DISCLAIMER: Angel the Series/Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy etc. Elizabeth Blaine and attendant characters belong to Wes Craven etc. I'm just playing. If, herein, other characters bear a certain resemblance to familiar faces, it's intentional and they, of course, belong to their various creators as well.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: 1. I write femslash. Therefore, there be f/f lovin' ahead. If you don't like it, find another 'ship. 2. Vampires and blood and stakes, oh my! This story is dark in places. Not all the time, and not forever, but there will be some points where things aren't pretty. If you are bothered by graphic descriptions of the evil that men do, you may wish to find something fluffy. 3. Some knowledge of the show, Angel and the movies Dracula II and III (Ascension and Legacy) are quite probably necessary, though not entirely so.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Resurrection is for the Unbelievers
By sHaYcH
Chapter Thirty-Nine
"Fucking son of an – Ow! Can you please make the attempt to be gentle?" Sitting in the emergency room with Elizabeth at her side while her cast was cut off, Kate was not the cheeriest of patients. After four weeks in the immobilizing wrap, it was time to change out to a more traditional cast.
While she had sucked down Willow's funky potions with undisguised disgust, Thomas Bizby had been busy getting himself flayed, gutted and put on gruesome display in Millennium Park. The European player had let his feelings with regard to Bizby's fuck up with Gareth Evans be known in a clear and brutal fashion. Evans had been a broken cog in the wheel of Caruso's enterprise and his death had gone unmourned.
Whispers on the street fluttered up saying that the warlock was scared spitless by the European, which left Kate determined to find and stop him. To do that, she needed to be whole, which was why she was chugging potion after god-awful potion.
"Relax, Dick, and let the doctor work." Elizabeth put a calming hand on the detective's shoulder.
Living together had afforded the two women the chance for their tentative friendship to grow, and their bond showed in the small touches and glances they shared. The Kate Lockley that left Los Angeles would not recognize the woman who calmly sat in the arms of a creature some would have called a vampire.
"But it hurts, Doc," Kate replied as she watched her physician gently wash the newly revealed arm. "Ew, I can see that I'll need a long session with a pair of sharp scissors when that's healed." The hair on her arm was markedly longer.
"Unless you want it to grow back thicker and darker, you'll leave it be," Elizabeth cautioned, earning her a chuckle from the doctor who was attending Kate's arm.
"Well, at least she didn't say she was going to shave it off," the woman said. She looked up at the vampath and said, "She calls you Doc – are you a doctor?"
Elizabeth smiled sadly. "No, but I was a med student in another life."
Gray eyes widened. "Ah." Sagely, the doctor nodded. "I've been there." Changing her now soaked gloves to dry ones, she reached for the gauze sleeve that would be the first layer to Kate's new cast. "Spent a few years as a nurse before realizing that I wanted to do more than carry bedpans and take temperatures."
"Sometimes, I think about going back," Elizabeth said. Gazing at a distant spot on the wall, she sighed and added, "But I've changed too much."
Umber tinged hair fell into the doctor's face, obscuring her eyes as she cocked her head and smiled warmly. "I've found that when we think we've changed the most, we've really just become more of who we were meant to be."
"Maybe." The vampath looked down at Kate and said, "Or maybe I've found a better calling."
"Everybody's got to do what comes naturally," the doctor said softly. Rolling her stool closer to Kate she said, "All right, let's see about that jaw."
The new cast itched. With a bent and taped wire coat hanger in hand, Kate listened to her caller while scratching vigorously under the edge of the fiberglass.
"Yeah, I'm doing fine, Fred. No, no I haven't had to dismember, stake or shoot anything recently. Broken hand, remember? Yeah, I know, but hey, I'm getting pretty good at that one-handed typing thing." But I can eat a regular hamburger without first having to puree it. That's something, at least. Kate smiled as she envisioned exactly what she would make for dinner. Meat, lots and lots of meat, and vegetables, and chewy, crunchy things that have a texture other than thick and gooey.
With the changing of the cast had come the removal of the wires keeping her jaw closed, which was a freedom that Kate had reveled in on an almost daily basis.
The office door opened and Elizabeth wandered into the room. Spotting Kate, she strode over to her side, neatly removed the improvised scratching device and gave her an admonishing glance. The wire hanger ended up twisted into a tiny ball and thrown into the trash.
Kate glared at the vampath but said nothing. Instead, she said, "Well, this is what we know – the European is someone who goes by the name Mr. Finster. They say he's a real piece of work. Yeah, I know. No, I haven't actually seen him, but my sources say that he scares the living snot out of everyone." Kate grabbed a pen and wrote something on her notepad. Turning it so that Elizabeth could see, she tapped the letters emphatically.
The vampath leaned over and read, "Stateway Gardens – investigate for possible vampire nest. Meet Kennedy at six outside of Tony's."
Since it was just now half past five, the vampath nodded and headed for her room. The storage area had been entirely given over to her needs. The few things that had been back here before were either locked in an upstairs closet or dispersed throughout the premises.
Aside from the futon, there was a small table and some chairs, plus shelving and a dresser for her things. She had added a couple of plants and a few pieces of cheap art to make the room seem a little less cold.
Rarely did she spend any time within the small room. Eating, bathing, and socializing were all either done in the office or upstairs in Kate's loft studio. As a bedroom though, the room worked quite well. The lack of much furniture made it an idea place to spar with Kennedy, too.
Elizabeth did share the space – with Kate's collection of weapons. Kept in a locked cabinet against the wall next to the door was an impressive array of axes, swords, knives, crossbows, stakes and of course, ammunition for her sidearm.
It was to this cabinet that Elizabeth went. Opening it, she withdrew a well-worn stake, a bottle of holy water and an unusual looking vest-like piece of clothing.
Made from black leather, pieces of aircraft aluminum and duct tape, the garment resembled something that would be seen in a post apocalyptic film, and was in truth the nearest thing to armor that the vampath could devise. Elizabeth was not stupid, and after being beaten, kicked, and stabbed several times, she was more than willing to take precautions.
With Kennedy's help, and access to a myriad of websites devoted to the making of medieval recreationist armor, it was simplicity to find the parts and put together the vest that she now slipped on and strapped into place.
Over that, she wore a trench coat, the inside of which was dotted with several hidden pockets containing things like bandages, a cell phone and a place to hide her stake. Her shoes of choice were a pair of heavy duty, steel toed combat boots. To complete the outfit, she wore black BDU pants and a t-shirt, usually something in a dark color.
With her red hair pulled back in a braid or pony tail, she looked more like she was headed out for a night of partying at raves or playing the role of some kind of anti-hero in a live action role playing game. The vampath's ability to find even the tiniest patch of shadow and make it a part of her being made it easy for her to go unnoticed.
Tonight would be the first time she and Kennedy had gone out together. Facing down a nest of vamps with a slayer at her side sounded both fun and intriguing. At least this time there'd be someone to watch her back.
Eyeing the cache of weapons once more, she bit her lip and then reached for a sword.
"Unless you know how to use it, don't – cops take a dim view to anyone toting around three feet of sharpened steel." Leaning on the doorframe, Kate watched her employee prepare for a night of work. Crossing her arms, she said, "You know, there will come a time when I'll need you to actually be my secretary – I'm certainly not going to sit around on my ass once this comes off." She tapped the cast.
"Vampathic Administrative Assistant," Elizabeth muttered.
"What?" Kate pushed off the doorjamb. Shaking her head, "You want me to be politically correct about your job title? What does one call someone who answers the phone, writes your invoices and wears armor on a nightly basis? Gee, Doc, I'm not sure they've come up with a name for that yet."
Elizabeth belted the jacket shut and turned to face her boss. "I don't know, Dick." She sighed and pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail. "It's all work to me."
Ice blue eyes reflected the worry that Kate felt. "If you'd rather not go, I can still shoot one handed."
Smiling tightly, Elizabeth replied, "Don't stress, Kate. I have no problems killing vamps. I've done it before, I'll do it again." She walked over to stand in front of the detective.
The difference in their heights was usually negligible, but now, with the vampath decked out for battle, Kate suddenly felt very small. She looked up at Elizabeth and said, "Be careful – I'm running out of Band-Aids."
A sardonic smile shaped the vampath's lips into a half moon curve. Leaning forward, she pressed a soft kiss against the side of Kate's face, just in front of her ear and then whispered, "You're worried about me. I like that."
Kate's eyes shut at the touch of Elizabeth's lips against her face. Heat suffused her. Breathing became a series of tiny sips of air that slipped into a chest that was tight with a straightjacket of emotion. By the time she opened her eyes, Elizabeth was gone.
Chapter Forty
The sun had not quite set, so Elizabeth wore shades to protect her eyes from the dying rays of light. Leaping from building to building, the vampath felt a little like one of those action film stars she'd always scoffed at. With her coat fluttering behind her, the weight of the armor – everything was oh, so over the top.
She came to a stumbling stop at the edge of a rooftop. And soon to be over the side if you don't watch where you're going. It was just by sheer luck, determination and a cat-like sense of balance that she didn't tumble head first into the pavement. She'd been so caught up in leap, run, leap that she had forgotten to look and leapt a distance that was very nearly too great, even for her. When she looked back and eyeballed the length, she let out a low whistle.
"That was an almost splat." Putting it behind her, she continued on until she arrived outside of Tony's Pizzeria and Gelato shop. Carefully she descended to street level and emerged from an alley.
Kennedy was leaned against a wall, drinking a milkshake. Willow was no where to be seen, but that didn't mean that the witch wasn't there in spirit. A tiny, almost imperceptible shimmer surrounded the slayer in a fine, yellowish mist.
Around her neck, the small dark haired woman wore a necklace in the shape of a hand clutching a crystal ball. It was from this that the glow emanated.
"Willow's work?" Elizabeth asked softly as she edged into Kennedy's personal space.
The slayer grinned. "Yup, my girl's got me covered – let's hope it's equal to aircraft aluminum and leather, hmm? I'm not interested in feeling pain tonight."
The vampath's grin matched Kennedy's. "Me either, but my luck where fights are concerned has never been very good. I expect to be bleeding by night's end."
"Great attitude – if you were one of the baby slayers, I'd make you do push-ups 'til you puked." Kennedy hucked her cup into a nearby trashcan, making a perfect basket. "Success on a mission is all about attitude, Doc. You gotta know you're gonna come home – know it with everything you got, or you're gonna be a liability." She gave the vampath a long, hard look. "You may be Janet Jack'em Up, or you just might be damned lucky. I'm not sure which yet, so don't go fucking my opinion of you this early, 'k?"
Taken aback by the slayer's harsh words, Elizabeth could only nod. Though she was much older, the vampath suddenly understood why slayers never lived long. They age so fast – her eyes tell of horrors that my nightmares can only imagine.
As they walked, Kennedy explained the best way to kill a vampire.
"Go for the heart. Nothing else will do, unless you manage to cut off its head, get it into sunlight or set it on fire."
"Yes, I'm familiar with that part," Elizabeth said dryly. Visceral memories of pain that was like being immersed in molten lava danced across her body. Swallowing heavily, she said, "I'm very familiar with it."
"Sorry. Forgot." Kennedy sighed. "So – tell me about it. I only know a little. You were a child of some big bad, I know that much."
Softly, Elizabeth explained her history to the slayer. At the end of the tale, Kennedy shook her head and gave a long, low whistle.
"You're either the luckiest vampire I know, or the unluckiest human. Either way, I … well, I don't know what exactly to say other than that I'm glad you're on my side. The shit you seem to be able to do is so beyond my understanding. I mean, I'm a stab 'em, slab 'em type. I'd rather leave the magickal crap to Willow." She smiled brightly. "I'm learning to appreciate it though."
"Well, I don't know anything about magic – with or without the K." Elizabeth shrugged. "Kate seems to know a little, but that's not something we talk about."
They rounded a corner and entered the projects. Full darkness had fallen, leaving the streets clouded in shadows that were patched by streetlamps that popped up in tiny, yellow islands of light. Usually, it was under those lights that people would gather, but not recently.
According to Dersk, the nest that had taken over a quadrant of the building they were heading for had cowed the entire neighborhood into submission. The city police were grateful for the lowered crime rates, but frustrated by the sudden rash of exsanguinated bodies whose only injury were tiny puncture wounds in the neck.
The more superstitious among the men and women in blue had taken to wearing crosses and carrying holy water. The rest scoffed at their co-workers and went on believing that a serial killer was prowling the streets.
"Okay, I usually do this with like, four other girls with me, so I'm used to using hand signals. It's pretty simple," Kennedy whispered as they approached a boarded up window. "We go in and we stake anything that moves. If you get in trouble, fight your way outside – vamps don't like to draw attention to themselves."
"Kennedy, I think I can handle it," Elizabeth said, smirking a little. She drew her stake and gripped it tightly. "Shall we?"
The slayer was only slightly disturbed by the wicked gleam that lit the vampath's eyes as her fangs morphed into being.
That's weird. She doesn't go all ugly face when she changes. Just gets… sexier. God, I'd better not mention that to Will or she'll kick my butt.
Grinning, Kennedy said, "We shall."
Somewhere in the midst of all the dust, Elizabeth realized that she had bitten off far more than she could chew. In fact, with her mouth plastered tightly against the throat of one particularly large specimen of demon-souled vampdom, she knew that she was going to regret her actions for days to come.
The Tos symbiote was powerful – in fact, it was drunk with all the liquid emotion that she was virtually swimming in – a heady combination of rage and stark raving terror had filled her with enough strength to dust six of the vampires before she had gone more than ten feet into the nest.
But now, it was beginning to level out. The inhabitant's initial rage had either been dampened by the loss of their members or by the thrill of the fight. Sometime back, Kennedy had gotten the four terrified humans the vamps had planned as their breakfast out which meant that the thread of terror was gone.
Now all that Elizabeth had to fight on were her own strength and the blazing core of fire that was Kennedy. Unwilling to draw power from a friend, the vampath shut off that source and reached for other, darker forms of energy.
She engaged rapport and opened herself to the demonic mind of the vampire she was battling. Immediately, she was awash in a cold, almost frigid sensation of hate. It snarled and punched her several times, but she held on, determined to suck it dry. With a whimper, it struggled weakly until she pulled away and almost carelessly staked it in the heart.
Licking her lips, she turned to look around the room and spotted a knot of vamps coming for her. Filled with the dark energy, she leaped for them, kicking and punching in a flying spate of blows that left them disorganized and confused.
Across the room, Kennedy watched Elizabeth fight with a critical eye. Her own style was broader, relying on the use of found weapons rather than the strength of her fists, and it was something to watch the tall, red headed vampath plow into five huge bloodsuckers like they were nothing more than bowling pins.
At one point, they locked gazes and the slayer had a moment to wonder if the vampath was even sane. Then the red head dove for another bloodsucker, grabbed him and tore his throat out with her stake.
Blood sprayed across the vampath's face and her lips twisted into a wicked grin. Her eyes seemed to take on a dark glow as she bent her head down and bit deeply into the vampire's throat.
Holy mother of all Gods, what the hell is she? Then Kennedy was unable to watch further as she was swarmed by four very angry vampires.
The crack of gunfire broke through the sounds of fighting like a clap of thunder. Hard upon the heels was a shout of pain, another gunshot and then a groan.
Kennedy took advantage of the break to stake three vamps and kick the fourth into a wall. Quickly, she searched for Elizabeth. The vampath was on the other side of the room, trading blow after blow with a female vampire whose hair was so blonde it almost glowed.
Aside from the groaning vamp lying against the wall, she was all that was left of the nest. With a negligent flip of her wrist, Kennedy threw her stake into the demon's chest and he melted into dust. She started to run to Elizabeth's side, but skittered to a halt less than three feet away from the dueling pair when she saw the dark, glittering shape of a gun in the female vamp's hand.
Muzzle flash lit up the room. Elizabeth staggered back with a soft groan of pain. The blonde grinned wickedly, spun the gun around on her finger and blew on the smoking muzzle. She then turned to face Kennedy.
"Bye-di-bye, slayer slut," she sing-songed.
Before she had a chance to pull the trigger, though, Elizabeth was there, bowling her over. They struggled and knocked over the room's single lamp, killing the light. There were two more shots and then, nothing. Blinking to clear her eyes, Kennedy pulled out a flashlight, clicked it on and shined the beam toward where she had last seen Elizabeth.
"Doc?" she called softly.
Red hair lit up like fireworks on July Fourth under the bright glare of the flashlight. Green eyes opened and tried to focus. Groaning, the vampath tried to move, but couldn't find the strength.
"Is she dust?"
"In the wind," the vampath growled and then she began to curse. "Armor – I wore armor and the motherfucking scum sucking bitch had a fucking gun! I don't believe it! Ow, fuck, damn it! Kate's going to kill me."
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