It didn't take Cordelia long. Doing a search with the key words 'Kathy', 'Fitzgerald' and 'Ireland' she found Kathy on the net.

'Says here she first moved to America from Ireland in September of '98. Stopped off in New York for a couple of weeks before moving on to ... Sunnydale.'

'What?' Wesley was surprised. Kathy hadn't told them she had been to Sunnydale. But then, she hadn't told them much except of her mission.

'Oh my god, she lived there for almost a year. Then she moved to LA at the end of June '99. From her tax returns, she seems to have been making a living waiting tables. First in New York, then Sunnydale, now here.'

'June '99?' Wesley began to put the dates together. 'That's around the same time Angel moved here to LA.'

'She's been stalking him?'

Wesley thought deeply for a moment. Things were slowly clicking into place. In a really scary way.

'When did Angel return from hell?'

Cordelia did the math. 'Fall '98. We all found out he was back in November, but he'd been back a while without Buffy telling us.'

'So it was, what, late September, early October when he actually came back?' Wesley wanted to be sure.

'Yeah.'

'Another match. She moved to Sunnydale around the same time Angel made his return from hell. This is all too much of a coincidence,' Wesley concluded.

'I don't believe in those anymore,' Cordelia told him.

Her cell phone rang loudly, and Cordelia picked it up on the second ring.

'Hello?'

'Cordelia. It's me,' said a familiar voice in her ear.

'Angel?'

'Can you and Wesley come over to the Hyperion? Kathy's here. We need to talk.'

Cordelia wanted to yell at him, to tell him to go to hell because of the way he treated his supposed friends. Another time she told herself. When the stakes weren't quite so high.

'We'll be right there.'

Gunn arrived minutes after Wesley and Cordy, and suddenly the gang was together again. The tension was palpable.

As the group sat in the foyer of the old hotel, no one spoke for what seemed like an eternity. The emotions of the past months bubbled under the surface.

Finally, Kathy broke the ice. 'So what have you and Wesley found out about me, Cordelia?' She was smiling gently. Of course they had checked her out the second she left their office.

Cordelia met her gaze, totally unabashed. 'That you might be who you say you are. That you lived in Sunnydale immediately after Angel came back from Hell, and then you followed him to LA last year. So you're either some crazy stalker person, or you have some sort of connection to him.'

'What?' Angel looked at the woman he now believed to be his sister. 'You've been around all this time and didn't tell me.'

'They wouldn't allow it Angel. I had to remain anonymous until they decided it was time. I didn't get a say.' She turned to Cordelia. 'You're very good at your job. I have someone I'd like you to meet when we're done here. He might allay any suspicions you might still have. Wesley?'

'Yes. From what I can gather about the First, it's pure evil, older than anything, living or demonic. It is a powerful entity that is worshipped by monks known as Harbingers or Bringers. And as we know from Angel's last run in with it, it has the ability to conjure manifestations to control people, to haunt them. Unfortunately I haven't found anything new yet.'

'Keep looking. Someone has to have written something about this thing if it's been around since the beginning of time.' Angel got out of his chair. 'We've got to be ready for it this time.'

Gunn had been silently taking all this in. 'Maybe if I get out on the streets and see if I can find out where these monk dudes are hanging out,' he offered.

'That might help,' Angel agreed. 'We're not going to get to the First directly. Maybe we can get to it through the Harbingers.'

'And while you're out there, see if you can find out anything about Darla and Drusilla's whereabouts,' Kathy suggested. They would need to start keeping tabs on the pair if they were to anticipate their next move.

'But don't go near them Gunn,' Angel warned. "Not without the rest of us backing you up. I don't want you hurt."

Gunn nodded. 'I hear you.' He picked up his ax and made for the door before pausing. 'Does this mean we're not fired anymore?' he threw over his shoulder.

Angel sighed.

Gunn shook his head as he headed out.

'I'm not sure if I should bring this up, but...' Cordy hesitated.

'What is it?' Angel looked at her. It was good having her back in the office. But he knew it couldn't last. She wasn't safe here as long as Darla and Dru were after him. None of them were.

'It's just that, well Buffy fought this thing the last ...'

'No.' Angel knew what she was suggesting, and he wouldn't hear of it.

'I'm just saying she might know more about this than we do.'

'We're not involving her.'

'Angel.' It was Kathy who spoke. 'We might need a slayer on this.'

'Kathy we can't involve her. Last time I faced the First I almost killed her.' He paused as the memory of that time flooded back to him. 'I don't need that kind of distraction right now.'

While Wesley and Angel started into their research, Kathy took Cordelia into another room.

'So, who do you want me to meet?' Cordelia was still sceptical about the whole thing but so far, she had to admit, Kathy seemed to have been honest with them.

'A friend. Have a seat. This will take but a minute.'

As Cordy sat down, Kathy reached into her bag and drew out a small bottle filled with an iridescent powder.

'What are you doing?' Cordy wanted to know.

'You remember I told you my Grandmother was a witch? Well, it sort of runs in the family. I'm doing a small summoning spell.'

She opened the bottle and poured the powder out in a circle on the floor. As she did so, she chanted.

'Let this place be a portal to the other realm. Bring the seer to us. By the power of Hecate, I command it. Let the portal be opened.'

The powder began to glow, brighter and brighter, and formed a funnel which rose high into the air. Suddenly it dropped to the ground.

Standing in the centre of the circle was someone Cordelia did not expect to see.

She put her hand to her mouth to stifle a yell of surprise.

Doyle smiled.

'Hey Cordy.'

Angel and Wesley poured over the volumes silently for some time. Wesley had a lot to say to Angel, but he didn't know where to begin.

Finally he spoke up.

'Angel. About this past month or so ...'

Angel looked up from his book. He knew someone would have to mention it eventually. He had expected it to be Cordelia.

'I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, but ...'

'I know Wesley. I treated you all badly, and I'm sorry.'

Wesley cleared his throat. It had gone rather more smoothly than he had expected.

'Well, now we can move on from here and get back to normal.'

Angel stopped him. 'No Wesley, we can't. Nothings changed. I am sorry about how I treated you, but I'm not sorry I fired you all.'

'What?'

'As long as Darla and Dru are out there, you are all in danger. What puts you in danger is me. You can't be around me. It isn't safe.'

'Angel, we all need to work together on this. You agreed.'

'Yes, and we will. But none of you should be around here. You can research from your own office. Keep a low profile. Don't let Wolfram and Hart know you're working with me on this. As long as you keep your distance you should be safe.'

'Angel, you can't keep pushing us away.'

Angel got up. 'You and Cordy should get going before the sun sets. Call Gunn on his cell and make sure he doesn't come back here. I'll be in touch.'

He walked out of the room.

'Doyle?'

Cordelia could hardly believe her eyes. Doyle stood in front of her, barely 5 feet away.

'I'll leave you two alone.' Kathy stepped back from the pair, mindful of their privacy.

'Hey Kathy. How are you?' Doyle asked.

'You two know each other?' Cordelia wondered.

'Who do you think introduced me to the Powers that Be,' Doyle replied with a smile. He turned to Kathy. 'So they finally allowed you to get in touch with the big fella?'

'Finally.'

'How is he?'

'Why don't you look in on him after you talk with Cordy,' Kathy suggested. 'Give him one of your pep talks.'

She smiled and left them alone.

'So how are you doing?' he wanted to know.

'I can't believe this is happening. Are you real?'

Doyle sat down beside her.

'I'm a little on the dead side, but I'm real enough.'

'Good.'

She slapped him hard across the face. It would have really hurt if he wasn't already dead.

'Hey! What was that for?' Doyle asked, rubbing his cheek out of surprise more than actual pain.

'You died! You just up and left. And you gave me your damn visions. With those pounding, throbbing, mind-melding headaches! How could you do that to me?'

'I'm sorry,' he said contritely.

'That's it. You're sorry? That's all I get?'

Doyle smiled. Same old Cordelia. But in many ways she had grown up. Too fast. And he knew that was the result of the visions, and what she had been forced to go through in the past year.

It hadn't been his choice to give her the visions. The Powers that Be saw her as a suitable candidate to be Angel's link to them. He had worried over their decision after his death. She wasn't a half-demon like he had been. He didn't know if her mind would be able to cope with the visions over time.

But the spark, the passion that he had loved about Cordy was still there in her eyes. That fire. He raised his hand and touched her cheek.

'I'm really, really sorry.'

He moved towards her, and gently kissed her. The way he had always wanted to. The way he didn't have time to when facing his death.

When he pulled away, her eyes were bright with tears.

'I've missed you so much Doyle,' she told him, her voice barely more than a whisper. She had never been honest with him about her feelings when he was alive. Now he was gone, she figured she had nothing to lose.

'And I you. But you've been strong. You've really done well this past year, what with the visions and all.'

'You've been watching?'

'I check up on you from time to time. You might want to tone down the arguments with that English guy though. Could make a fella jealous.'

Cordelia smiled. Same old Doyle. Only, well, dead.

'Now here's what I'm here to tell you,' Doyle went on. 'Kathy. She's a nice girl. Knows her stuff.'

'What are you, like her reference?'

'In a manner of speaking. I'm guessing you're not real forthcoming with the old benefit of the doubt.'

'Well ...'

'I thought so. Kathy's been chosen, just like you, me, Angel, Buffy, the lot of us. She didn't tell you one thing about herself, and I'm thinking that it's because she's worried you might think she's butting in or trying to replace you.' He paused. 'Cordelia, she's Angel's sister.'

'What?' she exclaimed, totally confused now. 'His sister that he killed two hundred and 40-odd years ago? Doyle, how is that even possible?'

'She was brought back, just like Darla was brought back, only in Kathy's case it was by the Powers on the side of good. She's here to help. Don't give her a hard time,' he told her in a firm voice.

Cordelia looked into his eyes and smiled. 'You never used to be this commanding when you were alive.'

'That's because you, Cordelia Chase, scared the living daylights out of me.'

'And now?'

'Now I figure you can't really do anything to me, since I'm kinda dead.'

Cordy's expression changed. 'You're not going to be able to stick around, are you?'

'Afraid not. But I'm always nearby. And I might be able to visit again sometime. Just keep on the right side of our witch friend there.' He stood up, ready to go. Taking her hand, he helped Cordy to her feet.

'I should go see Angel. You take care now. And look after the big fella. Even if he's a pain in the ass most of the time.'

He kissed her again and this time, instead of transporting his visions to her, he filled her with hope and faith.

'One more thing,' he said when the kiss had ended. 'Call Buffy. You need the slayer here, no matter what Angel says. He's not always right, you know. Just don't tell him I said that.'

His eyes fixed on hers, and then he was gone.