She woke up to the sound of Connor and Angel talking earnestly, in
low voices. She didn't want to interrupt, so she held as still as possible,
even as she became aware that her leg was tucked behind her at an
uncomfortable angle. Her breathing must have changed, though, or she must
have shifted slightly, because both heads turned toward her, Angel stopping
in mid-sentence. Reluctantly, she sat up, adjusting her shirt and rubbing
her eyes. "Don't stop because of me." She said. She stretched, groaning as
she pulled her back muscles taunt. She made a mental note never to sleep on
this couch again, then frowned, noticing they were both still staring at
her. "Is this a top secret meeting?" she asked self consciously.
"No." Connor said firmly. "Angel was just about to tell me about my mother."
Caitlin looked from one man to the other. "Uh. Alright."
Angel sighed. "I don't really know how this will help, Connor. You know I killed Darla in Sunnydale."
"Right. So first, how did she come back?"
"Wolfram and Hart brought her back. She was part of some plan they had to get to me."
At the mention of the law firm, Connor met Caitlin's startled, wide eyes. Out of nowhere, he noted that they were green. He cleared his throat. "How? How did they bring her back? I'm guessing it isn't like ordering a pizza."
"There was a ritual. Five vampire sacrifices, some latin, a really ugly demon. It was on the scroll with the prophesies of Aberjian."
Caitlin thought about what Connor had said earlier – how far had Wolfram and Hart gone? How far would they still go? And she couldn't believe how casually Angel said everything, like, 'Oh, of course Wolfram and Hart were involved in every major aspect of my life the past few years. Think nothing of it. I don't.' The thing was, he probably didn't. She was starting to understand what Connor meant when he said maybe Angel was too close to the situation to see it clearly. They'd been researching the Senior Partners for almost a month and this was the first she'd heard of their connection to Darla, and through her to Connor. "Wait." She said suddenly. "Are these the same prophesies that say the vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse?"
"I don't know." Angel said. "I don't believe anyone at Wolfram and Hart ever said the name of that prophesy, and Wes never found it. Of course, he never finished translating the scroll. There were over a dozen languages on it, not all of them human."
"How did Wes get the scroll?" Connor asked.
"I stole it from Wolfram and Hart."
"Then how did they use it to raise Darla?" Caitlin asked, trying to keep up.
"They stole it back."
Connor was scribbling notes furiously. He drew a line connecting something, then looked up. "Where is it now?"
"Last I saw, the Black Thorn had it. But Wes had access to some of the translation when we were at Wolfram and Hart."
"Do you remember what else was on it?"
"The prophesy about the three blind kids, who I saved. And a ritual we used to heal Cordelia." He trailed off. "Uh – the Shanshu prophesy came from that scroll too."
They'd already been filled in on that detail, thanks to Spike. Connor wrote 'Shanshu' in his notes and circled it twice. "So Darla is back."
"When she was turned the first time, she had been dying. When she returned as human, she was still dying. She asked me to help her, to change her, but I couldn't. I tried to save her another way, but even though I passed the trials the Powers That Be wouldn't give her another chance."
"So how'd she get to be a vampire again?"
"Wolfram and Hart brought in an old friend – Drusilla."
"No." Connor said firmly. "Angel was just about to tell me about my mother."
Caitlin looked from one man to the other. "Uh. Alright."
Angel sighed. "I don't really know how this will help, Connor. You know I killed Darla in Sunnydale."
"Right. So first, how did she come back?"
"Wolfram and Hart brought her back. She was part of some plan they had to get to me."
At the mention of the law firm, Connor met Caitlin's startled, wide eyes. Out of nowhere, he noted that they were green. He cleared his throat. "How? How did they bring her back? I'm guessing it isn't like ordering a pizza."
"There was a ritual. Five vampire sacrifices, some latin, a really ugly demon. It was on the scroll with the prophesies of Aberjian."
Caitlin thought about what Connor had said earlier – how far had Wolfram and Hart gone? How far would they still go? And she couldn't believe how casually Angel said everything, like, 'Oh, of course Wolfram and Hart were involved in every major aspect of my life the past few years. Think nothing of it. I don't.' The thing was, he probably didn't. She was starting to understand what Connor meant when he said maybe Angel was too close to the situation to see it clearly. They'd been researching the Senior Partners for almost a month and this was the first she'd heard of their connection to Darla, and through her to Connor. "Wait." She said suddenly. "Are these the same prophesies that say the vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse?"
"I don't know." Angel said. "I don't believe anyone at Wolfram and Hart ever said the name of that prophesy, and Wes never found it. Of course, he never finished translating the scroll. There were over a dozen languages on it, not all of them human."
"How did Wes get the scroll?" Connor asked.
"I stole it from Wolfram and Hart."
"Then how did they use it to raise Darla?" Caitlin asked, trying to keep up.
"They stole it back."
Connor was scribbling notes furiously. He drew a line connecting something, then looked up. "Where is it now?"
"Last I saw, the Black Thorn had it. But Wes had access to some of the translation when we were at Wolfram and Hart."
"Do you remember what else was on it?"
"The prophesy about the three blind kids, who I saved. And a ritual we used to heal Cordelia." He trailed off. "Uh – the Shanshu prophesy came from that scroll too."
They'd already been filled in on that detail, thanks to Spike. Connor wrote 'Shanshu' in his notes and circled it twice. "So Darla is back."
"When she was turned the first time, she had been dying. When she returned as human, she was still dying. She asked me to help her, to change her, but I couldn't. I tried to save her another way, but even though I passed the trials the Powers That Be wouldn't give her another chance."
"So how'd she get to be a vampire again?"
"Wolfram and Hart brought in an old friend – Drusilla."