Part 50
“Wow, there’s a lot a people out on Saturday afternoon,” Fred hung over the passenger car door, taking in the sight of people milling along the promenade.
She frowned and looked towards both Duncan and Methos. “I guess you’ll knew that, uh, maybe, I don’t know, I should get out more.” She bit her lip in a self-depreciating gesture. “Still little nervous, I guess,” she shrugged apologetically.
Methos leaned up. “Fred, when you’re ready, you’ll be fine and you’re getting close, aren’t you. You’re out now.” He said encouragingly.
“Yeah, I am.” She smiled tentatively. “I am.” She said with more confidence. “I’ve never been in a magic book shop before, they don’t have that in Texas. I never even believed magic existed,” she shrugged, and giggled with more self-deprecation.
“Whoa, silly me.” She laughed, looking back out at the various people walking about. “They don’t even know that’s so mind boggling. More so than Imaginary Time, which was pretty mind boggling before I just had to accept that time could be measured by using imaginary numbers- imaginary numbers- magic, you just have to accept some things.“ Fred looked straight at Methos.
“Do you think that I’ll figure this all out? I want to, I want to help Angel, Cordy, Wesley and Gunn, they all are so brave, I want to be like them.”
Methos smiled gently. “You already are, Fred.”
Fred gave a quirky unsure smile and leaned back out the window.
***
“Wow, this doesn’t look like any magic shop that I know of, well, I don’t know any but still I thought, I don’t know, maybe it would be darker, more something, you know, dark stuff, eerie lights, spooky, this looks like a cross from the Barnes and Noble and the general store in my home town. I would’ve never known, well, except for that,” Fred pointed to the small symbol discreetly in the corner of the glass window.
“I recognized that, it’s on all the bags Wesley brings home, it’s a sign that it’s an occult shop, a real one, not a tourist one.” Fred nodded happily that she saw something she felt comfortable with.
Duncan was the first to react, jerking as a bullet hit him in the chest. Methos turned at the loud bang moving in front of Fred, the book secure under his arm. He was pushed back the one bullet turned into a burst of fire, shards of glass flying out and around them. Methos flinched as two bullets hit him, one in the leg the other the stomach, he swirled around grabbing Fred, throwing her on the ground and covering her with his body.
Fred’s scream choked in her throat as she slammed her hands over her ears to keep the repetitive loud sounds out of her head. She squeezed her eyes against her tears as Methos’ body covered hers, jerking and jumping at each earsplitting blast. Fred wanted to scream, but Pylea had taught her to keep quiet.
She flinched as she felt warm liquid saturating her back. She tried to open her eyes. Fred immediately closed them as she saw figures in black approach, weapons in hand.
Where were the police? Where was someone? Anyone? She opened her eyes peeking under Methos dead weighted arm that covered her head. Numbers. Fred concentrated on the license plate of the van that sped off with the shooters and the book as Methos’ dead weight pushed her into the concrete and into unconsciousness.
Part 51
“How much longer, Jesus, did Gabby map out to the other side of town.” Gunn groaned as he pulled up a muck-coated boot. “Don’t see why we couldn’t have drove.”
Cordelia slumped her shoulders spinning to face the black man, her brows at a dangerous Angel. “Daylight, hero dust, burnt to a crisp. DUH.”
”I get it, back up, evil woman,” Gunn raised both hands in front of him. “I’m just saying us daylight folks could’ve taken the car, vamp guy could enjoyed the wonders of the sewer.”
Wesley stepped up, pushing Cordelia behind him. “That’s not quite accurate, Charles, Gabriel’s map is best understood from this position.” Wesley pointed to the mess of paper he held before him.
“Yeah, but where next, the boy, is a dead boy if we keep wandering the sewers.”
“Don’t say that, we’ll find him.” Cordy twirled fixing Gunn with a true lethal glare.
“Okay,” Gunn backed up. “Wes, where next?”
“From the map, that way,” he pointed to the left.
In a group Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia and Angel, surged forward, Angel taking the lead.
***
The group entered a wide convergence in the sewer tunnels. They all looked to the various choices of paths to take.
“Okay, which behind the door,” Gunn raised his axe.
Angel jerked his head, pulling out his sword. “All of them.” He swung as vampires poured from every opening.
“Shit.” Gunn swung his sharpened fine point bat, banging and pushing at the attacking vampires.
Wesley expertly pulled out a crossbow shooting and automatically replenishing the weapon quickly.
Cordelia’s sword was out, swinging and taking heads, she jumped back as dust settled around her feet.
Angel moved his sword was gone for now, it had a vampire speared to the sewer wall. He moved quickly, dusting the two before him, a stake in both demons’ dead heart. He turned, grabbing his sword, as the vampire fell to the ground, Angel swiped at the vampires’ neck, and more dust fell on him.
Angel took a second, focusing on Cordelia. She was battling two vampires. Their attacks kept at bay by her sword. Angel ran grabbing one and ripping the other’s head from his shoulder. Cordy yelled as more vampires crowded her.
“Angel, Wesley.” She yelled pushing at the ugly demon that was in her face. “Angel,” she yelled as she was dragged out of the fight. Cordy tried, but the blow that smacked her, was causing her head to vibrate.
Part 52
Momentarily dazed, Cordelia couldn’t resist the vampires that were dragging her deeper into the tunnel away from her friends.
Angel swung his leg in a high arch, his boot impacted on the chest of a vampire that was separating him from Cordelia, knocking the demon against the wall.
“Shit, this a few?” Gunn grumbled spearing an attacking vampire. “Where’s the kid?”
Wesley concentrated on loading his cross bow not answering.
Angel growled, leaping over another vampire that blocked his path to Cordelia. Angel’s mind rang with the sound of the blow that the demon inflicted on the young woman, his rage fueling his jump.
He grabbed the nearest vampire, breaking the arm that was holding Cordelia.
“Cordy?”
The young woman blinked away her haze as the pain of her head injury disappeared. “I’m fine.” She elbowed the remaining vampire that was gripping her other arm.
Angel swung the staggered vampire around, plunging the stake that appeared from the sleeve of his coat.
“Thanks,” Cordy smiled. “Guess, I still need you to save me, uh?”
Angel shook his head, gently cupping her chin. “I always will.”
Cordelia grin disappeared as she pointed over Angel’s shoulder. “The boy.”
Angel saw the child at the same time as Gunn. Both started to run as more vampires converged on the crying, scrambling child.
Cordelia scanned the floor of the sewer grabbing up her fallen sword, heading towards the boy. “Wesley.”
The man nodded pointing his crossbow, shooting the vampire nearest to the child.
“Where are they all coming from,” Cordy yelled as she was knocked to the ground by a vampire that dropped from an over hang along the ceiling. “Wes,” she screamed as she kicked at the vampire that was pulling her along the ground. Her fists joined her feet, smacking at the vampire trying to get back to Wesley.
Wesley was engaged in his own close quarters fighting as another vampire dropped from the ceiling.
“No.” Cordy yelled, in panic as the vampire swung Wesley around exposing his neck.
Cordelia screamed again as more vampires appeared yanking her further away.
“Shit.” Gunn grunted looking over his shoulder and plunging his large stake into a vampire.
Angel jerked, cracking the neck of the vampire he was holding.
“Angel, I’ll get the boy,” Gunn urged the vampire towards Wesley.
“Where’s he going? Hey, kid.” Gunn watched as the striped t-shirt of the child vanished around the bend. Gunn shrugged, the kid was alive, healthy, running, and no vamps were following. He turned his attention to his friends.
Gunn took off in a run as Wesley’s body shook in spasms under the power of the vampire sucking him dead.
Angel leapt shooting his feet forward impacting with the vampire’s head. The demon jerked back as Gunn scrambled on his knees towards the fallen man “Wes, Come on Wes, man, come on,” Gunn pulled at his friend.
Angel dropped the vampire that he was about to decapitate. “Where is Cordelia?”
Gunn cradled an injured Wesley close. “Shit.” His hand clapped over the blood spurting from his friend’s neck wound.
“Get him out of here, to a hospital.” Angel picked up Cordelia’s abandoned sword, disappearing into the depths of the sewers following the scent of Cordy and her abductors.
Part 53
Walter counted to twenty then counted again at the silence. He peered out from his hiding place under the counter feeling fairly confident that the shooting finally stopped.
“What the hell?” He looked disgusted at the damaged glass plane window. Guns, bullets weren’t the norm at all. Sure, he had his share of rambunctious demons, but guns. He shook his head. What was the world coming too?
He groaned peering through the broken window. Dead people. Dead human people. Walter groaned again, dead humans meant police, police meant loss of money, no customers would want to come with the police asking a bunch of questions.
Walter blinked. Okay, now he had questions. But at least maybe there would be no police.
Walter watched as the both supposedly dead men moved, slowly getting to their feet, blood and bullet holes peppered their shirts and coats.
“Fred.” Methos quickly bent down brushing at the unconscious young woman’s hair.
“Is she alright?” Duncan knelt down.
Methos searched for injuries. “Not shot. Unconscious. Fred.” He called again.
Walter slunk back into the store. Just great, just great. Those were the same men that had questioned him about Cordelia Chase and wasn’t Fred the name of the other human female under Angel’s protection.
He could have sworn that was what he heard. Walter groaned thinking about migrating to Arizona, it was sunny there. He just knew somehow the vampire would blame him.
***
Duncan and Methos breathed sighs of relief as Fred moved and moaned.
Methos helped her up to a seated position. Fred straightened her glasses. “Were we just shot at?” She asked shakily. Her eyes widened as she saw the blood on the Immortals’ clothing. “Oh my god, you both were shot? Are you…?”
“We’re fine. Immortals remember.” Methos smiled.
“Right. Wow,” her eyes widened again on Methos. “You saved me.”
Methos stood, holding out his hand for the young woman. “Don’t look at me like that young lady, I’m not a hero, I just needed someone to fall on.”
Fred narrowed her eyes. “You did TOO save me.”
Duncan smiled as his friend fidgeted under the young woman’s awed gaze.
Methos shook his head, scanning the ground. “The book.”
Fred shook her head up and down frantically. “The men who shot us, they took it, I saw it, drove away in a black van, not the book, but the men with the book.”
“Little overkill to steal a book.” Methos looked around at all the damage.
“I suggest we take this conversation away from here, before we have to explain why we’re not dead or we both will end up on tabloid cover.”
Part 54
Lindsay tossed the book on Lilah’s desk.
She reached for the text. “This is what’s so important?”
Lindsay shrugged. “It’s a spell book.”
Lilah flipped through the pages. “Which one has our Immortal so interested?”
“Inconveniently none had a big red X exclaiming read me, read me.”
Lilah rolled her eyes. “Any problems?”
“Nope, just another example of city violence- luckily no deaths or reportable ones anyway. What about the vision?”
“Not quite so successful. Cordelia Chase was taken but it seems Wyndham-Price may still live.” She shrugged. “But we have the book, live or die, he won’t using that research brain of his on it. Though, I wouldn’t mind knowing just what he was reading.”
Lindsay picked the book back up. “I said there wasn’t a big red X, but there is this,” He opened the book showing coffee ruined pages.
Lilah grabbed at the text. “Get it to research, they may be able to do something with it.”
“I thought our partner wanted it.”
“Funny, how you don’t always get what you want. We need to know what’s going on. I don’t trust her.”
“You don’t trust anyone.”
“And you do?” Lilah scoffed.
Lindsay nodded conceding her point. “I assume that we have Cordelia then.”
“I told our men to keep her safely under lock and key. The Immortal will get her when we know exactly why she wants her.” Lilah paused and answered the shrilling of her phone.
Lilah listened getting more agitated. “Christ. Find her.” Lilah slammed the phone down. “The team sent to intercept the vampires has been compromised.”
“Angel?”
“Good guess, but no, it seems our Immortal doesn’t trust us either. Took a few heads and Cordelia.”
Lindsay picked up the book. “I think I’ll just hurry this down to research while you handle your little problem.”
“Our problem, our problem,” Lilah called after him. “Don’t forget this is both our asses.”
Lindsay waved the book and kept walking.
Part 55
Duncan stripped off his jacket throwing it on the couch. Methos mimicked his actions. “Fred?”
The young woman winced as she peered at her hand. “I think I got a splinter of glass,” she held out her hand.
Methos studied the young woman’s palm. “Yep, do you have any tweezers around here.”
“First aid kit. It stings a little.”
“Come on.”
“I’m okay. You probably think I’m a baby, whining about a tiny piece of glass after you just have been shot to death. That had to have hurt. Are you sure you’re all right.”
“Yes. Just in dire need of a shirt change and a new jacket. But first, let’s get you all healed.”
Duncan’s bemusement at Metho’s rare show of concern for anyone other than himself was interrupted as the front door burst opened and Gunn straggled in holding up Wesley.
“Jesus, what happened?” Duncan hurried to help Gunn.
“Vamp bit him.”
“Oh god, Wesley.” Fred ran up to the men. “Charles, put him on the couch, hurry. Shouldn’t he be in the hospital?”
Wesley groaned. “I’ll be okay, the bleeding has stopped. Fred, perhaps you could get me some bandages?”
“Oh god, of course.” Fred ran to get the first aid kit.
Gabriel paused on the bottom steps, her wide eyes blinking, and hands clasped over her ample chest. “Oh, what happened? Wesley,” she cried her blue eye’s tearing up. “Is he going to die?” Gabriel started to sob.
“Of course, he’s not dying.” Fred glared running past Gabriel back to Wesley a roll of bandages in her hand. She started pulling long strips of gauze. “Cordy, usually does this,” she muttered nervously.
Duncan looked around. “Where is Cordy?”
Gunn flopped down on the seat next to Wesley. “The vamps took her. Angel went after them.”
Methos frowned. “Took her, not bit her.”
Gunn shrugged. “I don’t get it” he shot a look towards Gabriel. “It was more than a few, girl. The place was crawling with vamps.”
Gabriel sniffled. “It wasn’t my fault, I only can tell you what I see. I only saw a few.” She whined.
“The boy?” Fred bit her lips.
“Escaped, the blood suckers seemed more interested in getting Cordy and snacking on Wes.” Gun shook his head. “Don’t get it, man,” the black man repeated, rubbing his smooth head in frustration. He stopped as she noticed Duncan’s bloodied shirt and then Methos’. “What the hell happened to you?”
“We were shot outside Walter’s and the book stolen.”
Wesley and Gunn’s eyes went directly to Fred. “Are you all right?” They both asked.
Fred nodded. “Methos saved me, threw me down, covered me with his body. He died, they both did. How’s that Wesley?” She gently smoothed the tape over the gauze securing the bandage to his throat.
Wesley nodded. “Perfect.”
“Do you need anything else, aspirin, food, don’t they give crackers to people that donate blood?”
“I’ll be fine.” Wesley tried to stand. Gunn caught him as he started to fall. “Man, stay down.”
“No, I need to get to my office.” Wesley took a deep breath.
“Wesley, Charles is right, you should lie down.” Fred chewed worriedly at her lips.
Wesley shook his head, stopping when his gaze landed on the Immortals. “Where’s Cassandra?”
“What?” Duncan asked in surprised.
Methos let out a loud breath. “Damn.”
Wesley glared at the man. “Yes, damn. You should’ve come to me sooner. Cordelia’s life is in danger. If anything happens to her….”
“Whoa, Wes, what loop are we out of.”
“Wes.” A deep restrained voice penetrated the room.
“Angel,” Gabriel ran up, brushing at her tears. “I was so worried about you.”
Angel didn’t acknowledge the woman except to push her away. “Wesley, what do you know?”
“Cordy?” Fred asked, yanking at Gabriel keeping her at arms length from the vampire.
“I lost her,” the words choked in Angel’s throat. Rage forced Angel motionless. “Wesley, what do you know, will it find her? I need to find her.”
“I…” Wesley closed his eyes briefly at the need exposed in Angel’s dark gaze. “We need to find Cassandra, where is she?” He asked the Immortal’s again.
“What does…?”
Methos interrupted Duncan and faced Wesley. “We don’t know. Duncan asked Joe to find her watcher. He hasn’t called yet.”
Wesley took a step closer to the Immortal, his voice tense. “You called Dawson, you should’ve come to me. I AM Cordelia’s watcher, I’ve access to the same information.”
Methos shrugged.
Wesley swayed as he turned too quickly. “Wes.” Gunn lent an arm to steady his friend.
Wesley nodded his thanks. “My office.”
Angel resisted his urge to grab the injured man by the shirt and shake some answers out of the watcher. But, Angel recognized the need for patience; Wesley was preparing to tell what he knew. Angel just hoped that whatever Wesley had to say gave him the ability to find Cordelia and a responsible party to kill.