|
|
Part 2
The next day found Chase and Ivory engaged in a training exercise in the middle of the track field some time after school had let out. The two of them went through a round of martial arts practice, purposely in slow motion until Ivory fully got the hang of it. Finally, Chase called it quits, moving to retrieve a water bottle from the nearby bench.
Ivory set into a few stretching exercises while Chase took his break, bending over and extending her arms so her fingers brushed the tips of her toes. She held the position for a count of five, then straightened, taking a deep breath. Ivory repeated the exercise a few more times, then abandoned it, walking to the bench and taking a seat next to Chase.
"Oh, that was invigorating, wasn't it?" Ivory asked, pulling her hair back and fastening it into a ponytail with a little purple scrunchie. "There's just something about exercising that gets me all energized, you know?"
Chase shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe," he replied. "I never got that from it. For me, it was just something that meant family time." He paused, looking at her. "My parents and I used to go out jogging together every afternoon, or bike riding when it got to be summer. Was always a lot of fun."
Ivory pursed her lips together, gazing at him with sad eyes. "You must miss them a lot," she answered softly. "I can't imagine what it's like to be an orphan."
"It's hard," Chase said after a long moment. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of them, at least wish they were still alive. You know, that everything was back to normal... whatever that is."
"I know what you mean," Ivory told him. "I wish I could have my family back too. That time could turn back and my mother's kidnapping could be erased from the equation. I wonder what it would have been like, if she and my Dad had never been taken from me to begin with." Ivory paused, then abandoned this topic to move onto another one. "Well, I know a little about my Mom's situation, but... What was it like for you, living there in the caverns?"
Chase paused for a moment, contemplating this. "Nothing too bad. Cinnamon kept me relatively sheltered from the day I arrived, so my time there was better than most of the other prisoners. But I didn't have many special privileges; I wasn't allowed anywhere in the caves without an escort."
"How'd you escape then?" Ivory questioned, shifting her weight. "Must have been difficult."
"Not very," Chase admitted. "Especially after your mother fed me her own vampire blood and made me immortal, when I gained the power to control minds... I experimented with it at first once I realized I had it, made a few of the lesser vamps do little subtle things that they wouldn't normally. Then, once I was ready, I used it on Serena to escape her and the caverns. Fled through the desert until I reached this run-down, isolated cabin, then hid out there for the night."
Ivory managed a smile. "You're very lucky to have gotten out in one piece... What happened then?"
Chase shrugged. "Come morning, I was on my way to Sunnydale. Even if I had to hitch a ride to do so... From there, it wasn't too difficult to find out where you were living." He paused, looking slightly nervous. "Although I have to admit, Ivory, that our meeting each other face-to-face was somewhat arranged on my part."
Ivory remained silent, blushing slightly, as she recalled how Chase had collided with her on a street corner, claiming he had been out for an afternoon jog. "I'm glad you had," she said finally. "Looking at where we are now, that meeting was worth it."
Chase smiled, prepared to say more, when the cellphone Ivory carried started ringing. Sighing, the Slayer hit the receive button, raising the phone to her face. "Go ahead," she said jubilantly to whomever was on the other end.
Chase began to pack up the picnic basket when it became clear that he and Ivory were returning to the apartment, based on her side of the conversation. At last, Ivory hung up and turned to him, saying, "That was my Dad. He said that my Watcher, Willow, is asking to speak to us via computer in one hour."
Chase stood, picking up the basket. "Everything alright?" he asked, studying Ivory's face for any sign of concern.
Ivory shook her head, getting to her feet and adjusting the sunglasses. "According to Dad, my mentor in Sunnydale was very vague about what she wanted... Guess we'll know when we get there. So, shall we?"
"Be my guest," Chase replied, following her lead from the track field and unconciously running his eyes up and down her slender, tanned form. *I may not stand a chance in hell of forming romantic ties with Ivory,* he thought to himself, *but a little looking and lusting never hurt anyone...*
Angel was in the process of cursing the laptop Willow had provided them with a week earlier when Ivory and Chase entered the room. Quickly, the Slayer moved forward to exercise damage control. "Dad, calm down!" she said lightly. "What's wrong this time?"
Angel shook his head. "If I live to be a thousand years old, I swear I will never understand computers as well as Willow does," he said in frustration. Taking a deep breath, he added, "She said she'd communicate with us by using some sort of camera that will transplant our images onto the screen and hers in turn... What I can't figure out is..."
Ivory gave him a reassuring grin. "Don't worry," she cut in. "I know how to activate it." She quickly hooked a cable into the back of the small round camera attached to the top of the laptop, then opened the corresponding program that went with it. "There, we're all set. Now all we have to wait is for Willow to do the same on her end, and we can talk away."
Angel stared at Ivory in amazement. "When did my daughter become such a technological wizard?" he asked in awe, chuckling softly.
Ivory gave him a broad smile in turn. "Welcome to the Twenty-First century, Dad. And to the idea that you have a daughter highly skilled in electronics... I can do everything from repairing digital clocks to solving even the littlest computer glitch."
Angel grew thoughtful at this, taking a step towards her. "Have you ever considered putting that skill to help you with the slaying?" he asked. "Maybe, if you put your mind to it, I bet you could come up with a device or two that might prove useful..."
Ivory's smile widened, the wheels already turning in her head. "You know, that's not a bad idea," she replied. "In fact..." Ivory hesitated, then ran to grab a pen and paper from the kitchen counter. She drew a quick sketch, then returned to show Angel and Chase. "What do you guys think? Maybe army boots that I could alter in a way to benefit me. Of course, they'd have to be especially large, which means extra padding inside to make them fit, but... I could build in some hidden compartments for backup stakes!"
Chase and Angel nodded in agreement, both amused by Ivory's enthusiasm. Just then, the three were interrupted by a voice emanating from the laptop.
"Hello?" came a small, tinny version of Willow's voice. "If you guys are there, could you step in front of the camera, please? All I've got is an image of an empty room."
As one, Ivory, her father, and Chase moved in front of the laptop, all fixed on the image of Willow on the screen. Quickly, they settled into positions where the Watcher could see all three of them, then Ivory said, "Mind telling us what this little meeting is about?"
Willow sighed, getting right into it. "I know you're down there not only to save Buffy but to stop those who hold her from raising a dangerous demon..."
"Falmorean," Ivory intoned, serving as a reminder.
Willow nodded. "That's right. And we know that four 'half-vampires' are the ones that can help do so, of which Angel and your mother are two of the requirements... Anyway, I've been searching through my books trying to find some added info, and this morning, I came up with something."
Willow cleared her throat. "There's a passage in the Luminot text that reads, 'Only those bound by blood twice over can raise such a demon.'"
"'Twice over?!'" Ivory exclaimed. "Is that even possible?"
"Well, that's another thing," Willow inserted. "Further digging into the matter made it clear that the ritual itself demands that the blood of the participants be mixed. Which means that they all have to be of the same vampire clan beforehand."
Angel tried to work this out. "Well, that tracks," he said. "Considering I'm the one who brought Buffy over... But it also doesn't make sense. All the other members of my particular family, as I'm aware, are dead..."
Willow sighed again. "All except one, who's sitting right in front of you, Angel," she replied.
Ivory's eyes widened, as did her father's. "Me?!" she squeaked out. "But I'm not..."
Willow let out a deep breath. "As long as you exhibit minor vampire qualities, Ivory, you can be considered one of them. Even if it's in the one-eighth category."
Ivory paused, then nodded. "Okay," she said. "Assuming you're right, and I really think you are, who would qualify as the fourth person bound by blood?"
Willow shook her head. "I honestly don't know," she admitted. "Some bloodsucker at the caverns perhaps. Maybe you're wrong, Angel. Maybe someone else in your line is still out there."
"What about Chase?" Ivory asked abruptly. "He has my mother's blood in him. Couldn't...?"
Willow shook her head. "I've thought of that already, and it doesn't apply. Chase is an immortal, not a vampire. There's a difference."
So fixed as they were on the screen, neither Ivory nor her father noticed when Chase quietly fled for the bathroom, looking ill. "Maybe," the elder vampire said in a low tone. "Either way, we'll be sure to be extra careful when we go in to rescue Buffy... Thanks for the warning, Willow."
The Watcher smiled slightly. "Good luck. I hope to see you all back in Sunnydale in a few weeks or so... Goodbye, my friends." And with that, Willow closed the program on her end, leaving Angel and Ivory staring at the silent laptop with a sort of apprehension...
In the bathroom, Chase leaned over the sink, splashing cold water on his face for a moment before stopping to look at himself for a minute. "Oh, God, what am I doing?" he whispered to himself, inwardly feeling angry at his own cowardice. *If I was any sort of man, I would march right out there and tell them the truth right now, promises I made be damned,* he added silently.
Chase sighed heavily, trying to work up the resolve to do just that. While this was going on, he suddenly heard Ivory knocking lightly on the bathroom door. "Chase," she called. "Are you alright? You've been in there for a half hour."
Chase bit his lip, hesitating a moment before calling out, "I'm fine... Just needed a little quiet time. I'll be right out, okay?"
Chase rubbed at his face, feeling the tension ebb away just by the sound of Ivory's voice. Quickly, he stepped out into the living room, intent on spilling all. But the sight of Angel brandishing a six-inch hunting knife stopped him, and he watched as the elder vamp handed the weapon to his daugther. "For tonight's hunt," Angel said to Chase when he caught sight of him. "I figured you and Ivory could use all the leverage you could get."
"That's great," Chase said distractedly. "Look, I have to tell you guys..."
Ivory glanced up, gazing at Chase with a questioning look in her green eyes. "Yes?" she said when he remained silent.
Chase swallowed the lump in his throat, his resolve rapidly dwindling at this moment. Instead, he said, "The name, Antonio, is fine, if you want to continue being Carmelita."
Ivory blushed, throwing a quick glance at her father. "Um, yeah," she said, shoving the knife into a wrist sheath she had strapped on. "I suppose I could stick with it... Well, shall we head out? If we hurry, we could get there just before the sun sets."
"Sure," Chase replied, following her from the apartment, and mentally kicking himself for being so gutless...
The night's hunt passed rather uneventfully, as there proved to be no vamps to reel in this time around, so the Slayer and her companion left for home early. On the return journey, Ivory speculated that maybe the cavern bloodsuckers were growing wise to the decrease in their numbers. However, Chase discounted this possibility by saying that so many had left so unexpectedly over the years, there was no reason for those who remained to get suspicious.
Much to her surprise (and much to Chase's chagrin), Ivory found that Kenyon was waiting outside the door to her apartment, bearing carnations and a box of chocolates. "Hey!" she greeted, running over and giving him a hug and a kiss. "I'm sorry. I wasn't quite sure when you would arrive. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."
Kenyon gave her a warm smile. "Not at all," he replied, offering the gifts to her. "I got your favorite kind. All white chocolate," he added, opening the box for her perusal.
Ivory beamed, licking her lips. "Mmm," she purred. "Don't those look delicious!" She paused, tilting her head to look at him. "You're getting to know me and my weaknesses pretty well, Kenyon... What do you say we go in and you spend a little time indulging me with those sweets?"
He grinned in turn, hardly noticing the envious looks that Chase was shooting at him from behind Ivory. "Your wish is my command," Kenyon answered, watching as Ivory fished her key from her purse and unlocked the door to her apartment.
Ivory quickly prepared a vase of water for the carnations, then went to join Kenyon on the nearby chair, seating herself on one of the plush arms. Smiling, he plucked one of the chocolates from the box in his lap, feeding it to her slowly and admiring the sensuous look on her face. "Do you know how very much you amaze me?" Kenyon asked her.
Ivory shook her head. "No. Wanna tell me?"
Kenyon fed her another chocolate, simultaneously digging a piece of paper from his pants pocket. "I'll do one better," he said, a little nervously. "This is a poem I wrote specifically for you... with Hannah's help, of course." He cleared his throat, then began to recite it:
"Lovely as a summer's night,
Inviting as the day's light,
Through it all, never failing to shine.
Why I'm so glad to say you're mine."
Ivory remained silent a moment, eyes misting over slightly. "Kenyon, that's beautiful," she murmured at last. "Thank you... How much did Hannah help with it? Was it mainly your doing?"
"She helped with the rhyme scheme, just offering suggestions," Kenyon answered. "Otherwise, I composed the whole thing."
Ivory grinned, reaching down to brush a strand of hair from his face. "You're very talented then," she whispered, leaning a little closer. "I never knew you could write poetry so well."
"Just don't let it get out to my buds on the basketball team," he joked. "I'd never hear the end of it." Kenyon offered her a smile in turn, saying, "Plus, that's not the only thing I do well." With those words, he removed another chocolate from the box, placing it between his teeth and biting down ever so lightly. Ivory giggled at the gesture, even as his eyes dared her to kiss him. Deciding to take him up on the challenge, Ivory leaned closer and pressed her lips to his, losing herself in the heated kiss even long after the chocolate had melted in her own mouth...