Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow II: The Rising Sun

Notes: Sorry for the delay, I've been really busy. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming.

Previously:

Despite Callum's personal discomfort, he was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done. At least one hurdle was out of the way; he was now officially on his way to Sunnydale, well, Los Angeles at least. What he was going to do once he got to Sunnydale, however, he had yet to figure out.

Chapter Ten:

Callum stepped off the plane and looked up into the bright California sky. "Never thought I'd see this again," he said to himself. Smiling, he closed his eyes and let the sun warm his face. Then, he started walking. LAX was much bigger than he imagined it would be; however, he had only been in one airport in his life, the one in London, so a one terminal airport in the middle of nowhere would have looked huge to him. He found himself swept away in the crowd. However, unlike everyone else, he didn't have any luggage. Breezing through customs with a fake passport he bought from a drug dealer in London, he stepped outside and boarded a shuttle toward the rental car office.

"How may I help you, sir?" The woman behind the counter asked. Callum smiled and reached into his pocket.

"What can I get for a hundred dollars?" He asked, sliding the rumpled bills across the counter toward her. She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have anything in your economic range," she said as politely as she could.

Callum sighed and grabbed the bills, slipping them back into his pocket. "Can I call for a cab then?" He asked in defeat. The woman nodded. Picking up the phone receiver, he dialed the cab company. Five minutes later, he was standing outside of the rental car office with his hands in his pockets waiting.

"I really hope I don't have to steal another car," he muttered to himself. After a short wait, the cab pulled up. Callum opened the door and hopped in, closing it behind him. Scrunching up his nose, he repressed a gag at the overwhelming scent of onions purveying the vehicle.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked, looking back at him in the rearview mirror. Callum froze, suddenly realizing that he had nowhere to go. He didn't have enough money to make it all the way to Sunnydale and he didn't have enough money to buy a bus ticket. He suddenly remembered that Kara had talked about a friend of Spike's who had lived in Los Angeles for a time, helping the helpless.

"Angel," Callum said suddenly, remembering the name of the infamous vampire with a soul.

"What?" The cabbie asked in surprise.

"Nothing," Callum replied. "Take me to the Hyperion Hotel."

...........................................

"Hey," Kara said, walking into the Magic Box. Willow and Anya were the only people present. The store had just opened and, despite the longing stare Anya was throwing at the door, no one had come in yet.

"Hey," Anya replied, sighing and resting her head on her hands. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Kara said, shrugging indifferently. "So, Willow, how's the locator spell going?" Kara said, quickly changing the topic. Anya looked over at her in surprise. Kara had never brushed her off before. After Christmas, she and the future slayer had become quite close, frequently having lunch together. In fact, she and Xander usually came to Kara and Kennedy's house for dinner every Friday night. Anya frowned, realizing that tomorrow was Friday and Kara hadn't mentioned anything about it.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Anya insisted, standing up straight and regarding Kara carefully. Kara looked over at her.

"I'm fine. Since when do you care?" Kara shot back. Then, turning her attention back to the red headed, she smiled. "So?"

Willow looked up from the book she was reading and returned the smile, not noticing when it instantly faded from Kara's face once she looked back down. "I've almost figured it out. Just a little more research and we'll be there. I'm thinking Tara and I will perform it tonight after dinner."

"Oh yeah? You guys need any help?" Kara asked, moving over to the table Willow was sitting at. Anya watched her closely. Kara seemed to move differently, like a predator moving in for the kill.

"No, I think we got it under control. We're just gonna order some Chinese at the dorm, do the spell. Shouldn't be a big thing. We'll call you guys once it's done," Willow responded offhandedly.

"Sounds great," Kara said, licking her lips slightly. Then, turning on her heel, she smiled widely at Anya. She knew that Tara had classes until late that night and Willow usually spent her time studying alone in the dorm room. "Well, I'm off. See you guys later," she said and strolled out of the shop.

"Does she seem different to you?" Anya asked, watching Kara leave. Willow looked up.

"Not really," she said, shrugging.

Anya sighed. "Maybe it's just me."

.............................................

"Thanks," Callum said, handing about half of his money over to the cabbie through the taxi window. Stepping back onto the curb, he looked up at the Hyperion Hotel. It was starting to get dark. He imagined that Angel would be up and about by now. He racked his brain, trying to remember the names of the people in the L.A. crew. Kara used to tell him stories about these people late at night when she couldn't sleep. She would lay there, thinking he was asleep, and talk about all of the heroes from her childhood. But he never slept, he always just laid there, desperately trying to keep his breath even, and relishing the feel of her skin underneath his fingertips. He never imagined he could be so lucky.

Sighing, he realized that even though he was alive again, everything that had happened to him was just a dream. Kara had moved on, found love with someone else. He knew he shouldn't be angry with her; after all, he had died and all of that. But still, he couldn't help the lingering pain that pierced his heart in the quiet little moments when he least expected it. Pulling open the door to the hotel, he stepped inside. The lobby was empty. Walking in, he listened as his footsteps echoed throughout the room.

"Hello?" He asked, his voice seemingly booming.

"Yeah?" A quiet voice asked, coming out from behind the counter. A mousy looking woman was standing there, her hair pulled back with glasses on. Callum smiled.

"I'm looking for Angel," he said, moving forward.

"Of course," Fred said, laughing slightly. "I'll just go get him for you."

"Get who?" Angel asked, stepping out of the elevator. Callum looked over at him. He was dressed in black from head to toe, which he remembered Kara describing as the man's signature look.

"I'm looking for you, actually," Callum said, extending his hand. "My name's Callum."

"Pleasure, I'm Angel," Angel said, gripping Callum's hand tightly and giving it a firm shake. "How can I help you?"

"It's not necessarily how you can help me, but more like how you can help the world," Callum said, sliding his hands back into his pockets.

"What do you mean?"

"You've heard about the Powers that Be, right? How one of them killed another and the third one was sent here," Callum stated. "Well, a ship can't go straight without a rudder, you know. They had to pick someone to fill in the blanks."

Angel looked at Callum carefully, almost as if he thought the lanky Englishman standing in front of him was insane. "What are you talking about?"

Callum sighed. He remembered Kara liked to talk about Veronica, how enigmatically she always spoke. That vagueness made her seem more like a god than anything else. However, he didn't quite seem to be able to pull it off, at least not yet. "I'm the new Power and I need your help."