Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Angel series except my own.

Kaia opened her eyes, releasing a sigh of relief upon seeing the familiarity of her apartment. She had gotten out of that alley just in time, not sure of what would have happened if she had stayed a minute longer. Spike…he…he was a…a vampire. And apparently a very complicated one. First, he attacked her and then offered her help. Well, in his defense she did attack him first. She had just been so mad at him for following her…spying on her…not to mention he didn't seem to know the danger he could have put himself him. It was bad enough risking Lorne's life by going to his club.

She groaned loudly, grimacing as she felt a shot of pain slice through her side as she tried to slide her jacket off carefully. Kaia lifted up her shirt and ran her hands across her stomach, wincing as she found a fresh tender area from the wonderful kick she had received from Spike. Just great. Two injuries in one day. Yeah this day was going so well. Could it get any worse? To add insult to injury, her stomach gurgled, reminding her that she was starving and still hadn't gotten any food.

Then, a soft noise was heard from the kitchen, almost like the sound of breathing. Kaia's instincts went on full alert…her eyes…her ears…her nose. Someone was in here…more like three people…and one of them smelled like the sewer. She couldn't deal with this…not now. All she wanted was a hot shower and something to eat. She was way too tired to fight again, but she knew she didn't have a choice, not if she wanted to survive. She cracked her neck from side to side, feeling a shot of adrenaline. If they wanted a fight, then they would get one

She saw a figure move out of the kitchen. The person, from the size and shape of the body, appeared to be a man and seemed to be holding something. The hand slowly raised and Kaia's eyes widened when she realized he was holding a gun. Kaia felt the bullet graze her arm and she stumbled, gasping audibly in pain. She ignored the stinging sensation, squaring her shoulders for battle. "Why don't you turn on the light so I can see your face coward," she snarled. "And how about telling your other two buddies to come out too. Let's just make a party out of it. Come on don't be shy."

The man chuckled. He whistled alerting his companions to come out of their hiding places. Kaia's eyes narrowed as two shapes came into her line of vision. One emerged from her bathroom, also apparently holding a gun. The other figure followed. Kaia took a step back when she saw the size and girth of the large figure that had just appeared. Ok so that was definitely not human. She used her powers to flip the light switch, flooding the room with light. She frowned almost wishing she hadn't as her eyes focused on the large demon across the room. Why did they always have to have horns? Was it some sort of protocol? And that smell…that's where it must be coming from…from that...thing.

"Miss Johnson…we finally get to meet you," said the first gentlemen, his smile anything but pleasant. "Oh…and sorry about the bullet. We were instructed to bring you back alive, but I figured we could at least bring you back in pain." He released a sound of suprise as the gun flew out of his hand, floating in the air for a moment while the chamber was emptied, before it flew across the room landing at Kaia's feet. His accomplice's eyes widened as he glanced at the gun in his own hands. "Don't worry Junior", she said playfully as she took the gun from his hands as well, smiling as the gun floated into her own hands. "I didn't forget about you. By the way, when did you guys start employing demons? I mean I don't have a problem with it, but you could have least picked a cuter one. And that smell…couldn't you have washed its ass just a little? Damn guys…it smells like crap in here!"

The demon growled, pulling out a large machete from a holster on its side. "Ok so you wanna fight dirty huh," she remarked, cocking her head to the side. "Hmm…I can do that. But let's make it quick ok, cause I'm so---." The demon charged across the room waving its machete and growling. Kaia shot the two men quickly in the head and teleported out of the way of the thing coming towards her. The demon crashed into the front door, unable to stop because of its momentum. Kaia chuckled. "Well, not only did your buddies pick an ugly, smelly demon, but they also forgot to check your intelligence," she said, allowing more laughter to escape her.

The demon turned around and Kaia's laughter ceased as she saw the murderous look in its eyes. It was actually foaming at the mouth. Kaia began putting more distance between the demon and herself as it began to slowly walk towards her, its machete raised in attack. "Ok…so you can't take a joke," she said, laughing nervously. "Can't we talk about this? I mean I'll apologize for calling you ugly, smelly, and…well stupid if you apologize for charging me like that." The demon continued to walk towards her, snarling and baring its yellow teeth, as more drool drained out of the side of its mouth.

"Ok…no deal huh," she asked. "So I'm guessing this would be a bad time to ask when was the last time you went to the dentist?" Suddenly, the demon charged, swiping its machete at her head. Kaia ducked quickly, punching the demon hard in the stomach. It grunted in pain moving a couple steps backwards. Before it could charge again, she followed her punch with two kicks to the face, finishing off with a spin kick to the chest. The demon roared as it flew backwards even more, clearly angered at the beating it was receiving. "Oh…what's the matter…you thought I would be easy to take down," she said in mock pity. "Yeah I get that a lot. It's the boobs I think. I have an idea. How about we finish this a little quicker? That way you'll be dead and I'll feel…well let's say I'll breathe a little easier when you're out of commission."

Kaia saw the demons' eyes turn red, causing her to feel uneasy. She just managed to move out of the way as a red beam shot from the demon's eyes towards where she was previously standing. Kaia glanced at the wall, swallowing hard when she noticed the gaping hole. She turned back to the demon, surprised to see a semblance of a smile on its face. All right, didn't expect that. Think Kaia…think. Your powers are weakened, but you have to beat this thing. Its eyes began to glow again before the beams shot out again. She let out a small squeal, leaping out of the way once more. Okay…obviously it can't shoot the beams automatically…there seems to be a couple seconds delay. That's fine. A couple seconds was all she would need.

Kaia removed the machete from the demon's hand, floating it into her own. The demon looked down at its hand in confusion. Kaia teleported, not giving the demon time to react, appearing again directly in front of it. With one quick swipe, she took the head off, feeling a note of satisfaction as it landed on the ground. She jumped out of the way quickly, not wanting the demon's dead body to land on her. She closed her eyes, and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the danger was over…at least for the moment.

Kaia gasped loudly, as she felt a sharp force hit her in the chest. She turned incredulous eyes toward the source, finding the demon's eyes still glowing even though the head was now separated from the body. Her hands automatically found the wound feeling a hole in her chest, cringing as she watched the blood pour from her body. The pain was blinding. Her chest felt like it was on fire. She could feel the darkness closing in, even as she struggled to remain conscious. An image of Angel popped into her mind as she used the last bit of her energy to reach out to him and focus. If she could just concentrate, maybe she could get to him. She knew he would help her. He just had to. She tried methodically over and over to teleport. Please...please powers don't fail me now.

Angel sat in his office with his lights dimmed, sipping a cup of coffee. He made a face and rolled his eyes. Harmony obviously hadn't learned to make coffee yet. That could be the only explanation for the horrible burned taste now in his mouth. He leaned his head on the back of his chair and closed his eyes. He hadn't heard a word from any of the guys and he was starting to worry because 7:00 had come and gone a half hour ago. He opened his eyes and reached over to pick up the phone on his desk. Just as his hand touched the receiver, the phone rang. Angel grabbed the phone quickly, instantly knowing it was one of the guys. All other calls went through Harmony's desk first. Only the guys knew his private line. A weird feeling flowed through his body as he brought the phone to his ear. "Hello," he said cautiously.

"Angel, it's me."

Wesley. What was wrong with him? He sounded…agitated. "Yeah Wes what's going on," he demanded. "You're late," he continued.

"I know. Angel we may have a problem."

That didn't sound good. He didn't like the tone of Wesley's voice. "What kind of problem? Is Kaia all right? What happened?"

"I discovered some disturbing news Angel. We're not the only one's investigating her."

"Wait…her…you mean Kaia?"

"No Angel, the tooth fairy. Of course, I'm talking about Kaia!" Wesley was met with several seconds of silence. "I'm sorry Angel. It's just…I'm angry with myself…not you."

"Wes, what happened over there," Angel inquired, his voice soft.

Wesley sighed. "I managed to get some information from her neighbor…well actually it was her landlord. Most of what she told me, we already knew, but there was one thing we didn't know. Some men came to the apartment building a couple weeks ago asking the landlord questions about Kaia. She said they looked official, but she insisted that she gave them no real information, but Angel this worries me. You saw more than I what Kaia could do. If someone else is aware of her abilities, well…she could be in grave danger." At Angel's silence, Wesley frowned. "Angel, are you there," he asked.

"Yeah…I'm here," Angel replied quietly.

"Angel, there're more," Wesley continued. "I think the same men who were asking questions a couple weeks ago came back again today. I was too into the conversation to realize that they were watching us from down the street in a black car."

"A black car huh," Angel said sarcastically. "Why is it always a black car?"

"Hmm…yes…that's exactly what I was thinking as I just managed to dodge several bullets," Wesley replied dryly. He cursed under his breath as he ran a red light, narrowly missing side swiping a car in the process. Wesley ignored the honks directed at him in anger.

"What did you say," Angel demanded. "You dodged bullets? They shot at you!"

"Yes…they only managed to hit the car though. It's going to cost me a bloody fortune to fix the damage, not to mention the expression on the mechanic's face at the number of bullet holes is going to be priceless."

Angel was quiet as he digested the new information he was given. They had to find Kaia and find her fast. Whoever it was after her meant business and that meant she was in danger. They had vowed to help the helpless and she obviously needed their help, even if she didn't want it. "Wesley, where are you now," Angel asked anxiously.

Wesley quickly surveyed his surroundings. "I'm about 10 minutes away from you," he replied

"Don't come here," Angel protested. "Go over to the house. I'll meet you there. I'll try to contact Gunn or Fred."

"All right," Wesley said, slightly confused at Angel's change of plans. They usually didn't go home until 10:00 at the earliest. "What about Spike?"

"Call him on his cell," said Angel. "I'm on my way out the door now." Angel hung up the phone, not even waiting for Wesley's response. He stood up quickly, walking over to the coat rack and grabbed his coat. Just as he finished shrugging on his jacket, he heard a noise. Angel turned towards the sound. To his surprise, he saw Kaia laying the ground. He ran over to her, his face showing obvious distress upon seeing the large blood stain on her shirt.

Angel felt for a pulse, letting out a shaky breath when he realized she was still alive. He shouldn't be worried right…with her healing ability. Somehow that thought didn't give him any comfort. Angel frantically searched in his pockets until he found his cell phone. Dialing the familiar number of the lab, he anxiously waited for someone to answer. "Pick up the phone," he muttered. "Fred, where the hell are you?" Angel hung up the phone in frustration. Where the hell was everyone? He knew the lab technicians worked long hours, even longer than he did. They should have picked up.

Angel forced himself not to panic. Should he take her to the Medic Center? They should be equipped to handle this…right? He immediately squashed that idea. Angel didn't trust Wolfram & Hart…not with this…not after they made an obvious attempt at withholding information from Kaia's file. That meant they would have to take care of this themselves...that is if he could find everyone. He took a chance of glancing back down at the wound, hoping against hope that it would start to heal on its own. He realized he would have to rip her shirt to see the wound more clearly. Angel silently prayed that she was wearing a bra, before ripping her shirt open down the middle. He winced as the wound came clearly into view. There was a large hole in her chest where a steady stream of blood was flowing from it. Wait a minute? Did he just see that? Yes…he did. The hole had closed somewhat…just a little, but that still gave Angel hope. The blood was not flowing as freely, but she wasn't out of the woods yet. He had to wake her. Maybe she could accelerate her healing power.

Angel shook Kaia gently by the shoulders, calling her name over and over. She didn't respond. "Come on Kaia," he begged. "Please, just open your eyes. Let me see those brown eyes…come on." He saw her eyes twitch ever so slightly. "That's it Kaia. You can do it. You kicked some ass in here today so I know you're tough. Prove it to me Kaia. Prove to me that you're tough. Open those eyes. Please."

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered and then sprung open. She moaned in pain, sending Angel a pitiful glance. "Angel," she said softly. "I didn't think it would work. I was…trying to get to you…after that…that thing…a demon…it attacked me."

Angel frowned. "What thing," he asked. "What attacked you? Where?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what it was…it was with those guys…they were in my apartment. They came to take me…take me back." And then she moaned again, two tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Take you back where Kaia," Angel asked worriedly. "Come on sweetheart I know it hurts, but stay with me ok? Who came for you? Who was the demon with?" Angel became more alarmed as he saw she was sweating profusely. He placed a hand on her forehead and was alarmed to find she had a fever. She was also trembling badly. Damn. She was in no condition to answer any questions. He glanced again at her wound, relieved to find it had closed even more. That was good. At least that looked promising. He felt a hand touch his arm and his eyes found hers. They were filled with anguish. "It's going to be alright," he said trying to reassure her. "Your wound seems to be healing."

She nodded in agreement. "I know," she whispered. "I can feel the tissue…the veins…the skin…everything melding back together. It just hurts like crazy. I'll be fine. I just…feel…so weak. Let me just lie here for a moment and then I'll go."

Angel blinked in shock. "Hold up…go where," he said. "You can't go back to your apartment! They, whoever the hell they are, know where you live now! They might come back and you're in no shape to fight them off!"

She regarded him for a moment and then her eyes narrowed. "Don't…tell…me…where I can and can't go," she said firmly. "And who said I was going back to my apartment. I'm not…ow…stupid. I'll just go to a hotel or something."

Angel's jaw hardened and his expression became determined. "No you're not," he protested. "You're coming home with me. And don't try to fight me on this. You obviously came back here for help…because you felt you could trust me. So just let me help you…ok. Besides, you don't have a say. You can't fight me off too." Angel smirked at her, quietly challenging her to refuse.

She closed her eyes, grimacing again in pain. "All right," she said with her eyes still closed. "I'll let you help me, but only for tonight. Then I'll leave in the morning. And you won't try to stop me." She looked at him then. "Do we have a deal," she asked him, her voice weaker.

Angel nodded. He then took of his jacket and lifted her carefully to put it on her. He picked her up in his arms and proceeded to walk to the door. Angel ignored the curious looks from Harmony as he exited his office and continued walking towards the elevator.

As he rode down in the elevator to the garage level, he wondered if Wesley had arrived at the house yet and if he had gotten in contact with Spike. He gazed at the beautiful girl in his arms, relieved that she seemed to have drifted off. It would be better for her to be unconscious while her wound healed if it caused her so much pain. Angel strode over to the area that kept the company cars and inspected his choices. He immediately decided on the SUV so that she could be comfortable lying in the large backseat. Carefully he placed her inside the vehicle. Angel opened the driver's side door and got in. As he started the car, he contemplated whether or not this was a good idea…bringing this girl to the house. No…this was the right thing to do. She had helped them. Now she needed him. He would be damned if he allowed those people to get their hands on her.

Note: Well, so did you guys like it? I know I promised to bring Fred into this chapter, but as you can see it ran kind of long. She'll appear in the next chapter probably. It will take place at Angel's house...well actually I wanted to make it so that they all lived there like when they were at the hotel. I thought it was better that way, more like they were a family. Anyway tell me what you guys think.