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Cordelia groaned when she threw up into the toilet, Dennis holding her hair back for her. Once she was done, she wiped out her mouth and washed the taste of vomit out, before getting dressed for the day. This was the second day in a row when she had woken up and went straight to the toilet for a vomit-fest. She wasn't sure if she was coming down with something, but shook it all off, as she grabbed her things and left
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Angel woke up with a start. He took in a few unneeded breaths and relaxed, running his hand over his face. He couldn't get over what he had just seen in his dream: him, feasting upon some poor girl and enjoying the kill. The problem was, it felt so real. As if he really had killed someone last night in his sleep. Deciding to try and get over it, he got out of bed and started getting ready for the day
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"Good morning," Wesley cried as he stepped into the office, "And how are we?"
"Fine," Cordelia replied, going through some paperwork, "Yourself?"
"Quite well, actually. I took the liberty of getting the mail for you. Angel around?"
"It's still morning. Give it time. He'll be prowling up around here"
She went through the mail, before frowning and handing them back
"That's not our mail. That's next doors"
"Oh, my mistake then"
It was then Wesley caught sight of the front page of the newspaper. It was of a crime scene and the title 'Pope Killer Strikes Again'. He frowned, reading the first paragraph and some colour drained from his face
"Wesley, you okay there?" Cordelia asked
"Yes, yes, I'm quite fine, actually. Well then, I suppose I must return the mail"
He got up and left, as Angel came upstairs, heading for the coffee machine
"Morning," he muttered
"Yeah, it is and you're out and about. Usually you're not up until eleven"
"Was that Wes who just left?"
"Yeah, it was. Why?"
"Oh, just asking, that's all. So, what have we got on today?"
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Detective Kate Lockley was busy going through her paperwork, trying to figure out any leads on the murder case she was working through. Over the past week or so, a serial killer was striking the city, killing off seemingly random people. But before he or she killed them, they carved a Christian cross onto the victim's left cheek
"Hi, Kate"
She jumped and looked up at Angel, giving him a small smile
"Morning, Angel. What can I do for you?"
"Just going over a few cases and-"
Angel trailed off when he saw the victim photographs. Saw the Christian cross on the victims' left cheek. A mark he had used himself. A mark he used on the victim in his dream. The same victim who was in one of the photos
"Angel, you okay?" Kate asked, before looking at the photos, "Gruesome, huh? Getting nowhere with this one. Press are calling him the Pope Killer. That he's killing in the name of God or something"
"No, it's about mocking God," Angel said, "That's my guess anyway"
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1786
The woman was running for her life. She slowed her pace when a horse and carriage drove by, but once it passed, she continued running, until she was grabbed and pushed against the wall. Her attacker smiled, bearing fangs, as he carved a cross onto her cheek, before biting her on the throat. Once she was drained, she was dropped aside
"There now," Angelus said, "Isn't that better?"
"A lot better," Penn answered, his face shifting to normal, "Strange. She was my sister. And yet, I feel nothing"
"Ah, you're a fine student, Penn. You're learning well"
"Father would be pleased. They would be having dinner now"
"Then let's go then. And remember, when they invite you in, savour it"
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"Is Angel around?" Wesley asked, entering the office
"No, he's not," Cordelia replied, "Downstairs, sleeping for some reason"
"Good. When I read this morning's paper, the story rang chillingly familiar. So I went through some old files. The cross on the victim's cheeks? In the late 1700's, it was Angelus' custom to sign a Christian cross onto the cheeks of his victims. And now I fear the worst has happened"
"Okay, you get to leave now," Cordelia said, getting up, "You're not gonna come here and accuse Angel like this. He's good now. I love him. Who cares about his powered-wigged days. That's in the past"
"Cordelia," came Angel's voice from the shadows, "He's right"
"You stake him and I'll cut his head off," Cordelia said to Wesley
The former Watched held out a cross, but Angel snickered, smacking his arm aside and getting him into a chokehold with ease
"See how easy that is," Angel said, letting him go
"Angel, what's going on?" Cordelia asked, holding a stake
"These past few nights, I've been having dreams. Killing people and enjoying them. and they weren't like ordinary dreams. They felt real"
"But you're not doing them," Wesley said
"No, I'm not. But I am. I sired a Puritan by the name of Penn. I taught him all I knew. Usually, I have a psychic connection with those I sired"
"So this Penn guy is here, killing people and you're watching him?" Cordelia asked, "Through his eyes and that? Okay, that is just way weird"
"He's close, I know that," Angel said, "Kate. She's doing his case"
"What are you gonna do? Tell Kate she can't do her investigation because a vampire you sired is the killer?" Cordelia asked, "Yeah, I can see that ending well"
"The least I can do is warn her," Angel said, grabbing his coat, "I'll be back"
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"Angel, what can I do for you?" Kate asked
"Kate, do you trust me?" Angel asked, taking her into a private room
"Of course I do"
"Do you trust me when I say this is the guy you're looking for?"
Angel tacked a drawn picture of Penn to the board
"Where did you get that?" Kate asked
"Do you trust me?"
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"Hey man, can you buy me some beer?" the teenager asked
"Go home," the man replied, going into the pub
"Excuse me, ma'am, I left my ID at home and I was wondering-"
The woman ignored him, as the teenager sighed and turned around
"You old enough to buy beer?" he asked
Penn smiled and threw his arm around the teen's shoulders, walking away with him to a small alley, unaware he was being followed
"I don't see any private pub around," said the teen
He turned around, as Penn in vamp face grabbed him and bit him, just as the first of the police cars swung around the corner, sirens blaring. Penn growled and lunged through a window on a second storey of an abandoned building, as Kate followed him. Meanwhile, Angel and Wesley parked around the side in the Plymouth, as Angel jumped onto a drainpipe and began climbing
Kate entered the building alone, gun in hand, as she searched for Penn. She had acted on Angel's information and was surprised at how well it turned out. In a few moments, she would have her serial killer behind bars
"Stop or I'll shoot," she cried out to Penn
He smiled and stepped down, as Kate fired three shots into him. Penn collapsed, as Kate headed over and checked his pulse, finding none. Just as she grabbed her radio, Penn opened his eyes and smacked her across the room
"That hurt baby," Penn grinned, getting up, "You'll be fun"
At that moment, Angel came crashing through the ceiling, landing on his feet before Penn, as Kate got on her radio and started talking
"Angelus? Angelus, is that really you? My god, I've been waiting to see you in Italy since the 19th century. What happened?"
"Got held up in Romania," Angel replied, "Gypsies"
"Well then, come have a drink with me"
"That's not what I'm here for"
"Yeah, what are you here for?" Penn asked curiously
"To kill you," Angel answered
And Kate watched in horror, as the face of her friend transformed into that of a killer
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