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chapter forty-nine

Angel paced, he knew something wasn't right, he could feel it deep inside. He
kept looking to the hotel entrance for the arrival of the others only to see
an empty entryway.

"Peaches sit down! You're making me sick with all your pacing." Spike lit
another cigarette, his tenth in the last forty minutes. He could feel the
tension rolling off his grandsire and also felt that something was wrong,
the others should have been there by now.

"Lilah's asleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms." Wesley descended the
stairs. "The others aren't here yet?" He received two angry glares.

"I'm sure they're on their way." Aria rubbed soothing circles on Spike's back.

"This is all wrong." Angel started his pacing again. "Cordy should have had a
vision. We should have been more prepared for an attack." Running a hand
through his spiky hair he swung around when he heard the doors open.

Gunn was the first to limp in., Buffy came next with tear stains on her face.
Giles carried a sleeping Dawn and placed her on one of the lobby's couches,
Lindsey was the last to enter, he was pale and shaking.

"Where's Willow?" Angel demanded a growl escaping his lungs.

No one answered. Buffy started to cry again, Giles looked far older than his
forty odd years, Gunn looked away from the enraged vampire. Lindsey was the
only who could find any words. "They're gone."

"What do you mean they are gone?" Angel clenched his fists and unclenched
them leaving deep cuts from his nails.

Lindsey looked ready to speak when he broke down, Giles patted the young man
on the back. "Willow, Cordelia and Douglass were taken. We were ambushed."
Angel stood silent absorbing what he was being told. It couldn't be.

Throwing back his head he let out a furiosus roar. Everyone jumped at his
anger.

"We are getting them back right now. Who ever did this will die, whether
demon or human." No one-second guessed him they all felt the same way at
different levels.

"We need to figure out who did this." Wesley cleared his throat feeling a tad
uncomfortable at the waves of rage pouring off Angel.

"I know who did this. Darla is behind this." Angel whipped around and headed
to the offices.

"Yes, but we need to figure out where she is keeping the girls." Wesley
followed Angel at a safe distance.

"I'm sure that if I bust a few heads together at Wolfram and Hart I'll get
some answers." Picking up a few axes, he tested them to make sure they were
sharp. "Hey Lindsey, want to go and play at your old playground?" Angel asked
tossing a weapon in his direction.

Lindsey caught the weapon with ease staring at the dark vampire for a moment.
"Yes."

"Listen to you two! You can't do this!" Aria cried out. "You'll be no better
than they are. Contrary to popular belief there are some pretty okay people
that work at Wolfram and Hart. Not all of them but a few. "

"Listen to her Peaches. I would also love to go in there and bang a few heads
together but it's not the smart thing to do." Spike walked over to the other
vampire and blocked his path. "Put the weapons away we can figure this out."

"My father has a list at home in his office of all the buildings that Wolfram
and Hart use. Spike and I can go and get it." Aria held her breath waiting
for Angel's decision.

Angel looked at the weapon in his hand then over at Lindsey. He could only
imagine what the ex-lawyer was feeling, not only was the girl he cared about
taken but his child was in danger as well. "Twenty-four hours. I'll give it
that long but if we don't have Willow, Cordelia and Douglass safely back here
by then, I'm doing it my way."

No one argued knowing that most likely after twenty-four hours it would be
too late.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Douglass felt the ropes even before she opened her eyes, something in the
back of her mind was triggered and she fought for control not to cry out in
fear. This was how it happened last time, she knew. It was all coming back to
her, the last time she was in this situation Tori had been alive, tied to a
chair at the foot of the bed.

"We know you are awake Douglass, why don't you join us?" A female's voice
came from her left. Douglass fought the need to see where she was but gave
in, opening her eyes slowly she wanted to shut them tight again. It was
happening again, Willow and Cordelia were tied in chairs a few feet away from
the bed and both were still unconscious.

Her own body was tied down as well, there were ropes circling around her
wrists and ankles and another was wrapped tightly around her neck. Tears
spilled from Douglass's eyes, she tried to fight them but couldn't, the
female who spoke to her earlier stepped closer to the bed. It was Darla,
Douglass remembered her from the Charity Ball.

"Why?" Douglass choked out. "What is it that you want?"

Darla smiled slightly, and sat next to Douglass on the bed. "Such a loaded
question, my sweet Douglass. What I wanted was one of the strongest lines of
vampires that walked the face of the earth. I'm a direct descendant of the
Master you know, I made Angelus," a dreamy gaze filmed over her eyes. "He was
magnificent, so dark and handsome. Oh and the evil things that boy could come
up with."

"I spoiled him really, let him have his way too many times. He got out of
control for a while, that's when Drucilla happened. It was my plan really, to
corrupt the innocent girl and drive her batty. Angelus took the game too far
when he sired her, his little 'Masterpiece'." Agitated, Darla stood and
walked to the end of the bed as though she were inspecting Willow and
Cordelia.

"I put my foot down then, started punishing Angelus. I would have insisted
that he destroy Drucilla but she had the gift of sight you see and I figured
it would come in handy. Several years we traveled, causing pain and suffering
wherever we went, then William was taken into the family. Such a pigheaded
idiot, he hadn't the mind for the games Angelus and played but had just the
thirst for the kill. I can't even tell you the number of towns we were ran
out of because of that one."

Walking over to a window to the right of the bed, Darla stood and stared out
at the city below. "We were a family though. We would never had turned on one
another, that is until Angelus got the horrid soul. That's when it all fell
apart, we went after the gypsies but there was no help for him. William and
Drucilla gave up hope of ever getting Angelus back, they ran off one night
and I was left alone."

"Silly me, I've gotten off topic, now what was I saying...oh yes why? I'm
rebuilding my family. Starting with curing Drucilla, I'm looking into getting
Spikes chip removed plus I want my boy back and I will have him by my side
again one day. But most importantly I have a new addition in mind." Darla
walked over the bed and leaned over kissing Douglass's forehead. "You will
make a beautiful vampire."

"Never." Douglass spat at Darla.

"Well, not yet, First things first." With a snap of her fingers Max appeared
from behind a red hot branding iron in his hand.

Douglass whimpered as he got closer, a sound that turned into loud
uncontrollable sobs. Suddenly the air was filled with a scream that echoed
off the walls.