DOYLE, DEMON WATCHER
PART SIX - EPILOGUE
Disclaimers: Angel: the Series and Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to Joss Whedon, David Greenwalt, Mutant Enemy, Greenwolf Corp, Kuzui Enterprises, Sandollar Television, Fox, and the WB. Highlander: the Series belongs to Rysher Entertainment, Davis/Panzer Productions, and Gaumont Television. No copyright infringement was intended. This story was written for entertainment, and no money was exchanged.
Spoilers and Timing: In the Angel Universe, it takes place after "Rm w/a Vu". In the Highlander Universe, it takes place after Highlander: The Series' ending. There are spoilers for "Money no Object".
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*****
Prescott was furious. He paced back and forth in Spike's lair. The vampire minions stood out of range. He'd already dusted two in his rage, and without knowing how to kill him, they were afraid of him.
Prescott ignored them. He wanted Doyle and Joe, but the vampires had to go and mess it up.
He walked up to the vampire scout that had been near Joe's hotel room. "Tell me everything that happened."
The scout nodded nervously and began his story. "The others waited until the limp guy, Dawson, was next to the window before they grabbed at him. But the other Watcher knocked him to the ground out of the way. Then this b**** with a sword runs in, checks on Dawson, then she and Doyle face the window and attack. The other vampires fought back, but Doyle and the woman dusted them in only minutes."
"This woman, what did she look like?" Prescott asked.
"She was tall, maybe six feet, and had short black hair. She wore fashionable clothes, and her sword was a broadsword, I think."
Prescott smiled. So, Amanda, you've finally caught up with me.
The door opened, and Spike came in. His minions followed him, dragging along an unconscious man Prescott assumed was Angel.
Unlike Prescott's pseudo-unhappy mood, Spike was pleasantly cheerful. He walked over to a table and opened an ancient volume. He looked at one of the pages and his smile got wider. "Soon, Dru. We'll be back together very soon."
Prescott cleared his throat, and Spike looked at him, annoyed. "What?" Spike asked.
"Your minions failed to bring in the Watchers."
Spike stepped toward him until they were only inches away. "You promised to take care of them, Prescott. I gave you those vampires because you said you could get rid of them."
Prescott smiled. "Are you threatening me, Spike? You can't kill me. You've tried."
Spike glared at him. "So, what do you propose this time? Have the watchers kill us all, because that sounds just fabulous, mate."
"I'm going to set up a trap," Prescott answered. "Go ahead and perform the spell to find your girlfriend. I know just the way to lead them into my trap."
"And just how is that?"
Prescott smiled. "You'll see." He turned and walked out the room.
Spike glared at the retreating Immortal's back. But when Nathan Prescott closed the door behind him, the vampire smiled. He walked over to a cabinet and opened it. "You're wrong about one thing. I do know how to kill you, Prescott."
He pulled out a blade. It was an eleventh-century hand-and-a-half Broadsword. Three blood grooves ran down the middle of it.
Spike ran his thumb down one sharp edge. Instantly, blood was drawn from his vein. Satisfied, he looked around at his vampire minions and asked, "Who was the scout at Dawson's hotel room?"
"I…I was," the scout weakly answered.
Spike walked toward him. Realizing his fate, the scout backed away.
"Restrain him," Spike ordered.
Two more vampires held the cowering minion's arms. The scout watched helplessly as Spike approached him. "Please," he begged.
Spike ignored him and swung the blade toward his neck.
The blade sliced cleanly through his neck. The disembodied head fell toward the floor and almost landed when the scout's body turned to dust.
Spike smiled down at the dust pile, then looked at the blade. "Killing you, Prescott, is going to be very fun. I've always liked playing with sharp objects."
After all, he wasn't called Spike for nothing. His favorite torture device was a railroad spike, but for Prescott, the Broadsword would do.
With one more smile, he put the sword back in the cabinet, then walked over to the book and picked it up. "Let's get this show on the road."
PART SEVEN
When Doyle, Amanda, and Joe got to Angel Investigations, Cordelia was waiting for them in the office. She jumped up when she saw Doyle, relieved. After a minute, she tried to hide it with a scowl, but she was pretty sure it had been seen by all.
"Well, you took your time," Cordelia told Doyle. She noticed the two people behind him in the hall. "Hello, Mr. Dawson," seeing the blonde woman, Cordelia looked back at Doyle. "Who's she?"
The three entered the office and Amanda offered her hand. "Amanda. I'm a friend of Joe's."
Cordelia felt a little relieved that she didn't say Doyle and they shook hands. "Cordelia."
Doyle had gone into Angel's office. Now he came back out and asked, "Have you seen Angel, Cordy?"
Cordelia shook her head. "He had to get some-substance," she answered. "But it's been awhile since he left. He hasn't called or anything. Of course, he's always had this habit of disappearing, even in Sunnydale."
"Sunnydale," Amanda repeated. "Is that where you're from?"
Cordelia nodded. "Boy, am I glad to get out of that place. Although, ever since I hooked up with Angel it hasn't been any better."
"Don't worry, Cordy," Doyle assured her. "They know about vampires and demons."
Cordelia's eyes widened, then relaxed. "Oh. That's good to know." She looked around at everyone. "So what happened?"
Amanda, Joe, and Doyle told Cordelia what happened. "They really have a grudge against you, do they?" she asked Joe and Doyle.
Joe shrugged. "I guess so."
"What have you found out, Cordelia?" Doyle asked.
Cordy picked up the picture of the tattoo. "We found out that all of your friends had this tattoo on them. Know anything about it?"
Doyle and Joe exchanged looks. They turned back to Cordelia. "Nope. Never seen it," Joe lied. Doyle nodded in agreement.
Cordelia just shrugged and put the picture back on Angel's desk.
A silence followed this until Doyle asked, "Anything else?"
Cordelia nodded. "Yeah. Spike's the lead suspect."
"Spike?" Doyle asked, alarmed. "He's back in L. A.?"
Cordelia nodded.
"Who's Spike?" Joe asked.
"He's a vampire," Cordelia said. "He kind of has this grudge against the Slayer. And Angel, because he took the Ring of Amara a few weeks back."
"The what?"
"It makes a vampire practically invincible," Cordelia answered. "Nothing can kill them. Not stakes, not sunlight, not anything." Suddenly, she remembered something. "Spike's working with this guy. Angel said the guy carried a sword."
"It's Prescott," Amanda said.
"Are you sure?" Doyle asked.
Amanda nodded. "I'm positive?"
"Who's Prescott?" Cordelia asked.
"He's an old enemy of mine."
"So Spike and Prescott are working together. What do we do now?" Joe asked.
"Wait for Angel to come back, I guess-" Doyle grabbed his head.
"Doyle, what's wrong?" Joe asked, standing up.
Cordelia, who'd seen this before plenty of times, told them, "Get him some water and some aspirin."
Amanda got the water and aspirin, which she found in Angel's office. When she returned, Doyle's vision had ended, but he still looked terrible. Amanda offered the glass and pill to him, but he waved it away. "Could someone get me a scotch?"
Joe smirked, got the bottle, and poured him a shot.
"What did you see?" Cordy asked.
Doyle, after sorting out the Vision, answered, "Angel's been captured by Spike."
"What? Why?"
"It's for a spell. Don't know exactly. All I saw was Angel lying, beaten, in a spell circle. There were candles, and symbols were painted on his chest. Spike was there, reading from a book, and so was Prescott."
"Doyle, do you know where this is?" Amanda was less surprised than Joe was that Doyle had Visions, and recuperated faster.
Doyle shook his head. "There was a sign, but I couldn't make it out. It's in a warehouse, though."
"There must be hundreds of warehouses in L.A.," Joe said.
Doyle turned to Cordelia. "Cordy, could you look up warehouses and their locations? I just need to see the logo and I'll recognize it."
"Okay," Cordelia replied, and headed toward the computer.
"Um, guys," Joe spoke up. Everyone looked at him. "I know a faster way to find Prescott and Spike."
Doyle said, "Are you sure, Joe?"
Joe nodded. "It was different when we thought only vampire cultists were involved in this. Now that we know vampires and Prescott is involved, Cordelia should know. If you trust her, I trust her."
Doyle looked over at Amanda. She nodded. Doyle took a deep breath. "Okay. Joe, go ahead and log onto the Watcher Database. Cordelia, come here. There's something that I want to tell you. And please don't kill me for not telling you sooner, okay?"
*****
Angel woke up sitting on a hard concrete floor, leaning against a support beam. He tried to move his hands from behind his back, and discovered they were chained to the beam. The metal was too strong to break. His ankles were manacled as well.
He studied his surroundings. He was in a small clearing in a warehouse. To the right were two large sliding doors, and to the left were several offices. Between the walls, spread unorderly across the concrete floor, were crates and empty boxes, letting him now that the owners had long since abandoned the warehouse, unless Spike got to them first. The windows and the skylight above were covered to keep the sunlight from pouring in. He had several more hours of the night left over before he had to worry about that, however. Artificial lights lit the building.
One of the office doors opened. Angel looked and saw Spike and several minions walking toward him. The minions held several items needed for spells, such as holy candles, holy chalk, a spell book, etc. One vampire held a limp doll, which Angel recognized as Miss Edith, Drusilla's favorite doll.
A man in a trenchcoat was also with them. Angel knew he was human, because he could hear his heart beating at a normal rate. Must be the guy with a sword Jinx told me about.
Spike smiled at Angel. "Well, Angel. I don't know about you, but I for one am happy to see you, sire."
"Feeling's mutual, William," Angel replied.
"William? Your name's William?" Prescott smiled.
Spike glared at the Immortal. "Why are you still here? Aren't you going to stall your friends before you loose a major part of your anatomy?"
Prescott smiled. "Empty threats, Spike. But I am going. I was waiting for the spell to start."
Spike glared at him. Inside he was fuming. He put his hands at his sides and felt for the sword hidden within his trenchcoat. It wasn't an empty threat, mate. If you don't stop those pesky watchers, I will have your head.
He turned to his minions. "What are you standing around for? Get to work!"
His frightened minions scurried to do his bidding.
Prescott watched while the preparations were made, then slipped out, taking ten vampires with him.
PART EIGHT
Cordelia made a face. "You have to cut off your head to kill you? Eww."
Amanda gaped at the young woman. Doyle wasn't too surprised Cordelia had accepted Immortals and everything about them so fast, but Amanda was. Okay, maybe he was a little surprised, although he shouldn't be. He felt guilty that he hadn't told her sooner.
"You believe me?" Amanda asked.
Cordelia nodded. "Lady, you should visit Sunnydale. The Spanish named it Boca Del Inferno with very good reason, you know. We had to take care of vampires and demons almost every week, perhaps almost every day. I've heard the word apocalypse so many times, there never seemed to be an end to them. Immortals just add to the list."
"I've found him," Joe called from the computer desk.
Everyone went over to him. "What have you got, Joe?" Doyle asked.
"His watcher was one of the people the vampires killed," Joe said. "Before he died, he reported that Prescott had just bought out a warehouse owned by Xanatos Storage. Xanatos had been going out of business and he'd gotten it cheap."
"Know where Xanatos storage is, anyone?" Cordelia asked.
Amanda tensed and looked around. "We don’t need to."
"Another Immortal?" Doyle asked.
Amanda nodded. "Yep, and I'm willing to bet it's Prescott."
She reached inside her coat, which was resting on her chair, and pulled out her Broadsword.
"Woah, Amanda, you aren't planning to go out and face him, are you? What if he has vampires with him? He's done that before, you know." Doyle asked.
Amanda smiled. "That's why it's always good to have friends."
The Buzz led Amanda to an alley opposite the Angel Investigation's building. When she reached the mouth, she pulled out her Broadsword again and walked on.
Prescott stepped out of the shadows in the middle of the short alley. Behind him was a dead end and around them were trash piles and cans. There were a million hiding places here.
Prescott smiled. "Hello, Amanda."
Amanda held her sword up in a fighting position. "Prescott."
"I didn't know you were here. If I had, I would have had so much more fun."
"Glad to disappoint you," Amanda said. "Are we going to fight or hold a tea party?"
Prescott smiled again. "Actually, I thought we could reach some sort of agreement. You know I have the vampire with a soul. If you win, I'll take you to him. If you loose, well, you won't live for much longer."
Amanda smiled deviously, knowing how bad Prescott was with a sword and at lying, and knowing there was no chance in h*** he was going to win this time. "Agreed."
They fought. Amanda was on the offensive right away. She swung at his left shoulder, and he blocked and forced him to walk further back. She kept swinging, and he kept blocking or parrying, and she kept forcing him back.
Prescott soon felt the alley's dead end wall against his back. It distracted him enough for Amanda to knock his sword out of his hand.
Amanda put her sword against his neck. Prescott looked surprised. She smiled. "Where's Angel and Spike?"
Prescott stared at her for a minute, then he relaxed. "You haven't won yet, Amanda." He waited a minute or two, then glanced around. "Idiots! You can come out now!"
"If you say so, Prescott," Doyle said, stepping out from behind a row of trash cans on the left. He held an empty crossbow and a stake.
Cordelia stepped into the light on the right. She held a crossbow, and in her belt, she had a stake and a cross. Between them, Joe appeared, holding a stake and a cross.
Prescott stared at them, then at Amanda. He gulped.
Amanda smiled. "Now," she dug her sword into his skin. Prescott grunted. "Where's Angel?"
PART NINE
Wearing gloves, Spike's minions placed blessed candles at key points around the warehouse, while others drew symbols on Angel's naked chest with pig's blood. One symbol was a star, which was drawn onto the center of his chest, with the star's center placed directly above his heart. When they were finished, the minions stood in front of each candle and waited.
Holding an open book and a sacrificial knife, Spike stood at least five feet in front of Angel. "Osiris, god of the dead and the afterlife," he chanted. He took a step toward Angel.
He thrust the blade up to the hilt through Angel's chest less than an inch above his heart, but still within the center of the star-symbol.
Angel screamed. The blade was blessed, and it hurt a lot.
Spike stepped back, and spoke to the ceiling, "I offer this vampire as a sacrifice. Accept his blood, and grant my request."
As if in an answer, the candles' flames burned higher and brighter for several seconds.
Angel's blood flowed out of his chest onto the ground. The blood stopped a few inches away, and formed a small circle of red liquid around the vampire. Spike stepped back and stood outside the circle. The symbols on Angel's chest glowed a bright red, except for the star, which glowed a bright, blinding white.
Angel's blood never stopped flowing from the wound. He could feel himself getting weaker. He needed to drink soon, or he'd die.
Spike knew it, too. He smiled, and leaned down to Angel's ear and whispered, "Hurts, doesn't it? With you dead, Dru will have no choice but to accept me."
"You-you think…she'll come to you after…everything that happened?" Angel said weakly. He laughed, trying to seem stronger than he was, but he couldn't. The knife and perhaps even Osiris were preventing him from keeping up a strong front. He ended up coughing. "She'll still prefer me over you…any day."
Spike fought to control his fury, then looked back up at the ceiling. "Almighty god Osiris! I, William the Bloody also known as Spike, the childe of this sire, hearby call upon you to locate this sire's other childe, the vampire known as Drusilla."
A minion handed him Miss Edith and stepped back. Spike threw the doll into the circle of blood.
"This object was hers. Almighty, I request that you use it to find her and lead her here and back to my arms."
A wall of white light appeared around the circle. The symbols on Angel's chest glowed brighter.
Angel felt pain all over his body, as if the light were as deadly as the sun. In only a few minutes, the spell would be complete, and he would be dust, if not from the light then from blood loss.
After a rumbling noise reminiscent of thunder, the barrier of light flashed and disappeared, and the candles were blown out by a wind that wasn't there.
The symbols on Angel's chest were the last things to dim and become dry blood. The pool of Angel's blood on the floor evaporated, sending smoke up to the ceiling.
The warehouse was completely dark.
"Lights!" Spike called.
The main power was turned back on, and the room was lit again by electricity.
Angel was still tied to the pillar. The sacrificial blade was still plunged in his chest, but no more blood flowed out of the wound. Angel wasn't dust yet, but he was getting very close.
Spike stared at Angel for a minute, not sure if the spelled worked or not.
Then the arrows began to fly through the windows.
Nine of his minions fell under the onslaught, and Spike hid behind a crate, barely missing an arrow.
Cordelia, Doyle, and Amanda charged into the warehouse. Cordelia and Doyle held crossbows and Amanda held a medieval sword.
"Get them!" Spike ordered his remaining eight vampires.
His minions attacked. Doyle fired another bolt at one of them, and it was dust. Then they were too close to use the crossbow. Amanda swung her sword, beheading two vampires with one clean stroke. That left five.
Doyle hit one vampire on the side of the head, sending him spinning back to Cordelia. She staked him in the back. Another vampire rushed her, and she held it back with her cross.
Meanwhile, a third minion was fighting with Doyle. Amanda faced the last, having already beheaded the fifth vampire. Her vampire had found a crowbar and was blocking her swings.
Doyle dusted his vampire and turned to Cordelia. Her vampire knocked the cross out of her hands and grabbed her neck. Doyle walked up to him. The vampire looked in his direction and Doyle punched him. The vampire let go of Cordelia. Doyle brought his fist up again but the vampire blocked it. When he tried to punch the vampire with his left hand, the vampire grabbed his wrist.
Cordelia had picked up her cross and now stuck it in the vampire's face. The vampire loosened his grip on Doyle and Doyle kneed him in the stomach, forcing the vampire away.
Meanwhile, Amanda dusted her vampire and hurried over to help the others.
She saw the remaining minion rush Doyle. Doyle side stepped. Unable to stop, the vampire raced over to her and her sword. Amanda beheaded it.
The vampire burst into a cloud of dust.
The threesome looked around and saw Angel. "Angel!" Doyle and Cordelia cried at the same time. They ran over and untied him while Amanda scouted the area. She returned a few minutes later.
"Spike's fled," she reported.
Angel was now lying on his back on the ground. His features had transformed, hungry for blood.
Doyle pulled a pack out of his jacket and held it to Angel's lips. They'd found Angel's car on the way there, and had gotten the blood from it before heading there.
Angel drank greedily, draining the entire packet. Doyle, Cordelia, and Amanda tried to not to look disgusted by the sight.
A few minutes later, his wounds were beginning to heal, and Angel's face returned to normal. Doyle and Amanda helped him up and over to the convertible.
EPILOGUE
Angel, now fully recovered, sat at the table in his apartment. Amanda, Doyle, Joe, and Cordelia were eating supper, and Angel even ate a few things.
"So, you're a vampire," Joe said. His eyes glistened with curiosity and excitement, even a little fear, but the denial and shock was gone. Angel figured the Watcher had seen enough proof that night not to be in denial.
Angel smiled a little. "Yeah. I'm a vampire."
Joe spent the entire meal drilling him with questions-did he drink blood, how old was he, did he sleep in a coffin, etc. Finally, Doyle cut in, saying, "I think you've tortured him enough, Joe."
Angel threw a relieved look in the half-demon's direction.
After they finished eating, Joe and Doyle told Angel about the Watchers and the Immortals. When they were finished, Angel nodded. "That explains a few things," he commented.
"Well," Amanda said, getting up. Even after they explained it all, Angel had trouble believing that this young-looking woman was actually twelve hundred years old. He'd gotten used to being the elder. "I've gotta go. I don't think Duncan would mind if I came over for a short visit."
Joe chuckled. "He'd love to see you, Amanda. He always does. Are you going to warn him before you show up at the airport?"
Amanda seemed to consider it for a moment. "Nah."
Joe chuckled again and stood up, too. "I've gotta head on up to Seacouver, too." He looked at Doyle. "I'll be expecting your report tomorrow."
Doyle rolled his eyes, but nevertheless answered, "You've got it, Boss. You came seeking my help, and we discovered that the killer was Nathan Prescott just about the same time Amanda here took his head. Nothin' about vampires or nasty headache-inducing visions to speak of."
Joe smiled. "Glad to hear it."
"What about Prescott?" Angel asked, wondering if Amanda really did take his head.
Amanda smiled. "You won't have to worry about him anymore."
Angel didn’t press. He got his answer.
Doyle, Cordelia, and Angel escorted them up the elevator to the front door. After Joe and Amanda were gone, the three walked back to the office. "I need a drink." Doyle said, walking toward the liquor bottle beside the coffee machine.
Cordelia grabbed his arm, stopping him. When Doyle looked at her, she slapped him.
Doyle rubbed his red cheek. "What was that for?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were a Watcher? We agreed not to keep secrets from each other. We agreed it was bad to keep secrets, cause stuff like all this could happen!"
"Relax, Cordelia," Angel said, smiling inwardly. "We all have our secrets."
Cordelia didn't say anything else. "I'm gonna call it a night. If you need me, Angel, I'll be at home."
She stormed out. Doyle sighed, poured the much-needed drink, and sat down. He'd known Cordelia wouldn't take it lightly that he'd lied to her, but it still hurt for the girl he had a crush on to be angry with him.
"She'll get over it," Angel promised.
"Yeah," Doyle said. He downed his shot. "Spike completed the spell." He looked at Angel.
The vampire sighed and looked at his desk. "Yeah, he did."
"Drusilla's going to come," Doyle said. "Spike will probably head back to Sunnydale. If they're going to be together again, Buffy should know."
"I'll tell her tomorrow," Angel promised.
Doyle nodded. "I'm going to head off. 'Night, Angel."
"Goodnight."
When he heard the door slam, Angel picked up the book he was reading earlier and read from the bookmarked page onward. But he wasn't reading it. He was thinking about everything that had happened that evening.
He wasn't angry with Doyle. He understood the need for secrecy sometimes. What he was worried about were his childe, Drusilla, and his grandchilde, Spike, and of Buffy, who would have to deal with them.
He was about to call her when the phone rang. Angel picked it up. "Hello, Angel Investigations. We…help the helpless."
"Hello, Angel," Giles said. "We've managed to log onto the Watcher Database, and it's hard to believe what's there. There's no mention of these Immortals or the Watchers that chronicle their lives in any of my books, yet the site claims that the Watcher Society has been around for four thousand years."
"You don't have to tell me, Giles," Angel said. "I know all about them."
"Oh," Giles paused. "You got information from another source?"
"Yeah."
"Well," Giles went on. "I hope it helps with…whatever you need it for."
"Oh, it did," Angel assured him. He added, "Spike was here."
"Spike? What was he doing in L. A.?"
"He needed my blood to locate Drusilla and bring her to him."
"Oh, dear," Giles said. "Did he succeed?"
"Yes, he did."
"I'd tell Buffy and the others right away. I would advise you to be careful in case they show up in L. A. sometime in the future. Thank you for telling me, Angel."
"I'll be careful," Angel promised. "Tell Buffy and everyone to be careful, too. Bye, Giles."
Angel hung up.
Doyle stepped into his apartment, cleared a space on his couch, and sat down. He sighed heavily. Cordelia and Angel knew about Immortals now. That wasn't a big deal, really. It was Joe he was worried about.
He was sure Joe would keep quiet about all of this. But what about the other Watchers? What if they found out that Angel was an immortal being, and they mistake him for an Immortal?
He'd always worried about these things ever since he became a Watcher. But before, he'd never associated with an Immortal except with Amanda that night in Harry's Bar and Grill. What if they found out that he'd worked with Amanda to get Angel back? What if they found out he was a half-demon?
He couldn't guarantee Joe would stay silent. But Doyle couldn't exactly get out of this. The Watchers were everywhere, pretty much. He'd just have to take the same risk he'd taken for the last two years. He'd also have to figure out a way to be in Cordelia's favor again.
That's when the pain came. Doyle didn't know it at the time, but his arms lashed out, knocking clothes off the couch onto the piles on the floor.
Doyle saw only flashes of images, but they were enough to fill him in.
When the Vision ended, Doyle got some aspirin and picked up the phone, dialing Angel's number. He had to tell Angel what he saw before it was too late.
James Horton's followers, the Hunters, were coming to L. A.
The End
