"Praemonitus Pramunitus" is Latin for "Forewarned, Forearmed."
*~*~*
Once Gunn and Faith returned, the group began to plan, listening to Adriana's every word. It seemed that she had quiet the know-how for a lot of things. She also knew about Sunnydale, the rest of the Scooby gang and a lot about LA. Angel kept his eye on her. She still seemed very familiar to him. Her eyes, her lips… several things about her seemed to remind him of Buffy. Even her fighting stance was that of a slayer. But her lingo was different, the way she dressed, the way she wore her hair, the way she smelled.
"Angel?" Cordelia placed a hand on his arm.
He snapped out of his trace and turned to his friend. "Yeah?"
"You see it too, huh?"
"See what?"
She pulled him further away from the group and spoke in a whisper. "She's a lot like Buffy. That's it, isn't it?"
He swallowed. "No. I didn't notice."
"Right. The love of your life and you don't notice it." She looked to her hand. "When she touched me, I felt something and for a moment there it was like something told me it IS her. Not just a resemblance."
"Cor, she was brought back evil and killed, remember?" He pivoted on his foot to turn his face so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I really am. But something tells me that there's more to Adriana then she's telling us."
Giles detached himself from the group and made his way to Angel and Cordelia. "Is everything alright?"
She nodded a little and looked to Angel. "Since Buffy's here…"
Giles narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Angel sighed and kept his back to them. "I think she's right, Giles. Something about Adriana…"
Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them. "You've seen it too then. The small glances, the things that she knows."
"But," Cordelia inserted, "she's a little older and has a blue glow-y power."
Faith hopped up and sauntered over to them as well. "Mini Pow-Wow?"
Angel gave Cordelia and Giles a glance asking them to keep quiet on the subject. "Faith, where did you meet Adriana?"
She shrugged. "Dancing at some bar. I like that way she moved."
"She never told you what she did for a living?"
"Free lance model. Sounded legit with a bod like that." Faith crossed her arms. "You guys still don't trust her even though she's willing to help so much?"
Giles replaced his glasses. "We trusted you when you went evil for a while."
Faith's face flashed hurt. "Right. Sorry." She turned. "I'm going to go help her now. Because maybe she gives a shit and maybe she doesn't but I think the priority here is Chandra and her baby." She joined Gunn, Olivia and Adriana again.
*~*~*
Lindsey downed his drink and filled the glass again. "Chandra, you don't want to do this. It's not right."
"Not right? You think that getting knocked up was my idea?" She sat on the bed. "Their offer is tempting and have you ever noticed how much more you get with being bad?"
"Yeah, and there's a price to pay at the end."
"So? I can bounce a check." She patted the bed. "Come here."
*~*~*
Lilah grinned as she watched the monitor for the camera in Chandra's bedroom. Lindsey sat on the bed next to her. The little potion she slipped into the liquor there should have been taking effect soon. She placed it in Chandra's apple juice as well. Wolfram and Hart decided to renew their interest in Lindsey McDonald. Much to Lilah's dismay, they thought the combo of Lindsey and the Slayer was quite acceptable.
*~*~*
Lindsey reached out his hand and touched the side of Chandra's face. "How did we get here, Vegas? We were both just some small timers and now look at us."
"We're not some foolish little kids. This is real." She scooted closer and rested her hand on his thigh. "We're real."
His look turned confused. "We?"
She rubbed his thigh and nodded. "We. As in you and me. I should have seen it before."
"Chandra…" He paused only a moment before crushing his lips to hers.
*~*~*
Dusk began to settle over Los Angeles as the rest of the team of Angel Investigations suited up. Adriana pulled Angel aside and handed him a crystal shard. "Take this."
He turned it in his hand and almost felt it hum. "What is it?"
"It's for protection. I just have this feeling…" Her eyes drifted over him and he spotted the longing there.
"What is it?"
She swallowed. "Maybe a little luck would help too." Quickly, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, warm to cold.
It was a quick kiss but Angel could still feel her. "Buffy," he whispered.
She shook her head. "Not completely, Liam," she whispered back as she pressed a finger to his lips. "We'll talk later about this."
He nodded and turned with a sharp intake of breath. "Faith."
Adriana looked to her lover with concern. "Faith, what's up?"
Faith's eyes glared. "You kissed him."
She smiled. "It was a good luck kiss. It doesn't mean that I'm fooling around with him." She stepped up to Faith and ran her fingers through her hair. "You know you're my number one girl, right?"
Faith sighed and nodded. "Right."
Angel swallowed and went to Cordelia. "How are you?"
She looked up at him with a weak grin. "I'm okay. Just a little headache."
He furrowed his brow. "Visions?"
"Aftermath," she confessed. "It… It's getting worse."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you stay here while we take care of this?"
"Because I'm needed."
"Chandra will be fine."
"It's not her I'm worried about." Cordelia looked up to Angel and after a hesitation spoke. "The baby. Chandra can choose her own path but that baby's not even born yet."
He paused. "You want to save Lindsey."
"Well, we might as well I suppose." She turned from her friend.
"You can't lie to me, Cordy. I've known you too long. It's… it's okay if you care for him."
She turned to him, her face furious. "I can't! Don't you see? He's bad. I'm good. That doesn't mix. He helped give me ongoing visions and put me in the hospital. He tried to kill Wesley. He…"
"Changed?" Angel offered.
"Changed." She sighed. "But I still don't care about him."
He grinned. "Of course not."
*~*~*
Lindsey pulled the blankets tighter around him and Chandra and kissed the top of her head. Her body shivered slightly as the sweat began to cool with the air around them. He ran his hand along her bare hip to her back and pulled her closer to keep her warm.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Lindsey?"
"Yeah?"
"What did we just do?" Her voice was confused and quiet. He could sense the regret in her tone.
"We made love." As he spoke the words aloud, dread hit him. They had broken the silent promise never to hurt each other, the promise that they wouldn't destroy their friendship with the corruption of sex.
But she held onto him. "That's what I thought. Made love. Not just sex."
He stroked her hair. "I do love you. I just… never thought of you that way."
"Then why did you kiss me?"
"I just… felt this pull."
Her eyes pondered. "Me too."
The knock at the door broke their thoughts. Lindsey stood and put on a robe as he walked to the door and opened it to come face to face with a beautiful blonde in black leather. She smiled a perfect smile and her green eyes twinkled under her lashes. "Lindsey?"
He nodded. "Who are you?"
"I'm here for Chandra." She stepped inside and closed the door. "We don't have much time. They're watching." With a wave of her hand, a blue light filtered through the room. "The cameras are off for a little bit, but we don't have much time. We have to get her out of here."
Chandra appeared wrapped in her own robe. "Who…" She gasped. "You!"
Lindsey furrowed his brow. "You know her?"
"I saw her in a dream. You're here to help, aren't you?"
She nodded. "We only have a few minutes. Hurry please."
*~*~*
Lilah tapped on the screen. "What the hell?"
*~*~*
Angel, Faith, Giles and Gunn each had a corner of the building and were keeping an eye out for anything that would pose a threat. When the van pulled up the all began to converge towards it.
*~*~*
Chandra tossed her bag over her shoulder as Lindsey slipped his shoe on. Adriana opened the door. "There's a van waiting. Olivia is driving. She'll take you somewhere safe."
They nodded and rushed down the stairs.
*~*~*
Lilah's camera's came on to an empty apartment.
"Shit."
*~*~*
Once secure in the van, Olivia floored the gas and followed Adriana's directions out of town. Angel grabbed Chandra and hugged her close. "I'm so sorry."
She hugged him. "You don't have to be."
Cordelia smiled to Lindsey for a moment then cleared her throat. "Glad you're okay too."
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her for a moment before she pulled back. "What?" he asked.
"My head. I just can't do fast movements right now."
Angel paused and sniffed at Chandra's neck, her shoulder then growled and turned to Lindsey. "What did you do to her?"
Lindsey swallowed. "It's not what you think…"
Chandra held tight to Angel. "He didn't hurt me. We… we made love."
Cordelia took in a sharp breath and turned to hide the fact that her eyes were watering. But Giles caught her glance and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Faith and Gunn watched, tensed, ready to stop Angel from making any lethal moves to the lawyer.
Angel looked hurt as he turned to Chandra. "I thought he was like your brother?"
"Something happened," Lindsey began. "I mean, I think Wolfram and Hart happened. Chandra and I love each other, but we both understand that it's plutonic. Not romantic."
"So what did they do?" Angel snarled.
"Can we please have silence?" Adriana interrupted. "Fighting and arguments aren't going to help right now. Faith, why don't you pass out some of the sandwiches? We have a long way ahead."
The ride continued in silence. They were heading away and that was all they knew. Only Adriana knew of the destination. She would tell them to turn here or there, but gave no clue as to where she was heading. Only that it was northbound. Chandra settled into sleep. Gunn cuddled Faith close to provide comfort as she napped. Giles silently comforted Cordelia whose tears were hidden from Lindsey. Angel kept his eyes on the lawyer who was watching the passing scenery.
After a couple of hours, they pulled over for some gas. "Stretch your legs while you can," Adriana instructed. "We still have quite a drive."
Slowly, grudgingly, the troops piled out and the mortals found themselves dashing for the restrooms, leaving Angel and Adriana alone. He tugged her into the van. "We need to talk." Shutting the door behind them, he sat cross-legged. "Who are you, really?"
She sighed and nodded as she sat. "I suppose it is time." She swallowed. "I am Buffy. Sort of. I'm from an alternate dimension. Where I come from, there are no slayers. I'm a Huntress, endowed with abilities to abolish pain and protect. I was called forth when your Buffy died to come protect this child." She paused to look at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You were there, in the other dimension as my lover, Liam. You were an immortal warlock. You stayed behind to protect our dimension."
"Buffy was my lover here."
"I know. Many things are the same here. Just named differently. Some things are different. Giles is a bit younger and here he doesn't have a son."
"A son?"
"Theodore Giles. He's about ten now." She smiled at the memory. "He looks more like his mother, Anya though."
"Anya?" Angel laughed.
Adriana looked confused. "Yes, why is that so funny?"
"Anya's an ex-vengeance demon who's with Xander now."
Adriana laughed fully and held her belly. "Oh that's rich!" She wiped a happy tear from her eye and sighed as the laughter settled. "I miss Liam."
"I miss Buffy."
"I'm not her."
"I'm not him."
She looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that…"
Angel pulled her close and held her to him. "Just close your eyes. Picture him."
Adriana lost herself in his embrace and gave way to the tears of pain that flooded her eyes. "Liam, I miss you!"
He let his own tears fall and stroked her hair. "I miss you too."
*~*~*
Once Gunn and Faith returned, the group began to plan, listening to Adriana's every word. It seemed that she had quiet the know-how for a lot of things. She also knew about Sunnydale, the rest of the Scooby gang and a lot about LA. Angel kept his eye on her. She still seemed very familiar to him. Her eyes, her lips… several things about her seemed to remind him of Buffy. Even her fighting stance was that of a slayer. But her lingo was different, the way she dressed, the way she wore her hair, the way she smelled.
"Angel?" Cordelia placed a hand on his arm.
He snapped out of his trace and turned to his friend. "Yeah?"
"You see it too, huh?"
"See what?"
She pulled him further away from the group and spoke in a whisper. "She's a lot like Buffy. That's it, isn't it?"
He swallowed. "No. I didn't notice."
"Right. The love of your life and you don't notice it." She looked to her hand. "When she touched me, I felt something and for a moment there it was like something told me it IS her. Not just a resemblance."
"Cor, she was brought back evil and killed, remember?" He pivoted on his foot to turn his face so she wouldn't see the hurt in his eyes.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I really am. But something tells me that there's more to Adriana then she's telling us."
Giles detached himself from the group and made his way to Angel and Cordelia. "Is everything alright?"
She nodded a little and looked to Angel. "Since Buffy's here…"
Giles narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Angel sighed and kept his back to them. "I think she's right, Giles. Something about Adriana…"
Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them. "You've seen it too then. The small glances, the things that she knows."
"But," Cordelia inserted, "she's a little older and has a blue glow-y power."
Faith hopped up and sauntered over to them as well. "Mini Pow-Wow?"
Angel gave Cordelia and Giles a glance asking them to keep quiet on the subject. "Faith, where did you meet Adriana?"
She shrugged. "Dancing at some bar. I like that way she moved."
"She never told you what she did for a living?"
"Free lance model. Sounded legit with a bod like that." Faith crossed her arms. "You guys still don't trust her even though she's willing to help so much?"
Giles replaced his glasses. "We trusted you when you went evil for a while."
Faith's face flashed hurt. "Right. Sorry." She turned. "I'm going to go help her now. Because maybe she gives a shit and maybe she doesn't but I think the priority here is Chandra and her baby." She joined Gunn, Olivia and Adriana again.
*~*~*
Lindsey downed his drink and filled the glass again. "Chandra, you don't want to do this. It's not right."
"Not right? You think that getting knocked up was my idea?" She sat on the bed. "Their offer is tempting and have you ever noticed how much more you get with being bad?"
"Yeah, and there's a price to pay at the end."
"So? I can bounce a check." She patted the bed. "Come here."
*~*~*
Lilah grinned as she watched the monitor for the camera in Chandra's bedroom. Lindsey sat on the bed next to her. The little potion she slipped into the liquor there should have been taking effect soon. She placed it in Chandra's apple juice as well. Wolfram and Hart decided to renew their interest in Lindsey McDonald. Much to Lilah's dismay, they thought the combo of Lindsey and the Slayer was quite acceptable.
*~*~*
Lindsey reached out his hand and touched the side of Chandra's face. "How did we get here, Vegas? We were both just some small timers and now look at us."
"We're not some foolish little kids. This is real." She scooted closer and rested her hand on his thigh. "We're real."
His look turned confused. "We?"
She rubbed his thigh and nodded. "We. As in you and me. I should have seen it before."
"Chandra…" He paused only a moment before crushing his lips to hers.
*~*~*
Dusk began to settle over Los Angeles as the rest of the team of Angel Investigations suited up. Adriana pulled Angel aside and handed him a crystal shard. "Take this."
He turned it in his hand and almost felt it hum. "What is it?"
"It's for protection. I just have this feeling…" Her eyes drifted over him and he spotted the longing there.
"What is it?"
She swallowed. "Maybe a little luck would help too." Quickly, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, warm to cold.
It was a quick kiss but Angel could still feel her. "Buffy," he whispered.
She shook her head. "Not completely, Liam," she whispered back as she pressed a finger to his lips. "We'll talk later about this."
He nodded and turned with a sharp intake of breath. "Faith."
Adriana looked to her lover with concern. "Faith, what's up?"
Faith's eyes glared. "You kissed him."
She smiled. "It was a good luck kiss. It doesn't mean that I'm fooling around with him." She stepped up to Faith and ran her fingers through her hair. "You know you're my number one girl, right?"
Faith sighed and nodded. "Right."
Angel swallowed and went to Cordelia. "How are you?"
She looked up at him with a weak grin. "I'm okay. Just a little headache."
He furrowed his brow. "Visions?"
"Aftermath," she confessed. "It… It's getting worse."
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you stay here while we take care of this?"
"Because I'm needed."
"Chandra will be fine."
"It's not her I'm worried about." Cordelia looked up to Angel and after a hesitation spoke. "The baby. Chandra can choose her own path but that baby's not even born yet."
He paused. "You want to save Lindsey."
"Well, we might as well I suppose." She turned from her friend.
"You can't lie to me, Cordy. I've known you too long. It's… it's okay if you care for him."
She turned to him, her face furious. "I can't! Don't you see? He's bad. I'm good. That doesn't mix. He helped give me ongoing visions and put me in the hospital. He tried to kill Wesley. He…"
"Changed?" Angel offered.
"Changed." She sighed. "But I still don't care about him."
He grinned. "Of course not."
*~*~*
Lindsey pulled the blankets tighter around him and Chandra and kissed the top of her head. Her body shivered slightly as the sweat began to cool with the air around them. He ran his hand along her bare hip to her back and pulled her closer to keep her warm.
She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Lindsey?"
"Yeah?"
"What did we just do?" Her voice was confused and quiet. He could sense the regret in her tone.
"We made love." As he spoke the words aloud, dread hit him. They had broken the silent promise never to hurt each other, the promise that they wouldn't destroy their friendship with the corruption of sex.
But she held onto him. "That's what I thought. Made love. Not just sex."
He stroked her hair. "I do love you. I just… never thought of you that way."
"Then why did you kiss me?"
"I just… felt this pull."
Her eyes pondered. "Me too."
The knock at the door broke their thoughts. Lindsey stood and put on a robe as he walked to the door and opened it to come face to face with a beautiful blonde in black leather. She smiled a perfect smile and her green eyes twinkled under her lashes. "Lindsey?"
He nodded. "Who are you?"
"I'm here for Chandra." She stepped inside and closed the door. "We don't have much time. They're watching." With a wave of her hand, a blue light filtered through the room. "The cameras are off for a little bit, but we don't have much time. We have to get her out of here."
Chandra appeared wrapped in her own robe. "Who…" She gasped. "You!"
Lindsey furrowed his brow. "You know her?"
"I saw her in a dream. You're here to help, aren't you?"
She nodded. "We only have a few minutes. Hurry please."
*~*~*
Lilah tapped on the screen. "What the hell?"
*~*~*
Angel, Faith, Giles and Gunn each had a corner of the building and were keeping an eye out for anything that would pose a threat. When the van pulled up the all began to converge towards it.
*~*~*
Chandra tossed her bag over her shoulder as Lindsey slipped his shoe on. Adriana opened the door. "There's a van waiting. Olivia is driving. She'll take you somewhere safe."
They nodded and rushed down the stairs.
*~*~*
Lilah's camera's came on to an empty apartment.
"Shit."
*~*~*
Once secure in the van, Olivia floored the gas and followed Adriana's directions out of town. Angel grabbed Chandra and hugged her close. "I'm so sorry."
She hugged him. "You don't have to be."
Cordelia smiled to Lindsey for a moment then cleared her throat. "Glad you're okay too."
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her for a moment before she pulled back. "What?" he asked.
"My head. I just can't do fast movements right now."
Angel paused and sniffed at Chandra's neck, her shoulder then growled and turned to Lindsey. "What did you do to her?"
Lindsey swallowed. "It's not what you think…"
Chandra held tight to Angel. "He didn't hurt me. We… we made love."
Cordelia took in a sharp breath and turned to hide the fact that her eyes were watering. But Giles caught her glance and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Faith and Gunn watched, tensed, ready to stop Angel from making any lethal moves to the lawyer.
Angel looked hurt as he turned to Chandra. "I thought he was like your brother?"
"Something happened," Lindsey began. "I mean, I think Wolfram and Hart happened. Chandra and I love each other, but we both understand that it's plutonic. Not romantic."
"So what did they do?" Angel snarled.
"Can we please have silence?" Adriana interrupted. "Fighting and arguments aren't going to help right now. Faith, why don't you pass out some of the sandwiches? We have a long way ahead."
The ride continued in silence. They were heading away and that was all they knew. Only Adriana knew of the destination. She would tell them to turn here or there, but gave no clue as to where she was heading. Only that it was northbound. Chandra settled into sleep. Gunn cuddled Faith close to provide comfort as she napped. Giles silently comforted Cordelia whose tears were hidden from Lindsey. Angel kept his eyes on the lawyer who was watching the passing scenery.
After a couple of hours, they pulled over for some gas. "Stretch your legs while you can," Adriana instructed. "We still have quite a drive."
Slowly, grudgingly, the troops piled out and the mortals found themselves dashing for the restrooms, leaving Angel and Adriana alone. He tugged her into the van. "We need to talk." Shutting the door behind them, he sat cross-legged. "Who are you, really?"
She sighed and nodded as she sat. "I suppose it is time." She swallowed. "I am Buffy. Sort of. I'm from an alternate dimension. Where I come from, there are no slayers. I'm a Huntress, endowed with abilities to abolish pain and protect. I was called forth when your Buffy died to come protect this child." She paused to look at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"You were there, in the other dimension as my lover, Liam. You were an immortal warlock. You stayed behind to protect our dimension."
"Buffy was my lover here."
"I know. Many things are the same here. Just named differently. Some things are different. Giles is a bit younger and here he doesn't have a son."
"A son?"
"Theodore Giles. He's about ten now." She smiled at the memory. "He looks more like his mother, Anya though."
"Anya?" Angel laughed.
Adriana looked confused. "Yes, why is that so funny?"
"Anya's an ex-vengeance demon who's with Xander now."
Adriana laughed fully and held her belly. "Oh that's rich!" She wiped a happy tear from her eye and sighed as the laughter settled. "I miss Liam."
"I miss Buffy."
"I'm not her."
"I'm not him."
She looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that…"
Angel pulled her close and held her to him. "Just close your eyes. Picture him."
Adriana lost herself in his embrace and gave way to the tears of pain that flooded her eyes. "Liam, I miss you!"
He let his own tears fall and stroked her hair. "I miss you too."