FRED BURKLE + ANGELUS (+ MERL)
PG-13 | COMPLETE NARRATIVE
While the others were gearing up for the morning and ready to head out to follow some new leads, Fred volunteered to track down some energy food and caffeine. One of her favorite pastry spots was not far down the street, and it had been far too long since she'd paid them a visit. Not even counting the time spent in Atlantis but also because she hadn't been by since the group joined onto Wolfram and Hart. They'd had breakfast foods brought in every morning, so there hadn't been any need to bring in her own. Each and every day she was away from them, though, she was realizing how stupid it had been to ever join them. Fight from inside the belly of the beast? It wasn't that simple.
The walk wasn't a long one, but Fred took her time. Los Angeles had only been her home for two or three years, but it was still home. She missed it - a lot. Mostly, she missed the people that were in it, so the fact that Angelus had been the first one to pop up? It was harder than she probably had admitted to anyone and even herself. Angel was family to her, and she missed that family dearly. Seeing Lorne at Caritas had been a breath of fresh air, and he'd had to practically peel her off of him when she'd given him the tightest hug she could manage.
Once at the bakery, Fred made sure to stock up on plenty of doughnuts and coffee. It was no secret that she could put away some carbs, but there was also a Jedi, a dhampir, and a super soldier back at the Hyperion that needed feeding too. She was pretty sure that the person who'd assembled her order of an assortment of four dozen doughnuts thought she was feeding an army. Then there was the case of coffee that would probably last them a few hours. As she walked back down the street towards the hotel, Fred carried the bagged boxes of doughnuts in one hand and the case of coffee in the other. Even though it was daylight outside and she wasn't much worried about Angelus finding her at this time in the morning, she still kept her eyes peeled for anything unusual. Staying cautious was what made her spot a figure in the shadows about a block away from the bakery.
"Psst, hey you," an unfamiliar voice caught her attention. Fred stopped in her tracks. The voice didn't sound anything like Angelus, but she knew that he could use others to do his dirty work. When she didn't see anyone, she kept walking only to hear the voice again and a little louder this time. "Psst!"
When she looked around, Fred saw a man in a dark hoodie under an awning of a store. There was a stake inside her jacket pocket and a knife tucked in her pant leg, but both were going to be hard to get to with the doughnuts and coffee in her hands. The guy motioned her over, but Fred stayed back a few steps.
"You're one of Angel's lackeys right?"
Okay, now he'd gotten her attention. "Who are you?" She asked, stepping closer but not too close. When he looked up at her from under his hood, Fred realized why he was wearing it in the first place. She took a small step backwards when she saw his green skin and red eyes. The only green-skinned demon she called a friend wore brightly-colored suits and eyeliner, not dark-hooded sweatshirts.
"Who are you?" She asked cautiously.
"Name's Merl," the demon said. Fred frowned at the name. She'd never met the guy, but she was pretty sure Merl had been a snitch that Angel threatened from time to time for information. And he was dead. "Word is that Angel isn't himself lately," Merl continued. "So, I got some info that might help you out. For a price."
Fred narrowed her eyes. "What kind of message?"
"Oh, you know. The kind that might lead you on your way to fixing your problem, but I don't work for free." Merl held up a folded piece of paper.
Really? No wonder Angel had to basically threaten this guy every time he needed information. Where was Rose? Fred was sure that the dhampir could easily get what information out of him that they needed. She didn't know exactly what sort of demon Merl was, but she was hardly afraid of him. He seemed harmless enough, right? So, she stepped up to him.
"Fine," she said. "You want to get paid, then come back with me to the Hyperion. I don't have anything with me, but we'll work something out." He didn't seem convinced, but she cut him off before he could speak. "Or I'll put the word out that you're giving up Angelus. You think Angel is a pain in your ass? You haven't met his evil twin yet, have you?" Even though this timeline was weird, she was pretty sure that she still had some underground Wolfram and Hart contacts she could use. Or she could just walk into the Caritas and announce to the demon world what he was doing. Okay, not that she would do either one of those, but he didn't know that.
"Alright, alright. Damn. You people are all the same," he whined. "Here. I risked my neck getting this, you know."
Taking the piece of paper, she unfolded it and saw a map. Some of the streets she recognized, some she thought looked different than they should have. After looking at it a little more closely, she realized that it wasn't a normal street map. It was a map of the sewer system and showed exactly how to get where Angelus was hiding out somewhere in the city. She looked up at Merl. "You're coming with me. Let's go."
He followed, albeit reluctantly, and they started back towards the hotel again. They were about three blocks away when suddenly she felt a firm grip on her shoulder and she was jerked into a dark alcove along with Merl who was sent flying into the back wall. She dropped the coffee and doughnuts in the commotion, but the pastry tragedy was ignored when she realized exactly who had grabbed them. Angelus.
"Fred! Good to see you." Angelus sneered at her then looked at the demon who was just starting to stand then back at her again. "Really? You're going to go with him as your source? Even Angel only went to the bottom of the barrel as a last resort." As soon as Merl got to his feet, he scurried out the door while Angelus kept his attention on Fred. He would hunt the rat down later.
Fred steeled herself and didn't give anything away. The map was still in her hand, and she slowly started to reach into her inside jacket pocket for the stake she'd hidden there before leaving the hotel. As soon as he spotted the movement, Angelus rushed towards her and backed her against the back of a couch. Tsking her, he took the stake out himself and gave it a disapproving sigh.
"Winifred, Winifred, Winifred," he said and held the sharpened stake against her throat. You didn't really think this would be enough, did you? You're more the shoot and run type. You should leave the fighting to the adults."
"You don't scare me," she said as confidently as she could.
Angelus chuckled. "I don't? Didn't Roger and Trish teach you better than to lie to your elders? That pesky thump thump thump of a heartbeat gives you away, sweetheart." He grinned. "Same way that it did your daughter on that rooftop."
Fred's face hardened. "You're never getting near her again."
"I knew the moment I saw her that she was yours," Angelus said, ignoring her. "Not just the smell of her blood, but that pretty little face. Twiggy, just like you, but still such a pretty face. Innocent on the outside, but also just like you, I bet she's a tiger on the inside." As he said the words, Angelus trailed the tip of the stake down her neck and chest. Fred jerked in his grasp but all she got for her trouble was another laugh from him. "Don't worry, Fred. I'll make sure she's well taken care of."
"You're still a pig," she said, her voice dripping with disdain and in a moment of impulse, she spit directly in his face.
The act earned her a slap to the face and being tossed across the floor. She'd expected it and had taken the moment to pick out the knife from her pant leg. He came for her again, and when he did, Fred jabbed the knife into his side. It wouldn't kill him or stop him, but it did take him by surprise and gave her the chance to scurry away from him. Going for the map that had been dropped during the scuffle, she grabbed hold of it but not before Angelus did the same once he realized what she was doing. He growled and lunged at her, causing her to jump back and ripping the map in half. She didn't think twice before going for the door and falling through it out into the safety of sunlight. Angelus jumped back and glared at her from inside the alcove as she hurried away and back towards the hotel to find the others. She might have only been able to secure half the map, but at least it was one step closer to getting Angel back.