Angel paced the kitchen as he waited for Gunn and
Spike. He dodged the quick moving waiters as they
rushed in and out of the kitchen for their customer's
orders.
"Mr. Angel," a small Chinese woman said as she tugged
on his sleeve. "Please sit down. Friends be here
soon."
He realized he was getting in everyone's way. "Sorry,
Chen Mei," he apologized in Cantonese. He stepped out
of the way and found a corner to occupy.
"You good man, Mr. Angel," she said with a smile.
"You help my humble father. You will find your lost
friend."
Angel took her aged hand in his own and bowed
respectfully to her. "It was an honor to assist Li
Xiao."
"My number four grandson can do this task for you,"
she suggested. While she knew she would never be able
to repay the man who saved her family, she had to try.
"Thank you, Chen Mei. I'm sure your grandson would be
up to the task. But I could never ask him to do
something so dangerous."
"You good man, Mr. Angel," she replied.
"We're here," Gunn said as he entered the kitchen.
"What's the plan?"
Angel gave Chen Mei a polite kiss on her cheek and
moved Gunn and Spike to the back of the room. "What
happened to you?" he asked Spike.
"Don't worry about it," he replied.
"Lindsey called in an order. Gunn, you're going to
make the delivery. Check the place out if you can,"
Angel instructed.
"You got it. Do I get to keep the tip?"
Spike placed a hand on Angel's arm. "I won't leave
her there," he warned.
Placing a hand on Spike's shoulder, he nodded his
compliance. "I didn't think you would," he replied.
"Mr. Angel. Food ready," Mei said holding a large
plastic bag. "Money no good here," she said when he
reached for his wallet.
"You're too good to me, Chen Mei," he said with a
grin.
"No such thing."
****
"Spike, you're clear on the plan?" Angel asked as Gunn
pulled the car up in front of the house.
"Yeah. I'm clear. I wait until Gunn gives the all
clear."
"Good."
Gunn set the car in park and turned off the engine.
"Okay. Here I go," he said as he stepped out of the
car. He walked up the walkway casually. His
chocolate eyes scanned the area. He couldn't see
anything out of the ordinary. It appeared to be a
typical suburban home. Not that Charles Gunn knew
anything about suburbia. He's spent his entire life
in the urban jungle and preferred it that way. There
was something creepy about two-story track-housing
with sprawling lawns. He stepped on the porch and
pressed the door bell.
The door open and Gunn found himself face to face with
white middle America. He lifted the bag in his hand.
"Lotus Palace. You ordered some food?" he asked.
Lindsey recognized the young black man as one of
Angel's associates. "Come in," he said opening the
door. "I'll get my wallet."
He stepped inside and gave what he could see of the
house a quick look-see.
"Willow, dinner's here," Lindsey called as he walked
back to his bedroom for his wallet.
The red head left her room and smiled at the handsome
delivery guy. "Hi," she said.
Although Spike and Angel had explained the situation,
Gunn was still surprised to see the original of the
carbon copy occupying a room back at the hotel. He
could certainly understand why Spike was obsessed with
getting her back. "Hi," he replied.
Lindsey returned with a couple of twenties. "That
should cover it," he said handing over the money.
"Just about," Gunn handed him the bag of food.
"Thanks. Have a goodnight."
"You, too," Willow said. She took the food from
Lindsey and carried it into the kitchen. The rich
aroma wafting up to her nose caused her stomach to
demand attention. She pulled out a carton and popped
open the top. She found a mass of sliced barbecue
pork and placed a slice in her mouth. As she chewed,
she almost felt like a Catholic receiving sacrament.
She chewed until only the memory of the flavor
remained on her tongue.
Lindsey watched the expression of ecstasy on her face
as she savored the morsel. "Good?"
She moaned her agreement as she selected another
piece. While she chewed, she removed the other boxes
. Lindsey pulled plates out of the cupboard.
****
B'squ examined the books spread out across the counter
trying to guess how much they knew. She knew she was
at the end of the game and could just see her goal in
the distance. The question was did she keep on track
or switch sides? During the last week she'd seen the
kind of man Angel was and the people he associated
with genuinely seemed to care about right and wrong.
Her prejudice against the dead held her back from
making the decision.
As she studied the open pages, Wesley watched her
intently. *What kind of power does she posses to
maintain that level of illusion?* he wondered. *What
other powers does she have?* A sharp pain in his arm
jerked him back to the present. "Ow!"
Cordelia dug her nails into Wesley's arm as searing
pain ripped through her head. She grunted and winced
as the Powers That Be sent a vis-o-gram to Angel. She
couldn't eliminate a bit of drool from the corner of
her mouth either.
"Cordelia," Wesley said as he grabbed her upper arms
to keep her from falling. The episode seemed to last
forever as her body twisted and writhed against the
visions only she could see. "Get the aspirin," he
yelled over his shoulder.
B'squ stared at the convulsing brunette. She was
surprised to see this kind of reaction because she'd
never felt anything physically wrong with her. She
took a step closer and reached out with her
preternatural senses. They touched a protective
barrier around the human and were shoved away. She
gasped at the force.
Cordy finally stopped convulsing and gasped air into
her lungs. Her lip trembled from the pain and misery
she felt. She barely registered the fact that Wesley
lowered her gently to the couch. The blood and gore
that echoed across her mind's eye made her swallow the
bile rising in her throat.
The ex-watcher gently brushed the loose tendrils of
hair out of her face. "Cordelia? Are you alright?"
he asked. He'd never seen her this shaken from a
vision before.
Afraid to open her mouth in case she vomited all over
herself, she moved her head in a slow jerky nod. She
whimpered as she raised her trembling hand to her damp
eyes.
Wesley looked up and saw Willow standing with her
mouth gapping. "Get the bloody aspirin," he growled
at her. His cold blue eyes narrowed until she turned
to get the requested pain killers. "What did you
see?" he asked.
"Horror," she whispered. "Oh, God. It was awful.
Blood everywhere. Bodies. So many bodies."
He pulled the frightened girl into his arms and rubbed
her back. "It's okay. You're safe now."
"I don't think so," she replied. "It was a war. And
it was coming here."
He pulled back and stared into her velvety eyes.
"Here? To LA?"
She shook her head. "No, here to this lobby."
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