Chapter Eight
The sky shone a magnificent blue above the bustling of the market below business went on as usual buying and selling between traders of all sorts unaware of the danger that hid in the alleys behind the bustling streets where the suns rays did not reach. The beast hid there in the darkness, watching, waiting for prey that stood out from the crowd prey that was easy pickings. That's when it spotted her, her clothes were unique one off's that no one else had, she stood out in the mass of grey weaving her way through the crowd purposefully not knowing she was being watched, hunted.
The Hyperion
Fred and Dawn sat curled up in front of the TV a big bowl of salted popcorn sat between them, Dawn giggled "He's so funny" she grabbed a handful of popcorn popping a few kernels in her mouth and chewing slowly "yum" she mumbled mouth half full.
"Mmhhmmmm," Fred said grinning, "he's always been my favourite, and the popcorn is still hot" she grabbed some more.
"Yea its better when its hot" Dawn smiled.
"Hi, can I help?" Fred said putting some of the popcorn back in the bowl. Dawn turned round to see who Fred was talking to, the woman was beautiful in a classical designer dressed way. Her hair was a torrent of dark brown waves neatly secured at the nape of her neck by a leather butterfly. Her suit was cut perfectly for her figure and the red set off her bronzed skin.
"I'm looking for Angel" She made her way down the steps into the lobby.
"He's out at the moment, can I help." Fred wiped her hands on the cloth that was next to the couch, suddenly nervous in the presence of the well- groomed woman.
"I enlisted his help on a case around 3 days ago, I haven't heard anything since." The woman took a file from her bag. "My company has done a little digging of our own and we found nothing, I need to know what Angel Investigations has been doing about our case." The woman tone was business like cold with no feeling.
"I can check for you," Fred headed towards the office "what's the name?"
"Michelle Granges" she followed Fred into the office.
Fred suddenly recognised the woman, she was totally different from the woman who had come to their offices 3 days ago, she was stronger but a loss did that to you. In L.A. you needed to be tough you couldn't let your guard down for a second or someone would step on you to get further up the ladder themselves not caring about the people below them. Fred had learned that from her time back in L.A. being in Pylea had opened her eyes to the myriad of crimes in the city, she no longer believed in the L.A. ideology all the droves of young girls who came to L.A. everyday looking for stardom believed in. "I'll just get the file for you"
"Thank you" The woman flipped through the file in her hand, "We couldn't find anything ourselves, we don't have the contacts I'm sure Angel has."
"Are you a Detective Agency?" Dawn sat up on the couch.
"Yes, our set up is across town." The woman's face softened a little talking to Dawn
"Cool," Dawn played with the popcorn in the bowl nervously.
"I can't find the file he must have it somewhere else." Fred said as she emerged from the office, "I can get him to call you if ya want"
"Thank you" Michelle turned to leave "I'll leave this file here it might help with his investigation" she handed it to Fred "Its not pretty, I'd recommend you don't open it" she gave a small smile, turned and left.
"Right, back to the movie" Fred smiled at Dawn and flopped onto the couch.
Caritas
"So what's blondie doin' here?" Lorne called the bar tender over and got Angel a drink, which he didn't touch.
"I'm here to help get Connor back"
"Shhh shhh, do you know how many demon cults want that baby" Lorne say looking around making sure no one had heard.
"Buffy" Angel looked at her then realised that if he was going to get Cordelia back he needed all the help he could get. If he was going to get Connor back. He couldn't believe that after their row everything was so normal between them, it was more normal than it had ever been.
"I think we'd better take this into the back" Lorne tipped his head towards the door Angel turned to see two rough looking demons handing a plethora of weapons to the doorman after setting off the alarms. Angel nodded and they moved into the back.
Pylea
"I asked if you could get them there as soon as possible"
"Were not exactly sure how this works"
"You read the words chuck the messages through the hole then it closes. That's it."
"Then why do you need us to do it"
"Are you not the postal service."
"Well."
"Well."
"Yes we are"
"Princess?"
Cordelia spun round "Groo... Hey"
"What are you doing?" he stepped into the small building that was serving as a 'postal' service of sorts for the new Pylea.
"The messages I sent to L.A. are still here, they need them or people are going to die."
"I'll take them for you Princess" Groo stepped forward taking the messages from the human
"You don't have to do that" Cordelia put her hand on his arm and smiled at him, she knew he would do it anyway.
"I will return soon Princess, the return book is in the library is it not?"
"Yes, Foreign Languages section, its hidden remember."
"I remember." Cordelia kissed him and stepped out into the bustling market street and watched as he spoke the words of the enchantment and jumped into the portal to L.A.
Caritas
As the last strains of the tuneless droning of a Kailiff demons rendition of "Bye Bye Love" by the Everly Brothers drifted through the club and the growing crowd cheered begrudgingly, a small circle of blue light began to unfold into a huge swirling portal.
"Umm I'm thinking Angel might want to know about this..." Xander pointed at the huge mass as the patrons of the club began to flee out of the door.
"Yea that would be a portal, but its what comes out of it we've got to worry about" Gunn said fighting his way through the crowd to the back rooms. "Yo Angel, think you want to see this!"
"Gunn, were trying to have a conversation in here."
"Oh well I guess the big swirling PORTAL can wait then." Gunn said holding the door open for the inevitable rush.
"If I have to remodel again, I'm seriously thinking of barring you all as much as I love your singing." They rushed into the bar just as some one or something stepped through the portal.
"At least it can't pick a fight.right." Xander stood in the now empty, apart from the gang, bar.
"Greetings friends"
"God its like a scene from close encounters" Xander joked, the smile left his face as Angel rush towards the figure.
"Where is she?" he yelled, "Where's Cordy?"
"Calm down big fella" Lorne tried to stop Angel from doin something stupid "Come on ya big lug he can't tell you anything if you strangle him," he chuckled "Well that would be a task in itself"
"I'm not going to strangle him"
"Good, that's good right?"
"I think so" Willow skirted round Xander and stood next to Buffy.
"But I will if he doesn't tell me where Cordelia is"
The sky shone a magnificent blue above the bustling of the market below business went on as usual buying and selling between traders of all sorts unaware of the danger that hid in the alleys behind the bustling streets where the suns rays did not reach. The beast hid there in the darkness, watching, waiting for prey that stood out from the crowd prey that was easy pickings. That's when it spotted her, her clothes were unique one off's that no one else had, she stood out in the mass of grey weaving her way through the crowd purposefully not knowing she was being watched, hunted.
The Hyperion
Fred and Dawn sat curled up in front of the TV a big bowl of salted popcorn sat between them, Dawn giggled "He's so funny" she grabbed a handful of popcorn popping a few kernels in her mouth and chewing slowly "yum" she mumbled mouth half full.
"Mmhhmmmm," Fred said grinning, "he's always been my favourite, and the popcorn is still hot" she grabbed some more.
"Yea its better when its hot" Dawn smiled.
"Hi, can I help?" Fred said putting some of the popcorn back in the bowl. Dawn turned round to see who Fred was talking to, the woman was beautiful in a classical designer dressed way. Her hair was a torrent of dark brown waves neatly secured at the nape of her neck by a leather butterfly. Her suit was cut perfectly for her figure and the red set off her bronzed skin.
"I'm looking for Angel" She made her way down the steps into the lobby.
"He's out at the moment, can I help." Fred wiped her hands on the cloth that was next to the couch, suddenly nervous in the presence of the well- groomed woman.
"I enlisted his help on a case around 3 days ago, I haven't heard anything since." The woman took a file from her bag. "My company has done a little digging of our own and we found nothing, I need to know what Angel Investigations has been doing about our case." The woman tone was business like cold with no feeling.
"I can check for you," Fred headed towards the office "what's the name?"
"Michelle Granges" she followed Fred into the office.
Fred suddenly recognised the woman, she was totally different from the woman who had come to their offices 3 days ago, she was stronger but a loss did that to you. In L.A. you needed to be tough you couldn't let your guard down for a second or someone would step on you to get further up the ladder themselves not caring about the people below them. Fred had learned that from her time back in L.A. being in Pylea had opened her eyes to the myriad of crimes in the city, she no longer believed in the L.A. ideology all the droves of young girls who came to L.A. everyday looking for stardom believed in. "I'll just get the file for you"
"Thank you" The woman flipped through the file in her hand, "We couldn't find anything ourselves, we don't have the contacts I'm sure Angel has."
"Are you a Detective Agency?" Dawn sat up on the couch.
"Yes, our set up is across town." The woman's face softened a little talking to Dawn
"Cool," Dawn played with the popcorn in the bowl nervously.
"I can't find the file he must have it somewhere else." Fred said as she emerged from the office, "I can get him to call you if ya want"
"Thank you" Michelle turned to leave "I'll leave this file here it might help with his investigation" she handed it to Fred "Its not pretty, I'd recommend you don't open it" she gave a small smile, turned and left.
"Right, back to the movie" Fred smiled at Dawn and flopped onto the couch.
Caritas
"So what's blondie doin' here?" Lorne called the bar tender over and got Angel a drink, which he didn't touch.
"I'm here to help get Connor back"
"Shhh shhh, do you know how many demon cults want that baby" Lorne say looking around making sure no one had heard.
"Buffy" Angel looked at her then realised that if he was going to get Cordelia back he needed all the help he could get. If he was going to get Connor back. He couldn't believe that after their row everything was so normal between them, it was more normal than it had ever been.
"I think we'd better take this into the back" Lorne tipped his head towards the door Angel turned to see two rough looking demons handing a plethora of weapons to the doorman after setting off the alarms. Angel nodded and they moved into the back.
Pylea
"I asked if you could get them there as soon as possible"
"Were not exactly sure how this works"
"You read the words chuck the messages through the hole then it closes. That's it."
"Then why do you need us to do it"
"Are you not the postal service."
"Well."
"Well."
"Yes we are"
"Princess?"
Cordelia spun round "Groo... Hey"
"What are you doing?" he stepped into the small building that was serving as a 'postal' service of sorts for the new Pylea.
"The messages I sent to L.A. are still here, they need them or people are going to die."
"I'll take them for you Princess" Groo stepped forward taking the messages from the human
"You don't have to do that" Cordelia put her hand on his arm and smiled at him, she knew he would do it anyway.
"I will return soon Princess, the return book is in the library is it not?"
"Yes, Foreign Languages section, its hidden remember."
"I remember." Cordelia kissed him and stepped out into the bustling market street and watched as he spoke the words of the enchantment and jumped into the portal to L.A.
Caritas
As the last strains of the tuneless droning of a Kailiff demons rendition of "Bye Bye Love" by the Everly Brothers drifted through the club and the growing crowd cheered begrudgingly, a small circle of blue light began to unfold into a huge swirling portal.
"Umm I'm thinking Angel might want to know about this..." Xander pointed at the huge mass as the patrons of the club began to flee out of the door.
"Yea that would be a portal, but its what comes out of it we've got to worry about" Gunn said fighting his way through the crowd to the back rooms. "Yo Angel, think you want to see this!"
"Gunn, were trying to have a conversation in here."
"Oh well I guess the big swirling PORTAL can wait then." Gunn said holding the door open for the inevitable rush.
"If I have to remodel again, I'm seriously thinking of barring you all as much as I love your singing." They rushed into the bar just as some one or something stepped through the portal.
"At least it can't pick a fight.right." Xander stood in the now empty, apart from the gang, bar.
"Greetings friends"
"God its like a scene from close encounters" Xander joked, the smile left his face as Angel rush towards the figure.
"Where is she?" he yelled, "Where's Cordy?"
"Calm down big fella" Lorne tried to stop Angel from doin something stupid "Come on ya big lug he can't tell you anything if you strangle him," he chuckled "Well that would be a task in itself"
"I'm not going to strangle him"
"Good, that's good right?"
"I think so" Willow skirted round Xander and stood next to Buffy.
"But I will if he doesn't tell me where Cordelia is"
