22In The Dark
Brooklyn stood off away from the crowd of Lakewood students partying around the bonfire. The blonde sipped the beer from her cup, watching as the waves crashed over the shore. A high-pitched giggle caught her attention and she turned just in time to catch Kacy as she stumbled into her. "You alright there, Kace?" Brooklyn asked, steadying her friend.
"Yes, I am." Kacy giggled. "Why are you over here by yourself? Why aren't you enjoying the party?"
"Guess it's not really my thing." Brooklyn answered with a shrug as she finished her drink.
Kacy draped her arm around Brooklyn's shoulders, "C'mon B, we're celebrating. We won our first game of the season!" She giggled and jumped up and down., her cheer-skirt billowing in the wind. She glanced back at the bonfire, where Jensen and the rest of the team were re-creating the game winning play. "Jensen's so amazing, right?"
"Yeah." Brooklyn nodded along, crushing the red plastic cup in her hand.
"I mean, he's an amazing player...football player." Kacy stammered, quickly downing the rest of her drink. She tried to take a step and almost fell over, but Brooklyn caught her last second. "Say B, wanna go for a swim?"
A faint buzzing came from the pocket of Brooklyn's wind-pants, alerting her to a page. Keeping one arm around her friend's waist, she grabbed her pager, seeing a 9-1-1 message from Doyle followed by an address that was just a few miles from where she was. "Great." she muttered to herself.
Jensen jogged up to the two girls, "Everything okay?" he asked, noticing Kacy slumped against Brooklyn.
"Actually, can you give Kacy a ride home?" Brooklyn asked. "I have a work thing."
Jensen carefully wrapped Kacy's arm around his shoulder, "A work thing at this hour?"
"Hey, crime in LA never sleeps." Brooklyn chuckled, grabbing her backpack and running off towards the pier.
Kacy leaned against Jensen's shoulder, "I don't feel too great, J." she mumbled.
"Alright Kace, let's get ya home." Jensen soothed, rubbing her back as she walked towards his Jeep. He cast a glance over his shoulder and saw no sign of Brooklyn.
As soon as she saw the old, abandoned warehouse, Brooklyn knew what Doyle's 9-1-1 meant, a nest of vampires waiting for the right opportunity to pick off a few strays from the Lakewood bonfire. She dropped her backpack by the pier and pulled a stake from the front pocket, twirling it once around.
"Howdy fellas." she greeted with a grin, standing in plain view of the ten vampires.
They all bared their teeth in wide grins, seeing the lone blonde cheerleader. The nest leader approached her, turning on the charm with a "Hey baby, what are you doing all alone tonight?" as he draped his arm on her shoulder.
Brooklyn batted her as and flashed a sweet smile, before driving the stake through his heart. "I'm here to stop you from attacking innocent humans." she stated, looking to the rest of the nest. "Who's next?" She held the stake up, ready for a fight.
Brooklyn returned to the office, dropping her bookbag on the couch, "Thanks for the heads up on the vamp nest, Doyle." she said to her half-demon friend, who was just lounging on the couch.
"No problem." he replied, looking up from the newspaper and gave the young Slayer a nod.
Brooklyn grabbed a small water bottle from the fridge and glanced around, "Angel not back yet?"
"He's downstairs." Cordelia answered, going back to typing on her computer, a small grin on her face.
"What's with the grin Cordy?" the Slayer asked, leaning against the brunette's desk.
"Our first walk-in client. Everything is going according to plan!" she clapped before going back to typing. "See girl in distress. See Angel save girl from druggy/stalker boyfriend, and see-" Cordelia grabbed a piece of paper from the printer behind her, "Invoice!" She held up the invoice with a wide smile, while both Doyle and Brooklyn looked less enthusiastic. "What?" she arched her brow.
"Nothing." Doyle shrugged. "Looks very official."
"Official, totally." Brooklyn nodded in agreement, taking another sip of water.
"So why are you both not rejoicing at out first paying client?" Cordelia questioned, arching her eyebrow.
Doyle tossed the newspaper aside and got to his feet, walking over to Cordy's desk "Because that's not money you're holding in your hand there, darling, that's mail." he noted. "There's a big difference between that and actually getting paid."
"But she has to pay! Invoice." the brunette held the paper up again. "That's the rule of our whole, like, society."
"So is defaulting, especially with the down-and-outs." Doyle noted, leaning against the desk. "Not that I've perpetrated said heinousness myself."
"Sure." Brooklyn muttered.
"So what?" Cordelia questioned.
Doyle shot the slayer a slightly narrowed look then turned his attention back to the cheery brunette, "All I'm saying is that if we're ever going to take that cruise to the Bahamas together, we're going to need a lot more clients of means."
"And an alternate reality in which you are Matthew McConaughey." Cordelia replied, the comment earning a giggle from Brooklyn.
"Hello, LA." greeted a dark-haired male standing in the office doorway. He stood there in baggy jeans and a blue t-shirt.
"Oz!" Cordelia grinned, jumping to her feet and running up to him. "It's so good to see you." she laughed and hugged him, much to the confusion of Doyle and Brooklyn. "Good old Oz." she kept one arm around her old friend's shoulders, still grinning ear-to-ear. "Oz."
"Let me just take a stab at it, you'd be Oz ?" Doyle guessed, trying to appear cool by leaning into the desk.
"Good guess." Oz replied with a nod.
Brooklyn glanced him over, getting a feeling like she's seen him somewhere before. "This is so cool. I mean, here you are in LA, and you're the total embodiment of all things Sunnydale." Cordelia beamed, leading her old friend into the office.
Oz just shrugged his shoulders and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "It's a burden, but I manage."
Cordelia asked Oz questions about their old group back in Sunnydale, to which he replied everyone was good and the town was the same. Suddenly Brooklyn snapped her fingers and grabbed a CD from her backpack, "Dingoes Ate My Baby!" she shouted.
"Huh?" Doyle questioned, raising his eyebrow.
"It's my band." Oz answered. "Well, a band I play in."
"Yeah, your the guitarist." Brooklyn noted. "I'm a big fan."
"Well, thank you." Oz smiled at the blonde. "I'll autograph it for ya, if you want."
The young Slayer beamed and grabbed a pen from the desk, handing them to the dark-haired male. "Yes please."
Cordelia blinked, "Wow, Brookie, never took you for a groupie." she stated. Doyle cleared his throat, getting their attention, "Oh, Oz, this is Doyle."
"Hey." Oz handed Brooklyn back the CD before shaking Doyle's hand. "So, I heard the rumors, but you guys can fill me in on the real deal here." he stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "You're like detectives?"
"No." Cordelia corrected. "I'm an actress."
"A quite a captivating one at that." Doyle muttered, glancing at the brunette.
"And between my many gigs, I sometimes choose to help Angel." Cordelia added, standing behind her desk. "And Brookie here. She's the Slayer."
"Cordy!" the cheerleader gasped, looking to her friend.
The older brunette scoffed, "Brooklyn it's fine." she assured. "Oz was part of our gang back in Sunnydale. He's also a werewolf."
Oz subtly nodded, "Guilty." he agreed. "So, where's Angel? I've got something for him, from Buffy."
The group of four headed downstairs via the elevator. "Hey guys." Angel greeted, walking past them while reading a book. He glanced up and noticed the Sunnydale arrival. "Oz."
"Hey." Oz greeted with a nod.
"Nice surprise." Angel stated with a neutral expression. "Staying long?"
"A few days." Oz answered.
"Are they always like this?" Doyle asked in a hushed whisper, glancing to Cordelia.
"No, we're usually laconic." the werewolf answered, following Angel further into the apartment. "I came primarily for a gig, but also to give you this." He pulled a gold ring from his pocket, with a large, green gem in the center.
Doyle focused on the ring and gasped, "Is that what I think it is?"
"The Gem of Amara." Angel confirmed, staring at the ring but making no move to accept it.
"One and the same." Oz nodded, holding the ring out for Angel to take. "Buffy wanted you to have it."
"How is good old Buffy anyway?" Cordelia questioned, resting her hands on her hips and glancing to her former classmate. "She still the brave little Slayer or is she moping around in the dark like..." she was cut off when Brooklyn elbowed her in the side. "Ouch." the brunette hissed under her breath, glancing to the blonde.
Angel took the ring from Oz and stared down at it, lost in thought about Buffy as he leaned against the wooden table in the kitchen. "What are you waiting for, man?" Doyle asked, running up to the vampire. "Put it on!"
Cordy blinked in confusion, "Since when did you go all Versace about accessorizing?"
"Since the accessory is priceless and renders it's wearer 100% unkillable if he's a vampire." the half-demon explained.
That comment peaked Brooklyn's interest, "Unkillable?" she repeated, arching her eyebrow, folding her arms over her chest.
Doyle nodded, "Not stakes, not fire, and the best thing is not even sunlight." he listed off for the young Slayer, before turning to Angel, "Just think of it man. Poolside tanning, bargain matinees, plus I know a couple of strip clubs that have a fabulous luncheon buffet."
This time both Brooklyn and Cordelia arched their brows and shot their friend a look. Doyle cleared his throat, "I mean, so I've heard."
"And it's from Buffy." Angel asked again, looking right to Oz.
Oz nodded in agreement, "Your buddy Spike dug up Sunnydale looking for it, but got a fist full of Buffy and left it behind." he added. "She wanted to be sure it was in good hands. I was heading this way so she sent it with me."
"And she didn't bother to write a note?" Cordelia questioned aloud. "That's really..." again, she was cut off when Brooklyn elbowed her in the side.
Doyle grabbed a stake from Brooklyn's stash of weapons, "I've got something that'll boost your spirits." he grinned. "Why don't you put it on and I'll stake ya. It'll be fun!"
"Maybe later." Angel muttered, not all that interested.
Doyle raised his hand to argue, but Brooklyn grabbed his arm and led him towards the elevator. The half-demon smoothed out his jacket and stood up straight, "Have it your way then." he cleared his throat. "I'm still going to celebrate with a drink down at the pub."
Cordelia rolled her eyes, "He'd celebrate the opening of a mailbox with a drink at the pub." she muttered to Oz before following Doyle.
"Just give me a few minutes to change." Brooklyn called after her friends, grabbing a red duffle and ducking into Angel's bedroom and closing the door behind her. She traded her cheer uniform for a pair of black leather pants and a purple tank top.
"You coming, Oz?" the young Slayer asked as she stepped out, running her fingers through her hair.
"I could eat." the musician shrugged, following the blonde up the stairs to the main office space. "So, you're the new Slayer huh?" he asked, earning a nod from the teenager.
The next morning, Doyle was laying on the office couch with an ice pack on his forehead. Brooklyn grabbed a small bottle of water from the fridge while Cordelia grabbed a bottle of aspirin from the bathroom cabinet. The hungover half-demon let out another groan, "Ya know what would feel really good right now?" he moaned, sitting up. "One of those mind-numbing, head-cracking visions that I get from time to time, 'cause that would really kill me."
"Here, drink this." Brooklyn handed him the water, then unscrewed the cap off the aspirin and handed Doyle two pills, which he swallowed easily.
"That's what you get for drinking too much last night." Cordelia scolded, taking a seat at her desk. "Barely into quoting Angela's Ashes before weeping like a baby man."
"That's a good book." Doyle defended, laying back down.
The brunette female rolled her eyes, "So you said, but I doubt that the main characters are Betty and Barney Rubble as you so vehemently insisted last night."
Brooklyn sat on the edge of the coffee table and crossed her legs, "Also I don't think Oz appreciated being called my little Bam-bam all night." she added, flipping a portion of her hair off her shoulder.
Downstairs, Angel was practicing his Tai-Chi, when his landline rang with a call from Rachel, the team's client, who was scared after hearing her abusive ex had been released from prison. Angel promised to be there soon, but was attacked in the garage by his old friend Spike. "I believe you have something I'm looking for." he accused, throwing the older vampire against the wall, "Shiny, little bauble?"
Angel retaliated with a punch to Spike's chin, "Might as well go home, then." he replied, brushing himself off. "The Gem of Amara stays with me."
Spike grabbed a wooden board, "Why, because you're vamp detective now?" he scoffed. "What's next? Vampire cowboy, vampire fireman, vampire ballerina?" He charged towards Angel with the beam.
"I do like to work with my legs." Angel grabbed an overhead pipe and swung both feet into Spike's chest, creating some distance between them.
The two vampires fought, landing some blows and dodging others, and traded insults the entire time. Spike grabbed the fabric of Angel's shirt and threw him up against the wall, "Just tell me were the damn ring is!" he demanded.
Angel's face shifted into its vampiric form, "It wouldn't go with your outfit." he retorted, grabbing Spike and throwing him against the ground.
Spike glared at his former friend, his face also shifting, and he lunged towards Angel, only to be met with a kick to the face, which sent him flying into the hood of Angel's car. Brooklyn cracked a smirk and twirled a stake in her hands, with Cordelia and Doyle on either side of her.
The bleach-blonde vampire shook off his daze and his featured shifted back to human, his eyes landing on the familiar brunette. "Cordelia. You look smashing." he stated, getting to his feet. "Did you lose weight?"
"Yes." Cordelia answered with a smile, "There's this great gym at...hey." she quipped, realizing the underlying insult.
Spike turned his attention back to Angel, "I'll get that ring." he swore. "This isn't over until one of us is a pile of dust, mate." On that note he took off into the shadows.
Brooklyn glanced to Angel, who's features were now normal, "You okay?" she asked with an arched brow.
"More importantly, how's the ring?" Doyle added, earning an eye-roll from the young blonde beside him.
"I'm fine, ring's fine. Can't say the same for you three though." Angel answered, looking from Brooklyn to Cordelia, "You better get out of sight until this thing is over. Spike's out for blood." he then looked to Doyle, "Take them to your place."
"His place?" Cordelia repeated with a scoff. "Why can't I just go home?"
"Because he knows you, Cordelia. If he wants to he'll track you down." Angel reminded.
"Yeah, but he's not invited, right? He can't come in." the brunette pointed out.
"No, but he can burn the place to the ground with you inside it." Doyle noted. Hearing that, Cordelia changed her mind and went along with Angel's suggestion.
"I get why you want Cordelia to stay with Doyle but what about me?" Brooklyn asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I mean, I'm the Slayer, I can take him."
"Actually, you can't." Angel rebuffed, his eyes meeting Brooklyn's. "Brooklyn, I know Spike. I know how dangerous he can be. You can't fight him and win, not yet."
Seeing the seriousness in his eyes, the blonde bit her lip and sighed, "Fine." she breathed out. "But what about you? Spike said he'd be coming back, so what are you gonna do about it?"
Angel wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "Find him first." he answered.
Cordelia paced around Doyle's apartment while the half-demon was on the phone, trying to get information about Spike and his whereabouts. "Big no for Frankie Tripod." Doyle sighed, leaning back in his chair.
"Frankie Tripod?" Cordelia repeated with a quirked brow. "Some kind of three-legged monster, right?"
Doyle shook his head, "No, he's human." he corrected. "Listen, why don't you sit down. Get comfortable." he offered. "Angel said I should go through every name in my book until I get a beat on where Spike is hiding out. Could be a while."
The brunette female scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, " Please. I couldn't get comfortable in here if the floor was lined with mink." she rolled her eyes, "I mean, how can you live like this?"
"Well, I didn't until last week." the half-demon chuckled. "Then I saw what you did with your place and I just had to call my decorator."
"My apartment is nowhere near this yucky." Cordelia rebuffed, taking a seat on a couch cushion, brushing some paper napkins off onto the floor.
There was a knock at the door before it swung open and Brooklyn stepped inside, carrying a box of Chinese take-out and a plastic bag with two bottles of 2-liter soda, "Any leads on Spike?" the Slayer asked, setting the food and drinks on the kitchen counter.
"None yet." Doyle answered, grabbing some clean glasses from the cabinet for the drinks. "But thanks for pickin up lunch."
"Yes, I'm starving." Cordelia added, grabbing the two containers that were marked with her initials.
"No problem, but you both owe me." Brooklyn reminded, glancing to her two friends. She shrugged off her black leather jacket, revealing a red tank-top with 'Harley Davidson' written across the bust area, a pair of tight leather pants with a two knife holsters on either hip, and dark grey boots with chains and buckles around the sides.
"Someone's dressed for Slaying." Doyle noted, pouring some Dr. Pepper into three glasses filled with ice.
"Gotta be ready for when Spike shows his ugly mug." Brooklyn replied, grabbing her lunch containers and drink, plopping down on the couch beside Cordelia.
Doyle's phone rang and he set his food on the end table, "Hey, Kizzy." he answered, then went on to inquire about Spike, while his two female companions continued to eat lunch. "I absolutely paid that back!" the half-demon exclaimed. "Sorry, there goes my other line." He quickly slammed the phone down.
The two females arched their brows and shot him a look, "He was mistaken, but I didn't have time to get into it." the half-demon defended. "We're on a mission here." he chuckled dryly.
"Whatever Doyle." Brooklyn shook her head and popped a piece of orange chicken into her mouth. "So Cordy, how bad is this Spike guy anyway?" she asked, turning to her friend. "I mean, you know more about him than Doyle and I do. What's his deal?"
Cordelia sighed, "He's about as bad as they come." she answered, glancing between Doyle and Brooklyn. "He ran with Angel way back in his bad-guy days, and they did pretty nasty things." She took a bite of her spring roll and began to fill her friends in on what Spike did back in Sunnydale.
"Spike's nearly done Buffy in a few times." Cordelia drew on, chewing her lo-mein, "I mentioned that he's killed two Slayers already?"
"You did." Doyle confirmed with a nod. Brooklyn, however, seemed unfazed by all the information Cordelia had given them about the bleach-blonde vampire.
"Oh, and this one time he and Dru raised this demon that burned people from the inside." the brunette continued, "It was this whole weird thing with an arm in a box."
Doyle's jaw dropped, "An arm in a box?" he repeated, blinking.
"Sounds kinda cool if you ask me." Brooklyn chuckled. "Damn, Buffy sounds badass, hope I can be just as good someday. If I live long enough." the blonde reached for her fortune cookie and pulled it apart, tossing a piece in her mouth as she unrolled the paper, "'You will become great if you believe in yourself.'"
"That sounds pretty good to me." Cordelia shrugged. The blonde Slayer shrugged her shoulders and ate the rest of her cookie, while Doyle answered his phone in a nasally voice. When he heard Angel's voice on the other line, he dropped the act.
"Sorry man, just laying low." Doyle scratched the back of his head. "All those calls to past acquaintances stirred up a few, old resentments. Well, Manny the Pig said he didn't know anything about a vampire called Spike, before I even mentioned anything about Spike."
"Where is he?" Angel asked.
"You'll find him at a joint down on third called the Orbit Room." Doyle informed.
Brooklyn took that as her cue and jumped off the couch, flipping over the coffee table and grabbing her leather jacket from the counter in seemingly a blink of an eye. "Tell Angel, I'll meet him there." she said to Doyle, taking her hair out of the collar of her jacket. "We'll start with Manny the Pig and work our way from there." She winked at her friends and ran out of the apartment.
"Uh, Brooklyn said she'd meet ya there." Doyle relayed the message to Angel, who groaned audibly before hanging up. "Think she's ready for this?" Doyle asked, glancing to Cordelia.
"She's tougher than she looks." Cordelia reminded, but inside she was worried that Brooklyn wasn't strong enough to fight Spike and win.
Once making it to the Orbit Room, Brooklyn and Angel started roughing up some patrons until one of them gave them the information they wanted. They spent the rest of the daylight hours beating information out of low level demons and humans until they finally got a lead on Manny the Pig.
Brooklyn punched out the guard with a single right-hook and sent him flying into the door, knocking it off its hinges. The next second, she had Manny pinned to the poker table, a dagger at his throat. The three other guys in the room drew their guns, aimed at the Slayer and Angel.
"Put them down." Manny ordered, his guys doing so, "He'll kill me if I talk."
"How healthy do you think it'll be to stay quiet?" Angel threatened as Brooklyn dug her blade into Manny's skin, drawing just a trickle of blood.
"He's...out back." the thug informed, coughing once the pressure was released off his neck. Brooklyn grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tossed him into two of his hired guns. When the third tried to stop her, she grabbed his wrist and yanked his arm out of socket, bringing her knee into his chest and finally landing a kick right to his face, before dropping him to the floor.
"That was a nice warm-up." the Slayer smirked, cracking her neck and her knuckles.
Angel and Brooklyn ran into the back alley and saw Spike, fangs deep into a poor, innocent girl. The Slayer pulled a stake from the sheath in her boot and gripped it tightly, "Let the girl go, Spike!" Angel yelled, getting his attention.
The vampire in question looked up and sighed, "Did anyone ever tell you you were a real buzzkill, mate?" he said dryly, tossing the girl into Angel's arms and walked off with a smirk.
"Run." both Angel and Brooklyn warned the terrified girl before taking off after Spike.
Spike came to a chain-link fence at the end of the alley and casually turned around to face his pursuers. "Caught me fair and square, White Hat." he said in a bored tone with a matching facial expression. He slowly lifted his hands over his head, "I guess there is nothing to do now but to go quietly and pay my debt to society."
"Sarcastic son of a bitch, isn't he?" Brooklyn scoffed, twirling the stake she held. "Thinks he can come to our city and pull shit like this." She shook her head and narrowed her dark lined hazel eyes.
"He's always been on the slow side." Angel noted.
"I maybe a slow learner, but eventually I do learn." Spike retorted with a smirk.
The sound of chains rattling from a distance behind them caught Brooklyn's attention and she spun around and grabbed the chain, which was held by a vampire in a white shirt and dark brown slacks.
"So, the rumors around here are true, we've got ourselves another Slayer." Spike nodded.
The vampire in white pulled on his end of the chain and sent the Slayer into Spike with a punch to her jaw. Brooklyn too the close proximity to drive her stake into Spike's chest, but he gripped her wrist and applied enough pressure for her to drop the wooden weapon. Angel had his hands full with the other vampire, but kept checking on Brooklyn as she traded blows with Spike.
"Ya know, you do look an awful lot like Buffy." Spike stated as she blocked Brooklyn's punches. "It's gotta be the blonde hair."
"Well from what I've heard about her, I'll take that as a compliment." Brooklyn kicked her leg out and backflipped, landing on her feet and smirking. "I'll give you this one chance Spike, leave my city and never come back, and I'll let you live."
The blonde vampire laughed, "Ah kitten, you're in no position to threaten me." he lunged forward and punched the young Slayer in the chest and abdomen, even landing a few to her face, gaining the upperhand. He then backhanded her across the face and knocked her on her back before picking her up by the throat.
"Let her go, Spike!" Angel yelled, taking his eyes off his opponent, which was a mistake when the vampire wrapped the chain around his neck and yanked him down onto the ground.
"Angel." Brooklyn choked out, digging her nails into the sleeve of Spike's leather trench coat.
"Not to worry love, he and I are just gonna have a little chat." Spike assured. He then tossed the teen into the metal dumpster before throwing her against the brick wall, letting out a chuckle when she didn't move to retaliate. "Nighty-night little Slayer."
Cordelia sat by the phone, while Doyle paced around his apartment as the mid-morning sun crept through the windows. "Angel or Brooklyn should have called by now." the brunette female sighed, running her hands over hair, "This is bad."
"Maybe not." Doyle rebuffed. "Maybe they did away with Spike in short order, and decided to give a go at surfing?"
A knock at the front door brought both of them to their feet and Doyle carefully walked to his entryway and opened the door slightly. When he saw who was standing in the hall, he pulled it all the way open and Maryanne stepped inside with Brooklyn, who had faint bruises covering a part of her face.
"Oh, Brookie." Cordy whimpered, running up to the blonde to get a closer look at her bruises. "Are you okay?"
"Fine." the blonde snapped, walking into the bathroom look over herself. She had a healing split lip and small gash on her forehead, along with a lightly swollen bruise on her right cheek.
"You're lucky to be alive." Maryanne scolded. "When I found her in the alley, she was barely conscious. You've definitely got a concussion."
"What else is new?" Brooklyn replied, dabbing a wet washcloth on her face.
"Did Spike do this to you? And where's Angel?" Cordy gently patted the teen's shoulder.
"Yes, and I don't know." the Slayer answered, dropping the washcloth into the sink and entering the living room. "Another vampire was in the alley with Spike and the last thing I saw was his chain around Angel's neck." She plopped down on a chair and sighed heavily. "We have to find that ring before Spike does, or else Angel's dead."
"Brooklyn you're in no condition to rush into another fight." the Watcher stated. "You're lucky to be alive. From what Rupert had told me about Spike, he's not one to pull any punches, especially when dealing with a Slayer."
"He wasn't interested in me." Brooklyn sighed, licking her lips. "All he wants is the Gem of Amara, and he's gonna kill Angel if we don't get it first. Now let's go." The Slayer shoved past her Watcher and left the apartment.
Knowing they didn't have any better plans, Doyle and Cordelia followed after her, with Maryanne not far behind.
After tearing apart Angel's apartment, Spike went up to the office, where he was greeted by the rest of his former leader's crew. Cordelia held a crossbow prepped and ready to fire, while Doyle held a large stake, Maryanne stood by the windows and Brooklyn stood at the front, a fine pointed stake in her hands.
"Well look at what the cat dragged in." the Slayer chuckled.
"When you are done giving the place the Johnny Depp once-over, I hope you have the cash to pay for all of this." Cordelia scoffed.
"Cordelia." Spike said as he slowly stepped closer to the crew of four. "Love the hair."
"Wish I could say the same." Cordy smirked back.
Spike took another step forward, only for Doyle to step up next to Cordelia, stake in hand, "That's close enough." he tried to sound tough, but his voice shook only a little.
The vampire shook his head, seeing the four humans before him, "What is it with you good guys running in packs? Or, is the young Slayer here taking pointers from the previous one and got herself a little gang?" he cracked a smirk as he glanced to Brooklyn before looking back to Doyle, "Who's this one then?"
"More than meets the eye, blondie." the half-demon replied.
"Ooh, the Mick's got spine." Spike mock gasped. "Maybe I'll snap it in two."
"You want me to use this?" Cordy raised the crossbow, her finger on the trigger.
The blonde vampire looked in her direction, "You'll be dead before that arrow leaves the bow." he threatened. Brooklyn glanced to Cordy and motioned for her to lower the weapon. She, however, still had a firm grasp on her stake and kept her eyes locked on Spike.
"Now, I'm bloody tired of looking for that ring." Spike sighed, folding his hands behind his back. "I think you lot should take over now."
"Where's Angel?" Brooklyn demanded, fighting her own instincts to stake Spike on sight.
Spike pondered the question for a moment, before cracking a smile, "He's having the living hell tortured out of him. And you know how stubborn he can be, he might die before he gives up the ring." he informed, catching a glimpse of worry flash across the faces of Brooklyn, Cordelia and Doyle, "Why don't you and your little sidekicks here find it real fast and give it to me." he told Brooklyn, meeting her eyes, "Then, I'll let Angel go."
"I don't trust you." the Slayer replied, keeping her eyes locked with Spike's, her stake at her side.
The bleach-blonde vampire rolled his eyes, "To coin a popular Sunnydale phrase: 'duh.'" he chuckled. "But you have until sundown to save him. You'll find me behind Peterson's Fishery between Seward and Westminster. Don't be late." he turned on his heels and walked off.
Everyone searched the apartment and came up empty, not finding the ring anywhere. "We've looked everywhere!" Cordy sighed, running her fingers through her hair.
Brooklyn walked up to her colleague, having touched up her dark eyeliner, changed her top to a dark blue halter that showed off her stomach but kept her leather pants and boots, a black choker with silver studs decorated her neck and her blonde hair was now in a high ponytail. She shook her head and glanced down, catching the floor entrance to the sewars below, "Not everywhere." she rebuffed, lifting up the grate. "If the ring's not in the apartment, then it's gotta be down in the sewars."
The brunette crinkled her nose, "That's gonna be like trying to find a needle in a haystack." she whined.
"Cordy." Brooklyn glanced to her friend. The older female's shoulders sank, but knowing that if they didn't find the ring soon, Angel would die before they could save him. "Let's get going."
The Slayer tore off the grate and jumped down, landing with a barely audible sound while Doyle and Cordelia climbed the ladder. "You can be a real show off sometimes, ya know Brooke?" the Irishman noted, brushing off his jacket.
The blonde teen just shrugged her shoulders and started walking, glancing around for any indication of where her vampire ally had hidden the ring. "Okay, I was wrong." Cordelia said after ten minutes of silence. "This isn't a needle in a haystack, this is a needle in Kansas."
"It doesn't matter, we have to find that damn ring." Brooklyn sighed, turning to face her friend. "Or else, Angel's dead."
"Slayer's right." Doyle agreed. "We just got to keep looking."
Cordelia let out a heavy sigh and walked ahead, shining her flashlight all over the tunnel. Brooklyn went to follow, but stopped when Doyle reached out and grabbed her arm, "I've got a quicker solution." he informed in a whisper. The blonde arched her eyebrow in confusion, and he took that as his cue. Doyle's eyes turned red and skin turned green, and dark blue spikes popped out all of his face.
"So, that's what your demon form looks like." Brooklyn noted with a nod, following the half-Brachen demon as he sniffed the air. He turned a corner and knelt down, finding a loose stone at the base of the wall. She knelt beside him as he shifted back to normal, removing the stone and found the ring. "Nice job Doyle." Brooklyn praised, patting his shoulder as they both stood up. "Now you've just got to figure out how tell Cordy about your demon half."
"A problem for another day." Doyle replied.
"Fair enough." Brooklyn agreed. "Cordy! I found it!" She called down the tunnel to the brunette, who ran up to them.
"Great!" she cheered, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Now, we can save Angel!"
"Right." Doyle nodded. "By giving Spike exactly what he wants so he can kill us."
"Exactly." Cordelia noted. "Wait, no." she quickly recanted. "We need a new plan." Cordelia and Doyle both looked to Brooklyn.
Brooklyn, Doyle and Cordelia found Spike right where he said he'd be, in the shadows behind the fishery. "So the Slayer and her little sidekicks return." he chuckled, lighting a cigarette. His eyes met those of the young Slayer, who stood tall with her hands on her hips, "Where's my ring?"
"Not on us." Doyle answered, stepping up beside Brooklyn, doing his best to act tough and hide his fear.
"But we know where it is." Cordelia added, standing on the other side of Brooklyn with her arms folded over her chest.
"And suddenly I'm so painfully bored." the vampire sighed and rolled his eyes, dropping the cigarette on the ground and stomping on it. "Time runs short, children. Give me that ring as if Angel's life depended on it."
The next instant Spike was pinned to the brick with the tip of a stake pressing into his chest, "Listen here you little Cockney." Brooklyn threatened, narrowing her dark rimmed eyes, "Take us to Angel now, or I'll be the last Slayer you'll ever see." She applied more pressure to Spike's chest, ready to drive the stake through his heart if he didn't cooperate.
"And if he's still in one piece, we'll ya where to find the ring." Doyle added.
"He is still alive, I think." Spike informed. "In one piece was never part of the deal."
Against her instincts, Brooklyn released her grip on Spike and sheathed the stake in her boot, taking a step back into the sunlight. Spike grinned and smoothed out his leather coat, "Alright kiddies, follow me." He turned around and yanked the back door open, letting the trio walk inside.
"Honey, I'm home." Spike chuckled as he entered the large area of the fishery, where Angel was strung up by his wrists in chains, clearly having been tortured by the other vampire in the room.
When she saw him in that state, Brooklyn's demeanor softened, "Angel." she breathed out, running towards him, only to be yanked back by Spike, who had a vice grip on her wrist, "A deal's a deal, Slayer." he reminded, "And our deal was for the ring. You've wasted quiet enough of my time, pet, so I'd really like it. Now!"
"Let her go and we'll give it to ya." Doyle stated, staring right at Spike, who released the teenage girl's wrist. The half-demon reached into his pocket, showing the ring, "Want it? Go fetch!" he tossed it to the ground, the object rolling across the concrete for a few seconds and landing near the table.
As Spike reached for the ring, the sound of tires squealing sounded outside the building, and suddenly, a van crashed through the side, ramming through some barrels before coming to a screeching halt. The driver's side window rolled down to reveal Oz, holding a loaded crossbow in each hand, "Spike." he greeted with a small grin.
After elbowing Spike in the face and tossing him into a pile of crates, Brooklyn yanked Angel down and undid the chains from his wrists, supporting his body with help from Doyle while Cordelia pulled the van's side door open and jumped in the back, helping Angel.
"I see you in my city again Spike, I'll kill ya." Brooklyn threatened with a wink as she slammed the van door shut and Oz backed out before speeding away.
Spike brushed himself off and rubbed his jaw, "'Right then, she's not bad for a young kitten." he noted, looking around for the ring, only to find it and his so-called ally, Marcus, gone. "Bloody hell." he cursed, kicking a crate across the room.
"Son of a bitch!" Spike yelled, "I do the work. I do the digging. Fight off a Slayer. Drive to LA, hire the help. Fight yet another Slayer. And what do I get? Royally screwed!" he continued to rant and destroy anything in the warehouse he could find. "That cinches it, no more partners. From now on I'm my own man." Spike calmed himself down, smoothing out his coat. "A lone wolf. Look out, here comes Spike! The baddest mother f-" as he strode around the floor, a beam of sunlight from a bullet hole in the ceiling hit the back of his head, igniting it in flames.
Spike quickly dove for the shadows, landing on a tarp and put the fire out with his hands. "I really hope they kill each other." he panted, falling onto his back with an exasperated sigh, rubbing his sore jaw once more, "I also hate blonde Slayers."
Oz drove down the street, glancing in his rearview mirror while Brooklyn removed the remaining pokers imbedded in Angel's body. "How is he doing?" he asked.
"Well, he'll live." Doyle answered.
"Yeah, but not without help." Cordy noted. "We need to get him to a hospital."
"Only they all tend to specialize in humans, not vampires." Brooklyn reminded, holding onto Angel as Oz passed another car and drove in front of it.
"Anyone know any first aid?" Doyle asked, glancing to everyone else in the vehicle.
"Basic sixth grade, but I can improvise." Oz answered with a shrug. "If we can get him some place dark, maybe I can-"
"Turn around!" Angel cut off, wincing from the pain as Brooklyn removed another poker from his leg.
"So you can do what, Angel?" the Slayer demanded as she removed the poker, "Turn into the Human Torch? I don't think so." She placed her hand over his, her ponytail falling over her shoulder, "Besides Angel, you're in no shape to fight anyone right now."
"As usual, our Slayer's right here, man." Doyle agreed.
Angel let out another yell of pain as he removed the last poker in his side, "Marcus has a thing for children." he informed the others, who all shared a look of worry and concern. "Oz, turn around." The van's tires squealed as it spun around, picking up speed as it headed in the opposite direction.
The van skidded to a halt on the pier, ramming into the vampire Marcus. Cordelia jumped out of the van, "Run, move your little scout legs." she ordered a group of girl scouts.
Brooklyn took one of the crossbows from the front seat and fired a bolt into Marcus' chest, standing by the front of the van. She cracked her knuckles and stared him down, ready to fight. Marcus just grinned at the young Slayer while pulling the bolt out of his chest and tossing it over the railing into the ocean below.
"I got him." Doyle volunteered, rushing into the fight, only to be punched twice and knocked down to the ground. Cordelia knelt by him and helped him up while Brooklyn took a step forward.
Marcus made the first move, which Brooklyn dodged and countered with a kick to his ribs. She then went on the offensive, knocking the sunglasses off his face with a roundhouse kick and then landing a punch to his face, forcing it to change to it's more animalistic nature. The civilians on the pier screamed and ran, but Brooklyn kept up her attacks.
Meanwhile, Oz opened the van's door, "You're sure about this?" he asked the weakened Angel in the back, who gave a nod in agreement. Oz sighed heavily and looked back at the fight, watching Brooklyn flip over Marcus and kick him in the back, sending him into the railing. He opened the door all the way, and Angel jumped out, tackling Marcus as the back of his shirt caught fire. The two vampires went through the railing and into the ocean.
"Angel!" Brooklyn screamed, running to the railing and looking down.
"Where is he?" Cordelia asked, breathing heavily.
"I'm sure he's fine." Oz assured his friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's Angel."
Brooklyn took off down the pier, shoving past the humans in her way and jumping over any obstacle. She was so focused, she didn't even hear her friends calling her name.
The two vampires continued their fight in a shaded area underneath the pier, knee deep in the ocean. "What were you planning to do? Kill me?" Marcus taunted with a laugh.
"After all, I promised." Angel grunted, throwing another punch before dragging him onto shore. "You never cracked me, Marcus. You tried, and you failed. That's gotta be torture for you." He stumbled back when the white shirted vampire kicked him in the chest.
It was at that moment, Brooklyn came upon them. She broke into a run, going into a few back-to-back roundoffs, both of her feet making contact with Marcus' chest, sending him flying back into the water. She landed on her feet without sway, cracking a smirk. "I've got it from here Angel, it won't take long."
Marcus hissed at the Slayer's remark and lunged for her. All she did was smile and grab his wrist, spotting the Gem of Amara on his finger, as well as seeing a splintered piece of wood on one of the beams under the pier. "This is for torturing my friend nearly to death." she yanked him forward, removing the ring, and tossed him onto the splintered wood. With a pained scream, Marcus turned to dust.
With a triumphant smile on her face, Brooklyn tossed the ring into the air and caught it, before holding her hand out and helping Angel to his feet. "You okay?" she asked, helping steady him when he got out of the water and onto the sand.
"Yeah." he panted, bracing one of his hands on her shoulder. "Nice job."
Brooklyn shrugged, "I had to slay at least one vampire today." she chuckled. "It's kinda in the title; Vampire Slayer." She held the ring out, "Go on, take it." she dropped it into his palm, "Buffy did want you to have it after all."
Angel nodded and slid the ring onto his hand, and keeping his other arm around Brooklyn's shoulders, the pair stepped into the sunlight. Oz, Cordelia, and Doyle ran down to join them. "You guys alright?" the brunette female asked.
"Yeah, fine." Angel answered, looking from Cordy to Oz, "Thanks for the help, man. You were key."
"You're, incredibly pale." the musician noted. "Very pale. Paler than most people."
"Well, he hasn't had decent Vitamin D exposure in about 200 years." Brooklyn reminded. She couldn't help but smile as she stood there and watched Angel standing in the sunlight, taking it all in. A gentle breeze blew past them, her ponytail flowing behind her before falling over her shoulder.
Angel watched the sun set from the roof of his building, Doyle and Brooklyn joining him. This time, Brooklyn wore frayed jean shorts with calf high black boots and a 'Dingoes Ate My Baby' graphic tank top, her blonde hair crimped and falling over her shoulders and down her back.
"So, how long has it been between sunsets?" Doyle asked, glancing to his vampire friend.
"200 years, give or take." Angel shrugged.
Doyle grinned, patting his shoulder, "Well you got to be feeling pretty damn good then, huh? I mean the ring changes everything." he noticed the far-off look on Angel's face as he watched the sun sink below the city skyline, "Spectacular I know, but I do promise there'll be another one exactly like it tomorrow." he reminded.
"Not for me." Angel informed, looking down at the ring on his finger.
"Angel, you sure?" Brooklyn asked, tucking some hair behind her ear, knowing what her partner was thinking.
Doyle shook his head, "No. It's to horrible to say." he stammered out.
"He's not gonna wear it." the Slayer voiced what all three were thinking.
The half demon continued shaking his head, "You got a real addiction to the brooding part of life." he pointed out, staring at Angel. "Anyone ever tell you that?"
"Once or twice." the vampire shrugged.
"Care to explain then?" Doyle licked his lips, leaning against the rooftop ledge. "I mean this ring is your redemption. It's what you've been waiting for."
This time, Angel was the one to shake his head in rebuttal, "Not really, it just looks like it."
"Angel, man, think what you're saying." Doyle begged.
Angel sighed and leaned back against the ledge. "He has thought about it, Doyle." Brooklyn replied, facing her two male friends, hooking her thumbs through the belt loops of her shorts.
The Irishman rolled his eyes, "So what, you don't get the ring because your period of self-flagellation isn't over yet?" he questioned, seeing the look of remorse on the vampire's face. "I mean think of all the daytime people you could help between 9 and 5."
"Doyle, they already have that help." the Slayer reminded. "So much so that they have no idea of the real evil that's out there."
"Brooklyn's right." Angel agreed. "They don't see the weak ones lost in the night, or the things that prey on them." he added on, looking at the ring. "I was brought back for a reason, and as much as I would like to kid myself, I don't think it was for 18 holes at Rancho."
Brooklyn smiled and rested her hand on Angel's shoulder, "You're time will come Angel, and I'll be there when it does." she nudged his arm with her elbow and let out a chuckle.
Angel returned the teen's smile, glancing over her outfit, "What're you dressed up for anyway?" he asked.
"Oh." the blonde looked over herself, "Oz was nice enough to give me three tickets to his gig tonight, so I'm taking Jensen and Kacy."
"Just a normal, teenage night out, huh?" Angel arched his brow, and Brooklyn nodded in agreement. They watched the sun sink below the horizon, Angel slid the ring off his finger and set it on the ledge, before taking a brick and smashing it, creating a flash of bright green light.
Brooklyn winced at the flash, but quickly shook it off. Doyle did the same and cleared his throat, "Oh, and that Rachel girl with the crazy boyfriend called." he informed. "Said to say thanks, and that she found a little faith. Said you'd know what that means."
Angel chuckled, leaning against the ledge and crossing his arms, "I don't know about you two, but I had a nice day." he smiled. "Except for the bulk of it, where I was nearly tortured to death."
"That would suck for anybody." Brooklyn noted. She glanced down and saw a black and yellow charger pull up to the curb in front of the building. "I'll be right down guys!" the blonde called down to her friends, waving at them from the roof. "Gotta go. See ya both tomorrow." She flashed a grin and opened the roof exit, running down the stairs.
"She's somethin else." Doyle chuckled, watching her leave. "One minute she's got me scared to ever cross her, the next, all smiling and giddy." Both guys looked over the roof ledge, seeing Brooklyn jump into the back of Jensen's car and watch it drive off.
"Well, even though she's the Slayer, Brooklyn still deserves to have some aspects of a normal life." Angel noted. "They both do." he added under his breath, his mind going to the other Slayer he knew.
A/N: Again, so sorry for taking so long to update this story, I try to make Brooklyn have her individuality, while also paying homage to past Slayers like Buffy and Faith. That's why these chapters take so long, but thanks for being patient and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Next chapter: I Fall to Pieces.
Now for some review responses:
Djone246: This series is still in it's early stages, but there are lots of twists and turns along the way, you'll just have to wait and see what the final outcome will be. This is just the beginning of Brooklyn and Angel's friendship.
DemonGirl123: Aww sis, glad you liked the last chapter and hoping you liked this one too, seeing Brooklyn in more of her Slayer persona. Thanks for you constant support! XOXO.
bluestorm28: I have this entire series planned out over all five seasons of Angel, and I'm glad you like the idea of a Slayer original character. That's really all I could think of to make a fanfiction idea work for me. Brooklyn didn't necessarily "replace" anyone as the Slayer, more like she succeeded the previous one. In that case, it was Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. More information on that will be explored upon in later chapters of this story. Hope you'll stick around to see what happens and like how Brooklyn fits into the story.