Disclaimer: Do I really need to say it again? Okay, okay. I don't own it. I am a stupid nobody. *sigh* Are you happy now?
Feedback: Makes me want to wear my happy face.
Spoilers: Story picks up where Season 3 Angel leaves off
Rating: R, strong R in some places
Written By: Amber
A/N: I've had terrible writers block. I need to give my muse a good kick in the pants I think. Anyway, I'm going on vacation to visit family for the next week so there won't be any updates until at least 3/14/03. Sorry. Maybe by then my writer's block will be gone. Thanks for reading!
**************************************************************
(Wes and Faith's apartment)
Wes was once again buried in his books. Faith played video games close by. She wasn't much help when it came to the books, but she at least tried to keep him company.
"Eureka!" Wes cried.
"Do people actually say that in the 21st Century, or the 20th Century for that matter?" Faith asked smiling. Wes just shot her a warning glance out of the corner of his eye as he continued to read. "Well, what did you find that warrants a eureka?" She asked curiously, putting down her game controller and joining him at the table with his mound of books.
"I've discovered text specifically referencing 'The Destroyer'. I haven't gotten a chance to decipher most of the text surrounding his mention, but at least I've finally found something." He said barely looking up.
"Cool. I'm glad you finally found something." Wes shot her another look, "uh, I mean...You know what I mean. Not that you couldn't find something, just glad there was something out there to find."
"Quite alright. You're cute when you get flustered." He said leaning in to kiss her.
"And you're cute pretty much always." She said kissing him back. "So you're going to be tied up here for awhile, aren't you?" Wes chuckled a little. Seems she was already getting to know him quite well.
"Yes, most likely." He said.
"Alright. I'm going to go grab some take out then. What'cha want?" She asked now standing behind him and rubbing his shoulders.
"Surprise me, my love." he answered. She placed a kiss on top of his head and hurried about the apartment finding her things. She was usually pretty scatterbrained and it always took her awhile to find her money, keys, and jacket. Soon she was pulling her jacket on and running a brush quickly through her hair as she headed for the door.
"I'll be back soon." She called pulling the door closed. Wes didn't even look up. He hardly even noticed her leave he was so wrapped up in the translations he was working on.
As he worked on, his expression grew darker as what he was writing on the paper before him mapped out a destiny for Connor that he didn't want to face. He hoped that it was wrong, maybe once more a fake. He knew he couldn't take the information to Angel with his past with Connor and prophecies. Angel would throw him out in a second. Yet, all the signs kept pointing to this. This destiny. He kept translating hoping for the word *NOT* written at the end, but of course it never came.
The sun began to set as almost an hour had past. It seemed as though only minutes to him when Faith came back through the door.
"Did ya miss me?" She asked holding a bag in her teeth as she pulled her jacket back off. He hurriedly began pulling papers together at the table. Glancing down once more to read the scratched out warning of a vampire that was to walk the earth.
'Born mortal of two vampires, the Destroyer, would himself become a vampire. A vampire to rule all other vampires, the one that would end the life of the mortals and begin a reign of pure evil. Only one can stop him. The pure one. The pure one that will yet be unborn as the destroyer fulfills his destiny.'
"Mmm-hmm." He said scowling. He shoved the papers inside the file and locked them back away as he cleared the table.
"I brought Chinese. Hope that's okay." She emptied the bag of all the little take out boxes. Littering the table with them. Wes went to get the plates and didn't answer. She stopped what she was doing and watched him. His mouth was drawn tight and his brows remained furrowed. She walked to him and gently grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Huh? Oh. Nothing really. Translating always gets me a bit grouchy. I'm sorry Faith. I'll try to put it out of my mind for now. Okay?" He asked hoping that she wouldn't push any further about what he had translated. She leaned her forehead into his and looked into his eyes for a moment.
"Okay." She whispered. "Ready to eat?"
"I suppose I am rather hungry." He said as he set the plates on the table. He really wasn't hungry at all, but he didn't want to worry Faith. "Are you patrolling tonight?"
"I was planning on it." She answered already emptying a box onto her plate.
"I may sit just this one out. Is that okay with you?" He asked watching her intently.
"Sure, not like I've never patrolled on my own before." She smiled and shrugged. She patrolled that evening alone and he was left to further research which all pointed him in the same direction.
He couldn't understand the cryptic way in which it was written. His frustration at trying to figure out the meaning was eating away at him. 'The pure one could stop him, yet the pure one is not even born at the time that the Destroyer needs to be stopped.' He thought this over and over in his head. 'So no one can stop him? Oh, I got it, I just need to travel to the future to get the pure one. There we go, problem solved.' He thought to himself as he spiraled into anger. Devastation gripped him as he fell asleep on the couch shortly before Faith arrived back home. He didn't know how to tell Faith what the prophecy said. He didn't want to tell Angel. He certainly didn't want to tell Connor. He just didn't know what he was going to do.
********************************
(Hyperion Hotel)
After Angelus had finished with Cordelia he returned to the lobby and found that 2 whole days had past since he had went to get her. "Damn dimensional time differences." He commented. He grabbed a glass of water and jogged down the steps to visit Connor. He placed a straw in the glass and yanked the tape from Connor's mouth.
"Drink." Angelus ordered his half conscious son. Connor's head lolled around a bit and Angelus grabbed his hair holding it steady. Connor finally got the straw to his mouth and drank every last drop. "Now, what do you say?" Angelus mocked. Connor spit in his face and Angelus punched him in the stomach and then in the face. Blood dripped from the boy's nose pooling onto the ground below him.
"What did you do to Cordelia?" Connor asked. His tongue felt swollen in his mouth and he could barely form the words, but he had to know. He struggled to lift his eyes to meet his fathers.
"She's dead. We had a little fun first though. Don't worry." Angelus smirked.
"You bastard!" Connor yelled.
"Is that any way to talk to your dad? Still haven't learned any respect." Angel shook his head. He opened the nearby chest and pulled out a whip and proceeded to lash Connor until his entire chest was covered with welts and open wounds. Connor struggled to remain standing in spite of the pain, but was struggling.
"Just kill me. Kill me you coward." Connor whispered.
"Your time will come. But, not yet." Angelus answered as he landed one finally blow, a kick to Connor's head that left him once more unconscious, bruised, and bleeding. He hung limply now, and Angelus replaced the gag in the boys mouth. As he did so, he heard someone entering the hotel.
"Hello! Anybody here?" Lorne called out as he stepped into the lobby of the Hyperion. A chill ran through him. The hotel always seemed full of activity, yet today it seemed almost dead.
"Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." Lorne commented to himself as he shrugged off his hat and long coat. "Angel food!" he called out again hoping someone would appear. His wish came true as Angelus suddenly popped up behind him. Lorne spun around and instantly could feel the difference in his friend.
"So, Mr. Hyde it is." Lorne mumbled. "You know I'd love to stay and chat, but I think I better be going, you know, to the other side of the planet."
"Lorne. Really, I'm hurt." Angelus pouted, putting his hand over his heart. "Ah, it's okay. I don't need you now anyway. Found Cordelia all by myself. She's here. You want to see her?" Lorne's face turned downcast. He knew that Cordelia had met her fate.
"I'm thinking no. What about the others? Fred, Gunn, Wesley, Connor? They here too?" Lorne inquired.
"Wouldn't you like to know." Angelus answered.
"Well I don't suppose you want to sing for me now, do you?" Lorne asked trying to stall long enough to figure a way out. "And if you did I bet it wouldn't be Barry Manilow now, would it?"
"You know if I was going to kill you I could have by now." Angelus said as he studied Lorne's movements towards the door.
"So why haven't you?" Lorne asked.
"I know you Lorne. You won't start any trouble." Angelus answered smuggly.
"What makes you so sure?" Lorne asked. "You did kill my friends."
"You won't because if you do I will make sure you die a long, slow death and no one here wants that." Angelus answered. "Now why don't you run along. I don't eat your kind anyway."
Lorne shot Angelus one last look before he darted for the door. "Oh, and nice pants." he said over his shoulder as he hurried out into the sunlight pulling his hat and coat on. "Now what?" he asked himself out loud as he rushed down the street.
Angelus sat in the lobby of the Hyperion for a minute wondering if he shouldn't have just killed him. Then dismissing the thoughts from his mind, returned back to the basement see if Connor had come to yet.