It had been a long day for her. Filled with dull drums and required bordum. When she had been a child she never figured her life would turn out this way. Answering phones and making coffee was not the dream she had planned. Then agian, neither was losing a baby at 18. Being left homeless and in debt by her ex.
And yet, after all that, she still found that her life was good. She had met the most intersting man a few months ago. He had come along just in time to save her from becoming the dinner of a particularly scary vampire. It was that moment that her eyes were opened to the truth of what stalks the night.
He had swooped in and recused her. Angel. The one with the face of an angel. That is what she had read in a book somewhere. Some book on vampires ironicaly enough. Though when she read that book she never dreamed that she would meet the infomous being. Looking back, she could tell you one thing. That book didn't tell the half of it. Angel could not be discribed by an authers words or a poets rhymes. He was beyond words...to her at least.
Fade to black.
The stars twinkeled brightly over head. The grass was damp with the evening due under her feet. The sweet smell of autum lingering in the air. The moon shining so brightly that you could nearly make out the changing color of the leaves on the massive trees that surroounded her.
With a thermus of coffee in one hand and a wooden stake in hand, she walked, aimlessly into the wood. Angel had taught her that. "All ways carry a stake, you never know what might be about. Aim for the heart. Be quick or you'll be dead if you continue your little adventures into the night." She had taken his words to heart. For some reason she trusted him. Vampire or no, he had saved her and did his best to warn her of what was about. The least she could do is take a few simple measures to keep safe, she thought to herself.
As many times as she had wandered threw this forest, she had never noticed the cave that she now saw in the distance. The flicker of fire appeared to be iminating from inside the cavern. Now that is just plain odd. Who would be out here in the middle of the night. it isn't like camping is allowed out here. She couldn't resist to pry. Without paying any attention to her own actions she began to walk closer and closer. Before she knew it, she was standing at he cave mouth staring in. The crys of a woman caught her attention and drew her in.
She knew better than this. She was asking for trouble. But what if someone was truley hurt? Or worse....She let her mind reel with possiblities as she creaped into the cavern. The celiling was low, but still high enought that she didn't need to crouch to move about. But deep and it seemed to go down into the ground. The farther along she wnet the move she felt as if the floor was slumping under foot, drawing her down into the belly of the earth. She took a step down and found both the source of the fire light and the crying. A young woman was huddled in the corner about 50 feet farther into the cave, her back to the fire. Obviously cold and badly beaten. The back of her shirt was torn and tatterd as if someone had beat her with a cat-of-nine tales.
She was unsure if the woamn was just not paying her any attention or if she was too out of it to realize she was so near. Tenitavly she called out to her. "Hun are you ok? I didn't mean to pry, but I saw the fire-light and heard you crying. Do you need any help?"
The woman turned her head to reveal a beautiful face marred with cuts and bruses. She had turned just enough to make visible the fact that she was pregnant and close enought to term that she looked near ready to pop. "Leave me." Her voice was soft and the tears she was holding back left there mark on her voice.
Grace knew something was wrong. "If the lady wouldn't let her help, she knew someone that could." She made her way back out of the cave. Taking note to every tree and clearing that she went threw as she ran at full speed for the edge of the wood where her car was parked and her cell phone waited. She ran and ran for what seeemed like an eternity. Her breath labored and hard to draw by the time she reached the clearing where her car sat. She grabed the handel and yanked with as much force as she could muster as if it was going to cause the door to open faster. Searching in the darkness she felt around franticly for her phone, unable to remember where it had been lying when she had gotten out of the vehical. "God damn shit! Where the fuck is it?" Her hand glanced something plactic and without a second thought she grabbed it up. Knowning exactly what it was. The item she so desperatly wanted. Nimble fingers flew over the buttons she has memorized, just in case. Just in case had turned into right now.
On the first ring, soemone picked up the phone. "Angel Investigations. We help the helpless, how can we help you?" came from the softest most feminie voice ever heard, Cordy.
"Cordy. It is Grace. You remember me right?" She didn't even allow her to answer. "I need to talk to Angel, NOW. It is really important."
"Yeah sure, he is right here." Grace could her to telling Angel that the call was for him.
The suffeling sound of the reciever changing hands let her know that he was about to answer. "Grace? What is wrong?"
"I came out to LA Wood tonight for a walk. I ran across a cave, that I didn't even know what here, anyway. I saw a light and heard crying so I went in. I found a woman, badly beaten, she wouldn't let me help, but she obviously needs it. Please tell me you can come."
Angel took a deep, unneeded breath. "I will be there in 15 min. Stay where you are, I will find you."
She heard the click of the phone signifying that he had ended the call. She paced back and forth and round and round hoping that the constant motion would make time move that much faster. But her panicked mind played tricks on her. Time seemed to move that much more slowly. Creaping and inching into the past. The feel of a cold hand on her shoulder broke her from her daze. "Angel thank god. Took you long enough."
He did not try to argue. He knew all to well that when someone was in trouble time always feels off to the people around. "Which way?"
She pointed to the west. "This way." Taking off in a run in the direction she was pionting.
Angel ran beside her, finding no problem in keeping pace with her.
Fade to cave:
The light form the cave was growing dimmer. Rendering the darkness and cold, that she could not feel, to seep in around her. Darla cried.
Fade to outside the cave:
"Stay behind me and far enough back that you can run."
"Angel she is hurt. She isn't going to hurt me, or she would have the first time I was there."
"Still I..."
"Fine. But I am coming in."
The decent into the cave seemed faster to Grace this time. Following nearly the same exact steps she took down the first time. Watching for drop-offs and rocks the first time, sure had made this quicker.
Angel stopped just out of arms reach of the woman. She turned and faced him. Shock and bewilderment covered his face. "Darla..." he wispered into the eather.
"I told you to leave me be."
"We can't do that. Your hurt." Grace refused to let her be in this shape and not help.
"Grace she is a vampire."
"Ok" She slipped past him, closer to her. She looked back at Angel "The Darla from the books?"
"Yep, that Darla. She is dying...and so is the baby."
Grace stepped closer and crouched down next to her. Brushed a hair from her face, tucking it behind Darla's ear. "Angel we have to help."
He was frozen in place. There was nothing he could do but stare at his sire. "She needs blood. There isn't time to get her back to the hotel. The baby would be dead before then." Still he did nothing.
Grace stared back at him in disbeliefe. "We have to help. There has to be something." In her fear for Darla and her child she completely missed the looks that they shared. The looks of words spooken without a sound uttered.
"Yes Angelus, he is yours."
The cold setteled in on Grace, she hadn't even noticed the air chill. Her blood ran cold. His child. He can't just let it die. There has to be something. A thought popped to mind. She could drink from me. Just enough to help her hold on till we can get her back. Grace knew Darla's history, yet she didn't frighten her in the least and she didn't know why. "She can drink from me. Enough to give her strenght to get her out of here."
Before Angel could protest, Grace sat down next to Darla on the cold, clay floor. Sweeping her hair out of the way of her neck, she leaned over and offered her neck to her. "Drink."
Angel stoud and watched as his ex-lover, his sire, let her vampire features come forward. She quickly let her fangs break the skin of Grace's neck.
Grace felt Darla's fangs slip into her skin at the point where her pulse could be flet on her neck. The pain was only momentary and felt like twin bee stings. She with drew her fangs and began to slowly and tenderly suck. Pulling the red life giveing fluid from her body. More egarly pulling it as the seconds then minuets passed.
Grace was over come with an almost uphoric feeling. She relaxed and allowed herself to fall back onto Dala and let her cradle her in her cold arms. "I'm so cold."
For some reason, the simple statement drew Angel from the daze he had been in since he arrived in the cave. "Darla stop, your killing her."
Darla looked up at him, blood dripping from her swollen lips. She knew without a dought he was right. Grace's heart beat had slowed and the baby's had picked up. They rang out at nearly the same speed. But one was so weak and failing while the other was picking up speed and streinght.
"I'm so cold." The words were barley above a wisper as they came from Graces lips agian.
Angel spied a thin ratty blanket near Darla. He grabbed it and laid it over the two of them.
"Are you strong enough to move Darla?"
"Yes, but she's not." The baby's soul was effecting her. "She was just tring to help me...us. What have I done?" The sobs that had once drawn Grace in, now rang out loudy.
Grace could no longer see. He could barley hear. Only enough to hear the weeping of her killer and the panic of her one time savior. She spilled away into the darkness, to the sound of sobs and the feeling of the gental movements caused by them.
Fade to black.
And yet, after all that, she still found that her life was good. She had met the most intersting man a few months ago. He had come along just in time to save her from becoming the dinner of a particularly scary vampire. It was that moment that her eyes were opened to the truth of what stalks the night.
He had swooped in and recused her. Angel. The one with the face of an angel. That is what she had read in a book somewhere. Some book on vampires ironicaly enough. Though when she read that book she never dreamed that she would meet the infomous being. Looking back, she could tell you one thing. That book didn't tell the half of it. Angel could not be discribed by an authers words or a poets rhymes. He was beyond words...to her at least.
Fade to black.
The stars twinkeled brightly over head. The grass was damp with the evening due under her feet. The sweet smell of autum lingering in the air. The moon shining so brightly that you could nearly make out the changing color of the leaves on the massive trees that surroounded her.
With a thermus of coffee in one hand and a wooden stake in hand, she walked, aimlessly into the wood. Angel had taught her that. "All ways carry a stake, you never know what might be about. Aim for the heart. Be quick or you'll be dead if you continue your little adventures into the night." She had taken his words to heart. For some reason she trusted him. Vampire or no, he had saved her and did his best to warn her of what was about. The least she could do is take a few simple measures to keep safe, she thought to herself.
As many times as she had wandered threw this forest, she had never noticed the cave that she now saw in the distance. The flicker of fire appeared to be iminating from inside the cavern. Now that is just plain odd. Who would be out here in the middle of the night. it isn't like camping is allowed out here. She couldn't resist to pry. Without paying any attention to her own actions she began to walk closer and closer. Before she knew it, she was standing at he cave mouth staring in. The crys of a woman caught her attention and drew her in.
She knew better than this. She was asking for trouble. But what if someone was truley hurt? Or worse....She let her mind reel with possiblities as she creaped into the cavern. The celiling was low, but still high enought that she didn't need to crouch to move about. But deep and it seemed to go down into the ground. The farther along she wnet the move she felt as if the floor was slumping under foot, drawing her down into the belly of the earth. She took a step down and found both the source of the fire light and the crying. A young woman was huddled in the corner about 50 feet farther into the cave, her back to the fire. Obviously cold and badly beaten. The back of her shirt was torn and tatterd as if someone had beat her with a cat-of-nine tales.
She was unsure if the woamn was just not paying her any attention or if she was too out of it to realize she was so near. Tenitavly she called out to her. "Hun are you ok? I didn't mean to pry, but I saw the fire-light and heard you crying. Do you need any help?"
The woman turned her head to reveal a beautiful face marred with cuts and bruses. She had turned just enough to make visible the fact that she was pregnant and close enought to term that she looked near ready to pop. "Leave me." Her voice was soft and the tears she was holding back left there mark on her voice.
Grace knew something was wrong. "If the lady wouldn't let her help, she knew someone that could." She made her way back out of the cave. Taking note to every tree and clearing that she went threw as she ran at full speed for the edge of the wood where her car was parked and her cell phone waited. She ran and ran for what seeemed like an eternity. Her breath labored and hard to draw by the time she reached the clearing where her car sat. She grabed the handel and yanked with as much force as she could muster as if it was going to cause the door to open faster. Searching in the darkness she felt around franticly for her phone, unable to remember where it had been lying when she had gotten out of the vehical. "God damn shit! Where the fuck is it?" Her hand glanced something plactic and without a second thought she grabbed it up. Knowning exactly what it was. The item she so desperatly wanted. Nimble fingers flew over the buttons she has memorized, just in case. Just in case had turned into right now.
On the first ring, soemone picked up the phone. "Angel Investigations. We help the helpless, how can we help you?" came from the softest most feminie voice ever heard, Cordy.
"Cordy. It is Grace. You remember me right?" She didn't even allow her to answer. "I need to talk to Angel, NOW. It is really important."
"Yeah sure, he is right here." Grace could her to telling Angel that the call was for him.
The suffeling sound of the reciever changing hands let her know that he was about to answer. "Grace? What is wrong?"
"I came out to LA Wood tonight for a walk. I ran across a cave, that I didn't even know what here, anyway. I saw a light and heard crying so I went in. I found a woman, badly beaten, she wouldn't let me help, but she obviously needs it. Please tell me you can come."
Angel took a deep, unneeded breath. "I will be there in 15 min. Stay where you are, I will find you."
She heard the click of the phone signifying that he had ended the call. She paced back and forth and round and round hoping that the constant motion would make time move that much faster. But her panicked mind played tricks on her. Time seemed to move that much more slowly. Creaping and inching into the past. The feel of a cold hand on her shoulder broke her from her daze. "Angel thank god. Took you long enough."
He did not try to argue. He knew all to well that when someone was in trouble time always feels off to the people around. "Which way?"
She pointed to the west. "This way." Taking off in a run in the direction she was pionting.
Angel ran beside her, finding no problem in keeping pace with her.
Fade to cave:
The light form the cave was growing dimmer. Rendering the darkness and cold, that she could not feel, to seep in around her. Darla cried.
Fade to outside the cave:
"Stay behind me and far enough back that you can run."
"Angel she is hurt. She isn't going to hurt me, or she would have the first time I was there."
"Still I..."
"Fine. But I am coming in."
The decent into the cave seemed faster to Grace this time. Following nearly the same exact steps she took down the first time. Watching for drop-offs and rocks the first time, sure had made this quicker.
Angel stopped just out of arms reach of the woman. She turned and faced him. Shock and bewilderment covered his face. "Darla..." he wispered into the eather.
"I told you to leave me be."
"We can't do that. Your hurt." Grace refused to let her be in this shape and not help.
"Grace she is a vampire."
"Ok" She slipped past him, closer to her. She looked back at Angel "The Darla from the books?"
"Yep, that Darla. She is dying...and so is the baby."
Grace stepped closer and crouched down next to her. Brushed a hair from her face, tucking it behind Darla's ear. "Angel we have to help."
He was frozen in place. There was nothing he could do but stare at his sire. "She needs blood. There isn't time to get her back to the hotel. The baby would be dead before then." Still he did nothing.
Grace stared back at him in disbeliefe. "We have to help. There has to be something." In her fear for Darla and her child she completely missed the looks that they shared. The looks of words spooken without a sound uttered.
"Yes Angelus, he is yours."
The cold setteled in on Grace, she hadn't even noticed the air chill. Her blood ran cold. His child. He can't just let it die. There has to be something. A thought popped to mind. She could drink from me. Just enough to help her hold on till we can get her back. Grace knew Darla's history, yet she didn't frighten her in the least and she didn't know why. "She can drink from me. Enough to give her strenght to get her out of here."
Before Angel could protest, Grace sat down next to Darla on the cold, clay floor. Sweeping her hair out of the way of her neck, she leaned over and offered her neck to her. "Drink."
Angel stoud and watched as his ex-lover, his sire, let her vampire features come forward. She quickly let her fangs break the skin of Grace's neck.
Grace felt Darla's fangs slip into her skin at the point where her pulse could be flet on her neck. The pain was only momentary and felt like twin bee stings. She with drew her fangs and began to slowly and tenderly suck. Pulling the red life giveing fluid from her body. More egarly pulling it as the seconds then minuets passed.
Grace was over come with an almost uphoric feeling. She relaxed and allowed herself to fall back onto Dala and let her cradle her in her cold arms. "I'm so cold."
For some reason, the simple statement drew Angel from the daze he had been in since he arrived in the cave. "Darla stop, your killing her."
Darla looked up at him, blood dripping from her swollen lips. She knew without a dought he was right. Grace's heart beat had slowed and the baby's had picked up. They rang out at nearly the same speed. But one was so weak and failing while the other was picking up speed and streinght.
"I'm so cold." The words were barley above a wisper as they came from Graces lips agian.
Angel spied a thin ratty blanket near Darla. He grabbed it and laid it over the two of them.
"Are you strong enough to move Darla?"
"Yes, but she's not." The baby's soul was effecting her. "She was just tring to help me...us. What have I done?" The sobs that had once drawn Grace in, now rang out loudy.
Grace could no longer see. He could barley hear. Only enough to hear the weeping of her killer and the panic of her one time savior. She spilled away into the darkness, to the sound of sobs and the feeling of the gental movements caused by them.
Fade to black.