Part 3
"We're ho-ome," Gunn sang out as they walked through the doors of the Hyperion. The slaying of the demon had taken no time, but the clean up and ride home had taken a little longer than expected. It was now close to 3 in the morning, the world all asleep.
The lobby was impossibly empty, no Cordy smiling at them from behind the counter, no Fred bounding up to them asking for a description of the newest kill. Nothing….at all.
"Well, not exactly the triumphant return for the gallant heroes I was expecting."
Wesley nodded. "It is a little quiet, don't you think?"
Angel looked around. He had been expecting Cordelia to be out of bed by now, doing invoices or surfing the net. He hadn't really truly believed that she would actually go to bed anyway. That was surprising; she must be feeling a lot worse than she let on. He stepped down the stairs, intent on making his way to the cabinet when he caught a whiff of something off: an odor that he wasn't accustomed to. A male, he knew from the cologne. He turned around abruptly, heading for the stairs. Wes and Gunn jumped out of his way.
"Angel, what's wrong?" Wes called out.
Angel didn't answer, he just kept running. He turned the corner to his room, and stopped as he saw Fred, lying on the floor at his threshold.
"No," he whispered and fell down beside her, checking for a pulse. It was there, strong.
Standing, he ran through the doorway. His bed sheets were crumpled. Cordy had obviously been
lying on them, but where was she now?
"Cordy?" He called out, searching the room with his eyes. She wasn't there. He made his way to the bathroom. She wasn't there either. He turned back to the room, and another odor wafted at him. Blood. New blood, fresh blood. He walked over to the bed, and kneeled down on the floor. There on the floor, were a few drops of blood. Oh God. Cordy's blood. He reached out and touched it, feeling the moisture against his fingertips.
He looked down at his hand, the red stark against his white skin.
Turning around he saw Wes and Gunn stooped down beside Fred.
Wesley looked up at Angel. "Where's Cordelia?"
Raising his hand to show off the blood, Angel swallowed hard before answering, "She's gone."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia groaned as she sat up straight. Her vision was blurry and she blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus. Her cheek stung and she tasted blood. She wiped at her mouth, not surprised when she pulled it away to see the red liquid on her palm. As her surroundings came into focus, she furrowed her brow. The room was immaculately decorated: opulent. The walls were a light shade of yellow, with a terra cotta trim. A bed sat on one wall beneath a huge mirror, a door on each side, and a dresser and desk on the opposite wall. A small lamp was lit on the desk casting a calm glow to the room. She had been lying on a beautiful floor rug that accented the wall and trim colors. Whoever had decorated this place had some serious sense of style. Speaking of…where was she? Come to think of it, where had she been before here? She couldn't remember anything from that day. Sighing, she reached up to massage where her neck and shoulder muscles met. It was tense, and sore to the touch, almost as if she had been punctured with something. She stood, reaching her hand out to steady herself against the wall.
"Hello?" she yelled. No one responded, and she walked over to the door on the right side of the bed. Turning the knob, she opened it to find a small bathroom. Okay, not a way out. She turned to the other door, turning the knob. It didn't budge. She pounded on it, with no success. Alright, so wherever she was, and whoever she was with, she obviously wasn't meant to be going anywhere. A phone, she needed a phone. She looked around the room.
"No phone." She said out loud. "Great, just great. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
She made her way over to the bed and sat down on the end. It was pretty comfy, so she lay back onto it. Staring up at the ceiling, she didn't notice the man walk through the wall right beside the bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, Fred, wake up," Wesley said loudly, tapping the young woman's cheeks with his hand. Her eyes blinked softly, and her lips moved. "That's it, wake up."
Her eyes opened fully, and she blinked, clearing her vision. "Wesley?" She moved to sit up. Wincing, she moved her hand to her shoulder, massaging the area. "What happened?"
"We were hoping you could tell us," Gunn spoke up from behind Wesley.
"I don't know." She frowned. "I can't remember…anything."
Wesley ran a hand over his forehead, chasing his headache away. Standing, he patted Fred's shoulder. She yelped out and jerked away from him.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked focusing his gaze on her shoulder.
"I don't know, it hurts." Fred replied.
Wesley looked back at Gunn, then back at Fred's shoulder. Reaching out, he tossed her hair to one side and pulled her collar down over her shoulder. A small puncture wound graced her shoulder, right where the shoulder met the neck.
"What is it?" Fred asked, craning her neck trying to see her shoulder.
"It seems like an injection mark." He replied, standing up.
"Where's Angel?" Fred looked around the room, noticing his absence. "Where's Cordelia?"
"Angel went to get Lorne." Gunn replied. "As for Cordelia, that's undecided."
A soft rustling stirred Fred's attention and she turned her head towards the door. Angel strode in, Lorne right behind him. The green pigmented demon looked like he had dressed in a hurry, as if he had been awakened suddenly, by a very distraught vampire.
Seeing the look on Angel's face, she surmised that her evaluation hadn't been far off.
"You're awake," Angel stated. "What happened?" He took no time in jumping to the difficult questions.
She wished she could remember. "I don't know. Where's Cordelia?" No one answered her this time. "Where is she?"
"We don't know," Angel ground out. "We're trying to find out what happened to her."
"You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" Wesley pushed.
Fred shook her head.
Angel looked at Lorne and nodded. Lorne nodded back and moved to sit next to Fred.
"Okay Freddykins, I need you to sing for me."
Fred stared at him. "Why?"
"So I can read you. Maybe I can see something you can't. Just pick a song, and sing it. Preferably, nothing by N'Sync or Backstreet Boys."
"Who?" She asked, confused.
"Oh God bless you and your been-missing-5-years soul." Lorne smiled. "Go ahead, sing."
Fred took a deep breath and began.
"Memory, turn your face to the moonlight.
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then.
I remember a time I knew what happiness was.
Let the memory, live again."
Before she could launch into a verse, Lorne smiled. "Thanks, kiddo." He stood and gestured for Angel to join him outside the room.
Fred turned back to Wesley and Gunn. "Cordelia's missing. Was I the last one to see her?"
Wesley nodded and Gunn looked down at his feet.
Fred turned back to the door. Hopefully Lorne had seen something she couldn't
remember.
TBC in Part 4
"We're ho-ome," Gunn sang out as they walked through the doors of the Hyperion. The slaying of the demon had taken no time, but the clean up and ride home had taken a little longer than expected. It was now close to 3 in the morning, the world all asleep.
The lobby was impossibly empty, no Cordy smiling at them from behind the counter, no Fred bounding up to them asking for a description of the newest kill. Nothing….at all.
"Well, not exactly the triumphant return for the gallant heroes I was expecting."
Wesley nodded. "It is a little quiet, don't you think?"
Angel looked around. He had been expecting Cordelia to be out of bed by now, doing invoices or surfing the net. He hadn't really truly believed that she would actually go to bed anyway. That was surprising; she must be feeling a lot worse than she let on. He stepped down the stairs, intent on making his way to the cabinet when he caught a whiff of something off: an odor that he wasn't accustomed to. A male, he knew from the cologne. He turned around abruptly, heading for the stairs. Wes and Gunn jumped out of his way.
"Angel, what's wrong?" Wes called out.
Angel didn't answer, he just kept running. He turned the corner to his room, and stopped as he saw Fred, lying on the floor at his threshold.
"No," he whispered and fell down beside her, checking for a pulse. It was there, strong.
Standing, he ran through the doorway. His bed sheets were crumpled. Cordy had obviously been
lying on them, but where was she now?
"Cordy?" He called out, searching the room with his eyes. She wasn't there. He made his way to the bathroom. She wasn't there either. He turned back to the room, and another odor wafted at him. Blood. New blood, fresh blood. He walked over to the bed, and kneeled down on the floor. There on the floor, were a few drops of blood. Oh God. Cordy's blood. He reached out and touched it, feeling the moisture against his fingertips.
He looked down at his hand, the red stark against his white skin.
Turning around he saw Wes and Gunn stooped down beside Fred.
Wesley looked up at Angel. "Where's Cordelia?"
Raising his hand to show off the blood, Angel swallowed hard before answering, "She's gone."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia groaned as she sat up straight. Her vision was blurry and she blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus. Her cheek stung and she tasted blood. She wiped at her mouth, not surprised when she pulled it away to see the red liquid on her palm. As her surroundings came into focus, she furrowed her brow. The room was immaculately decorated: opulent. The walls were a light shade of yellow, with a terra cotta trim. A bed sat on one wall beneath a huge mirror, a door on each side, and a dresser and desk on the opposite wall. A small lamp was lit on the desk casting a calm glow to the room. She had been lying on a beautiful floor rug that accented the wall and trim colors. Whoever had decorated this place had some serious sense of style. Speaking of…where was she? Come to think of it, where had she been before here? She couldn't remember anything from that day. Sighing, she reached up to massage where her neck and shoulder muscles met. It was tense, and sore to the touch, almost as if she had been punctured with something. She stood, reaching her hand out to steady herself against the wall.
"Hello?" she yelled. No one responded, and she walked over to the door on the right side of the bed. Turning the knob, she opened it to find a small bathroom. Okay, not a way out. She turned to the other door, turning the knob. It didn't budge. She pounded on it, with no success. Alright, so wherever she was, and whoever she was with, she obviously wasn't meant to be going anywhere. A phone, she needed a phone. She looked around the room.
"No phone." She said out loud. "Great, just great. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
She made her way over to the bed and sat down on the end. It was pretty comfy, so she lay back onto it. Staring up at the ceiling, she didn't notice the man walk through the wall right beside the bed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on, Fred, wake up," Wesley said loudly, tapping the young woman's cheeks with his hand. Her eyes blinked softly, and her lips moved. "That's it, wake up."
Her eyes opened fully, and she blinked, clearing her vision. "Wesley?" She moved to sit up. Wincing, she moved her hand to her shoulder, massaging the area. "What happened?"
"We were hoping you could tell us," Gunn spoke up from behind Wesley.
"I don't know." She frowned. "I can't remember…anything."
Wesley ran a hand over his forehead, chasing his headache away. Standing, he patted Fred's shoulder. She yelped out and jerked away from him.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked focusing his gaze on her shoulder.
"I don't know, it hurts." Fred replied.
Wesley looked back at Gunn, then back at Fred's shoulder. Reaching out, he tossed her hair to one side and pulled her collar down over her shoulder. A small puncture wound graced her shoulder, right where the shoulder met the neck.
"What is it?" Fred asked, craning her neck trying to see her shoulder.
"It seems like an injection mark." He replied, standing up.
"Where's Angel?" Fred looked around the room, noticing his absence. "Where's Cordelia?"
"Angel went to get Lorne." Gunn replied. "As for Cordelia, that's undecided."
A soft rustling stirred Fred's attention and she turned her head towards the door. Angel strode in, Lorne right behind him. The green pigmented demon looked like he had dressed in a hurry, as if he had been awakened suddenly, by a very distraught vampire.
Seeing the look on Angel's face, she surmised that her evaluation hadn't been far off.
"You're awake," Angel stated. "What happened?" He took no time in jumping to the difficult questions.
She wished she could remember. "I don't know. Where's Cordelia?" No one answered her this time. "Where is she?"
"We don't know," Angel ground out. "We're trying to find out what happened to her."
"You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" Wesley pushed.
Fred shook her head.
Angel looked at Lorne and nodded. Lorne nodded back and moved to sit next to Fred.
"Okay Freddykins, I need you to sing for me."
Fred stared at him. "Why?"
"So I can read you. Maybe I can see something you can't. Just pick a song, and sing it. Preferably, nothing by N'Sync or Backstreet Boys."
"Who?" She asked, confused.
"Oh God bless you and your been-missing-5-years soul." Lorne smiled. "Go ahead, sing."
Fred took a deep breath and began.
"Memory, turn your face to the moonlight.
I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then.
I remember a time I knew what happiness was.
Let the memory, live again."
Before she could launch into a verse, Lorne smiled. "Thanks, kiddo." He stood and gestured for Angel to join him outside the room.
Fred turned back to Wesley and Gunn. "Cordelia's missing. Was I the last one to see her?"
Wesley nodded and Gunn looked down at his feet.
Fred turned back to the door. Hopefully Lorne had seen something she couldn't
remember.
TBC in Part 4