Part 9<\/b><\/p>\n
SUNDAY LATE MORNING<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cAngel?\u201d<\/p>\n The vampire didn\u2019t respond when Willow sat next to him on the couch. The redhead sported a black eye and a nasty cut on her left cheek. She was very lucky. Many of the others weren\u2019t. Angel, for instance, was one of the unlucky.<\/p>\n \u201cAngel?\u201d she tried again. \u201cI need you to take off your shirt. I want to check your bandages again.\u201d A dazed Angel dutifully responded. Willow cringed when she saw his torso. It was one large bruise. His entire lower chest was wrapped tightly in bandages to protect the broken ribs.<\/p>\n Just off his sternum was another large bandage. This is where the knife wound had been. Willow gently pealed the old bandage away and taped a new one over the wound. After double-checking the ones around his lower ribs and noticing his face wounds looked better, Willow moved on to her next patient.<\/p>\n It had been sixty years since Spike had seen an army field hospital. But looking around now, Spike realized this bore a remarkable resemblance.<\/p>\n Broken shards of glass from the windows were strewn all over the floor. Furniture was shattered. Books were blown off the shelves. All the little knickknacks that had littered the cabinets lay in broken pieces. Spike breathed deeply. The smell of fresh blood still clung to the air.<\/p>\n Giles rested on a cleared away spot on the floor. He was conscious, unfortunately. When they had brought his body back into the house, Willow had initially feared that his lower back might be broken.<\/p>\n Giles assured her, that if the pain he felt in his legs was any indication that was not the case. Willow had brewed up a mystical painkiller and made him drink, but even that wasn\u2019t enough to give him much relief.<\/p>\n Xander had suffered a harsh head wound. On the back of his head was a bump literally the size of a baseball. He had been in and out of consciousness for the past few hours. Willow knew she should try to keep him awake, but if he could go unconscious, then he just might be luckier than the rest of them.<\/p>\n Wesley rested in a recliner and stared at the ceiling. His back was bruised and he had a good-sized bump on the back of his head. Any other day Willow would insist he go to the hospital. But his injuries were minor compared to others.<\/p>\n Dawn had been knocked out, but she was well enough now to help with the nursing. Like Willow, she sported a hellacious black eye and various cuts and bruises.<\/p>\n Buffy regained consciousness about an hour earlier. Willow diagnosed three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. On top of that was a nasty concussion. After wrapping her chest and popping the shoulder back into joint, Buffy was now resting relatively comfortably.<\/p>\n Spike had been bruised and bloodied, but had refused any sort of treatment from Willow. He had spent the past hours lying next to Buffy on the floor and gently running his fingers through her hair and softly whispering to her to wake up.<\/p>\n Kayla and Emma were mostly unharmed. They had several cuts due to flying glass, but that was mainly it. Because of that they had been acting as Willow\u2019s nurses as they tended to everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cKayla,\u201d Willow started, \u201cgo upstairs and get some more pillows from the hall closet.\u201d Kayla nodded and obeyed the order. \u201cEmma. Can you go up to my room? There is a chest in my closet. It has some medical supplies and some healing herbs in it. Bring down whatever you can carry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure,\u201d she said. Emma followed after Kayla to do as she was ordered. But as Emma was about to go up the stairs, she noticed someone standing on the doorstep. \u201cUh, Willow,\u201d Emma called. \u201cSomebody is here.\u201d<\/p>\n Willow looked slightly alarmed. She grabbed a nearby sword and limped to the door. She approached slowly at an angle so she would be out of sight. \u201cCome on in,\u201d she called.<\/p>\n As soon as the tall brunette woman crossed the threshold, she found the business end of a sword about one half inch from her jugular.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have five seconds to explain what you\u2019re doing here before this sword gets stuck in your neck,\u201d Willow coolly stated.<\/p>\n Lilah Morgan was used to rude receptions, but normally someone got to know her before they threatened her life. \u201cWesley sent for me,\u201d she answered nervously. Lilah didn\u2019t know this girl. She had no idea if the redhead would do something.<\/p>\n Lilah was thankful when the mention of Wesley\u2019s name seemed to make the girl lower the blade. Lilah fiddled with the strap of her briefcase and looked around. \u201cHaven\u2019t seen a house this wrecked since some of my old sorority parties.\u201d<\/p>\n Willow continued to glare calmly at the woman. \u201cWell, the bong got lit and it went downhill after that. Now explain further what you are doing here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy name is Lilah Morgan. I\u2019m a lawyer with a firm called Wolfram and Hart. Wesley called me to look into something. I\u2019ve got a delivery for him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLilah,\u201d a soft voice called. She did a double take at Wesley\u2019s haggard appearance.<\/p>\n \u201cWes, God, what happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got the shit stomped out of me,\u201d Wesley answered dryly. \u201cDo you have something?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. I do.\u201d Lilah followed the pair into the living room. She was stunned at the carnage that lay before her. But what shocked her the most was Angel. Lilah had seen him angry, and depressed, and a myriad of other emotional states. But this was as close to broken as she had ever seen him. Not just emotionally, but physically as well. \u201cHoly shit,\u201d Lilah whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cWell said,\u201d Wesley agreed. Looking around the group, he began to make introductions. \u201cThis is Buffy, a Slayer. This is Spike. You may know that he is Angel\u2019s grandchilde. The young man currently unconscious is Xander. The girl is Dawn. The older gentleman is Rupert Giles. The two young ladies coming down the stairs are Emma and Kayla. Everyone, this is the bitch from Hell, otherwise known as Lilah Morgan.\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah bit back a retort and chose to be diplomatic. \u201cWhere is this Hannah girl you talked about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe was taken,\u201d Buffy said softly. \u201cJust before dawn, Merrick and four minions attacked us.\u201d She shook her head in confusion. \u201cSince when has the Blue Man Group done kidnappings? Who the hell knew they were demons?\u201d Spike, Wesley, Giles, and Lilah all raised their hands in response.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly two of them are demons,\u201d Angel spoke for the first time in hours. He looked up sadly at Lilah and asked, \u201cDo you have something?\u201d<\/p>\n Lilah nodded and opened up her briefcase. She reached in and pulled out an eight-inch long leather knife sheath. She unhooked the catch and pulled out an inch thick blade. It was attached to an ivory handle ornately carved in the shape of a dragon. The blade itself was seven inches long and tapered off to a sharp point. All in all, it was a beautiful weapon.<\/p>\n \u201cThis dagger was around even before the birth of Christ,\u201d Lilah explained. \u201cLegend says it was created by a Japanese sword maker by the name of Maku. It was forged and then blessed by a coven of sorcerers who bestowed it to a young and brave samurai who pledge to rid the islands of unclean spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n She sheathed the blade and handed it to Angel. \u201cI will need that back, though. It\u2019s on interoffice loan. I don\u2019t return it and I owe the firm my second born son.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat about your first born?\u201d Kayla asked curiously.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t ask,\u201d Lilah answered. \u201cBut anyway, that should do the trick. Just stick that in his heart and he\u2019ll be deader than, well, you.\u201d Angel nodded slightly and set the blade aside.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to say this,\u201d Wesley began, \u201cbut when Merrick\u2026does the deed, we will need far more than a knife to destroy him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe won\u2019t do it,\u201d Angel whispered. The gang looked at him in confusion. \u201cNot yet anyway. It\u2019s why he stole her right before the sunrise. Merrick wants me to go insane all day knowing I can\u2019t act. He\u2019ll wait until I find him. He\u2019ll beat me. He\u2019ll torture me. Then he\u2019ll make me watch as he takes her. He didn\u2019t wait eighty years just to kill me. He wants me to hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n The room was silent. If that were true, then they still had a chance to save Hannah. Finally, after several long moments, Lilah broke the silence.<\/p>\n \u201cI should have this guy on payroll.\u201d Wesley stared at her in disgust. \u201cYeah, that wasn\u2019t even funny to me,\u201d Lilah stated honestly. \u201cI just don\u2019t like prolonged silence. Sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo what do we do now?\u201d Buffy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThe same thing we were going to do,\u201d Angel answered. \u201cEmma and Kayla will help Willow mix up her concoction to drain Merrick. We find where he is, then we come down on him like a fucking hurricane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s all well and good, mate,\u201d Spike began, \u201cbut things have changed. When we came up with this plan, it was all of us against just Merrick. But now he has four badass Dumont demons as lackeys. He\u2019s got your witch hostage. And if you haven\u2019t noticed, none of us are exactly in the best of conditions to jump into a fight. We go in there, even with this magic powder and fancy pants knife, and we are going to get our asses handed to us.\u201d<\/p>\n They all nodded in agreement at Spike\u2019s words. None wanted to admit it, but the truth of the situation seemed clear. A battle with Merrick was something they couldn\u2019t win right now. But Angel wasn\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I see it, we have two thing going for us. Number one: When they struck earlier we were unprepared. That will not be the case again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd number two?\u201d<\/p>\n A stony glanced covered Angel\u2019s face. When he uttered his next words, those who heard them couldn\u2019t help but believe it.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not willing to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cCordelia! Calm the fuck down!\u201d Gunn shouted. He and Fred watched as Cordelia bustled around her bedroom jerking clothes from closets and drawers and tossing them into bags.<\/p>\n \u201cGo to hell!\u201d Cordelia shouted back. \u201cI\u2019m going to find Angel! Are you gonna tell me where my fucking car keys are at?\u201d Gunn ducked as a clock radio zipped past his head. She continued to stuff clothes in bags until the baby started crying from all the noise. Cordelia dropped a couple of shirts and immediately went to pick the child from the crib.<\/p>\n Fred shifted nervously behind Gunn. \u201cWhat do we do?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my sock drawer is a bottle of Triavil. Find it and bring it here.\u201d Fred scurried off to find the requested item. Gunn slowly approached and tried to look as non-threatening as possible. \u201cCordelia? I need you to calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need you to go fuck yourself,\u201d Cordelia spat back. \u201cWhere are my car keys?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going anywhere, Cordelia. Not in the condition that you are in. You\u2019re agitated. Your thought process isn\u2019t all that smooth.\u201d He continued to advance forward. Cordelia backed away slowly as she rocked her child. The baby\u2019s wails didn\u2019t slow down.<\/p>\n \u201cCordelia. Look. Even the little tike can tell how nervous you are.\u201d The mention of the baby seemed to bring Cordelia down from the tirade. Fred then returned with the pills and a bottle of water. She handed them to Gunn.<\/p>\n \u201cListen. Why don\u2019t you hand the baby over to Fred and you can take a couple of these pills? I promise they\u2019ll make you feel better. If you do, I swear that we will call Wesley so you can get a progress report, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n Cordelia nervously shifted her gaze from Gunn, Fred, the pills, and her baby. She seemed to consider the options. Gunn grinned internally when Cordelia visibly broke. She sighed heavily and gently handed the baby to Fred.<\/p>\n She then opened her hand to accept the pills. Gunn tapped two from the bottle and gave them to her. Cordelia popped them in her mouth and followed it with the water.<\/p>\n \u201cNow open your mouth,\u201d Gunn commanded.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat? Don\u2019t trust me to swallow?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI trust you in so many ways\u2026just not this one. Open up.\u201d Cordelia opened her mouth for Gunn to do his search. \u201cLift your tongue.\u201d She did so. \u201cGood. Now let\u2019s get you to bed. This stuff will make you drowsy.\u201d<\/p>\n Cordelia didn\u2019t fight too much as Gunn pulled down her sheets and helped her get tucked in. She murmured a \u201cpiss off\u201d when Gunn asked if she were comfortable. He sighed in resignation and led Fred away. Before he left, Gunn flipped off the lights and then shut the door.<\/p>\n Cordelia listened for the footsteps to disappear before jumping from the bed. She reached beneath the mattress and retrieved the bag she had made the day before. Cordelia would give the placebo half an hour. After that, Cordelia was grabbing the baby and getting the hell out of town.<\/p>\n