BRING ME TO LIFE
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel Crossover Event
Part 72
Whatever It Takes
Falling too fast to prepare for this
Tripping in the world could be dangerous
Everybody circling, it's vulturous
Negative, nepotist
Everybody waiting for the fall of man
Everybody praying for the end of times
Everybody hoping they could be the one I was born to run, I was born for this
Whip, whip
Run me like a racehorse
Pull me like a ripcord
Break me down and build me up
I wanna be the slip, slip
Word upon your lip, lip
Letter that you rip, rip
Break me down and build me up
Whatever it takes
'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do whatever it takes
'Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains
Whatever it takes
Yeah, take me to the top I'm ready for
Whatever it takes
'Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do what it takes
"Whatever It Takes", Imagine Dragons
Hatfield, England - 6 Coleman Green Lane
The Safehouse of Walter Kindel a.k.a. The Home Wrecker Killer
8:54 p.m. (English time)
Days Left Before the End of Days : 9
Lumbering outside, the three large Enders stewed hungrily.
Jurnub was supposed to have returned by now with their meal; whatever pitiful human he could find in the local cemetery for them to gorge themselves on.
Normally, they would have had no trouble finding their own meals, but patrolling whenever this Walter Kindel creature would visit houses like this one for his regular…feasts…was time-consuming. So they would assign one of them to bring them back a meal, delivery-style.
Except now, they were getting restless. Jurnub was never late. Yet he was supposed to have come back hours ago with their meal, and he had not. At this rate, they were seriously considering eating Kindel…
"Hey, there!"
From seemingly out of nowhere, Kate appeared.
All full of smiles and apparently good intentions.
One of the Enders, the leader, Surlak, tilted its tentacled head in Kate's direction, as if curious.
God, these guys smell even worse than they look, Kate thought inwardly, yet kept her grin. "I've heard all about you guys! You're…Enders, right?"
Surlak slowly lumbered towards Kate. She fought not to shudder as she took in the creature's appearance. Like his brethren, Surlak's skin was a sickly white, bordering on gray. His "legs" were tentacles. His arms were tentacles. He even had red tentacle-like appendages coming out of his eyes. He was essentially one giant walking squid.
"WhAt Is ThIs?" Surlak rumbled out. "HaVe YoU cOmE tO sEeK tHe SoLaCe Of ObLiViOn, MoRtAl?"
Kate kept smiling. "Oh…oh, yeah! Totally. I…I just want to end all of it, you know?" She bounced a little on the balls of her feet, seeming nervous to Surlak.
He liked that. He loved to see the fear of his prey before devouring them, consuming their essences, erasing them completely from existence.
He and the others began to circle around Kate, moving away from their posts as the squid-like demons regarded her.
Nurmok, one of the other Enders, appeared to be drooling in hunger, and Kate fought not to cringe. Even their saliva stunk to high heaven, she noted.
"We ShOuLd EaT hEr NoW! I'm HuNgRy!" the not-so-bright Ender complained in his otherworldly voice.
"YoU'Re AlWaYs HuNgRy!" snapped Tuvos, the third Ender. "YoU cOuLd StAnD tO EaT a FeW LeSs SoUlS, tHe CoVeN iS TaLkiNg AbOuT yOu LaTeLy!"
"EnOUGH!" snapped Surlak, returning his attention to the beautiful meal that had delivered herself to them. He studied Kate. "HmMm…YoU dO nOt SeEm LiKe AlL tHe OtHeR SaD wReTcHeS WhO hAvE oFfErReD tHeMsElVeS tO uS. tHeY rEeKeD oF dEsPaiR aNd WeAkNeSs. YoU…tHe SpArK oF LiFe StiLl cLiNgS tO yOu."
Better try and sell it, Kate. Keep them talking…Kate shook her head.
"Who, me? Oh, oh no! I'm totally depressed! Really!" The attractive ex-policewoman flashed them a nervous grin. "I, um, lost my job as a cop, and my pension…I, um, my dad died, and um…I spend nights just hanging out with a dead guy and a wannabe cowboy lately! Yup, zero prospects for me." She paused. "And um…cable! Have you seen the prices of cable TV? I can't afford that with my unemployment benefits! Oh, God, just end my pain already! I can't take this anymore!"
Inwardly, Kate cringed. She had hoped she would have done a little bit better with the undercover bit considering how good she was at it as a detective while with the L.A.P.D. But then again, back then, all she had to do was worry about busting drug dealers, mobsters and the occasional serial killer, not distracting giant Eldritch nightmare-looking squid monsters. This was a first to her.
Not completely convinced, but having grown ravenous with hunger, Surlak nodded, drawing closer to Kate. "sO bE iT. wE cAn EnD yOuR sUfFeRiNg, MoRtAl."
His tentacled arm began to slowly wrap around Kate's shoulders like a comforting arm, pull her ever so slightly towards him. "wE cAn OFfEr YoU tHe SwEeT sOlAcE oF oBLiViOn. NoT jUsT tO diE…bUt To Be ErAsEd FrOm ExiStEnCe EnTiReLy. CoMe. LeT uS eNd yOuR pAiN. fOrEvEr…"
The tentacle began to draw her in closer to the demon, and Kate's instincts began to scream 'Danger!' in big flashing neon lights.
She then pushed out her arm, letting out a nervous laugh. "Heyyy…listen, guys, you know what? I think I'm having a change of heart. I know things have been pretty grim lately, but this seems a…"
As she pushed away, the tentacle began to tug at her harder.
Fighting to keep her cool, resisting the urge to draw her sidearm, Kate tried to keep them talking. Tried to buy more time. "...a bit final, you know? And frankly, you guys could use a shower. So, how about I sleep on it and get back to you? Is that okay?"
It was then that Surlak whipped up his head and revealed to Kate the last horror: his mouth. Red-lined, jagged, full of razor sharp teeth that would surely tear her to pieces.
The squidlike demon growled his response as he moved to consume her, end her. "nO."
SHUCK!
"RrREEEEE!"
A sudden swipe of a sharp, glittering sword severed the tentacle holding Kate, drawing an unearthly screech of pain from Surlak as he released his prey, his skin sizzling from the heat of the blade.
Kate rolled instinctively to her side several feet away from the growling demons, drawing out a small battle ax as she joined the owner of that blade…
Angel.
In battle stance, scowling, and holding the legendary Hope's Dagger in his hand. Flanked by Lindsey, who was holding a short sword, which looked considerably less impressive than Angel's weapon, but still could do damage.
"Took you guys long enough," Kate muttered, displeased.
"Sorry, gorgeous. We had to case the building out one more time," Lindsey said with a rueful smile. "I'll make it up to you."
Kate smirked up at him. "You wish, McDonald," she replied, but with a hint of a teasing smile.
Angel, already strapped for time, was not in the mood for their banter. "Flirt on your own time, you two," he replied, his voice hard. "We've got seafood to chop, and a scumbag to catch."
Surlak growled angrily. "InTrUdErRrS!"
"Yup," Angel replied, smiling coldly. "Don't bother waiting for your buddy, either. He's not coming back. We turned him into seafood salad not that long ago. Same with your backup."
Kate gave them a lethal smile, brandishing her battle ax. "Didn't take too long to figure out where they were heading, either. Kensal Green Cemetery. Where it's easy to find a bunch of fragile people wanting to end it all. Figured you guys would be in hog heaven."
Lindsey flashed his signature cocky smirk, his sword ready. "You should've gone lighter on the Soul Food, boys. You've fattened up."
Angel's smile faded, glaring at them. "And now the butcher's here."
Surlak hissed at the three, his focus particularly on Angel.
"vAmPiRe," the lead Ender growled. "I CaN sMeLl iT oN yOu."
"bUt WiTh A sOuL?" Nurmok asked, puzzled.
"oH, nO…hE mUsT bE aNGeL!" Tuvos figured it out. "tHe TrAiToR tO hIs KinD! hE wHo WaS oNcE aNgELuS, tHe ScOuRgE oF eUrOpE!"
Kate gave Angel a wry look. "Gee, here that, Angel? You're famous 'round these parts!"
"Yeah, he did a big world tour back in the day," Lindsey glibly added, to Kate. "Looks like he still has his fans."
Angel scowled, his hands firmly on Hope's Dagger. "Then come on, guys…let's give out some autographs."
With that, he launched himself at Surlak, Hope's Dagger slicing through the air as it chopped through more tentacles.
Kate and Lindsey jumped into the fray, battling the other two.
And the battle was on.
Even with Hope's Dagger, Angel found these demons to be tough. Enders were notably strong, and their tentacles made them an even tougher opponent.
Worse, it appeared to be regenerating some of the tentacles that Angel had hacked off. It was as if the more of the sticky, strong appendages that Angel sliced off, the more of them seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
Without warning, a snare of tentacles wrapped around his arms, pinning them to his side as Angel found himself being lifted in the air, grunting in pain.
"yOu HaVe StOlEn OuR fEaSt, aNgElUs. Or ShOuLd i SaY, 'aNgEl'?," Surlak growled, beginning to open his deadly jaws as he drew Angel in like a fly caught in a Venus fly trap. "sO sInCe YoU hAvE sToLeN oUr FeAsT…yOu bEcOmE iT."
Grunting in pain, Angel could feel the unseen tug the closer he got to the jaws.
Pulling on his soul.
Trying to yank it and tear it from his being.
And he winced, trying not to focus on how much it hurt, trying to think of a plan, and fast…
Growling back, Angel glared at the squid-like demon. "Oh, so you're…mmrh…hungry, eh, Squidward? Good. Because frankly…"
Then his face shifted. Into hard ridges, golden amber eyes and razor-sharp fangs. The face of a vampire.
Angel's voice was a deadly, low and angry growl. "I could eat, myself."
With that, Angel chomped down hard into the tentacles holding him, the fangs piercing the slimy skin of the Ender demon, the souled vampire taking in big gulps of the demon's electric blue blood…
…All at once, it was as if Angel could somehow feel, even taste the blood of his past victims. Not just their blood…their very essences. Their souls.
Memories unbidden seemed to flash before his eyes. Birthdays that weren't his. Intimate moments he never had. From strangers. Men. Women. Children, even. Even a few select species of benevolent demons that had souls. Ups, downs, pains, pleasures, joys, sorrows…it was like a sensory overload for him. Angel tried his best to block out the torrent of images and memories hitting him at the same time like a massive electric shock, but it was all so much, so, so much…
The Ender screeched, releasing him.
Dazed, and briefly coughing, Angel quickly shook his head, spitting out the remaining blood in his mouth. "You guys taste like bad sushi," the Champion spat, whirling Hope's Dagger.
"You dared to violate the sacred souls of innocents, Ender?" Cassandra angrily demanded from within Hope's Dagger. "To desecrate their essence? There is only one punishment fit for you and your kind…the abyss of hell."
Surlak, moving slightly slower from the blood loss, recoiled in fear as he heard the blade talk. Could it be? He had only heard tales of this glimmering sword, but never in his wildest nightmares did he dare imagine it to be real. It was supposed to be only a myth, a scary story told to youngling Enders and other demon offspring by their life-givers to get them to behave. "nO…iT cAnNoT bE…ThAt sWoRd…hOpE's DaGgEr! bLaDe Of tHe ChAmPiOn Of ThE pOwErS! tHe bUrNeR! dEaTh By DaYLiGhT! wOe UpOn Us AlL!"
Angel smirked, still in vamp face. "You got that right, Surf 'N Turf."
He slashed at the Ender again, burning away more tentacles. With one swift and powerful move, Angel twisted and aimed for the center, driving the burning blade deep into the Ender. It was a lethal blow, Surlak screeching and howling in agony as his large, tentacled form slumped over.
Just to be sure, Angel pounced and used all his supernatural strength to give the demon several vicious, hard whacks and slashes, ignoring the Ender's dying screams and screeches, making sure to do as much damage to the head and center mass as possible. Hitting the heart, the brain and the eyes, like he had taught Spike, and later Buffy, to do against such monsters.
Slicing and hacking Surlak again and again until all that was left of the pale squid like demon were gory pieces and bluish blood-covered viscera.
Kate and Lindsey had managed to dispatch the other two shortly after.
"Well, that was…gross," Kate said, crinkling her nose as she shook the blue-ish blood from her ax.
"And smelly," Lindsey added, wiping off his sword with a tissue. "But the job's halfway done."
Slowly, his face having returned to human form, Angel turned away from Surlak's corpse and leaned against a nearby wall, taking a moment to reset himself.
"Angel?" a concerned Kate asked, looking him over. "Are you…are you okay?"
He nodded grimly, placing his hand over his chest where his unbeating heart lay. "I'm fine, Kate," he said simply. "It's weird. The soul always hurts going out worse than it does coming in."
Now Kate looked alarmed. "Geez…what was…what was that like?"
Thinking it over silently, Angel wasn't sure which was worse…feeling his soul start to slip away for a moment into oblivion…or feeling and seeing the lives and moments of that creature's victims. All of the people the Ender had killed over centuries. He was glad that he never had to experience that when he was evil. It would have made the guilt he faced every day for all the people he had killed even worse.
Maybe even driven him insane…
"Achy," he replied, simply.
Fighting a smile, Kate still looked worried. "Look, if you need a minute…"
"Yeah. Just give me a minute. But we gotta keep moving," Angel said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Kindel's probably on his way. Hell, for all I know, maybe he's already here. Waiting for us."
No matter, Angel thought. This creep was standing between him and Buffy, and for that reason, Angel knew he had to take Kindel down and take him down hard.
Lindsey nodded in agreement. He was itching to get this over with, himself. He had to get back home, settle the score with Caleb once and for all. "He's not wrong, Kate. If we're going to take this creep down, we'd better do it now."
Satisfied, Kate smiled at her two compatriots, restrapping her ax to her back and cocking and locking her semiautomatic pistol. "Okay, then, gentlemen," she said, eying the door. "Let's go say hello to Mister Kindel."
His lips drawn into a thin, hard line, Angel couldn't agree more.
CRUNCH!
The handle of the door broke with ease under Angel's powerful grip, causing the door to slowly creak open.
Slowly, Angel took cautious steps inside, Lindsey and Kate flanking him from behind, weapons at the ready.
Angel had tucked Hope's Dagger beneath his long jacket, deciding to conceal the light of the weapon.
Letting his senses extend, Angel concentrated into the dark, shadowy space of the two-story home. His preternatural sight couldn't see anything tangible, but his hearing could pick up a faint heartbeat. Too small for an adult…
"The girl," Angel said in a hushed voice to Kate and Lindsey. "I can hear her. She's here. Alive."
Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God for that," she said quietly. "Can you track her?"
Angel shook his head. "She's here, but something is muffling her location. It's…strange…it's like she's here, yet…not here somehow."
Lindsey kept his trained eyes on the surroundings around him in the dark. Broken furniture. Random newspaper clippings. An empty food container lying here and there. And rats…God, how he hated rats.
"Well, one thing's for sure," Lindsey muttered in disgust. "Kindel's not gonna win any Good Housekeeping awards."
"Serial killer types either range from neat freaks to slobs," Angel replied in a quiet hush, as the trio kept moving further and further into the dusty abandoned building. "Guess we know which way ol' Walter falls."
"Aaaan-geeeel…"
The mocking, unsettling sing-songing of his name caused Angel to grind to a halt.
"Aaaan-geeeel…"
Angel's eyes scanned the darkness, but found nothing there. Already a bad sign, Angel mused, troubled.
"Yeah, I'm not the only one who heard that, right?" Angel asked his companions.
Kate, looking creeped out, nodded, her pistol drawn and ready. "I was hoping it was my imagination."
"Me, too," Lindsey uttered.
Mocking laughter followed, ringing above them, making the pitch-black house seem that much more terrifying.
"Why so nervous, Detective Man? After all…you and your friends came all this way to see me," a man's voice taunted from the darkness. "Come on in, make yourselves at home…"
While Kate and Lindsey looked slightly more apprehensive, Angel merely rolled his eyes. This moron wanted to play this Boogeyman taunting from the dark shtick with him? He invented that concept.
"Yeah, gotta say, really hate what you've done with the place, Walter," Angel wryly retorted.
"Oh? You don't care for my decor? Pity," the voice taunted. "Perhaps I'll spring for a new set of furniture after I finish ripping out your hearts and dissecting you with—"
"Okay, cut the 'Fright Night' Amateur Hour scary voice crap, Incel," Angel snapped, more annoyed than anything else. "I've seen scarier things than you in public restrooms. Get your ass out here now, Kindel, before I bring this house crashing down with you in it."
Silence was his answer.
Kate gave Angel an annoyed look. "Nice one, Angel. You might've scared him away."
"Not a chance, Kate," he replied knowingly, before calling back out to the dark in a taunt of his own. "After all, our pal Walter invited us over because he's evaded police for two decades, and now that we've made him, well, he just can't have us running off to tell the cops…can you…Wally?"
The air began to ripple and swoosh around them, causing the trio to huddle together, back-to-back-to-back, weapons out, hands ready.
"I really…don't like it…"
The air suddenly began to swirl into a dark mass not 8 feet from where they were standing, taking the silhouette shape of a man…
"When people call me…"
The inky blackness slowly peeled away to reveal the human face and body of a man…
"Wally."
Or a monster in man's flesh. Flesh that belonged to Walter Kindel.
The notorious Home Wrecker Killer.
In the flesh.
Dressed in a brown jacket, black shirt, black pants and sporting a rather shabby-looking five-o-clock shadow. The fact that there was nothing bright or life-like on him told Angel and Kate all they needed to know about this maniac.
And he reeked vaguely of booze, Angel could smell it.
"Well, well…so, you're the great Detective Angel," Kindel smiled, though it was a dark smile. Devoid of any good. "We meet at last! You finally managed to crack what all those policemen and agencies in all those states and countries couldn't do over years and years and years of my work. I must congratulate you, really." He gave the immortal detective slow mock applause. "Kudos, wonderful job."
"Yeah, that's me," Angel replied flatly, unimpressed. "I'm a regular Sherlock Holmes."
"And that would make you a…what, a regular schmuck?" Lindsey sniped at Kindel, unimpressed at his rather…ordinary appearance.
The serial killer stood at about six feet tall, but aside from his height, there was nothing remarkable about him physically. He was tall, yet had a noticeable gut and slender arms. His hair was slightly thinning at the top. His face was rather unremarkable, sunken cheeks and beady blue eyes. The term that came to mind about him was "gunky". Awkward. The kind of man who most women would have swiped left on with those dating apps, Lindsey mused.
His rounded nose crinkling in displeasure, Kindle let out a laugh. "Yes, I suppose I do come off as rather unremarkable, don't I, Mister McDonald?" Off Lindsey's surprise, the killer smirked. "Oh, yes. I know who you are." To Kate. "Same as you, Kate Lockley. Former detective with the Los Angeles Police Department."
And then his eyes zeroed in on Angel. "And then there's you. Mister Angel. I have to say, in all my years, I've never actually been this up close to a vampire before. Though I must say, it's almost an…honor…being this close to one of your particular notoriety. Both with your soul…and without, especially."
Angel's eyes narrowed, but his face betrayed no other emotion. "So you've done your homework."
Kindel chuckled darkly. "No, nothing like that. I'm hardly a detective. But then again, I don't need to be. Your in my home, touched by the shadows. And the shadows…they tell me everything."
Kate raised an eyebrow at him, gun still pointed at him. "Great. Another crazy who hears voices. Just so you know, if you claim that a dog made you do it, I may have to put two in your kneecaps."
"Oh, that's not just hyperbole, Miss Lockley," Kindel said, eyes widened suddenly, his voice suddenly growing excited, yet still somewhat hushed, making him somehow even more unsettling. "Ever since my…enlightenment…I've listened to the shadows. They tell me everything." His voice started to sing-song eerily. "Sooooo many secrets that are kept in the dark. Deeeeep in the soul…deeeeep in the heart…"
Amid Kindel's insane ramblings, Angel began to piece together his cryptic comments. After all, years of hanging around Drusilla had allowed him to "speak crazy", as Cordelia had once put it. "You've learned how to read minds," the immortal detective surmised.
"In a way," Kindel smiled eerily. He didn't seem worried by the fact that he was outnumbered three-to-one, something that Angel noted, and didn't like at all. "My enlightenment has given me access to sooo many things. The dark is my home now. I can travel to so many places, so quickly. That's how I've been able to make my money. The human trafficking business, I found, was particularly lucrative. I made quite a reputation for myself in the underworld. I could deliver so many people from sooo many places. Women, children, in particular, were my best merchandise."
Kate's eyes narrowed in anger. "You made money selling off people into slavery?"
"What I do isn't cheap, Miss Lockley," Kindel said. "It allowed me to pay for certain protections, like my Ender friends outside that you so thoughtlessly murdered. And it allowed me to pay for my…other hobbies."
Angel scowled at Kindel, keeping his voice even despite the growing disgust and anger he felt at this scumbag. "Torturing and murdering kids is a hobby? Like that girl you just kidnapped? Maybe you should've taken up bowling, Walter. A lot less disgusting, and then you wouldn't have to run into scary people like us."
Kindel chuckled darkly, a sound that sent a shiver up Kate's spine but did nothing to faze Angel.
"Oh, come now. I think you, of all people, would be the last to judge me…Angelus," Kindel grinned knowingly at Angel. "Oh, yes. I know who you are. Who you really are. The shadows told me everything. Showed me all the things you've done. Aaaaall the victims. Aaaaall the screams. Tell me, Angel…when you sleep, in your darkest dreams…are you like me? Can you still hear them screaming? As I do?"
Though his heart felt guilt and remorse, Angel's eyes betrayed no emotion as he stared down the serial killer. "Every time," he said flatly.
Angel's eyes then ticked to the strange black, orb-like stone, held by a necklace around Kindel's neck. The Rune of Shadows. Bingo…
"Didn't figure you for the jewelry type, Walter," Angel mused in a 'friendly' tone. "Bit of advice? Girls don't usually go for a guy who wears necklaces unless they're in rap videos."
Kindel's hand unconsciously began to stroke the rune around his neck, protectively. "Yes, well, this particular one is…special to me."
"Too bad," Kate sneered. "They definitely won't let you keep it in prison." She pointed her handgun right at Kindel's chest. "I may not be a cop anymore, but I remember the drill. Walter Kindel, you're under arrest for the murder of Lisa Fray Everson, Todd Everson and God knows how many others, as well as kidnapping, human trafficking and whatever other sick crap you've been up to in the last few years. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you."
Kindel looked at Kate in mild bewilderment and some amusement. He looked at Angel. "Is she serious?"
"As a heart attack," Angel replied with a smirk.
"And speaking as a former attorney, I can say with all confidence that given your reputation? No attorney in the world worth his or her salt would touch your case. And the one place who could, the guys I used to work for? You probably couldn't afford," Lindsey added with a cold smile. "And since some of the murders you committed took place in Texas, a state with the death penalty, that means you're screwed, Kindel. You're gonna get that last flu shot. The kind that doesn't make you better."
Kindel merely laughed. A harsh, unhinged sound.
"That's funny, very funny, Mister McDonald," Kindel smiled widely. "You're still under the impression that you all are going to be leaving here alive."
Angel's expression didn't change one bit, staring down the murderer. "Not alive anymore," he corrected. "But my life isn't the one you should be worried about. I know someone who's just dying to meet you. Walter Fray."
Kindel's smile fell at the mention of the name, a brief flicker of fear in the killer's eyes.
Angel allowed himself a smirk. "I take it you're not friends."
Composing himself, Kindel regained his composure, smiling thinly. "He's been a source of constant irritation for me. He's spent so much time hunting me down, it's become annoying."
"Yeah, well, when you kill a man's family, it tends to make you unpopular. I know from experience," Angel replied grimly, Holtz's mad face flickering in his mind's eye.
Kindel smiled at Angel again, in that creepy and unsettling manner. "Yes, you would, wouldn't you? We really are a lot alike, Angel. We both know the feel of taking a life." He took in a deep breath, briefly closing his eyes as he savored his words, the horrific images they conjured. "The look in their eyes as they take their last breath. The fear in their eyes, the power in your hands…it's almost like you've become God himse—"
"Oh, my God, do you ever shut up?" Angel snapped, annoyed, which briefly surprised Kindel.
His eyes full of contempt, Angel then began to dress down the serial killer dismissively. "Now you're just ripping off Ted Bundy lines. And for the record, he was just as sad as you are. And now you're giving me the 'You and I aren't so different' speech? Puh-lease. We're nothing alike. There's nothing special about you, Kindel. I've seen schmucks like you for centuries. You think that killing can give you back power after a few playground bullies beat you up or because the pretty girl in high school thought you were a weirdo or you didn't get invited to any sleepovers. So you lucked into a little power, big deal. You could've done something good with it. Something worthwhile. Instead, you used it to hurt others. Hurt children. But no matter how much you steal or kill or hurt, it's never going to fill that empty hole inside you where your soul should be. You're pathetic. And you always will be."
Angel sneered at the man in disgust. "If I were still evil, you wouldn't even be worth eating. I'd have just snapped your neck and tossed your disheveled ass in the garbage where you belong." He took one menacing step forward. "Now…tell me where the girl is. And maybe I'll let you keep your limbs intact."
Kindel stared at him for a moment, as if Angel's words had…hurt him, somehow.
Lindsey gave Angel a bemused smirk. "Aww, gee, look at that, Angel. I think you hurt the poor psychopath's feelings."
Kindel paused, mused…and then he smiled. "Yes…yes he did."
The orb around his neck then started to glow an ominous black. "But not as much as I'm going to hurt you."
Suddenly, it was as if the shadows around them started to come to life.
Crawling towards them like so much ooze.
"Uh, guys…" Kate said warningly.
"I see it," Lindsey said, equally concerned as he eyed the living shadows crawling towards them like an ocean wave trying to pull them under. "Still working on believing it."
Angel didn't know what would happen if those shadows touched him and his companions. And, he decided, he wasn't interested in finding out.
Withdrawing Hope's Dagger from his jacket, Angel growled as he lifted his sword high in the air, leaping at Kindel in one bound and taking a lethal swipe at him…
FWOOSH!
…only to hit nothing.
Kindel had vanished in a puff of inky, cloudy black. Like he was some kind of ghost, Angel thought, surprised and frustrated.
Like octopus tentacles, the shadows reached up, grabbed for Angel, as they did for Kate and Lindsey.
Instinctively, Angel slashed at the shadows, slicing through the solid dark matter. "Kate! Lindsey! Don't let those things touch you!"
Grunting as she hacked and slashed with her battle axe at the inky tendrils reaching and groping for her, Kate sneered at the shadows. "Not without buying me a drink first!"
Not able to help himself despite the same shadows also grabbing at him, Lindsey quipped in between sword slashes, "Oh, so is that all it takes? Name the bar and your drink of choice, beautiful, and we'll make it a date, then!"
Rolling her eyes as she slashed at another shadow tentacle, Kate groaned, "Please tell me you're not seriously hitting on me while we're fighting for our lives, Lindsey!"
"Gotta shoot my shot when I see it," Lindsey winked at her, slashing at another tentacle that tried to reach for Kate.
Ignoring the flirting near him, Angel slashed and sliced and hacked and cut the dark tendrils reaching for him. Grabbing at him.
But the more he sliced, the more came for him. The more reached for him, coming for his body, his heart, his soul. Trying to pull him into the inky black depths of nothingness.
"Of all the people I've killed, I have to say," Kindel's voice called from the darkness. "I've never had the chance to kill a so-called hero before. It pleases me…to know that you're to be the first, Angel."
Scowling, Angel gritted his teeth as he dug in his heels, stood his ground and kept slashing at the darkness around him. "Don't…mmgh…count your corpses before they've hit the floor, Kindel," the souled vampire ground out.
Without warning, a tendril of black snuck through the ground and wrapped itself around Angel's legs, lifting him high in the air.
Angel alertly cut at it, but more tendrils followed, wrapping around his body like a pit of snakes crawling over their meal.
"Angel!" Kate cried out, running over to where he was to help him, her ax slashing at the shadows trying to bind him. However, she ignored her blind side, which allowed a swarm of shadow tentacles to grab at her wrist. Another began to lift her into the air to join Angel. "Shit! Shit-shit-SHIT!"
"HANG ON, KATE!" Lindsey, serious and alert, shouted as he ran to help her, sword slicing at the tendrils grabbing her. But he found himself overwhelmed, as well, two tentacles wrapping around his waist and hauling him in the air.
"Let them go, Kindel! NOW!" Angel demanded through gritted teeth, his one hand holding Hope's Dagger slashing at whatever he could, but finding more wrapping around him.
Kindel reappeared in front of him, gloating as he smiled mirthlessly at Angel's struggles. "Ahh, yes, the hero fighting for his friends. I thought that was only one of those silly tropes in those romance novels or the Lord of the Rings trilogy."
He floated in mid-air, his dark eyes glittering with malice. "But will saving them really give you what you want, Angel? Or that pitiful little meat, the little girl I plan on feasting on? The shadows can see into your soul, Angel. They can see your secrets. All the lives you took. All the people you destroyed…"
Blocking out the torrent of memories that seemed to be amplified by the touch of the shadows, Angel growled and fought, even as one hand was pinned, even with him losing leverage. Even as he watched his allies…his friends…struggle in vain, needing help that he couldn't give them.
"Hang on, guys!" the heroic vampire called out, even as the sea of darkness kept trying to pull him under.
"ANGEL!" Kate shouted, one hand reaching out for him as she found herself drowning in the inky black.
"Think of something fast, would ya?" Lindsey barked, trying desperately to loosen the death grip one of the tendrils had on his neck.
"You think being the hero will make up for all the things you've done in the past? The symphony of screams you conducted in the dark?" Kindel's chuckle rang in Angel's ears, a curdling sound that Angel found repulsive. "Will it make a difference to your victims? Or their loved ones? The only difference between a hero and a villain is just a matter of perspective. Just a matter of which side you see is right. And, I'm sorry, my friend…but I fear that you are not the hero of this story."
"Screw…ackk..you!" Angel replied, even as a tendril wrapped around his windpipe, muffling his words.
"Shhh…just let it happen, Angel," Kindel smiled, putting a finger to his lips as he winked at the struggling hero. "You've fought for so long for redemption. Salvation. Forgiveness. A futile struggle. Be happy…I'm giving you peace. I'm letting you finally rest. But don't fear. Just for the inconvenience you've caused me…I'll be visiting the ones you love next. Cordelia…Connor…Dawn…and…what was her name? Oh yes…"
His next words were spoken in a dark, hushed tone. "Buffy."
Angel's eyes opened wide, a spark of anger filling them as brown orbs began to glow primal, amber golden.
"Oh yes, the shadows showed her to me," Kindel chuckled again. "So pretty…so lonely…such suffering she's gone through, in part because of you. She might be a little younger than I prefer my prey, but I'll make an exception in her case, just for you. I'll make sure to take…special…care of her."
His face morphing into vampire form, Angel growled ferociously, tearing at the tentacles at his neck, wanting nothing more in that moment than to tear off Kindel's private parts and force-feed them down his disgusting throat for daring to utter Buffy's name.
Yet the harder he fought, the more the shadows seemed to grow, the harder they seemed to slam against him, tugging and pulling him in.
"But it won't be your problem, Angel," Kindel smiled 'soothingly'. "You've fought for so long. Now is the time for you to rest. So rest, Angel. Rest…"
A final push of inky black tendrils swarmed upwards, pulling a struggling Angel down.
"I won't…let you..!" he shouted through the wave…
Kindel grinned as he watched Angel begin to disappear into the black. "...in Peace."
Fear beginning to grip at his heart, of letting the little girl down, letting his friends down, letting his allies down, letting his son down…letting Buffy down…Angel reached up to the rapidly disappearing light…
…before the darkness finally closed over him.
Trapping him.
Swallowing him whole.
Into the black void, leaving him to die utterly…
…Alone.
Angel's eyes opened, but it was as if he had never opened them at all.
Darkness.
There was so much darkness.
He floated in an endless oblivion. A vast space of nothingness.
Swimming in complete and utter darkness.
And for a moment, Angel felt sorely tempted to just cease.
He had tried.
Tried so hard.
Yet he failed.
Again and again.
He couldn't save Buffy from the pain he had caused her.
He couldn't save Connor from Quor'toth. From Holtz's abuse.
He couldn't save his friends back home, who needed him. Were counting on him.
He couldn't save the little girl, whose life hung in the balance at the mercy of this monster.
He couldn't save the friends by his side and in Fray's clutches, who needed him to win.
He couldn't even save himself.
He was no Champion, he knew that.
He was no hero.
All he was, all he would ever be, was just a man with a monster inside of him who brought pain and disappointment to others, especially the ones foolish enough to love him…
As he sank further and farther into the black depths of darkness, Angel thought, for a moment, how easy it would be to simply…stop struggling.
To finally rest.
To let go…
"Fight."
Angel's eyes opened. He knew that voice.
It was a voice he knew.
A voice he loved.
From the depths, somehow, she appeared.
Buffy.
His Buffy.
Light shimmering around her.
As beautiful and lovely as ever.
Looking at him with those beautiful hazel-green eyes so lovingly, so full of boundless hope.
"Buffy…?" Angel's voice croaked out.
"Angel," she urged him softly. "Please. Get up. I need you…to fight."
Angel looked down, ashamed. "I…I failed you, Buffy," he shook his head. "So many times…so many…I'm sorry, Buffy…God, I'm so, so sorry…"
"I know," she smiled at him softly, her eyes understanding. "But I don't need you to be sorry. I need you to fight. Right now."
He stared at her like she was a miracle. The one lone light burning impossibly in the darkness. His only light…like she had been for so long…
"How can I fight against this?" he asked, almost helplessly. "He's using the darkness against me, Buffy. I've been able to make it my weapon for so long. And now he's turned it against me. How can I fight against the dark when it's been a part of me for so long?"
Buffy smiled, shaking her head at him. "You might be a creature of the night, Lurk-y Guy…but if you think that the dark is where your power is, you really aren't that bright."
He weakly chuckled at her. This is what he loved about Buffy. Even in the face of unimaginable madness, of such unspeakable darkness…she could still find hope. She could still find the good, even in him. Even when he couldn't. Even when he forgot it was still there.
"You're the vampire with a soul, right?" Buffy asked, pressing her ethereally-glowing hand against his chest. Just as she had on that wonderful day when he was human, when they were together completely and totally before he had to give it back, so that she could live. So he could protect her. "That means that for all your darkness…there's a light in you. A light you've chosen to let shine. To burn bright. To light the night. And by letting your light shine in the darkness, it's inspired others to hope. To fight. Because of you."
Unbidden, the faces of those Angel had loved, those he had called friends…family…surrounded him.
Cordelia, his Seer. The Heart. Smiling brightly at him, believing in him.
Charles, steadfast and loyal. The Muscle. Staring at him with a proud grin.
Wesley, dark yet brilliant, and good. The Brains. Nodding at him, his blue eyes shining with a faith in him.
Fred, bright and inventive. The Soul. Gazing at him with hopeful eyes.
Lorne, insightful and wise. The Eyes. Giving him an encouraging look.
Connor, conflicted yet brave. The Son. Flashing a warm smile at him that Angel had only ever dreamed of receiving from him.
Dawn, eager and optimistic. The Key. Her blue eyes wide and big as she smiled at him hopefully, like she believed he could move mountains.
Faith, wild yet brave, damaged yet forthright. The Rogue. The once-unstable girl he pulled back from the darkness, who found the good inside of her, who he had helped find her way, her path again. Her eyes warmly basking at him, grinning at him like she just knew that he could save the day again, like he always did.
Willow, sweet yet powerful. The Witch. Her wise eyes winking at him, silently telling him to stop clowning around with this creep and to do that hero thing he did.
Oz, silent but bright and soulful. The Wolf. Grinning at him in that secret way, silently urging him to kick this guy's butt.
Kate, driven yet compassionate. The Protector. A once-cynical cop. Gazing at him with optimism, faith that he could somehow still do the impossible.
Whistler, sharp-tongued yet sage. The Messenger. The first one who plucked him off the road to nowhere he had been on for a century and showed him a purpose. Who showed him his true love. Nodding at him, telling him to get back on his feet because the final bell hasn't rung yet.
Doyle, sarcastic yet brave. The First Soldier. His late friend who taught him the meaning of sacrifice, of his true mission. To do more than just save lives and actually save souls who were as lost as Angel himself was once. Giving him that same annoyingly confident, yet steadfast smirk, as if telling him that there was a lot more left in his tank than this.
Spike, hotheaded and irritating, yet bold. The Prodigal. His GrandChilde. Silently, Angel briefly wondered what he was even doing here. And yet, somehow…he knew. As complex as their history and relationship was, Spike had somehow become the closest thing to family as Angel had left. He never thought that Spike would be capable of change. And yet, like him, Spike had found himself with a soul. Fighting on the side of right. Of good. Maybe people really could change, after all…
Angel felt awed and overwhelmed as he looked around him at all the faces of those he cared about. For the longest time, he thought it would be his fate to walk through eternity alone. And yet he found friends. He thought he
And at the center of it all…
Buffy.
Beautiful, brave, loyal Buffy.
The Slayer.
The Reason.
His love.
The other half of his heart.
The other half of his soul.
The woman who taught him how to live. How to love. How to make his existence mean something.
Gazing at him lovingly. With such unyielding affection and faith in him, a faith that at times, he felt like he didn't deserve. Yet she gave it to him willingly and without hesitation.
Faith that he was more than just a monster.
That he could be so much more.
That he could make a difference.
That he could protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
Be a shield for the shieldless.
A voice for the voiceless.
Not because of what he was…
…but because of who he was.
Who he was always meant to be.
A good man.
A hero.
A Champion.
Angel's eyes filled with tears. Of hope.
Of love.
Love in its truest, most pure form.
"Buffy…" he uttered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I…"
"I know, my love," she smiled knowingly. "I love you, too. Always."
Angel felt a wave of emotion and awe and love wash over him, warming him. His voice was but a whisper.
"Always," he repeated softly.
She pressed her lips against his, a ghost of a kiss, tender, gentle but warming Angel more than anything had in a long time.
Another voice boomed from the darkness.
"Now stand up and FIGHT."
Cassandra.
In Hope's Dagger, swimming towards him from the darkness, like a ray of light piercing the veil of night. The blade pulsated, shimmered like a thousand suns and stars.
Calling for him.
Beckoning him to seize its power.
His purpose.
His destiny…
"We don't follow destiny, Angel," Buffy said, pushing the sword forward without a touch. Towards him. "We make our own. Now go. Write your own destiny. Don't become who you were born to be. Become the man you want to be. And know that whatever you do, wherever you are…"
Buffy smiled lovingly at him, the Clauddagh ring on her finger that he gave her on her 17th birthday glowing brightly. "I will always be with you, my love."
His eyes watering, Angel's eyes looked at her passionately, filling with more love and emotion and warmth than any words could say.
"Thank you…beloved," he whispered, eternally grateful.
Eyes shining with love, Buffy's smile never wavered. "You're welcome…now go kick ass."
Angel chuckled, never having loved her more than before this moment.
His eyes now filling with resolve, he reached out, his hands clasping around the holy holy of Hope's Dagger…
Ba-WOOOSH!
Light suddenly erupted from the sword, pushing the darkness back.
And it recoiled in horror, in awe and dread.
And as Angel's eyes filled and glowed with the purest white light, Hope's Dagger in his hands, he vowed one single thought in his mind…
…he would never let himself fade into the darkness again.
Not when the ones he loved needed him.
Not when people needed his help.
Not while there was still work to be done.
"Okay, then," the legendary Vampire With A Soul uttered through clenched teeth as the light around him grew and burned like fire in the dark. "Time to go to work."
PTOOM!
Light burst from the shadows where the undead detective had been swallowed.
Kindel stared in stupefied awe.
"…Impossible…" the longtime serial predator muttered in disbelief.
Yet the dark essence suddenly, painfully burned away, the light blinding Kindel before its concussive force blasted him backwards.
Bracing himself, Kindel only barely mustered enough power to avoid colliding with the wall.
Staggered, Kindel winced as the white-hot light blinded him for a moment, then gradually faded…
…revealing his nemesis.
Angel.
Standing tall, eyes hard and determined, scowling.
In his hands, the legendary sword Hope's Dagger, Blade of the Champion, shining brighter than anything that Walter Kindel had ever seen.
And it filled him with dread.
"How…?" He sputtered, completely at a loss, not believing his own eyes. "It's not possible…The power of the Rune of Shadows cannot be overcome. It was written in the Book of Mor'gorr. It is invincible…! It was foretold!"
Enjoying the frightened look in the serial killer's eyes, Angel's voice was cold and hard as steel. "Like I once told a guy I know, asswipe…don't believe everything you're foretold."
With a burst of speed, Angel leapt forward, his sword slashing through the dark tendrils that held Lindsey.
Down tumbled the former Wolfram and Hart attorney, gasping for a moment as he held his sword.
"Seriously?" Lindsey groaned, catching his breath as Angel worked to free Kate. "You're gonna quote the line you use when you cut off my hand?"
Smirking, Angel shrugged as his sword sliced through the shadows holding Kate. "Hey, everybody loves a good call-back."
Slicing at several dark tentacles, Lindsey groaned again. "I really, really hate you," he deadpanned.
Angel's smile never left his face. "I know."
With a powerful slash, Angel managed to free Kate, who came tumbling out of the dark and into his arms, the vampire's steady grip catching her.
Kate coughed, visibly shaken and struggling to catch her breath. "Cold…cold…so cold…Angel?"
Angel nodded, steadying her. "You'll be alright, Kate. Just need you and Lindsey to keep him busy. I'm ending this."
Seeing the look of pure willpower in Angel's eyes snapped something to attention in Kate. Without a word, Kate nodded, understanding the assignment with crystal clear clarity.
"Lindsey? With me," Kate called out, drawing her battle ax and charging at the shadow tendrils at Angel's back.
Lindsey didn't need to be told twice. "To the bitter end, gorgeous," he winked, pressing forward, sword raised. Protecting Kate.
Satisfied that his comrades would be alright as they battled the shadow tendrils behind him, that left only Kindel. Who looked like he was starting to feel fear.
In fact, Angel could smell it. Stinky. Truthful. Salty. Terror.
This self-fashioned god was looking human, after all.
"No!" Kindel shouted, eyes wide in terror, hurling deadly sharpened fragments of shadows at Angel. "I've come too far…you can't stop me now! You can't! I won't…I won't let you!"
Yet Angel kept coming.
Unyielding.
Unrelenting.
Unstoppable.
If Andrew or the rank and file staff of Wolfram & Hart were there, he would have likened him to 'The Terminator'.
Slashing away the razor sharp shards of darkness effortlessly with his sharpened blade of daylight.
Twisting and arching through the air with hitherto unseen grace, speed and power. The shards of darkness burned away as they touched Hope's Dagger, burning up in its aura like dry paper exposed to a wildfire.
All the while, his sharp dark eyes never left Kindel. Like a hungry hawk circling around its prey, Angel's eyes were for Walter Kindel, and nothing else.
Walter Kindel simply couldn't believe it. He couldn't fathom it. Couldn't understand it. Through all the years in all the places and all the victims and blood he shed, the power of his precious rune had never failed him. It was his safety net. His source of power. His shield and his sword.
Yet even its great power could not stop this…this vampire with the strange name.
A vampire…with a soul?
Vampires don't have souls, Kindel thought in frantic panic as he hurled more and more bots at Angel, only to watch him bat them away like flies. What kind of abomination is he?
Kindel leapt frantically into one of the shadows, hoping to take Angel by surprise by teleporting behind him…
…only to find Angel waiting for him on the other side, waiting for him.
The former Scourge of Europe smiled darkly at his prey's surprised face. "Boo!"
Kindel recoiled backwards in horror, stumbling backwards and hurling another shadow bolt at Angel. "No! STAY AWAY!"
Yet Angel's blazing sword effortlessly cut through the bolt like it was made out of hot butter. His eyes were dark and malicious as he advanced. "What's wrong, Wally? Not so tough when you're not terrorizing kids? Like Lisa Fray Everson's daughter? Like that little girl you kidnapped?"
Swiftly, Angel moved with lightning speed, punching Kindel hard in the face, watching in satisfaction as he saw a tooth fly out of the serial killer's mouth.
Rebounding, Kindel scrambled to a dark corner, hurling more bolts of shadows at Angel. "You dare judge me! You're no different than I am, you undead filth!"
He disappeared into the shadows again, looking for another place to jump out of…
…leaping out from the rooftops to jump on Angel…
POW!
…only to get caught in the face with a massive uppercut, Angel rocketing his fist into the demented man's face, knocking him backwards. Kindel let out a yelp of pain as he slid across the floor, clutching his face.
As Angel slowly closed in on him, Kindel panicked, hissing and spitting, his eyes wild and desperate. He was a cornered animal, Angel could see that, and he refused to be taken down without a fight.
"Y-y-you…you killed scores more than I have…I saw it…!" Kindel spit, glaring hatefully at Angel. "And yet you think you're better than me? Why? Because you're trying to make it right? Because you run around saving these pathetic creatures, chasing redemption, trying so desperately to be a hero? You think that will change anything?"
Angel's glare was resolute, stone-like. But his eyes were like a midnight sun, burning bright in the dark.
"You don't get it, do you, dumbass? You'll never get it. I'm not trying to be a hero," Angel told him simply, his voice firm, unwavering in his conviction. "I'm trying to be a man. Something that you don't have the first clue of how to be. A real man doesn't run in the face of fear. A real man stands up to it. A real man doesn't hide from the dark. He comes out and faces it."
He remembered the wisdom that was taught to him that changed his life. A lesson that he learned long ago from the most incredible woman he had ever known…a California blonde girl with a hard right hook and giant heart who changed his life forever. "And a real man knows when it's time to fight, because there are things worth fighting for. As long as there's people like you in the world, people who prey in the dark on others weaker than them, smaller than them, I won't be that hard to find, Kindel. All you have to do…is look in the shadows."
Angel held Hope's Dagger up to his face, the glow off his pale skin making him glow in an almost otherworldly fashion that sent a chill up Walter Kindel's yellow spine.
His eerie glow…to Walter Kindel, it was as if this man standing before him was like a wraith.
More creature than human.
A specter of vengeance that had come to collect his very soul itself.
The Champion's voice was an icy threat. "And there you'll find me. Waiting. Your own personal nightmare."
Panting in terror, Kindel's fear was radiating off of him, the once-powerful killer now stumbling over his feet, looking for any way out as he stumbled into a corner, but finding none as Angel began closing the gap between them.
In a last desperate attempt, Kindel flung another swarm of razor-sharp bolts at Angel…
…only to find him vanishing one moment…
…and dropping down seemingly from the heavens the next moment, sword slashing through the air like an avenging archangel. Like he was Michael himself, passing judgment…
SHINK!
The blade sliced through the necklace holding the Rune of Shadows around Kindel's neck, sending it clattering away.
Eyes wide and bloodshot, Kindel shrieked like he had just lost a piece of his own arm. "NOOO!"
He leapt for the rune, but was rewarded with Angel's swift boot to his skull, sending him bouncing off the wall and rolling along the floor until The Home Wrecker Killer skidded to a halt just under Angel's feet.
SH-WOOSH!
Without warning, the shadow bolts and the inky, deadly sea of black around Lindsey and Kate suddenly vanished into thin air, like they were just a bad dream.
"What…?" Lindsey muttered, surprised.
Kate looked around, high on adrenaline but stunned.
Coughing, writhing, Walter Kindel slowly crawled along the floor, groaning in pain. He didn't understand, didn't understand at all. How was this possible? How could this man, this…creature…do what no one else could? What no one else had?
With one steel-like hand, Angel effortlessly picked up Kindel by the throat and pinned him against the wall.
"I don't think you'll be wrecking any more homes, Wally," Angel smiled, a most unpleasant grin in Kindel's opinion.
Kindel felt the vampire's power around his throat, clasping his windpipe. "Who…what…are you?" he weakly asked, eyes wide in sheer mortal terror.
Angel's face morphed into his vampire guise, just to scare the living daylights out of this asshole. His fang-lined grin widened as he gave the pathetic killer his answer.
"I'm Angel."
Then he hauled back and rocketed his iron-like fist hard across Kindel's face, drawing blood and sending the man slumping over into a motionless heap onto the floor.
Satisfied, Angel stood victorious, adding one last detail to that statement. "And I beat the bad guys. Badly."
With that, he morphed back into his human face, taking an unneeded sigh.
It was over.
Kate and Lindsey quickly walked over to Angel.
Concerned, Kate looked Angel over quickly. "Are you alright?"
Angel looked at her in a way she hadn't seen before. Like he was filled with a strange kind of…peace. The brooding was still there, but there was more resolve in those brown eyes of his, more…confidence.
Angel gave her a ghost of a smile. "Strangely…never better."
Lindsey gave Angel a wry look. "You were cutting it a little close with the last-minute heroics, chief."
Angel shrugged. "Yeah, well, figuring out how to work an ancient mystical weapon takes a little time."
Looking to the corner, Kate watched as a blotch of shadows receded…revealing a doorway.
"Angel," she said, motioning over to what appeared to be a closet door.
His attention drawn to it, the immortal detective walked over to the door, sword raised. He took in a big whiff through his preternaturally acute nose, trying to smell what was behind the closed door.
Eyes widening, Angel then smashed off the locked door knob and swung open the door…
…revealing a sleeping little girl.
The girl that Kindel had kidnapped.
"Oh, my God," Kate uttered, quickly running over to the child, checking her for injuries, feeling for her pulse. "Sweetheart, are you okay? Can you hear me?"
Angel crouched down, his hand gently touching the unresponsive girl's cheek. He took in a whiff of her scent, then looked over in the corner, where a discarded blue syringe lay, picking it up. "She's alive, but she's been drugged. Looks like Kindel was filling her full of this stuff. Definitely a sedative, I can smell it."
Scowling at the thought of that murderer torturing this poor child this way, Kate looked back to Angel. "Is she going to be okay?"
Angel nodded, giving the child a sad look. She was not much younger than his own little sister Kathy was. "Yeah. Kids recover fast. But she could use medical attention. She's been roughed up, definitely needs trauma counseling, but…we got here before he could do any major damage."
Cradling the girl in her arms, Kate nodded, smiling faintly at Angel. "Lucky for her…she had an Angel watching out for her."
Angel and Kate looked at each other for a moment.
A long moment.
"Okay, that was corny," Angel smirked.
Kate chuckled. "Hey, you try coming up with a good pun after you've been nearly smothered in a magic evil shadow world."
Lindsey, rather jealously, interrupted. "Hate to break up the tender moment, but we do have one little problem here…Kindel. What exactly are we gonna do with him?"
Kate looked at Lindsey like he had asked the stupidest question ever. "Bake him a cake, what do you think? Obviously, we'll be turning his sick ass over to the police. I'm sure Scotland Yard will have a lot of questions for him. Then there's the extradition agreement with the U.S. That son of a bitch is going to have a lot to answer for. And I'm sure the families of the victims will appreciate having their day in court to see The Home Wrecker Killer get what's coming to him."
Angel's next word surprised her. "No."
Kate looked at him in surprise. "No? What the hell do you mean 'no'?"
Somewhat torn about this himself, Angel ran a hand down his face. "That wasn't the deal I made with Fray. He still has Whistler and the others, Kate. The deal was, Fray'll give them back to me, along with some kind of bonus…if I hand Kindel over to him."
Stunned, Kate didn't like what she heard. At all. "Wait…you're going to hand a serial killer over to some guy whose daughter he killed?"
Angel said nothing, just returned her gaze with an even stare.
Kate pressed for more. "And…when you hand this creep over to Fray…what's he going to do with him?"
Angel again said nothing, but his head tilted ever so slightly, his eyes giving Kate a knowing look. As if to silently say, What do you think is going to happen, Kate?
The ex-cop's eyes widened as she understood what Angel had said with no words at all. "No," she shook her head adamantly. "No…no, Angel, no way, I did not sign up for this!"
Angel looked at her in frustration. "What else am I supposed to do, Kate? I can't let Whistler and the others die. And the longer we wait, the more danger Buffy's in."
Kate cursed under her breath, realizing his dilemma. But every fiber in the longtime cop's being told her that this was wrong. "I get that, I do. But handing Kindel over to Fray, that's wrong, that's…that's vigilante crap, Angel! That's…what you're talking about is murder."
"Is it?" Lindsey countered, matter-of-factly. "Look, Kate, you and I read the same profile. Kindel's wanted in several states back home where they have capital punishment laws for the evil shit he did. Kindel's gonna fry anyway, so what's the difference if it's back there or over here so long as he's taken off the board for good?"
Kate scowled at his argument. "Lindsey, that's not how things work! I want this sick son-of-a bitch to burn, too. But it has to be done right. Kindel has to answer for what he's done in a court of law. By the book. Where he's tried and convicted by his peers like anyone else. He has to face justice for the people he's hurt. That's why we have the legal system, so we don't take the law into our own hands."
"If we hadn't taken the law into our own hands just now? That sweet little girl would be dead. And God knows how many more would follow. They tried finding this guy the 'right' way for decades, and it didn't work. And the system?" Lindsey gave Kate a knowing look. "Kate, you and I both know that the legal system can be rigged. His attorney could pull the legally insane card, a few sob stories about his childhood, and with the right lawyer and a plausible defense, he might escape a lot of punishment, maybe even walk. Think about what kind of evidence there is. We don't have anything that links him to any bodies. We broke into this guy's house, without a warrant. We assaulted him."
"We rescued a kidnapped girl! A girl whose parents he murdered!" Kate argued vehemently. "And he tried to kill us! That's not evidence?"
"A girl who he could say he rescued and was holding for safekeeping, for all we know. And he can claim self-defense on the latter," Lindsey patiently explained. "I know it seems like an open and shut case, but I've seen much wilder things get past a jury with the right attorney and a little luck. All I'm saying is that we need to think about this. Doing things by the book is admirable, hell, it's noble, but the system doesn't always work how it's supposed to."
Kate gave Lindsey a bitter look, memories from years ago surfacing in her mind. Of battles in court, how she had worked so hard to take scum like Kindel off the street, only for Lindsey and Lilah and Lee Mercer and other scum from Wolfram & Hart to set them free again to do more damage.
"Oh, yeah…yeah, I remember how all that works, Lindsey," Kate frowned at him. "I seem to recall more than one of these scumbags that I put away only for you and your buddies at Evil, Incorporated to set them back out on the streets."
Lindsey, frustrated, ran a hand down his face. "This again? How many times are you gonna hold that against me, huh?"
All the while they were arguing, for a few moments, all of them took their eyes off Kindel as they debated his fate.
None of them saw him slowly come to, crawling for his precious rune that gave him his power.
Angel ran his hand over his face, frustrated. "Guys, look, this isn't the time for this debate…"
"All I'm saying is that you got real comfortable living in a world where it was easy painting it shades of gray," Kate pressed the former lawyer.
"And all I'm saying is that the world isn't as black and white as you'd like it to be," Lindsey shot back, just as intensely.
At last reaching his prize, the crawling Kindel reached out and grasped the Rune of Shadows, turning hateful eyes towards the three heroes. His eyes grew a black onyx.
"Don't you dare give me the 'Colorblind Speech!'" Kate heatedly replied, "You know how sick and tired I am of hearing that kind of crap ever since I came to L.A?"
The sudden wrinkling of the shadows caught Angel's attention, drawing his eyes back to Kindel. "Guys - !"
An array of shadow bolts hurled at them from the ceiling without warning. Moving swiftly, Angel raised his sword, burning through the shards as he charged towards Kindel.
Kate blocked as many as she could with her ax. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow in the corner of the roof begin to sharpen…and aim right at Lindsey's unprotected back.
Her eyes widened as she realized that he had no time to block it. "Lindsey!"
Without thinking, Kate suddenly hurled herself in the direction of the flying bolt…
SHUCK!
…which caught her full in the chest, hitting her just above her body armor.
As her body fell to the floor, Lindsey's eyes widened. "NO!"
Without thinking, he dropped to his knees, covering Kate with his own body.
His vampire face emerging again, Angel growled like an angry lion as he leapt into the air, sliced through more shadow bolts…
…and brought his sword down hard across Kindel's outstretched arm.
SHHUNK!
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Kindel's scream of agonizing pain rang through the night, his arm severing from him as the run clattered back onto the ground.
In shock, Kindel's beady eyed widened and stared in horror at his bloodied stump of an arm, which the heat of Hope's Dagger had already begun to cauterize.
Angel stood over him, glaring in disgust, his face curled into their vampire's ridges and his sword pulsating white and hot in his hand.
Cassandra spoke from the sword. "Believe me, Walter Kindel, Angel showed you mercy. I would have taken your head for all the evil and death you brought on innocent children and their parents. That's the least of what scum like you deserves," her hardened voice spoke, passing judgment.
In such shock was Walter Kindel that he couldn't even register the awe of how a sword could be speaking to him, talking down to him.
Now Angel spoke, bringing his boot onto the pathetic man's pelvis and pressing hard into his private area. "Try a stunt like that again…and I'll cut off something else."
Kindel only whined and groaned pathetically in response, shaking his head in a silent plea for mercy.
But Angel had none left to give.
With that, Angel swiftly kicked Kindel in the face, knocking out another tooth as he watched the man's head bounce off the ground before he fell unconscious again.
Not wanting to take any chances, Angel reached out and grabbed the strands of the necklace that were attached to the orb-like Rune of Shadows. He dared not touch it, having learned long ago from the Shroud of Rahmon incident what happens when you get too close to demonic artifacts.
Angel lifted the orb higher, staring at the swirling dark orb. He could feel dark energy coming from it, cold and angry like a winter's storm. Power like this, he decided, should never be in the hands of someone like Walter Kindel again, and he'd have to see to that.
"Angel! Come quick!"
Lindsey's voice distracted him from his musings, drew his attention to where his compatriots were.
Lindsey was on the ground, kneeling over Kate.
Who was gasping for air, fading in and out of consciousness. The shadow bolt had faded, but it left a wound that was mysteriously glowing black and purple. Its poison was starting to spread through Kate, glowing purple spider-like veins visible and spreading from her wound.
Kate could only make a few gulping and gasping sounds, her body limp and noodle-like in Lindsey's arms.
"Kate?" he patted her face urgently, his eyes wide and worried, his heart feeling a terror he hadn't felt in a long time. And for the first time, it had nothing to do with him at all.
"Kate…sweetheart, look at me…stay with me," Lindsey pleaded softly and frantically with her. "Come on, Kate, stay awake!...please…"
In an instant, now in human face, Angel was by their side, looking at Kate with the same worry in his eyes as Lindsey had. "
Kate?" Angel tried. "Kate, look at me…"
Kate could barely utter words, her eyes rolling around in the back of her head and back to Angel, then to Lindsey. Her mind could barely focus, unaware of what was even happening aside from the blinding pain she felt.
"Dark magick," Cassandra uttered warningly to Angel. "I can feel it…Angel, your friend won't survive much longer, not without help."
With dread, Angel realized he had seen something like this happen once before. "Dark magick poisoning," he uttered gravely. "The shard's dark magick must be toxic to others. That's how he killed Geoffrey Peterson. And maybe others."
As Kate coughed and gasped in his arms in an unaware and dismal state, Lindsey turned to Angel in frustration. "Forget the 'why', Sherlock! Can you save her or not?"
Angel shook his head. "I can't," he said, before an idea lit up in his dark brown eyes. "But I know someone who can."
Standing up quickly, Angel walked over to Kindel's unconscious body, grabbing the man and slinging him over his shoulder like the garbage that he was. Then he swiftly walked over to the little girl, cradling her in his other powerful arm like she was a precious treasure that needed protecting.
With one free hand, Angel swiftly reached into the pocket of his long black leather duster, picked up his cell phone and dialed the last number he called.
"Fray. Angel. I got what you want. We need a portal. Now!"
The voice on the other line replied, "Excellent. Then I'll do you one better."
Without warning, a great wave of green light began to wash over them, the energy crackling with electricity.
With that, everyone was there one minute…
…and gone the next.
London, England - One Hyde Park
The Home of Markus Fray
Now
With a whoosh, Angel and company found themselves back in the living room of Walter Fray's posh apartment floor.
"Fray!" Angel barked, his eyes lining up to the old wizard, who was sitting reading the latest edition of The New York Times near the bubbles containing Whistler, Alasdair Coames, Drogyn the Battlebrand and a still-unconscious, still bound and gagged Ethan Rayne.
Fray, his attention caught, stood up. His eyes went to Angel, but then almost immediately after to the quarry slung over the Champion's shoulder that had eluded him for so long…
Walter Kindel.
The man who murdered his daughter.
Who destroyed his perfect granddaughter.
Whose life now belonged to him, and him alone…
Fray's eyes widened in awe, his hand trembling in anticipation. "My God," he uttered, stunned. "You've done it. Well done, Mister Angel."
"Spare me the huzzahs, Dumbledore," Angel snapped, motioning to Kate, who lay twitching and shaking in Lindsey's arms. "I have a friend who needs healing."
His attention snapped to the ex-cop, who was in dire need of help. "What happened?" the wizard asked, more alert.
"Kindel," Angel replied, watching as Lindsey began scooping up Kate's body in his arms and cradling her close to him as he stood up frantically. "The Rune of Shadows's magic did this. She got struck with some kind of black magic knife-bolt thing. It's poisoning her. It's already starting to spread. She needs help. Now!"
Fray looked torn for a moment, wanting nothing more than to reach out and choke the life out of Walter Kindel with his own bare hands, and yet knowing that a brave young woman who helped this hero catch this monster would die without his help…
"Please!" Lindsey urged him, his eyes desperate and beseeching. "Listen, Mister Fray, I know how much you want to take everything out on this creep. I would, too. But Kate will die without help! She doesn't deserve this. She's…"
He swallowed, a lump in his throat starting to form. "She's a good person. Way better than me. Or Angel. Or any of us. She's worked her whole life to save others. Please…" Lindsey looked sadly to the beautiful woman who was suffering in his arms, gasping for air. "...save her."
Fray, moved, looked to Angel.
The soulful vampire gave the vengeful wizard a quiet plea. "Please…save my friend."
Coming to his senses, Fray nodded. "Quickly. Bring her to the other room. Now. Put her on the bed. I must work fast."
As Lindsey carried Kate's body into the other room, Angel looked at the Fray, still holding the little girl and the serial killer. "What do I do with…?"
Rolling his eyes in brief annoyance, Fray then waved his hand, and in an instant, the little girl was gone and Kindel was teleported into a similar bubble-like prison that held the others.
Alarmed, Angel looked around. "The girl! Where is…?"
"Safe," Fray assured her, looking focused. "She's in the room down the hall, I'm relaying telepathic messages to some staff I have on retainer. They'll tend to her while she recovers. In the meantime, I need assistance. Alasdair?"
With another wave of his hand, he set Whistler, Alasdair, and Drogyn free, the trio dropping on the floor as the bubbles around them popped.
Shaking his head, Whistler stood up. "Geez. Never gonna look at bubble gum the same way again," he muttered, annoyed.
Drogyn, picking up his warhammer, eyed Fray with baleful hate as he began to stalk towards him. "Damn you, wizard, I'll smash your head like a watermelon for this…!"
Swiftly, Angel got between the ages-old warrior and the powerful wizard. "Drogyn. Not now," he urged quietly. "I get it. I do. But we need his help. Just…take a moment. Woosah or something."
Drogyn scowled, but decided to heed Angel's plea, backing down.
The powerful Fray looked unthreatened even as he stared back at the legendary warrior. "Wise move, Battlebrand."
Drogyn merely glared back in reply.
Whistler walked over to Angel. "Thanks, champ. I owe you one."
Angel grimly nodded. To the archmage, he spoke. "Alasdair…can you help Fray with Kate?"
Alasdair nodded in understanding. "Of course."
Fray sighed, satisfied. "Excellent. Come, old friend. We have a young lady we need to save."
Frowning at Fray for a moment, Alasdair decided to put his annoyance at being imprisoned in a magical bubble aside for the moment to help their ally, following Fray into the other room.
Whistler took a look at Angel, his eyes full of concern. "You alright, Angel? You look pretty exhausted. Pale, even. Even for you."
Giving Whistler a tired side eye, Angel somehow still managed to smile for a moment. "I'll be better when Kate pulls through, but…yeah." He thought about the vision that pulled him out of his darkest moment in those shadows.
The vision of Buffy.
His Buffy. Always shining for him, a light to his eternal darkness.
He looked to Whistler, confiding something to his mentor with that same ghost of a smile as he thought of the woman he loved.
And how he was determined to get her back. "Yeah…I think I'm more alright now than I've been in a long time."
He chuckled a little, shaking his head, Buffy's beautiful face still shining brightly in his mind, his heart, his soul. "I guess you could say I've…finally seen the light."
To Be Continued…
Next: TOUCHED
With one crisis down and Kate on the mend, Angel receives another piece of the puzzle needed to help Buffy in the battle against The First Evil as the Awakening draws closer. But what will he think when he discovers Buffy's disappearance upon his return home?
As he wanders the streets alone, Connor stands on the razor's edge of sanity. Will one last push send him into a darkness from where even Dawn's love can't pull him back?
Meanwhile, Buffy is out, betrayed by her friends. Now, Faith takes the mantle of The Slayer as The Awakening ticks closer. But will she be enough to stop The First Evil? And what will become of Buffy?
A/N: Happy Halloween! I've already started writing the next chapters, more on the way soon! Special thanks to everyone who has been following along with comments, follows and those neat TV Tropes entries, you guys rock! Please read, follow and review (especially review)! More coming soon! Later!
Best,
Jean-theGuardian
