Part Four: Relating
Wesley and Angel sat around the lobby of the Hyperion Hotel in silence; books, files, and miscellaneous pieces of paper were spread out in front of them. Wesley was shuffling through a pile of computer printouts he’d made earlier in the day. Angel poured over books for any hint of other instances of time travel.
There was an odd sort of atmosphere in the old hotel since Angel’s sister had made her abrupt appearance. They all tried to go about business as usual, but their attempts were less than successful. Wesley was trying to split his attention between the girl’s mystery and their current paid case. Cordelia spent most of her time with Kathy, and as a result was not seen by the two of them very often. And Angel...well, it made sense that he was more effected by the arrival of his long-dead sister than the rest of them. He was tense and withdrawn – unusually so.
Angel closed the book in front of him with a grimace. “I’m worried about her,” he said quite softly. It was the first thing he’d said that evening.
Wesley looked up from his research in surprise. “Hmm?”
Angel gestured with his head towards the courtyard. There, Cordelia and Kathy could faintly be seen talking seriously to each other. Their topic was anyone’s guess.
“Is she still not speaking to you?” Wesley asked.
Angel nodded.
“Give her time, Angel,” the ex-Watcher suggested.
Angel nodded again. “I know. I don’t...expect her to speak to me. I just...would like her to.”
“I’d imagine that circumstances for her are most confusing at the moment,” Wesley pointed out.
“I know,” Angel agreed. And he did know, probably better than the others. He knew exactly where she was coming from, unlike anyone else possibly could. He knew her.
“Have you found anything?” Wesley asked, changing the subject.
Angel frowned. “Nothing,” he said, gesturing to the book. “There’s nothing on actual time travel. At least, none that I’ve found.” He leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes for a second in fatigue. He had not been sleeping well. “What about you?” he asked after a moment. “Anything?”
“Mmm,” Wesley muttered noncommittally. “I have been unable to find a record of her death,” he said at last.
“And...?” Angel prompted.
“I...yes. I have found...the rest of your family.”
Angel sank into his chair a bit as he nodded.
“I have not given up yet, though,” Wesley said quickly.
Angel waved him off. “She...should be there with the rest.”
Wesley put down his stack of papers. “Yes, of course.” He sighed. “So, we’re going with actual time travel then, aren’t we?”
“This still doesn’t make sense,” Angel said in frustration. “I saw her die! I felt her die! Why do I seem to be the only one that remembers that?”
Wesley shrugged helplessly. “I hate to say this, but...it may be your memories reflect, rather than what actually happened, what was supposed to have happened.”
Angel looked at him in surprise. “Are you trying to say that she was meant to die?”
“I...well, yes.”
Angel glared at him. “She’s not going to die, Wesley. I won’t let her.”
“I didn’t say you should,” Wesley agreed. “But...even if you had not been the one to kill her, she would be long dead by now. You know that.”
Angel nodded. “So...we’re really talking outside interference here, aren’t we?”
“Yes. Though whose interference, and for what purpose....”
“Good question.”
And that was when Cordelia screamed.
Kathy was sitting on a bench in the hotel courtyard, her knees drawn up towards her under a long, dark green skirt. The late afternoon sunlight was hot on her face, making her skin feel oddly tight. It would probably be painful tomorrow, but she would rather be out here, than in there.... Glancing towards the doors to the lobby, she caught a glimpse of broad shoulders and dark hair. Kathy forced back a sigh, drew her legs in a little closer to her, and turned her attention to her companion in the courtyard.
Cordelia was happily telling the story of how she and Liam – no, not Liam, Angel – had met again in this city. Already Kathy had heard stories from the two years before that. There were long gaps in the tale...undoubtedly things Cordelia felt it was not her place to reveal. Kathy’s emotions at these stories were mixed, and growing more so by the moment.
“So there I was, about to be a meal,” Cordelia said, oddly grinning as she remembered. “And there was Angel, all tough guy, standing there at the top of the stairs. The evil vampire totally thought Angel was nothing, but Angel showed him. He rescued me, jumped over the railing, got shot like three times....”
Kathy couldn’t help but wince.
“Yeah, it was pretty gross,” Cordelia agreed, sitting beside her. “I had to help remove the bullets. Or, well...actually, I didn’t help much. But...I know he’s pretty hard to kill, but I never thought he’d get shot for me.”
Kathy shifted in her seat without a word to say.
“Hey, you okay?” Cordelia asked gently.
Kathy just gave her a helpless look.
“You know you can talk to me,” she said gently, touching the younger girl on the shoulder.
Kathy hung her head. “I donna' know what to think anymore,” she admitted. “Ye were right – I am not home. I donna' know what to do.”
“Well,” Cordelia offered, “what do you want to do?”
“Besides return home?”
Cordelia gave her a sad smile. “Besides that.”
Kathy looked at the young woman...friend of her brother. “I want...”
“Yes?”
Kathy couldn’t help but glance at the doors of the lobby once again.
Cordelia smiled. “Talk to him,” she suggested.
“I donna' know if I am able,” Kathy admitted, pressing one hand to her wounded neck. It was still quite sore.
“It would be good for you,” Cordelia said. She too glanced up at the doorway. “For both of you, I think.”
Kathy looked at Cordelia oddly, unsure of what she meant by that.
Cordelia gave her a gentle smile. “You’re family,” she said softly. “He...doesn’t talk about the past, really, but I’d bet my life he misses you terribly. I mean, you’re his sister! Now, I don’t have any siblings...” Cordelia’s voice trailed off and she grimaced.
“Cordelia?” Kathy asked in concern.
“Get...” she started to say, then her face twisted with pain. She pitched forward, her hands pressed to the side of her head, her voice letting out an unintelligible cry. Kathy sprang up from her seat, panicked and with no clue what to do.
Then, as abruptly as Cordelia’s fit had started, it stopped. Her entire face twisted in pain, she sat back in the bench with her eyes closed. She took a deep breath. “Wesley!” she called. “Angel!”
The lobby exploded into activity. Kathy watched, bewildered, as the older English man came running out the doors and into the courtyard. Standing back, she saw him help Cordelia to her feet, his expression concerned.
Further movement drew the girl’s eyes back to the doors. Liam – Angel – stood there as if he, too, would rush out to help if he could. A line of sunlight shown a couple of inches from his feet, as real as any wall. His expression.... Kathy could not look away.
Wesley drew Cordelia back into the hotel, and Kathy followed. Within a moment Angel was by Cordelia’s side, helping her into a chair, handing her pills and a glass of water. Kathy watched as Cordelia grimaced but swallowed them quickly. She leaned back, her eyes closed, her brow still furrowed in pain.
“What’s wrong with her?” Kathy asked helplessly.
Angel did not look away from Cordelia, but he answered. “She had a vision,” he said softly. Then, to Cordelia, “Are you okay? What did you see?”
Cordelia opened her eyes. “A ritual. Two people tied up. An address.”
Wesley handed her a pen and paper, and she wrote quickly. “There,” she said. She glanced at the sunlit windows and frowned. “We have to leave now if we’re going to save them,” she explained.
Angel stood, grabbed a black coat and a heavy blanket. He took keys from his pocket and tossed them to Wesley.
“You’re driving,” he said.
Wesley looked at the keys in his hand, then nodded. “We’ll call Gunn on the way,” he said. He looked at Angel, who was arranging the blanket over his head and shoulders, keeping his hands inside it as well. “Are you ready?” Wesley asked.
Shrouded in cloth, Angel nodded.
“Let’s go,” Wesley muttered, and the three of them rushed out of the hotel.
Right on their heels, Kathy joined them.
On to Part Five
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