Fighting The Good Fight

Chapter One

Summary: As the anniversary of the September 11 attacks nears, Angel travels to New York City to reflect on what happened, and runs into an old friend.

Author's note: I am still feeling countless emotions over the terrible events of that day, and I felt that to put my thoughts and feelings into a story like this would be a good way to help me cope. To all those out there who lost loved ones that day, my heart goes out to you and your families. Words can never express the sorrow and pain that you are feeling right now. You will always be in our hearts and in our prayers. I know that your loved ones are looking down on you right now and will always protect you. They will be forever helping you continue to fight the good fight, to carry on in the face of such unspeakable tragedy. You will never be forgotten.

Part One

September 10, about 5:00am

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We are now on final approach to Newark Liberty International Airport, and should be on the ground and at the gate in about twenty minutes. Please put away any carry-on luggage, fold away your tray tables, and make sure your seats are raised to the full upright position. We appreciate you flying with us on United Airlines, and have a safe journey".

Angel stirred slightly as the announcement was made, and paused to watch the other passengers clean up and prepare for landing. The red-eye flight from LAX to Newark was for the most part empty, with what the vampire guessed to be a couple of dozen passengers scattered about the large 767. A businessman in the row opposite his put away some papers he had been working on and closed down his laptop computer; a young mother was trying to feed her baby one last bottle of milk a couple of rows ahead; a college student behind him turned off his portable CD player. Angel glanced at his watch and saw it was almost 5am, but he wasn't worried. Sunrise was still a little ways off, and he also remembered that Wesley said the weather report would call for heavy, overcast skies and scattered showers, blocking out the direct sunlight, so he figured he could make it into the city and to his hotel without incident. He glanced out the window to his left. Most people would not be able to see much, but Angel wasn't like most people. Being a vampire, with his senses heightened, he could see that they were approaching the airport from the North, with New York City on the left side of the plane. He sighed when he recognized the lone, solitary spire of the Empire State Building. To Angel it represented the last Sentinel left to stand guard over such a beloved city, now that the twin towers were no more.

The plane soon landed and when Angel got off the plane and wandered into the terminal, he saw that it was already getting busy. From their attire, Angel figured the majority of those in the terminal to be business travelers waiting to board flights he saw were flying to such places as Boston, Chicago, Washington, DC, Denver. At one gate Angel noticed a few people gathered around what turned out to be a makeshift memorial to the passengers and crew who were aboard United Flight 93. Angel remembered how those aboard had valiantly rebelled and fought against the hijackers, knowing full well what the outcome was going to be. Sure enough, it was the only plane that ended up not taking any lives on the ground. A plaque in front of the memorial praised those on flight 93 for their extraordinary courage, heroism and sacrifice. Angel could not begin to imagine the fear and terror going through their minds as they realized the magnitude of what was happening, when they realized they would never be going home again, would not see their husbands or wives anymore, that they would never see their kids grow up. To nevertheless do what they did in the face of such adversity made their actions all the more remarkable. For a moment, Angel wondered how he would have reacted if he had been on that flight. Maybe being involved in taking down the hijackers, even at the cost of his own life, would be enough to finally earn himself the redemption he has long sought, but who knew for sure.

The anguish soon became too much to bear however, even for Angel, and he began walking away. Since he only had a carry-on bag, he didn't go to baggage claim and instead went to find transportation into the city. He saw that the monorail system would take him to the airport train station, where he could catch a train and be in NYC in minutes. As he rode the monorail, Angel looked out over the airport, seeing the place start to come alive as planes were taking off and landing with increasing frequency. Angel knew that Newark Airport was notorious for extensive flight delays, and that the tarmac would only grow more congested as the day wore on. Angel got to the station, purchased a ticket and went to the platform for the next train going to New York. He didn't have to wait long before he boarded an Amtrak train and soon found himself in Penn Station. It had been many years since Angel had last been in Penn Station, so he had to look around for a while before he found signs indicating the entrance to the subway. Penn Station was a big and complex place to get around, and Angel had the impression one could easily get lost if they did not know where they were going.

Fortunately, Angel found the right subway line to where he was going without incident, and when he got back to street level, he was only a couple of blocks from the hotel where he was staying at, which also happened to be right near Ground Zero itself. He got a room on the top floor, and when he went to the window, he found his room actually overlooked Ground Zero. He silently brooded for a while as he looked out over the site where the foundation of two of New York City's greatest icons, the twin towers of the World Trade Center, used to be, but where now was just a giant, empty, square-shaped crater. Angel could just make out where a subway tunnel used to run under the trade center, that used to deposit commuters off from the subway and the PATH commuter train system, which Angel knew used to service the towers. After a while Angel closed the blinds and turned away. At night he knew there were memorial services planned that he wanted to attend, and the vampire wanted to get some rest. He had the feeling that tonight was going to be emotionally exhausting for him.

Note: In part two, we will meet the 'old friend', and will see what she has been up to of late. Angel fans who followed the show closely through at least Season Two might know who I am talking about, and it is my own interpretation about what this character has been up to.