Go TeamC/A
Part 6 Daltry Gun and Munitions
Pasadena, California
"Now this is about as good as you'll find," Joseph Daltry stated. He held up a riflescope for Ramius' inspection. "This is a Nikon Titanium. It has 5.5 to 16 times magnification and 44 millimeter adjustable objective. It's one-piece construction. Multicoated lenses for light transmission and contrast. Nitrogen filled and O-ring sealed. With this son of a bitch, you could take out a cat at 400 yards."
Ramius carefully took the scope for examination. "This is perfect," he said. "I've been looking for a good long range scope."
"Well sir," Daltry said, "this is about as good a sight as you're going to find. The only way you'll get one better is getting it through the military. And let me tell ya, them boys do not like to relinquish one of their toys."
Daltry and Ramius laughed at that. "I know," Ramius joked. "Don't think I didn't try. But they wouldn't let me in the door. But I did have a friend who manage to get me something pretty sweet."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" Daltry asked curiously.
"A Winchester Model 70 Stealth," Ramius informed him.
"No shit? Those are sweet. How'd you get a hold of one of those?"
"My brother in law is a sniper for the Chicago Police. What can I say? He made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Oh, how much is the scope?" Ramius reached for his pocket to retrieve the money he 'liberated' from Hannah Morse's account.
"Most shops will sell for about $515. I'll let you have it for $475." Ramius followed the shop owner to the register and paid for the scope. "Thank you for your business and happy hunting."
Ramius grinned. "I'm sure it will be. Have a nice day." Ramius continued to smile widely as he exited the shop. He slipped on his shades and crossed the street to his car. "Man, people sure are friendly."***
Hilton Hotel
Los Angeles, California
"Hey Chrissy!" Mark Weber called out. "Mail call!"
Christine Carpenter poked her head from the office. "And that interests me why?"
Mark gave a quasi-evil in her direction. "Come here and collect the bills." Christine stuck her tongue out at him. "That's real mature."
Christine came over and took the proffered envelopes. "Electric, telephone, water, heating," she called out as she flipped through the stack. It was then that she looked up and noticed the huge package resting on the counter. "What the hell is that?"
Mark noticed where she was looking. "I have no idea. UPS delivered it earlier. Evidently belongs to someone who is going to check in later. That is for a Mister John Ramius."
"Jesus, it's big enough for a grandfather clock." The package was about five feet in length. Christine grabbed the package and put it underneath the counter. "As if things weren't strange enough already."
"No kidding. I think Secret Service is installing the metal detectors right now. A lot of hoopla for that fundraiser tomorrow."
"You know you've hit it big time when you get to host a money making scheme for some damn Congressman."
"Ooh, harsh words," Mark teased.
"Damn right," Christine said. "I'm a Republican."***
Hyperion Hotel
"Hey everybody!" Angel called out. "Look what I brought home!"
"Cordy!" Fred shouted. She raced to the Hyperion's entrance and nearly tackled Cordelia in a hug. Gunn was only a few seconds behind. "I'm glad you're home!"
"Same here, demon-girl," Gunn smiled.
Cordelia never stopped grinning as she hugged Fred and then Gunn. "It's good to be home. Padded walls and floors are cool for a while, but give me tile under my feet and crappy wallpaper any day."
Neither Gunn nor Fred failed to notice that Angel and yet to quit touching Cordelia. As soon as the hugs stopped, Angel didn't hesitate to take Cordelia's hand in his own. Angel allowed Cordy to lead him through the lobby to the offices. It was there that Buffy, Xander, and Dawn were busy pouring a deep blue powder into Ziploc bags.
"Hey guys," Cordelia said. "Working hard or hardly working?"
Dawn immediately tattled on Xander. "Cordy, Xander made me mix the Flava Weed and the Sumetran dust!"
Buffy and Cordelia immediately turned death glares on him. "You moron!" Cordelia exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Buffy agreed. "Explosive if mixed improperly, remember?"
"Hey!" Xander defended meekly. "I made sure to watch her pour.from a safe distance."
"That's no.oh man!" Cordelia's hand went up to her head as the vision hit. Angel immediately noticed the grimace on her face and understood what it meant.
"Take your time," Angel soothed. "Take your time and then tell us what you see."
"I'm thinking this is another one of those important things we missed," Xander observed.
"It's a manifestation of the Powers," Fred explained to the Scoobies. "Cordelia receives a vision through the celestial pipeline. Most of the time it's a warning of bad things to come."
"Oh yeah," Cordelia quipped. "That's a manifestation alright." She shook off the grogginess that sometimes accompanied her visions. She didn't hurt afterwards anymore, but sometimes it felt like she had just woken up from taking Nyquil or something.
"What did you see, Cor?"
"I saw a blonde woman. Ramius. He's stolen someone's identity and he'll use that as his access. I saw something else, but it's confusing," a perplexed Cordelia said.
"What do you mean?"
"A choice," she said as she looked to Angel. "You'll have to make a choice.about me."
Now that was strange. "What do you mean, a choice?" Angel asked.
The frustration and confusion on Cordelia's face was evident. "I don't know. It was just a sensation that you would have to make a choice."
"You see all that in your head?" Buffy asked.
"Some of it," Cordelia said. "Some of it is sight. Some is sound. Oftentimes it's more like a sensation."
"Well that's good right?" Dawn asked. "If it's a blonde woman, that narrows it down who we need to look for."
"It's something to work with," Fred agreed. She didn't hesitate to fire up her laptop. "I won't be able to research ticket holders, but I might be able to access hotel staff and people affiliated with the fundraiser."
"Good thinking," Cordelia said. "If you can, try to find photographs. Concentrate on Doyle's staffers. They'll have closer contact to him."
"And therefore a better chance to make the hit," Buffy finished. "That sounds like a plan."
"But we still need to do better," Angel insisted. "If Ramius feels threatened, he can change shape in a heartbeat. What we need is to be able to zero in on him immediately and hit him with Hecate's Essence so he can't shape shift."
"Well Fred downloaded some blueprints from the Internet. Maybe if we know the lay of the building we can come up with something," Gunn said.
The gang gathered around the printouts. They were soon discussing battle plans, all the while hoping that Fred could give them the break they so desperately needed.***
Hilton Hotel
It took ten minutes of searching before security was content that Ramius' suitcase didn't contain any weapons.
"We're sorry, sir," Kevin Richardson, Chief of Security for the event spoke. "It's just with Congressman Doyle being here, as well as the mayor and several others, we need to be extra cautious with security."
"It's absolutely no problem," Ramius said kindly. "You can never be too careful." Ramius gathered up his suitcase and moved along, allowing Richardson to attend to the next person.
He crossed the lobby and noticed the carpenters working in the ballroom to get things ready for the next day. When he approached the desk, an attractive redhead greeted him.
"Hello. My name is Christine. How may I help you?"
"Hello, Christine," Ramius smiled. "I believe I should have a suite reserved. My name is John Ramius."
"Oh, yes sir," Christine confirmed. "Your package has arrived as well."
"Excellent! Would it be possible to have it sent to my room?" Ramius pulled out his wallet and showed his ID.
"Of course, sir." Christine reached under the desk and grabbed the keycard for his room. "Your room is number 583. I'll have your package sent up shortly."
"Thank you, Christine." Ramius took the keycard and grabbed his suitcase. In minutes, he was unlocking the door to his home for the evening. Shortly thereafter, his package arrived.
Opening the package, he pulled out four plastic boxes. The first contained the Winchester rifle. The second contained his pistol, the silencer, and an ammo clip. The third held his newly purchased riflescope, and the fourth contained a magazine full of the appropriate cartridges. Ramius quickly attached the scope and inserted the magazine.
"Be very, very quiet," he spoke. "I'm hunting a congressman."
Part 7Angel unrolled the blueprint for the Hilton Hotel as the gang gathered around. "Okay guys, let's go over this one more time." He pointed to a large section of the diagram. "This is the main ballroom. The tables seating the most important guests will be along this wall, as will the podium for speeches. Above the room along that side and the two adjacent is a catwalk of sorts. Above on the opposite of the podium are conference rooms overlooking the ballroom.
"Dawn, Buffy, and Gunn will hang up top. Cor, myself, Fred, and Xander will keep to the floor. Everyone needs to stay to the access points. Elevators, stairwells, entrances, exits, all that. If we can keep him from moving around, that means we can corner him. Cor, do you have that picture?"
Cordelia passed around the photograph that Fred found on a government website. "This is the woman I saw in my vision. Her name is Hannah Morse She's a press secretary for the California Democratic Party. I think this is the identity that Ramius will use."
"If you see her," Angel continued, "don't do anything stupid." He looked pointedly at Xander.
Xander quit munching on his bag of potato chips long enough to look offended. "Why is it that whenever the word stupid is mentioned people look at me?" The room fell silent for a few moments.
"Moving on," Angel said. "If you see this Morse woman, get on your cell phone and let the rest of us know. If you can safely do so, hit her with the Hecate's Essence and contain. If not, just call for backup and observe. Like I said, our best shot is to box Ramius into a corner."
"The fundraiser starts at eight," Cordelia informed everyone. "I want us to be there by seven so we can scout ahead. Maybe if we can spot Morse outside the building we can avoid an incident. So you should probably go up and change into your dress clothes." She glanced at Xander. "You do have a suit, right?"
"What do you take me for?" Xander asked. "A heathen?" The room fell silent once more. Buffy and Dawn avoided eye contact with their friend. "What?"***
Hilton Hotel
"Oh, Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Was a good friend of mine. Didn't understand a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine."
Ramius sang lightly to himself as he entered the conference room overlooking the ballroom. With his bundle wrapped in a blanket, he went about to make his preparations. It wasn't the most ideal shot, but Ramius decided it would have to do.
A glass railing came up to his waist, which meant he would have to stand up to take his shot. He set the bundle on the table and peered over the railing. The carpenters were putting the final touches on the podium and the surrounding lighting. Ramius estimated the distance to be about 150 feet.
"Joy to the world. All the boys and girls."
Ramius stepped up onto the table. Removing a screwdriver from his pocket, he quickly removed the ventilation grate. Bending down, Ramius gathered the bundle containing his rifle and stuck it into the opening. He quickly screwed the grill back into place.
"Joy to the fishes in the deepest sea. Joy to you and me."
Ramius continued to sing softly as he took a last look around the room. Smiling, he decided that all was ready.
"It's going to be a hell of a party."***
"May I ask what you are looking at?"
Shit, Angel thought. She caught him staring again. "I'm sorry. It's just that you look very pretty tonight."
Cordelia blushed at the complement. "You don't look so bad yourself." She didn't really understand why he was gaping. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her in.and out of this dress. This was the dress she wore to the ballet. The shop hadn't let her return it.
The seven man crew meandered outside the Hilton, watching for any sign of Hannah Morse. The sun had recently set, so the gang was able to move out without fear of Angel turning to dust. But as the clock began to move closer to eight, the group became worried.
"Do you think we missed her?" Buffy asked. The slayer looked very attractive in her pearl white dress.
"Maybe she used another identity to get into the hotel," Dawn suggested. Kid sister was wearing a dark blue strapless. Angel thought she was a little young for the dress, but then again, he was an old fashioned guy.
"It's possible," Fred admitted. She also wore the same dress from the ballet. "You only need an ID or a ticket to get in the ballroom. Anyone can get in the lobby."
"Or maybe Ramius checked in earlier when there wasn't a crowd," Gunn suggested.
"That was something we should have considered earlier," Angel admitted.
"So what do we do?" Xander asked.
"Only thing we can do," Cordelia said. "We join the party. Just follow the game plan and hope for the best. Okay, does everyone have your bag of the stuff and your cell phone?" The girls are reached into their handbags and pulled out the items. The guys reached into the suit coats and did the same. "Good." She turned to Angel and offered her arm. "Dear sir. Would you escort a lady to the party?"
"It would be my honor." Angel gave that patented goofy grin that was usually reserved for Cordelia. "Milady." He accepted her arm and led her down the carpet to the entrance. Gunn offered his arm to Fred and the two followed suit.
"Shows them," Xander huffed at the retreating forms of Angel and Gunn. "I'm left with two hot chicks, right? Hey!" Buffy and Dawn had left Xander standing alone in the middle of the sidewalk. "I'm not feeling the love. Wait up!" Xander trotted after them, but was rewarded by the door swinging back and hitting his forehead. "I need a hug," he whined.***
Hannah Morse flashed her ID card at the security officer before she entered the ballroom. The fundraiser was just beginning. Local politicians, business executives, and Hollywood types mingled.
In a few minutes dinner would be served. Lamb chops, if Ramius' memory served correctly. A few bands would play, a comedy troop would perform afterwards, and then the speeches would begin.
The mayor would open the talks. Then Mary La Pierre, a congresswoman from the district including Sacramento would follow. Peter McDowell would speak afterwards. Ramius had heard a great deal about that young man. He was barely thirty, and was self-made. He had to earn his way into SDSU, and now, he attempted to defeat incumbent Linda Wofford for the congressional seat down there.
It would then be Doyle's turn to speak. Glancing at his watch, Ramius decided it would likely be an hour before he took the podium. "Until then, a spot of champagne won't do any harm," he decided.
Hannah Morse reached out as a waiter walked by and took a glass. She took a long sip as she prepared to wait for the moment.
"Hello," a voice said from behind her. Hannah turned to find some middle-aged loser leering at her. "My name is Tim Harris, and you are?"
"Not interested. Fuck off."
Ramius savored the look of utter shock that crossed Harris' face. Better to be rejected now. Although Ramius thought it might be interesting if he were to 'shift' during the moment. That could have produced a few laughs, as well as some interesting blackmail. Harris walked away like a dejected puppy, leaving Ramius alone once again.
"The one trouble shifting into a woman," he muttered. "I have every pendejo in the room trying to get his mack on." Ramius decided to head upstairs where he would have less chance of some dickhead trying to smooze their way under his skirt. He began to climb the stairs just as Angel and gang entered the room.
"Okay people, it's show time. Buffy, go ahead and take Dawn and Gunn up. Keep tight, make the rounds. Remember, don't do anything stupid. You find Ramius or Morse or whatever body he's in, you call for backup." They all nodded agreement. Before they could go, Angel grabbed Gunn's wrist. "Gunn, make sure to keep an extra eye on Dawn. Buffy's a little worried about letting her be here."
"No problem," Gunn assured. "Nothing will happen to her."
"I know." Gunn jogged to catch up with the girls. Angel turned to give instruction to Fred and Xander. "You two mingle on that side of the room. And Fred?"
"Yeah?"
"Make sure Xander doesn't make an ass of himself."
"As if," Cordelia snorted.
"Okay," Fred answered. She then drug Xander across the room, the boy still complaining that he wasn't feeling the love.
"And that leaves you and me," Cordelia smiled slightly.
"That's not such an unpleasant proposition," Angel told her. "We still have a lot of unfinished business, Cor."
"I know. And when this is over, we will resolve it. But for now, we need to keep our minds on the here and now."
"That wouldn't be so difficult if you didn't look so beautiful."
Cordelia smiled that smile that turned him into a bumbling idiot. "Watch it mister. Flattery will get you anywhere." Cordelia left a stunned Angel in her wake as she went to get some champagne.
"I need to keep with the flattery."***
Buffy reached into her purse and pulled her cell phone out. She hit speed dial one and tucked the phone to her ear. "Angel? It's me. Have you seen anything?"
Angel and Cordelia sat at a table where they could watch access points and most of the floor. "No, and neither have Fred and Xander. You?"
"Nothing," a frustrated Buffy responded. "We've made at least eight sweeps up here. We haven't seen anyone matching Morse's or Ramius' description."
"Well, Doyle is about to take the podium. Keep your spider senses on high, Buffy. If Ramius strikes, it'll be now. Wait. He's going up now."***
Ramius shifted from Hannah's form back to his own as he pulled the loaded rifle from the ventilation duct. "Yesterday," he sang. "Love was such an easy game to play." He leveled the gun and peered through the sight. It was good to go. Calmly he walked to the railing and took aim.
***
Cordelia felt her blood run cold. She knew it was time. She jerked around nervously until she finally spotted the figure standing by the railing of the conference room above. She grabbed the cell phone from Angel's hand.
"Buffy! He's in the conference room! He's taking aim!" She glared right at Angel. "Get to Doyle, now!"
Angel leapt from his chair and used a burst of vampire speed to cross the room.***
"Oh shit," Buffy groaned. "Dawn! Gunn! Conference room! Now!"
***
Ramius sighted the crosshairs right between Doyle's eyes. "I am the walrus. Coo coo ca choo." He then gently pulled the trigger.
Part 8The room quickly was swept into a panic when the gunshot was heard. The crowd began to storm their way from the ballroom as a man lay bleeding from a wound on the floor.
"Angel?" a frantic Fred shouted. She knelt by the fallen vampire's side as blood poured from the rifle wound. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Angel choked out. "Doyle? Is he."
"His bodyguards carried him out of here," Xander informed him. Damn help him, but he was actually concerned for the vampire.
Angel struggled to prop himself against a tipped over chair. Crimson stained his once pristine dress shirt. "Go help the others," he ordered. "Find Ramius."
"But Angel," Fred pleaded.
"I'm fine," he insisted. "A bullet isn't going to kill me." Angel grunted in pain as the metal inside him shifted against his ribcage. "Going to hurt like a mother in the morning though. Now go. I'll find you guys in a minute."
Fred didn't want to leave him, not when he was hurt, but the logical side of her brain won over the irrational side. He wouldn't die, but if she didn't go help the others, someone else might. She finally nodded her agreement and led Xander to the stairs. Angel continued to rest on the ground as he tried to stop the bleeding.
"Asshole," he muttered. "This was my best dress shirt."***
Buffy kicked down the door to the conference room just as Ramius was sliding the rifle back into the ventilation duct. Gunn was right on her heels, and the two prepared to take the demon on.
"Well, well, well," Ramius taunted. "If it isn't Goldilocks and the long lost Wayans brother. How you guys doing?"
"We've come to bring you down," Buffy informed him. "Seems like you missed the congressman. Maybe you should just give up peacefully." Buffy posed in her most menacing fight position. The effect was slightly lost. She was wearing a dress after all.
"Yeah, that's a bitch," Ramius admitted. He jumped from the table and stepped towards the two, his eyes measuring up the both of them. "Of course, whoever the poor bloke is that I did hit is probably hurting like a mother fucker right now. I'm disappointed I didn't hit Doyle, but carnage is carnage."
"If you don't stay right there," Buffy stated, "there's going to be a lot more of it."
"Yeah," Gunn agreed, poking his head over Buffy's shoulder. "What she said."
"Listen, Sonny and Cher, I'd love to stay and chat, but I gotta keep moving." Before either could speak, Buffy was nailed by a spinning heel kick and Gunn was sent flying against the wall by an uppercut.
Ramius walked calmly into the hallway and adjusted his suit. "Like I said, I really must be going."
"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind him. Ramius turned to strike down the being, but instead, he was hit by a fistful of a blue powder.
"You might want to run," Dawn advised, her bag of Hecate's Essence still in hand, "because you're not going to be able to hide."
"You little bitch!" Ramius shouted. He slapped Dawn across the face, and the girl went sprawling to the ground. Ramius furiously tried to brush the dust off him, but it was too late.
"Stop right there!" Cordelia, Fred, and Xander spotted Ramius brushing himself off on the far side of the hallway. "He was hit by the dust," Cordelia realized. Dawn groaned from her position on the ground. "Fred, check on Dawn. Xander, let's go."
Cordelia and Xander raced down the hall after Ramius, but the shape shifter ducked into the nearest stairwell. The two followed a few moments later, just as Buffy and Gunn limped from the conference room.
Gunn rubbed his sore chin and leaned against the doorframe. "Okay, I'm man enough to admit that you just got your ass whooped," he said to Buffy. The slayer turned her best death glare on him, and Gunn swore that he felt something shrivel up.
"Fred, where did he go?" Buffy asked. She knelt by her sister. Dawn sat up, her cheek red from Ramius' blow.
"Cordy and Xander chased him to the far stairwell," Fred told her.
Buffy helped Dawn to her feet. "Are you okay? Do you need Fred to stay with you?"
"No way," the girl cried out. "There's no way I'm letting a little bruise keep me down." Dawn touched her cheek gingerly. "Am I swelling?" Buffy rolled her eyes. Yeah, Dawn was feeling okay. "I got him with the dust," Dawn informed them. "We need to hurry before it wears off."
Buffy immediately went into command mode. "Okay, Fred and Gunn, you two take the west stairs and try to find Cordelia and Xander. Dawn and I will take the east stairs. We'll meet in the middle."
Fred and Gunn agreed and took off in the direction that their comrades went minutes earlier. Buffy checked once more that her sister was fine before the two headed in the opposite direction. They had to move quickly and find Ramius before the dust lost its effect.***
Ramius ducked into the laundry room to escape his pursuers. He weaved his way past the washers and driers as he desperately looked for a place to hide. Ramius didn't like to admit it, but he needed to regroup. Having his plan interrupted certainly wasn't something he anticipated. Neither was the fact that he had several people chasing after him. His getaway was supposed to be quick and easy. He would make the shot, dump the weapon, shift into another body, and walk out the front door.
Ramius again tried to manipulate the extra layer of striated muscle that covered his body. The muscles twitched and morphed slightly, but the exertion was too much to maintain. Ramius breathed heavily, the effort to shift taking its toll.
"What did that little bitch hit me with?" he asked. Oh, if he ever got his hands on that little girl again, he would do things to her that would make Hannibal Lector blush.
Ramius continued to move to the back of the room. He finally found a corner where he could use some laundry carts for cover. "So now I'm the one on the run." Ramius sighed heavily at that fact. "First time for everything."***
"Did you see him?" Cordelia questioned. "We chased him to this floor."
The three pairs of demon fighters converged from different directions on the fourth floor of the Hilton. "No," Buffy answered. "What about you guys?" she asked to Gunn and Fred.
"Nope," Gunn answered. "He didn't get past us."
The six stood in the center of the 'T' shaped intersection, all exasperated for seemingly losing Ramius. "Well," Cordelia reasoned, "if he didn't get past any of us, then that means he's still on this floor somewhere, right?" The gang all nodded their agreement. "Fine. So all we do is kick down every door until we flush him out."
"That'll take too long," Gunn argued. "That stuff will start losing its affect on him real quick. If we don't get him now, then he just shifts into a new body and walks right on the hell out of here."
Everyone realized that Gunn was right. The Hecate's Essence only worked for a few minutes. By now it would start losing its hold on the demon.
"Okay," Cordelia said. "He can't just walk into any room. He'd have to have access cards. So then where could he go?"
"Vending room," Xander supplied.
"Exercise room," Fred added.
"Or maybe the laundry," Dawn said, pointing to the doors behind them.
"Okay," Cordelia started, "We'll brake off into pairs. Xander and I will take the laundry. The rest of you find open access areas. If you find him, hit him with some more dust and contain him."
"Yeah," Gunn agreed. "I'll try to stop him by hitting his fist with my head again." Fred slapped him across the gut before she dragged him down the east hallway. Buffy ushered Dawn down the south hallway. Cordelia opened the laundry room door.
"Hey, Cordelia," Xander said.
"Yeah?"
"I got your back."
Cordelia sighed as she stepped inside. "Imagine how good I feel about that."***
Cordelia silently motioned for Xander to walk along the far wall. He was slightly nervous about separating, but Cordy gave a reassuring smile that seemed to calm him. Cordelia moved in a crouch along the center of the room between two aisles of washers.
The washers and dryers hummed loudly, but despite that, Cordelia tried to tune her demon senses into her surroundings. She could feel Xander on the opposite side of the washers to her left. He moved slowly but surely forward.
When Cordelia finally reached the end of the row of washers, she sensed too late the other presence in the room. From her right, a pair of arms grabbed her and tossed her to the wall.
"Hey bitch," Ramius taunted. "Looking for me? Or perhaps you're looking for someone else? Perhaps.me?" Ramius shifted his form, the effects of the Hecate's Essence clearly worn off. But what was more disturbing than that was the figure he shifted into.
"It's like looking into a mirror, eh?" The clothes, the hair, the makeup, it was all the same. Cordelia was looking at herself.
Xander sprinted the rest of the length of the room when he heard the noise. "Cordelia? Are you.holy shit." Xander was dumbstruck as he viewed two Cordelias staring each other down. "As if one Cordelia wasn't enough trouble."
"Tell me about it."
The three turned to the new voice. It was Angel, firefighter axe in hand, blood staining the front of his shirt. "I guess there is a choice to be made."
Part 9The four beings continued to stare each other down. Amid the din of the washers and dryers rumbling, Angel tuned all his senses into the two Cordelias before him. Heartbeat, breath, perspiration, scent, Angel was focusing on it all.
“Well, there’s an easy solution to this problem,” Xander grinned as inspiration struck. He reached into his suit coat and grabbed his bag of Hecate’s Essence. “I throw this on the both of you. Now we find out which Cordelia isn’t really Cordelia, and which Cordelia really is Cordelia, and boy am I rambling.”
“Yes, you are,” Angel stated smoothly. “But there isn’t any need for that.” Angel reared back and let loose with his axe. The blade embedded deep into the chest of the Cordelia nearest him. The impact sent her flying backwards against the wall. She slumped against the wall, the axe still firmly in her chest.
After a few moments, the body began to change shape, and the form of John Ramius appeared. Angel couldn’t feel a heartbeat. Xander stood in shock at what just occurred, the bag of Hecate’s Essence slipped from his hand.
“That was…” Xander started. “I don’t know what the hell that was.”
Cordelia, the true Cordelia, was frozen in place. She stared at the heap that used to be Ramius, the being who only moments before stood before her as her doppelganger. Angel stepped forward and took the real Cordelia, his Cordelia, into his arms.
“Are you okay?” he asked
“Yeah,” she said. Cordelia looked up into his eyes and smiled slightly. “My hero.”
Xander was fully prepared for a smart comment, but then he noticed the complete lack of sarcasm in Cordelia’s voice when she spoke that. He settled for asking, “So what do we do now?”
“I want to go home and sleep,” Cordelia stated.
Angel smiled at his Seer a moment before turning to Xander. “Well, you heard her. We go home so Cor can sleep.”
Cordelia slapped his chest lightly before leading the way out of the laundry. “Don’t patronize me, Grr-Boy.”
Angel raised his hands in defense, that smile still playing on his face. “I wasn’t patronizing. I agree, you need to rest. It’s been a long few days for you.” Angel held the door open for her. “Besides, I’ve seen you without your beauty sleep.” He received another slap for his comment.
“You’re quickly losing all the flattery points you gained earlier,” she informed him with a smirk. Angel’s brow furrowed heavily. He didn’t like that. Cordelia took pity and patted his cheek affectionately. “You’re cute when you’re contemplative.”
Angel perked up mightily. “I am?” There was the dork vampire that Cordelia knew and loved. Angel nudged Xander in the ribs. “She says I’m cute when I’m contemplative.”
Xander observed the vampire critically. Angel’s shirt was soaked in what Xander assumed to be pig’s blood. He was grinning widely and nodding his head dumbly. “You are simply adorable,” Xander quipped. “Can we please find the others and go?”
Angel was still grinning at Cordelia when Xander spoke. “Oh yeah,” the vampire said. He looked around the hallways. “You can find them. We’ll be downstairs.” Xander stared after the pair as they headed to the stairs.
“I’ll just find everybody,” he called out after them. He looked around before deciding to check the south hall first. After tripping over his shoelaces, he hurried off to find his friends.***
Hyperion Hotel
The Next Day
Their bags were all packed. The battle was done. The Scoobies prepared to return home. Xander had the privilege of playing bellhop, and was busy loading everyone’s stuff into his car. That left Dawn and Buffy to say goodbye.
“So how are you doing?” Buffy asked of Angel. The three stood in the center of the lobby, the girls still surprised at the lack of black clothing that Angel was wearing.
“I’m fine,” Angel answered. “Been shot before and I’ll probably be shot again. No big deal.” He rubbed his chest at the spot of the bullet’s entry. “Although these new guns carry a hell of a lot more punch than a musket. I miss the days of inaccurate weapons and twenty second reloads. Really gave a bloke the chance to run, ya know?”
“Yeah,” Buffy agreed smiling. “And since when do you ramble?”
“I don’t ramble,” Angel defended softly. “I yammer sometimes. Give narratives once in a while. Occasionally I’ll…shut up now.”
“You’re really different,” Buffy stated.
Angel smiled proudly for a moment before deflating. Timidly he asked, “That’s a good thing, right?”
“I think so. Speaking of different, where is Cordelia?”
“She’s upstairs asleep,” Angel said. “After a couple of days in a nuthouse, I think she just wants some rest. I don’t blame her. There was this one time in Bucharest, around 1840 I believe, I got really drunk and started mouthing off…and I’ll just shut up again because you both are laughing at me.”
“You really are different,” Dawn informed him.
“C’mon girls!” Xander called from the courtyard. “Time’s a wasting! I wanna see Disneyland sometime today!”
“I may have a soul, but I can still kill him if you want. Please?” Angel begged.
“No, Willow might be upset if we don’t bring him back. Plus, he has his uses occasionally.”
“When?” Dawn asked. The look Buffy sent her made Dawn amend her question. “Oh yes, he does…occasionally.”
“Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where I’m at.” Angel paused a moment before continuing. “I’m sorry we treated you so rudely at first. It’s nothing against you guys. Things have just been hectic here.”
“You should tell us about it sometime,” Buffy offered.
Angel nodded in agreement, somewhat surprised at Buffy’s maturity. “I just want you guys to know that you’re always welcome here. Maybe if things ever become hectic at home…”
“You’ll be the first to know.” Buffy checked her watch. “We better get going. Xander can get cranky if he doesn’t get his Goofy fix. Say goodbye to Cordelia for us.”
“Sure thing.” Angel hugged both of the sisters and said goodbye.
And then there was silence.
The Scoobies were gone, Fred and Gunn were out to lunch, and he was alone. But he perked as he remembered that he wasn’t alone. Angel silently climbed the stairs and crept through the upper hallway. He rested his head next to his bedroom door and listened. Cordelia was still asleep.
Angel gently opened the door and slipped in. He then shut the door behind him and simply stood there. Angel was content to stand from a distance and watch as Cordelia slept.
The vampire had long admitted to himself that he was in love with Cordelia. And only a few weeks ago, Angel could almost let himself believe that maybe she loved him. Maybe they could salvage whatever was that they had been building.
“Are you just going to stand there?”
Angel smiled as he realized Cordelia had waked without his realizing it. She rolled over so she could face him. “I didn’t want to disturb you,” he admitted as he walked to her. “It looked like you need the rest.”
“I could feel you the second you walked in. Guess I really did get the whole package when the Powers demonized me.”
Angel sat on the bed and gently stroked the hair from her eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said seriously. “You don’t deserve to be that tuned into me.”
“Hey,” Cordelia warned. “That was a moment of broodiness. I don’t like that. Now, you have to tell me something. How did you know which Cordelia, er, me, to kill?”
“It wasn’t that hard,” Angel told her. “You must know by now that you are one of a kind. I could ‘smell’ an imposter from a mile away.”
Cordelia didn’t fail to miss the entendre. “Oh my God, you said smell.” Cordelia buried her face in her hands. “I can not believe it. I feel like I need to take a bath.”
Angel laughed and tried to pull her hands away. “I’m sorry. That’s my vampire senses and a little bit of infatuation when it comes to you.” And he could not believe he said that. Might as well say the rest. “I love you.”
That did pull her hands from her face. “Excuse me?” Cordelia asked. “Did you just say…”
“I love you? Yes, I did.”
“Wow, that’s, I love you too.”
“Really?” Angel asked. That’s a good thing. “So now that we’ve decided that, what now?”
Yes, what now? Cordelia had absolutely no idea. “Maybe we just go with the flow? Who says that we have to do anything?”
Angel considered that. “I suppose you’re right, as always,” he added for her benefit. “You do realize that I am absolutely the wrong person to fall in love with, right? I mean, I can’t give you the things you deserve. I’m tight with a buck. I’m a neat freak. I tend to use antiquated slang terms. Did I mention that I’m a vampire? I can’t even, well, you know, without going all Manson on everybody.”
“Can you love me completely?” Cordelia asked.
He didn’t even have to think about it. “Yes. I can.”
“Then you can give me everything.”
Angel smiled slightly. “Is it okay if I kiss you now?”
“Yes, it is.” And so he leaned down and did just that.
“Don’t you want to know what you smell like?” Angel asked between kisses.
“What do I smell like?”
“You smell like you.”
End
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