Chapter Five:
“So where are we going?”
“Seattle, Washington,” answered the watcher.
“What’s in Seattle, except rain and coffee? Hey, how did I know that?”
“Your general memory is intact, just not the specifics. Trauma, you know.”
“Oh, damn.”
Brian smiled. “Anyway, there is another Immortal in Seattle. He can help you get accustomed to being an Immortal.”
“Won’t he want my head,” she asked, remembering what the watcher had told her about the gathering. She still couldn’t believe
it all.
“No, not Duncan Macleod, he will help you.” I hope, the watcher thought.
“Okay, Seattle it is… Hey, stop here,” she yelled.
“What?” he cried swerving the vehicle.
“The motel, a motel has a shower and I am not going any further smelling like this,” she stated. “Oh and see if they have anything else for to me wear. These are gross.” She looked at her dirty clothes. “And not too trashy, though I guess, I can’t be to choosy right now, can I,” she whined after the young man going into the clerk’s office.
Cordelia waited impatiently for the watcher’s return. Once she knew that she was close to getting into a hot shower, she started to itch at the feel of her clothes. “It took you long enough…ewww, what’s this?” She held up a small piece of gold lame.
“I think it’s suppose to be a dress…it’s all she had,” he said apologetically to the stricken girl.
“This dying things sucks,” she huffed grabbing the motel room key.
Brian waited until he heard the water run. Then he made a phone call that he knew was long overdue.
“Duncan”, he said to the voice that answered, then proceeded to tell the immortal the lie that he told Cordelia.
Chapter Six:
Cordelia let the hot spray of water wash over her. She leaned back amazed and frightened at all that had happened.
Who was she? Did she have any family? Were they worried about her? Should she try to find out? She thought about what the watcher had said. Caroline Ford was dead or so that’s what the person who killed her thought.
It would be safer to remain dead. That way she wouldn’t be exposed as an immortal. She guessed he was right. So Caroline Ford was dead, and Carol Tempo was alive. She would live forever, she said to herself.
That’s until some other immortal chopped off her head, she added. How much weirder could her life get, she grumbled. With that not so pleasant thought she grabbed the shampoo and proceeded to wash her hair for the fifth time. Finally, feeling clean, she walked into the motel room wrapped in a large towel.
Brian stared at the beautiful immortal. Her skin was glowing from the hot water and her dark hair cascaded down her back. Brian finally admitted that he might be doing what he was doing for less than selfless reasons. Oh shit, he thought, he was falling for her.
He shook the thought from his mind. He was her watcher and while he had broken a lot of rules in the recent past, he wasn’t going to break that one. Brian was lying to protect her. The vampire was dangerous to her, he justified.
Cordelia was oblivious to Brian’s stare as she held the short dress up. She shook her head and went back into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she came out dressed.
“Give me your jacket,” she demanded, as she tried in disgust to pull up and pull down the tight, gold lame tube dress. Feeling better with the jacket on, she looked around for her shoes. She saw he ruined black leather boots and the shoes that Brian had gotten with the dress. “I can’t wear those,” she whined pointing to the 6inch gold sparkled platforms.
“They’re not that bad.” This lying thing is getting easier, he thought. “We have to go, Duncan is expecting us.” Cordelia followed him out of the motel barefoot holding the offending shoes gingerly in one hand.
Chapter Seven:
Finally it was over. The rage of Angelus was gone, leaving Angel only with the feelings of loss and despair. Wesley quietly sat beside him in the car.
They hadn’t spoken since Lindsay McDonald died. Since, Angelus tortured him to death, Angel amended. His soul was still intact, but Angel didn’t feel guilty about the pain the demon put the lawyer through before finally breaking his neck.
Angel smiled slightly at the memory of hearing Lindsay’s neck snap. Stupid man, did he really think he could kill Cordelia and not suffer the consequences? Angel was glad that the lawyer was dead. Angel looked over at his friend.
He knew that Wesley was stunned at all of the things that Angelus did to the young lawyer. Angel knew that once Cordelia’s death and the horror of watching his demon torture someone impacted the former watcher, he would leave in disgust.
Wesley turned to Angel. “I don’t feel in the least bit guilty about Lindsay. What Angelus did was horrible, but what that bastard did was worse. He took Cordelia away from us and for that he deserved to die the way he did. So, Angel, thank you for allowing Angelus free reign. Just don’t make it a habit,” the former watcher said with a sad smile. Angel returned the smile.
Neither said anything else as they pulled up to the office-apartment.
Angel was at a loss as to what to do. He now knew that Wesley wouldn’t leave and he was grateful. But could he go on, knowing that he hadn’t saved Cordelia. She had been the one person who had understood him, who made his undead life brighter.
He didn’t know how he could go on.
Part Two:
Chapter Eight:
Brian grew more and more confident that he had made the right decision. Cordelia, or rather Carol, the name she picked out, was getting stronger everyday. Yes, Brian reassured himself, he was right to keep her past life from her and …from Duncan.
He felt some doubt about lying to the other Immortal. But he wasn’t sure that the older immortal would improve. No, he thought with conviction, Cor…Carol didn’t need to go back to her previous life as a demon hunter or to her association with the vampire. That’s what got her killed in the first place. She would have enough to deal with fighting the immortals that came for her head.
“Carol, concentrate, move to the left”. Brian heard Duncan yell. He looked at the two immortals engaged in a sword fight in front of him. Brian was pleased at how Carol seemed to be holding her own against the 400-year-old immortal. He knew that Duncan was also surprised and pleased at her progress.
“Damn it old man, I am exhausted,” complained the young immortal. Cordelia adjusted her stance and lunged at Duncan. The Highlander just laughed and blocked her blow. With a groan of disgust, Cordelia feigned to the right, and kicked out with her left leg. Duncan staggered as he felt the blow to his kneecap. Cordelia took the advantage, and brought her left fist up to his kidney. Duncan fell to the ground with a grunt. Cordelia stood over him, the point of her sword to his neck.
“Now, can we stop?”
Duncan groaned louder, even though the pain of the hits had already subsided.
“Well done.”
Cordelia looked surprised at the older immortal’s compliment. “Hey, watcher-boy, did you hear that, the old guy actually said I did well,” she laughed with pleasure. “Shower time, then how about some lunch?” Going into the other room without waiting for an answer from the two men.
“She really is getting quite good,” Brian commented to Duncan, who was putting up his weapon.
“Yes, she has already been trained some and she is a quick study. Are you sure that you don’t know anything about her history?” Duncan turned to stare at the young watcher. Duncan watched as a slight blush came to the young man’s face.
“No, I mean I don’t…I told you all I know.”
“Which was next to nothing,” answered the Highlander. Duncan didn’t believe the young watcher. He was hiding something. “I am a little worried, Carol hasn’t been getting much sleep lately. She has been having nightmares again.” Mac explained, changing the subject.
“I thought the dreams of her experience drowning had stopped. She told me they had stopped,” Brian said with concern.
“They have. These are new, that’s what has me worried.”
***
Cordelia was in the bathtub, soaking her aching muscles. Well not aching, since her healing abilities alleviated the pain almost immediately. But they should be aching, she thought in wonder.
It had been over three months, since she had arrived in Seattle with Brian. She thought about her condition when she first met Duncan Macleod. She had been physically fine, but mentally she had been a basket case. She had tried to hide how she felt but she had been frightened of her experience and frightened that she didn’t remember anything prior to her drownings. She shuddered at that memory.
That was definitely one memory she wished she had forgotten. But, at least the nightmares of the continual watery deaths had stopped, she thought gratefully. And, she had come to accept that the other memories of her past life were gone.
But the new nightmares she was having, she didn’t get them. They scared the hell out of her. They were images of horrible evil things, demons and monsters, worthy of Stephen King. Though, she admitted to herself, there was this one vampire that kept showing up that was decidedly sexy.
A sexy vampire, she laughed in disbelief. Cordelia hadn’t told either Duncan or Brian about the contents of the new dreams. They would think she was crazy.
She was beginning to think she was going crazy, now that the dreams were also occurring during her waking hours. And the daytime nightmares were worse than the others. They were more vivid. She could hear the screams of the victims that were being attacked by evil creatures.
A piercing pain would slice through her brain, as the pictures of the violence would parade through her mind. The pain would immediately recede once the images stopped, but a tremendous need to help those victims would remain.
Cordelia was getting nervous about her mental state. She had already lost her memories. She didn’t need to lose the rest of her mind too, she thought in disgust, as she got out of the tub.