CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Abigail found Harmony leaving Angel's office with a bunch of files. " Harmony, I need to talk to you."
The vampire stopped and sighed. Knowing whatever Lorne's chick had to say to her wouldn't be good. How did the green demon and this human get together anyway? They didn't have anything in common. She was just a short human with brown hair, brown eyes and dressed in really boring clothes, while Lorne was kind, sweet, outgoing and his taste in clothes suited his personality.
Opposites really do attract. Harmony thought.
" Thanks," Abigail said after a moment's pause, " For saving my life yesterday. And you didn't have-"
" Didn't have to? Of course I did. You're Lorne's girl and if anything happened to you he'd be crushed. And I just happened to be at the right place at the right time." Harmony said recovering from her surprise at Abigail's gratefulness.
Abigail smiled at her and Harmony decided she really had a nice smile. It's a shame she didn't smile more. She also vowed to give Abigail a make over one day that will knock Lorne's socks off. She grinned at the girl before hurrying away.
Abigail knocked on Wesley's door and heard him say " Come in." she entered the office. The Englishman was pouring over a bunch of books (nothing unusual here) and looked startled to see the visitor was her. He looked down at the text he'd been reading and moved his arm over it.
" Abigail. What can I do for you?"
" I need everything you have on The Protected One. You've heard about it right?"
" Um…"
" My attacker called me The Protected One and wanted to kill me for some reason. And it hasn't been this one time. There's been other hints…" she trailed off.
" Other hints?" Wesley repeated.
" It doesn't matter. I just want to know if I'm this Protected One and what the hell it means."
" Haven't you tried searching the Net?" Wesley asked, " Or our online archives?"
" I tried. But the firewalls kept coming up whenever I used the search term 'The Protected One'. I even tried different searches. Nothing."
" Well, I have to go into a meeting right now with the other researchers. Why don't we come back later and see what we find?" Wesley stood up.
" Oh. Okay," she agreed, disappointed. Wesley left the office and she followed him. But doubled back and snuck into the office, closing the door behind him. She rifled through the books on the desk until she found the one he'd been reading. It was in English and it was about The Protected One. She grabbed the book and two others before heading back to her office.
~**~
Abigail just sat down when the door opened and Eve came in.
" What are you doing here Eve?" she asked, opening the book.
" Do you know yet?" Eve asked her.
" Know what?"
" Well, the others know…I'm surprised they are keeping this from you."
" Keeping what from me?"
" Your destiny." Eve paused, " That book you are reading, its about you."
Abigail glanced down at the passages. Most were cryptic and her name wasn't in it. But put two and two together…
" So I was right…I'm the Protected One?"
Eve nodded.
" But…why did they keep it from me? Even Lorne? Why am I the Protected One? Am I evil? Or good? I don't understand."
" I gave you some files that will help you answer those questions. I guess you never looked at them after he stole them."
" Who stole them?"
" Lorne." Eve said matter—of-factly.
Abigail stared at her in shock. " Lorne?"
" I understand where he's coming from. He's afraid to lose the woman he loves."
" Where's Lorne now?"
Eve shrugged and left the office. Fuming, Abigail read the rest of the book. The messages were so cryptic she needed help on them. So she turned to the one person she knew she could count on.
" Bailey?" she said into her cell.
" Yes boss?"
" Can you come into my office for a minute? I need help with something."
" Sure thing." Bailey agreed and headed for Abigail's office.
After a few hours of unravelling the cryptic messages, a stunned Abigail sat back in her chair.
" I don't believe this. Lorne has been keeping this from me? My own destiny?"
" He's just afraid." Bailey assured her
" That's no excuse. This is my life we're talking about." She glanced down at the notes, " Or lack of."
" Abigail…there's something else I need to tell you-"
" And these demons that were supposed to protect me from harm. The Imari Clan. Where are they? I've never had the pleasure of meeting them." Abigail paused, " and that guy who attacked me? He's part of a demon clan who wants me dead so that the Apocalypse would go ahead." She frowned, " But this Apocalypse Angel's talking about. I can't be the one to save the world from it. That's his job. Isn't he supposed to play a huge part in it?"
" The Apocalypse you prevent isn't the one Angel is supposed to have a big role in it. This is just a small one but it will have dire consequences if anything should happen to you. Several countries would be wiped out. Evil would spread…demons, good and bad will suffer from terrible torment and torture."
" That means Lorne…" she trailed off.
" Who kept all this from you." Bailey said hurriedly. She was starting to soften on Lorne and he didn't want that.
" I know. It's just that…"
" Abigail. There's something I must tell you. I am not supposed to, but the time is drawing near."
" It is?" Abigail scanned the text, " But it actually never mentions when."
" I'm one of the Imari clan. I've been sent to protect you." Bailey said.
Abigail looked up and stared. Another one who's been lying to her.
" You…lied to me." She accused.
" Not really. I just hadn't said anything."
" It's the same thing." She insisted, " How can you be a demon? You don't look like one."
" No, my mother's human and my father's a demon. I've been raised human." Bailey explained.
" Oh." Abigail stood up, " If you will excuse me, I need to find a certain green demon and give him a piece of my mind."
Bailey stood up also and there was a knock on her door.
" What is it?" she demanded impatiently. The door opened and two men walked in.
" Father?" Bailey greeted the taller man, " What are you doing here?"
" You told her son." The Imari leader replied, " She must come back with us."
" I'm not going anywhere with you." Abigail ran for the door but the other man blocked her way.
" The time for the Procted One has arrived. It is your destiny and you know it." Bailey's father grabbed her arm.
" No! Get your hands off me!" she kicked him and ran when his grip on her loosened. She rushed into the lobby and shouted for security. She saw Lorne talking to Harmony and he ran up to her.
" Sweetpea, what's wrong?"
" It is my destiny…they've come to take me. But I won't go!" she said as more of the Imari clan gathered.
" It's time?" Lorne asked the leader who nodded, " We must go before the signs start." The leader warned him.
Angel hurried over with Spike behind him.
" Who are you?" Angel demanded him.
" The Imari." The leader said calmly.
" It's them…they protect Abigail until…" Lorne trailed off and stared at Bailey, " although I never thought you'd be one of them."
" Master…the others are coming," Bailey said to the leader urgently, " We must go. Now."
The leader nodded, " You have no choice Abigail."
Abigail looked over at Lorne pleadingly as the clan grabbed her and ran out of the building.
" Angel, we must do something!" Lorne said.
" We can't stop it Lorne, you know that." Angel said.
" We have to try." Lorne said.
" Let's go then," Spike said and strode towards the exit. Angel and Lorne followed.
