Part 6
Gunn heaved a sigh of annoyance and threw the book back on the table. "I can't find anything about guys walking through walls." He looked around at Wes and Fred. "You guys have any luck?"
Fred shook her head, peering at him over the rim of the book she was holding. It was almost bigger than she was, as many of these ancient books were. Not to mention bad on the allergies.
Wesley sighed and placed his book back on the table. "I too have had no luck so far." He stood, walking over to the bookshelf. His fingers trailed over the old copies of the ancient texts, reading them carefully. What were they missing? They had already been through all the texts on demons that could take human form, demons that could walk through solid objects; they'd even gone through ghosts and astral projection as well. Nothing had turned up, nothing conclusive anyway. What were they not seeing? His fingers trailed over an old copy of Aristotle's philosophy and he stopped. Looking back at Fred, his eyes squinted in concentration.
"What was it that the man said to you?" He asked.
Fred bit her lip for a moment, then looked back up at him. "He said: 'Not everything is as it seems." She tilted her head. "Why?"
Wesley's face contorted, a smile spreading across his lips and his eyes taking on a glow.
Gunn stood up. "I know that face. That's your 'Eureka!' face. What you got man?"
"We've been looking for a demon. What if it's not a demon at all? What if it's simply a man?"
"A man that can walk through walls?" Fred asked confusedly.
Gunn pursed his lips. "That is the kicker."
Wesley shook his head. "Perhaps not. When Angel gets back with Lorne, let them know I'll be back soon, hopefully with an answer." He shrugged on his jacket and was out the door, into the dawn, before either Fred or Gunn could reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The demon grunted as his back hit the wall with such force. He looked down into the eyes of the vampire and grimaced.
"What have you heard?" Angel growled.
"I swear nothing!" The demon yelled back. "Nothing new is happening. Trust me, you'd be the first I'd tell, promise."
"Hmmm somehow your promises don't mean so much to me." Angel tilted his head.
"Speak up!"
"Listen, after what happened to Merl, I shouldn't even be talking to you, but I'm doing it out of the kindness of my heart. Now let go of me."
Angel glared at the demon. The demon, a dead ringer for his brother Merl, stared back at him. He was right. He didn't have to tell Angel anything, but he had.
Lorne placed his hand on Angel's arms. "Angel cakes, maybe this isn't the best way to get information out of him."
Angel nodded and released the demon. He took a step back letting the demon smooth out his jacket.
"Sorry, I'm a little on edge." Angel apologized with only a hit of sarcasm tingeing his words.
"Yeah, I can tell. You should really have that checked out. Harbored anger really isn't good for the soul." The demon replied. At Angel's frustrated look, the demon raised his hands in an acquiescent gesture. "Okay, okay, not wanting to here about inner turmoil.
Touchy aren't we."
Angel moved towards him again.
The demon backed away. "Okay, this is what I know. Nothing new is it town. I got it in with all the new demons, I'm in the know. When I say nothing new, there isn't anything new."
Angel nodded, "So you don't know anything about a being that can walk through walls? He would need to give his victims injections of something to subdue them. He takes on human form." Angel watched as the demon shook his head no.
Lorne sighed, "He doesn't know anything Angel. His aura is just screaming innocence….with a little anxiety on the side. Course I don't know why he'd be anxious seeing as how we've all been so civil." Lorne chuckled.
Angel cut a side wards glance at him, and Lorne shut up. "Let's go." Angel stalked out the door, leaving Lorne alone with the demon.
"Thanks for your help. Oh and that little gambling problem you got, you might want to fix it soon…you might lose something important." Lorne yelled back at the demon, as he followed Angel down the sewer. "Angel, sweets, wait up."
Angel didn't slow down, just kept trudging back in the direction of the hotel. Lorne huffed and jumped over a particularly nasty looking…well he didn't really want to know its identity, because hey, floating in the sewer…nothing's going to be good. He groaned as his foot stepped in something equally squishy. "Oh what I wouldn't give for a Margarita and some Sinatra right now," he mumbled and made his way to catch up with the fast vampire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wesley scoured his home book collection, stopping briefly at a philosophical text. He grabbed it, opening it up. Finding the passage he had sought, he grinned suddenly.
"Eureka!" He cried out…suddenly very aware that there was no one to hear him.
Pocketing the book, he ran out of his apartment, only stopping briefly to lock the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia opened her eyes once more. Raising her head, she wiped the drool, DROOL, off the side of her face, and looked down at the desk. A water mark, more than likely from her drool, was clearly evident on the desk calendar. Why had she fallen asleep at her desk? Popping her neck she looked around. The office was empty, no one but her. Angel was probably asleep downstairs in his apartment, and…hey! That's weird. She was getting the strangest feelings of deja-vu. Something seemed off, though she couldn't place what it was.
The door to the office opened and she looked up.
"Pull another all-nighter did you?" The room filled with the familiar Irish lilt.
Cordelia's eyes grew wide, "Doyle?"
TBC in Part 7
Gunn heaved a sigh of annoyance and threw the book back on the table. "I can't find anything about guys walking through walls." He looked around at Wes and Fred. "You guys have any luck?"
Fred shook her head, peering at him over the rim of the book she was holding. It was almost bigger than she was, as many of these ancient books were. Not to mention bad on the allergies.
Wesley sighed and placed his book back on the table. "I too have had no luck so far." He stood, walking over to the bookshelf. His fingers trailed over the old copies of the ancient texts, reading them carefully. What were they missing? They had already been through all the texts on demons that could take human form, demons that could walk through solid objects; they'd even gone through ghosts and astral projection as well. Nothing had turned up, nothing conclusive anyway. What were they not seeing? His fingers trailed over an old copy of Aristotle's philosophy and he stopped. Looking back at Fred, his eyes squinted in concentration.
"What was it that the man said to you?" He asked.
Fred bit her lip for a moment, then looked back up at him. "He said: 'Not everything is as it seems." She tilted her head. "Why?"
Wesley's face contorted, a smile spreading across his lips and his eyes taking on a glow.
Gunn stood up. "I know that face. That's your 'Eureka!' face. What you got man?"
"We've been looking for a demon. What if it's not a demon at all? What if it's simply a man?"
"A man that can walk through walls?" Fred asked confusedly.
Gunn pursed his lips. "That is the kicker."
Wesley shook his head. "Perhaps not. When Angel gets back with Lorne, let them know I'll be back soon, hopefully with an answer." He shrugged on his jacket and was out the door, into the dawn, before either Fred or Gunn could reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The demon grunted as his back hit the wall with such force. He looked down into the eyes of the vampire and grimaced.
"What have you heard?" Angel growled.
"I swear nothing!" The demon yelled back. "Nothing new is happening. Trust me, you'd be the first I'd tell, promise."
"Hmmm somehow your promises don't mean so much to me." Angel tilted his head.
"Speak up!"
"Listen, after what happened to Merl, I shouldn't even be talking to you, but I'm doing it out of the kindness of my heart. Now let go of me."
Angel glared at the demon. The demon, a dead ringer for his brother Merl, stared back at him. He was right. He didn't have to tell Angel anything, but he had.
Lorne placed his hand on Angel's arms. "Angel cakes, maybe this isn't the best way to get information out of him."
Angel nodded and released the demon. He took a step back letting the demon smooth out his jacket.
"Sorry, I'm a little on edge." Angel apologized with only a hit of sarcasm tingeing his words.
"Yeah, I can tell. You should really have that checked out. Harbored anger really isn't good for the soul." The demon replied. At Angel's frustrated look, the demon raised his hands in an acquiescent gesture. "Okay, okay, not wanting to here about inner turmoil.
Touchy aren't we."
Angel moved towards him again.
The demon backed away. "Okay, this is what I know. Nothing new is it town. I got it in with all the new demons, I'm in the know. When I say nothing new, there isn't anything new."
Angel nodded, "So you don't know anything about a being that can walk through walls? He would need to give his victims injections of something to subdue them. He takes on human form." Angel watched as the demon shook his head no.
Lorne sighed, "He doesn't know anything Angel. His aura is just screaming innocence….with a little anxiety on the side. Course I don't know why he'd be anxious seeing as how we've all been so civil." Lorne chuckled.
Angel cut a side wards glance at him, and Lorne shut up. "Let's go." Angel stalked out the door, leaving Lorne alone with the demon.
"Thanks for your help. Oh and that little gambling problem you got, you might want to fix it soon…you might lose something important." Lorne yelled back at the demon, as he followed Angel down the sewer. "Angel, sweets, wait up."
Angel didn't slow down, just kept trudging back in the direction of the hotel. Lorne huffed and jumped over a particularly nasty looking…well he didn't really want to know its identity, because hey, floating in the sewer…nothing's going to be good. He groaned as his foot stepped in something equally squishy. "Oh what I wouldn't give for a Margarita and some Sinatra right now," he mumbled and made his way to catch up with the fast vampire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wesley scoured his home book collection, stopping briefly at a philosophical text. He grabbed it, opening it up. Finding the passage he had sought, he grinned suddenly.
"Eureka!" He cried out…suddenly very aware that there was no one to hear him.
Pocketing the book, he ran out of his apartment, only stopping briefly to lock the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cordelia opened her eyes once more. Raising her head, she wiped the drool, DROOL, off the side of her face, and looked down at the desk. A water mark, more than likely from her drool, was clearly evident on the desk calendar. Why had she fallen asleep at her desk? Popping her neck she looked around. The office was empty, no one but her. Angel was probably asleep downstairs in his apartment, and…hey! That's weird. She was getting the strangest feelings of deja-vu. Something seemed off, though she couldn't place what it was.
The door to the office opened and she looked up.
"Pull another all-nighter did you?" The room filled with the familiar Irish lilt.
Cordelia's eyes grew wide, "Doyle?"
TBC in Part 7