Chapter 8 Family first
Angel woke up a little later than usual due to the long night and found that he was getting a late start to the day, not that he had plans. Angel knew his life was so uncertain that it would be near pointless to plan ahead more than an hour or two unless he was on a mission. He quickly showered, found a clean pair of black slacks among the mess of his bedroom, and put on a sliver button-down shirt. He stood a moment looking at the shirt. It reminded him of the Thermopoli Demons which reminded him of his failure to rescue Simon. He threw that shirt on the nearest chair and chose a dark green pullover. He took one last look around the room. God, what a mess! This place needed to be picked up. No time like the present. Angel sighed and started grabbing clothes from various pieces of furniture.
Satisfied with his cleaning job, Angel wandered into the kitchen for some breakfast. He had just opened the door of his refrigerator trying to decide if he was in the mood for chicken, pork, or cattle blood, when he heard a crash from upstairs in the office.
"What the…" The crash was followed by yells and the sounds of people fighting. Angel forgot about breakfast and headed upstairs to see what the fuss was all about.
Wesley had woken up and walked upstairs to the office early that morning. After napping his pain away, dreams of Katie and her potential threat to Angel had kept him up during the early morning hours. He needed to do some research and see what he could find on this girl, at least to reassure himself that nothing was going to happen to his boss and dear friend. Not knowing what to expect, Wesley looked online for news stories involving someone of Katie's description. As he flipped through the results, he became more and more disturbed. Several police have been killed by a snap of the neck in Philadelphia twenty years ago. The article went on to take about bruising that proved it was done by a child's hands, yet it would have been near impossible for a child to cause those kind of injuries. There were similar stories all over the country: A drunken businessman in Cleveland died of lung punctures caused by a kick in the chest by a small foot sixteen years ago, more unfortunate people found in back alleys…the list went on. People mysteriously killed by a child of "super human" strength. There were also numerous passing notes about homeless people being found dead and drained of their blood. Around the Midwest, mention had been made of several livestock animals being killed with what looked like "vampire teeth". Wesley had to show these to Angel immediately. He feared the Katie was following in her sire's footsteps. While these all could be circumstantial evidence, Wesley had the feeling he was on the right track.
"One more. I'll read one more article, and then get Angel," Wesley said aloud. The article was from five years ago. A husband and wife, foster parents were burned to death in their Chicago home by a fire allegedly set by their 12 year old foster daughter. She was still missing. Wesley's blood ran cold as he read to the end of the article. There was a picture of the missing foster daughter, Jenna. Jenna had dark brown, wavy shoulder length hair, intense brown eyes, thin pale features, and was a perfect match to Angel's sister.
Wesley heard the footsteps of someone entering the office. He looked up to see Katie standing in the doorway. He froze for a moment wondering if she had heard him talking out loud.
"Good Morning, Wesley," she greeted. "What are you up to?"
"I'm…umm…I'm doing research," he stammered. He had to keep it together and stay cool. He must not let on that he knew about what Katie had done.
"Cool, on what? The demons you fought last night?" Katie asked genuinely interested. She walked toward Wesley's desk.
"No, nothing really. You'd find it rather dull and boring," Wesley continued.
"Oh, try me. I've seen many things over the years, but I can never stop learning," she replied. Before Wesley had time to react, she had rounded the desk and was staring intently at the computer screen. She glanced down at the shuffled papers that cluttered the desk and saw her picture from Chicago. Her eyes narrowed a bit and the smile evaporated. She felt a wave of panic wash over her.
"You're checking up on me, Wesley? I don't think this is dull and boring."
"Well, I…" Wesley stammered.
"You were going to show this to Angel, weren't you? You want to turn him against me. You never did trust me, did you, Wesley? I could tell from the moment I walked in that I wasn't welcome, especially by you." Wesley just stared at Katie. She was completely unpredictable and he knew he had to think fast and be prepared for anything.
"Yes, I was checking up on you and yes, I am going to tell Angel. No, I don't trust you and all this," gesturing towards the computer and his notes, "proves my hunch correct. I'm afraid that Angel will be too blinded by emotion that he won't be able to see the obvious threat." Wesley defiantly drew himself up taller. He couldn't let this girl intimidate him.
"Threat?" Katie asked innocently getting closer to Wesley. "Look at me! I'm just a girl. I'm no threat to anybody…" Suddenly, her tone changed to an angry whisper as her panic turned to rage. She was furious that this little man was trying to destroy the relationship with her brother that she had waited so long for. She would not let him do it. "…unless they get in the way of what I want!"
She felt her face change and could feel her fangs slipping down in her mouth. Her brown eyes turned a striking shade of golden yellow. Her senses felt so alive! She didn't have to see things coming; she just knew and could react instantly to anything or anyone thrown her way. She could feel her vampire strength growing inside her. No, there was no way she would let Wesley ruin this for her.
She snarled and leapt at him before he had a chance to react. He fell to the floor and she rolled off of him. Wesley scrabbled to his feet and rooted around his desk desperately: A cross, a wooden stake, holy water, even a knife or gun to at least slow her down. ANYTHING! He came up empty handed.
"You really need to get organized," Katie said with a sneer as she grabbed Wesley from behind and threw him against the far wall, sending a framed painting crashing to the floor. "You can't find things when you need them the most!"
Wesley staggered to his feet once again just as Katie come up and pinned him against the wall. She hadn't intended on killing him when she had started this little spat. She just wanted to frighten him enough to keep him from telling Angel about her past. The past was the past and she wasn't about to let it ruin her future, but oh, was she hungry. She heard someone yelling in the background, but she barely heard him. She was too focused on the task at hand. She could see the blood pulsating in Wesley's neck. She lowered her fangs closer, closer, she could almost taste it already….WHAM! She felt herself being thrown across the room. She was up in a flash growling and ready to pounce on whomever had done that.
Angel stood in the middle of the room between Katie and Wesley. It was indeed starting to look like a war zone. He had arrived just in time. He tried telling her to stop, but she tuned him out. That happened sometimes Angel knew, so he was forced to send a message he knew she would get loud and clear.
"Katie, calm down. What do you think you were doing?" Angel tried to be diplomatic for a second and held his arm out to block her from getting closer. Inside that petite frame was a furious beast who would not listen to reason.
"I was doing what is right by me," Katie hissed. "He was trying to turn you against me. I couldn't let him do that."
"Angel, I was doing research on her and I found…" Wesley started timidly from behind Angel. He was interrupted by Katie's hair-curling snarl as she tried to go around Angel to attack him again. Angel picked her up and threw her against the wall again.
"STOP IT!" Angel yelled. Katie could see he was getting very angry.
"He started it!" she howled. "He never trusted me. He didn't even try to get to know me before passing judgment. He said he was going to turn you against me!"
"I most certainly did not!" Wesley shouted back coming out from behind Angel's protective body.
"LIAR!" Katie yelled as she darted around Angel and tackled Wesley to the floor. He wriggled free and just as Katie was about to spring to her feet and finish the job, she felt Angel's hand around her throat as he slammed her up against the wall.
"I said KNOCK IT OFF!" Angel bellowed in her face. She could see in his eyes that he was livid. She had never seen him this agitated, and it was beginning to scare her even more. She squirmed to free herself from Angel's firm grasp, but stopped when she felt a stake pressed against her chest by Angel's other hand.
"So this is how it ends, huh? You kill me like you were supposed to the first time but failed?" Katie sneered. She looked Angel in the eyes and slowly felt her anger melting away. He didn't want to kill her, but would if he had to. It ripped Angel apart inside behind his furious human face.
"Then go ahead bro, stake away," Katie said, her face back to normal again. "Make up for your mistake."
Angel couldn't do it. His stake dropped to the floor and he let Katie down to the ground.
"Angel, what are you doing? She was trying to kill me!" Wesley demanded from across the room, now cross in hand.
"Wesley…" Angel said quietly, calming himself down.
"Fine! If you don't finish her off, I will!" Wesley flipped the cross around to reveal a point whittled in the end. It was two weapons in one.
"Wesley," Angel held out his hand to hold Wesley back behind him. What is wrong with him! Wesley thought to himself. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was scared of this girl. She had a disarming presence and then attacked when a man left his defenses down. She may not have the strength of Angel and other full grown vampires, but this girl had survived this long. She must have developed an extremely cunning strategy and relied on her slyness and wit to win battles. If he doesn't put this family loyalty kick behind him, we are all going to perish!
"So now what, big brother? Are you going to believe him over your own flesh and blood, or are you going to put family first?" Katie demanded.
There she goes using the family aspect, just as I suspected, Wesley thought.
Angel looked her straight in the eye and said in a low serious voice, "I always put family first and foremost." His eyes were intense and flashing with anger once again at her question of family loyalty. Katie smirked victoriously at Wesley who was still trying to keep as far away from the little demon as possible, trying to come up with a strategy. He was disheartened at Angel's answer.
"But Angel…" Wesley started.
"I believe you, Wes," he continued, his eyes never leaving Katie, who know stood in a slight state of shock and confusion. He had said family first, hadn't he?
"Wesley and Cordelia are my family now and no one, not even you, is going to threaten them. I won't allow it," As much as his heart was breaking while saying these words, he knew he was right. They were his family and he would fight fiercely to protect them. Katie may have been his sister once, but she was no longer the sweet, caring and innocent girl he loved and adored. Katherine never would have hurt anyone. Katie, on the other hand, had become a violent, dangerous monster. "You may have been family once, but my sister, Kathy, is dead. You look like her, and that's the only reason I'm letting you walk out of here."
Katie just stood there stoically. She was determined not to show how much Angel's words had torn her up inside. She was dead to him. She clung to the remaining shreds of fury left inside of her. It was the only thing keeping her going right now.
"Now, get out. If I see you here again, I will dust you," Angel threatened.
"But…" Katie started.
"OUT!" Angel spat through gritted teeth and pointed toward the door. He was loosing his patience very quickly.
Katie got the message. She turned, throwing a deadly glare in Wesley's direction in the process, and slowly walked to the door. She placed her hand on the knob and turned it. Katie turned back one more time. The office was in shambles. Papers were scattered all over the floor, paintings on the walls were now lying against the molding with some shattered glass. Even a random fern had not been spared and now rested in broken shards of its terra cotta pot. There, standing among the mess was a scowling Angel. He had his arms crossed in an I've-made-up-my-mind-so-don't-even-thing-about-trying-to-change-it manner.
"Well, I guess you've turned your back on me yet again. I thought after the curse you would be a different man, but you haven't changed at all," Katie said with a quiet defeated tone. "Congratulations, Wesley, you won after all. Good bye…" She paused for effect and narrowed eyes at Angel. "Angelus." Then she was gone.
Angel and Wesley stood in silence, both trying to comprehend what exactly had happened.
