Author's Note: I felt as if Angel didn't know enough info. (Even though there was quite a bit written in this story, Angel doesn't know everything.) So I'm sending him to an old friend. Then to another, who isn't that much of a friend. Lol.
Chapter Nine: The Hunt for Information
A single thought ran through Angel's mind, of the one person he went to for any information he needed. Lorne.
He jumped up, dropped the book on the chair and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a while." He called to whoever was listening. Gunn stuck his head out of Wesley's office where he and Fred were still researching about Nero's invincibility ritual.
"Where you going man?" he asked.
"To Lorne. I'll be back soon."
At the newly remodelled Caritas, Lorne was cleaning up after a night with a full house. He'd just finished wiping down the tables and had turned all the chairs upside down. He was about to head off to bed when he heard knocking.
"Hold on a minute." He called. Angel stopped knocking, and waited for his friend to answer the door. Lorne opened the door to find Angel standing with a troubled look on his face.
"I need your help." Angel told him, and Lorne stepped aside. As Angel walked inside, he closed the door and Lorne led him over to a table. He took the chairs down and sat on one, leaving the other for Angel.
"You're in a bad place right now my friend." Lorne said before Angel even had a chance to explain the situation.
"I need to know about the ritual." Angel answered him.
"First you need to tell me one thing. Why do you fear him?" Angel wasn't taken by surprise. He knew how he felt, even if no one else did. "Why are you so afraid of him, and why are you afraid of others knowing?" Before Angel could answer, he added "is it because of Kathy?"
"He's had Kathy on the run for all this time. She's scared of him, and I'm scared for her." Angel told Lorne. "I don't want everyone else knowing that I'm afraid of this guy, because they all look to me as their protector, especially Cordelia. And now that Kathy's here, everything is harder. And the invincibility isn't helping much."
"I see, well at least you know where you stand with this guy. You know that you're afraid of him getting to Kathy, so that's what you need to overcome. That's the only way you can beat him, if you're not afraid of him." Lorne explained.
"But I am afraid of him. I don't want him getting Kathy."
"And he won't if you believe that he won't." Lorne told him. "You need to have faith and only then can you win against him. Take my work for it, and you'll thank me later."
"Okay, but what can you tell me about the ritual?" Angel pressed. "I need to know as much as possible so that I can stop it."
'Ah Angel, it's this ritual that's got you freaked. You're also afraid that if you can't prevent him from remaining invincible then you'll fail Kathy."
'Enough with the fears alright, I have a job to do. Can you tell me anything or not?" Angel snapped.
"Alright big guy, no need to get grouchy. The ritual is going to take place in a building owned by Wolfram and Hart." Angel rolled his eyes as soon as he heard those words.
"Aagh!" he groaned. "I should have known Wolfram and Hart had something to do with this."
"Angel, the building is about five blocks from here. You'll find a couple of guys in the basement with everything they need to perform the ritual. You have 24 hours, and then it will happen. Prepare yourself Angel, and I think you know how much I don't need to stress that."
'Yeah. Thanks Lorne. I think I might pay a visit to an old friend." Angel got up and left, leaving Lorne alone. He sighed, packed up the chairs and went to bed.
At Lilah's office in the Wolfram and Hart building, Angel found his way inside. The vampire detectors must have been triggered and Angel guessed that he only had a few minutes before security would arrive and escort him out. He knew they wouldn't dust him, they needed him.
"Angel." Lilah looked up to find a familiar face staring back at her. "What brings you here?"
"Lilah, understand me when I say that I don't have time to screw around, so I'm going to be quick."
"Oh, and I had a great night planned for the two of us." Lilah shot back sarcastically. Angel walked around the desk just as Lilah rose to her feet. He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her over to the nearest clear space of wall. He pressed her against the wall, forcing pressure on her windpipe. She gasped, and Angel whispered in her ear.
"You're working with a guy named Nero. I want everything you've got on him, now." Lilah reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. Angel loosened his grip, feeling a stab in his stomach from his injury. Lilah didn't notice. She dialled a number and held the phone to her ear.
"Gus, get me the file on Nero from the records room please. Bring it to my office now." She put her phone back in her pocket and Angel removed his hand and walked away.
"How long before it gets here?" Angel asked.
"A few minutes. Why?" Lilah responded.
"Do I look like I'm in a talking mood Lilah? I just want to know about Nero. Everything you've got, I want."
'Right. Got it." Lilah nodded. "It's all coming right here, right now. But can I ask you something?"
"No." Angel answered, but Lilah asked anyway.
"Nero has a connection with you, I know."
'Lilah, don't – " Angel jumped in, but she continued.
"Kathy is the connection. You want to stop him, don't you?" She was beginning to figure everything out, and she was getting on Angel's nerves.
"Lilah." Angel vamped out and took a step towards her, making her step back. "Do not say her name, understood?"
"Right. I understand." At that moment, a man walked into the office holding a file folder.
'You wanted everything we've got on Nero?" the man said. "Here it is. Everything."
"You can leave now Gus, thank you." Lilah took the file from his hands and brought it over to her desk. She placed it down and was about to open it when Angel snatched it.
"No Lilah, thank you." He turned and exited the same way he came in, leaving Lilah to watch his coat flip as he spun and left. Gus stood at the door, watching as Angel jumped up into an air duct in the ceiling and disappeared.
Back at the Hyperion Hotel, Angel reappeared with the file on Nero. Cordelia and Kathy greeted him as he entered the lobby from under the stairs.
"Angel." Cordelia said. "We haven't heard anything."
"I'm not expecting Nero to appear for another day at least." Angel replied. "Lorne said that the ritual won't take place until 24 hours from now."
'Well that's good then. It'll give you time to heal before you have to face him." Cordelia said positively.
"Yeah." Angel looked down t Kathy who stood beside Cordelia. "How are you holding up?" he asked her.
"I've been keeping her safe Angel. She hasn't left my sight." Cordelia assured him. He nodded in thanks.
"She's been really nice." Kathy said sweetly. "I like your friends." Angel smiled down at her, praying that she'd be safe after all this was over.
Then he remembered what Lorne had told him. The only way you can beat him is if you're not afraid of him. So over and over in his head, Angel told himself that Kathy would be safe.
She will be fine. She's going to be fine. She's safe. I'll protect her. But what if I can't? What if I can't save her? His thoughts were beginning to stray.
"Kathy, is there anything you can tell me about Nero? Anything that you might be afraid of?" Angel asked, kneeling down to be at her level.
"I… I don't fear and part of him.' Kathy answered. "I only fear him."
"Okay Kathy." Angel whispered before getting to his feet. He turned to Cordelia. "Cordy, keep her safe. I'll be in my room."
'Okay Angel." Cordelia answered. She took hold of Kathy's hand. "I'll take Kathy out for some fresh air." Angel nodded and watched as the two women he cared about walked away from him. He knew that Cordelia could only protect Kathy for so long. However, he also knew that for over 200 years Kathy was a warrior, like himself. He knew that she could take care of herself, but he didn't want to put complete faith in her to save herself because he would have no one to blame but himself if anything happened to her. He was afraid for her safety, which gave him to things to fear.
Keeping that in mind, Angel trudged upstairs to his room, closing the door behind him. He walked over to his bed, removed his shoes and climbed in. Pulling the covers up, he lay there in the mid hours of the morning thinking about Kathy, Nero and the man he was trying to save. Wesley.
Author's Note: Sorry it took such a while to update. But I do have good reasons:
1. I had (and sort of still have) writer's block – really sucks, I can tell you
2. I can only go on the Internet on the weekends, so I'm limited for uploading time
3. With school I've been really busy doing other things, and I've tried to shove some writing in amongst everything else. It just takes time to write, and the ideas have to be there too.
So please don't sue me! I tried. Tell me what you think of the latest instalment.
And just to clear things up for people who may be thinking it, I didn't ever fully understand how (in the show) whenever Angel went to Lorne he always seemed to know everything else that Angel didn't. So I went out on a limb and tried writing that into this story. I hope it worked, it didn't seem so bad when I read over it.