THREE STRIKES
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created.
CHAPTER 17-JOCELYN'S PAST AND A HISTORY LESSON
"It's the eyes…," Cordelia said softly with a warm smile on her face as she leaned on the counter and stared over at Kate.
"Huh…," Kate exclaimed with a caught off guard frown on her face as she sat up in her chair and turned to Cordelia, away from staring at Groo.
"Groo…it's his eyes, you can just get totally lost in them if you're not careful," Cordelia added with a merry smirk on her face as she tried her best to keep from laughing at the nervous look on Kate's face.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Kate mumbled back with an angry scowl on her face as she crossed her arms and looked away.
"Sure you do, you were just ogling Groo…not that I blame you but…," Cordelia said with a slight snicker before she started to walk around the counter.
"I was not, I was…damn…," Kate started to say with a very nervous and uncomfortable smile on her face before she relented and dropped her head into her hands.
"Hey…come on now, it's nothing to be ashamed of…he's a great guy, a little overbearing and smothering at times…but damn if I know a more loyal…," Cordelia said with a joking grin on her face as she pulled a chair up beside Kate, who had resumed staring at Groo who was busy talking something over with Oz.
"Okay…God, I get the message alright, so what am I supposed to do about it," Kate asked with a frustrated and nervous frown on her face as she refused to look at Cordelia.
"Simple Kate, love him and let him love you," Cordelia said with a slightly cheesy smirk on her face before she patted Kate on the shoulder and then stood up.
"But…what if he…," Kate forced out through what felt like a jaw of iron as fear gripped her heart and she tried to keep her outer appearance that of complete calm, an attempt at which she failed miserably.
"Look I already told you he does…anyone and their dog can see it…so relax," Cordelia replied with a nervous laugh before she turned and walked away, leaving a confused Kate sitting in front of Cordelia's computer.
* * * * * *
"This is going to sound really stupid I know but…are we there yet…," Elaine asked with a worried and almost panic-stricken look on her face as she leaned in closer to a groggy Lindsey while looking to Gunn in the front seat. After consoling Cordelia for a few moments Angel had torn himself away long enough to make the call that he hoped would give him piece of mind and Elaine and Lindsey safety. Luckily for everyone involved Anne had agreed, although a bit reluctantly after being told who she would be taking in, to help.
"Almost…take it easy girl, you'll both be safe once you're in Annie's care, she's never let me down yet," Gunn replied with a nervous smile on his face as he tried to keep his level of nervousness out of his voice. From the look that Gunn saw pass over Elaine's face in the rearview mirror he expected her to come back with a quick retort or another question. But this time she only gave him a half smile before she snuggled in closer to Lindsey.
"Are you sure that this is the best plan Charles…I mean there have to be other options that we haven't considered yet," Fred asked with a nervous and impatient frown on her face as she reached over and laid a hand on Gunn's shoulder.
"Bossman said for Elaine and Lindsey to hide out with Annie…sounds like as good a plan as any to me Fred," Gunn replied with a nervous frown on his face as he pushed on the brake.
"I know, it's just that I have this sinking feeling…like Angel's preparing to go down with the ship…so to speak," Fred said with a very worried frown on her face as she looked to first Gunn and then back out of her window. Gunn started to say something but then changed his mind, causing the rest of the trip to the teen shelter to be done in almost total silence.
* * * * * *
After Gunn and Fred had left with Lindsey and Elaine Angel had gone into almost constant mother hen mode, meticulously checking every window and door to make sure that they were locked and secure. Before he had left Gunn had helped Arthur and Oz convert one of the hotels innermost rooms into a virtual fortress with all of the tables, dressers, and other items of furniture pressed up against the walls. It was in this room that Angel would place those that he deemed not able or in no condition to fight the upcoming battle. Lorne had nearly ran into the room with a tall drink in one hand and a crossbow in the other. Oz had also grabbed a crossbow but added a knife to finish off his weaponry. It had taken Angel almost ten full minutes to decide what weapon to give to Cordelia, finally settling on one of his sturdiest spears with the sharpest tip. The former cheerleader had reluctantly accepted the spear and trudged into the fortified room. Kate had somehow come into possession of a gun but armed herself with a sword also, just to be on the safe side. By the time that Cordelia and the others went into the specially made up room Connor's knee had healed enough so that all he had was a slight, but noticeable limp. Jocelyn's eyes had been huge and filled with tears when Angel had tried to hand her a crossbow. At first the empathy seer had refused and weapon with a terrified look on her face. When asked she had related a story about how months earlier she had been in a similar situation as part of a Wolfram and Hart training exercise to see if her powers were in any way offensive. They had placed a crossbow in her hands, going so far as to threaten her that if she didn't take the weapon that they'd kill her.
After a fair amount of tears she had taken the crossbow and huddled as tightly as she could into the darkest corner of the room. She had no intent on complying with the game but later on as she was trying to escape her pursuers she had tripped over a fallen brick and crashed to the floor, receiving a nasty gash on her chin that even through Wolfram and Hart's healers had left a tiny, barely noticeable scar. But the scar had only been the beginning, as when she tripped she had lost control of her crossbow, and by some twist of fate the weapon had gotten turned around. So when her finger nicked the trigger the bolt flew straight into the heart of the nearest pursuer. For the next several hours she had felt like her head was going to explode, every single emotion, no matter how miniscule, was sent ramrod ding through her brain and nervous system. It had taken almost three weeks before she could even walk again. The Wolfram and Hart doctors had told her that if she were to ever stab someone to death with a knife or kill someone by a similar method that required being closer to the victim than the man that had died from the crossbow bolt she most likely would have died.
After that a nervous and surprisingly scared Connor had looked up at Angel and almost begged his father not to give her a weapon. Of course with Connor all of the begging was completely contained in his eyes. With only a second or two of thought Angel put the crossbow back into the weapons cabinet and picked out an old mace and laid it in Jocelyn's hands. When she started to look up and protest Connor put a hand on her shoulder and slowly led her away from Angel and towards the fortified room. Because of his enhanced vampire hearing Angel could hear Connor taking the time to try to both calm Jocelyn down and at the same time reassure her that she wouldn't be fighting anyone.
"Well this looks like a scene from a bad after school special," Faith said with a sarcastic frown on her face as she lightly bumped shoulders with Wesley.
"When does the fighting commence," Groo asked with the mischievous grin on his face that Angel had first seen in Pylea.
"We're not exactly sure Groo, but with recent events being as they are I doubt that we'll have to wait very long," Wesley replied with a very serious and stern look on his face as he walked over to the weapons chest and set about picking out his weapons of choice.
"Hey…save some for me," Faith called out with a slightly angry frown on her face as she rushed to Wesley's side and the two almost began to fight for a couple of knives before Angel stepped in and took the two blades for himself.
"If you two children are through playing around it's time to get down to business," Angel said without the slightest hint of jocular feeling in his tone of voice as he glared at the expecting couple.
"Sorry…," A deflated Wesley and Faith said in unison with sad looks on their faces before they finished getting their weapons and Wesley shut the cabinet's doors.
"Okay…they'll probably come straight through the front doors, your basic frontal assault, but Groo I want you at the front doors to keep lookout, Wesley you take the garden, while Faith, Groo, Connor, and I will stay in the lobby…out of sight, until someone shows up," Angel said with a very serious and nervous frown on his face before he gripped his sword tighter and ran up the steps.
"Be careful," Wesley whispered softly to Faith with a very heartfelt look in his eyes before Faith wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and yanked him down into one of the most passionate kisses that Wesley had ever experienced. Wesley was almost out of breath, and guessing that Faith was in nearly the same predicament, before she released her hold on him.
"You to…I love you," Faith whispered back with a very worried look on her face as she almost seemed to be fighting back a tear or two.
"I love you to," Wesley said back with a very serious but also loving look on his face as he softly caressed Faith's right cheek before turning away and running out of the hotel and into the garden, axe at ready. Angel started to go to his hiding spot before he noticed that Connor hadn't moved since Wesley and Faith had exchanged their kiss.
"Connor, what is it, what's wrong," Angel asked with a worried frown on his face as he laid a hand on Connor's shoulder while Faith sniffled a bit before positioning herself behind the counter.
"It's just…when I was in Quartoth…fath…Holtz told me about love, but I'd never really seen it fully up close before…," Connor replied with an astounded gasp to his voice as he watched Faith crouch behind the counter, trying to keep an eye on the doors leading to the garden, ready to help Wesley at a moments notice.
"Well you just saw it Connor, love is a beautiful thing…especially true love, at the same time it can be the greatest thing in the world…and the worst…but as some guy once said, it's better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all," Angel said with an almost fatherly smile on his face before Connor nodded his head with a look of restrained agreement on his face.
"I guess you're right…what do you think they'll send after us," Connor asked with now a concerned scowl on his face, indicating that he was ready to fight.
"Who knows with them Connor, but I wouldn't be surprised if they sent some more zombies after us, with Penn and some vampires leading them," Angel replied with a nervous frown on his face as he patted Connor lightly on the shoulder.
"Who's Penn again…," Faith asked with a concerned frown on her face as she popped her head up over the top of the counter and looked over at Connor and Angel.
"A vampire that I used to know…actually I sired him a long time ago…but a few years ago Kate dusted him, Wolfram and Hart brought him back, probably to try to hurt me," Angel answered with a grim scowl spread across his face as he turned to look at Faith, avoiding Connor's confused gaze.
"Is this Penn dangerous," Groo asked softly as he momentarily glanced back towards the direction of the room where Kate and the others were entrenched.
"Not really, he likes to talk big and do more scheming that anyone that I've ever known…except me, but other than that he's just your average run of the mill vampire, stake through the heart…problem solved," Angel answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders as he walked up to the Hyperion's front doors and looked out.
* * * * * *
The sun had just slipped beneath the far horizon when Gunn pulled Angel's car up in front of the shelter. He wasted little time in getting Lindsey inside, although with only Fred and Elaine to help him it took longer than he would have liked it to have taken. Anne had opened the door to the mission expecting to see a confidant and smug Lindsey striding through with his usual smile plastered across his face. She was so sure of which Lindsey would come through the door that when she opened it Gunn could see the very serious and stern scowl up on her face. But that scowl had almost instantly disappeared when her gaze fell on the groggy Lindsey who looked like death warmed over coupled with the almost panic-stricken Elaine at his side. In almost no time she had gotten some of the kids from the shelter to help Gunn carry Lindsey up to one of the open rooms on the second floor.
"What's wrong with him," Anne asked with a well masked frown of worry on her face as Gunn softly closed the door behind him.
"We're not exactly sure…Wes said that Wolfram and Hart were using him to power some magical creature…," Gunn replied with a nervous sigh as he turned and looked down at Anne, who had cut her hair shorter.
"You mean like a battery," Anne added with a nervous and slightly confused frown on her face as she leaned back up against the wall, avoiding the old painting that hung on the wall in between two of the rooms.
"Yep…but don't ask me how it works…all that hocus pocus is out of my league," Gunn said with a slight nod of his head as he rubbed his tired eyes.
"So who's she…the woman with him," Anne asked softly as she shifted her gaze from Gunn's face to a spot on the ceiling.
"Here name's Elaine…she was the one that let us in on Wolfram and Hart's secret about Lindsey…that and she's head over heels in love with the guy…," Gunn replied with a surprised laugh before he turned his head down the hall as a nervous Fred walked up.
"And from little we saw of them together I'd say that the feeling is most likely mutual," Fred added with a nervous smile on her face as laid her head on Gunn's shoulder.
"Well wonderful for them…but now are we going to be attacked by zombie cops again…because I'm still trying to straighten all of that out," Anne said with a frustrated sigh before she pushed away from the wall and crossed her arms.
"Zombie cops…," Fred whispered softly with a confused frown on her face as she looked up into Gunn's eyes.
"I'll tell you about it later Fred…sorry Annie but I don't know what's coming this time, hopefully they won't even know that we're here and nothing will happen," Gunn answered softly at first with a nervous smile to Fred before his expression became much more serious as he shifted his gaze to Anne.
"Yeah well I've heard that before…," Anne said with a rather pessimistic frown on her face before she nodded politely to Gunn and Fred and then headed off back downstairs.
"Now about those zombie cops…," Fred said with a very determined frown on her face as she crossed her arms and set her feet, glaring upward at a nervous and smiling Gunn.
* * * * * *
"Anything yet Wes," Angel asked softly in a hushed whisper as he leaned in closer to the column adjacent to the one that Wesley was hiding behind.
"Nothing yet…except for the large rat that was being chased by an alley cat…if you hurry you might be able to catch it…," Wesley replied with a frustrated smirk on his face as he shrugged his shoulders and squatted down.
"Funny Wes…," Angel mumbled back with a slightly angry scowl on his face as he took a peek around the corner of the column but didn't see anything.
"How's Faith…," Wesley asked softly as the tone of his voice became much more serious and Angel could smell the worry that radiated off of the former watcher. Many times over the years Angel had smelled Wesley's fear before going into a situation, but it had never stopped Wesley before and had almost always been a fear for his own safety. But now the fear smelled a little different, as if he no longer cared what happened to him as long as Faith was okay.
"Faith…you know her…she'll be fine as long as you don't do anything stupid and make it through this…," Angel replied with a wide grin at the end before his usual trademark frown regained its place on his face.
"Well I'll try not to get myself killed okay," Wesley said in almost a mocking tone of voice before he grinned and turned to Angel.
"I'm serious Wes…I've never seen her this scared, even back when I rescued you from that apartment before she went to jail, she was scared that night but…," Angel added with a very serious and almost threatening scowl on his face as he bore a hole through Wesley with his gaze.
"I know…I hate that she so scared but there's nothing that I can do aside from not dying tonight and being there for her whenever she needs me," Wesley said with a deep look of sadness and worry on his face as he stood back up and stretched his neck.
"Don't worry, once we clear up this mess with Wolfram and Hart I'm hoping that things will begin to get better…besides pretty soon fighting demons and deciphering ancient cryptic texts is going to be the least of your worries, you'll both be to busy changing diapers and giving baths to do much fighting," Angel said with an almost consoling smirk on his face as he crept through the shadows to stand beside Wesley.
"That will be a good time Angel, after all of the heartache, death, and destruction that we've seen it'll be good to have something to celebrate, and I swear if I find anymore prophecies I'll share them with the rest of the class…and…," Wesley interjected with a happy smile on his face before a noise from the area of the garden gate caught his attention and instantly he and Angel went silent, mentally and physically preparing themselves for anything. They didn't have to wait very long before a trio of Vahrall demons slowly crept through the open gate, followed closely behind by what looked like a pair of Fyarl demons.
"And so it begins…," Angel mumbled softly under his breath, only loud enough for Wesley to hear, before he used his vampire stealth to get back across the space between the columns. The battle began with a flash of steel as Angel hurled one of the knives that Wesley and Faith had been battling over earlier straight at the closest Vahrall demon.
END OF CHAPTER 17