Heavenly Bodies

Title: Destiny Over Vengeance

Authors: Christina A. and M. Edison

Fandom: Angel/Highlander

Pairing: Angel/Grace

Disclaimer: Don’t own anyone but Grace.

Archive At: Ink and Quill

Summary: first of the ‘Destiny’ series

*-*-*

She’d chased him all over the world. For the past sixty years, she had
followed him. And for the past sixty years, he had eluded her. He was
turning out to be her longest hunt. But when his Quickening coursed
through her veins, the lost decades would be worth it. So here she
was… Grace Hammond, running the streets of LA, looking for a killer.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

And she wasn’t the only one – Angel was hunting a killer too. A master
vampire. He’d been turning kids all over the city. Gunn’s group was
taking care of most of the newbies, who weren’t prepared for being hunted,
but he couldn’t find a *trace* of the Master. The guy was phenomenal at
hiding.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace had easily located a hotel room. Once everything was squared
away, she carefully hid her sword in her long coat. She also armed
herself with her derringer and her long knife. Armand always had followers.
Inner city kids who had no one better to follow. Leaving her hotel,
she made her way down to the inner city and she started questioning the
kids. They took to her easily as she had that air that she wasn’t to be
messed with. When Grace was hunting, life was rough.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Meanwhile, Angel was hunting his vampire when one of Gunn’s kids ran
into him and mentioned a strange woman who’d been moving through the
area. They’d been concerned that she might have been a vampire…with the
way she acted but yet there was something different. Deciding to check
it out, Angel headed for where they’d seen her last.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace had found a group of kids standing by a burning trash can. She
moved to them and gave them a smile as she warmed her hands. “I hear
that if anyone wants to know anything, they should come to you guys. I’m
looking for someone. Think you could help?”

“You a pig?” the leader of the group asked.

“Hell no!” she responded with equal vigor. “The law moves too slowly
in this case.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a picture.
The boys passed it around… of course none of them recognized him.
Grace slipped the picture back in her pocket and walked away. It was when
one of the boys took off that Grace pursued him. He’d lead her right
to Armand, she was sure of it.

Angel nodded his thanks at the kid as he passed by. Lurking in the
shadows, the vampire waited until the blonde was close enough then grabbed
her by the arm and spun her so she was pinned against the wall. “Not
nice to go chasing kids through dark alleys.”

Grace didn’t think, just reacted. She delivered a hard kick to his
groin and in a swift move, drew her sword. “It’s not nice to pin women to
a wall – especially not one hunting down a killer, now is it?” Damn!
She’d lost the kid. Damn! Damn!

Angel responded with a kick that sent her flying backward. “Hunting
huh?” He winced slightly but felt his injuries vanishing. “You’re not
exactly giving off the, ‘I’m a good guy vibe’.”

Shit, that hurt. Hand to hand combat with this one was not good! “And
you are?” She didn’t stand as she drew her gun. She wasn’t taking
shit from this one. Two shots, to the chest area. No man put his hands
on her who she didn’t want to.

Angel grunted and stumbled back. “At… least…” he gritted out.
“They…trust…me.” He hissed slightly, trying to ascertain how bad a wound
this was and would it have a chance to heal before she got a way. Damn,
why’d Gunn have to be off vamp hunting? He could have used the help.

She was up and preparing to run when she paused. He said that they
trusted him. Keeping her distance, gun still drawn, she asked, “They
trust you? You know that kid. He’s in deep shit if he’s in league with
who I think he is. Who I’m hunting. Ever hear of Armand Rudolfo?”

Not exactly in any condition to play 20 questions, Angel pulled one of
his own knives and threw it at her — striking her in the shoulder —
before stumbling out of the alley. He had to get out of there. Get back
to the hotel.

Apparently *they*’d thought the same thing for moments after he reached
the mouth of the alley, Cordy pulled up in the car. Giving him a
panicked look, she jumped out and helped him into the car, sending worried
glances back in the direction of the alley before racing around to the
driver’s side again.

“Get us…home,” Angel ordered, opening his shirt to ascertain how much
damage there was and how long it would take to heal.

Nodding, Cordy put the car in drive and they raced away. Meeting with
the mystery woman would have to wait until Angel was a hundred percent
again.

‘Next time I get the damn gun first.’

Grace didn’t have time to think that she’d lost not one, but two leads.
Damn! Leaning against the wall, she pulled the knife from her
shoulder. She pocketed it and took off back down the alley. “Fucking great,
Hammond. Shoot one lead, scare off every other one in LA. Plus,
Rudolfo knows you’re here now. Shit!” She’d kill herself is she could. She
hadn’t been this stupid in years. Ok, well days. She rotated her now
fully healed shoulder. Life was not good right now.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace woke early the next day. During the night, she’d calmed a bit
and had analyzed the situation. So she hadn’t handled that well – she
just hated for people to grab her… bad memories she supposed. But, she
had a good description of the man. Tall, dark, handsome. She laughed.
Ok, she had more than that, but she needed a good chuckle. Leaving her
sword in the car, she entered the police department and looked for
someone who could help her.

Kate Lochley was arriving at work when she heard a blonde woman
questioning the desk sergeant about a man that sounded suspiciously like
Angel. Suspicion flared. She and Angel might not be the best of company but
he had helped her and hearing someone looking into him always made her
nervous. “Can I help you?” she queried casually, moving a bit closer.

Grace, the complete picture of calm and warmth, smiled and extended her
hand. “I’m Grace Hammond… a registered bounty hunter. I followed a
killer by the name of Armand Rudolfo here. I had a great lead on him,
but lost it. I was hoping someone could help me. I think this man
knows my lead.”

“What makes you think that?” Kate asked, leading Ms. Hammond to her
desk and sitting down. “Did he make any statement of that fact?”

“He said the kids in the area trusted him. If that’s so, then maybe
this kid knows him. If the boy is in with Armand, he’s in trouble. This
man is the only working lead I have. Please, if you know anything?”

Kate frowned. “There is a man named Angel…he might be who you’re
talking about. He’s got a great rapport with the kids.” She directed a
warning look at the woman. “If you have any thing but legitimate interests
here…I’m warning you, the police aren’t the only ones who’ll be
looking for you. Angel’s got a lot of friends and not all of them are
walking the straight and narrow.”

Grace nodded. She was the stranger here; she knew that. She
gratefully took the information that Lockley gave her. A sense of relief
overcame her. She had curiosities about this man though. He took two slugs
and ran off, but he wasn’t immortal. Who was he? She gave the police
detective her reassurances, as best she could, and made her way to the
address she was given. She sat outside the building for the longest
time. Day slowly fading. She’d pulled a gun on the man and shot him…
twice. How did she approach him now? She NEEDED to find Armand before
he killed again.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Wesley was the one who saw her first. He’d happened to be standing at a
window, looking out at the skyline when he spotted her in her car.
Casually moving away from the window, the former Watcher glanced over to
see Angel coming down the stairs. “Ah, perfect timing, Angel. It would
appear your blonde assailant has found our not-quite so humble abode.”

Moving to the window, but being sure to stay at a distance where he
couldn’t be seen, the vampire surveyed the woman in question and nodded
curtly. “Yeah that’s her.” Deciding to let her stew for a while, he moved
down to the offices. “Did you find anything on this Armand guy?”

“Tons.” Cordelia smiled perkily at him and turned her laptop to face
him. “But it’s all filler. No real detail. The guy’s some
mega-millionaire type. The usual kind too. Suspected links to underworld crime but
nobody can prove anything. Plus, nobody knows what he looks like. Some
kind of recluse type. Real homebody.”

The vampire frowned. “So why’s he got some Xena wannabe on his tail?
Organized crime involved millionaires tend not to get involved with this
part of LA.”

“Maybe he’s slumming,” Gunn noted from where he was leaning against the
counter.

“Maybe…” Angel agreed, glancing toward the door. “Or maybe what she
told me was a cover story for something else.”

“Think she might be the killer?”

“Mercenary maybe,” the vampire returned. “Hired to kill him…”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace sighed. “Get moving, Hammond.” Every second she sat her drove
Rudolfo closer and closer to another killing spree. How she hated that
man? Slowly, she got out of her car, leaving all her ammo inside…
except for her shiv in her sock. Her momma raised an idiot, not a fool.
Gingerly, she stepped inside. Time to face the piper… so long as she
didn’t lose her head, she’d be ok. “Hello,” she said softly.

Angel moved away from the counter, ready to take her down if necessary.
“Come for a rematch?” he asked bluntly. “Hope you don’t mind I invited
a few friends. Just to make sure you fight fair this time.”

Grace held up her hands. “I’m unarmed… except for the shiv at my
ankle. You can take it if you want. I would apologize for last night, if
I thought it would help. I lost control. No, excuse, I know that.
But it’s been known to happen on occasion.” She took in the fact that he
was completely healed. Healed but not immortal. What was he?

“Loss of control?” Angel repeated with a wry smile. “That’s an
understatement. Losing control is throwing more punches than necessary…not 2
shots at point blank range.”

At Angel’s signal, Gunn moved forward. “All weapons handed over at the
door,” the young man said with more than a little hostility. “House
rules. You play nice. We play nice.”

She nodded. It could have been worse. She could have been put out on
her ass. Very slowly, she leaned down and pulled out her shiv. She
handed it, blade toward herself, to the man named Gunn. And her eyes
locked with Angel’s as she was frisked. That was hard, but she handled it
well.

A little free with that shoulder, Angel noted to himself as Gunn
brought the weapon to him. “What is it you want?”

“I’m a bounty hunter. Three years ago, Armand Rudolfo pulled the
grisly equivalent of Jonestown in a small town in Costa Rica. He literally
sliced an entire group of boys… about the ages of 15 to 17… all to
cover his drug trafficking. I’ve followed him here. When that young
man recognized his picture… Armand will start it again. It’s what he
does. LA is simply his next stop.” It was times like this when she
wished she could tell them about the crimes ten years ago… even
twenty… or forty. But she couldn’t.

Angel nodded, looking to Cordy for verification. The young woman was
already entering the information into her laptop, looking for reports of
any such incidents. Couldn’t be too careful after all. “And I play into
this how?”

“Did you know that boy? You said he trusts you. I can’t take away
what happened last night. I’m the stranger here. But Armand is evil…
one of its purest forms. If that boy knows where he is, he can lead me
to him.”

“They all trust him,” Gunn noted coolly. “But we don’t trust you. How
do we know you’re not the evil one instead? Maybe a business
associate…”

“Or hired by one,” Angel added quietly.

“You can check my credentials with the police department. All bounty
hunters have to be registered. I try to keep a low profile so I don’t
know if I’m on your computer there but try it. Please. Do whatever
you need? But please, let’s do it.” She didn’t want anyone else to die.
How could she get that through to them?

She seemed to be genuine enough…not completely trustworthy but Angel
knew he could handle her in the long run. After all, she had no idea
just what he was or what he was capable of. “I’ll help…but if you’re
lying to me…” He left off the ending as they started toward the door.
She didn’t need a description to know what he meant.

Grace nodded. “If I’m lying, you can take my head yourself.” She knew
he wouldn’t get the full meaning of that comment. But it meant the
world to her. He was giving her a chance… Armand was one dead immortal.

Angel nodded. “If you do…I probably will.” He informed her with a
deadly serious look. Pausing long enough to pull on his coat the vampire
shrugged.

“Good,” she said, glad to have it all out on the table. She ran her
hand through her short blonde hair as she followed him, not exactly sure
where they were heading. Now what, she couldn’t help but wonder. She
just couldn’t shake the feeling that Armand knew she was here and by now
was planning to skip town. If she lost him again, it would be another
decade before she found him.

The vampire turned away to look at Cordy. “You and Wesley keep running
this down. Me, Gunn and… her… we’ll go see if we can’t run this
Rudolfo guy down.”

Cordy nodded and bent over her computer. “We’ll call your cell if we
come up with anything.”

Angel disappeared into his office momentarily to grab his coat, stock
it with weaponry and throw it on. “You got a name?” he asked bluntly,
passing by her. “Or do I call you Blondie?”

She did a remarkably good job of reining in her temper. It was what
had gotten her into this position in the first place. “Grace Hammond.”
She followed them outside and stopped at her car. Leaning in, she
grabbed her tachi. “You mind if I carry this? No guns, but this is my
lifeline.” He had every right to hate and be leery of her. But an
immortal without a sword was a dead immortal. She couldn’t take the chance
of going without it. She’d be better off with it and on her own.

Angel whistled in approval at the sword, grateful — to his surprise at
finding common ground. “Feel free…” He grinned wryly. “As long as I
get to take a good look at it after we’re done. That’s one hell of a
blade, Grace Hammond.” He offered a hand. “Just call me Angel…”

“Or Grouchy…” Gunn offered, knowing if Angel was warming up to her —
pardon the pun — then he would too.

She took his extended hand and gave him a smile. “I think I prefer
Angel,” she said softly. It was the first glimmer of hope that she’d seen
from him. Maybe they could at least end up as friends. She could
always hope. Tenderly, she put her tachi in its sheath and put it on
before dawning her long coat. “I’m ready now.”

Angel nodded. “Gunn, you get the backseat.” He opened the door of his
car for Grace and waited patiently for her to get inside. They might
have gotten off on the wrong foot, to put it mildly, but at least they’d
gotten the ‘trying to kill each other’ bit out of the way up front. It
always complicated things later on.

She smiled at him. She didn’t know for sure what had caused him to at
least finally accept her, but for whatever it was, she was grateful.
She slid easily into the front seat, taking great care to adjust her
tachi. When he moved into the front seat beside her, she asked, “So,
where are we heading?”

“Downtown,” Angel replied. “Gunn’s usual hangouts. Talk to some of his
people. They’re usually the ones who know what’s what and whose where.”

“People think it’s the best place in the city to hide,” Gunn noted from
the backseat. “But it’s the opposite. We know every new face and why
they’re there.”

Grace nodded. “Armand’s past history has indicated that he’d try to
lure in the younger teenage males. I’ve seen them as young as 13 and as
old as 18. But he never takes in adult males. He’s a manipulator… a
sweet talker. You wouldn’t happen to personally know the young man I
was following…” She paused and swallowed. She hated bringing it up,
but felt she had to. “The young man I was following last night. Armand
could have easily erased him from the picture… if he’s seen Armand’s
face and Armand believed for even one second that the boy gave me any
information. He covers his tracks thoroughly.” If he killed that boy,
she would remove his head slowly.

“Yeah we know him.” Angel nodded. “But he can handle himself.” He
shared a meaningful look with Gunn. “Tim’s fast on his feet.” ‘And he’s a
half-demon’ he added as an afterthought, not speaking the words.

If anything, Armand was in more danger if he did corner Tim.

Grace nodded. Armand had been killing kids… people for centuries.
She didn’t know where their confidence came from, but she prayed to
whatever god created her that they were right.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Arriving in the right neighborhood, Angel parked the car in a place
Gunn assured it would be safe and the trio took to the streets. The
vampire hung back slightly, letting his friend take the lead.

Gunn led the way through the group until they spotted some of his
friends.

Grace stayed between the two men, clearly letting it be known that she
was with them. It was strange to let a man take the lead, but this was
Gunn’s turf. What surprised her was that she could actually feel
Angel’s presence behind her. It was strangely comforting… lending a
strength to the chaos that was becoming her emotions.

Angel looked around warily while Gunn spoke to the group. When he
returned, he had a serious expression on his face. “We’ve got trouble.”

“Like?” The vampire prompted.

“Bodies. About 10. All about 17-18. Males.” Gunn gestured over his
shoulder. “Showed up at a construction site about an hour ago, cops haven’t
heard yet.”

Grace waited for no one, just took off for the area that Gunn had
referred to. “No!” she shouted. She didn’t draw her sword and wouldn’t
until she felt an immortal signature, even though she knew she wouldn’t.
There were tears in her eyes, as she could smell the bodies before she
found them. Too late… she was too late and he’d struck again. “Damn
you!” she cried out. Just like Germany and Costa Rica. “Damn you!”

Angel grabbed her arms. “They’ve been dead for a couple of days,” he
said firmly. “They were dead before you got here. There’s nothing you
could have done.”

Looking him squarely in his eyes, hers had grown cold as she said,
“You’re right. But I can find him and kill him and make sure this never
happens again. You have no idea how long I’ve been after this man. No
idea! We have to find him!!” She would have cried if she’d allowed
herself to feel pain, but what she needed right now was the hatred.

“We will find him…and as for the killing, not a chance.” Angel
frowned at her seriously. “We stop him by normal means. Unless, there’s
something you’d like to share with the class.”

Sighing, she lowered her head. “You wouldn’t believe me, even if I
told you.” These men seemed good at keeping secrets, but would they keep
hers. But then, if they found Armand and she killed him, what would
the shock of witnessing a Quickening do? “It’s not something that most
people would believe.”

“You’d be surprised,” Angel countered, sharing a wry grin with Gunn.

“Yeah, y’see things out here.” Gunn grinned. “Things like you ain’t
never seen before.”

She nodded. “Then we go back to your car. Gunn, you did get a line on
where these kids come from, right? We get in your car, we head toward
Armand… And we swap stories. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you
are still walking. Most people don’t heal in one night from two slugs in
the chest.”

Angel gave his best blank look. “I heal fast…good with medication
too.”

Gunn snorted under his breath and led the way out of the site.

She smiled. “Pull the other one. You want my story, you should at
least tell me part of yours.”

The vampire grinned. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”

She smiled back at him. It managed to reach her eyes as she teased,
“You’d be surprised.” Absently, she touched his arm as she said, “But we
should talk as we drive. Please?”

He nodded. “We’ll talk.” Before getting into the car he opened the door
for her then moved around the driver’s side.

Once situated inside the car, she waited patiently for Gunn to give
Angel directions. Calmly, she took off her coat and removed her shirt,
leaving her wearing only a tank top. Pointing to her shoulder, she said,
“This is where you knifed me last night.” Showing it to Gunn, she
said, “No wound, no scar. I’m what’s called an immortal and I’ve walked
this planet for over 1000 years.”

“Immortal huh…” Angel surveyed the skin with a speculative eye.
“Remind me to ask Wesley about those.”

She looked at him. “Anything you need to know, you can ask me. I
think I’m the resident expert on immortals here. If you want me to prove
it, stab me, shoot me, kill me… I’ll revive. I’m telling the truth
here.”

“Oh I believe you.” Angel nodded. “But there are times I want to hear
it from Wesley…he’s the king of research.”

She shrugged. Well, they’d taken one step forward earlier, but it
looked like they’d just taken another step backward. He didn’t believe
her. If he did, he wouldn’t need a mortal researcher to verify. Quietly,
she put back on her shirt and then her coat. She stared out the window
of the car, remembering how many times she’d been in this position
before. Sometimes, her immortality was a curse, not a blessing.

Angel sighed. He recognized that look. He’d seen it enough in his
lifetime. Hell, Buffy’d given it to him a few times. It was infuriating.
“I’m a vampire,” he confessed bluntly. His frustration making his tone
more irritated than he’d intended.

Shaking back to herself, she looked over at him and repeated, “A
vampire?” She didn’t have a lot of experience in the supernatural, but
remembered stories her mother had told her as a child. The thought of her
mother calmed her greatly. “That would explain a lot… at least about
why you aren’t still wounded. Seems we have at least that in common.
That and longevity.” She wasn’t going to probe or judge him on what he
was. She had no doubts that there were good vampires, just like there
were good immortals. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “It’s just that
sometimes it’s so hard. And it’s not you. This one is all me. With
Armand and those kids, I’m feeling very alone right now. Right or wrong,
I can’t help that.”

“We’ll deal with him,” Angel said in a calmer tone. “But you can’t take
the world on yourself. People who do that are lonely for a reason. They
put up walls that keep people out. Whether or not they think it’s
necessary, it does keep people at arms length.”

“I don’t want them. The walls I mean. It’s just that most can’t deal
with what I deal with. I finish with Armand and someone else will pop
up. Sadly, there’s always evil and not enough good people to fight it.
It’s nice to have an ally though. Thank you for going out on the
limb.” She hoped it wasn’t too much, but she felt the need to at least let
him know she was grateful.

He nodded again. “You’re welcome. And you’re right. There’s always
more. But you’ve got to learn when to let someone else take the lead. Not
to shoulder it all on yourself.”

“I’m willing to try,” she said, smiling for the first time since she
sat in the car. Armand was hers though. He would challenge her; she
knew that.

“Trying’s good,” Gunn noted from the backseat. “Y’know, you’re all
right G.”

She chuckled lightly. “You’re not so bad yourself, G.” Oh yes, once
they got through this ‘getting to know one another’ phase, she could
really feel comfortable with these people.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

When they returned to the hotel, Angel immediately pulled Wesley aside
and explained to him what Grace had told him. Surprised, and very
intrigued, by the information, the Watcher hurried into Angel’s office to
work on digging up as much as he could on these Immortals. Surely, if
these creatures truly did exist – and Angel seemed quite certain that they
did – then surely the Watcher Council had encountered one or two along
the line. Perhaps, some were even Slayers.

When they came into the office, Grace watched as Angel called Wesley in
for a private conversation. She knew what it was about and tried not
to act like it bothered her. He was being cautious. That’s what she
told herself. She moved over to a corner and removed her coat. Quietly,
she sat in the chair and waited… for what she didn’t know.

“You look like a woman in dire need of a cup of coffee,” Cordy noted,
crossing the room to the blonde, a cup in each hand. “They OD you on
testosterone?” She offered a friendly smile. “I know every time I go out
with those guys…ugh…they can go overboard.”

Grace smiled and took the offered cup. Sipping it, she said, “They are
rather intense, aren’t they?”

“Ugh, you have no idea.” The young woman shook her head. “Throw in a
few friends of Gunn’s and you get a *serious* case of testosterone
poisoning. Nevermind when they go… hunting something.”

Grace nodded and tried not to show her despair, although she knew she
failed miserably. “I can get a bit freaky myself when it comes to
hunting. This outing wasn’t such a good one.” What she wanted to do was
cry. She hadn’t in years, but that’s what she wanted.

Cordy nodded sympathetically. “Yeah I know.” She rubbed the other
woman’s shoulder. “He likes you y’know. Angel, I mean.”

Grace looked down at her cup. “I don’t think he trusts me. Right now
he’s in there asking Wesley questions about me. Questions I could
answer but he doesn’t want to hear them from me.” Looking into Cordy’s
eyes, she continued, “I’ve screwed things up with people before, but never
this badly.”

“Pfft…” Cordelia waved a hand. “Trusting you or not’s got nothing to
do with it, though his last – well I’ll be first love – significant
other…well you *kinda* remind me of her and it ended pretty strained
between them. It’s complicated to explain but it was doomed from day one
really. Anyway, he’s probably a bit…distanced cause…” Cordy smiled.
“Well y’know. Plus, he just likes asking Wesley stuff. It’s a guy
thing.”

Grace looked at her, trying to soak everything in. She reminded Cordy
of the last… but first… woman he loved, and it had ended badly or
at least strained. She wasn’t sure how to react to that. “Would I be
too forward if I told you I found him… um, interesting as well?”

Cordy smiled slightly. “No, it wouldn’t be.” She leaned forward. “Just
be patient with him okay? He’s usually Mr. Hero-Broody-Type…takes a
while to get him to open up.”

Grace sighed. “And since I’m Miss Gotta Save The World type, it’s no
wonder we’re clashing.” She’d find a way though.

“Oh yeah…but you know what they say.” Cordy grinned. “Where there’s
sparks…”

Grace smiled and gave her a wink. “That one I first heard about a
century ago. It was said in reference to a belly dancer that men would
have killed for.” She took another sip of her coffee. “Thank you,
Cordelia.”

Cordy smiled again. “You’re welcome.” Leaning forward she grinned.
“Tell ya the truth, it’d be good to have another girl about the place. This
being outnumbered bit is *definitely* not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Grace looked at Gunn, who was studiously NOT looking their way. Grace
chuckled lightly, “I agree. This is the best I’ve felt in a while.”
And it was.

She smiled back. “Glad to hear it.” Patting her hand, Cordy rose. “I’d
better go see what they’re doing in there…”

“Good luck,” she said, as she stood to refill her coffee cup. It was
nice to at least have a friend… or at least a friendly companion in
this group. It helped to relax her a bit.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“What was that?” Gunn questioned as Cordy passed him.

The brunette made a face at him. “Us girls gotta stick together. Sides,
I like her.”

He scowled for a minute then his face softened and he grinned back.

Laughing, Cordy walked over to the office door and stuck her head in.
“You two done with the guy to guy stuff yet?”

Angel looked at her guiltily. “Yeah we’re done.”

Cordy rolled her eyes. “Almost 250 years old and you *still* need
advice about girls?” She shook her head and ducked back out.

“Sometimes,” The vampire muttered, looking at the door. “She’s way too
smart for our good.”

“You’re just realizing this?” Wesley queried primly. “My dear fellow,
we’ve known that for a while.”

Shaking his head, Angel turned and walked out into the main lobby.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Grace had moved back to her chair, softly blowing on the warm drink.
When Angel returned, she took Cordy’s words to heart and smiled as she
said, “Welcome back.”

The vampire returned a small smile of his own. “Thanks.” He looked
around. “I see they’ve made you pretty comfortable…” Moving to pour his
own cup of coffee, Angel winced and looked over at Gunn. “You made this,
didn’t you?”

He grinned back. “Suffer.”

“With your coffee…I’m gonna.”

Grace shrugged. “I look at it this way, with as strong as this is,
I’ll be up for days,” she gave a wink to Gunn, just to let him know she
was teasing.

Angel grinned. “Easy for you to say. You’re supposed to be up in the
day.”

“True. Though actually I don’t sleep much at all. I’ve always been
that way.” She had to admit though that seeing a vampire drink coffee was
a bit of a surprise to her. She wanted to ask questions, but was not
sure what to ask and what not too.

“Insomniac huh?” Angel’s grin turned wry. “All your life?”

“Even as a child… all 1000 years of it… well 1016 at the end of
May. It’s part of the immortality; my body recovers from fatigue with
very little rest. Though not all of my kind are like that.”

“Lucky girl,” Cordelia noted from across the room. “I know some
actresses who would *kill* to have that.”

Grace nodded. “There are pitfalls too, but overall, I like being
immortal. Seeing history unfold… even if I have spent almost my entire
life chasing down criminals, it’s been worth it.”

Gunn whistled. “Sweet…”

Angel chuckled. “It does have its upside.”

“Says you…” Cordy grinned evilly at him.

Grace couldn’t help but smile. She was still very much the outsider,
but the interaction between these people warmed her heart. Seeing Angel
grin warmed more than her heart. She almost found herself wishing for
once that Armand didn’t exist; reality intrusion wasn’t on her list
right now.

Looking over at her, Angel moved closer. “Sun’s gonna be up
soon…would you rather stay here? In case we turn up something? There’s plenty of
room…” He gestured around and laughed slightly. “Fun part of setting
up shop in a hotel…we never run out of space for guests. Hey Cordy,
did we fix up the suites?”

The brunette looked up from her computer and nodded then grinned at
Grace. “You’d *love* it. If my place weren’t so great, I’d be here.”

Angel grinned. “Her place also has a built in maid named Dennis…he’s
a ghost actually.”

“Best roomie a girl could have!” Cordy called out cheerfully.

Grace gave them all a smile. “That would be nice. Thank you. I don’t
carry around much and surprisingly the hotel where I’m checked in isn’t
that far from here.” Angel was right about one thing, she wanted to be
around should they turn anything up. “You work and sleep in the same
place. Smart move.”

He smiled with a hint of self-deprecation. “Kind of necessary I guess.
Can’t really waste darkness commuting to the office…certainly can’t
jump into the convertible and drive over to the office in the morning.”
The vampire’s smile was wry. “Unless my clients want to hire a pile of
ashes.”

“We most definitely can’t have that then. It won’t take me long to
grab my things. I can clear out of a hotel room in no time flat. THAT’S
an occupational necessity. I can run over, and barring a challenge, I
can be back in a hour. How’s that?” She hated wasting precious time
by going to get her things, but they were necessary.

Angel nodded. “Works for us. We might even manage to have something for
you by then. The cops’ve found out about the bodies so we might be able
to get some info from them.”

Grace inhaled deeply at the reminder of the bodies. “Thanks again, for
everything,” she said before she bid farewells and headed out the door.

The trip took less than an hour actually, as she hadn’t unpacked
anything. Forty-five minutes, and she was back with two bags and a backpack.
Heading back to the office, she said, “Someday I’ll find a place where
I can actually unpack my belongings.”

Angel smiled at her. “It is great to have a place to call home.” He
agreed with a nod, the idea of offering her a permanent room flitting
through his head briefly. Maybe it would happen some time but given how
hostile they’d been before, and how things were still finding their way
toward comfortable, it might not be the best idea to suddenly invite
Grace to take up permanent residence. She might find that just a tiny bit
suspicious. And for some reason, the thought of her bolting was the last
thing he wanted.

‘You could use the help, that’s all’ his mind assured him. ‘Especially
the kind that can’t be killed easily. Face it, you’ve been a bit tired
lately.’

His subconscious however, just snorted in annoyance at the flimsy
excuse and countered with ‘ you know what’s going on here, you just don’t
want to admit it.’
Probably not.

“It would be a dream come true,” she said, as she put the heavier of
the two bags down. ‘And as soon as Armand is separated from his head,’
she thought, ‘I might just consider making LA my home.’ They had
definitely not gotten off on the right foot, but she didn’t want to give up
hope. She hadn’t realized until just now how important friendships –
and perhaps something more – were. She so desperately wanted to belong.

“LA does have a tendency to be either a dream maker or a dream
breaker.” Moving toward her, careful to avoid the sun beginning to shine
through the windows, Angel gestured toward her bags. “Need a hand?”

Grace sighed in relief. “Please.” She hefted her bag of weaponry and
handed it to him. “It’s kind of heavy, but it’s all the ammo I own.
Girl can never be too prepared,” she smiled.

“So I’ve heard.” Angel smiled back, pushing any thought of Buffy far
from his mind. Thinking of her was the last thing he needed right now.
Why’d she popped into his head anyway? It certainly wasn’t like she’ d
been the topic of conversation. “Weapons do come in handy in this area of
town.” He grinned. “We’ve got a vamp problem y’know.”

“So I’ve heard. You know, I’ve heard it said that I’m quite handy with
a sword. If you can kill them by removing their heads, perhaps I can
help.” She paused, perhaps that was a bit forward. She quickly added,
“I mean, after all, you’ve been so wonderful to me… helping me even
after our horrendous first meeting.”

“You can kill them that way.” Angel grinned. “Would you believe me if I
said I’ve had worse meetings than that?”

She stopped in her tracks. He’d had her attention before, but now he
REALLY had it. “What kinds? Personally, I can’t imagine what would be
worse. But then, beheading is the only way I can be killed.”

“Well…not too long after I met one person, my sire turned up and
tried to frame me for attacking her mother.” Angel winced. “Since she was
the Slayer that wasn’t a real good idea…”

“What’s a Slayer?” she asked, thanking every god she’d ever known that
she was having this chance to talk with him. He was like a magnet to
her.

“Chosen one.” Angel led Grace up the stairs. “A mortal girl gifted with
heightened strength, reflexes and other sundry skills. She’s meant to
kill vampires, demons, whatever gets in her way of an evil and
paranormal nature.”

“Ah! Sort of the protector for the side of good then. Intriguing. But
obviously there are other factions that come together to fight these
evil creatures. The ones I fight are of my own kind.” She paused and
thought, ‘Kind of like you.’ “She must be a valuable asset. I’m sure she’s
hunted vehemently then.”

“Very vehemently.” Angel nodded. “Buffy can handle herself though.
She’s probably one of the best Slayers there’s ever been. A lot of friends
willing to help.”

“I’m learning that friends are good to have around. I have a few, but
with my kind, we really don’t hang around or help one another fight our
battles.” She couldn’t help but wonder if this Buffy was the same
person Cordelia told her about. His tone seemed different when he talked
about the Slayer.

“Friends definitely help.” He looked over at her curiously. “You’re on
your own, huh?” Somehow the thought of that saddened him immensely.

She nodded. “For the most part, and definitely this past century. I’ve
been a bit obsessed with finding Armand since World War II. I have a
couple friends in Washington State, but I don’t have anywhere that I call
home base. My mother is out of the country right now, and I don’t see
her as often as I used to. So yeah, I suppose my life is very solitary.”
She tried not to let it show how much it bothered her. It was simply
all she had right now.

“I did that for a while,” Angel sympathized. “Over a century actually.
It got pretty bad until someone pulled me out of it.”

Very softly, she said, “Having someone to come back for makes it worth
while. It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone to care about.”

He smiled at her and nodded. “It was the same with me.” ‘Same now.’ he
added.

She smiled in return. How easy would it be to lose herself in that
smile? “It seems we have a lot in common then.” A lot more than both were
willing to admit.

“It seems we do,” Angel responded with a warm look in his eyes.

Moving down the hall he stopped at the first suite. “And here we are.”
Setting down her bag he opened the doors and smiled. “What do you
think?”

She stepped inside the suite and her eyes all but glowed. “I think the
last time I was in a place this nice was in 1863. I love it! Thank
you.” The colors were soft, the furniture inside inviting. This could
feel like home.

He picked up her bags and moved into the room after her and set them on
the table. “Need help to put anything away?”

She tossed her clothing and essentials bag on the sofa. Pointing to the
bag on the table, she said, “Well, this one here is always the fun one
to unpack.” She pulled the zip and exposed the contents. Taking out
two handguns, she said, “I just need a place to store these. I can’t
sleep with them all under my pillow.” Inside the bag were a couple more
guns and some knives.

Angel stared in shock. “Where’s the AK-47?” he joked wryly.

She smiled. “I have that in the trunk of my car along with the C4.
Though none of this is as important to me as my tachi. I honestly can’t
live without that.”

“The sword I can understand.” Angel waved a hand at the weapons. “I
don’t carry this much when I go after vampires…”

She shrugged. “Truthfully, the knives are sentimental. Take a look at
the handles.” Each one she produced had a lovingly carved handle.
“This one,” she pulled out a very ornate dagger, “was given to me by a
prince in the 16th century. I’d display them if I had a place. I just
can’t bear to leave them behind.”

“Well, we can probably track down a display case for you while you’re
here.” Which’d be a while Angel hoped. He grinned slightly. “With this
hotel there’s usually someplace we can find almost everything we need.”

“That would be nice. Thank you…” she paused and her eyes met his,
“for everything.” She truly didn’t know what tonight or even tomorrow
would bring, but she found herself hoping that she’d be using that
display case for a long time.

He offered a shy smile in response. “You’re more than welcome.”
Starting to back toward the door, he gestured. “I can go… um, check if you’d
like.”

She wondered at the hasty retreat, but then smiled as well. Perhaps she
understood why. “That’s very kind of you.” She took off her long coat
and moved toward the door to hang it in the closet. “If you need me to
help, just holler. I have a pretty good sense of hearing.”

“I’d be amazed if you hear me from the basement, but thanks for the
offer. Feel free to explore if you’d like.” Turning, Angel moved out the
door then closed it behind him.

Exhaling heavily, he looked up at the hallway ceiling. “I’m in
trouble.”

Grace stayed in her room and finished unpacking. She was happily hoping
that she would have the time to make the unpacking worthwhile. She knew
why he busted out of the room like he did. She was definitely feeling
something as well. But she’d let him set the pace. Things put away, she
rested for a while. Upon awaking, she dressed and exited her room and
set out to do just as he’d suggested… explore.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

That night…

Yawning, Angel opened the door of his room and walked out, running a
hand through his hair – standing it on end.

Grace was a bit turned around. Angel had told her it was ok to explore,
but she was practically lost. The stairs had to be around this corner.
She rounded it, but looked back where she came, still unsure of her
choice. It was then that she ran into a wall… except this wall gasped.
Looking up at Angel, she sputtered, “Oh man… I’m sorry. I’m not the
best explorer it seems.”

Reaching out to steady her, the vampire smiled somewhat sleepily. “No
problem. I wasn’t exactly watching where I was going.”

Her hand automatically took his arm. “Then the awake one should pay
more attention.”

He grinned. “In that case, you can see around corners?”

“On good days,” she teased. Reaching up, she couldn’t help but fix a
couple stray hairs. “Sleep well?” she asked softly.

“Very,” he responded, his mouth going ever so slightly dry at how close
she was. “Interesting…dreams.”

Her hand lingered for a moment. His hair was so soft and he looked so
damn good straight out of bed. “Dreams are good,” she said,
unconsciously licking her lips.

Angel’s hand slid up and down hers as they stood there. Suddenly he was
more than a little tempted to kiss her. “Dreams are very good,” he
agreed. ‘Especially when they involve a gorgeous blonde named Grace
surprising me in my room.’ The thought slid through his mind with the ease of
something that belonged there and for the first time in a while, Angel
hated the thought of that damn curse.

‘Wonder if there’s a way to alter it.’ he thought briefly.

She didn’t care what she had to say or do, just please don’t let him
quit touching her. Her finger trailed down his jaw as she said,
“Especially if they make you smile. Those are the best.”

His free hand reached up to cover hers. “This one definitely made me
smile.” Unconsciously, his voice seemed to drop to a huskier level.

She relaxed against him, as she’d yet to step back. Her eyes turned
smoky as she replied, “Good for you, then.” There was literally only a
breath between them.

“Very.” Ignoring any other thoughts, Angel’s head lowered down to touch
his lips to hers.

‘THIS IS CRAZY!’ the sane part of his mind argued while the rest of him
told it to shut the hell up, he wanted this.

“Uh Angel…Oh my!” Wesley’s eyes widened in shock as Angel pulled away
from Grace to look at him with more than a little irritation in his
eyes. “I am *so* sorry!”

Grace barely had time for her toes to curl before the man rounded the
corner. Damn! Angel had lightly touched her lips and she’d felt fire
course through her entire body. What would the real thing be like?!
She exhaled deeply and her forehead rested on his shoulder. “It’s ok,”
she said to Wesley.

“What is it Wesley?” Angel asked with a frustrated tone. Even that
light brush had been like walking in the sunlight again.

“Um… well, I have some information for you,” Wesley stammered out.

Grace pulled away slightly. She caressed his chest and said, “Go
ahead. Just point me in the right direction and I’ll head back to the
office. It’s ok.”

Angel smiled at her, covering her hand with his. “Just follow us. And
we’ll…pick this up later.”

“I sincerely hope so,” she said giving his hand a squeeze.

Squeezing her hand again, the vampire moved to fall into step at
Wesley’s side, sneaking glances back at Grace as they moved away.

“Wesley…” Angel asked, in a softer voice.

“Yes Angel?” The mortal looked over at his friend.

“Find me a way to alter the curse and pronto.”

That caused Grace’s brows to furrow, and she had to ask, “What curse?”

Realizing he hadn’t spoken quietly enough, the vampire shrugged. “The
curse that gave me back my soul. There are a few…strings.”

“Indeed,” Wesley agreed briskly, “I’ll get right on it Angel.”

She nodded, not pushing. “Then whatever those strings are… we’ll get
around them.” She moved closer to him and gave him a smile. “I’m
learning to see that there is hope.”

He smiled down at her. “Hope is a good thing to have.” ‘Especially when
it comes to you.’

‘Then I’ll hold onto it forever,’ she thought. Gods above she wanted
to touch this man. But it would have to wait. Without a word, she let
him lead her to the office.

“Hey Grace!” Cordy smiled brightly as they came down the stairs. “Have
a good day?”

Angel smiled at her as he walked over to see what Wesley had for him.
It was good to see Cordy had ‘adopted’ Grace as it were. They both
needed a friend around that wasn’t male. He wasn’t sure why but it always
seemed better that way. To have one gal pal or whatever they called each
other lately. Sometimes, the slang really confused him.

“I have,” she moved to Cordy’s desk. “You were right too, that suite
is phenom. I did some exploring and found some great stuff to add to
it. But I can’t decide if I should go yellow or powder blue.” What was
she doing? She was talking like she was staying forever, but no way
was she leaving now unless Angel asked her to.

“Blue,” Cordy answered immediately. “Yellow might clash a bit with your
hair which is great by the way. And you’ll love the bathtubs. Angel’s
got good taste when it comes to tubs.”

Grace took the seat across from Cordy. “I saw it!!! It has Jacuzzi
jets in it and everything. And I swear it’s the biggest tub I’ve seen
that wasn’t for communal use.” She paused. “And you’re right about the
blue. You’ll have to help me. It can be our pet project.”

“Oh it’s heaven, Grace. And sure! I’d love to!” Cordy grinned. “We can
even work on the rest of this place. Angel’s great with tubs…not so
hot with color.”

“I heard that!” the vampire called out from where he stood with Wesley.

“I don’t carree!” Cordy sang back with a wink at her new friend.

Grace laughed hard. “It’s dark, true. But we’ll just have to lighten
up his life.”

“Well, that’s your job,” the mortal said softly. “Me, I’ll concentrate
on lighting up the hotel.”

Grace blushed. Leaning in conspiratorially, she said, “I so hope
you’re right about that. I don’t want to go anywhere.”

“You aren’t,” Cordelia assured, “I know that look he gets around you.
You’re not going anywhere. And if you did, he’d follow.”

“Thanks, Cordelia.” Grace pulled back before her emotions got the best
of her. Her new friend could easily tell how much she was starting to
feel for the vampire. They could discuss all that later. “So, do you
need help with anything?”

“Well, you can help me search down your friend online.” Cordelia
gestured around the room. “There’s a spare laptop floating around here
somewhere.”

Grace looked around and found it on an empty desk. As she walked over
to pick it up, she told Cordy, “If you want to know where he was during
World War II, I can tell you. He’s in a picture with Adolph Hitler. You
know, the genius behind the man. It was the only one taken of him then,
but it was one of the most popularly used. Armand is the typical
looking German… or stereotypical anyway. Blonde hair, blue eyes… very
built. He has a scar on his neck.”

“Oh boy…” Cordelia leaned over her computer to open a new Internet
browser. “I’ll see what I can’t come up with.” She frowned. “A real sicko
huh?”

Grace sat down with her computer. “Would you believe me if I told you
he instigated the holocaust. Armand lays low, takes no credit. But to
him, mortals are cattle and all he lives for is the kill. I tried to
stop him in ’40 and missed.” She let the rest hang in the air. There was a
level of guilt here that she didn’t want to go into.

“Oh boy…you and Angel have way too much in common.” Cordy decided
with a frown. “Quit beating yourself up. You missed. It happens. Besides,
other people tried to kill Hitler, they missed too. It’s no use to beat
yourself up over something you can’t change.” She smiled to lighten her
words. “Really, you’re not God so you can’t do everything.”

“I know. I think what angers me the most is constantly being one step
behind him… cleaning up the bodies. Decade after decade it gets
harder and harder. But he’s not running my life anymore. It ends here. This
is a great team.”

Cordy nodded. “But even if it doesn’t. It’s not your fault.”

She nodded. “You’re dealing with over 900 years of ‘getting the bad
guy’. But I’m more confident now than ever.”

“Well, never too late to try something new,” the dark-haired mortal
smiled.

Grace laughed. From the mouths of babes, she thought. How quickly
she’d forgotten the rightness of such clichés!

Cordelia grinned. “Just agree with me now.” She laughed. “I get more
persistent when you don’t.”

Grace returned the grin. “Oh believe me, I agree wholeheartedly.” She
paused as she focused on her computer screen. “Do you remember me
telling you about Costa Rica? Here’s an article. Says the drug lord escaped
a slaughter. Hell, he instigated the slaughter.”

“Nobody ever said the media was smart,” Cordy noted dryly, leaning over
her friend’s shoulder. “And apparently, they’re worse in Costa Rica
than they are here.”

“Really,” Grace sighed. “At least they didn’t make him out to be a
victim instead of a criminal. Of course, this really doesn’t help me find
out where he is now.”

“Maybe it does,” Cordy mused, returning to her computer. “We can try
and track him from there on…there’s got to be some kind of paper
trail.”

“Flight reservations… anything. Somewhere around here I have a list
of aliases for him. Most immortals use the same ones over and over
because it’s hard keeping track of all the identities.” She pulled out her
notebook and smiled. “I don’t have any aliases though. I’m one of
those people who like my name.”

“It’s a pretty name,” the brunette agreed with a nod and took the
notebook from her friend. “You wanna try searching the top five aliases
while I take the bottom five?”

“Ooooo, a plan.” Grace stood and went to get them coffee. Returning,
she said, “Here, this could take a while.” With that, she set about her
task of tracking down the aliases.

“Coffee…” Cordy smiled appreciatively. “That’s it, you’re staying.”
She grinned over at her friend. “No arguments.”

Grace winked at her. “You’ll get none from me,” she said softly.

“Good.” Cordelia smiled brightly. “Much violence would have to ensue if
I did.” Pausing when her computer beeped, the young woman leaned
forward. “I think I’ve got something.”

It was then that Grace felt the signature. Oh, Armand was being
proactive for once. Standing suddenly, she grabbed her tachi. “Never mind
that, Cordelia. He’s here.” Looking over to the guys, she said, “Angel,
Armand is here.”

“Here? Now?” Cordy looked like she was torn between annoyance and fear
as Angel rushed across the room to grab weapons and toss them to the
two mortals in the room.

“Defend yourselves if you have to. If not, stay out of the way,” the
vampire ordered as he moved to stand with Grace.

“Did Wesley get a chance to explain to you about my kind? You know how
this has to end. And you can’t interfere. I’ll be fine. Believe me.”
She wanted to tell him more, but how to put it all into words. It was
a bit early for ‘I love you’ but it was so close for her.

He frowned at her. “He did explain. And be careful.” ‘I don’t want to
lose you.’ He didn’t voice it but they both knew it was there, on the
end of his statement.

She reached down and squeezed his hand. Armand called her name and she
went out the back to the alley. Resolutely, she led the way out. He
wouldn’t be alone, but his thugs would leave her alone. It was the
others who concerned her. She pulled off her shirt, wearing only a tank top
for easier movement.

“You are by far going to be my most beautiful kill. Pity, isn’t it?”
Slowly, the large blonde man moved toward her. He was self confident,
holding his sword casually. “I really do not wish to end such a beautiful
life. But you seem intent on this.”

“Fight’s not over yet,” Angel noted coolly, his eyes now watching
Armand’s people. Tempted to ‘go vamp’ on them.

“I am as intent to kill you as you are on destroying mortals. I can’t
let this continue,” Grace said to the other immortal.

Armand shook his head slowly. “Grace, you are over 1000 years old,
surely you understand by now that all mortals are cattle… sheep. Ours to
manipulate as we wish.” He was circling her now, trying to aggravate
her. Her reputation preceded her, and he wanted any advantage he could
get. “Now I think it’s time to occupy your friends.” With that, he gave
the order for his entourage to make their move

Briefly, Angel debated whether or not to go vamp then decided. “Vamp.”
His face shifting into its vampiric visage, he launched himself forward
at the closet goons, intent on wiping them off the face of the planet.

Grace saw but didn’t afford herself a reaction. He was what he was, as
she was what she was.

Armand said nothing more, simply nodded and let loose with a furious
attack. He used his strength, but would it be enough against her speed.

One thing that Grace was and that was fast on her feet. She could get
in, score a cut, and move out before her opponent knew what happened.
Her deadly dance seemed almost artful in comparison to her opponent’s.
He was strength; she was speed and agility.

Taking control of the fight however, Armand successfully backed Grace
into the wall. She was so lost in her fight, that she didn’t notice the
others.

“No where to run now, Grace Hammond. I was wrong. I am going to enjoy
this kill.”

“Cocky sonofabitch,” she hissed, waiting for him to strike. When he
pulled back his sword, she let fly a kick to his knee. She spun from the
wall, sword raised.

“Rot in hell,” Armand shouted, as he felt her sword touch his neck.

She watched, as his head was cleanly severed. “You first,” she
replied, as she prepared for the Quickening. These were getting harder and
harder.

Concerned for her, Angel started to move forward. “Grace?” He
remembered that Wesley was about to tell him something about how Immortals
killed each other, but it was dismissed in the face of worrying about her.

“Stay back,” she managed to warn before the first wisps of his
Quickening reached out to touch her. The electric show was on display then as
it coursed through her and took out lights around them before slamming
into her once again and dropping her to her knees. Tears streamed from
her eyes and she shook uncontrollably.

Angel started to hurry forward, regardless of her warning, but Cordelia
grabbed him by one arm as Gunn got the other. “No,” they both chorused.

A moment later, Gunn — staring in shock at the Quickening — could
only say one thing. “Damn…”

Once it was over, Grace was drained. They were getting harder, and
dealing with this one was just beginning.

The second it subsided, Angel was by her side and moving to take her
into his arms – offering as much support as he could. “You won,” he noted
somewhat inanely but still proud of the fact.

She managed to look up at him and smiled. “We won. We won.” She
relaxed against him, feeling the comfort of his presence. There was no
doubt what she wanted… needed from him. She needed support. This
Quickening was not going to settle easily.

Lifting her up into his arms, Angel turned to go back inside.
“Gunn…you know what to do.”

“You got it boss,” Gunn agreed, moving toward the body as Armand’s
dazed associates ran into the night.

“Cordy,” Looking over at his friend, the vampire looked concerned. “Go
upstairs and run a bath.”

Grace lay limply in his arms. She was tired, and it wasn’t all from the
Quickening. This was the let down from all those years of chasing
him… all she’d given up. If she hadn’t found Angel and Cordy and the
others… she would be lost right now. Completely lost. So, realizing she
was worn out and letting Angel take care of her for the time being, was a
perfect idea.

Cordy nodded at her friend and started up the stairs at a brisk pace,
Angel following along more slowly.

They moved up to the suite where Cordy ran the bath while Angel sat on
the bed, one hand slowly stroking over Grace’s hair — an attempt to
keep her calm.

She held onto him tightly. Most immortals dealt with Quickenings in one
of three ways… getting drunk, causing a fight, or having sex. None
of those seemed to be an option right now. So, instead she talked about
it. “It’s an energy transfer. The dead immortal’s energy is sent into
the body of the victor. Some are harder to absorb than others. Given
my history with Armand, this is not unusual. I’ll be better… soon.”

“Yeah, you will be,” Angel agreed. “After a good hot bath, a good meal,
and hopefully a good night’s sleep.”

She smiled. It was a new approach… she hoped it would work. “Thanks
for helping out… you and the rest of the group put your lives on the
line.” She was moving from tired to active.

“We do that on a regular basis.” The vampire chuckled. “It’s good to do
it to help a friend though.” He looked up when Cordy walked out of the
bathroom. “Ready?”

She nodded. “Yep. A nice bubble bath too.”

Grace moved slowly. “Thank goodness. I’m grimy, bloody, and smell
like sweat and gore.” Gingerly, and with Angel’s help, she stood. Before
heading to the bathroom though, she leaned in and gave him a hug.
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for a… friend… either,” she said.

He smiled at her. “Then we agree on that.”

*-*-*

Angel was staring out the window into the night when the suite’s door
opened and Wesley walked in.

“Well, it took bloody well long enough,” the former Watcher groused,
crossing the room to his friend. “But I finally convinced a few
associates back at the Watcher Council to send me anything they knew on these
Immortals.”

“What did you come up with?” the vampire questioned, turning to look at
the mortal.

“An awful lot actually…” Wesley held up the thick file and gestured
to a table nearby.

Nodding, Angel followed him and sat while the dark-haired mortal laid
out the file’s contents.

“Apparently, the Watcher Council and the Watcher Organization do share
a history.” With this, Wesley sat across from the vampire and continued
to talk. “According to my contacts, the Watcher Organization came
first. Forming approximately four thousand years ago after a select group of
scholars became aware of a small number of people who apparently could
neither age nor die. Upon further research this group was given the
title of Immortal though it is something of a misnomer as they *can*
die…”

“By beheading,” Angel put in with a nod, remembering the things Grace
had already told him.

“Yes… exactly. According to the earliest Watchers the Immortal race
had been around for quite some time prior to the Watchers becoming aware
of them and were already locked into the Game. Which, according to the
records, is an Immortal war. Rather like that movie…Mortal Kombat?”

Frowning, the vampire tried to remember the movie in question. He
hadn’t seen it himself but he vaguely remembered Xander talking about it
once back in Sunnydale. It took a moment but it came back to him and he
nodded. “Bunch of people get together, fight and the winner is Champion.”

“That would be the considerably shorter version yes.” Wesley’s head
bobbed in a nod of his own and he continued to speak, “But, unlike that
movie, the combatants are all Immortal in this case, and they don’t
actively get together in once place, not yet anyway. For now they seem
content to live their lives amongst normal mortals, living in secret, and
fighting only when provoked. Though, it seems there are some headhunters
who devote their time to hunting their own kind. Apparently they don’t
last long though. Eventually they go after the more experienced
Immortals and…”

“Off with their head,” Angel cracked tiredly.

“Quite.” Picking up a page, Wesley held it out to his friend.
“According to this, the Immortals believe that at the end of the Game there will
be a final fight between the last two. The victor will then have all
the power of all the Immortals who ever lived *plus* something called the
Prize. What that is, however, remains quite unclear to all Immortals.
Some say it’s the ability to rule the world for the rest of eternity,
others say it’s mortality. No one really knows.”

“So, how does this tie in with the Watcher Council?”

“Ah, yes, well this is the complicated part. Around the same time those
scholars discovered the Immortals they also became aware of the Slayer.
Apparently, in the beginning, the Watchers thought it best that an
Immortal train the Slayer. Their logic being that no one else could
possibly be a better instructor in the ways of combat. Quite a good plan
actually…the first few Slayers to co-operate in this were all trained by
the same Immortal and were quite successful, rather like Buffy.
Unfortunately, this Immortal was not immune from the Game and he was killed. By
this time, the Watchers had decided that interference and interaction
with Immortals was not in the best for anyone. They believed it could
have detrimental effects on the outcome of the Game, and were quite
possibly right, but some Watchers also believed that the same went for the
Slayer. That their involvement with that Immortal Watcher had been a
*very* large misstep.”

“Let me guess, internal politics at their worst?”

“Indeed.” Wesley nodded. “Finally the internal arguments became so
heated that the heads of the Watcher Organization were forced to sit down
and discuss the problem at some length. The final decision was to create
a sort of subdivision of the Watchers – namely the Watcher Council –
that would oversee the Slayer and her training. Since this was quite a
logical, and popular idea, the dissident Watchers had little choice but
to agree. The two divisions have had fairly close contact ever since but
only at the highest levels.”

“Too dangerous to let the underlings intermix?”

“Yes, something of a security risk according to my source.”

“So why didn’t they just sever ties completely? It doesn’t sound like
they needed each other too badly?”

“They don’t. Well…not entirely.”

“Wesley….” Angel sat up, noticing how the Englishmen was suddenly
fidgeting. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Well…there’s a prophecy. A vague one. But according to my sources,
it ties Immortals and the Slayer together quite nicely.” Wesley shuffled
through his papers until he found it. “Ah, yes, here we go. It’s
something of a verse…”

“Just read it,” the vampire cut in with a no-nonsense tone. Wesley
could be really useful for information but he did have a tendency to ramble
on and Angel really didn’t have the time for it.

“Ah, yes, all right…Ahem…One born of lightning’s fire, one born of
night, eternal darkness, eternal light…bound together – invincible
will be. Two walk as one, forever joined shall they be…”

Raising an eyebrow, Angel leaned forward. “That’s it?”

“Well, that and a small journal entry written by a Prophetess…a gypsy
woman.” That would get Angel’s attention Wesley knew. One thing the
vampire had plenty of respect for was the magic and powers of the gypsy
folk. They were the reason he’d originally come into possession of his
soul, their negligence had also been one of the reasons he’d temporarily
lost it but that was another story entirely.

“What’d she say?” the vampire prompted, his eyes intently fixed on the
former Watcher’s face.

“Ah, well, according to this, when the Watchers put the original
scroll, that the prophecy is recorded on, into her hands, she was granted a
vision by the gods…or as we call them, the Powers That Be.” Wesley
turned it so Angel could see as he spoke.

“Apparently, she saw a vampire, a *man*, who’d been granted his soul by
the gods in order to seek his redemption join with a woman, an
Immortal, raised to be a champion of good by one who’d been a great
practitioner of evil.”

After pausing to let the descriptions sink in, the Englishman sat back.
“Quite obviously, you are the vampire in question…”

“So it would appear…” Angel agreed with a sigh. “But the Immortal
woman?”

“Well, I had a friend do some checking for me. Didn’t tell him about
the Prophecy but I asked if he knew of any Immortal women who were major
players in the Game *and* had a highly defined set of morals *with*
that sort of parent.” Wesley fidgeted again, looking down at the glass
table.

Frowning, his ’employer’ rapped his knuckles on the glass sharply.
“And? Did he find any?”

“One,” came the reluctant reply.

“Who?”

“Grace Hammond.”

Letting Angel absorb that information, Wesley handed over the journal
entry, which explained, in greater detail, the nature of the
relationship the Prophetess had seen…

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Some time after Wesley left the room with the file, Angel walked to the
bathroom door and peeked in to check on Grace…

Smiling, he realized she was asleep, her head resting back against the
small pillow that kept her from the hard tile. God, she was beautiful.
Looking very much like an angel. With her blond hair and porcelain fine
features…

‘I’m in trouble’ he realized with a shock. ‘Big trouble here.’

Leaning against the doorframe, his eyes lingered longingly on her face.
Absolutely perfect.

She sighed slightly. She was having the most wonderful of dreams. She
was with Angel… really with Angel. It was beautiful, heavenly, and
perfect. It was when she sighed again and opened her eyes to scratch
her nose that she saw him standing there. “I was combining tasks. A
good night’s sleep while I bathed.” She couldn’t help the look in her
eyes. After the dream she just had.

He smiled and sat down next to the tub to look at her. “Good to
multi-task, but if you’re not careful, the water’s going to get cold on you.”

She shrugged. “Then I let some out and put more hot in. This is
absolute luxury.” With one sudsy hand, she reached out and took his.
“Actually, this is heaven.”

His fingers intertwined with hers and he stared at them intently.
“Wesley told me something very unique about Immortals…and us.”

Her smile grew as he held her hand. “Smart guy, that Wesley. What did
he have to say? I didn’t know that vampires and immortals were
linked.”

“Not all vampires and Immortals. Just us.” Angel looked at her
steadily. “He thinks you and I are mentioned in a prophecy together.”

She sat up a bit straighter at that. She didn’t notice but bubbles did
cling in the right places. “Us… you and I? Like we were predestined
to meet or something.” She locked her eyes with his. “What did the
prophecy say?”

“We’re supposed to be two halves of a whole. Light and Darkness.” Angel
shrugged, uncomfortable with the idea of *how* they were to become the
whole. “We’re supposed to be as big a threat to evil as the Slayer. If
not more.”

His words thrilled her, but his tone caused her to pause. “I could
think of a million things worse than being the other half of you, Angel.
And I tend to agree with the assumption that we are pretty unstoppable.
We proved that tonight. But there’s more, isn’t there?”

“I’m a bit concerned about *how* we’re supposed to become one…” Angel
sighed. “Remember that curse?”

“About you losing your soul if you experience a moment of true
happiness,” she sighed along with him. Cordy had explained all that to her.
She didn’t like the thought of him never being happy.

“Well, to become what the prophecy describes we have to umm… Well…”
If Angel could blush he’d be redder than a tomato. “We’d have to…”

“Become one not only in soul but in body.” She swallowed hard. How
could they fulfill a prophecy with that damn curse hanging over their
heads? She was ready to love him forever without the physical contact if
it saved his soul. “It’s a big chance we’d be taking.” Again, she
squeezed his hand.

“I…I don’t want you to think you’re responsible, if we’re wrong
and…I become *him* again.” Angel’s eyes bored into hers with a phenomenal
level of intensity. “I couldn’t put that on you.”

She sighed. She would feel the responsibility. He knew her so well.
Then a thought hit her, “Angel, how often is Wesley wrong? I get the
feeling it isn’t often.”

“You’re right on that,” Angel admitted.

“I don’t want to risk losing you. I’m beginning to wonder how I lived
without you in my life. But if he’s right…” She left the rest
unsaid. “The choice is ultimately yours. Living with you platonically is
something I’m prepared for.” ‘I just want to be with you… period,’
she thought.

Angel looked at her for a long moment then grinned. “Hard to believe
only a day or so ago we tried to kill each other.”

She chuckled. “All the great romances start out with a few bumps.
Romeo and Juliet… Antony and Cleopatra… and true, they ended badly,
but they didn’t have prophecies and immortality. We could have forever
together.”

“A very interesting forever.” Angel chuckled. “We’d never be bored.”

“True,” she said, though it wasn’t boredom that crossed her mind.
Having someone she’d never lose warmed her heart beyond belief.

“I would be willing…But only if you promise me one thing.” His eyes
held hers. “If I become *him* again…kill me.”

She reached up and touched his face. They were really going to do
this. It was bittersweet… a great risk. She could lose this forever she
so cherished. Her hand went to his cheek and there were tears in her
eyes as she swore, “I will. I’ll hate it, but I’ll do it.” That was
the hardest promise she’d ever made.

Nodding, he covered her hand with his and leaned forward to kiss her.
Praying it was a promise she’d never have to fulfill for him.

She was wet, but that didn’t stop her in the least from leaning into
the kiss. She had been wrong earlier. They had to take this chance. ‘I
won’t have to kill him,’ she prayed, even as she leaned into him.

Slipping his arms around her, Angel pulled her to her feet and —
picking her up — carried her into the bedroom where he set her on the bed.
“Are you sure about this?” He worried, touching her face.

She shivered slightly. “I’m scared to death.” She knew she could keep
her promise, but what she didn’t say was that her death would shortly
follow his. “But I have full faith in you… me… Wesley. But in the
end, Angel, it’s your life. Are you sure?”

“Yes…No…I’m…” He sighed and confessed, “Scared, I don’t want to
hurt you.”

She sat up and pulled him to her, holding him tightly. “You won’t.
*You* won’t,” she whispered.

“If he comes back…he will,” Angel said in a sad voice. “He’s done it
before. And, the Immortality thing won’t stop him. He’ll find ways to
use that against you.”

She kissed his cheek and sighed. “I made you a promise. I won’t want
to do that… you know that. But I’m a very determined woman. Have a
little faith that I can take care of things. We don’t have to do this.
I’m perfectly willing to have a platonic relationship with you…
forever. If we do this, though, we have to be sure.” She was falling more
and more for him every second. What a dilemma!

“You have to swear…you’ll keep that promise,” Angel said
determinedly. He didn’t like the idea, but he had to be sure she’d keep it. He
didn’t want to know that he’d be responsible for what Angelus would do to
her.

She hugged him tightly so he wouldn’t see the tear that slipped down
her cheek. “I swear on everything I am. I also swear that I will…”
she’d never said it first, the ‘L’ word. Could she do it now?

Sensing the conversation was going somewhere Grace wasn’t quite ready
to go, Angel pulled back and kissed her deeply as he guided her back
onto the bed. He knew they were taking the biggest leap either one of them
had ever taken — but he couldn’t let her go.

No matter the outcome of this coupling, she would hold him close to her
heart forever. Though, she knew she wouldn’t live long without him.
She returned his passion with as much as he gave it. It was going to be
a night to remember one way or another. Losing him was not an option.
It had to work out. Please God, let it work in their favor.

Knowing it was quite possibly the first and last time he would hold her
like this, Angel made love to her as he’d never made love to anyone
before. Every touch and every kiss was held as a separate moment in time.
Memorized and cherished for the knowledge it might never happen again.
And when he finally felt her shudder and cry out his name, he let
himself fall after her, he was both grateful to know he’d brought it to her
and sad to know it could be the last time.

There were literally tears flowing down her cheeks as she held him
tighter than she’d held anyone in her lifetime. No matter what happened
from here on out, they were bonded. She still sent up prayers, hoping
that the curse didn’t work. “Angel?” she asked softly, tears in her voice
as well as her eyes.

“I’m still here,” he affirmed quietly. “But it might happen later…it
wasn’t immediate when it happened…before.”

She closed her eyes. Calm was important here. “Then we wait…
together.” She caressed every part of him she could touch. “I have a confession
to make… well two actually. First, I tend to talk a lot when I’m
happy, and second, I’ve never felt anything so spectacularly wonderful and
fulfilling in my life… ever!”

Angel smiled. “Glad to hear it meant that.” With this comment, he fell
silent and rested his head against the pillow; content to savor the
time he had until they were sure. Either way. He didn’t want to be wrong
but at the same time, he couldn’t — wouldn’t — express what it’d meant
to him until he knew he’d be around to experience it again. It wasn’t
fair to either one to express it.

Lying there and holding him, Grace, for the first time in her long
life, let the beating of her heart speak for her. She held him like this
would be the last time. A part of her held her breath; waiting, praying,
and hoping.

Knowing it would take a while, Angel cuddled her close and waited until
she fell asleep. He himself spent the night awake, watching her sleep
and praying he’d be there to see her wake the next day. Not a monster.

It wasn’t a deep sleep. She woke several times, just to touch him and
make sure that he was still himself. He would quietly reassure her, more
than likely knowing that she would bear guilt if he turned. It was just
creeping on dawn though when she sat bolt upright in the bed. “Angel?”
she asked, her voice somewhat panicked.

“Yeah.” He smiled at her, more than a hint of relief in his eyes.

The look of sheer happiness in her eyes was unmistakable. “Do you
think it’s safe then?” Please, please, please say yes!

“I think it is.” He nodded. “The last time…I was gone by now.”

She flopped on top of him and hugged him tightly. “Well, mister, you
aren’t going anywhere this time for at least… two or three centuries.”

Angel chuckled lightly. “Sounds good to me!!!” He wasn’t sure how to
express the relief he was feeling. Or the happiness. The prophecy meant
life wasn’t going to be any easier, but it also meant he wasn’t going to
be alone.

At the sound of his light laughter, she looked up at him and smiled.
“Can I say it now? Can I say that no one has brought me such happiness?”
She hadn’t forgotten about the prophecy; she’d analyze that later. All
she knew was that for the rest of her life, he’d be with her. Nothing
could be more perfect than that.

“Yes.” He smiled warmly. “You can say it. And so can I.”

“Then I’m saying it. I’ve never been so happy… ever.” She hugged him
tightly again. He really was hers…forever.

The vampire smiled shyly and hugged back. “Me either…thank you.”

That caused her eyebrows to cross. “For what?”

“For being willing. For trusting me. For making *that* promise.”

She nodded. “I would have hated it, though.” She sighed before
continuing, “Though it looks like we don’t have to worry about it now.” Kissing
his ear, she whispered, “And it looks like we have a lot of time to
make up. You um… up for it?”

He chuckled. “I’m a guy…you have to ask?”

“I most certainly do not,” she laughed, wiggling against him. And she
proceeded to show him just how energetic she was about making up for
that lost time.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Cordy was curled up on one of the couches with a cup of coffee when
Angel emerged into the main lobby, followed moments later by Grace. “Good
morning you too! Breakfast on the counter.”

“Croissants and coffee?” Angel crooked an eyebrow at her.

“Well, its not like you’re a big eater anyway,” Cordy countered with a
shrug. “And it’s good enough for the three of us, right Grace?”

Grace worked her way around the vampire and made her way to the food.
“It is! I’m a bit famished.” She smiled brightly. “Quickenings will
do that to me.”

“Feel free to eat the lot of them,” Wesley announced with a cheery
smile as he walked by with books in hand. “I prefer my toast and tea.”
Pausing by Angel, he gave the vampire a questioning look.

“We’re fine,” Angel answered softly.

“You…”

“We did,” The vampire confirmed.

“Absolutely incredible.” Wesley smiled broadly. “And fantastic.”

Grace came forward with a croissant smothered in butter and grape
jelly, coffee in her other hand. “Thank you,” she said to Wesley, smiling
with jelly on the corners of her mouth.

“You’re quite welcome my dear.” He smiled. “And may I say
congratulations on…” Being British he left it at that and drifted back to get his
tea.

She blushed to a bright red and wiped her mouth to hide her
embarrassment before looking back up at Angel and whispering, “I’m just glad I
still have you here.” With that, she turned to Cordy and asked, “So, you
feel like shopping today? I suddenly have an urge to buy some girly
clothes.”

The word shopping brought the mortal to her feet with a perky smile.
“Shopping? I always feel like shopping.” She grinned. “If it were an
Olympic sport I’d be the Michelle Kwan of Shopping.”

Grace laughed. “That’s good. I need a medallist. Last time I went
shopping… well, let’s just say that whale bone corsets were popular, and
I really hated those!”

“Ugh!” Cordelia waved a hand. “Things have improved greatly since then.
You must learn the wonders of leather…and Victoria’s Secret.” She
grinned impishly and leaned forward. “That’d be more for Angel if you get
my meaning.”

Grace waggled her eyebrows. “Oooo, then we have to go there.
Definitely! You so don’t want to know the amount of cotton in that drawer. It’s
almost sinful.”

Cordy shook her head. “Not almost…that’s definitely a mortal sin.”

“Then we should waste no time.” She looked around at the guys, “Are we
needed here? I need silk… satin… lace… among other things.” She
was almost giddy with happiness. Everything was turning out so
wonderfully.

Visions of Grace dressed in all manner of lingerie dancing in his head,
Angel waved them off. “Feel free, by all means take the day and have a
blast.”

“Yes,” Wesley cleared his throat. “Quite. We men can research and the
like. Guard the home front.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “Such chivalry. Guarding the home front with
books and computers.” She picked up her sword and hugged Angel tightly.
“We won’t be long… or at least we’ll be back by dusk. Have a good
day.”

“We will. And be careful you two!” Angel cautioned, knowing how much
trouble Cordy could get into and Grace was clearly no different.

“We will,” the pair waved as they all but skipped out the door. Once
clear of it, Grace said, “Ok, Cordy, money is no object here. I need
serious clothing. You name it, I need it.”

Cordelia hooked an arm through the Immoral woman’s and grinned. “Then
Grace, you’ve come to the right woman.”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Both women were literally loaded down with shopping bags. They had left
no shop unexplored, no outfit went untried on. Cordelia had given
Grace an entire new wardrobe. “So, I’ve been completely covered… head to
toe.” They’d even made several purchases for Cordelia. Everyone got
hooked up on this shopping spree.

Cordy grinned. “And then some.” She winked. “Angel’s gonna love those
negligees.”

“I hope. But since they aren’t all black, we’ll have to see. Though you
know, I bet I don’t wear them long.” That brought out an evil grin.
“Though I’d love to see how he figures out the one with all the snaps.” By
now, Grace had filled Cordelia in on the prophecy. She had been
concerned that the mortal would have disapproved of the chance they’d taken,
but she should have known that Cordy was pushing for them all along.

The dark-haired woman snickered. “He’s had over two hundred years of
fashion to deal with. If he can’t get it open the normal way, he’ll
probably just rip it off or something.”

Grace laughed at that. “I have little doubt of that.” There was
another little specialty shop that they had passed on their way to the mall.
“Ooo, here’s that shop. We have got to get us some clothes from in
here. What do you say? Can you carry anything else?”

Cordelia smirked. “I’ll grow an extra arm if needs be.”

Grace agreed completely. Stepping inside, it was easy to see the
delight in her eyes. “I want one of those short dresses… one piece that
leaves little to the imagination.” The salespeople graciously let them
set their bags behind the counter. They figured these two women would
up their sales tremendously. “You know what’s funny is that I hated
dresses even when I wore them everyday.”

“Yeah well the kind of dresses I think you’re talking about weren’t
exactly big on comfort, were they?” Cordy questioned, holding a little red
number up for Grace to look at.

Grace looked the dress over approvingly. She held in her hand a purple
one that she thought Cordy would look good in. “No, they weren’t. In
fact, a dress was layers and layers of material all designed to hinder
movement. The Victorian Era was the worst. I loathed the high neck
collar.”

Holding the purple dress to her body for inspection, the brunette
nodded. “Good and itchy, huh? Yuck. Talking about stuff like that makes me
damn glad I’m a child of the 20th century.”

Grace was holding the red dress up to herself. “Being a child of the
10th century wasn’t bad. I wore next to nothing then. But that may have
had to do with who raised me.” Looking back at Cordy, Grace said, “You
should try that one on. That purple looks really good on you.”

“Thanks!” Cordy said cheerfully and started toward the back. “I will!
Are you gonna try on the red one?”

Grace smiled. “Oh definitely, I saw a green one I want to try too so
I’m going to go grab it and try them both on.” She watched Cordy slip
into the dressing room and moved to get the other dress. She’d probably
end up getting them both.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Tags: alternate universe, angel, angel/grace, crossover, drama, grace hammond, het, rating: r, romance

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 11:43 pm and is filed under angel:the series, highlander: the series. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.