Disclaimer: Angel the Series and its characters belong to Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt and Mutant Enemy - not me. They're used here for entertainment purposes only and not for profit.
Spoilers: For events that happened in Seasons 3-5 of AtS (specifically episode such as "Offspring" (s3ep7), "Habeas Corpses" (s4ep8), "Calvary" (s4ep12) and (in a very vague way) "Not Fade Away" (s5ep22)
Author's Note: A lot of Kathy stuff in this chapter but don't worry, lots more Angel Cordy goodness to come soon!
Chapter Five
It was a slow day at Angel Investigations. The foyer of the Hyperion was silent, save for the soft drip of the coffee machine and the occasional rustle whenever Cordelia turned a page of her magazine.
Angel liked silence. It gave him ample opportunity to think, which the people in his life often misconstrued as brooding. Not that he hadn't done his fair share of brooding, on occasion, but he resented the implication that he did nothing but.
And right now he was thinking – well more wondering, really – how he'd gotten to the point where he took orders from not one, but two women. They had shouted down his plan to storm into Wolfram and Hart and, instead, come up with a plan of their own that he really, really didn't like.
"Well? What do you think?"
Kathy spun around for effect, showing off the stunning Donna Karan business suit. Her dark hair had been swept up and pinned into a French roll. A pair of Dior glasses finished the look, giving her a scholarly air.
Her appearance had a varied effect on the group. Wesley starred at her in awe, his mouth agape. Cordelia surveyed her outfit with admiration, exclaiming over the flattering cut of the suit. Angel, on the other hand, looked troubled.
"I don't like the idea of you going in there," he told her. "Not alone."
"And what's the alternative? The second you cross the threshold, Wolfram and Hart's vampire detectors will go off. Not exactly stealthy."
"Wes could go with you."
"They know what he looks like," she argued. "We wouldn't get beyond the foyer."
Angel wasn't ready to give up. "But…"
Cordelia laid a hand on the vampire's arm. "Angel…"
He frowned at her. "You don't honestly think this is a good plan."
She shook her head. "No. I can't say I'm loving the plan. But I think it's the best one we've got. Kathy's right. Neither you or Wesley can go in there."
Kathy smiled reassuringly at her brother. "Don't worry. I can look after myself, remember?"
Kathy walked through the foyer with confidence she did not feel. Every nerve in her body screamed that she shouldn't be there, but she kept going. She had no choice - not if she wanted to get Cordelia the help she desperately needed, and certainly not if she wanted to keep Angel from charging headlong into a situation that would probably get him killed. But her main reason for going was one that she couldn't share with the group, because she didn't yet have the most of the answers to questions they'd most certainly ask. And she really needed those answers. So, she swallowed her nerves and kept walking, trying her best to look like she belonged there.
She got by the front desk without the receptionist giving her a second glance, her attention wrapped up with the client that stood before her.
"Congratulations on your case," the receptionist was saying. "So, how would you like to settle your bill, Mr Suston? Cash? Credit card? Your first born child? Or your immortal soul?"
Kathy didn't wait around to hear what his answer would be.
Standing beside a well-dressed lawyer, she waited for the elevator doors to open. The lawyer nodded to her with a small, professional smile, and graciously allowed her to go first.
"Out of the frying pan…" Kathy thought.
She had a pretty good idea of where Lilah Morgan's office was located from Angel's description and so she made a bee-line for it, hoping against hope that she wouldn't run into security along the way. She got lucky. The only people she passed in the corridors were lawyers, who ignored her completely, too caught up in the briefs they were studying to pay attention to her.
She found Lilah in her office, head buried in a file. The lawyer didn't notice her until Kathy closed the door. Even then, she didn't seem particularly surprised to find the witch in her office. She merely looked smug.
"I was wondering how long it would take you to come waltzing in here, looking for answers," she said. "I guess it runs in the family."
Kathy got straight to the point. "Do you have anything to have anything to do with the visions and dreams Cordelia's been having?"
"I was given to understand that the visions came from the Powers," Lilah said. "Maybe you should go talk to them."
"Well I'm talking to you," Kathy said. "Was that a 'yes' or a 'no'?"
"Ooh, aren't you all big with the menace?" Lilah said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Trying to be like your big brother? Trust me, he doesn't intimidate me and he has fangs."
The lawyer reached for her coffee mug, but it slid away from her hand and across the room, hitting the wall. It exploded into tiny pieces, the dark brown liquid inside splashing everywhere.
"I have some fangs of my own," Kathy said. She paused, waiting for an answer.
Lilah gave the witch her best 'I don't give a damn' look and shrugged. "No, since you ask. We don't have anything to do with the visions." Lilah grinned. "Not that we don't enjoy anything that sends our 'hero' into a tail spin. If you find out who's behind it, be sure to let me know. I'd love to send them a fruit basket. Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do."
Kathy didn't move. "That wasn't the main reason I came," she said.
"You don't say. I thought the whole 'vision' excuse was kind of weak. What do you want now? A date?"
"As much as it pains me to say this, I need your help," Kathy said. "Specifically, I need information that you possess."
Lilah laughed. "I wondered when you'd cut to the chase. World's all different and you don't have a single clue of what's to come, do you?"
When Kathy remained silent, she continued. "My, my. It's tough being a white hat, isn't it? Always trying to do the right thing, with all that pesky doubt getting in the way. You told yourself that you were doing the right thing. But now you're not so sure, are you?"
"I don't have time for your games, Lilah. Now, I know how you like to pay your debts. The way I see it, I did you a favor by changing everything."
Lilah cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "By making Angel suffer less? Maybe you didn't get the memo, but two words: sworn enemies."
Kathy laughed. "You think my coming here only changed his destiny? Can you really work for the Wolf, Ram and Hart and be so naïve? Big picture, Lilah. Everything got changed. Right down to your death and the destruction of the entire LA branch of Wolfram and Hart." She paused for effect. "Twice."
Kathy derived satisfaction from the brief look of shock which registered on the lawyer's face, before her game face slipped back up. The Powers hadn't told her much about the events she had changed, but she was grateful for the information they'd given her about Wolfram and Hart. Given Lilah's reaction, it would be invaluable.
"Didn't the partners tell you that part? Hmm, interesting. Well, have your people read me if you like; if you don't believe me."
Lilah sat back in her chair for a moment, coldly appraising the young Irish woman before her. "I believe you. You're too much of a goodie two shoes to lie that well. What do you want?"
Kathy tried not to look smug. "Access. To the Nyazian scroll."
"You don't want much, do you?" Lilah replied sarcastically.
"Just my money's worth," Kathy replied with a smile.
"The partners won't let you just walk out of here with that scroll," Lilah said.
"Well then, let me look at it here."
Lilah hesitated and then shrugged. As Kathy had suspected, the lawyer hated the idea of being in her debt much more than the idea of giving her a little bit of information.
She waited as Lilah picked up the phone and made a call. "This is Lilah Morgan. Go to the vault and bring me the scroll we recently procured."
Cordelia had been quiet since Kathy had left the hotel. She sat at her desk, having resisted Angel's suggestion of resting upstairs, and was leafing through magazines, not talking to anyone.
Angel tried to work, tried to give her some space and wait for her to speak first. But in the end, ironically, he couldn't take the silence any more.
"Can I get you anything?" he asked his seer.
She shook her head wearily. "If I take any more painkillers and you'll need to bring me to hospital and get my stomach pumped," she said.
"How about some tea?"
"Angel-"
"I know. I'm sorry. I just…" He moved to sit on the edge of her desk. "I hate seeing you like this. Especially when there's nothing I can do for you."
She sighed. "I know. And I appreciate it. I just… I just don't know what to do. And it's weird, but… as awful, not to mention painful, as parts of these visions have been, the part that I can't stop thinking about is the baby. I have no idea who he is, but I feel connected to him. And every time I close my eyes…"
"We're going to figure this out, Cordy," he said. "I promise."
She gave him a small, brave smile. "Maybe I will lie down. For a little while."
She rose from her desk, patting his shoulder as she moved passed him. A sudden flash of pain stopped her in her tracks. Angel immediately grabbed her, preventing her from falling as yet another vision hit her.
Wolfram and Hart. Kathy. A gun. Lindsey McDonald.
"Kathy might need your help after all," she told him when the vision subsided.
It wasn't long before the scroll was laid out before her on the desk. She stared at it, trying to make sense of the archaic language. Not for the first time, she wished that she'd brought Wesley along with her.
"Have your people translated it yet?" she asked.
"Some of it," Lilah said. "And, anticipating your next question, no. The text doesn't seem to make any mention of a Tro-Clon. That was what you were sent here to stop, right?"
Kathy didn't like how much Lilah seemed to know, but said nothing. It was just a fact of life – the bad guys would always seem to know more because the good guys were notorious bad at sharing information.
"I think that's about all I can tell you," Lilah said. "Consider us even. You should be going now."
"No, why doesn't she stay a while?" a voice behind them said.
Kathy turned to find Lindsey McDonald in the doorway, a gun pointed straight at her.
"Consorting with the enemy, Lilah?" he asked.
"No, that's what you're best at, Lindsey," she replied.
"So, you're the reason the Partners' plan didn't work," he said, looking at Kathy.
"What's wrong, Lindsey? Missing your girlfriend?" Kathy asked. "I heard a rumor that the Partners have a 'stake on sight' order for both her and Drusilla, since they failed to turn Angel. Now that the Tro-Clon has been prevented, Darla's not really of much use to them, is she?"
"Don't worry. We have other ways of turning Angel dark," the Texan said with a smirk. "Like killing his little sister. That'll at least make him a little tetchy, don't you think?"
He cocked the gun as the window beside them smashed open. Angel swung through the gaping maw of glass. Taking advantage of the distraction, Kathy sent the gun flying out of Lindsey's hand with her powers.
"Sorry, was this a private meeting?" the vampire asked.
"Angel. Nice of you to drop in. We were just discussing destiny and how your little sister here was nice enough to change yours for you."
Angel said nothing and Lindsey could tell that he was confused. The lawyer feigned a look of surprise. "You mean she didn't tell you? And here was me thinking that only the bad guys kept secrets." He glanced at the broken glass lying everywhere. "You're going to pay for that window, by the way."
"Consider me not killing you for pulling a gun on my sister payment in full," Angel said, punching him. Lindsey fell to the floor, unconscious.
Lilah was trying to gather up the scroll, but Kathy backhanded her, taking the ancient prophecy for herself.
"Now we're even," Kathy said.
"What did he mean?" Angel asked her.
"I can explain – " she said as the alarm began to ring. "Later. Right now, we need to get out of here."
They ran for it as security thundered down the hallway after them.