Well here is chapter 5 this was a hard chapter to write but thanks to bnbfanatic we got it sorted
we hope you like it
Chapter 5
Arlington Memorial Cemetery . . .
Brennan and Booth had just arrived at the site of the crime near Arlington Memorial Cemetery where they had been sent to investigate the decaying corpse for evidence. Cullen had mentioned a Lake but when Booth and Brennan arrived they realized it was actually just a pond, which would make the recovery of the body much easier.
The Landscaper's who maintain the Cemetery grounds had reported that one of their workers thought he saw something in the pond when he was working on clearing debris.
It didn't take long before Brennan spotted the Medi-Lab truck from the Jeffersonian, that had arrived ahead of them. She also noticed her Assistant, Zack Addy, standing near the truck waiting for her.
Brennan walked over to him and after introducing her new Partner to her young Assistant and then she quickly jumped into her work, giving Zack instructions. "Zack, I need water samples and temperature readings from the pond." she instructed him, "Right away Dr. Brennan." Zack complied.
Then Booth and Brennan walked down to the water's edge and approached a Police Officer to get more details. The Officer on the scene lead the duo to a small boat that had been loaded by Zack with all of the necessary equipment they would need for their investigation, including a special waterproof Video camera that was used to assist with underwater discoveries.
It could be lowered into frigid water to help find evidence, bodies, etc., and it replaced the expensive and time wasting option of sending in trained Divers in dragging the entire body of water, which also typically destroyed valuable evidence in most cases.
Within minutes, Booth and Brennan were in the boat and sitting out in the middle of the pond. Once they had dropped anchor, Booth quickly lowered the camera into the murky depths directly below them, and began searching the area, while Brennan watched the monitor that allowed them an eagle eye view the entire scene that the video camera was transmitting. It only took a couple of minutes before the obvious shape of a skeleton appeared on the screen.
Once Brennan spotted the body, that appeared to be covered with some kind of wire mesh, she immediately designated the area officially, a crime scene.
It didn't take long before the Divers were sent in to carefully removed the corpse and as much of the surrounding underwater scene as they could get. By the time the skeleton was recovered and delicately laid out for Brennan to complete her hands on inspection, the sun had long since set, leaving them to finish their initial investigation well into the brisk and darkened hours of the night.
Booth figured he should probably take notes, so he asked some basic questions and scribbled the information down on a small notebook he found in the pocket of his suit. Brennan had begun to give him specifics that she knew he would need for his own part of the investigation, and for his reports.
"Booth, I can tell you that I have confirmed that the victim is a female, approximately late 20's early 30's, based on subtle changes in the skeletal structure of her forearms that she was most likely a Tennis player." she reported, adding, "I can give you more details after once we get her back to the lab."
Then after giving the unfortunate victim's corpse a final once over Brennan stood up, stretching her arms up, leaning her body backwards slightly giving her entire fatigued body a deep stretch. She needed to get the circulation moving again after so much time spent stopping down over the corpse.
Booth was seated on the rear bumper of his SUV waiting for her at that point. "Okay Booth, I have done as much as I can do in the field. You can inform your team that they can have the plastic sheet that was underneath the body, and also the chicken wire. But the body itself, is mine."
"I will be taking that back to the Jeffersonian with me." she concluded.
Finally, hours after he had left there earlier that morning, Booth arrived back at his apartment, exhausted and weary, looking forward to getting some sleep. It had been a long day! But when he walked through the door, he immediately sensed a presence. A presence that seemed familiar to him somehow, though he couldn't explain it.
Then, as he came around the corner into his bedroom, he spotted her.
"Cordelia?" he muttered, his face dropping in shock. "Wha . . .Cordelia, what are you doing – here?" he finally asked her once he could compose himself enough to speak.
"Hi Angel, I am so happy to see you again." she said with a look of relief combined with apprehension. "I was sent here by the Powers Angel, I don't think it's anything you would have noticed but, something went very wrong during part of the Shanshu process." she told him.
"What do you mean, something went wrong?" he asked, "Everything since they transformed me, seemed to be going according to plan." he said with surprise over her announcement.
To which Cordelia explained, "Well, like I said - it's something you may not have even stopped long enough to notice, but it really has to do with your memories specifically. What I mean is, well - you were never meant to retain all of the memories from your past life, only your new life plan was supposed to be retained.
"Ohh, you're right." he replied.
He then walked over to the nearby bed and sat down, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. "I do remember certain things," he continued, "such as the fight in the alley – I remember all of that, including Spike, Illyria, losing the rest of my team, my friends." He looked down at the floor in sadness over the memories. He hadn't thought anything of it when he first realized he could remember his previous existence, mainly because he had been too focused on doing his new job and such.
"Yes, and yet, you were to have remembered nothing." Cordelia spoke up, sad to see Angel so broken over losing his – or rather, their friends. "That is why the Powers sent me here Angel, they sent me here to put right, the things that have gone so wrong." she explained.
"One thing you wouldn't remember Angel, is what happened to cause the process to become off track. As the Shanshu process was beginning, it was too much for your weakened body to handle and almost immediately after they had brought your heart back to life, your own heart that had been lying dormant inside of you for the hundreds of years - since you first became a vampire.
What happened at that point was, um, well your newly awakened heart was . . ." Cordelia stopped to collect herself as she struggled with the memory of that specific moment - the moment when she thought she was losing the true love of her life, for good.
"Well to put it bluntly Angel, the process turned out to be a little too much for your heart to withstand and it failed. Though it was only that specific part of the process that failed – it just happened to be - the most important part."
"But um, well, at least it didn't kill you!" she threw in, desperate to find something positive to say about the entire mishap. "And believe me Angel, it easily could have. But no matter how you slice it, without that heart you are still not fully human yet.
Angel just sat on the bed seemingly frozen in place while he took in the surprising news she had come here to deliver to him. While Cordy continued with her explanation.
"So Angel, since this event happened while you were more than half way through the process of becoming human, and your heart was at a very critical part of the re-awakening portion, you basically suffered what in human terms, is considered a massive heart attack." she finally blurted out.
"What?!" Angel said, now having garnered a full understanding of what she was telling him. "So this whole day I thought I was 100% human, and now - now you are telling me that I'm NOT?!" he yelled, mainly due to sheer frustration and disappointment. "Cordy, we are talking about the 'Powers That Be' for cryin' out loud! How the h3ll could they make that kind of mistake?!! The 'Powers' don't make mistakes!" he added, his face reddening with anger.
"So, what the h3ll do we do now?" He added.
"It's okay Angel, you have every right to be mad, and I don't know why the Powers didn't foresee something like this happening!" Cordelia explained. But it's okay, you will be okay. Like I said, have come here to fix it. It will be alright Angel, but you have to trust me." she said tenderly, looking at him with the love in her eyes that she wished they could have been allowed to enjoy.
"But Cordelia what about Spike and Illyria, I do still remember them, so do they know what has happened to me? Will they retain their memories or lose them like I will be?
To which Cordy answered. "Yes Angel, they too still remember everything, just as you do. But I believe the Powers are searching for them now, so that they too will be delt with in regard to those memories. No harm will come to them, but their memories of you will also need to be wiped clean."
"The Powers fear that they may try to come looking for you, in order to warn you and try to stop us from fulfilling the prophecy completely.
Meanwhile, Back In Los Angeles At The Hotel . . .
Spike walks through the main entryway, Illyria close behind him. They have just come from the alley after witnessing Angel's shocking disappearance into thin air.
"Illyria, we have to do something!" Spike hollered.
Illyria was still not accustomed to certain aspects of this world. A world that was sooo different from her own. So she didn't understand this loud bursts of emotion that people of this world periodically liked to display. People from her world had all spoken just like her, in a very monotonous and cold tone of voice, absent of any of the human inflections that are used to demonstrate any kind of emotion.
"Spike, why must the volume of your voice increase each time that you are angered? It serves you no purpose." she stated in her usual flat voice.
"Illyria, don't you dare start on me right now about how different we are from you! You are becoming as bad as a broken record!" he rebuked. "And don't now ask me what I mean by that!" he added, knowing that was to be her next question. Man she could be so irritating sometimes Spike thought, but she sure was easy on the eyes!
This thought caused him to lighten up a bit. "Okay look, here's the bottom line – we have to find a way to get to Angel, to track him down wherever he may be, and we need to warn him to think about this decision further! I don't think he thought it all the way through, in as far as the ramifications that a change of this magnitude could create."
Illyria had an idea as to how she could help Spike with the mission he was suggesting. "Spike I do know of a, I believe in this world you call it, a Spell. It is a spell that in my world, was used by the ones who tracked any corrupt individuals that needed to be brought to justice."
"Oh, you mean like a Bounty Hunter?" Spike asked, now excited over having a potential plan as well as excited that he felt that he was finally learning how to better interpret Illyria's odd way of speaking.
"Call it what you will." she answered. "But we need specific items for this to effectively take place.
It will also enable us to descend upon the location of which the perpetrator, or in this case Angel, once we have located him. A portal shall automatically open in the vicinity immediately after the location has been determined."
"That's unbelievable! Thank you Illyria, you know – things just might work out better than I thought as far as the two of us working together." Spike said, complimenting her.
They then took off to quickly check out some of the shops that Spike knew of, where they would be able to pin down any of the items needed for the spell. "We're comin' Angel – I just hope you don't do anything foolish before we get there!" Spike said just under his breath.
Back In Washington DC - Booth's Bedroom . . .
"Angel I must make sure you fully understand that once I begin this process, there will be no turning back. You will retain absolutely NO memories of Angel and his past, that includes memories of me, of Spike, Illyria and the hardest one of all will be your memories of . . . Connor."
"You will then live your life with the new identity, as Seeley Booth. His memories will all you will have once this has been done. Angel, just tell me once more, are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Angel stood up, walked closer to Cordelia, they both had tears in their eyes knowing this may be the last time they are ever in each other's presence. Never having been allowed to pursue the love that they had for each other.
He reached down and placed his hands on each side of Cordelia's face, pulling her a little closer to him. "Yes I am sure." he replied, "I have to do this Cordy, because I HAVE to forget you and Connor and the others. Because the memories are too painful to retain and I have lived far too long with too many painful memories of horrible, tragic and regretful things that I have been through. I cannot imagine life without you Cordelia and if we are never to be together because of your new position as a Higher Being, then . . . well, then I have to do this."
Cordelia, now full out crying from the beautiful tribute he had given her with that confession, reached up to his face, putting her hands on each side of his, just as he had done. She knew she had to get this over with and she only hoped the Powers would show mercy on her, by also removing her own memories of him. Memories that included the best and worst times in her life. Memories of the only true love she had ever really had!
But before she could begin, suddenly Angel moved his hands down to her waist, pulling her closer and closing the gap between them completely! He then grabber her face again with more passion in his eyes than she had ever seen. And he then pulled her face firmly to his own, nearly smashing their lips together into the most heated and unbelievable kiss that she had ever received in all of her young life!
He kissed her with such passionate fury and force that she could only try to match him with the same rhythm and power that he possessed. Their tongues rolling over each other like two lovers having wild untamed sex, it was a moment that they both wanted to last forever.
When all of a sudden, the room was blasted with an intensely warm and bright light, similar to the one in the alleyway! Everything in the room started to become rather wavy in it's appearance.
"What was happening?!! They both thought as they abruptly forced their lips to break free from the intense hold they had on each other. Cordelia knew that she had not even begun the process yet so she was baffled and thrown off guard. Were the Powers' taking over?! Were they fulfilling the screwed up portion of the prophecy without her?!! Are they angry over her and Angel giving into their unbridled passion and love for each other?! All of these thoughts went running through Cordelia's head as they stood there, frozen in place waiting to see what happened next!
Stay tuned if YOU also want to find out what happens next!
To Be Continued . . ..