Q & A 5
Present Day-Los Angeles
Wesley looked up from where he sat at his desk to see Fred walking in with her usual warm brown eyes and bold brilliant smile. "Quinn just called; she and Angel made it to SunnyDale without incident." Fred paused for a second and then backtracked stumbling over her words slightly. "Or mostly without incident that is." Wesley couldn't help but smile and to guess.
"She's met Buffy I take it?" Fred nodded smiling slightly.
"Buffy tried to kill her." Fred spoke freely. After realizing what she'd just said her eyes widened. "Not on purpose, Buffy didn't try to kill her on purpose. Quinn was out hunting and Buffy found her in the graveyard. New face you know, mix up." Fred walked closer to the window overlooking the city. The sun was nearly setting. "You think they'll be alright?" She asked hopeful. Wesley spun in his chair.
"Buffy made a decision one that saved countless lives. She told Angel herself that she'd moved on. Buffy is Buffy granted but I've never know her to be explicitly selfish. It might take a moment but she'll eventually be happy knowing that Angel is happy even though it's not at her expense." Wesley explained. Fred nodded a smile spreading once more across her lips.
"Alright well I've got to get back to the lab." With that last sentence she bounded out of the office and disappeared into the sea of Wolfram and Hart employees. Wesley stood from where he sat and closed and locked the doors of his office. He walked over to a small decorative picture hanging on one of the southernmost walls and lifted it off the wall revealing a safe. He imputed his six digit pass code and thumb print and turned the tumbler lock pulling open the metal door. The same dread as before washed over him as he looked into the safe. The cat's eye gem was gone.
He held the gem up into the light watching as the little bit of sunlight refracted off of it. "Such a small beautiful thing about to cause mass destruction." The deep voiced man spoke in awe clutching the gem tightly in a fist. He had rested for too long in the deep underground of the SunnyDale High School ruble. It was now time for him to go out and play. The being spun sharply around on his heel. "You interrupt me, why?" He growled. The lower being swallowed nervously as he approached.
"Angel is back in SunnyDale sire." He relayed news. The being waved his hand in dismissal and small cruel smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"That worries me not. He can't stop what is to be brought forth." The lower creature ducked his head.
"I know sire. That is not what worries me. He brought with him the one spoken of in the prophecies. He calls her wife." The information reached the beings ears and he chuckled. It was not a pleasurable sound.
"That's just perfect." He held up the gem again. "We get her close enough to this and we can take her out of the picture and take her away from Angel at the same time. Mmmmm perfect." He looked to the side of the gem at the lower being. "Bring her to me."
"So Angel went from being the boss of Angel Investigations to the CEO of Wolfram and Hart which used to be an evil law firm?" Buffy asked as she listened to Quinn tell her how things were in LA.
"It still is evil, just less evil now that Angel is in charge." Quinn responded. Buffy looked at her Quinn shrugged.
"I don't exactly know what happened I wasn't there when the whole deal went down." Buffy twirled a stake in her hand as she thought about the information she was just given.
"And every person that was working for Angel before is working for him at the law firm in a specialty department." She stated. Quinn nodded.
"Yes. Everyone possesses a certain talent or skill so they head up certain specialty departments." Buffy nodded understanding. Quinn had already given her the low down as to who was where. She also mentioned that she had somehow been roped into the law firms Special Weapons and Tactics Team. Tree branches behind them rustled as if rehearsed both the slayer and the hybrid spun around on their heel stakes at the ready. The each scanned the area looking for a source for the noise. A man in plain black clothes materialized from the dark a small secretive smirk across his face. The smirk of someone who knew the punchline to his best friends inside joke. "Leave the slayer take the other." At the order others materialized out of the darkness all sporting the same black clothing.
"Since when does no one want me?" Buffy asked feeling a little offended. The others advanced moving more quickly than they should if they were human. Quinn squared off throwing her arm up in defense. She stepped forward and threw a jab cross jump front kick combination the kick landing center mass sending the guy flying backward into one of the tombstones. She turned on a heel in time to throw up her hand with the stake dusting the advancing vampire. She looked up to see Buffy round housing another moving atop him just to punch the stake threw his chest. One of them tackled her from the side she plummeted to the ground his weight landing on top of her. She watched as fangs grew closer and closer to her neck. She grunted with the effort of holding him off.
"I happen to have my own pair of those." She growled feeling her own canines enlarge and her vision shift from normal to slightly more enhanced. She gave him what he wanted and pulled his head closer to herself burring her head into his neck feeling the soft flesh of his skin as she bit into it. Savagely she grabbed hold and yanked tearing out his throat. She threw him to the side blood pouring out of the wound. She reached over and plunged the stake into his heart. She could feel the blood running down the corner of her mouth. It was sour and stale not at all the sweet nectar that gave sustenance to humans. She moved to strike out again went she felt something like a needle enter her. She looked down to see the flowered end of a trank dart sticking out of her chest. She looked up. "You son of a bi…" She dropped losing consciousness.
"Stop! Grab the girl we got what we came for!" They picked up Quinn and disappeared leaving Buffy to revel about what she had just witnessed.
"Shit." Buffy starred off into the darkness. Since when does evil not want to take out the slayer? Whatever the reason for abducting Quinn Buffy imagined it wasn't to wine and dine her. She needed to find Angel.
"They took out all but five of our guys sire." The lower being spoke anxiously. The all-powerful one watched the unconscious girl lying on the floor of her small prison.
"Well worth it I have the girl. More can always be made." He replied calmly moving to kneel before the cage resting his forearm across the bars. He threaded an arm between the bars a line of blue white electricity shot from the tips of his fingers into Quinn. With a jolt of shearing pain running down her spin she shot up retreating away from the source of that pain. Her eyes widened taking in her unfamiliar surroundings.
"You've made a huge mistake." She snarled feeling her canines enlarge her pupils shifted and she could see clearly the dark corner of underground she was being held in. She emerged from her dark corner and lunged. He pulled his arm from inside the cage tisking at her as he moved along the cages length.
"You phase differently." He observed. "But then again why shouldn't you you are different than the rest of them aren't you." He stated.
"What would you know?" She sneered.
"Oh I know quite a bit. I've been waiting for your arrival for a long while. You should feel special there's a prophecy about you. One that makes me very happy." His words were almost giddy. She took a step closer to the bars of her steel prison. "Don't you want to know what you're prophesized to do?" He asked happily. Quinn glared at him. "A daughter shall be born. Born to two vampires she will be the destroyer's undoing." She wanted to reach through the cage and choke the exuberance out of his voice.
"The destroyer?" She asked. He waged a finger before her.
"Ah ah ah. You're a smart girl I'm sure it'll come to you." He toyed. She stepped away from the bars her mind reeling. The destroyer…Her eyes widened. That's what Connor was known as in Qortoth.
"That a girl." The demon praised. There's a prophecy saying that I'm going to kill Connor? I can't…It's not true. Angel's son. Her thoughts flitted through her mind. "You shouldn't worry too hard, I still need you to get rid of your pesky soul boy husband." She stepped up to the bars again hissing.
"I'll never..." She began he cut her off.
"Oh I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice my dear." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He held it between two fingers in the light making sure that Quinn could see it. "I'm sure you know what this is." He stated. Quinn gasped.
"Cat's eye." She breathed out. The demon smiled.
"Yes, your friend Wesley was a little naughty wasn't he. Saying he was going to destroy this little gem when he in fact didn't." He tossed the gem into the prison with Quinn. "I'm afraid this isn't going to work in your favor." He chuckled stepping away from the cage. Watching in delight as the gem began to glow refracting light. A beam of its pure glow shot out into the nearest being. The impact of the gems power sent Quinn flying into the far back wall of the prison. She crashed into the ground knocked unconscious once more.
"Who took her?" Angel growled from across the room. Buffy looked at him with some grief.
"I don't know. I've never seen them before. They were well prepared like they've had this planned for a while." She answered watching Angel pick up his jacket and swing it on striding toward the door. "Where are you going?" She asked. He turned back.
"You don't know who took her. I'm going to go find out who did." With nothing else he walked out. Buffy walked down the stairs meeting up with Willow and Xander.
"Well he didn't look to cheery." Xander remarked Buffy looked at him.
"His wife was just kidnapped by evil." Xander's expression fell.
"Oh." He shrank back and decided not to talk anymore. Willow looked at her with an empathetic expression.
"Should we try to find her dad?" Willow asked. Buffy nodded.
"Call Cordy and see if she knows who it is, when we find her we are going to need all the muscle we have." Willow nodded and moved into the kitchen to make the call. Xander looked at Buffy.
"You ok there Buff?" He asked when he caught checking out. She shook her head and looked over at him.
"Yeah, it's just I remember when he was all angry and stoic like that when I'd been taken." She said and walked off. Xander watched he as she moved into another room and shook his head.
"He's married and she still…ugh what's a guy gotta be?" He groaned.
"Yeah I know who it is I'll call him he's here in LA, but Willow you might want to prepare Buffy." Cordelia warned. Willow's eyes widened in shock but she quickly recovered.
"Ok, right I'll do that. Thanks Cordy." Willow clicked off and moved into the other room finding Buffy.
Spike sat leaning against the bar a glass of equal part hard liquor equal parts blood sat in front of him. He had a cold hand wrapped around the glass as he stared up at the television hanging in the far left corner of the bar. Beside the low hum of the hi deph tv he could hear the loud crack of the pool balls smacking into each other after being struck by the pool stick. He heard the hushed conversations in the back corners of the bar. He could feel eyes on him as he sat there with his glass curled toward his chest. "That's far enough mate." He turned his head seeing one of the locals approaching. His fangs may not have been visible but Spike knew what he was.
"Is it true what they say?" He asked. Spike detected what he thought was sorrow. He took a sip of his spiked blood letting it slide down his eagerly waiting throat then addressed the vampire.
"And what is it they say?" Spike repeated.
"That you went and got yourself a soul so you could bag the slayer, but even she didn't want you." The one mocked.
"Tred lightly friend." Spike warned.
"What are you going to do confess me to death?" He taunted. Spike stood facing the vamp bugging him.
"You know I just might." He replied. Spike watched as the other vamp broke off a piece of wood from one of the benched and gripped it in his hand.
"You used to be one of the most feared of us all. The stories I was told about you made me want to be you. Now you're just a waste." The vampire made his last mistake and lunged. Spike stepped to the side gripped the man by his collar lowered him bringing his knee up into his face. Spike spun around round housing the other guy in the face causing him to stagger back. He swung his leg around sweeping the other guys feet out from beneath him. He landed hard onto his back. Spike bent down and picked up the shard of wood he dropped as he fell. Spike moved to straddle him. He leaned down and gripped the guy's shirt in his hand and pulled him up the stake hovering just above his heart.
"Or I might just kill you the old fashioned way." Spike inched the stake closer but was interrupted when his phone rang. "Might be your lucky day mate." He released the guy's shirt and reached into the inside pocket of his black duster and pulled out his cell phone flipping it open. "Ah yeah I'm kind of busy here." He said into the receiver. Listening he stepped away gripping the stake in his hand hard enough turning his knuckles white. "You're sure?" He asked. "Yes I'm going. About to be a freaking family reunion." He slid the phone back into his pocket. He looked at the guy shooting daggers his way, a small grim smile crossing his face. "I have to go find my daughter." With that he threw the stake to the ground and walked out.
Angel, Buffy, Xander, and Willow all sat silently in the front room of Buffy's house waiting for Quinn's dad to show up. Xander looked up from where he sat on the arm of the chair Willow sat in. "Did Cordy say how long he was going to be?"
"A few hours, but that was a few hours ago which would make it any time now." Willow responded looking at her watch. As if on cue the doorbell rang. Buffy popped up from where she sat on opposite ends of the couch with Angel.
"That must be him." She said moving to open the door. She pulled open the wooden door she had pictured many versions of different people but none of them prepared her for what she saw when she opened the door. She fell back from the door. "Spike." She breathed out. Everyone within hearing distance shot out of their seats. Angel being amongst the first, a small sarcastic smile on his face curled across his lips.
"You have got to be kidding me. Have you no original thoughts of your own Spike?" Angel asked heatedly. Spike stepped in crossing his arms over his chest.
"And I suppose you do?" He asked.
"I get cursed with a soul; you find a way to seek one. I fall in love with the slayer and not five seconds after I leave you sweep in and on the same slayer at that! I have a son. You have to go out and have a kid!"
"Angel." Buffy began looking more than a little hurt. Angel backed off moving over to a corner to sulk.
"You had to be cursed with a soul. I went out and found one. Quite painful might I add. I didn't come here to argue I came here to find my daughter." As if befallen with a sudden madness Angel began laughing. Spike shot a glance at him.
"What are you laughing so hard at you sod?" Angel held up his hand. The small band of metal glinting in the dim light.
"Well well there dad let's go find Quinn shall we?" Spike shot forward shoving Angel backward into the wall of the living room. Angel continued to laugh.
"You married my daughter!?" His brow twitched in fury. Spike picked Angel up and threw him outside onto the cement sidewalk. "Can't you keep your bloody grubby fingers off anything?!" Spike threw a punch Angel caught it and caught Spike in the eye with a jab.
"What Spike? You can't be happy so no one can? Is that is?" Angel taunted ducking under an axe kick. He danced to the side and landed a side kick into Spike's side.
"She was supposed to find someone anyone else. Not the ninny with the Nancy boy hair gel." Spike tucked and rolled after jumping over Angel's leg sweep.
"Someone needs to stop this. This isn't going to help Quinn." Willow said objectively. Xander smiled.
"Gotta admit it is pretty entertaining though." Buffy and Willow looked sideways at him. He shrugged. Buffy looked at Willow.
"Do you want to or should I?" Willow threw out her hand she had advanced tremendously in her craft. Graduating from floating pencils to telekinesis with a simple thought and power of will she was able to throw Angel and Spike apart each landing on separate parts of the lawn. She stepped out onto the grass between the both of them.
"Stop acting like a bunch of high schoolers. Fighting each other isn't doing Quinn any favors." She looked from vampire to vampire. "When we find Quinn if you want to fight after I won't stop you." She added scolding them like a bunch of children caught eating dessert before dinner. Spike got to his feet dusting himself off. His gaze never left Angel's.
"Fine." He reluctantly agreed. Angel rose to his feet crossing his arms over his chest.
"Fine." He agreed. Willow smiled and cheerfully spoke.
"Good boys." She retreated back into the house both of them following not willing to take their eyes off of each other.