Sins of the Father
Chapter Twelve
Cordelia and Fred gasped when Gunn and Wes dragged Connor into the hotel.
"What happened?" Cordelia demanded.
"He found Angelus," Wes told her.
"He found Angelus's fist, he means," Gunn added, helping Connor onto the couch.
"How's Lottie?" Wes asked Fred.
"She's in bed, I told her you'd be back soon. She's ok."
"Good. Thank you for keeping an eye on her."
"What happened with Angelus?" Lorne asked, his eyes sweeping the area behind Fred and Gunn as though he expected to find Angelus.
"He ran," Wes said. "He told Connor he'd see him soon and as I shot the dart, he got away. He told us that the games haven't started yet, but they will soon."
"Yep, sounds like Angelus all right," Cordy muttered, pushing Connor's shirt up and eyeing the bruise blooming along his rib cage. "You think his ribs might be broken?"
"Maybe," Gunn shrugged. "But the kid heals fast, just wrap him up."
Wes had sunk down into one of the chairs, his fist under his chin. Cordy went to get the First Aid kit, her head bowed and her fingers clenched into fists.
"What's wrong?" Fred asked.
"Wolfram and Hart."
"Wolfram and Hart?" Lorne asked, eyebrows climbing. "They've gone after Angelus?"
"I, er, I had a call… from Lilah Morgan," he shifted uncomfortably and glanced up at Cordy who had reappeared and was listening as she wrapped a bandage around Connor.
"Why would Lilah Morgan call you?" Fred asked, frowning. "Why would she want to talk to -" Gunn and Cordy shot her glances and she took a tiny step back. "Oh."
She sank into a seat and was silent. She was vaguely aware of Lorne asking Wes if that meant what he thought it meant. But Fred was too shocked to listen to Wes admit his relationship with Lilah. Her world was coming to a standstill and part of it crumbled. She had always been so sure of Wesley. Even when she told him that Angel was right to blame him for Connor's abduction into Quortoth, she still believed Wes had had Connor's best interests at heart. But how had anything grown between Lilah and Wesley? How could Wesley let anything happen?"
"Fred," Wes said, looking at her, seeing how disappointed she was in him. "It was a very dark period in my life that's over now. I'm sorry if you don't like the fact that something happened between Lilah and I, but the fact is it did and there's not a lot I can do about it. But," he turned back to address the group. "At least it has afforded us some inside information. When Lilah called today, she told me that whatever we plan to do about Angelus should be done as soon as possible."
"Why?" Cordy demanded.
"I - I didn't want to say before, I didn't want to worry any of you -"
"Because that worked so well last time," Fred snapped. Wes glanced at her, hurt and she was immediately sorry. "Wes, I didn't mean -"
"That doesn't matter," he shrugged. "The point is, I learnt from that mistake which is why I'm telling you now that Wolfram and Hart will destroy the soul if Angelus agrees to work for them."
There was a stunned silence in which Cordy sank onto the couch beside Connor. Lorne shook his head and cleared his throat.
"T-that's not possible," he stated. "A soul can't be destroyed, you know that, Wes."
"The senior partners of Wolfram and Hart can destroy the soul," Wes said. "Which I think is probably the reason Angelus is keeping his distance. If he works out a deal with Wolfram and Hart and his soul is destroyed, that is when he'll come after us. And we'll only have one option."
"Kill him," Fred whispered. "Oh my God."
"Which is why the sooner we find Angelus, the better," Wes told them. "But once we've got him, that doesn't mean Wolfram and Hart will give up."
"He's right," Gunn nodded. "If the senior partners are involved, they won't just let him go."
"We've got to get through to Giles," Cordy said. "He must be able to give Willow a little break, right?"
"I hope so," Wes nodded.
"And if the witch can't get a break?" Lorne asked.
"Then I guess our only option is for me to find the spell and do it."
"Wes, you don't have that kind of power!" Cordy protested. "When Willow did it, it took a lot out of her and she had strong magicks inside her even then!"
"Then we'd better hope Giles can spare her," Wes answered grimly.
It was late afternoon and Lilah Morgan leaned back in her chair, her hands resting lightly on her desk, her thumb hovering over the emergency alarm button under her desk. She willed her breathing to be steady and kept a professional smile on her face.
"Lilah, get away from that button," her guest said. "Fighting off security would annoy me," he spun around, slammed his hands onto the desk and grinned at her. "And you wouldn't like me when I'm annoyed."
"I thought I wouldn't like you when you were happy," she said, her voice deceptively calm as she crossed her arms. "But I think I prefer you to Angel, Angelus."
"Cut the compliments, Lilah, I'm not about to bend you over the desk like Angel did that time," she blushed slightly and squirmed uncomfortably as Angelus continued. "Now that's what I like to see. Anyway, I hear you can help me out."
"In exchange for you services," Lilah replied, feeling infinitely grateful when he went over to the blinds. "What is it you want our help in?"
"I was thinking a condo in Florida," he mused, then shot her a look of disdain. "That soul, I want you to get rid of it once and for all."
Lilah smiled.
"We can do that," she assured him. "But in exchange for your services to our company."
"Services?" he asked, returning to the chair opposite her desk. "Tell me, would that include… killing people?"
"Oh yes," she nodded. "And then there's a nice big apocalypse we're planning. We could use your help in that."
He was silent for a moment, before he leaned forward and picked up her mug. He rolled it between his hands for a moment and smiled at her.
"And who would do this soul thing for me?" he asked pleasantly.
"A shaman," she told him. "He's incredibly strong, but if he can't do it, senior partners are able to work through this guy and that'll get the job done."
"Oh," he nodded and continued to roll the mug between his palms. For some reason, it was terrifying her. Suddenly, he squeezed and the mug cracked. He broke off a piece and ran his finger over the sharp edge. She didn't even see his arm move when he threw the shard and it embedded in the wall behind her. She jumped and yelped. "I don't like that idea, Lilah," he told her. "I don't want to be anyone's whipping boy. But thanks for the info about that shaman, I think I can track down a guy who has connections to a big evil and Wolfram and Hart. That's the only reason I'm not going to kill you now."
He stood up and strode to the door, chuckling as she cowered in her chair.
"What about Angel Investigations," she cried. He stopped and turned to look at her and she continued in an effort to fill the silence. "What if they return your soul before you can find the shaman? You'll be trapped inside Angel again. If you agree to work with us - we can even discuss the terms - we'll get you to the shaman today."
"Sorry, Lilah, I just don't think you've got anything to offer me. But don't worry, I'll find the shaman and just to make sure Angel's friends don't restore my soul, I'll make sure they're too busy with something else."
"Like what?" she asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he ran a hand over her cheek, stopping at her neck and squeezing slightly as he sniffed. "But if I tell you, you'll only warn your boyfriend and I can't have that. But you'll find out soon enough."
He let her go and left the office. She patted her hair with shaking hands and breathed slowly and deeply.
"Shit."
The light was fading fast as Wes hurried down the street, pulling Lottie along after him. She slurped her ice cream as she practically ran to keep up with him, but she didn't complain. Her father had made her aware of the very real danger the night now held and she had no desire to be out in the dark.
Wes turned around a corner and kept to the light filled areas around the shops. With the sanctuary spell now in place, the guys were using the phones at the hotel to try and track down Giles. It seemed that since the last time Cordelia had spoken to Giles, he had taken Willow somewhere to work on her magick. It didn't matter which friend they called, no one seemed to know - or was willing to disclose - his whereabouts.
Wesley was starting to become desperate. If the soul were destroyed, it would mean they would have to kill Angelus. Which meant losing Angel too. And however an effective back up team the rest of them were, the real strength lay in Angel. Wes wasn't sure how they would cope without his vampire senses, strength and skill.
But he couldn't dwell on the negative, right now; he just needed to get back to the hotel.
Ice cream, he thought incredulously. It had to be ice cream!
Fred had told him that Lottie was scared. Scared of what was going on and most of all scared that he wouldn't survive. So he thought he should spend some time with his daughter. And somehow he had though Lorne's suggestion of ice cream sounded a good idea. He hadn't realised how far away the ice cream parlour was, or how long the queue would be or how long it would take Lottie to choose a flavour when told they were out of raspberry ripple.
He breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the hotel and he pulled Lottie into the courtyard.
"C'mon, we'll be safe once we're inside," he told her. "We've just -"
His words were lost in his shout of pain as a fist came out of nowhere and slammed into the base of his spine. A bit harder and his spine could have cracked. The pain made him feel sick and he caught himself on his hands as he fell to the ground.
"Run!" he told Lottie, trying to get up.
Her ice cream dropped to the floor as she stared in horror up at the vampire. As she turned to run, Wes saw the vampire go to grab her. He wrenched a stake from his pocket and pushed himself to his feet, somewhat shakily, his back aching and ran at the vampire. But a fist to the stomach knocked him down and the vampire reached forward after his stumbling daughter. Wes pulled a revolver from his pocket and aimed it at the vampire's forehead. Lottie was clamped under the vampire's arm, tears running down her white face as she kicked.
"Well, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Angelus sneered, kicking Wes hard in the crotch and stamping on his wrist until he dropped the gun.
Lottie struggled, but seemed horror-struck into silence as Angelus kicked the gun out of reach of Wes's grasping fingers.
"Lottie," Wes gasped, craning his neck to see into the hotel. But the others were in the offices, with phones pressed to their ears, unaware of what was going on outside.
Wes struggled to sit up and Angelus aimed a kick at Wes's chest, knocking him back again and leaving him gasping for breath.
"No!" Lottie cried, tears running down her face.
"Aah," Angelus cooed, running a finger down her cheek as she leaned away from him and he smirked at Wes. "Never forget, Wesley," he told him. "The sins of the father are revisited on the - well, daughter. But what does that matter?"
With a final cruel laugh, he kicked Wes in the jaw.
The last thing Wes saw was Angelus turning, his coat swirling and his daughter kicking in the vampire's arms. There was nothing he could do.
Then the whole world went black.