Title: All Souls
Authors: Christina A. and M. Edison
Disclaimer: Joss and David, et al, own Angel and the Fang Gang. Medie
owns Jasa. Christina owns Emily and Grace.
Archive: At Ink-and-Quill
Summary: tenth in the ‘Destiny’ series
All Souls
by M. Edison and Christina A.
Jasa pushed a hand through her dark curls and sat on the stairs. “The
sorcerer who took Angel… His name is Kamephis,” she began quietly.
“And I knew him, as Gunn would say, back in the day. We practiced
similar arts then. We used the power of vampires in our sacrifices and
rituals in order to gain what we wanted.”
“Back in the day…” The Host slanted a look at her. “As in back in the
days of non-emotion and complete and utter domination of Egypt?”
“As in then, yes,” the ancient Immortal agreed. “He studied some of my
arts. Some of the things I use. He knows me.”
Fred glanced over at Grace who had said nothing in a VERY long time.
Not good. The Immortal had just started to really get back into the
swing of living. She’d started to truly put Voltimer behind her, and
now this. “Kamephis, huh?” she said softly. “And you both practiced
magic on vampires back when you were living in the Egyptian empire.
Ok, I get all that. But I still don’t get why the sorcerer is here,
and why he took Angel.”
“Sacrifice,” Grace whispered. “It’s all about sacrifice.”
“Indeed.” The Egyptian kept her tone decidedly even. “I can slow him
down.” She pointed out with a more optimistic tone. “I can’t stop him
until I’m physically in the same place he is but I can slow him down
quite a bit.”
“Put the whammy on him?” Lorne questioned, watching Gunn pace around
with a frown on his face.
“Something like that,” she affirmed. “I can tangle up the ritual but…
there is another consideration. Kamephis is running out of time. He has
to complete the ritual before the moon changes or his deal with Osiris
is off and he’s back to the underworld where… a rather unpleasant
fate awaits him. Osiris does not reward failure.”
“Then we don’t have a lot of time to waste,” Grace interjected. She
was trying hard not to give into dire thoughts. She was positive that
Angel was much more proactive when she’d been missing and in the
clutches of Voltimer. ‘If I lost you, I would have no will to live,’
she’d told Angel. ‘Don’t say that. Don’t you dare ever give up. I
won’t have it,’ had been his response.
“We need to find him… Kamephis, that is,” Fred spoke up. “I have no
idea where someone like him would hide though. Gunn, any word on the
street about anyone unusual hanging around?”
“A few people.” He turned to look at her, focusing on her face.
“They’re tracking them down now.” He seated himself. “We may have a
location as early as tomorrow.”
“In the meantime,” Jasa commented, “the coven in England might be able
to help. Kamephis will already be preparing for the ritual. Magic is
stirring. I can feel it. I just don’t have the ability to focus on a
location – he’s blocking me.”
“Mom,” Grace looked up from where she’d been studying her shoes. “You
say you know this Kamephis. You two operated in the same circle, so to
speak. Does he… will he…” She paused and swallowed hard. “What’s
his brand of torture?”
Fred looked over at Grace and wanted to reach out for her, but wasn’t
sure that Grace would want it.
“He won’t harm Angel,” the Egyptian responded with conviction. “He
can’t afford to until the ritual. Angel is much too valuable to harm.”
She pursed her lips. “However, he will be looking to increase his
power… he needs Angel for the ritual but other vampires may
disappear, ones he’ll use to strengthen himself. Those he would
torture.”
“Then why not just use one of them. Why Angel? We’ve answered who,
what, where, and when, but we haven’t answered why. We were dusting
vamps and this Kamephis saw Angel and managed somehow to kidnap him.
You think we’d learn to watch each others’ backs a bit better, wouldn’t
you?” She finally stood and began pacing where Gunn had once been.
“But WHY Angel? Is it his soul? His strength? His past as Angelus?
And he may not physically harm him, but what about mental torture?”
“Sit down, Grace, please,” Jasa said calmly. “It’s hard to answer when
I’m chasing you back and forth. And yes, it is because of his soul.
Angel is powerful because of it.” She allowed a frown. “And you are not
to blame for this. I think the chances of any of us stopping him would
have been slim. None of you have the power to stand up to Kamephis’
power and I am, I’m afraid, sorely out of practice in this area.” She
sighed. “As for mental torture… in truth, Kamephis is more occupied
with preparing for the ritual than torturing Angel, so stop torturing
yourself, it won’t get us anywhere.”
And there was the bit of lecture. She knew it was going to happen.
How to react to the situation. She was hurting, angry, and scared.
She turned her frustrated look from her mother to Gunn. She noticed
Fred look anxiously at Jasa, but Gunn’s thoughts were similar to hers.
Although, her gaze held a lot more pain than his. Finally, she dropped
into a chair. “So, what do we do?”
Her mother drew in a steadying breath. “Finding Kamephis’ sanctuary
would be a start. It would be above ground, somewhere he won’t be
disturbed, possibly on the outskirts of the city. It needs to be a
place easily accessed and with easy access to the sun. He’ll need it
for the ritual.”
“I’ll see what I can’t pick up at the club,” Lorne volunteered. “Demons
and the like tend to get loose lipped when they think one of the
champions is going down.”
“Getting their demon-groove on in anticipation?” Gunn sniped, looking
frustrated.
“Or something,” the demon agreed.
“Sounds good,” Grace said, her tone still very soft. “I think Gunn and
I are going to take a walk, ask some questions, and see what we can
find out. Shouldn’t someone be contacting this coven in England?”
“I will,” Jasa responded. “I have specific things I need them to look
for, it would be best I relay those things personally.”
Grace had stood and was getting her sword when Jasa’s bit of
information about ‘personally’ came out. She turned quickly and her
fear became more than evident. “You’re leaving? Going to England?”
“No. I should but I can’t. I leave now, he’ll know and he’ll think he’s
free to operate without fear. My presence is keeping him from moving
too recklessly.” She sighed. “It will have to be by phone, I’m afraid.
I only hope that’s enough.”
Grace’s relief was almost palpable. Impulsively, she hugged Jasa. No
one had offered her physical contact and she really needed it. Pulling
away, she softly said, “It will be enough. It’s time something went
our way.” Looking at Gunn, she asked, “Are you ready?” Before
leaving, she said, “I’ll have my cell phone, and I promise not to act
before calling you.”
Her mother smiled wanly. “That’ll be a first,” she joked, trying to
lighten the mood. “And be careful, both of you.”
“I got G’s back, Jase,” Gunn promised. “No worries on that front.”
The Egyptian shrugged. “I’m her mother, Gunn, I’ll worry about her
until the day I die.” She smiled. “But thank you.”
Grace heard her mother’s words and smiled softly. She knew Jasa
worried. And Grace could be reckless. Truth was, she didn’t know how
cool she would play it if they found Angel first. Gunn was strong
enough to restrain her, no doubt. But then, Grace didn’t fight fair.
Still, she was thankful that he was with her. They’d had their
differences, but those had only made them stronger. And other than her
mother, she needed him the most at the moment. “So, who should we talk
to first?”
“Couple of my guys downtown,” Gunn responded, leading her to the car.
“They’re the ones who’ll have the info for us if there’s any to be
had.” Opening the door, he reached out to touch her shoulder. “He’ll be
ok, G. He’s always ok.”
She took that offered hand and held it tight. She didn’t fight the
tears. “My head knows that, I just wish someone could explain it to my
heart.”
He smiled at her. “It’ll come around. It always does,” he reassured.
“You usually catch on pretty quickly.”
She hugged him tightly. “I’m kind of slow on the uptake.” Releasing
him, she slid into the front seat. “I just want to get him back.”
“We will,” Gunn promised. “We will.”
—
When the others sent her upstairs with the admonition to get some rest,
Jasa found her thoughts simply wouldn’t leave her alone. So, finally,
clad in a silk nightgown, she threw back the covers, grabbed the phone,
and dialed a number she knew by heart.
As a groggy voice answered, she simply said, “It’s me, and don’t
grumble. You’ve woken me in the wee hours more than once.”
“Jasa, love, ‘wee’ doesn’t even begin to describe these hours. Try
bloody unnatural.” Methos reached over and turned the small bedside
lamp on. Rubbing his eyes, he glared at the clock. “Very unnatural.”
“Oh shut up,” she countered amusedly. “Or the next time I call, it’ll
be in person. A nice little wake up, don’t you think?”
“I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are still evil.
Some advice… turn away from the dark side, love.” He fell back onto
the bed. “Please.”
“Not a chance,” Jasa returned smartly. “I like being the evil ambitious
type. Keeps me interesting…” She sighed. “Not to mention, if I turn
away, I get all out of practice and that’s never good when the old
neighborhood decides to rise up and bite me on my ever so attractive
ass.”
“It is an attractive ass, and I haven’t bitten it in a while, have I?”
He paused for a moment. He knew this woman, knew her far better than
she allowed anyone else to know her… even Grace. He had the luxury
because he’d been just as bad as she had. So it was no surprise when
he picked up the lilt in her voice. “What’s wrong, Jase?”
“Oh, nothing much.” She sighed again. “Just an old friend from the
big-bad-evil-old days has somehow made a deal with Osiris and is
planning to sacrifice the closest thing we have to a son-in-law in
order to gain his own brand of immortality, and Grace is exceptionally
close to falling apart at the proverbial seams and I’m not sure even I
can stop her from doing so this time.”
Methos picked at his brain for a moment. “Angel, right? That’s his
name. Grace has done the big head-over-heels for this one, huh? She’s
*your* daughter. She’s never done anything half way.” Methos should
know. He was there for quite a bit of her ‘growing up’ years. He was
‘Dad’. Sitting up to help clear his head, he said, “She’s not handling
advice very well, I take it.”
“She rarely handles advice well,” his friend responded wryly. “And no,
she’s not. If looks could kill, I think I might have been halfway
headless.” She sighed. “She doesn’t mean it, I know, but there are
times I truly wonder if there isn’t a day coming where I won’t be able
to get through to her. I know my most recent advice rolled off her back
like I hadn’t even spoken. She’s always been stubborn but these days…
so much has happened. She’s not who she was.”
He sighed. He had always wondered when the day would come. Obviously,
it had. “Grace has always been headstrong. She’s also always
understood the relationship between mother and daughter. But you’re
right; she’s been through a lot. I saw Duncan last week and he filled
me in. She’s not ready to deal with this situation. She’s not as
strong as she thinks she is. Can I ask you this? Who’s in charge of
this operation?”
“I am, I think,” Jasa answered after a moment. “But, depending on the
choices I make, I suspect that will change. As for Duncan, don’t tell
him about this. If Cordelia hasn’t had a vision about it then it’s best
they stay out of it. There are enough alpha personalities around here
as is.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. Duncan and Grace butted heads
constantly. It amused him to no end that they were now living
together. “For you, I won’t say a word. And I agree with you, if
Grace gets impatient, she’ll act and there will be little you can do to
stop her. Remember when she was ten and bound and determined she was
going to ride that stallion. You told her no, but she snuck out and
did it anyway. Remember how that ended? She was fine. She fell off
more times than she could count, but she rode that horse.”
“She did. But, unfortunately, this isn’t a horse. Kamephis… he’s
powerful enough to give me a challenge… she has no defenses against
that kind of magic and she knows I want her to call me before trying to
rescue Angel but… I know her, Methos, all the knowledge in the world
isn’t going to stop her if she finds out where he is before I do.”
“No, you won’t be able to stop her. But what I’m suggesting is don’t
offer advice. Easier said than done, I know. He’s the closest thing
we have to a son-in-law, but he is her life. She’s clinging to him in
a way she’s never clung to anyone. She’s not recovered from her horror
and now she’s thrust into this. *You* need to focus on finding Angel,
true. But she has needs too. She needs her mother. She appears
tough; she always has. And even at her hardest, she always cherished
hugs. Had to be the biggest craver of physical touches I’ve ever seen.
I’d try that.”
“I know, and I will,” Jasa agreed. “The truth of it is, Methos, I’m not
entirely sure I’ll survive this… Kamephis knows things… and there
is a chance, a real chance, he may get the better of me in this. I
don’t know that I have the energy to be ‘Mom’ as well as Sadeh. Dipping
into that part of myself… it can be draining.” She sighed, running a
hand through her curls. “I will do what I have to… and prime on that
list is keeping Grace from realizing the potential costs here. She has
enough to deal with now and she’s obviously not dealing well at all.”
“Jasa, do you want me to come there? I can. I will. I can be ‘Dad’
while you be Sadeh. I don’t want to lose either of you to this.”
“No. Stay where you are,” she responded firmly. “If you leave, then
Duncan and Cordelia will know something’s wrong and when you arrive
here, Grace will know something isn’t right with me. I can’t afford
that weakness now, Methos. I can’t.”
“Ok, love. I’ll go with you on this one. Though truth be known,
Duncan’s not left the barge in a week. He’s not going to know if I
leave. But I agree about Grace.” He paused for a long moment and
softly said, “Bottom line here is getting Angel back safely. I know
you haven’t lost sight of that, and Grace is living that thought. But
she comes out on top, it’s always been that way for her. You have to
have faith in that.” He wanted to add in there that she always came
out on top too, but he knew Kamephis. Jasa had a right to be afraid.
Though, if she lost this battle, there was going to be no place that
Kamephis could hide. Death would ride again. “And for what it’s
worth, I believe in you.”
“It is worth much, my old friend,” Jasa said softly. “Thank you for
that.”
“You’re welcome.” He paused for a long moment, listening to her
breathing on the other end. Finally, he said, “If you need anything,
call me.”
“Always,” she agreed, adding in an arch tone. “I’ll even put you on
speed dial.”
He chuckled lightly. “Just next time, try to wait until a more humane
hour.”
“Absolutely not,” she countered with a smirk. “Where’s the fun then?”
He rolled his eyes though he knew she couldn’t see it. “This is where
Grace gets it. Thank goodness she got her good traits from me.”
The Egyptian snorted. “Which is why I’m at my wits end with her no
doubt. She takes after you.”
“Thank you, love. She’s perhaps the one good thing I’ve done.” He
laughed but then turned a bit serious. “You survive this, ok? You
survive and then we’ll get together. The four of us. Deal?”
“I will do my best,” Jasa answered. “And if we do get together…
you’re buying.”
“Deal,” he said. He waited for several minutes, not really wanting to
hang up the phone but there was really nothing left to say. They never
said goodbye, and the love was understood. So gently, he hung up the
phone and snuggled back into the bed. He didn’t sleep though, merely
watched the phone. Kamephis… one way or another the sorcerer was
dead.
On the other end, she did the same, resting her head on the pillow and
sighing heavily. For the first time in a long time… she was scared.
—
Angel tested his bonds experimentally and surveyed his captor. “At some
point, you are planning on getting on with the actual sacrifice,
right?”
Kamephis stood from where he had been kneeling and turned to face the
vampire. “When the time is right, yes.”
“And let me guess, Venus isn’t in retrograde or whatever dumbass
requirements for the thing, right?” Another experimental yank on the
chains and his dark gaze mocked the Egyptian. “Why does there always
have to be some cryptic timing. All the waiting and talking and
planning, it gets boring after the forth or fifth time someone tries
something like this.”
The sorcerer simply stared at him. “It is the life you chose though,
is it not?”
“Actually, not really.” The vampire shrugged, the chains rattling with
the motion. “Was chattin’ up a pretty little thing in the tavern,
turned out she was a vampire then a hundred years later, bit the wrong
gypsy and well… here I am.” He glanced up at the ceiling,
contemplating his chances of pulling the chains free. “All soul-having
and apparently prime for the sacrificing.”
Kamephis lit a candle, said a few words in his native tongue and turned
back to his victim. Nodding slowly, he agreed, “It is because of your
soul that I have chosen you. It drew me, and I knew Osiris would be
pleased with you.”
“You sure about that?” Angel countered. “I’m about as far from Egyptian
as you can get. He might not want an infidel sacrifice.”
Kamephis shook his head. “The almighty Osiris does not demand an
Egyptian sacrifice. His demand is simple. A tainted soul. And I have
experience in using vampires in rituals.”
Jasa.
Her name popped into his mind and the vampire looked at his captor with
new understanding. Jasa had once mentioned she’d used vampires in her
rituals. “Back in the day, huh?” he questioned thoughtfully,
considering it. If Jasa knew this guy, his chances of them finding him
were all the much better. Between her and Grace… nothing would be
left untried.
Taking some of his most precious herbs, he began to place them around
the altar. “The Pharaoh demanded it. He had priests and priestesses
who were very proficient in ending the existence of vampires. I can
promise you, it will not hurt. My intent is not to cause you pain.
You are blessed.”
“Blessed?” The vampire looked irritated. “Not from my point of view. My
point of view says cursed in a big way. They even call it a curse. Look
it up.”
Kamephis said nothing, merely left the room. When he returned, he was
carrying a chalice filled with the blood of a vampire. “You are
blessed in comparison to the vampire who just endured my ritual.”
Stopping at the vampire’s feet he said, “The ritual kill is most
unpleasant for the vampire. You will not have to endure it. Are you
hungry?”
Angel scowled at him. “I’d rather starve.” He felt his stomach roll in
revulsion and at the back of his mind, his opinion of Jasa took on a
whole new light. He knew she’d implied she’d been less than a saint in
her early days but this… It was beyond what even he thought. “But, if
you are, feel free. Bottoms up.”
He dipped his finger into the thick, sticky liquid. Moving toward his
vampire, he said a few words to ensure that the creature could not
pounce on him. Then he moved in and ran the blood soaked finger along
the vampire’s lips before pulling away. More words were spoken to
release the vampire to move as his chains would permit. He said a few
more words of blessing before sipping the salty drink. He then looked
at his captive before drinking some more. “As you wish.”
The revulsion intensified, and Angel was very nearly sick. He didn’t
know what was worse, the blood on his lips, watching the priest drink
or the realization that, thousands of years prior, Grace’s mother had
no doubt done the very same thing. He suspected it was the latter
rather than either of the former.
With little or no emotion on his face, Kamephis set the chalice down on
the altar table and quietly said, “You will find, my young vampire,
that whatever you assume is not necessarily what is. There are older
and darker magicks… magicks that are beyond your comprehension. Your
sacrifice will ensure that I retain my youth… my immortality. But
rest now. What is it you said… Venus isn’t in retrograde yet. But
when my requirements are met, you will know.” That said he left the
room, leaving his victim to his thoughts.
All Souls (2/4)
by Christina A and M. Edison
Knowing what she had to do, Jasa rose at sunrise and dressed completely
in white. The light material of her linen slacks whispered about her
feet as she moved down the stairs and into the supply room. Here she
gathered up the supplies she would need into a small bag and emerged
into the lobby once more. “Grace and Gunn back yet?” she asked of the
first person she saw.
Emily sat behind the desk in the lobby and shook her head. “No, not
yet. They were out all night talking to anyone and everyone they could
find. I had another Watcher follow her. They talked to all of the
remaining members of Gunn’s old gang and then started interviewing some
homeless people. They were attacked by a couple vamps, but dusted them
easily. Before they did, though, they found out something
interesting.” Setting down her coffee mug, she asked, “Would Kamephis
need other vampires for any reason? Apparently Gunn’s gang says the
vampire population has decreased noticeably.”
“Yes,” Jasa responded. “We discussed that possibility last night… I’m
not surprised to find out they’re disappearing. He would be using them
for sacrifices, trying to stay on the good side of the other gods, Ra,
Isis etc…” She half-smiled. “However, I plan on causing trouble with
at least Isis. If it works, he may be forced out into the open in
search of new means of strength. Demons as well as vampires.” She
disappeared into another room off the lobby and returned with a crate,
one that hissed.
Emily backed away from it respectively. “Um… Jase… What’s in
that?”
Wesley appeared from the office and placed a hand on her shoulder. “A
very necessary ingredient in the spell Jasa is going to cast. Given
her expertise, I’d say you have little to worry about.”
“But it’s hissing,” Emily pointed out.
“It’s an Egyptian Asp,” the Egyptian sorceress responded with some
amusement. “Quite poisonous but a prime ingredient indeed.” She lifted
the crate and peered through the mesh. “This little fellow will kill
me.”
“Hold on,” Emily said. “Kill you? As in you mean you want it to kill
you? What are you going to do, go on a vision quest or astral
projection or something? And what do we do with the thing once you
die?”
“No, it will be the conclusion of the spell,” Jasa responded. “I
suppose you would call it ‘sealing the deal’. And yes, I wish it to
kill me. One bite above my heart should suffice.” She placed the crate
on the counter again. “And I will be doing this on the roof, in the
sunlight…” She smiled reassuringly at Emily. “As for what to do with
it… you will do nothing. I’ll have plenty of time to return it to its
crate before I die. Wesley can make sure the crate is locked, just in
case.”
Emily looked up at Wesley. She was a bit concerned about him getting
anywhere near the thing, but figured he’d be cautious. She hated
asking, but her job as a Watcher made it necessary. “Would you mind if
I watched? From a safe distance of course.”
He cast a questioning glance at Jasa who nodded. “Umm… no,” he shook
his head, “It wouldn’t be a problem for you to watch… from a safe
distance indeed. We’ve no way to be sure how the spell will work out.
If I’m correct, Jasa hasn’t done this in many years and the gods may
not be amused…”
“Maybe not,” the Egyptian agreed. “But they may also be glad to have me
back.” She sighed. “I’m jumping in feet first all over again.”
“Are you saying they could possibly keep you from coming back?” Emily
asked, her worry evident in her voice. Next to Angel, Jasa was the
person Grace loved most in the world. She’d never forgive herself if
anything happened to her mother.
“No.” Jasa shook her head. “They wouldn’t do that, I’m useful. However,
I walked away from this kind of magic for a reason. Getting back into
it… they might not let me walk away from it a second time.”
Emily sighed. “It seems that evil just *loves* pushing the envelope
and making us do things that we are uncomfortable with… or that could
destroy us while trying to save someone else.”
Wesley agreed. “Actually, it’s the game that evil enjoys playing most.
And we fall along into it because we have no choice. There’s a chance
this could go wrong for Jasa, but if she doesn’t try, Angel *will*
die.”
Emily put her hands in her lap. “I really don’t like either choice.
Not at all.”
“It’s all right, Em,” the Egyptian Immortal encouraged gently. “I
damned myself a long time ago. If anything does go wrong, it’s the
quite understandable consequences of those choices. I can’t say I
didn’t know what I was getting myself into.” She sighed again. “This is
my mess, and I’ve little choice but clean it up.” She lifted the crate
and nodded at the bag. “Can you grab that, Wes? Nothing fatal in it I
assure you.”
“No problem.” He took Emily’s hand and moved toward the bag, only
letting her go when he picked it up. “Shall we then?” he said, heading
for the stairs.
Emily delayed only a moment. As Jasa followed him, she couldn’t help
but let her worries take over again. Jasa had done bad things in her
past. But everyone deserved redemption. Everyone deserved the chance
to make things right. Everyone!
*-*-*
Kneeling on the roof, the Egyptian priestess kept a constant chant
running as she set out each part of the ritual. Lighting a flame, she
smoothly began a new chant, an invocation, summoning of the gods. Of Ra
and Isis. It was risky to invoke them both in the same breath but she
didn’t have time for subtly, she needed to strike a powerful blow
against Kamephis. She needed a powerful impact…
Aware of her observers, she carefully removed the asp from the cage and
lifted it high in the air, her voice a near shout to be heard over the
rising wind. Her hair whipped about her body as the winds continued to
build. The others had to fight to keep their footing but she was
strangely untouched by the force. The only sign of the wind about her
body was the movement of her hair, all else remained as still as a
statue.
Clouds darkened the sky and dissipated as quickly as they’d appeared,
the sun shining down with an intensity that cut through everything and
seemed to bleach everything, leaving colors a stark contrast to each
other.
Jasa paid it no attention, felt none of the heat beating on her skin,
felt nothing but the movement of her hair, she continued to chant, her
voice rising and falling in an eerie pitch, the wind carrying it and
twisting it. The sound made unrecognizable.
Unaffected by the wind, the flame before her grew and it seemed as if a
sound emanated from it but if it were meant to be words, they were
indistinguishable and if Jasa understood them she gave no sign.
When it seemed the winds had reached a near hurricane force, the
priestess lowered the snake, bringing its head to her breast, just
above her heart…
A flinch was the only sign that it had struck and, chanting in a softer
voice now, she turned to return it to the cage, closing it carefully.
Her chanting faltered as the deadly payload worked its way through her
system and the Egyptian slowly let herself lower to the carpet she’d
been kneeling on.
It was strangely anti-climatic as the winds suddenly died and the flame
winked out, leaving the rooftop totally still. Like death itself.
Emily made as if to move forward but Wesley stopped her. “No.” He said
in a faint whisper. “Not yet.”
The reason why he’d stopped her didn’t become apparent for some time.
Jasa lay still in death far longer than any Immortal her age should and
both began to wonder if something hadn’t gone wrong, if for some reason
she wasn’t coming back, but Wesley held firm. He kept his grip on
Emily’s arm, keeping her from going to the prone figure.
It was a wise move for without warning the wind leapt to sudden, brief
fury and the Egyptian sat up as if jerked upright.
She spoke a word and the winds abated.
Turning, she let her eyes settle on the couple, her gaze otherworldly.
Then, in a faint, drained voice, she said simply. “Well then…that’s
done.”
—–
Wearily, Jasa eased down onto a chair and accepted the cup of coffee
Wesley brought her. “I’d forgotten how utterly draining that is,” she
murmured tiredly. “I need to keep in practice… Kamephis is, as the
saying goes, fresh as a daisy.”
It was then that Grace entered the hotel. She was tired, concerned,
and more than a bit sad. But for the first time since Angel
disappeared, she had a ray of hope. Between her mother and what they’d
learned, they were going to find Angel. She wished Jasa didn’t have to
risk herself. Losing her wasn’t an option either. And Jasa risked
herself for Grace, did so more than the daughter could ever thank her
for. When she saw the tired look on Jasa’s face, all she knew was
concern for her.
Approaching the ancient Immortal, Grace knelt before her and took her
hand. “You look tired. You haven’t slept at all, have you?”
“I slept,” the Egyptian countered calmly, bringing herself back under
control. “Just revived from a little magical intervention. I’ll be fine
in a few moments.”
Grace touched her mother’s face tenderly. “You did not sleep. And
what magical intervention? Is it one that killed, drained, or both?”
She squeezed the woman’s hand.
Gunn looked at Emily and Wesley and nodded toward the office. It
didn’t take them long to leave the room.
Grace didn’t even notice the now empty room. “I’m so very sorry for
what happened last night. I do love you. And I know this affects you
just as much, hell more, than it affects me. I just am so sorry.”
Jasa waved a distracted hand. “It’s fine, Grace. You’re under a great
deal of stress. I’m well aware of that.” She stretched languidly. “And
I did sleep. Quite well actually. The spell was a complicated one and
I’m somewhat out of practice. As I said, I will be fine. It just takes
a few moments to get my equilibrium back.”
Grace and Jasa were pretty much at different ends of the emotional
spectrum. Where Grace was needy, Jasa was dismissive. But Grace had
pushed enough and she knew Jasa didn’t want to be made over, so
instead, she let her hands slid off her mother’s. “Is there anything I
can do for you?” she asked.
“Put that snake back in the room,” her mother offered a faint grin. “I
don’t think the others want to go near it.”
Grace nodded. Clearing her throat before standing up, she swallowed
hard. She wanted to do something, express something, but it was at
these times that the gap in emotions was more than known, it was felt.
“S… sure. Though the thought…” She paused and inhaled deeply, “The
thought of Gunn being scared of a little bitty Asp is kind of amusing.”
“Not Gunn so much as poor Emily.” Jasa chuckled a little, eyes watching
her daughter intently. “She hasn’t been around many snakes in her
lifetime.”
Grace nodded. Once her back was turned, she bit her lip. Apology
given and accepted and it was business as usual. Picking up the box
with the hissing snake inside, Grace said, “I assume we’re keeping this
outside and sedating it until it can be taken somewhere more
appropriate for it. Where do you want it?”
“On the shelf in the room next to the supply room, I’ll dispose of it
once I get my feet back in under me.” The Egyptian yawned and
stretched. “Which, I hope, is soon.”
“Ok,” she said, heading in that direction. “Why don’t you go on and
get some rest. With Kamephis contained for a while, you should sleep
while you can.” She left the room and walked into the supply room.
After putting the poisonous snake up in the coolest, darkest place she
could find, she leaned up against the wall and stared at the door.
Angel’s absence pressed on her. She was tired. She was also excited
to have found a couple leads as to where Angel could be and glad that
Jasa had been able to subdue Kamephis’ power for now. But Grace didn’t
delude herself. This was far from over. She could still lose both
Angel and Jasa. Now Angel, she knew, in her heart, that they were
square, that if they had to part neither would have a regret. But had
she pushed her mother so far away that she was no different to Jasa
than Wesley or Gunn.
She stood in there for several more moments getting control of herself.
She’d made her bed and she should lie in it. Standing straight, she
inhaled deeply and set her emotions straight. Things were the way they
were. If they all survived, perhaps she could start to change… not
push her mother away so much. She hoped anyway.
When Grace emerged from the storeroom, her mother presented her with a
cup of coffee and a hand brushing along her curls. “Drink that,” she
ordered. “You need it more than I do.” Moving to get her own, she
added. “Methos sends his love.”
Looking into the cup, the hot liquid was alluring. “When did you talk
to him?” She paused for a moment and before Jasa could respond, she
asked, “Is he coming here?”
“Last night, before I went to sleep,” the Egyptian answered and added.
“No, he won’t be. He picks up and rushes here, Duncan and Cordelia will
know something is wrong and there’s little they can do here anyway.”
Grace agreed. “They don’t need to worry about this. God knows they
have little enough of what they can call their own anyway.” She
sighed. The selfish part of her was sort of sad that Methos wasn’t
coming though. She was suddenly craving his special kind of bear hug.
The kind he used to give her when she was six. Nice memories. Sighing,
she said, “You should really go get some sleep while things are calm.
I’m going to go send Gunn off to bed as well… recruit Fred to help
me.”
“You go get some sleep,” her mother argued. “I had plenty.” She patted
her daughter’s hand gently. “You’re emotionally drained, Grace. I’m
just recovering from a little spell. That will wear off, the emotional
exhaustion won’t… You keep going like this, and I won’t know who to
worry about – Angel or you.”
Handing Jasa the mug of coffee, she nodded. “Ok.” She was tired of
trying to be in charge or in control. She wasn’t leader material…
she hadn’t been doing so well at a lot of things lately. She was
exhausted and maybe some sleep, if she could get some, would help. She
made her way to the stairs. “Make sure Gunn rests too. We were both up
all night.”
“Fred will take care of that,” her mother promised. “She passed through
here while you were in there.” She paused then added. “Sleep sweet,
Little One.”
“Ok,” she said again. Once in the room she and Angel shared, she fell
onto the couch and allowed herself to give in to the need to release
some pent up emotion. She hadn’t cried herself to sleep in a very long
time. But perhaps it would help. Pulling her knees up to her chest,
she hugged herself as tightly as she could and cried.
After a time, Jasa came in to check on her. Reaching for a blanket, she
draped it over her daughter’s form then bent over to kiss the younger
Immortal’s forehead and murmured an endearment in Egyptian before
leaving the room again.
—-
Exhausted, Angel pulled himself upright and stared out into the
darkness of the room. Someone was coming, Kamephis, he assumed. Who
else would be here? He’d seen no one. But, the shuffling, slow step
made no sense. Unless, the Egyptian had been right and now was running
out of time, exhaustion setting in. He wasn’t sure but he knew he’d
soon find out.
Kamephis had been preparing for the ritual when the shockwave hit him.
He muttered a curse in Egyptian. Just thinking about his former cohort
turned adversary made his blood curdle. He was drained. Her little
spell had sped up his need for the ritual. She’d evoked Ra. He needed
Osiris now more than ever. With effort, he opened the door to his
precious cargo’s holding area.
He said nothing as he approached the vampire. Drawing a dagger, he
tried to sound strong as he said, “I need a bit of something from you.
I was hoping not to do this, but I’ve been forced into a corner.” The
vampire was still chained securely, so he revealed some bare skin just
above his ankle. He cut quickly and held a chalice up to the blood.
“You can thank that demon Sadeh for this.”
The name was unfamiliar at first then it hit him. Sadeh was Jasa’s real
name. She’d done something to weaken the other Egyptian. Angel put
aside his conflicted thoughts about Grace’s mother and hid a grin.
‘Whatever you’re up to Jasa, keep it up.’
“I will,” he responded, gritting his teeth against the pain. “Next time
I see her I’ll tell her whatever she did, it worked like a charm.”
“It did,” the ancient soul agreed. “What would be the point in hiding
that?” He shrugged. “But she couldn’t kill me, could she?” Moving a
bit higher, he made another couple cuts… a symbol of purification…
and pulled the chalice away. “In the game of magic, the balance of
power shifts back and forth between combatants. She and I have played
this game before. This is nothing new.” He moved away, the chalice
shook in his hand. “But she won’t weaken me again. And I’ll get a
turn of my own in with your blood. Rest well.”
“Oh I will,” the vampire countered. “But you won’t. She’s learned a few
tricks in the past four thousand years… you have no idea what you’re
up against.”
Still weak, but never the less in control, he landed a piercing gaze
upon the vampire. Chanting a few words, he saw the eyes go wide as
pressure was placed on the unbeating heart. “And you have
underestimated me. It can be a grievous downfall, my friend.” He
paused. Dipping his finger in the blood, he tasted it and thought for
a moment. “And while you’re wondering about the pain on your heart,
think about your love… Grace. Such a fitting name for one so lovely.
But her strength, it’s not so strong as she wants everyone to believe.
She’ll unravel soon.” That said, he walked from the room and the vice
on the vampire was released.
Though he had no need to breathe, Angel still gasped when the magical
hold on him vanished and he fell forward, bringing the chains on his
wrists tight. “I *gotta* get out of here.” He resolved. “And then I’m
going to rip his head off.”
—–
Jasa was coming down into the lobby, several spell books in her arms
when it happened. She felt a sudden feeling of foreboding and stopped
on the stairs, a puzzled frown on her face. “Lorne…” she said softly,
getting the demon’s attention. “Do you feel that?”
“Feel what…” the Host began to ask, moving away from the front desk.
“Aw hell…” he muttered, sensing the same. “Incoming!!!”
The warning did little good, the magical attack was focused on only one
person, the others were unaffected but Jasa… she shrieked in sheer
agony, the force of the unseen impact lifting her lithe form off her
feet and hurling her across the lobby into a support pillar.
With a soft moan, she slid to the floor in a crumpled heap, the spell
absorbing her strength and robbing her of any ability to ward it off.
Then, with a sick sort of mercy, the attack sent her strength surging
back into her, turning it against her, the result of which was
overload. Another scream escaped her and then she was silent.
Grace head the shriek and came running out of her room at full speed.
Seeing her mother’s crumpled form, she screamed, “MOM!!!!!!” Taking
multiple stairs at a time, she said to the people gathered around
Jasa’s form, “Get away from her.” When the group parted, she knelt
down and took her mother in her arms. Brushing the hair from her face,
she looked up at Wesley. “Get Giles, NOW.” Sniffling, she said, “It’s
ok, Mom. It’s ok.” She knew what had happened here. Kamephis’s bit of
retaliation for the spell Jasa had placed on him. “Gunn, help me get
her upstairs, please.” She wasn’t going to break… a part of her
wondered if this was a test or a premonition. If she was supposed to
break, it wasn’t going to happen. She was extremely pissed off now.
“It’s ok, Mom,” she said again. “We’ll get Giles, and he’ll take care
of you.”
Carefully, the younger Immortal gathered the petite Egyptian into his
arms and slowly moved to his feet. He’d seen magic before but somehow
he’d gotten the impression Jasa knew how to dish it out and avoid
retaliation but having seen this, he’d learned something.
No one was invulnerable.
“C’mon, G,” he said softly. “Let’s go.”
Grace stood as close to Gunn as she could, touching and talking to Jasa
the entire time. Her mother could hear her; she knew it. The fact
that Jasa was now unconscious because she was trying to help her hadn’t
escaped her. As Gunn placed her on the bed, Grace continued to hold
her hand. “I want this sonofabitch dead, Gunn. Suffering would be
preferable.” She felt his hands on her shoulders and closed her eyes.
“Can you go back out, lean on your sources, and find out for sure where
Angel is? This bastard has gone after the two people I love most in
this world. He’s going down before he can get anyone else.”
He sighed. There wasn’t any way he could talk her out of this… not
now. Instead he said, “You got it, G. It’s done.” He passed Giles on
his way out. “Man, I hope like hell you can bring her back.”
“I shall do my best,” the elder man responded softly, looking past the
young Immortal to the mother and daughter. “But it is up to her in the
end. If she knew…” He shook his head. “I will do my best.”
Gunn nodded and left the room.
Grace looked up at the Watcher. He and her mother had growing feelings
for one another. Right now, she was counting on that to help them.
“She cast a spell on Kamephis earlier today. He just retaliated. I’m
assuming that it was designed to take her out of the equation
completely… most likely he returned to her what she did to him
threefold. Her Immortality may not be able to help her against the
magic… more than likely not even if I stabbed her through the heart.
I can’t lose her, Giles. I’ll do anything you want me to, please
help.”
He moved closer, the magical maelstrom around the comatose Egyptian was
very nearly enough to take him off his feet though he knew to anyone
else, the figure on the bed looked as peaceful as any living being
could. “Her immortality is no defense against this,” he agreed, sitting
on the bed and touching Jasa’s temples, getting a better feel for what
was going on inside the ancient. “There is little that can be done, she
is fighting within her own mind to free herself…” He frowned
thoughtfully, looking about the room. “No doubt, she knew he would try
something like this…” Rising from the bed, he crossed the room to the
ornate desk where Jasa kept her notes and other important items. “And
prepared for it.”
Thoughtfully, he examined the scribbles on the paper and, in a distant
corner of his mind, was amused to discover the elegant Egyptian’s
penmanship was horrendous. Fortunately, it was also legible.
“Indeed…” Picking up a sheet, he turned and handed it to Grace.
“Potion ingredients. I’ll need them. It will strengthen her.”
Standing immediately, she said, “You’ll have them. Wesley and I will
have them back here in an hour.” She kissed her mother’s forehead,
lingering long enough to whisper her love and stood again. “Stay with
her. I know she knows we’re here.” That said she left to get Wesley.
They had some shopping to do.
Moving back to the bed, Giles took the chair Grace had vacated and
lifted Jasa’s hand into his. “You must fight,” he instructed softly,
glancing at the door through which the Egyptian’s daughter had just
exited. “She can’t bear to lose you,” he told the unresponsive woman
softly. “And, I think, neither can I.”
All Souls (3/4)
by M. Edison and Christina A.
Gunn was just sliding out of his coat when Grace and Wesley walked
through the front door again. “Got a location,” he pronounced to his
friends with a grim look of satisfaction. “Time to go pay a house
call?”
Grace glanced at Wesley who barely stopped on his way up the stairs.
To Gunn, she said, “Mom left us a clue. A list of ingredients
necessary to help her in case the bastard retaliated.” Going to the
weapons locker, she continued, “We’re bringing Angel back tonight and
Kamephis is dying.” Turning back to him, she said, “We need a plan
though. *I* can’t defeat his magic. We can’t just barge in there and
take him. After Giles takes care of Mom, we’ll talk to him.” Pausing,
she inhaled deeply. “Where is Angel?”
“Abandoned sewage treatment plant on the edge of the city,” the younger
Immortal responded. “Lower levels. For the ritual, I’m guessin’
ol’Kammie’s gonna need sunlight, which means he’ll need to move Angel.
We hit him when he’s doin’ that, then he won’t be able to control Angel
and come after us at the same time. Even Jase says it’s hard to split
your concentration in a situation like that.”
Grace set the weapons down and stared at him for a long moment.
“Gunn,” she said softly, “I know we’ve had rough patches… but this…
I couldn’t do this without you… be strong? If you hadn’t been here,”
she paused, “I couldn’t bear it if I lost you in this without you
knowing how much you really mean to me. I just couldn’t handle it.”
He grinned lopsidedly at her. “It’s cool, G. Done worse than this, I
can promise.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “This guy goes down before
he hurts any more of mine, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
Grace nodded. When this was over, everyone was getting a big hug.
She was done with the macho distance. It was going to be a fucking
love fest. “I’ve got your back. If we don’t need to wait for Giles,
we should head. You and me against the world, right?”
“Right.” Gunn’s grin took on an unpleasant edge. “We make him pay.”
Handing him a sword and an axe, she walked by him. “Let’s go get Angel
back. And Kamephis will pay… pay with extreme prejudice. I was
raised by Jasa… with help from Methos. He wasn’t called Death for
nothing… and Sadeh causes fear for a reason. It’s time to show
Kamephis what the product of that joining has created. No one fucks
with our family.”
——-
Looking up at the structure, Gunn shivered a little. “Just once,” he
muttered in annoyance. “I wanna see a bad guy who picks the Ritz or
somethin’ to hang out in. A little more cheerful, y’know? They always
go for the dark and gloomy.”
“It’s in the ‘bad guy handbook’ that they all get when they sign up for
the complimentary course.” She shrugged. “They are also taught to
believe that good won’t go into gloomy. But then, they neglected to
tell bad about you and me.” She drew her sword and her dagger. “I’ll
go for Angel. Remember, quick and concise. If you need me, just
holler.”
“Don’t worry,” the younger Immortal responded grimly. “If I start
losin’ this fight, you’ll know it. From earlier…” He frowned darkly.
“Quiet ain’t in this guy’s vocabulary.”
She nodded. If she could do this on her own, she would have. She
hated dragging Gunn into this, especially after what happened to her
mother. But the truth was, she needed him. “Let’s go then. Get in,
get out, and go home.”
“And get some lovin’…” Gunn grinned at her. “Admit it, G, we’re both
thinkin’ it. All things considered, we need some time with our sig
others.”
She held her shoulders back as she continued to look at the building.
“What I crave most, Gunn, is just to have him with me… in my arms…
in my life… alive. It may be hard for some people to believe, but I
enjoy relaxing by the fire and cuddling as much as I do lovin’.” She
glanced at him and smiled. “But time alone with him… I’m ready for
that.” Moving forward, she teased, “Last one in buys beer the next
time we’re out.”
“Since you’re the one with more money than God,” Gunn went ahead of
her, “that should be you.” With a flashed grin and a swish of his
sword, he playfully saluted his former teacher before slipping inside.
“Kids,” Grace smiled faintly. “Take care,” she whispered, splitting
off from him. He was going up, and she was heading down. Their
plan… She’d wait until they were bringing Angel up. When he heard
the attack begin, he’d go after Kamephis. They *had* to surprise the
priest. If they couldn’t, they were dead.
—–
Angel watched warily as two men – mummies, something that *really*
creeped him out – moved forward and reached out to free him from his
restraints.
Exhausted by whatever Kamephis had done to him, the vampire couldn’t
stop himself from slumping into their arms and being dragged out of the
room. He kept willing himself to respond, to fight back, but his body
simply wouldn’t respond. He was too weak. Too tired.
He needed more time to recover before he dared try anything. But, the
problem was, he wasn’t sure how much time he had left.
Grace hunched on the landing between the first floor and the basement.
She had no idea where Gunn was, and she had little time to contemplate
as she heard shuffling steps moving toward her. Of course, Angel had
been drugged, put under a spell, or something to control him.
From the sounds coming toward her, Angel was only escorted by two
minions. Standing out of sight and against the wall, she waited,
holding her breath, as they passed.
It was all she could do to watch. Angel looked terrible, much as she
had looked when Voltimer had her.
One step… two… Far enough.
With the flick of her wrist, her dagger penetrated the first mummy’s
head. It withered and fell to the floor with a cry. The second dropped
his cargo and spun, pulling his sword. “Stay down,” she told Angel as
she met the mummy head on. She just hoped this man hadn’t been a
Medjai.
A surge of realization and excitement raced through Angel at the sight
of Grace and he did as he was told, slumping back against the wall,
staying out of her way and giving her the chance to take the mummies
out. Given the way she was going after them, she had some idea of how
to get rid of them… knowledge from her mother he assumed.
That thought brought another, more ominous one to mind. Jasa was
nowhere in sight. Trying his best to be hopeful, Angel focused on
Grace. Drinking her in like a man dying of thirst.
Definitely a Medjai. Damn! And obviously one who knew how to take her
out. But then, she could use that to her advantage. With a duck and
roll maneuver, she reversed positions and pierced his skull. Her next
stroke cut off his head.
Wasting no time, she pulled an amulet out of her pocket and gave it to
Angel. Lifting him to his feet, she said, “Hold this. Giles says it
will give you strength.” She wanted to hold and comfort him. She
wanted to kiss him like there was no tomorrow. But she didn’t see
Gunn, which meant Kamephis was still alive. “We have to move, Angel.
Can you?”
“Yeah,” he gritted out, leaning against her for a moment. “I can
move…” He smiled faintly at her. “Just don’t move too far away. If I
fall over, I’d appreciate not going sprawling face first.”
“You’re going to be damn lucky if I ever move out of arm’s reach from
you again.” She put her arm around his waist and led him the rest of
the way up the stairs. Once they made it to the ground floor, she
said, “Gunn should meet us here. But if he runs into trouble…” She
pressed her forehead to his and paused for a long moment. “We need to
keep you away from Kamephis… you understand?”
“Understood.” He sighed softly. “You go help Gunn, I’ll make my way
outside.” He looked around. “I should be safe from here. Any of his
little creations still left would be on their way to help him by now.”
She pressed her sword into his hand, pulling another from her coat. “I
love you,” she said, kissing him before pulling away and running up the
stairs. Gunn may get to kill Kamephis, but Grace was going to make
sure it was permanent.
—
The priest had been caught off guard when the young Immortal charged
him. He hadn’t admitted it to the vampire, but the spell he cast on
the priestess had drained him magically. He had thought the cost would
be worth it… especially if he could have sacrificed the vampire
before the rescue arrived. He hadn’t planned on them finding him so
quickly.
The hell of it was… this ‘boy’ was good. Too damn good.
Gunn was angry, enraged would be a good description and he lunged for
his adversary with a single-minded determination. He had every
intention of making the sorcerer pay for the havoc and pain he’d
wreaked on his family. No one got away with that.
He couldn’t lose, not when he was so close to winning his Immortality
for sacrificing the vampire. He was a priest, not a warrior. And this
child was a warrior. He managed to block a strike and ran from his
opponent. He was still weak, but maybe he could gain an advantage by
using some magic. A few chanted words and a quick prayer to Osiris.
All he could do now was watch and see if it worked.
Hearing the words, Gunn surmised Kamephis was up to something. Some
spell to weaken him or something. A determined smirk crossed his face.
Why not give him what he asked for?
Feigning a loud moan of pain, he slumped to his knees, using his sword
to keep it upright but being careful not to look too over-acted. Didn’t
want the other man to catch on after all.
Kamephis watched for a moment. When the young man’s head slumped low,
he smiled, thanked his god, and charged.
It was then that Grace entered the room, screaming, “NOOOOOOOO,
GUNN!!!!!!!”
Kamephis looked up, snarled, but continued his charge. He’d deal with
her next.
Gunn could have kissed Grace for the distraction; it was perfect
timing. With a lightning fast move, he was on his feet and slicing. The
Egyptian sorcerer didn’t stand a chance. His body kept on going while
his head rolled back several feet.
“Great timing, G.” The young Immortal looked back at his teacher then
at the body. “Kinda anti-climatic, ain’t it? No Quickening.”
Grace stopped in a rush. Looking from Gunn to the deceased, she
finally moved and embraced him. “This is better than any Quickening I
could have ever witnessed.” She looked back to the body. “Let’s leave
it for the rats. Angel is downstairs. Safe and sound. And Fred is
waiting at home for some lovin’.”
He grinned lopsidedly. “So she is. And I’m bettin’ it’s the bathtub for
Angel…”
She nodded. “No doubt. But he’s in no condition for lovin’ beyond
holding and comforting.” She led Gunn back down the stairs and found
Angel sitting in the corner. Moving to him, she took the stone and
placed it in her pocket. She then took the sword and handed it to
Gunn. “Let’s get him covered and out of here.” She ran a hand along
his face as her eyes locked with his. “Kamephis is dead. Gunn saved
the day.”
The vampire offered a weak grin. “We’ll throw a victory party later.
Haven’t got much energy to party now.” He took the coat the young
Immortal held out to him. “Thanks.”
“No problem, Boss,” Gunn joked with a laugh, “C’mon man, let’s get back
home before everybody thinks we went and got ourselves killed.”
Grace wrapped her arm around Angel’s waist and let him lean on her as
they headed out. “Yeah, we will party, but not for a few days. A few
people have to come back to themselves first.”
As quickly as they could, they got inside the car. Angel and Grace in
the back. Gunn drove.
—–
When they walked into the hotel, Fred nearly tackled Gunn, kissing him
fervently. “You weren’t supposed to go without tellin’ us!” She scolded
the trio. “Giles is havin’ kittens!!! Wesley and Emily’re lookin’ up
spells just in case we gotta go after you!” Almost as an afterthought,
she smiled brightly and waved at Angel. “Hi!! It’s great to see you
back and still… y’know… having of the soul and bein’ still undead
and stuff!”
“Indeed it is,” Giles agreed sternly, walking into the lobby. “Taking
off after him with no support whatsoever? You’ve better sense than that
Grace, you’ve seen what he was capable of. It’s fools luck you’ve come
back in one piece.” He frowned, examining Angel. “We’ll worry about
this later, get him upstairs to bed. I’ll bring up something for him in
a few moments.”
The weary vampire looked disgusted. “It’d better not be some
foul-smelling and worse tasting potion.”
“For that, it will be the most foul smelling and worse tasting that I
can possibly create,” Giles countered immediately.
Grace sighed. “We were extra cautious, Giles. From what Gunn learned,
we couldn’t wait. Besides, I believe you had work of your own and you
needed Wesley for help with that. Believe it or not, Gunn and I are
capable of handling ourselves. Mom was weak after using magic on
Kamephis… it only stood to reason he would be weak too.” She paused
on her way to the elevator. No way was she making Angel take the
stairs. “When you bring the potion, I want to know how Mom is doing.”
That said, she closed the elevator and they headed up to their floor.
“How is she doing?” Gunn questioned quietly, somehow feeling the sense
of the room was such that he didn’t dare speak at a normal level after
that.
“She’s awake,” the Englishman responded seriously. “But… very, very
weak. Were it not for her immortal constitution… she would be dead.”
—-
Sitting wearily on the edge of the bed, Angel mustered up the energy to
pull his blood-stained and dirty shirt over his head and throw it
heedlessly aside. “Just how bad did things get here?” he asked finally,
feeling it was a great effort to even voice words.
Grace came out from the bathroom in time to help him with his pants.
“Gunn and I spent most of the time out searching for you. While we
were gone, Mom used a spell on Kamephis. It weakened him. But it
seems he had enough strength to retaliate and it left her in a coma. I
left her with Giles and Wesley who were supposed to mix a potion for
her.”
“So that’s what he was doing…” The vampire sighed heavily, recalling
everything that had gone on during his captivity. “He said a lot of
things… showed me a lot of things…” He shook his head. “If half of
them are true…” He cut off the sentence and went to a new topic. “I
can’t ever remember being this worn out.”
She slid his pants off and noticed the mark on his leg. “This may be a
part of it. I’ll also bet he used magic on you to contain you, knowing
he couldn’t hold you through the move without it.” She moved to sit
beside him on the bed. “I won’t force. Believe me, I know where
you’ve been. But do you want to talk about it? What he showed you, I
mean?”
“No.” Images of what Kamephis had demonstrated, things he’d claimed
Jasa had done, had taught him, appeared in Angel’s mind and he was
quite sure the Egyptian had never even *hinted* at having done such
things and no doubt, she would rather not have her daughter find out
such things. “It’s not really something I should share.”
She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “Ok. But promise me
this… if you need to, talk to someone. Giles. Wesley. Cordelia.
Call Buffy and talk to her. But PLEASE don’t bottle it up and let it
eat you alive. Ok?” She rested her hand in his hair and looked into
his eyes.
There was someone he could talk to, he knew that, but he just couldn’t
see himself actually bringing this stuff up with Jasa. “Maybe. But I
can’t really discuss it with most people. It…” He shook his head.
“It’s very complicated.”
“Just promise me you’ll try. If you need to, try.” She stood and went
into their bathroom to check the bath. When she returned, she said,
“Bath’s ready. Let’s get you in and ready for when Giles comes in.”
She held a hand out for him. “Do you need to eat? I can get you
something.”
“Not yet,” Angel responded, pushing himself to his feet. “I don’t know
if I could keep anything down.”
Grace was torn as to whether she should follow him or let him be alone.
Personally, she’d wanted him around and when he’d fussed over her, it
was a relief. Of course, she was also running on over 48 hours without
any sleep. She didn’t want to follow him around like a lost puppy.
Still, she wasn’t bound to leave him alone unless he told her that’s
what he wanted. She placed a hand on his back and said, “No problem.
If I go girl groupie on you, just let me know.”
“You’re always girl groupie,” he teased faintly, sliding into the tub
and sighing. “That’s good…”
She picked up the bath mitt and lathered it. Sliding beside him on the
floor, she smiled at him. “Ok, I’ll be your girl groupie then. Though
it’s not like I’m a teeny bopper girl groupie,” she teased. But
seriously, if you need that solo contemplation time… You’ve got it.
If you want me to wash your back, lean forward.”
“Ok…” He groaned out, moving forward. “If I fall face first, don’t
worry, not like I can drown anyway. The whole already dead thing really
helps.”
Grace smiled. As he was groaning and moaning, she’d taken off her
shirt and leaned forward. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.” Wrapping her
arm around his chest, she gave his back a slow yet deep massage. “It’s
what we do, right? Catch each other.”
“Or stage wildly insane rescues where we nearly get ourselves killed
for good.” He grunted out when she hit a particularly tight knot. “We
seem to make a habit of those.”
She stuck with the knot until it worked out and then moved to another.
She was actually going by touch here because she couldn’t see his back.
It helped relieve his tension… the backrub. But the hugging was as
much for her as for him. She’d missed him, been scared out of her mind
that she was going to lose him. Her mother’s situation hadn’t helped.
She’d thought she was going to lose them both.
“Giles was right, you know,” Angel said finally. “When he said you
shouldn’t have gone without help. Getting yourself killed wouldn’t have
done me any favors.”
She finished with his back and helped him to rest on the tub pillow.
“Oh, having Wesley come along would have helped ensure my safety that
much more, would it? Who would have helped Giles with my mother? She
had no time; you had no time. I left her in the best care I could. I
took the best with me I could. Duncan and Cordelia aren’t here. My
mother was incapacitated. Giles and Wesley were saving her. What other
reinforcements did I have, Angel? We had no time. Maybe I’m not the
best in the world. But Gunn and I… we are a great team. We both
have a fierce need to take care of our family.” She took off the mitt
and sat on the floor. “I did the best I could given the situation I
was presented with.”
“Having someone there with some sort of magical experience would have
helped,” he insisted quietly. “Do you think that Jasa and I would
rather we survive at your expense?” Angel looked pained. “Grace… I
know how you feel but… Giles didn’t deserve you going off on him like
that. In his way, he was right.”
“Of course. I was wrong.” She wanted to sit right there and cry.
There were times when they all treated her like she was a child. Like
surviving for over 1000 years meant nothing. Like she’d never faced
anything other than big, bad Immortals before she came into this life.
“Next time, I’ll wait. I’ll wait for someone. And then at least I’ll
have one of you.” She paused. “But you know what, I may have made the
wrong decision, in everyone’s eyes, I’m sure. But you’re all here. So
I must have done something right.” That said, she reached for her
shirt and put it back on. “I’m sorry.”
He groaned and let his head fall back. “Grace, I love you, you know
that. But for once, when I point out something can you *not* take it as
a personal slam?” He reached out to touch her face. “I’m not trying to
treat you as a child… but the fact of it is, Giles’ concern is
understandable. Imagine how it would be for him to have to tell your
mother you were dead? It’s not us trying to reprimand you…” He shook
his head, “God, I’m tired.”
“You need some rest. I’m sure being shackled to a slab wasn’t very
comfortable. We’ll get you into bed and Giles will bring you the
potion and that will help.” She ran her hand through her hair. “And
for the record. I love you too.”
He worked up a faint smile. “Just one problem… I don’t think I can
get up.” He groaned plaintively, being the typical male and playing it
up. “Too stiff.”
Grabbing a towel off the shelf, she moved beside him and wrapped his
arm around her shoulders. “You take too long getting out of the tub
and Giles is going to see you in all your glory. And I’ll bet that
I’ll find out for sure if you can blush.”
“I’m moving.” Angel seemed to miraculously recover and levered himself
out of the tub, taking the towel from her. “You play dirty,” he accused
with a lopsided grin.
“I’m merely pointing out fact. A statement based on something that
*is* going to happen. That’s not playing dirty.” She kicked at the
floor. “What I really wanted to do was help you out of the tub? I
like having you lean on me for once.” She gazed at the towel. “And
playing dirty would be removing that when Giles comes through the
door.”
He smiled slightly. “Want me to get back *in* the tub so you can help
me back out? Or, better yet, can you help me get into the bed? I may be
on my feet but that doesn’t mean I’m going anywhere without help.”
“I think bed would be best.” She wrapped her arm around his waist.
“You’re liable to make less of an impact naked in bed rather than naked
in the tub.” Pulling down the covers, she said, “I just like having you
here. Bed or tub, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“Good,” He held out a hand. “Then we can be less impactful naked in bed
together.” He held up the covers for her as he slid in and lay on his
side. “Ok?”
“I have no complaints, but let’s wait for Giles, hon. Prim, proper and
British. He’ll retreat behind his books and we’ll never see him again
if he sees us naked in bed together.” Although she had to admit,
getting in that bed right now sounded damn good. With a look at the
door, she sighed. “To hell with it.” It took her two seconds to get
into bed and snuggled up to him. “I couldn’t sleep here without you.
The past two days I haven’t slept at all. Before that, I slept in the
chair in the office. Let Giles find us.”
All Souls (4/4)
by M. Edison and Christina A.
“You slept in the office?” Angel’s eyebrows rose. “You must be sore
from head to foot!” He ran a hand along her back. “You’re the one that
needs the backrub, not me.”
“It was days ago,” she said. “And Gunn does fairly good shoulder
massages. I couldn’t have gotten through this without him.” She
swallowed hard. “I so misjudged him a year ago. It nearly tore us
apart. Yet he was here. By my side constantly. And why? Because he
knew that’s how *you* would have wanted it. After we sleep for two or
three days, we’ll give each other backrubs. How’s that?”
“It sounds great,” he responded with a yawn. “And then I’ll kill Gunn.”
He grinned lazily. “Nobody gets to give you massages but me.”
“How every possessive of you,” Giles noted dryly from the doorway, a
mug in hand. “Though, by the grin on Grace’s face, she’s rather
enjoying it.”
She rolled over on her side and put her head in the palm of her hand.
“Being the object of possession? I do enjoy it. But you do realize
whom you are talking to? Angel? He is the epitome of possessive.
It’s his nature. And I do like it.” But Gunn had kept her going…
had given her that push she’d needed to not wallow… to act. Actions
she didn’t regret no matter what.
“To each his own,” the mortal agreed. “Whilst you are liking it,” he
grinned faintly, “perhaps you can convince Angel to drink this?” He
moved within reach of the bed and held out the mug. “Try as I might, I
simply couldn’t get it to be as foul smelling as possible though the
taste is rather wretched.”
The vampire in question made a face. “You’re too kind.”
Grace sniffed at it and had to stifle a gag. “Shit Giles, this stuff
smells like sailors who’ve been locked in a cargo hold for days.”
Turning over, she held it out to Angel. “This is disgusting, taste
it.” Back to Giles, she asked, “How’s Mother? I didn’t ask earlier.
I should have. How is she?”
“Conscious… but barely,” the former Watcher answered honestly. “It
may be days or weeks before she’s out of bed and moving around. Much,
I’m afraid, to her extreme displeasure. When she does have enough
energy to be awake, she’s vocal in her frustration, which only serves
to exhaust her more quickly and she sleeps longer. It will be a
rather… tedious recovery.”
“Giles, you will soon learn she is a tedious person even on a good
day.” Having heard nothing from Angel, who was behind her, she
ordered, “Angel, drink the potion.” Returning to Giles, she said,
“I’ll come and see her in the morning. She needs her rest and if I
come in there now, all I’m going to do is upset her because she’ll be
on me to rest.” Listening for a moment, she smiled. “Angel, potion.”
Back to Giles, she said, “Please, just tell her I love her. Ok?”
The vampire heaved an annoyed groan, made an exaggerated gesture of
holding his nose, and downed the drink in one swallow.
Meanwhile, Giles nodded and began to leave. “I’ll be sure to pass along
your regards.” He then looked to Angel. “Now that wasn’t so bad was
it?”
Angel briefly debated throwing the mug but realized the others would
come running and thought better of it, setting it on the table.
“Guess that means it was,” she responded, nodding to Giles as he left
the room. Turning back to her love, she smiled. “Disgusting stuff,
isn’t it? It smelled reminiscent of this horrible stuff one of my
former lovers used to make. He was Egyptian too. Had a thing for my
mother for a while, though I think that was more of an antagonistic
relationship than anything.” She shook her head… to clear it and to
keep herself awake. “Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah… he made me
a potion once. I was challenged by this Immortal who never seemed to
tire. Had an iron constitution. I don’t even remember how I won that
challenge, but I did. I slept for three days before Ramirez gave me
this potion. Perked me up in an instant though. But man, it smelled
like sweat and tasted worse.”
Her lover groaned, draping an arm across her midsection and grinned. “I
think that one would have been almost pleasant compared to *that*…”
He rested his head on her middle, listening to her body. “Disgusting.”
She ran one hand through his hair while the other lightly traced his
back. “Well, it smelled bad enough. All I know is, I don’t miss that
man’s potions. For the life of me, I will never understand how ‘good’
magic can taste so bad. I mean, you’d think that by giving it a good
flavor it would encourage people to use it. I wouldn’t resist good
potions if they tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream. I’d
probably be a good magic junkie.” She chuckled softly. “Or maybe
that’s why it tastes bad. Imagine all of us strung out on potion.
Wouldn’t be a pretty sight?”
He feigned a shudder. “No kidding, you’re bad enough when you haven’t
had *coffee* in a while. But a potion? I don’t even want to *THINK*
about that.”
“Oh no mister. I am not the one who mopes *all* morning if there is no
coffee. I distinctly remember you pouting and following Cordelia
around the office for an hour a couple weeks ago because we ran out and
you seemed to think she had to be the one to go get it. You finally
frustrated her into going and then batted those puppy browns like you
didn’t understand why she was growling when she left.” She was
enjoying this. Gunn may need sexual reassurance, but Grace had all she
needed right here, resting against her. “Honestly, I’m surprised no
one slips me a potion to make me be quiet. Oh, wait… I did have one
who did that. He ended up becoming a monk. You know, one of those who
takes a vow of silence. But I don’t think I pushed him to that. He
never really did like sex. For a while, I thought he was gay… turns
out, he just wanted God.”
“Some people…” Angel joked dryly, his fingertips moving in a
leisurely circle on her midsection. “Man had to be gay not to be
interested in you.”
“Well, God is a man…” She laughed. “Hey, if I’m going to get
ditched for anyone, at least it was for the Almighty.” This felt
good… so good… Even before he’d been taken, they hadn’t been able
to get *this* completely back. But it was like in saving him, she’d
saved herself. And no matter what, that outcome was what was needed
for both of them. “But really, I didn’t miss anything when he left.
Just packed my knives and moved on. He really wasn’t that good anyway.”
He chuckled, the sound rumbling into her. “Grace…. you are truly one
of a kind. Packed up your knives and moved on? Wasn’t that good
anyway?” He chuckled. “God, I missed that.”
She laughed. “*You* missed my rambling about my former lovers? Only
you would do that. But then again, I’ve missed it as well. I’m happy
again. Kind of afraid to let it be, but then again, I’m going to take
it while I can.” She paused. “And yeah, I packed my knives. You look
at the collection every day. Some of that stuff is priceless. I don’t
go anywhere without that.”
“It’s a wonder you got any more dates, toting that stuff around,” he
teased. “Some men find it… intimidating.”
“Well I seem to remember the look of barely contained shock on your
face when you saw it. Of course, now I know that look means you
thought I had major issues.” She shrugged. “I do. So don’t lose your
powers of deduction.” She paused, hand still running through his hair.
“Or was it that you believed you’d actually found the one who’d fill
your silent world with chatter?” She laughed. “If you’d only known
then… and if Ramirez were still alive… you’d beg him for the
ingredients to the ‘be quiet’ potion.”
“I can always ask your mother,” he deadpanned before grinning up at
her. “Being your mother, I’m sure she has it written down somewhere.”
Grace mock-glared at him. Shaking her head, she said, “You don’t have
it in you. Mother’s potion was actually more of a spell. She just
looked at me. You know, with those eyes that say ‘I’m not playing
anymore, Grace. Get those clothes off and get in the tub.’ It’s a
*very* scary look.” She looked back at him. “Of course, I don’t get
the bath look now. But she’s shifted it to the ‘get it together’ look.
It’s pretty close to a ‘be quiet’ potion. Believe me.”
“After four thousand years, she’s probably mastered that look pretty
well.” He chuckled. “Imagine us being that old…” A mischievous grin
crossed his face. “Think you’ll still be talking this much?”
“You’ll be the expert at that look by then. And I’m sure I’ll have
told you all my stories. Wouldn’t it be funny if 4000 years from now,
*you* were telling me my stories.” She paused for a long moment. Her
voice very soft as she said, “I want that. More than anything. To
still be telling you these stories all those years from now.”
“Then we will be.” Angel looked amused. “Or, more accurately, we’ll be
saying those stories together, I’ll have heard them so many times.”
She laughed. “Won’t that be fun! Gives us something to look forward
to.” Her hand reached for his, and she held it tightly. “I can’t
imagine anything I’d like to look forward to more than eternity with
you.”
“I don’t think there is anything better to me than the same,” he agreed
quietly. “And, if you ask me, we’re off to a good start.”
She smiled. The feel of his head still resting on her abdomen, her
hand falling idle on his back while the other still held his. The two
days without sleep was catching up rapidly and her ability to make
chatter was diminishing. Oh yes, she could easily do this forever.
“Welcome home,” she said softly, her eyes drifting closed.
“Home…”
Finis
Tags: alternate universe, angel, angst, crossover, drama, grace hammond, gunn, het, jasa, rating: r, romance, rupert giles