A/N: I officially hate Friday the 13th/ Valentine's day. I can't believe there isn't going to be another season of Angel on the WB. I'm I the only one who thinks it's ironic, the WB stopped showing Buffy after its 5th season, and now Angel. I hope they move networks or something (doesn't TNT run its past episodes). And they announced after its 100th episode and in the middle of the season too! Why didn't they tell us this at the beginning of the season, so that the writers could have a chance to foreshadow the big Apocalypse I've always imagined for the series' end? I'm ranting again…please review, it'll take my mind off of all this.
Disclaimer: I don't own Angel.
Gunn tackled the mortician, stopping her from finishing her Latin phrase.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" she screamed from the floor, as she pushed the lawyer off of her.
"You think we're going to let the Mist use Wesley's body," Gunn replied.
"You gits," Spike held up her book, "It's a medical book, and she was just saying the Latin name for…" his brow knotted in confusion.
"It was trying to say the full name for the larynx," she clarified, "That's the last I'm talking aloud."
Angel hadn't taken his eyes off of my body since they came in. It gave the false illusion that I was at peace. Then I noticed that the scar on my neck was open.
"Did you cut that open," Angel said, his tone was a mixture of sadness, fear and anger.
"No, that's the strange thing. Right after I got off phone with some guy named Spike I noticed that. I assume it reopened after death. It's amazing that he actually survive that, as well as the gunshot wound I observed and a stab wound directly below his jaw-line. Though that weapon seemed to be rounded, my guess is a letter opener-"
"Crucifix," Angel replied.
"That's interesting. And to top that all off he dies in a car accident, but not from the crash but something else," she said as she stood up and brushed one of Gunn's business cards off her.
"I thought you were just going put down that crash as the cause of death," Spike said.
"Yes, but that's before I saw that gash. I tried working on other cases but this one just kept bugging me, so I went back. I was just about-"she stopped midway in her sentence, she had just read the business card. I had a feeling that this wasn't the first time she had dealt with Wolfram & Hart employees. Then again, her walking up and slapping Angel was another hint.
"You bastards, you probably just want this body, take away the evidence of one of you clients that killed him with some spell or something. I'm sorry but there is nothing you can pay me to get me to give this body to you. And if this is a threat from my half-sister, tell her to come here and do it herself,"
"We're here to see if that mystical energy that killed him was out, and it obviously is if he's opened," Gunn yelled, and then paused, "Who's your sister anyway,"
"The Beast's other half. And there was no mystical energy, I didn't see anything strange,"
"We think you have to be dead in order to see it, or at least at this stage-"
"So how can you know it even exists!" she laughed, "Dead men tell no tales and I should know…" she trailed off realizing what they were.
"Get out," she growled, taking a cross off the wall.
"Do you think Belle would be very happy if you tried to kill some vampires?" Angel asked, having figured out the woman's riddle.
She continued to walk forward, pointing the cross towards Gunn and Spike. She didn't think Angel was a vampire, but rather Gunn because he tackled her.
"You actual know her first name, she usually insisted to be call Ms. Tanner. She's not even a real Tanner you know. Mum was raped one night by a demon and had that abomination. And yet my father could still look over Belle and married her."
"I don't really care, I don't work for her."
"But it says on the card-"
"Read a little closer next time, we work in the LA branch."
She glanced at the card, to make sure he wasn't lying, "You're right, so why are you in London, it's pretty far from sunny California."
"A gala, but that's not important. When you saw the gash, did you feel cold Ms. Tanner?"
"Please, call me Lydia, it'll distinct me from…her. To answer you're question, no. I've worked here for a longer time. Nothing really bothered me, and that isn't what you meant," she observed the look on Angel's face.
"It never got out," Spike whispered.
"What?" Gunn and Lydia said in unison, her head turned over to the blonde vampire.
"Because it was never inside," he finished.
"What the hell does he mean?" she asked.
Spike move around the table on which my body laid, "When Fred was possessed by the Dark Mist she said it was ripped out, and I'm pretty sure she meant Wesley's soul. The Mist never got in."
"But why? Did he know something?" Gunn asked. It was a good theory but I didn't even know what the Dark Mist was until Giles explained.
"His death, it was a distraction. It meant to screw up, to kill him," Angel answered in horror, still looking at my mortal remains.
"A distraction for what, to possess Fred, but it screwed up with her too… oh God, Fred. You don't think…" Gunn looked at Angel.
He continued "Marci was her suicide another distraction for it to get into Fred?"
"It won't go for Fred," Angel replied.
"If I was and evil, ancient force would I possess someone I already failed at or a supernaturally strong one that I hadn't touched?" was Spike's sarcastic rhetorical question.
"Take-take the body," Lydia stuttered in fear.
"We don't really-" Angel began.
"Take the God-damn body," she screamed.
"This won't affect you-"Angel was once again interrupted.
"If they aren't interested, we'll take the corpse for you," Belle Tanner walked in with Josephine behind her.
Seeing her sister visibly shook up Lydia, her anger was now replaced with terror. She stepped back and moved her arms upward causing her sleeve fall to her elbow, revealing some nasty scars.
"Little sister, a cross only works on vampires," Belle smiled wickedly.
"I know siblings get into fights, but I think using talons is cheating," Angel said stepping in between the two.
"At least I didn't kill her, that's what I heard you did to your younger sister."
"Was, was she bad?" Lydia asked Angel.
"If you consider innocent young girls bad, but then again vampires tend to have twisted logic," Belle answered the question.
Lydia jaw dropped, and then anger filled her, "You lied to me."
"I never said I wasn't a vampire," Angel replied.
"No, about you wanting to help. You're a creature of the night, you want this 'Mist' to win."
"No I don't-" Angel stopped since Lydia pressed the cross onto his back. It sizzled, and there was the smell of burning flesh for a moment. Angel quickly turned and knocked the crucifix out of her hands.
"If you give us the body, I'll save you from him," Belle said.
Lydia glared at her, "I rather died in his hands than give you any pleasure."
"I'm not going to kill you, just don't try to hurt me," Angel commented as he turned to face Belle.
"Just because you don't want our help that doesn't mean we won't get involved," Belle informed.
"You aren't taking-" Gunn said but Jo decided to shut him up by throwing a knife dangerously close to his head.
"If we work with you will you leave Wesley's body alone?"
"No, we'll still take his remains but if you work with us you can see where we are taking, going to do with it."
"Can we use your contacts?"
"Depends, could you specify?"
"The most powerful witches and warlocks,"
"You aren't bargain with Wes!" Gunn cried out.
"Why not? And it isn't Wesley, just his body," Spike said. I agreed with Spike, I was dead. They had to do whatever to stop the Mist.
"It's not like we going to cut him up and eat his bones anyway," Jo remarked.
"What's the price?" Angel asked
"Excuse me," Belle said.
"Webber said we could come back for a price,"
"Yes, he did, probably some of your blood, about a pint?"
"Why, I don't qualify to be a donor."
"Very funny. The blood of a vampire with a soul will probably come in handy on certain spells."
"Hey, why don't I get to spill some. Peaches isn't only freak of nature nowadays" Spike said.
Belle rolled her eyes "I suppose the both of you could."
She snapped her fingers and a group of people came in, to prepare to transport my body. Lydia was in the corner and she wasn't going to fight over my body like she had promised earlier, then again she didn't know what was really going on. She was in her own world, trying to ignore this one, ignore her half-sister's presence.
"Gunn, I don't want to hear. Go to Giles make sure the slayers are okay. Tell him to contact the Coven and any other powerful witch he knows, maybe Willow. Spike, if the Mist is going try what we think it is, you have to be the others eyes, since you can only see it," Angel gave out his orders.
Gunn nodded, but he wasn't happy about the situation and left the room as soon as he could
"There a particular reason why you aren't moving?" Spike asked Angel, watching a man pull a zipper over my face.
"You think the First was telling the truth?"
"It has a funny way of finding the truths that'll rip you up."
"Can we save him?"
"I don't know," Spike kicked an imaginary pebble, "but standing around here isn't going to help."
Next Time: Wesley has to decide who to follow, Angel to Wolfram & Hart or Gunn and Spike to the hospital.