Part 4
THE PIT (Where we left off)
The pain had been beyond incredible, impossible even. So much so that it’d crowded everything else out until finally, blessedly cancelling itself out as well. Then he felt nothing for a while. Until suddenly it was back, sharp and searing. His eyes were shut but he still saw the red haze of pain – like blood.
“Kick him again”, said Drachnar to the heavily muscled guard. A heavy foot thudded into the fallen vampire again, aimed straight at the vicious wounds on the chest and body. Nothing – no response this time, not even a moan of pain.
Angel felt it, but he was too far gone for it to reach him properly. He floated in and out of awareness – even vampires can let go and just float away when the body became unbearable to be inside. That’s what happened here. He heard voices but only snatches – sounding as if they were underwater and almost impossible to understand.
“Put them back ……. in ……… her ……… survive ………… next ……. round”, there was laughter and then a single last word that filtered into his head, “…hours”.
Angel and Wesley were dragged up from the pit by their arms. Drachnar watched as the rope was tied to their wrists so that their bodies, unconscious not dead, could be hauled up the stone walls.
He turned to one of guards still down in the pit with him, “maybe he’ll eat her”. He smiled grimly at the thought and then grasping one of the ropes tossed down; climbed up the wall, fast and agile despite his weight and bulk.
***
WOLFRAM & HART
“Well it appears we’ve found out exactly – nothing”. Said Giles resignedly; giving up trying to help. He stood out of the way and watched Cordelia as she flipped through papers and looked under books – frantically searching for a clue on where the vampire had gone.
“Well, other than the fact that by the looks of things, Angel has done well for himself”. He continued, mildly envious of the spacious apartment and lovely old antiques.
Cordelia didn’t seem to hear him, still busy rummaging around. However after a few seconds she surprised him by agreeing in a calm tone. A façade totally ruined when she threw up her hands, “This is do damn typical of Angel – GOD!, I could scream sometimes”. The volume of her frustrated voice gave some credit to that threat.
“Me, I get yelled at and threatened with house arrest if I cause him the slightest teeny tiny bit of worry. But it’s OK for him to do it to me? NOT”. By the time she was finished ranting she was breathing deeply and her eyes were narrowed to angry sparkling slits in her flushed face.
She seemed to forget the Englishman was even there as she stormed over to another set of elevator doors. Smaller and more discreet than the one they’d used to come up in. She punched the button to call it hard enough to break a slim finger causing Giles to flinch and eye her stormy face warily.
As the doors of the elevator opened with a muted ping, she whipped around and pointed a finger at him. “When I find him, I’m gonna kick his ass and see how he likes it, Asshole”. Giles raised a brow at that rather surprising statement, but forbore to comment.
If there was one thing he’d learned over the last ‘far too many’ years watching over temperamental females, was never contradict them when they were in total indignation mode. He especially had no intention of letting it slip that right at that moment he greatly sympathized with the missing vampire.
She was still silently simmering when they stepped out into Angel’s office. A gentleman at heart, Giles had automatically stepped back to let Cordy out first and so when she halted in her tracks, after barely clearing the door; he almost ploughed into her back.
“Hey there Sugarplum, come and join me for a drink. I just love Angel’s drinks cabinet. I have no idea why but it always makes me thirsty”.
Since he couldn’t see over the blonde wig from behind her, Giles stepped around the motionless Cordelia. Only to stiffen in shock when his eyes lit on a brightly coloured demon, happily lounging back in a big leather chair and nursing some kind of exotic cocktail.
“And just who the devil are you”? Giles demanded, moving to stand just a little in front of Cordelia, but enough for the demon to realize the woman wasn’t alone and defenceless. Lorne’s eyes widened as he took in the threatening stranger, protecting Cordelia? From him? He almost felt complimented but then remembered that wasn’t his forte, he left the art of intimidation to a certain vampire that shall remain nameless.
“I’m Lorne, Host with the Most– or at least I was. Now head of Entertainment and you are?” Asked Lorne genially; his red eyes gleaming with interest and a small smile tilting his lips.
“This is Rupert Giles, ex-watcher from Sunnydale. Say Hi to the nice demon, Giles it’s OK, He’s a friend”. She arched a look at the still defensive man beside her who frowned darkly at her sudden humour. A rapid change in mood to say the least, he thought disgruntled.
“You know this creature?” He asked her incredulously and then recovered enough to toss a frown at Lorne, and a quick apology “Sorry– it’s just … a surprise”.
“Don’t worry about it Handsome. I get it all the time – must be my stunning good looks that makes ‘em jealous”. He gave Giles a saucy wink and then chuckled at the expression on the Englishman’s face. “You’ll get used to me” he advised cheerfully and raised the glass in a salute.
Do I have to? Thought Giles but managed to keep that comment between his teeth. Who was he to judge people for having demon friends after all?
Then there was the fact that Angel was boss here in LA. That in itself was hard for him to picture; his memories of Angel consisted of a brooding, shadowy creature taking directions from the slayer but otherwise, solitary and silent– not precisely leader material.
Cordelia sat down in the chair next to the demon, an earnest look on her beautiful face. “Lorne, I need you to tell me what you know about where Angel and Wesley have gone”.
“Gone, but sweetcheeks, I thought Angel was with you, and please what’s with the blonde wig”? He was giving her a quizzical look that expressed his lack of admiration for the blonde confection still clinging to her head and covering those gorgeously glossy, brunette locks.
Self-consciously she patted the wig and then frowned at him, “Forget the wig, Angel and Wes are missing and we need to find them”. She sat back in the chair, raising the hem of the skirt even further and causing Giles to uncomfortably avert his eyes from the long shapely limbs displayed by the short skirt.
“I have a bad feeling about this Lorne and I hate having bad feelings, cos hey– worry lines”. She flicked a hand at her face to emphasise the point and Giles couldn’t prevent his eyes looking heavenwards as if praying for guidance from on high.
“Oh and don’t we all Honey. Tell you what, why don’t you sing a tune for me– might save me some time and you some extra wrinkles”.
He smiled when she gave him a dirty look. Then turning to Giles he said cheerfully, “Feel free to cover your ears, tuneful she isn’t– just wish I could do the same”.
“Owww” Lorne rubbed the throbbing part of his arm that she’d punched with venom.
“I can sing, I just don’t have time for – you know, warming up and stuff” said Cordelia; defending herself and glaring at her friend and then Giles too – just in case he decided to join in and gang up on her.
Giles held up a hand to halt the byplay, “Can we just get on with it; otherwise we’ll be here all day, discussing the merits of your singing abilities or lack of them”. He was starting to get a headache and remembering Cordelia’s singing from High school, wanted it over and done with as quickly as possible.
“What does singing have to do with it anyway”? Asked Giles, confused and irritated by the turn things were taking, he walked over to the desk and perched a hip on it.
“He’s anagogic – I sing and he looks into my soul and sees what’s what in my life”. Cordelia informed him absently all the while running through songs in her mind, discarding one after another and successfully hiding a mental cringe about having to do this.
Angel you are in such big trouble – this is gonna deserve a ‘big, no expense spared and no complaining’ shopping spree.
Giles looked at Lorne with renewed interest while he digested the news about his abilities, “Really”? Then he looked confused again. “How will that help us find Angel and Wesley? We already know where Cordelia is”.
“The amount of time Angel and the Princess here spend wrapped around one another like the proverbial yin and yang. I’m only surprised they haven’t melted into a puddle of mutual lust. This’ll work – trust me”.
Cordelia took a deep breath, as did Lorne and Giles when they realised she was ready. Then steeling herself, she launched into a song that she secretly loved and listened to obsessively, when Angel wasn’t around of course.
“When you cried i’d wipe away all of your tears”
Giles watched intently as Lorne stared into Cordelia’s face. The red eyes of the demon entirely focused on the young woman. He saw the glass the demon was holding, tilt and the liquid inside pour out onto his bright blue suit pants; but Lorne didn’t notice, glued to something now flashing before his horrified inner eye.
“When you’d scream I’d fight away all of your fears”
A bright light, jagged rips in reality and a feeling of being in a cage. Masked monsters and stone slabs dripping with blood and entrails
“And I’ve held your hand through all of these years”
A dark pit lined with stones. Wesley falling, fighting and death, sharp prongs and finally a ripping pain followed by a red haze.
“But you still have all of me”
A dark pitiless room, more pain only from someone new and then feeding, blood filling and surging, bringing….
Lorne jerked back so hard he toppled the chair backwards. It righted itself before it hit the floor but Lorne slid off it and onto the carpet. He sat slumped with his back to the chair. His eyes were open but glazed and unfocused and he wasn’t moving so much as a muscle.
Cordelia stopped singing and leapt up to join Giles now kneeling beside Lorne. She grabbing the demon’s hand and squeezed hard, trying to bring him round, desperate to know what it was that he’d seen. Giles looked at her and raised a brow, a worried look on his questioning face. She shook her head not wanting to get into explanations of what was ‘normal’ – HAH, when did normal ever apply to them?
“Lorne, can you hear me? C’mon a little sight seeing tour and you’re all zombified – it won’t wash with ex-vision-girl”. She tried to make a joke of it but she was seriously worried now. This did not look good – not good at all.
Lorne choked and came back to life. He tried to get up but didn’t have the strength or coordination so fell back again. His eyes searched for and then latched onto Cordelia’s. Her heart sank into the pit of her belly when she saw his distraught expression.
Lorne told her; swallowed hard and fought back the feeling of despair that threatened to make him weep like a baby. “It’s too late, they’re done for”
“That’s bullshit” said Cordelia after a shocked silence. Then leaping up she towered over the demon with eyes blazing, shouting at him. “Don’t tell me that, Lorne – don’t you ever say that. There is always hope”. She grabbed him by his shirtfront to haul him back in the chair, helped by a stunned Giles.
She was almost in the demon’s lap with her hands on either side of the armrest and leaning in to say, “Now tell me everything you saw – everything”. He gulped at the fire in her eyes and told her what he could remember.
Afterwards the three of them went silent, appalled at what they’d heard about the hellish place that Angel and Wesley were trapped in. Cordelia was pacing backwards and forwards, whirling around and almost wringing her hands in agitation.
Every part of her body felt as if it was hurting and she couldn’t possibly sit down or she’d go mad. Lorne’s description of them being only just alive, reverberating around her head.
“You have no idea what caused the change from normal glimpse to ‘all-out vision’? She asked him. Not stopping her pacing except to throw a desperate glance at Lorne, needing to understand.
“Something took me over” and Lorne was still recovering from the shock of that too. “I could feel it hone in on me and then – whammo it was like a big screen surround sound with visual effects, the whole works”.
Just saying it out loud made him feel it again, the sheer tunnelled focus of it and then the feeling of being zeroed in on. “After that I saw what it wanted me to see”. He looked at Giles, who was watching Cordelia with a distant look on his weather-beaten face.
Even with her arms hugging her body tightly, Giles saw the fine trembling in Cordelia’s tightly held body and wished he could say something to make her relax. This was a side to Cordelia that he had never seen before and quite frankly it amazed him; so much for the self-absorbed prom queen image.
Cordelia stopped pacing and turned to face the two men. “I won’t lose him or Wesley and that’s final”. With her hands fisted at her sides and face filled with resolve, she continued. “I don’t care what it takes – I’m going in there and getting them both out”.
“I realise its dangerous and that I’m asking a lot but if I want to win this – well, I can’t do it alone”. Dammit, she could feel her eyes start to water and squeezed them shut. Hating the loss of control at a time when she needed it the most. Before the green demon could scramble up to go to her, Giles strode over and took her hands in his callused ones.
“Of course you’ll get him back, both of them and there’s no question that I’ll help you”. Giles sighed and wished he was better at saying just the right thing. “At least we know where they are now and have a good idea how to get there”. Awkwardly he patted her shoulder, wishing he was less reserved and able to just hug her.
Lorne had no such inhibitions and joined them. His red eyes filled with determination. He wrapped both arms around her in a big hug. “Make that two of us, Princess. I’ll just pretend I’m Clint – riding into hell to save the day OK”.
Cordelia gave a watery smile at the image of Lorne wearing leather chaps and a cowboy hat, just like he’d intended her too. She hugged him back and smiled at Giles to reassure them both that she was done with the emotional stuff for now.
“You’re absolutely certain that we can’t use anyone from here?” Giles asked Lorne. “It would be terribly useful to have some reinforcements”.
Lorne shrugged “All I know is that someone from here started this whole thing but the problem is I don’t know who. So who do we trust”?
“Angel’s had spats and fights with most of departments heads involved in the demon underworld and the way he works; you know that means enemies”. Agreed Cordelia; all business again.
“No, we can only trust ourselves and maybe Gunn and Fred – do you know where they are”? She asked Lorne.
“Well I know the legal beagle’s outta town with a client. But Fred’s downstairs in the lab, shall I go fetch”? Cordy nodded and made shooing motions with her hands.
“Hurry back with her but don’t say why until we’re all safely upstairs. Then we’ll get suited and booted”, She watched Lorne leave the room and then turned to meet Giles’s questioning look.
“Suited and booted”? He asked.
“Sure, Angel has a whole room filled with every weapon imaginable. It’s a homicidal maniacs Disneyland up there”.
Giles smiled at her quippy tone “I’ll tell him you said that”.
“Don’t bother – I already did”.
LOCKED UP
Wesley woke up and then blinked to make sure his eyes were actually open. Again he saw nothing but blackness and that disoriented him even more. He felt a movement by his leg and reached out a hand.
His fingers touched cold leather, so he pushed slightly and was rewarded with a groan. He pushed harder when realising it was Angel’s arm.
“Stop, that frickin’ hurts” grumbled Angel and moved his arm back and away. His chest, and all the way down to his navel felt like it was on fire. If he’d had the strength he would have thumped Wesley for waking him further, he’d been enjoying a fantasy of being far away from here and wherever Cordelia was. Thanks, Wes.
Angel heard a rustle from Wesley as the man tried to sit up. Then he heard hissing noises as Wesley gritting his teeth to ignore the pain from his own wounds. He admired him for trying to move. There was no chance he was doing likewise; he’d had enough of pain for the time being.
“How deep are the wounds”? Asked Wesley from the blackness that even his vampire eyes couldn’t penetrate.
“Dunno” replied Angel after a few moments of appearing to thinking about it.
Wesley seriously didn’t like the slurring of Angel’s voice and worried even more now, he made his way over to investigate. His fingers touched sticky blood and felt the wounds weep further. Angel grabbed his hand and growled in anger at the fresh surge of agony.
“What the fuck are you trying to do, Wes”?
“Find out how badly off you really are” was the terse response. Wesley tugged his hand free and sat back. “You’re still bleeding; shouldn’t that have stopped by now”?
“Yeah, maybe – but those damn spikes nearly sliced me in two, so it’s gonna take a while”. Angel didn’t mention the fact that he’d lost a lot of blood, too much of it. His face was no longer human; having changed the moment he’d come too and smelled Wesley’s blood. That information wouldn’t go down well and he knew it, so he kept silent.
“What happens next do you know”? Asked Wesley after a few minutes of silence as both mulled over their current predicament. Although he could guess, he preferred not to as in his current condition, he knew they were both dead if he was right.
“From what Drachnar said, we fight again. As for when – a few hours is my guess” said Angel from his prone position on the damp floor. Wesley cursed, he’d been right after all. “We won’t survive another round. Not even you in the condition you’re in”.
“No” answered Angel simply – what could he say it was the truth. He was in no condition to fight anyone and wouldn’t be for some time, certainly a lot longer than a few hours.
Angel licked his dry lips, God he was starving, hunger crawled up inside him and he shifted restlessly. “Wesley, move back” he demanded harshly surprising the other man.
“Why” asked Wesley but shifting further way anyway, curious at what had caused the harsh tone in the vampire’s voice.
“I lost a lot of blood”. Angel admitted and grunting in pain managed to sit up enough to move further away himself. Wesley stayed silent for a whole, pondering minute. Angel would swear he could actually hear the wheels turning and he stiffened when a thought hit him.
“Don’t even say it – not one fucking word” said Angel and each word was growled out in rage. Wesley sighed and laid his head back against the dirty wall. “What good does both of us dying serve”?
“I came here to save your life, not take it. Now shut the HELL up ”.
Put like that, Wesley decided to shut up. It was all very to think about nobly sacrificing yourself for your friends but without any guarantee of success anyway – it was pretty bloody pointless.
“Sorry for getting you into this mess” he offered as he tried to make himself more comfortable for the wait. He stiffened up again when he heard another growl.
“Let’s not bring that up either or I might change my mind. What the hell were you thinking about, going in alone like that”?
Wesley winced and tried to muster a defence but got distracted by a weird shape forming in the far corner. At least he thought it was a corner, he blinked his eyes and stared. He could actually see some definition over there.
Angel saw it too out of the corner of his eyes and turned his head to it. Topaz eyes glinting now in the darkness as the growing light reflected from them. “What is that, do you know”?
“I have no idea” replied Wesley. Both of them kept their eyes firmly trained on the now glowing corner, as an outline started to become visible. “There’s a bundle of something directly underneath. Or am I seeing things”? He asked the vampire.
“No I see it to, it looks like a body” said Angel. Wesley tossed him a frowning look. “How come you didn’t smell it then”?
“What am I a blood hound? Gimme a break, there’s a lot of blood between here and over there”. Angel snapped back and then winced as the movement of his chest pulled at the wounds.
“Sorry” said Wesley absently as finally the shape emerged fully. The glowing figure was definitely female and was crouched over the body. Both of them stiffened, wondering what was going to happen next.
“Hello again, Angel” said the figure.
Great it’s Casper the Friendly Ghost – where’s Dennis when you need him, “Er, Hi, do I know you”? Asked Angel meeting Wesley’s perplexed look with one of his own and shrugging his shoulders, gasping again at the pain. Don’t frickin’ move, Asshole.
Wesley did a double take when he saw Angel was in full fang face – knowing he only did that when he was either getting ready for a fight or simply overwrought.
“We never actually met”. Said the figure. The face was clear as day and yet while definitely that of a woman; was too indistinct to tell individual features and it was the same with the body. “You knew me by the name of Cathy”.
Wesley’s face registered shock at the news, he looked at Angel who nodded towards the body. Wesley crawled towards it, watching the glowing figure warily. He reached the dirty bundle of rags that covered it and reached out to what he assumed were the shoulders. Just before he turned them towards him he looked up at the face close to him. “Do you mind”? He asked politely.
“Go ahead, Wesley. But its not a pretty sight”.
Even forewarned Wesley flinched at the sight that met his eyes. The features of the woman who had befriended Cordelia were only just barely recognisable. “I did warn you” she said and then looked down at her physical form sadly.
“Every time I manage to heal myself, they come back and mangle me up again. That’s why they keep me around – pretty crappy really”.
Understatement, thought Angel but just looked at the face of the woman. “So what are you”? He asked indicating her less substantial self. “Soul or something”?
“Something like that – but lets not worry about that OK. I have a proposition for helping you and maybe in return you can get me out too”.
“We’d love too”. Wesley said carefully, trying not to be rude. “But if you can’t help yourself how can you possibly help us”?
“Angel needs blood to heal and get strong again. Only he can’t take yours, Wesley or risk killing you. But there’s plenty in there and I can’t get much more damaged than I already am”. She indicated her body and watched Angel’s face.
Angel winced and shook his head, she grinned at him, “Not too appetising huh”?
“Its not that really”, or maybe a bit that. He shook his head again and leaned back to shut his eyes. “I don’t drink human blood”. No matter how hungry I am he told his desperately starving self, ignoring the growing, gnawing ache.
“I’m not human or at least not just human. Nor am I demon and believe me my blood can heal you faster than anything else you ever dreamed of. Not to mention giving you a hell of kick”. She cajoled him.
He cracked open his eyes as she approached him and shook his head from side to side vehemently. “I’m not drinking your blood”. Cathy smiled a little at that incongruous statement coming from a vampire in full fang face.
“Why not, Angel. I don’t need it at the moment and besides, a vampire bite is nothing compared to other things that have happened to me and some of those very recently too”.
She looked over to Wesley as if appealing for his help in convincing Angel to drain her blood. Wesley looked down at the body by his feet and feeling slightly sick, picked it up in his arms. Even as weak as he was just then, he didn’t struggle under the slight weight.
Now that the body was closer to him, Angel could smell the blood under the skin and he growled low in his throat, glaring at Wesley with as much fury as he could muster. “Get that thing the hell away from me, Wes. NOW”
“Angel, please think about it. If you don’t drink my blood, you and Wesley and hundred of others will die and this place will continue. Is that what you want”?
Wesley dropped stiffly to his knees beside the vampire and spirit, laying the body carefully on the floor. He looked into the face of the vampire he considered his friend and a part of his adopted family and said, “I think you should do it – she’s right, it’s the only way”.
“Think of it as a gift, Angel. I give it to you freely and in return you may be able to save me from the possibility of an eternity of torture. Believe me when I tell you – bite away”.
After a moment Angel sighed and gave in – he held out his arms. “Bring her here”. Wesley complied, feeling weird and almost light headed about literally dropping Angels dinner in his lap. Ignoring his protesting chest, Angel sat up and arranged the body to give him access to the neck.
“Do you mind not watching”. He said to them; uncomfortable with an audience and they both turned away so that their backs were to him.
Angel turned the head gently and avoided looking at his ‘victims’ face. Mangled or not the features were still human and he did his best to ignore the part of him that wanted to celebrate in that fact. His fangs sank into the skin and closed his eyes at the sweet coppery of taste of blood – filling him and surging down his parched throat.
Wesley heard the sounds of the vampire feeding and managed not to throw up. When it stopped he turned around to find Angel had already laid the body on the floor, straight and covered again. He was about to ask how he felt then, when Angel stiffened and his head jerked back. His thick neck bowed and features scrunched up as if in agony.
“What the hell is going on”? He yelled at Cathy and caught the heavy body of the flailing vampire. Yelling “Ouch”, when the hand he put behind the dark head to protect it, was crushed against the wall.
“He’ll be OK soon. I told you my blood isn’t human but he should be fine” said Cathy standing out the away and giving him room, even though she was nothing more than air in reality.
Wesley stretched Angel out as best he could and sat back waiting for the spasms to subside. When Cathy knelt by Angel’s thrashing head, he went to push her away but his hand passed right through. “Should be” he snarled, “you never mentioned ‘should be’ before he drank – did you”?
“Well I’m sorry, Wesley but this is a first for me too. I’m not normally around for the after effects ya know”. They both gave a silent sigh of relief when the vampire went still. Helplessly Wesley watched as Cathy set a hand on either side of Angel’s head – by the ears.
“Now what the devil are you doing”? He asked her; frustrated at not being able to prevent her from doing whatever she wanted.
“The last gift I can give is knowledge. These creatures have made it their life’s work to fight, kill and maim and each generation has passed that knowledge on over thousands of years”.
“The ones you faced where just babies really, still in training. The next ones won’t be and so I’m just evening the score a little. Being psychic and stuck here a while, I sort of soaked up that knowledge and now I’m passing it onto him”.
“Handy little trick” said Wesley still glowering at her. “You’re just full of them aren’t you. Remind me to finish my research on you when I get back”.
Cathy just looked at him with a carefully blank expression and continued. “Angel will know what they know – but will still be heavily outnumbered. So I’m banking on his temper to make sure he gives out more than he gets”.
The sudden and savage growling coming from the vampire in question had them both warily backing away. “Angel”? Realising his voice was croaking Wesley cleared it and tried again. “Angel, how do you feel”?
“I’ll give you three guesses” came the gravelly reply from floor level.
***
WOLFRAM & HART
Giles stood staring in wonder at the array of swords, axes, cudgels and other medieval and modern paraphernalia of warfare. “You do realise some of these belong in a museum don’t you?”, he said to no one in particular – just satisfying an inner need to say it out-loud and thus relieve his guilt.
Guilt at the sheer excitement of actually being able to use some of them. Cordelia gave him an arch look as she passed him to reach inside a now open glass cabinet to casually unhook a large crossbow and quarrels.
“You try telling that to Angel and he’s likely to take out your tongue. He loves this room”. She rolled her eyes and mouthed “psycho” to herself. Boys and toys – they were all the same.
Giles caught her expression and flushed at being caught out. “Yes well, that’s good then – lets get ‘suited and booted’ shall we”. He smiled brightly at the others and still blushing, picked out an axe for himself and helplessly fondled the antique handle.
“Hey, Giles – get a grip” Snapped Cordelia and raised yet another brow. “I knew I should have just picked yours out. We don’t have all day Okay”.
“Arghhh, I think it’s kinda cute” said Fred and gave the Englishman a big supportive smile. Plus he is kinda cute too, she thought to herself and fluttered her eyelashes at him. She was delighted when his face turned even redder.
“Easy there Tiger, I think we need to let you out of the lab a bit more – get used to company ya know” said Lorne, patting her dark head as he headed for his own choice. A heavy, metal spiked cudgel.
Fred went for the modern firearms as the older hardware was too heavy for her to use effectively. Anyway, Wesley had got her into using guns and she’d been training with him for months now. She was pretty good, even if she did say so herself.
Cordelia tucked another knife into a sheath at her waist. That meant she had three, the crossbow, a hunting knife and the shotgun – just in case. ‘Loaded for bear’ as Gunn would say she thought in satisfaction. They were as prepared as they could be.
She checked them all out; all wearing black – check, no shiny stuff to give them away – check. “Right let’s get going”.
“Yo hold up, if ya’ll think your goin’ off fightin’ without me – you’re just crazy” said a voice from behind them. They all whipped around and all but Giles relaxed when they spotted the large man in the suit.
“Gunn” chorused three of them. “Where”? Asked Giles as he scrutinised the thousand-dollar suit and neat black briefcase.
***