CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

Angel gave Jasmine a bouquet of flowers.

" Thank you Angel. This scent soothes me," Jasmine says breathing in the lovely scent of jasmine. The very plant she was named for.

" We leave now. Connor and I can probably still track her," Angel said to the group.

" I know you're all in pain," Jasmine replied looking at each one in turn. " You trusted Fred and she betrayed all of you. Even tried to kill Lorne who's harmless."

" Forget us. She tried to kill you." Gunn countered.

" And the sadness that brings me is immeasurable." Jasmine said.

" I should've just let her cut my head off. My species—decapitation loophole," Lorne said sadly and Abigail put her arm around his waist comfortingly.

" Still might've stabbed you, let you bleed to death," Connor added.

" Why didn't I see it?" Angel wondered.

" Angel, none of us did. You can't blame yourself." Jasmine pointed out.

" She was acting weird earlier, and I just thought it was Fred being Fred." Angel said and sighed.

" I doubt even Fred understands why she's so determined to destroy everything we're trying to create, which makes her even more dangerous." Jasmine said.

" We have to kill her. (everyone sighed at the thought) There's no other way."

" As long as she's out there, she's a threat," Wesley agreed.

" It may come to that. But first, we have to try to help her. Get to the root of the hatred that's infected her heart." Jasmine decided.

" The only way to do that is to bring her home," Angel stood up, " Let's go," he commanded.

* * *

Several days later, the group was shocked to hear Fred had managed to turn Angel against them. It happened at a bookstore, Fred poisoned Angel's mind against Jasmine and the rest of them. Abigail was at a loss at what they'd do next. Angel was their leader, a champion. What were they to do without their champion? She sat alone in her bedroom thinking. Jasmine had told her not to hate Fred but she couldn't help it. Fred ruined everything. Why wasn't she dead yet?

The door opened and Lorne peered in, " There you are sweetie. I had lost you through the crowd downstairs. Don't you want to watch the singing? Should be a hoot."

" Don't really feel like it," Abigail mumbled, fiddling with her glass of wine.

" You're feeling crummy over Fred and Angel?" Lorne sat down next to her. Her emotions were coming at him in waves.

" Yeah. I can't believe they'd want to hurt Jasmine. Jasmine loves us…but Fred and Angel…." She trailed off.

" Don't worry Abikins, they'll be taken care of,"

" But what would we do without a champion?" Abigail wondered.

" We've still got Gunn, Connor and Wes." Lorne reminded her with a smile.

" I guess so," Abigail agreed half-heartedly.

* * *

Cordelia is lying on her bed, still unconscious. Her room is filled with lit candles. A small group of people are standing in her room, staring at her. After they left, Angel opened the window from the outside, blowing out some of the candles with the motion. He started to sneak into the room, but falls off of the window ledge, tumbling into the room instead. He stood up. Fred climbs through the window as well, and closed the window behind her. They stared at Cordelia.

" I can't even count all the ways this is wrong." Fred whispered.

" It's not like she'll feel it. Right? I mean, she's—"

" Brain dead? The expression doesn't leave a lot to the imagination, does it?"

" Just makes what I have to do a little easier." Angel said and took a knife out his back pocket. They kneel down beside Cordelia and Angel kissed Cordelia's head.

" I'm so sorry." He said.

Angel holds out the knife, and suddenly Cordelia's hand reached up and grabbed his wrist.

" Oh, my God. She's awake. Cordy? Cordelia? Can you hear me? We're right here." He turned to Fred, " Did you see that? She grabbed my hand."

" Angel, people in comas—sometimes their bodies just do things— Mumble words, maybe even open their eyes. Doesn't necessarily mean they're waking up." Fred explained.

" But it could, right? I mean, stranger things have happened." Angel said.

" Like Cordelia giving birth to a beautiful ebony goddess?" Fred asked.

" Not the example I was looking for, but yeah," Angel said sadly.

" I know. Sorry. Maybe we should get this over with."

Fred reached toward Cordelia's hand with the knife. Angel wrapped his hands around Cordelia's.

" Is that enough?" Fred asked as her blood dripped into a small bowl.

At that moment, Lorne walked into the room. "Any more room at the inn?"

Angel and Fred quickly knelt at the bedside, facing away from the door. Lorne closed the door behind him, then looked around the room at all the knocked-over candles.

" Look at this. Pigs in paradise. Mind if I pay my respects to the woman who made peace on Earth a possible possibility?" he started to pray, " Thank you, Cordelia, for your sacrifice, for bringing our Jasmine into the world-" he stopped when he noticed the blood.

" Hey…hey! What're you doing to the h— " he is cut short when Angel put his hand over his mouth. Lorne started to shout,

" Unclean! Unclean!"

* * *

Angel and Fred sneak out into the hallway. They found Lorne sitting on the floor against the wall looking extremely depressed.

" God, I can't believe it. And I wanted the two of you dead." Lorne whispered looking up at them. " What am I going to tell Abigail?"

" You sure you can do this?"

Lorne nodded, " If we're going to bleed her, then I'm the one to do it." He took out a silver flask and takes a gulp from it to calm his nerves.

He found Abigail where he had left her, watching some TV.

" Have you spoken to Jasmine yet?" he asked her, making sure his cut wrist was hidden from view.

" No. She's getting interviewed by reporters." Abigail said, " Did you know she's gonna be on Letterman?"

" No I didn't. That's…great." Lorne said uncertainly. Letterman was watched worldwide. Imagine the people she would influence.

" Are you ok?" Abigail asked suddenly turning the volume of the tv down, " You look as though your best friend has died."

Just about, Lorne thought. " No, I'm just tired that's all. Its been a hectic few days."

He slowly took the knife out his pocket. Abigail stared at her boyfriend, he wasn't himself. The expression in his eyes…she couldn't quite read him.

" Lorne…what are you doing?" she asked and paled when she saw the knife in his hand. That's when it hit her.

Fred and Angel had turned Lorne against her and he was going to hurt her.

" Lorne, no." she stood up but he pushed her back down onto the bed.

" Don't make it harder than it already is," Lorne pleaded, grabbing her hand and holding out her arm. His grip on her tightened.

" No!" she struggled, " I don't know what they've done to you-" he nicked her wrist and she winced as blood spurted out.

" Okay, now!" he shouted at the closed door. It was kicked open by Angel who rushed in with the bowl.

" No! Let me go!" she protested as Lorne and Fred held her down on the bed.

She lashed out at Fred, sending the girl to the floor. " Lorne, I hate you!" she yelled at him.

" You don't mean that," Lorne soothed as Angel mixed Cordy's blood with hers.