Part 5<\/b><\/p>\n
Fred shoved at her glasses, tears forming behind the lens as she stood in front of the abandoned hotel.<\/p>\n
She had no idea, how to find any of her family. She blinked, turning, starting to run.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cLorne, Lorne,\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello clinging kitten, nice fashion statement.\u201d Lorne gently removed the young woman\u2019s hands from his neck.<\/p>\n
Fred blinked rapidly at the demon. \u201cYou don\u2019t have any idea who I am do you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred scrunched up face. \u201cDamn, that\u2019s right, you weren\u2019t in the hotel when we took the wafer, damn, damn, damn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney, you\u2019re not making any sense, I hate to ask this but possibly, you are-\u201c Lorne twirled his finger at his temple.<\/p>\n
\u201cCrazy? I thought I was, and then I really thought I was. All these crazy images of people that I\u2019d never seen, equations that I hadn\u2019t thought of yet, but then it hit me, the Hyperion and the equations they were the right ones to open the portal from Plyea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEek, no-no, on the Plyea talk- bad place, hell dimension.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred waved her hand. \u201cSlave, or was, escaped but see, I was still in Plyea, I wasn\u2019t supposed to be in Plyea.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney, no one is,\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred nodded then shook her head. \u201cI was, I was supposed to be there, but not now. Angel saved me, but he didn\u2019t, which means that Cordy didn\u2019t have a vision, didn\u2019t get sucked through the Portal, didn\u2019t become a Princess, didn\u2019t need Angel to save her. Which means that something went wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m seeing a lot wrong with that story.\u201d Lorne looked around for the quickest escape route from the nutty woman.<\/p>\n
Fred nodded. \u201cI know.\u201d Her eyes wide, her answer completely oblivious too Lorne\u2019s expression that labeled her nuts.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee, I went to Hyperion, but it was it all closed up, no Angel, no Wesley, no Charles, no Cordy. But maybe, I thought things just went a little wrong, maybe there was a new office. I went to Cordy\u2019s apartment. The landlord said that the apartment hadn\u2019t been rented in ages. I asked to see it, because, maybe Dennis knew something. But, Dennis wasn\u2019t there. I called for him, and the blind string tried to strangle me. It was his mother,\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred leaned in close to the backing away green demon. \u201cCordy, told me she was homicidal, walled her own son in the wall, ALIVE, well, he\u2019s dead now, but still. But, if Dennis\u2019 mom was still haunting the apartment and trying to kill tenants then Cordelia couldn\u2019t ever had been there, because Cordy vanquished Dennis\u2019 Mom and freed Dennis, well, she had the help of Angel and\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred smacked at her head,\u201d um, the seer before Cordy, I know, Doyle, that\u2019s Doyle. So, then I was kind of freaky, not knowing what to do. Then it hit me, you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe.\u201d Lorne pointed his finger at his chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure, you may not remember everything, but you have to know where Angel, Cordy, Wesley and Charles are, you just have too.\u201d She clutched at his purple lapels.<\/p>\n
Lorne gently pushed her back. \u201cI\u2019m going take a wild stab in the dark here, something mystically weird has happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s just it I don\u2019t know, but Wesley will be able to figure it out. That\u2019s why he gave Charles and I the wafer to remember in case something went wrong. Well, something had to go wrong, I just don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorne stopped the young woman, with a finger to her lips. \u201cAnother knife thrown out into the atmosphere. Cordy is \u2018the hot chick\u2019, Charles- a strapping bald fella, fighting type and Wesley- a British thinking type. \u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cYou do remember them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey came in earlier looking for the vampire with a soul and Cordy, honey they weren\u2019t looking for you, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because they knew where I was\u2026in a cave in Plyea. What did you tell them? Where are they?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them where Angel was and that I didn\u2019t know anything about a hot chick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred blinked. \u201cCordy\u2019s Angels seer, she has to be with him, they\u2019re soul mates, madly in love, they have to be together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, hon, the vampire with a soul isn\u2019t a real loving type.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no, this is worse than I thought, I was\u2026Where are Wesley and Charles? You have to take me to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKitten, do you want some new duds, not that you don\u2019t look just smashing in a bag.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred frantically shook her head. \u201cI want Wesley and Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is getting old.\u201d Gunn settled his large frame on the steps, trying to find anyway to get comfortable. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we just go in there a force the vampire to listen to us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat didn\u2019t work all that well the first, second or third time we tried it.\u201d Wesley rubbed at his glasses. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d asking a totally unrelated question.<\/p>\n
Gunn understood. \u201cAngelus is what happened, God, what if he killed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley shook his head. \u201cIf Angelus had killed her then the prophecy would\u2019ve been completed. Angel has his soul.\u201d Wesley stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould\u2019ve fooled me the way he’s acting.” Gunn grumbled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Angel won\u2019t talk to us, then I believe are only other choice is to go to Sunnydale.\u201d Wesley said with a pained expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, Charles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both men turned, smiles breaking over their somber expressions. \u201cFred,\u201d they both yelled, rushing to the young woman that was running towards them.<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
Fred blinked away her tears, holding on to both men. \u201cI remembered, I remembered the equation, I remembered everything, I came home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hoped you would.\u201d Wesley smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, wasn\u2019t looking forward to taking a return trip to Plyea, just to grab your skinny ass.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred giggled, still smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cKiddies.\u201d Lorne cleared his throat. \u201cI understand something is not copasetic in this world of ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, have you seen Angel yet, Lorne said this was his office. Where\u2019s Cordy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFred, we have talked to him, but he won\u2019t talk to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, the mention of Sunnydale or Cordy sets him off. He threatened to kill us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t. Come on.\u201d Fred pulled at the men.<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, Fred, we were thinking giving Angel some time to reflect on our presence, perhaps to \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChill.\u201d Gunn finished for Wesley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, Charles, it’s Angel. He has to tell us where Cordy is.\u201d Fred yanked them both closer to the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not. Maybe he doesn\u2019t kill skinny chicks.\u201d Gunn shrugged.<\/p>\n
Part 6<\/b><\/p>\n
Fred pushed her way into the office over the complaints of the seer. \u201cWho are you?\u201d she wrinkled her nose.<\/p>\n
\u201cJack, the vampire\u2019s seer.\u201d He tried to glare at the young woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cPfft, no you’re not.\u201d Fred looked around the small office. \u201cWhere\u2019s Angel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, the vamp was serious.\u201d Jack turned to Gunn and Wesley. \u201cLorne what are you doing here.\u201d Jack asked in surprise at the demon\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n
Lorne shrugged. \u201cThere may be temporal problem at work, thought I get a ring side seat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred rolled her eyes. \u201cWhere\u2019s Angel.\u201d She saw the stairs. \u201cUp there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGirl, I wouldn\u2019t. He\u2019s in a bitch of a mood because of those two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPooh, Charles, Wesley are you coming?\u201d<\/p>\n
They both shrugged and followed the running girl.<\/p>\n
Lorne glance up the stairs and then at Jack. “Maybe Gimme a call, when the vampire is in better mood.”<\/p>\n
“That’s would be a never.”<\/p>\n
Lorne looked up the stairs. “You never know.”<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel,\u201d Fred yelled repeatedly into the main living area. She squealed as she noticed Angel appear.<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel,\u201d she ran up to hug him.<\/p>\n
The vampire grabbed at the woman holding her at arms length. \u201cWho the hell are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, sorry, you don\u2019t know me yet, we\u2019re friends.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo were not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred nodded. \u201cYes, we are. We all are, you, me, Charles, Wesley,\u201d she pointed to the men. \u201cAnd Lorne, he\u2019s downstairs or was, and of course Cordy, we\u2019re all family that\u2019s why you have to tell us where she is. You do know, don\u2019t you? Oh god,\u201d she turned to Wesley and Gunn,<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if he doesn\u2019t? How are we going to find her? No,\u201d she faced the vampire. \u201cYou have to know, you wouldn\u2019t let her stay lost, you wouldn\u2019t, you love her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel clenched his teeth. Any tolerance for the crazy young woman that he may have been harboring flew out of the room. He grabbed her, \u201cGet the hell out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOw, Angel, you\u2019re hurting me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoa, vamp, don\u2019t be hurting Fred,\u201d Gunn yanked at the vampire as Wesley pulled Fred behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you all out of here now.\u201d He growled going back into his bedroom slamming the door.<\/p>\n
The three friends looked at each other. \u201cI\u2019m not leaving.\u201d Fred said stubbornly.<\/p>\n
The men nodded.<\/p>\n
Part 7<\/b><\/p>\n
Angel paced his room, anger beating at his skull. They humans hadn\u2019t left and from what he could tell they had set up camp in the office, running Jack off. He growled. Angel was going to have to follow through with his threats it seemed.<\/p>\n
He stalked to the stairs, stopping on the bottom as he heard Cordelia Chase\u2019s name again. Cordy. Her friends in Sunnydale had called her that when she could respond. He had called her that over her screams as he raped her over and over again.<\/p>\n
A sharp pain pierced his body causing him to slump into the shadows of the steps preventing him from stopping the humans from talking about Cordelia Chase, forcing him too listen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, what could\u2019ve gone wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley sighed into his chair. \u201cI imagine there are countless possibilities. I just\u2026Angel knew the importance of keeping to the past time line. Both he and Cordelia did. I can\u2019t believe that\u2026it had to have been something Angelus did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what? He couldn\u2019t have killed her, Angel still has his soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel leaned forward, the pain lessening as the need to get rid of the humans turned into a need to understand what the hell they were talking about.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, except its back to beige. Hell worse. He wasn\u2019t this bad, when Darla showed up fucking with his head.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles,\u201d Wesley said disapprovingly as Fred squeaked and threw her hands up to her ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat, the vamp\u2019s pissing me off, we can\u2019t wait for one of his epiphanies. He needs to fucking tell us what happened to Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel gripped at the banister. They were crazy. Darla was dust. He had killed her himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, what about her parents or her friends in Sunnydale.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, let\u2019s take a road trip. Maybe she\u2019s still there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCordelia left Sunnydale because her family lost all of their money. If she was still there, that would mean her father didn\u2019t cheat on his taxes, I can\u2019t image anything that Angelus could have done that would\u2019ve prevented Mr. Chase from committing a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe, he killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel winced back into the steps.<\/p>\n
Wesley shrugged. \u201cPossible, but Cordy said in her letter that her parents would be gone for a week. And if \u00a0Angelus were still loose when they did return, Cordelia and Angel wouldn\u2019t have put them in any danger from Angelus. Angel would\u2019ve taken Cordelia away from her home. Damn\u2019t, why didn\u2019t Angel just do the spell? It was so simple, he didn\u2019t even have to see her, just do the spell and send the orb back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot see her for himself, right.\u201d Gunn rolled his eyes. \u201cThere no way the vamp wouldn\u2019t see her, hell they probably were making out as soon as he popped into town.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles is right, Wesley. You remember how he was before he left. Angel was frantic. He would\u2019ve had to make sure that she was safe and then well\u2026the kissing would\u2019ve started\u2026.\u201d Fred pushed at her glasses. \u201cWould he kiss a teenage Cordy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHell, girl, she would\u2019ve mauled him and I\u2019ll tell you what, Cordy wasn\u2019t the ugly duckling that waited until LA to turn into a major hottie.”<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn, you didn\u2019t even know her in Sunnydale.\u201d Wesley shoved at his glasses.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did, am I wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. But talking about Angel and Cordelia\u2019s \u2026.habit of being intimate frequently isn\u2019t getting us anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stared at the humans. They were talking about a Cordelia and Angel that he didn\u2019t know. A slow ache spread in his gut. They were talking about two people that he wished he had known.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, neither is your blaming Angel.\u201d Fred insisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t. It\u2019s just\u2026\u201d Wesley rubbed his forehead again. \u201c I know he wouldn\u2019t have\u00a0sent her back before Angelus was dealt with, even if he had wanted to, Cordelia would\u2019ve argued, he would\u2019ve backed down. In addition, he had to realize it would\u2019ve been more difficult trying to protect the Cordy of that time, even if she trusted him, she wouldn\u2019t believe him or she would\u2019ve gone to Buffy, no he needed Cordy to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred looked up. \u201cWesley, you said if she trusted him. Why wouldn\u2019t \u2026.\u201d Fred took a deep breath. \u201cWhy are we assuming it was Angelus of 1898?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCuz, he\u2019s the bad guy. The evil bastard that Wolfram & Hart sent back to kill Cordelia, that one that seems to get a free pass through time, fucking things up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, didn\u2019t Cordy say in her letter that there were two Angelus. That\u2019s what Angel said.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley nodded. \u201cYes, Angel did lose his soul in 1998. But, Angel said that the Angelus of that time, while remembering a dark haired woman he had marked in 1898, hadn\u2019t realized it was Cordelia, he was too busy obsessing with Buffy to notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel closed eyes wishing so much that he hadn\u2019t noticed the young beautiful teenager.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but Cordy also said in her letter that her plan to remain unnoticed might not have worked real well. What if he did notice her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley considered. \u201cAgain possible, but it doesn\u2019t get us anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about the evil law firm, why don\u2019t we go kick some butts. It was their plan, maybe they kept tabs on Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would they, in this time line, Cordy was never Angel\u2019s seer. They would have no interest in her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sure? I don\u2019t mind kicking some lawyer\u2019s assess.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles, you just want to beat them up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn straight, all this shit is their fault.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI sympathize with you Gunn,\u201d Wesley took off his glasses. \u201cIf Angel doesn\u2019t tell us what happened to Cordelia soon, then we will have to go to Sunnydale. I\u2019d hoped to avoid that as long as possible.”<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause, I have no memory of my time in Sunnydale other than the real one. When I was there, 1998 had come and gone, Cordelia and Angel\u2019s paths were in line. He left Sunnydale in an attempt to give Buffy a normal life and Cordelia left to become a bad actress.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going tell her you said that.\u201d Fred smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish you could, I wish I could. Trying to explain all this to Giles would be a nightmare. He didn\u2019t have much respect for me in Sunnydale, and I can\u2019t believe my actions in this time-line were that different. I might not remember, but I have figured out that I\u2019m in LA and not a watcher anymore. I can safely assume I was fired for incompetence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Wesley, I can\u2019t believe that you were ever incompetent, I just can\u2019t.\u201d Fred smiled encouragingly. She bit her lip suddenly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWesley, what if Angel can\u2019t tell us. None of us remember anything other than the past we know to be true. He\u2019s been effected- his memories fitting the changed time-line. He won\u2019t know what messed up with Angel and Cordy, will he.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but he does know what happened to him and to Cordy in 1998 and from that we should be able to pinpoint when the divergence happened and what it was. Then we can fix it. Fred, how\u2019s the spell coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fred looked up from the computer she had been working at while talking. \u201cI remembered most of the equations from when I did it last, but I need to verify a couple exponents first. You\u2019re going to have to fill in the incantations though.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wesley nodded. \u201cWhen this is over, we\u2019ve got to find away to ensure that Wolfram & Hart does not use another time portal. As long as they have that ability, they will continue to try to fulfill the prophecy. We cannot keep having Cordelia thrown back into Angelus\u2019 clutches or him here, we cannot keep worrying about her dying and Angel being damned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHell, when this is over, Angel will make sure of it. I imagine the body count will be rising.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn, Angel can\u2019t kill the lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? He let a whole room get slaughtered by those blood sucking girlfriends of his.\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGunn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight, that was post Darla mind fuck and Darla fuck.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles, that\u2019s just crude\u2026and\u2026Cordy told me Angel was really sorry about\u2026you know with Darla and being so mean and firing everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, well, we need that beige fucker back if we want those evil ass lawyers to stop trying to kill Cordy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles, Angel can\u2019t kill the lawyers.\u201d Wesley repeated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, man, I didn\u2019t see you putting a leash on him, when he went after the lawyers this last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t kill any, those two that died, died from heart attacks, and it was to find Cordy. Angel can\u2019t kill the lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angel stood. \u201cWho says I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n