Part 8/?
(Notes: While the Doors breakthrough album came
out the summer of ’67 at about the same time as The Beatles’ “Sergeant
Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band” and the Jefferson Airplane’s
“Surrealistic Pillow”, the Doors did tour local nightclubs in the LA area,
so, had Sunnydale and the Bronze been real, it would have been very probable
that they would have played there.)
***********
“I don’t know if I’m up for this…” Felicia sighed as she got ready for
her shower. “I mean…I just don’t feel right about going to the beauty
parlor and shopping so soon after what happened…”
“I know…I know…” Cordelia consoled in a soft voice as she gently hugged
her friend. “I only knew Lenny for a couple of weeks and, well…”
“He was a good man.” The strawberry blonde bowed her head as she wiped away
her tears. “Why did they do it, Cordy? Why did they have to shoot him?”
“I don’t know.” The young seer replied sadly as she gently shook her head
her mind once again replaying the events of that horrible afternoon. “I guess
the soldiers got scared…”
“But Lenny?” Looking up into the hazel eyes of her roommate and friend, the
young college student pleaded, trying vainly to understand what happened.
“I’ve known him for two years now…I introduced him to Edie. Why did he
have to die because of this stupid war?”
“I wish I could tell you, Licia.” Tears filled Cordelia’s eyes as ghostly
visions of Jesse, Harmony, Larry, Kevin, Jenny Calendar, Doyle, and so many
others flitted through her mind. “I wish I knew. All I know…” She then
said as determination filled her eyes, “Is that I think he was the sort of guy
who’d want us to get on with our lives.” Then, her face reflecting her
concern, the young seer asked, “How’s Edie holding up?”
“She’s taking it really hard.” Felicia sobbed. “I talked to her on the
phone last night…she called while you were out…” The young woman
explained. “She said her and Lenny…made it to Cincinnati ok…” She then
shook her head sadly as she continued to relate her conversation. “She told me
that Lenny’s folks…well…some of ‘em aren’t exactly the most…you
know…”
“Yeah…I know…” Cordelia said softly as she remembered some of the looks
and nasty remarks that Edie and Lenny had to endure because they were an
interracial couple.
“His old man doesn’t even want her to go to the funeral!” Felicia snapped,
her face now crimson with rage. “How could he!!” She swore as she balled up
her hands into fists. “I mean…when I heard that I got so hacked off…”
“I understand, Licia.” Cordy consoled. “Did Edie say what she was going to
do?”
“Yeah.” Felicia then flashed a slight smile. “Edie said Lenny’s mom’s
a nice lady. She told her she’d make sure the old man keeps his damn mouth
shut and behaves himself.”
“That’s good.” The lovely brunette smiled approvingly, and then, looking
kindly at her roommate offered, “You know…if you’re really not up for
this, I can call Jenny and cancel out…”
“No…” Felicia shook her head as she forced another smile. “You’re
right. Lenny wouldn’t want us to stay here crying for him. He’d tell us the
best way to remember him would be to go out and have a good time—and that’s
just what we’re gonna do!”
***********
Approaching the Chief Acolyte, Luke knelt and bowed his head in respect. “Any
news, Brother, on the Grandmaster’s arrival?”
“Soon…soon.” The deputy leader of the vampiric Order of Merovinus replied
in a haughty tone as he looked down upon the burly child of the Master. “He
will be here within a fortnight.” Then, motioning for the kneeling figure to
arise, he continued, “However, there are certain items we need before the
rituals can commence. My brothers have been conducting inquiries—some of those
items are here.”
“Whatever you need, Master…” Luke said reverently as he motioned with his
hand towards Darla and the other vampires gathered, “We are yours to
command.”
***********
“Hey Licia!” Cordelia called out from the living room of their tiny two-room
apartment to her roommate who was now in the bathroom to her roommate waiting on
her in the living room of their tiny two-bedroom apartment. “You, Ok?”
“I’m better.” The young strawberry-blonde girl answered back, poking her
head out the bathroom door. “I’ll be out in a few.”
“Cool.” Cordelia smiled warmly before taking a slip of paper out from her
purse. Then, gazing at the phone number she had jotted down days ago, she
frowned as she tried to figure out the time difference between Sunnydale and
London. “Ok, it’s about nine in the morning here so that means it should
be…five in the afternoon there…I hope!” Cordy said softly as she picked up
the heavy ceramic receiver from the hook. “Licia?” The young seer then
called out to her friend, “I gotta make kind of a private call—it’s an
international call to a friend of my family’s in London, so when the bill
comes in…”
“’S Okay, Cordy!” Felicia called back. “I still gotta put on my warpaint…”
“Thanks, Licia—you’re the grooviest!” Cordelia yelled back as she dialed
the number.
About six rings later, a child’s voice answered. “Hello?”
Initially startled as she had expected a butler or some other English type
domestic to answer the phone, not a child, Cordelia quickly recovered.
“Hi…is this the Giles residence?”
“Yes it is.” The young man replied.
“Great.” The young seer grinned in triumph. “I need to speak with…now,
which one’s the Watcher…” Cordelia said to herself in a soft voice,
forgetting that the person on the other end of the line could hear her.
“Father!” The child’s voice then called out.
“Yes, Rupert.” Cordelia then gasped inaudibly as she heard the name the
other voice had called the child, it dawning on her that the little boy she had
been speaking to would one day grow up to become the librarian and Watcher that
she had come to know so well.
“There’s a lady with an American accent that wants to speak with you.” He
then added in a serious tone. “She knows about Watchers…”
“Hello?” Another voice, a serious voice with a polished English accent, then
came across from the phone. “With whom am I speaking?”
“Hello? Mr. Giles? I know you’re probably not gonna believe what I’m gonna
tell you at first, but please listen to me—it’s important!” Cordelia
gasped, her words coming out as a torrent as she prayed inwardly that the
Englishman on the other end of the line would at least listen to her before
hanging up
“Very well, young lady.” Giles senior replied. “Why don’t you start by
telling me your name?”
“Ok, my name’s Cordelia Chase…” The young seer said as she took a deep
breath. “I’m calling from Sunnydale, California, in the United States, and
you need to get here with whoever’s the Slayer now, cause if you don’t, a
whole lotta people are gonna get killed here in Hellmouth City sometime in the
next few months.”
The English Watcher, now thankful that he had not given in to his initial
impulse to simply hang up on the American, sat down in his chair. Whoever she
was, she obviously knew about Watchers, knew that he was a Watcher, and knew
about Slayers and the Hellmouth as well. “I think you need to tell me
everything you can, Miss Chase.” Giles senior instructed as he gratefully
accepted a cup of tea from his wife.
“I can’t talk long, Mr. Giles.” Cordelia said softly, then added quickly,
“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you everything—it’s just that my
roommate’s gonna be ready soon, and I don’t really want her to hear what I
gotta tell you—and I don’t think you want her to hear either. But I can tell
you this—it involves the Master and a weird vampire cult trying to raise
him.”
Upon hearing the name of the powerful ancient vampire, Giles stiffened in his
chair. Then, he spoke in a soft voice as he made an immediate decision. “I
quite understand, and agree. If what you say is true, then this is a most
dangerous situation.” I shall be enroute to Sunnydale as soon as possible.”
“Great!” The seer then sighed in relief. “Here’s my home number and my
work number—give me a call when you get here and I promise, I’ll tell you
everything—oh, by the way, I picked up a copy of De Cultibus Vespertilionibus
at the library a few days ago…”
“The Latin edition by Titus Livinius?” The Watcher, both surprised and
impressed by the young lady’s statement, asked as he finished jotting down the
phone numbers the strange American had just given him.
“Yeah.” Cordelia, mildly amused at the changed inflection in the
Englishman’s voice, replied. “Figured that it’d save you some time.”
“It would indeed, young lady.” The Watcher’s voice tone reflecting his
approval, he then asked, “Were you able to obtain Langston’s Vampyre?”
“No.” Cordy replied ruefully. “The library didn’t have it.” Hearing
Felicia coming out of the bathroom, the young seer said in a rush, “My
roommate’s coming out now—I’ll see you when you get over here.”
“I shall most definitely be looking forward to hearing the rest of your story,
Miss Chase.” The diffident Englishman said softly as his brow furrowed in
concern while he cleaned his horn-rimmed glasses. ‘If this young lady is
telling the truth about the Master…’ The Watcher thought, ‘Then the entire
world is at risk…and if she’s lying…’ He frowned as he contemplated the
probable course of action the Council. ‘If she’s lucky, the Council will
settle for just having her confined in an institution for a few years, but they
might not settle for that as from the little she’s already told me, I’d say
she already knows too much for the comfort of the Council…’ Then, fetching
his copy of Vampyre from the bookshelf he sighed. “Well…we’ll just have to
see what she has to say.”
***********
“The first item we shall need…” The chief Acolyte instructed, “…is the
Liber Arcanum. It should be found in the crypt of Gilles St. Reine.”
“I’ll get it.” Darla volunteered with a sly grin as she stood up.
“We’ll have to wait for nightfall though—it’s in the middle of the
cemetery and there’s no way to get to it during the day.
“Very well, then.” Luke nodded his head, approving her plan. “Take
Chester, Dylan, and Mariel…” He further instructed, pointing towards the
vampire trio several feet away feasting on a young Sunnydale High student who
had wandered a little too close to the blind alley they had hidden in last
night. Then, turning his attention back to the acolyte, he asked, “What else
do you need, sire?”
“The dagger of Agamemnon.” The cultist answered. “It is being held in the
museum.”
“Ah, yes.” Luke replied with a sly grin. “The Mycenean exhibit…I shall
obtain it personally.”
“Excellent.” The acolyte responded. “With those two items, the Grandmaster
will be able to begin the ritual to bring…Him…” His voice dripping with
fear and reverence, the acolyte motioned with his head towards the pool where
the Master laid waiting for the day of his rising, “…back to us.”
***********
“Didn’t I tell you this was a good idea?” Cordelia, smiling broadly,
practically shoved Jenny in front of the mirror at the Mod Shoppe. “That hair
style definitely says something!”
“Ok, Cordy…” Felicia, playing along with her friend, then asked with a
smile, “What does it say?”
Continuing their little game, Cordelia answered without missing a beat, “It
says ‘I’m outta sight and I know it!”
“Really?” Jenny, not believing her eyes as she gazed at the reflection in
front of the mirror, seeing her hair cut in the latest geometric style, asked
somewhat dubiously as Cordelia, smiling triumphantly, held a vinyl minidress of
alternating black and white squares in front of her.
“What do you think, Licia?” The seer asked appraisingly, “Think this’ll
turn some heads?”
“Oh, yeah.” The strawberry blonde replied with a wicked grin. “Especially
with that black hat over there, that black belt…” She then motioned towards
a wide black vinyl belt hanging nearby, and…I don’t know…white boots or
black here?”
“Black…definitely.” Cordelia smiled back. Then, turning her attention to
Jenny, the young seer smiled, “Why don’t you go try ‘em on?”
“Ok.” The young girl, smiling shyly, took the dress, boots, belt, and hat
and ducked quickly into a nearby changing room, leaving the seer and her
roommate to continue looking through the dresses and blouses.
As she came across a particular minidress, a wicked grin crossed Felicia’s
face as she took it out and held it up against Cordelia. “Perfect.” She
smirked. “You oughta wear this to the Tom Jones concert.”
As she looked at the dress, Cordelia gasped as she realized that she could see
right through it. “No way, Licia!” She exclaimed as her face flushed
crimson. “I mean…it’s…almost totally…transparent!”
“It’d be perfect for the concert, Cordy!” Felicia giggled as she waved the
dress in front of her friend. “It’s outta sight!”
Cordelia, deciding to turn the tables on her friendly tormenter, then teased,
“If it’s so outta sight, Licia…then you wear it!” Seeing the look on her
friend’s face, Cordy pressed home her attack, “After all…we’re about the
same figure…so…if it’d look good on me, then I know it’d have to look
good on you!”
After thinking about it for several moments, an evil grin once again crossed her
roommate’s features, causing Cordelia to gulp in fear. “I got an idea.”
The strawberry blonde grinned mischievously, “Let’s make a bet. You know, I
still haven’t met this new guy of yours…tell you what…this new group, the
Doors, are playing at the Bronze tonight. If he shows up and he’s as gorgeous
as you say he is, then I’ll wear it to the concert…”
Cordelia, knowing that she could at least get Angel to make an appearance at the
Bronze, chuckled in amusement, feeling confident that this bet was a sure thing.
“Ok…” Her lips then turned up into an evil grin of her own, “But you
gotta wear it braless…”
“Ok…” Gulping momentarily, Felicia rallied and agreed to her roommate’s
condition. “But, if he doesn’t show…then you gotta wear it—braless—and
with those sexy white lace panties you bought the other day—and he’s gotta
make the scene by nine o’clock—before they start their first set—he
can’t just pop in at the end and then blow the scene—he’s gotta stick
around for the whole show—cause I wanna get a good look at him—deal?”
“Deal!” Cordelia grinned as the pair shook hands.
A few minutes later, Jenny showed up, modeling her new outfit, “Well…what do
you think?” She asked with a nervous lilt to her voice.
“I think it looks absolutely groovy!” Cordelia grinned widely as she looked
approvingly at her protégé.
“Oh, yeah!” Felicia agreed. “Outta sight! You’re gonna drive all the
cats at that dance crazy!”
***********
Knocking on the door to Angel’s apartment, Cordelia sighed in relief as the
door opened. “Hi Angel!” The seer grinned as she breezed into his apartment,
wrinkling her nose at the mess. “When are you going to clean this place?”
She sighed dramatically as she picked up one of his t-shirts by two fingers,
dropping it on to a rapidly growing pile of laundry.
“Ummm…what can I do for you…Cordelia?” The tormented vampire, still
unable to figure out this strange person who had so recently stormed, totally
uninvited, into his life, stammered as he sat down at the corner of his bed.
Taking a deep breath, Cordelia spilled it all out in a rush, “I need you to do
a big favor for me…would you meet me and my friends at the Bronze tonight?”
Surprised at her request, Angel asked, “What?”
Shaking her head at her future partner’s denseness, the young brunette
repeated, slowly and clearly,
“I…said…would…you…meet…me…at…the…Bronze…tonight?” Then,
with a smile, she added, “The Doors are playing, and I thought you’d like to
hear them…” Seeing the disbelieving look on the ensouled vampire’s face,
she sighed, “Ok…I made a bet with my roommate. If you show up, then she’s
gotta wear a see through mini we bought today to that Tom Jones concert that I
told you about last night that we’re going to in a couple weeks. If you
don’t go…then I gotta wear it.”
“I see…” Angel, with a rare smirk, replied as he looked into the hazel
eyes of his future seer.
“No…you’re not gonna see…me…in that dress, that is…cause you’re
coming tonight.” Cordelia then said, making up the vampire’s mind for him.
“I guess I’ll be there, then.” Angel, realizing when he’s been beaten,
said softly, not believing the effect this strange woman was having on him.
“Good.” Cordelia smiled as she made her way towards the door. “I’ll see
you tonight then—nine o’clock—don’t forget.”
***********
“The ol’ Bronze is sure crowded tonight!” Cordelia, pulling down on her
lime green micro-mini gasped in surprise as she saw the throng of people
gathering inside Sunnydale’s main center of entertainment.
“Tell me about it!” Felicia grinned back as she absent-mindedly fingered one
of her gold-disk earrings. Then, spotting Donny already at a table, she waved,
“Hey Donny! Groovy! You saved us a spot!”
“Hey, chicks!” Donny, wearing a crushed blue velvet Regency style coat and
white silk shirt with a lace cravat, grinned widely as he made room for the two
ladies. Then, after kissing both of them on the cheeks, he asked curiously,
“So…is this Angel cat gonna make the scene or what?”
“I told him he’d better have his…” Cordy quickly stopped herself before
saying undead, and then smoothly continued without missing a beat, “…ass
here by nine—or else!” She said as she flashed an evil grin at her roommate.
“Cause I’m really looking forward to that concert in a few weeks…”
“Yeah…” Felicia grinned back, “And I’ve got your outfit all picked out
for you…” She then turned towards Donny and smiled sweetly, “You are going
to bring your camera to take a picture of us—aren’t you?”
“You know it, babe.” The young man, aware of the bet his girlfriend and her
roommate had made, figured that however it turned out; he was going to come out
the winner here—seeing that he was the cameraman.
“Well…” Felicia then said as she looked at her watch, your boyfriend
better hurry, Cordy—the first set’s in about twenty minutes or so…”
“He’ll show…” Cordelia said, tapping her foot nervously as she gazed
down at her watch.
***********
Zipping up his leather jacket, Angel glanced at the clock on the wall. Seeing
the time—8:40, he shook his head in disbelief. “Better hurry…” He said
to himself as he closed and locked the door to his tiny run-down apartment. “I
got a feeling that it wouldn’t be a good idea to stand this girl up…” As
he made his way through the night, he shook his head in wonder and disbelief as
he saw a pair of hippies walking together holding hands. “If it wasn’t for
the guy’s beard…” Angel said inwardly as he got a good look at the young
man, his dark brown hair flowing all the way down below his shoulders, “I
wouldn’t have known he was a guy.”
Then, spying the entrance to the cemetery, he nodded his head. “Cut through
here…” He grinned triumphantly, “And I can get to the Bronze in about ten
minutes—plenty of time to spare.”
***********
“I hear the lead singer is soooo far out!” Felicia gushed as the rock group
finished its sound checks on their instruments.
“Yeah.” Cordelia, seeing the minute hand draw ever closer to the magic nine
o’clock hour, agreed absentmindedly with her roommate as she sipped her drink.
“I heard that too.”
As he passed the crypt in the center of the cemetery, Angel spied movement from
the shadows. His curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to investigate.
At the Bronze, the owner of the club took to the stage, and grabbing the
microphone, spoke in a loud clear voice, silencing all the talking and laughing.
“Ladies and gentlemen! The Bronze is pleased to introduce the next big name in
rock and roll—The Doors!”
As the band rushed to take their places, Cordelia’s heart skipped a beat as
she gazed upon the lead singer. As she looked upon his boyish face and shoulder
length black hair and tight jeans, the young seer gasped. This was Jim Morrison
at his best—before the alcohol and drugs would take their toll on his body and
spirit. “God!!” Cordy said in a soft voice, “He is hot!!”
“Tell me about it!” Felicia sighed dramatically as she licked her lips.
“Me…him…”
“Yup.” Cordelia replied as she felt her face flush as Ray Manzerek’s
electric piano hit the first notes of a tune familiar even to the young seer,
soon followed by Bobby Krieger’s guitar and John Densmore’s drums, and then,
at last, Jim Morrison’s unmistakable whisky rich voice,
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher
As he approached the crypt, the ensouled vampire saw a sight someone that he had
not seen in years—his sire and former lover, Darla. Flashing back to the last
time they were together, during the Boxer Rebellion, Angel growled, “Darla.”
“Angelus.” The blonde seductress grinned sensuously as she held the book of
magic that she had been sent to obtain close to her chest.
Come on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
The time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
As the mournful tunes of Ray Manzerek’s piano, accompanied in the background
by John Densmore’s drums filled the nightclub, Felicia turned towards Cordelia
and whispered, a small amount of concern mixing in with her triumph at possibly
winning her bet, “Where is he?”
“He’ll show.” Cordelia said as Morrison’s voice once again rang out,
“He better if he knows what’s good for him.”
The time to hesitate is through
No time to wallow in the mire
Try now we can only lose
And our love become a funeral pyre
Come on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire, yeah
“What are you doing here?” The vampire with a soul demanded as the rest of
Darla’s party hovered protectively around her and the book.
“Don’t have time to talk now, but you’ll find out soon enough, lover.”
The blonde temptress smirked and then, turning towards her companions, she
ordered as she took off running, “Get him!”
Manzerek’s piano once again took center stage as the long instrumental portion
of the song began, with Dennsmore’s drums once again providing background
accompaniment.
“You sure he’s ok?” Felicia asked, her concern growing as she looked at
the clock, now showing 9:05.
“I hope so…” Cordelia replied, her voice now showing concern as she
thought. ‘Cause he’s gonna be sooooo staked if it’s anything less than a
squad of angry vamps jumping his undead bones.’ Then, as Bobby Krieger’s
guitar joined in, challenging Ray Manzerek’s piano in the instrumental, the
young seer allowed herself to get lost in the strangely hypnotic music.
“Damn!” Angel swore as the undead trio rushed him. Dodging, he avoided the
rush of the nearest vamp. Then, kicking, he struck the woman in her stomach,
forcing her to the ground. Seeing a nearby tree, the ensouled vampire then took
off at a dead run, the other vampires hot on his trail.
“Looks like he’s a no-show.” Donny said consolingly as the instrumental
portion reached a crescendo with Densmore’s drums joining Krieger’s guitar
and Manzerek’s piano in a grand climax. Then Morrison’s gravely voice once
again filled the club as the song reached its explosive finish,
You know that it would be untrue
You know that I would be a liar
If I was to say to you
Girl, we couldn't get much higher
Come on baby, light my fire
Come on baby, light my fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
Try to set the night on fire
“His ass is soooo dead!” Cordelia cursed as she finished her drink.
Reaching the tree just ahead of his enemies, Angel grimaced as he noticed that
there was nothing that could pass as a stake lying on the ground. Then, seeing a
hubcap lying on the ground, he flashed an evil grin. Picking it up and hefting
it, he threw it as if it were a discus at the closest vampire to him, smiling in
triumph as the sharp edges of the metal cap sliced cleanly through the neck of
his quarry.
You know the day destroys the night
Night divides the day
Tried to run
Tried to hide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side, yeah
Angel rolled as the momentum of the second vampire’s rush threw him to the
ground, his face shifting as the demon once again showed itself, the former
Scourge of Europe growled as he clawed at his foe.
We chased our pleasures here
Dug our treasures there
But can you still recall
The time we cried
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Yeah!
C'mon, yeah
Struggling to his feet, Angel picked up the second vampire by the collar of her
dress, tossing her as if she were a rag doll at a large headstone. Seeing a
child’s wooden stick horse lying against a small headstone, Angel smirked as
he took it, snapping off the horse’s head. Seeing out of the corner of his eye
the male vampire closing on him, the vampire with a soul thrust out
instinctively finding his mark as his prey disappeared in a pile of dust.
Everybody loves my baby
Everybody loves my baby
She get
She get
She get
She get high
I found an island in your arms
Country in your eyes
Arms that chain us
Eyes that lie
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through, oww!
Oh, yeah!
His last opponent, seeing that his boss had already fled, turned to escape.
“Oh no…” Angel, still in demon face, sneered as the bloodlust overwhelmed
him. “You started this…” The cursed vampire taunted as he launched an
uppercut that connected square on to the chin of his foe, launching him several
feet into the air. “So you gotta stick around for the ending…” He smirked
triumphantly as he plunged his makeshift stake into his enemy’s heart.
Made the scene
Week to week
Day to day
Hour to hour
The gate is straight
Deep and wide
Break on through to the other side
Break on through to the other side
Break on through
Break on through
Break on through
Break on through
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Looking down at the rapidly dispersing remains of his beaten enemy, Angel
slapped his forehead as he rolled his eyes. “Cordelia…the Bronze…” He
sighed as he shook his head. “Maybe she won’t be too mad at me for being
late…” He thought ruefully, not really believing his own words, as he made
his way towards the Bronze, and what was sure to be a rather unpleasant
encounter with this strange, yet oddly fascinating, woman.
As the group prepared to launch into its next song, Felicia turned towards
Cordelia and with a smile that was both playful and warm, said, “You know…if
you really don’t wanna wear the dress, that’s ok—if you wanna call the bet
off, I’ll understand.”
“No…” Cordelia said definitively. “I made a bet, and I don’t welsh.”
Then, her eyes flashed her anger at her inappropriately late date as she balled
her fists. “And as for Angel…just wait ‘til he sees what I’ve got in
store for him…”
***********
(Jenny’s hairstyle can be found at:
http://fashion.about.com/gi/dynamic....com/SoHo/4473/
And here’s Jenny’s hat:
http://fashion.about.com/gi/dynamic...atspajamas.com/
)
TBC...