"Penny for your thoughts." Walking beside her, Tess looked up into Angel's concerned eyes.
"Is that all I'm worth?" The joke fell flat, and Tess heaved a heavy sigh. "Sorry that I lost it back there."
"You don't need to apologize." Angel answered quickly. "You've been through a lot."
Not knowing what to say, Tess tucked her hands into her jacket, well technically Elizabeth Webber's jacket, and looked around at the buildings that lined the deserted street. "It's weird. I've been here for four years and have no idea where I'm at."
Looking around, Angel smiled. "It's not a bad little town."
"I wouldn't know." Tess muttered.
"Giles says you're going to get your memories back." Unable to stop himself, Angel reached out and tucked that one piece of hair that refused to be tamed behind her ear.
"But what if I don't want them back? What if Elizabeth Webber is someone I don't want to remember?" Feeling frustrated with the unknown, Tess kicked at an empty soda can.
"I don't see why you wouldn't. From what I understand she was a part of you."
Thinking about this, Tess put her hand on Angel's arm and pulled him to a stop. "What do you know about her?"
Blinking a few times, Angel stood thoughtfully. "Not much really. When Lindsey called I didn't really ask for her life bio." Seeing the way her eyes flashed, he held up a hand. "What we do know, is that she was a waitress at the restaurant we were just at."
Her mouth falling open, Tess looked over at Angel trying to see if he was joking. His honest expression had her mind come to a grinding halt. "I waited tables! There's got to be some sort of mistake."
Starting to answer her, Angel stopped short when Tess started her rant. "After years of wanting a normal life, I was given the chance and what did I do with it? I was a freaking waitress! No." Shaking her head, Tess refused to believe it. "There's some kind of mistake."
"Does it matter?" Not really sure what else to say, Angel nudged her to keep moving.
"Of course it matters." Unable to keep the pout off her face, Tess shuffled her feet. "How would you feel if you weren't in control of your body . . ." A quick glance at his brooding face had her stall. "Yeah, I suppose you would know all about that."
Slouching his shoulders, Angel smiled softly at her. "Remember all the times you told me not to feel responsible for the things Angelus did."
"Of course."
"Doesn't really help does it?"
"Fine, you've made your point." Tess answered tartly. "But at least you could remember what Angelus had been up to. I'm flying solo here. For all I know Elizabeth Webber could be married with two kids."
Not looking overly happy with that thought, Angel walked silently for a few feet before allowing his eyes to travel down the length of her. "I don't know about the married part. But I can tell you haven't given birth to any children yet."
"Really." Tess drawled. "And how do you know this."
"Women's body's change once they've given birth." Giving her body another glance, Angel smirked. "I can promise you don't have any kids."
A light flush stole up her neck at Angel's meaning. "Fine. But that doesn't mean there's things I'd really like to know."
"Why don't we get Willow to use her skills with the internet. I'm sure in a hour or two she'll find everything there is to know about Elizabeth Webber."
"Sounds good." Growing silent, Tess looked around at the people surrounding her.
It was nice her friends were with her during this time of uncertainty. Like having a childhood security blanket. But if she looked past their appearances, the changes in each one of them was a little unnerving.
They all looked the same. Xander with his uncontrollable hair and sloppy attire. Willow still looked sweet and kind. Angel and Buffy looked just as they did the morning of graduation. It was the awkward vibes radiating off each of them that screamed things had changed.
The group didn't function like it had. She could have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to notice. It had been glaringly obvious when it came to making a decision as a group. After a few tense moments at Kelley's, Tess had been impressed that no one had called the police. Apparently used to calling the shots, Angel and Buffy butted heads when it came to deciding what to do next. It wasn't until Cordelia had told them in her special and reassuring way to put a sock in it there had been some sort of peace.
But it didn't mean Buffy had been too please to be out voted.
"I still think we should've broken up into groups." Muttering to herself, loud enough for everyone to hear, Buffy glanced to where Angel was. Her small mouth pinched in irritation.
"And I still think it's not smart to separate until we figure out what we're going to do." Angel muttered back in the same tone. Tess looked from one to the other and decided this was one conversation she was going to stay out of. "The last thing we need is to lose one another."
"Have you heard of a nifty little thing called a phone?" Stopping in the middle of the street, Buffy placed her hands on her hips and glowered at her ex. "With today's technology we no longer depend on carrier pigeons."
"Have you heard how stupid things can happen when you're not prepared?" Clearly exasperate, Angel walked right past her. "It's what typically happens to us when we really don't need the extra aggravation."
"Have the two of you ever heard of a thing called silence?" Cordelia snapped. "I don't know about everyone else, but this pissing contest you two have going on is more irritating than the never dying soulmate crap you have. Had." Looking thoughtful for the briefest of moments, Cordelia shrugged off whatever was running through her mind. "Whatever. We're going back to the warehouse. As a group. So could we just let it drop?"
"Of course you'd side with Angel." Starting to walk again, Buffy caught up with Willow and Xander.
"Well duh." Cordelia smirked. "His idea was better."
Walking a few feet behind, Lindsey watched the interaction with unconcealed amusement. "Is it always like this?" He asked Gunn who was walking near by.
"Like what?" His hands shoved deep into his pockets, Gunn kept his eyes on the shadows.
"Like being stuck with a group of three year olds with ADD?"
Gunn's mouth curled. "Nah. Most of the time it's worse. Things really don't start to heat up until there's some hair pulling and name calling."
Snorting, Lindsey took a good look at the young man. For one of Angel's employees, he wasn't half bad. He didn't seem to bow and scrape every time Angel spoke. "It's a wonder you guys weren't taken out by Wolfram and Hart a long time ago."
Clearly entertained by the conversation, Gunn leaned over and spoke a little in a low conspiratorial tone. "Wanna hear our secret?"
"What?"
"Pure dumbass luck." Smiling, Gunn watched the way Lindsey looked back at him doubtfully. "Seriously. There were a few close calls."
"You're kidding." Lindsey shook his head. "From where I was standing we were sinking fast and grasping at straws. Nothing could touch you guys. Trust me, I spent many nights trying to figure out how to win."
"That Darla thing." Looking ahead again, Gunn made sure Angel and Cordelia were out of hearing distance. The last thing he needed was for the two of them to ride his ass for making nice with the little lawyer boy. "It almost decimated us."
"Funny." Lindsey remarked after a moment. "That Darla thing, actually ended up decimating most of the senior staff."
"I can't say I approved of the way that came about. But I also wont lie and say I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Lindsey muttered. "They got what they deserved."
"What about you?" Looking pointedly at Lindsey's left wrist, Gunn moved his eyes up to the other man's heated face.
"I paid more than you know." His jaw tightening, Lindsey kept walking. His right had moving instinctively to the scar on his left wrist. "I'm still paying for all the stupid stuff I did."
"Really?" Making a face, Gunn raised a brow. "You lived like a king while the going was good. You lost a hand, and W and H found you a new one. Hell, you walked away Scott free. Living it up on the low down."
"Is that what you think?" Giving Gunn a look of disgust. "I haven't had a decent nights rest since I signed onto Wolfram and Hart. Leaving was a death wish, and I know if I slow down they're gonna find me. Do you have any idea what they do to employees who turn on them?"
"I have an idea."
"Yeah, well it's worse than that."
"Then why run?" Stopping again, ignoring the puzzled looks he was getting now from Angel and Tess, Gunn stared at the ex-lawyer. "You could be making a difference. Unlike most people who walk around with blinders on, you know what's going on. You have information we'd kill for. Names. Places. Contacts."
"What're you saying?" Lindsey smirked. "I should pal up with you guys? Put my life on the line for people who couldn't care if I lived or died?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Gunn answered. "You could do a lot worse."
"You've done a lot worse." Cordelia spoke up from behind Lindsey, making him jump and spin around. Studying her face, trying to figure out if she was being sincere, Lindsey felt a moment of hope before choking on it.
He'd have to be plain stupid to think he'd fit in with the likes of Angel and his friends. Weren't they the ones responsible for the predicament he was in now? If they hadn't come to LA he'd still be in some courtroom, doing what he loved. Practicing law. Perhaps there had been times when he'd stretched the meaning just a bit, but he'd been good at it. Damn good at it.
"Whatever." Stepping past Cordelia, he ignored the look she and Gunn shared.
Waiting until he could talk without being heard, Gunn nodded to where Lindsey was walking by himself. "You like saving people who need saving from themselves. That man is just screaming save me."
The two large men talked softly to one another, their eyes occasionally swaying to the door. Their guns were still out and pointed in the general direction where Giles, Wesley and Fred stood. It had become a tense waiting game. Knowing whoever the two men had called was on their way, and that any minute the others were going to show up.
Giles, Wesley and Fred were praying for the latter half.
When the door swung open, they knew the people upstairs must've been out for lunch when a dark man came stalking through. His face grim as the two men spoke quickly to him. After a few tense moments, the man looked up over at them before making his way in their direction.
"Is there a reason you're trespassing on my property?" Taking his gloves off one at a time, the man stopped just a few feet from them.
Clearing his throat, Giles knew it didn't really matter what was said. "We do apologize. We were just passing through town while looking for a friend. The building looked empty. We'll just gather our stuff and be on our way."
"Empty? Appearances have a way of being deceiving." With an annoying smirk, the man looked over his shoulder to the other two men. Swinging his attention back, he said. "This friend of yours, were you able to find them?"
Knowing when he was being baited, Giles shrugged. "We've made progress."
"Right." Tilting his head to the side, he gave a dimpled smile, that didn't seem to reach his eyes. "How's Tess doing?"
The silence that engulfed the warehouse was deafening. Giles had no idea who the man standing in front of him was. Or how in the hell he found out about Tess. Knowing what he said next was vital, Giles studied the man in front of him. He seemed too overly sure of himself. His ego was almost practically a living and breathing beast.
"Nothing to say?" Taking their silence as refusal to answer, the man's eyes flashed briefly, betraying his facade of being cool and calm. "Here let me help. She's known around these parts as Elizabeth Webber. Brown, curly hair. About yay tall." Putting his hand up to demonstrate her short stature, Sonny let his hand drop to his side after a few seconds. "Sweet. Kind. And apparently a big fat liar."
"You don't understand." Wesley broke his silence, and looked suddenly ill over the fact that he had when everyone's eyes were on him.
"Really? What is it I don't understand?" Waiving his hand to say not to bother in answering, he went on. "Actually I take that back. There's a lot I don't understand. Like the mounting bodies at the city morgue. How many are there now Francis?"
"Lucky thirteen the last time we checked." One of the men called out.
"Then, there's the way my little sister is blabbering on how she was bitten by a vampire."
"You don't say." Giles answered.
"Let me guess. You aren't gonna cooperate."
"Don't see what there's to cooperate over." The man's eyes flashed as he took a step forward, it was the sound of the metal door opening that stalled him.
"What's going on?" A younger man, clothed in a leather jacket and warn jeans, came stalking over in their direction. His eyes landed on Giles and remained fixed there. "He's the guy from the dinner this morning."
"I kind of figured."
"Where's Elizabeth?"
"Jason, they haven't been all that helpful." Smirking, the dark man waived the two other men closer. "But there's ways around that."
"We don't have time for that Sonny." Clearly not in a great mood, the younger man turned back to where Giles, Wesley and Fred stood. His eyes moving over the three of them before resting on Giles.
"Once we relocate we'll have all the time in the world."
As if on cue, the two large men raised their guns and started to move forward. Only to stop when the doors thundered open. The god awful noise had everyone jumping.
"So much for small town hospitality." Clearly pissed off, Angel glared over at Sonny and Jason. "I tried to tell you to stay out of it."