"Angel?" Harry asked. "What...huh...?"
"You know, I'm not surprised that you're reacting like this," Angel said. "My very stupid hired help was under the impression that they were to capture you. That wasn't really the case..."
"Yeah, right," Harry snorted.
"Really," Angel replied. "Come with me. Bring Diana. We'll talk this over."
Harry wavered, a bit unsure. "Why should I trust you?" he asked.
Angel looked as though he were about to shrug. Then he tossed the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry.
"Follow me, Harry," Angel said, turning and walking slowly back through the door. Harry cast a nervous glance at Diana, who just shrugged. Harry shook his head. What the hell, he thought.
He followed Angel up the stairs.
"You?" Harry shouted. He'd lost it. "You?! You've been having us followed?!"
"Calm down, Harry," Angel said. "Yes. We knew that you were in New York during the fires, and that you had some connection to Onde."
"How'd you know that?" Harry asked, no less angry.
"He's a client," Wesley said, shooting a meaningful glance at Angel. Angel ignored it.
"Onde has been a client for years, but he's never disclosed his organization's whereabouts, or the extent of their operations, or...well...anything of value, really," Angel admitted. "That's where you come in."
Harry couldn't come up with a retort. Was this guy serious?
"We need someone with a link to Onde and his organization. You have that. We could use you."
Angel and his team stared at Harry and Diana as though they expected them to respond. Harry's eyebrows raised. "And what are you going to use me for?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Bare in mind that I do not like being used."
Angel cleared his throat. He hated playing diplomat. "Harry, this could be our one chance to bring down this group. They're undeniably evil. Don't you want to help us?"
Harry leaned over the table. The smile on his face was so far from nice it could easily have been classified as hostile. "You didn't answer my question."
Angel glanced at his friends. He needed to take this plunge and just pray for the best.
Well, hope for the best, anyway.
"We want to use you as bait," he said. "Put you up in a hotel without Wolfram and Hart's protection, have you take walks in the park, whatever, and then, when they try to catch you, we follow them back to their compound."
Harry nodded. "You are completely bonkers," he said.
Angel's face fell a bit. "Then you won't help us?" he asked.
Harry sighed. He glanced at Diana's face. She seemed to be trying to tell him something without saying it, but he couldn't make it out. "I didn't say that, did I?" Harry asked, rhetorically. Diana smiled. "Okay, we'll help you out."
Angel brightened up, too. "Good. We begin tomorrow. Tonight, you can sleep here. You'll be safe."
The members of Angel Investigations pushed their chairs back and stood. Harry noted instantly the looks of intense weariness in each face. Harry and Diana left with the rest, though Angel and Wesley stayed behind.
Gunn was about to lead them to their quarters, but Harry held up a hand. "Curious as to what they're saying in there?" he asked.
Gunn shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he said. "Angel and Wes have been keeping us out of the loop for months now."
Harry pressed his ear to the thick, mahogany door. "...last straw, Angel."
"What do you want to do, Wes?" Angel asked. "Give up Wolfram and Hart? Give it back to the bad guys?"
"I'd rather not become the bad guy, thanks," Wesley responded. "What are we becoming? We help people like Onde...professionally!"
"And then we do our best to bring them down!" Angel shouted back. Harry heard him hit the table. "Damn it, Wes! We're doing the best we can do here!"
"Is it enough?" Wesley asked.
Harry withdrew from the door. He glanced nervously at Diana and Gunn. He didn't know whether or not he should trust Angel. He didn't know whether or not he should trust Wolfram and Hart.
Harry made a decision right then to be extra cautious.
As Diana slept that night, Harry Potter stayed awake, swishing the Wolfram and Hart provided blood around in his cup. It tasted a bit funny. Like maybe it was otter.
Harry turned the Sword of Gryffindor over in his left hand, admiring the blade. It was a truly remarkable weapon, and it had been in Harry's possession for several months now. He'd never really taken the time to just look at it, though.
The jeweled hilt shown a bit in the dim light. The blade itself sparkled, smooth and perfect. The Sword was crafted nearly a thousand years before Harry had come to own it, but it was still in pristine condition. Amazing.
Harry wanted to get in a few hours of sleep before the operation tomorrow. He wanted to get out of LA as soon as possible. The place gave him the creeps.
Harry considered his next destination. Maybe now Diana would actually want to go somewhere, rather than passively consent to the course laid before her by Harry.
Harry wondered. He took out a map and looked through it.
Well, he thought, the Grand Canyon is close to here. I wonder...what is the Grand Canyon?
Damn Americans and their grandiose names.
Harry finally settled down for the night. He didn't nee to plan for that trip yet. He'd have enough trouble surviving the next day.
"You know, I'm not surprised that you're reacting like this," Angel said. "My very stupid hired help was under the impression that they were to capture you. That wasn't really the case..."
"Yeah, right," Harry snorted.
"Really," Angel replied. "Come with me. Bring Diana. We'll talk this over."
Harry wavered, a bit unsure. "Why should I trust you?" he asked.
Angel looked as though he were about to shrug. Then he tossed the Sword of Gryffindor to Harry.
"Follow me, Harry," Angel said, turning and walking slowly back through the door. Harry cast a nervous glance at Diana, who just shrugged. Harry shook his head. What the hell, he thought.
He followed Angel up the stairs.
"You?" Harry shouted. He'd lost it. "You?! You've been having us followed?!"
"Calm down, Harry," Angel said. "Yes. We knew that you were in New York during the fires, and that you had some connection to Onde."
"How'd you know that?" Harry asked, no less angry.
"He's a client," Wesley said, shooting a meaningful glance at Angel. Angel ignored it.
"Onde has been a client for years, but he's never disclosed his organization's whereabouts, or the extent of their operations, or...well...anything of value, really," Angel admitted. "That's where you come in."
Harry couldn't come up with a retort. Was this guy serious?
"We need someone with a link to Onde and his organization. You have that. We could use you."
Angel and his team stared at Harry and Diana as though they expected them to respond. Harry's eyebrows raised. "And what are you going to use me for?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Bare in mind that I do not like being used."
Angel cleared his throat. He hated playing diplomat. "Harry, this could be our one chance to bring down this group. They're undeniably evil. Don't you want to help us?"
Harry leaned over the table. The smile on his face was so far from nice it could easily have been classified as hostile. "You didn't answer my question."
Angel glanced at his friends. He needed to take this plunge and just pray for the best.
Well, hope for the best, anyway.
"We want to use you as bait," he said. "Put you up in a hotel without Wolfram and Hart's protection, have you take walks in the park, whatever, and then, when they try to catch you, we follow them back to their compound."
Harry nodded. "You are completely bonkers," he said.
Angel's face fell a bit. "Then you won't help us?" he asked.
Harry sighed. He glanced at Diana's face. She seemed to be trying to tell him something without saying it, but he couldn't make it out. "I didn't say that, did I?" Harry asked, rhetorically. Diana smiled. "Okay, we'll help you out."
Angel brightened up, too. "Good. We begin tomorrow. Tonight, you can sleep here. You'll be safe."
The members of Angel Investigations pushed their chairs back and stood. Harry noted instantly the looks of intense weariness in each face. Harry and Diana left with the rest, though Angel and Wesley stayed behind.
Gunn was about to lead them to their quarters, but Harry held up a hand. "Curious as to what they're saying in there?" he asked.
Gunn shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he said. "Angel and Wes have been keeping us out of the loop for months now."
Harry pressed his ear to the thick, mahogany door. "...last straw, Angel."
"What do you want to do, Wes?" Angel asked. "Give up Wolfram and Hart? Give it back to the bad guys?"
"I'd rather not become the bad guy, thanks," Wesley responded. "What are we becoming? We help people like Onde...professionally!"
"And then we do our best to bring them down!" Angel shouted back. Harry heard him hit the table. "Damn it, Wes! We're doing the best we can do here!"
"Is it enough?" Wesley asked.
Harry withdrew from the door. He glanced nervously at Diana and Gunn. He didn't know whether or not he should trust Angel. He didn't know whether or not he should trust Wolfram and Hart.
Harry made a decision right then to be extra cautious.
As Diana slept that night, Harry Potter stayed awake, swishing the Wolfram and Hart provided blood around in his cup. It tasted a bit funny. Like maybe it was otter.
Harry turned the Sword of Gryffindor over in his left hand, admiring the blade. It was a truly remarkable weapon, and it had been in Harry's possession for several months now. He'd never really taken the time to just look at it, though.
The jeweled hilt shown a bit in the dim light. The blade itself sparkled, smooth and perfect. The Sword was crafted nearly a thousand years before Harry had come to own it, but it was still in pristine condition. Amazing.
Harry wanted to get in a few hours of sleep before the operation tomorrow. He wanted to get out of LA as soon as possible. The place gave him the creeps.
Harry considered his next destination. Maybe now Diana would actually want to go somewhere, rather than passively consent to the course laid before her by Harry.
Harry wondered. He took out a map and looked through it.
Well, he thought, the Grand Canyon is close to here. I wonder...what is the Grand Canyon?
Damn Americans and their grandiose names.
Harry finally settled down for the night. He didn't nee to plan for that trip yet. He'd have enough trouble surviving the next day.