Part 10<\/b><\/p>\n
SUNDAY AFTERNOON<\/em><\/p>\n Gunn quietly opened the door to Cordelia\u2019s bedroom. It had been an hour since he had given Cordelia the medication. Gunn wanted to see if she was still resting. But when his eyes looked upon the bed and saw nothing, a cold chill radiated through his body. He blindly rushed into the room in a panic.<\/p>\n \u201cCordelia!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m right here. You don\u2019t need to yell,\u201d she said from behind.<\/p>\n When he turned to face her, Gunn was greeted by a baseball bat connecting with the side of his face. Blood, and if he wasn\u2019t mistaken, a premolar were sent flying across the room as he reeled from the blow. Gunn dropped to a knee as stars filled his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cCordelia?\u201d he gasped in confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cSorry,\u201d she apologized sincerely. \u201cI would say this hurts me more than it hurts you, but then, I\u2019m not the one getting clocked by a bitch with a baseball bat.\u201d Days spent watching Dodger games on TV proved valuable as Cordelia swung and connected across Gunn\u2019s shoulder blades. He let out a quick grunt of pain before dropping to the floor unconscious.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard a shout! Is everything\u2026\u201d Fred trailed off when she noticed Gunn laying on the floor. \u201cCordelia? What the\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Cordelia pressed a finger to her lips and said, \u201cHush now. I have to go find Angel. And since I\u2019m not too keen on hitting other women, how about you lay on the floor like a good Texas girl and play dead?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOkay,\u201d Fred squeaked. She dropped to the floor in front of the door and spread her arms like a criminal suspect.<\/p>\n \u201cNot there!\u201d Cordelia said annoyed. \u201cOver here by Gunn!\u201d Fred obeyed and crawled over next to Gunn and played dead. Cordelia dropped the baseball bat aside and reached behind the door and picked up her duffle and the baby\u2019s diaper bag. With a last look she turned to Fred and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to leave now. I don\u2019t want you following me for a bit, so how about you count pi to one hundred decimal places before getting up?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust to one hundred? I can go up to\u2026never mind,\u201d Fred said off Cordelia\u2019s stern look. \u201cHave a safe trip.\u201d<\/p>\n Cordelia merely rolled her eyes. She went downstairs and set her bags by the door. She may not know where her car keys were, but she sure as hell knew where Gunn kept his. The baby was already conveniently resting in its car seat on Fred\u2019s desk. Cordelia grabbed the handle and then found Gunn\u2019s truck keys on his desk.<\/p>\n \u201cReady for a road trip, sweetheart?\u201d The baby smiled up at mommy and blew bubbles. \u201cThat\u2019s my baby doll. Now come on. We gotta go find daddy.\u201d<\/p>\n It took two trips to the car to load everything, but within fifteen minutes, mother and child were on the road to Sunnydale.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Angel looked over the letter he had just written with trepidation. He briefly considered crumpling it up and throwing in the wastebasket. Before he could do so, Angel forced himself to stuff the letter into an envelope and seal it. He then quickly scrawled the name of the recipient on it.<\/p>\n \u201cHey Wes,\u201d he called. \u201cCan you come over here for a moment?\u201d<\/p>\n A few moments later Wesley limped into the dining room and took a seat at the table next to Angel. He sat stiffly in the chair. The morning\u2019s battle didn\u2019t leave him much flexibility in his back.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s going on, Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n Angel set the envelope on the table and pushed it towards Wesley. \u201cI want you to give that to her. You know. If something happens to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesley picked up the envelope and sighed. Across the front was written \u2018Cordelia\u2019. \u201cAngel. Nothing is going to\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSomething might,\u201d Angel interrupted. \u201cAnd if it does, then I want Cordelia to have that. I could say more in person, but if Merrick does beat me, then I at least want Cordelia to read that.\u201d<\/p>\n Wesley scratched his chin and tossed the letter back on the table. \u201cYou speak as if you assume I\u2019ll even survive this fight.\u201d<\/p>\n The envelope skidded to a stop in front of Angel. \u201cAre you saying you won\u2019t give it to her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m saying that if anyone has a chance of surviving this it\u2019s going to be you. I can say for certain that you won\u2019t need that letter. You can talk to her yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Angel picked up the envelope and set it on top a pile of books. \u201cI\u2019m going to leave this here. If I don\u2019t need it, then I don\u2019t need it. But in case I do\u2026\u201d he trailed off. He didn\u2019t give Wesley a chance to argue further. Angel stood and went into the kitchen. He saw Willow, Emma, and Kayla hard at work.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s it coming?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n On the stove was a Crock Pot. Willow stood next to the stove and gently stirred the contents with a wooden spoon. Emma and Kayla were next to her and chopping up various herbs on the counter.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s coming along nicely,\u201d Willow assured. \u201cMy sense of smell, however, may be irreparable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I wasn\u2019t going to say anything,\u201d Angel said. It was kind of pungent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt smells like hot shit,\u201d Emma stated bluntly.<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed it does,\u201d Willow agreed. \u201cBut this hot shit just may save our butts. Now cut the potty mouth and give me the dildo weed, uh, the dilda weed. Yeah.\u201d Kayla scooped the dilda weed into a small cup and handed it over. Willow dumped it in and stirred. \u201cShould be ready in half an hour. When it\u2019s done I\u2019ll pour it into something that will suit our purposes. I don\u2019t need to rush, do I?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Angel assured. \u201cTake your time and get it right. This is too important to screw up in a rush. Anyway, Buffy and I need to come up with the battle plan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought we already had a battle plan,\u201d Kayla said. \u201cIsn\u2019t that the whole \u2018kill Merrick, rescue Hannah\u2019 thing we came up with?\u201d<\/p>\n Angel managed an amused smile. \u201cThere is that. But we still don\u2019t know where Merrick is. When I stilled lived here, I heard rumors that Dumont demons ran a racketeering operation out of the basement of Sunnydale\u2019s old post office. If that\u2019s true then I seriously doubt they\u2019ve moved. They tend to stake claim somewhere and stay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo you guys are going to talk to them? Think you\u2019ll need to resort to violence?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGod, I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n Willow turned up the heat a bit on the stove and added a few more herbs. \u201cHow\u2019s everyone doing out there?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiles is up and moving around a bit. Buffy and Spike are healing quick. Xander has been conscious for the past hour. Which, for me, is rather unfortunate. Never did like to hear him talk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou should give Xander a break. He\u2019s not the kid you knew in high school.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know. That\u2019s plain to see. He\u2019s a good guy. It\u2019s just too much fun pissing him off. Anyway, we\u2019re going to need him for this fight coming up. That at least will make me respect him. But back to the point, just get the job done right. I need to go do a little work of my own.\u201d<\/p>\n Angel left the girls to do their work. He walked over to the fridge and grabbed a couple of blood packets before heading back into the living room. He found Buffy and Spike sitting on the couch vaguely watching Fox News. Some fired computer programmer evidently went ape-shit and decided to go on a shooting spree in the Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cNice to see we\u2019re not the only ones with problems,\u201d Angel observed. He tossed one of the blood packets to Spike.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah,\u201d Buffy said. \u201cThe fact we\u2019re not the only people suffering gives me a warm tingly feeling. Dear God, did I just say that?\u201d<\/p>\n Spike twisted the cap from the blood packet and took a swill. \u201cYup. You did. Welcome to the dark side, Pet.\u201d Spike held the blood up in salute to Angel and said, \u201cI don\u2019t think you gave me this cause you thought me to be hungry. What gives?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI need your strength up. The three of us have an errand to run. Soon as the sun goes down, I want us to hit the old post office down on Spring View. I\u2019m pretty sure that\u2019s where the Dumont lair is at.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou think that\u2019s where Merrick will be?\u201d Buffy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably not. Dumont gangs typically run several rackets. One of which tends to be real estate. I\u2019m banking their head guy hooked Merrick up with an abandoned piece of property.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey won\u2019t willingly give us the location.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. That\u2019s where the sudden burst of violence fits into the equation. I suggest gathering up some favorite weapons and get ready to saddle up. Sunset is in twenty-eight minutes and I want to be out the door the second it goes down.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight.\u201d Spike stood up and moved to go upstairs. To Buffy he asked, \u201cYou want the sword or the axe?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe sword. You know, the one with the\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrilly handle. I know.\u201d Spike jogged off to fetch the desired weapons.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want to go up and check out the arsenal?\u201d Buffy asked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I have what I need in the car. The question is will you be ready to do this. Getting the info won\u2019t be easy. And then we\u2019ll have the big fight on our hands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Buffy assured. \u201cThis morning wasn\u2019t the first time I had my ass handed to me. Plus, I\u2019m looking at the Dumont demons like the tune up fight. Kind of like Tyson fighting some nobody before Lewis or Holyfield kicks his ass.\u201d<\/p>\n Angel stared at her blankly a moment before asking, \u201cWas that optimism or pessimism?\u201d<\/p>\n Buffy looked confused as well. \u201cI\u2019m not sure. I did suffer a head injury. Did I mention I suffered a head injury?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, probably. Listen. Just relax for another twenty minutes. Then we\u2019ll head out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re really itching for a fight, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI have anger issues. Killing is therapy.\u201d Angel walked away and went up the stairs just as Spike was coming back down with weapons. Spike handed the frilly sword over to Buffy and glanced at the retreating form of his grandsire.<\/p>\n \u201cIs everything all right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSure. Just let me say a \u2018Thank God\u2019 that Angel isn\u2019t practicing psychiatry.\u201d<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n \u201cWell I\u2019m hot blooded! Check it and see! The baby murmured happily as mommy sang along with the CD. As soon as Cordelia pulled the beaten old truck onto the highway, she floored the pedal until she was going seventy. Cordelia glanced over at her baby and noticed it was having a jolly time. She gave a goofy grin and tickled its chin.<\/p>\n \u201cYou excited, Sweetheart? This is our first mommy\/baby road trip. You having fun yet?\u201d The baby obviously was. \u201cWe have to do this more often. Tell you what. As soon as we drag Angel back home, the three of us are gonna catch a Dodger game. There\u2019s nothing like Chavez Ravine at night. True, the team sucks since we traded Karros, but that\u2019s beside the point. It\u2019ll be a family thing.<\/p>\n \u201cYou heard me right, Little One. I\u2019m hauling that vampire home with me. For too long I was passive. I slunk around feeling sorry for myself. I made a bunch of mistakes. I pushed him away and then just watched as he walked out of my life. Not anymore, though. I\u2019m taking the steps to bring him back in my life. The fact that I stood up to Gunn is a testament to that.<\/p>\n \u201cNot that I\u2019m condoning hitting Uncle Gunn. Violence doesn\u2019t solve all that many problems. It just seems like it does in our business. So I don\u2019t want to see you hitting anybody when you get older, okay?\u201d The baby gurgled in agreement. \u201cBut I feel I strayed off topic. What the hell was I talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDdpfft,\u201d the baby sputtered.<\/p>\n \u201cDaddy! That\u2019s right! Thanks, Sweetheart. There will be no more of that passive stuff when it comes to Angel. I\u2019m convinced that\u2019s the reason he left. Well, I tell you what, Pumpkin. The Bitch is Back. It\u2019s long past time that I said \u2018man up\u2019 and took back what\u2019s mine. We\u2019re going to Sunnydale, I\u2019m going to find that dumb vampire, and I\u2019m gonna torture him until he loves me again. Vampires dig that stuff you know. And if I torture him and he decides he still doesn\u2019t love me, then I\u2019ll torture him some more just for the hell of it. Because Cordy\u2019s back, darlin\u2019. And no man, dead or alive, walks away after he\u2019s gotten a taste of the Chase. Can I get an Amen on that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAmthpfft!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDamn straight, Baby. Now how about I put some Zeppelin in the player? Mommy\u2019s in the mood for a little Kashmir.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby smiled happily at the choice in music and watched as mommy switched out the CD\u2019s. And if the child could read, it would have seen the road sign that said they were eighty miles from Sunnydale. And at the rate that mommy was driving, they\u2019d be seeing daddy shortly after sunset.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Merrick eyed the flashing box warily. He certainly didn\u2019t understand the appeal of it, but the four Dumont demons were huddled around it enthusiastically. Lenny stood up and began to twist some wiring on top of the box. The other three cooed that it was an improvement.<\/p>\n \u201cThis thing is called a tele-vision?\u201d Merrick asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Frank answered vaguely.<\/p>\n Merrick nodded and continued to observe a Sheriff Andy Taylor deal with some drunken fellow. The demons cackled as the drunkard rode into the office on a cow. \u201cAnd this device is for entertainment purposes?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEntertainment and information,\u201d Frank stressed. \u201cYou got shows, movies, sports, and news. If you got a satellite dish, you can even get the Spice Channel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpice\u2026Channel?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. You know, with the T&A.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cT and A?\u201d Merrick was absolutely confused. But he decided it wasn\u2019t important that he understood. Merrick turned away from the ghastly box. He walked across the abandoned building to a pile of blankets. Curled up in the old comforters was an unconscious Hannah.<\/p>\n Merrick knelt down beside the young girl and observed her quietly. His normally harsh gaze actually softened as he breathed in her scent. He reached down and gently brushed away the hair that covered her face. Merrick smiled slightly and decided it was time for her to wake up. He gently placed his left hand on her forehead. A soft glow radiated beneath his palm, and a few moments later, Hannah\u2019s sharp green eyes opened and tried to focus. As soon as they did, Hannah jumped back fearfully.<\/p>\n \u201cBaratu vocai munor\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Merrick waved his hand and said, \u201cStop that.\u201d The Latin chant Hannah began evaporated from her lips. \u201cThat\u2019s just not proper. I bring you to my safe house and you give thanks by trying some spell on me. Tsk, tsk. I can\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hannah clutched at one of the blankets and eyed Merrick warily. \u201cWhat do you want from me?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBesides the obvious? Absolutely nothing. In all honesty, the power that you can give me is secondary at this point. But making Angel suffer, however, is very important to me. And you are a means to that end. I\u2019ve waited generations to get even with that boy. You see, it\u2019s all so perfect. I satisfy my manly urges, get loads of power, and then destroy a lifelong enemy emotionally and then physically. It\u2019s quite lovely.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes you think Angel will even care about me?\u201d<\/p>\n Merrick laughed. \u201cThere are several reasons. The vampire has a pesky soul. Beings inflicted with such a disease typically recoil at the suffering of the innocent. Why, if I steal your power, there are hundreds of nasty things I could do. The least of which would be ripping this Hellmouth we sit atop of wide open.\u201d Merrick paused as he considered what he just said. \u201cNote to self: After I absorb the energies I should rip the Hellmouth open.\u201d He smiled at Hannah. \u201cI have so many moments of inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow about you inspire to shut the fuck up? If you\u2019re gonna rape me would you at least have the decency to just do it and not bore me to death by talking?\u201d<\/p>\n Merrick\u2019s smile instantly disappeared. \u201cBite your tongue, bitch, or I\u2019ll do it for you. Now, if I may continue. I\u2019ve done my research on Angel. He seems to be a sucker for a pretty face. It\u2019s what led to him becoming a vampire. It\u2019s what led to him screwing a Slayer. Truth be told, darling, it\u2019s what led him to helping your great-grandmother. He probably thought getting rid of me would help in getting a piece of ass.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s not true.\u201d Hannah denied.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it isn\u2019t, darling,\u201d Merrick mocked. \u201cBecause we both know that Angel is a creature of pure innocence.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Angelus crashed hard into the wall and fell to the floor in a ragged heap. As he slowly pulled himself up to a kneeling position, Angelus eyed the Blade of Hefnar. It lay a good twenty feet away. Far out of reach. It didn\u2019t help that the Beast stood in the way of making a dash for it. But instead of moping about the situation, Angelus began to cackle madly.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI haven\u2019t had this much fun since Munich in 1889. There was a worker\u2019s riot that lasted four days. Let me tell ya, nobody riots better than the Krauts. Although these American fuckers ain\u2019t bad either. That Rodney King shit was awesome. Wish I could have been here for that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Angelus needed to grip the wall to help him stand up. He wiped away the blood that poured from his nose. Undaunted as the Beast slowly walked towards him, Angelus merely looked up and smirked.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s it hanging, Ugly?\u201d Angelus looked down at the crotch area of the Beast. \u201cDamn! It isn\u2019t hanging at all!\u201d Angelus grinned mischievously. \u201cDon\u2019t tell me the Big Bad is actually a Sheila! Tell ya what, Sweetheart. How about we drop the fisticuffs and I\u2019ll take you out for a Sundae? Nothing\u2019s too good for my girl.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Beast gripped Angelus by the coat collar and rammed him into the wall. Angelus felt a nasty wound open up on the back of his head. He didn\u2019t mind so much. After all, the Beast twirled Angelus around and threw him across the warehouse\u2026and right next to the Blade of Hefnar.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cDumb fuck,\u201d Angelus grunted. The vampire reached out and clutched the blade in one bloody hand. \u201cI gotta finish this quick or I’m gonna get seriously dead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Angelus used the sword as a cane to push himself to a standing position. A mental shot of courage later and Angelus leveled the sword at the Beast\u2019s chest and charged.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nI got a fever of a hundred and three!
\nCome on baby do you do more than dance?
\nI\u2019m hot blooded, hot blooded!
\nYou don\u2019t have to read my mind!
\nTo know what I have in mind!
\nHoney you oughta know!
\nNow you move so fine!
\nLet me lay it on the line!
\nI wanna know!
\nWhat you\u2019re doin\u2019 after the show!\u201d<\/p>\n