Chapter Eleven Deductive leaps

Having returned to the Hyperion, Angel barely had time to get himself a cup of fresh blood before Gunn and Fred, both eager to learn if he'd discovered anything new, entered the kitchen.

"Well, don't hold it in. Did she tell you who he is?" Gunn opened the inquisition, quickly followed by Fred.

"Don't be so impatient, Gunn. I'm sure Angel will let us know what he discovered as soon as he's got something to eat. Did she say if he's human, at least?"

Angel swallowed the mouthful he'd been savouring when they entered and returned his thoughts to the case they were working on.

"Well, she did tell me a few things about him, but not much in the way of facts. In fact, all she really told me was his name, Samuel, and that he is a client of Wolfram & Hart. She implied that he isn't human, but she also hinted that he doesn't know of their demonic connections and 'special' services."

"By 'special' I guess you mean murder, blackmail and other less-than-legal services?"

"Gunn, don't interrupt Angel when he's talking. Does he have a last name, or is it just Samuel? I don't think I can manage to dig up much information with merely the first name."

"He probably have a last name, but she didn't give it. Apparently client confidentiality actually means something to her." Angel frowned as he took another sip of blood. Room-temperature pigs blood, not good. "But something else she said really bothers me. She claimed that he knew Angelus, and not in a good way. Made me think they were enemies, but I don't remember having ever seen him before, not even as Angelus."

"But wouldn't that make him more than a hundred years old? How can a hum..oh, you said she implied that he isn't human. But if he is a demon, shouldn't he know what Wolfram & Hart really is?"

Gunn nodded. "Yeah, she's right. If he's a demon, then there is no reason for them to hide what they are from him, so what is going on here?"

"I don't know. I guess he could be human. She didn't say he wasn't, just that it was confidential. It wouldn't really surprise me if she tried to mislead us. But that leaves the question of how he recognized Angelus, when he hasn't been around for more tha..Sunnydale!"

"Huh? Angelus hasn't been around for more than Sunnydale? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I lost my soul for a while in Sunnydale, Gunn. And that was just a few years ago. He could know him from there. In fact, that makes sense. He looked like he's in the early twenties, maybe a bit older than Buffy. If he was in high-school back then, Angelus could very well have killed some of his friends."

"You're right. It does make sense. You, as in Angelus-you, killed some of his friends, and now he's a crazy killer with enough money to be client of Wolfram & Hart." Gunn glared at Angel as he continued. "It makes sense, and not in a good way."

Angel sighed. "I know. That could make me responsible for what he's become, as well as endangering you if he decides to take revenge for what Angelus did."

"But we don't know for sure, do we? It could be some other reason for him to recognize you as Angelus. And even if that is the reason, it doesn't make you responsible for what he is. Whatever happened, it was Angelus, and you're not responsible for what he did."

Angel gave Fred a brief smile before he replied. "Thanks, but we still have to find and stop him. And if he's from Sunnydale, then that is where we need to go if we want to find out more about him."

****

The first thing Michael did upon arrival was calling Lilah, and arranging for her to inform Amanda and Duncan that he was currently out of town, but expected to be back in one, maybe two weeks. Could they perhaps meet then?

Having decided to contact the Council, Michael's next problem was figuring out how to do that. He didn't expect it to be easy, or at least not cheap. After all, he was trying to get in touch with a secret organization that he'd never had any formal dealings with. And the second last encounter with them had consisted of him killing the cowardly bastard who'd sent the Slayer out to face the Scourge and family on her own while staying safely at home himself. He suspected it would not be wise to inform them of that when he found them.

His last encounter with them had yielded some useful information, and might lead to current members of the organization. Back in 1912 he'd encountered a Slayer on patrol, and remarkably enough her Watcher had accompanied her. Of course, while the man's dedication and courage had impressed him, his tactics hadn't. The girl had been carrying a stake, and he'd been armed with a crossbow.

That meeting had been cordial, and the Watcher had introduced himself as Edward Travers. He had not mentioned being a Watcher, and had in fact attempted to explain the situation in a truly ridiculous manner. Brave and dedicated, but a lousy liar. It had amused Michael to play along, and he had left the two undoubtedly assured they'd run into the world's most gullible person.

Knowing that membership passed down from father to son, his search for the Council mainly consisted of hiring investigators to track down the descendants of that Watcher.

Next was deciding how to make the approach. He would prefer not alienating them by stealing the information he needed, but he seriously doubted them handing it over if he asked nicely. A trade would be ideal, and fortunately for him (and them), he had just the thing. A little something they would pay dearly to retrieve.

After killing the Chinese Watcher, he'd taken his journal, hoping it would help him in his search for Angelus. As it turned out, it had been of no use then, but now? Retrieving the last, and only, seeing as she'd been active for merely four months, journal of a Slayer would no doubt be worth the few pieces of information he wanted in return.

Author's note: Ok, first, let me apologise for the delay since last chapter. I blame real life and a lack of inspiration (I think my muse went on strike). Second, I found, and have corrected, a grievous error in past chapters. I gave Michael the alias Samuel McDowell to use with Wolfram & Hart, and then went on to use the name James instead. This happened to be the name of an insignificant newbie headhunter he'd killed in Chicago, and I hope this haven't caused to many misunderstandings. Please forgive me; I'll try not to do it again.

Oh, and don't forget to review and let me know what you think of my story.