Part 8
SUNDAY MORNING
In the pre-dawn hours, Angel and Spike were the only beings in the house still awake. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn were upstairs asleep. Angel had graciously offered his spare room to Hannah. Kayla and Emma were spooned together tightly on the couch.
Wesley and Giles were curled up in recliners with open books resting on their chests. Xander, the driveling moron, was conked out on the floor in front of the television, finally asleep after two hours of watching God-awful infomercials.
The vampires sipped on cups on blood as they went through the perfunctory motion of flipping through demonology volumes and spell books. Willow had already found a mixture of herbs that should suit their purposes. Angel and Spike only continued to search because there was nothing better to do.
“You know,” Spike began. “Five years ago it didn’t bother me that I was up all night and asleep all day. I’m a vampire, it’s a part of nature. But once you start taking humans on as acquaintances, it sucks when it suddenly becomes clear that you keep different hours. Really fucks with the social life, doesn’t it?”
“Yup,” Angel agreed. “But then again, the human acquaintances that we keep aren’t normal. They have adapted to operate during the night.”
“True, but they are only human. They can’t do the night owl thing every night.” Spike sipped his blood as he considered his next comment. “Take Hannah for example. She doesn’t seem to be a big night operator.”
Angel quirked a brow at Spike’s comment. “Was that your attempt to snoop for information? Sad, very sad.”
“Well, excuse me. I’m not a teenage girl. The whole gossiping thing is harder for me to learn. Besides, I’m only wondering if the thing you have for Hannah is as big a thing as I think it is.”
“Wow, can you say that last sentence five times fast? Anyway, what business is it of yours?”
“Because Buffy, Willow, and Dawn wanted me to snoop for information. What? Don’t look at me like that. It’s obvious there is at least a schoolboy thing going on. You two looked like a couple of teenagers tonight. So what gives?”
Angel snapped the book he was reading shut. A look crossed his face that Spike rarely saw Angel or Angelus exhibit. It was confusion.
“It’d be a whole lot easier if you didn’t have Cordelia’s memory so fresh in your head wouldn’t it?” Angel agreed with that. “So how long ago was it that we said to Hell with women?” Angel slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. “Twenty four hours is it?”
“That sounds about right,” Angel chuckled. “Seems like neither of us held onto that very long. You’ve been doing a bit of flirting yourself.”
“Only to get a rise out of Buffy,” Spike assured. “Emma and Kayla are tasty looking chits, but my heart, no matter how shriveled and dead it is, belongs to another.”
“You’re a romantic bastard, that’s for sure.” Angel leaned in close and whispered, “I think you are getting a rise out of her.”
“Really? Good. Maybe if I get her riled enough she’ll try to beat me up. I’m in some need of a good piece of action.”
The window above the couch where Emma and Kayla rested shattered into thousands of pieces. The front door flew off its hinges and crashed into the hallway. Four dark blue demons came rushing through the openings. And right behind them was Merrick.
“Son of a bitch!” Angel snarled. He vamped out and barked to Spike. “Go protect Hannah! I’m ripping this asshole apart myself!”
A vamped out Spike streaked past a recently awakened Xander and Giles and headed for the stairs. He dodged a punch thrown by Frank and countered with a quick left-right combo that bought him to time to sneak past and up the stairs. Halfway up he saw Buffy rubbing sleep from her eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” she yawned.
“Stay up here!” Spike ordered as he ran past. “Protect Hannah! We’re under attack!”
The word ‘attack’ instantly brought Buffy back to the land of the waking and she followed Spike to Hannah’s room. “Willow! Dawn! In here now!” she shouted. Willow and Dawn stumbled from their room but dutifully obeyed the order.
Downstairs, Emma and Kayla wisely rolled onto the floor and crawled to the nearest corner. Neither was extremely proud of backing away from the fight, but then again, they knew exactly what they were up against.
Merrick smirked slyly at Angel. Over his shoulder he said to his lackeys, “Go upstairs and fetch my girl. I can handle this.” The four Dumont demons obeyed and moved in force up the stairs. Turning back to Angel he said, “So we meet again. Long time no…”
Merrick was interrupted when Giles drilled him in the back of the head with a table lamp. The demon only looked annoyed when he executed a spinning heel kick that connected square in Giles’ gut. The Englishman was sent flying through the shattered window and landed in a broken heap on the lawn.
That didn’t stop Xander and Wesley from attempting their own futile attack. They each latched onto one of Merrick’s arms and tried to drag him down. Merrick slung them both away like rag dolls. Wesley crashed into the wall and left his impression in the plaster. Xander was thrown into the kitchen and skidded to a rest on the island counter.
And the only one left standing was Angel.
Merrick continued to smirk at the vampire as he smoothed his wrinkled shirt. “As I was saying before your…chums interrupted me. Been a long time Angel. How have you been? Tell me, in all these years, did you ever think about me?”
“No,” Angel snarled. “Hate to break it to you, Merrick, but your extraordinarily bland personality makes you an extremely forgettable being.” Angel’s vampire face twisted into a malicious smile. “I’m going to love kicking your ass.”
Merrick laughed. “Poor deluded vampire. You speak as if you’re a teenage boy who thinks he can finally beat father in a wrestling match. Let me assure you, boy, that you will never be man enough to take me on.”
The fight was on.
With a quick sweep of the arm Angel sent the books resting on the table flying towards Merrick. Angel was able to seize the initial advantage when Merrick ducked to avoid the projectiles. As Angel rushed into action he grabbed a tall standing lamp and wielded it like a staff.
In a quick and brutal motion, Angel brought the base of the lamp crashing into Merrick’s chin. He performed an expert pirouette and slammed the lamp into Merrick’s nose. The demon reeled backwards. Battle experience taught Angel to press the advantage, and that is precisely what he did.
A fierce downward motion sent Merrick falling to his knees. A fluid upward stroke had Merrick thrown backward and flat on his back. Less than a second later, Angel was bringing the base of the lamp down in an arc, intent on crushing Merrick’s skull. He would end it here.
But Angel’s heart sank when he didn’t hear the sickening thud of a broken skull. His eyes went wide when he realized that Merrick caught the lamp at the last instant.
“Bored…now,” Merrick gritted.
Angel screamed in pain when the lamp was sent crashing back into his face. The light bulb shattered and the shards of glass imbedded deep in the ridges of his vampiric visage. With a deft leap, Merrick was back on his feet.
He calmly wiped the blood from his nose and then adjusted his crumpled clothing. “Angel, Angel, Angel,” Merrick taunted. “You’ve been a been a bad little boy. Daddy’s gonna have to give you a beating.”
***
When Angelus awoke, he found himself alone in a strange building. Looking around, he noticed a long sword resting a few feet away. He looked down and noticed that he was wearing a horrendous looking burgundy shirt. Soul boy never had much fashion sense.
Angelus slowly stood and took a few steps over to the sword. He bent over and took it in his hand. It felt light in his grip. It felt good. And while Angelus never much cared for the whole ‘fighting the good fight crap’, he certainly didn’t mind a little bloodshed now and again.
He gazed around the warehouse and spotted one of the cameras that the humans would be watching the fight from. Angelus grinned and flicked off the camera. “Fucking humans.”
The jovial mood for Angeles didn’t evaporate even when the Beast beat down the front entrance. If anything, it only heightened his hyperactivity.
“Hey there, asswipe! Guess you’re here for the bitch and the baby? They ain’t here. Seems they vamoosed while I had my little nap. But don’t worry. I’m here. You and me can have a lot of fun.”
The Beast marched forward slowly. His cloven feet echoed loudly in the spacious warehouse. It stopped when it stood ten feet from Angelus. “Where…is…the child?” he growled.
Angelus scratched his temple and waved the sword at the Beast. “You see, there in lies the problem. I do know where the little rugrat is. It’s still all tucked away in mommy’s belly. But as I said, there is a problem with all that. I know you think the kid is gonna be some soldier or prophet that you can use in your little endeavors, and honestly, I don’t care about the little shit myself. But the thing is, I got a soft spot for the girl. Soulless or not, I want to jump the chit’s bones and keep her happy. The way I see it, the kid will make her happy. You understand what I’m saying?”
“I…want…the child,” the Beast rumbled once more.
Angelus sighed at the apparent lack of communication. “I’m taking that as a no. Damn. That’s the problem when talking with demons of the underworld. Much of the dialogue gets misinterpreted in the translation. Okay. Let’s try something simpler. Do you understand the phrase ‘fight to the death’?”
The Beast’s face twisted in what looked like a smile.
“Well,” Angelus drawled. “There’s hope for us yet. Now what say we get it on?”
***
Spike and Buffy tried desperately to find whatever footing they could manage. Shoulders pressed against the door, both knew damn well that if the blue guys got through they probably couldn’t hold them off.
“Willow!” Buffy grunted. “Feeling any protection spells brewing in that head of yours?”
“You mean something that would keep any bad demons from storming into the room? Sure, but I would need some certain herbs that are presently located in my bedroom.”
“Do we have any bloody weapons in here?” Spike shouted. Willow shook her head in the negative. “Wonderful! We picked the one bedroom in the house we can’t defend ourselves in. Hell, at least in Dawn’s room we could beat them back with N’Sync action figures.”
Dawn looked angry for a moment. “You would not touch my Justin figure!”
A final crash sent Buffy and Spike reeling backwards. The bedroom door came off the hinges and the four Dumont demons came rushing through. They immediately made a beeline for Hannah, but they paused a moment when Lenny was knocked down by Dawn performing a superb high-kick.
The hesitation was enough for Buffy and Spike to return to their feet and join the fight. Hannah just gaped in awe of Dawn and murmured, “You go girl.”
The battle quickly deteriorated. The lack of hand-to-hand battle experience on the part of Dawn and Willow proved pivotal. Lenny and Keith soon won those fights and were able to help Bruce and Frank.
Spike was the first to fall. He was delivering some fierce jab combinations to Bruce before he was drilled from behind. And no matter how good Buffy was, she wasn’t able to win the four on one. Beaten and bloody, Buffy was tossed away and collapsed in the corner.
Frank smiled when the final opposition was disposed off. “Well, darling,” he said to Hannah, “it looks like you’re coming with us.”
Hannah backpedaled as Frank charged at her. A hard right hook was the last thing she saw before her world went dark.
***
Angel kneeled on the floor coughing up blood. He slowly reached up to his chest and pulled the knife out. He knew his lung was punctured, not only from the knife, but also from the several ribs that he knew were broken. He felt the crack of a couple more break when Merrick kicked him. The blow sent him flying against the wall.
“Still feeling smug, Angel? Still going to enjoy beating my ass?” Angel’s response was to throw up the remnants of the three slices of pizza he had the night before. Merrick crouched down beside the vampire. “You put up a good fight, Angel. Well, not really, but it felt like the thing to say.” He gripped Angel around the neck and pulled him to his feet. Angel’s eyes were glossed over with pain. Merrick loved it.
“Go ahead,” Angel spat. “Fucking kill me. I’ve been to Hell once and came back. I’ll do it again and I swear by God I’ll hunt you and put you down like the dog you are.”
Merrick was amused. “Defiant even in the moment of total defeat. That would be incredibly charming and noble under any other circumstance. But it isn’t here. Instead, I’m just going to rape your little bitch, and you will live knowing you couldn’t protect this one. You must understand, Angel. I’m not going to kill you. Where is the fun in that?”
“Hey boss! We got your girl!” Merrick turned and saw the Dumont demons standing by the front door. Frank had an unconscious Hannah tossed over his shoulder.
“Excellent!” Merrick loosed his grip on Angel and the vampire fell limply to the ground. “It’s been fun, it really has, Angel. We must do it again.”
Angel could only watch as Hannah was taken away. He had let her down. And now, as the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon, Angel feared that his latest failure would be one he couldn’t live with.
***
In the pre-dawn hours, Cordelia found herself in the Angel Investigations office digging around Gunn’s desk. She had hoped to do this task earlier, but Gunn and Fred had only gone to bed, in separate rooms now, less than an hour ago. Gunn was gone all night on assignment while Fred had manned the desk. But now that they were gone, Cordelia was free to do her business.
“I know that you’re around here somewhere,” she grumbled. Cordelia sat at Gunn’s desk and rooted through all of the drawers. “I know he leaves it down here at night, so where the bloody hell is it?” She turned her focus to the desk surface and shuffled a few files out of the way. She finally noticed a lump beneath Gunn’s latest issue of Playboy.
“We’re going to have a talk about the porno,” Cordelia said. She didn’t want this stuff in the office. It wouldn’t give a good impression if a customer saw it. Cordelia glanced briefly at Miss April’s cover photo before tossing it aside. She then grabbed the cell phone that had been beneath it and pressed power.
She found the menu that catalogued received calls and scrolled through it. Cordelia calculated when it was Gunn would have spoken to Wesley. She figured around two in the afternoon. Looking at the list, she didn’t find Wesley’s cell number. Exiting that menu, Cordelia then entered the outgoing calls menu.
“Eureka!” Gunn called Wesley at a quarter after two the previous afternoon. Cordelia reached across the desk and grabbed the phone book. She found the number for the twenty-four hour help line that Gunn’s cell phone company had. Picking up the desk phone, Cordelia dialed the number.
“Pacific Wireless. This is Linda. How may I help you?”
“Yes, I’m trying to locate where an outgoing call was received at.”
“I can find that for you. What is the number of your phone?”
“555-5183.”
“Uh huh.” Cordelia could hear the sounds of typing in the background. “This number is listed to a Charles Gunn.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t sound like a man,” Linda observed. “I can’t give out the information to unauthorized users.”
Shit, Cordelia thought. She had hoped this would be easy. Well, time to turn on the acting switch.
“Yeah,” Cordelia drawled. “I really need to know that information. Charles is my boyfriend. I recently gave birth to our first child.” Cordelia added a few fake tears to increase the effect. “I’ve been a little slow in losing my pregnancy weight. I get the feeling he isn’t as attracted to me anymore. I think that he’s found another woman to keep him…occupied. I’ve noticed he’s been making some private phone calls, and when I checked his cell I found a strange number listed. The call was placed at two-fifteen yesterday afternoon. Please, from one woman to another, can you help me? ”
Cordelia could hear Linda’s resolve break. The fact that she would never win an Oscar was a tragedy.
“Okay,” Linda relented. “The call was received in a town called Sunnydale.”
Sunnydale? Well son of a bitch. “Thank you, Linda. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I’m sorry about your plight. Men are all the same. They only have one thing on their minds.”
“I don’t know,” Cordelia answered. “From what I’ve heard, there are actually a few good guys in the world.”
“Really? Then I hope you find him, because I sure haven’t.”
“Thank you again, Linda. Goodbye.” Cordelia hung up the phone and whispered softly, “I hope I find him, too.”
“Cordy?” Cordelia started at the voice. Gunn stood in the center of the lobby rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What are you doing down here? It’s five-thirty.”
Cordelia quickly improvised and scooped the files from Gunn’s desk into her arms. “I had some trouble sleeping. Thought I’d do some filing. Do you really think I can trust you or Fred to do it right?”
“Actually, Faith has been doing the filing the past few weeks. But she, like the rest of humanity, is asleep at this ungodly hour. Now put the files down and get your white ass up to bed.”
“Fine.” Cordelia put the files down and allowed Gunn to lead her back up to bed. She had hoped to make her getaway now, but decided to play along. After all, she had switched the pills in case she needed a contingency plan. “So,” Cordelia started, “is Faith coming into work today?”
“No,” Gunn said sleepily. “Why do you ask?”
Cordelia shrugged innocently. “No reason.”
