Chapter 4 Need a ride?

Katie stepped out into the darkness of night. Her mind was flooded with emotion and confusion. She had finally found her brother after what seemed like an eternity. It was all so sudden though. She had planned on having time to prepare for the reunion; instead, she was blindsided by it. Angel seemed nice and a little less arrogant than he used to be as a human, but Katie still wasn't sure she could trust him. Even with a gypsy curse, how could someone go from being the Scourge of Europe, the things nightmares are made of, to mister nice "help the hopeless"? It was hard to imagine.

Katie continued down the street and found herself walking along the beach. She collapsed onto the sand and watched as the full moon set out over the water. It had been quite an emotional night and she was too exhausted to move. I only need a few minutes, just a rest. Her eyes closed and she welcomed the peace of sleep.

Meanwhile, Angel was pacing in his apartment. There was no way he could fall asleep now. It was like a ghost from his past had come to torment him, and this one had to be the worst of them all. I now know how she felt when she thought I had returned from the dead. He loved Katie and was overjoyed to be able to see her face again, but now under the circumstances. He could already tell that Wesley didn't trust her. Was he right? Could he be able to see danger where Angel only saw his greatest betrayal, his sister? He needed to talk to Wesley, and fast. Angel looked at the antique clock on his wall. 4 am. It would soon be dawn and now it was time for Angel to attempt sleep.

Angel flopped onto the bed. This was not going to work. How could he possibly sleep after all this? He had eventually started to drift off, when he remembered something from earlier in the night. Those men who ran away outside the office, they had to be after Katie! Danger or not, Angel would not let anything happen to her. He used to intimidate the children at her school so she would never get teased, and usually followed her from a distance whenever she would go into town. That was probably one of the only things Liam had done for someone besides himself.

He leapt out of bed and within minutes, was outside searching. Where could she have gone? Angel looked up at the sky and noticed a pink hue coming from the eastern horizon. Uh, oh, Angel thought. Here comes the dawn. He ran though the streets as long as he could, but finally had to escape to sewer.

He eventually made it back to his apartment and lay down on the couch contemplating the events of the evening. Had she been real? Did is sister really show up last night? He had no idea where to go from here. He couldn't just let Katie run loose on the streets of L.A., but he was uncertain of which side she was really on and therefore had to be cautious. Vampires are always unpredictable like that, Angel chuckled to himself wearily. If he couldn't find a way to make this situation humorous, it would drive him insane. I sure hope she doesn't take after me! That was the thought that frightened him the most. Back in his evil days, Angelus was the most feared vampire. He was bloodthirsty and ruthless, but it was his charming facade and cunningness that made him the best, the most dangerous. If Katie is at all like that… Angel shuddered at the thought.

Angel finally calmed his mind down enough to slip into a restless sleep. There was nothing he could do until later anyway.

Katie woke up to a warm breeze. The coolness of night had been replaced by the warming of day. Sunlight glistened off the water like a thousand diamonds as the waves moved in and out. Katie sat up with a start. SUNLIGHT! She looked around frantically. Her salvation was the large five story hotel the sat at the edge of the beach. Its shadow was the only thing that kept her from being barbequed! She ran towards the building just as a ray of light shone on the very spot where she had slept. Now what? Where do I go? Katie didn't know the sewer tunnels well enough and the only entrance she could see was bathed in sunlight.

"You look a little lost," said a male voice from behind a palm tree. Katie spun around half expecting Angel to be there. Instead, there stood a man in a sharp business suit. He was in his early thirties, medium build, with sandy blonde hair that was rebelling against the hair gel used to slick it into place. What Katie noticed most was his ocean blue eyes that sparkled with some hidden sense of humor. "Need help?"

"Oh, no. I don't think so," she chuckled in reply after recovering from the initial surprise. She was grateful for the attention. It had been a while since anyone truly tried to help her.

"Are you sure?" the man pressed on. "My name is Marcus." He handed Katie a business card that read 'Wolfram and Hart'. "Are you new around here? I recognize almost everyone around here, but I've never seen you before."

"I'm Katie. I just got here yesterday," Katie said. This man seemed genuinely interested. Still, she had to be careful.

"Where do you and your folks hail from?"

"I'm from out of town, out of the country even. My parents are dead."

"Oh, I see. You're an orphan coming to L.A. to discover your dreams," Marcus said with a wink and a knowing smile. "Same story I've heard a hundred times."

"Something like that," Katie replied. What was I going to say? No, I'm here to find my 250 something year old vampire brother now that he got cursed and isn't completely evil anymore. Oh yeah, and I'm a vampire too! Katie smiled to herself at that ridiculous thought. No one would believe her.

"Hey, you seem like you have an interesting story to tell, and I like talking with you. Want to come back to the office with me and have a real conversation? I mean, if you don't have anywhere else to go," Marcus asked while gesturing to his car that Katie only now noticed was parked conveniently in the shade.

"Sure," Katie smiled. She stepped closer to Marcus who put his hand on her shoulder as they walked toward the car. As if by instinct, Katie sniffed the air. There was nothing. She stopped for a second and sniffed again. If this man were human, she would have been able to smell blood, but nothing registered.

"What is it?" Marcus asked with a concerned look.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought I heard something," Katie lied. They arrived at the car and she noticed the darkly tinted windows. She had forgotten to think about how she was going to ride in full daylight in a car. "Nice windows," she said, trying to change the subject.

"Thanks," replied Marcus, unlocking the car. "I don't like glare and it keeps the interior from fading."

Sure it does, thought Katie. She was certain he must be a vampire too. Her suspicions were heightened when she saw Marcus carefully sidestep a spot of sunlight on the way to the driver's side door. She was especially certain when she noticed that Marcus did not have a reflection in the driver's side mirror. She looked in the mirror on the passenger side and sighed. It was like she wasn't even there.

The drive through the city was fantastic. Marcus pointed out landmarks and buildings along the way. Finally, they turned past one of most grand buildings Katie had ever seen.

"Welcome to Wolfram and Hart," Marcus said proudly as he pulled into a parking garage under the building. "Impressive, isn't it?"

"Aye, you really work here?"

"Aye," remarked Marcus, imitating Katie. "Aye instead of yeah, where did that come from?" He pulled into a space and got out.

"Back home in Ireland," Katie said, also exiting the car.

"Ireland, huh? Funny, you don't have much of an accent."

"I haven't been there in a long time. Not since my parents were murdered by my brother…" Katie stopped herself. She was getting so comfortable talking to Marcus that she was letting things about her past slip. He was so easy to talk to though, and they seemed to enjoy each other's company. Katie had always been a loner since she was turned. She missed the camaraderie.

"Murdered by your brother? God that's rough," Marcus said with a look of pity on his face. He looked over to Katie and smiled. "I see he didn't get you."

"He tried, but I escaped," Katie started to think that maybe talking with Marcus anymore wasn't such a good idea. She already revealed too much. "I have to go, thanks for the ride, Marcus." She started to walk away.

"Wait, I thought we were going to talk," he replied to her sudden statement of departure. Katie kept walking. "Well, you have my number in case you change your mind."

"Thanks!" Katie called over her shoulder. She looked down at the business card she held in her hand, placed it in her back jeans pocket and started jogging, not knowing where she was going. There had to be a sewer entrance somewhere around here.

Marcus smirked with satisfaction as he entered the building. He had done extensive research for Wolfram and Hart on the background of Angel. "Know your enemies," the senior partners had said. This girl was the spitting image description of Angel's little sister and everything she'd said had made him surer this was really Katherine. He had hoped for a believable imposter to spy in Angel's camp and throw him off a bit, but the real deal, while thought to have been impossible, was even better. Even if it turned out that she was someone else, she could definitely be a convincing double. What a better ally than a betrayed little girl with an innocent face? The senior partners were going to be pleased to hear about this new development. He was bound to get a promotion for this. We WILL meet again, Katie.