Part 8<\/b><\/p>\n
Giles\u2019 Apartment<\/b><\/p>\n
Rupert Giles was exhausted, which was evident has his hand trembling in the simple process of poring himself a cup of tea. The last four days had been nerve racking with Buffy both dying and being brought back to life. The result of which, another Vampire Slayer had been called, a school mate of Buffy\u2019s, named Cordelia Chase.<\/p>\n
It was now close to 3 o\u2019clock in the morning, and he had just received a call from Angel, an ally of Buffy\u2019s. He had been close to finally falling asleep, when a desperate Angel had phoned, insistent on seeing him.\u00a0And why shouldn\u2019t he?<\/i><\/p>\n
Since the Hellmouth had both opened and closed, they had been trying to find out where the newly called slayer had ran off to. Apparently, the overwhelming experience of being called and only knowing instinctively about her powers had forced the teenager to flee Sunnydale.<\/p>\n
Most likely, Angel had finally uncovered some additional news about Cordelia, or so he hoped as he went to answer the soft, but persistent knock on his door. On the other side of the door, was a phenomenon, the only one of his kind- a vampire with a soul. Still, it was quite unnerving to have a vampire in one\u2019s home, despite being tied to humanity. Trying to stifle a yawn, Giles invited Angel to his home once again, \u201cThis had better be good, Angel. I think I\u2019m going on a total of five hours of sleep in the past six days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giving a slight smile, which was rare to show on his pale, but handsome face. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ll want to hear what I\u2019ve found out.\u201d Angel slipped off his trench coat, and followed Giles into the living area. Even though he was thousands of miles from England, his apartment still held that stuffy, British air.<\/p>\n
Taking a seat opposite the vampire, Giles took a soothing sip of his tea. \u201cSo, what\u2019s go you coming over to my flat at this ungodly hour?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInformation about Cordelia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just what he had been wanting to hear. Leaning forward in his chair, his sleep forgotten, \u201cTell me what you\u2019ve found out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Angel sighed, trying to find the right words to tell the Watcher that he was under surveillance by a group of ruthless assassins. He had debated if he should have called Giles upon hearing what Julius Sandefer and Meredith Chase had told him. After waging a silent war within himself, he figured it was the right thing to do. If Giles stopped looking for Cordelia, then it kept everyone else safe. \u201cI\u2019ve just been given some rather disturbing news, Giles, and what I\u2019m going to tell you can\u2019t leave this room. Okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles did not like the look in Angel\u2019s eyes at all. It was as if each word he spoke was making him more and more agitated. \u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow\u2019s Bedroom<\/b><\/p>\n
Rupert Giles wasn\u2019t the only one who was having problems sleeping. Willow Rosenberg was scrambling around in her bed, her blanket wrapping around her legs in a vise, as she tried to get into a comfortable position. It was useless. She was up and there was only one thing she could do about it- surf the web.<\/p>\n
Grumbling about not getting any sleep, Willow kicked off her blankets and stumbled over to her desk. A soft knock interrupted her before she could turn on her computer. Willow\u2019s heart did a flip flop. It was nearly 3:30 in the morning, who could possibly be at her bedroom door? Too bad she wasn\u2019t a party girl. That back door would be ideal for such outings, but it did come in handy when she went on patrol with Buffy. Going over to the door, she pulled the curtain back to reveal a Xander Harris in blue sweats and ratty sneakers.<\/p>\n
\u201cXander? What are you doing here?\u201d She asked, stepping back to let him in. Her pink pajamas with bears was not the attire she wanted him to see her in.<\/p>\n
He gave her a sheepish smile. \u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep. Figured school was out, go to Willow\u2019s and have a belated slumber party!\u201d With that, Xander flounced onto her bed, kicking off his shoes. \u201cCome on, sit down. I\u2019ve been having thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? That could be a sign of another apocalypse, you having thoughts.\u201d Willow grinned when he scowled at her. \u201cSo what\u2019s on that brain of yours?\u201d\u00a0Should my heart be beating this fast<\/i>, she wondered, as she sat next to him. On her bed!<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what? I bet there\u2019s mischief a foot!\u201d Xander exclaimed, waving a finger at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean \u2018mischief\u2019? And about\u00a0what<\/i>\u00a0exactly?\u201d Willow asked. She was having a real difficult time not looking at his mouth. Bad Willow! No kissing thoughts about Xander.<\/p>\n
\u201cThink about it, Will,\u201d he continued, his eyes shining. \u201cCordelia goes to the airport and right after that, two employees are killed. Standard black ops stuff. Someone is trying to hide her location.\u201d Xander nodded in a agreement to himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s silly,\u201d Willow scoffed. \u201cWhy- or better yet-\u00a0who<\/i>, would do such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about that crazy family of hers? Her mom and dad are so certifiably whacked, now we learn that she has wasabi eating family in Japan! Do you think Cordy eats sushi?! Yeck!\u201d<\/p>\n
Rolling her eyes, Willow threw a pillow at him, which he grabbed and tucked under his head. \u201cSo you think that Cordelia\u2019s family murdered the two women from the airport? Other than keeping her location a secret, why?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou believe me?\u201d Other than his lover for\u00a0Baywatch<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>\u00a0he had a fondness for conspiracy theories. With the whole demonisms of Sunnydale, he was sure that the government has some inside knowledge of the place too. He\u2019d prove that one someday!<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I\u2019m humoring you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xander frowned. \u201cThat\u2019s not good. Well, anyway,\u201d he continued, draping his legs over hers, not noticing how her face flushed almost as red as her hair. \u201cIt makes sense to me, especially with this \u2018oh-so-secret-and-special-family-prophecy-of-Cordelia-being-a-slayer.\u201d Xander scrunched up his nose, thinking. \u201cCordy the Slayer. Vampire Slayer, Cordelia! Baffles the mind, don\u2019t it? There could be a mistake, ya know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cXander,\u201d Willow began, \u201cGet over it. Even though we have not seen her in action, all signs point to Cordelia being the new Slayer. I wonder what happens now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout Buffy- does this put her out of commission or what?\u201d Willow knew that Buffy had not taken the idea of Cordelia as a slayer too well. That was evident when she had stormed out of Giles\u2019 place. Willow hadn\u2019t even had a chance to talk to Buffy about it, since she took off to her dad\u2019s house the next day. \u201cIt would sure lighten the slayer load a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hadn\u2019t thought about that- Two slayers meant less work load, which meant Buffy could do more… stuff.\u00a0Like get interested in me and not the blood-philiac<\/i>. Highly unlikely, but a man had to hope! \u201cWell, Buffy\u2019s \u2018load\u2019 should be light and airy now that she\u2019s in Los Angeles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Willow\u2019s eyebrows shot up in amusement. \u201cJust because she\u2019s not in Sunnydale, doesn\u2019t meant she\u2019s not encountering some form of the supernatural, Xande. The same goes for Cordelia.\u201d With all the commotion that happened in Sunnydale, it was hard to imagine the outside world could be affected too. \u201cSo, other than a \u2018massive conspiracy\u2019 to secure Cordelia\u2019s current locale,\u201d she couldn\u2019t help the sacrasm, \u201cWhat else could it be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSarcasm duly noted, Willow,\u201d Xander laughed, struggling to get under the covers. He was finally getting sleepy. \u201cIt could all be a coincidence, but I doubt it. Someone doesn\u2019t want us to find her, Will. I\u2019ll bet your fish on it!\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles\u2019 Apartment<\/b><\/p>\n
Giles had gone from tea to scotch during Angel\u2019s narrative. He\u2019d figured it would curb that chill going up and down his spine at learning he and others were being followed. Not only followed, but targeted for execution, should Angel fail in keeping them away from Cordelia.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she\u2019s in Japan?\u201d Giles pressed his fingers had the bridge of his nose, trying to relieved the tension that was steadily building.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Sandefer said,\u201d Angel answered, \u201cAnd Mrs. Chase did mention Yoshino Village, being were Cordelia was born. I\u2019m betting she\u2019s with family there.\u201d That notion gave him some measure of comfort, knowing that the teenager was with people she trusted.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd your absolutely sure, that Meredith Chase mentioned Daniel\u00a0Bellaver<\/i>\u00a0as being her father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaning back in his chair, Angel slowly nodded in confirmation.<\/p>\n
Giles shook his head in bewilderment. \u201cJesus. I had no idea that Cordelia was connected to all of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know he\u2019s part of the Watcher\u2019s Council, but what power does he hold?\u201d Angel had been curious from the moment Cordelia\u2019s mother had mentioned the man. He still wasn’t fond of the fact that he wanted him to stay away from Cordelia, even in light that he was her grandfather. \u201cAnd why would he be so determined to hide all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bellaver family has been part of the Council for generations. Highly tied to it\u2019s cause. Many of the women and men in the family have been Watchers through the ages, and\u00a0least<\/i>\u00a0four girls in the Bellaver branch have been slayers.\u201d With this new development, Giles was finally able to admit to himself that he was no longer tired. Finding new vigor, he wanted desperately to get to the bottom of this. \u201cBut what astounds me, is like you asked, why would he keep it hidden if he knew Cordelia was a potential? He must have known about the prophecy that Cordelia\u2019s great-great grandmother predicted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven so,\u201d Angel began, trying to get on some level with Giles. \u201cAll the more reason to come forward, especially if the Bellavers have been tied to the Council for so long. What was he trying to hide?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence rested between them for a few moments, each of them deep in thought. Angel leaned forward, resting his chin in his hand. Eyes narrowed he recalled his recent conversation with Meredith Chase. \u201cGiles? When I was talking with Mrs. Chase she said \u2018we may not be a close family, but we keep our secrets well hidden.\u2019\u201d He raised his head to meet Giles\u2019 weary eyes, that were now alive with thought. \u201cWhat if there was something that Daniel Bellaver\u00a0has<\/i>\u00a0to keep hidden? Something not just about his side of the family, but Meredith Chase\u2019s mother\u2019s side as well?\u201d<\/p>\n
Giles could tell that Angel was getting at something, but what? \u201cOkay, go on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel rose from his seat, and began pacing back and forth. \u201cThe Bellaver family has had at least four girls called, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, there could be more, but I\u2019ve never investigated. Didn\u2019t need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you think that\u2019s a high number for any family to have? I\u2019ve never heard of specific families having a line of slayers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Giles said, \u201cIt was kind of a joke within the Council, that the Bellavers carried a \u2018slayer gene\u2019 within their girls.\u201d Giles gave a slight chuckle at the memory. \u201cBut that was placed aside when we found that two other families had a high number of girls called.\u201d Jerking his head over at Angel, Giles narrowed his eyes. \u201cWhat are you getting at?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat were the names of these families? The other two?\u201d<\/p>\n
Rupert Giles stood up, coming to stand in front of the vampire. Clenching his jaw in realization, Giles gave a grim smile. \u201cThe Dantes family in France… and the Yoshino clan-\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Japan.\u201d Angel finished. Nodding in agreement both men contemplated what this meant. \u201cMeredith Chase is from the Yoshino and Bellaver families. I\u2019m betting that Alexander Chase is from the Dantes side.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my God.\u201d Giles could not believe it. Three families with a common trait of multiple slayers. \u201cThey\u2019ve been tying to breed the perfect slayer. Xander was right in calling Cordelia an \u2018Uber-slayer\u2019! That\u2019s exactly what she is!\u201d The research involved was going to be tremendous, and he couldn\u2019t wait. \u201cDo you think the families knew about this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel shook is head. \u201cNo. Not until recent generations. I\u2019m betting there\u2019s a higher purpose at work here.\u201d Recalling Meredith and Alexander Chases\u2019 vehement claims at being opposed to Cordelia\u2019s destiny. \u201cIt was the last two generations that truly knew. Probably organizing a match between Cordelia\u2019s parents. Meredith knew more than Alexander, and was probably brought in on the family secret after he married Meredith.\u201d This dredged some sympathy, but no much.<\/p>\n
Rupert Giles had thought he\u2019d heard of everything. Only two things had astounded him during the past year, this being one of them! The other, of course, was the knowledge of a vampire with a soul. \u201cSo, what do you think the best course of action will be?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst you\u2019ve got to call Willow and Xander tomorrow, about how we\u2019re going to let the Watcher\u2019s Council be in complete control of looking for Cordelia.\u201d To be honest, he was surprised they had not found her, since Giles had called them immediately upon learning about Cordelia.\u00a0Most likely Daniel Bellaver\u2019s doing<\/i>. \u201cAnd Jenny Calendar, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely. They won\u2019t ask too many questions if they think the Council\u2019s involved.\u201d The less they knew, the safer they were from Sandefer\u2019s men. Or rather Bellaver\u2019s. Giles could feel is temper rising. Once this was over, he\u2019d find a way to make sure that man paid for the death of those two girls from Sunnydale Airport. \u201cI\u2019ll also call Buffy in L.A.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, that won\u2019t be necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? She should know to stop looking for Cordelia as well. We\u2019ll just tell her the same thing- the Council\u2019s searching.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine, if you think so.\u201d Angel knew with absolution that looking for Cordelia Chase was the last thing on her mind. \u201cJust make sure none of them know about the assassins.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Giles agreed, \u201cThe last thing we want is for them to panic. Angel? You should be getting back to your home. The suns going to rise soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel knew that it was still hard for Giles to accept him, even with the soul. Unless it was necessary, he knew he was not welcome to stay, even from the burning rays for the sun. \u201cYeah.\u201d Giving Giles a brief nod, he headed over to get is coat by the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel?\u201d Giles called out, stopping the vampire, just as he was about to exit. \u201cDo you think Cordelia is safe in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning around, Angel met the Watcher\u2019s eyes. There was a gleam in there that silently warned Giles about the danger, just below the surface of the vampire\u2019s soul.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe damn well better be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rupert Giles let out a sigh of relief as Angel closed the door behind him. Relying on senses that had never proved him wrong, Giles could only hope that Angel would remain on their side.<\/p>\n