Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones that I created like Mercedes and Audrey, who yes will show up.
Author's Note:
Jess-Yeah someone finally found them alright, and their experience together will change them and bring them closer
RuthQuist-Thanks, Justine is a fine name though I wouldn't want anyone to confuse the lawyer lady with the one that slit Wesley's throat back in LA
Tamara-Illyria is only getting started. Nina's new to the business and so far is winging it, going off of some old movies that she's seen and things of that nature
J-Kennedy wants to do right for sure, her ambition and lack of patience get her into trouble…repeatedly. Mercedes comes more from a character in Grand Theft Auto Vice City than anywhere else, but the reason for her name will be explained for this story son enough. Nina's fun to write and I'm never quite sure what Illyria is going to say next, she's a hard lady to pin down vocabulary wise. Willow is usually quick to blame herself, even if the others don't, and usually takes a good long time to forgive herself. Kennedy is trying to help her but has her own problems at the moment. As for Andrew it was either break his hand or kill him…let's hope I made the right decision.
CHAPTER 12-LOST AND FOUND
"Would you relax already, you're pacing is giving me a bloody headache," Spike grumbled with an unhappy scowl on his face as he shook his head at Angel standing by the window.
"She should have been back by now Spike, I'm going to look for her," Angel replied softly at first with a very nervous and scared tone to his voice as he continued to pace before he stopped abruptly and turned towards the doorway.
"No you're not, she's fine, she's a big girl and can bloody well take care of herself, she doesn't need the great poofter chasing off into the night after her," Spike grumbled back with an unhappy and uncomfortable scowl on his face as he snapped his head around to glare up and over at Angel.
"She said she'd only be gone for a few hours, sunrise is only a few hours away, if she doesn't come back in the next hour I'm going out looking for her and I don't give a damn what you think," Angel growled back with an antsy expression on his face as he walked to the door and looked out of it before turning back to glare at Spike.
"Your girlfriend will be fine Angel, besides you're going to have to suck it up and trust her sometime, you can't baby her forever, you're not going to lose her like you did Cordelia and Buffy," Spike said back with a solemn but not mocking tone to his voice as he slowly rose and then started to walk over towards Angel.
"I did not lose Bu…," Angel started to hastily growl back with an extremely nervous look in his eyes before both vampires instantly grew silent as they heard one of the doors downstairs being hastily thrown open. Angel was about to signal for Spike to fade back into the shadows and provide cover when Nina's scent wafted over him.
"See mate what'd I tell you, she made it back safe and," Spike began to say with a relaxed grin on his face as he waved Angel off and started to walk back towards the center of the room before Nina burst around the corner and then nearly collapsed into Angel's arms.
"Illyria…she," Nina gasped out with a panicked look on her face as she leaned heavily on Angel and tried to catch her breath.
"She what, Nina Illyria's dead, she died in the alley with Gunn," Angel said with a sad frown on his face as he didn't like to dwell on the lives lost on his behalf.
"N…no, she was there tonight, at the club, she showed up, out of the blue, broke his hand," Nina stammered out through her deep breaths as she held onto Angel tightly while slowly beginning to regain her composure.
"She always did like to make an entrance, coming and going where and when she pleased, to bad about Andrew though, now he'll really be lonely," Spike said softly back at first with an oddly nostalgic smirk on his face before his countenance changed to a very randy grin as the focus of his words switched to Andrew.
"What…you're sick Spike, you know that right," Nina spat out with a look of some disgust and disbelief on her face as she lightly glared at Spike before he reacted.
"Just saying what everyone's thinking pet, no one's quite sure which team the little nerd's truly playing for, so let's not rule anything out just yet," Spike replied with a slightly awkward shrug of his shoulders as he looked almost offended at Nina's comment before the cocky smirk reappeared on his face.
"Can we get back to Illyria now, Nina…what happened, tell me everything," Angel said with a disgruntled and impatient scowl on his face before he guided Nina over to one of the old chairs and sat her down. Angel and Spike listened to every word that Nina spoke for the next fifteen minutes before the three rushed off into the night, intent on finding their friends before the sun rose in the sky, or die trying.
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"You really should just dump her and move in with me, we'd have so much fun," Mercedes said softly with only a hint of mockery and arrogance in her voice as she kicked open and old door before Kennedy rolled her eyes.
"I'm not leaving Willow, last night should never have happened," Kennedy growled back with an unhappy scowl on her face as she stormed past Mercedes and into the abandoned building.
"But you enjoyed it didn't you, doesn't matter what you say, my senses don't lie, you experienced a high with me and Kristine that you hadn't felt in a long time," Mercedes slyly said back with a smug grin on her face as she licked her lips and cocked her head to one side while staring long and hard at Kennedy's butt as she bent over to look at something.
"You know nothing about me, I kill your kind…never forget that" Kennedy snapped back sharply with an angry look of guilt on her face as she shot up and spun around to glare devilishly back at Mercedes.
"How could I, you've only reminded me about it every five minutes since we've met that you're the fucking slayer…blah, blah, blah," Mercedes groaned back with a shrug of her shoulders and shake of her head, acting as if Kennedy's words hadn't affected her in the least, as she walked calmly by a still angry slayer and further into the building.
"I have not, and for the record you are nothing like," Kennedy started to growl back with an angry sneer on her face as she rushed after Mercedes, grabbed her collar, spun her around and then grabbed her throat tightly and pulled the vampiress close. The two were so close their noses were almost touching. "You are nothing like," Kennedy began to continue with a deadly serious look on her face before Mercedes switched from offense to defense and used one hand to reach around and pull Kennedy into a smoldering kiss while using the other to deftly reach up and give Kennedy's breasts a nice hard squeeze. It didn't take either long before the reason they were out searching in the night was forgotten and their only interest was in the pleasuring of the other.
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"We're never going to find them, they could be anywhere," Nina groaned with an unhappy and disappointed frown on her face as she stopped running and slumped back up against the doorframe in an old warehouse.
"She's right you know, how are we supposed to," Spike began to add with an impatient pout on his face before a familiar scent caught his attention. Leaving Nina to try to catch her breath in peace and quiet across the room Spike carefully weaved his way around the weakened floorboards until he came to a broken out window. He looked around for several moments before the strong scent of lust caught his attention. It didn't take long for him to hone in on the source of the scent. When he did so a snarl curled his lip and his hands slowly closed into fists.
"What is it," Angel asked suddenly with a concerned and serious look on his face after he had noticed Spike's sudden change of demeanor.
"That bloody bitch," Spike spat out with a look of disgust and hatred on his face as he unclenched his hands only long enough to look away from what was causing his anger before clenching them tightly back into fists. He stayed silent for several more moments as Angel again asked him what was going on. When he didn't answer Angel guided Nina across the floor and over to the window. Nina stared out of it in confusion and trepidation while it only took Angel a few short moments to zero in on what had so entrapped Spike's attention.
"Nothing we haven't seen before Spike, why the," Angel started to ask with a look of some confusion and let down as he let out a breath that he needn't have taken before Spike snapped his gaze over and answered.
"The vamps an old acquaintance of mine, used to run with her back when Dru and I were still together…more or less, the girl's name is Kennedy, a slayer, one of the first of the potentials that showed up in Sunnydale before the shit hit the fan, took quite a liking to Willow to, they've been together ever since," Spike answered with a very grim scowl on his face, looking like he wanted to rush over there and kill them both, but Angel stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"And that's not Willow that she's with, unfortunate…but not our problem," Angel said softly with an agreeing tone of voice but frustrated look in his eyes before his hand slid off Spike's shoulder and he started to turn away and back to Nina.
"The bloody hell it isn't, that's not right, and that's saying something coming from me," Spike snapped back with a vehemently angry frown on his face as he fully turned away from the window and glared at Angel's back.
"Is it really Spike, for all we know Willow and Kennedy broke up months ago, and if being together makes those two happy…it's not like it would be the first time that a slayer and a vampire have found love, though not like this," Angel started to say with a nervous shrug of his shoulders as he did his best to hide his surprise and suspicion of the couple across the street before Spike once again stepped in.
"She had my back Angel, Red always had a level head when it came to me, she showed a little bit of trust in me, if they're still together I'm not going to let that bitch hurt her anymore than she already has," Spike interjected with a spiteful expression on his face as he turned back to the window and tried his best to hold in his anger.
"Finding Wesley and Faith are our main concern right now Spike, everything else is secondary, including defending a friends feelings, we have to," Angel started to growl back softly with a very determined tone to his voice before he suddenly when silent and sniffed the breeze. Spike opened his mouth to give a retort but stopped when he half turned and noticed Angel sniffing the breeze.
"What is it," Nina asked with a nervous and apprehensive look on her face, as she expected the worst, as she rushed over to Angel and begged him with her eyes to explain.
"Can't you smell it," Angel asked under his breath with a look of surprise and oddly some relief on his face as he hurried over to the window and leaned out of it a bit before taking another sniff.
"All I smell is blood," Nina said softly with a confused look on her face after walking over to the window and repeating Angel's actions. She didn't say anything but when she smelled the blood she felt her stomach growl in hunger and she blanched at the thought of what that could mean.
"It's the werewolf in you, it's drawn to blood," Spike stated with a very explanatory tone to his voice as he continued to scowl but turned his gaze away from Kennedy and Mercedes.
"It's not just any blood, it's Wesley's, I'm sure of it," Angel interrupted with an eerily excited look on his face as he started to walk away from the window and back towards the stairs before Spike interrupted once more.
"How can you be sure," Spike asked with an unconvinced look on his face as he also stepped away from the window and started to follow after his grandsire.
"It's his…trust me Spike, it's his," Angel said with a sudden look of extreme guilt an anguish on his face before he turned around and ran out of the room. Nina and Spike barely had time to share a confused look before they followed after him. They followed the scent of blood for several blocks, under bridges and through darkened tunnels before Angel stopped abruptly and snapped his head to one side, staring off into the shadows.
"What is it," Nina gasped out weakly with an exhausted look on her face as she staggered to a stop beside Angel, being able to keep up with the two vampires only because of her being a werewolf.
"My grief is abated," Illyria said softly with her usual total lack of emotion tone to her voice as she stepped out of the shadows blood, some hers and some not, covering her from head to toe.
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"We have to be missing something Giles, we just have to," Buffy said with a scared and saddened look on her face as she sank down into the most comfortable chair in Giles' office and looked up at him as he poured her a cup of tea.
"I don't see how we could have possibly been prepared for Illyria, as far as anyone knew she died in the fight in Los Angeles, her arrival here in Rome was…unexpected to say the least," Giles replied softly with an anxious smile on his face as he set the tea down on the small table beside Buffy.
"Oh really, was that why Roger didn't seem that surprised to see what she did, it looked to me that he might have even been expecting it, but what do I know," Buffy shot back softly with a fair amount of sarcasm in her voice at the end as she sat up straight in the middle of her statement before flopping back into her chair at the end.
"If the council had known that a threat of Illyria's level was in Rome we…I, would have been informed of it immediately," Giles said back with a confident tone to his voice though his eyes give his apprehension about whether or not he would be told away.
"That's going to be a real comfort to the families of those slayers that she killed, we swore to them that we'd take care of their daughters, they trusted us Giles, they trusted us and we let them down, we took everything from them, and for most of them we can't even tell them how their child actually died, instead we give them some lie in the hopes that it eases their pain while at the same time covering our asses," Buffy groaned back with a very guilt stricken pout on her face as she sunk further into her chair and lowered her chin to her chest, almost looking like she was about to cry.
"Hey guys…have either of you seen Kennedy, she got paged last night and I haven't seen her since, she won't answer her phone and," Willow asked with an impatient and worried look on her face as she ducked into the room.
"I'm sorry Willow but no, I haven't seen Kennedy all day," Giles replied softly with a somber frown on his face as he slowly shook his head.
"Oh…uh, thanks, bye," Willow mumbled back with a fake smile on her face before she turned and sulked out of the room.
"This is…I should go talk to her," Buffy started to say to continue the conversation before her fears about Willow's mood took center stage and she quietly excused herself.
"Off to fight the forces of darkness," Roger asked with a none to thrilled look on his face as he walked in as Buffy walked out, she did not look in his direction.
"Not quite, Willow is worried about her girlfriend Kennedy, she hasn't seen her for several hours and isn't answering her phone, something could be wrong," Giles replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders as he collected Buffy's tea cup and then put it back on the tray.
"Hardly a task for the watchers council, we have far more important matters to discuss," Roger replied with a serious and grim frown on his face as he walked over and then sat down in the chair that Buffy had just been in moments before.
"Such as the fact that the council knew full well about Illyria being in Rome and her capabilities and did not alert me," Giles stated more as a question than a statement as he looked over at his colleague and did his best not to scowl or glare.
"We hadn't yet fully assessed her capabilities, it was unfortunate but not without some gain, our scientists discovered that she is not at full power, we should count ourselves lucky with only a small loss of life," Roger answered with a calm look on his face and tone to his voice as he began to fix himself a cup of tea.
"There shouldn't have been any loss of life Roger, those new slayers shouldn't have been anywhere near her, they didn't have a clue what they were up against," Giles shot back with a grim look of guilt in his eyes as he turned away from Roger and walked back over to his desk.
"You're beginning to sound like my son," Roger said back with an exasperated sigh as he shook his head and finished making his tea.
"Speaking of Wesley, we find out that he's actually not dead and you've barely said three words about him," Giles replied with a nervous and skeptical frown on his face as he walked back around behind his desk and sat down.
"What's there to say, he was a failure when he was a child and he is a failure now, it's always the same with him, no need to worry about him, I'm sure that he's failing something or someone as we speak," Roger answered with a content and very certain tone to his voice as he settled himself into his chair and then began to sip his tea, not looking over and see the unhappy scowl on Giles' face.
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Angel stood at one end of the hallway while Spike stood at the other. Both kept in the shadows and stood watch. They were both fully intent on making sure that no one other than hospital personnel went anywhere near the room where Wesley and Faith were receiving treatment. Wesley had been diagnosed with a multitude of injuries, chief among them being several broken ribs. Faith was better off mostly due to her slayer healing, already some of the bruises were starting to disappear and the worse cuts welts were starting to scab over. Against the doctor's orders Faith had stayed seated sideways on her hospital bed so that she could make sure not to take her eyes off of Wesley. The doctor's reluctantly checked her over for injuries this way before pronouncing her surprisingly fit and that she would be able to be released in a couple of hours. For her part Illyria stood guard at the doorway of the room, refusing treatment for any of her wounds, even though a couple of them looked affected. When a doctor or nurse would approach her she would declare that she was Illyria and did not require the aid of inferior beings. Though if anyone took the time to actually watch her it was clear that her strength was low and that as the sun grew steadily higher in the sky her eyelids were beginning to droop. When she finally passed out sometime around noon Nina was lucky enough to rush a wheelchair up from behind and catch her before she fell to the floor. Only then did Illyria receive any treatment.
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Kennedy didn't say anything as she pulled on her dirty and stinking clothes. The thought of what she had done sickened her, trumped only by the thought of Willow finding out. She ran back to her motorcycle and raced off towards the hotel, leaving a grinning Mercedes to watch her leave from the shadows and sulk that she hadn't stayed and played a bit longer. When she got back to the hotel Kennedy dashed quickly up the stairs and disappeared into the bathroom of the room that she and Willow shared, dumping her clothes in a pile in the middle of the room before stepping into the shower. She had just turned the water on when Willow tried the knob and found the bathroom door locked. She could have used her magic and forced it open but decided not to press the issue, so she simply yelled through the door that she wanted to talk when Kennedy got done with her shower and then sulked off to find Buffy, leaving Kennedy to break down and sob in private.
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Mercedes reluctantly put her clothes back on, relishing in the scents of the area. Grimacing at the sun in the sky she found the first access to the sewers that she could find that wasn't bathed in sunlight and made her way back towards The Immortal's headquarters. She arrived just as lunch was being served.
"Where have you been," Kristine asked with an unhappy frown on her face as she reluctantly handed Mercedes a glass of blood.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Mercedes cooed back with a sly and proud smile on her face before she raised the rim of the glass to her lips and then stopped. She saw that Kristine was about to ask another question and surprised her with a kiss.
"You didn't hurt her did you, she's to important," Kristine asked softly after some anxious moments as she took a step back but showed no outward signs in reaction to the kiss, other than to try and not show how good it had been.
"To your or to the boss, you know what K, sometimes I think you want Kennedy all for yourself," Mercedes joked back with a subtly impatient pout on her face before she took a small sip of her blood and licked the remaining blood off of her lips.
"I don't want her to get hurt, by you or The Immortal, I won't let him…or you, hurt her," Kristine shot back with a very determined look on her face before she couldn't hold the stern look and her expression changed to a much more worried one, prompting Mercedes to grin like the Cheshire cat and walk off to her room to get some sleep.
END OF CHAPTER 12