A.N. I apologize for the lack of updating. My computer has given me some major headaches. Those have been resolved so hopfully I'll be updating more often. Thanks again for the reviews and comments. It's you that keep me going!


Chapter 14 You bet we do!

"Well, then," Cordelia said after hearing the day's events from the vampire girl's point of view. Katie had left out the part about going to see Marcus since she had overheard something earlier about the Angel Investigations crew not liking Wolfram & Hart for some reason. Cordelia was surprised to at the sympathy she felt for Angel's sister, and she was sure Angel would understand if Katie talked to him. "I believe that you should be telling Angel this, not me."

"But…" Katie protested.

"I know what he said, but I also know him," the older girl interrupted. "He may be emotionally challenged, but he's not uncaring. I know he will understand. He may not trust you, but your argument may change his view of you a bit."

Katie starred at her hand as she played with her fingers. She's right, but can I bring myself to face him again? Katie nodded.

"Alright, come on," Cordelia stood up and held out her hand.

"What? Now? Tonight?" Katie felt a wave of fear wash over her and fought back the pressing violent streak that accompanied it. No, NO! Get a grip, Katie! Calm down, calm down, calm down, she chanted to herself. She wasn't ready to see Angel, not yet. She heard a faint ringing sound, but ignored it was she fought to stay calm.

"No time like the present," Cordelia said with a smile. "Go get your coat." The ringing continued.

"Ok," Katie said hesitantly. "Are you going to answer that?"

"Answer what?"

"Your cell phone, can't you hear it ringing?" Katie asked as she grabbed her coat off the rack by the door.

"But I don't have a cell phone," Cordelia insisted. "Your brother…er…sire…er…whatever, refuses to get a company plan. He's technologically impaired that way." She rolled her eyes. "Besides, it sounds like it's coming from you."

"I don't have one," Katie said, confused. She searched her coat pockets and pulled out a silver Nokia flip-phone. "What the…?"

"Answer it," Cordelia mouthed.

"Hello?"

"Katie, its Marcus."

"Oh, hi."

"Sorry if I startled you. We needed a way to get into contact with you so I slipped this in you coat before you left."

"Quite alright, what's up?"

"I talked to my supervisor and he wants to meet with you right away. Can you come in now?"

"Ah, sure. My friend, Cordelia, can give me a ride," She gave Cordelia a pleading look and the older girl nodded.

"Um, ok, but can you have her drop you off at the park and walk over? Not to sound like James Bond or anything, but this is on the top-secret side. You understand."

"Sure, no problem. See you soon."

"Who was that?" Cordelia asked curiously when Katie closed the phone and slipped it back in her pocket.

"Ma…my friend. Someone I met while in town," Katie covered. "He needs me. Family problems, I think."

"Family troubles? Yikes, I've been through that. Let's get going!"

Katie smiled at the seer's enthusiasm and that she was saved from facing Angel tonight.


"We appreciate you coming in so quickly, Katie," Marcus said as he escorted the girl into one of Wolfram & Hart's conference rooms. She took in the large table with numerous chairs and the large plasma television hanging on the far wall. The room was empty of people except for a gray-haired balding man sitting at the head of the table. They crossed the room and the man stood up. "This is my boss, Mr. Holland Manners. He is vice-president of the Special Projects division of the law firm. Mr. Manners, this is Katherine O'Connor, Angel's sister." Holland offered his hand with a smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss O'Connor." Katie shook the hand hesitantly. "Mr. Cole has told me many great things about you which lead me to believe that you will be a valuable asset to this project."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Manners. How did you know my last name, Mar…Mr. Cole?" She asked, turning toward Marcus. "I know I didn't tell you since I never use it." This concerned her.

"Actually, Miss O'Connor…," Holland started.

"Please, call me Katie."

"Very well, Katie. We've been keeping a close watch on you for quite some time now."

"How do you mean?"

"We have done extensive research on Angel and those connected with him. We know he had a sister once. We were hoping to find a girl who could pass as Kathy in a similar situation as your own. She could befriend the group and we could gain valuable insight into their activities," Marcus explained. "We had sent men to track you once you came to Los Angeles and we had scheduled a meeting to bring you on board the night you went to Angel Investigations. Unfortunately, Angel got to you before we did. It was pure luck that I found you that morning on the beach."

Katie sat speechless as Marcus continued on about how the law firm had traced her across the entire country ever since she had come to the Untied States. This was very unsettling.

"Once I got talking with you," Marcus continued. "I realized that you were better than a double; you're the real thing. Angel's real sister!"

"Ok, let me have a moment to get over the creepy factor of this situation," Katie shuddered for a moment. "What connection does my brother have to you? I mean, why go through all of this work and research?"

"Your brother claims to be 'fighting the good fight' nowadays, correct?" Holland asked. Katie nodded in confirmation. "While it is true that we sometimes represent clients of questionable backgrounds, we fight using the judicial system like the rest of the American public. Angel hinders our efforts by taking a more direct approach. He doesn't wait to hear the evidence or whether a jury finds the client guilt or innocent. He's been known to threaten and even murder our clients before they are able to stand trial. Instead of being brought to justice, they are put to death. Do you follow me?"

Katie sat there for a moment to let it all sink in. My brother is vigilanty. There has to be another side to this. She could see Angel having an impatient violent streak and taking matters into his own hands. On the flip side, she could not see him murdering in cold-blood and for no good reason; not since he's gotten his soul back anyway. For now, she thought to herself, I'll reserve judgment.

"Yes, I follow. He's a problem. Where do I come in?"

"First of all, he must never know you were here or that you've had contact with us," Marcus said, clasping his hands on the table. "You have to go back and get Angel and his associates to trust you again. This will help us gain information on any future attacks against the firm."

"Reconnaissance, that sounds easy enough. Anything else?" Katie was slightly disappointed that her mission wasn't more hands-on.

"Let me ask you this," Marcus leaned across the table and looked Katie directly in the eye. "Do you still hate Angel as much as you did before?"

Anger flashed in the vampire girl's eyes. "He turned his back on me again and took the word of his sniveling friend, Wesley, over me; over his own flesh and blood." A slight smile tugged at the corners of Marcus' mouth. He leaned back in his chair.

"He threatened to kill me!" Katie stood up and her voice turned into an angry growl. "You know what? I think I'm going to return that threat and get him before he can get me. Kill or be killed, right guys?" She met the gaze of both men. The lawyers looked at each other, satisfied with the vampire's answer.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Miss Katie," Holland smiled broadly. "It's nice to know we share the same goals. That will be Phase II which we will fill you in on later."

"I'm happy that we can help each other, then," Katie evilly smiled back as she sat back down. "He'll learn that Hell hath no fury like a 250-something-year-old-vampire-sister scorned…again and again!"

"Now let's talk about compensation…," Marcus slid a folder across the desk for Katie to inspect. "Do we have a deal?" he asked a couple of minutes later.

She looked up at him and grinned. "You bet we do!"