Chapter 18 "It's Not a Threat, Just a Fact"
When they arrived at the hotel Dr. Martin called out to Angel to wake him up. Connor went into the hotel to get Gunn to help him. When they got back Angel was sitting up and the others were out of the car.
"What did you do now?" Gunn asked. Cordelia explained what happened. By the time she was finished explaining Angels present condition the others had come out also. Spike came forward to help Gunn pick up Angel. "You don't look very well Sire. In fact your starting to look like Lorne." Angel was feeling like Connor did after he got drunk for the first time. Gunn took Angels other arm. "Gunn you better get on the other side. For some reason he doesn't feel as much pain in his foot when he has someone taller to lean on, on his right side." Cordelia said. Gunn and Spike switched places then pulled Angel up.
"I think that was a mistake guys." Angel said. "He's going to heave Gunn, lets get him over to the garden." Spike said. Just as they got him to the garden where there was open dirt Angel vomited all of the contents of his stomach which was mostly the Royal Crown. When he appeared to be done they carried him over to the fountain and dunked his head in a few times.
"How you doing now Sire?" Angel sat on the edge of the fountain. He was bent over and used his hands to support his head. "Not only does my foot hurt but now my head does to."
"Okay Spike and Gunn take him to his room. I won't do anything with him tonight Cordelia. I have to get some supplies from the medical supplier tomorrow. Can you go with me tomorrow Wesley?" "Yes of course. Connor I'll need you to come with us." Wesley said.
"Okay guys you can take Angel to his bedroom. Angel I'll be up in a few minutes to give you a shot like I did Connor. Is your foot still hurting a lot?" Dr. Martin asked. "Not as much as it was. I think it's starting to heal."
"Tomorrow Angel I am going to operate on your foot. Remember when we took the x-rays at Dr. Thompson's office?" "Yes, I thought everything was okay." Angel said. "Well it wasn't. The x-ray of your foot that was smashed pretty bad when they crucified you showed that it didn't heal correctly, but since you seemed to be walking okay and without any pain I let it go. The accident in the church made it worse though and the bones have broken again because they hadn't healed correctly in the first place. So tomorrow at 8 a.m. Wesley, Connor and I will be going to get some supplies that I need to set your foot. When I get back Spike you and I are going to have to open his foot, break the bones again and reset them correctly. I don't know how long it will take because I don't know exactly what we'll find. As soon as your able to walk around though I will be leaving to go back home. Take him up stairs now Spike and get some rest. We will be busy for a large portion of the day." Dr. Martin went inside then to go to her room. Angel looked at Cordelia. "What happened. Why is she going home so soon? She seems to be angry with me for some reason." "I'll explain after we get you to bed. Let's go guys." Cordelia said. She went to the doors to hold them open for them. Spike and Gunn picked up Angel and helped him to his bedroom. "Thanks guys." Angel said. As soon as Spike and Gunn left Cordelia started to help Angel undress. Angel put his hand on hers and stopped her from unbuttoning his shirt. "Tell me what happened Cordy." Cordelia sat down beside him on the bed. "Angel when Dr. Martin was singing Amazing Grace to you and you fell asleep on her lap Buffy was watching her. When Dr. Martin was done and you were sleeping she ran her hands through your hair just like a mother would do to her son. Buffy observed all of this and she guessed at what Dr. Martins feelings were towards you. Angel do you remember what you said to Dr. Martin when we were at Fr. Barris's?" "I remember asking Fr. Barris for something to drink and he gave me a bottle of Royal Crown. I remember drinking all of it but then things get a little fuzzy." "When you had drunk almost all of the bottle you grabbed Dr. Martin around the waist and pulled her to you. You asked her to stay because you still needed her. You said that we all still needed her. You asked her if she could transfer to a convent out here on the west coast. She said that her order didn't have any out here. You told her that you loved her and that she was like a mother to you and you didn't want her to leave. You hugged her as though you thought if you held on to her she wouldn't leave. It was really sweet to watch. Did you know your Irish accent always come through when your drinking. I can usually tell how drunk you are by how heavy your accent is. Anyway, when we were coming back Buffy asked her if she thought of you as her son. Dr. Martin admitted that she does. She also said that she was afraid that if she stayed any longer she would lose her objectivity and that she had crossed that fine line that existed between a doctor and patient." Angel had just sat quietly while Cordelia told him what had happened.
"I don't want to get undressed yet Cordy. I need to talk to her. I doubt it if she will get any sleep tonight if we don't talk." A few minutes later Spike knocked at the door. Cordelia answered it. When he came in they could see that Spike had the drug that Dr. Martin had promised.
"Where is Dr. Martin?" Angel asked. "I don't know what you did or said to her but she seems to be angry with you for something. She came to my room and asked me to give this to you." Spike held up the bottle and pulled the contents out with a syringe. Cordelia helped Angel pull his jacket and shirt off of one shoulder so Spike could give him the shot. When Spike was done he stood back up and then left.
"Cordelia would you go and get Dr. Martin for me? Tell her if she doesn't come that I'll crawl over to her room if I have to, but one way or the other we will talk about this before the night is over." Angel said.
Cordelia didn't return with Dr. Martin for another 20 minutes. When they entered the room Cordelia brought a chair over to the bed and placed it directly across from Angel. "Dr. Martin please sit here." Both Cordelia and Dr. Martin sat down. Cordelia sat next to Angel on the bed.
"Dr. Martin I am sorry if what I said to you this evening upset you in anyway. I know I was drunk at the time but I swear by the blood of my sister Kathy, I meant every word of it. In a way you are my mother. You gave birth to me when you proved to me and everyone else that I am still alive and that I never did die. You gave me life again when you showed me that I was a separate person from Angelus. For that I will be eternally grateful. Besides that I am comfortable with you. I am just as comfortable with you as I am with Cordy. I can cry in front of you without being afraid of what I look like. I don't have to be the strong one all of the time with you. I still don't want you to leave because my first mother left me when I was very young and I don't want my second mother to leave me also. But if you have to go then I will understand. Just as my mother belonged to my father, you belong to God." Dr. Martin had tears coming down her face in a steady stream. When Angel finished she got up from her chair and hugged him. Angel wrapped his arms around her waist. "This is what I miss. In a way I am jealous of the relationship that Spike had with his mother. I missed out on all of the love that a mother can give. There were times, when I first got my soul back, that I was so lost and I wanted someone to talk to. I needed someone to help me and to tell me what to do, but I was lost with no one to talk to. I will always love you no matter what you decide to do. Please never forget that." Dr. Martin pulled back and wiped the tears from his face with her handkerchief. "Yes Angel I will never forget that. I love you as though I had given birth to you. The part of me that is Sr. Mary Tares Martin says that this is wrong, but the part of me that is Dr. Martin says yes, this is the right thing to do for you, Cordelia and I. Ever since I came here I have been thinking of Jimmy a lot. I've cried myself to sleep many times. Perhaps God took pity on me and let this love for you grow. You are my son now Angel. Your children will have a grandmother now. But I still have to go back as soon as possible. I am getting caught up with everyone here. I belong back with my sisters. I have Gods work to do there as well. I need the surroundings of the convent, my sisters and the hospital. I have to put everything back into perspective. I don't have any family of my own any more so if you don't mind I will spend my vacations with you. All of you can come and visit me at anytime also. We have a large 3 story house on the convent grounds that is usually used for retreats. All you have to do is call me and let me know when your coming so that I can make sure that the house is free. The sisters would be so thrilled for you to come out and visit. They have all been told about you and the rest. Go to bed now Angel. We both have a big day tomorrow." She gave him a kiss on his forehead then turned to leave. When she started to leave Cordelia stood up also and gave her a hug. "Since you are Angels mother can I call you Mother Martin or just Mom?" "Just Mom will be fine. Goodnight Cordelia." Dr. Martin smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek and said goodnight. Dr. Martin turned around just before she went through the door. "I almost forgot Angel, tomorrow morning I want you to take a bath. Remove the bandages Cordelia and clean his leg and foot real good then shave his leg and foot. If you have any hair remover use it. I want that part of him to be as hair free as possible. He's not to have anything to eat or drink tonight or tomorrow morning. Good night."
"That's going to be fun tomorrow morning. You'll get to learn what I have to go through all of the time. Let's get you to bed now."
The next morning Cordelia started to fill the bathtub then she went to Angel and called out to him to wake him up. Angel sat up and Cordelia started to take the bandage and splint off. Angels foot was healed enough so that it didn't hurt for her to touch it. "Can you make it to the bathroom if I help you?" Cordelia asked. Angel swung his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed at his eyes. "I don't know but we'll find out. He stood up and leaned on Cordelia. He was able to walk but he had to lean on her heavily. When they got to the bathroom Angel leaned on the counter and Cordelia pulled his boxers down then helped him to get into the tub. She had taken a shower already so she didn't get into the bath with him. "Aren't you going to get in with me?" "No, I took a shower already. Dr. Martin still doesn't want me to sit in a bath yet." "Why not?" Angel asked. "Because the water gets up inside of me when I'm sitting in the water." She took her robe off though and started to help him bathe himself. She took his right leg and carefully washed it and his foot. "Put your leg over the side Angel so I can shave it." Angel did as he was told and Cordelia put some shaving cream on his leg. She rinsed the blade off in a bowl of water each time she ran it up his leg. When she was done she wiped off what was left of the shaving cream and then rinsed his leg in the bath water. "That feels weird." He said as he ran his hand over his leg. "Okay put your leg over the side again, we're not done yet." Cordelia wiped his leg dry then started to apply the hair remover. When she was done she sat down on the floor and waited while it did it's work.
After 15 minutes she wiped it off with paper towels and then rinsed his leg. She lifted it again and checked her handiwork. "As smooth as a baby's bottom." She said. "Now it feels even more weird. Do you go through this all of the time?" Angel asked. "Sure do. At least once every two weeks. Let's get you dried off. It's 9:30, Dr. Martin will be back pretty soon." It was kind of tricky for him to get out of the bathtub since he couldn't put his weight on his bad foot but after trying different ways of doing it he finally was able to get out.
Once he was dried off he made it over to the bed with Cordelia's help. "Now what do we do?"
"Angel you are to sit tight. I know what's on your mind and no we can't do that. You know that it's better for you to have your heart beating very slowly and you know what happens if we get it on." "Yes, my heart will start beating faster like it is now." He knew Cordelia was teasing him and he was taking advantage of it. Just then someone knocked at the door. "It's Spike. I think you had better get dressed." Angel said to her. "Just a minute Spike." Cordelia grabbed some clothes and ran into the bathroom. "Okay Spike you can come in now." Spike opened the door and stuck his head in. "Dr. Martin want's you downstairs. Do you need any help." "Yes. I just need to lean on someone." Angel said as he got up. Cordelia came out of the bathroom as they started to go through the door. It took them a while but they made it down to the kitchen. Spike helped him get onto the counter. "Hey, I see we got something better then just a cold piece of metal." Angel said. "Yes, she brought it back with her. She said it was better then the metal plus all we have to do is pop it all into the big washing machine downstairs.
"Lay down Angel and I'll send you to La La land." Spike got some anesthetic out of the medicine cabinet along with a syringe. He gave Angel a large enough dose to make sure he went to sleep. Dr. Martin came down a few minutes later. She was dressed in surgical greens as was Spike. "You can go if you want Cordelia. We really won't be needing you right now." Dr. Martin said. "If you don't mind I'll stay." Cordelia said. "Okay but would you do me a favor first and make me a one egg sandwich with a little margarine on wheat toast and a cup of coffee. Cream and sugar. Do you want a glass of blood Spike?" "Yeah, that sounds good. I haven't had any yet." Spike said. "Okay one egg sandwich and 1 large cup of coffee, cream and sugar and one large glass of warm blood coming up." Cordelia left to fix their breakfast.
"How are you going to eat and operate at the same time." Spike asked. "That won't be a problem for me Spike because your going to prep the surgical area and make the initial incision." "I, I, I've never done that before." Spike was so nervous that he started stuttering like he did before he was turned.
"There is no time like the present Spike. It's a simple procedure. If you were actually working as an intern one of the things you would do is spend some time in the surgical unit. So consider this as your first surgery. There is no telling when you will get a chance to do this again. So get busy Dr. William. I am going to give you advice on just two things. First, check his leg and foot first to make sure Cordelia got all of the hair off of his leg and foot. Human hair tends to hold a lot of germs and if your not careful it could contaminate the surgical area. Normally the surgical nurse would take care of these things and would prepare the surgical area. But your on your own here. Second, use plenty of Betadine all over his foot. Use a couple of cotton swabs and a hemostat to hold the cotton and spread the Betadine and swab the foot real good then put the surgical cloths on then swab it again. Understand?" "Yes." Spike answered.
Cordelia came in with the sandwich and coffee for Dr. Martin and blood for Spike. "Why don't you have your breakfast first Spike then scrub your hands and arm like I showed you then get started. I'll help you put your gloves on and Cordelia can tie your mask on. While your preparing the surgical area I'll be scrubbing and then Cordelia can help me put my gloves on and tie my mask."
Spike was nervous but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this.
Three hours later they were done. Cordelia was with Angel, Dr. Martin and Spike went up to their rooms to clean up and change.
Dr. Martin came downstairs. She looked around the room for Wesley. She spotted Fred. "Where is Wesley Fred?" "He's in his office Dr. Martin." She went to Wesley's office and knocked on the door. "Come in." Wesley said. Dr. Martin opened the door. "Do you have a few minutes Wesley?" "Sure Dr. Martin come in and have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink?" "As a matter of fact Wesley you sure can but what I want and need is a good stiff drink." Wesley went to Angels office and got the bottle of Jack Daniels he currently had in his desk. He brought back two glasses also with some ice in them. He poured the Jack Daniels and only filled hers half way up to the top. "Fill it up please." She said. When he finished filling it to the top she took it and drained half of it in one gulp. He waited for her to say something.
"I know you must be wondering why I spoke to Angel as I did last night." "I knew something must have happened after we left but I also knew that you would tell me if you felt it was any of my business." Wesley said as he leaned back in his chair with his drink in his hand. He had only taken a sip from his glass.
"Wesley everything that happens with Angel is your business. No matter what happened in the past Angel has entrusted you with the care of his family. He trusts you that much. He recognizes your intelligence and your wisdom in handling business and personal matters." "Well then I guess my next question should be how can I help you because I know something is bothering you?"
"Yes. Last night when we were at Fr. Barris's house and Angel was drunk he told me that he didn't want me to leave and that you all still need me. Do you think the same way Wesley? Do you all still need me?"
"No. I think it's Angel that needs you more than anything but you need to go so that he can start to rely on himself again and learn to use everything that you have taught him. He needs to learn to cope with his new limitations. Angelus is still playing games with him but Angel will slowly become accustomed to dealing with him using all that you have taught him. He won't learn to rely on himself though until he no longer has you to lean on." Wesley said.
"You need to know Wesley that my relationship with Angel is no longer just as doctor and patient. Angel told me that he loves me like a mother because he feels that I more or less gave him his human life back. He asked me if I would be his second mother. I told him yes that I loved him like a son also but that I still had to leave because I needed to get back to my prayer life and my work at the hospital. I said that I had people waiting for me there. Cordelia was their of course and she knows how Angel feels. She paused for a moment then said "We have a very special relationship Wesley. I fulfill something that he needs and he fulfills what I need."
Dr. Martin drank the last of her drink with one gulp. She got up without any problem and started to leave.
"How do you do that?" Wesley asked. "How do I do what?" She asked.
"You never show any of the affect of the alcohol that you drink and I've given it to you more or less straight each time?" Dr. Martin smiled and went back to Wesley and whispered to him. "I am one of those rare people that alcohol doesn't have any effect on. When I was first dating my husband he thought he would get me drunk so that he could get me to bed. That's when I found out that I could drink alcohol to my hearts content and it wouldn't even phase me. I knew what he was doing and since I wanted him also I played like I was drunk. We were working together at a hospital at the time and I drove him crazy dropping little hints that I knew what he had done when he got me to go to bed with him. Don't tell anyone though. I am planning a very special lesson for Angel the night before I leave." She turned and left then.
Dr. Martin went in to check on Angel. She found Cordelia sitting down and leaning on the counter that Angel was on. She was sleeping but Angel was awake.
"How are you feeling? Any pain?" she asked him. "No, in fact it feels better then it did before I twisted my foot at the church." Dr. Martin checked his foot and the boot that she had put on him. Since she knew it wouldn't take very long to heal she didn't feel that she needed to put any type of cast on the foot. The medical boot would keep it stationary enough.
"Is it okay for me to get off of here and back to my room?" Angel asked. Cordelia was waking up now and listening to them.
While Dr. Martin was with Angel and Cordelia, a man had walked through the front doors of the hotel. He was well dressed and had an aura about him that, as Cordelia would say, oozed money. He also carried a brief case. He walked up to the counter and rang the bell since no one was around. He kept on ringing the bell until someone came over to him.
Wesley came running out of his office to see who was ringing the bell. "May I help you sir?"
"Hello, my name is Mr. Walker and I represent one specific client. My client is the one that has been, indirectly, behind all of your attacks. He would like to meet with Angel on a one to one basis. Is Angel available right now?" "Right now, your client wants to talk to Angel right now. Here at this very moment?" Wesley asked. He was trying to keep his cool but he was losing it faster then he was able to hold onto it.
"Yes, my client is waiting for me to contact him and let him know that Angel is available right now." Mr. Walker said. "Would you wait here for a moment and I will discuss this with Angel. Please have a seat and I will be right back." Wesley said as he walked over to the large kitchen.
Angel was sitting up. He was wearing his bathrobe and had his feet hanging over the side of the counter. He saw Wesley's face as he came walking in. He face was whiter then his own skin.
"What's wrong Wesley? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Angel, the uh, the uh man." Wesley was having a hard time expressing what he had to say. He ran his hand over his face as though he was wiping away the cob webs. "We have a gentleman out in the lobby, a Mr.Walker, he said he represents just one special client that is behind all of the attacks on you. He said his client wants to speak with you and that he is waiting outside and waiting for Mr. Walker to call him to let him know that you'll meet with him." "Did he say who his client was?" Angel asked. No but Mr. Walker looks like an American Indian.
"Cordy would you go and get me some clothes and while your up their tell everyone to come downstairs. Wesley would you go and tell Mr. Walker that I will meet with his client in 15 minutes. When you see Gunn ask him to come in here and help me." Wesley left to give Mr. Walker Angels reply. Cordelia had already left and was knocking on everyone's door and telling them to come downstairs and to be prepared for a possible fight. She then went to get Angels clothes. She had seen how Mr. Walker was dressed and she didn't want Angel looking shabby next to him. She chose his favorite colored pants and his white silk long sleeved shirt. She also picked out the jacket that she kept in a plastic bag because he almost never wore it but she thought he looked so handsome in it. The jacket was made out of black corduroy and she had, had it made especially for him. It fit him like a glove. She had given it to him for Christmas last year. He had worn it for Christmas and only twice more to take her out to dinner. Cordelia grabbed some shorts sock and shoes along with a t-shirt and ran down stairs. She smiled at Mr. Walker as she walked through the lobby and went right into the kitchen. When Angel started to protest at her selection of clothes she just told him to be quiet and put his clothes on. "I am not going to let you meet this person looking like you just came from the park. The lawyer that is standing out their looks like he buys his clothes on Rodeo Drive." Cordelia was putting his socks on for him while he put his shirt on. "Dr. Martin could we take this boot off while I meet with this guy?" Angel asked. "It won't look good for me to look so vulnerable."
"How does your foot feel?" Dr. Martin asked. "It feels good like I said." Angel said. "Okay then let's try it." She proceeded to take the boot off carefully. "Okay Angel try it, put your foot down really carefully." Angel tried doing as she said and he felt perfectly okay. "I knew it, I knew it." "What's the matter, does it hurt?" Cordelia said. She could tell he was mad about something. "No it doesn't hurt and that is what the problem is. He turned toward Cordelia and had his back towards Dr. Martin. He grabbed his shorts and put them on then pulled his pants on. The shirt was the kind that hung on the outside of his pants so he didn't have to tuck them in. He jumped up on the counter so that he could put his other sock on and his shoes. "It's Angelus, he has been holding out on me all this time. He is the one that hasn't been helping me to heal fast. Now that he thinks their might be a fight he doesn't want to be left out of it so he made my foot heal faster then he ever has." Angel put his jacket on and turned to Cordelia. "How do I look."
"Magnificent." Cordelia said. Then he turned to Dr. Martin. "Do I pass inspection Mom?" He had a big grin on his face. "Yes you do. I just have one thing to tell you before you meet this man Angel. Remember when I told you that God has given us our own free will to choose to do bad or good. Don't forget that you cannot choose for people Angel. You are only here to help people that need help and want to follow the right path. Don't forget what I have said. Why I have said it will become apparent to you as the night continues." She gave him a kiss on his cheek then they all went into the lobby. Dr. Martin and Cordelia followed Angel a couple of paces behind him. Dr. Martin and Cordelia went to stand behind the counter along with Lorne. Spike and Buffy stood on either side of Angel with Wesley standing directly behind Angel. Gunn and Fred stood on either side of Wesley and Connor stood in front of the lobby counter in order to protect Dr. Martin, Cordelia and Lorne if they needed protection.
Mr. Walkers client came in, but before he walked in a dozen guards came in before him. Mr. Walker came to stand by his client. He introduced his client as Mr. Morgan. Mr. Morgan was clearly an American Indian also. He had long hair that was as black as night. He had the typical high cheek bones and his skin looked like he sat in the sun all of the time. But Angel knew that was impossible for him to do that because Mr. Morgan was a Vampire. He stood only a few inches shorter than Angel. Mr. Morgan stepped forward and extended his hand to Angel. Angel did not respond.
"Please excuse me Mr. Morgan if I don't feel like shaking the hand of the Vampire that caused my wife and I so much pain and suffering." "Of course Mr. Angel I understand perfectly." "It's Mr. Martin." Angel said. "Yes of course, I forgot. Do you mind if we sit down at your dining room table so that we can be comfortable." He asked politely. Angel pointed to the table and the chair that he could take which was the chair that Dr. Martin usually sat at. Angel sat at the other end of the table. Mr. Walker sat on his clients right and Wesley sat on Angels right. Buffy and Spike came and sat down at the table with them. Two of Mr. Morgans biggest guards stood at their bosses back.
"I believe this is the infamous slayer of our kind, Buffy Summers and your childe Spike?" Mr. Morgan said. "And where is your lovely wife Mrs. Martin?"
"You seem to be well informed on who we are. I presume then that you have listened to all of the tapes that your employees have recorded on our activities over the past few months?" Angel asked.
"Yes most certainly. It's amazing what the equipment they have now days can do. Not only can they make the listening devices almost undetectable, they also make cameras very small also. Speaking of cameras, where is the infamous Dr. Martin or should I say Sister Mary Tares Martin your cousin." Dr. Martin came forward and took a chair in the corner behind Angel. "Mr. Morgan." Dr. Martin said as she sat down. "You hear too well Mr. Morgan. If I were you I would be very careful of what I admitted to having knowledge of." Their was so much testosterone in the air you could practically slice it with a knife.
"What are you here for Mr. Morgan?" Angel asked.
"I am here to make a bargain with you Angel."
"And what would that be?" Angel asked. "The deal is that I will call off everyone if you sign a statement that you will not bother my business when I start it up here in Los Angeles." "That depends on the type of business that you intend to start up Mr. Morgan." Angel asked him. "Would you excuse me for a moment. Dr. Martin would you come here please." Dr. Martin came over and bent down to listen to Angel. "Would you get me a large mug of blood. I am starting to feel a little weak." Angel whispered it into her ear as low as he could and still have her be able to hear what he was saying. Dr. Martin went to warm up some blood for Angel. When she was done she brought it to the dinning room and gave it to Angel. "Thank you." He drank half of it all at once. He was hungry because he hadn't had anything since the day before. He started feeling a lot stronger once he drank the blood.
"Before we go any further Mr. Morgan I want to know if you had any control of the people that were attacking us? I want to know if you told them to torture and crucify me like they did and if you told them to rape my wife?" Lorne bent over and told Cordelia "Angels aura is red hot right now."
Cordelia went to stand behind Angel. Her presence had an immediate calming affect on him.
"This must be your lovely wife." Mr. Morgan said as he stood up when Cordelia walked over to Angel.
"I want an answer Morgan and I want it now." Angel said.
"No I didn't. All I did was put out the word that you were to be taken out of the equation if they couldn't get you to leave Los Angeles. That is the truth Angel. I'll even sing for your friend Lorne if you don't believe me. What happened to you and your wife happened because those punks wanted to make a name for themselves. It was kind of like the old westerns where the young punk wants to kill the best gunfighter just so that they can say they did it. They thought they could get in good with my organization if they got rid of you." "How do you know that." Angel asked. "Because I had my men track them down and interrogate them. The one that was let go of on the beach has also been taken cared of. They won't ever bother you again. I've also put out the word that the contract has been withdrawn." Angel looked at Wesley.
"Lorne, is he telling the truth?" Angel yelled to Lorne. Lorne came over to the table and looked at Mr. Morgan. "He's telling the truth Angel."
"Okay Mr. Morgan what kind of business did you want to set up in Los Angeles?" Angel asked.
"The usual. Gambling, betting on the horses that sort of thing. But since we had your hotel bugged and cameras in your hotel I have come up with a new business to add to the rest. I had initially intended a side business that I was concerned you wouldn't want in your town but now I have come up with something else to take it's place. Out of respect for you I wanted your permission." "You are actually asking me if I will allow you to set up this business?" Angel was flabbergasted that he would actually ask him. "What is this business?" Angel asked.
"I have a tape that I want you to see and then I will explain but I am going to have to ask the ladies to leave. I have several women among my guards, including my wife. Marissa would you come here please." A tall statuesque young women that was dressed in a bright green suit that accentuated her every curve. Her hair was so long that they were sure she had to pull her hair forward so that she could sit down. She was also an American Indian but she was human.
"As you can see Marissa is human. Marissa and I have known each other since she was a little girl. When she gave herself to me I took her as my wife and not as a meal. Just as you love your wife I love mine. I suggest that all of the women go downstairs. What I am going to show you should be seen by the men only." Mr. Morgan said as he kissed his wife's hand.
"Go ahead Cordy. You'll be okay." He stood up as all of the women went downstairs.
Wesley took the tape from Mr. Morgan and went to the TV and VCR. Angel followed him over to the couch as did Spike and the rest of the men. Wesley put the tape in the VCR and turned the TV on. Angel and Mr. Morgan sat on the couch together.
"Mr. Price would you stop the tape for a minute please. Angel I wanted to explain something before you see the tape. All of my men including myself and my wife have seen this tape. We don't see it as pornography and we are not interested in your wife. We view it more as a teaching tape." Angel looked at Spike. "Oh my God, I think I know what this is about." He hit his head with his hand and tried to hide his face behind his hands. "If you have one on Spike and Buffy please show that instead." "We are interested in the Master at making love not the student. Plus my wife and other women that have seen both of them have chosen this tape. Would you start the tape again Mr. Price." When Gunn, Connor and Lorne figured out what this was all about they elbowed their way behind the couch. "Come on guys we've never seen this and he said you have."
The tape started and at first the room was dark. Then it showed Angel carrying Cordelia in. "Can I have the VCR control Mr. Price?" Mr. Morgan said as he reached for the control.
"I am just going to skip this part. After all, that performance was for her new husband." Angel felt like crawling under the couch.
Mr. Morgan fast forwarded it to the part where Angel was making love to Cordelia for the second time. He couldn't stand watching it but when he tried to get up they all held him down. "Don't leave Angel. We have a few questions to ask you." Morgan said.
Angel had to sit and watch himself making love to Cordelia. Fortunately you couldn't see them very well since it was dark in the room and the tape was in infrared. Finally it was done.
He looked at all of the men. They were looking at him as though he was a god and they were here to pay homage to him. Angel looked at Spike. Spike was smiling.
"Better you then me Sire." Spike said as he was laughing. Angel looked at Wesley. Wesley had turned his head away and was laughing his head off. Angel knew he was laughing because his shoulders were shaking.
"Angel I have been given a list of questions that we all have for you. The first question is what are you doing to her breast that she seems to love."
"Yeah Angel what are you doing that Cordy loves?" Spike was still laughing and loving all the suffering that this was causing Angel.
"The guards in the back were all pushing forward so they could hear what he said." Angel ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath. I am sucking hard enough on her breast in order to bring the blood to the surface of her skin. I then bite down on her skin just enough to let that blood come out. I then suck on her long enough until I get maybe a half ounce of blood out of her. I don't know exactly why but that drives all women wild?"
"Okay question number 2, do you wait for the women to start to have an orgasm and then take her blood from her or do you start to lick her neck before?"
"Before. The very act of kissing her on her neck and then licking it gets their heart beating faster. I asked her why she got such a charge out of my licking her neck. She said it's very sensual to her. It reminds her of a lion licking the fur of an animal it has just killed. After her telling me that I did it more then I usually did when I was going to take some of her blood from her neck. She knows what is coming next and that gets her going hot and strong. When you sense that they are ready to climax bite down and take some blood. For some reason it heightens the orgasm for them. I usually have to put my hand over her mouth because she screams so loud when she climaxes." All of the men were starting to squirm. They were getting turned on just listening to Angel describe what he does.
"Okay here is question number three. How often can you do that to a woman and not hurt her." Morgan was excited about getting questions answered that he hadn't been able to figure out. Because he wasn't getting the same reaction from his wife as Angel seemed to be getting.
"If your with just one woman like you and I are Morgan you can't do it to often. I usually wait a few weeks for her body to replace the lost blood. You have to judge this yourself. Don't forget that a women loses a certain amount of blood each month which doesn't hurt them, but when we take even more on top of that then it tends to be too much. In other words you should only do it as a special occasion and then of course be careful that your wife doesn't ingest any of your blood. Believe me when I say you have something to hold over their head all of the time. Once you are able to perfect the technique you got it made. For the normal human male they pay homage to their wives and girl friends because they have what the men want. For Vampires like you, Spike and I we are the ones that have it made."
"I understand you are still producing sperm and can get your wife pregnant. Do you know if all male vampires can do that?" Morgan asked.
"Morgan I can't say for sure if every male Vampire can get a human woman pregnant. According to Dr. Martin it's quite possible that all male Vampires do still produce sperm because since our reproductive organs are on the outside of our bodies and since our bodies are cold, it can only be a plus for us. She has tested both Spike and I. I produce the same amount of sperm as a normal 27 year old human male. Spikes sperm count is less then half of what he should be able to produce. There is a lot of factors that are in the equation though. She said that it could be that I have had my soul a lot longer then Spike has had his. It could be that he has sex too often and his body needs time to build himself up again or it could just be normal for him. She is going to test him in another 6 months and then in another year. But she said they still had to be careful since all it would take is one of his boys to meet up with Buffy's eggs and then there would be a little Spike running around making life a living hell for everyone. Since both Spike and I had our souls given back to us Dr. Martin would like to test a couple of male Vampires that don't have a soul."
"That would sure make Marissa happy if we could have a baby together."
"If your done embarrassing the hell out of me can you tell me what this new business of yours would be?"
"Remember what you told Cordelia when you were down in the laundry and she was complaining about having to wash the sheets again after just having put them on your bed?"
"Yes. I said I would show her that night why some human women would give up their souls to spend one more night with a Vampire."
"Well I didn't see that tape until after those young punks almost dusted you. Because of what you said to her I wanted to see that nights tape also. Usually I don't pay much attention to the tapes from when you all go to bed. Even I think that should be kept private. But your statement made me curious and I watched it. When I did see it I tried what you did on Marissa. I knew I had missed something you did because I didn't get the same response out of her as you got out of your wife. The next day I showed the tape to my personnel body guards. One of them suggested that we open a service for women."
Angel was astonished at what Morgan was saying. Women prostitutes have been around since almost the beginning of time but for men to do the same thing for women was going against the grain as far as Angel was concerned. He looked at Wesley. "What do you think about this Wesley?"
"I don't know Angel. After actually seeing the response that you got out of Cordy I am afraid that I will never be able to have sex with a woman again after they hear about the service that Morgan will provide for any women that has the money. Lila will probably be one of your first clients. Instead of a woman asking me if I love them they'll be asking 'Are you a Vampire by any chance' and when I say no they'll say no to me. Also though I am thinking what Dr. Martin told us. Our free will is sacred. Not even God messes with it. If people want to follow that path then that is their choice and no one has the right to tell them that they can or cannot do something. Morally speaking I think it's wrong but we don't have the right to preach morality to others." After he was done speaking he got up and went to get some tea. "Would anyone want something to drink?" He thought about it then added 'Besides blood that is.' Several of the guards asked for Cokes and others asked for coffee.
"Are you guys done asking me questions now?" Angel asked.
"Yes I think so." Morgan turned to his guards and asked 'Does anyone have any other question that I haven't already asked."' One of the guards stepped forward. "I have one more question to ask Angel if I may." "Go ahead Mike."
"How did you learn about this and how old are you?"
Angel stood up he was still holding his mug which still had some blood in it. He drank the rest before telling about his exploits again. Before he could say anything though Spike spoke up.
"Your looking at one of the few Master Vampires in existence and the only Master Vampire with a soul." Some of the guards stepped back. They had heard what a Master Vampire could do and they were afraid of him.
"I am over 280 years old. I found out about this gift that we vampires have back in the 1800's. I had already been given my soul back and I was traveling by foot across country and I was hungry. I came across this flock of sheep and a young shepherdess. Like I said I was hungry but before I could catch one of her sheep her dogs chased me up a tree. When the young woman came to see what her dogs had treed I explained to her that I was hungry. I was honest with her and I explained that I was a vampire. To make a long story short she let me take some blood from several of her sheep as long as I didn't kill them. When I was done feeding I found that I was hungry for something more and my young shepherdess was eager to give up her virginity. Well while I was making love to her I found that I was still hungry for some blood and I didn't think that she would mind if I took just a little from her. That gentlemen is how I found out about this gift we have. Over the next several years I tried different things and what you saw tonight is the end product of all of those years of experimentation. I don't know if you had anyone to teach you how to take blood from a person and not leave them to bleed to death. So I am going to say it, when you take blood from a person and you intend for that person to continue to live you have to lick the wound before you bite into them and after. There is something in our saliva that cleans the area and also helps the blood to clot. If you aren't thorough enough your partner will continue to bleed. Uh,, one more thing, and I can't tell you how embarrassing this is for me to say this, but I am going to tell you this for your benefit Morgan and anyone that has repeat clients. I didn't realize this until my wife told me but apparently we men, and I don't mean just us vampires, I am talking about all men. Apparently when we have just one partner we will tend to pay more attention to one of the woman's breast. It seems to us that we don't have a preference but I knew that Cordy was telling me the truth when I went for one of her breasts and I caused her some pain. That's when she told me that I seemed to prefer just one of her breasts over the other and I had taken blood from the same one just the week before and it hadn't completely healed yet. That's when I also learned that I couldn't make love to her in the same way each time we made love. I realized that I had been ignoring other signs. In my own thick sculled male head I had chosen to get what I wanted instead of paying attention to the physical problems that my partner was having. I had noticed that she was looking pale and became tired more easily. So my fellow Vampires we just cannot take as much blood from our partners as we want especially when that woman is still young enough to bear children. The compounded amount of blood that is lost each month is just too much for them. Are their anymore questions now?"
"I believe that's it Angel. Am I correct then that you don't have a problem with my new side business then?" "No Mr. Morgan I don't. If you cause any problems though where someone is hurt then I'll come to you about what has been brought to my attention. If you don't take care of it to my clients satisfaction then I am going to take further measures to make sure that it doesn't happen again. Are we clear on that?" "Yes Angel we are clear on that." Morgan said and they sealed the agreement with a handshake.
"Connor would you tell the women that they can come up now please." Angel asked Connor.
When they came upstairs they were busily talking as though they had known each other for years. Angel went over to Spike and Morgan and said 'This is not a good sign men.'" When woman get together like that it can only mean one thing." "What's that Spike." Mr. Morgan said. "It means my good man that they are comparing notes on us." Spike turned around and put his arm around Morgan. "I pity you Morgan. Your wife seems to be becoming chummy with the woman that has this Master Vampire wrapped around her little finger." Spike said as he pointed to Angel. "When she says jump he asks how high." Morgan looked at Angel. "I understand Angel, love can make any man do things that he thought he would never do."
The women came over to the men. He was sure that Marissa had explained what Morgan had done to the vampires that had attacked them. Later on when they were alone she had explained that Marissa had told her what Morgan had done to them and that she wouldn't have to worry about them any more.
Mr. Morgan approached Dr. Martin and pulled her to the side along with his wife. After a few minutes Dr. Martin came over to Angel. "Can we use your office Angel?" Sure Dr. Martin, just make sure that you leave the door open. It's not that I don't trust you Morgan it's just that you don't have a soul and I know better then anyone how easily our demons can talk us into doing things."
Morgan called one of his guards over and along with his wife they went into Angels office. They were in there for almost an hour as Dr. Martin explained to them everything that she had told Angel and Spike about themselves. Dr. Martin came out after a while and asked Cordelia and Angel if they could accommodate four guests for the night. "Yes I think we will be alright. We have enough people here to take care of them in case there are any problems. Cordelia do we have two more rooms that they can use?" "Yes, they can use the rooms that Willow and Giles used."
Morgan talked to one of his guards and they all left except one.
"Angel the guards name is Bobby. He is going to go and get his girl friend and he said he should be back in an hour or so. From what Mr. Morgan has told me he wants to know if he can have children with Marissa and Bobby said that he is the last male that carries his fathers name. He said that he wants to have children but he just met someone and he hasn't even told her yet that he is a vampire so he is bringing one of the other guards that's human and she knows all about our world. But their two excellent subjects for me and I'll be able to gather more data on male Vampires. While we are waiting for Bobby to come back we can have dinner. I don't know about the rest of you but I am starving. The last thing I had was that egg sandwich that you made me this morning Cordelia." Dr. Martin went into the kitchen when she was through talking to Angel and Cordelia. She came out in a few minutes. I think we will have to order out tonight. The fridge seems to be rather empty besides blood." Everybody looked at Cordelia. "What's everyone looking at me for? I am not going out shopping at this time of the night so that means....?" Cordelia waited for someone to say something. Gunn yelled "Pizza party." Everybody started to say Pizza, Pizza, Pizza. "How many pizza's should we get and from where." Cordelia once again had to make the decision on how to feed the group. "Call Dominoes and order 5 large pizzas with everything on it. Then call the Pizza Hut and order 5 more. Ask everyone if they want something special on their pizzas. Mr. Morgan do you and Bobby eat solid food or do you just drink blood. I have to warn you though the only type of blood we have is pigs blood." "That will be fine and yes I do eat regular food. Marissa is a vegetarian so she usually gets a meat free pizza for us. I don't know if Bobby eats solids though." Morgan said. "Well he will have to take whatever is left. Fred you want to take care of Pizza Hut and Gunn can call Dominoes since it was his idea. Get some salads and bread sticks also." Cordelia went into the kitchen to check on their supply of pigs blood. Their was only a few bags left which would have been enough for Angel and Spike but not for the others. She went to Spike and asked him to go to that 24/7 slaughter house that he found and get some pigs blood. Go to Wesley and get some money and I'll get Angels keys. Spike grabbed Buffy's hand and went to Wesley to get some money. They went out the door and where gone for only 45 minutes. By the time they got back the Pizzas had been delivered. Cordelia asked Marissa if she could help her. She showed her how she prepared the blood and since it was the evening she added some tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Marissa took her husbands mug of blood in and Cordelia gave one of the mugs to Spike and the other one to Angel. They were all eating and talking as though nothing had happened between them. They were almost done by the time Bobby came in. He had a pretty little red head with him. She wasn't any taller then Buffy and very shy around so many strangers. Bobby took her to Mr. Morgan who was his employer. "Uh Mr. Morgan I would like to introduce you to a cousin of mine. She's a distant cousin. I've explained to her what I want to do and why and she has agreed to help me." Dr. Martin came over to Bobby. Tina looked to young to be with her cousin for what they were going to do. "Bobby can you tell me exactly how you are related and how old your cousin is?" "Tina is 23 and we are related through her mother. Her mother was the daughter of my sisters great granddaughter." "So there is like 5 generations between you. And does she know what you are now?" "Yes Dr. Martin. I have kept in contact with my family and they all know what I am." Dr. Martin observed how Tina was holding onto Bobbies hand. "Can I talk to Tina over in Angels office for a few minutes Bobby?" "Sure, go with Dr. Martin Tina she is going to ask you some questions." Dr. Martin put her arm around Tina and guided her to the office. They were in their for about 30 minutes. Cordelia asked Bobby if he ate solid food or would he like just a mug of blood. "Bobby, relax your not on duty now. Your just going to go through the same thing that I am. Would you like something to eat or just to drink?" Mr. Morgan said. "What are you having?" Bobby asked him. "I am having a couple of slices of the vegetarian pizza and a delicious mug of pigs blood that Mrs. Martin fixed for me. You should try it, it's very good." Mr. Morgan said. "Uh I guess I could have some of the roast beef pizza and a mug of blood." "Sure Bobby I'll bring you a plate along with your drink." Cordelia said. She was back in ten minutes with two plates. Bobby tasted the blood carefully. He had never had animal blood before so he tasted it very carefully. After swallowing it his eyes grew wide and he said, 'This is good, I didn't know that pigs blood could taste so good. How did you make it, did you add something to it." "Yes I added a dash of tabasco sauce and some Worcestershire sauce then warmed it up in the microwave." "This is fantastic." Bobby started to loosen up after having some blood. He grabbed a couple of slices of pizza and put it on his plate. He then started eating and washing it down with blood. Dr. Martin came out with Tina. "Why don't you take a seat next to Bobby Tina. What would you like to drink. I think we have Coka Cola and diet cola, and Pepsi and then theirs my favorite, Cherry Cola." "I would like a Pepsi please." Tina said. Dr. Martin went to the kitchen and got her a can of Pepsi.
As the night wore on both Tina and Bobby loosened up. They all finally got up from the table and went to sit around the lobby. It was getting late. Mr. Morgan was sitting on the round couch with his wife and Angel and Cordelia were next to them in chairs. Mr. Morgan tried making small talk. "So Angel I know that your soul has been made permanently yours are you and Cordelia trying to get pregnant now." The whole room became deathly quiet. Dr. Martin saw Angels hands start to shake as he did his best to control his anger. Cordelia put her hands on his. Tears were coming down his face as he started to answer Morgan. "Cordelia was pregnant at the time that the young Vampires attacked us. They beat her pretty badly and she was raped repeatedly by at least 7 of those guys. They broke my legs to keep me from ripping their throats out. When I regained consciousness the others had come to help us. They were the ones that got to dust the Vamps that killed our baby and beat my lovely wife up so badly that she was almost unrecognizable. I couldn't walk but I could drag myself over to her. I held her in my arms. I could see every bruise on her body. I could see the blood soaking into the sand below her. I didn't know it at the time but it was the blood that had cradled and nourished our baby. I could see all of this because they had torn all of her clothes off. I took my jacket off and covered her. I couldn't stand to see the bruises in the shape of a mans hand on her breasts and her legs as they forced them apart. I couldn't see her beautiful eyes because they were swollen shut. Now that she is my wife her body is for me and me alone. I was so angry at what they had done to her and at my own inability to do anything about it that all I could do was scream until I lost my voice." Cordelia got to her knees and put her head on his leg and grabbed onto his arm as though she was trying to keep him from doing anything. Angel stood up and pulled Cordelia up into his arms. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. As Angel described to Mr. Morgan what had happened it all came rushing back into her mind. Dr. Martin came over to them and took Cordelia into her arms. She walked her over to Angels office where she could lay on the couch where she would probably cry herself to sleep.
"I am sorry for what happened Angel." Morgan tried to apologize but Angel stopped him. "No, don't say anything I couldn't stand it if you tried to apologize to me. Besides you couldn't possibly say anything that could compensate us for what happened to us. Let me tell you though why I didn't tear you apart as soon as you walked through those doors. Do you know what I was called when my demon Angelus was in control Mr. Morgan?" "Yes, you were called the terror of Europe." "Yes that is what Angelus was called. He was called that because of the things that he did to people. He often raped his female victims. He didn't bother to beat his victims though. He had other things that were more interesting to him. Have you ever noticed how your victims blood tastes so much sweeter when they are scared out of their minds Morgan. Well Angelus was a perfectionist at that. He had it down to a tee. I haven't killed you Morgan because I don't think I have the right to fight back when Angelus did the same thing to other men and women. Since I was given my soul back I think of all of the things that Angelus did. If I have even a few minutes alone my demon starts reminding me of what he did. He tells me that it was my fault that all of those things happened. He tells me that I could have stopped him if I had wanted to. You see this women over here." Angel pointed to Dr. Martin. "She is the one that is going to tell you tomorrow morning if you can get your wife pregnant. She is also the one that God sent to help me deal with Angelus. It's because of her that I have Cordelia and I can make love to her. She has more or less given me life again. Angel stood up again and walked around a little. "Connor would you get me a glass of the whiskey that I have in my office please." "Morgan I gave you and your wife and the rest of your men a tremendous gift today. I guess it's one of those gifts that they say will keep on giving. Tomorrow I am going to give you another gift. The gift I am going to arrange for someone to give you will give and give and give. It won't hurt you physically in anyway and no one will be able to see it but you. What is your full name Morgan?" Angel asked Morgan as he stood in front of him. "David William Morgan." Connor gave Angel his drink then went to sit down again. Angel drank half of it at one time.
"You seem to be a nice guy Morgan. I hope that as time progresses that I can finally forgive you for what you caused to happen to us. I understand that you didn't order it done and that what happened was the invention of a bunch of young, newly made vampires that wanted to make a name for themselves. I truly and honestly hope that you and Marissa will be able to have the children that you want to have together. I think that we could have some good times together since we have and will have so much in common. But that time hasn't come yet Morgan. Cordelia and I need time to heal before we can forgive." Angel stood up straight and went to Dr. Martin and checked on Cordelia. He came back in a minute and walked over to Morgan.
Bobby perceived Angel as a threat and started to get up to defend his employer. "Don't try it Bobby or your fathers name will end here tonight. Besides you don't have to worry. I am not going to hurt your boss. Morgan I strongly suggest that you make 100% sure that there are no loose ends out there that didn't get the word that the contract has been called off. Because if anything more should happen to my wife I promise you that I am coming after your wife and I am going to make sure that you live so that you can suffer as I will. It will be the first time that I will torture a human in over a hundred years. If you think that I can't do it because I have a soul then your thinking wrong. Because if Cordy dies then I am just going to let Angelus take over. I won't care if I am dusted after that because I won't care to exist with out her." Angel backed away slowly. They were all looking at him. Everything about Angel exuded power. It was why people saw him as a natural leader.
"Morgan and Bobby if you have any kind of problem talk to Spike. I don't think he will be busy tonight. For once." Angel went to his office and picked up Cordelia in his arms and took her upstairs.
"If you would follow me Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, Tina and Bobby. I will show you to your rooms and give you instructions for the night and I will say good night to the rest of you." Dr. Martin led them upstairs and gave them their instructions and told Tina and Marissa to give her the jars as soon as possible. She showed them to their rooms and went back to her own and tried to get some sleep before they came knocking on her door.
TBC..................One more chapter to go.