|
|
Part 2
On the contrary, Giles found that the morning only made things worse in a sense. He had gone to the school library that he had come to think of as his, ready to begin the research for Stefanie. But he was caught off guard by the presence of two sleeping forms at the desk in the center of the room.
Giles groaned, cursing himself for his forgetfulness. Xander and Willow had been here with him last night when Stefanie had called with news of Buffy. Rather than worry them right off, Giles had told them to wait until he returned. From the looks of things, they had listened and had been here all night.
With a sigh, Giles went to wake them and offered them cups of freshly brewed tea. And, once they were settled, he set about filling them in on the night's events. Much to Giles' surprise, the news that Buffy was in a coma didn't upset them as greatly as the fact that Cordelia had become a member of the undead. He hadn't figured that Xander and Willow were that close to the conceited girl. But he supposed that the loss of someone else they knew was too much.
Of all people, Xander had the most right to feel the worst about this. He had lost his best friend, Jesse, in the same way, plus he and Cordelia had dated for a while back in high school. How must it feel, Giles wondered, to know a former girlfriend had turned into a savage animal?
Xander answered the silent question a moment later. "Cordelia always did have bad karma," he said. "But I didn't expect it to come to this... She's been a part of the team for so long! It's not fair that she should go down like this!"
Reaching for her husband's hand, Willow felt a wave of sorrow wash over her. Only she wasn't as willing to give in to the fact that Cordelia was lost. "Are you sure there's no help for her? I mean, Angel turned good when he got his soul back. Couldn't we just do the same for Cordy?"
Giles looked down a moment, choosing to break it as gently as possible. "She'd never consent to such a ritual," he said. "The demon inside her would kill us if we even attempted to try... As I told Stefanie last night, the only thing we can offer Cordelia now is to end her life."
Willow nodded numbly, while Xander stood and began to pace back and forth. "I hate this town," he stated simply.
Giles sighed deeply. "For now, I suggest we concentrate on helping the ones who can be saved," he said, changing the subject. He quickly went to gather the volumes that might tell who Tessa was, then rejoined his young friends at the table. The search was long and tedious, and it seemed that they wouldn't find a single trace. Finally, Xander struck gold in the translated journal of one of the past Watchers.
"According to this," Xander said, "Tessa and someone named Lorenzo were sighted in China in the early 1800s, wreaking the usual havoc... If I'm reading right, Tessa is five hundred years old, while Lorenzo is in the six hundreds."
Giles asked to have the book to skim it further. "Says here they're both inventive and ruthless. And... they killed the slayer that this Watcher was guarding."
Willow perked up. "So why didn't they kill Buffy right off when they attacked her?" she asked quietly. "I'm not saying I wanted that to happen, but it would have saved them a lot of trouble."
Giles considered this a moment. "Then they must have some ulterior motive for wanting her alive," he said. "I bet if Angel were here..." Giles cut off suddenly, as if realizing what their plan was.
It seemed that Willow had caught on as well, while Xander remained painfully clueless as ever. "What?" he asked when neither his wife nor Giles spoke.
"That's why they kidnapped Angel," Giles said in a near whisper. "Lorenzo and Tessa are going to force him to kill Buffy himself."
Xander paused, shaking his head. "And they'll manage that how?" he asked. "Angel loves her too much."
Giles looked up at the younger man sadly. "Not enough to overcome his need for blood. If they starve him for a few days first... Why didn't I see this before?!?"
At that, the trio remained silent for the longest time. But each of them seemed to know what the other was thinking. Their hearts went out to Angel in his apparent situation. Even Xander, who, until recently, had long competed with the vampire for Buffy's affections, was troubled now. But there was nothing they could do in terms of rescuing.
That part was to be left to Stefanie...
From inside his prison in the heart of the old warehouse, Angel lay on his side on the bunk his captors had provided him. It surprised him slightly that they had bothered with that little triviality, considering their reasons for having him here. But he didn't bother asking why; he wouldn't give them that pleasure.
With a sigh, Angel rolled over onto his back, one arm angled under his head. Already, he could feel the pangs of hunger gnawing at him, but it was nothing too bad. In less than three days, it would become unbearable. And then, unless Stefanie came through, Buffy would be dead at his hands.
Angel felt a tear sliding down his cheek at the thought of the woman he loved, wishing he could be with her now. Closing his eyes, he drew a mental picture of Buffy, lively as he remembered her.
His reverie was over all too soon, as he heard the sound of laughter over to his left. He threw a listless glance at Cordelia, then went back to staring at the ceiling.
She wasn't ready to leave him in peace, however. Leaning forward slightly with an amused look, Cordelia asked, "Feeling hungry yet?"
Angel refused to let her see the slightest semblance of emotion from him; he was stubborn that way. Plus, he knew it would please her to get a rise out of him. "Stay away from me, Cordelia," he said flatly.
"Or what?" Cordelia taunted. "You'll kill me? Lots of luck getting near me, Angel." She paused, taking a step closer. "Thinking of Buffy again?"
When Angel didn't answer, Cordelia carried on as if he had. "I'm not surprised. That little vixen has never been far from your mind... I remember a time when I was jealous of her, because she had more of your attention than I could ever hope to get." Cordelia paused again. "But maybe when she's out of the picture, you and I could finally have a chance."
This time, Angel did look at her, the rage conveyed as well through his vampire visage as it would have in his human one. If it were anyone else, he could have held his feelings in check, but Cordelia knew too well how to push his buttons. "If I ever get out of here, you're going to wish I hadn't," he growled fiercely.
Cordelia merely smiled. "I'm not afraid of you," she said simply, turning and starting to walk away. But she had only taken a few steps when she stopped and looked over her shoulder flirtatously. "My offer stands if you ever change your mind," she told him in a seductive tone.
Angel watched her go without a word, then once more went back to studying the roof. Eventually, sensing it was morning outside, he fell into a restless sleep, his last thoughts as always on Buffy. "Be safe, my love," he whispered...