22City Of...
"Into every generation, there is a chosen one. One girl in all the world. She alone will wield the strength and skill to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness; To stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. She is the Slayer."
Los Angeles, also known as the City of Angels, that's where our story begins. The story of a new Slayer, who's destiny is to fight the forces of evil in every shape and form. However, her destiny isn't all her own, but is tied with that of the champion, the ensouled vampire. Everything has been set in motion with the calling of the new Slayer, now she just needs to come face to face with her allies against the supernatural forces of evil.
A teenage blonde dressed in a beige colored t-shirt, dark fitted jeans, black ankle boots and a black leather jacket danced with a group of girls at a dive-bar/nightclub in downtown Los Angeles. The strobe lights flickered in shades of blue, silver, green, and gold, being the only source of light on the dancefloor. She glided across the dancefloor, catching the attention of a group of men huddled in a dark corner. Brooklyn Decker was her name, and she was more than met the eye.
One of the men, who looked between the ages of nineteen and twenty-one, set his beer bottle on the table and strode onto the dancefloor, standing in front of Brooklyn and gave her a devilish grin. "Now why is a pretty little thing like you dancing alone?" he asked, his voice soft and smooth. He had short, dark hair and wore plain jeans, a brown checkered flannel and a darker brown leather jacket.
"Guess I just haven't found the right partner." she replied with a smile, her hazel eyes glistening under the lights. She took a few steps back and started swaying her hips to the music, spinning around, her hair flowing like a golden veil. He watched her intently, his tongue sliding across his lips.
Over at the bar, a male that was the embodiment of 'tall, dark, and handsome' was rambling on about a girl. He caught the group of six males leave with three females and watched as they left through the side door leading to the alleyway, his eyes focusing on the blonde. After a few minutes, the handsome stranger got up from the bar and followed.
"You really know the doorman?" one of the girls asked, a brunette in a leather skirt and tight blouse. "You can get us into Lido?"
The leader of the gang, a male with dirty-blonde hair, grabbed the brunette's arm in a tight grip. "I don't want to go clubbing anymore." he said with a growl. "Let's party right here."
The other five guys tightened their grips on Brooklyn and the third girl they picked up, a red-head in a tight dress. "Hey!" the red-head shrieked, struggling against the two men restraining her.
Brooklyn remained calm, eyeing each of the males carefully. "You boys really want to do this here?" she asked, flipping her hair back off her shoulders. She reared her elbows back and knocked the two men holding her arms off their feet and into a dumpster. "Let them go and deal with me."
One of the men holding the red-head let go and stood before Brooklyn, "Bold talk." he stated, grinning. "Let's see what-"
He was cut off when the young Slayer sunk her right fist into his jaw, sending him flying back into the brick wall. The rest of the gang converged on her, their faces changing into something ungodly. "Alright pretty thing, let's dance."
Brooklyn cracked a smile and spun around, kicking two of the vampires away, pulling something wooden from a sheath in her boot. She plunged it into the chest of a third vampire, one with shaggy, shoulder length hair. The next instant, he was a pile of dust at her feet, the other five looking on in shock. "That's right boys, there's a new Slayer in town."
That's when they converged on her, hissing and snarling, the two other women running in the opposite direction, screaming at the top of their lungs. Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome exited the club and watched as the blonde held her own against five vampires. He watched her closely, knowing only one person who could move like that. When two vampires turned to dust, he knew she was a Slayer.
The vampire that was flirting with Brooklyn in the club earlier shook off her latest punch. He bared his fangs and lunged at her, getting a few hits in and knocked her into a parked car, grasping her throat.
Mr. Stranger from the bar whistled, getting one of the vampire's attention, only for him to drive a stake into his chest, alerting the other two and the pinned Slayer. He knocked one vamp to the side and yanked the other off the Slayer. She jumped to her feet, her eyes meeting the ones of her rescuer. "Thanks." she breathed, giving him a smile.
The two vampires brushed off the attack, preparing to fight back. The vampire with dark, spiked hair with blonde tips charged first. Brooklyn grabbed the stake from the mysterious stranger's hand and jammed it into the charging vampire's chest, turning him to dust. The Slayer locked eyes with the vampire she flirted with in the club, twirling the stake in her hand.
He brushed himself off, licking his fangs. With a growl he ran at the Slayer, who spun on her heels and impaled the vampire with the stake, a wide grin on her face. She smoothed out her shirt and sighed, "All in a night's work." she chuckled.
"Slayer huh?" the handsome stranger from the bar noted, making the blonde teen turn to face him. "How long you been at this?"
"A few months." Brooklyn answered, tossing the stake back to him and grabbed her own off the ground. "Thanks, for the save." She jumped onto the hood of the parked car, never taking her eyes off the man who helped her. "Catch ya later." Using her abilities, she jumped onto the fire escape balcony of the building next to the club, climbing her way to the roof. Brooklyn watched as Mr. Tall-Dark-Handsome walked off in the opposite direction.
Brooklyn climbed into her second story bedroom via her window, shrugging off her leather jacket and hanging it on the closet doorknob. Having only been in Los Angeles barely a month, boxes were the main attraction. The only put together thing was a full sized bed with a few pillows and pink and grey sheets.
Someone knocked on the door, opening it slightly, revealing a man with short, dirty blonde hair and green eyes. "You ready for school tomorrow?" he asked, standing in the doorway of his daughter's room.
"Yeah, just figuring out what to wear." Brooklyn nodded, pulling out a couple sweaters from the box near her closet.
"I know the move was a bit sudden, but soon LA will feel like home." Nicholas assured, patting his daughter's shoulder. "Don't stay up too late." He gave a nod and left the room.
"Yeah, whatever." the Slayer rolled her eyes and grabbed a pair of black and red checkered shorts and a red tank top, heading to her bathroom to change for the night.
"I'm ready for school." Brooklyn called as she ran down the stairs, dressed in black ankle boots, black leggings under a jean mini-skirt and a light blue off-shoulder sweater.
"Alright." Nicholas called back, organizing files in his briefcase. He wore black slacks and matching blazer, over a lilac-colored dress shirt, with a dark colored tie. "I'll drop you off and head into the office."
The two climbed into the black SUV parked in the driveway. "Now, I don't get off until seven, so your aunt will pick you up today after school." Nicholas informed as he pulled up into the front curve of a two-story building, with the sign hung over the doorway 'Lakewood High School, Today's Lancers, Tomorrow's Leaders'. "Have a good day sweetheart."
"Yeah." Brooklyn sighed, stepping out of the car. "See ya, dad." She watched as he drove away and turned back to face the school. Some of the students already took notice of her and were staring. "This is gonna be fun." Brooklyn muttered dryly, making her way into the school.
The Slayer found her locker and started putting her books away, ignoring the stares of the other students. A smiling brunette in a pink blouse and jeans walked up to her, "Hi there." she greeted. "I'm Kacy Andrews, you're new here, aren't you?"
"That obvious, huh?" Brooklyn chuckled dryly, holding a binder, day-planner, and pencil case to her chest. "Yeah, I moved here from Las Vegas a few months ago. My name's Brooklyn."
Kacy nodded, still grinning, "Well, I'm the class representative chosen to show you around, Brooklyn." she informed, the two walking to their first class. "So, why the move?"
The blonde sighed, "My dad got a job offer from some law firm here in LA." she answered. "He took it without question and here we are."
The brunette looped her arm through the new girl's, "Well, I'm sure you'll fit right in here in no time."
"Swell." Brooklyn muttered under her breath.
When the final bell rang, the front doors flew open and the student body exited in crowds. Waiting by the front curve was a dark sedan, with a middle-aged woman in the driver's seat. She had blonde hair pulled into a bun and wore navy slacks with a white blouse.
"There's my aunt." Brooklyn informed, her and Kacy standing off to the side. "Thanks for the help today."
"Of course." Kacy giggled, "Cheerleading tryouts are next week, I think you'd be a great addition to the squad."
"I'll think about it." Brooklyn waved to her newly-made acquaintance as she made her way to her aunt's vehicle.
"Good first day?" Maryanne asked as her niece climbed into the passenger seat.
"Yeah." the Slayer nodded. "Still can't believe I was moved up a year."
"Well, you're a smart girl." Maryanne chuckled, patting Brooklyn's knee. "Which is why I need your help." She placed a manilla folder on the Slayer's lap. "Take a look at those reports and tell me what you think."
"This that case you've been working on at the station." Brooklyn asked, reading over one of the medical reports.
Maryanne nodded, "We're reaching the end of our rope." she sighed, "Just when we think we get a small lead, we lose it."
"Thinkin it's something supernatural?" the Slayer raised an eyebrow, examining a photograph of a tattoo on one of the Jane Doe victims.
"Possibly." her Watcher confirmed.
"Alright, I'll go to the library and see what I can dig up." Brooklyn leaned back in the seat.
That night, Brooklyn snuck into the public library, sitting at one of the computer stations. Using the police reports her aunt had given her, she compared notes on a few online news articles and wrote down common denominators.
Unknown to her, the mysterious stranger from the club the previous night was hiding behind one of the bookshelves, watching the Slayer intently, wondering what she was doing there at that hour of the night. He took one step and accidentally bumped into a stool in the center of the isle.
Brooklyn's head shot up when she heard the noise, her eyes scanning the area. She quickly wrote down a few more points of information that could help her aunt and closed out her browser, running out of the library through an open window. She waited a few minutes before looking through another window, seeing the handsome stranger that helped her the previous night, "Wonder what he wants." her eyes widened when she saw that he had pulled up the browser history and was going over the news articles she found. She backed away from the building and hid in the bushes. When he exited the library, she followed him to an old office building where he disappeared into a manhole.
The next morning, Brooklyn met her aunt at the LAPD prescient where she was the sergeant. "I think I found someone who you could talk to about one of our Jane Does." Maryanne informed, slipping her niece a piece of paper with a name and address scribbled on it.
"So you ID'd one of the bodies?" Brooklyn asked.
"Yeah, her name was Denise Perkins." Maryanne answered. "We ID'd her with dental records and the tattoo on her shoulder. When we searched her apartment we found this-" she showed Brooklyn a picture of Denise with another woman, a blonde with brown eyes. "Her name is Christina Clarke, but she goes by Tina."
"Alright, I'll go talk to her. See what I can find out." The Slayer gave a smile and pecked her aunt's cheek before leaving, accidentally bumping into a woman detective. "Sorry." she muttered, not looking back.
Brooklyn casually walked down the sidewalk, double checking to make sure she had the right building. She stepped inside and headed for the stairs, taking one look back to make sure she wasn't followed by anyone. Brooklyn came to the door leading to the second floor, hearing a man's voice on the other side. She waited until she heard the ding of an elevator before slipping into the hallway. "Alright, apartment 2B." She checked the address on her note and found the place, the door slightly ajar. When she carefully pushed it open, she found Tina's pale body in the middle of the floor, a clearly visible bite wound to her neck, fresh blood still dripping.
Brooklyn knelt by the body, shaking her head. Rapid footsteps approaching caught the young Slayer's ears and she hid behind the door, pulling a small dagger from her belt. The tall, handsome stranger burst into the apartment, stopping suddenly beyond the threshold as he stared at Tina's body. His sudden shock left him open to be tackled to the ground, and he soon felt the blade at his neck and was looking into the hazel eyes of the Slayer.
"You." Brooklyn panted, pressing the blade to the stranger's neck.
"Hi." he breathed, not taking his eyes off her.
"Who the hell are you?" the Slayer demanded, her grip on the dagger tightening.
The stranger kept his eyes locked with hers, "Angel." he answered calmly. "My name's Angel."
"Angel." Brooklyn repeated softly, pulling her weapon back and stepping away from him. A woman's voice echoed in her mind, "An Angel will guide you on your path."
Angel got to his feet, "I know how this must look." he stated, "But, I'm not following you or anything. I was-" he glanced to the body.
"You knew her?" Brooklyn questioned.
"Not really." Angel admitted. "I was trying to help her. But I was too late."
"Do you know who did this?" the Slayer continued.
"Possibly." Angel answered, his eyes glued to Tina. "I'll make him pay."
"Then we're on the same page." Brooklyn flipped her hair back and slid her hands in her pockets.
At dusk, Brooklyn and Angel watched as the LAPD cleaned up the crime scene and Coroner's Office took Tina's body away. Brooklyn turned to look at her new ally, "So, what's the plan?"
Angel stepped out of the elevator into his apartment, Brooklyn following close behind. "The guy' trying to take her at the party was called Stacy."
"First name or last name?" Brooklyn questioned, looking around the apartment.
Out of kitchen appeared Doyle, a fair-skinned male with dark hair and green eyes. "Whoa, who's this girl?" he asked in a thick, Irish accent.
Brooklyn looked him over, straightening her posture and put her hand on her hip, "I'm Brooklyn, the Vampire Slayer." she introduced with a grin.
Doyle looked to Angel, "Is there any particular reason you've joined forces with yet another Slayer?" he asked, blinking. "Remember the last time-"
"Tina's dead." Angel cut him off. "Brooklyn found the body, we're after the same guy."
"A vampire." Brooklyn clarified. "And Tina wasn't his only victim. He's killed at least three more girls." She tucked some hair behind her ear, "So, you think it's this Stacy guy?"
"No. He's professional muscle, probably done some time." Angel answered.
"I can ask around." Doyle volunteered, earning a glance from the Slayer. "I know some people."
Angel grabbed a phone book from the shelf "Great. Start with the car." he ordered, droping the phone book on the desk, Doyle and Brooklyn crowding around it. "Grey '87 Black Mercedes 300E, going to need some serious work on the bumper. Call the chop shops."
"I know a couple that ain't in the book, too." Doyle added.
"You must know a lot of seedy people then." Brooklyn noted.
"This is LA sweetheart," Doyle reminded her, "everyone's seedy on some level."
Angel clenched his hands into fists, trying to keep a lid on his anger. "The guy in the car leads me to Stacy. Stacy leads me to Russell."
"Russell?" Brooklyn repeated.
"He's behind the killings." Angel clarified, gritting his teeth.
"You couldn't have known she was going to run out on you like that." Doyle tried to reassure the vampire, who wasn't really listening, "You can't cut yourself off from…"
"Doyle," Angel cut off. "I don't want to share my feelings, I don't want to open up. I want to find Russell and I want to look him in the eye."
"Then what?" Brooklyn questioned.
Angel looked up and met her eyes. "Then I'm going to share my feelings."
A grin spread across the Slayer's face, "If that involves some serious ass-kicking then I'm in." Doyle gulped and glanced up at her, fear filling his eyes.
While Doyle was busy squeezing his contacts for information, Brooklyn was jabbing away at a punching bag. Angel set a glass of water on the table near her. The blonde looked up and brushed some hair from her face, "So, I take it I'm not the first Slayer you've met."
"I've come across a few." Angel admitted, "I knew the Slayers that came before you. One's really nice and the other's completely crazy."
"I know they're both still alive." Brooklyn stated, gulping down the water. "My aunt told me. The Slayer that came before me lies in a comatose-state while the other is still going about the duties in another town." Seeing the look of confusion on Angel's face, Brooklyn added, "My aunt, Maryanne Donovan, is also my Watcher."
"Oh. That's nice." Angel nodded.
"I think I found our Stacy guy." Doyle called out, getting both Brooklyn's and Angel's attention.
The Stacy in question was the owner of Stacy's Gym Supplies. Brooklyn strolled inside, wearing a white tank-stop and black shorts, admiring some of the workout equipment.
"Can I help you miss?" Stacy asked, giving his new customer a warm smile.
"Yes, I want to talk to you about a man named Russell." Brooklyn replied
Confusion spread across Stacy's face. Angel appeared behind Stacy and pulled him back by the collar of his shirt, pinning him down on a weight bench. "Where does he live, how much security does he have?" Angel growled, Brooklyn standing opposite him.
"Listen, whatever she was to you, you better forget it." Stacy shot back. "You have no idea who you're dealing with here."
Angel applied more pressure, Brooklyn looking down at Stacy's face, bracing her hand on her knees, "Russell. Let me guess. Not big on the daylight and the mirrors? Drinks a lot of V-8?" she listed.
"You get in his way, he'll kill you." Stacy threatened. "He'll kill everyone you care about."
"There is nobody left that I care about." Angel clarified, adding more pressure to the captive's throat.
Back in Angel's apartment, Angel filled up a black bag with various weapons, with Doyle standing near him, watching. "Wow, you're really going to war here." he chuckled dryly. "I guess you, uh, you've seen a few in your time, yeah?"
"Fourteen." Angel confirmed. "Not including Vietnam. They never declared it."
Doyle nodded and leaned back, catching a peek through the slightly ajar door to Angel's bedroom, seeing a blue and purple butterfly tattoo on Brooklyn's lower back. The Slayer exited the room, wearing a black, low-cut halter top, skinny jeans with holes in the knees, and black ankle boots.
"Weapons ready?" she asked, pulling her hair up into a high ponytail.
"Ready to go." Angel replied.
Doyle clapped his hands together, "Well, best of luck to you both." he wished, wrapping his arms around their shoulders. "I've got some fairly large coin riding on the Vikings tonight, but I'll be there with you in spirit, yeah?"
Brooklyn raised an eyebrow, "What're talkin about?"
"You're driving." Angel added.
The Irish, half-demon's jaw dropped, "Now wait a minute. Nah-a, I'm not combat ready. I'm just the messenger!"
Angel tossed him the weapons bag, "And we're the message." Him and Brooklyn exchanged a look as the Slayer grabbed some thick rope from across the table.
When the sun fully set, the trio set out. Angel drove his convertible up to the gate of a large mansion. He jumped out, throwing the keys to Doyle. Him and Brooklyn approached the guard booth.
"How're you doing?" Angel laughed dryly, his arm around Brooklyn as they walked up to the guard. "I think we're lost. We are looking for a Roscomere."
"Whatchya watchin?" Brooklyn questioned in a valley-girl voice, smacking her bubble gum. She leaned into the booth, "Is that the game? Vikings on?" She threw out her right fist and knocked the guy unconscious while Angel pulled the cable from the security camera pointed at the gate.
Angel took off his light jacket and shirt and threw them in the car. Brooklyn did the same, discarding her pink, leather jacket and spit her gum into the bushes, grabbing the bag of weapons from the backseat.
"Tie him up." she told Doyle.
"We're out in ten minutes or we're not coming out." Angel added, the duo of vampire and Slayer jumping the wall and sneaking up to the mansion.
Angel set a charge on the fusebox while Brooklyn threw a grappling hook to a window sill. Using her Slayer abilities, she scaled the wall and slipped inside through an open window, finding herself inside a study of some kind. She opened the door and peeked around, seeing the coast was clear, bracing herself against a wall. A scream caught her attention and she instantly tensed up, not wanting to jump the gun.
A girl a few years older then Brooklyn, with brown hair and tanned skin ran up the stairs screaming. She was caught by Russell, who was now in full vampire mode when suddenly the lights blew out.
"Russell Winters." a soft, feminine voice chimed, making the vampire in question turn around. Brooklyn stepped out of the shadows, the heels of her boots clanking with every step.
"Who're you?" Russell asked.
Brooklyn giggled playfully, "Oh, me, I'm nobody special, really." she smirked. "I'm just the girl who's going to kill you."
Russell hissed and lunged for the teenager, only to be met with her fist to his face. She spun around and kicked him, followed with repeated jabs to his face, chest, and abdominal area. She dodged his counter blows, flipping over him and landed on the thick, marble railing of the open landing, facing Russell with a sly grin.
"Huh, able to deal blows to me without injuring yourself, and move with such grace and precision where it's almost natural." Russell noted, looking over the teenage girl. "There's no doubt about it, you're the Slayer."
"Ding-ding." Brooklyn giggled, "Give the undead fiend a prize."
"Another Slayer." the brunette woman, Cordelia, mumbled. "Hope she's not as crazy as the last one."
"Of course, you're still young." Russell went on. "You made a mistake coming at me so openly, and alone."
Brooklyn pursed her lips, "Who said I was alone?" she shrugged.
Angel stepped out of the shadows behind Brooklyn, "I have a message for you, from Tina." he said, standing beside Brooklyn.
Cordelia's eyes widened slightly, "Angel." her lips curled into a smile.
Brooklyn pulled a stake from the waistband of her jeans, twirling it between her fingers. The two charged forward, attacking Russell from both sides. One would punch, the other would kick, then they'd reverse. Russell and Angel appeared to be evenly matched and he managed to knock him back. Brooklyn took the opening to stake him, but he grabbed her wrist, forcing her to drop the stake she held.
"Such a young Slayer." Russell cooed. "Still so much yet to learn, but never will."
Brooklyn brought her foot up and kicked him between in the legs, making him hunch over, and she brought her elbow down on his neck, backflipping away from the vampire. She glanced at Cordelia, who was frozen in terror, "You should probably go." Brooklyn advised, giving the other girl a gentle push towards the stairs.
Bodyguards with drawn guns charged up the stairs. Brooklyn did a sequence of gymnastics move to put some distance between her and the bodyguards, kneeling next to Angel, who pulled the runner out form under the armed guards.
"Nice." Brooklyn praised, slapping his shoulder as she helped him to his feet.
"Kill them!" Russell ordered in a growl.
One of the guards aimed his gun and fired, Angel taking the shot to the chest to protect Brooklyn. "Angel." she gasped, bracing him as he recoiled.
"Get out." he told her.
"Let's go." Brooklyn looped his arm around her shoulders, a bullet hitting her hip as the two jumped over the banister and hit the floor. Cordelia screamed when they landed right in front of her. "Help me with him." Brooklyn yelled at her as they ran out the front door.
Cordelia and Brooklyn lugged Angel through the bushes, coming up on Doyle, who was standing in front of the car, which was dented and steaming.
"Doyle!" Brooklyn called, getting his attention.
He spun around, and tried to play it cool, "You know, I've had a bit of an accident," he stammered, trailing off when he saw Angel was wounded. "but we'll talk later-"
The girls helped Angel into the back seat, then hopped in the front, with Brooklyn in the middle.
"So, you're the new Slayer huh?" Cordelia looked to Brooklyn, who met her eyes with a raised brow. "I knew the one that came before you, and the one that came before her." she held out her hand, "I'm Cordelia."
Brooklyn took her hand and shook it once, "Brooklyn. Nice to meet you. So, you know Angel?" she motioned back to the wounded vampire.
"Yeah, we go way back." Cordelia chuckled. As Doyle drove back to Angel's apartment, he kept glancing at the two women, specifically Cordelia.
Back at Angel's apartment, Doyle pulled out the bullet that was lodged in Brooklyn's arm. The Slayer barely winced, slapping a gauze pad over the wound to stall the bleeding. "Damn, you're a strong lass." Doyle noted, reaching for the ace wrap.
"Comes with the whole Slayer gig." Brooklyn replied, glancing over her shoulder at Angel, who was being patched up by Cordelia.
Cordelia dabbed at the wound on Angel's chest with a piece of gauze, causing Angel to flinch. "Sorry." Cordelia apologized.
Doyle wrapped a few layers of ace wrap around the Slayer's upper arm, patting her shoulder and helped her up, "Thanks." Brooklyn gave him a smile.
"No problem." Doyle smiled back.
"So, it's over, right? We're going to be okay?" Cordelia asked, getting everyone's attention. "You put the fear of god into that Russell guy." she glanced between Angel and Brooklyn. "He's not going to come looking for me, right?"
Everyone just looked at one another.
The following day, Russell was in a meeting with various representatives from his appointed law firm. Among them was a young associate with short brown hair and blue eyes. "As to the intruders that broke into your home last night, local authorities have no information on them." he informed his client. "However we have several top private investigators that are looking-"
The conference room doors burst open and silver dagger flew across the table, landing in a folder in front of Russell. Brooklyn, clad in black calf-high boots, a black leather mini-skirt, and a long-sleeved crimson crop top, with a portion of her hair pulled up with a clip, strolled inside, jumping onto the table. Angel followed her in and the two approached Russell Winters.
"I believe we've located them." Russell noted, his more so on the Slayer than the other vampire. "Slayer, we meet again."
"Believe me Russell, this is strictly business." Brooklyn chuckled, jumping off the table, stepping back to Angel's side.
The young, blue-eyed lawyer stood between the duo and his client. "I'm with Wolfram&Hart." he informed the two, handing Brooklyn a business card, that had the lawyer's name and a few others printed on it. "Mr. Winters has never been accused and shall never be convicted of any crime. Ever. Should you continue to harass our client, we will be forced to bring you into the light of day."
Angel and Brooklyn brushed past him, staring down Russell, who snidely smiled up at them. "Angel." he addressed. "We do things a certain way here in LA."
"Well, I'm new here." Angel replied, stoically.
"But you're a civilized man." Russell pointed out. "We don't have to go around attacking each other. Look at me; I pay my taxes, keep my name out of the paper, and I don't make waves." a smug grin spread across his face, "And in return I can so anything I want."
Brooklyn and Angel each put their foot on the chair on either side of Russell's legs and leaned forward: "Really." Brooklyn challenged, her hazel eyes hard. She glanced at Angel, "Think he can fly?"
"Good question." Angel shrugged. "Let's find out."
They pushed the chair backwards into the wall of windows behind Russell, sending him crashing through the window. They heard his screams and suddenly they stopped, followed by the sound of the chair and glass hitting the ground.
"I guess not." Angel chuckled.
"Damn shame." Brooklyn sighed, shaking her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the young lawyer staring at her, trying to hide his shock. She faced him, batting her eyes, "Listen pretty boy, you should quit this game while you're still ahead." she told him, checking the name on the business card, Lindsey McDonald, before tucking it under her bra strap. "Listen Lindsey, you have no idea what you're messing with." her hazel eyes locked with his blue ones.
"Is that a threat?" Lindsey questioned, keeping his eye locked with hers.
"I don't make threats." Brooklyn corrected, taking a step closer to him, "I make promises." She turned on her heels and walked away, the ends of her hair brushing against Lindsey's skin. Brooklyn looped her arm through Angel's as they walked out of the conference room, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership."
"So, Russell Winters was the vampire behind those murders?" Maryanne questioned her niece. The two were in the office building above Angel's apartment.
"Yep." Brooklyn confirmed, now in flip-flops, washed jeans and a light pink sweater, her hair in a low ponytail.
"And he's dead." Maryanne added.
Brooklyn nodded, "Cooked well-done." she stifled a laugh.
"And you couldn't have bothered to tell me any of this before you went after him?" Maryanne faced Brooklyn, her arms folded over her chest.
Brooklyn looked down at her feet, "Sorry, I just-" she sighed heavily. "after seeing Tina's body, I was angry. Angry that I couldn't get to her in time. Then Angel-"
"That's the other point I wanted to discuss." Maryanne cut off. "You do know he's a vampire right?"
"Duh." Brooklyn deadpanned.
The Watcher sighed, "I don't think the Council will appreciate you working with him. Considering the last time he teamed up with a Slayer, things didn't go very well."
"An Angel with guide you on your path." Brooklyn muttered, licking her lips. "Mom said that to me once. I feel like it means that I'm supposed to work with Angel."
"You're going to whether I agree or not, aren't you?" Maryanne raised an eyebrow. Her question was answered Brooklyn gave a nod.
A high-pitched scream startled them and they ran into the office it came from, at the same time as Doyle and Angel, who avoided the sun streaming in through the windows.
"Look over there!" Cordelia screeched, holding a duster. "A cockroach! In the corner! I think it's a bantam weight!"
Brooklyn rolled her eyes and shook her head, leaning against the wall next to Angel. Cordelia turned in their direction, "Okay, first thing. We need to call an exterminator, and a sign painter. We should have a name on the door!" she directed the statement more towards Angel.
"Okay. I'm confused." Angel admitted.
"Doyle filled me in on your little mission." Cordelia clarified. "So I was just saying, if we're going to help people, maybe a small charge. You know, something to help pay the rent, and my salary." she grinned. "You need somebody to organize things, and you're not exactly rolling in it Mr. I-was-alive-for-200-years-and-never-developed-an-investment-portfolio."
"You want to charge the people we help?" Brooklyn quirked her brow.
"Well, not everybody." Cordelia amended. "But sooner or later we are going to have to help some rich people, right?"
Doyle nodded along, "Possibly, yeah."
"So I think that we should charge based on a case-by-case analysis, but with me working for a flat fee." Cordelia went on. "I mean, um, that is, if you think that you can use me?"
Angel and Brooklyn exchanged a glance, with the Slayer simple shrugging. "Sounds like a plan to me." She handed an empty file box to Cordelia.
"Of course this is just temporary." Cordelia added, "until my inevitable stardom takes affect." She took the box from her and walked away with a smile.
"Good choice." Doyle praised, resting his elbows on Angel's and Brooklyn's shoulders. "She'll provide a connection to the world. She's got a very...humanizing influence."
"You think she's a Hottie." Brooklyn translated, glancing at Doyle with a half-smile.
"Yeah, she's a stiffener alright, I can't lie about that." Doyle agreed.
"But, you know, she could use a hand." Brooklyn added, glancing at Angel.
"True." Angel agreed, leaning off the wall.
"You know there's a lot of people in this city that need helping." Brooklyn continued, her hands in her back pockets. "And, as the Slayer, it is my job to help them, and protect them from all those things that go bump in the night."
"For she alone will wield the strength and skill to stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness." Angel stated, glancing down at the Slayer before him.
Brooklyn nodded, "So how 'bout it?" she asked, holding out her hand. "You game?"
Angel looked into her eyes, and took her hand, giving it a firm shake. "I'm game."
A/N: Finally! I've been wanting to get this story started for years! It's gone under constant revisions and many changes on how I worked Brooklyn into the story as a Slayer in her own right. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoy it and if you have questions, leave them in reviews and I'll try to answer them without giving too much away. Reviews are greatly appreciated, please no flames.
XOXO~Cyber