Caitlin stopped dead in the doorway. "Does everyone else see the green demon with horns and a purple jacket? If not, I'm gonna need a nap and some tranquilizers."
Faith looked over her shoulder. "Oh, he's real. I was wondering what happened to you." She told the demon.
Angel kept walking toward Connor's desk. "I thought you were gone." He glanced back at Caitlin. "He's okay. He's family."
"Where was I going to go, Angel-cakes? Detroit?" The demon smiled easily. "I tried Vegas, remember? Besides," he added, "It seems our friends at Wolfram and Hart don't want me walking about."
Angel looked at him now. "They sent someone after you? How did you get away?"
"Long story. He cut my head off – that was fun – and then some kids found it, and when they stopped screaming, they put me back together." He turned to the young slayer, who was still standing there, mouth hanging open. "How you doing? I'm Lorne."
"I, um, I'm Caitlin Harris."
"You guys have something in common." Connor told her. "Lorne can read people's futures when they sing."
That got Caitlin's attention. "Last time I checked, I couldn't do that."
Connor grinned. "You don't really know what you can do, right?" He turned to Lorne. "Caitie's got the visions. Plus, she may be psychic."
"I never said I was psychic."
"Well, you won't know until you try. Go ahead."
She took a deep breath and waited. The problem was she didn't know how exactly the information had come to her before. The minutes dragged on, and finally she exhaled loudly. "I can't."
Lorne gestured to the couch in the center of the lobby. "You have to relax. Try to clear your mind, and just concentrate. If you are getting visions, you are already set on the right wavelength to receive. Everyone puts out signals. You just have to learn to pick up on them."
She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She didn't know how a person went about clearing their mind, but she did the best she could. She was about to give up when it hit her like a brick. A mis-mash of thought, pieces of memories, none of which originated from her. She tried to sort through the cacophony in her head. She knew they'd expect her to have something to report, but she couldn't pick out any one fact. It seemed like it was growing, flooding her faster and faster. She felt pain, both physical and emotional, anger, love, hate, the sensation of metal through skin. She heard the sound of screams, saw faces – demons, monsters, humans. Some of the humans she knew, some she understood were long dead. She smelled and tasted blood – acrimonious, warm in her mouth, thick and metallic. Her eyes flew open and she heard herself shouting, "No!" Just like that, most of the sensation dissipated, though she could still remember.
"What did you see?" Connor asked.
She looked at Lorne. A few minutes ago, she'd been wary of him but now she felt like he was her lifeline. He was the only one who could possibly understand. "It's too much." She said hoarsely.
He did understand, immediately. "I'm sorry. I should have realized that here are too many people around, each sending out their own signals. You don't have enough experience yet to only open yourself up to some of it. If you try again, wait until you're alone."
"Next time," she said, taking a deep breath. "Will you be with me? Just you and me?"
"If you want, princess."
Her voice shook a little. "I think I really do."
"Can you tell us anything?" Connor said.
She looked at him. "I – look, you want to know what I saw? Can't you just trust me that I saw something?"
He shrugged. "I'm just curious."
"Just curious?" Her voice rose a little. "Okay. When you were twelve you killed a beast that had four arms, but not before it bit you first. You bled for a mile until you got home." She turned to Faith. "Are you just curious too? You saw your first Watcher die, and you ran. Spike, you killed a Slayer. You drank from her, and you liked it. Illyria, you ordered an army of demons to slaughter a human village because the sound of their children playing irritated you. Angel – "She broke off. "Just take my word for it, guys." She turned and fled, taking the stairs two at a time. Her mind raced wildly. She sat down heavily on her bed and let herself do something she hadn't done for years. She cried.
Thanks to anyone who said they liked my stories. Originally, I just wanted to see if I could write something decent, but then I got a million ideas, so I'm just going to see how it plays out. Think of it as Season 6, sort of. It's not supposed to be all about Caitlin, so, sorry. I promise I'll try to do better. She just needed some back story and personality developed. If you think it's a shout-out, it probably is. And lastly, on the subject of romantic entanglements, I haven't really decided for sure on any couple. I will say I'm a big hater of a certain type of pairing, so don't expect to read about Spike and Angel making out. Sorry. (The only exception to this rule was Lindsay, 'cause he totally loved Angel, but sadly, he's dead. Again, sorry.) In the next installment.....The gang continues to sort through the actions of the Senior Partners. They have a big question, and there's only one guy who knows the answer...Angelus.
Faith looked over her shoulder. "Oh, he's real. I was wondering what happened to you." She told the demon.
Angel kept walking toward Connor's desk. "I thought you were gone." He glanced back at Caitlin. "He's okay. He's family."
"Where was I going to go, Angel-cakes? Detroit?" The demon smiled easily. "I tried Vegas, remember? Besides," he added, "It seems our friends at Wolfram and Hart don't want me walking about."
Angel looked at him now. "They sent someone after you? How did you get away?"
"Long story. He cut my head off – that was fun – and then some kids found it, and when they stopped screaming, they put me back together." He turned to the young slayer, who was still standing there, mouth hanging open. "How you doing? I'm Lorne."
"I, um, I'm Caitlin Harris."
"You guys have something in common." Connor told her. "Lorne can read people's futures when they sing."
That got Caitlin's attention. "Last time I checked, I couldn't do that."
Connor grinned. "You don't really know what you can do, right?" He turned to Lorne. "Caitie's got the visions. Plus, she may be psychic."
"I never said I was psychic."
"Well, you won't know until you try. Go ahead."
She took a deep breath and waited. The problem was she didn't know how exactly the information had come to her before. The minutes dragged on, and finally she exhaled loudly. "I can't."
Lorne gestured to the couch in the center of the lobby. "You have to relax. Try to clear your mind, and just concentrate. If you are getting visions, you are already set on the right wavelength to receive. Everyone puts out signals. You just have to learn to pick up on them."
She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. She didn't know how a person went about clearing their mind, but she did the best she could. She was about to give up when it hit her like a brick. A mis-mash of thought, pieces of memories, none of which originated from her. She tried to sort through the cacophony in her head. She knew they'd expect her to have something to report, but she couldn't pick out any one fact. It seemed like it was growing, flooding her faster and faster. She felt pain, both physical and emotional, anger, love, hate, the sensation of metal through skin. She heard the sound of screams, saw faces – demons, monsters, humans. Some of the humans she knew, some she understood were long dead. She smelled and tasted blood – acrimonious, warm in her mouth, thick and metallic. Her eyes flew open and she heard herself shouting, "No!" Just like that, most of the sensation dissipated, though she could still remember.
"What did you see?" Connor asked.
She looked at Lorne. A few minutes ago, she'd been wary of him but now she felt like he was her lifeline. He was the only one who could possibly understand. "It's too much." She said hoarsely.
He did understand, immediately. "I'm sorry. I should have realized that here are too many people around, each sending out their own signals. You don't have enough experience yet to only open yourself up to some of it. If you try again, wait until you're alone."
"Next time," she said, taking a deep breath. "Will you be with me? Just you and me?"
"If you want, princess."
Her voice shook a little. "I think I really do."
"Can you tell us anything?" Connor said.
She looked at him. "I – look, you want to know what I saw? Can't you just trust me that I saw something?"
He shrugged. "I'm just curious."
"Just curious?" Her voice rose a little. "Okay. When you were twelve you killed a beast that had four arms, but not before it bit you first. You bled for a mile until you got home." She turned to Faith. "Are you just curious too? You saw your first Watcher die, and you ran. Spike, you killed a Slayer. You drank from her, and you liked it. Illyria, you ordered an army of demons to slaughter a human village because the sound of their children playing irritated you. Angel – "She broke off. "Just take my word for it, guys." She turned and fled, taking the stairs two at a time. Her mind raced wildly. She sat down heavily on her bed and let herself do something she hadn't done for years. She cried.
Thanks to anyone who said they liked my stories. Originally, I just wanted to see if I could write something decent, but then I got a million ideas, so I'm just going to see how it plays out. Think of it as Season 6, sort of. It's not supposed to be all about Caitlin, so, sorry. I promise I'll try to do better. She just needed some back story and personality developed. If you think it's a shout-out, it probably is. And lastly, on the subject of romantic entanglements, I haven't really decided for sure on any couple. I will say I'm a big hater of a certain type of pairing, so don't expect to read about Spike and Angel making out. Sorry. (The only exception to this rule was Lindsay, 'cause he totally loved Angel, but sadly, he's dead. Again, sorry.) In the next installment.....The gang continues to sort through the actions of the Senior Partners. They have a big question, and there's only one guy who knows the answer...Angelus.