Chapter One.
Kathy came through the door of the Hyperion hotel juggling five cups of Starbucks coffee, two bags of muffins and a large, archaic book. Tripping over himself to be helpful, Wesley dashed forward to relieve her of some of the burden.
It was only when she was settled and sipping her large mocha, no cream, that she noticed someone was missing.
"Where's Cordy?"
"She called. She's running a little late this morning."
Kathy looked over her shoulder. Through the open door to the office, she could see her brother in full brood-mode. Picking up a cup of strong black coffee she went to join him.
"Hey. Coffee?"
He didn't look up. "Sure. Thanks."
She gave him a moment to be sociable before she decided to force the issue.
"Something up?"
He shook his head, his eyes still focused on the book he was pouring over. "No. Why would anything be up?"
"Because you've been brooding in here for almost a week, with your nose stuck in a book. Forgive my curiosity, but you've got a 'something's up' look about you."
Sighing, he closed the volume, finally meeting her eyes. The eye contact did not alleviate her concern, however, as in them all she saw worry.
"I'm worried about Cordy," he finally admitted, in a low voice that only she could hear. "I've been researching to try and find something to help her."
"I told you that I was working on it," Kathy told him, not really surprised at his admission. It had become clear to her how much Cordelia meant to him, and she knew how helpless he felt when it came to her visions and the pain they were causing her.
"I know. But you're still recovering. I don't want you overdoing it."
Kathy rolled her eyes as his overprotective nature once again rose to the surface. It had been six weeks since a particularly violent religious sect had kidnapped her and almost tortured her to death. But Kathy was not an ordinary woman - she was also a skilled witch with a great deal of knowledge in the realm of healing magic. As a result, her recovery had been rapid.
"Angel, you know I'm fine. And even if I wasn't 100 percent, we're talking about meditation, relaxation exercises. It's hardly transmogrification."
Angel opened his mouth to argue back but stopped short at the sight of Cordelia entering the hotel. In a flash he was up and out of the office, hovering around her and asking questions.
"Morning Cor. How are you feeling? Did you sleep okay? Do you want a muffin? Kathy brought some in. And coffee. Your favorite - tall, non-fat vanilla latte."
Cordelia looked ready to turn and leave the building again. Instead, she marched past Angel and dropped her bag on top of her desk.
"Any new cases?"
Wesley and Gunn shook their heads regretfully and muttered something about weapons needing sorted. Like two cats trying to avoid a rainstorm, they slunk off towards the basement.
Angel was moving towards her to try again when Cordy rounded on him.
"Angel, can I please come in here just one day without you subjecting me to the third degree?"
"But…"
"No! I'm sick of it. I do not need to be coddled or fussed over or protected like I'm going to die any second. I'm fine. Okay? I'm fine. And I really don't need you to… to…"
Her rant was cut short by the blinding pain that suddenly invaded her mind. Images shot past her eyes in rapid succession, feeling for all the world like they were being forced into her head with a red hot poker. The images came in disjointed flashes -
A baby. Crying in his crib as the building around him shook.
The same child, cradled in her arms.
A young man - barely more than a teenager.
She felt herself wobble as the vision ended, but Angel caught her before she could fall. Gently, he eased her into her chair.
Her head continued to throb even though the vision had ended. The meager breakfast she had managed to eat threatened to come up. But more than anything, she felt frustration. Because she had sensed no immediate danger in the vision, and no clue as to who the child or the teenager were, or even if they needed to be saved. If that was the case, then why were the Powers bombarding her mind with a useless vision?
"Are you okay?" Angel asked. "What did you see?"
"A whole lot of nothing," she told him. "A baby. A boy. An earthquake. It didn't feel like a regular vision, Angel. More like an infomercial. With very little info. And a whole lot of pain."
She reached into her bag and pulled out some pills. She popped them into her mouth and swallowed them with water which Kathy had brought her.
"Why would the Powers send you visions for no reason?"
Cordy shrugged. "Their idea of a good time? I don't know."
Angel looked at her closely. "They're getting worse, aren't they? The headaches."
Cordelia shook her head but didn't meet his eyes. "I don't know what you mean, Angel. They're no worse than they've always been."
He turned to his sister. "What can we do about the headaches? Is there anything you can give her?"
"Angel," Cordy protested.
"No Cordy. We need to get you some help."
"Angel!" she said again, as another vision hit. This time her breakfast did come up, and she barely missed Angel's shoes. Her body convulsed as the pain consumed her. "Ow! Oh, god. There's a girl. A bunch of vamps have her in their lair. A sewage subsystem a couple of blocks north of Prescott."
"I'm on it. Kathy?"
She nodded. "I'll look after her."
"Take Wes and Gunn," Cordy called after him. "There were a lot of vamps."
She waited until Angel was out of earshot. Then she groaned and collapsed forwards onto her desk.
"What can I do, Cordy?" Kathy asked.
With difficulty, the seer turned her head to look at her friend. "You can help me figure out what the hell's going on. But first, you can help me lie down before I pass out."
To Be Continued...