calling Giles. Could you do me a favor?"
"Of course."
"Don't let them bury her. Arrange for her to be brought to LA. She deserves a decent burial."
"I'll see to it immediately and let you know when she is being transferred and to where."
"Thank you."
"Your quite welcome, Angel. Despite everything, she did not deserve to die in such a manner. She was a fighter and as a fighter is how she should have left this world."
"I know. Has another been called?"
"Yes but they've no idea who she is or where she might be. None of the slayers currently in training have been called. The Council is scrambling to find her before the enemy does."
"Should we try to find her before the Council. If they get their hands on her there may be trouble for Buffy…and Spike."
"You think the Council would send the new slayer after Spike? Why?"
"History. They never liked it when I was working with her and I have a soul. Spike doesn't."
"I don't think the Council has any such plans. My source informs me that Travers seems to have relented and thinks slayers should now be allowed the type of life Buffy has. He was not certain though so you may be right. I'll see what I can find out."
"Thank you. Good-bye, Giles."
"Good-bye."
Angel hung the phone up with a soft click and turned to the people who were watching him with confusion. Cordelia and Gunn were about to ask what was wrong when Wesley walked in the door.
"Good evening." He stopped when he saw the somber look on Angel's face. "Angel?"
"Faith is dead."
"How?" Wesley asked. He didn't seem overly saddened. Maybe it was because Faith had tortured him.
"She was shot while trying to stop another inmate from killing a guard in a prison riot. She died instantly."
No one said anything. Faith had caused many problems but she had been working to change. Wes spoke up first. "Have they found…?"
"Not yet. They're looking but so is Giles."
"We must find her before they do."
"I know." He didn't relay the other information Giles gave him about the Council.
Cordelia knew what they were talking about but the two people she was sitting with didn't and they couldn't know. "Why don't we finish this later," she said, rising from the sofa. She glanced at Wes and Angel making sure to get her point across. There were some things that they didn't need to discuss in front of total strangers. They would talk later, when their guests were asleep.
"I'm heading down to the training room. Anyone want to come with?" Angel said. Liz and Michael both nodded quickly, anxious to escape the tension in the room, so they followed him to the elevator that went down to the training room. They wanted to see him train and as the elevator stopped, Liz could feel her anticipation level rising.
When she walked in all she could think about was how she wanted to try using one of the punching bags. "Can I?" she asked Angel as he began to warm up and stretch. She watched as he went and took a broadsword off the wall and began to twirl it menacingly. He fell into a fighting stance, the sword clutched tightly in both hands. "Sure. Knock yourself out…not literally."
Liz walked up to one of the punching bags that hung from the ceiling. Michael smirked. Liz Parker would never be able to move it, let alone give it a decent hit. So when her fist connected with the bag and it swung back wildly, his jaw dropped open. "Liz?" he asked as she stepped quickly back, her hands covering her mouth. Angel had observed the hit and was fascinated as well. He thought that Gunn's account of her breaking a vamp's nose might have been a fluke, but now he knew better.
He lowered the sword and called Liz over to him. She stood in front of him. "I want to try something." She nodded. The next thing she knew he'd lifted the sword off the ground and held it to her throat. Michael was ready to jump in and stop it but didn't when Angel growled at him. He was going to have to trust the guy. Then he watched in horror as Liz punched Angel in the gut, causing him to let out a small 'oomph' and lower the blade momentarily. Liz took advantage of the opportunity and dropped down, kicking her leg out to knock his out from under him. She stood back up the second his back hit the floor and put her foot on his chest. He looked up at her to see her smiling triumphantly and could help the dread that settled in the pit of his stomach. The possibility of her being found by one of his employees, the day after she was called, was incredible. It was also scary. She was so young and small. How was he supposed to tell her that it was her destiny to die? How was he supposed to tell her that she was a slayer?